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Arrival and transfer from São Paulo´s airport to the hotel and rest of the day free.
We suggest you to go out for dinner in one of the hundreds options that São Paulo offers. Lodging at the Hotel.
Day 2 : São Paulo
Great opportunity for those who wants to know more about the history and the way of life of the biggest city of South America. The city tour will pass by historical buildings, typical neighborhoods, monuments, leisure and commercial areas. Stop at Ibirapuera Park for photo shooting and surroundings such as Monumento das Bandeiras e Obelisco. The tour also visits the famous Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade and the historical city center where you will see the the big cathedral – Catedral da Sé, Pateo do Colegio, Mosteiro de São Bento, Vale do Anhangabaú, Teatro Municipal (Opera) and Praça da República. Lodging at the Hotel.
Day 3 : São Paulo / Rio de Janeiro
After picking you up at your hotel, you will be transferred to Sao Paulo airport. There is another transfer from Rio de Janeiro airport to the hotel.
Rio de Janeiro ("River of January"), commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America and the main tourist destination in the Southern Hemisphere. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1815 during the Portuguese colonial era, 1815 to 1821 as the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. Rio is nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa or "The Marvellous City.
Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ, known as Christ the Redeemer ("Cristo Redentor") atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambródromo, a giant permanent parade avenue lined with grandstands which is used during Carnival; and Maracanã stadium, the world´s largest football stadium. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics, and will be the first South American city to host the event.
The city also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Floresta da Tijuca, or Tijuca Forest. Lodging at the Hotel.
Day 4 : Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is a city with two very well known landmarks recognized throughout the world. One is the Sugar Loaf, the site where the first settlers started the city of Rio de Janeiro. The tour today starts with a visit to downtown Rio. Its history tells us of the times of Brazil as a colony and Rio, its capital. History moves on and Rio is now the capital of the Portuguese Empire when the Portuguese Royal family moves to Brazil. Rio grows as a metropolis and becomes the capital of the empire from 1822 to 1889 and the capital of the Republic from 1889 to 1960. The capital of the country until 1960, Rio de Janeiro has not lost its charm and is to this day, the bellwether city of the country from where all trends emanate. Standing at the entrance of the bay of Rio, the Sugar Loaf is a silent guardian and witness to this rich historical background. Passing by downtown, one will be enchanted by the many historical buildings like the chapel of Our Lady of Glory – the imperial chapel, the Municipal Theatre, Fine Arts Museum and the Public Library, the colonial aqueduct, overlooking the modern Cathedral. Arriving at Praia Vermelha for a visit to the Sugar Loaf. It takes 2 stages to reach the summit on a modern diamond shaped cable car. First stage leaves street level to the top of Urca Hill. The ride takes 3 minutes and unfolds to a superb panorama. Here at Urca, the city at a closer angle calls visitors to a closer look. Taking a second cable car and for a 6 minute ride the second stage is completed and one reaches the summit and an unsurpassable view welcomes visitors. At this vantage point, the bay, the bridge, the age-old majestic mountain range protecting the city and last but not least – Niterói, a city at the other side of the bay all seem easy to grasp.
Corcovado is among the "musts" of any visit to Rio. Leaving the hotel, through a scenic drive along Rio's beautiful beaches and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon you will reach the charming district of Cosme Velho and its historic mansions. The summit of Corcovado is reached via a cog-wheel railway, dated from 1884 in a 20 minute ride up the Corcovado mountain. The 709m hunch-backed Corcovado is famous for the imposing statue of Christ the Redeemer that stands at the summit. The view is the second attraction. You will see the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, the traditional Flamengo Football Club stadium and the Niteroi Bridge. A stunning view!
(Round trip transfers and cog-wheel train ticket is included). Lodging at the Hotel.
Day 5 : Rio de Janeiro
Free day at Rio de Janeiro. Lodging at the Hotel.
Day 6 – Rio de Janeiro
Transfer to the airport at the appropriate time.
Upon arrival in Lima you will be met by our representative who will welcome you and assist you with your luggage and then drive you to one of the most exclusive residential districts of Lima, where you will be assisted with your check-in procedures. Overnight at Miraflores Park hotel 5* - Executive Suite with ocean view + breakfast
Day 7 : LIMA – CUSCO
Transfer from the hotel to the airport
CUZ Arrival, meet and transfer to the hotel
During this half day tour we will be able to appreciate the mestizo characteristics of the city via visits to its most representative constructions: Koricancha, or Temple of the Sun; the Incan street Loreto, where the famous 12 sided stone is found; Ahuajpinta street, along which sit the remains of impressive Incan palaces and old colonial buildings such as the Cathedral; and the Museum of Colonial Art. Later we will continue on to the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman and the ruins of Qenqo, Tambomachay (also known as the Incan Baths) and the Tambo de Puca Pukara.
Dinner a la carte at Cicciolina Restaurant ( Transfers included ) Overnight at Monasterio hotel 5* - Deluxe room + breakfast
Day 8 : CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY – CUSCO
We will visit the Pisac archaeological complex, formed by a collection of remains of Incan dwellings, temples, and terracing, all of which combine perfectly with the majestic landscape of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will then continue on to the Pisac Markets where we will have the chance to interact with the local folk and even barter with the merchants. After having lunch here we will end the day with a visit to the Incan fortress and citadel of Ollantaytambo. This fortress was constructed in order to guard the entrance to this part of the valley and protect it from possible invasions of tribes from the jungle lowlands, and was later the scene of Incan resistance in 1537, when Manco Inca's forces faced Hernando Pizarro's troops.
Lunch at Wayra restaurant with Peruvian Paso Horse demonstration. Overnight at Monasterio hotel 5* - Deluxe room + breakfast
Day 9 : CUSCO – MACHUPICCHU - CUSCO
FD EXCURSION TO MACHUPICCHU (Hiram Bingham train)
We will head to the Poroy Train Station where we will board the train that will take us to the town of Aguas Calientes. During our journey we will enjoy brunch and marvel at the changing landscape as we travel from Andean highlands to the beginnings of the jungle ("eyebrow of the jungle"), before finally arriving at the town of Aguas Calientes. From here we will board the bus that will take us to the citadel of Machu Picchu, or Lost City of the Incas, which sits upon the summit bearing the same name, and is one of the most representative and recognized examples of Incan architecture. We will walk through the different areas of the city: the agriculture and urban zone, featuring temples and dwellings; and the Intihuatana, or sun dial, finely carved out of stone. When we finish exploring we will have afternoon tea at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, before boarding the train back to Cusco. During the return journey cocktails and dinner will be served. Overnight at Monasterio hotel 5* - Deluxe room + breakfast
Day 10 : CUSCO – LIMA
Private transfer from the hotel to the airport.
LIM Upon arrival, our representative will transfer you to your hotel in Lima. Overnight at Miraflores Park hotel 5* - Executive Suite with ocean view + breakfast
Day 11 : LIMA – Iguazú
Transfer to the airport at the appropriate time.
At the arrival in Iguazu you will be received by one of our representatives, who will take you to the chosen hotel and will help you with the check-in procedures. Today, you will take the half day tour to the Brazilian Falls located on the western side of the Paraná State in Brazil. They were declared Natural World Heritage in the year 1986 by the UNESCO. This Brazilian park (185,000 hectares / 458,000 acres) borders with the Argentinean National Park (67,000 hectares / 166,000 acres) and they are divided by the Iguazu River. Both parks make this region one of the largest natural protected areas in South America. The tour starts at the Visitors' Centre, designed to be the access gateway to the park. The building functions as an embarking and disembarking station for visitors. In order to be able to start the circuits along the catwalk floors, you must take one of the modern panoramic view busses so as to move safely within the park. The length of the catwalk floors is 1,200 meters (0.8 miles) from where you will get a breathtaking view of the 275 waterfalls. The four main rapids on the Brazilian side are Floriano, Deodoro, Benjamín Constant and Salto Unión or The Devil´s Throat. At the end of the path you will get on a panoramic elevator that will take you to the bus units. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 12 : Iguazú
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
Departure to the full day tour to the Argentinean Falls tour. The UNESCO declared this place Natural World Heritage in the year 1984.
Paseo Inferior (Lower Path): this round 1,200-metre-walk (0.8 miles) gives you a great view of the majority of the rapids and falls from a front and lower point of view. The distances range from a bird's eye point of view of "Garganta del Diablo" (The Devil's Throat) together with several Brazilian rapids, to spectacular close-ups to other falls. If you like to, you will be able to enjoy "Salto Bossetti" (the Bossetti Fall) splash. This walk has some high difficulty level due to the number of steps along the way. Approximate duration: 2 hours.
Paseo Superior (Higher Path): this round 1,300-metre-walk (0.9 miles) will raise your adrenaline levels because you will feel the vertigo of being at the edge of some waterfalls. This walk has a breathtaking scenery cliff-point outlook. This is the less effort demanding walk of the three traditional ones. No steps along the way. Approximate duration: 1 hour.
Garganta del Diablo Waterfall: to access this place, you will have to take the "Tren Ecológico de la Selva" (Ecological Jungle Train), and you must get off at the stop named after this waterfall. From there, you will start a stroll along the safe new catwalk floor which is a winding path that goes around the islands for 1,100 meters (0,7 miles) and ends in the large balconies located on the edge of The Devil´s Throat. Approximate duration: 2 hours. No steps along the path. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 13 : Iguazú – Buenos Aires
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
At the scheduled time you will be taken to the airport to take your flight.
At the arrival in Buenos Aires you will be received by one of our representatives, who will take you to the chosen hotel and will help you with the check-in procedures.
Today, you will depart on a guided tour to the most important places in Capital Federal. The Half day City Tour includes the National Congress, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Government House and the Plaza de Mayo area. You will be at the heart of the Tango activity where this sensuous dance is performed on the streets for the passersby so as to make them enjoy the traditional neighbourhood of San Telmo. Then, you will visit the colourful suburb called La Boca which was adopted by the first Italian immigrants as their home, years ago. Today, it is the residence of important artists.
The trip continues to Palermo, which is a residential area with parks and elegant buildings. Finally, you will visit the sophisticated Recoleta, one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in which among other attractions, you can take a look around the famous cemetery.
In the evening, you will be taken to assist at a Tango Show at the selected restaurant. The Tango is the music of Buenos Aires par excellence. Despite its humble origins, in the 20's tango left the brothels and the underworld districts to reach the high-class ballrooms, but to do so it had to travel to Paris to return triumphant. In the end, the Tango has become a complete cultural expression, a plot of myths, values and traditions. A good way to feel its spirit is by visiting one of the restaurants that offers tango shows. Love, passion, madness, glamour: you will appreciate a show of international standing in which history becomes legend.
Dinner and show are included. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 14 : Buenos Aires
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
Day will be at leisure to enjoy the city on your own. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 15 : Buenos Aires – El Calafate
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
At the scheduled time you will be taken to the airport to take your flight. At the arrival in El Calafate you will be received by one of our representatives, who will take you to the chosen hotel and will help you with the check-in procedures.
Today, you will leave in the morning to visit the renowned Perito Moreno glacier, unique on the planet in its constant forward movement. Along the road you will discover many Andean pre-cordillera sites that are worth seeing or recording on camera and by the Argentino Lake you will access the National Park "Los Glaciares". Along Brazo Rico River you will start to spot the floating icebergs until you finally are able to grasp in all its awe, this natural wonder considered World Heritage by the United Nations. You will take the paths and enjoy some time to observe and to have lunch. (Lunch not included). Then, in the afternoon you will go back to the hotel. Accommodation at the selected hotel
Day 16 : Calafate
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
Today, you will leave on a tour to Los Glaciares National Park. You will board the ship and navigate among the icebergs of various spectacular patterns of shape and size. The glaciers that you will visit are: "Upsala" "Spegazzini" and "Onelli". You will disembark in Onelli bay to go on an attractive trekking, take pictures or capture on video fabulous landscape. Lunch time (Lunch box is not included). You will go back to the hotel in the afternoon. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 17 : El Calafate – Ushuaia
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
At the scheduled time you will be taken to the airport to take your flight. At the arrival in Ushuaia you will be received by one of our representatives, who will take you to the chosen hotel and will help you with the check-in procedures.
Today, you will go on a half day tour to get to know the most southern protected natural area and the only National Park with sea shores: The Tierra del Fuego National Park.
You will have access to this park by taking the National Route No. 3. Here, you will discover the Pipo River, the Susana Mount, Ensenada Bay, Redonda Island, Cañadon del Toro, Roca Lake, Casita del Bosque, Verde and Negra Lagoons, Castores Dam and Lapataia Bay which marks the end of the route, 3242kms away from the nation's capital, Capital Federal. The park's topography is very wide-ranging with mountains, rivers, valleys and lakes. It is very rich in flora and fauna with a large number and an ample variety of species. Lunch is not included. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 18 : Ushuaia
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, on the shores of the Beagle Channel and surrounded by the Martial Mounts. It is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and Southern Atlantic Islands Province, and its superlative location allows you to enjoy sea, mountains and forests at the same time. The excursion begins in downtown. After admiring the contrast between modern buildings and the typical wooden houses with gable roofs, the tour continues at the old Casa de Gobierno (Government Office of Tierra del Fuego) and at Nuestra Señora de la Merced Church. The En of the World and the Old Prison of Ushuaia Museum are also included in the City Tour. The excursion ends after visiting Saint Christopher Vessel, which ran aground in Ushuaia Bay in 1953. The City Tour around Ushuaia is an excursion full of history and culture, and it is perfect for those tourists who look for a moment of relax to savour the beauty of this city in which mountains, sea, glaciers, lakes and woods are combined in an impressive landscape. Accommodation at the selected hotel.
Day 19 : Ushuaia
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
At the scheduled time you will be taken to the pier to board your cruise.


