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'And what about Dustfinger?' Elinor's voice sounded hoarse too.
'He was still where he'd fallen on the rug, sitting there as if paralysed, not making a sound. I didn't stop to think about Dustfinger. If you open a basket and see two snakes and a lizard crawl out, you're going to deal with the snakes first, right?'
'What about my mother?' Meggie could only whisper. She wasn't used to saying that word.
Mo looked at her. 'I couldn't see her anywhere. You were still kneeling among your books, staring wide-eyed at the strange men standing there with their heavy boots and their weapons. I was terrified for you, but to my relief both Basta and Capricorn ignored you. "That's enough talk," Capricorn said finally, as I became more and more entangled in my own words. "Never mind how we arrived in this miserable place, just send us back at once, you accursed magician, or Basta here will cut the talkative tongue out of your mouth." Which didn't sound exactly reassuring, and I'd read enough about those two in the first chapters of the book to know that Capricorn meant what he said. I was wondering so desperately how to end the nightmare that I felt quite dizzy. I picked up the book. Perhaps if I read the same passage again, I thought … I tried. I stumbled over the words while Capricorn glared at me and Basta drew the knife from his belt. Nothing happened. The two of them just stood there in my house, showing no sign of going back into their story. And suddenly I knew for certain that they meant to kill us. I put down the fatal book and picked up the sword I'd dropped on the rug. Basta tried to get to it before me, but I moved faster. I had to hold the wretched thing with both hands; I still remember how cold the hilt felt. Don't ask me how I did it, but I managed to drive Basta and Capricorn out into the passage. There were several breakages because I was brandishing the sword so clumsily. You began to cry, and I wanted to turn round and tell you it was all just a bad dream, but I was fully occupied keeping Basta's knife away from me with Capricorn's sword. So it's happened, I kept thinking, you're in the middle of a story exactly as you've always wanted, and it's horrible. Fear tastes quite different when you're not just reading about it, Meggie, and playing hero wasn't half as much fun as I'd expected. The two of them would certainly have killed me if they hadn't still been rather weak at the knees. Capricorn cursed me, his eyes almost bursting out of his head with fury. Basta swore and threatened, giving me a nasty cut on my upper arm, but then, suddenly, the front door was thrown open and they both disappeared into the night, still reeling like drunks. My hands were trembling so much I could scarcely manage to bolt the door. I leaned against it and listened for sounds outside, but all I heard was my own racing heart. Then I heard you crying in the living room, and remembered that there had been a third man. I staggered back, still holding the sword, and there stood Dustfinger in the middle of the room. He had no weapon, just the marten sitting on his shoulders. He flinched, face white as a sheet, when I came towards him. I must have been a terrible sight with the blood running down my arm, and I was shaking all over, whether from fear or anger I couldn't have said. "Please," he kept whispering, "don't kill me! I'm nothing to do with those two. I'm only a juggler, just a harmless fire-eater. I can show you." And I said, "Yes, yes, all right, I know who you are, you're Dustfinger – I even know your name, you see." At which he cowered in awe before me – a magician, he thought, who seemed to know all about him and who had plucked him out of his world as easily as picking an apple off a tree. The marten scampered along his arm, jumped down on the carpet and ran towards you. You stopped crying and put out your hand. "Careful, he bites," said Dustfinger, shooing him away from you. I took no notice. I suddenly realised how quiet the room was, that was all. How quiet and how empty. I saw the book lying open on the carpet where I had dropped it, and I saw the cushion where your mother had been sitting. And she wasn't there. Where was she? I called her name again and again, I ran from room to room. But she had gone.'
Elinor was sitting bolt upright, staring at him in horror. 'For heaven's sake, Mortimer, what are you saying?' she cried. 'You told me she went away on some stupid adventure holiday and never came back!'
Mo leaned his head against the wall. 'I had to think up something, Elinor,' he said. 'I mean, I could hardly tell the truth, could I?'
Meggie stroked his arm where his shirt hid the long, pale scar. 'You always told me you'd cut your arm climbing through a broken window.'
'Yes, I know. The truth would have sounded too crazy, don't you think?'
Meggie nodded. He was right; she would just have thought it was another of his stories. 'So she never came back?' she whispered, although she knew the answer already.
'No,' replied Mo softly. 'Basta, Capricorn and Dustfinger came out of the book and she went into it, along with our two cats who were curled up on her lap as usual while I read aloud. I expect some creature from here changed places with Gwin too, maybe a spider or a fly or a bird that happened to be flying round the house. Oh, I don't know …' Mo fell silent.
Sometimes, when he had made up such a good story that Meggie thought it was true, he would suddenly smile and say, 'You fell for that one, Meggie!' Like the time on her seventh birthday when he told her he'd seen fairies among the crocuses in the garden. But the smile didn't come this time.
'I searched the whole house for your mother. No sign of her,' he went on, 'and when I came back to the living room, Dustfinger had vanished and so had his friend with the horns. But the sword was still there, and it felt so real that I decided not to doubt my sanity. I put you to bed – I think I told you your mother had already gone to sleep – and then I began reading Inkheart out loud again. I read the whole damn book until I was hoarse and the sun was rising, but nothing came out of it except a bat and a silken cloak, which I used later to line your book-box. I tried again and again during the days and nights that followed, until my eyes were burning and the letters danced drunkenly on the page. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I kept making up different stories for you to explain where your mother was, and I took good care you were never in the room with me when I was reading aloud, in case you disappeared too. I wasn't worried about myself. Oddly enough, I had a feeling that the person reading the book ran no risk of slipping into its pages. I still don't know whether I was right.' Mo flicked a midge off his hand. 'I read until I couldn't hear my own voice any more,' he went on, 'but your mother didn't come back, Meggie. Instead, a strange little man as transparent as if he were made of glass appeared in my living room on the fifth day, and the postman disappeared just as he was putting the mail into our letterbox. I found his bike out in the yard. After that I knew that neither walls nor locked doors would keep you safe – you or anybody else. So I decided never to read aloud from a book again. Not from Inkheart or from any other book.'
'What happened to the little glass man?' asked Meggie.
Mo sighed. 'He broke into pieces only a few days later when a heavy truck drove past the house. Obviously, very few creatures move easily from one world to another. We both know what fun it can be to get right into a book and live there for a while, but falling out of a story and suddenly finding yourself in this world doesn't seem to be much fun at all. It broke Dustfinger's heart.'


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Woe is the Pentagon.
Woe is the Pentagon.
How is the nation supposed to defend itself on a lousy $470 billion a year? Never mind that that's more than the combined total spent on defense by the next 14 nations combined.
But $470 billion will be the Pentagon's pauper pittance unless Congress somehow manages to pass a long-term debt reduction deal before Jan. 2 of next year. That's the magical date that the "sequester" goes into effect, a product of a congressional "supercommittee's" botched handling of debt-reduction talks last November.
The anvil hanging over the supercommittee was the agreement that failing a deal, $1.2 trillion in spending would be cut by 2020, divided evenly between defense and domestic spending. The supercommittee failed because Republicans adamantly refused to consider raising taxes to help offset the devastation of cutting so much spending.
So it's a tad hypocritical — but not surprising — to see that Republicans now want to renege on the sequestration deal. And they're getting some help from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, a Democrat, who has muttered things like "meat ax" and "disaster" and "hollow force."
That is patently absurd. At $470 million, the Pentagon still would be spending roughly the same as it did in 2007, exclusive of "Overseas Contingency Operations," which is what the Pentagon calls wars.
The Pentagon would get an extra $88 billion next year to fight the nation's wars. Military pay and manpower would have first claim on the $470 billion, meaning that everything else would have to take about a 13 percent cut. Slightly smaller cuts would be made every year thereafter for eight years.
No wonder defense contractors have mounted an all-out lobbying and public relations assault, warning that sequestration would cost 1 million jobs and, with $59 billion in lost earnings, clobber economic recovery. Missouri could expect to lose 31,196 jobs and Illinois could lose 21,626, according to a defense industry study by economist Stephen S. Fuller at George Mason University.
The nice thing about this is that the threat of all those lost home-state jobs might persuade some recalcitrant Republicans of the need to raise revenue. The unfortunate thing is that fewer people are talking about the devastation that sequestration would wreak on domestic programs.
A new analysis from the Bipartisan Policy Center notes that domestic cuts "will directly hit people and activities that are critical to American society. The 12 percent across-the-board cut will be indiscriminately applied, affecting National Institutes of Health grants to research cures for cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's; scientific research; mental health services; special education programs; the safety of our food and drugs; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and many other programs."
What else? Housing assistance. Teacher grants for disadvantaged kids. Air traffic controllers, FBI agents, Border Patrol agents. Everything that the federal government does that is lumped into the 15 percent of the budget that's labeled "non-defense discretionary" will take a 12 percent cut.
You don't hear about them because, unlike defense contractors, they're not organized enough to lobby, but they are every bit as important to the nation's well-being as guns and bullets.
Nobody really thinks sequestration will happen. It's a tactic, not a viable policy. It's a cattle prod for getting Republican members of Congress to sit down and rationally compromise for the good of the nation. Which is what they're paid to do.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Distributed by MCT
Information Services

