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Chapter Four: Convergence Part 1
As Rey stepped foot on his home nation of the Earth Kingdom and looked up into the sky, he knew how bad things were getting. The sky continued to glow, and from the clouds came more and more spirits. They spread out in many directions, but he knew their purpose was the same.
To make humans pay for what they had done.
Rey knew they didn't know better, that the people of the world were more or less being tricked into fighting the spirits, but he knew that most probably wouldn't care. A slight can be forgiven, an insult can be ignored, but an all-out assault started by the death of a spirit? That's too much.
As the four of them got onto land they looked around and saw how the effects of the war was already beginning to show. From all around pillars of smoke, from where cities and villages most likely were, now rose to fill the sky.
"This is bad." said Ena looking around
"How are we supposed to stop all of that?" asked Raya
"We can't." admitted Rey for he knew what was more important at the moment, "If we try and stop them all, which I don't think we could, we'll be giving The Conspiracy what they want. Us tired, and the spirits more angry."
"Oh right, because if we tick off all the spirits they won't help us?"
"Yeah. Add to that the fact that the people might not be swayed by our 'acts of heroism', and thus it won't help us at all if we try."
"So what do we do?" asked Ena
"We focus," said Swift who's personality had grown deadly serious since the sky began to fall, "we need to finish our mission. We rescue the spirits that remain, there are two left. Along the way though we help any and all people and spirits who need us. After that, we head to Ba Sing Se and finish this once and for all."
"Agreed," said Rey, "We help out whoever we can, but we have to keep going. But no matter what we do, we cannot let anyone die because of us. We need allies, not more enemies. Got it?"
Ena and Raya nodded their heads and looked out again at the Earth Kingdom.
"This is not going to be fun." noted Raya
"No. No it will not. Come on, let's get on the bike, we're going full throttle to the next spirit."
Rey, Raya, and Ena hopped into the bike, and Swift ran beside as they sped off into the distance. The two spirits that remained were both on the southern side of the Earth Kingdom. This was good because it gave Rey an easier route to take to Ba Sing Se, in that they wouldn't have to cross the great desert that stood in the middle of the Earth Kingdom. It would've been hard not just on them, but also the bike. Taking this route would be easier, and if something happened, they had a way out that was more likely to succeed.
A while after traveling and their worst fears were being confirmed. They came upon the ruins of a small village that had clearly been decimated by the spirits. But as Rey looked around he noticed that there were energy remains as well, which most likely meant a spirit was lost in the battle too. The casualties were already piling up, and Rey couldn't do much to stop it. Much as he feared oh so long ago, The Conspiracy had realized the truth about the Avatar: they can't be everywhere at once.
He looked upon the ruined village with a feeling of sadness and great anger. This was happening because of them, The Conspiracy, all of this was their fault, but none but a few would see it that way. To the people of this village it was the spirits fault that their home was destroyed, and very few things would change that perspective.
They checked out the village to see if anyone needed help, but there was no one there. Each of them had a look of grim realization when they got back on the bike, this was going to get much worse.
Rey hit the throttle and sped off down the plain. He went as fast as the bike would allow in the hopes that he might be able to stop another attack before it happened. He and Swift kept ever focused as they raced towards the next spirit.
A flash in the sky caught Rey's attention. He slammed on the brakes and the cycle skidded to a halt. Everyone looked up and from the sky two bright lights descended and went towards an area not to far from where they were.
"Rey..." Ena started and looked right at him
"I know, let's go." he said determined
With urgency they flew towards where the spirits touched down on their world. Within minutes they reached a village similar to the one they had seen earlier, it was a little more modern, but overall it was a very traditional village. As they drew closer the sounds of screams and shouts filled the air. Bursts of lights flashed everywhere, Rey knew the spirits were attacking.
They all got off the bike and ran into the village where pandemonium reigned. Everywhere, people where running in all directions trying to escape the rampaging spirits. It was difficult to see who or what exactly was attacking with all the people in the way.
"What do we do?" shouted Raya over the noise of the crowd
"Find out where the spirits are, and contain them the best we can." Rey shouted back, "They may not listen to what we have to say, but they'll focus on us once we take the fight to them."
"And the crowd?" asked Ena
"They're doing a good job of getting out of the way already, besides, they won't listen to us any more than the spirits will. We contain the spirits and give them time to flee on their own. If someone crosses the line of fire, protect them at all costs. No one's going to die cause we weren't careful."
"Yes," spoke Swift, "no more need perish on this day."
Raya and Ena nodded, and Rey tried to find a way to get to the spirits quickly. He soon noticed a low rooftop and pointed to it, all four of them bounded up to the roof and instantly got a better view of the situation. It appeared that only one spirit was attacking, which was weird because Rey knew he had seen two descend from the sky. As he watched for a few seconds he noticed that the spirit was fighting soldiers who were armed with strange weapons that were similar to the ones used to kill the gorilla spirit.
Not wanting to waste time, he pointed to the spirit and everyone began jumping from rooftop to rooftop until they reached a good jump off point and landed on the ground ready for battle.
Rey surveyed the battlefield and saw six soldiers surrounding them and the spirit. The spirit itself was a bear of massive size, it made Rey feel tiny in comparison. It roared as he and the others arrived.
"YES!!! Fear pathetic humans, our ally the Avatar has arrived to see to your end!"
"I'll help you defeat them spirit, but after that we need to talk." stated Rey
"Earn your place in battle and we shall see. Now attack!"
Without waiting for them the bear spirit roared forward and began slashing at the soldiers with it's massive claws. The soldiers dodged and struck the spirit with staffs of metal. Rey saw a light at the end of one of the staffs right before it struck the bear. When it hit the bear roared in pain and fell to the ground.
Not waiting another moment, Rey raised some earth and shot it at the soldiers, knocking them backwards. He pointed at the others to continue the assault while he checked on the spirit.
"What's wrong?" he asked, "What did they hit you with?"
"That weapon," grumbled the bear, "it somehow feeds on my spiritual energy, renders me weak for a few moments. In continued bursts it can kill one of us."
"So that's how they did it."
"They are prepared for us Avatar, but we will not stop fighting, never."
"Rest for a second, we'll take care of this."
Raya, Ena and Swift began attacking the solders. Raya launched her fireballs at the soldier she targeted, but to her surprise the soldier used the staff to deflect the attack, sending to the ground. Ena wasn't having better luck with her target as all her attacks seemed to be absorbed by the soldiers with their staffs.
"What's going on?" Raya called out
Rey realized what must be happening, "The staffs are infused with spirit energy! They must have found a way to use them to stop bending attacks as well! You have to go close range!"
"With pleasure!"
Raya burst forward and went hand-to-hand with the soldiers nearest her. They tried to strike her with their staffs, but she bent out of the way and blasted them point blank with a couple of fireballs. They dropped their staffs in response, and she went over to each in turn and knocked them both out.
Ena chose a different approach and summoned an air tornado and guided it towards a group of soldiers who used their staffs to drain it before they were harmed. This is what Ena wanted though, and with lightning precision she hit them both hard before they realized she was there and sent them to the ground.
The last soldier knowing he was alone turned to run, only to see Swift growling at him. He jabbed his staff at him but Swift dodged, grabbed it in his teeth and shattered it.
"You're out of tricks," he said dangerously to the soldiers, "but I'm not!"
With intensity Swift roared and let out his spirit howl. It caught the soldier and sent him flying into a near by house. He made a dent in the wall, and fell to the ground unconscious.
Their enemies defeated they all reconvened with Rey, who was still tending to the bear spirit. He had transferred some of his energy to help the spirit out. The bear slowly stood and shook off some of the numbness it had been feeling.
"Thank you Avatar. Now, let us go and continue our conquest."
"No spirit, this needs to stop." said Rey firmly
"Stop? We have them on the run, this village flees before us, why would we stop?"
"Because they're innocent! They never did anything to you."
"THEY DECLARED WAR!!!" roared the bear, "They're a part of this, intentionally or not. We need to send a message to The Conspiracy that we will not stop until their reign has ended."
"Don't you see this is what they want?" shouted Rey, motioning to the chaos and destruction around them, "They want you to attack everyone, because as you do, you get people to side with them! The more you attack people who have done nothing to you, the more reason they have to trust them. That's what I'm trying to stop here. I'm trying to get people on our side and you're scaring them into the arms of The Conspiracy."
The bear went quiet, it seemed to be mulling over thoughts in its head, "Your argument is compelling, at least to me it is, the others will not see it that way though."
"I'll convince them one at a time then, but you have to stop this. Attacking the soldiers was one thing, they totally deserve it, but attacking the civilians who are just trying to live their lives is another. You can't hurt them."
The spirit looked away as if regretting something. Rey caught on to this.
"What did you do?"
"Not me, my brother, we both agreed that a message needed to be sent. I was the distraction so that the soldiers would focus on me, my brother was to do something else."
"Like what?" Raya asked, slightly fearing the answer
"They took us as prisoners, we decided to return the favor."
"Oh no." said Ena
"This is not our way brother." said Swift angrier than ever, "It's supposed to be a blessing to enter our world, not a curse!"
"Do not blame me, I did not take them."
"Then who did?"
"Wenika." answered the bear, slightly ashamed
Swift's eyes went wide and he grew afraid, "He came here? Wenika is here?"
"Who's Wenika?" asked Rey
"A very disturbed spirit." said Swift, "One who should never have been allowed to cross over. We need to find him now."
"Ok, fine, where would he be?"
"In the shadows."
Rey wanted to ask more, but Swift ran off in search of the mysterious Wenika. He looked at the girls and motioned to follow.
