text:
|By BlackMonkey
|More from BlackMonkey
|PG (Parental Guidance)
Previously on The Avatar Rhythm
|""I want you to lift your bounty of immortality off of Shinji, the boy who fooled a spirit."
"Oh," Koh said, in a long, low voice. "That's the way this meeting will be going."
|— From Apocalyptic Rhythm: Part 2
|""The other day, when I talked with Shirou in the interrogation room, he told me something, something I'll remember for a long time," Markale continued. "He said that I had no more hands out, so I'd have to get up myself. After that, I finally faced the fact that The Procession was gone and I had no more rank in society. But I also realized that it wasn't over. And for the first time, I decided to pursue my only dream by myself and for myself! I just want to be free!""
|— From Apocalyptic Rhythm: Part 1
|"The judge didn't even try to quiet the crowds - he was incredibly happy too. "The court finds Markale guilty of mass murder and town property damage. For his crimes, he will receive the capital punishment. The execution will be held outside the town hall at dusk tonight.""
|— From Apocalyptic Rhythm: Part 2
|""I'm going to die," Shinji mumbled to himself. He looked upwards at the sky. "Shirou, please be out there."
"He's out there," the king said. "I know it."
|— From Apocalyptic Rhythm: Part 2
|"He looked up. The Royal Palace was in sight, only a few levels above where he stood. Everybody thought he was with the rest of his army, a couple hundred feet down, but really he was right beneath their noses.
The Chancellor laughed, and then whispered in his low, cold voice at no one in particular. "Shinji is going to be in for quite the surprise.""
|— From Apocalyptic Rhythm: Part 2
|Apocalyptic Rhythm: Part 3
|Chapter information
|Written by
|Release date
December 21, 2012
|Last chapter
|Next chapter
This is Chapter 49 of The Avatar Rhythm Series.
In the depths of the Spirit World, Shirou was doing all he could to show no emotion as Koh, The Face Stealer, crawled around and above him, speaking in his deep, frightening tone. The mysterious darkness of this cave was beginning to get the best of him. He was getting confused, frustrated, lost in the shadows, not sure what was happening anymore.
"Your grandfather was a dedicated student," the ancient spirit whispered. "The best student I knew."
Shirou was angry but kept a straight face. "My grandfather was a horrible man."
"Under my care, The Chancellor became the strongest, wisest, greatest. He became spirit - not man. He became one of us."
"He's not a spirit until he's immortal."
"And that's why he must kill the cursed one."
Anger boiled up in Shirou's chest, but he knew this was exactly what Koh wanted. He couldn't show what he was feeling inside.
"Are you sad?" the giant insect like spirit cooed in his enigmatic voice with a handsome, proud face on. "Your grandfather's fate is not a tragedy, but a success story. A mortal becoming spirit, maybe there is hope for the physical world."
"Why don't you just give him immortality?" Shirou asked, realizing that there was a hint of fury in his voice, and quickly changed back to a blank face.
"The cursed one must die. An average mortal teenager to be able to trick me and get away with it for ten years. I find it disgraceful to the spirit kind. The immortality bounty on the cursed one is my way of getting all I want done in one fell swoop. Hitting two birds with one stone. Fixing everything. Total completion."
"Your arrogance is destroying our world."
"Your world means nothing to me unless it concerns the spirits." Koh turned around and rushed towards Shirou with a dying, cold face. "Is that clear?"
Fear began taking him over, but he fought against any visible emotion with all his might.
Koh began crawling away. "You have a strong face. I'd suggest you leave now if you don't want it to become mine."
"I'm not going to leave until Shinji's curse is lifted."
"So be it," the spirit hissed, with his original white face on again. "Prepare to be - extinguished."
Omashu was not a pretty sight. A day before, it was the golden city. When it was invaded, it became a green city. Now, it was a red city. Blood poured from each wall down to the next, corpses building up at grates and the bottoms of cliffs. The amount of soldiers on both sides was thinning.
Hotaru, still in the Avatar State, stood in a shallow red pool at the base of Omashu, tax collectors surrounding her on all sides. She was the last one of the defending army still alive in this part of the city. Once down, all the rest would be able to storm upwards. Four of the tax collectors were right in front of her, practically in hand-to-hand combat. They kept throwing punches, guiding rocks with their fists, and she had to blow each strike away with gales of wind. Once all off guard, she'd blast them away with a burst of fire, allowing the next line to march forward. There were too many.
The next group had a more long range attack plan. They'd shoot rocks from different angles at different times in a constant cycle, and Hotaru had to deflect each one individually without any time to wait. In the free moments between attacks, she blasted out streams of fire at the Procession members. After creating a ball of wind around her that bounced all the current oncoming rocks away, she created a waterbending wave of blood from the ground and sent it at the tax collector's faces. While they were stunned, created a long bar of stone and threw it at her six opponents, knocking them down into the line behind them.
Another wave walked in, and putting all of their earthbending powers together, took a huge boulder from a wall and prepared to drop it on the Avatar. Hotaru stepped forwards, shooting a jet of fire at the stone, pushing it away as they pushed it down. The clash between her constant beam upward of flame and their earthbending powers smashing the boulder downwards created a hot molten clash that began to grow in intensity, a flaring red light beginning to grow in the plaza. Suddenly, in an explosion of rock and lava, the giant boulder exploded into pieces, burning everyone in touched, including Hotaru. Molten rock raining on her shoulders, she crumpled backwards, putting out the fires in her clothing with bursts of air and leaving her intense burns out in the open. She could heal fairly well with waterbending, but the only liquid here was the blood of the dead soldiers from the battle and that might not be the most sanitary way to treat her wounds. The only option was to keep fighting.
More tax collectors, some ones that had woken up from her knockouts, had walked up to her. Hotaru put her hands up, ready to fend off whatever they threw. The city was counting on her. The world was counting on her.
The Chancellor walked up the grand staircase of the Omashu Royal Palace. His steps were soft and quick, almost running but with a gentle touch. You could tell the path that he had taken here by the line of guards and servants that he had killed and thrown onto the ground on the way.
"Stop right there!" a man at the top of the stairs shouted. The Chancellor walked up to him, put a hand around his throat and suddenly squeezed as hard as he could, choking him instantly. He chuckled at the sight of the man dropping to the floor so easily, and then, to make sure he really was dead, landed a hard kick on his face that split apart his skull.
No one else in the way, The Chancellor walked to the large door at the end of the staircase and put his hand on the doorknob.
It was time.
He took a deep breath, then swung the giant doors open, and walked into the large throne room. It was a large, yellowish room with a high, ornate ceiling. In the center was a long green rug that led to throne, where King Isamu sat and Shinji stood next to, their faces in horrific disbelief.
"Good afternoon," The Chancellor hissed, walking halfway across the room. "Surprised to see me?"
They backed away as far as they could, taken off guard in fear.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
"You won't win," Isamu asserted confidently.
"Is that so?" he purred in a cold whisper. "There is no Venomsprout to stop me this time - The cursed one is finally in my grasp."
The King stood up from his throne. "Not if I can help it."
"I am much weaker after creating my army," The Chancellor said, purple sparks crackling around his fingers. "But your strength is still nothing compared to mine."
"Does it have to come to this? Fighting an old friend like you, Kaito?"
The energybender stepped back, surprised. "So you know?"
"It was almost twenty years ago," Isamu said. "You, Mikio and I. We were leading the Royal Army in the Great Battle of Omashu as one, unified team. Here we are once again. You've been corrupted, I've grown into a true king and Mikio has died and been reborn as Hotaru. But the three hearts that made up our great trio back in the day have are still in each of us. I believe in redemption. You, Kaito, can still be remembered as a legend."
"Oh, I will be remembered as a legend," The Chancellor replied. "And it's not going to be the legend of a feeble old man. For all time, even if I was to die, people will remember The Chancellor - the mortal who became spirit and freed our world of the disgraceful human race which inhabits it. I will be remembered as a villain, not a hero, and I will be remembered all the same."
"It doesn't work like that," the king spat.
"But it does, it does. It is much easier to take a life than save one, yet both actions will make a person famous. It isn't fair, but the world isn't fair, aren't I right? I am powerful because I accept the fact that this world is an unbalanced, cruel place, unlike you fools who think everything is about peace and equality. So yes, I could throw off this cloak and turn back into the man I once was, but the truth is, my story will be written in more history books, my figure in more paintings, my name will be more feared throughout the world for millennia to come if I choose to kill you and destroy this city today. And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Isamu stared in a mix of sadness and fury. "What have you done to yourself, Kaito?"
"Kaito is no more. Tell the folks in hell that The Chancellor sent you." He lunged towards the king, sending a blast of energy that was blocked with a thick wall of stone that he rose from the floor.
Watching all this in the corner of the room, Shinji could only stand there and stare. Please, Shirou, he thought to himself desperately, Save me.
In Central Omashu, Kotone, Akio, Sora and Taro were still deep in battle with the Quadrination Bandits. Kyong slashed out a whip of water from his waterskin - smacking it this way and that towards Kotone, who did her best to dodge each swipe. She was old though, and her agility was not what it used to be. The whip of water cracked across her back, and while she stood stunned for half a second the bandit froze the water whip into an icy spear and whipped it at the old lady's face. In the crucial moment Sora stepped forward, blowing the spear away with a gust of wind into Anil, who smashed it with a kick. Angered, the airbending bandit made a stormy whirlwind and sent it flying at Sora, throwing her backwards. Zhena shot out a few tongues of flame towards the dizzy nun, and she barely dodged the attack with the help of Taro blocking the fire.
Zhena lifted her hand up to shoot out another attack, but Akio jumped forward, daringly shooting out his arm and blocking her fist, leaving the firebending bandit stunned. He landed a front snap kick in her stomach, but before he could lay any more damage, Kyong barreled in, taking out the chieftain and tackling him the ground, whipping out a ball of water and streaming it into Akio's throat, gagging him.
Laughing, Zhena shot a lightning bolt at Kotone, but before it could hit the Fire Lord dived into the brawl, taking in the strike and redirecting it into Kyong, who crumpled in painful electric shock, saving Akio from the waterbender's choking attack.
They were finally at an advantage - Kyong would wake up, but for the moment the Quadrination Bandits had no healing powers available.
Taro leapt forwards, sending a flurry of flame towards the two remaining bandits which Anil blew out, letting Zhena whip in a stream of lightning. Kotone threw her metal fan across the battlefield, conducting the electrical attack into it instead one of their teammates, and dodged an incoming stream of fire as she ran over to retrieve her weapon.
Sora deflected an air blade from Anil, and then blasted out a giant gale that almost knocked the airbending bandit over. Akio slid in, kicking him in the side and letting Taro blast out a jet of fire which Zhena unfortunately blocked. She tried sending in another discharge of lightning towards them, but the Fire Lord deflected this strike.
"You'll never win," Taro muttered, panting. "We are stronger than you in every way."
"Ridiculous," Zhena said. "Look at yourself. You are exhausted but we will never tire."
"How is that possible?" Kotone asked. "You're just human beings like us."
"The Chancellor's infinite pool of spiritual energy fuels us, we never are hurt or grow weary."
"And that's your weakness," Akio said.
"Weakness? We're the most powerful benders in the world."
Akio shook his head. "We tire so we know that we're running low on energy. We feel pain so we know something is wrong in our bodies. Because you don't feel these necessary annoyances, you feel invincible. But if you were ever truly hurt, you wouldn't even know until you perished."
"But we are too strong to ever be truly hurt," Anil said proudly. "No one can hurt us."
At that very moment, Taro suddenly leapt forward with a giant wall of fire and threw it at the unexpecting bandit, dousing him in flame. Anil, burning, spun around in shock, and stared, his skin open and charred. He looked towards Kyong, but their healing bandit was still unconscious from the lightning strike that Taro redirected at him. Steaming blood oozing from each every crease in his raw flesh, Anil smiled evilly. "I still feel nothing. You did nothing. Look at my power, I don't feel anything even just a little bit wrong!" The airbender cackled, preparing to shoot out a giant gust of wind, when he keeled over, dead.
The sun was getting lower in the sky as Takumi walked through the streets of The Town of Ethos in stealthy silence. The sidewalks were crowded with police officers and citizens from near and far who had come to witness Markale being executed. He was to be hung tonight at eight thirty - it was five now. Tension and excitement was brewing in the air. Takumi didn't want to go the hanging site, though. His destination was the town jail. It was a large, gray building, barred windows circling the outer walls - a classic unsanitary prison. Takumi climbed up the cement steps to the front door, which he opened. Walking in, he saw a tired secretary at an old metal desk.
"Need something?" the woman asked.
"I'm acquainted with the commissioner of The Procession who's being held here."
She frowned. "I'm sorry, we don't accept visitors."
Takumi slammed his fist on the desk, a loud clang bouncing through the room. "I need to see him."
"I'm afraid I can't let do you that," she quivered.
"He'll be dead by the end of the day, why do you care? I need to talk to him. Now what cell is he in?"
"Number eleven," she said quietly. "Down the hall, take a left."
Nodding in thanks, Takumi walked down the hall and took the first left. Inside was a hall with cells on both sides, mostly empty. Metal labels above the barred doors passed him by, and he stopped at the one with a large eleven on it. He looked inside and saw Markale's figure curled up in the corner of a small gray room, turned away. He was wearing a torn white shirt and pants to match, his skin pale and his hair in a sweaty mess. If Takumi had seen this image a month before, he wouldn't have ever guessed that it was the commissioner of The Procession in there.
