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Chapter Eleven
The storm swept over us late in the afternoon, and succeeding days brought all its friends along behind it. I had begun to think that the sun had forsaken us for good before the damp skies grudgingly cleared for a brief intermission between the fronts. "They certainly do believe in their weather around here," Liane remarked, taking advantage of the respite to wring out her hair.
"It's good for the crops, I suppose," I said. To either side of the road a carpet of orderly green tufts sucked greedily at the wet soil, dreaming of raising dinner-plate flowerheads to the bright summer sun. "I'm beginning to feel a little overwatered, myself. What did that baker you were chatting up say about towns up ahead?"
"Nothing of note," she said, pinning her braids back up. "We'll have to go back to hoping for barns. I've never actually been out this way, myself," she confessed. "Priara's about as far east as our contracts ever usually ran. I would guess that this is more farm-country than ranching, but..."
"We'll manage," I said. The fields certainly suggested nearby human occupation, although the roll of the landscape obscured any details of roads or houses in its folds. "Although if it doesn't stop raining soon, I think the golem's going to serve notice." Its posture had been of a noticeably sulky character ever since it had gotten rebuked for dripping muddy water all through a well-carpeted parlor the previous evening.
"We need to remember to get him some sort of a rain-cape." Liane patted the golem on the shoulder fondly.
We squelched onwards along the muddy byway, helping the golem over the worst of the ruts, and as we were passing a fenced-in pasture occupied by a scattering of goats Liane turned her ankle, or said she had, although I almost suspected it of being a pretext to get off her feet for a while. We settled ourselves in the suspiciously convenient hay-shelter, a ground-blanket spread over a mattress of spilled hay so that she could sit with her boots off without having to pick chaff from her socks for the next few miles. It was a cozy refuge, the moreso when she left off rubbing at her ankle and leaned back against me, suffering me to clasp my arms around her in altogether too familiar a way while she laid her head on my shoulder. "One could almost begin to entertain rather unprofessional thoughts," she murmured.
Considering that my eyes had strayed down into the shadowy vale inside her shirt that I kept catching glimpses of as she breathed, I thought this remark likely evidence that she'd sensed quite plainly the tenor of my thoughts; "If you think you can walk now, we had better go," I said. "We have to find somewhere we can spend the night before that next storm catches us."
"Bother the storm," she said, but she sat upright and pulled her boots back on. The goats were sizing us up curiously from the other side of the fence that kept them from getting into the stockpiled hay, perhaps wondering why we weren't refilling the manger on their side of the grates. They looked like a dairy herd, plump and immaculate and far too spoiled to trouble themselves with grazing when any twoleggeds were convenient to mooch from.
The golem clomped round from where it had been keeping a wary view of the shelter's blind side, or perhaps attempting to give us a little privacy, I wasn't certain anymore; the goats took one look at it and fled in bleating confusion. "Well, if he does decide to start looking around for a new job, I guess that lets out goatherd," I said. Liane snickered.
"And any number of potentially fulfilling careers in a rural setting, I'd imagine," she said, taking her pack and slipping the straps onto her shoulders. "Although the bits that involve flinging hay about for hours on end would play to his strengths... Um, you've got," she made a curious gesture towards her face, and then when I regarded her blankly she licked her thumb and brushed something from the side of my nose; "Dirt."
Feeling my cheeks heating up, I turned away and looked to the stormy horizon; "What do you think, does that look like another hour? Two?"
The mercenary grimaced, assessing the wind, and pronounced, "We can get over the ridge at least. These goats have to belong to somebody, maybe we'll be lucky and the farmhold's down in the next dip -- let's go have a look, shall we?"
Dividing my attention between my footing and the stormfront creeping up behind us, I missed that we were cresting the ridge until I heard Liane let out a satisfied-sounding breath; eyes finally wrenched away from the path by the sound, I looked out and over the gentle valley, and saw not a cluster of farmbuildings but a round brick barn after the Seventrails style, apparently doorless and sitting incongruously alone in the middle of a hay-meadow. "Well," I said, quite surprised at the sight.
"I say we call that 'shelter'," Liane said, putting a leg over the fence. "Doors or not. If we can get up into the hayloft..."
I followed her over the fence and across the field, nervous eyes trying to pick out details through the fading light that would satisfy my curiosity as to whether the barn was authentic Seventrails construction or simply in the manner of. The brickwork was certainly in keeping, contrasting around the rim of the roof in decent mimicry of a tent's woven tension-ring, but the roofline was more domed than I would have been expecting. Nothing to say it hadn't been re-roofed by later tenants, though --
We picked our way in through an astonishing array of wagons and plows and other assorted implements of sedentary farming and had a look around at this proposed campsite for the night. The barn's interior wasn't quite to Seventrails plan, or not anymore, the central feedbin missing and the inclement-weather quarters for the family converted to a block of horse-stalls. The hay-hole in the ceiling was right, though. Just right.
"So is there a ladder, or are we expected to jump?" Liane squinted up through the hole at the block-and-tackle mounted in the rafters, ropes completely out of our reach. "It's certainly defensible, but --"
"I'd rather not." She turned to look at me, eyebrows at full draw. "Go up there, I mean. I'd rather not."
"But --" And she looked at me closer, and I realized that I was vibrating and couldn't stop. "All right, not the hayloft, whatever. What, what's the matter?"
silence, once the frightened voices had faded into the distance, and at last Rennahan calling below, "Robling? Ro? Are you still in here? We've caught most of them, you can come down now--"
"Just --" My teeth were actually chattering; I forced myself to take a deeper breath. "Never mind. If you think it's best --"
"Not with you looking like that I don't," she said. "I guess a stall will do. Sit, I'll do it," she said when I moved to help her with the bedrolls. "You look awful."
"I've had some bad luck with haylofts," I said.
"Must have been," she said, spreading her ground-blanket out in the stall with the old hearth in the back wall. "You... feel like talking about it?"
I thought about this, watching her arranging matters with practiced efficiency, and when she had gotten most of a nest put together, I said, "No."
She shrugged, pulling the stall door to, and indicated that I ought to settle myself, kicking her own boots off and setting them neatly beside the hearth. I raised my eyebrows, noting how she'd merged our bedding, but she held firm; "You look awful," she repeated, turning back her quilt. "And you wake up screaming sometimes on a good night."
"I do?" I glanced at the helmet looming above the half-door and then wondered why I felt so put out that the golem hadn't ever mentioned this.
"I thought you knew," she said, sounding as if she wasn't entirely surprised to find out that I hadn't. "I guess you don't really come awake. Come on," she insisted, thumping the space beside herself in the bed stubbornly, and reluctantly I began to prise off my boots.
Once I had crawled in under the quilt beside her, Liane settled herself against my back with her arms thrown snugly around my shoulders. "I really wake up screaming?" I asked, trying to let myself relax into her friendly embrace.
"Not so much lately," she said into my hair. "I've known mercs who had to retire because they couldn't get through the nights anymore. But you seem to be..." She paused, long enough that I began to wonder if she had dozed off, and then finished, "Healing. Scarred, but not broken. Which is about all one can really ask, I guess."
"Scars can be their own problem," I said. Her shoulders wrinkled around me in a laugh.
"You are such a pessimist," she said. "Go to sleep."
"I..." But I felt her settling down into drowsy limpness herself, a firm believer in her own advice, and I decided to give it a try, screwing my eyes shut against the gloom and pretending this was just another night on the road, the choice of venue irrelevant. From across the meadow I could hear whistled spells calling farm animals in for the night. The smell of the impending storm had crept up to the barn by now, sharp and wet, and before I had quite managed to calm myself into any state where I could hope to nod off the first rumblings of the arriving deluge came cresting up over the ridge, driving a front of colder air. I pulled the blankets closer against the seeping chill, and, finally, Liane's breathing in one ear and the patter of rain in the other, let myself be lulled to sleep --
The hanging sign with my parents' names entwined in the shape of their brand, a line of handprints outlined in whitewash at the bottom edge: nine right hands of nine strong sons -- I'm tall enough, now, just turned sixteen, to reach up and splay my fingers over the seventh print. "You're sure you want to do this," Baran says, snow-rooted brows arching over stormcloud eyes. "What about --"
"Packed off to Steeldance," I cut him off curtly before he can utter the name, the name I don't want to hear. Never want to hear again --
They're here in the barn doorway looking at me, "Well met, m'lords Tremare," Mama says, formal with nerves and looking as if she's wondering whether they really sent me, an apprentice led by an apprentice. Baran pushes me forward, am I just standing here staring --?
"Well met, Ma'am. Has there been a loss to this household since last year's Darkening Day?"
"Two, m'lord. My son and my -- Ro, sweetheart, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Mama!" Maloren's tittering. Railan elbows him and he subsides, just barely quickly enough for Mama's temper. "Yes, Mama. I asked to come."
"All right, then..." Mama's eyes say it's not all right. "Two, m'lord, my son and my husband. We... we would ask to speak with them again."
I'm not sure what's next, with two, knife in hand and mind gone blank; Mama's looking at me like I'm about to take the blade to her own flesh. (But I am, aren't I, the heart she carried under her heart while the moon turned his face ten times --) "Which, um, who would you rather I Call first?" I falter, not quite the right words but Mama's still looking at me --
Blue eyes finally blink, and Mama says, not at all her own strong voice: "I want to talk to my baby."
This is the part I know how to do, know too well already; sharp edge red across my fingers and the springing magic, hand to the earth as I Call for my ghost, Call Mama's baby, Call to the brother my own fault has taken from her. And the shadow forms in the light of the lantern above the door, feet, hands, face, eyes --
blue eyes, blue as the lanternflame --
I started awake in the chill, heart drumming louder than the rain on the roof and certain that I must, this time, have woken myself screaming just as Liane said. But she lay quiet and content under my arm, ribs rising and falling with doubtlessly innocuous dreams, oblivious to the faint red light rising from the golem beyond the half-door --
I scrambled up out of the bedding as the significance of the aura burned through the fog of sleep and set my nerves jangling. Hearing more than seeing Liane stirring to alertness, I fumbled for my boots, stamping my way into them with my eyes still riveted to the glowing helmet above the door. The golem had been rooted at the mouth of the stall, prepared to defend us as we slept if need be, but now that it perceived I was aware of its alarm it came active, pacing out to the gaping doorway as I found my bow and came out to join it. Whatever it had scented was a long ways off, fragments of sound reaching my ears through the downpour. "Why do you have to attract every Thing for miles around --"
The golem half-turned towards me and made a violently annoyed gesture. Surprised beyond words, I took a step backwards and stumbled as I caught my heel on a roughness in the floor. When I looked up again the red blur that was the golem twinkled outside in the wetness, charging to the fray.
"Did he just shush you?" Liane said, coming up beside me. "What's out there?"
I didn't have an answer to either question, the reflected sting of the rain upon the golem's skin scattering my own thoughts into damp red shards. I reached back to draw an arrow from my quiver as the golem set its feet wide in the mud, bracing to meet the lunge of its foe --
Foes: the rubies of a dozen eyes darting like angry fireflies, with here and there a duller flash as the golem's red light caught on an angle of tooth or claw. Maddened by the scent of magic, the pack had abandoned all attempt at subtlety in its hunt, tumbling up to the golem in a gnashing heedless frenzy. The golem swatted the first Thing aside with contemptuous ease, only to find two more behind and snapping at its calves in the very next instant.
"It's coming down too hard," Liane said, and it took me some thinking to work out that she meant she could provide little support to the golem's efforts in this torrent. "Can you get him up here closer?"
I cupped my hands around my mouth: "Golem!" But it was too embroiled in the pack, determined jaws now dragging at its forearms, its ankles, its mailskirt --
And just like that, the red glow vanished, smothered under a blanket of snarling fur as the golem went down under the combined assault. I gasped at the sensation of phantom teeth clamping around my limbs as the Things set to work trying to crack into the golem's metal shell to get at the meat they assumed would be inside, eerie presentiment of what would happen once they realized where the true feast stood and abandoned the empty lure. "Robling?" I heard Liane say apprehensively.
"We should have gone into the hayloft," I said, wondering if it would have ultimately made that much difference if we had, or if these Things would simply have taken the barn apart brick by brick to get us down. I could feel a serrated fang working its way into the seam between two sections of the golem's left vambrace, intent on ripping the plates apart as if it were no more difficult than opening up a lobster.
Liane drew back and fired an arrow out into the wet night, only to have the wind and the rain smack it from the air before it had had the chance to fly halfway to her target. She swore and threw down her bow to reach for her throwing-knives. "I knew I should have had you teach me that guided-arrow trick," she said.
Teeth that were seeming less and less imaginary by the moment scored across my left ankle. Fingers trembling, I took up the forgotten arrow in my hand, drawing the razor-sharp edge of the broadhead across my left thumb before fitting the arrow to the string. You want magic? Well, come and get it --
I made up a Word, then and there, a compound of death and hate and hunger that in the rational light of day I'd never have expected to work or dared to say if I had, and said it to the arrow on the string, feeling the sudden leaping eagerness of the tool in my hands becoming aware of its purpose. The nearest Thing paused in its depredations and turned its head away from the golem, sniffing the air, as I raised my bow, arrowhead burning a lurid crimson in the soggy dimness. And it leapt --
I loosed the arrow and it took the bounding Thing full in the chest, smears of red trailing bright in the air as the lupine face looked shocked and annoyed and finally caught up to the fact of its death, forelegs touching the ground and crumpling. One by one the other Things' heads snapped up and around to face their fallen comrade. Scent of meat and magic together far too delightful to resist, they flowed across the ground to this new bait, burying their muzzles into the poisoned flesh greedily.
In a noisy sparkling flash I could see right through the back of my head the Thing's corpse disarticulated itself and all the Things feeding from it. I had just enough wit left to push Liane down beneath me in a protective huddle in the mud as gobbets of flaming gore went splattering across an impressive area of the meadow, steaming down into the soggy grass.
"Ow," Liane said after what seemed like several hours. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into hers at a very near distance. Suddenly quite at a loss as to what came next, as it slowly sank in that the immediate danger appeared to be past and the shivers of reaction set in, I could only look into her eyes and wonder at the mob of truly inappropriate thoughts chattering away at the margins of my mind, until at last she said, "Well, either ravish me or let's get out of the mud."
"I would never," I said. She disentangled herself and bent to give me a hand up.
"Can't tell me you weren't thinking about it," she said, picking up her bow and bracing one end against her instep to unstring it. "If 'thinking' is really the word. Where's the golem?"
The golem, much to my surprise, had taken itself over to the pump and was making efforts to clean itself, slopping water from the bucket over its muddy limbs. "All right, maybe he's a little smarter than a dog," I admitted, thinking of various dogs of my acquaintance and finding them rather wanting in this respect. The helmet glanced back over a metal shoulder for a brief disapproving instant and then returned to its rude wash. When it had evidently done all it thought it could do for itself under the circumstances, it poured the remainder of the water over its head and shook itself, leafy crest jangling like a cord of sleighbells.
"I think we had probably better move on," Liane said, winding her ruined bowstring up into a ball and shoving it into her pocket. "Lady only knows what else might be out here. And I'm not up for another fight tonight."
We broke up our camp in silence, fumbling in the dimness, and felt our way across the field back to the road, slipping and sliding in the muck. The rind of moon was peering out from behind a cloud by now, rain fading away to a mere penetrating damp. The mist-haloed sliver gave just enough light to cast an obscuring dazzle across the layers of fog around us; it was a relief, nearly an hour later, when the moon finally set, and farther down the road we were able to see the flickering lantern lights of an inhabited croft, farmers already stirring to tend to the early needs of their dairy stock.
"We had better stop there and see if they'll let us clean up, if not get a few more hours' sleep," Liane suggested. We picked up our steps, though my feet wanted to drag, and soon my merc had talked our way into a bedroom the family's oldest daughter had been making over as a nursery in preparation for the beginning of her own new family. The room had a bed in it even, a narrow bed but adequate for two for some few hours, left over from another daughter who had recently gone off to more formal study with Frozenlights than was available piecemeal in this area.
"Close quarters, but we've seen worse, eh?" Liane chuckled, plumping pillows with the farmwife. I tried my best to return a circumspectly bland face for the speculatively cocked eyebrow the woman gave me as she bade us good night and retreated from the room.
Miraculously, some of the spare clothes in my bags were still reasonably dry. I changed into my least-objectionable shirt and slipped between the blankets with my face to the wall, leaving Liane to put out the lantern. Outside the window the world was already beginning to silver with dawn. "I think we've earned ourselves one late start," she said as she joined me in the bed, yawning.
"It can't be too late," I said, the thought of delay pricking me with now-familiar needles of uneasiness. The bed squeaked as she settled herself, her back to mine.
And then, "Sweet Lady, you're like ice," she said as she brushed my bare feet. "And your hair's wet. Here --" And she rolled herself over and snuggled against my back before I could think to protest, scooping my hair up and out of the way of her face and draping it over the pillow, and then slipped hands that were still suspiciously chilly themselves up and under my shirt to warm them on my bare skin. "Can't have you keeping us both awake shivering," she said, and while I was still trying to think of a way to react to this sudden state of affairs I heard her breathing slowing into a steady rhythm.
So much for the sleep. The arms attached to the hands were decorously clothed, at least, but I could feel her naked knees nested into the angles of mine, and the softness of her small warm breasts at my back stirred decidedly unrestful thoughts. Of all nights... But, weary past even bodily distractions, I did fall sound asleep, and slept deeply and untroubled for the first time in what seemed like years.
Some hours later, I roused unwillingly to wakefulness at the sensation of bare skin shifting against my own. Bare...? something wrong about that... I lay perfectly still for a moment with my eyes still closed, feverishly attempting to inventory the situation before I had to awaken fully and face up to it: my weight on my left side, cuddled snugly stomach-to-hip with Liane, correction, shirt rucked up around my shoulders and cuddled bare stomach to partly bare hip with Liane, my disgraceful body taking it upon itself to put a certain leading question to the both of us... and, further mortifying provocation, her hand at the small of my back tucked casually under the waistband of my unders, and in return my hand fitted perfect to her naked breast beneath her rumpled shirt.
And she... is... not... asleep.
"Um... I thought it was only mercs on a bad drunk you were supposed to wake up like this," I said when it appeared to have become obvious that neither one of us was really asleep and neither one of us could think of anything better to say to the other.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," she said, sounding tired and cross but not quite of a mind to make a genuine fuss over it. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, and I finally dared to open my eyes. She didn't look angry; if anything she looked resigned and even a little disappointed. "Are you feeling rested enough to go on, or do we dare trust each other in this bed for another hour or two?"
"We haven't the time to spare, I don't think," I said, pulling my shirt back down over my ribs and sitting up beside her. One of my braids had come undone, pale hair falling across my right eye in a wayward tangle that would take half an hour to sort out. It made me feel even more half-dressed before her than actually being half-dressed. By the shafts of light falling across the floorboards I guessed it an hour to one or other side of noon, not sure which direction the window faced. "I wish I could say how I know that. It's not anything I can see when I try to look straight at it, I just... I just have this sense that something is about to happen that I won't much like. I don't know if maybe that means Sorson's already at Pridening Working something that's a little too faint to really hear from here. If he went straight there by horse he could have been insinuating himself for a month by now."
"I don't want to think about what that look on your face says he could have gotten up to in a whole month," she said, with a shiver, and slid out from under the covers. After another few moments of stretching kinked-up muscles, she padded across the room in her bare feet to dig around in her bags for the rest of her clothes. "And... um... I know how men are in the mornings but you might want to take a few minutes before you come out to breakfast," she added all in a rush, red-eared and not looking at me, and stalked out, leaving me to stare after her in hopeless humiliation.
"All right for you," I said to the golem, who appeared to be sniggering silently, and got up to shave. "Some of us have more to worry about than having spiders laying eggs in our empty heads." I pulled off my shirt and tried not to dwell on the reflection in the mirror above the washbasin. Although I couldn't help but give it some consideration: ermine trim and silver scar aside, there was unaccustomed muscle beneath the pale skin, and I caught myself wondering if perhaps the Seventrails women had had some justification beyond bored speculation in considering my merits.
Breakfast was awkward. We sat stiffly at the farmhouse's kitchen table, trying to give more attention to the wandering conversation of the farmwife than to each other. "Wolves, you say?" the woman kept asking.
"They might have been feral dogs," I eventually conceded. "It was dark." What practical difference it made, I couldn't really see, but the farmwife nodded as if in recognition, and never did elaborate as to why. Eventually she finished the washing-up and left us to deal with each other without her dubious help.
"We should probably get moving," I said, staring down into my empty bowl. Liane sighed, deep and weary.
"This is getting too close to being over," she said. "I've gotten used to being on the road with you. Does that make me sound like I'm losing my sense of professional detachment about our assignment?"
"No," I said, "not entirely, maybe a little, but... I don't know. I guess... I don't want this to be over either." I bowed my head, afraid to meet her eyes, and felt her arm creeping around my waist.
"Maybe after all this is over we can go on the road just for the lark of it, to Jareza or somewhere," she said. "I bet you'd like Jareza."
"I'd like to find out," I ventured. She gave my waist a squeeze and then stood up.
"Well, the sooner we get the business part of this out of the way, the sooner we can be free to work out what happens next," she said. "The day's half-over already." She stepped over the bench and went to put our bowls into the washbasin. "And, really, you, um...? It happens, I can hardly fault you for it." She was blushing, and wouldn't quite meet my eyes.
"The Goddess has a dreadful sense of humor," I said bleakly.
"I'd only worry if it never happened, really," she said, with a coy glance through her lashes. "Gets a girl thinking she's ugly or something."
"Well," I said, pretending to appraise her, "you're too short, you've got no bottom and hardly any bust and muscles like a warhorse... but it's not what's on the outside that matters, I'm told."
"You probably haven't even noticed what color my eyes are," she laughed.
"The color of the leaves of Tremare's great oak in autumn," I blurted instantly, and then realizing what this sounded like trailed along mumbling, "Or, 'brown', anyway. I think. Yeah, I guess they're brown."
Liane was staring at me. "Observant sort, aren't you," she finally said.
"I've always been good at colors," I said. Oh, you're giving yourself away right here, aren't you. She was still staring.
"Look, this isn't easy for me either," she said, and leaving me to wonder what she meant by that she wheeled from the kitchen and went to fetch our packs. By the time she came back with them and the golem she was all casual travelling-face and efficiency. "Hey, they said that if we help them load up a wagon on our way out we can have all the cheese we care to take, do you think we have at least that much time? Because we could really do with the extra rations. And the golem can help if it doesn't mean going in the goatshed --"
I looked at the golem, who had turned to Liane with the closest thing to an expression of horror that the blank visor could project, and burst out laughing despite myself. "Or if it does, we could set him to churning some butter while we work," I agreed, and the horrified look snapped to me. "Might do him some good to learn a trade..." The golem was quivering. Abruptly it turned and pushed open the side door, clomping through into the room beyond exactly as if it felt the need to have some peace from us for a few moments. Liane turned to watch the door close behind it, a bemused look in her eyes. "Well," I said.
"Now if he starts muttering and punching walls out there, I'll get very worried," she said.
"We had probably better go see what's got into him." I opened the door cautiously and found that it led into an enclosed porch, with no golem in it. The room looked to have been the Frozenlight-bound daughter's workroom, walls covered with shimmering canvases of goats and hedgerows and haystacks and bowl after bowl of lurid apples barely recognizable as bright Sunpippins or pink-cheeked Tickle-My-Knickers; I had to peer closely at one painting in particular before I realized that the aberrant blue blobs were meant to be plums instead.
Liane paused at the outside door, examining a large trowel-rutted study of flowering pumpkin vines. "I could see your hair having been that color."
I felt myself blushing as pink as the apples. "That paint looks poisonous," I mumbled.
"She's certainly used enough of it." Liane pulled open the door and stepped down into the muddy yard. The golem was standing at the gate to the goat-pasture. "Look, we didn't mean it, all right?"
The metal shoulders sagged, but the golem made no further moves to desert our company as Liane tromped us across the farmhold until she found the parties who had made her the offer organizing a removal of cheeses from a cellar into a waiting wagon. I discovered why they had asked us to help as soon as I ducked under the lintel; some of the cheeses were slung from rafter-pegs that everyone else but me needed a stepstool to reach. I bore this abuse of my heritage with as much grace as I could muster, passing the fat yellow blobs down to the waiting golem as they were remarked to me, but still I couldn't help but feel as if precious time were being eaten away, my nervous suspicion driving me on faster and faster until even the golem became annoyed at my pace and walked out without waiting for the one last cheese from the rafter. When I chased the golem outside I found that the farmers were scrambling to sort out a pile of random cheeses that it had tossed haphazardly onto the load in trying to keep up with my frantic pace. "We weren't in that much of a hurry," one said when he saw me.
"We really have to be going," Liane said, taking me by the elbow. "About the, um...?"
Still eyeing me and the golem warily, the farmers helped Liane to pick out an assortment of keeping-cheeses for the road ahead and a small soft round for our supper. "You take care out there, now," the one who appeared to be in charge of the cheese inventories said as the mercenary finished up juggling the last of her treasures into my pack. "This sort of wet always riles out the Things a terrible sight."
"We'd noticed," I said. Her lips twitching with a barely stifled grin, Liane buckled up the final binding and handed my pack to me. I slipped into the shoulder-straps and we lurched on out of the cellar at last, braced by the farmers' directions for the blur of small towns ahead. And plunged into, yet again, a waiting murk of gathering drizzle...
Tags: fiction:tin_man


