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It's August now. The days are still long and hot and humid, but there is a tinge of autumn in the air, especially at night. Most of you are starting to think about school again. You are reading over your supply list for seventh grade and wondering if your new teacher is nice or strict.
I wonder if you remember a boy named Jack from last year. He's tall, and he wears glasses, and sometimes he jumps around a lot. He bought his lunch from the cafeteria every single day. For the annual science project he made an experiment with cotton candy to see if it would dissolve in water. A lot of times he got mad.
He got mad about the computer, about recess, and about the complicated tangle of friendships his spectrum brain could not unravel. He screamed swear words. He threw books. He banged his head on the wall and flapped his hands around his ears. Sometimes when he got mad, the teachers had to take all of you out of the classroom so he could try to calm down by himself.
Maybe this made you nervous. Maybe you exchanged looks with each other as you filed out into the hallway. Maybe you worried about him, or you were scared of him. Maybe you knew about his autism so you felt a little sad for him.
He hates himself for that. He hates himself for the room-clearing and the book-throwing and head-banging.
Have you ever hated yourself? Have you ever been so embarrassed and ashamed of the way you acted that you felt dark and empty and all alone inside?
This boy Jack, he feels that way a lot of the time.
In a few short weeks, you will go to the middle school that was built in 2007 and is attached to the high school and meet your new teachers. You will eat your lunch in the cafeteria and check books out of the library, and in this middle school, you will start to dream of your future, grown-up selves.
Maybe you will dream of becoming astronauts, or ballerinas, or teachers or gardeners or lawyers. Or of moving to Florida, or flying a plane, or backpacking across Europe. This boy Jack, well, he just dreams of being normal.
He dreams about being like each one of you, with your easy smiles and your calm, still bodies. He dreams of shedding his autism the way a caterpillar sheds his cocoon and turns into a bright, incandescent butterfly.
Jack is not coming back to public school this year.
Over the summer, his mom and his dad spent a lot of time researching academic options and meeting with people for an out-of district-referral. This was very hard for them. They never imagined their son would not make it in public school.
Their son is not making it in public school.
And the mom, well, she has tried to avoid this solution for as long as she could. See, she has five kids and she always pictured them like five little ducklings walking a similar path. Now she has to pluck one of her ducklings out of line, and send him off to a school ten miles in the other direction all by himself.
This school, it only has thirty-five kids. It is mostly boys with just a couple of girls. There is no cafeteria. There is no big bus.
On the first day of his school, this boy Jack will climb into a minivan that has a sign attached to the top of it. The sign says School Bus, but it isn't really a bus.
This is what hurts the mom's heart the most. It hurts her the most because she remembers when Jack started first grade and he insisted on riding the big bus like his older brother, Joey. He didn't talk as well then but still, they knew what he meant. "Big bus like Joey. Ride big bus."
But it's time. This mom, she knows this.
She knows that if she continues to clutch her dreams too tightly in her fingers, they will disintegrate like the luminous wings on her fragile butterfly. They will lose their color, and their softness, and turn to dust. She has to let her dreams breathe, and move, and change.
It is time to accept what is before her and look at what's ahead of her and be willing to consider a different boy and a different school and a different life.
See, when it comes to autism, there are no do-overs. There are no second chances. This mom has just one opportunity to be his mom and she has to make the very best right decision for him, even when the best right decision is so terribly hard that it makes her heart fold over on top of itself.
"I will go. Like Joey."
She told him last Wednesday about his new school. They were driving home after the last day of his summer program, and he was talking on and on about his teacher for seventh grade and whether or not they should look for blue pencils. She pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine and turned to face him in the seat next to her.
"Jack, buddy. Listen to me. You aren't going back to public school."
They didn't plan to tell him this way, the mom and the dad. They planned to sit him down at the long kitchen table and have a discussion so they could explain the reasons and outline the plan. But if she had to hear him talk about seventh grade one more minute she was afraid she might go crazy. It felt too much like a big, ugly, snakey lie.
Sitting in the cool, dark garage, it was as if everything around them—the dad's old work boots and the broom on the hook and the soccer ball in the corner—took a collective breath together and waited.
This boy Jack, well, he simply dissolved. There is no other way to describe it.
She held him across the console of their red minivan and even though she could feel the hate and rage and shame radiate off of his body like the sun, he let her hold him. He doesn't always let her hold him.
"Just let me be normal please let me go I will be good please please please I have to go I need a new start I will do it right I will be good like Joey I have to go like Joey."
While he sobbed and screamed, she thought about all the things she wanted him to know.
She wanted him to know this is not because he was bad or because he did something wrong. She knows how hard everyone around him worked–his teachers and his aide and his case manager. She knows how hard he worked.
But at some point, autism made his corners sharper and more rigid, and it became harder and harder to wedge him into the round, smooth games at recess.
She wanted to tell him how many nights she and his dad spent talking in the darkness—each playing something called devil's advocate and tossing around options and trying to figure out a way to keep their precious son marching in his duckling line.
"What if we paid for….?"
"The school said we can't do that."
"How about if we try one more year?"
"I don't think I can take one more year, and neither can he."
"He's going to be devastated."
"I know."
She held him while he cried big, wet tears. She stroked his soft hair and for a second he laid his head in her lap and she rested her head on top of his, and then all at once he lifted up and slammed into her chin and she bit her tongue very hard. Tears sprang into her eyes.
"Why! For you. Are CRYING."
Oh, my Jack-a-boo, she thought in her head.
She wanted to tell him she was crying for all the things he wouldn't have; a tuxedo for the prom and hot lunch in a noisy cafeteria and the chance to stand at the bus stop with his three brothers and one sister on the first day of school.
But she knows it is time—it is time to make his world small and cozy and warm. It's time for him to relax in his cocoon, and just be the most perfect-est caterpillar ever. In his new school, he can blossom into a butterfly whenever he's ready.
It's August now. In just a few short weeks, you will make the climb up the hill to the middle school that was built in 2007. As you sit in your new classrooms and listen to your new teachers, I only hope one thing.
Don't forget him.
Please, don't forget this boy who tried so hard and who will never give up and who wants to be just like you.
What Color Is Monday?" is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. You can also follow Carrie on her weekly blog: www.CarrieCariello.com and Facebook.com/WhatColorIsMonday.


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Pruitt branch is closed for maintenance. Hold items are available at the Main Library. We anticipate reopening in early fall.
The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother
This story can be found in Andrew Lang's Lilac Fairy Book.
Hello, and welcome to Family Folktales from the Nashville Public Library. I'm Susan Poulter, a Librarian at the Main Library. Today's story is The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother, a Portuguese tale retold in Andrew Lang's Lilac Fairy Book.
