Six undecorated, minimalist chocolate cakes sat symmetrically in a row, waiting to be placed on white, unadorned plates.
While 700 architects, crashers and groupies milled around the lobby of the Seagram Building, Mies van der Rohe's monumental modernist creation on Park Avenue at 52d Street, Philip Johnson signed autographs.
Nevertheless, Mr. Johnson delivered the toast Thursday night on Mies's precise 100th birthday, which the architecture world is celebrating this year with considerable zeal.
The event had the air of a community gathering, which, in a sense, it was. The building's prime tenant, Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, provided the wine. The Four Seasons, the celebrated restaurant in the building, donated the waiters.
The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, which owns the building, hired the guards. Eli Zabar baked the cakes.
For the birthday, the two fountains on the plaza were going full blast -for the first time since the water shortage last summer.


We often focus in the directory on tips for buying a classic car, forgetting of course that at some point you are likely to be selling that same car. Unlike the modern car world, selling is a delicate area which needs consideration to make sure you get a good price and your car goes to a good new home! No matter how close to your heart you hold your classic, many owners only have both the time and space for a finite number of classics, and if a new project is beckoning, it may be time to sell an existing car to a new owner with more time to care for it. Sometimes classics are sold because the restoration has become too much too handle, or purely for financial reasons; but for most of this sale is like to be rather emotional, particularly if you have done much of the back breaking and intricate restoration work yourself.
Like any collectable, values can fluctuate wildly based on scarcity, popularity, ease of maintenance and more. Online research will give a practical idea of a rough asking price for similar age and condition models, as are magazines and dealerships. Do realise that asking price and actual sale price are often quite different; rather like house prices, in order to allow for some negotiation. It is worth calling in a valuations expert to give you an idea of what the car is worth. Be prepared that if you have self restored, the final valuation may not measure up to your expectations; particularly if you have spent considerable time and money in the restoration process.
Like any sale, you will need to put some preparation into the car before you start seeing prospective buyers to ensure it is looking and running at it's best, thus getting you the best possible value. Hopefully; it will already be in good condition, but if you are selling an unfinished project, or indeed one which was finished some time ago, then making sure the car looks at its best will get you better offers and mean those who look will be more likely to buy.
A good clean and polish will help whatever the car's condition, and tidying up the interior and giving the trim a go over is also a good start. Be thorough, and don't forget areas like wheel arches and mud flaps, as these will be a good indication to your buyers as to the condition you have kept the car in. Any car is probably going to be more sale worthy with a long MOT, and an oil change etc is also a good idea to give potential purchasers more value for their money. Don't forget to make sure all your paperwork is in order.
You may trade the car in, commission a dealer to sell it for you, or you may prefer to offer it for a private sale. There is also the option of auction, but as many who attend these are looking for a real bargain, this may not get you the price you are looking for; and will also be subject to a commission for the auctioneer. On the other hand, this will offer you the option of having the legwork done for you, and they will likely advertise the car for you, saving you costs on advertising as well.
If you decide to advertise privately, good photographs are essential. With digital photography, anyone can take reasonable photo's, but remember to ensure the car is looking its best, taken in good natural light, with a sensible back drop which gives the right impression. There are a huge plethora of specialist publications and websites to look through, as well as more general publications. Charges for advertising vary, so do your research and check the audience and circulation to compare with the rates.
There is also a lot to be said for online auction sites, which can be daunting but definitely worth looking. There are guidelines to be aware of, and fees may vary; EBay for example vary fees according to starting and final price, so read the small print to check what your sale will cost you. For a first time seller, it is absolutely worth speaking to a professional dealer or auctioneer, as the costs involved may well far outweigh the hassle of arranging the sale yourself, and will avoid any legal pitfalls.
If you are selling privately, then there will be a question of viewings and negotiation. Be safe with your home address, but remember that potential buyers may feel more secure seeing the cars natural environment and your home rather than a neutral space. Be honest about the car's faults, but emphasise its good points, and remember that like any sales, you don't have to go into every single tiny details, as this much attention may put the buyer off. If you have records of any restoration work, servicing and parts purchases, now is a good time to bring them out. Remember to check the buyers insurance if they want to take the car for a test drive, and of course, go with them!
If you are prepared to negotiate, you will likely get more offers. Price honestly to get the interest, and decide in advance on your bottom line. Cash buyers will always try to bargain hard, so make sure that while you are realistic, you keep to your minimum.
Classic and Vintage Car Dealers click here for a full list.
Classics Bought and Sold click here for a full list.
Classic Car Sales click here for a full list.


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BY inkdev
2013 Inkwell Awards Celebrate Inkers at 3rd Annual Heroes Con Awards Ceremony; The Original Ms. Inkwell Makes Her Return!
"Voting for the 6th annual Inkwell Awards has ended, the ballots have been tallied and the comic book inking advocacy now prepares for its third live awards ceremony at the 2013 Heroes Con June 7-9 to reveal the highly-anticipated results. Voting was done online through the group's web site and heavily promoted through Facebook, Twitter, comics sites and other outlets.
"After a long year of fundraising, programs, conventions, promotion, various duties and all of the passion and effort involved, the Inkwell family is always ecstatic to celebrate our goal of promoting the art form of Inking and the industry's best Ink Artists" said Bob Almond, the non-profit organization's founder and director. "We can never show enough gratitude to Heroes Con promoter Shelton Drum and his staff for making this mission an annual reality, supporting inkers in the community with the respect and recognition they deserve."
2013 Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund award recipient: Ji Wook Moon!
The Kubert School Scholarship Ceremony- May 3, 2013!
For the Inkwell Awards-sponsored Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund, this year's winner and 4th recipient was Ji Wook Moon! And with perfect attendance to boot!
To see all of the 2013 Winners click this link!
DAN ADKINS: 1937-2013
Three years after the passing of his wife, J. David Spurlock announced today on his Facebook page of the passing of the artist himself:
I went to Reading PA yesterday to buy Steranko and Adkins dinner. Neither Steranko nor myself had been able to reach Adkins. After dinner with Steranko, I hit the road back to New York only to be phoned by Steranko who had just received word from Adkins' son that Dan left this world last week. In addition to many other credits, including T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Dr. Strange, lots of sci-fi illustrations, and much of the best inking ever done for Marvel, Adkins served as an art director at Marvel, was key to Wood launching Witzend, and he also mentored a number of young artists including Paul Gulacy, Val Mayerik and P. Craig Russell. He is missed.
— J. David Spurlock
For those not familiar with Dan and his career, Mark Evanier has posted an article on him. The Inkwell Awards extends it's sincere condolences for his family and friends for their loss.
BY Sarah L. Covert
Ms. Inkwell To The Rescue: New Auctions On eBay
What does a non-profit charity do when a major comic book convention is cancelled and a city put on lockdown due to evil terrorists, blocking them from seeking donations for essential fundraising? You call in your spokesmodel….Ms. Inkwell to the Rescue! The Inkwell Awards are auctioning off their previously donated original art intended for the upcoming Ms. Inkwell Gallery charity book in order to raise funds necessary to buy trophies and bring in award recipients to the Charlotte Heroes Con live awards ceremony June 7-9. Wave One takes place Saturday the 27th and Wave Two the following weekend. If you like sexy, good girl art then check the art interpretations of Ms. India Wells by the likes of artists Trevor Von Eeden, Fred Hembeck, Neil Vokes, Gerry Acerno, Jay Fife, Mark McKenna, Mike Pascale, Michael Netzer, Sara Richard, Tom Schloendorn, Tod Allen Smith, Mike Okamoto, Jeremy Dale, Dean Kotz, Alex Saviuk, Louis Small, Jr., Ed Coutts, Roger Andrews, Phil Moy, Michael W. Kellar, Charles Barnett III, Bob Almond, Leonardo Gondim and the original prelim design drawings of Ms. Inkwell from 2009 by Randy Green! Visit The Inkwell eBay site
Inkwell Awards Announces Second Joe Sinnott Tribute Inking Challenge
Send your work to The Inkwell Awards!
Danny Bulanadi: 1946-2022
Inkwell Awards Adds Dan DiDio as Special Ambassador
Tom Palmer Eulogy by Tom Palmer Jr.
articles/announcements
Bob's Blog: Inkblots

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


… and it feels so good.
I was meeting A and R after 25 and 28 years respectively. Would I recognize R at the BART terminus? Would A and I have anything in common to chat about? Had nothing changed? The answers were surprising, the memories were delicious and the growing up was irreversible. We had the loveliest dinner with my first tomatoes and strawberries of the season, sweeter both for the company they kept.
More reunions later this month, with alcohol fueled revelations and slippages sure to leave many of us a-hanging. The more we change, the more we remain the same. Nothing really changes.


TIER 1 refers to classroom instruction for all students that utilizes evidenced-based materials and practices to teach core subject areas (e.g., reading, written expression, and math). Assessment data is used to monitor and maintain the ongoing cycle of skill success. Screening or benchmark assessments are administered within the first four weeks of the school year to all students to identify students at risk for skill difficulty. Screening or benchmark assessments are administered at least two other times during the year (winter and spring) to determine if students are making progress, need extra support, and instruction is planned accordingly. Differentiated instruction occurs in flexible small groups within the instructional time. Outcome assessments are also administered to all students to determine student growth/gain over time.
Differentiated instruction should be provided to accelerate learning and maximize student achievement for all students as part of Tier 1 instruction. The classroom teacher should provide flexible instructional grouping of students based on their ongoing identified needs. Classroom teachers should be clear about what they are trying to teach and why it is important. Research has shown that teachers are often too random in their delivery of instruction, unclear as to what they are teaching, and unable to define the succinct reason for instruction.


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Q: A question about diagonalizable linear operator
Suppose $T$ is a diagonalizable linear operator on a finite dimensional vector space $V$. Prove $V$ is T-cyclic subspace of itself iff every characteristic subspace of it is one-dimensional.

