text:
Today, I am celebrating the anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth by posting my review (the last one for the Dickens Project!) of his last novel, cut short by his death.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the last novel of Charles Dickens. Unfortunately, Dickens did not live to finish it. He would have saved many people a lot of trouble if he had just completed it before he died — or had at least left more extensive notes on how he intended it to be finished. Given the lack of conclusive evidence for how it was to end, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is one of Dickens's most intriguing novels. Numerous completions and books discussing clues as to the outcome have been written. Personally, I wish that Dickens had been able to finish his last novel, as I enjoyed its development. I think Dickens could have made a good "mystery" writer.
Drood has a fascinating cast of characters. Like Dickens's preceding novel, Our Mutual Friend, it contains an outwardly respectable, but murderous man (Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend and John Jasper in Edwin Drood), obsessed with love for a woman. Also like Our Mutual Friend, it has a spoiled girl who is willed away. Unlike the spoiled Bella Wilfer who is mercenary, young Rosa Bud is "an amiable, giddy, wilful, winning little creature; spoilt, in the sense of counting upon kindness from all around her; but not in the sense of repaying it with indifference" (ch. 9).
The fathers of Edwin Drood and Rosa Bud wished for their children to love each other and so planned their marriage in their wills — and then died, leaving their children in a rather awkward situation. Growing up with this arranged betrothal leaves Edwin and Rosa's love-making rather flat, with each feeling as if they have been forced on the other, and, as a result, they are perpetually quarreling with one another. To further complicate matters, Edwin's uncle, John Jasper, who is only six or so years older than his nephew, is madly in love with Rosa (unbeknownst to Edwin). Jasper's feelings of jealousy are aggravated by the careless way in which Edwin takes Rosa for granted.
The story takes place mainly in Cloisterham. There John Jasper is choirmaster at the cathedral. He is devoted to his nephew Edwin, discontented with his monotonous, dull life, and addicted to opium. The Reverend Mr. Crisparkle lives in Cloisterham with his mother. He is good, active, and boy-like. He is charged with the education of the newcomer, young Neville Landless. Neville's twin sister, Helena, comes with him to be educated at the Nuns' House, where Rosa Bud is border. Neville and Helena are but newly come from Ceylon to England after the death of their abusive step-father. They are dark and handsome, uneducated, keenly aware of their disadvantages, with "something untamed about them both". Neville soon gets a reputation for being violent, but they are both amenable to the kind Mr. Crisparkle who quickly earns their trust and regard. A pompous auctioneer and later mayor, Mr. Sapsea, is another resident of Cloisterham. Jasper flatters Sapsea's absorption with himself for his own purposes. Durdles is a stonemason, dirty and deep in any secrets that the cathedral may happen to contain. Deputy is a street-urchin always prowling about (often where he is not wanted), hired by Durdles to "stone" him home if he catches him out late.
Outside Cloisterham, there are a few characters who reside in London. First introduced is the "Princess Puffer", an opium woman who mixes for Jasper, and secretly follows him to Cloisterham. Next is Rosa's guardian, the angular and conscientious Mr. Grewgious, also a receiver and agent to two rich estates. He has a morose clerk named Bazzard, who has written a play — a tragedy. Later on, an ex-sailor, Mr. Tartar, is introduced. A strong, brown man, he retired from the navy to inherit an estate and takes up lodgings near Mr. Grewgious.
Jasper, chafing at the engagement that stands in his way to Rosa, encourages a quarrel between Edwin and Neville. (Neville, unknown to Jasper, has also fallen in love with Rosa and resents Edwin's treatment of her.) Then, on Christmas Eve, Edwin and Neville meet at Jasper's for a reconciling dinner. Afterwards, the two young men walk out together. The next morning, Edwin is discovered to have disappeared, but no body can be found. Suspicion surrounds Neville, who becomes an outcast and is forced to move to London. Jasper faints when Mr. Grewgious informs him that, prior to Edwin's disappearance, Rosa and her fiancé had agreed to dissolve their engagement, and had left Mr. Grewgious to inform Jasper (who is Edwin's guardian) of the development. Half a year passes, and Helena will soon leave Cloisterham to join her brother in London.
"At about this time a stranger appeared in Cloisterham" — a man with a tight coat, a big head, and unusually thick white hair. Mr. Datchery describes himself as "a single buffer, of an easy temper, living idly on his means". He covertly gathers information about Jasper.
Helena leaves the Nuns' House and Rosa is left alone. Jasper tries to force his love on her, threatening her with Neville's destruction if she refuses him. Helena has become Rosa's beloved friend and Jasper's threat is to hurt Helena through her brother (who he has by now learned is also in love with Rosa). Rosa flees to her guardian. Jasper goes to the "Princess Puffer" for the first time since Edwin's disappearance. (Edwin is generally considered dead now and both Jasper and Rosa wear mourning for him.) She secretly follows him back to Cloisterham a second time (after a former unsuccessful attempt to find where he lives) and is discovered by Mr. Datchery. She tells him that she knows Jasper "[b]etter far than all the Reverend Parsons put together know him."
And thus the story ends.
Edwin is a young man with potential. He starts out selfish and flippant, but he likes his work and has youth and excitement. He is capable of being earnest, as shown by his behaviour to Rosa when they wisely choose to end their engagement. And then, he disappears. The question is left open, whether or not he is actually murdered. That his life was at least attempted is obvious, but whether he survives cannot be unequivocally determined in the absence of a corpse. For myself, much as I would prefer it to be otherwise, I incline to the belief that he is actually dead. His being alive would put him in the position of allowing the life of an innocent man to be blighted by accusations of murder. And if anyone else was aware that Edwin was still alive, they would be in the same position. On the other hand, I'm not sure that consideration would weigh as much with Dickens as it does with me. Still, there is the fact that, if Jasper is to retrieve the ring which Mr. Grewgious gave to Edwin (to be given to Rosa if they marry) from the body, there must be a body to retrieve it from. If Edwin is alive, no ring would be necessary to identify him.
Jasper is a complex character. It is unlikely that his affection for Edwin is feigned. He passionately loves his nephew, but when fantasizing about his murder, under the influence of opium, he complains that "this [vision] is the poorest of all. No struggle, no consciousness of peril, no entreaty" (ch. 23). His love for Rosa is twisted and cruel, his actions are cool and calculated. The contrast between Jasper's beautiful voice and glorious singing and his wild pursuit of Rosa and ruthless murder of his nephew alone is striking.
Rosa is a sweet, though slight character. It is quite obvious that she is to marry Mr. Tartar, a man she feels safe and protected with. Helena is to marry Mr. Crisparkle. She is unmistakably in love with him and they would have made a delightful couple! Another certain is that Jasper is a murderer. Whether or not his murder succeeds is less certain, but that he at least intended to murder Edwin is obvious, both from internal evidence from the novel and from what Dickens said of his story. When Rosa's suspicions of Jasper are related, she thinks she must be mistaken: "Surely these facts were strong against a fancy that scarcely dared to hint itself. And yet he was so terrible a man!" But, it is added, "what could she know of the criminal intellect"? Jasper obviously set Neville up to be suspected of the crime and does sleuthing out beforehand with Durdles. One chapter (the tenth) is titled "Smoothing the Way" — very suggestive. Furthermore, Jasper is constantly plotting, weighing his actions, considering how various happenings would affect something, greeting news with "some close internal calculation" (ch. 10).
In the end, Edwin Drood leaves us with many mysteries. Is Edwin really dead, or did he somehow escape? Who is Datchery — is he a new character, or an already known but disguised character? What part does Helena play? It is obvious that Dickens intended her for some significant part, with her daring and strength of character, her lack of fear of Jasper, her past of dressing as a boy, and the lines, "There was a slumbering gleam of fire in the intense dark eyes …. Let whomsoever it most concerned look well to it!" (ch. 7). What is Durdles significance, with his ability to sound out bodies in the cathedral and his intimate knowledge of the place? What is the explanation for his "ghost of one terrific shriek … followed by the ghost of the howl of a dog: a long, dismal, woeful howl, such as a dog gives when a person's dead" (ch. 12)? How much, if anything, did Deputy see? What does Mr. Grewgious know? He obviously knows something, for he is very calculated in his relation of the broken engagement to Jasper and not in the least surprised by Jasper's reaction. What was to be the use of the ring Mr. Grewgious gives to Edwin? The fact that the only jewelry Edwin would usually have had on him were his watch and shirt-pin, and that Jasper is aware of this, is particularly noted. When Edwin chooses not to give the ring to Rosa, Dickens records that "there was one chain forged in the moment of that small conclusion, riveted to the foundations of heaven and earth, and gifted with invincible force to hold and drag" (ch. 13). Of what is Jasper speaking when, in his last recorded opium trance, viewing the same journey he has seen "hundreds of thousands" of times, he is surprised and says "I never saw that before" (ch. 23)? How does he murder Edwin (or at least try to) and what does he do with the body? What does the Princess Puffer know about Jasper and why does she hate him?
John Forster related that Dickens said of his story, "I … have a very curious and new idea for my new story. Not a communicable idea (or the interest of the book would be gone), but a very strong one, though difficult to work", but almost nothing is known as to what this "new idea" was. For what it is worth, I find Montagu Saunders's theory, recorded in his The Mystery in the Drood Family, that Jasper goes back to retrieve the ring from Edwin's body, not to avoid discovery, but to plant evidence on Neville Landless, very convincing. Also, his idea that the "new idea", the mystery, was "a murderer attempting and intending to fasten his crime on to another, but in reality tracking himself, and involuntarily putting the noose round his own neck" (TMitDF, ch. 1) is intriguing. He based this theory partially on Jasper's own diary, in which he writes, "I now swear, and record the oath on this page, … That I will fasten the crime of the murder of my dear dead boy upon the murderer. And, That I devote myself to his destruction." (ED, ch. 16). It fits right in with what is known of Dickens's intentions and conflicts with nothing in what exists of the novel.
I incline to the view that Datchery is a new character. None of the existing characters are convincing as Datchery, and he appears to be unacquainted with Cloisterham (when informed which is Jasper's dwelling, he looks at it again "with a second look of some interest" — ch. 18). He makes no attempt to seclude himself from observation, as a disguised inhabitant probably would have done. I don't believe he is Helena. It is possible that he arrives in Cloisterham before Helena leaves it and he is described as "[b]eing buttoned up in a tightish blue surtout", which would have been revealing if he were actually a woman. Also, his manner is, I think, different than anything that Helena could have assumed. And how could Helena be with her brother in London and yet so constantly in Cloisterham at the same time? If Datchery were Edwin himself disguised, how could Jasper have failed to recognize him? Jasper closely studied Edwin. Edwin himself observed, "If I were to make an extra crease in my neckcloth, he would think it worth noticing!" Jasper is a singer, so tones would be very clear to him. How could he fail to not detect Edwin's voice? When Rosa flees to her guardian, he informs her that his clerk Bazzard "is off duty here, altogether, just at present" (ch. 20). But Bazzard's sullenness and egotism are so very opposed to Datchery's whimsical bluffness that I cannot believe them to be the same person. Mr. Tartar has also been suggested as Datchery, but his appearance is, I think, too distinctive to be compatible with that of Datchery. Tartar is described as being "so extremely sunburnt that the contrast between his brown visage and the white forehead shaded out of doors by his hat, and the glimpses of white throat below the neckerchief, would have been almost ludicrous but for his broad temples, bright blue eyes, clustering brown hair, and laughing teeth" (ch. 17). Datchery seldom wears his hat, so his white forehead would have been conspicuous. Also, Helena suggests that Mr. Tartar befriend her brother and visit him "almost daily" (ch. 22) — something which Mr. Tartar declares himself very ready to do.
In the second chapter of his book, Mr. Saunders makes a convincing argument for Datchery's being a lawyer. I think it not unlikely that Datchery was known to Mr. Grewgious, given the latter's fancy for having Jasper ("our local friend" — ch. 17) under his eye. Datchery obviously has some foreknowledge of the inhabitants of Cloisterham, as evidenced by his treatment of Mr. Sapsea. I think that Datchery's behaviour indicates some personal interest in sleuthing out the mystery (not just as the unconcerned agent of another), so it is possible that he is related in some way to someone or another of the characters. The description of Mr. Datchery suggests, but not conclusively, I think, that he is in disguise. Thus much for Datchery.
It is widely believed that Neville Landless is killed in trying to take Jasper. In his biography of Dickens, John Foster wrote what he could remember of Dickens's plans for Edwin Drood. "Landless, … I think, [was] to have perished in assisting Tartar finally to unmask and seize the murderer." I consider this as quite likely, given Dickens's style. His presentation of Neville is consistent with him being a doomed man. Besides which, Neville loves Rosa. As Rosa falls in love with the strong, kindly Tartar, and as Neville isn't one of those simple, saintly sufferers (such as Tom Pinch in Martin Chuzzlewit), he must be gotten out of the way somehow.
I won't even venture to guess what the Princess Puffer knew of Jasper, or what part Helena Landless was to play in the story. So many things in Edwin Drood must remain mysteries. Had he lived, Dickens could never have written a greater mystery than he accomplished simply by dying before finishing his last work. As it stands, I count The Mystery of Edwin Drood among my favorites of the novels of Charles Dickens.
This post is part of the Dickens Project that "Sophie" of A Reasonable Quantity of Butter and I have done. You can read Sophie's review here: "The Mystery of Edwin Drood".
I read The Mystery of Edwin Drood November 28, 2013 – January 1, 2014. This completes the Dickens Project, which I began in June 2012.


