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An aspiring National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Stephen Ntim, has stated that the ruling party would rule the country beyond the year 2024.
He has, therefore, assured delegates and party members that, when given the nod, he would rejuvenate the party and make it more attractive to retain the government in power beyond 2024. This, he noted, would enable the government to deliver on priority development projects, especially, those promised in their manifesto to the admiration of all Ghanaians.
Mr. Ntim explained that he is particularly not happy about the eight-year term limit for presidents, arguing that this has created a perception that a party has to be in government for an eight-year period for another to take its turn, in spite of the fact that the government in power might be performing excellently.
To this end, he appealed to delegates of the NPP to vote massively for him to enable him ensure that the party rules up to 2024 and beyond.
According to him, he has served the party with profound loyalty, and that the delegates should reward him by voting massively for him, as has been the tradition of the party – to reward loyalty. He further asserted that the NPP has adopted a tradition of rewarding loyalty, which is not necessarily stated in their manifesto, but helps motivate members and encourage loyalty among them.
This, he noted, was evident when the party invoked this unwritten tradition for former President J.A. Kufuor when he stood elections for two terms, making and retaining him as the President on those occasions.
The current President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr. Ntim recalled, was also rewarded for his loyalty, commitment and hard work, as he stood for election to become the president on three occasions and was rewarded.
He, therefore, maintained that the time had come for him (Stephen Ntim) to also be rewarded, and that delegates would vote massively for him, given that he had also contested for the National Chairmanship position three times.
Mr. Ntim expressed hope during his four-day campaign tour of the Volta Region at separate meetings with NPP delegates in all the 25 constituencies that he was confident that they still cherished these traditions and values of the party, and that they would vote for him as the National Chairman, to enable him continue his "planned agenda that would successfully make the NPP remain in government up to 2024 and beyond."
"Our party delegates, I know, still cherish loyalty, commitment, and hard work. I have no doubt that if loyalty, dedication to serving the party, and hard work are still our tradition and values that we cherish so much, then delegates would have no other option than to vote for Stephen Ntim as the National Chairman of the NPP," he stressed.
Mr. Ntim continued that when elected, he would continue with his constituency office building project for all constituencies across the country, saying that the project was initiated when he was the First National Vice Chairman of the NPP, and is aimed at ensuring that the difficulties associated with the party using rented apartments as constituency offices would become a thing of the past.
He again assured the delegates that when given the mandate, he would work closely with all organs of the party, including the Presidency, to ensure that common challenges confronting the party at all levels are removed, to pave way for the NPP to become a political party of choice to many Ghanaians, and to enable it remain in power for long and bring the needed development to the people.
The delegates, who responded to his statement by clapping and shouting yes, said they would not deviate from their tradition, saying "time asooo, time aso" meaning 'time is up', literally indicating that it is the time for the aspiring National Chairman to lead the party.
They further told the candidate that due to his commitment and hard work, his name has become a household name in all the constituencies in the Volta Region, pledging to vote for him.
The delegates further stated that they had not forgotten the numerous contributions and support of the candidate to the party at all levels, and further reminded him of the office materials he always provided for the national, regional and constituency offices across the country, including complimentary cards for all party officials up to the constituency level.
The Volta regional delegates of the NPP further told Mr. Ntim that they had decided ahead of time to vote for him, and that there was no need for him to use his little resources going round talking to them, because they are aware of the fact that he invested his resources into the party, even when the party was not in power, therefore, they (delegates) would reward him by electing him as National Chairman.
Mr. Ntim is a 59-year-old man, who held the position of First National Vice Chairman of the ruling NPP. He is a businessman, who, according to the delegates, stands tall among the other contestants.
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By Jordan Peacock
Recently, Modiphius released an STL model of the Corvega Coupe, so fans can 3D-print their own (provided they have access to a 3D printer, of course). I am fortunate enough to have a friend (Chris Thesing) who actually has *two* 3D printers. He printed off two runs of the model: one in lower resolution on his older PrintrBot Plus printer (using Solutech PLA filament), and another using his newer, higher-resolution resin printer.
The PLA filament version of the model. This model prints in two pieces -- one for the undercarriage and wheel hubs, and another for the upper body shell. Alas, there are no tires, and no separate segments for the gull-wing doors, windows, hood, trunk, etc. This was printed flat on the bed, and due to the low resolution this of course means a lot of striation on those gently curving surfaces. (This is how it looked after an initial spritz of white spray primer, as the sheen of the bare plastic was problematic for taking photos of the detail, such as it is.)
On the right is the resin-printed version of the same model. First off, it's a much higher resolution, but also Chris tried printing it at a 45-degree angle (supported by temporary scaffolding) as he's seen several others do. I'm not quite sure about the advantages of doing this, but I think it makes a difference, because the curved surfaces of the hood, roof, and trunk are very shallow curves. Actually, I think if the car were put up straight on its bumper, there'd be the best result, because each of the slices across the car would have a minimum variation of width from one to the next, versus the big jumps in footprint area to each layer when the car is printed right-side-up. That's just my notion, however; there might be factors I'm unaware of that are contributing to this.
Anyway, on the left is the PLA car, but I've gone back with some sandpaper to try to smooth it out a bit. The trouble is, I noticed that I'd utterly *destroyed* the shallow scribing detail of the gull-wing doors on the roof, and I was in danger of obliterating the Chryslus symbol on the hood and other such things, so I called it quits after a bit, and hoped I could make up for it by camouflaging the striation with "rust paint" effects.
Here's a side-by-side of the two models now that each one is a little closer in terms of where I am in the process. The green car on the left is the PLA model (you can still see the striation despite my sanding), whereas the resin one is the red one on the right. I went in and painted the window areas and chrome detail in grey, and splashed some paint on the PLA undercarriage in preparation for making it look a bit rusted out. At this point, I pretty much decided that the resin car is going to look pretty much intact, though a bit grungy, with the thought that it's a car that's been restored Post-War, or has somehow otherwise been kept in relatively good condition. (I could after all use it as a "show car" for my "Chryslus Show Room" scenario.)
By Rigel
More denizens of the post-nuclear hellscape, though they could also work well as SPACEFUTURE COMMUNISTS OF MARS ("Keep the Red Planet Red!"). Wasteland Maelee and Ivan the Mutant occupy opposite ends of the Nuclear Glow-Up spectrum.
First, Ivan. Painted him ages ago, mostly in washes. This is another of that 3-pack of mutants from Pinnacle's "Hell on Earth" line. He has a bad case of Gnarly Arm, and those veins look like they might be infected. On the other (giant, mutated) hand, everyone likes a guy who can bicep-curl a tractor.
Bombshell's own Wasteland Maelee, by contrast, is looking fine. Mechanic and fix-it gal of her settlement, her skills are always in demand. That colossal wrench is good for braining radioactive monsters, too, and she has the arms to swing it.
She's one of my most recently-finished minis and I have to say I am not displeased! Used some flesh-tone wash to give her a set of sick abs, and used 'Ardcoat for bright eyes and lip gloss. I could do a close-up of that face without shame.
The thing under her eye is supposed to be a band-aid, I think.
By Rigel
Promised more Wastelanders a while ago, and here they are!
On one of my Space Apes post, someone mentioned damn dirty apes getting their stinking paws off of a body. 50297, Hans, Post-Apocalyptic Survivor, seems like the sort of brick-jawed two-fisted hero who would make such a demand of a dirty ape. Look at them abs! Shirts that button are for the decadent pre-apocalyptic world!
Yesterday was Rutger Hauer's birthday, so this guy seems appropriate.
50283, Evie, Post-Apocalyptic Heroine, was a casualty of sudden breezes during priming. Painted a long while back, when I didn't even want to think about painting eyes. I should really Simple-Green her and start again, but since I'm both lazy and impatient we'll just say it's *very gritty and dusty* in the post-nuclear hellscape.
The bandage could have come out worse.
By Rigel
My FLGS is pushing WH40K Kill Team and has a lot of stuff for budgets a lot bigger than mine. But I did find this nice five-pack of Chaos Cultists in tatters and rags and gas masks for cheap! I'd be irresponsible NOT to get it, especially for spacefuturey Failed Colonies or postapocalyptic nuclear hellscapes!
I've been working on them on and off for a few weeks; lots of washes, lots of repainting where the paint rubbed off. (For some reason the Imperial Primer did not want to hold paint to these GW guys.)
Check out these bad bros and their wretched scavenged gear!
Here's the raider with the most complete outfit. Sweet gas mask, nice coat. I got a crappy stiff brush and flicked some thinned Agrellan Earth all over him (and over all these culty boys for that matter.) You won't keep anything clean in the Wastelands.
This dude has cobbled together a bit of a Plague Doctor look by sewing together bits of weird masks. What's that glowing fluid going into the mask from that canister? I don't know, but these cultists sure do love that stuff! I tried to make it look like the tubes and such are actually luminous by drybrushing the areas around them, but it's hard to see in this light.
Here's a burly fellow with some ritual scarification on his shoulder. He sure does love his glow-juice. The matching spats and trousers on him and his buddies indicate they were once part of a unit that went loopy.
We can see part of this guy's snarling face and grimy hair, so based on what the TV teaches us, he must be the leader. He's got a makeshift spiked flail tied together with cable. I decided on blue for the cables after the fashion of Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Our man here looks like he smells even worse than you're thinking.
And here we have a cultist with the latest in wasteland weapons technology: a bat with some horrible spikes and barbed wire. I tried to make the spikes and wire look rusty, but bloody works too. The green glow on this one didn't turn out too badly.
What a horrible crew! Keep them far away from your settlement!
By Guildenstern
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MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte described the Catholic Church as the country's "most hypocritical institution" on Sunday and said he was ready to take on senior Filipino bishops to debate their wrongdoings before he takes office next month.
The tough-talking 71-year-old has yet to be proclaimed the May 9 poll winner, but an unofficial vote count by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed a huge lead over his rivals, three of whom conceded defeat. He is due to take office on June 30.
Duterte's often outrageous comments and no-nonsense approach have won him huge support and his tirades about killing criminals and even a joke about a murdered rape victim, appear not to have dented his popularity.
"I will lecture until June 29 the sins of the Catholic Church and whether or not you are still relevant," Duterte told reporters in Davao City, where he is the incumbent mayor.
"The most hypocritical institution is the Catholic church."
It was not the first time he has taken aim at the church and once chided Pope Francis for holding up traffic when he visited Manila, the capital city of a country where about 80 percent of the population are Catholic.
The Philippines has the largest Catholic concentration of any Asian country.
A video recording of Duterte's comments was carried on several news outlets and posted on the website of ABS-CBN, the country's biggest broadcaster.
His platform of crushing crime, corruption and drug abuse has won him big support, but his intention to re-impose a death penalty that was repealed in 2006 is expected to be opposed by the church.
A week ago Duterte said killers should get death sentences and those who committed murder and rape together should be hanged.
In Sunday's comments, he alleged church leaders had enriched themselves at the expense of the poor and shown disregard for the separation of church and state.
Bishops had campaigned against him, but public opinion was on his side, he said.
"'Fine', I said. Let this election be a referendum between me and the Catholic church," Duterte said.
A spokesman for the Catholic Church in the Philippines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Martin Petty and Jane Merriman