text: Thursday February 4th. This was a practical workshop with Ryan Brown, in the ceramics room in Fabrication. Ryan went through the layout of the ceramics work areas and the basic procedures, health and safety &c. Then we got down to using clay to make relief surfaces which were then cast in plaster. I went though this and completed a piece but it cracked and I did not go further. Ryan explained the use of silicone gel to make a relief from the plaster. Most enjoyable. I will return to this at a future date.

subset: commoncrawl


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People have too much sh*t. And by "sh*t" I mean "stuff." I debated using that word, but that's kind of the way I feel about it right now. Stuff is too cheap and we all have too much of it.
I've mentioned previously about our recent de-cluttering blitz. It started in the fall when we decided to have some of our books shipped from our printer's warehouse to our much smaller "warehouse" here at Sunflower Farm. We had been storing them at our printer in Altona, Manitoba, which is just across the border from our U.S. distributor in Minnesota. This made it easy to move our books from our printer to our distributor. But they charge us for warehousing so we decided it was time to save some money and store some of the smaller quantities here. This meant I had to clean out the room in our guesthouse where we store our books and prepare them for shipping. I also needed to build some new shelves for the boxes of books that would soon be arriving. So the de-cluttering started slowly with recycling some extra cardboard boxes that I had saved and then I ramped it up to a full-scale war on clutter.
Around the time that I began to work on my de-cluttering project, we got some extra cable channels and I watched a few of those shows about hoarders. They showed people who couldn't even walk through their homes because they were piled so high with "stuff." They made me feel better about my own de-cluttering since my house looks nothing like those ones. But they also inspired me and after every show about hoarders that I watched, I picked another room and went at it with a newfound zeal.
I finally tacked my collection of clothing. I never throw anything away. I had old jeans that were full of holes. I kept them because I figured there was enough material left to use them to patch up other jeans in the future. I had t-shirts from concerts that I attended while I was in high school, probably 1978 or so. How could I throw away those? But I did and we ended up with bags of my old clothing. One day while Michelle was in town she tried to drop them in to one of those charity collection bins but it was full to the point of overflowing.
A few days later we were in Napanee and The Salvation Army Thrift Store had a big sign out front that read, "Not Taking Donations." Really? The Salvation Army isn't taking donations? Turns out that their store and trailer outside were filled to bursting.
Why is this? It's because stuff is so cheap that people can afford to buy way too much new stuff. And then they end up with trunk loads of the old stuff to get rid of when the styles change next year. It's an epidemic and it's gross.
Over the holidays I read the book called "The Value of Nothing" by Raj Patel. There seems to be a number of books right now that discuss the idea that we don't pay the true cost of things. If you factor in the environmental and social costs and all the "externalities," stuff would be much more expensive. If you haven't already done so, be sure to watch the documentary movie "Manufactured Landscapes." When you see how goods are produced in China, you'll probably feel physically ill the next time you're in a dollar store and you realize the human cost of all of that cheap stuff. I don't deny it. I have shopped at dollar stores and have often found the most unbelievably complex product on sale for a buck. It's an economic miracle, but it comes at a cost to someone else.
It's early in the new year and apparently everyone is decluttering, hence the inability to find a donation box that is not stuffed to overflowing. And why not? After Christmas many retailers put those great plastic storage containers on sale so that we all have a place to store our new loot. But if you run out of space in your house and have to declutter, just send it off to The Salvation Army Thrift Store. No wait … they're not taking donations right now. I wonder how the landfills are looking these days?
I'm going to try to be a better "conserver" and a worse "consumer." If my wardrobe looked old and tattered before, this is a scary proposition. Maybe if I iron my high school t-shirts they'll look better. Regardless, I'm going to buy even less "stuff" than before. Especially now that I know what a challenge it is to get rid of your old, excess stuff!
Photo of charity collection box by Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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For more information about Cam or his books please visit www.cammather.com or www.aztext.com
Amen, Cam... But: this is another case of how we (the 1st World) have painted ourselves into a corner. Without consumerism, our economy would grind to a halt. And while the slave-like workng conditions of those poor Chinese may seem cruel to us, it's still a better life than they had. They now have a middle class there and they have bought more autos in the past year than were sold in the US (a proxy measure of std of living)... While I personally live a meager lifestyle with few material needs, it would't be good for the economy for everyone to live this way... And living a more frugal, natural lifestyle surrounded by an industrial society is kinda like the kids camping in the back yard, "roughing it"- they know they can always come in the house if a storm comes up...Noah didn't try to save everyone.


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Kanye West is planning to unveil a women's fashion line in France next month.
The rapper will be showing off his Louise Goldin-designed line at Paris Fashion Week on October 1.
The collection is being kept under wraps according to Harpersbazaar magazine.
Kanye, who often attends the New York Fashion Week, has been working closely with the publication's fashion editor, Christine Centenera on the spring line.