subset: commoncrawl


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Papiss Cisse has struggled to play regularly for Newcastle United so far this season.
Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse has suggested to The Chronicle that he will fight for his place in the team instead of leaving the club in the January transfer window.
The 30-year-old Senegal international has struggled for playing time so far this season.
"That's the life of a footballer sometimes," Cisse told The Chronicle about his future.
"It's hard for me but I always say I will keep going, and keep my smile all the time. I know who I am and what I can bring to the team. I just wait."
Cisse has been on the books of Newcastle since 2012 and is one of the senior players in Steve McClaren's squad.
However, the former SC Freiburg striker is not guaranteed a place in the Magpies' starting lineup.
The Senegal international has made eight appearances in the Premier League so far this season, but he has not started a game since September.
Cisse has scored one goal, created three chances, has a pass accuracy of 75% and a shot accuracy of 43%, and has won four headers and four tackles.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez are ahead of Cisse in the pecking order at the moment, and it will be interesting to see what the Newcastle striker does if he gets offers in the January transfer window.


text: Frequently Asked Questions We have provided below the answers to some frequently asked questions with regards to Admissions at Milton Abbey. How far in advance of entry do I need to register my child? We recommend coming to see the School, either at one of our small termly Open Days or at a time to suit you, at least two years in advance of entry. Once you have had a good look round and met staff, we recommend you register your child, giving them a provisional place. Eighteen months before entry, all those registered with us will be asked to confirm that Milton Abbey is their first choice of school. After this, places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Will I be able to meet the Head when I visit? Every visitor to Milton Abbey has a meeting with the Head, followed by a tour of the School with a pupil and a chance to meet a Housemaster/Housemistress. What are the entry exams to Milton Abbey? The majority of pupils who join us at 13 take the Common Entrance exams set by the ISEB. For those who have not been prepared for Common Entrance, we are happy to accept our own entrance papers in Maths and English, in addition to an interview. For entrance at the Sixth Form, all those registered with us are asked to attend an Interview Morning before places are offered. When is your next Open Day for prospective pupils entering at age 13? We have an Open Day every term and dates are always available on the website. As we like to keep our Open Days small and personal, you do need to book with the Admissions Office. Do you have day pupils? Yes. Day pupils at Milton Abbey are all part of a boarding house and are here for a full school day – 8.10 – 18.00 – so that they join in all the school has to offer. Day pupil transport is available from the surrounding areas of Poole, Dorchester, Shaftesbury, Salisbury and Blandford. Do you offer weekly boarding? No. We are a full boarding or day school. As our pupils come from all over the UK and overseas we offer a comprehensive programme of lessons, sport and activities at the weekends with a long weekend out from Thursday lunchtime to Sunday night, either side of half term. What is the ratio of boys to girls? Since going fully co-educational in September 2012, approximately one third of each year group is made up of girls, with numbers rising every year. Do many pupils join in the Sixth Form? We always welcome a number of new pupils into the Sixth Form. Potential Sixth Form pupils can attend a Sixth Form Open Day in the Autumn term before being asked to come to an Interview Morning for all those that are registered. How many pupils live outside the UK? Currently 15% of our pupils live outside the UK from a wide range of countries. We can arrange airport transfers for those travelling to and from an airport. Do you offer a Forces discount or a discount for siblings? We do offer a sibling discount. All members of the Armed Forces are welcome to apply for a means tested bursary to top up their CEA. Do you offer scholarships and bursaries? We offer a comprehensive scholarship programme with information on the website and a means tested bursary programme. Bursaries can be applied for up to a year in advance by completing the bursary form available from the Admissions Department.


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The unfinished portrait of FDR was done while he was in Warm Springs, GA and he died before it was completed. It is a splendid work that was commissioned at the very end of his life while he was very ill. The artist was born in Russia and has a remarkable story of her own. The work is a wonderful likeness of the beloved President.
FDR's last portrait is remarkable mainly due to the circumstances under which it fell. He died before the portrait could be finished. This is a piece of history simply because it was halfway done and could not be finished because he had finally died. It has a certain sense of eeriness for that same reason.
The Unfinished Portrait hangs at Roosevelt's former health and relaxation retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia, known as the Little White House.
Later, Shoumatoff decided to finish the portrait in FDR's memory. She painted a new painting based on memory. One difference is that the tie that was red in the original is now blue in the finished painting. All other aspects are completely identical.
What is most remarkable about the portriat is that the artist was able to finish it without being able to look at the subject. The artist recreated his image from memory. The artist also did not call undo attention to FDR's disabitly or his poor health and the fact that he would die soon.


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Aviasales Flight Finder
The Avia.pro flight search engine in conjunction with Aviasales will help those who wish to find and buy air tickets at the best prices for any destinations.
Online registration for the flights of all airlines
We compare airfare among online 44 729 agencies and airlines who have received the official accreditation IATAN. All that is required of you - to determine the most appropriate option. To learn about the availability of tickets, enter your dates and click "Find Tickets". flight search service will review the availability and prices of tickets among the reliable agencies.
Pay for booking tickets on our website by credit card or by any other convenient means.
We never take a commission and only show the final price. Our income comes from advertising placed agencies and airlines.
After purchasing an e-ticket will arrive to you within 15 minutes. This is an official document confirming the fact of conclusion of air service agreement. His need to print and present at the airport, you check in.
Timetable Airport Vladikavkaz Beslan
Scoreboard Flight Schedules Airport Vladikavkaz Beslan- Assistance for passengers
An increasing number of travelers prefer to aircraft, as this speed and convenience (though not all to the liking of the price). And then, this method of transportation is allocated to excellent services.
Another advantage of air transport - the possibility of using online flight schedules / scoreboard. By accessing this resource, you will learn about the schedule of any airport of the Russian Federation. Today, this possibility is considered to be one of the essential features.
If you take into account the past years, it should be noted that earlier the scoreboard with the schedule was a simple panel, and it could be seen in all the halls. Over time, this information was displayed on large screens. However, now, thanks to the rapid technological progress, passengers were able to find out the schedule of flights using an electronic scoreboard. Perhaps the most important advantage of this solution is the provision of instant data on changes. Whichever flight you are interested in, you can get acquainted with it without getting up from the chair. Updating of the information on the screen occurs instantly, so that you can observe the most recent state of affairs, and you do not need to call the airport all the time or stay in it.
How and why to use the scoreboard flight schedule Vladikavkaz Beslan?
Immediately it should be noted: board, offered by the Internet, includes information that shows at this moment in airports. As noted, the schedule is updated on the machine, because all true at the moment. On our website you can check out any of your airports.
• flight schedule for each airport of the Russian Federation. To get information on flights, to make quite a few mouse clicks.
• Enter the city where the airport is located in the designated field, and the site itself will select options and show the required information.
• Specify a specific time period, so you will be more convenient to use the site.
• Do not forget about the points of arrival / departure. With their help, it is changed to the appropriate schedule.
Flight Schedules Russian airports can be useful for those who want to track the status of a particular flight and, of course, tourists. Having studied the flight schedule, it will be clear from what city the planes arrive and depart any, that should be taken into account in the selection of tickets. Incidentally, you can now book a ticket directly through the Internet, not rising from his chair.
Also, the scoreboard will be useful to those who will soon scheduled departure (today or tomorrow). Now you do not need to constantly dial the help desk airports, painful wait for a response on the line, overwriting the results in a notebook. Just take a look at our website and look at the interactive display schedule of flights on a particular day.
The main plus of the online scoreboard is the permanently updated information, which is always reliable, since it is provided by the airports themselves. So, given the possible changes, users have the opportunity to track the flight online anywhere in the world. Now you will not spend hours at the airport due to delayed departure, which is often influenced by weather conditions and much more. Finally, the scoreboard can do a good job for those who meet someone from the plane. The board displays information about flights that will be accepted in the next few hours, as well as on arrival and departures with changes.
Nowadays, using the airport services, you can intelligently allocate your own time!