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Did you know if you Register you have access to free search tools including the ability to save listings and property searches? Did you know that you can bypass the search altogether and have listings sent directly to your email address? Check out our how-to page for more info.
- Price$899,000
- Sq. Ft.11,300
787 Olympia Blvd 03713/0042, Staten Island
Land With DEC Approvals For 4 Semi-Attached Homes. House Size 14.9 X 44.9. Garage. Broker is The Owner.
Essential Information
- Price$899,000
- Square Footage11,300
- TypeLand/Lots
- Sub-TypeResidential
- StatusActive
Additional Information
- ZoningR3-1
Community Information
- Address787 Olympia Blvd 03713/0042
- AreaDngnHillsB-Hylan
- SubdivisionDngnHillsB-Hylan
- CityStaten Island
- CountyRichmond
- StateNY
- Zip Code10305
Listing Details
- Listing OfficeReal Estate Executives
IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Listing data is deemed reliable but it not guaranteed accurate by the MLS.
Listing information is provided by the Staten Island Board of REALTORS®.


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There are lots of reasons as to why you may want to shed those extra kilos from your body. You can find the ones that can perform it for personal explanation, while some take action for health. When you are fit, then you can certainly lessen the threat of getting specific disorders like type two diabetes and heart diseases. You are able to reduce that blood pressure levels plus the cholesterol levels to heights that are great. By losing weight, there are a few signs that you could relive and also, there are injuries which are linked to obese individuals who can be avoided altogether.
Facets that affect dieting efforts
There are many facets that will actually affect the efforts you make in direction of weight that is losing. They range from the changes to life style, diet and exercise. There are a few recommendations and tools that may help keep you regarding the track. You will need water, a scale, fitness equipment and food that is healthy treats. You can find items that you must never take to. Before getting into any type of plan, there was a need that is great you go talk to your medical practitioner. You can also pitch the master plan you want to utilize they would recommend for them to hear what. Making the tiniest modifications can actually affect your health in a way that is big therefore there is should be careful at all times.
Improved health
After your medical professional approves of the regime you intend to make use of, you'll want to invest in the master plan completely. You may choose to involve people closest for you to make certain that you make that they can give you the much needed support and also monitor any progress. This can help you remain committed when you are accountable to them.
Three facts that are a must know
Prior to starting away, there are items that you need to know. They are:
1. Your body weight. This should be taken every every now and then to find out whether you are really making modifications or perhaps not
2. the physical body mass index or BMI. This is considering height and weight. This is the measure that a lot of doctors see for health threats. To be termed as overweight or overweight significantly will depend on the BMI. Once the BMI is around 25-30, then you're definitely overweight. When the BMI is greater, your risk of heart diabetes and disease 2 is quite high. A BMI can be used by you chart or you can let the doctor assist in that area. Adults Male and female adults make use of the chart that is same there was a different chart for girls as well as for men under twenty years. Asian clients likewise have a separate BMI.
3. Waist circumference: most often, excess fat loves the belly area. This poses a great risk in contrast to the fat that builds at the buttocks and thighs. The circumference associated with waistline is an instrument that is truly valuable. For men, 40 is extremely high while women must not be over 35 inches. When the circumference is great at the waistline, then chances are you have stomach obesity and it can be a metabolic problem sigh. When this is actually the full situation, your chances of getting an illness linked to weight is quite high.


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For the next Recruitment Process for selection of IBPS Clerks Exam 2017 clerk Posts in the mentioned banks and the examination Preliminary is tentatively scheduled in December 2017 & January 2018. Any eligible candidate, who aspires to join any of those cited banks as a Clerk is needed to register for the Common Recruitment Process (IBPS Exam 2017 CWE Clerks -VII).
IBPS Clerks-VII Examination Process 2017-2018:
The online exam will be held in two stages, Preliminary and Main. Candidates that will qualify in shortlisted and preliminary examination will have to appear for Main examination. Based on the vacancies to be filled in during the year 2018-19 according to the business needs of their banks and as they reported to IBPS.
Candidates will be allocated to one of those mentioned. The validity for IBPS Clerk Exam 2017 CWE Clerks-VII will automatically expire at the close of business on 31.03.2019 with or without giving any notice. Provisional allotment will be made depending on the vacancies. This system of Common Recruitment Procedure- CWE (Preliminary & Main Examination) and provisional allotment for recruiting of Clerical cadre posts in Participating Organisations gets the approval of the proper authorities.
IBPS declare result of online examination will make arrangements for conducting Preliminary examination and notify the shortlisted candidates about the online Main examination. Prospective candidates will need to apply to IBPS after carefully studying the advertisement concerning the process of assessments and provisional allotment, eligibility standards, online registration processes, payment of prescribed, application fee pattern of examination, issuance of call letters etc. and make sure that they fulfil the specified criteria and adhere to the prescribed processes.
Participating Banks for CWE Clerks-VII:
|Allahabad Bank
|Central Bank of India
|Punjab National Bank
|Vijaya Bank
|Canara Bank
|Oriental Bank of Commerce
|United Bank of India
|Bank of Maharashtra
|Indian Overseas Bank
|Union Bank of India
|Bank of India
|Indian Bank
|UCO Bank
|Bank of Baroda
|Dena Bank
|Syndicate Bank
|Andhra Bank
|Corporation Bank
|Punjab & Sind Bank
Important Dates for Exam:
|CWE Clerks-VII Online registration start date
|Application Edit/Modify by candidates
|12-09-2017 Till 03-10-2017
|Online Payment deposit of Application Fees
|12-09-2017 Till 03-10-2017
|CWE Clerks-VII Online registration End date
|Pre- Exam Training Call letter Available for Download
|November 2017
|Conduct of Pre-Exam Training
|13-11-2017 to 18-11-2017
|Pre exam Call letter Available for Download
|November 2017
|Online Examination – Preliminary
|02 Dec 2017, 03 Dec 2017, 09 Dec 2017, 10 Dec 2017
|Preliminary Exam Result
|December 2017
|Online Mains exam Call letter Available for Download
|January 2018
|Online Examination – Main
|Provisional Allotment
|April 2018
Eligibility Criteria for IBPS CWE Clerks-VII year of 2017 – 2018:
- Nationality / Citizenship: Citizen of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan Refugee (a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India except Indian citizen)
- Age (As on 01.09.2017): Minimum: 20 years Maximum: 28 years
- Educational Qualifications: A Degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a University recognised by the Govt. Of India or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by the Central Government.
- Computer Literacy: Ground knowledge of computer and operating system.
All the educational qualifications mentioned should be from a University/ Institution/ Board recognised by Govt. Of India/ approved by Govt. Regulatory Bodies and the final result should have been declared on or before 03.10.2017
CWE– Online Examinations (Preliminary Examination):
|Name of Tests
|No. of Questions
|Maximum Marks
|English Language Test
Composite time
1 hour
|Numerical Ability Test
|Reasoning Ability Test
Candidates have to qualify in each of the three tests by securing cut-off marks to be decided by IBPS.
CWE– Online Examinations 2017 -2018 (Mains Examination):
|Name of Tests (Random)
|No. of Questions
|Maximum Marks
|Separately Time allotted for each test
|General/Financial Awareness Test
|35 minutes
|General English Test
|35 minutes
|Reasoning Ability Test & Computer Aptitude Test
|45 minutes
|Quantitative Aptitude Test
|45 minutes
|160 minutes
The above tests except the Tests of English Language will be available bilingually, i.e. English and Hindi.
Penalty for Wrong Answers (Applicable to both – Preliminary and Main examination)
Here'll be penalty for incorrect answers. For each question for which a incorrect answer was given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to this question will be deducted as punishment to arrive at fixed score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no response is marked with the candidate; there'll be no penalty for this question.
Provisional Allotment:
The marks allotted for Main Examination are 200. Marks will be converted for Provisional allotment from 100. A candidate be high in the merit to be considered for subsequent allotment procedure, details of which will be made available on IBPS site and should be eligible for the CWE online Main examination.
On conclusion of the principal Examination, based upon the state/UT wise vacancies to be filled in during the fiscal year 2018-19 according to the business needs of the Participating Organisations and as reported to IBPS, candidates shortlisted will be provisionally allocated to one of the Participating Organisations, according to merit-cum preference keeping in view the spirit of Govt.
Guidelines on reserve policy issued by Govt. of India/Others from time to time, administrative exigency, etc.. Vacancies supplied in this advertisement are indicative. Allotment shall be performed on the basis of deductions that were closing to be reported by the Participating Organisations. Candidates should not assert vacancies that are indicative as closing for the allotment. No change in the data enrolled by the candidate in the application form that is online is possible.
IBPS CWE Clerks-VII Syllabus 2017: Every exam have different syllabus but commonoly all syllabus are quite similar for IBPS CWE Exam Syllabus kindly check out the link here:
How to Apply for Clerks Exam 2017 – 2018 (CWE Clerks-VII)
Candidates May apply online only from 12.09.2017 to 03.10.2017 and no other manner of application for IBPS Clerk Exam 2017 will be accepted.


