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I have just acquired this i9305 and will say it is the BEST of the SIII's worlwide. The internal speediness and use of JB has made this an overall winner to the mobile wars of 2012.
Looking forward to what 2013 will bring to the table.
Anonymous, 30 Sep 2012In the UK Phones4U have Jump contract that allows you to change your phone every 6 months anyh... moreYeah hears about those JUMP deals! There amazing :)
iphone 5 iphone 5 iphone 5 look at the benchmarks!cpu better even that is 2 core compareing to 4 core samsung
I wanna get thus S3 with 2gb ram and JB comes out of the box.
When this S3 i9005 become available in Saudi Arabia? Any news, please keep posted.
Paul, 24 Sep 2012I would like to buy this phone S3, but I'm not sure if video calling is working on this phone.... moreHey buddy, a phone of this kind with fast quad core processor can handle video calling through Skype. Even the galaxy S advance with only dual core processor and mediocre RAM handles Skype video call very smoothly.
This model was just released in Singapore as "LTE variant". But the units of this model sold in Singapore do not have "Stereo FM Radio with RDS" (while the older 3G model I9300 sold here has!). Can anyone tell me if Samsung is really engaging in country-based hardware fragmentation, or GSMArena has made a mistake? Can someone in a country other than Singapore who has the I9305 tell me if their local version has FM Radio capability? [Do note that FM Radio is not an internet radio app.]
can any one explain me what the meaning of (available on September)????is this device available now ??i know 19300 available but this device not yet pleas say the truth im waiting for this devise and leave the iphone 5 pleas put the dimension and the weight now im so angry
Anonymous, 30 Sep 2012So if they launch S4 one year from now you would be happier that your phone will be the best f... moreIn the UK Phones4U have Jump contract that allows you to change your phone every 6 months anyhow! :))
need the best phone, 28 Sep 2012I search for the best handset to buy and I expect it to stay the best for awhile and I really ... moreSo if they launch S4 one year from now you would be happier that your phone will be the best for an entire year instead of 6 months? But what about someone wanting to buy a new phone 6 months from now? Or if some other company launches a better phone befote the S4 is out? Just buy what you think is the best phone now and stop thinking about future models that have not even been announced.
Its not even available olin stores and 750$is expect asking. I sometimes see this multi billion industry is responsible fr so many technical faults and wr consumer have to bear the grunt at last.
Same ditto only Ram doubled for speed. 1 gb is now degraded.
Is there any phones designed for animals. I doubt it....What a pathetic Slogan
Apple, 28 Sep 2012No offence but it looks and feels really cheap. I have them both, iPhone 4 and this one and I ... moreah ok I think you are a millionaire. but which is better the cheaper with great specs (quadcore) or expensive with poor specs and not branded all cheaps inside. Be Humble and don't feeling reach.
unable to move apps 2 extSdCard coz
"The device does not have a real primary external storage or the primary external storage is emulated"
please tell me how to move apps 2 extSdCard
hi, gsmarena!
please double check on the radio app. radio seems to be no longer available for S3 4G with JB os.
I've been using the Sansung Galaxy SIII for a few months now. It is the best phone that I've ever had.
The user interface is very intuitive, I get the information that I need with a glance at the screen. It is very fast and responsive. It is worry free. Just do whatever you have to do with it and it will get the task done.
I use it as a mobile phone, to watch movies, to play games, to edit documents, to communicate and colaborate with colleages, to listen to music, to take notes and to take pictures and make (and edit) movies.
The only thing that could make this phone better is strong AI.
I previously had a samsung i9000 which had audio voice that said 'incoming call from Anne etc'
Now this new samsung s3 does not have that...I really miss this option


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subset: commoncrawl


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Caps beat Boston in a close 2-1 match
I'm watching the replay tonight instead of watching the game live as I was out to dinner with friends last night. I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch the replay so I could see why everyone thought John Erskine had a great game. Erskine doesn't get a star very often and is usually the subject of intense invective from the fans on a frequent basis. Alexander Semin got the first star of the game with his beautiful game winning goal that shocked one of the league leading NHL net minders, Tim Thomas.
Random comments since I didn't see the original game:
- John Erskine clearing the crease! Yes, that is what the Caps need on defense. Last season in the playoffs, the Flyers kept running Cristobal Huet and it was irritating. I'm still not convinced Erskine is worth his new $1.5M contract, but damn he's looked good since he's been back from having a concussion.
- Alexander Semin's blast of a shot right past Thomas after making a couple of Boston defenders look silly was fun to watch. Semin has some sick moves.
- Karl Alzner clearing the puck out of the zone on that final Erskine penalty kill helped the Caps out tremendously.
- Was Alex Ovechkin's hit on Dennis Wideman a kneeing? I honestly can't tell after watching the replay? The Boston announcers called it a hip check, but who knows. Ovie's a big guy and when he throws that weight around at the speed he goes it's a tough cal
Let's go Caps!
Labels: Alexander Semin, Boston Bruins, John Erskine, Washington Capitals


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When we speak and think about fashion immediately the first thing that comes in our mind are fashion designers and clothes etc. Fashion designers are considered as a celebrities and they tried to become a celebrities because of fame that attached on their names. Therefore, if you want to digg fortune and wanted fame you have to be a designer first because once you reach fame - you are an instant celebrity as well. However, we all know that many are called but few are chosen. Many tried to be a designer but we all know that very few designers are actually reach the glory in the status of being "Fortunate", "Famous" & "celebrity". Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Yves Saint Laurent and many more are one of the few designers who develop their brand name and reach their stardom because of their popular fashion designers brand.
Although, we claimed that designers are among on the celebrity status but still they get famous celebrities and models or any well known personalities to promote new brands. Once a celebrities and models are dressed an array they help designers to promote and publicize thier newly launched brand most especially if the celebrities or models graces on any well known magazine like Elle, Vogue etc.
With these I'm pretty sure that many are dreaming to be a fashion icon to live a glorious life. When I was a kid I'm one of those aspiring fashion designer but without any luck. So, if you one of those, then follow your dream and believe that it will really happen.


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Slaine: The Horned God by Pat Mills and Simon Bisley
|Book Name:
|Slaine: The Horned God
|Pat Mills and Simon Bisley
|Hardcover / Paperback
|Comic Book / Fantasy
|Release Date:
|May 17, 2011
Slaine Mac Roth, Celtic warrior and berserker, first appeared in the pages of the comic 2000AD way back in the early 1980's. I still remember that first episode, where Slaine fought a dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus, if I recall correctly), beating it by throwing a frog into its mouth; the poor amphibian expanded, choking the dinosaur. That stunt was the idea of Slaine's companion Ukko, the sleaziest thief of a dwarf ever to draw breath. Together Slaine and Ukko wandered the mystic lands of Tir Na Nog, adventuring courtesy of opportunity, greed, and prophecy alike.
Slaine was a favourite of mine from day one, but the character I grew to love was Ukko. Not only was he a lowlife, but Ukko told the story of this man who would be chieftan, embellishing it with moments of deep meaning and humour. Of course, Ukko was really writer Pat Mills, a legend in the comic-book world. Together with various artists, he created a rich tapestry of a universe (sometimes other universes) for Slaine to inhabit. Gradually, as comics seemed to become more about the art than the story – men with big muscles, women with impossible curves – I stopped reading them.
In the years that followed, 2000AD graduated from black and white newsprint to high-quality paper filled with an abundance of colour. Slaine returned, this time drawn – no, painted! – by a then unknown called Simon Bisley. Who was this upstart? How dare he draw one of my favourites in a style I didn't approve of? Needless to say, I kept away, unimpressed by examples shown to me.
Well, that was my loss.
Christmas can have a lot to answer for regarding unwanted or ill-advised gifts, but one I received was the collected Mills/Bisley story The Horned God. Reading it was a joy from start to finish, and the art…well, I'll come to that in a moment.
The story sees Slaine undertake a quest for four artefacts which, when united, will enable him to become high king, a rising of rank which will enable him to lead the people of Tir Na Nog against the army led by the dark druid Slough Feg. Yet, there's so much more to this than a simple quest story followed by a trademark Big Battle. Mills's script once again has Ukko telling the story, but starts with an air of melancholy, for Slaine is "no longer with us" (there's a heartbreaking picture of Ukko as he turns to face the reader while informing us this), before summarising what has gone before and getting into this latest story.
Slaine's world is steeped in Celtic mythology, the mystic paths of druids, the dual natures of deities; the philosophy of the horned god is to reveal the truth of how the masculine priests have usurped the ways of the goddess, to bring about a new age of matriarchal society. It's heavy stuff, but only as deep as you want it to be; Mills never preaches, and the story is always entertaining. Ukko's wit hasn't deserted him, or his dirty tricks, and it's a tale well told – gripping and exciting, while also having a more thoughtful side.
As for the art…I have to hold my hands up and admit that I've changed my mind in the last twenty years. Yes, there are splash pages where Slaine wields impossibly-sized weapons, yet they add to the mystique of the tale; as if the art is based on a story told so many times that everything is larger than life – a legend, if you will. I can't shake the feeling that Bisley was given free rein, and that's why there are these excesses, but they are fitting and, for each of these, there are dozens of beautiful smaller illustrations. One of these shows Slaine in a forest, the trees of which intertwine to the sides of the panel just like a Celtic knot. It sounds simple, but it looks beautiful and is engraved on my mind.
If you fancy a change from a novel, Slaine is well-worth seeking out. There's even a writer's commentary at the back, which is candid and revealing; I can't think of a stranger inspiration for a fantasy series than the old British comedy series Steptoe and Son, but once Mills mentions it, you can see old man Steptoe in Ukko's face.
The Horned God isn't the first of Slaine's adventures, yet it's easily accessible, and I'd recommend this to anyone. It's a mature adult work, one with plenty of nudity and gore, yet it works on every level. It's good sometimes to have your heroes visualised for you, which is the strength of a comic, but can also be its weakness. Good stuff, though, and I'll be seeking out more in the very near future.


