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Just as public works projects launched by FDR put millions of unemployed people to work during the Great Depression, the Obama administration has pushed to invest billions in public works projects to create jobs for millions of today's unemployed. But many of the dollars that are intended to create those jobs are instead creating jobs overseas.
As President Obama said in a speech in September, "Building a world class transportation system is part of what made us a economic superpower. And now we are gonna sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads at a time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them right here in America?"
But when California received over $7 billion in federal funds in order to construct the state-of-the-art San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, significant portions of the bridge's construction were set to be manufactured in China. China Construction America has become a frequent presence in New York City after it was put in charge of a $407 million project to renovate the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. The Alaska Railroad Company is flirting with the using part of its $190 million in federal funding to build the Tanana River Bridge Crossing to outsource work to a Chinese company.
Due to lax labor standards in China, many American companies continue to lose construction bids because they are unable to match the Chinese companies' drastically lower prices. "There is no way that American workers will be able to ever compete with $12 a day," said Bob LaVenture, a district director for the United Steelworkers Union, in an interview with NPR.
Contracting infrastructure projects abroad has significantly undermined our efforts to rebuild our economy by reducing domestic unemployment and revitalizing our manufacturing base. In California alone, where unemployment is projected to remain above 10% this year, outsourcing in public workers projects is estimated to have cost some 3,000 jobs.
Foreign sourcing of government-funded projects has been discouraged for over 70 years through Buy America legislation, which sets sourcing requirements to federal procurements. But in many cases legally required commitments to American workers have been subverted through elaborate loopholes. One significant way that domestic agencies have avoided their commitments is through a process known as "segmentation." This involves agencies cutting large projects into numerous segments, some of which would only receive state funding and therefore not be subject to Buy America restrictions. In the case of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the job was split into nine parts, only two of which were restricted by Buy America provisions.
That is the reason for an amendment proposed today by Senators Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, to a transportation re-authorization bill now pending on the Senate floor. The amendment would eliminate the "segmentation" loophole, require annual reports documenting the use of Buy America waivers and make adherence to international labor laws more stringent. It is on a list of amendments that were scheduled for a vote Thursday afternoon. (See Dave Johnson's post urging calls to the Senate.)
Passing this amendment is critical to the goal of ensuring American taxpayer dollars support American industry and American jobs.


text: users.telenet.be. Complete service repair workshop manual for the: Honda CR125R CR125 CR 125R. This is the same manual motorcycle dealerships use to repair your bike.. Honda CR125R OWNER'S MANUAL & COMPETITION HANDBOOK *CR125/00-23(31KSR620).qxd 5/6/05 1:10 PM Page c. Introduction Congratulations on choosing your Honda CR discussed in this manual. The official Honda Service Manual for your CR is available (page 130). It is the same manual. Honda CR125R service manual repair 2000-2003 CR125 - PDF Service Manual DOWNLOAD HERE "Honda CR125R service manual repair 2000-2003 CR125 - PDF Service Manual Instant download of a repair manual for the 2000-2003 Honda CR125R two-stroke bike. Covers complete tear down and rebuild, pictures and part diagrams,. View and Download Honda CR125R 1992-1997 service manual online. CR125R 1992-1997 Motorcycle pdf manual download.. 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subset: commoncrawl


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Find hotels & motels in Micanopy using the list below. Find cheap and discounted hotel/motel rates in or nearby Micanopy, FL for your upcoming personal or group travel. Discover the most favored Micanopy Florida hotel rooms. Review the Micanopy hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Micanopy hotels. Need 5+ Rooms? Secure Micanopy Group Hotel Rates
The Micanopy center is approximately 1 mile east of Paynes Prarie and 7 miles west of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park.
How should we direct your call?


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Wildlife Reserves Singapore marks World Animal Day with tribute to babies born at Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo.
Singapore, 3 October 2013 – Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) marks World Animal Day with a presentation of furry, feathery and slithery babies born in Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo. The four parks saw more than 400 animal babies born between January and August this year, charming visitors with their adorable antics.
Among the most exciting births at WRS is that of Asia's first giant river otter baby at River Safari. Born on 10 August, the unnamed male pup now weighs 1.6kg and measures 60cm. While it may be small now, giant otters can grow to an incredible length of 1.8m and weigh up to 34kg. River Safari is the first zoological institution in Asia to feature the endangered giant river otter, the largest of the world's 13 otter species. Found only in South American river systems, giant otters are ferocious predators that hunt piranhas, anacondas and even caimans, earning them the title "river wolves". Often hunted extensively for their fur and threatened by habitat loss, these river giants are now amongst the rarest otters in the world.
Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, Chief Life Sciences Officer, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said: "We have maintained an excellent record of success in our captive breeding programme, and visitors to our parks are often pleasantly surprised to find adorable animal babies. The landmark birth of Asia's first giant river otter baby represents the culmination of efforts and dedication of our zoology team in adopting and maintaining the highest standards of husbandry. With increasing threats such as habitat destruction and poaching, captive breeding programmes play a pivotal role in conserving threatened species for our future generations."
Aside from the birth of the giant otter, over 100 species were born or hatched in the four WRS parks, of which 37 are classified as threatened in the *IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These include the orang utan, manatee, hyacinth macaw and Malayan tapir. Through the years, WRS parks have exchanged many of these animals with other reputable zoos for breeding purposes.
*International Union for Conservation of Nature


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5 Important reasons to enrol your child in Martial Arts
When a parent is considering enrolling their child or children into a martial arts school, they have to consider both their motivation and the motivations of their child. In order for a child to learn to love and stick with martial arts training over a long period of time, they have to share common goals with their parents, and most of all, the parents and child all have to enjoy it. If a parent's goals are not being met, then they may feel they are not getting their money's worth.Read more
Cello for kids in Sydney
Are your toddlers the kind who loves banging a saucepan with a wooden spoon? Do they clap and sing along with songs on the television? If yes, then maybe your little ones have a natural love and talent for playing music! The best way to find out is to let have a go at learning one.Read more
Triathlons for kids in Sydney
Learn the essentials of swimming, cycling and running in Sydney! Sydney is a great place to learn triathlon, especially since many triathlon competitions and clinics for kids are held in the city. Worldwide and nationwide triathlon events also take place in Sydney to help your kids be more engaged in the sport.Read more
Soccer for kids in New South Wales
Have fun and cheer for the kids on the field! Considered as one of the most valued sports in the world, soccer is one of the oldest sports which dates back to, at least, the 18th Century. With versions across the world, soccer is a universal game of team sport that involves the kicking of a ball and making goals. One of the most famous sport governing bodies is FIFA. Needless to say, FIFA World Cup is the most awaited soccer match for all soccer fans.Read more
Water Sports for kids in Sydney
Stay under the sun and play water sports in Sydney! Water sports like kayaking, wakeboarding, scuba diving and swimming are some of Sydney's favourite pastimes. With a variety of beaches, pools and rock pools in the vicinity, there are so many possibilities for playing water sports in the area!Read more


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Dutch Paasbrood/Dutch Easter Bread (Easter Baking Series)
When the wonderful Michael Olivier from Crush! Online magazine asked me to do a feature for their March issue I agreed without hesitation. I love Crush! and am so honoured to be one of their contributors. I decided to do a Easter baking feature as I just love having lots of yummy things to eat when guests visit over Easter weekend (6-9 April, 2012).
This bread is just delicious and really easy to make. I use my Kenwood K-Mix to knead the dough which makes it even easier. It's a delicious bread to serve as part of a breakfast buffet with fresh fruits, yoghurt and home-made granola as it's sweet and filled with lovely raisins and ground almonds.
