text:
Federal MPs
State MPs
Former WA MPs
Federal Policies
WA Policies
← Australian Greens
Sex work is a legitimate form of labour that should be decriminalised. Sex workers deserve the same rights and representations that workers in other industries have.
Stigma and discrimination are common barriers to the well-being of sex workers on or off the job. Therefore programs that reduce stigma and discrimination should be designed in consultation with peer-to-peer based sex worker services1. These programs should then be implemented in consultation with these services.
The most effective way to ensure the rights, health and safety of sex workers is through full decriminalisation2 of voluntary adult sex work.
The Greens (WA) want:
the full decriminalisation of voluntary adult sex work in Western Australia
improvement of working conditions and safety in all sectors of sex work
elimination of the stigma that impedes the professional conduct of sex work and endangers sex workers' well-being
sex work to be recognised as a legitimate form of employment (see also The Greens (WA) Workplace Relations policy)
The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:
prioritise sex worker voices when drafting legislation related to the sex work industry
include sex work as a protected class in legislation, including the Anti-Discrimination Act, the Sex Discrimination Act and the Fair Work Act
decriminalise and regulate the promotion of sex work
prevent the creation of a registry for sex workers
working with peer-based sex worker services:
initiate sex work discrimination and reduction programs specifically for police and health care workers;
initiate a sex work discrimination and stigma reduction campaign for the public;
include sex work discrimination and stigma reduction programs in the sex education curriculum; and
provide appropriate support to disabled sex workers.
address the common belief that sex work is more exploitative than other forms of employment
ensure that police officers are aware of the legal rights of sex workers and the legal status of their work (see also The Greens (WA) Justice policy)
provide public funding for peer-based advocacy groups
continue funding and support for peer-based sex worker services, especially to increase outreach to private, culturally and linguistically diverse and rural-based sex workers
develop drug and alcohol harm reduction programs specific to sex workers, and support full drug decriminalisation (see also The Greens (WA) Drugs policy)
establish Occupational Health and Safety codes for all aspects of the industry
ensure that insurance providers do not discriminate on coverage based on employment in, or experience with, the sex industry
ensure every sex worker's right to refuse service
have reasonable and necessary supports for the sexual expression and health of disabled people by allowing NDIS plans to fund therapeutic sexual services (see also The Greens (WA) Disability policy)
ensure that financial institutions do not discriminate
ensure that sex workers who offer fetish services are not discriminated against by banks, health providers and others on the basis of the type of services they offer
fund ongoing research into improving working conditions and on-job safety
develop systems to assist sex workers to transition to other industries where desired
Peer-based services - Services specific to an affected community provided by members of that community. Peer-based organisations and services are founded on the idea that marginalised groups would be more comfortable disclosing information to their peers rather than health or justice services
Decriminalisation - Under a decriminalised system, sex industry businesses are treated like any other business. They are subject to existing regulatory mechanisms such as: local council planning; zoning and location controls; workers compensation requirements; occupational health and safety standards; and industrial rights obligations. Decriminalisation does not mean no regulation - it means whole of government regulation. Importantly, police are not involved as regulators at any level unless there is a breach of law.
The Sex Work policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in 2020
The Greens (WA) spokesperson for sex work is Alison Xamon MLC
Download the Sex Work policy pdf
Members web site
Authorised by Emma Pringle & Gareth Doogue, The Greens (WA),
91/215 Stirling St, Perth, Western Australia 6000.


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The Fastest Growing City in the Country is Actually San Marcos
Most lists that catalog the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. tend to focus on places over a certain population—usually 100,000—which is why Austin is frequently placed at the top of that list. But if you look at the numbers without those restrictions, Austinites will find that their paltry 2.8% annual growth rate is basically the equivalent of standing still, compared to their less-heralded neighbor to the south: ol' San Marvelous, with its official 2012 Census population of 50,001, is growing at a staggering rate of 8% per year.
As the Austin American-Statesman reports, that's not exactly a surprise, when you consider what San Marcos has going for it:
San Marcos has many of the amenities that Austin provides, on a smaller scale.
Situated about halfway between Austin and San Antonio, it offers job opportunities in both markets. But the average home is going for about $175,000 in San Marcos, real estate agents said. That is cheaper than most homes in Austin, and it gets most buyers a newer three-bedroom, two-bath home in a subdivision close to town or an older home on half an acre in the country, said Robby Roden of San Marcos-based 3Z Realty.
Then, there is the feel of San Marcos.
On a recent sunny weekday afternoon, students from Texas State University strolled along LBJ Drive past a burger joint, art house movie theater and several resale shops full of retro styles. The university sits just north of the lively downtown. Nearby, a pristine river cuts the city in half. It offers much of what Austin does, without many big-city hassles[…]
All of that surely does sound charming, and the fact that, even in the typically terrible traffic on I-35, it's still not more than an hour to Austin or San Antonio, gives San Marcos a best-of-both-worlds quality: If you're moving to the region from a place where an hour-long commute is the norm, San Marcos can give you everything you want.
Of course, it's not just the college town to the south of Austin that's growing so quickly. San Marcos may have the most eye-popping growth rate in the country (by the time you get to #10 on the list—Meridian, Ohio—you're down to just a 4% growth rate), but it's hardly the only formerly-small Texas town that is booming. Four of the ten fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are here in Texas, and three of them are in the Austin metro area: in addition to San Marcos, there's #4 Cedar Park, and #7 Georgetown.
Cedar Park's population growth has been an even more dramatic spike than that of San Marcos: It's more than doubled in size since 2000, during which time it's gone from 26,000 to 59,000 today. But the biggest spike occurred between 1990 and 2000, when it ballooned from a sleepy little town of 5,000 to that 26,000 figure. Meanwhile Georgetown, with its small college population and adorable town square, fills much the same niche that San Marcos does, trading proximity to San Antonio for being even closer to Austin.
All of this reflects back onto Austin, of course; while the Statesman's article makes note of the abundance of jobs in San Marcos, it's probably safe to say that none of these small cities would be growing at the rate that they are if the nation's fastest-growing large city weren't right there in the middle. But that also doesn't explain the second fastest-growing Texas city: Frisco, the Dallas suburb that, since 1990, has grown from a mere 6,000 residents to a staggering 128,000 people in 2012.
That's had a major impact on home prices in the suburb, as prices have gone up by nearly $100,000 since October 2011. Ultimately, Frisco's story—as Austin's growth continues to make it less "quirky college town" and more "very important metro area"—could well be the story of San Marcos, Cedar Park, and Georgetown. Even the small towns, these days, are bigger in Texas.
(image via Flickr)
How to Survive the Texas Legislature
Confessions of an Aging Pothead
The Seduction of Jane Doe
The Rise and Fall of the Bush Family Dynasty
The Long, Strange Trip of Ed Bass

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
An Unsolicited Testimonial | Another Unsolicited Testimonial | An Unsolicited Something Else
This is the revised version of Jaskri and the Maiden.
Follow this link for the original version.
Extremely belated thanks are due to Jeffrey M. Mahr, former editor of TSAT ezine, for his constructive suggestions and for contributing 12 of the following words. Thanks also for not making it 13!
Each morning, before she went to help her mother pick zalberries and dewfruit in the fields, Jaskri would kiss the Maiden and ask her to bless the day's labours. Each evening when she returned she would kiss her stone lips once more to thank her for those blessings. To Jaskri, of course, as to all her fellow villagers, the statue was always "she," never "it." She stood upon a broad pedestal in a small grassy square near the well at the centre of the village, looking a little out of place amidst its modest wooden dwellings.
The villagers had not gone so far as to give the statue a name, perhaps because they were unable to think of one that would do justice to her charm and grace. Yet for some strange reason none of the villagers could regard the statue as a mere object, and so "the Maiden" she had become. Indeed, to the villagers she almost seemed like another member of the community. They would sit upon the edge of her pedestal as they would sit with a friend, and tell her the latest gossip without feeling the least bit foolish for doing so. Late at night, by the light of Silvermoon or Goldmoon, lovers would lie upon the winegrass knoll before her pedestal and ask her to bless their unions. Some of them were shyly exploring each other's bodies for the first time. Some were fully experienced. Some were of the same gender. Some, indeed, were more than couples. Yet all had one thing in common: they were seldom disappointed by the Maiden's blessings. Indeed, it was common for lovers to climb upon her pedestal and thank her by making her a part of their lovemaking. Curiously, this treatment never caused the statue to become stained or worn. Her marble surface, if indeed it was marble, always remained as clean and smooth as the day she had first appeared.
