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18 Dec '16
Happy holidays and happy new year!
2016 has been a tumultuous year for all of us. But California continues to serve as a shining beacon, leading the way, including with legislation that protects workers. Here are five new laws worth celebrating as we welcome the new year.
1. Minimum Wage Increase to $15/Hour by 2023 — SB-3
Over the past few years, the California State Legislature has steadily increased the minimum wage, a move that helps stem the rising income inequality in our society. SB-3 increases the minimum wage for all employees to $15 an hour by 2023, and ties future increases to inflation. The schedule (subject to certain conditions) will be. . .
04 Dec '16
Given the election outcome, there is much uncertainty about the what the future holds for our country. Workers have many reasons to be concerned, particularly given that our President-elect will likely appoint and nominate people hostile to workers' rights and civil rights to government positions, including to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Supreme Court.
Fortunately, we in California are to some extent shielded from changes in federal laws in situations where there are California laws in effect that offer similar or broader protections. To give some examples:
- A California employee can usually sue for discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based on sex, race, and certain other protected categories under either the California Fair Employment and Housing Act ("FEHA") or under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII"). The FEHA covers employers with five or more employees for discrimination and retaliation, and one or more employees for harassment, and also allows individual harassers to be sued personally. Title VII applies to employers with fifteen or more employees and does not allow for individual liability. Title VII also contains caps on compensatory and punitive damages based on the size of the employer, while the FEHA has no such limitations.
- The FEHA explicitly prohibits discrimination based on "gender, gender identity, gender expression" and "sexual orientation," while Title VII does not. The EEOC and a number of federal courts have taken the (logical and just) position that sexual orientation discrimination is a subset of sex discrimination and therefore prohibited under Title VII (as is discrimination against LGBT individuals in general), but there is a risk that with a change in the composition of the federal courts, we could regress in interpretations of federal law. Regardless, LGBT workers in California will remain protected.
- The FEHA and the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") offer similar protections with respect to disability discrimination. The FEHA is more protective of disabled employees and explicitly states that the ADA serves only as a "floor."
- The California Family Rights Act ("CFRA") and the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") are two leave laws that have significant overlap in their coverage and protections. Again, CFRA offers more protections to California employees, particularly pregnant women who also take pregnancy disability leave.
- California's Labor Code contains a number of protections regarding minimum wages, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and other employee protections, as does the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"). The California laws tend to be more protective (for example, providing that most non-exempt employees receive overtime for for all hours over 8 worked in a day, not just for all hours over 40 per week, and also requiring that employees receive meal and rest breaks).
- California has a number of laws that protect whistleblowers, including Labor Code section 1102.5 (a broad statute that protects all types of whistleblowing), Labor Code section 6310 (protecting employees who complain about workplace health and safety issues), and Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 (protecting employees who complain about patient health and safety issues). There are some overlaps with federal whistleblower laws.
As the previous paragraph demonstrates, our laws tend to offers greater protections and additional remedies as compared to federal employment laws. For that reason, most California employees choose to sue under the California laws when possible. In addition, asserting California (and not federal) claims allows employees to file and usually to keep their cases in state courts. There, an employee need only convince nine out of twelve jurors to find in his favor in order to win his case, in contrast to the requirement in federal court that the jury find for him unanimously. Judges in state court are also less likely to grant summary judgment and dismiss employees' cases, and tend to give lawyers more time to try their cases.
We are fortunate to live where we do. The newly enacted Labor Code section 925 will ensure that employers cannot strip California employees of their substantive rights or force them to litigate/arbitrate their claims in out-of-state forums. Even if the courts and the nominees/appointees of the new administration will interpret federal laws in a manner that is less favorable to employees, California workers can continue to pursue their state claims, and can continue to push for even more progress in California.
December 2016
Mizrahi Law, APC
- 201 S Lake Ave, Ste 305, Pasadena, California 91101
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- Ms. Mizrahi was elected as an officer of the State Bar of California Labor & Employment Law Section.
- Ramit Mizrahi has been selected as one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers® Rising Stars and Top 50 Women Rising Stars in Southern California.
- Ms. Mizrahi has been selected as a Pasadena Magazine Top Attorney.
- Ms. Mizrahi has been selected as a Los Angeles Magazine Top Women Attorneys In Southern California for the fourth year in a row.
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2019 CA Employment Law Legislative Update
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As some of you know, I've been on the lookout for games for contemplation and thinking exercises since I read A Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart.
Today Trevelyn and I played Sprouts. (See the link for official rules and play.)
Sprouts was first played by mathematicians John Horton Conway and Michael S. Paterson at Cambridge University in 1967.
First you draw two dots on a page.
Whoever goes first connects these two lines, drawing a curved or straight line. The lines drawn may never touch or cross over each other. (Not touching, except to end or begin at a shared dot.)
When the first player has connected the dots, a dot is placed somewhere on that line, making a new dot.
Dots may only have three lines going or coming from them.
The game ends when no new lines can be made, as all the dots are connecting three lines.
Happy thinking!

subset: commoncrawl


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Founded by former YC Alum and serial entrepreneur, Marsplay is a socially curated shopping app, that seeks to employ the long tail of influencers to surface discovery & commerce of interesting fashion products and brands - fulfilling a felt need to stand out, in one's attire and accessories, in the age of homogenised fast fashion.
Marsplay targets 2 key constituents: the shoppers who seek a unique and distinctive fashion inspiration and, the long tail of creators who share their own inspirations and fashion takes on social channels to a loyal following that shares their aesthetic and fashion sensibilities.
Marsplay provides the inspiration, with a ready & fast growing community of influencers and shoppers on the app, and then removes the friction to impulse buys, by providing a ready 'buy' button, thus creating immediate fulfilment for shoppers; affiliate revenues and a virtual and ready storefront at the moment of impulse, for influencers.
Write to us at email@example.com


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Abel#87; 1248m.
Australia Day long weekend had been set aside to join a Pandani Club walk to Reynolds Falls. Instead of leaving Hobart early in the morning, we decided to drive up after work and stay the night in the Cradle Mountain area. This gave us good opportunity to bag a peak and we decided on Mt Campbell, as it's a short walk and has an excellent view of Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake.
We arrived at the Dove Lake carpark around 7pm and made our way around the eastern side of the lake and followed all directions to Hansons Peak. Instead of walking to the saddle between Mt Campbell and Hansen Peak, we decided to head up a rocky scree a bit earlier in order to save a few minutes. This was a mistake and most likely took a little longer than just going the regular way. Once at the saddle head left and follow one of many paths that snake through the fagus and up towards the peak. Once you get to the rocky scree there is only one main path that can be followed all the way to the top. We stopped for sometime about halfway up as the sun was setting and lighting up Cradle Mountain in a yellow/orange glow. The flat and unimpressive summit was our next target and we reached the heap of rocks that is the highpoint (~40 minutes after leaving the carpark).
All up: 4.1kms in an easy 1 hour and 40 minutes with 318m ascent.
Getting there: Follow all directions to Cradle Mountain and drive to the Dove Lake carpark. Once at the lake, walk around the eastern side and follow directions towards Hansons Peak. At the saddle, turn left and follow the pad up to the summit.


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Source : Why the Internet Makes People Addicted? – Maybe not a few people who directly seek to connect with the internet gadgets since waking from sleep. There's even a nighttime sleep cycles are disturbed because of the internet can not be separated.
Excerpted from the website LiveScience, Tuesday, May 28, 2013, the internet addiction like this is actually influenced by the structure of the Internet itself. "The Internet is not addictive in the way of drugs. But the internet is a compulsive activity, very interesting and diverting attention," said Tom Stafford, an expert in cognitive psychology from the University of Sheffield, UK.
Email and social media has a structure similar machine casino reward system: results issued many are junk, but not infrequently also raises the jackpot. Jackpot in the context of the internet could be the latest information or gossip, or a funny video from YouTube.
Why the Internet Makes People Addicted?


