text:
A world leader in international student placement services
and a proud co-owner of IELTS
Davis Nayagam: Profile of an international student
Davis Nayagam had been working for over three years as Service Desk Analyst then Senior Technical Specialist at IDP Education's Service Desk in Chennai when he felt it was time to pursue an international qualification. In 2014, attracted to the "most liveable city in the world," he decided to pursue his Masters in Information Technology at Swinburne University in Melbourne. He shares with us his experiences as an international student.
1. How will you describe your experience coming to Australia as an international student?
It It was a hassle-free process. The pre-departure session organised by IDP Education was very helpful as I got a chance to meet with other students travelling to Melbourne, Australia especially those enrolled in my university. This helped in planning for accommodation, travel and the orientation day. Swinburne University also did a fine job welcoming us international students.
2. What was your motivation to apply to study abroad?
I have the passion to learn anything that's new and I have always wanted to do a Masters degree in a foreign country. It gives the experience of tasting a different culture and teaches one to be self-motivated and independent. I believe it also brings forth a lot of employment opportunities and career growth.
3. What course are you taking now and in which institution? How are you finding it?
I am pursuing Masters in Information Technology at Swinburne University of Technology which is one of the top ranked universities in Australia. I admire Swinburne's infrastructure, course structure, quality of course delivery and the facilities they offer − no regrets in choosing Swinburne over other universities. There are quite a lot of things to explore too, like they have a lot of communities, clubs and provide free assistance on personal development, career, job to name a few. In order to get the best out of the course and Swinburne, you have to work really hard and put in a lot of effort.
I am also fortunate to have been given a two-year Masters scholarship by Swinburne. By demonstrating excellent academic achievement, I received a significant reduction from my total course fees.
4. How are you finding life in Melbourne?
Melbourne provides a great environment for all ages and it is known for its culture, food, festival, events and sports. You will get a chance to travel on a German car to an American restaurant with your Pakistani and Chinese friends and eat an Italian dish cooked by an Indian chef and listen to music by an Australian artist. I am part of a cricket club so I play indoors, winter and summer cricket, badminton over the weekend with friends and also hit the gym. Melbourne has awesome landscapes, beaches, great roads for a long drive and the famous all climates in a single day. I love Melbourne and its perfect student-friendly atmosphere.
5. What are your future plans?
Right now I aim to complete my studies. However, because I love travelling, I would never miss a chance to explore more places. When it comes to work after my studies, I am driven to be the best at what I do. I want to work somewhere where I'll have opportunities to develop my skills, take on interesting projects, and work with people from whom I can really learn. Lastly, I have fallen in love with this beautiful and amazing country and ever since I visited Tasmania, I have decided that Australia is my home.


text:
Guest Post: An Interested American's Two Cents On The Mumbai Attacks
Given how high emotions appear to be running in many of the comments, and therefore how appalling an attempt at sober political analysis will likely strike many readers, I should probably briefly note where I am, and am not, coming from. I'm an American of neither Indian- nor Pakistani-descent, writing a doctoral dissertation in political science about what the acquisition of nuclear weapons can and can't do for weaker states in conflict dyads. Pakistan vs. India is the most interesting case for such arguments, and India vs. China is another important one, hence my interest in the region. I've spent only one year in South Asia and have not been to Bombay.
I'd like to comment on several issues:
1. Likely motivations for the attacks;
2. Parallels between the strategic situation of Pakistan and anti-Indian
3. The relative importance of that shared strategic situation and the nature the links, if any, between whatever portion(s) of the Pakistani establishment and these particular insurgents;
4. What the US role will likely be and should be; and
5. What lessons India will likely draw from our 9/11 experience and what lessons it should draw.
So first: "Why do they hate us?" This was what we in the States were asking ourselves after the attacks of September 11, 2001 and there were two possible answers:
- "They hate us for who we are," and
- "They hate us for what we do."
Most Americans went with the former because, I'd say, it was comforting and allowed no further debate. Why should we change who/what we are? Especially if who/what we are is great stuff like "freedom" and "democracy," which is of course how we chose to define the issue. The only policy prescription that can come out of such conclusions is to kill or capture as many of them as you can as quickly as you can because how can you deter people who hate you for who you are?
A far smaller number of Americans suspected it was our foreign policy driving things. The locations and target types of al-Qaeda attacks, and how these expanded over time, supported such an assessment. A campaign against what was perceived to be US military occupation of the Arabian peninsula began in the early 1990s with attacks on US troops in Yemen, moved onto US embassies in third countries, and concluded with strikes on civilian as well as military and likely government targets on US soil. So we went from attacks on the actual "boots on the ground" to embassies believed to coordinate intelligence collection in the region to the very top of the ladder back in Washington plus our financial foundations in New York. Given continuing failure to achieve their objectives, each time insurgents faced the choice of "escalate" or "give up," since "more of the same" presumably wasn't getting it done, they chose the former. I suspect this is what's happening in India.
There are two main ways to get an adversary to do what you want. One is to threaten him, which may include actually hurting him in order to make your threats of more pain to come credible, in an effort to make him give in because resisting would mean too much suffering to be worth it. The other is to threaten his military, meaning his ability to achieve his objectives, in an effort to make him give in because resisting you carries too small a likelihood of success to be worth it. Ironically, in asymmetric fights -- either between insurgents and states, such as the LeT and India, or between weak states and strong, such as Pakistan and India, respectively -- only the first type of coercion, a.k.a. "terrorism," is an option. The LeT can't defeat the Indian military in the traditional sense, and the idea of the Pakistani military being able to do so is only slightly less ridiculous. From the other side, the Indian military can't press its advantages too far against Pakistan for fear of tripping the latter's nuclear "red lines" and it can't do much of anything against insurgents as these aren't adversaries with much to actually target. So "terror" becomes the strategy of everyone, and that -- all these self-important"My Bombay," "My Mumbai" articles we're seeing in the NYT and the Guardian aside -- is what we're seeing from both sides, not just one.
So the whole question of "Are the attackers linked to the Pakistani establishment and, if so, how closely?" is a red herring. Any weaker actor facing India -- whether a state, Pakistan, or not, the LeT, etc. -- will attempt to coerce by punishment, ie. commit terrorism, because doing so is their only option besides giving up. (Yes, yes, of course resistance through non-violent means is always an option, but when you're not facing a colonial power on their way out and down anyway it's a very different story: just ask the Tibetans how things are going for them.)
Given all this, and regional realities -- namely, that we need Pakistan to help us with cleaning up, or at least containing, our assorted messes and that we just cut a nuclear deal with India that gave us the short end of the proliferation stick but, we hope/expect, longer-term strategic benefits -- what can the United States do and what will it likely do? I think the answers, the same in the two cases, are "Not much." Structurally, the India-Pakistan problem is very similar to the Israel-Palestinian one: a weaker party dissatisfied with the existing territorial distribution and a stronger one relatively content with it. The only "successes" we've ever gotten in the Middle East have come as a result of making the leverage-less Palestinians swallow absurd deals. However, given our dependency on Pakistan for the war on terror -- not that it's doing much for us -- we lack even this option for "progress" in South Asia.
One thing I've found surprising in this particular crisis -- particularly when one compares it to the one sparked by the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament -- is how subdued the official Pakistani response has been. I see two possible explanations here:
1. In 2001, India couldn't launch a full-scale attack on Pakistan because of the latter's nuclear arsenal (not that such an option would otherwise have been considered) and, much more important, India couldn't launch any limited attacks because it lacked the capability to do so in a timely manner. Pakistan was therefore free to act relatively belligerently. India's "Cold Start" doctrine, developed in response to the perceived failure to have any good limited options in 2001-2002, is coming online though and may explain Pakistan's relative quiet this time around.
2. The Pakistani leadership may not only not have had anything to do with this one but may not even see any potential gain in it.
Particularly given how decent Pakistan's behavior has been this time around, it depresses the hell out of me to see India responding with all the self-righteous fury of the United States post-9/11, rather than concrete plans to work with Pakistan on containing the militancy and making such efforts worth Pakistan's while with some actual progress/concessions on the Kashmir issue. We've seen how unsuccessful Israel's "Do everything we demand and then maaaaaybe we'll talk final status" approach has been with respect to Palestinian militancy, and we've seen how counter-productive (and hideous, immoral, etc.) the US response to our particular problem has been, so I'm very sad to see that India appears to be making the same mistakes.
It is of course fine to decide that suffering one of these attacks every few years is worth the benefits of keeping Indian Muslims fifth-class citizens, keeping Kashmir a garrison state, and being the regional hegemon. We in the US have of course implicitly arrived at the same conclusion vis-a-vis our own militancy problem: the occasional attack from al-Qaeda or whomever is not too high a price to pay to continue to try to run the world and its peoples. Reasonable people can disagree about which side of the cost-benefit ledger is greater in such cases. Pretending the ledger doesn't exist, however, is neither a smart nor an ethical way to move forward.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lopez paces Bluefish over Barnstormers
Updated 11:33 pm, Sunday, September 1, 2013
LANCSTER, Pa. -- Luis Lopez had an RBI single in the seventh inning and run-scoring double in the ninth to lead the Bridgeport Bluefish over the Lancaster Barnstormers 4-2 on Sunday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
Lopez drove home Brandon Chaves to break a 2-2 tie. His double provided an insurance run. He finished with three hits for the Bluefish as did James Simmons.
Bluefish starter Hunter Jones (7-12) earned the victory with 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He allowed five hits and struck out two.
The Fish return home to face the Sugar Land Skeeters in a three-game set beginning Tuesday night at 7.


