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There is a phenomenon…alive and well on Planet Earth!
We want to emulate someone, or something. We buy pets that look like us, or we change our appearance to look like them (see picture). We find it cute when our children are dressed like us (or weird when they look too adult in clothes that even the parents should not be wearing). Even when we see new born babies we look closely at their features to see who they look most like – mom, dad, or that weird relative from the wrong side of the family!
I remember a time, about 7 years old, I wanted my hair to look like Timmy's hair from the Lassie show. This would have been about 1962 and school photo's shows how I tried to look like him. The hair, and even the stripped shirt. I even wanted a dog like Lassie to call my own. In my own mind I was his look alike and could have been a "stunt double" in today's world! Remember, that was all in my own mind.
But then, as is normal, change made me modify my look again. I cannot tell you who I became next (Roy Rogers?, I sure enjoyed my double holster six shooters…), but this is normal for most people. We emulate someone until our situation changes and then we drop that look and begin to look like someone else! This is normal.
Advertisers look at what interest people and then market something that "everyone has to have." Other manufactures and creators jump on the wagon and the duplicates and fakes show up. Eventually, the newness wears off and the marketers begin to look for the next trendy thing to tap into. This is normal.
I know a number of people who are the same way about everything they touch in their lives. What becomes important to them causes them to look at their friend and acquaintances with a new view. Can they influence someone to change who they are to look just like themselves? They flash a new style, a new language, a new and improved culture… Mostly they show a new look and wonder who they can influence.
Try this experiment: Sitting in a gathering place of friends or strangers, do a series of yawns and see how many people are influenced by your action. Before long, most in the group will follow your example. See, you influenced a yawn out of them!
Someone told me, a long time ago, to keep my old clothes (especially ties) – they will come back into fashion. In the early 70's, fancy blue jean jackets were catching on and manufactures starting making some of the most outlandish style of jackets. Some even looked like tuxedo jackets. I've kept this jacket now for around 40 years. It's tattered, yet someone close to me enjoyed it during their high school years – and in fact probably has it hanging in their closet right now…
As fads come and go it is inevitable that someone decides to hang out in a particular style for a long time. That's why we see older people who still look like hippies, even though that tie died, bell bottom, scruffy look phased out a generation ago.
Essentially, we "are" who we hang out with. We emulate them – our speech patterns pick up their slang, our appearance mimics, and eventually their values snake their way into our own – often drowning out what we were previously and making us to look just like them. Parents do this with their children, cultures do it with their tribe, religions do it with their followers. Lost to the world then is the real identity of who the real person is.
There was a game show from the 50's called, "To Tell The Truth."
Four celebrity panelists questioned three contestants, only one of which had the unique experience and could tell the truth. The panelists were told some significant fact about the contestants and were allowed to ask questions trying to get dig out additional facts to support the opening description. They were trying to identify the real person – the others were just fakes. At the end, the statement would be spoken, "Will the real ________ please stand up." The person with the unique experience would stand, everyone would applaud, and we would be amazed at the results.
What was amazing was how well the fakes could answer questions to fool the panelists.
They knew just enough facts to confuse the identity, but they did not have the foundation of experience to become what the real person was.
Think about this: We are who we hang out with – meaning we can often duplicate the outward and inward of the person we are emulating, but we are seldom ever as close to being the original, as the original itself. We are copies. And we are not even close to the original in many areas. Why? We duplicate the things we see that we want to become and generally discard the rest.
As Christians we are called to be "Christ Like" but then we take on the portion of Christ that we want to emulate and discard the remainder.
- Some want to represent the "love" of Christ but do not want to tear up the temple and drive out the money changers.
- Some want to teach like Christ, but are incapable of confronting poor logic or choices presented by the hearers and potential followers.
- Some want to minister like Christ, but are fearful of "taking up His Cross" and following Him.
- Some want to rule with Him some day, but are unable to command their own lives today.
I am sure this list can be almost endless, but this is the problem of most Christians today. "We are who we hang out with." We go to church once or twice a week, and commit 1-3 hours in the process, and then live out our lives the way we want, how we want, when we want – and hang the consequences.
Or, the obverse is just as true – we hang out with the ones we like the best and become like "their" version of Christianity. With over 30,000 Christian denominations in existence, you can choose your own flavor. Baskin and Robbins gives you 30+ flavors of ice cream, however, if you are like me that's not enough choices so let's just make up our own!
Jesus asks Philip, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me?" (John 14:9) He goes on to connect Himself to God in explanation – yet even His closest followers could not recognize Him for who He was – they were not that closely duplicated…
In Acts 4, Peter and John were questioned of their teachings and actions just days after the foundation of the Church in Acts 2. Even though they were perceived to be "ignorant and unlearned" the panelists took special note of them because "…they had been with Jesus…". It seems that enough of Jesus had rubbed off on them that His influence, language and manners could be seen through their visage.
God speaks toward the end of the Old Testament, "For I am the Lord, I change not." (Mal 3:6). Why do we think we can change so easily and quickly to the flavor of the month? Christian fads come and go, just like the fads of this world. But we have a foundation that is sure (2 Tim 2:9), and a God that does not change (Heb 13:6). Our methods may change in order to reach this world, but our God never changes.
We are who we hang out with…
Does enough of Jesus touch you that people can see you belong to Him? Who do you hang out with?


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Diaper Girl Adriana wakes from her slumber with a churning in her bowels. Her diaper is already soaking wet, but she desperately needs to relieve herself another way. She climbs out of bed and gets close to the camera and discusses what she's about to do. After a few moments, she pushes and grunts and manages to fill her diaper. Such a dirty diaper girl with a messy diaper.
Note: Adriana's Unassisted Messy Diaper After Waking Video Sample is copyrighted and property of DiaperedOnline.com and it's owner. Please feel free to share as long as the watermark is left intact and the video unedited.
Note: All girls on Diapered Online appear voluntarily and are not subjected to diaper punishment against their will. If you enjoy seeing gorgeous diaper girls being punished, please enjoy these sample clips. If not, please go elsewhere. Thank you.

subset: commoncrawl


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Contact: Don Feder, Communications Director, Demographic Winter, 508-405-1337, email@example.com
MEDIA ADVISORY, Dec. 30 /Christian Newswire/ -- Barry McLerran, producer of the documentary "Demographic Winter: the decline of the human family," said he was encouraged that the First European Catholic-Orthodox Forum chose to emphasize the coming crisis of declining birth rates.
"We hope this ecumenical recognition of what could be the most important issue confronting humanity in the 20th century will spark renewed interest in 'Demographic Winter,' the only documentary of its kind," McLerran said.
Meeting in Trent, Italy, December 10-14, 30 delegates from the Orthodox Churches, European Bishops Conference and the Vatican met to discuss their common concerns on family matters. Those attending the historic Forum included Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfejev and Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, Archbishop of Budapest and Primate of Hungary.
In their joint statement, "The Family: A Good for Humanity," the delegates observed that despite the current focus on the global economic crisis, "Another vital element of this turning point is the crisis in regard to the family."
The statement continues, "The demographic trends alone in Europe are clear signals of a crisis much greater than the financial one."
To put this in perspective, the Statement declares: "The family, born of marriage between man and woman, that gives rise to children and an extended network of relationships, needs to be rediscovered as valuable social capital. We appeal to political and social leaders to address this major issue before it is too late. Without this attention, lack of financial funds will pale before the lack of social and human resources that the family brings."
McLerran responded: "That's exactly the message of 'Demographic Winter.' While our approach emphasizes the social sciences - including the views of demographers, economists and sociologists - our conclusion is the same as that reached by these distinguished religious leaders."
A 4-minute trailer for "Demographic Winter" can be viewed at www.demographicwinter.com. For more information or to schedule an interview with a spokesman for "Demographic Winter," contact Communications Director Don Feder at 508-405-1337 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
I have my website in MOSS 2007 it's up & running.
Is it any way that I can save this site as template and then upload to SP 2010 anc create new site based on this?
How can I migrate all sites from SP 2007 to SP 2010.
Please, suggest
View Complete Post
Hi All,
I am kiran and working on some migration project.
I am stuck with some basic questions,
1. I have got couple of hudred WSS 3.0 sites
2. I have got couple of hundred MOSS 2007 Enterrprise sites
I need to migrate both the above to SharePoint Server 2010 platform.
My Question is,
1. Can I directly migrate WSS 3.0 sites to SharePoint 2010 env? Is there any need to step up to MOSS 2007 and then to SharePoint 2010? Becuase all documentations talk about migrating MOSS 2007 to SS 2010.
Your help is appreiciated.
Also can you link me to some sound help links please?
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text:
Author Name
Wilson, Philip, Ed.
Title ART AT AUCTION The Year At Sotheby's & Parke-Bernet 1966-67. the Two Hundred and Twenty-Third Season
Book Condition Very Good- in Very Good- dust jacket; Hardcover; Endpapers and dust jacket flaps have tape stains--flaps previously taped to book; book slightly cocked; top edge has minor stains; jacket shows light edgewear; overall, tight, clean, and solid.
Edition 1st Edition
Publisher NY American Heritage Publishing Co. 1967
Seller ID 6143
Sotheby Parke Bernet Auction Records
Price =
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text:
Houston County Career And Technology Center is located in Warner Robins, Georgia. Scholarships for students
attending Houston County Career And Technology Center can be found in our scholarship database. If you are searching for scholarships
for students attending a different high school in Warner Robins, visit the
Warner Robins directory.
1311 Corder Road
Warner Robins, Georgia


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Product Description
We had variations of these geocache containers submitted to us in our Fix the Container contest and decided the ideas were too good not to pass on so we've created our own versions.
There are several styles and colors to choose from, each cache container has 2 super-strong rare earth magnets inside to keep it secure. Simply attach to any tank, soda machine, fire hydrant, etc., and you've got an instant puzzler!
Container is approx. 11/16″ tall and 1-1/2″ around, made of super-strong plastic, and comes complete with log in zippy bag. Gauge choices are either black or silver and have a water-proof sticker attached to top–you may choose between Style 1 which is a black, gray & white gauge sticker or Style 2 with black, white & red gauge sticker. Buttons are solid colored (red, silver, or black) with no sticker.