Jaskri had always known that she possessed a special bond with the Maiden, and though she did not understand the nature of that bond she happily accepted it. Whatever it was, she knew it could not be bad for her, or for her village. Since the day the statue had appeared, the village had enjoyed peace, prosperity and finer harvests than it had ever known. Some villagers claimed that they could feel a kind of aura radiating from the statue into the village, its fields and its people.
Nobody knew where the statue had come from. She had simply been found one morning, standing on a hill overlooking the village, the marble or alabaster image of a beautiful maiden of perhaps twenty years. She was poised gracefully upon a pedestal, naked and dignified, with a beatific smile upon her face. The villagers, seeing her for the first time, had been enchanted by her beauty - perhaps, some suggested, literally.
How she came to be there was a mystery. One man suggested that a merchant with more wealth than sense had discarded her. "If so," another replied, "the man's a blind, or a fool, or he really hates women. Who could possibly want to throw out such a treasure? Why, I'll wager there are royal palaces that don't house such wonders as her."
Already they were unconsciously thinking of the statue as a person rather than an object.
"Anyway, she couldn't have been thrown out of a coach or whatever. We're on a hill, a good hundred strides from the road. Can't imagine anyone being daft enough to cart a heavy statue all the way up here in the middle of the night."
"I didn't hear any coaches on the road last night."
"Me neither. And it would have taken at least two men to lug her up here. Surely someone would have seen 'em or heard 'em."
"Well, she got here somehow, and now we have to figure out what to do with her."
The villagers had debated the matter for some time. "We can hardly keep her, can we? Like you said, she's worth an emperor's ransom. She must belong to someone."
"Well, what are we supposed to do then? Cart her off to City Dravinye and sit in the market square until the owner comes looking for her?"
To this, nobody had an answer.
Three people who were unavoidably absent from that gathering were Jaskri's expectant parents and the town midwife. That morning as the villagers were waking up and preparing for their daily tasks, they had heard two cries simultaneously. One was the astonished cry of the farmer who had risen early to feed his vorniks and discovered the statue. The other was the lusty bellowing of a newborn girl.
In the end it was decided to keep the statue until such time as her rightful owner might be found. This was hardly stealing, after all, they told themselves. They were merely holding her in trust, as it were. And surely no one would object to the statue being given pride of place in the village square until then. Yet despite discreet enquiries as to who might have lost or had stolen such a treasure, no owner could be found. The discreet enquiries were eventually abandoned and the villagers came to think of the statue as their own. Surely after the passage of so many years no one would come looking for her.
From as early an age as she could recall, the Maiden had held a particular fascination for Jaskri. Once while she was learning to talk, her mother held her up before the pedestal and told her, "Say hello, Jaskri. This is the Maiden. She's our own very special statue. In a sense, she's the same age as you." Her mother smiled. "I suppose that more or less makes you sisters." She turned toward the Maiden. "What do you think?" she asked. "Will you accept her as your sister, and guide and protect her?" It was surely just her imagination that made the statue seem, for a moment, to smile even more sweetly than usual. But little Jaskri had reached out a hand to the statue's face and shyly murmured, "Mai'en."
Jaskri grew to be an exceptionally pretty and intelligent young girl. Fortunately she also had the knack of making friends easily. Unlike many who consider themselves beautiful and intelligent she never felt the need to make others feel ugly and stupid. Some years earlier, when the improved harvests began to yield surplus revenue for the village, it had been decreed by the council that extra funding should be allocated to school teaching. As a result Jaskri learned to read and write. Although some of the older villagers still considered these to be useless skills, the general consensus was that they would come in useful. Why, if she was really as bright as she seemed she might even be enrolled in Dravinye College one day, and that would surely be a first for their little village.
When Jaskri was about thirteen, a newcomer moved into the village, a single woman of about thirty summers. The villagers treated her warily at first, like any small community encountering a stranger, but she seemed harmless enough and they gradually warmed to her presence. It seemed she was called Diann - a strange-sounding name whose origin nobody could identify. She also claimed to have healing skills, which helped soften the villagers' attitudes toward her. Their village was generally a healthy place, but accidents can always happen. Meanwhile Jaskri, with her characteristic extrasense, believed that Diann's arrival was significant both for her and for the Maiden. Some day, somehow, the destiny of all three would be woven together.
So she was not surprised when one day she and her parents encountered Diann as they were walking by the Maiden. The healer was studying the statue with a curious expression. "Good morning to you," said Jaskri's mother. "I see you're admiring our most honoured resident."
The healer turned toward her. "Oh...yes," she replied. "It's a...fascinating work of art."
"She's my sister," said Jaskri. "We both appeared at the same time."
Jaskri's parents laughed at this. "Yes, but you didn't appear from nowhere," said her mother. "You spent three seasons growing in me. Although," she told Diann, "she didn't make too much of a fuss about entering the world. Say hello properly, Jaskri."
Jaskri curtseyed as politely as you please and said, "Good morning to you, lady. My name is Jaskri. The Maiden's blessing be upon you."
"Good morning to you too, Jaskri," replied Diann, studying Jaskri's face almost as intently as she had studied the statue's.
"We were just taking some torva-fruit to my grandmother," said Jaskri. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you had one."
Diann smiled. "Well, if you're sure..." Jaskri's mother nodded in confirmation. "Then I should like it very much. You grow some marvellous produce in this district."
"We like to think the Maiden blesses the harvests," said Jaskri's father.
"The Maiden, yes...do you consider her a goddess, then?"
Jaskri's parents seemed taken aback by this.
"Well, no not a goddess, exactly...," her father spoke hesitantly, stumbling as he searched for the proper words, "... I mean, that would be idolatry, wouldn't it...but we've always had the feeling that she's watching over us...looking after us somehow...it's hard to explain."
Jaskri joined in. "It's true. She's not a goddess, and she's not a woman, but somehow she does look after us. I can feel it."
The healer looked thoughtful. "Well," she said, "whoever or whatever your Maiden is, she certainly seems to be...unique." She paused as if about to say more, but seemed unable to find the right words. Finally she muttered, "Well, then. I must be getting along now. Thank you for the fruit. I'm sure we will talk again soon."
Jaskri and her parents nodded politely and turned away. As they departed, Diann took another lingering glance at the statue. This is bizarre, she thought, unprecedented. In all my experience I've never heard of such a thing. And yet the evidence is incontrovertible. As for what it means for the girl...Diann scarcely knew what to think. After another searching look at the Maiden she shook her head and walked away.
The healer's arrival came to seem fortuitous less than a moon later. One warm spring afternoon Jaskri was out harvesting when, reaching beneath a zalberry bush to pick some particularly large and ripe berries, she was bitten by a jalga that had been sheltering there. Ironically the weather that brought the village's good harvests had also brought the poisonous lizards that normally would not venture so far north. Jaskri's screams brought her mother and a dozen other harvesters rushing to her aid, but when they saw what had happened some of them exchanged despairing glances. A jalga's venom was quite potent enough to kill a fully-grown man, let alone an adolescent girl. It seemed as if the Maiden had withdrawn her blessings from the village.
By the time the harvesters had carried Jaskri to the healer's house she was already in a high fever. When Diann heard what had happened, her face became grim.
"Please, healer, you must save her," her mother sobbed. "She is everything to me. She cannot die."
Diann's expression was unreadable. "No," she muttered. "That would be...unthinkable." She placed a hand upon Jaskri's forehead, as if she needed proof of the girl's condition. Then she took Jaskri's mother by the hand and looked her in the eye. "You must trust me now. Leave your daughter with me and I will do everything that can be done for her. I swear it upon my life."
Jaskri's mother swallowed. Then, wiping ineffectually at her tear-stained face, she nodded. "Yes," she whispered. "I trust you, healer. May the Maiden's blessing be upon her, and upon your healing skills."
"Yes," said Diann. "Somehow, I believe it will. Go home now and try to rest. I must get to work immediately."
The villagers reluctantly departed, leaving Jaskri in the healer's care.
Jaskri scarcely saw or heard any of this. She was aware, when she was aware of anything, only of the fever raging within her and the aching in her bones. In her delirium she seemed to hear Diann conversing in an unknown tongue with somebody whose voice could be heard clearly, yet who was nowhere to be seen.