There was once a rich old man who had two sons, and as his wife was dead, the elder lived with him, and helped him to look after his property. For a long time all went well; the young man got up very early in the morning, and worked hard all day, and at the end of every week his father counted up the money they had made, and rubbed his hands with delight, as he saw how big the pile of gold in the strong iron chest was becoming. 'It will soon be full now, and I shall have to buy a larger one,' he said to himself, and so busy was he with the thought of his money, that he did not notice how bright his son's face had grown, nor how he sometimes started when he was spoken to, as if his mind was far away.
One day, however, the old man went to the city on business, which he had not done for three years at least. It was market day, and he met with many people he knew, and it was getting quite late when he turned into the inn yard, and bade an ostler saddle his horse, and bring it round directly. While he was waiting in the hall, the landlady came up for a gossip, and after a few remarks about the weather and the vineyards she asked him how he liked his new daughter-in-law, and whether he had been surprised at the marriage.
The old man stared as he listened to her. 'Daughter-in-law? Marriage?' said he. 'I don't know what you are talking about! I've got no daughter-in-law, and nobody has been married lately, that I ever heard of.'
Now this was exactly what the landlady, who was very curious, wanted to find out; but she put on a look of great alarm, and exclaimed, 'Oh, dear! I hope I have not made mischief. I had no idea--or, of course, I would not have spoken--but'--and here she stopped and fumbled with her apron, as if she was greatly embarrassed.
'As you have said so much you will have to say a little more,' retorted the old man, a suspicion of what she meant darting across him; and the woman, nothing loath, answered as before.
'Ah, it was not all for buying or selling that your handsome son has been coming to town every week these many months past. And not by the shortest way, either! No, it was over the river he rode, and across the hill and past the cottage of Miguel the vine-keeper, whose daughter, they say, is the prettiest girl in the whole country side, though she is too pale for my taste,' and then the landlady paused again, and glanced up at the farmer, to see how he was taking it. She did not learn much. He was looking straight before him, his teeth set. But as she ceased to talk, he said quietly, 'Go on.'
'There is not much more to tell,' replied the landlady, for she suddenly remembered that she must prepare supper for the hungry men who always stopped at the inn on market days, before starting for home, 'but one fine morning they both went to the little church on top of the hill, and were married. My cousin is servant to the priest, and she found out about it and told me. But good-day to you, sir; here is your horse, and I must hurry off to the kitchen.'
It was lucky that the horse was sure-footed and knew the road, for his bridle hung loose on his neck, and his master took no heed of the way he was going. When the farm-house was reached, the man led the animal to the stable, and then went to look for his son.
'I know everything--you have deceived me. Get out of my sight at once--I have done with you,' he stammered, choking with passion as he came up to the young man, who was cutting a stick in front of the door, whistling gaily the while.
'But, father--'
'You are no son of mine; I have only one now. Begone, or it will be the worse for you,' and as he spoke he lifted up his whip.
The young man shrank back. He feared lest his father should fall down in a fit, his face was so red and his eyes seemed bursting from his head. But it was no use staying: perhaps next morning the old man might listen to reason, though in his heart the son felt that he would never take back his words. So he turned slowly away, and walked heavily along a path which ended in a cave on the side of his hill, and there he sat through the night, thinking of what had happened.
Yes, he had been wrong, there was no doubt of that, and he did not quite know how it had come about. He had meant to have told his father all about it, and he was sure, quite sure, that if once the old man had seen his wife, he would have forgiven her poverty on account of her great beauty and goodness. But he had put it off from day to day, hoping always for a better opportunity, and now this was the end!
If the son had no sleep that night, no more had the father, and as soon as the sun rose, he sent a messenger into the great city with orders to bring back the younger brother. When he arrived the farmer did not waste words, but informed him that he was now his only heir, and would inherit all his lands and money, and that he was to come and live at home, and to help manage the property.
Though very pleased at the thought of becoming such a rich man-- for the brothers had never cared much for each other--the younger would rather have stayed where he was, for he soon got tired of the country, and longed for a town life. However, this he kept to himself, and made the best of things, working hard like his brother before him.
In this way the years went on, but the crops were not so good as they had been, and the old man gave orders that some fine houses he was building in the city should be left unfinished, for it would take all the savings to complete them. As to the elder son, he would never even hear his name mentioned, and died at last without ever seeing his face, leaving to the younger, as he had promised, all his lands, as well as his money.
Meanwhile, the son whom he had disinherited had grown poorer and poorer. He and his wife were always looking out for something to do, and never spent a penny that they could help, but luck was against them, and at the time of his father's death they had hardly bread to eat or clothes to cover them. If there had been only himself, he would have managed to get on somehow, but he could not bear to watch his children becoming weaker day by day, and swallowing his pride, at length he crossed the mountains to his old home where his brother was living.
It was the first time for long that the two men had come face to face, and they looked at each other in silence. Then tears rose in the eyes of the elder, but winking them hastily away, he said, 'Brother, it is not needful that I should tell you how poor I am; you can see that for yourself. I have not come to beg for money, but only to ask if you will give me those unfinished houses of yours in the city, and I will make them watertight, so that my wife and children can live in them, and that will save our rent. For as they are, they profit you nothing.'
And the younger brother listened and pitied him, and gave him the houses that he asked for, and the elder went away happy.
For some years things went on as they were, and then the rich brother began to feel lonely, and thought to himself that he was getting older, and it was time for him to be married. The wife he chose was very wealthy, but she was also very greedy, and however much she had, she always wanted more. She was, besides, one of those unfortunate people who invariably fancy that the possessions of other people must be better than their own. Many a time her poor husband regretted the day that he had first seen her, and often her meanness and shabby ways put him to shame. But he had not the courage to rule her, and she only got worse and worse.
After she had been married a few months the bride wanted to go into the city and buy herself some new dresses. She had never been there before, and when she had finished her shopping, she thought she would pay a visit to her unknown sister-in-law, and rest for a bit. The house she was seeking was in a broad street, and ought to have been very magnificent, but the carved stone portico enclosed a mean little door of rough wood, while a row of beautiful pillars led to nothing. The dwelling on each side were in the same unfinished condition, and water trickled down the walls. Most people would have considered it a wretched place, and turned their backs on it as soon as they could, but this lady saw that by spending some money the houses could be made as splendid as they were originally intended to be, and she instantly resolved to get them for herself.
Full of this idea she walked up the marble staircase, and entered the little room where her sister-in-law sat, making clothes for her children. The bride seemed full of interest in the houses, and asked a great many questions about them, so that her new relations liked her much better than they expected, and hoped they might be good friends. However, as soon as she reached home, she went straight to her husband, and told him that he must get back those houses from his brother, as they would exactly suit her, and she could easily make them into a palace as fine as the king's. But her husband only told her that she might buy houses in some other part of the town, for she could not have those, as he had long since made a gift of them to his brother, who had lived there for many years past.