Looking at the bear spirit Rey pleaded, "Go back to your world, tell any who will listen what I have said. Don't make this worse than it already is. Please."
"Very well Avatar, I will go."
The bear created a portal and stepped through, once Rey was sure he was gone he caught up to the others. They were following Swift throughout the streets of the villages, only stopping when Swift did. Every time he did so, he seemed to be trying to sense the spirit, when he got a trace of its energy he burst off again.
The people of the village ran when they saw them coming, many were afraid because of Swift, they could somehow tell he was a spirit, others shouted when Rey came into view for they recognized his face. He paid no attention to them, for he knew there was much more at stake then their feeling towards them.
After minutes of running around they came to an alley. They looked in and saw little. The position of the sun made the alley be consumed in darkness. Swift and the others stayed out of the alley, but continually looked around it.
"What're we looking for Swift?" asked Rey
"A rat with wings." the spirit replied bluntly
"A rat with wings?" questioned Raya, "Do you mean a--"
"Quiet!" whispered Ena, "Look!"
A person had entered the alley, apparently from the other side, it was a young female carrying a bag of groceries, she walked in the shadows with no fear, and no indication that she was being watched.
"Doesn't she know this place is under attack?" asked Raya
"Maybe she doesn't care." said Rey
The girl continued to walk when behind her a being emerged from the wall closest to her. Rey reacted quickly.
"Look out!"
The girl turned and her eyes grew wide, before she could scream the being grabbed her and dragged her into the ground, disappearing in the darkness. Her groceries dropped and scattered.
Rey and the others ran to where the girl was just standing. He felt the ground hoping there would be an opening to go into, but there wasn't any.
"Is she where I think she is?" Rey asked Swift
"Yes and no." the wolf answered, "She is in the Spirit World, but not in the places you would think to look."
"Then where is she?" wondered Ena
"Wenika is one the spirits that many would consider 'evil'. He was a spirit that believed everyone, both human and spirit, was out to get him. His paranoia consumed him, and it led him to be very, very, dangerous. To protect himself from those who would attack him, he created a cave in the Spirit World to hide himself in. Within there is a maze of caverns and holes where he could hide from his enemies, or place his prisoners to teach them a lesson."
"We need to go there, now." said Rey, "We've got to free the people of this village."
"Agreed. I will take us there. But be warned, this will not be easy, which is why I wanted to try and find him here first. Also, you cannot reason with Wenika, he's too disturbed. If we have to fight him, we make sure he can't strike back before we turn away. Else we'll become one of his prisoners."
"What're we waiting for? Let's go." urged Raya and the others agreed
Swift began to glow, and slowly he pulled him and everyone else into the shadow of the ground. When they emerged they were in the Spirit World, but in no way was it like the other places he had been too.
The area was almost completely dark. A low black glow was the only source of illumination, and Rey had no idea where it was coming from. The faint light illuminated the only landmass in the area: a cave.
"I'm guessing that's it?" asked Rey
"Yes." replied Swift looking at the entrance
"Will our bending work here?" wondered Ena
"Yes, but be careful, this is his domain. Here he is master, here, he is the predator and we are the prey."
"Lovely." noted Raya
"I'll take point, stay close."
Swift began to walk towards the cave with Rey, Ena, and Raya in tow. As the light grew even dimmer, he began to glow as brightly as he could. Yet for some reason it didn't brighten the cave. In fact, it didn't seem to do much more than the light outside. The cave was only slightly lit now, and even with that you couldn't see the top or the sides of the cave, the only thing you could for sure see was the ground.
After walking a bit, it became clear this would be much harder than Rey had imagined, he decided to go for a short cut.
"Swift can you use your spirit vision and see if we can find the people in here?"
The wolf hesitated, "I can try, but that doesn't mean it'll help. I cannot see the paths in the cave, and so seeing the people will be partially helpful at best."
"It's better than nothing."
Swift focused and looked through the cave system. Just as he predicted he could not see the paths of the cave, but he could faintly make out how many were in it. He searched and found seven people scattered throughout.
"There are seven people here. But again, I know not how to find them."
"We can't waste time. We need to split up."
"Is that wise?" asked Ena, "Whoever doesn't go with Swift will be left in the dark."
Raya answered this with her bending and lit her fist on fire, it did about as well as Swift's glow, she did it again with her other hand and had slightly improved the lighting. The added glow showed that there were two tunnels that led deeper into the cave system.
"You were saying?" Raya said with a smug grin
"Your call Swift." said Rey, "You know Wenika better than us, what should we do?":
Swift went into deep thought but reemerged quickly, "We split up. I'll connect with you Rey and give you the positions of the people I saw. We'll stay in contact the whole time."
"What about us?" asked Raya motioning to herself and Ena
"You will come with me Ena, Raya will go with Rey."
"Alright." said Ena
"Fine." said Raya
"Let's all be careful, let the others know every time you found someone." said Rey preparing himself, "After all seven of them are found we'll meet back here. If we're lucky, we won't meet Wenika."
"And if we're unlucky?"
"Then Raya, I don't need to tell you what we'd have to do."
"Just checking."
"Let us go then." said Swift and he and Ena went off in one direction
As Swift's glow vanished, both Rey and Raya lit up one of their hands to light the area. Raya motioned for Rey to go first.
"Gentlemen before ladies."
"Really? Afraid of what's ahead Raya?" said Rey with a small smirk
"Please, I'm not afraid of the dark."
"No doubt. But it's what's in the dark that we should be afraid of."
"You afraid of the spirit?"
"Why?" asked Raya
"Because Swift is afraid, and if he's worried, then so am I."
Rey stepped forward and marched down the opposite tunnel, Raya looked around nervously and followed.
Ena and Swift began going through the dark tunnels in search of the captured. Swift led the way, while Ena followed behind, keeping all her senses open for any sign of movement. Swift used his vision to locate where the people were, and did his best to find the best way to get them.
After a few minutes Ena spoke out quietly, "Are we close to one of them?"
"Yes. Why? Are you getting nervous?" he asked in response
"No. Not in a situation like this."
"I don't understand."
"I was a very nervous person once, around my family, my friends, but then there were times I would just ice up and do something with no consideration for the consequences. Ironically, one of those was when I met Jonn. When he trained me to be an assassin he had me harness that ability so that I could summon that state any time I wanted. It's one of the few things I'm glad he taught me."
"You disapprove?"
"I am not one to judge your life, hindsight as they say is perfect, and that's why many believe they could change their paths if they just knew the right things to do. But that's the trick, if people knew exactly what to do, then they wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place, and thus the lesson is lost. You are who you are Ena, and right now, I wouldn't have you be any different than who you are."
"Is that why you chose me to come with you?"
"I chose you because of how well we worked together in Scear. You knew what to do, and I trusted you because of that, and we were successful. I am asking you to do the same with me now."
"I will Swift. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. It was also the fact that Rey seems to be the only one who can control Raya to a degree. I have enough to worry about without her going gung ho."
Ena let out a small chuckle and continued to follow Swift. Minutes later they came upon an end to the path. As they approached it, a persons outline came into view. It was a young man, he seemed to be asleep, but as they came closer they noticed that he wasn't totally there, he seemed to be like a ghost.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Ena
"Wenika happened," said Swift somberly, "he split this person's spirit so that he couldn't leave under his own power. I will try and restore it."
Swift touched the young man on the head and began to glow brighter than before. The young man too began to glow, and soon became completely corporeal. He was human once more. The young man began to wake and jumped at the sight of Swift and Ena.
Ena put a finger to her lips, "We're trying to get you out, please stay calm. Come with us, there are others who need our help."
The young man nodded and stood up, Swift led the way once more and headed towards another of the captured.
On the other side of the cave system was Raya and Rey, who were having a harder time trying to find the prisoners, as they didn't have Swift's spirit vision to guide them. Rey used the images Swift had given him to guide them on their way, but the twisting paths were making it difficult. Soon though he believed he had a good idea of where one might be.
Before he could tell Raya though he felt Swift enter his mind, he braced himself against the wall as the wolf spoke. Raya saw this and stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"Swift told me that Wenika has split the people's spirit to try and keep them here. They can be brought back, but it'll take some effort on my part." said Rey rubbing his head
"You looked like you were in pain when he told you." noted Raya
"Yeah, something about this place puts a strain on me, the link hurts when he talks, I'm fine, let's keep going."
"You sure?"
Rey laughed, "Are you concerned about me Raya?"
"Yeah, I'm concerned about you quite a bit actually. In here, if you go down, I have no shot of getting out. So I have to look after you."
"Huh, ok."
With that Rey continued onward. Raya didn't seem to be done though.
"Huh what?"
"With you it's never nothing."
"I could say the same for you."
"True, but at least I say what I mean."
Rey turned and looked at her, "That's not always true, and you know it. You've hidden stuff from me just like I've hidden stuff from you. It's only natural after all, we've had issues in the past, and we both have things we like to keep to ourselves. It's in our nature, and that's what makes our friendship work. We respect each others privacy, or we try to. That, and the fact that no matter what we do to each other we always help out when the other is in trouble. Right?"
Raya smiled, "Right."
"Good, let's move on."
She waited for a few seconds and called out, "What have you hidden from me?"
"Oh, like I'm going to let that one go?"
"You will."
"Because I've found someone."
"What? Oh."
Raya reached where he was standing and saw a young girl lying on the ground. They both recognized her.
"Rey, that's the girl we saw get captured."
"Yep. Alright let's bring her back, let's hope this works."
Rey went over to the girl and focused. Swift told him in his head that he needed to focus on the girls energy and try and find the rest of it. He picked up the girls energy, and traced far away to another part of the spirit world. Once he found the other half of the girl, he brought it back and put the two together to be whole once more.