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You've read by now tons of predictions for 2013, trends based on past years and last year. Only, all that is based on the time the human being has defined on his own, from the very first second we can "touch", feel, to the century you cant even touch on your own. Why that? Do we need to measure the time to better control it? To feel reassured? To live with, to make plans, to conclude from the experience made if this "time" was "good" or "bad"?
All this thinking process is purely theoretical dear friend, since the first second you count is a human invention. What is "good", what is "bad", what is "extremely good", to you, to your family, acquaintance, for the humanity?
The maybe only thing we could consider is love. Love just drives respect and peace. All around is pure human invention, comes and goes, only an intrinsic value, including time.
Don't try to catch the time, you'll never catch this hypothetical thing, never, no matter how best you measure it. Better build on your feelings, walk on the path of your heart, you'll never make something wrong and you'll never have regrets later on.
Lets believe the essence of our hearts is "good", and it will be good, as simply as that 🙂
Happy New Days!!!


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It's not easy staying fresh and hydrated on a long-haul flight. The temptation to indulge in too much booze and stodgy plane food can often leave you feeling groggy and restless, which can make the journey feel even longer.
Emirates, which was recently named the best airline in the world in the 2017 TripAdvisor's Travellers Choice Awards, boasts some of the most glamorous flight attendants in the industry — and they seem to have figured out the best ways to stay healthy at high altitudes.
Here are the seven things you should do to say pristine on a long-haul flight, according to Emirates flight attendants:
1. Take care of your skin before you jet off.
Get into the habit of using a good face mask two to three times a week before you head off on your travels. This will help your skin to stay in good condition during the flight.
2. Spritz rose water.
You should also use rose water throughout the flight, according to the Emirates cabin crew. It's refreshing and keeps skin hydrated — even if you're wearing makeup — and can be packed into hand luggage in a travel size refillable spray container.
3. Pack Lucas Papaw gel.
Another hand luggage essential for the Emirates cabin crew, the travel-friendly tubes of Lucas Papaw ointment or gel can be used both as a lip balm and hand cream. The attendants also like to bring small tubs of pure coconut oil and aloe vera gel onboard, which help to keep skin hydrated.
4. Hydrate inside and out.
It goes without saying, but drinking plenty of water on a long-haul flight is a must, particularly if you're indulging in a few complimentary glasses of vino.
Emirates flight attendants like to add cucumber to their water, which they say gives their skin an extra glow. If you don't have a cucumber handy, lemon or lime are also great for making detox-infused water, and are usually stocked on the drinks trolleys on long-haul flights.
5. Swap coffee for green tea.
If you're partial to a post-dinner or breakfast coffee, think again, as it's too dehydrating, according to the crew. It can also stop you from sleeping, or make you jittery mid-flight. Green tea has caffeine to give you a boost without the dehydrating effects.
6. Snack on fruit or vegetables.
Try and swap the pretzels and crisps often handed out on long flights for snacks of fruit and vegetables to keep your energy levels up throughout the journey.
7. Stay fresh with wipes, sanitiser, deodorant and perfume.
Emirates flight attendants always take hand sanitiser, a packet of Dettol antibacterial wipes, a small deodorant, and perfume to help freshen up throughout the flight. It's particularly useful to have this kit with you when you're getting off a red-eye flight to ease the grogginess.


text:
Gay marriage – such a conservative idea
Party support for this proposal would not just amend past failings. It would chime with core Tory values
I want to start with a little history. I think it is necessary.
It was a cold Saturday morning in 1954 and Peter Wildeblood stood in the dock at Lymington Magistrates' Court charged with "conspiracy to incite certain male persons to commit serious offences with male persons". In short order, the diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Mail was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail. Thus did that great newspaper play an important role in the legalisation of homosexuality.
For the jailing of the Mail's man, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, produced an outcry. As occasionally happens in politics, this prosecution suddenly revealed a great injustice that had been there all the time, unnoticed. And the Home Secretary responded to…


