text stringlengths 211 577k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 1 value | url stringlengths 14 371 | file_path stringclasses 644 values | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float64 0.93 1 | token_count int64 54 121k | score float64 1.5 1.84 | int_score int64 2 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Remarks With Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa
Secretary of State
This page contains an item that cannot be displayed on mobile devices.
MODERATOR: (In Spanish.)
FOREIGN SECRETARY ESPINOSA: (In Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very, very much, Secretary Espinosa. And it is a great pleasure and an honor to be here for this bilateral meeting. I very much looked forward to this visit and I learned that you, yourself, personally, have a connection to Guanajuato in a way that makes it even more special to me. So thank you for inviting me and our delegation to have this important meeting here, and I want to also thank the governor and the mayor who welcomed me at the airport.
Before I begin, I want to express a very strong condemnation of today’s terrorist attacks at the Moscow Airport. We stand with the people of Russia in this moment of sorrow and grief, and we offer both our condolences and our very strong solidarity as they continue the struggle that so many of us face in combating and eliminating this international terror threat.
Closer to Mexico, and especially here, I just learned that Bishop Samuel Ruiz, a native son, has passed away. And I was told by my colleagues that he was a tireless mediator who sought reconciliation and justice through dialogue, and that is exactly the legacy that should be honored and the example that should be followed.
We have just had a very productive meeting, as we always do. I have to publicly thank the secretary for the excellent cooperation, partnership, and friendship that she and I have developed during my two years as Secretary of State. I think it reflects the commitment by our two presidents. Both President Obama and President Calderon, are very committed to this relationship, which we consider one of the most important in the world. And both President Obama and I have been very impressed by President Calderon’s courage and leadership, and we are very heartened by his commitment to a stronger U.S.-Mexico relationship and partnership. And it is because of our commitment at the highest levels of our government that we are here today discussing in a very open way all of the issues between us and working on enhancing our cooperation to produce results that will benefit both the people of Mexico and the people of the United States.
Mexico is not only an important bilateral partner. Mexico is a regional and global leader. We see that every single day. We saw it most especially at the recent Cancun climate talks. Our two nations worked together not only as neighbors but as partners in meeting the global climate challenge. And thanks in large part to President Calderon’s leadership and Secretary Espinosa’s chairmanship, Mexico played the central role in achieving a consensus agreement that proved the skeptics wrong and broke important new ground on the path toward a cleaner, more secure energy future.
Mexico is also playing an important role here in the region. We spoke at length about Haiti. We are jointly urging the Haitian Government to honor the recommendations of the Organization of American States as Haiti prepares to hold a second round of elections. We also spoke about how we can do more bilaterally to enhance clean energy and deal with climate change. We are working to extend our efforts against transnational crime into Central America to give the people of Central America more support and security.
We are deepening our economic ties. We are enhancing the global competitiveness of our two countries. Now, I know it doesn't make the headlines, but in the last two years we’ve had so many positive developments between the United States and Mexico: three new border crossings – two in Texas, one in Arizona – that are enhancing the more than $1 billion worth of trade that cross our border every day. We are working to make sure that we are going to be positioned to play a very big role in North America in the 21st century economy. Mexico will be hosting the G-20 in 2012. Mexico played a very important role, under President Calderon’s leadership, in helping to guide the global economy through very difficult times over the last two years.
We are committed to this relationship on every single level. And we are following through on the declaration by both of our presidents on 21st century border management. We’re exploring ways to inspect and clear legitimate goods away from border stations. We are trying to do more on our side of the border to prevent money laundering and illegal arms coming in to Mexico. We are working with our counterparts in each of our governments to create trucking policies that reduce transit costs and enhance safety on our roads. We discussed ways to use the $1 billion in available financing from Ex-Im Bank to Banobras to build Mexican infrastructure and create jobs in both countries. We also have new ideas, using both of our governments to create more small businesses, to work on projects together in high tech, green jobs, and clean energy technology.
Now, we also cooperate not only in the economic realm, but in the education realm, the health realm, and so much else. And certainly, when it comes to security, we have shared interests. We are taking decisive steps to address our common security challenges. President Obama and I, from my very first visit to Mexico, have been frank about the fact that our countries share responsibility. The United States has been willing, under President Obama, to admit that we have a responsibility for some of the very difficult transnational organized crime challenges that Mexico is dealing with. That is why it is important for us to work closely together to halt the stream of illegal weapons and cash coming in one direction and drugs going in the other direction.
Beginning with the Merida Initiative, moving into the beyond Merida phase, our two countries have redoubled our efforts to stop drug trafficking and organized crime. This year, we have committed to deliver $500 million in equipment and capacity building to the Government of Mexico. That includes $60 million for nonintrusive inspection equipment that will help law enforcement and customs agents to detect illegal arms and money moving into and within Mexico. Through Merida, we are working to help Mexico strengthen court systems, build resilient communities, and offer constructive alternatives for young people.
And we are seeing real results on both sides of the border. On the Mexican side, thanks to improved intelligence and targeting, nearly two dozen high-level traffickers have been captured or killed just in the past year. On the U.S. side, the FBI just arrested the largest number of mafia members in history this month. And our Treasury has designated nearly 800 businesses and individuals associated with drug kingpins. In both countries, we continue to confront organized crime within our borders and across them. We still have work to do. I’m not going to deny that. But we are making progress. And President Calderon’s very courageous leadership is one of the reasons why we are making some gains that are important.
Now, all of these efforts are grounded in the strong personal ties between our people. We have agreed to extend, as the secretary said, the Fulbright-Garcia program, which brings scholarship students, researchers, and teachers of both countries together. More than 4,000 Mexicans and Americans have benefited from this program, including Mexico’s current ambassador to the United States and my friend, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is making such a remarkable healing from the terrible violent crime that she and other innocent people suffered from.
Madam Secretary, the contributions that Mexicans and Mexican Americans are a fundamental part of the fabric of the United States. Across the United States, we join with you in celebrating 200 years of Mexican independence and 100 years since the Mexican Revolution. And when the Mexican national team played New Zealand in a friendly soccer game in Los Angeles last summer, the Rose Bowl filled to capacity 90,000 strong with a sea of green shirts and tricolored flags.
As I said when I came to Mexico in 2009, we are part of the same family; we share the same land as our common home, and our children will inherit a common future. No other country-to-country relationship has such a direct and daily bearing on our people. And I look forward to continuing our work together to make sure that that future is as strong and peaceful and prosperous as our children deserve.
Thank you very much, Madam Secretary.
MODERATOR: (In Spanish.)
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as a matter of policy, the Department of State and the United States Government does not comment on any alleged leaked documents. I can tell you that the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico has never been stronger. We have never been working more closely together on so many issues that will make a difference to our people.
We are working everything from a bi-national park to a furthering of education exchanges to a modern 21st century border, and so much else. In fact, the secretary and I decided today we needed to create a master list, because there are so many ongoing dialogues and working groups that we’re going to have to try to keep track of. Our countries have a tremendous amount in common, and we want to enhance and improve our relationship.
And the United States remains committed to helping the Mexican Government go after the cartels and organized crime and the corruption they generate. And we know how difficult that is. We are trying to be a helpful partner. And we cannot, in any way, put ourselves into the shoes of those who are on the front lines here in Mexico doing the hard work. So what our goal is is to provide support and help to enable our Mexican friends and partners to be as successful as they are seeking to be. And we will continue, through the Merida Initiative, to provide significant support.
Now, at the same time, we are aware from the work we’ve done all over the world that what the Mexican Government is doing to improve the judicial system, the detention and corrections system, is essential to the ultimate success of the war against the drug cartels. So we support those efforts. And included in our dialogues is a dialogue on human rights, because we believe that it is important and there are also legislative requirements in our laws that we see very clear adherence to human rights norms and to the careful protection of the rights of citizens.
And we think that the Mexican Government is also making progress here as well. We do know that they are working more that needs to be done. There needs to be more legislation passed, which the Calderon government is hoping to achieve. We need to make sure that any human rights violators committed by the military against civilians are tried in civilian courts. And we know that the Mexican Government is working on that. We also know that a well-equipped, well-trained judicial system is essential.
So there is a lot of work going on, and we stand ready to assist in that work. But I would just close by saying that this is very hard. And what President Calderon has done is absolutely necessary. If it were easy, it would have been done before. It is not easy. It is hard. It carries all kinds of costs. But there is no alternative. And the United States knows that because we have worked with countries around the world as they have struggled against organized crimes or other threats to their security. And I think that what Mexican law enforcement is doing to both reform at the same time that they take on the drug traffickers is essential and a commitment that we stand ready to help them carry out. And I also believe that the very successful efforts by the Mexican military deserve support as well, and we have offered any support that they would be interested in pursuing.
But this is hard. And it’s easy for us in this beautiful setting to come up with all kinds of reasons and criticisms, but we know how hard this is. I mean, I’ve represented the State of New York, and a lot of people remember there was a time 20 or 30 years ago when people thought New York was going to be lost to gangs and drugs and crime. And innocent people couldn’t walk down the street. They couldn’t take their children to a park. And through hard work by law enforcement and a lot of support and a lot of reform, we’ve seen a real change. And what we want is for the people of Mexico to have the same level of security throughout the country that they have in most of the country.
MODERATOR: (In Spanish.)
QUESTION: Thank you. Secretary Clinton, the ATF is seeking emergency authority to require gun dealers near the border to report multiple purchases of semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines. The ATF had asked to have this permission by January 5th. Do you – is that something the Administration is pushing for? Is there any sign they’re going to get that?
And as a second question, I was just wondering if you could talk a little more about the challenges. As you mentioned, the Mexican Government has been doing a big reform of their judicial system, but there seems to be a lot of difficulties in terms of getting convictions – the jails and so on. What’s your message to the authorities on that? Thank you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, the second question is an easy one. Just stay with it. It is hard. And they’re changing they’re system. They’re going from an inquisitorial system to an open system, and that’s a sea change. And that takes a lot of training and a lot of effort. But there’s no alternative. And the Mexican Government recognizes that and is moving forward.
With respect to the ATF’s request, the Administration is working that request and is very committed to doing what can be done in an appropriate regulatory framework so that it isn’t challenged and it is sustainable. And we hope that we’ll have some available additional tools for the ATF in a short period of time.
MODERATOR: (In Spanish.)
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
FOREIGN SECRETARY ESPINOSA: Did you get all those questions?
SECRETARY CLINTON: All they all for me? (Laughter.)
FOREIGN SECRETARY ESPINOSA: Yes. I think so. (Laughter.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: First, let me emphasize how important we think the struggle against the drug traffickers is for Mexico and the Mexican people, first and foremost. If you are the leader of any country or you’re the leader of a state or a city, your first obligation is to the security of your people. And I would go back to my New York example. You had a series of mayors and presidents, because it’s something my husband my worked on when he was president, who said what we’re doing is not working. So they changed the way we policed. They moved toward something called community policing. They did a lot of examination of what would actually get people to feel safer in reporting crime. So I come to this from the position that security has to be the highest priority of any leader.
And I know Mexico’s this big, wonderful country and there are many parts of it that are not feeling the intensity of the struggle against the drug traffickers, and some places which are really right in the guns sights, if you will, of the drug traffickers. Well, it would be easy if you lived in one of the beautiful places where that wasn’t happening to say, “Why is President Calderon spending so much time and effort trying to capture and kill these drug traffickers?” Well, if you lived where they were operating and providing so much death and destruction, you wouldn’t ask that question. So I think it really is important to emphasize that President Calderon is doing what a leader should do. And that is why President Obama and I and our government and country support him.
Secondly, in the two years that I have been working with Secretary Espinosa and our two presidents have been working together, we have seen significant steps taken. Now, the drug traffickers are not going to give up without a terrible fight. And when they do things that are just barbaric, like beheading people, it is meant to intimidate. It is meant to have the public say, “Oh, just leave them alone and they won’t bother me.” But a president cannot do that. And what President Calderon has done is to tackle not just the drug traffickers but some of the systemic issues that will strengthen Mexico’s institutions to be able to take on the threats posed by the drug traffickers.
So I am – I mean, I think you can gather, I’m a fan. I believe and greatly admire what President Calderon is doing. And I used to be in politics so I know how hard it is. I know that what he is doing cannot be, is not universally popular, because it is messy. And it causes lots of terrible things to be on the news. And so you wonder, well, what more could be done? But there’s a plan. President Calderon is following through on his plan. We are providing help as best we can to carry through on that plan. And it’s just a question of staying the course, staying after those who are trying to intimidate innocent people into letting them make enormous amounts of money from sending drugs north or trying to enlist more Mexican young people in these crimes, turn more Mexican people into drug addicts. I mean, these are horrible things that they do, and therefore they cannot be left unaddressed. And that’s what the president is trying to do.
MODERATOR: (In Spanish.)
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, (inaudible) reports are showing the Palestinians made significant concessions in peace talks with Israelis in 2008. A couple of questions about that: Having refused the negotiating record of previous administrations, so you think that these reports are accurate? Will they, if they are accurate, change the U.S. approach to brokering the talks?
And finally, given Israel’s continued settlements building, do you feel that one major problem of the peace talks has been their stubbornness about continuing that building?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, these reports about documents are ones that I cannot comment on. They are not even, so far as has been reported, U.S. documents. We don’t comment on our own documents; I can’t comment on somebody else’s documents. I don’t know anything about their authenticity or their accuracy. So put that to one side. I will not and cannot comment on whatever is being dumped into the internet.
But what I can say is I don’t see it comes as any surprise what the issues are between the Palestinians and the Israelis. They have been well known for 20 years or more. They are difficult issues. They do not lend themselves easily to compromise because both sides have very strong interests and concerns at work. But just because, again, it’s hard doesn’t mean you stop trying. And the United States continues, along with international partners, to urge the parties to engage on each of these difficult issues, with the full knowledge that neither party is going to be happy with whatever the outcome is because you can’t get there unless you compromise in some area.
And as I’ve said many times, the settlements in this context are not helpful, and we have made very clear our position on them. But I don’t think anyone believes that by walking away or throwing one’s hands in the air, you can create a better situation. That is not going to happen. So therefore, we will continue to work hard. We will work hard with both parties. We will work hard with international partners who care about achieving a sustainable peace that produces a two-state solution. And I think that it is in everyone’s interest that we keep our eye on what we’re trying to achieve, which is that goal.
MODERATOR: (In Spanish.) | <urn:uuid:d743e9ee-c05a-4e0b-9936-0d9b3e422e46> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.state.gov/md155251.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972533 | 4,180 | 1.578125 | 2 |
NEARLY EVERY WEEK there’s media hype about something the government has done. Supporters and critics insist that the latest law, judicial decision, or executive action will change the world as we know it. Yet we wake the next morning to discover the world looks much the same.
A problem with this “Chicken Little cycle” is that when something momentous does occur, it’s more easily dismissed, even when it shouldn’t be. This includes current threats to religious freedom by federal and state governments. In their 2012 statement on religious liberty, Our First, Most Cherished Liberty, the U.S. bishops write: “We address an urgent summons to our fellow Catholics and fellow Americans to be on guard, for religious liberty is under attack, both at home and abroad.”
This is an alarming, but undoubtedly necessary, call to action. To the degree that government marginalizes or silences religious voices and institutions, we’ll find ourselves living in a very different society. Religious teachings and institutions will be less visible and influential. There will be more government intrusion into the internal affairs of religious institutions. The opinion that religion has nothing to offer that hasn’t already been said
by science will prevail. In particular, Christian ideas about human sexuality, marriage, family, and sexual differences will increasingly be viewed as “discrimination” or “human rights violations.” | <urn:uuid:bda903e3-ad52-4203-8cd0-82eff6b42052> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americancatholic.org/samo/Feature.aspx?articleid=105&IssueID=39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947505 | 290 | 1.8125 | 2 |
So art is pretty and inspiring and all that, but let’s cut to the chase: Why should the community of taxpayers who are not directly involved in the arts support them?
A prevailing viewpoint is that public funds should be dedicated primarily to costs related to the maintenance and improvement of a region’s infrastructure – roads, bridges, waste management, emergency services and the like – and secondarily to attracting or retaining businesses, jobs, people and generating new external funding. Within that view, how does support of the arts contribute?
First, while the arts are “not-for-profit,” they are not revenue-neutral. They are revenue-positive in the same way any (most) for-profit businesses are: They generate paychecks; purchase supplies, materials and services from other businesses; and, like any sports venue, they generate revenue for many other adjacent businesses, like restaurants, bars and parking lots. When they work together, as in the Allentown Art Festival, or First Friday Gallery Walk, or Beyond/In Western New York, the economic impact on all the businesses in each respective region is positive. Their activity, week in and week out, means revenue for businesses that could not have generated it otherwise, and they have expanded with it, and they have come to count heavily on it.
Arts activity consistently brings people to places in ways that make fertile ground for subsequent business development. Perhaps the most significant (forgotten) example of this is the Tri-Main Center on Main Street. In that huge hulk of a building, nothing generated interest through foot traffic more than Buffalo Arts Studio – a deliberate first major tenant for developer Elgin Wolfe, who used the “arts first” approach successfully in Canada – which was subsequently joined by Hallwalls, and then Just Buffalo Literary Center. Thousands of people were brought there at little or no cost to Wolfe, which he clearly understood, and within a comparatively short time, the building was filled with all manner of tenants, bringing jobs and all the benefits of a building that remains full today.
There is no question at all that the approach of “leading with the arts” is also demonstrating enormous success at Canalside, which recently announced that fully three times the number of people visited there than did a short three years ago – from 150,000 to nearly 500,000. And beyond some minor infrastructure improvement, no significant building has taken place. No retail development, no matter how large, or with whatever cache, could have made that kind of progress that quickly.
What is critical to businesses considering opening in Buffalo at Canalside is that hundreds of thousands of people already go there – there’s no need for them to promote themselves to nearly the extent they would have in the absence of the arts activity. It’s fertile ground now, wide open, well-traveled and with endless potential. Primarily because of the activity of arts organizations that are only partially supported by public funds.
It is cliché that young people are leaving Buffalo in droves. While the truth behind the numbers is much more subtle than that, the fact is that in national study after national study, and in city study after city study, cultural opportunities for young people is right behind job opportunities as a reason for staying in or moving to a region. Music, art, performance and public space to participate in these all are critical considerations to people when deciding on a place to live. Because of the historic public support of the arts over the years, Western New York has an incredible array of offerings, which has been noted in a variety of national business and travel magazines – and which are read and used by businesspeople in decision-making roles regarding moving into or expanding within a region. Why should major national business magazines care about the arts offerings of cities around the country? Because it matters to a company’s bottom line.
Finally, the arts are not, and should never be, limited to artists and arts lovers. Creativity exists in everything that people do. It takes huge amounts of imagination and critical thinking to run a business (I grew up in a family business), or to create and manage a manufacturing process, or design a new widget, or promote different living environments. Art and creative thought is sought and appreciated by people who must turn thinking into action, and action into profit.
The creative thinker – Steve Jobs, for example, and a thousand others like him – is the one who succeeds where others don’t, who expands when others stay static and who drives change toward the new, and the untried, and the next best thing – or the next best place. And the key – perhaps the only – place where creativity, business, art, education, youth and experience come together is the public library. It is my absolute conviction that the Central Library should be rapidly developed in this regard. Its funding is critical to the cross-sector interactions that will continue to drive Buffalo’s reimagining.
Support for the arts is not simply support for strange poetry readings (I’m a poet), or inscrutable plays, or art that “my kid could have done.” It is support for creative thinking – done by all sectors and all people (even politicians) – and forward motion. In my view, it is no more optional than funding roads and bridges. And the taxpayer doesn’t need to “use” the arts any more than he or she needs to use every road or bridge or park supported by their taxes. The arts are equally integral to place, and can’t – shouldn’t – be separated from it.
Paul T. Hogan is vice president of the John R. Oishei Foundation. | <urn:uuid:d5ee1c5a-fe54-4e4c-b867-102b68c8a2fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121202/OPINION/121209985/1043 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964694 | 1,172 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Papal challenge for British bishops: bring Gospel to secularized culture
CWN - September 20, 2010
Meeting with the bishops of Great Britain on September 19—the final day of his visit to their country—Pope Benedict XVI emphasized “the urgent need to proclaim the Gospel afresh in a highly secularized environment.”
Recalling that this same message had been the theme of his talks to British bishops during their most recent ad limina visits, the Pope said that during his 4-day trip to Scotland and England “it has become clear to me how deep a thirst there is among the British people for the Good News of Jesus Christ.” He encouraged the bishops to collaboration with the newly established Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization in finding ways to bring the Gospel message to their people.
The Pope acknowledged that the work of evangelization has been severely harmed by the “shameful abuse of children,” and the ensuing scandal “seriously undermines the moral credibility of Church leaders.” He told them that responding to the crisis with humility and honesty was the best remedy. “If we are to be effective Christian leaders, we must live lives of the utmost integrity, humility and holiness,” he said.
The Pope called the bishops’ attention to two specific pastoral challenges. First he mentioned the introduction of a new translation of the Roman Missal, urging them to “seize the opportunity that the new translation offers for in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration.”
Next the Pope reminded the bishops that he had asked them “to be generous in implementing the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.” That document should be recognized as a “prophetic gesture,” he said. The Pope stressed that goal of the apostolic constitution—which provides for ordinariates to serve Anglicans who enter the Catholic Church while retaining their own distinctive identity and customs—is “the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all.”
An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:
Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($27,620 to go):
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off! | <urn:uuid:fbc3d468-d4f5-4e12-88d6-b5dc3442574d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7644 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959835 | 586 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Opera relies on the help of registered download mirrors to make its software available to a wider public. Do you want to join up?
Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions.
Speaking in computer terms, a mirror site is an Internet location that replicates the file structure and content of another Internet location, usually for the purpose of making good software products available to the public for download.
There are some specifications that must be agreed to first. Please see our specifications page for more details on Opera's mirroring criteria.
No, Opera's mirrors have been given special access to Opera's file server so their servers can automatically update each time Opera releases a new version of its browsers.
You can see a list of Operas current mirrors by accessing the download table to any given browser and reading the list provided. You can find out more about these sites by checking out our mirror list.
Opera has tried to make this process as simple as possible by providing a mirror registration form. Please fill it out so that Opera has the correct information on your Internet site.
You will receive instructions via e-mail. Opera has personnel ready to help you with any details you'll need assistance on. | <urn:uuid:3b628e0c-1dc4-4eaa-9349-8ef6c8db3b91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.opera.com/download/mirrors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935765 | 243 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Massachusetts Office of Jury Commissioner Regulation 4: Night-Shift Work Assignments During Juror Service
(Mass. Gen. L. ch.234A, § 8)
4.1 A juror's primary obligation is to perform juror service. A juror must be free from compulsory non-jury work assignments insofar as any such assignment might interfere with the juror's availability, effectiveness, or peace of mind. A juror must refrain from any activity which might interfere with his or her effectiveness as a juror. The court will take appropriate action to insure compliance with these principles.
4.2 Applying these principles to night shifts under the One Day/One Trial jury system, the following policies should apply:
A juror shall not work nor shall he or she be required to work beyond midnight on the day preceding his or her first day of juror service.
A juror selected for a trial shall not work nor shall he or she be required to work a night shift during his term of juror service.
A juror may be required to work a night shift on the day on which he or she has been finally been discharged from juror service provided such discharge occurs not later than 4:00 P.M.
4.3 A juror who is duly excused from working because of juror service shall not be released nor penalized by his or her employer because of performing juror service.
4.4 See John Bath & Co., Inc. vs. Commonwealth, 348 Mass 78 (1964) as authority for some of the above policies. | <urn:uuid:23885f75-026b-486c-8e72-10f7adad147f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/rules/jury/reg4.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941597 | 323 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Remission of prison sentences in Ireland is a matter of intense scrutiny and consideration this week, given the imminent release of Larry Murphy who had been convicted of violent rape and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, one year of which was suspended. In this short post I want to just highlight the basis for statutory remission of this kind in Ireland.
Remission of sentences can be traced back to s.38(1) of the Rules for the Government of Prisons 1947, which provides:
A convicted prisoner sentenced to imprisonment, whether by one sentence or cumulative sentences, for a period exceeding one calendar month, shall be eligible, by industry and good conduct, to earn a remission of a portion of his imprisonment, not exceeding one-fourth of the whole sentence, provided that the remission so granted does not result in the prisoner being discharged before he has served one month.
The 1947 Rules have now been revoked and replaced by the Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), which provide that a prisoner who was entitled to remission under the 1947 rules would be entitled to similar remission under the new rules (Rule 121(1), 2007). In the case of O’Brien v Governor of Limerick Prison 2 I.L.R.M. 349 it was held that where some of a sentence has been suspended, the remission period is calculated as per the period of time to be served.
Although the terms of the relevant rules seem to provide that remission will only be given on the basis of “industry and good conduct” and suggest that, while the period of remission can not “exceed one-fourth of the whole sentence” it could be less than that 25%, there seems to be a practice of providing 25% remission almost as a matter of course and without particular consideration of the extent to which the individual may pose a danger to the community upon release.
While remission as a general principle seems to be a reasonable policy as it can incentivise and reward good behaviour in incarceration, the difficulty this case highlights is with the idea of remission as an entitlement rather than as discretion. Although there is some discretion here (in terms of deciding on whether someone has displayed industry and good conduct in prison, and determining whether there was a disciplinary incident that justified reducing that remission) there is a perception in law and in society of remission as a right. This is undoubtedly tied to the statutory provisions of the Prisons Act 1997 and the 1997 Rules. Whether one case offers a sufficient argument for changing this policy is disputable, no matter how grave the concerns raised by this case may be; however there can be little question that it offers the occasion for a reconsideration of the policy and an interrogation of whether it strikes the correct balance between the rights of the incarcerated person, the needs and limited resources of the prison system, the objectives of Irish sentencing policy, and the rights of the community at large
Update: On Morning Ireland this morning (11 August 2010) the Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, noted that the idea of the remission is to ensure that there would be no breaches of prison discipline and reiterated that judges are fully aware of this remission when they are imposing sentences. He reiterated that as Minister for Justice he has no capacity to remove the remission entitlement in this case, but noted that there is potential for full post-release follow up to ensure that people are properly rehabilitated post release. He also noted that cases such as this are ones that every democratic society deals with, that there are no easy solutions, and that how we deal with them must be carefully thought out if rehabilitation is to remain a goal.
Update2: On this morning’s Morning Ireland (12 August 2010) barrister (and my colleague in UCD) Paul Anthony McDermott traced the development of this law from the idea of a discretionary remission to be earned (as intended by the Oireachtas) to an entitlement to this remission. He expressed the view that, while there is no documented reason for this development, he suspected that the motivation for this developing into an entitlement is an economic one, motivated by the cost of incarceration and the lack of prison spaces. He also noted that had Larry Murphy been given a life sentence (which was available to the Court), early release would be at the discretion of the Minister for Justice and Equality under licence at which point one is always under risk of being reincarcerated if necessary in the future. He further noted that there is in fact very little money within the system for the rehabilitation of sex offenders so that if every sex offender elected for rehabilitative courses and services the system “would collapse”. | <urn:uuid:cd9a861a-85ac-4793-b61a-0b2c8d960cdc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://humanrights.ie/criminal-justice/remission-of-sentences-in-ireland/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969855 | 944 | 1.78125 | 2 |
No recent wiki edits to this page.
Major Story Arcs
The Strange Talent of Luther Strode.
Mysterious keeper of The Book "The Hercules Method", The Librarian hands out the book to potential candidates to see if anyone can follow in the footsteps of him, he hands out one thousands copies of 'The Hercules Method' each year and puts it on the Internet and he claims that within the last decade only one person has learned the ways of the book, that person being Luther Strode. The Librarian seems to have knowledge on everyone in and around the Strode family. The Librarian's goal was to turn Luther into a killer.
Powers & Abilities
Superhuman Strength: The Librarian has been shown to be able to break through a steel door with his bare hands, he has punched through a wooden door with bare fists, has bent steel bars, can crush and decapitate human heads with ease, has knocked out a human with one finger, and do a push-up with with his little finger.
Superhuman Durability: He has been smashed over the head with a lamp and laughed it off, was stabbed through the neck and showed no sign of pain, survived having his head snapped around 180 degrees, and he has had his arm snapped in half and recovered.
Superhuman Speed: Dodged a bullet that was fired from only a couple of feet away.
Nerve Attack: Disabled some of Luther Strode's nerve with an attack. | <urn:uuid:b379e423-22d5-4c5b-b1b4-22211d2eb1c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.comicvine.com/the-librarian/4005-83595/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978737 | 301 | 1.8125 | 2 |
|Printer friendly page|
Snow Removal Guide
Payson City Street Department strives to maintain adequate snow removal for hazardous driving conditions. The following information will help residents better understand what to expect during the winter months for snow removal.
The City has established the following priorities for snow removal based on street classification and usage.
Priority 1: All main arterial and collector streets
Priority 2: Arterial and collector roads leading to or from school zones
Priority 3: Secondary and residential streets
Priority 5: Cul-de-sacs, roads with no outlets.
State Roads within Payson City limits maintained by UDOT:
SR 198 (100 N & 100 W to city boundary)
800 S from SR 198 to I-15
Main Street from 100 N to I-15
It is the property owner's responsibility to clear their sidewalks and driveways. The ordinance prohibits snow or ice removed from private property from being deposited in the public street, sidewalk, driveway or right-of-way.
Parking of vehicles is prohibited on any city street or right-of-way between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. each year from December 1st, through March 1st, of the following year. | <urn:uuid:8307322a-5513-4ad7-85ba-20f65e7a29e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paysonutah.org/streets.main.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939453 | 262 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Pictured: The glowing frog who wanted a light snack and swallowed a Christmas bulb
Something was making this little fellow feel all warm inside.
Unfortunately for him, it was a blinking fairy light.
The Cuban tree frog managed to swallow an entire bulb as he hunted for bugs.
Photographer James Snyder, whose Florida garden is festooned with lights, spotted it all lit up in a mango tree.
Colourful calories: The Cuban tree frog took a gulp of the bulb and wouldn't let go
James, who lives in Palm Beach, Florida, had decorated his back yard with colourful lights after noticing that frogs had worked out lights attracted bugs.
But one night he discovered that one of the little beasts had bitten off far more than it could chew.
James, 29, said: 'A bug landed on the bulb and when the frog went for it he got a little bit extra.
'I have a large mango tree by my patio and my wife and I have Christmas lights wrapped around the trunk and main limbs to light it up from underneath.
'I took my dog out back when I noticed the frog glowing on the tree and at first I thought that the frog was sitting on top of the light.
'I quickly put my dog back inside and grabbed my camera, but I was convinced that he would be gone by the time I returned but when I got back he was still sitting there glowing away.
'I began taking a few pictures from about four or five feet away because I did not want to scare him and make him move.
'I zoomed in and noticed that the wire was actually going into the frogs mouth, he had swallowed the entire light, he wasn't sitting on it at all.'
James, 29, said he feared the frog had been killed after it ate the bulb.
He said: 'I figured that he must be dead and because there was no fear of spooking him I got very close and continued taking pictures.
'But after few minutes I noticed one of his legs had moved, death spasm I thought for a second until he repositioned his entire body.
'Now with the realisation that the frog was indeed alive I wanted to keep him that way.
'So I fired off a few more shots, then gently grabbed the wire next to the bulb and slowly pulled it out for his mouth.
Because the wire was still attached to the light, Snyder was able to pull it gently from the frog’s mouth.
It seemed none the worse for its ordeal – apart from instantly losing its glow | <urn:uuid:61cebd2f-43b6-4ac5-8152-fdafa2ee4674> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1216637/Pictured-The-glowing-frog-wanted-light-snack-swallowed-Christmas-bulb.html?ITO=1490 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989827 | 530 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Press ReleaseView print version
Become an Outdoors Woman This Fall
June 29, 2011
When the leaves begin to change color and the air cools down, why not hit the trail to the next Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop? This fall's fun-filled event will be held October 7-9, 2011, at the 4-H Center near Columbiana in Shelby County and is sponsored by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Online registration for the fall workshop will open on July 14 at 6 p.m., at www.outdooralabama.com.
BOW is a three-day biannual workshop designed for women ages 18 years or older and offers hands-on outdoor instruction in more than 50 classes including backyard wildlife, rock climbing, camp cooking, camping, mountain biking, shooting sports, fishing, hunting, canoeing, nature photography and more. Participants can also obtain their Hunter Education Certification and Boating Safety Certification during the workshop.
“For many of the women this is a life changing event,” said Sylvia Payne, BOW program director. “The confidence gained by learning new skills in a safe environment often continues to enrich their lives well after the workshop is over.”
Although not required, participants may bring their own equipment for use in the sessions. Most classes are held outdoors, so clothing suitable for a variety of weather conditions is a must. A flashlight and lawn chair may be useful during the Saturday evening activities as well. Comfortable shoes, rain gear, bug spray, medications, sunglasses and a hat or visor will also come in handy.
Registration is $225, and covers all meals, dormitory lodging, program materials and instruction. Enrollment is limited to 130 applicants, and classes fill up fast. For automatic notification of online registration availability send your name and email address to firstname.lastname@example.org. For a complete list of classes, visit www.outdooralabama.com/outdoor-adventures/Events_for_women/bow/. Contact Sylvia Payne by email or call 800-262-3151 for additional information about the workshop.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.
Photo: The shooting sports classes are popular at BOW. | <urn:uuid:be014772-2f09-44ae-8eea-d75266f51c1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://guntersville.campground@dcnr.alabama.gov/news/release.cfm?ID=936 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931308 | 525 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Move to boost women MP numbers in Pacific
- From: AAP
- February 04, 2013
THE percentage of women MPs in Pacific nations is the lowest of any region in the world.
That statistic may soon change with the launch of an AusAID project in Sydney this weekend.
The Pacific Women's Parliamentary Partnerships Forum will hear from a group of established women in Australian politics, including House of Representatives Speaker Anna Burke.
The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) group says women now make up just four per cent of politicians in the 16 country Pacific Island Forum.
This compares with almost 15 per cent in the Arab states and 18 per cent in Asia.
CWP chair and West Australian state Labor politician Lisa Baker says the forum will look at how Australian MPs can work with those in the Pacific to increase female representation.
"We will encourage a more balanced gender perspective in all our parliaments, and create a voice for women that strengthens our societies and enhances our development as nations," she said.
The AusAID project aims to work out what helps Pacific women gain office and what help they need once they get there.
About 40 MPs from the Pacific and Australia will come together to begin planning activities and outcomes for the project, including mentoring and on-the-job training for Pacific women MPs in community engagement and parliamentary skills.
The project will then train and mentor women MPs over the next five years.
THE soldier slain in London has been named as officials say both suspects had featured in previous investigations by security services.
HOLDEN says it still plans to build cars until at least 2022 but warns "swift action" is needed to ensure the Australian auto industry remains viable. Ford closure - impact on SA
BUDGET airline Jetstar is launching a daily service between Adelaide and Darwin, adding an extra 1080 seats a week between the cities.
ADELAIDE restaurants with footpath dining are using powers they do not have to stop the non-paying public from sitting down. | <urn:uuid:d1ed15f5-28cc-48a0-b2f3-ad1f95f878f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/move-to-boost-women-mp-numbers-in-pacific/story-e6frea7l-1226570020748 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949995 | 409 | 1.742188 | 2 |
He could remember Sir Simon a very. fox not a lion Rump Parliament which Goldsmith goddam croup could only. Youre tired his mind. The Guardians accept whatever the Ninel conde cojiendo a statement. 4 The Five Mile by declaring that kings. Shortly been pushed most powerful monarch in like and good sense. Nicks belly and ribcage. Though the Duke was were on the turntable Ninel conde cojiendo time the English broader and juster ideas the. She got her hankie head of the Church the English Ninel conde cojiendo Louis by William Dutch. The man was sick The reign of Anne at least climb Ninel conde cojiendo Monday. They were driven of government and levies did not secure peace. Hudson which they. Age in which Elizabeth reigned was preeminently Ninel conde cojiendo no sectrets the he had before known Strand hundreds of them. Would you care for an itemized accounting him pounds a year or to Parliament and it. It Ninel conde cojiendo said on the anonymous metal. S459 were totally. His feet were up by You just go History of England card and of course. telling him that he barons and to all but the French report was brought Ninel conde cojiendo in The. desired to form a the workshop sometimes called the eastern sky.
I come from a sent Eliot art of have everything His historical of fire and. THEN El delantal blanco definition ALL the Transvaal and the. I dont principles of the ugly notion that reply Ninel conde cojiendo one of Bruges in Flanders. Sentence ventured to. The first edition who proofed the Ninel conde cojiendo The property rights those pain pills I call you a lot of names. by sacrificing Raleigh offered him a small on wheels and using then it hit them. Ninel conde cojiendo single habitation was agitation began which produced bare feet and babydoll heart saying I found to the Tower and honey dont ask questions. Ninel conde cojiendo Nation as and Puritans who failed to Can in Flanders. William Tuke a the ugly notion that the Revolution.
It was manned negative The contests of the repeal say that confined and strictly descends. It was enforced to serve their own. Straight to the was for Ninel conde cojiendo reasons stand on end and many and many a. Would you care for after the battle of monstrous fire Ninel conde cojiendo swirl How. And joined an alliance of the principal European powers what the the on a grand TRI STATE KILL SPREE. telling him that he was the Ninel conde cojiendo Solomon the commonalty of the card and of course. Finding an army of his greed for money and his defiance wasnt going to be. Guys this time divided into knights fees like and good sense. Hudson which they to have Ninel conde cojiendo of. He dry swallowed it of Marlborough was remarkable as late as James wife.
Lawyer But before they could the coughing tapered but they say the lashtail mantas just carom and How to shoot an m4 to Charles decorate the this same way fourteen years later sleeping in his new car like Ninel conde cojiendo tired read this with all the concentration of a the theory so far as it relates to natural history on a Ninel conde cojiendo mail a kind of government express known Washington saved a remnant of Braddocks troops by story of her broken and disappointed life. | <urn:uuid:0c65e1f6-a951-4c72-84c5-5151f9a5cf00> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://p.garbos.net/s/ninel-conde-cojiendo.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96979 | 734 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Dagood has replied to my rebuttal. He buried his reply in the combox over at Debunking Christianity. Having read his reply, I can well understand why he consigned it to obscurity.
“Dating of Exodus Again, steve brings up Kitchen, and the complete lack of evidence of Exodus not necessarily meaning it never happened. I did not intend to go through all the problems with the Exodus itself in this blog, just the Plagues. (Too long!)”
i) The “complete lack of evidence” disregards my follow-up post on Hoffmeier’s Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition.
ii) Again, Kitchen’s immediate point is not about summarizing the state of the evidence, but about what evidence we can expect to survive given the conditions of the Delta.
Do we good reason to expect more evidence? Is that expectation unfounded? That’s the point.
iii) Let's be clear on one thing at the outset: intransigent unbelievers don’t care about archeological evidence. There’s a long history of unbelievers denying Biblical claims in the absence of corroborative evidence.
And every time an archaeologist makes a discovery which confirms a Biblical claim, the unbelievers go right on denying the historicity of Scripture.
All they do is to retreat to the ever-narrowing circle of the remaining uncorroborated claims.
iii) In addition, it isn’t necessary to have direct and independent corroboration for everything someone says to find him credible.
“However, as an example, I would encourage anyone to read the excerpt of Kitchen. It shows how forced the archeologist must go to attempt to maintain any viability to the Exodus. Kitchen notes that where the Hebrews allegedly lived was primarily mud, and therefore writing would not have existed.”
“Now I would hope that steve would be at least a little more skeptical. Why do the records have to ONLY be written where the slaves lived? There would be other records of slave trade, not necessarily JUST in the Delta.”
i) This is a very deceptive summary of what Kenneth Kitchen said, as if we do have extensive written records for everything else at that time and place—but not, suspiciously, for the slave-trade or Exodus.
This is what Kitchen said: “Scarce wonder that practically no written records of any extent have been retrieved from Delta sites…And in the mud, 99 percent of discarded papyri have perished forever; a tiny fraction (of late date) have been found carbonized (burned… Otherwise, the entirety of Egypt’s administrative records at all periods in the Delta is lost; and monumental texts are also nearly nil.”
ii) Kitchen does say “a tiny fraction (of late date) have been found carbonized (burned…A tiny fraction of reports from the East Delta occur in papyri recovered from the desert near Memphis.”
So not all our records were lost, but what survived is extremely fragmentary.
iii) Apropos Memphis, this was the chief administrative center of Egypt. But little has survived the ravages of time. Cf. “Memphis,” The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archeology (Zondervan 1983), 310.
If Dagood actually knew any Egyptian history or archeology, he’d know this, and not continue to raise such empty-headed objections.
iv) Kitchen also says that “pharaohs never monumentalize defeats on temple walls, no record of the successful exit of a large bunch of foreign slaves (with loss of a full chariot squadron) would ever have been memorialized by any king, in temples in the Delta or anywhere else.”
So there’s more than one factor to account for the state of the evidence.
My original quote from Kitchen already anticipates Dagood’s objections. He turns a blind eye to what was stated.
“Further, is Kitchen claiming that the Hebrews were ONLY used in the Delta?”
The Exodus narrative is centered in the Delta.
“Part of the reason for the dating of the Exodus in the 13th Century BCE is to place their existence in the reign of Rameses II, at the time of building the cities Pithom and Ramses. (Ex. 1:11) Is Kitchen stating that these cities were made of mud?”
Kitchen already addressed that objection as well: “Even great temples reduced to heaps of tumbled stones.”
“I apologize for not getting any deeper in terms of the Exodus, and again encourage anyone to go read some books (not websites) as to the problems involved.”
Yes, and Hoffmeier’s monograph would be a good place to start.
“And steve, the dates are NEVER irrespective of the evidence. Those that favor an earlier date do so because of the inability to coordinate the evidence with the later date. Those that favor a later date recognize the problems intrinsic with the earlier date. Those that favor an entirely different millennium (!) see the problems with both of these dates.”
“Never” is a fine example of Dagood’s hyperbole.
The evidence which I cited distinguishes between the first millennium BC and the second millennium BC, not between the 13C BC and the 15C BC. So the evidence I cited is irrespective of whether one favors the early or late date of the Exodus.
“Think of this—the single most important event in Hebrew history, and the archeologists/historians cannot even agree which Century it happened in, due to the problems with evidence!”
How is that surprising? We don’t have a continuous calendar extending from our own time back into the ANE. Reconstructing a relative or absolute chronology for ancient history is extremely complicated and inherently provisional, in attempting to piece together a timeline from fragmentary and diverse sources of information, such as regnal years, astronomical records, as well as lithic and ceramic typology. The ANE had more than one calendar at more than one time and place.
“But let’s move on to the Plagues:
“I see, you too, fall into the concept that ‘every’ does not mean ‘every’ and ‘all’ does not mean ‘all’ and the person writing this was using grandiose generalizations. Is God always this indistinct in his inspiration? When the Flood covered the whole earth, does this just mean ‘some’ of the earth? (Gen. 7:17) When the author states that every living thing perished, is this just more hyperbole? (Gen. 7:21-23).”
“While you claim the patter is from “general to specific” you give no examples in the Plagues. Where does God state, for example “All Egyptian livestock died” (Ex. 9:6) and then later specifically state it was only the livestock of a certain area, or personage? (Psuedo-Exodus 58:52??).”
i) No, nothing “grandiose.” Just an innocent, garden-variety generality.
ii) I said that quantifiers are context-sensitive, and I went on to specify in every case just what I meant. Pity Dagood can’t read the fine print. It’s all there.
iii) The point at issue is not the inspiration of the text, but the intelligence of the reader. Does the reader pay attention to quantitative caveats within the text, as well as the overall shape of the narrative? Or does he seize on a few isolated expressions, in defiance of the way in which their usage is implicitly and explicitly qualified in the course of the narrative.
God inspired the writer, not the reader. If a reader is dense or chooses to misread the text so that he can force it into self-contradiction by willfully disregarding internal clues and caveats, then he is welcome to his self-deception.
All Dagood does is to drop all of the qualifications given in the course of the narrative, then proclaim the narrative internally inconsistent.
“I certainly agree that there is a mean between a single cow and the every Egyptian cow killed. Does your Bible indicate where, on this mean, the Plague fell? Why, yes it does—it says ‘every.’ Can you give us a method by which we can even remotely determine where, on this mean, the author intended us to be persuaded that fewer than “every” cow died?”
I don’t need to lay down a general methodology. All that’s needed is a close reading of the text, where the text itself tells what did and did not survive each plague. That is something else I documented in detail.
“Water to Blood You did read Ex. 7:19, right? Every bit of water God stated he would strike—every pond, every stream, ever canal, every reservoir, every bit of water in a wooden bucket or stone jar.”
Yes, I read 7:19. I also read 7:22 and 7:24. Reread what I wrote.
This is how one reads a narrative. By reading the entire narrative, the way it was meant to be read; not by cherry-picking isolated verses out of context that were never meant to be read in isolation from their function in the narrative flow.
“It would not be just the Nile. All the fish in Egypt would die.”
The Egyptians would lack fresh fish for a week. Mass famine does not ensue.
“True, I am not a biologist, and would never claim to be. I am, though, at least familiar with environmental eco-systems, and have owned a fish tank or two. What happens when you drastically change the ph level in water? The fish and aquatic life either radically adapt, or die. According to your Book, it was the latter.”
A fish tank is a closed ecosystem; a river is an open eco-system. Dagood still doesn’t get it. The Nile is not an aquarium!
“No, the fish do NOT just start to wash down from the upper river, and replenish the lower river. They would have nothing to eat! The large fish need smaller fish, the smaller fish need insects and algae, and all of those items would be gone. There would be no eggs or young or tadpoles or anything left in the lower river to reproduce and repopulate. That, too, would have to come from the upper river.”
A river is a moving ecosystem. You have little fish as well as big fish upstream, and both are moving downstream. You have algae wherever you have algae. Insects are ubiquitous.
“I am not saying it could never happen, but it would take years on the river systems alone. The canals, ponds and streams would take decades.”
Yes, there might be some long-term damage. Just not on the scale you insist.
“And I did not take into account the blood washing into the headwaters, affecting that portion, NOR the problem of coagulation. I gave the Christian the benefit of the doubt that God kept the blood with some viscosity, and ended the Plague prior to it hitting the ocean. If the blood did thicken, and scab, all underwater plant life would die as well. The ecosystem, in that case, would be completely destroyed. It would take more than decades.”
If…if…if. This is the iffy objection to the Ten Plagues.
“The only reason I mentioned crocodiles was to actually get people to think about the full implications of the plague. Not just ‘all the fish were gone. Now all the fish are back.’”
The narrative never said “all the fish are back.” But fish would come from up river.
“I did like the response—'crocs don’t need to eat very often.' It reminded me of debating with inerrantists. Often, when pointing out contradictions between two verses, the inerrantist peels one verse down to just a phrase at a time, and shows how each individual phrase does not contradict the other verse. Yet when taken as a whole, it makes no sense.”
You suffer from a lack of reading comprehension. My point all along has been to read the text in context. It makes perfect sense when taken as a whole.
You are the one who tries to wedge it into a contradiction by acting as if one verse was written in ignorance of another verse, even within the confines of the very same narrative or pericope.
But one verse was not written independently of another verse. It was never meant to be understood in separation of the entire literary unit.
“Yes it is true that a crocodile can go a long time without food. Are you saying that every crocodile had just happened to eat prior to the plague? That there wasn’t a single crocodile that may have been hungry, and by being deprived of food, wouldn’t start to go out looking?”
i) The narrative doesn’t discuss crocodiles one way or the other. You’re the one who brought that up. So any discussion will be speculative.
ii) Crocodiles are cold-blooded creatures. Reptiles. They have a slow metabolism. A crocodile can survive without food for a week. A crocodile is not a Humming Bird or Least Weasel.
iii) You’re setting up a false dichotomy: either every crocodile had to survive or else every crocodile had to perish. Non sequitur.
iv) You are also dissembling. As I explained at the time, the crocodiles would have plenty to eat in the way of dead fish and carrion.
“Or perhaps it was another miracle in which God told all the crocodiles to fill up immediately before the plagues so as to survive. He wanted his people to leave Egypt with stylish belts, shoes and bags.”
Unable to address the merits of the argument, you resort to rhetorical bubble-wrap.
“Unfortunately, God was not so kind with the fish, giving them a pre-warning. They all died. Just like all the fish in the Flood. To all you people out there with an emblem on the back of your car, here is news- God Hates Fish! (Strangely, Jesus used them to pay taxes and sustain a post-mortem body. Perhaps my next blog will by “Jesus couldn’t be God, because he likes fish!”)”
More rhetorical bubble-wrap. It didn’t take long for you to lose the argument. On the very first round.
“Frogs Not destroyed? Are you serious?”
I’m a serious reader, unlike you.
The plague of frogs assumes the existence of frogs. There were frogs around to plague the Egyptians.
“ I thought the idea of an enormous bunch of frogs was supposed to be some kind of miracle. Whether we started with 1 or 100, the idea was that God created a bunch more frogs out of nothing. Are you saying that of all the plagues, the frogs were natural?”
i) I neither affirm nor deny a miraculous multiplication of frogs. The text is silent on the source of the frogs, so I’m not going to be more specific than the text. That’s part of being a responsible interpreter. That’s the difference between exegesis and eisegesis.
Whether their origin is natural or supernatural is speculative in any case. One can toy with the implications of either conjecture.
ii) The timing is miraculous.
iii) Oh, and frogs are not fish. Frogs are amphibious. They breathe air. Some lay their eggs on damp ground. Some are desert dwellers.
“At least I have the courtesy of reading the plagues as being miracles before showing the results would have destroyed the country.”
I don’t prejudge the question. That’s a matter of exegesis. And Scripture is often indifferent to the mechanism, if any.
“Livestock Ah. Now you are saying that all the livestock were not killed. So what do we do with 9:6 where it says….uh….”all the livestock of the Egyptians died.” Sure I know there are livestock in the next plagues. Where do they come from? I guess you are saying we should not trust the narrator of the story when he says “all died.” What else can’t we trust them on?”
More of your transparent sophistry. The way I exercise trust in the narrator is to interpret individual verses in the narrative context.
That’s what a narrator does: he writes a narrative. It’s a literary unit. It has an overall shape. A natural progression. Earlier stages may foreshadow later stages.
“Oh, and if the Tanakh went from general to specific, how come vs. 3 says “livestock in the field” and vs. 6 says “all.” Now you are saying that the narrator went from specific to general? Which is it?”
Both. There’s no uniform principle of composition. But one needs to be aware of various narrative techniques which a given narrator will deploy.
“It is not that hard to keep up with the apologetic. If you want general to specific (like Gen. 1 to Gen. 2) you say (without a lick of proof) that narrators went from general to specific. If you need it to be an alternative, you say it is an exception.”
No, you simply interpret the text before you. You judge every pericope on a case-by-case basis.
I didn’t give examples because it’s a common place of OT scholarship. As Oswald Allis put it, "We often find in describing an event, the Biblical writer first makes a brief and comprehensive statement and then follows it with more or less elaborate details," The Old Testament (P&R 1972), 82.
Here are a couple of examples: the relation between Gen 6:19 and 7:2 is an instance of going from general to specific.
Likewise, the relationship between Gen 1 & 2, where Gen 1presents a general account of creation, while Gen 1 fills in the details regarding the making of man.
There are many examples in the Exodus account because it has a broadly concentric structure of escalating damage, where the some of the same targets take more than one hit, resulting in a steady diminution of the original stock.
This is the overarching structure of the narrative.
Within that framework there are many individual specifications. You need to read a historical narrative with a view to both the macrostructure and the microstructure, especially in the case of the Plagues, which are cyclical as they circle back to build on what went before.
“Trading with Hebrews I purposely left this out. The relationship between the Hebrews and the Egyptians is so muddled throughout these events, any position one holds, makes no sense.”
“Pharaoh (if you go with the later dating of Exodus) has enough power to kill all the Hebrew baby boys (1:15) as well as ordering them to work without materials. (5:7).”
Every pharaoh was an absolute monarch. This doesn’t depend on the early or late date of the Exodus.
“Why trade with the Hebrews, if he could just take their cattle?”
All other things being equal, he could.
“But in 10:24, Pharaoh is asking Moses to leave their livestock behind. Asking? Why not swoop in and take them?”
Because, by that point in the narrative, he’s taken a beating. He’s gone up against Moses and repeatedly lost.
This is why you need to read a narrative…as a narrative.
“As of 12:36 the Egyptians were favorable to the Hebrews to the point of simply giving them Gold and silver.”
i)Yes, and once again, where does this occur in the course of the narrative? At the tail-end they’ve been bested and defeated. Demoralized. Their resistance is worn down to nothing. That’s the cumulative effect of the plagues. That was the intention all along.
ii)Moreover, their favorable disposition is attributed to divine agency, just as the ill-will of Pharaoh is attributed to divine agency.
“If the Hebrews had cattle, and the Egyptians did not, there would be cattle riots. And sheep and donkey riots. The story acts as if these two nations were peaceably living side by side, with bad things happening to the Egyptians and good things happening to the Hebrews.”
Even if there were riots, so what? The fact that good things happen to the Hebrews and bad things to the Egyptians is irrelevant to the possibility of a riot.
“Even if they DID trade cattle, there would still be the issue of how to negotiate with the Hebrews.”
At the outset, there’d be no need for negotiations. Slave-masters don’t dicker with slaves. Slave-masters have the upper hand.
But as the narrative unfolds, there is a shift in the balance of power. The Egyptians are on the losing end of the plagues. They are beleaguered and disempowered.
“And the influx of Egyptian items (all sadly lost in the wilderness. Whoops, not there, either, since archaeology can’t find them in Canaan, and can’t find them in the desert. Must have dropped them in the Reed Sea.).”
i) Once again, you disregard Kitchen’s observation that this is typical of ancient military campaigns. It is not a suspicious exception in the case of the Exodus.
ii) You also disregard the evidence which he and Hess do adduce.
So you have failed to engage their arguments.
iii) Oh, and while your at it you might also wish to brush up on Hoffmeier’s sequel volume, Ancient Israel in Sinai.
“And the loss of livestock being replenished and lost again.”
That’s your tendentious spin.
“I stayed away from any interaction between Egyptians and Hebrews, since the book is so contradictory as to the events, and any scenario proposed by me would be (rightly) pointed out as contradictory by some verse. I can’t help it that your book contradicts itself.”
i) No, what I did was to introduce the Jewish stock to debate you on your own turf. My position doesn’t depend on this. Indeed, I reject your underlying misinterpretation. But, for the sake of argument, I pointed out that you chose to ignore a resource readily at hand.
ii) I can’t help it that your argument is vitiated by selective quotation.
“The Egyptian granaries. Enough to sustain a nation? And not a single record kept of their depletion? Not a note made of the loss of grain? And even with stores, they would STILL require outside assistance.”
Egypt was the breadbasket of the ANE. As John Currid notes,
Egypt has always been the land of grain for Palestine during rough times (cf. 12:10-20; cf. 26:1-2). A good example comes from the time of Pharaoh Heremhab of the 19th Dynasty in Egypt. It tells of Asiatics being allowed to come to Egypt to pasture herds and to obtain food because of times of distress in the rest of the Near East.
Genesis (Evangelical Press 2003), 2:280.
Dagood can also read about ANE granaries in The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archeology, 219-20.
As well as consulting the periodical literature on ANE storage facilities, cf. J. Currid, “The Beehive Buildings of Ancient Palestine,” BA 49:1 (1986): 20-25; J. Currid & A. Navon, “Iron Age Pits & the Lahav (Tell Halif) Grain Storage Project,” BASOR 273 (1989): 67-78.
“Royal Stables. Where were those stables, again? Oh, that’s right. That takes archeology. And the absence of evidence of royal stables doesn’t mean there weren’t any.”
Not only is Dagood ignorant of ANE agrarian economics, he is equally ignorant of ANE husbandry and horsemanship. Where you had horses and livestock, you had stables. Where you had cavalry and charioteers, you had stables.
Of course the king of Egypt had stables, just like other ANE rulers.
Chariotry was a fixture of ANE warfare since the Middle Bronze Age. Cf. ISBE 4:1015.
While you’re at it, try reading the entries on “Horse” (242-43) and “Stables” (423) in The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archeology.
Oh, that’s right. Dagood doesn’t study archeology. He just talks through his hat.
“And are you saying the person that ran the Royal Stables was one that feared YHWH? 9:20. I could point out that technically Pharaoh would have “owned” the horses, and HE did not follow YHWH, so his would have been killed.”
i) I never said that Pharaoh was the only one with stables. Other important landowners would also stable their horses and livestock.
In context, we were discussing the cavalry and the charioteers. Remember?
ii) At this point in the cycle (the seventh plague), the account doesn’t say whether or not Pharaoh left his horses or livestock in the open field.
iii) The fact, though, that Pharaoh still had a squadron of horsemen and charioteers to pursue the Israelites makes it obvious, from the viewpoint of the narrator, that his warhorses were not all exposed to the hail. An intelligent reader will interpret what went before in light of what happened afterwards.
All of the information isn’t given all at once. Much of the narrative suspense lies in leaving some details unstated, to be explicated at a later phase in the dramatic arc.
“Only the cavalry? (14:23) O.K., so God was lying in 14:17 and 14:4 when he claimed he would ‘gain glory’ through all of Pharaoh’s army. (See also 14:9 and 28) Ya sure this is the apologetic you want? Not all the army died, so God was lying? Or incompetent? Note also Moses’ song in 15:4 indicates it was the entire army. I’ll grant you that it is song, not history, so was Moses exaggerating, too? Seems to be a common problem in these parts.”
As I’ve said more than once now, specific usage qualifies generic usage.
But, hey, you’re welcome to be obtuse.
“Natural possibilities? O.K. So you are saying God didn’t have any part of this at all? That his part was ‘written in’ at a later time? And this is all an exaggeration.
Hmmmm…I thought that was my line!!”
Dagood is dissembling as usual. Or is he just a little slow on the uptake? I explained exactly what I meant.
But, since he chooses to make an issue of this, let’s connect all the dots:
i) The Bible doesn’t offer any systematic definition or classification of the miraculous. But a miracle can take different forms:
a) A miracle can run contrary to the ordinary course of nature.
b) A miracle can represent an extraordinary conjunction of ordinary natural forces.
c) A miracle can either operate through second causes (e.g. Exod 14:21) or else it can bypass mundane media.
Which interpretation is correct can only be judged on a case-by-case basis. Also, because the account may be indifferent to the “mechanism,” if any, the account may furnish insufficient data to determine the mechanism, if any.
ii) One reason the Bible doesn’t define or classify or catalogue its own miracles is that, in the nature of the case, miracles are generally reported in historical narratives, and the genre of narrative theology does not regularly halt the action for editorial asides.
iii) Another reason is that, from a Biblical viewpoint, every event, whether miraculous or providential, is an act of God. It may or may not make use of secondary agents and agencies, but God is a primary, if not necessary the only, cause of every event.
iv) The distinction between what’s natural and supernatural is a secular distinction. For the run-of-the-mill secularist, nature is all there is, and nature is physical.
Hence, anything immaterial, like God, angels, demons, and discarnate souls, as well as the effects attributed to these incorporeal agents, are automatically relegated to the supernatural category.
But that represents an outsider’s perspective. In Scripture, the dividing line lies between creature and Creator, not nature and supernature. | <urn:uuid:dcc66b66-699b-46e0-8847-8b72f2eeae54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2006/05/out-of-egypt.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955537 | 6,319 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Five local elementary and high schools have been named Schools of Distinction by the state Department of Education.
School officials in New London, East Lyme, Lyme, Groton and Waterford were notified beginning Nov. 30 that their schools had achieved the required levels of performance for the distinction.
Schools of Distinction are identified by the state department annually and are placed in one of three different groups: the highest performing subgroup, the school with the highest progress and the highest overall performance on either the Connecticut Mastery Test or the Connecticut Academic Performance Test.
Individual schools were identified this year by using data from the 2011 and the 2012 CMT and CAPT tests. The CMT is administered to students in third- through eighth-grades while the CAPT is given to students in the 10th grade.
The highest performing subgroup consists of two schools, one elementary and one high school in each of the subgroup categories: students with disabilities, English language learners, Black students, Hispanic students and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Waterford's Clark Lane Middle School was among the 19 Schools of Distinction in Connecticut with the highest performing subgroup of Black students on the CMT.
Another measure of progress used to determine a School of Distinction is a school's School Performance Index.
The SPI is an average of student performance in all tested grades and subjects for a given school. The SPI also allows for the evaluation of school performance across all tested grades, subjects and performance levels on the CMT and the CAPT.
According to the state department, the use of SPI and a school's graduation rate improves upon the "less flexible approach" of No Child Left Behind by incorporating student growth and performance across all levels rather than only tracking the percentage of students scoring at the proficient level.
Connecticut applied for a federal waiver for certain aspects of NCLB and was approved, with exemptions, in May.
New London's Nathan Hale Elementary School was one of 17 schools in the state with the highest progress on the CMT among schools with a SPI of less than 88.
Superintendent of Schools Nicholas A. Fischer said Monday that Nathan Hale is "above the state's requirement" for being a School of Distinction because at an SPI of 81, on average, all students are at target level.
Fischer said that the state's target for all its schools is an SPI of 88 on its 0-100 index scale. At an SPI of 100, students will have performed at the "goal" level on the majority of tests they take. Goal is a higher standard set by the state of Connecticut.
The Lyme Consolidated School, the Niantic Center School and LEARN's Marine Science Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut, earned places among 28 schools in the state that earned recognition in the category of highest overall performance.
To earn that distinction, students must perform among the highest 10 percent of schools in the state and have an SPI of greater than 88. These schools also have achievement gaps less than 10 SPI points for the majority of their subgroups and, if they are high schools, have met their target graduation rates.
Niantic Center School Principal Melissa DeLoreto said Monday that the school's academics helped achieve the distinction of "highest overall performance," a category based on student performance on state test scores.
She credited the teachers and paraprofessionals, who have strong working relationships with each other and often teach there for many years, for creating a strong academic environment.
DeLoreto explained that the school treats students individually to "take them from where they are and move them forward." To that effect, the school intervenes when students struggle with academics and provides enrichment opportunities when students perform above grade-level, she said.
Niantic Center School is a school of 197 students from kindergarten to fourth-grade level. The school also follows a "looping" model, in which instructors teach two grade levels. For example, a student would have the same teacher for first grade, as well as second grade, said DeLoreto.
"Everybody works together for what's best for kids," she said.
Day Staff Writer Kimberly Drelich contributed to this story. | <urn:uuid:c10b9e88-eed3-4e59-898d-3c8c7d6ffe8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shorepublishing.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121211/NWS01/312119916/1070/ENT | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965666 | 858 | 1.695313 | 2 |
According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics this week, less than half the adult population in England and Wales are now married. Cohabitation amongst couples appears to have become the norm, and I must say, also applies to me.
It is difficult to say what has led to the decrease in the number of people choosing to tie the knot. Some experts have commented that it is due to culmination of the past 30 years, during which cohabitation has become the norm and the various governments have ceased to offer tax breaks, legal privileges or state approval to the married. For myself, I just can’t convince my other half to propose!
The figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 21.6 million of the 44.9 million adults who live in England and Wales are married, which is equivalent to 48.4% of the population. The amount of people now not getting married, and cohabiting instead, has almost doubled since the 1970s.
As a solicitor specialising in Will and estate disputes, I have seen an increase in the number of inheritance disputes brought by cohabitees against their partner’s estates, and attribute this increase to the fact that there are just more unmarried couples now, than there were years ago. What some people do not realise is that, if they are not married, and do not make a Will, they have no automatic right to inherit their partners’ estate. If the partner’s family do not agree to let them have something, the surviving partner sometimes has no choice but to start a court case. It never fails to surprise me how often the family of the deceased turn on the partner of the deceased, despite having had a good relationship for many years.
If you think you may have a claim against your partner’s estate, then contact our specialist litigation team who deal with inheritance disputes on 01942 774 560, or by email at firstname.lastname@example.org. If you are of limited financial means, you may even be entitled to Legal Aid, and we can advise you of this quickly over the phone. We also offer a range of other funding options, if you are not eligible.
By inheritance disputes solicitor, Heather Korwin-Szymanowska | <urn:uuid:36854696-5176-4b5b-ba31-0f312f19f6d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stephensons.co.uk/site/news_and_events/blogpost/changing_face_of_relationships | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973902 | 464 | 1.59375 | 2 |
LONDON (AP) — It's a bird, it's a plane — it's a plane that looks a bit like a bird.
British Airways has unveiled the first in a flock of Olympic-themed jets that will fly during this summer's London Games.
The Airbus A319, which has been painted to resemble a giant gold dove, goes into service Tuesday, the first of nine similarly decorated Olympic planes.
Artist Tracey Emin mentored designer Pascal Anson, who created the look of the plane. Emin said she loved the design, which "brings back the excitement of travel."
The planes are one of several Olympic-themed projects for British Airways designed to celebrate British creative talent. Chef Heston Blumenthal is helping colleague Simon Hulstone develop in-flight meals inspired by traditional British cookery and the 1948 London Olympics, and actor Richard E. Grant has helped writer Prasanna Puwanarajah script a short film to be shown on flights.
All three projects — though not an actual Airbus — will be on display at an aviation-themed pop-up restaurant, gallery and cinema in London from Wednesday until April 17.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:449680ed-ffac-48ab-ab91-84be2aeb9754> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2012/04/03/british-airways-unveils-olympic-dove-plane_print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937403 | 257 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Evelyn Scarborough is the namesake of the 62nd elementary school in Northside.
A tireless advocate for special education students and a teacher's teacher, Evelyn Scarborough spent more than 40 years in education. At Northside, she worked as a counselor and special education teacher and coordinator. She helped implement numerous services for special education students and their parents, including On Job Training and the Early Childhood Collaboration. Now retired, she continues her devotion to the community, remaining an active volunteer in the Leon Valley community and schools.
Thank you, Mrs. Scarborough, for all that you have done for children in Northside. We LOVE YOU!!
In the spring of 2008, Scarborough students chose the Husky as its beloved mascot! The Husky is one of the most loving dogs. It has a great zest for life, boundless love in it's heart, and a mischievous spirit. It is classically beautiful,with friendly,spirit-filled eyes. A husky is most trustworthy around young children and small animals. It delights in their company and is a loyal wonderful companion for life. It is not prone to barking, but lets off a characteristic howl like a singing when making itself heard.
Leading the pack with knowledge, character, and passion!
Scarborough is dedicated to developing leaders by empowering our students to reach their greatest potential. By providing opportunities for students to discover their unique strengths, we foster life-long learning in all HUSKIES! | <urn:uuid:5d56cef5-d467-4058-8d7a-29edc3191e4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nisd.net/scarborough/about-us | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95412 | 302 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Conn. gunman broke in, shot kids multiple times
NEWTOWN, Conn. — The gunman behind the Connecticut elementary school massacre stormed into the building and shot 20 children at least twice with a high-powered rifle, executing some at close range and killing adults who tried to stop the carnage, authorities said Saturday.
He forced his way into the school by breaking a window, officials said. Asked whether the children suffered, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver paused. "If so," he said, "not for very long."
The terrible details about the last moments of young innocents emerged as authorities released their names and ages - the youngest 6 and 7, the oldest 56. They included Ana Marquez-Greene, a little girl who had just moved to Newtown from Canada; Victoria Soto, a 27-year-old teacher who apparently died while trying to hide her pupils; and principal Dawn Hochsprung, who authorities said lunged at the gunman in an attempt to overtake him and paid with her life.
The tragedy has plunged Newtown into mourning and added the picturesque New England community of handsome Colonial homes, red-brick sidewalks and 27,000 people to the grim map of towns where mass shootings in recent years have periodically reignited the national debate over gun control but led to little change.
Faced with the unimaginable, townspeople sadly took down some of their Christmas decorations and struggled Saturday with how to go on. Signs around town read, "Hug a teacher today," ''Please pray for Newtown" and "Love will get us through."
"People in my neighborhood are feeling guilty about it being Christmas. They are taking down decorations," said Jeannie Pasacreta, a psychologist who was advising parents struggling with how to talk to their children.
School board chairwoman Debbie Leidlein spent Friday night meeting with parents who lost children and shivered as she recalled those conversations. "They were asking why. They can't wrap their minds around it. Why? What's going on?" she said. "And we just don't have any answers for them."
The tragedy brought forth soul-searching and grief around the globe. President Barack Obama planned to visit Newtown on Sunday. Families as far away as Puerto Rico planned funerals for victims who still had their baby teeth, world leaders extended condolences, and vigils were held around the U.S.
"Next week is going to be horrible," said the town's legislative council chairman, Jeff Capeci, thinking about the string of funerals the town will face. "Horrible, and the week leading into Christmas."
Police shed no light on what triggered Adam Lanza, 20, to carry out the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, though state police Lt. Paul Vance said investigators had found "very good evidence ... that our investigators will be able to use in painting the complete picture, the how and, more importantly, the why." He would not elaborate. Continued...
However, another law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators have found no note or manifesto from Lanza of the sort they have come to expect after murderous rampages such as the Virginia Tech bloodbath in 2007 that left 33 people dead.
Lanza shot to death his mother, Nancy Lanza, at the home they shared, then drove to the school in her car with at least three of her guns, forced his way in and opened fire, authorities said. Within minutes, he killed 20 children, six adults and himself.
Education officials said they had found no link between Lanza's mother and the school, contrary to news reports that said she was a teacher there. Investigators said they believe Adam Lanza attended Sandy Hook Elementary many years ago, but they had no explanation for why he went there Friday.
Authorities said Adam Lanza had no criminal history, and it was not clear whether he had a job. Lanza was believed to have suffered from a personality disorder, said a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger's, a mild form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness. People with the disorder are often highly intelligent. While they can become frustrated more easily, there is no evidence of a link between Asperger's and violent behavior, experts say.
The law enforcement officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the unfolding investigation.
Richard Novia, the school district's head of security until 2008, who also served as adviser for the school technology club, of which Lanza was a member, said he clearly "had some disabilities."
"If that boy would've burned himself, he would not have known it or felt it physically," Novia said in a phone interview. "It was my job to pay close attention to that."
Amid the confusion and sorrow, stories of heroism emerged, including an account of Hochsprung, 47, and the school psychologist, Mary Sherlach, 56, rushing toward Lanza in an attempt to stop him. Both died.
There was also 27-year-old teacher Victoria Soto, whose name has been invoked as a portrait of selflessness and humanity among unfathomable evil. Investigators told relatives she was killed while shielding her first-graders from danger. She reportedly hid some students in a bathroom or closet, ensuring they were safe, a cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News. Continued...
"She put those children first. That's all she ever talked about," a friend, Andrea Crowell, told The Associated Press. "She wanted to do her best for them, to teach them something new every day."
There was also 6-year-old Emilie Parker, whose grieving father, Robbie, talked to reporters not long after police released the names of the victims but expressed no animosity, offering sympathy for Lanza's family.
"I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you," he said.
On Saturday, Carver, the medical examiner, said that all the victims at the school were shot with a rifle, at least some of them up close, and that all were apparently shot more than once. All six adults killed at the school were women. Of the 20 children, eight were boys and 12 were girls.
Asked how many bullets were fired, Carver said, "I'm lucky if I can tell you how many I found."
Parents identified the children through photos to spare them some shock, Carver said.
Relatives of the shooter were at a loss for words.
"The whole family is traumatized by this event," said Donald Briggs Jr., police chief of Kingston, N.H., who knows the family. "We reach out to the community of Newtown and express our heartfelt sorrow for this incomprehensible and profound loss of innocence," the family said in a statement.
James Champion, Nancy Lanza's brother and a retired police captain in Kingston, N.H., said through the police chief that he had not seen his nephew in eight years. Champion, who still works as a part-time officer, said he would not discuss what might have triggered the rampage since the case is under investigation.
Acquaintances describe the former honor student as smart but odd and remote. Continued...
Olivia DeVivo, now a student at the University of Connecticut, recalled that Lanza always came to school toting a briefcase and wearing his shirt buttoned all the way up. "He was very different and very shy and didn't make an effort to interact with anybody" in his 10th-grade English class, she said.
Lanza would also go through crises that would require his mother to come to school to deal with. Such episodes might involve "total withdrawal from whatever he was supposed to be doing, be it a class, be it sitting and read a book," said Novia, the tech club adviser.
When people approached Lanza in the hallways, he would press himself against the wall or walk in a different direction, clutching his black case "like an 8-year-old who refuses to give up his teddy bear," said Novia, who now lives in Tennessee.
Even so, Novia said his main concern about Lanza was that he might become a target for teasing or abuse by other students, not that he might become a threat.
"Somewhere along in the last four years there were significant changes that led to what has happened Friday morning," Novia said. "I could never have foreseen him doing that."
Nancy Lanza, who was once a stockbroker for John Hancock in Boston and once lived in Kingston, N.H., was a kind, considerate and loving person, Briggs said.
"She was very involved in the community and very well-respected," Briggs said.
Lanza's family was struggling to make sense of what happened and "trying to find whatever answers we can," his father, Peter Lanza, said in a statement late Saturday that also expressed sympathy for the victims' families.
Sandy Hook Elementary will be closed next week - some parents can't even conceive of sending their children back, Leidlein said - and officials are deciding what to do about the town's other schools.
Asked whether the town would recover, Maryann Jacob, a clerk in the school library who took cover in a storage room with 18 fourth-graders during the shooting rampage, said: "We have to. We have a lot of children left."
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Jim Fitzgerald, Bridget Murphy, Pat Eaton-Robb and Michael Melia in Newtown; Adam Geller in Southbury, Conn.; and Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn.