I'll be posting a few recipes over the next week to inspire you to make the most of Easter and some of the recipes you can look forward to are Chocolate Easter nest cupcakes, Coconut cupcakes, Pumpkin & Carrot cake and Chocolate-Amarula Crepe cake.
Makes 1 loaf
250ml milk
10g sachet dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
50g butter, room temperature
500g bread flour
100g raisins
almond mixture
175g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
2 egg yolks
10ml lemon juice
zest of one lemon
- Warm milk and pour into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast and the 1 tbsp sugar.
- Add the eggs and butter and mix well.
- Add the flour and raisins and mix well. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise for 1 hour.
- In the meanwhile, make the almond mixture.
- In a food processor, combine the ground almonds, caster sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest and pulse until a thick paste forms. Wrap in a sausage shape in cling wrap and refrigerate until firm.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°c and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle and place the chilled ground almond mixture in the middle.
- Fold the dough over and pinch the sides together.
- Place the dough onto the baking sheet and place into the oven.
- Bake for 1 hour until the bread is golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Allow to cool before serving.
I'm sorry but this is not a real Dutch paasbrood. And I know this because I'm Dutch. Real paasbrood has almond paste in the middle.
You do have a kind of almond paste in your recipe but it's different. So is the bread. Sorry, I'm nitpicking…
Wow, that looks mouthwatering. Can one take out the raisins?


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Showing events near Long Ashton from Wed 26th Jun 2019 onwards.
Showing events: 1-3
Long Ashton events, clubs, gigs and what's onAbove is a selection of events in Long Ashton near Bristol. If you're looking for more events, why not view our events in Bristol guide. Planning a big weekend in Long Ashton? Check out our Restaurants in Long Ashton or Hotels in Long Ashton
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Prices shown above may include 'On the door' prices as well as online prices available through Skiddle. Prices may be subject to booking fees and handling charges and may increase over time. Information is entered by event organisers and may be subject to change, please see event page for latest information.
Popular venues in Long Ashton
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SWX · The Tunnels · Ashton Court Estate · The Crofters Rights · Smoke And Mirrors · The Louisiana · Motion · Thekla · Colston Hall Bristol · The Trinity Centre · Blue Mountain · Various · Dojo Lounge · Durdham Downs · Tobacco Factory · The Exchange · The Fleece · Bristol City Centre · Channings · Exchange · Lakota
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Top image: "Bristol Suspension Bridge" by sitye3 is licensed under Attribution License
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This information has been filed in civil division of Marion County District Court.
Russell Klenda vs. Kimberly Renae Hamm; conference call held Feb. 4 to review status; parties to attend mediation and split the cost; conference call set for April 22.
CAH Acquisition Co. No. 5 doing business as Hillsboro Community Hospital vs. Julie Scheideman, 314 S. 1st St. Marion, et al.; dismissed Feb. 12.
Newton Healthcare Corporation vs. Beth A. Peter, 202 N. Sycamore St., Peabody, et al.; judgment of $1,154.97 made in favor of plaintiff Feb. 19.
Small Claims
Donald J. Richmond vs. Tristan Snyder, 400 S. 4th St., Marion, et al.; bench trial held Feb. 20; plaintiff to pick up items remaining on property, including boat, dock, picnic tables, and chairs; judgment of $338.50 made in favor of defendants.


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BRIC Countries
Here we bring together recent GC Capital Ideas' posts that have focused on the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries.
Increased Flood Loss Potential: Making use of all available tools and practicing comprehensive exposure management will both strengthen (re)insurers' ERM practices and allow them to make informed risk management and reinsurance decisions as they enter new markets. Certainly, flood risk is prevalent and increasing in almost every developing economy.
Lloyd's: What Will Success Look Like? If Lloyd's is successful in achieving the growth and diversification outlined in its near-term and long-term strategic plans, it can expect to capitalize on business opportunities in emerging market economies such as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Growth, however, will not necessarily be limited to these markets. Other countries in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America are experiencing strong growth and increasing insurance penetration, and these territories also present attractive opportunities for Lloyd's.
Growth Potential in Developing Markets: Positive premium growth trends in developing markets are expected to be sustained over the next decade. During this time, emerging markets are expected to drive global economic growth, and foreign direct investment in these emerging regions is likely to increase. In Brazil alone, investment in infrastructure is expected to amount to USD550 billion over the next few years as the country prepares to host the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the summer Olympics in 2016. China and India too are expected to continue to see robust growth in the next ten years.
State of the Reinsurance Market, Part II: Inflation/Deflation Expectations, Investment Returns: Expansionary monetary policy has fueled concerns that inflation could increase in the medium term, but the picture is less clear in the near term. While consumer price indices in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), the United States and the rest of the G7 currently exhibit positive trends, consensus forecasts show borderline disinflationary trends in the nearer term in the United States and many developed markets.


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Oh, don't you remember, a long time ago
When two little babes, their names I don't know
Were stolen away one bright summer day
And lost in the woods, I've heard people say
--Traditional lullaby
As a mother, she would sing it to her children. As a child, she would singit to her pets. And whenever the world came crashing down around her, as itoften did for Mary Leona Gage, she would sing it to herself.
Growing up in the Piney Woods of east Texas, her friends were mostlyimaginary or four-legged - fairies, "weed people" and wildlife. She remembersa rabbit, getting closer every day to taking lettuce from her hand. One day,sprawled on the ground, arm extended, she waited as motionlessly as a3-year-old could as it drew nearer than it ever had. Then a shot rang out. Therabbit collapsed in a headless lump. She screamed for a long time.
That night, the chorus of the lullaby ran through her head:
Pretty babes in the wood
Pretty babes in the wood
Oh, don't you remember
Those babes in the wood
The daughter of a once-wealthy landowner (and expert marksman) and hiswife, Mary Leona was born after the Depression in 1939. She was still atoddler when her parents moved from Longview to Wichita Falls. There hermother worked two jobs; her father, paralyzed in an industrial accident,stayed home; and Mary Leona grew up.
And did she ever grow up - huge and alluring blue-green eyes, legs too longto fold under her school desk, a body that blossomed before it had any rightto. She was drawing whistles from the soldiers at nearby Sheppard Air ForceBase by age 11, propositions by 13.
Her beauty was part blessing, part curse. It was also her ticket - first toMaryland, where, representing Anne Arundel County, she was declared the mostbeautiful woman in the state, then to the Miss USA pageant in Long Beach,Calif., where, after she and a friend pooled the last of their money to buy adress for the competition, she would be crowned Miss USA 1957.
Once the tears of joy subsided, Gage answered questions from reporters,easy ones at first. She liked to sing, play piano and cook, she told them. No,she didn't have a boyfriend. "I want to wait until I'm 26 before I becomeseriously interested in the opposite sex," she said.
It took one day for the fairy tale to blow up.
The competition's next phase, choosing a Miss Universe, was already underway when Gage was called before pageant officials. Allegations about her hadsurfaced. At first she had dismissed them, waving off reporters who broughtthem up. Now, though, she tearfully admitted to officials she was 18, not 21.And she wasn't a "Miss" at all.
She had been married - not allowed under Miss USA rules - since age 14.And, though none of the eyes that scrutinized her figure during the swimsuitcompetition had detected it, Leona Gage was a mother of two.
All that had been bestowed the day before was taken back: the trophy, thetiara, the prize money, the trips, the studio contracts and the title itself.That went to the first runner-up, a Mormon girl representing Utah. Gage got aone-way ticket back to Maryland and the life, or at least the husband, thatshe was trying to get away from.
That was the story they all missed - all those smooth-talking reporters,all those tripping-over-themselves photographers, all those vultures, in herview, who fed on her tears and all but gloated when, in subsequent years, shewould end up divorcing another husband, losing custody of a child, singing instrip joints or being hospitalized for drug overdoses.