text:
See all countries >
GENEVA (3 May 2018) - The Committee against Torture this afternoon concluded its consideration of the sixth periodic report of the Czech Republic on the efforts made by the State party to implement the provisions of the Convention against Torture.
Introducing the report, Andrea Baršová, Director, Human Rights and Minority Protection Department, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, said that the Czech Republic had adopted many new measures since the last report, particularly in the areas of imprisonment and prison conditions, detention of foreigners, inclusive education, human trafficking, and criminal liability of legal persons. The State party was also considering an amendment to the Criminal Code to align the definition of torture with all of the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention. Concerning changes to prison conditions and the imprisonment of persons, the Criminal Code enacted on 1 January 2010 expanded options to use alternative sentences to immediate imprisonment: house arrest and a ban on attending sports, cultural and other social events. In January 2016, the Government approved the Concept of the Prison System, which laid out a plan of measures aimed at reducing the recidivism of criminal behaviour and effectively reintegrating released prisoners into society. New amendments to the Criminal Code had been made concerning human trafficking to enable the sanctioning of offenders. Also, the offence of the unauthorized employment of foreigners covered situations where the offender unlawfully employed or mediated the employment of a foreigner consistently, repeatedly or under particularly exploitative working conditions.
In the discussion that followed, Committee Experts drew attention to the situation of the Roma, legal reparations to Roma women who were victims of forced sterilization, and placement of Roma children in special schools for children with disabilities. Experts noted that one-third of special schools were occupied by Roma children, and stressed that if an individual child was placed in an establishment below their intellectual capacities, they were in a situation that was considered particularly humiliating and degrading. The State needed to remedy that practice which was tantamount to degrading treatment. Experts further highlighted the situation of asylum seekers and refugees, administrative detention of migrants, stateless persons, the role of the Ombudsman, extradition, expulsion and diplomatic guarantees, detention conditions, prison overcrowding, xenophobic statements made by high-ranking Government officials often directed at Muslims and refugees, conditions in psychiatric facilities, secret detention and solitary confinement, health and medical examination of prisoners, lodging of complaints concerning torture or ill-treatment in detention, reparation for victims of torture, definition of administrative detention, and suicide among prisoners.
In her concluding remarks, Ms. Baršová appreciated the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges with the Committee, noting that the delegation would take those issues to the capital to reflect on them and to explore ways to improve the situation.
Jens Modvig, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for its diligent replies, and reminded that the Committee would pick several recommendations for immediate follow-up by the State party.
The delegation of the Czech Republic included representatives of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will next meet in public on Friday, 4 May, at 10 a.m. to begin its consideration of the third periodic report of Tajikistan (CAT/C/TJK/3).
The sixth periodic report of the Czech Republic can be read here: CAT/C/CZE/6.
Presentation of the Report
ANDREA BARŠOVÁ, Director, Human Rights and Minority Protection Department, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, began by thanking the Committee for their previous recommendations and welcomed the opportunity to continue the open dialogue. The Czech Republic had adopted many new measures since the last report, particularly in the areas of imprisonment and prison conditions, detention of foreigners, inclusive education, human trafficking, and criminal liability of legal persons. Currently, discussions on the penalties of all forms of ill treatment under the Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights were underway. The State party was also considering an amendment to the Criminal Code to align the definition of torture with all of the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention.
Concerning changes to prison conditions and the imprisonment of persons, the Criminal Code enacted on 1 January 2010 expanded options to use alternative sentences to immediate imprisonment: house arrest and a ban on attending sports, cultural and other social events. Electronic bracelets would be used to control compliance with house arrest sentences and would monitor the location of convicted persons and ensure their adherence to the imposed punishment.
In January 2016, the Government approved the Concept of the Prison System, which laid out a plan of measures aimed at reducing the recidivism of criminal behaviour and effectively reintegrating released prisoners into society. Programmes were introduced for sentenced prisoners but also ensured that they had assistance after their release, including social work, debt counselling, assistance in cases of addiction, education and retraining and literacy courses. One of the goals of the Concept was to create a system of support for governmental organizations and other bodies offering those programmes and activities. Under the Concept, conditions for persons in custody had also been improved with the restructuring of custody departments and allowing convicted persons to have private cells and providing dormitories for smaller groups. Also, at least two new prison facilities were planned for construction and they would meet the latest requirements required of the prison system.
In January 2014, the rule of the exceptional use of handcuffs in police cells was enshrined in the Guidelines of the Police President on escorts, guarding of persons and on police cells. The handcuffing of a person in the police cell was reported by the officers in the official records during detention. Combatting domestic and gender-based violence had also become a preoccupation of the Czech Republic. In 2015, the Government had adopted an Action Plan on the Prevention of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence for the years 2015-2018, in line with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), which the State party hoped would be ratified before the end of this year. This Plan covered not only domestic violence but also other forms of gender-based violence, namely rape, sexual harassment and stalking.
In addition, Czech law now contained measures to protect victims of domestic and gender-based violence. Police could banish violent offenders from the shared home for up to 10 days and the court could also limit or even exclude the spouse's right to live in the shared household for up to six months if the living situation was deemed unbearable due to physical or mental violence.
The 2013 Act on Victims of Crime declared that State authorities and other entities must treat victims politely, considerately and with respect for their dignity. Victims had the right to comprehensible information about their rights and duties and vulnerable victims, including children, were provided with professional legal assistance free of charge. Also introduced were measures to reduce the regular detention of foreigners by giving alternatives to detention and assessing them before deciding on their detention. These alternatives were introduced in the Act on Asylum in 2015. Due to a large increase in the number of foreigners detained because of the migration crisis, staff numbers were increased in detention centres for foreigners. Certain facilities were removed of their hardened exteriors to make them more welcoming places for families of foreign nationals in detention.
In the area of inclusive education, pro-inclusive amendments to the Schools Act, effective 2016-2017, provided for the inclusive education of all pupils with special educational needs, including Roma children and children with disabilities. This new system provided each child with the best education according to his or her needs on an equal basis with others in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Educational programmes had been established to train professional workers of social services about the detection and prevention of torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment of persons. There was also training provided for judges by the Judicial Academy, as well as prosecutors and workers of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic.
New amendments to the Criminal Code had been made concerning human trafficking with the definition of human trafficking changed to enable the sanctioning of offenders. Also, the offence of the unauthorised employment of foreigners covered situations where the offender unlawfully employed or mediated the employment of a foreigner consistently, repeatedly or under particularly exploitative working conditions. Ms. Baršová continued by informing that a new Act on the criminal liability of legal persons and proceedings against them went into effect in 2012. Under this law, legal persons could now be prosecuted for criminal offences, including crimes of torture and other inhumane and cruel treatment. Pertaining to sterilisation and surgical castration, a Law on Specific Health Care Services, in effect since 2012, allowed sterilisation to be carried out either due to health reasons or other reasons with a compulsory period of seven days of reflection between the provision of the information and the granting of consent of sterilisation for health reasons. Similar rules applied to surgical castration. Castration could also be performed on individuals above 21 years of age, with a diagnosed parahphilic disorder, which either resulted or would result in committing a sexually motivated crime and where other treatment options could not be used.
Finally, the Office of the Ombudsperson contributed in a significant manner to the prevention of ill-treatment in the Czech Republic. In line with the Optional Protocol, the Office of the Ombudsperson conducted visits to facilities and evaluated treatment conditions, then formed recommendations for the improvement of standards and education, and advocated systemic changes if necessary.
Questions by the Country Co-Rapporteurs
CLAUDE HELLER, Country Co-Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, began by commending the State party for their diverse efforts, including the adoption of laws, action plans and strategies in a number of different areas. In his view, this indicated the State's desire to make further inroads to promoting and protecting human rights.
The situation of the Roma had been a matter of concern for many treaty bodies. This was a group of people that had endured racially motivated hatred and violence. Also, asylum seekers and refugees in the Czech Republic were in a critical state with particular concern for the public's reaction to these groups as social media portrayed them with harmful stereotypes.
Turning to the criminalization of acts of torture, it was noted that the State's position on this issue was being analysed to bring it in line with the Convention. Who was undertaking the analysis and when would the results be known, asked Mr. Heller, as a group of non-governmental organizations had found that the Czech Republic had yet to include appropriate criminalization laws for acts of torture, and this was of concern.
Concerning the role of the Ombudsman, it was found that in the Czech Republic, there was no human rights institution operating under the guidelines of the Paris Principles. The current Office of Ombudsman had laws governing its functions, and carried out independent investigations and issued recommendations, which the authorities were required to heed. The Ombudsman also monitored detention centres and was appointed by parliament for a period of six years but they relayed information that the scope of their powers was limited. What were the barriers to the creation of a national human rights institution? The powers of the Ombudsman had been extended in certain areas but were still found to be restricted.
An essential part of the report, said Mr. Heller, was the issue of extradition, expulsion and diplomatic guarantees. Could the State party provide updated statistics concerning these areas? Expulsions were conducted without regard as to the implications for the refugees, migrants and foreign nationals concerned. Would they be tortured when they returned to their country of origin, for example? Extradited people had a guarantee of due process, non-transfer to a third State and were not subject to the death penalty; however, there were contradictions to this in the Czech Republic. Was this a regular practice by Czech diplomatic personnel?
The State was quite open in recognizing its shortcomings in detention centres for foreign nationals. New detention centres had been created and older ones had been updated, but in 2015 the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights had indicated that, on the basis of credible reports, human rights violations of migrants were not isolated but were rather systematic and appeared to be part of a comprehensive policy by the Government to dissuade migrants. Refugees had suffered in their country of origin and on their migratory route. When they arrived at certain detention centres, conditions were "worse than prison" with damning reports stating that those centres violated international conventions.
Recent statistics showed that four and a half per cent of the Czech Republic's population was of foreign origin. The Government pursued a resettlement programme approved by the European Union, but with exhaustive security checks. Only 12 people had actually been relocated and the systematic detention of foreigners continued. What was the actual situation in the Czech Republic for this programme? The detention of migrants should be used as a matter of last resort with the detention of children being a violation lacking justification.
Speaking about stateless persons, the laws and regulations in the Czech Republic did not reflect the Convention of 1954, including specific provisions for stateless persons, who fell into a general category of foreign nationals. An individual born on Czech territory could acquire Czech citizenship and one of its parents, if stateless, could remain within Czech borders but what was the number of individuals actually concerned by this situation?
Turning to the subject of Roma, human rights reports agreed that approximately 300,000 Roma people were subject to various areas of discrimination and there was societal prejudice that meant they were excluded from the mainstream. In 2015 alone, 33 criminal acts were perpetrated against that group and 175 hate crimes were committed in that same year. Of those crimes, 130 individuals were investigated and 115 prosecuted: three were sent to prison, 37 put on probation and nine sentenced to community service.
In 2014, the Government launched a campaign to end discrimination, which was a noble beginning to ending hate crimes in the Czech Republic, considering xenophobic statements made by high-ranking governmental officials, often directed at Muslims and refugees. Was the campaign still in effect and if so, could the State party provide further details about its functions?
Integration strategies for these groups, to give them equal footing with Czech people, along with a legal aid and assistance strategy, would greatly help those victims of discrimination.
Conditions in psychiatric facilities were also touched upon. Czech law did not authorize cage beds but from time to time, it was necessary to use them. A report found that "other methods and other tools would be brought in to replace them." This was a problem, said Mr. Heller. Cage beds limited the movement of psychiatric patients and were associated with degrading treatment, equal to torture for the disabled and elderly. It was strongly recommended that these beds be eliminated.
Other degrading treatment was of a historical nature with Roma women subjected to forced sterilization after the Cold War. The State party was urged to provide legal reparations to the victims of forced sterilization. The State party had indicated that the main form of reparation was legal action to provide non-pecuniary damages for those persons whose rights had been violated. In 2015, the Government had considered approving a special law to compensate people who had been illegally sterilized. However, after careful review, the Government did not agree to compensate victims of this crime as perpetrated in the past, finding that those victims had effective recourse, which they were to use in a timely fashion. Thus, 60 cases sent to the general prosecutor's office were rejected. There needed to be reforms and changes for the victims to be compensated through the judicial system, heeded Mr. Heller.
SEBASTIEN TOUZE, Country Co-Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, spoke about the placement of Roma children in special schools for children with disabilities, with one-third of these establishments occupied by Roma children. If an individual child was placed in an establishment below their intellectual capacities, they were in a situation that was considered particularly humiliating and degrading. The State needed to remedy this practice as this genre of segregation was tantamount to degrading treatment.
In a 2017 report destined for the State party's Chief of Police, the Ombudsman found that people in detention had their rights regularly violated; their dignity was not always respected, with particular regard to body searches. The searches needed to take place in a location where an individual would not be publicly exposed and should take place by a member of the same sex. Also, there appeared to be a lack of a legal framework as to how to carry out those searches. Could the delegation provide any information as to how those searches were performed and the legal framework that governed them?
A positive advancement was the fact that closed circuit television and audio recording systems were gradually being placed in cells. However, Mr. Touze wished to know if the recordings were equally applied during interrogation times or were they strictly used as surveillance for those in custody? Also, how was legal aid accessed by those in custody?
Like many European States, the number of people in custody in the Czech Republic was steadily growing. As of February of this year, 22,198 detainees were held in 35 establishments, one of the highest figures in Europe. Incarceration seemed to be a chronic problem for this State party with alternative measures only in their infancy as resources and will-power were in short supply.