The girl opened her eyes and was confused when she saw Rey, "I know you. I saw you before, before..."
He put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, "You were taken to a dark place, this place, we came to get you, and others that are trapped here. Follow us, we'll get you home."
Rey and Raya helped the girl up and got her steady on her feet.
"I'll contact Swift, there's five more people to find."
For what felt like hours, Rey and Raya, along with Swift and Ena, searched far and wide through the dark caves for the people that had been taken. Some took less time to find then others, while some took what felt like an eternity to locate. Each success brought relief to the four of them, for they knew they were close to the end of this rescue. But the more they explored, the more Rey got worried. For he had neither seen nor heard Wenika, the one who called this place home.
Swift and Ena contacted Rey when the sixth person was found, only one remained. Swift told him that he and Raya were closest to them, so he and Ena would head for the main path and the exit and wait for them. Rey agreed that was wise, and told Raya and the others what they had found out, that there's only one more to go.
"Good." she said bluntly, "I'm tired of this cave, and these people are making me nervous."
Rey looked back and gazed upon the ones they had found, aside from the young girl they found first they also found a boy no older than six and an elderly woman. Thought clearly not related, they all clung to each other as if they were family, each relating to the others their fear in this situation.
"They were taken from their homes Raya and brought to this dark, dark place, that would scare anyone, even me." stated Rey
"I suppose you're right. Regardless, we have one person to go. Do you think we're close?"
He went back to the mental images given to him by Swift and tried to ascertain where they were, after a few moments he felt he understood their location.
"If I'm right about where we are, a few more turns and we'll be there."
"Then let's go."
Rey in front and Raya in back they made their way once more through the winding tunnels. Thankfully, as Rey believed they would, they found the final person. It was middle-aged man, he was propped up against the stone wall as if he was sitting there. Rey performed the transition once more, and after speaking to the man they began to make their way to the entrance.
Soon after heading into the tunnels Rey felt something. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he had a crude suspicion. Though he didn't ignore it, he knew it would do no good to worry the others unless he knew for sure. So he kept his senses open, so that the moment he felt something he could react.
They continued down the tunnels, and again Rey continually got the feeling that something else was there. He had to do something, so he called out to Raya.
"What's wrong?" she asked
He stepped over to the other people and huddled them together, "Do you trust me?"
They seemed confused at first but they nodded.
"What's going on Rey?"
"Do you trust me Raya?
"Of course."
He stepped towards her until they were only inches apart, he spoke to her softly "Where going to turn off the lights, when I say 'now', light up this cave like nothing else. Ok?"
She replied just as softly but with clear determination as to what was about to happen, "He's here isn't he?"
Rey nodded then put out the fire in his hand, then he looked at Raya and grabbed her hand and put the fire out.
The cave went dark, and a deep sound crept towards them, Rey felt the people shake in fear at what was about to happen. Rey positioned himself and Raya around them for protection and waited for the moment to attack, he felt the presence get closer and closer, until...
With a roar Rey and Raya lit up the top of the cave with a torrent of fire that spread all around. The light now all around showed them their enemy.
A spirit, a bat spirit clung to the roof of one of the tunnels. It fell to the ground and stood in front of them in all it's glory. It's wingspan was five feet long and it's body was as tall as Rey, only in the brightness that the cave now shown could Rey and Raya see how tall and wide and deep the caves were, it was a miracle they were able to traverse them at all.
Rey and Raya channeled their attack towards the spirit, the bat shrieked as the light blinded it, and it flew into one of the nearby tunnels to escape the light. Rey and Raya kept up the fire for a while before dimming it down to their hands once more.
"A bat!" shouted Raya, "Of course it's a bat! What would else would live here?"
"Yeah." said Rey, "That thing won't stay there for long, and we're too far into the cave to try and do that attack for a long time. We need to move now."
With urgency they got the others up and ran as fast as they dared through the tunnels. Raya led the way, with Rey keeping a cautious eye on their rear. The spirit was clearly chasing them, as the sound of it's wings now filled the tunnels. Rey would use fireballs to try and keep the bat at bay, but he knew it was getting closer.
Racing through the tunnels caused them to make a possibly fatal error. They made a wrong turn, and it caused them to be lost. Rey connected with Swift and asked for help. Swift was able to find them and began guiding them through the tunnels as best he could, but with unclear paths it would take time to reach the entrance. Rey had to buy them some.
"Raya, keep going, I have to stall Wenika." said Rey scoping out the area
"Are you kidding me? You saw that thing, you need me here." Raya shouted back
"They need you more. Swift will guide you. Get them out!"
"This is getting old Rey."
"Trust me, I know."
Begrudgingly, Raya led the people away from Rey, he waited in an open section of the caves where there were many tunnels to take, many openings for the spirit to appear. Choosing to rely on his other senses, Rey put out his fire and waited.
The shriek of the bat echoed throughout the cave. It hit Rey from all sides, which made him unable to determine where it was.
"You are brave to face me Avatar, but foolish. Very foolish." said Wenika, it's location unknown
"Maybe. But it was just as foolish to bring others here. Especially ones who had done nothing to you." replied Rey calmly
"Nothing? Nothing? My brethren have been hurt and killed by them, by ones like them, should I not defend my own?"
"There's a difference between defending and poaching. You were nowhere near where your fellow spirit, the bear, was fighting. If we weren't there he might've died, you should've been helping him. I don't think you're doing this for them. I think you're doing this for you."
A high pitched laugh now filled the darkness, "You are right, Avatar, I am doing this for me. Long ago I dared to venture into your world, to see the wonder of the night that I had long heard about. But when I entered your world they saw me as a freak. A monster to be killed, to be mounted on a wall as a prize. I warned the others that they would come for us, but they had faith in you. I was one of the few that saw the truth, that when you had your chance, you would take your shot and kill us. And look who was right? Me. Now, to have my revenge I'm going to go from town to town and take as many of your people I can as prisoners, trophies for my walls. I will watch and enjoy watching your people suffer as they see their loved ones disappear before their very eyes."
"I'm not going to let that happen." Rey said defiantly
"How are you going to stop me?" spoke Wenika after a long silence
"Easy...I know where you are."
With a burst of energy Rey blasted the roof with fire once more, and again perched upon it was Wenika. The bat screamed in pain as the fire hit him. Keeping up the assault Rey raised a pillar of earth and smashed it into the bat, pinning it to the roof. Seeing a chance to flee, he ran as fast as he could through the tunnels.
"Swift!" he spoke through his mind, "I have an opening, get me out of here!"
"Follow my lead." replied Swift
Rey followed Swift's instructions as best he could, and felt the wolfs presence as he neared the entrance to the cave. A shriek made him stop though. Wenika was free, and he was coming for him. With both determination and fear driving him, Rey raced for the entrance, he knew he was close when he saw the dim glow of the outside Spirit World. The outlines of Swift and the others filled him with hope.
He shouted at them, "Open the portal and get them through, Wenika is coming!"
Swift did so, and they quickly got the civilians through the portal, Ena and Raya went next. Swift remained, for he had to keep the portal open.
The outside grew bigger, but the sound of flapping wings grew louder. Rey had an idea, but he didn't know if it would work. He told Swift the plan, and he agreed it was the best option.
Running towards the portal Rey felt the gusts of Wenika's wings drawing near. Once in jumping distance Rey lunged for the portal, turned around, and bended the entrance of the cave shut, bringing the roof down and the ground up. Rey had enough time to see Wenika being trapped beneath rubble before returning to his own world.
The light of the sun hurt Rey's eyes at first, it seemed an eternity since he had seen the sun. He sat up, breathing heavily, and saw a large group of people looking at him. He ignored them, but couldn't ignore Raya and Ena checking on him.
"Are you alright?" asked Ena
"Did he get you?" wondered Raya
"Yes, and no." he answered in turn, "I'm pretty sure I got him. Swift?"
"The cave was made so that none could enter without going through the main entrance." spoke the wolf, "With it being sealed, Wenika should be trapped, at least for a while."
Rey exhaled, "Good, that was one freaky bat."
With the girls help he stood up and the crowd looked at him with looks of uncertainty. Some stepped forward and asked Rey questions.
"Why did you help us?"
"Yeah, I thought you were on their side?"
"I am on their side, but I'm also on your side." he answered kindly, "The Avatar is meant to keep balance remember? Both sides are now trying to tip the balance in their favor. It's my job to fix that."
"I'm going to stop the rampage of the spirits, they're acting out of anger because of the actions a few. And then I'm going to Ba Sing Se to stop those who started this, You've been lied to, all of you, all of the world. I don't expect you to believe me, but in the end I hope you will."
Before the crowd could speak a boy from a nearby house popped his head out of the window and spoke, "Hey everyone! Listen to this!"
The boy put a small radio on the window sill and put the volume to max, a news report rang out: "This is Maon Sao reporting to you live from the city of Piturising, the city is under attack from what we believe to be spirits. No less than three are here, but we can't get confirmed reports on that. They seem to be like smoke, and appearing everywhere. They appear to be doing something to the city, but we can't tell what. If anyone can hear this please send help...please...send..."
The feed cut out. The crowd grew silent and all of them looked at Rey, many were angry, some were cautious, even more were unsure of what to say. The young boy that they saved from the caves approached Rey and tugged on his pants.
"Are you going to save them?"
Rey nodded, "Yeah, yeah we are."
Chapter 5 Preview: The Convergence continues! The spirits Rey fears the most are attacking a populated city! What are they planning? Will Rey be able to stop them? Click here and find out!