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Paul McGinley: Episode 133
Irish golfing legend and Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley speaks about his journey from being rejected by many American golfing scholarships before he became one of the world's most respected motivators in all of sports. Having overcome a serious knee injury in his teens which put an end to his dream of playing Gaelic football, Paul is now part of the Irish sporting hall of fame for masterminding a Ryder Cup win. In this episode he reveals to Jarlath the meticulous nature of his planning for the competition.
Paul also discusses how it feels to earn Rory McIlroy's complete trust, the importance of considerate and detailed leadership, the intrigue of Augusta and the one time in which he felt absolutely unstoppable.
The Irishman Abroad podcast is crowd funded and is only made possible by the listeners' generosity. We sincerely appreciate your continued support. Donate £20 today via PayPal (email@example.com) and by way of thanks, we will send you a beautiful Irishman Abroad t-shirt wherever you are in the world.
An Irishman Abroad is brought to you by Currency Fair. Currency Fair is the official partner of the podcast. To get great exchange rates and to avoid ridiculous bank and broker charges when transferring money to anywhere in the world go to currencyfair.com. Get updates on future episodes and live shows by following @jarlath on Twitter, visiting www.jigser.com or email the show directly on firstname.lastname@example.com.
Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.


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|Sengoku Horizon
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Posted: Aug 4 2016, 01:35 PM
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(OOC: This thread will be the opening thread to Sengoku Horizon. I would like everyone to make a single post talking about your character viewing the event. Describe your character, put what your character is thinking/planning to do over the next few months or long term. let us know about your character's goals.)
(OOC: Characters who have posted in previous opening threads may still post in this one. The staff would in fact prefer it)
The Great Kanto Earthquake. That is what it was dubbed by the school, the Shogunate, and the news media. Two months ago an earthquake like no one had ever seen before completely destroyed the city of Edo. For the past two months school hadn't been in session. Many students had been summoned back to their home provinces to be able to relax and give reports on what had happened. The students who stayed in Edo over the past two months had been working every day out in the summer heat to try and help rescue trapped citizens, find lost animals, and re-build their ruined city.
Now everyone had gathered early in the morning on the front quad of Edo Bugei Academy. The summer sun, even now,beat down on them as they stood around waiting to hear from the headmaster. The school itself was still not fully repaired. A lot of the main building was still under construction, and many of the club rooms and training facilities had been repaired just enough to be considered half operational at best.
It was soon after the students had gathered that a single man approached the podium. Hosokawa Moritatsu was an imposing man with a kind heart. He was the current head of Edo Bugei Academy and to many students was somewhere between a father figure and general. He was currently dressed in dark robes with the Hosokawa clan symbol on the back of them in gold. As the students bowed in respect the leader of Edo Bugei began to speak.
"Two months ago, we fell. Our city was destroyed, many of it's citizens lost. We ourselves are not without loss from this event. Saikai-sensei, Cross-sensei, both of them have left us to hopefully go on to a better place. We also lost many students when the main building and the student dorms collapsed. However, I am glad for the students we still have. Each and every one of you carry on the legacy of our fallen teachers and your fallen classmates!" with that many of the gathered students started crying, remembering friends they had either helped dig out of the rubble, or not seen since that tragic day.
"Now, I know many of you are eager to return to your normal lives and re-start classes at the academy.For those of you that have not heard, in place of our dorms that are being re-built we have been granted ownership of a large apartment building that everyone will be staying in temporarily." As the students began talking with eachother and whispering in awe everyone's favorite teacher, the elderly Sato Mizuha approached the podium.
"I am truly glad to see you are all safe. I know the past two months have been a challenge, in fact we are faculty are still learning to cope with not seeing Cross-sensei's smiling face every day, or hearing Saika-sensei's jokes. However I would like you all to meet our four new faculty members. Please welcome them with open arms." at her words four people walked up to the sage.
The first was a rather gruff looking young man.
"My name is Nabeshima Hideki . You'll excuse me if I'm not much of a talker. I'm taking over for Saika-sensei." the students had mixed reactions. On one hand he seemed about as rigid as Saika-sensei, but it still felt strange to have a new rifle teacher.
"I don't know what hell Saika is resting in. Probably the same one I'll end up in. He and I have always been rivals, and tried to take eachother's lives multiple times. The fact he died by an earthquake is bullshit, but I'm going to train you all the same way he would. I'll serve his memory right." the students all gasped at his words. This man seemed even more rough than Saika-sensei had been, but it was also re-assuring to know that someone on equal footing with the now deceased teacher had come to replace him. As Nabeshima-sensei back away a purple haired man holding a back stepped forward.
It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Dr. Shirasu Naganori. I am a graduate of Edo Bugei Academy, and at the will of hte headmaster have returned from studying abroad." his voice had a clear British accent to it.
"Dr. Cross was a very kind and refined man. Much like Nabeshima-sensei I would like to not be considered as a replacement for Dr. Cross but instead someone picked up by Mr. Hosokawa to take over Cross-sensei's work. I hope you will all accept me as such." he said and gave a deep bow to the students. Many of the female students, and even some of the males seemed to have a hard time taking their eyes off of him. By all accounts he was rather handsome and clearly had no ring on either hand.
Next to speak was a skinny man who kept looking at Nabeshima-sensei and the headmaster before finally looking at the ground.
"My name is Oda Nobukatsu. I will be your new smithing teacher. Yes, I am from the Oda. I plan to forge all of the smiths of this school into masters." and with that stepped back.
The final teacher to speak was a very beautiful woman. She moved gracefully with each step and had a beautiful kimono on.
"I am Kono Ayumu. From this day forward I will be your fine arts and crafting teacher. Together we will make create things that would make even the old masters weep." In spite of her lovely appearance the fire and passion in her eyes and voice suggested she was hardly one to be messed with. It also said that she clearly meant every word she spoke. She would be the best crafting teacher the academy has ever had or die trying.
As the headmaster approached the podium again he began to clap and looked at the students to join in.
"Everyone, these are our new staff. We hope you will treat them with the kindness and respect you have given all of your previous teachers. As our academy is rebuilt it is a team for us to indeed rebuild ourselves and grow together. I believe in each and every one of you, and commend you on your hard work thus far!" and with that many of the students began letting out loud cheers.
"I do wish to tell you all something before we end today. Some of you may find the campus a bit empty this year. We have lost a lot of students in the earthquake. It is the sad truth. Also, a number of students at the request of the shogunate have been sent overseas. Edo Bugei students are the best in the country, and some have been sent abroad in order to learn from other countries and bring new ideas and experiences back to Japan. Please message them and wish them safe travels. Now, Mizuha-sensei and I will help lead you to your new apartments." and with that a long march would begin to the train station, and then to Western Edo. Unfortunately the rented apartment building was rather far away, so many of the students would have to bike or ride the train to get to school from now on.
Missing from today's events, unfortunately, would be Yagyu-sensei and the school's nurse. Yagyu-sensei hadn't been seen much since the events of two months ago. As someone who great up in Edo all of his life he had been slaving day and night to try and help the people of Edo rebuild their homes. Unfortunately nurse Aki was in a similar boat. Due to being one of the most skilled medics in Edo she had been spending the better part of he past two months running from makeshift hospital to makeshift hospital doing what she could.
On top of Edo Castle, the largest landmark in the city, two figures looked out from the castle's high tower out at the academy, just as they had done at the new year.
A red haired young man smiled a bit as he looked towards his lord.
"It looks like a lot of students are leaving the academy. I'm glad they had decided to come back." he said with a bit of a laugh.
The current Shogun, military ruler of all of Japan, just shook his head a bit.
"It is still a shame for so many young people to have lost their lives."
Tokugawa Hiroaki was not a man to mix words. As current general of the country he understood well how powerful the students of Edo Bugei happened to be. Scion or otherwise they took on missions that even government soldiers didn't do, or couldn't openly do, in order to maintain peace within the realm.
"Make sure to increase watches around the city. It has only been two months since the quake and we still have aftershocks." and with that the Shogun walked back towards the castle interior in order to return to his many guests he still had to speak with about the coming year.
"LORD!" the young man replied simply, bowing and vanishing completely.
The coming months would prove hard for every citizen of Edo, students, shogun, or other wise. This was the start of a new saga for Edo Bugei Academy.
Azai Nobuyori
The stuck up clan lord who defends the people.
Tagami Yumiko
The adorable poet girl who hates war.
Katayama, Masato
A strategist bent on changing the world.
Posted: Aug 4 2016, 09:37 PM
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Uniforms were reissued and their city partly rebuilt to how things used to be. Buildings rose, people gradually returning to what livelihoods were spared and many long talks with relatives and family. If one did not have family to speak of then there was family in the community they dwell in that carried them through these past two months of hardship. The depths of the scar left by the Great Kanto Earthquake was like an unspoken bond.
Suishoku looked on with her left arm gripping her lower left forearm tightly to keep her tired eyes awake, the bandaged one since the mission having since recovered a month ago and spent a second month getting re-accustomed to light. Her hair was tied up plainly by just an elastic strap in her summer uniform for the heat but it barely aided in keeping cool along with her waning focus by multiple reasons. Edo summers were always this hot. It was nothing but working in the relief efforts after visiting her parents. The work never ended even after two months and she began to look a touch pale. Her fingers flexed slowly to remind her that there was still feeling in them as using her relic too much tends to numb her body as a drawback. This taxing feeling came to remind her why she avoided too much active use during the rescue that day. If not for this assembly at their newly built school, Suishoku would still have been at the makeshift hospitals with the other medical students, staff, and anyone with advanced knowledge. She pinched herself hard to keep from dozing on the spot as their principal spoke, her mind drifting to her family.
Their reunion was tearful and a lot of tight embraces with nothing but reminders of assumed praise. The good work their daughter shall guarantee them praise. Even the Maeda has visited once receiving word of her immediate relief efforts and there after. It was honestly embarrassing to have another meeting with them, the Maeda clan, in comparison of her parents smothering. In typical fatherly fashion did they as a family took it as a sign to celebrate for their daughter being alive and well and oddly grown up sort of.
As much as she loved her family, Suishoku rarely visited or called them throughout the year unless it was by holiday. Her folks were understanding of this but had noticed the naive girl that left their home gradually became more guarded each visit. This recent one from the earthquake was more so than before after they cling together in assurance that they were all okay. Withdrawal from Edo Bugei, however, was never an option brought up on the table. She did find out that her cousin has been progressing well under grandpa's guidance to get their small company. Their new track lifestyles have made it difficult to find common ground but they were family still.
She softly huffed a sigh and tugged at the collar of her blouse in a meager attempt to cool off and shifted her arms to grip another part of her arm with red marks on her skin as if she was strangled. Their principal performed his speech to introduce the new teachers to join their school. Kinda amazing to hire not only replacements but even an additional few to bolster the re-instillation of clubs. Edo Bugei reputation if she had to wager a guess. The rifle club members had given her less trouble due to the loss of their teacher so maybe this new found one would reignite their spark once more in a more proactive way than calling their 4th year to bust her kneecaps again for crossing them. These new teachers may not fill the voice left behind completely, it was better to have them than no one at all. Focusing during history lectures will be a challenge now than ever before thanks to the youthful and single doctor.
In the most welcoming of mentions of all was the students will be now moving into their new dorms. Many faces in the crowd lit up in elation to have a bed to rest in and air conditioning. Even Suishoku was on the verge of walking a few paces faster than the rest to find her new bed to lay in, motivation brimming in her sleepy eyes. Maybe she'll be on the same floor as Nobu or within walking distance of some kind. It's felt like ages since she's seen him that day and the ones following it. Suishoku wanted to check on him the most to see if he was recovering okay to get a proper release but was forced away once new tent hospitals required more aid as has been occupied that way before and after visiting her family. An audible groan left her though upon hearing that the dorms were quite a walk away from the school. Her head hung itself for a long march to their new homes but it'll be just another thing to endure. 'I wonder if I can even make the walk...' She sighed to herself, slowly following the others to maintain her pace without falling flat on her face.
Posted: Aug 6 2016, 02:19 AM
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They had all been called to an event to reopen the school. For the most part anyway. Kitsu was away with family in Iga when the earthquake hit, so his area had only been struck with a slight shake, and some very mild aftershocks. He had no idea that several of the teachers, and a large group of students, had perished in the largest quake recorded at the Bugei. He wore a black, formal suit to the event, leaving his weapons and normal clothing in one of the apartments mentioned in the speech. This wasn't an event for defending yourself, as much as one to think about those they had lost.
He kept a somber look, along with the rest of the crowd that attended, but then came the announcements for new staff. The first two were fine. A little bland in his opinion, but they were teachers, so he dismissed the just as easily as he was introduced. The big one was the new blacksmith teacher. Oda, Nobukatsu. His blood boiled. An Oda teaching at their school? He announced his name, and then said it again, as if he was rubbing it in the young Iga's face that he was an Oda. Kitsu reached for his pistol to find nothing there. "God damn it. He'd be a dead man...", Kitsu grumbled to himself. He was barley containing his hatred for the man as he stepped away from the microphone.
They had to hire an Oda. The same family responsible for why his family name almost died out in 1581. The last surviving true Momochi fled from the slaughter known as the Pacification of Iga. To him and his family, it was a war crime that was never atoned for. The slaughter of hundreds of innocent Iga residents, just to wipe out a handful of ninja. Disgusting. He made a mental note to join a blacksmith class before year's end to...discus that family's transgressions.
After the last teacher was announced, the group would be allowed to wander and talk among themselves, but Kitsu would immediately leave, he had preparations to make for the coming year, as well as the need to plan on how to destroy a certain someone, and get away with it.
~Exit Kitsu~
Ukyo arrived a bit late to the ceremony, but was quiet enough to get away with it. He arrived just a few sentences after the headmaster began speaking. He was not in Edo at the time of the earthquake. He was on a mission, sailing to Korea at the time on a protection mission, and was still a bit sore from it all, but knew it would be bad form for him not to show up to the memorial/opening ceremony for the school year.
Ukyo was one to shed a tear or two. Killing a target was one thing, but the loss of innocent life was another, especially that of allies. Such a thing to happen was indeed a tragedy, though he would quickly return to his normal demeanor, his ronin-gasa aiding in hiding his brief emotional moment. He would quietly listen to the new instructors being announced, but would stay silent. Nothing interesting for him, since he didn't have a vendetta against a particular teacher or anything. He was simply more interested in where he would be napping.
Ukyo would look around for a cousin of his that was supposed to be around. Another Yagyu he never got to meet as of now. He wouldn't see them, knowing their face from a picture he saw...somewhere. Memory was failing him currently to remember where he knew the face from. He would sigh as the staff finished the ceremony. If the particular person he was here for wasn't here, there was no reason for himself to be, and would make his way back to the apartment that was selected for him. He still needed to recover from his mission.
~Exit Ukyo~
The young poison artisan donned a respectable kimono for the event. It had a few colors on it, but they were all dark, and somber. He was one of the witnesses of the event, and was involved in the recovery effort, helping the medics keep people alive while they extracted them. It was a dark time for everyone. Yami couldn't help but sob as he remembered the fallen students and teachers from the academy. He hadn't attended for very long, but already felt as if they were family.
A student next to him must have felt the same way, as he was comforted by one who was standing near him. The student was wounded, probably from a collapsed building, but still took their time to make sure a fellow student was alright. It almost made Yami cry that much harder, but he managed to pull himself together as the new teachers were announced. He was particularly interested when he heard that one of them had a Doctorate. Yami couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to what kind of degree he would have, but brought himself back to what was going on for the next few announcements, before leaving at the end.
~Exit Yami~
Ash had been in Edo during the earthquake, but was one of the ones rescued, instead of helping to rescue. He was taking a trip through town when the earthquake happened, and managed to get trapped in a restaurant's bathroom. The room was small, and withstood the pressure of the roof collapsed on top of it. The door was blocked, but there was running water from the sink, allowing him to simply sit and wait for what felt like days, though it was probably a few hours.
He attended the opening ceremony for the year as a new student, having managed to get himself accepted into the academy for 'other' reasons. He wasn't identified as a super awesome 'Scion', whatever that was, nor did he have any super crazy talents. But it was alright, he got in anyway, which was a blessing so he could work on his fighting styles.
Ash was dressed in what he always wears. His tribal outfit that he wore before he left. It made him stand out. A lot. He was turning heads in the crowd as he walked through, saying 'Hi' to literally every single person he made eye contact with. He obviously didn't notice the sober atmosphere, simply talking to as many people as he could before the ceremony started. Ash would look up at the podium, wondering what the big thing on it was that had a tube running away from it.