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What does Apostolic mean?
Our fellowship is the same as that of the Apostles of Jesus Christ; i.e. we believe the same things as they did.
Do you believe that the earth will be destroyed?
No, because God has said (through Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1 v 4) ..the earth abideth for ever, and to Noah (Genesis 8 v 22) While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Do you hold any distinctive views to differentiate you from other churches?
We believe 1st century Christianity, wholly Biblical not allied to church teaching nor to their calendar
What are the Signs that the Coming of Christ is very near?
Looking for signs of the coming of God's Kingdom on earth is the disposition of those who are faithful to the words of Jesus. He said that just as men knew summer was near when the fig tree put forth its leaves, so they might know that the Kingdom of God was near when they saw "these things coming to pass" (Luke 21:29-31). He also said, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).
Among these things He spoke of are:
In figurative speech He told of signs to occur in the sun, moon and stars of men's social and political world -- the ruling powers of state and church. He describes the fear, distress and perplexity among nations resulting from the restless upheavals of men - like the roaring waves of the sea.
This is a clear sign given: "And they (i.e., the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). In harmony with other prophecies we understand this to mean that as those "times" drew to an end there would be a return from captivity of the Jews and a rising again of Jerusalem from her downtrodden state. Ezekiel chapter 38 foretells a last invasion of Israel from the North and describes Jewish colonists re-gathered and settled in the land.
Jesus also added that the generation that saw these things would not pass until all things were fulfilled.
What is Christ
coming to do?
He says of the man who truly believes in him, "I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39, 41, 44, etc.). He also speaks of two classes coming forth from the graves: "They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29).
This is similar to the prophecy of Daniel: "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2).
"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way" (Psa. 2:9-12).
"A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord" (Jer. 25:31). "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake" (Joel 3:16).
Why do you refer to the Gospel of the Kingdom?
Jesus went through every city and village of Galilee "preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1), or "the gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 4:23; 9:35). He was telling good news about God's Kingdom on earth.
Jesus sent forth his disciples to teach the same message (Luke 9:2). This is in complete harmony with Old Testament writings. For example, we are told through Daniel, that in the latter days --
"The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44.)
and "The Lord shall be king over all the earth" (Zech. 14:9)
The last book of the Bible says the same thing - "The kingdoms of this World ... become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
- These show quite clearly that The Kingdom will be upon earth and will replace all the kingdoms of the
World that presently exist.
Is this Kingdom completely new?
No - The Kingdom to be set up will be the ancient kingdom of Israel restored.
The disciples asked Jesus "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).
This was because He had previously told them: "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ... ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29, 30).
The Old Testament shows the same thing:
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos 9:11).
"The kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem" (Micah 4:8).
"Saviours shall come up on Mount Zion . . and THE KINGDOM shall be the Lord's" (Obadiah 21).
"The Lord of hosts shall REIGN in Mount Zion . . . In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things" (Isa. 24:23; 25:6).
Havent the Jews been discarded?
No Rom 11:2 says: God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.
When the Kingdom is set up the Jews will be gathered from all nations and restored to their own land, which will then be the principal dominion of the kingdom of God.
"He that scattered Israel will gather him" (Jer. 31:10).
"He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isa. 11:12).
"I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land" (Ezek. 37:21).
"THE KINGDOM shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem (Micah 4:8).
"Saviours shall come up on Mount Zion . . and THE KINGDOM shall be the Lord's" (Obadiah 21).
"The Lord of hosts shall REIGN On Mount Zion . . . In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things" (Isa. 24:23; 25:6).
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. (Jer 33:14 )
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:5)
And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 36:11)
Why do you say that Jerusalem will become the capital city of the whole earth?
"At that time shall they call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord" (Jer. 3:17).
"The Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem" (Isa. 24:23).
"Then shall Jerusalem be holy" (Joel 3:17).
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, [is] mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King. (Psa 48:2)
Swear not at all Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. (Mat 5:35)
He (Jesus) shall be great, and shall be called the Son of
the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David. (Luke 1:32) (remember that Jerusalem was the
place of Davids throne)
Will Christ rule alone?
No - Those people accepted by Christ will inherit the kingdom and reign with him.
"I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ... ye (the disciples) shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29, 30).
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim. 2:12).
"He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them" (Rev. 2:26).
"The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever" (Dan. 7:18).
"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him". (Dan. 7:27)
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom" (Matt. 25:34).
And they sung a new song, saying, .. thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Rev 5:9, 10)
Who are The Saints?
The Saints are Jesus' servants who will assist Jesus in this work. It will be a time of rejoicing for them as the Word of God is taught throughout the whole world: "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written this honour have all his saints" (Psalm 149:5-9).
The work of the saints under the direction of the Lord Jesus will be primarily to instruct the mortal population of the earth in God's laws. They will be teachers, leaders and rulers on Christ's behalf.
In one of His parables about the kingdom of God, Jesus spoke of a "certain nobleman" going into a far country to receive a kingdom, and then returning. On his return, he rewarded his faithful servants by giving them authority in his kingdom: "And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. " (Luke 19:17).
The nobleman represents Christ himself Who has left his servants to work for Him until His return.
Through this work of the saints Jesus' rule will be felt throughout the earth. Isaiah says: "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. " (Isaiah 2:3,4)
The only way for nations to be truly at peace is if they accept common principles. God's law is designed to ensure peaceful and beneficial cooperation between peoples.
Under the rule of God's law, conditions will improve for everyone, but especially for those who previously have been oppressed or under-privileged in any way.
The Psalmist says: "Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth.
In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and [him] that hath no helper.
He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. (Psalm 72:1-14)
What will be the benefits of the Kingdom?
Problems of famine and disease will diminish, for
"The wilderness . shall be glad for them and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose ... Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert" (Isaiah 35:1,6).
Men and women will live longer: "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner [being] an hundred years old shall be accursed." (Isaiah 65:20).
There will still be death during the thousand years. Jesus and the saints will be immortal, but the rest of the earth's population will be mortal, dying creatures, even though their life expectancy will dramatically increase.
The information given in the Bible about the thousand years describes a wonderful era of peace, safety contentment and health when Jesus is King. But it is still not a time of complete perfection. Death, and therefore sin too, will still exist.
The reign of death continues until the end of Millennium. (1 Cor. 15)


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Sony Evaluating Compensation for PlayStation Network Downtime
Sony said in a Friday blog post that it is considering how to "show appreciation" for its customers' patience in dealing with the ongoing PlayStation Network outage.
Sony Online Entertainment also said that it will be holding "special events" for subscribers to its "DC Universe Online" and "Free Realms" massively multiplayer online games.
Sony's online network has been down since April 20, when the company took down the PlayStation Network and the related Qriocity cloud music service due to a external intrusion, or hack into the network. Sony has since been sued over the hack, accusing the company of failing to adequately protect, encrypt, and secure its customer data. The suit seeks damages for the data loss and PlayStation Network downtime.
That may have been on Sony's mind on Friday, when the company's latest blog post addressed what will happen to customer's saved games, data, and other aspects of game play.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of information is listed at the bottom, however: "Will there be a goodwill gesture for the time we haven't been able to utilize PSN/Qriocity?" the blog's FAQ asks. "We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online."
The blog also addresses the two MMOs.
"What if we have a subscription to PS3 MMOs DC Universe Online or Free Realms? Will we get compensation for that?" it asks.
"From Sony Online Entertainment: 'We apologize for any inconvenience players may have experienced as a result of the recent service interruption,'" the FAQ states. "'As a global leader in online gaming, SOE is committed to delivering stable and entertaining games for players of all ages. To thank players for their patience, we will be hosting special events across our game portfolio. We are also working on a "make good" plan for players of the PS3 versions of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Details will be available soon on the individual game websites and forums.'"
Sony also goes on to say that download lists, friends history, and settings will not be affected, and that trophies (Sony's version of the Xbox "Achievements") will also be intact and sync with the server when the PSN is restored. Cloud saves will also be "retrievable," Sony said.
Sony has also said previously that its credit-card data has been encrypted, theoretically preventing it from being stolen. Still, it said, it cannot rule out the possibility that it was obtained by the hackers.
On Friday, reports circulated that the credit-card information had in face been obtained and was being circulated by hackers.
For more from Mark, follow him on Twitter @MarkHachman.


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USPS delivery confirmation helps you track and confirm your packages by letting you know the date and time your shipment has been delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. It is also known as "USPS tracking".
Delivery confirmation/USPS tracking is good for many situations, such as when you are shipping high value goods, want to know when your packages are delivered, or want your customers to know when they should expect their shipments.
Delivery confirmation/USPS tracking is also helpful when reporting a lost shipment. If a First-Class Mail or Priority Mail shipment has not arrived within five (5) Postal business days from its date of mailing, you can report the loss via phone or web:
- Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) where a customer service representative will document your mail loss complaint.
- Visit the Postal Inspection Service Web site and complete a mail loss report.
NOTE: delayed Priority Mail Express shipments should be reported as soon as the service commitment has been missed. Learn more.
Access tracking information online or by phone:
- Use the Track & Confirm tool on usps.com.
- Contact the USPS direct at 1-800-222-1811.
- View real-time tracking status from your ShippingEasy SHIPMENT HISTORY.
Delivery confirmation/USPS Tracking is included in many USPS services:
- Included for free with these domestic services:
- Priority Mail
- Priority Mail Express
- Parcel Select
- Media Mail
- First Class (excluding the Large Envelope/Flat)
- Most Military Mail (APO/FPO destinations)
- Available on some international shipments. Further restrictions apply. Learn more about which countries offer tracking to the destination.
- Not available on First Class Large Envelope/Flat
General restrictions apply:
Package must be greater than ¾ inch thick. Thinner contents must be placed and sent in a rigid box or container that won't lose its shape or collapse into a flat or letter-sized piece during handling and delivery.
Delivery confirmation/USPS Tracking is not the same as insurance. However, it is required when insuring a package, either through USPS or Shipsurance. Learn more about USPS Insurance.
Related articles for ShippingEasy subscribers:
How to: Add USPS tracking to a shipment
How to: Export tracking numbers back to my original CSV file
Why can't I track a USPS First Class Large/Flat Envelope?


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Maybe you can relate to this scenario: It's pretty late in the evening. Say, 9:37. (Give or take.) You've just put your last child to bed. You've been going nonstop since, say, 5:23 this morning, when you inexplicably woke up seven precious minutes before your alarm rang. You plop down on the couch next to […]Continue Reading
Plugged In Movie Awards: Best Movie For Adults
Those Oscar voters have it made. To choose the best of the best based on sheer aesthetics—the writing, the acting, the cinematography—feels easy compared to the task set before us. In this category, we have to factor in ethics, morality and worldview, too. Sure, maybe a given film looks amazing. But what does it actually […]Continue Reading
How Old Were You When You Quit Listening to New Music?
It's sort of a given, I think, that most of us quit listening to new music at some point. After all, what do your parents listen to? Exactly. I'm a big Beach Boys and Neil Diamond fan (among many other bands), for instance, because that's what my dad was listening to back in 1974. And, […]Continue Reading
2015 Plugged In Movie Awards: Winners
Announcing the winners of the third annual PLUGGED IN MOVIE AWARDS! BEST MOVIE FOR KIDS Nominees: Big Hero 6, Dolphin Tale 2, The LEGO Movie, Muppets Most Wanted, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Plugged In's Pick: The LEGO Movie This was a tough choice for us. All the movies here are solidly […]Continue Reading
2015 Plugged In Movie Awards: Best Movie for Adults
All this week we're announcing the nominees for the Plugged In Movie Awards in the categories of Best Movie for Kids, Best Movie for Teens, Best Movie for Adults and Best Christian Movie. These films represent what we consider to be the best of what got released in 2014, and not just artistically speaking, but morally and content-wise, too. Our […]Continue Reading