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At the beginning of 2013, I started a new job which actually took me out of the Windows/.Net/SQL Server world into the Unix/Open Source/MySQL/Cassandra world. It has been extremely exciting and a great deal of fun. However, what this means … Continue reading
October 19, 2013
by Russell Sinclair
Comments Off on Aaaaand, we're back!


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If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur who operates in quickly fluctuating markets, you need to learn how to adapt with new market changes. Ian Linton is a UK based marketing and business consultant who advised that six basic qualities are needed if you want to be successful while operating in these changing markets: agility, speed, leadership, flexibility, innovation and discernment. According to Mr. Linton, Ariba, Inc. provides business management solutions and has stated that organizations operating in changing markets "must do more with less—and do it faster than ever before…this requires new strategies, solutions and approaches." This article will discuss Mr. Linton's expert advice on ways to adapt while operating in changing markets.
Six Steps on How to Adapt in Changing Markets
According to Mr. Linton and his twenty years' experience in the business world, he has advised business owners and entrepreneurs on six basic steps to adapt to changing markets. Those steps are outlined and discussed below.
1. Develop Market Awareness Dexterity
One major factor in succeeding while operating in changing markets is to continually develop your market awareness dexterity. Become agile and able to adapt to changing situations. Mr. Linton explained about the business management company, SAP and how they advise companies on ways to become more agile and adaptive. You can read more about the strategies in their white paper, Responding Quickly to Changing Markets. According to SAP, business owners and entrepreneurs who want to succeed in these changing markets should have the following agile characteristics.
- Visibility – management learns how to anticipate changes in the markets
- Speed – regarding development and delivery of innovative services or products
- Flexibility – management knows how to quickly adjust in response to market changes
- Scalability – management understands how to organize people and resources
2. Cultivate Proficient Analysis Skills
Every business owner or entrepreneur should have a business and marketing strategy in place. If you want to become successful while operating in changing markets, you need to learn how to cultivate proficient analysis skills. Learn how to alter your strategy based upon discernment of current market trends. According to Mr. Linton, it is vital that you institute a procedure which enables you to "monitor changes in the market and identify trends that might impact the organization." In this step, you will learn how to understand the market analysis reports and forecasting for your specific market. Mr. Linton also suggested that you work closely with your sales and customer service teams to ascertain any "significant changes in customer requirements" that they see.
3. Learn to Lead By Example
A strong leader is someone who knows where to go and exudes confidence as he or she leads everyone else by example. As a business owner or entrepreneur seeking to operate in changing markets, this third step is just as important as all the rest. Mr. Linton referred to a piece published through Harvard Business Publishing which addressed how "strong leadership is essential to market adaption." Basically, if a business owner or entrepreneur is not utilizing the proper tools to ascertain the changing markets or is not aligning with the right corporate strategy, he or she won't be able to adapt as quickly to those changes. When he or she cannot adapt as quickly—motivating employees and team members will become even more difficult to accomplish.
4. Cultivate Flexibility in Your Organization
A smart leader knows that flexibility is vital to growth in the company or organization. Such a leader will learn how to cultivate that flexibility personally as well as in the employees and the procedure for managing such people. According to Mr. Linton, "market change may require people with different skills or more people with the same skills." The point is to be flexible, think outside the box and be open to whatever changes need to be made. Mr. Linton advised that is when management may need to re-evaluate their recruitment process and consider hiring "high-caliber staff to meet short or medium term needs."
5. Advance with Changing Technology
Every day there is more advancement made in technology. The business owner or entrepreneur, who does not learn how to advance along with that changing technology, will be hard-pressed to operate and succeed within changing markets. Mr. Linton suggested that management begin to "utilize cloud computing to scale information technology resources." In order to keep up with the changing markets, that could require increased computational resources to meet that demand. The reason that Mr. Linton suggested the utilization of cloud computing is that it can help an organization meet the demand without that initial investment of their own additional massive servers and manpower. Mr. Linton advised that using cloud computing "provides immediate access to essential resources and reduces time to market for new business opportunities."
6. Align with Trusted Partners
This final step is where business owners and entrepreneurs are again thinking outside the box to align themselves with trusted partners. In ascertaining the needs of changing markets, it is possible that these individuals may not yet have the necessary resources to meet such new market demands. According to Mr. Linton, this is where networking and teamwork come into play. Business owners and entrepreneurs learn to network with other business partners who provide the necessary products, services or technology that they need. Successful individuals learn how to align themselves with the right people to form symbiotic professional and business relationships. Mr. Linton's theory is that you need to "identify each partner's strengths and set up contingency plans to identify the fastest route to market through collaboration."
Adapting to new market changes takes a concerted effort on the part of the business owner or entrepreneur and the employees or team members. As addressed in this article, Mr. Linton's six tips on adapting to such market changes are easy to follow and implement in your own business or professional organization.


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Patient and Health Care Provider Insights
Mapi has deep relationships with Patient Advocacy and Patient Communities. Sourcing and retaining patients for rare disease trials can be time-consuming and costly. Our relationships with key patient advocacy groups and communities give us a solid grounding to build reliable and long-lasting relationships with patients, while procuring valuable patient insights to rare diseases.


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London : Elite endurance athletes have superior ability to resist mental fatigue, revealed a new study.
For the study, the researchers compared the performance of 11 professional cyclists and nine recreational cyclists in various tests. The professional cyclists outperformed the recreational cyclists in a simulated time trial in the laboratory.
The study suggested that while the recreational cyclists slowed down after performing a computerised cognitive task to induce mental fatigue, the professional cyclists' time trial performance was not affected.
In addition, the professional cyclists performed better than the recreational cyclists in the task which measures 'inhibitory control' or willpower. This is not surprising as the ability to suffer is a major factor in the sport of cycling, the study suggested.
"The two effects go hand in hand, because becoming resistant to mental fatigue should bolster willpower during the latter stages of a competition such as the Tour de France," said Samuele Marcora, Professor, Kent's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences in the study published in journal PLOS ONE.
Although largely hereditary, the researchers speculate that superior willpower and resistance to mental fatigue may be trained through hard physical training and demanding the lifestyle of an elite endurance athlete.


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I had an interesting conversation this morning with a customer who is currently in the process of reengineering the way in which it measures and processes customer feedback. Value-based metrics can be misleading, and it seems too often companies are making the mistake of misinterpreting or overvaluing, as this business discovered, customer loyalty and other related metrics.
What we measure as loyalty is not always real loyalty. And while there are countless studies that correlate loyalty and re-purchasing, wallet-share, increased value, etc., I think many businesses make the mistake of tracking two distinct metrics and establishing a nonexistent relationship between them.
Customer segmentation across different demographical, sociological, or behavioral buckets can often mislead analysts about the true correlation between customer loyalty and profitability. CRM has always been good at tracking and correlating transactional and behavioral information, but attitudinal data, which is what customer loyalty seeks to capture, is a very popular, but still very separate measurement that the industry is still figuring out how to add into the analytical mix.
When it comes down to it, I don't believe there's a concrete, proven method that can denote whether a specific customer will continue to do business with a company, at least not for the broad range of businesses out there. Segmenting your customer base, finding the key metrics for each, and co-relating those based on historical actions…with customer loyalty acting as a sort of third-party opinion…seems the best route to go.