"Hey," he whispered through the bars. "It's me."
In the corner of the cell, Markale shook his head, letting out a whimper.
"I need to talk with you."
The deranged commissioner turned his head and glanced at him with tired, bloodshot eyes. "What do you want?" he snapped.
"There's something I need to settle with you."
Markale completely turned around and leapt towards Takumi, clawing at the cell bars that separated them. "You won, I lost, go along now, it's over! Come on, watch me die tonight, bring a friend! What more can you take away from me?"
"I just want to ask you a question before its over," the airbender stated. "I just need to know how you knew The Chancellor before he took away The Procession. You never told us."
"It's over already! Over, over, over! Nothing matters! Two weeks ago I was the most powerful in the world and now I am going to die as a lunatic! Why do you care about me? No one cares about me, poor little me!" He fell down the floor, blubbering nonsense to himself.
"Out there, The Chancellor is waging a war with your army that threatens the entire world," Takumi explained. "I have a feeling that you know something about him we don't, and if we don't learn now, there'll be no other chance."
"There's a place and time for everything," he whispered. "Not now is the time for secrets, dark secrets."
"If you don't tell me now, then when will you?"
Markale stood up from the ground, regaining his composure. "Before they kill and me and crowds cheer, I can say any final words by law. Then, before I am hung, the world will know."
"But what do you have to lose by just telling me now first?" he asked.
"The Procession, a feared name, riches, health, sanity, life, it's all gone besides for one thing. My past, my past is the only thing I have. If I told it now, everything would be gone and I'd still have three hours before my death! I need to wait to give up my last secret until my very last teensy little moment alive because I don't want to know what living without anything else to live for feels like. Living with just one or two things left to your name is bad enough!"
Takumi stared in pity. This man had gone mad on the outside, but when he spoke from the heart, there was still sense and reason, in this case, very sad sense and reason. He was a tragedy. What was there he say?
"Now get out of here!" Markale yelled. "The more I speak the less and less I have inside! Get away before I lose it all!"
He nodded, and did as told.
Koh moved in close to Shirou, the spirit's giant body behind him moving but still always staring into his eyes. They rotated around the dark cave, tension building in the musty air.
"You must be so frustrated," Koh asked in a quiet, mocking voice with the face of a beautiful woman. "Life isn't completely in your favor."
"It never has been like that before," he stated.
"I can feel it in my ancient blood. The cursed one's life is coming to its close today."
Shirou fought back all the anger inside him from showing. "Please, you have to lift his curse."
"A boy who fooled me," he spat in his cold, rhythmic voice. "It made the quietest of spirits laugh, and my power has become less valuable and trusted ever since. No one who does that to me that should live."
"Can we come to some agreement, I representing mortals, you representing spirits?"
"That doesn't seem very fair," Koh said. "You see, spirits are much stronger than mortals, and in turn, I much stronger than you. I don't need to listen to you because if I want, I could destroy you."
"But if we come up with a deal that's good for both sides-"
"I'm never going to lift that boy's curse for all I live!"
Furious, he raised his voice. "Then you truly are a disgrace to the Spirit World! And if you ever-"
Shirou suddenly stopped in horror.
His eyes were wide in rage.
His eyebrows were furled in anger.
His mouth open in fury.
Koh's face lit up.
In the throne room of the Omashu Royal Palace, Shinji watched Isamu and The Chancellor in horror, both of them deep in battle.
The king threw a giant rock from the wall at his opponent, crumbling it into sand at the last moment which The Chancellor blocked with a small shield of energy. He then stepped forward, sending out a crackling purple whip out that Isamu broke apart with a quick flurry of rocks from the ground which he threw at the energybender afterwards. Rolling out of the way of another strike, he punched forwards, shooting a column of stone from the floor that smashed into The Chancellor directly in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. In the spare time he leapt forward, bringing a large boulder with him that his energybending opponent smashed with a crackling punch as he stood up, followed by another punch that sent out a wave of purple fire.
"You can't defeat justice," the king stated, ducking beneath the attack.
The Chancellor stood up, blocked a rock thrown towards him, and then tensed his hand, shooting out a bolt of energy. "Justice is a twisted concept. Never will any part of this corrupted world be fair and equal." He blasted out another attack.
Shinji watched it all from the corner. Time was running out.
Koh stared in success at Shirou's angry face. It was emotion. That's all that was needed. He tensed, muscles buckling, claws flexing, and then all at once, suddenly leaped forwards, ready to take him in. Shirou ran out of the way, taking out his sword. What was there to lose now? Koh lunged again, barely missing a sword strike. "You!" he screamed in his deep, cold voice, slashing this way and that with the claws surrounding his face.
Shirou rolled away from the monster. He began to run towards the cave's entrance, but decided against it. The world was still waiting.
Climbing up onto the ceiling, Koh chased after him from above.
"If you take my face, will you promise to lift Shinji's bounty?"
"Never!" Koh yelled, leaping down and pinning Shirou's chest to the grimy stone floor. Instincts taking over, he took out his sword and swung wildly, the grip around his body suddenly disappearing. Standing up, he saw a long gash in the spirit's side, clumpy dark blood seeping outwards from it and onto the ground.
"What have you done to me?" Koh yelled, fiercely thrashing around his lair and then, after locking onto Shirou, ran forward with all his might and picked him up in his claws, smashing his body against the wall.
He tried struggling, but it was no use. Koh's claws were coming closer, closer, closer...
The Chancellor had taken on the offensive. He slashed one blade of energy outwards after the next, and even though Isamu could stop them, each attack sent him farther and farther backwards, towards the corner. He tried to shoot out a rock from the ground, but as soon as he took his concentration off blocking, one of the energybending strikes skimmed his upper left arm and shoulder, ripping his armor right off and cutting open his flesh. Glaring, the king went back to defense, pulling column after column up from the floor that blocked each of the oncoming attacks.
Suddenly, he hit the wall. There was not a step more he could take backwards, but The Chancellor kept coming forwards.
"Nowhere else to go, eh?" the cloaked bandit laughed.
Isamu pulled his fists over his head, throwing a giant chunk from the wall behind him at his opponent, who smashed it to dust with a snap of his fingers. "What did I tell you? I have power and am the superior here!"
Shinji's face was plastered with horror. "Don't let him kill me, Isamu. Please."
The king put a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," he whispered, even though he knew it wouldn't. "It's all going to be okay."
The Chancellor moved closer, raising his arm and sending a bolt of energy towards them that Isamu smashed with a rock from the wall, sending out another rock afterwards that was deflected back towards him. He tried cracking the ceiling open, but needed the time to block one more energy attack. The Chancellor flicked out another burst of fiery purple sparks that the king tried to block, and in the chaos let loose a giant swirling blade of power that went right towards Isamu's heart, with barely a second to respond, a horrible sound of tearing flesh, smashing metal and painful screams echoed throughout the palace.
They stared at King Isamu drop to the ground, his arm falling right off after being hit with the powerful energybending attack - leaving a bloody stump behind on his shoulder.
Shinji's eyes widened in panicked horror.
The Chancellor smiled.
This was it.
Shirou writhed in pain as Koh moved forward, his claws coming towards his head to suck his face right out. A dark cloud seemingly began to overcome his brain. The spirit's claws made contact with his skin, and suddenly pushed forwards, protruding into the flesh of his cheeks. He screamed in agony, as a mysterious, tormenting feeling began to take over his features.
Koh smiled, ripping apart his soul from the inside, taking in everything he'd ever had. The pain within Shirou's heart began to grow in intensity, a horrific fire frying up everything he ever knew. He could feel his facial features begin to fade. His sight grew dark. The musty smell vanished. The screaming quieted. It was all falling away.
Shirou appeared in a black hallway. At the end of it, he saw images of his past; the Water Tribe, Royal Chaldera City, the Fire Lord, The Battle at Glacier Cove, Markale, a storm of fruit flies chasing after him, camping in the Earth Kingdom mountains, The Quadrination Bandits attacking him at the top of Mount Sierra, Hotaru battling him inside her house, gambling at the Ice Water Pub, Akio saving him from The Procession's Northern Headquarters, Takumi and Asaki kissing, Akata's mother dying, his brothers and sisters, his father telling him stories of Kaito. Suddenly, he lost his footing and started being dragged backwards down the hallway, the images of his life getting smaller and smaller as he was pulled away. He tried to run forward, but intense pain took over his body, too much to handle. Giving up struggling, he let go, letting himself be dragged away, watching his time on Earth fading away. Storming the Water Tribe Royal Palace, attending Everburn Academy, learning of The Avatar Rhythm in his Ba Sing Se jail cell, escaping from the Black Market near the Western Air Temple. Right as he felt his body fall into the shadowy void at the end of the hallway, one final imaged appeared.
It was of Shinji.
A new energy filled Shirou's body. He faced the pain and began to trudge forward. A dark force tried to pull him back, but he wouldn't let it. Walking towards the light at the end of the hall, he stepped into the flashing images of his life, a bright energy enveloping him as he broke through the barrier.
The sights, sounds and smells of Koh's lair once again surrounded him. He wasn't going to let his face be stolen.
Shinji stared back and forth between Isamu's body on the floor, his arm ripped off and pouring blood onto the floor of the throne room, and The Chancellor, laughing in victory.
"Immortality has never been closer," he whispered, grabbing Shinji and dragging him to the throne. He flexed his fingers. "You don't know how long I've dreamed of this moment."
He tried to fight back, send out a fireball, anything, but his muscles wouldn't budge. This was a nightmare come true.
"Do you want to know what I'll do after I slit your throat and rip your heart out?" The Chancellor asked.
Shinji shook his head, quivering.
"Well, first I'll wipe out every man and woman in this city. Then I'll sit in this throne room, and Omashu will be the capital of my powerful reign. People near and far will bow down to me, and each Solstice when my ultimate powers return, I can make all of my followers into Quadrination Bandits just like I did to The Procession. I'll have nothing to fear, I won't be able to die. I can conquer the entire planet, and from atop this very throne I can govern my empire. People will call my the King of Life."
"You're a wrong," a voice said from the corner of the room, and they turned in surprise to see Isamu, bloody and pale, do his best to heroically stand up from the floor with just one arm. "This is no longer a throne room," he said, blood dripping from his mouth. "This is a tomb for the both of us. A king without compassion does not deserve a kingdom. Omashu will not stand with you as its leader. I will not let it. If this is what it must come to, this is what must happen." Before anyone could respond, Isamu leapt up and with all of his life and energy left inside his body, he crashed to the floor, sending a colossal explosion of earthbending into the stone. Suddenly, walls and floors began to crash together as massive cracks ran down the city's cliffs, houses and buildings toppling down the streets, soldiers in the midst of fighting being crushed by giant stones. Isamu fell to the floor of the throne room, dead, every bit of strength that was once within him transferred into the destructive attack he had unleashed on his own city. It was the only way to stop The Chancellor. The room's ceiling collapsed, the rest of the royal palace caving in above them and crashing downwards. Long streets, tall buildings and giant walls crumbled. Giant sections of mountain gave way. In a final giant eruption of rock, dust and screaming, the great city of Omashu fell to the ground, destroying everything in its destructive path.
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Real Top Tier, Fake Bottom Tier
Decorating By cakesbyamber Updated 23 Jul 2010 , 6:58pm by PiccoloChellie
A bride wants a three tier cake with only the top being cake, the bottom two being styrofoam dummies. Has anyone ever done this? Can you tell a huge difference in the real and fake tiers? Any tips would be appreciated.
(If anyone is wondering why she wants this: She said she wants her grandmother to make a sheet cake and she wants to be able to cut the top tier for pictures.)
I don't think anyone would be able to tell, as long as she doesn't cut into it! I try to avoid doing false tiers, not because I don't make as much money on them, but because it takes just as much time, effort and creativity to decorate them as real cake tiers. After all, isn't your time worth more than the flour and sugar you use to bake the cakes?
But if the bride wants something that isn't too intricate, perhaps you could consider it, but personally, I just try to convince them that a real cake is always better than having a styrofoam one. (More delicious too.)
I did this for my borther's wedding. the bride wanted 3 tiers, but it was quite a small do. You cannot tell the difference between the fake and the real cake
I'd be much more worried about having gramma's cake there with mine. Are you insured? What if there's a problem with gramma's cake, but the person who gets sick decides to sue you and your insurance?
What if gramma's cake just plain sucks and you get a bad rep?
No, you shouldn't see much, if any, difference between dummy tiers and cake tiers. Quite a few couples go this route when they have a very small wedding but still want a lovely, traditional wedding cake.
Remember that dummy cakes take nearly as much time, effort, and money to make as actual cake. Don't give those away. I charge 80% of the cost of edible cake for dummies (i.e. a $100 cake would be $80 as a dummy). You're still using the same icing, the same flowers/ribbon/decorations, and the same labor as a real cake.
Maybe her Grandma makes the best sheet cakes in the world and that's what she wants at her wedding, but I'd also keep in mind that she may think she can get a $20 3 tier masterpiece from you and have Grandma make the eatin' cakes for free....

