Are you a 'to do' list person?
I set myself reminders on my phone and make lists in the notes app. I write bullet points in a notebook, stick neon notes on walls and chalk up chores on the blackboard.
The determination is always there to get through it, to enjoy ticking things off. But frequently I find I am frustrated with myself about the things that have gone unticked as I get distracted from the plan. I include things I've already completed, or ridiculous items like 'get the boys to school' in order to redress the balance. But then I just feel bad about cheating – unlike Pastor Shep!
Today I had a couple of reminders hanging over from yesterday and I woke up in a super energetic and upbeat mood. Half an hour after the boys had gone to school I had aced my list. So I kept going with no list. The chores are mainly (all) really boring. But somehow having the peace and space to do everything in its own time made it weirdly relaxing.
So rather than beating myself about the head with reminders and 'to-do's I'm going to write an 'I did…' list from time to time and remind myself how much I achieve, however small and whether for others (much much washing in my life) or for me when I acknowledge the importance of taking time out for me and being glad of that.
…begin the day watching the sunrise on the beach. I meditated (badly) and swam (not very far).
…make a green juice that all the boys drank – mum win!
…reply to the emails I'd been putting off.
…listen to a live lecture of the course I'm taking (usually I manage a recording if I'm lucky).
…stew the plums that looked like they'd been forgotten at the back of the fridge.
…prep supper during the day – something I always mean to do but never manage.
…four loads of washing. And dried, folded and put them away. Felt great!
…apply liberal amounts of aftersun to my poor sunburnt body!
…not get to yoga because of the sunburn, silly me.
…make a phone-call I've been putting off.
…sit and enjoy a coffee while reading a new book at my fave cafe.
…take a book back to library on time.
…send out four pitches to editors (fingers crossed!).
…not drink any of the wine I was putting in the risotto.
…not make up an excuse about missing an ingredient in order to buy wine.
…sit and eat supper with my beautiful sons.
…read with all of them before bed.
…have a really early night.
…thank the universe for having my back today.
Let me know how and if you write lists. Share your 'I did' list!
Sorry, you'll now have that in your head all day!
Allowing the apron strings to fray.
Like many mums, the apron strings between myself and my kids have always been tightly bound and double knotted. They are growing up far too fast and every day I wish I could stop time, preserve them as my – mostly – delightful little boys. My eldest would definitely take umbrage at being called little but in my eyes he and his brothers will always display that kernel of babyhood, however tall and hairy they become. For years they are our shadows, having no choice but to be wherever we are, in the trolly while we shop, playing in the corner of the doctor's room on the rare occasion we're there for ourselves, in the creche at the gym while we claw back some 'me' time, even squashed into the cubicle of a public loo.
Of course we know from the moment they are born that the day will come when their reliance on us will be at an end, the hope being that our efforts are rewarded with the emergence of a thoughtful, articulate, well rounded and capable individual. Knowing this makes the stark truth no less horrifying: ultimately I will no longer be needed. So I have decided to put myself into training. Independence will not be an overnight severing of the apron strings, more of a gradual fraying as the boys slowly start forging their own path in a organic way.
I have always been guilty of doing things for them that they should probably be doing themselves since doing it myself is quicker and easier. Uniforms are put out the night before, I make their lunches, pack their bags. I'm sure it would teach them all sorts of life lessons were I to ask them to do these and many other pesky tasks of daily living but I know my stress levels would go through the roof. They are so easily distracted that it's a battle just persuading them to put the damn clothes on most of the time. With a little planning I am changing things up. Before they go to bed their uniform has to be looked out, before the tv goes on in the afternoon their bag must be unpacked. I deliver a pile of clothes to their room and ask them to put it away. Baby steps.
I used to walk them to school, delivering them to the gate with reminders and hugs. When I went back to work last year I began sometimes only taking them halfway, peeling off towards the bus stop. They were, of course absolutely fine. They stayed together, adhered to road rules, my eldest making sure the younger two stayed safe. It turned out he relished the responsibility and it wasn't long before he suggested they could go all the way by themselves. The first time I followed them. Yup, I felt utterly foolish but somehow compelled to shadow them back as they had me for so long. These days none of us thinks twice about it and they are always raring to get to school for half an hour of playtime. The only stipulation is that they have to give me a hug first, something my twelve year old is unsurprisingly much more comfortable doing away from his mates – wins all round.
The boys recently upped the ante when they suggested they could go and buy the milk we needed to save me a trip. That they also took their own money and added chocolate to their shopping made the experience all the sweeter! I came home from work one day to find they had decided to bake their own afternoon tea (my husband was working at home). Muffins and pancakes had been made and half the fruit in the house cut up. Hot ovens, open flames and knives, OMG what was my husband thinking? However there were no burns or cuts, just three very self-satisfied boys and a kitchen on which a flour bomb had dropped.
With my eldest moving from primary to high school next year there is no doubt the time is absolutely right for him to be emerging from beneath my wings, his brothers following in his wake. The knots are still holding for now, just fraying ever so slowly. And at the end of the day they all still ask to be tucked in and once they're asleep are still my delightful little boys.
I remember when my youngest started school, "you won't know yourself" was the common refrain. Of course rather than the inferred endless time to myself, I instead managed to fill my time with chores, as much writing as I could find motivation for and, I'll admit, quite a lot of faffing about.
It is a well-documented curse of our age that we all feel permanently run off our feet, pulled in different directions by myriad demands. This can then lead to a complete lack of appreciation for the things we are able to do once our children are out of the house for six hours a day. Like go to a yoga class, eat a sandwich while reading the paper, grab a coffee with a friend for an hour, make a phone call involving a call centre (have you ever tried this with children anywhere near you? It's as though they have a radar alerting them to the most rewarding time to bug you).
Last week I had one or more children at home Every. Single.Day. I had to make the call to school daily, sounding no doubt more and more unhinged as I laughed manically, "Me, again, you'll never guess what….". A friend tried to bolster me midweek when I described the week as a write off – "it's only Wednesday!" she reminded me – yeah, you don't have the parental power of insight that somehow lets you know optimism will be wasted here, you just need to give up, focus on next Monday and breath deeply.
However, it had its surprises too. On Tuesday my son felt well enough to play so we made a train track, played Jenga, hide and seek, eye spy over lunch, had a teddy party and to top it off I taught him patience, a game I haven't played for years and which reminds me of being little and poorly. We connected in a way that we never really do at the weekends when the rest of the family is around. We enjoyed each other's company. Once I had come to terms with not getting a thing done, (and I mean not a thing of use – we all had fish fingers for supper) – it really was quite relaxing.
After three days of course the playing vibe was threadbare. Money was chucked at the problem – a new comic, a jigsaw puzzle, and the latest Weird Oh book were grimly chucked into the shopping basket in an attempt to claw back some quiet time at my desk. And when the novelty of those wore off I turned on the TV.
When I found him watching the ABC educational channel – about women's working conditions in 1950's Britain I almost frogmarched him to school. Clearly his mind was in dire need of sustenance. But then his brother was off the next day and the whole cycle began again.
At least on Friday they were both off and managed, thank you universe, to play harmoniously – with the new toy monkey and another jigsaw. At least the local shops will be happy with me.
So, unexpected though it was, the week wasn't wasted as it both helped me have fun with my kids in a way I haven't for ages and most definitely made me appreciate those precious few hours I have without them most days. In the week to come I imagine I won't know myself.
*While I wrote this very lightheartedly I do want to acknowledge that my kids simply had a virus. I can't imagine what it must be like to care for and worry about a chronically or seriously ill child and honour and admire those parents who do.
Running – and even walking – for cancer.
This weekend will see me take part in the Mother's Day Classic for the second year. Last year it was officially a BIG DEAL and I raised well over $1000 for a gorgeous wee boy with Neuroblastoma (Darcy has just had an MRI check up and things are looking really good, hooray).
This year, despite giving up the vino again (and no-one is paying me this time!), I am going to power-walk it as running hurts my poor old joints suffered too much (and yes, I didn't start training soon enough, at all in fact). But I have made sure my jaw muscles are in good working order as I am walking alongside a friend with whom I could talk the hind legs off the poor proverbial donkey.
But I thought to get everyone in the mood and to highlight the huge importance of events such as this in raising awareness, funds and support for those battling this hideous disease I would post my memories of my run last year, it was such a high.
Thinking of all those this weekend for whom Mother's Day (and every other day) is about so much more than breakfast in bed and bath salts – hold your families close everyone.
When I committed to participate in the 2013 Mother's Day Classic around the Domain in Sydney I had no idea what to expect or whether I could even manage it. My goals though, were reasonable: to get around the 8KM run in under an hour and to raise as much money as I could for Darcy, a little boy I know who was fighting Neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer. All this was to be done after a month of intense training while also foregoing alcohol.
I had never been one for setting myself rigid goals so, in order to keep me on the straight and narrow, I started a blog, meaning I was publicly accountable. That, and the interest and encouragement of my three young sons (the eldest of whom is Darcy's age) kept me going through some tough times. Probably worth mentioning is the fact that I am practically allergic to organised sport. The last time I had seen the inside of a gym was before getting married (eight years before), when I employed the slowest setting on the X-trainer in order to read (and flash around) my bridal mags. Before that was the half-match I played for the U14 hockey team at school (such a novelty my darling Dad made a six hour round trip, really). I run around all the time in daily life but as far as real fitness goes I was definitely at the wrong end of any scale. Also, while I'm not ready to check into rehab, I do, like many people probably imbibe a little more than the guidelines recommend, so a whole month without was definitely daunting.
I started confidently, walking early in the mornings before the getting-ready-for-school-rush began. I commended myself on my energy and knew this was in large part due to teetotal early nights. I enjoyed a casual Friday evening dinner with friends on nothing stronger than lime and soda and the next day to celebrate my clear head I got up early and ran, using my snazzy new watch to note time (long), distance (short), number of stops (too many). Despite the stats, I was thrilled, this summed up the new me – focused, energised and committed. At a boozy Sunday lunch my craving for a G&T was strong but while everyone else got stuck in I meekly sipped mineral water and drove my merry husband home.
Monday saw me undertake my most serious run yet. I ran for almost half an hour, half my target time. I was elated upon arriving home as a red, sweaty mess; I believed for the first time that I might actually make it round the course without requiring the attentions of the lovely people at the St John's Ambulance station. On my blog I published a map of my route, my time, my feelings of jubilation.
On Tuesday morning disaster struck. When I woke up my left ankle was the size of a balloon and it hurt, it really hurt. It reminded my six year old of an elephant's leg; "You know Mum, how they go all the way down the same size?" Yes, I know. I wept, I railed against the unfairness of it. I hadn't twisted it, missed my footing or done anything out of the ordinary that I was aware of. My husband gently applied ice and comforting words, going in late to work having taken the older boys to school.
I felt idiotic and, more importantly, really worried that I was going to let people down. I had been making much of my self-imposed month of wholesomeness and the money had begun to roll in. I was getting as much of a kick out of every dollar donated as I had from my evening tipple. I was making a difference, and for that to be taken from me felt cruel. The only thing to do was to apply the RICE technique (rest, ice, compression, elevation), easier said than done when you have a household of boys to look after. I hobbled onwards; I played on the challenge of abstinence.
In the remaining three weeks I managed only one more run of significance and that was not pretty. People were kind; it was for a good cause, I was still sticking to half the battle, as long as I made it round, even crawling, it would count. I exceeded the fundraising goal I'd set which only served to make me increase it. My boys asked almost daily 'How much have we raised for Darcy?' Were it not for their involvement, excitement and pride I doubt I'd have made the starting line.
The day before the run I felt sick, I iced my ankle (once back from the boys morning activities, having made lunch, hung the washing out, you get the picture), laid out my running uniform complete with attractive new tubi-grips. I tried not to snap at the kids. I tried to sleep.
I saw the dawn on the morning of the run and attempted to go along with the cheerfulness that was affecting the rest of the family as we embarked on this fabulous adventure. I wanted to shut myself in the loo and hide. We caught the bus and began to sense the atmosphere. The smattering of pink increased as we hurtled towards the city. Once there the rush was intense. The emotion was palpable and tears were never far away. Just reading the tribute cards pinned to participants' backs was enough to set me off. I've always been a crier when nervous but weeping while in the queue for a portaloo at 7.00am was not something I had predicted.
I found my friend who was running her third Mother's Day Classic in memory of her Aunt and who was hoping to improve her record of 50 minutes. She propelled me to the start. I was shaking, afraid and utterly convinced that I could not do this. I hadn't said a proper goodbye to my boys. I looked for them amongst the sea of faces but couldn't find them. All of a sudden there was a hush and a countdown and we were off. I was running, I was there, it was happening whether I liked it or not. About 30 meters beyond the start I heard 'Mummy, Mummy, go Mummy!' and there they were, in a cleverly found gap. I gasped, I grinned and I galloped. I could do this; I would do it for them.
The collective noise of thousands of tapping feet provided a metronomic effect. We were an army marching against an awful, strangulating disease. Thousands of families around the world are devastated on a daily basis as their hopes are destroyed and loved ones taken. Those hopes are never in vain and on that beautiful May morning that was writ large as memories and optimism in equal measure jogged alongside us. There was an eerie morning fog cocooning the harbour. Coming around the bend of Mrs Macquarie's Chair the city rose like Atlantis from the deep. Angelic hosts appearing atop the rays of sunshine that pierced the clouds would have been in keeping such was the spectacle of the occasion and the setting.
Embarking on my second lap was one of the very hardest parts. I had lost my friend long before; I was keeping my own pace and finding my own way. The novelty of the drinking stations had worn off (it was a weird experience seeing them holding out water for me, I wanted to look behind me at the real runner), I was being passed by what felt like hundreds of people and I was sore.
My mind began to wander. I thought of the imagination of children when I remembered my five year old's description of the weather including 'fog drops'. I thought of Darcy what he and his family were enduring. Then I passed my patiently waiting family and my boys began to run alongside me. Suddenly I was at the 5km mark and I sensed possibility. I was in a bubble of determination; thanks to the fog and my family I refused to think of anything other than crossing that line.
MDC 2013 – the best finishing prize ever.
WE DID IT! Now what?!
As the banner says, I did it! I managed to finish in just under an hour – awaiting the official result but by my watch it was 58.40 (7.11 mins per km – a PB!). Very happy with that given I did next to no training for the last two weeks leading up to today.
What an amazing experience it was too. It was incredibly empowering to be a part of something so strong and so vibrant and humbling to read all the tribute cards. It's easy to forget as we go about our busy lives that cancer could affect any of us at any time. It is our obligation to support those affected where we can and, when given the chance, to pull together to find a way to beat this terrible disease.
Huge respect and congratulations to everyone who took part today and of course massive thanks from me to everyone who supported me, financially, emotionally, physically. Most of all my four amazing boys.
Some photos from my day.
With the boys at the starting line.
My smile belies my dreadful nerves.
Celebrating with the Kelly family.
The journey home. We never tire of travelling to and from the city on the ferry, it still feels like an adventure.
First stop The Source – loving BJ's creative coffee labelling!
First drink in a month, cheers!
If you like to read writing written by someone who writes about reading but would really rather be reading.
I am surviving mental illness one day at a time.
Where have your shoes been?
No tips, no advice, no routines, no philosophies - just a mirror on what you've become. Read it and weep.