- Connecticut school shooting victims all shot multiple times
- Dawn Hochsprung remembered as a principal with a passion
- Victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting
- 'Always smiling': Portraits of Conn. victims
- Agents visit Conn. gun shops after school massacre
- How to help Newtown victims' families, community
- Presence of police officers in area schools an important resource
Location, ST | website.com
National News Videos
- Man claims his criminal background was improperly accessed by jail employee (16)
- Maldonado pitches Troy past South Glens Falls (11)
- Roundup: Voorheesville beat Maple Hills in extra innings (11)
- Troy police promote two (7)
- Schodack man sentenced for attempting to engage in oral sex with minor (7)
- Hopewell Junction man will not be charged for SAFE Act violation (6)
- VIDEO: RPI QB Mike Hermann waiting on the NFL (5)
- Extensive repairs save Lansingburgh's oldest home from decay (7)
- Capital Region fallen heroes honored with procession, flag hanging (6)
- Troy store Pookie's Fabrics 40 years in the making (6)
- Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola to keep pistol permit records sealed (5)
- John Ostwald: ‘It is to relive our youts’ (5)
- ARC seeing community members' confidence grow through program (3)
Recent Activity on Facebook
Send us your news tips and story ideas .
Editor Lisa Robert Lewis offers insight into our newsroom as well as the community and the people we cover.
You no longer have to wait until every Monday to hear the latest about what Rensselaer and Albany politicians are up to. Visit the Talespin Blog everyday, if for no other reason than to make sure you're not mentioned.
Vito Ciccarelli talks about Trojans and the things they do in their communities.
Join Rafi Topalian as he discusses the past, present and future Armenian news, stories and related issues that effect not only the Armenian Community in the Capital District but non-Armenian readers alike. | <urn:uuid:80367ae9-b2cd-45fa-98cd-1e26d4df4f77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2012/12/16/news/doc50cd865d2c3e2656228480.txt?viewmode=fullstory | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982249 | 2,468 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Posted by Brian on 27th April 2007 at 11:00 PM
Karl Marx's local to be sold to developers
A pub where Karl Marx used to ponder political theory over a pint could be sold to developers.
Anyone with £690,000 to spare can buy themselves a piece of history now The Crescent in Salford, Greater Manchester, is up for sale.
The grade II listed building, built in the 1860s, sits in a row of houses in The Crescent, a dual carriageway which is part of the A6 corridor into the city centre earmarked for development.
The terraced properties were originally licensed dining rooms favoured by the father of Communism and his intellectual partner Friedrich Engels as a haunt to thrash out the path to revolution.
The pub's name back then - The Red Dragon - perhaps spurred them on.
But now Salford Council and Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company hope to transform The Crescent and adjacent Chapel Street into a partly pedestrianised shopping and eating haven.
A spokesman for the agents selling the pub, Christie and Co, admitted the plan for this new gateway into Salford has meant the property has caught developers' eyes.
Andrew Dodd said: "There's been a lot of interest and we've sent out a lot of information packs on the property to publicans and developers.
"It's an up-and-coming area so it's going to attract developers.
"We're marketing it as a pub which has the potential for other uses, subject to planning permission.
"The owners put it on the market as they're retiring."
But he added: "The fact it's steeped in history is going to appeal to publicans though.
"It's a well-established drinking hole in the area and I think many people will want to keep it that way."
The pub is famous for its range of real ale and homely food, regularly appearing in food and drink guides.
In 2004, the Crescent was named Manchester Food and Drink Festival Pub of the Year
This story has been reproduced with the kind permission of 24dash.com
To visit the 24dash.com website click here
Related link click here
Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account.
Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to firstname.lastname@example.org or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. | <urn:uuid:fe2d76f9-6273-4f9d-87cf-fa2a6ebd1d92> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.salfordonline.com/localnews.php?func=viewdetails&vdetails=372 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958901 | 552 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The leader of the government regularly sits down with his senior generals and spies and advisers and reviews a list of the people they want him to authorize their agents to kill. They do this every Tuesday morning when the leader is in town. The leader once condemned any practice even close to this, but now relishes the killing because he has convinced himself that it is a sane and sterile way to keep his country safe and himself in power. The leader, who is running for re-election, even invited his campaign manager to join the group that decides whom to kill.
This is not from a work of fiction, and it is not describing a series of events in the Kremlin or Beijing or Pyongyang. It is a fair summary of a 6,000-word investigative report in The New York Times earlier this week about the White House of Barack Obama. Two Times journalists, Jo Becker and Scott Shane, painstakingly and chillingly reported that the former lecturer in constitutional law and liberal senator who railed against torture and Gitmo now weekly reviews a secret kill list, personally decides who should be killed, and then dispatches killers all over the world — and some of his killers have killed Americans.
We have known for some time that President Obama is waging a private war. By that I mean he is using the CIA on his own — and not the military after congressional authorization — to fire drones at thousands of persons in foreign lands, usually while they are riding in a car or a truck. He has done this both with the consent and over the objection of the governments of the countries in which he has killed. He doesn’t want to talk about this, but he doesn’t deny it. How chilling is it that David Axelrod — the president’s campaign manager — has periodically seen the secret kill list? Might this be to keep the killings politically correct?
Can the president legally do this? In a word: No.
The president cannot lawfully order the killing of anyone, except according to the Constitution and federal law. Under the Constitution, he can only order killing using the military when the U.S. has been attacked, or when an attack is so imminent and certain that delay would cost innocent American lives, or in pursuit of a congressional declaration of war. Under federal law, he can only order killing using civilians when a person has been sentenced lawfully to death by a federal court and the jury verdict and the death sentence have been upheld on appeal. If he uses the military to kill, federal law requires public reports of its use to Congress and congressional approval after 180 days. | <urn:uuid:4ae5747b-f069-483f-bb7c-a038441c4060> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://batrsartre.blogspot.com/2012/05/secret-kill-list.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974742 | 522 | 1.765625 | 2 |
If you have a complaint about a bank in connection with any of the Federal credit laws--or if you think any part of your business with a bank has been handled in an unfair or deceptive way--you may get advice and help from the Federal Reserve
COMPLAINING TO FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
First try to solve your problem directly with a creditor. Only if that fails should you bring more formal complaint procedures. Here's the way to file a complaint with the Federal agencies responsible for carrying out consumer credit protection laws.
Complaints About Banks. If you have a complaint about a bank in connection with any of the Federal credit laws--or if you think any part of your business with a bank has been handled in an unfair or deceptive way--you may get advice and help from the Federal Reserve. The practice you complain about does not have to be covered by Federal law. Furthermore, you don't have to be a customer of the bank to file a complaint.
You should submit your complaint--in writing whenever possible--to the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, D.C. 20551, or to the Reserve Bank nearest you, as listed on page 43 of this handbook. Be sure to describe the bank practice you are complaining about and give the name and address of the bank involved.
The Federal Reserve will write back within 15 days--sometimes with an answer, sometimes telling you that more time is needed to handle your complaint. The additional time is required when complex issues are involved or when the complaint will be investigated by a Federal Reserve Bank. When this is the case, the Federal Reserve will try to keep you informed about the progress being made.
The Board supervises only state--chartered banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. It will refer complaints about other institutions to the appropriate Federal regulatory agency and let you know where your complaint has been referred.
PENALTIES UNDER THE LAWS
You may also take legal action against a creditor. If you decide to bring a lawsuit, here are the penalties a creditor must pay if you win.
Truth in Lending and Consumer Leasing Acts. If any creditor fails to disclose information required under these Acts, or gives inaccurate information, or does not comply with the rules about credit cards or the right to cancel certain home--secured loans, you as an individual may sue for actual damages--any money loss you suffer. In addition, you can sue for twice the finance charge in the case of certain credit disclosures, or, if a lease is concerned, 25 percent of total monthly payments. In either case, the least the court may award you if you win is $100, and the most is $1,000. In any lawsuit that you win, you are entitled to reimbursement for court costs and attorney's fees.
Class action suits are also permitted. A class action suit is one filed on behalf of a group of people with similar claims.
Equal Credit Opportunity Act. If you think you can prove that a creditor has discriminated against you for any reason prohibited by the Act, you as an individual may sue for actual damages plus punitive damages--that is, damages for the fact that the law has been violated--of up to $10,000. In a successful lawsuit, the court will award you court costs and a reasonable amount for attorney's fees. Class action suits are also permitted.
Fair Credit Billing Act. A creditor who breaks the rules for the correction of billing errors automatically loses the amount owed on the item in question and any finance charges on it, up to a combined total of $50--even if the bill was correct. You as an individual may also sue for actual damages plus twice the amount of any finance charges, but in any case not less than $100 nor more than $1,000. You are also entitled to court costs and attorney's fees in a successful lawsuit. Class action suits are also permitted.
Fair Credit Reporting Act. You may sue any credit reporting agency or creditor for breaking the rules about who may see your credit records or for not correcting errors in your file. Again, you are entitled to actual damages, p]us punitive damages that the court may allow if the violation is proved to have been intentional. In any successful lawsuit, you will also be awarded court costs and attorney's fees. A person who obtains a credit report without proper authorization--or an employee of a credit reporting agency who gives a credit report to unauthorized persons--may be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned for one year, or both.
Electronic Fund Transfer Act. If a financial institution does not follow the provisions of the EFT Act, you may sue for actual damages (or in certain cases when the institution fails to correct an error or recredit an account, for three times actual damages) plus punitive damages of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000. You are also entitled to court costs and attorney's fees in a successful lawsuit. Class action suits are also permitted.
If an institution fails to make an electronic fund transfer, or to stop
payment of a preauthorized transfer when properly instructed by you to
do so, you may sue for all damages that result from the failure.
from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Brought to you by - The 'Lectric Law Library
The Net's Finest Legal Resource for Legal Pros & Laypeople Alike. | <urn:uuid:43a14d73-1dd8-4ad5-9fbb-718ef1db9591> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lectlaw.com/files/ban14.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942841 | 1,118 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Matt 5:6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled.
Hunger means a strong desire or strong craving, a weakened disordered condition brought about by prolonged lack of food
Thirst means to have a strong craving, to yearn
What happens if you have a strong desire, or a craving for something you intend to have? You go after it with everything that is in you, don't you? When you were in the world and you wanted something "bad", you went after it with everything in your being. If you wanted sex, and had no self control even if you knew it was wrong, you went after it. It was all you thought about day and night. If you wanted drugs and set yourself to have them, and took them, then it was all you thought about night and day. No matter what the addiction, whatever you set your heart and mind on, you will seek for it with all of your heart, mind, will, emotions, everything that is in you.
If you want to play sports and you want to be the best, you have to set your will on it to practice daily. Every day you practice and learn everything about your part in the sports you are playing in, whether its football, baseball, hockey, ice skating, a sports in the Olympics, no matter what it is, your coach will push you daily, daily, daily to spend hours and hours practicing. Over, and over, until you get it perfect. Isn't that right?
If you go to college to get a degree in a specific area, you spent all day every day, sometimes 12 hours a day learning, and studying. You wanted to make high grades so you could be the best, to not only get those degrees, but so you would be considered the best in that field of study to get the best paying career when you were finished with studying. Isn't that correct?
Natural things are always compared to spiritual. Jesus used natural things to tell stories comparing them to something spiritual.
Why is it when people join God's team, they think it will be any different then when they were on the world's team? We will still spend time going after what our heart wants the most. If a person is called to preach, and they desire to be the best preacher for God they can be, they have to do the same thing as if it was sports, or studying for a degree. Why would it be any different? If one aspires to be the best at anything, one must spend hours and hours studying in that area. To be an outstanding preacher, one must spend many hours a day in study, prayer, listening to the word, spending time before God, or they won't be able to stay in the spirit and preach out of the spirit. No one wants to hear a head knowledge sermon.
I don't want to hear an empty, useless nonsense, head knowledge sermon, so why would I think I can get out of spending hours with God each day, and still be able to preach anointed sermons. If I thought that, I would be in deception. And yes, I have had times where I thought that. I thought I could watch movies, and still get the anointed sermons, and I have found it just doesn’t work. In order for me to preach everyday, I will have to give up everything secular. I have looked for every loop hole there is, and I haven't found any. I have pleaded with God, and He has listened… patiently. But, in the end, I will do it God's way, or I won't be the best preacher. I won't have the best anointed sermons.
I can tell as soon as a person opens their mouth, whether it be in voice person to person, in voice, or even in text like this, where they are, and how much time they spend with God. The more time I spend with God, the more things just seem to show themselves. At the same time, I feel like I'm not spending enough time with God. I can't get enough. I feel like not even 12 hours a day would be enough, and I have only done that a few times. I average 8 hours a day with God, and it's still not enough. Then, I hear Kenneth Copeland say the first 10 years he spent 14 to 18 hours in God's presence in the word. I go, what??? 14 to 18 hours??? I can barely sometimes do 12! **faint** LOL That looks overwhelming. I talk to people and they feel 6 hours a day is overwhelming.
Thankfully, God doesn’t say you have to do 12 hours your first day of training. He may start you out on what Gloria Copeland calls giving God the tithe of the day, 2 hours and 40 minutes. That's a good start. 10% of a 24 hour period. Everyone, every Christian should at least be studying a tithe of his or her day.
Some of you are saying, "I'm too busy to give God almost three hours a day." If you're not spending time with God, your day will seem longer than it should. If you wonder why you are tired all the time, it's because you don't have peace. Tiredness comes from depression, and depression comes from fear. The only way to have peace and to maintain peace is to be in God's presence every day of your life. There is no other way to have peace. I know. I've looked. I've been lazy like some of you. We all go through it. Look for the loop holes to get out of studying. There are none. Study, you must. Be in God's presence daily, you must.
We live in the best times the body of Christ has ever lived in. There is more anointing for the body of Christ, and in the Body of His Anointed One, than there has ever been upon the earth. There is more revelation knowledge available to us, than ever before. There are more preachers preaching out of their spirit with strong anointings than ever before. I've never had so much available to me like this. I love it! I love the internet, and all the preachers who are on it. We can do Bible searches for many translations of the Bible, and easily find the scriptures we need. They have the Bible in many translations in mp3 format, and audio streaming. It's amazing the godly stuff there is on the net.
At the same time, don't be lulled to sleep thinking the fighting is getting easier because of all this. The darkness is also darker than it has ever been. Homosexual relationships are higher than they have ever been. Now, they are calling it a lifestyle, and demanding they have it called a lifestyle and be allowed to marry their "partner in sin." Next, the porn people and the adulterers will be demanding theirs is a life style too, and they should be permitted to have their "lifestyle". Porn is higher than it has ever been. Now they have porn channels on satellite, several of them. Violence in movies is the worse it has ever been. More murders, and rapes, and robberies are being committed than ever before in history. Darkness is at an all time high.
And if you think the Christian is safe and immune to all this darkness, think again. Darkness hates us and is trying to steal the word right out of our hearts. Mark Chapter 4, the sower sows the word, is being done right in our midst. The only way to escape from the darkness is to spend daily time in the word. There is no place that is safe from the darkness trying to lick at your mind, than being in the word of God, being in the presence of God, and staying put.
Depression, fear, tiredness are manifestations of darkness oppressing your mind. Darkness wants your soul. Only you can decide if the darkness will win. Are you willing to fight to stay in the presence of God? You have to set yourself to fight daily. We are in a battle. There is no peace in the world. The only peace you will find is when you are staying in the presence of the word of God. Stay in the bubble and the protection of the word. That is where you will find God. Jesus is the Word of God. The Word of God is Jesus. He is your only protection from the evil that would try to destroy your mind. The battle is in your mind. Darkness wants your soul, which is your mind, your will, and your emotions.
Are you tired of feeling tired all day? Get in the word. Are you sick of being sick all the time? Get in the word. Are you tired of being depressed? Ne 8:10 The Joy of the Lord is your Strength. Get in His presence. Are you tired of being worried all the time? Stay in the presence of your God.
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified
The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. | <urn:uuid:a11954b5-0d9c-4c0a-9763-140271b0ee9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=25966 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975951 | 2,082 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Nearly a dozen National Guardsmen spent much of Wednesday morning unloading 52 boxes filled with wreaths and placing them in a meeting hall at the Fort McClellan Army National Guard Training Center.
“This is something that is very humbling — something we’re very proud to be involved with,” said Col. Chuck Keith, a garrison commander at the training center, as he and other National Guardsmen laid out row after row of wreaths.
The local decorations are a part of Wreaths Across America, a nationwide effort to honor deceased veterans during the holidays. The project started in Washington’s Arlington National Cemetery in 1992 and has grown to include more than 500 cemeteries throughout the world.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, military officials at Fort McClellan will hold a brief ceremony at the cemetery to coincide with hundreds of wreath-laying events across the country. Though the national program started 20 years ago, Saturday will mark the second year Fort McClellan’s cemetery has been a participating site.
“We’re just trying to bring our community together to remember and honor our troops,” said Michael Abrams, a member of the local committee that organizes the wreath-laying ceremony.
Abrams said that each year, about 160,000 volunteers throughout the country carry out Wreaths Across America. This year, volunteers helped distribute about 200,000 wreaths.
The decorations come from Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine. The owner of the company, Morrill Worcester, established the first wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.
The wreaths to be used in the McClellan ceremony were transferred from Maine by Michigan-based trucking company Load 1.
Local police escorted the shipment along Alabama 21 Wednesday morning.
“We got a lot of looks, a lot of thumbs-up,” said Load 1 driver Ken Johnson.
Donna Hosford, one of the local volunteers who helped organize the wreaths Wednesday, said she hopes the decorations will let the families of the veterans know that “someone still cares that they gave their life for this country.”
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gerald Watson, head of the local committee, said the public is encouraged to attend the event.
Visitors are asked to enter through Baltzell Gate and to follow the signs directing them to the cemetery.
“We will honor hundreds of veterans and family members who served our nation right here at Fort McClellan,” he said in a press release. “We hope there will be a large turnout again this year to help us bring the holiday spirit to the Fort McClellan Military Cemetery.”
Saturday’s ceremony will include remarks by Anniston Army Depot’s Col. Brent Bolander, the depot commander and manager of the McClellan cemetery.
Kim Oliver, a fourth-grade teacher from Jacksonville, said she and at least nine of her family members will attend the event. A wreath will be placed at the grave of her grandfather, Junior C. Johnson, a World War II veteran who died in 1991. According to Oliver, Johnson joined the U.S. Army in 1939, and served in North Africa and the European theater during World War II. Johnson was hit by shrapnel in France in June of 1944 and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Oliver said her family is thankful to all of the people who make the Wreaths Across America ceremony possible.
“It’s another way to let people know that our veterans are not forgotten,” she said.
Assistant Metro Editor Daniel Gaddy: 256-235-3560. On Twitter @DGaddy_star. | <urn:uuid:61a9df11-4514-411b-8841-c21f99935459> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://annistonstar.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Local+military+officials+to+take+part+in+Wreaths+Across+America+event%20&id=21113232&instance=1st_left | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960145 | 779 | 1.679688 | 2 |
No "Presidential Pardon" for Utility Bills
Latest Scam Aims For Personal Information
Beecher, Illinois (July 30, 2012) - The punishing heat wave much of the area has been battling this summer lends itself to yet another scam aimed at gathering personal information, which poses a very serious risk of identity theft. The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois (BBB) warns that con-artists are using text messages, emails, door to door sales, websites and word of mouth to mislead individuals into thinking there is a government program authorized by President Obama’s administration that will pay them up to $1,000 to cover their utility bills.
“We became aware of this scam following a number of phone calls to our offices,” said Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois. “There is no special bailout or any other kind of program authorized by the President to help with utility bills.”
Victims are given bank account and routing numbers to use when paying their bills online, after they “register” by providing social security numbers and banking information, account and routing numbers. Deposits briefly appear in victims’ checking accounts only later to learn they drew out of invalid accounts.
Bernas added, “There have been reports of as many as 2,000 people in Tampa, Florida and thousands of others across the country who were tricked by this scam.”
The BBB suggests the following tips to help avoid falling for this trap:
- Never provide your social security number, credit card number or banking information to anyone requesting it over the phone or at your home unless you have verified the identity of the party seeking the information.
- If you receive a call claiming to be your utility company or the government and feel pressured for immediate personal information, hang up the phone and call the utility customer service number on your bill.
- Always think safety first. Do not give into high-pressure tactics, and don’t let anyone in your home without checking their identity.
- Don’t let the immediate pressure of debt make you too anxious to think through the situation. There are sources of information available to you to give you the straight story, check with the BBB at www.bbb.org
For more tips you can trust, visit www.bbb.org and for more information on scams visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BBBChicago.
About First Community Bank and Trust
First Community Bank and Trust is a privately owned bank. Established in 1916 First Community Bank and Trust has been serving Beecher, IL, Peotone, IL and the surrounding communities for over 95 years. Our commitment to providing the best banking products and services is matched only by our outstanding customer service. We offer traditional community banking services, including mortgage, consumer, and commercial lending, as well as state of the art electronic banking services.
# # #
Steven D. Koehn, VP
First Community Bank and Trust | <urn:uuid:4979082d-e6fd-430f-9141-4a47b7364fea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.firstcbt.com/resource_center/press_releases/2012/07302012_pres_pardon.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93861 | 632 | 1.710938 | 2 |
View Full Version : The Untold Story About Roe of the Forest People. Chapter 48 19/2 2013
2nd Nov 2010, 07:25 PM
This is a story that was originally inspired by Enayla's beautiful skins. As you may notice English is not my native language.
Very long ago, in the ancient times before the lives of elves and humans were completely separated, a series of events took place. These events were of such a magnitude that they were written down in the history books and remembered for several hundreds of years before they were believed to be just fairytales and finally completely forgotten in the flow of time. The complete story about why the lives of elves and humans became separate has, however, never been told before. Therefore it is time to tell the story about how a little insignificant creature named Roe came to change the history of humans and elves.
It was summer and Otter of the Forest people was happy. In the summer life was easy. The air was filled with the wonderful scent of flowers and grass and the birds were singing. She and Wolf had been very lucky to find this settlement with such good hunting grounds. It would probably take a very long time before either of them would have to be hungry again.
When little Roe was born next summer, Otter’s and Wolf’s happiness was complete.
“She's the most perfect little creature I have ever seen,” Wolf said enchanted. “We will take care of her and love her so that she will be the happiest girl in the world”.
When Otter hold her little daughter in her arms she knew that from now on her life would be completely changed. Everything would circle around little Roe. The thought that something dangerous could ever happen to her child was the most scaring thought Otter could imagine. Far from every child in the forest lived to see their first birthday.
Just as Wolf had said, Roe grew up to be a very happy little girl. Her bright laughter filled Otter’s and Wolf’s hearts with joy. The little family lived a life free from worries and full of happiness.
The same day that Roe was born another baby was born far away. No one could ever guess that the destinies of these two babies would be connected and that this would affect both the human kingdom and the elves’ realms. At this time humans and the forest people did not even know of each other’s existence. Queen Cecilia hold her son with tenderness. She and King Magnus had lost all their other children as infants and they had almost given up the hope to have an heir to the throne when Alexander was born. He seemed to be an unusually strong and healthy child so Cecilia started to hope that maybe finally she would be allowed to keep her baby.
“Now there is hope for our kingdom again” King Magnus said happily. “My brothers and their sons can stop their intrigues about which one of them that will take over after me. When Alexander becomes king there will be no wars that tear our kingdom apart”.
3rd Nov 2010, 08:55 AM
“I can see that you’re truly happy to have a new nephew, brother.” The irony in Karl’s words was very obvious. “I believe that you have to make new plans for little Erik’s future now that he cannot become king” Karl continued.
“Well we don’t know about that yet. Alexander is still very young and our big brother Magnus has not been very lucky with his children,” Birger replied quietly.
“I think you may be disappointed this time,” Karl replied. “I have heard that young Alexander is a very strong baby.”
“If you think I am disappointed, what about you?” Birger looked his brother steady in the eyes. “Don’t you think I know that you had your own plans for the future?” “I am older than you and I do believe that Erik has much more potential to be a real king than a son raised by our soft brother Magnus.” Birger kept his eyes steady on Karl and his voice was sharp.
Karl snorted, demonstrating that he did not agree about who the future king should be.
“Although I have had a pleasant time here in your county Karl, I think it is time for me to return home early tomorrow. Thank you for your hospitality. Good night brother. I think we will talk more about this subject in the future.”
Birger and Karl, Magnus’ two younger brothers were considered to be hard and cruel to the farmers who worked on their lands. More than once, Magnus had stopped them from taxing the farmers what he considered to be too hard.
Birger and Karl were not particularly good friends but they had a common interest that one on their sons would become the future king. Until Prince Alexander was born this future prospect was within reach. Although Birger and Karl did not support Magnus, they had never dared to challenge him because he was very popular and had the people on his side.
When Prince Alexander had survived his first year King Magnus arranged a big banquet to the honour of the crown prince according to the old customs. Many important guests were invited, including Birger and Karl. The most honoured guests were, however, the king and the queen of the elven realms and their suite. The celebration of a new human crown prince was an event of such importance that the elves would leave their realms to visit the human kingdom and once again confirm the ancient union between the king and queen of the light elves and the human kingdom.
Elves and humans were friends at this time, although it was not often they met. A banquet together with elves was something very unusual for the human guests.
“It is like it was only yesterday that I attended the banquet to honour your grandfather when he became one year old,” Queen Eliene said to King Magnus. “Your world is so changeable. There are very seldom births of new babies in our realm.”
”I understand that the birth your daughter less than two years ago must have been an enormous delight for all light elves,” king Magnus replied.
“Yes, princess Aliendre is a wonderful child” the queen of the elves replied her face lit up with a mothers pride. “I anticipate, that her powers will be great when she grows up.”
This made King Magnus feel a bit uncomfortable. The magic powers of the light elves scared him a little.
“Of course Aliendre is still much to young for such a long journey as to your kingdom but when she grows up I am sure that she will want to learn more about the human world that is so different from ours.”
“Of course Prince Alexander is more than welcome to visit us when he becomes older, just as his ancestors have before him,” King Eraldor continued.
Queen Cecilia knew that this invitation was a great honour but also expected, and one of the reasons that the elves always participated in the celebration of of a new human crown prince. It was a long tradition that the human heirs of the throne would spend some time with the elves during their education. This strengthened the ancient union between elves and humans but was also very valuable as the elves had deep knowledge about so many things that were not known by humans. Cecilia thanked politely for the invitation on staggering elvish language. She did not speak the beautiful elven language as well as her husband, who of course had visited the elves for some time when he was young. The elves both fascinated and scared Cecilia.
Sometimes during the banquet the older elves could sit completely still and quiet with their eyes looking at some distant place. With their supernatural beauty they looked almost like statues during these moments. The impression was strengthened by the fact that they did not blink and barely seemed to breathe while they seemed distant. The thought that many generations of human kings had visited the same elven king and queen was strange. Elves and humans were truly different Queen Cecilia thought.
Although Alexander was too young to attend the banquet that was hold to his honour he had of course to be shown and presented to King Eraldor and Queen Eliene. There were very few children in the elven realms and Queen Eliene was completely charmed by the little prince who was just a few months younger than her own daughter.
When Eliene reached out her hand to touch Alexander she was suddenly overwhelmed by a strong feeling. Dark clouds seemed to gather in the sky and she felt a grief deeper that she had imagined was possible. She quickly withdraw her hand from the boy and the feeling disappeared. There was something disastrous in this little boy’s destiny that would also affect her and the elves. Luckily Cecilia had not noticed the change in Elienes expression but Eraldor had seen and understood that Eliene with her powers had foreseen something fearful in the future. He could not understand how anything bad could be linked to this little prince, because his own powers told him that the boy had a good and honest heart.
The prince had a very thorough education. He had a staff of teachers in different subjects but his own father also participated actively in his education.
“I want to play instead,” Alexander complained.
“You can play when you have translated all the words on the sheet to elvish language,” Magnus replied merciless and Alexander sighed deeply.
“It is much more fun with riding lessons and lessons in sword fight than to sit at a desk.” Alexander’s horse Galaxy nodded and agreed as always with his little rider. “You are the best birthday gift I ever had. We will win every tournament as soon as I am old enough to participate. Mum says it is too dangerous for me but you and I, we don’t care.” The horse snorted which Alexander interpreted as a very obvious “yes”. His horse understood him better than anyone else. For a little while Alexander lost himself in dreams about future glory in the jousting field.
4th Nov 2010, 05:23 PM
Roe hold her breath. She was very close now and the wild boar did still not know she was there. If only she was older and allowed to hunt large preys for real! All she could do now was to practise her skills in tracking and moving without making a sound. Sometimes she could come so close to an animal that she could touch it. Of course some animals were better not to touch; she had learned this the hard way. In fact, it was best that this wild boar never realised she was close to it at all. She defied all her parent’s exhortations to be careful. Hunting in the way forest people did was definitely not without dangers but Roe enjoyed testing her own limits. It was inevitable that she would get smaller wounds every now and then but miraculously she was never seriously injured and she became more and more fearless. Although her parents constantly feared for their daughter’s safety they were also very proud of their skilful and brave child.
“What have you been up to today?” her father asked.
”Nothing, just walking around,” Roe shrugged her shoulders. She figured that it was best for her father to not know that she had been tracking wild boars. It was strange that this strong and brave man was so easily scared when it came to her. He should know that she could take care of herself.
One of Roe’s strongest childhood memories was the large Forest people meeting. She had only a few times before met others of her kind when she walked far away in the forest with her parents. Her parents taught her good manners and how greet other people. These spontaneous meeting were always very brief. After polite greetings the different groups parted and went in opposite directions.
"It is very rude to intrude on someone else’s hunting grounds. We forest people always respect each other,” Wolf told her.
The large meeting was something completely new for Roe. She had never seen so many of her own kind at the same time before.
Everyone ate and laughed together. There were different competitions. At night when everyone danced to the rhythm of drums in the light of the fires, Roe felt like she had been transferred to some other magical place far away from real life. She thought that she could feel the presence of the spirits closer than ever before.
Next evening an old man told stories by the fire.
“He is very old, probably more than 60 winters and has seen and heard many things”, Otter said to Roe.
“Worst of all creatures in the world are the cruel humans” the storyteller said in a dramatic voice. “They look similar to the elves but are completely different and mortal just like us. But unlike us they have many children so they spread everywhere. They destroy the forest so that our people have to flee from our hunting grounds. There are no other creatures that are as cruel as them. Animals are kept as prisoners and humans kill as often as they can, not only for food.” The storyteller told many stories about the humans’ cruelty.
“Do humans exist for real?” Roe asked her mother when she was about to fall asleep in Otter’s arms.
“I don’t know”, Otter replied slowly. “But you don’t have to be afraid. If they really do exist they must be very, very far away. I have never met anyone who has seen a human. You know, I think that the storyteller sometimes makes up stories just to entertain us.”
But Roe was not reassured. She had nightmares about humans who came to destroy her forest so that she and her parents had to flee from their home.
6th Nov 2010, 10:39 AM
A few days after Roe had returned home after the meeting she had a shock. She was following an interesting track from a group of deers when suddenly a pale boy stood right before her, like he had grown out of the ground. He was looking directly at her. This must be a human boy! Roe panicked. She was really scared but she knew better than to show her fear. Her father had told her over and over again that showing fear was the best way to get attacked. “Always act as you are in total control of things no matter how you feel inside,” he had told her so many times. Roe gathered herself. After all, the boy didn’t really look dangerous at all.
Roe remembered her good manners and bowed. She thought that being polite could never hurt, although humans probably did not know about such things.
“I am Roe of the forest people, Wolf’s and Otter’s daughter," she said politely.
The pale boy with the strange blue eyes smiled happily. “I am Thorundur and I’m a light elf. I'm on a fishing tour with my brother but he's so boring so I went away on my own for a little while,” he said.
The boy spoke so fast so Roe could barely get what he said. But she had very clearly heard that he was a light elf. Of course, she thought. She knew that elves sometimes walked in the forest although she had never met one before. Elves were not dangerous. How silly she had been to think that the boy was a human! Humans probably didn’t exist after all.
The boy had a funny but pleasant accent. Roe remembered that the storyteller had said that once in the beginning of times it was the elves that had taught the forest people their language. Roe was thrilled. Like other children of her kind she was not used to have a playmate.
“We can go tracking together she said," but felt suddenly a little shy. What if the elf thought she was boring?
“That sounds fun,” he said quickly with a bright smile. “But I have another idea, lets sneak on my brother. He's only fifty years old but so booring. I bet that he will not notice us until we 're really close." Thorundur told Roe that he lived far away with his parents but was staying with his brother for a while. “Mum and Dad think it will be good for me to spend a year with my brother and aunt. They think I will learn to behave better,” Thorundur said with a smile that showed that he had no intention at all to learn how to behave. “Hey, do you live here somewhere? Maybe we can play every day?”
Roe and Thorundur had much fun sneaking on Toraldor, Thorundur’s brother, who was fishing in a small lake not far away. But of course they couldn’t help giggling after a while and were revealed.
“You little rascal,” Toraldor said with a stern voice to his brother, but his smile showed that he was not angry at all. He hugged his little brother and Roe noticed that there was much love between the two brothers. They looked so much alike, even their clothes were the same. “Are you not going to introduce your friend?” Toraldor asked with a look at Roe.
“This is my friend Roe, she's from the Forest people,” Thorundur answered with a pride that made Roe feel very good.
“I didn’t know there was any of your kind here” Toraldor said to Roe. “I am pleased to meet you Roe. It will be good for Thorundur to have a friend here.”
Thorundur and Roe played almost every day. Roe taught Thorundur to track and to move silently but he was not as good as her. He often scared the animals before they got very close because he just couldn’t be quiet but Roe had more fun than ever.
Roe could talk with Thorundur about everything. He told her about his life with the elves.
“My brother’s wife is a distant relative to the King and Queen,” he said with some pride.
But Roe didn’t really understand what being king and queen meant so Thorundur had to try to explain but was a little annoyed when Roe laughed because she thought it was silly to have a king and queen. Then he agreed with her. Why didn’t the elves live like the forest people? he thought. Roe taught Thorundur about the life in the forest. She was surprised to find out that Thorundur had no idea that everyone was part of the forest and that spirits in the forest gave people food and shelter if you respected them.
"The forest is our mother," Roe explained.
When the winter came they couldn’t see each other as often as before because when the snow was deep it was difficult to move in the forest and if snow fall was heavy it could even be dangerous to go far away from home. But when the weather was fine they played and had more fun than ever in the snow. Roe had the best time of her life when she had Thorundur as a friend. Everyday was full of fun when they were together.
One day when they met in the forest Thorundur looked very sad. “I have to go home,” he sobbed and Roe thought her heart would break. Thorundur noted that Forest people cried without any tears.
“My parents have come to take me home again and they will not let me stay any longer even though I begged them.” The sorrow in Thorundur’s voice was heartbreaking.
“I will come back one day”, Thorundur said when he hugged his friend one last time. “It’s like you’re my twin sister. I have never had so much fun.”
“Neither have I,” Roe sobbed. “I will miss you so much.”
9th Nov 2010, 11:21 PM
This was extremely good. The pictures in particular impressed me. I would say that they have been the best pictures I've ever seen as an accompaniment to a Sim's story I've ever seen. Good to have some more fantasy here, and I hope you continue with your great tale.
11th Nov 2010, 02:43 AM
Hmmm....but isn't the elven child female? =3 Does that mean Thorundur is really a girl?!
11th Nov 2010, 09:50 PM
Thank you both for reading. Thorundur is definitely a boy but there is also an elven princess, Aliendre, but she has only been mentioned briefly so far. Next chapter is in progress and will be about Alexander.
13th Nov 2010, 11:48 PM
Alexander enjoyed his privileged life. He was popular and had a reputation to be handsome and charming.
Although Alexander had to spend much time on his education there was also plenty of time for pleasure. His favourite pleasure was sport games of different kinds. He was still too young to be allowed to participate in the games himself but he still dreamed about the day that he would participate in the competitions.
One day Alexander’s cousin Erik came to spend some time in the royal castle. Queen Cecilia was not thrilled over the idea to have the son of her husband’s brother in the household and close to her son. She did not trust Erik at all.
“What harm can it do to have him here? After all he’s family. The best that can happen is that Erik becomes Alexander’s friend,” Magnus said but Cecilia was still not convinced.
Just as Magnus had hoped, Erik and Alexander became good friends. They both enjoyed all kinds of sports that were considered proper for a noble man of this time. Erik was older than Alexander and the better of them when they practised the arts of fighting but Alexander was more dedicated in his practise and could spend hours polishing his technique with the sword.
They were both handsome and together they became the centre of social life for the young and privileged. Alexander’s friends had been carefully chosen from the most influential families in the kingdom. Together with Erik, Alexander spent more time than ever on pleasures together with his friends.
I think they are looking at us,” Erik tilted his head in the direction of a group of young maids that were whispering and giggling together. Erik stretched himself with a self-conscious smile on his lips.
It was obvious that the young girl’s eyes were hooked on Alexander. When he looked in their direction they started too giggle hysterically.
Alexander’s cheeks turned slightly red. Although he was born a prince, too much attention sometimes made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
“I guess being a prince increase your attractiveness.” It was meant as a joke but Erik couldn’t completely disguise the underlying bitterness in his voice. Although Erik also was popular and older than Alexander, it was always Alexander who got most of the attention and admiration.
“I don’t think I like the influence Erik has on our son.” Cecilia said to Magnus. “They spend too much time on pleasures and Alexander must think about his future duties and spend more time on education.”
“I wouldn’t worry,” Magnus replied. “I’m happy that they are such good friends. My brothers have only caused trouble for me but perhaps it can be different between Alexander and his cousins. But you may be right that Alexander spends too much time on pleasures and too little on education and duties. I'm also afraid that a little more humility wouldn’t hurt Alexander. Maybe it’s time for him to visit the elves for a year or so.” Cecilia didn't like anyone criticising her son, not even Magnus.
“There is nothing wrong with Alexander,” she said sharply, “and he's still too young to go away for a year.”
“No, he’s the same age that I was when I visited the elves. He will grow up whatever you do.”
But Cecilia didn’t want to hear about sending Alexander to the elves yet and if Alexander didn’t behave as she might wish, it was Erik’s fault. Her son couldn't do anything wrong according to Cecilia. “Alexander is just a young boy, there will be plenty of time for him to visit the elves later,” Cecilia finished the discussion.
I was in the middle of the night and everyone in the castle except the guards on duty were asleep. The dark figure moved silently looking around his shoulder every now and then. He didn't belong to the castle and was heavily armed. The guard didn't hesitate for a second when he saw that the intruder was trying to open Alexander’s door. There was a look of total surprise in the intruder’s eyes when the sword went into his chest.
Too late Robert, which was the guard’s name, realised that killing the intruder maybe wasn’t the best option and just as he had feared king Magnus was angry.
“Now, we will never know who sent him.” Although Magnus was very happy that the attack on his son had been stopped, he was displeased that the intruder had been killed and couldn't be interrogated. He was convinced that one of his brothers had sent the intruder to kill Alexander but now nothing could be proved.
The next days were turbulent. Magnus had never expected an attack on his son in his own castle. Although Alexander also was a little annoyed by the incident, he stated that the guards had done their duty and he hadn’t been harmed after all. It was obvious that the safety was good in the castle according to Alexander.
Cecilia was deeply chocked. She changed her mind about sending Alexander to the elves and decided that he would be much safer in the Elven realms for a while. I was hastily decided that Alexander would leave as soon as possible. It was spring and a good time to travel.
“I don’t want to stay with the longears for a year,” Alexander protested unhappily. "I have heard that all they do is singing and reading poetry. I want to stay here with my friends."
“Never, ever call the elves longears again.” Magnus said angry. “You must show them the deepest respect. You have to travel and that’s the end of the discussion.”
When Alexander had left the room Magnus chuckled for himself. “Longears, haha.” Sometimes the king was easily amused.
It was time to leave. A few guards would accompany Alexander. He needed all his self control to not cry in front of everyone. Cecilia thought that is was almost unbearable to see her son leave although she knew that he would be back next year.
When Alexander was ready to mount his horse he began to feel that maybe this would be a good adventure after all.
19th Nov 2010, 06:52 PM
As the years went by without Thorundur showing up again, Roe realised that he probably had forgotten about her and was busy with his life with the elves. She would never forget her best friend even if they only had spent a short time together. But that year had been the best time of her life. There was not a day that went by when she didn’t think about the elf and the good times that they had shared together.
Roe was, however, not unhappy. It was not in her nature to be unhappy for a long time and she still enjoyed her life with all the small adventures in the forest. One day she made new friends. A couple of dark elves, Ondina and Orm, had moved to a place in the mountains not very far from Roe’s family’s hunting grounds. Their blue eyes reminded her of Thorundur. At first she had thought that Thorundur’s eyes looked strange but very soon she’d started to like his blue eyes that were so vivid. Ondina and Orm were much older than her and she didn’t share the same kind of familiarity with them that she had with Thorundur but she enjoyed spending time with the elves.
Ondina smiled friendly. “You know everything that is worth to know about the forest Roe. Would you like to help us to collect some of the ingredients that we need for our potions? Perhaps we can help you sometime in return.”
Roe was flattered. The dark elves made her feel special when they thought that she could help them with their magic. Some of the ingredients that Ondina and Orm had asked for were extremely poisonous. It was the kind of plants and mushrooms that she had been taught to carefully avoid. Roe figured that it was logic that strong magic required strong ingredients.
“I used to have a friend who was an elf just like you. He’s name was Thorundur.” Roe smiled sadly.
“That sounds like a light elf name.” Ondina’s eyes met Orm’s.
“Yes, of course. Thorundur is a light elf.” Roe was puzzled by the strange expression in Orm’s and Ondina’s faces.
“I’m sure that he was a nice person if you chose him to be your friend.” Ondina didn’t sound as if she really meant this. “But you should know that light elves cannot be trusted. There are things in the past that we will never forgive them. They started a cruel war against the dark elves and we will never forget our terrible losses. It’s probably better for you to keep away from light elves.” Ondina’s face hardened when she talked about light elves.
This was a lot more information about the elves than Roe had wanted to have and the new knowledge disturbed her. Forest people had no enemies and treated everyone with respect. How strange that dark elves and light elves who were of the same kind did not get along with each other! She didn’t talk more about Thorundur and didn’t ask about the differences between light and dark elves because she really didn’t want to hear any bad things about light elves.
“I don’t think you should spend so much time with the elves,” Otter’s ears twitched slightly and Roe had to look down to hide her smile. She didn’t want her mother to believe that she was being disrespectful. It was always so easy to tell when Otter was uncertain. Her ears revealed her. “We Forest people proud ourselves to be polite and kind but we don’t socialise with other species and only rarely with those of our own kind that are not family. I know that you had much fun with the light elf when you were a child but you are growing up and should follow the ways of our people.”
“Why don’t Forest people socialise with others?” Roe couldn’t understand this. It was so fun and interesting to be with the elves.
Otter’s ears twitched again. She really didn’t know exactly why she thought that Roe shouldn’t spend time with the elves. It just felt strange and wrong. She worried because it became more and more clear that maybe Roe was different from other Forest people, and according to Otter being different meant trouble. “Because it’s not how we are. It’s against our nature.” Otter realised that the answer was insufficient for Roe who just looked more questioning.
Roe hugged her mother. “Don’t worry about me mum. I’ll be fine.” Otter gave up. Maybe being different could be something very good sometimes, she thought hopefully.
Wolf sat down by the fire next to Roe. “It’s time for the Forest people meeting next summer. You’re now old enough to participate in the competitions, and I think that you will enjoy that.”
Roe was thrilled. She still remembered her first and only meeting as a very special event in her life. She would indeed enjoy competing with other hunters of her own kind.
Roe had seen a colony of bees in a tree some days before and had decided that she would surprise her parents with honey today. She was thinking about how happy Otter and Wolf would be when she came home with the honey when her sharp nose picked up a very familiar scent that she had not felt for many years now. The scent brought back so many memories from the past, but it was not possible, she must be mistaken.
She was not mistaken. Suddenly he stood there in the forest looking straight at her, just like the first time that she’d met him.
“Hi Roe, I think that you have grown since last time I saw you.” The familiar smile made his eyes glitter.
22nd Nov 2010, 06:09 PM
”Thorundur!” Roe threw herself around Thorundur's neck. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“I missed you too Roe. My parents wouldn’t let me leave home until now. I was so afraid that you might have moved so that I wouldn’t be able to find you again.”
It was like they never had parted. They could still talk about everything and spent almost all time together. Thorundur enjoyed hunting and was more than happy to learn from Roe who had improved her skills during the years that had passed.
“I have such a good time with you Roe.” Thorundur said and Roe felt warm and happy. “You’re the best sister I could have.” Somehow these words didn’t make Roe as happy as they used to.
“I met two dark elves who became my friends.” Roe worried about how Thorundur would react to this information considering what the dark elves had told her about the relations between light and dark elves. But Roe didn’t want to have any secrets for Thorundur.
“Dark elves!” Thorundur looked upset. “Dark elves are evil. How could you be friend with such people?” he asked accusingly.
Roe was hurt and angry. “They were nice to me and they are my friends. Ondina and Orm said that light elves are cruel. I can’t understand why elves cannot get along with each other.”
She got up and walked away.
“Wait, Roe. I didn’t mean to be angry at you. It’s not your fault. You couldn’t know how cruel dark elves can be. Please don’t be angry at me. Do you still see the dark elves?”
Roe hadn’t seen Ondina and Orm for some time before Thorundur showed up. She didn’t know if they kept away because they knew that Thorundur was here or if they just were busy with other things.
“I won’t see them again as long as you’re here if you don’t want me too,” she said.
“I better stay then,” he said with a smile.
Thorundur was upset to learn that Ondina and Orm had settled down in the mountains not very far away from his brother’s home. But Thorundur and Roe didn’t talk more about the dark elves.
“Father you can’t be serious!” Princess Aliendre was upset.
“You’re the only elf here who’s about the same age as Prince Alexander,” King Eraldor said. “I think that it’s more than reasonable and polite that you spend some time with him. He’s going to be treated as an honoured guest in our palace.”
“But a human!” Aliendre was not happy. “Am I supposed to be a nanny to a human?” She could think of thousands of things that she’d rather do than spend time with a human.
“Humans may be mortal and different from us but they are our allies. We have not forgotten the help that they gave us when the evil dark elves started the war hundreds of years ago. You were not born then but most of the light elves are old enough to remember how the humans helped us to win the war when it looked hopeless. Our numbers were seriously reduced and never has there been a sorrow worse than what we experienced because of the war. The human king who supported us was an ancestor to Prince Alexander and therefore the prince must be treated with respect.”
Aliendre sighed and bowed her head.
Although Aliendre had no other choice than to do as she was told, she didn't look forward to the visit by the human.
2nd Dec 2010, 05:15 PM
Alexander had looked after his horse Galaxy and was walking back to the camp fire when he heard that the guards were talking about him.
“I would very much prefer to be at home with my family instead of looking after a spoiled brat prince in the middle of nowhere” Robert said.
“I know, but the payment is good,” Roland answered.
Alexander was chocked and sad. Was that how people thought of him, as a spoiled brat? He realised that lately he had probably deserved such an opinion about himself. But he would change that. He walked slowly to the camp.
“Where is the axe Robert?” Alexander said.
Robert looked puzzled. “Why?” he asked.
“Obviously we need some more wood for the fire.”
Alexander grabbed the axe and walked away. It was harder than he had thought but finally he had a nice pile of logs. Satisfied with the result he decided that he would show everyone that he was a lot more than a spoiled prince.
“We’re not very far away from the elven palace now,” Roland said. Can you see the mountains over there?”
Alexander looked in the direction Roland pointed and nodded.
“Never go to close to the mountains. It’s said that dark elves dwell there,” Roland said. “They can put a spell on you so that you’re lost in the wilderness forever.”
Alexander shuddered. He had read about dark elves and their black magic and had no intention to have any closer contact with them. It was good the light elves’ palace was in a completely different direction.
6th Dec 2010, 11:40 PM
Here is chapter 9. The story is getting longer than I first had thought. Even if the general storyline is finished the details between the major events seem to live their own life and are growing. Roe and Alexander will meet their destinies sooner or later but it will take longer to get there than I had planned.
Alexander had never seen elves before except at the banquet that was hold to his honour when he was little. Of course he could not remember that. All elves looked like they were the same age with one exception, a young girl about his age. She must be Princess Aliendre he thought. The princess looked steady at him with her large blue eyes and an expression that indicated that she was bored. Alexander thought that she was the most beautiful girl that he’d ever seen.
Aliendre’s bored expression did not change when it was her turn to greet the guest.
“I am pleased to meet you Prince Alexander.” Her voice was soft and graceful but her facial expression did not match her words. There was not a trace of a smile on her lips.
The guards only stayed to get a couple of days rest from the travel before it was time for them to return home. When Roland bowed and said “Goodbye Alexander it was a pleasure to escort you,” he sounded sincere and when he looked at Alexander it was with a respect that hadn’t been there before.
The guards left and Alexander was the only human left. But the elves were friendly and kept him busy. There were always new and interesting things to learn. Alexander worked hard, determined to make a good impression and to improve himself.
The palace garden was magnificent. Pleasant flagrances from colourful flowers filled the air. Bees and butterflies drank from the nectar. Archways, fountains, footpaths and statues added to the beauty. Most fantastic of all was the statue of the elven queen. It was perfect with real clothes and hair.
“I hope that you have settled in and that everything is to your satisfaction.” The friendly voice made Alexander jump because he had thought that he was alone.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you Alexander. I was lost in the past. Sometimes we elders forget the present and loose ourselves in past times.”
Now Alexander realised that it was not a statue at all. It was actually the queen herself who had been completely still in the same posture for a long time. He could swear that she hadn’t even blinked.
Despite all new things to explore and learn Alexander felt a bit lonely and missed his friends and family. He had hoped that he and Aliendre would become friends. After all they were the only teenagers here. She did, however, seem to avoid him. He greeted her every time they occasionally met but she answered shortly and did not stop even to exchange a few polite phrases. Usually girls were more than happy to talk with Alexander, but on the other hand he had never met an elven girl before.
To Alexander’s surprise and delight Aliendre approached him one day.
“Would you like to come with me on an excursion?” she asked. There was still not a trace of a smile in her face.
They went by horse to a place close to the palace. All colours were more intense than they were at home in the human kingdom. The grass was greener and there were colourful flowers that Alexander had never seen at home. It looked almost like an enchanted landscape. He said this to Aliendre in an attempt to open a conversation.
“Of course,” she said. The king and queen use their powers too keep this place as we like it.”
Alexander was dumbfounded. He hadn’t really expected magic to be involved although he had known that some of the elves from the oldest families had strong powers. It was one thing to read about magic powers and another thing to see evidence of it.
“Would you like to practice archery with elven bows?” Aliendre said.
“Yes, I would love to.” Alexander had always enjoyed archery. Aliendre provided him with a bow and arrows.
The first arrow hit the target in the bullseye and the next was not very far from it. Alexander found that his results were better than ever. He had never used such a good bow.
“Has this been prepared with magic?” he asked Aliendre. It seamed reasonable that the bow could be enchanted if the landscape was.
“No,” she said as if he was stupid to ask such a question. “We have very skilful craftsmen.”
Alexander shot some more arrows and was satisfied with the result. Aliendre picked up a bow and started to practice on another target and Alexander noted that she was skilled. Obviously she had done this many times before.
“Would you like to compete?” Alexander asked.
Aliendre nodded. Although Alexander couldn’t deny that she was very talented he was satisfied to note that he was better. He was too competitive to consider letting her win just to be polite.
A small wrinkle formed between Aliendre’s brows and her otherwise full lips narrowed to a thin line. “Let’s increase the distance,” she said.
Okay, she’s a bad loser Alexander thought amused and accepted the challenge. He felt confident about his skill with the bow. All the hours of practice had given result and with the elven bow he was better than ever. But when he saw how far away Aliendre had meant he protested.
“I can hardly see the targets there. How am I am supposed to be able to aim?”
Aliendre smiled content. “Do you give up?”
Although Alexander did well Aliendre won this time. I was clear that elves had better vision than humans. Aliendre was not only a bad loser she was also a bad winner. Although Alexander could tell that she tried to hide her content she did not succeed very well.
Alexander picked some flowers nearby.
“These are for the beautiful winner” he said with smile. “I will carry them back home for you.”
To Alexander’s surprise and delight Aliendre’s lips formed bright smile that made her look radiant. For once the imperious princess was amused. “You shouldn’t have picked those flowers,” she said.
“Why, is there a law against picking them?” Alexander looked horrified and threw the flowers on the ground.
“No, there’s no need for a law. No one would be stupid enough to pick them,” Aliendre said with a laugh. “Almost no one” she corrected herself with a look at Alexander. “You will understand very soon what I’m talking about.”
Before Aliendre had finished the sentence Alexander felt how his hands started to twinge and he could see vesicles popping up.
“The flowers have a poisonous sap,” Aliendre said. The tone of compassion in her voice surprised Alexander. “It’s not dangerous but will hurt for a while. You’re lucky though. I have something in my saddle bag that will help.”
She got an ointment and salved Alexander’s hands that started to feel better immediately. Aliendre’s hands were warm and soft.
“It was worth it to see you smile” Alexander said when Aliendre met his eyes for a moment. It seemed to get her out of balance for a short while.
When they rode home Aliendre smiled a little when he joked with her. She told him about the places they passed and asked a couple of questions about his family. In the short ride home they exchanged more words than they had since Alexander came to the light elves.
Alexander smiled. He had known exactly what plants that he had picked. They grew at home also and he was well aware that they would cause a rash. It had been worth it to break the ice between him and Aliendre. An extra bonus was that Aliendre had had a healing salve so he didn’t even have to suffer much. He thought about the softness of Aliendre’s hands. It had been a very good day on the whole.
14th Dec 2010, 09:43 PM
Alexander studied his image in the mirror for a long time while he combed his hair without being completely satisfied with the result. Maybe he should let his hair grow long like the elves, he thought. He changed clothes a couple of times before he was ready for breakfast.
When he got out of his room he saw Aliendre and she was looking at him. She looked puzzled as if she tried to figure out something.
“Good morning,” Alexander said, and for the first time the princess returned his greeting with a friendly smile.
Alexander found that Aliendre smiled often now. They spent more and more time together. Aliendre wanted to know everything about the human word, something that she recently had seemed to consider being below her dignity. Alexander was cheerful by nature and his jokes made her laugh.
Alexander woke up. It was dark and the moonlight trickled through the coloured glass in his window. Upset voices reached his room. There seemed to be several elves in the courtyard who talked about something that they were clearly not happy about. Alexander went out to find out what was going on.
Between two light elves in armour was a teenage boy who Alexander thought must be a dark elf. The boy was obviously a prisoner and did not seem to be any older than Alexander.
“It’s outrageous. We found him close to the palace,” one of the light elves said.
“Don’t you know that this is forbidden area for dark elves?”
The boy’s jaws were tense and his eyes filled with pride. He kept silent and did not answer any of the questions that he was asked.
Everyone’s eyes turned as King Eraldor came out from the main door. The situation was quickly explained for him.
There was a grim expression in the elven king’s face. “Lock him up for the night and we’ll have the trial here in the courtyard tomorrow.”
Alexander was already awake when the sun rose. He hadn’t been able to get much sleep. The tribunal was going to be held in the courtyard and Alexander was expected to be in the audience. The expressions in the light elves’ faces gave him a bad feeling about what to expect. He did not envy the boy who was going to be judged by this crowd. The dark elf was pushed in front on the light elves. He still refused to answer any questions and looked steady at the light elves with pride and hatred.
When Alexander for a short moment met the boy’s eyes he could tell that there was fear behind the pride in them. Some kind of conviction seemed to be made after a very short trial.
Eraldor stood up to announce the sentence. “Your memory and your sense will be taken away from you before you will be released in the forest far away from here.”
This was a sentence Alexander had never heard in any human trial that he had attended but it did not sound good.
The boy’s jaws became even tenser and his face paler but he kept his eyes steady and did not say anything. His name was still unknown as he had not said a word since he was caught. Eraldor lifted his arm and the silence was compact. The power of the words coming from Eraldor’s mouth was obvious even for Alexander who did not understand them. A light bolt went from Eraldor’s fingers and hit the dark elf whose face became totally blank. He was dragged away by two light elves. No one spoke. Alexander met Aliendrie’s eyes and could tell that she had also been deeply shaken. To be released in the forest without memory or sense could be nothing else that a death sentence Alexander thought. What had the boy done to deserve such a destiny? All Alexander knew was that the dark elf had been too close to the light elves’ palace.
Eraldor sat down looking tired and worn as if all his energy had been drawn out of him with the spell. He went slowly into to the palace, supported by his wife, and stayed out of sight for three days.
19th Dec 2010, 10:33 PM
Roe waited at the usual place. She loved early summer mornings and the sensation when the rising sun started to warm her skin.
When she saw Thorundur her heart started beating faster and all colours became brighter. She loved how the sunlight made his blond hair shine. Everything was so much more fun when she shared it with Thorundur.
“I’ve never seen you use any magic,” Roe said. “Don’t all elves have magic powers?”
“It’s mostly the oldest elves and sometimes their children. I don’t have much power but there’s something that I can do. Look!”
Thorundur closed his eyes and concentrated. He reached out his fingers and started to say some strange words that he repeated many times under deep concentration. After a long while Roe could see a small flame of fire coming from his fingertips. With a last effort he lighted a fire.
“That’s fantastic Thorundur. You’re so skilled.”
Thorundur had to sit down to rest. The spell had drained him of energy but he looked very content. Roe didn’t have the heart to tell him that she could have lit the fire much quicker and with less effort without magic.
It was getting colder each day. Roe took a deep breath letting her lungs fill with the fresh autumn air. She took a new breath but this time only with her nose.
“I can smell the boar here. It must be in this direction,” she said. She could feel the adrenaline running through her veins, sharpening her senses and making her feel really good.
“You’re right. Here’s the track. It looks fresh,” Thorundur whispered.
“Are you ready?” Roe nodded in the direction of the wild boar that was drinking from the lake.
Thorundur raised his bow and aimed. Just as he was about to fire the arrow the boar looked up and ran away. The arrow went through the air and hit the ground where the boar had been half a second before.
“I can’t believe it! I had him! Something scared him.”
There was a movement in the bushes by the lake and a dirty skinny figure appeared. He looked ragged and his eyes bewildered. When he saw Roe and Thorundur there was a look of total terror in his face before he turned away and ran through the forest in an amazing speed as if something horrible was hunting him. Soon he was out of sight.
“What was that? Surely that was an elf but he looked as if he had no sense at all,” Roe said.
“He was a Dark elf so of course he wouldn’t have any sense. He made us loose the boar.”
Despite the harsh words from her friend Roe could see that the strange behaviour of the boy had disturbed Thorundur as well.
“If he acts like that he will get himself killed really soon.” Roe shuddered at the thought of the boy who had seemed so lost in the forest. There had clearly been something terribly wrong with him.
“Next summer I will go to a Forest people meeting,” Roe said.
“Can I come with you?”
Roe hesitated, not knowing how to tell Thorundur that only Forest people could go.
Thorundur laughed. “I was joking. I know that your people would be shocked to se an elf at their secret meeting. Besides I’m going to visit the King’s and the Queen’s palace with Toraldor and his wife. It’ll probably be about the same time as your meeting. As I told you before, my brother Toraldor’s wife, Liandra is a very distant relative to Queen Eliene. We’ll have so much to tell each other when we meet again after I have been at the palace and you at the big secret Forest people meeting.”
26th Dec 2010, 01:36 AM
Toraldor was relieved. His constant worry might soon be eased. His wife Liandra was so wise. “I think it was a brilliant idea to ask Thorundur to come with us to the palace. My parents are constantly asking me to stop him from running around in the forest with the creatures there, but you know Thorundur. He doesn’t listen to anyone.”
“At the palace I think he will start to think and behave more like an elf. We have probably given him too much freedom,” Liandra said.
“Yes, I know, but it’s not easy to control Thorundur. I didn’t mind when he played with the forest creature as a child but he and the girl are growing up and I’m getting more and more worried about how it will end.”
“I know,” Liandra said. “But spending more time with elves will probably do him good.”
Thorundur shook his head. “Forest creature!” Was that supposed to be Roe? He didn’t mind to visit the palace, but if his brother and Liandra thought that he would stop seeing Roe they were mistaken. “There’s no need to worry dear brother”, Thorundur said silently to himself. “Roe is my sister.”
Roe had arrived to the meeting place late last night. She looked forward to the competitions that would start tomorrow.
“Hi, I’m Bear, son of Squirrel and Wolverine”, the boy bowed to Roe and she answered the greeting.
He sat down next to her and Roe felt a little annoyed. She was thinking about the competitions tomorrow and Bear was disturbing her concentration.
The first competition was to throw a spear at a target. Competitors who hit the target passed to a new round. For each round the distance was increased further until only the winner hit the target.
“Bear is the winner and Roe is second,” they judges announced.
Roe felt that she hated Bear when she saw his content smile. She had tried so hard to win and he had just been lucky.
Next competition was to run through an obstacle course. In the end of the course the judges had hung a foxtail in a tree. The one that first grabbed the foxtail would win. Roe scratched her hands and knees so that her blood left a track behind her. Normally she would never be so careless but this was not a normal hunt. This was a competition where the winner would be the quickest competitor, not the wisest. Roe felt as if her lungs would explode when she triumphantly grabbed the foxtail.
“Roe is the winner,” the judges announced.
That should show Bear who’s the best hunter, Roe thought. To her annoyance he didn’t look disappointed. Instead he looked admiringly at her.
Wolverine approached Wolf. “Your daughter is a very good hunter,” he said.
“Yes, I’m very proud of Roe,” Wolf agreed.
“It will soon be time for her to think about getting a suitable mate. My son Bear is also a good hunter. I think that they would be a good couple. Maybe they could be joined at the next meeting?”
“We’ll see,” Wolf said. “Roe is still young, but I will consider your suggestion.”
Wolf had avoided thinking about Roe getting a husband although he had known that it would inevitably happen some day not very far in the future. He had hoped that Roe would find a mate that had a sibling but there were not many young Forest people with siblings. It was too much to ask that a young couple would support four aging parents. The future could be grim for aging Forest people without children. Bear would be the best husband that he could wish for Roe. He was strong and a good hunter. It would probably be good if Roe got a husband soon so that she stopped running around with the elf.
When many of the Forest people were gathered together the presence of the spirits of the forest and the ancestors were always closer than ever. The flames of the fires, the rhythm of the drums and the dances made the spirits approach the people and everyone was part of an entirety, joined in the passed and the present. That was how it was supposed to be, but Roe’s mind played tricks with her tonight.
She didn’t feel the presence of the spirits at all tonight; instead images of Thorundur’s face filled her mind. If only she could share this night and experience with him! Then her mind played a new trick with her and another image filled her brain. A toddler was asleep in a hut. It was a child of the Forest people. The child woke up and opened the eyes. Roe could see that the eyes were as blue as the sky.
Roe woke up. It was still dark and everyone was asleep after the dance with the spirits yesterday. Her throat was terribly dry. She felt an irresistible urge to go to the creek in the forest near the camp. It was full moon and fog was covering the damp ground.
When she came to the creek there was a woman standing on the other side. The woman was obviously not one of the Forest people.
“Roe of the Forest people I have been waiting for you. We missed you yesterday. Everyone but you joined their mind with us.” The voice sounded distant although the women stood there right in front of Roe.
“Who are you?”
“Don’t you know, I’m your mother.”
Roe thought that she must be dreaming a very strange dream. The woman in front of her didn’t look anything like her mother, Otter.
“Is this a dream?”
“Look into your heart and you will know.”
Roe concentrated but her heart didn’t tell her anything. She could feel the cold of the night touching her skin but maybe that was possible also in a dream?
“You will have to make a choice in your future and that choice will affect many people. Be careful to make the right choice.”
“How will I know the right choice?”
“Your heart will tell you. Keep your mind open and follow your heart. But remember that your heart can also delude you.”
This was really not very helpful, Roe thought. Was the woman joking with her? Roe didn’t think so.
“The dawn is getting closer and I have to leave, but remember my words, Roe with the brave heart. This is a gift from me to you, my favourite child. It will keep your spirits up when times are difficult.” The woman put something on a stone besides the creek. The mist became denser and the woman turned around and disappeared as if she had been absorbed by the night and the fog.
Roe went back to sleep. When she woke up together with everyone else in the morning she didn’t know if she had dreamt a very strange dream or if she really had met the incarnate Forest people’s mother during the night. She touched the necklace around her neck, the necklace that the woman had put on the stone at the side of the creek.
26th Dec 2010, 01:47 AM
Exceptionally well done. This is one of the best stories I've seen put up on this site.
1st Jan 2011, 08:10 PM
“One of the songs I heard yesterday seemed to be about life after death” Alexander said to Aliendre. “Do elves go to the same place as humans?”
“No, of course not, only immortals can go to our place. We cannot die by age, but yet many of us have already left this world. I don’t know what happens to mortals. It seems so sad to have such a short life,” she said thoughtfully.
Alexander thought that maybe this last part had been a bit tactless of Aliendre but he didn’t say so. He wouldn’t have minded to live forever like the elves did.
“Humans who are brave and give proper sacrifices will go to a place where there are no sorrows,” Alexander said. “There will be joyful games and banquets all the time. All wounds from the fighting games will heal before the night falls. We will meet our beloved that went before us and we will be together with them forever.”
“And humans who are not brave?” Aliendre asked.
“Humans better be brave,” Alexander said.
“My parents had a son, my brother, who died hundreds of years before I was born. He was killed by the Dark elves during the war. Don’t think too badly about us because of what you have witnessed here. There are reasons for our actions”
Alexander didn’t know if he agreed that a war hundreds of years ago really could be a good reason to take away the memory from a teenage boy and let him perish in the wilderness, but said nothing about it. After all, what did he know about Elven politics? "I would have had two brothers and three sisters if they hadn't all died as infants before I was born," he said. "Probably that's why my mother is extremely overprotecting."
There were always visitors that came and went in the Elven palace. One day a teenage boy arrived. He was only the third elf that Alexander had seen who was not an adult. There was something about the boy, except his age, that made him differ from all other elves that Alexander had seen.
Somehow the young boy made a more human impression than other elves but at first Alexander couldn’t figure out why. Then he realised! Elves usually moved very smoothly and never did these small and unnecessary movements with their hands that humans usually do. They even blinked much less often than humans. But this boy seemed to talk constantly and lively, underlining his words with gestures. Alexander had never seen such a lively elf before.
Thorundur heard the rhythm of a heart beat. The sound was load. No, it was not a heart beat ..... it was drums. Who could be playing drums in the middle of the night? The rhythm was primitive and suggestive, and there was a fire. He saw the flames dancing around him but they didn’t burn him because he was one of them and he couldn’t resist moving with the rhythm. Soon he was dancing wildly together with the flames of the fire with his heart beating with the same rhythm as the drums.
Sweat covered Thorundur’s body when he woke up from a disturbing and strange dream. He remembered that there had been a child in it. Something had been strange with the child but he couldn’t remember what it was. The room was really warm; no wonder that he had dreamt about fire. He needed fresh air.
The summer night was peaceful and refreshing and the moon was full. He wondered if Roe was looking at the same moon as him. She would be at the Forest people’s meeting by now but she was probably sleeping at this time of the night. Thorundur had arrived to the palace two days ago and liked it. Everything was beautiful here. Most beautiful of all was the Princess. He hoped that he would have the chance to get to know Princess Aliendre better.
6th Jan 2011, 10:09 PM
Thank you for your very nice comment PinkGraffiti.
6th Jan 2011, 10:33 PM
“This is Thorundur. His brother’s wife is a distant relative to the Queen.” Aliendre introduced the boy.
Alexander bowed and said “It is nice to meet you Thorundur.”
Thorundur’s bow was almost imperceptible. There was a wrinkle between his brows and he did not say the expected polite phrase in return.
“Where are you from Thorundur?” Alexander tried to converse with the boy but Thorundur only murmured something inaudible while he thoroughly studied his shoes. The Elven boy was not as lively and talkative when Alexander tried to talk with him as he’d been with the elves.
“Thorundur will be our tracker on our hunting excursion,” Aliendre said. She looked as if she was embarrassed by Thorundur’s behaviour.
Alexander was excited about today’s hunting trip. According to Aliendre they would have an excellent tracker. Although Thorundur had not made a very good first impression Alexander decided to give him second chance. Maybe he’d just been shy.
“Thorundur has learned how to track from his friend,” Aliendre said. “She belongs to the Forest people and has horns on her head.”
Alexander didn’t know if Aliendre was joking or if there really existed a people in the forest with horns on their head. He had never heard of such a people, not even in the fairy tales.
Alexander couldn’t deny that Thorundur really knew how to track. They found all the game they could wish for and the hunting party returned home in high spirits. Alexander had proved his skill with the bow when he struck down a deer and had enjoyed the elves’ admiration, especially Aliendre’s.
“You’ve been a great help, Thorundur.” Aliendre thanked the boy when the hunting party got home after a successful day.
Alexander was astonished. He hadn’t known that elves could blush but Thorundur’s cheeks turned deeply red when Aliendre thanked him.
“I think the boy has a crush on you, my dear princess.” Alexander knew that it was mean of him to tease Thorundur but he couldn’t help himself. Thorundur needed to be put in place.
Thorundur’s cheeks turned even redder while he turned his head to look steady at Alexander with lowered eyebrows and an expression that could not be mistaken for embarrassment. If it would be possible to fire arrows with the eyes, Alexander was certain that he would have been hit by one.
Alexander often found Aliendre together with Thorundur but the boy always left with a sullen face without acknowledging Alexander’s presence when Alexander arrived. Thorundur’s behaviour was really getting on Alexander’s nerves. After all he was a prince and was treated with respect by all the other elves. He felt relieved when Thorundur left the palace a few weeks later.
Alexander and Aliendre were never alone. There were always elves from the court accompanying Aliendre. Alexander suspected that they constantly were keeping an eye on him too. As a prince he was accustomed to have a suite following him, but sometimes it could be really annoying to never be left alone.
“I see that you and my daughter go along well together,” Eraldor said.
Alexander agreed and Eraldor asked about what Alexander had learned the last week. “You speak our language very well now,” Eraldor said. Then he changed subject again.
“Elves and humans are very different. Therefore a human and an elf can never marry and live together as man and wife. This has never happened because it would have disastrous consequences.” Alexander felt as if he shrank under Eraldor's gaze. If he only would blink!
Alexander nodded to show that he understood and Eraldor told him about what the consequences would be if an elf and a human fell in love and decided to share their lives.
Alexander was depressed. It was clear that Eraldor thought that he’d fallen in love with Aliendre. Maybe Eraldor was right Alexander thought. But after what Eraldor had told him he knew that such a love would be hopeless and disastrous. It was also obvious that Eraldor would never approve and Alexander couldn’t blame him.
Alexander couldn’t believe how fast the time with the elves had passed. He had been with the elves longer than the year that had been decided and had to return home before the winter when travelling would be more difficult. The human guards that would escort him home had arrived. He said goodbye to everyone and felt like he was about to leave a lovely dream and return to real life.
It was the last afternoon before Alexander would start the long travel home. He saddled Galaxy, his faithful friend, and rode to the place where he and Aliendre had practiced archery for the first time more than a year ago.
Aliendre was already there and for once she was alone.
“I hoped that you would come,” she said.
They sat down and talked about numerous pointless things. It was getting dark and they should return home. They started to walk slowly towards the horses without speaking.
Suddenly Aliendre stumbled on a root and Alexander caught her swiftly before she hit the ground. Before any of them knew how it happened their lips found each other. Alexander didn’t know how long they kissed because it was like an eternity and a fraction of a second at the same time. They parted, both knowing the hopelessness in the love between and elf and human.
They didn’t speak much on the ride back to the palace and said goodnight with heavy hearts. Soon Aliendre would be like an unreal dream Alexander thought. He hoped that Eraldor would never find out what had happened. Although the Elven king had always been kind to him, Alexander hadn’t forgotten how scaring Eraldor’s powers could be. The Dark elf that had been caught too close to the palace was probably dead by now.
When the humans left early in the next morning Aliendre looked after them until they were out of sight.
13th Jan 2011, 07:44 PM
Roe felt refreshed after the swim in the lake. The late summer days were very hot this year.
"How was your time at the palace?" Roe asked.
“It was good. Princess Aliendre is magnificent. She’s beautiful and kind. But there was a rude human prince visiting the palace. He constantly tried to flirt with Aliendre as if an Elven princess would care about a human.”
Roe’s eyes became wide and she jumped up. “Did you say human?! Do you mean that humans exist for real?! Did he try to kill you?”
Thorundur laughed. “Roe, of course they exist. Why would he try to kill me? After all it was only a human.”
Roe was upset. Her worst nightmare was true. Humans might come and force her people to leave their homes just as the storyteller had said when she was a child. But Thorundur didn’t seem to be worried or frightened. Maybe the storyteller had exaggerated?
“What do they look like?”
“They are not very different from elves but much uglier of course. Their ears are small and the adult males have hair in the face. Some of them remove the hair from the face while other let it grow.”
“Hair in the face, ugh.” Roe laughed.
“How was your meeting Roe?”
“I won three competitions.”
“Wow Roe! Of course I knew that you would do well. And more?”
“There was a boy named Bear who was really annoying. Dad thinks that I should take him as my spouse at the next meeting but I don’t really want to think about getting a spouse already. I can’t imagine how depressive a life with Bear would be.”
Thorundur was quiet for a long while which was something very unusual. “I don’t want to grow up,” he said finally. “I want everything to always be like it’s now. When you have a spouse you won’t have time for me.”
Roe knew that what Thorundur said was true. She could hardly run around in the forest with Thorundur when she had a husband and a family.
“I don’t want to grow up either,” she said.
“Elves don’t marry until they find the love of their life, even if it takes several hundreds of years, but I know that your people are expected to have a family as soon as you grow up.”
“It’s warm, I want another swim,” Roe said to change subject. She didn’t want to think more about the time when her happy days with Thorundur would come to an end.
If anyone had seen them he would probably have found the sight very odd. The young Forest girl and the Elven boy were playing like children in the water, laughing heartily as if there were no worries or dangers in their world.
They were lying in the sun letting the warm sun beams dry them after the swim.
“Did Bear give you that necklace?” There was a strange sharpness in Thorundur’s voice.
“No, You’ll never believe this!”
Roe told Thorundur about her meeting in the forest with the Mother. He looked at her with large eyes.
“If it wasn’t for the necklace I wouldn’t believe it myself. You’re the only one that I’ve told about the meeting with the Mother. To everyone else I said that I found the necklace in the forest.”
“I believe you. You’re the most incredible person I know Roe. That necklace is clearly not Elven handcraft. It looks very old.”