Speaking about secret detention and solitary confinement, what information could the State provide concerning the legal framework in which those isolation measures were taken? How was solitary confinement carried out and what were the provisions? Was there a way for a prisoner to challenge the isolation?
With regard to the health of prisoners, Mr. Touze asked how many doctors were available to detainees. His query also delved into prison suicide rates and access to care and mental screening for those detainees potentially at risk of suicide.
There was also a great deal of information missing concerning the numbers of minors in detention. Reportedly 0.4 per cent of prisoners in the Czech Republic were minors but where were they held? Were they separated from adult prisoners? Also, how were these minors supervised, and was there a dedicated staff body to monitor them?
Previous concerns were raised by the Committee as to how prison inmates wishing to lodge a complaint concerning torture or ill-treatment during their detention was carried out. According to figures supplied by the State, in 2015, 1,278 complaints were registered with 1,209 rejected. In 2014, 1,259 complaints were registered with 1,192 rejected. The number of accepted complaints seemed to be relatively low. What explained this phenomenon?
Pertaining to the reparation for victims of acts of torture, there was an absence of figures and statistics. How were victims compensated for acts of torture by public officials and why were claims by those individuals requesting compensation limited to a six-month deadline?
Questions by Committee Experts
An Expert began by welcoming the delegation of the State party. In 2015, the issue of searches had come up, with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights underscoring the treatment of persons in detention, with particular regard to migrants and refugees. There was nothing obliging strip searches to take place but it was done on a day-to-day basis, in a routine manner. Detainees were also asked to pay for their own detention costs despite the fact that the conditions verged on inhumane.
There was also a problem when it came to the definition of administrative detention. It was an infringement that was not well defined in criminal law terms.
Another Expert lamented the lack of statistical evidence to support the current state of affairs in the Czech Republic, which was critical to combat and prevent abuses of the Convention.
Committee Chairperson Jens Modvig asked whether there was a routine medical examination in place when new detainees arrived at a criminal justice institution? It was considered a way of early detection of suicidal cases, which could then be reported to the competent authorities for investigation. Could the State party provide information as to what could be done to put in place an early detection method such as this?
Follow up Questions by Co-Rapporteur
CLAUDE HELLER, Country Co-Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, was struck by a trend in the prison population, where between 2012 to 2014 the prison population fell by nearly 4,000 people and then went up again. What could explain that sudden decrease and then subsequent increase?
Replies by the Delegation
Responding to Experts' questions about segregation in education, the delegation explained that the new system of inclusive education was open to all children, without any distinction. In 2015, preparations for the introduction of the new inclusive education system had begun. Inclusive access to education presupposed the right to high-quality education for all students, regardless of their individual and social characteristics. All students with special needs were entitled to free provision of support measures by the school, such as the counselling assistance, adjusting the organization, content, evaluation, forms and methods of education and school services, adapting the conditions of admission, the use of compensatory aids, special textbooks and special teaching aids, the use of communication systems for deaf and deafblind persons, Braille and support or alternative communication systems, and use of teacher assistants.
The support measures in education were divided in five levels according to organizational, pedagogical and financial requirements. The first level was implemented by the school or school facility even without the recommendation of a school counselling facility, whereas the second to fifth degree support measures could be applied only with the recommendation of the school counselling facility. A prior written consent of a student or legal guardian was always a condition for the provision of support measures of the second to fifth degree by the school or school facility. If a student or legal guardian doubted that the school or school facility was proceeding in accordance with the recommendation of the school counselling facility, he or she could propose to the headmaster of the school to discuss the case with the participation of an authorized employee, and the director was obliged to convene the meeting without any delay.
The role of the Czech School Inspectorate had shifted from pure evaluation to assessment and counselling with an intention to further improve schools and the education system. Another fundamental change had taken place in 2016 in pre-school education with an amendment to the Education Act. Since 1 September 2017, a compulsory pre-school education for children from the age of five had been introduced. That measure was seen as a significant systemic prevention of possible failures when entering compulsory school education. Pre-school age children were often at a low level of development of their speech skills, leading to rising numbers of postponements of the compulsory school education.
As for police detention conditions, the delegation said that the authorities were still trying to make improvements. The 2013 Internal Police Act specified the requirements for all types of cells, and the duration of detention. According to the Criminal Code, pre-trial detention could last up to 72 hours. Detained persons had the right to access a medical doctor of their choice. Police officers could be present, if necessary. Important information for detainees was available in some 20 languages, in addition to Czech.
It was true that police officers could ask detainees to strip during a body search, but not completely. Police officers had an obligation to write down a report on each body search. In case of body searches of minors, police officers needed to be respectful of their age. Body search was not recorded on security cameras to respect privacy and human dignity. During visits, police presence was an appropriate measure.
The General Inspection established in 2012 was tasked to conduct oversight of all the work of the police, to receive complaints of misconduct, and to prosecute cases under the Office of the Public Prosecutor. It was fully independent of any Ministry. The General Inspector was appointed by the Prime Minister.
The Government was required to act against any act of racism and xenophobia. The Ministry of the Interior conducted crime prevention activities in socially disadvantaged areas. The number of violent offences against minorities had decreased in recent years, namely in 2014 there were 201 cases, in 2015 there were 175 cases, and in 2016 there were 153 cases. At the moment, the Ministry of the Interior focused on prevention of hate speech on the Internet.
Responding to questions about the administrative expulsion of foreigners coming from problematic countries, such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, the delegation said that information on non-refoulement and free legal aid had been distributed to the police. Detained foreigners received information about the Dublin Procedure and its consequences. Between 2011 and 2017, there were 60 extraditions to a foreign country.
As for the age determination procedure, the authorities had decided to apply a non-medical method to determine age in the form of a psychosocial interview. However, there were no experts in the Czech Republic. The United Nations Refugee Agency had found experts to train Czech experts.
In 2017, there were 1,450 asylum applications lodged in the Czech Republic, and 29 had been granted, mainly to persons from Myanmar, Syria or Turkey. There were reported cases of alleged denial of asylum procedure at Prague airport. The Government could not confirm those. Persons were well informed of the Dublin Procedure before their arrival in the Czech Republic, but they passed to the country on route to their desired final destinations. Information leaflets of the United Nations Refugee Agency in various languages were readily available at border control points. There was effective cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior and the police and refugee reception authorities.
Turning to the issue of payment for detention, the delegation noted that there was a clear legal basis in the Police Act and the Aliens Act. Procedural guarantees had been strengthened in a way that every alien who had paid detention costs would receive an individual decision upon release from the detention centre. Alternatives to detention for families with children remained problematic because they were transiting to Western Europe and because of the high rate of absconding. Open-regime centres would allow for better control of movement.
Administrative detention was not a sentence, but a measure of last resort. The Czech Republic did not have any stateless minorities, and the number of stateless persons was very low. Between 2009 and 2015, international protection had been granted to 174 persons, and asylum to 19 persons. Stateless persons usually asked for asylum. The new Citizenship Act aimed to prevent statelessness, especially for children. Its overall impact on stateless persons was difficult to assess due to their low number. Nearly half a million foreigners resided in the Czech Republic in recent years.
The authorities had extended the provision of legal aid in detention facilities. The decrease of the prison population in 2013 was due to the amnesty granted by the President of the Republic. However, due to recidivism, the prison population had increased again. Prison overcrowding stood at 105 per cent. The Government was considering applying more financial penalties, as well as decriminalizing certain minor offences, in order to alleviate prison overcrowding.
As for the detention of juveniles, there were 18 prison units and the focus was on an individual approach to each juvenile prisoner. They were obliged to complete elementary education and encouraged to start vocational education. In terms of healthcare for prisoners, there were mostly general practitioners and dentists. Prisoners with psychiatric needs were transferred to prisons that provided such healthcare. Prisoners at risk of suicide were placed in special cells and were monitored by guards.
At first, the Office of the Ombudsman had not been established as a human rights institution in line with the Paris Principles, but nowadays its activities in many ways complied with the Paris Principles. Its task was to conduct inquiries, analyse situations, and make recommendations to public institutions. The Office of the Ombudsperson had contributed in a significant manner to the prevention of ill-treatment in the Czech Republic.
The Hate Free campaign had been launched in 2014 and was coordinated by the Agency for Social Inclusion. The campaign had created a special website, called the Hate Free Culture, and more than 500,000 peoples had visited it. Another feature of the campaign was the so-called hate free zone. One of the purposes of the campaign was the rebuttal of hoax stories about foreigners. Mediation at schools was another project to resolve conflicts in an amicable way. There were also training programmes for police officers in socially excluded neighbourhoods. A new campaign was in preparation and it was expected to kick off in 2019.
The reform of psychiatric care was currently in the implementation phase, and 30 pilot projects had been approved. The first centres were scheduled to start their practice in July 2018. With respect to the use of restraints, it was not permitted by law. Most psychiatric hospitals in the country had completely abandoned the use of net beds. Surgical castration was considered a method of last resort applied to persons with a diagnosed parahphilic disorder, or as a result of committing a sexually motivated crime and where other treatment options could not be used.
Victims of domestic violence had at their disposal a variety of social services, which included intervention centres, asylum houses, and professional counselling. Assistance was provided immediately after the expulsion of the offender from the common dwelling. Victims of human trafficking could also use those services.
ANDREA BARŠOVÁ, Director, Human Rights and Minority Protection Department, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, informed that the issue of involuntary sterilization of Roma women had been discussed between the Council of Europe and the Czech Republic Government. The Government's position was that it could not grant compensation because the assessment of individual cases from the past would be very difficult. The issue, nevertheless, was still being discussed by the Council of Roma Minority Affairs.
Second Round of Questions by the Country Co-Rapporteurs
CLAUDE HELLER, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, suggested that the delegation submit statistical information on crimes to the Committee as an additional document.
With respect to alternatives to detention for families with children, it was not clear what the State party would do. Did it plan to create new centres for them?
The national legislation did not have a definition of stateless persons that was in line with international law. There was a lack of legislative procedure to determine the status of statelessness, and the State party should make additional efforts in that area.
As for the Office of the Ombudsman, Mr. Heller noted that the State party should ensure that it could take on a great scope of activities. It also needed to find a solution for the issue of involuntary sterilization of Roma women.
Despite the introduction of the methodological guide for hospitals and other health care institutions, net beds were still used. Was the Istanbul Protocol included in the training on identifying torture and ill-treatment, Mr. Heller asked.
SEBASTIEN TOUZE, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, inquired about the number of Roma children in special schools and in classical schools. Mr. Touze noted that the framework on body searches was still subject to subjective interpretation of the law.
The presence of police agents during the medical examination of detainees seemed to leave open the possibility of psychological pressure on detainees. Could detainees contest the decision of solitary confinement? Could civil society representatives carry out visits to places of detention?
Mr. Touze further inquired about the possibility of automatic referral to psychiatric support for vulnerable prisoners, and the functioning of the complaints mechanism. Did the State party plan to review the rule about payment for detention?
Questions by Other Committee Experts
What was the exact definition of individuals that did not have the nationality of the State party? Foreigners placed in administrative detention for not having met their responsibilities was a very vague concept, an Expert observed.
Experts further inquired about the oversight of expulsion of foreigners.
JENS MODVIG, Committee Chairperson, asked about the recruitment of medical doctors to work in detention centres. What was the procedure for the initial medical examination of detainees? What was the procedure for prisoners attempting suicide? Mr. Modvig noted that the State party should consider a systemic overhaul of the prison system.
Replies by the Delegation
On the number of Roma children in special and classical schools, the delegation said that the collection of data on ethnicity was a sensitive issue, and that most Roma were not willing to self-identify.
The assessment of the risk of refoulement was in place, but the problem was that during the migration crisis in 2015 the safeguards had not been fully implemented. The authorities would not create new facilities for families with children and non-asylum seekers would be placed in existing asylum reception centres, of open and closed types.
There was no definition of statelessness, but that did not mean that there was a legal vacuum and procedural gap for stateless persons. They were treated as foreigners. The Government did not see any need for a structural change of the existing legal framework, but it was in dialogue with relevant international partners, such as the United Nations Refugee Agency. The Government would closely monitor the situation.
There were two main grounds for the detention of foreigners: administrative expulsion, and for the purpose of transfer under the Dublin Procedure. The duties of foreigners were clearly stipulated in the Aliens Act. The police had to elaborate in a very detailed manner the decision for administrative expulsion. Failure to pay for detention did not constitute a reason for the extension of detention. The approval rate of asylum applications was reasonable, the delegation noted.
The role of the Office of the Ombudsman to monitor expulsion was a new competence resulting from the European Union law. The Ombudsman could monitor not only expulsions from the Czech Republic, but also at the European Union level.
Prisoners could appeal the decision of solitary confinement. At the moment, it was not foreseen to allow non-governmental organizations to monitor detention centres, but they could visit.
The Government needed to resolve the challenge in the recruitment of medical personnel to work in detention centres. The Ministry of Health was considering banning the use of net beds in psychiatric hospitals. As for reporting the use of restraints, the authorities reported only on the number of cases rather than details.
The Istanbul Protocol was not included in the training on identifying torture and ill-treatment, the delegation said.
Concluding Remarks
ANDREA BARŠOVÁ, Director, Human Rights and Minority Protection Department, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, appreciated the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges with the Committee, such as the penal system, condition in prisons, detention facilities and police cells, detention of foreigners, psychiatric care and the role of medical personnel in the protection against torture and ill-treatment. The delegation would take those issues to the capital to reflect on them and to explore ways to improve the situation.
JENS MODVIG, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for its diligent replies, and reminded that the Committee would pick several recommendations for immediate follow-up by the State party.
For use of the information media; not an official record