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Making @ The Library
Staff Book Favorites
Kelli Favorites
Barefoot Season
Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she's still a wounded girl who fled some years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner's suite occupied by the last person she wants to see. Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a betrayal destroyed their friendship.
Request the Large Print Book "Barefoot Season"
Request the eBook "Barefoot Season"
by Sarah Addison Allen
One after another, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they weren't sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it's too late?
Suley, Georgia, is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake, had her first almost-kiss at Lost Lake, and met a boy named Wes at Lost Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time has a way of standing still at Lost Lake can she bring the cottages--and her heart--back to life? Because sometimes the things you love have a funny way of turning up again. And sometimes you never even know they were lost . . . until they are found.
Request the Book "Lost Lake"
A Baxter Family Christmas
by Karen Kingsbury
Two years have passed since the terrible car accident that took the life of John Baxter's daughter, Erin, her husband and three of their four daughters. Prompted by grief, and missing his daughter, John has invited a stranger for Christmas Eve dinner—Kendra Bryant, the transplant recipient who now has Erin's heart. Heartwarming and touching, filled with love and redemption, A Baxter Family Christmas brings together two families in the aftermath of loss and in the midst of an unfolding love story.
Request the Book "A Baxter Family Christmas"
The Christmas Wreath
by James Hoffman
Exhausted after sending Santa off in his sleigh, the elves are too tired for their own celebration and fall asleep without putting up a tree or a wreath. The chief elf manages to craft a very unfinished wreath before succumbing to sleep himself. What follows next involves a hungry polar bear, the watery world below the ice, and the miraculous transformation of the ragged little wreath.
Request the Book "The Christmas Wreath"
Written for all ages, it has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.
Request the Juvenile Fiction Book "Anne of Green Gables"
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Great Teachers at Reno Preschool!
After being to many visits to other preschools, I have 100% been floored by the level of consistency, caring, human nature of this establishment. Ms. Susan and her associates have been so incredibly receptive to all learning styles. They make me feel comfortable in the choices I make for my son, as well as being an incredible example of empowering, empathy and kindness in their work. I have seen more immediate and immense progress in my child's development due to their upmost high standards in curriculum partnered with compassion and understanding in human nature. Could not ask for a better place to help mold my son into a wonderful compassionate intelligent human, creative world is the place to be. Such great teachers, so many phenomenal humans who invest 100%. LOVE THE PLACE!
Best Reno Preschool: Get Ready for KINDERGARTEN!
I wanted to share how wonderful the Creative World program and pre-k has prepared our son Mason. He took his assessment yesterday and was the only child that could write his first and last name using upper and lower case correctly. We appreciate the quality of education and the preparation Creative World has given to our son. Once again thank- you for providing our son with the tools and confidence, to be successful in kindergarten next year!!!
Over the past three years we have felt so pleased supported and comforted by the level of love and kindness we have received at Creative World.
Our initial decision to attend Creative World did not come easily and upon meeting Susan I quickly saw and identified her passion for developing and teaching children. Susan was all the things that I was not, organized, structured and clean.
We have been delighted by the art, the music and social development of our son. We loved the play space both indoor and outdoor and the wonderful and engaging learning environments of all the classrooms.
These years have been wonderful for our son, and I confidently say that Creative World has played and instrumental and important role in preparing our son for kindergarten.
The opportunities for a child are endless at Creative World! Where else can a child attend swim lessons during their day at preschool, play outside on a landscaped half-acre playground, and become school-ready at the same time! Susan Heath-Powers lovingly nurtured my children twenty years ago. She has high standards and provides creative activities meant for learning in a loving environment. I would highly recommend her school to anyone wanting to place their child in a high quality environment.
Creative World is amazing!!! My child loves her school! You can see that the teachers and other staff love their careers at Creative World! My child has learned everything from; drawing, counting, names of continents, to being respectful to others. Creative World is not a "daycare" it is a true head start program! I want to thank the staff at CWCA for making my Bucket so happy while at school!!!!!!!!!!!!


