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Ten Tribes Studies
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(14 July, 2019, 12 Tammuz, 5779)
1. Recent Answers by Yair Davidiy to Quora Questions to be Viewed on the Quora Site.
2. Question on Enrolling for Brit-Am Membership
3. Frank: Use of the Donation Button
4. New Article. Kings. The Monarchs of Judah and Israel
5. Brit-Am Research Strategies for the Near Future
1. Recent Answers by Yair Davidiy to Quora Questions to be Viewed on the Quora Site.
What were the successes, failures and death of the Kings of Judah and Israel from the time of Rehoboam and Jeroboam?
If I become Jewish will I be richer?
2. Question on Enrolling for Brit-Am Membership
On 2019-07-13 06:08, D. wrote:
On the membership can we make 2 payments of $35 For the amount of $70
And how do we make these payments can we do it on Brit am.org or
Hebrew nations.org best regards Darcy Landau thank you
Brit-Am Reply:
You can make one or several payments. You will be registered from the first payment as if you have paid in full.
You may send the 2nd payment whenever you are able.
you may make the payments either through:
It makes not different how the payment is made. Both sites are Brit-Am sites.
If you have any doubts or problems you can also contact Yair Davidiy directly through any of the 3 e-mail addresses he uses including this one.
God be with you
Yair Davidiy
3. Frank: Use of the Donation Button
From: Frank
Subject: Membership
I paid $70.00 using PayPal for a one year membership.... I could not find a link for membership so I made a donation, but it is for membership. Thanks, Frank
4. New Article. Kings. The Monarchs of Judah and Israel
1. Kings of United Israel
2. Kings of Judah (Rehoboam, Abiyah, Asa)
3. Kings of Israel (the Ten Tribes): Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Ealah, Zimri
4. Kings of Judah (Jehoshaphat, Joram, Queen Athalia, Ahaziah)
5. Kings of Israel (the Ten Tribes): Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu
6. Kings of Judah: Queen Athalia, Joash, Amaziah
7. Kings of Israel (the Ten Tribes): Jehu, Joash, Jehoash, Jeroboam-2
8. Kings of Judah: Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz. [During their reign the rulers of northern Israel were Jeroboam-2, Zechariah, Shalum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah].
9. Kings of Israel (the Ten Tribes): Jeroboam-2, Zechariah, Shallum, Menachem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hosea
10. Kings of Judah: Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, Zedekiah
5. Brit-Am Research Strategies for the Near Future
a. DNA. To search Creationists articles dealing with DNA.
b. Chronology Revisionists Lists.
c. To tentatively accept Religious Jewish Dating to see if it gives reliable enough results.
Malachi 3:
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,
Says the LORD of hosts,
'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
Proverbs 3:
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the first of all your produce,
10 so your barns will be filled with abundance,
and your vats will burst open with new wine.
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The Moses Jackson Advancement Center will hold an information session for upcoming Patient Care Technician training on February 25 at 5 p.m. The PCT course is open to all individuals with a certified nursing assistance license in Georgia. The course trains the nursing assistant how to draw blood, perform EKG's and other medical procedures within medical offices, clinics and hospitals. It is a 12 week course.
Contact Natasha Butler, Moses Jackson Advancement Center, 1410 B Richards Street, by phone at (912) 525-2166 for more information.

subset: commoncrawl


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Nice new algorithm for humanoid systems.
A person dissipates various kind of emotion during the daily conversation. The expression actually depends on the statement of the narrator but, sometimes it is very difficult to perceive someone's sentiment behind the speech. To unveil the emotion behind someone's speech, scientists created an artificial intelligence algorithm.
A research team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's(MIT) from Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) built a wearable app that is programmed with the algorithm. It could be a perfect alternative of polygraph because polygraphs are not really reliable because it has a lot of errors. Their invention was first officially introduced in the official press release of MIT News.
Ph.D. candidate Mohammad Ghassemi, lead researcher of this program said in a statement, "Our work is a step in this direction, suggesting that we may not be that far away from the world where people can have an AI social coach right in their pocket". Ghassemi and his team equipped a fitness tracker with the app that collects physical and speech data to examine the tonal characteristics.


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Earlier this spring the City of Roseville collaborated with The Food Group to plant an edible orchard at the Muriel Sahlin Arboretum. Now, volunteers are needed to help maintain the orchard.
The orchard was brought to life thanks to the efforts of volunteers and staff, who planted more than 100 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. Moving forward, the orchard will provide a community learning experience for classes and for community members to learn how to grow, harvest and preserve fresh produce.
Fruits and vegetables that will be harvested over the years will be made available to the community and donated to local food shelves.
We're looking for volunteers to weed and mulch around the trees and shrubs. Staff from The Food Group will explain the project, lead volunteers, and teach participants how to care for the fruit-bearing trees and shrubs.
Wednesdays, September 14 and 28Rain or shine9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.Muriel Sahlin Arboretum, 2525 North Dale St.
To volunteer, contact Kelly O'Brien at 651-792-7028 or email@example.com.
The Food Group is a non-profit organization that provides healthy foods and resources to hunger relief agencies in Minnesota. Their Fruits of the City program helps communities grow and harvest local fruit for those in need.
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Serotype variability, genomic plasticity and increasing antibiotic resistance of S. pneumoniae, pose considerable challenges for designing intervention strategies for this global public health concern. There is a need for the identification as well as characterization of novel vaccine candidates for effective immunization against pneumococcus, as the available vaccines are not effective against all serotypes. Polyamines are ubiquitous small cationic molecules necessary for pneumococcal growth and virulence. Therefore, intracellular polyamine levels are tightly regulated, thus making polyamine transport mechanisms a highly attractive focus for investigation on pathogenesis and immune responses. Our preliminary results indicate that impaired polyamine transport causes attenuation of pneumonia in mouse models. However, the pathogen-host interactions responsible for this attenuation are yet to be characterized. Our central hypothesis is that attenuation in pneumococcal pneumonia by impaired pneumococcal polyamine transport is due to the reduced virulence factor gene expression and/or reduced resistance to host innate immune responses. We will test this hypothesis by conducting the following specific aims.
Specific aims : 1-identify polyamine responsive pneumococcal genes and pathways by comparing gene expression of wild type and ApotABCD S. pneumoniae (a strain with genetic deletion of polyamine transport operon) in a mouse model of pneumonia;2-determine the host innate immune responses to polyamine deficient pneumococcus by measuring the expression of antimicrobial proteins, acute phase proteins, opsonophagocytosis by macrophages and neutrophils, and host signaling pathways and functions including Toll-like receptor signaling, using proteomics. Successful completion ofthe proposed studies will identify the pneumococcal molecular mechanisms responsive to polyamine transport as well as specific host innate immune responses. Project results will shed light on the role of polyamines in infectious diseases in general for the identification of unique intra and extracellular targets for design of novel vaccines or therapeutics in future.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community acquired pneumonia and a leading cause of meningitis, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, and otitis media. An estimated 570,000 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia occur annually in the United States alone. Deficiencies in polyamine transport cause attenuation of virulence of pneumonia. Polyamine transport genes that appear to be conserved within the soecies. provide a potential new class of broad-based vaccine candidates or therapeutic targets
Showing the most recent 10 out of 57 publications


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It's easy to get down with the stress and constant struggles that come with owning a business. Below is a list of ways you can stay happy in your virtual assistant practice, business … or even if you work in a traditional j.o.b.
Don't Be Afraid Of Change
Embrace it! Sometimes we have to go through changes and often it is good! You don't want to get stuck in a rut while the rest of the world passes you by. This can be especially harmful for your business. Being able to adapt in an ever changing world of business will allow you to stand out among the other half of Americans that are also business owners.
Look Ahead to the Future
Don't hold on to yesterday. So what if it was a bad day? If you don't let it go it can really hold you back and distract you from the prize. Brush it off and keep pushing onward to success.
Enough with the Excuses
Excuses aren't doing you any favors … they're holding you back. Take any little mishaps or failures and turn them into learning opportunities. Take the problem, find out how to solve it. Don't waste time coming up with a way to excuse it.
Accept and Learn From Your Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, we're human. However, if you don't take your mistakes and learn from them, then they aren't going to serve you well. Accept them and take steps to correct them.
It's For You
This is your business. You're supposed to love your job. Sure, you want to have happy clients but that doesn't mean you can't keep yourself happy as well. It isn't just your money on the line, it's your life and your happiness. Don't let your job drain it all away from you.
Be Fearless
Fear holds us back. It stops us from taking chances that could really be good for us. You've probably heard the famous quote from President Roosevelt, "The only thing to fear is fear itself." Don't let fear hold you back from greatness.
Sometimes You're Wrong, Accept It
Nobody is right all of the time. We aren't perfect, we make bad choices and sometimes we're flat out wrong. It's okay to accept ideas from someone else if they are better than yours, you don't have to be right all the time. Being able to seek out the right answers, even if they aren't your own is the first step to being able to grow.
Don't Forget about Your Strengths
Everyone is good at different things. Realize that crazy mad skill you possess and build on it. This will not only better yourself but also your business.
Stop Blaming Others
Just like making excuses, blaming others really just holds you back when it comes to solving the problem. "Who" is not as important as "why" or "how" when it comes to fixing the problem.
Set Your Own Expectations
While you're serving the wants and needs of your clients, it's important to keep in mind whose business it is. Yours. Build and shape your business into whatever you want it to be. Set goals that you can actually reach, expand and create an environment that is comfortable for not only your customers, but for you as well. Never forget that this is your business and it's what you want it to be.
While these are only some suggestions to get you started on the right path, hopefully they will serve as stepping stones towards the goal of lessening the everyday stress that comes along with owning a business.
About Out of the Office Virtual Assistance:
Since 2006, Out of the Office has offered ideas and ways to increase your productivity, decrease your workload, and work more efficiently. We nurture a successful business relationship, while continuing to grow as your business partner. We are focused on streamlining your administration, social media planning and execution, content writing and offering creative solutions for your business success.
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FCC opens application period for Future Leaders Canada 2020 program
FCC opens application period for Future Leaders Canada 2020 program
OTTAWA, ON, November 11, 2019: The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) is pleased to open the application period for its sector specific career development program – Future Leaders Canada. The program is offered in partnership with its US counterpart, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI). The Future Leaders Canada curriculum is designed to develop emerging leaders in the Canadian seafood industry through networking, programming and unique experiences along the supply chain.
"Executives who invested in the inaugural Future Leaders Canada Class of 2019 tell us the program was a huge success." According to Paul Lansbergen, President of FCC. "Further, the Future Leaders participants can't say enough about the value they received from the program. Future Leaders Canada 2020 will build on that initial success."
The Canadian seafood industry is diverse in geography, in the type of species it harvests, and in the size of its companies. This program seeks to expose Future Leaders Canada participants to the various aspects of the seafood industry and facilitates opportunities for networking with classmates. The program enhances industry knowledge and leadership skills in the areas of government relations, production, procurement, sales, and marketing. In addition to facility tours, participants get the opportunity to interact with different audiences that affect business decisions in the seafood community.
Curriculum includes opportunities to interact with Parliamentarians and government officials who make legislative and regulatory decisions. Participants also get a chance to learn about how customers, such as retailers and restaurants, operate and what influences their buying decisions. The program consists of three 3-day sessions, from May through August. The Future Leaders Canada participants will visit Ottawa, ON, Chicago, IL, Vancouver, BC, and their surrounding areas. There is an optional orientation session in Boston at the Seafood Expo North America in March and an optional session in Brussels at the Seafood Expo Global in April. Graduates will be celebrated at the FCC Annual Conference in Ottawa, October 7-8, 2020.
"I invite all senior executives throughout our sector supply chain to take this opportunity to invest in your future leaders. This is a one-of-a-kind career development program specifically designed for our sector," says Lansbergen. "For program participants, be prepared for a challenging and rewarding experience."
The application period is now open and closes January 10, 2020. For more information, visit the FCC website.
The Fisheries Council of Canada is the voice of Canada's fish and seafood industry. FCC represents small, medium and larger-sized, primarily family owned companies from rural, coastal and Indigenous communities operating on Canada's three coasts.
# # #
PDF of Press Release