text:
Lawn Care
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- Grass cutting includes: cutting, weed eating, edging and blowing debris
- Hauling dirt, gravel, mulch and soil for smaller assignment's such as filling in holes, driveways.
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We offer the most competitive prices and will make sure you will be completely satisfied with the way your yard looks!
Thank you for your business!
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"Have it done well with Crowell"

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|148 m²
|Ligging vakantiehuis
|Minimum verblijf
|3 - 7 nachten
Ruime, charmante 1896 huisje op de top van rustig, magische voetpad. Heeft een rustige, "tree-top" te voelen, maar is slechts een 2-3 min. lopen naar het eiland supermarkt, restaurants, cafe, ijs, ferry (Whole Foods levert!) en 8 min. lopen naar Sandy Beach. Ook handig voor bruiloften in de herberg. Ontspannen op de zon of in de open lucht veranda's, een boek van het gas open haard te lezen in de nacht, grill uw diner op het grote achterdek of pop in Portland voor een dagje uit op de veerboot. Nieuwe banken, nieuwe bedden in drie slaapkamers (twee volle, een koningin) en diverse updates maken dit een prachtige huis-weg-van-huis voor uw ontspannen eiland vakantie. Welkom op de kust van Maine!
This was our second of what we hope will become an annual summer stay on Peaks Island in this lovely cottage. We booked our 2015 rental hoping for the best, and all expectations were exceeded, so we were back again this summer for 2 weeks. We love everything about this cottage: the location is close to the ferry & local island restaurants, but far enough from the main roads to be quiet and private. The beds are great. The kitchen, deck, and grill allowed us to entertain family members who visited from Portland (via their own boat) and the 4 who stayed for 2 nights in the extra bedrooms. And the short ferry ride meant that we could make dinner reservations at any of the amazing Portland restaurants and be there & back without a car. The cottage is furnished with all the amenities you'd expect for a rental plus a washer/dryer. We stocked up on groceries at Hannaford's in Portland before taking the car ferry over on our first Saturday and replenished at the little grocery on Peaks, Hannigan's. We had a few meals at the 3 restaurants: the Cockeyed Gull is the best, but the others are fine if you don't want to cook or leave the island. Our visiting family members rented bikes from Brad's, and we all spent some time at the sandy beach (where the water is chilly!). Peaks is the best of both worlds in Maine -- it's close to downtown Portland with all its charm and great dining, and in 15 minutes you're on an island!
owner was very hopeful. great location to ferry. easy walk to everthing on island.
Upon arrival, we had a problem with key pickup but owner quickly responded and resolved the issue.
We especially enjoyed the Cockeyed Gull's fabulous food and service. Enjoyed long walks and sightseeing. The ocean side was a pleasant surprise we discovered on a drive. We took our car over as we travelled many miles to get there but it was not necessary to get around as everything is close at hand.
The first thing about the cottage we noticed was how clean it was. The bed was great, the washer/dryer was a positive aspect, and the radio had several good stations.
Quaint cottage, only two pans in the kitchen though...it made cooking difficult.
This home has that rare "cottage" feel. Not fancy, and even more importantly, doesn't try to be. Just bright, airy, clean, and comfortable. Owners did an excellent job of communicating and letting us know exactly what to expect.
We found it comfortable because of the deck and the front porch. First place we would sit in the morning and evening. The location of the house made it easy to walk to the port or market because of a path that winded down to the main road. In fact there were paths like that to the beach area also. Not having to deal with the main road was a pleasure. The neighbors were mostly owners of the surrounding homes making it quiet and friendlier time. The kitchen was large and would accommodate a large family and cooking was a pleasure there. We used the grill whenever we could. I rented a golf cart before we left for Maine for one day. Actually bikes would have been better to see the island. Proximity to Portland and the ferry service every hour opened up more things to do. Portland has many restaurants and offer a great variety since the island has only about 3. If there was a down side, it would be that the only bathroom was up a steep flight of stairs. But that was not trouble for us since no one was elderly or too young. We would definitely stay there again, for two weeks next time and not one. A great island experience.
|Minimum prijs
|Extra nachten
|Weekend overnachting
2017 High Season
19 jun 2017 - 2 sep 2017
7 nacht minimum verblijf
voor 7 nachten
3 nacht minimum verblijf
voor 3 nachten
|€104,1 + belasting
No pets, non-smoking. In July and August, it's 7 day, Saturday-Saturday rental. There is more flexibility with dates for the low season in September-October.


