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Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon Review
March 6th 2018, Blink YA
337 Pages, Print, Ebook and Audio
Genre: Historical Fiction/Young Adult
Setting: Victorian London (1850s)
Olivia Brownlow is no damsel in distress. Born in a workhouse and raised as a boy among thieving London street gangs, she is as tough and cunning as they come. When she is taken in by her uncle after a caper gone wrong, her life goes from fighting and stealing on the streets to lavish dinners and soirees as a debutante in high society. But she can't seem to escape her past … or forget the teeming slums where children just like her still scrabble to survive.
Jack MacCarron rose from his place in London's East End to become the adopted "nephew" of a society matron. Little does society know that MacCarron is a false name for a boy once known among London gangs as the Artful Dodger, and that he and his "aunt" are robbing them blind every chance they get.
When Jack encounters Olivia Brownlow in places he least expects, his curiosity is piqued. Why is a society girl helping a bunch of homeless orphan thieves? Even more intriguing, why does she remind him so much of someone he once knew? Jack finds himself wondering if going legit and risking it all might be worth it for love.
A gender-bending retelling of Oliver Twist with Oliver a girl called Olivia was a clever idea.
I don't object to changing the gender of Oliver, or the way the story picks up a few years after the novel ends, with Oliver aged about 9. Here (s)he is 18, and still struggling to find her place in the world. Society and her Uncle want her to be a proper Lady, but she is more interested in helping street orphans whilst dressed as a boy.
There was just something about this book I could not get on with. I don't know, maybe I never connected with the characters, or felt that Olivia's spunkiness was a bit of a cliche. Characters like her have just been done before- a lot.
I may not be the only one who ended up feeling sorry for the other young man, Max, who ended up as the spare side of the love triangle plot-line also featuring Olivia and none other that the Artful Dodger. He was a victim of the 'marriage of convenience' trope and I don't know, I think the way things ended up with him was very cliched and predictable as well.
Perhaps even displaying quite a lot of selfishness on the part of Olivia, after some frankly disgraceful behaviour. I'm sorry but I feel that concern for the poor and disadvantaged did not entirely justify the way she treated Max, simply because he did not share her passion for the cause. [ justify as good as cheating on her fiancee who had known you from childhood, and then dumping him after one fight because he would not do what she wanted (hide spoiler)]
Also, I found myself a little overwhelmed with the 'extra' characters. Apparently, Olivia has at least two cousins. Yeah, where did all these extra relatives come from, and the stuff about her parents. Maybe its just that I have a very fixed idea about Oliver's parents from in my head, and seeing that changed kind of jarred me.
Finally. I do wonder whether the novel The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving was really so popular and well-known in Victorian London that literally almost everyone recognized allusions to it, or names of characters almost straight away. Indeed, it seemed to be one of the only books they read: wasn't there any other popular Literature at that time?
The language was also at times an odd and awkward mixture of British slang and- something else. Maybe modern slang or American English, but I'm pretty sure the word 'kids' still meant baby goats to people in Victorian Britain, and was not yet a widely used slang term for children.
Really, there was nothing at all wrong with this story, I'm sure many people would love it, and its an ideal YA read. There's adventure, humour, and a hint of love, and a very well written theme of redemption.
It was was not a favourite of mine, and I don't know, I just sort of hope it does not entirely replace the original Oliver Twist for young readers.
Labels: Lorie Langdon, Rating: 3 Stars, Victorian, Young Adult
Historical Saturday #5- The Charitable Middle Ages
Many of the Medieval novels I have read in the last few years feature mean-spirited noble characters who not only have no mind for the poor and disadvantaged in society, but are positively against doing anything to help them.
In the first chapter of Dina Sleiman's Chivalrous (Bethany House, 2015) for instance, we are told that the heroine Gwendolyn's father would not approve of her giving money to beggars and poor children because he believed that social order and status were ordained by God, like most of his contemporaries.
In A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund (Zondervan, 2016), the sister and steward of the absurdly wealthy protagonist Colin are appalled by his suggestion of giving peasants gifts for the religious festival of Michaelmas (the feast of the Archangel Michael, celebrated 29th September).
These two examples reflect a common theme in Christian Fiction novels- that is is usually only the sweet, moral, compassionate goodies who show any regard for their fellow men or to the poor. Most of the other characters- usually cast as nobles or of high status, are indifferent at best. Very often, noble characters are cast as corrupt, greedy, selfish and shallow to contrast them with the 'good' characters of the hero/heroine who have to reform them with their good Christian morality, or foil their wickedness.
Illustration of Woman giving money to poor
As in my other Historical Saturday posts, I intend to explore the historical reality behind this depiction.
So just what did Medieval people think about charity? It may come as a surprise to learn that they held it it such importance, and high regard, that it became a bastion of society and culture throughout
the High and Later Middle Ages (the late eleventh century onwards).
It was widely believed that charity was the duty of all professing Christians and miserliness was not only a fault, but a sin.
In The Divine Comedy, a famous Allegory written by the 13th century Italian poet Dante, misers were destined to roll heavy weights around in the fourth chamber of hell.
Charity took many forms, but one of the most important was generosity and almsgiving. It was common, in castles and great houses for leftover food to be given to the poor and beggars and the gate, and for Lords to host a meal each year for their workers. Kings, and other great Lords even had almoners, officials whose job it was to distribute alms -which usually took the form of gifts of food, money and occasionally clothing to the poor on his behalf.
Over time, it became traditional for alms to be distributed to the poor on special occasions such as the Coronation of the King or Queen, weddings, christenings, or religious festivals.
It is thought that the origins of some modern Hallow'een traditions may actually lie in the Middle Ages, when 'soul cakes'- small buns made with dried fruits and spices were given to the poor and needy who it was hoped, would pray for the souls of the dead relatives of the givers believed to be in Purgatory.
The Almshouses Hospital of St Cross, Winchester, UK
There were also almshouses, some of which survive in Europe today. These were something like the fore-runners of modern Social housing, which were created to house small numbers of poor people for free, or for a much reduced rate of rent.
Often, they were attached to a church or other religious foundation, where, once, again, residents were supposed to pray for the souls of benefactors and their families.
One surviving example is The Hospital of St Cross, located just outside the city of Winchester, in England. It was established in 1136 to support 13 men too frail to work, who came to be known as 'brothers' although they were not monks. Many of the buildings are still intact, and home to 25 'poor brothers' today.
13th Century Spanish Illustration of Hospital
Hospitals also have their origins in the Middle Ages. Originally, they were places where the sick, elderly, infirm, poor or occasionally people with Leprosy were supposed to be taken care of, or where something like hostelries where Pilgrims could stay overnight.
Ever heard of the Knights Hospitaller? The Crusading Order who existed alongside the more famous Templars. The former established many Hospitals in the Holy Land, and other areas where they established themselves.
They were also known as the Knights of St John, and give their names to a Medical charity which is still in existence today: St John's Ambulance. Do you know that the logo of the organization is in fact the Cross of the Knights Hospitaller?
Another Medieval Illustration showing alms-giving to the poor
So in reality, Sir Colin's family members and servants would probably have been more shocked by him not giving gifts to the poor to fulfill his charitable obligations as a good Lord should. They'd have been more horrified that he had not done it before - and if Gwen's father really disapproved of her giving money, he certainly would not have said so in public, for fear of being considered a miser.
The mistake I think we are making is assuming that it was Protestants or Evangelicals who invented the concept of charity after the Reformation.
The truth is that we have a lot of preconceived ideas about the pre-Reformation church. We assume that it was so corrupt and morally bankrupt that it and the nobility had almost all the money, nobody else had any, and they spent the best part of 1000 odd years just repressing the poor. The truth is not so simple, but perhaps a little more encouraging.
Labels: Charity, Historical observations, historical saturday, Medieval Monday
First Line Fridays 40: Fool Me Twice by Philippa Jane Keyworth
I'm back again after a week hiatus. I've been doing a fair deal of reading, but also been a little busy and other the weather the last few days, and it turns out I have contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth disease from my infant nephew. Sounds nasty, but its not too severe and hopefully I will get over it soon.
Today I am going to share a book which has just recently come out in audio. Its a Regency written by a British author. Her previous two books were tremendous fun, and this one looks to be as well.
In the gaming hells of eighteenth century London, orphan Caro Worth is leading a double life. By day she plays a proper gentlewoman on the lookout for a wealthy husband. By night she plays the infamous Angelica, her fictional half-sister with a talent for cards and an ability to finance the life her respectable self has built.
An introduction to a rich Marquis brings marriage and security within Caro's grasp…until the arrival of the unpredictable and totally ineligible Mr. Tobias Felton.
Dismayed by Felton's persistent appearances, shocking frankness, and enigmatic green eyes, Caro watches helplessly as he comes closer than anyone to guessing her secret, but when complete and utter ruin threatens, she finds that Felton's suspicions just might become her salvation.
As the walls she has built to protect herself crumble down around her, Caro learns that no matter how careful your plans, life and love have a habit of falling quite spectacularly out of control!
The First Line reads:
"Are you always so demanding?" asked Lord Avers, smiling saucily and flashing his white teeth as he gave up a card to the player beside him.
That's My First Line for this week. Don't forget to click the Meme and see what everyone else is reading.
Labels: British Authors, First Line Friday, First Line Fridays, Philippa Jane Keyworth
Robin Hood's Dawn by Olivia Lougueville and J.C. Plummer
Robin Hood Trilogy# 1
Angevin World Publishing, 432 Pages
January 13th 2018, Print and Ebook
Setting: Medieval (12th Century France/England)
England, 1154-1194
A kingdom under assault.
A conspiracy born of anarchy.
A hero standing against tyranny.
Falsely convicted of a shocking crime, Robin Fitzooth, the Earl of Huntingdon, finds refuge in Sherwood Forest and becomes Robin Hood.
Leading a band of men against the injustices of a malevolent sheriff and his henchmen, Robin begins to unravel a web of treachery threatening the English royal family.
As shadowy forces gather to destroy the future of a nation, Robin faces deceit, betrayal, and the ravages of war as he defends his king, his country, his people, and the woman he loves from a conspiracy so diabolical, so unexpected, that the course of history hangs in the balance.
From the mists of an ancient woodland, to lavish royal courts teeming with intrigue, to the exotic shores of the Holy Land - Robin Hood leads the fight in a battle between good and evil, justice and tyranny, the future and the past.
Part one of an exciting three-part retelling of the Robin Hood legend!
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don't usually read Robin Hood retellings, and I think to be honest all the girl Robin Hood type stories have put me off. But I requested this one late last year, and only just got around to reading it now.
This novel was solidly based in history: there are even family trees and a glossary at the end. This was one of its strengths as I think it made many of the recognizable characters and events we're used to from other Robin Hood stories more plausible. And there are certainly scenes and events readers will recognize, some resembling movies or TV versions of the story.
It also gave an authenticity to some of the smaller details like Robin and Marian's betrothal; and the early years of the reign of Richard the Lionheart.
The prologue also sets up a very interesting background for the characters, and especially for the actions of the Sheriff.
The characters were all pretty well-developed, including Robin and Marian, who goes from an innocent and naive girl to an assertive young woman- but by the end of the story is turning into something darker, but I don't want to give away the ending.
Guy of Gisborne may have been one of the best developed characters. I've long been sympathetic to him other Robin Hood stories, and I cannot help feeling a little sorry for him here. Yes he's delusional and violent, but the Sheriff seems to exercise a certain kind of psychological control over him.
My friends and followers might wish to note that this is a general market title: NOT inspirational fiction which I often review.
Religion does play a role in the character's lives, as a reflection of the time. The characters go to Mass, attend church and refer to religious rules and beliefs, but there is swearing and a couple of sex references. Nothing is graphic, but one scene did get a little descriptive. There was more emphasis on flowery language about emotions than anything else though, thankfully.
Its interesting that there was no Friar Tuck among Robin's merry men, until right at the end when a character called Tuck is introduced. He's a Knight Templar, so that raises some great possibilities for the next story.
I cannot wait for Robin Hood's Widow, and hope that the authors can find a publisher for it soon.
I'd heartily recommend this one to any historical fiction lover who wants a story that is not too dark or intense, but is very accurate. Its a nice change from the typical Romances, which some Robin Hood re-tellings and a lot of Medieval Fiction seems to be.
I reviewed this book of my own volition, requesting the PDF from Angevin World Publishing on Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review an all opinions expressed are my own.
Labels: General Market, Historical Fiction, Rating: 4 Stars
A Tale of Two Hearts, Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep
Once Upon A Dickens Christmas #2
192 Pages, 1st Sept 2018, Shiloh Run Press
Print, ebook and Audio
Setting: Victorian London, Countryside
London, 1853: Innkeeper's daughter Mina Scott will do anything to escape the drudgery of her life, for there's nothing more mundane than serving customers day after day. Every minute she can, she reads and dreams of someday becoming a real lady—and catch the eye of William Barlow, a frequent guest at the inn.
William is a gentleman's son, a charming but penniless rogue. However, his bachelor uncle will soon name an heir—either him or his scheming cousin. In an effort to secure the inheritance, William gives his uncle the impression he's married, which works until he's invited to bring his wife for a visit.
William asks Mina to be his pretend bride, only until his uncle names an heir on Christmas Day. Mina is flattered and frustrated by the offer, for she wants a true relationship with William. Yet, she agrees. . .then wishes she hadn't. So does William. Deceiving the old man breaks both their hearts. When the truth is finally discovered, more than just money is lost.
My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Its October, but I've just finished this delightful Christmas story. Actually, it could be read any time of the year, and the theme is no obstacle.
There's romance, with a pretended marriage and intrigue, with a nefarious plot hatched by the leading man's relatives. The characters are wonderful and so well-drawn, including the deliciously nasty villains Alice and Percy. Alice is so venomous, grasping, sly and shrewish. You just want to slap her or shake her, but she and her husband just make the more perfect villains to pit the heroes against. The duo are in every way worthy of Dickens.
Mina is that perfect combination of strong yet vulnerable and so in a way is Will. He needs Mina, but is afraid to admit his growing love and admiration for her, because of a previous heartbreak. Both characters make mistakes. I think there some important messages about integrity and honesty, as well as not striving for the unattainable and taking people as they are.
That deceit and pretense, even its done with good intent to help or protect someone else, does cause hurt.
Uncle Barlow is just perfect. No other explanation is needed. He ties the story together, and he's wonderful. Everyone needs an Uncle Barlow in their life, a kindly if eccentric old man who sees good in everyone and tries to give everyone a chance. Even better you can sit down and discuss literature with him: no wonder Mina loved him so much. Not that he suffers fools gladly, or takes well to being duped.
There's a great inner strength behind the facade of an absent minded old man. In fact, I would hazard Uncle Barlow is almost a Christ figure in this book, showing unconditional love, but speaking the truth and not blind to the faults of the characters, He requires but does not compel obedience, and shows the blend of justice and mercy perfectly.
I did however deduct one star for the few Americanisms, and the fact that I could not get on the with American narrator of the audio-book. Sorry, but her accents weren't great.
So overall this a lovely story full of grace and imbued with Spirit of Christmas, snow, and festive cheer. With the perfect setting in Victorian London and a nearby country manor.
The passages from Dickens at the start of each chapter are a perfect accompaniment to this feelgood romance, perfect for the holiday season. I might give it a re-read again when Christmas comes around, hunkered down in my jumper with a cup of tea and a nice mince pie.
I requested this title from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Labels: 2018 Releases, Michelle Griep, Rating 4 and a Half Stars, Victorian
First Line Fridays 39: A Tale of Two Hearts by Michelle Griep
Welcome to First Line Fridays, the reading group in which we share First Lines and our love of books.
This week I am including the First Line from a book that I have recently finished reading (normally I feature books I am reading, or I'm about to read).
Can two hearts survive such deception?
Although its only October, I'm sharing the first line from the latest novel in Michelle Griep's Once Upon a Dickens Christmas series. I really, really enjoyed this book, and I will be getting my review up soon. Very occasionally, Amazon have cheap paperbacks of Barbour titles, so hopefully one day I can get this one in paperback.
Each chapter begins with a short passage from some writing by Charles Dickens, so I am skipping that, and starting with the actual first line:
"In the tiny back courtyard of the Golden Egg Inn, Mina Scott lowered her copy of David Copperfield to her lap and lifted her fact to the October sun."
Don't forget to click the meme to see what everyone else is reading, and comment with your own First Line
Labels: Christmas, First Line Friday, First Line Fridays, Michelle Griep, Victorian
First Line Fridays 40: Fool Me Twice by Philippa J...
Robin Hood's Dawn by Olivia Lougueville and J.C. P...
A Tale of Two Hearts, Once Upon a Dickens Christma...
First Line Fridays 39: A Tale of Two Hearts by Mic...