At this answer the wife grew very angry. She began to cry, and made such a noise that all the neighbours heard her and put their heads out of the windows, to see what was the matter. 'It was absurd,' she sobbed out, 'quite unjust. Indeed, if you came to think of it, the gift was worth nothing, as when her husband made it he was a bachelor, and since then he had been married, and she had never given her consent to any such thing.' And so she lamented all day and all night, till the poor man was nearly worried to death; and at last he did what she wished, and summoned his brother in a court of law to give up the houses which, he said, had only been lent to him. But when the evidence on both sides had been heard, the judge decided in favour of the poor man, which made the rich lady more furious than ever, and she determined not to rest until she had gained the day. If one judge would not give her the houses another should, and so time after time the case was tried over again, till at last it came before the highest judge of all, in the city of Evora. Her husband was heartily tired and ashamed of the whole affair, but his weakness in not putting a stop to it in the beginning had got him into this difficulty, and now he was forced to go on.
On the same day the two brothers set out on their journey to the city, the rich one on horseback, with plenty of food in his knapsack, the poor one on foot with nothing but a piece of bread and four onions to eat on the way. The road was hilly and neither could go very fast, and when night fell, they were both glad to see some lights in a window a little distance in front of them.
The lights turned out to have been placed there by a farmer, who had planned to have a particularly good supper as it was his wife's birthday, and bade the rich man enter and sit down, while he himself took the horse to the stable. The poor man asked timidly if he might spend the night in a corner, adding that he had brought his own supper with him. Another time permission might have been refused him, for the farmer was no lover of humble folk, but now he gave the elder brother leave to come in, pointing out a wooden chair where he could sit.
Supper was soon served, and very glad the younger brother was to eat it, for his long ride had made him very hungry. The farmer's wife, however, would touch nothing, and at last declared that the only supper she wanted was one of the onions the poor man was cooking at the fire. Of course he gave it to her, though he would gladly have eaten it himself, as three onions are not much at the end of a long day's walk, and soon after they all went to sleep, the poor man making himself as comfortable as he could in his corner.
A few hours later the farmer was aroused by the cries and groans of his wife.
'Oh, I feel so ill, I'm sure I'm going to die,' wept she. 'It was that onion, I know it was. I wish I had never eaten it. It must have been poisoned.'
'If the man has poisoned you he shall pay for it,' said her husband, and seizing a thick stick he ran downstairs and began to beat the poor man, who had been sound asleep, and had nothing to defend himself with. Luckily, the noise aroused the younger brother, who jumped up and snatched the stick from the farmer's hand, saying, 'We are both going to Evora to try a law-suit. Come too, and accuse him there if he has attempted to rob you or murder you, but don't kill him now, or you will get yourself into trouble.'
'Well, perhaps you are right,' answered the farmer, 'but the sooner that fellow has his deserts, the better I shall be pleased,' and without more words he went to the stables and brought out a horse for himself and also the black Andalusian mare ridden by the rich man, while the poor brother, fearing more ill-treatment, started at once on foot.
Now all that night it had rained heavily, and did not seem likely to stop, and in some places the road was so thick with mud that it was almost impossible to get across it. In one spot it was so very bad that a mule laden with baggage had got stuck in it, and tug as he might, his master was quite unable to pull him out. The muleteer in despair appealed to the two horseman, who were carefully skirting the swamp at some distance off, but they paid no heed to his cries, and he began to talk cheerfully to his mule, hoping to keep up his spirits, declaring that if the poor beast would only have a little patience help was sure to come.
And so it did, for very soon the poor brother reached the place, bespattered with mud from head to foot, but ready to do all he could to help with the mule and his master. First they set about finding some stout logs of wood to lay down on the marsh so that they could reach the mule, for by this time his frantic struggles had broken his bridle, and he was deeper in than ever. Stepping cautiously along the wood, the poor man contrived to lay hold of the animal's tail, and with a desperate effort the mule managed to regain his footing on dry ground, but at the cost of leaving his tail in the poor man's hand. When he saw this the muleteer's anger knew no bounds, and forgetting that without the help given him he would have lost his mule altogether, he began to abuse the poor man, declaring that he had ruined his beast, and the law would make him pay for it. Then, jumping on the back of the mule, which was so glad to be out of the choking mud that he did not seem to mind the loss of his tail, the ungrateful wretch rode on, and that evening reached the inn at Evora, where the rich man and the farmer had already arrived for the night.
Meanwhile the poor brother walked wearily along, wondering what other dreadful adventures were in store for him.
'I shall certainly be condemned for one or other of them,' thought he sadly; 'and after all, if I have to die, I would rather choose my own death than leave it to my enemies,' and as soon as he entered Evora he looked about for a place suitable for carrying out the plan he had made. At length he found what he sought, but as it was too late and too dark for him to make sure of success, he curled himself up under a doorway, and slept till morning.
Although it was winter, the sun rose in a clear sky, and its rays felt almost warm when the poor man got up and shook himself. He intended it to be the day of his death, but in spite of that, and of the fact that he was leaving his wife and children behind him, he felt almost cheerful. He had struggled so long, and was so very, very tired; but he would not have minded that if he could have proved his innocence, and triumphed over his enemies. However, they had all been too clever for him, and he had no strength to fight any more. So he mounted the stone steps that led to the battlements of the city, and stopped for a moment to gaze about him.
It happened that an old sick man who lived nearby had begged to be carried out and to be laid at the foot of the wall so that the beams of the rising sun might fall upon him, and he would be able to talk with his friends as they passed by to their work. Little did he guess that on top of the battlements, exactly over his head, stood a man who was taking his last look at the same sun, before going to his death that awaited him. But so it was; and as the steeple opposite was touched by the golden light, the poor man shut his eyes and sprang forward. The wall was high, and he flew rapidly through the air, but it was not the ground he touched, only the body of the sick man, who rolled over and died without a groan. As for the other, he was quite unhurt, and was slowly rising to his feet when his arms were suddenly seized and held.
'You have killed our father, do you see? do you see?' cried two young men, 'and you will come with us this instant before the judge, and answer for it.'
'Your father? but I don't know him. What do you mean?' asked the poor man, who was quite bewildered with his sudden rush through the air, and could not think why he should be accused of this fresh crime. But he got no reply, and was only hurried through the streets to the court-house, where his brother, the muleteer, and the farmer had just arrived, all as angry as ever, all talking at once, till the judge entered and ordered them to be silent.
'I will hear you one by one,' he said, and motioned the younger brother to begin.