text:
The 700 Club - December 4, 2017
A teenage dare turns deadly. See how a message from beyond the grave brings freedom from guilt. Plus, author Jodie Berndt discusses praying the scriptures for your adult children.
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- PERPETUAL PRAYER Jodie Berndt, who has raised four kids who are now adults, understands the power of praying for your children. "Praying God's will for your children involves several key principles.Eric was 17 when he was arrested for the death of his best friend, Josh. "I blame myself for everything and I just - I would have done anything to make it right." The two were always hanging out.Tim and Vikki enjoy every moment of family time they can. "We love going to the park," says Tim.As parents of adult children, we often wonder: Will my children make good choices when they're on their own? How can I let them go when I've held them for so long?Let us pray for you this Christmas season!Display this free window cling at home or in your car. #keepCHRISTmas. Request yours now!Get 6 DVDs for just $25! Receive "Jesus Heals the Blind", "The First Christmas", and more when you join the DVD Club! Find out more.In CBN's latest DVD release, Answered Prayer: How to Pray Effectively and See God Work in Your Life, Pat Robertson, answers the questions you have regarding prayer and shares what he has learned on his extraordinary journey through life.The most important decision you can ever make is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. When you invite Him into your heart, you are born again. By acknowledging that He died on the cross for your sins, you receive forgiveness for your sins, freedom from guilt, and a fresh start. By His grace – not your own works – you are saved from eternal punishment and receive the assurance of going to heaven when your life on earth in finished.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Is it time for the Chelsea players to support Rafa Benitez?
Rafael Benitez's rallying call (or a rant, as described by some) to Chelsea supporters after the FA Cup win over Middlesbrough would have equally appropriate for his own players after a tame defeat to Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League on Thursday.
The defeat precedes another match in a competition that Benitez could end up winning – the FA Cup – against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The weak effort provided by his players in a boisterous atmosphere couldn't have given him much confidence leading into a match against a team who will be looking for an emphatic response after being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Benitez' controlled attack on the minority of supporters who were affecting the team performance at Stamford Bridge could have equally – and rightly – been directed at his multi-million pound assembled squad.
It's been suggested that the much-publicised "interim" tag has allowed the players to fall into a hole of complacency, which has meant not giving as much effort for a controversial appointment who will not be at the club at the end of the season.
But that seems an excuse that the experienced Chelsea squad cannot get away with and must use all of their resolve to dig themselves out of what is becoming a disastrous season and end it on a positive note.
They currently lie in fourth place – just within the lucrative Champions League spots – but with Arsenal and others breathing behind them, the job is far from finished.
Unlike last season, when they finished fifth and won a place into this year's Champions League by virtue of winning the trophy against Bayern Munich, they don't have that back-up option this season. It is simple enough – they have to get within the top four to play in the tournament next season.
If they fail to achieve it, the anger will be directed at the outgoing Benitez (some of it deserved) and at the Chelsea hierarchy but, as usual, the Chelsea players will be afforded sympathy rather than criticism for failing to produce on the pitch.
Rather than listen to the important facts of the manager's words at the Middlesbrough press conference, i.e. that they won't make the Champions League if the support is not united, the playing staff seem even further away from either publicly supporting their manager or offering comforting words to their supporters.
Captain John Terry and stalwart Frank Lampard, the heartbeart of the club on the pitch and more importantly in the changing rooms, have had their disagreements with the beleaguered coach.
Reports of a bust-up between Terry and Benitez arose after a league defeat at Newcastle in February, but were quickly denied by both men. Lampard's contract (or a lack of a renewal) has manifested itself as a major issue as the fans rightly voice their support for one of their most consistent performers.
Benitez has tried to handle both issues with diplomacy and dignity. He has refrained from getting involved in the contractual negotiations with Lampard whilst maintaining that his non-selection of Terry is simply related to nurturing back to match fitness from a knee injury.
Sadly, both men have failed to understand that and seem to have helped turn the tide against Benitez rather than temporarily support him to get the team on winning ways.
Terry's defence of his team-mates after the lacklustre display in the 2-0 defeat at Manchester City was an over-sight as Benitez was vindicated by his views on the basis of the performance.
It is reported that Terry suggested the squad deserved more respect having won the European Cup last year. But it's a European competition that they are no longer involved in and they can't fall back on its success last season to justify poor performances in big matches.
Lampard has been a reliable performer on the field under Benitez's reign; but Benitez needs his two most experienced players to come out publicly to try and call for more unity.
Both have remained faithfully silent, lest they upset their Chelsea supporters even further.
They will face a Manchester United side – who will be looking for a result and performance to mend the broken hearts crushed by Madrid – on Sunday and they need to muster dressing room spirit to get the results they need to finish the season on a high.
If not, Benitez will be gone by the end of the season and new appointment (whoever it maybe) will be forced to spend a year in the Europa League.
It will be utter devastation for owner Roman Abramovich, to go from a competition that brought him into the game, to a competition that is unfortunately viewed as a secondary and less glamorous event.
Benitez, as always, will try his best to meet the demands of the club; but it is now time for his players to step up and meet him half way by delivering more consistent, match-winning performances.


