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Year in Review: 2015
My son's arrival would obviously count as my favourite moment of the year, and I've tried to mentally photograph his endearing, nearly ongoing, fairly baffled expression. But I'm sure you're here to read about something a little more applicable to your life, so let's get to the books, film and TV.
Assorted bears, decades apart: Bear (Marian Engel) is something I finally picked up based on various recent recommendations, and it's a brilliant short novel packed with meaning. It felt like it sits quite perfectly balanced between reality and fable. The Bear by Claire Cameron (this time the publishers could afford a definite article) has some very impressive writing considering the challenge of creating first-person narration by a five year-old girl telling the horrific story of her family attacked by a bear while camping. It's certainly riveting stuff.
Assorted islands, decades apart: Mysterious Island (Jules Verne) serves as something of a follow-up to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, though this isn't clear from glancing at the book. It hits the ground running (almost literally) then becomes a trifle dull when a band of survivors spends long chapters surveying the island before it picks up again by the end. Island (Aldous Huxley) is apparently meant to balance Brave New World, with a Western character washing up on the shores of a far more ideal civilization. But the events and characters serve as basic scaffolding for a series of lectures: worthy stuff, but also fairly dull a lot of the time. The best moment details "Peter Pan syndrome," and the way some men never grow up emotionally (with the ultimate example being Hitler).
A unique voice: Swiss-born Robert Walser appears to have dedicated most of his life to wandering Europe and cultivating his unique and thoughtful way of looking at the world. I really enjoyed A Schoolboy's Diary and Other Stories (some of them shorter than a page) and I'm now reading his short novel Jakob von Gunten just because I enjoy his voice so much. I'm not sure I've ever found a writer so content with his own small role in the world, as we all must learn to be: "The railway trains thunder over the quivering bridges. Evenings, the fabulous rich and elegant shopwindows shine, and streams, serpents, and billows of people roll past the allures of industrial riches on display. Yes, that all seems grand and good to me. One profits from being in the midst of the whirling and bubbling. One has a good feeling in the legs, the arms, and the chest while making the effort to wriggle cleverly and without much fuss through all the living stuff. In the morning everything comes to life anew, and in the evening everything sinks into the wildly embracing arms of a new and unknown dream."
More Fiction: Goodbye to Berlin (Isherwood) is probably my favourite novel of the year for its poignancy and detailed characters. Isherwood appears to have been right there on the street to see Nazi thugs in the early years, and a city in transition. I finally caught up with Crime and Punishment, which certainly lives up to its reputation as a classic, and I enjoyed Three Day Road (Joseph Boyden) for being so carefully crafted, though it didn't seem to grab me, emotionally. Henderson the Rain King (Saul Bellow) is funny and an enjoyably exaggerated parody of a personal crisis even as the pacing is a little too leisurely for my taste. My Face for the World to See (Alfred Hayes) is the story of an affair set in Hollywood, and it's among those concise and poignant novels I'm always very pleased to have read. Hayes apparently contributed to The Bicycle Thief (1948), which has long been a favourite film of mine. I admired the quirky and unique stories in Circus (Claire Battershill).
A Death in the Family (James Agee) is an 11 out of 10 for sadness, but more importantly it's a remarkable accomplishment in terms of the reader really feeling the events of the book. After the death of his father, the young boy looks at his father's body in the funeral home and feels it's like "a very successfully disguised stranger." A Meaningful Life (L.J. Davis) was vividly written but remorselessly bleak. Comfort cannot be found here, even in a book: "It smelled powerfully of mouse shit, and its pages were the color and consistency of stale Finnish flat bread. Mechanically it was not an easy book to read. In some cases, whole pages disintegrated as Lowell scanned them, as though the weight of his gaze was too much for them to bear."
Nonfiction: The World of Yesterday (Stefan Zweig) is an endlessly fascinating memoir. Zweig grew up in Vienna before either of the world wars and travelled overseas without a passport before our heightened sense of nationalism. He knew Freud, watched Rodin sculpt, and finally even saw Germany transform under Hitler. Every Wolf's Howl (Barry Grills) is an immensely human and readable account of owning a dog that turned out to be, well, basically a wolf. The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America (George Packer) should be required reading for our strange times. Titanic (Filson Young) is an excellent, sometimes almost poetic account of the disaster published a matter of weeks later by a journalist.
Essay collections: Cultural Amnesia (Clive James) is simply a great collection of essays. Intended as something of a time capsule and covering a range of subjects, they're both accessible and highly perceptive. Farther Away (Jonathan Franzen) is a lucid collection. Here's Franzen on why he likes short stories: "They leave the writer no place to hide. There's no yakking your way out of trouble; I'm going to be reaching the last page in a matter of minutes, and if you've got nothing to say I'm going to know it." I blogged about how much I enjoyed Loitering (Charles D'Ambrosio) below. Men Explain Things To Me (Rebecca Solnit) was also terrific, and felt like something that should be required reading. The Crow Who Tampered With Time (Lloyd Ratzlaff) is a meditative essay collection, well worth picking up.
Genre: Casino Royale (Fleming) is inexcusably sexist, but it can at least be said to be staggeringly obvious about it. Leaving aside the chapter Bond details the rules of the game at length, it is also pretty much a riveting spy novel with the occasional memorable moment of dialogue: "Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles." Among Others (Jo Walton) is a leisurely but engaging story of magic and struggle in daily life, and it's infused with a love of books thanks to a slightly obsessive narrator. It was nice to have a love of books validated in this way. Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg) is a poignant novel about a man losing his ability to read minds. Well written, captivating and unique, but it suffers from some severe stereotypes, which is a trifle ironic for a novel about our ability to connect.
More Genre: The Dreaming Jewels (Theodore Sturgeon) is inventive and compelling. For years, I've known Sturgeon only as the writer of one of the better original Star Trek episodes. We've had so many dinosaur shenanigans in various forms over the years that The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle) is a book you can read for the first time with a certain familiarity, but it's nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable.
Graphic novels: The Sculptor (Scott McCloud) is a lengthy graphic novel at 488 pages, but it also manages to be an engrossing read about a young artist gaining the ability to manipulate stone or any other material with his hands. The plot may belong to The Twilight Zone, but McCloud manages an impressive meditation on the challenges of trying to make art, particularly in an age of instant gratification. Starling (Sage Stossel) is a fun, charming female-superhero graphic novel. Here (Richard McGuire) which takes one location throughout time as its focus, is really not to be missed.
Poetry: Among others, I enjoyed The Lease (Matthew Henderson), Inheritance (Kerry-Lee Powell), For Your Safety Please Hold On (Kayla Czaga) The Cold Panes of Surfaces (Chris Banks), Leaving the Island (Talya Rubin) and Kingdom (Elizabeth Ross). All very fine poetry books.
Film and TV: The Music Room (1958) is an Indian drama I just happened to pick up at the Toronto library, but as a poignant tale of a rich man's life declining, it was among my favourite films of the year. I took some time to explore Chaplin this year, also to be found at the library or even on YouTube: Modern Times, The Gold Rush and City Lights are all absolute masterpieces and a joy to watch. At a time film was cranked out and wasn't considered an art form, Chaplin insisted on perfection. I watched the new Daredevil series on Netflix and enjoyed it, though I think it confuses darkness with maturity in going unnecessarily bleak at times. Longmire is a police drama that's essentially a modern Western, worth it for some of the relationships. And I'd go on about enjoying the elegance porn of Downton Abbey, the drama of Mad Men and the escapism of Game of Thrones, but are there people who don't know anything about these shows?
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There's an impressive new arts and culture site called Partisan I've been enjoying, and they've recently accepted a couple of things from me: Toppled Buildings is a poem that begins with Godzilla as a starting point, and I went to a few friends and colleagues for their thoughts on juggling poetry and parenthood in order to write an article called Planned Poethood. Julie Cameron Gray, Zachariah Wells and Alexandra Oliver provided thoughtful comments.
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Loitering: Not Always Useless
There's much to admire in Loitering, essays by Charles D'Ambrosio. I think one of the best uses of the personal essay is to provide a unique voice and perspective. These essays can feel a little overwritten from time to time — in a preface, D'Ambrosio worries about "sounding parsonic," which I stumbled over for a moment until I decided he meant, simply enough, sounding like a parson — but more importantly, his voice is empathetic, thoughtful and articulate. His eye for observation allows for comments like this: "It wasn't a conversation; he was just beating the air like a rug, hoping to knock all the doubt and ambiguity out of it."
The preface expresses the value of doubt in an age assertiveness is everything, and simply thinking appears to be inactive (even though it isn't) and is therefore unacceptable, making the title quite perfect. While reading this collection I happened to also read an article about the uses and downfalls of being a jerk and what's fascinating is that simple assertiveness and an "inflated sense" of your own abilities was enough to impress many people, regardless of accuracy. I believe I instinctively understood this, but D'Ambrosio is certainly the kind of thinker who can see through it. Watching a reporter detail her severe opinion of another woman, he observes her "only real qualification for commenting on Letourneau is that she holds a job that requires her to say something re: something most every day of the week."
Given his obvious thoughtfulness I was a little taken aback by his apparent disdain for environmentalist Paul Watson, who is, after all, working to save the world at a time the death of a character on Game of Thrones seems to get more reaction than climate change. But his point that being overbearing can lose you followers is also well taken. If celebrities can do a great deal for the environmental movement its because they have legions of people following them around for a variety of other reasons. An essay like "Hell House," is extremely perceptive, even as "Orphans," is closer to poignant and moving. Regardless, a collection like this should be celebrated. Earlier in the year I enjoyed The Crow Who Tampered with Time (Lloyd Ratzlaff), reverent essays (as well as a completely overlooked book, by comparison), and I've already blogged about Cultural Amnesia (Clive James), which is a long but immensely valuable collection.
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Inheritance was inspired by a shipwreck my father endured during the Second World War, as well as by his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and eventual suicide. He served in the merchant navy and was sunk twice. On one occasion he was on a lifeboat in the north Atlantic for eleven days, one of only a handful of survivors to chance upon the Scottish coast in rough weather. I imagined the terror he must have experienced at being so utterly at the mercy of a cruel mid-winter sea. His miraculous survival is the stuff of legend. In my mind's eye I often see him as an Odysseus whose journeys tragically found emptiness and rage instead of demigods and marvels.
Many of the poems in Inheritance are addressed to a muse-like figure who bears only a slight resemblance to the man I knew as a child. I wanted to retrieve a father from the chaos of his mental illness, to honor him and meditate upon the causes of his suffering. I very much had 'Father' with a capital F in mind when writing this collection, not least because his private experiences resonate strikingly with the dominant myths surrounding masculinity in western culture: those of war and heroism, hubris and self-sacrifice. After the war ended he prided himself on being a man's man, became a womanizer and hard drinker who shipped his enormous white convertible on a visit home to Wales so that the poor villagers and younger members of his family could idolize him. He also considered himself somewhat of a Renaissance man. He came from the kind of educated working class family that D.H. Lawrence describes so vividly in his early novels, and was well-versed in Shakespeare and Homer and all the lionized 'greats' of literature.
His subsequent physical and mental breakdown caused a reversal of his prized masculine attributes. He was an invalid for many years and then, after my mother left him, a poverty-stricken single father who nearly poisoned us to death a few times with his half-frozen TV dinners and ill-fated attempts at cookery. He never embraced his role as homemaker, hardening instead into a misogynist and pro-Apartheid Reaganite who threw things at the television when a strident female appeared on the screen. At times he was acutely aware of his own mental disintegration, quoting King Lear at us while he paced up and down the living room floor. At other times he was inchoate. Often, he was terrifying. There were some very ugly moments in our house, and perhaps Inheritance was also a way of coming to terms with my own fraught childhood.
My use of formal devices and structures in the collection mirrors wider concerns I have as an artist, and especially as a female artist in a patriarchal culture. Whose voice speaks through me? During a period of lucidity my father set himself up as a writer. The image of him at his red typewriter in the kitchen during that brief interlude of hopefulness and industry no doubt influenced my own desire to become a writer. And of course I also sought, and in many way still seek, his approval. When I had my first literary acceptance, part of me wanted to wave the slip at the heavens. Another part of me wanted to cock my middle finger at him, for his misogyny, for the ways in which he degraded and belittled me for being a girl. Many of the poems in Inheritance fall somewhere between those two gestures: the wish to honor his courage and suffering, and a rebellion against the brutality that he so frighteningly embodied.
Lyric poetry has allowed me to see him as a vessel through which I might explore grief and trauma, the beauties and cruelties of the wider culture. As necessary as it was for me to consider the terrible circumstances surrounding my father's suicide, it was vital for me to acknowledge the grace and humanity of the lyric tradition that has also been my inheritance, and that resonates within me as powerfully as my father's trauma continues to do.
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Chris Banks is a poet with a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Concordia University. He is the author of three acclaimed collections of poetry: Bonfires, The Cold Panes of Surfaces, and Winter Cranes. His new chapbook of poems is called Invaders, and is from Anstruther press. He lives, writes and teaches in Waterloo, Ontario.
Invaders was a potent chapbook, because in only a dozen well-crafted poems I get a sense of victory balanced by loss and then falling into the rear-view mirror of life anyway. And that would sound depressing if it weren't for your reverence for the process of life, self-evident in your thoughtfulness and your conviction you "start with yourself," if looking for rescue (from "Christian Island"). The first poem covers the first act of a life (yours, really) and the second poem encapsulates an entire life ("thirty years / inside a factory, hand-polishing wooden cabinets…"). And throughout, a poignancy that even gives elegance to an angry teenager ("Amplifier"). It's all framed by your title, and a Martin Amis quote about the "dormant areas" of our minds growing populated. I think a space invader (as we see on the cover) could be seen as cute or horrifyingly blank. But given that "time is theft," (from "All-Night Arcade") I wonder if your own personal landscape is a comfort to you or if objects become like barnacles over time. Is there a way to hold on to the right memories or remain armed with the right things from the past?
Thank you Alex for your sensitive reading of my chapbook. I think, as a poet, you really do need to arm yourself with the right things from the past as you suggest in order to withstand what Wallace Stevens calls "the pressure of reality." I think there is real danger in having a heightened awareness of how one's self is conceived, or how the "omnipresent" moment exerts itself upon consciousness. So much appears lost. So much feels arbitrary. Larry Levis felt this deeply. Philip Levine too. So many of Hayden Carruth's best poems are like urns, little memorials to a world that no longer exists.
Each day there is always the constant terrifying barrage of sensory information that forms our experience, and our consciousness attempts to counter this by conjuring its own litany of images and thoughts and memories, each one hopefully meant to help us better connect to the moment before us.
I think the trick with poetry is writing in such a way that your mind accesses the right images or memories, the deep archetypal ones, the interior stories which for me is the meditational mode. The American poet John Koethe when talking about Ashbery describes the essence of a meditation "as an urgent exploration (by whatever means available) of a recognizable, but until now unrecognized, problem; an exploration covering—or, rather, defining—a concrete stretch of human time." I think this is what I was getting at when I entitled the chapbook Invaders and lead off with the Martin Amis quote.
The best poems come through us, speak in our voices, and yet come from somewhere else entirely. We have to be other than ourselves at the moment of writing.
Only then does the poet's imagination, recognizing the meaningless of most daily life, come to our rescue by offering its solution: a poem. An approximation of our experience in language but one that is more orderly, more meaningful and more humane.
Poetry is the invader that takes over those dormant areas of our minds when we are courageous enough to abandon our hold on them.
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John A: Birth of a Country
John A: Birth of a Country is a CBC film with a sharp script and excellent performances, currently streaming on the CBC site (and available from the Toronto Public Library). At only 90 minutes, it's adept at covering various significant political and personal moments leading up to the curious turn of fate that changed a pipe dream — joining various British colonies together — into a reality.
But where did it come from? In a good review of the film, Macleans has wondered why it wasn't promoted more. It was produced in 2011 and I'd never heard of it, though having discovered it I'm impressed, and wish we had more films that dramatically present — and as a result, help us to mythologize — our own history.
It's a somewhat overdone score that strives for quite a bit, and it could use a few sweeping shots of the landscape to break up character discussions (likely, this was simply not in the budget), but it's a breath of fresh air for a Canadian pestered to see the upcoming Ant-Man film, the upcoming Avengers film. I hope the CBC can arrange to bring Shawn Doyle back for another film, perhaps covering the creation of the railroad and later events. The Macleans article suggests it was part of a planned trilogy and the CBC has never followed up. Perhaps it's fair to say this is how we deprive ourselves when we can't be troubled to support the CBC, but certainly our history deserves better than to be a cult classic. And if the trouble is its almost relentlessly male focus, surely this can be balanced by some biopics of some of our remarkable women, which would be just as fascinating.
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Clive James, Cultural Amnesia
Recently, I couldn't get through the introduction to Cultural Amnesia without wanting to write down a quote on every page. It's a collection of essays that fairly briefly (but so far, very thoughtfully) covers dozens of different historical figures, literary and otherwise, with the loose premise that while historical shortcuts might be easy and convenient, they're also problematic. In theory, it's a book to help prevent this, specifically written for current and later generations. Here's a quote from the introduction:
"As the late Edward W Said wrote after the attack on the World Trade Center, 'Western humanism is not enough: we need a universal humanism.' I agree with that. The question is how to get it, and my own view is that it can't be had unless we raise our demands on ourselves a long way beyond decorating our lives with enough cultivation to make the pursuit of ambition look civilized."
And I thought this quote combines humility and wisdom, which can only be said to be a rare combination:
"I have always loved the title of Milan Kundera's The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. I hope this is a book of laughter, at least in places. But it is everywhere a book of forgetting. I am not urging young people to follow me on the path to a success. I am showing them the way to a necessary failure: the grim but edifying realization that a complete picture of reality is not to be had. If we realize that, we can begin to be realistic. Thinking otherwise, we doom ourselves to spinning fantasies, which might well be fluent, but could equally be lethal. Stalin and Hitler both thought that they could see the whole picture, and look what happened."
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Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Why the battle for control of the Senate could stretch into 2017
Romeo + Juliet at 20: how Baz Luhrmann's adaptation refuses to age
Harvard Raises Record $1.2 Billion
Harvard Raises Record $1.2 Billion But Slow Returns Crimp Budget - Bloomberg
Harvard Fundraising in the last stop, before you are out of business - true for a long time.
Harvard Fundraising in the last stop, before you are out of business - true for a long time.
A rain came from fetid sky, pouring and grinding head every corner. Which was strange, because Debussy it was not awake. He wasn't even part of the dream, but some distantly attached to something that was deeper than sleep. And oh, what sleep it was.
You might think that there is no happenstance to this, missed the prophetic drumming, and distillate trills that did not have quite the rhythm. But this was a terrain that he was used to. Though it was shocking and violent on the surface, underneath that fine water, there was a kind of bliss. And for Debussy that was not light for his card for eyes. His brain marched in unison, in measures that strained the boundaries of a rhythm that was not quite 4/4.
It was not enough that he could taste things that he could see, because, that was normal in this place. The welling up of rambunctious infinitude of the thrumming of the cords, meant that he would write this down when he found tastes to go with sounds, and sights to go with smells, and for all the world it would seem like he had music in his ears. The bleeding sound meant that sounds, and sounds, and mirrored tastes, would mix together. He just wrote them as in the way they reflected off the hallways of his mind. There was no other way to do it, at least as far as he knew.
The municipalities that were trapped in his mind were not populated, this was not something that many people shared. It was just for a few select individuals to recognize that genius would soon walk among them, even the ones who arched bewildered would give him a prize, and send him on his way. They muttered to themselves what did he do which made him manifique, while they were stuck in a hyperpituitarism.
It wreaked of malposition, that God would select someone who's playing was to soft, and then loud as the baton could reach into the skies. It had to be Mammon, a worship not far from the devil, but directed unto God. So they let him on his way, knowing that he would not find success in this world, but would be remembered when he was passed to the beyond. But by then, they would truly be interred, and would not care at all. After all, they would not only be dead, but forgotten as well. Where as he would be reverenced even by people who could not say his name, because they spoke Chinese, which is a language he desperately wanted to speak. But there was no time, he needed to copy the words in front of the eyes that were asleep.
Copy, copy, copy. Though in the real life, he moved not all. But in the nightmare, he rattled and extenuated the letters which he heard. It was not poetry, but something like it that moved his hands, and faces recalled that humbled letters which were the sounds of harmony.
He founded a malignancy that had outspread his ever eager involucrum, consisting of his mortality, and beyond his morphogenesis and morphology. He was incommunicado, resting on the hidden sounds from within his brain. But he would have to write these down. It was his obsession, has with every one who sticks quil into paper, and then rises to do so in the real life, basically dictating the consistency that his dreamlife demanded.
But the surprises would not end, there were flashes of genius, and a monotonous thrum that came out of his fingers, because the mouth would not utter it at all.
It was like a god, several stories high, searching for the next willing victim.
And when it found it, it would terrorize first, and then crush it, while looking for his next directing. Debussy was terrorized, but copied and decried the inner life of his automaton. There was something unnerving about the face which stormed out of his imagination, and left behind something which had no key signature to speak of, but was in semitone.
And then it marched onwards over the horizon, making a mockery of the imagined defenses, which were erected for the defense of men who were not really there, but imagined in the mind, and on the pallet. If he had been a painter, he would create on the canvas as did Argentois. Who had just discovered ein pliene eire, or something like that, in French.
There was a flash of light, in mysterious source Kwangtung induced phase that transported his imaginary transcriptions, in to what would be day.
Then he rouse from sleep, and, has was his usual fashion, set himself to bathing and dressing, as if to go out in to the herbaceous dawn, which he would look at, but only from the inside. He remembered how Berlioz would write things in memory, and new that falling asleep and mesmerize was the next step in the chain.
Then a missed the crash, there came a roar, that made the imaginary walls shake and shiver, and in every backbone of every audience member, at first real, and in time crackling on vinyl, shoot straight up in two there seats, as if coming to erect. It was a blinding flash which was carried by sound alone, which echoed with the sites of the instruments portraying the electric - in a imaginary way - flash and din.
And then it was gone, wafting to gentle sleep, and precursor to La Mer - which would be the final step towards this new music.
But there was silence, and the first time it was played, he knew that a third movement would have to be another section, which would be human voices, but no words, just vowels to carry the imagined tune. Then there would be to silence, until the applause came in. which, honestly, he hated. Why could they not see that silence was a better thing than the smacking of lips. He wrote one time, that the applause was really just a form of holding one's own until one deserved applause oneself.
And then there was to infinity of silence, which rained over all who knew that that was the correct feeling.
But those were few in number, and they would retreat and with a filter cry would deny the noisy response of all of the other attendees to the concert, where ever they were, whatever the times and.
Nostalgia for Flawed Thinkers Won't Solve the Crisis of the Conservative Intellectual
Nostalgia for Flawed Thinkers Won't Solve the Crisis of the Conservative Intellectual | New Republic
They need too go back to the charlatan of the right - Leo Strauss.
They need too go back to the charlatan of the right - Leo Strauss.
China unveils J-20 stealth jet fighter
China unveils J-20 stealth jet fighter in show of military might | World news | The Guardian
The time is coming when we will have war against China.
The time is coming when we will have war against China.
'Inferno' Is Director Ron Howard's Fourth Domestic Flop
'Inferno' Is Director Ron Howard's Fourth Domestic Flop - The New York Times
I know this came out a long time ago - and I really tried not to post it. But, having been involved with the story since it was published as a nonfiction story, it got the better of me. It is good that it is dying - the story is written by an awful writer. Just truly awful.
I know this came out a long time ago - and I really tried not to post it. But, having been involved with the story since it was published as a nonfiction story, it got the better of me. It is good that it is dying - the story is written by an awful writer. Just truly awful.
James Comey Role Recalls Hoover's F.B.I.
James Comey Role Recalls Hoover's F.B.I., Fairly or Not - The New York Times
It is the same kind of thing Hoover's FBI did. And we may pay for the consequences of it.
It is the same kind of thing Hoover's FBI did. And we may pay for the consequences of it.
It's So Hard to Make Blue Jeans Without Nasty Chemicals
It's So Hard to Make Blue Jeans Without Nasty Chemicals - Bloomberg
This is why I got rid of them years ago.
This is why I got rid of them years ago.
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About Antibalas
Antibalas (pronounced /ɑntiˈbɑlɑs/, or approximately "ahn-tee-BAH-las", from the Spanish for "bulletproof") is a Bushwick, Brooklyn based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra. Although their music is primarily afrobeat, it incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and West Africa. Read more about Antibalas on Last.fm.
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We are a Smog Test Only Station. We do all Smogs but no repairs. Regular Smog Checks, Test Only Smogs, Change of Ownership Smogs, Registration Renewal Smogs, Out of State Smogs, Diesel Smogs, & Gross Polluter Smogs Checks.
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The yellow notice on the outside of the door at the St. Francis Center Dining Room read: ``Closed. You may be nothing in a lot of people`s eyes, but you are precious to us and God. We`ll continue fighting for you!``
The only soup kitchen that serves the downtown area north of the Chicago River dished out its last meals Sunday--a victim of the increasing