He did not take long to state his case. The unfinished houses were his, left him with the rest of the property by his father, and his brother refused to give them up. In answer, the poor man told, in a few words, how he had begged the houses from his brother, and produced the deed of gift which made him their owner.
The judge listened quietly and asked a few questions; then he gave his verdict.
'The houses shall remain the property of the man to whom they were given, and to whom they belong. And as you,' he added, turning to the younger brother, 'brought this accusation knowing full well it was wicked and unjust, I order you, besides losing the houses, to pay a thousand pounds damages to your brother.'
The rich man heard the judge with rage in his heart, the poor man with surprise and gratitude. But he was not safe yet, for now it was the turn of the farmer. The judge could hardly conceal a smile at the story, and inquired if the wife was dead before the farmer left the house, and received for answer that he was in such a hurry for justice to be done that he had not waited to see. Then the poor man told his tale, and once more judgment was given in his favour, while twelve hundred pounds was ordered to be paid him. As for the muleteer, he was informed very plainly that he had proved himself mean and ungrateful for the help that had been given him, and as a punishment he must pay to the poor man a fine of fifty pounds, and hand him over the mule till his tail had grown again.
Lastly, there came the two sons of the sick man.
'This is the wretch who killed our father,' they said, 'and we demand that he should die also.'
'How did you kill him?' asked the judge, turning to the accused, and the poor man told how he had leaped from the wall, not knowing that anyone was beneath.
'Well, this is my judgment,' replied the judge, when they had all spoken: 'Let the accused sit under the wall, and let the sons of the dead man jump from the top and fall on him and kill him, and if they will not do this, then they are condemned to pay eight hundred pounds for their false accusation.'
The young men looked at each other, and slowly shook their heads.
'We will pay the fine,' said they, and the judge nodded.
So the poor man rode the mule home, and brought back to his family enough money to keep them in comfort to the end of their days.
That was The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother from Andrew Lang's Lilac Fairy Book. Special thanks to Ginger Sands for our theme music; you can find more of Ginger's music at iTunes or on her website at www.gingersands.com. And if you'd like to comment on today's story, send me an email. I can be reached at email@example.com. Thanks for listening.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, which left 11 civilians and police dead in addition to the attackers, comes as NATO forces are beginning a process of handing over security to local authorities. Afghan officials say despite the attack, that handover will continue.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the attack in the nation's capital will not deter Afghanistan's forces from taking over their security role as planned.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the highly coordinated attack on the landmark Intercontinental Hotel in an apparent attempt to show they are still able to carry out such assaults - despite months of heavy attacks by NATO and Afghan forces.
Related Video: Afghan Violence
Afghan National Security Directorate spokesman Luftullah Mashal says the insurgents may have taken advantage of a gap in security caused by renovations to the hotel.
The Intercontinental, built on a hill overlooking Kabul in the 1960s, was once the premier hotel in the Afghan capital - hosting conferences and many foreigners. Visitors must cross through several checkpoints along a winding road to reach the hotel.
"There was a loophole in the security, definitely. Investigation will definitely take place. There was reconstruction and renovation work also going on in a part of the hotel," said Marshal. "The insurgents are using every means to infiltrate into tight security areas."
Initial reports indicate that a small group of heavily armed men stormed into the hotel late Tuesday with automatic weapons, grenade launchers and suicide belts. The ensuing gun battle lasted more than five hours.
Afghan police initially cordoned off the area. An Afghan special commando unit arrived later, and NATO helicopters provided assistance.
According to NATO spokesman Master Sergeant Jason Haag, coalition forces mobilized at the request of the Afghan Ministry of the Interior, but the response was conducted primarily by the Afghan security forces.
"We were called in, specifically for air asset. We also had some ISAF-embedded mentors that were part of the Afghan unit that was involved in the response," said Haag. "We did put some assets on standby as well, just in case. Medevac and some explosives folks were on standby but they did not actually respond.
Haag went on to say that this was mostly "an Afghan-led operation and we just provided those couple of supporting roles."
The spokesman added that the NATO helicopters did fire at insurgents who had taken positions on the hotel's roof.
The fighting ended early Wednesday with all the insurgents killed.
Key installations in Kabul and around the country remain on high alert as a result of the assault on the hotel.
The last major attack on a Kabul hotel was in 2008, when militants stormed the luxury Serena Hotel in the center of the city, killing eight people in a coordinated assault.
A summit on the security transition was supposed to take place at the Intercontinental on Wednesday, and many Afghan provincial officials who are taking part were staying at the hotel.
The transition commission was set to discuss Afghan preparations for the international troop withdrawal.
Security control of seven areas in Afghanistan are set to be handed over to Afghan forces next month, with all foreign combat troops expected to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.


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Two primary programs have been identified for potential implementation of the recommendations of this plan. One is the Community Development Block Grant program administered through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. The other is the utilization of TEA21 transportation enhancement funding administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation. A focus of the plan has been to define a scope of activity that will be eligible for funding under these programs and that will fit within guidelines for potential funds available.
Community Development Block Grant.
The CDBG program is intended to address blighted conditions within a defined boundary within a community. The funds may be used to address public space improvements and also as a 50% match to private landowners to address visual blight through the improvement of building signs, facades and building access. The CDBG area for downtown Halifax extends along Main Street from Cemetery Street to Mountain Road and includes the deteriorated sidewalks and curbs as well as the signs and building facades. The rear facades of the buildings between Main Street and Houston are also included in the CDBG area, since many businesses have a dual point of access from both Main Street and Houston Street. The CDBG area is shown on the "Phasing Budget Plan" exhibit.
Conditions to be addressed in this area have been discussed in the sections describing the existing conditions in the community as well as in the plan recommendations. The primary issues may be summarized as follows:
- The sidewalks are extremely deteriorated, with irregular surfaces, holes, grade changes and other dangerous and unattractive condition. The curbs are also variable, in poor condition or nonexistent, and in need of complete replacement.
- Streetscape enhancements are planned as part of the sidewalk improvements. These improvements will include public plazas and pedestrian improvements including safe dedicated pedestrian crosswalks and connections between the businesses and the downtown parking areas.
- The roadway has been resurfaced numerous times and has a drainage system that runs under the private buildings. In order to improve the drainage and sidewalks the street must be regarded and provided with a new drainage system.
- The water and sewer for the area have been checked on a preliminary basis, and should not require any improvement as a part of the project.
- The building facades and signs are variable in condition. Some have been improved and maintained over the years and need only minor improvement to address visual blight, while others are in extremely blighted condition and need more major improvement and change. Some buildings have been undergoing improvement during the planning stage of the project. The 28 buildings slated for improvement in the grant area have been divided into high, medium and low cost categories. The categorization and a brief summary of recommended improvements for each building are provided on Exhibit W.