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[Day 13 14 15 16] Leh - Sarchu - Manali - Delhi
This was our return trip back to
Sarchu is in Himachal Pradesh, but looks more like Ladhaki landscape, very windy at night and cold.
Bye Bye Leh! (but where is the zen?.. maybe next year I will find it :-) )
Near Sarchu
Next day ride was Sarchu Manali, The roads were worse in this part becuase of the recent rains in Himachal. That was a back breaking ride, Sojish had a small toss from the bike, nothing serious just a small on on the bad road.Gatta loops!
Reaching manali at and checked in Hotel Beas. me being a regular visitor we were give a good double room on a discounted rate :-) We could have spent a day in manali, but somehow we did not and decide to ride to
Green Manali
Day 16 was the last day of our trip, I was sad :-( I woke up early morning at around and I left the hotel to meet some of my old buddies in Chd. GK and Sojish were still sleeping. I was back to hotel by and they were still sleeping. I decided to ride and reach
Day 17 was also part of the trip but not ride.. We rode to Okhla to ship our bikes to
BTW I got my bike in
Bike's condition after the Ride: Great... :-) engine is as crisp as when I started the ride.
During Ride : NONE
Transportation : broke the Tail Lamp and one indicator
Puncture: 2 times rear, one nail and another a screw.
Things TODO
Change Chain/Sprocket
Change Indicator and Tail Lamp.
Change Oil
Change Rear Brake Shoe.
Trip log at jayansr.blogspot.com