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ms-number: 768114
abstract: Shaw writes Wheelock to request payment for what Occom owes him.
handwriting: Handwriting is formal and clear.
paper: Single sheet is in fair condition, with moderate creasing, staining and wear. Some tearing results in minor loss of text.
ink: Light brown.
noteworthy: On one verso, the date 1768 is written repeatedly in what appears to be Wheelock's hand. In a different hand, someone has written the name of Yale College in different configurations.
signature: The signature is abbreviated.
events: Fundraising Tour of Great Britain
wrote me that you would Engage to see me
paid for what he then was Indebted to me
and Likewise for any further Supplies I
should let his Family have during his Absence
and I have Supply'd them to a Considerable
Amount the accott of which I gave his Wief
Six months agoe —and Since that she has
had Nothing from me, and I Suppose has
Apply'd to some other Person, so that I should
be Extremely glad if you would pay me
the Am.o of my Accott as I am now much in
want of some Cash or a Sterg Bill would
Equally Sute —should be glad if you'l
let me know by the Return of the Poſt
if I shall wait on you with the acco.tt
& you'l Really much Oblige Sir
Nath.l Shaw Junr
Jan.y 14.th 1768.
The Revd Eleazer Wheelock
Received Jany. 20 1768
⇑[top]1768 1768. D. illegible 1768.
⇑[top]1768. 1768. 1768.
⇑[top][illegible] A. B.
⇑[top]College Yale. AB. 1768.
⇑[top]Collegium Yalenſis
⇑[top]Yale College.
⇑[top]AD 1768. 1768—
New London is a city located in southeastern Connecticut along an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean called Long Island Sound. The area that would become New London was inhabited by the Pequots who called it Nameaug when the Europeans arrived in North America. Pequot villages bordered Long Island Sound and the Tribe had authority over the neighboring Tribes of the Mohegans and Niantics (all Algonquian-speaking tribes). The Dutch first explored this land in 1614 and established trade with the Native peoples, but the English soon gained possession of the land east of the Hudson in the 1630s. English animosity toward their Indian neighbors led to the Pequot War (1634-38), part of which took place in the present city of New London. The Pequots lost the war and their population deteriorated due to the violence and disease. The General Court of Massachusetts granted John Winthrop possession of Pequot territory in 1644 after which it was to be opened for settlement. By 1646, which is considered the official year of its founding, New London had permanent colonial inhabitants and municipal laws, and jurisdiction was granted to the colony of Connecticut in 1647. In 1658, the inhabitants renamed the town New London after London, England. New London was the colony of Connecticut's first trading port and was a hub of trade with the West Indies and other colonies. Though initially part of the town of New London when it was first settled by the colonists, Groton, Montville, and Waterford were each separated from New London in 1705, 1786, and 1801 respectively. Present-day Salem was also part of New London when it was settled, but in 1819, it became a separate incorporated town composed of parts of Lyme, Colchester, and Montville. Occom kept a school in New London in the winter in 1748. New London was the home of Captain Nathaniel Shaw, one of the wealthiest merchants in the area, who gave money to Occom in the 1750s for the missionary cause and also sold materials to Occom for the building of his home. However, their positive relationship ended when Shaw refused to provide supplies for Mary Occom while Occom was in England. New London served as the port from which Occom and other missionaries traveled to reach Long Island. During the American Revolution, New London's location and its status as a seaport made it both vulnerable to invasion and integral to colonial naval operations as well as the exchange of prisoners.New London was incorporated as a city in 1784.
Lebanon is a town located in the state of Connecticut southwest of the town of Hartford. The land that became Lebanon was inhabited at least 10,000 years ago based on the archeological record. By the 1600s, the land was permanently inhabited by the Mohegan Indians, who used the area primarily for hunting. Lebanon was officially formed in 1700 when English settlers consolidated a number of land tracts, including several land grants by the Connecticut General Assembly and lands purchased from the Mohegans. However, these purchases were controversial. In 1659, the Mohegans entrusted their reserve land to Major John Mason, and in the following year, Mason transferred this land to the Connecticut colonial government with the understanding that there would be enough land left for the Mohegans to farm. The Mohegans claimed that they never authorized a transfer to the colonial government and only Mason's heirs were entrusted with their land. In 1662, Connecticut, which included the Mohegan land that had been entrusted to the Masons, was incorporated by a royal charter. Based on this charter, the colony argued that the land was now the property of the government. In 1687, the colony began granting the Mohegan land to townships, and in 1704 the Masons petitioned the Crown on behalf of the Mohegans, claiming that such transfers of land to townships were illegal. Between the years of 1705 and 1773 legal disputes and controversies persisted, finally ending in a verdict by the Crown against the Mohegans. In 1755, Wheelock received property and housing in Lebanon that he would use as his house and school. While Lebanon was originally incorporated as a part of New London County in 1700, in 1724 it became a part of New Windham, before once again becoming a part of New London County in 1826. Lebanon was central to the American Revolution with half of its adult population fighting for the colonists and hundreds of meetings convened in the town for the revolutionary cause.
Nathaniel Shaw Jr. was the son of Captain Nathaniel Shaw, one of the wealthiest merchants in New London. Shaw Jr. took over the family business around 1763, when trade resumed after the Seven Years War. Subsequently, he was faced with the unenviable task of trying to collect debts from Eleazar Wheelock in the late 1760s. The debts in question were incurred by Samson Occom with Captain Shaw in the early to mid 1760s; it is unclear whether Wheelock ever paid them (the apparent absence of an entry in Wheelock's published accounts suggests that he may not have). Nathaniel Shaw Jr. was an important figure in the Revolution. Along with his father, he organized many of New London's efforts in the Revolution, and opened the Shaw Mansion to wounded soldiers and to George Washington himself. Furthermore, Shaw Jr. transformed his merchant ships into a privateering corps, and worked vigilantly to collect supplies of gun powder from his trade connections in the French West Indies. He was rewarded with the post of Naval Agent of the Colony of Connecticut in New London, which put him in charge of caring for sick sailors, and organizing privateering. His wife, Lucretia, died in 1781 from a fever she caught while caring for said sailors, and Shaw Jr. himself died one year later from a hunting accident.
Eleazar Wheelock was a New Light Congregationalist minister who founded Dartmouth College. He was born into a very typical Congregationalist family, and began studying at Yale in 1729, where he fell in with the emerging New Light clique. The evangelical network that he built in college propelled him to fame as an itinerant minister during the First Great Awakening and gave him many of the contacts that he later drew on to support his charity school for Native Americans. Wheelock's time as an itinerant minister indirectly brought about his charity school. When the Colony of Connecticut retroactively punished itinerant preaching in 1743, Wheelock was among those who lost his salary. Thus, in 1743, he began operating a grammar school to support himself. He was joined that December by Samson Occom, a Mohegan Indian, who sought out an education in hopes of becoming a teacher among his people. Occom's academic success inspired Wheelock to train Native Americans as missionaries. To that end, he opened Moor's Indian Charity School in 1754 (where he continued to train Anglo-American students who paid their own way as well as students who functionally indentured themselves to Wheelock as missionaries in exchange for an education). Between 1754 and 1769, when he relocated to New Hampshire, Wheelock trained approximately 60 male and female Native American students from nearby Algonquian tribes and from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) of central New York. At the same time, he navigated the complicated politics of missionary societies by setting up his own board of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, although he continued to feud with the Boston Board of the SSPCK and the London Commissioners in Boston (more colloquially called the New England Company). By the late 1760s, Wheelock had become disillusioned with the idea of Native American education. He was increasingly convinced that educating Native Americans was futile (several of his students had failed to conform to his confusing and contradictory standards), and, in late 1768, he lost his connection to the Haudenosaunee. With his inclination and ability to sponsor Native American missionaries largely depleted, Wheelock sought instead to fulfill his ultimate ambition of obtaining a charter and opening a college, which he did in 1769. To fund this new enterprise, Wheelock drew on the £12,000 that Samson Occom had raised for Moor's Indian Charity School during a two-and-a-half year tour of Great Britain (1765 to 1768). Much of this money went towards clearing land and erecting buildings in New Hampshire for the Charity School's relocation — infrastructure that also happened to benefit Dartmouth. Many of Wheelock's contemporaries were outraged by what they saw as misuse of the money, as it was clear that Dartmouth College was not intended for Indians and that Moor's had become a side project. Although Wheelock tried to maintain at least some commitment to Native American education by recruiting students from Canadian communities, the move did a great deal of damage to his public image. The last decade of Wheelock's life was not easy. In addition to the problems of trying to set up a college far away from any Anglo-American urban center, Wheelock experienced the loss of relationships with two of his most famous and successful students, Samson Occom and Samuel Kirkland (an Anglo-American protégé). He also went into debt for Dartmouth College, especially after the fund raised in Britain was exhausted.
Samson Occom was a Mohegan leader and ordained Presbyterian minister. Occom began his public career in 1742, when he was chosen as a tribal counselor to Ben Uncas II. The following year, he sought out Eleazar Wheelock, a young Anglo-American minister in Lebanon, CT, in hopes of obtaining some education and becoming a teacher at Mohegan. Wheelock agreed to take on Occom as a student, and though Occom had anticipated staying for a few weeks or months, he remained with Wheelock for four years. Occom's academic success inspired Wheelock to open Moor's Indian Charity School in 1754, a project which gave him the financial and political capital to establish Dartmouth College in 1769. After his time with Wheelock, Occom embarked on a 12-year mission to the Montauk of Long Island (1749-1761). He married a Montauk woman, Mary Fowler, and served as both teacher and missionary to the Montauk and nearby Shinnecock, although he was grievously underpaid for his services. Occom conducted two brief missions to the Oneida in 1761 and 1762 before embarking on one of the defining journeys of his career: a fundraising tour of Great Britain that lasted from 1765 to 1768. During this journey, undertaken on behalf of Moor's Indian Charity School, Occom raised £12,000 (an enormous and unanticpated amount that translates roughly to more than two-million dollars), and won wide acclaim for his preaching and comportment. Upon his return to Mohegan in 1768, Occom discovered that Wheelock had failed to adequately care for his family while he was gone. Additionally, despite the vast sums of money that he had raised, Occom found himself unemployed. Wheelock tried to find Occom a missionary position, but Occom was in poor health and disinclined to leave his family again after seeing the treatment with which they had met while he was in Britain. Occom and Wheelock's relationship continued to sour as it became apparent to Occom that the money he had labored to raise would be going towards infrastructure at Dartmouth College, Wheelock's new project, rather than the education of Native Americans. After the dissolution of his relationship with Wheelock, Occom became increasingly focused on the needs of the Mohegan community and increasingly vocal in criticizing Anglo-Americans' un-Christian treatment of Native Americans. In September of 1772, he delivered his famous "Sermon on the Execution of Moses Paul," which took Anglo-American spiritual hypocrisy as one of its major themes, and which went into four printings before the end of the year. In 1773, Occom became further disillusioned when the Mason Land Case was decided in favor of the Colony of Connecticut. The details of the Mason Case are complicated, but to summarize: the Colony of Connecticut had gained control of Mohegan land early in the 18th century under very suspect circumstances, and successfully fended off the Mohegan's 70-year-long legal challenge. The conclusion of the case came as a blow to the Mohegans, and further convinced Occom of Anglo-American corruption. Along with David Fowler (Montauk Tribe), Occom's brother-in-law, and Joseph Johnson (Mohegan), Occom's son-in-law, Occom helped found Brothertown, an Indian tribe formed from the Christian Mohegans, Pequots, Narragansetts, Montauks, Tunxis, and Niantics. They eventually settled in Oneida country in upstate New York. Occom moved there with his family in 1789, spending the remaining years of his life serving as a minster to the Brothertown, Stockbridge, and Mohegan Indians. Harried by corrupt land agents, the Brothertown and Stockbridge groups relocated to the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago, though Occom died in 1792 before he could remove himself and his family there. Occom's writings and legacy have made him one of the best known and most eminent Native Americans of the 18th century and beyond.