subset: commoncrawl


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Vanity Fair's 2015 Oscar party was nothing less that a super hot and sexy party where the celebrities stepped in looking sexy as hell!
After the Oscars 2015 ceremony got over, celebrities, from artists, actors to models, gathered together to attend the Vanity Fair's After-Oscar 2015 party.
The fashion was nothing less than a sexy fashion show where the super hot ladies showed major skin in revealing and cut gowns.
Starting from Rita Ora and going to Irina Shayk and Gigi Hadid, we have seen some of the hottest beauties flaunting their flawless figures and skin in revealing gowns. Rita and Irina dressed up in revealing black gowns showing their toned legs and curves at the party.
If we take a look at the Vanity Fair's 2015 After-Oscar party, there was no dress code and we noticed a lot of revealing gowns which dropped our jaws down. Heidi Klum, Karlie Kloss and many more models also raised the temperature with their skin show.
Check out the most revealing gowns worn by stars at the Vanity Fair's 2015 After-Oscar party.
Rita Ora
Rita dropped our jaws down when she appeared after Oscars to the party wearing a sheer black floor sweeping gown. Showing off her butt and major skin, Rita gathered all the attention but not for long as there were more.
Irina Shayk
The supermodel turned up showing major skin in this revealing black gown leaving behind, Rita Ora.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi showed her incredible body in this thigh high slit sheer gown. Black revealing gowns ruled the party!
Karlie Kloss
Victoria's Secret Angel, Karlie Kloss also wore a black lace gown which showed her left bosom underneath. Fortunately, she wore pasties!
Heidi Klum
Heidi is still hot and sexy. She glittered in a silver gown which had sheer details revealing her skin.
Miranda Kerr
Showing off her curves, Miranda Kerr looked like an Angel at the Vanity Fair's Oscars 2015 party.