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Grilling brings our the flavor of summer peaches used in this cobbler and adds a delicate smoky flavor.
We're going to tempt you with this Citrus Margarita recipe from the folks at Sauza, Tequila. There is hardly a flavoring that has not been used to prepare a margarita, from the simple classic, to tamarind, chocolate, prickly pear and countless more. This refreshing version is made simply using fresh lime and orange juices, agave nectar, Triple Sec, and Sauza® Gold Tequila.&nbs...
Summer-up your margarita with fresh blueberries, Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila, agave nectar and fresh lime juice. Read more about how to make margaritas including the history, key ingredients and more recipes.
Chef David Venable brings us this this recipe for a flaky-pastry peach dumpling served with sweet cream.
For a wonderful and healthy berry smoothie look no further. This kale and berry smoothie is both filling and delicious and is easy to make! Substitute any fresh, and preferably organic berry of your choice.


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A reality of wearing lace-up shoes is that the laces will occasionally need to be replaced. No matter how good the shoelaces are, they simply aren't going to last as long as a sturdy pair of shoes. A set of Replacement Laces can extend the life of a pair of shoes.
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©2017 Footwear etc.. All Rights Reserved. For any questions or assistance call 1-800-720-0572.


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The BCEA says you must give at least four consecutive months' maternity leave.
This means your employee can start maternity leave any time from four weeks before the expected date of birth, unless otherwise agreed. The law also says you're not obliged to grant paid maternity leave.
Now the big question is: Can an employee give notice during her maternity leave?
The BCEA has this to say about giving notice during maternity leave
Experts at the Labour & HR Club say that in terms of the BCEA you (employer) can't give notice of termination during any period of leave and you may not allow your employee's notice period to run concurrently with any period of leave.
Important: The BCEA doesn't prohibit your employee from tendering her resignation during any period of leave, which includes maternity leave.
The experts say this means your employee is allowed to tender her resignation while she's on maternity leave. But, her contractual notice period would only start on the day that she returns from maternity leave.
If, for instance, your employee gives notice during her last month of maternity leave, you must tell her that she's contractually required to work her notice period. And you'll take disciplinary action if she fails to return to work as this would be breach of contract.
Also make it clear that if she doesn't return work, you'll be forced to terminate her services.
Now that you know what the BCEA says about employees who give notice during maternity leave, make sure you comply.
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Love Hina volume 3 is the third of fourteen manga volumes that make up the Love Hina manga series. Containing nine chapters, this volume covers Keitaro and Naru's trip through southern Japan from Kyoto to Okinawa.
Originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, these chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series was later released again in a partially colored format known as the "Iro Hina version" ("Color Hina version") at an increased price.
The series was licensed for an English language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop, which released the 14 volumes between May 7, 2002 and September 16, 2003. The series was also licensed for an English language release in Singapore by Chuang Yi and for regional language releases in France and Québec by Pika Édition, in Spain by Glénat, in Singapore by Chuang Yi, in Brazil by Editora JBC, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid, in Poland by Waneko, in Greece by Compupress, in Germany in German, and in Sweden and Norway by Egmont Manga & Anime.
- HINATA 016. Birth of the Tokyo University Couple!
- HINATA 017. Congratulations on Getting Into Tokyo U!
- HINATA 018. A Journey of Sorrow and Youth
- HINATA 019. Heart Flutterings and Mixed Bathings
- HINATA 020. A Virginal Night
- HINATA 021. Oh Me, Oh My! Otohime Appears!!
- HINATA 022. Sorry For Being So Alike
- HINATA 023. Palpitations While Floating Away!
- HINATA 024. Everyone Get Together! The Little Match Girl Plan.
- In the background of one of the panels on page 37, a couple watching Naru and Keitaro look quite similar to ''Final Fantasy VIII'' characters Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly.
- The background image of the Kiyomizu Temple on page 71 would be later reused for the opening image of chapter 29, on page 65-64 of Negima! Magister Negi Magi volume 4.
- On page 108, Naru is referring to the character Rose from the movie Titanic which featured a famous scene of Rose standing at the edge of the boat, looking across the ocean with her lover, Jack (played by Leonardo Dicaprio).
- In the Tokyopop translation of the manga, Pochi is named "Rover" possibly due to both being common names for dogs.
- Juubei Yagyu, mentioned on page 169,
- Included in the Kodansha manga release were seven pages of production information on the Hinata girls.


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Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a Catholic co-educational community based upon the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti. As such, we strive to witness the Pallottine spiritual and social commitment that helps young men and women actualize their unique potential and assume a leadership role in the church and global society.
In the spirit of St. Vincent Pallotti, we as a community strive to
Bishop Eustace Preparatory School
5552 Route 70, Pennsauken, NJ 08109-4798
Phone: 856.662.2160


text:
London : Former New Zealand international Lou Vincent hit a 59-ball 102* for Lancashire as they moved into a share of the lead in the Twenty20 Cup.
Lancashire beat Derbyshire, who scored 153 for five, by nine wickets with 22 balls left at Old Trafford to put them level with Durham at the top of the North Division table.
Vincent made a name for himself by being only the third Lancashire centurion in Twenty20 cricket. For Derbyshire, Wavell Hinds' managed 72 not out.
Freddie set to bowl: England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is set to bowl on Wednesday in Lancashire's Twenty20 Cup match at home to Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old Flintoff did in fact play in Monday's home win over Derbyshire though he neither bat nor bowled as he returned from a seven-week lay-off from a left side strain.
In the other T20 Cup tie for South Div, Hampshire, riding on Lumb's 45-ball 63 and some disciplined bowling up front from Taylor (2/18) and Nantie Hayward (2/24), overwhelmed Surrey by 6 wickets.
Brief Scores:
Derbyshire 153/5 in 20 (Wavell Hinds 72 n o, D Pipe 44; Glen Chapple 2 for 23, Sajid Mahmood 2 for 27) lost to Lancashire 154/1 in 16.2 overs (Lou Vincent 102 n o, Mel Loye 27) by nine wickets.
Surrey 147/7 in 20 (Newman 52, Alex Brown 20; Taylor 2/18, Hayward 2/24) lost to Hampshire 151/4 in 18.1 (Lumb 63, Ian Harvey 34, Mike Carberry 28 n o; Schofield 1 for 27) by six wickets


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Rosario Dawson, Harvey Weinstein and Jessica Chastain chat about possible auction items at the amfAR Gala in Cannes - while Milla Jovovich and Heidi Klum discuss the jewelry thefts during the film festival. (May 24)
|Stars Dazzle at AmfAR Auction
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on Nov 10, 2011 7:18 AM by 898516
The session getattributes lost one row of data in the html input table
Nov 4, 2011 3:23 PM
Deal all,
I have input three rows of data in a html table. But I found
the last row will disappear and lost when it return the data to
backend. I think that maybe caused there is an error checking which
prompts an error and after that , I change the value of the last(3rd)
row and try to save it. The last row disappear in the UI and being not
sent to the back end. Here is my code of the JSP
RosterCodeSetupCommand rosterCodeSetupCommand =
int cmd = rosterCodeSetupCommand.getCmd();
int pageNo = rosterCodeSetupCommand.getPageNo();
EtWorkTime etWorkTime = rosterCodeSetupCommand.getEtWorkTime();
List policyList = rosterCodeSetupCommand.getPolicyList();
As you can see, the EtWorkTime is get from the rosterCodeSetupCommand.
Usually, the rosterCodeSetupCommand will have all the rows in the
table. But now in EtWorkTime, I found last row data is lost.
And in the UI, when I press Save, the last row is disappear. So I
guess the problem is happened in
request.getSession().getAttribute("rosterCodeSetupCommand"); But I
can't figure out what can make the last row lost in this sentence.
Would you mind to give me some hints on what will make this happen and
I will try to trace the code by myself. Thanks.
I have the same question
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Re: The session getattributes lost one row of data in the html input table
Nov 10, 2011 7:18 AM
in response to
I am not sure are you using spring framework or what. if yes you can populate data in command object in referenceData method of simpleformcontroller and that data will be available to the UI.