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Junbi Undu is a systematic series of stretches and exercises used to get the practitioners warmed up and physically ready for the class that follows. The following outline is used at the beginning of Sensei Brian Nell's classes and last for about a half hour. The exercises consist of a mixture of strength training, stretching, yoga and Qi Gong designed to get the body ready for the rigors of the martial art.
The exercises start with the feet and work their way up to the top of the head. Almost all of the movements are repeated ten times, and the stretching held for ten seconds. Thought the exercises may be hard to do, they do have a purpose. It is important that students try to do the exercises, even if they only do a few amounts and work their way to more repetitions. It is more important to do a few correctly, then a large number wrong.
Thought the exercises are written below, it is best to have an instructor carefully go over and assist with them. The following is an outline to illustrate what the exercises during a regular class consists of and is not intended to be done without experienced supervision. There are subtle nuances with the exercises that cannot be explained in words, but by someone that has done them and is abler to correct a student as they are in the processes of doing it.
- Start with feet together, hands on hips. Rotate the right food 90 degrees, pivoting from the heal and return. This is one movement and one count. Repeat ten times, and then move to the left side doing the same action ten times.
- Next rotate the right heal out about 90 degrees, pivoting on the ball of the foot and return. This is one movement and one count. Repeat ten times, and then move to the left side doing the same action ten times.
- Still with feet together and hands on hips, bend at the knees as if setting in a chair, then return to a standing position. Repeat ten times.
- Bend the knees and move them in a circular motion. Do ten rotations to the clockwise, then ten rotations counter-clockwise.
- Stretch the legs and knees. While standing on the left leg, bring the right knee up to the chest. With the toes pointing towards the floor, grab the knee with your hands, and gently pull to get more stretch. Hold for about ten seconds, move to the next exercise. After completing the exercise on the right side, come back and stretch the left leg.
- Knee strengthening exercises. From the stretching position of the last exercise, bring the knee down so the upper part of the leg is parallel to the floor, the lower part is hanging down and the toes are still pointing towards the floor. With the first ten counts, draw a circle in the air with the toes in a clockwise direction. Then draw ten more circles in a counter-clockwise direction. Then switch to the left leg, and start with the stretching described above.
Hips and Waist
- Start with feet together, hands with thumbs next to each other and close to the center of the chest. In a smooth motion reach hand straight out in front of your chest, then bend at the waist and reach down to the floor. Do not stop the motion as you return to the starting position. Repeat this motion ten times, each time trying to bring your hands closer and closer to the floor.
- Next, just bend at the waist and try to place palms of the hand to the floor, and hold the stretch for ten seconds.
- ElbowsAfter returning to a standing position, move feet so they are shoulder with apart. With fists touching knuckle to knuckle and elbows nice and high, twist at the waist as if to strike something directly behind you, then return to the starting position. Start with the right side, and do ten repetitions, then the left and do ten repetitions. From both the starting position and during the twist, keep eyes open, and try to focus on the same small target each time. This will help speed up the eyes abilities to focus and allow for faster targeting.
- Stand with the left leg planted, back straight, hands on hips and right leg pulled slightly back. The motion should be isolated to only the hip. Do not rock the body forward and back or lean during this exercise. It is not intended to be kicking practice per say, but rather used to strengthen the muscles and tendons around the hip. In a pendulous motion, keeping the right leg straight and moving solely from the hip, kick the right leg into the air as if trying to kick the forehead. Repeat this ten times, when finished move to the next exercise.
- Keep the right leg straight, and kick ort to the side. Bring the leg up so that it is parallel to the floor, and then return the leg to the starting position. Do this motion then times.
- Kicking the heal of the foot up as if trying to kick your own backside. Strike the meaty part of the palm of the hand. Repeat this ten times.
- After completing the heal kicks, bring the heal up towards your rear end and grab the foot. Stretch for about ten seconds.
Note that here the order of the exercises for the left leg can get a little weird. The exercises go in a descending order on the left side, but start with the Heal kicks, then the Stretch, followed by the Shelf kick and then onto the leg lifts.
Hip Circles
- Stand with feet shoulder with apart, and rotate hips in a clockwise circle, as if with a hula-hoop. Count the number of rotations, then switch to a counter-clockwise direction and repeat the same number as before.
Hojo Undu
- Stand in Kiba Dachi, or Horse Stance, with feet double shoulder with apart, toes pointing forward, feet parrell, hips tucked, back stright and centered, shoulders down and back. While in this stance there are two different weight training exercises that can be used to help strengthen the muscles, and tendons surrounding the joints to better ready the martial artist.
One set of exercises use the Chikara Ichi, or Strength Stones. Starting with the Chikara Ishi in the right hand, a student works on a series of exercises based on movements found throughout the Katas, such as punches and blocks. The workout done on the right side then shifts to the left and is done in the reverse order.
The other set of exercises uses the Ishi Sahsi, or Stone Locks. Thought the exercises differ slightly they are done starting with the right side, focusing on movements found in the Katas. After completing the exercises on the right side, move to the left side is worked out in reverse order.
Leg Stretches
- Keeping legs at double shoulder width, keep the left leg straight and squat down with the right leg. Make sure that the right foot is flat on the floor. Hold for ten seconds, the switch to the left side.
- Stretch MiddleWith feet still double shoulder width apart, keep legs straight and bend from the waist, as if trying to touch the top of the head to the floor. Hold for ten seconds.
- Grab the left ankle, keep leg straight and gently pull chin to knee. Stretch for ten seconds, and then switch sides.
- From windmills, turn so that the chest is facing the sidewall. Drop onto one knee with it bent at a 90-degree angle, and the top of the foot on the ground. Keep the other leg out straight with the foot flat on the floor.
- Reach out and grab the ankle with both hands. Gently pull and try to get the chin to the knee. It is vary important to keep the legs straight. Do not bend the knee. Hold for ten seconds.
- Next pivot the ankle so that the heal is still touching the floor, but the ball of the foot is not. Grab the ball of the foot wit the same hand (right hand to right foot, left hand to left foot), and pull in an attempt to get the elbow to the knee. Just like before, do not bend the knee, and keep the leg straight. Hold for ten seconds.
Pivot so as to change sides. Repeat on the opposite side, in the same order as before.
- There are many different types of sit-up. Some sit-ups are done with feet flat on the floor and with knees bent, some have feet raised with calves parallel to the floor. Hands can be at the side, across the chest or with fingertips behind the ears. The chest can be brought to the knees, or towards the ceiling. What is most important is isolating the core muscles, raising shoulder blades off the floor, and then returning to the starting position. To allow for variation, try different types of sit-ups.
Core Stretches
- Rolling over from the sit-ups onto stomach. The next exercise, a yoga pose, allows for the stomach muscles to get stretched out. Start laying flat on the floor, push the upper body off the floor with the arms, arching the back and trying to look at the bottoms of your feet. The whole time push the belly towards the floor. Do not stretch to hard, but rather ease into the pose, in order to protect the back from injury. Hold for about ten seconds.
- This yoga pose is in opposition to the prior pose. From Up-ward Facing dog, bull the body back so that the rear is nestled on the feet, the chest is on the upper legs, and the arms are stretched straight out in front. The entire time, try to lengthen the spine. Hold for about ten seconds.
Arms and Shoulders
- Push-ups can be done in a verity of ways. The most important factors are to keep the back straight as a board, with head up. This will isolate the shoulder area, and allow for full range of motion.
Some of the different push-ups include:Standard push-ups.
- This consists of hands directly under shoulders.
One Hand High, One Low push-ups.
- One hand at shoulder height and located lower, around the ribs, and turned at a 90 degree angle, finger tips pointing away from the body.
Diamond push-ups.
- This is when the hands are located in the center of the chest, with thumbs touching and pointer fingers touching, and the resulting shape is a diamond. The pushing motion is linear up and down.
These are just a few of the variations of different push-ups that can be done. By having a selections and changing between different styles will allow for a more complete workout, and stave off boredom. Do several sets of the different sit-ups for no more than ten per type of exercise done.
- After returning to an upright position, with feet together, begin swinging arms at about shoulder height and wrap around as if to give yourself a hug. Then swing the arms back behind till the hands almost touch, then reverse the direction to return to hugging position.
- With feet together and arms extended straight out to the side, begin rotating the arms forward. Start with tiny circles, and every tenth rotation, increase the size of the circle. The last set of arm rotations should be the largest circles the arms could make. Do about fifty rotations, or five sets of ten different size arm rotations, then reverse directions. Do the same amount in reverse as the forward rotations, but start with the big rotations and work to tiny ones.
- Stand with feet together, Arms held up and out at chest level, elbows bent at a 90-degree angle and one arm on top of the other. Quickly move the elbows straight back, and the shoulder blades together as if there is a walnut between them and it is to be broken into small pieces. Then return to the starting position except with the other arm on top. This is one count. Each time, alternate the arm that is on top.
Neck and Head
- With feet together, hands clasped in front, and chin close to chest, tighten the neck muscles. On count one (and all odd numbers after): turn the head so that the chin is pointing at the right shoulder, then move the head so that the up and back down as if nodding 'yes', then return to the starting position. On count two (and all even numbers after): turn the head so that the chin is pointing at the left shoulder, then move the head so that the up and back down as if nodding 'yes', then return to the starting position. Do a total of ten Neck Turns, five on each side.
- With feet together, hands clasped in front, and chin close to chest, tighten the neck muscles. On count one (and all odd numbers after): turn the in a circular rotation to the right side and return to where it started, then lifting the head straight up the middle up and back down as if nodding 'yes'. On count two (and all even numbers after): turn the in a circular rotation to the left side and return to where it started, then lifting the head straight up the middle up and back down as if nodding 'yes', then return to the starting position. Do a total of ten Head Rotations, five on each side.
Breathing and Meditation
- This Qi Gong exercise is very simple, but very effective. Staring with feet together, slowly raise arms straight over head, then is a circular motion, bringing the back of the hands to the front of the corresponding upper chest and shoulder. During the duration of the movement, breathe in fully and completely, all the way to the bellybutton and fill the entire chest. Then while pushing the hands towards the starting position, breath out. During the breath out, slightly constrict the throat, and make a hissing sound. This allows for better breath control during exhalations.
- This time is spent focusing and exercising the mind.


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A web page that is divided into frames is held together by a top level frameset document.
A frameset document contains a standard header portion (as indicated with the <head> tag). However, unlike standard HTML documents, frameset documents do not have a <body>—instead, they contain a <frameset> tag, which is used to define columns and rows of individual frames (each indicated with a <frame> tag). Figure 11.1 shows the structure of a basic frameset document that creates two frames, occupying two columns of equal width.


