text:
Christmas Party
'There she is' Nolan thought.
He looked across his table to see Ashley, a sophmore. She walked with her friend and talked with her. They laughed and Nolan couldn't help but smile. The smile was so beautiful and white.
She stood at about 5'4" and had brown hair with blonde highlights. She had 32C size breasts. She was a real beauty. At only 16 and being a sophmore people usually thought she was in college.
Nolan waited for her to walk by before he stood up and threw away his lunch tray. He went back to his seat and sat down.
Standing up Nolan was about 6 feet tall even. He was 17 years old and a junior. He had brownish blondish hair and had emerald eyes.
Whenever he saw her he felt as if time went by faster. He never got time with her. One time he did but he studdered and embarassed himself. She smiled and said "Maybe next time tiger."
He was a really shy kid. But with his friends help he was able to perform. He was a guitarist and thats how he always got girlfriends. The others were never really special except one. But he found out that she had been cheating on him. He had never really healed from that. He almost went all the way with her.
He heard the bell ring. "Shit, I cant be late again" he said to himself, picking up his bag. He ran to class
The rest of the day went by uneventfully at school. He didnt have hardly any homework except studying since finals were coming up. There was always at least one good thing about finals and that was the lack of hard work. His past two years he breezed by with finals.
When he got home he threw his things down in his room and kicked off his shoes. He sat in a chair and began playing his black acoustic guitar. A Takamine. It was only 20 frets but it had a warm sound. He was in the middle of a song with a nice rhythum when he heard a knock.
"Come in" He said, putting his guitar to his side.
His mom walked in. "Hello Nolan" She said cheerfully. "Christmas tiiime is here!" She sang out.
He laughed "I dont know the words either."
His mom, Marie, laughed back "Well you know how we always have Christmas parties right? Well I was asking if you could play your guitar for the crowd?"
"Ugh man. Why? I dont like playing in front of people. Especially if nobody is here to help me through it." He said, feeling annoyed. He was hoping to get someone over finally this year. His mother never let people come to the parties.
"If thats what it's going to take then you can have one person come" She said.
"Only one? Come on. Three?" He asked.
"Two. And thats it. Deal?" She asked holding out her hand.
He thought for a moment. "Yeah sure. Deal." He said shaking her hand.
"Goodie! Dinner is almost ready so come up and eat." She said.
He went upstairs and talked with his parents about what to play at the party. Then through the meal and the talk he decided to invite his best friend Vick. He always helped him out and was really trust worthy. He also encouraged him alot to ask out girls he liked. That would come in handy because he was going to invite Ashley.
The next day was friday and the last day of finals before winter break. Vick already said yes over the phone to the party and told him he was going to drag his parents over because "They are so cool!" Sarcasm. A strong point for Vick. Vick knew Ashley and was going to try to introduce her to Nolan. They had Spanish together.
Well his lunch hour finally came that day. He had to catch Ashley before she left. When your lunch hour was on a final day you could go home or wait for your friends. Most people went home. Nolan soon saw her walking out of the lunchroom and about to leave.
He was not ready and extremely nervous. But he didnt want to miss out. He walked to her and tapped her shoulder gently. "Ashley?" He asked, voice shaking.
She turned. "Hello" She put her finger to her lip. "Hmmm… I remember you! Your that one guy who studders alot!" She said.
"Haha no." He said feeling quite embarassed "Im Nolan. I was nervous. I get like that around girls alot." His voice was not sounding good. He felt is knees shaking. He tried to not make it obvious.
"Oh hehe. So whats up?" She asked.
"Well I was wondering if you'd like to come to this Christmas party. My folks said it was cool for a few of my friends to come, and I thought it would be nice if you came."
He handed her a slip of paper with his address and number on it. "Its tonight. I hope its not too short notice."
"Nope not at all. My friends are going out of town and I had nothing panned. I'll be there!" She said.
"Oh sweet!" He said sounding like a fool. "I mean uhh.. Thats cool." He laughed to shake off the embarassment.
She laughed. "Im gonna need a ride home though. I dont have my liscence yet."
"Oh I can. No problem" He said. They got to her moms car.
"Thanks. See ya, tiger." She said with a wink. She got in her moms car and drove away.
"YES!" He shouted in the parking lot. People turned and looked at him. He shrugged and walked away embarassed yet again.
When he got home he gave Vick the good news.
"Thats awesome man. Now I dont have to introduce you two." He said.
"Ugh, thanks man."
"Thats what Im here for" Vick said.
The party began at 9 and ended at midnight. He had a few hours to practiceseeing as they got to Nolans house early. Vick was going to play drums with him for two songs. The last one was going to be just him. His mom said that would be fantastic. She was so glad her son was going to be giving her friends an impression of how great a mom she was. He was glad to help.
Soon the party began. Ashley wasnt to be seen. The performance was going to begin at 11. Nolan filled with worry as the minutes slowly went by.
"Shit man! Shit!" Nolan panicked. "She not gonna show! She isnt going to come!"
"Dude! Calm down! Its only 9:30 theres a thing called fashionably late." Vick said.
Nolan felt a little better. Then all worry went away when he saw Ashely enter the fron door. He ran there and greeted her.
"Sorry Im late" She said. I wanted to put some makeup on to look extra nice!" She told him and Vick.
Vick pinched him so Nolan could spit out a corny line. "You dont need makeup to look nice. Your beautuful either way" He said nearly rubbing the spot where he was pinched.
"Aww arent you sweet" Vick said.
All three laughed. Ashley and Nolan both blushing.
Soon Vick had to go set up the drums for about 10 minutes, leaving Nolan and Ashley alone.
"Drums? Is there going to be a show?" She asked.
"Yep. Im going to play with Vick and then for the last song its going to be just me" He said. He had grown more comfortable with Ashley. He wasnt as nervous anymore.
"I cant wait!" She said genuinely impressed. He failed to mention a show.
They talked for awhile until 11 finally came. Nolans mom stood up and clinked her glass. "Okay I'd like everyone to go downstairs for a special show by Nolan and his friend Vick!"
Everyone turned and looked at him. He blushed and Ashley put her hand on his leg. "You can do it" She whispered.
He suddenly lost all fear. "Yeah.. Lets go."
They went down stairs and Vick was holding his brush drumsticks. They werent like regular sticks. They made it quieter than regular drums but still gave a nice strong beat.
Ashley sat in the front, along with Nolans parents. Everyone else sat behind them. Around 20 people. Not too big but enough to make Nolan nervous enough to fuck up.
When he sat on the stool he saw Ashleys gaze. All fear left him again. He annouced what the song was. "This is Heart Shaped Box. We hope you like it."
The song was played perfectly. The crowd clapped. They said their thanks. This was Vicks last song. They made sure it was going to be good.
"This is Plush" Stone Temple Pilots. This was one of Vicks favorite songs to play and to listen to. They also did this one easily. Vick stood and bowed.
"Man you love to brag" Nolan said to his friend.
"Quiet lover boy" Vick said. The crowd did an ooo. Nolan blushed slightly. He looked at Ashley and saw her flirty smile. He smiled back. Vick saw and chuckled. "Good luck" He said, the crowd unknowing of the double meaning.
"Im going to do this one solo.. This song is called Hunger Strike. By Temple of the Dog."
"I love that song maaaan!" Vick called from the back. The crowd laughed.
"Haha here we go" Nolan said feeling confident. Ashley watched the him.
He kept his head down the whole time. Then the chorus came. He sang it with strength looking right at Ashley. He really let the lyrics fly. He soon finished the song and people stood and clapped. Vick whistled and Ashley cheered. The show was finally over.
He stood and bowed "YOU LOVE TO BRAG!" Vick called. The crowd laughed again.
Nolan smiled and walked to Vick and Ashley.
"That was incredible!" Ashley said. "I really loved the last one Nolan. You and Vick did great!"
"Thanks. It was actually pretty fun." Nolan said.
"Yeah. And you didnt fuck up like you said you would" Vick said.
Nolan rolled his eyes. The party slowed to a stop as more and more people left. Soon Vick had to leave. "Ill see ya man. Ashley do you need me to take you home?" Vick asked.
"No I'll let Nolan take me." She said, smiling mischeviously.
"Okee doke" Vick said cracking a smile at Nolan.
Nolans parents headed up stairs. The drums were no long in the basment. Vick took them home. A couch that was against the wall had been moved in its place, facing the TV.
"Nolan, Im tired" Ashley said. She sat next to Nolan who had just sat on the left cushion of the couch. She lay on his shoulder and laid her legs on the couch.
He lowered on the couch and wrapped his arm slowly around her. He was starting to get an erection from such close contact with his dream girl.
"You wanna sleep here?" He asked. He was suprised his voice didn't shake.
"Mmm.. That would be nice.. I brought some clothes.. I hoped youd ask me that." She said.
"Really? Where?" He asked, not sounding tired at all.
"In my 'big ass purse'. Vick wouldnt stop teasing me about.." she yawned "It.."
Nolan almost felt disappointed. He knew she was falling asleep. 'I guess she only wants to crash here' he thought.
"Hey… Nolan?" She asked, her now sounding nervous and shy, "Could I take a shower? You know.. To wake up?"
'Oh my fucking god' He thought. "Uhh yeah. Definitely. Want me to show you the shower?"
"You could say that.." She said. She got up off the couch. "Come on.. Show me the shower."
"O-okay.." He studdered. He was in utter shock at this point.
He grabbed her hand and led her to the shower. It was a big one and the pressure wasnt too hard but it wasnt too gentle either. It was one of those that could probably fit around 10 people in that are ridiculously unnecessary. It also had a big bench, so if you were lazy you could sit and let the water hit you.
"So I'll get in now" She said.
Nolan turned to leave to give her privacy. He felt her hand on his shoulder. In his mind he shouted 'YES!' but kept silent. Ashley pulled him back and pulled his head down. She immediatly started kissing him, and Nolan kissed back.
He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. He felt a little daring and squeezed her tight, round ass. "Mm.. Im a dirty girl. Wash me" she said pulling away, pulling up her shirt to show those incredible tits.
"Uhh.. ahh… o-okay.." Was all he could say. 'This is the night. Im losing my virginity. I know I am' he shouted in his mind.
In about 4 seconds both were naked. Nolan went in and forcefully kissed Ashley, and slowly and passionately, pushed her against the wall. His cock now rockhard and standing straight at 6 inches was in front of Ashley.
He pulled her out of the way and turned on the water. He got it nice and hot. Steam soon filled the gigantic shower. He went into the rushing water, pulling Ashley with him all the while kissing her.
"Nolan.." She panted. "Please.. Im still a virgin. Dont go too hard.."
"Thank Christ, I am too." He said with relief.
They smiled at eachother and knew this was going to be a special night for them both. The hot water hit them and they met in a kiss. Nolan leaned back and let her be on top, His cock in the crack of her fantastic ass.
"Mmm… Have you ever had a blowjob?" She asked slowly going down his chest and making her way to his cock.
He had and admitted it. "Yes.. Theyre incredible" He said hoping she would still touch him even though he said yes to the blowjob question.
"I hear Im good at giving them" She said with a wink and swallowed about four inches of him.
"Oh, shit" He moaned cocking his head back.
"Mmmm" she moaned. This wasnt helping his cock any bit. He wanted to cum. Bad. We held back as long as he could, but only lasted a few minutes. In the span of these minutes she sucked hard. Once in every few head bobs she would go all the way down and hum, and just suck as hard as she could on the head. This is when sent him off the edge so fast.
"Oh shit.. Im cumming!"
She went faster and he exploded. She swallowed every last drop.
"Good?" She asked. He was in so much bliss all he could do was nod. "Good."
He pulled her up and switched positions. He heard her moan loudly and felt the squeeze of her legs as he took the first lick of her pussy. This was a strong point for Nolan. He was good at eating girls out. She moaned louder as he aimed for her enflamed clit. He fingered her fast and hard and felt her hymen as he went in deep. He licked her clit hard. Soon she came in an explosive orgasm, most of her sweet sex going down the drain.
"Oh my god.." She moaned. "Where did that come from" she asked.
"Experience" He said. He laughed a little.
They both looked at each other, both sitting up. Both still had a strong burning lust in their eyes. 'Shes so beautiful in this water' He though.
That she did. The water in her hair, the drops on her face and breasts, her arms… She looked incredible. Her water dropped hand reached for his face, his hand reached for her face, and they met in a passionate kiss. More passionate than either had ever had. Nolan was falling in love with her.
"Please Nolan.. Im ready" She said.
He nodded. He helped her get in his lap and aimed his cock for her pussy.
"Here it goes.. Nice and slow" She said, lowering herself. About an inch and a half in he felt her hymen.
Their eyes locked. Ashley bit her lower lip, His face nervous. Ashley nodded and mouthed the words "Im ready".
She went down now harder. Nolan felt her hymen stretch. Soon he felt himself go through, and heard Ashley moan. She said "Ohh.. ouchie.." She almost sounded helpless.
"Im sorry that hurt" He said.
She had a pained expression in her face. "Its okay" she said, her voice a little shaky. She looked down and so did Nolan. A little blood went down the drain.
After awhile she was used to his dick and went down all the way. She was wrapped around him and waited again. He kissed her neck and waited. Soon she was once again ready.
She began going up and down on his cock. Eventually the expression of pain faded and excitement and pleasure replaced it. Nolan loved the tight pussy. It was nothing like head, and was certainly beating the feeling of his hand. The pleasure was incredible.
He grabbed her waist and guided her up and down as she rubbed her hands through her hair. She was going wild, her tits jiggling, water splashing off of them. Nolan began using only one hand and used the other (his left) to squeeze her nipples.
Soon he felt her pussy clench. "Ohh fuck Im coming!!" She moaned. He pounded in her and felt her collapse on him. He quickly pulled out and came, outside of her pussy and let it hit the floor. Like all the other bodily fluids, it went down the drain as well.
Both looked at eachother and smiled. They had done something special together. And had fallen in love in the process.
Ashley walked out of the bathroom and hopped to grab her fresh clothes. An orange thong and orange short shorts. She also had an orange shirt on. She was like a cute little orange.
Nolan put on some basketball shorts and a black shirt. They both walked to the couch and kissed there. They fell asleep soon, Ashley on top of Nolan, and had smiles on their faces.