It means there's a $v\in V$ such that $V=\operatorname{span}\langle v,T(v),T^2(v),\dots,T^k(v)\rangle$. How should I proceed?

A: Write every $T^mv$ in the diagonal basis. This gives a matrix of coefficients. The vector $v$ is cyclic for $T$ if and only if this matrix is non-singular. The form of the matrix should ring a bell.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Adelaide Belt & Hose provides the supply of quality branded hose, together with fast turnaround times for each assembly that can be made to order, regardless of the end fittings required.
We have invested in the latest hose assembly equipment, a Finn Power crimping machine, that has the ability to crimp up to 8" 200mm hose assemblies. The newly arrived Hose Test Centre can flush and pressure test to the required test pressure. It also has the ability to produce NATA hydrostatic test certificates, that can be used in your quality management system.
ABH has also attained ISO 9001-2008 accreditation.
ABH are members of NAHAD a worldwide hose association which requires its members to be trained and qualified to their hose assembly standard. The association network allows ABH to keep up with the latest in technical information and procedures that other members are using from all over the globe. Therefore every hose assembly is built and tested to the same highest level every time, by qualified hose assemblers, utilising the latest world procedures.
ABH works very closely with all its customers to satisfy their own in house OH&S requirements. Our proven crimping methods can alleviate "blow offs" that prove costly in downtime, safety as well as loss of product.
"JUST IN TIME" custom crimped hose assemblies up to 6" in diameter, complete with your choice of fittings for example BSM, RJT, SMS, Triclover, wine thread and Camlocks. Hose brands include Parker, Continental, Goodyear, AlfaGomma.
All ABH hose assemblies are pretested to twice working pressure prior to shipment, tagged and certified as per Australian Standard "AS1180". NATA test certificates are supplied with each assembly.
Unique Hose Numbering System which is etched into the ferrule along with the test date. Client hose asset numbers can also be included, if required.
Colour coded crimp ferrules can be supplied in up to 30 different colours, to help identify different plant applications.
Hose management can be undertaken by ABH, which includes tracking, performance reviews, longevity retes dates, etc.
Reduction of bacterial contamination at the hose tail junction because crimped fittings reduce the problem area that normal tails can create - refer to the illustration opposite.
Crimp fittings reduce greatly the OH&S issues when handling hose assemblies because they remove the problem of sharp edges that are associated with hose clamps, bandit strap and buckle style clamps.


Takahiro Kawaguchi, Aaron Zarzutzki, and Nick Hoffman, So Sorry Electronic improviser Aaron Zarzutzki (of Green Pasture Happiness) has hit pay dirt in recent collaborations, including Touching with trumpeter Graham Stephenson. This trio session with Japanese experimentalist Takahiro Kawaguchi and former Chicagoan Nick Hoffman (nobody is credited with any particular instrument) merges industrial hums, chugging machine noises, errant twangs, unpitched breaths, sibilant vibrations, and metallic clangs to create surprising beauty.
Colomach, Colomach The lone album by this guitar-heavy Nigerian Afro-rock group is apparently one of the rarest made during the country's fruitful 70s. Bandleader and Togo native Gneni Mamadou orchestrates fusions of West African styles with funk and psychedelia, so that I keep expecting the bass line of "Enoviyin" to turn into "Tighten Up"—but instead we get a zombielike chant and a wiggy guitar solo over rhythms that sound cribbed from King Sunny Ade.
Deciders, We Travel the Airwaves If you ask me, Die Enttäuschung and Atomic are the best jazz bands in Europe, and it looks like Norwegian bassist Ole Morten Vagan agrees—his group the Deciders includes bass clarinetist Rudi Mahall and trumpeter Axel Dörner from the former and reedist Fredrik Ljungvkist from the latter. We Travel the Airwaves is bristling, loose-limbed freebop that makes some nods to history (the Sun Ra wink in the title, the Mingus-like energy of "Feeble Fables"), and the front-line heavies season their killer improvisations with humor and humility.
Constellation Constellation is a tremendous addition to the city's already fabulous musical landscape, and the first concert I saw there—which paired AACM reedist Roscoe Mitchell with the venue's driving force, drummer Mike Reed—set the bar very high indeed. I look forward to seeing the likes of Josh Abrams, Hamid Drake, and, say, Douglas Ewart teaming up in that great space.
Gongs I've had a long-standing obsession with all things gong (the instrument, not the band), so there's always some gong playing in our house—including the sounding of the thing itself, as we've amassed a modest collection of wind gongs and tam-tams. Karlheinz Stockhausen's Mikrophonie I and James Tenney's Koan: Having Never Written a Note for Percussion are the obvious new-music classics in this surprisingly rich field, but I dig the yoga/meditation/crystal-vibrations stuff—say, Sotantar Simrat Singh's Sun Gong or Frank Perry's Zodiac.
The Otolith Group's tribute to CoDoNa The Otolith Group is an amazing film collective from London whose contribution to an ECM-themed exhibit at Munich's Haus der Kunst earlier this year consisted of a moving tribute to CoDoNa, a tragically short-lived avant-jazz-world trio consisting of Collin Walcott, Don Cherry, and Nana Vasconcelos that I was admittedly not terribly familiar with. An exceptional piece of cinema, it shows us how truly musical filmmaking should be done; I've been listening to The CoDoNa Trilogy pretty much nonstop since.
Noh theater For the past couple of years the Natural Information Society has included painting in many of our live performances. Searching for historical precedents, I came across Noh, a 650-year-old form of Japanese musical theater. The sound of Noh is slow and haunting, with three drummers and a flutist. Giant pots buried beneath the stage floor increase resonance and ghostly vibration. All Noh performances take place in front of a painting of an old pine tree, called the oi-matsu, which symbolizes the demarcation of a sacred place. I'm also a fan of the similarly slow-motion Japanese court music called gagaku.
Tumba Francesa Tumba Francesa is an intricate simultaneous combination of song, drumming, dance, and weaving, which originated with Haitian slaves in 18th-century Cuba and fuses influences from West African music and French traditional dance. Dancers hold ribbons connected to the top of a tall pole, and as they circle and cross back and forth with their partners, their movements create a multicolored weaving that runs down the pole's length.
Esteban "Steve" Jordan Esteban Jordan (1939-2010) was a south Texas conjunto musician and connector of musical genres. He incorporated a myriad of styles into conjunto and shredded his accordion through an Echoplex. I was fortunate to hear him play live several times at Saluté back in my hometown of San Antonio, where he packed the dance floor every Friday night until his passing in August 2010.


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package ua.com.fielden.platform.web.test.server.master_action;

import ua.com.fielden.platform.dao.IEntityDao;

/**
 * Companion object for entity {@link NewEntityAction}.
 *
 * @author Developers
 *
 */
public interface INewEntityAction extends IEntityDao<NewEntityAction> {

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Top » Frontier Research Institutefor Information Science » Simon King Ph.D.
Simon King Ph.D.
Title at NITech
Professor(December 2017-January2018)
Affiliation, Institution & University
1) The Centre for Speech Technology Research, and 2) Linguistics and English Language, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
Simon King is the professor of Speech Processing at the University of Edinburgh and the Director of CSTR (The Centre for Speech Technology Research), in the UK. He graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in Engineering and M.Phil. in Computer Speech and Language Processing, then obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh.
In his early career, Prof. King pioneered the use of articulatory feature representations of speech for use in automatic speech recognition, and collaborated with leading scientists at the University of Washington to apply the Dynamic Bayesian Network formalism to this problem. His current research interests still include novel graphical models but, like the entire field of speech technology, his latest work mostly uses Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) of various types. His earlier work on unit selection speech synthesis has been updated to make use of DNNs as a guiding acoustic model. His research passion can be seen through his nearly 200 research publications in the areas of automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech synthesis, and Open Source toolkits, Festival and Merlin.
Prof. King's research leadership includes being project director and coordinator for two high profile projects funded by the European Commission's FP7 programme: EMIME (speech-to-speech translation) and Simple4All (unsupervised learning to enable low-resource speech synthesis to scale up to many languages). He was also a co-Investigator on the 5-year Natural Speech Technology Project (NST) – an EPSRC-funded Programme Grant – in which his team made advances in machine learning for speech synthesis, in both the front end and the acoustic model, using Deep Neural Networks. In his latest large project, SCRIPT, he is working with the BBC World Service to deliver speech synthesis of "broadcast quality" across many languages, using techniques developed in Simple4All and NST
In 2015 Professor King was elevated to IEEE Fellow. He has dedicated his time to support scientific organizations, as a co-organizer of the Blizzard series of speech synthesis evaluation and previously for both ISCA and the IEEE Speech and Language Technical Committee. Professor King is currently on the Editorial Board of Computer Speech and Language and is a recognized scientist in his research field.
Mark Klein
Susel Fernández Melián
Kwei-Jay Lin
Minjie Zhang
Fenghui Ren
Milind Tambe
Bo An
Chunsheng Yang
Tim Baarslag
Abdul Sattar
Katia Sycara
Reyhan Aydoğan
Simon King
Rafael Ramirez-Melendez
Thomas Hain
Roberto Cipolla
Bogdan Kwolek
Jakub Gałka
Marja Känsälä
Vincenzo Piluso
Gianvittorio Rizzano
Rahmat Budiarto, Prof.
Dirk Plettemeier, Prof.
Chia-Ming Uang, Prof.
Frontier Research institute for Materials Science
Frontier Research institute for Information Science
Pillars of Frontier
Education and Research Units
Special Seminars
Copyright© NITech Frontier Research Institutes, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Lesson 89 A slip of the tongue -. period 1. retell the story using the following hints:. people---news—queue---dull---fail—funny---burst out---should have.
CATS -. abyssinian. aegean cat. australian mist. american curl. american bobtail. american polydactyl. american shorthair. american wirehair. arabian mau. asian cat. asian semi-longhair. balinese. bambino. bengal. birman. bombay.
Funny Shaped Heads -. ronald l. young ii, md. funny shaped heads. etiologies congenital deformities positional molding cephalohematomas mass lesions. molded heads. plagiocephaly brachycephaly scaphocephaly. positional plagiocephaly.
What the Romans did for us -. architecture. art. latin language. drains and sewers. aqueducts. education. the calendar. coins. bricks and cement. heated baths. turnips and carrots. pavements. apples, pears and grapes. roads. wine.