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MTV Presents 'Bieber Live' Special on Tuesday, June 19th at 7:30 ET/PT06/18/2012
Justin Bieber to Perform in Front of Live Studio Audience and Answer Fan Questions Live. Justin Bieber's latest album, "Boyfriend" premieres June 19th. Listen to a preview of all of Justin Bieber's new songs in the video below.
New York, NY (June 18, 2012) – Two-time Grammy nominated and "MTV Video Music Awards" winner, singer, songwriter and multi-platinum selling superstar Justin Bieber will celebrate the release of his new album BELIEVE during the live 30-minute special "Bieber Live" on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Hosted by MTV News' Sway Calloway, Justin Bieber will treat 100 fans in the studio to a live performance and answer fan questions in-studio and via Twitter (using @MTVNews / hash-tag #AskBieber).
Immediately following "Bieber Live," MTV will air the worldwide broadcast exclusive premiere of Katy Perry's new music video "Wide Awake" at 7:53 p.m. ET/PT.
Global phenomenon Justin Bieber's new album BELIEVE will be released on Tuesday, June 19, featuring newly released hit singles "Boyfriend," "Die in Your Arms," "All Around the World" and "As Long As You Love Me." (Video Preview of all songs below)
Believe follows Justin's first Christmas album UNDER THE MISTLETOE (RBMG/Island Def Jam Music Group) – released in November 2011 – which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. UNDER THE MISTLETOE was Justin's fifth release since he first arrived on Island Records/RBMG in November 2009 with My World. My World contained his worldwide debut hit, "One Time," the follow-up "One Less Lonely Girl," and two more chart hits, "Love Me" and "Favorite Girl." With that, Justin became the first solo artists in history to send four songs from a debut album into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 prior to the album's release.
To date, Justin Bieber has amassed more than 15 million in worldwide CD sales, accumulated over 23 million Twitter followers, 44 million Facebook friends and 3 billion combined views on YouTube and VEVO.
MTV News is the authority for music, movies and pop culture news for the Millennial audience, producing a diverse mix of daily news stories, insider specials, weekly series, live red carpet shows, exclusive music video and movie premieres, as well as exclusive artist and celebrity interviews on-air, online, via mobile and across social media.
NBC's Justin Bieber: All Around The World Expanded To Two Night Event
Preview Justin Bieber's Believe Album:
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Success Habits: Discover Your Reason Why And Ask Empowering Questions To Become Unstoppable
Vladimir Raykov, Marketing and Sales Manager
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Habit #9: Discover Your Reason Why To Increase Motivation And Power7:59
Habit #10: Ask Empowering Questions That Change Your State7:06
Your Project And Next Steps1:25
About This Class
The biggest reason why people don't achieve their meaningful goals is because they don't have a strong enough reason why!
The biggest reason why people feel sad and depressed is because they ask themselves the wrong questions.
They don't focus on the right things and you know life is tricky, you can have everything in the world you want and still be unhappy.
Because of your focus!
Join this class and I will help you clarify your reason why so your motivation can go through the roof!
And I will show you what to focus on so you feel more empowered and energize than ever!
My name is Vladimir Raykov,
Hit the enroll button and let's get started!
Stay Purposeful
Class Projects 5 See All
14 of 14 students recommendSee All
Your course was so incredibly informative that it felt like a gift. Thank you. A great investment of time.
Vladimir Raykov works as a Marketing Manager at an innovative and highly developing company for software solutions.
Vladimir has a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and has successfully completed courses on a Master's level on Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Knowledge at Copenhagen Business School.
He is an author, blogger and one of his deepest passions is leadership - bringing out the best in people. Moreover, Vladimir is certified by Case Western Reserve University on a course - Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence. The course was conducted by professor Richard Boyatzis.
Social Media enthusiast with more than 60000 followers on the two of his Twitter accounts (@vladimirraykov and @tech_innovator).
His highest priorities are family and friends. He does and is interested in online teaching and learning as he thinks that these two terms are the new currency of the future.
A strong believer in education, Vladimir is willing to share his knowledge with others.


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"It's affordable and gives every
Kapanke, who is running against Sen.
Kapanke said that makes the state unique among other Republican-controlled states which rejected
Under the expansion, childless adults with an income below the federal poverty level became eligible for BadgerCare Plus, giving about 145,000 Wisconsinites coverage under the
"From there on, Obamacare is supposed to get it and if you're low income, you're supposed to get the credits," Kapanke said.
Kapanke criticized Shilling's vote against the governor's plan, which made
"We rejected the federal funds and some of the other states took them, and they're experiencing some real difficulties," Kapanke said.
Shilling criticized the ad as "misleading," citing the claim that BadgerCare gives "every
"It doesn't. It's a limited safety net," Shilling said, adding that she has also always advocated BadgerCare expansion.
Shilling co-sponsored legislation to expand BadgerCare with the federal funding, which she said would have enrolled an additional 80,000 people in BadgerCare and saved
"When it comes to my opponent, I think he's trying to rewrite history and cover up the fact that he has repeatedly sided with
Kapanke criticized the Affordable Care Act as unaffordable and referred to
Premiums are expected to rise by 50 to 67 percent next year in
"It's a good thing we did not take that money or we would be in the same boat as
Kapanke pointed out that Walker has fully-funded the
Shilling defended her support of the Affordable Care Act, saying while it wasn't perfect, it has been a lifesaver for people with pre-existing conditions and young people who are able to stay on their parents' insurance.
"Premiums were going up before the Affordable Care Act was put in place and that is part of the challenge of making sure that health care remains affordable and there is some consistency in costs," Shilling said.
(c)2016 the La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, Wis.)
Visit the La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, Wis.) at www.lacrossetribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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Download MWW 2017 brochure
- Part I: Intensive Session – Thursday, July 20. [Small class, six-hour master session with an expert]
- $155 [Fee also includes: morning refreshments and lunch]
- Part II: Thursday evening, Friday & Saturday – July 20-22. [Choose from 45+ sessions on craft and publishing business.]
- $300 [Fee includes: Friday lunch; Saturday awards banquet with keynote Jess Lourey
- Part I & Part II: Package [Maximize the value! Savings of $55!]
- $400 [Fee includes all activities described above]
All MWW programs and sessions are hosted at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
Lodging Options
Midwest Writers Host Hotel: Courtyard Muncie at Horizon Convention Center, 601 South High Street, Muncie, Indiana 47305
Start date: 7/19/17 End date: 7/23/17 Last day to book: EXTENDED TO 6/26/17
Book your group rate for Courtyard Muncie
Midwest Writers also has GROUP RATES at:
Holiday Inn Express, 4201 W. Bethel Ave., Muncie (765) 289-4678
Book your group rate for Holiday Inn Express
Enter the event dates- July 19-23, which takes you to a page to make reservations with the special rate. The event code, MWW, using this link, is already pre-populated.
Complimentary breakfast buffet, wifi, and parking. Also complimentary to anyone in the group is their conference space.
Fairfield Inn (Marriott), 4011 W. Bethel Ave., Muncie (765) 282-6666 [Ask for Ball State Rate.]
Other Local Hotel Options:
All reservations should be made directly with the hotels.
- Baymont Inn & Suites, 3400 Chadam Lane, Muncie, IN 765-284-4200
- Day's Inn 3509 N. Everbrook Lane, Muncie, IN 47304 765-288-2311
- Comfort Inn & Suites 3400 N. Marleon, Muncie, IN 47304 765-587-0294
- Best Western, 3011 W. Bethel Ave., Muncie (765) 282-0600
- Cardinal Inn & Suites 3302 N. Everbrook Lane, Muncie, IN 47304 1-800-733-337 or 765-282-7557
- Hampton Inn & Suites 4200 West Bethel, Muncie, IN 47304 765-288-8500
You need to make room reservations ASAP as space is limited because several events are scheduled that weekend in Muncie, including Ball State University summer graduation.