text:
After a rather disappointing episode of Smash last week, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this week's episode, "Hell on Earth". I've said numerous times that Smash is at its best when it's focusing on the musical instead of the B-stories, but this week's episode was full of B-stories and somehow made it work.
Personally, I've thought that Julia's affair made her extremely unsympathetic and I hate that I didn't like her for a few episodes because of it, because I really do love Debra Messing. In this week's Smash, Julia's husband, Frank, found a song Julia had written and deduced she was having an affair. He quickly realized that Michael was the other man and exploded at his wife. The first confrontation between Julia and Frank was terrific, if only because he refused to buy the nonsense she was trying to sell to everyone, including herself. To say that the affair basically meant nothing was to spit in the face of their marriage. After all, why risk 18 years of a relationship over something that's "nothing"? I thought Frank's response to Julia and Michael (who he punched after learning that this latest affair was a redux of an earlier one) was deserved. I did feel sympathy for Julia when Frank stormed out of the family home, but I thought it was time for Julia to face the consequences of what she did.
This week's Smash also focused on how they should retool the musical in order to keep it going. It seems like the brass are in agreement that a star is the way to go, at least for now. A lot of names were thrown around, but the one you knew was going to stick was Rebecca DuVall. Ellis got it in his head that he could secure Rebecca for the musical and earn himself a co-producing credit, so he set out to meet with Rebecca's agent and even slept with him to secure the actress. Then he confronted Eileen with his actions, demanding that she stop ordering him to answer phones and give him a promotion instead.
The good thing for us is that Eileen is about a thousand times more amazing than Ellis. She may have given him props for securing Rebecca as Marilyn, but she schooled him in exactly what a producer does and told him that he's definitely not up to filling the role yet. In the end, Ellis answered that phone just as Eileen had ordered and I shouted with joy that the little weasel had been put in his place. Eileen also managed to reign Derek back in after he had expressed an interest in leaving the musical to focus on other projects. But a dinner with another director and a "chance" meeting with a theater columnist ruffled Derek's feathers – and his pride – bringing him back into the fold.
Finally, the other big story this week revolved around both Karen and Ivy, who seem a bit directionless now that the workshop is done. They met by chance when they both auditioned for an orange juice commercial, but Karen secured the role, prompting Ivy to complain that Karen doesn't have to suffer enough for her good fortune. Frankly, Ivy's got a point. Smash has been fairly good to Karen, even when the show gave Ivy the role of Marilyn. While Karen was off filming a ridiculous commercial surrounded by green screen, Ivy was back in the chorus of "Heaven on Earth". But her lack of progress in her career caused her to go on a bit of a pill binge, which led to her being drugged while on stage.
Ivy ended up leaving the performance in disgrace, but Karen was in the wings, waiting to give her back her sunglasses that they had accidentally switched. While Ivy seemed intent on getting the drunk, the whole night turned into a bonding experience between the women when they started an impromptu performance in Times Square. For a few hours, they were friends, although they both told each other some harsh truths (Karen thinks Ivy got the part by sleeping with Derek and Ivy think Karen is undeserving of her accomplishments thus far). I really enjoyed seeing the two of them singing and hanging out. They don't need to be enemies, although they don't necessarily need to be friends either. But I think they both learned something from each other that could make them both better people.
Smash also delivered us the title of the Marilyn musical this week: "Bombshell". Very appropriate. A new episode of Smash will be airing on April 9 and Uma Thurman will be me making the first of several guest appearances as Rebecca DuVall and the show will be going back to the workshop. Watch a preview below for next week's episode.