Continuing the look at music associated with teams taking part in Euro 2016.
» In this round we are dealing with Group B: England, Russia, Slovakia and Wales.
As mentioned previously I've had trouble locating songs done about the competing teams in European competition, so I will include World Cup tunes. Again if I can find any though.
So we don't have the best players right now. A group of good footballers, but as I said, not the best. Great individuals but a great team ? There are no worries up front with Kane and Vardy both on form. Hopefully they'll continue that into the finals. But elsewhere there are concerns. It will be a youthful slightly inexperienced midfield, which is no bad thing. The same with the defence, which could be prone to mistakes. And although there is Joe Hart, he still needs a solid back line in front of him.
It is the usual false hope and expectations. Cup final, to win it. And the usual bitterness and disappointment after an exit at the Quarter Finals.
There wasn't an official England song for the 2014 World Cup. And because of this and because we live in a world where anybody can have a crack at it if they want to, there was a proliferation of songs uploaded to You Tube. And there were hundreds. And they were all very, very bad.
We should also remember and never forget the Stock-Aitken-Waterman England Euro '88 song (as well as their non-performance on the pitch. The song that nearly killed football and music until New Order came to the rescue a couple of years later.
There was of course, a very well known song was banged out in time for when we hosted the tournament in 1996. Well actually there were loads of them, but I'm not going with the obvious route. With all the hundreds of England songs you probably know, I can guarantee that you will not have heard of this one.
E. Silvester, J Bagnall. Absolutely nothing about who is singing. But the producer credits told me lots.
This single was released on EMI Records and was done by an in-house producer Bob Barratt. He produced such acts as Vince Hill, Max Boyce and The Wurzels. This looks like then, a cash-in by EMI. But thankfully it didn't sell and it never charted.
We all know about England's former boss that was in charge of Putin's Army, but you probably haven't kept up with what has been going on with the team. After they hoofed the Italian they've kept it in house by hiring the ex CSKA Moscow boss Leonid Slutsky. Same with the players too. Nearly every member of the national team play in Russia – there's one name you might recognise – Denis Cheryshev who plays in midfield for Valencia (on loan from Real Madrid). As for the team performances in major competition, they got to a semi-final once (in Euro 2008) but apart from that they've never got past the group stages in Euros or World Cups.
As for any music… Two years ago I took a look for any tunes related to Russia for their World Cup campaign, in fact for any competition they've been involved in and I found nothing. Since Russia "won" the rights to host the World Cup in 2018 there's been lots of music posted about that, they've become obsessed. But there is nothing for the Russian football team of the past, present or future it seems.
I had to delve deeper into their history and went right back to when they were part of the Soviet Union.
If it wasn't for You Tube I woudn't have found half the music featured on here. As they say – one man's junk is another man's treasure. It is to YouTube that I went in search and found this one which is just entitled "Soviet Football Song" and nothing else.
The video accompanying the music has some kids playing football, I've no idea if it actually is related to the song. I've got a feeling it might not.
Bonus Song: For the World Cup in 2010 the musician K'nann (pronounced Keinan) did the official song Wavin' Flag. There were also versions of this same song in native languages. Some featuring K'nann, some not.
To steal a quote from a well known Match Of The Day pundit – We don't know much about the Slovaks. Actually we do. Martin Škrtel plays at the back for them so there you have it. Just like Albiania in Group A, this is also Slovakia's first appearance in the European finals. Once again: Slovakia qualifed and Scotland didn't. SLOVAKIA.
In my search for any music associated with the Slovakia team I once again went to You Tube. I never expected to find anything and quite unexpectedly, I did.
This takes a bit of explaning so bear with me… There's this website set up by a music producer and a DJ and this have this one tune. Now what they've done is post the music – with lyrics – and invited anyone to sing along to this song. To upload a video of themselves singing it. The thing is as I say it's the one song, but they change it to whatever country you want to sing about. Seriously. There's a France version of the very same tune below. Both of them by the way, sung by the same bloke.
And here is the France version. Same tune, same lyrics, same singer. Both very terrible but it is the only thing I've found that even has a tenuous link to Slovakia.
Would it be a bit of a stretch to say that the Wales team are a bit like an international version of Leicester City at the moment ? Yes maybe that's a bit far, but they have the same belief in themselves. The same winning mentality. They are also a team that are not filled with positions by players from the "big teams" in the Prem, or Serie A or La Liga. Yes they have that one bloke who can play a bit, currently plying his trade in Spain. But he's not a big ego, he knows his place and fits in with the others.
As to their chances in the group. Yeah why not. All the others are there for the taking and you know the England match is going to be a nervy bore draw. They'll get to the knockout stages.
As for the music – Overjoyed to read today that the Manic Street Preachers will be doing an official song for the Welsh National Team. But we'll have to wait until May 20th to hear it. So in the meantime here are other tunes. I'll update this entry when the song ir released.
One of the things I'm most annoyed about is that I don't have much, if anything relating to the Welsh team – or any team from Wales for that matter. Is it because they haven't taken to singing much ? That can't be a reason. It's the Welsh. They are singers and boy, can Welshman sing.
– What I do have in regards to the national team is this from 1985. And that puzzles me. Why did they release a single about the national team in that year ? It's an odd number year so there was no World or European competition taking place. Basically what I'm saying is that I've got bugger all info about this song.
If you have then leave a comment below.
The info I do have is that the lead singer was Gary Pickford-Hopkins who sadly is no longer with us. He was mostly associated with prog rock and here's an exhaustive discography about him.
That's it for Group B. Take a wild guess as to what's coming up next.
MrsRobster, however, is rather taken by the corniness of the whole thing and wants it as her ringtone. Any idea where I can get an MP3 for her???
D'oh! Cant believe I didn't try that… cheers!
Can You Hear What The Rock Is Singing ?


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Home » News » Press Releases » Will Israeli public security minister face criminal probe for racist incitement against Arab citizens?
Prosecutors Refuse to Open Criminal Investigation into Mayor of Nazaret Illit...
Adalah Demands Criminal Investigation into Minister Naftali Bennett for...
Arab High Follow-Up Committee demands opening of criminal investigation...
Adalah demands criminal investigation of Avigdor Lieberman for racist speech
In Israel's elections, racism is the winning ballot
Dangerous implications of Israeli Supreme Court decision to allow forced...
Israeli prosecutor reveals: Requests for jail without bail until end of trial...
From October 2000 to Abu al-Qi'an: Impunity for Israeli police killings of...
Will Israeli public security minister face criminal probe for racist incitement against Arab citizens?
Adalah demands Attorney General open investigation, says Minister Erdan's accusations against the Arab public and Knesset members constitute serious danger to Arab citizens.
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel demands a criminal investigation into Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan for incitement to racism against Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel.
Adalah Attorney Nadeem Shehadeh sent a letter on 31 January 2017 to Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in response to a series of public statements and social media posts from Erdan during the wave of forest fires in Israel some two months ago and, more recently, following the deadly police shooting incident during home demolitions in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran.
Attorney Shehadeh detailed in the letter a number of examples of public incitement Minister Erdan has made against Arab citizens.
On his Facebook page, for example, Minister Erdan posted on 3 December 2016 (see below): "Israel has experienced arson terrorism and I won't let anyone sweep this fact under the rug. The problem with arson: Why does it seem unrealistic that Arabs would attempt to harm Jews?"
Nevertheless, following thorough extensive investigations by Israeli police and firefighting authorities, no indictments have been filed against any Palestinian citizens of Israel in connection to the wave of forest fires in November 2016.
In regards to the events in Umm al-Hiran, Minister Erdan was quick to declare the incident as having "a nationalist background" – in other words, a terror attack – and tweeted (see below): "The terrorist sharply turned his wheel and quickly accelerated in order to run over a group of police officers."
Despite Erdan's tweet, Israeli police video footage of the incident and eyewitness testimony reveal that police opened fire on Abu Al-Qi'an's vehicle before he accelerated in the direction of officers. This totally contradicts police claims that Abu Al Qi'an sought to "ram" them with his vehicle.
Minister Erdan made public statements of incitement also against Arab members of Knesset following the police killing in Umm al-Hiran. (See below image)
"I want to say at this moment to [Knesset Member] Ayman Odeh and the rest of the MKs from the Arab List who have come to enflame sentiments this morning: This blood is also on your hands. This is a grave statement, I know. But not as grave as your actions today. You are a disgrace to the State of Israel."
MK Odeh himself was wounded when Israeli police opened fire on him with sponge-tipped bullets in Umm al-Hiran that same day.
Adalah Attorney Shehadeh emphasized that Minister Erdan's statements constitute a most serious danger to the Arab public in Israel.
"The minister's repeated statements indicate a trend towards stigmatization of the Arab citizens of Israel, marking the entire Arab public as a source of danger and making accusations against them in an arbitrary and collective manner… This official approach of increased suspicion against all Arab citizens likewise influences the general public's perspective and strengthens the phenomenon of negative stereotyping of Arab citizens – stemming from the perceived connection between the Arab public's struggle and acts of terrorism."
Adalah stressed the increased influence – and potential for danger – of incitement promoted by the government minister responsible for public security.
"Erdan's statements have decisive impact upon the manner in which the police perceive the Arab public, and upon their readiness to employ improper means and tactics when interacting with Arab citizens, for example, the light trigger finger police have adopted concurrent with perceiving the Arab public as an enemy."
As Adalah noted previously, "This rhetoric is a continuation of the Netanyahu government's ongoing strategy of incitement against Arab citizens of Israel, and its portrayal of them as a fifth column. The government's legislative agenda also mirrors its incendiary speech with the passage of new racist laws, most recently the Expulsion Law, which seeks to illegally kick Arab members of the Knesset out of the parliament."
READ: Adalah's letter to the Attorney General [Hebrew]
Adalah Demands Criminal Investigation into Minister Naftali Bennett for Incitement to Violence
State Attorney's office rejects request for criminal investigation into Lieberman's "ax" comment
Israeli police video reveals cops opened fire on Bedouin man before his car accelerated, contradicting police claims
Adalah, Public Committee Against Torture demand Israel probe wounding of MK Odeh by police in Umm al-Hiran
Racist remarks and incitement, Incitement, racism, Umm al-Hiran, Public Security Minister, Gilad Erdan, Fires, Forest fires


I hadn't been to a Gap since I bought these pants about a year ago and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by all of the great pieces in store. I came home with this dress, which has the feel of a classic shift, but hugs in all of the right places instead of feeling overly boxy. And since I've been wearing my chambray shirts to the point of holes, I picked up a similar version in a faded pink that will make for a nice replacement.