text: ESSENCE.COM Feb, 22, 2010 Read More: Mo'Nique Continues Winning Streak Follow the "Precious" Four from indie film festivals to major award shows. You may like News Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger Fired After Killing Botham Jean Beauty Are At Home Facial Steamers Safe For Deeper Skin Tones? Culture Watch What Happened When We Asked Black Men To Define Terms Like 'Co... Entertainment Halle Berry Will Executive Produce 'Boomerang' TV Series With Le... Culture Let Us Count All The Ways That Serena Williams' Marital Bliss Piss... Hair 9 Heat Protectant Products You Need For Straightening Your Hair Tags # Celebrity Read More Beauty These 8 Hemp-Infused Skincare Products Are Perfect For Combating Dul... Health & Wellness Protect Your Magic! 9 Self Care Acts Black Women Should Practice Daily Hair Get Ready! There's A New Sanctuary For Kinky Curly Hair in New York ... Beauty 7 Probiotic Beauty Products That Will Improve Your Glow sign up for our newsletter Get The Essence Newsletter and Special Offers delivered to your inbox! sign up now Tags # Celebrity


text:
Catherine T. Peiler
Posted On October 19th, 2011 - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Sept. 29, 2013
Catherine T. Peiler, 87, of Waialua died in Wahiawa General Hospital. She was born in Kawailoa. Mass: 11 a.m. Monday at St. Michael Catholic Church, Waialua. Burial: 12:30 p.m. at Mililani Memorial Park. Casual attire. No flowers. Additional service information for an obituary published Friday.
Posted in Death Notices


text:
Beyond Reach
Beyond Reach
By Tony DeLorger © 2011
Each step closer,
each breath nearer
of ends, the cessation
of ignorance.
I wallow in my humanity,
my plight fated,
my heart sealed,
the gift of foresight
a whisper away.
I tread my path
strewn with the debris
of my learning,
the craggy remnants
of folly,
to reach for a truth
I cannot embrace.
Within my human walls
a battle rages,
struggling with divinity.
How I long for resolution,
the cool abiding truth
of understanding,
the plan,
as distant as it is.
Confusion is a meek mind,
attached too closely
to the human state.
I do not seek death,
not yet,
but truth plagues my heart,
a heart open
to the swell of voices,
the enticement of
beyond reach.
Quell my aching heart,
I cannot let go just yet,
my living is not done.
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text:
One American hero who won't get his due during Black History Month is Booker T. Washington. Shelby Steele's review of Robert Norrell's Up From History: The LIfe of Booker T. Washington in last Sunday's Times Book Review makes me want to read the biography and is worth reading on its own.
Steele deals with Washington's unfashionable reputation, noting that "the brilliance with which he achieved the near impossible is forgotten, while the unfair presumption of his racial capitulation is ubiquitous." Steele explains:
Norrell, a professor of history at the University of Tennessee, is writing history as well as biography here, and his attention to historical context has the effect of normalizing Washington. We see, for example, that in the post-Reconstruction South of "white nationalism" and lynching, his accommodation of segregation — in return for the latitude to pursue black economic and educational advancement — was really a rather brave and pro-black position. So we are able to view Washington as more Quixote than quisling, a man forever hoping against hope and tirelessly at war with a kind of impossibility. In the cause of his people, he burned himself out to a fine ash — dying in 1915 at 59, from exhaustion, high blood pressure and indifference to his health. He had single-handedly built a black college (TuskeÂgee Institute), in an Alabama of Ku Klux Klan terrorism, that was bigger than any white university in the state. Yet even today, when there ought to be the repose in black and white America to see him more clearly, the name Booker T. Washington still carries that taint of Uncle Tomism….With more fearlessness than any '60s black nationalist, he saw black Americans as a free-standing people and asked them to compete openly with all others…."Up From History" gives back to America one of its greatest heroes.
Jonathan Yardley also addresses the reputational issue regarding Washington: "As one who came of age in 1960, who shared the movement's impatience for change, and who greatly admired Vann Woodward's work, I reflexively accepted the received opinion of Washington. Norrell persuades me that I was wrong." Writing in the same spirit as Steele, Yardley observes:
To see [Washington] as anything less than heroic borders on the incomprehensible. Nothing that he did was easy. He walked forever on "a tightrope between candor and survival," between whites and blacks. He learned "that the only role open to him was that of the fox. To play the lion was to invite disaster. It was a bitter lesson that showed the limits on his ability to lead his race. A black leader who could not speak freely was not able to pursue equal racial and educational advancement. But if he owned up to that fact, he would be accepting that blacks' hopes for improvement were futile, and he knew that progress would not grow from despair." Still, he was the leader to whom blacks across the nation looked for guidance and inspiration, and he provided as much of both as circumstances permitted at an incredibly difficult time.
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text:
Well, his hard work paid off. He attended six Howard County schools, including Schley, Lourdes, Elma, Lime Springs, Chester and Cresco, before graduating from Crestwood in 1970. Matthew Opat continued his education and received a B.A. from the University of Iowa and his J.D. (Juris Doctor degree) from the Hamline University School of Law.
After practicing law for 35 years, he was recently appointed District Court Judge in Minnesota's Third Judicial District by Gov. Mark Dayton. The judgeship will be chambered at Preston in Fillmore County.
His investiture (swearing in) ceremony is taking place on June 28 at 3:00 p.m. at Potter Auditorium in Chatfield. The ceremony is open to the public and, Opat joked, "It seats 800 people, so there's plenty of room!" A reception will follow. Many judges and possibly the governor may be attending.
His goal of becoming a lawyer was helped along by many individuals, along with his family, who taught him great values. He was a 4-H member throughout his school years and in 1969 became an Eagle Scout through the Lime Springs troop. His project was planting trees at the shooting range, where the Fish and Game Club is located.
He said growing up in the area was great. "Lime Springs had a lot of opportunities for kids. The mothers were around to help at den meetings, and the fathers were around to be Scout leaders. It was a nice time to grow up."
With help from community and family, he grew into the man he is today.
In a press release, Gov. Dayton stated, "Matthew Opat has been an exemplary public servant throughout his career. I believe that his experience and passion for the law will help him to honorably serve the people of the Third District."
Opat maintains his own private law practice in Chatfield, Matthew J. Opat, P.A., practicing in areas of real estate, probate, general business, civil and criminal law. He also serves as the prosecutor for the City of Chatfield in petty misdemeanor, misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor violations.
Previously, Opat served as the Fillmore County Attorney, where his duties included oversight of the County Attorney's Office and providing legal advice to the County Board and staff.
Opat is a member of numerous community organizations, including the Chatfield Center for the Arts Advisory Committee, Chatfield Lions and Chatfield Commercial Club. He is also a retired member of the Chatfield Volunteer Fire Department.
Minnesota's Third Judicial District consists of Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca and Winona Counties.
Filed under: Lead Articles |