Philippine de Rothschild, the grande dame of Bordeaux wine and owner, together with her children, of the legendary Château Mouton Rothschild property, has died aged 80.
Her estate made the announcement on Saturday, stating that her death took place the previous evening following major surgery.
Baroness de Rothschild was president of the supervisory board and the controlling shareholder in the family-owned Baron Philippe de Rothschild house. The company produces the famous first growth and the more modestly priced Mouton Cadet, one of the biggest selling wines in the world and the most successful Bordeaux wine brand.
She also owned, along with her three children, the wine houses of Château d'Armailhac and Château Clerc Milon.


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Vitamin E Diet May Reduce Risk of Parkinsons Disease
Heli J. Roy | 3/22/2005 2:57:59 AM
LSU AgCenter, All, All
Parkinson's disease is thought to be the result of oxidative damage of the nerve cells in the brain. Since vitamins E, C and carotenoids are antioxidant nutrients, recent research looked at the relationship of these nutrients to Parkinson's, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Heli Roy.
Results add to the evidence for consuming antioxidant-rich foods to ward off chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease, based on the theory that antioxidants protect against free radicals that can damage cells, the LSU AgCenter nutritionist explains.
Two large studies with researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School were used to assess the relationship of these nutrients and the development of Parkinson's disease: 76,890 women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and 47,331 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS).
Repeated and validated dietary assessment tools and a food frequency questionnaire were used to assess intake of vitamin E, C and carotenoids and vitamin supplements. The type and brand of vitamin and mineral supplements were recorded.
Dietary data were collected from the women's cohort since 1984 and from the men's since 1986. The studies ended in 1998, and there were 371 new cases of Parkinson's disease (161 in women and 210 in men) by then.
Roy says statistical analysis showed no significant difference in new cases of Parkinson's in those that consumed dietary supplements of antioxidants versus those that did not. "In contrast, however, higher intake of dietary vitamin E was associated with a significantly lower risk of Parkinson's," says study author Shumin Zhang, M.D.
Similar results were found in two other studies. A study conducted in the Netherlands and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the diets of more than 5,000 adults. There was an association between consumption of whole foods containing the antioxidants vitamin E and vitamin C and decreased risk of Alzheimer's.
A stronger association in vitamin E having a protective effect was found in smokers who have an increased risk of the disease. Another study from the United States reported in the Journal also found an association between decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease and diets higher in vitamin E. In this study, the group with the highest dietary intake of vitamin E had a 67 percent decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to the group with the lowest intake of vitamin E.
Roy notes that some of the good food sources of vitamin E are wheat germ, almonds, safflower, corn and soybean oils, turnip greens, peanuts, peanut butter, mixed nuts, broccoli and spinach.
The nutritionist advises contacting an extension agent in your parish LSU AgCenter office to learn more about vitamin E. Please visit the Food & Health section of the LSU AgCenter Web site for additional information.
Source: Heli Roy (225) 578-4486, or e-mail.
Email Heli J. Roy


This statistic displays the leading technology companies on the London Stock Exchange as of December 2018, ranked by their market capitalization. It can be seen that International Business Machines Corporation was the leading technology company with a total market capitalization value of approximately 116.41 billion British pounds. This was followed by Sage Group PLC and Micro Focus International PLC, with values of roughly 6.53 billion British pounds and 5.79 billion British pounds respectively.