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Alexander Pochinok, the Minister of Labor and Social Development, stated today that the Fund for Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation is experiencing difficulties paying compensations to Russian victims of nazism of the World War II. The problems occurred because of the activity of the fund's previous administration. Lyudmila Narusova was the head of the fund, the widow of the former mayor of St.Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak.
Pochinok claimed that there were serious questions to be asked to the previous management of the fund: why the fund was carrying out illegal financial operations and investing the money, which was meant for compensation payments, in banks and buying shares with the money.
Lyudmila Narusova was the chairwoman of the advisory board of the fund for two years, from April 2000 till April 2002. The press wrote that she received the position due to President Putin's friendship with Sobchak. However, when it was reported that Narusova was dismissed from her post, mass media outlets wrote this decision was also made by Putin, although the adequate document was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.
The reason for Narusova's dismissal was allegedly the fact that Germany (which transferred the money to the fund for those compensations) was concerned after Ksenia Sobchak's apartment was robbed (Ksenia is Lyudmila Narusova and Anatoly Sobchak's daughter). It was reported that the thieves stole jewelry in the sum of $600 thousand, and German government representatives and special services were afraid of some plundering scandal. Germany asked Russia to take measures.
Measures were been taken, and Narusova was dismissed. Lyudmila Narusova believes that the fund is working in a very inefficient way. For example, she was not happy about the fact that the information pertaining to the financial activity of the fund was exposed. However, she failed to attract any attention to this problem.
The session that was presided over by First Vice Premier of the Russian government Valentina Matviyenko was devoted to the results of the first stage of compensation payments. Alexander Pochinok released a statement concerning the activity of the previous management of the fund after this session. Incumbent chairwoman of the fund Natalia Malysheva declared that Germany assigned 400 million DM for compensation to 390 thousand Russian people in 1993. Malysheva added that the scheme of the compensation will be changed: they will be paid to those people who prove that they were forced to work for Nazis like slaves. As Malysheva said, "we are working on a new mechanism that will exclude the untargeted use of the funds." She also stated that Germany assigned ten billion DM to all people who suffered from the Nazi slavery.
It is hard to say if Pochinok's statement will cause problems for Lyudmila Narusova. The fact that she was Anatoly Sobchak's wife is supposed to protect her. However, it would not be bad to find out how the money of the fund was spent, otherwise the victims of nazism may not see any money at all.
Vasily Bubnov PRAVDA.Ru
On the picture: Lyudmila Narusova
Translated by Dmitry Sudakov
Subscribe to Pravda.Ru Telegram channel, Facebook, RSS!


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Save 20% off on American Shaman products.
Does not expireThere's nothing necessarily out-of-the-ordinary about a CBD tincture. A quick scan of digital shelves will show that nearly every cannabidiol company has a version of the stuff.
And while American Shaman has a number of different tinctures available, one in particular truly stands out among the rest.
The company's water-soluble, hemp oil was one of the first in the industry to utilize liposomal technology, meaning the cannabidiol molecules are made much more readily absorbable in the body, and, therefore, felt more power more quickly, by using even less product. The trick is including reverse-osmosis water to the mix, which more easily slips through cell membranes, delivering the CBD straight to the source.
Two versions of the product are up for sale. American Shaman produces their water-soluble CBD tincture in both a full-spectrum variety—meaning all aspects of the hemp plant are represented, including 0.3% of THC—and as an isolate, which has all the same benefits of cannabidiol but is THC-free. Both formulas include 300mg of CBD oil and retail for $60.
Get the Ultimate CBD Buyer's Guide and you won't look at CBD the same way again!


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High-performance vehicles fulfilling commercial and personal purposes have always been in immense demand. Ford launches the latest edition of its ever-popular Bronco with a powerful engine, pulling heavy-weight items within and with its massive towing capacity. If you are in Tampa, FL, and want to learn more about the 2022 Bronco, Brandon Ford is the right place to get your hands on the steering wheel of this stylish new SUV. Let us dive right into the details about how much a 2022 Ford Bronco can tow.
The base model of the 2022 Ford Bronco comes in two types- the 2-door and 4-door variants. Both these models have a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 lbs. Bronco features a standard 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine in the two-door model with a curb weight of only 4,977 and a 7-speed manual transmission.
On the other hand, the four-door model offers a significant upgrade with a 10-speed automatic transmission at a curb weight of 5,226. Though the 2022 Bronco is not as capable as the Ford pickup trucks in towing a tremendous amount of weight, it can take quite a few packages when you are traveling. Furthermore, the other trim levels and variants improve the towing capabilities without significantly increasing the overall capacity.
With the 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine, the trim levels of the 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, including the Big Bend, Outer Banks, and the Base, can tow up to 2,000 lbs. However, if the base model is sufficiently packaged and equipped, a maximum towing capacity of 2,200 lbs. can be achieved. Those who aim for this upgrade should go for the Badlands trim since the extra 200 lbs. are exclusive in it when combined with the Class II Trailer Tow Package. The Badland trim is available at an MSRP of $33,935. A smart trailer tow connector, trailer sway control, trailer brake wiring, haul modes, and a 7-wire harness are included in the special package.
SUVs of your desired trim and color option are available at Brandon Ford, Tampa, Florida. Head to our inventory to check out the wide range of attractive deals, and also schedule a test drive.
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Trading Down Has Companies Looking Up
An article in yesterday's San Jose Mercury News entitled "In Recession consumers turn to small indulgences," reinforces what I've been telling clients and students for months: First, there are companies who are doing well in this gloomy economy, such as … Continue reading
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Fun Farm, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Fun Farm entertainment centre at Grantham is sure to keep all of your children entertained and active.
Ball pools, tube slides, a rope bridge, the spooky cave, deck climbs, ropes swings and vertical roller squeeze combine to ensure that children can exercise their imagination, and limbs, to the fullest!
Outside there is a pirtate ship if children wish to play in the fresh air.
A separate toddler area gives parents peace of mind whilst they relax in the ample seating area and enjoy a selection of snacks and refreshments ranging from filled baguettes, baked potatoes and other healthy options to traditional burgers, fish and chips and childrens meals.
Staff are attentive, experienced and understand children and children's needs.
External Links
Address / Contact
Address | Fun Farm Kempton Way Dysart Road Grantham Lincolnshire NG31 7LE |
Telephone | 01476 562228 |
Area | More information on Grantham |


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Joughin, I., 2005
Joughin, I., R.A. Bindschadler, M.A. King, D. Voigt, R.B. Alley, S. Anandakrishnan, H. Horgan, L. Peters, P. Winberry, S.B. Das, G. Catania. Continued deceleration of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32(22), L22501, 2005.
- Bonnie Light, PSC Chair, Welcome»
- The Polar Science Center is a group of dedicated investigators conducting interdisciplinary research on the oceanography, climatology, meteorology, biology and ecology of the ice-covered regions on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. Learn more »