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The LASFS outing to Busch Gardens is this Saturday! For all those who like to relax in colorful settings, have picnics in floral parks, drift in boats through rivers and lagoons in habited by flamingoes, swans, geese, and other waterfowl, chance having large red or blue macaws land on your shoulders, see trained bird shows, feed peacocks, pheasants, and other large & interesting ground birds, see cages of rare fowl, and have all the free beer you can drink all day, plus a free tour of a brewery, it's a trip that's well worth while. Busch Gardens is in Van Nuys, out in the San Fernando Valley, and is almost impossible to miss: just take the San Diego Freeway north to Roscoe Blvd., and get off going left, under the freeway overpass. The Busch brewery is visible for at least a quarter of a mile before you reach the Roscoe Blvd. offramp, so all you have to do is look for the gate to the Gardens, in back of the brewery. The only charge is a $1 parking fee per car, so car pools could cut down on the costs considerably. (Food, soft drinks, and souvenirs are on sale inside; only the beer is free.) The Gardens is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. It's advisable to be there at 10:00, because the parking lot fills up fast, and because Busch Gardens can take almost all day to see everything (unless you want to rush around, and who does?) Since the Gardens closes at 4:00, the evening is still free for any other fannish parties that may be scheduled. So, then, shall we meet at the main gate at 10:00 a.m., to keep the LASFS party together? If you can't make it by 20, come on out anyway;you'll probably run into us sooner or later. Or just make sure you're at the Busch Bavarian pavilion in the middle of the Gardens on the hour; we'll check there every hour to pick up any latecomers. This outing is for the whole LASFS -- the last couple of outings were attended only by the old-time members, which was pleasant, but which made them in-group gatherings which they weren't intended to be. I hope some of the UCLA group, the Long Beach crowd, and other newcomers to the LASFS within the next few months show up at this outing.
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Fri., Nov. 8th, Disneyland trip. Fun, though I had to attend on my own; I was delayed in traffic, didn't reach the park until just after the meeting Chuck Crayne had arranged, and didn't run into the fans all evening. (Since the LASFS group was about ten strong, that tells you how crowded Disneyland was.) I don't know if Disney's death is finally catching up to the park, or if we just hid a bad night, but I've never seen so many attractions closed down for repairs all at once. The Peter Pan ride was out; the Small World was out until 10:15, opened for about 15 minutes, and broke down again; the Pirates of the Caribbean ride broke down for 5 minutes while I was on it; and the Into the Atom snowflake ride had a missing sound track and parts of the exhibit darkened out. There were also a number of other rides that were just closed, presumably because it was after dark. There was enough left to guarantee a good time, but enough wrong to sound a distinctly loud sour note and make you wonder what this portends for the future... The prices on the celluloid stills had been raised again, too. It's now $2.00 for the originals (with or without backgrounds), and $3.25 for the "classics" (up from $1.35 and $2.00). Enough to make you uneasy.
Sat., Nov. 9th. Al Lewis, John Trimble, & I finished moving me into my new apartment. Good-bye, Santa Ana.
Sun., Nov. 10th. We started moving Al into his new apartment, in Panorama City. Al has a nice shopping center just across the street, but I have the nicer apartment.
Mon., Nov. 11th. Al had offered to take us out to dinner in payment for the moving, so a half-dozen of us gathered at the Trimbles'; John, Bĵo, George Barr, Al, his date (a pretty young English teacher named Linda), and myself. We decided on a Japanese dinner, and all drove down to Little Tokyo, where we had a delicious beef sukiyaki dinner at a small, upstairs restaurant liberally decorated with aquarium tanks. (The dinner was cooked at the table, on portable burners; very colorful.) Al handed out invitations to a TV premiere on Wednesday, that he'd been handed in a supermarket by a studio man looking for "average viewers". After the dinner, we wandered through Little Tokyo a bit, looking into closed shop windows. We were looking into a Japanese newsstand when we suddenly realized that the box of trash on the sidewalk behind us was filled with magazines. We started rummaging through it, then just picked it up and hauled it back to the car -- ragpickers in our best evening dress. We made a brief stop at the new civic center to chase around the fountains at the music pavilion and the Water & Power building, and finally returned to the Trimbles' to sort out our findings -- mostly a stack of last week's or last month's magazines in Japanese. There were also some children's games, such as cardboard parcheesi boards; 33-1/3 rpm records with a child's language lesson in English (a string of gibberish, then "cha-air", "tay-bul", etc.); and a paperback that from the illustrations must be an s-f juvenile novel. A highly enjoyable evening.
Tues., Nov. 12th. A company dinner, about which the less said the better. Only the speaker's sudden realization that 1/4 of his audience was asleep, and the other 3/4 were beginning to walk out on him, brought it to a close.
Wed., Nov.13th. The Trimblehaus was the gathering place again for the evening's outing, as Bĵo, George, and I left for the TV premiere, where we met Al & Linda. The show wasn't really a premiere, but an audience reaction sampling. Two pilot films, and five commercials were shown; we recorded our feelings about them on various questionnaires and on a wired hookup to our seats. The hookup had a range from "very dull" to "very good", and we were to indicate our reactions at any moment during the programs by constantly turning the dial. One of the shows was a quiz show, "The Generation Gap", which pitted a team of teen-agers against a team of adults, and asked such questions as (to the teens) "_________ was here" (World War II graffiti), how to open a can with an old-fashioned can-opener, and what radio show was Sen. Claghorn on; or (to the adults) identify the Beatles by full names, tell what a new math equation means, and tell what a surfer is doing (in surfer terminology) in a film sequence. It was interesting, and it was nice to see an M.C. who didn't patronize or insult his panelists. The other pilot was from a new situation comedy, "Three's a Crowd", based on the old movie "My Favorite Wife", and was really a bomb, with the most cardboard characters I've ever seen. Guy marries girl, she's apparently killed, he falls in love again & remarries, and first wife turns up. The running plot involves the guy's attempts to keep both marriages going by not letting either wife or circle of friends find out about the other; the implication being that bigamy is okay when the husband is too wishy-washy to make up his mind which of two girls he likes best. I hope our reactions scuttled it; in the worst taste since "Flying Nun".