text:
Assembly leader dated figure in funeral scandal
Assembly leader's ex-date in funeral industry furor
Updated 8:50 am, Thursday, October 10, 2013
For more than a year, Assembly Speaker John Pérez dated a Hollywood funeral director who faces fraud allegations in one of the biggest financial scandals to rock the U.S. funeral industry.
During their relationship, Pérez, a Los Angeles Democrat, mixed political business with his personal life in ways that showed poor judgment, ethics experts say. A Pérez spokesman said the lawmaker conducted himself appropriately during a casual dating relationship.
Tyler Cassity, proprietor of a boutique cemetery called Hollywood Forever as well as a Mill Valley cemetery, and defendant in a $600 million fraud lawsuit in his native Missouri, accompanied Pérez to a series of high-profile public events.
- SF Firefighters rescue woman from 4th floor SF Fire Dept.
- Visionary Journey, Laurie Green San Francisco Chronicle
- Visionary Journey, Laurie Green San Francisco Chronicle
- Visionary Leader, Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca San Francisco Chronicle
- Visionary Journey, Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca San Francisco Chronicle
- Map shows an Oakland that's no longer there East Bay Yesterday/Front Group Design
- Elementary school in Oakland opens time capsule from 1927 San Francisco Chronicle
- Brides of March walk through San Francisco San Francisco Chronicle
- WildCare rescues Western scrub jay from rodent glue trap WildCare
- The Regulars: The Carpenter Jessica Christian
In July 2011, the Assembly speaker took Cassity to a Los Angeles party to honor Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, documents show. In December 2011, Pérez took Cassity on a weeklong lawmakers' junket to Israel, where they met President Shimon Peres and other Israeli officials.
In 2012, Pérez persuaded Sacramento political donors to contribute thousands of dollars to AIDS/LifeCycle, a charity Cassity favors, according to state records. Also last year, Pérez accepted a $1,000 political donation from the funeral director.
Defendants in lawsuit
Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Cassity, his parents and his older brother are defendants in a 2009 lawsuit that contends they looted millions of dollars from trust accounts and insurance policies that were supposed to be set aside to pay for customers' funerals.
The suit was filed by a receiver appointed to oversee the Cassity family's National Prearranged Services Inc. and related businesses after they became insolvent.
In terms of financial losses, the collapse of the Cassity companies may represent "the biggest scam" ever in the U.S. funeral industry, said Joshua Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance reform group.
In 2010, Cassity's father and brother were indicted on fraud charges in the scandal. In July, they pleaded guilty to felony charges.
Cassity himself was not charged with any crimes. However, the receiver's lawsuit contends he committed racketeering and fraud, saying he helped direct improper fund transfers and intercompany loans at the heart of the looting scheme. Cassity and companies he headed got millions of dollars that should have been set aside for customers' funerals, the suit says.
In the indictment of Cassity's father and brother, federal prosecutors alleged that both Hollywood Forever and Cassity's Fernwood cemetery in Mill Valley were operated with illegally obtained funds.
Cassity is fighting the lawsuit, denying in legal filings that he did anything wrong. His lawyer declined to comment for this story. Cassity didn't respond to interview requests.
Pérez became aware "that there was this investigation" of Cassity at some point after they began dating in 2011, said John Vigna, the speaker's spokesman. He said the lawmaker hadn't sought details about what he regarded as allegations "in another state concerning Mr. Cassity and his family and their business" that eventually would be sorted out in the courts. Pérez has seen little of Cassity in the past 18 months, the spokesman said.
'Bad judgment'
Kirk Hanson, executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, said Pérez displayed "colossal bad judgment" in the relationship.
Hanson cited the $1,000 political donation from Cassity as evidence of questionable judgment. It's unwise, he said, for a politician to take donations from someone being sued for financial fraud, because of questions about the source of the money.
It's also a mistake to introduce a person facing fraud allegations to foreign dignitaries, Hanson added, saying that can expose the officials to embarrassment.
Vigna said the British and Israeli governments hadn't asked for background information about Cassity and that Pérez hadn't provided it. Both the Israel trip and the party for Prince William were "meet-and-greets" rather than "events of state" where a participant's background might be relevant, he said.
The spokesman also noted that Cassity has donated to other politicians besides the speaker.
Running for controller
Pérez, 44, is a former labor union official who was elected to the Assembly from a downtown Los Angeles district in 2008. He was named speaker the following year, becoming the first openly gay lawmaker to hold the post. Facing term limits next year, he announced Wednesday that he is running for state controller.
Cassity, 43, went to college in New York, where he was active in the gay rights movement. He has worked as an executive in the family funeral business his entire adult life, records show.
In 1998, with his brother, Cassity bought the Hollywood Memorial Park cemetery near Paramount Studios, burial place of Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks and other film stars.
He renamed it Hollywood Forever and spent millions on renovations to make it a "proud, revitalized cultural landmark," as he told the judge in the lawsuit filed by the receiver.
Under his direction, Hollywood Forever became a popular venue for dance parties, concerts and fundraisers as well as funerals, and Cassity became a local celebrity. Last month, an outdoor screening of the final episode of the television series "Breaking Bad" drew thousands of fans.
In 2004, Cassity bought the Fernwood cemetery in Marin County and promoted it as a venue for environmentally friendly "eco burials."
In an HBO documentary, a New Yorker magazine profile and other news accounts, he has been portrayed as a funeral industry entrepreneur whose innovations have made him millions.
Charges in lawsuit
But the receiver's lawsuit claims that both California cemeteries were subsidized with illegally obtained funds. More than $1 million in customers' money was spent to pay off Cassity's personal credit card, the suit also says.
Pérez and Cassity began dating in 2011 and drew apart in 2012. The lawsuit was under way while they were seeing each other.
At times, the social relationship between the politician and the funeral director also involved money and politics.
In May 2012, the speaker helped make Cassity the top fundraiser for AIDS/LifeCycle's Ride to End AIDS, a San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bicycle tour to raise money to fight the disease.
Pérez reached out to his Sacramento contacts, asking them to sponsor Cassity in the ride, his spokesman said.
An itemized donor list on the AIDS/LifeCycle website shows that Cassity raised more than $53,000. Of that money, more than $33,000 came from lawmakers, lobbyists and Sacramento political contributors with ties to the speaker.
Lawmakers' donations
Fourteen state lawmakers donated, led by Pérez. Six donors were lobbyists, including two former Assembly speakers, Fabian Núñez and Robert Hertzberg. Seven donors have worked for either Pérez's legislative office or his political operation.
Cassity's biggest donations came from three corporate donors that often lobby the Legislature. Two Indian tribes that operate casinos in Southern California gave $5,000 apiece. Anthem Blue Cross, a health insurer that lobbies on a wide range of health care issues, also gave $5,000.
State law requires politicians to file a special report when they arrange a contribution of $5,000 or more for a charity. Pérez reported the tribes' donations for Cassity. His spokesman said Pérez hadn't been involved in arranging the Anthem Blue Cross donation and thus hadn't reported it.
A spokesman for Anthem Blue Cross acknowledged the $5,000 donation for Cassity. In an e-mail, the spokesman said he was trying to learn how Cassity came to the company's attention. But after that, he stopped returning calls.
The independent, nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting is the country's largest investigative reporting team. For more, visit www.cironline.org. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
(Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism)
Abbey Theatre in the Irish Literary Renaissance
Coinciding with a period of great political turmoil and violence as the Irish sought independence from British rule, the Irish Literary Renaissance drew upon Gaelic mythology and an interest in reviving the long-suppressed Gaelic language and rural native culture to conceptualize Irish national and cultural identity as separate and distinct from that of the British. The Abbey Theatre of Dublin, founded in 1903 by playwrights William Butler Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory, opened its doors in 1904. During the Irish Renaissance, which lasted from approximately 1880 until 1930, a generation of Irish writers, seeking to produce a national literature that was uniquely Irish, produced an impressive body of work, much of which was seen on the stage of the Abbey Theatre.
Yeats and Lady Gregory were nationalists and leading figures in the Irish Literary Renaissance, sometimes called the Irish Literary Revival. Prior to the founding of the Abbey Theatre, Yeats, Lady Gregory, and Edward Martyn published a "Manifesto for Irish Literary Theatre" (1897), in which they proclaimed their intention of establishing a national theater for Ireland. In 1899, they established the Irish Literary Theatre and produced such plays as Yeats's controversial The Countess Cathleen (1899), in which the heroine sells her soul to feed her starving tenants during a famine; Lady Gregory's Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902), a rewriting of an old Irish story from the Ulster cycle; and Martyn's The Heather Field (1899). Yeats's nationalistic drama, Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), was one of the most succesful productions of the Irish Literary Theatre.
Yeats and Lady Gregory founded the Irish National Theatre in 1903, and with financial backing from the British producer Annie Horniman, they purchased a permanent home for their theater on Old Abbey Street in Dublin. On December 27, 1904, the Abbey Theatre opened its doors to the public with Lady Gregory's Spreading the News (1904) and Yeats's On Baile's Strand (1904). From the outset, the Abbey commissioned and produced plays that established Ireland's literary reputation and influenced the development of twentieth-century drama. In addition to Lady Gregory and Yeats, who served as the Abbey's directors until their deaths in 1932 and 1939, respectively, and saw the Abbey through a civil war and the founding of the Irish Free State in 1923, many significant writers of the Irish Literary Renaissance contributed plays to the Abbey, among them, J. M. Synge (whom Yeats called "the greatest dramatic genius of Ireland,") Sean O'Casey, Martyn, George Bernard Shaw, Padraic Colum, and George Moore.
According to Yeats's manifesto, his main goal in founding a national theater was to "build up a Celtic and Irish school of dramatic literature." Although both the directors and the playwrights whose works were commissioned shared the goal of producing a uniquely Irish theatre, the question of what constituted Irish theater and how art related to national identity sparked controversy even before the Abbey was established. Of the possible influence the passionately nationalistic play Cathleen ni Houlihan may have had on the men who led the Easter Rebellion of 1916, Yeats reflected, "Did that play of mine send out / Certain men the English shot?" Although some plays inspired nationalistic fervor, others angered nationalists with their depiction of Ireland. The Catholic Church, for example, denounced the vision of Yeats's play, The Countess Cathleen, in 1899, and certainly at least one influential group of nationalists conflated Catholic values with Irish values. Throughout the Irish Literary Renaissance, the Abbey contributed to the conversation about Ireland's national and artistic identity by producing plays that provoked violent reactions from the Abbey's audience, namely The Playboy of the Western World (1907) by Synge and The Plough and the Stars (1926) by O'Casey. Playboy, a black comedy that mocks the pastoral, nostalgic myth-making of Irish nationalism, was greeted by jeers and angry rioting. Newspaper editorials by Irish nationalists accused Synge of obscenity and disrespect for the purity of the Irish peasant woman. Furthermore, as James Kilroy points out in The Playboy Riots (1971), many editorials claimed that the play neither represented the nation nor "reality," and that if it did not represent the nation, then it had no business appearing in a national theater. In 1926, Abbey Theatre-goers again took to the streets, protesting the premiere of The Plough and the Stars, an anti-war play that depicted the Easter Rising of 1916 without mythologizing its leaders. As the Abbey Theatre developed, it rejected a narrowly propagandistic nationalism, embracing a thornier and more complex notion of Irish nationhood and of Irish art.


