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Where the Halling Valley River Lies Chapter One
Carl Halling
For Sale
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Chapter One - The Heroic Life of Phyllis Mary Pinnock
In the Beautiful Valley of Tamar
My paternal grandmother Phyllis Mary Pinnock grew into a remarkably beautiful young woman with dark hair and green eyes, and an exquisitely sculpted mouth.
She'd been born sometime towards the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century, possibly in the Dulwich area of South East London. And given her father had been what is known as a gentleman, which means he forswore all labour, it may have been she was a scion of that part of the upper middle class known as the lower gentry.
And according to my father's account, her first true love David was a scion of the Wilson Line of Hull which had developed into the largest privately owned shipping firm in the world in the early part of the century.
But like so many young men of that dutiful generation, immortalised in cruelly beautiful poems such as Wilfrid Owen's Anthem for Doomed Youth, which speaks to us of "sad shires" decimated by an inexplicable conflict, he died young during the First World War. And she subsequently married an officer in the British army, to whom she bore two children, Peter Bevan, and Suzanne, known as Dinny.
When her children were little more than infants, she elected to join her husband as a tea planter in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. And it was on that breathtakingly beautiful island, in a tough and typically isolated environment that she met the two men, tea planters like herself, who were destined to become her second and third husbands.
They were a British engineer by the name of Christopher "Chris" Evans, and my Danish namesake, Carl Halling.
Carl had evidently once been a successful businessmen within the linoleum industry before some kind of reversal of fortune found him on the famous tea fields of Ceylon, which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once described as being "as true a monument to courage as is the lion at Waterloo."
Mary's third child, my father, was born Patrick Clancy Halling in Rowella, Tasmania, in the beautiful Tamar Valley, but raised as Carl's son in the great city of Sydney.
And according to Pat, Carl and Mary eked an existence in various fields of endeavour, including fruit farming, gold prospecting and real estate. While Mary was at some point a primary school teacher, and another, a journalist for the Sydney Telegraph. But it was a hard life according to Pat, especially after Carl contracted the multiple sclerosis that would ultimately kill him.
One blessing being that all three children were exceptionally gifted musically, Patrick as violinist, Peter as cellist, and Suzanne as pianist And while little more than an infant, Pat won a scholarship to the Sydney Conservatory of Music where he studied with Gerald Walenn, soloing for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on a single occasion when he was still only eight or nine or ten. And one can only imagine the effect it had on his childish nervous system. However, he reserved his true passion for the water, this love of the sea and ships and specifically sailing being a legacy from Mary, who spent much of her adult life by the sea.
Carl died around about the time of the abdication of King Edward VIII which took place in 1936, soon after which Mary and her family set off for Denmark, Carl having expressed a wish to be buried in his native land. And then all three children stayed behind for some time while their mother went valiantly on to London to look for somewhere to live on a permanent basis.
And it was in London that Pat studied both at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, under the tutelage of Rowsby Woof and Max Rostal respectively.
He joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra while still a teenager during the Blitz on London.
And at the same time, he served in the Sea Cadets as a signaller, seeing action as such on the hospital ships of the Thames River Emergency Service, which, formed in 1938, lasted for three years, using converted Thames pleasure steamers as floating ambulances or first aid stations.
But some years prior to Mary settling back in her native London with her children, she'd evidently received a significant sum of money as an inheritance. And it could conceivably be said that doing so resulted in a reconciliation with her hallowed social class, although this suggests some kind of rupture, which may not actually have happened; at least in a spiritual sense.
But what is true is that she was convinced she was descended from a lost branch of an aristocratic family. For when I was a young man, my father would occasionally speak to me of it as a means of boosting my morale, as if I was born for the life of a scholar and athlete of distinction befitting blue-blooded origins.
And in this one respect, I was akin to the legendary movie star Montgomery Clift, whose extraordinary beauty and magnetism could be said to constitute the very quintessence of the aristocratic WASP Prince. For despite being born into a fairly humble middle class family, Clift was a scion of the southern aristocracy according to his mother Ethel "Sunny" Clift.
So Monty and his twin sister and elder brother Brooks were raised as if to the manor born, and educated by his mother and private tutors in both Europe and the US, learning to speak French, German and Italian in the process.
But I never fully believed Mary's story until one day in the 1980s, while my family was being paid a visit by her younger sister Joan, together with her husband, my great uncle Eric, I surreptitiously placed a cassette tape recorder close to the dining table during lunch or supper.
And I did so in the belief that one or another of my parents would quiz her as to the veracity of Mary's longstanding boast of distant blue blood.
If my memory serves me aright, among the truths she revealed about our family that day was that Joan and Mary's paternal great grandfather had been a coachman by trade who'd been left an enormous sum of money by a grateful employer. And this act of philanthropy introduced money into the family for the first time.
Another was that her maternal grandmother's maiden name had been Butler, which allegedly links the family to the Butlers of Ormond, a dynasty of Anglo-Norman nobles named after the Earldom they went on to rule in Munster, Ireland.
And the Butler saga begins in earnest with the Norman Invasions of Ireland, which took place in 1169 on the orders of one Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, one of five kingdoms of pre-Norman Ireland.
The Mystery of Ormonde
But who precisely were these Normans who went on to create one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe and whose territorial conquests would ultimately include not just Ireland, but England, Scotland, Wales, Southern Italy and the island of Sicily?
Unsurprisingly, they are largely Nordic, although believed to have been of mixed Viking, Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock, a mixture which apparently produced an instinct towards elitism and dominance.
And the Norman conquest of England was famously sealed with William the Conqueror's success at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, which introduced a new aristocracy into the country. Which means that the Normans replaced the Anglo-Saxons as the ruling class of England, while becoming part of a single French-speaking culture with lands on both sides of the channel.
And this explains her fierce rivalry with mainland France, as well as the 1842 poem, Lady Clara Vere de Vere, in which Tennyson makes the valid point that "Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith than Norman blood," which of course inspired the classic Ealing comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets, directed by Robert Hamer in 1949.
And what the poem was alluding to was the specifically Norman nature of the English aristocracy. But back to the travails of the Emerald Isle
By the fateful year of 1169, Ireland, a land once given over to the ancient Celtic faith of Druidry and the worship of the Sidhe or Faery Folk, was profoundly Christian, despite a remnant of paganism.
But an invasion had already been authorised as early as 1155 by the first and only English Pope Adrian IV, decision which occasioned centuries of English dominance and Irish misery. While MacMurrough had been forced into exile in 1166 by a coalition of forces led by the High King of Ireland Rory O'Connor, and had fled...allegedly to Bristol first...and then to France.
There are various accounts of what happened next, but it's certain he asked Henry II, first English King of the Norman House of Plantagenet, for help in regaining his kingdom. And after Henry had pledged his aid, began recruiting allies in Wales, with Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, foremost among them. So Ireland was earmarked for invasion.
In 1167, he returned to Ireland with a small army of mercenaries, but it wasn't until '69 that a full-scale invasion by the Anglo-Normans and their Welsh and Flemish allies got under way. And while contemporary accounts refer to the invaders as English, they have also been described as Anglo-Norman, Cambro-Norman and Anglo-French. With the Flemish contingent recruited largely from those Flemings who'd arrived in Britain with William the 1st and had settled in Wales...only to be perceived by the hostile Welsh as English. And also believed to have taken part was one Theobald Walter, patriarch of the Butlers of Ormond.
Two years afterwards, Henry II set foot in Ireland, the first English King to do so, and so High Kingship was brought to an end, to be replaced by over 750 years of English rule.
Henry was an ancestor of future generations of Butlers, and a grandson of William the Conqueror, which may provide a kinship with the mysterious Merovingian dynasty of Frankish Kings.
And when his son Prince John arrived in Ireland in 1185, it was in the company of the said Theobald Walter, whose father had been Butler of England; and so he was appointed Butler of Ireland and given a portion of land in eastern Munster that would become known as Ormond. Thence the name, the Butlers of Ormond.
Around 1200, he married Maud le Vavasour, purported inspiration for Maid Marian, wife of the mythical outlaw Robin Hood, himself allegedly based on Maud's second husband, Fulk FitzWarin.
And they had one son together, Theobald le Botiller, 2cnd Baron Butler, who, by marrying Margery de Burgh, a descendant of both Dermot McMurrough and the legendary Brian Boru, brought royal Gaelic blood into the Butler bloodline. While their sole and only son...also known as Theobald, took Joan FitzJohn as his spouse; and from their union came eight sons, the second of which, Edmund Butler, married Joan FitzGerald of the ancient FitzGerald dynasty.
It was for their eldest son James that the earldom of Ormonde was created for the first time. And his appointment came in 1328, only months after his marriage to Lady Eleanor de Bohun, beautiful grand-daughter of Edward the 1st of the House of Plantagenet, known as the Angevins from their origins in Anjou, France.
Dubbed The Hammer of the Scots, Longshanks was that Anglo-Norman king who'd had Scottish noble Sir William Wallace executed in 1305 for having led a resistance during the Wars of Scottish independence.
While among James Butler's descendants was Anne Boleyn, whose father Thomas, a Butler by matrilineal descent, became Earl of Ormonde in 1528. This having occurred when Piers Ruadh Butler resigned his claim by orders of the king; only to have the earldom restored to him ten years later. Act which heralded the title's third creation.
And by this time, England had become a Protestant nation, and Anglicanism established in Ireland as the state religion, despite the vast majority of the population being Catholic.
And much to Ireland's misfortune, the Butlers became involved with some vicious feuding with their long time rivals the FitzGeralds in the late 1500s. And when the so-called Black Earl Sir Thomas Butler vanquished his own mother's family at the Battle of Affane in 1565, it helped provoke the Desmond Rebellions of 1567-73 and 1579-83, the second of which was bolstered by hundreds of papal troops.
But these were defeated by the Elizabethan Armies and their Irish allies, soon after which the first English Plantations were carried out in a devastated Munster. While the first plantations in Ulster, Ireland's most purely Gaelic region, remained yet in the future.
Of the Supposed Superiority of Nobility
In 1609 the first Ulster Plantation came into being in the wake of the Nine Years War of 1594-1603, which was largely fought between the Kingdom of England and its Irish allies and an alliance of Gaelic clans led by Hugh O'Neill and Hugh Roe O'Donnell. While the latter would ultimately include 6000 Spanish soldiers sent by Phillip II.
The routing of the Ulster Earls led to the famous Flight of the Earls to Europe, the end of the Gaelic Clan system, and the colonization of Ulster by English and Scottish Protestants.
While the next conflict to involve the Butlers of Ormond was the Irish Rebellion of 1641, which was an uprising not of the Catholic Irish, but the Old English, composed of Catholic gentry who'd become more Irish than the Irish themselves. And while the fifth Earl, James Butler, was placed in charge of English government forces based in Dublin, the Old English were led by his own cousin Richard Butler; with the Catholic rebels prevailing.
But in time it mutated into a war between the native Irish and the newly arrived Protestant settlers from Britain...which resulted in the massacre of thousands of Protestants, the precise number being a matter of much debate.
While a year later, James Butler was involved in yet another conflict in the shape of the English Civil War. And being a Royalist sympathizer, he despatched an estimated 4000 troops to England to fight for King Charles the 1st against the Calvinist Roundheads under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell...only to be made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by Royal Appointment in 1643 for his pains.
But by 1649, Ireland had become a stronghold of support for the King; with Ormonde in charge both of the Royalist forces and the Irish Confederation of Old English Catholics and native Gaels; and this had the effect of attracting the hostile attentions of Cromwell and his New Model Army.
And when Ormonde attempted to thwart the English Puritan invaders by holding a line of fortified towns across the country, Cromwell defeated them one after the other, beginning in 1649 with the Siege of Drogheda.
While in the summer of 1650, following a long series of humiliating defeats for the Irish, Ormonde, having been deserted by Protestants and Catholics alike, was urged to leave the country by the Catholic clergy, which he promptly did, seeking refuge in Paris with the exiled Charles II.
Yet, on the Restoration of the Stuart Monarchy in 1660, he was showered with honours by the new King of England, Scotland and Ireland; and was made Duke of Ormonde in the peerage of Ireland in the spring of '61.
But eight year later, he fell from favour as a result, allegedly, of courtly intrigue on the part of Royal favourite James Villiers, the 2cnd Duke of Buckingham. While in 1671, an attempt was made on his life by an Irish adventurer by the name of Thomas Blood; but Ormonde escaped, convinced that Buckingham had put him up to it, although nothing was ever proven.
Then in 1682, he became Duke of Ormonde in the peerage of England, dying four years later in Dorset. While soon after his death, a poem was published that celebrated an essential decency that was never compromised.
One of his sons, the 2cnd Duke of Ormonde, commanded a regiment at the Battle of the Boyne under William of Orange, and took part in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. While his own son was the third and final Duke of Ormonde.
However, the Earldom lasted until the end of the 20th Century, becoming dormant in October 1997 with the death of James Butler the 7th Marquess of Ormonde, who had two daughters, but no sons.
And it may be I'm a distant relative of theirs...and if so, also related to many, perhaps even all of the most blue-blooded families not just in Europe but the entire world.
In the end though, the facts of history entirely fail to attest to the natural superiority of nobility, even though the Bible upholds the authority of parents and the instruments of the state. For God has implemented these as a means of controlling Man's innate depravity, while appealing to his hierarchical instincts and deep-seated desire for order and structure.
But all hierarchies erected by Man in order that one section of society might feel superior to another, whether on the basis of class, race, skin colour or some other false distinction, are Antichrist, because all human beings are created equal in the sight of God.
And there is a theory that those blessed by nobility of birth are in fact less likely to turn to Christ than those from backgrounds of brokenness or poverty. While great beauty or wealth or intellectual distinction can fill its possessors with a sense of self-sufficiency which can lead to a refutation of God.
But my beautiful grandmother Phyllis was ever attached to the notion her family boasted blue blood in spite of a life of unending hardship...much of this attributable to sheer ill fortune. For instance, having married Chris Evans soon after the death of her second husband Carl, she lost him in '49 while they were both out sailing together, the victim of a fatal coronary.
I first met her in the early 1960s when I was still just a small child, by which time she was living on a yacht in the south of France, possibly Nice, or Cannes, a striking figure, slim and tanned, with a magnificent head of the purest white hair. But by about the middle of the decade, she'd moved into her own house, Chartley, named after her former house in Sydney. And situated near the little town of Cambrils on Catalonia's Costa Brava.
And for several years until about '68, our family vacationed with her at Chartley every summer, often with Peter's family. Which is to say, Peter himself, my aunt Marge, and my cousins Rod, a future musician of genius himself, and Kris, known affectionately as Krispy. They resided virtually opposite us in Ramilies Road, Bedford Park, while we were in nearby Esmond Road.
Photos of her from around this time reveal a weather beaten woman with wiry white hair, habitually clad in old and even patched trousers; but she could be sweet when her heart was touched.
She was a fantastic spirit, given to what could be called Celtic whimsy, which may have proceeded from Cornish origins, which her maiden name of Pinnock certainly suggested. Although the Anglo-Saxons are hardly less inclined to this quality, for after all, did they not produce such icons of nonsense as Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll?
By the early '70s, ill health forced her back to Britain, where she lived until her passing in 1973, sometimes with us, and sometimes in her own little cottage in Berkshire. While her constant companions were two mongrel dogs whom she'd rescued from the beach towards the end of her Spanish sojourn.
These were Charlot, who was sandy-coloured and looked a little like a whippet, and Phillippe, who had long pointed ears like those of an Alsatian.
She was an altogether different person in frail old age, much mellowed and desperately vulnerable, writing desolate poetry for my benefit, or watching old movies with me on TV. Such as the sentimental Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Carousel, which she initially dismissed as "slush!"
But the famous climactic tune of You'll Never Walk Alone has a tendency to touch all but the most stoical of hearts, and Mary's was not exempt.
For my part, I'd left the room, possibly to weep softly to myself in some secluded part of my parents' house, only to return to find her in tears. I've never forgotten it.
There were times I was able to share some tender moments with her, but looking back, I wish there'd been more, and oh how she'd have welcomed them. But I was young and strong and thoughtless, with little concern for the trials of the elderly, fact which saddens me today.
For does not the Word of God say in Matthew 25:40, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me..."?
Now I'm almost the same age she was when we first met, and I've come to honour the memory of a brilliant tragic woman, and to feel for her in a way I was never capable of during the brief few years of our acquaintance.
A little before her passing, Phillippe vanished under mysterious circumstances into the English countryside. So Charlot came to live with us on his own in '73; and was subsequently renamed Charlie. He proved a gentle, faithful and loving pet, but with a strong character akin to that of his doting mistress, dying himself in 1983 following a short but valiant battle with declining health.
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text:
Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
(written from a Production point of view)
Summary Edit
- Blurb
- The countdown to the motion picture event of 2013 begins here, in this blockbuster 4-issue prequel mini-series that sets the stage for the upcoming STAR TREK film! Like the best-selling STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN in 2009, this all-new series leads directly into the next movie, with a story by STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci and Mike Johnson (STAR TREK ongoing series), and drawn by the original STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN artist, David Messina! STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS is the can't-miss lead-in to the new adventures of the USS Enterprise crew!
- Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.
Background information Edit
Creators Edit
- Written by:
- Mike Johnson (story and script)
- Roberto Orci (story)
- Artists:
- David Messina (interior art and cover art)
- Marina Castelvetro (ink assist)
- Claudia ScarletGothica (color art, interior and cover)
- Chris Mowry (letters)
- Stephen Molnar (cover art, Enterprise Edition)
- John Rauch (cover color art, Enterprise Edition)
- Erfan Fajar (cover art, Hastings Edition)
- Stellar Labs (cover color art, Hastings Edition)
- Creative consultant: Anthony Pascale
- Editor: Scott Dunbier
Cover galleryEdit
"Countdown to Darkness, Issue 1" had multiple variant covers. The CGC cover was limited to 100 copies and required readers to order 250 editions of regular copies to qualify and receive. The Enterprise Edition cover was limited to 1,701 covers and could be ordered by US and UK readers from StarTrekEnterprise.co.uk. The Hastings cover was exclusive to Hastings Entertainment stores.
External linkEdit
- "Countdown to Darkness, Number One" at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
|Previous issue:
|Next issue:
|First issue in series
|Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness
|"Issue 2"
Community content is available under CC-BY-NC unless otherwise noted.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I was not actually here for this one, but it's still pretty funny anyway. Edited for conciseness (original was 190 lines).
<SolraBizna> aw, freenode doesn't have hop hats
* SolraBizna gives channel operator status to thermoplyae
<SolraBizna> I'm gonna regret this
<Phortiphy> hop hats?
<thermoplyae> probably
<Phortiphy> whut?
<SolraBizna> mode +h, it's like being an operator but lamer
<Phortiphy> ok
<Phortiphy> so +o is operater mode?
<Phortiphy> is taht the same as admin mode?
<Phortiphy> sombody answere plz
<Phortiphy> so, is there a diff between operator and admin modes?
<SolraBizna> yes
<Phortiphy> will you tell me?
<Phortiphy> no
<SolraBizna> yes
<Phortiphy> oh
<Phortiphy> tyvm
<thermoplyae> it's on freenode.net actually
<SolraBizna> if thermoplyae were an admin, he could ban you from the *server*
<thermoplyae> lots of information about freenode is on freenode.net, not entirely a coincidence
<SolraBizna> since he's just an operator, he can only ban you from the *channel*
<Phortiphy> which is feenode, or just this channel?
<Phortiphy> ok
<Phortiphy> ok
[etc etc... this is the premise]
<ahuxley> how old are you Phortiphy?
<Phortiphy> 14
<SolraBizna> not surprising
<Phortiphy> how old are you solra
<thermoplyae> that's why i warned you with your physics engine joke
<Phortiphy> ?
<Phortiphy> lemmie check that topic...
<SolraBizna> I am...
<SolraBizna> Ouch, arithmetic overload.
<Phortiphy> w8, is this the mapping one or physics one?
<thermoplyae> shut up i wasn't talking to you
<Phortiphy> me?
<SolraBizna> Measuring it in vibrations of cesium-133 was a bad plan.
<thermoplyae> yes you
<Phortiphy> sorry
<Phortiphy> how old are you three?
<SolraBizna> Yes. I am 3.
<Phortiphy> plz stop i am asking a serious question
<Phortiphy> actually, nvm
<Phortiphy> because that was a setup to a retort about the age thing
<Phortiphy> but i changed my mind
<Phortiphy> right now, i am here to learn
<Phortiphy> about irc
<ahuxley> to learn?
<SolraBizna> I am somewhere between the ages of 12 and 70, depending on the topic of conversation...
<Phortiphy> and the web in general
<Phortiphy> since you have provided me with ample information
<Phortiphy> i, and my 163 iq will leave you alone
<SolraBizna> sorry, but your IQ isn't 163
<Phortiphy> shit, shouln'tve brought that up
<Phortiphy> >.<
<SolraBizna> people with an IQ of 163 capitalize their "I"s
<Phortiphy> ignore that
<kineticturtle> SolraBizna: I would dispute that
<thermoplyae> i am proof that iq doesn't mean anything
<Phortiphy> i don't want to get into an argument over it
<Phortiphy> i know that
<ahuxley> its not 163
<kineticturtle> I would not dispute that ^
<Phortiphy> let's agree to disagree
<SolraBizna> Although, to your credit, you used the correct pronoun to refer to yourself when most people would've said "me"
<thermoplyae> dispute what
<Phortiphy> and change the subject, thank you very much
<thermoplyae> oh let's not change the subject, you brought it up for attention and now you're gettin git
<kineticturtle> I would dispute that people with IQs of 163 always capitalize their "I"s
<SolraBizna> they don't *never* capitalize their "I"s
<kineticturtle> I would not dispute that Phortiphy's IQ is not 163
<Phortiphy> *hits self multiple times*
* Phortiphy has quit ("I feel strangly depressed... maybe i will go flame somone...")
<ahuxley> back in 5?
* Phortiphy ([email protected]) has joined #alephone
* ChanServ gives voice to Phortiphy
<thermoplyae> oh god hux SPOT ON
<thermoplyae> five minutes
<SolraBizna> huxley wins!
<Phortiphy> fuck
<ahuxley> I know the minds of young ppl
<Phortiphy> lawls
<SolraBizna> within 15 seconds, not bad at all, man
<Phortiphy> ok, thot you guys were gonna go blabbing it to the pfhorums and get everybody pissed at me
<Phortiphy> i'm sorry
<SolraBizna> I'm too hungry to realize that giving out ops at random to anyone who asks for them is bad
<Wrkncacnter> give me ops
<thermoplyae> lol, we thought about it
<SolraBizna> here, cactus, have ops
* SolraBizna gives channel operator status to Wrkncacnter
<Wrkncacnter> heh
<Wrkncacnter> cactus!
<Phortiphy> give me ops
<thermoplyae> where i come from, everyone has ops and people get kicked every 15 minutes or so
<SolraBizna> that's two of four people I have annoying nicknames for
<SolraBizna> next is... turtles
<thermoplyae> it works remarkably well and chat is much more entertaining
* SolraBizna gives channel operator status to kineticturtle
<SolraBizna> and legs isn't here
<Phortiphy> give me ops
<SolraBizna> I don't have an annoying nickname for you, sorry :/
<thermoplyae> i want to see if this actually works
<Phortiphy> "pfhort?" "pfhorty?"
<Phortiphy> fort?
<SolraBizna> those aren't annoying :\
* Phortiphy ([email protected]) has left #alephone (requested by thermoplyae)
<thermoplyae> awwwesome
* SolraBizna removes channel operator status from thermoplyae Wrkncacnter kineticturtle
<SolraBizna> >.>
<SolraBizna> <.<
* Phortiphy ([email protected]) has joined #alephone
<thermoplyae> i /remove'd phortiphy
* ChanServ gives voice to Phortiphy
<SolraBizna> freenode has a /remove?
<thermoplyae> apparently!
* SolraBizna checks UnrealIRCD
<treellama> sweet really?
<Phortiphy> iff you guys hated me you shold have sead
<Wrkncacnter> yeah i like how it said you "requested" him to leave
<treellama> if and only if
<SolraBizna> wow
<SolraBizna> a feature Freenode has that Unreal doesn't
<thermoplyae> me too
<Phortiphy> I GO ON THE FUCKING WEB TO GET AWAY FROM THE SHIT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH AT SCHOOL AND THIS HAPPENS! FUCK YOU!
* Phortiphy has quit (Client Quit)
<thermoplyae> oh wow
<Wrkncacnter> wow, we don't deserve anything we have