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Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth
This is real history told in a way accessible to the layman but academically sound. Alina's husband John took control of the Lordship of Gower in south Wales in 1320, in an attempt to secure her inheritance. But her father had sold it to the king's favourite, and the king took it back. The Marcher Barons sided with John and rebelled against the king. It eventually led to the king's downfall, but Alina and John paid a heavy price.
Book Details
Ann's interest in local history started when one day she looked at the ruins of Swansea Castle and wondered what it was like when it was lived in. She Googled it and found some fascinating stories, especially the story of Alina de Breos, which she pieced together from multiple sources. Following a major stroke, she spent her recovery time writing a book, Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth.
Some points of interest:
1. Did you know that Swansea was pivotal in the downfall of King Edward II?
2. Did you know that the heir to Gower ended up in the Tower of London?
3. King Edward's baggage, plate, jewels and other treasure was sent to Swansea Castle before he was captured. Most of it was never seen again.
4. The book is beautifully illustrated by a talented artist who was still studying for her degree at the time.
Books by Ann Marie Thomas
Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John
This is real history told in a story-telling style accessible to the layman but academically sound. William de Breos rose to a position of great power and influence as a close confidant of King John, but when his wife revealed John's greatest secret John's revenge was brutal. The fall of the de Breos family was the final spark that lit the fire of Magna Carta and led to the offer of the English crown to the prince of France.
My Stroke of Inspiration
Ann had a stroke in work in May 2010. In the long hours in hospital, she began to write poetry on her mobile phone, laboriously one letter at a time. She had written poetry before, but occasionally. Now it poured out of her, 22 poems in all. Verse, doggerel, blank verse. The poems talk about suffering and patience, therapy and faith. If you are a stroke survivor or know someone who is, these poems will comfort, encourage and inspire you.
Intruders: Flight of the Kestrel Book 1
by Ann Marie Thomas, A M Thomas
Tabitha Enns is given work experience on board the Kestrel, on the adventure of her life, that will push her to the limit. When a hostile alien species are discovered, the Kestrel is sent to make contact, but the crew have problems with their friends as well as their enemies. Why did a dying man say, 'butterfly'? Who is the mysterious injured woman, and what is her connection to the hostile aliens threatening the entire galaxy?
The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter
Did you know King John didn't sign the Magna Carta? He sealed it. Did you know the rebel barons offered the English throne to Prince Louis of France? If John hadn't died, the British Isles might be part of France today. So why is the Great Charter considered to be the dawn of democracy? Find out in The Magna Carta Story, the layman's guide. It contains all the intrigue, tantrums and civil war, what happened afterwards, and why it's so important.