text:
Clarence Castle Rates and Deals
Clarence Castle Toronto Reviews
2 reviews
Affordable Hostel: Nov 05, 2010
I stayed in this location over the weekend.
The staff is supper friendly, always greeted us with a joke which always made me think.
About 2 blocks from most bars and walking distance to great attractions. Square, china town, stadium.
Price is about 30 a night which is good price for the location.
No lockers but the room has a private key and private bathroom for that room.
Room hosts 6 for us (co-ed) and was great. Felt like a dorm.
Join TravBuddy to leave comments, meet new friends and share travel tips!
128 reviews
The best hostel in Toronto bar none! Dec 31, 2008
This hostel is located just south and east of the Spadina Avenue and King Street West intersection in a parkette surrounded by properties that are over 120 years old AND protected from developement.
Clarence Castle hostel is located at 8 Clarence Square and your hosts, Danny and Oliver, run a tight ship! It is because of their requirement that guests adhere to the house rules is why this place is so good. Their hostel is such a runaway success that they have now acquired a second property at 10 Clarence Square to handle the overflows.
Officially there are 32 beds, but as frequent visitor I know a personal call / e-mail to Danny - NOT on the web site - often can produce extra space even if you end up sleeping in the library or an upper hallway.
The rates are good, made even better as people staying a week only pay for 6 nights.
The dorms are as small as 4 and as large as 8 beds. There is a dedicated women's room and there are 2-bed private rooms. Each room has numerous power outlets.
In addition to individual electrical heat controls in each room there is also central air-conditioning.
In addition the the complete toilets en suite, there are additional toilet / shower facilities in the basement. The bathrooms have safety power outlets.
Included in your daily bed fee is a complimentary breakfast, which is prepared by the guests in the second floor kitchen, which comprises milk and cereal, 2 slices of toast with jam, coffee or tea and a seasonal fruit. Danny does not wash after guests!
Security is good. There is an advanced smoke / fire detector system with alarm lights and horns that comply with Ontario's strict fire code. Additionally, there are closed circuit cameras in many parts of the building. Access to the building is through an electronic lock which is activated by a 'dongal' attached to the key ring guests are provided with that also has a room key on it.
There are two media centres; one in the main floor lounge with seating for about 16 people and a smaller 2-seat media centre on the middle floor. Satellite service is available as is an ever growing video library.
Talking about libraries, there is also a small library located off the ground floor media room where shelved book choices include Canadian travel guides as well fiction and non-fiction reading material.
There is a fully equipped kitchen with both a stove (range), microwave, toaster, TWO giant freezer / refrigerators for guests food storage, a coffee / tea bar for all day drinks and seating for 10 people. Quality flatware (knives, forks, etc), china as well as cooking utensils, pots, pans are also available.
Even better, there is a coin-operated washer and dry located in the basement as well as baggage storage facilities.
Never to be outdone, Danny and Oliver have supplied 3 complimentary InterNet connected computers in a separate room off the ground floor media centre AS WELL AS providing WiFi access for those who have their own devices.
The fresh bedding supplied to each guest upon checking in is professionally laundered including the duvet / blanket. Long stay guests get a bedding change weekly. This is far, far better than the cheap hostels who try, ineffectively, to wash their bedding in small washing machines or laundromats, as you know the bedding is properly cleaned at the Clarence Castle.
Finally, visitors have FREE access to a telephone for local outgoing calls.
There is a strictly enforced quiet period between 23.00H and 08.00H overnight.
GPS locator: 43N38.684 / 79W23.628
Rooms (main building): 8; Largest (people): 8; CAD$27 +/- depending room.
Check-out: 11.00H
Do yourself a favour. Book ONLY the first night on-line then e-mail DANNY and make your entire booking by e-mail.
Naturally nothing is perfect and includes Clarence Castle! Here you have to laugh at Danny's 'jokes'.
NOTE: I am always loath to give full star ratings to any property but quite honestly it was extremely hard to find any detracting features with this property. Simply put, it IS really, really the BEST hostel in TORONTO!
2007 Christmas
Was the recipient of a very appreciated gift. (Can't be mentioned as I don't know how many others got lucky).
2008 Christmas
Christmas Eve Dinner was served to resident guests comprising a fully catered dinner featuring chicken. On Christmas Day a turkey dinner was catered in a similar fashion. The servings were extremely generous with several repeats ( a la Oliver - the movie) for the really hungry.
Thanks Danny and Oliver - the best of hosts!
0 / 1 TravBuddies found this review helpful/trustworthyLink


text:
With $10 and free software, John McElhenney joined a growing number of online activists voicing their concern with Time Warner Cable's plans to implement a tier-based billing structure for Internet users in four cities, including San Antonio and Austin.
His Web site, Meterthis.net, is a one of a handful of sites dedicated to the cause.
Click here to listen to a podcast and learn more about the netroots movement recently credited with helping block the trial slated to start this summer.


text:
Postings about donating, selling or re-selling any drugs are not allowed on this board. Thank you for your cooperation. Anyone who posts about donating, buying or selling drugs will be banned from this board. If you need to contact the board monitor send an email message to:
Over 40 High FSH Board Monitor
Return to Index
Hard to say...
May 6 2012 at 11:24 AM
No score for this post
Kim (
no login
Response to
How many Ivf cycles will you do?
You have to do what is most comfortable for you both - by that I mean physically, psychologically/emotionally, and financially. I would say IVF probably gives you slightly better odds. 3 IVF's is tough. My GYN this week reminded me to make a plan and stick to it with fertility treatments. This is a tough call to say after three rounds of meds, we will quit - but what if you don't go to retrieval. So they you say 3 IVF's, with one CP on the last one. Then you say what if we do it one more time. I think it is hard to set bounderies from the beginning - but after awhile when you feel you have tried all you will either be BFP or know when to move on.
Scoring disabled
. You must be logged in to score posts.
Respond to this message
Find more forums on Fertility
Create your own forum at Network54
Copyright © 1999-2018
. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use
Privacy Statement


text:
Pro Cure Inshore Saltwater Super Gel Scent
Anchovies, sardines, mullet, menhaden, shrimp, squid and ghost shrimp make this gel irresistible to most species. Combine this with powerful amino acids, bite stimulants and UV enhancement and you have one deadly, super sticky scent for fishing the creeks, rivers, estauries and even offshore.
Product Code - 0507


text:
'We were so terrified': Jihadists leave trail of destruction, brutality in Mali town
A ripped up image of Jesus Christ is left on the ground of a Catholic church in Diabaly on Tuesday.
DIABALY, Mali — Burned-out cars lie at the entrance to liberated Diabaly. Nearby, the stench of death rises from the window of an army vehicle discarded by the side of the road; inside are the bodies of four Malian soldiers, presumably slaughtered by jihadists.
The Islamist army stormed through the town last week and left a destructive trail. They ruined the church, smashing away its cross and decapitating religious statues. They looted the pharmacy and destroyed homes. They were joined by Malian soldiers who defected, according to some local residents.
Although the insurgents controlled Diabaly for only a few days, its terrified residents cheered when they left and French and Malian soldiers swept in.
"They are not Muslims," 53-year-old resident Oua Diarra said. "Muslims cannot be thieves. Muslims cannot loot. These men were terrorists.
"The Islamists punished the children simply for crying at the terrible things that they saw … We were so terrified."
The jihadists were driven out before they could impose their form of Shariah law over the town's 40,000 people. They had said that they would do so once their grip on the town had been consolidated.
"Most of us, the people of the town, had not been touched by the Islamists, but we knew that it would not be long," said one man who brought his family into the town square to shake hands and take photographs with the French soldiers. "They had threatened to punish anyone who broke their laws."
Gruesome propaganda videos from militant groups operating in Mali offer a glimpse of life in the militant-controlled north of the country. They include footage of men being lashed at a public ceremony. One video appears to show a man having his hand sliced off.
"The Islamists came with food and said they would soon teach us Islamic law," said Mema Diakate, a resident who giggled with her girlfriends in the town's center. "We knew that eventually we would not be able to stand here — to come outside and laugh and lead our lives."
A resident looks at Islamists' pickup trucks destroyed at a Malian military camp destroyed by airstrikes a week ago in Diabaly on Tuesday.
Many residents in Diabaly described the rebels as "outsiders" and "foreigners" and said they included some "Arab men." They claim fighters from Chad, Somalia and even Afghanistan were among them. Others were deserters from the Malian army who, having failed to protect the town from the militants, dumped their uniforms and joined the enemy.
Although most residents were delighted by the arrival of the French, many were critical of the inability of the Malian army to hold the garrison town.
They recall dozens of fighters — perhaps as many as 200 — managing to flee in a convoy of 4×4 vehicles. Some headed north into the desert — others vanished into forest. Many may have scattered and concealed themselves in the community.
As the French advance north from Diabaly, they are progressing slowly in the knowledge that while their enemy is melting away, it hasn't disappeared.


