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Palast on Staying Home with Josh Fox: Let voters choose the politicians not other way around

There is much to fear, especially for minority and young voters, with a switch to all-mail voting — unless our system is fixed. Palast and Fox discuss the challenges our democracy faces during the coronavirus pandemic and what we need to do to

The post Palast on Staying Home with Josh Fox: Let voters choose the politicians not other way around appeared first on Greg Palast.




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Palast & David Cay Johnston: How Trump Stole 2020 — A Warning!

They don’t steal votes to steal elections. They steal votes to steal the money. If you can steal an election, you’ve stolen the keys to the treasury — our treasury. In this conversation, award-winning investigative reporters and authors Greg Palast and David Cay Johnston follow the (stolen) money, and expose the billionaires and ballots bandits who are systematically stripping the United States of its assets, just as a vulture fund would with a corporate entity caught in its talons.

The post Palast & David Cay Johnston: How Trump Stole 2020 — A Warning! appeared first on Greg Palast.




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Thursday is New Jobless Day

3.2 million new lucky duckies.




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EP 169 - Xbox One Outsells PS4 In July, No Mans Sky, Halo 5 Firefight, Warframe

Pradius talks Final Fantasy 15, Xbox One outselling PS4 in July, the boredom of No Mans Sky, having a blast in Warzone Firefight on Halo 5, plus Halo Wars 2 and Warframe stuff. Enjoy!

Episode 169 - YouTube | Frag Tag Radio

Questions or comments? Contact us!
Message us mail@fragtagradio.com. Text or voicemail (1-304-TALK-FTR).




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8 Essential Project Management Skills for Productive Work

Every project manager has their strengths and weaknesses. Still, to be genuinely productive, you must have a blend of project management skills that are adaptable and ready for any situation. No project is ever the same, especially when working with different stakeholders, team members, third parties, and new challenges in each moment. Project managers and [...]Read More...




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GameStop Pro Day - 4/18 - Not Just for Pro Members Anymore

GameStop’s Pro Day Sale

 

Note:

For 4/18 only, Pro Deals for ALL at GameStop.com

On Saturday only, if you aren't a Pro Member, score 5,000 bonus points when you become a Power Up Rewards member and Pro Members score 2x points per dollar spent. See some of the top offers below!

 

Top Offers:

  • Save $70 on a Pre-Owned 1TB PlayStation 4 Pro System only $269.99
  • Save $100 on the limited edition Xbox One X 1TB NBA 2K20 Console only $299.99
  • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle only $16.99 (over 70% off)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint only $14.99 (75% off)
  • Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order only $38.99 (35% off)
  • $10 off Madden 20 only $19.99
  • $40 off NBA 2K20 only $19.99
  • Mortal Kombat only $18.99 (52% off)
  • $40 off Borderlands 3 only $19.99
  • Buy 2 Get 1 Free All $11.99 Pop! Figures
  • Save $30 on Red Dead Redemption II now only $29.99
  • Save $80 on Arcade1Up Mortal Kombat Arcade Cabinet with Riser now only $299.99
  • Just Dance 2020 only $18.99 (52% off)
  • Only $10 all T-Shirts (Excludes Clearance)
  • Save up to $35 on select games

GameStop’s Pro Day Sale

 

 

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    SouthernStrokes: Luke Geer and Jack Finix

    Jack Finix is alone in his room, with the door ajar. He’s stroking his uncut cock when suddenly, he looks up and signals for someone to come in. It’s his buddy, Luke Geer, who immediately steps inside, grabs hold of Jack’s tool, and takes over as they make out. They’re soon hard and naked except... View Article

    The post SouthernStrokes: Luke Geer and Jack Finix appeared first on QueerClick.




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    PrideStudios: Jack Andy and Riley Mitchel

    After finding out about their co-worker’s secret on-the-job fuck spot, Riley Mitchel and Jack Andy sneak away the first chance they can get to check it out for themselves. They agree it’s a perfect spot where no one else would think to look for them, and not wanting to be outdone by their co-worker, they... View Article

    The post PrideStudios: Jack Andy and Riley Mitchel appeared first on QueerClick.




