The settlement at Copan is located not far from the borders of Honduras and Guatemala and is believed to exhibit the some of the most amazing ruins of the Mayan occupied territories. Copan achieved its greatest standing during the 5th century under the ruler the Great Lord Quetzal Macaw. The Great Lord was named after two of the most prominent birds in the area and he left a legacy of a settlement that thrived until the 12th century.
What distinguishes Copan from the other pre-Columbian ruins is that the people were not forced to leave by the Spanish. In fact, they appear to have moved before their arrival, at least two years prior to the conquistadors.
There are several theories as to why they left the civilization at Copan, however the most widely accepted belief is that they left because the land was no longer suitable for agriculture.
As for the name, no one really knows if the original settlement had one. However, during the 16th century, the Spanish decided to name it Copan.
If you happen to travel to the site, it takes several days to walk around the ruins. There are numerous royal homes, servants quarters, religious areas, and middle class dwellings around the site. There is, however, something that lies beneath, buried by the Maya and incredibly well preserved. Under the ground lies the 6th century Rosalila Temple, with the original layers of intricate paint and design.
Like many other pre-Columbian civilizations, there are temples above the ground decorated with carved human faces. The faces are both frightening and humorous, some also taking the form of animals and birds.
Today, the macaws of Copan still inhabitat the ruins, flying around the ancient temples and ruined buildings. Sadly, however, the quetzal is rarely seen due to its endangered status.


NORTHWOOD – Steve Wronker's Funny Business, a comedy hypnosis extravaganza, will arrive at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy on Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Gerrish Gym on the CBNA campus.
Wronker is an entertainer with a unique slant on the most hilarious, the most outrageous, and the funniest form of comedy making his comedy hypnosis show extremely different from any other hypnosis show. Audience members become the stars of the show.
Wronker puts audience volunteers into his show and orchestrates a program of absolute hilarity. With more than 300 family-friendly routines to choose from, no two shows are alike.
Show is sponsored by CBNA Theatre and kicks off CBNA's annual CBNA Homecoming.
Tickets are $10 general admission and are available at www.cbnanh.booktix.com or at the door on the night of the show.


For fishing enthusiasts wanting a friendly, relaxed and professional angling experience, join local fly fishing guide Alan Campbell. No matter your level of skill with the fly rod, as a patient guide and tutor Alan can help you get the most from yourself. Alan has a reputation for using innovative techniques where he devises tactics to suit the environmental circumstances as well as the clients. He utilises sight fishing at every opportunity, and practices catch and release in all rivers. An added bonus for international fishermen, Alan is also fluent in French.
Kevin is owner operator of Back Country Trout based close to Fairlie. Sight fishing to large trout is his specialty. Kevin is the only full time professional guide in this region and only guides his home patch so has extensive local knowledge and access to a varity of superb low pressured rivers containing both rainbow and brown trout.
Steve is a dedicated fly-fisherman for over 30 yrs specialising in sight fishing, stalking, and spotting large rainbows and browns. The world class fishing, spectacular unspoilt alpine scenery, and the best summer weather in the South Island prompted Steve to make Twizel his home. All fishing trips are flexible and individually tailored to Steve's clients abilities and fitness. As a member of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Assn Steve believes strongly in their principles of advocating and protecting the interests of members and clients, and to promote professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation in the interests of angling.
In the crystal clear waters of the Mackenzie Basin, fish respond positively and predictably to a fly dancing on the surface or nymph swinging deep below a strike indicator. Enjoy world class sight fishing to both brown and rainbow trout, in peaceful surroundings, with Spry Fly New Zealand.
Spry Fly is a company with over 27 years of experience in assisting fly fishermen of all abilities fully appreciate the joys of fly fishing. Whether you are a complete beginner, or an experienced angler, Spry Fly NZ offers a wide range of fishing opportunities and experiences, from fly fishing schools to extended guided fishing trips. Find out why 90% of our business is repeat clientele.
Come and join us - you'll thrill to a backdrop of towering snow-clad mountains, sheer valleys and vast flood plains through which braided rivers twist. Take a tour through our pages to discover what fishing in New Zealand is all about - and how Spry Fly New Zealand can make it all a reality for you.
The Air Safaris Grand Traverse flight is the recognized premier Aoraki Mount Cook flight seeing experience; this magnificent flight encompasses two World Heritage Parks and 200 km of New Zealand's most memorable and spectacular scenery.
Omarama is one of the greatest soaring sites in the world. It's famous for its clear air, spectacular Southern Alps and the extraordinary mountain lee waves that occur here.
Breathtaking helicopter flights with The Helicopter Line expose the magnificent views of the pristine alpine environment in the Aoraki/Mount Cook World Heritage Park. Scenic helicopter flight options range from 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
Mount Cook Ski Planes are a New Zealand icon and industry leader in alpine scenic flights, including glacier snow landings. We operate a modern fleet of fixed wing Ski Planes and Helicopters from Aoraki Mount Cook Airport.
A thrilling ride in an open-cockpit biplane, carries two passengers in addition to the pilot. Share the fun and adventure with a family member, friend or partner. You get to dress up in a leather flying jacket, helmet, aviator goggles and a silk scarf.
9 hole golf course (72 par). Players welcome. Turn from State Highway 8 at Twizel Township signs and follow signs to golf course.
Glacier Explorers is the only tour of its kind in New Zealand, and one of three in the world! Very few glaciers terminate into lakes and even fewer of these are accessible to the average person.
By using a boat we get close to towering ice cliffs and huge floating icebergs. The boats provide a safe way to unseen and inaccessible areas of New Zealand's largest glacier. Being able to view, touch and taste 500 year old ice is a new experience for most people.
Travel to the Mt Cook National Park and explore the beauty and magnificence of the Mueller Glacial lake by sea kayak. Imagine a pristine glacial lake, the clear green expanse interrupted only by the grandeur of icebergs millimeters away from you. Close enough to touch.
Visit the mountain-top Astro Cafe on Mt.John for the most spectacular views and great coffee. Take a daytime tour of the fully-functioning scientific Mount John Observatory or just relax and enjoy the breathtaking 360 degree alpine panorama. Stargazing tours operate each night (subject to weather). Explore the beautiful dark sky and view planets, stars and distant galaxies.
A tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary, humanitarian, ambassador and one of the world's greatest explorers, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre showcases the Aoraki Mount Cook region, its people and its place in the universe.
The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is truly one of New Zealand's great rides. For over 300 km and dropping 780m, visitors can experience some of the most unique and stunning scenery New Zealand has to offer. Suitable for all ages, the trail is an easy grade, and offers a pleasing mix of on and off-road trails which link the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean. Allow 6 days for the entire ride, or simply try out a day excursion. Whichever option you choose, the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is sure to be a memorable experience. Get on your bike and ride!
New Zealand's most experienced heli-ski and heli-board company, HMH has an extensive variety of terrain to ski or board in Mount Cook (Operates during winter from July to September).
The powder snow, sunshine, friendly people and un-crowded slopes and trails are what make Ohau special. The Boulevard is for learners and intermediates. The High Traverse is suitable for experts and the Towers and other trails are suitable for intermediates.
Ski the world famous Tasman Glacier with the experts – Southern Alps Guiding. The ultimate scenic ski adventure. Over 20km of untracked snow to ski.
8 Private Hot Tubs, 2 Private Wellness Pods, 1 Public Sauna. All hot tubs are outdoor in private landscaped gardens. The hot tubs are all cleaned & re-filled after each use with fresh mountain water, there are no chemicals added.
Take a trip down to Lake Tekapo and sit back and relax in one of the three hot pools at Alpine Springs, heated to between 36 – 40 degrees, boasting amazing views of Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps.
Segway Xtreme is a family owned and operated buiness, offering exciting off road Segway rides for young and old in the picturesque Mackenzie Basin town of Twizel.
Our Guided Tours glide out to the walking tracks, mountain and river views of Twizel, we then head back through the unique greenway network towards the centre of Twizel.
Discover the Lord of the Rings Tours in Twizel, where several scenes from the Return of the King were filmed. This includes the largest ever day of filming in the trilogy with over 1500 actors and crew involved. This location tour is highly recommended in the Lord of the Rings Location guidebooks.
The 1 hour special tour is perfect for those visitors who only have a short amount of time and want to make the most of the area. The 2 hour classic is perfect for the Lord of the Rings fan or those people who want more information and photo stops at additional key parts of the location.
At 3754 metres, New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook is dazzling, yet there are 27 other mountains in this alpine backbone which peak at over 3050 metres, and hundreds of others not far short of that – all making up the famous Southern Alps.
You can enjoy 4WD safaris, boating on the glacier lakes, horse treks, fishing, scenic flights with snow landings and numerous walks and hikes.
Visit the Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon Store and Lake Pukaki Information Centre. Lunch on the award-winning Saikou Sushi Grade Salmon, picnic amidst the scenic views of Mt. Cook. Salmon options include: whole, fillet, smoked, sashimi. Info centre, great photo opportunity of Mt. Cook, public rest area & toilets.Located on State Highway 8, Lake Pukaki.
A 4WD & Argo adventure tour that you won't forget! Guaranteed to be both memorable and enjoyable providing some of the most spectacular photographic opportunities in the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Stopping at several vantage points overlooking the Tasman Glacier and Terminal Lake.
Welcome aboard the Haines Hunter vessel for a leisurely cruise on stunning Lake Tekapo. See amazing vistas of the Southern Alps, Mt John, and the spectacular high tundra landscapes of the Mackenzie Country. There are a variety of cruise times and options available. View the hydro intake, early bridge piers, Motuariki Island, Godley and Macaulay Valleys, Mt Mistake, Cass River, views of the Southern Alps and Mt John. Choose from a BBQ breakfast, lunch or dinner on the shore, which can include locally harvested Mount Cook Salmon. Advance reservations recommended.
Max Irons has over 25 years experience fishing these waters, and you'll be overwhelmed by his eagerness, enthusiasm and skill at finding fish. He can access remote areas with his 4WD, and he also has a jet boat. A day on the river with Max is worth paying for!
Ben Ohau Road Cheese produces small quantity, high quality, genuine handmade artisan cheeses. With a purpose-built factory nestled amongst trees on Ben Ohau Road and is operated without a traditional electricty supply.
Lakes, ski fields, tussock grasslands, glaciers, forests and mountains – its one big playground! From relaxing in hot pools to a helicopter landing on a glacier, you'll find something for everyone.