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How Come SAHMS Make All The Top Conversations?
Everytime I log on to CM I see another SAHM post had made a top conversation.
I am a SAHM and have been for many years.Why the SAHM obsession from everyone?From what we do all day,to posts about we are ruining our lives,or resenting our kids??Are you kidding me!
Can anyone say anything nice about us?Like how devoted we are to our family,how much we love our husbands and kids,the sacrafices we make to be at home,and how beloved and appreciated we are by our family.
I get tired of the put downs and assumptions.
Quoting Anonymous:
Probably because there is a great deal of SAHMs who act like they are better than working moms.
Working moms get insulted by SAHMs all the time, of course there will be retaliation.
I have been told that *I*, as a working mom, am letting other people raise my children. I have been told that I am just pushing my children off on other people. That my children are going to resent me for never being around. I have been told that I don't work as hard as SAHMs do, as if when I am at work all day providing for my family I am just doing NOTHING.
I don't understand the whole SAHM vs working mom shpeel anyway.
I personally say FUCK YOU if you think you are better than me. Parenting is not a fucking pissing contest. As long as the children you have are happy and healthy and thriving, then it's no one's business how you parent, or your household role.
You know, it would be ideal for me to stay at home, but I wasn't dealt that hand. I have no choice but to work to provide for my kids.
If your family can afford for you to stay at home, more power to you. I personally don't hate you for it. But the reason why SAHM bashing posts are always top conversations is mainly because those posts are full of arguments. Women love to argue. Women love to prove who's better, when in parenting, we should all be equal. Well, equal unless you're a child abuser or what-not.
There will always be holier than thou sanctimommies who act like their shit doesn't stink. And unfortunately, from what I have seen, most of those mommies are SAHMs, hence the large retaliation from other moms.
I'm not saying it's right, but that is the reason.
Quoting Anonymous:
because the working moms are jealous
If you don't want it to be assumed that you are lazy, please don't assme that we are all jealous.
Aaaaaaannnnnnnd... you just did it yourself.
Why is there a need to state how "hard" you have it? Why is there a need to be "justified" in what you do for your family? Why do you care what others think about your life and choice to be a SAHM?
I find these posts hilarious personally. I don't care what others think of me and what I do with my life. I have a degree, yet I'm a SAHM. Why? I wanted to do so. I don't find it hard. I never have, but I have 2 pretty easy kiddos too. Do I juggle things? Yep..it comes easy since I'm a Type A personality.
I don't need vailidation and I just can't fathom why anyone else does..we are all moms- busy moms. Working, stay at home, it doesn't matter. What matters is our children. If they are cared for and loved, who cares what a mom chooses to do...
Moderator: Healthy Weight Loss & Adoptive Moms
" I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13