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The Hudson Valley is a hotbed for all things homeopathic given the region's inherently sustainable nature.
Interest in homeopathy has been present in the Hudson Valley since the mid 1800s. After a resurgence in this alternative medical practice across the country in the 1970s, there has been a steady rise in the popularity of the practice ever since. With New Paltz being a hotbed for all things natural healing, the trend, locally, is no wonder.
Homeopathy is a medical practice that embraces a holistic, natural approach to the treatment of the sick. It is holistic because it treats the patient as a whole rather than focusing on a diseased part of the body or specific illness. Additionally, the natural remedies are produced according to the FDA-recognized "Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States."
Homeopathy has been officially recognized under the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the 1965 Medicare Act and the 1987 FDA Compliance Policy Guidelines.
The guiding principle of homeopathy is "let likes cure likes" or Similia similibus curentur. Homeopathic remedies are also prescribed at minimum dose so that maximum therapeutic effect is achieved with the fewest side effects. Additionally, only one remedy is prescribed at a time and they are used mostly for acute and chronic treatments.
"People come to homeopathy for a variety of reasons," said homeopath Rebekah Azzarelli. "Some come because they haven't had success treating their chronic health problems with conventional medicine and want to try something new."
Azzarelli practices classical homeopathy and works in homeopathic education at Beacon Homeopathy. She also teaches DIY homeopathy for community members. She's currently building a wellness cooperative and its first project, Beacon Wellness Commons, is a free monthly pop up holistic health clinic with a variety of holistic health practitioners offering free treatment sessions, free childcare with arts and games, a weekly group called Walk for Health and a series of workshops on self-care. She began practicing professionally in 2006.
According to Azzarelli, homeopathy is an individualized approach to medicine and not everyone with the same ailment will receive the same treatment.
"We might see someone who comes to treat chronic knee pain," she said. "To find an accurate homeopathic remedy we must learn more about the person's symptoms, including health history that might seem unrelated."
Azzarelli said that patients can take homeopathic remedies alongside traditional medicine as they are relatively inexpensive and added that the remedies are also safe for babies and pets.
Second-year communication disorders major Raven Blake speaks to the efficacy of homeopathic treatment, but encourages those interested to understand that it may not yield immediate results.
Four years ago, Blake dislocated her elbow during a soccer game and had little success with conventional healing methods. She then turned to a homeopathic doctor who diagnosed her with a bacterial infection in her elbow and began treating it with homeopathic methods.
"Within a few months the pain completely subsided," Blake said. "Considering I had had pain consistently for a year, this was quite remarkable."
Second-year marketing and public relations major Lea Savocchi and her family regularly use homeopathic remedies for everything from a bad fall, to the common cold or a thyroid problem.
Savocchi's mother was diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid last year and to cure via conventional means would have meant either medication that was potentially damaging to the liver or radiation therapy which is associated with several negative side effects. With homeopathic healing, her condition was cured in less than six months with no side effects.
"We're homeopathic because we're healthy people and we think our body can heal itself without [traditional medicine]," Savocchi said.


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Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome – Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, IVF Specialist
Are you planning to go for IVF? You must have conducted your research then. Well, most of what matters anyway. But today, we will discuss ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Dr. Hrishikesh Pai will most definitely explain this part to you before he starts conducting the process of IVF.
What is Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome?
When you start your IVF treatment, one of the first steps taken is to give you hormones to stimulate your ovaries to produce Eggs. But sometimes, in some women, the ovaries get hyper-stimulated, leading to mild to severe complications.
In case of mild symptoms, they go away on their own in a few days, but severe symptoms may require hospitalization.
In this article, Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, one of the best IVF doctor in Mumbai, discusses every aspect of this condition.
Read on to know more.
What are the symptoms of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)?
1. The symptoms for mild to moderate cases of OHSS may feel like those mentioned below:
- Abdominal pain is bearable in your case.
- Bloating.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Inflamed ovaries.
Injectable hormone stimulating drugs usually cause mild symptoms that disappear in a week at the most. If you get pregnant in the meanwhile, the symptoms may last for a longer duration and maybe even worsen.
2. Symptoms of Severe OHSS
- Instant weight gain may be a kg in a day.
- Unbearable abdominal pain.
- Continuous nausea and vomiting.
- Blood clots.
- Reduced urine quantity and frequency
- Breathlessness
- Tightness in the abdomen.
When is the right time to consult your doctor about these symptoms?
Ideally speaking, you may feel like consulting your specialist every time you notice changes in your body and may tell yourself that it will sort out; maybe it's a part of the journey. But these symptoms, mild or severe, cannot and should not be ignored. Please consult Dr. Pai immediately.
Especially if you are breathless and your legs begin to pain. It is a call for action.
What causes OHSS?
The human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced during pregnancy or injected. It plays a vital role in pregnancy. But in hyperstimulation of the ovaries, the blood vessels of the ovaries have an abnormal reaction to HCG, and fluids begin to leak from them. It swells the ovaries, and if a considerable amount of fluid leaks, it fills the abdomen.
HCG is given to a woman as a stimulant for infertility treatments so that the matured follicle releases an egg. Hyperstimulation of the ovaries shows its symptoms within a week of administering the HCG injection.
And suppose the pregnancy takes place during this phase, the OHSS worsens because now the HCG production is natural and adds to the existing condition.
What are the risk factors that can increase your chances of OHSS?
Some of the conditions that may increase the risk of getting OHSS are:
- Too many follicles
- Being Underweight
- High levels of estrogen when HCG is administered.
- OHSS has occurred in the past also.
What are the complications likely to arise from OHSS?
We have previously mentioned some symptoms like
- Fluid collection in the abdomen
- Breathlessness
- Blood clots.
Some other complications involved are;
- Kidney failure
- Miscarriage
- Torsion of ovaries
- Cystic rupture in the ovaries
- Imbalanced electrolytes.
Is there a way to prevent OHSS?
During fertility treatments, even under normal circumstances, your doctor would like to keep a very close watch on all the factors to be ahead of any abnormalities.
Some of the measures your fertility specialist will take to keep a tab on OHSS are:
Measured doses of gonadotropins, usually the minimum. Just enough is given to trigger the ovulation.
Some medications such as aspirin, metformin, and calcium are added to avoid complications.
Sometimes your specialist will wait till the estrogen levels are within normal limits before injecting HCG.
An alternative for HCG called Lupron is administered to avoid OHSS, especially if you have a history.
If you are underway IVF treatment, your specialist will recommend freezing all the follicles, mature and immature, to lower the risk of OHSS.


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These days there is a wide variety of lens material to choose from when you purchase new glasses.
The traditional glass or plastic lenses are always good options. But, more durable materials such as polycarbonate and Trivex are available to accommodate different lifestyles and budgets. Talk to your customer care representative to help determine which one of these lenses is right for you.
Glass Lenses
Glass lenses are made from natural mineral glass and the earliest of these optical aids dates back to 750 BC. Many customers prefer glass lenses because they are the most optically clear of the lens materials out there and they are also better at handling distracting light effects. Some people often worry about their glass lenses getting scratched but the truth is that glass is the most naturally scratch resistant material offered. It also blends more seamlessly when used for bifocals.
Polycarbonate Lenses
What many people think of as plastic lenses are actually polycarbonate lenses. These lenses are actually created from a thermoplastic polymer and are more complex than simple plastic. It makes the lenses both lightweight and durable. Polycarbonate is ten times stronger than glass, making them ideal for kids or active people. They are inexpensive and are often a good quality option if your insurance won't allow you enough to purchase glass lenses
Trivex Lenses
If you are looking for the best of both worlds, consider Trivex lenses. This lens material was developed in the early 2000s and the new technology used to create them gives them greater clarity. Because this material is so strong and impact resistant, it is ideal for sports or rimless glasses. Their lightweight construction means that they stay on your nose better and are less likely to slide down when you are doing something.
Sometimes the varied prescription lens options can be confusing, but we are here to help you pick the right pair of glasses for your lifestyle. Please contact us to know more about our wide range of glasses for both professional and personal needs.


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How Debt Can Affect Your Mental Health
Debt can cause extreme stress for any individual
I recently saw a headline that noted seven out of ten people have cried over debt. I have been a financial counselor and educator with Navicore Solutions for almost twenty years and, during that time, I have seen the true emotional impact that debt can have. Unfortunately, we have seen much more serious effects on mental and emotional health when it comes to debt. Recently, a young man ended his life due to perceived excessive debt through a day trading website. I was saddened and amazed by how many reports of suicide I came across when researching this topic. Credit card debt, student loan debt and the loss of homes to foreclosure were highly related as extreme stressors for individuals, and some of those people dealing with those issues without help have paid the ultimate price.
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There is a psychological aspect to debt. There are a number of psychological theories as to why consumers may overspend on credit. I would like to highlight a few of those theories. The first is the "anchor theory" which basically describes why stores have huge sales signs. The idea is that if we look at an item and see its original price and then see the sale price, which may be significantly lower, the desire to purchase that item increases greatly. Do you have something in your closet that you purchased and have never worn, but the sale price was too good to turn down? If so, you experienced the "anchor theory".
Read More: How To Cope With Loss of Income During COVID-19
The next theory is "supply and demand". As humans, we are wired to believe that if something is hard to get, it must be worth more. I would like to point out the great toilet paper shortage of Covid-19. Many of us have been through natural disasters and have found it hard to find bottled water, canned food items and batteries. Our survival instinct, along with the messages from emergency management professionals, prompts us to think that we need extra water, food and batteries for light or radios. Why was there such an extreme shortage of toilet paper during the pandemic? If you found toilet paper, did you pay much more because of the shortage and the hoarding of others? I know I did! It was harder to find, therefore it increased in value and, as a result, I paid $3.00 for one roll of toilet paper, just to know I had it.
Read More: How To Cope With Financial Anxiety
The last theory is "shopping addiction". I know that a lot of people think this is not real. "Just don't go to the store!" If it was only that easy. Compulsive buying behavior (CBB), otherwise known as shopping addiction, pathological buying or compulsive buying disorder, is a mental health condition characterized by the persistent, excessive, impulsive, and uncontrollable purchase of products in spite of severe psychological, social, occupational, financial consequences (Müller et al., 2015). The results of CBB are often feelings of regret or remorse over purchases, shame, guilt, legal and financial problems, and interpersonal difficulties.
Read More: How To Spot And Avoid COVID-19 Scams
These noted theories are just three a handful of beliefs that psychologists and psychiatric scholars have developed. As our country continues to see misfortune and heartbreak, I feel it is imperative that people know where to go to get answers and help with debt. Perhaps if the unfortunate people who saw no way out, just made a phone call to a reputable resource like a credit counseling agency, their fate may have changed. At Navicore Solutions, we are prepared to assist you without judgement no matter how insurmountable you feel your debt may be. We can also provide the resources to ensure that every client gets not only the financial education, credit counseling, student loan counseling, and housing counseling they need, but also refer them to mental health providers for a holistic approach to debt management, if needed. Please reach out to one of our Certified Counselors at 1-800-992-4557.
Kim Cole is the Community Engagement Manager for Navicore Solutions. Kim provides financial education workshops and seminars to communities. Readers can submit general questions relating to personal finance, credit scoring, debt management, student loans, home finance or bankruptcy which may be highlighted in the next month's edition. All identifying information will be kept anonymous.
Please send your questions via email to email@example.com


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City of the Legion
by Brian Edward Rise
The site of Arthur's ninth battle in the Historia Brittonum. Geoffrey of Monmouth's "City of the Legions" is meant to be Caerleon in south-east Wales, and here Arthur holds court but fights no battle. In the Annales Cambriae however, Chester is the City of the Legion and likely the place referred to in the battle list.