A person walked forward and leaned towards it, beginning to speak. Ash covered his ears, surprised at how loud the speaker was. The object he was curious about was a microphone, and he immediately decided it was some sort of 'Scion' magic that he heard about. His ears adjusted to the sudden volume, and he looked around at the magic boxes, also known as speakers, that had the voice of the headmaster booming through them. He was simply in awe at it, though everyone else seemed to just dismiss how amazing it was.
He would finally calm down enough to listen to what was being said, and would realize that this was a heavy moment, filled with honor and remembrance. He would feel embarrassed that he had completely forgotten that a disaster just happened, but he couldn't help but be distracted by such wondrous things, like microphones and speakers.
After the ceremony finished, Ash would continue to introduce himself to everyone he could see, walking up to each one of them and exclaiming, "Hi! I am Ash! I am Bugei like you!" His slightly broken Japanese would stand out just enough to mark him as not having Japanese as his first language. His darker skin tone and unusual outfit would also strike people as 'off' to say the least, but he would continue to show his excitement to even be a part of the academy by talking to anyone who would give him five seconds of their time, before he seemed to run out of people, and decided to leave.
~Exit Ash~
|Yuishiki Takeda
Posted: Aug 10 2016, 02:32 PM
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As per the usual, Yuishiki made sure to be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, to head towards the gathering. A strategist needs to be first to the scene to be capable of formulating plans and communicating with their comrades, after all. But at the present situation, it was not for formulating strategies and preparing for situations, no, it was time to recover from a shameful display. Had she prepared in a better way, the casualties would have surely been reduced no matter how infinitesimal it might have been. In the end, it was her lack of definitive strategic prowess that failed to affect the results of the Great Kanto Earthquake in a positive manner. Despite her inner turmoils, her physiognomy remained devoid of any emotions and thoughts, her gaze was focused intently on a singular direction-- and the overpowering heat of the summer rays was simply ignored by the coated female. Yes, cumbersome it may be but she still chose to wear her coat, oddly enough, barely any perspiration was present on her forehead and epidermis, it was as though she could barely feel the heat.
The appearance of the headmaster caused her thoughts to halt, her body straightening in a militaristic manner whilst her gaze focused intently on the man that approached the podium. To her, she was a general, a person capable of leading and harnessing the abilities of the students into fruition, and most important, he was a figure to surmount if she desired to achieve her goals. Aiming high was something that she tended to do since to her, there's nothing bad with desiring huge aspirations. Regardless, the reiteration their loss and the events caused Yuishiki to narrow her oculi slightly-- not out of spite, but out of concentration. Thoughts swirled in her mind, her pragmatic nature kicking in at full gear; there exists numerous ways of disaster preparation should this happen, and in-fact, she prepared for multiple types of disasters, but she was clearly far too lax in her preparations due to the paramount losses that the Edo Bugei academy suffered. The loss of the academy became slightly personal to her; she decided to gauge her ability and harness it through the academy after all.
With regards the announcement towards the change in their lodgings, Yuishiki lifted a hand and absentmindedly tapped her chin-- her visage still devoid of any signs of emotions or visible thoughts. Like a cold calculating machine, she started to cerebrate on the things that she required to purchase and to prepare due to the change in her living environment and the change in the surroundings, she'd also have to check around the apartment to see the possible escape routes, emergency exits and the like. But that was for the future, the appearance of the elderly teacher caused her to halt her thoughts once again, her auditory meatuses paying complete attention to the words that the individual uttered. New staff members were to be expected, they suffered major losses in both teaching and scion departments-- as well the non-scion students who were caught in the disaster.
It was a male that first made his entrance, one that looked young yet gruff, assumptions formulated briefly in Yuishiki's nous, but she took them with a grain of salt. But the instance her assumptions proved to be correct and the male started to show his roughened nature, she couldn't help but release a small hum. Uncouth language has never been her forte as she much prefer utilizing objective words that hardly shows her personal nature in official announcements, in-fact, she prefer being objective and calm to the point that it affects her personal life as well. Following the gruff individual was a purple-haired individual that looked rather scholarly, the words he utilized held an accent that hinted that he was from abroad, so she believed quite immediately that he held bountiful knowledge and wisdom that would be useful for her in the future: strategizing requires more than tactical knowledge and war knowledge, it also requires the knowledge about life and how things function in reality, the common things in the streets and the like, so the fact that he has been abroad and back made him rich with information.
The entrance of an Oda teacher hardly fazed Yuishiki, she was not one to judge people based on their clan, nor was she one to hide behind her clan name and go with the stereotype. While she may certainly be a Takeda, she is Yuishiki first and foremost so the fact that an Oda was going to be the smithing teacher did not bother her. Besides, she did not plan on engaging in smithing anyway. Finally, the next teacher that approached was a graceful female, a fine arts and crafting teacher. Fine arts was somewhere in her gray area, she was not fond of it yet she was not averse to it so she hardly paid any attention to the aforementioned teacher.
Due to the goading of the headmaster, Yuishiki had no choice but to clap alongside the crowd and the others, a part of her assumed that if she did not clap along, the headmaster would have sighted her amidst the clapping crowd which would imperil her standing as one of the students, so she had no choice but to do such. Encouraging words reached her ears, followed by the loud cheering of the other students around her, but she remained completely silent and still-- loudly shouting was annoying, and noisy individuals were annoying so she felt slightly irked. But due to the event and the fact that it was called for, the normal irritation that she would have felt was immensely reduced. The ensuing words of the headmaster caused her to nod slightly, sending students overseas to learn from the other countries was a smart move, it'd allow the broadening of a person's perspective and allows them to prepare should the worse come to worst and a war between countries occurs. Still, she believed that such a thing was in the distant future, but she decided to prepare her mind for it anyway.
Soon enough, they started to move towards the direction of the apartment. It seemed rather far judging from the time that have passed during their walking. Despite the long trek, Yuishiki remained impassive; she cared little for the distance since long walks tended to allow her mind to wander and ponder. No words escaped from her lips during the trek, speaking would most likely be a waste of time too-- mainly since she had no one to talk to, hence why she merely walked without reserve.
Posted: Aug 11 2016, 12:41 AM
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Dutiful to maintain self respect of her own status, Honda Mikazuki stood with the other students with hands clasped in her lap while standing alone with her peers. Her brother has taken leave of the school to handle matters back home in the Honda clan. The last message she got from her twin was that he was going aboard with several other students. The Great Kanto earthquake claimed many times and also showed the level of under preparedness Edo was faced with in saving what few lives they could when more could have survived. The once large student body of Edo Bugei noticeably looked smaller, almost near half its original size last year when counting both the dead and the overseas students. Her starring eyes burrowed holes into the person before her while maintaining composure in this summer heat.
Her body continued to be less stout than her brother's after helping around Edo in its continued time of need that additional training, which mostly went to her brother, began to shift onto her part. Before her brother's departure did the family summon her back to the Honda estate just once to made aware of these changes. The girl both hated it and accepted it. Not so much for the good cause it would do but how bothered she has been of her brother;s activities prior to it all. When Mikazuki needed him most, when they should have been together to support each other the most, he was gone. The feelings of abandonment steamed to anger as she saw him off with silent glares till returning to Edo.
Now she stood with the other students while venting her frustration upon the back of another student. The praise she got from doing so well in saving those children couldn't outweigh what she felt in her abandonment. The new teachers that were announced nearly flew over her head as the student before her turned around with an uncomfortable look on their face.
"Are...you okay?" They meekly whispered. The holes she dug becoming apparent to them as they turned to meet glaring golden eyes.
"I'm fine. Sorry." A curt Mika replied just to make the student turn away to face the podium again. Her expression shifted to an empty look for being spotted.
Once the meeting was adjourned did Mika followed everyone else out to their new dorms. Her steps, light and quick normally, were stiff and hard in her march to these new dorms. If there was ever a place to go and vent out her frustrations, she'll do it there.
Posted: Aug 14 2016, 10:46 AM
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His back still hurt. His ribs hurt, his arms hurt, his entire body was still killing him. After the Great Kanto Earthquake the future lord of the Azai had been badly injured. He had been in the main school building when it collapsed, and if not for his small healing powers and emergency rescue by the medics and special healing from Suishoku he would undoubtedly be dead. Immediately after the quake happened he was called back to his home province like many of the students had been. Upon his arrival his mother, his sister, most of the clan staff, and even his father had greeted him. Lady Azai, Kaori, and a number of the house staff had cried seeing how taped up he was. When he first arrived home most of his body except one arm and part of his face had been heavily bandaged. Over the next two months he would spent a lot of time with Kaori who fortunately had summer break. His mother and father had both asked what happened in Edo and he felt ashamed having to admit he was too injured to go help others. His father, the Lord Azai, took time off from his usual schedule of training naval officers off the coast of Japan to stay in Omi for two months while his son recovered. Nobuyori and his father managed to have long conversations about both of their time spent in Edo Bugei.
Nobuyori's injuries healed up, some taking longer than others. His arms and legs still hurt quite a lot. His head, which had been cut open during the quake, had already begun healing. Even on the way back to Omi he had been using some of his energy to try and gradually heal himself a bit more. In fact it had become common practice for him to do so, in order to help with pain relief. Now, two months later, Nobuyori had returned to Edo Bugei. His bags next to him and his arms still bandaged, one arm in particular still in a sling, here he was. He didn't have time to talk with Suishoku, and also wasn't sure about seeing her just yet. While the students talked among themselves a lot of the talking felt distant and with a sad undertone. It had been an extremely difficult past two months for most of the Bugei population, especially with the loss of a faculty members hanging over them.
As the new staff was introduced Nobuyori was shocked to learn that people from all over Edo had been pulled in to help teach them. It showed just how far the shogunate was willing to go to teach the students well, and also just how much authority they had to pull people from every clan into Edo Bugei. As each teacher finished introducing themselves and finally announced the students would be moving into a new apartment building Nobuyori grabbed the handle of his rolling luggage and walked with the students towards their new home.
Azai Nobuyori
The stuck up clan lord who defends the people.
Tagami Yumiko
The adorable poet girl who hates war.
Katayama, Masato
A strategist bent on changing the world.
Posted: Aug 24 2016, 05:51 PM
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Shin Hozoin
it hadn't been a good period for Shin, at all. Shin roamed around in this whole period of two month with his Father and a good part of the monastery. Their task was pretty simple: Help those who needed, mainly the weak and the poor ones. Shin didn't have time to adapt from the time he had come to the Edo bugei that he had to go away, so looking around he didn't see any kind of peculiar face that he remembered.
It was shocking... People had actually died. Lots of people. Even two professors died. And it seemed they used this "meeting" to show their replacement. The first one that presented himself got on the black list of Shin. His... nonchalance for deads was... unappealing to say the least. "That's.... one way to get the hate of some students" Shin murmured, then continued listening. The rest of the professors seemed nice, though Shin got a bit concerned by his new Smithery professor, Oda-Sensei.
Shin realized the school being empty more than it should've been, and when it was explained why he sort of reacted with a mixture of anger and sadness. Why send people from the edo bugei to "learn" from other country while clearly this would impact the humor of itself... It was strange, but nothing Shin could do.
The whole group started moving but Shin stood still, holding his staff in front of him and started to recite a small mantra for the deads before starting to move with the group. It wasn't much, but he felt... better.
End of Shin Hozoin
Sanada Ren
"are we for reals?!" Was all that Ren could muster to think when he came back to the Edo Bugei. Buildings half destroyed, bad humor overall, emptiness, some sensei died... Heck, the tension could be felt even by a dumbo!
At the time of the whole quake ordeal, Ren was in his hometown, called by the Nobuyuki Clan.
"I simply feel I'm not worthy to collaborate with your mighty clan, my lord. Also, being a bearer of the Yukimura relic puts me in a weird spot in the clan, and i know it. I appreciate your high consideration of me, but please let me go." Said Ren, bowing his head, and adding "the only favor i could ask you is a good word if someone ever comes to you and asks about my feats."
By doing so, Ren had ditched the Nobuyuki clan, deciding finally to end his relationship with said clan and start his "chase" for the right moment. Still, who would've thought...
A quake. And the bad luck of his. His region didn't feel it that much. Ren had promptly readied himself to try his luck, but that luck didn't seem to go his way. The quake hit so hard in the bugei that he was called to help, and sent into various missions, while not giving him the opening needed for a coup of the sort.
"truly a shame" these words came out of his mouth, right when the Principal was saying how sad it was the death of the two sensei. Well, that's not why Ren said truly a shame, but... Whatever, let's roll with that.
Ren didn't give a fuck about the new Sensei to be completely honest. After all, it's the bugei, obviously the Sensei are going to be pros. What kinda ticked off Ren was the whole idea of students chosen to go out of japan to learn. "heh... licking boots gets you a ticket out of this shitplace huh" thinking to himself, Ren made a disgusted face, just to start looking at the faces around and following to the new apartments. What the feeling Ren got was in peoples face was... "bunch of fakes". crying, weeping, heads down... These sort of feelings are for hypocrisy and for weaks.
Bugei was for neither. What Ren thought was good to do is to keep their heads up, and be ready, prepared. For this... This will not happen a second time.
End of Sanada Ren
Posted: Aug 27 2016, 09:42 PM
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It was strange. Kire stared at his hands while he waited for the presentation to begin. You would have thought he would feel something more. Sure, he hadn't been at the school long before the huge earthquake, but he had been there some time. The new buildings didn't stir any emotions in him. He could see other people crying openly for whatever reason they had but he didn't feel sad. On the contrary, he felt bored. He wanted to feel the metal in his hands again, the blade he'd completed when the earthquake hit. That felt real, that existed.
Since that day, nothing else really seemed to. He felt like he wasn't grounded, like he was drifting through time. Some things had changed. He'd killed a man, sort of by accident on a mission. Shouldn't he have enjoyed it? Or been bothered? Mostly he had just been annoyed at how the man had died after being shot and thrown his own plans into disarray. That didn't seem right. And there were students, perhaps not friends, but faces that he would never see working the forge ever again. Their projects forever unfinished. Shouldn't he feel something about that? Well, he did, he felt sorry that the creations would never achieve completion, would never complete their purpose. That had to be wrong. Who cares about the pieces of metal when people are dead? But maybe somebody had to. Maybe that was the only excuse for how he felt. It still didn't seem right.
Finally the presentation began. It was the expected platitudes, the sad talk of those who would not be returning due to death or traveling overseas probably a euphemism for going back home to take care of family members with nobody left. They wouldn't be back. Kire thought about his own family. He had sent word out that he was fine and had received a very terse reply. No love lost there, he wondered if his parents had died, would he feel differently? Would he still be entrenched in apathy with a touch of impatience? His parent's hadn't been smiths and had carted him off for his destiny early on. His old teacher was more of a father than his own father, of course Kire had been pushed on to a better smith by the time he was nine. Whatever, he turned his attention back to the speech.
He caught the tail end of one of the new teachers before some cowardly looking man stepped up and introduced himself as both an Oda and the new Smithing teacher. Kire glared at him, his mouth locked into a frown. Disgusting. The man stared at the ground the whole time he spoke, and forging the students? What a load of crap. People weren't like weapons. You couldn't forge them into perfection. Especially into masters. At best you could get them to be a journeyman but after that a person had to forge themself, and at that point it was tempering. You could shape them, give them guidance, but a person became what they made themselves. Kire made a point to stay out of the new teacher's way. It would likely end poorly.
The new Kono woman definitely caught his interest. Crafting and fine arts, perhaps he'd have to take some time for those classes this semester. She was beautiful and spoke with such authority and passion. Kire felt..something at her words. To rise above those in the past, he'd certainly wanted to do that, and still did. He wanted to create a relic, after all. He didn't have the magic like so many of the other kids, he had only pure talent. He would surpass them. Her words resonated with him. He wondered if he could get his work reclassified as craft instead of smithing. She would understand, surely, not like that Oda guy.
Then the headmaster came up and spoke and everything seemed to end. It was time to go to the apartments that would be replacing the dorms for now. Kire hadn't really been pleased with them. More than the distance, it wasn't very close to the forge where he'd been working. He'd hoped to still be able to work after school started since they probably would have a lot more trouble enforcing a curfew with so much off campus activity. He'd just have to deal with it, he always did.
Posted: Sep 1 2016, 09:50 PM
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In the months after the earthquake, Zhiwei found his responsibilities curtailed dramatically. Edo was slowly being rebuilt. Rescue missions like the one he took part of on the day of the earthquake were taking place, but he had been relegated to mostly clean up and other, smaller tasks. He'd come out minimally scarred from the mall rescue: a pretty minor head injuries, some surface cuts from broken glass and rubble, and a bit of bruising. The medics made quick work of him when they found the time to get to him, and he was physically fine.