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Stay current. Watch the latest full episodes of AMC shows.
Watch the latest full episodes.
From the outside there isn't much more like 'The Man' than you can get than Microsoft. It's chaired by the richest man in the world, rakes in $20 billion a year just off of two products, and if you're reading this, chances are you're using something the company made right now. And according to that smaller percentage reading this on Firefox or their favorite Mac, it's all because they stole it from Steve Jobs and Apple. Or did they?
If the title wasn't a dead giveaway, this is a movie about the geek business, or at least the personality of the geek business. Specifically, it's about the rise and fall of Apple (yes, Apple was on top for a while and Microsoft was the underdog) and the punches that the little guy (Microsoft, I swear) pulled trying to beat the big guys (IBM and Apple).
Front and center are Bill Gates (Anthony Michael Hall overplaying Machiavelli) and Steve Jobs (Noah Wyle overplaying the hypocritical hippie). In the wings with one liners and side explanations are the designer of the Mac, Steve Wozniak (Joey Slotnick), and the two most famous right hand men of Microsoft, Paul Allen (Josh Hopkins) and Steve Ballmer (John Di Maggio).
The film dutifully details the skyrocketing of Apple from a manufacturer of the first cookie cutter color PCs (the Apple II that didn't leave your high school until well after you did) to one of the biggest personal computer companies to the giant taken down by the people that helped build it up (don't you know, Microsoft helped make the original Macintosh operating system).
The movie also showcases the big sneaky moves of the business. It shows how Apple grabbed the idea of the GUI from Xerox, how Microsoft got the first DOS from someone else, and how Microsoft started making its own interfaces. Pirates of Silicon Valley also paints an anecdotal picture of the insanity of Jobs and Gates — Jobs incites cross product team food fights, Gates drives a bulldozer on the grounds of the Redmond campus.
The primary problem with Pirates of Silicon Valley is that it paints every person and event in it like Central Park caricatures. Wyle tries too hard at being the brilliant asshole. Anthony Michael Hall plays Bill Gates like the unpopular kid trying to take over the clubhouse. It also plays lip gloss to a lot of the real reasons for the popularity of Windows (hardware interoperability, business computing needs, supply chain distribution, and developer friendliness).
By no stretch is Pirates of Silicon Valley robbing you of your time. If you've read this far through the review, chances are you'll find the flick interesting. If you ever wanted to know how the juggernaut grew, then go ahead and Netflix it.
Ay, dios mio!
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African mud cloth pillow no. 113
African mud cloth pillow no. 113
These pillows are cut from African mud cloth fabric made in Mali. Each piece makes 6 pillows, and while they have the same basic design each of the 6 will vary in pattern. Pairs beautifully with kilim pillows!
- Size: Measures 20" x 20"
- Pillow cover only. Insert not included
- Canvas back. Brass zipper closure
- Suggest dry cleaning
Add To Cart