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I wrote with tears and anguish, pouring into the pages all the pain that life had meant to me.
I think that this quote sums up the book for this is how I felt as I read this book. It was quite sad and incredibly moving. It has been a long time since a book moved me enough to actually cry. I cried not only because of the obvious reasons of the pain and suffering that these characters went through but also because it was so thought-provoking. In a very real way, it describes the unfairness of life and the sheer struggles of poverty. It is also gruesome and horrifying in many ways as well. I realize that it is most likely considered sensationalized like an example of a "muckraking" novel since Sinclair was known as a socialist journalist, but it still captivated me. I couldn't help but read what he had written.
The novel was first published in serial form in 1905. "After five rejections", its first edition as a novel was published by Doubleday, Page & Company on February 28, 1906, and it became an immediate bestseller. It has been in print ever since.
The novel follows the life of Jurgis Rudkus who with his family, Ona, Elzbieta and her children, Marija and Jonas immigrates to the U.S. and in order to provide for his family he starts right off working in Chicago's meat packing plants. At first he is a young and capable hard worker but as he continues his menial job in the meat packing plants he learns and sees things that he wouldn't ever want to know of. The stress of the long working days and what he experiences wear on him but he continues for the good of his family. His options are very limited and a language barrier also proves to be very difficult in his ability to express himself which leads to a fear of being cheated and more frustration of not understanding all that he feels he should be able to. He continues to work hard in order to overcome these barriers in order to find a way to survive. All of this leads to a combination of decisions that the family desperately try to make together but in the end leads to more trouble for all of them.
I understand that Sinclair was hoping to promote socialism, which is quite evident in the latter part of the book, and necessary help for the poor but I am glad for today that change was brought about for the food industry, owed in part perhaps to this book for the meat packing industry, and that we now have an FDA.
Overall, this is a compelling read and a definitive classic.
Sinclair showed the power that one man writing a book can have to change a nation. It is a rare accomplishment, and it makes The Jungle a testimony to the power of the written word to transcend far beyond and change the very fabric of a society.
Thanks for bringing all your good comments to the book club. I totally cheated that day. As Ivy would say, "ZERO!"
Thanks, Amanda. I really hoped that it went alright. I was a bit worried about it. I think you always do a great job with the book club, btw. I do hope Ivy is doing alright.
Thanks for always reading my book reviews.