Finally, fall is here. The weather is becoming slightly cooler, and gardeners are slowly migrating back outdoors after record-breaking heat this summer. Now is a perfect time to add a new tree or a grouping of shrubs to the landscape. Or perhaps you have an area in the landscape that needs 'remodeling' or rejuvenating. The fall may be the best season to plant, surpassing even the spring.
Many people prefer January through March for planting, but the fall months of September through December have distinct advantages. Fall planting follows the heat of summer, before a cool winter season, and trees and shrubs planted in the fall use this to good advantage. Plant roots grow anytime the soil temperature is 40 degrees or higher, which may occur all winter in Texas. During the winter months, the root systems of the fall-planted specimens develop and become established. When spring arrives, this expanded root system can support and take advantage of the full surge of spring growth.
Fall is the optimum time to plant balled and burlapped trees and shrubs. Balled and burlapped plants have ample time to recover from transplanting and proliferate roots before spring growth begins. Remember, however, all bare root plants, including roses and pecan and fruit trees, should be planted in late winter when they are completely dormant.
When buying plants for your landscape, be sure to get healthy, well-grown plants. Always buy from a reputable dealer. Those in the plant-selling business year-round depend on repeat customers, and only by selling customers quality plants can there be assurance of future business. Beware of plant bargains. They can easily turn out to be real headaches. A bargain is no good if it dies. The price tag, especially the cheapest one, is not the best guide to quality.
All plants have growing requirements. Think about the plant's needs before you invest. Is it adapted to your area's soil? Will it grow in sun or shade? Does it need a wet or dry location? Is it cold hardy? Some nurseries have this type of information on tags beside the plant. If not, ask a nursery professional or the county Extension agent.
'Plan before you plant' is always a good rule of thumb. Whether you are planting a single plant or an entire landscape, plan first, then plant. Good planning is a worthwhile investment of time that will pay off in greater enjoyment of attractive and useful home grounds, and in increasing the value of your home. It's much easier to move plants on paper then to dig them after planting in the wrong place. A plan saves many planting mistakes.
Every plant in the landscape should serve a purpose. Ask yourself if you want a plant for screening, for privacy, or for shade. How large will it be five years from now? Plants, like people, grow up. Remember, that a small one-gallon-size plant will look entirely different after a few years of growth in your landscape.
Dig a hole large enough in diameter so that the root system has at least six inches of clearance on all sides. The root ball should rest on a solid soil foundation, so don't dig the hole much deeper than the ball.
Watering has been and remains paramount in transplanting. At the time of transplanting, soak the root ball and surrounding soil. A thorough watering every 7 to 10 days dramatically increases the success ratio. More frequent watering may encourage root rot. Remember more trees and shrubs fail from over watering then from under watering.
Before calling it a day, add 4 to 6 inches of mulch around the base of newly planted trees and shrubs. This helps to keep down weeds and conserve soil moisture. Use pine bark, compost, grass clippings, or leaves.
Fall is for planting. Visit your nursery today, and beautify and add value to your home.