text:
Hyundai strives to make ownership as worry-free as possible, which is why we have included 5 years of Roadside Assistance absolutely free, with every new Hyundai. Valid in all 50 states and Canada, if your Hyundai becomes disabled or even if you just lock yourself out, we'll send someone to help you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Effective from the date the vehicle is delivered to the first retail buyer or otherwise put into service (in-service date), whichever is earlier.
- Keys Locked in Car
- Flat Tire
- Dead Battery
- Out of Gas
- Dealer Location
Hyundai Roadside Assistance will tow your vehicle to the nearest Hyundai dealership or authorized service facility if your vehicle is inoperable, even for non-warranty-related tows, such as accidents.
In the event a warrantable mechanical disablement occurs more than 150 miles away from home and your car is disabled overnight due to a repair in process, Hyundai Roadside Assistance will reimburse you for reasonable expenses such as meals, lodging and transportation.
See quick guide for details.
When you call 1-800-243-7766 for Roadside Assistance, please provide the following:
- Your Name
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) - located on the driver's side dashboard
- Vehicle Mileage
- Vehicle Location
- Description of Your Vehicle's Problem
Off-roading is not covered. To receive service the vehicle must be on a publicly maintained road.
Roadside Assistance is not a warranty. For a description of the warranty covering your Hyundai, see the Hyundai New Vehicle Limited Warranty section of the Owner's Handbook. Roadside Assistance is a limited service, provided to help minimize any unforeseen vehicle operation inconveniences.
The Hyundai Roadside Assistance Program does not include reimbursement for any costs/charges for repairs, parts, labor, property loss, or any other expenses incurred as a result of accident/collision, vehicle abuse, racing, vandalism, or other items not covered by the Hyundai New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Also excluded are services for snow tires, repairs to studs, mounting or demounting of snow chains, any fines, fees, or taxes associated with impound towing as a result of any actual or alleged violation of any law or regulation.
Hyundai Motor America reserves the right to limit services or reimbursement to any owner or driver when, in Hyundai Motor America's judgment, the claims are excessive in nature, frequency, or type of occurrence.
Hyundai Roadside Assistance Services are provided through Cross Country Motor Club, Inc., Medford, MA 02155, except in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, where services are provided through Cross Country Motor Club of California, Inc., Medford, MA 02155.
Hyundai Motor America makes no guarantee or warranty regarding Cross Country Motor Club, Inc.'s, or Cross Country Motor Club of California, Inc.'s service and is not liable for the actions of its employees or subcontractors.