text:
I finally got off my ever-widening ass and fixed it so y'all could edit your Gallery offerings. Carry on. -- SanyaDismiss Notice
The Zed Gallery
Can't wait for Fan Art Friday? Do you just feel like sharing your creation? Here you go.
Page 2 of 15
Thread Display Options
Page 2 of 15


text:
For a city guy, Sen. Schumer was pretty fired up about cows this afternoon. The senator held a phone press conference decrying a plan from the EPA to tax farmers for each cow on their farms because the methane gas cows produce is considered air pollution according to a Supreme Court decision handed down last year. Farmers would be required to pay $175 per dairy cow and $87.50 per beef cow, a $120 million bill for New York farmers alone.
"It is effectively a tax on cows when they belch," Schumer said. "The idea is absurd and if imposed it would be very bad for our farmers and our economy."
Now before we paint a milk mustache on the senator and line him up for one of those milk ads as the great defender of all things bovine, consider that the EPA said last week it is not proposing a cow tax, or any specific method to regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act, at least not yet.
Schumer said he's not breathing easy as long as a tax that would put local farmers out of business is on the table.
"I want the EPA to take this out of their proposals now, it's worrying our farmers already and it's so absurd we need to put a stake through its heart immediately," Schumer said.
UPDATE: It's worth noting that the Assembly Republican Conference issued an anti-cow-flatulence-tax press release yesterday. Here's a whiff:
" … If ever there was need for a crystal clear example of a federal agency completely out-of-touch with reality, the EPA just filled that bill," (Assembly Minority Leader Jim) Tedisco stated.
"Family farms are the backbone of New York's economy — they simply cannot afford this latest harebrained scheme from the EPA in light of the fiscal downturn gripping our state and our nation," said (Assemblyman Cliff) Crouch.


text:
my synopsis
The past was pain.
The present unclear.
For Tyla Rand, her future couldn't be bleaker. Death follows her everywhere, especially to those she loves. Being a member of the royal pack, she believes her time of happiness will come. That is, until wolves from her old pack show up missing. Her mission is to find them, but she won't be going alone.
Sebastian Lyall, a true born royal and the one man Tyla's been trying to push away, has offered to help in her quest. Their journey not only brings out their true desires, but attracts the attention of another, someone from Tyla's past. However, nothing is as it seems. Death is not done with her and now he wants her to pay. He won't be satisfied until he's taken everything away . . . including those she loves.
my review
Man do I love me paranormal romances and Resisting the Moon is not exception!
In the sequel to Turn of Moon, where we get more incite on Sebastian and Tyla! In this story of the Royal Shifters, we learn more about Tyla and her family and why she isn't and wasn't in a relationship in Roped In (Armed & Dangerous, #1), why she such a good horse trainer, and how she really feels about Sebastian, a royal. On the other side we learn more about Sebastian and his demons, more about his family (his brothers).
"I like watching your cheeks blush. It's sexy as hell."
Tyla is a fighter and a damned good one; no one messes around with her if they know what is good for her. She's also all about family and her pack. She has a deep attraction to one wolf in particular, but fights it tooth and nail. She refuses to give in, not only because she knows Sebastian is pretty much a male slut, but because her track record with relationships has left her never wanting to be in one ever again. She believes that death will always find the ones she loves and keeps closest to her heart. She learned that fact a long time ago when her family was on the run.
Sebastian has always been a protector. It's the life he chose and never regrets. He is one of the reasons that Bailey is alive today and alpha of her pack. However, Sebastian is fighting something dark inside of himself and the only one he knows can cure it is Tyla. He will do whatever he can to make her realize that they should be together.
"She squeezed my hand. "No hurting him," she warned. "He probably doesn't see perky breasts at home." "I don't give a shit if he's never touched a boob. If he stares at either one of my girls again, I'll rip his goddamn eyes out."
I love the spirit and strength that Tyla has throughout this book! She doesn't take crap from anyone, she can hold her own and she loves deeply. I think that is why I liked her so much in Roped In because she was just a strong woman and it carries over into her own story. Her back-story completely makes sense to the type of person she is in Resisting the Moon and why on gods name she would refuse Sebastian.
Sebastian has quickly become my new book boyfriend. So freaking protective over those he cares about, especially Tyla! More men in real life should take some notes from him. The sacrifice he has made for those he loves is admirable and swoon worthy. The way he talks and treats Tyla is just so freaking sexy and the fact that he is a werewolf on top of all that is a bonus. He's a strong willed man, and like Tyla he doesn't take crap from anything or anyone and he never gives up. He is willing to do what is necessary.
"I don't watch afer her anymore. I've chosen someone else to protect." Her head jerked my way and I smiled in answer. "No," she moaned. "That's right, love. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, mated or not."
I love the back-stories that L.P. comes up with for her characters. I appreciate that she doesn't make them long and drawn out, but straight to the point and gives you all the information you need at the time of need. Nothing unnecessary. What I didn't expect was a different point of view at the end of the book. That was a nice surprise and gears you up for what's to come in the future of the series.
Resisting the Moon is another Dover novel that I have added to as my favorite reads of 2015. Can't wait for the rest.
my excerpt
"Can I help you?" I asked, turning to face Sebastian Lyall.
His whitish-blond hair was perfectly coifed in messy spikes, his light blue, button down shirt matching the color of his eyes. The last thing I needed was to look into them. He'd had me tongue tied several times in the past and it ended up making me look like an idiot.
Smirking, Sebastian stepped closer, holding out a hand. "Would you care to dance?"
Rolling my eyes, I nodded toward the group of women in the corner who watched his every move. "Why don't you ask one of your groupies? I'm sure they'd be more than willing."
He and his brothers, Micah and Zayne, along with Colin, were hot commodities in our pack. They were all royal wolves—the elite. No female could resist them, except me that is. I couldn't complain though; the royals helped make our pack invincible.
Sebastian leaned closer, his gaze serious. "I asked you, Tyla Rand. Besides, there's something I need to tell you."
"Why do we have to dance in order for you to spill? Just say it now."
Chuckling, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dance floor. "What's the matter, afraid to be close to me? I promise I won't bite."
Right. Huffing, I reluctantly walked onto the dance floor just when the tempo changed to a slower, sensual beat. "You've got to be kidding me," I growled. Other couples joined in and held each other, swaying to the music, while I stood there like a fool.
Grabbing my other hand, Sebastian pulled my arms around his shoulders and put his around my waist. "See? Not so bad."
I glared up at him. "Just keep your hands from wandering. Now what do you want to talk about?" His hands snaked lower and I growled. "Keep it up and see where your hands end up next."
Chuckling, he lifted them higher. "I like watching your cheeks blush. It's sexy as hell."


text:
Now that Windows Phone 7 is out, it is time to look at some of the best apps available in the Marketplace. The first thing users do after configuration their new phones is to search for useful apps.
Tag Archives: Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 Apps Review
Use ChevronWP7 to Unlock Windows Phone 7
Now you can unlock Windows Phone 7 without Marketplace developer account. Chevronwp7 manage to develop this unlock tool for Windows Phone 7.
Hot New Features of Windows Phone 7 Mango
Tuesday morning, Microsoft took the wraps off "Mango," an update to its Windows Phone 7 platform that includes more than 500 new features designed to improve multitasking, offer more dynamic information and make apps and the OS work together more efficiently.
Secure Windows Phone 7 with Seven Tricks
its always a good practice to follow some basic steps to ensure the security of your smart phone, since you carry your important data and your virtual world in it!
How to Secure Your Smartphone
With phones falling into the wrong hands every day and California residents subject to warrantless cellphone searches, now's a pretty good time to think about protecting your smartphone. Fortunately, it's pretty easy and we'll walk you through the process.
Windows Phone 7 Facial Recognition Coming Soon
A Windows Phone 7 developer called Vangos Pterneas has created a facial recognition system for WP7 based devices. The new system uses the Facelight libraries that are open source.
Use ChevronWP7 to Jailbreak Windows Phone 7
No one likes a mobile phone with too much restrictions and that is the reason why jailbreaking has become so popular and legal. Just like the iPhone, the newly launched Windows Phone 7 (WP7) can now be jailbroken.
17 Windows Phone 7 Tips & Tricks
Now that you finally have got your Windows Phone 7 (WP7) handset and presumably it has made your life easier and faster, it is now time to know how to use some of the most important features that you might not be aware of.
Android vs Windows Phone 7: Will WP7 win Android?
WP7 is a new smart phone platform that is looking to attract users from Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. Windows Phone 7, although new, does not bring anything groundbreaking to to table. Consumers have been putting WP7 to the test and across the board, the reviews have been positive.
Windows Phone 7's Secret Weapon: Games?
A recent study shows that Microsoft has fallen to practically a footnote in the mobile market, with only 5% of market share. Given that Microsoft has just launched a new mobile gaming studio, it may well hope that tapping into its Xbox market can save Windows Phone 7.


text:
Honestly I felt that Yu-na looked a bit releaved after the performance. I think that she was really putting a lot of stress on herself to be perfect, and I think she maybe needed a bad skate.
1. She looked like she retied them right before she skated, during Flatt's wait for marks. Or am I misremembering?
2. What I hope is that the other skaters learn that she's not invincible. At the last worlds, Rochette admitted in a post-SP interview that she/everyone were basically skating for second now. I want Joannie to play it safe at Skate Canada and actually get to the GPF, and then explode. I know she wants that 3-3 to work (so do I). Truthfully, I think that Yu Na Kim's excellence is exciting in and of itself. While there might be no question as to the outcome (pre Skate-America, anyway) - and reading comments here, there truly wasn't - the fact that she was so on and so awesome and beautiful was just thrilling for me. So I still want that. But now... it's a whole new ballgame.
Honestly I felt that Yu-na looked a bit releaved after the performance. I think that she was really putting a lot of stress on herself to be perfect, and I think she maybe needed a bad skate.
Last edited by bekalc; 11-15-2009 at 07:50 PM.
Well, humbug. I still hope she tries it in the GPF, in either long or short.
Oh, probably true. But in my fantasy world, she nails it in both the short and the long, cracks the 200 points barrier and sets up a real battle at the Olympics.
After I watched Yuna's FS with cold head, I think that most of us were really exagerrating on how bad it was or if it was overscored. I think we all had some kind psychological shock because of her fall and because of her first errors. She really wasn't that bad. I mean, we all have seen worse.
In her best days, she could land 5 clean triples, and this is supposed to be the GREATEST lady skater. haha. dont tell me those 3 2As... I know 2A is worth 3.5 pts.
Last edited by lakeshore; 11-15-2009 at 08:32 PM.