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Elly Fisher is a vivacious 22-year-old who is only too happy to make new friends.
0 · 149 views · located in The Infinite Void
a character in "The Multiverse", as played by Jyllaby
Elly Fisher looks about seventeen, but is in reality around twenty-two years of age. Slender and fit with an hourglass figure, she wears simple clothing, commonly a tank top, skinny jeans, and sneakers. She wears multiple long string necklaces with various charms and pendants, and a red leather cuff bracelet with three diamond-shaped metal studs on it. A beige canvas cross-body satchel covered in pins and patches holds a variety of things, including nail polish, nail clippers, a nail file, two hairbrushes, three combs, a bunch of scrunchies and hairties, some barrettes, two kinds of chapstick, lip gloss, mascara, a packet of trail mix, beef jerky, a stainless steel water bottle, a pair of portable chopsticks, a pocket knife, two or three lighters, a multitool, a black leather wallet, a change pouch, a cell phone, mechanic's work gloves, and a thin, folded-up rain coat. She believes in being prepared.
Elly is striking-looking, with long, perfectly straight black hair, big green-blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, numerous freckles, and perfectly straight white teeth always showing in her perpetual smile. She is easy-going, good natured, beautiful, and loving. She has a full sleeve tattoo on her left arm of a brownish-green chinese dragon coiling around the arm, with its tail wrapped around her wrist and its head resting on her shoulder, and all of the other zodiac animals cuddled up to the dragon, asleep. Elly is full of love for life and an unending thirst for knowledge. About half the time, she wears round-lensed John Lennon style rimless glasses, and the other half the time she wears contacts. In addition to the various paraphernelia in her satchel, she is also always carrying around a book of some kind. Right now, it's Aku-Aku by Thor Heyerdahl. Elly is seeking her path in life.
Elly's Story
Seen 19 Times • Page 1 of 1
# 2010-11-12 08:54:57 , as written by Jyllaby
Elly pushes open the door and half-walks, half-skips to the bar cheerily. She smiles at the bartender, then puts in her order, "Can I get a water with lemon and some hummus with pita bread and carrot and celery sticks?" The bartender nods, and she smiles at him. "Thanks!" she says, and sits down a seat away from the girl who had just walked in before her. Her water shows up, she thanks the bartender again, then drops the slice of lemon into it and stirs it with her straw before taking a sip. She looks around and spies the girl sitting next to her. "Halloa," she says, "I'm new here."
Elly laughed and took Jacey's hand, shaking it firmly. The ever-present and thoroughly genuine smile creased her eyes as she replied, "Good to meet you, Jacey. I'm Elly Fisher. I'm not much of a one for crazies OR fights, but the food at this place came highly recommended." She pulled her hand away as he bartender brought Elly her order, and she smiled at him, thanked him, dipped some of the pita bread in the hummus and took a big bite, then chewed happily. "And apparently," she said around a mouthful, "that recommendation was not in error. This is very good!" She pushed the plate a little towards Jacey. "Would you like a bit?"
Elly ran her fingers back through her long black hair. "Ah, well, y'see, I'm from up north - I figured I'd come see the rest of the world while I was still young, y'know?" She reached for a bit of carrot, dipped it in the hummus, then popped it into her mouth with a satisfying snap. She shifted to look in the direction Jacey had been looking. "Whatcha lookin' at over there, Jace?" she asked curiously.
Elly blinked. "Ah, a boy, I take it." She grinned. "Boys think they've got a God-given right to beat the tar out of anyone who looks at 'em funny. Personally, I've never really seen the point. I'm a pretty solid proponent of the whole 'give peace a chance' concept, y'know?" she said with a laugh. "I myself would love to see Tokyo in the spring - I hear the cherry blossoms fall like a tender, warm, pink snow. Where I come from, snow that's any colour but white is a little suspect - and it's never warm or tender." She fidgeted on her barstool, playing with her hair. "I really wish I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I go from town to town doing mechanic work to keep me afloat, but it's kind of a hard run, you know?"
Elly frowned and turned her hands over, examining the flawless clear polish as she spoke. "Yeah, I work on cars. My old man was a real mechanic and he taught me to do some basic stuff. I can balance a tire, I can replace your oil filter, do your brakes, replace the gas tank, all kinds of things. But you hand me an engine and it's a world of herp derp, let me tell you." Her radiant smile re-emerged. "I love my Papa very much, he made sure I'd be able to take care of myself a bit. There's always someone who needs work done." She loaded her pita bread with hummus, and chomped into it with gusto, clearly enjoying the food.
Elly nodded. "Yeah, that seems like the most reasonable course of action," she said, "I had no other lodgings planned, and I'll be in town for a while. I'll be trying to look for more permanent employment while I'm here. I can do some mechanic work, but not enough to start my own shop, so I'll just try at the restaurants." She grinned and blushed. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm a fairly accomplished chef myself, y'see. That's why I got word about the food here. It's where a lot of my talent lies." She laughed. "I might even apply to work here, you never know! Are there any other bars or restaurants in town with full kitchens?" she inquired.
Elly looked down to hide her blush. "Thanks, you're pretty alright yourself," she admitted, "And I think I might just be able to swing a tasting for you." She looked up. "Do you like sushi?" She asked, her eyes glittering brightly.
Elly laughed, stood up, and embraced Jacey firmly in a quick hug. "I'd have to be in agreement with that!" she smiled warmly as she moved away, "And I can't believe you! 'Can you make sushi' indeed! The only people who might make better sushi than I do live in a part of the world I haven't gotten around to visiting yet!" she said with a wink. "I can make any kind you like, though I do admit to favouring ebi, maguro, and dynamite maki rolls. I can make them with brown or white rice, I can make them with nori or shiso wrappers - any kind of sushi you want, honey, I can dish it up for you." She grinned.
Elly stepped back and grinned. "Boy, I ain't seen nobody have such a field day with my talents for quite a while. It'll have to wait 'till I've got a kitchen, though, babe." she warned, "And that requires a place to live, not just a hotel room, so you'll be waiting a while."
Elly stared blankly, her smile faltering. "I really hope you don't mean that," she said seriously, "I can't be part to that kind of thing, darlin'. And I'd rather not see you go to jail so soon after having met you."
Elly rolled her eyes. "Oi, of all the people in the bar to choose to hang out with, I get caught up with Raffles." she grinned wryly. "I'm pretty clumsy, kitten, I don't do 'not getting caught' all that well." She laughed.
Elly laughed and rubbed her eyes, then finished off the last of her hummus and pita. She sat back in her barstool and looked blearily at Jacey. "Crazy kitten, I'm afraid I'll have to wait to meet your cute boy. I've had a long day and I need rest."
Elly walked over to the front desk to buy a room for a week, then walked back over to Jacey. "We'll pick this up later, alright, beautiful?" She leaned over and softly kissed Jacey's cheek. "Don't get in trouble between now and then."
Elly walked up the stairs tiredly.
At the end of a long day, Elly really just wanted to finish up, take off her apron and kerchief, and head upstairs to her room, but yet another order had just come in. She looked at the clock apprehensively - time seemed to move at half speed when you were working. Thirty minutes until end of shift. She sighed, and looked at the order - at least it was a simple one. She quickly began to whip up a batter and signed to the bartender that it would be ten minutes. Elly's job as a cook was tough, but rewarding. Putting out good food and seeing the satisfied faces of the customers really tickled her.
The sound of sizzling oil in the deep fryer emanates from the kitchen, as does a tantalizing scent, while Elly begins putting together a plate with coleslaw, tartar sauce, and fresh lemon slices.
Elly pulled the hot fish and steaming skin-on fresh fries from the fryer, slid the fish onto the plate, and tossed the fries in basket with some sea salt. She set the basket of fries on the plate, looked around for a waitress - well, it didn't matter that much, she figured, she had no other orders in. She checked the kitchen once, walked out to the bar, and asked the bartender who had ordered the dish. The man indicated, with a nod of his head, the man in the wheelchair at one of the tables. Elly walked out to the man and set the plate of hot food down in front of him. She smiled and tilted her head, saying, "Compliments of the chef! Careful, it's hot." She began to turn around, but stopped and turned back. "I'll find you a waitress and send her out to take your drink order." She turned again and walked back to the kitchen, where she would wait for more orders to come in and clean up the kitchen as she went.
Finding a waitress, Elly indicated with a low word and a nod of her head the table that was in need, sending her back in the way of the man who had ordered the chips.
The clock struck the hour - finally, her shift was over. Elly pulled off her apron, nodded to the bartender, and headed upstairs for the night.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a long, rambling missive to US President George W. Bush this week. It ended on a somewhat ominous note that seemed to some Islamic scholars to constitute a declaration of war against the US. Ahmadinejad wrote, "Liberalism and Western-style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems."
After declaring the death of the ideals on which the United States is founded, Ahmadinejad explained that "people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point - that is Almighty God." He then challenged Bush, "Do you not want to join them?"
Experts on Islam in Washington have noted that since Ahmadinejad advocates Islamic fundamentalism as the only true religious path, his question to Bush was in fact an ultimatum to convert to Islam or face the consequences. Islamic scholar Robert Spencer put it carefully on his weblog Jihad Watch when he wrote, "this letter could be - but is not necessarily - a prelude to an attack."
Ahmadinejad's letter was delivered on Monday. One would think that if the Bush administration was concerned about the signals Teheran was sending that Bush and top administration officials would be at pains for the next several days to ensure that Iran and the rest of the world understood that the US would not be surrendering any time soon to the dictates of its sworn enemies.
Sadly, the opposite occurred. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the EU's foreign policy chiefs at the UN for a summit of the so-called Middle East Quartet. The meeting, which was the first official gathering of Quartet members since the popularly elected Hamas government assumed power in the Palestinian Authority and Ehud Olmert formed his government in Israel, was dedicated to the question of how to continue to give the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid even though they just elected an international jihadist organization to lead them.
Notably, at the same time that Rice was meeting with her colleagues in New York, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal was meeting with his colleagues in Qatar. Seated at a dais with terror preacher Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi and Islamic Jihad commander Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, Mashaal called on the Arab and Islamic world to send Hamas "weapons, money and men." Mashaal reassured his audience, explaining that their "weapons, money and men" would be a force for good in the world because Hamas is engaged in "resistance, not terrorism."
It should be noted that for years Mashaal has been cultivating Hamas's ties with Iran. Ahead of Hamas's election in January, in one of his almost monthly trips to Teheran, Mashaal reportedly told the Iranian leadership that he wants Iran to view Hamas as a Palestinian version of Hizbullah. That is, like Hizbullah, in exchange for Iranian weapons, money and training, Hamas will act as Teheran's client and subordinate its actions to Teheran's command hierarchy. Iran accepted his offer.
And so, the day after Ahmadinejad wrote his war letter to Bush, Rice was meeting with her associates figuring out a way to give the Hamas-led Palestinians millions of dollars of US taxpayers' money.
While administration officials insist that Rice's decision to agree that the EU can formulate an artificial mechanism to continue to flood the PA with international monetary assistance is not an American okay to flood the PA with international monetary assistance, in fact it is just such an okay. Israel's announcement Wednesday that it would be resuming the transfer of tens of millions of dollars of tax revenues to the PA is proof that Tuesday's Quartet meeting did conclude with a green light to renew Western monetary assistance to the PA.
RICE'S DECISION to enable the funding of the Hamas-led PA is significant, and indeed disastrous for two main reasons. First, by so acting, the Bush administration is ignoring strategic realities that present immediate dangers not only to Israel but to the US as well.
Against the backdrop of Ahmadinejad's letter this week and his constant threats against the US and its allies in recent weeks and months, it is clear that Iran perceives itself as being in a state of active war against the US. It is also a fact that Hamas is now an official client of Teheran. As an Iranian satellite, an empowered and emboldened Hamas is no longer just an Israeli concern. Hamas today can and ought to be perceived as an enemy of the US as well - an enemy to whom the Bush administration just pledged $10 million in medical assistance.
Indeed, even before Hamas subordinated itself to Teheran, the movement was in a declared state of war against America. On December 17, 2001, Hamas published a joint declaration with the Islamic Jihad in which it declared, "Americans are the enemies of the Palestinian people," and Americans "are a target for future attacks." Hamas's rhetoric has customarily been imbued with virulent anti-Americanism. Hamas has financed Palestinian members of al-Qaida and in at least one instance, in 2003, it trained a naturalized Canadian citizen from Gaza in terrorist tactics for the purpose of having him carry out attacks in Canada and the US. Fortunately, Israeli security forces arrested him before he was able to carry out his mission.
As Matthew Levitt points out in his copiously documented and detailed new book, Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad, in 2004 the FBI admitted that Hamas has the capabilities to carry out attacks in the US. In August 2004, a Hamas terrorist was arrested while taking pictures of the suspension cables of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
In its present capacity as an Iranian client there can be no doubt that Hamas's willingness to take action against the US has increased. Its interest in expanding its activities beyond Israel has been on full display in recent weeks in Jordan. For the second time in so many weeks, on Wednesday a Jordanian government spokesman announced the unearthing of Hamas weapons caches in the kingdom, including Iranian-made rocket launchers. The spokesman also announced that Hamas is seeking to recruit Jordanian nationals to undergo terror training in Syria and Iran. The spokesman referred to Hamas's activities in the country as posing "a major threat to the national security of the country."
And yet, even as Hamas devotes all its energies to building up its arsenal and swelling the ranks of its jihadist forces, the US has answered the frenzied call for more aid to the Palestinian people sounded by the usual suspects in the EU, the UN, and (it must be said), the Israeli media. To Hamas's calls for the destruction of Israel and the defeat of the US, Rice answered on Tuesday by declaring that the goal of the Quartet meeting was "to provide assistance to the Palestinian people so that they do not suffer deprivation and do not suffer an humanitarian crisis." Rice then proceeded to pledge $10m. in in-kind US medical aid to the Palestinian health system, which was widely reported to be short of money for dialysis treatments despite the fact that Israel allowed four truckloads of medical supplies into Gaza this week.
The US and its Palestinian-obsessed European counterparts and the Israeli government claim that the hundreds of millions of dollars they are about to provide the Palestinians with in "direct aid" will not benefit the Hamas-led PA. But of course this is incorrect. Firstly, the EU is already making clear that their Hamas-evading mechanism for funding the Hamas-led PA will facilitate the payment of salaries of PA employees who are supposed to be getting paid by Hamas. That is, the EU will be paying Hamas's bills directly.
Secondly, every cent transferred in "direct aid" to the Palestinians is money that will prevent Hamas from failing. Every well-fed Palestinian welfare case will be a vindication for the Palestinian people's decision to vote Hamas into power. Every penny of Western and Israeli aid tells them that they may both escalate their war against Israel while officially joining the global jihad and eat well on the Israeli/ American/ European dole.
THIS BRINGS us to the second disturbing aspect of the US decision to bow to EU, Russian and UN pressure and open the dam of international aid to the Hamas-led PA. Indeed, it brings us to the disturbing nature of the Quartet to which the US belongs. The fact is that in its decision this week to bow to Quartet pressure and enable the renewal of aid to the Palestinians (after a six-week hiatus), like in its decision in 2002 to agree to the establishment of the Quartet in the first place, the US continues to pin its Middle East policy on a fiction that it is possible to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians through Israeli concessions and land giveaways to the Palestinians.
When the Quartet was founded to "advance the peace process," the peace process had already died. The peace process ended in July 2000 when the late Yasser Arafat rejected Israel's peace offer and the sovereign state of Palestine the offer entailed in favor of war. From then on, all hope of peace in our generation was extinguished as the Palestinian jihad against Israel opened its current round.
The purpose the Quartet was founded to advance was the shunning of reality, in the hope that if reality was rejected strenuously, that reality would change. This was the context in which the Quartet members, with the help of Yossi Beilin and Shimon Peres, wrote their road map peace plan that the Bush administration shoved down Ariel Sharon's throat in May 2004.
In the end, the Quartet's refusal to countenance the reality of war caused Israel to choose the capitulationist policy of unilateral surrender of territory to the Palestinians. Viewing the behavior of Israel and the Quartet, the Palestinians rationally assessed that terror and war were winning strategies and thus elected Hamas to lead them. Now, in light of Hamas's refusal to keep up the fiction of a peace process, the Quartet has engaged itself in a new enterprise. Recognizing there is no chance for a peace process until Hamas ceases to be Hamas, the Quartet is now convincing itself that Hamas is not Hamas.
In short, the US on Tuesday recommitted itself to a Middle East policy that has no connection to reality and thus no chance of ever succeeding. Indeed, failure is inevitable. It has been argued that the American capitulation to EU, UN and Russian pressure to fund Hamas was undertaken to secure their support for US efforts in the UN Security Council against Iran. If so, then the deal the US struck is both delusional and counterproductive. It is delusional because Russia, Kofi Annan and key EU member states such as Germany will not provide the US with backing for any measure that could possibly succeed in preventing or delaying Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons. And it is counterproductive because the fact is that by aiding Hamas, the US aiding Iran.