text:
You are here
FP&A Analyst - SaaS Experience required
Bullet points
Great opportunity for growth
High profile role reporting to the CFO
About Our Client
My client is a rapidly growing SaaS business based in Manhattan.
Job Description
Reporting to the CFO, the FP&A analyst will have ownership of the budgeting, forecasting, and planning for their North American operation. Responsibilities will include:
- Assist with the preparation of financial and business related analysis and research in such areas as financial and expense performance, cost of sales, cash flow forecasting, and working capital.
- Assist with the preparation of consolidated forecasts and budgets and analyze trends in revenue, expense, capital expenditures and other related areas.
- Assist with compilation and analysis of consolidated budgets and long range plans.
- Assist with preparation of business performance reporting for presentation to senior management, including departmental cost analysis and key performance reporting as required.
- Prepare financial forecasts and models for new investment opportunities and strategic Initiatives, including providing payback.
- Work with the financial reporting team which may include assistance with: Management Reporting, Customer Reporting, Forecasting, Cash Flow, and Internal Audit & Controls.
- Perform other relevant duties as directed by management.
The Successful Applicant
- Bachelor's Degree in Business, Economics or Accounting required.
- Minimum of 3 to 5 years' experience in financial modeling and analysis.
- Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
- Excellent problem solving skills
- Ability to work well independently and as part of multidisciplinary team
- Detail oriented
- Proficient with Excel
- Ability to multi-task
- Highly motivated and organized
What's on Offer
- Competitive salary
- Great benefits


text:
The cover shows Slappy sitting on a broken chair with his son.
Jackson Stander is a good kid. His parents and teachers all trust him and know that he would never do anything wrong. But after visiting his grandfather's house and meeting Slappy, Jackson is compelled to do evil things. Slappy has almost all control over Jackson, he even starts referring to him as his son because of all the mischief being caused. Jackson must figure out a way to defeat Slappy. However, when he discovers that his sister Rachel appears to be Slappy's daughter, the question of if he will be Slappy's son starts to arise. So the question is, will Jackson really turn-out to be Slappy's son or not?!
Jackson Stander is a nice kid, with a mean sister named Rachael, they visit their Grandpa Whitman's house, and he gives Jackson a ventriloquist dummy, the dummy is the evil Slappy, in fact, Edgar tells Jackson to get rid of the dummy, he doesn't since it could be fun to bring at the YC.
Jackson finds the words, and he reads them, later in the book, Jackson begins to do really bad things to his friends, and he doesn't know why.
It turns out that he's being controlled by Slappy, who has come to life, when he goes to the YC, Slappy makes Jackson drag Mrs. Lawson across the floor, then Jackson thought that maybe the only way to defeat Slappy, is to read the words on the card a second time, but when he pulls the card out of his pocket, it's blank on both sides, just a blank piece of paper.
A few weeks later, his parents have grounded him and stopped giving him his allowance, and he's banned from the YC, he asked his parents to get rid of Slappy, but they refused and told him to wait until Grandpa Whitman comes to visit, so Jackson puts Slappy in a suitcase, later, he hears his sister talking to someone.
Rachael was speaking with Slappy, it turned out they were working together all along, in fact, Rachael was the one who switched Slappy's spell with a blank card, in the end, Slappy turns to Jackson and says, "guess what? We know how to deal with eavesdropper's" then there's a, "Chirp" sound.
- Some of the story is similar to Horrors of the Black Ring. Jackson Stander is a kind kid who was controlled by an evil villain to do bad things while his sister, Rachel teased him for being a goody-goody. Beth Welch was also a kind kid who was controlled to do evil things while her schoolmate, Anthony Gonzales teased her for being a goody-goody.
- Only difference is that Beth succeeds in the end.
- This is one of the few books in which Slappy succeeds.
- The title is likely a reference to Seed of Chucky


text:
Reduce Spend By Improving Font Management – A Case Study
April 6th, 2017 by Extensis
How did a global media & publishing firm save 30% in spend with a font management solution?
The Company
Font management plays a key role at SANDOW, a rapidly growing global publishing and media company with brands spanning design, luxury, fashion and beauty. SANDOW's rapid growth not only brought an ever expanding list of brands, but with each brand came their own sets of fonts. This skyrocketed SANDOW's font collection into the tens of thousands making the need for effective font management critical.
We sat down with Michael Shavalier, Director of Creative Operations at SANDOW and asked him a few questions about his font management challenges and how they were resolved.
Extensis: Why are fonts and managing them so important to SANDOW?
Michael: Being a publishing and media company with magazines and websites that span the globe, fonts are a key component to our business. Brand consistency and license compliance are at the top of the list where fonts are concerned.
Each brand has its own fonts, which they should be able to manage. Even though the brands are well separated, there's a lot of synergy and cross-pollination between brands. There are separate design groups, but at the same time there is some overlap.
Download SANDOW's case study. Learn more about how they reduced cost by implementing a font management solution.
The Challenge
Michael: One of the biggest problems our designers had is when they were asked to do something across brands. They had to load the other brand's version of the font, and may have conflicted with other fonts on their system. Sometimes they had to spend a good deal of time trying to work through the glitches of having font conflicts which wasn't productive or efficient. Now, with a centralized system that manages our fonts, we're able to identify the font right away and make sure everyone is using the same version. It's one less thing for everyone to manage. We now know across all brands which font is needed, where it is, or where it should come from and if we've got enough licenses. I don't see many emails anymore saying "this brand is using this weird font, and I don't know where to get it from".
Extensis: What were the biggest challenges that lead you to implement a font manager?
Michael: As the company grew and became a little more corporate – taking on more and more smaller companies and brands – we had to integrate everyone. One of the problems we realized pretty quickly is, like so many startup companies, we had buckets of fonts. They were either on servers or people's desktops, or you'd find 15 copies of the same font, or 30 copies of Helvetica but they weren't the same. I'd venture to say we had tens of thousands of fonts.
It was really causing a lot of havoc with the design teams, and it was also causing concerns about compliance.
The Solution
SANDOW already had a different font management solution in place, but when they experienced limitations in their ability to manage groups effectively, instability with other key applications and technical support that was non-existent, they made the switch to Universal Type Server. Since making the switch, they have experienced 10,000 fewer fonts, a reduction in IT Requests by almost 60%, and a 30% reduction in spend.
Extensis: Where are you today with fully implementing font management at SANDOW?
Michael: Our first phase was basically to replace the other font manager for every user that was on it. We're replacing it all now and we're pretty close to being done. That would be at least three of our main brand groups.
Michael: The font manager we had been using previously fell short in critical areas, in particular control in setting up users and groups, serving out fonts to them and in addition lack of technical support. Universal Type Server has given us the control we need and has excellent technical support.
Learn more about SANDOW and their font management success. Read the their full interview or download their Case Study.
For more on font management best practices, download our font management best practices guide.
Tags: case study, font management, Universal Type ServerNo Comments »


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Re: [PanoToolsNG] Any way to control Photoshop's PhotoMerge?
Expand Messages
- hi keith!
there's no way to influence this. the "interactive layout" feature isn't
avaliable any more in photoshop cs4's photomerge. it can be installed
manually (legacy plugins on the installer dvd), but it's crashy.
the only thinkable way to experiment is changing the numbering of the
images and testing around with the order of selection in bridge. this
sometimes influences the order, but up to now i couldn't regognize any
repeatable pattern :-(
unfortunately even the behaviour hans described isn't always the same.
probably there's running a pattern recognition routine _before_
photoshop sets up the order.
Keith Martin schrieb:
> I've just had an interesting question from a friend who's using
> Photoshop's PhotoMerge feature as a simple cylinder production
> process. I've told him about the dedicated apps that do this well but
> he's writing a magazine article and needs to stick to Photoshop for
> the bulk of what he's doing.
> He wanted to know if there was a way to dictate where in the
> composite set of photos the left/right edges will be. In other words,
> what makes Photoshop choose which images are left-most when it does
> its work?
> I know most of us here use tools such as PTGui or AutoPano Pro, but
> if anyone has hints that I could feed back that would be very useful.
> k
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text:
December 30, 1899
Juniata College Mission Statement
June 21, 2017
Colleges and universities ready to transform their campuses' approaches to providing global education have a week left to apply for the 15th cohort of ACE's Internationalization Laboratory. The application deadline is June 30.
February 22, 2017
The cohort's 11 members reported on efforts to transform campus internationalization during large and small group discussions and networking sessions.
November 09, 2016
During the closing seminar of ACE's 13th Internationalization Laboratory last week, the cohort wrapped up nearly two years of collaboration during which they developed goals and strategic plans for internationalization at their institutions.
September 12, 2016
During the Aug. 26 kickoff meetubg, members of the 2016-18 cohort of ACE's Internationalization Laboratory explored the challenges to moving their campuses toward comprehensive internationalization.
February 12, 2016
Members of the 13th Cohort of ACE's Internationalization Laboratory joined in a robust discussion last Monday in Washington during its mid-year seminar. The participants, who represent 13 institutions of various types and sizes, are midway through 20 months of work.


text:
November 1, 2016
NBC announced today that three more episodes have been ordered for the first season of Timeless. While the small pickup is good news for the freshman time travel drama, the added trio of episodes brings its total to just 16, which is less than what would typically amount to a full season.
While the first season of Timeless will be on the shorter side, it does reflect the recent trend of networks tailoring the length of a season to what best suits each show and how it is performing, rather than keep every show at the traditional 22 episodes. Breakout hit This Is Us, for example, will air 18 episodes in Season 1.
Timeless comes from creators Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan, and follows team of time travelers chasing down a mysterious criminal intent on changing the past in order to destroy America. The series has been a decent performer through its first five episodes following The Voice on Monday nights, though it hasn't been the breakout hit that others have been in the same time slot. Still, its viewership numbers rank it among the top new series on broadcast TV this fall.


text: AFRICA ANIMALS / WILDLIFE MADAGASCAR TOURS EAST TO WEST & BACK AGAIN: A GUIDE TO MADAGASCAR I don't normally book tours while traveling. It's not that I am against them, or think I am too good for that kind of travel; it's nothing like that at all. I usually just… Continue Reading March 27, 2017