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Pendant Lamp Geometric
€ 79,99 € 47,99
Pendant Lamp Geometric
Item# 00031867
Additional Information
This geometric pendant lamp is made of glass and metal and has an adjustable cord. The lamp has a height of 31 cm and a diameter of approximately 19 cm.
Product Details
Attributes: Mild steel + glass
Item# 00031867
- Same-day shipping Orders before 4 pm, are shipped the same day.
- English language website Online Store now available in English language
- Shop Sissy-Boy products and selected brands online
- Free delivery to our stores Free delivery to our stores in The Netherlands and Belgium


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It has definitely been busy around here...but I finally finished the last gifts that have to be mailed, so I'm kind of feeling like I'll be able to get everything finished up. Along with working on Christmas gifts this week, I've been trying to sneak in the time to bind two quilts that just arrived home from Abby.
My "On a Whim" quilt (pattern by Camille Roskelley) made with Anna Maria Horner fabrics, the grey dot from Camille's Happy Go Lucky collection and Moda Bella White is home! Abby did a perfect large-scale Baptist Fan pattern that adds to the modern look and feel of the quilt but yet doesn't overwhelm the strong pattern and prints. Abby has a terrific sense of proportion when she chooses the pattern size for quilting, and I'm so happy to have found her! I am absolutely in love with this!
The back of the quilt is fun, too. I'm so glad I went with the large-scale Lou-Louthi print for backing. I'm hoping to get the binding sewn on in the evenings this weekend!
I've also been making "Divided Baskets" (pattern by Anna of Noodlehead). I've had this pdf for a while and am glad I finally tried it out. I highly recommend this pattern--It was extremely easy to to follow and very well-written. I did go with the recommendation to use Shape-Flex and Fusible Fleece for a sturdier basket, and I'm glad I went that route. I will definitely be making more of these fun baskets--they are so "useable." The basket is a great size...I'm going to store fabric in mine (of course), but this would be awesome for a child's room...a baby's room (cute diaper storage) and even for storage in a family room.
I was so worried about making the divider, but it was super easy--again--the directions were excellent.
My scrappy trip around the world--Christmas version is almost finished, too. It arrived in the same box as my Anna Maria Horner quilt, and I've been doing a little binding each night.
I'm using a solid red Moda Bella solid for the binding which is just perfect. I can't believe I'll be using this in time for Christmas! Thanks again, Abby!
Also, congratulations to Anita who is the winner of the Southern Fabrics $25 gift certificate giveaway!
I'll be back soon with another post on my American Patchwork & Quilting quilt! Thanks so much for stopping by!


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|Joerg Sonnenberger <joerg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
|Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:44:31 +0200
On Thu, Sep 13, 2007 at 12:18:47PM +0200, Simon 'corecode' Schubert wrote: > On 13.09.2007, at 08:13, Joerg Sonnenberger wrote: >> On Tue, Sep 11, 2007 at 09:24:51PM +0200, Simon 'corecode' Schubert wrote: >>> Oh sorry, I forgot about that. You need to update the ldconfig cache, I >>> think. Strange thing - gcc should add -R to the right path itself. Maybe >>> I've fixed that, maybe I forgot? >> I tried to do get gcc to emit the rpath, but that doesn't work very >> nicely with the way libtool builds the command line. I think I never >> ended up cleaning the patches for this far enough that they are >> comittable for the repo. > > So libtool doesn't use gcc for linking but ld directly? That's evil. Worse, it tries to find out what GCC is doing and emulates that afterwards with -nostdlib. Joerg


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|Reviews for Toxicity
| Eternal Skies chapter 1 . 9/21/2009
it's okay i guess but it needs more details, explanations and things similar. imagery if you'd like. to make the reader 'feel' the poem, cuz i seriously don't know what this is all about.
| Isca chapter 1 . 3/7/2009
I like that you said something toxic is 'green.' It made me think of greed and envy. :)
| Plej chapter 1 . 3/5/2009
What I liked about this piece: It was funny (The not like Britney bit) and charming, and I can relate to it, with the love I have with some of my family members, like right on point.
ANother What I liked about this peice: It was short, but I think that may be a reason I liked it, cuz it got straight to the point, and it was swet.


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Aftershock : The Next Economy and America's Future. / Robert B Reich.
Electronic resources
View other formats and editions
Record details
- ISBN: 9780307594525 (electronic bk)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource
- Publisher: New York : Vintage, 2010.
Content descriptions
|General Note:
| Title from eBook information screen..
|Summary, etc.:
| A brilliant new reading of the economic crisis--and a plan for dealing with the challenge of its aftermath--by one of our most trenchant and informed experts.When the nation's economy foundered in 2008, blame was directed almost universally at Wall Street. But Robert B. Reich suggests a different reason for the meltdown, and for a perilous road ahead. He argues that the real problem is structural: it lies in the increasing concentration of income and wealth at the top, and in a middle class that has had to go deeply into debt to maintain a decent standard of living.Persuasively and straightforwardly, Reich reveals how precarious our situation still is. The last time in American history when wealth was so highly concentrated at the top--indeed, when the top 1 percent of the population was paid 23 percent of the nation's income--was in 1928, just before the Great Depression. Such a disparity leads to ever greater booms followed by ever deeper busts....
|System Details Note:
| Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 2435 KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB).
Search for related items by subject
|Electronic books.


text: Table of contents A listing of contents/chapters of a publication, usually found at the front of the book, journal, or magazine. Thesaurus A list of subject headings or descriptors used in a particular catalog or database. A thesaurus identifies the terms used by the database from among possible synonyms. Truncation (see also: Wild card) A shortened version of a search term. In some databases the root of a word with a wild card symbol will retrieve all variations of the root word. Some databases provide truncation ('stems from') as a search option. URL Uniform Resource Locator is the address of a site on the Internet/World Wide Web. Vertical file A library collection that contains pamphlets, brochures, flyers and newspaper clippings arranged by subject. Vertical files are usually contained in file cabinets. Virtual library An electronic library accessible through the Internet. Wild card (see also: Truncation) A symbol, often ? or *, used to substitute for a letter or letters in a search word or phrase. A wild card symbol within a word usually indicates that a single letter may be replaced (wom*n would retrieve both women and woman in a search). A wild card symbol at the end of a word expands the possibilities to several replacement letters (child* would retrieve results containing children, childhood, childish as well as child.) Wikipedia An online information resource that encourages users to update, expand and/or correct its contents. World Wide Web (www) (see also: Internet) A part of the Internet accessed through a graphical user interface and containing documents often connected by hyperlinks.


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Report NEP-DCM-2012-05-08This is the archive for NEP-DCM, a report on new working papers in the area of Discrete Choice Models. Philip Yu issued this report. It is usually issued weekly.
Subscribe to this report: email, RSS or Twitter.
Other reports in NEP-DCM
The following items were announced in this report:
- Andrew Clausen & Carlo Strub, 2012. "Envelope theorems for non-smooth and non-concave optimization," ECON - Working Papers 062, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
- Andrea Morone & Piergiuseppe Morone, 2012. "Are small groups Expected Utility?," Working Papers 2012/08, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
- Wonsuk Chung & Rick Harbaugh, 2012. "Biased Recommendations," Working Papers 2012-02, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.