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How You Stack Up: What Does the Average American's Debt Look ...
Dec 6, 2010 . How You Stack Up: What Does the Average American's Debt Look Like? . The average senior citizen in America now has 5 or more credit .
U.S. National Debt Clock
so each citizen's share of this debt is $49984.72. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3.96 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
average emploee health insurance controbution
Credit card statistics, industry facts, debt statistics
Feb 28, 2012 . Average credit card debt per household with credit card debt: $15956*; 609.8 million credit cards held by U.S. consumers. (Source: "The Survey .
contractor home improvement software
HowStuffWorks "Consumer Debt and the Economy"
The household debt of the average American in 2007 is equal to 14.29 . total credit card debt of the United States and divided it by the number of U.S. citizens, .
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Credit card debt statistics – Compiled by HoffmanBrinker.com
Categories include: Interesting Credit Card Debt Statistics; Top Reasons For . is reporting that U.S.citizens have over $886 billion in credit card debt and that . The steepest increases in average credit card debt over the previous quarter: .
average debt to equity index
What's the average citizen's share of U.S. debt? | Marketplace from ...
Dec 27, 2011 . The White House is looking for another increase of the debt limit, which would bring the grand borrowing total to more than $16 trillion.
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Average American Debt? Over $10000 | Money Talks News
Feb 10, 2011 . As if the lingering recession weren't enough bad news, three new surveys show Americans still struggle with serious debt – and debt collectors.
quality first home improvements
One Big Difference Between Chinese and American Households: Debt
Jun 24, 2010 . Credit card and mortgage debt weigh much heavier on U.S. households . The average US household debt is 136% of household income, . profiling and ranking the country's richest citizens by their estimated net worths.
average debt relief charge
How much does the Average American Make? Breaking Down the ...
The bottom line is the average American family is being squeezed from . they don't understand that what we are asking our citizens to pay to own shelter is . city last year got no other debts, but hey I'm passing uni at the end of the year been .
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What is the total credit card debt in the U.S.?
Feb 9, 2004 . Total consumer credit: $1.7 trillion. Credit card debt carried by the average American: $8562. Total finance charges Americans paid in 2001: .
The Federal Debt: What Does The Average U.S. Citizen Owe (and to ...
Sep 26, 2011 . The Federal Debt: What Does The Average U.S. Citizen Owe (and to whom). As I type I have a Malaysian guy standing over my shoulder .


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This is the block I made for our guild cards. :)
Welcome to the Quilting Board!
This is the block I made for our guild cards. :)
Very pretty block, Shadow. Beatifully done.
Shadow, I enjoy looking at all of your accomplishments. This block is just as beautiful as all of your other projects. Keep posting those pics!! :!:
Love it, Dancer!! Going to look for this pattern for my 'guy' quilt tops!
Peachy Keen! Love the design and the fabrics, good job! :D :D :D
WOW as usual keep em coming Happy Thanksgiving special prayers going out :thumbup: :thumbup:
I love that block!.....can you remember where the pattern came from as I'd like to use that block in a quilt for me! Thanks!
Wonderful block, and fun colors. I love it. :) :) :) Pam
Beautiful!! I love that pattern!! You chose lovely colors. :D
simple and pretty


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broadbandito's information
Name: broadbandito
Gender: Male
Profession: Vagabond
Prefered language: English
Hometown: New York City - United States
Join GotSaga for free! You can share your sagas and much more with millions and are offered a wide variety of tools to enhance your travel experiences for sagas yet to come.
People from Facebook


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You may have noticed another new look (what's that? 5 new looks this month?)
Sorry if the changes continue throughout the month. You'll come here and have no clue where you are and I am sorry for that. Bear with me through it?
The biggest change is that I have opened a new shop!
I'll be dropping some items in there on sale, so check it out!


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The states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico have embarked on a unique test program to shore up declining reservoir levels if the 15-year drought that has plagued the Colorado River continues into the future. On July 1, 2015, the four states approved 10 projects in Colorado and Wyoming that allowed farmers, municipalities and other water users to voluntarily and temporarily forego use of their water in exchange for compensation. Twenty-one projects throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico participated in 2016. The UCRC and funding entities recently agreed to extend the pilot program into 2017.
On October 5, 2016, the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC) reissued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for a third and final round of funding for the Pilot System Water Conservation Program for the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Four major water providers that depend on the Colorado River Basin supplies, along with the Bureau of Reclamation, funded the Pilot System Water Conservation Program. This program is designed to develop and test tools that could potentially be used as part of a drought contingency plan to help protect storage within the Colorado River basin. Approximately $1.8 million remains available for projects to be implemented in 2017. The UCRC is actively seeking Proposals for 2017 conservation opportunities that would be voluntary, compensated, and temporary in nature. See the documents under Additional Information for the RFP, application and funding agreement.
The states hope that this "forbearance" of water use will supply information that can be used in times of extreme drought as part of a contingency plan to ultimately reduce impacts on Lake Powell, a major Colorado River reservoir located on the Utah-Arizona state line. Lake Powell releases water to Lake Mead for use by the states of Arizona, Nevada, and California and the Republic of Mexico pursuant to an interstate agreement among the seven Colorado River states and a treaty between the United States and Mexico. Lake Powell is also a major producer of hydropower for the Western United States.


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In Silico Mutagenesis
Building on the structural evaluation and hot spot characterization, Zymeworks' protein engineers are able to use other components in the ZymeCAD™ platform to extensively model numerous single point and multisite mutations at specific positions of interest. Apart from remodeling and refining the structure with the altered side chain compositions and coupled backbone conformational changes, extensive scoring techniques are employed to evaluate the stability and other functionally relevant characteristics of the protein. A limited number of the promising protein candidates are expressed and assayed using a variety of in vitro techniques such as chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance or cell based methods where appropriate. This data is used to drive subsequent iterative optimization cycles of the lead candidates.


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Welcome to Kingsford Homestead – one of Barossa Luxury Retreats iconic properties set on the edge of the breathtaking Barossa Valley wine country.
Luxurious accommodation with unique events venues - exudes style and elegance, yet maintains its rural charm.
Once the home to a wealthy nineteenth-century pastoralist and in more recent times, the set for McLeod's Daughters - Kingsford Homestead offers the perfect retreat for you to indulge, discover, relax...and get lost in time.
We offer use of the homestead exclusively for up to 14 accommodation guests, and up to 300 guests for events on site in our beautifully renovated Shearing Shed or in a marquee under the stars. Ideal for weddings, family reunions, special occasions and corporate retreats.
Are you a fan of McLeod's Daughters? If so, we would love to host you for one of our speciality weekends or exclusive use stays! Otherwise if you simply wish to tour the property, please enquire here: www.mcleodscountry.com.au
The Perfect Wedding
SA Life TV Programme
Kingsford Homestead today
Click the thumbnail to see video


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Posts Tagged 'tyrant'
The Real Terrorism
Interesting article over on the Foreign Affairs website a while back, "Women for Bolsonaro" by Chayenne Polimédio. In it, the author asked why it was that many Brazilian women support Jair Messias Bolsonaro, the right wing populist who is now the nation's president and practicing despot. Polimédio's answer is intriguing— Fear! Brazil is in the…Read More


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Vacations are vacant. June 17, 2010Posted by Shion in Unknown..s.
Yes. I don't blog as often as I usually do anymore. Probably because I'm on vacation. Which is another term for "Vacant", which, in turn, means empty.
So I'm on Empty. At home, I do the usual things, like reading, chattan, mess around with my plamo. Yep. They're so interesting, I don't write about them here.
Maybe when Uni's back on. Which is one month from now. Coincidentally, the 1/144 RG release is also a month from now!
- 1. Gunstray - June 18, 2010
*Facebook has dominated*
*Pimp DIno losing to moe moe slug*
*Shinki stew*
*Mexico won againt France*
*Boo US!!*
*Exams on 22*
*Chicks Dig Giant robots*


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Photography resources and guides to formatting and editing your images.
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More than you think, that's how much. During the oil crisis of the mid-1970s, the Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich published Energy and Equity, a polemic that demonstrated that having to work a certain number of hours each week to pay for an expensive form of transport was a calculation that can shock. This is a theme first explored in the …
Kickstarter goes live!
The Kickstarter for Bike Boom runs until March 17th. Please consider pledging for first-edition rewards and other stuff. Thanks! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/carltonreid/bike-boom-the-book


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When I want my nails to look nice quickly, I'll just do a color and not a design. The Pixie Dusts from Zoya are nice since a few of them are one coaters, they have good dry time, last a while, and equine no base/top coat.
I chose to put on Zoya Sunshine and Chita since they are both one coaters for me.