text:
Hey guys,
I'm looking to recruit members for my Grand Theft Auto V Crew; Gasmask Legion.
Looking for semi-serious, team players who can also have fun goofing around. Add "Imnotokay17" on Social Club if you're interested.
1 reply to this topic
Posted 12 September 2013 - 12:56 AM
Hey guys,
1 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
York, Maine 03902 $2,800,000
Listed by Anne Erwin Real Estate of Anne Erwin Sothebys International Rlty
Call Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty Real Estate for more information.
4 bed / 6.0 bath
- Property Type: Residential
- Suitable Use:
- Date Showings Begin:
- Delayed Showing: No
- State: Maine
- Street: Agamenticus
- Zip Code: 03902
- Town: York
- APX Fin Ag SqFt: 4,813
- Bedrooms: 4
- Total Bathrooms: 6.0
The New England Real Estate Network provides Multiple Listing Services (MLS) in the States of New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine.
Copyright© 2018 The New England Real Estate Network. All rights reserved. This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The data relating to real estate displayed on this Site comes in part from the IDX Program of NEREN. The information being provided is for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Data last updated on 03/19/2018.


text: TFLcar presents a Car Quiz segment, and this is a special edition of the Modern car quiz. This is the next in a regularly scheduled series. Can you tell us the Year, Make, and Model of this car? Please be as specific as possible. Quiz Rules: New 'Car Quiz' is posted every Monday


text:
Amazon.com today unveiled an online software store for Spanish speakers.
The content is primarily in English, but it sells Spanish-language and bilingual software products with Spanish descriptions.
The store is meant to cater to students and the 1.6 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S., according to Amazon's citing of U.S. Census Bureau figures.
(The page has a red, green and yellow border, with a little funky design. You can check it out here.)
"The Amazon Software en Espanol Store introduces a more personalized customer experience that will provide millions of consumers with access to a wide selection of software products in Spanish," said Greg Hart, Amazon's vice president of software and video games, in a statement.
Amazon already has a Libros en Espanol Store and a Latin Music Store.


text:
AP photo
Deadlock or action? Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, could answer the question this week.
Welcome to New York on the Potomac's "The Week Ahead," a preview of events to come on Capitol Hill and at the White House this week.
This week's report was written by William K. Moore of ViaNovo.
Congressional leaders met last week with President Obama to determine the agenda for the balance of the lame duck session of Congress and agreed to negotiate terms for extending current tax policies, many of which expired or will expire in weeks. Other issues, such as program authorizations (including unemployment compensation) and fiscal 2011 spending, took back seats to resolving the revenue issue.
Amid public and private negotiations, House Democrats passed an extension of current tax rates for families making less than $250,000. On Saturday, the Senate voted not to debate the House bill, falling short of the 60 vote needed for cloture. Senators also failed cloture on extending lower rates for families making less than $1,000,000. Generally, Democrats supported extending lower rates, Republicans held out to extend lower rates for all income groups.
Four post-election polls show that half the public wants lower rates extended only for families with incomes below a threshold (such as $250,000) and about one-third wants lower rates for all incomes. Only about 15 percent of the public wants current rates to rise, which would be the outcome of the current stalemate.
If there is a breakthrough, it will likely occur through negotiations between the White House and Senate Republicans. If a tax deal is reached, pressure will grow to pass a year-long continuing resolution to fund government at fiscal 2010 levels. Should those items be resolved, House leaders may lose their quorum to continue passing bills that senators will snub.
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are pressuring the Senate to remain in session to debate a nuclear arms treaty with Russia. If the Administration can get a vote, it appears the treaty would win the support of the 67 senators needed for ratification.


text:
You can read about all shapes and sizes of robots in these columns, big, small, serious, funny…but never before a robot for lazy sperm. A joke? Not at all. We're talking about some serious work being done in Dresden, in Germany, which involves helping a sperm that is incapable of getting to fertilize an egg itself. The essence of this robot is a helical ribbon, controlled remotely by a magnetic field. This microscopic spiral - made by 3D printing - comes up behind a sperm, encircles its tail, and propels its victim like a prisoner towards the egg.
According to these images, the process has been successfully carried out in a petri dish. More long and patient research remains to be done before these results can be obtained in areas more suited to the reproduction process
Like much work of this nature, it raises some ethical questions, but experience shows that no matter whether we think it is good or bad, ethical or not, if it is possible it will be done somewhere one day.


text:
Welcome to The GRID
Created by RedBack Studios,The GRID has been operating 'under the radar' for the past 2 years. This innovative concept leverages an explosive business model in fresh, new and exciting ways.
With 2 years of tried and tested results – we know the model works!
The GRID involves taking social networking and search engine optimisation to a whole new interactive and customised level shunning the manipulative 'black hat' techniques and strategies promoted by unscrupulous Internet Marketing spruikers.
This is NOT a model designed to 'get rich quick, make money in your underpants while you sleep to become the next information product millionaire.'
The GRID was constructed for real, everyday brick and mortar businesses including plumbers, electricians, butchers, restaurants, bakers, dentists, chiropractors, engineers, retailers, financial planners…
Registration and participation in The GRID is a monitored directory and all listing will be first approved.
For more information, contact us at your convenience.


text:
Balboa Island Homes
Historic Home Plaque Program
We have a walking tour brochure of our historic homes. Use our 2015 Historic Homes Tour Map to see the various years of construction.
If your Balboa Island house is 60+ years old (built prior to 1957), your home qualifies to be recognized as a historic home. You can order and display a plaque for $250 which included a $50 Crystal membership. The bronze plaque is engraved with the words "Balboa Island Historical Society" and the date that the house was built. Please note that this plaque designates year of construction only and does not place any restriction on property. There are currently 145 plaque holders on Balboa Island.
To request a Historical Home Plaque please download and complete the following program form:
For more information, contact Jennifer Keil (949) 675-3952 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Become a History Detective
Photos of Homes and Businesses
We have photographed and cataloged the 1533 houses and business on the island. Please view the album here or search the accession number "2014.39" in our archive to see the entire collection.


text:
HK dockworkers accept pay offer, end 40-day strike
HONG KONG — Hong Kong dockworkers have accepted a 9.8 percent pay increase, ending a 40-day strike that slowed traffic at one of the world's busiest ports.
About 90 percent of the workers voted late Monday in favor of the offer from four middleman contractors that provide staff to a container terminal operator controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.
|The article you requested is no longer available on BostonHerald.com.
- More On:
- Li Ka-shing


text:
NYC Escort New York Asian Gallery is a New Asian escorts agency which provides Asian, Oriental escorts for In call and Out calls in the New York area. Asian Gallery is open 24 hours a day and 7 days per week. It means we have no day-offs and our objective is to provide quality escort service for gentlemen.
We can guarantee escort service within 30 minutes after the appointment is made. Single or duo escorts sessions are available, so, please do not hesitate to ask.
Asian Gallery will take care of you from your initial contact and ensure that the high-calibre escort girls in New York you are introduced to can be relied upon to provide company for any occasions.
NY Asian Gallery's Asian and Oriental escorts are good looking and with charming, fun personalities. Each entertainer is caring and discreet.
NYC Escort New York Asian Gallery proudly features the hottest, most gorgeous and intensely sensual Asian escorts New York. Seriously, the pretty girls that we have to offer are true professionals at delivering the kind of girlfriend experience that will make you gasp for more and more. With them, you are going to have the best time of your life, and actually remember the experience forever! Be it hanging out with you at business and social events, or dining out on a romantic date, or perhaps even getting outright naughty and sharing some intensely naughty secrets, these ladies are going to make you go crazy!
What truly sets our Asian escorts New York apart from the rest is the basic fact that they aren��t just pretty and sexy. Instead, they are also rather down-to-earth, highly qualified, and intelligent too. Mix all of that with their intense beauty and you are bound to experience what heaven on earth is really like!
To be honest, there are countless reasons why you can assure yourself that the girls at New York Asian Gallery are simply the best! They have just the kind of appeal that is going to charm every single person around you. The only thing that you need be concerned about is that of getting all prepped up for becoming the center of attention of every single person at the event that you are going to.
Pick from amongst the finest Asian escorts New York by checking out our photo gallery.
All you discerning gentlemen out there who are interested in taking on the services of a beautiful babe to accompany them for business and social events should definitely check out our photo gallery right away! While doing so, you can rest-assured that every single picture present there is real �C no Photoshop usage, no fake profiles! Not at all! We are thorough professionals in the field of adult entertainment and will never let our clients down by presenting fake photos. What you see on our picture gallery is exactly what you are going to get! All of our girls are guaranteed to deliver adult entertainment that is simply the best around. In their company, the one thing that you are bound to have is outright fun!
Every single Asian escort New York has been trained to perfection when it comes to delivering outright sensual girlfriend experiences to all of their clients. On your date with them, you are bound to experience intense pleasure, and the best part is that these ladies are truly discreet. This means that you can delve out your naughtiest secrets and they are going to keep them safe! Alluring, professional, busty, and voluptuous �C girls couldn��t get better than that!