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Feminist News
Civil Unions Permitted in DE and HI
As of January 1 , 2012, same sex couples can legally enter into same-sex civil unions in Delaware and Hawaii and attain some of the same benefits enjoyed by married couples, such as the right to visit a partner in the hospital and make decisions about the partner's medical care and the right to joint bank accounts and property transfers.
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie (D), who signed the bill into law in February 2011, described the law as "a prime example of exercising civic courage. It is about doing what is right, no matter how difficult, no matter how much opposition."
Delaware Governor Jack Markell (D), who signed Delaware's bill into law in May, stated, "This bill is about a new energy and excitement. It's about a moment in our history that came about because people came together to work for it, because it became clear that Delaware's LGBT community is in fact part of every Delaware community. The greater good is served when we speak out and fight hard when we see that bias, prejudice or even outdated laws attempt to lessen any one of us."
Currently, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Hawaii recognize same-sex civil unions. Same-sex couples can obtain marriage licenses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington DC.
Media Resources: CNN 1/1/12; Feminist Daily Newswire 6/30/11


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Knit the Bridge in the news
Amanda Gross of Knit the Bridge / photo courtesy Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
Seed Award project, Knit the Bridge, given the go-ahead by Allegheny County Council and featured in news outlets across Pittsburgh.
Last week, the Allegheny County Council voted unanimously to allow the Knit the Bridge project to "yarn bomb" the Andy Warhol Bridge from August 10th to September 7th. Now, the Seed Award project has been all over the news with its message of bringing together communities from all over Southwestern Pennsylvania. At the County Council meeting that approved the project, the Post-Gazette was there to report:
Not only did the project receive no resistance from the council, it was endorsed as one of Pittsburgh's points of pride by county Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
"We're very excited," Mr. Fitzgerald said. "It's going to be beautiful once it occurs, and it's going to bring us some national recognition."
In another article, the Post-Gazette spoke to project manager and fabric artist, Amanda Gross, about the far-reaching scope of the massive installation art piece.
"Currently, we have 725 individuals and 70 groups participating," Ms. Gross said. She estimated that more than 900 artists are participating. She hopes to have every county in Western Pennsylvania and every community in Allegheny County represented by the panels.
Donna Stoltz of Shaler is one of the knitters. A professor at the University of Pittsburgh, she learned of the project through a colleague. Ms. Stoltz said she started her panel while riding in the car with her husband and decided use rainbow colors. An avid kayaker, she has a plan for when the bridge is complete.
"I want to kayak under the bridge when it is done and just take it all in," she said.
Already, the dream of Knit the Bridge is coming true, tying together communities from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race or gender. Pittsburgh's NPR news station, WESA, sat down with a group of teen boys from Allegheny Youth Development in the North Side's Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood who are a part of the project.
The boys were eating hot dogs, talking about the NBA playoffs and sharing their report cards. AYD held the event to celebrate all that the few dozen teenage boys who take part in the program did over the course of the last school year.
Among those accomplishments, they learned to knit. They even made parts of the panels that will be hung on the Andy Warhol Bridge later this summer as part of the Knit the Bridge project, which is expected to be the largest "yarn bomb" ever in the United States.
"It's just positive … I like it so much; I just love it," Diondre Harris [one of the boys] said. "It's easy and it's not that hard; it's not too complicated. It's just something I can do. If you need somewhere to go or something to do to take your mind off of something, like if somebody bashes my family or my friend or something, I'll just go in my room and I'll knit, and just sit there and knit and knit."
All throughout the city, people are knitting the 2,500 panels that will be hung over the steel bridge's towers and rails. If you're interested in being part of the project, you can visit Knit the Bridge's website or email them at firstname.lastname@example.com. And even if you can't knit (or crochet!), you can still donate to the project's IndieGoGo campaign to help pay for all the materials, installation costs and stipends to make this one-of-a-kind community art project a reality.


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The Church pt2
The Church pt.2
The church as a body:
Romans 12:4-5
Christ is the head:
The church derives its character, not from its membership, but from its head.
The church is to glorify God:
Ephesians 3:21 (NKJV) 21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
The church is to minister to one another.
Ephesians 4:11 - 16 (NKJV) 11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The church is evangelize the world.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Matthew 28:19-20
We all have different jobs to do:
1 Corinthians 3:6 - 9 (NKJV) 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.


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Arthur ''Pappy'' Kennedy, 72, was elected to the Orlando City Council in 1972, serving until he lost to Ernest Page while seeking a third term in 1980. He defeated Bill Ankeny in 1972 to become the city's first black council member in a close vote that brought court suits that were decided in Kennedy's favor.
Kennedy also served on the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, where he supported the Williams family's restaurant leases.
A restaurant employee, Kennedy organized and was president of the former Orlando Negro Chamber of Commerce in 1945.
After he left public life, Kennedy did volunteer work two days a week for the Meals on Wheels program for the elderly and later was employed by Bruton's Funeral Home in Orlando.
Other than that, he said, he was semiretired. He lives at 4165 Pappy Kennedy St., formerly McCovey Street. The city of Orlando named the Washington Shores road after him last month.


text:
Wish upon a night full of stars, magic and magnificent fireworks as you cruise Seven Seas Lagoon.
During Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise, you're invited to a unique dessert party featuring unforgettable views of the evening fireworks, all from the iconic General Joe Potter ferryboat—named after the longtime Disney Legend!
One of the best ways to experience Magic Kingdom fireworks, the cruise begins as you make your way to the Transportation and Ticket Center, where a refreshment will send you off for the evening.
Then, after setting sail, celebrate your senses with decadent sweets, tasty specialty beverages—with or without alcohol—and, of course, one-of-a-kind views of world-famous fireworks blooming over Magic Kingdom park.
Each night offers its own splendid selection of signature treats, courtesy of our Disney Chefs. So, whether you're sipping from a glass of Ferrytale Punch or nibbling on sweets inspired by the Resort hotels surrounding Seven Seas Lagoon, you're guaranteed an experience that will inspire your taste buds to sparkle like the vibrant skies above!
Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise takes place on select nights. Admission is $99 for adults and $69 for children ages 3 to 9 (tax and gratuity included; discounts do not apply), and even includes some special take-away surprises.
To ensure spectacular viewing for all, capacity is limited per cruise—advance reservations are strongly recommended. Book your cruise online or by calling (407) 939-3463. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.
Please note: all menu items and event experiences are subject to change without notice.
Learn important information about Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise.


text:
Originally posted on Next Impulse Sports | Last updated 2/3/13
Allen Iverson is officially free of Tawanna Iverson, his now ex-wife and mother of his five kids, but not before the judge dropped the hammer on The Answer. In addition to signing off on the divorce, the Atlanta family court judge added some exceptionally harsh words in the final decree, basically calling the former NBA star a terrible father: "[Iverson] does not know how to manage the children; has little interest in learning to manage the children and has actually, at times, been a hindrance to their spiritual and emotional growth and development. For example, he has refused to attend to an obvious and serious alcohol problem, which has caused him to do inappropriate things in the presence of the children while impaired. He has left the children alone without supervision. He has left his young daughters in a hotel room with men who are unknown to the mother." Using those words as ammunition, the judge awarded Tawanna legal and physical custody of the kids, granting visitation to Allen only if he abides by some very strict conditions. Those conditions include not drinking any alcohol for the next 18 months, and, until all of his kids are at least 18 years old, he can't drink within 24 hours of his scheduled visitation time. The judge also ordered mandatory psychiatric treatment, and that he attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. [TMZ] var conf_58467 = { APIKey: '2_N1YlfjHIEAtyRAK3CAYRE5a1aBuANuMOCLc_7hsOQ13HnwCrW_u-6OuDhjC7vR06 ', lang : 'en', enabledProviders: '' }; var image58467 = {src:'http://cdn.cosbysweaters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/alleniverson-e1359888694431.jpg',href:'http://cosbysweaters.com/2013/02/03/horrible-father-allen-iverson-has-some-very-sobering-conditions-tied-to-his-divorce-settlement/',type:'image'}; var ua_58467 = new gigya.services.socialize.UserAction(); ua_58467.setUserMessage(''); ua_58467.setLinkBack('http://cosbysweaters.com/2013/02/03/horrible-father-allen-iverson-has-some-very-sobering-conditions-tied-to-his-divorce-settlement/'); ua_58467.setTitle('Horrible Father Allen Iverson Has Some Very Sobering Conditions Tied To His Divorce Settlement'); ua_58467.addMediaItem(image58467); var params_58467 ={ userAction:ua_58467, cssPrefix:'#gig-div-buttons-58467-bottom', shareButtons:'facebook-like,google-plusone,share,twitter,email', // list of providers containerID: 'gig-div-buttons-58467-bottom', cid:'' }; gigya.services.socialize.showShareBarUI(conf_58467,params_58467); Article found on: Cosby Sweaters
PLAYERS: Allen Iverson
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text:
Under international law, it appears straightforward that a 9-year-old boy who has lived most of his life in Brazil should be returned to his father in New Jersey.
But after another week of legal tussles, the future remains unclear for the father, who has been fighting for years to get back the son he lost, the son who has told psychologists he wants to stay in Brazil and the boy's family in Rio de Janeiro, who have pleaded for him to stay put.
The father, David Goldman, flew to Brazil on Monday after a federal court there said his son would be handed over to him Wednesday at a U.S. consulate.
But late Tuesday, Brazil's supreme court agreed to hear a challenge to the ruling, and Goldman was planning to return home to Tinton Falls, N.J., alone, thwarted again.
The case, tangled up with diplomacy and Brazilian politics, shows the tension between the Hague Convention on international child abduction and the notion that courts should do what's best for children in custody cases.
The dispute goes back to 2004 when Bruna Goldman took her son Sean, then 4, to her native Brazil. She told her husband she'd be back in two weeks. But she stayed in Brazil and eventually remarried there.
David Goldman said it was an abduction and that he should get custody of the child.
He is asserting his rights under the Hague Convention, which seeks to protect children abducted across international boundaries by providing a procedure to bring about their return.
The case began getting international attention last year after Bruna Goldman died while giving birth to a daughter. The U.S. Congress, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama have all lobbied Brazil to return the boy.
Sean has been living with his stepfather, Rio de Janeiro lawyer Joao Paulo Lins e Silva.
Sergio Tostes, a lawyer for the Brazilian family, said the judge that ruled earlier in the week "did not consider that fact that the boy repeatedly told the psychologists that he wanted to remain in Brazil."
Justice Marco Aurelio, who suspended Sean's return, said in a statement that "I think five years were enough for roots to have been formed" by Sean in Brazil.
Mitch Spero, a psychologist in Florida, donated his time nine years ago to evaluate Elian Gonzalez, a Cuban-born boy who was living with relatives in Miami before President Bill Clinton ordered that he be returned to his father in Cuba.
Spero said that while laws and treaties should be followed, it's also important to consider what's best for the child. Without knowing the specifics of the Goldman case, he said a hasty return to the U.S. might not be the best thing.
"Since his mother passed away, losing contact with the stepfather would be another loss for the child," Spero said. Separating Sean from his baby sister could also be a problem, Spero said.
Spero says that the best approach would be to have a transition of custody.
And that's what the Brazilian court decision earlier in the week sought to do: have Sean spend part of his time with his maternal grandparents in New Jersey before living full-time with his father.
The court's other 10 justices are expected to analyze Aurelio's decision by June 10. If they agree with him, they will begin the long process of deciding who has custody.
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey who has traveled with Goldman to Brazil, said the Hague Convention does not allow for an analysis of what's in the child's best interest. But he said that even if it did, the courts should find that his biological father should have custody.
Smith said that Goldman did get to visit with his son Wednesday.
Goldman told NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday that he was again disappointed with the Brazilian courts. "He's got to come home with me. He is in a very unhealthy environment and this has to stop."