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When it comes to choosing fireplaces, traditional as well as contemporary styles create an inviting ambiance unparalleled by any other heat source. Harman has the selection of fireplaces modern homeowners rely on to seamlessly match their décor and enhance the look and feel of any room. Regardless of your preferred fuel-type, our fireplaces, gas and electric, are not only stylish but provide efficient, effective heat. Whether your space is large or small, indoor or outdoor, Harman has the perfect fireplace solution for you.
Count on reliable, and beautiful, heating at the flip of a switch with our innovative, stylish fireplaces. Electric powered fireplaces are a simple and convenient way to add warmth and style where traditional fireplaces simply won't work.
Transform your backyard with the addition of one of our stylish fireplaces. Outdoor fireplace options create a living space unlike any other within your home. Browse our selection now and find the perfect fireplace for your yard.
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To qualify complete online form with your name, email address, phone number and submit. Information submitted will be available to Harman dealers. This coupon can be redeemed at any authorized Harman dealer in the US and Canada before the expiration date. This coupon is valid once and cannot be combined with other coupons or promotional offers. For purchase only, not valid on service. Authorized dealers are required to honor manufacturer's coupon. Coupon must be presented to dealer at time of original quote. Coupon may not apply if presented after original quote has been generated.
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Okra, known as Lady Fingers in some parts of the world, forms an elongated fruit from each flower. The flowers only last for a day or two and the fruits are ready to pick just a few days after that. Okra is most commonly prepared in stir fries and sautées. This okra plant is growing in a self-watering container made from buckets recycled from a restaurant and some inexpensive parts. #TeachEverywhereGrowAnywhere #FoodSecurityIsFreedom
Tag: security
New Self-Watering Container Garden Built in India
About a year ago, I encountered my friend, Avanish, on Facebook through mutual online friends in the organic gardening realm of the web. We both had a common interest in sustainable living and our online conversations started around Learn & Grow.
At about that same time, the virtual assistant I'd had could no longer continue in the position and I needed someone to replace him. Avanish ended up taking on that responsibility and he and I began speaking almost every weekday for anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours a day from that point forward. He's learned my special education advocacy and intervention caseload and helps me stay on top of all my responsibilities, including running my calendar, all from his smartphone in Gwalior, MP, India. I'm located in Southern California, USA. Technology is amazing.
But, virtual assistant awesomeness aside, my collaboration with Avanish started with Learn & Grow and the intent was always for him to build his own container garden in Gwalior. Sourcing the tools and parts turned out to be a challenge, but we ultimately figured out that we could order everything through Amazon. The PVC, soil, and plants were locally purchased. And, now, Avanish has started his self-watering container garden in Gwalior using the same methods we use in our Learn & Grow test garden here in Southern California!
Here is Avanish's photo story of building out his first two containers to start his garden:
This is an exciting moment for us. The Learn & Grow Educational Series started in 2013 in my little apartment patio/yard with a few self-watering containers that served as our test garden. Today, the original garden has approximately 40 containers and a chicken coop and pens that hold five laying hens. We are using social media marketing methods to push instruction on how to have food security and food independence in these uncertain times, in a way that can be scaled according to each person's available space and resources.
Our audience has become global. We get the most fascinating stories and inquiries about food security, gardening methods, local fruits and vegetables, and worries about the future of food availability from people around the world through our social media, primarily Facebook and Instagram. We are thrilled to have our methods replicated in a country where access to food is a serious concern for millions of people and growing their own food using our methods could be one of many tools used to combat hunger and poverty in India.
KPS4Parents is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; discuss with your tax advisor whether your donations to KPS4Parents are tax-deductible.


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Rather than just updating its voluntary food safety guidance for fresh produce, FDA would better serve the produce industry's guidance needs by developing benchmarking guidance and validating resulting food safety standards, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has told the agency.
PMA's comments came in response to the agency's recent request for public input on how it might update its 1998 "Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables," which contains voluntary guidance for produce suppliers.
"We urge the agency to go beyond merely providing updated voluntary guidance, to instead develop benchmarking guidance that would serve as a framework for developing and assessing public- or private-sector food safety standards on a global basis," Chief Science Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker wrote to the agency in comments PMA submitted on Dec. 30, 2008.
Noting that large and small produce suppliers alike are facing increasing pressure to comply with a proliferating variety of customers' food safety standards, and at considerable expense, PMA urged FDA to develop risk- and science-based standards to reduce the marketplace's current confusion and variability. The association also urged the agency to take leadership of evaluating resulting standards against those benchmarks, to "recognize valid comprehensive food safety standards or disapprove those which are found lacking."
"This would mark a monumental shift in FDA practice [that] would catapult the agency from the passive role of offering voluntary guidance, to actively mandating GAP programs measured by FDA against its benchmark," Whitaker wrote. "Perhaps as never before, we are faced with an opportunity to clarify approaches to produce food safety, drive harmonization in food safety standards and audits, reinforce the importance of risk- and science-based improvements to current practices across the entire supply chain, and to address the growing wariness of consumers regarding the safety of fresh produce."
To view PMA's full comments to FDA, visit http://www.pma.com/issues/foodsafety.cfm. Dr. Whitaker's blog on food safety and related topics, "Ask Dr. Bob," can be accessed at http://askdrbob.pma.com/.


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Valpak is at the heart of communities across North America, helping people save, businesses grow and neighborhoods thrive through a network of local franchisees in the U.S. and Canada.


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Who we are...
The Christian Fencers Association (CFA) is a completely voluntary grassroots fellowship of Christians united to encourage good fellowship, good sportsmanship and good deeds throughout the fencing community and the world at large. All ages and races of CFA fencers can be found in the U.S. and around the world.
Simply put, the CFA is a way that fencers, who are Christians, can put their faith into action by sharing with people and helping those in need through the sport we love. We don't have regular meetings, dues or funding. Involvement is by individual Christians who make something of the CFA to the extent that God leads them.
One of many things Christian Fencers do is to conduct introductory Fencing Camps for under-privileged youth throughout the United States and in countries such as England, Northern Ireland, Hungary and India. These have provided kids with an opportunity to participate in a sport they would have otherwise never been able to experience and to hear words of hope and encouragement.
Other CFA activities have included hosting "Fence for Food" tournaments to benefit food pantries and disaster relief, as well as conducting outreach fencing demonstrations for community events. CFA fencers regularly travel the country and the world to compete in tournaments. They can often be seen helping those around them, quietly praying in gyms and clubs for safe tournaments, for all to do their best, and for the healing and spiritual needs of those around them.
Mind, Body & Spirit...
Email: email@example.com


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Tomb Raider: Legend
Over the years, it seems the only artifact that's managed to elude Lara Croft is her lost glory. Bad games released on a yearly basis made this onetime industry darlingstar of movies, magazine covers, and even U2's Popmart toura laughingstock.
That was until Eidos ripped Lara away from her creators at Core Design and decided to give Crystal Dynamics a shot at resurrecting Lady Croft's reputation. Mission accomplished.
We sat down with Crystal Dynamics producer Morgan Gray and lead designer Riley Cooper to discuss the past, the future, and the anatomy of a comeback.
Why do you think this game has been so well received? What did you do that made people love Lara again?
CD: I think it's just that, from day one, we set out to be true to Lara and to create an experience that put her back where she excelsin the tombs. Of course, getting off the grid system of the past six Tomb Raiders was very important as well. The physics gave us room to do some new things with level design. There were a lot of things [we concentrated on], but from day one it was our intention to stay true to the first two games in the franchise and bring Tomb Raider up to modern game-play standards.
Is there any particular level or section of the game you're most proud of?
CD: The very first physics-based puzzle that takes place in the heart of the first tomb. It uses this relatively new game system to re-create the classic Tomb Raider room-filling puzzle. The physical aspect is very kinetic, and Lara applies force to it in a fun way.
Is there anything in the game our readers may have missed on their first play-throughs?
CD: Most of them probably didn't get all the rewards and their associated unlockables. There are some helpful gun upgrades and pretty cool outfits if you doand they're fun to find. Some of the associated puzzles are the harder ones in the game.
Do you think the Tomb Raider series lends itself to any sort of online play? Was anything like that considered for Legend?
CD: Very early on, online was considered and then dropped. We had our work cut out for us in just delivering a quality single-player experience. Part of the problem with multiplayer in the Tomb Raider universe is there aren't many characters you'd want to play besides Lara. That said, I wouldn't rule it out as a future possibility.
What was your favorite of the first six games? Did it have any major influence on Legend?
CD: Probably the second. It delivered the Tomb Raider experience better than the other five. The first and second games both had a major influence on Legend. They defined the spirit of what we set out to deliver: cutting-edge movement mechanics, spending the vast majority of the game in and around ancient spaces, large physical puzzles, and acrobatic combat.
Tomb Raider practically became the poster child for how not to milk a series. Where do you feel the series went wrong originally? Was it the pressure to produce a new sequel every year?
CD: The pressure to produce a sequel a year is always an issue. Making any big game in that time frame is a challenge. Who knows what hurdles Core Design had to jump in making their games? All kinds of things happen in this industry.
That said, from the outside it looks like they spent too much time trying to evolve the "soft design"story, characters, and localesand not enough time on the "hard design"controls, mechanics, and game systems. This resulted in Lara getting further and further from her elementtomb raiding, of courseand left the game play almost exactly where it was when the series started.
The story line of Legend re-creates the origins of Lara to a certain extent. Does that mean everything that happened in the first six games has been completely wiped away?
CD: Not at all. We chose to tell a story that didn't have much to do with the previous Tomb Raider stories, but we also tried not to trample what the previous stories had established. There are some backstory elements that have been carefully preserved as well.
These elements are only touched on in Legend, but we're doing our best to create a cohesive universe for future stories that doesn't ignore the previous ones.
What kind of input did Lara's creator, Toby Gard, have on the project? Will he be consulting on the inevitable sequel?
CD: It was great to have Toby on board in developing Legend. He's smart and friendly and obviously cares a lot about Lara. He did a lot of different things on Legend, including providing direction for cinematics, collaborating on story, and doing character concepts. He always had great feedback for those things he wasn't directly on the hook for as well. He'll definitely be tapped for contribution to future projects.


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Go211 is pleased to announce that Mary Osborne has joined the Go211.com Pro Team. Champion Longboarder, Tandem Surfer and most recently acclaimed for her victorious sweep of the Longboard Division on MTV's "Surf Girls"; Osborne is making her mark in the surfing world.
In 2003, Mary was nominated for a Teen Choice Award as 'Best Female Athlete', and was named the first 'Action Girl of the Year' by Action Girl. Osborne aspires to keep young women as the forerunners of surf and has co-authored the book 'Sister Surfer: A Woman's Guide to Surfing with Bliss and Courage', with fellow surfer Kia Afcari.
"I feel very fortunate to be able to communicate my dedication to supporting youths in this industry through the Go211 vehicle. I look forward to interacting with the sites member's and hope to be an inspiration to them," said Osborne.
Go211.com is the site for behind-the-scenes video, blogs, photos and podcasts from athletes in the action sports world. The current athlete roster includes Holly Beck, Danny Kass, Jereme Rogers, Christian Hosoi, Mitchie Brusco, Jamie Bestwick, Seth Wescott, Kelly Clark, and Ben Watts among others.
"Mary Osborne is an excellent addition to the Go211 Pro Team not only for her talent and personality but her ability to be a role model for the younger surfers on the site," said Sean M. Aruda, CEO of Go211.com. "Our members are anxiously awaiting her arrival so they can interact with her on the site."
Check out Mary's blogs for Cooler here!