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Crystal Scatter Cord Edge Veil
Code: AC003
- Description
- Colours
- Sizes
- Care & Storage
Our exclusive tulle finished with a delicate cord edge and a close crystal scatter. This veil comes with two tiers and half combed as standard, but can be made to your requirements.
A wide range of tulle colours are available. We can also dye tulle to match a swatch on request.
Colour Chart
Wedding veils are available in standard sizes, with special sizes made on request.
Size in inches Size in cm Also known as 36 91.5 Shoulder length 54 137 Waist or elbow length 72 183 Hip or fingertip length 108 274 Floor length 126 320 Train or chapel length 144 366 Long train or
cathedral length
Hang to allow creases to fall out naturally (keeping away from pets or small children!). This should happen in just a few days. Do not steam or iron your veil as this may damage it.
Designer Insights
The cord edge adds a smooth sheen, with the light crystal scatter giving a shimmer to the veil
Need Help?
Our experienced customer service team are waiting to help you with any questions you may have. Just call or email us.


text: Admin 1,083 Posted December 21, 2018 Dear players of The Long Dark on NVIDIA on Linux: Unfortunately, the latest version of Unity (used in the Redux version of The Long Dark) introduces graphical corruption issues when played using NVIDIA video cards. Fortunately, there is a workaround that may address these issues for you by forcing the game into OpenGL 4.2. To do this: Right click on The Long Dark in your Steam Library Select Properties Select Set Launch Options Paste the following in the resulting text box: -force-glcore42 -force-clamped We'll continue working with Unity to resolve the issue with a proper fix, but until then this work-around should allow you to play the game. - The Hinterland Team 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Without a doubt the champion of Black Friday last year was Amazon. The company kept a lot of people glued to their computers and out of stores, which is obviously not ideal for the competition. Wal-Mart has stepped up their game this year with deal strategies both online and in-store that clearly demonstrate how the retail giant plans to win back Black Friday.
The big draw for every Black Friday sale are, of course, the "doorbuster" deals. However, what Wal-Mart has done to keep shopping strong throughout the day is establish specific times of the day for certain specials. Amazon shoppers will recognize this tactic from Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping experiences, but Wal-Mart is one of the first to deploy it in stores. On top of this, each Wal-Mart is now authorized to create Manager's Specials, which are different for each store and can only be found on their local store's Facebook page.
There are still plenty of normal rush-in-and-shop specials. The AT&T and Verizon Wireless variants of the iPhone 5C and 5S, for example, are available for $45 and $189 respectively but include a $75 gift card with your purchase of a new two-year agreement. If your tastes lean more towards Android, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available for $99 with a $100 gift card upon activation on a new two-year agreement.
If you're interested in gaming consoles, the 4GB version of the Xbox 360 will be available for $99 while the 16GB version of the PS3 will be available for $149.
If you're in the mood for something portable, the Nintendo 2DS will also be available in store for $99. All of these consoles will have game sales for many older titles down to $10, with popular new titles like Grand Theft Auto 5 for $34. Skylanders Swap Force and Disney Infinity will have their starter kits marked down to $38.96.
If you're shopping for something a little less gadget and a little more home oriented, Wal-Mart is making the Keurig K70 system available for $169 with a $20 gift card. If coffee and tea isn't your thing, the SodaStream Mega Bonus Kit is going to be available for $79 with a $10 gift card. Cartridges and flavors for both beverage systems will also be on sale.
If you've decided you'd rather avoid leaving the house altogether, Wal-Mart promises to have completely separate deals available on their website throughout the shopping event. These include an Xbox 360 bundle with a controller for $139, a Samsung 40-inch LED TV for $379, and an iPad 2 bundle for $349.


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After-hours Answering Services
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05/12/2019 to 06/12/2019
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Your stay in Lyon
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Ice fishing at Domaine Le Pic-Bois is a winter activity to experience!
One day of ice fishing for two adults and 2 children (under 12 years of age) including the heated hut. A quota of 15 trout per family. There is no need for a fishing permit for the ice fishing season starting on December 22, 2017.
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text:
Michael Scott Doran is a Visiting Professor at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service [1] at New York University. He is a former Senior Director for the Middle East at the National Security Council and a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.
After a long absence, a strategic player has returned to the Middle Eastern stage: the people. In Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Iran, and Libya, protesters are demanding either comprehensive reform or total revolution. Only once before in modern history has a populist wave of this magnitude swept the region.
Half a century ago, a series of Arab nationalist movements shook the ground beneath the feet of Arab rulers. The immediate catalyst for that revolutionary shock was the Suez crisis. Throughout 1955, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's charismatic leader, championed pan-Arabism, challenged Israel militarily, and mounted a regionwide campaign against the lingering influence of British and French imperialism. By the end of the year, he had aligned Egypt with the Soviet Union, which provided him with arms. After Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in July 1956, the European powers, in collusion with Israel, invaded Egypt to topple him. They failed, and Nasser emerged triumphant.
Much like the ouster of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali from Tunisia in January, the Suez crisis generated a revolutionary spark. Nasser's victory demonstrated that imperialism was a spent force and, by extension, that the Arab regimes created by the imperialists were living on borrowed time. Egyptian propaganda, including Cairo's Voice of the Arabs radio station, drove this point home relentlessly, depicting Nasser's rivals as puppets of the West whose days were numbered. Nasser was the first revolutionary leader in the region to appeal effectively to the man in the street, right under the noses of kings and presidents. Before Nasser's rivals even felt the ground shifting, they found themselves sitting atop volcanoes.
In the 18 months that followed Nasser's victory, the region underwent what can only be described as an eruption. Egypt's defeat of the French was a boon to the National Liberation Front in Algeria, which had launched a war of independence from France -- with Nasser's support--even before the Suez crisis had erupted. In Jordan, popular protests, along with a Nasser-inspired movement in the military,
[1] http://wagner.nyu.edu/