text:
Adolf Hitler's father, Alois, dies
In the town of Leonding, Austria, on the bitterly cold morning of Saturday, January 3, 1903, Alois Hitler, 65, went out for a walk, stopping at a favorite inn where he sat down and asked for a glass of wine.
He collapsed before the wine was brought to him and died within minutes from a lung hemorrhage. It was not the first one he had suffered.
Young Adolf, now 13, broke down and cried when he saw his father's body laid out. His father's funeral mass in the small church at Leonding was well attended. A newspaper in nearby Linz published an obituary that included the following sentence: "The harsh words that sometimes fell from his lips could not belie the warm heart that beat under the rough exterior."
For Adolf, there would be no more harsh words and no more arguing with his father, especially over his career choice. Hitler's father had insisted Adolf become a civil servant like himself. Young Hitler, however, had dreams of becoming a great artist. Now Hitler was free from the stern words and domineering authority of his father. In fact, young Adolf was now the male head of the household, a position of some importance in those days.
Financially, his father had left the Hitler family fairly well provided for. Hitler's mother received half of her husband's monthly pension, plus death benefits. Adolf received a small amount each month, plus a small inheritance. The family also owned a house in Leonding which had been paid for mostly in cash.
For convenience, young Hitler went to live at a boys' boarding house in Linz where he was attending the technical high school. This saved him the long daily commute from Leonding. On weekends, he went back home to his mother.
Hitler was remembered by the woman who ran the boarding house as a nervous, awkward boy, who spent most of his time reading and drawing. Although Hitler loved to read, he was a lazy and uncooperative student in school.
In Autumn 1903, when he returned to school after summer vacation, things got worse. Along with his poor grades in mathematics and French, Hitler behaved badly, knowing he was likely to fail. With no threat of discipline at home and disinterest shown by his school teachers, Hitler performed pranks and practical jokes aimed at the teachers he now disliked so much.
Among Hitler's antics - giving contrary, insulting, argumentative answers to questions which upset the teacher and delighted the other boys who sometimes applauded him. With those boys, he also released cockroaches in the classroom, rearranged the furniture, and organized confusion in the classroom by doing the opposite of what the teacher said.
Years later, even as Führer, Hitler liked to dwell on his schoolboy pranks and would recall them in detail to his top generals in the midst of waging a world war.
It was only Hitler's history teacher, Dr. Leopold Pötsch, and his tales of heroic Germans from bygone eras who kept his interest and earned his respect. By his early teens, Hitler already had a keen interest in German nationalism along with an big interest in art and architecture
Source: The History Place Added by: Jabril Faraj
View other events that happened on January 3