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We've made it past the red carpet, seen some stunning gowns and some not-so-steller dresses and now it's time for the 85th Academy Awards to begin. We hope your Oscars party is gilded and glitzy in true Hollywood fashion — but keep your laptop open! We'll be updating this page with the winners throughout the night just in case you were too busy refilling your glass of bubbly and missed Jennifer Lawrence shade Meryl Streep again or Argo get snubbed (fingers crossed that's not what happens...).
Best Picture: Amour,
, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Michael Haneke, Amour; Ang Lee, Life of Pi; David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook; Steven Spielberg, Lincoln; Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook; Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln; Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables ; Joaquin Phoenix, The Master; Denzel Washington, Flight
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty; Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook; Emmanuelle Riva, Amour; Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild; Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, Argo; Tommy Lee Jones Lincoln; Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook; Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master; Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The Master; Sally Field Lincoln; Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables ; Helen Hunt, The Sessions; Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Animated Feature: Brave, Frankenweenie, Paranorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Wreck-It Ralph
Original Screenplay: Amour, Michael Haneke; Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino; Flight, John Gatins; Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola; Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Adapted Screenplay:
, Chris Terrio; Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin; Life of Pi, David Magee; Lincoln, Tony Kushner; Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Best Foreign Language Film: A Royal Affair (Denmark), Amour (Austria), No (Chile), War Witch (Canada), Kontiki (Norway)
Original Score: Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli; Argo, Alexandre Desplat;
Life of Pi
, Mychael Danna; Lincoln, John Williams; Skyfall, Thomas Newman
Original Song: "Before My Time" (music and lyrics by J. Ralph), Chasing Ice; "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" (music and lyrics by Walter Murphy and Seth McFarlane), Ted; "Pi's Lullaby" (music and lyrics by Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri), Life of Pi; "Skyfall" (music and lyrics by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth), Skyfall ; "Suddenly" (music and lyrics by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boulil), Les Misérables
Achievement in Production Direction: Anna Karenina, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln
Achievement in Cinematography: Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey; Django Unchained, Robert Richardson; Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda; Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski; Skyfall, Roger Deakins
Achievement in Costume Design: Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran; Les Misérables, Paco Delgado; Lincoln, Joanna Johnston; Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka; Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood
Best Documentary Feature: 5 Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers, How to Survive a Plague, The Invisible War, Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short Subject: Inocente, Kings Point, Mondays at Racine, Open Heart ,Redemption
Achievement in Film Editing: Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling: Hitchcock, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables
Best Animated Short Film: Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare," Paperman
Best Live-Action Short Film: Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Curfew, Death of a Shadow, Henry
Achievement in Sound Editing [TIE]: Argo, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty
Achievement in Sound Mixing
: Argo, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Achievement in Visual Effects: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Life of Pi, Marvel's The Avengers, Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman
Photo: Courtesy of the Oscars


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With Thanksgiving just over a few weeks away and the December holidays right around the corner, the Holiday Season is truly upon us. Yes, it's the season for cheer, thoughtfulness, and warm-fuzzy-feelings, but it's also the season of frequently changing business hours. Provide good customer service and ensure that your customers know about the changing hours.
Leading up to the holidays, do you have extended hours? Are you closed the day after Thanksgiving, or the week between Christmas and New Year's? Customers generally expect different business hours surrounding the Holidays...as long as they know about them in advance. Here are some strategies for publicizing your Holiday hours and keeping your customers satisfied.
Email Your Customers
One of my favorite local shops always has holiday hours. They send out the first holiday marketing email which announces their extended hours. This is their unofficial holiday kick off. This email is great, because they inform their customers about the new hours, and people begin returning to the store to do their holiday shopping.
See How to Turn Your IVR System Into a Customer Service Strategy
Social Media and Business Listings
Did you know that you can feature your business hours on your Facebook page and on Google? Many business directories like Yelp also show web visitors your hours. When you take the time to post business hours on any social media site or business directory, it's important to keep them accurate and updated. Whether you're closing early before Thanksgiving, or have extra-long hours in December, make sure you keep your hours up-to-date wherever they're posted.
Your website
Adding notifications to your website is a fast, easy way to get important news out to your customers. Depending on how your website is set up, it can be pretty simple. It can be as simple as adding an announcement into the header of your website.
Use A Chat Bot
Chat Bots can be used to remind website visitors of the special hours due to the holidays. Your chat bot can be setup to answer common questions your visitor may have, too. Using a chat bot offers great customer service on your ecommerce or online stores during the holiday season.
Your Phone System
Your phone system is your first line of defense for customers and clients looking for more information about your business. Update your voice prompts or auto attendant greeting to announce your business hours. Also consider adding a special announcement, or paragraph to your Message On Hold program, telling callers you have special hours.
Your Physical Location
It seems obvious to post your new hours at your physical location - but that also means it's an easy step to forget. I can't even say how many times I've tried to go to a store, and they don't have their hours posted. Do everyone a favor and make a simple, easy sign that shows your business hours.
Do your customers ever ask you about your business hours during the holidays? How do you keep them in the know about your business?
Updated 11/13/2017


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In today's News & Observer,
Ron Paul steals show at conservative convention :
Romney's wife, Ann, in introducing him to the packed house at the Conservative Political Action Conference, came close to an admission, saying that she hoped to see her husband elected. And when Romney, who has been on a nationwide tour, said at one point "if I decide to run for president," some in the room chortled.
chortle [chôr – tl]
a noun, a snorting, joyful laugh or chuckle.
[combining the words chuckle and snort]
from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice found There by Lewis Carroll


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Elisa Sin
Education & Credentials
Certificate in Periodontics, Loma Linda University School of Dentistry; Loma Linda, CA
Boston University School of Dental Medicine; Boston, MA
Biological Science, Dental Hygiene, University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA
I care deeply for the health and well-being of my patients. As a specialist, I am truly an advocate for your periodontal and overall health. It is my goal to offer the best care and attention to my patients. In an informative, easygoing, and comfortable visit, together we can tailor a plan to gain and achieve health.
Volunteer Experience
Clinic with a Heart at Loma Linda University
Personal Biography
Dr. Sin has been practicing dentistry since 2007. While studying at USC, she fell in love with working with patients to better their oral health. Since completing her training in advanced periodontics and implant dentistry, she has worked at various locations providing the best quality treatment with compassion and care. She enjoys practicing periodontics because the biological response of each and every person is so different and she loves developing treatments and understanding the root of the problem. In her spare time, she loves to cook, eat, travel, and do outdoor activities.
Professional Association
Kern County Dental Society, California Dental Association, American Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology, California Society of Periodontists, Western Society of Periodontists, International Congress of Oral Implantologists


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What with the fact that every member of British society and their pet gerbil has an MP3 player, we're seeing more and more of these fancy battery backup devices whizzing around.
This is perhaps the neatest, and most environmentally friendly of the lot, packing a rechargeable battery and a pair of solar panels in one slimline device.
The backup battery can be charged either via standard DC-in, car cigarette lighter or by exposing the panels to either ambient or direct sunlight. So, even on those long weekends out in the sticks, you'll never be without enough juice to make an emergency phone call or top up your MP3 player.
The Opti-UPS charger has a standard selection of power adaptors, including female USB and male mini USB. While it's unlikely to completely recharge your mobile, the solar option makes this an extremely impressive bit of kit.


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In this healthy recipe makeover, chicken breast replaces sliced beef and we skip cheese for a healthier, but still delicious dunkable French dip sandwich. Serve with a mixed green salad or a vinegary slaw.
Ready In
Get a full year of EatingWell®, Rachael Ray Every Day™ and Shape® for just $11.


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Qty discounts & Green Points Earnings visible in cart.
Green Points Rewards earned on all products. Earnings visible in cart.
Snuggle time available daily. A versatile design that's great for swaddling, nursing, cuddling, and more.
At TGN we understand we're nothing without the customer. So your satisfaction is our top priority before and after your order!


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Minimum Requirements:
- FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with Airplane Multi-Engine Land (AMEL) and ATP rating.
- 3000 hours total time/ ARGUS PIC Minimums
- 1500 hours PIC time
- 250 hours PIC on type
- Current and valid, IPC, Line check and Route check
- Class 1 medical certificate
- Valid Passport
- US citizen or current work visa
- Must be able to relocate to within 90 minutes from base
Preferred qualifications:
- Previous Part 135 experience
If you are interested in this job APPLY HERE
As a sign of your professionalism, apply only when you comply with all the requirements and if you have or can obtain a work permit that allows you to be employed in this country.
You'll also be interested in other CJ-3 Jobs


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For the 4th time in only 5 years, Original Parts Group has earned the prestigious Best GM
Restored Vehicle Award! At the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, the OPGI team blew the minds of show exhibitors with the sleek, eye-catching, gold 1972 Chevelle SS Convertible (see pictures below). The award was presented on the iconic 100th anniversary of Chevrolet "driving, building, and living a passion for cars."
Every year we bring a car that features OPGI products to the SEMA Show so that people can see the fit and finish of our quality restoration parts. We chose to restore the '72 Chevelle to debut at the SEMA Show based on two big releases for OPGI: convertible pinchweld moldings and wheel opening moldings. After years of developing and manufacturing these parts to get them just right, they were featured on the '72 Chevelle and are now available for sale to the public.
For the past seven years, we have worked with Joel Hoffman of JH Restorations in Riverside, CA. We supplied all the Chevelle 1972 parts for a full frame-off restoration. Joel and crew tore it down, media-blasted and went to work installing new quarter panels, trunk pan, hood and fenders. Then it was off to Starside Design for body and paint work. Doug Starbuck of Starside applied the stock placer gold paint and topped it off with black SS stripes. Back at JH, the re-assembly continued with hundred of new Chevelle parts from OPGI. Sean Murphy of SMI Carburetors supplied a re-worked Holley® 750 carburetor and Ron Mangus Interiors installed the new convertible top.
2012 marks the 30th anniversary for Original Parts Group, so be expecting even more great things to come! Thanks for following.