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Our littlest love is turning FOUR today... How on God's green earth is that happening? He's a ball of energy at every minute of the day. He talks 24/7... no for real, he even talks when he's sleeping! He's a big time mama's boy. He prefers to sleep NEXT to someone, usually mama or Grayson. He missed "Hayson" and "bella" when they are at school. He loves milk, like really loves it, he'd prefer chocolate if his parents would let him. He loves cereal and oatmeal. He requested Daddy's homemade mac and cheese for his birthday dinner. He's obsessed with "policemans" (which were previously called "tops" aka cops). He's requested to take muffins and cookies to the police station for his birthday day date. He loves open gyms and burning energy. He's our only lefty and our only blue eyed babe. He's fierce, he's sassy, he's a cuddler and he's learning more every day! He loves to write his first name and color, especially with markers.
Happy Birthday my babe, I can't believe you are four. I remember holding your nine pound four ounce body next to mine when you were born, I remember you nursing for hours on end. I remember looking at you and knowing that you completed our family. Happy Birthday my love, may all of your greatest dreams come true!


text:
I was born to be WiLD. I'm sure of it.
I'm living. Now, I'm living.
My work in the world feels like home. I teach women healthy habits like journaling to listen and declare, like dancing wild as often as possible, like doing strong as a verb, and setting boundaries to let their Realness take air.
Michelle Bernard