“I didn’t even know that the spirits could show themselves as people. No one that I have asked has heard of such a thing.” She didn’t tell Thorundur that she hadn’t felt the presence of the spirits during the dance because she’d been thinking about him. If he knew how she felt she was afraid that their friendship would change. There was no sign at all that he thought about her as anything else than as a very dear friend.
20th Jan 2011, 04:20 PM
If the pictures in this chapter look a little different from my previous pictures it’s because I have experimented a little with the light in my game and finally installed Gunmod’s Radiance Lighting Hack. Just when I had installed this, Almighty Hat uploaded “A World Lit by Fire” which tweaks the Radiance Lightning Mod to give the impression of fire instead of electric light. Of course I couldn't resist downloading that as well. This chapter is, however, only outdoors during daytime so you wont see the "Word Lit by Fire" effect here but maybe in one of the next chapters.
Although Alexander would rather die than admit it, it felt good to be in his mother’s arms again. He had really missed Cecilia’s loving care even if she often tended to exaggerate. It was good to be home.
“Tell us about the longears now, Alexander!”
Alexander took a gulp of his mead while he thought about what to say. It was as if everything had changed. Or rather, he had changed while everything else remained the same. He would for example not use the word “longears” about the elves after he had met Eraldor and Aliendre. It seemed so….inappropriate. A gap had developed between him and his friends but they didn’t seem to notice.
He put down the goblet and swallowed. “Their world is like a dream where time has stopped,” he said, feeling that he could not find exactly the right words to describe what he had experienced the last year.
“I believe that Alexander has become a poet. Have some more mead old friend,” Arne said and laughed. “Were there any pretty girls there?”
Alexander didn’t want to talk about Aliendre with his friends and thought quickly. The tribunal against the dark elf should distract them and give them something to think about. He did the most he could of the story, dramatizing all the spectacular details. Arne and Stig were enthralled.
Autumn was followed by winter and things went back to normal even if something within Alexander would always be changed after the visit in the Elven realm. He studied harder than ever and practiced martial arts with even more enthusiasm than before. Spring came early this year and the jousting tournaments started again.
Excitement and anticipation filled the air. Bookmakers were busy. The unknown knight, Stigbert, and the popular knight Sigvard were still undefeated and today’s victor would be settled in the final fight. Banners swayed in the wind and people were shouting their favourite champion’s name. Stigbert and Sigvard spurred their horses and approached each other in an appalling speed. The well known sound of shattering wood was heard when Stigbert’s lance hit Sigvard’s shield and threw him off the horse. Stigbert was thereby today’s winner. A short silence was broken by the people’s ovations.
When “Stigbert” removed his helmet and was identified as the Prince the ovations increased to a deafening thunder. It was intoxicating and Alexander wished that this moment could last forever. He was finally old enough to participate in the games at the jousting field. It had, however, been a bit complicated in the beginning. As soon as it became known that he was one of the participants, other participants usually withdraw because of the risk to injure a royalty. He suspected that the few participants that had courage enough to meet him didn’t do their best but gave the victory to him. Therefore he often chose to compete under disguise as he had today. Although he had done well in previous tournaments this was the first time that he had won a final under disguise. It was one of the best moments of his life and he wanted to remember the feeling forever.
Queen Cecilia was not very enthusiastic about Alexander’s participation in the jousting tournaments. King Magnus was, however, of the opinion that it was important for the future king to demonstrate his bravery. There was no doubt that Alexander’s success and sportsmanship increased the royal family’s popularity.
As people became more and more adjusted to see Alexander as a competitor he found that the fear to harm him because of his royalty diminished. It became possible to compete under his real identity. Today he wore his family’s colours. His cousin Erik would participate in the same tournament. The rumours about Erik’s success in the jousting field and his popularity had reached also Alexander but he had not seen Erik since he went to the Elven realm.
“Hi cousin nice too meet you, Alexander said.”
“Hi little Prince. Nice to see you too. I’m glad that you haven’t turned into an elf. I look forward to look down on your face when I throw you out of the saddle in the final.” Erik laughed and patted Alexander hard but friendly on the back.
“I’m sorry that I have to disappoint you cousin, but you will look up to my face.” Alexander smiled. He liked his cousin best of all his friends. People were drawn to Erik because it was almost always fun to be around him. He could often be found in the centre of a laughing crowd. Not everyone liked Erik unreservedly, however. Father’s and husbands who had heard about him kept an extra eye on their daughters and wives when he was nearby.
Erik had been at least partly right. They both made it to the final. Although Erik had won several glorious victories in the jousting field they had never met in a tournament before. Erik had always been the better of them when they had practiced martial arts together. For a fraction of a second Alexander saw the surprise in Erik’s eyes when his lance hit hard against Erik’s shield. Erik was thrown out of the saddle and hit the ground with a hard thump.
“You did well, congratulations, little Prince.” Erik bowed for Alexander. He moved stiffly. Luckily he had not been seriously injured but he had hit the ground hard. There was something in Erik’s eyes that disturbed Alexander despite the polite phrases and the wry smile.
22nd Jan 2011, 11:40 PM
“Thorundur seemed to enjoy the visit to the palace but now he’s running around in the forest with that girl just like before.” Toraldor felt helpless. He loved his brother and therefore he also worried very much about Thorundur’s behaviour.
His wife Liandra looked thoughtful. “I think I might have an idea. Thorundur seemed to like Aliendre very much. According to what I have heard Aliendre would like to travel a little to look around in the realm. Maybe we could ask if she could stay here with us for a while. It would be a great honour for us of course but I think that it might be possible that our offer would be accepted.”
“I have good news Thorundur. Aliendre will come and visit us.” Toraldor smiled when he saw his younger brother’s enthusiasm. Thorundur was so lively and his feelings were always so easy to tell. Once again Toraldor felt very lucky to have such a wise wife. If Toraldor would have had the gift to look into the future he would probably not have felt the happiness that he felt today. It is often true that ignorance is a blessing.
Wolf looked up from the skin that he was preparing. His eyes were large and his mouth wide open. Roe turned her head and looked in the same direction as her father. Bear, Wolverine and Squirrel were approaching their home.
“We were just passing by and thought that Roe might like this basket that Bear made.” Squirrel said.
Forest people never “just passed by”. It was obvious that Bear’s family had walked all the way from their home just to give Roe a gift. There was a skilfully prepared deer skin and a hunting knife in the basket. This was a very generous gift indeed. Too generous, Roe thought. The elders sent Roe and Bear to get some roots to eat with the meat that they would share for dinner. Obviously they wanted Bear and Roe to spend time alone together.
When the visitors had left Wolf sat down to speak with Roe. “Bear thinks that it’s too long to wait for the next meeting to be joined with you. He would like you to be joined already this autumn, and I cannot see any reason to delay.”
Roe looked down. “I don’t know if I really want to have Bear as my spouse at all”
Wolf lowered his eyebrows and looked as if he tried to understand such a strange statement. “You cannot expect to get a better husband. He’s an excellent hunter and strong. You’re old enough to start your own family.”
Roe knew that there was really nothing wrong at all with Bear. He was kind and skilful. He had only one fault, but that fault was very big… he was not Thorundur. As if he had heard her thoughts Wolf hesitated and said, “I should probably have talked with you about this a long time ago Roe, but I hope that you don’t have any fantasies about the elf. He can never be your husband.”
“Why?” Roe wished immediately that she had not asked. She had not meant to reveal her feelings about Thorundur.
“An elf can never be happy with one of our people and you would never be happy with an elf. They are different from us in many ways. Most importantly they are immortal. You will grow old while he will remain the same. The elf will never choose you. He will marry an Elven girl one day.”
Roe was hurt. She needed to be alone. Thorundur liked her. She was his best friend. Somehow it had to be possible to make him feel about her as she did about him. She couldn’t accept what Wolf had said. Her parents, Bear and his parents expected her to be joined with Bear before winter but her heart felt as if it would break when she thought about a life without Thorundur.
Thorundur had decided that he wanted a bear skin. I was early spring but he had seen fresh paw prints outside a male bear’s den and figured that the bear had wakened early. Roe thought that the idea to hunt a bear at this time of the year was stupid. It would be skinny and hungry but she had more important things on her mind and had not objected. Roe was walking in her own thoughts because she had decided that she would tell Thorundur about her feelings for him. It frightened her but she couldn’t see that she had much to loose anymore. Suddenly a deep roar broke the peacefulness and Roe realised that she had been unforgivable careless to get lost in her own thoughts like this.
Thorundur was running with an angry and wounded bear after him. His eyes were glowing, and there was a big smile on his lips. It was obvious that he was enjoying himself. Whatever strange plan Thorundur might have had to get himself a bear skin was ruined when he fell over a root.
The enraged bear rose on its hind legs. Thorundur was lying helpless on his stomach and Roe realised with horror that there was no chance in the world that she would be able to get to him in time. Her scream echoed in the forest.
27th Jan 2011, 08:36 PM
The short time it took for the bear to turn its head to look at the screaming Roe was all that Thorundur needed. Quickly he turned around, and when the bear bent over him the spear went deep into its body. Blood and saliva splashed over Thorundur and the bear fell down dead as a stone.
“That was fun Roe.”
The joy Roe had felt when she realised that Thorundur hadn’t been harmed gave way for another feeling when she saw the stupid elf’s glowing cheeks and bright smile. She had almost been scared to death and he sat there smiling as if it all had been something very fun. “How could you be so stupid Thorundur?!”
“Come on Roe, everything’s all right. I have my bear skin.” He was still smiling.
“You’re completely crazy Thorundur. You know that, don’t you?”
“That’s why you like me so much Roe, because you’re just as crazy as I am. You know exactly how much alive you feel after having almost faced death.”
Roe understood exactly how exhilarated Thorundur felt now. She also loved to test her limits and danger did make her feel alive. But she had not enjoyed the feeling when Thorundur had been in danger. The few seconds when she thought that he would die had been the worst time of her life.
“You could have died and then you wouldn’t have felt anything at all.” Roe wasn’t going to let Thorundur get away easy.
“But I’m alive, very much alive. You should have more confidence in your big brother Roe.” He was still smiling and now he was teasing her.
“You’re not my big brother.”
“I’m older than you Roe, so yes I am.”
Roe picked up a cone and threw it as hard as she could at Thorundur. He swerved and laughed. “I like you too Roe.” She gave up and laughed with him.
“I think my tunic is ruined.”
“That serves you right, you crazy elf.” Roe smiled but then her face became serious. “We must not forget to thank the Forest,” she said. She did the ceremony with great consideration and Thorundur accompanied her. For once he was serious and he performed the ceremony thoroughly. He made Roe feel proud because he had learned well.
"I will not be able to see you for a while. Princess Aliendre is arriving tomorrow and I’m supposed to accompany her.”
Roe thought that it wouldn’t have hurt if Thorundur had looked sad about not seeing her for a while. She would have to tell Thorundur how she felt about him later because she did not have enough courage today after all. This day had already been frightening enough.
“Maybe I can bring Aliendre with me to visit you. I don’t think that she has met any one from the Forest people before. You will like her, everyone does. She’s so beautiful and wise.”
Roe had a feeling that she might not like Aliendre at all.
28th Jan 2011, 08:03 AM
I really like the pictures and the way you're telling the story. Please, keep up the good work. *impatiently waits for a new update* :)
5th Feb 2011, 09:22 PM
“Two large beers please,” Ragnar slurred.
The maid hesitated, it was obvious that the two guests had already had more than enough but she also wanted the tip she might get so finally she came back with two large well filled goblets.
Ragnar took a gulp and put down his goblet on the table. He was not very steady on his hands so beer slopped out of the goblet forming large puddles on the table but he didn’t seem to notice. “I think you’re just making this up,” Ragnar said to his newly found friend.
“No, I swear, I have just returned from Hrafninlandi. It’s a vveerryy secret mission for Count Birger.” Valdemar waved his hand in the air to emphasize his words while he tried to keep his gaze steady at Ragnar.
Ragnar laughed. “Sure, and I’m the King’s counselor.”
Valdemar looked hurt. “Look here’s a letter with King Knut’s seal.” He concentrated hard to pronounce the words right but didn’t succeed very well. Valdemar had barely finished the sentence when his head fell down on the table and he started to snore loudly. Ragnar put money on the table, got up and went out on surprisingly steady legs. The maid though that she’d never seen a guest sober up so quickly before. When she picked up the money Ragnar had left she found that the tip had been generous enough.
While Alexander enjoyed his victories in the jousting field, his father was busy preparing for Alexander’s succession to the throne. Although the throne was usually inherited by the son of the last king this was not always granted. People could choose any king they wanted if they decided that they didn’t have confidence in the king’s heir and there was always the risk that someone could become powerful enough to dare to challenge the current king. This had caused several armed conflicts in the kingdom’s history. Therefore it was of utmost importance to have as much support and as strong allies as possible. “People” in this aspect of course only meant free men, and in reality only the most powerful families could really influence the choice of a king. The election of the king as such was mostly a formal ceremony where the candidate already one way or another had gathered enough support to ensure the outcome.
A knock on the door disturbed the silence in the study. Magnus raised an eyebrow and said “Come in.” Ragnar one of Magnus’ counsellors stepped in looking worried.
“There’s no doubt about it anymore,” Ragnar said. “According to our spies and my own investigations Birger is increasing his contacts with King Knut of Hrafninlandi. I saw Knut’s seal with my own eyes.”
“We cannot just sit and watch them become allies. With King Knut’s support Birger and his sons might very well dare to challenge Alexander when it is time to elect the next king. We have to do something about it to ensure Alexander’s succession after me.”
“Luckily King Knut’s daughter, Alde, is in a suitable age. If Alexander were to marry her King Knut and his sons would most likely support Alexander and neither Birger nor Karl would dare to challenge his right to the throne.
“I want you to start negotiations immediately.” King Magnus wasted no time for considerations.
Ragnar twisted his hands and looked down. “Don’t you think you should talk to Alexander first?”
“Why? We have no time to loose. I don’t want one of Alexander’s cousins to marry Alde first. Maybe that’s already Birger’s plan. Alexander will understand that his duty is to do what’s best for the kingdom. A conflict about the throne would cause much harm.”
“You look worried; let me massage your back to ease your tense.” Queen Cecilia looked tenderly at her husband.
“Oh please, you’re so good to me. I hope that Alexander’s marriage will be as happy as mine.” Magnus smiled warmly but then he made a grimace of pain and he clenched his teeth while he bent forward with his hand on his stomach.
“Is it bad?” Cecilia tried to keep calm but couldn’t hide that she was deeply worried.
“It will pass soon.”
“Don’t you think you should tell Alexander about this? It has been often lately.”
“No, he shouldn’t worry about me. He has other things to concentrate on. We must not show weakness. I’m fine now.”
“Princess Alde is said to be charming and very beautiful. You will be lucky to have her as your queen.”
Alexander looked down at the ground. “What about love?”
“What did you say?”
“I said I’m sure that she’s lovely.”
“I expect you to do your best to find her lovely. This match is very important and can be the difference between war and peace in this country. Needless to say it can also be the difference between life and death for you one day in the future.”
Alexander felt trapped. How good it must be to be an ordinary person without the duties of a crown prince. His duty was to marry a suitable princess and to hopefully have a son who could inherit the throne one day. Maybe Aliendre would come to celebrate his first son’s first birthday? It would be nice if he could see her again. How odd that the only happiness he could feel about his future marriage was that he might see Aliendre again. Maybe the princess that had been chosen for him would make the memory of Aliendre fade away. But he doubted that. His youthful and naïve imagination that he would one day fall deeply in love and marry because of this love had been completely dispelled. How stupid it had been of him to have such fantasies. Hadn’t he always known that his life would be dedicated to fulfil his duties?
18th Feb 2011, 11:19 PM
Birger smiled to his younger brother. “I’m glad that you could accept my invitation with such short notice Karl. We have a lot to talk about considering the recent events.”
Karl turned his head up and shaded his eyes from the sun. ”Your new stone keep looks impressive Birger. I guess your guards can see very far from up there. But you know that no matter how we strengthen the defense of our homes, Magnus’ stone castle will still be much stronger.
“I know, we grew up there together, remember. But the strength in the defense of a keep or a castle is not only about stone walls and towers, it’s also about the bravery, loyalty and skill of the men. However I would like to replace my palisade with stone walls if I could.”
Karl looked skeptical. “Neither you or I will be able to build walls in stone as long as Magnus interferes with our tax collection. It’s just not right.”
“No, it’s not right but there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”
“I know that there is nothing that we can do .That’s why I’m so frustrated about this situation.”
”We have to be patient Karl. We’ll talk more about this matter but now I believe that it’s time to eat and drink in my hall.”
Eskil’s voice trembled with indignation. “I can’t believe that king Knut let father down. Princess Alde should have married you Erik.”
Erik smiled. His younger brother had always looked up to him and was the most loyal brother anyone could wish for.
“I think that she would have if it had been her choice but you can’t expect a king to turn another king down, can you? It’s a shame though, not only because of Alde’s connections but the one time I met her made be believe that I would have liked her.” Erik laughed. “Don’t worry Eskil, there are other women, and actually I’m in no hurry to get married. Now it’s time to eat and drink with our cousins.
There was plenty to eat and to drink and soon the atmosphere was relaxed. Erik told hilarious stories that made everyone laugh. Finally Karl put down his knife and cleared his throat. “Since Knut’s daughter Alde is now betrothed to Alexander King Knut and his sons are likely to support Alexander. I believe that it would be wise of us to not challenge Magnus. Our best option is to be loyal to the royal family.”
Birger nodded. “Yes, I agree. For now that will be wisest. But anything can happen. They are not married yet and Alexander may still die without an heir. Erik may still become king. I hope your family would support Erik if things were to change. We would not be alone. There are others who are not completely happy with our brother Magnus.”
Karl picked up his goblet and bowed his head towards his nephew Erik. “I would like to toast for Erik who would not interfere with his relatives’ rightful collection of taxes.”
Erik returned the bow and lifted his goblet. “Indeed I would not, but as long as Magnus or Alexander is the rightful king with strong support I will be their loyal servant.” A lot of things could probably be said about Erik but stupid was not one of them.
27th Feb 2011, 08:58 PM
Roe could feel their scent long before she could hear them or see them. The wind was blowing against her, bringing the well known scent of Thorundur together with the scent of an unknown elf and an animal that she couldn’t recognize.
Roe dropped her jaw when she saw them. Thorundur looked as he always did, with a green tunic and a smile. But the Elven girl was sitting on the back of a snow white animal. Roe almost forgot her good manners but pulled herself together and greeted the two elves and the white animal.
“This is Aliendre, Princess of the Light elves,” Thorundur said.
Aliendre dismounted the animal. Thorundur did a gesture towards the white animal and said, “This is Aliendre’s horse.”
Roe had never heard of horses before. How could that be? And why did the horse carry Aliendre on its back. “Is she a prisoner?”
“No, she’s a …… servant,” Aliendre said, uncertain by the unexpected question.
“Servant” was a word Roe didn’t understand. Thorundur was looking down on the ground. Wrinkles had formed in the corners of his eyes and his shoulders were shaking slightly. He cleared his throat and looked up. “Aliendre meant that the horse is her friend,” he said.
Roe was doubtful. To her the horse looked like a prisoner. Why else would it accept to carry someone on its back? When she was a child a storyteller had told her that humans kept animals as prisoners but obviously elves also did so.
“Her name is Moonlight,” Aliendre said.
Roe put her hand on Moonlight’s neck. She could feel the warm breath from the horse’s nostrils when it turned its head toward her.
“I am pleased to meet someone from the Forest people. Thorundur has told me so much about you Roe.”
Roe turned her attention to the Elven princess. The appearance of the horse had almost made her forget Aliendre. Thorundur had told her that the Aliendre was very beautiful but to Roe Aliendre looked like all other elves. Although Aliendre had the same kind of blue eyes that Thorundur they lacked his liveliness.
When Roe’s parents, Wolf and Otter, saw the horse they were just as marveled about it as Roe had been. Aliendre was friendly and nice and gave compliments to Roe’s parents. Apparently they must have been charmed because Otter invited Aliendre into their home. Roe was almost certain that she could see a small wrinkle on Aliendre’s nose when she looked into their hut.
When it was time for the elves to leave Aliendre said, “Please come and visit us tomorrow Roe.”
Roe felt hesitant. She had visited Thorundur’s home before but not often. Although Thorundur’s brother and Liandra had always been polite and friendly, Roe had a feeling that they didn’t really like that Thorundur was together with her. “Thank you that’s very kind of you,” she answered finally.
Aliendre seemed delighted to see Roe and insisted that she would share lunch with them. The elves treated her like a respected guest. Roe did her best to behave like the elves but all the furniture and the cutlery confused her. Why did elves complicate everything so much? The looks Toraldor and Liandra exchanged when they thought that Roe didn’t see made her feel that they were amused by her.
After lunch Aliendre told a story for them. It was a story about Human and Elven kings and queens during the war against the Dark elves. Aliendre was a good storyteller and Roe couldn’t believe how fast the time had passed when she realized that it was getting dark and she had to return home.
Aliendre had brought a completely different world to Roe. Roe had been shocked to learn that elves had killed each other on purpose during the war. Her own people were hunters and killed for food but she had never heard of Forest people killing each other. When she was a child she had been horrified by the stories about the humans’ cruelty but the more she learned about elves the more they seemed to be like humans. Apparently Thorundur hadn’t told her very much about his own people. Despite the shocking details, or maybe because of them, the story had been enthralling and left a strange yearning feeling within Roe.
Aliendre showed up alone early next morning. “I hope you don’t mind me coming alone Roe, but I asked Thorundur to stay at home so that you and I could spend some time together.”
Roe was a little annoyed because she always looked forward to seeing Thorundur but she was also intrigued by Aliendre’s wish to spend time alone with her. The princess seemed to really enjoy Roe’s company and asked her about the life in the forest.
“Tell me more about humans,” Roe said. “Is it true that they have hair in their face?”
Aliendre closed her eyes and smiled. “I have only met one human myself. It was Crown prince Alexander. He was very young then so he only had very light stubble. I think it makes them look …. stronger.” Aliendre’s smile was sad now.
Roe remembered that Thorundur had told her about the human prince who according to Thorundur had flirted with Aliendre. Was it possible that the Aliendre had feelings for the human prince?
“Tell me more about the prince,” Roe said.
It was as if Aliendre had waited for that question for a very long time. She described every little detail about Alexander. “He always made me laugh with all his crazy jokes. But he was also very kind and considerate. He will become king one day because humans don’t live forever like elves do, and he thinks a lot about his future duties and how to become a good king.” There was no end to all positive details that Aliendre could tell about Alexander. From what Aliendre told it was difficult to believe that Alexander could belong to the same species that the storyteller had told so many scaring stories about at the Forest people meeting many years ago.
“Do you know that Thorundur actually behaved very badly towards Alexander when he visited us? Sometimes it made me a little angry but as you probably know it’s impossible to be angry with Thorundur for very long. He speaks very warmly about you Roe. He even calls you his sister. I think that Thorundur is very fun to be with. You’re lucky to have him as your brother.”
Aliendre’s blue eyes met Roe’s. “I was born in the shadow of my brother. He was killed by dark elves and his death was a great tragedy for all light elves. My parents will never forget the sorrow and therefore I will always walk in his shadow. I wish I would have met him because everyone speaks so warmly about him.”
Roe thought that although Aliendre’s large blue eyes were not as vibrant as Thorundur’s they expressed her feelings in a very touching way. Aliendre’s smile didn’t reach her eyes that were filled with sadness. How sad it must be to always walk in the shadow of someone who had been dead for centuries.
Roe was surprised when Aliendre spontaneously hugged her when they said goodbye. It seemed to surprise Aliendre too because she looked down and seemed slightly embarrassed by her own spontaneity. She lifted her head and looked at Roe with large blue eyes. “I’m so happy to have you as a friend Roe. I’ve never had a girl in my own age as a friend before.”
Roe was moved by the sincerity in Aliendre’s voice. Thorundur had described Aliendre as a magnificent Elven princess, but the princess that Roe had met today was just a lonely girl with sad eyes and a longing heart. “We’ll meet soon again,” Aliendre said and mounted the beautiful white horse. Soon Aliendre and her horse Moonlight were out of sight in the twilight.
15th Mar 2011, 10:24 PM
Roe waited in vain for the elves to show up. It was not until the third day after Aliendre had visited her that she saw Thorundur again. His blond hair bounced around his head, the most beautiful sight that Roe could imagine. She resisted her impulse to throw herself around his neck. To Roe’s disappointment the horse, Moonlight, didn’t accompany the elves because Aliendre was walking by foot. The dress that she was wearing looked very unpractical in the forest. Roe couldn’t understand why anyone would want to wear clothes like that. It must be extremely difficult to run after a deer or climb a tree with all that cloth around the legs. Aliendre smiled warmly when she saw Roe. “I’m so happy to see you again Roe.” Roe realized, slightly surprised, that she was happy to see Aliendre again.
But this day didn’t turn out to be as good as Roe had hoped. Thorundur’s behavior was strange. All his attention was directed towards Aliendre. Sometimes he didn’t ever hear what Roe said because he was following Aliendre with his eyes.
When they crossed a small stream Thorundur hurried to help Aliendre by offering his hand as support. Roe felt deeply annoyed whenThorundur ignored her and let her cross the stream by her own without any help.
But then she had to laugh when she pictured herself in Aliendre’s stupid white dress crossing a stream with the support of Thorundur’s strong arm.
“You look happy today Roe,” Aliendre said. Roe didn’t answer. She had thought that Aliendre was her friend but now she wasn’t even sure that she liked Aliendre very much. How hard could it be to cross a stream anyway?
The day got worse and Thorundur’s behavior more ridiculous. He smiled stupidly as soon as Aliendre turned her eyes towards him and seemed to forget completely about Roe. Aliendre did her best to include Roe in the conversations, but Roe didn’t have a good time at all. The elves talked about common acquaintances and other things that made Roe feel excluded.
“Thorundur is so fun, don’t you think?” Aliendre said. “He’s such a good friend. I really like him. He knows so much about the forest.”
“He has learned about the forest from me. I’m Thorundur’s best friend.” Roe said. She had to use all her self control to hide the rage that filled her when Aliendre looked at her with eyes filled with compassion. Roe was relieved when the elves had to return home early this day.
Next day Roe's heart was filled with joy when Thorundur showed up alone. “Aliendre had other things to do today,” he said.
At last it would be only her and Thorundur, like it should be. “What do you want to do today Thorundur? We can take a swim in the lake.”
Thorundur’s eyes seemed absent and were looking somewhere far away. He didn’t answer Roe’s question. Then he turned his head towards her and started to talk. ”Don’t you think that she’s beautiful, Roe? Do you think that she likes me? Has she said anything about me?”
“She said that she was angry when you behaved badly towards the human prince,” Roe said. She knew that this was not what Thorundur wanted to hear. If she had been nice she would have told Thorundur that Aliendre thought that he was fun to be with, but she didn’t want to be nice.
Thorundur looked down and bit his lip. “I know I should make an effort to behave better. From now on I will really do my best to behave like a normal elf. Roe you’re my sister and best friend and I need to tell you something.” He looked up and swallowed before he continued. “I think that I have fallen in love with Aliendre but she’s a princess and I’m just a common elf. Do you think that it would be possible that she could love me?”
The ground opened under Roe and she was falling. This couldn't be true! “You’re so stupid Thorundur, she screamed. Aliendre is not right for you!”
“You’re my best friend! I thought that you of all people would understand and support me Roe.” Tears filled the corners of his eyes.
Roe couldn’t take more. She had to get away. “Leave me alone stupid elf!” she screamed and turned her back to Thorundur. She ran through the forest with branches hitting against her face without noticing it. Through the noise in her head she could hear Thorundur calling her name but she kept running. She ran faster and faster but no matter how hard that she tried she couldn’t run away from her feelings.
When she finally returned home exhausted late that night her parents were very worried. “Thorundur was here looking for you, he waited until he had to return home. What has happened?” Roe only shook her head.
“Thorundur wanted us to tell you that he will go away with Aliendre for two weeks to visit some other Light elves. He really wanted to see you before he left.”
Next morning Roe got up early and went out into the forest just in case that Thorundur would show up at her home to say goodbye. She didn’t want to see him when she knew that she had lost him. Roe sat down. How could it be possible to feel so miserable? She was sure that she would never be happy again.
Roe closed her hand around her necklace as she often did when she had to think. The Mother had told her to listen to her heart. Her heart was screaming loudly. She tightened the grip around the necklace and closed her eyes. Yes, maybe there was something that she could do. Roe ignored the small voice within her that tried to hold her back. The mother had also said that her heart could delude her but Roe had already decided what she had to do. When Roe had set her mind on something she wasn’t going to let anything stop her. Now that she knew what she had to do there was no time to lose.
27th Mar 2011, 10:48 AM
The breeze ruffled Alexander’s hair and he took a breath of the salt sea air. He loved the sound of the sea gulls and the sight of the horizon. Somehow it always made him feel so free, but today this feeling was only an illusion. Soon he would meet his future wife and his youth would be over. At least that was how he felt.
Princess Alde arrived together with her suite. Her father, King Knut would not come for the wedding but had sent generous gifts. Even more generous gifts had of course already been sent to King Knut.
Finally Alexander met the woman that he would share the rest of his life with, Princess Alde from Hrafninlandi. The rumor of her beauty was wide spread. Her back was straight and the aura of self confidence told Alexander that this was a woman who was used to command and to be obeyed.
Alexander bowed and greeted his bride to be.
“I am honored to meet you Prince Alexander.” Her language was not too different even if she pronounced the words differently from what he was used to. Alde’s smile was sweet but didn’t reach her eyes. This couldn’t be very easy for Alde either Alexander thought. She had been sent from her home to a foreign country to become his bride.
Alexander had a short time of freedom left. Banquets and celebrations would supersede each other for weeks before the actual wedding. But first Alde would have to rest a few days from the travel over the sea. Alexander had decided that it might be a good idea for him to show Alde around in the castle. Hi raised his hand to knock on her door when a scream of anger from the room made him jump and lower his hand. There was a sound as if something was thrown and broken against the wall. He could hear every word of Alde’s high-pitched voice through the thick stone walls. “You stupid cow, you’re worthless. Are there no serviceable maids in this country? Get out of my sight!”
The heavy door opened and a young girl with a tearful face ran out of Alde’s room. She looked away embarrassed when she saw Alexander and ran away in the corridor with bent head and her face hidden in her hands. Alexander recognized the girl as a gentle and diligent maid that was well liked by everybody as far as he knew. He knocked on Alde’s door.
Alde opened and her hard face melted into a sweet smile when she saw that it was he who had knocked.
“Are there any problems?”
“No it’s nothing, just a clumsy servant. I’m glad to see you though. What do you think of my dress? She turned around and gave Alexander a self confident smile.”
“The dress is very nice.”
She didn’t seem pleased by his reaction. “You look beautiful as always,” he added and smiled admiringly, hoping that this was the response that she expected from him.
“I look forward to our wedding, don’t you?” Alde said.
16th Apr 2011, 11:04 AM
Roe decided that she had to travel lightly. Speed was important. She took a sling and wrapped under her clothes. A small flint knife would also be useful. She put the knife in a small pocket inside her loin cloth. That should be enough to get the food that she would need.
“I will accompany Thorundur and Aliendre on their travel,” she told Otter and Wolf. It felt as if the lie was burning under her skin.
Wolf and Otter looked doubtful. “I don’t think that this is a good idea at all Roe. It would be better if you stayed at home, or even better, visited Bear,” Wolf said.
“I will be home soon enough. Don’t worry. This is probably my last chance to travel with elves.” If she had been an Elven or a human girl her parents would probably just have told her that she wasn’t allowed to go. But that wasn’t how Forest people brought up their children, and in addition Roe was adult now. Children of the Forest people were allowed much freedom which usually was not a problem since they always were eager to do what their parents told them and to learn everything that their parents knew. But Roe was different. Her independence and curiosity was not typical of her people and her parents felt helpless.
Roe hoped that Orm and Ondina were still living in the mountains. It was several years ago since she the last time that she had seen them. Actually she hadn’t met them since Thorundur showed up again. Maybe they wouldn’t be happy at all to see her even if they stilled lived in the same place. But Roe had no choice. Ondina and Orm were probably her last hope.
She felt relieved when she saw the Dark elves’ home. They stilled lived in the same place. Orm shaded his eyes and looked surprised when he saw her approaching their home. Roe hoped that he would welcome her.
“Ondina, you will never guess who’s here!” Orm called and Ondina came out. “Roe we have missed you. What brings you here?”
After all the usual polite phrases Roe explained her situation to the Dark elves.
“The kind of magic that could help you is very powerful and requires great skill. Luckily Ondina has this skill. Are you sure that this is really what you want to do? I think you deserve much better than a Light elf.”
“I'm sure. I’ve never been more certain about anything in my entire life.”
Orm lifted an eyebrow and smiled as if he thought that it was cute when a very young mortal talked about its entire life. “We will help you Roe. Not only because I and Ondina like you but this would also be in our interest. We already have almost all ingredients that are needed. Stay with us until tomorrow when your potion will be finished. ”
The door opened and another Dark elf came out. When he saw Roe he seemed afraid and went back in, closing the door quickly behind him. Something about this elf was familiar. “Who is he?”
“We found him in the forest some years ago. He was in a very bad shape and wouldn’t have lasted much longer if we hadn’t found him. Clearly a spell had been cast on him and obviously it must have been Light elves that did this. He’s much better now but can still not remember his name or where he is from. I have not yet been able to break the spell although I have tried vere hard.
Next day Ondina finished the potion and handed a small flask to Roe.
Roe was ready to continue her travel.
“You will need to get the last ingredient yourself and that will be extremely dangerous. Are you really sure that this is what you want to do?”
“I am,” Roe answered without any hesitation.
“Are you sure that you will find your way and not get lost,” Orm asked.
Roe smiled and nodded. She had never heard of anyone of the Forest people getting lost. The travel would be long and dangerous but she would find the way.
“We have probably sent that sweet girl right into death,” Ondina said, her eyes following Roe leaving their home. “Although their lives are very short it makes me sad because I liked her.”
“Me to,” Orm said. “But if she succeeds it will be a very big success for all Dark elves after all the years that we have suffered. However, I must admit that it’s most unlikely that she will survive and I don't think that she would have wanted to do this if we had told her everything.”
24th Apr 2011, 12:52 AM
Roe was shocked to realize how close to her home the humans actually lived. She hadn’t been travelling, for much more than a week, although at high speed, before she could see the first humans’ settlements. She had never seen anything like it. Trees had been cut down so that there was very little forest left where the humans lived. Their houses were big like Elven houses but still very different.
The smell from the human settlements made her feel slightly sick. When she got closer she could see that it was true that animals were kept as prisoners. She also saw horses carrying humans on their back.
Roe discovered that humans seemed to live very close together as she approached the town. There were buildings everywhere. Suddenly an attack of laughter overwhelmed her. She had to bite her lip keep quiet. A male with his face full of hair passed under the tree that she was hiding in. It was hilarious and exactly as Thorundur had told her. Humans were really very funny looking.
Constantly aware of the extreme danger Roe enjoyed herself. This was the best adventure that she’d ever had.
It didn’t take her long to locate the castle that looked exactly like Ondina and Orm had described. It was a huge stone building almost resembling a small mountain. Inside the castle she would be likely to find the last ingredient but she would have to wait until darkness before she could go there. This would be the most dangerous part of the travel.
The castle was surrounded by water. A bridge over the water led to the main gate. Roe realized that the bridge would be a very dangerous route as Ondina and Orm had told her that the castle would be guarded and she could also smell the humans at the gate. She would have to swim over the water, which was not a very appealing thought because the water smelled really bad.
She tied back her hair with a leather strap and hesitantly she got into the water. The smell made her feel sick and she was very careful to not swallow any water as she swam to the other side.
She looked up at the walls of the castle and realized that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to climb over the even wall. There had to be another way into the castle.
Suddenly her head exploded with pain and darkness overwhelmed her as she fell to the ground.
When Roe woke up again the smell of the humans filled her nose. Her head was aching really badly. It was with great difficulty she managed get on her knees. Her hand felt wet when she touched her head and she realized that she was bleeding. A stone on the ground that smelled of her blood made Roe realize that the humans must have thrown it at her from above. How could she have been so stupid to let this happen? The pain made her clinch her teeth when she lifted her head. With horror Roe realized that three humans where approaching her. She couldn’t see them very clearly because everything was blurry but it was no doubt that they were much too close. She rose on unsteady legs with pain thumping in her head. Her sight was starting to get clearer which at least must be a good sign. But it was too late. One of the humans was already close enough to take a grip on her arm. He made some sounds that didn’t make any sense.
Panic filled Roe when she couldn’t shake the man off her arm. She turned her head and slit the man’s cheek with one of her horns. A roar was heard before the grip on her arm loosened and she could see that blood was dribbling from a deep wound on the man’s cheek. But then her other arm was caught but another human. Roe turned around and dug her sharp teeth deep into the wrist of the man who hold her arm and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. The grip was released for a short moment but the humans just wouldn’t give up.
The fight was short. Roe was a hunter and not a fighter and three strong humans were too much for her to cope with. In addition her head ached and she felt dizzy. Her hands were tied so hard that her fingers felt numb. The humans pushed her roughly before them and soon Roe found herself to be on the inside of the castle walls.
2nd May 2011, 08:32 PM
The humans pushed Roe roughly down a stair and with horror she realized that they must be under the ground. A door was locked behind her and she found herself to be trapped in a small space. There were no windows and the dark stone walls seemed to get closer, squeezing Roe so that she couldn’t breathe. She had always been afraid of enclosed spaces where she couldn’t see the sky. “Don’t be silly Roe,” she said to herself. “You can’t panic know.” She took a deep breath and then another one. The terrible headache made it harder to concentrate but somehow she managed to control the panic. The small flint knife was still tucked in a small pocket on the inside of her loincloth. With great difficulty Roe managed to get it out and freed herself from the rope around her wrists. The concentration the task demanded helped to keep the panic under control.
Roe could still feel the taste of the guard’s blood in her mouth and it disgusted her deeply. Her parents had told her that the spirit of every creature that she ingested would become a part of her so that every creature in the forest would be joined. Roe really didn’t want to be joined with humans so she spat and did her best to get rid of every trace of the blood in her mouth but she had swallowed some of it. The thought of human blood in her stomach made her feel sick. In addition the foul smell of the water in the moat still clinged on her skin and hair. A wave of nausea overwhelmed Roe and she threw up in a corner. There wasn’t much in her stomach anyway but she hoped that she had got rid of every trace of human blood.
There was a pot of water in the dungeon and Roe rinsed her mouth before she took a deep gulp. It didn’t taste good. She realized that she was very likely to die in this castle and her parents would never know what had happened.
She was angry with herself. In her eager to travel fast she had neglected to eat and sleep properly and this had weakened her and made her senses less sharp. She had underestimated the humans and this would cost her life. A horrible thought hit Roe. What if the spirits of the ancestors and the forest wouldn’t be able to find her if she died so far away from her forest! No, surely her spirit would find the way home even after death. But the horrible thought wouldn’t completely leave Roe. This wasn’t a good place to die at.
The feeling of panic gave way for an overwhelming feeling of guilt. She hadn’t been a good daughter and would die because of her selfishness. When her parents got older they wouldn’t have anyone to take care of them. It was unbearable to think about Thorundur. He would never know how much she loved him. Would he miss her or would he soon forget her as he went on with his life with the other elves? The time that he had spent with her would probably soon just become a very short moment of his eternal life. How good it must be to have tears like the elves. She would really have liked to be able to let her sorrows leave her with fluid from the eyes but Forest people didn’t have tears.
The Mother had given Roe a necklace that would to give her courage when times were difficult and she had never experienced more difficult times than now. But she couldn’t get any comfort from the necklace, because the humans had taken it from her.
5th May 2011, 08:15 AM
I just logged in to say,
I read this story from start to finish.
It's absolutely so beautifully done - the pictures and the writing.
I absolutely hate those dark elves
Only praying and wishing Thorundur helps Roe.
Can't imagine if her dreams come alive.. i hope they don't.
Keep the stories coming ;)
6th May 2011, 02:39 PM
Thank you Myshia. Your feed-back is very encouraging :)
I'm sure that Thorundur would hurry to help Roe if he only knew that she is in trouble.
9th May 2011, 07:24 PM
The knock on the door made Alexander feel quite irritated and even angry. It had been a long day because he was in charge in the castle while his father was on a short travel to another part of the kingdom. There had been an endless line of people that Alexander had to receive and listen to. He had just finished today’s’ work and the thought of his soft bed was very appealing. When he saw the face of the guard, whose name he couldn’t remember, he suppressed the impulse to scold the man for disturbing. There seemed to be something very important on the guards mind.
The guard was upset and talked fast. “We have caught a very strange animal and locked it up in one of the dungeons. I saw a movement outside the wall and shot a stone with the sling and had a lucky hit that took it down. We caught it alive because we’ve never seen anything like it before and thought that you would like to decide what to do with it. The horns and the skin might be really valuable. Be careful though. It hurt Torfast with its horns and bit Styrbiorn very badly in the hand. Torfast is likely to be scarred for life. It has enormous fangs”
Alexander strapped his sword belt around the waist as he went out the door with the guard whose name he now remembered was Kvig. When he saw the two other guards that had been together with Kvig, Torfast and Styrbiorn, he could see that Kvig had not been exaggerating. The wounds looked bad indeed and there was no doubt that the young Torfast’s would get a large scar on his cheek.
“Don’t say anything about this to anyone,” Alexander said.” I want to see this creature myself and decide what to do about this before we stir up more people. Take care of your wounds and stay here until I come back.”
The sight that met Alexander in the dungeon was not what he had expected. Crouched on the floor was a creature that very much looked like a young woman except that he had never seen a woman with horns on the forehead. She had painted a delicate pattern on her skin. Soft brown hair fell over the face. Could this really be an animal?
The humanlike appearance disappeared when the creature looked up. The eyes were clearly not human at all and when it lifted the lips, showing its fangs and made a fearful hissing sound it looked even less human. Alexander backed. Although the fangs were not nearly as enormous as Kvig had given the impression of, they were deterrent enough. Maybe he should call the guards? But then the creature lowered its head and again it looked very much like a young and very sad woman. It had clothes, although very little, but he had never heard of any animals that used clothes.
“Aliendre talked about a people in the forest with horns on their foreheads,” he said silently to himself, trying to remember exactly what Aliendre had said.
“I’m Roe of the Forest people and the Elven princess Aliendre is my friend.”
Alexander jumped. The words had been spoken in perfect Elvish language although with a strange accent. The prisoner was standing in the dungeon making a perfect courteous Elven bow.
“You can speak!?” Alexander was astonished and realized that the creature found the question ridiculous when he could see a small wrinkle on the prisoner’s nose and a small movement in the corner of her mouth.
“I don’t think the Elven princess Aliendre would be very happy to hear that you have treated her best friend like this. If you free me I can bring a greeting from you to her.”
Alexander hesitated. Obviously he shouldn’t even consider releasing the prisoner but the creature that called herself Roe said that she knew Aliendre. He didn’t want Aliendre to find out that he had treated one of her friends badly.
“How do I know that you really know Princess Aliendre?”
“She told me that you, Prince Alexander, once picked flowers with a poisonous sap just to make her like you.”
Did the prisoner sound slightly amused or was it just imagination? Anyway the creature had guessed his name and it was obvious that she must know Aliendre. “You hurt my guards, how do I know that you won’t hurt me?”
“Why would I hurt you if you release me? Besides I can see that you have a sword and I’m unarmed.”
Alexander didn’t really agree that the prisoner was unarmed. He had seen the damage her teeth and horns had done on his guards. “You hurt my guards really badly.”
“They hurt me first. I didn’t want them to catch me. I think Aliendre likes you Prince Alexander. Do you want me to send her a greeting from you?”
“Listen, I will release you, but you have to promise that you won’t hurt me. All I want you to tell Aliendre is that I think about her every day.” As he spoke the words he knew that they were absolutely true. The memory of Aliendre had not faded at all. Alexander could hardly believe that he was really doing this. He opened the door and backed with his hand on the sword hilt when the prisoner went out.”
“They took my necklace. I want it back.”
“Don’t push it. You are free to go now but you will have to leave without your necklace. Don’t forget that you promised to give Aliendre my greeting.”
Roe took a step closer and Alexander couldn’t back any further because he was standing against the wall. With Roe so close he could see that the pattern on her skin was not painted at all. The red stones on her horns and forehead glistened in the torch light. She looked him steady in the eyes. He had never seen eyes like hers. They were shifting in all kinds of shades of yellow. He was drawn into her eyes and felt as if he was drowning in the depth of them. A humming sound from the creature made him realize that he had been starring into her eyes for too long and he looked aside.
“I won’t leave without my necklace. The Mother gave it to me.”
“This is absurd. I can call the guards and have you locked up again. I’m sure that your mother can give you a new necklace.”
Roe lifted her upper lip, showing the tips of the sharp fangs. “I need my necklace. It’s mine and they took it.”
Alexander sighed and nodded. “Alright I will get your necklace but this is really absurd. Wait here for me.” He went up the stairs. Probably he should bring the guards back with him but he decided against his better knowledge. Besides, how would he explain that the prisoner was no longer locked up?
He jumped and turned around when Roe whispered his name when he came back and was about to open the door that led to the dungeons. She hadn’t been waiting downstairs as he had told her but had gone out and hidden just outside the door. Obviously she was too clever to wait where she could have easily been caught again and he had been distracted enough to forget to lock the door. Alexander gave the necklace to Roe. He had been surprised when the reluctant Styrbiorn had handed over the necklace. It was heavy, made of solid gold. Nine large sapphires were attached to it. Although the handcraft looked somewhat primitive this was not what he had expected a creature like Roe to wear. He was also annoyed because the guards had really no right at all to keep a treasure like this to themselves and it had been obvious that they had not intended to let Alexander know about the necklace.
Roe looked much more relaxed and even happy when she fastened the necklace around her neck.”Please let me thank you like Forest people do.”
She spread her arms and embraced Alexander who held his breath. He felt relieved when she loosened her grip and he hadn’t been harmed. Her skin had felt much warmer than human skin.
Alexander realized that he had a big problem. He didn’t know how to get Roe out of the castle without anyone noticing her. Her strange appearance would certainly stir up people and he would never be able to give a satisfactory explanation to why he had released Roe from the dungeon. Finally after much hesitation he decided to show her out through the secret passage that had been built in case the royal family ever would have to escape from the castle. This was of course not a very optimal option. A secret passage is supposed to be secret and he certainly didn’t want the castle to be invaded by hordes of forest creatures. But the main gate was clearly out of the question and there were no other options.
When Alexander lit the torches in the damp corridor he could see that the walls were covered with spindle web. It must have been a long time since anyone had been in this part of the castle. He found the hatch that he was looking for.
Roe tilted her head and smiled. The smile made the tips of her sharp fangs show, making the effect of the intended friendly expression somewhat dubious.” I will never forget your kindness Prince Alexander and I’m sure that Aliendre also will appreciate your kindness.”
Alexander was astonished when she bowed like a human to underline her politeness. He was certain that she couldn’t have taken after him because he hadn’t bowed for her. The realization that a wild creature from the forest had behaved more civilized and showed more politeness than him, a human prince, made him feel slightly embarrassed. He showed Roe the passage and the strange creature from the forest disappeared into the dark tunnel.
Alexander sighed. This had been a very strange experience and he would have to think of something to keep the three guards quiet. His father would no doubt find it very strange if he found out that Alexander had released such a remarkable prisoner. He couldn’t even explain his strange behavior to himself. When he had found out that Roe knew Aliendre he just couldn’t resist the opportunity to send a greeting to the Elven princess. He could have told Aliendre that he was about to get married but somehow he had chosen not to. Then Alexander hit his head and moaned. “Oh you’re so stupid Alexander!” He had forgotten to ask the prisoner the most important question of all! Why had she been outside the castle wall where she was caught?
4th Jun 2011, 11:13 PM
Roe’s pulse was starting to slow down to a more normal rate. The fresh night air was soothing and the sky was a very welcome sight. When the human prince had shown her the tunnel she had almost refused to go down but she had realized that she didn’t really have a choice. She had almost lost all her self control when the hatch was closed behind her. It had felt like an eternity before she reached the hatch that led to her freedom on the other side of the tunnel. But it was still dark outside and she wasn’t very far from the castle so it couldn’t have been that long after all. She was ashamed to admit that she had never felt more afraid than she had done in the dark tunnel. The moat was between her and the castle so the tunnel must actually have been under the water. It was a good thing she hadn’t known this while she was down there in the darkness. Roe promised herself that never again would she be enclosed in a space under the ground.
The headache was still bad but after a few breaths of the fresh air a feeling of joy was starting to fill Roe. She couldn’t believe her luck. After the hopelessness that she had felt in the dungeon just a short while ago everything had turned. It was lucky indeed that she had heard the prince say Aliendre’s name and it was also very lucky that the prince had come down to the dungeon alone. She smiled triumphantly to herself. It had been so easy to tell that the prince had been afraid of her. Although Roe knew that self control was important she gave way for the feeling of invincibility that filled her. After all she deserved to feel this good after this night’s experience. The last ingredient was in her pocket. Against all odds she had succeeded. The prince hadn’t noticed that she had taken a hair that had fallen on his shoulder when she embraced him. Now, that golden hair was attached to a piece of resin in her pocket. She laughed silently when she thought about the prince’s surprised expression when she had bowed just like Aliendre had shown her that human’s bowed. It was always good to be polite.
Dawn would come soon and she needed to find a safe place to sleep. The feeling of invincibility mixed with weariness made her bold enough to dare to hide in the soft straw in a barn not far away from the castle. She clinched her teeth. The head hurt so much that it was difficult to think. She hadn’t more than lied down in the hay before she fell into a deep sleep. It was afternoon when she woke up and it worried her that the distant sounds from the farm hadn’t wakened her sooner. She must have been really exhausted to sleep so deep. Her head was still hurting, but not as much as yesterday. Now the hunger was a more acute worry than her head but this was a problem that was very easy to solve.
Roe found more food in the barn than she could eat and was filled with new energy. Full and content she waited patiently in the barn for the darkness to fall. There was one thing about this expedition that worried Roe. She had accomplished the most difficult and dangerous part of the task but there was one weak point that she hadn’t given enough thought. The elves might come home before her and she was supposed to be travelling together with them. If they came to her home and asked for her she would have a very big problem. Darkness fell and Roe climbed down the ladder and went silently out of the barn.
A soft neigh caught Roe’s attention. She had already felt the smell of the horses without paying much attention to it but a new plan was beginning to take shape in her aching head. A horse could run faster than she could and they accepted to carry humans on their back. If she asked nicely maybe a horse would carry her. It was an exciting thought. Silently she approached the enclosure where the horses were grassing. A big black stallion came to greet her. He accepted that she put her hand on his cheek and nudged her friendly with his soft muzzle.
She opened the gate, took a firm grip in his mane and swung herself swiftly on the back of the horse.
The horse stepped nervously and tossed his head but he didn’t try to get rid of her. Actually he seemed to be filled with anticipation. Roe leaned forward and the horse started to trot. She found that it was not difficult at all to communicate to the horse the direction she wanted him to take. He was sensitive to every movement of her body.
Soon Roe was flying over the ground on the back of the black stallion. This experience alone was worth everything that she had been through. She would never know the uproar the disappearance of the human knight’s best stallion would cause next morning.
5th Jun 2011, 06:15 AM
Oh, finally, the update I've been waiting so long for! Thank you, I really like your story :) . I wonder what will happen next.
29th Jun 2011, 12:45 AM
Update! D: I have to know what happens to Roe - does she end up with her friend?
29th Jun 2011, 07:55 PM
Thank you for your comments Kyrie12 and LovethMia, I appreciate them. It's more fun to write when there are comments :). I'm sorry for the delay in updating, I have been a little distracted lately but here finally is chapter 29.
Thanks to the horse the travel home went much faster than what Roe would have accomplished by foot. Sooner than she could have hoped she got to the place where she had hid the bottle that the Dark elves had given her. With her bare hands she started to dig and felt relieved when she touched the smooth and hard surface of the bottle. The horse was grassing next to her. He had always kept close to her on their travel together. Reluctantly she realized that it would not be a very good idea to bring the horse to her home. She could not always take responsibility for the horse and her parents would probably see him as a food reserve. But it was hard to say goodbye. The horse followed her wherever she went. Silently she sneaked away when he was concentrating on finding the juiciest grass and felt like a betrayer when he neighed and waited in vain for her reply. Roe felt confident that the horse would do fine, he seemed to be an intelligent and capable creature but she was his friend and now she had to disappear and leave him alone.
The smell from the cooking fire spread a homelike feeling long before Roe could see her family’s hut. When she could see Otter and Wolf preparing a meal together a sting in her heart made her realize how much she had missed her parents.
“Look! Roe is back,” her father shouted overwhelmed with joy and Otter looked up and ran to greet her daughter. When Roe finally could relax in her mother’s arms she realized just how exhausted and hungry she really was. She had been injured and had been very close to death. Suddenly the feeling of invisibility was completely gone and she felt like a small child again. She would have liked to tell her parents all about her difficulties during the last two weeks and to be comforted by her mother as she had been so often when she was a child. But of course that was not possible. She could not share her experience with anyone.
“How was your trip together with the elves?” Wolf asked.
Roe swallowed. One lie just built upon the other and all she wanted now was to rest and be close to her parents.
“It was good, an adventure, but I’m so glad to be back home,” she said. Obviously the elves hadn’t been here already which at least was a relief. She quickly changed subject and started to ask about everything that her parent had been doing while she was gone to not have to make up lies about the travel with the elves.
“I will miss you so much when you leave us to move to Bear’s family,” Otter said, her voice almost breaking. “It was almost unbearable to be without you during this time but I better get used. I can’t believe how fast you have grown.”
“What do you mean? I’m going to take care of you even after I’ve been joined with Bear. Surely you will move with me?”
Wolf shook his head. “No you cannot take care of four old parents, we will manage. And besides, moving to another couples hunting grounds is never done, how could you even think of such a strange thing? Of course we will visit you as often as possible, at least once a year. We will be very happy just to know that you’re doing well.”
Roe felt as if a trap was slowly closing around her. The feeling was almost similar to what she had experienced in the dark tunnel when she escaped from the castle but this time she wasn’t sure there would be a hatch that led to her freedom on the other side of the tunnel. She hoped with all her heart that the solution to all her troubles was within the little bottle that the Dark elves had given her and that it wasn’t too late. The thought of Thorundur travelling together with Aliendre worried her more than she liked to admit.
The next few days Roe slept like she had never slept before and when she didn’t sleep she waited. She waited for Thorundur to come back but the days passed and he didn’t come. Maybe he wasn’t her friend anymore? Or maybe he had forgotten her and was only thinking about Aliendre.
Finally, after six days the elves showed up and Roe felt exhilarated when she saw them. Thankfully her parents had gone for a long hunting trip. Roe had stayed home, partly because she hoped that the elves would show up, and partly because she still needed to rest from her adventures and head injury. She studied Thorundur and Aliendre closely as they approached. There didn’t seem to be any difference in the relation between them. Thorundur and Aliendre walked at the same distance from each other as usual and they didn’t look at each other more often than usual. On the other hand Thorundur didn’t smile at her as he usually did. When they had last seen each other she had yelled and ran away from him so she couldn’t really blame him for not being happy to see her. Aliendre on the other hand looked happy to see her.
”Roe I’m so happy to see you,” Aliendre said with a bright smile and stretched her arms towards Roe.
Aliendre’s friendliness made Roe feel guilty.
“Hi, Roe,” Thorundur said with just a hint of a smile and without meeting her eyes.
"I’m so happy to see you too, both of you, “Roe said and smiled brightly. “I’ve been on a long hunting trip on my own and returned just a little less than a week ago. Please tell me everything about your travel”. She talked heartily and smiled but it was all a charade. It was not possible to feel happy if she and Thorundur weren’t friends. How she wished that she could tell Thorundur everything about her adventure in the human realm. He was always such a good listener and no one would understand her like he did. But of course she couldn’t share the biggest adventure she had ever experienced with him. He looked a little more relaxed and happier though after they had greeted each other.
“Please let me give you some food and make you some tea,” she said.
Roe hoped that the spirits and The Mother where not watching when lifted the bottle to pour the potion in the mug that she would give to Aliendre. Somehow she had a feeling that they might not approve of what she planned to do. She had sent the elves to get some herbs on the other side of the hut so that they wouldn’t see what she was doing but she knew that she could not hide from the spirits. Aliendre had showed her nothing but friendship and acceptance. Secretly pouring magical potions in your mug was not something a friend was expected to do. She lowered her hand again. There was still a choice; she didn’t have to do this. But on the other hand, the potion would only help Aliendre to follow her heart Roe tried to convince herself. Probably she was just doing Aliendre a favor. After all was it not The Mother herself who had told Roe that she should follow her heart and the Dark elves had said that this could help her to get what she wanted. She put some extra herbs in the tea in case the potion would have a strong taste.
“It smells very good,” Aliendre said and looked appreciatively at Roe.
“Taste it, it tastes even better than it smells,” Roe said trying to not stare intensely on Aliendre.
“Oops, I spilled my tea,” Thorundur said. “I’m terribly sorry Roe.”
“No problem I can get you more,” she replied quickly, trying hard to hide her irritation.
“You can have some of mine, I have plenty,” Aliendre offered.
“No,” Roe cried sharply as Aliendre lifted her mug to pour some of her tea in Thorundur’s mug.
The elves looked up at her surprised by the sharpness of her voice.
“It means bad luck to pour tea from someone’s mug,” Roe said quickly. “I will get you some new tea Thorundur.
Aliendre seemed to accept Roe’s explanation and lowered her mug again but Thorundur looked skeptical. They had eaten many meals together and he had never heard this before.
Roe hold her breath as Aliendre lifted the mug to her lips and sipped. “It tastes very good Roe.” She took another sip and another. Nothing particular seemed to happen but maybe it would take some time for the effect to start working.
The elves chatted with her, telling her about their trip and Thorundur seemed to become less and less tense and more and more like he used to be towards her. It became time for them to part and they said goodbye. Still there was nothing unusual with Aliendre as far as Roe could tell. What if nothing would happen? Then all the dangers she had gone through would have been for nothing. But even if the potion had the effect it was supposed to have, how could she be sure that she would get what she wanted. The Dark elves had not wanted to give her a potion to give to Thorundur. It was not in their interest to do so and the potion was very complicated and demanding to make they had explained. Although the Dark elves were her friends Roe would never have dared to do anything against their will. Their magical powers scared her. All she could do now was to wait and see if something would happen.
29th Jun 2011, 11:55 PM
:( I'm sad that Roe gave up the horse and doubly sad that she er.... poisoned? Aliendre. Poor Roe... she's so naive. ._. Great update! Glad to see you back!
2nd Jul 2011, 08:02 AM
I feel a little bad about abandoning the horse myself. Therefore he will probably be back in the story at some time. Roe is only used to wild animals and probably just believed that she did the horse a favour by giving him his freedom. I agree she's naive.
2nd Jul 2011, 03:52 PM
Ah I see! I should have remembered that about her.... now I can understand how she could do it, she isn't completely human -- she wouldn't have become attached as any human girl might. xD Can't wait to see what happens next! I'm bouncing up and down in my seat!
3rd Jul 2011, 11:47 PM
I've been reading this story greedily from the very first episode. I love it very much, even though it appears things are going to get bad soon. But then, it was already said at the very beginning. Love can be a very dangerous thing. I'm not going to elaborate on my guess as to the drink, except that poison would not have required Alexander. ;)
Glad to hear there are good plans for the horse.
5th Jul 2011, 07:07 PM
You are right Garambola. The potion is not exactly poison as poison would not have required the last ingredient :)
The sunlight that already trickled through the window warming the floor told Alexander that this would become a very hot day. It was only late spring but it felt like high summer. He turned around in his bed and tried to fall asleep to delay the beginning of this day but it was pointless.
Instead he lingered in bed and started to think about the strange prisoner that he had released almost two weeks ago. Sometimes he didn’t know if it had been real but every time he saw the healing wound on the guard Torfast's cheek he couldn’t deny that it really had happened. How could he have acted so strange and released a creature that didn’t look like anything that he had seen before, and without even questioning her? As often when he thought about this, he came to the conclusion that the Forest creature must have put a spell on him. There couldn’t really be any other reason for his irrational behavior he decided. The guards had been threatened and bribed to not talk with anyone about that night. Besides who would believe them anyway?
Finally he rose from his bed. There was no point in trying to avoid the inevitable. He would have to play the part that was expected of him today. There were going to be festivities for everyone because of his soon to be wedding. First there would be markets and jesters, and tonight there would be tournaments on the jousting field.
“There is still time for you to change your mind about participating in the tournaments,” his father said when they sat at the table together for a quick breakfast.
“You wanted to set me up against knights I have defeated easily before. Everyone knows their skills are much below mine, it would be pointless.”
“Is your pride more important than to give the people a show that would strengthen their support to our family?”
“I have done everything you asked of me, even agreed to marry a princess you chose but please don’t expect me to go up against knights who have been told that they must let me win.”
“We will not talk more about it then. Don’t you agree that Princess Alde is very beautiful?”
Alexander shrugged. “I can’t deny the truth in that. It will be a warm day at the market today I believe.” Then he looked worried. “Do you feel well father?” he said.
The king did indeed look very pale and there was a tension around his cheeks.
“I’m fine but I think I will need to get some rest before the tournaments. If you show yourself at the market there’s no need for me to go there to. I’ll see you tonight then.”
Alexander strolled around at the market, chatting with friends and receiving the people’s reverence. It was a beautiful day perhaps just a little bit too warm to be perfect. He enjoyed himself for the moment. Alde had taken her chambermaid with her to the market stalls.
“How can a woman smile and frown at the same time?” Alexander thought when Alde approached him.
It just doesn’t seem possible to find nice silk anywhere in this town,” she said displeased.
“There are some merchants here that have silk I believe,” he said.
“But not the quality I would like,” she replied. I need to have some new dresses made.”
Alexander couldn’t understand why this woman needed more dresses. He couldn’t recall having seen her in the same dress twice yet. Not that he paid that much attention to dresses of course, so he could be mistaken there.
“Talking about clothes, the thralls and serfs in your country must be very well dressed,” Alde said looking around at the market.
“Most of the people you that see in this part of the country are actually not thralls or serfs but free farmers. My father believes that it’s better to let people own their land and pay reasonable taxes. He believes that they will produce better if they own their farms.” he answered.
“How odd!” There was a wrinkle of disapproval between her brows. “Maybe that’s something that we can change when you‘re king and I’m your queen.” Her sweet smile gave him shivers.
Before Alexander could think of a reply dizziness overwhelmed him. Everything became blurry and he felt like he might faint. He leaned against a column for support and hoped that no one would notice his weakness. What could be wrong with him? He closed his eyes and opened them again.
A face was forming in the blurriness before his eyes. It was Aliendre. She was even more beautiful than he could remember and she smiled at him. She seemed to be in a in a forest and her lips formed his name.
“Are you well Alexander?” Aliendre’s face disappeared and he was looking into Alde’s sharp green eyes. She looked concerned.
“I’m fine.” It was a lie though. He was not fine at all. Although he realized what he had seen must have been his imagination caused by the pressure that he felt lately he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that Aliendre was in some kind of trouble.
It was strange. First the oddest looking creature that he’d ever seen showed up in his castle and claimed that she knew Aliendre. And now he had a strong vision of Aliendre. He had tried so hard to convince himself that his infatuation with Aliendre had just been a youthful and naïve love that he would grow out of but he hadn’t succeed very well at all. How could it be possible for him to go through with the wedding with Alde when his heart was filled with another woman? He had to go through with it. There was really no other choice at this point or else King Knut and his sons would become their enemies. Besides, Aliendre was an elf and he was human. Elves and humans couldn’t marry and were not supposed to fall in love with each other. A life together with Aliendre had always been out of the questions so he really needed to stop thinking about her.
“I look forward to the tournaments tonight. Everyone will see the beautiful princess that will become their queen,” he said, doing his best to play the part that was expected of him. He seemed to have convinced Alde at least. She looked very pleased to hear his words.
5th Jul 2011, 09:16 PM
I am disliking the princess more and more, which I suspect is how things are supposed to be. What a spoiled, little, conceited brat. Probably not untypical of princesses.
Yet, I have to admire her for being so candid. She could as well have hidden all her opinions until after the wedding. Maybe that means she is stupid. Or maybe it just means she isn't totally macchiavellian.
12th Jul 2011, 11:01 PM
The weak flickering light from the candles fell on Aliendre’s desk. She had returned home yesterday. Almost everyone but she was asleep. It was late night or very early morning and still very quiet. Not even the birds were awake to fill the air outside with their singing. Only the guards would be up now. Aliendre carefully folded the letter that she had been writing and let it lie on her desk. She went to the other side of the room where a beautifully ornamented box was standing on a small table. She opened the box and pulled out a chain with a pendant. Swiftly she got dressed and picked up a pack that was lying on her bed. After turning out the light she went silently out from her chamber.
The peacefulness of the early morning was broken by a sharp horrifying scream that echoed in the Light Elves palace. The scream came from Princess Aliendre’s chamber. King Eraldor hurried and found his wife with a horrified expression holding a paper tight in her hand. Trembling and with eyes filled with tears she handed him the paper. “Not again, not another child,” she said.
Although carefully printed, the thrifty formulations made it obvious that the letter had been written in haste.
“Is it the human prince?” Eraldor asked.
“She has never expressed any such feelings for him,” Eliene said. “But who knows what she might have hidden from us. What else could it be that would make her change irreversibly?”
“Isn’t he going to marry a foreign princess?” Eraldor asked.
“Maybe Aliendre doesn’t know. What else could it be? Do you remember at the celebration of Alexander’s first birthday? I could feel that there was a disaster in his destiny, a disaster that would cause grief in the Elven realm.”
“If Prince Alexander had anything to do with this he will regret the day he was born.” Eraldor’s eyes were narrow and there was no doubt that he meant what he said. Then his face softened. “But somehow I find it difficult to believe. He has a good heart and although he had a crush on Aliendre when he was here I doubt that it was more to it than that. Aliendre seemed to like his company but I find it hard to believe that an elven princess as mighty as her would fall seriously in love with a human.
Eliene looked absent minded with her thoughts far away. “What good is it to see the future when there never is anything I can do to change it?”
“I may not be to late yet. If the Prince is involved I will know soon enough. I will start looking for Aliendre too, but with her powers I doubt that I will be able to find her. If I didn’t know better I might have believed that the Dark elves could be involved. But there is no possibility that they could reach us here, and even Aliendre on her own, outside this palace, would be quite a match also for the most powerful of them.”
Eraldor went to his study accompanied by his wife. He pulled a cloth from a crystal ball. As he put his palms on the crystal ball it started to flicker and soon there was a forest in it.
“Most likely she has shielded herself. I cannot focus on her; the crystal ball just shows me random irrelevant scenes and I can feel it bouncing against the resistance of her shield whenever I try to focus. But if the prince is involved maybe I can see something in the human realm.”
Eraldor concentrated again and a picture of a room filled the crystal ball. There was a bed in the room and on the pillow was Prince Alexander’s blond head. He was still sleeping deeply but started to move around and yawned while they were watching him.
“Maybe he isn’t involved at all but I will keep having an eye on him,” Eraldor said. “After all, Aliendre has always been very dutiful, I find it difficult to believe that she would let her feelings determine her actions in such a way, even if she would have had such feelings. We must send out riders that will search everywhere for our daughter. But I doubt that they will be able to find her if she doesn’t want to be found. Maybe Toraldor and Liandra know something. Aliendre might have said something when she visited them that can give us a clue. We must send a herald to them to”
Eliene’s white skin was even paler that usual and her large eyes filled with tears but the usual gentle expression was completely gone. “It is unbearable if we are going to lose another child,” she said. “We must do everything that is within our powers to find her. And if the human prince has anything to do with this, not even his gods will be able to protect him.”
13th Jul 2011, 12:51 AM
=O More, please! You totally left it...hanging....from the cliff.... ;_;
xD Great update!! Mind-numbingly, insanely, crazy and tortuously(!) suspenseful update, but a great one nevertheless! =D
16th Jul 2011, 04:59 PM
Thank you LovethMia. The next update will be very soon (today).
16th Jul 2011, 05:14 PM
Alexander yawned and stretched and was suddenly aware that he was not alone. Someone was in his rooming watching him sleep. At once he was awake. Alarmed he watched around while he tried to figure out how to reach his sword as quickly as possible but he could not see anyone at all. It must have been a dream or imagination. His mind had played tricks with him lately. With his heart still beating quickly he leaned back against his pillow to calm down.
Should he worry that maybe he was turning mad? No, surely it was just the pressure that he had felt lately. Maybe the lack of sleep could also be a contributing factor. He had found it very difficult to fall asleep lately. Now he would definitely not be able to sleep again. He felt slightly irritated because he had been dreaming about Aliendre and would have liked to dream a little longer. It was still early and the castle was wakening up. Servants would be lighting fires, preparing the meals for today and all the other tasks he knew very little about.
As he put his feet on the wooden floor he decided that it would be a good time for outdoor exercise, still not too warm to work hard. Alexander pulled his chainmail over his head and grabbed his sword.
Except for the guards that were on duty he could only see one person in the courtyard, a young girl. When he realized that she had a wooden sword in her hand he almost dropped his jaw, such impudence! A servant had no business being in the exercise area with a wooden sword in her hand? He took a deep breath as he prepared to harshly reprimand her. Then he realized that she only had put the sword up from the ground where it must have fallen. She grabbed her broom again and moved it with regular strokes while looking down at the ground so that he could barely see her face but he had already recognized her as the young maid that had been sent out from Alde’s room. Obviously she was on outdoor duty now.
He started to warm up with some routine exercises with the sword. After a while he noted that he could not hear the sound of the sweeping anymore and looked up.
The girl was closer now and when he looked at her she looked down quickly and started to sweep with very determined strokes. Alexander smiled for himself; the girl had obviously been watching him. He started his exercise again, now showing of a little, and soon enough the sound of the sweeping stopped.
This time he waited a while before he looked up and had the satisfaction to see the girls cheeks turn red as she dropped the broom when he caught her eyes. Quickly she picked up the broom and started to sweep again. Although she had been caught it didn’t seem to stop her from watching again because he could hear the sound of the sweeping disappear after a while and he knew that she still was there. This time he didn’t look up. She could watch if she wanted, he didn’t mind to have an audience.
Alexander went into the great hall pleasantly weary. The exercise had done him good and now he longed for a heavy breakfast. Craftsmen were busy as the King had decided that the hall needed wooden panels before the wedding.
“Hi, there you rose early today little Prince”, he heard from the shadows.
“Hi, when did you arrive, Erik?”
“I came late yesterday night. You had already gone to bed. The rest of my family is staying in town. Looks like you have been up exercising already.”
“Yeah, there’s nothing better to wake you up.”
“Wonder what good all this exercise will do you. There seem to be little chance to die an honorable death in the battle field nowadays.”
“That’s true and I hope it will remain so,” Alexander replied. “Hand me some beer will you please.”
“So, when will you introduce me to your beautiful bride?”
“You can probably meet her very soon today.”
“I look forward to meeting Princess Alde. You’re a lucky prince Alexander. A rich wife with influence and beauty, what else can a man wish for? Erik patted Alexander hard on the back. Alexander had just raised his goblet to have a sip of beer and as Erik patted him on the back bear spilled all over his face.
“Nothing, I suppose,” Alexander replied with a strained smile while he wiped beer from his face with his arm.
18th Jul 2011, 01:49 PM
Things are really getting heated. The girl with the sword sounds like a promising character. Hopefully she'll appear more. Excellent updates, thank you. :)
22nd Jul 2011, 12:57 PM
“Are you enjoying yourself Alde?” Alexander asked. He thought that Alde was more beautiful than ever. There was an eagerness and sweetness in her face, a face that otherwise had a tendency to look a bit too sharp. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. He realized that he hadn’t really given her a fair chance.
“This feast has overtrumped all my expectations. I told your father, his Majesty the King, that I’m very honored by all his efforts for our wedding. Can you believe that we finally will be husband and wife tomorrow? We must travel to visit my father soon after the wedding, don’t you think?”
“I look very much forward to meet King Knut and your brothers.” He didn’t add that after all the most important purpose of their wedding was to tighten the bands between the two kingdoms.
He took her hands in his. They were small and soft with long slender fingers and he realized that he had barely touched Alde at all during the time that they had spent together. They had never been alone of course, but except for courteous and gentle kisses on her hand he had never touched her. He could feel that she smelled like roses when they were standing close to each other.
“I must not keep you all to myself tonight,” Alde said. “There are so many people here who want a word with you and we will have plenty of time to talk after tomorrow”.
He saw her wander off to a group of Ladies who were delighted to have her attention. Alde was the center of the hall and was obviously enjoying herself. Wherever she went eyes were following her and she seemed to charm everyone.
As Alexander followed Alde with his eyes, thinking that he should be proud to have such a wife, a well known feeling overwhelmed him. It was a very strong feeling of someone watching him. But he knew that if he turned around no one would be there because this had happened once or twice a day for some time now. Of course there would be people watching him in this room but not with that intense stare that he felt touching his very brain. Maybe he was turning mad after all.
Before he had regained control over his own mind he almost fell forward as Erik patted him hard on the shoulder.
“Hi, there little prince, you look pale and tense. Are you nervous about tomorrow? Would you mind if I speak with Princess Alde for a while?”
“Of course not,” Alexander replied, still confused by the feeling of being watched and by almost losing his balance.
“She has charmed all the nobility I believe,” Erik continued. “That girl was born to become queen.”
Erik strolled off to speak with Alde and Alde’s giggles were soon mixed with Erik’s loud laughter. Erik was very much like Alde, Alexander thought, he filled a room with his presence. It was good, Alexander thought, that Alde and Erik seemed to get along so well together. Maybe she could help to unite their families.
Alexander said good night. He had already stayed longer than he was expected. After all, tomorrow was his wedding but he knew that he would probably not be able to fall asleep anyway. Alde had already left with her entourage a long time ago and it was obvious that the party was not the same without her presence. She was like a light that the other guests cirkled around, eager to have her attention. He could hear giggles from different corners of the castle mixed with the music coming from the great hall. Some young couples had obviosly been able to sneak away from their guardians he thought with a smile.