Description: Formal Pink, Mauve and White colored pearls with silver magnetic clasp with rhinestones Clasp can be worn in front. Necklace should be worn with dressy attire. Dress it up with a matching earring.
For Bridesmaids or Formal Events: Pink, Mauve and White pearls look great with a number of shades of pink bridesmaid gowns or a white gown with pink accents.


text:
package com.bpok.sina.loaders;

import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.OutputStream;

public class IOUtils {
	public static void CopyStream(InputStream is, OutputStream os) {
		final int buffer_size = 1024;
		try {
			byte[] bytes = new byte[buffer_size];
			for (;;) {
				int count = is.read(bytes, 0, buffer_size);
				if (count == -1)
					break;
				os.write(bytes, 0, count);
			}
		} catch (Exception ex) {
		}
	}
}


Fox Business News and ABC reported that Trump hired Marc Kasowitz, a New York-based trial lawyer known as a tough litigator, to represent him in an investigation headed by the U.S. Justice Department's special counsel Robert Mueller.
Kasowitz has represented Trump for more than 15 years, but he is not known as a criminal defense lawyer.
During last year's presidential campaign, Kasowitz threatened to sue the New York Times if it did not retract a story about women who accused Trump of touching them inappropriately. The Times did not retract the story.
He also assisted in the defense of fraud claims against Trump University.


text:
Giuliani slams 9/11 trial decision
By JOSH GERSTEIN
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani took to three separate TV talk shows Sunday to blast the Obama administration's decision to send Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks to Manhattan to face a trial in federal court.
"It is an unnecessary advantage to give to terrorists," Giuliani said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I don't know why you'd want to give terrorists advantages, and, secondly, it's an unnecessary risk."
Giuliani also warned that opting for a civilian court trial over a military commissions proceeding would mean lengthy delays.
"Our federal system has an enormously protracted process that's going to go on forever. ... It grants more benefits than a military tribunal will grant. There's always the possibility of acquittal, change of venue," the ex-mayor said on ABC's "This Week."
While Attorney General Eric Holder argued that it is typical to try criminals near the site of their alleged acts, Giuliani said just the opposite. "We generally don't bring people back to the scene of the crime for justice," he said on "Fox News Sunday." "What the Obama administration is telling us loud and clear is that both in substance and reality, the war on terror, from their point of view, is over. We're no longer going to treat these people as if this was an act of war."
White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Giuliani's criticism was "odd," given his praise for the prosecution of alleged Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, who was sentenced to life in prison by a civilian federal court in Virginia.
"Mayor Giuliani testified in that case, and he heralded the outcome. So he may have changed his view, but we haven't changed ours," Axelrod said on CNN.
Giuliani indicated the Virginia trial was the best option at the time because the Bush administration lacked the "choice" to put Moussaoui before a military commission, though he did not explain why.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed


Yealink have announced that its latest phone array for FreeSWITCH, a scalable open source cross-platform telephony platform (FS version 1.4.20-34~64bit). Yealink's compatible phone offerings include selected models from its T4 series of ultra-elegant IP phones (SIP-T42G, SIP-T46G, SIP-T48G, SIP-T49G ), the entry-level phone SIP-T21P E2, and the W52P wireless DECT phone. Yealink and FreeSWITCH first announced their partnership in 2013. With today's release of the latest compatible Yealink phones, businesses employing a FreeSWITCH-powered VoIP infrastructure can rely on Yealink phones to benefit from the advanced features of their offered technology combinations as well as an optimized technology budget.
The compatible Yealink T4 series of ultra elegant IP phones, including the SIP-T42G, the SIP-T46G and the SIP-T48G, features graceful design, rich features, and user friendliness. Advanced features include optmal HD voice, support for gigabit networks, and rich programmable DSS keys for customization. The entry level phone is the wireless solution to meet on the move customers communication needs.


text:
Q: Discover new files I have a network storage device that contains a few hundred thousand mp3 files, organized by [artist]/[album] hierarchy. I need to identify newly added artist folders and/or newly added album folders programmatically on demand (not monitoring, but by request).
Our dev server is Windows-based, the production server will be FreeBSD. A cross-platform solution is optimal because the production server may not always be *nix, and I'd like to spend as little time on reconciling the (unavoidable) differences between the dev and production server as possible.
I have a working proof-of-concept that is Windows platform-dependent: using a Scripting.FileSystemObject COM object I am iterating through all top-level (artist) directories and checking the size of the directory.  If there is a change, then the directory is further explored to find new album folders. As the directories are iterated, the path and file size is collected into an array, which I write serialized into a file for next time.  This array is used on a subsequent call, both to identify changed artist directories (new album added) as well as identifying completely new artist directories.
This feels convoluted, and as I mentioned it is platform-dependent. To boil it down, my goals are:

*

*Identify new top-tier directories

*Identify new second-tier directories

*Identify new loose files within the top-tier directories
Execution time is not a concern here, and security is not an obstacle: this is an internal-only project using only intranet assets, so we can do whatever has to be done to facilitate the desired end result.
Here's my working proof-of-concept:
    // read the cached list of artist folders
    $folder_list_cache_file = 'seartistfolderlist.pctf';
    $fh = fopen($folder_list_cache_file, 'r');
    $folder_list_cache = fread($fh, filesize($folder_list_cache_file));
    fclose($fh);

    if (!$folder_list_cache)
        $folder_list_cache = '';

    $folder_list_cache = unserialize($folder_list_cache);
    if (!is_array($folder_list_cache))
        $folder_list_cache = array();

    // container arrays
    $found_artist_folders = array();
    $newly_found_artist_folders = array();
    $changed_artist_folders = array();

    $filesystem = new COM('Scripting.FileSystemObject');

    $dir = "//network_path_to_folders/";
    if ($handle = opendir($dir)) {
        // loop the directories
        while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle))) {
            // skip non-entities
            if ($file == '.' || $file == '..')
                continue;

            // make a key-friendly version of the artist name, skip invalids
            // ie 10000-maniacs
            $file_t = trim(post_slug($file));
            if (strlen($file_t) < 1)
                continue;

            // build the full path
            $pth = $dir.$file;

            // skip loose top-level files
            if (!is_dir($pth))
                continue;

            // attempt to get the size of the directory
            $size = 'ERR';
            try {
                $f = $filesystem->getfolder($pth);
                $size = $f->Size();
            } catch (Exception $e) {
                /* failed to get size */
            }

            // if the artist is not known, they are newly added
            if (!array_key_exists($file_t, $folder_list_cache)) {
                $newly_found_artist_folders[$file_t] = $file;
            } elseif (array_key_exists($file_t, $folder_list_cache) && $size != $folder_list_cache[$file_t]['size']) {
                // if the artist is known but the size is different, a new album is added
                $changed_artist_folders[] = $file;
            }

            // build a list of everything, along with file size to write into the cache file
            $found_artist_folders[$file_t] = array (
                'path'=>$file,
                'size'=>$size
            );
        }
        closedir($handle);
    }

// write the list to a file for next time
    $fh = fopen($folder_list_cache_file, 'w') or die("can't open file");
    fwrite($fh, serialize($found_artist_folders));
    fclose($fh);

     // deal with discovered additions and changes....

Another thing to mention: because these are MP3s, the sizes I'm dealing with are big. So big, in fact, that I have to watch out for PHP's limitation on unsized integers. The drive is currently at 90% utilization of 1.7TB (yes, SATA in RAID), a new set of multi-TB drives will be added soon only to be filled up in short order.
EDIT
I did not mention the database because I thought it would be a needless detail, but there IS a database. This script is seeking new additions to the digital portion of our music library; at the end of the code where it says "deal with discovered additions and changes", it is reading ID3 tags and doing Amazon lookups, then adding the new stuff to a database table. Someone will come along and review the new additions and screen the data, then it will be added it to the "official" database of albums available for play. Many of the songs we're dealing with are by local artists, so the ID3 and Amazon lookups don't give the track titles, album name, etc. In that case, the human intervention is critical to fill in the missing data.

A: Simplest thing for the BSD-side is a find script that simply looks for inodes with a ctime greater than the last time it ran.
Leave a sentinel file somewhere to 'store' the last run time, which you can do with a simple
touch /tmp/find_sentinel

and then
find /top/of/mp3/tree --cnewer /tmp/find_sentinel

which will produce a list of files/directory which have been changed since the find_sentinel file was touched. Running this via cron will get you regular updates, and the script doing the find can them digest the returned file data into your database for processing.
You could accomplish something similar on the Windows-side with Cygwin, which'd provide an identical 'find' app.