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Metro 2033 () is a 2002 post-apocalyptic fiction novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It is set within the Moscow Metro, where the last survivors hide after a global nuclear holocaust. It has been followed by two sequels, Metro 2034 and Metro 2035, and spawned the Metro media franchise. The book's English edition was published as a tie-in with its video game adaptation in 2010.

Synopsis

Background
In 2013, a nuclear war forced a large amount of Moscow's surviving population to relocate to the city's Metro system in search of refuge. Eventually, communities settled within the underground train stations and developed into independent states over time. Factions emerged, ranging from the independent peacekeepers the "Rangers of the Order", to the neo-Stalinist Red Line faction and the neo-Nazi Fourth Reich, to the more powerful factions such as Polis, which contained the greatest military power and the most knowledge of the past, and the Hansa regime, which controlled the main ring of metro stations by its sheer economic power.

As these groups began to evolve, the Red Line and the Fourth Reich quickly entered a state of war, as both sought to destroy the other. As the war raged, the stations who refused to join either side were either demolished by the factions, merged into the Hansa regime, raided by criminal bandits, or formed their own independent states. Other stations were outright destroyed by animals, mutated by the nuclear fallout. While most of the stations were controlled by the three main factions, some stations formed independent alliances, including the station VDNKh (Exhibition). Within that station, the events of Metro 2033 unfold.

Plot
The protagonist of the novel is a 24-year-old man named Artyom who was born before the nuclear war. He was saved from a horde of carnivorous rats that killed his mother and the inhabitants of his station as a baby by Sukhoi, a military officer. Sukhoi is now one of the authorities of VDNKh, one of the stations in the Metro, and has raised Artyom as his son. Artyom spends his time on patrol in the tunnels and working in the mushroom factories.

Artyom meets a man named Hunter, who is looking for Sukhoi. The three meet and discuss the situation in VDNKh. VDNKh is facing increasing attacks from mysterious creatures known as "The Dark Ones", who inspire terror throughout the station. Hunter leaves, but asks to speak to Artyom. Artyom confesses that 10 years earlier, he and his friend went to the surface at the neighbouring station, Botanical Gardens. They were unable to seal the exit after their visit and the Dark Ones have been using this entrance to the metro ever since. Hunter tells Artyom that he intends to gather intel on the Dark Ones, and in the event that he doesn't return Artyom must carry a message to a man named Melnik at Polis with news of the threat. Feeling a sense of responsibility for the Dark Ones' attacks and seeking adventure, Artyom accepts.

Artyom begins to journey towards the centre of the Metro. His first companion, Bourbon, is killed by a psychic force transmitted through the pipes and Artyom is then guided by a mystic named Khan. Khan leads him to Kitai-Gorod which is controlled by criminal gangs, but they become separated during an attack by the Fourth Reich. Artyom flees, only to be captured by the Reich who sentence him to death for killing an officer. Just before his execution, a band of revolutionary fighters intervene and rescue him. Pursued by the Reich, Artyom is left at Paveletskaya station and his route to Polis is blocked by the Hansa controlled Koltsevaya Line, who operate strict border controls. Artyom's passport was lost during his detention, and after a failed attempt to gain travel papers by betting on rat races, Artyom is taken into custody. After escaping, he finally reaches Polis. He delivers his message to Melnik, commander of the military organization named Spartan Order, and the council of Polis gather to determine their course of action.

Although Polis do not agree to intervene, a faction known as the Brahmins (who consist of scientists and academics who collect books from the library above), contact Artyom. They offer a solution to the threat of the Dark Ones in exchange for Artyom's help in recovering a sacred book, as they believe him to be psychically sensitive. Artyom travels to the surface with Melnik and young Brahmin called Daniel. They enter the library and are attacked by the 'librarians', mutated creatures that reside there. Daniel is mortally wounded, but before dying, gives Artyom his reward anyway. It is an envelope containing directions to a functioning missile silo. Artyom and Melnik flee without the book and re-enter the metro, arriving at station Kievskaya. Melnik leaves Artyom at the station while he goes to collect reinforcements but whilst he is away, Artyom becomes involved in the search for a missing child, Oleg. Artyom and Oleg's father are abducted by a tribe of cannibals who worship 'The Great Worm' while following the trail left by the child. They are rescued by Melnik and a squad of fighters and they escape into Metro-2, a secret set of tunnels that lead to the missile site.

The team pass through the metro station leading to the Kremlin, which contains a mutated bio-weapon that attempts to hypnotize and consume them. Several are killed, including Oleg, before they explode a tank of fuel to distract it. The majority of the group go to the surface and the missile silo, while Artyom is accompanied back through the metro so that they can provide targeting co-ordinates from a suitable location, Ostankino Tower. On the way, they stop at VDNKh, which has been almost overrun by Dark Ones. After a brief re-union with Sukhoi, Artyom reaches the tower and his team provide the missile site with the location of the Dark Ones hive. As they do, Artyom has a vision, which relates to the dreams and nightmares that he has been having. The Dark Ones had been trying to make contact, unable to communicate with the human survivors within the metro in a meaningful way, before they found Artyom. Artyom re-evaluates their behavior and realizes that what was seen as aggression were actually attempts to make contact, which were only met with violence. As Artyom realizes that the two races could co-operate, the missiles fall and the Dark Ones are killed. Realising that the Dark Ones were killed senselessly, Artyom tears his mask off and heads back home in tears.

Publication

The book first appeared online in 2002 and later became an interactive experiment, drawing in thousands of readers from around Russia and abroad. In 2005, it was printed by Eksmo and became a nationwide and worldwide bestseller. The English edition was released on 18 March 2010 to coincide with the release of the video game adaptation of the novel.

Reception
By 2010, over 500,000 copies of Metro 2033 had been sold in Russia alone. Over 2 million had read the book on its official site before it even was published in print. Foreign book rights have been sold to dozens of countries. In 2007, Glukhovsky was awarded the Encouragement Award of the European Science Fiction Society at the Eurocon for Metro 2033.

Adaptations

Video game

First-person shooter video game Metro 2033, developed by the Ukrainian studio 4A Games, was released worldwide in 2010. Glukhovsky said that he had chosen a video game adaptation over a film as it gave him more artistic freedom to work. Two sequels also developed by 4A Games, Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus, were released in 2013 and 2019.

Film projects
As of November 2010, Glukhovsky had been in talks with Hollywood-based studios and producers to sell the film rights. By 2012, MGM had picked up the screen rights to Metro 2033, setting F. Scott Frazier "Pavito" to pen the script. Mark Johnson was producing via his Gran Via Productions. However, the production was canceled and the rights were returned to Glukhovsky after he refused to have the film be Americanized and set in Washington instead of Moscow. In December 2018, Glukhovsky explained: "In Washington DC, Nazis don't work, Communists don't work at all, and the Dark Ones don't work. Washington DC is a black city basically. That's not at all the allusion I want to have [with the Dark Ones], it's a metaphor of general xenophobia but it's not a comment on African Americans at all."

On 23 August 2019, Glukhovsky announced the film adaptation of the novel was set to release in January 2022. The film will be created by TNT-Premier, TV-3 and Central Partnership film studios. Glukhovsky explained: "In Russia, I didn't see any producers who could make a good screen adaptation of this book. It just seemed impossible. But now I finally met a team that I can entrust Metro with. Our ambitions turned out to be similar: to create a world-class blockbuster and stun even those who have read the trilogy and know it by heart. So as not to disappoint them, I am ready to become a creative producer of the movie and help create it with both my advice and action."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production of the film adaptation was delayed and moving forward with a new 2024 release date. According to Fond Kino, Metro 2033 will be directed by Egor Baranov. Dmitry Glukhovsky will write the original script for the new movie adaptation.