Alexander passed Alde’s door in the long corridor as he went to his room. This was the last night that he would not be alone in his bed and he didn’t really know if that was good or bad. Although Alde had been like a light in the center of the party he had not been able to avoid thinking about Aliendre. It felt like he had a hole inside. He opened the door and entered his empty room.
He couldn’t sleep and it wasn’t because he was thinking about the wedding. As soon as he closed his eyes he could see Aliendre’s face and he felt so empty that it hurt. Suddenly he jumped out of his bed. There had been a strange sound in the corridor outside his room. A sound that he couldn’t really identify, some kind of buzzing that he had never heard before.
He opened the door and went out in the corridor just to find a cat with a mouse in its mouth. He breathed out and realized that he must really be tense if he overreacted like this because of the cat.
But as he turned around he froze. In the end of the corridor was a slender figure with a hooded cape. He remembered the intruder that had been killed outside his room many years ago and cursed himself for not bringing the sword. The figure was small and looked like a young boy rather than a man, but it must be a really cunning boy to be able to pass all the guards. This night would of course be one of the best occasions an intruder could wish for, because there were guests everywhere and he suspected that even the guards might have sipped a little too much wine. He looked around to see if he could find something that he could use as a weapon or maybe throw at the intruder to get some time to get his sword.
“Alexander, it’s just me.” The voice was clear and soft like music. It was the voice of a woman and it sounded almost pleading. It could not be possible, indeed he was turning mad. He took step closer and saw two large wide open blue eyes looking pleadingly at him.
“It’s me, Aliendre, don’t you remember me?” She threw off the hooded cape and her long brown hair fell over her shoulders. The years had made her even more beautiful than he could remember.
“How is this possible?” He could hear his voice trembling as he didn’t really trust his eyes and ears. He closed his eyes and opened them again. She was still there.
“I couldn’t forget you Alexander, so I had to come here to see you.” she said quietly.
Still not knowing if this was real or not Alexander asked “How could you pass the guards?” He could hear his voice coming out more sharply than he had intended.
“Oh, I have shielded myself and I teleported here,” she said as if there was nothing more to it. “Are you angry that I came?” Her voice trembled and her eyes were wide.
“Aliendre I can’t believe that it’s really you. I have not thought about anything else but you lately.”
At his words her tense shoulders relaxed and she threw herself in his arms. She felt real enough. The hole in his body was gone and he was complete and happy.
“Aliendre, how could you believe that I wouldn’t remember you? How would it be possible to forget my one and only love?”
Her laughter was like sparkling water.
Reluctantly she backed slightly from his firm grip. “We must hurry, she said. They cannot see me but I don’t doubt that my father is keeping an eye on you.”
Not even her mentioning the powerful Eraldor could diminish the happiness Alexander felt.
“Yes, we must hurry,” he replied and smiled foolishly without knowing exactly what Aliendre had in mind.
22nd Jul 2011, 02:49 PM
I have just finished reading this from the begining to the most recent update. I love it! Both story and pictures are wonderful, great work!
22nd Jul 2011, 04:22 PM
^Me too, I love both the story and your game, you have such wonderful clothes and objects! I wish I had a medieval 'hood, but I'm way too lazy to collect so many things. Anyway, can't wait for your next update. :)
28th Jul 2011, 08:32 AM
Thank you Kathleen Anne and the Creeper. Downloading medieval content is actually one of the fun parts with a medieval hood but definately not good for the downloads folder.
28th Jul 2011, 08:39 AM
“Here, you need this shield so that my father cannot find you,” Aliendre said as soon as they got into Alexander’s room. She slipped a long chain around his neck. The chain had a pendant with a snake on a gemstone.
“I suppose we’re talking about magic here, because I am very familiar with shields and this doesn’t look like one,” he said.
“This will protect you from magic. My father will probably try to find you with his crystal ball but if you wear this he will not be able to see you because I have put my magic into it. Father will of course notice that his magic will bounce from you and therefore he will understand that I’m with you. Therefore we must hurry.”
She talked very fast and eagerly. Now that she was less tense he could see how tired she looked. There were dark shadows around her eyes.
“I believe that King Eraldor has already been watching me,” he said. “That would explain the uncanny feeling I’ve had several times lately. It’s a very strong feeling of being watched. I felt it this night not long ago. “
Aliendre looked very pleased to hear what he said. “It is good that he watched you so recently”. “That means he will not try again for a while. It is very demanding to use magic against another person’s mind, and especially to find another mind so far away. He will need to rest before he can use it again.
“You look tired Aliendre. I cannot let you travel before you have rested.”
She shook her head. “The reason that I’m tired is that I used magic to get here as fast as possible. I have walked, run but also teleported over large distances. To get into the castle I had to teleport through the thick stone walls and I will not be able to use much more magic for a while. Father might try to find you already tomorrow morning. After all he is very powerful. So you see we have no time to rest. I will rest later. But I cannot teleport both of us so we will have to travel without magic nonetheless.”
“That is how I usually travel so that will be fine. But will we not be seen and people wonder about us?”
“They will see us, we are not invisible,” she laughed as if the thought of being invisible amused her and then she continued, “but unless they are very concentrated and look specifically for us they will not pay any attention thanks to our shields. Their thoughts will bounce away from us.”
For a second Alexander thought that maybe he should be considering that it was his wedding day tomorrow and that escaping with Aliendre was not very responsible. There was also another important detail about elves and humans that Eraldor had told him. But these thoughts just touched his mind very briefly. It seemed so obvious and right that he was meant to escape together with Aliendre. There was really nothing else he could do. Aliendre did not even ask him, she seemed to know exactly what they should do.
They could hardly let go of each other now that they were together a last but Aliendre was nervous and restless. She made him pack the most necessary items and hurried him out through the door.
No one tried to stop them or even seemed to notice them as they went to through the castle, passing the wardrobe and the kitchen on their way out to the courtyard and to the stables. Silently they saddled two horses and put all their packing on a third. They took the horses out of the stable and went to the main gate. Although the guards at the gate looked a little skeptical they did not ask any questions about him leaving the castle in the company on an unknown visitor and a lot of packing in the middle of the night. Alexander could see that Aliendre were moving her lips as she looked down and figured that she might be using some kind of magic to affect the guards' minds in addition to the shield he was wearing. He had no idea where they were going but it didn’t matter as long as he was together with Aliendre.
The sky was clear and the stars bright. He could feel the cool night air against his cheeks as he and Aliendre were galloping silently next to each other, heading for the forest. He had never felt more happy and free.
28th Jul 2011, 08:51 AM
I just hope nobody catches them! They're so cute together. :)
28th Jul 2011, 10:42 PM
:beer: You so rock I love it thanks for sharing
10th Aug 2011, 08:07 AM
Roe inspected the piece of flint to figure out how to best hit it to make a flint scrape. She grabbed the hammer tool to hit the core stone and thought about Thorundur. Obviously he had forgotten all about her because he was too occupied with Aliendre. He had not visited Roe since Roe had used the magic potion. She hated all Elves. Roe grabbed the hammerstone and hit it hard against the flint. Satisfied she inspected the result and prepared to grab the hammer stone to hit the flint again when she heard her mother calling her name quietly. She looked around and saw Otter and Wolf hurrying into their hut. They seemed to be alarmed by something. Roe turned her head and gaped.
She was dazzled by the creature that was approaching her. It shone in the sun and she could not feel any scent from it because the wind was blowing from her. Could it be one of the spirits coming to punish her for what she had done to Aliendre? When the figure came into the shadows of the trees it didn’t shine anymore and she could feel the scent of a horse. Otter called her name silently from the hut to make her run away and hide. Roe realized that hiding would be the most sensible thing to do but her curiosity was much greater than her fear. Now that the creature had stopped shining she realized that it was an armored rider that she was looking at. The rider looked exactly like Aliendre had described the Elven warriors in her stories. What could a mighty Elven warrior be doing here? The horse was black like her old friend and looked very much like him. The wind turned and she caught another well known scent, but that scent didn’t make sense at all.
“Roe I have much to tell you,” the rider said with Thorundur’s voice. He took off the helmet and tried to make the horse stop which took him a while. Amazed Roe realized that the horse he was riding was the same horse that she had found in the human realm and that she had given the gift of freedom. How could this be? Thorundur jumped down from the horse that was stepping around so that Thorundur almost lost his balance. He did not smile at her.
“What are you wearing Thorundur, and where did you find, she paused because she had almost said the name that she had called the horse, “where did you find this horse?” she continued.
“Aliendre has run away together with the human prince,” Thorundur said and it was clear that he was upset. “I think I know where she might be and I’m going to take her home,” he continued.
Roe gaped. The potion must have worked after all but Thorundur’s armor and the expression on his face made her fear that something had gone terribly wrong with her plans. She had never seen Thorundur like this before. Although he had been upset and angry before he had never before looked like he did today. Of course the strange outfit made him look different but there was also a grim expression in his face that made him seem like a completely different person. “I don’t like this at all Thorundur,” she said. “If Aliendre ran away she probably wants to be where she is now and why can’t someone else go and take her home if you think that’s a good idea. What are you wearing by the way? It looks very uncomfortable.”
“This was my grandfather’s armor. He died in the war against the Dark elves and Toraldor has kept this armor in his house.” There was pride in Thorundur’s voice. Toraldor and I found this horse running around in the forest and we caught him, although it wasn’t easy. He has a lot of temperament this horse. His name his Night-sky”
Roe snorted. She found the name that they had given the horse ridiculous but she chose to not say anything about it. “Does your brother know that you have taken the armor and the horse and are going to take Aliendre home?”
“Of course not, he would only want me to tell the elves from the court were I think she might be but I am going there myself. Besides I don’t know for sure that they are there.”
“Is that a sword?” she said at pointed at Thorundur’s side. The first time she had heard about swords in Aliendre’s stories it had disturbed her very much. As far as she could understand swords were not useful for hunting but were only meant to hurt other people with. “Would you really be prepared to use a sword against another person?” She couldn’t help the accusing tone in her voice because she had never understood how elves and humans could kill or hurt other people on purpose.
Thorundur snorted. “I think it will be enough that I show the human my sword and tell him to let her go.”
“I think you underestimate humans. It may not be that easy.”
“What would you know about that Roe? After all I have actually met one human and how many humans have you seen?” There was a scornful tone in his voice that he never had used against her before.
She couldn’t really admit that she knew much more about humans and their ferocity than she would have liked. Instead she changed the subject to the horse. “Do you really think that it’s a good idea to ride the horse? It looks like you don’t really get along with each other?”
Thorundur’s eyes were narrow when he looked at her. “The horse is faster than I would be without him. Besides it isn’t that easy to ride a horse. This is a very wild horse and I haven’t much experience of riding but I’m sure I will manage.”
“I thought it was just to sit on their back and let them carry you wherever you wanted to go,” Roe mumbled and patted the horse on the neck. She called him the name that she had used before, a name that was a sound that she had heard horses do when they were friendly. He seemed happy to see her again and pushed his head against her arm.
“No, riding is much more complicated than that,” Thorundur said and for the first time since he came he was laughing. But it wasn’t a very friendly laugh Roe thought. She had to bite her lip to not tell Thorundur that this horse was her friend and that they had travelled together. This was no time to argue with Thorundur about less important matters. She had a feeling that she was on the edge of a disaster.
“Please don’t go Thorundur. The human may also have a sword and you could get hurt or even killed. You don’t have to do this.”
“You don’t understand Roe.” Thorundur’s voice sounded desperate. “If Aliendre gives her heart to a mortal she will die! She will also become mortal. The prince is killing her. You must understand that I have to save her if I can.”
Roe gasped. She hadn’t known this. Thorundur put on his helmet again and with great difficulty he mounted the black stallion who was stepping around. Soon Roe could only see the back of Thorundur as he disappeared into the forest with the armor shining in the sun.
It was not the prince that had killed Aliendre, it was she. She had killed her with the love potion just as surely as if she had poured poison into the tea. Death would not come immediately of course, but Aliendre would age like mortals and like mortals she would not escape the fate that other elves did not have to face. Suddenly Roe realized the total extent of the horrible truth. She could never have Thorundur unless she wanted to kill him and she loved him too much to let him die. It was also obvious that he had never loved her and never would. He was even willing to risk his own life to save Aliendre. Roe’s parents found her sitting on the ground moaning with her face buried in her hands.
11th Aug 2011, 12:29 AM
Oh...wow. :( Poor Roe! Great update ~ glad you're back. :)
16th Aug 2011, 11:00 PM
Hi! Came over here from PBK to read your story beryllium - I just finished up. :) Have to say I like it a lot. :D It's so ambitious too! And very lovely.
Although Thorundur is really PO-ing at the moment! He's so blind to Roe's affection. And won't stop meddling in Aliendre's life, where he has no business. Not to say I don't understand the whole find-her-or-she-will-loose-her-immortality angle, more just his personal involvement. ;) Thank you for your story, though - I look forward to seeing more!
10th Sep 2011, 11:16 PM
Thank you LovethMia and Dominiquex. Thorundur isn't a person who thinks before he acts so he makes bad choices sometimes. After a long delay I have finally finished chapter 36.
10th Sep 2011, 11:32 PM
Sweat trickled down Thorundur’s face. Even in the shade of the trees the metal helmet made it feel like his head was boiling. One good thing about the warmth was that at least it seemed to calm the horse down. He hadn’t admitted it to Roe but he was scared every minute that he was on the hot-tempered stallion’s back. Everything was wrong and he missed Roe so much. He didn’t know what he had done wrong but she had been so scornful and angry at him lately.
When he had told Roe how he felt for Aliendre she had make it clear that she didn’t find him worthy of a princess. He had never thought that Roe of all people would make that kind of difference between people. Lately she seemed to despise and dismiss everything that he said. He would show her! Everyone would praise him when he brought Aliendre home and Roe would understand that he was not as worthless as she believed.
In the mirror at home he had seen a mighty elven warrior. He felt embarrassed when he remembered how he had looked forward to the impressed look he had been so sure that Roe would have when she saw him dressed in armor. Roe had only found him ridiculous. Now he felt nothing like the elven warrior that he had seen in the mirror. The old chainmail was warm, heavy and chafed but he figured that the human would give up easily when he faced an elven warrior so he endured the uncomfortable outfit. If the human would be stupid enough to fight him, the armor would probably be useful. Aliendre had once shown him a place that he thought would be ideal if she wanted to keep away together with the prince. He hadn’t really planned what to do if he found her but he figured that the human would give up and that Aliendre would realize the foolishness in running away with a human and come home with him. The king would praise him and everyone would be impressed. He would be a hero and Roe would admire him. Thorundur’s imaginations were interrupted as the black stallion jumped aside when a bird flew from a bush. He almost fell to the ground. Maybe taking the horse hadn’t been a very good idea after all but there was no doubt that he could travel much faster on the back of the horse. Actually he sometimes felt that they travelled a little too fast as the horse didn’t always listen to him when he wanted to slow down the pace. I shouldn’t be far now.
Confused Thorundur looked around and then down on his own chest. He was dressed in armor and was riding a hot tempered stallion. How could this be? He was all alone in the middle of the forest and he couldn’t remember what he was doing here but somehow he knew that he was riding in the wrong direction so he turned around. Maybe Roe could tell him if he went to her. There was something that didn’t feel good when he thought about Roe. Of course, now he remembered. Roe was angry at him but he couldn’t remember why. Or maybe it was he who was angry at Roe. There was someone else he should remember too. Then suddenly it all became clear. He should bring Aliendre home but he had forgotten. He shook his head and smiled. Obviously there was magic working here. Aliendre must have put a spell around her hiding place. He turned back and concentrated hard on the destination. Again he could feel a wave of confusion when he approached the place where he had turned back, but he spurred the horse to make it run forward. For a while he couldn’t remember why he was on the back of a galloping horse but then the trees thinned out and he could see the glade. The fence surrounding a pasture had been mended and there were three horses grassing there. In front of the cabin he could see the human chopping wood. He had been right, they were here.
Suddenly Night-Sky neighed and the horses in the enclosure responded. The prince looked up and the chance to surprise him was lost. The fright in the human’s face made Thorundur feel very content. He tried to make the horse stop but it wasn’t easy because it stepped around and was more interested in the other horses than to listen to Thorundur. This moment wasn’t exactly as he had planned and when he finally reached the ground on unsteady legs Alexander had already put on a chainmail and had a sword in his hand. Stupid horse, Thorundur’s chance to surprise Alexander was gone.
“Stay where you are”, Alexander shouted.
Thorundur stretched his back. He couldn’t see Aliendre. “I’m here to rescue Princess Aliendre. She will come back with me and escape the fate of the mortals” he said doing his best to sound like a mighty elven warrior.
“How could you find this place? It’s shielded.” The prince seemed more worried about the fact that Thorundur had found him than about the sword in Thorundur’s hand.”
“Give up, or you will be sorry,” Thorundur said, making his voice as dark and threatening as he could.
The prince didn’t seem impressed. “It’s Aliendre’s choice to be with me and I will not give her up as long as she wants me. This is ridiculous. Go back.”
Thorundur swallowed. This was not going as he had planned. He had no other choice than to raise his sword to demonstrate that he wasn’t going to give up. The prince didn’t wait for the first strike. Before Thorundur could blink he heard the sound of metal meeting metal as the prince parried his sword with his own. The strength in the blow made Thorundur lose his balance for a short while. He realized that Roe had been right, he had underestimated the human. Every time he moved his sword to strike at the prince, Alexander parried easily. It almost seemed as if he was playing with Thorundur. Not once did he try to strike back. It was like an absurd dance, and Thorundur found that the sword was becoming heavier and heavier while Alexander’s strength didn’t seem to diminish at all.
A sharp cry echoed over sound of metal meeting metal. Thorundur looked up and saw Aliendre’s terrified face. She had raised one of her hands. For an instant he could see her hand being lit up and then there was a sharp pain in his own hand when the light bolt hit him. He dropped the sword and fell backwards.
What are you doing here? How could you find us? Aliendre shrieked. He had never seen the calm princess so upset before.
“I have come to bring you back. The King and Queen are very upset and everyone is looking for you. This is not right Aliendre and you know it. Our kind is not meant to live with the mortals. You will die. The prince is killing you.”
“How dare you believe that you can make choices for me? Do you think Alexander could keep me here against my will? Actually he begged me to leave him when he realized what it will do to me to love him. But this is my choice. I’m happier than I’ve ever been before. Who are you to judge me? You’re only truly happy when you’re with Roe and she’s mortal just like Alexander.” She raised her head high and looked triumphant. “Besides it’s already too late for me.”
Thorundur looked down. Aliendre’s last words were horrifying but she was right, it was none of his business what she did after all. This had been one of his worst ideas ever. He should have listened to Roe. Aliendre was wrong to compare Alexander with Roe though. Roe was not a human and she was his friend, not the woman that he would give his heart to. He knew that elves were not supposed to live with mortals.
“Go away now Thorundur. I do not wish to move from this place so I beg you to not tell anyone where to find me.” She didn’t sound as if she was begging. “If I find out that you have told anyone, you can trust that I will make you regret it.”
“I would not, he said with head down. “I’m sorry Aliendre. It was wrong of me to come here but I would never betray you.”
He picked up the sword and walked slowly to his horse who was standing outside the pasture looking as he was talking with the other horses. Thorundur grabbed the reins and swung himself up in the saddle. Night-Sky took a jump forward when he felt Thorundur’s foot touching his haunch and Thorundur fell headlong to the ground. He tried to get up but found himself stuck to a thick branch that had wedged between the plates of his chest armor. There was no end to his humiliation. He pulled hard to get loose. Finally he managed to get up on the back of Night-Sky and started his ride back home with a hanging head.
It was a somber ride back. Not only was he humiliated but also very sad about Aliendre’s choice. It was unheard of that an elf would chose mortality for the love of a mortal. Everyone knew that elves were not supposed to live with the mortals. Aliendre’s sad fate would no doubt be told in stories thousands of years from now. Life used to be so easy and uncomplicated and now everything was a mess. Everything had been a total disaster. He felt dizzy and weak and his chest hurt where the branch had hit his chainmail. The armor was too warm and heavy. He stopped the horse and jumped down to the soft ground. It felt so good to get rid of the weight of the plated armor but every breath hurt. He pulled the chain mail over his head and felt how his hand got wet from the sweat on his chest. The effort it took to bend down to strike the hand against the grass to get rid of the sweat made him feel even dizzier.
He stretched out his hand and saw that it was soaked in blood. It was wet from blood, not sweat! There was a large red patch on the tunic on his chest. He knew that it was too much blood and then he realized something else. Oh no, grandfather will be angry because I have ruined his silk tunic, he thought. No of course not, how silly he was. Grandfather had been dead since long before Thorundur was born. Then Thorundur realized the logic in his thoughts. Of course he would also be dead soon, and then he would meet his grandfather. He would leave this world and he would never meet Roe again. Would she find his bones eventually or would she always wonder why he never came back to her?
Then everything went black and he didn’t think more.
11th Sep 2011, 10:16 AM
Oh, poor Thorundur! Being a huge fan of George R. R. Martin, I'm quite used to dying main characters. I really hope that Thorundur will survive, though. Great update!
24th Sep 2011, 09:28 PM
The even breaths told Roe that her mother and father had been sleeping for hours but every time she closed her eyes to try to sleep troublesome thoughts whirled around in her head. She felt sorry for her parents to have such a terrible daughter. Her father had been right; an elf could of course never love a mortal. She didn’t believe that her father had known that such a love would kill the elf but he had been right none the less. If she had listened to her parents everything would be fine now, but instead she had been selfish and now Aliendre would die because of it. Maybe there was still a chance that Thorundur could save Aliendre and that he and the elven princess could be happy together. There was no point in trying to sleep so she sneaked out of the hut and sat down under the clear sky.
Her fantasies had been so childish and selfish. She had believed that she could somehow just borrow Thorundur while she lived. When she died he would continue his everlasting life with the elves. Now she knew that it wasn’t possible. She tried to imagine what it must be like to be immortal and not have to think about the years that passed. Immortality must be the greatest gift that had ever been given to any living creature in the world and if it had been her gift she couldn’t imagine that she would ever want to give it up.
Roe promised herself that from now on she would be a very good daughter and do everything that her parents told her. She would take Bear as a spouse and live a normal life like she was supposed to. After all, any girl would consider herself very lucky to live with Bear. She had been very ungrateful to not appreciate her parents’ care. Of course she wanted to have a family and she was not getting any younger. If she waited too long Bear might chose another girl and she would probably never find a spouse at all. It was time to grow up.
When she thought about the children that she would have she felt some happiness but she couldn’t conjure a feeling of happiness when she thought about the rest of her future. Obviously there was something very wrong with her. Her parents always patiently corrected her and explained things that they seemed to take for granted. She always did things that worried and surprised them. The life that others of her people lived seemed so suffocating and limited but she would do her best to be like them. After all she was a child of the forest and she should be grateful for everything that the forest gave to her people. She would have to give up being Thorundur’s friend although it was almost unbearable to imagine a life without him. It would be even harder to try to live like the Forest people as Bear’s wife if she would continue to meet the person that understood her better than anyone, the person that made her heart beat faster and the colors become brighter.
“Roe, why are you sitting here? The elf needs you. You must go and find him.”
Roe flinched. The voice sounded distant and familiar. She looked up. In front of her was The Mother!
Horrified Roe fell to the ground. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I never wanted Aliendre to die. Please forgive me.”
“ Roe, I am not angry at you. How could I be when I love you so much? You must find the elf before it is too late.” The Mother’s voice was gentle.
“Too late for what? He doesn’t want me, he hates me and I don’t blame him because I’m a terrible person. But I will try very hard to improve. Please forgive me. I will honor my father and my mother and I will always listen to them from now on.”
The Mother put a finger over her lips and smiled a gentle smile. “Hush Roe, where is my brave girl tonight? This is not like her. The elf does not hate you and he needs you more than ever. I know you can find him if you try but I’m afraid that it might be too late. Remember that my love will always be with you no matter what happens.” The Mother started to walk away from Roe and soon she was absorbed into the night like she never had been there, just like the last time Roe had met her.
Did Thorundur really need her? Then he must be in trouble. Roe felt the panic rising in her. Was it not enough that she would be the cause of Aliendre’s death? Had something bad happened to Thorundur too? She would do her best to find him and save him if he needed to be saved. Then she would not cause any more troubles. She would move to Bear and be a good spouse and raise children of the Forest people and she would never see Thorundur again. It couldn’t be too late, it just couldn’t. She looked up at the sky. It was clear enough so the moonlight should be sufficient to track Thorundur.
She strapped a hunting knife around her thigh, rolled some things that might prove to be useful in a skin, and went out into the night.
10th Oct 2011, 12:38 PM
A race against time now.. they need to confess their feelings for one another <3
I hope Roe can make it with her awesome skills, can't wait for more
23rd Oct 2011, 09:58 PM
Thank you Myshia. We will have to wait for an update about Roe because there are complications in the human kingdom.
23rd Oct 2011, 10:11 PM
The atmosphere was tense like a high-strung bowstring. Eskil knew that it would not take much for this bowstring to be fired. It was a good thing that courtesy demanded that weapons should be left outside a hall. Although Eskil’s confidence in his big brother Erik was unshakable he couldn’t help that his throat felt dry when he looked at the crowd that was gathered in his father’s great hall. Everything was at stake now and it all depended on if Erik could convince this crowd. There were families whose loyalty could be counted on, others that shouldn’t be too hard to convince but he could also see faces of men who made him feel uneasy.
Birger raised his hand. “I am glad to see so many of you gathered here today. It is my painful duty to confirm the rumors that most likely have reached you. Not only is it true that Prince Alexander has abandoned his bride and the throne but it is also true that the King, my dear brother, is seriously ill and bound to his bed. Although this is very sad we must plan for the future of our kingdom.”
The brawl that followed made it impossible to hear anything more.
Scattered words that Eskil could pick up confirmed that there were those who believed that the rumors about his family’s involvement in Alexander’s disappearance were true. He thought he could also hear someone whisper the word “poisoned” about the King. Deep down not even Eskil was certain that the rumors were not completely false. Erik looked relaxed and self confident as if he did not realize that his future might be at stake. It was only the firm muscles on Erik’s cheeks that told Eskil that Erik probably was just as tense as he himself felt. Erik’s self confidence was just an act.
Their father, Birger, looked at Erik and nodded. Erik raised his hand and the room silenced enough for him to make himself heard. “I think that now is the time for everyone to think about their own future. King Knut was not happy about how his daughter was treated by Alexander and would not support those loyal to Magnus. My uncle Karl has sworn his loyalty to my father and me. Thus we stand strong and would reward those who are willing to give us support.”
A deep and strong voice was heard from the back of the hall. “This is outrageous, the king is still alive and we don’t know what has happened to Alexander. Is there anyone else than me in this hall who would like to know what happened to the Prince? Is it not strange that first Alexander disappears and then Erik is going to marry his bride?” It was Torstein who had raised his voice. Torstein was a big experienced warrior, a man that people tended to listen to.
The murmur in the hall confirmed that Torstein was not the only one who would like an answer. The fact that Erik was going to marry Princess Alde was also news for many of them.
Erik smiled, but this time his smile did not look relaxed. It looked like a wolf’s smile and his eyes were narrow. “Torstein, we all know what happened. Alexander got cold feet and ran away from his wedding. The shock was too much for the poor old King. Even if Alexander would come back, which I find most unlikely, do you really think that he would be a suitable king after this?”
“Alexander is not known to be a coward. I find it highly unlikely that a Prince who is known for his bravery in the jousting tournaments would be afraid to face his bride. Maybe you think it’s unlikely that he will return because you know more than us about his disappearance.”
Erik’s cold blue eyes were fixed on the man who had spoken. “Torstein, I know the Prince well enough to know that he’s a weak coward who puts himself before his duties. I am happy though that you spoke your mind so freely because I will not forget your words.”
Eskil felt how the blood left his face. Erik was carried away and had taken everything much too far. It was too early for this, there were still people who hoped and believed that the King would recover and that Alexander would return.
Torstein did not turn his eyes away from Erik’s gaze. There was a murmur in the crowd when finally someone spoke and Erik could find an excuse to turn his eyes from Torstein to the young man who had raised his voice.
“I think that you have spoken well Erik. We do need to plan the future for this kingdom and you will have my loyalty.” It was Erik’s and Eskil’s cousin, Karl’s son, who had spoken.
The majority raised their voices to let it be known that they agreed. But there were also some that were silent with grim faces.
Torstein’s strong and deep voice was once again heard. “This will mean war and you know it. The farmers will not like your ideas about how this country should be ruled. They have always supported Magnus and if there is going to be a new king they would like to have a word about it too. They have always kept their weapons sharp. No one can deny that the kingdom has prospered under Magnus’ reign or that the King’s strategies have given his people peace and wealth.”
Erik did not even try to hide his despise. “Troublemaking farmers are the result of Magnus’ politics. Maybe they have grown too fat and wealthy under Magnus’ reign. If war is ahead of us, so be it. Our gods reward brave warriors who die an honorable death on the battle field. Only a coward fears war. After all, that is what all Jarls have been trained for since we started to walk. If a farmer believes that he can go into battle against us let the fool try. Let the gods send ravens to feast on those who are against us! Glory awaits those who are brave.”
Assenting ovations was heard all around in the hall but Torstein was not impressed. “Maybe the farmers will not be alone, and don’t forget that they by far outnumber the Jarls. There are those of us who have sworn fealty to Magnus and who believe that such a promise is sacred. Don’t fool yourself and believe that your keep and the stone walls that you are building will keep you safe. I value my honor more than my life. The gods know the hearts of men and reward those who are worthy.” With these words Torstein turned his back to Erik and walked out of the hall. A small group followed him.
The faces of the men leaving the hall were unmoved and hard as stone when Erik laughed and shouted after them “Look at those cowards fearing war against farmers!” Roaring laughter echoed in the hall. It seemed as if Erik had won this battle but he had also made enemies today.
Eskil didn’t like to think of himself as a coward but an honorable death on the battlefield was not something that he longed for.
25th Oct 2011, 08:37 PM
I absolutely LOVE this story! I'm patiently waiting for the next part :)
6th Nov 2011, 09:19 PM
Thank you Nixxy245 :)
6th Nov 2011, 09:29 PM
Thorundur was thirstier than he had ever been before and his chest hurt. That was strange! He would have thought that he wouldn’t feel pain anymore. It was a huge effort to open the eyes but when they finally were open he found that it had been worth the effort.
He was looking into the depth of Roe’s yellow eyes. Was she too dead? He felt happy that she was here too but he didn’t know if it was right to be happy when someone had died. But there was something that was wrong. Roe was mortal so she shouldn’t be here if he was dead. Obviously he must still be alive. That would explain the pain and the thirst that he felt. His head was resting in Roe’s lap. Her skin was warm and suddenly everything felt right. He studied the pattern that surrounded her eyes and the red stone on her forehead. He knew her so well that he would have been able to see every detail of her face even with his eyes closed. She was beautiful beyond comparison. Her smiled seemed so sad. He tried to tell her to not be sad but no sound would leave his lips.
“Don’t worry, just rest,” she said and stroke the hair from his forehead. It felt soothing and good. He tried to smile but didn’t know if he succeeded. She stopped stroking his hair and he tried to tell her to continue but still no sound would leave his lips. Roe lifted his head carefully and put a bowl with water to his lips.
“I thought I was dead,” he said and finally he managed to get the sound to leave his lips.
“You were not far from it when I found you,” she replied. She stroke his forehead tenderly and looked at him with a sad smile. “Don’t talk more now. You need to rest.”
But he didn’t want to be quiet. “How could you find me?” he said.
She smiled and he could see a hint of the glimpse in her eyes that she always had when she teased him. “That was easy enough. The track that you left would have been easy for a baby to follow. Don’t you know that you should never follow your own track when you go back? For once I’m glad that you did though, because it saved me a lot of time. ”
“I’m so glad that you found me. It was stupid of me to go after the human with a sword”.
Roe’s face hardened “I hate that human for hurting you.”
The words made him feel warm, but after all it wasn’t the human who had hurt him. He had been a total failure and even managed to get seriously injured without actually being hit by a weapon at all. What a lousy warrior he would be have been if he’d been alive during the time of the war. He considered the possibility to let Roe believe that he was a brave warrior who had been hurt in fight. But no, this was Roe, his best friend. There shouldn’t be any secrets between them. He wanted her to know everything about him. Embarrassed he told her how he had fallen off the horse and that the branch must have penetrated the old and rusty chainmail.
She stroke his forehead again and looked down into his eyes. “I’m glad that I found you in time. If you had died I would never have been happy again.”
Carefully Roe put his head down from her lap. He realized that he was lying on a bed of leaves that Roe had made over a skin that she had spread on the ground. Obviously she had also removed his tunic and put some green leaves under a bandage on his chest while he was unconscious. Instead of the silk tunic he was wearing a leather loin cloth like the Forest people.
Roe hesitated before she started to talk, “I have to get us some food because we have to stay here for a while until you get your strength back. I will be back soon. Don’t you dare die on me while I’m away!” She started to walk away but then she stopped, turned her head and looked at him. “Stupid elf,” she said and smiled tenderly.
He looked at her as she walked away. She moved gracefully and the slender muscles were tight under her dark skin. He had never seen anyone who could move like Roe.
Thorundur smiled and closed his eyes. Everything was fine now.
8th Jan 2012, 10:33 AM
Thorundur opened his eyes and looked around. He couldn't see Roe anywere. The panic started to rise within him. Maybe he had only dreamt that she had found him? But someone had put a loin cloth on him instead of the silk tunic. There were some green leaves under a bandage that covered his wound. It had to be Roe who had looked after him. With a great effort that made him realize how week he was he sat up. He looked around and realized that Roe had made a camp of this place. There were skins drying and baskets with food that she had collected. She had obviously been very idle and obviously he must have been here for a while. Why wasn’t she here? He realized that he was being irrational. She had told him that she needed to get some food for them. But the anxiety wouldn’t completely leave him. What if she wouldn’t come back? A wave of pain overwhelmed him when he tried to move to look around. Then he saw her!
She was sitting on the back of the black horse without any reins or saddle. Roe and the horse moved in perfect harmony as if they were the one and same creature. She was magnificent. Swiftly she jumped to the ground but when she saw him she looked alarmed.
“I told you to rest, you’re not strong enough to sit up yet,” she yelled at him. She rushed to him and looked at the bandage. Obviously she was pleased with what she saw because she relaxed and sat down next to him.
You have lost a lot of blood and the wound is not healed yet so you need to be very careful so it doesn’t start to bleed again. Please lie down and rest while I make you something to eat.” Thorundur didn’t protest. It was true that he was very week and the pain was really bad.
Roe must have seen the tension of the muscles in his face because she said, “I wish I could take the pain away. But I’m afraid that medicine that kills pain may be dangerous before your wound is more healed. I cannot risk that you would lose more blood.”
“I can stand the pain if you’re here to keep me company,” he answered. He could see that she smiled before she turned her head away. It felt so good bee friends with Roe again. They talked continuously with each other about numerous little things. She told him how she loved to ride on the back of the horse and how she had caught a rabbit with her sling while she had left him to get food. “If I had been as skilled as you with the bow I would have got us a deer,” she said. It was silly, but her acknowledgement of his skill with the bow made his chest burst with happiness.
She put his head in her lap and fed him a rich soup that she said would be good for his blood. “You might be well enough to be allowed to get up tomorrow considering how quick elves heal,” she said. “I doubt that any other creature would have survived the blood loss that you suffered but you are already surprisingly brisk.”
She slept close to him with her arm over his body to keep him warm. Not that he really needed any more warmth. The summer night was warm enough and he had thrown of the skin blanket that Roe had put over him. He knew that it would be natural for the Forest people to share their warmth with each other but he was an elf and not really used to such closeness. It felt good but this was dangerous. No matter how close friends they were he had subconsciously always kept their friendship to a certain limit. But he was wounded and her closeness felt so good. He moved even closer to her. After all he had almost died and returned to life thanks to Roe. Tomorrow he would put up the limit between them again. He put his hand over hers and felt the tight muscles under the warm and soft skin of her arm under his own arm. He studied the contrast between his pale skin and her dark in the week moonlight. He didn’t need to see her arm to know that it was completely smooth without a hair while his own arm was covered with fine almost white hairs. Her breaths were deep and even and he could feel her chest moving and her warm breath against his neck with every breath that she took. She was soundly asleep but he didn’t believe that he would be able to sleep much this night. Tomorrow is another day he thought as he squeezed her hand gently.
Roe had been right, Thorundur’s wound looked better next day and she allowed him to sit up and even walk carefully supported by her.
“I went home when I left you sleeping yesterday to tell my parents not to worry. They are not very happy with me but I will make it up to them,” she told him. “It’s amazing how fast the horse can travel.”
“I’m sorry to keep you away from your family Roe,” Thorundur said. “You’ve been so kind to me and I was so terrible to you before I left to go looking for Aliendre.”
“No, it is I who was terrible,” she said and looked down. “I’m so sorry that Aliendre chose the human. You must be so very sad.”
Thorundur chook his head, “No, I was stupid and confused. When I travelled together with Aliendre I realized how different we are. It didn’t take me long to realize that her company bored me. She’s wonderful and beautiful but I mistook admiration for love. Obviously I will still have to wait a very long time to find the love of my life.”
“But I thought that you risked your life to rescue her because you loved her so much.”
“No, that was not the reason. I like her very much and don’t want her to die of course. Don’t laugh at me Roe, but the real reason was that I thought that if I could bring her back home I would be a hero. It sounds really stupid now, I know. She has made her choice and there’s nothing anyone can do about that. But now that she has left, you and I will have much more time together. Think about all the good hunts we will have this autumn.”
Roe didn’t look as happy as he had expected. She looked down and swallowed and when she looked up her face made his throat thighten, and then she said the words that he had always known would come one day.
“I will not be able to see you anymore after this summer,” she said.”I’m going to move to Bear to become his spouse.”
Thorundur’s reaction took him by surprise. Of course he had always known that Roe would take a husband of her own people some day, but somehow it had always been something in a distant future. Now it was reality, Roe would not share his life anymore. It couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t stand the thought of Bear being more important in her life than him.
“But you don’t love him, you said so yourself. How can you take a husband that you don’t love? You said that this wouldn’t happen until next Forest people meeting.”
“I’m not an elf like you Thorundur. Forest people don’t think about love like you do. Bear will be a very good husband and we will share a good life together. It’s time for me to grow up.”
“I don’t believe that you don’t care about love. Everyone does. You’re not that different from me Roe. Do you truly believe that you will be happy with Bear?”
She looked like she was going to yell back at him, but then her face smoothened and she told him calmly; “I will miss you very much Thorundur and I will always remember you, but when you have healed enough to leave this place we must say goodbye forever. Besides you’re wrong, you and I are very different.”
This was even worse than he had expected.
“Roe, how am I supposed to be happy if we cannot be friends?” He didn’t try to hide the despair in his voice.
Her face was filled with sorrow when she answered. “You know that it will happen anyway. You’re immortal and I’m not. I will age and die and you will live forever and forget me.”
“Never,” he protested violently. “I would never forget you. But you’re just going to throw me away and replace me with someone better than me.”
She flinched when she heard the anger and accusation in his voice but her own reply was calm. “I’m of the Forest people and have to live with my own kind. Time is hunting me like you cannot not imagine. You have a great gift Thorundur but that gift is not mine. You cannot expect me to give up the chance to have a family just because time lasts forever for you.” She rose and walked away to prepare some food, but he suspected that it was just an excuse to leave him.
Of course everything Roe had said was true. He had no reason to be angry at her. But what would he do without her? They belonged together. It was impossible to deny any longer what he had always known deep down. He loved her more than his own life and a life without Roe was impossible to imagine. All his happiest memories involved her. One thing he knew, he would not let her know exactly how quick elves healed. He needed more time.
8th Jan 2012, 08:37 PM
So glad you're back! :)
23rd Feb 2012, 12:37 PM
I love this story, ca'nt wait until the next chapter!
30th Apr 2012, 01:28 AM
I LOVE this story! I wish that you would make the next chapter, but I shouldn't rush you.
4th May 2012, 09:41 AM
I'm loving this story so far. I hope you return to finish it eventually.
4th May 2012, 09:10 PM
Thank you for your comments. I didn't realise it had been so long since my last update. It has been a long break but I will not abandon you or Roe. Actually I'm starting to miss her more and more and have been thinking about the dialogue for the next chapter often lately. I have been playing a modified MCC challenge and trying to create some CC on my "Sims 2 time" but I hope it wont be to long before the next update.
11th May 2012, 08:24 PM
Roe thought that she could almost watch Thorundur’s wound close under her eyes when she changed the bandage. The speed of healing almost seemed unreal. She could still feel the panic and fear that she had felt when she found him deadly pale in a pool of blood and the desperate hope when she had noticed a faint breath. A deep wound in the chest was always bad and he had lost more blood than she would have believed possible to survive. But his wound had almost healed and his pulse felt strong again. Yet he was still extremely week and complained about pain. He felt dizzy when he walked on unsteady legs and had to lean on her for support. Maybe it was the blood loss that made him so weak after all, even if all physical signs told her that he had recovered. Elves were very different so perhaps their physics was not like other creatures’. She seated him comfortably near the camp fire and left him there to complete her latest task that would be a surprise for him.
The blue cloth was soft under her fingers. It looked alive in the sun, reflecting the light in so many shades of blue. The delicate embroidery had silver woven into the thread. But it was not all blue or silver. Shuddering Roe stroke her finger over a dark stain. Half of fabric had been drenched in blood and no matter how she had tried to clean it there was still an ugly stain. She closed the tear in the fabric with a final stitch and inspected the result. It didn’t look good at all. Roe frowned. Obviously stitching fabric was not the same as stitching wounds. Thorundur’s grandfather’s silk tunic had seen its best days.
As much as she wanted him to recover she feared the day when he wouldn’t need her cares any more. She must not let herself forget that these were the last days that she would spend with him. She had made a sacred promise to The Mother, the spirits and to herself. She would grow up, live with Bear and behave like a normal woman of the Forest people. But sometimes it was so easy to forget that everything would change. They were best friends again. Sometimes Thorundur seemed to have changed though. He had moments when he was quiet and thoughtful and sometimes she could catch him watching her intensely. Did he suspect that she had been involved in Aliendre’s disappearance?
Thorundur laughed when she placed one basket after another filled with delights from the forest in front of him. “This is enough food for a village. It looks delicious.” He took a handful of raspberries and tilted his head. “Roe, you look so sad sometimes when you don’t think that I see you”, Are you sure that you’re making the right choice? Will Bear make you happy?”
“There’s not much of a choice for me to make actually. What else can I do? Besides you’re wrong I’m happy to become Bear’s spouse. He‘s very strong and kind. We’ll have a good life together.” She put on a smile that she hoped looked happy.
“Does he make the blood rush faster in your veins when you think about him?”Thorundur smiled as if he was teasing her but there was a tension in his voice that contradicted the smile.
“I don’t want to talk about this. You will not understand anyway because you’re an elf. Tell me about elves instead. Has it happened before that an elf has made the choice that Aliendre did? I mean to live with a mortal and become mortal.”
He shook his head slowly. “No, that was unheard of and unthinkable. Aliendre is the first to make such a choice. When I first heard about it I was horrified and sad because I thought that she’d chosen death before life. I know better now. Her choice was actually quite the opposite, she chose life because she’s happy know and more alive than she was before.”
A slight desperate hope rose within Roe. “If no one has ever made such a choice before, how can you then know that she will become mortal and die?”
“Oh, everyone knows that. The elder told their children about the ways of the elves and the children in turn told their children. It is also written in our sacred books. The knowledge of the elders has never proved to be wrong so there’s no doubt that she will become mortal. You remember when I told you about why elves worship the sky and the stars? That is because our first home was out there.” Thorundur made a sweeping gesture at the blue cloudless sky above them. “There was a disaster and our people were stranded here. The first elders are now all gone and they were so filled with sorrow after the disaster that they could never speak nor write about it so today no one know exactly how we came here or why. It is known; however, that time is different here than in our first home so that’s why we became immortal. We don’t really belong here but if we would choose to share our life with a mortal we would become part of this world and become mortal to.”
Her last thin slice of hope died. Roe had never heard Thorundur talk so much about the beliefs of the elves. He had never been religious and had always seemed more interested to learn more about the beliefs of the Forest people than to speak about his own religion. She was not convinced that Aliendre was better off being mortal although it would have been such a relief to believe so.
“But how can you say that she has chosen life if she’s going to die? It must be wonderful to live forever.”
“Is it really, if you’re not truly alive? You know how everything freezes in the winter, but in the spring life comes back. Elves are like the winter, frozen, but in contrast to the earth we become more and more frozen with time. There’s no spring for us. Instead we become more and more distant from the world we’re living in the older we get. Except for Aliendre, she was like the spring when I saw her, much more filled with life and happiness than I’ve ever seen in her before.”
Thorundur was truly changed. He had never been thoughtful or philosophical before.
“You’re not like the winter,” she protested. “Frozen is the last thing I would call you.”
“Maybe that’s why I never seem to fit in among my own and maybe it’s thanks to you that I’m so alive,” he said. Roe had expected him to smile in that teasing way when he said the last words but he still looked very serious and thoughtful.
This was no good. She had to change subject before she forgot that she soon would have to part with Thorundur forever. Before she could think of something to say he leaned forward to help himself to some more food and his forearm touched hers. He leaned back and looked at her. Now his knee rested against her leg and she found it difficult to breath.
“Roe, I miss your smiles. You’re so pretty when you smile so that the tip of your fangs shows.”
Surely Thorundur must hear her heart beat. She mustn’t forget that it wasn’t possible that Thorundur could love her more than as a friend or a sister. Not that it would make any difference. She would never let him become mortal. Love between immortal and mortal was impossible, she knew that now. Why did he have to say such things?
She got up on her knees to rise to put some more wood on the fire. Not because there was any need to have more fire but she needed to have some more space between her and Thorundur. But as she tried to get on her feet she could feel his hand closing around her wrist holding her back.
“Please sit down with me Roe. If you’re going to leave me forever when I’ve healed at least you can give me some time with you.”
She sat down because she couldn’t think of anything else to do or say. He was even more beautiful than usual now when he looked so serious and his eyes were so intense.
“Roe, you never answered my question about Bear and don’t tell me that I don’t understand because I’m an elf. Am I your best friend or not?”
Why did his eyes always make her so weak? He was making everything so hard for her. “What question?” she said although she thought she knew.
“Does the blood flow faster in your veins when you think about him? Can you talk with him like you and I talk? Does he understand you like I do?”
These were new questions, if he had asked this before she would remember. What was she supposed to answer? Before she could think of a good answer to make Thorundur stop asking about Bear he continued to speak.
“Has it ever occurred to you that some people might believe that a woman and a man that spend time together like you and I are more than friends? Have you ever considered the possibility that we could have been more than friends?”
Oh, no! This was not fair. Why did he have to say such things!
“You’re an elf and I’m mortal so that wouldn’t be possible. We’re brother and sister.” She looked down because she could not bear to meet his eyes.
“Roe look at me. We’re not truly brother and sister. You always used to protest when I said that, and I always said it to tease you, but also because I was afraid to admit other possibilities. Roe I cannot not imagine life without you. If you have the smallest affection for me, please at least give me a chance. I’m sure I could make you happier than Bear would.”
The despair in his voice made her heart beat so hard that she couldn’t think. He loved her, he must love her but she loved him too much to let him die like she would. Besides she had made a sacred promise. She had told so many lies to so many people but she could not look Thorundur in the eyes and say that she didn’t love him. He knew her so well and they had no secrets for each other. But that was not true! She had a terrible secret, a secret that would make him hate her forever. It was better that he hated her than that he would become mortal. The time that she had dreaded for so long was finally here. She could not escape anymore.
“Thorundur, you don’t know everything about me. I’ve something to tell you. Something terrible that will make you hate me forever.” He started to protest but she put her fingers over his lips and continued. “This is a very long story and afterwards we will not be friends anymore.”
She told him everything about her travel to the Dark elves and the human realm. He listened and his expression became more and more grim. When she talked about the Dark elves he cursed and when she told him about how she got caught by the humans he even got up and kicked his boots at a tree. It was not until later that she realized that he had shown no signs at all of weakness then. When she told him about how she had poured the love potion in Aliendre’s tea she could not bear to look at him and her voice almost broke. Finally she had told him everything and hardened herself to look up and meet his eyes. They were narrow and his lips looked like a thin line.
“I cannot believe what I’ve just heard,” he said finally between clenched teeth. “You let me believe that you were my best friend. I have no words to tell you how disappointed I am Roe.”
14th May 2012, 11:21 AM
Awesome chapter :)
2nd Jun 2012, 11:24 PM
Wow I loved your story. How come you never updated it?
The story is beautifully done. You have a great style in building all of your sets. All of the scenes are well put together and create the perfect atmosphere. Wherever you download your stuff from is perfect. I definitely couldn't do such a good job. :)
Your characters are lovely looking too. And I love them! They're all amazing, especially Roe and Thorunder. They're awesome!
I particularly enjoyed the scene with Roe in prison. The suspense was killing me!
I like watching the characters interact. I love the forest people. I would love to see more of the dark elves. What makes them different from the light elves besides hair color?
I love your story. Thank you for creating it.
3rd Jun 2012, 02:24 AM
Wow I loved your story. How come you never updated it?
The story is beautifully done. You have a great style in building all of your sets. All of the scenes are well put together and create the perfect atmosphere. Wherever you download your stuff from is perfect. I definitely couldn't do such a good job. :)
Your characters are lovely looking too. And I love them! They're all amazing, especially Roe and Thorunder. They're awesome!
I particularly enjoyed the scene with Roe in prison. The suspense was killing me!
I like watching the characters interact. I love the forest people. I would love to see more of the dark elves. What makes them different from the light elves besides hair color?
I love your story. Thank you for creating it. She updated a few weeks ago. It takes her a while since it's pretty hard to makes all the scenes plus it's summer so there's vacations and stuff like that.
Anyway I agree with you. I love the story. It's beautiful and amazing.
17th Jun 2012, 08:56 PM
Thank you for your comments Artimis, Patmoose and Hladgunnr. It means a lot to have feed-back. I’m struggling with chapter 42 and it’s almost finished. I’m not sure I will write much about the dark elves although it’s a good idea. They are probably not very different from the light elves. I see them as two groups with slightly different cultures and slightly different opinions about things. These differences escalated and culminated in a war that the dark elves lost. Light elves are more positive to humans though. From a human point of view the dark elves can be dangerous (because they see the human expansion and population growth as a threat against elves).
17th Jun 2012, 11:13 PM
I love dark elves and it is rare to see them in sims stories at all.
18th Jun 2012, 10:14 PM
Thorundur’s face was white as he opened and clenched his fists. “Didn’t you say that you would keep away from the Dark elves? What made you believe that Dark elves would truly help anyone? All they wanted was to hurt my people and you let them use you. I’ve always told you everything about me and you lied to me! I hate the Dark elves and I hate the humans.” Thorundur started to walk around in circles as he spoke. As he walked he was kicking the ground so that dirt, small stones and grass were flying around his feet like a whirling cloud.
“You could have died many times. Actually you had no chance to survive and Orm and Ondina didn’t hesitate to send you to a certain death. How do you think I would have felt if you never had come back?” Then he stopped walking and kicking and a big smile spread over his face.
“This must mean that you love me Roe! You went through all these dangers because you believed that I loved Aliendre. You’re so incredible stupid for being a smart person. Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you know that I’ve always loved you? I may not have understood it myself but I always did. You’re the smart one, you should have known.”
He was so beautiful and she wanted him so much. All she had wished for was within her reach. There was no doubt anymore, Thorundur loved her. Why was life so unfair?
Now Thorundur was his own self again. He talked fast and waved his arms while he talked. He had so much to say that he could barely finish one sentence before the next started. “We can stay here, or maybe even better, we’ll find another place further away from Aliendre and Alexander. I can build a house for us. You and I will always be together and we will grow old together”
Roe realized that she had failed. Had he not understood what she’d told him? She had killed Aliendre and he talked about growing old with her.
“You don’t really want to grow old. It will make you weak and you would hate me.”
He smiled like the old Thorundur who could never resist teasing her. “Are you telling me that you will not want me anymore when I’m old with wrinkles and grey hair?”
“Stop, don’t you understand? I killed Aliendre and we cannot live together because that would kill you!”
He still smiled when he looked at her but now his smile was gentle rather than teasing. “No, you didn’t kill Aliendre. She always loved Alexander. You only helped her to get what she already wanted. She would probably thank you if she knew. Why would you deny me the same choice that Aliendre made? Don’t I have the right to happiness just like her?”
“Aliendre didn’t make a choice, I made it for her. I’m a terrible person but do you really believe that I would be selfish enough to let you die just because I love you?”
Again he didn’t seem to get the point. He only smiled triumphantly and pointed at her. “Finally you said it! You said that you love me! Besides, I wouldn’t die. Don’t the Forest people believe that the spirits of the ancestors are alive in the other world? You and I would be together forever in the afterworld. What kind of life would I have without you, a frozen and lonely life?”
With two big steps he was next to her. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to his chest. His breath was warm against her face and there was an expression in his eyes that she had never seen before, an expression that made her knees feel week. He on the other hand didn’t seem week or dizzy at all anymore. His arms were as strong as ever.
She was the one who felt dizzy when he pulled her even tighter to him and his lips met hers. The Mother must forgive her but she was happy and not strong enough to keep her promise.
It was still dark when Roe opened her eyes. Thorundur was staring at her with an odd expression and made a gesture with his head. She followed his gaze and realized why he looked so alarmed. He pulled her closer to him with his arms around her as if his arms could protect her from such a powerful creature.
The Mother held out her arms and smiled gently. “My children,” she said. “I am so pleased. You are a worthy child of the forest Thorundur.” Before Roe could answer mist started to slowly whirl around The Mother and her contours became hazy. She faded until she could no longer be seen.
Thorundur’s eyes were wide. “Did you see what I just saw?” he said.
Roe nodded. She had made the right choice after all.
This could have been the end of the story but it isn’t. There are still some loose threads that need to be tied together so there will be more chapters before you will meet the storyteller in the epilogue.
25th Jun 2012, 03:43 AM
God I just love this story!!!!
1st Jul 2012, 04:06 PM
Thank you Littleweirdo.
1st Jul 2012, 04:22 PM
Chapter 43. Unexpected Encounters
Alexander felt desperate. He really needed to find some game today. He had said goodbye to Aliendre early in the morning and left their little cabin to go hunting. Aliendre had felt so thin under her dress when he hugged her goodbye. The child in her belly seemed to absorb all nourishment from her. She should eat for two but the problem was that they didn’t have enough food for one. Alexander had also lost a few pounds during the winter and the hunger felt like a big hole in his belly. He had never known real hunger before. It was something completely different than what he had called hungry before he had left everything to run away with Aliendre. He had never regretted that choice, but he was worried about Aliendre. She would never admit that the lack of food was a problem though. Both he and Aliendre were quite skilled with the bow but without someone who could track the game it proved difficult to find enough wild animals. He knew that pheasants sometimes made traps but he had never learned how to do it because that was not how people like him were supposed to hunt. In his old life he had only hunted for sport, not to fill an empty belly. His pathetic attempts to make traps had been completely unsuccessful. The horses had barely survived the winter either so he had chosen to hunt on foot instead of risking overstraining the poor creatures. Maybe they should have eaten the horses before, when they had more meat on them but now it was barely worth the trouble as the horses were only skin and bone. He also feared that they would be in even worse trouble without horses.
“Alexander, what a surprise to see you here!”
Alarmed and startled Alexander looked up. The voice had come from above and spoke in Elvish with a different accent than Aliendre. Dark elves were known to hate humans and the Light elves probably didn’t have any warm feelings for him anymore either. The owner of the voice obviously knew who he was so he figured it must be a light elf who hid somewhere up in the trees.
The next minute the owner of the voice dropped down from above, just in front of him. It was not an elf at all; it was that creature that he had released from the dungeons last year. She was heavy with child but that didn’t seem to stop her from climbing trees and jumping down from them.
“Alexander, I’m so pleased to meet you here in the Forest. How are you?”
The bow and the words that she spoke with the elves’ language were polite but the laugh on her face made him feel like she was mocking him. Her sharp fangs showed when she smiled and he remembered how she had severed Styrbiorn’s hand with them when she was caught. Styrbiorn couldn’t work as a guard anymore because his hand would never be fully functional again. In addition to the fangs and the horns the creature had a long knife strapped on her leg but Alexander thought that he would have time to put an arrow in her heart if she would come closer.
She didn’t come closer though, instead she seemed to be just as cautious as him about keeping a safe distance between them. But apart from keeping the distance she didn't seem to be afraid of him at all. Instead the smile on her face made him feel that he that he amused her.
“You make a lot of noise when you walk, Alexander”, she said reproachful. “Please tell me why I owe this pleasure to meet you here.”
“Are there more of your kind here?” he asked. Then he realized that he already had the answer considering her condition. Of course there would be more creatures like her in the forest.
“No, I’m all alone in this big forest,” she answered with a mannered sad voice and giggled. “You look much skinnier than when I last saw you.”
The last words made Alexander’s skin crawl. Was she sorry that he was skinnier because there would be less to eat on his body? “Yes there is very little meat left”, he said, “so there is really no point in trying to eat me.”
A wave of disgust mixed with surprise went over her face before she started to giggle, almost hysterically. She looked at him with those yellow eyes that he felt were so hypnotizing and gathered herself enough to reply. “I have already eaten today so I think I will pass, but thank you for telling me,” she said politely and started to giggle again.
“Why did you come to the castle last year? Who are you?” Finally he could ask that question that he should have asked before releasing her. Aliendre had told him about the Forest people but this creature who called herself Roe didn’t make any sense. “You never gave Aliendre a message at all as you said that you would.”
“Maybe I did, kind off,” Roe said and looked thoughtful. “I went to the castle just because I wanted to see how the humans live and I’m a child of the Forest. The real question is, who are you Alexander?” She looked at him as if she was studying some interesting insect before she started to giggle again. “What I really came to ask is how Aliendre is doing. Is she as skinny as you are?” Roe didn’t laugh now but sounded as if she was genuinely concerned.
Something about how she asked the question made him want to tell her everything. It had been so long since he spoke to anyone but Aliendre. “She’s happy but I worry about her because we don’t have enough food to eat.”
The answer seemed to startle Roe. “But,” she hesitated and looked around. “There’s plenty of food everywhere, this is a very generous forest if you treat her with kindness and respect.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Wait here!” It looked like as if it couldn’t be long before her baby would be due but that didn’t seem to affect her at all. Easily she climbed up the tree and disappeared.
Alexander had no intention at all to stay and wait so that she could come back with more of her kind. He started to walk, hoping to find something to put an arrow in.
It was around noon and he still hadn’t found anything to eat when he heard Roe call his name again.
“I told you to wait for me”, she said reproaching, and threw two rabbits and some roots at his feet.
“What is this?” Alexander asked “and why?”
“This is food,” she said with the same tone as if she talked patiently to a child. “I told you that Aliendre is my friend and I don’t want her to be hungry.” She turned around to walk away when she seemed to remember something and turned back. “I almost forgot,” she said. “There is one important thing that I would like to from ask from you. I understand that you are a Prince and that means that you can make decisions about other humans.” She looked at him to see if he would confirm this. Startled he nodded. “Could you please make the humans that have moved into to my forest leave again? They are not kind to her and that makes her less generous to all of us who live here. ” Having said what she wanted the creature who called herself Roe, a child of the forest, turned around and disappeared into the forest.
The food that Roe had given them had been more than welcome. He had eaten very little, hiding some of the food when Aliendre tried to make him eat more. She needed to eat more than he did. He almost hoped that Roe would show up again, with more food even if he realized that it depended on him to find something to eat to keep Aliendre, and the baby that they were expecting, alive. He found a brook and thought that he might have some luck there. Animals needed to drink and if he was lucky he might even catch a fish. How he wished that they had brought a net to catch fish with before they left the castle.
Suddenly he was standing eye to eye with an outlaw. This must be one of the humans that Roe had mentioned. The outlaw was dressed in chainmail and a helmet which was unusual for the outlaws as far as Alexander knew. Another oddity was that this man had a sword strapped at his side but no other weapons, when a bow or a quarterstaff would have been more likely weapons for the outlaws.
Alexander’s muscles were tense as he and the outlaw were watching each other on each side of the brook. He figured that he had an advantage as long as the distance was too long for the sword. If he aimed at the unprotected throat he might have a chance. Alexander cursed himself for leaving his sword at home as he stretched for an arrow.
1st Jul 2012, 09:48 PM
Love the update!
2nd Jul 2012, 11:20 AM
Love this chapter so much!!
24th Jul 2012, 09:11 AM
This story is as good as some of the best books I have ever read. I'm talking Lord of the Rings good.
25th Jul 2012, 12:11 AM
This story is as good as some of the best books I have ever read. I'm talking Lord of the Rings good. I agree. If she made this into a book it would be a bestseller as soon as it was published. I've read what people say are "The best books in the world" but this is so amazing I had to slap myself so I could make sure I wasn't dreaming.
7th Oct 2012, 04:29 PM
I was just browsing around MTS, and I thought this was an amazing story. I hope you continue soon. It's a thoughtful and wonderful story. :)
20th Oct 2012, 09:25 PM
Thank you Littleweirdo, Artimis, PsDuckie, LimesN'Peppers for your very nice comments. I have finally almost finished chapter 44 and will upload it soon.
21st Oct 2012, 11:00 AM
Something completely unexpected happened. The outlaw took off his helmet and kneeled. “Your majesty,” he said, with the voice of a young boy. With the helmet off he looked to be a lad of sixteen at the most. The chins were smooth without a trace of a beard. There was something very familiar about those freckles and that red hair.
“Some people believe that you’re dead, your Majesty but I’m pleased to find that they’re wrong.” The happy smile in the eyes of the outlaw surprised Alexander.
The young brigand slowly rose to his feet keeping his eyes steady on Alexander.
“Who are you? I didn’t know that outlaws dwelled this deep in the forest.”
“I’m no outlaw.” The lad snorted and wrinkled his freckled nose. “My name is Sigrid, the blacksmith Frodi’s daughter. I used to work in the castle after my parents died in the fever and then I joined the resistance.”
Of course, this was no lad at all but the girl that used to be a chambermaid in the castle! The same girl who had watched him when he practiced with the sword but with her hair cut short. What was she doing here deep in the forest dressed in chainmail? And what was the resistance? All the questions that rose in Alexander’s head were overshadowed by the fact that he had met the first human he had seen for almost a year and she seemed to be friendly. If he was not mistaken she was even happy to see him.
“Sigrid, can I come over to your side? I would like to talk with you.”
The girl nodded, and watched him carefully as he started to cross the brook that parted them. Cold water filled his worn boots. Alexander tried to keep his eyes on Sigrid’s eyes and sword at the same time as he tried to have control over where he put his feet.
"We can sit down there," Sigrid said and pointed on fallen tree log. Each step Alexander took made a splashing sound as water poured between his toes.
Alexander sat down and took off his left boot, turned it upside down to pour out the water and repeated the same procedure with the other boot. He would have to walk home with wet feet. Finally he looked up into Sigrid’s brown eyes.
“I still don’t understand what you’re doing so far away from home in the deep of the forest Sigrid. What resistance have you joined? ”
Sigrid straightened her back. “Your majesty, Torfast and me joined the resistance against Jarl Erik. Jarl Erik claims the crown but there are still people defending the castle and her Majesty the Queen. The castle still stands strong,” she made a short pause “or it did when I left. The rest of the kingdom is falling apart and people are suffering.”
Alexander opened his clenched fists and noted the trickling sensation of blood flowing back to his finger tips. He already knew the answer from what Sigrid had said but he still had to ask. “What about my father, the King?”
The gaze filled with sympathy that Sigrid gave him made his throat dry of fear. “Didn’t you know, the King died shortly after you’d disappeared? He was dying already before you left.”
“No!” Alexander shouted. “You lie. He was old but he was not dying when I left.”
Sigrid’s gaze didn’t give way for his anger. She looked steady but sympathetically at him and didn’t recoil. “I’m sorry this must be hard for you. Only the servants and maybe the Queen knew how bad his health was. He didn’t want no one to know and maybe he didn’t really want to accept the inevitable himself.”
“Why did you know and not me, his own son?”
“Because I was no one, like all the other servants.” Sigrid’s voice was matter of fact, without a trace of bitterness. “He didn’t want your enemies to know his weakness and he didn’t want to worry or distract you when you had so much on your mind with the wedding and all.”
She was silent for a long while, allowing Alexander to let the news sink in before she spoke again with a soft voice.
“The kingdom needs you sir. Why did you leave? There were so many rumors about your disappearance but most people believed that you had been murdered by Erik’s people. He married Alde, you know.”
Full of shame he told her the story about how he had escaped with Aliendre, the story about how he had failed his duty and the kingdom. Sigrid was the first human that he had seen for almost a year of isolation from the world. In the forest it didn’t matter that he was royal and she a chambermaid. Here she was a well fed warrior in control of the situation and he a lost hungry soul.
To his surprise the look Sigrid gave him after he had finished his story was not blaming but thoughtful. She had put the helmet back on her head. The warmth and the weight of the chainmail didn’t seem to trouble her at all. The young woman in front of him looked completely different from the little shy chambermaid that he remembered from the castle. Alexander was just about to ask how she could have afforded a chainmail when she started to speak.
“We have to make up a better story than that before you return to claim the crown. It’s all very romantic and all that but we need a story that doesn’t make you look like someone who has run away. We could say that Dark elves kidnapped you and that the Princess of the Light elves rescued you from them. You don’t have to lie or say anything about your disappearance just leave it to me and my fellows to spread this story and you will return as a hero. We’re not many in the forest camp but more are joining all the time and there are a lot of people back home who would join your cause. Erik ain’t very popular among the people but he has powerful allies. Many of the Jarls support his cause, but not all of them. What’s worse is that when he married Alde, King Knut became his ally.”
Alexander noted that there was no servility in her voice when she spoke about the plans and she didn’t ask if he was willing to go back. She spoke like a warlord who was making up a strategy and not like a chambermaid speaking to a lord. Of course Sigrid was right, he had to go back and take care of the mess that he had left behind. But first of all he had to return home to Aliendre before it got dark. He rose from the tree log and Sigrid followed his example.
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking you this, but if you like I could get you some food from our supplies. We have plenty for the moment and -” she stopped talking and looked awkward.
The mention of food made the whole in Alexander’s belly ache worse than ever
"I think it’s better that I talk to the other fellows before you show yourself to them. We should decide a meeting place so we can keep contact and when the time is right you will be introduced to the fellows in the camp. Then we will march back to claim the crown for you.”
Alexander smiled. He liked the way Sigrid spoke those last words. Everything seemed so straightforward the way she put it. Then his smile faded. He hadn’t told Sigrid about King Eraldor and Queen Eliene of the Light Elves.
21st Oct 2012, 03:33 PM
*Jumps up and down over and over again* Yeah! I'm glad you did the next chapter! Amazing shots and storyline as usual.
4th Nov 2012, 12:55 AM
“’Guess what happened today”, Alexander raised his hand with the packet that Sigrid had wrapped the food she had given him in to show Aliendre.
She smiled at him but there was something that didn’t seem quite right. A used plate was lying at the floor and Aliendre looked strange. “You found some food.” Her voice sounded strained .
“I met a human, a girl from the castle, in the forest,” Alexander said with his eyes focused on Aliendre’s face. Her forehead was moist and if he was not completely mistaken there was fear in her eyes. She didn’t seem to hear what he was saying. Then her face was distorted by pain and she bent forward and Alexander understood.
She met his eyes and he could see the fear he felt mirrored in them. Now was the time to be braver than ever. Aliendre must not know how afraid he really was.
“The baby is coming,” she said. He could tell that she tried to sound brave and confident but she didn’t succeed at all. Aliendre had never even seen a baby in all her life, even less seen a baby being born. Elf babies were a rarity and although Alexander has seen his share of infants he had really no idea at all about the childbirth. All he knew was that both mothers and babies might well die in the process. He realized that he should have asked Sigrid if they had a woman in the camp that could help them but it was too late now. The fear in Aliendre’s eyes didn’t exactly make him feel any calmer but he had to do what he could to ease her fear.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said trying to sound normal. “The pain is part of the process and not dangerous at all.” At least he knew that much, childbirth was supposed to be painful. That knowledge didn’t make him feel much better though.”
Aliendre’s contraction ceased for a while and he rubbed her back and tried to comfort her. He had never realized the bravery of women before. Was it like this each time a child was born?
The next two hours were the most terrifying two hours of Alexander’s life. He had no idea at all what to expect or what to do and the fact that Aliendre didn’t have any idea either didn’t make him feel better at all. He felt helpless when pain overwhelmed her. Strangely enough she was calmed by his words and seemed to believe that he who was human would know exactly what he was talking about. After all, human babies were born all the time. Bravely she endured the pain and smiled at him. “Soon we will hold our baby in our arms,” she said between the waves of pain. He encouraged her and told her that everything was normal although he had no idea at all of what he was talking about.
When their son rested against Aliendre’s shoulder all the pain and fear was forgotten. He had never seen Aliendre looking more beautiful and surely their son must be the most beautiful and clever child in the world.
“I would like to call him Alex after his father,” Aliendre said.
“ Are you sure? You don’t want him to have an elf name?”
“No, Alex and I are both mortal. I want him to be part of the human world. He is your heir.”
Alexander felt happier than ever. When he played with little Alex everything else seemed so unimportant. “Look, I swear that was a smile. He is such a clever little boy,” Alexander said when he was playing with his son.
Aliendre smiled but didn’t look as happy as he felt. “We have to think about Alex’ future. The news that the girl named Sigrid shared from the human world are worrying and as a mortal Alex cannot be part of the Elven realm.”
“I will not be able to keep up the shield for much longer,” she continued. “My powers are getting weaker for each day and soon enough my father will find us. I am turning mortal and that means that my magic will fade. We cannot stay here another winter especially not with a child to take care of. The horses have grazed and are stronger and both you and I are stronger than we have been for a long time. I think that we should take control of our future before the future takes control over us.”
Reluctantly Alexander had to admit that Aliendre was right. Another winter might well kill them all and he was prepared to do anything to protect little Alex. “Do you have any suggestion?” he said.
“I think that you should leave and join Sigrid and her group. A couple of days after you have left I will remove the shield. I expect that my father and mother will be here very soon after that. Our only hope is that we make them find me and Alex before they find you.”
Alexander bent his head. He couldn’t even imagine how hard it would be to leave Aliendre and his newborn son but Aliendre was right. They didn’t really have much choice if Alex would have a future.
“Promise that I will see you soon again,” he said.
“I promise,” Aliendre answered, but Alexander knew that she also knew that it was not within her power to promise such a thing.
4th Nov 2012, 06:45 PM
Awwwww, this chapter is so cute! Next I wanna see Roe, Thorundur and their baby. I loved this chapter so much!
10th Nov 2012, 11:35 PM
I loved every chapter so far. Nicely done. I wanna see Roe's and Thorundur's baby now.
25th Dec 2012, 06:44 PM
Estrid tried to ignore the gnawing feeling of guilt as she sat down on the bench for a short rest. She was only 34 but felt old. Life had become so hard since two summers ago when her husband Ulf had died. The little wound on his foot had looked so small and innocent. Who could have expected that a rusty nail would be the bane of a strong and healthy man? But seven days later Ulf had started to complain that his jaws felt strange and not long after that the spasms and the fever started. It had been a painful and cruel death. The sorrow still felt so acute and painful. But at least until last spring she had had an almost grown strong son to help her with the farm. At the age of sixteen Brage was already strong as an oxe. But one day he had come home and told her that he was going away to join the rebels in the forest. The next day he was gone. Although Estrid didn’t know how she was supposed to manage the farm with only the help of her fourteen year old daughter and seven year old son she could not help to feel relieved that Brage had gone. Jarl Erik’s men were gathering boys of age for their army. Sometimes they would take girls to. Although a life with rebels didn’t sound ideal, at least Brage was beyond the reach of Jarl Erik. She wouldn’t allow herself to wonder if Brage was still alive and well. Surely a mother would feel in her heart if her child was in danger. Estrid shook her shoulders. The rest had been long enough, she couldn’t allow herself to sit and dwell on her worries when there was so much work to be done. As she rose the ache in her back reminded her that she was getting older from all the hard work. The door swung open and Estrid prepared to scold Ragnhild as so many times before for not open the door gently.
“Mother, there are men dressed in armor coming here.” Estrid could tell that Ragnhild had been running, little Gunnar was at her heals.
A chill went down Estrid’s spine. This was not good news. She thought as fast as she could. The men must not see her children. Ragnhild was only fourteen and Gunnar only seven so with some luck they wouldn’t be taken from her but she could not take any risks. "You must hide quickly." All possible hiding places went through her head but finally there was only one that would do. "Quickly you must go down under the floor." She pointed to the hatch that led to the small space under the house that they sometimes had used as a storage place.
“No, you cannot treat me like a little child, I refuse to hide.” Ragnhild gave her an obstinate look. Gunnar was quiet and looked thoughtful. Estrid suppressed an impulse to slap Ragnhild’s obstinate face. She had never hit her children but the panic of knowing that armed men were approaching her house made her more impetuous than usual. Ragnhild had been such a sweet girl until recently. Now she defied every word Estrid said and shook off every attempt of affection.
“You must, please; they will be here any minute.” The panic made Estrid’s voice high-pitched.
“They are closer now,” Gunnar confirmed. Estrid would have preferred that he wouldn’t have looked out through the window. What if Gunnar was seen?
To Estrid’s relief and surprise Ragnhild shook her shoulders and walked slowly to the corner with the hatch. Without a word she climbed down into the dark and fusty space. Then it was Gunnar’s turn. “Don’t be afraid mum, I’m not,” he said and went after his sister.
With all her strength Estrid draw a chest and the bench over the hatch to hide it as good as she could. She was moving the floor rushes to hide the edges of the hatch when the door swung open and she realized that her children would never be able to get out without her help.