Did they actually enjoy her misfortunes? Did her travails really merit allthat newsprint? Were they out to get her?
And how would her story play today, nearly 50 years later: Girl, 13,pursued by older man, pregnant and married by 14, a housewife before she got achance to enter 9th grade, a mother of two by 16, spending her days in astrange state where the diapers froze when she hung them outside to dry, andthe house was never clean enough and dinner never ready soon enough?
To escape that oppression - not too strong a word, she says - she, at thesuggestion of a friend, sought a modeling job. This led, at the suggestion ofthat friend, to the statewide beauty contest, which led, as that same friendproudly watched from the sidelines, to her being crowned Miss USA.
Think, as they might say in Hollywood, Cinderella meets Thelma and Louise.
But Hollywood, where countless happy endings are scripted, did not provideone for Gage, the only Maryland contestant ever to win the Miss USA title.
While publicity about the scandal led to some offers -- "What the hell iswrong with motherhood? I want her on my show," Ed Sullivan was quoted assaying -- her acting career would never take off. Her marriages, six in all,would fail. Drug overdoses, accusations of child abuse and neglect, suicideattempts and institutionalizations would lead to her losing custody of herchildren, most of whom are estranged from her today. And the fast life she led-- not promiscuous, mind you, just in terms of drugs and drink and the twopacks of Nat Shermans she'd smoke a day -- would catch up with her.
Now going by Mary again and living under the last name of her most recentex-husband, Gage lives alone, on a fixed income, with her paintings, herpoetry, her houseplants and a day nurse. She has been ill for almost a decadewith chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In her apartment in NorthHollywood, Calif., where she agreed to a series of interviews, she walks aboutwith a tube trailing from her nose that leads to an oxygen tank in herbedroom.
Looking back, she accepts her fate, but still holds resentment toward thoseshe says mistreated her. She regrets her mistakes, but says she finally gother life together: She found God, converted to Judaism and, in her 50s, took avow of celibacy. She has sworn off suicide -- "It's the unforgivable sin," shesays -- and, at 66, says she will wait for the end to come naturally. Andstill, she aches over her losses, which went far beyond a beauty pageanttitle.
She recognizes the many ironies in her story. A woman who wantedindependence now tethered to an oxygen tank. A woman who failed in her fiveattempts at suicide now fighting to stay alive. A woman who exuded sex appealand whose suitors included Frank Sinatra, John Barrymore Jr. and "Mr.Universe," Mickey Hargitay, but for whom love and sex were mostly unhappyaffairs.
Then there is the saddest one of all: After hiding the fact she had twochildren, and losing the Miss USA crown because of it, she would lose custodyof both, and have only sporadic contact with the three others she had.
"There's really no way that this could have a happy ending, is there?" saidGage. "Why? Because my dream is dead -- having all my children around thetable at one time, and me serving them turkey and all the trimmings."
All she was after when she entered the Miss Maryland-USA contest, she said,was access to some modeling jobs and a chance to get out of the house. Onthat, she and her accomplice agree.
"It was really very innocent," said Barbara Feola, then known as BarbaraMewshaw. "She wanted something out of life, and her husband was a real jerk.It wasn't meant to do any harm, just get her some jobs. We were really justtwo dumb country girls."
Feola -- a part-time model then, a hairdresser in Florida now -- lost touchwith Gage after the pageant scandal. But in 1957, it was she and Gage'ssponsor, the Walters Modeling Academy in Baltimore, that urged her to compete,and to keep her marriage and children a secret.
"That's what started the ball rolling," Feola said, "and we just rolledalong with it. It got way out of control."
"Oh, yes, Barbara!" said Gage. "Is she still alive? She was my champion.She was the only person who ever believed in me. She showed me how to dress.She showed me how to walk that walk. Everybody knew me by my walk. We reallyworked on that walk."
When Gage won the Maryland contest and was given a free round-trip ticketto Long Beach, she cashed it in and bought two tickets instead -- one for her,one for Barbara.
Both were one-way.
And when it was night
Oh, sad was their plight
The moon had gone down
The stars gave no light
They sobbed and they sighed
And bitterly cried
Then the poor little babes
They lay down and died
Once in Long Beach, Leona Gage -- she had temporarily dropped the "Mary" --was swept up by the pageant festivities: the two-hour parade, in which eachcontestant, clad in a swimsuit from sponsor Catalina, rode her own float; theboat ride in the harbor; the traditional frolicking in the ocean, all underthe eye of matronly chaperones and a phalanx of security guards.
Mewshaw, meanwhile, was working behind the scenes. The single gown they'dbought for the pageant wasn't enough once Gage got into the finals. So Mewshawbegan visiting dress shops seeking a loaner gown, offering merchants theopportunity to outfit the contestant she assured them would be the next MissUSA.
Gage made sure nobody involved with the pageant saw her unclothed, fearingthey might catch on that she was a mother. In the privacy of a bathroom, sheslipped into the strapless blue gown Mewshaw obtained. She used a pair offalsies to fill it out. ("Yes, those were fake, too," she said.)
She had never needed to enhance her figure, though she did have someexperience concealing it, hiding her first pregnancy, four years earlier, fromher stern Baptist mother for as long as she could.
"To my mother, that was the biggest horror and scandal there could be. Allmy life she said, 'Don't you dare go into the bushes with a boy and getyourself pregnant.' She never had any discussion with me about sex, it wasjust 'Mary Lee, don't get pregnant.' "
"Mary Lee was what my mother called me when I was a good girl," she added."When she said Mary Leona, I knew I was going to get a switching. She used apeach tree switch."
Protective as she was, her mother seemed to have little problem, Gage said,when a polite young airman named Gene Ennis followed her 13-year-old daughterhome from her drugstore waitressing job one day and introduced himself. Enniswas 24, though he looked about 18 -- exactly like a young Frank Sinatra, Gagesaid. "That's why I liked him, because I had a crush on Frank Sinatra."
Ennis became a regular visitor, driving Gage to church and errands, andbefore long, taking her to movies, parties and a friend's apartment. With amother who worked two jobs and a father who was paralyzed and brain-damaged,Gage relished Ennis' attention.
Months after he first followed her home, the airman got orders to ship out.He left with a promise, she said. "He said he was going to come back and marryme when I was grown up."
Not long after that, she realized she was pregnant. She concealed it withbaggy blouses, fortunately, she said, in style then. She wrote to Ennis at theaddress he had left, but got no answer. Then she wrote his mother, explainingher dilemma. One night, she said, she went to the top of the tallest buildingin Wichita Falls -- 10 stories high -- planning to jump. "But at the lastmoment, a little voice said, 'You'll kill the baby,' and I walked back down. Icouldn't kill the baby."
When a fellow drugstore employee who was getting married suggested Gagejoin her -- and came up with a volunteer groom -- Gage seized the opportunity.The four drove across the border to Oklahoma for a double wedding. Afterspending that night locked in a motel bathroom, Gage called her mother, whoordered her home immediately.
"I'm pregnant, but I'm married," Gage said as she walked into the housewith her husband, an airman named Edward Thacker.
Her mother handed her a letter that had arrived from Ennis. Gage remembersits icy wording: "I received the letter that you wrote to my mother and ifcircumstances are as stated in that letter, then arrangements will have to bemade."
At her mother's insistence, the marriage to Thacker was annulled within theweek, and Gage was sent to live with an aunt until the baby was born.
In 1953, Ennis and Mary Leona Gage were married in Wichita Falls. By thetime she was 16, a second child had been born, and Ennis has been reassignedto an Air Force unit at Baltimore's Friendship Airport. They were living nearSeverna Park in Manhattan Beach -- but not happily, both say.
There was little she liked here -- not the weather, not her spouse, not thesoft-shell crabs he would bring home for her to cook. "They're alive ... withlittle eyes looking up at you."