Full Disclosure - It's important to let people know whose opinion they are getting.
Words are loaded; handle with care.
Who said that? The use of paraphrase and direct quotes.
Home Invasion: Did it cross a threshold of good practice when CBC reporters went into the home of the San Bernardino shooters?


The most anticipated match of the weekend. The league-topper travels to Rotterdam, to take on one of their closest and fiercest rivals.
Neither will rest until the doors to the Eredivisie is opened to them. We really do have a gladiator-match on the cards for us. Both will be walking on to the pitch with the sole aim of winning the tie.
A loss will have massive ripples in the title equations, and moreover promotion possibilities. So will a draw. Even with their top-tier status, these teams don't have the luxury to take it simple. Expect sparks to fly and tempers to flare as these two titans meet.
Both teams scored in the last two games.
The Tukkers scored two or more goals in three of their last five visits to Rotterdam.
22 of the last 24 overall fixtures saw the home-team of the day getting on the scorecard.
Nine of the last 12 ties witnessed the visitors taking part in goal-scoring duty.
Goals have never been in scarcity for the matches that these teams took part in.
The Castle Lords have scored the most number of goals at home in the league. The Reds are the best team on the road and have recorded the second-most number of goals away from home. The average goals per game for either is 3.1 and 3 respectively.
The last five matches of Henk Fraser's men had goals from both teams, and so did the last three of their counterparts. The team from Rotterdam scored in 40 of their last 47 games and registered two or more goals in six of their last eight. The streak is even scary at home – two or more goals in ten of their last eleven home-ties.
Marino Pusic's men breached defenses in 39 of their last 45 ties and did so twice in nine of their last 12. They managed to net goals in 14 of their last 15 games on the road. Of those, they scored two or more in nine of thirteen.
The reckoning is psych up for one heck of a game riddled with goals.
Over 2.5 Match Goals & Both Teams to Score @ 1.80 (4/5).