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|Thread Tools
My book club is having trouble finding interesting books for our 2011 year. Would love to get some suggestions. We are looking for a balance of fiction and non-fiction. Otherwise, anything goes!
Globetrotting mama to DS (9) and DD (6)
i haven't read a lot of nonfic lately, but here are some fiction titles that i've really enjoyed:
Affliction, Russell Banks
A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
The Patron Saint of Liars, Ann Patchett
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
Flesh & Blood, Michael Cunningham
Amy & Isabelle, Elizabeth Strout
Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler
Postcards, Annie Proulx
The Female of the Species, Lionel Shriver
The God of Animals, Aryn Kyle
The Lonely Polygamist, Brady Udall
none of those titles are new releases (except for The Lonely Polygamist which i thought was *awesome*) i did read "Room" by Emma Donoghue and thought it was okay, not one of my favorites, but it has received wide critical acclaim and i could see it being a very good choice for a book club.
Some of my book club's favorites have been:
The Help
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Hunger Games
Molokai (Brennart)
Loving Frank
We read three non-fiction selections last year -- two of them were complete duds. Here If You Need Me (Braestrup) was decent, but not earth-shattering. I really love NF, but haven't seemed to hit on the right ones for book club. We're doing The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down next month.
Happy hunting!
Momma to 8 y.o. DS and 5 y.o. DD. Married to a Maker!
My book club read and loved "These Is My Words" by Nancy Turner. I'm thinking of doing a non-fitcion pick for my next choice- either NutureShock by Po Bronson or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
loved amy and isabelle.
a really great non-fiction was "Enriques journey" about kids coming up to the united states from guatemala through mexico. sad and compelling story.
Some of my book club's favorites have been:
The Help
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Hunger Games
Molokai (Brennart)
Loving Frank
We read three non-fiction selections last year -- two of them were complete duds. Here If You Need Me (Braestrup) was decent, but not earth-shattering. I really love NF, but haven't seemed to hit on the right ones for book club. We're doing The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down next month.
Happy hunting!
also loved this book :)
I started a blog on the books I have read I have a whole section that we have used for book club check it out abooksreview.blogspot.com
My church has a book club, and here are the books they've picked for 2011. I read Cutting for Stone, and I enjoyed it, mostly. So what books did you end up choosing?
Olive Kitteridge (270pp)
Elizabeth Strout
The Art of Racing in the Rain (336pp)
Garth Stein
Deaf Sentence (304pp)
David Lodge
Cutting for Stone (688pp)
Abraham Verghese
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun (341pp)
Peter Goodwin
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet (496pp)
David Mitchell
Remarkable Creatures (320pp)
Tracy Chevalier
Room: A Novel (416pp)
Emma Donoghue
The Hundred Foot Journey (256pp)
Richard Marais
In the Company of Others (416pp)
Jan Karon
In the Dark Street Shineth (56pp)
David McCullough
I read a lot of memoirs. Here are a few that I liked recently:
Double Take by Kevin Connolly - man who was born without legs travels and takes photos of people staring at him.
Atlas of the Human Heart by Ariel Gore - Gore's story of her travels in China and Europe when she was a teenager.
I am Nujood by Nujood Ali - Ali was married against her will and sought a divorce despite the odds. She's about 12 now, I think.
To Timbuktu by Casey Scieszka - Travel memoir of teaching English in China and other travels by recent college grads.
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text: logging in or signing up why learn spanish srawags Download Post to : URL : Related Presentations : Let's Connect Share Add to Flag Embed Email Add to Channel Copy embed code: Embed: Flash iPad Dynamic Copy Does not support media & animations Automatically changes to Flash or non-Flash embed WordPress Embed Customize Embed Use HTTPS URL: Copy Thumbnail: Copy The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites. Views: 5747 Category: Education License: All Rights Reserved Like it (0) Dislike it (0) Added: August 23, 2010 This Presentation is Public Favorites: 2 Presentation Description No description available. Comments Posting comment... Premium member Presentation Transcript : Why learn Spanish? Slide 2: Spanish, Spanish everywhere. There will continue to be an enormous increase in Spanish language usage in the United States. Slide 3: There are over 33 million Spanish speakers in the United States. Over 40% of the population growth will be among the Hispanic people. : The Hispanic population is estimated to approach 50 million by the year 2015. Slide 5: In Europe, Spanish is the second most spoken language, after English. With more than 300 million speakers, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. Slide 6: Only Mandarin, English and Hindi have more speakers than Spanish. If you count only native speakers, Spanish outranks English. : Spanish is an official language on four continents… : …and is the mother tongue in 21 countries. : The sheer number of Spanish speakers and their rate of growth makes learning Spanish a smart choice. : Learning Spanish is actually preventive medicine! Speaking two languages reduces your chances of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. Slide 11: Studying languages can improve your memory and slow age-related decline in mental acuity. Bilingualism enhances mental abilities in both children and older adults. : Learning a second language stimulates creativity! Studying another language makes you smarter! Your critical thinking skills improve as you learn to view things through a different lens. : For many, learning Spanish is rapidly becoming a business necessity. Think of the impact in business when you can speak the native language of 300 million native speakers of Spanish. Learning Spanish will enable you to better communicate with Spanish speaking employees or co-workers. : In North America, Hispanic consumers are the fastest-growing market segment. Having Spanish fluency on your resume will give you an advantage over your competitor. Slide 15: Knowing Spanish is helpful if you work in healthcare or education. The building trades are employing more and more Spanish- speaking workers. : If you are bilingual, you will have more career choices than your monolingual counterpart. : Globalization, with it's free trade agreements, is shrinking the business world. Those who know more than one language will have an advantage. : Learning Spanish will (truly) expand your universe. "…the limits of my language are the limits of my universe..." Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein : As the Hispanic population continues to grow at a disproportionate rate, it becomes more likely that you marry into a Spanish- speaking family, have Spanish-speaking neighbors or encounter Spanish- speaking people in your daily rounds. : Spanish speakers are no longer on just the border states and big cities. Today, nearly all areas have an Hispanic population. Wouldn't it be nice to say hello and chat with your fellow paisanos (countrymen)? Slide 21: Knowing Spanish will completely transform your travel experience. An incredible adventure awaits the traveler who speaks Spanish. : If you only speak English, you will visit only tourist attractions where everyone speaks some English. : When you travel to a Spanish-speaking country, knowing the language will allow you to change from observer to participant. : Knowing how to speak Spanish will enable you to help others. You can help Spanish speakers who don't speak English… …and English speakers who don't speak Spanish. : There are people in Spanish-speaking nations in serious need. : There are people in Spanish-speaking nations in serious need. Slide 27: Learning Spanish will prepare you for taking the next step, Slide 28: --- actually going there and… …making a difference! : Learn a language for language's sake. While Johann Wolfgang von Goethe may have been exaggerating when he said, "he who knows no foreign language, knows nothing of his own," it cannot be denied that by studying Spanish you will without a doubt gain a better understanding of English. : Spanish is a "Romance" language. It is derived from Latin, the language of the ancient Roman Empire. : Since many English words are also of Latin origin, when you learn vocabulary in Spanish you will simultaneously be expanding your English vocabulary. : You will also find that your understanding of the deep meaning of these Latin-based English words is greatly enhanced. : Spanish grammar is similar to English, as well as different. This will raise your awareness of English grammar. : Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn. Because Spanish is nearly phonetically perfect, you can look at almost any word and know how to pronounce it. : If you learn a third language, such as French, Italian, Portuguese or Romanian, already knowing Spanish will be a huge advantage because these languages, too, are Romance Languages. Slide 36: Learning Spanish will allow you to better appreciate Hispanic cultural contributions. Developing a deeper understanding of Hispanic culture is becoming more and more important. : Reading Latin American or Spanish newspapers and magazines will open a window into the Hispanic mind. Slide 38: …to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hispanic literary contributions are monumental. From Miguel de Cervantes … Slide 39: Spanish influence on the fine arts has been substantial. Goya Picasso Dali Velasquez Rivera Slide 40: And…gastronomy! : One feels a great amount of pride and accomplishment when you've worked hard to learn a foreign language. Learning Spanish can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. : Whether your motivations are practical, intellectual or sentimental, learning Spanish is something that will benefit you for the rest of your life! Slide 43: Yo hablo español. : ¿Hablas tú español? You do not have the permission to view this presentation. In order to view it, please contact the author of the presentation.


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Let us know when your receive great advice so we can thank our lawyers and point others with similar questions in the right direction.Got it!
I took my girlfriends car without her permission. I was drinking before I started driving and I don't have a license. I hit a curb and wrecked the car. nobody was in the vehicle with me and I didn,t hit anyone else or damage any property besides my girlfriends car
This question is better classified under another practice area other than Intellectual Property. I have changed it for you.Ask a similar question
You are making a common mistake made by people when they have run afoul of the criminal law. Now is not the time to figure out what the punishment will be; the Commonwealth first has to obtain a conviction before a defendant faces the prospects of any negative sentencing consequences. You best course at this point is to speak privately with qualified criminal defense counsel in your area to determine what defenses you may have open to you and to determine the best strategy to mitigate negative consequences in the event of a conviction. Don't put the horse before the cart and relax in the meantime.Ask a similar question
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Bibliographic details for "Rangers of the North (book)"
- Page name: Rangers of the North (book)
- Author: Tolkien Gateway contributors
- Publisher: Tolkien Gateway
- Date of last revision: 26 June 2014 22:34 UTC
- Date retrieved: 24 July 2017 01:47 UTC
- Permanent link: http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020
- Page Version ID: 250020
Citation styles for "Rangers of the North (book)"
APA style
Rangers of the North (book). (2014, June 26). In Tolkien Gateway. Retrieved 01:47, July 24, 2017, from http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020
MLA style
Tolkien Gateway contributors. "Rangers of the North (book)." Tolkien Gateway. Tolkien Gateway, 26 Jun. 2014. Web. 24 Jul. 2017.
MHRA style
Tolkien Gateway contributors, 'Rangers of the North (book)', Tolkien Gateway, 26 June 2014, 22:34 UTC, <http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020> [accessed 24 July 2017]
Chicago style
Tolkien Gateway contributors, "Rangers of the North (book)," Tolkien Gateway, http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020 (accessed July 24, 2017).
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Tolkien Gateway contributors. Rangers of the North (book) [Internet]. Tolkien Gateway; 2014 Jun 26, 22:34 UTC [cited 2017 Jul 24]. Available from: http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020.
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AMA style
Tolkien Gateway contributors. Rangers of the North (book). Tolkien Gateway. June 26, 2014, 22:34 UTC. Available at: http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020. Accessed July 24, 2017.
BibTeX entry
@misc{ wiki:xxx, author = "Tolkien Gateway", title = "Rangers of the North (book) --- Tolkien Gateway", year = "2014", url = "http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020", note = "[Online; accessed 24-July-2017]" }
When using the LaTeX package url (
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@misc{ wiki:xxx, author = "Tolkien Gateway", title = "Rangers of the North (book) --- Tolkien Gateway", year = "2014", url = "\url{http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Rangers_of_the_North_(book)&oldid=250020}", note = "[Online; accessed 24-July-2017]" }
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This holiday season the Volusia County Council On Aging is asking people to give a gift to a senior citizen who has no family through its Santa for Seniors program.
The COA will be collecting monetary and unwrapped gift donations at city halls in Orange City, Deltona, DeLand, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach during regular business hours until Dec. 13 and at the COA office in Daytona Beach until and after Dec. 25.
"Help create warm memories for our seniors in Volusia County," said Priscilla Chanfrau, Living Gifts Foundation director.
Cash gifts are more than matched with COA grant dollars, turning a $1 donation into $5.
Chanfrau asks people giving gifts other than cash to stick with COA suggested items: slippers, socks, sweaters, gift cards, bath benches, special toiletries, adult diapers and postage stamps.
"Everybody is looking for that great present, but these are things the seniors need," said Chanfrau.
In 2012, the COA collected $14,000 plus gifts during the Santa for Seniors gift drive. The money was used to purchase more gifts from the suggested gift list and a few special items. Chanfrau said cash donations and gift cards are not given directly to the 1,500 seniors in the program, since those seniors are homebound or in assisted living facilities and are typically unable to go shopping themselves.
For 14 years COA staff member Marilou McKeon has helped deliver the holiday gifts to seniors.
"It's the best feeling in the world. These people have no family, no one," said McKeon.
McKeon said one of the seniors shares a room with two other elderly men in an assisted living facility. All he wants for Christmas is a portable DVD player, so he can put on headphones and watch the movies he wants to watch. One of McKeon's other stops is to a woman who loves to read mystery books. "Another woman asks for make-up every year."
Anyone who would like to make a monetary donation also can contribute online at coavolusia.org. Donations are tax deductible. COA office is at 160 N. Beach St., Daytona Beach. For information, call Chanfrau at 386-253-4700 ext. 215 or email@example.com.
Volusia Council On Aging seeks gifts for senior with no families
This holiday season the Volusia County Council On Aging is asking people to give a gift to a senior citizen who has no family through its Santa for Seniors program.