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eBusiness Weekly
By Thursday morning, the rand had lost a little of its initial euphoria over Jacob Zuma's resignation as SA's president at 11pm, an hour before the ANC's midnight deadline. The rand was trading at R11.73 to the dollar, R14.61 to the euro and R16.44 to the pound at 6.30am.
Speculation that Zuma would resign in a televised address saw the rand strengthen from about R11.90/$ at 4.20pm to R11.66 when his speech finally commenced at 10.38pm.
Zuma's speech initially unsettled both South Africans and their currency. After keeping the nation waiting for more than 30 minutes, Zuma kicked off with what appeared to be his impression of Batman-villain The Joker, giving his "heh heh heh" trademark laugh and asking journalists, "Why so serious?"
Zuma next adopted a belligerent tone, saying he did not fear the National Assembly's vote of no confidence against him scheduled for 3pm on Thursday, causing the rand to oscillate wildly around R11.70/$.
Finally at 11pm, he resigned. His parting shot was: "I will dedicate all of my energy to work towards the attainment of the policies of our organisation, in particular the radical economic transformation agenda."
The JSE's all share index, which rose 0.33% on Wednesday despite the rand strengthening 2%, looks likely to make further gains on Thursday, judging by Asian markets. Asian stock exchanges generally took their cue from Wall Street where the Nasdaq index closed 1.86% higher and the S&P 500 gained 1.34%. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 1.53% and Sydney's ASX 200 was up 1.18%.
Johannesburg- and Sydney-listed South32, which is scheduled to release its interim results on Thursday, was down 3.65% to A$3.56 in Australia ahead of the JSE's opening. Another mining company scheduled to release interim results on Thursday is DRDGold. It said on February 1 that it expected to report a swing into an interim profit for the six months to end-December from a loss in the matching period.
The mine dump re-processor said it expected to report headline earnings per share (HEPS) of between 14.06c and 14.54c from the matching period's headline loss per share of 2.4c. DRDGold said the rise in HEPS was due to an 11% increase in gold produced.
Electrical wholesaler ARB said on January 29 that it expected to report on Thursday that its interim HEPS for the six months to end-December grew between 30% and 36%. ARB said this rise in earnings was mainly due to the way its put options on associate Eurolux were accounted for.
Statistics SA is scheduled to release December's civil cases for debt figures at 9am, wholesale trade figures at 10am, motor trade sales at 11.30am and building statistics at 1pm. – BusinessLive


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- What do you know about Arijit Singh?
- Here is what we know about Sara Ali Khan (Biography, Movies, Photos)
- Guess Who – This Character Actor Is Loaded!
- Did you see this magic if not then Google 'Thanos' for an Avengers Easter Egg
- What is the Difference between Data Visualization and Data Analytics?
- Indian Budget 2019: Live Updates of Modi's Govt. Sixth Final Budget
- 3 Dead more than 10 Injured in Amritsar Blast at Religious Gathering
- How to Create a PlayStation Network Account on Your Computer?


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Dany Bahar Wants to Sue the Lotus Company
The disgraced and previous head of the whole Lotus Group, a forty year old Swiss of Turkish origin – Dany Bahar, is going to sue the automaker the head of which he has been for along time. The reason for such a step lies in the fact, that to his opinion, the dismissal was unlawful and Lotus had no right to make him leave the post of the CEO.
As our readers can recall from the previous articles on our website or from other sources, that after the investigation was held, the DRB-Hicom group, which in fact owns the Lotus Company, decided to dismiss from the position of CEO Mr. Bahar. Although the reasons for such a step had not been explained to the full extent, there were rumors that the money which belonged to Lotus were used by Bahar to renovate some private homes.
Now, however, Dany Bahar denies all accusations and in turn gives a call suit to the London court on DRB-Hicom. Bahar also denies that he used company money for private jets and helicopters. Only time will show us and our reader what happens out of this situation. However, we all hope that this story is not going to have a negative impact on the Lotus company as a whole and the perception of people will not change towards their luxury cars.


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Understanding a little bit about the home buying process can help you make a more sound decision. This home buying resource center should help. Be sure to fill out a Buyers Request Form to get started.
Home Buying Articles & Advice
Home Buyers Needs
Home Ownership & Education
A Guide To a Home Buyers Rights.


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Two people have died in a wildfire near Colorado Springs, CNN reports.
El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa told reporters that the remains of two people had been found in area burned by wildfire, which is ripping through the Black Forest northeast of Colorado Springs.
The bodies were found about an hour apart, according to NBC.
A least 360 homes have been destroyed in the fire so far, and more than 39,000 evacuated, NBC reported.
Authorities said the blaze was only 5% contained, and that some 13,000 properties in the area were still under threat.
A separate wildfire to the southwest damaged the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, one of the state's top tourist attractions, and prompted evacuations of 1,000 medium-security prison inmates.
Other fires have been sparked in the area, several sparked by lightning and fueled by hot temperatures and changing gusts. Thousands of acres have burned.
The U.S. Forest Service has mobilized a pair of Defense Department cargo planes to help, and Gov. John Hickenlooper authorized $10.15 million to help pay for firefighting costs after declaring disaster emergencies for the Black Forest and Royal Gorge fires.


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I'll try and keep this short as I've gone on about this almost every year since I started this blog (and so many years before that in old-fashioned verbal exchanges).
This year's Oscars was the nail in the coffin for me. I've been swearing to stop watching them for ages (I've never missed a one since I was a wee tyke). But each year the ceremony depresses me more and more. Seth MacFarlane and company was the final straw. And I actually like THE FAMILY GUY. I can do grossly inappropriate humor. In the proper context. The Oscars is not that context. MacFarlane brought a smug artificiality to the proceedings that, in an odd way, actually managed to highlight so much of what I do not like about the Oscars. There is a gross insincerity about the whole affair. It reeks of desperation, of panic, always on the edge of total collapse, like a star imploding in on itself. You can feel each and every producer vigorously second-guessing what the audience wants. Now granted, I may not be the typical Oscar audience despite my life-long commitment to them. I actually want it to be a celebration of cinema. I actually want it to be about the human beings, the creative individuals responsible for breathing life into these works. But that is not what the Oscars is and, each year, it is rarely more than a painful reminder for me of that heartbreaking reality.
Beyond MacFarlane's nastiness (which also represents much of Hollywood for me) and that conceited grin I wanted to punch (did anybody else want to knock those teeth right out of his mouth?!), the Oscars simply do not represent what film and cinema is to me. In fact, it represents more of what I don't like about contemporary Hollywood and exacerbates those elements that I feel keep film from being taken seriously as anything more than distracting entertainment. I'm sorry, when bloated openings and pointless dance numbers (for films not even from this year), or montages my nephew could have done better in iMovie (007) take the place of 30 more seconds so that a real human being can have his or her moment to say thank you… You know something's wrong. It's what Hollywood has become: character is not important, human beings, honest emotions, depth, insight, real experiences… None of these things matter. But big, pompous spectacles with flashing lights and loud sounds… Now THAT'S Hollywood. And for me, watching that train wreck each year is an incredibly painful experience.
In this new technological age, I can go to Youtube for future broadcasts and see the acceptance speeches that interest me (the parts that don't get cut off by a self-mocking JAWS theme, as if that somehow made it humorous and not just plain insulting). I can watch Shirley Bassey and Adele, I can watch the In-Memorium and Barbra Streisand. I can see Daniel-Day Lewis' and Ben Affleck's humble speeches and the lessons they contains for those of us struggling to realize our dreams here in this very odd town. Yes, there are reminders at the Oscars of the good things –what isn't rotten in the state of Hollywood– and those brief moments when daring and artistic films are recognized. I'll watch those in chosen clips and consciously eliminate all the nastiness that surrounds it. I don't need to invite any more negativity or insulting belittling of my favorite art form into my own home.
So next year I'll do something nice for myself on that night. Like go see a really good film in a really nice movie theater.
Even if I'm the only one there.