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OCEAN CITY -- Mike Lehrfeld scanned the water and made a note on the clipboard propped on his legs. Below him, the Saturday morning crowd was filling the beach, spilling into the surf.
"Lotta birds, lotta boats, lotta Jet Skis . . . no dolphins," said Mr. Lehrfeld, a Beach Patrol member who volunteered to help count the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins off Ocean City yesterday.
He was one of hundreds of volunteers and scientists who went out along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to Florida to participate in Dolphin Count 1994, the second year of the count.


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Author has written 114 stories for Naruto, Harry Potter, Inuyasha, Spiral, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Ouran High School Host Club, Kingdom Hearts, Tsubasa Chronicle, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, D.Gray-Man, Alice, 2009, and Fairy Tail.
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'm Ashley.
Once upon a time I used to write things. And I am writing things again, apparently! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose.
You can also find me on AO3 under 'triforced.' Pretty much all of my newer stuff lives over there! And if you dig that sort of thing, I have a tumblr - 'ashooree.'


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Bliss and Bloom Ltd
home furnishings, accessories & gifts
Call us on 01980 630557
Grey wash rattan wicker umbrella stand with a rolled top and two handles. Really nice thick quality rattan. Accessories not included. H 49cm (56cm including handles), Dia.28cm approx. more details
Subscribe for our What's New, Sales and Offers email:


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Tanzania's Northern Safari Circuit includes some of the most famous and remarkable sights in the world, such as the annual Wildebeest Migration and the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater.
Rongai Route
Climb Mt Kilimanjaro by the Drier Gentle Camping Route
Day 1: On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the night (a range of hotels are available dependent on your budget). In the evening you will meet your guide and have a Mountain Briefing to prepare you for the climb. You will also be able to hire equipment if required. Dinner at the hotel followed by an early night.
Day 2: Depart your hotel early and transfer the village of Nale Moru (1950 m) through local 'Shamba' farmland before entering the pine forest. Watch out for Kilimanjaro Colobus monkeys in the tree tops. After walking for about 4 hours you will arrive at the first camp on the edge of the moorland zone. This is First Cave campsite at 2600 m. Dinner and overnight at 1st Cave Camp.
Day 3: The morning walk climbs up to Second Cave at 3450 m This has superb views of Kibo and the eastern ice fields on the crater rim. In the afternoon you continue to the Third Cave taking around 4 hours to climb to 3800 m for overnight camp.
Day 4: This is an acclimatization day. A slow walk up to the Saddle is a good way to improve your altitude tolerance by walking high but returning back to sleep lower. It is also possible to spend the night at Mawenzi Tarn rather than Third Cave camp if you prefer.
Day 5: A steep ascent on the east side of Kibo crossing the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo. It takes 4 to 5 hours to reach Kibo Hut at 4700 m. The remainder of the day is spent resting to prepare for the final ascent, which begins around midnight. Dinner and overnight at Kibo Camp.
Day 6: A very early start for the summit climbing steep scree to arrive at Gilman's Point (5681m) to see sunrise. Those who want to reach the highest point in Africa can take the approximately two hour excursion to Uhuru Peak 5896 m passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs of the summit area. The descent to Kibo is fast and after some refreshment, you continue your descent to the final camp site at Horombo at 3700m.
Day 7: A steady descent through the moorland to Mandara Hut continuing through the lush forest on a good path to the National Park gate at Marangu (1830 m) taking about 6 hours. After collecting your certificates, you will to be met and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Prices from $1300 based on 4 pax. For further information please contact us and we will personally tailor your Kilimanjaro climb to suit your interests and budget.
What people say about us
Some comments from our past clients (Read more)
We had a wonderful time on safari. The vehicle was great, reliable and comfortable. Our guide Amos was fantastic, he was punctual, friendly, knowledgeable and made our safari really enjoyable.
Vickie Waltham
United Kingdom, Aug 2013
All the Parks visited are really wonderful, especially Ruaha and the "king" Katavi that worth absolutely the long trip (at least in our point of view). Yahaya and Salim are like two friends.
Massimo Randi
Austria, Jul 2013
We had an excellent time and the trip was very well planned, the guides (and vehicles) excellent. Thank you very much for arranging it all!
Jackie, David and Sarah
Australia, Oct 2013
We had an amazing time. Everything was perfect Francis was AMAZING we came to realize the guide you have is the key to a great safari. We will be sure to recomend you to anyone planning a trp to you
Serino Margaret
United States of America, Jun 2013
We had a fantastic trip. Your excellent organisation, your guide - Max, was exemplary in every way, were major contributors to this. Many thanks for making ours, a trip of a lifetime.
Richard Goldberg
United Kingdom, Jun 2013
I'd like to say that our entire trip was truly amazing and a great once in a lifetime excursion. Everything was very well setup and we had no problems with any of the trip. Thanks to Wild Things.
Katye Vytal
United States of America, Jun 2013
The programme was excellent and we saw masses of game, less a leopard! So, entirely happy customers. Thank you for your efficient handling of the whole trip.
Christopher Lee
United Kingdom, Jan 2013


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text:
Sandisk Cruzer Fit 32GB. Capacity: 32 GB, USB version: 2.0, USB Type-A connector. Form factor: Cap, Colour of product: Black
- This removable storage medium allows data to be written and erased as often as is required and is ideal for capacity expansion- Removable USB 2.0 storage medium (downward compatible to USB 1.1)- Due to its slim design ideal for tablet PCs, notebooks, televisions, car radios, etc.- Includes SanDisk SecureAccess software (download necessary): protects your private files in an encrypted, password protected folder (128-bit AES encryption)- With free 2GB online backup from YuuWaa™ (registration required)- Comes with a removable protective cap


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One of the most fun aspects of writing a book is researching the characters and the world that you're creating. I particularly enjoy all the weird and wonderful places that the characters take me too. It's always a good excuse to discover new books and to learn about new things!
The current book that I'm writing is a fantasy, which I always find a bit intimidating as far as research goes because surely everything in a fantasy is completely made up? But once you dig a little, you come to realize that there is always an element of reality that has to act as a backbone to the stories, even if they involve all kinds of weird and wonderful imagined elements. Continue reading "A Little Light Reading"