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Predication: Literal and Figurative
In this lesson on Ilm ul-ma'aani we are going to continue talking about the things that you need to think about when forming a sentence. We have already talked about the purpose of the sentence and how much force and emphasis you should be putting in your sentence. Now we are going to be talking about literality, i.e. whether you should bring your sentence literal or whether you should bring it figurative.
This is the last lesson in the chapter of predication before we move onto the chapter of the subject of the sentence.
Words: Being Literal and Being Figurative
First of all, words can have literality. i.e. words can be considered literal or figurative.
Let's take the word "branch". I can refer to the branches of a tree. In this case I am using the word "branch" literally, because originally it was coined to refer to the divisions in the axis of a plant. But I can also refer to the branches of my family tree. In this case I am using the word figuratively, because this word was never originally coined to refer to divisions in abstract entities such as my family tree. Words can have literality based on whether you are using the word in its originally coined meaning or in some extended meaning.
Ilm ul-ma'ani doesn't really talk about the literality of words. It talks more about the literality of sentences. The literality of words is more the forte of mantiq (classical logic). I remember reading a good overview on literality of words in a book called Qutbi. If you have access to that book and you can read Arabic then that would be a good place to read more about this.
Learn Arabic Online also has a mantiq article which discusses literal vs. figurative within words briefly.
Sentences: Being Literal and Being Figurative
Sentences can also have literality. I.e. a sentence can be considered either literal or figurative. This is the forte of ilm-ul ma'ani.
Let's take the example of building apartments.
The sentence: "the construction workers built the apartments" is literal because that's actually what happened. The construction workers really did build the apartments.
Or I could say: "the mayor built the apartments". In this case the sentence is figurative, because it wasn't really the mayor who built the apartments. He didn't go around and use the cranes, and put brick on top of brick. So, this sentence is figurative.
Now the literality of words has very little to do with the literality of a sentence. In fact, you can have a sentence in which all the words are literal but the sentence itself is figurative. Similarly, you can have a sentence in which all the words are figurative but the sentence itself is literal. In the example: "the mayor built the apartments", we said this sentence is figurative because it wasn't really the mayor who literally built the apartments. But all the words in it are literal. When I say "mayor", I mean the mayor. When I say "built" I mean he built. When I say "apartments" I mean the apartments. All the words are literal yet the sentence is figurative.
What does it mean for a sentence to be literal and a sentence to be figurative?
A literal sentence is one in which the subject of the verb really is the one that did the verb. And the object of the verb (if there is one) really is the thing the verb was done to.
E.g. "the constructions workers built the apartments". The subject is "the construction workers", the verb is "built" and the object is "the apartments".
In this sentence the subject really is the doer of the verb, i.e. it really was the construction workers who did the building. Similarly, the object really is the thing the verb was done to, i.e. it really was the apartments that they built.
Now, a figurative sentence is one in which the subject of the verb is not really the doer of the verb, and/or the object of the verb (if there is one) is not really the thing the verb was done to. E.g. "the mayor built the apartments". In this sentence the subject is "the mayor" and the verb is "built". Now was it really the mayor who built the apartments? No, it was the construction workers who did the building. So, the subject is not really the doer of the verb. This sentence is figurative.
Similarly, if I say: "the construction workers built the city". In this sentence the object is "the city" and the verb is still "built" Did the construction workers really build the city? No, they built the apartments, the roads, the bridges etc. All of that is a big part of the city, but the city is actually more than just that. It is not literally the city that they built. So, again this sentence is figurative.
In Arabic, literalness is حقيقة and figurativeness is مَجاز. A literal sentence would be called جملة حقيقية and a figurative sentence would be called جملة مجازية.
We talked about what it means for a word to be literal or figurative. We talked about what it means for sentences to be literal or figurative and we mentioned that they almost have nothing to do with each other. Mantiq talks about the former and ilm-ul ma'ani talks about the latter. Then we went into greater detail and defined what is a literal sentence and what is a figurative sentence. Now, we want to go in a bit more detail and talk about literal sentences and then go into more detail and talk about figurative sentences.
Before we do that I just want to make a quick note, that literality doesn't apply to all sentences. You can't just take any sentence and say it is either literal or figurative. Sometimes it doesn't apply. Sometimes it applies to non-sentences. I don't mean words here (we have already talked about that), I means phrases. Sometimes literality applies to phrases.
How do you know when it applies and when it doesn't? The answer is that whenever you have an action being mentioned, that is when it applies. When the action takes the form of a verb like: "the mayor built", or it takes the form of an infinitive, like: "building of the apartments" or an active particle: "the builder of the apartments" etc. As long as there is an action mentioned somewhere.
For those who know Arabic you know I am talking about شبه الفعل [shibhul fi'l]. Whenever there is a فعل (verb) or شبه الفعل (verb-like entity) mentioned. This includes many sentences but not all sentences, and it includes many phrases as well.
We have some examples here:
The mayor built the apartments. This is an informative sentence.
I wish the mayor would build some apartments. This is a non-informative sentence.
The mayor's building of the apartments… This is not a sentence; it is a phrase.
Yet literality applies to all of them, because the action of "building" is being mentioned.
Now you know that when sentences are mentioned I don't really mean sentences. I mean anywhere where literality applies, anywhere where an action is mentioned. When I say verb, or subject of a verb, or object of a verb I don't mean verb per se, I mean any action. So just keep that in mind.
Being Literal
Now let's talk about literal sentences in detail and then figurative sentences.
Remember a literal sentence is one in which the subject of the verb is really the doer of the verb. The object of the verb (if there is one) is really the thing the verb was done to. Now there is not that much to talk about when it comes to literal sentences, except what you see in this matrix:
We like to divide literal sentences based on whether the:
sentence is true or false and
whether the person speaking the sentence believes it or not.
Just a quick side point without making things too complicated. Notice that even though I mentioned literality can apply to phrases, since we are talking about true and false here, naturally in this analysis we are only talking about informative verbal sentences.
Starting from the top right, we have a sentence that is both true and the speaker believes it. An example of this is a believer says: "Allah cured me". This sentence is true because Allah really did cure him and he believes it because that is the iman of a believer.
Now let's talk about a sentence that is true but the speaker doesn't believe it. This is like when a hypocrite says: "Allah cured me". Yes, the sentence is true, Allah really did cure him. But he doesn't believe it. He only said it because he is trying to show that he is a believer when in fact he is not.
On the top left, we have a sentence that is false, but the speaker believes it. This is like a disbeliever who says: "The medicine cured me". The sentence is false because it was Allah who cured him, but he believes it because he doesn't have the proper iman.
Finally, on the bottom left we have a sentence which is false and the speaker doesn't believe it. This is like when a believer says: "The medicine cured me". It is false because Allah cures, medicine doesn't cure. He doesn't believe it either because he is a Muslim and his iman tells him that it is Allah who cures him.
These are the 4 types of literal sentences.
Why are we talking about literal sentences?
When we talk about literality, firstly literal sentences don't really have anything interesting about them. We should just say this is what a literal sentence is, let's move on to figurative sentences now. And second of all, can this analysis also not apply to figurative sentences? Yes, you can take a figurative sentence and say it could be true or false, and say the speaker believes it or doesn't believe it. All this applies to figurative sentences as well.
Frankly literal sentences are literal sentences. There is nothing to talk about. The reason we do this analysis is to establish a grey area between literal and figurative. Somebody can speak a sentence, and it could be literal or it could be figurative. But then there are cases where somebody can speak a sentence but you don't know whether it is literal or figurative. There is a grey area in between.
The cells highlighted in green below is where it is possible that your sentence could be in the grey area.
E.g. if you take the bottom left cell, this is where a sentence is false and the speaker doesn't believe it. Like when a believer says: "The medicine cured me". The medicine didn't really cure him, nor does he believe that. What is he doing? Is he being figurative? The verb is "cure", the subject is "the medicine". It is not really the subject that did the verb, the subject is not really the doer of the verb. The medicine didn't really cure. Or is he being literal and he is just lying for whatever reason?
You see this grey area. This is the only reason we talk about literal sentences. There is really nothing much to say after we have established this. We are going to talk about how to get out of this grey area after we have talked about figurative sentences.
Being Figurative
Let's talk about figurative sentences. Remember these are sentences where the subject of the verb is not really the one that did the verb and/or the object of the verb (if there is one) is not really the thing the verb/action was done to.
If the subject is not really the thing that did the verb, then what is it? And what is it doing in the place of the subject? Usually it is something associated to the doer of the verb. To understand this let's look at a few examples.
Our first example is عيشة راضية.
عيشة means "life", راضية means "pleased".
This means: a pleased life.
For those of you who speak Arabic, راضية is an اسم فاعل. The فاعل/ subject is the هي inside it which refers back to عيشة.
For those of you who don't speak Arabic, we essentially have a verb which is "to be pleased", and the subject of that verb is "life". So "the life is pleased".
Now, is it really the life that is pleased? No, it's not. It's the person who is the host of that life who is pleased. The person is pleased with the life. It is the object that is taking the place of the subject. So, this is a figurative phrase.
Our next example is سيل مفعم.
سيل means "flood", and مفعم means "overflooded".
For those who speak Arabic, مفعم is an اسم مفعول. The هو inside it refers back to سيل and that is the نائب فاعل.
For those who don't speak Arabic, essentially, we have a verb which means "overflooded", and it's subject is "the flood". We are saying "the flood is overflooded". Is it really the flood that's over flooded? No, it's the container that is overflooded by the flood.
In this example what should have been the subject took the place of the object. In the previous example, what should have been the object took the place of the subject.
Our next example is جَدّ جِدّهُ.
جدّ means "serious" and جِدّهُ means "his seriousness".
Is it really his seriousness that became serious? No, it's he who became serious in terms of seriousness. So, the subject of the verb is not really the doer of the verb. It's the thing in terms of which the verb happened.
For those of you who know Arabic grammar, you know this is the مفعول مطلق taking the place of the فاعل.
Our next example is نهاره صائم.
نهاره means "his day", صائم means "fasting".
For those who speak Arabic, صائم is the اسم فاعل, inside the هُوَ is the فاعل referring back to نهاره .
For those who don't speak Arabic, we are essentially saying that "his day is fasting". "His day" is the subject and "fasting" is the verb.
But is it really "his day" that is fasting? No, it is he who is fasting during the day. The subject of the verb is not really the doer of the verb. It is the time during which the verb is happening.
Our next example is نهر جار /nahrun jaarin/
نهر means "river", جار means "flowing".
For those who speak Arabic جار is اسم فاعل, the فاعل is the هو inside, referring back to نهر.
For those who don't speak Arabic, essentially, we are saying "the river is flowing". "Flowing" is the verb and "river" is the subject.
Is it really the river that is flowing? No, it is the water that is flowing in the river. So, the subject of the verb is not really the doer of the verb. It is the place in which the verb is happening.
Finally, we have بنى الأمير المدينة "the emir built the city". We have already seen a similar example to this. Was it really the emir that built the city? No, it's the construction workers who built. The subject of the verb is not really the doer of the verb. The emir is the instigator of the verb. I.e. he is the one who gave the command, meaning the cause of the verb. Is it really the city that he built? No, it is the apartments, and the other buildings and the roads. The object of the verb is not really the thing the verb was done to, i.e. not really the thing that was literally built. It is the place the verb happened.
When we have a figurative sentence, either the subject of the verb is not really the doer, or the object of the verb is not really the thing the action happened to. What are they? There are things like the place where it happened, the time where it happened, the cause of it or something related like that.
Usually it is based on hearing people of that language speak and how they use figurativeness.
Let's take a look at a few examples from the Qur'an. Allah says:
"And when His signs are recited upon them, it increases them in faith".
Is it really the signs that increases the believers in faith or is it Allah that increases them in faith via the signs?
The next example is talking about Fi'rown "slaughtering their sons". Is it really Fir'own who slaughtered their sons, or did he merely give the command to his henchmen to slaughter the sons?
Our next example is talking about Shaytan and Adam and Hawwa (peace be upon them both), "..stripping them of their garments…" Was it really Shaytan who stripped them of their garments, or was it Allah who took away their garments because of what Shaytan instigated?
Similarly "… a day that will make the children aged". Is it really a day that will make the children old, or is it really Allah that will make them old on account of the fear of that day?
Our next example is "And the earth expels it's burdens". Is it really the Earth that will expel the burdens, i.e. take out the people on the Day of Resurrection or is it Allah Who will do this? And it is merely the place that is the Earth?
And finally, talking about Fir'own and his minister of construction ".. O Haman, build me a tower…" When Fir'own says this, is it really Haman that is going to build the tower or is it Haman who will give the command to the construction workers to build a tower?
Grey Area Between Literalness and Figurativeness
Remember we talked about a grey area between literalness and figurativeness. That is to say, if someone speaks a sentence, sometimes you don't know whether to take it figuratively or whether they are being literal. E.g. when someone lies.
So when a believer says "the medication cured me". Is he lying and being literal or is he being figurative? There is a grey area, and when a sentence falls into this grey area, there are two conditions which need to be met before we can consider the sentence figurative. If those two conditions are not met and the sentence is in the grey area, we either withhold judgment (we don't say whether it is literal or figurative), or we default it to literal.
If you want your sentence to be taken figuratively and your audience is not sure you better have these two conditions met otherwise there might be some misunderstanding. The two conditions are:
You have to have the intention of either being literal or figurative
You have to expose your intention somehow. Just because you know doesn't mean everyone else knows. How do you do this? You expose your intention through some sort of clue. We called this clue the قرينة [qareena].
It doesn't matter what the qareena is really. It could be something implicit. Like if I know you are a Muslim believer, when you say "the medicine cured me", you're not lying, you are just being figurative. Or it could be something explicit. It is somewhere in your sentence. Let's take a look at an example. A poet says:
He is saying that the coming of the morning and the passing of the evening, i.e. the constant moving of time has made the young people old and the old people die.
Are we supposed to take the sentence literally? In which case he really believes it is time that makes people old and old people die.
Or are we to take this figuratively? In which case he is a believer and he knows that it is Allah who does this. He is just merely being figurative by saying that time does this.
Now, the first condition may very well have been met. His intention might be to be literal or might be to be figurative. But we don't know. He has given us no clue. Either we suspend our judgment or fall back on the default, which is literal.
Now, let's look at a set of couplets where there is a clue. This is the poet Abu Al-Najm who says:
The poet is saying that his wife is blaming him for every little thing. This behaviour of hers towards me is because I have become old and I'm not attractive anymore, so she just finds faults in me.
He is saying that time has made me old. He says that by saying I am becoming bald. When you become bald, there is a bald spot that forms in the middle of your head, then it expands out. Eventually you get a bunch of hair on the right side of your head and a bunch of hair on the left side of your head. In Arabic one bunch of hair from the back of your head to the front is called قنزع [qunzu']. He is saying that one qunzu' has become further and further apart from the other one. i.e. I am getting more and more bald. I.e. I am getting more and more old. What is causing this? The passing of the night, i.e. the passage of time. The passage of time is making him old and grey.
Is he being literal? In which case he really does believe the passage of time makes him old. Or is he being figurative? In which case he believes that Allah does this.
We don't know yet, but we will know because in the second couplet he says: "Allah's command to the sun, (to rise and fall, rise and fall) has destroyed him". In the second couplet we find out that he really is a believer. His belief really is that Allah does this, and Allah is the primary cause. The rising and falling of the sun and the passage of the time is merely the vehicle. In his actual poetry there is a clue (a qareena) that tells us what his intention is. So, the two conditions are now met so we can take the first couplet figuratively.
Proceed to next lesson: Omitting the Subject in Arabic
Return to index page: Intro to Ilm Ul-Ma'ani
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December 10, 2018 | APC News
Aisha Buhari's claim that two powerful people are frustrating APC gov - Arewa Youth Consultative Forum Reacts
By The Nigerian Voice
The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has reacted to the claim by the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, that two powerful people were frustrating the current Federal Government's progress.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Sunday, the National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima said Mrs Buhari's claim was an indication that Nigerians should vote out the current All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government.
Recall that Mrs Buhari, who had made the claim at a conference organized by Project 4+4 in Abuja on Tuesday last week, however failed to mention the names of the powerful persons.
But, reacting to her remark, the AYCF National President insisted that government can't be "narrowed down to people from the same village."
According to Shettima, "Her story is not different from what we have said and keep saying, it's only the blind one who believes Buhari is doing better will stand and vote for him in 2019 but for us, we have gone beyond that, certainly, we will not continue like this.
"The rate of debt Nigeria has incurred is enough not to vote for them again, the level of debt this government has taken is enough for us to say no, the government has failed on all level.
"Aisha Buhari actually has a clue. If you have a wife and she comes out to say you committed this, it means she knows what she's saying because nobody could have come out to speak more than Aisha Buhari. And nobody could have just come out to dispute her claims.
"Its a very serious matter and we know that the man who is at the helms of affairs is not being told everything and is allowing all manner of things or probably he's not aware and if he's aware it's a disaster.
"This government can't be run by two individuals in our collective interest, It won't be accepted by anybody. Government is not run by a few individuals, you can't narrow down government to people from the same village."