text:
Get A Closer Look At The Mountain's Face From GOT Finale
Game Of Thrones Spoilers: You've Been Warned
After ten episodes of season six of Game Of Thrones we finally saw the Mountain remove his helmet and show his face, his revolting, corpse-like face.
The once uncontrollable Ser Gregor Clegane has been turned into a fiercely loyal puppet of the newly crowned Queen Cersei, although it still isn't entirely clear what ex-maester Qyburn did to him.
As reported by NME, all we saw until the season finale was the giant member of the Kingsguard's eyes.
But then Cersei ordered him to exact a particularly dark brand of vengeance on Septa Unella.
The mask was raised, and viewers finally got a glimpse of what Gregor had become…
Sadly the lighting in the dungeons of the Red Keep are in need of an upgrade.
Thankfully the guys over at PopSugar called on the Lord of Light – and Photoshop – to brighten the image.
Well, that is horrifying.
With Daenerys on her way, and Jon heralded as the new King in the north, I'm sure we'll see the Mountain in his reanimated state called upon again.
Just 42 more weeks to wait…
Topics: Film and TV, Pics


text:
its been quite a few years since i set up the pike and predators fly fishing site back then i was happy just to keep a record of flies i made and to give fellow pike fly anglers a few ideas for flies , its progressed massively since those early days and really its been down to people worldwide mailing me with different ideas and wanting to know how to tie things which i have been and always will be happy to do so id like to say a massive thanks to those fellow faceless fly anglers who it has been my pleasure to speak to over the years you know who you are , if you haven't visited the site click the picture below to pay a visit for loads of step by steps on predator flys and off course all for free and if theres something you want to tie but cant find a step by step just mail me and ill do one for free of course there will always be new stuff added so keep checking back
you know it wasn't that long ago that here in the UK us pike fly anglers were considered a bit weird and a bit wacky and really not pike anglers at all a bit of an oddity in pike fishing circles and something that would fail to take off in the UK .
well how wrong did they get it the pike fly fishing association in the UK www.pffa.co.uk is now the 3rd biggest club in the country and growing all the time why its quite simple we have been able to approach game anglers who were looking to do something different but didn't want to and had no inclination to go out and buy loads of new tackle to pike fish i.e lure dead baits etc this we were able to do by being associated with the salmon and trout association and by getting out there to region meetings giving fly tying demos and talks on fly fishing for pike , and the interest has been massive among them in the sport and so the club continues to grow through the pffa management team which it has been my pleasure to part of for quite a few years now and still the fire burns bright within the whole team the future is bright
and to think they said it wouldn't last and they thought it was wrong to fly fish for them well i guess you have been proved very wrong and the word band wagon springs to mind
so again to all the Friends i have meet and fished with to the guys I'm going to fish with to the people i swap ideas with over 3 hour skype calls i thank every single one of you for flying in the face of adversity .
Flashback - Sunrise in Winthrop, time to fish... Photographed on this very day, in 2012.
34 minutes ago


text:
Day 52 of 90: another shoot:) crazy workout:) strong foods & EY
|Dinner!! Big Bowl:) Strong Food!!:)
Today was another great work day, got alot of great things done, filmed alot of good footage we needed and finalized our color schemes and brand boards which are now DOPE ON A ROPE!!!
It's right on the money and on time my friends! you'll see it pretty soon now and i'm a very happy man
now that we got all that done and alot of filming done too...now we're gonna put alot of focus on MBG Chicago and our new website:) aaaahhhh:)
MBG 1 restoration: basically just had fun today, my training during the video was fun, got a serious sweat, but not overwhelming....took a capoeira class tonight which was fun too:) quick Eischens Yoga sequence and i'm good!!:)
MBG 2 training: this was a odd day of training but fun, i needed a light day of training so this was right on time...did a few sets of cleans and presses with the 32k's, did alot of handstand walks for about 30 yards, did a 25 yard pole climb, snatched the 48k for about 4 reps each side, did the power wheel for alot of various exercises and alot of various chin ups...overall it was cool, not too hard and a serious sweat!!
MBG 3 eating:
- grapes, straw, blueberries, mangos, dates, goji, cacao, flax meal, bee pollen, almonds, SOlife
- organic food bar
- mixed greens, corn, onions, yams, wild rice, tofu, sesame seeds, beets
- 2 bananas and some organic peanut butter
- spinach, wild rice, onions, corn, carrots, beets, tomato, cucumber, bell peppers
- 2 sweet potatoes, 1 whole stalk of romaine lettuce, hummus
feeling good, going to sleep:)


text:
A letting agency has denied that 'highly toxic' gas is leaking into one of its tenant's homes in Worcester.
Leaders has said that it is confident that all safety procedures have been followed and that the home is both safe and compliant to gas safety standards.
The tenant, Julie Parker, 58, has told a local newspaper that she believes an overflow pipe is leaking toxic hydrogen sulphide into the home she shares with her 30-year-old daughter.
A number of contractors have been called out by the agency with the conclusion that there is no 'significant cause for concern'.
A spokesperson for the agency told the Halesowen News that 'thoroughly vetted and highly experienced contractors' have examined the property. They said Environmental Health and Property Standards have also completed independent reviews which support the conclusions of the contractors.
The spokesperson said: "We want all of our tenants to feel confident and comfortable in their homes, so we are working with Ms Parker and her landlord to establish a solution to this problem that Ms Parker is completely satisfied and comfortable with."
"We are, however, confident that all safety procedures have been followed and that Ms Parker's home is both safe and compliant to gas safety standards."
The tenant has started her own investigation after she felt the situation was being 'ignored' by Leaders.
She believes there has been a release of 'highly toxic sewer gas' which includes hydrogen sulphide and ammonia.
The tenant says whatever she eats or drinks 'tastes of gas' and that she is 'exhausted' from lack of sleep due to fear of spending too much time upstairs inhaling the gas.


text: Hello all I've been playing Fallout for years now and a couple of weeks ago I decided to travel back to Fallout 2 with the Megamod. Everything has been going well but I can't find the raider's camp, even with the map from Bishop's safe. When I try to "use" the map it say "That does nothing". I've been trying to search for a solution but no luck so far... Any help would be helpful.


text:
HomeTown Dental is a family owned dental practice. We are pleased to announce a partnership between Dr. Woody Soonattrakul and Dr. Joseph Gross. Dr. Woody and Dr. Joe have known each other for a number of years. Together they have a combined dental experience of 21 years. They are committed to delivering all patients an incredible experience every time.
HomeTown Dental welcomes patients of all ages. We specialize in preventive, restorative and cosmetic dentistry for the whole family in an efficient and affordable manner.
Call 618-726-2280 or CLICK HERE to request an appointment today!
Please explore our website to see a more in depth list of our services and get to know our team!