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A few questions....first, how do I get this pale pink. So far, every pink I use is still too dark, even when I just use a smidge. Any suggestions? And, the cake will be covered in American buttercream. I told the bride that I did not know how well the rosettes would hold up on buttercream. I'm worried they will be to heavy but she wanted to try it anyway. Told her I couldn't be responsible for last minute changes if it was necessary and she's ok with that. Do you guys think it will work? Also, any suggestions with making the little diamond things on the top tier?
I'd use a tiny bit of rose pink for that color. If I was going to do the rosettes on buttercream I would make the flower centers on toothpicks and build the flowers up using a disc of gumpaste that the centers went through and then had the ruffle petal stuck to that. Then you'd basically have a large disc with the flower made on that, and you could attach the whole thing to the side of the buttercream with the toothpick inserted into the cake for extra stability. Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head, haha!
Well, let me ask you this. I've never thought about it until now. Do you think it would work if I piped ruffled buttercream flowers right onto the cake? I know it would be hard because it's vertical and not horizontal. What do you think?
one of the problems with pale pink is any butter and brown vanilla in the icing -- you need a white icing to get pale pink otherwise you'll get peach -- and anytime you need a pale color -- put a little food color into about two tablespoons of icing then just apply a bit of that, the colored icing to your amount you want to be real pale -- in other words add colored icing instead of food color -- thin it out first
@costumeczar I think putting them on a disk is the way to go too. Great idea. Thanks so much! And I'll definately try the rise pink.
@k8memphis I've never tried putting my color I a small bit of icing then mixing into the larger batch. I'm going to give that a try. Thanks!
I think Cupadee had a youtube video on making buttercream ruffle flowers. She pipes them onto parchment, and then freezes them on a a dummy that has been cut in half so it will stand flat on its side.
hey just wanted to add that you should have a contract or a paper signed or whetever with the bride in case the rosettes did not hold up, and that it's not your responsibility. she might say its okay now if they fall or something, but on her wedding day she might change her mind and threaten to give bad feed back blah blah blah
no, wait, the rosettes should not be falling off and if you anticpate that in writing you'd lose me as a client
@melmar02 Do you have a link to that?
@-K8memphis I think @Kandyslife was talking about the fact that I told the bride that I didn't know how well those large rosettes would hold to buttercream, because I seriously don't. I've put small cascading flowers on buttercream before but not such large ones.
Have you tried Wilton peach color ? it looks more like pale peach color than pale rose color. Just saying because I love Wilton peach color and use it a lot.
No I haven't tried it. I'll take a look into it . I actually have some! Thanks!
I would make the rosettes out of pale pink rice paper. Nice and light and not a worry about the weight.
I've been hearing a lot about rice paper but I'm not very familiar with it. I may want to try it in the future. I have found a tutorial on a buttercream rosette cake that has the large flowers like this one. I had to actually purchase it so I hope it's worth the money! I'll let you all know! Thanks for all the advice.
I don't get this...why do people say 'I want a cake that looks like that'...but I don't like fondant and I want it in buttercream. Well then, it won't look like that! Grrr. Mini rant over...
Exactly! Sometime decorators, either from lack of experience or just the desire to have the contract, agree to take on things that they haven't tried or are perhaps outside their skill set...and that's a recipe for a disaster.
I am the expert...I know what I can and cannot do, what can be done with this media or that, and when a customer asks I explain the options and possibilities...and they either go with it, choose another design option or else shop elsewhere.
@cupcakemamma3 I tried to post the link, but it didn't work. Go to youtube and search for "cupadeecakes". She only has like 6 videos.


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Home > Product Categories > Pro-Video > Video Switchers > HDMI Switchers > GTB-HD4K2K-442-BLK
Item #: GEF-HD4K2K-442BK MFG #: GTB-HD4K2K-442-BLK
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It's the End of the Year As We Know It, and Stephen Colbert and Michael Stipe Feel, Well...
Definitely not fine.
I know this is a bleak way to look at it, but here's the truth: Just because the clock is going to strike midnight and that calendar is going to flip to January 1, 2017, it doesn't mean bad shit is going to stop happening. This year sucked—it sucked bad. This was the year democracy broke, in which hatred and fear somehow claimed victory, and one that took some of our most beloved figures—Bowie, and Prince, and Cohen. Things aren't just going to suddenly get better because we exchange a six for a seven.
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So instead of waiting for 2017 to come along and change everything, we can use this time to look back and take stock of 2016 to the tune of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World."
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text:
Final storm warnings eased
The last of the Bureau of Meteorology's severe thunderstorm warnings for Queensland have been lifted, but south-east Queensland residents have been warned to remain cautious.
Power has been restored to many homes, however Energex is still working to rectify connections to more than 6000 properties. For the latest updates on power outages visit the Energex website.
The bureau said conditions could still be hazardous in the aftermath of the severe thunderstorms, particularly on the roads.
That concludes our live coverage of the weather conditions today. Stay safe.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michelle Berry says the severe storms have passed through Greater Brisbane and are now centred over the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales.
"The warning is now just covering the Gold Coast area and the rain for Brisbane has definitely passed," Ms Berry said.
"There were still be some patchy rain for the next four of five hours or so," she said.
"But when you wake up in the morning it is going to be a mostly sunny day."
"It might be a bit cool with the westerly winds, but you will see a fair bit of sun coming through tomorrow."
More than 9000 homes are without power across south-east Queensland.
According to Energex, 4906 homes have been blacked out on the Sunshine Coast Regional Council area, 3447 in the Moreton Bay region and 1185 on the Gold Coast.
To report power failures ring Energex on 13 62 62. In an electrical emergency call 13 19 62.
Houses damaged, traffic chaos
Police are urging people to avoid driving at all because of the number of roads that are cut by flash flooding or trees falling across the road.
Two houses have lost their roofs in Alkeringa Place at Maroochydore in the strong gusty winds.
Power lines have come down and SES advises that the residents appear to left the houses.
Meanwhile one lane of the Bruce Highway is cut near Burpengary after a crash between a number of cars.
Meanwhile; flash flooding has cut these roads:
- Gympie Road at Strathpine
- Beaudesert Road, between Evans Road and Granard Road;
- Bribie Island Road;
- Moggill Road at Indooroopilly; and
- Blunder Road at Oxley.
More than 50 roads are badly effected by the rain.
A full list of road closures and roads that have been impacted by the rain can be read here.
Drivers have faced tough conditions on the roads with heavy rain and strong winds.
Police have urged motorists to drive to the conditions.
Back to top
The latest warning from the Bureau of Meteorology warns severe thunderstorms were detected near Mud Island and northern Moreton Bay.
The storms were moving towards the south-east and were forecast to affect Amity Point, southern Moreton Island and Tangalooma by 6.15 pm and Dunwich, Peel Island and Point Lookout by 6.45pm.
Damaging winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely.
A wind gust of 107kmh was recorded at Inner Beacon at 6.19pm.
More than 60 millimetres of rain was recorded in one hour at Kenmore, Greenhill and Forestdale.
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for all people in parts of the Logan, Gold Coast, Redland City, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane City and Moreton Bay Council Areas.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns that severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours.
Locations potentially affected include the Brisbane CBD, Maroochydore, Beenleigh, Logan City, Cleveland, Strathpine, Redcliffe, Caboolture and Caloundra.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:
- Never drive, walk or ride through flood waters. If it's flooded, forget it.
- Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
- Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
- Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
A more general severe thunderstorm warning is current for parts of the Central West, Channel Country, Wide Bay and Burnett, Maranoa and Warrego and Southeast Coast districts.
If the radar images are anything to go by south-east Queensland has a few more hours of rainfall to come yet. Here is the 256km radar image from the Bureau of Meteorology just a few minutes ago.
Severe storms near Brisbane CBD
An updated storm warning from the Bureau of Meteorology warns that very dangerous thunderstorms have been detected on weather radar near the Brisbane CBD and Strathpine.
The thunderstorms are slow moving. Very dangerous thunderstorms were forecast to affect Sunnybank Hills, Camp Hill and Narangba by shortly after 5pm and Beaudesert, Lake Samsonvale and Burpengary by 5:35 pm.
Heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is likely.
Kenmore has recorded 68mm in 1 hour. Greenhill has recorded 65mm in 1 hour
South-east Queensland received significant rainfall throughout Sunday afternoon as a severe weather system also delivers rain along the New South Wales coast.
The rain band is delivering heavy rainfall in the state's east, stretching from the south-east up to the Capricornia areas near Rockhampton.
Brisbane's north received significant rainfall from 3-4pm on Sunday, registering 25-35 millimetres.
The bureau expected the rain band to remain over the south-east into Sunday evening before it moves off the coast and clears.
Since 9am on Sunday, the highest rainfall has been recorded at Mt Glorious with 64 millimetres and Mt Nebo received 59 millimetres.
While the Brisbane CBD only saw 14 millimetres fall since Sunday morning, the bureau said there would be more rain to come.
There was also the odd thunderstorm in the Wide Bay and Gladstone region with a chance of the occasional clap of thunder in the south-east on Sunday evening.
The wet weather is also producing significant rainfall in New South Wales.
The heaviest falls have been recorded along the coastal strip north of Sydney and also through the interior, with 31 millimetres registered in Tamworth and parts of the Hunter Valley seeing 30-40 millimetres.Back to top
Storm warnings issued
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued two severe thunderstorm warnings for southern Queensland.
The first came just before 2pm with severe thunderstorms likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and an abundance of smaller hail.
The warning area includes Bulloo Downs, Eromanga, Mount Margaret, Mt Howitt Station, Orientos and Ballera.
The second warning was issued an hour later, indicating severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding.
The warning applies to parts of the Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett forecast districts, including Bundaberg, Hervey Bay waters, Town Of 1770, Childers and Biggenden.
Motorists warned
Police are asking motorists to take care during the heavy rainfall across Queensland during the remainder of the weekend.
"Heavy rainfall is expected and whilst it may not be as extreme as the severe weather event a couple of weeks ago we still ask all drivers to be patient and to take great care on roads," assistant commissioner Mike Keating, Road Policing Command said.
"We have a very simple message to motorists contemplating taking the risk: If it's flooded, forget it."
Power outages around Sunshine Coast
More than 600 power outages have been reported in the Sunshine Coast region early on Sunday afternoon.
Keep your umbrellas handy, Brisbane
The wet weather has reached south-east Queensland early on Sunday afternoon with rain easing in central parts of the state that have been drenched in the past 24 hours.
Areas south of Mackay along the east coast of Queensland are receiving general rainfall. The rain band reached Brisbane CBD around 1.30pm with the wet weather expected to remain for the rest of Sunday, clearing overnight.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the heaviest rainfall on Sunday morning was recorded in Townsville and Mackay, with both receiving over 30 millimetres.
While in the 24 hours before Sunday morning the worst of the rain has been recorded at Mt Harden, south of Longreach, which received 108mm, more than 70mm has been registered in Charleville and Noosa Heads has seen 40mm of rainfall.
Umbrellas and coffee order of the day
No problems are emerging yet in Brisbane as an unusual winter drenching moves slowly south-east from the Sunshine Coast towards the Southeast corner.
There has been the odd shower of rain prompting the brollies to go up and some strong gusts of wind.
But riverside cafes are still operating, the city's CBD Mall shoppers are still untroubled by the rain and the young skaters are still enjoying the ice rink in King George Square.
At this stage, it's still a wet Sunday afternoon.
Flood warnings for parts of central and southern Qld
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of flooding in central and southern Queensland as waterway levels rise.
Minor flood levels of 0.5 metres are expected during Monday in Wallam Creek at Bollon, 500 kilometres west of Toowoomba.
Up to 75 mm of rain has been recorded in the catchment during the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday.
Rainfall is easing in the area and is expected to clear late on Sunday morning with some isolated storms possible during the afternoon.
While minor flood levels are likely in the lower Thomson and Barcoo Rivers, just west of Tambo, over the next few days.
Rainfall totals about 40 -130 millimetres have been recorded over the 48 hours to 9am on Sunday over the Barcoo River catchment and middle reaches of the Thomson River catchment.
There'll be no marquees at the 'Out of the Blue Race Day' in Emerald today - mangled frames were all that remained of them after heavy rainfall overnight - and no actual horse racing either, but the local community is pushing ahead with the fundraiser anyway.
The weather has forced the event indoors but supporters have turned up from Clermont, more than 100km away, and Rockhampton, about 250km away.
All funds raised will be donated to the Central Highlands Autism Support Group.
"It's really wet, soggy overcast and cool – we've got jackets and boots on," one of the organisers, Paula Swain said.
The last significant amount of rain Emerald received was in February when a week of rain arrived, but prior to that the town hadn't had any summer storms.
Dams filling but releases unlikely
Seqwater is currently monitoring the wet weather system as it heads south-east towards Brisbane but said dam releases are not necessary yet.
"Based on the current status of the dam catchments and the rainfall forecast, it is possible that catchment runoff will produce inflows into the dams over the remainder of the weekend," Seqwater said in a statement.
"Seqwater is not expecting to operate the gates at Wivenhoe Dam or North Pine Dam ..... (but) some operational releases from Somerset Dam into Wivenhoe Dam may be necessary."
"Currently Wivenhoe Dam is at 82.1 per cent capacity, Somerset Dam is 78.2 per cent and North Pine Dam is 64 per cent."
Rain system heading towards Rockhampton
The rain band is currently moving over eastern Queensland, specifically areas such as Mackay and Emerald. It is currently moving south-east towards Rockhampton.
The system is expected to move towards Brisbane this afternoon with heavy falls expected in the state's south-east corner late afternoon and into the evening.
Charleville - 80mm 'a real positive'
Murweh Shire mayor Annie Liston - "We've had good rain overnight. We've had 80mm and others have had 82.5mm," Cr Liston said.
'Augathella has had 41mm. It is just beautiful and it has been absolutely wonderful."
'It is not going to break the drought, but it is going to do some good."
She said winter rain was unusual for the region.
"It is unusual. And at the beginning of June - when that change came through - we had 25mm back then as well.
Winter rain means dams get filled and herbage feed begins to grow for cattle and sheep.
"It will be a real positive and put areal smile on people's faces."
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text:
Old Lady Was In A Hurry To Make A Purchase At The Bookstore, Until She Noticed A Student Nearby. Wow.
All thanks and credit goes to Christine Turel for sharing this wonderful story.
[Source can be found at the end of the article.]
I work in a decent sized, local, indie bookstore. It's a great job 99% of the time and a lot of our customers are pretty neat people. Any who, middle of the day this little old lady comes up. She's lovably kooky. She says how much she loves the store and how she wishes she could spend more time here but her husband is waiting in the car 'OH! I BETTER BUY HIM SOME CHOCOLATE!' She piles a bunch of art supplies on the counter and then stops and tells me how my bangs are beautiful and remind her of the ocean ('Wooooosh' she says, making a wave gesture with her hand.
Ok. I think to myself. Awesomely happy, weird little old ladies are my favorite kind of customer. They're thrilled about everything and they're comfortably bananas. I can have a good time with this one. So we chat and it's nice.
Then this kid, who's been up my counter a few times to gather his school textbooks, comes up in line behind her (we're connected to a major university in the city so we have a lot of harried students pass through). She turns around to him and, out of nowhere, demands that he put his textbooks on the counter. He's confused but she explains that she's going to buy his textbooks.
He goes sheetrock white. He refuses and adamantly insists that she can't do that. It's like, $400 worth of textbooks. She, this tiny old woman, boldly takes them out of his hands, throws them on the counter and turns to me with an intense stare and tells me to put them on her bill. The kid at this point is practically in tears. He's confused and shocked and grateful. Then she turns to him and says 'you need chocolate.' She starts grabbing handfuls of chocolates and putting them in her pile.