Earlier this year, we talked about how big, bold prints are a popular 2018 interior design trend. Of all the styles of prints from which you can choose, those inspired by nature are among the most desired by professional decorators and farmhouse fashionistas alike.
In fact, you've probably seen decorative accents with palm leaves, foliage, and other various plantlife everywhere! People especially love to decorate with colorful leaf accents during the warmer spring and summer months to help bring a little nature-inspired sunshine inside their homes. In fact, tropical themed decor has turned out to be one of the most prominent home trends of the year.
If you're looking to update your home's interior with some lush and leafy accessories, look no further! Below, we've selected our five favorite nature-inspired home decor accents of the year.
We're not kidding when we say tropical and palm leaf prints are back in a big way this year. They're everywhere. You can find them on wallpaper, accent rugs – even on sundresses and men's ties. This is one trend you need to get on, stat!
Need an easy way to incorporate this print into your home's decor? The tropical palm leaf print above is adorned on carved wood and comes complete with shimmery gold flecks throughout. It's amazing how hanging one great print on just the right wall can truly transform a room. You can check out another square version of this print here.
Another big trend this year? Hanging wall tapestries. A definite throwback to the funky 70's of yore, wall tapestries have enjoyed quite a resurgence. While many offer coverage that encompasses the entirety of the wall, some are much smaller and are instead meant as a smaller accent.
The leaf wall tapestry above features a tropical leaf print with an antiqued appearance and would look lovely anywhere. You can check out some other hanging leaf wall tapestries here.
Not all trendy nature-inspired decor is leaf-exclusive. Many also feature bright and bloomy florals, especially to help infuse color into a room. Rustic floral prints like the one pictured above go quite well in French country, shabby chic, and farmhouse style homes. Adding some florals to homes with these decorative themes is helpful for adding some dimension, as they tend to feature neutral color palettes.
Not all leaf decor is meant for the wall! Other ways you can add some natural flair to your interior is through the use of home accessories like the rustic leaf decorative piece above. This leaf is great to add to a tabletop vignette, as a shelving accent, or as a lone centerpiece.
For some tips on how to style tabletop vignettes, you can check out our guide here.
Last but certainly not least, we love wall art that goes beyond canvas or wood prints by bringing the art to life in a more dimensional way. The tree branch wall art pictured above is a great way to add some nature-inspired texture to any wall. This particular piece has more of a rustic feel and would make a great gift for a green-thumbed gardening enthusiast.
What's your favorite way to infuse nature into your home? We'd love to hear some of your ideas in the comments below!
Looking for decor for your accent wall?
We're proud to offer a huge selection of home decor designed for the discerning homeowner, including a diverse array of home accessories for any taste! Whether you've got farmhouse fever or simply like decor with a rustic touch, we've got what you're looking for.


Comment by Mellanie: Thank you for posting my article on Ghost Bridge. I did a lot of research into this location. It was surprising how many people claimed the same phenomena and gave the same ''history'' of the location without verifying any of the information.
I recommend that all paranormal investigators really research the true history of a location rather than take someone's word on it. Oral history can be wrong. Point of clarification I am not with Screaming Eagle Paranormal Society.
I work with Military Veterans Paranormal. V/R Mellanie C.
In 2004 me, my boyfriend, my brother, and another roommate moved into a house on Arrow Circle. At first we loved the house, we found it cozy and charming, it was this way for about 5 months, then things changed.
It started out little things like the front door opening on it's own and we would hear one another talking when that person isn't home. We were decorating our Christmas tree and as we put ornaments on they would be pulled off.
We ignored it and the next day we came home from work to find our tree completely shredded not just decorations but the tree it's self had been torn apart and scattered around the house. A few nights later we were watching a movie and kept seeing movement in the doorway to the kitchen.


text:
Mały szop () – radziecki krótkometrażowy film animowany z 1974 roku w reżyserii Olga Czurkina na podstawie bajki Lilian Moore. Scenariusz napisała Margarita Dołotcewa.