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News Stories
Blacks have Long Contributed to State - Montgomery Advertiser, 1999
Timeout for History - Montgomery Advertiser, February 27, 1995
King Unified Thousands, Churches Provided Network Supporting King - The Dream Lives On, Remembering The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., January 17, 1993
Dr. Richard Bailey seeks to Discover Explorer De Soto's Trail through State - Old Newsboys Day, Montgomery Advertiser, December 1, 1992
Press and News Items on Neither Carpetbaggers Nor Scalawags


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The provincial transportation ministry, at the request of the Vancouver Sun, has compiled a report showing, that last year motorists killed more than 5,500 wild animals on provincial highways.
However, the preliminary roadkill figures, are low estimates…and they do not include wildlife that died, beyond the highway right-of-way, wildlife unlawfully taken home by motorists, and animals killed on municipal and federal roads, including the Alaska Highway.
ICBC reports an annual average of nine 9,800 collisions, between motor vehicles and animals, wild and domestic, over the past five years.
Those accidents result in 400 human injuries, including five deaths. It also pays out about 31 million dollars annually for repairs and injury claims related to collisions with animals.


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Russell Kennedy Lawyers appoints new special counsel Michael Dowling
Russell Kennedy Lawyers has recently appointed Michael Dowling as a Special Counsel in their extensive Property team.
Dowling practices in the areas of property, property development, subdivisions and local government, he joins Russell Kennedy from Maddocks.
To read more, click here.
Strengthening Australia's foreign investment framework
The Government is seeking views on proposed reforms to strengthen Australia's foreign investment framework, particularly around residential real estate and agriculture. This discussion paper forms the basis of the Government's consultation on reforms to the foreign investment framework (25 February 2015)
To read more, click here.
Government to define agribusiness following new FIRB rules
The Federal Government wants to create a clearer definition of agribusiness after it confirmed new laws surrounding foreign acquisitions. But the working definition of an agribusiness is limited to primary production — large corporate farms are covered but processors and manufacturers are not (05 March 2015)
To read more, click here.
At Russell Kennedy we have a team of lawyers that regularly advise on foreign investment review applications. For more information please contact: John Corcoran or Ji-Shen Loong
Planning Minister Richard Wynne makes first major approvals for Melbourne projects and suburbs
In his most significant major approvals since taking office, Planning Minister Richard Wynne has signed off on five new "activity centres" in middle and outer Melbourne, in a bid to generate more jobs and higher-density residential development (04 March 2015)
To read more, click here.
For more information please contact: Rosemary Southgate, Kathryn Elleman, Michael Dowling or Kate Bartlett
ACN 005 057 349 Pty Ltd v Commissioner of State Revenue [2015] VSC 76
TAX – Land tax – Taxpayer alleged that assessment of duplicate property led to overpayment of land tax – Overpayment discovered outside prescribed statutory period for recovery – Taxpayer alleged moneys were paid under a mistake of law – Whether taxpayer entitled to bring a common law restitutionary claim in circumstances where statutory objection and other recovery procedures not utilised – Whether mandamus available to compel Commissioner to exercise discretion to amend land tax assessments and refund alleged overpayment – Land Tax Act 1958 (Vic) ss 19, 24A(1), 90AA, 92A. LIMITATION OF ACTIONS – Whether common law action for recovery barred – Whether action for mandamus barred – Whether 'reasonable diligence' in discovering mistake – Limitation of Actions Act 1958 (Vic) ss 5(1)(a), 20A(1)(a), 27 – Land Tax Act 1958 (Vic) ss 90AA(3), (4) and (8). INTEREST – Whether compound interest available on overpaid moneys as part of restitutionary relief – Whether simple interest available in the court's equitable or statutory jurisdiction – Supreme Court Act 1986 (Vic) ss 58, 60.
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For more information please contact: Rosemary Southgate, John Corcoran, Adam Goldner or Ji-Shen Loong
National approach to retail leasing arrangements
On 28 October 2014, the committee was granted an extension to report by the 8th sitting day in 2015. On 3 March 2015, the committee was granted a further extension to report by the 18 March 2015
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For more information please contact: Rosemary Southgate, Emma Dunlevie, Caroline Snaidr or Lauren Smyth
APRA releases quarterly ADI property exposures for December 2014
The APRA has released Quarterly Authorised Deposit-taking Institution Property Exposures for the December 2014 quarter. Quarterly ADI Property Exposures contains information on ADIs' commercial property exposures, residential property exposures and new housing loan approvals (24 February 2015)
To read more, click here.
For more information please contact: Rosemary Southgate or Sebastian Saccuzzo
ABA: Low interest rates yes, property bubble no: New report
House prices in Australia are in a period of strong growth spurred on by low interest rates, but there is no evidence of a property bubble, according to a report on the housing market released today by the Australian Bankers' Association (11 March 2015)
To read more, click here.
For more information please contact: John Corcoran, Sebastian Saccuzzo or Ji-Shen Loong
REIA: Moderating lending activity
The latest housing finance figures released today by the ABS reflect flat lending activity for housing. The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) says the figures for January 2015 show, in trend terms, that the number of owner-occupied finance commitments fell by 0.1 per cent. This fall follows three consecutive months of no change (11 March 2015) Moderating lending activity
To read more, click here.
For more information please contact: Rosemary Southgate, Wai-Hwoon Low or Caroline Snaidr