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Forest – Letting Go
When everyone woke up, they didn't see Fluttershy anywhere. Twilight and Applejack were understandably frantic, searching all around for Fluttershy. She was so mad yesterday, but when she said she was going to leave the team, they didn't think she meant leave the team!
After searching for about an hour, Twilight and Applejack met up at the central plaza of the village, where Pinkamena stood leaning against the statue.
"Did you see any sign of her?" Applejack asked.
"No, I didn't!" Twilight said, "Ugh! She could be anywhere by now!"
"I'm sure she's fine," Pinkamena said airily, danging her bladed hoop on her finger. Applejack turned to glare at her.
"You could help, you know?" Applejack fussed.
"I am helping, by staying the fuck out of it," Pinkamena said simply, "Geez, it's like you guys are trying to get me killed."
Applejack tightened her fists in frustration, trying so hard not to hit Pinkamena. Twilight took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I feel like I'm babysitting a bunch of kids sometimes…" Twilight muttered to herself. The three of them heard the sound of heavy footsteps, and saw DASH-379 walking up to them.
"Good morning, everyone," DASH said, "You all seem troubled."
"DASH! Do you know where Fluttershy is?" Twilight asked, "We've been looking everywhere for her!"
"Fluttershy is fine," DASH said smiling, "I talked to her last night. I believe that she is taking care of something very important at the moment."
"Something important…?" Twilight asked. A second later, the Applejack from Forest walked over to them looking worried.
"Outsiders, see big brother?" Forest Applejack asked the group.
"His name is Macintosh, right?" Applejack asked walking up to her forest counterpart, who shied away a bit, "Sorry, I know this is scary, seeing someone with the same face as you. You said Macintosh is missing?"
Forest Applejack nodded, "Macintosh have fight with Fluttershy, and then disappear at night."
"Ooh, I bet I know where they are," Pinkamena said. Everyone turned to her, and Pinkamena raised her eyebrows up and down. Forest Applejack tilted her head confused, but both Twilight and Applejack blushed. DASH-379 on the other hand, laughed.
"I believe this proves my point," DASH stated, "We should wait for Fluttershy to return before we begin making our way to save the Seer."
"See? Dashie gets it," Pinkamena said, "You guys need to relax more."
Twilight shook her head at Pinkamena, but then looked at DASH-379 suspiciously. While she was always really expressive, that was the first time DASH had outright laughed.
Was she beginning to…
play song
Fluttershy slowly woke up, still in their secret cave. She felt someone spooning her from behind, their arms around her in a loving embrace. When she saw the ruggedness of the arm, her eyes went wide for a second, until she remembered who it was.
Fluttershy smiled softly, and moved Macintosh's hand to her stomach holding it there. She wondered if there was something there now. Wouldn't that be something? If through her pain, and torture, it all lead to…
She heard Macintosh stir, and she turned around to face him, greeting him with a smile. When he opened his eyes, he reached to caress her cheek, but stopped short. Fluttershy shook her head, and then held his hand on her cheek before caressing his. They stayed like that for a few seconds, and then Fluttershy pulled Macintosh in and kissed him tenderly on the lips. She could feel it, her heart was still racing in fear. She was still afraid of men, and would still keep her distance from them. But Macintosh wasn't just a man. He was her best friend, and soon, he'd be something else.
He'd be her husband, and the father of her children.
play song
Twilight's group waited for a minute, but soon saw Fluttershy walk back into the village. What threw them all for a loop was that she was in the arms of this world's Macintosh. They were REALLY shocked when they saw her lightly kiss him on the lips before walking over to the group.
"Morning everyone," Fluttershy said with a content smile on her face.
"Someone looks like they're in a better mood now," Applejack pointed out. Fluttershy looked down shamed.
"I sorry for yelling yesterday. I not want to leave team," Fluttershy stated.
"You just don't want me on the team, right?" Pinkamena asked with a shrug. Fluttershy glared at Pinkamena for a bit before walking over to her, getting right in the demonic jester's face.
"I not like you," Fluttershy said seriously, "I not trust you either. But, I see you not leave, so I just keep eye on you."
"Aw, there you go," Pinkamena said, "You see? That's the first step to becoming friends."
Fluttershy then pulled out a dagger and held it right at Pinkamena's neck.
"Do anything I not like, and I kill you without hesitation," Fluttershy stated, "I not care if Twilight's friend."
Pinkamena laughed nervously raising her hands in surrender, "What? You thought I was crazy? Well okay, granted I might be a little crazy, but even I wouldn't dare cross you."
Fluttershy didn't look convinced. Honestly, Pinkamena was really hard to read, so it was almost impossible to tell when she was being serious and when she was joking around at times. Still, Fluttershy sheathed her blade and stepped away from Pinkamena.
"Now that we are all present," DASH-379 stated, "I believe we should begin our search for Seer Celestia."
"We can't go to the next world without at least securing the Celestia here," Pinkamena stated, "We need her present if we're to enter the Land of the Gods."
Twilight was really curious about that. Why did they need the four Celestia's secure before they could enter this "Land of the Gods"? How were they connected to that?
"So do we start making our way there now?" Applejack asked.
"I think that's a good idea," Twilight stated, "If I remember back when Rarity and I made the trip the first time, we left around this time and got to the Wolf Tribe kingdom right at sunset."
"Hopefully the security will not be too intense," DASH stated, "But then again, if what Pinkamena says is true, Nightmare Moon wants us to find her, so she will not make it too difficult."
"Worst we'll have to deal with probably are a few wolves stalking about," Twilight stated, "I think if we spit up into two groups we'll be safer."
Fluttershy looked away blushing, "Um… I should… get clean before mission…"
"Since when did you start caring so much about cleanliness?" Twilight asked.
"I not… it's just…" Fluttershy's face was getting redder and redder by the second, "Wolves have strong sense of smell, and… I… um…" she then quickly ran off to the lake, apparently to bathe. Now Twilight was blushing, realizing what happened.
"Oh my…!" Twilight said, "I didn't think Fluttershy would, um…"
"Well! I say we start gathering supplies, preparing for the trip!" Applejack said, quickly rushing off. Pinkamena started laughing so hard that she hunched over slapping her knee.
"Oh my God! I love it!" Pinkamena cheered through her laughter, "This is so much more fun than trying to kill you guys!"
While Twilight was greatly disturbed by that statement, she turned to DASH-379, who had a truly peaceful and content smile on her face. She must have talked to Fluttershy. Still, the look on DASH's face was more human than her usual expressions.
end song
Once everyone was adequately prepared, the group began making their way to the Wolf Tribe's settlement. The walk was quieter than what Twilight was used to. Quieter, and more tense. She didn't realize how much Rarity being with them added to their group.
Twilight stopped and looked down, feeling a fresh wave of depression hit her. She remembered the dark look on her face, and the condescending way she spoke to all of them.
"Hey, we can't stop moving," Applejack said to Twilight, who looked up and saw the knight walk back toward her.
"Sorry Applejack," Twilight said somberly, "I'm always slowing the group down it seems."
"This is about Rarity, isn't it?" Applejack asked somberly.
play song
"Applejack… she really hates us…" Twilight said tearing up, "The way she looked at us, and how she fought us… she's our enemy now… I promised that I'd bring her back, but…"
"But nothing," Applejack cut Twilight off, "You said you'd bring her back, so you'll bring her back."
"But how?" Twilight asked earnestly, "Applejack, she wasn't brainwashed or anything! She's doing this of her own accord! That means she… hates me…"
"Do you really think that lowly of her?" Applejack challenged. Twilight looked up at Applejack in shock.
"Twilight, she doesn't hate any of us. She's lost in the darkness, and needs her light to come back. She feels hopeless right now."
"I guess… I really never understood how hopeless her situation was," Twilight admitted, "She was really affected by it."
"Wouldn't you be?" Applejack asked, "If you realized that your world was destroyed, and that you weren't going to ever see your family, or your friends again, wouldn't you be just as hopeless?"
Twilight thought about that. Imagining what it would be like to not ever see Pinkie Pie, Applejewel, Rainbow Dash, or even Fluttershy ever again. Imagining what it would be like to never see her mom and dad, or her brother. Imagining that she'd never have a home to go to that was truly hers.
"She… really lost everything, didn't she?" Twilight asked.
"If you can truly understand the depth of her pain, then maybe, just maybe, you can save her," Applejack turned to continue their trek to the village.
"What do I do after that though?" Twilight asked, stopping Applejack, "After I bring her back to her senses, what do I do then? She'll never have her old life back, and she's still…"
"You let her decide what to do, and support her decision no matter what it is," Applejack said, "Even if it means letting her go."
"You mean… letting her…?"
"It's her life, Twilight. It's up to her what she decides to do with it. The most you can do is help her get a clear head so she'll be making the decision for the right reason. Come on, we need to rescue Celestia."
Applejack walked on ahead, leaving Twilight to follow after her. Honestly, the implications of what Rarity would do after coming back scared Twilight more than seeing her now. Would Rarity decide to stay and live in Standard with Twilight?
Or would she choose instead to follow after her world and friends into oblivion?
play song
It didn't take long for them to reach the Wolf Tribe village. Just as Twilight feared, there were wolves walking around patrolling. Such a large group would attract too much attention.
"I know a safe way to get inside the chief's house," Pinkamena whispered, "I'll lead one team that way."
"I can lead the other team down the same path that Rarity and I took the last time," Twilight said.
"Twilight should have more protection with her since she is the healer," DASH-379 stated, "The safer option would be for Applejack and I to accompany her."
"That's true and all," Applejack said, "But you realize that means the second group would be…" All three of them turned to look at the two remaining members of their party.
Pinkamena and Fluttershy.
Fluttershy glared at Pinkamena, and then turned back toward the village. No one really knew what that meant.
"Um… Fluttershy…?" Twilight asked slowly.
"Pinkamena and I go together," Fluttershy stated with a sigh, "I watch her closely."
"Aw, you say that like you don't trust me?" Pinkamena said jovially.
"Honestly, I am certain Twilight here is the only one who does fully trust you," DASH-379 said.
"Who said I fully trust her?" Twilight said quietly.
"Don't worry," Pinkamena said, "I won't do anything, I promise. Remember, we're friends now."
"Saying it like that only makes us more suspicious, you know?" Applejack stated deadpanned. Her statement went unanswered though, as Pinkamena skipped off. Fluttershy shook her head and ran off on all fours after her.
"Come on, the secret passage is this way," Twilight said, leading DASH-379 and Applejack toward the secret door she and Rarity used before. At least she knew that they wouldn't run into too many enemies this way, and even if they did, she had two powerhouses with her.
She was more worried about Pinkamena and Fluttershy. Even if she was still wary of the demonic jester, she didn't was anything to happen to her, and biggest threat wasn't even the wolves. It was the person she was partnered with.
I just hope Fluttershy took what we were saying to heart.
With Pinkamena's guidance, they managed to make their way to the front door. It was here that they both saw two wolves guarding the door.
"Guards," Fluttershy said pulling out her dagger, "I kill to get through."
"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow your role, Flutter Butter," Pinkamena said holding Fluttershy back, "Ever think of finding a none violent solution?"
"Wolves kidnap women of Canterlot Village," Fluttershy seethed, "I make them pay for using Lavos to have way with my village!"
Pinkamena sighed, "You gotta seriously let all that go, sister."
"Let go?" Fluttershy asked glaring at Pinkamena, "Why should I let go? Why should I forgive?!"
"Try because you killing them would just attract more attention," Pinkamena stated seriously, "Wolves can smell blood, and if they see two of their comrades dead, they'll be looking for the ones who killed them."
"Then I kill them too," Fluttershy said darkly.
"When does it stop, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy looked at Pinkamena surprised, seeing a gentle yet stern expression on her face.
"When does… stop?"
"Are you planning on just killing everyone and everything that hurts you?" Pinkamena asked, "Will that take back what happened? Will that make you feel better about yourself?"
"I not do this for myself! I do this-"
"Don't kid yourself," Pinkamena said harshly, "This isn't about your village. You just want revenge for what they did to you. You know that's selfish though, and that's why you hide it behind wanting to protect your village. But if you don't actually let go of all of this anger, it's going to turn into hatred, and then you'll end up being someone ruled by those feelings."
A quick flash of Fluttershy's Standard counterpart appeared in her mind. Twilight had even mentioned that she was beginning to act like her. Was that true? Was that where she was ending up?
Fluttershy took a deep breath, "So… what is non violent way?"
Pinkamena smirked, "Well, you're not gonna like it, but I promise you this will work as long as you trust me."
Ooh boy, that was a hard one. Killing the guards would have been so much easier. But that would have caused more problems ultimately, so Fluttershy sighed.
"Fine. We try your way," she said reluctantly.
"Good girl," Pinkamena said, "Now, I'm gonna need to borrow one of your daggers."
A few seconds later, Fluttershy and Pinkamena were walking toward the guards, only Pinkamena was holding Fluttershy's arms behind her back with one hand and holding one of her daggers at her neck with the other. It was a really compromising position, and Fluttershy was really beginning to regret trying to trust this woman.
"Yoo hoo!" Pinkamena called out, catching the guards' attention, "Lookie lookie what I brought ya."
"High Priestess from Canterlot Village," the wolf on the left said as they walked over to them, "She kill Chief Greymane."
"I kill you too if touch me!" Fluttershy shouted trying to rush at the wolf, but stopped when Pinkamena held the knife closer.
"Bad girl. Down," Pinkamena commanded. Fluttershy growled at Pinkamena, but relented, "I need to take her to Nightmare Moon. She's expecting us."
"Good, you know way to throne room," the wolf on the right said.
"Thank you so much!" Pinkamena said, then whispering under her throat, "For being complete idiots."
Fluttershy looked at Pinkamena with her eyes briefly before they walked in. Was she… actually serious?
That was confirmed once they were out of the way of all wolves when Pinkamena released Fluttershy and handed her back her dagger.
"There, see? Easy peasy lemon squeezy," Pinkamena said with a smile. Fluttershy took back her dagger and sheathed it.
"You… not actually capture me…" Fluttershy said.
"What?! Flutters, don't you remember? We're friends now. They just don't know that yet," Pinkamena stated, "Come on. We got a psychic to save."
As they walked off together, Fluttershy felt the need to ask Pinkamena something. Something that had been on her mind for a while.
"Was… monster really Lavos?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkamena stopped, but didn't turn back to Fluttershy.
play song
"Pretty scary, right?" Pinkamena asked, "Yep, that's the thing your people have been calling God all this time. Crazy thing is, that's not even his whole form. You were just fighting a small fragment of Lavos. One of his "arms" if you would."
"Just fragment…? Then… Lavos really is… God?" Fluttershy asked nervously.
"Are you afraid of him?" Pinkamena asked, "It's okay if you are."
"Are you… afraid of Lavos?" Fluttershy asked.
"Damn right I'm afraid," Pinkamena said, hugging herself and trembling, "I've seen what it looks like when Lavos destroys a world. Everything gets torn apart, and you feel like you're losing everything that makes you who you are. It's a fate worse than death itself. At least when you die, your soul is probably going someplace. But when Lavos gets you, it's like you don't even exist anymore."
Fluttershy's eyes went wide as she realized what Pinkamena was saying.
"Lavos… destroy your world…?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah… he did," Pinkamena said softly, "I lost all of you guys because of that. In my world, we were all best friends. You, me, Applejack, Dashie, and Twilight. All of us were super close, like sisters."
"How did you survive?" Fluttershy asked.
"I didn't," Pinkamena admitted, "The fact that I'm here like this is only because of the power of our friendship. I'm not who I'm supposed to be. No one is who they're supposed to be. But it doesn't matter. We're all friends."
"If friends, then why try to kill Rarity?" Fluttershy asked with her arms folded.
"I was trying to save you!" Pinkamena exclaimed turning to Fluttershy, revealing something Fluttershy didn't expect to see.
"Save…? I not understand…"
"Rarity was the reason Lavos was hunting you down to begin with!" Pinkamena explained, "She wasn't supposed to live. In all timelines, Rarity gets killed in some way, shape, or fashion. Having a world where Rarity lived created a new timeline that went in another direction, and Lavos was attracted to that. I had to do something, so I…"
"You tried killing Rarity yourself…" Fluttershy said.
"I know that it doesn't make up for what happened to you," Pinkamena said, "Once we make it to the Land of the Gods, I can tell you everything, and I will, but for now, you just have to trust me. Please trust me, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy wanted so badly to keep hating Pinkamena, but then she had to think about it. Why did she want to hate her so badly. Pinkamena had clearly poured her heart out, and it was pretty clear that she was telling the truth. All of a sudden, it seemed almost… unfair to keep hating Pinkamena.
"I… I trust you," Fluttershy said, "You tell us why you kill Applejack's teacher and try to kill us when we reach Land of Gods, but until then, I trust you."
Pinkamena smiled genuinely, and then wiped her eyes, "Great! Then let's keep pushing onward!"
Fluttershy nodded and followed Pinkamena deeper into the large building. Hopefully they'd find Celestia soon so they'd be able to get back on track to getting to the land of the Gods.
play song
It was sort of unnerving for Twilight, not to be running into any danger on their side. Sure, there were a few close calls, but nothing too threatening. Was Pinkamena right about Nightmare Moon wanting them to reach her?
It was a good thing that the ground was so soft, otherwise DASH-379's footsteps would have given them away. She was really trying to not reveal their location, but being a robot made her feet a lot heavier. Naturally Applejack called her on that, which DASH was quick to remind her that she was wearing armor too.
Much to Twilight's annoyance, they had been arguing the entire time.
"How can you even call that armor anyway?!" Applejack whispered harshly, "You're practically walking around naked!"
"That statement is merely a human concept!" DASH-379 retaliated, "My armor is designed to cover up all of my essential and vulnerable parts, but my skin is composed of material that is resistant to most attacks! It is not my fault that the human body is so fragile!"
"Please, I bet the only reason that armor works is because your enemies are too busy staring at your tits to fight right!"
"At least I have an attractive pair! You are just jealous because my outer appearance is more sexually appealing than yours!"
"Ha! Me jealous of you? Please, my boobs are perfectly fine! At least they're natural! Yours were manufactured in an assembly line!"
"I have stated many times before that I am the most superior model in my line! That even includes-"
Twilight put her fingers on both DASH-379 and Applejack's mouths.