text:
BattleStar Galactica: Warrior's Creed
Chapter 1: The Day of The Treaty
Jericho woke up at the regular sound. It was the way every warrior started the day.
He rolled out of his bunk, and back onto his feet. Then he brushed his long black hair out of his eyes. He then made his way to his locker, and got dressed.
Putting on the uniform, he contemplated what current events meant to him.
He knew that the council had opened up peace talks with the Cylons, and that there was supposed to be a treaty.
As a warrior, he figured this might put him out of work. The thought that he wouldn't have to defend against the Cylons took some getting used to.
Strapping up his boots, he made his way out to the mess hall.
There would always be a time where peace happened. However, he knew that the path to peace was one of war. The idea that peace could come from talks was a bit absurd.
As he got in line, he got behind one of his best friends.
"Zach," he called, tapping his friend on the shoulder. "Fancy seeing you here."
Zach turned around. "Jericho!" he cheered.
Both men wrapped themselves in an embrace. They hadn't seen each other in forever.
"Look at you, a warrior now." He commented, noticing Zach's new uniform. "Loggin' any flight hours yet?"
"My first patrol's tomorrow." Zach answered. "I can't believe it."
"Well," Jericho replied "I've gotten transferred to your brother's squadron. I'm due to be back on patrol tomorrow too."
"Wow," Zach commented, moving forward in line. "I hope we're flyin' together."
"I'll show you the ropes when it happens." Jericho replied.
They continued to talk, and when they got their food, they sat down at the table.
"I have to admit," Jericho began "The idea that peace talks opened up between us and the Cylons is something I'm skeptical about. The Cylons hate us, and there's no way they're in their right minds about this. Something's up."
"You really think that man?" Starbuck's voice came from behind.
Jericho turned around to see his squadmate standing behind them with a tray. "You don't mind if I sit here do you?" he asked.
"Go right ahead." Jericho answered "I was just talking to Zach about how fishy the peace talks seem."
"You've always been the skeptic," Starbuck replied, mouth full of food. "You just can't seem to believe a good thing."
"You show me an actual Cylon going to that meeting," he answered "And I'll withdraw my opinion. The fact that they're sending an emissary in their place is a bit fishy. I think they're up to something."
"And now the skeptic states his true reasoning." Starbuck jokingly announced. "He thinks The Cylons are up to something."
"I'm a skeptic for good reason." He defended.
"And here comes his infamous explanation for his reasoning." Starbuck joked, motioning for Zach to pay attention.
"I've been lied to quite a bit over the years," he started.
He noticed Starbuck doing a motion with his hands to mimic his mouth, moving it up and down as he spoke.
"Ever since my father died in combat when I was five, and my mom lied to me about it up until I was twelve, I started to want proof." Jericho monologued. "I've also been lied to about a bunch of little stuff, and even the fact I can't trust a rumor without seeking proof for myself. I also know quite a bit about how things work."
"And thus you have the infamous explanation." Starbuck joked.
"And why do I let you sit here?" Jericho asked.
"Because, I'm your best friend." Starbuck answered "You'd also become bored if I wasn't around."
"True." He replied "but you aren't my best friend. That title belongs to Zach here."
"That is true." Zach seconded "He told me during his birthday party."
"Well, I hope you two are happy then."
With that, he got up, and made his way to put his now empty tray away.
"What's his problem?" Zach asked.
"Just the fact he's a little hurt by the fact he's not my best friend." He answered.
"What does everybody usually do when they're waiting for their assignments?" Zach asked, getting up to put his tray away.
"We usually hang out in our bunkrooms," he explained "I'm told you'll be filling the empty bunk above mine."
"I'm bunking with you!" Zach exclaimed "I can't believe it. I just hope my first flight's gonna be okay."
"You'll be fine." Jericho reassured "Just keep your cool and everything's gonna be okay."
Zach was pacing around worriedly, constantly huffing and puffing. Jericho was currently trying to ignore Zach's constant worrying.
This was something the other warriors called "First Flight Patrol Pacing". This usually happened when the warrior is about to go on their first flight patrol.
Jericho didn't seem to care, seeing as he was a bit caught up in his book.
Starbuck entered, and finally talked to Zach.
"What's gotten you so worked up?" The blonde asked, trying to light his cigar.
"It's my first flight patrol." The rookie answered. "I'm just so nervous. I don't want to disappoint my big brother."
"You'll be fine." Jericho replied "He's not that bad of a commander. Just don't worry."
"Easy for you to say." Zach retorted "You've already went on your first patrol."
"And It was okay." He soothed "The first patrol is usually very uneventful. You'll be fine flyin' with me. I'll keep everything good."
"Yeah," Starbuck added "Easy for you to say. I'm flyin' with the Apollo for this one. I honestly have better things to do right now."
With that, Starbuck tried lighting his cigar again, which had gone out.
He was still lighting it when Apollo walked in."
"Jericho," Apollo called "you're flyin' with me and Starbuck on this one."
"Alright." Jericho moaned "I'll be flight ready by the time."
"I don't know about going myself though." Starbuck suggested "I think it's better if Zach goes on this one with you."
"That's a great idea Starbuck." Apollo replied, before turning to face a very nervous Zach "You're flyin' with me and Jericho. I want you two on deck in an hour."
With that, Apollo left the room.
For a moment, Zach just stood there, before cheering "Yaaaa-Hoooo!"
Jericho rolled his eyes, and got back to his book.
"I can't believe I'm flying with my brother!" Zach exclaimed "Can you believe this?"
"I honestly can't." Jericho admitted "I flew my first patrol with some sergeant who always ragged on my flying. I'd much rather have flown with your brother than Colonel Tigh."
"You flew with Tigh?" Starbuck asked "he was on your first patrol?" At this Starbuck kept on laughing.
"I showed him though. I've racked up more kills than he has." Jericho defended "It's amazing how I haven't made captain yet."
Starbuck whispered something to Zach, and they both laughed out loud at it.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"Nothing really." Zach answered
"Whatever." Jericho replied, having lost interest in this. He returned to his book, knowing that there was always a few jokes made about him, most of which weren't worth hearing.
Inside the cockpit of a Viper. That's where Jericho felt the most natural.
Currently, Jericho was climbing into the cockpit of his. He stepped up on the boarding ladder, and into the seat of the cockpit itself.
He found his helmet, and put it on, before moving to start up the systems.
"This is Jericho Fallowway, starting up for my run." He announced into the com as he put his hands on the joystick.
"This is Galactica control." The voice from the bridge replied "You're go for launch. Rendezvous with Apollo and Zach at point 72 Alfa."
"Roger that." Jericho replied, "Launching."
With that, he started up, and sat back.
The ship accelerated rapidly as it began its course out of the launch tube. It seemed to go at a speed almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
Within thirty, he was accelerating into space, having left the Galactica. He banked a turn to the left, and accelerated to cruising speed.
"Hey Jer!" Apollo's voice came in through the com "Look behind you."
With that, he turned his head, to see two more Viper's behind him.
"Let's do this thing by the numbers." Apollo announced "We're going to do a sweep around the fleet, take a look at that storm on the end, and head home."
"Roger that." Jericho acknowledged.
"Sure tThing." Zach added.
With that, they flew around the fleet, all fourty-seven BattleStars included.
Soon, it came time for the second part.
"Hey Jer," Apollo called "Pull towards the back. Let's do a cloud-vee for this thing."
"Gotcha." He replied, and decelerated, before pulling into formation. "Any reason why sir?"
"We've got three fighters," Apollo replied, "Why not make the most of it."
With that, they flew forward into the dust cloud.
At this, Jericho noticed his scanners started going crazy, bugging out on him.
"I'm getting interference on my scanner." He announced "How about you guys?"
"Copy that." Apollo called.
"Same here guys." Zach added.
"Guess we'll have to DLS it." Jericho suggested, looking around "If only there was something to see."
For a few brief moments, there was silence, before Zach called out on the com
"We've got a Cylon tanker! Two o'clock." He called.
"Hang on," Jericho replied, taking a look.
At first, there was nothing. Then he saw it.
A Cylon tanker is a long cigar-shaped craft, with a visible bridge in the front, a large quartet of engines in the back, and sections interchangeably empty along it's sides.
However, a tanker was not supposed to be this far from Cylon, their home planet.
"I wonder what it's doing all the way out here." Jericho admitted "I doubt it's derelict."
"It's not derelict." Apollo clarified "It's in a fleet up ahead!"
With that, he looked straight ahead through the thinning clouds.
He could see dozens of Cylon tankers, all flying in formation up ahead. The reason for that was shown by the hundreds of Cylon fighters, all flying in a massive formation.
"We've got to warn the fleet!" Zach announced.
"Let's turn back then." Apollo commanded "turn back, and do not engage."
"Roger that." Jericho confirmed.
With that, they started to bank a turn to change direction. However, it appeared that the Cylon's noticed them, and started to follow, and fire upon them.
"Try to outrun 'em" Apollo suggested, as they accelerated away.
It seemed now that the scanners were working somewhat, fact apparent by the short-range blips that followed the three of them.
They continued going their way, when the Cylon fighters started to close in, and fire.
A salvo of fire was loosed in their direction.
Jericho did a barrel roll instinctively, dodging most of the salvo.
Jericho noticed that Zach had been hit partially, and was starting to fall behind.
"Fire up turbo." Apollo commanded "Let's get out of here."
"I can't!" Zach replied "I've lost two of my engines, just go on without me."
"We're not leaving you behind." Jericho exclaimed.
"We can still make it." Apollo lied, almost trying to convince himself as well as Zach.
"Just go on without me." Zach repeated "You've got to warn the fleet." Zach paused before adding "I'll hold them off."
Jericho was in shock at this.
Apollo answered "Jericho, switch to turbo boost on three."
"Yes sir." He replied, putting his finger on the button.
"One.." Apollo called "…two….three. switch to turbo."
"Yes sir." Jericho answered, pressing down on the button.
Both of their viper's accelerated forward, flying through the cloud within seconds.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jericho swore he saw Zach wave goodbye.