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Cowboys Film Study: Five Wacky Stats From the Database
I often come across trends or "anomalies" in our Cowboys play database that I decide to not post. These stats are often interesting (to me at least), but simply not wide enough in scope for me to dedicate an entire post to them.
Well, this entry is a collection of "too-small-to-post" statistics from the Cowboys' 2009 season which I uncovered this weekend.
- The Cowboys ran only four (FOUR!) play-action passes all season with 1-4 yards-to-go.
The number of plays on the season in that range: 132. Thus, Dallas ran play-action on just 3.03% of plays in situations with just 1-4 yards to go for a first down (situations with a legitimate threat of a run). I wouldn't call myself an offensive mastermind, but that just doesn't seem efficient.
With 10 yards remaining, however, the Cowboys dialed up 54 play-action passes (40.90% of all play-action passes came on this 'distance-to-go'), making it the most frequent 'distance-to-go' for all play-action passes (relative to the number of overall plays from that distance).
Perhaps these figures are at least a partial cause of the Cowboys' lackluster success rate on play-action passes.
- 34 of Tony Romo's 79 audibles (43.04%) were to draw plays.
Since 44 of the 79 checks were run plays, an incredible 34-of-44 (77.27%) run plays (which followed an audible) were draws. While this seems over-the-top, our analysis of Romo's audibles showed that the Cowboys averaged 5.8 yards-per-carry on these runs.
Nonetheless, the Cowboys would likely have even more success on these runs if the draw rate decreased. In a previously article, we explained why checking to a run play might be successful:
One possible explanation for the lower productivity in the passing game after checks is that defenses are more prepared to defend the pass after an audible. They may assume an audible by the opposing quarterback means he sees an opportunity for a big play, probably a pass, thus making them more likely to effectively defend the pass.
Before we place all the blame on Romo for the disproportionate draw rate, note that, in almost all circumstances, Romo does not actually choose the "new" play. The majority of the checks (75-of-79, in fact), are "kill" calls. We explained how "kill" calls work in a previous article:
Sometimes Romo will actually call an entirely new play at the line of scrimmage, while other times he will simply signal for the team to check into the second play which was called in the huddle (the team often calls two plays in the huddle, planning to run the first unless Romo checks out).
The latter scenario is marked by a phrase many of you have probably heard the Dallas' quarterback yelling on television, "Kill, Kill, Kill!" When you hear this, Romo sees something in the defense that makes him believe the first play called in the huddle will be unsuccessful. The second play, which is the one run after the "Kill" call, is generally dissimilar to the original call to combat whatever problem Romo noticed.
Thus, on all but four plays in 2009, the Cowboys offense ran a play which was originally called by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. If the exorbitant rate of draws-after-checks is to continue, Romo is not the only person to blame.
- Romo threw the most off-target passes to Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams, missing on 28.4% of throws to both receivers.
The chart to the right lists the off-target passes, attempts, and off-target percentage of throws to all Cowboys' 2009 pass-catchers. In our in-depth analysis of Romo's off-target passes, we noted that we consider a pass to be 'off-target' if:
1. Romo missed a receiver who was relatively open
2. Romo was giving his best effort to acquire a completion.
Thus, spikes, throw-aways, and passes that were on-target but knocked away by a defender did not constitute 'off-target passes.'
Of course, the percentages are not comparable among players at different positions, as Romo is more likely to be off-target to wide receivers than tight ends or running backs.
- The Cowboys ran a true hurry-up offense on just 28 plays last season–less than two per game.
In this instance, we define "hurry-up" as a no-huddle play run with a time-saving mentality. Of the 28 plays, only two were runs (for 6 total yards). The 26 passes went for 151 yards, or just 5.81 yards-per-attempt.
25 of the 28 plays were out of a Shotgun formation.
- The Cowboys completed a pre-snap shift 17 times in 2009–all on first or second down.
A shift is when multiple players change their alignment at once. Offenses will frequently shift from a run formation to a pass formation, or vice versa, such as Full House (run formation) into Gun Trips Right (pass formation).
The offense ran on seven of these plays for 20 yards (2.86 yards-per-carry), and passed 10 times for 55 yards (5.50 yards-per-attempt).


text:
FAUNA and FUNGHI of MALTA
Agalenatea redii
Archer, 1951
Main synonym =
Aranea redii
Scopoli, 1763
Taxonomical Classification:
Animalia / Arthropoda / Arachnida / Araneae / Araneidae
Gorse Orb Weaver
Maltese name not known
Further Information:
"This species can be easily confused with Zygiella species (for example
Z. x-notata
) since it has in general the same colours and shape. However the Zygiella have a ""humped"" shoulders at the opisthosoma and a more rounded abdomen. Identification of such spiders from a mere photo is difficult, but this species is likely to be Agalenatea redii.(Thanks to D. Dandria for the additional information)"
Search for
Agalenatea redii
in the following online resources:
Index to Organism Names
Google Scholar
Catalogue of Life
EUNIS Database
NCBI Database (inc. Pubmed)
Other Links and info
Funghi & Fauna Main Page
Wild Plants Main Index
Close This Window
Image Code:
(required to buy images in this page)
This website needs financial support through sponsors or advertisment -
check here
All material and data on this webpage is under the copyright of the author of this site - Stephen Mifsud / www.MaltaWildPlants.com / Malta. (2002-2010)
This research project about the flora of Malta is sponsored by:


text:
Every politician in trouble channels Harry S Truman, but President Barack Obama now wants to channel his strategy. He is running against a do-nothing GOP Congress, going so far as to propose legislation with little chance of succeeding so that he can blame Republicans when it fails.
This and other small things (such as the Cold War) did work for Truman, but whether it can be transposed to the situation of the current president is an open question, and the reasons for it would be these:
- Republicans in 2010 lost a few Senate races, leaving Democrats in control, whereas Truman had an entire GOP Congress to deal with. Except for George W. Bush 43 from 2003-06, every Republican president since 1932 has faced opposition from one house of Congress, and often from both. Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush always faced two hostile houses of Congress, as did Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in the final two years of their terms. It didn't do Reagan much harm, and Bush managed to save his surge in Iraq against fierce opposition. Competent people manage to deal with these problems. Now the entire executive branch is under Obama's control and he has a six-seat edge in the Senate, yet he is still trying to tell us he's helpless? Please.
- Republicans in the House passed a budget and a passel of bills that were axed in the Senate, and if passed would have faced vetoes. Does that sound like "do-nothing" behavior? Maybe those plans might have fixed the economy. They could argue that Obama is obstructing them.
- The things Obama wants passed are reruns of things he passed years ago, which didn't do much besides waste money.
- Finally, Republicans have a plan of their own, which is to run against Obama's Democratic Congress of 2009-10. Far from being a do-nothing Congress, they'll claim that was the Congress that did far too much.
It ran up a staggering list of "achievements" that voters disliked and distrusted, and those plans did nothing to help the economy. In retrospect, the voters wish most of those bills had been obstructed. If Harry Truman couldn't pass his domestic agenda, he at least didn't do things that turned people off.
There are other differences between Truman and Obama as well. Truman ended World War II, for which voters were grateful. He used the atom bomb on Japan to avoid an invasion of the Japanese homeland that would have killed millions of innocents. He was one of the great foreign policy presidents, establishing in only two years the tools and protocols by which, over the course of four decades, the Cold War was finally won.
Obama extended the protocols Bush had established, much as Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy carried on those set by Truman. But Ike and JFK backed them from the beginning. Obama fought those that he later supported. I'm afraid President Obama will never be the next President Truman, and he ought to start looking for a new plan.
Examiner columnist Noemie Emery is a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard and author of "Great Expectations; The Troubled Lives of Political Families."


text:
- Aqua College
- Fall Shoe & Boot Trends
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What are mules? Mules are a type of shoe that has a closed front and is open at the back without any fasteners. Slide into the latest styles of mules, from your favorite brands, like I.N.C. International Concepts, Steve Madden, MICHAEL Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and Franco Sarto at Macy's.
What are the best mules for day?
Mules that are flat or have a lower feel are perfect for the day. What to wear with mules? Wear mules with your favorite trousers at work and pair them with your jeans on the weekends. Do you want to lend a more casual feel to dresses? Slip into mules for a more laid-back look. Do you want trendy mules? Get mules with bows, buckles, tassels, pompoms, rhinestones for trend-right appeal. Are you looking to make a bold statement? Step up your style with mules in vibrant prints, like leopard, graphic and floral. Or do you want to keep your look classic? Slip into black or brown mules for a timeless look.
What are the best mules for going out?
Mules that have a thinner heel, from a kitten to a stiletto, are perfect for night. For a dressier silhouette, look for mules with a pointed toe. Do you want to add shine to your night out look? Check out mules with metallic and studded finishes. For a party-ready look, link up your mules with your favorite dress and an embellished bomber jacket—complete this outfit with a clutch.
This season the mule is back from minimalistic to pink metallics, update your look with Macy's stylish selection of mules.


text:
In recent weeks, conservative pundits have set their sights on an old, familiar target: the college campus.
Fifty years ago, a 25-year-old William F. Buckley sparked the right-wing crusade against universities with his 1951 polemic God and Man at Yale, decrying professors who attempted to convert the student populace into "atheistic socialists." In the wake of a November 17 New York Times report on a national survey showing that Democratic professors outnumber Republicans 7 to 1 in the humanities and social sciences, conservative outrage was rekindled.
"Many campuses are intellectual versions of one-party nations," the Washington Post's George Will wrote. The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby declared, "Today campus leftism is not merely prevalent. It is radical, aggressive, and deeply intolerant."
Yet commentators like Will and Jacoby conveniently ignore the aggressive efforts of conservative message machines to promote their own ideological agenda on American campuses.
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute–whose first president was Buckley himself–spends $9 million publishing periodicals and $1 million supporting right-wing student newspapers annually. Alums of the ISI's Collegiate Network include National Review's Rich Lowry, the Hoover Institution's Dinesh D'Souza, and the ever-vitriolic Ann Coulter. Another organization, the Leadership Institute, has trained over 40,000 young conservatives since 1979.
Young America's Foundation subsidizes hundreds of campus lectures with speakers ranging from Mike Wilson, director of Michael Moore Hates America, to David Horowitz, who speaks frequently on such subjects as "The Racism of the Left." Club 100, a branch of YAF, encourages students to spread conservative dogma with a points-based incentive program. Forty points are awarded to any student who "Organize[s] a Young America's Foundation speaking event"; twenty points are given for "Recruit[ing] five or more students" to a YAF conference. The payoff? Score 100 points and win a free weekend retreat to Ronald Reagan's ranch.
In total, a dozen right-wing message machines spend roughly $38 million annually on college campuses. So it's no surprise that the College Republican National Committee has more than tripled its membership since 1999, now boasting more than 1,300 chapters nationwide. Yet even though the number of young voters who went for Bush increased 18.7 percent from 2000, the 18-29-year-old vote was the only demographic to go for Kerry in the 2004 election.