A: DirectoryIterator will help you walk the filesystem. You should consider putting the information in a database though.

A: I'd go with a solution that enumerates the contents of each folder in a MySQL database; your scan can quickly check against the contents listed in the database, and add entries that aren't already there.  This gives you nice enumeration and searchability of the contents, and should be plenty fast for your needs.


The FedCSIS submission system invites regular papers, position papers, communication papers, and dissemination papers. Regular papers can be accepted and published as full or short papers, and in rare, exceptional cases can be offered acceptance and publication as position or communication papers. Regular and short papers are published in Conference Proceedings, while position and communication papers are published in separate volume(s).
Original contribution papers that describe new research contributions. They define theories and/or build artifacts, describe the related research, and propose a solution validated via scientific methods, such as experiments, analyses, simulations, mathematical proofs or field/case studies.
Experience evaluation papers that present existing experiences encountered in practice. They define related challenges, and propose new scientifically-validated solutions to one or more of those challenges. Papers in this category seek to create innovations based on cutting-edge computer science and information systems capabilities.
Communication papers papers report on research topics worthy of immediate communication. Communication papers must not exceed 8 pages. They may be used to mark a hot new research territory or to describe work in progress in order to quickly present it to scientific community. They may also contain additional information omitted from the earlier papers or may present software tools and products in a research state.
Dissemination papers are submitted to Events dedicated to the dissemination of R&D results obtained in consortia-based projects and ventures. Dissemination Events are given more freedom as to how they can be run; with the specific rules resulting from individual discussions with the Chairs of the FedCSIS conference series.


text:
Microsoft Plans Big Skype/Lync Integration
By Jon Brodkin
Skype will be thoroughly integrated with Microsoft's Lync communications software, assuming regulators approve the $8.5 billion acquisition, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said this week.
Lync, which is being sold both as a server product and a cloud-based service, will not lose any prominence in the Microsoft software lineup once Skype comes on board, Ballmer said in a keynote at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles.
[Microsoft Lync: Take to the cloud or keep it in-house?]
"With the combination of the power of Lync and Skype under the same umbrella, we think we're going to be able to do even more fantastic things together," Ballmer said.
Small businesses and enterprises deploying Lync will gain a secure form of communication with consumers and businesses because of integration between Lync and Skype, the latter of which offers Internet-based chats and voice and video calls, he said.
"I've been asked by partners if this Skype acquisition somehow means we're not serious or enthusiastic about Lync," Ballmer said. "Quite to the contrary. One of the great motivations in acquiring Skype is to enable the enterprise to have all the control it wants in communication and collaboration through Active Directory and Lync, and yet be able to connect people within enterprises to consumers, businesses and trading partners around the world. Lync, in some sense with Skype is a strategy that will allow the consumerization of IT to really proceed with full vim and vigor."
Microsoft's purchase of Skype is still waiting for regulatory approval, so the integration between Lync and Skype can't happen yet.
"Just like with any big acquisition, we have contact with Skype, certainly," Kirk Gregersen, Lync senior director, told Network World in an interview after Ballmer's speech. "We just can't start the integration until regulators have approved things."
Gregersen says he's not a Skype user himself, but that "for a lot of people there is obviously great value, for the 600 million Skype users out there. As Steve said, connecting all these people is great value both for the enterprise customers and those consumers out there."
Lync Server is positioned as a replacement for legacy PBX phone systems, and Ballmer praised the product's momentum. Lync provides "eye candy" to enterprise customers just as Xbox Kinect does to the consumer market, he said.
"Seventy percent of the Fortune 500 is now on Lync," Ballmer said. "Certainly if you look at a product from Microsoft that is growing most quickly, it is Lync in the enterprise."
While the exact nature of Skype's future integration with Lync remains unclear, there is also uncertainty over when the cloud-based version of Lync will become as robust as its on-premises sibling.
Lync Online, part of Office 365, is not yet a full PBX replacement, Microsoft acknowledges. The company's advice for Office 365 customers who want a robust unified communications platform is to deploy Lync Server within their own networks.
Lync provides three types of workloads: messaging and presence, conferencing, and voice, says Ashima Singhal, Lync group product manager. Lync Online users get the same IM, presence, and audio, video and Web conferencing capabilities - including desktop sharing - as customers who deploy Lync in-house, but the cloud-based voice capabilities are not as robust, she says.
Specifically, Lync Online offers PC-to-PC voice and video calling, but not the ability to call landlines and cell phones.
Microsoft has partnerships to bring the ability to call regular phone numbers to customers in the United States and United Kingdom later this year, Gregersen said. But Lync Online still won't be considered a full PBX-replacement for "quite some time," certainly not in 2011, he said.
"For full PBX enterprise-level telephony capabilities, we're going to add more and more functionality over time, but there's a whole level of on-premises integration with legacy infrastructure, gateways, the old PBXs, IP phones, you name it, that we probably won't have in the cloud for quite some time."
Branch office support and 911 capabilities are also challenges for Lync in the cloud, he said.
"Most customers we're seeing are still wanting to manage telephony on-premises," he said. "There is so much on-premises legacy equipment, that to open up the cloud to all of that, plus manage devices on-premise, it's a challenging thing in the cloud environment."
However, small customers that lack a robust unified communications platform may find Lync Online a step up. Although Lync Online clearly lags Exchange and SharePoint Online, the existence of Lync Online still benefits Microsoft and customers, Gregersen said.
"For us, Office 365 will get Lync in front of a whole new set of customers that we've never really marketed to," he said.
One other tidbit: Gregerson said Lync clients for Windows Phone 7, iPhone and Android are coming later this year, a significant move given that most of Microsoft's mobile productivity tools are for Windows phones only. (See also: Microsoft's aversion to iOS and Android gives QuickOffice.)
Follow Jon Brodkin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jbrodkin
Read more about software in Network World's Software section.
This story, "Microsoft Plans Big Skype/Lync Integration" was originally published by Network World.


Built with an exceptionally durable fabric, this new pant will keep the early season whitetail hunter protected against the most rugged brush and terrain on the hike in, while comfortably engaged while in the tree or blind. With 4-Way stretch fabric these pants will easily swivel and stay true to your bodies every movement.
Get your Early Season Whitetail Pant here!


to Experiment in a Relaxing Environment where you can absorb the sun and the colours.
Fragrant hills, Charming villages and Subjects that must be Captured.
I managed to draw a huge charcoal scene which I would never have believed before. I photographed it and added some different colours and textures, so now have many different versions, not just one piece.
The house was so comfortable and the pool was a real treat.
This was the highlight of my european tour, we had so much fun and I was very pleased with the portfolio of work I went home with.
Don't hesitate to find the time to come to Maison Lambot to work. Lots of space and amazing scenery close by.


text:
Seeing Beyond The Color Barrier
By Marianne Gunther
I'M a German-born American who has lived in Geneva for 28 years. Letters and the news media help me keep informed about developments in my former home, the United States. But nothing can take the place of a visit.
On my most recent trip back last October, the O.J. Simpson trial caught my attention. Simpson, the black football star, had just been acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her companion, who were both white.
Reaction to the verdict seemed racially charged. Blacks were reported to be jubilant that one of "theirs" had triumphed over the system, while most white people felt the evidence proved Simpson's guilt. Media coverage highlighted the great gulf between the groups and underscored the ominous outlook for relations between black and white communities.
The whole situation was unsettling for me because I was about to embark on a month of travel including several metropolises with large black populations. What might happen if the interracial tensions really were on the increase, I wondered.
My uncertainty brought to mind an incident that happened more than 30 years ago, when I lived in Baltimore. Black people were by then integrated into professional work with white colleagues. But social interaction was not yet tolerated to the same extent - not in this city that was so Southern in many respects. Still, I invited a black colleague whom I liked very much to visit me at home, in a segregated neighborhood. Shortly after my friend arrived, I was called to the phone.
"What do you think you're doing over there?" an unfamiliar voice demanded.
My armpits grew moist; my mouth went dry. "What number are you calling?" I finally managed to ask.
"Oh, you're not Jean," the woman said. "Sorry about the mistake." There was a click as the receiver went down at the other end. My hand shook, replacing the one this end. The colleague's visit passed agreeably without any further interruptions.
Now, years later, I can still recall the unease of that moment when it seemed that I might be engaging in an activity not yet condoned in my neighborhood. I prayed we weren't back to that in 1995.
But even with the Simpson verdict, race relations in Baltimore seemed to be better than in previous years. Whenever I found myself in places where all the other people were black, there was neither obsequiousness nor hostility; I fit in like everyone else. This reassured me.
The same thing was true in Washington. One incident stands out. At the museum gift shop of the National Geographic Society, I noticed two classes of elementary schoolchildren, all black, with their teachers. I was sitting on a bench near the exit, waiting for my friend to finish paying for his purchases. The two classes began to assemble by the door. Some of the children came to the bench and sat down. The boy next to me must have been about nine years old, the age of my older grandson. Like my grandson's, his round head was covered by close-cropped hair, but black and wiry instead of blond. He heaved a sigh.
"Feels good to sit down, doesn't it?" I smiled at him.
He grinned. "Sure does." Another loud sigh. "Waitin' in them long lines."
"How do you like the museum?"
"It's real neat." His voice was enthusiastic. "All them explorers. Lots of 'em real brave."
"Have you seen any of the videos? What are they about?"
"Oh yeah! The one about all them different kinds of camouflage, that's super."
"I'm glad. I bought it for my grandsons. Now I'm sure they'll like it." We grinned at each other like old friends.
The teacher called the boy's class together. He got up.
"So long," he said, and I replied, "Bye," thinking they were a very orderly group, no pushing or shoving. They must have a good teacher.
My friend and I found the M Street Deli and ate at one of the outdoor tables. Then we set off in the direction of the White House, getting as far as Farragut Park.
"Look, I can't walk any farther," I said. "You go on, and I'll wait here on a bench."
Lots of people, all ages, all colors, populated the park that balmy noon in October. I spotted a place on a bench at some distance away, and started down the path.
"Hi!" I heard from behind me. The boy from the museum sat on a bench with two of his buddies and smiled at me. Their class was picnicking in the park.
"Hi!" I called back, waving.
From my bench I watched the group. Children who had finished lunch were kicking a soccer ball about, but carefully, so as not to jostle passersby.
Suddenly, I felt deeply hopeful. The old unease was gone. We were all part of a colorful puzzle.
O.J. Simpson car chase: how it foreshadowed a new media landscape
Hollywood finally gets the message – diversity is good for business
O.J. Simpson in court to fight robbery, kidnapping conviction