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    Fox's Judge Napolitano Slams ‘Dangerous’ McConnell Plan To Shield Businesses From Coronavirus Lawsuits

    Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano said on Thursday that a Republican plan to shield businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits is “dangerous.”

    Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) suggested that he would not support additional relief funds to households and businesses unless the package also includes a measure shielding businesses from liability for coronavirus infections.

    But Napolitano argued that the provision would be anti-conservative and violate states rights.

    “Can the Congress tell state courts that they cannot hear claims of liability when someone goes into a public accommodation and contracts coronavirus?” the Fox News analyst explained. “Congress has been very reticent to do that. Conservatives who believe in states rights have been very reluctant to interfere with the operation of state courts.”

    Napolitano pointed out that the only other instance where Congress has restricted state courts is a law that prohibits gun manufacturers from being sued over gun violence.

    “I think that this liability shield business is very dangerous,” he added. “The decision of whose fault someone was harmed by should be decided by juries and not by politicians.”




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    Access Journalism Is Killing Us

    Published with permission of PRESS RUN, Eric Boehlert’s new must-read media newsletter. Subscribe here.

    Finally emerging from his pandemic-era Fox News bunker, Trump sat for an interview with ABC News this week. For weeks as the U.S. death toll skyrocketed and tens of millions of people lost their jobs, Trump had agreed only to answer pleasing, one-on-one questions from Fox News. He did his best to create an alternate universe, where the deadly cornonavirus would soon "wash away."

    Agreeing to be interviewed by ABC, Trump appeared to be taking a risk by exposing himself to tougher questions about his historically incompetent response to the public health crisis, and a mountain of evidence that he personally chose to do nothing to protect the country from a virus invasion. In the end, the soft-as-a-pillow interview on ABC proved to be no risk. And Trump probably knew that going in, because TV journalists, perhaps more concerned about access than answers, simply refuse to hold him accountable in-person.

    read more




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    JetGlider Couple




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    Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 Is Now Available For Xbox One

    Enjoy the two arcade experiences from Blue Sunset Games now available in one bundle:   Product Info: Developer: Blue Sunset Games Publisher: Blue Sunset Games Website: Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 Twitter: @BlueSunsetGames




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    In the Interest of Safety, NFPA Cancels June 2020 NFPA Conference & Expo® in Orlando

    At this time, the world continues to be significantly impacted by COVID-19 and we no longer believe it is possible to host and conduct the NFPA Conference and Expo in June. NFPA is a safety organization and we would not hold an event where the well-being



    • nfpa conference & expo
    • home fire sprinklers
    • 2019 nfpa conference & expo
    • home fire sprinkler advocacy

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    Darkest Of Days At DOJ

    The corrupt, unprecedented abandonment of the prosecution of Mike Flynn by the Barr Justice Department – despite having secured a...




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    A Catastrophe for the DOJ

    From TPM Reader ANON … Your brief write-up is true as far as it goes, but doesn’t even scratch the...




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    How amateur satellite trackers are keeping an 'eye' on objects around the Earth

    Around the planet, a loosely knit but closely woven band of amateurs monitor the whereabouts of satellites — be they secretive spacecraft, rocket stages, orbital debris or lost space probes.




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    Chaos reigns in detailed new views of Jupiter's icy moon Europa

    Scientists have gotten their best look to date at three chaotic patches on the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa thanks to decade-old images from a long-defunct spacecraft.




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    The Very Early Perimenopause: What We Can Learn from Dr. Jerilynn Prior’s Research

    by Nina Coslov

    In my early 40s, I started noticing changes in my body. A once great sleeper, I was now waking at 2 a.m. – often with lots of energy and sometimes with anxiety. I’d be awake for about 3 hours before I could get back to sleep. Around the same time, premenstrual breast tenderness returned — something I hadn’t experienced since my 20s, before I had children. Not long after, I’d notice from time to time a pervasive edginess, a revving — an energetic ... More

    The post The Very Early Perimenopause: What We Can Learn from Dr. Jerilynn Prior’s Research appeared first on Our Bodies Ourselves.