subset: commoncrawl


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I breathe deeply as I rise for the night. Even in this dank space I can smell my lover on my skin. I smile with pleasure as I recall the events from last evening. She may not realize it, but Sookie will be mine; that is the only thing I am sure of in this existence. As I wait for the sun to set, I think of the different ways I can please my lover tonight. I know she is at work now, so she will be tired and perhaps hungry when she returns. I cannot help her with her need for food, but I can think of many ways to help her relax. Thankfully, the sun drops below the horizon; the direction of my thoughts had made it quite uncomfortable in that cramped hole.
I shower quickly, unfortunately washing Sookie's scent off. I use her soap and shampoo. Their smells bring me small comfort as they remind me of her. I dress in the jeans and sweatshirt Sookie's brother purchased for me. I look in the mirror searching for answers about who I am. Something does not feel right; the clothes fit, but I do not feel comfortable in them. They irritate my skin; they feel rough and hard against my body. Given the two articles of clothing I arrived in, I do not think Jason and I share the same taste in clothing.
I am too restless to stay in the house, so I exit through the kitchen and find myself outside. The sounds of the night slowly fade to nothing. All nature's creatures can sense an apex predator in their midst. I take off running through the woods, enjoying the feel of the wind in my hair as I run haphazardly through the woods. I feel free.
I stop suddenly when I feel Sookie's unease and worry. Turning around, I head for her home. When I break through the woods to see her car, I stop and use all my senses. There is no danger in the area, so I cannot understand what has caused her panic.
Sookie flings open the car door and scrambles out. She rushes towards the house, but I catch her in my arms, wrapping her around my waist in the process.
"Eric, you shouldn't be out…" Whatever she has to say can wait. I need to kiss her; I need to feel her body against mine. I press her against one of the pillars on the back porch, grinding my hips against her. I don't care about anything at the moment other than the quickest way to get Sookie out of her clothes. I feel Sookie's body surrendering to mine and I want to shout in victory. Instead, I move my lips across her face and down her neck, placing lingering kisses along her throbbing pulse.
"Eric," Sookie gasps as I swirl my tongue along her clavicle.
"Shhh," I whisper against her skin, causing her body to shudder.
"No, listen to me. We have to hide!"
"From whom?" My words were whispered in her ear before sucking the lobe in my mouth. Gods she tastes divine!
Sookie shivers against me again, but I hear the resolve in her voice. "The witch that's after you came in Merlotte's tonight. She and her brother asked about any local vampires; we had to tell them about Bill. They are at his house right now lookin' for you! What if they come here? I can't let anything happen to you!" Sookie's anxiety increased with every word she spoke.
I am overjoyed to hear in an indirect way that Sookie cares for me, that any harm that may befall me will hurt her. But my hubris has taken a blow. She does not think I can protect us? I admit this witch had gotten the best of me once, but I like to think that was through no fault of my own. I am confident I can handle a single witch. I am also curious; perhaps seeing my adversary will cause me to remember something.
"Come on Lover; let's go look." I give her one last kiss to her lips before spinning her around so she is clinging to my back. I take off running for the cemetery. I do not run as fast as earlier because I do not wish to harm Sookie, but it is still faster than a normal human. I feel her limbs wrapped tightly around me. I can feel both concern and enjoyment coming from her. She has nothing to fear; I will protect her.
We run through the cemetery and then begin the uphill climb to her neighbor's home. I do not like knowing that my lover's ex lives this close to her. I will have to speak to Sookie about my concerns, but now is not the time. The house comes in to view and I head for a large oak tree. I lower Sookie's legs and then hold her hands so she can slide easily down my back. I pull her around so that she is wedged between me and the tree. She grips my wrists tightly. We both freeze when we hear voices nearby.
"The car is cold, the house is locked; it looks like no one has been here for a while." I stiffen as I hear the woman's voice. I cannot place how I know it, but it is familiar to me. Flashes of a woman standing in front of a desk pass through my head. In the vision, she is a masculine looking woman, and her style of clothing accentuated her manly mannerisms and not softening them. She was accompanied by someone who could have only been a family member; they looked exactly alike. I pull myself from my thoughts when I feel Sookie shift beneath me. She is trying to move away from the tree, but I press her more firmly against the tree. The two witches are trying to break in and Sookie thinks she can stop them. I smile into her hair as I hold her close; my little warrior. The scent of Were suddenly wafts through the air; not just one Were but at least a dozen. The two witches must have noticed the intruders, because they shift as well.
"Sorry," Sookie whispers in my ear. What does she have to apologize for? The sound of a wolf's howl fills the air followed by snarls and snapping jaws. I wish I could see what was going on. As quickly as the thought enters my head, I find that I have shot up to the roof of the rundown former plantation. I can fly?!?!?!?!?! Why did no one think to mention that to me? I quickly check on Sookie to see that she is hunched down, holding a dog. I snort in disgust. A dog at a wolf fight? I know it is a shifter that my Sookie is clinging to. If he is here to help her in some way, he should have changed into a more formidable foe.
Scanning the other side of the yard, I see a pack of wolves circling the two witches. One of the pack members tries to attack the witches but the wolf is tossed to the side like a human swatting at a bug. Seeing that they are outnumbered, the two witches run for their car. Once in the car, they shift back to humans. They speed down the driveway, running over another Were as they escape. I fly fast trying to track the vehicle, but I lose them once they enter the highway for Shreveport. Feeling disappointed and exhilarated at the same time, I fly back to my Sookie.
I land in the yard to find myself surrounded by the pack of Weres and Sookie sitting on the porch steps. "I followed them to the highway, but then I lost them." I am still excited to know I can fly. I want to take Sookie up in the air to show her the stars. The dog that had been with Sookie trots toward me growling. "Shoo," I command and wave my hand. Does this furball think he can intimidate me?
A large black wolf moves toward Sookie and I tense waiting to see what he will do. If he makes a move to harm her, I will end every wolf in this yard without a second thought. As I strategize on how to best defend my lover, I see the wolf lead Sookie over to a naked woman lying on the ground. The woman's arm and leg are lying at unnatural angles, and I can smell Were blood in the air, not an appetizing aroma.
Sookie tosses her keys to me. "Go get my car." Hearing the urgency in her voice, I do as she asks. Within seconds, I am landing in the yard of her home. I look at the rusted metal bucket in disgust. With a sigh, I adjust the driver's seat as far back as I can, which isn't much. My knees still hit the steering wheel as I turn the key in the ignition and throw the car in reverse. I wonder how long I have known how to drive.
I speed to the ramshackle house. Once I am in the driveway, I slam on the brakes, kicking up loose pieces of gravel. I would enjoy driving a lot more in a better car, definitely something with more speed. I see an elder naked man carrying the injured woman wrapped in blankets. I open the back door so he can place the injured girl in there. I reach through the other side to help him adjust her so she is as comfortable as possible. Sookie gets in the driver's seat, and I slide in the passenger seat to go with her.
"No way; you aren't going!"
"Why not?"
She looks exasperated as she explains, "Eric, I'm already going to have difficulty explaining how she got injured. It will be even worse if I have a vampire with me. Besides, they have wanted posters for you everywhere! There isn't a person in this parish that couldn't use that money!"
Reluctantly I exit the vehicle, closing the door behind me. Sookie yells through the window as she starts the car, "Turn off the lights and lock the house up!"
The elder naked Were yells back for Sookie to meet us at Merlotte's. Once the vehicle is out of sight, the naked man turns to me. "You are welcome to join us, Sheriff Northman." I nod my head at the man, watching as he and his wolves turn back towards the cemetery.
Once they are out of sight, I turn towards the house to do exactly as Sookie asked. The collie is still sitting on the porch steps, looking at me with his head tilted. I walk past him to do the two things Sookie asked of me.
Once I walk down the steps, I turn towards the dog. "Come on, Fido. Show me where this Merlotte's is." The collie growls at me, and I raise my eyebrow in return. After a minute of this ridiculous stare down, the dog trots off, leaving me to follow behind.


text: Previous Next Code Ninjas - Homer Glen: Parent's Night Out Event Starts On: November 11, 2022, 5:00 pm Event Ends On: November 11, 2022, 9:00 pm Event Categories: Child Friendly Computers For Teens ProfilePhotosMap Take the night for yourself – Leave the kids with us! Parent's Night Out is a great way for the kids to have fun, and the parent's get 4 hours of "their" time. Different themes for each of the nights. Games,movies, 3D Printing, Crafting and much much more. Pizza and snacks provided as well. https://www.facebook.com/events/3202184103389714/?event_time_id=3202184106723047 Loading... No Records Found Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again. Maps failed to load Sorry, unable to load the Maps API. Enter your locationGet Directions Travel modeDrivingWalkingBicyclingPublic Transport Distance unitsMilesKilometers Previous Next Code Ninjas 14236 S Bell Road Homer Glen Illinois 60491 United States Links: Website Facebook