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CSUB Celebrates Black History Month with Second Annual Gospel Fest, Other Events Throughout February
February 07, 2018
Each February, the nation celebrates the importance of Black History Month. This year, California State University, Bakersfield continues the tradition with many activities taking place for students, faculty, staff and community members.
The second annual Gospel Fest will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, at the Icardo Center and will bring churches from Kern County together with choirs and music throughout the night.
Performers will include Ebenezer Baptist Church, Greater Harvest Christian Center, Mike Jennings, The People's Missionary Baptist Church, Pleasant View Baptist Church, St. John Missionary Baptist Church, St. Peter Restoration Community Christian Ministries, Southwest Christian Center, and more. The event is free and open to the public.
Albert "Al" J. Williams, vice president of the San Joaquin Valley Business Unit for Chevron's North America Exploration and Production Company, will be the featured speaker at CSUB's Unity Breakfast at 6:45 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9, in the Housing and Residence Life Multipurpose Room.
During the breakfast celebration, a member of the campus community will be recognized for outstanding contributions in promoting diversity and collaborations.
CSUB Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Thomas Wallace will speak at a Brown Bag Discussion at noon Thursday, Feb. 15, in the Stockdale Room on the CSUB campus. Dr. Wallace will present on the Tut Language, a secret reading and spoken language created by black American slaves using English alphabet phonics. The discussion also will include an interactive session, so students, faculty and staff can join in and learn to speak the language as well.
Throughout the month of February, student clubs and organizations will host various activities on campus, including tabling for the African Student Association, Expression Night, The History of The Black Panthers Social with Dr. Tracey Salisbury, among others.
For Media Requests
Contact CSUB Public Affairs
(661) 654-2136


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Open Monday to Friday 8:30 - 4:30
In Cobourg, we are all about shopping local. If you operate a business in Cobourg and don't already have a business profile, let us know and we'll provide you with details on how to create and manage your profile. This will allow you to perform updates at any time, add your logo and advertise your in-store promotions.
If You Have A Question Regarding the Business Directory
Contact the administrator at email@example.com or 905-372-5481 ext. 303.
Re-use centre. Registered charity - all proceeds remain within the community. We assist developmentally disabled individuals as well as contribute to environmental sustainability through the re-use of material products.


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LABELLE, FL. -- The new LaBelle Walmart Supercenter parking lot is empty today, but Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., it's certainly going to look a lot different.
Florida's newest 24-hour marketplace will open officially Wednesday morning with ceremonies at the new store just west of the city of LaBelle. On Saturday. local community organizations will hold displays of community interest at the new store.


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Over the past several months I have been posting content to my Facebook page to help folks save money in this rough economy. The Smart Money section of the Wall Street Journal is great for this. This past Saturday, however, I posted a link to a story about JC Penney and their recent efforts to distinguish themselves in the retail space. One of the moves they made was to eliminate the "$19.95 pricing" key in retail for as long as anyone can remember. Now, that item is just $20.
Interestingly, in addition to the psychological reason of making people think the item is less expensive, the practice actually started in the 1800s in order to force sales assistants to ring up the purchase on a cash register to give change to the customer and reduce the temptation for them to pocket the note. However, I still think that the psychological reason is the one that has had this practice continue through the ages.
I was shopping with my wife this past weekend, and she wanted to go shoe shopping at the local DSW store. While she was looking for sandals (or as she calls them, "thong shoes," since she's from the midwest), I was looking at casual shoes to replace my old Docksiders. I found a nice shoe on sale, and the sign gave the price as $59.95, while the "regular" price was $65.
It took me a few minutes to realize it, but I was being snookered by the store from two different directions. The "regular" price was rounded up to the next dollar, while the sales price was still the old school numbers. In effect, the sale price was only $5 less than the regular one, a mere 8% savings. Considering retail markup on goods, this wasn't much, especially for a store that promotes itself as being so inexpensive.
The thing to keep in mind here is that retailers are shrewd, and saving money means paying attention. Read the ads carefully to see what the real deal is and how it stacks up to the competitors. If you do, and enough people join them, maybe retailers will stop these shenanigans. I know I walked out of the story without buying them because I realized I wasn't getting that great a deal. Perhaps you should too.


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Recipe for Skunk Juice
No, I don't mean this is a recipe for cooking skunk! This is the recipe for getting skunk spray off your dog–or yourself. It would also work on a cat. Ha! I'd like to see you try to de-skunk a cat!
I've researched this basic recipe for "skunk juice" several times, and it is easy to find a recipe on-line, but I have a variation that has really worked well for me.
Before I tell you how to make it, here are three important cautions:
- the concoction is explosive
- it will seriously sting your dogs eyes and nose
- it is only effective for a few minutes
Adam and Jamie on Mythbusters tested the recipe against (1) commercial skunk removal concoctions and against (2) tomato juice. They found the "recipe" to be 80-90% effective in neutralizing the smell. The commercial stuff was less than 20% effective, and the tomato juice was completely "busted." It doesn't work.
So here's the formula Adam and Jamie used:
- 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide (I use the weaker over-the-counter stuff at 1 and 1/2 % and it seems to do just fine)
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap (I have seen recipes that call for as much as 2 tablespoons; probably doesn't matter much, just squirt some in the bucket)
Years ago, some country folk gave me a similar formula that I have used many times, and it really works. In addition to the above ingredients I use:
- 1 gallon of white vinegar
The sooner you can get this job done, the easier it will be. Here are the steps:
1. Gather the ingredients. We always keep the ingredients on hand.
2. Tie up the dog near a hose.
3. Wet the dog (for yappy, snappy little lap dogs you can use "tepid" water so as not to offend Fluffy's tender sensibilities).
4. Mix the ingredients in an open plastic bucket or other large open container right where you are working. It will fizz like crazy.
5. Quickly, use a large sponge or rags to soak the happy animal in the mixture.
6. Do not get the stuff in the dog's eyes. This is hard to avoid, because most often pooch will catch the skunk's spray right in her face. Do your best. There is some stuff in a tube you can get from the vet to put into her eyes before you start. Unfortunately, pooch typically gets sprayed sometime after midnight when the skunks are open for business and the vet is closed.
7. The stuff only has to stay on the dog for a few minutes. It works by chemically changinging the skunk oil and then fizzing it away. That's why it's necessary to mix up the recipe immediately before you put it on the dog. Put it on "fizzy."
8. Then you rinse her off, or at our house, let her go swimming in the lake. Keep her outside. She's going to roll, and better on the grass than on your carpet. Capiche?
9. Give pooch a nice treat.
10. Take a shower.
Finally, a couple of reminders. Remember when I said the stuff was explosive? That's not a joke. Don't ever put it in a closed container, and do not store any left-over juice. Some people advise you to wear rubber gloves and goggles (for when pooch shakes this stuff all over you). That sounds like good advice. I usually perform the de-skunking it in my underwear or an old bathing suit and then throw the wretched garment away.
That's it. Skunk Juice.
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To find out more about real estate in the Golden Hills of the Sierras, just call Bob at (530-906-1023) or CJ at (530-9064715) or email us at email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com
Bunny! said at June 5th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Thank you, Bob!
http://www.dtc.gov.md/en/node/319/track said at December 5th, 2015 at 7:33 pm
Recipe for Skunk Juice | GoldenHillsRealEstate | Placer and Nevada County Homes for Sale
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Over the last few years my business has evolved into
running Photo
Experience Days (photo workshops & holidays).
Although most of the PED's are based in the New Forest /
Solent area, they have taken me to Chernobyl six times
(with 2 more trips in the diary), Iceland, and a photographic workshop in the USA.
I've worked across the UK and North America. I've
photographed a wedding in Edmonton, Canada; a fitness
clothing catalogue in San Diego, California. My work has been internationally published numerous times in
a diverse range on publications from newspapers and business
magazines in the UK to major fitness magazines in North
Although I primarily photograph people I do also turn my
lens to photographing buildings, objects, animals and
landscapes, and I've recently started to realise some of
these images as fine art prints, which you can browse and
purchase through my Etsy Fine
Art Prints store.
A few sound bites; big Star Trek and general science fiction
fan, I wear a Tilley hat, love the music of Peter Gabriel,
Zero 7, Afro Celt Sound System, and Kate Bush.
If you'd like to keep updated about what I'm doing and
see my latest work then please follow me on Twitter, or read
my Blog.