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    Please Support Civil Liberties and Public Policy During the Covid-19 Crisis: An Appeal from Judy Norsigian

    These challenging times require fierce, broad, and intersectional activism – which is just what Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP) has been doing for the past four decades. This now-independent nonprofit, which used to be affiliated with Hampshire College, continues its unique movement-building work preparing younger activists to work on the front lines of today’s struggle for reproductive justice. Please consider supporting CLPP today with a generous donation. 

    As we know, the Covid-19 pandemic is disproportionately harming those in our communities who were already facing ... More

    The post Please Support Civil Liberties and Public Policy During the Covid-19 Crisis: An Appeal from Judy Norsigian appeared first on Our Bodies Ourselves.



    • Abortion & Reproductive Rights
    • Activism & Resources

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    Book week 2019: Jane Setter's Your Voice Speaks Volumes

    Welcome to the first review post of Book Week 2019. See the intro to Book Week 2019 to understand more about what I'm doing this week.

    I'm starting with the most recent book in the ol' pile of books from publishers:

    Your voice speaks volumes
    it's not what you say, but how you say it

    by Jane Setter
    Oxford University Press, 2019


    Jane is Professor of Phonetics at the University of Reading (UK) and a recipient of the prestigious National Teaching Fellowship. (As you can see, we are on a first-name basis, as we travel some of the same Public Linguist circles.) I mention the teaching fellowship because it is relevant: Jane is excellent at making linguistics, particularly phonetics, crystal clear for the uninitiated. She uses that talent to great effect in her first book for the general public. 

    This book speaks squarely to a general British audience — and to those who want to know more about English-language issues and attitudes in this country. I'm writing this on a day when my social media feed has given me (a) the story of a man wrongly arrested for public drunkenness in Brighton—because the police had mistaken his Liverpool accent for slurring and (b) a misreading of the relevance of accent in the US (as a means to say something about how accents are read in the UK). But I'd have at least two such things to tell you about on any other day when I might have written this post. Accents make the news in Britain because they matter inordinately. Differences that might not be discernible to those from other countries are imbued with layers and layers of meaning and subjected to piles and piles of prejudice. 

    As I warned in the intro to Book Week, I have not been able to read the whole book. But I was able to get through much more than I thought I'd be able to in a single evening (four of the seven chapters: 1, 2, 3, 7). Part of my speed was because I could skim the bits that were explaining linguistic facts that I already knew. (That's not to say that the facts here are too basic. I've just had a helluva lotta linguistics education.) But it is a zippy read throughout. Setter uses personal and celebrity stories to demonstrate the everyday relevance of the phonetic and sociolinguistic facts that she's explaining. (Hey look, I seem to revert to last-name basis when I'm reviewing someone's book.) 

    The chapters I haven't yet read are those that I'd probably learn the most from: on the use of linguistics in forensic investigations, on voices in performance (including accent training for actors and why singers' accents change in song—which she should know, since she's also a singer in a rock band), and on transgender and synthesized voices. I started with the chapter that relates most to my work ('English voices, global voices') and then went back to the beginning where I was most likely to run into things I already know. That's good from a reviewing perspective, because I can say with confidence that Setter covers well the things that I know need to be covered for her audience. But as I got further into the book, the more unexpected things I learned. I ended in the chapter on women's and men's voices, and I will tell you: I learned some things! To give an example, I liked her interpretation of a study in which women and men were asked to count to ten using various kinds of voices, including 'confident' and 'sexy'. It turns out men generally don't have a 'sexy voice' to put on, while women do, and this might tell us something about what we're sociali{s/z}ed to find sexy—and why.

    It's hard to write about sound —and especially about linguistic sounds for a general audience. Writing for linguists is easy, because we have a lot of practice in using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). But you don't want to fill a book for non-linguists with letters that don't make the same sound as they make in English spelling, or letters they've never even seen before. Setter mostly talks about accents without having to get into the kind of phonetic minutiae that excite linguists and make laypeople glaze over. Where she does need technical terms (e.g. lexical sets), she explains them carefully and clearly. But happily for all of us, Setter wrote this book in the internet age. Throughout the book, there are scannable QR codes by which one can hear the sounds she's talking about. (You can get there without a QR reader too, the web URLs are provided.)