He arrived for the speech a few minutes early. Laying in his tent... well, it wasn't exactly the pinnacle of comfort. Besides, the devastation of the dorms meant that the few books and comics he could use to distract himself were gone for, and he desperately craved some sort of activity. Luckily, it didn't take the principal long to start speaking.
Zhiwei listened on, and was soon pretty absorbed in it- he hadn't heard anything of new dorms, and despite the fact that the last few months had been a mire of irritability, guilt, confusion and general bad feeling, he would be supremely happy to sleep on something softer than a sleeping bag. The tents didn't exactly protect them from the cold nights, either. Already, he was in a better mood than minutes ago.
The new teachers were an interesting bunch- dynamic, and all really good-looking: like something out of a comic book. All, he noted, except the smithing teacher, who he labelled as the Generic Guy of the bunch. Still, he didn't think he would get used to them any time soon. The teen's face fell at the mention of Dr. Cross. He had taught him Western History, and it was still strange to imagine he was gone. People didn't just die like that, or weren't meant to. No one should have to 'take over' his work.
With the speeches done, the headmaster gave a few last words of encouragement, and Zhiwei, along with the other students, clapped and cheered, before following them to the new apartments. He felt confused.
Every time he thought of the rescue mission, though, he smelled burned metal. He had sent a message home, wondering how they were, offering to go back and help rebuild anything broken, or take care of anyone hurt. For the days until he got a response he stormed around in visible, aggravated worrying, anticipating distressed descriptions of property damage, cold nights, injuries and maybe deaths.
But the message that had come back had been a carefully penned one by his grandmother. It informed that everyone was fine- that their home had just avoided serious damages, that his parents missed him, and that they were using his old mattress to board some people who hadn't been so lucky. That was followed by a scrawled note from his eldest brother- 'glad for the extra room space' and an expressive smiley. Zhiwei scrunched his nose at the last part. But if they could tease him they were probably fine. Weeks later, it still nagged at him, though.
As he walked with the rest of the students, something that was slowly dawning on him reoccurred in is head. He had nothing to do. Nothing he considered big, or important, anyway. The earthquake marked the start of his slump, and it was what left him feeling useless and confused. What Zhiwei needed, he decided, not for the first time, was to do something heroic, but instead of mucking it up, he would manage to help a person or three. Then he would stop smelling metal.
Posted: Sep 20 2016, 08:57 PM
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For many today was an important day, for some it was a new beginning for other a stepping off point. For Toshi today was just another day, the quake had impacted his life very little. Which was fine by all means after all it wasn't like he had left a footprint at this place newly arriving not too long ago and all, so no lives to morn no starting over. For Toshi his simple life would continue, regardless of the changes the academy would see.
As the assembly drowned on and people he had little interest in introduced themselves Toshi stared off into space, there were a thousand things he'd rather be doing. Finally the head masters voice returned meaning it would be over soon. It was then that something interesting caught his ear. "Overseas, well isn't that interesting." Now that was one thing that many students would jump at given the chance, not him however as such a thing would no doubt make his life difficult. Honestly that was his whole plan here to just simply slide by under the radar and get this whole thing over with as soon as possible. Not because he was a Mori but simple because he hated every idea of this place. Pushing one past one limits, exceeding humanly expectations, challenging the bounds of reality Toshi would have none of that all he wanted was a nice simple life. Like a normal person but alas he had been cursed to live the life of a scion and the very nature of that would mean he'd never reach his ambition.
|Oinu Oda
Posted: Sep 22 2016, 06:11 AM
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I'll take you to paradise
Say you'll never let me go
Why'd we have to bring up this earthquake? She had heard many students hushing and talking about the senseless event where many have died for no good reason—a natural occurrence. She clenched her fists until the whites appeared there. It was such a leafy paradise gathering of many students and staff—would have been majestic in her amber eyes. She wanted none of that. She disliked being here but it might have been suspicious if she didn't appear with all the other students especially that they likely were watching her with eagle-eyes in the shadows. The infamous Oda clan. Why couldn't they get passed their wary eyes? She had nothing to do with the murder of the former lord but she was the daughter of that man. Although she was already in the academy for a while, she could sense some heated tension among some of the other students who detested her clan's reputation and recent actions. Her family had already abandoned her. Life wasn't fair but she had to desensitize herself as much as she could.
Besides the shimmering sunlights peaking through the imposing and ancient trees, the leaves fluttered and tossed in the breeze. It was strangely beautiful. She had taken a few breaths and it calmed herself just a little bit. Her physical pain had subsided but she was disappointed at her failure. That was one of the main reasons why she was hesitant to attending the get-together. She didn't want to remember what happen but the memory slithered back into the front of her mind. Maybe she shouldn't have cared but it was the right thing to do at that moment. Somehow she had ended up in the heart of the earthquake where the streets where littered with panicking citizens and lifeless bodies tossed in the blistering winds. She had to run away as well or be ended up as another earthquake statistic. Unfortunately, a young child had caught her eye and wasn't sure how he ended up there but she was torn whether to risk her life for a stranger or keep her self-preservation.
Soon, the imposing raven-haired head of the academy had approached the mahogany podium with his dark robes and golden stitching on it's black. It almost looked like he was royalty. He began his announcement and stating about the earthquake and of the devastation that it wrecked. Her mouth turned downward when he mentioned of all the citizens' lives that were lost and struggled to forget the memory of the child she wasn't able to save that terrifying day. He was a young child and she had sprinted toward him in the hopes of saving her. She was too late. She thought she shielded him from the broken items falling from the sky but another came from the opposite direction and it was he who saved her instead with his own body. She was left with the agony from her back and lifeless she was forced to leave behind. She had made a hard decision but it was all for naught.
She listened on as he expressed the changes that were going to be made now that the disaster had finally ended and done. The two teachers that the academy had lost in the tragedy strangely caused some tears to be brought out but with a clenched fist and a silver of blood, she drowned those tears into the depths. She couldn't allow herself to show weakness in front of students who hated her clan. She had much respect for the rifle teacher who showed her the ropes since the beginning. She actually she had a crush on older man one time. Although she didn't actually know the other one, the teacher was nice and pleasant and took some time to help her when she first began the academy. She didn't even thank both for their graciousness and kindness. He continued saying that everyone would now be carrying on the legacy of the fallen students and teachers and resulted in many of the students bursting into the tears. She felt sympathetic to those who did but shivered more at the thought of herself dying herself. She still had so much to accomplish yet.
The elderly and respected golden-haired woman of the academy approached the podium. She mentioned about the tragedy of those two teachers, not that she wanted to hear about the deaths even in pure remembrance of them. She then announced the introduction of the new teachers hired to replace the fallen teachers. Oinu twitched for a moment and inhaled a sharp breath as she was unsure of the new replacements. She hoped they were the right teachers for the job as she had grown to respect all her teachers and now there would be changes she would have to become used to especially her former rifle teacher. A man stepped forward and introduced himself as Nabashima Hideki, introducing himself as the new rifle instructor. She eyes turned downwards in worry observing the younger man. Still, her heart beat faster and she perked up in interest looking at him—quite attractive but she shouldn't think about that right now. He continued explaining that he and her former teacher were rivals before so they probably would be in the same league as him but she took that with a grain and salt. She listened as some of the students gasp all of a sudden but her, it made her chuckle unconsciously with the similar humor that grew to enjoy from her Saika-sensei. She held some hope things would turn out alright. Still, she would rather see him in action before actually judging him right off the bat.
As time drawled on, her body was itching to move around before her leg would possibly become numb from standing too long. More teachers were being introduced including a slender brown-haired woman introducing herself as Kono Ayumi, the new fine arts and crafting teaching. She seemed to have a honeyed smile and with seriousness pertaining to her craft. She looked like someone Oinu wanted avoid being in trouble with indeed. Another man introduced himself as Dr. Shirasu Naganori, the new Foreign Affairs and World History teacher. It seemed that he had a polite and kind demeanor that she was sure that many would enjoy being students of. She widened her eyes when he gave a deep bow to the students that she assumed most wouldn't take the time to do so. Her eyes dilated observing the violet haired young man who had presented himself. She was taken back by his uncommon British accent that she found appealing and slender figure. He almost seemed like an angel.
Two new teachers were introduced at the podium but the teacher who shocked her was the new smithing instructor. She gave a gapped mouth stare at Oda Nobukatsu and unconsciously leaned forward in the interest. Where'd he come from? She was mildly surprised that they were wiling to hire an Oda despite the infamous reputation. Right from that moment, she was enamored with great respect and adoration, platonic of course. He resembled one of those few older cousins who actually spent the time to get to know her better. Well, until her little brother came into the picture and boasted about how he was so much better than her and loyalties changed. She shook her head and took a deep breath forgetting about that bittersweet memory and thought about the here and now. She continued listening and grinned at the casualness when he brushed off the wary eyes and showed he didn't care much about that and more for teaching students than anything else. She was contemplating on whether to take on of his classes to get another Oda to relate to now.
The head of the academy stepped forward and began speaking of what he said earlier just in different words. She sighed and began twirling strands of her hair out of pure boredom as the speech dragged on and on. Absently listening to the head of academy, she heard him mention that there were some students moving overseas to learn and bring new experiences but she felt that the reason could be more about their safety than anything else but she could be wrong. Finally! The speech was over and done with and she could finally stretch her legs and move around though her left leg was numb and her back was still in pain every now and then and then doctor said that she would recover fully in a few days so that was a relief. Stretching her body for the long walk to the new apartments, she strolled onward with the rest of the students. At least she was get some exercise more often walking back and forth to school.
open, ♥ jadeite
Posted: Dec 12 2016, 07:34 AM
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Assemblies like this had never really been Mirai's thing. She would have sworn that the speakers only tried to say as little as possible in the longest amount of time.
But still, she sat quietly and listened to the procession of speakers. Mirai blinked away the beginnings of tears as the head of Edo Bugei spoke about the people who died. She hadn't even known them, but it was such a waste of beautiful life. Such a waste of talent and hopes and dreams that could now never be realised.
He also mentioned rebuilding Edo Bugei's dorms; Mirai remembered hearing about in the news how extensive the damage to the city of Edo was, and to Edo Bugei.
Edo Bugei: that was her future for the next few years, and, from how she saw it now at least, it was going to be a good future. She'd have more freedom than ever before; there would still be rules, but she didn't have to abide by the every whim of her parents dictating her life. She could go out with friends without someone telling her off for it. She could choose how to spend her evenings and choose what to wear and what to eat. It felt liberating.
She don't know where it would all take her, or if it would take her anywhere, but Mirai didn't really care. The chance that it would somehow prevent her from being forced down the path her parents had decided for her, that it would save her from someday taking over her father's company, Okada Steel, was so slim it may as well have been nonexistent, so there was no point in thinking about the future beyond Edo Bugei if she couldn't do anything to change it. She'd just have to suck it up and accept it when it happened.
She swallowed down the lump that rose in her throat. Yes, it would be better to focus on the here and now and making the most out of what she had in the present. As Mirai saw it, Edo Bugei wasn't the path to an even better future, it was something to enjoy while she could and keep her mind off the future her parents had doomed her to.
And there was so much to think about regarding the present - she had all these new decisions available that needed to be made. Should she join a club? Maybe the Home Economics club, that way she could learn to cook and sew, practical skills she'd always wanted to have. She'd also have to think about what track she'd like to choose - she'd been told she'd have to pick one one day, and she was looking forward to experiencing some of the classes from these tracks, to trying things she'd never done before, to getting to choose a track after being part of the classes rather than being handed a piece of paper and being asked to decide solely from a list of descriptions.
Mirai smiled for the rest of the presentation as she watched the new teachers introduce themselves. Thinking about the possibilities for her life at Edo Bugei was exciting.
Posted: Dec 28 2016, 01:27 AM
Group: Members
Posts: 27
Member No.: 115
Joined: 22-December 16
Awards: None
Takuma wasn't in Edo during the earthquake, nor did he know anyone from the school before the quake. Yet that didn't stop him from feeling sad about the loss of life, or the fact that his arrival was starting on such sour moods. Sitting with the other students, Takuma shuffled slightly in his uniform. Listening to the introductions of the staff, Takuma was particularly interested in what the new doctor will teach.
Yet, that excitement didn't sit well with him. Being excited during events like these was disrespectful at best. There was obviously less people here than normal, and Takuma noted that he was still likely to get lost with all the reconstruction.
He was ready for the future, for the new experiences that he'd face, and for the new people he'd meet. Takuma would patiently sit there, waiting for the ceremonies to end.
Posted: Dec 30 2016, 10:58 PM
New Member
Group: Members
Posts: 4
Member No.: 117
Joined: 27-December 16
Awards: None
Mandatory assemblies, Hana decided, were basically the worst. It wasn't that she couldn't appreciate why they were holding an assembly in the first place- she really, really could. The earthquake was... well. There was being a country prepared for earthquakes, but there wasn't any way to be prepared for that. She'd spent the evening after the quake trying desperately not to cry, daring only to look at the infirmities to find her brother. Her relic gave her immovable proof that her brother was still fine, his vine-strewn white wings curled in that tight way that meant he was stressed and horrified, but physically fine. Unfortunately, it also gave her immutable proof when someone-
-yeah. She didn't like hospitals much.
But the somber mood the assembly started with- that wasn't the main reason that mandatory assemblies were basically the absolute worst. No. No, there were a multitude of other perfectly acceptable reasons for her to hate it. For example: the veritable sea of colors that was the entire population of Edo Bugei collected into one place. The entire student body had appendages that only Hana could see and sometimes it sucked. It was next to completely and utterly overwhelming with this many people around her, and also next to impossible to find a place where she didn't accidentally brush any of these ethereal images.
It wasn't like anyone could plan the area for things they couldn't see. People could, however see Hana's wings, which, whatever. At least it gave her a slightly more empty patch as she tried to work her way closer to the front of the crowd. She only made it about midway, and was only just lucky enough to get a clear sightline to the stage. The assembly was probably about to start, judging by the angle the principal was to the microphone. Unfortunately, she still wasn't remotely close enough to tell what any of the people on stage were actually saying.
Reason number two mandatory assemblies were the worst: it wasn't like her parents had seen fit to actually tell anyone she was Deaf, and Hana knew for a fact that they thought sign language somehow impeded her ability to function in life. As in, they'd tried to tie her hands behind her back to get her to stop. More than once, even. So it wasn't as though they'd think to inform the headmaster that she could probably use an interpreter- ah, look, the speaker was changing, the mood was changing again, there were five new people on stage? Probably the replacement teachers- so she was stuck here, trying desperately to lip read.
It wasn't even kind of working, with so many students in the way. Luckily, Hana had gotten permission to go get transcripts of actually important events, but it wasn't even remotely the same. And she was still expected to stand at events, too, looking pretty in uniform, reminding the world that scions attended Edo Bugei and were generally better than everyone else and pretending that she was hearing.
So. Like she'd said. The worst.
The headmaster approached the podium again. He spoke some more. The student body started clapping. Hana did too, because everyone else was clapping so she figured they were- probably greeting the new teachers, also clapping because the assembly was short? That was good. Her brother wasn't here, but Shigeo was probably busy trying to save more lives. Their paths didn't cross as much now that they were at school, anyway- they were in different areas of study, different dorms, and Shigeo had been given two years more than Hana to get a life of his own.
Then everyone started walking away.
Hana blinked. "Where are we going," she asked, curtly, to the first person who she saw that didn't look like they would make too much of a big deal of it. They didn't turn to face her. She tapped their shoulder again. "Hey, where are we going?"
"I just ------------ dorms ---- get (apartments?)" Hana nodded once. It wasn't that clear- the other kid had been talking quickly and irritably and still wasn't turning to face her properly, but she had a decent idea of what he'd said. She'd been informed they'd be moving elsewhere ahead of time, she just didn't know where, and she'd had no idea they'd be doing it right after the assembly. In their formal clothes. One more reason this assembly was the worst, she supposed.
She nodded, though she couldn't make herself say 'thank you', especially as the other boy walked away, muttering to himself, all of his body language screaming 'irritated'. His wings- small, made mostly of little shiny spheres, hell if Hana had any idea what that was supposed to mean at the moment- rolled and twisted as he walked. Maybe he was a very changeable person? Whatever. It didn't matter.
Well. At least the assembly was over, and she'd be getting out of the crowd soon. That, at least, was good.