Sequels and franchise

Glukhovsky's follow-up novel Metro 2034 was published in 2009, followed by Metro 2035 in 2015. In addition, many other authors have published scores of volumes in the Universe of Metro 2033; anthologies of short stories have been also published and some authors have created their personal underground universes based in other metropolitan areas.

References

External links

2002 science fiction novels
Fiction set in 2033
21st-century Russian novels
Novels adapted into video games
Novels set in Moscow
Post-apocalyptic novels
Russian science fiction novels
Works about underground railways

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To learn more about The Laurels of Walden Park, please call us at (614) 846-5420 or contact our admissions coordinator using our convenient online form.
We believe the best way to evaluate a Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is through a tour. Let us work with you to find a convenient time to schedule your tour of The Laurels of Walden Park today.


As seen in our previous spotlight on InterMine, FlyMine is the prototypical InterMine database which is one of two mines currently being maintained by the InterMine team. This week, we'll delve into FlyMine and how this resource has added value to the fly and mosquito research communities. Yo Yehudi (developer), and Rachel Lyne (biologist) were kind enough to answer our questions for this post.
FlyMine integrates Drosophila data from multiple sources, covering a broad range of curated and high-throughput data.
Our aim is to be easy-to-use for any biologist interested in fly gene data in general. Perhaps more specifically, though, we provide advanced data querying mechanisms (like our query builder and templates) and web APIs with client libraries tailored to allow bioinformaticians – or anyone who is comfortable with programming – to retrieve and manipulate our data.
FlyMine was developed to addresses one of the important challenges of modern biology: how to integrate and make use of the diversity and volume of current biological data.
Why is your tool unique and special? How does FlyMine compare/interact with other fly resources like FlyAtlas?
Other fly resources are tremendously valuable data sources, and we couldn't do what we do without them. The main difference is that we load a subset of their data, and integrate it with several other data sources (about 30, see our Data Sources page for the full list). This lets people search and investigate with lots of different data types using our advanced searching tools.
We also link back to the originating data sources; whilst FlyMine provides an aggregated overview, sometimes the best way to delve deeper into specifics is to go directly to the source itself.
What level of traffic does FlyMine typically see?
Looking at data for the past year, we average around 10,000 page views a month – sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. December was our quietest month, unsurprisingly.
One really cool thing we noticed while looking up the stats for this question is that we've had visitors literally from all over the world. Nigeria, Chile, Indonesia – you name it, people from almost every country have visited us.
One of the biggest successes of FlyMine was probably migrating it from a purpose-built database focusing solely on flies, and genericizing it to be used for multiple different biological data types and organisms, eventually becoming InterMine with (currently) over 28 public mines, covering plants, animals, mitochondrial proteins, drug targets, DNA repeats, etc. There are also other mines that are run privately.
Possibly some of the most important updates and improvements are the updates to our data, which might be almost invisible to the end user. Data sources and aggregators have a real responsibility to ensure their data is still correct and relevant – a recent paper pre-print showed that in 2015, 80% of papers used data sources that were old enough to only have data on 20% of currently known pathways.
We run a new 'build' of data – aggregating our various sources using the most up-to-date version and putting it into FlyMine – every few months. This is often a lot more work than it looks. Some of our data build process is automated, but when you have a large number of varying sources, it usually requires some human intervention to integrate them all successfully. Invariably at least one of our sources will have changed the way they format their data since the last build, as well!
This is a tricky one to answer – we mentioned the current team in our previous spotlight article, but there's more to the story. FlyMine is actually quite mature as bioinformatics tools go. Its earliest incarnations began in 2002, meaning that the team has changed faces a few times over the years. In addition, we've had a lot of help from others in the community, who contribute source code pull requests.
In total, our github contributors page says we have 20 contributors, but there are over 15 other past FlyMine members who don't appear on the list. Of course, many of the important contributions to InterMine come from non-coders, too, in the form of ideas, guidance, and support.
It's open access so you can actually read up on the nitty gritty details of this great resource at your leisure!