"She was unhappy," said Ennis, still living in southern Maryland. "I wasyoung, she was young, and when you're young like that and in the service it'sone of those damn things -- you make mistakes and she winds up pregnant."Early in the marriage, he said, it was clear that Gage, whom he deniedmistreating, wanted something more out of life than being a wife.
"She wanted to be somebody. She was ambitious. She was a beauty queen --even before she was a beauty queen."
Gage said Ennis would get angry about household chores left undone, tellher she wasn't pretty or accuse her of ruining his life. At one point, sheleft him. A baby in each arm, she boarded a bus to Houston. But her sistersent her back to her husband. Sick and depressed, she saw an Air Force doctor,who she says told her she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and provideda prescription: Get a job.
She was working at a dress shop in Glen Burnie for $28 a week when she metBarbara Mewshaw, a beauty contest veteran and part-time model. Impressed byher beauty, Mewshaw told the 5-foot-10 Gage she could be a model. ThroughWalters Modeling Academy, now defunct, she helped Gage line up jobs. Then,seeing it as a path to more and better modeling gigs, she helped her get aslot in a statewide beauty pageant, Miss USA-Maryland.
Gage didn't expect to win, she says. But Mewshaw assured her she would. Shewas right.
After winning the statewide contest, Gage went to the head of the modelingagency to tell him, again, that she was married, which she knew was aviolation of pageant rules. Owners of the agency would later deny they knewshe was married, but Mewshaw and Gage insist she told them. " 'What am I goingto do? I'm married,' " Mewshaw recalls her saying. "He told her, 'You're notmarried.' "
With that, Gage headed to Long Beach, with Mewshaw at her side.
The Miss USA judges that year -- including columnist Earl Wilson and pin-upartist Alberto Vargas -- chose her as a finalist and then as the winner. Butthe next day, as she began competing for Miss Universe, then held immediatelyafter Miss USA, questions started popping up.
"Absolutely not," she told reporters when asked if she was married, beforebreaking into tears. "Who would say such a thing?"
Accounts vary on how the rumor originated -- some say it was an anonymoustip, some say it came from Gage's mother-in-law, which Gene Ennis denies; somesay it was to a Baltimore newspaper, some say a Salisbury newspaper got itfirst. By day's end, though, reporters from Chicago, Los Angeles and New Yorkwere pursuing the story.
Even before the facts were known, reporters sought out first runner-upCharlotte Sheffield for comment. "They said, 'We have just heard that MissMaryland is married, do you know anything about this?' " the former Miss Utah,now 68, recalled. "I said, 'No I don't.' They said, 'Do you realize this meansyou would be the new Miss USA?' "
Gradually, the rumor hardened into fact. Her mother-in-law confirmed it toreporters. So did her husband, and then her own mother. Confronted by pageantofficials, she denied it, then broke down. "I was scared they were going toput me in jail or something," Gage says now. "Once my own mother had verifiedit, I said, 'Yes, it's true.' "
Sheffield was stopped as she got off an elevator, curlers in her hair.Officials asked her if she was married, then told her: You are now Miss USA.
Later, the two appeared together at a press conference. Sheffield stoodnext to Gage, and the two held hands. "She was shaking. She was terrified,"Sheffield said. "I think she was wondering if she was going to go to prison,or what they were going to do with her." Gage apologized for the deceptionand, shoulders slumped, said she did it for her family: "We needed the moneyto buy clothes and shoes for the children."
Back in Maryland, Gage was met by her husband and children -- and morereporters, with more questions. It was then she came clean about her earlier,annulled marriage.
At home, bushel baskets of mail were coming in. Some letters weremean-spirited.
"I think one half of the U.S. hated me," Gage said. Her disclosure had cometoo late for runner-up Sheffield to be able to compete for Miss Universe. Forthe first time, there was no Miss USA in the contest.
Most of the names attached to the letters, telegrams and phone callspouring in meant little to Mewshaw and Gage. William Morris? Mewshaw had neverheard of him, or his so-called agency. "We were so unsophisticated," she said.
There was one they did know, though -- Ed Sullivan. He wanted her on hisshow.
And when they were dead
The robins so red
Brought strawberry leaves
And over them spread
And sang them a song
The whole summer long
Poor babes in the wood
Who never did wrong.
The Miss USA contest -- unlike its competitor, Miss America -- has neverput a premium on talent or scholarship. Begun in 1952 by the Catalina Swimsuitcompany and now owned by Donald Trump and NBC Universal, Miss USA-MissUniverse has always been more about beauty and poise.
When the 1957 pageant was over, the only talent Leona Gage had shown theworld was one for deception.
On The Ed Sullivan Show, she did little more than wave and say hello -- aneasy $1,000, but hardly the foundation on which to build a show-businesscareer. Her first chance to show she wasn't just a pretty face came one weeklater on the Steve Allen Show. But that started out bad and only grew worse.
Gage said bandleader Skitch Henderson and the show's staff insisted sheperform "Sentimental Journey," a song she didn't know and got little time torehearse.
"You don't do that to someone," Gage says. "You don't put them in a dressto make them look sophisticated and give them a song they've never heard andexpect them to go out and perform like a pro. I was a farm girl, not even fromMaryland, but from the deep South."
Gage got through the first verse, began the second, then went silent. "Ifroze," Gage said. A vocal group called the Four Coins, also appearing on thatnight's show, came to her aid, surrounding her and finishing the song.
Despite that performance, Gage was inundated with job offers, interviewrequests and would-be suitors. "She was so beautiful and everyone wanted tojump on the bandwagon," said actress Jan Shepard, who was hired to help herwith her first dramatic role, in a western broadcast live on NBC MatineeTheater.
Before the broadcast began, Shepard took Gage aside. "I told her, 'There'smillions of people out there watching you. You've got to do very well, becauseeveryone wants you to fail. It doesn't matter how beautiful you are. Whatmatters is that you do this right.' "
Gage did. In the part of the drama where her father gets shot, the scriptcalled for real tears -- and Gage supplied them. "They were standing by withartificial tears, but, oh boy, I let the tears go. Anything surrounding myDaddy, and the tears are there."
There would be more roles after that, but mostly Gage was sought out forher beauty, used and cast aside, says Shepard, a veteran television, film andsoap opera actress who remains friends with Gage.
"She was a commodity. She was a product," Shepard said. "They didn't treatyou back then like you were a human being with sensitivities and feelings; itwas just 'let's see what we can get out of her.' ... I can say this nowbecause I'm out of the business."
After another TV play, in which she had a nonspeaking role, Gage later in1957 went to Las Vegas, where she had signed a contract as a featuredperformer at the Hotel Tropicana. After divorcing Ennis in early 1958, she wasliving in a trailer with her two sons in Las Vegas, studying acting, singingand dancing.
In her first year as a showgirl, she was billed as "Miss USA -- For a Day."In a production number based on the pageant scandal, she would sing: "I didn'tmean any harm, but things got dull on that Maryland farm." In her second year,she was part of an act billed as "The Ten Most Beautiful Women of the World."
She dated Frank Sinatra briefly, but says the relationship didn't getserious. For one thing, he reminded her of her ex-husband. For another, at 19,she felt intimidated in the company of such a high-powered star.
"I didn't talk. I just smoked. I had a long black cigarette holder and Iwould sit and just smoke across from him when we were dating."
In 1958, she married dancer Nick Covacevich. They had one son, lots offights and separated in less than two years. In 1960, based on a complaint topolice by her latest mother-in-law, Gage, while all three boys were livingwith her, was charged with beating her second son, David, then 4. Gage saysshe gave him a whipping after catching him playing with razor blades. A courtfined her $25.