    For readers of this blog with an interest in US/UK issues, there is plenty of comparison between UK and US and discussion of "Americani{s/z}ation". These are discussed with an assumed familiarity with British Englishes and less with American Englishes.

    This book is an important instrument for fighting accentism and other linguistic prejudice in the UK. It might make a nice gift for that person in your life who says they "care deeply about the English language", but really what they mean is "I like to judge other people's use of the English language". 

    But more than that, it is a great demonstration of what the study of phonetics can do. I really, really recommend it for A-level students in English (language) and their teachers, as it touches on many of the areas of linguistics taught at that level and would surely inspire many doable research projects. 

    Let me just end with: congratulations on this book, Jane!




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    geez, jeez!


    As with many of my discoveries about English, this one happened during a Scrabble game. I had played GEEZ and my opponent challenged it, stating that she thought I needed a J rather than a G. When British people think I've got English wrong, I make a note of it, go home, and look it up. And about half the time, it is because there is a national/dialectal difference to be found. (The rest of the time, it's down to some weird beliefs about language. And most of the things we believe about language are weird, and little to do with reality. This has been the main thesis of my research career.)

    Geez/jeez is originally AmE, a way of not-taking the name Jesus in vain. I was probably an adult before I reali{s/z}ed that. To me, it was just some thing people said, and I didn't make the connection, just like a lot of people probably don't reali{s/z}e (till someone tells them) that (BrE) crikey is a way to avoid saying Christ or (BrE) cor, blimey stared as an avoidance of God blind me.

    Whether people spelled it with a G because they didn't see the relationship to Jesus or whether using the G was a way to keep it one more step removed from Jesus, I don't know. What I do know is that the G is the more common spelling in AmE, but it's rarely used in BrE, where the expression has caught on (not least in imitations of Americans). I suspect that when it entered BrE people could see its minced-oath nature, and so assumed it was spel{led/t} with a J.

    Click to embiggen.
    https://www.english-corpora.org/glowbe/
     As we've seen before, there's a lot of spelling variation in interjections, which start their lives in speech and mostly stay there. They never get tested in school spelling quizzes, you just do what you want with them.  It will be interesting to see whether there's more standardization of the spelling of speech-like bits as an effect of the more speech-like writing we do online.  (If anyone knows of such research, I'd be interested to hear about it. I had a quick look and didn't find anything super-relevant, but there must be some out there.)

    Jack Grieve has made a word-mapper tool for seeing where particular words are tweeted most in the USA. You might enjoy his maps of Sweary USA. I tried it for geez/jeez to see if there's any variation in the US. As you can see, saying {g/j}eez is not a regional thing. It's all over. But spelling it with the J, while less common overall (note the different colo[u]r scales for the maps), is more common in 'the North', i.e. the northeast and northern midwest.



    What struck me about the jeez map is how the jeez area seems to echo Yankeedom in Colin Woodard's American Nations. Woodard's book posits that different regional subcultures of the US derive from its migration histories, with value systems travel(l)ing westward from the east coast (and then dispersing in different ways when migration patterns become less linear and sparser in the 'west'. Woodard's maps look much like maps of major dialect areas in the US.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-nations-of-the-united-states-2015-7
    Perhaps BrE has the jeez spelling because of greater contact with the northeast—though I doubt that is the relevant issue, since exposure to the word is probably mostly through speech. Perhaps Yankeedom and the UK have in common a feeling that the oath does not need so much mincing, and so they are more apt to spell it in line with its etymology.

    If you're interested similar speaking/spelling problems, you be interested in these other posts. Please comment about those ones at their posts and keep those parties going:




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    RFP now open for Fire Protection Research Foundation project on “Combustible Gas Distribution in Buildings and Detector Location Analysis”

    Recent experiences with combustible gas releases in residential buildings have led to a proposal for NFPA Standards Development for locating combustible gas detectors and consensus on installation location requirements. NFPA is considering a proposed




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    Request for Proposals are now open for three FPRF research projects

    Request for Proposals are now open for three Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) research projects.   First Responder Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) Operations Training: Baseline Materials & Usage Assessment: The overall goal of




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    Prefab Danish home was built from CLT and weathered steel in just 3 days

    Set into the lush green landscape of Denmark's Fyn island, Villa Korup is a large home designed for a family of six. A collaboration between Danish architect Jan Henrik Jansen and Australian architect Marshall Blecher, Villa Korup, which features three elongated "wings", was prefabricated offsite using weathered steel and CLT panels.[...]