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Please complete the below form to make an enquiry about our services. If you would like to refer yourself to our service, please complete the-self referral form.
Calls to the helpline are confidentially recorded for monitoring and training purposes.
Postal Address
The Jenkins Centre
PO Box 7675
Call us: 0116 254 0101
Physical Address
We are located in South Leicester. For our address please contact one of our advisors who will discus the best way for you to visit us.
We'd like to hear from you ...
We are committed to providing the highest level of service at all times. We recognise that from time to time there may be a need to raise a concern about an aspect of our work or you may want to give us feedback or a compliment about the support you have received through any of our services.
You can do this in person, by telephone, in writing, through another representative or through a friend, where this has been agreed.
These are the core office hours for The Jenkins Centre. Should we be unable to answer the phone due to being with a client, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Mon: 10:00 – 16:00
Tue: 10:00 – 16:00
Wed: 10:00 – 16:00
Thu: 10:00 – 16:00
Fri: 10:00 – 16:00
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed


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Ever expanding roles for operational managers
Ever expanding roles for operational managers
August 12, 2008 By Andy Bateman
Walk into the office of an operations manager, just a few years ago it
seems, and there would be a fairly predictable collection of paper
including production schedules, safety material, equipment manuals and
the like relating to everyday business.
Walk into the office of an operations manager, just a few years ago it seems, and there would be a fairly predictable collection of paper including production schedules, safety material, equipment manuals and the like relating to everyday business. With some variations, the collection was similar whether at an aggregate operation, hot mix asphalt plant, concrete plant or road building project.
Today's list is much harder to predict. In addition to the "traditional" operational items, it is just as likely that there will be a chart of oil or gas futures, the latest government submission document relating to water, a consultant's report on noise mitigation or presentation notes for an upcoming public meeting.
In essence, the combined effects of environmental, energy, social and political factors outside an operation's property boundary are increasingly influencing what happens inside it. As a result, managers often have to rapidly acquire skills and knowledge that were not previously necessary to do the job.
In this issue for example, there is a site report on a Calgary road building project whose managers find the time to integrate topics as diverse as wetlands design and the price of dyed diesel into the work day. Still in Alberta, the industry news section describes how the proponent of a new sand & gravel operation near Edmonton has encountered stiff public opposition. No doubt this response will entail significant involvement in public and political meetings, mirroring the experience of the New Brunswick proponent mentioned in our last issue. In Ontario, managers at two large quarries describe water management and noise mitigation programs as the most significant recent developments at their respective operations.
The good news is that managers across the country appear to be rapidly acquiring all the skills and knowledge necessary to fulfill their ever expanding roles, despite all the hand wringing about keeping good people in the industry. Aided by industry training programs, internal resources, suppliers and consultants, these capable men and women are meeting today's challenges and look well set to face the future as well.
Andy Bateman, Editor
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Former DAs indicted in wife-hiring scheme
A Wake County grand jury has indicted two former district attorneys in connection with a scheme to hire one of the men's wives for a no-show job.
Posted — UpdatedWallace Bradsher and Craig Blitzer were each indicted Tuesday on a misdemeanor charge of failure to discharge the duties of their office. Blitzer surrendered at the Wake County jail on Thursday and was released on a $2,000 bond. Bradsher was expected to surrender on Friday.
The State Bureau of Investigation began investigating a year ago allegations that Bradsher and Blitzer got around a state restriction on hiring a spouse by hiring each other's wives and that the women were paid for little or no work. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman was brought in to determine whether the SBI's findings warranted criminal prosecution.
Bradsher, who resigned last month as district attorney in Person and Caswell counties, hired Cindy Blitzer as a legal assistant in early 2015, while Craig Blitzer, who resigned in March as Rockingham County district attorney, hired Bradsher's wife in a similar position, according to a whistleblower lawsuit filed in February.
The former employee in Bradsher's office who filed the lawsuit said she never saw Cindy Blitzer in the office and that Blitzer was enrolled full time in nursing school at the time.
According to the application for a warrant the SBI obtained to search Cindy Blitzer's work computer, an SBI agent conducting surveillance on Cindy Blitzer saw her taking classes at a local university when she was supposed to be working.
The agent also interviewed two of Craig Blitzer's employees who said that he asked them to take online math courses for his wife and even gave them permission to do the online work during the work day.
The indictment against Bradsher alleges that he continued paying Cindy Blitzer for work she didn't perform from April 1 to Oct. 24, 2016.
The indictment against Craig Blitzer alleges that he "used the resources of the office for which he was elected for personal gain by employing Tyler Henderson ... in exchange for the continued employment of his wife, Cindy Little Blitzer." The indictment states Henderson was paid from Aug. 18, 2015, to Oct. 25, 2016, and Freeman said he handled the timesheets for people in Bradsher's office, including those for Cindy Blitzer.
"At the conclusion of the investigation, evidence would not support a finding that Pam Bradsher failed to do any work," Freeman told WRAL News. "The indictments are based on allegations that the District Attorneys allowed Mrs. Blitzer to continue on Mr Bradsher's payroll despite the fact that no work was being performed."
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Here's our pick of the best birthday party venues in Lacock with function suites, event space and private dining room hire perfect for 18th birthday parties, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th or 60th…! Choose from luxurious, affordable and low cost options, some with free function room hire.
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View some of our most popular venues here.


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I'm a long time NorCal bass angler who retired from the Bay Area Oil Industry in 2015 and bought a small horse ranch in Southeast Missouri.
While my favorite bodies of water are still the California Delta and Lake Berryessa, I'm enjoying learning the new waters of my new home area. I've fished in Missouri, Arkansas and Kentucky so far, with trips to Tennessee and Illinois in the near future.
I enjoy fishing for many species of fish, be it tournament Bass fishing or floating a Bobber for blue gill. Riding horses, camping or just walking in the woods, the outdoors is where you'll find me.