"Subject is class six-three humanoid female, age approximately equivalent to fourteen Earth years, bitten by class one-four-seven venomous reptilian. Uploading subject's DNA sample and specimen of poison for immediate analysis. Administering broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory nanos to combat immediate threat from fever and tissue damage. Priority Alpha download full repair nanoprogram."
"Query Priority Alpha status."
"Subject is focus of Quadrant Seven temporal anomaly. Temporal vortex is destabilising rapidly. Imperative, repeat, imperative this be prevented. High probability death of subject would create catastrophic temporal collapse, extent potentially infinite. Therefore subject must be healed. Failure not, repeat not, option. Download nanoprogram immediately."
There was a brief pause before the bodiless voice replied. "Downloading as requested." Another pause. "Tell me, Diane, what makes you so certain she's the one?"
"The statue is emitting kilo-electron-volt neutrinos. This entire village is bathed in them. They're interacting with the environment somehow, enhancing growth and fertility and even affecting the climate. And the local people can feel them. They call them the 'Maiden's blessing'. Do you know what that means? KeV-neutrinos are the only things that can penetrate a temporal stasis field! What more proof do you need?"
"Even so...could so much really be hanging on one girl's life?"
"I've been over the figures dozens of times. I couldn't believe it myself, but it's true. She's just a teenage farmer's daughter, yet she could save the entire universe! As to what that will do to her...." Diann sighed. "Well, it's unavoidable. But if she knew what I was saving her for...."
Jaskri was convinced that Diann and the invisible speaker had been discussing her fate. Jaskri was certain that Diann knew what her destiny was, and she was convinced that it was not to die from a lizard bite. What, then? Perhaps the Maiden knew...
As she was lapsing into unconsciousness once more she seemed to feel something sting her arm. No, she thought, not another jalga! But then she thought: Oh, well, one jalga bite's so bad that a second can hardly do any more damage...in her delirium the thought was highly amusing, and she would have laughed if she had not felt so tired...so very tired....
Just before her consciousness departed, Jaskri seemed to hear Diann speaking more incomprehensible words: "Temporal vortex beginning to stabilise. Thank God. We were just in time. If you'll pardon the expression." And then she heard no more.
As dawn broke, so did Jaskri's fever. She woke feeling cold and damp with sweat, but though she was still weak her bones no longer ached. Diann was sitting beside the bed. Had she been keeping watch all night? Jaskri tried to sit up, but lacked the strength. "Would you fetch me some water, please?" She croaked. The healer did so, raising Jaskri's head to help her drink.
"Thank you," said Jaskri. Not just for the water, they both knew.
Remembering the strange stinging sensation she had felt the night before, Jaskri felt her arm. There was a sore spot there. An insect bite, perhaps? But Jaskri suspected it had something to do with Diann's healing sorcery. The healer had given her nothing to eat or drink - she had been far too ill - let alone anything that might have had medicinal powers. So just how had Diann cured Jaskri from an incurable bite? Her instincts told her that asking Diann would not elicit an answer. And the healer surely knew other secrets concerning Jaskri, and the Maiden as well....
"I'll go and tell your parents you're awake," said Diann. "Meanwhile you just lie here and rest a while. It'll be a moon or two before you're fully recovered."
"Wait. Before you go...I thought I heard you talking to someone last night."
For the briefest of instants, a guilty look seemed to cross the healer's face. "There was no one. How could there have been? I've been alone looking after you all night. It was just a fever-dream, that's all."
Jaskri was unconvinced, but decided to let it go. What could be gained by calling the woman who had saved her life a liar? Nonetheless, as Diann made for the door, Jaskri said: "Diann, what is it that you know? I know that you are somehow bound up with my destiny, and so is the Maiden. But what is my destiny? What is it that connects us? Please, healer, I have to know."
Diann sighed. So perceptive for one so young...finally she said, "Jaskri...you are right. You do have a destiny, but I cannot tell you what it is. Not yet. The time is not right. I promise you that when the time comes you will know everything you need to know. Please, Jaskri, I only ask you to be patient until then." And before Jaskri could argue Diann left, returning shortly afterward with Jaskri's rejoicing family and friends.
It was generally agreed that Jaskri's recovery was a miracle, one that was attributed in roughly equal parts to Diann and to the Maiden.
"The Maiden couldn't have healed her without Diann's help," one villager was heard to remark.
"Well, that's as may be," another replied. "But I reckon Diann couldn't have saved her without the Maiden's help, so that makes them even."
Jaskri's grateful family had offered to reward her, of course, but the healer had asked for nothing but their friendship, and some of their wonderful fruit. Jaskri of course made a full recovery and within two moons was back with the harvesters in the fields. The village now employed beaters to spot and drive off any jalgas or other pests that might be lurking in wait for the pickers, but many of them in spite of this had taken to wearing thick gloves while harvesting. Sweaty hands were a small, if conspicuous, price to pay for safety. The only reminders of Jaskri's ordeal were a small scar above her left hand where the jalga had bitten her, and a smaller, circular blemish just below her right shoulder where the mysterious sting had occurred.
So village life returned to normal. The healer became accepted as a member of the community, though Jaskri wondered if she still spoke to her invisible friend when there was no one to hear.
As the moons turned to years, the pretty girl that Jaskri had been turned into an exceptionally beautiful young woman. It was whispered that all the young men in the village were in love with her, and half the young women too. Since their early childhood, Jaskri's closest friend and confidante had been Viréni, the wool-merchant's daughter. The two of them often slept over at each other's parents' homes, and it was not entirely surprising that on one such night, Viréni leant across the bed, kissed Jaskri and whispered, "Come on. I know you're ready for it."
"Maybe I am," said Jaskri, embracing her, "but are you ready for me?"
They both did their best to find out. But somehow, although Jaskri thought she was making the right movements, the experience was not as exciting as she had expected. She sighed. It must be her fault. She could not blame Viréni, who had been hinting at her feelings toward Jaskri for several moons.
"What's wrong?" asked Viréni. "Would you rather do it with a boy?"
"No...I mean, yes, I'd like to try it with boys, but I do love you and I want to make you happy. I just...I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Is it me? Is there something I'm not doing to please you? Come on, you can tell me, I'm not made of stone."
Jaskri made a sound that was halfway between a sigh and a laugh. "To be truthful...I think that might be the problem."
Viréni laughed out loud.
"Quiet," said Jaskri, "you'll wake your parents! Anyway, what's so funny?"
"I think you've just solved your problem. Come on!" And grasping Jaskri by the forearm, Viréni dragged her out of the room.
"What are you doing?" Jaskri demanded as Viréni led her to the outer door. "Viréni! We can't go outside! We're both naked!"
"So what? It's a warm night. And she certainly won't mind. Honestly, Jaskri, I don't know why you didn't think of this yourself!"
And so Jaskri's friend led her down the lane toward the village square where the Maiden stood. They were in no danger from jalgas. At night any that might be lurking in the village would be sleeping under rocks or trees.
"Viréni, suppose someone sees us? What will they think?"
"They'll think we're having sex! After all, we're hardly the first, are we? Now do come on, Jaskri. There's nothing to be afraid of."
It was a fine night for love. Goldmoon was a narrow crescent low in the west, but Silvermoon was full and cast its pale light over the square. "Perfect," said Viréni. "She doesn't have any other visitors tonight. Well, you're the one who's always saying how much she loves us. It's time we thanked her properly." And without further ado she stepped onto the pedestal. Jaskri hesitated but saw that she had no choice but to follow.
The idea of embracing the statue seemed strange and embarrassing at first, although Jaskri knew that almost all of the adults in the village had done so at one time or another. Of course she had often fantasised about giving her love to the Maiden, but somehow had never expected to actually do so. When she finally wrapped her arms around the Maiden's stone torso there was a brief moment when her marble surface almost felt like warm, living flesh. Viréni was already rubbing her genitalia against one of the statue's buttocks and gasping quietly with pleasure.
As Jaskri began to caress the marble body she began to feel a kind of excitement that she had not experienced with Viréni - nor indeed when giving herself pleasure. As the girls continued to make love to the statue and each other, Jaskri felt astonishing sensations growing within her, slowly but inexorably. This truly was the Maiden's blessing, and Viréni was feeling it too. When Jaskri finally achieved orgasm it was as if golden lightning flashed from the Maiden into her body and then leapt into Viréni's, paralysing them both in an ecstasy so intense it was almost unbearable. For several long minutes three statues stood upon the pedestal, but two of them were moaning quietly.