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    Natural materials make up this energy-saving Jakarta home

    Architecture firm Atelier Riri has reaped the energy-saving benefits of Indonesia’s tropical climate in their design of the House at Serpong, a climate-responsive suburban house in Jakarta. After conducting solar studies and site analyses, the architects crafted the four-story home with strategically placed voids, windows, elevated gardens and solar shading devices to reduce unwanted solar gain and take advantage of natural cooling. The home was built primarily of natural materials that give the building a warm and tactile feel.[...]




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    This recycled metal jewelry is inspired by our world

    Raised in the countryside of South West England, creative artist Emma Aitchison has developed a jewelry line inspired by and respectful to nature. Furthermore, Aitchison wanted her unique designs to act as a symbol for environmental awareness and to provoke conversations about protecting vital resources on the planet.[...]




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    Project Lunark to test a prototype moon habitat powered by solar

    “What does it take to live on the moon?” That was the question put forward by Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sørensen, the founders of SAGA Space Architects and the analog astronauts behind Lunark, a prototype moon habitat. Designed in collaboration with scientists, engineers and polar experts, Lunark will be tested over three months in northern Greenland as part of the first Arctic-simulated moon mission. In addition to its resilience to extreme temperatures, the habitat will be engineered for a zero-waste ecosystem and will draw power from solar panels.[...]




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    Portland welcomes first Living Building Challenge project

    Pacific Northwest architecture firm Mahlum has made history with the certification of its new architecture studio as Portland's first Living Building Challenge (LBC) project. As an LBC-certified workspace, Mahlum's new studio meets rigorous sustainability targets including net-zero embodied carbon emissions and the diversion of almost all construction waste from the landfill. The project is the 48th LBC-certified project in the United States and 57th in the world. [...]




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    Platitude Adjustment



    Platitude Adjustment




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    This Japanese Newspaper Has A Secret Message

    What seems to be just a page full of bubbles turns out to be a heartwarming message when viewed from a distance. This newspaper from Gifu Shimbun was issued on May 6.

    Utilizing a form of bubbly negative space to render the text, the newspaper spelled out a message to its readers about social distancing. The magic is you have to maintain an appropriate social distance to read the letters.
    The message reads, 離れていても 心はひとつ, which means even though we’re apart, our hearts are one.

    Thanks, Japan!

    (Image Credit: @simplife_plus/ Twitter)




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    Zero-Day Warning: It's Possible to Hack iPhones Just by Sending Emails

    Watch out Apple users! The default mailing app pre-installed on millions of iPhones and iPads has been found vulnerable to two critical flaws that attackers are exploiting in the wild, at least, from the last two years to spy on high-profile victims. The flaws could eventually let remote hackers secretly take complete control over Apple devices just by sending an email to any targeted




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    New Malware Jumps Air-Gapped Devices by Turning Power-Supplies into Speakers

    Cybersecurity researcher Mordechai Guri from Israel's Ben Gurion University of the Negev recently demonstrated a new kind of malware that could be used to covertly steal highly sensitive data from air-gapped and audio-gapped systems using a novel acoustic quirk in power supply units that come with modern computing devices. Dubbed 'POWER-SUPPLaY,' the latest research builds on a series of




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    When Will a Self-Published Book Win a Major Book Award?

    The post When Will a Self-Published Book Win a Major Book Award? appeared first on Fiction Notes.

    Dear Librarians who serve on one of the ALA Youth Media Awards committees (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Michael L. Printz, Schneider Family, Alex, Mildred L. Batchelder, Odyssey, Pura Belpré, Robert F. Siebert, Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media, Stonewall, Theodor Seuss Geisel, William C. Morris, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, Continue Reading

    The post When Will a Self-Published Book Win a Major Book Award? appeared first on Fiction Notes.