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Conservation Genetics of Five Species of Dionda in West Texas
MetadataShow full item record
Minnows of the genus Dionda (Cyprinidae, Teleostei) inhabit spring-fed streams in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Five nominal species of Dionda (D. argentosa, D. diaboli, D. episcopa, D. nigrotaeniata and D. serena) are found in streams and rivers in central and west Texas. Because Dionda require clean, flowing water, they serve as aquatic indicator species of biological impacts of drought and human water use. Consequently, the ecological and conservation status of species of Dionda are important relative to monitoring habitat deterioration. This study used genetic data from geographic samples of the five nominal species of Dionda in Texas waters to document the conservation-genetics status of populations in each species. Fish were collected in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Data from 585 base pairs of the mitochondrially encoded, protein coding ND-5 gene and from 21 to 33 nuclear-encoded microsatellites were used to assess genetic variation, population structure, historical demography, and genetic effective size of samples of each of the five species. The sample from Independence Creek, initially assumed to be D. episcopa because of its location, was found to be D. argentosa. Results of genetic assays indicate that each geographic sample in each species should be treated as a separate population and managed in a way that preserves the natural diversity found within each species. Genetic data revealed that all of the populations evaluated may be compromised genetically and should be monitored further.
Hanna, Ashley (2011). Conservation Genetics of Five Species of Dionda in West Texas. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from http : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2011 -12 -10274.


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Signage is so widespread and commonplace that we often do not even realize how many we walk past each day. This can be the secret weapon of signs – they're effective because we don't realize their power. A powerful marketing sign should help identify your business and inform about your product. Aesthetics are just as important as the right location and placement for your sign. Signs and event signage is a vital source of information for your customers and a strong branding medium that is cost effective to print. Printing Brooklyn are experts in large format sign printing with state-of-the-art printing presses at your disposal to print high quality and fast turnaround signage to meet your company's needs.
At Printing Brooklyn we offer a wide variety of signs and large format printing including banners, A-frames signs, posters and billboard spec printing. Whether you require attractive and dynamic banners for a trade show, instructive and directional signage for your workplace or studio or a vast and complex network of marketing signage for a large event – Printing Brooklyn has you covered! Our cutting edge large format printing presses are capable of printing on a wide array of substrates and materials including illustration board, foamcore and plexiglass so you can find the right medium for both indoor and outdoor use. Our team is experienced in large format printing and can guide you through the entire process including material selection and placement, to make sure all your event signage printing needs are met.


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Despite not feeling the greatest, I had one of the most productive weekends ever! I stopped by the post office on Friday and picked up some Valentine designs I ordered from the Sanman January newsletter. I kitted all three designs up that afternoon and had two of them stitched and the other started before bedtime. I even pulled out an old Valentine ornament that I hadn't quite finished and got that done too! And then on Saturday, I did the finishing for the three stitched pieces, framed my Mirabilia Valentine fairy, and finished stitching the last of the Sanman designs. And then on Sunday, I "finished" the last design (just had to cut it down and slide it into a tuck) and put all my Valentine decorations up. So yeah, very productive. :)
And now pictures!


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Alexander Pushkin Liter ary Museum established in former Grigory and Varvara Pushkins Markuciai estate residential house, according to Varvara Pushkin's dying wishes. The museum complex consists of 1868. Markuciai built manor house Central (now the Pushkin Literary Museum Building), family Grigory and Varvara Pushkins cemetery in 1906. demolished. Varvara Chapel. The ensemble complements and Markuciai park decorated with the sculptor and architect V. B.Vyšniausko Nasvytis created in 1955 (1992. Moved the view from the park), a monument to the poet A. Pushkin.
More information: http://www.vilniausmuziejai.lt/a_puskinas/en/index.htm


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Toka LeyaVictoria Falls, Livingstone
Find Zambia Safaris
Make Toka Leya part of your safari from
Show price in
per person per night
Toka Leya Camp comprises 12 spacious en-suite safari-style tents (including 3 family tents) with expansive views of the swift-flowing Zambezi River and several islands. Situated in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, just 12 km from Victoria Falls, the camp offers a comfortable base from which to enjoy an array of activities.
The dining, lounge and bar areas offer ample space for relaxation and are complemented by an infinity pool, with meals served on the sundeck, the pool deck and dining room all overlooking the Zambezi.
Stay at Toka Leya on these recommended safaris
10-day wilderness safari in Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Experience the best of the migration and wildlife in Kenya, then travel to Zambia to witness Victoria Falls, ending your adventure at Hwange National Park.
$ 5,785
£ 4,570
€ 5,064
per person10 days
Affordable Vic Falls, Hwange and Mana Pools
Fall under the spell of three prime attractions in Zimbabwe and Zambia – Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park and the Mana Pools
$ 6,690
£ 5,285
€ 5,856
per person9 days
Best of Zambia Luxury Safari
Combine water and wildlife in a journey that takes you from the Victoria Falls to Kafue and South Luangwa national parks – Zambia at its best
$ 7,995
£ 6,316
€ 6,999
per person9 days
Toka Leya Details
Activities offered at the lodgeGame drives (day)
Cultural experience
Guided tour of Livingstone and Livingstone Museum
Guided tour of the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls
River Cruise
Dining/Communal Area
Free High-Speed Internet
Kids Activities
Spa Services
Swimming Pool
Wheelchair Access
Included in your stayMeals: Breakfast
Drinks: Most drinks (excludes certain spirits and wines)
Activities: 2 safari activities per day
Toka Leya Map
Toka Leya's location in Livingstone on Google Maps
Reviews on our safaris in this area
It took one e-mail to Discover Africa (very friendly and competent staff), one phone call for details and one phone call for minor modifications and in the end we had a perfect holiday experience - a magical Botswana safari as they titled…
from Germany
I am giving below my feedback about all aspect of the trip from 24th May to 5th June, 2016. a) Accommodation at Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park and Cape Town was well located with comfortable rooms as…
from India
Thank you Amanda for arranging that my sister could join mid-way through our trip from Cape Town to Victoria Falls. Africa travel is not easy, but your great help made it all possible. My sis and I shared some amazing moments in the Okavango…
Arne Woudstra
from Netherlands
Just a quick note to thank Discover Africa for their services during our recent trip to Zambia. The arrangements went like clockwork.
Robert Hibbert
from United Kingdom
The service received from the staff at Discover Africa was fantastic. Dealing with Megan was a pleasure. She was able to create a unique package for us that both exceeded our expectations and fitted within our budget. My fondest memory was…
Warwick and Tasia
from South Africa