Lead putto garden statue emblematic of Peace with the devices of war including a helmet and torch. Sits atop a sandstone plintth.
19th century Italian Grand Tour alabaster marble urn or pastille burner.
Chinese red lacquer carved wood duck form box.
19th century French blown glass garden cloche for protecting or forcing outdoor plants.
Large oblong Art Deco zinc planter with incised decoration.
18th century carved white marble socle.
Standard French poodle bronze car mascot hood ornament.
Victorian needlework stump work horse pillow on red velvet ground with silk braid and tassel.
Bronze figure of a standing goose with verdigris patina.
19th century portable iron carriage hitching post.
Pair crushed stone flower pots.
19th century paint decorated red firkin.
Zinc garden statue of winged Cupid wielding a drawknife to fashion his bow. Signed F. Ramingo.
Porcelain sculpture of a watermelon.
Pair French garden ornaments in the form of zinc aloe cacti in pots.
Life size carved wood and paint decorated Canada goose decoy.
Lawn jockey dressed in silks - heavy weight - makes a great doorstop.
Art Deco carved marble urn with cornucopia handles issuing fruit and flowers c. 1920.
Large 19th century three part cast iron garden urn and stand. Compressed oval shape. Crisp casting with original green paint decorated surface. Marked G. Hitzeroth 3124 Market Street Philadelphia.
Pair 19th century Victorian fruit obelisks - glass domes with wax and papier mache fruit.
Collection of 19th century Grand Tour agate paperweights.
19th century American cast iron door stop in the Greek Revival taste featuring an urn of flowers.
19th century carved coral bowl or planter from Palm Beach estate.
Carved Grand Tour neoclassical marble Piranesi urn after the Antique with plastered fininish.
19th century cast iron sea shell form garden ornament with original surface.
19th c. English tub.perfect for plants or ice.
Two large Chinese carved wood lotus leaf display stands for porcelain or bronze censer - 19th century. Form of a lily pad.
Pair Chinese hardwood brush pots with black grain - heavy weight.
Three tin glazed terra cotta faience garden trophies - baskets with fruit and vegetables - late 19th / early 20th c.
19th century wire work baskets perfect for display of grand tour stone fruit.
Large 19th century architectural element - terra cotta roof ornament in the form of a stylized owl.
Pair Chinese carved jade bowls.
Two pairs 19th c. mantle urns. Left pair is ebonized wood. Right pair is stone.
Pair Chinese carved hard stone foo lions - 19th century.
Selection of 19th century redware plates with slip decoration.
Large 1940's Florida Watts pot made of concrete and suitable for a lemon or palm tree. Measures 24 1/4" in diameter across the top x 20" tall.
19th c. Tole monteith with original paint decorated surface.
19th century American cast iron bird bath with shell form font resting on a dolphin's tail.
Chinese hardwood side table or display stand in the Art Deco taste.
Zoomorphic archaic carved ink stone for calligraphy.
19th century solid cast iron door stop in the form of Bacchus or Dionysus with cornucopia handle. Original painted surface in shades of brown and green to simulate bronze patina.
19th c. French tole lantern of elongated pagoda shape measuring 22.5" tall x 10.5" across the front x 8" deep. Original painted surface. Provenance: Collection of David Barrett.
French 19th c. Victorian wire-work planter basket with zinc liner. Measures 18" x 16".
Pair 19th c. cast iron campana urns by J. L. Mott foundry New York City.
Small 19th c. redware pot with beautiful pink orange glaze.
Beautiful American Cast Iron Bench in the grapevine pattern. Note honeycomb seat, water leaf / acanthus legs and grape clusters cast more than 1" thick. Exceptional naturalistic detail, graceful outswept arms and heavy casting - c. 1860.
Folk art candle box - hand carved; Southern origin.
19th century cast iron urn form gate post finial.
19th c. Victorian shadow box with wallpaper lining; deep metal box; floral arrangement.
Vintage hand knit cardigan with hunting motifs.
Pair 19th c. brass trivets in the form of lyres - for hearth or table.
Regency Green Marble Urn with high stepped bases and ringed pedestal - early 19th c.
Victorian Wirework Plant Stand fully in the round - a rare form - with three tiers on castors.
Virgiania Ovoid 3 Gallon Jugwit handles - early 19th c. Similar examples on display at Monticello.
Maple Faux Bamboo Folding Side Table - 19th c.
1930's Paint Decorated Pull Toy. Head, legs and tail move.
A fine mid 19th c. cast iron garden bench in the twig pattern manufactured in New York City by Janes Beebe & Co. This firm provided benches for the US Capitol and other buildings of similar stature. The bench is in great condition and is signed by the firm.
Measurements: 49.5" long x 33.5" high x 20" deep.
Portable iron hitching post - 19th c.
Victorian Wirework Plant Stand on castors. Crescent shape, three tier - 19th c. Another available in white - full round rare form.
PAIR American Cast Iron Urns with handles (pictured left with fern).
Massachusetts Federal Gate Finials in original surface c. 1820.
Collection of Hand Thrown Seed Potsin original green painted wood trays. Three pallets each containing more than 100 terra cotta pots - c. 1910.
Victorian Red Painted Armchair in original surface - c. late 19th c.
Measurements: 30" high x 23" across the front.
Collection of Stone Fruit - 19th c.
Large 19th c. gilt brass drapery tie backs.
New York State Hudson Valley paint decorated classical architectural model bird house.
Large Native American Indian Papago oval basket with two handles and flower decoration.
19th century French green glaze terracotta flower pot.
Grand tour specimen marble egg paperweight.
Large 19th century French wirework round centerpiece basket with tole liner.
Large pair terracotta gate post finials.
Set 5 custom made verdigris copper & curved glass wall sconce lanterns by Marston & Langinger, London.
Pair cast iron whippets measuring 7 1/8" tall.
Virginia folk art carved wood, tin and paint decorated sculpture of a pineapple.
Pair lead whippet garden ornaments.
Antique 19th century French wirework plant stand with tole liner in original green paint.
19th century brass and curved glass hanging wall display shelf vitrine.
Carved alabaster architectural model of the Taj Mahal. 19th century Grand Tour souvenir from India.
19th c. Balinese offering plate - turned wood pedestal tazza.
Pair American Federal brass urn form fence gate post finials with iron bolts c. 1800.
Pair Large 19th c. Cast Iron Whippets measuring 36.5" long - to flank an entrance - Robert Wood & Co., Philadelphia c. 1870.
Carved stone double Buddha plaque.
Large Chinese porcelain frog planter with fitted carved wood lily pad stand - 19th century.
Large mid -19th century iron pestle & mortar.
Collection 18 Dutch Delft polychrome tiles decorated with scenes of children at play. Framed in wood molding for use as a wall hanging - enough tiles for a fireplace surround.
Collection 19th c. German topiary ornaments - red berry trees in carved wood flower pots.
PAIR Continental Demilune Tables - claret paint decorated finish. May be joined to form a dining table or used as consoles - 19th c.
Measurements: 30" tall x 41.25" across the back (diameter of round when placed together).
Art Deco carved stone garden ornament - bust of the sun c. 1930.
Porcelain potatoes naturalistically molded and hand painted.
Tall 19th c. mercury glass vase with original cork stopper. Measures 12 1/4" tall.
South Seas / Samoan carved and paint decorated wood figure of a warrior - 19th century.
Large and heavy 19th century American cast iron carriage weight or portable hitching post used to tether the horses.
Art Deco rouge marble urn with gilt bronze sunflowers.
Large 19th c. Acoma Pueblo pottery vase.
19th century paint decorated hand woven splint baskets.
Antique 19th c. American folk art carved stone figure of a lamb.
Lapis lazuli box mounted with carved semi precious jasper turtle and carnelian feet - perfect for jewelry or the desk.
19th c. inkwell in the form of an alligator.
19th century two part stoneware planter naturalistically molded as a tree trunk in the Adirondack taste.
19th century English pottery figure of an Elizabethan woman.
Pair 19th c. French breche violette purple marble stands fitted in gilt bronze. Suitable base for mounting porcelains or lamps. Useful as a display pedestal for sculpture. Each measures 9.5" across x 2.25" thick.
19th century paint decorated tole hall lantern of octagonal shape.
Lead squirrel garden ornaments - early 20th century.
19th c. Native American Indian basket with traditional geometric motif.
Very large Chinese porcelain blanc de chine model of a pigeon or parrot with interesting orange peel glaze - 19th c.
Carved Victorian foot stool in the form of a horse shoe with brass mountings.
Large pair of mercury glass witch's gazing spheres for the garden or sun room. Each measures 12" in diameter.
Selection of fruit form pin cushions.
19th c. mahogany game board with clay marbles.
Early 20th c. paint decorated German wood soldier on stand with moving joints. Probably a store display for Christmas. Inspired by the Queen's Guard and the ballet Nutcracker.Measurement: 24" tall.
19th c. French majolica urn in the form of a large pine cone.Measurement: 10" tall.
Late 18th c. English Terra Cotta Urn - breaks down into 3 pieces - plinth, stem and pot - wonderful patina.
Arts & Crafts large lead sconce - early 20th. c.
Pair 19th century faux rouge marble carved wood corbels as wall brackets in the Beaux Arts taste.
19th c. American paint decorated wood box with original surface.
Sculptural 19th c. cast iron boot scraper - extremely heavy.
Large Fulper Bulb or Bonsai Pot in blue / green flambe glaze - early 20th c.
19th c. Chinese Picnic Basket with carved wood sides and tooled brass carrying handle. Makes a great side table.
Giant Italian Floor Vase - c. 1930.
Four Large Federal Gilt Brass Drapery Tie Backs with flower head decoration c. 1820.
Victorian Paper Scrollwork on velvet depicting strawberries in a lacy glass Sandwich compote.
Naturalistic Models of Mushrooms - France 19th c.
Group of four Louis Philippe Garden Urns.
Giant Life-like Stone Cantaloupe - 19th c.
Selection of American Indian Baskets and Blankets.
Selection of Fire Tools and accessories including andirons and fenders.
French Tole Urn with painted decoration - 19th c.
1930's Bellhop Puppet made of wood - original surface. All joints move.
19th c. Mercury Glass Garden Globe in gold.
19th c. Mercury Glass Kugel.
Collection of 19th c. Garden Tools. French and English, blacksmith made.
Paint Decorated Doll Houses early 20th c. in original surface with open back giving access to individual rooms.
Collection of Paint Decorated Wooden Apple Boxes with wonderful surface and color - c. early 20th c.