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"Limitless" jumps out of the gate, and for 45 minutes takes you on a fun, fast-moving ride through the tortured soul of a struggling writer. But when our hero puts his energies into corporate finance, the action grinds to a torturous pace.
Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) has a book contract, but no book, lives in a petri dish of an apartment in Chinatown and has just been sent packing by his girlfriend, Lindy (Abbie Cornish). One afternoon he happens upon his ex-brother-in-law, a greasy hustler who offers him a small clear pill that he assures Eddie is FDA approved, and will help clear up all his troubles by letting him tap into 100% of his brain's power.
Sure enough, Eddie takes his a hit and bangs out the first 80 pages of his novel in a day - it's finished within a week. Soon he resolves to change the world, but first he needs to make a ton of money to finance his new vision, and so he dives headlong into first day trading and then corporate finance. And with that, things get dull quick. It's a shame, too, because Cooper's transformation from shiftless loser to dynamo to tweaking junkie is seamless.
Director Neil Burger's ("The Illusionist" from 2006) camera races through the streets of New York, imbuing the city and Eddie with the right kind of jangly kinetic energy. And, at first, he manages to work in a few nice touches to drive home Eddie's Wall Street immersion, like the tiles in his ceiling morphing into a giant stock board. But you can only make reading balance sheets interesting for so long, and not even the arrival of Robert De Niro as the menacing financier Carl Van Loon can help.
Eventually, watching Eddie feverishly gobble NZT is reminiscent of that old anti-cocaine ad starring a very young John Michael Higgins: "I do coke so I can work longer, so I can earn more, so I can do more coke..." It's funny at first, but it gets dull quick.
If you've got a four-digit IQ, as Eddie claims to, shouldn't you be able to outsmart a gold-toothed Russian loan shark or anybody else for that matter? Though, as Eddie himself notes, during a beer-fueled discourse on foreign policy, hubris has taken down every empire mankind has ever built: "If the British had said, 'Let's not invade Russia…'"
The film is a modern twist of "Faust," with a touch of Barry Bonds thrown in, that asks, Would you take a drug to succeed? Or more generally, it's a cautionary tale about taking any kind of shortcut to get what you want. If you're going to tackle this question, one that's been kicked around for a few hundred years now, either you need to make a compelling case in favor of selling your soul, or make your story a ripping good time--But Burger and screenwriter Leslie Dixon fall short on both fronts.
Review: "Limitless"? Not Quite
"Limitless" jumps out of the gate, and for 45 minutes takes you on a fun, fast-moving ride through the tortured soul of a struggling writer. But when our hero puts his energies into corporate finance, the action grinds to a torturous pace.