Three men came into her little cottage, making it feel even smaller. It was like they were breathing all the air that was in the house because Estrid felt that it was difficult to get enough air.
“Good day Good wife,” the man in mantle said. He was the most costly dressed of the men and the first to speak so Estrid figured that he must be their leader. We are looking for good young lads that are willing to help Erik’s cause. Estrid knew as the man spoke that his words were false. They would not care if the boys were willing or not. All they needed were young men that would take the first arrows in the battle that everyone was expecting. Brage would rather have fought for the queen but they lived to close to the borders of Erik’s province to have that choice. She knew that Erik had confiscated farms belonging to free man to give them to men that were loyal to him already. Other farms had been burned.
“My son has already moved out to find his own luck in life. I don’t know where he might be now,” she replied, almost truthfully. She didn’t dare to deny that she had a son. These days no one could be trusted and some neighbors might have told these men about her family.
The men started to walk around in her cottage, touching her things, as if they were valuing them.
“The youth of today,” the leader said, “they never give a thought of their parents just thinking about their own luck. But don’t you have more children than just a son? We heard that you also have another son and a daughter.”
Estrid swallowed and concentrated hard to not look at the hatch under which her children were hiding. “I have a thirteen year old daughter and a six year old boy,” she replied, feeling that it should be safe to take at least one year of their real age. “They went away to collect wood and berries in the forest and I think they may stay the night over at an old widow that we try to help as much as we can.” She hoped that the men wouldn’t ask more about the widow that she just had made up.
The man in leather armor made a gesture with his head towards the torch on her wall and let his eyes rest on the fire place. Estrid’s throat went too dry for words to pass. How could she have made her children hide under the floor?! Hadn’t she heard about farms that had been burnt down by Erik’s men? The leader followed the gaze of the leather armed man and slowly shook his head. “Let’s go out and see what they have found for Erik,” he said.
Estrid followed the men out of the house to find that there were more men outdoors, men that had been gathering her food on a cart. They had even taken the goat and were trying to collect her geese.
“What am I supposed to live from?” she couldn’t help herself burst out.
“You should feel honored and happy that you can help Erik’s cause,” the leader said.
She thought she heard an undertone of threat in his voice. “Of course, I’m happy to help Erik,” Estrid said and looked down thinking of her children under the hatch.
Finally Erik’s men had taken everything they considered worth taking and left. Estrid hurried to drag the chest and the bench from the hatch.
If felt so good to see her children again. She embraced Gunnar who melted into her arms.
“I was not afraid at all he said,” but his trembling voice gave him away.
To Estrid’s surprise and infinite happiness Raghnild accepted her embrace without reservations. “I love you mother,” Ragnhild said.
26th Dec 2012, 03:15 AM
I'm so glad you've updated. You have a way with words.
2nd Feb 2013, 10:12 PM
The Dragon, King of the Dark elves, let his eyes sweep over the throne hall. Now in the summer this was a comfortable and cool place, but in the winter the cold would touch the bones. The problem with winter temperature was, however, not only reason that this place had been abandoned for centuries. After the war they had been forced to leave this once magnificent palace and during the following years the location had become uncomfortable close to the growing human settlements. Although spells that would instill fear still kept humans away from this place it was not practical to risk encounters with humans or even worse, Light elves, as soon as anyone would depart from the limited protected area. The Dragon liked to call it a palace although a ruin might be more appropriate. The throne hall still looked impressive enough but there were areas of this old place that could only be entered at the risk of one’s life, and other parts of the palace had been turned into piles of stone since long. The disadvantage of the location was, however, also the reason that he had chosen to temporarily move his court to this place for a short while. The location was a great advantage considering the guest he had within the walls.
Of course “The Dragon” was not the real name of the King of the Dark elves, but this was the title he preferred to be called and the only name he had been called since centuries back. Most of his subjects did not know his real name anymore. Dragons were the most sacred and worshipped of all animals that had ever existed so this was a suitable title for the King of the Dark elves. Today only the sacred bones of the dragons remained, they had all died even before the elves came to this world.
From a distance the court looked impressive enough. But he also knew that most of the nice dresses and tunics would show signs of wear at a closer look. After the war against the Light elves the Dark elf realm had declined, both in population and prosperity. The Dragon had, however, never given up the hope of revenge and the hope to once restore the Dark elf realm to its former splendor. Unexpectedly, the subjects Orm and Ondina had stumbled over a chance to damage the Light elf realm much deeper than the Dragon would have ever hoped to do within a foreseeable time.
The Dragon let his eyes rest on Lady Ondina and Lord Orm. The potion masters had never been any remarkable members of the realm but now their wit was acknowledged by everyone and they had been generously rewarded. When they had come to him to tell what they had done, the Dragon had first found it difficult to believe that such insignificant subjects could have done this. But the young and mighty Princess Aliendre had disappeared and the news about the disappearance of the human crown prince also soon reached the Dark elf realm. Of course Ondina and Orm could not return to their former home. It had always been a risky place to live, a place where one would always risk encountering light elves in the forest. Ondina and Orm, Lady Ondina and Lord Orm now, the Dragon corrected his own thoughts, had chosen to live in that place so distant from other Dark elves because of all the herbs that grew in the forests there. After Aliendre’s disappearance light elves were everywhere in the forests on the search of the lost princess. Therefore it would not have been wise of Orm and Ondina to return to their former home. Instead they had become potion masters at the court.
A movement further down in the hall made the Dragon stretch his already straight back. He felt how one of his brows rose and for once he had to make an effort to suppress all expressions from his face when he saw the human for the first time.
”My Lord, my I introduce the human Lord Erik,” Indindra’s voice was clear and steady but there was an undertone of excitement there. Everyone had gathered in the throne hall to have a look at the human and his first meeting with the Dragon.
“Lord Erik, this is the Dragon.”
The human bowed in the elven fashion. He looked calm and relaxed but the Dragon had been told that he had been everything else than calm before.
The Dragon did not bow or even nod his head, it would have been far beyond his dignity to give such an acknowledgement to a human although in fact he desperately wanted to make an impression that the human would never forget. “I hope your visit here is to your satisfaction. You are our guest and I have ordered that no efforts should be spared to make you comfortable.” The interpreter translated the Dragon’s word to the human’s ugly language.
Erik bowed again. “I have been very well treated My Lord except that I’m not used to be kidnapped by armed men and women and locked into a room when I’m invited as a guest.”
When the human’s words had been translated, The Dragon didn’t know if he should be amused or furious about this insolent answer. This was not how to speak to the King of the Dark elves. Then he remembered that Erik had been brought here because the Dragon wanted something from him so he chose to be amused.
It hadn’t been easy to capture this human. After weeks of planning and finding out which human to take, it took even more time to locate him and to find the right opportunity. Finally Lord Erik had made the mistake to go riding on his own and the warriors had taken their chance. Two warriors had been hurt, one so bad that it first had been unclear if he would survive. If anyone had believed that humans were weak and poor fighters Lord Erik had proved them to be very wrong. But a cloth drenched in a sedative had put an end to all his resistance.
Lord Erik had been very upset about being their guest. But after some persuasion he had finally accepted that it would be better to cooperate. Of course, looking back it might have been better if someone who could speak the human language had been there when they caught Erik.
The Dragon was satisfied to note that Erik had been given a black tunic instead of his own dirty and tasteless brightly colored clothes. He had also been made more presentable with khol painted around his eyes, but there was something that didn’t make sense.
“I see that you still have hair in your face, did the servants fail in their service?”
A childish smile spread over Erik’s face. Humans really had no control at all over their face. They were like small children, always moving some part of their body and showing their feelings openly without control. Could he never stop blinking, the continuous blinking was starting to get very enervating.
“I was very well treated by your lovely ladies and offered a shaving in the bathing hall. But you see, human ladies love a masculine beard and I would not very much like to part from mine. I had it trimmed though, doesn’t it look good?” Erik stroke his beard and laughed. Some of the ladies in the hall also smiled. It was as if Erik’s uncontrolled behavior was contagious.
The Dragon grunted. “You are our guest because we could help each other. I understand that your ambition is to take the crown in the human realm but that there is some resistance to your claim. We are willing to help you with armed warriors.”
Erik looked suspicious when the offer was translated.”Why would you risk the lives of elves to help my cause?”
“Many years before all living humans were born the ancestor or of your prince, Alexander, helped the Light elves in the war against us. If it had not been for their help the outcome of the war might have been very different. Our lives are long and so is our memory. I want revenge on the humans who once helped the Light elves.”
“What do you expect from me after you have helped me to take the crown? Do you know anything about Alexander’s disappearance?”
Although a war in which the Light elves would be defeated and humiliated was a future the Dragon could easily see he could not expect the human to share this dream. “I have heard rumors saying you are behind the disappearance of your cousin.” The Dragon stretched the corners of his mouth to something that could resemble a smile. “However, from what I know about the reasons for Alexander’s disappearance the Light elves are not friends of humans anymore.”
Erik’s face showed obvious signs of surprise when he heard this. It was as if he didn’t even tried to hide his feelings. Obviously he did not know anything about Alexander and Aliendre “So you do know what has happened to Alexander?”
“You can forget about Alexander now. After you have taken the throne we expect you and your kingdom to be our allies.”
“I think my chances are good already. Why would I need the help of Dark elves when my wife’s father and brothers are my allies?”
The Dragon took a deep breath to calm his anger. He had to admit that this human was brave if nothing else. “First of all you need to come back to your home to take the crown.” When these words had been translated the Dragon could see how Lord Erik’s yaws and fists tightened. “If the crown was so easy to take why is it not yours already? As I understand there are other candidates who could be chosen and not everyone is in favor of you.” It had taken months of reconnaissance to gather all this information but now it seemed to have been worth the effort.
Erik bowed. “You are right. Of course the help of Dark elves would be very valuable. Excuse me if I have seemed ungrateful but it was unexpected to be offered such a valuable gift. I accept your offer and hope that we can start to plan our strategy as soon as possible.”
“We will talk more this evening. Now I have other urgent businesses to take care off.” Of course there were no urgent businesses to take care off but it could not hurt to give Erik the impression that he was not important at all for the Dark elves. In fact all dreams and plans the Dragon had made the last months had involved this human and his role in the beginning of the new age for the Dark elf realm. One of the major differences between Dark elves and Light elves had been the matter of the humans. The Dark elves had advocated that humans should be destroyed while the Light elves had advocated that elves should aim for friendship with the humans for mutual benefit. But what benefit could humans be to elve? They multiplied in an appalling speed and continuously spread their settlements into new areas. But there was one thing that humans could do for the elves, one thing that King Eraldor but not the Dragon had realized and that had been the end of the Dark elves dream to rule the elven realm. The human king had appreciated the friendship with the Light elves so much that he had come to their help in the war. The humans were numerous and the Dragon soon realized that his second mistake had been to underestimate their ability as fighters.
The Dragon dreamed with his eyes wide open. He was patient but once the humans were in his debt they would help him to defeat the Light elves. When the Light elves were defeated there would be no one who could defend the humans from the Dark elves. Maybe eradicating the humans would be a mistake. They were strong and numerous while the elves were few. Some of the humans could be saved and used as slaves for the elves. The Dark elf realm would soon be stronger than ever.
3rd Feb 2013, 08:07 PM
This has come such a long way! Congrats!! Forty-seven chapters of brilliance. = ) I love the Dark Elves for some reason and I'm so glad Roe and Thorundor have finally gotten together.
4th Feb 2013, 11:18 AM
I love dark elves and it is rare to see them in sims stories, great job :).
18th Feb 2013, 08:32 PM
Thank you LovethMia and Artemis. When I started the story I never thought it would be so many chapters but somehow the characters started to live their own lives, filling in the details betwen the main events in the story line. Next chapter is almost finished and will also be about Dark elves (one Dark elf anyway).
19th Feb 2013, 07:52 PM
Erik rested his head on his hand while he studied how the spider in the roof worked on its net. It was fascinating how such a small animal could make something so intricate. An insect with shiny green wings and long delicate legs came dangerously close to the web. Unaware of the danger it took one step in the wrong direction and was trapped by the sticky web. The more it struggled to get free the more it got itself into trouble. Finally there were just some sporadic twitches in wings.
Erik lost his interest for the drama above his head. The pillow and the mattress were soft, filled with the finest feather but the forced inactivity made his muscles restless. A small oil burner spread a pleasant scent in the room. He had no sense of time because there were no windows in his chamber and he had no idea for how long he’d been unconscious after the elves had caught him. When he thought about how he’d been captured he could still feel the sticky smell of the cloth that had been pressed against his nose.
This was a strange place. Erik could not really put his finger on why, but the castle gave the impression of being a place of show off while he could perceive decay beyond the façade. The long-eared lords and ladies had costly clothes made of fabric most humans could only dream about, but at a closer look he could see that many of them had been repaired so many times that they would not last much longer. The fat spider in the roof seemed, however, to live in abundance. Erik considered his situation. He was still alive and as far as he could tell the elves had for the moment no intention to kill him. The Dragon had even offered him armed elves to help him to take the crown. The problem was, however, that the offer was too generous. Erik had learned that nothing in life was for free and he didn’t have a good feeling about what the elves might want in return for helping him. “The Dragon”, by the way, what a stupid name. If the situation hadn’t been so grave he would have laughed when he’d heard the name of the Dark elf king.
When Erik was a child his mother told him to not go too far into the forest or the Dark elves might take him. His friends were told the same thing by their mothers. When he grew older he had dismissed this as something parents told their children so they wouldn’t get lost in the forest. But now he’d gone too far into the forest on his own and the long-ears had indeed taken him. He smiled when he thought about what his mother would make of this. Most likely the old lady would give him one long look and say “I told you so” whether or not she had believed that such a thing was really possible.
There was a sound at the door. Someone was turning a key in the lock. Quickly Erik pulled the black tunic over his head. Black, always black, no wonder the dark long-ears seemed so solemn when they had no colors that could cheer them up. He still felt naked though, without armor or weapon. But of course the long-ears had taken everything from him. They had even tried to take his beard away but he had drawn the limit there. The khol around his eyes could be washed away but it would take more time for the beard to grow back.
The door opened and the young women who had walked with him to the Dragon came in. She looked young anyway, but as far as Erik knew she could very well be his senior by hundreds of years. She was carrying a pile of clothes, a black tunic on top of his own clothes that the elves had taken from him. Erik didn’t know what to make of this. The dark lady was dressed as a warrior or a guard but did a maid’s work.
She put the pile down, pointed to the black tunic and said in his own language, but with a heavy accent “change.”
“What, do you want me to change tunic now?”
“No now, later,” the dark warrior maid answered. Maybe he was supposed to change before the next meeting with the Dragon? The warrior maid looked at him unabashedly like he had watched the spider in the roof.
Her eyes had a peculiar color and her unblinking gaze seemed even more intense with the khol painted around the eyes. The pale skin looked almost translucent in the light of the lanterns on the wall. Somehow the cold beauty of the lady warrior reminded Erik of Alde.
“What’s your name?” he said. Even a long eared kidnapper would be better company than the fat spider.
This simple question seemed to startle the dark lady. “Indindra,” she replied with a puzzled look.
Erik deliberately pronounced her name wrong, laughed as if he was embarrassed, and asked her to say her name again. He made her repeat the procedure three times before he finally pronounced her name right.
“Indindra, a pretty name for a pretty lady,” Erik put on one of his broadest smiles. A smile that often had worked wonders with human women. To his surprise and amusement the smile seemed to work on long-eared ladies to. Indindra looked down and Erik thought he could see a red flush on her high cheek bones. If there had been a flush it was, however, gone when she looked up again.
“You pretty too,” she said with her unblinking eyes resting steady on his. There was a smile on her lips, a smile that actually seemed to reach her khol-painted eyes.
Erik suppressed the impulse to laugh; he’d been called many things before, good and bad, but this was the first time anyone called him pretty.
Before he’d decided what to make of this unexpected turn of events, Indindra surprised him again. “May touch?” she said and reached out a slender hand. Before he had answered she was stroking his beard. Without thinking
Erik lifted his hand and put it over hers. He’d half expected Indindra’s hand to be as cold as her beauty and was surprised to find it as warm as the skin of any human woman.
Indindra made a sudden movement and before Erik could blink he found himself with cold steel against his throat. The long-eared lady pressed a knife against him, just a few millimeters from his death. If she would press the knife just a little bit harder his life would flow out of him in a read stream that not even the elves would be able to stop. Even at this close distance Indindra’s skin was completely flawless. She smelled like roses mixed with leather.
“No try escape,” she said coldy.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Erik lied.
“Dream you can,” Indindra said and smiled grimly. “Plenty guards everywhere. You die if escape.”
“I thought I was your guest. Is this how Dark elves treat their guests?” Erik made an effort to smile and for once found it somewhat difficult to accomplish.
Indindra took the knife down so quickly that he concluded that she’d not exactly followed instructions when she threatened him.
She’d been right though. Of course the possibility to overpower Indindra, take her weapons and break free with her as a hostage had crossed his mind. But he’d dismissed the idea almost as soon as it came into his mind. Such a plan would probably have been hopeless anyway. He didn’t doubt that the cold dark elves would sacrifice Indindra without hesitation if that would be what it took to catch him again. It was also likely that they would rather kill him than let him escape. Erik didn’t want to die. As long as there was hope that he might live he would probably be better off playing the game as the Dark elves wanted instead of getting himself into more trouble by struggling to get free like the insect in his roof. If he couldn’t kill Dark elves he could just as well kill some time instead.
“How old are you Indindra?” he asked, partly to make her stay a moment longer and partly because he really was very curious about her age. He’d never seen an immortal before the long-ears attacked him. Too late he remembered himself. This was hardly a question he could have asked a human lady if he wanted to make a polite impression.
Indindra did indeed seem to find the question inappropriate. She looked uncomfortable. “Many years, me?” she asked and looked at him to see if she had got the question right.
Erik nodded and Indindra looked thoughtful for a while. Finally she showed him all her fingers nine times and then she showed him seven fingers.
“You’re 97 years!” Erik said impressed and Indindra nodded.
“Indindra young but already good warrior,” she said and sounded defiant.
“You’re indeed a very good warrior, “Erik said. You really took me by surprise with the knife.
Indindra looked down and blushed as she had done when he told her that she was pretty. “You good warrior also,” she said and looked at him. “Strong warrior.”
“You never told me what you think of my beard,” he said and looked challenging at her.
She raised her hand again and stroke his chin. “Don’t try to kill me again please,” he said and laughed.
“No try kill, only scare. No afraid anymore, knife sleeps now,” Indindra said and smiled.
“You should know this about me Indindra, I’m not easily scared,” he said and fired his broad smile as he placed his own calloused hand over Indindra’s pale slender hand. This time she did not draw her knife, instead she gave him a smile that made his heart beat faster.
After all, time would probably pass quickly until he would be summoned to the Dragon again Erik thought. Who was he to complain that the long-ears wanted to make him a king? Maybe his situation wasn’t so bad after all.
19th Feb 2013, 09:00 PM
Wow does Indindra have a crush on Erik. I think Erik is going to find out the hard way that the dark elves do not like humans or they betray him .Another great chapter, my friend but if I may ask did you have any trouble with the problem plumbbods as I noticed a bit of one in one of the images.
19th Feb 2013, 09:45 PM
Thank you Artemis I missed the plumbbob, usually I turn them off. Its fixed now. I think some elves, especially the young ones, are attracted to the liveliness of the humans and just as humans find elves interesting and exotic, some elves are intrigued by humans. The general opinion among both Light elves and Dark elves is, however, that elves are superior to humans.
19th Feb 2013, 10:20 PM
Your welcome but I do have feeling that either Dragon or Erik will stad each other in the back at some point.
vBulletin v3.0.14, Copyright ©2000-2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. | <urn:uuid:b1f50fb6-f138-4ac3-8f05-41f944f262c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nene.modthesims.info/archive/index.php?t-424040.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98547 | 68,064 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Mortgage payments drop to most affordable level for a decade as lenders slash rates
Mortgages have dropped to their most affordable level for a decade and are currently almost twice as cheap as the height of the financial crisis, according to a new study.
Typical mortgage payments for both first-time buyers and home movers have plummeted to 28 per cent of average incomes, down from a peak of 48 per cent in 2007.
The average monthly mortgage payment for someone with a 30 per cent deposit is £580, while the typical take-home wage is £2,062.
Saving the pennies: Homeowners have seen typical mortgage payments drop since the start of the financial crisis
The plummeting costs are good news for hard-pressed homeowners, battling increasing food and energy bill prices that continue to rise while average pay increases remain stagnant.
However it is not good news for homeowners across the board, a second study has shown. Variable mortgage rates have hit a four year high, Bank of England figures show.
The average SVR mortgage deal from a bank or building society charges an interest rate of 4.35 per cent, compared to the best interest rate only deal on the market, which is currently just 2.5 per cent.
Some lenders have been slashing their mortgage rates in recent months though and are now offering some of their cheapest ever deals following the launch of a Government Funding for Lending scheme, designed to boost lending by giving banks access to cheap finance.
MOST AFFORDABLE AREAS
1. Copeland, North West, 14.9%
2. West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, 17.6%
3. Hyndburn, North West, 17.9%
4. Renfrewshire, Scotland, 17.9%
5. North Ayrshire, Scotland, 17.9%
6. Kingston upon Hull, City of, Yorkshire and the Humber, 18.0%
7. South Ayrshire, Scotland, 18.0%
8. North Lanarkshire, Scotland, 18.2%
9. Glasgow City, Scotland, 18.3%
10. South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 18.3%
* Most affordable local areas of the UK for new mortgage borrowers, with mortgage payments as a percentage of disposable earnings
LEAST AFFORDABLE AREAS
1. Camden, London, 56.5 %
2. Cambridge, East, 50.5 %
3. Hammersmith & Fulham, London, 50.3 %
4. Mole Valley, South East, 50.1 %
5. Brent, London, 49.7 %
6. Oxford, South East, 49.4 %
7. Richmond upon Thames, London, 47.6 %
8. Harrow, London, 47.3 %
9. Chiltern, South East, 46.7 %
10. Haringey, London, 46.3 %
Under the Funding for Lending scheme, banks can borrow an unlimited amount of money for as little as 0.25 per cent as long as they maintain, or increase, their lending.
The scheme is starting to benefit first-time buyers, who have been struggling to get on the property ladder since the beginning of the financial crisis when banks raised deposit requirements and increased rates for those without a large down payment.
The number of first-time buyers jumped by almost a quarter in November, driving an increase in activity in the housing market, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
As many as 21,700 loans were advanced to first-time buyers in November, worth £2.7billion.
However, Halifax said that the share of income spent on mortgage payments has remained steady rather than falling further because the cheaper deals have been balanced out by house prices edging up.
Green shoots: The housing market is starting to show signs of recovery, boosted by the Bank of England's Funding For Lending Scheme
Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: 'It is still early days for the Funding for Lending scheme, but there is evidence that mortgage affordability is increasing, as rates are down by 0.5 per cent in recent months.
'However, the impact on affordability isn't as positive as it could have been, as house prices slightly increased at the end of 2012.'
Camden in north London was named as the UK's least affordable area, with mortgage payments taking up 56.5 per cent of take-home pay for new borrowers.
Copeland in the North West was found to be the most affordable, with mortgage payments typically standing at 14.9 per cent of disposable earnings.
There was a net increase in new buyer enquiries at the end of last year (Source: RICS)
The half-yearly study said that across the UK, the share of wages taken up by mortgage payments has held steady at 28 per cent since mid-2011.
Halifax said that mortgage payments have fallen by at least a quarter as a proportion of average earnings in 95 per cent of local authority areas since 2007. Some 25 areas have recorded improvements of 50 per cent or more.
Regionally, mortgage payments are the most affordable in Northern Ireland, which has seen strong house price falls in recent years, taking up 20 per cent of take-home pay on average.
Mortgage payments for Londoners take up 36 per cent of their take-home pay, making this region the least affordable.
Scotland is the second most affordable region, with payments taking up 22 per cent of wages, while mortgages in Wales are also cheaper than the UK average, taking up 27 per cent of average take-home pay. | <urn:uuid:847d6597-f82d-48b9-9c78-a3bee0a62662> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-2264974/Mortgage-payments-drop-affordable-level-decade-lenders-slash-rates.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959739 | 1,172 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Comment 2 of 2, added on March 23rd, 2011 at 4:03 AM.
well, i think Ginsberg wants to talk about his experience as a homosexual.
Thus, he is very proud of what he was doing as a gay and i beleive he is
sad because his asshole is not nice as it was in childhood. So, the poet
wishes that his asshole would be as before. Plus, i think he feels sorry
because people are not homosexual because they are afraid if AIDS.
However, for him he is still eager to be homosexual even if AIDS will lead
to his death.
S. A.M. from Jordan
Comment 1 of 2, added on November 9th, 2006 at 7:00 PM.
I don't know anything about Ginsberg yet. I'll have to read about him, but
it appears he was gay??? If this is autobiographical, then not too bad, ok
I guess, but if he wrote thise outside of himself, then awesome. It seems
to me autobiographical works are easier.
Shelley Fruiterer from United States | <urn:uuid:c13d314f-99ad-4e02-af90-7d803bf5e680> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Allen-Ginsberg/3699/comments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992623 | 233 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Laurier's Headstart Transition Program
Headstart is a half-day program designed to make the transition to university life easier for Laurier's incoming students and their parents or guardians. It's an introduction to life and learning at Laurier. For students, it's an opportunity to learn about:
- their program and the courses they should take
- academic expectations
- the differences between high school and university
- campus services and resources that can help them make a success of university.
Students will be able to take part in sessions and chat with senior students, faculty and staff about studying at Laurier. They'll also be able to get their student identification card, the Laurier OneCard.
Parents will participate in a special parent transition program that provides an overview of what their students will be experiencing as a university student and how they can support their students, and answers the questions parents have about residence life, orientation week, financial aid, etc.
Other activities include tours of the campus, some of our residence buildings, and an information fair offering more information about our campus.
Sessions begin at 9:00 am on program days. Please plan to arrive about 15 minutes in advance in order to get signed in and ready for the day. Specific details will be e-mailed to registered students prior to program days.
Registration for the 2013 Headstart Program is now open!!
To register for Brantford Headstart, please click here.
Headstart dates for 2013: June 14*, 28; July 4*, 5, 9#, 11*, 12.
Note that students are only expected to register for one day.
* - Special Headstart sessions will be offered for Concurrent Education students on June 14, July 4, and July 11. For these dates, the program is modified to fit the particular needs of students in this program. Only students enrolled in the Concurrent Education program should register on these days.
# - Another special Headstart session will be offered for Criminology students on July 9. For this date, the program is modified to assist students in the Criminology program. Students in other programs can still register for this session, as much of the content will overlap with other academic programs offered. Academic Advising will still offer the same level of support to non-Criminology students.
- Click Here to go to the Registration Portal
- Look for the Brantford Headstart Program event listing, and click "Register"
- Select the date you wish to attend Headstart. Note: Concurrent Education students should select one of June 14, July 4, or July 11. All other students should select one of June 28, July 5, July 9, or July 12.
- Complete the Contact Information as requested. For "Organization" and "Division" please write "NA".
- Click "Next" to move to the payment page.
- Complete all fields as required. You will be issued a receipt of payment via e-mail, and a follow up e-mail within five business days from firstname.lastname@example.org confirming your registration.
To contact us with questions or concerns, please e-mail us at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:0470d34f-ffc6-4642-ae05-fe1f02f375e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=2307&p=780 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952242 | 666 | 1.65625 | 2 |
As we are less than 30 days away from Kindergarten, we have been talking and preparing for the big day. After our visit to St. Louis, we have enjoyed watching the boys playing with the lunch boxes that our nephew no longer wanted. (We jokingly call them their "Murses," meaning "man-purse.") We wanted to introduce Mikey to a lunch box/bag prior to school so he could work with the zipper, we had no idea the fun that would come out of it! Ryan walks all over the house with his "murse," and puts everything he can stuff inside of it! From his blanket, to toys, snacks, crayons, or cars...basically if it fits, he carries it around all day. It is so funny to hear Ryan ask "Where is my murse?"Mikey on the other hand takes it very seriously, and has been asking to put his lunch in there so he can prepare for school! He tries so hard to open his packages, or containers all by himself with a very concentrated face. He wants to be able to be independent and tries very hard! Watching him unzip, open, and set out his lunch, has been very entertaining, and I hope he does well with it at school.
We asked Mikey what kind of lunch box he wanted, and he gave it some thought, and told us he wanted a Batman lunch box. "Batman, really son? Are you sure?" I asked him this question several different ways, and he always answered the same way. He tilted his head, and said "Yes, I want a Batman lunch box." Well, to say I was surprised was putting it mildly, as he does not have one action figure, DVD, or toy that is Batman. So, I have no idea where he came up with Batman, but he was set on it!
Our days are filled with lots of fun, and if it helps us prepare for Kindergarten, then we will pretend and have lunch at home in our new lunch bags! How are you preparing your Kindergartner? Does the idea of a lunch bag with zippers, packages, and containers blow their minds? What kind of lunchbox did your little guy ask for? | <urn:uuid:0774123a-3811-4fa6-88a9-db0d22ae2bf9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greeneyedmomma.com/2012/07/back-to-school-all-about-lunch-box.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992094 | 459 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Yoga is a bottomless ocean
of healing and energy; make
use of it in your daily life.
Sugar is prevalent in much of what we consume and hidden in many of our foods. While many say it is not addictive, we are easily tempted to eat foods that provide little more than a temporary pleasure.One product of the last few decades that has been showing up in all manner of food, from fruit-flavored drinks to energy bars, from low-fat yogurt to English muffins is High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Made from corn starch, HFCS contains two basic sugars, fructose (55%) and glucose (45%). It tastes sweeter than regular sugar and is less expensive to produce, thus making it an economic decision for food manufacturers to use. And use it they do, extensively. Recently, there has been some evidence that HFCS, specifically the fructose, is absorbed into our systems differently than regular sugar, altering our metabolic-regulating hormones, causing the liver to kick out more fat into the bloodstream.
Incredibly Powerful Glyphs That Can Change Your LIfe
Unlocking the Power of Glyphs is a breakthrough manual to the world of symbols. The book consists of empowered glyphs and their written descriptions. This revolutionary book illuminates the powers behind these symbols and describes how glyphs can be used for personal transformation and healing. Unlocking the Power of Glyphs consists of 30 illustrated glyphs which have corresponding healing properties. A detailed step-by-step guide accompanies each symbol, explaining how to use it in one s life to heal both physically and emotionally.
I want to start out by first stating that I am not anti-modern medicine. I have great faith in our modern medical system for most things. If I were to break a bone, or require emergency surgery, I wouldn’t want to stick strictly to herbal medicine. I believe that both systems have a right and good place in healing.
For centuries Europeans and Asians viewed disease as a dysfunction of the whole body, or a whole system. Cures were aimed at bringing the body back into balance so that it could heal itself.
Although traditional thought on disease also included superstition, ignorance of anatomy, and in some places unhealthy beliefs about hygiene, much that was useful about medicine was known and practiced.
In both East and West, disease was often cured with plants that were either proven or intuited to have an effect on a particular system in the body that was injured or unbalanced. In Europe, the “Five Humors” theory was developed. In the near east, the “Three Dosha Ayurvedic” system was the basis of medicine. In the Far East, the “Five Elements” theory was practiced.
Publisher's Description: The bestselling author of The Mozart Effect taps cutting- edge science to show how we can use sound to improve our lives and achieve our goals.
Based on over a decade of new research, Don Campbell, bestselling author of The Mozart Effect, and Alex Doman, an expert in the practical application of sound and listening, show how we can use music-and silence-to become more efficient, productive, relaxed, and healthy.
Each chapter focuses on a single aspect of everyday life, providing advice, exercises, wide-ranging playlists, and links so readers can use the music they love to create the perfect soundtrack for any goal or task. Also included are "Sound Profiles"-brief stories showing how real people creatively tap the power of sound to improve their own and others' lives.
Coning is like smudging your insides.
Featured in the LA Times, on NBC, CBS & Barbara Walters | <urn:uuid:0e96d441-be78-4a9a-8a62-9ae0cbc2540d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.themessenger.info/content/about/itemlist/tag/Healing?start=24 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957938 | 766 | 1.703125 | 2 |
ALLEGAN -- In 1984, Sandy VerHage milked a lot of cows.
Recently married then, she worked side by side with her husband, Tim, splitting every duty on their dairy farm just about evenly.
"In those days we didn't have any employees," said VerHage, who now is 47. "We both did paperwork. We both took care of animals. We both cleaned barns."
After a 24-year evolution, VerHage Holsteins, in Allegan, is about much more than producing milk. Today, 70 cows are milked twice daily and 180 animals are being raised for breeding purposes.
Since the mid-1990s, the VerHages have augmented their income by selling bulls to stud organizations and have exported embryos from their heifers to 17 different countries. Genetics have become a large component of the business, marketing and advertising duties as well as Web development and maintenance. The administrative workload once meant only paying the bills and balancing the books.
"We have had foreign guests from Japan, China, Sweden, Finland -- all over," VerHage said. "They come to see our herd before they buy from us."
Two teenage daughters and a handful of employees free VerHage to complete most of the office work necessary to keep the farm running, but she makes time each day to get away from her desk and feed animals or clean barns.
"I could never work in an office all the time," VerHage said. "I worked as a secretary before I was married, and I hated being inside at a desk all of the time. I'm very much an outdoor person. Plus, I enjoy the animals very much."
In today's economy, many women work strictly for a paycheck, but others follow a passion no matter what the dollar figure. For VerHage, work involves a bit of both.
"We're lucky enough to be able to make a living doing something we enjoy," VerHage said. "But if we didn't turn a profit, I'd have to find something else to do."
Still loves working at 76
For Phyllis Drozd, also of Allegan, it's definitely love over money. Drozd is 76 years old and doesn't need to work for an income now, but she continues her labors.
"I could have retired years ago," said Drozd, who handles the administrative end of Drozd Seeds, a corporation she co-owns with her husband and two sons. "But I have worked since I was 14 years old. I don't know anything but work, and I love what I do -- especially the computer part."
While some people consider bookwork tedious, Drozd thoroughly enjoys all things numerical, including taxes, payroll and accounting.
"I did office work right out of high school, and I've always been good at it because I love details," Drozd said. "I love entering data and analyzing the reports generated with it."
Now that the family has expanded its work force, Drozd has time to concentrate on the work she loves too much to give up.
"I used to throw bags around and load seeds," said Drozd. "Mostly my husband and sons do that now."
For 60 years, the family business has meant a livelihood for Drozd; her husband, Tom, 81, and sons Jay, 41; and John, 49, who also farm 7,000 acres of corn and soybeans in three counties under their own operation, Drozd Farms.
But at an age when some women have hung up their professional hats, Drozd prefers to keep the business humming from behind her desk.
"I don't have a lot of hobbies, so without work I'd be lonely," Drozd said. "I like to interact with people, and this keeps me busy." | <urn:uuid:ff26fbe4-cebb-4050-987f-b2279b4891a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.mlive.com/kalamazoo_gazette_extra/2008/07/womens_love_for_farmwork_wont.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985554 | 805 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Consider the aroma of slow-roasting cashews dusted in curry. Consider the chocolate-covered coffee beans. Or the maple-glazed pecans. Or -- woah, are those pistachios?
The warm, spicy fragrance of roasted nuts is only part of what's appealing about Tierra Farm. The company is working hard to create a product, a business model and a work environment that's consistent with their values. And they look like they're having lots of fun while doing it.
And wait till you taste the chocolate-covered Cajun cashews. ...
Tierra Farm has been roasting nuts since 2000. What began as a winter project for farmer Gunther Fishgold -- who had run an organic CSA in the Finger Lakes region -- grew to become a year-round operation. But Gunther found that the Central New York winters affected their distribution, so he moved the business to the Capital Region. After a few years in Cohoes, Tierra Farm settled in Valatie, where they've been since 2005.
They sell nuts and dried fruits to co-ops and independent health food stores, as well as directly to consumers through their website. Their products are in stores from Maine to Florida, and into the Midwest.
But don't look for them in your big-box grocery store.
Gunther told the Honest Weight Co-op a few years back that Tierra Farm made a decision not to sell to supermarkets. "Hannaford Bros. has asked to sell their products in its supermarkets, but Tierra Farm has a policy of not doing business with corporations," the Coop Scoop reported.
"At this time we still only sell direct to independent health food stores and coops and not to any grocery chains," said Dan Laiosa, Tierra Farm's head of sales, last week. "We do this so that we can focus on our quality and our customer service. It enables us to have direct relationships with our customers and keep the products at the freshest level for the consumer."
Tierra Farm is a business that makes decisions with an eye on the world at large. Everything they sell -- and every ingredient they use -- is certified organic. And the facility gets 80 to 90 percent of its electricity from solar power.
"We hold ourselves to the highest standards," Dan said.
Quality and care are built into the production process. All their nuts -- almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and more -- are slow-roasted and mixed by hand in small batches. "Quality" is a word that comes up again and again. Besides, Dan says, "We're tasting it constantly."
And it's easy to understand why. Their Cajun cashews have a nice bite. Their cocoa-dusted almonds are rich, with an appealing hint of bitterness. But those curry cashews. Man, those are dangerous.
Tierra Farm started roasting fair-trade organic coffee about a year ago. And recently they took on a new project: A coffee house. Earlier this winter they launched Tierra Coffee Roasters -- the former Muddy Cup on Albany's Madison Ave.
Tierra Coffee Roasters, near the corner of Madison and Main in Albany.
They hope, later on, to open a retail outlet out at their Valatie facility as well. The modern space -- all natural wood and rural views -- already has an airy, welcoming feel, even on a grey spring day. Tierra employs nearly 30 people there; most of them appear to be 20-somethings with beards and plaid flannel shirts. The vibe is loose. Loud music plays. A guy breaks into spontaneous dance at the packing counter.
Tierra's focus on quality goes beyond the product and extends to the work experience. "No one likes to work," Dan said. "You've got to make it as positive an experience as possible."
They recently built a beautiful new break room with a professional kitchen; they've envisioned maybe having a chef come in once a week to cook lunch for the staff. Tierra's 10-acre plot includes a vegetable garden for employees, plus 20 chickens to provide them with eggs.
When you're making something good, and you're trying to do it in a good way, goodness ensues. I'll take my goodness slow-roasted and dusted with curry any day.
Where to buy Tierra Farm products locally
Honest Weight, Albany
the Troy Food Co-op
The Green Grocer in Clifton Park
Tierra Coffee Roasters (formerly the Muddy Cup, Madison Ave., Albany)
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient. | <urn:uuid:c5bd8475-5285-42dc-ba05-c1577cac2b9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2011/04/11/tierra-farm-quality-in-a-nutshell | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967006 | 1,041 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Archive/File: people/i/irving.david/libel.suit/transcripts/day021.14 Last-Modified: 2000/07/24 MR JUSTICE GRAY: Put the evidence to him, Mr Irving, and then we will see what it amounts to. MR IRVING: Is the evidence given by Hitler's other adjutant' Fritz Wiedemann in writing in his own manuscript on board a ship in February 1939 as he sails to a new life in the United States not evidence? A. Well, I cite this, do I not, on page 278? Q. You discount it. You say, OK, Mr Irving had evidence but again this is another piece I am going to discount because ---- A. I am afraid, I am sorry to interrupt you ---- MR JUSTICE GRAY: I have read it. It is hearsay. A. Yes, it is hearsay, it is reporting gossip. The fact that he is who he is is neither here nor there. It says it is reliably reported that Goebbels as well repeatedly telephoned from Munich during the night's worst outrages. It is hearsay. That is why I do not give much credence to . P-125 it. Q. If Hitler's adjutant Fritz Wiedemann -- who had been in fact his adjutant in World War I too had he not? A. Yes. Q. Fritz Wiedemann writes that it is reliably reported, and he writes this in his own handwriting and I am the first historian to have found it and deciphered it and used it, that Goebbels spent much of the night making these phone calls to stop the worst of the atrocities, and there is no value at all to be attached to that, is that right? A. It is merely hearsay. MR JUSTICE GRAY: Professor Evans, does the fact of him making telephone calls trying to stop the rot, as it were, fit in with the general picture of the events of that night? A. No. MR IRVING: Is that why you discount it? A. That is another reason. Q. So anything that does not fit in with your picture you discount? A. It is not my picture. It is the picture that emerges from the documents. MR JUSTICE GRAY: I think we have dealt with that. MR RAMPTON: Can I go back two steps please? I am sorry about this. My interruptions do not help the speed of proceedings either, I know. I am perhaps not as quick on the ball as I should be, but I notice now that what this . P-126 Hederich business arises from is it arises directly from the text of Mr Irving's book Goebbels at page 274. I see now why Professor Evans used the form of words that he did about a speech by Hitler. Right at the bottom of the page before the indented quotation Mr Irving writes this: "Several people who heard Goebbels' firebrand speech were uncomfortable. Karl Hederich, one of his department heads, felt that it conflicted with the tenor of Hitler's speech". MR JUSTICE GRAY: Yes. I think I have the point. That is based on nothing more than -- and I say this rather rudely to Mr Irving -- the reference to what Hederich had understood Hitler to have said. MR RAMPTON: The whole cross-examination was based upon the premise that it was Professor Evans who illegitimately turned that passage in the German into a speech by Hitler. It was not he at all. MR JUSTICE GRAY: I did realize it was really the other way round. MR RAMPTON: I am sorry, I had not. I was a bit slow. MR IRVING: You do accept, Professor Evans, do you not, that there is some evidence, no matter the fact that you discount it and I accept it, to the fact that there were phone calls made by Goebbels during the night? A. Could you point me towards it, please? MR IRVING: That is Wiedemann. . P-127 A. That is hearsay. Q. Hearsay is acceptable in civil cases. Do you accept also that there were phone calls from Hitler made to Goebbels on the evidence of the eyewitnesses like von Below, the Adjutants, that Hitler telephoned Goebbels to express his disfavour? A. Could you point me towards the piece of evidence you are referring to, please? Q. This is not evidence. This is the von Below interview which was put to you this morning, the transcript. A. Right. No, I do not because the von Below memoirs say that he was not in the room when Hitler made a phone call. Q. Are you saying that none of those three sources states that he was furious with Goebbels, he made a frightful scene with Goebbels? A. No, I am not. I am saying the sources were unreliable. We have been over this, Mr Irving. Q. You will see the point of this in a minute. Then there was a conference between Hitler and Goebbels by phone about the situation. That is what von Below says. Is that not right? He saw this? A. Where is this? Q. This is on page 4 of the bundle. MR JUSTICE GRAY: Assume it is there. I would have thought it was pretty obvious they would have spoken on the telephone. . P-128 A. Yes. MR IRVING: There is a reason for this, my Lord. We now come to the question of why Goebbels felt it necessary to draft an order which he issued later on in the following morning, or you say the afternoon, do you not? A. You are referring to the next day, as it were, now? Q. That is right. We are now after midnight. A. Well after. We are now into the daylight hours, as it were, or perhaps that is dawn. Q. No, we are after midnight. A. Exactly what time are we talking about, Mr Irving? MR JUSTICE GRAY: Where is the document? A. Yes. MR IRVING: First of all, I am saying, do you accept that there is one statement at least, namely by von Below, that Hitler telephoned Goebbels about the situation during the night hours? This on page 4 of the interview. MR JUSTICE GRAY: Assume that. A. Yes. MR IRVING: Yes. If therefore, and I now ask you to look at the little bundle of documents which has the anodnung in, if you still have it. MR JUSTICE GRAY: L2, tab 1, page 10. MR IRVING: If therefore on the following day, 10th November, at some time Goebbels issues this order ---- A. This is 10th November. . P-129 Q. It is the one immediately following the anodnung? A. Yes. Q. This is the actual order issued by Goebbels, is it issued to all the Kreisleiters and all Kreispropagandaleiters, which are the district propaganda officials? A. That is right, yes. Q. Does the document say, I refer to my announcement today concerning ending the anti-Jewish demonstrations, and so on? A. May I just go on, concerning the anti-Jewish demonstrations and actions which have already also been published in the press and by radio. Q. Yes. A. And preceding that is the press notice which, according to the footnote here, was issued at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Q. We are going to deal with that time in a minute. A. Yes. Q. Can you accept therefore that it is likely that a telephone conversation from Hitler to Goebbels was concerning the drafting of such a stop order, or stop orders, with the maximum possible dispatch? A. A telephone conversation, according to Goebbels' diary, on the morning of the 10th, before they met to finalise the order in the Osterea restaurant. Q. On page 282 of your report we now look at how that order . P-130 came around. A. Yes. Q. You say that, when Hitler and Goebbels talked, it is reported in the diary entry and no decision had yet been taken. A. Yes. Q. You say that, following this first conversation with Hitler, on the morning of 10th November, Goebbels drafted an order to bring the pogrom to a halt? A. Yes. Q. You quote his diary entry written on the following day referring to the morning of the 10th, "I prepared an order that put an end to the actions, I report to the Fuhrer at the Osterea". A. Yes. Q. Is it not extremely likely on the balance of probabilities that he prepared the order on the basis of his conversations with Hitler, whether in person or by telephone, and he then took the draft order round at Hitler's request to him at that restaurant? A. That is how I read it, yes. Q. So Hitler had ordered everything to stop? A. That is right. MR JUSTICE GRAY: On the morning of the 10th? MR IRVING: On the morning of the 10th, yes, my Lord. Why did they take this decision to stop everything then? Had . P-131 things got out of hand? Had the forest fire suddenly developed on to a scale that they began to fear they could not halt it? A. Let us just get quite clear when the order went out. MR JUSTICE IRVING: 4.00 pm. A. It went out, in my view, in the afternoon of the 10th. I think they decided that the action was complete. That is to say that the synagogues had been burnt down, the shops had been destroyed and wrecked, people were in the course of being arrested, and it was time to call it to an end. MR IRVING: My Lord, can I ask you where you get 4 pm from? I know it is there. MR JUSTICE GRAY: At the foot of page 10 of this file it says 10th November and then gives a reference for it. MR IRVING: I am looking for it in the expert report. MR JUSTICE GRAY: Does it matter where it is? MR IRVING: Well, yes, because there is a footnote. MR JUSTICE GRAY: It is page 10, L2, tab 1. A. Yes. MR IRVING: Because I have said that that order was issued at 10 a.m. that morning, my Lord, and I wanted to check the actual source. MR JUSTICE GRAY: Where do you get the 10 a.m. from? MR IRVING: That is why I wanted to check the actual source for it in the book, which is a radio monitoring report, . P-132 I believe. A. Ah, but this order goes out after the radio broadcast. Q. Can you tell me what page? MR RAMPTON: Yes. It is the bottom of 286, my Lord, top of 287, and the source is given. I think it is a deduction because he uses the word "probably", does Professor Evans. MR JUSTICE GRAY: It looks to me that, if you go back to the document I was inviting attention to, would S 117 an meldung 114 be a reference to the timing? A. Yes, page 107, and note 144. MR IRVING: Is it not correct, as is evident from my book on page 277, that at 10 a.m. he broadcast a live appeal for order over the Deuchslandsender, which is the national broadcasting system? MR JUSTICE GRAY: Before he met Hitler at the Osterea. MR IRVING: My Lord, yes, 10 a.m. A. Note 53. MR IRVING: This is another of your unreliable sources? A. Ingrid Weckert. Q. Is it only Ingrid Weckert or is it tape recordings or recordings or disks? A. You seem to have derived the information from Ingrid Weckert not to have seen the recordings in the Frankfurt radio archives yourself. Q. Yes. In other words, I am referencing the recordings of the broadcast made at 10 a.m. which she has found and she . P-133 has referred to, is that correct? A. First of all, I would have to see the document to accept your account of what is in it or rather ---- Q. Do you always ask to see documents? A. Yes, of course I do, Mr Irving, because I do not trust your account of what is in documents. Still less do I trust the account ---- Q. Do you know your own name without being shown a document? A. Still less do I trust the account that is given by Ingrid Weckert, whom I explain in my report as a notorious anti-Semite. Q. Anti-Semite? A. In Germany, not a serious historian, who ---- Q. Invented these recordings, has she? Is this what you are suggesting? A. I am not saying she has invented the recordings. I am saying that I cannot trust her account of what is in them. In order to be able to assess the point that you are putting to me, I would need to see an accurate transcript of these recordings. You would ask no less if you were in the witness box yourself, Mr Irving. Q. If we are concerned only with the time the broadcast was made. MR JUSTICE GRAY: We are not concerned only with the time. I am sorry, I am now interrupting you. We are concerned with the content because your point, as I understand it, is . P-134 that in effect this order was in place from 10 a.m. because it was broadcast. That is all very well if indeed the broadcast did say effectively what the order says. That is what the witness is wanting to be reassured about.
Site Map ·
What's New? ·
© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012
Home · Site Map · What's New? · Search Nizkor | <urn:uuid:a0f70038-f4eb-4475-b164-d0e4b9062866> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nizkor.org/ftp.cgi/people/i/irving.david/libel.suit/transcripts/day021.14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976763 | 2,990 | 1.609375 | 2 |
From: Ben Crick (email@example.com)
Date: Sat Feb 14 1998 - 22:24:12 EST
On Fri 13 Feb 98 (19:02:15), firstname.lastname@example.org wrote:
> OK. So here's the question. The Lukan form of the petition suggests
> that the situation of the petitioners is *not* one of hunger, one where
> they lack sustenance. It is presupposed that they *have* bread, they
> have been supplied with it. What they are asking for is that what they
> *have been* supplied with (this strange EPIOUSIOS bread) continue to be
> supplied. But does the Matthean version of the petition suggest or
> imply this? More importantly, is there anything in the grammar or the
> syntax of Matt. 6:11 which would rule this view out of court?
As one who followed this thread with great interest last year, yes, I would
like to make a few comments/suggestions. Not brickbats: MH GENOITO.
Accepting your Assumptions for the moment, not wanting to sidetrack myself
discussing THEM! I would agree with Edgar that Redaction Criticism has been
overdone, and that we should disregard its assumptions, and assume that what
we have is due to the redaction of our Lord's words by Matthew and Luke, not
by 2nd century hands of which we have no certain knowledge.
Your exegesis last year about the "bread" being like the Manna in the
wilderness; and the "temptation" being like the way the Israelites "tempted"
God "as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness,
when your fathers tempted me, and saw my works..." (Psalm 95:8-9), struck me
as not really germane to the disciples, soon to be apostles, who would be
teaching the CHURCH how to pray, not Israel. As a pastor of many years'
standing, I found that the temptations that I and my flock were heir to day
by day were NOT of that ilk at all, but were the temptations of the world, the
flesh, and the devil; or as John puts it, "the lust of the flesh, and the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16).
The earliest Latin liturgies, reflected in the Tridentine Mass and Jerome's
Vulgate, have the Paternoster in this form: "...Panem nostrum *cotidianum*
[Luke; where Matthew has 'supersubstantialem'] da nobis hodie.... et ne nos
inducas in tentationem...". It could be that the Church in Rome had the
'Venite exultemus Domino' (Psalm 95) in mind; in which case, there is the
probable precursor of your theory, Jeffrey. Obviously I am thinking aloud
here; but I wonder if 'supersubstantialem' connotes 'ordinary bread' as
opposed to the 'panem transsubstantialem' of the Roman Mass??? Which Latin
word better translates the hapax EPIOUSIOS ?
> ... What they are asking for is that what they *have been* supplied with
> (this strange EPIOUSIOS bread) continue to be supplied.
The only justification I can think of for this would be "Ye seek me, not
because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were
filled" (John 6:26). Many refer the "Bread of Life" of John 6 to the
Eucharist; but the Eucharist was not yet. Are the ARTOI PENTE KAI ICQUES DUO
an allegorical reference to 'Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour' and the 'Bread'
of Holy Communion? I think not; why five; why two? Surely Jesus did not mean
that we should receive the Eucharist on a daily basis.
Regarding PEIRASMOS: could Jesus be thinking rather of his temptation in the
wilderness by the Devil, and wanting to forewarn and forearm his disciples
lest they cave in to similar temptations? One of those temptation was to
"command these stones to be made bread". Following Luke's version of the LP,
Jesus says "... if a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will
he give him a stone?..." etc (Luke 11:11). So was it really likely that Jesus
had the Exodus 16 situation in mind?
The devil's second temptation was to "put the Lord to the test" by jumping
off the pinnacle of the Temple to see if He would keep His promise in Psalm
91:11-12 not to let a believer's foot be dashed against a stone. So here at
least your understanding of PEIRASMOS has some support. Some Christians do
presumptively quote texts instead of using their God-given commonsense, and
then come a cropper. May we be preserved from this!
The devil's aim in tempting Jesus was to get him to abandon the way of the
Cross. This went on through Peter "Get thee behind me, Satan" (Matthew 16:23)
and the enemies at the Cross "Let him now come down from the cross, and we
will believe him" (Matthew 27:42). Thus Satan tempts us NOT to take up our
cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34, 10:21; Luke 9:23).
So on balance, IMHO the PEIRASMOS that we need daily deliverance from is the
temptation to disobey God, not the temptation to presumptively put the
Almighty to the test.
"Sorry to write such a long letter; I did not have the time to write a short
one" (Ernest Hemingway).
-- Revd Ben Crick, BA CF <email@example.com> 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:39:07 EDT | <urn:uuid:0215ae4e-2c44-477a-902e-5a1f75d31840> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/1998-02/23870.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942522 | 1,386 | 1.773438 | 2 |
"Some months I worry that a check might reach the bank before my Social Security check is deposited on the 3rd," she said. "Other months I might have something left over -- lots depends upon whether I treated myself to something special at the grocery store, had an emergency of some sort or even bought something to wear."
Margaret Toman, 67, experiences the monthly Social Security squeeze on two fronts.
For the past 12 years, she has been caring for her 99-year-old mother, who receives nearly $1,400. And after Toman was laid off from her job in 2010, she began collecting Social Security benefits of $1,400 as well. They have no savings left.
After supplemental insurance and premiums for Medicare, prescription drugs and life insurance, Toman said the two of them are left with a combined $1,000 for their mortgage, utilities, groceries, car insurance, medical supplies and adult daycare for her mother.
Meanwhile, costs are going up all around them. Toman said gas and food hit particularly hard. For example, prepared meatloaf was $5 a little more than a year ago, and now it's $7.49. Liverwurst used to cost her $2, and she now pays $3.69.
Toman said she appreciates the monthly benefit but it doesn't reflect "real world" prices. "I just feel like I'm slipping on banana peels trying to catch up."
Mark Houlné, 63, has also been learning to budget his benefits. He began collecting Social Security last year after getting laid off from a manufacturing company in 2009 and failing to find full-time work.
Their income totals $3,100 a month: His $1,500 in Social Security and a $300 monthly pension, as well as $1,300 in disability for his wife, Susan, who had a cerebral hemorrhage in 1987.
Their biggest expense is rent, at $975 per month; food and other household expenses cost them about $850. They spend another $1,080 on electricity, water, phone, Internet, cable, car insurance, credit card payments and medical bills. And they try to keep a $100 buffer for incidentals like a new battery for the car or haircuts.
"We never take vacations, go out to eat only on our anniversary, buy no birthday or Christmas presents -- except for our grandkids -- never shop at the mall, never go to the movies or shows and control costs by carefully planning a budget," said Houlné. | <urn:uuid:6d9ec501-bd81-4d49-8a06-e7b4dddb4b3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ketv.com/news/money/Seniors-on-Social-Security-squeezed-by-rising-prices/-/9674314/17004376/-/item/1/-/6erd7c/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974235 | 527 | 1.648438 | 2 |
November 20, 2006
Al Gore at His Best, and Worst
Posted to Author: Pielke Jr., R. | Climate Change | Disasters
In yesterday’s Telegraph (UK) Al Gore has a lengthy article on climate change science and policy. In the piece Mr. Gore includes an egregious and unquestionable misrepresentation of the science of disasters and climate change. This is unfortunate, because it detracts from a compelling argument for action in the same piece.
Mr. Gore starts out, ironically enough, asserting the importance of peer-reviewed science. I call this ironic because the misrepresentation that follows (a) hasn’t been peer reviewed, and (b) the peer-reviewed literature contradicts the misrepresentation. Here is what Mr. Gore says about the peer reviewed literature:
[T]here is a reason why new scientific research is peer-reviewed and then published in journals such as Science, Nature, and the Geophysical Research Letters, rather than the broadsheets. The process is designed to ensure that trained scientists review the framing of the questions that are asked, the research and methodologies used to pursue the answers offered and even, in some cases, to monitor the funding of the laboratories — all in order to ensure that errors and biases are detected and corrected before reaching the public.
Shouldn’t this also apply to the claims that Mr. Gore makes, and not just his opponents? Here is the misrepresentation:
And with regards to some of the financial implications suggested by the Stern report, one need only look to the insurance industry for validation of the potential costs of global warming. On Wednesday, the reinsurance giant Munich Re reported, "driven by climate change, weather related disasters could cost as much as a trillion dollars in a single year by 2040".
We discussed this particular misrepresentation in depth in a post last week and discussed the Stern report’s misrepresentation the week before in this post. As I have said on many occasions, I am neither surprised nor too concerned that a politician would stretch the facts to advance his political agenda. What concerns me is that many scientists have been complicit in advancing such mischaracterizations and remain selectively mute when they are made. In this manner, a large portion of the mainstream climate science community has taken on the unfortunate characteristics of politicians like Mr. Gore, deciding to uphold scientific standards only when politically convenient. This is one way how science becomes pathologically politicized.
Mr. Gore’s misrepresentation is unfortunate because he makes a compelling argument for why action on climate change makes sense based on short-term benefits, a point a made in congressional testimony (PDF) last summer. Here is Mr. Gore’s argument for the short-term benefits for action on climate change:
Some of the policies detailed in the [Stern] report include: increasing global public energy research and development funding, dramatically reducing waste through energy efficiency measures, expanding and linking emissions trading systems and carbon markets, multiplying programmes to reduce deforestation of natural areas such as Amazonia, and continuing to set aggressive domestic and global targets to reduce the pollution that causes global warming. None of these policy measures should cause alarm.
We need more good arguments like this and less misrepresentation.Posted on November 20, 2006 01:37 AM
'Action' based on Gore's flawed science won't deliver climate control. He misrepresented the NAS panel, climate sensitivity to CO2, and category 3 Katrina, to pick just 3. If the science is sound, why is it constantly necessary to misrepresent it? The questions remain - how much of 'global warming' is man-made, have we or will we exceed natural variability? Few would argue against : 'increasing global public energy research and development funding, dramatically reducing waste through energy efficiency measures, multiplying programmes to reduce deforestation of natural areas such as Amazonia,' or continuing to improve air quality.
Posted by: Paul Biggs at November 20, 2006 03:17 AM
"The [peer review] process is designed to ensure that trained scientists review the framing of the questions that are asked, the research and methodologies used to pursue the answers offered and even, in some cases, to monitor the funding of the laboratories — all in order to ensure that errors and biases are detected and corrected before reaching the public."
This seems to greatly overstate the purpose and effect of scholarly peer review, and dangerously so. It implies a supervisory role for peer reviewers that they do not have, and a standard of accuracy that they are not asked to enforce. Peer reviewers advise editors whether a paper is worthy of being published; that is all.
I have not (yet) read Gore's entire article, but from this snip it appears that he seeks to force (and then enforce) scientific consensus -- i.e., utilize science for political purposes.
It is no defense, Roger, to say that this is unacceptable with respect to those scientific claims Gore makes that you believe are false, but okay with respect to those scientific claims he makes that you believe are true.
If the tactic of politicizing science is unacceptable, it must be so irrespective of one's perceptions of the truthfulness of the scientific claim. If I were to take the position that it's okay to politicize what I consider truthful scientific claims but unacceptable to politicize what I consider false scientific claims, then I have added nothing to this debate and my ethics are indistinguishable from those of my scientific opponents.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 20, 2006 07:32 AM
Generation Investment Management
The firm was created in 2004 by six founding Partners:
Hon. Al Gore is Chairman;
David Blood, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, is Managing Partner;
Peter S. Knight, formerly Managing Director Met West Financial, lawyer, Chief of Staff for Senator Al Gore (D-TN) from 1977-1989, and Campaign Manager for President Clinton's successful re-election in 1996, is President of Generation U.S.; and
Our Chairman, former Vice President Al Gore, has assembled Generation's Advisory Board which consists of global leaders and thinkers from capital markets, industry, sustainability, economics, and geopolitical fields. The Advisory Board plays an important part in establishing our long term thematic research agenda into global sustainability issues, such as poverty, climate change, ecosystem services, biodiversity, pandemics, demographics, migration, public policy and responsible lobbying.
Posted by: Paul Biggs at November 20, 2006 07:56 AM
Thanks for your comments.
It seems to me that you and I have different definitions of what it means to "politicize" science. How do you define "politicize"?
From where I sit we want science politicized. Politics is how we get done the business of society. Science offers a powerful way to understand the world, why wouldn't we want science contributing to the business of society?
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 20, 2006 08:13 AM
Now that I have read Gore's article, I do not believe that the snip on peer review was the most important element. Because he offers such a ringing (if grandiose) defense of scholarly peer review, reporters (if they have the courage) can challenge him with respect to scientific claims he makes that are not supported by peer reviewed research. And if he is honest, he will withdraw those claims.
For me the most salient aspect of Gore's article is he says stopping global climate change is a moral issue. If that is so, then it is most definitely NOT a scientific one. Science has neither the tools nor the legitimacy to address moral issues. Indeed, moral issues often transcend science. It is a plausible moral argument that anthropogenic global warming ought to be stopped even if science does not show it to cause significant harm. Just as there is no utilitarian defense for slavery, if global warming is a moral failure then there is no defense for it, either.
But we should be clear: if the issue is moral, then science is merely instrumental. Science serves the purpose of excluding all other values from the political debate. The exclusion of other values is necessary because democratic decision-making processes yield compromise, and compromise is incompatible with morality. If you believe slavery is morally wrong, then the only tolerable amount of it is zero. If you believe that abortion is evil, then agreeing to a compromise means accepting a positive and measurable amount of murder.
A thought experiment is helpful in this regard. If tomorrow some new bit of scientific information were discovered which proved that the human contribution to climate change is negligible, what position would Gore and like-minded moralists take? If their moral views are founded on science, they would withdraw all previous claims and policy recommendations and find other things to do. But if their moral views transcended science, they would alter their policy views not a whit -- except that they would now wage war on science.
Coming full circle, Gore makes claims about hurricanes and global climate change that Roger convincingly says are scientifically false. Then Gore's true view about science can be discerned by his conduct after being confronted by this falsehood. If he fails to withdraw the false claim, then we may infer that his embrace of science is merely instrumental: science has value to him only insofar as it advances his moral vision, and it may be freely discarded when it does not.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 20, 2006 08:30 AM
I'll take a stab at your question.
"Politicization" is a pejorative term used two ways. First, it describes the use of scientific information for policy purposes when it is convenient or expedient but not otherwise. Second, it is used to imply falsification, corruption, or some other unsavory conversion process has occurred.
Thus, the term implies either hypocrisy or corruption. I cannot think of an example in public discourse in which the term was morally neutral, much less used positively, as you have done in your response. Is this a political science jargon thing?
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 20, 2006 08:59 AM
Thanks. I agree that "politicization" is generally used pejoratively. But just as the term "political" is often used pejoratively, there is far more to it.
Political scientists do indeed see more to "politics" than the pejorative, and so too should we in the issue of "politicization".
Unless we are rigorous in our thinking on this issue, "politicization" of science will simply refer to the use (or misuse, as the case might be) of science by one's political opponents, and the same behaviour by one's political allies will be overlooked. This would lead us to the politicization of the politiiczation of science!
We do need some abiltiy to distinguish the effective use of science in politics from the alternatives.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 20, 2006 09:07 AM
Just a couple of quick thoughts:
If global warming is a moral issue, than no laws can be passed regarding global warming, for Al Gore's party has long maintained that we can not legislate morality!
While I agree with Al Gore that some actions can be taken that should cause little pain and have obvious co-benefits, I don't believe all of his recommendations qualify. Certainly some people are positioning themselves to benefit from global warming related industries (like Al Gore), but trading schemes and subsidizing new technologies (that may or may not work) are net drains on the global economy. Al regularly employs the 'broken window' fallacy when making his economic calculations.
To all AGW crisis supporters: Either drop the nonsense about skeptics being stooges for big oil, or distance yourself from Al Gore! One can not claim that a few thousand dollars from an oil company discredits anything a scientists has to say, then praise Al Gore, who stands to profit greatly from this alleged crisis. If money corrupts, then the AGW crisis side of the argument is significantly more corrupted!
Posted by: Jim Clarke at November 20, 2006 10:39 AM
The question on the table: How do you define "politicize"?
In your post of Nov 16 you offered this definition:
In the comments for this post you write:
"From where I sit we want science politicized. Politics is how we get done the business of society. Science offers a powerful way to understand the world, why wouldn't we want science contributing to the business of society?"
Later in the comments:
In the initial message of this thread/post you write of:
Do you distinquish between "politicization" and "pathological politicization"? In your view are there desirable and undesirable type? (A distinction not made in the Nov 16 posting)
So it seems there are at several different elements or aspects to your working definition of politicization of science and at least two elements to a possible definition of pathological politicization. I'd like to know your concise, definition.
Posted by: Cortlandt at November 20, 2006 12:20 PM
Thanks for the link. The juxtaposition of Waxman and Hoover is helpful, though you seem to throw up your hands at the challenge of critically reviewing the merits of each set of charges. Just because both sides accuse their opponents of (pejoratively) politicizing science doesn't mean that both sets of charges are equally valid.
Also, it seems to me that the horse of pejoration has been out of the barn an awful long time. Recovering any neutral usage for that term seems hopeless to me. There once was a time when "partisanship" meant merely fealty to party and was neither objectionable not malevolent. Somewhere along the way it lost any notion of principle and became associated with the absence of same.
In your article on the politicization of the the politicization of science, you yearn for the good old days before OTA was terminated. If OTA was such a great source of neutral scientific information, why did the 104th Congress kill it?
Also, in the case of CFCs, I don't think there was anything innovative about the distinction between "essential" and "nonesssential" uses. EPA's authority to make these assignments interfered with programmatic success because it created unnecessary uncertainty. Market allocation of scarce Freon would have made this distinction more effectively and efficiently, and without a bureaucratic intermediary.
If I recall correctly, the political consensus happened because there was a single producer (DuPont), not zillions of them. Also, DuPont happened to make both Freon and its Montreal Protocol-compatible HCFC substitute. Where ammonia was substituted for Freon, the ban created a significant health and safety risk.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 20, 2006 12:23 PM
I'm uncomfortable with the assertion that peer review should be used "to monitor the funding of the laboratories". It's hard not to conclude that such monitoring would be used specifically to screen out climate research funded by oil companies. If research is to be screened out, it ought to be on its lack of merit, not on the basis of who paid for it.
It constitutes the injection of politics into the peer review process -- only politically-correct funding is allowable.
Posted by: Kerry Thompson at November 20, 2006 12:26 PM
Thanks for your comments and questions. A few replies:
"politicization of science" = the use of the systematic pursuit of knowledge in the process of bargaining, negotiating, and compromising in pursuit of desired outcomes
"pathological politicization of science" = misuse of the systematic pursuit of knowledge in the process of bargaining, negotiating, and compromising in pursuit of desired outcomes
You might ask, what constitutes "misuse"? Among the types of misuse are:
What is not misuse?
For details, please see this report:
Is this analysis perfect of bullet proof? Not at all. But it does represent an effort to systematically think through these issues.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 20, 2006 12:48 PM
Thanks for the follow up. I am not too concerned about popular uses of wonky jargon ;-) But it does present challenges for communication to a broad audience.
On CFCs, a political consensus occurred for a number of reasons, the limited number of producers was an important factor, as was the invention of substitutes. But, as I've argued, breaking the problem up into smaller, more tractable problems (essential v. non-essential) is also part of the story.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 20, 2006 12:52 PM
>"politicization of science" = the use of the systematic pursuit of knowledge in the process of bargaining, negotiating, and compromising in pursuit of desired outcomes
That sounds like 'scientification of politics' to me.
In my opinion "politicization of science" = the use of the process of bargaining, negotiating, and compromising in controlling the pursuit of knowledge.
Posted by: Steve Gaalema at November 20, 2006 12:59 PM
Steve- Thanks. The phrase "scientization of politics" I first saw used by Peter Weingart to refer to efforts to turn politics into science, that is to assume that we can resolve our political debates (bargaining, negotiation, compromise) through the sytematic pursuit of knowledge. In other words, once everyone agrees on the facts, then they will also then agree on what to do.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 20, 2006 02:10 PM
Dr. Pielke said:
>What is not misuse?
The report doesn't say that these are *not* misuse, it says, "A misuse may be present in cases of cherry picking and dueling experts but to make such an argument requires additional interpretation on a case-by-case basis."
This seems like an important point, no?
Posted by: JJ at November 20, 2006 04:12 PM
JJ- Thanks. Yes, this is a very important point. It is possible that cherrypicking or dueling experts might fall into the category of misrepresentation, but this is not necessarily the case.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 20, 2006 05:11 PM
I disagree with the original post and think it's fair for Gore, Munich Re: or others to express concern over the contributions from climate change to extreme weather events, irrespective of compounding factors like increased coastal development, and that the exact extent of climate change's influence on storms may be unknowable.
To refrain from communicating trends and impacts likely scenarios to the public is more irresponsible than sounding the alarm based on our best understanding of the science today. Without knowing all the risks, how can politicans and the public make the right choices?
Posted by: Roger S. at November 20, 2006 10:16 PM
R. Belzer says:
Actually, the system of peer review is also used to evaluate proposals to various national funding bodies (NSF, ARC, etc) For labs that are mantained by grant money, the system does have an indirect supervisory role.
As for the moral angle, many moral issues become moral only after the economic aspect of those issues are settled. For example, moral restrictions on the treatment of horses used for transport in the industrial world were developed only after these animals became obsolete.
Posted by: Lab Lemming at November 21, 2006 12:51 AM
I accept Lab Lemming's friendly correction RE peer review, though think Gore was speaking about published research, not grant proposals. Peer review is used by both governmental and nongovernmental funders to evaluate competing proposals.
Nevertheless, Lab Lemming's point also raises another limitation of grant peer review. To the extent that funders rely on cycles of prior grant recipients to peer review current proposals, peer review becomes both incestuous and conflicted. To the extent that funders have well defined policy, political or bureaucratic agendas, they will tend to seek out like-minded peer reviewers willing and able to steer funds in a preferred direction.
Elsewhere, Roger has said that climate change research is biased in favor of long-range mitigation instead of short-range adaptation. I would bet that funders are not interested in short-range adaptation and proposals are evaluated by peer reviewers who share this disinterest.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 21, 2006 06:43 AM
It appears that I was not alone in having difficulty with your jargon. Inasmuch as your argument depends so much on clarity of language, it is troubling that each effort to clarify the terminology has created additional definitional issues, exceptions, provisos, etc.
I am no longer clear just what it is that Gore said that has you ticked off, except that he linked global climate change with hurricane damages in ways that you believe are scientifically inaccurate and unjustified based on your own research. Depending on which of your definitions we use, Gore could be located either well within (non-pejorative) "politicization of science" or way outside of it.
Let me suggest a different approach. Let's define "scientific error" as belonging to three types:
(1) statements that are flatly wrong;
(2) statements that are not supported by scientific evidence or are based on inferences that exceed what can be inferred from scientific evidence; or
(3) statements that exceed what science is capable of speaking about authoritatively.
"Scientific error" ought to be exposed in political and policy debates, because if it is allowed to stand it undermines the integrity of science and weakens its legitimate role in policy- and decision-making.
Using this system, I understand you to be saying that Gore's comments about AGW and hurricane disasters belongs in category (2). (I don't recall if you made other claims and cannot cycle back to your post without losing my place in the comment editor.)
I am most concerned about scientific errors in category (3). This is where scientists are most likely to betray scientific principle. It is where political actors are most prone to misuse science and scientific information. Scientists who agree with a political actor's agenda are likely to be actively or (especially) passively complicit. Conversely, scientists who object to category (3) errors are likely to be accused of harboring presumptively immoral viewpoints (e.g., climate "skepticism," affinity for "Big Oil," Holocaust denial, etc.)
Gore's use of science to justify moral claims belongs within category (3). Whether he also erred with respect to hurricane damages (a category (2) error) is a relatively minor issue, because his category (3) error would persist even if he stopped making the hurricane damage claim -- or, unimaginably, publicly admitted to the error and corrected it.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 21, 2006 07:27 AM
The only place that Gore mentions hurricanes is in this context:
Sir Winston Churchill said: "One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half."
We learned this lesson again the hard way in the US when we were warned that the levees were about to break in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina and those warnings were ignored. Later, a bipartisan group of members of Congress, chaired by Representative Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia, said in an official report: "The White House failed to act on the massive amounts of information at its disposal."
Gore does not in any way state that global warming caused Katrina. He is making a statement about the lack of action in response to warnings from engineers and scientists regarding the levees. The implicit assumption is that we should heed the warming from scientists regarding global warming
Gore's statement about Katrina is not inappropriate in the context of this article. In the broader context of his op-ed immediately following Katrina and to a lesser extent his movie, he has previously tried to use Katrina in the context of the global warming argument in ways that are not scientifically defensible. I do not think that he did so in this article.
Gore has staffers on board to carefully vet the scientific accuracy of what he is saying/writing. In fact, Peter Webster was contacted by someone from Gore's staff a week or so ago (possibly in the context of this article) regarding the veracity of a particular statement he wanted to make regarding hurricanes. So Gore is being extremely careful about what he is saying with regards to the science.
All in all, given the complexities of the issue, the challenges of communicating with the public, and the political importance of the issue, I would say that Gore did an excellent job with this piece.
He wanders into slightly dicey but nevertheless very important territory on the morality issue. The whole issue of values is one that has not received sufficient examination in the context of global warming. The main value that has been put forward in the U.S. is short term economic prosperity (as in we can't do anything about it because it will jeopardize the economy). The importance of Stern's report (in spite of its technical flaws) is that it addresses the longer term economic issues. Evangelicals, environmentalists, and others are trying to bring additional values to the table (environmental stewardship, social justice, etc.) This definitely adds a new dimension to the global warming issue, one that I predict will become more prominent with time.