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Sunday, January 17 2021
Home/Crimes& Genocide/UNHRC urged to condemn Dara'a attack
Crimes& Genocide
UNHRC urged to condemn Dara'a attack
syriatr May 26, 2014
Syria's Foreign Ministry has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to condemn the appalling killings of Syrian people by Takfiri militants in the city of Dara'a.
Syria's official news agency SANA reported on Saturday that at least 39 people had lost their lives in a mortar attack on an election campaign rally in Dara'a late on Thursday.
"[The Massacre] is part of a chain of premeditated crimes targeting the Syrians and their beliefs with the aim to undermine their civilization and transform Syria into a hub for terrorism and backwardness," the ministry said in a letter sent to the UNHRC on Sunday.
According to the report, some 205 people were also wounded in the attack, while 14 of the injured are in critical condition.
They also said in the letter that shells fired by militants target schools, hospitals, worshipping places and, more recently, civilian gatherings on a daily basis with the aim to kill the largest possible numbers of Syrian people.
The letter further criticized Western and regional countries namely Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, France, Brittan and the US for providing direct support for the Takfiri militants fighting against the government of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"These countries have long sought to foster terrorism in Syria, falsely believing that that they might be immune to it. Terrorism has, however, come back to haunt the same countries that have backed it," it said.
Anti-Damascus Takfiri groups have recently stepped up their fatal attacks against Syrians in several cities and towns as the Arab country is preparing to hold an important presidential election on June 3.
The presidential vote will be held in the government-controlled parts of the crisis-hit country. Syrians living abroad are also set to vote on May 28.
Damascus has insisted that it would hold the presidential poll despite the foreign-backed militancy that has reportedly killed over 160,000 people and displaced millions of others since it erupted in Syria in March 2011.
Bomb blast leaves several dead, injured in Damascus suburb
Triple bombing kills 3 in Kurdish Syrian city
Iranian MP: Jihad al-Nikah 'bare violence against women
British police training Saudis amid torture fears: Documents
US-israel backed Three suicide bombers attack hotel in Syria's Qamishli


Korean Chinese food has taken over the taste buds and mind of all food lovers, thus, making it a popular cuisine in the world. Due to this finding, a Korean-Chinese restaurant in Bayside is no more an impossible task. Enjoy good food!!


Join us for D&D's Adventurers League every other Saturday! No experience necessary, but please register for a DCI number through Wizards. https://accounts.wizards.com/ DMs will need your DCI number before gameplay starts.
This event often reaches capacity, please RSVP to guarantee your seat. We have several volunteer DMs that regularly run modules, but could always use more volunteers. If you're interested in running your own Adventurers League, even on a different night, please contact us and we'll be happy to help accommodate. As always, private campaigns are always welcome in our upstairs gaming room anytime during store hours.


text:
package com.goodgame.profiling.graphite_aggregator;

import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.boot.BootLoader;
import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.systems.configuration.JSONConfigurationSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.systems.cron.CronSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.systems.logging.Log4j2System;
import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.systems.net.multiserver.MultiServerSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.systems.rmi_jmx.JMXSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.commons.systems.statistics.StatisticsSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.graphite_aggregator.systems.AggregatorEnvironment;
import com.goodgame.profiling.graphite_aggregator.systems.aggregation.AggregationSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.graphite_aggregator.systems.cassandra.CassandraSystem;
import com.goodgame.profiling.graphite_retentions.bootloader.RetentionSystem;

public class Main {

    public static void main( String[] args ) throws Exception {
        BootLoader<AggregatorEnvironment> loader = new BootLoader<>();
        AggregatorEnvironment environment = new AggregatorEnvironment( Paths.get( args[0] ), loader );

        loader.addSubsystem( new JSONConfigurationSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new Log4j2System<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new StatisticsSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new JMXSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new CronSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new MultiServerSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new RetentionSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new CassandraSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );
        loader.addSubsystem( new AggregationSystem<AggregatorEnvironment>() );

        loader.boot( environment );
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Q: detect the row of which cell has been pressed I have built a to do list app in swift. I want it so that If I click on the table view cell, it would go to another view controller and display that to do list item.
Also, I have an app which is similar, except it stores your favorite url's. Again I want the user to be able to click the cell, and show the url. I also have a web view which I want to show the url the user has pressed on.

A: This is documented quite clearly in docs for UITableView.
When you set up a table view you designate some object (usually the view controller) as it's delegate. That delegate needs to conform to the UITableViewDelegate protocol.
There is a method tableView:didSelectRowAtIndexPath: in that protocol. If you implement that method, the table view will call it when the user clicks a cell.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Beauty: the Remedy to a Culture Gone Numb
By Leroy A. Huizenga
Leroy A. Huizenga is Administrative Chair of Human and Divine Sciences at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. His book Loosing the Lion: Proclaiming the Gospel of Mark reveals how the shortest of the four Gospels is an intense, wild, and impossible story that brings us to an encounter with Jesus Christ.
Photo Credit: Ilya Orehov
In our post-Christian culture, the gospel is no longer compelling, even in supposedly religious rural areas. The capitalistic media culture in which we live—in which everything from what's supposed to be hard news to hard-core pornography is packaged as entertainment for the sake of profit—affects Manhattan, NYC, as well as Medora, ND, thanks to the technology of the Internet, accessed through devices that fit in farm kids' pockets.
Where religion remains, it's become what Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith famously calls "Moral Therapeutic Deism": moral, in that most people nowadays reduce religion to the morality of a mere ethics of consent; therapeutic, in that most people think the business of religion is to make them feel good; and deism, in that the God most people think they believe in is the grand watchmaker who set everything in motion but now stays aloof from our affairs. Moral Therapeutic Deism is a gossamer gruel, a sorry substitute for full-throated Christianity, in which the Triune God invades us to save us from ourselves and bring us to him forever.
Thus, ours is a culture grown numb to the gospel, content with counterfeits. The statistics are sobering, especially among the young. If you've read Christian Smith's Young Catholic America: Emerging Adults In, Out of, and Gone from the Catholic Church, you know the picture isn't pretty. It's the fruit of numbness. Christian churches of all sorts are complicit in their contribution to this numbness to the gospel, whether Catholic or Protestant. Far too often, churches engage in accommodation, moralism, and gimmicks.
Accommodation is trying so hard to present the faith in the world's terms that the world's terms end up dominating, and so it then appears we're simply saying what the wider culture is saying. That's a recipe for Moral Therapeutic Deism. But we forget that the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation (and especially in the Gospel of Mark) reveals a conflict with the world, for the entire cosmos is fallen into rebellion and stands under the domination of the evil one. Without the Fall, there is no redemption, no gospel, no good news. Accommodation offers a false gospel of mere affirmation, not salvation. God doesn't affirm us; God saves us.
With accommodation comes mere moralism. Moralism ultimately has nothing transcendent to say and can only encourage people to try harder to fit whatever mold various spirits of the age have on offer. At best, it can only appeal to a certain nobility of spirit, and at worst, it devolves into divisive harangue.
Pope Francis rightly rails against this, as did Benedict before him. Much preaching today is merely moralistic, telling people what they must do, and as moralistic preaching is driven by the spirit of the age, usually what is preached is what they must do to be a good compliant bourgeois member of middle-class society. But in the Bible, God acts first and any moralism is a response to God's love expressed in saving actions. The particular God of Israel saves his people from Egypt, and then come the Commandments. The same God understood as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit saves his people in the life of Jesus Christ, and Christian morality flows from that.
The combination of accommodation and moralism leave churches with little to work with but gimmicks: a domesticated, moralistic message of affirmation, slick marketing campaigns, and worship as entertainment.
Accommodation concerns not just content, but even the form of our faith, and that means attention to liturgy. Christians nowadays do not only think like the world, but worship like the world in worldly forms. And since lex orandi lex credendi lex vivendi (the rule of liturgical prayer is the rule of belief is the rule of life), they act like the world and drift away, for when churches accommodate to culture, they offer nothing distinctive over and against the culture. And then they empty: as it is said, a church that marries the spirit of the age becomes a widow in the next.
We Catholics shouldn't blame the Council. The Second Vatican Council, in its texts, gave us the theological and pastoral tools for mission in postmodernity. As Bishop Robert Barron often puts it, the goal of Vatican II was not to modernize the Church, but to Christify the world.
But a funny thing happened on the way to Christification. Vatican II was intended to drive a major missionary effort powered by the twin engines of Scripture and liturgy. But something went wrong in the implementation: instead of the compelling scriptural story of salvation history, we got the acid bath of positivist historical criticism; instead of compelling liturgy revealing the culmination of salvation history in the in-breaking of the eschaton at every Eucharist, we got something else.
The Second Vatican Council's Sacrosanctum Concilium was not a call to liturgical accommodation in matters of form, but a desire for people to see more clearly and participate more deeply in the Roman rite, precisely so that they might more deeply encounter the Triune God. Sacrosanctum Concilium's call for the maintenance and priority of Latin, chant, and organ, for instance, reveals a deep desire for sacred liturgical beauty reflecting the beauty of God transcending the secular cultural forms trending in the 1960s and 70s.
So what do we do today? How do we "recover the sense of religious fear," as T. S. Eliot said, so that the Church and world may be overcome by religious hope once again?
I want to suggest the remedy of beauty: beauty in liturgy, which means beauty in both Word and Sacrament.
Why beauty? One reason is practical: this age is numb, if not hostile, to both truth and goodness, but beauty still grips people. Too often, we start with truth in the form of apologetics, or goodness in the sense of moralism. And people don't want to hear it. But beauty still has the capacity to shock, to awaken, to attract.
Another more profound reason is properly theological: God is beauty, as St. Augustine cried out in his confessions, "Late have I loved thee, O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new! Late have I loved thee!"
Drama. Irony. Betrayal. Miracles. A holy war with the whole world at stake. And it's all packed into the shortest of the four Gospels. Written in an engaging, lively, oral style, Loosing the Lion tells us how, despite being misunderstood and neglected throughout most of history, the Gospel of Mark has recently been experiencing a scholarly revival. Theologians are beginning to see how it is actually an intense, wild, impossible story told at a breakneck pace with twists and turns that shock and surprise those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
God Invites Us to Call Him by Name
Blessed and Given: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ


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text:
Tag: Unlawful apply for section 61 New Zealand
New Zealand entry and transit necessities
From 1 October 2019, guests from visa-waiver countries/regions should request a New Zealand Digital Journey Authority (NZeTA) earlier than travelling to New Zealand. If you can be travelling from one among these nations/regions on or after 1 October, please request your NZeTA below.
To enter New Zealand with both a visa or NZeTA you will have to have a return ticket, or a ticket to another vacation spot you are allowed to enter
You could want an NZeTA even when you haven't needed a visa or different travel authority to come back to New Zealand up to now
The NZeTA permits Immigration New Zealand to carry out passenger screening in advance of travel. This means you won't be allowed to board your plane without the required legitimate travel paperwork (visa or NZeTA)
Your NZeTA is legitimate for 2 years, and once you have it you should use it as typically as you like
International Customer Conservation and Tourism Levy
The New Zealand Authorities can also require you to pay an Worldwide Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).
The IVL prices NZ$35 per particular person and is processed and payable if you apply for your visa or NZeTA. You'll not be charged for the IVL if you're travelling on a New Zealand, Australia or Pacific Island (excluding Noumea and Tahiti) passport.
Visiting New Zealand
The NZeTA is only available to those visiting New Zealand for up to three months. If you would like to stay longer, you'll be able to apply for a visa from New Zealand Immigration.
Additional data on visa or NZeTA requirements may be found here New Zealand Immigration.
Travelling on a New Zealand or Australian passport?
You don't want a visa or NZeTA to enter New Zealand.
Are you living in Australia without an Australian passport?
Arriving earlier than 1 October 2019
You do not need a visa to enter New Zealand when you've got:
Everlasting residence in Australia and
A valid Australian Resident return visa, giving you unrestricted, indefinite residence in Australia
Otherwise check with New Zealand Immigration to see if you need a visa.
Arriving on or after 1 October 2019
You may must request an NZeTA. Allow 72 hours for your NZeTA request to be processed.
Do you have got a United Kingdom passport?
Arriving before 1 October 2019
If you happen to can show you might have the best to live in the UK, you'll be able to go to New Zealand for as much as six months without a visa.
You'll must request an NZeTA. Allow 72 hours for your NZeTA request to be processed.
Visiting another country throughout your time in New Zealand
You may be planning to go to one other country after you arrive in New Zealand, and then return. For instance, you could travel to Fiji, then return to New Zealand earlier than flying home.
If you do, please take your closing exit ticket with you during your journey outside of New Zealand. You may must show it before you possibly can board your return flight to New Zealand.
Transiting New Zealand
Transiting New Zealand means you're just passing through. You may land in New Zealand, however switch to another worldwide flight with out leaving the airport.
Chances are you'll need a transit visa, even should you're not staying in New Zealand.
Transiting New Zealand earlier than 1 October 2019?
You do not want a transit visa if:
You are a citizen of New Zealand, or have a current New Zealand visa
You're a citizen of Australia or travelling with a sound Australian passport
You have got a valid Australian or New Zealand Resident return visa
You are a British citizen
You have a British passport endorsed 'British citizen' or that shows you've got the correct to live within the UK
You are a citizen of a visa waiver country or area
You are a citizen of a transit visa waiver country or region
In any other case, please see New Zealand Immigration to find easy methods to apply for a transit visa.
Should you cherished this article and you would want to get more information about Immigration New Zealand forms i implore you to pay a visit to our own page.…
Reasons to Emigrate to New Zealand
1. High quality of Life
New Zealand comes third in Numbeo.com's world survey of quality of life, behind Switzerland and Germany. The survey estimates high quality of life primarily based on buying power, pollution, house value to income ratio, safety index, health care, common commuting occasions and climate.
2. It's healthy
In the OECD Higher Life Index, New Zealand came prime out of 34 industrialised international locations for health. Across the OECD, sixty eight per cent of adults mentioned their very own well being was good or very good. In New Zealand the determine was 90 per cent.
3. The economic system
The New Zealand financial system has been growing sooner than most European international locations, including the UK. It grew by 3.6 per cent in 2014 and more than 2 per cent in 2015. This is despite the slowdown in Chinese development, which has been a major export market for New Zealand commodities. As Asia-Pacific turns into the world's global financial energyhouse the future appears to be like very rosy for New Zealand.
4. People care
The OECD also measured "civic engagement" – how concerned folk were in their very own community, turning out to vote for example, or participating in consultations. In this New Zealand got here third out of 34 countries.
5. Room to run
New Zealand has 17 folks per square kilometre compared to 267 in the United Kingdom. All that space and the mild climate encourages a sporty culture that has seen it constantly in the prime three nations for world sporting success per head of inhabitants (although it dropped to 4th in 2015). Nice Britain was twenty sixth! (supply: greatestsportingnation.com).
6. Room to breathe
While the common new British house is 76 sq. metres and shrinking, and a hundred and fifty,000 children are in a single bedroom partitioned into two (in accordance with a report in 2014), in New Zealand properties are getting bigger. In 1980 the typical new New Zealand home was 142 square metres however by 2011 it was an astonishing 205 sq. metres. The typical house is detached and with a garden.
7. You'll probably find it irresistible
A survey of migrants to New Zealand in 2008 discovered that after 18 months within the country, more than 9 out of ten had been "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with life there. More than eighty per cent felt "very safe". Practically half have been already house-owners and eighty two per cent have been having fun with their job.
The requirements for emigration to New Zealand are a little decrease than to Australia. You may be aged as much as and together with 55 years old, and the list of occupations in demand by New Zealand includes more guide labour, akin to bakers, scaffolders, roofers and parachute trainers. It also welcomes more artistic and creative careers alongside the more skilled and managerial careers.
The process of making use of is analogous, with most candidates for residence and work visas first making an Expression of Interest from which the immigration authorities, which we are going to call NZ Immigration, can provide you a points tally. NZ Immigration then choose those with essentially the most points and invite you to use for a visa. As in Australia, having a firm offer of a job in an occupation New Zealand wants is your greatest chance of being successful.
When you have almost any concerns with regards to where and also how to work with Medical waiver for a resident visa and HIV Hepatitis B New Zealand, you'll be able to email us in our page.…


text:
Folke Andersson eller Folke Anderson kan syfta på någon av följande personer:

Folke Andersson (politiker) (1829–1916)
Folke Andersson (sångare) (1892–1988)
Folke Andersson (musiker) (1902–1976)
Folke Anderson (1903–1968), företagsledare, grundare av Estrella
Folke Andersson (friidrottare) (1908–1979)
Folke Andersson (skulptör) (1910–1982)
Folke Andersson (biolog) (1933–2016), professor i terrester ekologi vid SLU
Folke Andersson (fotbollsspelare), fotbollsspelare i Gais

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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David Haye has admitted his showdown with Wladimir Klitschko next month could be the last fight of his professional career.
The WBA heavyweight champion has always insisted he would quit the sport at the age of 30. He turns 31 in October.
Londoner Haye even claims being offered the chance to face Vitali Klitschko late this year would not convince him to alter his plans.
'I've always said that I am going to retire when I'm 30,' Haye told the BBC. 'If there's another fight [against Vitali] that can happen quickly, then let's get it on.
Former cruiserweight king Haye claims he would have no regrets if he sticks to his guns and decides to call it quits this autumn.
Haye also revealed he will definitely hang up his gloves if he sustains another hand injury in Germany.
He was hurt while winning his heavyweight crown from Nikolay Valuev in 2009 and said: 'If I damage my hand [again], hypothetically that would be my last fight.
'I'm training with that in mind, that this could potentially be my last fight, so I need to make it my best.