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The sun was shining on the Western coast of the Eastern Kingdom. A nice stiff breeze made the water ripple and played with the flag on the stern of a small sailing vessel that made its way along the coast, the wind coming in from the starboard side, over the ocean, all the way from Kalimdor. Captain Andral Fairbreeze was at the helm, but to be honest, this wind was so perfect that he hardly had to touch it. The ship would find its way, gently rolling on the waves. The Captain's eyes were on the sea ahead, and a blissful smile was on his weathered face. The only slight discord in this otherwise perfect picture was one of the landcrawlers hanging over the side, trying to throw up from an empty stomach. Next to the Captain stood the Lieutenant, one hand on the railing. He was showing good taste by quietly taking in the beauty of the sea, and not spoiling the mood with unnecessary talk. The sea was perfect, the sail was perfectly trimmed, and crew and passengers were dotted on the deck, either doing rope-work or simply enjoying the sunshine. All was right with the world.
Selena was sitting on a crate, leaning against the fo'c'sle, looking up at the bridge. He wasn't even looking in her direction. Was he avoiding her gaze? Why? Selena sighed. She was out of his class, out of his league, not to be considered. There wasn't a thing she could do about that, but by the Light, what difference did it make? She… Selena looked at her feet. What use was it? He didn't want her.
"Greetings, fair lady."
Selena looked round, to see Kuryon Swellrider standing next to her. Now this Elf would probably try it on with Lady Jaina Proudmoore herself, should she find herself on board. Observe and learn, Lieutenant.
"How is it, that one so beautiful can look so sad?"
Selena laughed. "I'll wager you say that to all the girls."
"Oh, to capture that smile," said Kuryon. "I wish I were a painter of renown, so I could paint your image, golden hair, eyes of a shade of blue which no name would do justice. Painstakingly to capture each and every spot on your face, in its right and proper place. It would be the work of years, but they would be years of pure bliss!"
With a big grin, Selena dredged the memory and the vocabulary of some of the more trashy books she'd borrowed from the maids at the Caer without her father's knowledge.
"Oh Sir, surely you jest. Did I not see you speak as ardently to our brave pikeman? I fear you speak as fairly to any girl. Am I to be one of your many conquests?"
Kuryon clutched his chest.
"You wound me, fair lady. Other women, and I weep having to refer to them in the same terms as you, may be diamonds, but you, you are the Sun! Oh to burn in the radiance of your body! It would be my finest hour, though it be my last."
Um… right. What was the proper translation for 'bugger off?' Words like 'my heart belongs to another' sprang to mind, where 'if you think you're going to see me with my clothes off you've got another thing coming' probably wouldn't do.
"Excuse me?"
Selena took a quick breath. Joseph was standing next to Kuryon. On his face was that specific calm look that very clearly said that violence, of course, was out of the question, as it could only lead to people getting hurt. Selena's heart was beating faster, and she didn't even try to hide the look on her face.
Kuryon turned to Joseph Smith, with a polite nod.
"I believe the captain thinks your skills are most efficiently used at the helm aft, and I agree with him, as you are definitely a bit for'ard."
Kuryon looked quickly from Smitty to Selena, muttered "Aye, Sir" and went aft. Selena gave the Lieutenant her best damsel-in-distress smile.
"Thank you, Joseph. It's good to see you do care for me."
"My orders are to bring you safe, sound and whole back to the castle, Lady Selena."
Selena looked sadly at Joseph. "Are your orders really the only reason why you're taking care of me?"
Smitty looked away for a moment. Then, he looked back into Selena's eyes.
"I am a soldier, Lady Selena. I defend those who cannot defend themselves. Civilians unskilled in fighting. My leaders. I offer myself as a weapon for them to use as they see fit, because I have the skills to do so, and to use them is my purpose in life. At this moment, it is my duty to keep you safe from marauding Undead and forward Night-elves. I will do what I must to do that duty."
Smitty turned round, and went aft to join the Captain on the bridge.
Kuryon finished coiling up a rope, and hung it on one of the clamps. He walked up to Smitty.
"I do offer my most humble apologies, Lieutenant, for my impertinence towards Lady Selena."
Smitty gave him a look, then looked South again.
"I did not know that she was yours," said Kuryon, "Otherwise, I would never have spoken as I did."
Smitty slowly turned his eyes to Kuryon.
"She is not mine," he said.
"Tea's hot! Get it while you can!"
Everyone who didn't have any pressing duties wandered down amidships, where Freja Ravenwing put down the large teapot on the deck, next to a bucket full of mugs.
"Any milk?" said Selena.
Freja gave her a strange look. "Milk? I'm afraid not. Goes off in two days. Have some tea instead."
Selena blinked. Ah. Night-elves. She sipped some tea without milk. Mint. Oh well, it'll do. She saw Hieronimo standing at the railing, looking out to sea, grabbed another mug, filled it from the teapot and brought it over to her.
Selena pushed the tea mug into Hieronimo's hands.
"There's no milk, but it's Night-elf tea. 's Not bad. And it's hot."
"Don't like tea much anyway," said Hieronimo.
"Don't you mean Night-elves?"
Hieronimo tried some of the tea, and said nothing.
"We're going to be on this ship for just a few more days, you know. You could try talking to them."
Hieronimo looked over her shoulder. Filyen was sitting on the deck, long legs stretched out in front of her, head leaning back against the mast. Freja handed her a mug of tea, and she smiled her thanks.
"Can't sleep. I sleep right next to them."
Selena stared. "Oh come on. Surely, they don't?"
"Not so far," said Hieronimo.
"Are you sure you aren't worrying a bit too much? At all? Who cares what they do anyway?"
"Look, you silly woman. Have you even talked to them? They're nice."
They looked over. Berrin was telling Freja about one of his fishing trips as a boy. Berrin held his arms out to show how big the trout was, and Freja kindly helped him with her much longer arms. Everybody was laughing. Selena put her arm round Hieronimo's shoulder, and dragged her over. Hieronimo sat down on the deck, clutching her tea. Selena sat down next to her.
Filyen looked up. "Are we missing someone?"
"Our Brian Miss," said Swordsman Alan. "He's taken ill with the waves, and is lying sick abed below decks."
"What, still?"
She got up, and went below decks. Slight groaning sounds led her to one of the hammocks, where Brian Rhodes lay ill. Someone had put a bucket next to him. He'd used it. Not quite as well as one could want. Filyen put a hand on his shoulder.
"How are you, Soldier?"
Brian looked up. "I'm dying, Miss. The White Lady beckons, and soon I must follow." Another fit of retching took him, and Filyen quickly held the bucket in front of him. Brian wiped his mouth, lay back and closed his eyes.
"Oh we can't have this."
Filyen walked out, taking the disgusting bucket with her. She tossed the bucket over board, holding on to the rope, and pulled it up. Then, she went to her own bunk and found a bottle. She returned to the stricken soldier.
"Hey. Drink this."
It took a bit of doing, but finally, she got him to drink a few sips of potion. He blinked, and somehow forced himself to drink a bit more.
"There. Can't have a promising military career cut short by sea-sickness."
Brian looked up into Filyen's eyes.
"Thank you Miss, but I fear it is too late for me."
"Have faith, Soldier."
"But what is it that worries you? Is it the difference in size? I assure you, true beauty cannot be measured in hands, or inches."
Berrin quietly nudged Freja with his elbow.
"That girl is not old enough for that kind o'thing. If he puts a finger on 'er…"
Freja sighed. "Don't worry. There's never any danger of that. He's all talk, but…"
"Bugger off!" Hieronimo glared at Kuryon.
"Ah," said Freja. "There. All solved. It does help to have a frank talk, doesn't it?"
"Aye it does," said Berrin, satisfied.
Kuryon hung his head, turned towards Sandra Pike, who was sitting on his other side. He opened his mouth to say something.
"Any port in a storm, Sailor?" Pikeman Pike gave him a steady look with eyes made of steel. "Do feel free to tell me just how pretty I am. You've told everyone else. Is it my turn now?"
Kuryon sadly turned his eyes away. Freja chuckled.
Cullan somewhat unsteadily walked to the front of the boat, to find Nægling staring out over the sea, and handed her a mug of strong, hot mint tea.
"It is teatime amidships, Sister."
"Thank you," said Nægling, accepting her tea and tasting it.
"They seem to be enjoying themselves."
"Able Seaman Swellrider enjoys telling ladies how beautiful they are," said Nægling. "I'm sure my turn will come eventually."
Cullan stared out over the sea, stretching out in front of the ship. The ship was finding its way along the green coast.
"I have seen you fight, Sister. I assure you, for my part, you have nothing to fear even from the young Night-elf."
"Thank you. In your more 'Bloody Mary' persona, you are quite a capable fighter yourself."
"In Gilnean rhyming slang," said Cullan. "I am a church. Church organ… I never knew anyone outside Gilneas knew of it. But then again, my knowledge fails beyond the Wall."
Nægling said nothing.
"What is the City of Stormwind like?"
"Busy. Large. Rich. A skilled household servant need not fear for lack of employment there. Nor a Rogue."
Cullan took a deep breath of fresh sea air.
"I will never return to that sort of life," he said. "That way lies madness. The laws of that world are harsher even than those that are in the light of day."
"They are?"
"One woman was beaten to death, for revealing secrets."
"Treason is punishable by death," said Nægling. "Even among Paladins."
"These were no secrets of war. They were… embarrassing truths. Depravities."
"Perhaps the truth is a powerful weapon in such places."
"True," said Cullan. "It could ruin a Lord. Ruin a business that had existed for nearly a century."
Nægling studied Cullan's face, the unemotional mask he used to hide himself from the world. He was well used to it, living in a world where only his labour was desired. He was a tool, a pair of capable hands. His personality, his self was so unimportant that his masters hardly ever realised it was there. Nobody knew his feelings. Showing them was not helpful, so he never did. The only hint that there might be something amiss, was the mask itself.
"It is a violent place," said Cullan. "People go about their business, up in the light, and never even notice that they are in a warzone. The canals of Gilneas take the casualties of war, and carry them to the sea, with no-one the wiser. I am glad to be away from it." He looked at Nægling. "If Stormwind has such an under-world, Sister, please don't tell me. I do not wish to know."
"By the Light Everlasting! The dead are walking among us!" Swordsman Gerald pointed a trembling finger. "He lives… again!"
"It's over! I am cured!" Swordsman Brian Rhodes put his hand on his stomach. "It is gone!"
Sailor Filyen Mistgaze, who had been up on the bridge, came walking down the stairs. Brian Rhodes ran towards her, wrapped his arms round her and pulled her to him.
"Thank you, Miss. Thank you. You have cured me."
Filyen, who was a full head taller than Swordsman Rhodes, looked down and searched his face for any ulterior motives he might have for laying his head to rest upon her rather nice bosom. There didn't seem to be any except the sheer joy of not throwing up every five minutes.
There was a shout from the Captain, who was leaning on the railing to the bridge, a little grin on his face.
"Mistgaze! You know the rules. No fraternising with the cargo!"
Filyen looked up at her Captain. "Can't help it Sir. Saw him hanging over the side the other day and passion just took over."
Swordsman Rhodes looked up to her with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you, Miss. Your potion has saved me."
"Hold on," said Filyen. She disappeared below decks for a moment, to return carrying a bucket and a brush. She stood before Swordsman Rhodes.
"Behold. Here are the Chalice of Cleansing, and the Staff of Ablution. They are used thusly: Toss the Chalice over the wall, being sure to hold on to the rope, that it may be filled with the Home of Neptulon. Then pour it upon the deck and apply the Staff. And keep on scrubbing until this deck is fit for our Blessed Lady Herself to walk upon."
Swordsman Rhodes looked from Filyen's face to the brush and bucket in his hands. He turned round to the side.
"Wait," said Filyen. "If you're hungry, see Freja first."
Swordsman Rhodes made off towards the kitchen. Kuryon walked up, and frowned at Filyen.
"Potion? What potion?"
Filyen shrugged. "Genièvre and lemon. Nothing special."
Sandra Pike grinned. "He was feeling ill, and a cute chick came to him, and gave him his medicine. Would have been a bit rude not to get better."
Swordsman Gerald put a hand on his stomach. "I don't feel so good."