- Public sign blight will also be addressed as part of the streetscape improvements to address the visual clutter, unsafe mounting, and lack of clarity of public directional and identification signs.
TEA21 Enhancement Grant. TEA21 grants are funded under the Federal Transportation Enhancement Act, with funds passed through the Virginia Department of Transportation for distribution to communities. The grants require a 20% local match, and may be used for public pedestrian and bicycle access improvements, along with related streetscape, utility and roadway work and removal of overhead utilities, and also for improvement of transportation-related facilities, including historic elements. In the Town of Halifax, funding applications will require phasing in order to address the full project scope. The Town has received a design grant available in 2003 for design of the Phase One improvements. A Phase One TEA21 construction application will include the relocation of overhead utilities on Main Street. Additional improvements have been broken down into several areas for phasing purposes, as shown on Exhibit V and summarized in the Exhibit X budget estimate.
Overall Project Budgets
The total public cost of the proposed improvements in this plan is approximately $1,980,000. The overall budget is divided into six main areas with approximate budgets as follows:
- Main Street Core Area
- Streetscape and Facades $615,000
- Overhead Utilities $400,000
- Plaza and Pedestrian Areas $120,000
- Main Street Approach Area $305,000
- Houston Street Improvements $315,000
- Courthouse Area $225,000


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Kona® Cotton Solids collection, 100% cotton fabric, measures 44" wide, weight: 4.35 oz. per square yard, from Robert Kaufman. This collection features a range of solid colors for all your quilting and sewing projects. Care: Machine wash cold on delicate cycle, no chlorine bleach, tumble dry low & remove promptly.
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Warren McGregor
Left unity, left cooperation, or a working class front?
A call for socialist Left unity is heard widely today in South Africa, but is usually taken as a call for unity of praxis (unity in theoretical programme and action). This is sometimes framed as transcending old divides (these seen as outdated, divisive or dismissed as dogmatic), and sometimes as unity in order to have action (rhetorically set up as the opposite of "arm chair" theory).
What do we as revolutionary anarchists think? We think this approach is fair in intention, asks important questions and aims at addressing the crisis of the left and working class movements.
However, the idea that divisions are outdated, divisive or dogmatic is incorrect. The "left" — taken here to mean socialist, and not which side of the Parliamentary aisle you sit on — is a spectrum in which a wide variety of anti- and non-capitalist ideologies and traditions rest, from the more reformist social-democracy on one end, to the revolutionary anarchist and Marxist sets, on the other.
Having these very different approaches is not what weakens the left. A call for left unity as a unity of praxis misunderstands (or ignores) the value of difference and progressive debate to theoretical development and strategic innovation. This development and innovation strengthens the left and is best antidote to being dogmatic — so long as it involves honest and open (but respectful and constructive) debate and disagreement. In other words it contributes to social change.
This process requires real engagement and thus also requires avoiding a politics of labelling opponents in a derogatory way or with caricatures in order to dismiss instead of engage them. Dismissing whole sets of ideas and experiences by labelling them dogmatic, divisive or outdated (or ultra-left or reactionary etc.) is itself dogmatic.
The term "left", and the term socialism, are not and cannot be reducible to any one of these ideologies, and in particular, are not reducible to Marxism.
If left unity means real unity of praxis it would mean a synthesis. However, a synthesis is not truly possible, given how radically different left traditions are. Either it will create something incoherent or extremely vague (how can you, for example, really blend Leninist vanguardism with anarcho-syndicalist counter-power?) or it will be a unity in name only, but where one pre-existing outlook is imposed.
If it's the former, it will not do anything to take the left forward but remove clarity. If the latter, it involves prescribing, somewhat arrogantly, one specific theoretical approach while labelling other views as outdated, dogmatic, divisive etc.
This latter approach, unfortunately, has become common practice in many contexts, including in South Africa. It usually means dismissing other views, then prescribing a programme that is basically a brand of Leninism or a left version of social-democracy, often under labels like "21st century socialism," "democratic socialism" or socialist renewal.
Disastrous past failures are skipped or excused or presented in the best possible light. It is not explained how, for example, Leninism will not (yet again) end in a dictatorship, after it has had over 30 dictatorships and not one example of anything like a workers democracy. It is not explained how, after every single Keynesian government failed in the face of capitalist globalisation, social-democratic schemes will suddenly work now, under global capitalism.
A lot of what is presented as new or as innovative is old wine in new bottles. Ideas get put in new bottles. For example, the idea of building a solidarity economy of cooperatives to end or exit capitalism is very old, going back to P.J. Proudhon in the 1840s; the idea of state-funded worker-run farms goes back to Louis Blanc in the same period. Both approaches have failed to create anything able to end capitalism for over 150 years and it's not clear why they should be tried yet again.
A different call for left unity calls for a Mass Workers Party. But this idea is rooted in the Marxist tradition. The call skips very serious debates, particularly over state power, the role of unions, electoralism, representative versus participatory democracy, vanguardism etc. It does not engage with whether an approach based on capturing individual states can achieve anything under neo-liberal globalisation.
While both Marxists, social democrats and nationalists are agreed on a project of political parties capturing state power, anarchism arises as a working class socialist ideological movement that rejects exactly this approach. It is a critique of the standard Marxist political programme but tied to a distinctive anarchist analysis of the state itself as a fundamental site of minority class rule.
Now, there may be many ideas common to both Marxist and anarchist branches of the socialist family, such as the necessity of mass working class struggle, anti-capitalism, etc. But there are deep differences of philosophy.
These include, but are not limited to, on one hand theory, such as anarchism's very different analysis of what the state is and how it works, what class is, whether capitalism can be progressive, etc. This approach leads to the anarchist view that states and parties aiming at state power cannot be used to create a free, non-capitalist social order. On the other hand, as regards application, see also anarchism's vehement insistence on democratic, collective self-reliance and individual freedom within a cooperative communal society; versus the state and party-centred approach that has overwhelmingly dominated in Marxism. An approach, located in its own historical canon, which anarchists argue, amongst other claims attributed to it, gives Marxism its fundamentally authoritarian and anti-democratic nature.
These differences are not a matter of dogmatism or sectarianism. They should also not be erased in the name of "left unity", which effectively puts the South African left back on the statist track.
Obviously there are and will be many areas of cooperation and campaigning — would there really be any serious division over, for example, opposing gender-based violence, climate change, organizing workplaces, fighting for land reform?
There will always, however, be a parting of ways over how to pursue these aims, over long-term vision and so on, as per the dictates of ideological difference.
Silencing the debate in the name of unity might be well-intentioned, but it shuts down useful debates and democratic space. Additionally, it prefigures a politics that views difference as dangerous. Historically this, when taken to extremes, saw Marxists in state power lining up left opponents for jail, exile and/or execution, and social democrat-led governments crushing revolutions.