text:
The Stories...
The Flower
Alarms shrieked and a dozen warning lights flared to life in the tiny cockpit of the TSS Crockett. The pilot, Captain Alana Wilson, flicked switches and pulled back on the controls but it was no use. The scout ship was going dirtside and there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't sure what had caused the problem, but suddenly as the ship was doing a routine mapping flyover of some barely habitable planet that didn't even have a name yet, something had knocked out the #3 engine and the left ventral control service was dead. She was going down and fast, the only thing she could do was make sure it was at least a partially controlled landing.
It was. Scouts for the Terran Commonwealth were expected to be top notch pilots and she was no exception. She wasn't even the best in her class, but she was good enough to put her tiny ship down one piece (mostly). But it took only a little bit of experimentation to determine the ship wasn't going to go back up again. Whatever had knocked her down plus the hard landing had seen to that. And she was unhurt, beyond a few bruises and the need to change the trousers on her uniform.
After the requisite uniform change, she began to assess her situation. The atmosphere here was breathable, barely. She was in a valley close to sea level and it would be about like living high in the mountains on Earth. So as long as she didn't go mountain climbing she'd be okay. Water was also not going to be a problem, as long as she stayed close to the ship. The fusion reactor was still working and still putting out H2O as a byproduct. And if she had to go far from the ship, she had a testing kit and various treatments to deal with most kinds of contamination. Food was going to be a problem, once she ran out of rations. There was life on this planet, sure, but mostly in the planet's shallow seas. On land, just some lichen-like stuff and a few primitive plants. No signs of animal life on land at all. And even if she could gather enough of them to feed herself, there was no guarantee it would be edible or nutritious. It almost never was on alien worlds, just too many biochemical differences. But if she stretched what she in her emergency supplies, she could probably go a month before malnutrition became a problem.
But would a month be long enough. She wasn't even due back to Kepler Base for another week, and it wasn't unusual for scouts to be a day or three late. So it would likely be at least 10 days before anyone came looking for her. And they might not even start with this planet, her assignment was to do preliminary surveys of five different systems, each with six to twelve planets. It might take a rescue party a while to get to this one.
She wasn't hosed, exactly, but things were definitely going to get worse before they got better. And she might as well make herself comfortable here, because she was going to be here at least 10 days, possibly (though she didn't want to dwell on that) the rest of her life. She dragged the emergency pre-fab survival shelter out of the tiny cargo hold in the ship's belly and began setting it up. Within an hour, she she had food, water and shelter taken care of. And after that there wasn't much to do but think.
What had brought her down? She remembered that her sensors had located a site that showed rich mineral deposits and, though she had thought it had to be an error at the time, energy. Specifically electrical energy, something she would expect to see if colonists had set up a generator of some sort. She was heading for it, to get better readings and...now here she was. She knew she that while she had probably overshot...whatever it was, she also probably hadn't overshot it by much before crashing. It had to be close. It was late evening now, and she didn't relish a long walk in the dark on an unfamiliar world, but in the morning she would see if she could see what it was.
In the morning, she returned to the cockpit of her ship and double checked some readings, whatever she had encountered was only about 15 Kilometers away. Terrain looked mostly flat between here and there and gravity was a tad on the light side. She should be able to jog there and be back before dark, easily. Before lunch even. And so she began. As she jogged she thought about the energy readings she saw. This planet was uninhabited, not even freelance mining crews came out this far so it couldn't have been a generator or other such source of power. Unless....aliens? So far, in the 300 years since the invention of the Alcubierre Drive and humanity's spread into nearby planets, The Terran Commonwealth had never encountered sentient aliens. Turns out that Earth was very typical in some ways, most planets it seems had the same requirements for life and saw it develop first in the sea with microbes, plant like organisms, then animals, then those animals coming out of the sea and so on. But out of 177 planets where humanity had settled and the thousands that it had explored, never, not even once, had we found any sign of life taking the next step that it had on Earth, sentience and sapience. Never had anyone even encountered signs of a long vanished species. Humanity, it seemed, was alone in this neck of the galaxy. So it was unlikely that Scout First Class Alana Wilson was going to be the one to change that on this nameless rock. But a little voice in the back of her mind told her "Yeah. But what if? Someone has to, after all"
She jogged on until the unbroken expanse of reddish earth and purple-green scrubby plants gave way to a most unexpected sight. An enormous structure, made of crystals. A single crystal the size of some of the largest buildings back on Earth sat in the center of it with six smaller but still enormous crystals radiating from it at an angle. The effect was that of a flower the size of a city made of crystal. Beneath it, thousands of smaller crystals studded the ground. The "petals" and the central spire occasionally crackled with energy of some kind.
Alana stopped and sat on a rock, observing. Somehow, her ship must have drawn a bolt of that energy from that thing. That's what knocked her down. But what was it, exactly? She had been a Scout for 15 years, and before that had majored in xenoplantetology a the Academy. She had seen, either in pictures or via holo, many strange phenomenon on many worlds. But never had she seen anything like this. And she didn't want to get closer. An energy discharge from that thing would definitely kill her if it could knock out her ship. Instead she took pictures and got a variety of readings from it. Then she jogged back to her camp.
By the time she got back she had a massive headache, right at the base of her skull. She found painkillers in the first aid kit and otherwise tried to ignore it. But it didn't go away.
For each of the next two days, she returned to "The Flower" as she called it and got more readings. Each time she did, she ventured a little closer. And after each visit, the headache got worse. On the third day, a storm moved in and it began to rain, hard. It was accompanied by wind that was strong enough that it seemed to be raining sideways at time. Alana had little to do and even with the pain in her head, she began to analyze the data she had collected so far. She had thought that something about The Flower was causing the headaches, perhaps a bad reaction to something in the air near there. Or perhaps it was a side effect of the energy fields the thing put off. So she hoped that a few days away from it would, perhaps, make her feel better. But she hoped in vain. If anything, the pain at the base of her skull became even sharper and more insistent. By the fifth day, as the drizzle continued, she was nearly incapacitated.
On the sixth day, the rain stopped and to Alana's relief, so did her headache. It didn't just gradually fade, either. It was just gone, instantly. She decided to steer clear of The Flower for a few days, perhaps until she was rescued and had better tools to determine why it had such an effect on her. She had lots of data to study already, and when she grabbed her dataslate to begin doing so, she noticed a single word continuously scrolling across the screen
She was certain she had not typed that in. But if so, where did it come from? And she could come up with only one explanation...The Flower.
She considered typing in a reply, but before she could, it flicked off. As did the survival lights in her shelter. And everything else electronic.
The headache returned with a vengeance. She dropped to her knees in agony. Still, she thought she realized what was going on.
"YOU ARE HURTING ME!" she screamed into the air. The pain stopped, the lights came back on.
She grabbed the pad and typed, "Use this"
Nothing at first, but within a minute words began typing of their own accord "WHAT ARE YOU"
She typed "Alana"
No response again, this time for at least five minutes. Then a single "?"
She did not know how to answer in a way The Flower would understand "Am I the only othermind you have met?"
Communication had begun. Over the next few hours, she had figured out that "The Flower" had a consciousness of a sort, the details of which would likely delight xenobiologists for decades to come, and could communicate via modulated electrical impulses. It had spent days trying to contact her directly and only recently had the idea of using modulated impulses to "talk" to her dataslate, using language it figured out from her brain. There were perhaps 20 others on the planet, and they connected and shared experiences. They did not have names, each identified itself to the others by the distinct frequency that it broadcast on.
Days came and went. She perfected her communication with the thing, and this was helped by the fact that if she really could not explain a concept, it could pluck it from her mind. It never got less painful, but it worked. Eventually, the conversation got around to what would happen if..no...when she was rescued "Many others like me will come. They will want to speak to you too. All of you." she told it.
"NO" was the reply on her dataslate.
"NO OTHERS. ONLY YOU." It had also learned the trick of tapping into her ships computer, and it began a huge dump of historical records. Specifically ones detailing what had happened when humans had met other humans in history.
"But if my kind does not come for me, I will die. And soon."
"THIS IS A DILEMMA". And it went silent. For days. Eventually, her communications unit picked up a signal and sent out a message to her, her rescue party was in system and had picked up her beacon. Within hours she would be home. And still, no communication from The Flower. The ship came, it landed, she gave them a short debriefing of what had gone on, with the promise to give a much longer report back at Kepler base. She tried to contact The Flower, but no response, it was silent. She boarded her rescue ship and it began the long ascent back to the stars. It was then that a puzzled "What the hell" came from the rescue pilot and all the screens on the ship flashed a message.
Across the planet, 20 crystal flowers emitted focused energy discharges at the rescue ship. 20 times the energy that had disabled her ship nearly disintegrated the rescue ship. All aboard, including Alana were killed instantly and painlessly.
20 minds, on the surface of the nameless planet knew that others were out there now. And that these others might destroy them. They were prepared.
10/3/2018 05:08:45 pm
I really have trouble focusing when it comes to reading longer stories like this. But it did however catch my attention. It kept me wondering what was gonna happen next. Nice story! Keep up the good work!
10/3/2018 06:02:24 pm
Thanks man! I enjoyed writing it.
Leave a Reply.
RM is a happy go lucky author who loves himself some horror.
January 2019


text:
This item ships within 5-7 business days.
Due to COVID-19 related impacts, this item is currently experiencing fulfillment delays of approximately 14-18 business days from the original EST. If on backorder, please anticipate this same lead time from the 'back in stock' date noted above.
Crafted entirely from paulownia wood, this uniquely shaped tray features the best of its natural grains and knots. With rounded edges and a simple handle, our Paulownia Wood Tray provides an organic accent while displaying produce on your kitchen counter or small tools in the craft room.
• Dimensions: 16.5" W x 10" H x 4" D
• Material: Paulownia Wood
• Hand-carved by skilled artisans
• Wipe clean
Calfornia residents:
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - P65Warnings.ca.gov
This item ships within 5-7 business days.
At McGee & Co., we take design and craftsmanship very seriously and we want you to love these pieces as much as we do! Our items are carefully inspected prior to shipment, but damages do happen, and we ask that you inspect your pieces upon receipt and notify us of any damage within 48 hours; our team will promptly work on a replacement.
McGee & Co. does not accept returns or exchanges on the following items: custom upholstery, fabric or rug swatches, furniture, art, sale items, or items purchased at warehouse sales or pop-up shops, or gift cards.
Backorder dates are subject to change. Furniture may take an additional 5-7 business days while in transit.
A handling fee is applied to any piece that requires extra care to ship or must ship freight. This fee covers the cost of moving the oversized piece into the desired space and does not include package material removal or assembly.
If you have questions about shipping, delivery or returns, please see our Shipping & Returns page for our full return policy, call our Customer Experience team at 801.505.9984 or email us at email@example.com.