Latest reply on Sep 26, 2018 by o0o0o0o0o0o...points!
Who's Grandfathered into Marriott's Lifetime Premier Platinum Status?
Actually, this is another instance where 'The Points Guy' is not quite on point, and I commented on this - the very 1st of the 4 groups is incorrect (and you can read the comments to see this). Current (or now former) legacy Marriott LTP members pre-8/18 were grandfathered on day 1 (whichever day you want to count as "day 1" after the dust settled) and do not have to wait until 2019. All other legacy (group #1 from your referenced Points Guy page) Marriott members who reach LTP after 8/18 but before 1 January 2019 will be grandfathered into LTPP in January.
The LTPP criteria is no different from what I've stated (as well as others) on Insiders previously.
I concur - that is how I understand the grand-parenting.


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Q: The complement of a finite set in $\mathbb{R}$ is open? I was reading " Notes on Introductory Point - Set Topology" by Allen Hatcher, Chapter 1 as he gave as an example of an open set : " the complement of a finite set in $\mathbb{R}$ ". I want to prove this but I do not know how like if I have the following closed set $\{1, 2 ,3 \},$ how to prove that its complement is open?

A: Let $X=\mathbb R\setminus\{1,2,3\}$.  Let $x\in X$ be given.  Take $\delta=\min\{|x-1|,|x-2|,|x-3|\}$ i.e. the minimum distance from $x$ to one of the excluded points.  Then $\left(x-\frac\delta2,x+\frac\delta2\right)$ contains $x$ and is completely contained inside $X$.  Since $x\in X$ was aribitrary, $X$ is open.
There's nothing magic about the set $\{1,2,3\}$ in this proof -- the same argument could be applied to any finite set.

A: Well, every finite set is close (with the Euclidean metric) because a finite set has no limit points.

Pf:  If $A$ is finite then for any $x\in \mathbb R$ there are only finitely many $d(x,a)$ where $a\in A$ and $a \ne x$ so a number $r = \min d(x,a)> 0; a \in A; a\ne x$ exists and $B_r(x)$ has no points of $A$ other than $x$, so $x$ is not a limit point of $A$.

And a set is closed if and only if its complement is open.

Pf: Standard exercise.  If $E$ is closed and $a\in E^c$ then $a$ is not a limit point of $E$ so there is a neighborhood of $a$ with no points of $E$ other than $a$, but $a$ isn't in $E$ so that neighborhood is entirely id $E^c$ so $E^c$ is open.  Likewise if $E^c$ is open then for every point, $a$ in $E^c$ there is a neighorhood entirely in $E^c$ so $a$ can not be a limit point of $E$ and therefore limit points of $E$ can not be outside of $E$.

.... that's it....
But if you want to prove it is open directly, well, Matthew Daly's answer does that.

If $x \not \in A$ then as there are finite $a \in A$ there are finite $d(x,a)$ and as $x \not \in A$ no $a =x$ and all $d(x,a) > 0$ and there is a minimum $d(x,a)$. Call it $r$.  The $B_r(x) \subset A^c$ so $A^c$ is open.

A: $\Bbb R$ is a metric space.   Metric spaces are always $T_1$.  Thus points are closed.   But the finite union of closed sets is closed.  Thus the complement of a finite set is open.