text:
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Last week I had the wonderful fortune to deliver a webinar with Robin Bloor on the role of events in decision management. This event, as a part of Information Management's Espresso Shot webinar series, gave us a chance to dig into the market conditions and the potential ways that events can affect decision management by injecting real-time information into the process.
As many of you that might be familiar with my webinars and papers will recall, I'm a strong proponent of complex event processing (CEP) as a significant contributor to the changing landscape of decision management. Let's face it; even in the intense world of Capital Markets where Apama's event processing thrives in high-volume, high-velocity scenarios, the result is improved decision management, but in the end it's all about who makes the right decision first. There is absolutely no reason why that benefit cannot be enjoyed outside of the capital markets space – and in fact it is. And, the good news is that it doesn't have to be high-volume, high-velocity scenarios. Need to find the needle in the haystack? – event processing will do nicely.
Event Processing has hit the main stream. The recognition by business that events can be harnessed and used to influence decision management is gaining momentum. But, there two things that I think Robin and I eluded to, but probably needed to push a bit more.
Whoever makes the right decision first – wins. And, this is something you can plug into what you have now. Go for it.
Replay the webinar >
View all posts from David Olson on the Progress blog. Connect with us about all things application development and deployment, data integration and digital business.
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text: caffeine 3,169 Posted September 1, 2015 NYTimes - Latest News v5.7.3 (Subscribed)Requirements: Varies with deviceOverview: Experience The New York Times's award-winning journalism. Get the latest news, elegantly presented with enhanced imagery, multimedia and streamlined navigation. Stay informed on world news, national news, business, the arts, technology, style, sports, food, travel, opinions and more. Experience The New York Times's award-winning journalism. Get the latest news, elegantly presented with enhanced imagery, multimedia and streamlined navigation. Stay informed on world news, national news, business, the arts, technology, style, sports, food, travel, opinions and more. The New York Times app also includes our International Edition with breaking news, world news, current events and cultural content from our 50 newspaper bureaus around the globe. Named Editors' Choice as one of the top apps on Google Play, The New York Times app connects you to your favorite newspaper anywhere you are, anytime you want to read it. We're breaking news, world news and national news in your pocket.Download the NYTimes Android app for FREE today, and subscribe to receive your first 14 days at no cost. All users can access up to 10 free articles per month, from any section. App Features:• Watch exclusive videos and browse our award-winning photography• Breaking news alerts — be the first to know about current events as soon as they occur• Get the latest news in less time with automatic background refresh• Save NYT articles to revisit later on any device (web, phone, tablet)• Customize your news experience with home screen widgets• Share The Times's articles, photos and videos through Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS• Sit back and have the latest NYT news read to you aloud with text to speech• Read more comfortably in low-light with "night mode"• Miss recent world news or national news? Quickly search by topic, name or interest• Join the conversations — view and write comments on articles, or use speech-to-text to "speak in†comments• Get a daily photo preview of the day's top stories in the Android notification area• Have a Samsung Style Pen (S Pen)? Annotate articles and save your notes for future referenceFor unlimited access to our award-winning journalism, subscribe now and get your first 14 days free via Google Play.* Subscriptions are $14.99/month (Smartphone + Web), $19.99/month (Tablet + Web) and $34.99/month (All Digital Access includes tablet and smartphone apps). All subscriptions are auto-renewable.Feedback? Suggestions? Issues? Please contact our support team at [email protected] We'll do our best to assist you. Your feedback is important to us.*Promotional offers for new subscribers only. Smartphone and tablet apps are not supported on all devices. Prices shown are in U.S. dollars, and local pricing is available in over 55 countries. Other restrictions apply. WHAT'S NEW What's new in version 5.7.3:* NEW - You can now resize the article list widget to 4x2.* Bug Fix - Breaking news alerts you may have missed when you were offline will now appear once you're online.* Visual enhancements and other small bug fixes. This app has no advertisements More Info:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nytimes.android'>>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nytimes.androidDownload Instructions: FULL Subscribed + Ad Free https://dailyuploads.net/cib3gesmf8c4 https://userscloud.com/x2pp7xqtsuz4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
2793 Stavely Ct
Columbus, OH 43232
674 Hempstead 48 Washington, AR
108 Bass Ln Mineral Springs, AR
89$ adi s a farce because the scam is that they know you probly have a 200 ft drain but they trick u by showing up with a 120 ft cord to clean with. the yellow page ad says ANY DRAIN 89$. then they want 150$ to extend the cord 80 ft and clean the drain.3
Their ad states that ONE drain costs $99.00. They tried charging me, without prior approval $239.00 for ONE drain. This business practices unethical business practices and I would warn everyone not to use them.1


text:
Should we be worried about Google? Ten years after the search engine was launched by two Stanford University graduate students, Google has become an empowering force and a adopted behavior that has transformed the way we access news and information, shop for goods and services and–increasingly–how we engage in politics. Who would have imagined four years ago, that Google and its subsidiary YouTube would co-sponsor debates in which ordinary citizens could directly engage with presidential candidates?
Last week, Google's stock hit an all-time high, on the strength of reports that the company will earn more this year than the $10.6 billion it earned in 2006. But while Google has almost overnight become a trusted source of information for the technologically attuned, few have thought to question the extent to which its success poses threats to both our privacy and our aspirations for the positive potential of the Internet.
Google's dramatic growth is a reflection of its role as the most powerful player in the world of interactive marketing. Ninety-nine percent of Google's annual revenues (according to its 10K filing with the SEC) comes from selling targeted advertising on its search engine, which is driven by a massive consumer data collection system.
Google is far more than the digital incarnation of Madison Avenue in the twenty-first century. It is the engine driving us into a new communications era, in which interactive marketing will significantly shape our lives. The company is aggressively expanding its advertising role, building out a sales team poised to partner with the biggest brand advertisers on the planet. Google is pitching its souped-up interactive advertising system to global corporations so they can better blend marketing messaged into the news, information and entertainment we consume.
Google's message to Madison Avenue, as expressed at the OMMA Expo in New York this week is that its technology can leverage tremendous insights about global consumers of products and information, and can deliver the right interactive marketing messages to consumers at precisely the right moment. Ellen Naughton, Google's director of media platforms, urged advertisers to "fish where the fish are," a reference to the millions of viewers of online video, including YouTube. Naughton was particularly proud of "Green Tea Partay," a Google-sold video ad that has drawn more than 3 million viewers to date on YouTube. It's a cheeky video, in which Smirnoff Vodka marketing messages are subtly integrated into the insistent beat of an preppy California hip-hop routine. Take a look:


text:
Right now when I try and search the forums I get this:
Could not delete old search id sessions
SQL Error : 1016 Can't open file: 'phpbb_search_results.MYI' (errno: 145)
DELETE FROM phpbb_search_results WHERE session_id NOT IN ([a long list of session ids])
Line : 663
File : search.php
Someone may want to fix that
ditto for searching for unread posts. :'(
I'm experiencing this too.
same here
cu matsche
Lots of websites/forums can be searched using Google, with a search request something like this:
site:archlinux.org conky
Don't know why our forums don't show up in the Google search. It would be a good way to do some searching while we await the fix for our own search feature.
Lots of websites/forums can be searched using Google, with a search request something like this:
site:archlinux.org conky
Don't know why our forums don't show up in the Google search. It would be a good way to do some searching while we await the fix for our own search feature.
I expect it's not that type of search that is bothering many users. Surely the first thing many users wish to do is log in and see what messages are new. Without the new post search, finding this out the manual way is tedious to say the least.
Hey, I tired to search google for this error and it seems that it's connected with mysql user permissions or something like this. The "funny" thing is if I ask google about the error like this and try to click next page (second) google says:
We're sorry...
... but we can't process your request right now. A computer virus or spyware application is sending us automated requests, and it appears that your computer or network has been infected.
We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your computer is free of viruses and other spurious software.
We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google.
:-) Of course I can use google for other searches without any problems so I guess the problem might be more complicated. It's annoying but you can still see the new posts as yellow (orange?) icons if you click forums one by one.
I'm getting an error not only for searches, but also when I log in and try to read posts since my last visit, etc. I guess that's probably based off of a search, but all of those options are not working...
Judd probably Syu'd the server and permissions got changed, hahaha!
Nice one, Dusty. It must be an initrd issue ...
Frumpus ♥ addict
[mu'.krum.pus], [frum.pus]
Someone should check and repair the table / database:
REPAIR TABLE phpbb_search_results
Frumpus ♥ addict
[mu'.krum.pus], [frum.pus]
Me also expericing the same search problem....
Who has access to troubleshoot this?
Who has access to troubleshoot this?
I don't think dibble has permissions to mess with it.
Has anyone contacted apeiro?
I'm afraid only Bicycle Repair Man can save us now :-(
It's a shame!
Frumpus ♥ addict
[mu'.krum.pus], [frum.pus]
I have pm apeiro.
i'm getting the same problem
I'm afraid only Bicycle Repair Man can save us now :-(
Bicycle Repair Man! Thank goodness you've come!
*cactus' cape flaps in the breeze*
"Be conservative in what you send; be liberal in what you accept." -- Postel's Law
"tacos" -- Cactus' Law
"t̥͍͎̪̪͗a̴̻̩͈͚ͨc̠o̩̙͈ͫͅs͙͎̙͊ ͔͇̫̜t͎̳̀a̜̞̗ͩc̗͍͚o̲̯̿s̖̣̤̙͌ ̖̜̈ț̰̫͓ạ̪͖̳c̲͎͕̰̯̃̈o͉ͅs̪ͪ ̜̻̖̜͕" -- -̖͚̫̙̓-̺̠͇ͤ̃ ̜̪̜ͯZ͔̗̭̞ͪA̝͈̙͖̩L͉̠̺͓G̙̞̦͖O̳̗͍
Did he? Still recieve the errors.
Frumpus ♥ addict
[mu'.krum.pus], [frum.pus]
Same prob
curses! the forum is no good to me without the search function!!!
Must regain control.
And on the 8th day, God gave the people Google so that all the problems of the universe could be researched from one central place. And it was good.
Hmm... I don't suppose it would really surprise anyone if I said it doesn't work for me either, so I won't say it.
$25 says the next 3 posts are "yup doesn't work here either" - as if the client being used effects the execution of php in some way.


text:
Texas Boy Kidnapped as an Infant to be Reunited With Family After 8 Years
A Texas boy who was kidnapped as an infant is finally being reunited with his siblings.
On Wednesday, a Houston judge ruled that 8-year-old Miguel Morin should be removed from foster care and given to a couple caring for his four siblings. The boy has been in foster care since authorities found him in March living in East Texas with his former baby sitter.
Child Protective Services officials say their goal remains to eventually have Miguel live with his real parents. But more review time is needed, they said.
Meanwhile, Miguel is expected to reunite with his siblings by Friday after his paperwork is completed.
Miguel began meeting, in a therapeutic setting, with his four siblings back in October. His siblings are living with Juanita and Joseph Aguillard, a Houston couple who have been taking care of the Morins' other children under an agreement between the couples.
Found in March, the boy's former baby sitter and her mother are charged with kidnapping.
Since that time, Morin has begun getting to know his parents through weekly joint therapy sessions with them, attorneys and child welfare officials.
Mark Cooper, Fernando Morin's attorney, said Miguel was carefully being reintroduced to the "real people in his life."
"It's going gently and slowly and appropriately and progress is being made and it looks good," he said.
The boy has been in foster care since authorities found him in March living in East Texas with Krystle Tanner, who had been Miguel's baby sitter in Houston. Investigators believe she kidnapped the boy in 2004 when he was just 8 months old and concealed his identity for years.
Tanner and her mother, Gloria Walker, each have been charged with kidnapping and injury to a child. They have pleaded not guilty.
Estella Olguin, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services in Houston, said when authorities found Miguel, he had never gone to school, was unable to read or write and functioned at a level below kindergarten. Now with additional help he has received, including once a week tutoring, he has caught up and is now attending second grade.
"He is doing really remarkably," she said. "He's really a great little man."
Based on reporting by The Associated Press.
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Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino


text:
It was already hot and sunny by the time we emerged from Modestine this morning. The flowering acacia beneath which she'd been parked last night had shed so many blossoms over her she looked as if she'd been to a wedding!
No point in wasting time. Let's get straight to the point so that we can get to bed. Venice is everything it's cracked up to be, plus some! We've had a brilliant day and have walked our legs off up to our knees at least if not to our elbows. We arrived back at the campsite exhausted around 7pm and now that the last dregs have been squeezed from our wine box we are attempting to do some sort of justice to Venice in the pages of our blog.
The bus to Venice stops on the road passing the campsite and for a euro each we were driven directly onto the island - so much easier and cheaper than trying to find a space in one of the car parks. Immediately we were plunged into the heart of the city where we wandered the little streets and alley ways, edged by canals with little stepped bridges linking the hundreds of islands that constitute Venice. There are countless bridges, all picturesque but requiring fit knees so don't attempt it unless you are in good shape. We seem to have crossed most of them at least once today.
The vaporetti or water buses can take you along the canals, out to the islands and pretty well anywhere you want to go. A day pass costs 12 euros. Today we didn't bother as there was so much we wanted to explore on dry land. On our next visit we will ensure we get full value from the tickets.
The light in Venice is wonderful. Our first view of the Grand Canal was stunning in that it really looked exactly like a Canaletto painting with the water a bright azure blue reflecting the sky, offset by the colour rendered buildings with their dark green shutters along its edge. No matter where we looked a new perspective opened to us. The gondolas plied their way along the narrow canals, manoeuvring past each other, the gondoliers wearing their striped shirts and straw hats. Okay, it's for the tourists but the atmosphere is just so pleasurable. The greatest joy is that there is absolutely no traffic so you can walk in complete safety anywhere you like. Even bicycles are absent. It's strange at first not to hear the constant sound of car engines. All traffic goes by water. Parcels are delivered, the postman comes, goods supplied to the shops, building materials, the dustmen, all these are water borne arriving on little barges or motor launches. Indeed the waterways are incredibly busy and it is tempting just to stand on one bridge for ages watching the constant flow of boats passing beneath.
Grand Canal, Venice
Water Front, Venice
Gondolas on the Grand Canal, Venice
Customs House, Venice
Canal scene, Venice
All deliveries come by boat, Venice
Canal crowded with boats, Venice
The narrow streets, frequently edged along one side by a canal and invariably interrupted by bridges, are lined with little tourist shops selling masks, glassware, jewellery, cakes and pasta in every possible shape, size and colour.
The masks of course are a speciality of Venice and although many are q bit kitsch, they are rather attractive and some have an immense charm. The good quality ones are made from papier-mâché before being smoothed and decorated. Shops specialise in selling these, plus all the costumes and hats to go with them for special carnival events.
Masks for sale, Venice
Venetian glass can be very beautiful and very expensive. A small wineglass can easily cost 65 euros! There are cheaper examples, but then they look it. Glass jewellery is very popular but often a bit tacky. Much of the glassware is made on the neighbouring island of Murano but there are glassblowing furnaces in the city that can be visited on a cooler day.
Of course there are countless bars, terraces and restaurants, each looking a very tempting place for a cool drink on a hot day. At lunchtime we were fortunate to find a little restaurant well away from the main flow of tourist traffic where we had vegetable tagliatelli with lashings of olive oil and a carafe of wine at a very inexpensive price. We were given an aperitif into the bargain. At a nearby table three gondoliers in their stripy tee shirts were having their lunch. We waited with bated breath for their pudding to arrive. Would one of then stand up and call to the waitress "just one cornetto"? Alas no. But if the restaurant was good enough for them, it was certainly an excellent place for us to have selected for our own lunch.
Gondoliers at lunch, Venice
During our meal we helped an American couple search the floor around their table for a missing wrist watch. They never found it but were fairly philosophical about its loss. We fell into conversation when they stated, rather obviously, they were from America and promptly apologised for their president! They told us we were lucky to have Blair, they'd have him in preference to Bush any day! This has happed to us several times over recent months. Perhaps Americans who travel are more sensitive to the way the rest of the World tends to see the influence American politicians try to exert.
Most of the day we have simply been wandering the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. After lunch however, we made our way to St.Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace. This is at the very heart of the maze that is Venice. The place where everyone eventually ends up before plunging off into the network of streets and waterways to become hopelessly lost again. Even Ian, map in hand, became completely disorientated, complaining that the map was designed as if the canals were the routes to follow but frequently this was impossible as there were no pavements beside them.
Café Florian, St. Mark's Square, Venice
St. Mark's square is full of pigeons, tourists and hot glaring sunlight. At the far end is the cathedral church of St. Mark with a long queue of hot red tourists waiting to see inside. Beside it stands the brick campanile, a reconstruction of the original which collapsed dramatically in 1902. Neil and Jeev visited the cathedral of St. Mark recently and described it as "a bit of a chav cathedral with lots of bling" So we decided instead to visit a few of the lesser churches, wonderfully cool and dark inside and with some excellent marble sculptures and 16th century paintings. In particular we visited St. Giovanni in Bragora, the local church of Antonio Vivaldi who was born nearby, baptised in the church and was later organist there.
St. Mark's Cathedral, Venice
Original Campanile in St. Mark's Square photographed by chance as it fell, Venice
Replacement campanile in St. Mark's Square, Venice
Church of St. Giovanni in Bragora, Venice
Behind St. Mark's cathedral stands the Doge's Palace. Again we did not fancy queuing in full sunshine to see around, but the exterior was quite beautiful with patterned brickwork in shades of rose with white marble window facings.
Doge's Palace, Venice
Statue of the Dog(e), Venice
Ian discovered a whole new series of bridges for us to climb as he lead the way to the furthest tip of one of the islands to see the arsenal where the ships that helped to make Venice such a major power were constructed. When we arrived it was to discover that it is still held by the military today and is a forbidden area.
Arsenal, Venice
By now we were exhausted and just about as far from the bus station as it is possible to be in Venice. Furthermore, we were completely lost in a maze of narrow streets, dead ends and countless bridges. On our wanderings we discovered the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge and a young man making the most wonderful music on a collection of wine glasses! This offered us a welcome break as we stopped to listen, fascinated at his skill and the sheer beauty of the sounds produced by running wet fingers around the rims of the 40 or so glasses of differing sizes.
Bridge of Sighs, Venice
Rialto Bridge, Venice
Top glass musician, Venice
Eventually we did find our way back to the bus station with 20 minutes until our bus was due to leave. It was already waiting and we climbed aboard in time to get the last couple of available seats. By the time it left it was packed to the gunnels and everyone was hot and weary. We kept pinching ourselves to stay awake, praying we would recognise the campsite when we reached it. When we finally rejoined Modestine we were fit only to collapse into chairs under the cool trees and watch the red sunset gradually fade into darkness. Last night we got bitten by insects. Tonight we are covered in citronella oil and Ian has even tucked his trouser legs into his socks so hopefully we've escaped. It's the first place we've been bothered with them.
Thursday 18th May 2006, Serenissima, Oriago, near Venice
This morning we took the bus to Padua, 25 kilometres along the banks of the Brenta river which flows between Venice and Padua, passing right beside the camp site. Along the route are numerous 16th -18th century villas originally owned by Venetian patricians as their summer residences. They looked very attractive standing along the river bank, some with old, rustic statues or large baroque entrance gates. Some, like the one at the entrance to the campsite, have seen better days and are now rather dilapidated but others have been turned into luxury hotels or are still privately owned.
Villa at Serenissima campsite, Oriago
Villa of Malcontenta – a lady unhappily exiled from Venice
One, at Stra, looked quite magnificent and rather than being a villa, had more the air of a palace. In size it looked as if it could possibly rival Blenheim!
The bus dropped us just outside Padua's city walls – by via Vecchio Gasometro (Old Gasometer Street)! Six years ago we found ourselves stuck for several days in Padua. Then we visited most of the major galleries and churches, including the Scrovegni Chapel with the wonderful frescos by Giotto. So this was really a nostalgia trip with little time to do more than enjoy the ambiance of the town.
Scrovegni Chapel (1303), Padua
Within the city walls it is indeed a very pleasant place, steeped in history and full of atmosphere. We wandered the arcaded streets around the old law courts, now used as council offices, where the market is held each day with the food stalls tucked well in under the arcades to protect the meats, cheeses and fish from the sun. At the back of the arcades are rows of tiny shops selling speciality pastas, fish and eels, charcuterie, cakes and elaborate, expensive, hand-made chocolates.
Market place and old law courts, Padua
Speciality pasta shop, Padua
Sausages and more, Padua
Unlike Venice, traffic flows through the streets of the old town with all the consequential congestion. Bikes are the main form of transport – sturdy vehicles to cope with the cobbled roads. They are parked all over the city and are a constant hazard when crossing any of the little side streets.
Being a University town Padua is a lively place, particularly around the University buildings. We glanced in at the Palazza Bo, the main courtyard to the university established in 1222. In the street students were celebrating the success of one of their colleagues in defending his thesis and gaining his degree. The poor student was dressed in a smart suit, wearing a wreath of laurels, and was obliged to run the gauntlet of his colleagues whilst they all beat and kicked him as he passed. (On our last visit proud parents did not seem to be around and the student was in his underwear!)
Palazza Bo with plaques to former university students, Padua
Successful student about to earn his laurels, Padua
The cathedral was closed when we arrived but we visited innumerable churches, all refreshingly cool, all with the remains of beautiful frescoes, their altars backed by early oil paintings. Outstanding amongst these was of course the 14th century church of St. Anthony of Padua, died 1231, to whom some Christians turn as a last resort when things have been lost.
Cathedral and Baptistry, Padua
Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua
The church is quite plain on the outside, being brick built in the 13th century. Inside however the building is huge and lavishly ornate with the sepulchre holding the remains of the saint in a highly elaborate marble tomb where queues of people waited to lay their hands on it and pray. Frescoes, marble, paintings, richly decorated altar pieces and chalices adorned every corner of the church. As we made our way around the apse we were amazed to hear "Land of Hope and Glory" on the church organ accompanying someone singing an Italian hymn to the tune. It gave us a strange feeling of being very close to home despite our surroundings. Maybe nearly ten months of seeing the marvels of Europe are stirring the odd moment of nostalgia in us!