In 1961, she filed for divorce from Covacevich and, back in Los Angeles,met and married an aspiring screenwriter named Gunther Peter Collatz. Knownprofessionally as Peter Collins, he later gained notoriety for the book IRemember Marilyn, about his purported affair, as a 22-year-old, with Marilyn Monroe.
Collatz was tall and charming, and somewhat eccentric, she said. He turneda closet in their home into his office, Gage said, and would insist that sheplay the song "Monster Mash" repeatedly while he wrote.
The marriage lasted less than two years, just long enough, Gage said, forCollatz to sweet-talk her and her brother back in Texas into investingthousands of dollars in A Swingin' Affair, a movie he wrote and produced thatflopped upon release.
Gage didn't appear in A Swingin' Affair, but she did play the lead role ofMorella -- a woman who dies in childbirth but comes back to life -- in a 1962 Roger Corman movie starring Vincent Price called Tales of Terror, a trilogy of Edgar Allan Poe stories. She also had a nonspeaking role as a prostitute in a1964 movie, A House Is Not a Home, as did another actress making her debut inthe same film, Raquel Welch.
In 1963, Gage had a daughter, Cynthia. Her three sons were living with herthen, but in the years ahead, amid suicide attempts, hospitalizations anddifficulties in her latest marriage, she would lose custody -- at leasttemporarily -- of all of her children.
By the mid-1960s, Gage was on a downward trajectory. Divorced from Collatzin 1964, she was partying heavily -- taking LSD with John Barrymore Jr., shesaid, and living it up with ex-Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay. She was goodfriends, too, with her hairdresser, Jay Sebring, who would later die with Sharon Tate in the Charles Manson killings.
In June of 1965, after she'd been away from home for a month -- looking forwork, she says -- her year-old daughter was turned over to authorities whenher babysitter became concerned that she might not be coming back. ThatNovember, Gage would be found unconscious in a motel room, overdosed onbarbiturates. She was 26 years old.
"I feel in my heart that to make my exit at this point in my life was thewisest thing to do," she wrote before taking the pills and attempting,unsuccessfully, to drown herself in the ocean. "God picked me up and just spitme out," she says now. "A big wave washed me back to shore." She got back tothe room and collapsed.
Because of the suicide attempt and drug charges from marijuana found in herpossession, she spent seven weeks at California's Camarillo State Hospital.Later that same year, Gage agreed to be interviewed for a ghostwritten bookabout her life, and to have her picture taken for its cover. She regrets bothdecisions.
My Name Is Leona Gage, Will Somebody Please Help Me? hit the paperbackshelves with a 75-cent price tag and a "For Adults" label on the cover. Itfeatured a photo of a tousle-haired Gage, clad only in a sheet, sitting on abed.
The book's plaintive title is based on Gage's first words when she regainedconsciousness after the suicide attempt, and its cover blurb reads: "Herbeauty attracted brutality; her love, rejection; her tenderness, contempt.Suicide, birth, stardom, drugs, beauty, madness -- here is the fantastic truestory of Leona Gage, 'the most beautiful girl in the world,' at 26 ready fordeath, ready for life, ready for love -- she doesn't care which!"
Years later, Gage's replacement as Miss USA, the former Miss Utah, wouldcome across the book during an anti-pornography campaign being waged by herLady Lions Club. "It made me feel sad," said Sheffield, who went on to becomea mother of eight and a grandmother of 47.
While not all that racy by today's standards, the book is replete with sexscenes, most of which, Gage says, never occurred. She said she received $900for cooperating with the ghost author, Devra Hill, but was denied a chance tosee the book before publication.
Hill and Gage had a falling out over the book, and the two have notremained in touch.
"She was just so young. She wasn't stupid, just naive, and I think men tookadvantage of that. Everybody took advantage of that," said Hill.
But not all of Gage's misfortunes, in Hill's view, were caused by others.As her popularity faded, and "once she started using too many drugs andsmoking pot," it became clear that among those treating Gage carelessly wasGage herself.
Her friend Jan Shepard sees it differently.
"I don't blame her, I blame the people around her," Shepard said. "Theyused her her entire life. She was naive enough to do things she shouldn't havedone, then she got in with the wrong people.
"She's a good kid. She's had a hard life and she's not well, and it's sad.She went through the divorces, the smoking, the drug stuff -- the times werebad for that -- and she came out of it, but not very healthy."
By the end of 1965, Gage had made her last movie -- Scream of theButterfly, a box office failure. With few movie or television offers comingher way, she enrolled in hairdressing school.
The next year, she turned to performing at strip clubs.
With 3-year-old Cynthia in tow, she toured burlesque clubs across thecountry, singing and dancing, but never fully disrobing, she said, despiteencouragement from customers. Cynthia would wait in the dressing room whileMom performed.
She would get married two more times, have one more son, work as a modeland attempt a show business comeback. Other than some commercials -- one forhand cream, one for foot cream -- it failed, and Gage turned to moremainstream jobs in the 1970s and 1980s.
At age 39, she tried to locate her sons, calling Hollywood gossip columnistJames Bacon for help. She still has the article, which describes her as a"plaintive" and "pleading" has-been.
"I wasn't pleading," Gage said at her home last month. "I was simply askingfor his help. Everything that is ever written about me has this patina of'She's crazy.' I was never crazy. I did have a nervous breakdown, but even adog, if you take away her whole litter of puppies, will get depressed."
She has had six husbands in all, the last two of which she asked not beidentified by name. One of them continues to pay her rent, which, living on afixed income of $820 a month, she otherwise couldn't afford. When she has afew dollars to spare, she says, she contributes to Jewish charities andwildlife organizations.
She writes poetry and paints, and has a caretaker during the day, aseamstress named Maggie. Most of her conversations are with her, and inSpanish, in which Gage is fluent. Most days, she dresses entirely in white, acolor she associates with health. She likes watching television, but not racyshows; Everybody Loves Raymond is her favorite. And she never misses Miss USA.She plans to watch tomorrow night's pageant, to be broadcast live fromBaltimore. Almost always, she says, she can pick the winner.
Gage is on oxygen 24 hours a day. "That's my jet fuel," she said. Sheretains her beauty, and a remarkably youthful complexion, using cosmeticsrarely.
"Oh, honey, if I wanted to put the real makeup on, I could still look darngood," she said.
Though she's been out of the spotlight for decades, she agreed to a recentseries of interviews by phone and in person -- mainly, she said, to set therecord straight. A week later, though, she abruptly cut off communication, anddeclined to be photographed.
"Leona means lioness," she had said in one interview. "Leona is a survivor.She's taking care of Mary, because Mary was a wimp. No, not a wimp. Mary was asweet little girl who was taken advantage of by every man she ever met."
Gage's second son, David Ennis, visited his mother after the Bacon columnappeared in 1979, but she didn't see him again until 1994. "We made guacamole.We had the best time. I served him strawberry shortcake for breakfast," Gagesaid. Since then, he's gotten married and had a child, but Gage has not mether grandson. His mother and wife are not on speaking terms, David Ennis said.
Gage's first-born son, Gene, died in 1988. Daughter Cynthia, who grew uppartly with Gage, partly with friends and partly with Gage's sister, died ofhepatitis in 2002. Two other sons, by two other fathers, contact her annuallyat best.
Gage keeps the rare cards and letters they have sent her over the years,from a handmade Mother's Day card to a birthday letter from Cynthia five yearsago, lamenting their strained relationship. When she reads it aloud, she hasto pause to wipe tears, calling to her nurse, "Kleenex cartona, por favor."
"It's not easy being a child of me. I know that," Gage said, the box ofmemories in her lap. "But I was a devoted mother to my children. I taught myboys to say their prayers every night. They never had diaper rash. And if Icouldn't do for them, I made sure they had the very best. I sang themlullabies every night. There was that song of the two little babes carried tothe wood a long time ago..."