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Only you, who hold his heart, can save him…
Enri's words had stayed in her mind all day, and haunted her still as she paced the length of the Pearl's deck. She had been charged, eleven years ago, with holding safe the heart of one man. Never had she dreamed that the heart of another was also in her care, especially not the fickle heart of Jack Sparrow. When she'd thought of him over these past years she'd imagined him here, upon the deck of his beloved Pearl, sailing fast for the horizon in pursuit of fortune and glory. Not once, in all her imaginings, had she suspected that she lingered in his heart or mind. Their acquaintance had been so fleeting, in total no more than a few weeks, and though she still remembered the heat between them she'd never entertained the thought that a man such as he – a man of the wide, wide world – could have found anything of lasting interest in the girl she'd been then. That he'd wished to bed her she'd known, of course, but that there had been anything deeper was a profound surprise.
A shock.
A shock like those that had run through the bedrock of Port Royal, rattling things that were best left undisturbed. Memories drifted to the surface, now, shaken loose and burnished gold by the light of Enri's revelation. She'd told Jack, once, that he was a good man; he'd smiled an honest smile and said, All evidence to the contrary. She saw in that smile, now, something else – a hope, perhaps, that she'd believed her words.
And she had believed them, though not enough to trust him to sacrifice his life. Her chest grew tight as she remembered that kiss; the guilt she'd felt in wanting it so much had almost blinded her to the guilt of the betrayal itself – had blinded her, she realised, to his sincere response. Her eyes drifted shut, the memory so vivid after years of wilful neglect that it sliced like a knife. He'd kissed her with desire, but more than that, he'd kissed her with feeling and without a shred of artifice.
Only you, who hold his heart, can save him…
Guilt clotted in her throat as she realised he had kissed her with love, and must have believed it returned right up until the moment she'd shackled him to his fate, thus proving herself more pirate than he had ever been. A Pirate King, indeed.
Her fingers gripped the rail, heartsick at the memory. If Enri spoke the truth then her betrayal was more profound than she had ever realised – a betrayal of both his trust and his love. A betrayal for which she had offered him no remorse nor recompense; all friendship between them had ended with that Judas kiss, and she could not remember exchanging more than a few words with him in the days between his return from the Locker and the terrible final battle.
It seemed incomprehensible to her, now, that she could have been so cold. But time blurred much, and perhaps she'd preferred not to dwell upon her guilt in those heady days of terror. Had she known then, however, that she had touched his heart… Her head spun with the possibilities, her skin flushed with the thought of what might have been if only she'd—
A gunshot rang out across the deck. Elizabeth ducked and turned all at once, pulling her sword free as she moved. And then her heart stuttered to a halt. In the light of the ship's lanterns two men stood upon the quarterdeck, one with his pistol to the head of the other.
It was Jack Sparrow – and Will.
"Hello, love," Jack said conversationally. "I'm thinking we can make a little deal here. A trade, as it were. The life of your beloved husband in exchange for me beloved ship. What say you to that?"
"Will?" Slowly, Elizabeth got to her feet, her heart racing.
"This was never part of the agreement," Will growled, jaw clenched in obvious fury.
"I promised I'd make no threat against your wench," Jack said. "There was no mention of your good self in the accord."
Elizabeth stepped forward. "Jack, what—?"
"Ah!" He cocked the pistol. "No closer. Now, order these men from me ship, or say goodbye to your Pirate Queen. Savvy?"
Will's face was dark with anger. He was coiled tight, awaiting his chance if she could provide it. But there was a desolation in Jack's eyes that touched her so deeply she could hardly draw breath. Enri's words were too fresh in her mind, and Jack looked so very alone. So very in need of her, even as he threatened the life of her husband. The impossibility of the moment rooted her to the spot, and from the shadows to her right, Gibbs emerged.
Jack's face fell as though the gallows had opened beneath his feet. "Gibbs?"
"Captain, you must—"
"Et tu, mate?"
"No." Gibbs hurried forward. "Captain, this is no mutiny…"
Suddenly Jack seemed uncertain. His pistol darted from Will to stop Gibbs in his tracks. "Is it not?"
"I swear, it. But Jack…" Gibbs scratched at his head and glanced toward Elizabeth as if for support. "They said they can make you well again."
"I'll be quite well, once I have me ship—"
Will lunged for him, making a grab for the pistol, but Jack was too fast. He jumped for the quarterdeck rail, sword drawn in a cold whisper of steel. "So, this is how it's to be?" he said with a feral grin. "Good."
With a that, he launched himself from the rail to twist mid air and land upon the main deck with the easy grace of a cat. "Captain Swann," he purred, stalking toward her, menace in all his features and his pistol aimed. "What were you thinking, to be stealing my ship, love?"
She backed up, her hand on her own weapon, hesitant to draw. "We're trying to help you."
"Oh, the lies you tell with those pretty lips of yours, eh? Believed them, though, didn't I? That was my first mistake." His eyes hardened to granite. "Won't make it again."
"You have every reason not to trust me, Jack. I know it." Her memories, so recently stirred, fluttered like butterflies about her head and she had to resist the ridiculous urge to blurt a sudden apology. "But I swear we mean to help you. Your bro—"
Jack's head jerked back, the flash of a silver blade at his throat. "You swore you'd not threaten Elizabeth," Will growled from behind him.
"I lied." Jack smiled, a harsh curl of his lips. "I do that a lot."
"Lower your weapon."
"Or what?" His eyes met Elizabeth's, naught but shadows in the darkness. "If you plan to kill me, at least make a proper job of it this time, eh? No half measures."
"I've no wish to kill you," Will grated, casting a grim look past Jack to Elizabeth. "But she is my wife."
"And my murderer. Ironic, that."
Will pressed the knife closer. "Lower your weapon."
"I'll not." Jack closed his eyes, the hand holding the pistol beginning to tremble. "I'll kill her, I swear it. You've got no choice."
"Do it."
"For the love of God, just do it."
Elizabeth met Will's gaze in a moment of horrified understanding. "No," he breathed, stepping back, lowering the blade. "I won't…"
There was a quivering pause while Jack stood as if Will still pressed the knife to his throat, waiting. And then his eyes flashed open, dark and empty. "Feckless son-of-a-whore," he hissed, whirling on Will like the devil himself, "then I'll bloody well make you!" Sword raised he hacked down so ferociously that Will was forced to throw himself out of the way.
"No, Captain!" Gibbs yelled, rushing forward. "Remember where you are, Jack!"
"Go to hell, you treacherous bastard." Jack turned, raised his pistol and fired, all in one smooth movement; Gibbs went down, clutching his shoulder, and chaos exploded.
Desperate, Jack fought like he was possessed – and perhaps he was. Elizabeth never seen him so fierce, so ruthless. He was wild, rage evident in every slash of his blade, every frenzied charge. Hopelessly out numbered, he would not stop until he dripped with sweat and bled from a dozen gashes, gasping for air as the men, lead by Will, cornered him at last against the mainmast. "You can't win," Will said carefully. "Drop your weapons."
"'Tis a vicious way to die, in the end," Jack gasped between breaths. "Alone and afraid. Abandoned, as it were. Wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even her."
"Put down your sword," Will urged.
"But worse than death, is madness," Jack carried on as he backed toward the mast, almost as if talking to himself. "The only sound in your head is your own voice, talking around and around and around. Nothing but words, and them no more than a bit of empty air—"
He gasped when his back bumped into the mainmast and spun around, staring at it in horror. "No. No, I'll not." He backed up. "I'll not do that again. No." The sword suddenly fell from slack fingers and he pressed his hand to his head. "Stop it. Stop it. Don't think about—"
He spun back around, eyes wild, face like milk; beautiful, almost, with his sculpted features laid bare and damp hair curling below his ears. Hardly himself at all, without the habitual costume he'd discarded in Shipwreck Cove; in that moment Elizabeth saw the truth of him and it broke her heart – so deeply alone, so damaged. "It's coming." He stared at the deck in terror. "Can't you feel it? 'Tis a vicious way to die, in the end, and I can't—" He pressed his pistol to his own head and began laughing.
Elizabeth darted forward – "Jack, no!" – but someone held her back.
"Careful," Will whispered. "It's you he wants."
She pulled her arm free. "No, he's trying to end it, don't you see? This is my doing, Will. I did this to him. I left him in the Locker. All these years..."
Jack was ghostly in the lamplight, as if his body was as lost to the world as his mind. "Can't get me now, eh, beastie?" his laughter was brittle, precarious. "No pleasure in being ripped limb from limb, with the water in your lungs, black and bitter. 'Tis a vicious way to die, in the end. A vicious way to die…"
Slowly, Elizabeth crossed the space between them. "Jack…" It felt like miles of empty ocean.
He cocked the pistol, eyes squeezed shut, hand shaking as he pressed it to his head. "'Tis a vicious way to die, vicious, vicious way to die…"
"Jack, please. This won't end it."
"Can't—" A sound escaped from deep in his throat, a choking sob. "Can't endure it again…"
"This won't free you." Tentatively she reached out her hand, covering the slender fingers that held the pistol. They felt like ice beneath her touch, rigid and immovable. "Jack, I—"
"Don't touch me!" He lashed out and the butt of the gun caught her face, knocking her backward, ears ringing with the crack of the firing pistol.
Gibbs scrambled to his feet when he heard the second gunshot, his injured shoulder be damned, and pushed himself to the front of the crowd.
He almost wished he hadn't.
Prone upon the deck lay Elizabeth Swann, her face covered in blood. Jack Sparrow watched her, still as death, his dark eyes bleak against his ashen face; he hardly seemed to notice the dozen weapons pointed, with murderous intent, toward his head.
Will Turner knelt at his wife's side, taut lipped but not grieving. Gibbs took a breath. If anyone knew the stink of death it would be Turner, and he seemed calm enough. Will reached out a hand and stroked it over his wife's forehead and she roused at his touch, coughing and spitting blood. "Easy," Will said, helping her sit. "You've a broken nose, at the least."
"Never mind that," she said in a low voice, one hand wiping at the blood on her face. "Help me stand."
Will did as he was bid and Elizabeth swayed upright, clinging to his arm for a moment. Then, when she was steady, she turned toward Jack. Gibbs had expected anger in her dainty features, but he saw only pain there – and not just because Jack had drawn her cork. Cautiously she approached him, careful not to get too close. "Lower your weapons," she told the men quietly. When they hesitated she cast them an imperious look. "I said, lower your weapons."
Grudgingly the men did as ordered, and into the following silence Jack Sparrow spoke. "'Tis a capital offence, is it not?" he said in a toneless voice. "The striking of a King."
"In British law, perhaps," she agreed. "But we are not subject to their law, are we?" Her face softened, one hand twitching as if she wished to touch him. "Oh, Jack… What have I done to you?"
"Not enough," he said with the palest hint of a smile. "And entirely too much. I'm quite mad, you know. Unfit for command and all that." He nodded toward the longboats. "Let me go, and you'll not see me again, that I swear."
"If I let you go," Elizabeth said softly, "no one will see you again, will they, Jack? Except, perhaps, the crew of the Dutchman."
His expression didn't alter. "'Tis an unendurable torment, the unravelling of a man's mind. You'd not permit an animal to suffer so."
"No," she agreed. "But you're a man, Jack Sparrow. A good man, and I intend to see you whole again."
His head cocked, pale smile turning bitter. "A good man? No, I'm a pirate, Elizabeth. And a pirate is worse than a dog, as it turns out, because you'd not have chained a dog and left it for the beast to feed upon, eh?"
There was a long, heavy silence before Elizabeth spoke. "Perhaps I thought so once," she admitted eventually, her voice trembling between dignity and remorse, "but I was a child then and knew nothing of myself, nor the world. Now I am a Pirate Lord – King of the Pirates – and my son was born and raised in Shipwreck Cove. I—" She sighed and smiled all at once. "What I did that day was cowardly and weak; I cannot remember it without abhorrence. But that I have never apologised, that I never told you how much I—" Again, she made as if to touch him but drew back at the last moment. "It's unforgivable, and yet, when you are yourself again, I will beg your forgiveness, Jack."
He was staring at her as if the woman had grown two heads, his eyes bright as stars shining on a midnight sea. When he blinked, tears glistened on his face and he looked away, out into the night, head shaking in a silent denial. Gibbs felt the urge to turn away too and yet he found he couldn't help but watch as Elizabeth hesitantly reached out a hand and, this time, touched Jack's shoulder. He flinched, she almost drew back, but then he looked at her and must have seen something in her eyes because his face crumpled. "My soul, Elizabeth, for an end to this…"
She briefly touched his face, a mere flutter of her fingers. "Not your soul, Jack." She held out a firm hand to him, as if to shake. "Only your trust."
"Of that, I have none left to give." He stared at her as a mongoose might eye a cobra and refused to take her hand until, eventually, she lowered her arm in evident chagrin.
The impasse was broken by a soft, accented voice that came from somewhere behind Gibbs. "Manicato," Enriquillo Barahona said, "what trouble you have found this time."
The look of utter bewilderment upon Jack's face was enough to make Gibbs turn away at last, prodding the other men about their business. Only Will Turner remained, his face like the stormy skies as he watched Elizabeth and Enri lead Jack Sparrow toward his cabin.
The Gorrión still sailed off their bow, and Will was tempted to return to her and to Shipwreck Cove. The familiarity of the sea beneath his feet brought back too many memories of that deathless life he'd lead, surrounded by the dying and lost to the living world. Calypso still spoke to him in the soft wash of the waves against the bow, he had a distant sensation of death – as if he could hear the echoes of dying voices that had once called him like a clarion over the waves. The call was no longer his to answer, but it seemed that the closer he came to the sea the louder the call became and he knew, for certain, that he would never be rid of it entirely. The wound on his chest might have healed, but the scar and all it represented would always remain.
Elizabeth, though, did not understand – could never understand. The sea called to her too, but in a different way; it was the seductive call of a lover, of freedom and of the horizon. And while he longed to escape its siren song, she ran toward it with arms outstretched and a laugh upon her lips.
Never had he seen it more clearly than tonight. Captain Elizabeth Swann was a woman of the sea, but, more than that, she was tied to Jack Sparrow in ways Will had never imagined. He had not consorted with Calypso for a score of years without learning something of Jack's place in the pantheon – trickster that he was, the man was as much part of the sea as Davy Jones or Calypso herself. To be in the thrall of Jack Sparrow was no light business, and it seemed that Elizabeth felt she owed him a debt. This could not, Will knew, end well.