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THE QUICK-RISING, breath-stealing frigid water in the drainage tunnel probably should have concerned him, especially since he didn't know how to swim, but Oliver felt it was karma finally coming to exact its revenge. Others would argue he didn't deserve it, but he felt it was long overdue. Sure he had suffered in different ways over the years, but not in any one way that lived up to his guilt or equaled the horrendousness of his crime. They were just the precursor, the appetizer so to speak, to the main course.
Coldness, like he couldn't have imagined, seeped into his bones, seemingly bypassing the barriers of his clothing and skin. It wrapped itself around the calcium-laced supports and settled in the very marrow, spreading from extremity to extremity.
Oliver tipped his head back until it rested on one of the metal wrinkles of the tube. There was no longer feeling in his feet, and he knew it was only a matter of time before that numbness crept up his legs, over his stomach, and into his chest to finally lay to rest his broken heart. His eyelids fluttered, slowly closing as he welcomed his impending doom.
A lighthearted joy suddenly skidded through him as he realized that his ending would reunite him with those he'd lost. Oliver only hoped that if they met him at the gates, they wouldn't turn him away, making his afterlife as painful as the earthly existence he would be leaving behind. How does one survive a tortured eternity?
Maybe it would be his ultimate penance.
Maybe he wouldn't even get to go to the place he imagined they were.
His head dropped forward, chin meeting chest. It would be what he deserved. There was no forgiveness, only pain.
Never-ending pain.
THREE MONTHS and some odd days earlier….
"Help, I've fallen!"
And you can't get up? The thought flitted through his mind before turning toward the sound of distress. There in the dirty gutter lay the crumpled figure of a little old blue-hair. Bright red bloomed through the granny's tan pants. Dirt and grime were smudged on her adorably wrinkled face.
"Are you just going to stand there while I lie here, bleeding to death, or are you going to help an old lady up?"
Oliver looked over his shoulder to see who the snippy old bat was talking to, and saw there was no one else there.
"Boy, you look like you've been rolling in mud. Do you have dirt in your ears? I'm talking to you." She pointed a slightly shaking finger in his direction.
"Me?" Oliver asked, echoing the gesture to make sure the lady, who may have hit her head on the way down, was truly speaking to him.
"Yes, you!" Her voice was full of exasperation. "Do you see anyone else? Quit dawdling and come help me up." Her frail arm wavered in the air, reaching toward Oliver's frozen form.
"O-okay," Oliver finally said, uprooting his feet from the pavement. In a few long strides, he was grasping the cool papery hand in his own, bending to wrap his other arm around the lady's tiny frame. It wasn't much of a struggle to help the petite woman to her feet. Oliver walked her to a nearby park bench, which she sank down on with a long drawn-out sigh. Unsure what to do next, he just stood there, towering over her.
"Um, are you all right?" Oliver kept looking from the woman back to the pile of meager belongings he had left behind when he came to assist. "Do you live near here?"
"I'm not far," the woman said while looking down at her knee. She tsked about cleaning out the blood under her breath.
"Do you… uh, do you think you could make it? Or do you need help?" He hoped for the former.
"Oh! Help would be lovely, dear, if you wouldn't mind."
Oliver sighed. He knew he couldn't leave the woman to hobble back by herself. His father would be terribly disappointed in him if he did that. Biting his tongue, he motioned that he'd be a minute before turning to jog to his pack. Slinging it over his shoulder, Oliver took his time walking back, studying the woman as he went.
Even though the frame was small, the woman seemed to radiate a kind of power. Well dressed, short of the bloody knee, she screamed money: coifed hair, pearls around her neck, and rings on her fingers. Laugh lines radiated from the corners of two still-bright blue eyes. While her tongue was sharp, the many wrinkles gave her a friendly appearance, like one of those shar-pei dogs.
When she saw Oliver approaching, she got to her feet, listing to one side. Oliver sped up to reach her. He wrapped an arm around her back to steady the woman who was doing a fine impression of a wobbly top winding down.
"Whoa there." Oliver adjusted his stance to help keep the woman on her feet. "Are you sure you'll be okay to walk?"
She waved him off. "Of course I'm sure. I'm old but hardly helpless."
Oliver raised a brow but said nothing as they started off down the sidewalk.
It was slow going, but after a couple of blocks, a quaint Victorian came into view. It was white with bright purple trim that should have looked garish but ended up giving the home a welcoming kind of charm. There were flower boxes at each window, a riot of bright, blooming colors. A waist-high, black, wrought-iron fence surrounded the lush lawn and disappeared behind the back of the house. The wrap-around porch was graced with wooden rockers painted in vibrant blues and greens and yellows.
Oliver thought it looked like it came out of a fairy tale, the kind of place where wishes would be granted and comfort could be found for the night. A sharp pang sparked in his chest at the thought of a night of warmth and safety. He shook his head slightly, as if to dispel the idea. It wouldn't do him any good to think of things that couldn't be.
They reached the gate, and the woman gestured for Oliver to open it. It swung away from them with silent grace, no rusted squeaking to announce their arrival. As they made their way up the cobblestone walk, the front door opened and Oliver found himself staring at a mirror image of the woman clinging to his arm. They were practically identical down to the orthopedic shoes they wore, the only difference being in the color of their outfits. The styles were the same, but the woman at the door wore pastels rather than the neutral tones her sister sported.
"Oh, Tude! What happened to you?" The other woman wrung her hands and fretted from her position at the door.
"Tude?" Oliver questioned, looking down at the woman he was still supporting.
"It's actually Gertrude, but that's such a mouthful, don't you think?" The woman patted Oliver's arm before letting go, walking up the stairs with a surprising amount of spring in her step.
Oliver's eyes narrowed as he began to realize the woman had played him. He watched the pastel lady fawn over her not-so-injured sister, unsure of what to do next. When they turned for the door, Oliver was surprised by the wave of disappointment that washed over him. While he wasn't expecting any kind of compensation for helping, a thank-you would have been nice. He was surprised by their lack of manners. As he turned to walk back toward the park, his head dropped, sad to think of what the coming evening held for him. He sighed before looking up at the sun. It was probably close to five o'clock, maybe he could catch some commuters on their way home to buy some of his pieces so he could get something to eat, half a sandwich at least.
"Aren't you coming in, dearie?"
The voice caught Oliver off guard and he nearly tripped over his own feet turning to face the speaker. Pastel lady was holding the door open, waving him inside. Gertrude was nowhere to be seen.
"Why?" Oliver asked, suddenly suspicious.
The woman's eyes widened. "Why? For dinner of course. It's nearly time, and it's the least we can do for helping poor Tude get home."
"I'm not sure she really needed my help…."
"Oh, of course she did, dear. We're just a couple of frail old spinsters who need assistance with a multitude of things, like finishing all the food I cooked for dinner. Please, come join us." The woman's warm voice and smiling eyes chipped away at Oliver's wary nature. His growling stomach sealed the deal. He couldn't remember the last time he had a home-cooked meal.
"I guess I could…."
"Of course you can, dear. Now come inside and get washed up. We don't allow for dirty hands at the dinner table."
Oliver climbed the steps and tried to peer inside the dark interior before stepping over the threshold. He couldn't see much, but the wafting scent of cooked meat set his mouth to watering. He followed his nose, no longer caring that he had been tricked. Food won out over pride.
THE INTERIOR of the house was like a well-organized yard sale. Knickknacks lined shelves and windowsills. They were free of dust and many had small white tags hanging from them that blew in the breeze Oliver made as he headed toward the bathroom, which had been pointed out to him. He stopped to admire a porcelain seahorse. It was washed in pale colors, the edges gilded in shiny gold. It seemed incredibly detailed and delicate, as if it would crumble to pieces if touched.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Pastel's voice came from behind him. Oliver, who had been lost in his own world, spun and nearly knocked it off the shelf. Wrinkled hands reached up to rescue the article.
"S-sorry!" Oliver stuttered, his face flaming.
"No bother, dear, accidents happen. Would you like me to put your name on it? I'm sure Tude wouldn't mind."
Oliver's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what you mean," he admitted.
The older woman pointed to a nearby figure of a pig in a bonnet carrying a basket of flowers. One of the small white tags was hanging from its empty hand. Upon closer inspection, Oliver saw the name Mary in a tiny neat scrawl on the tag.
"When people like something in our home, we mark it for them so when we move on, they can have it," the woman explained.
"Move… on?" The angry butterflies came to life in Oliver's stomach as he started to get the idea.
"Yes! When we move on from this world. We wouldn't want to see anyone fight over our things so we label them now to keep that from happening."
Oliver felt himself start to sway at the woman's casual talk of her own death. He mumbled an apology and dashed into the bathroom, a hand hovering, ready to throw over his mouth. There was nothing in his stomach to come up, but he dry heaved for a few moments while his pulse raced. The topic of death was never an easy one for him, but it had gotten worse over the years. He hoped his actions didn't insult the nice old lady.
Once his breathing was back to normal, he pushed a sweaty strand of dirty blond hair off his brow. Pumping some of the potent flower smelling soap into his hands, he scrubbed at his face with vigor, as if the strong scent could wash away more than just the dirt. After splashing cold water on his face, he looked up and recoiled at the sight of his stubble-covered but otherwise clean pink skin. It had been a while since he had seen himself dirt-free. His eyes still looked old, but without smudges and dirt settled into tired creases, he looked more his age of eighteen.
He finger-combed through his tangled locks and pulled the strands into a quick messy ponytail. Better than nothing. There wasn't much he could do about the state of his clothes, but at least he looked somewhat presentable from the neck up. Taking one last look in the mirror, Oliver tucked a wayward piece of hair behind his ear before leaving the small room to find both women waiting for him.
"Everything all right, dear?" Pastel asked.
Oliver looked at them, eyes wide, surprised they were there. "Fine…?"
"Took you long enough. Let's eat," Tude said, turning away before Oliver could respond.
"Don't mind her. She gets cranky when she's hungry," the twin said, tucking her hand under Oliver's arm. They followed the other woman to a dining room where a long table was elaborately set.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling, its drops of glass spitting pinpoints of light throughout the room. The walls were covered in a combination of dark wood paneling and cabbage rose wallpaper. The table was far too big for just the three of them, but each place was set as if its occupants were royalty: silver utensils, fine china, and heavy crystal goblets.
Oliver felt as if he had stepped into a different dimension. Who were these crazy old ladies?
Large silver platters sat on the table, gleaming covers hiding their contents. A cut-glass pitcher filled with water and slices of lemons, limes, and oranges sat just beyond the food, sweat running down its side.
When Tude lifted the lid off one of the platters, Oliver nearly swooned as the smell of roast chicken drifted his way. His stomach growled loudly in response. He slapped his hands to his navel as if to stop the sound from traveling, but the surprised looks on the old biddies told him he wasn't hiding anything. Oliver just hoped he wasn't drooling like a teething babe.
"Sit already, would you?" Tude grumbled, laying the cover on the sideboard behind her.
Oliver pulled out the heavy chair and sank into it, unable to take his eyes from the veritable feast before him. He couldn't remember the last time he had more than a cup of soup or half a sandwich. It had to have been before the accident….
He reached a hand out to touch the heavy silverware and noticed the women had their hands folded and their white heads bowed. Snatching his hand back, Oliver dropped his head, following suit if only not to upset the women. He wasn't religious by any stretch of the imagination, but he could fake it if it meant getting to taste the food in front of him.
Their heads popped up in unison, and Pastel started to dish out heaps of steaming vegetables onto Oliver's plate. Across from him, Tude began sawing through the chicken with a knife as long as his forearm. The women served their guest before themselves, and Oliver remembered his manners well enough to wait until everyone had food before he began.
Once he started, he found it an incredible struggle to eat like a human and not shovel the food in by the forkful. Feeling eyes on him, Oliver looked up and realized, by the twin stares, that he probably wasn't as successful at acting "normal" as he thought.
"Sorry," he mumbled after struggling to swallow a mouthful of food without choking.
"Quite all right, dear. Please, eat as much as you'd like. As you can see, there is plenty," Pastel said, patting Oliver's hand. Tude glared before putting down her fork.
"Don't you have a name?" the grumpier of the two women asked.
Oliver flushed a bit when he realized he had never even introduced himself to the women who graciously invited him in for dinner.
"S-sorry!" he stuttered, unused to having these kinds of encounters anymore. "I'm Oliver. Oliver Sutton."
"Lovely to meet you, Oliver," Pastel said with a warm smile. "You know Tude, and you may call me Vera."
"Vera? That's a nice name," Oliver replied, enjoying the old-fashioned names.
"Bah. Her name is Guinevere, but since I had a nickname, she wanted one too," Tude said, rolling her eyes.
"Gertrude and Guinevere?"
"Westling," Vera said. "Gertrude and Guinevere Westling."
Oliver gave them a genuine smile. "Nice to meet you both. Thank you for dinner. It's… it's probably the best thing I've ever eaten."
"Ever?" questioned Tude.
Oliver flashed back to a memory of a Christmas dinner years ago, remembering the juicy turkey and homemade cranberry sauce. It was one of the few good memories that hadn't been wiped away.
"Well, maybe not ever, but it's definitely made the top three."
Both women beamed at him as if he'd handed them the Nobel Peace Prize.
Oliver patted his distended stomach and hoped all the food he ate would stay down. He shouldn't have gorged himself, but not knowing when his next good meal would be, he couldn't help it.
As the food settled in his stomach, a great exhaustion fell over him. Oliver blinked rapidly, trying to keep from falling into a carb-induced coma. He attempted to push up off the overstuffed couch the women had led him to and suddenly found his face full of soft fuzzy fabric. Batting at it, he realized it was a velour blanket. Tude grinned at him while Vera held a pillow in her hands. Oliver cocked his head to the side, wondering what was going through their heads.
"I don't need this," Oliver said, his voice quiet as he started to fold the blanket.
"It gets cool in here at night," Tude told him while nudging her sister to hand over the pillow.
"Yes, quite drafty. We wouldn't want you catching your death," Vera chimed in after placing the pillow at the end of the couch.
Oliver shook his head and held the blanket out to them. "I don't need this because I'm not staying." His voice was no nonsense, his spine suddenly pin straight. He was grateful for the meal, but he wouldn't intrude any further, and he certainly couldn't stay the night. If they knew who he really was, what he had done, they wouldn't want him there either.