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Terming as "unfortunate" and "disappointing" the AAI decision to oppose proposed reduction in charges at Delhi airport by 78 per cent, International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said the move would prove detrimental to both passengers and airlines.
On the contrary, lower airport fee would stimulate the traffic growth at the Delhi Airport as it would bring down airfares to an affordable limits, it said.
"It is unfortunate and disappointing that AAI has taken a very short-term view on the Delhi Airport charges by contesting against the proposal of the independent regulator to reduce these inflated charges," IATA Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific Conrad Clifford told PTI.
His statement came following AAI's opposition to the proposal on the ground that it would adversely affect its bottomline.
Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) had in January proposed a 78 per cent reduction in charges at Delhi Airport for the second five control period (April 2014-March 2019), as against a massive 346 per cent hike allowed by it to DIAL in May 2012.
DIAL is a joint venture between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and GMR-led consortium, with each entity having 26 per cent and 74 per cent stake.
AAI ceded control of the Delhi airport to DIAL under a public-private partnership agreement in 2006 that mandated a 46 per cent revenue share to the former.
Emphasising that a reduction in charges as against a huge increase of over 340 per cent earlier would help stimulate traffic growth the airport, Clifford said this would in turn benefit both the airport operator as well as the Indian economy as a whole.
"To keep the tariff artificially high just to support the high revenue-share and high-tariff aspirations of AAI and DIAL respectively, would only come at the expense and the detriment of the interests of the Indian consumer and the airlines," he said.
The AAI could suffer a massive revenue loss of Rs 900 due to the proposed slashing of charges for landing, parking and other support services at Delhi Airport, a senior AAI official had said last week while opposing any such move.
DIAL and AAI had benefited from AERA's decision in 2012 in the tariff escalation for Delhi proposed in the first control period. The first control period ended on March 31, 2014.
IATA believes that as long as AERA has carried out its evaluation in a transparent and objective manner, this should be respected, Clifford said.
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Patrick Bailey Net Worth
Patrick Bailey made money by Directors niche. For all time, at the moment, 2018 year, Patrick Bailey earned $6 Million. Exact sum is $6000000.
Short biography, height, weight, dates:
Birth date: November 19, 1985
Birth place: Elmendorf, Texas, United States
Height:1.93Рљm Weight:107Рљkg
Profession: Director
Education: Duke University, Alamo
Heights High School
Spouse: Maggie Bailey
Parents: Linda Bailey, Mickey Bailey
Wikipedia Source: Patrick Bailey
Patrick Bailey is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He graduated in 2004 from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio and played college football at Duke.