text:
Read and review blog where I tell them like I read them, honestly and without pulling any punches. Request a Review today!
Editing, and Proofreading services
✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ YOU DID THIS by Jamie Millen
YOU DID THIS
Author: Jamie Millen
Series: Claire Wolfe Thrillers, Book 1
Audiobook Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky
A sister's worst nightmare. A homicide detective's destiny.
Everybody loves Claire's little sister, Tina. But only Claire sees the twisted psychopath hiding behind her sister's angelic face. When Tina is brutally murdered on her fourteenth birthday, the day Claire failed to walk her home from school, Claire never forgives herself. And neither does their mother.
Twelve years later, Claire, now a police detective, returns to Newburgh to solve the mystery of her sister's death. When more girls turn up dead exactly like Tina, Claire suspects that her sister's murderer is still on the prowl. But this is no ordinary serial killer. The murders stump the team of FBI agents and a forensic profiler assisting the investigation, including Special Agent Robert Cline—a former FBI hostage negotiator and Claire's old flame.
As the evidence piles up, Claire's troubled childhood comes back to haunt her. She becomes the lead suspect in the murder investigation, and the system turns against her. Unable to trust anyone—not even herself—Claire must break every rule in the book to save the next girl.
With time running out in this nerve-shredding psychological thriller and harrowing family drama, a shocking discovery changes everything. Is Claire's sister truly dead—or is she playing one final lethal prank?
Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
You Did This has a lot going on, but at the same time, it's all connected. It's one of those stories that keeps you on your toes and is part thriller, part police procedural. Jamie Millen has created a likable character in Claire, who doubts herself more than once as the twists just keep coming. The twists are really the only drawback for me. Not that there were twists, I love being taken by surprise in a book like this. But toward the end, when it felt like a solid conclusion, things just kept going and got a little out there, a little too far past suspension of disbelief. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the character and her journey through this first case, and I'd definitely read more in this series. I listened to the audiobook of this one, and Jesse Vilinsky gave an excellent performance. The emotion of the story, from horror at finding another body to Claire's confusion to the excitement and intrigue, comes through loud and clear. I'm new to both this author and this narrator, but this won't be my last experience with either.
Labels: Audio Review, Reviews
✱✱Book Review✱✱ Blog Blitz: SAVAGE ROAD by Christine Feehan
#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan explores uncharted territory in the new Torpedo Ink Motorcycle Club novel.
When Savin "Savage" Pajari and Seychelle Dubois first met, their connection was instant, their attraction undeniable. Their relationship has been full throttle since day one. Even though months have passed, the passion and love between them has only increased.
Savage completely owns what he is: a sadist in the bedroom who can only get off on his partner's pain. He believes he's not a good man, but he loves Seychelle with a fierceness that shocks him. He wants all of her, but only if she gives herself freely with eyes wide open.
Seychelle never imagined the lure of mixing pain with pleasure, or how much she'd crave Savage's darkness. She's been shaken to her core, but Seychelle is committed to Savage and their life together—even though he's keeping a piece of himself back. And to truly make their relationship work, he has to give her everything that he is, just as she is doing for him.
Savage knows that what he really needs could break his woman if she isn't ready. She agreed to come into his world, and he's not about to give her up. He has to find a way to let her see the monster inside without pushing her away. But the real Savage might be more than Seychelle can bear...and he knows he wouldn't survive losing her.
Savage Road is a little shocking, a lot gripping, and completely engaging. Christine Feehan tackles some big topics here, and some of them aren't for everyone, so take heed of the book's blurb. I don't read many MC romances, but I really like the supernatural angle in this one, and these characters, love them or hate them, are all kinds of intriguing. There is a mystery to solve, so Seychelle and Savage have more than just relationship things to work through. They have some danger along with everything else, and I'll stop there before I give too much away. I'll just wrap it up by saying that Christine Feehan has a well-deserved following, and this book is just one more reason why.
Seychelle turned her head toward Savage, her thick braid moving across the pillow as she looked over her shoulder at him. Light came through the open window. She refused to close the damn thing, no matter what he said about security. She liked it open, and he liked the way the moonlight managed to shine perfectly on her.
Laughter was in her eyes, that totally relaxed look she got on her face whenever they were here in her home—her little cottage by the sea she loved so much. He had tried to re-create a space on the bed in his master bedroom just like hers, but he'd failed. She still wasn't as relaxed, all tension gone, ready to tease him and play like they had for months before they made their relationship official, not in his master bedroom.
In retaliation, he nipped her hip and then soothed the sting with his tongue. "I've been a fucking choirboy for an entire day." That laughter was killing him. He loved the sound of it.
"You can't say choirboy and fuck in the same sentence and be a choirboy."
She sounded all prim and schoolmarmy, which made him smile. His first reaction was to roll over so she was sprawled over the top of him and he had access to her bottom. That was his usual response when she teased him like this, but he didn't want any bruising, not when he'd made up his mind to ease up and give her a few days to adjust. He would always be a controlling bastard, wanting everything his way, and maybe taking one thing at a time was the best way to go.
"Babe, told you I was going to hell. Might as well do anything I want. And that's mild in comparison to all the things I think about saying and doing."
Her laughter was contagious. "You should have seen your face last night when the Red Hat ladies showed up at the bar to hear me sing. All those darling ladies, Zyah's grandmother leading the way. She's so cute, by the way. I adore her and she adores you. Obviously, the two of you have a past, and she made it clear last night that you, Destroyer, Maestro and Player are her little darlings."
"You're going to get yourself in trouble if you bring that up," he growled against her pristine skin, settling his teeth against her in warning.
She didn't pay him heed in the least. "Who knew you were so popular, Savage? All those sparkly hats and all of them wanting to dance with you. I had more requests for songs. The other bikers in the bar last night were quite enthusiastic about making certain the right music was requested. Everyone had ideas. I even saw Jackson and Jonas slip in. They were grinning from ear to ear, and at first it looked as if they might have been there on official business."
That did it. At the mention of the cops, there was no way he was going to be a saint. Savage rolled and took her with him, so that she sprawled over the top of him, her sore, bare ass in the air, legs on either side of his hips. Her amazing blue eyes laughed right down into his, causing his heart to perform some silly, weird melting sensation. He rubbed her bottom, hoping she would consider that a threat.
"You didn't tell me I had so many rivals for your affection. I went into that blind. All those ladies giggling. They brought cookies, Savage. There were plates of cookies with your name on them."
If a man like him had the ability to blush, he might actually have done it when the Red Hat ladies marched in with their crazy purple-and-red hats and their wild clothing, as if each had tried to outdo the others in outlandish skirts and layered dusters. Secretly, he applauded them for their carefree apparel and their insistence on living out their lives the way they chose. If they wanted to go to a biker bar dressed as a cross between fairy godmothers and something out of A Midsummer Night's Dream, more power to them.
Ten of the Red Hat women had shown up, all bearing plates of cookies. And then Zyah, Player's wife. She had come along to keep an eye on her grandmother. Anat Gamal, her grandmother, had unofficially adopted all of Torpedo Ink as her grandchildren. Savage wasn't going to admit to his woman that he might really be one of the favorites, because she would give him no end of grief over it. She was already far too amused over how the evening had played out.
"I shared the cookies with you, you little monster," he pointed out. He kissed the hollow of her neck. She always smelled so good—a wild strawberry fragrance that was just so subtle.
From SAVAGE ROAD published by arrangement with Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2022 by Christine Feehan.
🞿🞿🞿🞿🞿
Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Shadow Riders series, and the Sea Haven novels, including the Drake Sisters series and the Sisters of the Heart series. Learn more online at christinefeehan.com.
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Winter Reading Online Book Fair! Tour and Giveaway
**The Winter Reading Online Book Fair is now LIVE!**
DOZENS of DISCOUNTED or FREE Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Romance and Sci-fi e-books!
Bestselling, award-winning, and popular authors.
Head there now:
https://mailchi.mp/b3bd3a8f666f/online-book-fair
The fair will run from January 28th - 30th
This blog post is sponsored by Silver Dagger Book Tours
Labels: Giveaway, Silver Dagger Book Tours
A Black Man's Journey to the Sons of the American Revolution Tour and Giveaway
A Black Man's Journey to the Sons of the American Revolution
by William O. Ritchie Jr.
Genre: Memoir
Recent release "A Black Man's Journey to the Sons of the American Revolution" from Page Publishing author William O. Ritchie Jr. is a fascinating and deeply American journey from the segregated South to a decorated track and field career in one of the nation's premiere HBCU and an acclaimed career as one of the highest officers in Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department leading the investigations into the highest-profile cases of the eighties and nineties. After retirement from the MPD, he began conducting extensive genealogical research, which ultimately led to membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. He also became involved with DNA to attempt to validate the oral history portions of his family history book that is in the African American History Section in the Library of Congress, an endeavor that was successful.
"From the segregated Stratton High School in Beckley, West Virginia, to the prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC, to years of law enforcement in our nation's capital, Bill Ritchie has found himself a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. We have often asked, how? And why? Throughout his book A Black Man's Journey to the Sons of the American Revolution, he answers these questions for us."