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We've got some new release dates to share with you today:
- The Red Dawn remake will finally open on November 2nd, 2012.
- The feature film version of Pixels, based on the short, is slated for May 17th, 2013.
- Roland Emmerich's sci-fi pic Singularity has been pushed back to November 1st, 2013.
Hit the jump for more info on the films, and to watch the short film version of Pixels.
Back in September, we reported that the Red Dawn remake by stuntman-turned-director Dan Bradley had secured distribution under FilmDistrict, and now we have a firm release date (courtesy of Box Office Mojo). The reboot of the 1984 original stars Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas and Josh Hutcherson as your everyday, average teenagers who must repel the invading forces of North Korea to defend their hometown. Pixels, the feature film written by screenwriter Tim Herlihy (Bedtime Stories) now has a set debut. The Columbia Pictures/Happy Madison project is based on a popular short film. Finally, Roland Emmerich had recently delayed the start of his new project Singularity to work on its script. As such, its release date has been pushed back from May 2013 to November.
Herlihy is a good match with the Happy Madison production company, considering that Adam Sandler has starred in nine feature films credited to Herlihy. It will be interesting to see where he takes the idea that the short film started. Directed by Patrick Jean, it featured video game characters wreaking havoc on New York City and turning everything into pixels.
Singularity is a sci-fi tale about a young man named Adam, whose body is composed of a swarm of nanobots that grant him amazing abilities. Emmerich, known for his epic disaster movies, is revisiting the script he co-wrote with Harald Kloser. As Singularity takes place 40 years in the future and hinges upon technology so advanced it might bring about the downfall of civilization, the team has brought in Ray Kurzweil, a futurist and specialist on AI, to consult. A recent screen test for the role of Adam took place earlier this month, but no casting decisions have been reported as of yet. The project was slated to start production in March, but will undoubtedly be pushed back now. Check out the rest of our Singularity updates here.
Here's the short film Pixels:


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Not Another Toaster specialises in contemporary bridal registry and honeymoon registry services. Wedding couples create their own unique bridal registry list including gifts from any store ... anywhere. And guests can collectively contribute towards larger non conventional gifts, luxury items, honeymoon experiences, home renovations, charity groups or a combination of all of these ... and more.
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List gifts of donations to your favourite charity on your registry. A wonderful way of 'giving back' and asking guests to donate to an important cause.
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Guests love buying dinners out. You can take a photo of the night and include it in your thank you note.
Not Another Toaster is fun for you and your guests. Whatever you decide to use Not Another Toaster for, you and your guests will love it!


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Need Help with 2014 SCM Pratix S15 Handheld Controller12/9
We are in a tough spot. We have a 2014 SCM Pratix S15 CNC Machine and the wires of the handheld device came unsodered. We are willing to send a check to somebody for $50 via Paypal to send us a photo of the inside of the controller. We just need a photo of the schematics so we can resoder the wire. SCM is not being very helpful.
Thank you!
Had the EXACT same thing happen to us. Chord got twisted and ripped all the solder connections out. Luckily it was under warranty and they sent us a new one. I opened up the new one and took a lot of pictures. I'm happy to send them to you and you don't need to worry about the $50. Send me your personal email and I'll get them out ASAP.
We are a few months out of warranty unfortunately.
Thank you for the help.
Hard to believe SCM wouldn't help. I got schematics from them to do the same thing on an old machine about 15 years ago. Sad to hear that.
I have a Busellato Easy Jet- which is the exact same machine with different stickers. I've had a couple of wires rip out too. This handheld device is not built for the rough and tumble of the shop. It's a nice machine but this is one major drawback.
I agree. However, since the incident I have my guys focus on not letting the chord get too twisted. We also frequently check the "pressure nuts" at the bottom of the controller to make sure both of them are tight.
Thank you all for your help on this. Both PDub and John have been very helpful and have spent a lot of their time trying to help us out after going through the exact same problem. Your willingness to help has been amazing.
Unfortunately, it sounds like we have the exact same problem as Pdub and our controller is fried. We are 6 months out of warranty so it looks like we will have to pay to replace all these parts.
The design of this controller is terrible, to allow it to not only break itself but to fry the controller seems like there was no thought put into it at all. We manufacture lighting in addition to cabinetry and millwork and put more design and protection into our strain reliefs on a $90 pendant than the cheap plastic cord lock they put on this controller from SCM.
To address Pdubs point, we rarely ever move this piece. Our tech who set the machine up told us it was expensive so we leave it on the base 99% of the time.
Overall this has been a great machine for us. But to have to spend nearly $10,000 in replacement parts, in addition to the down time this causes. And unless SCM can somehow remedy the situation, I cannot recommend this CNC to anyone.
If this had been a cheap import CNC, this would not have been a surprise. We own 4 large SCM tools including a gang rip from the early 90s that is still running strong. We expected similar quality in this, but this has not met their previous standards.
In regards to their tech support, Johnathan at SCM has been a great help and I have no complaints there.
I agree Peter. Ironically, in the background, the techs call this machine the "Practice" machine!
As an update, I received the new controller and remote. The good news is that it is working order again, so we can continue on with production. However, I noticed something from a few people who responded to this same problem. They changed manufacturers from the old remote to the one they sent me. Along with some minor cosmetic issues, I noticed that all of the electronics and wiring are different inside and look "less" likely to rip out of the circuit board.
From speaking with a few people at SCM and on here, it seems like they have been aware of this problem for some time, and are just hoping their customers warranties run out before this happens. It is disappointing to see that this is how they treat their loyal customers. I have a call and messages in to some of their managers and really hope they will do something to remedy this issue. If not, I for one will not continue to purchase their tools, and will continue to spread this word about their CNC's. I wish I had known about it before we purchased ours.
And I thought I was the only person with an axe to grind against SCM. The more I hear, the more I think they are selling lemons for the price of gold, and leave us stuck with serious issues, some of which seem to be unresolveable even for pay. The post processor issues (forum discussions abound), the lack of good diagnostics, the lack of thought in the features and work process, the inconsistant tech support. So many good features buried in the machine with no one to show us how to use them. The list goes on. See my postings on some of the forums on Woodweb. I think it's time we all rallied together and demanded the service, support and attention we deserve after putting our trust in one of the biggest global manufacturers. Let's face the truth: we are a GROUP of scm users facing the SAME problems. Let's start making some waves and getting the attention of the manufacturer in Italy. We should be demanding DIRECT support, and not be dependant on the competance of each locality, or lack thereof. I believe it all begins with the philosophy of the manufacturer, and they are ultimately responsible for product design, quality and function, and customer support alike. I am still waiting for answers from SCM NA and Italy to my very simple and standard operational questions in this post:
I'm not sure what you have in mind, or how good it will do, but it's not a bad idea. However, you might want to start a new thread about it. Most people won't see it in this one.
Peter and group,
Now to the issue at hand. With regard to Peters post, I hope we have helped you resolve your immediate issue and youre back up and running; Im told that you are. Id like to address a couple of the main points brought out here so we can all be on even ground.
Our technical support number is below and we are here for you. Please call us at this number if there is anything we can do for you. As our customers, we appreciate your business and thank you for choosing SCM products. If for any reason, you feel like you arent getting the support you need, you can ask for the group leader for your specific product line or for me directly.
SCM Group NA: 866.216.2166
Thanks for your direct response to this Brent. As I said in a previous post, I have had great success with your department when I have needed them. All of the techs and Jonathan have been great.
Hi Brent,
a voice from the past...Hi everyone.