Frescoes in St. Anthony's, Padua
One of the three cloisters of St. Anthony's, Padua
There is a side chapel where the church relics are held. We had presumed St. Anthony was safely tucked inside his massive, ornate sarcophagus but we now discovered some bits of him were on display in various golden reliquaries. Never having seen authenticated holy vocal chords or a holy tongue before we joined the stream of pilgrims filing past. As if these were not sufficiently fascinating to queue for, we were rewarded with the additional sight of the saint's lower jawbone and teeth very nicely set in a solid gold casket. So we now have a mental image of what is left of St. Anthony inside his tomb patiently listening to granny asking him to help her find her missing dentures, while he has his own concerns about where his own teeth might be and how he had come to lose his voice!
In front of the church of St. Anthony stands a bronze equestrian statue by Donatello, 1447, depicting the Venetian commander Erasmo da Narni, known as Gattamelata (tabby cat) because of his agility and cunning. The horse is massively powerful and it is the first of its size to have been cast in Italy. During the day we also saw the house where Galileo lived when he was a lecturer at the university, and the remains of a Roman circus. Otherwise the day was spent wandering the streets and looking at the countless architectural treasures of Padua that surrounded us.
Erasmo da Narni on his enormous horse, Padua
House of Galileo, Padua
Remains of Roman circus, Padua
Some of the 78 statues in the Prato della Valle, Padua
Caffè Pedrocchi, Padua
Padua has so much it is impossible to try to do it any sort of justice after a visit of a few hours. Unseen today but previously visited are its art gallery with an outstanding collection of works by Italian artists, its botanical gardens and its circular anatomy theatre – the oldest in the world, dating from 1594. Bodies were taken from graves and smuggled in on a barge along a river that flowed beneath the theatre. The anatomy students would gather around on steeply ranked seats to observe the dissection. If there was any risk of a raid – such activities being completely illegal at the time – the body would be lowered back into the barge and the floor laid over the top. An orchestra would be standing by and the students could pretend they were at a completely different type of event!
Being on our feet all day yesterday and again today is exhausting. Churches offer the opportunity to sit down in the cool for a few minutes, but by the time we were on the bus back to the campsite we were both exhausted. We nearly missed our stop as we were fighting sleep at the time.
Now we learn that there is a transport strike in Venice tomorrow. There will be no transport to get us there and no vaporetti to take us around the canals. This is a bit of a blow and we will now need to think through a different strategy. We had planned to move on Saturday as it is expensive staying in this part of Italy so we don't want to waste tomorrow hanging around waiting for the strike to end.
Friday 19th May 2006, Serenissima, Oriago, near Venice
Well we have not done a great deal today but it has been very pleasant and relaxing. It was gone 1am last night by the time we had written up the blog and inserted all the pictures. So this morning we didn't wake until 9am by which time the heat of the day was starting to penetrate to Modestine's interior.
We have now discovered there is very little shade on our pitch. We have also discovered the slightly surreal joy of having a fridge, an efficient fan, double glazing and heat reflective blinds in the middle of a field a thousand miles from home! Modestine really is rather a marvel.
It has been baking today. Far too hot to venture out on Hinge and Bracket until around 4.30 this afternoon. So we have made the best of being marooned on the edge of Venice by a transport strike. We have made full use of a couple of the campsite's washing machines so we are now spotless for future travels. We chased the shade around our pitch until lunch time when it disappeared completely for a while. Then we "holed-up" in Modestine with iced water, our electric fan and all the blinds down - an oasis of cool in a parched and baking landscape. We caught up on correspondence and updating the blog. Around 4pm we let Hinge and Bracket out of their travel bags and took them for a scamper around the countryside.
The campsite is beside the Brenta canal, roughly midway between Venice and Padua. With no buses today the road was particularly busy so we turned off as soon as we could to cross a little wooded bridge across the Brenta to the calmer, pleasant residential area of Oriago, following a route Ian devised from his map through open countryside where maize wheat and poppies grew on the flat plan as far as the eye could see. Our route took us along beside canals and over little wooden hump-backed bridges, passing in front of several of the picturesque villas mentioned yesterday. We'd hoped to visit Villa Widmann Rezzonico Foscari but arrived as it was closing.
Exploring the back streets in an attempt to return to the campsite without using the dangerously busy main road, we discovered a tiny supermarket where we purchased materials for supper and bought a bottle of wine for half the price charged for similar wines on the campsite.
By 7pm we were testing it out after taking a cool shower and feeling much fresher. As darkness fell the nightlife arrived. Gnats and mosquitoes we keep at bay with an assortment of citronella products. The bright blue lights of the fireflies darting around us as darkness falls we are only too delighted to enjoy.
Friday 20th May 2006, Serenissima, Oriago, near Venice
Today we returned to Venice. Strikes were finished and with our 12 euro freedom of Venice cards we enjoyed a restful day seeing the city from the water as we hopped on and off the water buses as the fancy took us. They are very slow, cumbersome and noisy, frequently crowded and invariably battered and rusty. They are part of the Venetian way of life however and a necessary requirement for crossing the city without walking miles to use the bridges and follow the canals. Individual trips are very expensive but our freedom tickets covered not only the boats but the bus between the campsite and Venice. We also used the boats to explore further, visiting a couple of the islands out in the lagoon, though not bothering with the Lido. The whole joy is to escape cars and we could see car ferries taking vehicles across there.
We seem to have done the water equivalent to the city ring road, travelling right around Venice before heading out into the lagoon to the island of Murano. This is a pleasant place, full of shops selling Venetian glass of varying quality. The cheaper end of the market we suspect is actually imported from China. There are furnaces where one can watch glass-blowing as ornaments are formed. Venetian glass is rather curious in that some is really awful and tacky whilst other pieces can be superbly designed and made. These are expensive of course but beautiful for those who appreciate such things. We found it interesting to look around one of the showrooms but there was nothing there we personally would wish to own. Indeed, some of the more elaborate chandeliers and mirrors we found far too glittery and "pretty" for our taste though they were attracting a lot of attention from some American tourists.
Glass mirrors and Chandeliers, Murano
Later we found the church of San Pietro Martire where all the chandeliers were in glass having been especially commissioned. Here they were in a more suitable setting and were quite acceptable. We also discovered the church of Santi Maria e Donato, brick-built Romanesque with a beautiful galleried apse, a very elaborate 12th century mosaic floor and a modern glass font and glass crucifixion.
Santi Maria e Donato, Murano
Venetian glass has been made on the island of Murano since the 13th century. Prior to that it was produced in Venice itself but the fire risk from the furnaces necessitated moving the industry out of the city.
On Murano there is one main canal, crossed by a single bridge, and several smaller ones. Less crowded than Venice with smaller boats and bridges it reminded us very much of Comacchio though grander and more geared to tourism.
In Venice, on the lagoon, and around the smaller islands everything is transported by water. At Murano we passed little greengrocer stalls and bakers floating on the main canal. In Venice we saw a wedding couple and out on the lagoon we passed a funeral on its way to the cemetery.
Floating greengrocer, Murano
Death in Venice
There is an island specifically designated as the cemetery and here Venetians are brought, usually on their last but one boat ride to be interred in the ground or walled up in a stone box in the necropolis. Most do not stay here for ever though. After a certain length of time their remains are gathered together and they are transported by boat beyond the lagoon where they are laid to rest on a reef beneath the sea composed entirely from their decomposed ancestors! A few, such as Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Ezra Pound and several Russian princesses or other special cases are allowed to remain on the island. All this macabre business struck us as a curious way of spending an hour so we caught the ferry to the cemetery island, known as San Michele, and discovered a haven of peace and quiet. We wandered amongst the tombstones lying in rough grass and wild flowers where the only sound was made by the birds in the cypress trees. An elaborate brick wall surrounds the cemetery with gateways for boats to moor with their consignments of one way ticket holders. From within the graveyard we had glimpses of boats and ferries plying their way across the lagoon – the world of the living so close to that of the dead.
Cemetery island of San Michele
Decomposing composer, Stravinski's grave, San Michele
Tomb of Diaghilev, San Michele
Cloisters, San Michele
In a corner of a foreign field we found tombstones of visitors who had died in Venice, mainly in the 19th century. Here we discovered a lady born in Gittisham, Devon. To add to our curiosity, her epitaph was written in French. Something for us to follow up in the archives or the library once we return to Exeter perhaps!
Mary Wilhelmena Marker Pernot from Gittisham, San Michele
We made our way back to the landing stage and took the water bus back to Venice, passing close beside the port full of Greek ferries loading vehicles onboard for the journey down to Crete. We have had several twinges of longing since we have been here, wondering whether we should abandon our plans to go on to Hungary and head for Xania instead. We have such delightful memories of hiring a car some years back and touring around Crete. However, we also recall some of the steep mountain roads. Fine in a Twingo but not ideal for Modestine, good as she is, so we will leave that for now.
Car ferry to Crete, Venice
Back in Venice we took the water bus up the Grand Canal right through the centre of the city as far as the station, looking at all the buildings on one side. Then we caught another one back again, looking at the opposite bank.
San Marco and the Doge's Palace from the Grand Canal, Venice
Ca' d'Oro, Venice
Backwater with washing in Venice
At the Rialto Bridge we got off and treated ourselves to more modest ice creams than those we'd indulged in while in Florence, spent an hour on the internet at a cyber shop where they didn't actually ask to see our passports, and made our way to the bus station for the free bus ride home. We ate supper outside in the gathering darkness with the fireflies again but have been driven inside by moths and gnats where Ian is working out our onward route for tomorrow. It is tempting to go via Slovenia and Croatia but we promised Mike Maguire we'd visit Graz so we will probably head there, cutting across Austria. At least we'll have a brief respite from language struggles there until we get into Hungary.