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I introduce you to the perfect little family. There's mom, dad, big brother, and little sister. What makes this even better is that Dad gifted this family session to his wife for mother's day! What a keeper! I don't know a single mother who would turn down pictures of her babies. Mom planned the session …
Tag Archives: Brother and sister Photography
Lupa Kids – Jacky T Photography – Chicago Family Photographer
These two are some of my favorite little models. I always have so much fun with these kiddos and they are great and taking pictures too!!
Warm Fall Family Session | Chicago Family Photographer
It was such a beautiful warm late fall day for our session with this lovely family. We went to the Naperville RiverWalk and had a great time playing in the leaves. I had so much fun meeting this family and getting the chance to capture some memories too. Click on an Image to Enlarge
Family Fun at Cantigny
This family is the picture perfect family. They have the sweetest little boy and gorgeous baby girl and mom and dad are super sweet. I had such a fabulous time during our family session at Cantigny. Come see why….. Click on an Image to Enlarge
Michael and Emily | Chicago Children's Photographer
The part of my job that I love the most is that I get to see my clients grow up. I first met this family at little Michael's newborn shoot last September. Then I saw the whole family this spring at Michael's 6 month shoot and family session. And now I got to photograph the …
The O'Donnell Kids | Chicago Family Photographer
I love getting to see past clients again. I first met these three last fall when the twins Finn and Keegan where only 3 months old, and now they are 1!!! I can't believe how big they are. These two were great for the first 30 minutes then I think they got tired of my …
Emily and Michael | Jacky T Photography
I love seeing my clients again after their newborn sessions. It's the best part of my job. I get to watch them grow! I first met this sweet family for Michael's newborn pictures and now he's 6 months old already! My how time flies! Click on an Image to Enlarge
Two Year Old Twins | Jacky T Photography
It's hard to believe that these two little peanuts were born at 24 weeks. They are now 2 years old and super smart, talkative, and full of energy, they are truly miracles. I had a lot of fun with this session, mom told me that they love playing in tents, so we had to create …
Baby Mason | Chicago Newborn Photographer
I did this little guys pictures the week before Christmas. We were able to get some really nice family shots, sibling shots, and newborn ones in under 2 hours!! He was such a great baby! And his big sister was a doll.
Embrace the Chaos | Jacky T Photography | Family Photography
During the shoot I asked mom how she handled four kids when I have trouble with two, and she said to me, "You just sort of embrace the chaos." I love it! It's so Carpe Diem, and it's the meaning behind photography. Freeze the moment, capture the memories, remember their little faces forever. I had …


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News & Events
Vi Dieu – B.A. in Dance
Spring 2015 graduate followed his instincts and pursued his passion to get dance degree
Vi Dieu graduated on May 15 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and as a member of the Psophonia and Karen Stokes dance companies and director of his own dance crew, United As One.
"My mother was the first to accept my decision in pursuing dance as my career, but my father was a bit more difficult," Dieu says.
His father worried out loud that his son would not find employment with a dance degree and that Dieu's interest in and talent for hip-hop dancing was a passing phase.
"Back then he'd often ask me in Cantonese, 'Are you sure you want to pursue this career? It's not going to be easy for you and you are gonna be broke,'" Dieu says.
Dieu's parents moved the family to Houston from Vietnam when Dieu was only six years old. They like so many immigrant families that came to the United States before and after them wanted a better life for their children. They encouraged educational achievement as the path to that better life and Dieu followed their advice and pursued his studies diligently.
But while learning English, making good grades in school and embracing American culture, Dieu found an aesthetic kinship in the musical and physical vernacular of hip hop.
"My sophomore year in high school, I really got into dance," Dieu says. "At that time, I was intrigued by the b-boy world and the hip-hop culture."
B-boying, also known as breaking and breakdancing, is a style of athletic and acrobatic dancing combining intricate footwork, power moves and freezing that's typically performed to funk or hip-hop music.
Dieu joined the hip-hop dance team at M.B. Lamar High School in Houston – and learned his body could speak in multiple dance languages. The school's Modern Dance team worked closely with the hip-hop team and that interaction introduced him to the diversity of dance techniques.
"Once I had my first performance on stage, my curiosity for dance grew in a different way," he said. "Getting to know the girls in Modern Dance was a fun, learning experience – the way they dance and moved was very different from hip-hop, and piqued my curiosity."
So, in addition to hip-hop dancing, Dieu took a modern dance class in high school.
"This is when I first experienced dance that is from a different world, a dance that was not hip-hop, a dance that speaks a language I have yet to understand," he says.
Dieu chose to attend UH because of the dance program. The School of Theatre and Dance provides the only degree program for dance in the city of Houston.
Once he enrolled at UH, Dieu was once again pushed out of his comfort zone as a dancer – he was required to study and learn ballet.
"Freshman year in UH were some very interesting and even awkward times for me," he recalls. "I never knew pointing my toes would be so difficult."
His technique improved and Dieu was selected to join the UH Ensemble Dance Company, a pre-professional dance company that gives students opportunities to work with local choreographers and gain experience with what it takes to dance professionally.
Through the UH Ensemble Dance Company, Dieu met and began working with the directors of the Psophonia Dance Company and the Karen Stokes Dance Company, and has had the opportunity to perform some of their original works.
"Vi has been a ray of sunshine in our program," says Karen Stokes, director of the UH dance program and artistic/executive director of the Karen Stokes Dance Company.
"While his consistent work ethic and dedication are points of excellence, his natural ability to combine work and joy is the quality that faculty and students alike are drawn to," she says. "Put simply, his joy makes work more fun. We definitely need more Vi's in the world!"
Dieu's direction of his own dance crew, United As One, which is also known as Unason, has honed his choreography skills and business acumen.
"I am busy working with my dance crew in getting ourselves ready for a dance performance during the Asian Film Festival that is happening in Houston on June 20," he says. "The piece I am setting will definitely incorporate a lot of the choreographic tools, ideas, techniques, and dance training I have gotten from the UH dance program."
Now that he is graduating with a degree in dance, Dieu is planning his future and seeking teaching opportunities.
"My parents are pretty happy and proud that I went with my instinct in pursuing this path," he says. "I enjoy it a lot when I show them videos of my performance or videos of me teaching kids how to dance and they have these very big smiles on their face as they watch. It's just a great feeling to know that your parents are proud of you. And seeing them happy makes me the happiest son in the world."
- By Monica Byars


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Dr. Will B. Evans, Jr., Professor of Humanities and Philosophy, University of Arkansas, U.S.A.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's explanation of the text is extraordinarily lucid and cogent in the light of contemporary problems. This edition of Bhagavatam is especially welcome at a time when India's wisdom is needed in the West. I recommend highly this edition of the Bhagavatam to anyone who wishes a sound and practical knowledge of India's spiritual wisdom.


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HOUSTON, Texas --Fires damaged two Houston restaurants in September. One of this year's most eagerly anticipated bars and a favorite spot for Mediterranean cuisine both suffered damage. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either blaze.
Mary'z Lebanese Cuisine, a Galleria staple known for classic dishes like hummus, shawarma, and kabobs, burned on Saturday. ABC13 reporter Miya Shay took a picture of the damage.
OMG just drove by Mary's Lebanese Cuisine on Richmond & it's burned down!! 😥😥 #abc13 pic.twitter.com/etRrj2RSwo— Miya Shay (@miyashay) September 9, 2017
In a statement, the owners vowed to reopen saying, "No one got hurt, and we will rebuild and come back stronger than ever if it's God's willing." The Washington Avenue location remains open.
Read more about both restaurants on CultureMap
Report a typo to the ABC13 staff


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I've been waiting for this 4-day weekend since my vacation in August. I love paid days off!!
I've decided to not post about my eating habits for awhile. I just really haven't been eating good at all. And I know you all are tired of hearing about my fails.
But on a good note...
I finally got a workout in last night. Woo hoo!! I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. Gosh, I love that machine.
I'm supposed to start Losing It For Real's 30 Day Shred Challenge today. I should be able to work out tonight no problem. Even if it's a midnight workout.
The holiday festivities are starting today. The boyfriend's sister's birthday is today and her and her family will be coming over for dinner. Then tomorrow is D-Day and we'll be heading over to her house for dinner. I'm in charge of mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and helping the boyfriend with a key lime pie. I don't know what else we'll be doing this weekend.
Most definitely, we will not be participating in Black Friday. A couple of years ago my boyfriend saved up some money for a plasma tv. We first went to Circuit City at 5 a.m., but they only had limited quantities, so we headed over to HH Gregg but their sale was a joke. So we decided to head to Brandsmart USA. I swear stepping into that store was like stepping through the gates of hell. After we found a salesperson and made our purchase (at an excellent price, I might add) me and the boyfriend got separated. Well, silly me walked back into the store to look for him and it was the worst experience of my life. People were everywhere!! There was no where to walk and the smell of body odor was heavy in the air. I was trapped in the middle of the store, shoulder to shoulder with crazed bargain hunters for a good 10 minutes. I literally almost broke down in tears because I wanted to get out of there and no one was budging out of the way. By the grace of God, I somehow did manage to finally get out of the store. That store seriously traumatized the heck out of me and I don't ever plan on doing a Black Friday ever, ever, EVER again.
Good luck to all you Black Friday shoppers!!
And Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!!
Berbagai Pilihan Investasi Terpercaya dan Aman
2 months ago