What is of greater importance is a unity through organisation around and in working class struggle. It also means realising the inevitability of conflict, but utilising it as a means of revolutionary institutional and theoretical development. Most surely, a programme of action is needed if these, our organisations seek transformation of society, and if we aim to create unity across the many sites of working class organization and struggle.
However, this programme, its philosophy, key concepts and ideas for change and reconstruction must be tested and reformulated in struggle. Here, struggle is not only meant the fight for better day-to-day working and living conditions, greater political freedoms, and so on. It also involves the constant and consistent development of ideas and action. This requires engaging ideas in an open, honest, critical and self-reflective way, contributing to the development of the instruments of revolutionary, socialist class struggle: the workers' organisations (like unions and community-based organisations) to build the power for thorough-going socio-economic reconstruction (the revolution).
This internal developmental struggle in movements should be waged as a battle of ideas between, yes, competing ideological sets for influence in, but never imposed onto the mass movement. To claim that your theory not only understands the path of history, but the eventuality of the destination and thus its own theoretical purity, is pure delusion. We can safely predict particular patterns based on historical precedent, but such definite assertions and teleologies are unscientific, uncritical and effectively impose a claim on and structure of leadership. These leadership forms develop and assert immovable control over movements, suck the creative life out of movements and are fundamentally authoritarian, no matter the initial individual characteristics of those making them.
It is deeply misleading to present theory as a pointless distraction from struggle as it is shaped by and builds it. Anti-theoretical approaches present difference as a problem of dogma or sectarianism — and therefore cannot see that differences are useful — or present theory as a lazy "armchair" indulgence that prevents us "doing" things. But theory is both a process and an instrument of human action and socialist theory cannot, therefore, be divorced from progressive socialist action.
Thus any call for left unity, no matter how well-intentioned, fails to address the fact that many left ideologies exist, and misses the point altogether as to what should drive the socialist social transformation many of us are working towards.
What we should think of, rather, is building and strengthening a working class front, based on unions, community-based movements, left groups, cooperatives, etc., which can cooperate around specific campaigns and demands. These movements should be internally democratic, politically pluralist in which different left groups can cooperate with one another — and frankly, much more importantly — engage the mass movements. Movements in which different perspectives are encouraged, developed and tested. No group surrenders political independence — the right to have, express and campaign for their views — in the name of unity, but all can cooperate on specific issues.
The idea is not to wish away difference, and to create a party for the working class, but to unite big and small working class formations; the idea is not to pretend difference doesn't exist, or to conflate the working class movement with one ideology; the idea is that difference and debate are essential, not outdated, dogmatic, pointless. It is destructive only of centralised authority, of dictatorship.
This does not mean a conference or symposium of the left is in and of itself useless, but previous attempts have almost certainly descended into different groups and individuals giving their positions, without a useful discussion of convergence or divergence. More important is to have debates and discussions within the larger working class and its movements beyond the left, where there is working class engagement with different ideas, the test of practice, using an ongoing series of workshops, meetings, locals, media and campaigns. In such a situation there is a battle of ideas and a battle for the leadership of ideas, most surely, while guarding against a manipulation of processes, closing debates by labels, or a "big man" politics of demagogy.


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Each year, in and around the Naples area, the Naples Award Program chooses only the best local businesses. We focus on companies that have demonstrated their ability to use various marketing methods to grow their business in spite of difficult economic times. The companies chosen exemplify the best of small business; often leading through customer service and community involvement.
For most companies, this recognition is a result of your dedication and efforts as well as the work of others in your organization that have helped build your business. Your team is now a part of an exclusive group of small businesses that have achieved this selection.
Changes to your company's name, city, or category can be submitted to us via our Company Information Change page.
No, you do not have to pay for an award to be a winner. Award winners are not chosen based on purchases, however it is your option, to have us send you one of the 2024 Awards that have been designed for display at your place of business.
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Tom and Nancy Gunn have always wanted to make their finances fit their family -- not the other way around. They have two sons of their own and over the years have adopted or taken in three other kids.
"We love the opportunity to help other children," Nancy said. "That's how our family ticks. The more the merrier. The more we can help the better we like it."
So my challenge was to find a way to stretch the salaries of a self-employed hairdresser and a school bus supervisor. I did it! Here are more details about how to duplicate these savings in your own life.
New Tech Accounts: Savings = $4,632/2 years
When I do these savings makeovers, I look for painless savings people can achieve with savvy tweaks. But I was worried about Nancy Gunn because she's in her 40s and self-employed and hasn't started saving for retirement, because she and her husband have always put the kids first.
So I suggested the Gunns cancel their cable TV service for aggressive savings. Actually these days it's not such a sacrifice because it's possible to watch nearly all of your favorite shows in other ways. The website www.CancelCable.com has a show-finder tool that tells you how. Many shows are available online and with a couple of simple cables, you can connect your computer and TV and watch on the big screen. Plus in the era of digital television, you can get 30 to 50 channels with a basic antenna. To my delight, the Gunns were totally open to the idea. They just hadn't thought of it!
By canceling cable, then bundling their home phone and internet service through their phone company they will save an impressive $128 a month -- $3,072 over the course of the two-year contract! I wanted the Gunns to drop their home phone service too, but unfortunately they don't get good cellular service in their own home.
I also found the Gunns terrific savings on their cell phone plan with the help of the indispensable website www.Validas.com. Here's how it works: You upload your cell phone bill to the website where special software analyzes it every which way. There are hundreds of factors that a human brain just can't compute, but a machine can. (Also check out the new Validas "My Peeps" App that helps you choose which people to put on your AT&T or Verizon friends and family free calling list for maximum savings.)
Validas found that the Gunns could save $65 a month by switching providers and plans. Lucky for them they were not under contract, so they were free to go without any termination fees. One interesting note, the Gunns were also paying about $20 a month for a prepaid cell phone for their daughter. Often prepaid cell phones are a good deal, but their 8-year-old hardly uses hers. Instead, they will be able to add a phone for her to their new plan for just $5 a month. Their total savings over the 2-year contract will be $1,560. And if their new cell phones get a good signal in their house, maybe they can drop their home phone after all and save even more!
Copycat Grocery Shopping: Savings = $3,900/year
The Gunn's big, blended family needs a lot of groceries but Tom and Nancy only have a little bit of time to shop for them because they're busy with said family. So I introduced them to the concept of "Copycat Grocery Shopping." All over the country, grocery gurus who know how to get rock bottom deals blog -- and brag -- about their best finds in great detail. They list the store, the type of product on sale and any coupons available for that same product. Rather than frantically clipping coupons in advance, all you have to do is save all the latest circulars. The bloggers tell you which circulars contain the coupons you need to pull off the deals they have found. Just cut 'em right before you head to the store and go.