It's too late for lullabies, she knows. But that was the point that LeonaGage most wanted to get across. Just three words -- not for the world, but forher children, perhaps the three most overused and underused in all the Englishlanguage: I love you.


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Q: My 4-month-old appears absolutely miserable anytime I give him rice cereal or oatmeal. Should I try something else?
A: The American Academy of Pediatrics and virtually all other experts advise against introducing solids before 6 months of age, so I'd wait awhile before giving him any more. (Babies are not meant to digest solids at 4 months, as you have observed.) When you do offer solids again, start with small amounts of fruits and vegetables, such as applesauce, pureed carrots, smashed pears or sweet potatoes; try them for a few weeks or more before offering oatmeal or cereal grains. I think these varieties of simple carbohydrates are easier to digest than cereal grains, which have a little more protein and require a bit more "intestinal work."
By the way, unless your baby has shown allergic tendencies, I don't think you need to wait three days before introducing new fruits and vegetables.


text:
Manual Lymph Drainage
Studies-in-Progress/Clinical Trials Underway
A clinical trial is any research study that assigns people to health-related interventions to evaluate the outcomes. "Interventions" include drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, preventive care, etc.
With more medical experts gaining awareness that many traditional healthcare systems are narrowly focused on "disease management," and less on helping people "stay healthy" - more clinical trials on wellness approaches are happening today than ever before.
Click ClinicalTrials.gov to explore trials underway in the U.S. and World Health Organization for trials happening across the globe.


text:
Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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Yay Abby Ryan
Oh my god this episode is great so far!!!
Caitlin & Brittany's driver got them lost. They switch drivers. Gary & Will arrive at the U-Turn before Caitlin & Brittany. They can't decide whether to U-Turn Caitlin & Brittany or Rob & Kelley because they don't know who is behind. Commercial.
Quote from: Declive on October 14, 2012, 07:46:39 PMOh my god this episode is great so far!!!I really hope Gary & Will U-Turn Caitlin & Brittany. That would make it so much more dramatic.
Quote from: Kandace on October 14, 2012, 07:36:22 PMYay Abby Ryan
Hate Brittany Caitlin! Stuck up b*tches! lol
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By: Marissa Lang
St. Petersburg Times
TAMPA — Gov. Rick Scott didn't mince words about auto insurance fraud during a discussion among politicians and citizens Wednesday:
"We have to do something about this," he said. "We have to get rid of fraud."
He said he's looking to Hillsborough County for ideas on how to go about tackling it.
Sitting among citizens, county officials and law enforcement officers who have made it their goal to crack down on insurance fraud, Scott and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater declared their intent to overhaul Florida's Personal Injury Protection law in the 2012 legislative session by using Hillsborough efforts as inspiration.
"Regrettably, you had to go first," Atwater said. "Now, let us export the good work of Tampa Bay and get this burden off the back of all Floridians."
After years at the top worst spot, Hillsborough County is now No. 2 in the state for the number of staged car crashes each year. Nationwide, Florida holds two of the top three worst positions: Miami comes in second, behind Brooklyn, NY, and Hillsborough County is third.
Officials attributed the drop in the number of cases here to the county battling PIP fraud for the past two years.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has issued more than 150 criminal charges in PIP fraud cases and made 123 arrests, officials said. In the last 15 months, investigators have tackled 273 cases, they said.
In addition, the County Commission passed an ordinance in September that requires medical and rehabilitation clinics to have a designated physician's name on the clinic's bank accounts and insurance policies. The ordinance requires that the physician must work at the facility, which closes a loophole that exempts clinics from certain license regulations when they have a physician's name on the business application.
And that's not the only loophole fraudulent insurance claimers have taken advantage of.
All drivers registered in Florida must carry "no fault" insurance, which allows for up to $10,000 in medical care for injuries sustained in a car crash, no matter whose fault the wreck is.
"The no-fault system was put in place so people could get care," said Insurance Consumer Advocate Robin Westcott, who has led a working group studying the increases in paid losses under the "no fault" PIP system.
So scammers choreograph fake crashes in which they recruit "victims" to go to fake clinics, which bill insurance companies the maximum $10,000 allowed.
"Do we really want to give people this power, this ability to manipulate the system?" Westcott asked.
Although the number of roadway collisions in Florida has remained largely stagnant since 2004, Scott said, the cost of insurance has "skyrocketed."
This is, in part, because the cost of fraud is ultimately paid by policyholders.
The cost of PIP fraud in Florida has totaled $853 million since 2008, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Insurance companies have lost $20 million in Hillsborough County alone, officials said.
Several Hillsborough residents who attended Wednesday's discussion with the governor said criminals' ability to capitalize on the system frightens them.
"The financial aspect cuts and hurts, but more so, just the safety of our citizens should be a priority," said Perry Smead, 33, of Sefner. "Sometimes innocent people are targeted. It makes me worry for my family."
Frustrated with sky-high insurance costs, Austin R. Curry said the Legislature should institute mandatory incarceration and license suspension for committing PIP fraud.
"We're paying for this," said Curry, a retiree who serves as the director for an advocacy group for the elderly. "This is directly impacting our budget. It's organized crime. It's got to be stomped out."
Curry demanded Scott promise he would do something to stop it. The governor obliged.
"We're working on what we think the right answer for Florida might be," the governor said.
He has said he would support drivers' ability to choose whether they want PIP as part of their auto insurance.
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has advocated allotting more time to investigate suspicious claims, capping attorney fees, allowing private companies to inspect medical clinics and limiting medical treatments.


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I got a great email recently from Marjorie:
My husband's father just gave him a huge speech about how he doesn't dress appropriately for work and how he will never get promoted or "become a manager" dressing the way he does. My husband is a computer programmer who works with a bunch of engineers. He wears dress slacks and polos or button-up shirts everyday to work, while most of his co-workers wear jeans and t-shirts. This confused me, but my husband exaplined to me that what his father is saying that since he doesn't wear designer clothes and because he doesn't wear a tie everyday that he will never be promoted. We buy his clothes at JC Penney, but the cheaper brands. I can't tell the difference between them and the nicer dept. store brands, other than the price. Do you agree with my father-in-laws assessment? What about if my husband wants to advance his career, but has no interest in managing people? I realize he would make more money if he eventually became a manager, but he enjoys his computer programming work, and probably wouldn't enjoy managing people, and I would never want him to work a job he didn't enjoy if he didn't have to.
I think what's happening here is that your father-in-law is substituting his own goals for his son's goals and he's trying to guide his son towards those goals.
Your husband seems to have his own set of career goals. He'd like to advance his career as a programmer, but he has no interest in being in management. Your husband also has familiarity with the culture of the career path that he's chosen.
I think it's absolutely vital that people have a set of career goals. They need to have a sense of where they want to go and what they need to do to get there. For those reading this, ask yourself those questions. Where do you want to be with your career in five years? In ten years? In twenty? What do you need to be doing to get there?
Yes, attire can be a part of those goals. The usual advice is to dress in the attire of the position you want to eventually attain. If you want to be in management, dress like management. If you want to be just part of the senior staff, dress like part of the senior staff. I consider that to be pretty good advice.
It sounds like your husband is dressing for the position he wants to attain eventually, which is a senior programmer. He should note what people in his desired position wear and emulate it.
Your father-in-law has his own goals and he probably envisions certain outcomes for his son, for various reasons. For those goals and outcomes, the advice your father-in-law is giving his son is probably good advice. He likely envisions his son eventually moving into management and wants to prepare him to do so.
The challenge here, as it often is, is communication. For this type of disagreement to occur, both people aren't articulating what their goals are and the paths they see toward those goals.