text:
The meeting was, by the way, quite fruitful. The fledgling organization elected its first permanent board of trustees, of which I am privileged to be a member, received reports from its various committees and donations of $1,000 from the 15th New Jersey Volunteers, $100 from the Trenton Elks and $500 from the Sons of Union Veterans (SUV).
The SUV donation, presented by SUV Department of New Jersey Commander Michael R. Horgan Jr., will serve as seed money for the publication of a full color New Jersey flag poster similar to that issued as a fund raiser the Michigan Civil War battle flags project. It is anticipated that the poster will be available for purchase as the summer reenactment season gets into full swing.
The opportunity to shoot an original Brunswick rifle provided a personal highlight of the skirmish for me. Imported in small numbers in the first year of the Civil War, the .70 caliber Brunswick, issued to British riflemen prior to the advent of the P53 Enfield, is a relative rarity in this country.
The Brunswick I fired was even rarer than the usual version of that rifle. The gun in question was manufactured in Belgium in the 1850s for the Russian government. Although replete with tsarist markings, this Belgian Brunswick is a virtual clone of the original British gun, save for its rear sight, which is, oddly enough, a Colt design. The Colt sight is also seen on old American flintlock smoothbore muskets converted to percussion, rifled and sold to the Russians as the Colt Model 1854 rifled musket.
The sight was patented by Colt in England in 1856, but the Model 1854 guns were apparently converted in Hartford in 1855. Details on the Colt Russian contract and the sight are provided in Herbert G. Houze's excellent Colt Rifles & Muskets from 1847 to 1870 (Iola WI: Krause Publications, 1996). It appears that the Russians liked the sight and had the Belgians use it on the Brunswick.
The Brunswick was the property of John Jenkins of the 69th New York, who resides in Britain. John, who has a fine collection of original British percussion rifles and muskets, brought his Brunswick over to shoot at the Snowball as an experiment in navigating the increasingly ponderous British firearms bureaucracy. Although things got a bit sticky on the British end when John was leaving home, all worked out well. We in the 69th hope to see John and his collection over here permanently soon, however!
Like most Brunswicks, the Belgian made gun has a two groove barrel, with the muzzle notched to accept a unique "belted" round ball. For easier loading and shooting, however, John used a minie ball adapted from a modified Rapine .69 caliber wadcutter bullet, loaded ahead of 70 grains of GOEX FFG. As long as we held well, the rifle shot well. I had three bullet holes cutting each other at 50 yards on my individual target before flinching the last two rounds out of the group -- the Brunswick speaks with authority on both ends! If you're planning to have a stake event at your Mid-Atlantic shoot this summer -- beware the Brunswick!
So it is with great pleasure that I report that Civil War Guns is back in print from Thomas Publications, Gettysburg, PA .
Bill Edwards has had a fascinating firearms oriented career. During the 1950s he was involved in the importation of surplus military arms, served as editor of Gun Digest, technical editor of Guns magazine and authored both The Story of Colt's Revolver and Civil War Guns.
We in the reenactment and skirmishing communities owe Bill Edwards for more than his excellent editorial, research and writing skills, however. Edwards was one of the prime movers in the effort to produce and sell reproduction Civil War era firearms. His association with the Belgian arms trade in Liege in the 1950s resulted in, among other products, the Centennial Arms Colts, some of the finest reproduction revolvers ever made. Bill is still alive and well and living in Virginia. If you see him at a Civil War or gun show autographing copies of Civil War Guns, don't hesitate to get yourself an autographed copy of the book that started it all -- from the man who started it all!
George A. Layman is out with yet another book on black powder breech loaders. This time Layman has turned his attention to the Ballard in his A Guide to the Ballard Breech loader, recently published by Pioneer Press.
The Ballard was designed by Charles H. Ballard of Worcester, Massachusetts, patented in November, 1861, and first manufactured in 1862. Over 15,000 Ballards, over half the number ever made, were produced by Ball and Williams of Worcester (some were also made by R. Ball & Co. of Worcester and Dwight, Chapin & Co. of Bridgeport, CT) between 1862 and 1865 and marketed by the Merwin and Bray Company of New York City. Of these, about half went to the civilian market and half to state military contracts, particularly the state of Kentucky.
Ballards were made in .38, .44 and .46 rimfire. In 1864, buyers were offered an optional breechblock with a percussion nipple, enabling the gun to be used as a muzzle loader in a pinch. Some shooters have converted their rimfire breechblocks to centerfire and the .45 Colt cartridge. Success with these conversion has varied, and one I have fired produced indifferent accuracy.
The Ballard, with its rimfire cartridges and manual ejector to remove empty cases, was a technically advanced breech loading arm when compared with capping breech loaders like the Sharps or Burnside. Not everyone was happy with the gun, however, and Lieutenant Granville C. West of the 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry complained of the "utter worthlessness" of his men's Ballards on August 19, 1864. West went on to declare that, "A great many became entirely useless during the action; some bursted from firing, others becane useless by the springs, which threw out the old cartridge, getting out of fix."
Be that as it may, the Ballard survived the war, became a popular hunting and target rifle and, in more sophisticated calibers, endured into the 1890s, a record no other Civil War breech loader could boast. George Layman's book, the first ever, to my knowledge, on this famed gun, provides the whole story of the Ballard and is amply illustrated with photos of actual guns and excerpts from period catalogs.
Another publication of interest to skirmishers, reenactors and historians alike is the reprint of Major Calhoun Benham's A System for Conducting Musketry Instruction Prepared and Printed by Order of General Bragg for the army of Tennessee, originally printed in Richmond in 1863. Benham was an officer on General Patrick Cleburne's staff, and the manual details the training methods Cleburne used to develop his command into the best shooting division in either army during the Civil War. A System for Conducting Musketry Practice..., with an informative introduction by yours truly, is available for $5.95 plus $1.00 shipping and handling from J. W. Henry Publishing, PO Box 1501, Ashburn, VA 20146-1501. J. W. Henry is the publisher of the Si Klegg reprint.
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go to Joe Bilby index
go to Tom Kelley index


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When purchasing a SharePoint solution customers are faced with many options. There are a number of SharePoint editions which vary in feature sets and prices. In this post I will try to share my experiences with this problem. Since there are so many options I will focus only on three major products: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, SharePoint Server Standard and Enterprise. Other products like Forms Server and Search Server will not be covered in this post.
Level 0 – Windows SharePoint Services
SharePoint Services are the fundamental part of each SharePoint edition, biggest advantage being low cost (free for customers of Windows Server) and basic but very important collaboration features (listed in Table 1.) For most small to medium companies WSS will be a great choice. It will provide your customer with great functionalities and decision makers will love it since it is free. If this solution gets adopted by your customer's IWs, you will probably have more opportunities for further customization and development.
Level 1 – SharePoint Server 2007 with Standard CAL
This is more mature and more expensive version of SharePoint. It will give you almost everything you might want from a collaboration solution. This product is very affordable, since its CAL is part of Core CAL and many customers have already bought it with their enterprise level agreements. Customers with such an agreement only need to pay for a server license.
Standard CAL will be great for companies that would like to:
- build a corporate portal on top of team sites
- create a central search site for searching information company wide
- would like to allow portal personalization (My Site) and company social networking
Level 2 – SharePoint Server 2007 with Enterprise CAL
This is the most expensive edition but it includes some very interesting features which are worth the investment. You should consider choosing this edition when:
- your customer wants to tightly integrate SharePoint with other business applications
- your customer wants to use SharePoint as BI tool or wants to publish Excel files as web pages
- your customer wants to convert Infopath forms to web pages
|SharePoint Server 2007 Standard CAL
|SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL
|Most important features
|– Team collaboration sites
– Prebuild web parts
– Document Management
– Contacts
– Tasks
– Calendars
– Blogs, Wikis
– Basic Project Management
– Basic Search
|– Enterprise Search
– Web Content Management
– Records Management
– Portal Management
– Personalization (My Site)
|– Business Data Catalog
– BI and Excel Services
– InfoPath Web Forms
|Server License
None; Free
|Client Access License
(1) Source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/FX102176831033.aspx
(2) To be licensed for the Enterprise Edition functionality of Office SharePoint Server 2007, both the Standard and Enterprise client access licenses are required.


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Kanye Debuts New Basketball Sneaker At Ucla
Kanye West has been spotted in an unreleased pair of adidas sneakers at UCLA. Images of the shoe surfaced after the Bruins, the university's basketball team, showed up to a recent practice and found Kanye and 2 Chainz playing on their court. Practice went on and the team made good use of the photo op afterwards.
The sneaker could very well be a new Yeezy prototype. In 2016, the Three Stripes announced they'd signed Ye for what they said would be the largest deal between a non-athlete and an athletic brand. Called 'adidas + Kanye', the line would see Yeezy-branded footwear and apparel across a range of spheres – basketball being one of them. And, with Kanye's basketball offerings rumoured to drop in 2017, these images might just be a peek at what's in the pipeline.


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Learn what Agility can do for you
Agility® is the Product Management for Commerce/PIM solution for hundreds of brands, supporting many thousands of users throughout the world in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, media and services industries. Agility is an integral part of their MDM infrastructure and winning multichannel commerce strategy.
Customer Success Stories | Video
MSC Industrial Supply
Discover how MSC Industrial Supply, an industrial tools and MRO supplies distributor, manages product content for over 1.5 million products using Agility PIM
Impact Products, LLC.
Find out how Impact Products, a manufacturer of supplies and accessories to the cleaning industry established their "one source of truth" for product data utilizing Agility PIM.
Wholesale Supplier
Hear how TIMCo, one of the UK's leading importers and wholesale suppliers of screws, fastenings fixings, nails and power tool accessories, is making the most out of their Agility PIM investment.
DOM Security
Industrial Manufacturing
Learn why Dom Security, an independent European industrial group and a leading specialist in security products and services, dedicated to mechanical and electronic access solutions, made the switch from a home-grown excel based PIM to Agility.
MarketLab, Inc.
Hear how MarketLab, a supplier of laboratory and medical lab products, maximized efficiency by adding Agility PIM.
CED, a major distributor of electrical and automation products, details how implementing Agility PIM streamlined processes and vastly improved data governance and workflows to ensure the capture of all essential products details when deploying products to their e-commerce website.
Allied Electronics & Automation
Discover Allied Electronics & Automation, an industrial distributor of automation control products, shares how Agility PIM has enabled their team to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
White Cap
White Cap, a distributor of construction materials, shares how Agility PIM has streamlined processes and efficiencies by providing for a one-stop-shop for all of their product data governance and reporting needs.
Test Equity
Find out how Test Equity, a distributor of test equipment and EPS products, standardized their product content using Agility PIM.
Tucker Powersports
Tucker Powersports, a B2B distributor of motorcycle parts and accessories, shares how has Agility PIM helped their team succeed in commerce.
Gopher Sport
Learn how the customization capabilities within Agility PIM allowed Gopher Sport to expedite production cycles and massively expand and enrich their product content.
Agility PIM Use Cases
Allied Electronics
We recently upgraded from an older version of Governance to Agility's new AMI user interface and are already realizing the benefits. One advantage we have already realized is giving our Content Manager's more control by allowing them to import/export data in and out of the system independently which has enabled them to enrich data much faster. We are also working towards building more choice lists and validations to ensure we deliver consistent and high quality data to the website. Each of these abilities allows Allied Electronics & Automation to deliver a great customer experience which is my team's priority.
Agility changed the way our company works. It streamlined processes, cleaned data, and created 'one source of the truth'. If SAP is the backbone of our organization, Agility PIM is the heart and lungs. It's saved time, money and hassle. It's true with software that 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'. However, with Agility, users like it and embrace it because it's intuitive and benefits them, no matter what level, or what department. That's why it's used, that's why it's successful.
Not only does Agility® help us to produce more publications with our existing team, but it will make it possible to efficiently share product information internally and externally via the web to grow our cross-channel business.
Agility is a fantastic product, with a great team of people behind it.
Technically, Agility was a great fit for Specialist Crafts, and the ease and speed with which the solution can be customized is amazing. With Agility we've been able to reduce effort, increase consistency and pull disparate processes into coordinated workflows.
Agility enables us to integrate our data from multiple sources and provides a single interface for optimizing rich product content and syndicating it to our branded websites and other channels – ensuring accuracy and consistency.