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As hobbies come, it is an unusual choice, especially for a Royal.
In the same way that dedicated walkers set out to conquer all of Scotland's Munros, Princess Anne has made it her personal quest to to visit every lighthouse that dots the Scottish coast.
Last week, the 57-year-old made a secret trip to tick-off three more lighthouses from her list and will return again in a few days to 'bag' another couple off the Isle of Skye.
She has passed the halfway mark in her missions to see every one of the 215 lights that illuminate Scotland's rugged shorelines.
On Wednesday, as patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, she ticked-off Pladda and Holy Island Inner and Outer lights off Arran.
She also veered away from her Scottish quest to visit two more on the Isle of Man a day earlier.
The Princess Royal will be back on board the 84-metre-long NLB ship, MV Pharos on July 22 and 23 to climb two more lighthouses on Skye.
For most ships, one Royal visit is a rarity, but next week will be the princess' third on Pharos, having only commissioned the vessel a year ago.
She has told officials of the NLB - of which she is patron - her ambition is to visit every one of the 215 north of the border.
The princess's hobby is so consuming that she also visits many lights secretly on private yachting jaunts with her husband Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.
The couple keep a yacht at Ardfern on Loch Craignish in Argyll and Bute.
It total it is believed Anne has now logged more than 100 Scottish lights - some 80 alone on trips with the NLB.
It is thought her interest in pharology - the technical term for the study of lighthouses - was sparked as a five-year-old when she accompanied the Queen on a visit to Tiumpan Head in Lewis.
Among the lighthouses Anne has visited in the past is arguably the world's most famous - that of the Flannan Isles in the Outer Hebrides where on Boxing Day 1900, it was discovered that the three keepers James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald McArthur had vanished.
Roger Lockwood, chief executive of NLB, said Anne's visit on Wednesday was 'private'.
She visited three lighthouses and is now a long way along the way of seeing them all he said.
'She must have visited over 80 with us and takes her role as patron very seriously.
'It is not just about ticking-off another light on the list - she also likes to see the places and conditions in which the technicians have to work.
'The princess has done all the major lights now and it will not be easy to do them all because there are many that are scattered all over the place.
'But it will be a remarkable feat if the princess ticks them all off. Other than some of our technicians I doubt if anybody else has been to all of them.'