Obsada (głosy)
 Kłara Rumianowa
 Marija Winogradowa

Animatorzy
Faina Jepifanowa, Boris Czani, Jelena Wierszynina, Antonina Aleszyna, Galina Czernikowa, Aleksandr Siczkar, Irina Biełowa, Mstisław Kupracz, L. Rybczewska

Przypisy

Bibliografia
 Dołotcewa M., Mały szop: Bajka filmowa, Związek Filmowców ZSRR, 1979 / Biuro Propagandy Kinematografii Radzieckiej, 1987.
 Mały szop w bazie IMDb
 Mały szop w bazie Animator.ru

Linki zewnętrzne
 Mały szop w bazie lubimyczytac.pl

Filmy o szopach
Radzieckie adaptacje filmowe
Radzieckie animowane filmy krótkometrażowe
Radzieckie filmy animowane z 1974 roku

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Stop blaming weapons and Palin for the Arizona capturing. Positioned on the heart of one of the World's esteemed Blue Zones, this coastal improvement opportunity will permit for luxurious living in one of many healthiest places on earth. This lovely trendy apartment offers simple 2wd access to the beachside city of Uvita.
Very little land remains that may still be developed. Redfin is redefining real estate and the house shopping for process in Long Island with business-leading expertise, full-service agents, and decrease charges that provide a better value for Redfin buyers and sellers.
Strategically nestled within the scenic foothills of Escazu on 4 acres of inexperienced areas with fabulous views these model new condominiums supply privacy and simplicity linking to all Costa Rica destinations and responding to unrivalled convenience to buying, dining, necessities and all local attractions.
On uncommon occasions, the association of a rental might have acquired an interest in the land, during which case it is not straight ahead what will occur upon expiry of the lease – as if the case with Discovery Bay in Waikiki. With an extremely high monetary & regulatory bar for building traditional hotels right here, condotels have become an attractive path to make a profit.
The sports business is another thriving field in the downtown core which additionally stands for one of many largest investment sectors in Downtown Indianapolis. Circle Centre Mall is arguably one of the vital fascinating purchasing facilities in all of Indianapolis, drawing in faraway tourists, residents from all around the city, and guests from nearby Indiana cities.


Actress Robin Wright enjoyed learning the choreography for battle scenes in the new Wonder Woman movie because they were shot like a ballet.
The House of Cards star portrays General Antiope in director Patty Jenkins' superhero adaptation, and Robin didn't hesitate to sign on for the powerful role.
The cast is predominantly female, with Gal Gadot as the titular character, and the actresses all trained together to make sure they were in peak physical condition for the shoot.
And the 51-year-old really appreciated the way the fight scenes were planned out and filmed.
But it took the star a little time to feel like an Amazonian warrior on set – she felt a little scrawny when she arrived for the shoot, because her co-stars had been training for two months.


The tracter Analogy. The habit of negative thinking, particularly 'worry', is what ultimately causes and prolongs anxiety disorders; it's as simple as that. Stress, genetics and learnt behaviour can all be contributing factors but without the added stress of 'worry' they simply wouldn't exist. Through repeated worry, the brain changes the way it functions, and begins to treat 'worry' as 'important' and that it must be continually used. This is no different than learning to ride a bike. We keep learning it until the brain changes the way it functions so much so that it becomes 'learnt' and we can ride the bike without even thinking about it; it becomes a habit.
Imagine a tractor crossing a bumpy field via the same track every day. Each day the track becomes increasingly deeper and deeper until eventually it becomes so entrenched that this becomes a quick and easy route for the tractor to cross the field. If the tractor were to digress away from this route it would be difficult; the deep walls of the track would pull the tractor firmly back into it. However, if the tractor chipped away steadily at a new route, over time this new route would begin to form until it was firmly laid. If the tractor then decides to continue to use this new track, it too would become more entrenched until eventually this route would become a quick and easy route across the field. The old 'unused' route would gradually over time begin to naturally fill up with dirt and debris but it would always leave some sort of impression. If there were a sudden storm bringing flash floods there is a chance that the tractor could slip back into the old track which would start to become once more entrenched.
In the same way when we think negatively (old track), initially it can be very difficult to think more positively (change track). However, the more we try this then the easier it becomes until eventually the new track becomes the habitual way to think. Under times of stress (storm) it can become so difficult to retain this new way of thinking that sometimes we can slip back into the old negative thinking habits. The difference between recovery and non-recovery lies in learning how to stay on the new path.


text:
AI-generated tools as a generative sketchbook of imagination
PA Next Team
Articles, Artificial Intelligence
Joshua Vermillion is an associate professor at the University of Nevada, School of Architecture. While his recent teaching has concentrated on fundamental design principles, his research focuses on architectural applications of computational design methods and parametric design, digital fabrication tools and techniques, robotics and responsive systems, and other emerging technologies.
Joshua explained his AI experience and digital works to PA. Let's take a look!
Joshua has been using MidJourney's and Stable Diffusion's diffusion models to quickly interrogate ideas that come to me—much in the same way, traditionally, that we've used sketchbooks and a pen or pencil. One thing that stands out to his has been the models' sense of materiality. The models and especially MidJourney really seem to learn many interesting and expressive qualities of material patterns, textures, and grains.
Always "searching" / "mining" for good material patterns, textures, forms, operations, and other effects. As with form-finding experiments, happy accidents are always welcome and indeed sought after.
And Joshua thinks that's part of what makes the imagery so satisfying when adding materials. He thinks we are drawn to images that have strong tactile qualities as if we could reach the screen and start feeling these materials.
But beyond that, Joshua believes these models have a very naive understanding of the things we write about in our prompts. He finds himself purposely not using certain common words to refer to architecture, mainly because the models tend to refer to some of the most pedestrian (and probably most common) examples of "building" or "house" or "door", etc that it was trained with.
Often when writing prompts He is looking for language that can help subvert the model's tendency to generate the mundane, the literal, or the obvious. Referring to materials can help with this.
According to Joshua, It can bring the model out of its comfort zone, so to say, in order to create some intriguing results. The qualities that we assign to materials when we write about them—folded or weathered or polished or wrinkly, corbeled, vaulted, woven, stacked, bent—begin to inform the geometries, effects, and atmospherics that are generated.
Joshua has begun having his students use MidJourney to investigate their ideas in parallel with a fairly conventional design studio which in turn can bring the students out of their own comfort zone. According to him, teaching at a minority-serving institution, many of his students are from historically excluded demographics and many are first-generation university students. Even while we develop and hone their visual skills, their writing skills are severely lacking.
Word smithing a written prompt and then iteratively building off of it to develop one's primary idea and objectives. With every tweak or adjustment of the prompt, the student is rewarded with visuals that suggest how much or how little descriptive language was used, providing a feedback loop for continual refinement.
The results so far are mixed but largely positive in helping students better articulate their ideas much sooner in the design process. Joshua finds this alone very promising. The visuals of course can help jump-start their thinking as well but he feels like the architecture of the prompt is crucial to them understanding the relationship between what they say and what they produce in their design studio.
Materials, atmospherics, and effects are a large part of this. Having them express material, textural, tactile, and lighting qualities makes their design thinking much stronger. They have to ask themselves, was this machined, stacked, or formed?
They have to tap into their imaginations and their vocabularies for ways to express—in a way—a story and then see if they can make that story unfold visually. So far hasn't come close to replacing our imaginations, but rather augmenting our imaginations.
Joshua Vermillion sees this catalog as more of a generative sketchbook of Imaginaries, ready for further exploration through a combination of tangible prototyping and virtual modeling.
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Kenyan workers work for less than $2 per hour to filter harmful content on ChatGPT