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Adult education and language teaching
Adult education and language teaching, Krajské centrum vzděláváni a Jazyková škola Plzeň (Regional Centre of Education and Language School Pilsen)
"Career learning through tandem mobility" + Student portfolio design
We are looking for partners for Erasmus project KA 104. Our main aims are to share and extend our skills regarding teaching and training courses for adults, especially young adults and to discuss the organization of adult courses in general plus development and incorporation of students' portfolios into the learning process.
Our educational centre is located in Plzeň (Pilsen) in the Czech Republic and it specializes in public language courses (English, German, Spanish, French and Russian, and Czech for foreigners), career counselling and seminars supporting life-long education, workshops, training and language courses for adults and educators under the framework of Further Education of Pedagogical Employees. We offer language courses A1-C1, children, adult, exam preparation plus a one-year intensive language course predominantly for secondary school graduates.
We would like to get in contact with an organization that deals with language teaching to carry out professional observations (job shadowing) and exchange ideas regarding methodology, motivation, burnout syndrome, form and approach as well as organization and the structure of the courses. We would also be very interested in learning more about students´ portfolios design as a part of students' personal development and a guidance to their own learning process.
We are also open to host other organizations and individuals to discuss and share our point of view on teaching, learning, motivation and personal development of both teachers and students.
KEY WORDS: language teaching, language courses, all age groups, motivation, portfolios design, burnout syndrome, career counselling, support for life-long learning


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Come and listen with The Griffyn Ensemble, as they journey to Wonderland and back with Six Curious Concerts over five days in Canberra galleries…
Explore four of Canberra's local galleries, with music matched to exhibitions spanning hyperreality to archaeological digs to life botanical. Taking place in Canberra Contemporary Art Space Manuka, Gorman Arts Centre, Belconnen Arts Centre, and M16 Artspace, the Griffyn Ensemble will be sounding out artwork, asking questions such as: What happened to Alice down the rabbit hole? How exactly does an insect breathe? And can you truly know if you have woken up?
A not to be missed special season of concerts, with The Griffyn Ensemble being joined by special guest Tobias Cole, Australia's preeminent countertenor; the ANU Chamber Choir; and collaborating with visual artists Diane Firth and Jacqui Malins.
Six Curious Concerts includes three free events, a special lunchtime concert for Primary School students and families, and the opportunity to have your own ideas interpreted by The Griffyn Ensemble.
Single tickets: $38 (full price); $30 (concession); $20 (Under 30); $10 (Under 18)
Festival pass (all six concerts): $100 (full price); $80 (concession); $50 (Under 30); $20 (Under 18)
For tickets, click here.
1: Wed 30th Aug 6:30pm, Belconnen Arts Centre: Curiouser and Curiouser…
Go down the rabbit hole with the Griffyn Ensemble and their inside-out garden party, with music botanical, twisted nursery rhymes, and stories about Alice. Guest artists counter-tenor Tobias Cole & Friends, and the ANU Chamber Singers.
2: Thu 31st Aug 6pm, CCAS Manuka: Reverse Archaeology FREE EVENT!
Layers of experience accrue over time and are revealed in the opening of Jacqui Malins' exhibition of ceramics and video, with archaeological music from Griffyn.
3: Fri 1st Sept 7pm, CCAS Gorman Arts Centre: A Night in Hyperreality
Dreams within dreams, with massive metronomes, alarm clocks gone crazy, and a mad Marilyn Monroe, leave you wondering if you have ever truly woken up. In conjunction with Canberra Contemporary Art Space's HYPERactive exhibition.
4: Sat 2nd Sept 12:30pm, Belconnen Arts Centre: Singalong with Susan the Singsect! FREE EVENT!
For Primary School students and families. Ever wondered how an insect breathes? Learn how to use your own breath just like an insect with The Griffyn Ensemble, singing songs written by YOU!
5: Sat 2nd Sept 5:30pm, Belconnen Arts Centre: Venus and the Twilight Arch
What is the Twilight Arch, and what does it have to do with Venus? The ever changing colours of a sunset over Canberra's mountain ranges are brought to life through music with sublime textiles of local landscapes by artist Dianne Firth.
6: Sun 3rd Sept 12pm, M16 Artspace: Lines of Site FREE EVENT!
A series of new works inspired by Lines of Site: Finding the sublime in Canberra, an exhibition at M16 Artspace. Grab a pencil and participate in the Interval Composition Challenge to hear your music performed for Father's Day!
Featured work – Ephemeral by Michael Sollis, performed by The Griffyn Ensemble
Featured work – Able To Be by Jacob Ter Veldhuis


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The short answer: At least once every 60 days.
GoDaddy Bookkeeping will automatically update your accounts every 24 hours, in perpetuity, as long as you log into your account at least once every 60 days.
If you do not log into your account for 60 or more days, GoDaddy Bookkeeping recognizes your absence and stops automatically importing your data. When you do log back in, GoDaddy Bookkeeping will automatically update your accounts again.
However, please keep in mind that most financial institutions only allow GoDaddy Bookkeeping to import data for the previous 30-90 days. Given our 60-Day rule, this could produce a gap in your GoDaddy Bookkeeping data depending on when you log back in.
Here's an example:
- Let's say a user logs into their GoDaddy Bookkeeping account for the first time in 200 days.
- GoDaddy Bookkeeping had stopped automatically importing their data some 140 days before.
- When GoDaddy Bookkeeping attempts to import all that historical data, the user's bank only allows GoDaddy Bookkeeping to import 90 days worth of data.
- This results in a 50 day chunk of data missing from the user's transaction history.
- All data from day 61 of their absence from GoDaddy Bookkeeping through day 110 will be missing from their import.
While we hope that you log into GoDaddy Bookkeeping every single day, including weekends, holidays, and other days yet undiscovered, the best way to avoid the scenario above is to log into your GoDaddy Bookkeeping account at least once every 60 days.
Fear not though: If this happens to you, and you find a gap in your data, you can easily download that missing data directly from your bank's website and then upload it into GoDaddy Bookkeeping using QFX files.
You can find more information on QFX files here:
How to Import a QFX
How to download a QFX file


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7th person dies of street drug overdose in Sacramento County
Health officials: 28 total cases of fentanyl overdoses
A seventh person has died in Sacramento County as a result of ingesting pills made to look like a prescription painkiller, the patient's family confirmed Wednesday.
Jerome Butler, 28, was removed from life support at Kaiser South Medical Center following an overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.
"Half of me is gone, that was my baby. He left three kids behind," Jerome's mom Natasha Butler said.
"I was crying so much in the hospital. He had so much stuff in his mouth I didn't want to see him like that," Jerome's 10-year-old son Kamillion Butler said. Jerome also leaves behind a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old.
"It needs to be investigated, I want them to investigate," Natasha Butler said.
The Sacramento County Division of Public Health said it has not received updated numbers from hospitals Wednesday, but the new death is entirely possible.
Officials said it just hasn't officially been reported to them yet, and they hope to have an update on numbers by Friday.
A total of 28 cases of people becoming sick from the street-bought drug have been reported, according to officials.
Initial reports that came in Thursday said people overdosed on street Norco pills -- a prescription painkiller made of hydrocodone and acetaminophen -- laced with fentanyl, which is estimated to be 80 times as potent as morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin.
"Fentanyl is being produced to a large extent in China. We believe from there it is being shipped to Mexico to drug trafficking organizations who are smuggling it into the United States," said Special Agent Casey Rettig with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Toxicology reports Tuesday show the pills are actually fentanyl pills made to look like Norco tablets. The health department said the test results showed signs of hydrocodone and acetaminophen.
"A kilogram of heroin can be purchased for $5,000 can generate $80,000 in revenue, a kilogram of fentanyl can be purchased for $3,300 and generate well over a million in revenue," Rettig said.
The patients range in age from the mid-20s to 50s, according to Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. OIivia Kasirye.
"Our hope is that it will stop because I think it is very worrisome when you hear the stories of people taking one or two pills and suddenly they collapse," Kasirye said.
"They don't know what they're doing to people, how they're hurting families," Kamillion said. "I'm just a young boy, I don't think I should have to be going through this."
"One pill people, one pill," Natasha Butler said. "We have to find out where it's coming from."