—Belva Williams Waller, matriarch of the Ritchie Family.
"Bill Ritchie's fascinating journey from rural mountains in West Virginia to celebrated track all-American at Howard University, to chief of detectives in the nation's capital and his many other successful pursuits is an inspiring study of determination, creativity, and perseverance. His book, A Black Man's Journey to the Sons of the American Revolution, candidly provides a fleet-footed but comprehensive look at a renaissance man still blazing new and interesting paths." —Rock Newman, sports and music entrepreneur, executive producer, and host of The Rock Newman Show, former Howard University Trustee.
"You have a fascinating history! Can't wait to read the book."
—Sari Horwitz, author and reporter, recipient of four Pulitzer Prize awards
By William O. Ritchie Jr
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William "Bill" Ritchie, a 1971 graduate, holds the distinction of being the first known NCAA All American in the history of Howard University. The seven-time All American became Howard's first known NCAA individual champion when he was victorious in the 220-yard dash during the 1969 College Division NCAA Track and Field Championships in Ashland, Ohio. Ritchie is one of the few athletes that have been inducted twice in the Howard Sports Hall of Fame, first in 1996 as an individual and again in 2018 as a member of the 1969 and 1969 Track and Field Teams. Bill is also an alumnus of the University of the District of Columbia and George Washington University.
Upon graduation, Ritchie joined the Metropolitan Police Department, retiring in 1994 as the Chief of Detectives and former Homicide Commander in the most powerful city in the world. During his tenure, he led or participated in many major criminal investigations including the attempt assassination of President Ronald Reagan during 1981, the Air Florida Airplane crash in 1982, and the Shotgun Stalker spree murder investigation during 1993. His other commander level assignments included the Public Integrity Branch, the Organized Crime Branch, and Director of the Medical Services Division. He was the only member of the department trained to conduct investigative hypnosis sessions on victims and witnesses of crimes.
Upon retirement, he moved on to other positions, including Director, Office of Decedent Affairs at the Washington Hospital Center, Project Manager for the District of Columbia Public School's Security Force and Director of Operations for a nationally known security company that in part serviced contracts for the US Navy and the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. He retired again in 2006. From time to time he is called upon by CNN and other national and local media to provide commentary as a Homicide Expert.
Ritchie currently has more than 65,000 DNA matches with individuals across the country and has assisted five of those matches, who were adoptees, to identify and locate their birth parents. His family history is published in "The Virginia Kaleidoscope" which is in the African American History Section in the Library of Congress and on the shelf as a source at the DAR Library in DC. Until recently, Ritchie was a member of his family's board of directors, The Reynolds/Claytor Family Reunion Inc. He formally served as the family liaison for the Claytor Family Scholarship endowment at Washington & Lee University that was established in 1996. The endowment has awarded more than two million dollars in scholarships to deserving students. He previously served as chairman of the Mary Claytor Family Scholarship that since 2002 has awarded 47 scholarships to graduating high school seniors in the family.
With a high percentage of Cameroonian DNA, Ritchie, in 2016, was accepted as a son of Cameroon by the NW FONS Council and given the Cameroonian name of Shey during their naming ceremony. His ancestry in part includes the Fulani People of NW Cameroon.
Ritchie is currently the Senior Vice President and Public Information Officer for the District of Columbia Society Sons of the American Revolution. He was inducted into this organization on July 4, 2016, as the result of proving lineage to his 5th great grandfather, William Parks who was shot, killed and scalped by the Indians working for the British during May 1776. He has since identified and proven his ancestry to 16 additional Revolutionary War Patriots.
Between 1998 and 2006, Ritchie served as a member of the Boards of Directors for the National Kidney Foundation NCA and the Greater Washington Urban League. Bill has been married since 1974 to Alfreda Holloway Ritchie, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Howard. They have one daughter, Arian Ritchie Joiner, son-in-law Kristopher, and three grandchildren Delant, Devin, and Destiny.
Ritchie is an avid golfer and had the pleasure of playing in Tiger Woods Pro-Am at Congressional Country Club on July 4, 2007, where he reportedly had the time of his life!!!!! He has several historical videos on YouTube under the handle of hypnos123, which include law enforcement punditry on homicides, weapons, DNA family reunifications and a combined exposé on the death investigation of Supreme Court Antonin Scalia during 2016.
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Man of the Month Club: Seasons Tour and Giveaway
Man of the Month Club Season 1:
January, February and March
by Ann Omasta and Callie Love
The Man of the Month Club monthly meetings become the hottest ticket in Indianapolis as word of the new matchmaking application's surprising, wildly successful pairings begins to spread.
JANUARY: Maggie's scars are visible to everyone. Jett's are hidden deep inside. They are both too damaged to love… Or so they thought. Will these two be able to help each other heal or are some wounds beyond repair?
FEBRUARY: Chelle is a fun-loving, ambitious local news correspondent. Aidan is an uptight and serious state senator. The two are extreme opposites, yet they keep being thrown together. Will these two be able to spend time together and avoid catching feelings for each other?
MARCH: Beautiful Ruby Beckham has a stalker. Tough cop, Patrick McDonnell, is the perfect man to protect her. But what if the man charged with her safety is the person she needs to be saved from?
Meet the first three lucky couples the app chooses in this hot collection of opposites attract and enemies-to-lovers romances.
These three romance quickies are scorching novellas featuring sexy heroes, curvy heroines, seductive instalove, sizzling bedroom scenes, and satisfying happily-ever-after endings. Binge-read Man of the Month Club SEASON 1 now and enjoy three perfectly-portioned tastes of steamy romance to satisfy your craving.
**On Sale Now for Only .99 cents!!**
Man of the Month Club: JANUARY
- Excerpt-
Callie Love & Ann Omasta, USA Today Bestselling Author
Chapter 1 - Maggie
I am hideous. And, no, I don't say that just to get attention or false compliments. I'm truly ugly. I hate looking in the mirror. Every time I catch a glimpse of my reflection, I want to shatter the glass with my fist.
It hasn't always been this way for me. I mean, I was never going to be on the cover of Vogue magazine, but I used to be passably attractive. Children wouldn't run screaming from the room when I entered, like they would now, if their parents didn't hiss at them to behave.
Although I'm aware that it could be much worse, I can't seem to stop wallowing. I know I sound ungrateful. I'm lucky to be alive after being trapped in a burning building, but I certainly didn't escape unscathed.
I glare down at the scars that snake along the back of my right hand and up over my arm and shoulder. The raised skin is ugly and anyone who tries to tell me otherwise is a liar.
If the burns were only on my arm, I might be able to deal with it better. But, no, they stretch onto my chest, up my neck, and even onto a portion of my jawline and cheek. No amount of makeup or prim clothing can completely cover my scars––despite my best efforts.
I would be perfectly content to live out the rest of my life hiding in my apartment, ordering take-out, and binging Netflix. It would probably even be the considerate thing to do, so I don't put anyone else in the awkward position of having to pretend like my scars aren't that bad.
Even though I understand why people lie or act like they don't see the scars, it is infuriating. I probably would have done the same thing before the fire. After all, it's not like you can gasp and ask, "What happened to your skin?!?" But I truly believe the avoidance and fake platitudes feel even worse than that kind of brutal honesty would.
My friend and former co-worker, Ciara, won't let me turn into a hermit. I know her heart is in the right place, but I really just wish she would leave me alone.
I hate myself for being jealous of Ciara, but the fire that left me a scarred monster brought her handsome and loving fireman fiancé into her life. I'm not sure what kind of horrid karma caused that stinking, steaming dump on my doorstep, but it sure doesn't seem fair.
Ciara's a great person. She deserves to be happy. But I do, too, right?
I've done everything I can think of to make myself presentable for tonight's inaugural book club meeting, but nothing helps. My Granny used to say something about 'putting lipstick on a pig.' That perfectly describes my efforts. No matter what I do, all anyone will see is my scars.
As much as I'd love to text Ciara claiming a headache, I don't want to disappoint her by not going tonight. My guess is that she's pulling this entire event together to get me out of the house. Yes, she's truly that kindhearted and thoughtful. I didn't say that she doesn't deserve her sexy fireman, but I'm not sure why I deserve to be so grotesque that no man will ever want me.
When Ciara texts to see if I need a ride, I respond that I'm on my way before grabbing the book we were assigned to read and heading out the door.
Evie's Bar & Grill is a comfortable meeting place and the group of women Ciara has invited are all bubbly and friendly, but I still feel awkward.
Beauty shines through on the other ladies' faces. They are very welcoming as I sit in the only vacant chair at the tall table, but I know they are thinking how grateful they are that they don't look like me.
When I retrieve the book from my purse and set it on the table, Ciara makes an uncomfortable face before asking, "You actually read the book, didn't you?"
"Of course, this is a book club, right?" I answer.
"Technically, yes," Ciara nods. "But it's really more of an excuse to get together for a cocktail or two and gossip."
I angle a narrow-eyed, fake glare at her before asking, "You mean I read that awful book for nothing?"
She lets out a throaty laugh, which is contagious. Soon, the other women begin fessing up that they didn't bother reading the book.
The bar's proprietor, Evie, delivers an enormous, fruity, frozen drink to me. "If you ladies are looking for good books to read, you should ask Adam for recommendations."
Her gaze darts over to the hunky librarian before she quietly reveals, "He reads sexy passages to me every night before bed."
"Yum!" one of the other women purrs. "Even I could get into reading under those conditions."
"Mm-hmm," Evie murmurs before heading back behind the bar. I try to keep my rampant jealousy in check.
"Let's get to the real reason for our little get-together," Ciara leans in conspiratorially before turning her gaze to her friend, Phoebe.
Phoebe says in an excited tone, "As you all know, I had you fill out a questionnaire to help me beta test my new matchmaking application."