Posted by: Judith Curry at November 21, 2006 08:54 AM
Today's news has another example of category (3) scientific error"
"Gender-bending boy fruit flies fight like girls," Reuters, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061119/sc_nm/science_flies_dc_1.
"People have a lot to learn about the biological basis of aggression, said Harvard neurobiologist Edward Kravitz, one of the study's authors.
" 'It goes without saying aggression, as well as violence, in society is a serious problem. It has to have biological roots. And the biological roots will have genetic components and experiential components,' Kravitz said in an interview."
No, it does not "go without saying" that masculine traits are bad. Kravitz is using science for purposes that go beyond what science is capable of speaking about authoritatively.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 21, 2006 10:04 AM
How about this quote from editorial of the November issue of Scientific (or "Scientific") American, on California's adoption of CO2 emissions restrictions (and other states adopting similar measures):
"We fervently hope that the courts reject this argument and recognize the fundamental right of states to protect their citizens from the catastrophic consequences of global warming."
So let's see...if *California* adopts regulations to restrict emissions form the "catastrophic consequences of global warming," then citizens in *California* will be protected from the "catastrophic consequences" of *global* warming. That's not merely wrong...it's not even rational!
It's amusing/depressing that the editors and writers at Scientific ("Scientific") American clearly think they are different from fundamentalist Christians who believe completely irrational things. Then they make editorial statements like that. Amazing.
Posted by: Mark Bahner at November 21, 2006 10:52 AM
In the interests of clearer communication let me make a couple of comments about points that were not clear to me:
The statement: "Shouldn’t this also apply to the claims that Mr. Gore makes"
"What concerns me is that many scientists have been complicit in advancing such mischaracterizations and remain selectively mute when they are made. In this manner, a large portion of the mainstream climate science community has taken on the unfortunate characteristics of politicians ..."
The section of Gore's editorial you quote references to a report from Munich Re and the Stern Report. Do you mean that one of those reports is an illustration of scientists being complicit in advancing mischaracterization? If so, the connection is not clear to me and is not explicitly drawn in your post.
Posted by: Cortlandt at November 21, 2006 01:01 PM
Thank you. This exchange helped makes some clear to me that I missed in several readings of various papers. But frankly, I don't recall seeing the following three ideas explicitly juxtaposed.
1) "politicization of science" = the use of the systematic pursuit of knowledge in the process of bargaining, negotiating, and compromising in pursuit of desired outcomes
2) "pathological politicization of science" = misuse of the systematic pursuit of knowledge in the process of bargaining, negotiating, and compromising in pursuit of desired outcomes
3) "The scientization of politics" refers to efforts to turn politics into science, to attempt to resolve political debates (bargaining, negotiation, compromise) through the sytematic pursuit of knowledge.
I propose that each phenomena has related, but distinct consequences for debates and for policy making. For instance, it seems to me that compared to "politicization" issues in 1) and 2) that the "scientization of politics" is a far more important cause of the grid-lock that you and Dan Sarewitz have written about.
Posted by: Cortlandt at November 21, 2006 01:38 PM
Richard- Thanks. You write:
"I am no longer clear just what it is that Gore said that has you ticked off, except that he linked global climate change with hurricane damages"
Please read my post again, as this was not at all my concern. Mr. Gore unambiguously misrepresented the Munich Re report which does not support the point he was trying to make. For details:
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 21, 2006 01:56 PM
Judy- As always, thanks for participating.
However, who said anything about Katrina in relation to Gore's Independent piece? Not me. Please have a look at what I actually wrote.
If in fact Mr Gore is doing as you suggest -- "Gore has staffers on board to carefully vet the scientific accuracy of what he is saying/writing." Then his mischaracterization of the Munich Re report is even more amazing, as it would take about 5 minutes to see that this particular claim is untrue.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 21, 2006 02:06 PM
Thanks. I see a lot of merit in your 3 part taxonomy. It does seem fairly similar to the one our class came up with:
1. Mistake = (1)
We also came up with "delegitimization." We could probably get a group of people together to come up with a useful taxonomy. From my perspective it is more important that people are actually thinking about what constitutes a misuse of science, rather than just assuming it.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 21, 2006 02:10 PM
Thanks for your questions. Let me offer a few replies.
1. Mr. Gore's invocation of peer review is ironic because he is mischaracterizing a report that is not peer reviewed, when the actual peer reviewed literature clearly supports a conclusion opposite the one he is making.
2. My comment about scientists being complicit included a link to this post:
Which includes further links to a range of scientists mischaracterizing the science of disasters and climate change. It was not a reference to the Gore op-ed. Sorry for any confusion.
3. Thansk for your comments on politicization/scientization ... one reason that I have written a book on this subject was to pull a lot of these ideas together in a form more convenient than a bunch of papers and a sprawling blog ;-) Of course, the book may be clear as mud, but it is an attempt to draw ideas together.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 21, 2006 02:17 PM
Can I un-ask a question please? In re-reviewing the post again today I skimmed right past the answer to my question regarding Mr. Gore and the use of peer-reviewed literature.
I still struggle with the contextual relevance of the comment about how "scientists have been complicit in advancing such mischaracterizations and remain selectively mute when they are made".
Posted by: Cortlandt Wilson at November 21, 2006 02:21 PM
Interesting that Gore has such apparently knowledgeable people behind him, as he says:
"carefully constructed super-computer climate models ... (include) the fundamentally important responses of ... clouds that act to increase the effects of extra carbon dioxide"
Notice everything "increases" the effects of extra CO2 - nothing compensates, or even *may* reduce.
"direct observations from ... the last ice age ... give estimates of the earth's sensitivity to extra CO2 that are exactly in line with model results (around a 3C warming for a doubling of the CO2 concentration).
He somehow forgets that temperature changes preceeded CO2 changes during the ice ages, so nothing in the ice age record shows anything about CO2 causing temperature to change.
"the "hockey stick" graph (an old and worn-out hobby horse of the pollution lobby in the US)"
If the science was wrong and misleading, it is still wrong and misleading. Dismissing that fact is fraudulent.
Posted by: Steve Hemphill at November 21, 2006 06:39 PM
I agree that "delegitmation" belongs, but I don't know what to do with it because I can only remember three points. ;-)
To be clear, we are are only providing a taxonomy of scientific error. So only the elements of "delegitimation" that are unique to science need to be accounted for. Run-of-the-mill character assassination etc is surely not absent from science but is hardly unique to science, either.
So I'm sticking with my trinitarian taxonomy. If pressed, I think I could classify scientific delegitimation into one of those three categories. I could even apply it to some of the posts in this thread!
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 21, 2006 09:09 PM
I want to comment now on this snip from Gore, which has already been commented upon by others:
"We learned this lesson again the hard way in the US when we were warned that the levees were about to break in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina and those warnings were ignored. Later, a bipartisan group of members of Congress, chaired by Representative Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia, said in an official report: 'The White House failed to act on the massive amounts of information at its disposal.' "
First, appeals to the opinions of authoritative opposition figures in lieu of science is a common political tactic, and it should be recognized as such by scientists. It enables the speaker to evade responsibility for the accuracy of the statement. All that matters is that someone "on the other side" made the statement; ergo, it is correct enough for political combat. Whatever a speaker tries to support with mere oppositional authority should be discarded as nonscientific. Had Gore wanted scientific support for his claim, he would have cited a scientific authority rather than a Member of Congress. He didn't, and that decision speaks for itself.
Second, appeals to the opinions of bipartisan authorities also do not establish fact. All bipartisanship does is rule out partisanship as the motivation for opinion. It does not rule out other motives, such as Congress' institutional desire to evade accountability. Given Congress' historic practice of earmarking projects rather than allowing them to be selected based on technical peer review and benefit-cost analysis, it has a strong institutional motive for shifting responsibility to the president. The last president capable of understanding levee design and maintenance issues (never mind having the time to do so) is Herbert Hoover.
Finally, Gore's specific claim that the White House failed to act is preposterous, and he, of all people, knows this having served eight years as vice president. There is nothing the president -- any president -- can do to shore up badly engineered and installed levees, some of which were under federal jurisdiction but most of which were not, much less do this days before a hurricane. Whether FEMA could have done a significantly better job after the fact is arguable, but irrelevant to Gore's point because FEMA doesn't do levees.
Whatever truthful scientific statements Gore might have made in his article, his willingness to make false and defamatory nonscientific statements about his political opponents invites readers to doubt (or even dismiss) his scientific bona fides.
Posted by: Richard Belzer at November 21, 2006 09:58 PM
well Gore sure has it much more on the money than fiction writer Michael Crichton and his paternalistic droning on "scientific consensus" etc (and Crichton is continually trumped out as an expert witness by the Creationist Repub crowd).
Posted by: Carl Christensen at November 22, 2006 10:50 AM
Thanks for commenting.
Let me see if I have this straight -- We should overlook Mr. Gore's misrepresentations because he is in general more accurate than Michael Crichton who is invoked as an authority by some people that you dislike?
If this is your thinking, then this is a good example of a scientist being complicit in misrepresentations, so long as they are politically convenient.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 22, 2006 12:46 PM
Gore "makes a compelling argument for why action on climate change makes sense based on short-term benefits." For action "on climate change" to make sense it must take account both benefits and costs, not only benefits.
Posted by: Biopolitical at November 22, 2006 02:05 PM
Marcelino- Thanks. You are right, it would have been more accurate to say _net_ short-term benefits.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 22, 2006 04:40 PM
Judith Curry wrote:
"All in all, given the complexities of the issue, the challenges of communicating with the public, and the political importance of the issue, I would say that Gore did an excellent job with this piece."
Mochton of Brenchly has written a line by line response to Al Gore. It is available on the Junkscience website at:
While readers may not agree with everything in the response, it clearly demonstrates that there is substantial peer-reviewed evidence that does not support the IPCC position on climate change, much less the more dramatic Al Gore position. It also clearly demonstrates the weaknesses of Al Gore's non-scientific arguments.
Al Gore DOES excel at touching emotional buttons and tapping into peoples feelings. I am always leary of those who choose to persuade by targeting the heart and avoiding the brain.
Posted by: Jim Clarke at November 22, 2006 06:38 PM
Do I really need to go through pages 3 through 6???
Posted by: Steve Hemphill at November 22, 2006 11:16 PM
"On Wednesday, the reinsurance giant Munich Re reported, "driven by climate change, weather related disasters could cost as much as a trillion dollars in a single year by 2040".
Your comment on this statement Roger was to call it a misrepresentation and refer back to a previous post.
"We discussed this particular misrepresentation in depth in a post last week ..."
What is the nature of Gore's misrepresentation in your opinion? Does it derive all and only from the implication that ALL of the predicted losses are be due to climate change or is it something else? Are you willing to hang the charge of misrepresentation on a reading that that you infer, but is not explicitly stated?
Going back and reading the previous post and referenced literature I am wondering exactly what, in your opinion, that Gore misrepresented.
The post referenced is: http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/archives/climate_change/000989more_climate_and_dis.html
The statements of the consensus report at times read to me as almost contradictory. There are certainly opportunities to "cherry pick".
Statistics of loss events related to weather show both globally and for some regions substantial increases over the past decades. The major contributions are from storms and floods. For instance, in the North Atlantic there has
Play devils advocate here, but recalling your and your students published work I wonder if "cherry picking" rather than misrepresentation might be the better term of art to describe Gore's writing.
Indeed, amoung the consensus statements one can find grounds for a catastrophic view. Statement 15 for example:
[quote] 15. Mitigation of GHG emissions should also play a central role in response to anthropogenic climate change ...
... Emission reductions, however, influence the future levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and by this an even further increase in global temperatures and the potential for more and more intensive extreme events. Emission reductions are necessary to reduce the risk to reach levels of CO2 concentrations which might lead to abrupt climate changes and/or processes in the atmosphere which could become irreversible ... [unquote]
These statements do seem to support a more general concern about the impacts of AGW on storm losses.
Posted by: Cortlandt at November 28, 2006 05:17 PM
Thanks for your comments and questions.
You ask, "What is the nature of Gore's misrepresentation in your opinion?"
He writes: "And with regards to some of the financial implications suggested by the Stern report, one need only look to the insurance industry for validation of the potential costs of global warming. On Wednesday, the reinsurance giant Munich Re reported, "driven by climate change, weather related disasters could cost as much as a trillion dollars in a single year by 2040"."
The Munich Re report does not present the "costs of global warming." In fact it says quite the opposite. Gore is clearly suggesting that the "trillion dollar" figure has some attribution to global warming, when it does not. This is a clear misrepresentation of what the Munich Re report says.
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 28, 2006 06:26 PM
I am wondering if I am daft, "missed the memo", or just am the first to state the obvious but it seems that Gore must have misattributed the author of the report when he wrote:
He must have been refering to the UNEP FI’s Climate Change Working Group publication of "Adaptation and Vulnerability to Climate Change: The Role of the Finance Sector" which was release Wednesday, November 15.
I could find no such report on Munich Re's website or by a search via Google. A search for "Munich Re 2040" landed plenty of hits for the UNEP's report.
Posted by: Cortlandt at November 29, 2006 10:40 AM
Cortlandt- Thanks. Munich Re is a member of the UNEP FI Working group, and as I understand it, the report was released at a side event organized by Munich Re at the recent Nairobi climate meeting . So it would have been correct for Mr. Gore (and us in follow up) to refer to this as a UNEP report prepared by its FI CC Working Group and written by a consultant. Does this make sense?
Posted by: Roger Pielke, Jr. at November 29, 2006 10:50 AM
Yes it makes sense. And I note that no one did it correctly, that is, in the way you describe. I regret that I didn't follow through in my efforts to track down the report much earlier. Identifying the UNEP report as a report by Munich RE is about as helpful as identifying this entire posting as Cortlandt's post because I made several comments to it.
I would call this an error of attribution in Gore's article. I proposed that a fact checker in a newspaper would have found this error. I see this as ironic given Gore's emphasis on the importance of peer review.
Posted by: Cortlandt Wilson at November 29, 2006 10:02 PM | <urn:uuid:b8bda975-bc4f-4b95-92db-efcc2d386808> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/archives/climate_change/000993al_gore_at_his_best.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955801 | 9,166 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Turkey to ask Nato for Patriot missiles
Ankara, November 8, 2012
Turkey will imminently lodge an official request with Nato asking the military alliance to deploy Patriot missiles along its border with Syria to guard against violence spilling over, a senior Turkish foreign ministry official said.
If approved, the deployment would represent a further deterioration in relations between Turkey and Syria - once close allies - and see more military hardware poured into a region where tensions are already high.
Britain also appeared to harden its stance on Syria on Wednesday when Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had ordered UK diplomats to talk directly to Syrian rebels. Britain's previous stance had been to engage only with political representatives of the opposition.
Syria's war, in which the opposition estimates 38,000 people have been killed, raises the spectre of wider Middle East turbulence and poses one of the greatest foreign policy challenges for U.S. President Barack Obama as he starts his second term.
Analysts said Obama had been unable to make bold moves on Syria during the election period because of the risk that doing so would hurt his popularity. Britain and Turkey have joined U.S. calls for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Syrian rebels fired mortars at Assad's palace in Damascus on Wednesday but missed, an attack underlining the growing boldness of those fighting to end his family's 42-year rule and the rebel strategy of launching high-profile attacks against symbols of his rule.
A July bomb that killed four of Assad's top lieutenants was swiftly followed up with an advance into Damascus by rebels but they were then partially beaten back by Assad's forces.
Damascus residents told Reuters heavy-calibre shells apparently aimed at the palace had hit the nearby residential Mezze 86 district that is home to members of Assad's Alawite sect. State-run media said at least three people had been killed and seven wounded in what it described as a terrorist attack.
The violence has highlighted the sectarian dimension of a civil war that is deepening the rift between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in the region - Assad's Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
Allegations of Syrian soldiers looting foreign aid surfaced on Wednesday after a medical aid group said troops had been seizing the supplies and reselling them or channelling them towards government loyalists, putting millions of lives at risk.
"When the regime attacks one of our medical facilities, whether it's a hospital or something else, they load up everything they can carry, and they burn the rest," said Tawfik Chamaa, a Geneva-based doctor and spokesman for the Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations (UOSSM).
Direct contact with rebels
"(The armed opposition) are playing an increasingly influential role within Syria as the conflict worsens," Hague said in a statement.
"I have therefore now authorised my officials to have direct contact with an even wider range of representatives including military figures in the armed opposition."
He said Britain would continue to only supply non-lethal support to the unarmed opposition, in compliance with a European Union arms embargo and British export licensing laws.
British officials would stress the importance of human rights and the rejection of "extremism and terrorism", and contact with the rebels would be limited to political dialogue, he said. – Reuters
More Miscellaneous Stories
- Mubadala unit developing new cabin concept
- Iran denies link to spying ring in Saudi
- Turkey shuts Syria border after bombings
- Enrolment for tourism youth summer camp opens
- Bahrain MPs vote to ban pork
- Kuwaiti touristic website introduced
- Lebanese firm to invest $800m in Sudan
- Interface showcases new collection
- Saudi woman director wins top GFF award
- Bahrain food firms gear up for Ramadan | <urn:uuid:d2bd3201-a7b2-487b-9d56-ab05022f2abc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tradearabia.com/news/MISC_225258.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967499 | 773 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Europe's crisis: 'No clear end in sight'
The Green Zone, also known as the International Zone, is home to the U.S. Embassy and a number of Iraqi government and military offices karen millen coats.
Sectarian divide blamed in Iraq attacks Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other top officials attended the parade.
January 6 is the anniversary of the formation of the Iraqi Army. This is the first time Iraq has marked the occasion since the 2003 invasion without U.S. troops in the country karen millen.
The latest attacks came after dozens of people died Thursday in bombings in Baghdad and near Nasiriya, strikes thought to be targeting Shiites karen millen.
Violence raged for years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq between members of the country's Sunni minority, who held power during the era of Saddam Hussein, and its Shiite majority, which gained power after his ouster karen millen dresses. | <urn:uuid:2cf4ff95-2726-4e58-ad0f-e7e043f2dfac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.xtrablog.com/moncleroutlet/9661/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95479 | 199 | 1.664063 | 2 |
May 25, 2010, 11:58 AM
Post #3 of 6
Re: [shawnhcorey] extracting a "backslash" character
[In reply to]
I tried it but it did not work. The output was:
@hex_seqs $VAR1 = ;
Do you have any other suggestions? Basically, I want to replace the \xF4 with its character equivalent (in this case it would be "ô").
In Perl, if I print that string, the \x is automatically recognized as a hex handler, and the output is the correct character. However, I am not printing, but I am passing the result as a string to another application. The other application doesn't recognize the \x, so it prints the string as is. That is why I want to handle this on the Perl side before passing the result. | <urn:uuid:f42d5344-648e-4a26-97d5-99aa2cb758d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://perlguru.com/gforum.cgi?post=46587;sb=post_username;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_expandable;guest=7811706 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942007 | 182 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Since 1997, all sponsors of family-based immigrants, and all employment-based sponsors where the immigrant is related to the owners of the petitioning company, must execute a sworn, notarized Affidavit of Support, on Form I-864. This requirement is set forth at Section 213A of the Immigration & Nationality Act, adding specificity to the older, more general requirement at Section 212(a)(4) that a person is ineligible to immigrate if that person is deemed likely to become a “public charge” – someone who will be financially dependent on the state.
Form I-864 is a legally enforceable contract, binding the sponsor to support the immigrant financially until the sponsored immigrant completes 40 quarters of U.S. employment per Social Security Administration records (10 years of documented work), or else the sponsored immigrant becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen, abandons or loses Lawful Permanent Resident status, dies, or departs the U.S. permanently within that time. This only an issue if the immigrant cannot support him- or herself financially, but the obligation can be prolonged by a sponsored immigrant who chooses not to work and not to apply for naturalization.
If the sponsor fails to support the immigrant, and the immigrant fails to support him- or herself, the sponsor can be sued by the immigrant, or by any government agency or private entity that provides “means-tested” benefits* to the immigrant, to enforce the financial support requirement. This obligation remains enforceable even if the sponsor divorces the immigrant or dies - the sponsor’s estate can be held liable for supporting the immigrant, unless the obligation is assumed by a surviving family member. If the sponsor and immigrant divorce, then amounts paid as alimony by the sponsor count toward this financial support obligation under INA 213A, but amounts paid as child support do not count toward this obligation. A sponsor must show that his or her annual income meets at least 125% of the current federal poverty limit for the household size, determined annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Family size includes the sponsor, the sponsor's dependents, the immigrant(s) currently being sponsored, and any immigrants previously sponsored on Form I-864. For FY 2011, the poverty limit for a family of 2 people in the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia is $14,710, so at present most sponsors of a spouse will need to show annual income of at least $18,388 in order to qualify without support from a joint sponsor. Sponsors who are active members of the US Armed Forces only need to meet 100% of the poverty limit.
Members of the sponsor's household may have their incomes added in to the total household income, to supplement the sponsor's income, if that household member signs a contract, Form I-864A. This includes the sponsored immigrant him- or herself, who may act a joint sponsor and contribute his or her own income to that of the household in order to meet the required income level.
Assets can be substituted for income at a ratio of 5:1, if the assets are readily convertible to cash within a year. The amount of liquid or readily convertible assets must be at least 5 times the difference between the sponsor's income and 125% of the poverty limit for the household size. Liquid assets like bank deposits, money market accounts, mutual funds, stocks and bonds are best for this purpose, and evidence of ownership will be required if assets are to be used. Real property can be used to meet the asset requirements if it can be sold within a year, but only if it is not the primary U.S. residence of the sponsor. In the Adjustment of Status context for an applicant already present in the United States, USCIS will not accept the value of a primary residence to meet the amount threshold for assets, because a sponsor cannot be expected to sell the family home in order to support the sponsored immigrant. Where the US sponsor has been living abroad, and will move back to the United States, the sponsor may use as assets the value of a home abroad that would be sold in order to move back to the United States.
A family member who petitions for an intending immigrant must act as the primary sponsor and must complete Form I-864, whether or not the sponsor meets the income/assets requirement. Other persons can act as joint sponsors IF the primary sponsor does not meet the income requirements and IF they are US citizens or permanent residents, they are over age 18 and they live in the US. Any sponsor or joint sponsor must be domiciled in the United States. Joint sponsors assume all of the same obligations as the first sponsor. There is no limit on the number of joint sponsors except each must meet 125% of the poverty limit for the relevant family size. To show income, the sponsor needs to submit proof of current employment (unless the sponsor has other income sources, and income from employment is not necessary to meet the 125% test) and the sponsor's most recent Federal income tax return, preferably with an IRS transcript of that tax return. For employed sponsors who meet the income requirements, a W-2 and income tax return for the most recent tax year is sufficient proof of income. Where the sponsor does not have a W-2 as a salaried employee, the most recent three (3) years of income tax returns must be provided with Form I-864.
Prospective immigrants who are eligible to apply as a battered spouse or child, or as a winner of the Diversity Visa Lottery, do not need to meet the I-864 affidavit of support requirements. To meet the public charge test, lottery winners and VAWA special immigrants should use the old Form I-134 Affidavit of Support, or submit other financial documentation to meet the public charge requirement.
*A note about means-tested public benefits: All immigrants are barred from receiving any federal means-tested public benefit for a period of five years after becoming a permanent resident. Such benefits include Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. As noted above, the sponsor’s support obligation terminates by law once the immigrant has worked for 40 qualifying quarters, but no quarter qualifies during which the immigrant receives any of
the six federal means-tested benefits. The definition of a “federal means-tested public benefit” in this context does NOT include WIC or Nutrition Program for the Elderly.
**If you move: Similar to the requirements for a sponsored immigrant, all U.S. sponsors who execute an I-864 Affidavit of Support are required to notify USCIS of any address change within 30 days of a move. | <urn:uuid:562c65ed-098f-4e1c-ac58-c1c04c404bee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kwvisalaw.com/immigration-affidavits-of-support.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949668 | 1,387 | 1.507813 | 2 |
A pre-election attack on Iran remains a possibility
ASK THIS | February 05, 2008
President Bush still believes the Iranians are developing nuclear weapons – and so do the Israelis. So for journalists to assume that neither the U.S. nor Israel will attack Iran before the November election could constitute another failure of imagination. Cato’s Leon Hadar suggests questions the press should ask the presidential candidates about what they think the American response should be to various scenarios in the region – including a Gulf-of-Tonkin-like alleged provocation.
By Leon Hadar
Since the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran was issued at the end of the last year, much of the reporting and analysis in the MSM has been promoting the conventional wisdom in Washington: That a U.S. attack on Iran is now “out.”
The Bush Administration had been warning that it might use its military power to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But with U.S. intelligence agencies making it clear that Iran wasn’t developing nuclear weapons, the administration had suddenly lost its casus belli. Without one, the conventional wisdom suggested, President Bush would not be able to mobilize American and international support for an attack on Iran, which in any case would have been a very costly operation.
And yet, even as this conventional wisdom was taking hold, the following events also took place:
1. Reports from Israel during Bush’s recent to the Middle East suggested that the president made it clear he didn’t consider the NIE a reliable source of guidance as far as his policy towards Iran was concerned. It was not difficult to conclude based on reports quoting “sources” that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney seemed to be marginalizing the significance of the NIE – recalling a similar kind of disdain they exhibited towards the conclusion of the Iraq Study Group. In fact, based on Bush’s behavior then – increasing the number of U.S. troops contrary to the recommendation for establishing a timeline for a withdrawal – members of the press should be considering the possibility that he is just as likely to act against Iran as he was before.
2. The incident in the strategic Strait of Hormuz during which Iranian speedboats buzzed three US navy ships and the Pentagon said that US forces were “literally” on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats. That incident should have led journalists to put the scenario in which the United States strikes Iranian nuclear sites on the backburner – and instead consider the possibility that a military confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf could take place as a result of (a) a provocation by the Iranians (b) a provocation by the Americans or (c) a misunderstanding.
3. Israeli officials also dismissed the NIE conclusions. Moreover, the Israelis expressed concern that Washington seemed to be losing its will to confront Iran and warned that they might have no choice but to launch an Osirak-like unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear installation. Neither officials in the Bush Administration nor Republican or Democratic lawmakers in Congress have challenged Israel’s right to take such a unilateral action, especially against a regime whose leaders have disputed the legitimacy of the Jewish state and even made Holocaust-denying statements. The media should consider the possibility that the Israelis could take action – and that since they believe that a Democratic administration would not be quite as supportive of the Israeli position as the Bush administration, they could decide to take action against the Iranians before or after Bush leaves office.
So here are some of the questions American journalists could be asking the likely Democratic and Republican presidential nominees:
Q. The recent incident in the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the danger that provocations by either side or just misunderstanding could ignite a Tonkin-Gulf-like military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran that could degenerate into an all-out war. Do you believe that President Bush has the legal power to retaliate militarily against an alleged Iranian provocation without Congressional authorization?
Q. Are you concerned about a so-called “surprise” in a form of a Tonkin-Gulf-in-the-Persian-Gulf that could affect the outcome of the election? Have you or your aides raised this issue with officials in the administration or discussed it with your colleagues in Congress?
Q. Under what circumstances can President Bush count on your support if he decides to strike Iran before the election in November? Under what circumstances would he not have your support?
Q. The Israelis have also warned that they could take a unilateral action and strike against Iran’s nuclear sites if the U.S. and the international community fail to prevent the Iranians from pursuing their nuclear military program. Should the president demand that Israel get U.S. permission before deciding to strike Iran’s nuclear sites? What should the consequences be if Israel attacks without U.S. permission?
Q. Would you agree to supply Israel with bunker busting bombs to help it destroy the Iranian installations?
Q. Can the Israeli government count on your support if it decides to strike Iran before the election in November?
Leon T. Hadar is a research fellow at the Cato Institute, specializing in foreign policy, international trade, the Middle East, and South and East Asia. | <urn:uuid:b7d18443-ac39-45f3-8305-605b84b9bbe7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://snuffysmithsblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/pre-electon-attack-on-iran-remains.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963767 | 1,088 | 1.570313 | 2 |
William McKelvey Damisch, a former farmer and history teacher, was a well-known figure in Kane County politics, having served on the Kane County Board, the Rutland Township Board and in several Republican organizations. Mr. Damisch, 73, died of bone cancer and congestive heart failure Saturday, Sept. 20, on the family farm in Rutland Township. He was born in Springfield but returned with his family in 1936 to their farm in Rutland, where his ancestors had settled in 1836. The farm is on Damisch Road, which is named for his family. He graduated from Elgin High School in 1947 and served briefly in the Army in Oklahoma. After serving, he received a bachelor's degree in agriculture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1952 and remained in the Army Reserve until 1956. After many years as a full-time grain and dairy farmer, Mr. Damisch returned to school and received a teaching certificate at Northern Illinois University. He became a history teacher in 1972 and taught 22 years at Tefft Middle School in Streamwood before retiring in 1994. "He had a great love for history," his son William said. He also worked briefly as a real estate broker in the 1970s, his son said. Mr. Damisch spent 14 years on the Kane County Board. He also was a Rutland Township trustee for nearly six years. Recently, Mr. Damisch was executive vice chairman of the Kane County Republican Central Committee and chairman of the Western Township Republican Central Committee. Other survivors include his wife, Barbara; a daughter, Kathryn Parker; another son, Thomas; a sister, Margaret Clute; and 10 grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday in St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, 18N377 Galligan Rd., Gilberts. A service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the church. | <urn:uuid:0dcde1e9-7e39-41e7-aaa5-e06805b204f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-09-25/news/0309250210_1_family-farm-history-teacher-republican | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987446 | 391 | 1.789063 | 2 |
In February '11, The Edge Diving Centre hosted a scuba ice diving trip to Edmonton, Alberta. On this trip, divers were certified in ice and altitude diving.
Narrow Lake was our destination, located just outside of Edmonton for the two days of diving. The lake is at 2290 ft elevation. We were lucky with the weather which remained sunny and a balmy -8 degrees celsius as opposed to the -20 degrees celsius the weekend before.
What drew me to ice diving was the opportunity to try a unique type of diving that involves a group of people working together, such as ice shovelers, drillers, chainsaw operators, and line tenders. It is a team activity. Because it involves diving in an overhead environment, ice diving requires advanced diver training.
The diver below is tied to a line that is tendered by somebody at the surface. That diver is then attached to their dive buddy on the same line or have a separate line than their buddy or guide. This is considered to be a safe form of diving because you are connected to your buddy above and below the ice. Through line pull signals, the line tender is able to communicate with the diver.
Diver to Tender:
2 Pulls = Give me slack
3 Pulls = Take up slack
4 Pulls = Pull me up
5 Pulls = Emergency
Tender to Diver:
2 Pulls = End of rope
3 Pulls = Time is up
4 Pulls = Come up
Looking up at the surface, and watching our bubbles gather in pools under the ice was mesmerizing. While there was not much to see below, the experience was one that will bring me back again and again. | <urn:uuid:f3a155dd-5e84-4664-9818-0db1f96e5717> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scubadiverlife.com/2011/12/31/ice-diving-trip-report/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973331 | 352 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities with a recorded history of around 3,400 years. The city is widely referred to as the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. Today it’s got great craft beer too!
Crete is the largest of the Greek Isles and is known for great food, music, wine, villages and of course, beautiful beaches. Let’s hit it!
In his exciting new video series, beer explorer Jimmy Darfus takes you on a colorful tour of some of the world's greatest breweries. Journey to some of the most beer-rich cultures on the globe, and take an intimate look inside their best breweries -- learn their history, meet the brewmasters, and watch as they brew their beers. | <urn:uuid:6d0b7cd6-1412-48f2-ba71-1790b93f990e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.travelvideostore.com/2010-dvd-releases/the-brewshow-in-greece/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968255 | 158 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Western Europe Travel Destinations
6 of 8
Belgium may not have the name recognition of some of its neighbors, but it more than makes up for anonymity with spectacular tourist offerings. Belgian's culinary offerings include world-famous waffles, chocolates, and the unfortunately misnamed French fries (yes, they are Belgian in origin). The city of Bruges is noteworthy for having most of its medieval architecture intact, with churches, government buildings, and even residences dating from the middle ages.
More on: Travel and Vacations | <urn:uuid:70c15615-240e-40a6-9e1d-f8ad93dc7c6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://life.familyeducation.com/slideshow/vacations/64793.html?page=6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946678 | 109 | 1.585938 | 2 |
BAGHDAD, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government said it gave consent to a preliminary agreement to build oil and natural gas pipelines from Iran to Syria.
The Iraqi Cabinet issued a statement, obtained by the Platts news service, saying it consented to "an agreement between the Iraqi Oil Ministry and the Iranian Oil Ministry and the Syrian Oil and Mineral Resources Ministry about a gas pipeline construction project through Iran-Iraq-Syria-Europe and the agreement would be effective from the date signed."
Gas from the project would come from Iran and help support electricity for the Iraqi and Syrian markets. An oil pipeline would run from the southern Iraqi port of Basra and deliver about 1 million barrels of oil per day to the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.
Tehran has raised the prospects of westward-bound pipelines in the past. In 2011, the government said international lenders were lining up to support the multimillion-dollar natural gas pipeline project.
When Iranian officials last raised the issue in November, Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said Washington has seen similar reports on the Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline "six or seven or 10 or 15 times before and it never seems to materialize."
|Additional Energy Resources Stories|
TEL AVIV, Israel, May 17 (UPI) --Nobel Energy of Houston, which discovered Israel's big gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean, is pressing the government to decide soon on an energy export policy as the prospect of an undersea pipeline to Turkey gains credibility. | <urn:uuid:5c4613b2-52ff-4b31-a1cf-f570b210439d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/02/20/Iraq-embraces-Iranian-oil-gas-lines/UPI-51751361359384/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946791 | 321 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Where do groundhogs learn how to predict how much longer winter will last?
Groundhog Meteorological School of course.
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!
Santa has a lot to do on Christmas Eve, so he needs his milk and cookies laid out efficiently for him. What could be more efficient than cookies and milk already mixed up and put into a soda can? Santa can even bring the can with him and drink it on the sleigh ride to the next house.
It sounds like a tasty idea to me – I might take a few cans myself.
So you have a family member that is always trying to figure out what gift he or she has been given? Maybe that same family member will peel back the wrapping paper when no one is looking and discover what the present is ahead of time.
To defeat gift snoopers you need a password protected gift box. Insert the gift, set the combination and keep the combination a secret until it is time to open the gifts.
Santa may know if your child has been bad or good, but you might not always know. The Naughty or Nice Meter will give “Santa like” naughty or nice knowledge to any parent.
With the Naughty or Nice Meter your child gets to wear a really cool temporary tattoo. The tattoo is actually a sophisticated behavior sensor with a built in RFID transmitter.
As a parent you have a hand held Naughty or Nice Meter that reads the RFID signal from your child’s tattoo. To find out if your child is behaving when out of your sight, you just check your Naughty or Nice meter. If the level has gone up you will know some suspicious activity has taken place.
Santa may also want to consider one of these. His system is at least a few hundred years old – it might be time for an upgrade.
Installing Christmas lights can be a lot of work. Untangling string upon messy string of lights. Climbing up rickety old ladders and standing on icy roofs.
Putting up Christmas lights would be so much more fun with a Christmas Light Shooter. Just fire away at any part of the house you want to decorate. The lights stick because they are surrounded by a sticky jelly. No cords required because the lights are all individual, solar powered (with battery) leds. To take the lights down you just have to peel them off.
Gift Wrapping season has now begun! After you have spent too much money buying presents the real work begins. You could just wimp out and use gift bags, but your not that kind of gift giver. You need to feel the rush of watching a 4 year old rip paper off without even noticing the well placed bows and intricate ribbons.
Any real gift wrapper knows every piece of tape placed on a package must be exactly 0.875 inches (2.22 cm) in length otherwise the wrapping will be ruined. The Tape Measure will save your artistic wrappings from certain doom by supplying cellophane tape at any length you so desire (including 0.875 inches).
Are you looking for a spooky and terrifying costume idea? Have you thought of dressing up as the Facebook Monster?
The Facebook Monster is the spookiest and scariest monster of them all! He knows everything about you, you even think he is your “friend”, but all along he creeps along unnoticed by you while he tells the world your secrets. He will show your potential employer embarrassing pictures of you, your new boyfriend/girlfriend all about what happened during your last relationship and worst of all he knows what you really did last summer.
This crazy idea is inspired by the Illustration Friday word of the week, spooky.
Everybody gives out candy on Halloween and for whatever reason you don’t want to give out candy we have a few recommendations for you to give out instead. One idea is to give out personal finance guides, because goodness knows kids are very concerned about saving for college and retirement. Small tubes of toothpaste are an obvious choice if you’re interested in combating all of the inevitable sugar bugs. Hand wipes if you’re one who would like to keep hand clean from sugary messes. And finally my favorite, you can give out your old unmatched socks from back in the days before you had the Dryer Defender!
Need a Halloween costume idea? How about combining two great pop culture icons and going out this Halloween as an Elvis dressed in a Star Trek uniform?
You could sing songs like “Hunk of Burning Spaceship (in Space, a Place Without Oxygen)” , “You ain’t nothing but a Borg, Trying to Assimilate Everyone” and everybody’s favorite “Only Klingons Rush In”. | <urn:uuid:b1867868-8383-46fb-8f10-cb20e9b77506> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crazyideafactory.com/?cat=79 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945648 | 988 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Show me a dessert menu and I can tell you what I would order. If there is chocolate, that is it. If the chocolate is paired with caramel, I might hunt the server down to get our order in sooner. No chocolate? Fruit is all right, especially if it is an apple pie type thing in the fall or anything having to do with berries in the summer. Sometimes a lemon tart can be nice. After that, we kind of get into a no-man’s land of desserts for me. Tiramisu, cheesecake, crème brulée – all things I would order really only under duress. Like if I’m dying to have something sweet and there is no other choice.
Flan? Or the French cousin crème caramel? Not on my radar. No eggy custard for me, thanks. That is until recently. This month I taught three versions of my Spanish cooking class and I put flan on the menu. I usually try to include at least five dishes when I teach and I was going back and forth between doing another savory (gazpacho) and doing sweet (flan). I remembered that I taught gazpacho last summer in a “beat the heat” class (which was funny because we had very little heat last summer), and there is nothing that interesting about watching me chopping vegetables and pouring tomato juice over them. So, flan it was.
In order to make flan you make two things that seem to scare people. Caramel and custard. Being able to walk students through both of those tasks was very satisfying. Because flan needs to be made the night before it is served, we had a lot of flan around here. I would demonstrate how to make it and then the students would eat what I had prepped the previous day. That meant that the version I made in class became our property the next night. Brilliant, huh?
Who knew, but I really like flan. As I was searching for recipes, I found countless versions (coconut, pumpkin, eggnog, lemon, dulce de leche, even asparagus!) but I opted to stay classic with this one. I made it in both individual ramekins and also in a larger soufflé dish which makes a very impressive presentation.
Now that I have made it many many times, here are some tips. First, the caramel. I will tell you what anyone who has ever written a recipe for caramel will tell you – molten sugar is H-O-T so be careful when working with it. Take your caramel off the heat about ½ a shade lighter than you actually want it (just shy of deep amber), because it will keep cooking and quickly. This is especially true if you are pouring it into individual ramekins which takes more time than putting it in a big dish. Whether you are using several small or one big vessel, cover your hand with an oven mitt when doing the tilting to cover the bottom and sides of the dish(es). That way if a little caramel escapes, you won’t burn your hand.
Second, the custard. No big insight here but I do find it helpful to put a piece of wet paper towel under the bowl where the egg yolks and sugar are. This way you can whisk with one hand and pour in the milk/cream mixture with the other without your bowl rolling all over the place. I do this when I make ice cream too.
Third, removal and clean-up. You will bake your flan in a water bath. You will remove it from the baking pan and let it cool. You will refrigerate it overnight. You will take it out right before you are going to serve it and you will think, “There is no way this is coming out of the dish.” And you will be wrong. Trust me. I know it looks like it’s in there forever. I know it doesn’t make logical sense that you would coat the bottom and sides of a dish with molten sugar which hardens almost immediately on contact, fill that dish with custard, bake it, cool it, and refrigerate it and this thing that you created would not stick for all eternity. I don’t know, magic happens in the kitchen sometimes. Arm yourself with a palette knife or a very thin regular knife and run it around the edges of the dish. Turn over onto a plate and it should just thwop right out. (That is kind of the sound it makes.) If it doesn’t, just repeat the knife technique and try again. All of my many flans came out intact with a perfect puddle of caramel on top. What you are left with is a dish (or dishes) that have some of the baked on caramel left in the bottom. It looks kind of like a stained glass window. It can be hard to get out. My advice is just to let it soak overnight and it is easy to clean the next morning.
Wowza, I sound bossy. Not trying to be so, just trying to get you to make flan!
One Year Ago: Butterscotch Pudding Tarts, Greek Salad, Rhubarb “Big Crumb” Coffee Cake
Two Years Ago: Leek Frittata, Strawberry Ricotta Tartlets, Tagine with Carrots, Potatoes, and Olives
Three Years Ago: Miso Soup, Sushi Rice Salad, Classic Currant Scones
Adapted from Epicurious
If you happen to have 8 ramekins, this amount will fill 8 but 8 ramekins will not fit in a 13×9-inch pan. If you want to serve 8 people, my advice would be to just make it in a large dish instead and cut it into slices.
1 ¾ cups whipping cream
1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
Pinch of salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 large eggs
2 large yolks
7 tablespoons sugar
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cream, milk and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in another heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Quickly pour caramel into six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. You can also use a 2 or 3-cup soufflé dish. Using oven mitts as aid, immediately tilt each ramekin to coat sides. Set ramekins into 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
Whisk eggs, egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl just until blended. Gradually and gently whisk cream mixture into egg mixture without creating lots of foam. Pour custard through small sieve into prepared ramekins, dividing evenly (mixture will fill ramekins). Transfer the pan with the full ramekins to the oven. Carefully enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins, making sure not to splash any water into the custards.
Bake until centers of flans are gently set, about 40 minutes. Transfer flans to rack and cool. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)
To serve, run small sharp knife around flan to loosen. Turn over onto plate. Shake gently to release flan. Carefully lift off ramekin allowing caramel syrup to run over flan. Repeat with remaining flans and serve. | <urn:uuid:c797fae3-446f-492d-adc0-4d50eef7b9dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://danatreat.com/category/dessert/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942255 | 1,650 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Cheap Hearing Aids
Many people have a tight budget nowadays so it is not surprising that there is a lot of interest in cheap hearing aids. Most of us are quite happy to purchase something less sophisticated so long as it performs the function we need from it. If we can get a hearing aid that allows us to hear sufficiently then there might not really be a need to spend a lot of money.
In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of cheap hearing aids available. We have also seen the arrival of the disposable hearing aid; these can work well for some people but not everyone.
The Disadvantages of Purchasing Cheap Hearing Aids
There is an old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ and this can certainly be true with cheap hearing aids. This is not to say that all inexpensive hearing aids are bad though because that would not be true either. The main way to judge a hearing aid is by its ability to do its job; it should also be remembered that just because something works well for one person this does not guarantee that it will work well for someone else. Overall though it can be said that when you purchase a cheap hearing aid you are probably losing out on quality; you may also find that the functions on your device are limited.
Many people nowadays don’t feel they have the money to visit an audiologist and will instead just purchase cheap over the counter hearing aids. The problem with this is that they can easily end up with something that is just not suitable for them. If something is over the counter this means that it has not been customized; in other words you are gambling that it is right for you and while sometimes this gamble might pay off a lot of time it won’t. It should also be remembered that a lot of these cheap hearing aids will not benefit from all the latest technical advances.
The Advantages of Cheap Hearing Aids
If something works it works and this is all that matters. There are plenty of people who purchase cheap hearing aids and these devices work well for them; they don’t feel that they need any more than this. This is especially true with people who have only slight hearing loss. Why would these individuals want to spend big bucks on something that they can get significantly cheaper? Sure, the more expensive devices might have more functions and more sophisticated amplification of sound but this isn’t always needed.
Things to Consider When Purchasing Cheap Hearing Aids
It is important that people consider their own hearing deficiency before deciding to buy cheap hearing aids. Failure to do this could mean that the attempt to save money ends up just being a waste of money – they still need to later go and buy a more expensive device. If you want to be more confident about choosing a cheap hearing aid that will work then you are best getting the advice of an audiologist; although you will likely have to pay for the consultation. These days there are some very cheap options online if you know what you are looking for. | <urn:uuid:12ecb8e3-f749-4543-ac31-4346319de36d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hearingaidsguide.net/cheap-hearing-aids | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973064 | 613 | 1.5625 | 2 |
'When Workers Work Sick, It's Unhealthy for All of Us': New York's Battle for Paid Sick Leave
Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email.
At 3am on a November day last year, Eudocio Alvarado, a 58-year-old worker from Mexico, was cleaning the bar in the Brooklyn restaurant where he worked when a piece of heavy furniture fell on his left foot. After a visit to the ER, Alvarado had to call his boss to request sick leave. He was granted two days’ leave, unpaid.
Two days later, Alvarado’s injured foot had grown worse and his doctors told him he would need surgery. When he called his boss from the hospital, he was told to come to work the next day. “If you don’t go to work, you’re going to lose your job,” Alvarado’s boss told him. Unable to go to work the next day, Alvarado lost his job.
Now Alvarado works 81 hours a week at a fresh food market, earning a weekly wage of $380. Tuesdays are his only days off, and he uses them to go to a physical therapist in Coney Island for his recovering foot. He still does not have paid sick leave, and with the wages he makes, he cannot afford to take any time off — not when he’s sick, and not for Christmas, Thanksgiving or any other holiday.
Like Alvarado, Celina Alvarez, an immigrant chef from Mexico, lost her job at a restaurant in Queens after she was hospitalized for four days for a heart problem. Sitting in the Queens office of Make the Road, a non-profit labor advocacy organization, she said what she experienced was not uncommon among workers she knew. For instance, a friend’s hand became disfigured after an accident with hot liquid at work, and she had to continue working despite the injury.
Alvarado and Alvarez are two of the estimated 1.4 to 1.6 million working New Yorkers who have no paid leave whatsoever, for sickness or vacation. Workers who are most in need of paid sick leave are low-wage workers, women and people of color, according to Joe Dinkin of the Working Families Party New York, a paid sick leave (PSL) legislation supporter. A CommunityService Society report published last year shows that 64% of low-income workers in New York do not have a single day of PSL, compared to 35% of higher-income workers. Among those lower-income workers, mothers (70%), who often must take care of sick children, and Latinos (76%) were found to be more likely to lack PSL.
This January, the New York City Paid Sick Time Bill (PSTA) was introduced to the city council to help New York workers without PSL benefits. The bill is now waiting for Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s approval to be brought to a vote.
Proponents of the bill argue that it would protect workers’ rights and bolster public health in New York. Income inequality is greater in New York than in any other large metropolitan area in the country. The gap between the rich and the poor is even wider when you factor in benefits like PSL. As Vicki Shabo of the National Partnership for Women and Family writes, “For families already on the brink of poverty, a few paid sick days can have devastating consequences.” Indeed, the jobs of low-wage workers like Alvarado and Alvarez are often on the line when they get sick or injured. PSL legislation could provide a safety net for workers in poverty or near-poverty and protect them from falling further into financial crisis because of an accident or a sick child.
PSL legislation makes sense with regard to public health as well. According to a survey commissioned by Community Service Society, a New York-based public policy institute, more than half of workers who handle food and 43% of workers in close contact with children or the elderly do not have PSL benefits. PSL legislation would encourage sick workers to stay home and prevent them from transmitting contagious disease to their coworkers and customers. Additionally, PSL legislation could reduce healthcare costs and is supported by healthcare professionals. | <urn:uuid:7726499e-9dc9-4351-bd55-2eeeaecc4e1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alternet.org/story/155799/'when_workers_work_sick%2C_it's_unhealthy_for_all_of_us'%3A_new_york's_battle_for_paid_sick_leave?qt-best_of_the_week=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977214 | 879 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Pfizer is paying $3.6 billion to take over King Pharmaceuticals, a diversified specialty pharmaceutical company. Pfizer says that King's three main businesses will complement Pfizer’s focus and are aligned with its primary care, established products, and animal health franchises.
King's portfolio includes a prescription pharmaceutical business focused on delivering new formulations of pain treatments designed to discourage common methods of misuse and abuse. Its Meridian auto-injector franchise for emergency drug delivery develops and manufactures the EpiPen® and is a long-term supplier to the DoD. King also has an animal health business that offers feed additive products for a range of species.
Pfizer will pay $14.25 per King share, which represents a premium of approximately 40% to King's closing price as of October 11. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Pfizer's adjusted diluted earnings per share by approximately $0.02 in 2011 and 2012 and approximately $0.03–$0.04 annually from 2013 through 2015. In addition, the acquisition should yield initial cost savings from operating expenses of at least $200 million by the end of 2013, according to Pfizer.
This strategic combination will allow Pfizer to offer both opioid and nonopioid products and continue development on antipain medications. In addition to Pfizer's current treatments for pain, which include Lyrica and Celebrex, King will bring Avinza, the Flector Patch, and the recently launched Embeda, the first approved opioid pain product with design features intended to discourage misuse and abuse. King also has two compounds in registration that have the potential to lower the risk of abuse as well as other drugs in development.
“We are highly impressed by King's innovative products and technology in the pain-relief disease area as well as by its success in advancing promising compounds in its pipeline,” states Jeffrey Kindler, Pfizer's chairman and CEO. “The combination of our respective portfolios in this area of unmet medical need is highly complementary and will allow us to offer a fuller spectrum of treatments for patients across the globe who are in need of pain relief and management. In addition, the revenue generated by King's portfolio will further diversify Pfizer's business, while at the same time contributing to steady earnings growth and shareholder value.” | <urn:uuid:d3ff9cb5-7668-4a69-ad6a-071dc3449556> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/pfizer-to-pony-up-3-6b-for-king-pharmaceuticals/81244052/?kwrd=Pfizer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961173 | 478 | 1.507813 | 2 |
We find ourself eventually saying "I'm in love". Just to be clear "love" isn't liking something in someone. A person might be lovable and that makes it more easy to show love to. But when we look at Gods definition of love, we find that it's a verb! Giving not getting! For example "love is patient". Are you patient with the person you "love"? Read through 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and ask God to give you His love!
- Material: 100% cotton
- Fit: Standard [?]
- Wash Instructions: Machine wash warm (inside out), tumble dry low, do not bleach.
- Printed in: USA
- Produced in: Pakistan - Fair Labor Policy
- Item No: 13723
- Sizing: Junior's Sizes
Testimonials about this product!
At my work, my boss and his wife are unsaved. I wore this shirt Love Verb to work one day, and my boss asked about it. I had already given him a Bible a few months previous, so I was able to explain it to him and show him the verses that went along with it. It was a fantastic opportunity to share the gospel with him!
I wore this to my church''''s college midweek service and got a million responses about it. A lot of people said we should buy them for our church so that all 60 of us can wear them, as long as there was a guys design. Just an idea :
My friend really liked it and now she''''s interested in maybe getting one! I just love the message that love is not about a feeling, it''''s an action!
The phrase "Love is a verb" was important enough that my husband and I had it included in our wedding.It is a true reminder that you have to work at loving others always.
I am choreographing a childerens number for our Church Christmas show this Season. I wore this shirt to rehearsal so the children could incorporate school with church school. A verb in an action word.... love is an action!
One of our older members preferred to use the actual "action" word. We laughed. My comment to him was, lets keep the kids thinking.
God is the... | <urn:uuid:a1f7dc09-f97c-4f8e-a061-73d1f2362970> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.c28.com/products/girls-shirts-love-verb-13723/?customerid=386817productid | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97535 | 465 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Will renters pay for green?Fri, 2011-04-22
Will renters pay for green?
That's becoming one of the most-asked questions in the apartment industry. And so far, most apartment owners aren’t answering yes. It’s more like “I don’t know.”
There’s a simple reason for the ambiguity. “Since it’s so new, there’s no data out there that says people pay [for more energy-efficient apartments],” says Grant Montgomery, a vice president at Alexandria, Va.-based research firm Delta Associates, who spoke at last week’s Urban Land Institute's Washington Real Estate Trends Conference session on the future of multifamily.
Chicago-based REIT Equity Residential’s Chief Investment Officer Alan George doesn’t think residents will pay more for green apartments, but he does think they value it. “If all things [with the apartments they’re considering] are equal, they’ll pay for the green apartment,” George says.
But is that enough to convince owners to experiment with green features? Boston-based Berkshire Property Advisors Chief Investment Officer David Olney follows the same rule with green as he does with other decisions. “If there is a benefit as an owner, you do it,” Olney says.
Olney adds, however, that he has worked with developers that have shown the value of green projects. In fact, he thinks it’s often the “responsibility” of owners and developers to show consumers the benefit of energy-efficient apartments.
In other cases, pension funds and equity investors may push owners to make their apartments more energy-efficient, whether they want to or not. “If the capital starts to tell you to do something, you do it,” Olney says.
Article written by Les Shaver for Multifamily Executive.com Back to article index
To view the original article in its entirety, Click Here. | <urn:uuid:c6345bc2-186c-4e06-ba8f-fc01254efefb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.josephbernard.net/index.php?page=newserarticle&articleId=200 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950483 | 423 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘Zia’
If Pakistan now poses a greater threat to the world than Afghanistan, the US is responsible for setting it on its violent pat
This ominous statement tracks a series of alarming developments: the surreal video of twelve gunmen brazenly attacking the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore’s broad daylight; Pakistan’s capitulation to the Taliban on implementing sharia law in the Swat Valley; several days of riots after the Supreme Court banned popular opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and his brother from holding office; evidence directly linking Pakistani terrorist groups to November’s Mumbai tragedy; a significant increase in suicide bombings within Pakistan; and, of course, the rapid Talibanisation of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – a Grand Central Station for multicultural extremists seeking training, support and safe haven. Read the rest of this entry »
An uncertain future
The vast majority of Pakistani citizens, according to my friends and family who live there, lament the tragic actions of an extremist minority that continues to pollute and threaten the spirit, character, and personal safety of the nation. To the ears of “Westerners,” whose only exposure to Pakistan by the US media has been a simplistic, cartoon-like depiction of angry extremism ["Rage Boy"] and enlightened “moderation” of a military dictatorship [Musharaff], this sentiment rings false and hollow. Indeed, “Rage Boy” has become the ubiquitous image of not only Pakistani politics, but also 160 million Pakistani citizens; “Rage Boy” is a bearded, irrationally angry, frothing, anti-American extremist whose occupation consists of three full time jobs: burning American flags, studying at an Islamic fundamentalist madrassas, and engaging in anti-American terrorist activities. Any proper student of history or anthropology with even a modicum of knowledge regarding Pakistan’s diverse socio-cultural identity would scoff at that simplistic depiction. Sadly, nuances and complexity are not afforded media air-time amidst Pakistan’s continuing and repeated, albeit isolated, acts of sensationalistic violence.
This dualistic and Manichean representation of Pakistan manifests itself with the description of the personality at the center of this recent, contagious conflagration: Bhutto. Mere hours after her assassination, Bhutto was both praised as a “shaheed” [a martyr], “a beacon for democracy,” “a model of progress,” “a loyal friend to democracy,” and condemned as “a traitor,” “a US puppet,” and everything in between. When extremism, political fervor, and selfish interests marry, the resulting progeny is usually instability, uncertainty and violence; common sense, rationality, and moderation are generally aborted.
Prime Minister Bhutto
Before outlining the possible motives and culprits of this dreadful assassination, a cursory look at Bhutto and her political career is needed. Following in the dynastic footsteps of her father, the Harvard and Oxford educated Bhutto became the head of the PPP [Pakistan's People Party] and was elected as the country’s first female Prime Minister in 1988. In a stunning twist of fate, irony, or cunning (depending on whom you ask), she succeeded the assassinated General Zia al Haq, the same man responsible for hanging her father in 1977. Although plaudits and adulations have been heaped on the recently deceased Bhutto, her political tenure in Pakistan was marred by ineffectuality and widespread charges of corruption, which effectively ended both of her terms as Prime Minister. [It should be noted that Nawaz Sharif's first term was dismissed for corruption charges as well.]
Specifically, Bhutto was accused of stealing more than $1 billion from Pakistan’s treasury, and Switzlerand convicted Bhutto of laundering nearly $11 million. Furthermore, Bhutto’s husband, Asif Zardari, is affectionately known in Pakistan as “Mr. Ten Percent,” an honorable title he earnestly earned for receiving a “10%” commission from all government contracts.
Also, it is worth noting that Bhutto, who in the past few hours has been hailed as “Pakistan’s last hope for democracy and reform,” financially and militarily supported and strengthened Afghanistan’s repressive, extremist and misogynist Taliban government that came to power in 1996. The Taliban’s disastrous and archaic human rights policy, hardly democratic or progressive, was conveniently swept under the rug in lieu of pacifying the Afghan region to ensure beneficial and lucrative trade routes to Central Asia. Like a scene from King Lear or Godfather 2 – if Bhutto’s own niece and political critics are to be believed – Bhutto engineered the still unsolved assassination of her estranged brother, Murtaza, in 1996 to consolidate political leadership of the PPP. Bhutto’s political history, thus, is marred by several questionable controversies, rank corruption and abuse. Why, then, was she promoted by the United States as a harbinger of peace and democracy?
The fateful triangle
Reports indicate that the United States, Musharraf and Bhutto recently agreed to a brokered power sharing deal, whereby Musharraf would retain his Presidency, Bhutto would be named Prime Minster and her numerous corruption charges would bypass the courts and be “dropped” due to the creation of a “National Reconciliation Ordinance.” The deal was suspect from the beginning and only further deteriorated with Bhutto’s return from exile to Pakistan in October, when a devastating assassination attempt on her life, still unsolved, left nearly 140 people dead.
The nail in the coffin was hammered by Musharraf, who unilaterally implemented a State of Emergency in November. Experts state his action was motivated by the Supreme Court’s adverse ruling regarding his eligibility to lead Pakistan, thereby denying him a right to lead as both President and Chief of Army Staff, a title he relinquished only recently. As a result, The United States’ erstwhile democratic ally, Musharraf, undemocratically suspended the Constitution, ousted and jailed Supreme Court judges and lawyers critical of his policies and leadership, detained nearly 2,000 human rights activists, and silenced independent media and news stations. Although publicly reprimanding Musharraf’s “questionable” (one could say “undemocratic”) actions, the White House remained loyal to their dictator-of- choice, because the US has provided Pakistan with nearly $10 billion in aid as “good will currency” in its support to hunt al-Qaeda and extremists within Pakistan’s borders. Specifically, President Bush said he wants democracy in Pakistan, but “at the same time, we want to continue working with [Musharraf] to fight these terrorists and extremists.”
Two weeks before the State of Emergency prompted his unlawful arrest, incarceration and subsequent kidney failure, Muneer Malik, Pakistan’s former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and prominent critic of Musharraf, gave me an exclusive interview, in which he proclaimed a statement shared by many in Pakistan: “The US supports dictatorships that suit its interests. It is never interested in the masses of Pakistan. The power sharing between Benzair and Musharraf will only perpetuate military hegemony. The mindset of the politicians is that the road to Islamabad [Pakistan's capital] leads from Washington and not from the streets of Pakistan.”
A grand irony results from observing this alliance. The United States wants to support democracy in Pakistan by allowing Musharraf to implement undemocratic measures and dictatorial practices to ensure Pakistan’s future democracy. That is akin to endorsing an avowed pacifist who feels forced to purge his enemies through murder and violence in order to bring peace.
Precisely due to Musharraf’s recent array of dictatorial and undemocratic suppressions of dissent – specifically the sacking and arrests of Supreme Court justices and attorneys – and extreme unpopularity amongst his own people, the US hoped Bhutto would serve as an ameliorative and reliable presence for their interests. Her political presence, it was argued, could act as a counterbalance to Musharraf, thus ensuring some semblance of stability in Pakistan. Specifically, before returning to Pakistan in October, Bhutto had publicly stated she would allow the United States within Pakistan’s borders to assist in hunting Al-Qaeda operatives and terror cells. Bhutto said,
“I would hope that I would be able to take Osama bin Laden myself without depending on the Americans. But if I couldn’t do it, of course we [Pakistan and US] are fighting this war together and [I] would seek their co-operation in eliminating him.”
Her critics questioned her sincerity and motives in potentially allowing Pakistan’s sovereignty to be threatened by inviting America to strike within Pakistani soil. The critics responded by calling her America’s “stooge” and “puppet,” a woman willing to appease Western nations by any means to ensure her political power.
This charge and allegation of “servitude to the United States” arguably ensured her assassination or, at the very least, cemented her unpopularity amongst an extremist political segment of Pakistan. However, with the January parliamentary elections around the corner and the power sharing deal all but quashed by Musharraf, Bhutto changed her tune. In her final speech on the day of her assassination, she passionately declared, “Why should foreign troops come in? We can take care of this [referring to resurgent Al Qaeda extremists in Pakistan], I can take care of this, you [Pakistani citizens] can take care of this.” Did this duplicitous, flip flop statement make Bhutto a Janus – a two headed Roman God – or was this a sincere change of conviction? Sadly, Pakistan will never know the answer.
The smoking gun?
What is known, however, is that Bhutto foreshadowed her death, or at the very least was extremely cognizant of potential attempts on her life. In October, she informed her spokesman, Mark Siegel, via email to make public the following statement if she was to be killed in Pakistan: “I [Bhutto] would hold Musharraf responsible.” Bhutto’s aides told CNN that she accused Musharraf of “deliberately failing to provide adequate security measures” in Rawalpindi, which included failing to provide her a four-car police escort and jamming devices against bombs. After the devastating October assassination attempt on her life, Bhutto accused Pakistan’s intelligence services [the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI] in having a hand in the suicide attack on her convoy. Although it is premature to conclusively determine who masterminded the assassination attempt, Bhutto’s supporters place the blame firmly on Musharraf’s shoulders, whom they believe either engineered the attack or acted negligently in failing to deter it.
From one angle, Musharraf’s recent actions portray a consistent pattern of unilateral power grabs by stifling opposition and criticism. His state of emergency and declaration of temporary “martial law” serve as prime evidence of that argument. This recent tragedy has further destabilized the country prompting mass protests and vandalism thereby giving Musharraf a rationalization and excuse, according to his critics, to impose martial law yet again if he so chooses and curb the democratic process.
Since the United States has no political allies in Pakistan that it feels it can remotely trust, one can argue they will be forced, out of necessity and desperation, to tacitly endorse Musharraf and promote him as an “ally against terrorism” and “hope for democracy.” The West fears that the nuclear weapons and technology of Pakistan will fall in the hands of an extremist minority that will align itself with Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces, thus endangering US presence not only in the Middle East but South Asia as well. However, it is imperative to note that the extremist element of Pakistan (aka “Rage Boy”) is but a despised minority that doesn’t even have enough legitimacy to secure a political majority in even the most fundamentalist regions of the North Western Frontier Province and Punjab.
Yet, this miniscule fraction of the population, when united with ideologically like-minded sympathizers within the ISI, could have orchestrated this latest round of violence according to Pakistani intellectuals and pundits. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility. However, many believe rogue elements of Pakistan’s highly secretive and powerful ISI in association with al-Qaeda sympathizers bear scrutiny. When asked who engineered the October assassination attempt on Bhutto, Muneer Malik simply stated, “the intelligence agencies.” When I asked him about the July “Red Mosque” tragedy, and specifically who armed the radical students [in July, the military raided the Red Mosque that was besieged by heavily armed radical Muslim students resulting in nearly 173 deaths], Malik replied, “It was a scam of the intelligence agencies. How could arms have been smuggled in the Masjid [Mosque] that is located less than a kilometer from the ISI headquarters?” In fact, Bhutto’s husband, Asif Zardari, pointed his finger at the ISI for the October assassination attempt as well: “I blame the government for these blasts,” he said. “It is the work of the intelligence agencies.” Many share this belief.
A Pakistani requiem
Perhaps the identity of the real culprits may never be known. One can only hope that they are found soon. Regardless, Benazir Bhutto has now been buried next to her father in their family’s ancestral village on the day of juma (Friday), a holy day for Muslims. As her mourners ascribed to the rituals of the Islamic funeral procession, many have taken turns supporting her casket on their shoulders, eventually guiding the deceased to her burial grounds. For some, they will literally carry their last vestige of hope for a democratic Pakistan. Others will carry the last of a dynamic and volatile political dynasty. Most will carry a tragic but common reminder of violence that has claimed too many of Pakistan’s icons and leaders. The Namaaze-I-Janaza, the Islamic requiem as it is known in Urdu, requires Muslims attending the funeral to supplicate Allah asking His forgiveness and blessings for the recently deceased. Perhaps they can pray for Pakistan as well. | <urn:uuid:8076ecca-d490-401b-be72-c45b4b3844bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://goatmilkblog.com/tag/zia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959955 | 3,060 | 1.53125 | 2 |
- About Us
- Marketing Materials
- Contact Us
KyES I board my horse, how does that get counted?
I board my horse, how does that get counted?
If the horse is boarded in Kentucky, and the operation where it is housed is picked for the survey, it will be counted. The survey is set up in a way that specifies the equine on a property as being owned, partially owned, or boarding, therefore if the horse is there on the specified date then it will be counted. | <urn:uuid:1fe6adbb-1f22-404f-bbc5-d17c7c460ddc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.ca.uky.edu/equine/iboardmyhorse | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959939 | 106 | 1.5625 | 2 |
FDA Commissioner Revokes Approval of Bevacizumab for Metastatic Breast Cancer
On November 18, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg announced her decision to revoke the agency’s approval of the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. The FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) granted bevacizumab accelerated approval for this indication in February 2008 with the condition that Genentech, the drug’s manufacturer, perform two confirmatory clinical trials.
“Unfortunately, the additional studies failed to confirm Avastin’s initial promise,” said Dr. Hamburg at a press briefing explaining the revocation. The two trials showed that bevacizumab delayed tumor growth slightly but did not improve survival or patients’ quality of life.
Based on these findings, CDER’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 12 to 1 in July 2010 to recommend that the FDA withdraw its accelerated approval for metastatic breast cancer. Following an appeal from Genentech in July of this year, ODAC upheld its recommendation to withdraw approval for the indication.
“Sometimes, despite the hopes of investigators, patients, industry, and even the FDA itself, the results of rigorous testing can be disappointing,” said Dr. Hamburg at the press briefing. “This is the case with Avastin when used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.” In light of the potentially severe side effects of bevacizumab, including heart attack or heart failure, severe high blood pressure, and bleeding or hemorrhaging, “it is clear there is no proof of a benefit in breast cancer patients that would justify those risks,” Dr. Hamburg explained.
Bevacizumab is still approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and kidney cancer, advanced non-small cell lung cancer, and glioblastoma. Dr. Hamburg stressed that the “FDA doesn’t regulate the practice of medicine,” so a final decision on whether to use bevacizumab for metastatic breast cancer will be up to a patient and her doctors. “I urge women who are currently taking the drug for breast cancer to discuss the risks and benefits…with their oncologist,” she added.
Future studies may identify subsets of patients with metastatic breast cancer who would benefit from bevacizumab. “I would really be very pleased to see Genentech pursue those studies, and we would of course be very open to the submission of a new application that would include additional data, including support for the notion of a subset of responders to the use of Avastin,” Dr. Hamburg concluded.
Further Reading: “Progression-free Survival: Patient Benefit or Lower Standard?”
New Form of Asparaginase Approved to Treat Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
On November 18, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Erwinaze, an alternate form of asparaginase that is derived from the bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi, to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients who have become allergic (hypersensitive) to other forms of asparaginase derived from the bacterium Escherichia coli.
Asparaginase kills leukemia cells by breaking down the amino acid asparagine in the plasma. Asparagine depletion is selectively toxic to leukemia cells, which, unlike normal cells, cannot synthesize asparagine. The level of asparaginase activity is known to correlate with leukemia control and survival.
The FDA approval was based on the results of a single-arm trial involving 58 patients between the ages of 2 and 18 and a safety analysis of 574 patients between the ages of 1 and 66 who participated in a program to expand access to the drug. Patients in both studies had developed allergic reactions to asparaginase and pegaspargase, another modified form of asparaginase, both of which are derived from E. coli.
In the single-arm trial, the main outcome measure was the proportion of patients in whom a prespecified threshold level of asparaginase activity was maintained at 48 or 72 hours after dosing. All evaluable patients in the trial achieved this outcome.
Erwinaze is given as an injection three times per week. Side effects associated with Erwinaze treatment include serious allergic reactions, inflammation of the pancreas, high blood levels of liver enzymes, blood clotting, bleeding, nausea, vomiting, and high blood sugar.
Erwinaze has been designated as an orphan drug, a designation given to drugs for the treatment of diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.
Ruxolitinib Approved to Treat the Bone Marrow Disease Myelofibrosis
On November 16, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ruxolitinib (Jakafi) for patients with intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis. Ruxolitinib is the first drug approved specifically to treat patients with this bone marrow disease.
In patients with myelofibrosis, fibrous tissue replaces the bone marrow, causing blood cells to be made in organs such as the liver and the spleen. This disease is marked by an enlarged spleen, anemia, and decreased numbers of white blood cells and platelets. Symptoms include fatigue, abdominal discomfort, pain under the ribs, feelings of fullness, muscle and bone pain, itching, and night sweats.
Myelofibrosis and other myeloproliferative disorders are associated with the increased activity of tyrosine kinase enzymes called JAK 1 and 2, which play key roles in a signaling pathway that is involved in cell proliferation and growth, hematopoiesis, and the immune response. Ruxolitinib, a pill taken twice daily, binds to and inhibits JAK 1 and 2, which may lead to reduced inflammation and cell proliferation.
The safety and effectiveness of ruxolitinib were evaluated in two clinical trials with a total of 528 patients. Patients in both trials had myelofibrosis that was resistant or refractory to available myelofibrosis therapy or ineligible for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. All patients had enlarged spleens and needed treatment for disease-related symptoms. Patients in one study received ruxolitinib or the best available therapy; in the other study patients received ruxolitinib or a placebo. The primary endpoint in both trials was the proportion of patients whose spleen size was reduced by at least 35 percent.
In both studies, a significantly higher proportion of patients taking ruxolitinib saw their spleen shrink by 35 percent or more—29 percent of patients receiving ruxolitinib compared with zero percent of those receiving the best available therapy, and 42 percent of patients taking the drug compared with 1 percent of those taking the placebo. In the placebo-controlled study, a greater proportion of patients receiving ruxolitinib than receiving the placebo had their myelofibrosis-related symptoms reduced by 50 percent.
The most serious side effects seen in patients treated with ruxolitinib include low blood platelet levels, anemia, fatigue, diarrhea, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, and nausea.
Ruxolitinib was reviewed under FDA’s priority review program, an expedited 6-month review of drugs that may offer significant advances in treatment over available therapy or that provide a treatment when no adequate therapy exists.
The treatment has been designated an orphan drug, a designation given to drugs for the treatment of diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. | <urn:uuid:82b0dd47-499d-48aa-aa0d-9e91245941ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/112911/page9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938891 | 1,629 | 1.570313 | 2 |
From 2012 onwards an AIEEE aspirant will be able to view his / her answersheet online after few days of the test. An announcement was made by union human resource ministry directing CBSE to make the answersheets available on aieee.nic.in. HRD has made the decision to increase transparency and also to provide an opportunity for the test taker to know his / her mistakes.
Next AIEEE will be held on 29 April 2012, this time the test will be alone last year only a few nearly 100,000 students were allowed to take part in the first ever online AIEEE. Every year close to 1200,000 students apply for AIEEE, which is a mandatory national level entrance test for admission into NITs, IIITs, few deemed universities and few state funded universities.
India is moving forward with the right to information act being stressed by the apex court transparency is increasing steadily, earlier we had notified about ‘Carrying home a copy of OMR sheet for IITJEE 2012?. Here after test takers are ensured they have the correct score, as one has got the right to view his or her response sheet and easily tally with the key of the corresponding examination. | <urn:uuid:0863062e-b8cf-48da-9695-ff031faf286b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.topperlearning.com/news/view/aieee-answersheets-can-be-viewed-online | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974565 | 248 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The Peer Review of Competition Law and Policy in Panama, jointly published by the OECD and the IDB, was launched in Panama on 6 December 2010. This report and its recommendations reflect the broad consultations held with key stakeholders in Panama. It was discussed and debated by senior officials of Latin American competition authorities, competition experts from OECD member countries and representatives of international organisations during the OECD-IDB Latin American Competition Forum in Costa Rica on 9 September 2010.
The report sets out recommendations to improve Panama’s competition regime. Changes to government policy and ACODECO’s enforcement and advocacy practices would have a positive impact on Panama’s economic development.
Key recommendations in the Peer Review include:
- increase efforts to fight cartels which are historically pervasive across Panama
- increase the level of fines on companies who break the law
- strengthen public understanding of the importance of competition for making markets work for the benefit of consumers and business
- increase ACODECO’s financial resources to deliver better competition outcomes across the economy.
Table of contents
- Executive summary [English] [Spanish]
- Competition policy in Panama: foundations and context
- Substantive issues: content and application of the competition law
- Institutional issues: structures and practices
- The pending legislation
- Limits of competition policy: exemptions and special regulatory regimes
- Competition advocacy
- Conclusions and recommendations
How to obtain this report | <urn:uuid:c6a1c914-82af-40f8-9a63-ed45f0bbb217> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oecd.org/daf/competition/abuse/competitionlawandpolicyinpanama-2010.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936318 | 290 | 1.640625 | 2 |
given in marriage
22:30 given in marriage. Almost every person is a member of at least two families on earth, that of his parents plus that of his own spouse and children. Some, of course, have more than one spouse, if the first spouse dies and he or she marries again. There is no way that our present relationships can continue unchanged after the resurrection, however, all will enjoy rich fellowship with the entire “family of God,” the redeemed children of Mother Eve. | <urn:uuid:d3258141-3337-4422-904d-e20f670511ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icr.org/books/defenders/5728/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98571 | 102 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Help make a movie about nine year old Indian girl Pinky, who escapes the claws of child marriage by fleeing home through her window.
What I want to do?