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Madrid, December 10, 2010 -- Moody's Investors Service has today assigned provisional credit ratings
to the following classes of notes issued by AyT Colaterales Global Hipotecario
Caja Granada I, FTA
(P) Aa2 (sf) to the Euro 369,100,000 Class A Mortgage Backed
Floating Rate Notes due 2047
(P) Ba1 (sf) to the Euro 18,000,000 Class B Mortgage Backed
Floating Rate Notes due 2047
(P) Caa3 (sf) to the Euro 8,000,000 Class C Mortgage Backed
Floating Rate Notes due 2047
(P) C (sf) to the Euro 4,800,000 Class D Mortgage Backed Floating
Rate Notes due 2047
The ratings of the notes takes into account the credit quality of the
underlying mortgage loan pool, from which Moody's determined the
MILAN Aaa Credit Enhancement and the portfolio expected loss, as
well as the transaction structure and any legal considerations as assessed
in Moody's cash flow analysis. The expected portfolio loss of 3.00%
and the MILAN Aaa required Credit Enhancement of 11.00%
served as input parameters for Moody's cash flow model, which is
based on a probabilistic lognormal distribution as described in the report
"The Lognormal Method Applied to ABS Analysis", published in September
The key drivers for the MILAN Aaa Credit Enhancement number, which
is in line with other prime Spanish RMBS deals, are (i) the weighted-average
current LTV of 68.74%, with 24.19% of
loans above 80% LTV, (ii) the high geographical concentration
(Andalusia represents 86%) and (iii) the weighted average seasoning
of 5.01 years.
The key drivers for the expected loss are (i) the already available performance
for this very same transaction, which is worse than the average
reported in the Spain index, (ii) the static historical information
on delinquencies and recoveries received from the originator for its global
mortgage book and (iii) the weak economic conditions in Spain.
Given the historical performance of the transaction and the originator's
mortgage book, Moody's believes the assumed expected loss is appropriate
for this transaction.
The strengths of the structure are (i) a reserve fund fully funded upfront
equal to 1.50% of the initial notes balance (it currently
represents 1.60% of the outstanding balance of the notes)
to cover potential shortfall in interest and principal, and (ii)
a strong interest rate swap in place which provides a guaranteed excess
spread (0.60%) above Euribor to the transaction.
The rating addresses the expected loss posed to investors by the legal
final maturity of the notes. In Moody's opinion, the structure
allows for timely payment of interest and principal with respect of the
classes of notes A and B by the legal final maturity, and payment
of interest and principal with respect of the classes of notes C and D
by the legal final maturity. Moody's ratings only address the credit
risk associated with the transaction. Other non-credit risks
have not been addressed, but may have a significant effect on yield
to investors.
The transaction closed in December 2007 and was initially not rated by
Moody's. The initial notes balance issued at closing (shown above
next to the assigned rating) amounted to EUR 399.9 million.
The outstanding notes balance as of the last payment date in November
2010 amounts to EUR 294.3 million.
Moody's rating analysis of the notes is based on the transaction structure
after the last payment date in November 2010. The next payment
date will take place in May 2011.
The V Score for this transaction is Medium, which is in line with
the V score assigned for the Spanish RMBS sector. No sub components
underlying the V Score deviate from the average for the Spanish RMBS sector.
V-Scores are a relative assessment of the quality of available
credit information and of the degree of dependence on various assumptions
used in determining the rating. High variability in key assumptions
could expose a rating to more likelihood of rating changes. The
V-Score has been assigned accordingly to the report "V-Scores
and Parameter Sensitivities in the Major EMEA RMBS Sectors" published
in April 2009.
Moody's Parameter Sensitivities: the model output indicated that
Class A would have achieved Aa2 even if expected loss was as high as 9.0%
(3.0x base case) assuming Milan Aaa CE at 11.0% (base
case) and all other factors remained the same. Classes B,
C and D would have achieved <B3 for this same scenario.
The model output further indicated that the Class A would not have achieved
Aa2 with Milan Aaa CE of 15.4% (1.4x base case),
and expected loss of 3.0% (base case). Classes B,
C and D would have achieved Ba1, <B3 and <B3 respectively
for this same scenario.
Moody's Parameter Sensitivities provide a quantitative/model-indicated
calculation of the number of rating notches that a Moody's structured
finance security may vary if certain input parameters used in the initial
rating process differed. The analysis assumes that the deal has
not aged and is not intended to measure how the rating of the security
might migrate over time, but rather how the initial rating of the
security might have differed if key rating input parameters were varied.
Parameter Sensitivities for the typical EMEA RMBS transaction are calculated
by stressing key variable inputs in Moody's primary rating model.
The principal methodologies used in this rating were Moody's updated methodology
for rating Spanish RMBS published in October 2009 and Cash Flow Analysis
in EMEA RMBS: Testing Structural Features with the MARCO Model (Moody's
Analyser of Residential Cash Flows) published in January 2006.
Moody's Investors Service received and took into account a third party
due diligence report on the underlying assets or financial instruments
in this transaction and the due diligence report had a neutral impact
on the rating.
The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agents
and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.
Information sources used to prepare the credit rating are the following:
parties involved in the ratings, parties not involved in the ratings,
public information, and confidential and proprietary Moody's Investors
Service information.
Moody's Investors Service considers the quality of information available
on the issuer or obligation satisfactory for the purposes of assigning
a credit rating.
The reports mentioned above are available on www.moodys.com
in the Rating Methodologies sub-directory under the Research &
Ratings tab. Other methodologies and factors that may have been
considered in the process of rating this issuer can also be found in the
Rating Methodologies sub-directory on Moody's website.
Additional research, including the pre-sale report for this
transaction and reports for prior transactions, are available at
www.moodys.com. In addition Moody's publishes a weekly
summary of structured finance credit, ratings and methodologies,
available to all registered users of our website, at www.moodys.com/SFQuickCheck
Moody's Investors Service may have provided Ancillary or Other Permissible
Service(s) to the rated entity or its related third parties within the
three years preceding the Credit Rating Action. Please see the
ratings disclosure page www.moodys.com/disclosures on our
website for further information.
Moody's adopts all necessary measures so that the information it uses
in assigning a credit rating is of sufficient quality and from sources
Moody's considers to be reliable including, when appropriate,
independent third-party sources. However, Moody's
is not an auditor and cannot in every instance independently verify or
validate information received in the rating process.
Please see ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on Moodys.com
for the last rating action and the rating history.
The date on which some Credit Ratings were first released goes back to
a time before Moody's Investors Service's Credit Ratings were fully digitized
and accurate data may not be available. Consequently, Moody's
Investors Service provides a date that it believes is the most reliable
and accurate based on the information that is available to it.
Please see the ratings disclosure page on our website www.moodys.com
for further information.
Please see the Credit Policy page on Moodys.com for the methodologies
used in determining ratings, further information on the meaning
of each rating category and the definition of default and recovery.
Mario Tarin
Structured Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service Espana, S.A.
Annabel Schaafsma
Senior Vice President
Structured Finance Group
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NWS: Severe thunderstorms could bring hail, tornadoes
The National Weather Service based out of the Newport and Morehead City office has issued a severe weather warning for all of Eastern North Carolina.
There is a 50-60% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon to late this evening, according to Hal Austin, a meteorologist with the NWS. The expected time frame is 4 p.m. to midnight. Straight line winds pose the main threat from the thunderstorms, Austin said, which could reach 70 mph.
A chance of heavy rain, large hail, and isolated tornadoes could also accompany the thunderstorms. The severe weather could impact all of Eastern North Carolina.
"Everyone has an equal chance," Austin said. "There's no area more likely."
He called it an "unstable atmosphere" proceeding a moving, moist cold front.
The NWS expects the extreme weather impacts today only, with a return to warm and calm weather Friday. Austin said the weekend "looks really nice."
Onslow County Emergency Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association are monitoring the situation.