text:
About the Book
A collection of photographs taken at various art openings and artist gatherings in Palm Beach County Florida. They were taken as abstracts representing the action and reaction surrounding such events. They are not digitally altered or photoshoped.
Features & Details
- Category Arts & Photography
Standard Landscape, 10×8 in, 25×20 cm
40 Pages
- Publish Date Dec 31, 2007
- Tags art. photo, Palm Beach, photography, abstract, Florida, artist
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About the Creator
John V Palozzi
Lake Worth FL USA
John Palozzi lives and works in Lake Worth Florida. He was the President of Poets of the Palm Beaches for 17 years, and is still on their Board of Directors. He has been teaching Creative Poetry Writing classes for over 10 years and continues to do so. John has always loved taking pictures and doing collage. He is also a member of Artists of Palm Beach County, and sits on their Board of Directors. Contact him at: firstname.lastname@example.com
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text: Since summer is almost half over, it's time to think about fall fashion and the back-to-school shopping season. After all, if the fashion world is always thinking at least two seasons ahead, then Wall Street could stand to catch up. The types of merchandise that continue to sell this fall could solidify the fashion trends that marked the spring season. And there are certain retailers poised to take advantage of what consumers will want to wear once Labor Day has come and gone. "Historically, fall has been a dividing period between a trend and a fad, as the higher cost of apparel (vs. thin summer-weight items) requires a deeper monetary commitment," said Eric Beder, an analyst at JBHanauer & Co, in a recent research note. "Fall 2004 will be a key marker for the retailing world as the industry begins to anniversary the latest period of fashion excitement." Teen and fashion-forward sectors could be the biggest beneficiaries of the back-to-school season, said Beder. Color will still be hot but more muted, and accessories will continue to "complete the look." Meanwhile, denim could become less fashionable, while faux fur will likely become a fashion "do," he said. Piper Jaffray analyst Jeffrey Klinefelter expects to see colorful, preppy looks. He said in a recent research note that "the continuation of the girly look as well as a tendency toward more tailored pieces" will also characterize the fall. Limited Brands ( LTD) and Ann Taylor ( ANN) are two retailers currently profiting from these trends. The popular pink tones of summer will probably be replaced by lavender and subtle blues and greens in fall, Beder thinks. Black, always a big fashion theme, will complement layers of color, while patterns like herringbone and tweed will also be hot. Guess? ( GES), bebe stores ( BEBE) and Neiman-Marcus ( NMGa) will likely capitalize on the influence of color, Beder said.