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With the Dow Jones Industrials hitting record highs along with other indexes and retail money flooding into the stock market, it might seem a good time to get out. But two managers with a solid long-term record investing in small-cap stocks say the rally still has a long way in front of it.
"The markets are at the same high as they were in 2007, but the economy was peaking in 2007 after a long expansion," said Philip Tasho, chief executive of Tamro Capital Partners and co-manager of the $1.1 billion Aston/TAMRO Small Cap Fund. "We're just starting now."
Tasho and co-manager Tim Holland like three sectors in particular: Financials, healthcare and consumer discretionary. Consumer confidence is rising and households are reducing debt, while rising housing prices will restore a key component to the economy.
Still, financials would seem risky: They got crushed in the recession, of course, and some are still making money only by the grace of Ben Bernanke, whose massive interventions in the capital markets have driven down interest rates and steepened the yield curve. That's lowered bank funding costs but also hurt them on the income side, as higher-rate loans roll off to be replaced by lower-yielding investments, Holland told me.
"What's exciting about the banks is, everyone's talking about indices being at all time highs," he said. "The one major sector that's nowhere near back to where it was at 2007 levels is the banks."
Even if the Fed lets off on the gas pedal and interest rates rise, he said, banks will likely benefit from increased net interest income from higher-yielding loans and investments. One of TMRO's largest holdings is Bank of the Ozarks, which managed to get through the crisis in good shape and made seven quick acquisitions of troubled franchises in the aftermath. It sells at an expensive 2.5 times book value, but Holland says CEO George Gleason, who owns about 1 million of the 35 million shares outstanding, has plans to increase efficiency and drive higher earnings.
TAMRO also likes Greenhill & Co., whose shares plunged in 2011 but have been rising on increasing mergers and acquisitions activity. Greenhill is a pure advisor that only earns fee income, so it will directly benefit from increased dealmaking.
TAMRO's favorite play in healthcare is AthenaHealth, which was founded by George W. Bush's cousin Jonathan as a women's health provider but switched to medical billing software. The company sells mostly to physicians offices and is paid a percentage of bills collected, allowing it to grow rapidly without requiring its customers to pay up front.
The shale/fracking revolution, which has spread from natural gas to oil, will also help revive the U.S. economy, Holland said. TAMRO has a large holding in Colfax, which provides the machinery and services for moving fluids, gas and water. It's a creation of the Rales brothers, Mitchell and Steven, who also founded Danaher, a successful industrial conglomerate TAMRO holds in its large-cap portfolio. Both companies use the Rales brothers' methods for identifying acquisitions and operating them efficiently, Holland said.
Finally, Holland likes M.D.C. Holdings, a Colorado homebuilder that went to cash -- $1.1 billion of it -- before the housing crisis hit and weathered the recession while still paying a dividend. Other homebuilders have bounced higher than M.D.C., up about 70% from its 52-week low, but Holland thinks it will continue to grow through the recovery while other, less well-capitalized homebuilders hit a wall.
Holland and Tasho try to identify 50-70 companies with strong market share, experienced managers and solid balance sheets. They say there are still plenty of candidates among small-caps, even with the Russell 2000 up nearly 40% since last October.
The market as a whole is still relatively cheap, the say, citing this statistic: When the S&P peaked in 2000, it was selling at 24 times earnings with a dividend yield of 1.2% and the component companies earned $452 billion. Right now the S&P is selling at 14 times trailing earnings, the dividend yield is 2.2%, and the companies earned $988 billion in 2012.
"The market went sideways for 13 years, the multiple got cut in half, but in certain respects the income statements and balance sheets improved," Holland said.


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€ 45,00
Postalco made these Postalco Snap Pad Dark Green A5 to make an easy do-it-yourself recycling notepad of all a4 misprints (for the A5 Snap Pad: simply cut the A4 sheets in half). In an era where loose papers are floating around more than ever, this is a product that gets the best our of you helping our world getting greener just a bit at a time.
How to use it:
Postalco: "Make holes in the top edge of the papers with a standard 2-hole puncher and snap them into the Snap Pad. The cover folds to the front to protect the papers and there is nog bulky hardware so it is easy to carry around. To use the A5 size, just cut the A4 papers in half, punch holes and snap them in!"
Paper is not included in this listing, but you can use the instruction sheet as your first page. Just turn in around.
Also available in A4 size.
The Snap Pads holds about 100 sheets.
Postalco's Snap Pad is made of a cardboard cover is wrapped with two colors of Pressed Cotton Fabric for durability. With use the colors of the cover with lighten and the weave of the fabric will become more apparent. The Brass buttons on the front are embossed with Postalco's signature carrier pigeon logo.
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004. Pocket Stickers (3pcs.) TRAVELER'S notebook € 9,00
Business Card Holder Black € 129,00
015. Penholder (S) Black TRAVELER'S notebook € 13,00
013. Light Weight Paper (128pg) TRAVELER'S notebook € 6,00
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In 2000 Mike Abelson, who was a designer of bags with Jack Spade in New York, noticed that his wife Yuri, a graphic designer, was having difficulty carting around A4 size papers. He created an envelope-shaped case for her, with a button closure with fabric and leather he happened to have on hand. That modest beginning led to the founding of Postalco. Postalco's products are created to be used by anyone – male or female, young or old, people from all walks of life worldwide. What sets Postalco's designs apart are their supreme utility and ineffable warmth blended with the beauty of understatement.


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What does foot bones mean?
Definitions for foot bones
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word foot bones.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Foot Bones
The TARSAL BONES; METATARSAL BONES; and PHALANGES OF TOES. The tarsal bones consists of seven bones: CALCANEUS; TALUS; cuboid; navicular; internal; middle; and external cuneiform bones. The five metatarsal bones are numbered one through five, running medial to lateral. There are 14 phalanges in each foot, the great toe has two while the other toes have three each.
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of foot bones in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of foot bones in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
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"foot bones." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2018. Web. 18 Mar. 2018. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/foot bones>.


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I need to write a report about The Truman Show in which I will assume the role of Christof, the creator of "The Truman Show." Can you provide some guidance?
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It is very telling that the name of this character is "Christof" because he is a god-like figure and this suggests he has a "Christ-like" role to play. Because Truman is at first unaware that his life is not real, and that he is in fact being viewed by millions of people every day, there is a feeling of helplessness and lack of autonomy to his existence. This is similar to what some people may think about their lives when they consider that destiny, fate and the actions of others can govern our ives and make it difficult to live lives of free will and choice. Truman escapes this mindset by deciding to take control of his own destiny; it is a sort of existential crisis, and existentialism is normally at odds with monotheistic religion (like Christianity). In speaking in Christof's voice or inhabiting his point of view, it seems necessary to assume he has a great deal of ego and arrogance, given the assumption that he had gained a great deal of power and money by enslaving Truman and controlling his every day life.