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-Turkey Continues Islamist Transition
by Dr. D ~ December 5th, 2010
(Image via Wikipedia)
Since the end of WWI Turkey has been ruled by a secular government supported by an independent military.
The country has been in the midst of a transition for several years and now even the military is under increasing pressure from the pro-Islamist government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.
In October three generals were suspended by the Erdogan government and the Turkish General Staff appealed to the Supreme Military Administrative Court to no avail. Before that, the civilian government never intruded on military affairs and for over 80 years the military made sure that the government of Turkey remained secular and on several occasions even overthrew the civilian authorities.
Now it is all changing and the pro-Islamist government of PM Erdogan is asserting power over the Turkish military and demanding the generals accept Islamic fundamentalists into the military officer corps. Traditionally the General Staff would meet in council this time of the year and dismiss potential radical Islamists from their rolls.
This year for the first time no one was dismissed accept the three generals in October as the government of Erdogan is taking over and forcing the military to accept fundamentalist Islamists among their number for the first time.
The transition of Turkey from a Europe leaning Western ally towards an Islamist nation with strong ties with Iran and Syria is nearly complete. The implications for a new rising Islamist power in the Middle East are unsettling.
Worse yet the Western nations including the USA do not seem to recognize the dangers posed by a rising new axis of Islamist power: Turkey, Syria, and Iran along with their puppet groups –Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Previous articles on this subject:
-Turkish Government Breaks Precedent Intervening in Military Affairs
-Congress Asks Obama to Challenge Turkey over New Ties with Iran and Hamas
-Is Turkey Becoming NATO's Trojan Horse?
-Turkey, Syria, and Iran: A New Islamist Axis Rises Up Against Israel
-The Signing of FTA with Jordan Continues Turkey's Middle East Realignment
-Will Turkey Lead a Revived Islamic Empire?
-Turkey-Syria-Iran: A Rising New Axis of Islamic Power
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Treasures of New York: The New York State Capitol airs December 5 at 7pm on WLIW21 and December 10 at 10pm on THIRTEEN
Hosted by Rafael Pi Roman, the film recounts the untimely demise and rebuilding of a landmark that took 32 years, 25 million dollars, 5 architects and 11 state governors to create
Atop a hill, overlooking the Hudson River in Albany, stands the New York State Capitol building, hailed an architectural masterpiece when it was originally completed in 1899. It took 32 years to build the ornate structure, an eclectic mixture of Gothic revival, Romanesque and Moorish influences, but only about an hour for flames to severely damage the so-called "fireproof" seat of state government 12 years later.
Treasures of New York: The New York State Capitol delves into the controversy surrounding the Capitol's initial construction, theories of the fire's origins, its re-building, and more recent work to repair its complex of roofs and restore a massive skylight. Originally broadcast by WMHT, this updated production, hosted by Rafael Pi Roman, airs Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. on WLIW21 and Monday, December 10, 2012 at 10 p.m. on THIRTEEN.
After broadcast, the film will be available to national audiences at thirteen.org/treasures-of-ny. The Web site offers past episodes and conversations with visionaries behind New York's greatest institutions.
Using archival images, dramatic reenactments, graphics, and interviews, this hour-long documentary explains that, given New York's ranking at the start of the Gilded Age as the country's wealthiest state, its state capitol needed to be unique. "They were making a statement," Capitol architect James Jamieson relates, "They were really trying to build a monument and testament to the power and energy that was New York State. It was to be a monument of culture and of architecture and of art and of design."
Architect Thomas Fuller, who submitted the winning design in the state's competition, promised he would get the job done in four years for four million, but 10 years and 10 million later, only the first two floors had been erected. Following an investigation by New York City architects, Leopold Eidlitz and Henry Hobson Richardson, Fuller was replaced by his two investigators.
Most notable in their design was organizing the structure around a vast central courtyard with three majestic staircases providing light and air deep into the building's interior. Above the great western staircase, the largest of the three modeled after the grand staircase of the Paris Opera, was a massive skylight.
Besides the Senate and Assembly, the NY State Museum and NY State Library were also housed in the now overcrowded Capitol on that fateful night of March 29, 1911 when a fire broke out in the Assembly Library. Although defective wiring was cited as the cause, others blame legislators who gathered in the library, also known as the "booze room," that night and may have dropped a lighted match into a wastebasket or onto an alcohol-soaked carpet. But the Capitol was rebuilt, fire codes established, and to this day, work continues conserving historic documents damaged in the fire.
In 2000, yet another overdue project, replacement of the chronic leaking roof, got underway as the entire decorative, ornamental terracotta tile was removed and reproduced in keeping with a national historic landmark. But it was the restoration of the magnificent skylight, removed in the 1960s, that made the most dramatic interior change to the Capitol as daylight once again illuminates the great western staircase.
The New York State Capitol is a production of WLIW21 in association with WMHT, Albany and WNET, the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York's public television stations and the operator of NJTV. "The New York State Capitol" is written, directed & produced by Daniel Swinton and Steve Dunn. Executive producers are Paul Hoagland and Marianne Potter.
Treasures of New York: The New York State Capitol is executive produced by Mary Lockhart. Diane Masciale is executive producer of the Treasures of New York series and local programming. Executive-in-Charge of Production is John Servidio.
Treasures of New York explores New York's cultural heritage by spotlighting its points of interest, distinguished establishments and notable figures. The series is generously funded by Metropolitan Media Fund. Additional funding for this program is provided by The Bender Family Foundation; AIA, New York State Inc.; Titan Roofing Incorporated; Monaco Restorations Inc.; Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.; New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association; NY Civil Service Employees Association; and TD Bank.
For 50 years, THIRTEEN has been making the most of the rich resources and passionate people of New York and the world, reaching millions of people with on-air and online programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites students of all ages to have fun while learning.
About WNET
In 2012, WNET is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and the operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Need to Know, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and, MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region.


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"Trigger Happy," Patricia Calhoun, April 14
Having lived off of 96th and Indiana (walking distance to Rocky Flats, I say) for twenty years, I am concerned at how the developments are popping up there. Do they have to disclose to buyers that they will be living practically in the buffer zone? The wind has been blowing the dirt toward Standley Lake regularly of late, and I live across from the Woman Creek Reservoir for plutonium hot runoff. Do they ever retest to make sure it's still okay?
Actually, I thought living there would keep the suburbs at bay.
A. Holmes
Kudos to Westword and William Breathes for offering solid proof of what is wrong with the proposed THC/DUI bill. Good reporting.
Al Klein
Wow. Using science. What a novel idea.
WTF is Claire Levy thinking? First, what problem is this bill addressing? I would submit that citizens of Colorado have been smoking marijuana long before Amendment 20 — and some of those citizens are also drivers. Has there been an overwhelming recent trend of reckless and harmful drivers?
Boulder, please make better choices at the ballot box next time. There shouldn't be a shortage of Dems in Boulder.
Name withheld on request
A perfect illustration of the complete uselessness of these tests for determining impairment.
Steve Elliott
Is it necessary for our lawmakers to waste time and resources on such an issue? It frightens me to find so little is known by the people who represent me. So many out of work. Wake up.
Michael Gillis
Good on ya, Will. You helped defeat a bill that unscientifically and unconstitutionally targeted cannabis users.
We must remember it's our government; we make it what we want. We have science, law and history on our side. If we assert ourselves, we cannot be stopped.
Corey Donahue
Thank you, Westword and William Breathes, for playing an integral role in our democracy. Investigative journalism brought to us by a local publishing effort driven by the pulse of its community, rather than the editorial bottom line cast from a distant boardroom, is too critical a component to let go unheralded.
Bravo! I'm a concerned parent and MMJ patient who's stumped as to how I'm to politely excuse myself from driving my own children, let alone those of my friends and neighbors. None of us would callously venture out with fresh plumes of smoke crawling out of our heads and operate a motor vehicle with kids inside. However, this test/article by the author quickly demonstrated that a person smoking indica for nighttime medication might find themselves in legal harm's way when driving the following morn.
Keep it up, Westword!
Name withheld on request
Editor's note: The April 21 issue was going to press as a Senate Judiciary Committee was discussing HB 1261, which would label anyone with 5 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood as driving under the influence. The week before, William Breathes, Westword's pot reviewer, had avoided his medicine of choice for fifteen hours, then had his blood tested — and even though a doctor proclaimed him "sober," he tested at three times that limit. We got those results in time to rush them into print — and into testimony at the committee hearing. For more on this mission, see our Marijuana posts on the Latest Word blog at westword.com.


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It provides a feature loaded platform for Ecommerce and will offer you with complete Ecommerce Packages control over the whole system including the content, functionality and presentation. Though if required our Ecommerce Developers and Magento Web Developer In Bangalore would be more than happy to work on any platform you like.