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Aaron was somewhat surprised. The acquisition room was right where Wes had said it was.
Although, he had neglected to mention that between the entrance and the door to the acquisition room was a long, undecorated stone hallway. A mess of glass orbs were unsubtly set into the walls at either side, serving well to unnerve Aaron and increase his level of caution.
He yanked out his shank and tossed it forward, watching as the orbs began shooting out the same fierce crimson beams the bust they encountered earlier had. The wooden shank was cut into ribbons, the ignited remains falling to the floor. Only this time, the orb adjacent the one firing caught the beam and let it linger in the air, effectively blocking their path. The only clue on how to shut down the beams seemed to be the large lever at the end of the hall, past the deadly maze of light.
"Shit. How in the hell are we gonna get through this?"
With her usual sweet and haughty laugh, Nariko stepped forward, "Just leave it to me, human."
Aaron circled back, allowing the raiju and her superior nimbility to handle the situation. As the snickering monster brushed his shoulder, the swordsman offered a hasty word of warning.
"Nariko, be careful! Those beams look like they could carve through ya like warm butter!"
The raiju's smirk only stretched out into a full-blown grin, "We'll see about that, won't we?"
Then, she dove headlong into the field of beams, hopping over the first few and landing in a handstand.
Peering at him from her upside-down position, she stuck out the very tip of her tongue from between her smiling lips and did yet another flip. Narrowly avoiding one beam overhead, she landed with a single foot between an intersection of at least five of them, leaning slightly to the left to avoid one right by her face.
Aaron felt like he was about to have a panic attack.
But with a few more limber flips and dives, the raiju had made it to the other side relatively unscathed.
"How was that~?" the raiju chuckled, her ears perking up as she fished for a compliment across the field of deadly beams.
Unsure of how to put it, Aaron hummed to himself before pointing to her posterior, "Urhm… don't freak out, but the tip of your tail brushed up against one at the very end there, Nariko…"
Her small nose suddenly bunching up as she caught wind of the smell of burning hair, Nariko looked down to see a small flame at the tip of her tail. Just a moment later, it began to spread, and the searing pain kicked in.
"Shitshitshitshit!" the raiju swore, swiftly beating her tail against the wall in an attempt to extinguish the flames. After beating the embers away, the raiju was left sitting on the floor, blowing away the wisps of smoke coming off her fur.
"Well… I warned ya." Aaron sighed.
Grumbling as she sat up, the raju pulled down on the lever, shutting down the trap and clearing the hallway. She stared down at the human as he strode through the hall, a small smile present on his face as he looked down at her.
"What're you smirking for?"
"Nothin' much. I just figured karma really might exist… for small stuff, at least."
"Karma? What're you talking about? What exactly have I done to deserve having my tail ignited?"
"Do you honestly expect me to believe you could flip around like that but couldn't climb up the wall yourself? Good gods, I must be a pretty big idiot to have let you sucker me into carrying you on my back." Aaron huffed.
"Hahaha~ well, a princess deserves to be pampered, doesn't she?" Nariko nervously laughed, "Even when she's not in her castle…?"
Aaron folded his arms over his chest and shook his head to both sides, "Yeah. I'll just let it go. Somehow, I don't think it was all about being pampered."
"Well, you do have a nice back~" she snickered, turning to the door. But after fiddling with knob for a few short seconds, she stepped back and began worthlessly slamming her foot against the heavy iron slab.
"Dammit all. The thing is locked!"
Aaron put a hand on her shoulder and urged her back. He reached into his pocket at the same time, removing a silver key.
"Where'd you get that?" Nariko asked, "Was it on the guard's keyring?"
"… a magic geezer gave it to me in a dream world." Aaron explained truthfully.
That elicited a hearty chuckle from Nariko, "Oh, I see."
"HEY! Stop them!"
As soon as he had unlocked the door and twisted the knob open, Aaron heard screaming and turned back around, seeing a group of sixteen or so guards gathered at the entrance to the hallway.
His body acting on its own, Aaron sprung back and flipped the lever back down, reactivating the beams of deadly crimson light. The lead guard doubled back just before the trap gutted him, catching and cutting through his hardened leather armor like it was cheap paper.
"W-what'd we do now?" a guard from the rear meekly stuttered.
With a deep growl rumbling in his throat, the vanguard spun around and and jammed a finger at the most sprightly man of the group, "Wes is the only one that can shut this damned trap off from this side! Quick, go get him!"
The sprightly guard nodded, dropping his short sword and rushing away. But Aaron, already shutting the door to the acquisition room, flashed a cocksure grin at the furious guards. He knew full well Nariko wouldn't be leaving with her collar on.
The instant they were in, Aaron glanced around the room, finding rows and columns of open cabinets. Each open box contained its own stash of confiscated goods- but namely, extra sets of women's clothing, various weapons, and what looked to be sentimental items such as rings and lockets. No doubt the belongings of the enslaved monsters.
Scanning each segment, he found them numbered both numerically and alphabetically. A-2, B-9, C-13…
"These must be all the test subjects stuff…" he figured, thinking back to how Wes referred to Nariko by a number and letter. 'R' stood for raiju, quite clearly, but where did that leave him? Watching Nariko bounce toward her own section, he turned back around.
Scanning further ahead, he at last found his things in the 'I' section, being the second and last one with label.
"Heh. Sorry to burst your bubble, Wes, but I ain't an incubus… at least, I don't think I am." Aaron sighed, stripping off his guard's armor and returning to his own clothing. First placing his niece's seashell necklace back around his neck, he swiftly whipped back on his attire. Strapping the claymore and throwing-knife bandolier back on, Aaron finally felt back in his own skin. The collar was still fastened tightly around his neck, but that would be off soon enough.
Looking to the box next to his, he found all manner of expensive items. Namely, a gilded rapier, leather travel bag, and a set of fine clothing- a puffy white shirt and violet checkered vest. Underneath was a pair of black slacks and a pair of silken socks and leather moccasins.
"These must belong to Reese… damn, he didn't strike me as the wealthy type." Aaron figured, grabbing hold of the bag and a peeking inside. He didn't want to invade the incubus's privacy, but if he possessed anything that could aid the escape attempt, Aaron was sure he'd understand.
Digging around for just a few short moments, Aaron found a clear vial filled with a thick green liquid. Taking it out, Aaron flipped the vial around and read the yellow label.
Natalie's Own Super Duper Deluxe Healing Potion: Special Limited Collector's Edition!
Tired of getting banged up? Bruised? Scratched like a cat's post? Maimed, even? Well, fret no more! With a single sip of Natalie's brews, you'll be right as rain and ready to jump back into the action in no time!
(Be sure to check our other fine products~)
Aaron raised a brow. In stark contrast to the writing scrawled in fancy, flowing cursive he could barely decipher, a crude drawing of a little witch was scribbled into the bottom right. Sticking out her tongue, the witch winked and pointed up to the wall of text above her.
While he was well used to fighting through his aches and pains, Aaron figured he'd best heal himself up. While the extravagant name on the bottle and his previous experiences with potions gave him a few reservations, he nonetheless popped the cork and took a tentative sip.
All at once, energy began welling up within Aaron's body. Unable to help himself, he chuckled excitedly and hopped up and down, the bumps and bruises he had collected in his escape attempt fading away in an instant. Even his injured hand began patching itself back together at an astonishing rate.
"Holy crap! This is some high quality stuff." Aaron marveled, looking down at the vial in his hands. He had only drank about a third of the contents, but he felt like a totally new man, "This must've cost a fortunate. Reese is probably going to pissed I drank it without permission…"
Deciding it was well worth the incubus's fury, Aaron tucked the potion away and closed the bag. Reese would just have to come up and get the rest of his things with the monsters.
"Yoohoo~ Aaron, look what I found…"
Hearing Nariko's sing-song voice from around the corner, Aaron turned to find her spinning a keyring around her finger. Tossing it into the air, she snatched it up with the opposite hand. Wasting no more time, she jammed it into her collar and eagerly twisted.
With a massive puff of steam, her collar snapped off with a loud metallic click and clattered against the stone floor. But what lie underneath wasn't soft, creamy skin like the rest of her body- instead, an ugly red burn encompassed her entire neck. Running her fingers across her scarred flesh, she had a look of what Aaron could only describe as ecstasy on her face.
"It's been… so long…" the raiju chuckled, lightning dancing around her body. She ran her delicate fingers all around her neck, but eventually, snaked one hand down between the valley of her breasts, traced down her stomach and navel, and slipped into her underwear.
Aaron seized her wrist, "There's not time for that, Nariko! People's lives are on the line here!"
There was a tense moment of silence, the remaining sparks popping around Nariko tingling Aaron's skin and causing his bodily hair to stand on end. Still, he stared through the field of blue electricity and right into the eyes of the raiju.
The look she was giving him, put Aaron on edge to say the least. She wore a small frown, and her eyes seemed glossy and and distant.
But then, with just a moment to catch it, Aaron saw her flash a mad grin.
Nariko placed her hand against Aaron's chest, shoving him against the wall and keeping him pinned there. Unable to fight against her superior strength, the human was left squirming under her grip without recourse.
"Nariko, what do you think you're-"
The raiju quickly shut the human up by jamming her fingers into his mouth… the same she had used to finger herself just a moment earlier. She wrestled his tongue down and kept it pressed against the bottom of his mouth. With no other choice, Aaron was forced to suckle away at her wet fingers.
"I know…" she purred as she popped her cleaned digits out from his lips, "I'll take care of it later…"
Coughing and wiping the fluid from around his lips, Aaron stared daggers at the raiju, "D-don't do that kinda shit, Nariko… good grief."
"…sorry." the raiju softly whispered, letting her hand off of the human's chest. Stumbling forward, Aaron caught himself just before he tipped over. However, the momentum caused a small bag in his pocket to fall out and hit the floor.
"Ah, crap. Forgot I even had these…" Aaron muttered, picking the small bag of cookies and opening them up.
"What are those?"
"Oh, these? Heh… well, now I feel kinda silly. Some kid was selling these cookies in this rest stop a week or two back… and… well… my niece always loved cookies. I can't really say why I bought 'em. I don't even like sweet stuff like pastries and candies."
"Hehehe. Really? I've never had any sweets before."
"What? How come? I just enjoy spicy food and meat over sweet stuff. Is there a reason you never even tried them?"
"My aunt… she… she just never bought them for me. Ever." the raiju mumbled, her ears folding down.
"Shit… well, you have to at least try it once. I think everyone deserves at least that much."
The downcast raiju immediately perked up, "C-can I really try one?"
Aaron held the bag forward, plucking out a cookie and putting it in the monster's hand, "I mean… ya could. They're a bit stale, but go ahead."
Gingerly placing the treat up to her lips, the raiju squared herself and took a tentative nibble.
Her eyes shot open. Her tail began wagging out of control. Her clenched eyes shot open, and her fuzzy ears stood rigid.
"Sooooo good~" she mumbled, unable to hold back the happy sparks bursting from her body. Stuffing the rest of the stale cookie into her mouth, the raiju swung her hips to both sides with the beat of her tail and quickly ate it up.
"Heh. Well, if you think that stale crap is delicious, I'll treat you to all the sweets you can eat after we get out of here."
The raiju nearly choked on the cookie as she swallowed, "R-really?"
Aaron snickered at her aghast, crumb-covered face, "Really. Payback for helping me, right? Now, let's get outta here."
Staring vigilantly at the door across the field of red beams, the leading guard kept both sharp eyes locked firmly on the knob.
Coming up from behind, one of his subordinates urged him, "Sir, please! T-this is ridiculous! Let's just run away while we still can!"
"This might be just a dayjob to you, but my family has served Otha's for the past four decades! It's a matter of pride!"
"Good gods, are you really willing to let us all die in some pointless battle you know we can't win?! That's not pride, sir, it's stupidity!"
"Stupidity?! Let me tell you something, you sniveling little-"
The argument was abruptly halted when the sound of metal grinding against stone reverberated in the air.
Stepping out, Aaron and Nariko strode forward and halted before the other end of the trap. While it was just a few short moment, there was a tense silence and palpable tension for what seemed to be hours hanging in the air with the beams.
Hardening his grimace even further, Aaron called out to the head guard, "You can still run away, you know. I'm not going to stop you. But my friend here… well, she just got her collar off, so she's a bit… wily. "
Sticking out her tongue, Nariko let an azure aura of cracking thunder surround her. Playfully lifting up her hands like they were paws, she scratched at the air, "Rawr~"
"N-never! We won't back down to some animal fucker and his bitch!" the guard spat, spittle flying from between his previously grit teeth.
Without saying a word, Aaron reached over and flipped the lever, shutting off the field of beams between them. The lead guard pulled out that little button that activated the shock collars, aiming it right at Aaron.
But Nariko was quicker on the draw. Throwing her hand forward, a small bolt of blue thunder zipped towards the device and blew it right out of the guard's hand.
"Argh! Sunnuva bitch!" the lead guard hollered, doubling back and grasping at his fried palm and burned fingers with the opposite hand. Undeterred, the remainder of the enemy rushed forward.
"She may be a monster, but there's only one of her! She can't take us all on at once!" cried the new vanguard of the group, brandishing the tip of his pike at her.
The raiju craned her neck back and forth, popping her stiff bones, "Au contraire…"
As the fifteen-man team of guards rushed forward, Nariko planted both feet firmly into the ground and reared back her arm, gathering a crackling ball of electricity. Lobbing it forward when the guards were but a few feet away, it hit the leading man's spear and went to work from there.
Crackling apart, several arcing bolts rushed around the guards, each one homing in on another man's metal weapon and delivering a fierce zapping. Squinting at the sudden burst of light, Aaron watched as each and every man before them collapsed in a smoking heap.
At the end of the attack, only a single guard was left. He was a skinny teen, quaking in his oversized leather armor. He held a cypress stick to his chest, the weak wooden weapon having been his saviour.
With a heavy sigh, Aaron stepped around the groaning men at his feet and right up to the terrified boy. Leaning over a few inches to meet the foe eye-to-eye, Aaron put on the meanest face he could muster.
"Get lost." the swordsman snarled.
The teen was darting around the corner before his cypress stick had even hit the ground.
For the rearmed Aaron and unrestrained Nariko, it wasn't too difficult to get back to the basement. With both the guard's wills and organization broken, every straggler that dared face them was easily subdued by a quick bolt of lighting courtesy of the raiju.
Aaron and Nariko were just about to head back down to the first floor when a tall, muscular man darted into their path, lugging a massive hammer on his shoulders. Rearing his weapon forward, he clenched his square jaw and stared them down.
"Y-you think I'm scared of you, you stupid cunt?! I'll pound your fucking face in until you-"
Nariko threw her hand forward, blasting him with thunder before he could finish spitting out his threat. Flying backwards, the guard crashed into the floor and let the hammer fly from his grasp.
Sauntering over to his twitching body, Nariko placed her foot against the man's temple and slowly began applying pressure. With her otherworldly strength returned to her, it only took a moment for the stunned guard began feeling the crushing pressure on his skull.
"What was that again?" Nariko snickered, grinding her heel into his temple.
Flinching at the sight, Aaron lunged forward and pulled the blue weasel off the beaten man, "That's enough, Nariko. He's not a threat anymore."
"Ugh. Fine, whatever." Nariko sighed, breaking away from him and stomping forward, "Why do you even carry around that huge sword if you're too scared to take someone's life?"
Aaron flinched at the question, "I… I'm not! There's just no need to kill someone if they're not a threat, is there?"
Humming, Nariko hopped over the large guard's twitching body and continued down the hallway, "Have you killed anyone before?"
Stunned by the question, Aaron dumbly followed behind her and stuttered out a response, "Y-yeah.Twenty-one, to be exact. Fifteen humans and six monsters… and that's just who I killed myself, not the ones that died because of my stupid mistakes."
"Damn. Well, you've got me beat. So far, I've only killed one person."
"…and who might that've been?"
Nariko snickered at the morbid question, "Try not to judge me for this, but it was my aunt."
"The one who wouldn't give you candy?"
"Hah! That was the least of what she did. Trust me, I'm not proud of it, but she deserved it."
"Deserved it, huh…?" Aaron murmured, thinking back to his numerous battles, and sorely wishing he could confidently say the same for more of those who fell at his blade.
Rounding a corner, the staircase leading to the bottom floor came into sight. As the two fell into a tense silence, the echoing of soft footfalls soon reached Nariko's ears. Spinning around, Aaron followed suite and both saw a posse of maids dashing at them.
Each of the maids carried some form of concealable weapon, and were fast approaching. Seeing their dull eyes locked on him, the swordsman's blood ran cold.
"Fuck! We were so close!" Aaron swore.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this…" Nariko growled, stepping forward and charging two orbs of azure thunder in her hands.
"A-are you sure you can take them all?"
At the last second, Nariko shifted the trajectory of her attack and shot it at a ninety-degree angle. Breaking through the ceiling, the structural integrity was blasted apart by the raiju's electricity. In the blink of an eye, stone, plaster and wood began raining down, creating a massive pile of debris between she and the maids.
Covering up his face and eyes, Aaron ducked back as a wave of dust came crashing into him. Hacking and coughing into his shirt, the swordsman stumbled back and nearly tripped down the stairs.
"…there. That oughta buy us some time." the raiju sighed, brushing past Aaron as she made her way down the steps.
"A-a little warning next time?" Aaron coughed, quickly stumbling after her.
When they reached the first floor, they wasted no time in dashing back to the basement. Navigating the dimly lit maze, they came to Wes's laboratory and nearly knocked the door off the hinges in their haste.
"Alright, now let's…" Aaron, began, stepping into the room. But when he shifted his focus from Nariko over to the crystal, he felt like vomiting up the gruel his captors had served him for lunch.
Standing in the middle of the lab was a freed Wes, a sour frown wrinkling his handsome face. Over his eyes were a pair of bulky bronze goggles, mixing Aaron's feelings of frustration and anger with confusion.
"How did you-"
"Get free? One of my men helped me out of my little predicament, fortunately." Wes snapped, no doubt glaring at Aaron from under those awkward goggles.
Realizing he had been left alone with Valerie and Kiera, he quickly looked over the mage's shoulders and back at them.
"Wes, you little shit, if you so much as laid a finger on them, I'll-"
"Oh, don't worry. I haven't hurt them- I want them in perfect shape for their examination. You on the other hand? Well, as a man of science, it pains me to say this, but…"