When at long last it was over the girls leant against the Maiden, exhausted but euphoric. "Thank you, sister," Jaskri muttered.
"Sister?" said Viréni.
Jaskri grinned sheepishly. "Oh...yes. The Maiden appeared the day I was born, you know, so I've always thought of her as a kind of sister."
Viréni chuckled. "Well, considering what we just did it's probably just as well you're not a boy!"
"Yes, well...it's silly, I know, but...Viréni? Where are you going?"
"No, just stay there for a moment." Viréni had stepped down from the pedestal and walked back several paces to get a good look at Jaskri and the Maiden. In the silvery moonlight Jaskri's flesh had taken on an almost marble-like appearance, allowing Viréni to see what only her subconscious had known until then. "Jaskri...it's true. She really is your sister."
Jaskri was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"You're twins, Jaskri. You and the Maiden...you're identical!"
Jaskri could hardly believe what Viréni was telling her. The thought made her dizzy, and she leant against the Maiden for support...and was even more stunned when her hand encountered a small circular flaw just below the statue's right shoulder. It was identical to the mysterious blemish upon her own arm. Scarcely daring to believe it, she gingerly reached for the statue's left wrist. And there it was: another flaw in the marble, twin to the jalga-bite scar on Jaskri's own wrist.
"What does it mean, Viréni? What does it all mean? She doesn't just look like me, she even has the same scars as me. How is that possible, Viréni? How?" Jaskri seemed close to tears. Perhaps, thought Viréni, she was just emotionally drained after their strenuous lovemaking. But the girl's perfect resemblance to the statue was both wondrous and yet somehow almost frightening. "Oh, Maiden," said Jaskri, "If only you could tell me. If only Diann would tell me! I'm sure she knows what it all means. Oh, why won't she TELL me? Why?" By now Jaskri was indeed in tears.
"Hey, now, come on, love," said Viréni, stepping upon the pedestal once more and taking Jaskri by the arm. "It's been a long night, and it's been full of surprises for both of us. Haven't you always said that whatever the Maiden means to you it can't be a bad thing?" Jaskri nodded, wiping her eyes. "Well, then. Accept it as a blessing. The Maiden has not only favoured you with her beauty but has also tutored you in the ways of love. I'm willing to bet you won't forget her lesson in a hurry!" At this, Jaskri laughed. "There," said Viréni, "that's better. Now come on. Say goodnight to your twin sister and let's go back inside."
And so they returned to Viréni's home and went back to bed. Later that night Jaskri embraced Viréni once more, and though their lovemaking was slower and less intense it was clear that indeed Jaskri had not forgotten the Maiden's lesson. Afterward, before they fell asleep, Jaskri muttered, "I wish I could go back."
"Back where?" said Viréni sleepily.
"Back to the day the Maiden first appeared. The day I was born. I'd go back and stand on that very hill so I could see where she came from."
"Tha's crazy," yawned Viréni. "Ev'one knows you can't go back t' what was. 'Less that Diann's go' some sorc'ry that c'n do it..."
"What did you say?" Demanded Jaskri. But Viréni was asleep.
Diann again, thought Jaskri. It always comes back to Diann. Why? And then, exhausted by the night's activity, she too fell into a blissful slumber.
The next day, tongues were wagging in the village. The lovers' tryst with the Maiden had indeed been seen, and had aroused a great deal of comment. As a result Jaskri found herself engaged in frank discussions with her parents concerning responsibility and safety and the proper way for a young lady to behave (although in truth they were proud that their girl had become a woman, and happy that she had found love). These talks also brought her into contact with Diann once more, as her parents felt the healer could give her the best advice on protecting herself from disease or unwanted pregnancy. And so she did, in an efficient, businesslike manner, as she had done for tens of other village girls and boys. She even gave Jaskri a canister containing a substance she claimed would deter any unwanted male advances. "Throw some in his face and he'll be in too much pain to even think about rape. Throw it in his crotch and he'll be limp for a tenday! Be careful with it, now."
Jaskri eyed the container as if afraid it would explode in her own face. "Have you...ever had to use it?"
"A few times, in my travels. Some of the places I've been..." the healer's face darkened. "Let's just say, there are places where women are not treated with the respect they deserve. Well...there are a lot of places where people don't get treated as they deserve. Not like here. You villagers really don't know how lucky you are. Anyway, here and there I've had to teach people some respect, and the stuff in your little tin was only a part of it." She spoke so earnestly that Jaskri could not help but believe her.
Not a word passed between them concerning Jaskri's destiny, or her mysterious resemblance to the Maiden. Jaskri felt certain that Diann must have noticed it, but as always the healer said nothing. "When the time comes," she had said. Jaskri wished the time would hurry up and come.
It was not surprising once the news of Jaskri and Viréni's liaison got about that both of them would attract the interest of potential suitors. Jaskri's miraculous resemblance to the Maiden had also attracted attention. Jaskri did find herself politely refusing numerous requests, some of them from married men older than her father, who really should have known better. At least she never had to resort to Diann's canister. But there were some boys, and one or two girls, that Jaskri liked, and over the course of several moons she engaged in sexual experiments with all of them. To her delight, Jaskri found she was able to summon the Maiden's gift - the "golden lightning", as she still called it - and confer ecstasy upon her lovers in whatever degree she chose. As a result, and somewhat to her chagrin, she gained a reputation as the best lover in the village, which only served to attract even more unwelcome advances. It was not quite how she would have chosen to be known, however enjoyable her experiences. After all, she could also sing and dance and recite poetry, but for some reason those were not the talents her friends and neighbours chose to discuss....
Despite her embarrassment, however, Jaskri was convinced that by unleashing the golden lightning she was doing the Maiden's work. The ecstasy that the lightning conveyed was somehow akin to the Maiden's blessing upon the harvests. In the long run she knew that somehow the whole village would benefit from it.
This seemed to be proven in the year following Jaskri's sexual awakening, when several of the village girls became pregnant almost all at once. Jaskri was the first to realise that all of them had either been her lovers, or the lovers of her lovers. It seemed that just as the Maiden brought fertility to the fields, so her golden lightning brought fertility to couples. And once the babies were born they were all bright, lively and healthy. Though the village suddenly found itself with several new mouths to feed, even there the Maiden's blessing prevailed, providing even more abundant harvests. It seemed the only exception to this sudden outbreak of fecundity was Jaskri herself. Despite trying for several moons with her favourite boyfriend Jeruvin, she was disappointed. In the end Jeruvin, although happy, was so exhausted that he had to beg Jaskri to give him time to recuperate. She was perhaps not entirely surprised when, four moons later, Viréni told Jaskri she was going to have Jeruvin's baby. Jaskri tried not to feel jealous. She was happy for Viréni, yet it hardly seemed fair that she had not been blessed with a child. After all, she had been the first recipient of the Maiden's sexual gift. She even went to Diann and asked if the jalga bite or Diann's cure could have rendered her infertile. Diann seemed somewhat reticent as usual, but told Jaskri she could see no reason why that should be so.
Jaskri, of course, found no shortage of baby-minding opportunities, and while she played and sang to her friends' toddlers, she tried not to be too jealous that they were not her own. Perhaps, she mused, her destiny did not involve having children. For a moment she was chilled by a thought. Perhaps it was her fate to die young. Perhaps the statue's looks predicted the way Jaskri would appear on the day of her death - and just now she and Jaskri looked to be of an age.
No, she thought. It could not be. The Maiden's gifts brought life, not death. Whatever Jaskri felt from the Maiden, death was not a part of it. But the time was drawing near when she would finally understand. She could feel it.
One evening in her twenty-first year, after spending an afternoon singing and dancing to entertain Viréni and Jeruvin's little daughter Jevríni, Jaskri found herself becoming especially restless. (She had long since forgiven her errant lovers in the best way she knew, by embracing them both in the company of the Maiden.) She felt almost as if a storm were approaching, but a benign storm, if such a thing could exist. The sun was setting and Goldmoon rising as her footsteps carried her through the village, past the Maiden's pedestal, to Diann's house. She hesitated before knocking, but some instinct told her the time was finally right. It was now. And when Diann opened the door she showed no surprise at Jaskri's arrival, but merely invited her in. Diann was dressed in a belted robe, and to Jaskri's surprise was barefoot. For some moments no words passed between them. The healer merely beckoned Jaskri to sit at her table while she brought mugs of herbal tea for both of them. Finally Jaskri almost whispered, "Diann...it is time. I can feel it."