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Rihanna Is Creative With Her Album Art
Rihanna is allegedly a fan of marijuana. In fact, she is allegedly a huge fan of marijuana.
According to HuffingtonPost.com there are at least one hundred images of the rock music superstar smoking marijuana. Actually, just out of curiosity, I google-imaged "Rihanna and marijuana" and……….well, I will just say, check for yourself.
Perhaps as an ode to marijuana, the Barbados born and raised superstar is expected to release a new single today, with cover art, all about [Guess what?] marijuana.
Due to the fact that "RiRi" allegedly loves marijuana, she apparently chose to use marijuana imagery for her aptly named single, "Diamonds". Maybe she loves marijuana so much she equates it to diamond(s).
For the cover of the single, there are fingers wrapping what would otherwise be marijuana, in rolling paper. Rolling paper is generally used by marijuana aficionados to wrap up the marijuana.
However, in "RiRi's" cover art, the fingers are wrapping diamonds in rolling paper. Metaphor?
Well, at least she is creative.
If you or someone that you know is struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism, please call us now. We can help you.
Original Article URL: huffingtonpost.com
Photo Courtesy of: huffingtonpost
- Item Tag: marijuana


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Description: Good Prose is an inspiring book about writing—about the creation of good prose—and the record of a warm and productive literary friendship. The story begins in 1973, in the offices of The Atlantic Monthly, in Boston, where a young freelance writer named Tracy Kidder came looking for an assignment. Richard Todd was the editor who encouraged him. From that article grew a lifelong association. Before long, Kidder's The Soul of a New Machine, the first book the two worked on together, had won the Pulitzer Prize. It was a heady moment, but for Kidder and Todd it was only the beginning of an education in the art of nonfiction. Good Prose explores three major nonfiction forms: narratives, essays, and memoirs. Kidder and Todd draw candidly, sometimes comically, on their own experience—their mistakes as well as accomplishments—to demonstrate the pragmatic ways in which creative problems get solved. They also turn to the works of a wide range of writers, novelists as well as nonfiction writers, for models and instruction. They talk about narrative strategies (and about how to find a story, sometimes in surprising places), about the ethical challenges of nonfiction, and about the realities of making a living as a writer. They offer some tart and emphatic opinions on the current state of language. And they take a clear stand against playing loose with the facts. Their advice is always grounded in the practical world of writing and publishing. Good Prose—like Strunk and White's The Elements of Style—is a succinct, authoritative, and entertaining arbiter of standards in contemporary writing, offering guidance for the professional writer and the beginner alike. This wise and useful book is the perfect companion for anyone who loves to read good books and longs to write one.Praise for Good Prose "Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction takes us into the back room behind the shop, where strong, effective, even beautiful sentences are crafted. Tracy Kidder and his longtime editor, Richard Todd, offer lots of useful advice, and, still more, they offer insight into the painstaking collaboration, thoughtfulness, and hard work that create the masterful illusion of effortless clarity."—Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern"Good Prose offers consummate guidance from one of our finest writers and his longtime editor. Explaining that 'the techniques of fiction never belonged exclusively to fiction,' Kidder and Todd make a persuasive case that 'no techniques of storytelling are prohibited to the nonfiction writer, only the attempt to pass off invention as facts.' Writers of all stripes, from fledgling journalists to essayists of the highest rank, stand to benefit from this engrossing manual."—Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild "What a pleasure to read a book about good prose written in such good prose! It will make many of its readers better writers (though none as good as Tracy Kidder, who sets an impossible standard), and it will make all of them wish they could hire Richard Todd to work his editorial magic on their words."—Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
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All the information you need in one place! Each Study Brief is a summary of one specific subject; facts, figures, and explanations to help you learn faster.
List price: $18.00Copyright year: 2013Publisher: Random House Publishing GroupPublication date: 8/27/2013Binding: PaperbackPages: 224Size: 5.25" wide x 8.00" long x 0.50" tall Weight: 0.638Language: English
Tracy Kidder was educated at the University of Iowa and Harvard University. He served in the US Army in Vietnam. Kidder has garnered numerous literary awards including the Pulitzer Prize in General Non-Fiction and the National Book Award for General Nonfiction both in 1982. He has also been honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, 1990 and the Christopher Award, 1990. His publications include numerous nonfiction articles and short fiction for The Atlantic and other periodicals. Non-Fiction books include The Road to Yuba City, Doubleday, 1974; The Soul of a New Machine, Atlantic Monthly-Little Brown, 1981 for which he won a Pulitzer and a National Book Award; House, Houghton Mifflin, 1985; Old Friends, Houghton Mifflin, 1993; Home Town, Random House, 1999; Mountains Beyond Mountains, Random House, 2003; My Detachment, Random House, 2005; Strength in What Remains, Random House, 2009.
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On 12/17/2010 04:13 AM, Laurent Léonard wrote: > Hi, > > The attached patch removes functions library inclusion from libvirt-guests. > > No function from this library is used by the script so there is no need to > include it. NACK. It's better to follow the init script standards and blindly include the library, even if we currently do not use functions from the library in the rest of the script. For all you know, the mere inclusion of the library may have some system registration side effects, where omitting the inclusion would change the behavior of the init script. -- Eric Blake eblake redhat com +1-801-349-2682 Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org
Description: OpenPGP digital signature


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Today, at the urinal a guy came up next to me to do his business. He stared over at me, looked down, laughed and then left. FML
BeginnerYou have looked through 5 pages of the website. That's a start.
PerfectionistEditing your comments can help you avoid embarrassment, and it might make you seem smarter.
Up and coming moderatorIt's nice of you to help us sort out the submissions, using FML's moderate feature.
SocialiteYou used FML's private messaging service for the first time. Will they reply? Wait and see…
MobilityYou are connected to FML via the mobile site or an app. How modern.
The rules are the rulesReading the comment rules is a really good idea. This badge is sponsored by Alan, our moderator.
Checking you outYou checked out the profile page belonging to one of the last people to have a look at your profile.
Happy endingBrandon may have an FML, but he ended up marrying Jessica. You found this out by reading "FML, the follow up."
I never take things to heartHaving said that, my 3 comments on that FML were really worth it.
I'm an early bird, but no worm yetYou commented on an FML between 6 and 7 a.m.
This isn't what should be happeningYou've set the cat off again, he's started pushing fruit out of bodies of water. Well done, wrong turn. Go back.
Who's the fairest of them all?This is now the third time you've changed your profile pic.
I agree, my mouse works.200 "I agree" votes is a good start.
50 quality commentsClicking to reply to a comment is a worthy thing to do. To do so without getting buried afterwards is even worthier.
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Consolation prizeYour FML was denied. We had to at least give you a badge to cheer you up a bit.
100 kick-ass comments100 of your comments are neither buried or moderated. Popular is your middle name!
It's in the can!Hey, you uploaded your photo, and you're cute as a kitten!
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JudgmentalYou have voted "You deserved it" over 100 times.
The return of the thumbYou have thumbed 5000 comments.14%
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42See, son, moderating FMLs is like a marathon.0%
The thumb strikes backYou have left your thumbprint on 2500 comments.27%
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Today, my dad yet again uttered the words "well, that escalated quickly," while watching the news. He uses this godforsaken meme multiple times a day. I lost my shit and told him to just shut up already. He raised an eyebrow and said, "well, that escalated quickly." FML
Today, I found out my boyfriend sleeps on a Princess Leia pillow. He's 22. FML
Today, I got a new girlfriend. Unfortunately, the last girl I asked out just responded to my relationship request on Facebook. It's been 4 hours, and my new girlfriend already thinks I'm cheating on her. FML
Today, my mom made up a new game. She thinks it's hilarious to hide my brother's creepy Batman toy around the house to creep me out. This has been going on for hours and I still scream every time. FML