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Gershom Scholem wrote an article about the Star of David where he said that
"There is no reason to assume that it was used for any purposes other than decorative".
Uri Ofir wrote a research about the origin of the Jewish Magen David where he said:
"I didn't like the scholarly version presented by Gershom Sholem that every nation needs an emblem and that's why we adopted the Magen David (Star of David). Actually he didn't suggest any solution as regards the origin of the Magen David (Star of David). Beyond that I was convinced that on the level of values it's impossible to educate on the basis of opinions such as this".
These two excerpts led me to assume that Gershom Scholem didn't like the fact that the Star of David was chosen for the Israeli flag but then I found an article by Mark Verstandig who wrote :
"Gershom Scholem, the great Jewish scholar JUSTIFIED choosing the Star of David for the Israeli flag because the Jews were murdered under this sign. This sign has been sanctified by suffering and has become worthy of illuminating the path to life and reconstruction".
I think that the place of the Star of David is on the Israeli flag due to three main reasons:
1. The holocaust (as Gershom Scholem thought)
2. Its origin from the tabernacle Menorah (as Uri Ofir thinks)
3. Most of the Israelis think that's the place where it should be!


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The year is done!!! I can't even believe it
L. Grieveson
Merry Days Kit
P. Knox
Puttin on the Glitz: Cardstock Solids No. 01 Paper Pack
K. pertiet
Pocket Pages Layered Templates No. 10
Frosted Winter Solids Paper Pack
Frosted Winter Paper Pack
Doodledo Arrows Brushes and Stamps No. 03
Studio DD
Readymade Clusters: Christmas No. 01
Readymade Circles: Winter No. 01
Readymade Journalers: Woodside Jangle
Readymade Journalers: Winter Peony
A. Edwards
Holiday Outline Word Art
Birthday Hand Drawn Words Brushes and Stamps


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This website has links to online viewing of all of Frankie's movies (as far as I know) as actor or producer.
However there are a lot of pop-up adverts, and the main Play Now, and below that Play and Download are fake and redirect elsewhere. Instead, below these there are links to other sources, with ratings on whether the link works. The download link (#1) down there doesn't work, but the watch movie (#2 onwards) links do.


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Tray.io's solution allows you to easily integrate endless data sources to Panoply's smart data warehouse with just a few clicks. Easily connect data from Tray.io's tool to leverage Panoply's data management platform for lightning fast analytics and actionable data insights. Choose how often to pull data from your source into Panoply so you're always up to date and in control.
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Microsoft Surface Pro reviews
Other tech
• Michael Dell Says Buyout Is 'Exciting New Chapter' That Will Take 'Time, Patience' – Dell executes its plan to tak the company private in a $24 billion deal that includes Microsoft as a partner. Also Welcome back, Michael Dell: It's time to reclaim your name and A Tale of Two Competitors' Responses to the Dell Buyout
• Instagram Launches Full Image Feed For Web Browsers, Including Commenting And Liking Functions – Instagram continues evolving back to the Web.
• Amazon launches virtual currency, courts developers, engagement – Amazon Coins will be used for in-app purchases on the Kindle Fire. Also Amazon wins broad patent on reselling and lending 'used' digital goods
• OUYA Finds a Friend With Amazon – It's an Android-based game console that was born on Kickstarter.
• Liberty buys Virgin, creating largest broadband company outside China – The combined companies have 25 million customers in 14 countries.
• Pinterest's next funding round could be valued as high $2.5 billion
• Vine gets 17+ age rating, option to report users; finally enables social sharing after videos are posted – In the wake of Vine's porn scandal, the iOS app from Twitter gets labeled as an app for mature users.
• Facebook Vacation: 61 Percent of Users Take Breaks From Site
• Apple to lose iPhone trademark in Brazil: source – In Brazil, the trademark will be granted to a company in that nation that claimed the name first.
• Go Daddy Posts Biggest Sales Day in History After Super Bowl Ads Run – You may have thought Go Daddy's kissing ad was gross, but apparently it was effective.
• Internet 'Under Assault' by Censoring UN, Regulator Says – The FCC warns that the United Nation's telecommunications group is a threat to the open Internet.
• Rupert Murdoch claims Chinese hackers are still attacking the Wall Street Journal – Murdoch makes the claim via Twitter. Also Federal Reserve: We were hacked, but critical operations weren't affected


text: - Account record for sales of goods aboard the Brig Royal Charlotte at Bonivista [Jamaica?] by Captain William Pinniger on behalf of Messrs. Samuel and William Vernon and Thomas Teakle Taylor [of Newport, Rhode Island]. Includes purchases of brandy, gin, bread, and wages for men to bring water for the Brig.


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Santa Sangre
Alejandro Jodorowsky. The name is familiar among cult fanatics, and to some, is one that requires forgiving. Film critics over the years have regarded him as a has-been for the most part, looking only to his most popular works, El Topo and The Holy Mountain, as his redeeming accomplishments. His filmography, while considerably short, is oddly consistent in a strange way. Fando and Lis is fairly well liked, and for a surrealist working very little well-past middle age, having at least a few adored films is something to be proud of. Besides Tusk and Rainbow Thief (both regarded as disasters), Santa Sangre remained his most inaccessible film; I'm sure diehard fans remember their efforts to hunt down bootlegs and imports of these works. For the first time in a very long time, Santa Sangre has been given a formal U.S. release on DVD and Blu-ray, though it was a bit of a letdown to hear that the rumor of a Criterion release was untrue.
The movie has an enthralling background and was made almost two decades after Holy Mountain. It is thought to be his one and only horror film and was produced by Claudio Argento, the brother of Dario Argento. I should add, with no disrespect to Argento fans, that the imagery and use of color in this film far surpasses any Italian horror film to date. The going rumor is that Jodorowsky was inspired to direct the film after meeting a serial killer in real life. So, mixing that with the lack of limitations from an uptight producer, Jodorowsky created a movie that was truly more unique than his others, which also stars his sons and shares similarities with what are thought to be his best works.Continue Reading