Selena stepped into the galley, and knocked on the doorframe. Freja looked up from her work.
"Young lady? How may I help you?"
Selena looked uneasy, half considering making something up, but the problem was starting to get pressing.
"Um, are there any, uh, places where…"
Freja's eyes gleamed at the child of hardly twenty summers.
"Aft below," she said, with a wink. "In Common, they call it the poop deck. Such a charming language, Common."
"Uh, yeah. Been there. Lovely and cool about the nethers. But it's been a few days since I last, uh, had a bath." Selena looked pleadingly at Freja. "What do you do?"
Freja resisted the temptation to say that Night-elves were naturally clean creatures who did not need to bathe.
"Well, when it's just the five of us, we drop the sail, drop the anchor, strip off and jump into the sea. We've been together for more than twenty years. There isn't much left that we haven't seen each other do."
"Ah," said Selena. In the great collection of plans, this did not seem like one of the good ones.
"But when we have passengers, they usually take buckets of water ahead of the fo'c'sle. Ask Filyen for some soap that works with sea water, and tell the men to stay aft for a while."
Selena did a lap of the ship, rounding up all the women: Pikeman Pike, Nægling, Filyen. Freja had washed recently in the galley, which was the Cook's privilege, which left only…
"I'm fine," said Hieronimo.
"Not on yer life," said Selena. "We all sleep within two feet of each other. Get yourself over here."
Hieronimo allowed herself to be moved for'ard, grumbling about hygiene being all well and good but you could exaggerate it.
The ladies gathered in front of the fo'c'sle. The fo'c'sle on a ship is a deck, raised somewhat above the main deck. On the Aviana's Wingbeat, it had the crew quarters underneath, or when there were as many passengers as there were now, a few extra hammocks were hung up there. Selena loved her hammock. Once you managed to get in, which was no small feat on a moving ship, it was amazingly comfortable, and it rocked gently with the movements of the ship.
The girls started taking their clothes off and pulling up buckets of water, when there was someone whistling a soldier's tune above them, to the sound of a scrubbing brush.
Sandra Pike, who still had her shirt on, stuck a head above the deck, and scowled. She dropped back down.
"It's Swordsman Stanley Gerrald. Ever hopeful, the git. I'm still decent. Want me to have a quick word with the LT?"
"Goodness, no," said Filyen. "Mustn't bother the superior officers with such things. Hang on."
She leaped lightly up, grabbed the forestay and pulled herself up hand over hand, then swung back and landed, barefoot, on the deck. She stood in front of Swordsman Stanley Gerald wearing nothing but a wavering smile, hand on her hip.
"Um, soldier?" Filyen bit her lip. "I've noticed you staring at my breasts. I was just wondering." She looked into Stanley's eyes. "Is there anything wrong with them?"
Stanley was too busy staring with his mouth hanging open to answer for a few moments. Then he quickly shook his head.
"No Miss. Nono. There's, um… They're absolutely fine."
Filyen beamed at him. "Oh thank you. I've been so worried." She bent over a bit closer.
"I think you missed a spot somewhere amidships. I'm afraid poor Brian was a bit slow getting to the railing."
Stanley saluted, remembered that this was a civilian, and dropped his arm.
"I'll see to it immediately, Miss." He ran. Filyen dropped back down on the foredeck, an evil grin on her face. Pikeman Pike had collapsed in a little heap laughing.
"That was commendably efficient," said Nægling. She took off her robes. Everyone quickly looked away, but she didn't seem to notice.
The girls spent half an hour pouring sea water over each other, and the grime of a week on board was washed away. Then, they took turns sticking their heads in a bucket of soapy water. Selena was helping Nægling by gently pouring water over her head, trying not to stare at her scars.
"Say, Sandra. There aren't any girls' changing rooms or bath rooms at the Caer, are there?"
"Nope," said Sandra. "We're all one happy family."
"So how do you do that, then?"
Sandra shrugged. "We're not men and women there. We're all soldiers. Boys don't stare, and girls don't parade their tits about."
"Hm. So what was he doing up there, then?"
"Dunno. Maybe he wanted to know what an Elf or Dwarf looks like."
"Always happy to help," said Filyen, brightly.
Nægling's hair was done. Next up was Hieronimo. Filyen ran her hand through Hieronimo's long, blonde hair.
"Oh you've got lovely hair," said Filyen. "Just gone a bit dry. Needs a bit of oil afterwards. Let me get you some soap."
Hieronimo looked round, eyes burning.
"Do you mind? Keep yer hands to yerself!"
A sudden hush descended on the foredeck. Filyen stared at the dwarf girl, muttered an apology, put on her clothes, and left for the bridge.
Selena glowered at Hieronimo.
"Now what by the flaming hells was that good for?"
"Bloody mistake coming here in the first place," said Hieronimo. She pulled her clothes on and stomped off.
Filyen was leaning on the aft railing, staring at the wake. Selena came up next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Filyen sighed.
"What have I done to offend her?"
Selena shook her head. "Nothing. You've done nothing wrong. You were just being nice. It's just…"
"What did she think I'd do?"
Selena took a deep breath. "Well, you Elves have a bit of a reputation among the Dwarves. And Humans."
"Well, for being a bit, um… loose. A bit wild."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she's heard that there's Elf girls who like other Elf girls."
Filyen said nothing. Her eyes settled on Selena.
"In… bed," said Selena, looking away.
"Yes. There are. What's that got to do with it?"
"Well, Dwarves don't do that. Also, you Elves can have lots of boyfriends at the same time. Dwarves don't do that either."
"Did she think I was going to seduce her?"
"Don't think she really thought that, it's just that the idea gives her the squicks. So she jumped and snapped."
Filyen took a deep breath, slowly let it escape. "I don't even look for girls. I have a boyfriend in Auberdine, and someone in Rut'theran village. He's mostly away, though. Fiery nights whenever we both happen to be in port at the same time."
"So you've never even done it with a girl. Oh great. What a bloody mess." Selena looked into Filyen's eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"I'm one hundred and forty years old," said Filyen. "Of course, I've made love to a woman. You live, things happen. I was going through a bad patch. She gave me cups of tea, listened to my tales of woe, gave me lots of hugs, took me to bed, and made love to me, and she was lovely. That doesn't mean I want to jump Dwarf girls."
"She's not a bad girl," said Selena. "She just…"
"She's a passenger," said Filyen, with a shrug. "We don't have to be friends. But I move round a lot, so if she wants to be on the other side of the ship from me, then she's going to be very busy."
"Lieutenant Smith? A word, please."
Smitty walked up to the bridge, to find an unknown Elf standing next to the Captain. Dorian Graycloud was at the helm, looking slightly more grim than usual.
"Allow me to introduce Druid Absynthus of the Cenarion Circle," said the Captain.
Smitty and the tall Elf shook hands, muttering little polite phrases.
"Were you always on board, Sir? If so…"
"No, Lieutenant. I came here on my own wings." Absynthus' eyes wrinkled in a private joke. "One fair day, I will manage to explain to Shan'do Bearwalker the difference between a Druid and a carrier pigeon. Until that day, I travel the skies of Azeroth, looking for battle-ready ships."
"Such as Aviana's Wingbeat," said the Captain.
"I thought this was a cargo ship," said Smitty.
"Usually, yes," said the Captain. "But we can carry troops, and we do have some modest firepower. We may not have big scary teeth, but we are fast. And now, we have received orders from High Command to make for Teldrassil."
Smitty looked at the Captain. "Does this mean we have to get off the ship?"
The captain rubbed the stubble on his chin, making a grating sound.
"If you want to, we can go ashore, and set you down there, but I wouldn't recommend it. It would be a long journey on foot, through possibly unsafe lands. I suggest that you stay on board till Auberdine or Rut'theran Village, and take one of the fast ferries to Stormwind. That should take no more than a week or two. Still quicker than walking."
"Well, in that case, we'll be happy to enjoy your hospitality a bit longer," said Smitty, speaking, as he well knew, for probably less than half of the people that were currently his responsibility. Never mind. Completely ignoring the wishes of your charges was what being an officer was all about.
The Captain turned to Absynthus.
"Will you be staying on board tonight? I'm sure we can have another hammock strung up somewhere."
"I can't, Captain. There should be another Night-elf vessel some fifty miles to our North. I should be able to find them before it gets dark. And then… the next ship."
"At least have something to eat. I can have our cook prepare you something while you rest."
Absynthus looked towards the North, then back at the captain.
"Druid Absynthus, our cook is very good. If you do not sample her work, she will be most disappointed."
Absynthus grinned. "You talked me into it, Captain."
The whole crew had come above decks to watch Absynthus change into a bird and fly off. He sailed round, flew past them, then set off to the North. The Captain walked up the stairs to the bridge.
"Miss Mistgaze! Mr. Swellrider! Mrs. Ravenwing! We're raising the yard, we'll be over starboard a long time. Mr. Graycloud, I'll take the helm. Please assist the ladies on the royal halyard."
Aviana's Wingbeat, like many Night-elf ships, was a lateen-rigged ship. That meant that her single mainsail was hanging from a long yard, which in turn was attached to the mast in the middle, like a giant letter T, with one end pulled down to the bow of the ship and the other end sticking high into the air, pointing backwards. At the time Absynthus took his leave, Aviana's Wingbeat had been on the starboard tack, leaning over port, with the wind blowing towards shore. That was going to change, and the wind would be coming from the other side of the ship. That meant that, unless they did something, the sail would be pressing against the mast, which sailors of lateen rigged ships refer to as the 'bad tack'. If you were doing a lot of maneuvering, wind never coming from the same side for more than ten minutes, such as when you were working your way up a river against the wind, that didn't matter much. If on the other hand the ship would be on the bad tack for almost the whole of the trip, most sailors, and certainly Captain Andral, found it hurt their eyes. Also, the sail didn't work quite as well. So, they would raise the yard-arm of their sail to a vertical position, move it round the mast and lower it again on the other side. The sail would be free, and Aviana's Wingbeat would look her very best.
Captain Andral Fairbreeze pushed the ship into the wind, sail flapping loudly. Dorian, Freja and Filyen hauled on the halyard, 'rope' to the landcrawlers, that raised the yard, while Kuryon untied the sheet that held the yard in place at the bow of the ship. As the yard-arm rose, Kuryon guided it towards the mast, and finally round it. Then, he let it out again on the other side of the mast while the others slowly released the halyard, lowering the yard-arm till Kuryon could tie it off at the bow. The whole operation had taken less than ten minutes, though Aviana's Wingbeat was still lying with her head in the wind. Kuryon ran from the bows of the ship to the bridge, and joined the Captain at the helm. Together, they gave it a mighty heave, and Aviana's Wingbeat slowly turned away from the wind. The wind fell in her sail, and slowly, slowly, she began to pick up speed, heading away from shore. Kuryon walked to the railing of the bridge, leaned on it and grinned.
"Remember, ladies. We make this look easy."
Freja drew her sleeve across her forehead. "He only says that because we do all the hard work."
Captain Andral Fairbreeze went below to do arcane things with a compass and ruler. He walked back up to the bridge.
"North by North-west if you please, Helmsman. We'll be passing North of Kul'tiras."
"Aye-aye Sir," said Dorian Graycloud.
With a Western wind filling her sail, Aviana's Wingbeat sailed for Teldrassil.
Kuryon lay in his hammock. The old girl heeled over starboard, which was his favourite, as his hammock tended to bump into the wall otherwise. He looked round the crew's quarters. Everyone was asleep. When he knew that nobody was watching him, he pulled a gold chain from below his shirt. At the end of the chain was a small gold medallion. In the flickering light of one of the ship's lamps, he spun the medallion round, round, turning left, then right. He didn't need to open it to look at the two faces inside. One would never change again, indelible, etched into his memory. The other face would be resembling it more and more with each passing day.
"Namarié, Draniel," he whispered. "Elune A'dore, Syndrien."
Without another word, Kuryon put away his medallion, closed his eyes, and slept.