Wes reached into his pocket, pulling out what looked to be the handle of a sword. Flipping a switch at its side, a straight blade of the same bronze color emerged, far too long to have been able to fit in the handle.
"I'm afraid I'll have to deal quite a bit of pain before your examination… don't hate me if you lose a limb or two."
Sticking his magic sword into the ground, Wes traced a few symbols into the air, muttering incantations all the while. In the final moment, he aimed both hands at the floor, where a thick white mist surged up. It quickly began spreading across the room, and in just a few short moments, Aaron and Nariko found the mist reaching up to their chests.
"What the hell?!" Aaron gasped, finding the mist rising ever higher. In no time flat, the thick gas had risen up to his chin. Nariko, being shorter than him, only had her ears sticking up from the mist as she covered her mouth and nose.
"Now, allow me to show you my innate superiority!" Wes bragged, the lens on his goggles extending outward and glowing with a bright emerald sheen. With a final surge, the white mist had completely covered the entire lab.
"Nariko! Can… can you see me?" Aaron asked, thankfully finding the gas breathable. However, it was so thick he was unable to see even a few inches in front of him.
He felt the raiju's soft fingers curl around his shoulder, "Don't worry. I'm right here."
"What's the matter? Can't see me? Well, that's not the case for me! These goggles are a marvelous invention of my own craft that allow me to see the souls of those around me for miles and miles, even through thick walls of steel! I call them… the Soulwatchers! It's with these I tracked you down in the first place, Axenus, and now I shall use them to send you to your grave!"
Aaron turned towards the sound of the voice. And, if Wes wasn't threatening to kill them, he might've burst out laughing. The green lens of his goggles shone like a beacon through his dense smokescreen, giving away his position.
"Now, face my-"
Nariko lobbed a blue orb of condensed thunder at the two glowing circles. Zipping through the fog, it hit Wes right between the eyes and sent him collapsing to the floor, writhing and twitching.
With its caster incapacitated, the fog spell shrouding the lab quickly dispelled. Aaron and Nariko approached the short man's twitching body.
"H-how did you see me…?" Wes gasped, reaching out in vain for his sword, which Nariko gleefully kicked away.
Picking up the odd device Wes had used to record himself, Aaron stomped over to the stunned mage and lifted it above his head.
"Just go back to sleep, ya fuckin' nerd." Aaron sighed, dropping the Imagecatcher atop its creator's head, sending him reeling back into unconsciousness. Bouncing off his noggin, the device hit the ground and shattered into pieces.
With a heavy grunt, Aaron turned towards the electric crystal, their path clear of any obstacles…
"So are these your girlfriends?"
Aaron seized up as he swiveled over to the operating tables where Valerie and Kiera were still tied down. Nariko loomed over both of them, gleefully pinching both their cheeks and stretching them back and forth.
"They're both real cuties~" the raiju snickered.
"T-they're my friends, yes." Aaron grumbled indignantly, "But I've got a bit too much on my plate to be looking for romance right now."
"Oh? But you've fucked them, haven't you?"
"W-well, they kinda both threw themselves at me. And I don't have anything against casual sex, so… ya know, it just kinda happened…"
"That right…?" the raiju hummed, waltzing away from the other two monsters and over to the electric crystal, "Interesting."
The raiju came a stop right before the crystal. She seemed to marvel at the thing for a brief few moments, and Aaron couldn't rightly blame her. Even from his good distance away, he could still feel the sheer energy of the thing tingle his skin and make his hair stand on end. For a bioelectric being like Nariko, it must've been like putting a barrel full of beer before an alcoholic.
But she had enough ogling. It was time to feast.
She threw both hands forward, easily smashing through the glass casing and grabbing hold of the yellow crystal, taking its power for herself. Aaron was forced to shield his eyes as the power flowing into Nariko spilled out, giving her a blinding golden aura.
"Yeeeesssssss~!" she cried, sparks shooting out from around her body. The fierce light and aura began to grow all the more intense, seeming to shake the whole lab in the process.
Just as the glow basked the room in white light, it changed. Dying down, the golden crackling thunder shifted into an intense, deep azure. Having all of its mana drained, the crystal faded into a dull gray and crumbled into dust.
Aaron lifted his hands away from his eyes, gasping at what he saw. The raiju's intense electric aura overflowed around her body, bathing her in azure and white light. Barely able to make out her form in the blinding flash, Aaron felt like he was staring right at a war goddess straight from the heavens. He was so stunned, he hardly noticed the collar around his neck click open and fall to the floor.
"Hehehe… I won't be able to hold all of this for very long." Nariko giggled, her voice echoing throughout the lab, "What to do with it…?"
Then, in another flash, she was gone.
"W-what the hell?" Aaron gasped, seeing nothing but a scorch mark where she used to be, "D-did she explode?"
But spotting a set of black footprints burnt into the ground, Aaron snarled and took off after her. Wherever she was going, he had a sinking feeling he wasn't going to like whatever she was doing there.
Reese wasn't exactly certain on how much Sefu's axe weighed, but was damned sure it was more than enough to cleave through him like a butcher's knife through a side of beef.
The giant Terrian man threw it around like it was crafted from leaves and sticks, however. Every time the incubus dodged, he was unable to make a thrust strong enough to pierce Sefu's thick armor.
"Shit!" Reese swore, pulling back his estoc as he made a thrust a bit too bold. Leaning back, he just barely managed to dodge the next axe-swing.
"Is dodging all you can do?!" Sefu roared, throwing a fist at Reese. Still reeling, the fist sunk right into the cheek of the incubus, sending him flying onto his back.
Although his vision was still swimming from the powerful punch, Reese managed to flip back to his feet. Stumbling back into a fighting stance, he struggled to keep the tip of his estoc trained on Sefu's chest.
"Ha! You have gumption, incubus. I like it." Sefu laughed, threateningly brandishing his axe in return.
On the next attack, Reese hardly saw Sefu's armored shoulder coming. Sent crashing onto the floor from the fierce charge, he went sliding on his back until he came grinding to a halt.
As the incubus was left groaning on the cold stone, a sudden clicking shattered the despair gripping his heart. Peering down, he grasped at his naked neck and began laughing like a madman.
"Holy crap, kid! You actually did it!" the incubus cried, flipping to his feet and kicking away the collar that had previously ensnared him.
Across from him, Sefu's eyes went wide. Lifting his axe back into the air, he braced himself and bore his teeth at the incubus, "Don't get cocky! I won't go down easily."
"We'll see about that, big fella." Reese chuckled, settling back into a fighting stance.
Then, with a quick burst, it was over. Dashing forward faster than Sefu could track, Reese ended up behind the hulking man, his estoc's blade soaked in blood.
"U-urgh… no…" Sefu groaned, collapsing to his knees. As his axe clattered against the cold stone, the wounds all along his chest and face began spurting blood like a whole bunch of macabre geysers. With one last gasp for breath, the Terrian crumbled to the ground.
"Phew. This feels real nice." Reese chuckled. Rubbing his naked neck, he rolled it around his shoulder and popped his stiff bones, "Aaron… you did a good job, kid."
Fuming. That was the only word to describe Otha at the moment.
Sitting in her quarters, her rotund face was lit up like a furnace, and she looked just about ready to spew steam from her ears at any given moment. She shifted uncomfortably around her cushy red chair, as if finding a more cushy spot would relieve her worries.
"Unbelievable…" she spat, grinding her long, painted nails into the arms of the seat. She sat towards a grand window, nearly taking up that entire side of the room, and stared down at her garden below. The sight of the gorgeous array of exotic plants, leaves still shimmering with dew in the light of the setting sun, did very little to ease her foul mood.
At each of her sides, a maid stood diligent and ready to spring into action. Each vacant girl stared at the set of double doors leading into the quarters, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
"Madam, would you like me to bring you something to drink?"
The mistress of the manor grumbled, looking over her shoulder to find a kikimora standing dutifully and eager to serve. But still, that ingeniune smile was present on her face.
While Otha usually delighted in seeing the beast squirm and feign loyalty out of obligation, with the current pressures weighing on her mind, that false smile set her off.
"What I want is for my servants to pull themselves together and kill the maniac running around my home!" the fat woman squealed.
The kikimora only lightly nodded, her false smile turning smug, "Well… to be fair, Madam, you were the one that let Master Wes bring him in…"
A vein in Otha's forehead vein to throb. The kikimora wasn't just putting sweet lies atop her forced servitude, she was quietly mocking her.
"What? Do you actually think that dimwit and crazed whore can free you?" Otha snarled, wiggling out of her seat and waddling over to the kikimora. Pulling out that tiny button, she aimed it right at the monster and zapped her.
The kikimora cried out in pain, dropping to her knees as her body involuntarily jittered. Stomping to her slouched form, Otha lifted up one of her hands and slapped the kikimora's cheeks until they were bruised and red.
"Don't… you dare… UNDERESTIMATE ME!" Otha roared between gasps for breath, even the menial exercise of swinging her arm back and forth leaving her sweaty and winded, "You'd… you'd best throw away that ridiculous dream… of seeing that little brat again…"
The kikimora lifted her head up to say something, but a golden opportunity suddenly presented itself.
It all happened at once. The lantern-like relics keeping the room perfectly lit flickered off. The vents in the ceiling keeping the room nice and chilled shut off. And, most importantly, the collar snapped around the kikimora's neck snapped off and fell to the floor.
Flabbergasted, Otha didn't even have time to process what was happening before the kiki sprung forward. Snapping the fat woman's wrist, the monster twisted her around before pulling out a hidden kitchen knife and pressing it against the fatty lump of her neck.
"H-how dare… how dare you?!" Otha screamed, her face twisted up in agony. However, the cold, pointed metal pressed up against her was a sufficient method of keeping her from squirming about, "I… I am your master, you stupid animal!"
The maids, pulling out knives of their own, were far too late on the reaction.
"Tell them to stand down." the kikimora hissed into Otha's ear, pressing her weapon further into the fat woman's neck.
Otha could only sputter out nonsense as she felt the tip of the knife break through her oily skin, drawing a small trail of blood that dripped down to her garish purple dress. Her two brainwashed servants held their weapons defensively, but made no advances.
"Call them off. Now." the kikimora repeated, pressing the knife ever closer.
Just as Otha's trembling lips opened, a thundering boom rocked the entire room. While stunned and thrown off balance, the kiki maintained her footing and looked back to the collapsed double doors behind her.
"That won't be necessary."
Through the cloud of kicked up dust and debris, a raiju clad in a ferocious aura of thunder stepped forward. Seeing a clear target, Otha's two maids switched their focus and rushed an Nariko.
The snickering raiju simply lifted up a peace sign, firing out two arcing bolts of thunder from each finger. Flying forward, they hit the maids and zapped them into submission in the blink of an eye.
As the two maids collapsed, Nariko focused her attention on the kikimora and Otha.
"…thank you. Your name is Nariko, isn't it? Did you absorb all the power of the electric crystal?" asked the kikimora, keeping her knife up to Otha's throat.
"Yes and yes." the raiju replied with a wide grin. As she stepped forward, she stared down at her clenched fist, seemingly still awed by her own power, " And I can't hold it all for much longer. Now, what should I do with it~?"
Slowly lifting her knife away from Otha's throat, the kikimora kicked the fat woman to her belly and turned away.
"I'll leave you to it, then." the maid monster sighed, walking past the raiju, "Revenge is a bitter thing, and you've more a right to it than I. Don't worry. I'll head down to the basement and help organize everyone's escape."
"Have fun~" the raiju chortled, waving the other monster off as she stomped forward. All the while, the monster's yellowish-green eyes locked on Otha's jittering form, slumped over on the carpet and gasping in pain.
"N-no… please, I'm sorry…"
"Hey, Otha… how long have you kept me imprisoned here, again? It's been four years, hasn't it?"
Otha slowly crawled in the other direction, gripping her broken wrist and sobbing like a child.
"Ugly inside and out to the bitter end, aren't you?"
Otha didn't answer. Sniffling and sucking in breath, she picked up her pace, having no destination but away from the raiju. With the power of an electric crystal coursing through her body, the raiju zipped in front of Otha faster than she could track.
With a sadistic snicker, the raiju bore down on her former captor, "Let's get this party started, shall we?"
Through the hallway. Up the stairs. All the way up to the third floor. Nariko must've moved with all the speed of a lightning bolt, as each track seemed as fresh as the last. Still, the smoking markers served as a fine guide for Aaron as he made his way through the twisting halls of Otha's mansion.
Sprinting past the traps set off too late for the speeding raiju, Aaron eventually made his way to the third floor and collapsed set of double doors.
There, he found Nariko, her foot planted firmly against Otha's head. The weasel's lighting-clad body transferred a mere minuscule fraction of it's overflowing power down to the fat woman below, and Aaron was so stunned he could do nothing but stare and listen to Otha's agonized squeals.
"Does it hurt?" the weasel snapped, grinding her foot down and upping the voltage.
"P-please! Please, stop!" Otha begged, tears streaming down her puffy cheeks.
"Oh, that's rich! Do you know how many times has someone asked you that? What about my friend? What about Shanta?! It didn't matter how many times she begged you to let her free, you pushed her until she took her own life!"
"I'm sorry…! I'm sorry…!"
"Are you really?" Nariko snarled, stepping off the slaver and backing up. Sticking out her hand, fierce lightning crackled across her fingers. Her body couldn't contain the crystal's power any longer. The azure aura swirling around her gathered all into her palm, forming a massive azure orb.
Aaron's heart began thumping out of control. That wouldn't just have reduced Otha to ashes, it would've blown half the manor into smithereens.
"Nariko, don't!" he desperately cried, springing towards her. But he was far too late.
The incredible bolt of thunder shot through the window, blowing it wide open and sending shards of melted glass raining into the garden below. Twisting and flying ever forward like an azure dragon, the bolt eventually coiled before the setting sun before imploding into a blinding flash.
Aaron was nearly blinded by the incredible azure burst, white still flashing in his vision as it subsided. All that was left was a shower of blue sparks, gently raining down on the gardens below, and no doubt birthing several fires.
"W-what…?" Aaron gasped, confused at to what just happened. His eyes readjusting, he saw that Nariko had shifted her aim at the last second.
"This ugly hog isn't worth it." Nariko sighed, kicking her over to Aaron's feet, "I've taught her a lesson. What comes next is up to you, sweetie. Like you said… she isn't a threat anymore."
And with that, she flipped her hair over her shoulders and left the room. Still flabbergasted, Aaron was left staring down and the sniveling Otha, her wrist bent out of shape and her skin and dress singed.
"W-what? Do you want to kill me yourself?" she sniffled.
The vivid and disturbing memories of all those monsters looked in cages came to his mind. The memory of her smug face laughing like mad as she humiliated the kikimora she had enslaved. Yet still, as his fingers wrapped around the handle of his claymore, he couldn't find the resolve to pull it out.
"No. You heard Nariko. You're not a threat, and you're not worth it." Aaron spat down at her.
"Y-you've killed a score of men before me, Axenus! What's stopping you now?!"
"I realized something when I fought a friend of mine- I'm going to have to either keep slaughtering whoever stands in my way or show my enemies mercy. And there's no way I'm going to kill my friend. So yes, Otha, I think you're a rotten piece of shit who deserves nothing but a beheading… but that blood won't be on my blade."
The fat woman almost sounded like she was hyperventilating, going utterly red in the face, "You… you… you putrid, arrogant little prick! I'll make you pay for this! I'll take all the suffering you've put me through and return it to you a hundredfold!"
"Good luck with that." Aaron snarled, turning his back to her, "I'm sure the Legion will have some choice words with you before that, though."
"Don't… don't you walk away from me! AXENUS!"
Aaron tuned out the woman's incoherent ramblings as he left. He had more pressing matters to attend to.
"Are you joking, boy?"
Aaron glared into the darkness ahead of him as the Dark Knight stomped out, the carved glare of his faceplate matching quite well with his furious tone.
"A man on a quest for vengeance refusing to kill? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of! What will you do if by some miracle you actually reach Lucero? Will you hug him until he repents?"
"No. The only one I intend to kill is Lucero. Everyone else… I'll offer them mercy if I can afford it."
"Bullshit. You coward… you unbelievable idiot… you're putting yourself… everyone you hold close, and the memories of your brother and niece at risk! All for what? Just so you don't have to end up killing your friend?"
The swordsman didn't answer. Instead, he continued down the hallway. Vanishing and reappearing before Aaron, the Black Knight glared down at him with his glowering purple eyes.
"Aaron, you'd better listen! I won't accept this foolishness!"
Somewhere in the back of Aaron's mind, he realized that it was the first time the Black Knight called him by name. But he was so enraged that it didn't click with him. Stomping ahead, Aaron swung out his arm, only to find it pass right through the enigmatic figure.
"Hmm. So you're just an illusion, huh? Figured as much." Aaron scoffed. He could see no reaction, but he'd like to have imagined whatever face that was hiding behind the helmet twisting up at just how brazen he was behaving.
Retreating further down the hallway, the Black Knight's illusion was left staring at the young man's back.
"You fool… letting your head be filled with such naive sentiments… I suppose you'll have to be reminded just how cruel the world can be the hard way."
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In this series of videos, our chefs are sharing some of the classic French techniques we teach to more than 20,000 students on our programmes around the world each year. In the video below we show you how to prepare a mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise is referred to as cold emulsion and can be used to season or accompany a cold dish. Historically a mayonnaise is simply egg yolks, oil and vinegar, although in modern times mustard is often added.
Chef's tips: Gradually adding a little water may help to stabilise the emulsion
By adding other ingredients, mayonnaise can easily be transformed into derivative sauces such as rémoulade, tartare, cocktail or Andalouse just to name a few.
To make tartare sauce stir through chopped gherkins, onions, capers and parsley.
Make sure the oil is fully emulsified with the egg yolk before pouring in the next batch of oil. This will ensure the mayonnaise does not split. Start by adding small drops, and once you have a stable emulsion, you can add larger quantities.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15
All ingredients should be at room temperature before you begin.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites and add the yolks to a deep mixing bowl
Add white wine vinegar. Season with a pinch of Cayenne pepper and salt.
Add the oil drop by drop at the beginning, then in a thin, steady stream, continuously whisking until thick and light in colour.
Copyright © 2024 Le Cordon Bleu International B.V. All Rights Reserved.