The Gunns will copy the blogger who covers their store, Price Chopper. She is Michelle Hovestadt of www.WickedCoolDeals.com. Michelle has mastered the art of combining store sales with coupons, the key to getting groceries at a deep discount. You can make that discount even more meaningful by stocking up with enough of the item to last you until that sort of product is deeply discounted again. Michelle says she often gets her supplies for as much as 70-percent off, but always at least half off. All the Gunns have to do is copy her and I figure they can save 50-percent too! For their family that is a savings of at least $3,900 a year -- and even more when the boys are home for the summer! Nancy Gunn's reaction when I told her? "To save that kind of money? We'll take the time and do that," she said.
I found Michelle Hovestadt through the phenomenal coupon education website www.BeCentsAble.net, which aggregates lots of these grocery guru bloggers in one place. If you don't see a blogger there who covers your store, just Google the name and location of the chain and you are likely to find somebody who writes about it independently.
Shop Around for Insurance: Savings = $2,082/year
The Gunn's car insurance seemed high to me, so I invited independent Trusted Choice agent Brendan Higgins of the Thousand Islands Agency in Clayton, N.Y., to shop around among the many companies he represents. Contacting an independent agent for help is a great time saver because it's like comparing prices all over town, but with one phone call. It was amazing. Not only did Brendan find the Gunns great savings, he got them better, more complete coverage. Their liability limits, in particular, were too low for today's litigious world and he upped them from $100,000 to $500,000 while still saving them money. Total savings? An impressive $2,082 a year for their two vehicles. Brendan says he often scores savings like that for his clients by switching to other reputable companies and also by analyzing their specific coverage to see if cost-saving changes can be made. Trusted Choice, an alliance of independent agents can refer you to one near you.
No Cost Refinance = $33,473/11 years
Tom and Nancy Gunn had never tried to refinance their house and take advantage of today's historically low interest rates because they didn't have the cash for closing costs. I asked them if they belonged to a credit union. They do! But they had never approached their credit union about refinancing. So I took the Gunns to Oswego County Federal Credit Union to see what we could cook up. Loan officer Aimee Johnson suggested taking the Gunn's two mortgages –a first at 6.75 percent and a second at 13.84 percent -- and refinancing them both into a new loan at 5.35 percent! Then she wowed me with a concept I had never heard of before: the loan would be a home equity loan rather than strictly a mortgage. It really is a mortgage, because you use it to finance your entire house, but Oswego County Federal Credit Union calls it a "Home Equity Loan" because it has zero closing costs. Perfect for the Gunns! Basically, to thank you for bringing in your loan business, the credit union pays the closing costs for you.
This is a concept unique to credit unions that other consumers can inquire about. (Commercial banks also offer no-cost refinance deals, but they charge you a slightly higher interest rate to cover the closing costs they are paying for you.) The Gunn's monthly payment will remain exactly the same but they will be done paying their house off in 11 years – 8 years early! Their total savings by switching to such a competitive interest rate? $33,473! "That's so huge! So huge!" Nancy exclaimed. "Maybe we'll actually be able to retire some day!" Roll Cars/Cards into Home Equity Loan = $13,684
Oswego County Federal Credit Union also offered to roll the Gunn's car loans and credit cards into a second, more traditional home equity loan at 8 percent for three years. Currently their car loans are at 13 percent and 14.75 percent, so that's a dramatic improvement. They only have modest credit card debt, but the rates are as high as 29.99 percent, and it would take 30 years to pay off the existing debt by making minimum payments. The rollover plan will save them $13,684 and get those debts paid off in just three years! It will also save them $155 a month, loosening their purse strings a bit.
A couple of important notes about rolling other debts into home equity loans. On the one hand, they are the best kind of loan because the interest is tax deductible. On the other hand, if you burden your home with too much debt, and you are unable to make your payments, you could lose your house. I asked loan officer Aimee Johnson why she felt comfortable offering the home equity loan as a debt management tool in the Gunn's case. She explained that they have a healthy loan-to-value ratio of about 50 percent. They have been making payments on their home since 1999 and it has also gone up in value since then (despite a dip in 2008) so they have already paid off about half the value of their house. That gives them a lot of equity to tap into. The Credit Union also structured this second home equity loan as a three-year loan, so the debts are put to rest quickly and efficiently. That way there is less time for something to go wrong.
Do these offers seem over-the-top generous? Oswego County Federal Credit Union CEO Bill Carhart assured me that his people provide affordable products like these to their members all the time. It's startling in an era when many people are frustrated with big banks, but it makes sense when you consider that credit unions are non-profit companies essentially owned by their members. If you do not belong to a credit union you are missing out. And contrary to popular belief, they are not hard to join. It used to be that you had to work for a certain company or be related to someone who did, but now there are all sorts of creative ways to join. To find a credit union near you, visit www.FindACreditUnion.com.
Appeal Your Tax Assessment: Savings = $517/year – plus or minus.
There is one final savings strategy I suggested to the Gunns that I did not cover on the air because the precise savings figure is hard to predict. I want them to appeal their property tax assessment. Here's why. Using addictive real estate website www.Zillow.com, I checked twenty different properties on their same block and only two were assessed for more than theirs – and both were far bigger. I also spotted several that are very similar in size and amenities but are assessed for much less. And I found a recent comparable sale that should be very helpful: a house a couple blocks over that has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths just like theirs just sold for only $40,000, even though homes in the neighborhood generally go for $100,000 plus. Very few people appeal their property taxes, and this is how you do it, by analyzing neighboring assessments and recent sales. If the Gunns can knock $15,000 off their assessed value, they will save $517 each and every year. And there's one other benefit to a successful appeal: it resets your rate, so that even when your assessment starts to creep up again, it is a creeping from a lower point.
CLICK HERE for more consumer news and money-saving tips from Elisabeth Leamy.


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Assassin's Bullet
In Assassin's Bullet, Slater plays Robert Diggs, a black ops agent who comes to work for Ambassador Ashdown (Hunger Games star Donald Sutherland), tracking down a vigilante assassin in Eastern Europe. The maverick hit(wo)man has been taking out high-profile targets on the U.S. hit list, and Diggs must uncover the killer's identity before there's an international incident. The usual game of cat and mouse ensues.
Released: 2012-08-01


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After months of teasing here on the blog and in sundry precincts of the gamersphere, Pelgrane Press and I are now soliciting outside playtest reports for Hillfolk, the first DramaSystem game. Hillfolk features the saga of iron age raiders struggling to protect and enrich their clan at a time of clashing empires. DramaSystem fosters a dynamic between players and GM allowing them to collectively create a compelling, serial story of emotional need and personal conflict.