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This post was originally written for the writer's community getyourwordsout in 2018. This is the revised and abbreviated edition.
In this post, I am going to give you an overview of how genderqueer characters can be written in (English-language) fantasy by providing excerpts from a selection of published books, and also by talking a lot. I've divided it into four sections:
1. Pronouns
2. Physical descriptions
3. Cultural set up
4. Writing genderqueer characters
I'm putting emphasis on English because English is for me a foreign language. I'm Danish-Icelandic, Master of Arts in Finnish, and English is my 6th language. I'm also a trans nonbinary person, who uses she/her and they/them pronouns in English, but not in my own languages because I don't like the options for nonbinary pronouns in them. I like Finnish a lot because Finnish doesn't have grammatical genders and everyone is just hän. I'm mentioning this because there's a semi-linguistic slant to aspects of this post informed by my background.
Throughout this post I'll be using the word genderqueer as an umbrella term. Non-binary, genderfluid, agender, bigender, pangender, demi-boy, demi-girl, etc, all fit under here. Transgender also fits under this umbrella, but for the purpose of this post I'll be focusing on genderqueer characters who aren't transgender (though of course, overlaps may occur).
Please note that I will not be talking about hurtful vs respectful ways to write genderqueer characters. For the purpose of this post, I'm assuming we're all past that and will be going straight to the craft aspect of writing genderqueer characters.
1. Pronouns
In English, which has gendered pronouns (he, she, they), expressing a different gender, a lack of gender, a fluid gender, etc. is heavily based on pronouns as they are often the first, or one of the first, gender markers one encounters when characters are introduced on the page. Pronouns are also the most prominent gender marker as they appear on every page, multiple times. Invisible in use, conspicuous by absence.
"I see…" said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window. For a long time he stood there against the dim light from Divisadero Street and the passing beams of traffic.
These two sentences are the opening lines of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (feel free to judge me). Before we even know this character's name (revealed on page 25), we know his gender, because the pronouns alert us to it. Rice could've chosen to continually refer to Louis as the vampire, but she wasn't trying to hide his gender, make the reader question his gender, or set his gender up to be something else, so she didn't.
Pick any book from your shelf and open it, and I can guarantee that for the most part, the protagonist's gender is revealed before their name. Writers like to hold the name back for a bit, make the reader curious. Who is this person? We don't know, but we sure do know their gender.
When it comes to genderqueer characters, the pronouns they/them/their are commonly used, but neopronouns such as ey/em/eir, xie/xem/xir or per/per/pers (and many more) can also be used. So, in an English speaking setting, a genderqueer person or character might use the already existing gender neutral they-pronouns or any one of the neopronouns. A genderqueer person or character may also use gendered pronouns, several different pronouns, or patchwork of different expressions (for example, in English I use both she/her and they/them pronouns, while also referring to myself as both "this gal" and "this guy").
Here's an example of the use of they-pronouns:
"Why do you say that?" they said, refusing to sit up from the bed.
This line is from JY Yang's The Black Tides of Heaven, which I'll talk more about in #3.
Establishing a character's genderqueer identity through the use of pronouns is standard, if only because the pronouns are so massively important in English. Using they-pronouns or neopronouns in place of gendered pronouns is just as valid as using the binary male or female pronouns. There is also no requirement to use neo-pronouns or they-pronouns for a genderqueer character, which will be illustrated in the next section.
2. Physical descriptions
Assuming a modern, western, English speaking setting, physical description can go a long way. Western culture is overwhelmingly heteronormative and gender conforming, so a way for genderqueer people to break out of the male-female binary is to mix and match gender-coded clothing, intentionally strive towards an androgynous look, and if applicable, wear badges/flags/similar that indicate queerness and/or a different gender. This is easy to do in contemporary fiction, because it's the same as the world we already live in—it's projected onto the page directly from our lived experience. It is, however, also useful when writing fantasy and science fiction, and in particular if the fictional world doesn't have words for queerness, or if the characters don't use gender neutral pronouns or neopronouns.
So, let's get right to it. How do you describe a genderqueer character who lives in a world that aligns with our western one, and doesn't use gender neutral pronouns or neopronuns?
"Half past nine," she murmured deeply, tucking the watch into the vest pocket under her cloak, careful not to let the constable catch sight of the various weapons glittering beneath it. Lila was tall and thin, with a boyish frame that helped her pass for a young man, but only from a distance. Too close an inspection, and the illusion would crumble.
This excerpt is from Lila Bard's first introduction in V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic. Lila is word-of-god genderfluid (neither she nor the other characters use that word for her), and is portrayed on the page with descriptions like these. She's a character who consistently favours male cut clothing over pretty much anything female.
"Are you certain you wouldn't prefer something with a corset? Or a train?"
Calla had tried to lead Lila to a rack of dresses, but her eyes had gone straight to the men's coats. Glorious things, with strong shoulders and high collars and gleaming buttons.
"No," said Lila, lifting one from the rack. "This is exactly what I want."
Later in the same chapter:
She looked little like the shadow of a thief on the WANTED posters back home, and nothing like the scrawny girl hoarding coppers to escape a dingy life. Her polished boots glistened from knee to toe, lengthening her legs. Her coat broadened her shoulders and hugged her waist. And her mask tapered down her cheeks, the black horns curling up over her head in a way that was at once elegant and monstrous. She gave herself a long, appraising look, the way the girl in the street had, but there was nothing to scoff at now.
Delilah Bard looked like a king.
Lila is also frequently described by other characters as being tall and boyish, slim, rakish, and physically strong. She has sharp angles, a sharp jaw, short, sharply cut hair. While not all of the words used to describe Lila can be said to be male coded, female coded descriptors are almost never applied to her.
Note: If Schwab hadn't confirmed Lila to be genderfluid on twitter, I'd have never known because I don't read her as genderfluid from the text. I couldn't find a whole lot of examples in the text to back up this reading, either. Other readers obviously had a different experience (and that is legit), but what I want to say is:if you intend for your character to be genderqueer and to be consistently read that way, it has to be textual, and it has to be clear.
Continuing in a similar vein, the next example is of a character who's word-of-god agender, but his genderqueerness is more prominent in the text than Lila Bard's.
"I suppose they must have an awful lot of trouble with assassination," Caius went on. He was dressed half like a woman and half like a lunatic, breezing through the halls behind our lamp-bearer, the fabric of whatever it was he was wearing swishing all the way.
Excerpt from Shadow Magic by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett. Caius Greylace doesn't seem concerned with gender expression, but clearly behaves in a way that rejects the binary.
Caius Greylace, fresh out of a bath and smelling like roses, was standing in the open space;
Caius, who was wearing what looked like some kind of red bow in his hair.
"It's a local hair ornament," Caius said.
He was delicate enough that he reminded me a little of Greylace
"Ah, fresh air," Caius said, standing next to me and breathing in deeply before letting out a fluttery little sigh. I'd heard women make that kind of noise.
He is described using female coded traits—smelling like roses, wearing female-coded clothing, making female-perceived noises—and is on occasion explicitly compared to women. Quite often Caius actually casts himself in the female role, as in this excerpt from his own POV:
"This is rather like a game," I murmured happily to Alcibiades, who was looking increasingly like one of the bored husbands you saw in the Volstov shopping district, dragged by their wives from hat shop to dress shop to hat shop again. He'd even given up trying to shake me off his arm.
Caius affords attention to his clothing to a degree that is often only exhibited by female characters:
This outfit was a new one, and not entirely as flattering as it might have been. I was going to call the Ke-Han tailors soon, in any case.
He is small, delicate, fluttering, fanciful, has a tinkling laugh, etc. etc. There's no end to the female coded descriptor for him.
Now, what both Lila and Caius have in common is that they a) use gendered pronouns that match their assigned gender, b) look to the other end of the binary gender spectrum to express themselves and be comfortable in their own skin and c) aren't afforded the agency to actually put in their own words that they're genderqueer. It's left to the reader to interpret their gender (or lack thereof), and the authors to confirm it after the fact.
I might seem overly critical of this approach, but actually: When writing fantasy that adheres to our western binary principles, this is a very useful way to establish a character's genderqueerness since this is something many readers are already familiar with from both their own lives and from other works of fiction. If the characters are operating in a binary, stepping outside of the binary inevitably involves appropriating traits from the other end of the spectrum. Having a binary setup isn't inherently bad, it just means that having characters in that set up that don't fit that binary will require some extra work.
We'll talk more about this in #3.
I'll give you a third example of a character who's also word-of-god genderfluid, but who actually affords this conscious thought on the page even though the actual word isn't used in the text. This is an example of how it's not always necessary to use our real-life queer vocabulary in order to get the idea across explicitly:
In fact, she gave me precisely everything I did not ask for. The best tailored dresses, fine powders and rouges appropriate for my age, delicate porcelain dolls from Imachara, fancy stationery, sewing and knitting lessons. (…) I wanted to learn to fence and shoot.
The act [of being young noblewomen] was like the dresses—I'll-fitting and not quite right.
"For the one hundredth thousandth time—I'm Gene," I said, as I always did. (…) I beamed at Oswin. He had called me Gene.
Micah from Laura Lam's YA fantasy book Pantomime is assigned female at birth and has struggled with it his whole life. The book is from two POV's: Micah in the present and Gene in the past, Gene being the masculine version of Micah's nickname before he started using the name Micah. As you can see from the excerpts above, Micah consciously gives his gender identity and expression thought, so the reader is aware that he isn't comfortable with his assigned gender and expected gender expression.
I thought of my attraction to Aenea. Did I like her as a boy or as a girl?
I was both male and female in a world where it seemed you had to be one or the other.
I think it's important to add here that Micah is also intersex, which overlaps with his struggle to find his gender identity, as Micah (in the first book) subscribes to his society's views of gender as something that aligns with sex. I mentioned that he's word-of-god genderfluid, I say this specifically because my reading of the text is that Micah is transgender. (Of course, any reading is legit, the author is dead, etc.)
The cultural set up in the Micah Gray trilogy is a society which is western-inspired (similar to Victorian UK) and thus does not accept deviations from the established gender binary or heteronormativity:
"What is your biggest fear?" He asked.
I was quiet, thinking. There were so many things I was frightened of. "Not being accepted or loved for what—who—I am."
This is likely a contributing factor to why in Micah's world the vocabulary for queerness is limited (though not non-existent). Going back to Lila's and Caius' worlds for a second; in Lila's setting (Red London) homosexuality/bisexuality appears to be generally accepted, but doesn't have a word, and there plain isn't any vocabulary for genderqueerness for Lila or other characters to use. In Caius' world (Volstov) the countryside is less tolerant of deviant sexualities and gender expressions while in the city it seems accepted enough, however there is again a distinct lack of vocabulary, and what vocabulary there is (for homosexuality) consists mostly of in-world slurs.