He watched her now from afar, as he had used to watch her. Once rank had separated them, then destiny. Now no more than the breadth of the ship, and yet it appeared as wide as the ocean. She seemed unreachable tonight, standing by the ship's rail and staring out into a night lit at last by a pallid moon. The fog had lifted and a breeze snapped at the reefed sails, impatient for the dawn.
They had never talked about that day aboard this ship, when she had seduced Jack Sparrow to his death. The guilt of it had eaten at her during all the months it took them to restore him, but in the end all she'd said of it was, You thought I loved him?
He had, of course, and wasn't sure she hadn't thought the same. The kiss he'd glimpsed between them had been like none he'd shared with her during a year of betrothal; a hungry, fierce kind of kiss. Less tender, and yet somehow more of everything else. Love notwithstanding, he knew she'd desired Jack as much as Sparrow had obviously desired her. And now…?
She and Jack had not met since the day Will's captaincy of the Dutchman had begun and yet it was as though not a single moment had passed since that dreadful day. The scent of death lingered harsh about Jack, like Damocles' sword ready to fall, but it was an old stench, an old death and Will began to see that Jack had never really been restored to life. Part of him tarried in the Locker, though Will had scoured its depths to free the souls Jones had trapped there. Which could mean only one thing; Jack Sparrow remained because he chose to, because he would not let go of the death that had brought him there.
He would not let go of Elizabeth.
Will watched her now, limned in the moonlight, lost deep in thought. Jack rested in his cabin with the man Gibbs had named Enriquillo Barahona and Will had not needed to be told the man was Jack's brother. Yet for all their similarities, Barahona had nothing of the sea about him and that, in itself, Will found fascinating. He was a man of the land, solid and peaceful. It was the kind of peace Will longed for, a safe quiet peace. And yet Barahona's presence niggled at Will – another secret Elizabeth had kept from him.
With a sigh, he crossed the deck and came to stand near her at the rail. She looked over and offered a wan smile. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to drag you into this."
"You meant to sail without me," Will said, his own smile equally feeble.
"I left word with Teague…"
Will had no answer to that. Instead he said, "Why didn't you tell me? About Jack – about his brother?"
"It was— When Enri came to us six months ago—"
"Six months ago?"
She straightened, chin lifting somewhat. "You were still newly ashore, and Teague wished it kept quiet. Enri told us of Jack's…of his—"
"Madness?" Will said darkly.
"Yes…" If anything she looked paler, vulnerable for all her iron strength. "I suppose I didn't want to believe it. Jack has always been…odd, after all. I didn't want to believe that I had been the cause of it." Her eyes were wide and luminous in the moonlight. "My betrayal of him, that day. Enri says… Oh Will, Enri says that Jack felt— That he felt—"
"He loved you." The realisation buffeted him like a squall. "Jack loved you, and you betrayed him." Oh, a bitter, bitter betrayal that. Worse than he had ever imagined.
There were tears in her eyes when she nodded, and she pushed them away with the back of her hand. "I didn't know," she whispered, staring out at the moonlit sea again. "If I'd known…"
The silence hung like a dead man between them.
"Then what?" Will said eventually. "What would you have done, Elizabeth, had you known?"
She shook her head, tears falling freely now. "I shackled him to the mast, Will. I thanked him for saving us all, I told him he was a good man, and I left him there to die alone." When she looked at him, her face was roped with devastation. "The Kraken may have torn his body to pieces, but I destroyed his mind – his heart. Which of us, do you think, was the most wretched beast?"
Unable to help himself, he gathered her into his arms. "You did what you believed right," he murmured against her hair. "Jack would have done the same." But even as he said the words he knew them for a lie. And so did Elizabeth.
She pulled away, shaking her head and wiping her face. "Jack could never be so… Davy Jones, perhaps, would have been as cruel."
"Don't compare yourself—"
"Why not?" she snapped. "Why not, when it's true? I sacrificed the life of a friend, Will – a friend who had saved my life more than once. I sacrificed his life for no greater purpose than to save my own!"
"Not just your own…"
She laughed bleakly. "Was there anyone on that longboat who didn't risk the life I'd saved to bring Jack back? They would all have rather died fighting at his side than lived in a world without him." She pulled away, wiping her face with both hands.
"Then why?" Will asked quietly. "Why did you do it?"
"Because he'd lied to me, betrayed you. And because I…" Her head dropped – guilt, shame, and remorse in all her looks.
Yes, he thought, she knew, even though she couldn't say it; she had killed him because she'd desired him - loved him – and hadn't known how to live with that truth. "Elizabeth…"
Her face was bitter with self-recrimination. "Now you see what I am, Will. Deserving of my title, wouldn't you say? No blacker-hearted pirate than the Pirate King."
He didn't answer that, instead asking a different question. "Do you love him still?"
She flinched and looked away. "All I can feel now is shame, Will. And a determination to help him, if I can. So much has changed, I—"
Her attention was suddenly caught by something further down the deck; Jack's brother had emerged from the captain's cabin. Elizabeth took a couple of steps forward, then hesitated.
"Go," Will said quietly. "Death is close about him, he should not be left alone."
Her wide eyes were fearful, but as determined as ever. "Come with me. Help me—"
"No." He smiled, and wished it were less rueful. "I would gladly die for you, Elizabeth, but do not ask me to— Were I a better man, then perhaps I could help you. But this you must do alone."
"Will…" She squeezed his arm. "I do love you."
"As the sea loves the shore," he smiled, though he felt it as a hard lump in his chest.
She cast him a quizzical look, but Enriquillo beckoned her now and she was drawn to him – to Jack – as a moth to a flame; Will could only watch and pray she wasn't consumed by the fire.
"He sleeps, at last," Enriquillo said as soon as Elizabeth drew close enough to hear his low voice. "I persuaded him to drink the tea I brought with me, and it has eased his mind enough to let him rest. That will help, I think."
"And how will he be in the morning?" Will's warning was fresh in her mind, though no sharper than the horrifying image of Jack pressing a gun to his own head.
"There is no way to know, but he must not be left alone."
"Agreed." She peered closer at Enri's face, ashy in the moonlight. "You look tired."
"'Tis the swell of the sea," he said with a sigh. "The breeze has picked up, has it not? I am best on deck when the ship begins to roll."
She took his arm and led him further from the cabin. "Then stay on deck. I'll sit with Jack." Enri looked uncertain and Elizabeth was afraid that her presence might be more aggravation than comfort. "Unless you think it's a bad idea…?"
"No," Enri decided firmly, although whether his decision was precipitated by a sudden pitch of the ship, Elizabeth didn't know. He smiled weakly. "When he wakes, he'll ask about Gibbs."
Elizabeth nodded. "Then I shall tell him the truth." She patted Enri on the back. "Ask Pintell for some ginger root to chew upon, it works wonders for the sickness."
After Enri had left, staggering across the deck with a strange inversion of Jack's onshore swagger, Elizabeth lingered outside the cabin. Her conversation with Will had disturbed her greatly, most particularly his final question.
Do you love him still?
In truth, she hardly knew if she'd ever loved him at all. It certainly wasn't a possibility she'd allowed herself to contemplate; Will Turner was her childhood sweetheart and one true love, her husband now. Besides, surely loving Jack Sparrow was as foolish as loving the moon? He might shine bright in the sky and cast his glow about you, but he danced to his own tune and owed allegiance to none but himself. It would be madness to give her heart to such a capricious man…
With a sigh she pushed the confusing thoughts aside and turned to face the cabin door, opening it quietly. It was dark inside, lit only by a single lantern burning on the chart table, and dimmed, no doubt, to help Jack rest. Elizabeth found her hands trembling as she pushed shut the door behind her and stood, her back against it, surveying the cabin.
Jack slept on his bed, his coat and boots discarded. The black bandana he'd worn about his head was also gone, permitting dark curls to fall across his face. Elizabeth had never seen him sleep before and she was startled by the fey beauty it accentuated. No wonder he had cultivated his mop of dreadlocks, his braids and beads; without them, he looked more like Icarus fallen than the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow.
Carefully, Elizabeth crossed the cabin and settled herself into a chair close to his bed. The air was heady with an aromatic scent which she assumed was Enri's 'tea' – a kind never to be served in the governor's mansion, no doubt – and she let the aroma fill her mind. Beneath her the Pearl rolled gently, at rest and rocking her like a child's cradle. Her limbs grew heavy, the ordeal of the day taking its toll, but her eyes did not shut – they remained fixed on Jack Sparrow. Even in sleep his presence filled the room, and after an eleven year absence it was impossible to look away.
She'd missed him, she realised, missed him more than she'd dared to let herself feel. There was a connection between them, after all, one that she shared with no other – the intimacy of betrayal, of desire denied. And above all the ceaseless call of the sea; they both felt the pull of the tide in their blood. Captain Swann and Captain Sparrow, was there not destiny in that?
Peas in a pod, love.
So he'd said, once. It had frightened her then, but more than a decade later she felt the truth of it and rejoiced – he was a pirate Lord, she a pirate King. Peas in a pod, indeed.
Her sleepy mind drifted and she smiled as she remembered those innocent days. She'd run through them like a child, her head full of storybook nonsense until Jack had offered her a glimpse of the truth on that spit of land in the middle of the wide blue sea. Her heartbeat quickened at the memory of that night, of his closeness. She'd feared for her virtue despite thrilling to the touch of his hands upon her skin; desire and distrust, the two emotions that defined all her dealings with Jack Sparrow. She knew now, of course, that the only danger to her virtue had been from her own girlish passions – Jack would never have forced himself upon her, his heart was too good for that. But he'd danced and sung with her, laughed with her, drunk with her… Seduced her, thoroughly, with his talk of freedom.
She could see him now, behind her sleepy eyelids; the flicker of the flames dancing in his eyes, the glint of gold in his smile, and the heat of his body next to hers, too close for propriety yet frustratingly far. He'd lit a fire in her that night which had never been extinguished, and it burned still, deep in her heart.
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs…
She awoke with a start. The lamp had burned low, the room was silent, and Jack was gone. Panicked, she jumped to her feet but stopped when she saw him on the other side of the room, standing quietly, one hand gently caressing the back of a chair. Elizabeth took a breath, calming the racing of her heart, and slowly approached him. He didn't turn around, so quietly she said, "Trouble sleeping?"
His hand stopped moving and after a moment he turned and stared at her. "We're not free yet, love."
"No," she agreed, taking a step closer. His eyes, almost fevered in the low light, consumed her. "I—"
And then he kissed her. His mouth was hot and hungry against hers, the first touch of his lips igniting her latent passion like a tinderbox. Thoughts of Will slipped guiltily through her mind, but she could not stop – would not stop. A decade after her kiss had destroyed him, she would undo her terrible mistake. Eagerly, she pressed herself against him and he stepped back, his body lean and hard beneath her touch, his shirt sweat-damp and his skin hot. But though her fingers found their way into his hair, he made no move to touch her. None at all. He just kissed her as though it were the end of days.
And then, abruptly, he stopped. He pulled back, gazing at her with a knowing smile playing about his lips.
"Jack?" Her breathing was ragged. "What's wrong…?"
For a moment she thought he might kiss her again, but though his lips grazed hers he simply whispered, "Pirate…"
Her heart stuttered. It was a joke, then? A tease? She backed up. "If you think this is funny, I—"
But he wasn't looking at her. He'd turned away and was pulling at his wrist, just as he'd done that morning in the Great Hall. "Bugger," he muttered. "Bugger, bugger, bugger…"
Elizabeth backed away, blood pulsing in her ears. Her stomach turned over because suddenly she knew what this was and she was horrified.
Jack started suddenly, staring down at the cabin floor and staggering as if it had lurched beneath his feet. When he looked up again there was terror in his eyes and he flinched, his whole body recoiling, eyes screwed shut. After a moment he recovered himself, "Not so bad," he muttered. And then, "Oh." He bent down as if to retrieve something and place it on his head.
This was his death, relived before her very eyes; his last moments aboard the Pearl. Elizabeth knew it with a dreadful certainty and she longed to look away, to run from it, but she refused to be so weak. Of anyone alive in the world, was she not the one person who deserved to witness this?
Jack made to draw his sword, then, though all his weapons had been confiscated. It seemed to make no difference, for his lips curled into a fierce snarl and he growled, "Hello, beastie." With that cry he charged forward, sword arm swinging, until he suddenly arched back with a harsh gasp and collapsed to the floor.
And then he screamed.
He screamed like she'd never heard a man scream; terror, agony, rage – it was all wrapped up in that animalistic howl that shredded Elizabeth's very soul. She couldn't move for the horror of it. And then Jack jolted awake, eyes wide as saucers, his shirt clinging to damp skin, and shivering as though in the grip of fever.
Dropping to her knees at his side, she reached for him, but he shrank back until he was pressed against the cabin wall, wild eyes darting to and fro. "Where…?"
"Aboard the Pearl."
"Am I dead, then?"
Her heart clenched. "Bad dreams, Jack, that's all."
"There's no wind," he said suddenly, licking a finger and lifting it above his head. "Of course there's no bloody wind."
"We have a breeze, Jack. The fog has lifted, can't you feel it?"
He blinked his strange, unseeing eyes. "My soul, I do swear, for a breeze. A gust, a whisper, a kiss…" And then his face crumpled and sank into his hands, a harsh choking sound coming from deep in his throat. "God's mercy, will you not let me end this?"
It was too much, his torment was too much, her guilt intolerable. Heedless of anything else, she crawled over to him and pulled his head against her chest. His struggle was feeble and she paid it no mind as she wrapped her arms about his shaking shoulders. "I will end it," she promised. "On my life, Jack, I will end it. But not in death, there's been too much of that."
He didn't answer, but his arms found their way about her waist, his face buried against her shoulder as he clung to her, desperately tight. And in that moment Elizabeth felt as fierce as any creature of the sea; she was the Pirate King and she would defy death itself to bring Jack Sparrow back from the depths into which she'd cast him.
Continued in Chapter Five