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I would like to talk about this stock (TSX-LNF) today, as the 2009 annual report is in and I own this stock. This stock is a currently favorite and my intentions are to buy more in the future. I first bought this stock in 2006 and I bought more in 2008 and 2009. I have a return of 8.7% per year on this stock. My return includes all dividends. This stock pays special dividends when it can.
The growth figures on this stock go from not bad to good. In the not bad category are such things as revenue, which has grown over the last 5 and 10 years at 5.4 and 6.6% per year, respectively. The growth in revenue per share is a bit better, with the last 5 and 10 year growth at 6% and 8% per year.
Good growth is found in the cash flow, and over the last 5 and 10 years, the growth has been 9.3% and 9.8% per year. The best growth has been in dividends and they have grown over the past 5 and 10 years at the rate of 8.6% and 12.7% per year, respectively. What you want is for dividends to grow faster than inflation. Inflation has been quite low recently. (The average long term background inflation is about 3% per year.)
If you read any analysts on this stock, the one thing they all seem to mention is the fact that this company has no debt. The Liquidity Ratio is very high at 2.34 currently, with a long term average around 2.00. The Asset/Liability Ratio is even higher at 3.44 and a long term average around 3.30. The ratios are very good. The Return on Equity at 15.2% for 2009 is not bad, considering they did not have a particularly good year. The 5 year running average is even better at 17.6%.
As I said earlier, I plan on buying more of this stock. However, I usually do my buying towards the end of the year as there is usually a seasonality to the market and it is usually at its lowest in the fall.
This company sells home furnishings, appliances and electronics through a chain of retail facilities and franchises located in Canada. Leon family owns 68% of this company. Cannot find financial statements on site, but they are published in news item. Its web site is www.leons.ca . See my spreadsheet at www.spbrunner.com/stocks/lnf.htm .
This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. See my website for stocks followed and investment notes. Follow me on twitter.