"Will you both keep quiet?!" Twilight whispered, "God, it really is like babysitting kids with you two!"
"She started it," DASH-379 said, actually folding her arms and looking away dejectedly.
"I rest my case," Twilight deadpanned, "Now look alive. We're here."
play song
The three of them looked ahead and saw that they were indeed in front of the throne room. There they saw the Seer, on her hands and knees chained to the floor with Nightmare Moon walking around her in a circle.
"You didn't really think you could keep me isolated from this world, did you?" Nightmare Moon asked Seer Celestia, "My power has far exceeded yours. There was nothing you could do."
"Power is not yours," Seer Celestia said, "Power is Lavos'. Power be your downfall."
Nightmare Moon slapped Seer Celestia hard in the face, "This power is all that I have after you banished me, separating me from all of my alters!"
"Had no choice, sister," Seer Celestia said looking up at her fallen sister pained, "You proposed destruction of entire Universe."
"I proposed a new Universe! One without these petty laws! One where people like her no longer have to be sacrificed!"
As she pointed back to the throne, Twilight, DASH-379, and Applejack all saw Nightmare Crystal leaning against the throne with her arms folded. Just like when they saw her before, she was partially covered by shadows.
"Rarity..." Twilight said somberly. DASH-379 put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"Or, are you going to tell Crystal over there that it's fair that she get's sacrificed so the universe can move forward?" Nightmare Moon said forcing Seer Celestia to look at Nightmare Crystal. All Seer Celestia could do was avert her eyes somberly.
"Hmph, we're wasting time here," Nightmare Crystal said darkly, "Besides, don't we have guests to attend to?"
Wait, what did she say?
"Ah yes, I suppose it is time, now isn't it," Nightmare Moon said, "You can come out now. We already know you're here."
Twilight looked at DASH-379 and Applejack nervously, both of them sharing her expression. They then stepped out of the hall slowly, never taking their eyes off Nightmare Moon.
"You knew we were here," Applejack stated.
"Crystal here had the perfect position where she could see all of you, but you couldn't tell she was looking right at you," Nightmare Moon said walking over to Nightmare Crystal and taking her hand, "Thank you, my friend."
"Of course, darling," Nightmare Crystal said smiling at Nightmare Moon, "Always happy to help."
"Twilight, run!" Seer Celestia urged, "Not safe here! Luna can't harm me, but use me to-"
She was cut off by her own screams as Nightmare Moon shot black electricity at her.
"Silence! You've lost the right to speak in this hall!" Nightmare Moon proclaimed, "As for you, it looks like you're short two members," Nightmare Moon said, "I could kill you now… but I still need you to play your parts."
"Play our parts?" DASH-379 asked, "What do you mean by that, Nightmare Moon?"
"Ahh, you will remember your role in this soon enough, Athena," Nightmare Moon said turning to DASH-379, "Your creator is waiting for you back in Machine. Until then," she snapped her fingers, and both she and Nightmare Crystal were engulfed in black flames.
play song
"No…! No!" Applejack shouted, "They're getting ready to summon Lavos here!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" DASH shouted, getting on one knee and holding her arm cannon forward charging it. She fired at Nightmare Moon, but found that the flames protected her, "My attacks do nothing against her!"
"Rarity, please stop!" Twilight urged.
"Why should I?!" Nightmare Crystal asked harshly, "I don't have anything left in this Universe! My friends are gone! My family is gone! My world is completely erased! Why should my world be destroyed but yours is just fine?!"
"Rarity… I…" Twilight looked down, unable to answer that question.
"I've made my decision…!" Crystal said, tears falling from her eyes as she glared at Twilight in rage, "With the power of Lavos… I'll destroy ALL the worlds!"
"What?!" DASH-379 shouted, "Rarity, that action is highly illogical!"
"What would destroying all the other worlds do for your world?!" Applejack asked.
"It's simple, really," Crystal continued, "I destroy all of them… and with Luna's help I can recreate my own world… only this time it will be the only world that exists! And in that world, I shall rule as a God!"
"I… I can't let you do that Rarity!" Twilight said pointing her bow forward, "I have to stop you!"
"Just try it!" Nightmare Crystal shouted throwing her arm out, "I'll make sure your world is the first one to disappear!"
play song
With that, the flames got bigger, and the entire area started shaking. The ceiling gave way and was about to fall on top of Celestia, but a large blast of ice shot at the rubble blowing it away. Everyone turned to see Pinkamena and Fluttershy standing at the other entrance back to back with their arms forward.
As Fluttershy ran to the Seer's aid, Pinkamena rushed at Nightmare Moon and began swinging her hoop at the evil sorceress, who blocked all of her attacks with her scythe. Twilight charged up her white element and then focused on her new companion.
"Spike! Come forth!" Twilight commanded. A second later everyone heard a familiar howl, and Spike jumped in between Twilight and Nightmare Crystal barring his teeth.
"Everyone! We leave now!" Fluttershy commanded once the Seer was free from her bindings.
DASH-379 and Applejack nodded, and both charged up their elements at the same time. Instead of using their double tech though, DASH fired her Charged Shot at Nightmare Crystal, and Applejack launched her Fireball at Nightmare Moon to distract them. The seven of them all ran down the hall just as a familiar horrifying screech was heard.
"Lavos is coming!" Twilight cried, "What do we do?!"
"Exactly what we're doing right now!" Applejack exclaimed, "Run like hell!"
"Enemies approaching our immediate vicinity!" DASH-379 warned, "Prepare to initiate combat protocol!"
"Um… does that mean I'm leading?!" Twilight asked.
"Just stay behind us!" Applejack said as she, DASH-379, and Spike all got ready to fight, "We'll cover you, so take another path out of here!"
Twilight nodded to them and went with Fluttershy, Pinkamena, and Seer Celestia down the side pathway as Applejack's group dealt with the wolfs that came their way. When they reached the dungeon though, they saw something materialize in front of them. Scary as it was, it looked like a somewhat smaller Lavos.
"Oh no!" Twilight cried, "It's Lavos!"
"No it isn't!" Pinkamena said holding out her hoop and getting in her fighting stance, "It's just one of his agents! Still strong, but easily beaten if we work together!"
"Right!" Fluttershy said getting her daggers ready, "We protect Twilight. Twilight heal."
"Um… okay!" Twilight said, getting in between Flutteshy and Pinkamena as Celestia went to take cover.
The Lavos Agent opened its mouth and fired three darts at the girls, but Pinkamena grabbed Twilight and pushed her out of the way as Fluttershy rolled to the other side. Fluttershy then charged at the Agent and slashed it a few times with her daggers to gather energy. Once she had enough, she charged up her green element and cast Reinforce on herself, Twilight, and Pinkamena, raising everyone's defense.
Before the Agent could attack again, Pinkamena ran over to it and slashed wildly with her bladed hoop, at one point even spinning the hoop on her wrist super fast and knocking it back. She then jumped back and charged up her blue element, using Ice Body to increase Twilight's defense even further.
"Huh?" Twilight asked, "Why me?"
"You're the healer!" Pinkamena said turning back to the Lavos Agent, "I'm not letting anything happen to you!"
As Pinkamena rushed back over to the agent, Twilight looked in awe. Seeing Pinkamena go so far to look out for her was amazing. She really was a good person.
The Lavos Agent charged up what appeared to be a red element. It then launched a red fiery laser at Pinkamena, instantly knocking her to the ground (Flamethrower).
Fluttershy turned to the Agent and rushed at it, but before it could do anything it charged up a yellow element this time, and fired a large bolt of lightning at her, paralyzing her (Thunder Wave).
"No! Pinkamena! Fluttershy!" Twilight cried. She saw the Lavos Agent slowly begin crawling toward her, "No…! No!" Twilight held up her bow, "Stay away from me Lavos!"
"Twilight! Fight!" Seer Celestia shouted, catching the teen's attention, "Have to fight! Have to protect friends!"
"F-fight…?" Twilight asked. She shook her head and tried firing at the Lavos Agent with her arrows, but she missed each and every shot, "I… I can't…! I'm too afraid…!"
The Lavos Agent charged up a black element this time, and then opened its mouth firing a Shadow Ball at her. Before she could do anything though, Spike jumped in and grabbed Twilight, carrying her off on his back and letting her off near Celestia.
Are you unharmed Mistress?
"Spike…?" Twilight asked looking at her familiar, "If that's the case, then that means…"
Almost on cue, she heard what sounded like a gun charging. A large rainbow colored blast shot at the Lavos Agent, knocking it back. DASH-379 and Applejack then ran in, helping Fluttershy and Pinkamena to their feet.
"Are you two okay?" Applejack asked helping up Pinkamena.
"My hero!" Pinkamena cheered playfully. Applejack let her go making her fall back onto the floor.
"Pretty sure you're fine," Applejack deadpanned.
"Thank you DASH," Fluttershy said as the paralysis wore off.
"No problem," DASH-379 said, "It appears that the two of you have taken extensive damage."
"I'm sorry," Twilight sobbed, "It's my fault. I can't fire my arrows straight enough! If I can't fight, then I can't heal!" Twilight buried her face in her hands, "It's just like Rarity said! I can't do anything!"
"Twilight…" Applejack groaned. They all turned at the sound of the Lavos Agent giving a screech similar to the real Lavos.
"We need to dispatch this enemy immediately!" DASH-379 stated, "The temporal energy is growing!"
"Then we give it everything we have!" Applejack commanded as they all got in their fighting stances, "Everyone, attack!"
The Lavos Agent did something strange, charging up four different colors of elements at once one by one. As they all charged at it, it fired a large icicle at Applejack, a fireball at Pinkamena, a sharp gust of wind at DASH-379, and another bolt of electricity at Fluttershy.
Applejack stood up and charged at the Agent, slashing with her sword. Once she gathered enough energy, she charged her red element and cast Vigor on herself. DASH-379 flew toward the Agent, dodging all of its wind blade attacks and then kicked into the Agent, knocking it back into a wall. As it emerged, DASH-379 landed next to Applejack and charged up her yellow element.
"Releasing all limiters! Activating ATHENA Mode!" DASH shouted, entering her altered state. She and Applejack immediately charged up their elements and then charged at the Agent, using Beat Rush on the monster. Once they jumped away, Pinkamena rushed at the Agent and slashed wildly with her hoop. She then charged up her blue element and used her Ice Wall on the Agent, causing what appeared to be minor damage on it. The Agent was about to launch another fire move on Pinkamena, but Fluttershy grabbed her and pushed her out of the way.
Twilight could barely even look at the fight anymore. She felt so useless now. Lavos was coming there next, and there wasn't anything they could do to stop it or bring Rarity back.
"I can't do this…!" Twilight fussed falling to her knees, "I can't lead like Rarity could!"
Mistress, what are my orders?
Twilight looked up to see Spike standing over her looking at her intently.
"Your… orders…?" Twilight asked slowly.
I cannot act unless you order me to. I am bound by your will.
"You… want to fight that monster…"
It is not a matter of whether I want to or not. It's about what YOU want. Do YOU want to protect your friends?
"I… I do… but…" Twilight cringed as she heard Fluttershy scream in pain. Pinkamena looked like she was about to fire an attacking element, but instead used a healing Element on Fluttershy.
"They're… struggling…" Twilight said, "Without Rarity… they're…"
"No Twilight, not without Rarity," Seer Celestia said kneeling down next to Twilight, "Without you."
"Me?" Twilight asked, "But… I'm powerless! I can't fight like they can!"
"Can't fight, but can do something that no one else can do," Celestia explained, "Can heal."
"But… I can only do that if I can hit Lavos!" Twilight cried, "Celestia, I was only confident because Rarity was here! Without her, I'm too afraid to move…"
"Need courage," Celestia urged, "Have faith in friends, faith in yourself, and have faith in Rarity. Know that she's not evil, right?"
"I… I want to believe…" Twilight admitted looking away, "But the way she was talking just now… she's…"
"Understand her pain, then can save her," Celestia said, "Only see from your point of view, so actions seem terrible. See from her point of view, can understand and save her."
Seer Celestia stood up and walked over to the fight. Twilight looked at her in shock and grabbed her arm.
"H-hold on!" Twilight shouted, "What are you going to do?!"
"Take time you need, Twilight," Seer Celestia said with a warm smile, "I protect you."
Twilight looked in awe as Seer Celestia ran over to the Lavos Agent, both of her hands glowing white. She then began hitting the monster with what appeared to be Gentle Fist style attacks. After a second, she did a back flip out of the way and charged up a white element. She then raised her arms shooting out a bright light that enveloped everyone and healed their wounds (Revitalize).
Fluttershy and Pinkamena both rose to their feet, looked at each other, and nodded. They then charged up their elements at the same time. Pinkamena and Fluttershy then stood back to back holding their arms out and shot a large Icy Wind at the Lavos Agent, freezing it apparently. (Frigid Wave)
Applejack charged up her red element, and then shot a red laser at the Lavos Agent, appearing right in front of it and using Sword Dance on it. After it fell back, DASH-379, still in ATHENA Mode, charged up her yellow element and used Elec Sword on the Agent. As she stepped back, she froze and then fell to one knee in pain.
"Systems… overheating…!" DASH-379 said, exiting out of ATHENA Mode, her entire body giving off steam. The Lavos Agent then charged up its green element and fired what appeared to be a large tornado at DASH-379, knocking her to the ground badly damaging her.
"DASH!!!" Fluttershy screamed. She then rushed at the Lavos Agent and slashed wildly at it in rage, eventually charging up her green element and using Tail Spin, which still didn't seem like it was working.
Seer Celestia charged up her white element, and then used a new spell, this one sending a small golden orb at DASH-379. When it entered her, her entire body exploded with light and she then opened her eyes and stood up (Resurrection).
"Reboot successful. Reentering combat procedure," DASH-379 stated, immediately rushing into the Lavos Agent and attacking it with everything she had.
play song
While that went on, Twilight was having her own internal battle, trying to understand her beloved friend.
"Rarity… why would you attack us like this…?" Twilight asked herself, "It just doesn't make any sense."
Mistress… if I may.
Twilight looked up at Spike again.
Perhaps you should ask yourself, how you would feel in her situation.
"How I would feel in…" Twilight actually thought about that this time. What would she have done if the roles were reversed? She had thought about that briefly before, but even then the idea of wanting to destroy every-
Just try it!
I'll make sure your world is the first to disappear!
She singled out Twilight's world. Singled out… Twilight. That world wasn't just any old world to Rarity thought. That world represented her own world if she didn't live in it.
Her world, after Rarity was left behind.
"That's why she's so hurt…" Twilight said, "She doesn't hate, does she…?"
If my assessment is correct, she doesn't hate you at all Mistress. She might think she hates you, but she's just lashing out.
"Do you think… I can still save her Spike?"
Honestly, I believe you are the ONLY one who can save her.
"Spike…" Twilight smiled warmly, taking in what her companion was saying. It was true, she had to rescue Rarity, even if she didn't know that she needed rescuing.
play song
"You're right," Twilight said rising to her feet, "Even now, Rarity is my precious companion. She's lost in the darkness, and she needs her light to guide her home. If her darkness is too much for my light to reach…" she pointed her bow forward and readied an arrow, "then I'll just have to shine even brighter for her! Spike, attack!"
Spike growled at the Lavos Agent, and then rushed at the Lavos Agent. He latched onto the monster biting into its side to hold it still. Twilight then got on one knee and fired arrows at the Agent, finally hitting it and gathering enough energy.
Once she had enough energy, she charged up her white element. Instead of healing everyone though, she felt something else come over her. A new skill, this one matching her determination to slice through the darkness surrounding her beloved friend.
Getting on one knee, she pointed her bow into the air and fired an arrow. Said arrow opened a white portal, and then shot out a large javelin, which pierced through the Lavos Agent's exoskeleton (Holy Lance).
Spike jumped back and howled, charging his black element. He then hunched forward turning into a shadow and rushed past the Agent, actually doing some significant damage.
"I'm not running anymore!" Twilight said firing an arrow at the Agent, "Not from Lavos!" she fired another one, "Not from Nightmare Moon!" another arrow, "And not even Rarity!" she charged up her arrow with magic and fired at the Agent, piercing it's body and knocking it back, "DASH, if you can, help me!"
DASH-379 nodded and rushed over to the Lavos Agent. She then punched and kicked it with all her strength to gather energy. Once she had enough, she jumped back to Twilight's side, and both of them charged up their elements. DASH got on one knee and charged up her arm cannon as Twilight pulled out a few arrows setting one. She charged it up, and started firing large and powerful arrows at the Lavos Agent while DASH-379 fired a large multicolored laser out of her cannon. (Double Tech: Full Assault)
Needless to say, the Agent exploded screeching in pain as it's body faded from existence.
end song
Before anyone could celebrate, the entire castle started shaking again.
"As much as I'd love to stay and do a victory pose, we need to get moving!" Pinkamena screamed, "Lavos is still on his way!"
"The exit should be here!" Twilight stated, "Follow me!"
Twilight led the entire group out of the castle, just as it exploded in a white light. Instead of leading them back to Canterlot Village though, they instead went to the side of the Wolf Tribe village, stopping in the same clearing they were in before arriving in Machine the first time.
"Could we use the gate key you gave us to go back to the Warp Gate from here?" Twilight asked Pinkamena.
"My gate key can open any gate!" Pinkamena stated urgently, "We'll end up in the Warp Gate!"
"What about Forest though?!" Applejack asked, "They're summoning Lavos now, right?!"
"As long as I live, Forest is safe, even from Lavos," Seer Celestia said, "Take me to Warp Gate, hurry!"
Twilight nodded and held up the gate key. Immediately the gate opened, and the entire group went through, just as they heard Lavos' terrifying screech.
play song
"Ugh!" Nightmare Crystal shouted kicking a wall, "They got away again!"
"Patience, my friend," Nightmare Moon said calmly, "We will get our chance. For now, we need to continue preparing."
"Preparing?! We have Lavos' power now, don't we?! We should just destroy everything now before they get the chance to regroup!"
Nightmare Moon embraced Nightmare Crystal from behind.
"Nay, dear, that would be setting ourselves up for failure. Why destroy the worlds one by one when we can erase it all in one fell swoop?" Nightmare Moon asked. Nightmare Crystal looked back at Nightmare Moon and raised an eyebrow.
"Destroy them all at once…?" Crystal asked.
"Their next move will probably be Machine," Nightmare Moon said, "I believe I know where they want to go, and if I'm right, then they'll lead us right to where we want to go. Let's just let them do as they please for a bit."
Nightmare Crystal took a deep breath to calm herself, "I'm sorry love. I get so infuriated when it comes to them."
"That's understandable," Nightmare Moon said, "Just continue to follow my guidance, and I promise that our dreams will come to fruition."
Crystal nodded, deciding to relent. Still, something just didn't feel right about this. When she thought about how Twilight looked…
No! She's the enemy now!
She's abandoned me, just like the rest of the Universe!
I hate her!
I hate all of them...!
A single tear fell from Nightmare Crystal's eye. She had no idea where that came from, but for some reason, even in Nightmare Moon's embrace she felt…