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LONDON (Reuters) - The euro slipped towards a two-week low on Monday while shares and Italian bond prices also fell after Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's decision to resign deepened euro zone uncertainty.
Monti announced over the weekend he would resign once the 2013 budget is approved, raising questions over who will take the reins of the euro zone's third largest economy after elections expected in February.
Top European shares on the FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 were down 0.5 percent by 5 a.m. EDT with a 3.5 percent fall on Milan's Ftse Mib .FTMIB and 2 percent on Madrid's IBEX .IBEX flanked by smaller falls in London .FTSE, Paris .FCHI and Frankfurt .DAX.
The euro was down over 0.2 percent at $1.2898, trading towards a two-week low of $1.2876 on Friday, and Italian bonds fell sharply, with yields on benchmark 10-year debt up 27 basis points at 4.82 percent.
"It is disappointing as Monti had gained significant credibility in the markets over the last 12 months and now the whole thing is being questioned," said Audrey Childe-Freeman at BMO Capital Markets in London.
Government bonds of Spain, the other major euro zone economy deep in crisis, also fell and the cost of insuring both Italian and Spanish debt against default rose.
Poor economic data compounded the jitters. French industrial output was much weaker than expected in October and tepid export growth reduced Germany's trade surplus to its lowest level in over half a year.
This pointed to more than a brief, shallow economic dip as Germany's euro zone export markets struggle.
"Besides weak industrial output this is another bleak piece of data that points to contraction in the fourth quarter - and a proper contraction at that," said Thomas Hessler, an economist at HSBC Trinkaus said of the German trade data.
Balancing the European concerns, data from China showed factory output in the world's number two economy accelerated to an eight-month high in November. The upbeat figures followed a surprise drop in U.S. unemployment figures on Friday and allowed investors to look past some more disappointing Chinese trade data.
Copper prices hit their highest in almost two months on the Chinese data, gold firmed 0.2 percent to around $1,707 an ounce and oil snapped five straight days of losses to climb back above $107 a barrel. <O/R><GOL/><MET/L>
"It does appear, based on the evidence of the data, that the Chinese economy has bottomed out," said Ben Le Brun, a market analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney.
In contrast to the later European gloom, Asian equity investors pushed MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS to a fresh 16-month high.
Back in currency markets, the dollar rose about 0.3 percent against a basket of major currencies due to the euro's weakness .DXY although an expected announcement later this week of more Federal Reserve bond buying limited the gains.
Wall Street looked set for a weak open with futures for the S&P 500 indicating a 0.25 percent fall and the Dow seen down 0.1 percent.
Additional reporting by Anooja Debnath in London and; Manash Goswami in Singapore,; Editing by David Stamp


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How does one go about making Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson look like bad actors? It may be the only thing Clash of the Titans succeeds at. Let's take a look.
In this update, heroic grandstanding and cheapo monsters have been replaced with hollow whispering and nifty creature design. Characters come and go as needed with very little reason for being there in the first place. In fact the only reason for most of the characters to exist is to help out during the much advertised scorpion scene or to die stupidly during the incredibly boring Medusa scene. (more…)


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BENEFITING: TeamWoodside
ORGANIZER: TeamWoodside
Team Woodside wrote -
Team Woodside is a community of people helping each other cross the finish line while raising funds to protect orphans.
Why Orphans?
Every child deserves a safe home. Over 2 million Akha people live in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Southern China. Akha orphans are victims of the Southeast Asia sex slave trade. Woodside Bible Church built the Thailand Orphanage, offering a safe and caring environment for orphans. Team Woodside partners with the Thailand Orphanage, helping to create fullness of life for children in need.
How Does It Work?
Team Woodside equips people to make a huge impact on orphans through endurance events, while inviting people into personal journeys of health, physical fitness, and community. Many people want to get in shape and do it for a cause, but don't know where to start. Team Woodside offers a fun and powerful way for people to tackle both. Members of Team Woodside do two things: train for the race and raise funds for orphans. Team Woodside provides training programs and resources, as well as a personal fundraising webpage to help. Team Woodside provides group training, offering team members a place to invite friends.


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LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Former Williams chairman Adam Parr has explained publicly for the first time, and in the novel format of a cartoon book, why he abruptly left the Formula One team just when he had been identified as Frank Williams' heir apparent.
In "The Art of War: Five years in Formula One," the Briton presents an eyewitness account of a period of intense political turbulence and paddock in-fighting from 2006 to his sudden resignation last March.
As he spells out in the 80-page hardback, profound differences with Formula One's octogenarian supremo Bernie Ecclestone over a new commercial 'Concorde' agreement and the future direction of the sport led to him taking a bullet for the sake of the team.
"I had resigned that week, rightly or wrongly believing that Ecclestone had told my board that no Concorde offer would be forthcoming while I was running Williams," wrote Parr of the events of March 25.
"Under the circumstances, I chose to stand down so that the team could make the best deal possible with him. The offer arrived the day after my resignation had been announced."
At the time, Williams explained his departure as Parr wanting "to pursue a better balance in his life".
Little more than six weeks later, Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado - whose arrival at the team had been pushed by Parr - won the Spanish Grand Prix for Williams in the team's first victory in 132 races and nearly eight years.
After their worst ever season in 2011, the former champions were on a sounder footing with the car looking far more competitive, a fresh technical team in place and a stock flotation completed.
Speaking to Reuters from his home in France, Parr said that while his departure had happened overnight the 'genesis' had been building up for much longer and he had wanted to explain that background and cast light on more important issues the sport was still wrestling with.
"The final event of my time in Formula One is not the most significant," he said.
"I think the things that I was fighting for, and the team was fighting for, are fundamentally important and they are not going to go away just because I've gone."
Parr cited the example of 'customer cars', an idea long pushed by Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo and Ecclestone under which big teams would make cars available to smaller cash-strapped outfits to ensure a full starting grid.
Such a development could be fatal for constructors like Williams, who spend tens of millions on development but could lose out to a rival spending a fraction of that amount to run last year's Red Bull or McLaren.
"There is an absence, it seems to me, in the sport of reasoned and deep debate about how things should go," said Parr, a barrister who came from a business background and with a direct style of engagement that was not universally appreciated.
The Briton said he had never contemplated returning to Formula One in any role but was clearly still passionate about the sport.
The book - an intriguing read with the pictures in black and white with occasional splashes of red - is far from combative, containing largely positive thumbnail portraits of the protagonists.
Italian Flavio Briatore, former boss of the Renault team, is lightly mocked for his accent and habit of starting every sentence with 'Mean..'. Ecclestone is noted for a lack of interest in material things, sense of humour and patience.
"There's very little commentary about whether people are right or wrong or what their motives are," said Parr. "I try and let the story tell itself.
The book also contains a foreword by Max Mosley, former head of the governing FIA, who makes the point that "behind the scenes in Formula One is a very strange place.
"You have a group of 10 or so team principals who, if they could only agree on a few sensible rules, would all find themselves in charge of very profitable businesses. Yet they choose to operate in a way which makes life for most of them a desperate struggle to survive, unable to find enough money to compete effectively."
Parr said he had aimed more at sports fans and a broader business readership interested in themes of power-politics, strategy and how people behave in such a competitive environment.
"I wasn't writing it for the paddock at all," said Parr, although F1 insiders will be some of the most avid readers.
He said he had chosen the non-fiction comic book format because "you can write much less and say much more".
"I feel very regretful that I wasn't able to finish what I set out to do...I certainly don't feel bitter or resentful, because it was entirely my own failure in the execution of what I think was a sound strategy not just for Williams but for the sport as a whole," he added.
"People may feel they have won, but I'm not sure they did." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Justin Palmer)


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Baxton Studio Whitney Black Leather Modern Sofa Set
Product Overview
Our Whitney Sofa and Loveseat Set offers heaps of style with no shortage of space to sit! Under the ivory bonded leather upholstery, we've built a support system consisting of s-springs and pocket springs, foam cushions, and a larch and pine wood frame. The backrest cushions are removable and include zippered covers and Velcro attachments. Both the sofa and loveseat frames' backrests are extendable for secure shipping. Black plastic legs finish off a beautiful retro modern sofa set. To clean, dust with a dry cloth and/or use leather conditioner that has first been tested in a concealed area. The Whitney Sofa Set is also available in black (sold separately). Made in Malaysia. Assembly is required.
- Contemporary 2-piece sofa set: 1 sofa, 1 loveseat
- Ivory pearl bonded leather
- High density polyurethane foam padding
- Solid larch and pine frame
- Black plastic legs
- Seat cushions are sewn to the frame
- Back cushions are removable with Velcro attachments and zippered covers
- Backrest flips up/down for secure shipping
- Minor assembly required
- Made in Malaysia
- Wipe clean and/or use leather conditioner
- Also available in black (sold separately)
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Brought up among the whitewash facades and bustling markets of Casablanca, Morocco, Joe Dahan came to LA with a rebellious creative vision that led to the 2001 launch of Joe's Jeans. After a successful denim line, the label expanded into apparel and footwear, bringing along its original fanbase and worldwide attention. With Dahan's guidance and a focus on a vintage-modern aesthetic, Joe's Jeans clothing and denim continue to be a go-to wardrobe win for women all over the globe.