I suddenly feel like a lost puppy. This is the first I've heard of the app. I'm hurt that Ciara didn't tell me about this. She probably knew I wouldn't come because I have no desire to be matched. I'm never dating again, but I still hate being left completely out of the loop.
Phoebe continues on, obviously having no idea of the turmoil raging inside me. "I selected the first bachelor for our January meeting, since we wanted to start right away. My cousin, Jett, is a total catch. I would date him myself, if we didn't fall from the same family tree."
I'm trying to figure out a way to slip out of here without being noticed. The last thing I want is to pretend to be happy for these lovely ladies as they each find their one true love, while I remain all alone.
I take a giant slurp from my drink, intending to down it and hightail it out of here. Brain freeze hits and has me palming my forehead as Phoebe says, "The woman who is scientifically the best match for Jett is… drumroll please…"
She pauses dramatically, and I feel like rolling my eyes. I truly don't care which of these beauties matches with her sexy cousin.
"Maggie!" she shouts.
My eyes nearly pop out of my head as all eyes at the table turn to look at me. The women are squealing with delight, but my face morphs into a frown. I shake my head. "But I didn't fill out anything."
Ciara's gaze turns sheepish, and I immediately know what has happened. I glare at my friend, who obviously filled out the survey for me, and say, "Please tell me you didn't…"
April, May and June
The Man of the Month Club monthly meetings are the hottest ticket in Indianapolis as word of the matchmaking application's surprising, wildly successful pairings spreads.
APRIL: April arrives and the highly regarded Man of the Month Club matchmaking application makes its first mismatch. Or does it? When an April Fools' prank goes too far, hearts are at stake in this devilishly fun game of scandals and schemes. Will Ben Bridgerton be the right man to make Daphne swoon with desire?
MAY: Poppy is the most annoying woman Cooper has ever met, so why can't he stop thinking about her? Will Poppy and Cooper be able to shift their contentious relationship from enemies to lovers? Either way, sparks are sure to fly!
JUNE: Peaceful, free-spirited Summer is the last person anyone expected to be paired with angry, tough-guy Killian, but the Man of the Month Club matchmaking application is full of surprises. Will these two extreme opposites be able to meet in the middle?
Meet three lucky couples the app chooses in this hot collection of opposites attract and enemies-to-lovers romances.
These three romance quickies are scorching short stories featuring sexy heroes, curvy heroines, seductive instalove, sizzling bedroom scenes, and satisfying happily-ever-after endings. Binge-read Man of the Month Club SEASON 2 now and enjoy three perfectly-portioned tastes of steamy romance to satisfy your craving.
July, August and September
JULY: Charity and Garrett have been drawn to each other since they met in elementary school, but life keeps tearing them apart. They are each nursing a severely broken heart caused by the other. Will they have the strength to try one more time?
AUGUST: Divorced single mom, Jillian, no longer believes in love. That's less than ideal for a wedding planner. But one wild night with a boy-toy firefighter is about to turn her world upside down. When Jillian and Riggins are matched, their chemistry is explosive. Their romance burns hot and fast, but can they fan the flames into lasting love?
SEPTEMBER: Single mom, Marietta, has plenty of reasons not to trust men. A virtual romantic relationship is as far as she's willing to go. Can this month's bachelor, Chance, convince her that real-life love is worth the risk?
Meet three lucky couples the app chooses in this hot collection of second chance, single parent, and opposites attract romances.
October, November and December
OCTOBER: Single father, Parker, has been best friends with the identical twin Ford sisters since childhood. Revealing his secret crush on one of the sisters would tip the delicate balance of their lifelong friendship. When Parker is paired with one of the Ford twins at October's meeting, will the trio's friendship implode?
NOVEMBER: Sloane Ford and Logan Fox were the hottest, most popular couple in high school, but Logan shattered Sloane's heart. No one is surprised when these two are matched at November's meeting, but will Logan be able to convince Sloane that she can entrust her fragile heart with him one more time?
DECEMBER: Phoebe is the mastermind behind the wildly successful Man of the Month Club matchmaking application. She has spent an entire year pairing other couples and helping them find true love. When it's finally her turn, her match is based on a lie. Will she have the strength to tell the truth?
Meet three lucky couples the app chooses in this hot collection of friends-to-lover, second chance, single parent, and opposites attract romances.
These three romance quickies are scorching novallas featuring sexy heroes, curvy heroines, seductive instalove, sizzling bedroom scenes, and satisfying happily-ever-after endings. Binge-read Man of the Month Club SEASON 4 now and enjoy three perfectly-portioned tastes of steamy romance to satisfy your craving.
Ann Omasta is a USA Today Bestselling author.
Ann's Top Ten list of likes, dislikes, and oddities:
1.I despise whipped cream. There, I admitted it in writing. Let the ridiculing begin.
2. Even though I have lived as far south as Key Largo, Florida, and as far north as Maine, I landed in the middle.
3. If I don't make a conscious effort not to, I will drink nothing but tea morning, noon, and night. Hot tea, sweet tea, green tea––I love it all.
4. There doesn't seem to be much in life that is better than coming home to a couple of big dogs who are overjoyed to see me. My other family members usually show significantly less enthusiasm about my return.
5. Singing in my bestest, loudest voice does not make my family put on their happy faces. This includes the big, loving dogs referenced above.
6. Yes, I am aware that bestest is not a word.
7. Dorothy was right. There's no place like home.
8. All of the numerous bottles in my shower must be lined up with their labels facing out. It makes me feel a little like Julia Roberts' mean husband from the movie Sleeping with the Enemy, but I can't seem to control this particular quirk.
9. I love, love, love finding a great bargain!
10. Did I mention that I hate whipped cream? It makes my stomach churn to look at it, touch it, smell it, or even think about it. Great––now I'm thinking about it. Ick!
Stay up-to-date on new releases and insider info by liking / following / friending Ann's Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon author pages.
Callie Love writes contemporary romance that is sexy, short, and SO addictive. Her Hot Shots of Romance Quickies are scorching short stories featuring sexy heroes, curvy heroines, seductive insta-love, sizzling bedroom scenes, and satisfying happily-ever-after endings.
Start anywhere. Binge-read them all. Grab one now and enjoy a perfectly-portioned taste of steamy romance to satisfy your craving.
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Labels: Excerpt, Giveaway, Silver Dagger Book Tours
Called Blitz
Spirits of Savannah Book #1
Paranormal/Romantic Suspense
Sophie seems to have it all, a thriving career at the MET, a handsome soon-to-be fiancé, and an eccentric father who is the toast of the academic world. Yet, fate has other plans for her. After the death of her father, she starts to see visions of a beautiful woman who claims that Sophie needs to return home and take care of some unfinished business.
But where is home? And what business? Unexpectedly, she receives a strange invitation from a mysterious organization in Savannah, Georgia. Determined to find out more about the circumstances surrounding her father's death and her sudden ability to see the dead, she accepts.
Welcome to Savannah, Georgia, a city so beautiful that it was spared from the wrath of Union General William T. Sherman. In this city filled with the spirits of the dead, arching live oaks draped in picturesque Spanish moss, luxurious looming mansions, and men who have impeccable manners and voices as smooth as butter Sophie is an outsider. Yet, she begins to discover that maybe the answers that she has been searching for are closer than she expected… Step into the haunting yet beautiful world of Sophie and Savannah where the dead walk among the living and every nook and cranny has a mystery that demands to be solved.
Kira Saito is the author of the Arelia LaRue Series and The Girl on Prytania Street. She loves writing twisty books with soul, suspense, and magic.
Labels: Giveaway, RABT, Release Blitz
The Chasm Cover Reveal
Young Adult Science Fantasy
Release Day: 6/24/22
THE CHASM: Book 2.0 of the Finding Humanity Series
They thought the biggest problem they faced was each other.
After Bleu, Rana, and their new friends narrowly prevent war between the star beings and humans, they hope the upcoming negotiation will secure the peace. Newly emerged from their subterranean haven, the Northern Haven humans are clearly not suited to Earth's ice age, and require assistance from the enlightened star beings to survive long term on the Surface. But Commander Savas doesn't trust the suspiciously kind star beings and their unexplainable abilities. When both sides reluctantly negotiate a joint mission to find the other Havens, Bleu must somehow cooperate with the manipulative commander to keep his friends safe.
As their team confronts unexpected dangers, Bleu and his teammates begin to suspect the star beings don't know as much about the Surface as they claimed, while Rana is torn between remaining true to her nonviolent ways or becoming more human to survive. When an unnatural predator attacks, even the nearly all-knowing Kalakanya can't explain it. Now the team must pull together or their new discovery will pull them apart, limb by limb.
As a young girl, Branwen wanted to become an ambassador for aliens. Since the aliens never hired her, she now writes about them.
Branwen OShea has a Bachelors in Biology from Colgate University, a Bachelors in Psychology, and a Masters in Social Work. She lives in Connecticut with her family and a menagerie of pets, and enjoys hiking, meditating, and star-gazing. Her previously published works include:
The Calling: Book 1.0 of the Finding Humanity Series
The Cords That Bind: Book 1.1 of the Finding Humanity Series (novella)
Silence of the Song Trees (novella)
Labels: Cover Reveal, RABT
YOU DID THIS Author: Jamie Millen Series: Claire Wolfe Thrillers, Book 1 Audiobook Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky A sister's worst nightmare. A ...
The Window Blitz
Women's Fiction Date Published: 10/12/20 Publisher: TouchPoint Press After making the biggest mistake of her life,...
Haunted Ends 4: Dead in the Water by Elizabeth Price Blurb Blitz
Haunted Ends 4: Dead in the Water by Elizabeth Price ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GENRE : Paranormal Mystery Horror ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB: The crew of Haun...
Sand, Salt, and Spirits by Kathryn Hills Blurb Blitz
Sand, Salt, and Spirits by Kathryn Hills ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GENRE : Romance / Halloween / Contemporary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB: Can a weekend vis...
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