text:
Law enforcement always has authority to arrest when there is an arrest warrant for the person, and when the police have probable cause to believe the person has committed or attempted to commit a felony. However, there are limits to law enforcement's power to arrest for a misdemeanor if they do not actually observe the misdemeanor.
I.C. 35-33-1-1 enumerates a number of misdemeanors for which law enforcement may arrest so long as they have probable cause, but a number of the most common misdemeanors require that the police actually observe the commission of the misdemeanor or the attempted commission of the misdemeanor in order to arrest. Some misdemeanors which must be committed in the off icer's presence to justify an actual arrest in Indiana are public intoxication, illegal possession or consumption of alcohol, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This can be important as it relates to an actual search of the person "incident to an arrest." Law enforcement routinely search those that they arrest, including their pockets and containers. This is generally permitted for safety. However, if the police lack the authority to arrest, they lack the authority to conduct a search incident to an arrest and must justify any search they perform on some other basis, which is frequently difficult. For example, the State might attempt to justify the search on the basis of what is called a Terry frisk, but Terry frisks are limited to external pat-downs unless law enforcement feels something "immediately and apparently incriminating," which they are permitted to retrieve. Any manipulation of the suspect item or any other searches of the insides of pockets and containers are generally not permitted under Terry. The purpose of a Terry frisk is intended to be limited to ensure safety; it is not for evidence gathering purposes.
Should you have been arrested for a misdemeanor not listed as an exception in I.C. 35-33-1-1 and should the police not have actually observed the commission or attempted commission of a misdemeanor, you may have a basis for the suppression of any evidence found as a result of the search, and you should contact an experienced attorney regarding a Motion to Suppress Evidence.


text:
Price Optimization & Management
PROS latest topics and content on Price Optimization & Management.
Expert Pricing Advice for the COVID Outbreak
How businesses can responsibly and responsively manage pricing through uncertain, volatile market conditions brought on by the global COVID-19 outbreak. Get expert advice on price strategy.
How to Manage Pricing Through COVID-19Learn Now
A Free Virtual Conference ExperienceRegister Now
Rethinking the "Pricing Journey"
Read the new PricingBrew Journal report - "Rethinking the Pricing Journey" and learn why now is the right time to start rethinking your pricing journey.
Pricing Suggestions for the Post-COVID-19 World
COVID-19 has changed the way the world does business. Adapt your pricing strategy to face these challenges and attract new customers.
Recover Faster with Pricing Innovation, Analytics & Tech
PROS and Accenture Strategy discuss how companies can leverage price model innovation, analytics and technology to navigate through the COVID-19 crisis.
Top-Rated Pricing SoftwareLearn More
Responsible, Agile Pricing for the Coronavirus Crisis
Listen to Craig Zawada as he explains why it's so important that businesses maintain discipline in their price strategy through the COVID-19 outbreak.
Guide to Digital Transformation Through Dynamic PricingGet Yours Today
Global Hospitality Supplier Transforms Sales Experience
Global Hospitality Supplier powered its eCommerce transformation adding PROS real-time pricing capabilities and dynamically personalized pricing for thousands of eCommerce customers.
Generate Your Custom Business Case for Pricing TransformationGet Started
What B2B Buyers Want: A Survey of 1053 Purchasing Professionals
44% of B2B buyers will transact more than half their purchases digitally by 2020. Get an inside look into B2B buying professionals' perspectives on speed, personalization, and intelligence.
How to Address Your B2B Price Strategy for the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Coronavirus crisis has increased uncertainty for a lot of businesses. The Price Advantage author Craig Zawada shares his perspective on how effective pricing can help businesses.
Land O'Lakes Enhances eCommerce Platform
Sambit Dutta, Senior Director of IT Development & Enterprise Architecture for Land O'Lakes, speaks to improving the company's online platform with PROS products.
How to Use Third-Party Research to Find the Best Price Optimization Solution for Your Business
Pricing can have a powerful impact on revenue, margin and competitive advantage. Learn how to use analyst research and customer reviews to find the best price optimization solution for your company.
What Pricing Actions Should You Take Now?
Listen to the first session PROS Live Q&A: COVID-19 Pricing Impacts. PROS pricing experts share insights on the short-term pricing actions that should be considered through the COVID-19 outbreak.
Car Rental Company Generates Millions in Additional Revenue
A global car rental company couldn't effectively handle its 1 billion active prices manually. That's where PROS price management technology comes in. The company now maximizes margins on every deal.
Adapting Price Strategies for Fast-Changing Customer Needs During Covid-19
The global pandemic requires businesses to adapt pricing models to swiftly changing customer needs and value perceptions. Listen to the second PROS Live Q&A session.
Now Tech: Pricing And Promotion, Q3 2019
Curious how you can use pricing and promotion solutions to increase revenue and margin? Read the "Forrester Now Tech: Pricing and Promotion" report.
Optimizing Pricing and Selling in the Energy Industry
Energy companies can drive rapid and lasting digital transformation with the best dynamic price optimization and management, digital selling, quoting, insight, and analytic software solutions.
Pricing for Digital Channels in the COVID-19 Outbreak
Get an expert advise on why the COVID-19 crisis is accelerating the shift to digital selling and what separates those seeing success in those channels from those failing to convert viewers to buyers.
Transportation Company Optimizes Both Buy- and Sell-Side Pricing
Next-day delivery and digital selling are changing the cargo business. See why this major player relies on PROS pricing solutions to haul at the speed of business.
Three Ways ANZ Companies Can Achieve Resiliency through their Pricing Strategies
Surviving today's market volatility requires businesses to be responsive to their customers' needs. Haley Glasgow explores three ways companies in Australia and New Zealand can achieve this.
Protecting, Growing, and Innovating the Business through COVID-19
PROS Solution Strategy Director, Valerie Howard interviews Andy Dvorocsik, Managing Director at EY on how companies are protecting, growing, and innovating their business through COVID-19.
IDC MarketScape on B2B Price Optimization Vendors
IDC evaluates software vendors offering price optimization capabilities and determines PROS to be the market leader in this space. The report provides recommendations on what to look for in a vendor.
Loading More...


text:
Kitchen Cabinet Maker Singapore – Interior Design Company Near Me has Suggested the Best Name in this Business! The Grass is one of the biggest adapted plant because it's simple to growth and look great. This way, the existing house was reserved to the private areas such as the bathrooms, the children's rooms and the bedrooms. This is important since we do like to get new design every year to accomplish our Home Sweet Home term.
Office Designing Ideas: images of office interior design. Architecture Ideas – Sneaker Tectonics Home Interior Design. Homeaid Project Playhouse – eclectic – kitchen – los angeles – by. Once you are able to do so, you can make the most of your kitchen. It is not big, but it is perfect for whatever electronics you might have in the house and want to mount on the wall.
Kitchen Design Ideas and Layout – Home and Garden. Dainty Design Work Desk At Home My Personal Blog Latest News. Small Kitchen : Design, Ideas and Pictures for Small Kitchens. You have read this article with the title Workplace Kitchen Design Ideas. Assigning the modern day's kitchen appliances is surely the best way to make such place more functional and productive.
Most of the time, the interior design company you choose can suggest you about the right kitchen cabinet maker Singapore. Kitchen Design Layout Ideas Bhdsn201202 Pic 01 – Kitchen Design. It is suitable for Bathrooms, Kitchens and some interior parts. Galley Kitchen offers impressive looking of kitchen white galley.
The annex extends the living area into the garden and allowed the reorganization of the entire structure. L-shaped furniture is great use of a large room because it fits in and can help to create more seating areas (in the case of an L-shaped sofa). This blog tells a lot about home design in general and more specifically talking about kitchen design ideas.


text:
UNISON will take the lead in smashing the gender pay gap and calling time on the pay inequality that allowsRead more
Tag: equality
New Scottish Young Members Committee
TOP ROW L-R: Stewart Shedden (NHS Forth Valley), Jordan Carroll (NHS GGC), Cameron Thompson (Western Isles LG), Rob Nicolson (NHSRead more
UNISON's Response – European Charter on Local Self Government
All of us rely on the services delivered by local government. From childcare to elderly care, to supporting vulnerable people,Read more
OUT 2 – Scotland LGBT Newsletter
Latest news and events including… Dumfries & Galloway Pride – 15th September 2018 Dundee Pride – 22nd September 2018 InternationalRead more
Response to The Review of the Gender Recognition Act 2004
UNISON has a proud history of work for transgender equality. We have a very active network of transgender membersRead more
Low-paid women will welcome MSPs equality plan, says UNISON
UNISON Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government's report on pay equality and says it gives hope to low-paid women. TheRead more
UNISON calls for Robert Gordon University to remove Donald Trump's honorary degree
Date: Wednesday 9 December 2015 UNISON members working at Robert Gordon University have written to the Principal, Professor Prondzynski, calling on him toRead more
UNISON Scotland launches public services manifesto
UNISON, Scotland's largest trade union, today launched its manifesto promoting public services for the General Election 2016. The UNISON PublicRead more
Public Services Election – UNISON Scotland Manifesto 2015
This Election Matters The vast majority of UNISON Scotland's members work in areas which are devolved to the Scottish Parliament,Read more
Health and care integration delivered by people not robots
Date: Friday 13 September 2013 UNISON, Scotland's largest public sector union will today argue that if health and care integrationRead more


text:
Arlo 3 Drawer Bedside Table
- Manufacturer code: ARLOBEDSIDE
Product Specification
- Material Oak/Oak veneers
- Colour White/Oak
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Height 62cm
- Width 45cm
- Depth 41cm
- Weight 23kg
Product Information
This two-tone wood bedside draw is perfect for placing at the side of our Arlo bed. The 3 draws vary in size with the top two being the same size and the bottom being larger. Also, with solid round handles you'll be sure to love this piece.