text:
Misinforming Knowledge through Ontology
Davey, Bill, Tatnall, Arthur, Issues in Informing Science & Information Technology
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has now a recognised ontology modelling language (W3C 2004). Tools exist such as Chimera from Stanford University (Stanford, 2004) that allow us to [perform analysis on ontologies embedded in web sites. These developments allow us to use software agents to deliver meaning rather than flat text. This meaning can come from the web, or from documents within an organisation, analysed through the organization onotology. When we rely on computer systems to support decision making with derived knowledge, the underlying model used by the computer system must be trusted. Systems based on ontology have a serious flaw in that the ontology grows from a seed that defines the breadth of knowledge that can be organised. If this seed (called the bootstrap) includes domain knowledge, but no knowledge of the people working in the domain, then we cannot trust results.
Webster's Dictionary defines ontology as "the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being, reality, or ultimate substance." However, Abou-Zeid (2003) recognises that, for the AI (artificial intelligence) community what 'exists' is that which can be represented, and ontology from this perspective is "an explicit specification of conceptualization." Knowledge management systems can 'create' knowledge by semantic analysis of a database (often called an 'organisational memory') of data gathered from interactions between members of an organisation and the knowledge management system. To perform such a semantic analysis the knowledge management system must have created a formal language specification of all the concepts used in the organisation. This formal specification of 'what is' for an organisation is the ontology. An illustration taken from software of Sheth, Thacker and Patel (2003) shows this:
Earthquake (latitude, longitude, region, event Date, description, damagePhoto, numberOfDeaths, magnitude);
This definition is of a class that will define the ontological entity earthquake. In this problem domain, whenever the term 'earthquake' is used it must have the parameters: latitude, longitude, region etc and nothing outside this list of parameters has anything to do with earthquakes. By tightly specifying the language of a problem domain we allow the knowledge management system to perform analysis amongst the data captured.
Software to date has been capable of gathering fairly mundane engineering aspects of the processes and operations of organizations. Current research into knowledge acquisition focuses on enriching knowledge capture and creation, and this enrichment requires more sophisticated ontology to underlie the process. What can happen if the ontology is flawed is that analysis is based on oversimplified concepts leading to conclusions that either have little relevance or are flawed as they leave out important factors. This is particularly important when relationships are omitted from an ontology. Imagine a virtual organisation containing two companies; a wine maker in the Barossa Valley and a wine distributor with warehousing in Melbourne and Brisbane. Analysis of captured data from a time and motion study is in the form "shipping to Melbourne will take 24 hours, shipping to Brisbane will take 36 hours" and this is used to make scheduling decisions. In operation the system is found to deliver to Melbourne in 24 hours and to Brisbane in 52 hours. Detailed study of the delivery shows that the trucks going to Brisbane are always loaded last at the winery because a competing company shipping to Brisbane pays more for the wine and is given preference. This class of problem with ontology is due to the difficulty of starting an ontology. Once seeded with useful data an ontology will grow to include all, important factors. The problem is that seeding or 'bootstrapping' of ontologies often ignores whole areas of data, particularly that data to do with relationships between actors. …


text:
Royal Dutch Shell has expressed interest in marketing Alaska's share of natural gas from the proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline and indicated the company would soon submit an independent proposal to the state to market its gas.
Shell is one of the largest transporters and marketers of natural gas in the world.
"One of the key features of the gas pipeline contract is that the state will take its gas in kind. While this provides significant financial benefits to the state, some have expressed concern about the state's capacity to market that gas," said Gov. Frank Murkowski, who met with Shell Executive Director of Exploration and Production Malcolm Brinded when the two met in The Hague, Netherlands on Tuesday.
"It is of tremendous value to have a worldwide industry leader and expert in gas marketing and transportation such as Shell express interest in marketing the state's gas."
Shell's emerging presence in Alaska and the company's potential role in marketing Alaska's vast resources of coal and natural gas were the subjects of the meeting.
The governor also requested that Shell appoint a team of experts to evaluate a syngas project proposing the use of Beluga coal. Syngas could provide feedstock for Agrium's Kenai nitrogen facility and could be used to provide gas to the Marathon and ConocoPhillips LNG plant, which faces contract renewal in 2009.
Further benefits from the project could be the development of a large coal co-generation plant for power or the reinjection of CO2 from the coal syngas back into Cook Inlet wells to maintain production.
Syngas also can be used to create synthetic petroleum, which could be exported or used in Alaska. The Taiwanese government has expressed an intense interest in this process because of their dependence on imported petroleum.
The state will create a team to begin detailed examination of a syngas project with Shell and other interested parties.
"Every effort must be made to ensure the continued operation of the two Kenai area plants, which are major employers," Murkowski said. "We have the resource coal and the promise of technology to fully unlock the potential of that resource to benefit Alaskans."
A detailed discussion was held on the development of hydrogen as a clean, sustainable source for power generation in rural areas. Iceland is using hydrogen on some buses and cars and will be supplying it to fishing vessels.
A prototype currently is operational in a village in Norway. A wind turbine provides the power to produce the hydrogen which is then stored and powers two 600 kW fuel cell generators.
"This technology has the potential to be of tremendous benefit to our rural regions," Murkowski said. "With the high cost of energy in rural Alaska, it is critical that we fully explore alternative sources of energy."
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Hey girls, if you're on facebook could you please help? =)
Are you on facebook? I could really use your help voting for Willow Anne in the December Faces of Royalty pageant. It is a 'likes' competition.
I'd love you forever and always!!! You guys have been awesome friends.
You can add me on Facebook too, we aren't already friends on there. =) Sorry I can't seem to make them clicky.
Thanks sweetie! I have no idea where both of my daughters got the bright blue eyes! LOL My husband I both have hazel eyes. haha
Quoting jrobertson20:
So cute.....her eyes are amazing!!!!
I liked her, she is just beautiful, here eyes are amazing.
You girls are so, so sweet. Thank you!! I just adore her. Her daddy and I are smitten with her! <3
Oh wow! She has the most intense eyes ever! She is beautiful! I'll vote!
Thank you so much! =)
Quoting ShaunnaMichelle:
Oh wow! She has the most intense eyes ever! She is beautiful! I'll vote!


text:
|Skyler Zabini
|Member Since:
|Track This Author:
|Stories Posted:
|Reviews Posted:
|Favorite Author of:
|< 1>|
: Right Kind Of Wrong by Skyler Zabini
Deserae Dioviaune Trystan Yvanne O'Conner is an pureblood slytherin through and through until she actually starts school. Now thrown into a variety of perspectives Desee isnt sure what is right or wrong anymore. To make matters worse Desee finds out how her mother died and she is in an arranged marriage? How is a fourteen year old suppose to cope with that?
Genres: Young Adult Era: Hogwarts Characters: Blaise (M), Draco, George, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, OC , Pansy, Ron Pairings: Ron/OC, Harry/Hermione, Draco/OC, Ginny/OC, OC/OC
Advisory: Strong Language, Strong Violence, Scenes of a Mild Sexual Nature, Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme
Published: 2011.07.11 Latest Chapter: 2011.07.21 Updated: 2011.07.21 Status: WIP (1094 words)


text:
13 Aug 2017 - 2:12
Siege: NHRC receives 3,269 complaints
By Mohammed Osman / The Peninsula
Qatar National Human Right Committee (QNHRC) has received over 3,000 complaints of human rights violations since the current siege of Qatar. The rights body said yesterday it had received a total of 3,269 complaints since the blockade was imposed on June 5.
Only around ten or so days are left for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah (Haj) and restrictions imposed by Saudi authorities have still not been lifted, said Dr Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri, Chairman of NHRC.
A total of 21,255 people have so far applied to perform Haj this year and the quota strength is only 2,400. The deadline for people travelling by road for Haj is August 21, and for those flying is August 26, but Saudis remain adamant on not lifting the restrictions.
The committee has urged the Saudi authorities to lift all restrictions, open direct flights to Jeddah and open the land route instead of insisting on forcing pilgrims from Qatar to travel through a third country which is hard for the elderly and low-income pilgrims, specially expatriates, said Al Marri, speaking at press meet at the NHRC headquarters.
If these restrictions, which include stopping companies from giving accommodation, food and transportation in Saudi Arabia to Qataris, are not withdrawn the committee will keep seeking support of international human rights organisations to protect the religious rights of the citizens and to end exploitation of Haj for political goals, he added.
Propaganda against Qataris, especially that linking them with terrorism, is endangering their safety, he said, adding that NHRC had received many complaints from Haj operating companies that are facing hardships in running their business. The committee has urged Islamic scholars and related entities to persuade Saudi authorities end measures taken against pilgrims from Qatar.
NHRC recently noted that Saudis have scaled back some measures taken against their citizens living in Qatar, which is a positive development, Al Marri said. They allowed Saudi students studying in Qatar to continue their education, as well as let Saudi businessmen with permanent residency in Qatar stay and run their business.
In another positive development, the Saudis have allowed Qatari students to enter Saudi but UAE and Bahrain continue to stonewall them despite a majority of the students being in UAE universities, said Al Marri. Saudi said it will allow their entry through border checkpoints but no details were given about implementing the decision, leaving it to whims of border officials. The total number of complaints received by the committee from Qatari students affected by the siege are 201 students and majority of them were studying in the UAE (122 students) Saudi Arabia (52) and Bahrain (27). The committee also received complaints of 459 expat workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and other Asian countries, who are facing difficult living situation in Saudi Arabia and not allowed to enter Qatar with their Qatari employers. Al Marri also said their problems were discussed with the concerned embassies, but the their case is pending.
However, the authorities did not allow in a similar way to some 984 Qatari businessmen and owners of properties and livestock (Saudi Arabia 607, the UAE 331 and Bahrain 46). At least holders of unified ID numbers should be allowed to enter Saudi to look after their businesses and properties, he said. Violations to the rights of the Qatari investors and owners of properties by the siege countries and their deportation reflect that the investment environment in these countries are not secure, he sad, adding local, international and GCC laws should be respected.
NHRC has noted many violations to the rights of people with disabilities to get treatment, move their necessary equipment.
Al Marri also expressed his disappointment on the silence of Arabic League, Islamic Cooperation Organization and GCC regarding the ongoing violations to the rights of Qatari and other GCC citizens.