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It's been a week since the movers came and took all my stuff and I am still in NYC. They were supposed to send my things with the truck heading toward the Midwest last Thursday/Friday, but that didn't happen. The next date was Monday, yesterday, but that didn't happen either, so it's looking like tomorrow Wednesday might be the day my things get rolling. In the mean time I'm still here, waiting and taking advantage of the free time in NYC.
I've been seeing loads of friends and saying goodbye. I hate saying goodbye, but hey, it's better than just leaving and not saying anything. My grandmother used to say that leaving without saying goodbye was leaving like a "barranco", just gone, nothing there to see, nothing there to do. That's kind of sad. I don't want to be a "barranco", so goodbye it is.
I went to a beach in Westhampton with Ina and Joan for the day. This was my first NYC beach experience this summer and I loved it. We headed out early in the morning and were the first to arrive at the beach, so we could pick any place we wanted to sit and chillax. The water was rough, our adventure in the sea was an accident-prone one, but the sun was out and the breze helped us cool off a bit, so all was good with the world.
I hung out with Mike, we had brunch at Cafe D'alsace a french bistro close to my place, which I like a lot. And then headed over to see Inception. Have you seen it? If not, run, run now and go see it, it's that good. It will leave you thinking about it for days and will offer endless hours of conversations and discussions. You will love it, trust me.
I met with Jason some weeks back to finally give him back his things and get mine. It was really nice to see him again. Now that the sadness is gone and I am over the breakup, seeing him and spending time with him was like reuniting with a good old friend I hadn't seen in a while. It felt like the good times together without the boyfriend/girlfriend bits. It made me think if that was what we were meant to be all along, just friends. We met in Union Square, walked over to the East Village and had an early dinner at Porchetta. Their pork sandwiches are incredible. They're a take out place, so we took our meal and headed over to the park and sat there to eat and talk. It was truly nice. After, we walked over back to Union Square and had an ice cream, from Mister Softee and sat there to people watch and talk some more. It seemed appropriate that our last encounter would be in the same place we had our first date and that we ended the night sitting on a bench eating ice cream, the same way it all started over a year ago. It was a very symbolic way to say goodbye and it left me feeling good about the whole thing.
I also met with Radhika and Nancy for out last Friday dinner get-together. We went to Dafni Greek Taverna to have some greek food. Look at our meals! We had a wonderful time catching up and not even the rain storm could damper our chit-chat. Too much to talk about! I'm gonna miss those gals. You know what else I will miss? Cold Stone ice cream! Which we had for dessert. But do you know what they have in Chicago? Dairy Queen!!!
Then, a couple weekends ago, my friend MariVi invited me to go see a Yankee's game, and we had a great time. The Yankees lost and the sun was unbearably hot, but we still had a good time, eating hot dogs, drinking Pepsi (they don't sell Coke) and just taking it all in. The new stadium is truly beautiful, I loved it, thanks MariVi!
I've also had a great few days of lunch and shopping with Rachel and Alejandra, two new friends I made through twitter and who have turned out to be great gals with whom I hope to keep in touch. We roamed NYC streets, stopped my Limelight Marketplace, which I had yet to check out and ate at Coffee Shop Restaurant and Republic. We've had great times. It's outings like these, roaming NYC, doing girlie stuff with great gals, which I will miss the most.
Then I met Ryan, a friend I hadn't seen since we were both around 10 years old and were in fourth or fifth grade. It was a little surreal to see him again and talk as if no time had passed at all. We of course had years and years of catching up to do, so we made ourselves comfortable at Heartland Brewery, had a few drinks and chatted the afternoon away. It's incredible how some friendships can stay the same and "el cari~o es el mismo" even after all these years.
I met my friend JW for drinks the other night too to say goodbye. We ended at Pasha a Turkish place in the UWS, close to his new apartment and had some very much needed spirits 🙂
And I have also been hanging out a lot with my sister, Soph and Cas, who are now living in what used to be my old apartment. This is my favorite dish from Telio, my favorite Greek restaurant from the UWS, where I went to with Liz while searching for apartments for her and running some last minute errands at TC for me.
So, what have I've been up to while I wait for my move, you ask? Well, friends and food, what else is there?