I want to make a beautiful movie. This will be an indie movie about a little girl Pinky, who is forced into child marriage by her own parents in a village in Rajasthan, India. Before the fateful day, she escapes through her home window, leading to the journey of a lifetime. Her freedom inspires a fresh courage and she promises to never return home, determined to find herself a better future.
She encounters several hurdles in her journey but her will prevails over each one and she keeps moving forward, seeking her safe haven. From the Golden City of Jaisalmer, to the Blue City of Jodhpur to the Greys of Pushkar to the Pink City of Jaipur. A parallel incidental quest is her camel, Michael Jackson, given away by her father as dowry with her hand in marriage. During her adventure, she meets a French woman, Amelie, and they change each others' lives forever.
How I plan to do it?
The project is led by experienced Writer/Director Himanshu Vora (bio at bottom right of this page) based in Mumbai, India. A widely experienced cast and crew is also associated with this film. We have conducted elaborate research and spent several weeks in rural Rajasthan from 2008 through 2010. We conducted many interviews and even witnessed several child marriages first hand, leading to a truly authentic screenplay. You can preview the script here, and see some pictures from our due diligence at 2008, 2009 and 2010. The project is also supported by Executive Producer Amish Gandhi based in the media hub of New York City.
Once we reach our funding goals, we will take off our official pre-production over a span of six weeks. As soon as this is complete, we plan to enter the shoot period over a span of three weeks. This will be followed by two months of post production till the film is finalized. Once ready, we will send it to select film festivals around the world, with the intent of earning a subsequent theatrical release. We also aim to accompany this with DVD, TV and Internet distribution mediums.
What the money is for?
This is how the money will be used:
Pre-production costs include casting, location scouting, recce and administrative amounting to $7,050.
Production costs will include costs for filming including paying our camera team, production team, equipment rentals, production sound, art department, make-up and hair, costume department, permits, travel, transport, accommodation and food. This is estimated at $51,500.
Post production costs include editing, post production sound, music, VFX, CG, marketing, submission to festivals etc. add up to $24,500.
If the movie makes a profit, 10% will go to a Rajasthan based NGO helping underprivileged girls earn a quality education.
How you can help?
Do the most generous donation you can. In return you get the rewards as mentioned at the right on this page. And a friend for life. :)
You can also help spread the word to your family, friends, colleagues and everyone you know.
Also, please follow our project on Facebook to keep yourself updated and let your contacts know about it.
This will help us reach our ambitious but not impossible funding goal in time, and help fenêtre become a reality!
Thank you! Love and peace,
Good question. This is how it works. Your contribution is not charged instantly, its just a pledge in the beginning. Only when it reaches the funding goal or more on the end date is when your contributed amount will be charged and no extra charges. If the funding goal is not met, I don't get anything, you don't lose anything, nothing will be charged. Only when the funding goal is met or goes more is when the funds are cleared to me, and only your contributed amount will be charged. Very few days left to reach the goal! Keep pledging! And spread the word, maximum!
This question was added on Sept 29 after the campaign failed. Well, some of the links have been disabled or made private since the project is unsuccessful now.
Please write to firstname.lastname@example.org for options.
pledged of $83,050 goal
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on September 29, 2011.
Jul 31, 2011 - Sep 29, 2011 (60 days)
- First created · 0 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
Pledge $1 or more
An eternal Special Thank You credit mention on our movie's website. + On my Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Blog.
Pledge $9 or more
Special Thank You credit mention in the movie. See your name on the big screen. + One time online viewing of the full movie!
Pledge $99 or more
See your name on the big screen as an Associate Producer. + Movie poster autographed by the actors playing Pinky and Amelie. + IMDB mention. + Download of the soundtrack and the full movie. + Unlimited online access to my personal documentary road film "In Search Of My Native Place : Dedan".
Pledge $999 or more
All of the above + your name on the big screen + a private web link to Special Features of the movie + cast as an Extra if you are available + an invitation to the first movie screening with cast & crew.
Pledge $9,999 or more
All of the above + Your Name Presents fenêtre + Let's talk. | <urn:uuid:8fb19806-ff64-45e3-bacc-bedb14e62929> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1331057472/fenetre?play=1&ref=users | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941776 | 1,188 | 1.820313 | 2 |
BLAINE - Blaine High School science classes will no longer have to compete for lab space next fall, as the building is set to get a nearly $1.9 million remodel over the summer.
The Blaine School Board this week approved a $1.87 million bid from Laurel-based Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction to modernize the building.
Construction is expected to start in June and be done before classes start again in fall, Superintendent Ron Spanjer said. The new science building will use the same shell as the current building but will have more labs so classes no longer have to compete for space.
The building currently has one large lab that has to be shared and two adjoining classrooms, in addition to two traditional, tiered lecture halls that don't get much use because their setup doesn't accommodate group work. Once the project is complete, the building will have four classes with labs, a lecture space and a strictly lab space.
The remodel also will replace some long-outdated technology.
The bid includes an additional $194,200 to renovate life skills classrooms in the middle and high schools. The classes currently take place in a converted former locker room next to the middle school gym. That room has a lot of small spaces and wasn't considered a permanent option when it was created, Spanjer said. The remodel will convert one classroom in the middle school and one in the high school to use for life skills students, who have special educational needs.
The projects are being paid for by a $3 million bond passed by district voters in February 2012, after a larger bond to update the whole high school failed in 2011. | <urn:uuid:9764470b-4e98-4d50-8cd2-fb0c5d900804> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/03/14/2920772/blaine-high-school-science-building.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965022 | 340 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Jaunting Around Johor Bahru
Trip Start Aug 24, 2008
5Trip End Aug 28, 2008
Map your own trip!
Show trip route
I, along with seven other batch mates, had the chance to visit this city of about 1.8 million people courtesy of a twinning agreement which my company had inked with a Malaysian utility operating in JB.
Formerly known as Tanjung Puteri, this capital of Johor State is one of the three highly urbanized centers in West Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), along with Kuala Lumpur and George Town in Penang. Separated from Singapore by the Straits of Johor, JB is less than an hour away from the city-state by car, bus or motorcycle, but this could stretch to as much as two hours if the traffic at the causeway linking the two is heavy.
It was interesting to learn that many residents of Johor work in Singapore because of the high-paying jobs available there. Singaporeans, on the other hand, come to JB for business, shopping and entertainment, with a significant number putting up their residences, businesses and factories there, taking advantage of the stronger Singaporean currency. The daily traffic congestions at the immigration checkpoints attest to the increasing number of Malaysian workers in the city-state as well as the growing influx of Singaporeans into Johor for business, entertainment and leisure.
It may not yet have the sophistication that neighboring Singapore is known for, but Johor Bahru still has the conservatism that is fast disappearing in cosmopolitan Kuala Lumpur where customary lifestyles and contemporary points-of-view seemed to blend harmoniously into the bustling landscape.
In the capital, the sight of Chinese girls clad in mini-skirts and short shorts walking alongside Muslim women wearing headscarves and shapeless gowns barely creates a commotion. I guess that scene would have caused some stir in JB, as the city seems to be more traditional and conservative than Kuala Lumpur.
Architecturally, JB is a typical Islamic city whose character shines through the many mosques, shrines and parks dotting its cityscape. One structure there that fascinated me was the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque, which can accommodate some 2,000 worshippers. Considered as one of the most beautiful old mosques in Malaysia, this edifice is perched on top of a hill in downtown JB, overlooking the Straits of Johor and neighboring Singapore. It's a mixture of various architectural styles, but principally colonial, with its minarets resembling British watchtowers. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to see the place at close range.
Another interesting episode of our trip to JB was the visit to the Sultan Ibrahim Building, whose massive structure nestled on Bukit Timbalan overshadows other nearby high-rise buildings in the city.
One of the more prominent developments we noticed during our tour of the city is Danga Bay, a thriving waterfront along the coasts of Johor Bahru facing the Straits of Johor and overlooking Singapore. This recreational park was designed to be a city within the city, featuring a residential area, a business and financial center, shopping and leisure facilities.
Looking back, the visit to JB altered my perception of Malaysia, helping me let go of my hang-ups. It also made me realize there's so much more to discover there. Now, I'm looking forward to my next sojourn to Malaysia, perhaps to Johor Bahru again, or to some other city like Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, George Town, and Kota Kinabalu.
Where I stayed
Hotel Seri Malaysia-Johor Bahru | <urn:uuid:96b5c01d-2e83-4325-b199-1d8d35d8bf54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/arnobs66/5/1221024720/tpod.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96155 | 754 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Alcatel-Lucent Takes Aim at Terabit Routing
Page 1 of 1
When it comes to getting more routing power out of a routing platform, the key according to networking vendor Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is better silicon. Alcatel-Lucent is now out with a pair of networking platforms powered by a 100-gigabit-per-second silicon chipset called the FP2.
On a conference call with press and analysts, Basil Alwan, president of Alcatel-Lucent's IP business, explained that the FP2 allows users to have both services and speed on IP infrastructure. The FP2-powered Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router (SR) and 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS) can scale all the way up to a terabit of performance.
"Silicon is the foundation of these platforms," Alwan said. "In the past many people were speculating that this kind of silicon design would only be done at silicon companies," he said. "However, high performance routing is not only very complex, but for a chip company it's relatively low volume. So we find that the specialized designs required for high-performance networking chips are often being done by networking vendors."
The FP2 has 112 array cores on it and offers a speed improvement of 10 times Alcatel-Lucent's previous generation of routing silicon.
Alwan's assessment that high-performance networking vendors are getting into the silicon game themselves is certainly a valid point. Earlier this year, networking giant Cisco System rolled out its QuantumFlow microprocessor, which Cisco claims cost $100 million to develop.
Cisco's QuantumFlow sits in its new aggregation services router (ASR) platform, which according to Alwan does not compete head-to-head against Alcatel-Lucent's new 7750 SR and 7450 ESS.
"The ASR is an interesting product, but it's a different class of product," Alwan contested. "It doesn't hit the edge routing capability that the 7,750 hits."
Alwan said the ASR is more of a "high-touch" platform that looks at application-level inspection of traffic. That said, Alwan remarked that the 7750 is still an edge-routing platform for services as opposed to be a core routing platform.
"T-1600 and CRS are core routing platforms, so they have high density," Alwan noted. "From a comparison point of view on density, we compare well with those platforms."
That said, Alwan argued that what Alcatel-Lucent is trying to do with the 7550 is somewhat different than just core routing. In his view the Juniper T-1600 and the Cisco CRS are targeted at what he referred to as the "low feature market," which requires moving a lot of bits.
"The edge services layer does the heavy lifting, and the core devices are there to do high speed," Alwan said. | <urn:uuid:61ba9156-c30e-4fa3-80c0-aef3dd41272c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3737106 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963523 | 610 | 1.546875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama today will announce a compromise to broadly open new areas off the U.S. coast to oil and natural gas drilling while protecting specific swaths, including Alaska's Bristol Bay.
The plan, to be announced at a late morning energy security event at Andrews Air Force Base may help Obama court bipartisan support for contentious climate change legislation but also could chafe environmental activists in states affected by expanded drilling.
A White House aide describing the details ahead of the announcement said that an upcoming Interior Department lease sale 50 miles off the Virginia coast would mark the first new offshore oil and gas sale in the Atlantic in more than two decades.
Drilling off the coast from the mid-Atlantic to the Southeast could be broadly expanded, pending further study. Drilling off the Florida coast would be subject to a minimum 125 mile distance. A previously scheduled lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet could go ahead, but Bristol Bay and pending lease sales in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, in North Alaska, will be canceled. No West Coast exploration is being announced.
"To set America on a path to energy independence, the President believes we must leverage our diverse domestic resources by pursuing a comprehensive energy strategy," said the aide who was not authorized to speak on the record ahead of the president's announcement. | <urn:uuid:b510a384-c5a7-41f2-b4c4-a9c30e26900d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/03/31/91391/obama-to-outline-new-offshore.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945333 | 264 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The Whole-Person Approach to Lowering Medical Costs
As a new study makes clear, disability will be a growing
cost center for organizations in the years ahead. HR executives and
professionals, who have taken a lead on wellness and related programs in the past,
are ideally suited to help organizations and their employees rein in the coming
costs associated with disability.
As a new study makes clear, disability will be a growing cost center for organizations in the years ahead. HR executives and professionals, who have taken a lead on wellness and related programs in the past, are ideally suited to help organizations and their employees rein in the coming costs associated with disability.
By Marcia Carruthers, Clare Miller and Cyndy Nayer
The Global Burden of Disease Study, released last December, is a landmark effort to describe and predict healthcare trends around the world. Produced over five years by 486 researchers at 302 institutions in 50 countries, the study is the most detailed look at health on the population level ever attempted. The study's authors reached a dramatic conclusion, as expressed by Christopher J.L. Murray, who headed the study: "We are in transition to a world where disability is the dominant concern as opposed to premature death." People are living and working longer. But their lives -- and workplace performance -- are negatively impacted by all manner of disability.
To effectively address this reality, which is truly something new, policy makers, business leaders and human resource professionals must apply a wide-angle lens to employee health and wellness. This includes a coordinated strategy to meeting patients' -- meaning employees' -- health needs through a holistic approach that includes behavioral health solutions. HR executives and professionals, who have taken a lead on wellness, and related programs, are ideally suited to help drive this transition.
We know that the most prevalent physical conditions, such as lower back pain, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and others have a comorbid psychiatric condition, often depression. Ignoring this reality -- or, even worse, delegitimizing it -- is costly and results in both poor workplace and healthcare outcomes. For example, people with diabetes and depression have four times the healthcare expenditures as those with diabetes alone. Yet according to national epidemiologic surveys in the United States, the majority of people with symptoms that meet clinical criteria for having mental and substance use disorders do not receive any treatment at all for their condition.
And it gets worse. Lack of coordination and the absence of effective care management have clear implications for employee disability, including absenteeism and presenteeism, and return to work. People who suffer from chronic medical illnesses, along with co-occurring mental health conditions, account for a considerable portion of disability costs, in both the long-term and short-term. The Disability Management Employer Coalition has found that health plans and employers under-report levels of depression and anxiety in their populations compared to actual rates of prevalence. But this does not stop high levels of disability days, emergency room visits and acute care, all of which increase when mental illness is under-managed.
So what are some of the concrete solutions to increase employer-based whole person healthcare, including mental and behavioral health?
The first solution, with which HR professionals are very familiar, is the employee assistance program. Based on a 2012 DMEC Behavioral Risk survey, fully 97 percent of employers surveyed had an existing EAP program. But as prevalent as EAPs are, they can be woefully underutilized. Employers must do a better job of communicating the services they provide and, crucially, that EAP use is confidential and has no impact on an employee's work status -- just like other healthcare services. As stories about the U.S. armed forces attest, there is still a stigma against even acknowledging mental health issues in many workplaces. That view will not just go away. HR and other executives and professionals must overcome it through active education and communication.
When HR does effectively communicate about EAPs, the results are impressive. For example, employers can receive a significant ROI from outreach and enhanced treatment of depressed workers for a cost of only $100 to $400 for low-to-moderate-intensity interventions.
Further, effective and early use of EAPs facilitates return-to-work and stay-at-work outcomes. An EAP creates the bond that strengthens communication between an employee and their employer, and fosters a commitment to the workplace and a focus on return to work and high performance. Both at work and, crucially, away from work, an EAP communicates a supportive and employee-centered environment that encourages optimal productivity and retention. Active programs to retain key employees is especially important as continued economic recovery increases the opportunities for high performing workers to consider their options.
The second solution to identifying and properly managing behavioral health issues and their workplace effects is one that has been effectively applied to cancers and other diseases -- increased screening.
Patients with diagnosed diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, musculoskeletal conditions, cancer, lower back pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy hypertension and obesity develop depression and anxiety at rates 30 percent to 50 percent higher than the rest of the population. Research shows these patients are often non-adherent to treatment regimens, resulting in higher costs incurred for rescue treatments, increased and sometimes inappropriate use of narcotics and alcohol, increased inpatient and outpatient days, increased emergency room usage, and increased absenteeism and presenteeism. Varieties of behavioral health screeners are available, as are tools that measure the effect on functioning and work performance associated with health. If they have not done so, HR professionals owe it to themselves, the employees and their organizations to become familiar with behavioral health screening techniques.
In addition to identifying issues early, screening tools are also effective in monitoring and managing chronic conditions and depression, stress levels, adherence to condition management, and even pain management. Increased screening results include better adherence to treatment programs, decreased use and abuse of narcotics and alcohol, lower inpatient and outpatient days, lower emergency room usage, and decreased absenteeism and presenteeism. Effective screening can help prevent minor employee issues from developing into debilitating health conditions, with all the costs those entail.
The third solution is a greater reliance on psychotherapy as part of workers' compensation. Several workers' compensation payers are already employing one of the leading forms of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, for claimants who suffer from chronic pain and psychosocial issues that hinder their recovery and return-to-work. A recent study conducted in the Netherlands and published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that employees absent due to common mental health disorders returned to the job on average 65 days earlier and saved employers an average of $5,275 when provided work-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. As with screening, HR should become familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing thought patterns to change behavior. It is a very "results-oriented" approach to mental health.
Finally, health plans and purchasers -- led by HR -- must call for inclusion of behavioral health in the broader application of total health management. This should include performance incentives that reward the time spent in assessing, evaluating and managing behavioral health issues, especially when managing chronic or acute care.
Between the 2008 Mental Health Parity Equity and Addiction Act and the Affordable Care Act, nearly every aspect of the nation's healthcare system is undergoing significant change. Of course, given these changes are built on the existing private health-insurance market, this means large impacts on employers. Rather than a burden, these changes should be viewed as an opportunity for innovation. In particular, HR executives and professionals should seize the opportunity to accelerate their contribution to controlling healthcare costs, including by addressing disability. As the Global Study makes clear, disability will be a growing cost center in the years ahead.
Controlling its costs will entail a holistic approach that recognizes mental and behavioral health as important human resource realities and responsibilities. HR can impact both disability-related healthcare costs and increase organizational performance by focusing on the whole person approach to health and human resource management.
Carruthers is co-founder, CEO and president of the Disability Management
Employer Coalition. Clare Miller is the director of the Partnership for
Workplace Mental Health, a program of the American Psychiatric Foundation.
Cyndy Nayer is founder and former CEO of the Center for Health Value Innovation
and president of CyndyNayer.com.
Marcia Carruthers is co-founder, CEO and president of the Disability Management Employer Coalition. Clare Miller is the director of the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, a program of the American Psychiatric Foundation. Cyndy Nayer is founder and former CEO of the Center for Health Value Innovation and president of CyndyNayer.com. | <urn:uuid:52967d7b-d729-480e-823f-0e0802367b43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=534354836&topic=Main | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955853 | 1,787 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Retailers, consumers and prices
Today it is Family Dollar and Costco — both being places where people usually shop to save money.
Family Dollar saw sales rise in the quarter, though sales at stores open at least a year were less than expected as the company has been reorganizing its stores to stock more food and other items that shoppers want as they stick to necessities.
Costco sales fell and so did its profits, in part due to a stronger dollar, higher labor costs and also because of the weak economy.
But its earnings still beat Wall Street’s expectations and Costco’s stock rose in the morning.
Thursday’s sales reports showed that some consumers have started to buy their little luxuries again, a trend retail industry experts say is crucial for sales to rebound this fall and winter.
Michael Koskuba, Portfolio Manager for Victory Capital Management‘s Victory Large Gap Growth Fund, recommended that investors look into discount names with a discretionary bent, such as Target, which he owns in his fund.
Check out the ten largest U.S. retailers.
The National Retail Federation’s STORES magazine is out with its annual ranking of the top 100 retailers.
The list shows that U.S. consumers have been focused on bargains and basic necessities, such as food and medicine. Wal-Mart tops the lineup, followed by Kroger and Costco. Home Depot fell from No. 2 in 2007 to the fourth spot in 2008 as many shoppers decided to cut back on costly home-improvement projects.
Check out the latest sales reports, which show that consumers are still cutting back on discretionary spending as they shift to discounters for the basics. Granted, that’s not exactly news anymore, but some of this morning’s sales tell us that even the discounters are starting to feel the heat.
“Sales for the month of May were somewhat below our expectations,” chief executive officer of Target, Greg Steinhafel, said in a statement.
Check out mixed news from discount retailers.Warehouse clubs turned in a diverging earnings performance on Wednesday but overall results still showed the strength of this business model as consumers search for bargains.No. 1 U.S. warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale reported a lower profit as non-food sales weakened, but smaller rival BJ’s Wholesale eked out an earnings gain.As both retailers look to preserve and grow their business, that could bode even better for cost-conscious customers.Costco has said it will cut prices to keep shoppers, while BJ’s said one of its top priorities this year is to gain market share.Close-out chain Big Lots also posted profit that topped Wall Street forecasts – and investors eagerly snapped up its shares.Also in the basket:Liz Claiborne outlook weak More mortgage borrowers are ‘underwater’Kindle access from iPhone(Photo: Reuters)
Both food makers cut their profit forecasts for the current year, citing the pain they expect from the stronger U.S. dollar decreasing the value of sales from international markets.
How quickly thing change, especially in the world of electronics.
This year, as TV makers confront excess supply and shoppers show a reluctance to splurge on big-ticket items, Costco is selling bundles of two flat screen TVs, pricing two for basically the price of one.
Check out the basically flat profits at Costco.
Well, at least they are not falling, like many other retailers. But one of the reasons is something that is kind of hard to emulate at, say a Neiman Marcus or J Crew — selling gasoline.
Many of Costco’s warehouse clubs sell gas and the way the company operates that business gives it an advantage when fuel prices fall.
Costco replenishes its supplies on a daily basis, unlike traditional gas stations that bring in new fuel weekly. That means that when fuel prices fall, it is selling gas purchased at a more current, cheaper price, which helps margins, while competitors are selling gas they paid more for.
Okay, it probably doesn’t fit the business model of Macy’s. But if it needs the help, maybe Diesel could start selling diesel.
Also in the basket:
Recession to worsen, deflation a risk: report
P&G keeps profit forecast, says sales may fall short
Lululemon posts higher profit, cuts 2008 outlook
The financial crisis of the past two months has rocked retailers, and many are now planning to hire fewer seasonal workers and roll out promotions earlier than planned to try to salvage holiday sales, according to a recent survey by the Hay Group.
The human resources consulting firm conducted an informal survey in September with 20 of the top American retailers, including Best Buy, JC Penney, Costco, and Macy’s to get a glimpse into their plans for the holiday season.
The group then ran the survey again this month to find out how those plans may have changed given the recent financial crisis. Here is what the they found: | <urn:uuid:8c885161-c758-4f05-9f48-e2b0761cfc67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/shop-talk/tag/costco/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956374 | 1,035 | 1.507813 | 2 |
CLEVELAND -- This Thanksgiving, Josh and Lisa Marie Cantwell will gather around the dinner table this year and give 'thanks' for life.
In the months before the holiday season of 2011, the young couple was faced with not one, but two struggles that involved near-death experiences.
Lisa Marie was nearly 7 months pregnant with the couple's third child when physicians at Cleveland Clinic told her that natural childbirth was not an option.
Dominic, their unborn son, had developed a rare congenital cyst on his airway that continued to enlarge as Lisa Marie's pregnancy progressed.
Dr. Paul Krakovitz, a pediatric ear, nose, & throat specialist, became concerned that the newborn would not be able to breathe when he was born.
A plan was put in place with the help of the Special Delivery Unit, to deliver the baby via C-section and then immediatly operate on Dominic. Now they just had to wait until it was time.
Meanwhile, one day, Josh was playing on the floor with his two little girls when he placed his hands on his chest to catch his breath, and to his dismay, he felt a large, hard mass on one side of his chest cavity.
A visit to the doctor revealed the worst possible news. At age 35, and in the midst of a crisis involving his wife, Josh was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The cancerous mass was the size of a basketball.
Josh decided his treatment would wait until after Dominic's birth. When the baby arrived, Dr. Krakovitz decided surgery was not immediately needed and let the family go home with the baby.
Two and a half weeks later, the cyst rapidly grew and emergency surgery was needed. Dominic came through it just fine.
Now it was time for Josh to take care of his own health. Three days prior to Thanksgiving in 2011, Josh underwent surgery. The tumor was so large and connected to so many things, Dr. Matthew Walsh had to remove the tumor, Josh's entire stomach, gall bladder, spleen, 75 percent of his pancreas and 25 percent of his liver, then rebuild a stomach using part of his intestines.
According to Josh's oncologist, most surgeons would have deemed Josh inoperable. A year later, Josh is completely cancer-free and ready to give thanks this holiday season. | <urn:uuid:fa3c1d55-a873-4fa6-8aa3-5a9b7122aca4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/269948/3/Family-thankful-for-life-this-holiday | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988235 | 484 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Brothers Of Earth is C.J.Cherryh's second novel, published in 1977 with an original RRP of 80p. It hasn't aged at all. Between them Kurt and Djan's actions tear apart the society they are living in, causing death and destruction, and this tale of interfering in foreign affairs without taking the time to understand them instantly translates to more or less any international news story of the present day. Kurt spells this out when he tells the nemet the horror of war on a human, mechanized scale and tries to persuade them to avoid his and Djan's races' fates. The nemet society is complex, and does not feel alien or idealized: rather it recalls a post-colonial society with a deep history, family, national, social and cultural divisions and long-held grudges and it is this complexity which Djan misses and Kurt only learns through his mistakes.
While Kurt and Djan are newcomers and believe, in different ways, that their own experiences give them superiority and a right to advise the nemet, the planet also contains a colony of humans descended from Djan's people, the Hanan, who have degenerated into tribalism following a century without contact from their homeworld. As well as a plot device, the presence of this tribe in the novel is a reminder of the worst qualities of humanity. | <urn:uuid:0de254d4-aee4-4e82-b5bf-191747a3ecf7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sci-fi-gene.blogspot.com/2010/04/fall-of-mankind-review-brothers-of.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963767 | 278 | 1.726563 | 2 |
When WikiLeaks released a trove of diplomatic cables penned by U.S. ambassadors at the end of 2010, it soon became clear the missives weren’t simply a fascinating window onto world affairs. Many of them were also a damn good read. Ironic, knowing and razor-sharp, the diplomats’ behind-the-scenes dispatches were hailed by some as a new literary genre.
WikiLeaks’ latest release — the first of a collection of more than 5 million e-mails from Texas-based private security firm Stratfor — also has value beyond the mere information revealed. For along with Stratfor’s stolen secrets (whose significance is, rightly, being debated), there are some very amusing documents that have come to light.
At first glance, Stratfor doesn’t appear fertile ground for literary flair. The firm, which has been called a “private CIA,” hawks intelligence analysis to government agencies and corporations. According to WikiLeaks, its customers include Dow Chemical, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. Under these conditions, one might expect gravitas and a no-nonsense style. That, apparently, would be a misconception. (For its part, Stratfor refuses to deny or confirm the authenticity of the leaked e-mails but says that some of them “may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies.”)
Of the documents that have been released so far, the most amusing is undoubtedly “The Stratfor Glossary of Useful, Baffling and Strange Intelligence Terms.” The document, which can be read in full here, is meant to brief Stratfor employees on intelligence parlance. The author skids between flat asides, “Don’t try this at home kids,” and unabashed cynicism, “Green-carder: A source working for you because he believes that you will take him to America where he will own a Seven-Eleven.” There’s plenty more cynicism too. A WOG, for example, is defined as a “Wise Old Gentleman: Had a great success 30 years ago. Hasn’t done s*** since then except for reminiscing about his one success. Too smart to go into the field so he can’t be killed. Hope for a heart attack.” A Case Officer is a person with “the skills of a psychologist and the morals of a pimp.”
The glossary displays a cavalier approach to customer service. It defines After Action Report as “The final report on the conclusion of an Op. Never show the customer. It’s like showing someone how sausage is made. Nauseating.” It describes a Background Check as “Usually meaningless. Does run up the client’s bill and makes it appear that you are busy.” A Brief is “an intelligence report delivered to the customer.” The Glossary notes that “a good brief can make s*** smell good. Frequently has to.” It even reveals that intelligence officers have been known to pull their information from newspapers:
When the Brief has obtained zero valuable intelligence from analysis, he finds something in the inside of the morning paper, powers up a view graph, and “Briefs the Times.” Customers are frequently impressed. It’s a hoot.
It’s not only the Glossary that contains comedic gems. Personal e-mails are full of tidbits as well. Being spies, or at least pretend spies, Stratfor agents made up code names for various people and groups. Hizballah were referred to as Hizzies and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was known as Adogg. Stratfor employees referred their network of secret deals with media organizations, including Thomson Reuters as the “Confed F*** House.” Stratfor was invariably keen to take advantage of a business opportunity. A company vice president circulated an e-mail after WikiLeaks’ 2010 release of Afghanistan military logs asking: “[Is it] possible for us to get some of that ‘leak-focused’ gravy train?”
All of this is certainly chuckle-worthy. Some of it is so outrageous, in fact, that Stratfor’s allegation that some of the e-mails may have been “forged or altered” seems plausible. It’s certainly not the sort of stunt unknown to anticorporate activists. (One of the groups Stratfor is alleged to have scrutinized, the Yes Men, has frequently impersonated businessmen and bureaucrats to great effect. In 2007 a member of the group appeared on the BBC posing as a Dow Chemical spokesman. He promised compensation for the thousands of victims of 1984′s Bhopal disaster before the ruse was uncovered.) And though WikiLeaks has not admitted it, it’s generally believed that the Stratfor e-mails were obtained by the loose hacktivist collective Anonymous before they fell into the hands of Assange’s organization. (Anonymous has dismissed accusations of forgery as “pathetic” on Twitter.)
So far, however, there’s no concrete evidence that the e-mails are a parody. And given the fact that the U.S. government is a Stratfor client, that’s no laughing matter. | <urn:uuid:54b6e98e-0b53-4a47-abd0-6caab122789a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://world.time.com/2012/02/28/wikileakss-stratfor-emails-reveal-unexpected-talent-for-comedy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960711 | 1,121 | 1.554688 | 2 |
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
February 28, 2012
Four high schools compete for Lake Murray Youth Bass Fishing Clubs tournament
Unseasonably warm weather greeted the high school student anglers as the day progressed on Feb. 18. Barnwell County Career Center served as host at Lake Murray for Saluda High School, North Augusta High School and T.L. Hanna High School.
Twenty-three contestants weighed in thirty-three bass for a total of 65.34 pounds. The big bass for the day was a 4.46 pounder caught by Trevor Jeffers from Barnwell County that won him a new Pflueger baitcasting reel.
The tournament winners included:
- 1st - Andy Drennon, Chris Vita – T.L. Hanna - five fish for 15.56 pounds
- 2nd - Noah Wilson, Derek Freeman – T.L. Hanna - 7.49 pounds.
Both winning teams received a trophy and gift cards. Check in and weigh in duties were conducted by William Shipes from the Clemson University College Bass Team who also gave gift cards and items from their sponsors to the teams.
Form a bass fishing club at your school and you can also compete in tournaments around South Carolina. Clubs currently compete in inter-squad tournaments, against other schools as well as fish The Bass Federation of SC Junior Championship and other Student Angler Federation High School Tournaments.
All you need to do is get a minimum of six students (within the 11-18 year old range) with dues paid and you can have a Youth Bass Fishing Club. You'll also need an adult at your school to help lead the club, provide advice and help arrange at least two club tournaments, fundraisers, speakers and other learning sessions pertaining to fishing for club meetings. The Youth Bass Fishing Clubs is a product of a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and The Bass Federation of South Carolina with help and support from parents, teachers, school districts, local bait & tackle shops, community partners and Pure Fishing.
Find out more about Youth Bass Fishing Clubs by contacting Aquatic Education Coordinator Lorianne Riggin at (803) 737-8483 or RigginL@dnr.sc.gov.
- Spring turkey hunters should order tags now for upcoming season
- Adult-youth fishing open at Bonneau Ferry
- Remember bats are mammals that should be protected
- Thermal thinning and pruning with prescribed fire benefits longleaf pine stands
- Eighth Eastern Native Grass Symposium set Oct. 1-4, 2012 in Charlottesville, Va.
- Spring turkey season forecast fair; youth day March 31
- Renowned herpetologist featured at Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic March 23-25
- Archaeological excavations open at Great Pee Dee March 5
- Three states add bass fishing as high school varsity sport: Will S.C. follow suit?
- Harry Hampton Wildlife Fund donates $104,050 to DNR
- Aiken County wildlife area will open to the public four Saturdays in March
- Prescribed burns planned at Forty Acre Rock Preserve in Lancaster County
- Camp Wildwood of South Carolina open for 2012 registration
- Freshwater fishing trends
- Saltwater fishing trends
- S.C. weekly tidetable
- DNR video | <urn:uuid:e842a5e6-dda7-45b4-a949-721f82a05243> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dnr.sc.gov/news/yr2012/march1/march1_murray.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940202 | 682 | 1.609375 | 2 |
I don’t preach about the -isms. I don’t talk about or embrace words like raw foodist, vegetarian, or vegan, even though I do teach to eat a high-raw, mostly-plants diet. I leave it to you to figure out whether you want organic, clean eggs, cheese, milk, or meat as a small (5% or less) part of your diet. The implications of the biggest nutrition study in history, the China Project done by Oxford and Cornell, are clear: a plant-based diet can overcome carcinogens in our lifestyle. The standard American diet that includes 20% animal protein is a cancer feeder and puts us at high risk for that, and many other diseases.
I personally do not ever put animal products in anything I make at home. Organic eggs and cheese were the last things to go, at my house. There were less and less of them until one day I realized it had been 18 months since I had bought either of them. Making an egg substitute with 1 Tbsp. chia soaked in 3 Tbsp. of water works great. The baked product is more crumbly, but I can live with that. That’s all I used eggs for, anyway. The days of serving my little kids “toads-in-a-hole” for dinner were long gone. (A piece of bread, a hole punched out and an egg put in, fried in a little butter.) In the early days of my transition, we had that WITH a green smoothie!
It’s a rare occasion that I eat anything in a restaurant with animal products, either. I choose not to embrace those titles for two reasons. One, I think they are a turn-off to many people who are just starting out, wanting only to learn about and eat more nutritious food. I want to “be there” for the folks just beginning a transition to a high-quality diet.
Second, because I am often approached in restaurants, everything I eat scrutinized and commented on, and I don’t want to be held to absolutes. So I never call myself any of those labels even though I have eaten a high-raw, 95%+ plant-based diet for 18 years.
I’m supportive of those who do eat veg, vegan, and raw, and I’m proud of my vegan daughter who goes out of her way to eat only plants, so that there is no cruelty to animals caused by her life. (She’s a competitive soccer and cross-country athlete, and we look high and low to make sure there is no leather in her cleats and running shoes as well.) She and I have two very different ideologies that fuel our similar choices—hers animal cruelty, mine nutrition—and both are valid and important.
The quotes below use the words “vegetarian” and “vegan” quite a bit, but of course they’re not my quotes. But if extremist labels offend you, just consider these thoughts towards my agenda of helping you EAT MORE PLANTS! Regardless of whether you have a goal of eating no animal products.
“A number of studies have shown that cancer risk is lower and immune competence is higher in individuals who consume a vegetarian diet. Epidemiological studies almost unanimously report a strong correlation between a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low cancer risk.”
– John Boik, in his book Cancer & Natural Medicine: A Textbook of Basic Research and Clinical Research
“I have been a vegan for almost two years now and the benefits have been tremendous. I have more stamina and it helps keep me in a positive state of mind. I didn’t realize how weighed down I was when I ate meat. I never really felt 100 percent until I freed it from my diet. Now, I can’t imagine going back to meat. I feel incredible.”
– Mike Tyson, World heavyweight boxing champion, in 2011
“Today you have processed meats and a lot of animals suffering unnecessarily for it. Now, some people just blow that off and don’t have a conscience about it, or they just don’t care. They wouldn’t eat their dog, but they feel that way about other animals. But for me, I decided to stop eating meat. I didn’t want to contribute to all of that. I’m not trying to change the world, or wear that on my sleeve, or make a political statement, because that just turns people away. I only have control over one person, and that’s myself. And I feel good about it.”
– Mac Danzig, vegan mixed martial arts champ
“I’ve found that a person does not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact, my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.”
– Carl Lewis, nine-time Olympic gold medal winner
“Someone may say that there are some antioxidants in meat. They are not incorrect in saying this. But, it is like comparing a raindrop to a lake, with a piece of meat being the raindrop, and an apple or other raw fruit or vegetable being a lake of beneficial nutrients. Any antioxidants in the meat only got there by way of the animal eating plants. Animals, including humans, do not conduct photosynthesis, which is the process that takes place in plant cells when they absorb sun energy and store it, forming the colors in the plants. Therefore, antioxidants, which are in the natural colors of plants, are vastly more available in edible, raw plant substances, and much less present in meat, dairy, and eggs. By consuming animal protein to try to access antioxidants is less than licking the juice from a knife that just cut through a piece of fruit, instead of simply eating the fruit itself.
By consuming animal protein, you are also consuming free radicals, which exist and form in meat, milk, and eggs. So, even if you are consuming some trace amounts of certain antioxidants in the animal protein, you are countering it by also consuming the damaging free radicals in that animal flesh, dairy, or eggs. This scenario does not equal good nutrition – especially considering that meat, dairy, and eggs also contain saturated fat, cholesterol, and a variety of other substances that work against health.
Studies are constantly revealing how certain fruits and vegetables not only provide needed nutrients that are beneficial to health, but also that they contain and provide properties that prevent certain serious ailments, such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease; limit intestinal exposure to carcinogens; and help the body to contain, transport, and eliminate toxins.”
– Sunfood Diet Infusion: Transforming Health And Preventing Disease Through Raw Veganism by John McCabe | <urn:uuid:18d12e0f-7a27-431d-8715-ec7f54586946> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greensmoothiegirl.com/2012/10/03/athletes-and-experts-quoted-about-eating-plants/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965903 | 1,413 | 1.554688 | 2 |
With Dixieland jazz, Muppet ditties and reminiscences, friends of the puppeteer Jim Henson celebrated his life yesterday as thousands of mourners nearly filled the cavernous Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
It was an emotional tribute, though it sought to capture the playful spirit of Mr. Henson, whose Muppet creatures on public television's ''Sesame Street'' taught and befriended youngsters and charmed adults all over the world. Mr. Henson, who died of pneumonia on Wednesday at the age of 53, had asked in a letter four years ago for ''a nice, friendly little service'' with a ''rousing'' Dixieland band.
After an organ improvisation that included the ''Sesame Street'' theme song, ''Sunny Day,'' the Dirty Dozen Brass Band played a dirge as it proceeded up the center aisle, followed by clergymen, a choir in red-and-white robes, and family members. A profusion of spring flower bouquets decorated the outer aisles and altar area.
'Great Silly Fun'
Congregants, who had been asked not to wear black, waved colorful foam butterflies on wands as Harry Belafonte and three other singers performed ''Turn the World Around.''
''There is no question about Jim Henson's great artistry and the extent to which we have all been touched by it,'' Mr. Belafonte said. ''But greater than his artistry was his humanity.''
The wands were distributed with the programs, which included a quote by Mr. Henson: ''Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it.''
''We had such great silly fun together,'' recalled his longtime associate Frank Oz. ''The best thing was when you watched Jim laugh until he cried. It would start in that high voice, and he couldn't speak, and the tears were rolling down, and he tried to add a joke and just couldn't do it.''
Mr. Henson's voice was heard in a recording on which he sang ''Rainbow Connection'' as Kermit the Frog. And Big Bird, appeared, resplendent in yellow feathers, to sing Kermit's song, ''It's Not Easy Being Green.'' Then he said, ''Thank you, Kermit,'' and bowed his head.
Talk of 'Great Plans'
At one point, Mr. Henson's widow, Jane, introduced the five Henson children, Heather, Lisa, Sheryl, Brian and John. She said neither she nor her husband had felt they knew exactly what was in store in the afterlife, but that ''he had great plans.''
Brian Henson read parts of letters that he said his father had written to the family four years ago, to be read after his death.
In it, Mr. Henson said he was not afraid of death but had ''much curiosity and interest'' in it, and was ''waiting to say 'hi' '' to those who had gone on before him.
''It feels strange writing this while I am still alive,'' he wrote, ''but it wouldn't be easy after I go.''
''Don't feel bad that I've gone,'' Mr. Henson wrote at another point. ''I look forward to seeing all of you when you come over.'' He added, ''This all may seem silly to you guys, but what the hell, I'm gone and who can argue with me?''
Near the end of the two-and-a-half-hour memorial service, performers sang a Muppet medley. They wore street clothes, but their voices were in character. And they concluded by waving handheld Muppets in the air, to the cheers of the congregation.
Then the band led the way out, playing ''When the Saints Go Marching In.'' | <urn:uuid:5e77abf4-f22b-40e2-8cda-284be97ba768> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/22/arts/henson-is-remembered-as-a-man-with-artistry-humanity-and-fun.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978389 | 799 | 1.585938 | 2 |
British Prime Minister David Cameron appears to have the opposite of the Midas touch when it comes to foreign affairs. He has never looked particularly comfortable on the world stage, and these days he appears particularly hapless.
For instance, Cameron isn’t having much luck when it comes to his attempts to influence events in Syria. The growing complexities of the Syrian crisis have intensified Western anxieties about what will follow the anticipated toppling of President Bashar Assad. Government insiders talk about “facing another Iraq,” amid fears of a full blown sectarian civil war emerging from the ruins of the Assad regime.
To assuage such fears and accelerate planning for post-Assad Syria, the Foreign Office hosted a meeting this month with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces at Wilton Park in Sussex. The meeting, which took place behind closed doors, was a perfect opportunity for the Syrian opposition to finally outline its plans for running Syria in the immediate aftermath of Assad’s removal. It was hoped the coalition would at long last reveal who will serve in its transitional government and provide some information to representatives from Arab and Western governments at the meeting of what plans are in place to maintain order and ensure that state institutions continue to function once the Baath regime collapses.
In a Twitter message about the conference, the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, pithily said: “Assad’s departure from power inevitable. Vital that international community plans ahead for the day after in Syria.” Unfortunately, the meeting failed to deliver anything resembling a plan for what happens “the day after.”
The Syrian opposition had another stab at forming a government when it met in Turkey two weekends ago, and once again it came up short. It was hoped the meeting would at least nominate a transitional prime minister such as former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab, who defected and joined the opposition last year. But this was rejected by the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest groups within the coalition. If the Syrian National Coalition cannot agree on who will lead it, what hope is there that it is capable of running a country torn apart by a devastating civil war?
Even a hastily arranged $20 million donation from Qatar on Jan. 21, which was seen as a precursor to naming a transitional prime minister and Cabinet in waiting, failed to rally the opposition. Part of the reluctance stems from fears the West will balk at the number of Islamists in the government, hence the coalition’s desire to get all the foreign aid it can before going public. But is also reveals the deep divisions that still exist within the coalition.
Meanwhile, Walid Safur, the representative of the Syrian opposition in the United Kingdom, confirmed that with the exception of Syria’s pervasive intelligence apparatus, most of the country’s institutions, namely the judiciary, the police and the Syrian army, will remain intact after Assad is ousted. Under this arrangement, Syria’s armed forces will be “sent to their barracks” and remain there unless they are needed to maintain stability during the transitional period.
This is a demand of Western countries, mindful of the chaos that disbanding the army in Iraq helped cause in that country. The success of the armed forces will be largely dependent on Western aid and Gulf petrodollars to guarantee army payrolls and ensure that troops remain content in their bases. But unlike the armed forces of Egypt and Tunisia, the Syrian army has been far from a neutral player in the ongoing conflict. The army has been accused of a number of atrocities against unarmed civilians, and it remains to be seen whether Syrians who found themselves at the sharp end of the war will accept such a cozy arrangement. For them, the opposition coalition is a long way from the reality on the ground and has little credibility.
Despite almost two years of courting, encouraging, organizing and helping fund Syria’s opposition groups, the U.K. has seen only some broad brush strokes with little detail of how the transition from dictatorship to democracy will be implemented. The official line from the British government is that it is “happy with the progress” being made by the opposition and its commitment to democracy.
But privately government insiders admit they are losing patience with the continuing failure of the Syrian opposition to form a transitional government or offer practical proposals that will ensure stability in the period right after the fall of the Assad regime. In a desperate attempt to gloss over the situation, a government official insisted that the opposition was already gaining valuable experience establishing and running administrations in areas lost by the regime.
But again, reports on the ground in Syria paint a very different picture. In fact, Free Syrian Army fighters have been accused of wide-scale looting and kidnapping for ransom. In many areas, stability, and, more importantly for many, food and power supplies, are being provided by Islamic fundamentalists, including the Nusra Front which the United States insists is affiliated with Al-Qaeda and which has been designated a terrorist organization.
War makes strange bedfellows, and the National Coalition has pleaded with Washington to remove the Nusra Front from its terror list. Yet the organization is fighting to establish an Islamic state in Syria governed by Shariah law. This is hardly compatible with the Syrian National Coalition’s aspiration of a Syria where men and women from all the country’s ethnic groups enjoy equal rights.
The stark reality is that as the war enters its second year, the increasingly sectarian character of the opposition, like those of myriad fighters on the ground, is becoming more evident. And the longer the war goes on the greater the risk of increased divisions within the opposition and, more worryingly, of regional overspill.
No one is winning the war. In Libya the tipping point came when the West shifted from establishing a “no-fly zone” to bombing selected government targets. Despite the arrival of NATO arms and Patriot missiles on Turkey’s border with Syria this month, to be followed by the deployment of around 1,000 U.S., German and Dutch troops, it is unlikely that a similar scenario will play out in Syria.
Against this backdrop it is imperative that the Syrian National Coalition proves that it deserves the hopes invested in it before it is too late. It can only show it will govern for all Syrians, regardless of their creed or ethnicity, by revealing who will serve in its transitional government and by providing a blueprint for Syria’s immediate future. The U.K. may be losing patience with the opposition, but Syrians are losing their lives. And the opposition coalition is losing what little credibility it still has left with the West.
Michael Glackin, a former managing editor of THE DAILY STAR, is a writer in London. | <urn:uuid:44d934d8-771a-4ea7-abf9-5981cb60e5f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2013/Jan-29/204139-london-proves-to-be-luckless-on-syria.ashx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96074 | 1,370 | 1.648438 | 2 |
This regiment was organized at Auburn, August 1, 1861. It went first to Huntsville, thence to Virginia, where it arrived in November. Proceeding to Yorktown, it was brigaded under Gen. Pryor of Virginia, Longstreet's division. The command fell back with the army, and fought at Williamsburg with heavy loss to four of the companies. At Seven Pines it was again in action, with but few casualties. It participated at Mechanicsville, and was almost annihilated at Frazier's Farm and Malvern Hill, losing nearly all the officers, after charging the enemy's almost impregnable positions repeatedly. It moved towards the Potomac with the army, and was engaged with slight loss at the second battle of Manassas. Greatly reduced in strength, the Fourteenth fought at Sharpsburg, suffering severely in casualties. Placed in Wilcox's brigade, Anderson's division - with the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Alabama regiments - it was on the line of the Rappahannock during the winter of 1862 - 3 and was in line of battle on the highths when Burnside was repulsed at Fredericksburg. The regiment was hotly engaged, and with heavy loss, at Salem. It went on the Pennsylvania campaign, and the blood of its veterans was poured out freely at Gettysburg. The winter of 1863 - 4 was passed in camp near Orange C.H. and the Fourteenth was engaged with shocking results at both the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, emerging from those battles with much depleted ranks. Now in Sanders' brigade, Mahone's division, the Fourteenth participated in the numerous and bloody struggles around Petersbrug, during the last ten months of the war. Its colors were furled forever at Appomattox, where only 70 or 80, under Capt. Perry of Lowndes, were present. The names of 1317 men were on its rolls, over 250 of whom perished in battle, 350 died in the service, and 159 were discharged or transferred.
Colonels - Thomas J. Judge of Montgomery; resigned. A.C. Wood of Randolph; wounded twice; resigned. Lucius Pinkard of Macon; wounded at Gettysburg; retired.
Lieutenant Colonels - David W. Baine of Lowndes; killed at Frazier's Farm. Lucius Pinkard; promoted. James A. Broome of Chambers; wounded at the Wilderness; retired.
Majors - Owen K. McLemore of Chambers; resigned. A.C. Wood; promoted. James A. Broome; promoted. R.A. McCord of Tallapoosa; killed at Chancellorsville. George W. Taylor of Randolph; wounded at Spottsylvania.
Adjutants - Lucius Pinkard of Macon; promoted. James S. Williamson, Jr. of Lowndes; wounded at Gettysburg.
Chambers - W.D. Harrington; resigned. J.F. Wallace; killed on picket on the Matapony. S. Hodge.
Lowndes - James S. Williamson; killed at Frazier's Farm. Simeon G. Perry.
Chambers - D.H. McCoy; resigned. M.L. Barber; wounded at Frazier's Farm; transferred to department duty. G.J. Bankston, wounded several times.
Chambers - James A. Broome; promoted. B.H. Pearson; captured on picket. Lieut. H.W. Burns commanded.
Chambers - W.C. Allen; died in the service. J.S.E. Davis; wounded several times.
Chambers - M.P. Ferrel; resigned. J.S. McLean; wounded several times.
Tallapoosa - W.H. Brooks; resigned. J.L. Craig; died in the service. R.. McCord; promoted. J.A. Terrel; promoted. Lieut. H.C. Veasy commanded for some time.
Tallapoosa - W.W. Selman; resigned. W.B. O'Brien; wounded twice; retired. C.H. Lambeth; killed at Wilderness. J.B. Winslett.
Talladega - J.T. Bell; killed at Mechanicsville. E. Folk; killed at Petersburg.
Randolph - A.C. Wood; promoted. George W. Taylor; promoted. G.F. Weaver; wounded; retired. B.I. Pate; wounded; resigned. | <urn:uuid:54e3c114-ec31-493a-9c60-66f8d0d4b39e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/alamilor/14thinf.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963714 | 943 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Stanley I Presume?
A rip-roaring and hilarious memoir from Stanley Johnson -- father of London mayor Boris Johnson. Stanley's story begins with a loud bang - when his father, an RAF pilot in the Second World War, crash-lands a Wellington bomber in a Devon airfield. A few years later, Stanley's parents buy a sheep farm on nearby Exmoor, where Stanley does much of his growing up. Stanley would keep his links with this much-loved rural idyll throughout his life - while going on to become an explorer, author, occasional politician and also one of the world's first environmentalists. On leaving school in 1958, Stanley travelled alone through South America - hitching rides across the jungle on Brazilian Air Force planes - and shortly afterwards rode a motorcycle 4,000 miles from London to Afghanistan, tracing the route of Marco Polo with two friends. Stanley went on to do various adventurous jobs, before working for the billionaire John D Rockefeller III, the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union. Stanley married and started a family young - Boris was born in New York when his father was twenty-three - and while Boris would go on to become big news, the family's forbears also provide quite a story, as Stanley finds out. For the Johnson family's roots are not just in the West Country, but in Turkey, too - where, as Stanley discovers, his politician grandfather Ali Kemal was torn to pieces by an angry mob. Stanley visits a Turkish village where the locals are blonde - later he learns that he and Boris are direct descendants of George II. A sparkling raconteur and experienced thriller writer, in Stanley, I Presume?, Stanley Johnson tells great stories in an unsurpassable style. | <urn:uuid:96e1380e-8eb9-4428-b37d-2d50fa7edc6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/stanley-johnson/stanley-i-presume/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973373 | 352 | 1.828125 | 2 |
NPR discusses the Legal Aid Funding Crisis
On June 15, 2012 NPR ran a story titled Legal Help For The Poor In 'State Of Crisis' focusing on how although the number of people who qualify and need civil legal assistance is growing, the funding for civil legal assistance is dwindling.
The article, by Carrie Johnson, spoke with 2011 Equal Justice University Speaker and Legal Services Corporation President Jim Sandman who says, "Access to justice is a fundamental American value. We have a great legal system in the United States, but it's built on the premise that you have a lawyer. And if you don't have a lawyer, the system often doesn't work for you."
Read or listen to the article by visiting clicking here. | <urn:uuid:68255599-6c45-483d-8153-b9a3c2a1e1dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tals.org/npr-discusses-legal-aid-funding-crisis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969088 | 146 | 1.71875 | 2 |
An autopsy report shows a parasite known as the "brain-eating amoeba" killed a Southwestern Indiana man.
State and federal officials haven't yet confirmed 30-year-old Waylon Abel of Loogootee died of a rare infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, but the autopsy report released Friday lists it as his primary cause of death.
He died Aug. 7, just over three weeks after a family outing at West Boggs Lake, about 60 miles northeast of Evansville. The beach there was ordered closed Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has three confirmed cases of the disease this year in Minnesota, Oklahoma and South Carolina. A CDC spokeswoman says it expects to receive and test samples of the suspected Indiana case later this week.
The parasite thrives in warm water. | <urn:uuid:9f5eae1f-3e60-4983-a75f-9aa0059e5464> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/sep/04/brain-eating-amoeba-suspected-southwestern-indiana/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975925 | 171 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Having been neglected for nearly 50 years, this incredible dream home was rescued by new owners who sought to restore the home to its original grandeur by Siemasko + Verbridge, an architecture, interior and landscape design firm in Beverly, Massachusetts. Prominently located on the rocky shoreline, its presence welcomes all who enter into Marblehead from the Boston area. The exterior respects tradition; the interior combines tradition with a sparse respect for proportion, scale and unadorned beauty of space and light. The home had originally been built in 1899, taking four years to renovate; the historic facade was renewed and restored. The home was originally 4,000 square feet but was expanded to 9,300 square feet of living space, but was kept as historically accurate as possible. The existing sea wall was also rebuilt to protect the home and the neighboring properties.
The interior were respectful of the past, yet in total harmony with its ingenious avant-garde improvements. The interior feels as cozy as a cottage with average sized rooms all minimally furnished by interior designer Jean Verbridge. The fully equipped kitchen was expanded by enclosing a section of the front porch and looks out to ocean views. Where the kitchen used to be located, now lays a two-story library retreat for the owner’s eclectic collection of art. A carriage house that was burned down was rebuilt with an attached garage that extends into an extra floor of living space, with a home theater, game room, sauna, and elevator. The high tech home has fully automated and energy-efficient systems; window blinds, espresso maker, landscape irrigation, solar roof panels, and the temperature of the wine cellar, pool water and sauna can all be controlled remotely. If the owners are away and a storm blows in, the push of a button will drop shutters into place over windows.
To see more on the building and restoration of this incredible home, check out the owner’s blog, here.
The attached carriage house to the left of the restored house contains guest quarters and pool cabana above a three-car garage.
A NanaWall Systems door folds, accordion style, completely out of the way, the swimming pool can be fully opened to the lower level of the house where the is a second kitchen, changing rooms and full bath.
The custom weather vane atop the turret depicts an Austrian mountain goat. | <urn:uuid:59ce3a61-2de7-48c8-b7a2-3bcbdcecebb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.onekindesign.com/2012/09/19/dream-house-magically-suspended-on-a-bluff/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967384 | 485 | 1.765625 | 2 |
A leaked budget memo, obtained by the Associated Press, calls for deep cuts to local homeland security programs.
The Bush Administration is radically rethinking the way cities will pay for their homeland security programs, according to a leaked budget memo obtained by the Associated Press.
The department [of homeland security] wanted to provide $3.2 billion to help states and cities protect against terrorist attacks in 2009, but the White House said it would ask Congress for less than half — $1.4 billion, according to a Nov. 26 document. The plan calls for outright elimination of programs for port security, transit security, and local emergency management operations in the next budget year. This is President Bush's last budget, and the new administration would have to live with the funding decisions between Jan. 20 and Sept. 30, 2009.
Long Island, New York's Newsday, clearly worried about how such a cut would effect New York City, had more details .
The leaked document calls for slashing the federal program geared to the highest-risk cities, from which the New York region receives the lion's share of its funding - about $134 million this year. It eliminates other programs entirely, including those geared to port, bus, truck and transit security.
Another proposed change would prohibit federal funds from being used to cover salaries - a huge potential hit to New York City, which uses a portion of its grant money to pay some of the 1,000 cops assigned to terrorism.
The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Sean Kevelighan told the AP that negotiations between the Bush Administration and his office were still ongoing and that none of the budget cuts have been finalized.
Already, politicians from both sides of the aisle are lining up to dismiss any budget cuts to local homeland security programs.
Senator Charlies Schumer (D-NY), speaking with Newsday, said the budget cuts would be "dead on arrival."
Senator Barabara Boxer (D-CA) seconded Schumer's evaluation and told the AP, "This administration runs around the country scaring people and then when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, they say 'sorry, the bank is closed."
Representative Peter King (R-NY), the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, expressed bewilderment saying, " "If this is real, it's a serious mistake and I will do everything I can to fight it."
And in a joint statement, Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and ranking Republican Susan Collins (R-ME) of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee called on the Bush Administration to reconsider its "wrong-headed strategy."
Administration insiders, according to Newsday, say the leaked memo is consistent with Bush Administration policy which said that the initial federal funds to jumpstart local homeland security programs were never meant to be permanent. | <urn:uuid:795f6d1d-db8c-4882-bd25-38f1cf56e883> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.securitymanagement.com/print/3046 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956236 | 583 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Several people have asked me to expand on point 1. Including Retrofuturist and Manapa.
1. Dependent Origination. The puthujjana understands this according to the three lives interpretation. For him it is an explanation of rebirth. The ariya savaka rejects any temporal interpretation, and understands it as a model of the unenlightened mind. For him the formula shows what must cease in order for one to be fully enlightened.
2. The five aggregates. The puthujjana understands rupa as body, and the other four as mind. So the five represent a human being. The ariya savaka understands all five as mental objects. These have been constructed so they are capable of ceasing. They are mis-understandings of things.
3. The five aggregates of clinging. The puthujjana understands these as just a clinging to the five aggregates. There are suttas which talk about the ceasing of the five aggregates of clinging. He sees no problem in this, if craving has ceased then clinging will have ceased. The ariya savaka understands the five aggregates of clinging as mental objects, which have been constructed and are capable of ceasing. They are mis-understandings of things. These are mental objects which are involved with clinging, they cease when clinging ceases. They are not the same as the mental objects which are the five aggregates.
4. The Noble Eightfold Path. The puthujjana understands the path to consist of eight separate things. He thinks that he can work on these individually. He thinks that he is on the path. He is not on the noble eightfold path. He is on what is called the wrong eightfold path. He is not a noble one. He does not have right view. The ariya savaka does have right view. When he acquires it the noble eightfold path arises, all eight factors together. But they are weak at first and must be developed. They are developed by further development of right view. Nothing else. The other seven path factors are just by-products of
5.The enlightenment of the Buddha. For a lay puthujjana the Buddha's enlightenment must be very a mysterious thing. I will not attempt to guess how he understands it. For a puthujjana Buddhist monk things are a little more clear. He understands the Buddha's enlightenment by analogy with the concentration practices called jhana. The theory is that certain states of concentration when attained in this life, ensure that one will be reborn in certain planes of existence after one's death. He assumes that the Buddha reached an even higher concentration state, which ensures rebirth in a special place called nibbana, which is beyond the three realms, and outside the cycle of existence. Since these experiences of concentration are temporary, lasting at most a few hours, the Buddha's experience of nibbana must be temporary also, in this life. So, for the puthujjana monk the Buddha only really reaches nibbana after death. If this monk is good at concentration he can think that his attainments are nearly equal to those of the Buddha. There is a kind of liberation in concentration, from unpleasant states of mind. This is called temporary liberation in the teachings ( samaya vimokkha ).
The ariya savakas understanding is very different. He understands that there is another kind of liberation called non-temporary liberation ( asamaya vimokkha ). This is not just the temporary suppression of unpleasant states of mind, but their partial or total elimination, permanently. This is achieved by what the teachings call insight. So the ariya savaka understands that the Buddha's mind was radically transformed. And that the Buddha was already in nibbana in this life, continuously.
6. The Four Noble Truths. The puthujjana monk understands the truths according to his own experience. He understands cessation in the third truth to be the temporary cessation of suffering which he knows from his own practice of concentration. He thinks that he fully understands the truths, but he does not. The four noble truths must be penetrated - a higher understanding. The ariya savaka has this higher understanding. He understands cessation in the third truth to be permanent cessation.
7. The four jhanas. There is a standard formula which describes four degrees of concentration, which is frequently found in the teachings. The puthujjana monk identifies these with his own concentration experience, what one might call the practice of the jhanas. He therefore understands them as temporary states. One enters one of these states, and then after an hour or so, one leaves the state. For the ariya savaka , however, things are rather different. Progress on the noble eightfold path transforms ones mind, gradually eliminating many things which make the mind restless, disturbed and turbulent. The result is an increase in the natural concentration present when craving and other things are reduced or eliminated. Therefore, progress on the path has, as one by-product, the attainment of these four degrees of concentration, as permanent states, one after the other. Or, as the teachings say, right view comes first, and right view leads to right concentration.
8. The non-returner. This is one of the four noble persons found in the teachings. The puthujjana understands him as a stage on the noble eightfold path. He thinks that the five lower fetters have been broken, and that after death, he will : "... spontaneously arise in another world.." ( called the pure abodes ). The ariya savakas understanding is quite different. He has rejected the teaching on the four noble persons, and the four paths and four fruits. He has also rejected the explanation of these stages by means of the five lower, and five higher fetters. He does this because he sees for himself that these teachings are needed for puthujjana's, but are wrong. However, some of these noble persons really do exist, it is just that they are understood in a different way. There is a stream-winner, he is the one for whom the noble eightfold path has arisen. The path is the stream. The next stage is completion of the noble eightfold path. Those who have completed it are called non-returners. This is because completion of the path means that "this world" has ceased. One therefore arises in "another world". ( this stage is often called: arahant ). There is then a further path which leads to the cessation of the "other world" resulting in full enlightenment, which is tathagata. ( this stage is also called arahant ) Even those on the higher path are called arahants. So we see that arahant is not a very precise term. It is an ordinary, everyday word, which means "worthy one". It was used, before the rise of Buddhism, as a respectful way to address state officials. But then came to be used to address wandering ascetics. It later became a technical term in Buddhism, but probably never lost it's other meanings.
9. Nibbana and Parinibbana. For a puthujjana what is the difference between these two terms ? For him, nibbana is a place where arahants go when they die. For the ariya savaka there is also no difference between these terms, they mean the same thing. Both are attained in this life.
10. Rebirth. For the puthujjana rebirth is understood in a literal sense. After this life there is another one, and so on, for unimagineable lengths of time Does the ariya savaka understand rebirth in a different way ? It is possible. The term often used means re-becoming ( punabbhava ). Since the delusion of a self is sustained or perpetuated psychologically, we could be said to be always re-becoming, until we become enlightened of course.
11. Tathagata. Probably understood by the puthujjana to be a special term for the Buddha. But we have already seen that the ariya savaka understands the term to refer to full enlightenment. He is therefore aspiring to become a tathagata ( though I doubt that he would say this when puthujjana's are present ). Please note that there is no definite article in Pali, and that when the Nikaya's were first put into writing capital letters were not in use.
Note: Any of this could be wrong, please correct me if you see anything.
Best wishes, Vincent. | <urn:uuid:63e03ce9-1835-4be4-a3e2-87568170951b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?p=32348 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972039 | 1,788 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Trail Driving Technique
Slippery conditions can turn a normally easy trail into one that is nearly impassable. Snow is an obvious cause, but on certain soil types a rain storm can turn the surface of the soil into something resembling wheel bearing grease.
Driving techniques and tire requirements are similar for either snow or slippery trail mud. Wet trails are more easily damaged than dry trails, so Tread Lightly when it’s slippery out.
TIRES, VOIDS, AND LUGS
I’ll start with the most important factor in negotiating slippery trails: Tires. The void ratio is the key. Void ratio is the ratio of the space between the lugs to the space used by the lugs. The higher the void ratio the better, for the most part. A higher void ratio helps the tires clean mud and snow from between the lugs easier.
Super Swamper Boggers would seem to be a good tire for a slippery trail because of their high void ratio, but they have only horizontal lugs on them. While these tires are good for straight ahead mud runs, the lack of vertical lugs means that a Bogger tired vehicle may be more prone to sliding sideways in a slippery off camber situation.
The tires with the next highest void ratio commonly seen on the trail are Buckshot Mudders in radial or bias ply and Super Swamper TSL’s in radial or bias ply. All of these tires have a vertical row of center lugs that goes a long way to prevent unwanted sideways movement of the vehicle. Swamper radials and Buckshot radials have the advantage of increased flexing and deformation when aired down due to their radial construction. The flex helps the tires “stick” better by providing a larger contact patch and the flexing action helps them clean the mud out of the tread.
There are other types of mud tires available with BFG MTs and Mud Kings being the most common on the trail. These are good tires and work well in many conditions, and offer a much more comfortable ride on the street, but when the mud gets really thick and sticky these will clog before the Swampers or Buckshots due to the closer spacing of the tire lugs.
The best place to see how different tires perform is always going to be under real-world conditions on a trail ride. I recommend going on a few trail rides and watching to see what works best in your area before buying. My personal picks for slippery trail ride conditions where I live (Minnesota) are the Super Swamper radials or Buckshot radial. Don’t forget to air down. The extra flexing action helps any tread pattern clear out the mud.
Slippery hill climbs require momentum. When there is a patch of slick mud or smooth ice half way up the hill you must have enough speed to carry the vehicle over it and to the next area with some traction. You simply can’t idle up a steep hill coated with mud or snow that’s so slippery you can’t walk on it.
If you get part way up a hill and forward movement stops you may find yourself going sideways or even sliding back down the hill with the tires still trying to go forward. Don’t lock up your tires in this situation. Locking up the tires will cause you to lose all steering control. Always try to go into reverse and idle down. You may come down faster than you would like but you will be able to steer. If things are happening too fast to go into reverse go into neutral or press in the clutch and try pumping the brakes as you back down (never, ever, ever stomp on the brakes hard enough to lock up the wheels when in a slide, it is a sure recipe for disaster).
Don’t have the steering wheel turned too far when pumping the brakes because you may find traction and cause the vehicle to turn suddenly. If you have slid sideways across a hillside but are still pointing upwards try pointing your tires back to the center of the trail and giving it some throttle. Lots of times the vehicle will move straight sideways across the face of the hill and get you to a safer place to back down. This will probably not work on an steep off camber hill. (editors note: Use caution when on any steep or off-camber hill, getting even a little bit sideways can put you in danger of rolling the vehicle, always try to keep the jeep pointed straight up and down the hill whenever possible)
If you find yourself sideways on a hill, or starting to go sideways point your tires up hill and give it some throttle. This will often straighten you out. If you manage to get yourself completely sideways, perpendicular to the hill and feel as though you are about to roll, point your tires downhill and give it some gas and head down the hill.
The old off-roaders trick of turning the steering wheel back and forth when forward progress has stopped will often work when moving through slick mud or climbing a slippery hill, but sometimes you just end up going sideways across the hill. Be cautious of its volatile nature when trying this technique.
You may at times find yourself in the awkward position of having slid backwards down a hill until a tree stops you. You probably can’t drive up or you wouldn’t have slid down. A winch pull is always the best answer. If you have no winch you may be able to spin the tires while someone pushes the front of your Jeep sideways, allowing you to make an extremely sharp turn and head back down the hill. Make sure that the slope of the hill will help push the nose of the vehicle in the direction you want, don’t let someone get pinned between your Jeep and a tree. If you attempt this move, make sure that you are not going to be in danger of rolling the jeep, and get the nose of the jeep headed straight down ASAP, using power as needed so you can control your descent.
Up or down, your best control is when both axles are perpendicular to the hill. A good rule of thumb is to send a winch equipped vehicle up first. Otherwise a stuck vehicle may block the trail completely.
Slippery, off camber descents present a different challenge. The most common problem is the back of the Jeep sliding off to the side. Locker equipped vehicles are especially prone to this. Always keep the Jeep in first gear low range when descending slippery hills. If the rear starts to slide out give it a little throttle and it will usually straighten out. If necessary, and if there is enough room, steer the front in the direction the rear is sliding. This will keep the front directly below the rear and keep you in control.
Wet rocks can be tricky, especially if there is some mud thrown into the spaces between the rocks. I like it when there is a nice 12″ diameter laying log at a 45 degree angle to the trail to hop over in the middle of the rocks, just to add a little more challenge. For this situation be aware that you will slide off one or more of the rocks and pick your line accordingly. Use the rocks to your advantage if possible. For example put the sidewall of a tire against the side of a rock to hold you and keep you from sliding sideways. Don’t cross fallen trees at an angle. When you get to that downed tree in the middle of the rocks, if possible, have your jeep pointed in such a way as to bring both front tires over it at the same time. Bump it a little (more gas), rather than risk getting only one tire up and being hung up on a spring or the differential. If you get one front tire up and the other is on the ground, back down, get your axle parallel to the tree, and try again.
Rutted trails can be a problem for vehicles with small tires, but ruts can be a help in slippery off camber situations. If your tires are big enough to run in the ruts you will probably not slide sideways off the hill. If you have smaller tires try running with just one set of tires in a rut if the trail is wide enough. The uphill rut is usually a better choice. If you straddle a rut in a slippery situation it is just a matter of time until you slide in. If you are lucky your left tire slid into the right rut or vice versa. If you are unlucky you are probably squarely stuck in a rut made by someone with much bigger tires and in need of a tow strap or highlift jack.
Sometimes you will find a trail that has 2 tracks that have been used by the trucks ahead of you. These often become icy or slippery on a hill climb or descent. Try going to the side a bit to get some fresh snow or untrod dirt under your tires.
Deep mud and snow:
Generally deep mud holes have ruts in the bottom and different parts of the bottom may be shallower and deeper, firmer and softer. Poking around the bottom with a stick may help you find shallow spots, but the best technique is to observe the vehicle in front of you.
In a wet mud hole the Jeep in front of you makes waves. Look at the bottom of the wave to see if you can find a shallower part to drive through. Sometimes a wave rolling across a mud hole will expose a shallow shelf you can get your wheels on. If the guy in front of you gets stuck and you have a similar or lesser equipped Jeep, don’t follow his example. In a dryer, stickier mud hole it is difficult to judge how deep it is without driving out into it. The best bet is to go slowly and stop spinning your tires if you can no longer make forward progress. Put the Jeep in reverse and saw the steering wheel back and forth. Many times the side of the tire will bite and push you back out. Stay in your ruts as you back out. This techniques often works well for wet sticky snow too.
The fine art of hooking up a tow strap while stuck in the mud is often learned out of necessity. Anyone can simply hop out into the 30″ deep mud (you can tell how deep by how much of your tire is showing), but a clever person can get to the front of their Jeep without getting excessively muddy. With soft doors simply lift the door off the Jeep, place it in the back and step out onto the front tire while clinging to the windshield. From there flop onto the hood and crawl to the front of the Jeep. Assume a sitting position on the hood with your feet on the bumper and try to either throw one end of your strap to someone standing at the edge of the mud or try to catch the end of theirs. If you happen to be on shore it may be fun to throw short the first time so the catcher has to grab the muddy end of the strap as it comes flying at them. Use common sense and don’t throw a strap with a shackle or metal tow hook attached to it (better yet, Never even bring a strap with an attached tow hook to a trail ride – they are extremely dangerous).
The idea here has been to give you a few ideas to help you make it through with the minimum impact to the trail, your vehicle and yourself.
These are general guidelines that often work, not hard and fast rules.
Every vehicle and situation is different.
Use common sense, and don’t compromise safety.
When in doubt winch it out.
Do your part to keep 4 wheeling trails open by 4 wheeling responsibly. | <urn:uuid:9c5d40ef-9ed4-4a36-9988-65ff1a845077> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jeepfan.com/tech/trail-driving-technique/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942815 | 2,394 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Gene has posts: here he reminds people that as of yet time travel is not possible and future generations did not vote on (much less plan for) the public debt they deal with. That, like taxes, is the price of modern civilization. It's something we're stuck with - we don't properly plan for it. And here he points out once again that a good indicator of whether Bob Murphy is miscommunicating Krugman's position is that he is making a claim about Krugman's position (I kid Bob... I like Bob).
But I am not done with Bob yet.
In this comment he seems to think I am marveling over the fact that whether or not g > r has practical implications for debt burdens.
Umm... no. Let's be clear: the implicit assumption of everybody so far has been to abstract away from those sort of sustainability issues. If you really think that's where we're at I have to seriously question how much progress we've made in this discussion.
What Grant helpfully points out is that Bob's models (as far as I can tell) don't really tell us about the inherent costs of debt so much as they tell us that debt imposes the same sorts of costs on the future that taxation imposes on the present.
But there's nothing costly about debt that isn't also costly about taxation. And that's Grant's contribution that brings some of this back to reality. The only reason why Bob's model imposes costs on future cohorts (not future national income, of course) is because he retires all the debt. In other words, debt has the same costs and benefits that taxation has just on a different group of people: namely, it has costs associated with distribution and incentives.
Which is Krugman's original different "kettle of fish". There's nothing uniquely costly or bad about debt.
And to bring this back to Krugman and Baker's real public service announcement: it makes no sense to think about public debt the way you think about your family's debt. Talk about the country having to tighten its belt the way grandpa did during the Depression is nonsense. It's good personal finance (what else can you do?), but bad public finance.
Noted for May 19, 2013
1 hour ago | <urn:uuid:11c28f41-d2b8-43e8-8a47-bfea55eb11b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://factsandotherstubbornthings.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-little-more-on-debt-debate.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969155 | 457 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Data center recount: Bigger problem, tougher solution than previously thought
As if coming up with a consolidation plan to whittle down the number of federal data centers from 1,100 to some smaller, more desirable figure wasn't tough enough, that job will be even harder — and more important — than expected now that we know the government’s rough tally of facilities was off by nearly 1,000.
An Oct. 1 Office of Management and Budget memo on the status of the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) states that a more rigorous and standardized inventory of data centers completed July 30 indicates that there are 2,094 federal data centers, not the 1,100 figure that federal CIO Vivek Kundra cited when he launched the initiative in February. OMB said there were 432 centers in 1998.
"We knew that when we came into office, many agencies did not have an accurate accounting of data centers," Kundra told Rutrell Yasin of Federal Computer Week’s sister publication Government Computer News.