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International conference makes a splash in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector
WASH 2014 addresses the big issue – how to improve the lives of 780 billion people around the world who do not have access to safe drinking water and more than one third of the world's population who lack basic access to sanitation services. Unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and insufficient hygiene practices are responsible for an estimated 801,000 children under the age of five dying from diarrhoea each year, and millions of people suffering blindness and other preventable diseases.
Marcus Howard, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia said, "The world is talking about how to achieve universal access to water and sanitation and the WASH 2014 conference is critically addressing issues of quality service provision and how to sustain access. Safe water, sanitation and hygiene is essential to basic health and nutrition, and should be accessible for all human beings – rich or poor, urban or rural, disadvantaged groups or the general population."
Mr Howard also said that the outcomes of the conference will have an impact on policy makers, both in Australia and further afield. "The conference provides a valuable opportunity to highlight WASH as a critical issue and its place in effective aid programs," he said.
"Solving the problem is more than a matter of technology. To have an impact practitioners have to engage with the social, economic and political dimensions of WASH. The challenges are complex, and events such as this provide an essential space for sharing experience, developing new approaches and identifying what works best," says Associate Professor Barbara Evans, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Barbara is Conference Facilitator and Chair of the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Program."Professionals working in WASH in Australia and DFAT have shown international leadership in the Indo-Pacific region."
Within the emerging post-2015 global agenda, the critical dialogue that begins at the conference – and continues around the world through networks and connections made between conference attendees – can help achieve successes that improve life and health for generations to come.
The conference is managed by the International WaterCentre with the support of The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia).


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BofA-Merrill cuts European telecoms sector to neutral
Bank of America Securities-Merrill Lynch Research downgraded the European telecoms sector to neutral from overweight, saying the sector's relative earnings momentum is likely to lag that of sectors more geared into a recovering economy.
The brokerage said it will be hard for the sector to see catalysts for outperformance over the near-to-medium term.
However, telecoms-sector valuations remain extremely attractive, with 2009 and 2010 dividend yields estimated to be the highest of any sector, it said adding that for this reason alone, many investors will want to own the sector.
In our scorecard valuation ranking, the sector remains ranked cheapest of all. Despite the downgrade, telecoms remains our favourite defensive sector, the brokerage said. (Reporting by Kumar Alagappan in Bangalore; Editing by Vinu Pilakkott)


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Chapter 11 : The Fireplace
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The Fireplace
"Where the bloody hell is Harlow?"
The Scottish accent and the voice were easily recognizable.
"Wood, all things considered, you probably don't want to make a scene here asking for her. You'll just give 'em something else to talk about."
"Shut up, George."
I lingered on the staircase as I didn't want to confront Wood, but I didn't feel like going back to the dormitory either.
The stone stairs sent a chill through my spine as I sat down to rest on them while waiting for Wood to leave. I attempted to peer out the window, but I was too short in my sitting position and could only see the dark clouds moving in on the castle. As the conversation between Wood and George subsided, a second-year made her way up the stairs. She smiled at me as I shuffled over towards the wall to make space for her to pass. It was as if she was unaware of all the gossip surrounding me even though that was seemingly difficult to believe. Everyone knew about it, but the girl even had the courtesy of muttering a meek "thanks" as she continued her way up the spiraling staircase.
I stayed on the staircase for a while, watching the night creep up on the castle and the rain start pouring. It made a thumping sound as it hit the windowsill which was oddly calming. It almost made me unaware of the groups of girls walking by and staring at me.
I tiptoed down to the bottom of the stairs to make my footsteps as inaudible as possible and peered through to have a look at the Common Room. Thankfully, Wood was nowhere in sight. The common room was empty except for Harry, Hermione and Ron occupying the area around the fireplace.
I attempted to pass by unnoticed, but Hermione heard me and turned around, startled by my sudden presence.
"Blimey, Rye! You scared me!" Ron screamed.
"Oh, sorry, I tried to be quiet so as not to disturb you. Where is everyone?" I said, still whispering and doing my best to be as quiet as possible.
"Probably in bed, it was quite a long day," Hermione added.
I nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry about the whole thing with Wood," Hermione said sympathetically.
"Yeah, me too," I replied. "Listen, I don't mean to impose, so I'll be off now."
"Where are you going to go at this time?" Harry asked. "Sneaking around the castle isn't as much fun as it's made out to be, the three of us would know. Sit here with us for a bit. I can imagine you need a friend right now."
I smiled and nodded before making my way over to the fireplace. I sat down cross legged next to Hermione.
"So, anything particularly special about the fireplace or are you just huddling around to warm up?" I said.
"Err, it's quite a long story actually," Harry said, trying to remain mysterious.
"Right, of course it is," I said. "Everything you three do is a long story, isn't it?"
"Not by our own choosing, I assure you," Ron interjected. "If I could have it my way, we would never be involved in any long stories."
"Oh man up, Ron," Hermione huffed. "Stop being such a coward."
Harry laughed at their bickering and I decided to join in.
"So, is everyone in Gryffindor shunning you as if you were a Death Eater?" Ron asked.
Hermione elbowed Ron in the rib to tell him to shut up, but Ron didn't seem to get the hint as he let out a painful yell.
"It's okay, 'Mione," I said while laughing. "Yeah, I'm not exactly a living, breathing example of Gryffindor student traits right now and they're not too happy with me. You're probably the only people who even want to talk to me. Hopefully they'll forget about it by next year, though I doubt I'll ever get rid of the reputation."
"I'm sorry about it all. I'm sure they'll forget about it soon," Harry added.
"I'm hoping for a scandal of epic proportions to cast the shame away from me, but it all seems pretty hopeless," I continued. "I'm hoping Sirius Black makes an appearance, to be honest."
The group shuffled around uneasily as I mentioned Black.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry," I quickly apologized, realizing my stupidity. "I didn't mean it that way. I don't really want him here. I sometimes really don't think about what I say… or do. You might have noticed that this morning."
"It's fine, Rye, it really is," he said through a rather genuine smile.
That's great, Rye. Tell them that you want Sirius Black here. You really can't do anything well, can you?
"I should probably leave before I say something equally as stupid. I'm so so sorry. Good night you three," I muttered while getting up.
"I've been looking for you for all day, Harlow," a voice from behind me said. Once again, the Scottish accent was impossible to mistake.
I turned around and surely, Oliver Wood was there, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Wood, listen can we do this some other ti—"
"No," he said, cutting me off. I could see that he was fuming and trying to contain his anger as much as possible. "Let's go somewhere private. Harry, we've got practice tomorrow morning, you better not be tired."
I sent Harry a sympathetic look as I knew how Wood got about his quidditch. I'd like to think that I wasn't as fanatical about it as he was.
Wood grabbed me by the arm and dragged me off outside of Gryffindor tower.
"Where are we going?" I whispered so that none of the patrolling teachers would hear me.
"Shut up, Harlow."
He tightened his grip around my arm, dragging me down a flight of stairs with him. When we got to the bottom, he looked over to make sure there wasn't anyone in sight. When he was sure that nobody had seen us, he pulled me through a secret passageway behind a painting.
"Where are we?" I said in awe.
"It's a secret passageway which leads outside. I found out about it from Fred and George when we snuck out to play quidditch," he said, while taking a seat on the ground.
"Of course, why else would you ever sneak out and risk your position on the team," I scoffed.
He decided to ignore my remark and continued with what he had intended.
"We won't go any further. Nobody is going to find us here," he stated.
"That's great," I remarked sarcastically.
"Shut up, Harlow. I can't bloody believe you!" he began his rant. "One bloody thing I ask of you to do, to keep your mouth shut, and you fail to do it! Can't you do anything right? And to make matters even more interesting, you tell me that if I can keep it a secret you will actually start to have some respect for me! Fuck you, Harlow! I really wouldn't give a fuck about it, but now everyone's talking about it. Everyone. This is my last chance to win the Cup, Harlow. I really don't need people giving me looks because we shagged when I'm doing my best to focus on the upcoming match!"
"Way to care about your girlfriend, Wood," I snorted.
"Ex-girlfriend, thanks to you. And it was never serious with her anyway. If it was, she would have been angrier with me than she is with you. At best, her ego is bruised a tad. That is not the main issue here; have you even been listening to me?"
"Yes, I have. Okay, everyone found out, it was my fault. Deal with it. And I'm so sorry that you're having trouble with your quidditch team, Wood. If I recall this is the same team you kicked me off of because I wouldn't comply with your ridiculous requests!"
"You're so fucking stubborn. You never listen to anyone and have no regard for authority. I'm your captain, therefore you listen to me. Hell, you wouldn't even listen to one thing I asked you to do that would work to your advantage!"
"I have no issues with authority, it is only you I dislike being subordinate to," I stated matter-of-factly.
"Well, good thing you're off the quidditch team and don't have to deal with that anymore," he smirked.
"Fuck off, Wood," I yelled, but he immediately muffled my screams by putting his hand to my mouth. He was inches away from me and using his other hand put a finger to his mouth to signalize that I should be quiet.
"Someone might hear us, Harlow," he said and took his hand off my mouth.
"We're in a secret passageway, Wood. The chances of someone actually hearing us through the stone and shit is almost non-existant. So I'll fucking yell if I want to," I said, my voice rising with every word. I then decided to start screaming everything that comes to mind simply to prove a point. "I fucking hate you, Wood! Shagging a completely drunk girl is even low for you, you know that! I hate you! You've made a goddamn mess of everything, but it's not as if you give a fuck since you're leavi—"
Wood shuffled around nervously, scared that somebody will hear my yelling. He seemed to be scanning for options to make me shut up, but as my yells grew louder he seemed at a loss about what to do. Suddenly, he pushed me towards the wall and pressed his lips to mine.
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I've Got It All (Most) : The Fireplace
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