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- Home
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- Wallplates
- Toggle Plates
- Mid and Oversized
- 10 Leviton Ivory MIDWAY Toggle Switch Cover Wall Plate Switchplates 80501-I
10 Leviton Ivory MIDWAY Toggle Switch Cover Wall Plate Switchplates 80501-I
Your Price: $1.99
Product Description
10 Leviton 80501-I ivory toggle switch wallplates. Residential grade, Midway size; each measures 3.125"w X 4.875"h, 3/8" larger in both dimensions than standard size plates. Intended for use with larger volume outlet boxes or to hide irregularities in the surrounding wall. Features include:
- Photoelectrically color-matched to Leviton Decora devices
- Designed for high dielectric strength and arc resistance
- Easy to Clean, smooth finish
- Resistant to fading, discoloration, grease, oils, organic solvents, moisture, and scratches
- Noncombustible
- Individually packaged with color matching mounting screws


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JESUS Film Harvest Partners
Web Donation Catalog
Bike A Bike to take the Jesus film to remote locations.
In developing countries, JESUS Film team members may not be able to easily access good or reliable means of transportation. This limits the reach teams can have on their surrounding communities. A Bike allows them to go into new, farther communities. This allows them to reach more men, women, and children.
It can be dangerous to walk," said Peter* in an undisclosed Country. "There are many dogs in the villages where I travel. The motorcycle has been a great blessing in my ministry. God is working in this country. Sixty people watched the JESUS Film. As a result, we have started regular Bible studies with around 25 people attending! With the Lord's help, we hope to double the attendance this year. This fellowship of believers has a heart of compassion. They help the poor of the village by giving them rice, flour, and cooking oil. Sister Mary* invites her friends and neighbors to come to church each Sunday. God used the JESUS Film to get this fellowship started. God used JESUS Film Harvest Partners to provide me a motorbike. God is great!
*Names changed for protection.