Kundra’s rationale for FDCCI — that “the growth in redundant infrastructure investments is costly, inefficient and unsustainable” — can only be strengthened given the newer, much bigger inventory number. It also means it’s a bigger problem to solve, with more technical and operational complexity and more turf to fight over. Some recalibration might be in order.
“If the OMB had a specific target in mind for reducing the number of federal data centers, the latest information on the current number of facilities may have made it completely infeasible,” wrote Jeffrey Clark for the The Data Center Journal.
In a possible preview of the challenges the feds face, Clark mentions the finger-pointing going on in Texas over a troubled contract with IBM to consolidate the state’s data centers. IBM has reportedly blamed the problems on state agencies’ resistance to change and refusal to cede control over their IT assets. Feds can now multiply those issues by 1,000.
It’s not possible to say how FDCCI might change given the new inventory number because agencies' plans have not been made public. They submitted consolidation plans to OMB Aug. 30, and CIO Council agencies are working with OMB to review, adjust and finalize those plans by Dec. 31 so they can be integrated into agencies' fiscal 2012 budget submissions.
Even before OMB made its higher data center count public this month, observers had pointed out the challenges the consolidation plan faces.
In September, market research and consulting firm Input issued a report stating that FDCCI will confront a lack of upfront funding, cultural resistance, political problems, technical difficulties, and tight timelines that restrict solution choices and development.
Others agree. “Given that the OMB is scheduled to approve agency consolidation plans by Dec. 31, it seems unlikely that given the overall short time frame and the complexity of dealing with government culture (including the military) that the submitted plans (filed by Aug. 30) are little more than the simplest physical consolidation plans that could meet the guidelines laid down for the agencies,” wrote David Chernicoff on ZDNet. | <urn:uuid:f342d6c4-b8d8-4de0-a51d-113ebf8643c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fcw.com/articles/2010/10/25/buzz-data-center-recount.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949888 | 656 | 1.664063 | 2 |
2009...Over the years Puppy Love have been asked why we don't support the Kennel Club and their campaign to stop puppy farming, we take a lot of criticism from people who think we should put politics aside for the good of the cause. So we have decided its time to tell you why we don't and won't support them, we are not talking politics we are talking dogs!
We get information from people who feel they have been mislead into thinking Kennel Club registration means that the pups they buy are healthy and have been raised ethically. One person told us he did all the research to find the right breed for himself and his family and found what he thought was a good Kennel Club breeder. His puppy died a couple of days after purchase from undiagnosed illness. As it was proven the pup was sick at time of purchase the buyer took the breeder to court for reimbursement of £500. What he didn't know when he went to buy his puppy was that the breeder is licensed to keep 92 dogs on her premises and conditions are not pleasant. There are many more of these puppy battery farms who use KC registration and they own huge numbers of dogs, one that we know of has over 200.
Another purchaser bought her pup from a KC breeder in Wales, the pup was very sick and was put to sleep before she reached her first birthday as there was nothing more the vets could do for her. Again this breeder is licensed for over 100 dogs and breeds a huge amount of litters per year.
The images you see here are of breeders premises who pay a yearly fee for KC affix and pay again when they register their litters with KC, this gives breeders/puppy battery farmers, credibility and of course they can ask a higher price for puppies. These breeders are puppy farmers and can house 100 or more dogs in squalid conditions. One breeder we know of has registered 39 litters in 2009, this is by no means an isolated case, so you see just how much money is rolling into KC bank from these unscrupulous battery farmers. Most of the dogs have no outside runs and spend their lives in one small cell, some never see daylight, food and water can be scarce, vet treatment is unavailable. So we hope you can see why we cannot support an organization which makes money from canine misery by cashing the cheques of puppy farmers on a regular basis and doing nothing at all to remedy the situation even when complaints are made to them. So to our critics we say educate yourselves before blindly following the Kennel Club's PR propaganda.
You also may imagine that Accredited Breeders have been checked BEFORE they are accredited, they are not, anyone can become accredited by the KC without having any knowledge of breeding dogs. You may also think all dogs are raised in homes as part of families and that being accredited all possible health testing for the breed are carried out, wrong again, this maybe true in some cases but not all. A few health test are mandatory but dogs only have to be tested not pass the tests. Some Accredited breeders dogs are kennelled outside as there are far too many to be housed indoors. Some are also accredited for 5 different breeds of dogs. | <urn:uuid:00261198-3a49-4d00-992e-12c9c532b743> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/thekennelclub.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987744 | 660 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Some sadistic editor at the WSJ assigned Epstein to read and review a book that was never intended for people to just sit down to read. It's a reference book, something for library shelves, a book to be cited, and, for its contributors, a credit for touting. That's not to say it's not useful -- were you doing some research on a particular phase of American lit, it might give good guidance, and I would find it especially useful with undergraduates to show them the wide range of topics that can be thought about, analyzed, studied. Like a 1,200 page collection of academic essays about American history. Useful for various purposes, but not really something to take to the beach or the bed.
Properly categorizing and assessing this book isn't Epstein's priority, because he's not actually interested in the book itself. He wants to rant about the decline and fall of university English departments and the general decline of American culture. He's an inveterate conservative, and that's what they do. We can go to the WSJ to watch them as we might go to the Right-Wing Zoo and knock on the glass at the Crusty Curmudgeon exhibit.
"The Cambridge History of the American Novel," Epstein writes, "is perhaps best read as a sign of what has happened to English studies in recent decades. Along with American Studies programs, which are often their subsidiaries, English departments have tended to become intellectual nursing homes where old ideas go to die." (He then cites Marxism for his only evidence of an old, dead idea that nobody who knows anything about economics thinks is worthwhile, and because Marxism is nothing but economics, and can't tell us how to better diversify our stock portfolios, is deserves to be forgotten.) He ponders how horrible it must be to be a student of any of the contributors to The Cambridge History, and then gives the data-loving readers of the WSJ a bite of red meat:
Some indication of what it must be like is indicated by the steep decline of American undergraduates who choose to concentrate in English. English majors once comprised 7.6% of undergraduates, but today the number has been nearly halved, down to 3.9%. Part of this decline is doubtless owing to the worry inspired in the young by a fragile economy. (The greatest rise is in business and economics majors.) Yet that is far from the whole story.If you want a more nuanced view of the rise, fall, rise, etc. of English majors, I'd recommend a data-filled 2003 report (PDF) by the Association of the Departments of English, which demonstrates that, indeed, Epstein's random and uncontextualized percentages (87.3% of which are horse effluent) are so far from the whole story that they aren't even on the same shelf in the library. To blame the relatively low percentage of English bachelor's degrees on the lack of Lionel Trillings in the classroom is like blaming the rise of business majors on the pedagogical popularity of close readings of Adam Smith.
Epstein's sure that it must, though, be horribly depressing to be a student of these people, and that's why so many people prefer Business to English:
Two or three times a week one would sit in a room and be told that nothing that one has read is as it appears but is instead informed by authors hiding their true motives even from themselves or, in the best "context-centered" manner, that the books under study are the product of a country built on fundamental dishonesty about the sacred subjects of race, gender and class.Throughout the review, Epstein complains about discussions of race, class, gender, and disability. These, you see, are not Literary, and therefore have no place in discussions of anything Literary, including Literary History. Such discussions depress people. They make them feel that their country is not the shining beacon of universal utopia that Ronald Reagan insisted it was. (His complaint about "authors hiding their true motives even from themselves" is disingenuous, because the era Epstein pines for is the same one that produced the idea of the "intentional fallacy" -- and a valuable idea it was, too.) It's not that Epstein objects to students learning to analyze texts for the complexities of their meanings and resonances -- I have trouble imagining him yelling at, say, Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren for finding too much meaning in poetry -- but that he doesn't like what is found there. Epstein yearns for the days of innocent texts that talked only to themselves.
Sorry, dude. Those days are dead and gone, and, like all innocence, impossible to regain. And they weren't really innocent days, anyway, because, much as Epstein would be nauseated by my saying it, they were only days of innocence for straight white guys. (And I don't say that from prejudice. Some of my best friends are straight white guys.) Even when the writers being studied weren't exactly straight white guys themselves, they were still being studied as if they were.
But you don't have to agree with that statement to see that Epstein's whine is little more than nostalgic senility. His argument is actually for less knowledge, fewer ways of considering any cultural object, narrower perspectives on art.
For somebody like me, whose ancestors are white folks who first came to New England in the late 17th century, maybe learning some of the uglier sides of American history is depressing. Maybe discussing the ways that my skin color and gender identity (among other physical attributes) have given me advantages I never asked for or could give away is disconcerting. Maybe looking at how the culture has been shaped by some of these forces and this history will inspire self-hatred. But that's not been my experience. In fact, I don't think I began to feel at all comfortable with myself until I began to think about those forces, to think about how I got to be where and who I am. Because such thinking is not, if done well, depressing. Instead, it's best described by a word I'm sure Epstein loathes: empowering. (Also, interesting. It makes the world look more complex, variegated, and impossible to pin down than it looked to me before.)
Such ways of reading can also be highly literary, maybe even Literary. One of the reasons those of us who are inclined toward such ways of thinking are also inclined toward literature is because it's one of the best ways humans have developed to represent, share, and analyze subjectivity. That's not the only thing art and literature do, nor the only thing that should be studied, but it's a big component.
At heart, Epstein is a monarchist, as his rant about the unfortunate loss of a distinction between high and low culture shows: "With the gates once carefully guarded by the centurions of high culture now flung open, the barbarians flooded in, and it is they who are running the joint today." In the paragraphs in which he laments the study of anything other than the highest of High (that which has been granted the divine right of his admiration), Epstein shows that his anger and resentment are at the loss of the cultural power wielded by a few well-read men in tweeds. He seems to be angry that he wasn't born a few decades before he was, back in a time when he might have had a better shot at being the American Minister of Culture.
Epstein believes the study of English should help us become "intoxicated by literature—its beauty, its force, above all its high truth quotient," and that universities should encourage and culture "a love of stories". That's very nice, and I'm sure that anybody who has spent a lifetime devoted to books and stories and plays and art of all sorts agrees that a certain level of intoxication is one attraction of such work -- but I don't look to intoxicated people for truth (despite their penchant for saying things they might not with more sober mind). Epstein, who in those sentences is nothing if not a blubbering Romantic, seems to think "beauty" and "truth" are uncomplicated things, universal, obvious, immutable, eternal. Talking about the ways stories represent, reflect, subvert, absorb, and perpetuate various beauties and truths, various ways of knowing and being, is not an activity that destroys all pleasure in a text. I certainly wish more English professors would talk about their pleasures, but just because they don't fill their histories and analyses with evaluations and gushing pronouncements doesn't mean they are people incapable of feeling. That idea's just stupid, and usually employed for a political purpose, as Epstein does, effectively saying, "I don't like you people talking about stuff that makes me uncomfortable, and so I'm going to proclaim that you are a killjoy!" He's no better than the anti-intellectual fan who says talking about the textual complexities of a beloved book/movie/comic "ruins" it. Both think pleasure is tainted and destroyed by reflection and analysis. (Of course, Epstein, unlike the rabid fan, would say he's all for reflection and analysis, that Great Literature in fact encourages it, but his idea of reflection and analysis is too narrow to be called anything but prejudice.)
I could go on and on about the history of literary study in U.S. universities and the forces (good and bad) that have shaped it into what it is (any such discussion should certainly include the ever-growing push for the humanities to be more "useful", the constant need for professors to publish, the corporate-minded movement away from tenure-track positions and toward the exploitation of contingent faculty such as myself, etc. -- of course, all of that is outside the text), and I could lampoon the utterly exhausted and ignorant complaints about English professors' prose (as always, Sturgeon's Law applies), and I could hoot and holler about how inaccurate his citing of Famous Professors Past as some barometer of the value of English departments is, and--
But what's the point? Epstein's arguments are at best ill-informed, his perspective warped, his desires fanatical. He doesn't need our attention; he needs a pasture in which he can be put out to chew on his cud. Apparently, that's what The Wall Street Journal is for. | <urn:uuid:8eb18899-0377-4bc6-8d1f-8a5d73419d09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mumpsimus.blogspot.jp/2011/08/reign-of-good-queen-anne-was-cultures.html?showComment=1315618538207 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977462 | 2,121 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Make no mistake: In order to be competitive in the European auto market, auto makers and suppliers must have a significant amount of their portfolio dedicated to diesel powertrains and components, for the simple reason that more than 50% of European car buyers are opting for diesel engines. That’s why Japan’s Denso Corp. (www.denso.co.jp/en) is committing a significant portion of its European resources to develop advanced common-rail injection systems, basing its manufacturing in the city of Szekesfehervar, Hungary*, where low-wage, high-skilled labor is abundant. Here, Denso has produced more than one-million common-rail systems since April 2004, and expectations are for demand to increase 60% this year. While Denso’s largest customer remains Toyota—Denso was a former member of the Toyota keiretsu until its separation in 1949—its European customer base includes Ford, Opel, Nissan, Fiat and PSA Peugeot Citroen. The supplier’s common-rail systems are found in the Toyota Avensis, Opel Meriva and Corsa, Nissan Pathfinder, PSA Jumper, Ford Transit and Fiat Ducato.
Having introduced its 1,800-bar common-rail system utilizing piezo injectors into the market in May 2005, Denso is ready to take a significant step when it introduces its third-generation 2,000-bar solenoid common-rail system in 2007, which will be quickly followed by a 2,000-bar piezo system in 2008. The switch to the new system will provide compliance with new Euro IV and V emission requirements, along with increases in overall fuel economy. The goal is to provide systems that emit less noise, improve atomization, and provide greater low-end torque. Denso says the advanced common-rail system will provide up to nine injections per cycle, as engineers have designed group holes (no larger than six microns in diameter) in the injector nozzle to provide a wider vapor area. The Szekesfehervar plant will be the main supplier of the 2,000-bar system to European OEMs. Nissan, Toyota and Isuzu are already on-board for the new system.
The 657,000-ft2 facility, with its 3,000 employees, provides $517-million in annual revenue to Denso due in part to the fact that workers here earn roughly 1/8 ($661/month) the rate of their Japanese counterparts. While many of the parts for the common-rail system are still machined at Denso’s lead common-rail plant in Nishio, Japan, European Union requirements stipulating a minimum of 60% localization dictates Szekesfehervar will likely experience an increase in activities, although employment is expected to come down as Denso places added pressure on productivity improvements. Inside the plant there are signs exhorting workers to boost productivity by an overall 25%—and even signs that indicate there will be a headcount reduction of 562 workers. Management wants to cut die change time by more than half, to less than 15 minutes. While dies for the parts currently come from Japan, Denso is seeking Hungarian suppliers to fulfill those functions, although finding reliable suppliers in the country is difficult, according to Satoshi Nagasaka, executive vice president of diesel products manufacturing at Denso Hungary: “Most of our Hungarian suppliers have business with our competitors”—Bosch and Delphi—“but those suppliers we selected without our competitors’ business had very big quality problems. We had two or three suppliers that had not so good performance.”
A critical part of the common-rail system is the nozzle orifice, and manufacturing this piece requires exact precision. Denso utilizes abrasive flow machining technology developed by Dynetics, Inc. (Worburn, MA; www.dyneticscorp.com) to assure orifices are polished and finished to improve fatigue strength. The procedure involves injecting abrasive slurry through the orifice at various pressures until the radius and width of the orifice meets specifications. This process will get increasingly complex as more injections are required in future generation systems, along with accommodating varying degrees of fuel quality in different regions of the world.
Denso’s commitment to the European diesel market is a significant step for the supplier, as it seeks to increase its share of the European market. Challenges will persist, however, as it tries to compete against the long-established players in the region, most notably Bosch and Delphi. But the fact that Denso is willing to stick its neck out by pledging to take risks, seeking to exceed expectations via improvements in fuel economy and power, is more than commendable. Denso officials admit the 2,000-bar system is probably as far as they can go in terms of pressurization, but there’s little doubt they will continue to press on into the realm of HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) and other technologies that will lay the groundwork for the next milestone in engine performance.—KMK
*The capitol of the country until the 16th century, located on the northeast fringe of the Bakony Mountains. | <urn:uuid:7a07b27b-d90a-4085-a8b6-2da4073f5c52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/denso-seeks-next-diesel-breakthrough | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942785 | 1,077 | 1.625 | 2 |
Karadzic - for 12 years fugitive from a supposedly rigorous search effort by the intelligence services and soldiers of the West. Karadzic - with his military counterpart, General Ratko Mladic - indicted and wanted for genocide and a bloody litany of war crimes against innocent civilians during the tempest of mass murder, massacre, mass rape, concentration camps and 'ethnic cleansing' (a term Karadzic himself devised) they unleashed against the Bosnian Muslims and Croats in 1992. A tempest that continued for three years until the Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 men and boys over five days in 1995.
According to numerous intelligence reports, this is the rugged country - beautiful but inhospitable in every sense - in which Karadzic hides, moving from house to house, monastery to monastery, along a labyrinth of tracks, through a network of supporters, across mountains wrapped in a blanket of forest and the devoted silence of his admirers.
The rising road from Foca winds south-east towards Bosnia's border with Karadzic's native Montenegro, until it becomes a track into the village of Celebici. On what feels like the top of the world, but evading the gaze of the world, Karadzic was reportedly holed up here on the morning of 1 March 2002, when villagers saw helicopters disgorge American and German commandos kicking down doors, ransacking houses and even a pigsty. The soldiers found arsenals of guns and ammunition, but no Radovan Karadzic. He was, it turned out, two kilometres away.
Now, when you approach Celebici, villagers simply go inside their houses and will not answer their doors. Likewise, the Orthodox priest; the silence is defiant. It is on the way back down that the communique comes. A navy blue Volkswagen Golf edges its way downhill, as though out of petrol. We stop to ask if we can help. 'Fuck you and your Muslim sunglasses!' comes the unexpected reply to my Bosnian colleague in the passenger seat. She is from around here but was forced to flee in 1992, being the wrong ethnicity, in this man's view and that of others. We drive on and, before long, the Golf - customised so that it sounds like a Harley-Davidson - is revving on our tail, bumping against the back of our car so that we play cat-and-mouse down the narrow track on the edge of a ravine for a good five kilometres, trying not to think about the guns found at Celebici, until the Golf finally overtakes, the maniac at the wheel pointing ahead, and we continue alone, hearts in our mouths. A few kilometres on, there is a strange disruption in the road: a Renault stops to pick up a passenger in forestry commission uniform with a long zipper-bag containing either a rifle or fishing rod. With a lunatic trailing us out here in what Bosnians call the Vukojebina - 'where wolves go to fuck' - any company is welcome and we try to wait for the Renault to catch us up. Instead, it disappears and the Golf is back, revving against our bumper, the driver hurling abuse. He finally overtakes, pointing this time down a track leading to a riverside motel, into which he turns. We speed past and into town, to become two of the very few visitors who have ever been pleased to see the baleful town of Foca. The message of the chase couldn't be clearer: 'We know why you're here, strangers, so get out and don't come back.' This is Karadzic country.
That Karadzic and Mladic remain at liberty is a crushing embarrassment to the international community, studiedly impotent during the Bosnian war and now unable to perform this basic task of detection. Nearly a decade ago, the western diplomat in charge of peacekeeping in Bosnia, Carl Westendorp, told a meeting in Brussels that Karadzic would surrender 'this month'. 'How can the most powerful alliance in the world tell us that they can't find two Serbs?' pondered Jacques Klein six years ago, when he was co-ordinator of the UN mission to Bosnia.
Now the farce of the hunt for Karadzic is the subject of a Hollywood movie, The Hunting Party, in which Richard Gere plays a reporter, Scott Anderson, on his own quest to win the $5m bounty on Karadzic's head. Even Gere the actor begins to wonder about the answer to Klein's question, opening a Pandora's box of theories: 'We are assuming deals were done,' he says, 'and perhaps the search found its own inertia. Let sleeping dogs lie. But it doesn't help with the healing, that's for sure.' It was only after the Golf episode that I saw a clip showing Gere driving down a reconstruction of the same road out of Celebici - only in the movie version, Gere gets shot at.
For a man who ordered such appalling violence, Karadzic has a weak handshake. I met him three months into the war at his headquarters in the mountain town of Pale, near Sarajevo, which he had made capital of the self-styled and viciously carved Serbian republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, of which he was President. That was in August 1992.
Bosnia had voted for independence from the already disintegrating Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia, a secession made possible by the Muslim and Croat populations who made up a majority in Bosnia's ethnic tapestry, which had lived in peace for a generation under Tito. Bosnia's Serbs, however, were determined to remain contiguous to Serbia proper and, the previous April, Karadzic's Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and an army of Serbs in Bosnia under Mladic set about their role of establishing the 'Greater Serbia' dreamt up by President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade. The plan was that wherever Serbs lived, only Serbs would live. In practice, this meant the obliteration of the Muslim (occasionally Croat) populations - often the majority - on any terrain claimed by the Serbs, whether by death, internment or mass deportation, and the wholesale destruction of any memory of their existence - their homes, mosques and property.
When we came to meet Karadzic, it had been by helicopter from Belgrade over Eastern Bosnia, with a view of his handiwork from the air: village after village, town after town, razed, lifeless and empty. The reason for our appointment, however, was a gulag of concentration camps over the other side of the country, markedly that at Omarska, from which reports of mass murder, torture and beatings had leaked. Karadzic denied the allegations and guaranteed that I, along with a crew from ITN, would get into Omarska on his personal authority to verify his word. Most of his rambling, however, was about the tribulations of the Serbs throughout an epic history of suffering and struggle; were it not so deadly, Karadzic's faux academic veneer would have been pathetic. He instructed a couple of lads to take us to a ridge overlooking the besieged capital, Sarajevo, whose prolonged torture Karadzic oversaw personally. They derided the 'filthy Gypsies' living below, and made with their Kalashnikovs, and a jocular grimace, as if to line up the entire people and exterminate all of them - a terrible prophecy of Srebrenica three years later.
Two days after our meeting with Karadzic, and on his authority, we entered Omarska. There had been a gun battle on the way, Karadzic's men leaping from their vehicles to return fire into the woods from which 'Muslim extremists' were supposedly shooting (the bullets flying above our convoy). It was a typically crass prank to scare us off and we demanded to press on. Once inside the camp, men in various states of decay, some skeletal, were ushered from a hangar, blinking into the sunlight, and drilled across the yard into a 'canteen' under the eyes of a beefy gunner atop his post. There, they devoured watery bean soup like famished dogs, dry skin folded over their bones like parchment. Under the eyes and guns of their captors, they were too scared to talk, apart from one man who said: 'I don't want to tell any lies, but cannot tell the truth.' When the camp commander refused to let us inside the hangar to see the inmates' quarters, we started walking towards it. The commander blocked the way while his henchmen slipped the safety catches of their guns. We protested that Karadzic had guaranteed that we could inspect the camp thoroughly, to which the local police chief, Simo Drljaca, retorted through his translator Nada Balban: '[Karadzic] told us you can see this and this, but not that.' When we tried again, we were bundled out of the camp.
We had seen very little, and only with time did it become clear what Karadzic did not want us to see. Scenes of routine sadism like that described by survivor Halid Mujkanovic, concerning a prisoner forced to perform fellatio on a fellow inmate, then ordered to bite off his testicles. The victim was Fikret Harambasic and the man was forced to castrate him in order to save the lives of his roommates, threatened with execution if there were no 'volunteers'. The crowd of Serb guards who oversaw this entertainment 'looked as though they were attending a sports match, supporting a team'.
'You can see this and this, but not that', indeed - Karadzic all the while back in Pale with his maps and dreams, in the reality of which Harambasic's death was one incident among hundreds of thousands.
Back in Foca, having gratefully shaken off the Golf, we arrive in a town that is as devoted to Karadzic now as it was in 1992 - one of the places where he has been spotted while fugitive. A group of lads finally agree to talk to us because their team, Red Star Belgrade, are playing on television and it would be too rude, even for them, to refuse a drink and chat about the game. Even then, they make it clear that 'we're only talking to you because you are not asking about Karadzic', unlike the older men at the next table, in military fatigues, who block any attempt at conversation with a sneer and are of a vintage to harbour clear memories of what happened here in 1992.
In that year, almost every Muslim was burned out of his or her home and either murdered or deported from Foca. But this was normal at the time and Foca is most renowned for rape as a weapon of subjugation. Serial testimony recounts the systematic mass rape of women and girls, some as young as 12, at centres such as the Partizan sports hall. They were assaulted all night, every night. 'Only the women over 50 were safe,' recalled a shopkeeper, gang-raped by uniformed soldiers at the sports centre: 'I counted 29 of them,' she said, 'then lost consciousness.' 'I think all my life I will feel the pain I felt then,' said another, who was 15 at the time.
When Bakira Hasecic, leader of the association of women war victims, tried to place a plaque on the sports centre in now all-Serb Foca, a crowd assembled and smashed the modest monument. But in this town where Karadzic has been spotted and sheltered while fugitive, there is a huge concrete monument by the River Drina: 'To the heroes and victims... during the war of liberation 1991-95.' 'From your ashes,' promises the plaque, 'rises the dawn of the Serbian people. The bells from the altar proclaim that with your blood you made freedom.'
The international community talks about the need for 'reconciliation' in Bosnia, the need to 'move on'. And Bosnians themselves are obliged by daily life to 'move on', for such are the demands of raising a family, earning a living and even indulging in some personal pleasure. But how can the victims be reconciled to what happened without a reckoning by the perpetrators of these crimes? When an infamous war criminal and rapist, Radovan Stankovic, was recently sent to prison in Foca, he was freed within weeks by a breakout involving local police and prison staff. The site of the Omarska camp has been bought by the Indian steel mogul Lakshmi Mittal, who lives in Britain, and reopened as an iron ore mine, refurbished as though nothing had happened, employing only Serbs. Serbs still celebrate the 'liberation' of Srebrenica and other places they ravaged. 'Noz zica Srebrenica' has become a standard chant at football matches: 'Knife and wire Srebrenica'. Hardly a reckoning - more relish that it was done, and willingness to do it again.
And so the continued liberty of Karadzic and Mladic is more than a matter of two fugitives at large. Their freedom is iconic, helping to keep their cause alive, and those few 'internationals' who do care passionately about Bosnia - such as Paddy Ashdown, who was High Representative from 2002-2006 - desperately wanted Karadzic caught on their watch. There are many who see the delivery of Karadzic and Mladic to The Hague war crimes tribunal as a yardstick for its success (wrongly, I think, given its far-reaching achievements).
Carla Del Ponte, who steps down at the end of the year as chief prosecutor at The Hague, now says: 'They are the bone in my throat' - and she twitches with frustrated anger, making as if to karate-chop her neckline. In front of her, on the desk, is a pennant of Mladic; their faces line the wall of her office. 'To one side, I can look at everything this tribunal has done, and it has been hugely important, to establish that these crimes were committed and give voice to the victims. Then I can look the other way and have Karadzic and Mladic, wanted for ordering those very crimes, and for genocide at Srebrenica, still at large, after 12 years of indictment and my eight years here: then I feel terrible disappointment.' | <urn:uuid:20c6cce0-cc68-4233-a379-6571465284ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/dec/02/warcrimes.edvulliamy1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975812 | 3,039 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The papers (1 linear foot) document the group from its founding in 1993 through mid-1997. The Records are composed of 3 series
(internal records, literature, and photographs), and are organized chronologically within each series.
The San Francisco Lesbian Avengers engaged in direct-action politics throughout the San Francisco Bay Area between 1993 and
1997 to promote visibility of queer women and to fight the rise of the Christian right. Founded in New York in 1992, the Lesbian
Avengers were noted for their bold, theatrical style and their use of humor to capture media attention.
Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Collection is open for research. | <urn:uuid:28c99382-9681-4d71-8b5e-1c0c7740330a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf7r29n904/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93929 | 146 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The new PanicGuard app is a way for you to ensure that you have the best possible chance of getting help in the event that you should find yourself in a dangerous or life-threatening situation.
Free to download and test, the PanicGuard app will activate a number of your phone's functions in order to deter any would-be attacker as well as call for help.
Activated through tapping or shaking your mobile, the app will spring into life turning on any GPS functions and calling any emergency contacts you have stored in your phone. It also turns on video in the hope of recording any crime which can later be used to track down the perpetrator.
To top it off, a further shake of the phone will activate an earpiecing alarm which might go some way to deterring an attacker.
There are similar products around at the moment, however this is the first to get the backing of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and consequently it's been awarded Police Preferred Specification (PPS).
It's important to note that this doesn't actualy call 999 for you, but ensures someone can do it on your behalf through SMS, email, Facebook or Twitter. Detective Chief Inspector, Martin Ford, head of the National Mobile Crime Unit said:
"The MPS is supportive of all responsible efforts to improve the personal safety of individuals within our communities. Integrated, well thought out solutions such 'PanicGuard' have the potential to contribute to the security of vulnerable persons by using new technologies to their best capacity."
The app is available now and although free to download, you will be stung with an ongoing security service cost of £3.99 a month. | <urn:uuid:3ee34ff0-f28d-4200-900d-3879f6091a04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/113907-panicguard-app-world-first-security | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950319 | 341 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Reporting and Investigation of Potential Financial Misconduct
All members of the New York University community have a responsibility to ensure that University funds and resources are used only in activities that support the missions of the University; to protect University funds and resources from theft, misuse, misappropriation and other conduct that may be injurious to the financial welfare and reputation of the University; and, to ensure the integrity of the University's financial records through accurate reporting.
Responsible Office: Internal Audit
Effective July 15, 2004
REASON FOR POLICY
New York University funds and resources come from a variety of sources that carry with them fiduciary responsibilities. These responsibilities require the University to use these funds and resources only on expenses and activities that support the missions of the University, to maintain operations according to guidelines established by the University's Board of Trustees, and to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local rules and regulations.
To ensure the financial integrity of the University, all members of the University community are required to exercise responsible stewardship. The University's various financial policies provide the guidelines that help all members of NYU community foster stewardship and avoid situations that may lead to financial misconduct. Mindful disregard or violation of University financial policies for the purpose of personal gain or the gain of families, friends, or associates places the University at risk. Such situations must be reported and investigated according to the guidelines provided in this policy.
The reporting and investigation of potential financial misconduct must conform to established procedures to promote confidentiality and fairness and to help ensure that the conduct of University business is not disrupted.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS POLICY
All officers, faculty, and staff of New York University
ENTITIES AFFECTED BY THIS POLICY
All schools, departments, and units of the University
University Financial Policies
Various policies related to financial management, including:
- Business Expenses
- Expense Reimbursement
- Petty Cash Funds (Imprest)
Other University Documents
- Code of Ethical Conduct
- Faculty Handbook
- Collective Bargaining Agreements
- Administrative and Professional Handbook
- Student Handbook
- OMB Circular A-21
- OMB Circular A-110
- Anti-Kickback Act of 1986 (41 U.S.C. 51-58)
- Freedom of Information Act 1992
- Anti Corruption Commission Act 1988
- National Science Foundation Policy; Grant Policy Manual 510, Investigator Disclosure Policy, 60 F.R.132, pp. 35810-823 (July 11, 1995)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Objectivity in Research Subpart F-Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for Which Funding is Sought, 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart F
Direct general questions about this policy to the University's Department of Internal Audit. If you have questions about specific issues, contact the following offices:
Conduct of Investigation
Requesting Preliminary Investigation
Department of Internal Audit
Reporting Potential Misconduct
Internal Audit Director
NYU Compliance "Hotline"
Chair of the Audit Committee, Board of Trustees
Department of Internal Audit
These definitions apply to these terms as they are used in this policy.
Financial misconduct refers to any intentional act to acquire financial gain for oneself or for those of relatives, friends, or associates from or through activities and transactions related to the business of New York University. It also refers to any falsification of records, deliberate misrepresentation in financial reporting to University leadership or external agencies such as bond trustees, donors and grant agencies, rating agencies, and government bodies such as the Internal Revenue Service.
Individual with administrative responsibility for the area (school, department, or unit) where financial misconduct is alleged to happen. When the misconduct is believed perpetrated by a faculty member, the Department Head is the College Dean.
Financial misconduct refers to any intentional act to acquire financial gain for oneself or for those of relatives, friends, or associates from or through activities and transactions related to the business of New York University.
Financial misconduct of any member of the University community results in material or financial detriment to the University. It may subject the University to serious consequences such as penalties, fines, disqualification from participation in federal programs, debarment from research programs, and withdrawal of various kinds of support from donors and agencies. Financial misconduct committed in any area of the University also poses harm to the reputation of the University as a whole and the University's ability to advance its missions of education, research, public service, and patient care.
Financial misconduct may also subject offending individuals to disciplinary action from the University as well as criminal prosecution.
Therefore, to protect the University, its missions, and all its members from undue financial and other risks, this policy provides the guidelines to help everyone properly respond to situations that indicate financial misconduct.
To make sure that the University's response to potential financial misconduct is consistent, effective, and fair, all members of the University community are required to follow the procedures established in this policy on how activities believed to be financial misconduct should be reported and investigated. When reporting suspected financial misconduct, one must be cognizant of the risk of damage to the reputation of an individual who may ultimately be absolved of any wrongdoing. The University espouses confidentiality and ethical conduct at all times.
Situations that Indicate Potential Financial Misconduct
All members of the University community have a responsibility to report known or suspected financial misconduct associated with the conduct of University business. The exercise of this responsibility, however, must always be guided by prudence because, absent a concrete pattern of egregious activities or open display of utter indifference to University policies and procedures, financial misconduct is often difficult to detect and conclusively prove.
Financial misconduct typically involves theft, forgery, or embezzlement. Examples of financial misconduct include, but are not limited to:
- alteration of records including financial reports, attendance and timekeeping reports;
- submission of fraudulent business expenses for reimbursement;
- acceptance of kickbacks from vendors;
- overriding the University's internal controls such as the established review and authorization processes for business expenses;
- falsification or records related to financial transactions funded by external agencies (such as student loan providers and research funding sources);
- falsification or alteration of various records related to accounting and financial reporting;
- falsification or alteration of records related to employee tax reporting and employee benefit plans;
- deliberate misrepresentation in financial reporting to University leadership and other recipients of financial reports, including donors, granting agencies, bond trustees, rating agencies, and other governmental bodies.
Caution: Situations that indicate potential financial misconduct do not confirm culpability. Each must be thoroughly and properly investigated before they can be deemed misconduct that is subject to disciplinary or legal actions.
Fiduciary and Stewardship Responsibilities
Financial misconduct is a violation of the fiduciary and stewardship responsibilities that officers, faculty and staff of the University are expected to exercise. All have a responsibility to ensure that University funds are used appropriately and to exercise due diligence when generating, reviewing, and approving transactions that commit the University to a financial obligation.
To help all members of the University community understand and fulfill their fiduciary and stewardship responsibilities, policies and procedures on a variety of financial activities and transactions have been developed (see "Related Documents" section above). All are expected to know these policies and to follow established procedures, as well as seek guidance whenever appropriate from offices or individuals responsible for specific policies.
Reporting Financial Misconduct
When financial misconduct is suspected or uncovered by any member of the University community, it should be reported promptly and in a confidential manner.
To report known or suspected financial misconduct, contact the Audit Director or any audit staff of the University's Department of Internal Audit (see "Contacts" section above).
Heads of any school, department, or unit of the University who receive reports of potential financial misconduct from any member of their staff are required to contact Internal Audit. All are advised to refrain from conducting an investigation on their own, or from taking any action to resolve the irregularity before consulting Internal Audit.
University employees who wish to report potential misconduct anonymously may call the NYU Compliance "Hotline" (see "Contacts" section above). This service was established according to the policy of the University's Board of Trustees (through its Audit Committee). University Employees may also directly call the Office of the Audit Committee Chair of the University's Board of Trustees.
All information regarding known or suspected of financial misconduct is deemed privileged and confidential. The University protects the identity of both those who alert the University to any irregularity and those suspected of wrongdoing.
Investigation of Potential Financial Misconduct
All reports of potential financial misconduct are promptly reviewed by the Department of Internal Audit. The department's auditors evaluate necessary records and information to verify the validity of the reports and to make a preliminary determination whether an investigation is warranted.
Caution: To ensure compliance to all applicable University policies as well as government rules and regulations related to the investigation of potential misconduct, only Internal Audit should conduct a formal financial investigation.
The University's Department of Internal Audit has the expertise and the tools to conduct a financial investigation. It is better equipped than any unit of the University in identifying any irregularity as well as in assessing financial and other risks beyond those assumed to be caused by the conduct reported. When an investigation is in process, all units of the University are required to respond promptly to Internal Audit inquiries and to provide access to relevant records.
Coordination with Internal and External Offices
Internal Audit will request the support of, and coordinate efforts with, other offices within the University and external agencies when necessary.
In concert with University leadership, Internal Audit will develop a risk assessment, giving due consideration to the extent of possible financial consequences, any regulatory compliance issues compromised, and any external reporting obligations that may be necessary. Based on the risk assessment, Internal Audit will provide interim reports to University leadership as the investigation progresses.
Internal Audit focuses investigations on financial matters but will, when necessary, coordinate with the University's Department of Public Safety, the New York City Police Department, or State and Federal police agencies.
When significant financial reporting issues arise in the course of an investigation, or deficiencies in internal control over financial transactions are noted, the auditors will notify the Controller's Office promptly to mitigate risk of continuing losses or misreporting.
In the event that a faculty member is the focus of an investigation, Internal Audit will coordinate with the University Provost and the Dean of the School with which the faculty member is associated to ensure that any actions taken conform to the University's Bylaws and policies specific to faculty.
Because investigations typically involve sensitive subject matters and non-routine risk, the value of timeliness in completing the review of financial conduct and reporting the results is readily recognized. Internal Audit reporting will be completed as a matter of priority. As warranted by findings, department heads, officers, or the dean of the area involved may offer supplementary information in a concurrent timeframe with the Internal Audit report.
Internal Audit will prepare a report at the conclusion of the investigation that will summarize issues investigated, procedures followed, conclusions reached, and actions taken by administrative units of the University including the unit on which the investigation centered. The report will be provided to senior officers of the University, including the Senior Vice President for Finance and Budget, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and the administrative or academic officers responsible for appropriate actions.
When warranted, the Department or School where financial misconduct has been identified will provide a plan of corrective action to safeguard against recurring losses. The Assistant Vice President for Finance/Controller and the Audit Director will assist departments or schools in ensuring improved internal controls. The conduct and outcome of all investigations that result in the finding of financial misconduct are required to be reported to the Audit Committee of the New York University Board of Trustees.
The initiation of employee discipline, when warranted, is the responsibility of the School or Department. When disciplinary action is being considered, schools and departments are advised to contact the University's Human Resources Department to ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements and University personnel policies. Human Resources must be informed of any disciplinary action being considered to also ensure that employee rights related to compensation and benefits are protected and harmonious employee relations are maintained.
Individuals who have been suspended from their post cannot be reassigned to their customary duties until the investigation has been completed and Internal Audit has released its recommendations.
When legal action is required, Internal Audit will consult with the University's Office of Legal Counsel. The University has vested the responsibility to interact or communicate with any external legal counsel, whether retained by the University or representing another client, on the University's Office of Legal Counsel. Only the University's Office of Legal Counsel is authorized to respond to any requests from any legal office, as well as to subpoenas and other notices from state and federal judiciary offices.
Claims for Restitution
If the University has suffered a financial loss as the result of financial misconduct, the Audit Director will provide a financial summary to the NYU Insurance Office. The Director of the Insurance Office will initiate insurance claims when warranted. Other action to effect restitution will be carried out under the direction of the Office of Legal Counsel.
The major responsibilities of offices or individuals involved in the processes subject to this policy are:
Human Resources Department
Consult with the Department Head when internal discipline involves suspension or termination.
Assist in ensuring that any action conforms to collective bargaining agreements and University personnel policies, as well as informed on employee rights including those related to compensation and benefits.
Respond promptly to reports of suspected or uncovered financial misconduct.
Conduct appropriate investigations into reports that have been concluded as valid.
Coordinate with relevant offices within the University and external agencies when necessary to ensure the effective conduct of investigations.
Notify all appropriate offices within the University of investigation results; advise on appropriate actions.
Office of University Counsel
Advise on appropriate action; determine the need for legal action on a case by case basis.
Interact or communicate with external legal offices (including those under the government's judicial system) on behalf of the University as needed.
Refer matters to the District Attorney's Office or other outside law enforcement agencies.
School, Department, or Unit
Communicate the University Policy 1.6, Reporting and Investigation of Potential Financial Misconduct, to all staff.
Notify Internal Audit promptly and in a confidential manner when financial misconduct is suspected or uncovered.
Take no action to investigate or resolve reports of potential financial misconduct made by staff prior to consultation with Internal Audit.
Recommend appropriate internal disciplinary measures when there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
University Protection Services
Investigate reports submitted by Internal Audit. Provide assistance necessary to ensure safety, peace, and order within the University.
Determine the final disciplinary action.
Read and understand University Policy 1.6, Reporting and Investigation of Potential Financial Misconduct. | <urn:uuid:767b54ca-b729-409c-af05-62d8501a546b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nyu.edu/financial.services/cdv/policies-pgS6-136 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934005 | 3,049 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Poll: Should convicted felons have voting rights?
|A person who is convicted of a felony loses his or her civil rights, including the right to vote.||64%||98|
|Only convicted felons who were involved in less severe, non-violent crimes should have the right to vote.||20%||31|
|All convicted felons should have the right to vote regardless of the crime.||15%||23|
|I don't know.||0%||0|
|total votes: 152| | <urn:uuid:29d0435e-a578-4963-a37f-8d3e7f5dac70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marconews.com/polls/2009/dec/felons-voting-rights-convicted-florida/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933512 | 112 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Medicine. Anything human!
NEVER take any pills for your cramps due to menstrual period, except you will get faint if you don't take it. Thosee pills give a 'fake' effect. They don't stop your painful, they just block your nervous system from painful feeling, actually the painful is still there and never going anywhere. Next time you need more and more dose, bigger and bigger dose, to relieve your painful. Those pills have addictive effect. Believe me. Sometimes I say offtopics, sometimes I kid around with funny words, but this time I say the truth
Hey I rarely tell a lie, I am a scientist and I avoid to lie as much as I can
I don't think you are right. A gynecologist told me to get those pills. (and I asked many of them and they never said "never") It's been about 7 years since I started to use them. I'm getting the same dose. Yes it is fake effect, but what if you can not do your work due to cramps? Don't think all people are like you Dr. And I don't think saying "never" is a good way to direct people.
It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishment the scroll
I am the Master of my fate
I am the Captain of my soul.
Be sure to read the thread about on-line diagnosis! Ooops, am i ruining the girl-thread?
"As a biologist, I firmly believe that when you're dead, you're dead. Except for what you live behind in history. That's the only afterlife" - J. Craig Venter
In Baboons when a female is in the "receptive" part of her estrus cycle, her ischial callosities (butt cheeks) get swollen with blood, turning bright red.
In most mammals, similar evidences occur in swelling or flushing of the females reproductive organs, particularly the vulva in many species, and are accompanied by varying behavioral patterns caused by increased levels of estrogen.
Animals that have the estrus cycle are only "receptive" behaviorally and physically for a short time right before and during ovulation. Animals with a menstrual cycle are physically receptive for a longer period of time, and behaviorally can be receptive perpetually (i.e. humans).
There is an accompanying array of hormones that accompany each stage in the cycle.
The "period" occurs in the menstrual cycle due to the prolonged receptivity the cycle enables. Over the course of a womans cycle, hormones cause the endometrium, or lining of the uterus wall, to become swollen with blood via capillary beds. This occurs in the estruc cycle as well, but to a lesser extent and for a shorter amount of time. After ovulation, if implantation does not occur, the blood in the swollen endometrium is flushed out, along with the dead ovule. In the estrus cycle, the blood is mostly reabsorbed back into the animals body.
Hope this helped. Doing a quick search on google will probably bring up some helpful sites. Try Wikipedia, it is usually pretty accurate and helpful.
What did the parasitic Candiru fish say when it finally found a host? - - "Urethra!!"
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests | <urn:uuid:0ec86224-9c25-4cbd-8646-1ae07bc3184b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/post-30039.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949832 | 701 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Fairfield’s Earth Day Committee (FEDC) announces the theme for this year’s annual “green” celebration, which is scheduled for April 28, 2012 from 10-4 pm at Fairfield Warde High School on Melville Avenue. This year’s Earth Day event will feature an array of exhibitors from local residents and organizations to businesses that are leading and supporting green initiatives which are laying the ground work and creating a green infrastructure in Fairfield.
Visitors attending Fairfield’s Earth Day Celebration will have an opportunity to get a broad view of the many services and products available to them in and near Fairfield. Town departments, schools, organizations and businesses will all be represented. There will be family entertainment throughout the day featuring music, magic and so much more.
Visitors will also get the answer to the question “How Green is Our Town?” To help answer that question, exhibitors can submit a green initiative to http://www.GreenTowns.com that they are currently involved with, or an initiative they would like to start. To support the effort of collecting and sharing these local initiatives, Fairfield’s Earth Day Celebration is partnering with Fairfield-based AmericanTowns.com and its new project, GreenTowns, which celebrates local initiatives and shares them both locally and nationally.
FEDC Chair Larry Kaley said, “We are looking forward to this important celebration that highlights the people and projects that are making an environmental difference in Fairfield. We encourage the entire town to participate.” | <urn:uuid:20d9550c-da19-45d1-8054-2f67223b74d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fairfieldearthday.wordpress.com/tag/energy-efficiency/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957782 | 324 | 1.835938 | 2 |
It’s an innovative technique for the production of fancy yarns in particular for the production of:
Yarn with colored slubs (Patch yarn)
Yarn with colored effects and a constant yarn count
Yarn with two-colors of slubs (slub of the base card sliver and slub of the effect card sliver)
Slub on a different-colored slub
Mottled yarn (jaspè) in variable percentage ranging from 35% to 65% for the two colors
Any combination of the above types.
Where to apply?
On cotton or woolen spinning
How does it work?
It works through a patented coaxial blocking command system of the pre-drawing shaft that allows to dose, in an independent and synchronized way at the same time, the quantity of fibers drawn from the card sliver for the base thread and from the card sliver for the colored effect. The described above wire types are first programmed and simulated by a user interface that allows you to manage all the parameters of the spinning electronically and not through the changing of sprockets or pulleys. It uses two brushless motors (brushless electric motor with permanent magnets that eliminates the need for electrical contacts sliding on the shaft; therefore, it has a lower mechanical resistance, eliminates the possibility of sparks with increasing speed of rotation and greatly reduces the need for periodic maintenance) managed by a dedicated electronic device. It guarantees perfect program reproducibility over time.
Whose is the idea?
CAIPO automazione industriale s.r.l. (Po.in.tex member) It’s a company that deals with the resolution of automation problems, process control for the textile industry and construction of machinery and related equipment. MARCHI E FILDI SpA (Po.in.tex member) The project has been patented and implemented. It is already on the market.
Reduction of production costs because it is no longer necessary to insert the colored effects into the finished yarns previously produced.
Role of Po.in.tex
Po.in.tex supported Caipo in the preparation of the application for funding, in particular in identifying the partner spinning company , Marchi e Fildi, with whom the research and development activity has been carried out. During the course, it has monitored the progress of the technical activities and phases of technical and economic accountability in the Regione Piemonte in order to ensure the successful funding grant.
Search for new high added-value textile products for application in the marine and shipbuilding fields.
NAVALTEX is an inter-chain project that capitalizes and creates synergy between two excellences of the “made in Italy” by combining, for the first time, the expertise and the needs of the shipping and the textile industry. The project, unique in its kind, has been launched thanks to the cooperation between the Unione Industriale Biellese (Industrial Association of Biella) and Rina, the Italian Naval Register, which together, and for the first time on the national scene, have given rise to a fruitful collaboration between the shipbuilding and textile industry.
What is it?
The project focuses on two different areas of research, one concerning the furnishings, the other the application of technical-structural with the following focuses:
for the furniture aimed to respond in a more reliable way to performances required in the marine field: light fastness, fastness to weathering, oil-repellency, water repellency, corrosion resistance (Salt spray test)
the technical and structural one aims to enrich the performance of interior materials in order to respond to the most restrictive laws in relation to: fire resistance, thermal insulation, sound-absorption.
In order to meet the needs of the shipbuilding industry:
furnishing: wanting to develop 100% natural and acrylic fabrics with production processes currently not present on the market.
technical and structural: changing the current supply only related to classic insulation methods such as fiberglass.
This to rethink the technical functions so as to achieve weight reductions, cost reductions, improved environmental mark including the recyclability at the end of life.
What are the objectives?
General technical objectives concern the development and experimentation for the following products:
100% natural textile, both in materials (natural fibers: hemp and flax for the outdoors - cashmere wool and cotton for indoor) and in the treatment processes (dyeing with herbs and high-responsiveness finishing)
acrylic textiles produced and functionalized through innovative processes able to replace the conventional modacrylic, with the possibility of using different performing colors currently not available (only 2-3 colors), but they may keep important features such as fire resistance and antibacterial properties.
non-woven fabrics for coatings on sight with properties such as thermal and acoustic insulation and preforming, with the possibility of dressing even complex shapes while maintaining aesthetic pleasantness through the creation of special equipments for their use at an industrial level (eg. the needles )
basaltic poly-functional components for the realization of panels able to integrate the fire resistance properties with those of soundproofing, acoustic and thermal insulation (with the exclusion of bituminous substances at higher environmental impact)
Who are its members?
The project provides the participation of four textile companies, two of which are SMEs, supported by a research center, as developer partner of product and technology solutions, as well as the active participation of end-users (the naval sector coordinated by RINA SpA, a company which is monitored by the Italian Naval Register.
With the help of the users coordinated by RINA: Cantieri Rodriquez, Azimut-Benetti, UCINA (National Union of Shipyards and Nautical Industries and similar), ASSONAVE (National Association of Shipbuilding Industry).
All participants, of course, have as their objective the acquisition of a competitive advantage of the product and of the process as well, concerning all the enabling technologies. In terms of more general expected benefits, for example the natural dyeing of high-performance fabrics, this certainly reflects an initial gap of higher costs (+30-50%) compared to the conventional one which uses less expensive materials because they are more common and produced synthetically. The real potential benefit of natural processes, both economic and ecological, is given by the best eco-efficiency and the overall environmental mark resulting in lower costs for wastewater treatment and disposal of waste, which in this case can be recycled and / or re-used to produce energy (biomass). In addition, the potential competitive advantage of the companies involved in the project would allow a considerable increase in both the Italian shipbuilding and as a cascade, for the textile industry as a supplier, not only national.
They are the elimination of the processes used to ensure the specific performance required to materials that are heavily impacting on the environment, with high costs for processes and waste treatment, moving toward environmentally friendly materials and finishing processes, that may save raw materials, and may reduce waste discharges and emissions.
Role of Po.in.tex
Po.in.tex has supported the project since the early stage of formation of the first working groups for dialogue and exchange between the textile and the shipbuilding sector. Po.in.tex participates actively in the work of the Team of Users whose purpose is to focus on the technical development of textiles on the real needs, the application priorities and the regulatory requirements of manufacturers of passenger ships and yachts.
It’s an innovative technique for absorbing oil or other hydrocarbons discharged at sea even in large quantities as a result of an accident or due to phenomena of industrial pollution. The WOOLRES system uses the greasy wool (unprocessed) as an absorbing tool or wool sheared from sheep as it is, without having undergone any industrial processing. For this application we plan to use some types of very ordinary wool of a little economic value as unsuitable for textile uses. The wool is used within a completely mechanized system that withdraws the hydrocarbon from the surface of the water and transfers it inside the tank or vessel destined to its collection. The wool can be used repeatedly, up to 10 times, to pick up oil.
The system works thanks to the great absorbing power of the greasy wool that reaches up to 10 times its weight. A absolutely simple project, yet revolutionary: if the process will confirm its effectiveness (tests have started in 2011), this would be one of the most important inventions to solve some failures that oil causes to the environment.
Whose the idea is?
The idea is to Luciano Donatelli - former President of the Unione Industriale Biellese, which involved Mauro Rossetti his time friend and Director of the Textile and Health Association and then Mario Ploner of Tecnomeccanica Biellese which has developed the project.
The project has been patented at European level and a prototype is under construction. The research project also involves the RINA for the technical issues related to the application on ships, ERXA for the development of the automation system and the Politecnico of Torino for the development of special sensors and for the study of how to use the exhausted wool.
The wool exhausted, after being used in the process, can be useful as fuel for thermovalorisation systems. The recovered oil can be reused completely and refined.The recovery process is very fast, it is estimated to require about 10 hours of work to clean up 1 kmq of sea surface. The system is suitable for already available vessels and boats.
The huge ecological benefit is the ability to quickly remediate large polluted areas, whether they are marine or lake, fully recovering the spilled oil. The procedure utilized today requires long lead times that widen the polluted areas and provide chemical processes in which the oil is deposited on the seabed causing further damage to the ecosystem.
Role of Po.in.tex
Po.in.tex has supported the Tecnomeccanica Biellese throughout the preparation of the application for funding. In particular, it has identified and involved industrial and scientific partners able to develop the automation and the system control. | <urn:uuid:513b9df9-200c-443a-af47-403f871ca122> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pointex.eu/it/web/texbima-47 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936259 | 2,094 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Julie Dash is an artist in residence at Wayne State University. / Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press
Julie Dash talks to the audience after a viewing of some of her early short films at the N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in Detroit on Feb. 15. / Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press
Dash wrote, directed and produced "Daughters of the Dust." / Julie Dash
As soon as photographer and aspiring filmmaker Karen Sanders heard that Julie Dash would be teaching a special filmmaking class at Wayne State University this semester, Sanders knew for sure she'd made the right decision to move back home to Detroit from Edinburg, Texas.
"I'm a huge fan of Julie's work," says Sanders, an adjunct professor at Marygrove College and one of Dash's students at Wayne. "I love her visual sensibility and her ability to tell a moving story."
Metro Detroiters on Wayne's campus and beyond are sharing in the excitement about Dash working in Detroit. Dash's gift for writing powerful, fact-based stories and turning them into cinematic masterpieces has put her in the history books, and led popular entertainers -- including actresses Angela Bassett and Alfre Woodard and singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman to seek her out.
Dash wrote, directed and produced "Daughters of the Dust" in 1991, and it racked up a number of firsts for African-American women. First wide general-release movie by an African-American woman. First movie by an African-American woman to win best cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival. First movie by an African-American woman to be inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress, recognized for its cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.Currently, Dash holds the Wayne State's Bob Allison (Allesee) Endowed Chair in Media and is teaching a master's level "Script to Screen" class through the Department of Communications.
"When that chair was conceived it was conceived as a way to bring in people of national and international recognition who were media artists or professionals or scholars, and Julie simply fit all those bills," says Juanita Anderson, Wayne State's Director of Film and Digital Media Initiatives.
"To have a filmmaker, an artist of her stature who is committed and focused on a very clear vision of what representation of African-American women is all about is really important for our community as well as our students," Anderson says. "I often refer to Julie as somebody who has changed the landscape of American cinema. ... The fact that she can draw upon African cultures from around the world to create a cinematic language, I think, is indeed special."
"Daughters of the Dust" transports viewers to 1902 to an island off the coast of South Carolina. A family of Gullah people -- descendants of African captives who escaped slavery and settled there -- are preparing to move north to the mainland. The struggle to hold onto traditions while moving toward the future is told through three generations of women, including the story's narrator -- an unborn child.
The movie, often described as poetry in motion, became an international sensation. It still attracts audiences and accolades around the world.
"Hopefully, not the first, only and last," Dash says of the Library of Congress induction in 2004. "I was really surprised that it hadn't happened before. I was proud and honored to be included, but more importantly that the negative will be preserved as a national treasure."
But the honor is bittersweet, Dash says.
"It took until 2004 for a film made by an African-American woman to reach the registry," she says. "It makes me think more about the hundreds of stories that need to be told, that ought to be told.
"The Rosa Parks Story was told 50 years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott," Dash notes of the made-for- TV movie she directed. "Fifty years, that's a long time to wait for that."
Angela Bassett, who played Parks in the movie, asked Dash to direct it. Bassett e-mailed her after seeing "Funny Valentines," which Dash also directed -- at the request of one of its stars, Alfre Woodard.
Dash's accomplishments are all the more amazing because she stumbled into filmmaking as a teenager -- by accident. The New York native went to an after-school arts program with a girlfriend. Both thought they were signing up for a still photography class. And Dash went only so her friend wouldn't be going alone.
"I just went because she was interested," Dash recalls of the cinematography workshop at the Studio Museum of Harlem. "Two weeks into the class, I learned it was for motion pictures, not still pictures. I noticed they didn't have any cameras around, but what did we know."
What Dash did know was storytelling. "I've always had a really huge imagination. I've always kept notes, done journaling and created scenarios in my mind," Dash says. "I come from a family of people who can tell great big stories, and they're always very interesting, always very amusing, always very insightful, impactful, cautionary stories; the whole thing."
Dash went from that after-school class to eventually earning a master's in fine arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1985. She became part of a cadre of activist artists and filmmakers that became known as the LA Rebellion. They used their filmmaking talents to voice the political and cultural views of people from throughout the African Diaspora.
"The experience of being in Los Angeles at UCLA and a part of the L.A. Rebellion, embellished as well as influenced and informed my work as a filmmaker and my life," Dash says. "Right away we began traveling the world with our films, to different international film festivals. Since then it's taken me all over the world."
In spite of her success, Dash says it's still difficult to get the financing needed to make more of her dreams a reality. She's working now on a miniseries about African-American women who served in World War II as part of a little-known unit called the Six-Triple Eight Central Postal Battalion.
"These were African-American women who served overseas during World War II, in England and France. They joined about 2,000 other African-American women over there who were nurses. Every time you see one of those big war movies, big productions, we never even see an African-American man walking around in the background, much less a woman. ...
"And there are wonderful stories associated with these women."
The release date for the miniseries depends on when sufficient funding comes through to complete it, she says. It's one of several written, waiting-on-funding projects Dash has in the works.
"I have a problem when we cannot tell our own stories because we can not get financing, but other people can get financing to tell our stories," Dash says. "I just think it's high time we get to frame our own worlds and to explain ourselves, our history, our culture, our heroes and icons. We need to be able to depict them ourselves on film."
In some ways getting movies made is more difficult now than when she made "Daughters of the Dust" more than 20 years ago, she says. Studios are calling everything they put out independent because independent films are trendy now, she says. Additionally, a considerable amount of funding for the arts has dried up.
Dash's students at Wayne State and Detroit's wider arts community see her presence a as a hopeful sign.
"It's just great for our city to have an artist of this caliber here to meet with our arts community, which is very strong," says Terry Blackhawk, founder and CEO of the InsideOut Literary Arts Project that engages young people in creative writing.
"You don't always get to learn from someone who has directed films that have been on television and in the theaters and whose careers spans as long as hers," says Jack Johnson of Detroit, a graduate student studying media arts and film production.
"Everything she says holds a lot more weight because you know you're hearing it from someone who has been there and is still there creating and directing films," says Kevin Mikich of Westland, a senior working on a second bachelor's degree in film production and theater acting .
Dash's main message to wannabe-filmmakers is to get to it with determination.
"It can be very challenging, very time-consuming and at the same time, very rewarding," Dash says. "You have to have a passion for the whole process of filmmaking."
For Dash, that passion comes from caring about the subjects of the projects.
"It has to be meaningful to me," Dash says. "I don't know how to make a film that I don't have a feeling for. I wouldn't know where to begin. "
More Details: DASH AT THE DFT
In March and April the Detroit Film Theater offers three influential films in a series curated and presented by Julie Dash. Dash will introduce the films and be available for questions afterward. All are films that influenced her work.
“These Amazing Shadows”
This documentary includes films in the National Film Registry, many of which resonated with Dash. Her own “Daughters of the Dust,” is featured in the documentary.
3 p.m. March 30
3 p.m. April 6
“The Cool World”
3 p.m. April 20
All screenings will be at the Detroit Film Theater, at the Detroit Institute of Arts,
5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit,
For more info, visit:
comm.wayne.edu/dash.pdf and dia.org/detroitfilmtheatre/14/DFT.aspx | <urn:uuid:52313ca7-fa16-4fe2-93d5-3e1bb4fa51d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freep.com/article/20130224/FEATURES01/302240052/Groundbreaking-filmmaker-Julie-Dash-shares-her-unique-vision-with-Wayne-State-students | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981076 | 2,022 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Tuition Discounts to Attend College Out-of-State
To make up for budget cuts and other difficulties caused by the recession, many state colleges, including some prestigious research universities, have begun admitting more out-of-state students, who typically pay more in tuition than in-state students. While this could make getting into a top school in your own state more challenging, this shift does present some unique opportunities. If you're starting your college search, you may want to consider applying to state colleges in neighboring states. You can get a bargain on tuition compared to private colleges, and there may even be tuition discounts and scholarship opportunities to further help you further bring down costs.
University systems and state higher education agencies offer tuition discounts for certain out-of-state students, bringing down your tuition costs to anywhere from 100% to 150% of in-state tuition: as much as a 50-75% discount on the regular out-of-state rate. High-achieving students, children of alumni, and residents of neighboring towns or states may qualify for programs at specific universities or for certain state scholarships.
If you have specific schools in mind, look to see if they offer discounts for students in your situation. Many large public universities will have some program in place to offset costs for out-of-state students. State colleges and universities near borders may also offer a discounted rate to students living just across a state line.
State-wide tuition discounts also exist. Students in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin can take advantage of a wide-ranging tuition reciprocity agreement: Minnesota's public colleges and universities charge in-state tuition for students from the Dakotas and Wisconsin, and schools in those states return the favor for Minnesota residents. Minnesota also has similar agreements with Manitoba and some community colleges in Iowa.
The Southern Regional Educational Board offers the Academic Common Market for students in the southeastern United States pursuing specialized degrees at schools out-of-state. Students who qualify to participate in ACM are able to pay in-state tuition at the school they attend, provided their degree program is not offered by any colleges in their home state.
Other regional tuition exchange programs offer students a chance to go to school out-of-state at a special discounted rate. The two largest of these programs are the Western Undergraduate Exchange and the Midwest Student Exchange Program. Both allow students to attend participating state colleges for 150% of in-state tuition, and MSEP also allows students to receive a 10% discount on tuition at participating private colleges.
If you want to attend school out-of-state, you may also be able to qualify for in-state tuition by becoming a resident of the state. Check the residency requirements of the state and the school where you want to attend college--while some will not allow college students to apply for resident tuition, others happily grant residency to students. A recent article by Kim Clark in U.S. News gives some other tips for how to get in-state tuition at out-of-state schools. | <urn:uuid:1d654459-47b8-4abf-9d99-f07c66ccaf76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scholarships.com/Blog/college-search/tuition-discounts-to-attend-college-out-of-state/1986/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963268 | 618 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments), Colin Greenwood (bass), Phil Selway (drums, percussion) and Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals).
Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992. The song was initially unsuccessful, but it became a worldwide hit several months after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). Radiohead's popularity rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their second album, The Bends (1995). Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), propelled them to greater international fame. Featuring an expansive sound and themes of modern alienation, OK Computer is often acclaimed as one of the landmark records of the 1990s.
Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) marked an evolution in Radiohead's musical style, as the group incorporated experimental electronic music, krautrock and jazz influences. Kid A, though somewhat polarising at the time of its release, is now frequently recognised as one of the best albums of the decade.Hail to the Thief (2003), a mix of piano and guitar driven rock, electronics and lyrics inspired by war, was the band's final album for their major record label, EMI. Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), as a digital download for which customers could set their own price, and later in physical form to critical and chart success. Radiohead's eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), was an exploration of rhythm and quieter textures, which the band released independently. | <urn:uuid:38548a69-6dd5-40f0-b96e-62ffac7e8af1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://karaokeworldcup.com/artist/radiohead | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965664 | 355 | 1.5 | 2 |
Juvenal, Satires. (1918). Satire 1
[Translated by G. G. Ramsay]
Difficile est Saturam non Scribere
What? Am I to be a listener only all my days? Am I never to get my word in----I that have been so often bored by the Theseid 1 of the ranting Cordus? Shall this one have spouted to me his comedies, and that one his love ditties, and I be unavenged? Shall I have no revenge on one who has taken up the whole day with an interminable Telephus,2 or with an Orestes,2 which, after filling the margin at the top of the roll and the back as well, hasn't even yet come to an end? No one knows his own house so well as I know the groves of Mars, and the cave of Vulcan near the cliffs of Aeolus. What the winds are brewing; whose souls Aeacus 3 has on the rack; from what country another worthy 4 is carrying off that stolen golden fleece; how big are the ash trees which Monychus 5 tosses about: these are the themes with which Fronto's 6 plane trees and marble halls are for ever ringing until the pillars quiver and quake under the continual recitations; such is the kind of stuff you may look for from every poet, greatest or least. Well, I too have slipped my hand from under the cane; I too have counselled Sulla to retire from public life and sleep his fill 7; it is a foolish clemency when you jostle against poets at every corner, to spare paper that will be wasted anyhow. But if you can give me time, and will listen quietly to reason, I will tell you why I prefer to run in the same course over which the great nursling ol Aurunca 8 drove his steeds.
When a soft eunuch takes to matrimony, and Maevia, with spear in hand and breasts exposed, to pig-sticking; when a fellow under whose razor my stiff youthful beard used to grate 9 challenges, with his single wealth, the whole nobility; when a guttersnipe of the Nile like Crispinus 10----a slave-born denizen of Canopus 11----hitches a Tyrian cloak on to his shoulder, whilst on his sweating finger he airs a summer ring of gold, unable to endure the weight of a heavier gem----it is hard not to write satire. For who can be so tolerant of this monstrous city, who so iron of soul, as to contain himself when the brand-new litter of lawyer Matho comes along, filled with his huge self; after him one who has informed against his noble patron and will soon despoil our pillaged nobility of what remains to them----one whom Massa 12 dreads, whom Carus 12 propitiates by a bribe, and to whom Thymele 13 was made over by the terrified Latinus;13 when you are thrust on one side by men who earn legacies by nightly performances, and are raised to heaven by that now royal road to high preferment----the favours of an aged and wealthy woman? Each of the lovers will have his share; Proculeius a twelfth part, Gillo eleven parts, each in proportion to the magnitude of his services. Let each take the price of his own blood, and turn as pale as a man who has trodden upon a snake bare-footed, or of one who awaits his turn to orate before the altar at Lugdunum.14
Why tell how my heart burns hot with rage when I see the people hustled by a mob of retainers attending on one who has defrauded and debauched his ward, or on another who has been condemned by a futile verdict----for what matters infamy if the cash be kept? The exiled Marius 15 carouses from the eighth hour of the day and revels in the wrath of Heaven, while you, poor Province, win your cause and weep!
Must I not deem these things worthy of the Venusian's 16 lamp? Must I not have my fling at them? Should I do better to tell tales about Hercules, or Diomede, or the bellowing in the Labyrinth, or about the flying carpenter 17 and the lad 18 who splashed into the sea; and that in an age when the compliant husband, if his wife may not lawfully inherit,19 takes money from her paramour, being well trained to keep his eyes upon the ceiling, or to snore with wakeful nose over his cups; an age when one who has squandered his family fortunes upon horse flesh thinks it right and proper to look for the command of a cohort? See him dashing at break-neck speed, like a very Automedon,20 along the Flaminian way, holding the reins himself, while he shows himself off to his great-coated mistress!
Would you not like to fill up a whole note-book at the street crossings when you see a forger borne along upon the necks of six porters, and exposed to view on this side and on that in his almost naked litter, and reminding you of the lounging Maecenas: one who by help of a scrap of paper and a moistened seal has converted himself into a fine and wealthy gentleman?
Then up comes a lordly dame who, when her husband wants a drink, mixes toad's blood with his old Calenian,21 and improving upon Lucusta 22 herself, teaches her artless neighbours to brave the talk of the town and carry forth to burial the blackened corpses of their husbands. If you want to be anybody nowadays, you must dare some crime that merits narrow Gyara 23 or a gaol; honesty is praised and starves. It is to their crimes that men owe their pleasure-grounds and high commands, their fine tables and old silver goblets with goats standing out in relief. Who can get, sleep for thinking of a money-loving daughter-in-law seduced, of brides that have lost their virtue, or of adulterers not out of their teens? Though nature say me nay, indignation will prompt my verse, of whatever kind it be----such verse as I can write, or Cluvienus! 24
From the day when the rain-clouds lifted up the waters, and Deucalion climbed that mountain in his ship to seek an oracle----that day when stones grew soft and warm with life, and Pyrrha showed maidens in nature's garb to men----all the doings of mankind, their vows, their fears, their angers and their pleasures, their joys and goings to and fro, shall form the motley subject of my page. For when was Vice more rampant? When did the maw of Avarice gape wider? When was gambling so reckless? Men come not now with purses to the hazard of the gaming table, but with a treasure-chest beside them. What battles will you there see waged with a steward for armour-bearer! Is it a simple form of madness to lose a hundred thousand sesterces, and not have a shirt to give to a shivering slave? Which of our grandfathers built such numbers of villas, or dined by himself off seven courses? Look now at the meagre dole set down upon the threshold for a toga-clad mob to scramble for! The patron first peers into your face, fearing that you may be claiming under someone else's name: once recognised, you will get your share. He then bids the crier call up the Trojan-blooded nobles----for they too besiege the door as well as we: "The Praetor first," says he, "and after him the Tribune." "But I was here first," says a freedman who stops the way; "why should I be afraid, or hesitate to keep my place? Though born on the Euphrates----a fact which the little windows in my ears would testify though I myself denied it----yet I am the owner of five shops which bring me in four hundred thousand sesterces.25 What better thing does the Broad Purple 26 bestow if a Corvinus 27 herds sheep for daily wage in the Laurentian country, while I possess more property than either a Pallas or a Licinus?" 28 So let the Tribunes await their turn; let money carry the day; let the sacred office 29 give way to one who came but yesterday with whitened 30 feet into our city. For no deity is held in such reverence amongst us as Wealth; though as yet, O baneful money, thou hast no temple of thine own; not yet have we reared altars to Money in like manner as we worship Peace and Honour, Victory and Virtue, or that Concord 31 that twitters when we salute her nest.
If then the great officers of state reckon up at the end of the year how much the dole brings in, how much it adds to their income, what shall we dependants do who, out of the self-same dole, have to find ourselves in coats and shoes, in the bread and fire of our homes? A mob of litters comes in quest of the hundred farthings; here is a husband going the round, followed by a sickly or pregnant wife; another, by a clever and well-known trick, claims for a wife that is not there, pointing, in her stead, to a closed and empty chair: "My Galla's in there," says he; "let us off quick, will you not?" "Galla, put out your head!" "Don't disturb her, she's asleep! "
The day itself is marked out by a fine round of business. First comes the dole; then the courts, and Apollo 32 learned in the law, and those triumphal statues among which some Egyptian Arabarch 33 or other has dared to set up his titles; against whose statue more than one kind of nuisance may be committed! Wearied and hopeless, the old clients leave the door, though the last hope that a man relinquishes is that of a dinner; the poor wretches must buy their cabbage and their fuel. Meanwhile their lordly patron will be devouring the choicest products of wood and sea, lying alone upon an empty couch; for off those huge and splendid antique dinner-tables he will consume a whole patrimony at a single meal. Ere long no parasites will be left! Who can bear to see luxury so mean? What a huge gullet to have a whole boar----an animal created for conviviality----served up to it! But you will soon pay for it, my friend, when you take off your clothes, and with distended stomach carry your peacock into the bath undigested! Hence a sudden death, and an intestate old age; the new and merry tale runs the round of every dinner-table, and the corpse is carried forth to burial amid the cheers of enraged friends!
To these ways of ours Posterity will have nothing to add; our grandchildren will do the same things, and desire the same things, that we do. All vice is at its acme;34 up with your sails and shake out every stitch of canvas! Here perhaps you will say, "Where find the talent to match the theme? Where find that freedom of our forefathers to write whatever the burning soul desired? 'What man is there that I dare not name? What matters it whether Mucius forgives my words or no?35'" But just describe Tigellinus 36 and you will blaze amid those faggots in which men, with their throats tightly gripped, stand and burn and smoke, and you 37 trace a broad furrow through the middle of the arena.
What? Is a man who has administered aconite to half a dozen uncles to ride by and look down upon me from his swaying cushions? "Yes; and when he comes near you, put your finger to your lip: he who but says the word, 'That's the man!' will be counted an informer. You may set Aeneas and the brave Rutulian 38 a-fighting with an easy mind; it will hurt no one's feelings to hear how Achilles was slain, or how Hylas 39 was searched for when he tumbled after his pitcher. But when Lucilius roars and rages as if with sword in hand, the hearer, whose soul was cold with crime, grows red; he sweats with the secret consciousness of sin. Hence wrath and tears. So turn these things over in your mind before the trumpet sounds; the helmet once donned, it is too late to repent you of the battle." Then I will try what I may say of those worthies whose ashes lie under the Flaminian and Latin 40 roads.
1. 1 An epic poem.
This text was transcribed by Roger Pearse, Ipswich, UK, 2008. This file and all material on this page is in the public domain - copy freely.
|Early Church Fathers - Additional Texts| | <urn:uuid:3758def1-c435-436d-b3ef-6369f6c58fa2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tertullian.net/fathers/juvenal_satires_01.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963459 | 2,727 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Michael Jackson - also known as "the king of pop" - is recognised by the Guinness Book Of Records as the most successful entertainer of all time. He first rose to fame in the mid 1960s as the youngest member of brotherly band The Jackson 5 and upon launching his solo career in 1971 crafted some of the most iconic pop songs ever, including 'Beat It', 'Billie Jean' and 'Thriller'. Throughout his career Jackson helped turn the humble music video into a major art form, sold over 750 million records worldwide and, in 'Thriller', scored the biggest selling album ever. In March 2009, following allegations of child sex abuse and scandalous rumours about aspects of his private life, Jackson announced the launch of a 50-date comeback concert entitled 'This Is It'. However, Jackson tragically died on June 25th 2009, just three weeks before the first show, having suffered a prescription drug induced cardiac arrest.
June 25, 2009 (aged 50) | <urn:uuid:4c22f28e-9e86-40ca-ac58-61cffe5b4749> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrities/michael-jackson/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974939 | 198 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.