Home>Best Hospitality Degrees FAQ>What is Branding?
Branding is a hot buzzword in the world of business and important to understand for people with a marketing degree, a hospitality degree or anyone who wants to go into business. However, its meaning is not always entirely clear. What follows is a guide that goes over the basics of branding and its importance in the modern business world.
A company's brand is essentially their identity. It is a combination of many different factors including trademarked logos, color combinations, the type of products offered and general public image. At its core, it is the image customers associate with a certain company or organization. Creating a brand rarely happens by accident. It takes careful consideration by an organization to determine what their brand should be in the first place, in addition to continuously working to keep that image intact. A company or organization's brand is important for a number of key reasons. Done right, it can help companies reach their target audiences much more easily, gain a strong, positive reputation, and enjoy widespread recognition.
It is relatively easy to get a logo designed and decide on key color combinations. What's a little harder is taking those basics and growing them into a strong brand. An organization must uncover their true values and then ensure all members of the organization live those values every day. For example, businesses and organizations need to pay close attention to their customer service in relation to their branding efforts. Every interaction between customer service and a customer works towards building or destroying an organization's brand. Students who obtain a hospitality degree are in a good position to oversee this because they understand the importance of seeing to the needs of customers.
Social media plays an important role in forming and maintaining a company's brand. Constant updates allow companies to live up to their image every time they make a post and therefore reinforce that image in the minds of customers. Many customers learn about new companies, products, and services online in the modern day. Users also read previously-posted content to gain a good idea of what each company stands for. Social media also serves as a powerful conduit through which news about organizations spreads. A positive or negative news story can spread throughout social media and become known to the public much faster than was possible before. Companies need to be extra careful of this and leverage social media to paint a positive yet honest picture of their organization.
How Can Companies Improve Their Brand?
There are a number of ways companies can work to improve their branding. As outlined above, paying close attention to how customer service resolves issues is a must. Companies need to put sufficient resources into training customer service personnel so they will uphold the organization's brand during every customer interaction. Companies can also improve their brand by specifically targeting their ideal customers and focusing on the unique things they have to offer as opposed to their competitors. According to Forbes, other actions organizations can take include improving company culture and enlisting the help of experts and consultants.
Branding is one of the most important tools modern organizations have to craft a public image. When done successfully, customers associate the positive image or reputation with that organization and therefore are more likely to give the company their business. In the end, branding is all about image, something anyone holding a hospitality degree should thoroughly understand.


Midnyte Reader: The Eleventh Plague.
Title/Author: The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch.
Favorite character: Stephen and Jenny.
Synopsis: The wars that followed The Collapse nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new.
All in all: I liked this book a lot. Just when I thought it was getting predictable, the story took a sharp turn.
My Thoughts: Told from main character Stephen's perspective, The 11th Plague is a story filled of hardship, distrust and death. It is also filled with love and hope.
It wasn't a difficult read and the chapters flew by quickly. I would have liked a little more details on the setting. I realize that the author was probably just trying to use brush strokes and not get bogged down, but sometimes it was hard for me to visualize where things were in relation to other things. This wasn't a major deterrent, but it did have me turning back pages to see where people were and what was going on.
There is a point in the book where I felt as if I had read/seen/heard this story before and it felt a bit predictable. But then the plot and most of all Stephen's actions, took a turn and held my attention captive again.
I love Stephen's character. He goes through a gamut of emotions, attitudes and outlooks. Most of his life he had been domineered by a strict and abusive grandfather who taught him how to survive. The book opens up with his grandfather's death and the aftermath of how his life can now change, even in this harsh setting. It takes caring about someone else, Jenny, and her own family that really change him. Jenny is a great character also. She has a chip on her shoulder and is even more suspicious than Stephen. Like Stephen she also takes an inner journey in this story. In the end, Jenny and Stephen have to admit what they really want and take it.
There are some lessons displayed for readers to contemplate. It's tough, trying to survive and yet trying to do what's right at the same time. Doesn't sound so much different than our world.
Ooo yay dystopian! I love survival stories like this one and I haven't heard much about this book in particular so I'm really glad you posted your review:):) Despite it being a touch predictable, I'm still definitely adding it to the list!
Have this one sitting on the shelf but I didn't know much about it. It sounds pretty good. I'll have to move it up.
Okay, where have I been that I haven't heard of this book. I mean look at that cover. It is awesome.
Glad to know the book had a few surprises that thew you for a loop. And Stephen's emotional journey sounds really compelling.
@Jenny: I am totally into survival stories too and with dystopian you can do so much with it!
@Karen: I'd be interested to hear what you think about it.
@Missie: I looove the cover. It totally captures the feel of the story. Stephen is a good character.
Ohhh, this is a book I must read since I love dystopian theme! Thanks for the review!
So glad to hear that you liked The Eleventh Plague. I keep eyeing my copy, but haven't picked it up yet. Looks like I'll have to move it up the TBR stack!