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School Calendar
Upcoming Events
Reception Moon Beams
Reception Sun Rays
Year 1 LB
Year 1 SC
Year 2 JN
Year 2 RP
Year 3 SM
Year 3 KM
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Please find School Policy documents and information below. If you need any more information, please contact the school, we are happy to help. If you would prefer paper copies of any of the information below or elsewhere on the web-site, please let us know.


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Until the Beginning (After the End, book two)
By Amy Plum
Published 2015 by HarperTeen
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for book one. Read my review of that title.
Juneau and Miles have made a death-defying escape from the men desperate for Juneau's secrets. Literally death-defying - Miles was shot in their escape. Using the secrets of her clan, Juneau has brought him back, but he's not the same person he was before. Can Miles use his new abilities to help Juneau rescue her people?
I was a bit disappointed with the first book in this series - mainly because it didn't answer any of my questions by the time I reached the final page. But, of course, it was only the first book in a series, so I couldn't expect too many answers there. Wanting to know the full story, I requested the sequel as soon as it was available in my library and sped through it.
I'm pretty sure this is it for the series - a duology instead of a never-ending series. I'm pleased with that, though I can still see potential for more volumes in the future. I hope Amy Plum leaves the story here - I think it came to a good conclusion with these two volumes. The story is very compelling and fast-paced - I think it only took me a couple hours to read this second book. I think the dual narration helps keep the story moving along. Switching back and forth between Juneau and Miles' narrative keeps things moving and allows slightly different stories to emerge. Both characters are moving through their individual arcs and readers can easily see them both through the alternating chapters. Both characters undergo a lot of change throughout this book and I think their individual journeys were well-executed.
However, there isn't really a lot of tension in this book. It never really feels like a question as to if Juneau will free her clan; it's more a matter of when. There also doesn't seem to be any tension regarding what will happen between Miles and Juneau - the development of their relationship seems a foregone conclusion. I can see that this lack of tension may lessen a reader's interest in the book. For me, the writing is easy and the story engaging enough that it didn't dampen my wanting to read through to the end. This was kind of an escapist book for me, not complicated but still with enough unique aspects to keep my attention.
Overall, I enjoyed this series, mostly for its unique take on earth magic. I think fans of adventure stories or dystopian fiction would enjoy these books and I'm interested to read what else Plum has written.


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MS Bellefleur deck 5 plan (MS Viking Europe deck 1 Seine)
Deck layout and review
Review of MS Bellefleur deck 5 (MS Viking Europe deck 1 Seine)
- Staff and crew cabins (aft location) are next to the passenger rooms.
- The Propulsion/Engine Room is aft, and the ship's Storage areas (water tanks, food supplies) are located forward.
- Staircase access to Saone Deck 2
- Seine Deck cabins from 100 to 111, all of which Standard Staterooms (at water level, with half-height window views – 12x category E).


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There Will Be 'Losses' in Walking Dead's Season 7 Finale
Sometimes, it's hard to be a "Walking Dead" fan.
The hit AMC zombie drama is known for continually and brutally killing off characters both despised and beloved. Barring main character Rick, pretty much no one is safe on this series, so it's perhaps not terribly shocking that showrunner Scott M. Gimple hints at more death to come in the Season 7 finale.
RELATED: The Walking Dead: Kirkman on How the Show Has Changed the Comic
"Well, there are losses," Gimple told TV Line. "As the stakes get higher and higher… things start to get more intense and heartbreaking, and yet everyone has to sort of band together and keep going."
Gimple did at least indicate a less dour mood for the finale, a sharp contrast to Season 6's final episode which ended in a particularly disturbing game of Eeny Meeny Miny Moe. "[Season 6 was] this very claustrophobic descent into darkness. This season finale is more expansive — in tone and location and characters.
"[Season 6's finale] was the noose tightening and things getting darker and darker," Gimple continued. "This season's finale has darkness and light, real horrific moments, betrayal, and real moments of beauty, redemption, love and friendship. It's sort of the panoply of human and 'Walking Dead' experience."
"Real moments of beauty" along with the "real horrific moments" is pretty much the most a "Walking Dead" viewer can hope for at this point, so take heart if (or is that when?) your favorite character is graphically murdered in the season finale.
Starring Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peleteir, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Green, Danai Gurira as Michonne and many, many more, the Season 7 finale of "The Walking Dead" airs April 2 on AMC.
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text: A couple months ago, I was approached by the girls at LOFT 310 to do a photo shoot with them. They are debuting their new space the Upper Loft. It was a great shoot, they did a fabulous job stylizing their space with gorgeous modern decor, and my job was easy….photograph all the pretty things and pretty bride model. 🙂 If you would like to check out their blog post for the model session, please CLICK HERE.


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I am a film lover, a big one. As much as I like shooting digital, film photography is still the magic, a fascinating process of creation and waiting for the results. So it came to my mind to share a few thoughts about my favourite film, HP5+ by Ilford.
I don't remember know the exact moment when it landed in my hands and got loaded into the camera. It was many years ago, when digital cameras where not even in my mind yet and I started experimenting with different films, especially black & whites. Ever since, when I look back to my old images, I can tell: HP5+ is definitely my favourite and my personal best. And I still keep showing them as part of my portfolio (which is great, considering how painful can be looking back to photographer's early works!).
At the time I discovered Ilford, I didn't know what kind of photography I am going to do, or even what intrests me more. I felt this primal joy of just shooting, pressing the shutter button and waiting for the results for few days, until the film is developed. I remember opening the envelope with ready prints (yes, they were more exciting than scans), and checking if everything went well. It became obvious to me, after a while, that the results I want, crisp, contrast and grainy are guaranteed by HP5+ (still I like to use the effect preset on my digital works). What were my felds of intrest? Reflections, streets, rainy pavements, some kind of magic in reality that I was searching for while walking alone trough streets of Cracow. It was a time when I started to love photography for real.
The specifications are simple: Ilford HP5+ gives you ISO 400, which is both basic and flexible, for me it was perfect for outdoor, even darker light conditions, but I've tried it many times indoors without any proper light source with good effects. The grain is strong, the contrast, as Ilford says: medium, but blacks are very black here. What I would recommend is to print what you shoot on Ilford HP5+, the prints look amazing.
I'm not a technical expert, so I won't compare different b&w films, it's probably, as everything in photography, very individual with the preferences and matter of taste. For me HP5+ is the one, and I've tried many more – but I keep coming back to it. If I'm shooting on film, it's usually HP5+.