The healer's response was astonishing. Loosening her belt, she let the robe slip to the floor and stood naked before Jaskri. "Show me, Jaskri," she said quietly. "Make love to me. Let me feel the golden lightning. That is the price. Do this and I will tell you everything I know about your destiny, and why the Maiden is so important, not only to the village but to all the worlds."
Jaskri was momentarily taken aback. In all the years she had known Diann, the healer had never been known to show any interest in lovemaking. There had been offers, of course. She was a very attractive woman. But she had always refused, politely but firmly, and Jaskri had no doubt that if anyone had become too persistent Diann would have used her canister of noxious liquid against them. The reason for her celibacy was a matter for speculation. Some suggested that she had taken holy vows, though unlike a nun or priestess she never spoke of religious matters. Others wondered if some illness or injury might have damaged her sexually. Many believed she had had a bad experience and did not wish to be reminded of it. Considering what she had told Jaskri of her travels in lands where women were not respected, this seemed the most likely explanation. Yet Jaskri had sometimes wondered if Diann's invisible companion might not also be an invisible lover. How would it feel to be embraced and caressed by someone you could not see?
Would it feel any stranger than embracing a marble woman?
But here was Diann, standing naked and inviting before Jaskri. Curiously, she seemed no older than when she had first arrived in the village. And she was indeed an attractive woman. Sometimes when Jaskri was with a lover, the image of Diann's face would apear in her mind's eye, and she would find herself wondering....
Answers or no answers, Jaskri realised she did want to make love to Diann. She wanted it very much. And so she disrobed, and allowed Diann to lead her to her bed, and embraced her. And slowly, gently, and with infinite patience, she allowed the golden lightning to well up within her and spill over to her lover as she had done so many times in the past. If Diann had indeed been celibate for so many years, she was more than making up for lost time, if her sighs and gasps of pleasure were anything to judge by. Very well, thought Jaskri. It was what she asked for....
Over the course of what seemed like hours Jaskri repeatedly brought Diann close to the peak of ecstasy but drew back at the last moment. Finally, when Diann had reached a state of almost frenzied anticipation, Jaskri began to unleash the golden lightning to its fullest extent. It was like that first night with Viréni all over again. Jaskri and Diann simultaneously climaxed again and again, each orgasm seeming more intense than the last. Diann's eyes repeatedly grew wide with astonishment before spasming shut. Celibate or not, it was clear that she had never experienced anything like it before. Their final, stupendous climax froze them both into statues, honouring the Maiden's perfect immobility, for several endless minutes.
When at last it was over, Jaskri lapsed into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Jaskri woke feeling light-headed and euphoric. Golden moonlight streamed in through the window onto her naked body. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Diann was no longer beside her. Gone to tell her invisible friend, perhaps?
Soon, Jaskri thought dreamily. Soon I will have the answers I have waited a lifetime to hear. I have paid Diann's price, and she can scarcely claim I have not paid her in full. Whatever else she may be, she is a woman of her word. Now she will tell me my destiny. She must.
At length Diann returned, wearing her robe once more, and sat on a stool opposite Jaskri, who felt no embarrassment at still being naked. Jaskri glanced out at the moon and muttered, "That's appropriate, I guess. Golden moonlight, golden lightning...is it real gold, I wonder?"
Diann smiled. "The moon? No. If it were it would be much brighter. It's actually quite dark, but it looks bright because it shines with reflected sunlight. It's covered with red and grey dust, and that's what gives it its gold colour. It's the same with Silvermoon, only its dust is dark grey. One day I suppose your people will have mines and observatories up there."
Jaskri chuckled. "I don't know whether to believe you," she said, "but at least it makes for a good story. I'm beginning to think you know everything there is to know about everything."
"Not quite," said Diann. "I'd heard about the golden lightning, but I never really knew about it until just now. I haven't always been celibate, you know. I confess I've been keeping myself apart from you and your people for fear of...becoming too involved, I suppose. But I've always watched you from afar, Jaskri. You're very beautiful. But of course I don't need to tell you that."
Jaskri chuckled again.
"The truth is that you remind me of someone I once loved, a long time ago. She was kind and generous and honest like you, and I..." Diann sighed. "Well, I...I lost her. That's all."
"I'm sorry," said Jaskri, reaching up to place a hand on Diann's shoulder.
"Thank you, Jaskri. I'm sorry now that I never approached you earlier. When we made love tonight...I never would have believed I could feel so..." She shook her head. "At last I understand. It's ironic, isn't it? In all the years I've lived here I never truly understood what the Maiden's blessing meant to you villagers."
"Any of us would have been happy to show you, if only you'd asked," said Jaskri. "But what does the Maiden mean to me, Diann? You cannot keep it from me any longer."
"No," sighed Diann. "You're right. I will tell you all I know, Jaskri, although I'm not sure you'll understand all of it. I'm still not sure I entirely understand it myself." She took a deep breath, as if composing herself, then continued. "The first thing you need to know is that this is not the only world. There are countless other worlds in this universe, and I came from one of them."
Jaskri was not sure whether to believe this, but she still felt lethargic and euphoric and in no state to argue. "Does your invisible friend come from another world as well?" she said.
"Invisible...? Oh...that. Yes, but actually he never left his world. We simply have devices that can project our voices and images across space and time. What you heard that night was me discussing your condition with him...and yes, your destiny as well." Jaskri was a little disappointed to learn that Diann did not have an invisible lover. But the healer continued: "You see, the world where I come from is one that has devoted itself to the study of other worlds, and the universe in general. We have devices that can show us the nature of time and space themselves. Your world had attracted very little attention because it had no great machines as we do, but about twenty years ago - yes, about the time you were born and the Maiden was discovered - we noticed that time was beginning to behave strangely in this part of the universe."
Jaskri was puzzled. "Time? But time just...is. Today will become yesterday and then the day before yesterday. How can time change its behaviour?"
"Ah, but the reason we perceive time as unchanging is that we exist within it. Within its warp and woof, do you see?"
"I...I think so."
"Except that my people had found a way to view the fabric of time from outside, and what we saw disturbed us greatly. That fabric was beginning to fray, and if it had torn completely then we - that is everyone in the whole universe, woven into the fabric as we were - would have ceased to exist as living beings. When we investigated more closely we found that the disturbance was coming from this very village. We were puzzled. A major change to the nature of reality was taking place in a small village of farmers and growers on an unremarkable little world. It soon became clear that matters would come to a head in thirteen years' time. I don't have to remind you what happened when you were thirteen."
"The jalga," muttered Jaskri.
"Exactly. That was part of the reason I came here, Jaskri. To save you from the jalga."
"But why? If, as you say, I was just one little girl, in one little world that was only one of many worlds..."
"The disturbance in time, Jaskri. It was centred on you! I could hardly believe it myself, but it was true. Jaskri, if you had died from that jalga bite, your death would have created what we call an unsustainable temporal paradox. Believe this or not, Jaskri, but on that day you were the most important person in the entire universe!"
Jaskri laughed. "Now that really is unbelievable!"
"But it's true, Jaskri. If you had died that day, time would have come to an end. Everywhere. Jaskri, your death would have meant the death of the entire universe!"
It was really too much. Jaskri began laughing hysterically. "Must..." she spluttered. "Must I live forever, then? I don't want to be a goddess, with the fate of whole worlds hanging on me. That's more like...like..."
She broke off. A sudden thought had struck her, and somehow Diann's story did not seem quite so funny.
"More like the Maiden's responsibility?" said Diann. "Yes, I was coming to her. You see, it's all to do with time, Jaskri. You, the Maiden, her blessing...and my presence here. Time has played some strange tricks, and yet it will be my task, who should be working to protect the integrity of time itself, to set those tricks into motion."
"I still don't understand half of what you're saying. What is the maiden? Why does she look like me? Diann, she even bears the same scars that I do. The Jalga bite, and the mark on my shoulder - that was your doing, wasn't it? You knew about the scars, didn't you?"
"Yes, Jaskri, to both questions. When I saw the needle mark on the statue's arm I knew that was where I had to inject you. There was no conventional antidote to the poison, so I injected millions of tiny machines into your arm through a hollow needle. They sought out and absorbed every atom of poison within you and bound them to other atoms, rendering them harmless. Then, when they were finished, your body simply disposed of them in your urine."