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Our awesome ATV tour to the spectacular & secluded El Valle beach area can now include the Awesome Walk the Plank Zip Line! Save some money by combining tours!
The excursion will start in and pass through a small part of town and you will make your way out to the El Valle area. First stop will be Zip Line to gear up and sample some local goods and fruits. At the end of the Zip Line is the waterfalls for a refreshing swim, so wear your swimsuits under your clothes. Next up, the beach for lunch and to ride around on the beach some. Take in the gorgeous mountains that come right down into the ocean into this small beautiful bay from the beach shack where we eat.
Lunch is fresh fish (whatever the fishermen have caught that day at this beach) and chicken, all cooked on wood fire. Rice and beans. Salad. French fries or fried plantains. All from a sand floored, thatched roof, hut restaurant. This is the most developed building you will find on the El Valle beach.
Please Note: swimming is prohibited at the El Valle beach during the winter season.
If there is time we will also have a culture presentation where you can sample local fruits, local moonshine and local produce including some locally grown and processed HOT CHOCOLATE! The best you have ever tried in your entire life! It's like tapping a Chocolate tree! You will have an opportunity to purchase small locally made items as there is a community co-op/gift shop here. (No pressure whatsoever though. I'm just letting people know about it because we often get folks lamenting that they didn't know to bring a little spending cash and they missed out on buying pure chocolate/Cocoa from the local farmers.)
We will take along a few bottles of the following so that you can drink: Coke, Sprite and water. You can buy Beer at the beach restaurant as well as Piña Coladas made inside of a pineapple or a Coco Loco made inside of a coconut.