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Health education with an ounce of prevention
Dear friends of education,
Recently, Gov. Scott proposed a budget investment of $50 million from the 2013-14 Florida Families First budget for cancer research activities across the state.
Where is the investment for prevention? What would be the return on that investment?
Interestingly, the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association believe that quality health education programs delivered in our schools can improve the well-being and health of our children and youth.
In the United States, chronic diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality; however, engaging in healthy behaviors, such as participating in physical activity, eating healthy, and avoiding tobacco use, have been linked to prevention of chronic disease.
Research studies provide evidence that promoting and establishing healthy behaviors for younger people are more effective, and often easier, than efforts to change unhealthy behaviors already established in adult populations.
School health education programs can reduce health risk behaviors such as tobacco use, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, drug and alcohol use, as well as actions that increase stress, and risk of injury, and violence. Because these behaviors are amenable to change, quality school health education taught by trained and certified health educators provides the best opportunity to promote positive health behavior among children and adolescents.
New evaluation of health education research shows promise of having a positive impact on academic achievement as it has on health outcomes.
Prevention through education is the key to a healthy future!
In conclusion, the potential for school health education to improve health and save lives is significant.
If we want to keep children and adolescents healthy, it is important to find better ways to provide quality school health education.
Please join our Lee County School Health Advisory Committee in advocating for Lee County students to have access to a quality, equitable health education through policy so they will become healthy community leaders in the future.
Mary Fischer represents District 1 on the Lee County School Board.
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NBA Basketball
Harden scores 34 as Rockets beat Wolves 126-108
NBA Headlines
- Giannis out after having oral surgery
- Down 22, depleted Mavs rally past Jazz
- Suns pound OKC to move to 6-0 in bubble
- Heat, Pacers meet with 4th place on line
- West play-in race to go down to the wire
By TYLER MASON
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Whenever the Minnesota Timberwolves threatened, the Houston Rockets had an answer.
It usually came from long range.
The Rockets hit 10 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 126-108 victory on Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to nine.
"I knew we were making our shots, but that fourth quarter, that's what we're capable of," said Rockets guard James Harden. "I think it was a four-point game and we went on a 12-0. That's how fast it was."
Harden had 34 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Ryan Anderson scored 21 points off the bench as the Rockets (43-13) snapped Minnesota's 13-game home winning streak and pulled within a half-game of the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the NBA. Houston has won 16 of its last 18 games.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 12 rebounds in Minnesota's first home loss since Dec. 16 against Phoenix. Jeff Teague added 25 points and eight assists, and Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 11 points after starting 0 for 6 from the floor.
Minnesota led by as many as 13 in the first quarter before Houston went on a run to take a four-point halftime lead. Trailing by 11, the Rockets used a 15-3 run to take their first lead at 35-34.
Houston used 3-pointers to keep Minnesota at bay throughout the game and then to pull away late. Anderson scored 12 in the fourth quarter, all from 3-point range.
"He shoots it deep, so we have to understand that he shoots it deep," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's probably three feet beyond the 3, so you have to close and have an awareness as to what we're doing."
Anderson hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the period to push Houston's lead back to double digits and hit two more later in the quarter. Harden also connected three times from deep in the fourth. The Rockets as a team connected on 10-of-16 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone.
"Tonight they played a big lineup so we wanted to take advantage of our switches and our mismatches, and we did that," Anderson said.
After turning the ball over four times in the first quarter, the Rockets had just two turnovers the rest of the way. That allowed Houston to get its offense in a rhythm in the second half, when it outscored Minnesota 72-58.
The Timberwolves trailed just 95-91, but Houston hit four straight 3-pointers to take a 107-91 lead in a span of just over two minutes.
Minnesota was just 6 of 23 from deep. Harden and Anderson each hit as many shots from behind the arc as the Wolves did as a team.
"It's very hard when they shoot 3s like that," Towns said. "If they're hitting 3s and we're coming back with 2s, they get a one-point advantage and an up-and-down possession. When they got it rolling like that, it's very hard to stop them."
Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins missed his first 12 field goal attempts. Wiggins entered Tuesday's game shooting 55.6 percent in his previous four games. He finished 2 for 14.
Rockets: Brandan Wright did not play, one day after signing with Houston as a free agent. He played in 27 games for Memphis this season. ... The Rockets have won 16 of their last 18 meetings against Minnesota.
Timberwolves: Towns tallied his league-leading 50th double-double. ... Minnesota is now 16-2 at home this season against Western Conference opponents.
The Rockets' jerseys Tuesday had the team's name written in Chinese characters on the front to celebrate Chinese New Year, which occurs this Friday.
On Thursday, Minnesota will hold Flip Saunders Night in memory of the team's former coach and president of basketball operations who died in October 2015. A banner honoring Saunders will be raised before the game against the Lakers.
Rockets: Visit Sacramento on Wednesday.
Timberwolves: Host Lost Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Updated February 13, 2018


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'Shame' Telluride Review: Michael Fassbender Destroys in Steve McQueen's Second Film
On one level, Shame is about sex addiction, though we never see Brandon (Michael Fassbender) having sex in a bed with a woman who isn't a prostitute. His more typical m.o. is porn on his laptop and wanking in the office bathroom at the Wall Street firm where he works. He's charming and good-looking and has no problems around women, but sex for him is a compulsion rather than an interaction, or even an enjoyable experience. We watch him pick up a beautiful woman at a bar without even trying -- much to the chagrin of his more typically horny boss (James Badge Dale) -- but then they go off and do it under a bridge.
On another level, Shame is about Brandon's relationship with his younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan). Brandon ignores her pleading phone calls, until finally she just shows up at his small, spare Manhattan apartment (along with his job, the only sign that he is a functional human being) and asks to stay. This is his worst nightmare, but he can't say no. They share an affectionate moment while waiting for the subway -- she tweaks him about lint on his coat; he picks it off and puts it on hers -- but it is brief and fleeting. Brandon won't communicate, and he brutally lashes out. She tries in vain to get through to him, a task that takes on increased urgency as the film proceeds. Near the end they have a single-take conversation so brutal and emotionally raw that it nearly made me keel over from the adrenaline shooting through my body. For Sissy, it's like banging against a brick wall that also hits back.
Finally and more fundamentally, Shame is about a man so filled with self-loathing that honest communication with others -- never mind any kind of relationship -- is an impossibility. He might as easily sprout wings and fly. He can't share any part of himself with anyone, romantically or otherwise, because he finds himself disgusting. His urges, compulsions and predilections make him want to vomit. You are hereby invited to imagine what it is like to live this way.
Shame is harsh and difficult to watch, as it must be. It puts Brandon's living hell front and center and never looks away. Fassbender's performance is an instant legend. Brandon says not a single expository thing, beyond at one point revealing that he was born in Ireland and moved to the States as a teen. Everything else that comes out of his mouth -- and it isn't much -- is a lie or a front. Fassbender reveals Brandon's truth entirely without dialogue. It is, appropriately enough, a performance difficult to describe in words.
The film was directed by Steve McQueen, whose feature debut Hunger, also starring Fassbender, rocketed him to the top of the highbrow A-list three years ago. I didn't like Hunger, which stubbornly kept itself at an emotional remove from the audience, and played like art film posturing. With Shame, McQueen has done a 180, plunging us so deeply and wholly into his protagonist's turmoil and despair that it becomes almost unwatchable.
McQueen and his cinematographer, Sean Bobbitt, shoot in lovely, unshowy long takes, getting out of the way and letting us and the actors get cozy with the characters. They regard conversations and silent angst as unflinchingly as they do the sexually explicit material (which is plentiful; an NC-17 rating is assured if the film is even submitted to the MPAA). Manhattan looks desolate and sad here, as it surely would to Brandon. Carey Mulligan and Nicole Behaire, the latter playing the target of Brandon's ill-fated attempt to go on an actual date, are effortlessly real in key supporting roles. Like Fassbender, they are able to suggest a wealth of background that goes unspoken.
Shame's reception among the Telluride audience has been polarized. One woman told me that it is one of the worst movies she had ever seen it. It's "not for everyone," in the irritating sense of the phrase that means it's not for people who think movies shouldn't be difficult or distressing. Do with that information what you will, but miss Shame at your peril. It is astonishing.
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Blog by Linda Wallace
Fun Facts about the First Thanksgiving:
- The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.
- The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.
- The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. It was not a feast, but rather a time when Native Americans helped Pilgrims by bringing them food and helping them build off the land.
- Lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese are thought to have made up the first Thanksgiving feast.
- The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.
Thanksgiving Facts throughout History:
- Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States.
- Sarah Josepha Hale, an American magazine editor, persuaded Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. She is also the author of the popular nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
- Abraham Lincoln issued a 'Thanksgiving Proclamation' on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving.
- In 1939, President Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving would take place on November 23rd, not November 30th, as a way to spur economic growth and extend the Christmas shopping season.
- Congress to passed a law on December 26, 1941, ensuring that all Americans would celebrate a unified Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
- The traditional cornucopia was a curved goat's horn filled to brim with fruits and grains. According to Greek legend, Amalthea (a goat) broke one of her horns and offered it to Greek God Zeus as a sign of reverence. As a sign of gratitude, Zeus later set the goat's image in the sky also known as constellation Capricorn. Cornucopia is the most common symbol of a harvest festival. A Horn shaped container, it is filled with abundance of the Earth's harvest. It is also known as the 'horn of plenty'.
- Thomas Jefferson thought the concept of Thanksgiving was "the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard."
- Contrary to popular belief, Native Americans did not eat cranberries. They did, however, find them extremely useful for dying fabric and decorating pottery.
Fun Facts about Thanksgiving Today
- Each year, the average American eats somewhere between 16 – 18 pounds of turkey.
- Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.
- Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season.
- The night before Thanksgiving is the single biggest day for bar sales in the United States. Bigger than New Year's Eve. Bigger than the Super Bowl. Even bigger than St. Patrick's Day. The big reason is that everyone descends on their hometowns… gets together with their old friends… and goes out to bars.
Fun Turkey Facts
- The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.
- Turkey has more protein than chicken or beef.
- Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clucking noise.
- Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.
- Turkeys have poor night vision.
- Fossil evidence shows that turkeys roamed the Americas 10 million years ago.
- Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.
- Wild turkeys, while technically the same species as domesticated turkeys, have a very different taste from farm-raised turkeys. Almost all of the meat is "dark" (even the breasts) with a more intense turkey flavor. Older heritage breeds also differ in flavor.
- According to the National Turkey Foundation, when Armstrong and Aldrin sat down to eat their first meal on the moon, their foil food packets contained roasted turkey.
- When Columbus discovered North America, he thought the turkey was a type of peacock, which roam India.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from GiftTree!