"This gets more fantastic by the minute," muttered Jaskri. "Tiny machines?" Jaskri, like all her people, had never seen a machine more complex than a windmill. "Well: I can't deny that you did heal me, but you still haven't answered the most important question of all. Why does the Maiden look like me?"
By way of answer, Diann reached into her robe and pulled out a small silver tube, which she pointed at Jaskri.
Jaskri found herself becoming dreamy and light-headed once more. It was a pleasant sensation, almost like floating. She was vaguely aware that Diann was taking her by the arm and leading her from the bedchamber to her small living room.
"Just stand there for a moment," said Diann, leading Jaskri onto a broad platform in the centre of the floor. Jaskri was happy to obey. In her euphoric state she would have gladly done anything Diann commanded. "You see, Jaskri," the healer was saying, "had you died, the statue would never have been found, because it came from your future. Yet it was found, and was standing in the village at the moment you would have died. Thus it would have both existed and not existed simultaneously. And that is the paradox that would have destroyed the universe."
Jaskri murmured, "Now that I really don't understand." But it didn't seem important. There would be plenty of time to understand later.
"The poison-eating machines weren't the only things I injected into you that day. There were also devices that would help to prepare you for your transformation."
"Transformation?" said Jaskri. Had she been in a normal frame of mind the thought of being transformed would have alarmed her, but in her hypnagogic state she found the idea fascinating.
"Yes, Jaskri. It's ironic, but we've had to use technology that was forbidden because of the potential danger, in order to save the universe. And my making love to you wasn't for my pleasure, although it was better than I could have imagined. I did it to ensure that after your transformation the golden lightning will always cause you pleasure."
Jaskri was beginning to feel a little cramped, so she adjusted her position slightly. It occurred to her that she was unconsciously mimicking the Maiden's pose, and the thought brought a smile to her lips. But before she could comment on this, Diann pointed another device at her and she suddenly lost all sensation in her body. As her senses reeled, she heard Diann saying, "Jaskri, the reason the Maiden looks like you is that she is you. Jaskri...you are the Maiden!"
And then Jaskri was enveloped by light....
The woman the villagers called Diann looked around the empty room and sighed. It was done. Temporal stability was restored. At least until the next paradox...peering out of her shuttered window she could see two young men, painted gold by the moonlight, embracing the statue and each other. Another ordinary night in the village. But in the morning the village would find its favourite daughter gone.
Diann sighed again. How simple it would have been to replace Jaskri with a perfect android replica. A replica that could act and speak and sing and dance and embrace indistinguishably from the real Jaskri...that would in fact think of itself - of herself - as the real Jaskri. But no android could ever summon the golden lightning as Jaskri could. Besides, even if no one else could tell the difference, the Maiden...Jaskri...would know.
And so would Diann.
In the years she had dwelt in the village, she had come to love its people. They were good, simple, hard-working and honest folk, unaffected by the petty jealousies, rivalries and politics that beset her own world and so many others. It would be hard to leave, especially since she would be blamed - rightly in a sense, even though there was no alternative - for Jaskri's disappearance.
Diann walked through the small house, making sure she had not left any of her devices behind, and picking up a few pieces of locally made cutlery as souvenirs. As an afterthought she also picked up a ripe torva-fruit from her bowl. With any luck she could clone it, and have an unlimited supply to remind her of the Maiden's bountiful harvests. "Goodbye, Jaskri," she whispered. "Goodbye, my beautiful Maiden. Or perhaps, farewell...."
Then she took a small device from the pocket of her robe and pressed a small button upon it. A door-sized opening appeared suddenly in mid-air. Diann stepped through it into some other place, and the opening just as suddenly closed behind her.
Neither Diann nor Jaskri was ever seen in the village again. The following morning when the villagers came to ask Diann if she knew where Jaskri might be, they found no trace of either the girl or the healer, but they did find Jaskri's neatly folded clothes lying upon Diann's bed. The house was otherwise empty of everything except furniture and cutlery, and there was no sign of how Diann had managed to depart so quickly, with or without Jaskri.
Some villagers suggested that Diann had abducted Jaskri and sold her into slavery, but that hardly seemed like the Diann that they had known. Others believed that they had become lovers and run away together, but that too seemed unlikely, especially given Diann's apparent celibacy. And just where could Jaskri have gone, naked? It was as if they had both been spirited into thin air.
"Oh, Maiden," Jaskri's mother said, "if only you could tell us where Jaskri has gone. But I know in my heart that she is alive, and that wherever she is, you will somehow see to it that no harm comes to her. And it is a great comfort to know that my daughter's beauty will always live on in you." With those words, she kissed the Maiden's cool lips. And as she walked back to where her husband and Jeruvin and Viréni and little Jevríni were waiting for her, she looked back for a moment and seemed to see the statue's smile brighten.
On the night of her disappearance, Jaskri had been enveloped by light. For a seemingly infinite time she could neither see nor hear nor think clearly. When at last the world came back to her, she seemed to be standing on a hill overlooking the village. She felt a curious tingling in her loins.
A figure was walking up the hill toward her. As he approached, Jaskri saw that the man looked like old Zalgren, the vornik farmer. But surely he had died four years earlier? When he paused for breath and saw Jaskri for the first time, the man gave an astonished cry and ran back down the hill. In the distance a baby was crying. No wonder he was startled, thought Jaskri with amusement. I'm naked! And even as she realised this, the golden lightning began to well up within her. The tingling in her loins was turning into a flood of pleasure.
Here she was standing outside, in broad - well, dawning - daylight, stark naked, and now she was having an orgasm! But this was unlike any orgasm she had ever felt. Waves of pleasure washed over her again and again and again, and each time she believed it could not go on any longer, it did. The energy flowing through her was too much for her body to contain. She could feel it radiating out of her, into the fields, the trees, the animals, even the people.
The people! No matter how much pleasure she might be experiencing, it was not seemly to remain naked in public. If she took the alley past the back of the wool merchant's, she might make it home without being seen by anyone else.
She tried to run...and her legs refused to move. Once more she tried, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. Nor could she move her arms or turn her head. When she tried to cry for help, her lips would not part. She could not even feel herself breathing. Several minutes of panicked effort were equally futile. No matter how she tried, she could do nothing but stand like....
Like a statue.
And she realised she was still standing on the platform that had been in Diann's room...the low, flat, pedestal....
And then, at last, Jaskri understood.
Jaskri had once wished she could go back in time so she could see where the Maiden had come from. And Diann's people were able to manipulate time.
Jaskri had gone back in time. Diann had sent her back, upon the pedestal with its hidden machinery that had caused time, for her, to stop. Forever. That was the transformation Diann had hinted at. And somehow the power of time had caused the Maiden's blessing - the golden lightning - to begin radiating from her frozen body.
Diann had told her: "the reason the Maiden looks like you is that she is you". That was why the Maiden bore Jaskri's scars, of course. The man who looked like the lamented Zalgren was Zalgren. He was not dead yet, in this time. And the baby that Jaskri heard crying was Jaskri. She had been born and reborn simultaneously and was now in two places at once! In fact she had been in two places at once all her life, and had never suspected....
I'm the statue, she thought. I will never move again. Never move...never speak, or sing, or laugh, or cry, or walk, or run, or dance, or make love. It was a stranger and more terrible fate than anything she could have imagined. And yet, all the while the golden lightning welled up from within her, carrying wave after wave of physical and emotional pleasure through her and beyond her to all the surrounding countryside. The golden lightning would make her immobile state bearable, not only because of the pleasure it gave her, but because of the health and happiness it would bring to all the village. (All except one thirteen-year-old girl on the day she would encounter a jalga....)
Yes, thought Jaskri. I am the Maiden. It was always my fate to become the Maiden. As Diann hinted, there was nothing I could have done to change that, because it had already happened! Though I can do nothing else I can confer my blessing, and my blessing will enrich this village and the people that I love. And someday they will journey to the farthest corners of this world, and even to the other worlds that Diann spoke of, and they will carry my blessing of peace and prosperity with them. Human beings will treat each other as they deserve to be treated. War, poverty, slavery and abuse will come to an end. She would have laughed, had she been able. Oh. Diann, could even you have predicted that such a thing was possible? To save the universe you turned me into a helpless statue, yet thanks to you I'm going to save the universe all over again!