text:
In a world full of romantic comedies, we get that living the single life can be tough. But instead of looking at the glass half empty and thinking you'll die old and alone, try relishing all the amazing reasons why it's totally fabulous to live life as a free and unattached woman.
When you're single, you have the time to find out what's best for you. And whether that means focusing on your career or finally achieving that beach-ready body, the amount of "you time" is literally endless.
OK, so maybe some friends come and go. But when you're single, you and your girls can do whatever the heck you want.
Say it with us: Free drinks are the best drinks. And you don't have to feel guilty about harmless flirting to get them.
Take it from Julia, relationships with food are often the best kind of relationships ever.
And never have to share even the tiniest sliver of space. Let's face it, sharing everything kind of sucks, especially the bathroom.
We're just gonna leave this here.
Yes, you can hog as much of the covers as you want.
And never have to worry about blaming those tears on nonexistent allergies again.
Say goodbye to boring and awkward convos about stuff — insert useless political argument here — you really couldn't care less about.
Your skin can finally breathe now! Plus, if you were with someone who couldn't see you without makeup on, good riddance.
Hello, granny panties!
Make #NoShaveNovember a permanent thing.
Go ahead, take a big sigh of relief.
Or any other male celebrity you constantly fantasize about.
Say hello to your little friend.
Grab your girls and go, go, go!
And can buy yourself that (insert wishlist item here) you've always wanted.
Besides, do those friends of friends even care who you're dating anyway?
Farts are totally welcome, too. Yes, I went there.
That will stop Grandma's never-ending "Why are you still single" questions.
So awkward but so fun.
Yep, you totally can Netflix-and-chill alone.
Take that, obnoxious couples everywhere!
Rock on, sassy single ladies everywhere!
And you'll see personalized content just for you whenever you click the My Feed .
SheKnows is making some changes!
b e h e a r d !
Welcome to the new SheKnows Community,
where you can share your stories, ideas
and CONNECT with millions of women.Get Started


text:
Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my month off and benefited greatly from the time to re-organize and plan another year, I am looking forward to seeing all my students again! We have our September Surprise! kickoff tomorrow and then lessons resume next week. I've been doing lots of thinking, evaluating, and mapping out goals for the year. In the midst of working on goals for my students, though, I was especially grateful for this article that was included in David Cutler's most recent issue of The Savvy Musician Newsletter (you can sign up to receive this wonderful, free newsletter on the home page of The Savvy Musician website!).
New (School) Year Resolutions
by David Cutler
Believe it or not, it's back to school time again! Before things get too hectic, here's a question for music students (and professors, and the rest of us): What specific actions will you take this academic year to advance your career? Sure, you'll improve playing and other artistic specialties. But from a professional point of view, how will you be closer to life goals next May than now?Take a moment to ponder resolutions, and WRITE THEM DOWN. Notated aspirations are significantly more likely to be realized than those that aren't. Here are 10 possibilities:
- Project. Bring a sellable passion project to fruition: recording, book, concert program, teaching studio, etc.
- Branding. Build your brand so others immediately identify you with a unique and compelling artistic disposition.
- Internet presence. Create a website, start a blog, boost social media efforts and web footprint.
- Portfolio. Compile a professional portfolio consisting of bio, photo, musical samples, testimonials, programs, brochures, and other materials.
- Internship. Obtain an internship within an entrepreneurial environment.
- Mentor. Engage a career mentor (in addition to your musical mentor) who can help you focus priorities and move towards success.
- Network. Meet and build strategic relationships with 5-20 new people who have the potential to be pivotal in your career.
- Contact list. Build your contact list of people who care about what you do to at least 300-500 people (either through a site like Facebook or–better yet–your own newsletter mailing list).
- Books. Read at least 5 books focusing on business, marketing, and career issues.
- Blogs. Regularly follow at least 3 blogs that focus on career and industry related issues.
I don't know about you, but I'm inspired just reading the above list! I've printed it out and am hoping to spend some time in the next few weeks jotting down my specific goals and ideas. Maybe I'll even post some of the things I come up with here on the blog! How about you? Are you working toward any specific goals this year? Maybe we can inspire and encourage each other in our endeavors!
Also, remember to enter the drawing to win a free autographed copy of The Savvy Musician!


text:
(Literary Masterpieces, Volume 13)
Several years ago (in the American Scholar, Summer, 1978), Paul Breslin delivered a powerful attack on a group of poets, including William Matthews, whom he called "the new surrealists." In Breslin's view, these poets are imprisoned in a rigidly Jungian view of the poem as an interior journey, by a Jungian predisposition to refer poetic symbols to archetypes prior to the context of a particular poem and to the personal history of a particular poet, and by a stock poetic diction. Breslin's lexicon of the new poetic diction should sound distressingly familiar to inveterate readers of contemporary American poetry; words such as stones, silence, water, light, absence, sleep, and darkness are the stock of much of the going trade. The favorite word of these poets is stone; for stone, Breslin argues, is a symbol of the collective unconscious. Breslin's new surrealists reject, implicitly, the ego of Freudian psychology, and participate in a solipsistic, dehumanizing irrationalism, treating the unconscious as a mysterious god.
Although Breslin's essay is brilliant and challenging, many of his generalizations will not stand up when applied to the work of the poets he censures. Such is certainly the case with William Matthews. Matthews' poems from the first have been uncommonly good; since Broken Syllables (1969), he has been a good poet getting better, with a variety of tones and subjects at his command. Some of his poems are interior journeys, to be sure, but—others, dramatic, narrative, descriptive, lyric—are public, outward gestures. To reread his earlier books is a pleasure, and one will find in them only a few poems that accommodate Breslin's thesis: for example, "Goodbye Again" (in the 1975 collection Sticks & Stones), a poem typified by lines such as these:
In one pocket the stonesare laying their eggs.I throw my breathover my shoulder.
In any case, Flood shows that Matthews has emerged as a major poet whose work transcends (and to some extent contradicts) the terms of Breslin's argument.
A specifically personal past, implicitly—and at times explicitly—understood from a Freudian perspective, has always been important in Matthews' poetry. In an early poem, "Psychoanalysis" (in the 1970 collection Ruining the New Road), Matthews trolls the surface of the past in a "glass-bottomed boat . . . letting down/ the line" to where the "parents and siblings lurk/ among the coral with thick eyes" in the hope that "it will come up slick/with significance, laden/ with the sweet guilt you can name." Much of Flood is reminiscence; one memorable poem, "Housework," describes the poet's boyhood room. There "the tiniest socks ever knit/ are crumpled on a chair." The boy the poet was sleeps "like a cat in a drawer,/ in this house memory is always dusting." The poem itself is the act of dusting, a saving act because reminiscence is a "lie of memory unless it be made clean." Far from fleeing from the ego and its guilts, as Breslin describes the central impulse of his "new contemporary poets," Matthews seeks to encounter a historical self and to understand the predicaments that make such an encounter difficult to achieve. Thus, he remarks in "Our Strange and Lovable Weather,"
anyplace lies about its weather,just as we lie about our childhoods,and for the same reason: we can'tsay surely what we've undergone,and need to know, and need to know.
Perhaps there is something self-consciously Frostian in Matthews' repetition of...
(The entire section is 1613 words.)


text:
Letter: Praise to McCoy for sound budget
Published 9:12 pm, Sunday, November 3, 2013
Fall brings a number of things that are worth celebrating: cider doughnuts, high school sports and, in government, budget season.
Our budget season is year- round. We started working on this upcoming budget 18 months ago, six months of scrutiny and 12 months of monitoring. Our approach is far different from past practices and is why we turned a fund balance deficit into a surplus and have met the 2 percent property tax cap since its inception.
That's why I took note when Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced that Albany County was proposing a 1.6 percent increase, below the tax cap for the first time. It's great news and not easy. Selfishly, as mayor of a city within Albany County, it was done without passing on costs or decreasing sales tax revenue from us.
As a local leader, I know this is difficult. Costs and mandates are rising and too often taxpayers bear the brunt. In two years, the county executive has shown he is willing to work with us to maintain services and to move forward on efforts to share services.
For example, the successful consolidation of local dispatching into the county 911 center and the continued work on the shared highway services study. The recovery is part of a multiyear plan and is just gaining momentum.
County Executive McCoy deserves praise for this budget. Because I don't mind speaking up when I disagree, it's fitting to take the time to recognize his hard work here.
Michael P. Manning
Mayor, City of Watervliet


text:
View asian Singles in Haines City
By clicking continue, I agree to receive transactional and promotional emails from Match.com. I understand that I am free to withdraw consent at any time.
By using our site, you agree to the Match.com Terms of Use.
Match.com is the best place to search The Sunshine State for online singles. Select from thousands of Florida personals on this free Florida online dating site. Create a FREE Haines City singles ad and start Haines City dating online. In the arithmetic of love, one Haines City profile plus one click can equal the love of your life.
Alturas, Auburndale, Babson Park, Bartow, Bay Lake, Buena Ventura Lakes, Celebration, ChampionsGate, Cypress Gardens, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake, Eaton Park, Eloise, Fedhaven, Florence Villa, Golden Oak, Highland City, Homeland, Indian Lake Estates, Intercession City, Kathleen, Kissimmee, Lake Alfred, Lake Buena Vista, Lake Hamilton, Lake Wales, Lakeland, Lakeshore, Loughman, Nalcrest, Poinciana, Poinciana Place, Polk City, Reunion, Saint Cloud, Southside, Wahneta, Waverly, Winter Haven view all states »


text:
A Des Plaines man who police say caused a three-vehicle crash that killed a Norridge woman Tuesday has been issued three traffic citations and could face other charges, authorities said Thursday.
Robert Lucas, 19, of the 300 block of Cambridge Street, was cited late Wednesday with improper lane usage, following too closely, and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The charges stem from a crash on South Des Plaines River Road about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday.