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If you know me, you know I'm all about creating and using B2B buyer personas to drive content marketing strategy. I've created more than 400 buyer personas over the last four or five years. When built with both qualitative and quantitative data they … [Read more...]
3 Pivots B2B Marketing Strategies Need to Create Compelling Experiences
The difference between a drive-by view and a meaningful engagement with your audience is based on the perceived value of the experience—by the audience. Unfortunately, customer experiences are often defined by the experience we want our customers to … [Read more...]
The Problem with Scale for B2B Content Marketing
Using content for marketing in B2B companies has caught on with a fervor that continues unabated. And, even though only a small percentage of B2B marketers say they are consistently effective with it, most of them will produce more content next … [Read more...]


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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
L-R-G Hyabusa Cover
L-R-G x Suzuki Hyabusa makes the cover of "Cycle Worlds Sport Bike Annual Magazine" with the GSX-R tailsection, see through wheels, and Beringer brake system. A built in mini cam in the tail section and viewing screen near the handlebars allow you to see whats behind you without the use of mirrors. All can be yours for $50,000.
Posted by LIFTED RESEARCH GROUP at 11:00 AM
1 comment:
- thefreshestkids said...
That is ill, i dont trust myself on a bike. But if i did that's how I'd roll, and it matches my G - shock!
Check our blog to listen to the LRG Podcast we just completed this week. It's a heater!
DJ Marvel
- May 23, 2008 at 2:54 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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You Are What You Eat!
4 comments
I've just found your blog and I think it's really inspiring, it will be an honor for me if you can visit mine too, and if you want to follow, it will be a pleasure to follow you back! 🙂 <3
By the way I am having a cute giveaway on my blog, you can win a lollipop necklace, I hope you join and If you do, good luck, I hope you win! <3
Great post, as always. I totally understand the fact that sometimes you just have to take it slow, and figure out what you love and hate and what you can and can't do.
Reading your article was really inspiring especially because I myself started going to the gym and educating myself about everything food related.
Btw I nominated you to the Liebster award I'd love for you to answer my questions! The link to the rules and questions is here:


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Kelsey - posted on 01/04/2010 ( 7 moms have responded )
My daughter has acid reflux and its gotten just terrible since she started teething a couple weeks ago. Refusing her bottles, in alot of pain, and because of that she is now sleep deprived. My doctor prescribed Zantac for her today and told me to mix it half and half with grenadine. What did you put it in? What should I expect? How did your baby handle it?


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A Scam Email with the Subject "Prospective Partner" was received in one of Scamdex's honeypot email accounts on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:54:27 -0800 and has been classified as a Generic Scam. The sender was "HARRY CHANG" <firstname.lastname@example.com>, although it may have been spoofed.
[1]. Act as the original beneficiary of the funds. [2]. Receive the funds into a business/private bank account. [3]. Invest/Manage the funds outside of China.[4]. Value of funds: $39 Million US Dollars. Everything will be done legally to ensure the rights to the funds are transferred to you. If you agree to partner with Mr. Chen, he will compensate you with 30% of the total sum. Should you prefer I re-contact you with more express facts, you can send me your:
[1] Official Full Names: [2] Company or Personal profile:[3] Daytime Telephone No: For Mr. Chen Shui-bian's current profile visit this site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8250099.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8233342.stm You can email me at (firstname.lastname@example.com) or call me for further details, terms and agreement.
Sincerely, Mr. Harry S. ChangEmail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Victorian Artisan's Cottage home swap
Conveniently situated near major attractions and offering comfortable accommodation arranged on two storeys. Upstairs there are three bedrooms with double beds, one having en-suite facilities. Ground floor comprises kitchen, dining room, bathroom, toilet and two living rooms with one having access to rear garden, where there is a terrace for sitting or dining. The garden is largely laid out with shrubs and lawn and has a garden office, tool sheds etc.
About the location
Located on the river Thames, nearby royal parks and historic palace, Hampton Court (East Molesey) is a quiet, attractive area well served by public transport. The rail station is 10 mins walk away with a regular service (30 mins. to central London) and connections to other destinations. Buses access nearby Kingston (15 minute journey) which is a major shopping and entertainment centre, also Richmond, Twickenham and other surrounding areas of interest. Local amenities, such as supermarkets, shops, boutiques, pubs, restaurants and cafes are within easy walking distance. Heathrow and Gatwick airports are easily accessible by public transport as is, by car, the motorway network for visiting surrounding Surrey and further afield: Brighton, Windsor, Oxford, Bath, Stratford upon Avon etc. Nearby Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park and Legoland offer theme park entertainment for children and there are the usual activities associated with a riverside/parkland location.
Type of home swap
- Home Exchange
- Non Simultaneous Exchange
- Open to Offers
- Housesitting Offered
- Weekend Exchange
Conditions of home exchange
- Non smokers only
- Children welcome
- Pet Care Offered
- Garage / Parking
- Internet
- Garden
- Washer / Drier
- Use of bike
- Shopping facilities
- Fishing
- Local restaurants
- Art galleries
- Horse Riding
- Good public transport
- Museums
- Tennis
- Theatre
- Car not required
- Golf
- Ballet
- Boating
- Walking
Closest airport: Heathrow
Nearest city: Kingston upon Thames
Property type: Cottage
Location type: Suburban
Hampton Court (HE32352)
London, England
- 3 bed (sleeps 6) 2 bath
Preferred destinations
- Open to offers
- Western Cape
Dates available
Swap duration: 2 - 3 weeks
Meet the member
Membership expiry date: 23 Jul 2015


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Kevin Wignall
Who Is Conrad Hirst?
Kevin Wignall
Who Is Conrad Hirst?
Release Date: 11/13/2007
LIST PRICE: $15.99 (you save $4.80)
Who is Conrad Hirst? Knowing the answer could get you killed. Not knowing could get him killed.
Conrad Hirst is a hired killer working for a German crime boss. Disturbed by the death of his girlfriend ten years earlier and still bearing the scars of post-traumatic stress after serving as a mercenary, he's valued precisely because of how broken he is, by how coldly he kills, by the solitary existence he leads.
But something has happened on Conrad's most recent job that's shattered his equilibrium and left him determined to quit. Fortunately for him, there's a simple way to leave the business and begin life anew: Only four people know who he is and what he's done -- kill those four people, and Conrad is a free man.
A simple plan, but life is never that simple, and as Conrad's scheme unravels, he quickly realizes he isn't the only one doing the killing. With the certainties of his life crumbling around him, he's no longer sure whom he's been working for, or why, or what they want of him now. In fact, he can't even answer the ever-looming and ominous question: Who is Conrad Hirst?
Fast-paced, dark, and disturbing, Kevin Wignall's newest page-turner is the story of a broken young man seeking retribution against those who have used him for their own gain, and of the devastating secret that fuels his anger. It is a story of identity and loss, of missed opportunities and the cruelty of fate.
""A thinking person's thriller that'll keep you up all night, flipping pages with sweaty fingers! Wignall's Who Is Conrad Hirst? races from start to finish, setting new standards for crime fiction. A brilliant premise, perfectly executed."" -- Jeffery Deaver, author of The Sleeping Doll and The Bone Collector


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The pages of Louisa May Alcott's novel, Little Women, are beautifully written and full of obstacles. Alcott does an incredible job bringing her characters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, to life. While reading the book, you get to see each girl mature and grow into a lovely young woman.
In each chapter, there are new obstacles for each girl to face and overcome. They each face social, emotional, and physical trials and learn lessons related to each along the way. This book is very relatable as I meet many of the same issues and obstacles daily.
Throughout the novel, you fall in love with each of the characters. My personal favorite character is Jo or Josephine March. Jo has a wild personality that is shown in most conversations as she tends to get into arguments quite often. She rarely follows the rules and prefers to follow her heart. These characteristics are what make her so likeable to me.
Little Women is an underestimated novel that has an impact on all who read it. It is tantalizing and fun to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a classic with a little romance, many challenging trials, and a diverse storyline.


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Headed down to El Paso last week to visit the family and also see Uncle Chris who came down from Colorado.
|Sprinkler time!
|She's growing up far to quickly!
|Sophia and Gracie
|Uncle Chris taking advantage of a comfy couch.
|9 months old
|Chris and McKenna
|Getting some energy out
|playing story cubes
|Uncle told them a secret word to make them giggle!!