As the centuries passed, all that Jaskri had predicted came true. It was a golden age for beings on a thousand worlds, who could never have guessed that their prosperity rested on the shoulders of one young woman on a small agricultural planet, who stood forever paralysed in an endless, incandescent orgasm.
Continued in Jaskri's Child
An Unsolicited Testimonial...
From revolgub [note: try spelling it backwards] on January 4, 2001:
I wanted to compliment you on your story "Jaskri and the Maiden." I am not usually a big fan of stories about becoming a statue, but this was definitely different. I found your site when I was seaching for an alternate address for The Legacy of the Timeless Beauty Archive. It has been down for a couple of days. [see Links page for The Legacy of Timeless Beauty's current address - Leem] When I did a search, your site came up since you had the name in your links page. After browsing around a little, I decided to read "Jaskri and the Maiden.". I'm glad I did. Wow, that was a COOL story! My compliments! I am looking forward to reading the rest of the stories about Jaskri. Thanks for the great site!
revolgub
Another Unsolicited Testimonial...
From Draco on March 30, 2003:
I'd just like to say that you wrote an inspiring story, I think the moment the lady Diann came to the village and saved Jaskri's life that I figured out the story but it was a good one anyways, my wishes go to you for future works that might be read.
Draco, Sign of the Dragon
[Hmm...no fewer than two messages in 26 months! I must be doing something right!]
An Unsolicited Something Else...
So: being rather vain, I'm surfing the net one day in March 2003, searching for references to my stories, and what should I find but this...(NB the links in this image do not work)
It's a direct quotation from my story, and it's being used without permission on the front page of an "Asian babes" porn site (and no, I'm not telling you the address)! Aaargh! They stole my precious!!! Maybe they just thought "Jaskri" sounded like a hot Asian babe. In the words of the late, great Charles M. Schultz:
GOOD GRIEF!!!
Something else I found
When you're a science fiction writer you're always coming up with strange and exotic names, right? I mean, you never heard of anybody who was really called Jaskri, did you? But apparently these people did...
11 (ii) Unipamol Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Pamol Plantations Sdn Bhd
A legal suit was instituted by Joseph bin Paulus Lantip, Mairin @ Martin bin Idang, Jaskri Doyou, Saffar bin Jumat @ Beklin bin Jumat, Datuk Miller Munang and George Windom Munang against Unipamol, Pamol Plantations Sdn Bhd ("PPSB"), Unilever plc and its subsidiary Pamol (Sabah) Ltd. The Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim are dated 4 December 2002 and inter-alia allege that the Defendants have wrongfully refused or failed to continue with the Share Sale Agreement (to which PPSB is a party but not Unipamol) and Shareholders' Agreement (to which both PPSB and Unipamol are parties). The Plaintiffs are claiming for inter-alia special damages of RM43.47 million, general damages of RM136.85 million or such amount as may be assessed, exemplary damages, interest and costs. Unipamol and PPSB have entered an appearance and filed a defence to the claim as well as a counter-claim against the Plaintiffs. Unipamol and PPSB have obtained a favourable legal opinion from a Malaysian law firm on the merits of the case.
(Found at Palmco: Financial Highlights - Press Release, no longer on line)


text:
Geneva Marie Stallion[1]
Name Geneva Marie Stallion
Buried 31 May 2010 Magnolia Cemetery, Blount County, Tennessee
Father Walter Carry Stallion, b. 6 Apr 1896, Tennessee , d. 30 Mar 1986, Blount County, Tennessee (Age 89 years)
Mother Ida Mae Russell, b. Abt 1903, d. 10 Dec 1967, Blount County, Tennessee (Age ~ 64 years)
Married 17 Aug 1919 Blount County, Tennessee [3]
Family ID F108513 Group Sheet
Family 1 Williamson
1. Michael Williamson
2. Bill Williamson
Family 2 Bill Payne, d. Bef 29 Jul 1999
+ 1. Jerry Richard Payne
+ 2. Larry J. Payne, b. 16 Apr 1966, d. 2 Aug 2012, Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee (Age 46 years)
3. Payne, d. INFANT
4. Gary Payne
5. Steve Payne
6. Sam Payne
7. Tammy Payne
Buried - 31 May 2010 - Magnolia Cemetery, Blount County, Tennessee
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[S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 29 Jul 1999.
Jerry Richard Payne obituary
[S52] Miller Funeral Home, (http://www.millerfuneralhome.org), 28 May 2010.
(October 1, 1933 - May 28, 2010)
Geneva Marie Payne, age 76, of Maryville, went home to be with her Lord on Friday, May 28, 2010. She was a loving mother, grandmother and friend. She was a member of Maryville Baptist Tabernacle. Preceded in death by mother and father Carrie and Ida Mae Stallion; infant son; and grandson, Richard Payne. Survivors include her sons and daughters in law, Jerry and Carla Payne of Rockford, Larry and Cindy Payne, Gary and Liz Payne, Steve and Donna Payne, Sam Payne and Michael Williamson all of Maryville, and Bill and Cindy Williamson of Vonore; daughter, Tammy Potter of Maryville; 22 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; sister and brother in law, Juanita and F.D. Williams of Maryville; brother and sister in law, Charles and Alma Stallion of Knoxville; 6 nieces and special caregivers, Tabitha, Michael and Jessica. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for memorial donations to be made to Miller Funeral Home to help with the funeral expenses. Funeral service will be held 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 30, 2010 at Miller Funeral Home Magnolia Chapel, Rev. Rick Smelcer and Rev. Nick Payne officiating. Graveside service and interment will be 11:00 a.m. Monday at Magnolia Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday at Miller Funeral Home, Maryville, (865) 982-6041, www.millerfuneralhome.org.
Spouse's Name: Ida Russell
Event Date: 17 Aug 1919
Event Place: Blount County, Tennessee


As a business owner, one of the most stressful things to deal with is a customer complaint. The trick is to never ignore a complaint, listen to the customer and try and turn what they perceive as a negative experience into a positive one.
No matter how successful your business is, you should never take your customers for granted. The fact they have made the effort to return to your organisation and complain about a product or service means they are providing you with an opportunity to build your relationship with them further.
Also apologise. This is not an admission of guilt on your part, it is simply good manners.
Business owners fear the 'professional complainer' but realistically they are few and far between. Most customers are busy people and only complain about a product or service if they believe they have not received what they asked for or the quality was not up to standard. Put yourself in their position – this will instantly give you an empathetic approach and allow you to come up with solutions quickly.
The Consumer Rights Act (the Act) 2015 provides the legal rights of consumers when purchasing goods or services in the UK, whether it be in a shop or remotely (i.e. by phone or online).
Under the Act, a customer has a legal right to reject goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described, and get a full refund within 30 days of purchase.
If the customer complains about an item or service outside of the 30-day rule, then you have an opportunity to repair or replace the item.
If a fault is discovered within six months of purchase, it is presumed that the fault existed at the time of purchase and the onus is on you, as the seller, to prove otherwise (there is an exception to this rule for motor vehicles).
After six months, the burden is on the purchaser to prove the goods were faulty at the time of purchase.
Consumers can bring a claim in the Small Claims Court up to six years after the product was purchased.
To find out more about your legal rights if a customer is complaining about a product or service they have purchased, search for a commercial law expert on Solicitors Guru today.


If you have decay or a chipped or broken tooth, white fillings are commonly used to repair and rebuild your teeth. The white fillings can be very strong and very aesthetic (good looking!) when done well. Our experienced Logan dentists at Loganholme Dental Centre have provided white fillings for decades and are up to date with the best techniques and latest materials.
We call white fillings "tooth coloured" as they bond in place onto tooth and matches the shade and look of a real tooth. White fillings are appropriate for decay, even in teeth at the back of the mouth. We can do strong white fillings for most back teeth (molars). Some very large fillings are better suited for a dental crown, our friendly team advise you about all of the options available for you for your specific issue.
White fillings can also be used top repair chipped, stained or worn teeth. All of our team of dentists at Loganholme Dental Centre have experience and additional training in layering techniques to give amazing aesthetic results for chipped and worn teeth.


Susan is a brand psychology and marketing student. Loves to learn about branding's effect on online marketing and web design.
Over the last year I have been a student of branding and brand psychology with specific focus on the impact that branding has on web design and online marketing.
In the course of my studies, it's clear that DIY web design and online marketing efforts tend to forgo the importance of branding in their activities.