This brings us to our next topic.
3. Cultural set up
(Worldbuilding. I mean worldbuilding.)
We get to talk about The Black Tides of Heaven now! We also now get to the most crucial part of this post. The excerpts in the previous section were western fantasy written by queer white western women (except Anne Rice), so the physical expressions of genderqueerness relied on western binary gender coding, because the basis for creating those settings was a western cultural mindset. The ADSOM trilogy is literally set in fantasy London while the Volstovic Cycle series in general is set in Not!Russia-cum-France, and the Micah Gray trilogy is set in Not!Victorian UK. All three examples take place in some nebulous Regency-Victorian "time period", despite being fantasy in made up worlds, and our western attitudes towards gender (and sexuality) carry over.
Which is to say, the cultural set up of the story informs everything else. The cultural set up informs the physical descriptions, as they are inevitably rooted in culture and language—the pronouns and other vocabulary included.
So when you want to write a genderqueer character in your fantasy novel, that's where you have to start. What is your cultural set up like? How is gender treated and described not just for the genderqueer character, but for everyone else as well? How do cultural attitudes and traditions inform this world view, and why? How does it affect your characters, genderqueer and cisgender characters alike? How does the language in your cultural set up reflect gender? Which vocabulary do your characters have at their disposal?
So, if you're writing a fantasy set in a world that mimics the western world we already live in, I hope that by now you've got some idea of which approaches you can use to convey your character's genderqueerness.
If you're looking to do something else, let's have a look at how JY Yang (Singaporean, queer) went about making genderqueerness an integral part of the cultural set up instead of something that is tacked onto an existing structure of traditions, values and attitudes.
The Tensorate series has a cultural set up which is wholly different from the more common western set up: To begin with, the series is fantasy set in Not!Asia instead of Not!Europe. The cultural set-up inThe Black Tides of Heaven is that everyone is born without a gender and is referred to by they/them pronouns. One can confirm their gender at age 3, 6 or 16, or never. In practice, one can still confirm their gender past 16, these are just the traditional ages to do it. (I may have gotten the ages wrong, bear with me. The point still stands.) In this set up, using gender neutral pronouns and not having a confirmed gender is not queer to the setting. It is expected to confirm one's gender eventually, so it's my understanding that not confirming one's gender is a way to be genderqueer in this set up.
There are very few physical descriptions that indicate gender:
Sonami had just turned fifteen, yet still wore the genderfree tunic of a child, their hair cropped to a small square at the top of their head and gathered into a bun.
Genderfree is such an amazing word, isn't it? When not having a gender isn't deviant from the norm, it also isn't queer, so it makes sense that the vocabulary reflects this. Genderfree means just that: free from gender. It's normalised. A natural part of the culture.
The use of gender neutral pronouns changes when a character confirms their gender, or, as in this example, a character realises what their gender is:
Slowly, as if stepping into the unilluminated edge of a lake, Akeha switched to using masculine pronouns.
I am. I want. I will.
Their heart quickened in their chest. The words rolled and clicked in their mind, sharp and electric.
Fear and excitement seized them in equal parts. I should tell Mother, they thought. He thought.
The sex of the body is irrelevant to the gender and is never revealed; gender is expressed through pronoun use, gender coded clothing, and gender coded hair styles. Medicine that prevents the body from changing is administered to genderfree children, and it's heavily implied that in order to "undo" that, one has to actively choose to take confirmation medicine.
His body ached. His reshaped hips felt loose where the confirmation doctors had shifted bone, and soreness coiled in flesh both old and new. The doctors had assured him that the discomfort was normal, part of his body learning to speak the new language it had been taught. In time it would forget it had known anything else. In time, he too would forget what it felt like not to have this body, not to have had this life.
Another way to be genderqueer in this cultural set up, that isn't staying genderfree/unconfirmed, is to confirm one's gender, but not undergo medical confirmation:
"My confirmation, I didn't…I didn't get confirmed." As Akeha's frown deepened, he said, "I mean, I got confirmed, but I didn't go to the doctors. Some—"
"I don't care," Akeha said.
This is just one example of a cultural set up that allows for some specific-to-that-world genderqueerness that has no relation to our western world views; it isn't queer to be genderfree unless one stays genderfree past childhood, and it is queer to be confirmed in gender but not body. Even so, those forms of queerness appear to be normal and standard for the way of living in that cultural set up (as is homosexuality), so we could actually make the argument that this cultural set up isn't queer at all. However, because this book exists in our euro-centric and cisheteronormative world, it is absolutely queer. Unapologetically queer.
I'd venture to say that The Age of the Unapologetic Queer is now, and that making queerness explicit on the page should be standard. (Don't make your fans do the work for you.)
To circle this back to pronoun use: using they pronouns in English as genderfree markers on the page also works smoothly because the fantasy language in JY Yang's set up has gendered pronouns. This is shown in the text like so:
Akeha switched to using masculine pronouns.
Mokoya had slipped and used the feminine "I" pronoun.
So it is clear that the use of the English they isn't just for the sake of the Western readers that may pick this book up, it's an inherent part of the cultural set up.
Language informs the cultural set up and vice versa. Leaving the pronouns and The Black Tides of Heaven aside for a bit, consider all the different ways in which language can reflect the world building in your cultural set up. Genderfree is a good example of a piece of vocabulary that fulfills a specific need, but what about other areas? Honorifics? Professions? Think about how English does it: actor vs actress, male nurse vs nurse, king vs queen.
Does the language of your set up reflect English cultural traditions, or does it reflect the traditions and values of your cultural set up?
4. Writing genderqueer characters
So, you have one or more genderqueer characters in your novel. Maybe your novel is set in a western-inspired world. Or perhaps a non-western inspired world. Whichever it is, you've probably tweaked it. Or maybe you don't have any of those things, and are reading this for inspiration.
A while ago I was struggling with how to portray a genderfluid character in a fantasy WIP, so let's use that as a case study:
The cultural set up in my WIP is inspired by northern Scandinavia, but queerer. The culture this character is from is historically matriarchal, and the language only has gender neutral pronouns (just like modern Finnish and Sápmi languages). That same culture uses ranks and gender suffixes to convey gender, i.e. a person may have both a rank and a profession with their gender suffix (no suffix means no gender), or if they rank highly enough, they may have a female gendered rank (no suffix as the word itself is gendered (and ancient)) regardless of their actual gender. I have several ways of conveying this quirk of the language, such as: He was the kind of man who put his gender suffix on everything he could possibly tack it onto, even if it wasn't required by standard grammar.
On to the problem: By using the pronouns they/them for my nonbinary character I felt like I was singling them out as something ~special when fact was that everyone uses gender neutral pronouns because that's how the language and the culture is set up. I didn't want to use either he or she for this character either, as I felt that would give something away about their body that isn't relevant for anyone to know and which might make readers biased towards them in one way or other.
What I wanted was to avoid clumsy infodump phrases that broke the reader's immersion, such as a POV character (POV character is from culture #2) remarking on pronouns for no good reason at all. Unlike the Tensorate set up, I don't have gendered pronouns that can 'match' the English pronouns, because there is only the one gender neutral pronoun for everyone.
I thought about the following solutions:
- Having somebody ask another character, who's bilingual, how they'd refer to the nonbinary character in their other language (clumsy)
- Not use any pronouns at all and refer to the nonbinary character only by name (pronoun conspicuous by absence)
- Use they pronouns for everyone (I quickly dismissed that idea)
- Use "neopronouns" for that character derived from the language I'm using as inspiration (also clumsy)
- Change the set up and have gendered pronouns so I can just use they (not a fan of this idea)
One very telling thing I didn't think of at first was that I had no problems using gendered pronouns for everyone else, i.e. my female and male characters, even though they should've been using gender neutral pronouns as well if I applied the same rules to them as I was applying to my nonbinary character. So once I realised I was being a douche and that my aversion to the gender neutral pronouns for that one nonbinary character was the result of internalised prejudice, the solution became: use they/them pronouns for them and stop whining.
JY Yang managed to scrub western patriarchal (and English) cultural baggage out of their language use in The Black Tides of Heaven, without reinventing the English language, so there's literally no excuse for anyone else trying to do the same thing.
The other thing I did to fix this: I changed the language spoken between the POV character and the bilingual character early on in the novel, when they discuss the nonbinary character (Áillun) for a thieving job. By having them speak a language with gendered pronouns I could add the information about the cultural set up and the cultural differences between the two cultures in just two lines:
Fjalarr turned the machine on, which instantly started gurgling. He then took care to close the coffee tin and replace it in the cupboard before he spoke again. "Why didn't you get Áillun?"
"We already have…that?" Ilmari frowned. His Skerlenzka was rustier than he'd thought, and he'd never really gotten the hang of all the different pronouns and grammatical genders to begin with. "We already have Áillun," he said instead.
"Them," Fjalarr corrected. "That is for masculine things, they is for agender people."
As a bonus, the language change modified the character dynamic in the scene and improved it overall. (Not that the whole thing doesn't still need some serious editing, but you know. Baby steps.)
Some questions to ask yourself when writing genderqueer characters:
- Am I being a douche?
- Which pronouns exist in my cultural set up, and why? Why not?
- Which forms of gender expressions exist, and how does my character relate to them? How do other characters relate to them?
- Does my choice of words accurately reflect my intentions?
To finish off with a flourish, I'm going to give you one last example of how to go about talking about pronouns in English-language fiction:
Abdo gave me the expected fish-eye, but for an unexpected reason: Wrong gender. You use cosmic neuter for a stranger.
I glanced at Rodya; he leaned to one side and spat on the ground. He's not a stranger anymore. If anyone embodied naive masculine, surely Rodya—
You use cosmic neuter for a stranger, Abdo insisted. And he's a stranger until you've asked, "How may I pronoun you?"
But you told me cosmic neuter was the gender of gods and eggplant, I protested, unsure why I was arguing with a native speaker about his own language.
People may choose it, said Abdo. But it's polite for strangers. You may be almost sure he's not an eggplant, but he might still be some agent of the gods.
This exchange tells you so much about the cultural set up, doesn't it? The excerpt is from Rachel Hartman's Shadow Scale. The language in question has six genders, including, (iirc) two masculine genders and two female genders.
Books cited in this post:
Bennett & Jones; Shadow Magic (Volstovic Cycle #2)
Hartman, Rachel; Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2)
Lam, Laura; Pantomime (Micah Gray #1)
Rice, Anne; Interview with the Vampire
Schwab, V.E.; A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)
Yang, JY; The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate #1)