text:
THE ISLE OF GOLD by Seven Jane Official Blog Tour
THE TOUR SCHEDULE AND LINK.
Mystery, Myth & Magic Meet in an Epic Adventure of Two Women Lost at Sea—
and the Secret that Binds Them Together
AN ORPHAN DISGUISED AS A PIRATE SETS SAIL FOR A MYSTICAL ISLAND IN HOPES OF UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF HER PAST
The year is 1716—the Golden Age of Pirates. An orphan who sleeps in the dusty kitchens of a quayside brothel, Merrin Smith is desperate to unravel the secrets of her past and find the truth about the events that brought her to the Caribbean island of Isla Perla as a child. Disguised as a sailor, and with the help of her longtime friend Claudette, Merrin joins the crew of the pirate ship Riptide, helmed by the notorious Captain Erik Winters. Tenacious and rumored a madman, Winters is known as much for his ruthlessness as for his connection to the enigmatic and beautiful proprietress of the Goodnight Mermaid, Evangeline Dahl, who vanished from Isla Perla two summers before.
At sunset the Riptide sails for the mythical island of Bracile, a place hidden between air and sea and that exists only for a moment every two years, and which has never returned any man who has sailed for its shores. The journey will be perilous and long, and it will take Merrin far away from the only home she's ever known. Because she can read, Merrin will serve as the Captain's apprentice, deciphering old texts for clues to the island's whereabouts as the ship sails through haunted, frozen waters and into the very heart of the ocean. As she struggles to navigate the rough, seafaring life aboard a pirate ship, Merrin must keep her identity hidden from the scrupulous gaze of not only Captain Winters, but also Mister Brandon Dunn, the ship's surly, legend-spouting quartermaster, and Tom Birch, the charming boatswain Merrin can't help but feel drawn to.
As the Riptide makes its way to Bracile, Merrin begins to suspect that the men she has worked so hard to deceive may in fact be more connected to her than she would have imagined, and that perhaps her own past might have more to do with the Dunn's legends and myths than she ever could have guessed.
In The Isle of Gold [Black Spot Books, October 9, 2018] Merrin Smith must face perilous waters, cursed sea goddesses, and the embodiments of some of the ocean's most terrifying legends as she not only struggles to survive her journey, but to find the answers to the mysteries of her past.
A story where history meets fantasy, The Isle of Gold is an epic, emotional adventure of two women—one desperate to save herself, and the other determined to be rescued—and the secret which binds them together.
"For as long as men have sailed the ocean, they have told stories about the sea," says Jane. "It's a place of mystery, myth, and magic—and this makes The Isle of Gold a perfect setting for an epic adventure that is not only a tale of historical fiction, but of the very evolution of a woman's spirit as she seeks to find herself in a world of unpredictability and uncertainty."
"There is an old saying that 'the cure for anything is saltwater—tears, sweat, or the sea.' In The Isle of Gold, Merrin's journey requires all three."
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Praise for THE ISLE OF GOLD
"Part fairytale, part fantasy, part romance, Jane's debut is full of colorful characters [and] a plot that will thrill the heart of any lover of magic, legends, and epic adventure." —Booklist
"Jane weaves a tale of myth and magic . . . This tempting novel will entrance." —Publishers Weekly
"A delightful, well researched and evocative historical fantasy that succeeds in bringing a fascinating era to life." —Midwest Book Review
Ten Dream Vacation Stops
These are my top ten favorite places to vacation.
1. Mount Desert Island, Maine (Late summer)
2. Nassau, Bahamas (March – June)
3. Juneau, Alaska (anytime!)
4. Rome, Italy (anytime, but in the winter they do repairs on the historical landmarks, so go in summer)
5. Kauai, Hawaii (anytime!)
6. Bergen Norway (spring)
7. Munich, Germany (spring)
8. Maccu Picchu, Peru (spring/summer)
9. Salem, Massachusetts (spring—otherwise it is too touristy!)
10. Hudson Valley, New York (fall)
An amazing story beautifully written, there were times I had to read this story out loud to not only experience the visual beauty, but to HEAR the words flow with dramatic charisma. It was so full filling to absorb and lose yourself into this story.
Merrin knows when she decides to go on this adventure, she may not return from the edge of the world. However her trust in Captain Winters with his obsession to find his love, gives her courage to try and find her true identity of her past. She is disguised as a boy, who doesn't fit in with the rest of the crew. Although, he/she is taken in under the wings of the Captain when he learns that he/she can read.
It takes months to get close to their destination, rations are running low, and the crew are getting restless.....Until....The real action starts to take place when truths are revealed, myths turn into realities, and sacrifices must be given.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. There is beauty within the pages, and truly, reading some passages out loud was mesmerizing.
Seven Jane is an author of dark fantasy and speculative fiction. Her debut novel, The Isle of Gold, was published by Black Spot Books in October 2018.
Seven is a member of The Author's Guild and Women's Fiction Writing Association. She writes a weekly column for WFWA's Industry News newsletter, and is a regular contributor to The Nerd Daily.
She is represented by Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management and supported by Smith Publicity.
PHOTO CONTENT FROM SEVEN JANE
WEBSITE: http://www.sevenjane.com/
TWITTER: @sevenjanewrites
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18030363.Seven_Jane
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/sevenjanewrites
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sevenjanewrites/
--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
- 1 Winner will receive a Signed Copy of THE ISLE OF GOLD and Swag by Seven Jane.
- 1 Winner will receive an Exclusive Swags for Upcoming Release.
Labels: Jean Book Nerd Tour, Seven Jane, The isle Of Gold
A KILLER'S ALIBI by William L. Myers Jr. Blog Tour...
STARWORLD by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner Of...


H1N1 (Swine Flu) was a worldwide pandemic that never happened. Or did it? There's new research suggesting H1N1 infections are being misdiagnosed as Viral Encephalitis. Or, perhaps even more frightening, H1N1 has morphed into a new strain of Viral Encephalitis. Or, more terrifying than that — what if H1N1 is being militarized for distribution across the world to kill people for political gain?
The World Health Organization declared that a new strain of novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus was responsible for the pandemic infection in June 2009. We report a case of encephalitis diagnosed as the H1N1 virus infection. We describe a 17-year-old patient who had a seizure attack, diagnosed with a H1N1 virus infection via real time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The H1N1 virus infection can be causative of the encephalitis, as with other influenza virus infections. Careful monitoring is essential for reducing complications.
We can't discuss H1N1 without also bringing in its terror twin: The H5N1 (Bird Flu) doppelgänger.
We show that 9 of 21 of H5N1 introductions to countries in Asia were most likely through poultry, and 3 of 21 were most likely through migrating birds. In contrast, spread to most (20/23) countries in Europe was most likely through migratory birds. Spread in Africa was likely partly by poultry (2/8 introductions) and partly by migrating birds (3/8). Our analyses predict that H5N1 is more likely to be introduced into the Western Hemisphere through infected poultry and into the mainland United States by subsequent movement of migrating birds from neighboring countries, rather than from eastern Siberia. These results highlight the potential synergism between trade and wild animal movement in the emergence and pandemic spread of pathogens and demonstrate the value of predictive models for disease control.
Birds are an effective delivery system for disease. They migrate. They reproduce quickly. They are hard to catch, but popular to eat.
If the sky above us is tainted with deadly birds and chemtrails — and if the ground beneath us is infected with swine flu and Anthrax — where do we go for safety and security?
Do we turn to vaccinations for protection against a planned biological plague?
Or do we reject modern science and choose to live a simpler, more disassociated, life away from the teeming masses of people in large cities with bad intentions?
International airports are a prime hotspot melting pot for disease transference and the delivery of viral infections — and that makes the New York City and Connecticut corridor the new Ground Zero — as the deadliest places on earth.
Scary thoughts, David! I hope that it doesn't come to military use.
Viruses are a fascinating foil, Gordon. They're alive and always changing. Hard to detect and predict. That makes them the perfect weapon.