text:
The Night Before (2015) 720p WEB-DL x264-MkvCage
File Size: 752.33 MiB
Duration.: 01:41:32
Bitrate..: 1036 kb/s
Audio....: aac, 48000 Hz, stereo (eng)
Video....: 1280x534, 23.98 fps�
Genre: Comedy
Provider: Lori.Yagami
Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have been friends since childhood, and for a decade, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity.
Buy Premium Account & Support me to post more stuff for you.
Site BBcode/HTML Code:


text:
Even new moms need to get away from everyday life sometimes. Offer to babysit the new bundle and get her a gift certificate for a massage. No doubt, after giving birth and enduring the stress of no sleep and constant crying, she'll need it.
Sometimes, all a new mom wants to do is run a few errands, but having a newborn makes it nearly impossible to do them quickly and efficiently. Offer to babysit for a few hours. You'll be a godsend.
Taking care of a new baby takes its toll on your energy, as well as on your looks. She might be neglecting the little things she used to love for the sake of taking care of junior. Send her off with a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure. She can relax and take a load off for just a couple hours -- plus, she'll finally feel pretty.
Take the baby for a weekend and cover the cost of a two-night stay at a local resort. She won't be too far away from baby, but, as the infant is under your wing, she can relax, lie by the pool, go to the spa and more, all while being totally relaxed.
Every mom neglects buying something she needs for the sake of money. Soon, she'll be carting the baby around wherever she goes and she'll need a diaper bag, but since they're on the pricey side, she has been putting it off. Buy it for her! It will take off the burden of going shopping and spending money, even if just momentarily.
Sometimes, celebrating a new mom is less about material goods and more about validation. People want to hear they're doing a good job, especially when it comes to handling a new life. Encourage her by telling her she's a good mom, that she's handling the pressure well and, if she needs help, you'll only be a phone call away.
Sure, she had a baby shower not too long ago, but that was more for the baby than it was for her. Plus, she couldn't drink back them. Grab some wine and some friends for a full night of party relaxation.
Moms share: Diaper bag essentials
7 Story time favorites for newborns
Mother's Day getaways for new moms
And you'll see personalized content just for you whenever you click the My Feed .
SheKnows is making some changes!
b e h e a r d !
Welcome to the new SheKnows Community,
where you can share your stories, ideas
and CONNECT with millions of women.Get Started


text:
firejon is the current PP of The Radical Freethinkers Alliance
Firejon is a British citizen currently living in London. He has been an erepublik member since the 22nd Feb 2009. After a month or so of working and building up to buy a company he started out his erepublik political life by joining up to The Radical Freethinkers Alliance after a recruitment drive from then PP Goku Jones.
Politically firejon has not managed to achieved his dreams yet, mainly because to his own lack of being able to commit to the amount of time needed to be a success in the political world of erepublik. He however has always been a regular figure in the RFA forums and can be seen on the IRC from time to time.
Recently with the attempted closing of The RFA firejon has for the last 2 months been heavily involved in keeping The RFA going and is one of the few long term members refusing to let it die.
Fighting on in the true spirit of The RFA.
Radical Freethinkers Alliance
Firejon first company was a UK grain company in a poor grain region. Most companies would have failed under these conditions but he managed to buy a license for the company to sell in India where grain was hard to come by at the time and managed to work at a profit. His main aim at this time was to provide a company which would only employ RFA members to create unity in the party. He ran many competitions for his staff with profits as the prize.
This company was sold on because of it being in a low grain region and a gun company was purchased in its place. Slowly over time it has been upgraded and when V2 of erepublik came in it was changed over to a tank company and currently stands at a q3 level.
- still learing with the wiki
|Hard Worker (x17)
|Super Soldier (x6)
| Battle Hero (x2)


text:
Does anyone have an OASIS discount code please?!(2 Posts)
MabelStark Mon 03-Dec-12 14:49:23
mamililianel Wed 21-Nov-12 13:33:15
Join the discussion
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join in the discussion, get discounts, win prizes and lots more.Register now
Already registered with Mumsnet? Log in to leave your comment or alternatively, sign in with Facebook or Google.
Please login first.


text:
[ Printer Friendly Version ] [ Report Abuse ]
Chapter 2 : Penance
|Rating: 15+
|Chapter Reviews: 11
Background: Font color:
Clouds swirled in kaleidoscopic patterns above my head as I lay amongst the lush grass of Strawberry Hill. I often enjoyed watching the space above me when I was at a loose end, letting the whiteness above tinge with blue as someone, somewhere, spilled a pot of ink whilst writing their tragic tale. Sometimes I imagined that it was me who caused the sky to fill with such beauty, that I could influence the art with my eyes. At other times, I invented characters who toiled away at night only to have their masterpiece ruined by a careless hand. I envied them, with their hopes and disappointments, with their decidedly human emotions.
Eventually, the ink seeped away to other parts of the white world and the clouds separated, leaving behind a brilliant white sky. I sat up, brushing stray grass from my hair. A small object marring the perfect surface of the circular lake around the hill caught my eye, a pale shape against the dark blue. Approaching the water's edge, I leaned forward, reaching for it. I lost my balance, my feet slipping from the bank and into the icy water. The current was strong beneath the surface; where the object stuck above forever, beneath it the forces were too strong for me. I let myself be dragged in, my hands clasping for the object before I was sucked under, water rushing loudly past my ears as I was carried.
My shoulder reached the bank at the other side of the lake first, burrowing into the hard surface as the water spat me out onto the shore. As I stood, I was already dry, with the small object trapped in my spindly fingers. It was a leaf, crisp and auburn, vivid and bright against my pale skin. Dark veins ran through it, a network of life hidden in its dead case.
I turned, sensing footsteps behind me. "Who are you?" a quiet voice said as I faced her.
Peering down, I inspected the little girl who had spoken. She was most likely short for her age, shorter than I had been, and she had large, terrified eyes framed by soft curls. "The question is," I began curiously. "Who are you?"
I had not been in the white world long when I had encountered my first dead. I, a child, turned and ran, leaving the poor soul calling after me in desperation. I had run and run until I reached the other side of the hill, beyond where he could reach me. They always found me first, the dead, and they wanted answers that I couldn't give. Their demands were high, their expectations low but I could not help them then. I knew no more than they did.
The little girl frowned up at me. "I asked first."
I sighed, wondering if I should have considered running after all. "I live here." I gestured towards the lake. "But you don't. You're new, aren't you, Elizabeth?"
"Yes," she said after a thoughtful pause. "I am. How did you know my name?"
I smiled at her curiosity, looking down briefly at the leaf in my hand, where the veins formed her name. "I was expecting you," I offered. "How did you die?"
She appeared to contemplate her answer, before shrugging. "I suppose it was pneumonia in the end," she said mildly. "But I had cancer from a very young age." She peered at her reflection in the lake. "From about this age, I'd say."
We walked along the shore in silence, allowing her time to adjust to her new surroundings. It must have seemed a strange place, this world, with its abstract horizon and colour-speckled landscape. I had misjudged her from the moment I'd seen her, assuming her age was all that she was. It was easy to take people at face value, to look upon their unblemished souls and think that I could read them. I had assumed she was no older than eight or nine years old, when this sharp young girl held wisdom beyond her years in her sparkling blue eyes. When I looked upon my own reflection, I saw only a young woman, my eternal inner-child trapped behind bars of aging skin. Nothing was as it seemed here, and I would do well to remember that.
Elizabeth stopped as we drew closer to the edge of an orchard. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, as though a heavy perfume was wafting on an imaginary wind. "What's that?" she asked curiously, her feet shuffling towards the trees of their own accord.
I looked skywards, admiring the splay of giant trees in front of us. I could not smell the scent she had found, but I knew it was there nonetheless. "This is where I leave you," I said with a small smile. I stepped back, watching as a dirt path spread into the trees from where her feet touched the white earth. She began to wander up the path, forgetting me. "These are the orange trees."
I avoided the orchard as much as I possibly could; I did not belong there with the rooted dead as they awaited their fate. I showed them where to go, but that was the limit of my guidance. I did not have the answers they sought, and it was best that they forgot about me completely. I needed to be the outsider, for that was what I was. That was what I always had been.
My own company suited me best and I relished it. I did not need to be ashamed of my solitude here, because we all were lost, in one way or another, waiting to find ourselves amongst the fruit trees. I had yet to discover what I was looking for; I had only ever known what it was to be alone, to be ashamed and afraid.
As I returned to the lake, I considered what I had told Elizabeth; I had picked the leaf with her name on it, but where was my leaf? Who was expecting me? I had nothing to rely on, nothing I could trust. I only had myself.
Mist hid the lake from my view as I walked closer, growing denser and denser before it completely engulfed me. I closed my eyes and let it support me, almost enjoying its light caress. White light grew brighter until it seeped under my closed eyes and I winced.
When the light subsided, I found myself where I always ended up when the mist took its hold on me. Godric's Hollow had barely changed since I left it that fateful day, my only marker of time being my own age. I placed my hand gently on the garden gate and looked up at the house I had called my home. Ten years ago, I had died here.
My family, what was left of them, no longer lived here. My visits were usually solitary, allowing me to wander in my thoughts without interruption. The living could not see me or sense my presence; not that this was an unusual feeling for me. I was used to being invisible.
There was a light on in the front room and through the window I could see the young family that lived there now; they were laughing at something or other, but I couldn't imagine what. I hadn't done a lot of laughing in my time. Sighing enviously, I turned on my heel and walked the same path I always walked when I came here. It was a set rhythm, as though I was a small drop of water in a strong river; I could not stop myself. One foot in front of the other, I meandered towards the church and the graveyard that surrounded it like leaves fallen from a tree.
I knew what I would see, no matter how much I could stop it. Aberforth, my poor brother, my dear friend, knelt in front of a headstone, clutching a chipped vase. That vase used to sit on my windowsill, hosting dead flower after dead flower; they never survived long in my presence. He swept his hair from his face before removing the dead flowers from the vase, draining the dirty water before placing fresh flowers in the vase. His wand provided fresh water. I had no doubt that these flowers would be dead within a week, only to be replaced by him once again with sinful diligence.
I wished he wouldn't come back here. Ghosts of our terrible past hid behind every corner, contaminating the air and the ground beneath our feet. He was paying a penance for the crimes of others, for sins he had no control over. In my early days in the afterlife, I had tried calling to him. I had tried touching him, but my efforts were futile; I could not reach him. Perhaps he hoped that this atonement would bring me the peace that I had never had, but it merely tormented me as I watched him in the graveyard.
He looked too old. It alarmed me how he had changed since my death, how little he had achieved in that time. An old man in a young shell, his body ached with a weariness fifty years too old for him. He seemed closer to death than I was.
As he wiped a tear from his cheek, he began to fade as the mist crawled across the land to reclaim me. I closed my eyes once again, surprised to find that my lashes were wet.
Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the prologue - it's lovely to be writing in this universe again.
Previous Chapter Next Chapter
|Write a Review
Strawberry Hill: Penance
Other Similar Stories
Named For Th...
by Secret Pa...
Memoirs of a...
by Noel Weasley
Broken Souls
by Blue Flame