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To celebrate the forthcoming release of The Finnish Girl, a prequel novella to The Englishman, I am going to publish samples from the book here on my blog.
Today, 8 days from Publication Day, you can read a sample from the first chapter absolutely free.
Look out for the next instalment on this blog in a few days' time, or sign up for my Newsletter to avoid missing a post!
Now read on …
If she was honest, Kaisa couldn't quite remember when she first met Matti. He, on the other hand, told her endlessly how he'd been overwhelmed by her loveliness and innocence when he'd first seen her at the house of her new school friend in Lauttasaari. Kaisa had no idea that Matti had even noticed her during any of those lazy weekends and evenings spent at the Norens' house.
Chapter One
Helsinki, Autumn 1974
Kaisa was the new girl in town. Again. But she was well versed in entering a classroom where she knew nobody. At fourteen she had already changed schools no fewer than four times. During the past three years she'd spent exactly a year in each school. Still, there were a few butterflies in her tummy when she scanned the room full of new lanky students on the second floor of the redbrick building. It was late August and all the new faces, some looking up at Kaisa, had a healthy glow from the long summer, which was now nearly over.
Vappu Noren was the first girl Kaisa spoke to; she'd sat down at the desk next to her at the back of the classroom. Vappu was skinny, with an angular face framed by long, thin blond hair and a friendly smile. They exchanged a few words about how unfair it was to be back at school on what seemed like the hottest day of the summer.
Vappu said she, too, lived on Lauttasaari Island, where Kaisa had moved with her mother and sister Sirkka only a few weeks before. In fact, Vappu and Kaisa discovered they weren't too far from each other. On that first day, after they'd had lunch together, sitting on the grassy bank at the front of the school building, Vappu invited Kaisa back to her house.
Kaisa had no idea that Vappu's place was one of the large houses at the tip of the island, overlooking the sea. She'd walked along the shore with her mother after arriving in their new home, admiring the grand places, wondering what kind of people lived there. When she saw the Norens' house for the first time, she'd regretted her earlier, carefree, mention of the small flat she lived in with her sister and mother. The modern detached house had a vast wooden balcony at the front with a wide driveway below, leading to a garage on one side and a front garden with paving stones up to the door on the other. Kaisa's new home in Lauttasaari would have fitted into the Norens' large, open-plan living room. There were five bedrooms, a sauna, and a swimming pool next to a basement TV room. The lounge had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. Kaisa tried to remind herself that, after the divorce, her mother had done well to get a rental on a two-bedroom flat in such a good area as Lauttasaari. The flat even had a partial view of the sea, if you craned your neck and looked to the right-hand side on the small balcony. It wasn't quite the same as the full vista of the Gulf of Finland, which the Norens enjoyed when they looked out of their living room windows, but still.
Vappu's parents had split up just like Kaisa's, but instead of having just the one sister, Vappu was the third child in a gang of four blond-haired siblings. Vappu was fourteen, just like Kaisa; her boyish, lanky, sports-crazy sister, Saija, was thirteen, her brother Erik seventeen and the oldest, Petteri, had already turned twenty-two.
Petteri was serving his conscription in the Finnish army, so was rarely in the two-storey house that the Norens called home.
Visiting Vappu was a bit like going to a house party; there were always other young people there – Vappu's sister and brother Erik, and their friends. They'd all cram onto the large corner sofa in the basement TV room, or have sauna and pool parties, with illicit beer and Lonkero, the Finnish bitter lemon-and-gin drink that the girls liked. Sometimes even a bottle of Koskenkorva vodka would be passed around if Mrs Noren was working late, or out with her own friends. They'd grill sausages in the log-burner, which stood in the middle of the oblong basement room, and joke and flirt with each other. Kaisa liked Vappu's younger brother, Erik. He had pale blue eyes, straw-blond hair and a strong jaw. He'd just come back from a year as an exchange student in Minnesota in the States, and sometimes used American words, such as 'Yeah' and 'Alright', instead of Finnish.
During a particularly rowdy evening, when Mrs Noren was away on a weeklong conference, leaving Petteri in charge, a girl no one admitted to knowing threw up on the sauna floor. But the rowdy teenagers took no notice of the quiet twenty-two-year-old Petteri's attempts to restore order, so Matti, his best and only friend, as far as Kaisa could tell, stepped in. Matti, who stood out from the crowd of blond siblings and their friends because of his dark hair and brown eyes, took on the role of a grown-up. Acting like everyone's dad and speaking in a stern voice, Matti told the guests to leave, and the Noren siblings to go to bed. Kaisa stood there, staring at this adult amongst the teenagers, a little drunk, not knowing what to do. Vappu was very unsteady on her feet by then, and walked slowly up the stairs, arm in arm with her younger sister Saija, waving goodbye to no one in particular like a queen on a balcony. She seemed to have forgotten about Kaisa.
Matti bundled the unknown girl who'd been sick into a taxi, and when he came back inside, Kaisa noticed it was just the two of them standing in the basement hall.
'I'll take you home,' Matti said in the same stern, dad voice to Kaisa. He wasn't looking at her, and Kaisa didn't want to cause any trouble, so she said she could quite easily walk.
'It's past 2am, and I haven't had anything to drink, you're safe with me,' Matti said with such confidence and authority that Kaisa just nodded and followed Matti out of the door.
On the way home in the car, Matti suddenly turned towards Kaisa, and smiling said, 'You're a good influence on Vappu, you know.'
'Thank you,' Kaisa said.
'She shouldn't drink alcohol, so it's good that you're no drinker either.'
Kaisa turned fully to see Matti's serious face, momentarily lit by the streetlights. They were about to turn onto the main road running through the western part of the island. Matti had stopped the car and was leaning forward, closer to the windscreen, to see if there was anyone coming from either direction. Kaisa thought about what he had said. Hadn't he noticed that Vappu was so drunk that she could hardly make it up the stairs to her bedroom? Or that Kaisa herself was quite the worse for wear?
'What do you mean?' she said, trying not to slur.
Matti turned to look at Kaisa. For the first time she noticed that his eyes were very dark and his lips very full. The street was absolutely empty, and the only sound came from the ticking of the indicator. The sky was black against the yellow glow of the streetlights. Matti's face was serious, but there was gentleness around his eyes when he replied, 'I shouldn't have said anything.'
Finally, Matti turned into the main road, and then onto the street where Kaisa lived. She had to direct him to the right turning, but apart from that they didn't speak for the rest of the short journey. When they reached her block, Kaisa got out of the car, and leaning in before closing the door behind her, thanked Matti for the lift.
'I'll wait to see that you get in safely,' he said smiling, and Kaisa nodded. There was absolutely no one about, so Matti's caution seemed unnecessary but strangely flattering. She waved to him from the door of her block of flats, and he waved back. She saw through the glass panel that he was sitting in his car watching her as she entered the lift. When she reached her bedroom and looked down at the dark road below, she half-expected to see Matti's car still parked below, but the street was empty.
To read more, pre-order The Finnish Girl for £1.99 / $2.99.
If you're browsing in the UK click here, and here for the US.


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A note from Kristin: "For me, watercolor painting is a form of meditation, peace, and self-reflection. I am endlessly inspired by life on the seacoast, as well as the bright colors and warm feelings that come from travel and connection. It is my hope that you will feel the love and joy that lives in these paintings – and that they will bring your happiness."
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See terms and conditions. Copyright 2022 Kristin F. Simmons. All images are protected and cannot be reproduced without written permission is Kristin F. Simmons.


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American Tall
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The Bomber Jacket makes a short list of iconic Americana. Few jackets are as versatile, punctuating the ensembles of veterans, social activists, athletes, celebrities, for generations. The American Tall Bomber Jacket embodies their revolutionary spirit. A gentleman's hat tip to distant legends, designed to fit your tall frame.
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California's cluttered sex offender registry is too large to be effective and must be reformed if it is to be of any use to law enforcement.
One of only four states to require universal lifetime registration for all sex offenders regardless of their offense or risk of re-offending, California now has more than 100,000 people on its sex offender registry. Created in 1947 to help police monitor high-risk offenders, the registry of today lumps together high- and low-risk offenders, making it harder for law enforcement and the public to discern who is truly a threat.
Due to the size of the registry, law enforcement agencies now spend two-thirds of sex offender supervision resources on registration paperwork rather than actually monitoring sex offenders, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.
Recognizing the registry has grown "burdensome and ineffective," the California Sex Offender Management Board has called on the state to adopt a tiered system, in which offenders register for varying periods of time depending on their offense, history and risk of re-offending. Together with the California Police Chiefs Association and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, CSOMB is backing a credible proposal to restore the effectiveness of the registry.
Senate Bill 421, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, proposes a tiered system requiring registration for 10 years, 20 years or life, depending on several factors to differentiate higher- and lower-risk offenders. Tier 1 requires a minimum 10 years registration and is reserved for those convicted of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies, like indecent exposure. Tiers 2 and 3, respectively, require registration for 20 years and life, and are for those convicted of serious and violent sex offenses.
SB421 retains lifetime registration for sexually violent predators, repeat offenders, habitual sexual offenders, a litany of specified serious and violent offenses and offenders deemed at high-risk of re-offending. The bill also requires Tier 1 and 2 registrants to petition a court for removal from the registry after 10 and 20 years and allows district attorneys to challenge removals.
With SB421, California can maintain accountability for lower-risk and nonviolent offenders, while freeing up resources to monitor those at highest risk of creating new victims. It's an overdue reform which will do more to protect the public than our unworkable, outdated registry.
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In the bloomMay 27, 2012
I am still rather disheartened with the responses I got from my 'no shopping' diet. But I am not going to falte...
Treat people around you better with nicer words.
18 comments
- AnonymousMay 27, 2012 at 8:38 PM
How much do shoes from Mondo cost? Like the range?ReplyDeleteReplies
Beautiful outfit :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you Laila! <3Delete
Love your pants!!! (: Anws, don't be disheartened dear! I salute you for doing it! I don't think I can ever bring myself to go "no shopping for me this month" but I really wish I had the strength (to resist temptation) like what you're currently aiming for. All the best! Hehe! <3ReplyDeleteReplies
Aww thank you Nadya! hehe.Delete
love for bag! was it sprayed?ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you! No it wasn't sprayed. Its actually a placemat!Delete
- AnonymousMay 28, 2012 at 7:58 PM
as always, you look great! placemat as your diy bag? thats interesting!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you! And yes it is a placemat! I have many of it at home now.Delete
Love your sense of style. Aniwaes dont mind telling whats the size of your pants? Im interested to buy one. :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you dear :)Delete
They are size M from lacepipe.sg
I LOVE YOUR BLOG and all your posts. Honestly, its amazing to see how covered girls can put outfits together. i honestly buy things and have no idea what to do with half of them lol.ReplyDelete
And i love the fact that your clutch was made from a placemat! Very creative.
You are fabulous and dont let anyone tell you otherwise :) xoxo
- AnonymousMay 29, 2012 at 8:50 PM
I dont think i would fit in a size M, i dont know what size it is American? Lol.ReplyDelete
My booty isnt exactly small haha
You have a gorgeous figure doll face
- American admirer -
love the shade of pastel orange of your shawl and also the floral pants! good luck on your 'no shopping plan' and I really hope you succeed, despite your penchant for online shopping :P well you can start by not looking at any online store mailers or avoiding Orchard Road? :)ReplyDelete
anchor print blouse giveaway & more: http://wishfulpenguin.blogspot.com/2012/05/handlebar-life-is-pattern-giveaway-1.html
http://wishfulpenguin.blogspot.com x
another pants i love. good job fatin!ReplyDelete
LOve pants,,,,ReplyDelete