Its features:
Long term story play. DramaSystem arises from the story games school of roleplaying game design, which privileges the exploration of narrative over other design goals, such as strategic decision-making, tactical butt-kicking, or the simulation of imaginary environments. Story games typically focus on delivering a fun and challenging one-time story that wraps up in a single sitting. DramaSystem shines in long-term play, in which a group unfolds an improvised narrative over an extended period, during which they come to relate to the characters as they would to the protagonists of their favorite ongoing television drama.
Easier to GM: Unlike some justly acclaimed story games, DramaSystem retains the role of Game Moderator, a participant apart from the rest who guides action and pacing and provides necessary rules interpretations. In this it is more like a mainstream or traditional roleplaying game. However, its events are entirely created in the moment, sparing the GM the usual lengthy prep work required by those games.
Harder to GM: Where GMs in traditional games have nearly unlimited power to shape the narrative by determining the obstacles PCs face, DramaSystem doles out their interventions in measured quantities. That makes the effort of pushing the story in the direction you want more of a challenge, with game-like tactical elements. Working within the limitations becomes part of the fun. You can never predict the outcome of any episode, giving you a sense of surprise and suspense you don't get in games granting you near omnipotence.
Click the tag for previous Hillfolk / DramaSystem posts. Here's an early actual play report.
My main goal for this playtest is to learn how much of the game is already on the page, and how much additional guidance and exegesis the text requires.
To participate, please contact Beth Lewis at Pelgrane.
We'll be launching a crowd-funded campaign to fund the project next month.


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Ink Drawing
11.7 x 16.6 Inches
Snowden Cartridge 315gsm
25 Page Full Colour Luxury Paper
Winter Portfolio Book.
Tyler's Path
For buyers who wish to pay with a credit card and DO NOT wish to sign up for a PayPal account: At checkout, after you submit your order click the "Pay Now" button. Click on the PayPal icon and you will be redirected to PayPal, click the "I do not have a PayPal account". Scroll Down and you will see the option to pay with a Credit or Debit Card WITHOUT having to sign up for a PayPal account. Follow the instructions (you will not be required to create an account to complete a purchase).
I use registered mail for shipping and purchase a barcode which will provide basic tracking as well as online viewable delivery confirmation. This is a very safe method for international shipping at a reasonable charge. Most national shippers provide real time tracking at their websites once they accept the mail piece.
I'll ship within two business days of cleared payment. Mail pieces leave the country in 3-5 days so the speed of shipping largely depends on the traffic and customs work at the receiving end.
I combine shipping whenever I can and most of my items have very low "with another item" shipping prices .
The post office uses calculated shipping based only on weight and does not have flat rates for mail. Also, shapes of the items determine the size and weight of the packing material and boxes.
Very large or heavy items might not have lower "with another item" prices set. In case you buy several such items and the actual shipping price exceeds what you have paid, I will reimburse you the relevant amount with a Paypal refund.
Generally, post offices HOLD registered mail if their first delivery attempt is a failure. Then you might need to either schedule redelivery by phone and through their webpage or go to the post office to PICK UP the mail personally by SIGNING.
Registered mail is very safe but it is not fast. EXPEDITED SHIPPING IS AVAILABLE. This is a fast and efficient service of the national carrier with a delivery estimate of 2-5 days. Please contact me for quotes. Its prices are high but still costs considerably less than what companies like DHL and FEDEX would charge. This service offers detailed real-time tracking and signature confirmation upon delivery.
Whatever shipping method I use, I buy all the available security options and pack my items safely. I DO ACCEPT RETURNS IF THE ITEM FAILS TO MATCH THE DESCRIPTION OR THE ITEM IS DAMAGED IN THE POST UPON OPENING - THIS MUST BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY AND WHERE POSSIBLE PLEASE PHOTOGRAPH SO I CAN OPEN A CASE AGAINST THE COURIER. Buyer is to return the item in original condition (buyer pays for return shipping) for the full refund of purchase plus original payment for shipping. I would issue the refund via Paypal as soon as I receive the item. I recommend purchasing delivery confirmation for return shipping.
Please note that any applicable CUSTOMS DUTIES and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.Framed Works: UK Only - Aadvark Art Couriers Ltd. Unless Buyer arranges Collection.
UnFramed: Boxed with Courier Service: Tracked & Signed. ParcelForce/Post Office.
Expedited can be arranged for extra cost to be agreed.


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The simplest way for the players to move their forces is simultaneously. Every player writes down the orders for each of their armies on a piece of paper or order sheet and then they're all shown at the same time. Players then follow the various orders, moving armies, going into battle or performing other actions. The benefit of this method is that no player gets an advantage by moving first before another players has had chance to do something. It's also very easy to run as all it requires is for the players to write their orders. The downside is that it can lead to situations where one army is constantly chasing another with never been able to seize the initiative and catch them. You could always add a rule that where an army is moving into an area at the same time as another is moving out, you roll to see if the escaping army manages to break off and escape or is caught and brought to battle which solves the constantly chasing problem that can occur with the simultaneous method.
The next method is ordered, where the order players take their turns is decided at the start of the campaign. Players can then either write their orders as normal or just decide on the fly what their armies will do that turn. This method can be simpler on the paperwork side but can lead to situations where one player is always last to move and often gets pinned in battles before they have chance to do anything.
The third method is initiative based, where the order players take their turns in that particular campaign turn is decided by random at the start of the campaign turn. This can be done by a simple roll off or by one person picking players tokens out of a cup. Although it requires a little bit more effort to do, it does allow players to seize the initiative which is far more realistic. The randomness of it means that one player is never always disadvantaged by going last, well as long as the dice gods don't turn their back on them.
The other thing that you need to consider is how the individual armies making up a players force take their turns. This isn't an issue with the simultaneous turn method as all the armies move at the same time but with the ordered and initiative methods, a little more planning is needed. With these methods, you need to decide whether all the armies in a players force move at the same time or whether the players take turns to move their armies individually. Although moving all the armies at the same time seems the simplest, it can lead to a situation where one player is able to deploy multiple armies against one single enemy army to overwhelm it. Whereas moving them individually if you're not using orders can lead to a tit for tat situation, it can also give quite an advantage to a player who has more armies than another player as they get 'extra' turns.
It's down to you what method you use, but we'd recommend using the initiative method in combination with orders written in advance of the initiative being decided along with moving all the armies in a players force at the same time. This method keeps the admin to a relative minimum whilst giving players a more realistic campaign phase with their plans to seize a vital objective or escape before becoming overwhelmed dependant on whether they gain the initiative much like real life commanders.
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