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Judy Travis shows us where she shoots itsJudysTime, her YouTube makeup channel.
A desk, equipped with a monitor and light ring, is where Judy films herself applying makeup. Below is a drawer filled with Judy's go-to lipsticks.
Want News and Updates on YouTubers and Vloggers? Want to comment? Follow @FamilyVlogNews on Twitter, on Facebook or Tumblr. #familyvlogs


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Part Two: To market, to market
In part one of this series (Computerworld, March 2) we looked at building a profitable business as being the key to creating a valuable hi-tech business. The key to building a profitable business is to choose the best market, which leads us to consider how we define a market.
A classic marketing definition is a group of similar customers, with the capacity and willingness to pay for something they need or want.
Lets look at each of these points in turn. A group of like-minded customers is an important starting point. Without doubt there are some horizontal markets that are broad and non-specific; think the market for Trade Me and mobile phones. However, most markets are more vertical in nature — think vets, hotels and supermarkets.
The key here is to think of markets as something you would want to shoot with a rifle, rather than a shotgun. Many technical people struggle with this key concept, reasoning that isn't bigger better and shouldn't they therefore make their product appeal to as many people as possible?
The answer is categorically "no" for two main reasons. Consider the complexity alone. Vets are focused on bookings, drugs, surgical procedures and selling pet food. Hotels are concerned about on-line reservations, check in and check out, getting bar bills onto room accounts and charging for phone calls. Supermarkets are concerned with inventory and stock turns, margins, advertising and competitive pricing.
Can you see where we are heading in terms of complexity? Any savvy tech person can build a product to do more or less anything. The issue is more about building a product to build profitability and that almost always means taking a more focused approach.
The second reason has to do with marketing. Imagine for a moment you have built the ultimate product that all vets, hotels and supermarkets will want. How will you sell it to them? There are trade magazines, mailing lists, conferences and trade shows for vets. However, good luck finding a trade show that vets, hotels and supermarkets all attend or a magazine they all read. Also, think about how a vet will feel listening to a recommendation from a supermarket owner.
So we need to consider the capacity and willingness of the target market to pay for something they want or need.
To take the easy part first; we all want an iPhone, a Mercedes and a Lear Jet, but do we really need these. Wouldn't a mobile phone, a Toyota and a seat on an Air New Zealand flight do almost as well? There is a great line of dialogue in the movie Love Actually where the secretary flirting with her boss says, "I don't want something I need. I want something I want — something pretty."
Although many people with a technical background find it counter intuitive, we tend to buy emotionally and then rationalise the decision afterwards.
Remember, we are trying to build a valuable business by building a profitable business and "wants" usually are perceived as more valuable than "needs".
And now, saving the best for last, we come to the capacity and willingness to pay. Those of you who have sold hi-tech product will no doubt be smiling at the irony implied in the difference between capacity and willingness, and the challenge in finding large numbers of customers with both.
As a rule of thumb customers perceive hi-tech products (and services) that increase revenue as much more valuable than those that claim to reduce cost. Apart from the obvious suspicion of vendor claims, most seem to feel that costs are relatively soft and that if the receptionist wasn't doing the backups they would still have to pay her for being there — so claimed staff savings often may not be achievable.
Willingness is also strongly influenced by peer endorsement, which we'll look at more closely in a later article. For now its sufficient to consider that most hi-tech customers tend to cluster around three vendors who most often dominate a single market. In most hi-tech markets the market leader will wind up with 40% or more share, with two others winding up with 20% or more each. Between them that's 80% or more of a given market.
Good news if you are one of the anointed three leaders, hard yards are ahead if you are a minor player.
So the key to selecting the right market is to be certain. Time spent validating assumptions is time well spent. Although for many the urge to get out and build product can be strong, we need to recall that if we want to build a valuable company we need to build a profitable company. And if we want to maximise our chances of success, choosing the right market is far more important than anything else at this stage.
We also need to reflect upon Xerox's invention of the mouse and Apple and Microsoft's successful commercialisation of it. Being first is not as important as being right when choosing your market.
In the early days of the internet I set up one of New Zealand's earliest ISPs. We were the 42nd ISP to launch in New Zealand, but within 10 weeks we were the largest.
O'Hara is chairman of Clarity Commerce, a publicly listed software company based in England, and an independent director of Tait Electronics. Contact him at www.johnohara.co.nz


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85-year-old woman with hands, legs tied for 5 years rescued
Dhenkanal: Rather being offered love, care and affection from her family members, a 85-year-old woman has be lying akin to a dead with her hands and legs tied over the past 5 years.
The story is of Sunadei Mohanty from Kaninthapolia area in Dhenkanal district.
According to a neighbour, Sunadei's family members never take her inside the house, offer her food and she has been subjected to torture by her daughter-in-law.
"She defecated in the open couple of days back and soiled the walls and the doors of the house. Hence we tied her up," said Sunadi Mohanty's grand daughter-in-law.
After OTV team discovered the case, it soon sent the photographs of Sunadei to the district collector. Later, upon the direction of the collector Sunadei was rescued in presence of the town police, magistrate and additional tehsildar.
According to sources, Sunadei was taken to a hospital and after health check-up, the district administration is planning to shift her to a old age ashram.


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The Authority' on Price Action Trading. In 2016, Nial won the Million Dollar Trader Competition. The Forex market comes with its very own set of forex margin call formula one and jargon. The currency exchange rate between two currencies, both of which are not the official how to calculate forex margin call of the country in which the exchange rate quote is given in.
This phrase is also sometimes used to refer to currency quotes which do not involve the U. For example, if an exchange rate between the British pound and the Japanese yen was quoted in an American newspaper, this would be considered a cross rate in this context, because neither the pound or the yen is the standard currency of the U. However, if the exchange rate between the pound and the U. The value of one currency expressed in terms of another. To calculate the leverage used, divide the total value of your open positions by the total margin balance in your account. The deposit required to open or maintain a position.
Used margin is that amount which is being used to maintain an open position, whereas free margin is the amount available to open new positions. Most brokers will automatically close a trade when the margin balance falls below the amount required to keep it open. 03, the spread is the difference between 1. In order to break even on a trade, a position must move in the direction of the trade by an amount equal to the spread. You will need to understand how to properly read a currency pair quote before you start trading them. The exchange rate of two currencies is quoted in a pair, such as the EURUSD or the USDJPY.


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ECG basics in nutshell
Before you start reading an ECG (EKG) it's important that you have some idea : about the basics of ECG/EKG.
- An ecg paper is made of multiple small boxes and this small boxes gather to form big boxes.
- Length of each small box is 1 mm
- Length of each big box is 5 mm
- Each small box is equal to 0.04 sec
- Each big box is equal to 0.04 x 5= 0.2 sec
- Finally, the speed of the ecg recording – 25mm / sec


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Dzire Infosoft Pvt Ltd
Dzire Infosoft Pvt. Ltd is a top notch company in Jaipur. Established over a period of a few years,We have a strong team of marketing .
- Stage Prototype Ready
- Industry IT Services
- Location Jaipur, RJ, India
- Currency INR
- Founded April 2012
- Employees 21
- Website dzireinfosoft.com
Company Summary
Dzire Infosoft Pvt. Ltd is an SME operating in the region of Jaipur since 25th April 2012. In such a short span of time, we have attained innumerable projects and have grown spaciously almost by more than 50% since we started up as a firm. We focus on providing exquisite web based services to our clients, being exquisitely and impeccably target driven.
Kamlesh SharmaMr
Kamlesh is presenting the company in all over India from last two years. He has 12 year experience in Business marketing .Here is the link of his work: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZPTozZWzJjt8saX2Jx2jw


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Today is the end of the moon phase before we greet the new moon of tomorrow. Feel the energy of this spring month of rebirth and renewal.
In Native American belief this is the season of the ever-wise and spiritual wolf, and in Celtic lore the compassionate wolf is the symbol of lunar power and a deep connection with your intuition.
You will listen to and feel the resonance of the moon gong, to focus on the energy of the moon and its healing effect.
In our beautiful candle-lit period hall, experience a calming and rejuvenating soundbath and let the sound of gongs, chimes, singing bowls and sansula clear the heavy energy of the winter and refresh your mind body and spirit to greet the new months ahead.
Diana is a healing gong practitioner and a member of the College of Sound Healing.
Create an account, or purchase membership, today to take advantage of all the features the website has to offer.Register