Trust is one of the main reasons that branding is important. If a person is new to a brand then there will be little, or no, relationship established at this point. Therefore, the person will within the first few moments create a judgement on that website or online marketing activity based on whatever branding is included.
A poorly, amateurish logo will could convey a business that is struggling.
A generic, shoddy website could convey a business that is untrustworthy.
Struggling and untrustworthy perception of any business is a death-knell to it's future. A good example of this theory is available on Smart Insights.
A few easy remedies to fixing these perceptions is to invest your time or your money into improving your online branding.
Using a colour unlike the majority of your competitors - giving you a point of difference.
I hope this short article, my first, has been useful in going some of the way to improving your understanding of the importance of branding in web design and online marketing. Plus, with the two examples and two fixes, that these can give you some direct guidance on improvements.


Hypnotize minds with the HUF x Spitfire Triple Triangle Short Sleeve T-Shirt. Made of 100% cotton, the T-Shirt features Spitfire's iconic "Bighead" and "Classic Swirl" pattern in a collaborative HUF "Triple Triangle" logo-lockup at the left chest and back. Complete with a HUF woven label at hem. Keeping the Underground Lit!


Latest post Sun, Feb 17 2019 10:37 AM by Ulrich Thomsen. 0 replies.
I'm dragging an audio file - let's say "forward" in the timeline, and the video plays reverse as i drag. and vise versa.
I want dragging audio forward to mean that the video in the monitor also goes forward - so that I know where i eventually wanna drop the audio.


text:
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COP26 Update: UNICEF Rallies Businesses Behind Climate Action
Maryanne Buechner
A top priority for UNICEF at last week's climate summit was to get businesses to acknowledge that child rights and the environment are interconnected — and to drive deeper commitments to addressing and mitigating the negative effects of climate change on children's lives. A look at UNICEF's 10-point plan for leveraging the power of the private sector behind climate action.
UNICEF has long viewed the private sector as a critical partner in advancing progress for children on a range of global issues — and climate change is no different.
To drive that point home, UNICEF worked to rally business leaders at COP26 to commit to putting child rights at the heart of climate action.
An expression of that commitment was included in a statement issued during a climate summit side event co-hosted by UNICEF and the International Chamber of Commerce. The statement, endorsed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and others, commits signatories to set ambitious emissions reduction targets, shift to renewable energy sources and adopt other environmentally-friendly business practices. It also calls on governments to provide urgent climate action funding and fulfill their commitments under the Paris Agreement with an end goal to reach 'net zero' emissions by 2050.
"We are calling on captains of industry to work with us in co-creating solutions towards a green economy without delay, so that our children and future generations can inherit a liveable planet," said Carla Haddad Mardini, UNICEF's Director of Private Sector Partnerships.
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Kids take part in a Fridays for Future demonstration for climate action led by youth climate activists and organized on the sidelines of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). Some 25,000 protesters gathered to lend their voices to calls for stronger commitments by governments to take concrete and corrective action to avert catastrophic climate change. © UNICEF/UN0547114/Elwyn-Jones
The move follows the release of a UNICEF study that found that barely one-third of national climate policies were "child sensitive." For the study, UNICEF examined Nationally Determined Contributions – or NDCs – submitted by countries that signed the Paris Agreement, reviewing 103 country plans.
"Only 1 in 5 [country plans] reference child rights or intergenerational justice and equity in a meaningful way," Gautam Narasimhan, UNICEF Global Lead for Climate, Energy and Environment said. Only 12 percent report that children participated in the development of the plan, he added.
"Countries are saying the right things about considering and including children but their climate plans leave their promises hollow," Narasimhan said. "Children and young people bring energy, leadership and ideas to the table and yet leaders continue to pay lip service to their demands."
UN0547115 COP26 banner 1200.jpg
A young climate activist makes her point in Glasgow during COP26. By the end of the UN climate conference, negotiators had reached an agreement — one that calls on governments to return next year with stronger plans to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius and urges wealthy countries to "at least double" funding by 2025 to protect countries that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts. © UNICEF/UN0547115/Elwyn-Jones
For UNICEF, addressing and mitigating climate change impacts is about upholding the rights of children to live in clean, safe, healthy environments. But how businesses go about it could also violate children's rights or have other negative effects, UNICEF experts warn.
"There are well-known risks associated with the minerals necessary for the green transition — cobalt, for example," explained Maria Pia Bianchetti, a UNICEF expert on child rights and business in a video posted on Twitter and elsewhere. "The green transition also risks pushing children into poverty, and increasing the risks of child labor among children who are displaced by climate change impacts, she added.
A 10-point plan for driving climate action
"While businesses have contributed to climate change, they can and should be part of the solution," Bianchetti said. "What we ask businesses to do is to ... ensure that mitigation and adaptation efforts do not infringe on human and child rights and to advocate for their peers to do the same."
UNICEF offers 10 ways businesses can help make it happen:
Include young people in all climate negotiations and decisions
Invest in climate adaptation and resilience in key services for children
Fund innovations to address the effects of climate change on children
Support children with climate education and green skills
Drastically reduce emissions by at least 45 percent from 2021 level by 2030
Ensure the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is green, low-carbon and inclusive
Consider children's needs and interests when considering corporate social responsibility (ESG) initiatives
Join efforts with stakeholders to respond to climate-related emergencies
Advocate for governments to develop and enhance policies that promote climate action
Donate to UNICEF's Safe and Healthy Environment Fund
During one panel discussion, part of the Make Climate Action Everyone's Business Forum, businesses leaders emphasized the need for industry to scale investments in social infrastructure to ensure that schools, health centers, water and sanitation and critical systems can withstand climate shocks.
The success of the deal reached at COP26 "will hinge on whether world leaders now follow through with new policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions," The New York Times reported. "And the deal still leaves vulnerable countries far short of the funds they need to cope with increasing weather disasters." © UNICEF/UN0547132/Elwyn-Jones
In one exchange, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, acting as panel moderator, asked Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, how businesses could best contribute. "What solutions do you see that are aiming to protect kids and their communities from this crisis —and how do businesses scale them up so they get to a level that is actually meaningful?" Elder asked.
"The long-term solution is reduction in emissions — and of course business needs to be there — but there is no excuse not to be much more at the table when it comes to adaptation," Gornitzka responded. "And that's where we need to remind ourselves that children are at risk and it's happening now. So we cannot just wait for the long term, we have to act now."
There's a lot that industry can do across critical sectors such as education, health and water — to make sure the infrastructure is resilient to climate change and to prevent disruptions in essential services, Gornitzka continued. But they need to think big. "We don't need businesses to look good by investing in small projects and writing about them in their annual report," she said. "We need them to use their core business, to use knowledge from pilot projects that we know work and bring them to scale. Business is all about that. They can teach how to go to scale."
Taking responsibility for the consequences of business actions — good and bad
Businesses need to look at the "whole value chain" and take responsibility for the consequences of rising demand for minerals associated with child labor, she added.
Meghna Das, a UNICEF senior program specialist on sustainability, voiced similar views in a separate communication. "Climate change is an interconnected problem which requires interconnected solutions across the life cycle of a child, from immediate emergency response to long-term, sustainable development and low-carbon development, as well as climate-resilient services for children — climate-smart schools, health facilities, WASH facilities," she said in a video address.
"We need everyone to help us address this urgent climate crisis for children, from government partners to private sector partners, teachers, parents, students, children, young people — everyone. Join us."
Learn more about how UNICEF and UNICEF USA work with the business community to advance child rights.
Watch the video of the Nov. 9 session of the COP26 UNICEF and ICC side event moderated by UNICEF spokesperson James Elder. Review and sign the Business Statement on Children and Climate Change here.
Top photo: A child in Jonglei State, South Sudan, where already vulnerable families are suffering the compounded effects of multi-year flooding related to climate change — a striking example of how changing weather patterns are affecting where people can live, where food can grow and where societies can exist. Everything In Jonglei has been disrupted, from the economy to health to education, Lynsey Addario writes in her coverage for National Geographic. UNICEF is on the ground treating severely malnourished children and providing emergency health care amid rising cases of malaria, diarrhea and other diseases. Supplies have to be carried into affected areas on foot. Yves Willemot, chief of communication for UNICEF in South Sudan: "South Sudanese are paying the price for something that they are very much the very last ones to be responsible for." © UNICEF/UN0475188/