Your husband can fulfill his part by simply making it clear that his goals do not involve moving into management. He needs to make it clear that he's dressing for the role he aspires to, and that something he values deeply is a job that he enjoys doing and he's willing to accept non-executive pay for that position.
If your husband can't clearly articulate his career goals and his plans for achieving them, he should spend some time thinking about his plan for the future. Can he clearly state where he wants to be in five or ten years? What exactly is he going to do to make sure that happens? The more thought he's given to this and the more detail he can give, the better.
Your father-in-law should be able to accept that. If he's not, then your next move is to simply disregard his advice with regards to a career path. If he's still giving advice that seems to be guiding your husband toward a management role, your husband needs to just nod his head and then follow his own path.
I actually sympathize with your husband. I have little interest or desire to be involved with personnel management, and knowing that about myself has driven many of my choices, both in the past and even today. I don't want to manage people and it sounds like your husband doesn't either.
However, it's important to remember that (likely) your father-in-law cares deeply and desires a successful life without want for his son. Keep that in mind as you address this situation and handle everything with care and without anger or aggression.


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Monday, October 23, 2017
Swords & Wizardry Continual Light - One Week Later - Still Holding #1 Hottest Small Press at RPGNow
SWCL has held the Number 1 spot in the Hottest Small Press category at RPGNow steadily since last Tuesday (and is currently at 14 in Bestselling Titles) It also secured a "Copper Pick" rating at RPGNow.
Print sales of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light currently happen over on Amazon. There, SWCL sits at the 72nd spot in Books - Science Fiction & Fantasy - Gaming
Swords Wizardry Continual Light - Print
There's a bunch planned going forward for Swords & Wizardry Continual Light, both from third parties and myself. Good times ahead.
2 comments:
Say, are then any plans for a dedicated G+ community (or whatever) where dinguses (dingi?) such as myself can post fan created content, or do you think the OSR community sites at large will suffice? Now that Continual Light is a available, I can see using the existing S&W networks of nerds, but there's also stuff like optional classes which are specific to Continual Light. 'Cause I'm super heterosexual, but I like elves a lot, and I'm already getting ideas about optional elf classes.
*all divisive pejoratives in this post, such as dingus/dingi, nerd, heterosexual and elf/elves, are used in the most inclusive sense possible.Replies
on the G+ side, the Swords & Wizardry Community has a dedicated SWL channel - i think that would work fine.Delete
The Tavern's Discord Server has a dedicated SWL channel also - use this link to join the server - https://discord.gg/fReGmuD
of course, we can also share it here at The Tavern
oh, and there is a Slack server I had been using to organize Torchlight submissions, but that got put on hold - I may need to start using that again.
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Gunderholfen - By G. Hawkins Self-published OSRIC Levels 1-10+ Gunderholfen… Ancient, abandoned dwarf hold, battleground of arch-liches, cultist base, wizards' playground...1 day ago
d100 Prehistoric Monuments - These are common all across the country side of Sour Hill region and other places *How do you get to Sour Hill* *lost it's church and steeple* *lost ...1 day ago
Allergies In RPGs - I suffer from seasonal allergies, things like: pollen, dust, mold, and dogs and cats. This got me to thinking. What if adventurers had a defect of being ...1 day ago
Silent Titans - What Did and Didn't Work? - Reviews are mixed. It doesn't work. No, wait, it does. IT DEFINITELY WORKS. Ah crap, no it don't. So, not quite a bullet in the head, but no triumph wi...2 days ago
Review: Odysseys & Overlords - *Odysseys & Overlords* is a new Old-School setting and rules system from Travis Legge and Aegis Studios. Travis has an impressive bibliography with over 4...2 days ago
Thoughts from Skord as he lays his head upon a pillow - Unlike Funder, I do not have anyone to write this to. Instead I let the memories of the day wash over me as I try to get some much needed rest. The morn...2 days ago
Stonehell: Dragons and Tears - Session 100 was played on 6/8 Koltic, Cleric 6 (Chris) Jurda, wizard 1 (henchman) Robin the Bard (0 level human) Kili, Dwarf Cleric 6 (Matt) Freya, Fighte...2 days ago
Free GM Resource: Ruins of Arduin Swords & Wizardry Campaign Supplement - [image: Free GM Resource: Ruins of Arduin Swords & Wizardry Campaign Supplement] The most popular game my buddy and I played (i.e., his favorite) at North ...2 days ago
[REVIEW] Into the Jungle - *Into the Jungle (2019)* by Christian Plogfors Self-published *"The Vietcong dug too deep*." This is one of the games whose core idea can be summed up in ...3 days ago
To-Do Lists, Making Friends and Influencing People, and Ruling the World - One thing that I can struggle with is making sure NPCs stay dynamic. They aren't just animatronic puppets that sit in their castles, inns, and lairs wait...3 days ago
North Texas RPG Con Victorious Game: Moriarty Must Die! - Hello all, A 4 day convention, an allergy attack Saturday, and con crud this past week has conspired to keep me from writing this recap of the Victorious g...3 days ago
Miskatonic Monday #16: Call of Poolthulhu - Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association b...3 days ago
Personalyzed armor - One more attempt at "fixing" armor; a bit different from encumbrance armor, but the basis is the same. Hope I am not repeating some old post... The goals: ...3 days ago
Akratic Wizardry is 10 years old - It's hard for me to believe it, but I started this blog ten years ago today. Over the past decade the blog has received almost a million page views (930,...3 days ago
Playing with the new Contrast Paints - There is an old adage "Use the right tools for the right job", and this is certainly true when it comes to the modelling and painting aspects of our hobby....4 days ago
Gone missing in Arden Vul? - I've just finished laying out Level 7 and am on to Level 8. We're currently at 520 pages and counting! Here's a preview of one of the Adventure Hooks - Res...5 days ago
3d Printing All Over The Show - Now that my printer's back in action, I've been expanding my 15mm WWII catalogue a bit, though without any particular care about a consistent theme. In t...5 days ago
Harnmanor PDF on sale for 99 cents! - Back when I started out playing RPGs in 1978, I appreciated Traveller's trade rules. It got a lot done with a simple and elegant design.It had details but...6 days ago
Honey Caves Harvesting - One of the major parts of food production in Kaendor is the harvesting of honey from giant bees. Giant bees construct their hives in cave systems and aband...6 days ago
And Now the News Draft Download on Patreon - It's self-styled Throwback Thursday and *having just released the 34-page draft booklet of Hill Cantons news to my Patreon backers* I am going to indulge m...1 week ago
World of Warcraft Classic - It's happened. Like when light hits the event horizon of a black hole. World of Warcraft Classic is in beta. Actually, I haven't received an invite yet, ...1 week ago
On the Mythic Underworld, Illustrated - Hey everyone! I'd just like to announce that I've finally got my Etsy store open! A lot of the beautiful artwork, including some from the best-rated, awar...1 week ago
New Vivimancer Spell: Anasethesia - A little vivimancer spell that I came up with recently, statted in the Old-School Essentials format. Anaesthesia (1st level vivimancer spell)*Duration:* ...1 week ago
The Chronicles of Nolenor Play Report #18 – Return of the Balrog - Real date: 9/2/18 In-game date: November 7th, EY632 PCs: Ambrose (Hero – Fighter L4) – RIP killed by a Balrog! … Continue reading →1 week ago
Why Character Creation Comes First - One thing that some gamers have long questioned, but so many more have left unquestioned (to the extent that the situation has become the norm in most RPGs...1 week ago
The Withered Crag available now - I just enabled the sale of the PDF version of The Withered Crag at DriveThruRPG a few minutes ago, and the custom print version will be available starting...2 weeks ago