text:
10 Min Read
Euro zone clamor drowned out Cypriot bank warnings
By Laura Noonan
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot politicians and bankers were so swept up in the short term benefits of the Mediterranean island's adoption of the euro that they ignored warnings over the resulting lending boom.
The island's 2008 entry to the euro zone was the first in a series of events which have led to a situation in which ATMs in Cyprus may soon run out of cash.
Before joining the euro, the Central Bank of Cyprus only allowed banks to use up to 30 percent of their foreign deposits to support local lending, a measure designed to prevent sizeable deposits from Greeks and Russians fuelling a bubble.
When Cyprus joined the single European currency, Greek and other euro area deposits were reclassified as domestic, leading to billions more local lending, Pambos Papageorgiou, a member of Cyprus's parliament and a former central bank board member said.
"In terms of regulation we were not prepared for such a credit bubble," he told Reuters.
Banks' loan books expanded almost 32 percent in 2008 as its newly gained euro zone status made Cyprus a more attractive destination for banking and business generally, but Cypriot banks maintained the unusual position of funding almost all their lending from deposits.
"The banks were considered super conservative," said Alexander Apostolides an economic historian at Cyprus' European University, a private university on the outskirts of Nicosia.
When Lehman Brothers collapsed in the summer of 2008, most of the world's banks suffered in the fallout, but not Cyprus's.
"Everyone here was sitting pretty," said Fiona Mullen, a Nicosia-based economist, reflecting on the fact Cypriot banks did not depend on capital markets for funding and did not invest in complex financial products that felled other institutions.
Marios Mavrides, a finance lecturer and government politician, says his warnings about the detrimental impact on the economy of so much extra lending fell on deaf ears.
"I was talking about the (property) bubble but nobody wanted to listen, because everyone was making money," he said.
The fact that the main Cyprus property taxes are payable on sale made people hold onto property, further fuelling prices, Papageorgiou added.
A separate source with direct knowledge of the central bank's board said supervision was inhibited by outdated regulations that largely date back to the 1960s.
Michael Olympios, chairman of the Cyprus Investor Association that represents 27,000 individual stock market investors, said he too criticized the central bank for "lax" regulation that facilitated excessive risk taking.
Athanasios Ophanides, the former central bank governor who was ultimately responsible for banking supervision from May 2007 to May 2012, declined to comment. He has previously denied any supervisory failings.
A source at one of the banks, who asked not to be named, said his institution did not have "serious problems with lending", adding that Cypriot banks typically demanded a down payment of 30 percent for home loans, well above the average in most countries.
The rapid expansion left Cyprus with a banking system eight times the size of its national output, as its accommodative regime of not taxing foreigners' dividends and capital gains lured investors from countries like Russia.
A senior European Union official said the European Commission advised the Cypriot government in a November 2011 telephone call to reduce the size of its banking sector but the advice was ignored.
The island became a finance center without a financial district, a channeling point for massive amounts of money without any of the trappings that dominate the cityscapes of centers like London, Frankfurt, New York and Zurich.
"This is the funny thing," said Mullen. "There are essentially two retail banks and then a couple of dozen individual branches, mainly private banking and corporate banking. It's not investment banking, we don't have JP Morgan and all those kind of things here."
It also offered rates which could not be matched.
A depositor would have earned 31,000 euros on a 100,000 euros deposit held for the last five year in Cyprus, compared to the 15,000 to 18,000 euros the same deposit would have made in Italy and Spain, and the 8,000 interest it would have earned in Germany, according to figures from UniCredit.
Bulging deposit books not only fuelled lending expansion at home, it also drove Cypriot banks overseas. Greece, where many Cypriots claim heritage, was the destination of choice for the island's two biggest lenders, Cyprus Popular Bank -- formerly called Laiki -- and Bank of Cyprus.
The extent of this exposure was laid bare in the European Banking Authority's 2011 "stress tests", which were published that July, as the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF) were battling to come up with a fresh rescue deal to save Greece.
The EBA figures showed 30 percent (11 billion euros) of Bank of Cyprus' total loan book was wrapped up in Greece by December 2010, as was 43 percent (or 19 billion euros) of Laiki's, which was then known as Marfin Popular.
More striking was the bank's exposure to Greek debt.
At the time, Bank of Cyprus's 2.4 billion euros of Greek debt was enough to wipe out 75 percent of the bank's total capital, while Laiki's 3.4 billion euros exposure outstripped its 3.2 billion euros of total capital.
The close ties between Greece and Cyprus meant the Cypriot banks did not listen to warnings about this exposure.
The banks sold down some of their Greek holdings, but then got back into the market as yields rose. "When the Germans were selling, they were buying," said Apostolides, referring to the German banks' 2011 dumping of Greek debt.
Simona Mihai, assistant professor at Cyprus European University's banking and finance department, said the banks' exposure stemmed from a desire to help their nearest neighbors, and a belief that Greece could recover.
"People are thinking in hope," she said. "They do not see it from an analytical perspective."
A former executive of one of the banks, who did not sit on the management team and asked not to be named, said the exposure and the banks' overall expansion stemmed from greed. "To help deliver profits, they lent and lent and lent and invested in Greek bonds," the person said.
Staff, who mostly got small bonuses and annual pay rises of around three or four percent, were unhappy about the mounting exposure to Greece but powerless to stop it, the source added.
Whatever the motive, the Greek exposure defied country risk standards typically applied by central banks; a clause in Cyprus' EU/IMF December memorandum of understanding explicitly requires the banks to have more diversified portfolios of higher credit quality.
"That (the way the exposures were allowed to build) was a problem of supervision," said Papageorgiou, who was a member of the six-man board of directors of the central bank at the time.
The board, which met less than once a month, never knew how much Greek debt the banks were holding, both Papageorgiou and another person with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
Papageorgiou and two other directors voiced concerns about the toothless nature of the central bank board, leading to public and bitter clashes with Orphanides, who stringently denied any lapses and said he had encouraged the banks to offload their Greek positions.
"It was very sad, he accused me of undermining him," said Papageorgiou, who left the central bank board when he was elected to parliament in 2011 for the then-ruling AKEL party, which lost power to the right wing Democratic Rally party in February 24 elections.
Orphanides also clashed with leaders of the AKEL government. Apostolides says the central bank governor had told Cyprus' president that the banks could survive a maximum 25 percent loss on their Greek bonds.
The "haircut" ultimately agreed by European leaders, including Cyprus' president Demetris Christofias, was more than 70 percent, heaping losses of 4.5 billion euros on the banks.
When Orphanides' five year contract expired in May 2012, it was not renewed. He had criticized government spending and Cyprus' growing indebtedness for years, culminating in an especially sharp report in his last week in office.
Christofias hit back by using a trade union rally to criticize the governor's role: "Mr. Orphanides' responsibilities for the Cypriot banks' exposure to Greek bonds is overwhelming," the president said.
Last year, the central bank board appointed consultants Alvarez and Marsal to carry out an investigation into what really went wrong in the banking sector. It is expected to be completed in April.
Olympios says he knows of several investors - both institutional and individual - who will use the results of the report as a springboard for legal action to take cases for mismanagement against the bank's then-directors.
One, who lost millions on his shares in Bank of Cyprus and Laiki, is already working with lawyers on a case.
"Cyprus is a small country and we are all friends but I am going to go against them," said the investor, who asked not to be named. "I was an outside observer, they told me everything was all right."
Additional reporting by Michele Kambas; editing by Alexander Smith and Philippa Fletcher


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1.5 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana
Build your new home on Lake John lakefront, over 1 acre corner lot. Only 1200 sq ft. minimum 1 story house. Buyer to verify acreage & all building permits including septic. Corner of Widaman and 225 S Winona Lake
Corner of 225 S and Widaman St, Winona Lake
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Very often I see libraries that implements their own stream functionalities, instead of using
FILE*. The typical interface will have a close function, similar to
fclose(), and several open functions, one of which usually mimics
fopen() and one of which usually accepts a few callbacks that should be used to open/close the stream, read to/write from the stream.
As a reference, good examples of what I am talking about are http://www.xmlsoft.org/xmlio.html or https://developer.gnome.org/gio/.
The approach, in general, seems very straightforward to me, however these libraries do not usually implement a replacement for all the functions in the standard library (e.g.,
fprintf(), ...).
Thus I wonder if an extension mechanism is available for standard library
FILE* as well (e.g.: opening by providing callbacks for some low-level required functionalities). I was not able to find any reference about this capability, so I guess it is not part of any standard.
Anyway, here is my question: is this functionality available in the C standard library (any standard is fine, as long as it is portable)? If not is there any easy (i.e., it does not require to re-implement the whole stdio.h functions) option that allows to implement it on top of the standard library?
It depends on the C library you're using. Glibc, for example, supports custom streams through fopencookie (further documentation here). FreeBSD (and probably other BSDs as well, including OS X) have funopen. It doesn't look like Microsoft's C library supports such a feature.