text:
A DEVOTED father from Middleton has been singled out as one of the best dads in the North West.
Anthony Power, of Alkrington, was crowned 'King of Dads' following a competition by Camelot theme park to find the region's super parents. He joined 25 other dads from across the region that received the accolade. They were treated to a meal at Camelot's Medieval banqueting hall, presented with a certificate and given a free 12-month family pass.
He said: "It was a really good day. I am really proud to have been chosen for it."
Mr Power received the royal treatment on Father's Day after being nominated by his 10-year-old step-daughter Leonnie. She praised his efforts in helping raise her and younger sister Holly. She said: "I nominated Anthony because I look up to him as my dad and he loves me, my mum and my sister."
She wrote a letter to Camelot asking theme park officials after seeing an advert in the Middleton Guardian. Mr Power, who has been married to wife Mandy for two years, added that he had no idea he was in line for the award.
"We were on holiday at the time when I was told I'd won it," he said. "I was totally surprised. I didn't know anything about it. Leonnie did it all by herself. I'm really proud of her."
Camelot's marketing manager Sandra Dempsey said: "Dads often go unrewarded and there are so many of them that we decided that some of them really were fit to be kings."


text: Health Erica Johansen Swedish Massage, Accident/Trauma Massage, Reiki, Etheric/Chakra Balancing, Canna-Massage, Ayurvedic Massage, Palliative Care Massage, East/West Blend Massage. https://www.hapiguide.com/oregon/vernonia/members/erica-johansen Inspiration Vickie Pruitt Open up to new ways of experiencing life and raise your consciousness at the 6th annual premiere RaSani Body Mind Spirit Fair on October 7 & 8, 2017. https://www.hapiguide.com/oregon/albany/members/vickie-pruitt Purpose Angie Sherman - L.O.V.E. them Oils, LLC I conduct FREE wellness consults and education centered around incorporating pure essential oils into your life-style. https://www.hapiguide.com/oregon/stayton/members/love-them-oils-llc Resources Gaia's Workshop Drums Master custom drum maker for ritual, ceremony, communication, connection, and even entertain- ment - done with art from our hearts. https://www.hapiguide.com/oregon/portland/gaias-workshop-drums Inspiration Mark L Collins Author of The Heartspace Portal, a book shares deep insights and truths about the true nature of reality, our consciousness, and being from a spiritual perspective. https://www.hapiguide.com/massachusetts/westport-point/members/mark-l-collins 62 | HAPI Guide


text:
- Home
- Fun Stuff & Misc.
- Made in the USA
- "Rail Runner" Hardwood Bridges for Cigar Box Guitars - Laser-cut out of beautiful hardwood!
C. B. Gitty
"Rail Runner" Hardwood Bridges for Cigar Box Guitars - Laser-cut out of beautiful hardwood!
- 31-183-01
- 602589222271
We proudly present the "Rail Runner 2.0" line of cigar box guitar bridges.
Laser-cut out of domestic and exotic hardwoods, they are perfect for mounting on the top of your box as a simple, yet effective, bridge.
For the applicable listings, the lead on the rod piezo is 12" long and terminates in a 2.5mm male plug. This plug can be cut off to expose the inner insulated wire (positive) and outer mesh ground wire of the lead (if you want to wire it to your own jack). Alternately, you have the option of adding a pickup harness for a complete package ready to install in your cigar box guitar!
Please Note: The versions without Piezos embedded are cut differently and will require a bit of modification to fit the piezo into, as the depth is much shallower.
This listing is for a single bridge/harness, based on the options you choose above.
These bridges are about 2.75" long and roughly 3/8" in total height, including the saddle. The width of the bridge base (top to bottom) is about 1 3/32". The bridge can either be left floating or could be glued/screwed down if so desired. You will need to drill a small hole (about 1/8" to 3/16") in your cigar box top to feed the lead through.
These are Laser-Cut in the C. B. Gitty workshop, and will make a great addition to your special cigar box guitar or other homemade instrument build!
Related Products
C. B. Gitty
6pc. (3 pairs) Decorative Hardware F-hole Cutouts - 1/8" thick - Choose your Wood Type!
C. B. Gitty
3-string Gold Hard-tail Roller-style Bridge for Cigar Box Guitars & More - Top & Bottom Loading!
C. B. Gitty
3-string BLACK Hard-tail Bridge for Cigar Box Guitars & More
C. B. Gitty
4-string BLACK Hard-tail Bridge for Cigar Box Guitars & More
Classic Coinage Series by C. B. Gitty
"Mercury Dime" Vintage Coin Sound Hole Cover for Cigar Box Guitars
Customers Also Viewed
C. B. Gitty
Laser-Cut Hardwood Bridge Blanks for Cigar Box Guitars - Choose Style, Wood and Quantity
C. B. Gitty
Standard Cigar Box Guitar Necks - select Wood, Headstock and Fretting options
C. B. Gitty
Cigar Box Guitar Fretboards - 25-inch Scale - Choose Wood & Fretting Options!
C. B. Gitty
2pc. Bone Nut Blanks for Cigar Box Guitar
Southbound Strings
3-String Open G "GDG" Modal/Blues String Sets - Choose from 4 Set Varieties!
C. B. Gitty
Acoustic Hardwood Biscuit Bridge - 1.5" Padauk with Threaded Rod Saddle
Shane Speal Signature
Shane Speal Signature 3-String Cigar Box Guitar Tuners
C. B. Gitty
Hardwood Nut & Saddle Blanks for Cigar Box Guitars & More - Choose Wood and Quantity
C. B. Gitty
Fully-Fretted 3-string Cigar Box Guitar Neck for 25-Inch Scale
C. B. Gitty


text:
How to Buy Redbox DVD Moviesby Matt SkaggsUpdated September 22, 2017
Often Redbox kiosks have DVDs available for purchase, though only used DVDs. Unlike renting movies, you cannot check for or reserve DVDs for purchase on the Redbox website, though the kiosk payment options are the same for purchasing movies as for renting movies.
Movie Purchases
To check for movie purchases at a Redbox kiosk, tap the For Sale button when you are browsing for movies. Here you can view the available movies for purchase, make your selection and then use a standard payment method to purchase your movie. If you do not see a "For Sale" button, then that kiosk does not currently have any movies available for purchase.
Purchase Options
When you purchase a movie at a kiosk, you can use a credit or debit card. Redbox accepts American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa. Unfortunately you cannot pay with a Redbox gift card, since physical cards are no longer available and digital gift cards can only be used through the Redbox website.
Photo Credits
- George Frey/Getty Images News/Getty Images


text:
Hopevale Coaching Request - 2020
Would you like to talk with a Hopevale pastor or LifeSigns Coach?
If you'd like to discuss your LifeSigns results or any other concern with a confidential, compassionate pastor or LifeSigns coach, please submit this form.
We'll match you with a coach of the same gender and with similar life experiences (i.e., married, single, etc.).
Your Name:
Your E-mail:
Your Phone:
Please answer question Campus before continuing.
What is your primary "home campus" at Hopevale?
(Click here to choose)
Bay City
I attend another church
I don't attend church
Please answer question Gender before continuing.
(Click here to choose)
Please answer question Age before continuing.
What is your age range?
(Click here to choose)
17 or younger
18 - 24 years
25 - 34 years
35 - 44 years
45 - 54 years
55 - 64 years
65 - 74 years
Please answer question Marital Status before continuing.
What is your marital status?
(Click here to choose)
not married
married, but currently separated
What are the BEST time(s) to meet?
(please check all that apply)
Sunday PM
Monday AM
Monday PM
Tuesday AM
Tuesday PM
Wednesday AM
Wednesday PM
Thursday AM
Thursday PM
Friday AM
Friday PM
Saturday AM
Saturday PM
Is there anything you'd like the Hopevale pastor or LifeSigns Coach to know before you meet?
(i.e., specific concerns, questions, etc.)
Please answer question Confirmation before continuing.
Please select at least 1 choices for question Confirmation.
Coaching Waiver
I understand that everything discussed with my LifeSigns coach is CONFIDENTIAL and subject to the restrictions and terms of the LifeSigns Waiver.
Please submit your coaching request below.
© 2020 LifeSigns Partners, Inc., LifeSigns® is a registered trademark. Learn more at www.myLifeSigns.org


text:
Refine Your Results
categoriesRed Wine (1) Wine (1)
varietalTempranillo (1)
countrySpain (1)
appellationAlava (1)
brandLuberri (1)
attributesOn sale (1) Sustainable (1)
size750ml (1)
price range$10 to $25 (1)
Luberri Seis 2017
A Tempranillo from Alava, Rioja, Spain.
Graned color, with a bright violet rim. Red and black fruit aromas, smoky nuances and slight hints o…
All sizes are 750ml unless otherwise stated.
Vintages are subject to change at anytime.
Items shown on the website may or may not be in stock.
Images and products on the website are subject to change at any time.