The Ever Widening Gulf: Part 2 of 3 : Eras of gaming - Get off my lawn! The post The Ever Widening Gulf: Part 2 of 3 : Eras of gaming appeared first on Omens and Portents.2 weeks ago
Runequest - Trolls and Trollkin - *From the back cover:* *"Stroll in boldly and back out fighting! Who could have imagined such a hornet's nest? TROLLS & TROLLKIN is a collection of ...2 weeks ago
The Fire Cults - Although most of the world doesn't differentiate between the various Fire Cults, they are quite different from each other. Even discussing them under the ...2 weeks ago
Compendium: 48 Hours Left - We're now in the final 48 hours of the compendium Kickstarter campaign. This is your last chance to sign up for the limited edition hardcover book. Generou...3 weeks ago
Retail Déjà Vu - This is going to look familiar to those of you over 30. You may remember when D&D was sold in Sears stores. I actually never got any of my stuff from Sear...3 weeks ago
CASTLE GREYFALKUN™ UPDATE - *Castle Greyfalkun™ Organization* *© 1973-2019. Robert J. Kuntz. All Rights Reserved.* *North 2** Mordenkaine's Menagerie* *North 3** The Terrible Tunnels...4 weeks ago
Good Referee Practices - Preview of SS&SS 2e Chapter - Part III - *Now for the last part of this preview of Good Referee Principles that will be part of the Running the Game chapter of the revised edition of Sharp Swords...4 weeks ago
Annihilation Rising Goes live - The latest in Fail Squad Games' Quick Kick projects has gone live and needs your support!! This project is only running 11 days and ends on 5/28/2019! ...4 weeks ago
New Class: The Beekeeper - Honeyed heroes. Wardens of the hives. Masked protectors of our buzzing pals. Beekeepers use a d8 hit die. They gain experience and roll saving throws as a ...4 weeks ago
Humanity Restored - On Twitter (!) recently, @BrianBloodaxe brought up level drain, which reminded me how I ran it in OD&D for Vaults of Pahvelorn. What follows is a slight re...5 weeks ago
Electric Devices - Bastion is Electric now. There are still Oddities we don't understand, whether they're from Alien visitors, the output of Underground Machines, or just thi...5 weeks ago
Was Google+ Gaming's Camelot? - Okay, so it's been a little over a month since Google+ died (at least for the gaming community), although most of us escaped to new online homes well befor...5 weeks ago
Monster from Lake Tagua (South American School, 18th Century) - [image: Monster from Lake Tagua, 18th C] Artwork found at Christies.1 month ago
Mysthea (something epic this way comes) - [image: Mockup of the hardback book] *An ancient, crystal-encrusted planet is rocked by war. As Kingdom fights Empire and the borderlands are caught in th...1 month ago
Read Wormy from First to Last - Happy Birthday Dave Trampier! Dave and I have something in common, we share the same birthdate. I was reminiscing about the Wormy comic strip and found thi...1 month ago
James A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Video - A beloved father, devoted friend, and D&D Dungeon Master extraordinaire. We miss you! To view video, click here Memorial Video Note - The original video...1 month ago
Trap Tuesday: A step back - I will get back to Tomb of Horrors soon. I found a topic that was interesting enough to take a break. While interacting in a 5E group on Facebook I talked ...2 months ago
Cairn Hills Lairs - The 1st and 2nd Fluted Cairns - I've been noodling on more regional Greyhawk adventure locations, and the Cairn Hills continue to call to me---there's LOTS of room in them thar hills for ...2 months ago
Thoughts on Arneson's "Armor class" - He said it lots of times, like this: " I adopted the rules I'd done earlier for a Civil War game called Ironclads that had hit points and armor class. It m...2 months ago
[D&D] More miscellaneous AD&D house rules - A few more miscellaneous AD&D house rule bits and pieces I've had sitting around. This material would've been included in the AD&D Companion except that I ...2 months ago
GROVER - With apologies to Michael Smollin and Sesame Workshop... Init *last* Melee Atk • hold back +6 (stops movement for one round) AC 8 HD 2d4 MV 10-20 Act 2d1...2 months ago
Session 4: Into the Wolf Creek Ruins - Session 4 is in the books. This is the first session with @erik tenkar and @Jason Hobbs, along with @Joethelawyer and @Matt Jackson. The party is unravelin...2 months ago
Let's Talk About Pacing! - The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player was...3 months ago
Gary Con XI - Another Gary Con is in the books. Sticking to tradition, I roomed with the same guys as last year (Judge Jeff of Spellburn and Appendix N, weird illustrat...3 months ago
Major Announcement: The Lone Bards - As you know, I am part of a Kickstarter that has funded and ended today. *Cade's Big Book o' Booze* The writer of the Zine is Justin Isaac of Halls of the ...3 months ago
The Complete OD&D Illusionist - The Illusionist in *Dungeons & Dragons *was created by Peter Aronson, an early Boston-area fan. In 1975, Aronson submitted an initial description of Illu...3 months ago
Our First Kickstarter! - Support the Kickstarter here!3 months ago
Somebody stop me - This system is basically an unholy hybrid of Into the Odd and a few of my previous experiments here and here. Design goals: - Remove hit points - Ti...3 months ago
New Reference & Handout Pack available for The Hyqueous Vaults - From the Better-Late-Than-Never Department, I just uploaded a Reference & Handout Pack for The Hyqueous Vaults, that includes an un-keyed map for virtual t...4 months ago
Profane and Profound Prep Part 2 - This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release, along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a Saint 8000...4 months ago
We Has Met the Enemy Part Four - With the Triumph en route to the Flying Dutchman, the Martian Admirals saw an opportunity to at once cripple Earth's Asteroid Belt operations and destroy t...4 months ago
Character Motivation in OD&D – More Than Murder-Hobos - A fundamental assumption in OD&D is that all player characters want treasure (after all, it's the source of the vast majority of XP awarded). But this does...5 months ago
SHORT BREAK. - I'm going to take a break for a week or so and will start up again in the New Year. Thanks for reading and we'll start with Level 6 when I get back.5 months ago
Iain Lovecraft, 3D Sculptor - Nope, it's got nothing to do with Cthulhu. I just did a video conversation with Iain Lovecraft, who designs 3D miniatures and terrain. If you're not doin...6 months ago
New website! - Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that site wil...7 months ago
Please Update Your Link! - If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is out of date. Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is h...7 months ago
Review: Tiny Dungeon 2e - After reading *Eorathril *and *For Coin & Blood*, Gallant Knight Games has really become a publisher I respect for their OSR work. Seriously, they do OSR r...8 months ago
Total Sales for WB:FMAG - Hi Folks, It's been a long time since I provided an update for the sales of White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game. *LULU* Print: 396 PDF: 433 *OBS*...8 months ago
How can We Destroy this Campaign World? - d12 1. You must trick a bard into strumming the *Chords of Fate* on the *Lute of Annihilation* 2. Legends tell of thermonuclear weapons beneath megadungeo...8 months ago
Mord Mar - Session 6 - We weren't able to play Mord Mar last week, due to a family funeral. This week we played on Monday for the first time, due to kids returning to school and ...9 months ago
A Small, Quiet Plea - There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is my hobby....1 year ago
E is for Earths - ...of the parallel variety, that is. I'd love for Light City to be accessible for all sorts of supers gaming. I also just love a good, wacky multiverse. ...1 year ago
Don't Sleep It's Broken - Expanding/editing my comments from What Makes Something Broken G+ thread: "Broken", for me, is anything that makes normal character choices, tactics, or ro...1 year ago
The Warlock's Tower - *F*or over eighty years, the Warlock lurked in his tower of stone, crafting all manner of trinket and bauble for the many curious novice and veteran travel...1 year ago
Swords & Wizardry Light-Themed Birthday Party - Last month, my wife and I helped our oldest to celebrate his birthday in style. Ever since 2013, we have hosted a themed birthday party for our now-15-ye...1 year ago