text:
Über Geheim
Geheim Redaktion
Geheim ABO
No Querfront
What's Behind US Raids on Syrian Army, Its Allies?
US Strikes Syrian Army Position in Deir Ez-Zor
US Airstrike Kill 24 Civilians in Syria's Deir ez-Zor
Alwaght- Several months after the defeat of ISIS and other terrorist groups across Syria and particularly Damascus outskirts in sweeping operations led by the Syrian government forces and backed by the Iran-led Axis of Resistance and Russia, now Syria is ready to see the return of peace and stability to the war-hit regions.
But, on the other side, efforts are underway by the US and the allied parties such as Saudi Arabia and the Israeli regime to see the perpetuation of the crisis, now in its eighth year. Over the past months, Tel Aviv and US-led military coalition launched several airstrikes targeting the Syrian government's positions across the country. And in the latest development, on June 18, the coalition's fighter jets bombed the Syrian Arab Army's positions in Al-Hari town in Abu Kamal near the border with Iraq. According to the news reports, the attack left considerable casualties. Reuters quoted a Syrian government forces commander as saying that the attack was "probably" launched by US drones which were targeting positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf and Syrian military positions. The strike reportedly targeted Syrian army and the allied Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the region which is located between Abu Kamal and Al-Tanf.
On the heels of the attack, the Pentagon Spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway issued a statement denying that the attack was by the so-called international anti-ISIS coalition, formed in 2014. But such a drone attack close to a military base where the American forces are stationed strengthens the theory that Washington was behind the bombing. But why does the US strike the Syrian army and PMF base
Cutting Resistance front's links on Syria-Iraq border
The key drive behind the coalition's raid in the border city of Abu Kamal is weakening and if possible cutting off the Resistance camp's links on the two sides of the border. Abu Kamal is one of the largest cities of Deir ez-Zor province with majority of its territory being desert. A route linking Baghdad to Damascus through Abu Kamal and Al-Qa'im border cities provides the key connection line for the Resistance forces moving between Syria and Iraq. Moreover, the region is a key border hub for security, military, and trade exchanges between the two neighbors. Al-Qa'im city in Iraq's Al-Anbar province was the first Iraqi point to fall to the advancing ISIS fighters in 2014. Abu Kamal, on the other side of the border, was the last region of the major ISIS concentration in Syria liberated by the syrian army in 2017. Following Al-Qa'im and Abu Kamal recapture, the Baghdad-Al-Qa'im-Abu Kamal-Damascus route served as a key supply and transportation line for the Resistance forces moving between the two terror-hit countries. The ISIS defeat opened the door for PMF to deploy forces to the border areas, something represented a source of concern for the Americans who feared the anti-terror camp's power gain. That is why many analysts hold Washington accountable for the attack, arguing that it is a failed move to sever the Resistance's contact lines on the two sides of the border.
Empowering ISIS remnants for continued crisis
Over the past few months, ISIS empowerment has been a key strategy the US was pursuing in Syria and particularly in Deir ez-Zor. According to the latest report published by the Russian ministry of defense, the US-controlled areas in the east of the Euphrates River have been safe haven for ISIS remnants. The attack comes only three days after the Syrian army reclaimed 40-kilometer Haql Al-Ward-Faydha Ibn Mowayne highway in Deir ez-Zor's Mayadin District and cleared the roadside mines planted by the ISIS forces. Americans very likely seek to check more Syrian military advances and give ISIS an upper hand in the area. The ongoing crisis in Syria's east automatically gives the US the excuse to keep forces on the Syrian soil. On March 30, the US President Donald Trump said American forces will leave Syria "very soon." But over the past few months, Washington's actions on the Syrian fronts signaled that they are engaged in hard efforts to pave the way for long-term presence in Syria.
Compensating decline to back Syrian Kurds
The US relations with the Syrian Kurds is not unconnected to the June 18 air raid. The past few months' developments put these relations on a shaky ground. The US made no move to support the Kurds when the Turkish army earlier this year launched a military campaign to seize the Kurdish-controlled Afrin city in northern Syria. Moreover, Americans recently sealed a deal with Ankara to remove the predominantly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from Manbij, also in the north, moving the Syrian Kurds to believe that Washington is unreliable. Feeling double-crossed, last week the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a predominantly- Kurdish militia backed by the US, in a bold move declared it was ready to talk unconditionally to the Syrian government.
The offer by the US ally was seen as marking an end to Washington's last base in Syria. Since 2015, the SDF, a coalition of Kurdish militias accompanied by a small number of Arab fighters, played a key role as a US ally, with many analysts calling them Washington's infantry on the front lines and a power basis for it in Syrian equations. Now, the SDF are turning leaving the US without a major ally in a multi-front, multi-player conflict. A possible central government-Kurds agreement to return Damascus rule to the north and east will be a showcase of US decline to take serious actions to defend its base.
So, the US wants to appease the Kurds by telling them that the east Euphrates is a red line and they will continuously have the coalition's backing. But the US should be so lucky to bring back the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) leaders on the track of former cooperation now that they feel betrayed.
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Itaperuna (Brazil) weather
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Today. Maximum daytime temperature: 28 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 22 degrees Celsius. Fog changing to sunny intervals by late morning. Sunrise: 05:30; Sunset: 18:32. UV: Extreme;
Wed 1 Feb
Fog changing to sunny intervals by late morning.
Sunrise: 05:30
Sunset: 18:32
Thursday 2 February. Maximum daytime temperature: 29 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 22 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. Sunrise: 05:31; Sunset: 18:32. UV: Extreme;
Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning.
Friday 3 February. Maximum daytime temperature: 30 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 22 degrees Celsius. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. Sunrise: 05:31; Sunset: 18:31. UV: Extreme;
Saturday 4 February. Maximum daytime temperature: 30 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny in the afternoon. Sunrise: 05:32; Sunset: 18:31. UV: Extreme;
Cloudy changing to sunny in the afternoon.
Sunday 5 February. Maximum daytime temperature: 31 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to heavy showers by nighttime. Sunrise: 05:32; Sunset: 18:30. UV: Extreme;
Sun 5 Feb
Cloudy changing to heavy showers by nighttime.
Monday 6 February. Maximum daytime temperature: 29 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to sunny by late morning. Sunrise: 05:33; Sunset: 18:30. UV: High;
Cloudy changing to sunny by late morning.
Tuesday 7 February. Maximum daytime temperature: 28 degrees Celsius; Minimum nighttime temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. Cloudy changing to light showers by lunchtime. Sunrise: 05:34; Sunset: 18:29. UV: Moderate;
Tue 7 Feb
Cloudy changing to light showers by lunchtime.
Seven day forecast for Itaperuna
Wednesday (1 February 2023)
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Weather symbol
<5% <5% <5% <5% <5% 10% 10% 10% <5% <5% <5% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% <5% <5% <5% <5%
Temperature Temperature in °C Choose temperature units °C °F
Feels like temperature °C Feels like temperature in °C
27° 27° 27° 27° 26° 26° 26° 27° 28° 29° 30° 30° 30° 30° 30° 30° 30° 30° 30° 29° 29° 29° 28° 28°
Wind direction and speed Wind direction and speed in mph Choose wind speed units mph km/h knots m/s Beaufort
NW 3
Wind gust mph Wind gust in mph
5 4 4 3 3 4 4 7 9 11 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 11 10 8 7 6
Visibility Visibility Choose visibility units description km
VG VG M M M VP VP VP VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG
93% 94% 96% 97% 97% 97% 97% 88% 80% 71% 65% 59% 53% 51% 48% 46% 51% 57% 62% 70% 77% 85% 88% 91%
- - - - - - 1 3 5 8 9 11 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 - - - - -
Thursday (2 February 2023)
<5% <5% 10% 10% 10% <5% <5% <5% <5% <5% <5% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% <5% <5%
28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 28° 29° 30° 31° 31° 30° 30° 31° 31° 31° 31° 31° 30° 30° 29°
SSE 5
5 4 4 3 4 4 5 7 8 10 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 10 9 8
VG VG M M M M M M VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG VG
94% 95% 96% 97% 97% 96% 96% 87% 78% 69% 63% 57% 51% 49% 46% 44% 50% 57% 63% 70% 77% 84%
- - - - - - 1 3 5 7 9 10 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 - - -
Friday (3 February 2023)
<5% <5% <5% <5% 10% 10% <5% <5%
29° 28° 28° 31° 31° 31° 31° 29°
NNE 5
5 3 5 9 13 13 12 8
VG M M VG E E E VG
- - 1 7 12 6 1 -
Saturday (4 February 2023)
<5% <5% 10% <5% <5% 10% 10% <5%
5 4 4 10 15 13 9 7
VG G G VG E E E VG
Sunday (5 February 2023)
<5% <5% <5% <5% 10% 10% 20% 50%
VG VG VG E E E VG VG
Monday (6 February 2023)
10% 10% 10% <5% 30% 40% 60% 60%
WSW 5
VG VG VG VG VG VG G G
- - 1 6 6 5 2 -
Tuesday (7 February 2023)
60% 10% 10% 10% 40% 60% 70%
30° 30° 30° 30° 29° 27° 28°
SW 3
SE 5
G G VG VG VG VG G
Chance of precipitation represents how likely it is that rain (or other types of precipitation, such as sleet, snow, hail and drizzle) will fall from the sky at a certain time.
This number shows the air temperature for the time period. You can see the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit by using the dropdown menu.
Feels like temperature considers other factors, such as wind speed and humidity. This gives you a better idea of how the temperature will actually feel at the time.
Wind gust shows the highest wind speed that you should encounter at that time, as winds peak and lull.
Strong winds are shown in bold for speeds of 29 mph or more.
The arrow shows the direction the wind is blowing. The letters show the direction the wind is blowing from (on a standard 16-point compass).
The number represents the average wind speed expected at that time.
Visibility measures the distance at which an object can be clearly seen.
VP (Very Poor) Less than 1 km
P (Poor) 1.1 km to 4 km
M (Medium) 4.1 km to 10 km
G (Good) 10.1 km to 20 km
VG (Very Good) 20.1 km to 40 km
E (Excellent) Greater than 40 km
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapour, the humidity will be high. The higher the percentage of humidity, the wetter it will feel outside.
UV exposure index and the protection required to help keep you safe:
- No risk of UV - It's safe to stay outside. 1-2 Low - You can safely stay outside. Consider sunscreen in direct sunlight. 3-5 Moderate - Take care during midday hours and do not spend too much time in the sun unprotected. Sunscreen advised. 6-7 High - Seek shade during midday hours, cover up and wear sunscreen. 8-10 Very high - Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm. Shirt, sunscreen and hat are essential. 11 Extreme - Avoid being outside during midday hours. Shirt, sunscreen and hat essential.
Updated: 01:39 (UTC) on Wed 1 Feb 2023
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