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    Pâte Brisée : Jêrôme's 4-ingredient wine-based shortcrust pastry is easy, versatile, delicious for savory quiche or sweet, delectable pie!

    I can tell you--after seeing them in the bathroom mirror this morning--this shortcrust pastry recipe will give you les poignées d'amour. That's French for "love handles." Même pas peur? Not even scared? Good! Read on and discover a truly delicious and versatile pâte brisée. I should know...I've tested 10 of them in the past week--ever since you asked for the recipe! Today's Word: la pâte brisée : shortcrust pastry, a rich dough for making pie crust Audio: Listen to the words pâte brisée in this soundfile En cuisine, la pâte brisée est une pâte servant de base aux tartes salées ou sucrées. La pâte brisée désigne généralement une pâte composée principalement de farine et de matière grasse sans sucre. In cooking, shortcrust pastry is a dough used as a base for savory or sweet pies. Shortcrust pastry generally refers to a dough composed mainly of flour and fat, without sugar. Jérôme's Pâte Brisée: 4-ingredient Shortcrust Pastry (makes one large or two small tarts!) Ingredients... 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 cup sunflower oil Note: ordinary white wine is all you need. Leftover wine will work as long as it hasn't turned to vinegar. For...




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    These Are the 51 GOP Senators Who Just Voted Against Expanding Paid Sick Leave to Protect Americans

    Republican senators on Wednesday teamed up to kill an amendment introduced by Democratic Sen. Patty Murray that would have expanded paid sick leave to millions of U.S. workers left out of a bipartisan coronavirus relief package. Every Republican present for the vote, 51 in total, voted against the amendment while every Senate Democrat voted in favor. […]




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    Why Trump Can Just Get Away With It

    By Dan Duddy  Published: May 08th, 2020 




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    The now of January 2020

    January, a fresh start, an injection of newness, 31 days or more (as it felt) still straddling multiple notebooks and planners and apps. A blur, with some emotional spikes both up and down but residual good feeling. Some newness to share: A new volunteer opportunity at the Good Neighbor Center. A new album, courtesy of... Continue Reading →






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    Yeah, Girl. Just A Sniff!

    HEY GIRL!.....whats your butt smell like?





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    Report: Cassian Andor series to film starting in June

    The series, a prequel to Rogue One, will star Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk reprising their film roles




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    Star Wars out this week: The Rise of Skywalker is just days away!

    Movie week!



    • books and comics
    • sequel trilogy
    • star wars
    • star wars (2015 comic)
    • star wars adventures (comic)
    • the rise of kylo ren (comic)
    • the rise of skywalker
    • tros reference/nonfiction

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    Review: The Rise of Skywalker is a wobbly but enjoyable conclusion to the saga

    It's not perfect but I did enjoy it!




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    November 20, 2019 Featured Projects

    Every two weeks we pick our favorite 15 projects that Craftster readers have voted for with the “This Rocks!” button. Here are our latest picks which were lovingly and painstakingly chosen (so many amazing projects to choose from!), this time by rackycoo. We hope you enjoy them! Baby Carrots the Mini-Pinata by EriChanHime supernatural pumpkin […]




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    Craftster Featured Projects – Dedicated to the People Who Made It

    Since February 2009, we have chosen 15 current Featured Projects from around Craftster. Ten years of amazing featured projects. Today, though, in lieu of the site closing, we are bringing you the final collection of Featured Projects for Craftster — ever. And today, we are not featuring current projects. Today, we are featuring a collection […]




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    Karepan (Japanese Curry Grilled Cheese)

    A crispy grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with Japanese style dry curry and plenty of melted cheese! April is National Grilled Cheese Month and I just had to share a grilled cheese recipe with you! Karepan (or kare pan or curry bread) is a Japanese food where dough is filled with curry and deep fried until...

    Read On →

    The post Karepan (Japanese Curry Grilled Cheese) appeared first on Closet Cooking.




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    Tassie Devil Joeys Are Fiercely Cute!

    No serious, I want one of these.