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Corel VideoStudio 2018 18.104.22.168 Pro Ultimate New Crack Version
Corel VideoStudio 2018 18.104.22.168 Pro Ultimate is an all-in-one video editor that brings together creative editing, advanced effects, screen recording, interactive web video and total disc authoring. Ultra-fast and packed with intuitive tools, it lets you create everything from family movies and slideshows, to fun stop motion animations, and screen recordings of presentations, tutorials and more. Captivate your audience with professional video-editing software, Ultra HD (4K) capabilities and new Motion Tracking technology. Share your videos with native HTML5 video support for the web, DVD, Blu-Ray Disc and mobile devices. Get creative with advanced compositing and stellar creative effects. Tap into the full power of your multi-core processor with unprecedented speed.
Corel VideoStudio 2018 220.127.116.11 Pro Ultimate is a program that can be utilized to edit HD video clips to be rendered into DVD or Blu-ray structure. Films made with Corel Video Studio can simply be exported into different codecs as smartly, akin to the ones which are suitable for cell units or TVs. Use the Forestall Movement Animation characteristic to create inventive movies that characteristic inanimate gadgets or anything else you'll be able to believe. Even three-D movies are an opportunity with Corel Video Studio, simply convert a video in the 2D structure into 3D.
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Corel VideoStudio 2018 22.214.171.124 Pro Ultimate Features:
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- Perfect for all skill levels
- FastFlick easy slideshows and videos
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So i just got a cheap pair of bluetooth headphones from amazon for work. I kept my budget under $40 because i didn't want to take my nice pair of headphones to work and have them get destroyed. After coming through hundreds of styles and brands I decided to go with the Smartomi over-ear bluetooth headphones, with Mic, aptX HiFi Stereo, Soft Protein Earmuffs, Metal Adjustable Headband with a 3.5mm headphone jack just in case your device dose not have bluetooth capability. Lately I have been working 12-13 hour day's so I wanted to make sure I could make it through a day without needing a recharge because taking the headphones off to charge is not an option with how noisy work is. When I saw that the Smartomi got up to 16 hours of battery and read reviews that confirmed it I knew I had to give them a shot. One of the first things I observed when I opened my package is how light the Smartomi headphones are there is nothing to them which is great after 12 hours on the job to not feel the weight of the headphones. Their simple design make them super easy to use one simple click and i can pause what I am listening to and can easily hear coworkers or hit the forward button to skip a song and control the volume without having to grab for my phone. Everything worked right out of the box with no special app or settings needing to be changed, linked up with google assistant immediately allowing me to make and receive call as simple as asking the assistant. I have been using these headphones for two weeks now and have no complaint other than every once in a while I get interference in the bluetooth causing a crackling sound but I feel it is the app I amusing at the moment and not to the fault of the headphones because if I close the app and restart the issue seems to go away. I feel the Smartomi bluetooth headphones deserve a five star review because you are getting way more that you are paying for at a price anyone can afford.
If you would like to get a pair for yourself to try, they are available on Amazon click > Smartomi


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GC writes - We live in a world that loves to be scared. Horror movies come out in floods every year and are met with droves of people seeking the thrill of fear. Unfortunately the Horror genre has become saturated over the past few years with people confusing blood and gore with actual fear. It's not just movies though. Franchises such as Resident Evil have implemented so many new elements into their games it could be easily passed off as an action game rather than its original survival horror badge it still prides itself on. Back in 2010 however, there was a glimmer of hope. Something that should be credited for bringing the Let's Play videos that now fill every corner of YouTube into fashion. Something that brought many to the attention of a Swedish man with an iconic scream. Something that reminded us that it is the fear of the unknown, the fear of the supernatural, the fear of being completely useless that is actual horror. Frictional Games, the folks behind the Penumbra franchise, delivered this glimmer of horrific hope, Amnesia: The Dark Descent. A game that garnered critical acclaim and horrified players worldwide. Now three years later, developer thechineseroom have teamed up with Frictional Games to truly test how hard we will hit the floor screaming. This is Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs. That title is enough to get us hooked. Drool on the keyboard worthy.
Yessss! I'm willing to wait as long as I have to... but Q2 2013 is almost over! I hope they give a release date soon.


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Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Kristen Bell Shares the Secrets to Her "Healthy Relationship" With Dax Shepard
Cue the tears!
Kristen Bell gave the world even more reason to love her when she shared an honest letter about how she maintains a healthy relationship with hubby Dax Shepard.
In an Instagram post shared on Valentine's Day, The Good Place star told her followers that a fan had asked her to write a note for his friends that are getting married. And, of course, the actress was more than happy to oblige.
In the letter, she opted to detail the A-to-Z's of her relationship after telling herself, "Kristen! Wait! You are an old married woman, shouldn't you have some wisdom to share?!"
She told the newlyweds about the benefits of vulnerability in relationships and the "necessary separateness" that creates a successful marriage.
Bell continued on to remind the couple, "In 10yrs, when the dopamine has waned, remember: life is a crazy ride. It's a privilege to go through it with a partner."
The actress added that "loving someone despite their faults, failings, or character defects, is the most powerful loving thing you can do."
Her relationship with Shepard also taught the mother-of-two to "rejoice in what makes the other person happy, and allow them their individual interests."
And the 37-year-old's last piece of advice was to "Know that everyone is doing the best they can with what they've got."
Recently, Bell admitted that they fought all the time in the beginning of their relationship, but that she and Shepard figured it out together. She explained, "The first year you are working out your kinks."
Bell's sage advice will definitely come in handy for the lucky newlyweds!
Watch E! News weeknights at 2am E| 11pm P, only on E!


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February is American Heart Month. The American Heart Association gives 7 simple rules to live better and to take care of your heart. For more information, visit our February issue of Building Strong Families.
- Avoid smoking and using tobacco products. Using tobacco puts yourself and loved ones at a higher risk for heart disease.
- Be physically active every day. Kids should be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Be a role model for your children and be active with them at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet. When you eat a heart-healthy diet, you improve your chances for feeling good and staying healthy – for life! Include colorful fruits and vegetables in every meal.
- Keep a healthy weight. When you shed extra fat and unnecessary pounds, you reduce the burden on your heart, lungs, blood vessels and skeleton.
- Keep your blood pressure healthy. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
- Keep your total cholesterol healthy. High cholesterol contributes to plaque, which can clog arteries and lead to heart disease and stroke.
- Keep your blood sugar healthy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose (or blood sugar) that our bodies use for energy. Over time, high levels of blood sugar can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.
Source: American Heart Association
By: Ashley Svaty


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| Recently found by viaLibri....
The Biology of Crustacea, Volumes 1-4
New York: Academic Press, 1982. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Good. Octavo (23 cm), pp. 319, 440, 479, and 327. Black boards, silver titling, cream colored jackets. Each with illustrations and index. From a 10-volume series. Volume 1 has notes and highlighting, jacket with taped repairs (and taped to boards). Volume 2 with highlighting, all jackets with chips and tears, all boards with light edge wear. All have former owner's name on rear pastedown.
[Bookseller: Elk River Books]
Last Found On: 2017-10-24 Check availability: Biblio
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Saturday, July 9, 2011
Two Wolves
One of my friends asked me to letter this quote for her. I have spent about a week and a half trying to draw two wolves to illustrate this quote. It is obvious to me that I can't paint wolves. The drawing wasn't too bad but the painting was terrible. My husband said they looked like fat horses. Ha ha. I think my friend is going to get this feather! Have a good weekend.
Posted by Jancalligrapher at 9:11 AM
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Fan Videos Season 10 Screen Caps Screen Caps
Mishotes: Quotes from Misha Collins Quote of the Day
Fanfiction Story – The Burden of Cain (Still in Progress/Abandoned)
Set after 9×13 and focuses on the consequences of Dean accepting the Mark of Cain. Hurt!Dean and Care!Sam. All rights to Supernatural, CW. UA (Universe Alteration).
Fanfiction Story – The Mark of Dean (Completed One-Shot)
One Shot set just after 9×22 .
Fanfiction Story – Cain and Abel (Completed One-Shot)
(Dialogue dominant/Short. Set after 9×22.) Sam and Dean argue again, but Dean isn't who he used to be. Demon!Dean
Fanfiction Story – How I Love Now – A Castiel Love Story (Currently Writing)
"Castiel had been content these past 6 months, despite having no grace and living in a world secretly riddled with fallen Angels…"
My Photo Edits
GIFS I have made
My Top Tumblr Posts My Transcripts
30 Days of Supernatural Women
Dean Winchester – A Life through Song Lyrics
Other Things I have Written