The last time I wrote in this space was back in March. In newspaper years, that equals about 13 human years. A week used to be a week, and once a week we'd print a newspaper and set it out on the streets, waiting for that great lab experiment to begin: trying to find out what made our readers tick and what would make them tick on over to a newsrack and pick up a copy. Every week, we'd track our data, but it was nearly always two weeks old. Ahh, those were the days.
Data are called metrics today, by the way. We deal in metrics now. And analytics. We get some of that information in real time from Google, which we don't trust and was a mere novelty 13 years ago. It goes like this: A writer posts a blog online and later checks Google Analytics to see how many people read (or opened, or viewed or whatever) that story. Say that occurred on a Tuesday, and it was found that a huge number of persons viewed that blog at 3 p.m. The writer has an "aha" moment and blogs at exactly the same time the following Tuesday about the same topic, only to find that not only did no one view it at 3 p.m., but few people viewed it—period.
And the online chase begins.
Pre-Google, we used to wonder why a coffee shop would move a ton of papers one week, but not so many the next. When that happened, we'd blame the cover story, or attribute it to a holiday or the weather. We'd scratch our heads and be done with it. By the time we figured it out (perhaps the rack had been moved), we'd become equally consumed by a similar issue at the hot-dog palace. Now, with all these fancy Google tools, we get to see the same thing and experience the same confusion, with one glaring downside: Google serves neither coffee nor hot dogs. Try talking to Google sometime.
Measuring print readers—and, now, online users—continues to be less art and science and more dartboard. It's just that today's dartboard is a better one. Thanks to the database miracle, nearly everyone online can track just about everything else online. It used to be that we'd be satisfied to know we'd moved 100 papers in only a couple of days at Salt Lake Roasting Company. Just by looking around at who was drinking coffee there, we knew it was a great demographic group to boast about as readers of our newspaper.
Today, everyone is consumed by trying to figure out what those readers and users have in their coffee mug. Somebody, somewhere, thinks it's really cool to know that everyday at 8:23 a.m., Veronica parks her Audi 6000, pays the parking meter on a nearly tapped-out credit card, then walks to the coffee shop (where her debit card is declined) but still leaves with her usual double cappuccino and a chocolate-chip cookie, paying with a company credit card. In no time, that "somebody" is trying to figure out how to make a buck off Veronica. She'll get an e-mail from a coffee catalog, telling her all about a newfangled home cappuccino maker. She'll be driving across town and her phone will buzz, letting her know she just passed a cookie factory. Credit-card companies will sell her on more credit, and next time she opens Facebook (the picture of her standing by her new car is just one way "they" know she has an Audi), she'll see ads streaming down the side of her page tempting her to buy a BMW.
Some people like this kind of stuff. I don't. Yet I also know that's the new reality of our business—we're not just a newspaper anymore. Today, we sell everything from print to peanuts, and it's a blessing that folks will still read our important stories, in print or online.
I've returned to publishing City Weekly. Our publisher of 10 years, Jim Rizzi, has left our company. We bid him a high-five as he heads to a new adventure somewhere in California. Jim was at the helm when most of the tech-innovation onslaught struck the newspaper industry. I was here, too, just next door, helping to grow two new "newspaper savior" tech innovations you will soon hear more about. And from there, I came to far different conclusions about the state of newspapers than did those whiners over at MediaOne (the operating company for Salt Lake City's daily newspapers, The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News). I believe in them, for instance.
If they write one more obit about the newspaper industry, I'll puke. If you want to know what's going on in Greece and the Eurozone, look no further than The Salt Lake Tribune, which is the European austerity plan in a nutshell. Even after pay cuts, hiring freezes and previous staff cuts to help repay huge loans, nine more persons were laid off last week at the Trib. It's about debt, not lost readers, and the foxes in the henhouse are counting down their eggs until the debt is repaid and there are no personnel around to pay to produce their far-less-expensive online products. Merkel. Singleton. Same person to me. Might you agree, Glen Warchol?


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CCC AGM
People's Stories
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2021 Team List
Tammy Rowed
Cheltenham Community Centre bids a fond farewell to Tammy Rowed
After 19 memorable years, Childcare Coordinator, Tammy Rowed, is saying a bitter-sweet goodbye to Cheltenham Community Centre (CCC) to pursue her primary school teaching career.
In October, Tammy completed her bachelor's degree and will finish up at CCC on Friday (18 December 2020).
"I have only good memories from my time at the Centre," Tammy said.
"I'm excited for the next chapter and trying something new but I'm leaving behind a lot of good stuff here, so I have really mixed emotions."
Tammy started out as a Trainee Childcare Educator in January 2002. Her leadership qualities quickly shone through and four years later she became Childcare Coordinator.
In early 2007, Tammy further extended her experience, launching the school holiday program with new CCC Manager, Arna O'Connell, and later became the Centre's Assistant Manager.
As well as coordinating CCC's holiday activities, Tammy spent periods filling in as Recreation Coordinator, and took on the role of Customer Service Coordinator. She also contributed to annual planning days, the Biggest Morning Tea, Multicultural Festival of Creative Arts, volunteer appreciation events and Christmas celebrations.
"I've had so many opportunities to grow and have a go at different things which has kept it interesting and challenging. I'll never take for granted what a great place this is to work," Tammy said.
"I've had such a nurturing workplace where I could make mistakes, be challenged and grow and Arna's been a big part of that," she added.
Arna thanked Tammy for her incredible contributions to CCC and said she would be dearly missed by her colleagues.
"CCC is a wonderful place largely because of Tammy's contributions. She has been our Centre's 'go to' person for anyone needing advice or information for many years and we will all miss her in-depth knowledge of CCC and approachable nature.
"In 2007, Tammy initiated the Children's Festival which is still running to this day and has coordinated the Centre's successful and reputable licenced Childcare program, as well as helping develop the Holiday Program.
"She really is a very special person and someone we are all so lucky to have worked alongside."
Tammy echoed Arna's sentiments and said she had great confidence in the Centre's new recruits.
"This team is like a family. I've made life-long friends here and they have some great people stepping in, including new childcare coordinators and a new assistant manager, who is amazing.
"I am really grateful to have been in such a supportive place for pretty much all of my adult working life. Not many people get that opportunity, and it is going to serve me so well going into a new workplace. I feel like I can tackle anything."
Cheltenham Community Centre
8 Chesterville Road
Cheltenham Vic 3192
We are located on the corner of Chesterville Road and Pine Street (very close to the Nepean Highway). Only a 10 minute walk from the Cheltenham railway station and a 5 minute walk from Westfield (Southland) Shopping Centre.
Closed Friday 18th December 2020.
Open Monday 11 January 2021: 9am-2pm.
E: admin@chelt.com.au P: 9583 0095
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