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The next blocks in Microsoft's SQL Server and appliance-based data-warehouse strategy will be put in place starting this summer.
A Community Technology Preview edition of SQL Server 2008 R2, codenamed Kilimanjaro, will be made available in the second half of this year, Microsoft has said.
CTP is the first opportunity you'll get to test the code for a database Microsoft's promised will have a strong business-intelligence focus and see support for large systems.
Until now, Microsoft had only talked of CTP sometime this year. The company, meanwhile, said Kilimanjaro is on track to ship in the first-half of 2010. SQL Server 2008 shipped more than a year late.
Ahead of the CTP, though, you're going to get a taste of what a really large system running Kilimanjaro looks like: a technology preview of a version of Kilimanjaro for appliances, codenamed Madison, is due this August, Microsoft said.
Madison will use DATAllegro and Zoomix technology - acquired last year - for large scale and detailed analysis. The goal is for Madison to serve up petabytes of data using SMP on hardware architectures from server, big iron and storage specialists Bull, Dell, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, and Unisys.
Kilimanjaro and Madison are more than just the latest installments in an on-going strategy to make SQL Server run on bigger systems and support larger data sets than before. They are an attempt to improve the actual complex analysis of large volumes of data on systems that use SQL Server.
They come as Microsoft's database rival Oracle teamed with HP to last year deliver a massive, parallel, high-speed server and storage system running on Linux. Since then, Oracle's announced its intention to buy Sun Microsystems, and expressed its love for Sun's Sparc architecture, suggesting the company has even bigger data and information appliances in mind.
HP, meanwhile, is working with business-applications giant SAP on a server appliance. Demonstrated at SAP's SAPPHIRE conference, the XML Appliance is based on a quad-socket Xeon server ProLiant DL580 and runs Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10. The appliance is designed to format data in SAP ERP systems into XML ready for use on the web, in reports or other documents.
Against this backdrop Microsoft has promised "new technology" in Kilimanjaro for low-latency complex-event processing, in addition to capabilities for master-data services, application and multi-user management, and a system that will go beyond 64 logical processors. ®


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While most Australian traditions are English in origin, Christmas cards feature native animals such as koalas. Palm leaves, ferns and flowering plants decorate houses during this summer holiday in the Southern Hemisphere.
On Dec. 26, residents celebrate Jonkonnu, a festival that combines English and African elements and dance movements.
Eastern Europe
Ukranians hang spiders and webs on their trees as part of a folkloric tale about a woman who was too poor to decorate her tree so a spider spun webs for decoration during the night. In Russia before the 1917 revolution, an old woman named Baboushka brought children treats. During the Communist era, she was changed to Grandfather Frost. Slovakian children put polished boots in their windows for St. Nicholas to deliver gifts on Dec. 5. Moravians set up Christmas pyramids decorated with a star and shelves, one reserved for a nativity scene. A propeller on top of the structure turns from the heat of the candles on the shelves.
English children wait for Father Christmas to deliver presents. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, brought the custom of tree decorating from his native Germany. The first Christmas cards debuted here in the 1840s. Christmas crackers, small popping cardboard tubes with surprises inside, are popular during the holidays.
The Coptic Church celebrates Ganna (Christmas) on Jan. 7. Ganna is named after a popular game similar to field hockey, which legend says the shepherds played upon hearing of Jesus' birth. Everyone wears white to a church service following a day of fasting.
Young children think of Advent as a calendar with a prize on every day between Dec. 1 and Dec. 25. Originally, Advent was a time to think about the future spiritual events of the season. Advent dates from 490 AD when the Bishop of Tours advocated fasting three days a week for the 40 days prior to Christmas. Extended families gather together after midnight Mass for réveillon, a banquet on Christmas Eve.
Most sources credit Germans for starting the tradition of decorating Christmas trees, eventually bringing that custom to America. Elaborate hand-blown glass ornaments also first appeared in Germany. The German city of Lauscha was the manufacturing center for glass ornaments, although ornament production slowed after it became part of postwar East Germany. Children write letters and lists and leave them for Christkindel (southern Germany) or Weinnachtsman (northern Germany). Many towns hold a Christkindelsmarkt, selling handmade gifts and treats during the holidays.
St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors and fishermen, gives out gifts. Gift giving takes place on Jan. 1, St. Basil's Day, in honor of one of the four fathers of the Greek Orthodox Church. On Epiphany, known as Greek Cross Day, crucifixes are blessed by dipping them into water.
Latin America
Las Posadas, a daily procession that re-enacts Joseph and Mary's search for shelter, is traditionally performed in the days before Christmas. Children leave their shoes in the window on Epiphany for gifts from the Magi. In Mexico, the holiday season ends with Candlemas, a religious ceremony on Feb. 2.
Italian children leave their shoes or stockings near the fireplace to receive gifts on Epiphany from La Befana. They also receive presents from Father Christmas on Christmas Day. Nativity scenes and Christmas pyramids are part of Christmas displays.
Black Peter disciplines naughty boys and girls on St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6), while Sinterklass, or St. Nicholas, rewards good children with candy and gifts.
Because the Philippines is the only Asian nation where the majority of people are Christian, Christmas there is celebrated widely. The season begins on Dec. 16 with the Misa de Gallo, or "rooster's mass." Most families display parols, or star-shaped lanterns, and sing carols.
At midnight on Christmas Eve in Poland, many go to pasterka, or Shepherd's Mass. Afterward, the head of the family breaks an oplatek, a thin wafer made of wheat flour and water with a nativity scene stamped on it. Each family member breaks off a small piece and eats it. Later, they might feast on fish, sauerkraut, potato pancakes and beet soup.
In Scandinavian countries, trees are strung with straw goats. Danes use red-and-white hearts and strings of miniature Danish flags. Finnish children believe that their gift giver, our Santa Claus, lives in Korvatunturi, in the northern part of their country. Swedes honor Santa Lucia on Dec. 13 by selecting a child to dress in a white gown with a red sash. The child wears a wreath on the head with lit candles and delivers traditional food. The tomte, or Christmas gnome, brings gifts on Christmas Day. In Norway, Christmas, or Juledag, is a quiet prelude to Dec. 26, when Norwegians start eating, drinking and celebrating until Jan. 13.
United States
Holiday Food
A typical English meal featured roast goose or turkey, plum pudding and wassail to drink. Waves of immigrants to America have each added their own items to that traditional holiday menu. Fruitcake, for example, has its origins in Ireland, while gingerbread cookies began in the Netherlands and Germany. Spain is notable for its marzipan and Sweden for its lussekatt buns at the festival of Santa Lucia (learn how to prepare traditional Swedish recipes from the book Swedish Cakes and Cookies), while mincemeat is an old English tradition. Feasts also are part of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, of course. And no one who participates in an Italian Christmas Eve ever forgets the seven courses—with eel as one traditional offering. See the box at right for a list of cookbooks that will help you whip up heritage dishes for your holiday feasts.
Pass down your family's holiday traditions, recipes and stories in Family Tree Legacies: Preserving Memories Throughout Time, from the editors of Family Tree Magazine.