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The atmosphere in a workplace is very important. It can decide the mood of the staff and it can influence if the staff likes the work or not. In this day and age employees expect a lot of things and one of these things is a good and favorable atmosphere. If employees don't like the atmosphere in the work place they will not perform to their full potential.
Make an effort
The management should make sure that they make an effort to improve the atmosphere in the work place. Decorative film glass can be used to improve the atmosphere in the work place. This will prevent the furniture in the office from fading and looking dull. If furniture looks old employee's morale can decrease. It will be colorful and come in various patterns which can uplift the spirits of employees especially when they are feeling tired.
Melbourne window tinting can make the workers feel more comfortable and will increase productivity. It can also make the building look nicer from the outside. It will reduce the glare on computer screens helping workers to carry out their tasks. By reducing the glare this can prevent headaches and it will also be easier on the eyes of the workers.
Increase the communication between workers
Make sure that everybody openly communicates with everybody. The managers should create a climate of trust and openness. Workers will find it easier to go to their managers with problems and they will also be able to learn faster. When a climate of trust and openness is created the organization can create a more flexible structure which will be able to respond to external changes quickly. When employees communicate more they will develop better relationships so they will find it easier to work together and they will also enjoy coming to work. If employees are quiet and keep to themselves then competition amongst employees may increase and this can create animosity and this will lead to increased disputes amongst employees. When this happens less work will be done and your employees will be upset.
Be flexible with employees
Let your employees have a certain amount of freedom. Let them take coffee breaks when they want and allow them to leave the office on their lunch breaks. Your employees may sometimes need to leave the office early or take a day off on short notice, make sure that you allow them this freedom because if you don't this may affect their personal lives and this will make them unhappy. If they do not have freedom they will feel restricted and this can cause them to leave the organization.


text:
Although Jennifer Treadway, drama instructor at Blue Ridge Community College, always anticipates the productions here, she is particularly looking forward to this fall's presentation of The Importance of Being Earnest, opening Friday, Nov. 11, for two weekends.
Earnest is Oscar Wilde's classic satire of the narcissistic world of the "upper crust" in British society during the late Victorian period. The play delights us with the misadventures of two gentleman -- Mr. John Worthing and Mr. Algernon Moncrief. Better known as Jack and Algy, the two men find that they are in love with women who can only love a man by the name of Earnest, both thinking that Jack and Algy are earnestly Earnests. The untangling of the many knots to which their deceptions have led is at the heart of the fun.
Oscar Wilde called his play "a trivial comedy for serious people." Although Treadway says one could call it a serious play for trivial people and come out all right, too. In any case, the play is sure to provide many laughs as well as insight into British society of the past and a bit of our own society's foibles.
While the play itself is cause for interest, Treadway is also excited that for the first time the drama department has hired a professional artist in residence, Chris Allison, to play the leading role of Mr. John Worthing, aka Earnest.
"Having a professional with over 10 years of experience on the cast is raising the caliber of the student's work," Treadway said. "He pushes them to be better and is a great role model for them."
Bringing in professional actors to encourage students and enhance their performance has been an idea of Treadway's for some time because it is such a wonderful teaching tool, she explains. To see a trained actor go through the process of learning lines and blocking as well as developing a character throughout the rehearsal process means more to acting students than only watching the finished, polished project on stage or film.
Treadway has planned other special projects for this year, including taking members of the BRCC drama club, The Center Stage Players, to the North Carolina Theatre Conference Fall Gathering in Greensboro this November.
Club members will attend a college fair, where the drama departments from various colleges and universities offer information about their programs, and they will view one-act and full-length plays produced for competition by North Carolina high schools and colleges.
Students will also attend various workshops on topics such as performing dialects, succeeding at auditions and handling the business aspects of professional acting. Leaders in North Carolina Theater, like Tom Gobbard, co-producer of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Spamalot, will deliver keynote speeches throughout the conference as well.
At the end of the school year, the Center Stage Players hope to put some of the things they learn at the conference and in their classes to use by presenting a "showcase" of scenes and monologues.
At 6 p.m. on Oct. 18, club members will meet to discuss the NCTC trip in November and other prospective activities.
If you are interested in the Center Stage Players or the fall production of The Importance of Being Earnest, contact Treadway at 694-1849 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Winkler teaches English composition and literature at BRCC and can be contact at email@example.com or at 694-1853.


text:
Series win could keep Lee with Rangers
With the Texas Rangers' pennant-clinching celebration raging around him, Cliff Lee stood apart from the crowd with son Jaxon in his arms. A little more than 300 miles away from the Lee household in Benton, Ark., father and son looked very much at home.
Aside from Lee's start in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday, pending free agency is the No. 2 storyline in his pitching career. And it sure seemed like the Rangers improved their chances of re-signing him with their victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night.
As Lee spoke with reporters, the Rangers Ballpark sound system piped out an ironic selection: "Nowhere But Texas," by the Steve Helms Band.
Some of the lyrics:
There's no way I'd ever leave
Everything I ever need is right here
Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it wasn't.
Either way, Lee answered in the affirmative when asked if a World Series victory for Texas would make him more likely to return.
"I would like to hope so," he said. "But I'm not too worried about that kind of stuff right now. I'm worried about trying to get that ring. That's the ultimate. Free agency and that stuff is going to take care of itself later. Right now, we want to be standing in the end with the trophy."
He added later: "I hope we win the whole thing. I love this situation I'm in. I love this team. I love my teammates. It's been a fun ride. It's been an unbelievable experience."
The story of Lee, the Rangers and the Yankees started long before the American League Championship Series. And it won't end anytime soon.
The Yankees came close to acquiring the left-hander from Seattle in July. The Rangers struck the deal instead. Then Lee won Game 3 of the ALCS — at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees will make a strong bid to sign Lee this winter. But the Rangers, under new ownership, are prepared to do what it takes to keep him.
"We have everything in place you need to build the kind of organization that can compete, year in and year out," Chuck Greenberg, the team's managing partner, said Friday night. "We've got very deep resources. We've got a burning will to win. If you're a player, what better place to be than with the Texas Rangers right now?"
Asked if the Rangers' chances of re-signing Lee were better after Friday's win, Greenberg smiled and said, "Success breeds success."
If the Rangers and Yankees offer similar contracts, Lee could be swayed by the appeal of pitching close to home. Dallas is one hour from Little Rock by plane.
"It's the closest to home I've ever played," Lee said Friday. "I live in Arkansas. This is great for my family, to be this close to home."
Lee said fan allegiance in his home state tends to be split between the Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals.
He added: "I would like to think there were a lot of Arkansans watching this game. Hopefully we can make them proud and bring home the World Series championship."
Before Lee addresses his free-agent future, he could encounter a team that was prominent in his recent past — the Philadelphia Phillies.
One year and one day before the Rangers' triumph, Lee celebrated a National League pennant in Philadelphia. He was the bedrock of the Phillies' rotation throughout the postseason and earned two wins in the World Series. But the Phillies, believing their chances of signing Lee to an extension were slim, dealt him to Seattle during the offseason.
Now there is a possibility that Lee will encounter Philadelphia in the World Series. The Phillies, facing elimination, will host the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series (MLB on FOX, 7:30 p.m. ET).
Philadelphia must beat San Francisco twice in order to set up a meeting with Lee in Game 1 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park.
"I don't care who we play," Lee said. "They're very capable of winning two more games there. If they do, yeah, I'd love to face them. But if it's not them, I'd love to face the Giants, too. I'm not out for blood, or out to prove something against anybody, or anything like that. I just want to help this team win.
"What's happened in the past is in the past. I'm not trying to rub anything in. I enjoyed my time there. It was a lot of fun. Great guys over there. I wish them nothing but the best, but if we're facing them, obviously I'm going to try to beat them."
No matter the NL champion, it will be impossible to ignore Cliff Lee. The same man has loomed over the ALCS, NLCS, World Series and offseason — all at the same time.
FOX Sports Go


text:
The Crisis (Bougainville Conflict)
The Crisis (otherwise known as the Bougainville Conflict or the Bougainville civil war) was a civil war that took place in Papua New Guinea. This civil war started in 1988 and persisted until 1998. This was a battle fought for 10 years all over the independence of the people. This finally resulted in a peace agreement and the freedom of many, but why were the people of Papua New Guinea in the first place?
Needless to say, Papua New Guinea is a very poor country and is still a developing country at that. This means that the country doesn't have a stable economy and most people are weak, frail, and poor. It's very easy to take advantage of these people, considering the conditions, and is what just happened. People were tired of the monarch and how the people were being treated, so many rebelled around the 80s. This finally brought forth a rebellion that ended 10 years later.
This actually says a lot about how screwed up the world can be. This whole conflict (and many more) are prime examples as to why freedom is so precious and not many have the privilege of living freely. Some people just want to take freedom away completely and have everyone do one thing and worship one thing only. With the Bougainville Conflict, you can see that some will fight for what they believe in and fight for the good of the future. Many people of the country have died since this 10 year war and many regret fighting it in the first place. That doesn't change the fact that the people of Paupa New Guinea have made finally made peace.
There actually isn't actually a whole lot of stuff to say about this conflict. The only thing that needs to be said is the fact that many people died for the good of others and this war lasted for 10 years. Many people died and they will be missed, but their deaths contributed to the good of others for the future. Papua New Guinea will probably remain a poor country for a good while, but even with that said the people there are free and at peace. Only time will tell what lies ahead in the future.
Sources:http://www.bbc.com/news/worldasia15593238 http://www.statecrime.org/testimonyproject/bougain...


text:
About the Book
The Michael Ormerod Travel Award 2007
Wish You Were Here.........
Photographs of Blackpool
Adrian Lourie
Features & Details
- Category Travel
Small Square, 7×7 in, 18×18 cm
28 Pages
- Publish Date Nov 21, 2008
- Tags blackpool funfair fairground beach, travel, seaside, photography, photographs, uk
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About the Creator
Adrian Lourie
London, UK
Adrian Lourie is a British photographer based in London. As well as his passion for portrait photography, Adrian is obsessed with lost socks, the British seaside and nostalgia. Check out his website at www.adrianlourie.co.uk
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