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How big are they?
The light bulb letters are all 5ft tall (1.5m) with a maximum width of 110cm, and 17cm deep (or 60cm deep to include the Perspex feet to stabilise them).
What words can I spell with the letters?
You can hire individual letters for £75 each, meaning you can spell just about anything. We also hire numbers at the same price.
The words 'LOVE' and 'MR & MRS' are available as a package, as are wedding initials (e.g. A&C), and can be purchased on the booking page.
Are they safe/do the light bulbs get hot?
Yes they are very safe! We use cabochon lighting which does not heat up like normal lightbulbs, so our lighted metal signs and illuminated numbers are completely safe. They're individually wired and fully PAT tested for your safety.
I want to put the light up signs outside – is this possible?
Yes! Our prop hire products function outside, as long as they are placed undercover and kept dry at all times. They cannot be left outside in wet weather under any circumstances.
Do you deliver the letters?
Yes, we offer a fully inclusive delivery and installation service, and we collect them after your event, so you don't have to do a thing!
Where do you hire to?
We deliver our products anywhere within Great Britain. Unfortunately we can't ship overseas. Please note that delivery and collection charges will vary depending on travel distance from our premises in Hertfordshire.
How long can I hire the letters and numbers for?
We usually deliver the marquee light bulb letters to your venue on the morning of your event and collect them from your venue the day after. Sometimes we may need to deliver them to your venue the day before the event to ensure that you get them on time. Please note there may be a supplementary charge for night-time collections, but this may vary depending on location and time of year.
If you need the giant letters/numbers for a longer period of time, please request this when booking (charge incurred).
Do I need to pay a deposit?
Yes, due to the popularity of the fairground style lights, we do require a booking deposit to secure them for your date. We ask for a 25% non-refundable deposit to be paid when you book your metal letter lights with us. Unlike other companies, we DO NOT ask for a security deposit.
What do I need to be aware of on the day when using the lights?
Each letter bulb light is individually wired and comes with a 2m power cable. We also supply a 3m 4 point extension lead to power each letter from one socket.
What are they made from?
The giant, freestanding letters and numbers are hand-crafted in the UK from aluminium, so they are light to move should you wish to use them in different locations during your event.
Are the letters heavy?
No, they're surprisingly light and can be easily moved around your venue.
Where should I place the letters?
The light bulb letters are designed to be placed against a wall or backdrop. This is for the safety of your guests – also, the reverse side of the lights doesn't look as pretty as the front!
Are your letters PAT tested and insured?
Yes. All of our letters are fully PAT tested and Wedding Letter Hire are also fully insured. We are happy to send copies of our documentation to your venue if required.
How long have you been trading?
We are an award winning, professionally run company and have been supplying illuminated letters since 2014.
Can you offer coloured bulbs?
Absolutely! We can match pretty much any colour theme – just let us know at the time of booking. Please note a £50 supplement will be added to booking for coloured bulbs (based on wedding initials or LOVE letters – this amount may be higher for longer words).
As it's my big day, and I want everything to run smoothly, how will I know my props will turn up?
As mentioned before, we are an award winning, professionally run company, trading since 2014, offering a fully insured product. We always provide you with a full legally-binding contract which protects you.
For more information about light bulb letters or a light bulb number signs, contact us today!
Do your prices include VAT?
No, all the prices on the website are shown exclusive of VAT which is payable at the current standard rate of 20%.
How do I pay?
Simply fill in a Booking Form (no payment is taken at this stage). Once you have made your selection, your booking request will go through to our light up letter hire team who will check availability and confirm your exact charge. We kindly request a 25% deposit via bank transfer at the time of booking, with the remaining balance payable six weeks before the event.


text: Dexter is a TV show that centers around Dexter Morgan, a regular, boring forensic scientist by day, and murderer by night. But he follows a special Code. Dexter only kills murderers who escaped the criminal justice system. When Dexter watches the verdict of Casey Anthony, he knows who his next target will be.


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April 4, 2015
- Read the April issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
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ITHACA, New York — The University of Iowa rowing team concluded action at the Cayuga Inlet with a 1V8+ race against No. 6-ranked Yale and Cornell in Ithaca, New York, Saturday morning.
The Hawkeyes' top V8+ crew battled through inclement weather and debris on the 2,000-meter course to finish third overall with a time of 6:11.40, behind historically strong Ivy League crews. Yale crossed the finish line first with a time of 5:55.60, followed by runner-up Cornell which clocked a time of 6:03.20.
The remainder of the regatta schedule was cancelled following the event due to unsafe rowing conditions.
"Our crew experienced some significant difficulties with debris and other obstacles on the course and found themselves third of the three crews," head coach Andrew Carter said. "If circumstances were different, I think our crew would have been able to row the race they had planned.
"In all, I think the challenges faced on this trip were handled really well by our team. They kept focused and on task while keeping the flexibility necessary to adapt to the ever-changing scenarios."
The Hawkeyes continue the regular season against tough Indiana, Michigan, and Michigan State crews in Big Ten Double Dual action on April 11 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Two of the three teams qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2014, with Michigan and Indiana earning eighth and 11th national finishes, respectively.
Line Up
1. Nina Hendriks
2. Zoe Ribar
3. Morgan Grastorf
4. Lauren Subler
5. Jessica Streur
6. Cristy Hartman
7. Hannah Hawks
8. Beth Baustian
C. Katie Brown