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Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Shanks
|Vegetables, Meat
|Day Part
|Cuisine Type
These lamb shanks that are slowly braised in wine sauce make a delectable meal. They are served over creamy polenta and topped with the fragrant and savory sauce.
1⁄4 cup olive oil
8 lamb shanks, trimmed
3 cups onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper, as needed
5 cups zinfandel
1 cup lamb stock or water
1⁄2 cup tomato puree
1 1⁄2 cups olives, pitted
1. In a large, oven-proof pot, heat oil and brown shanks on all sides, about 5 min. Remove shanks and reduce heat; add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables have softened.
2. Add cumin and season with salt and pepper. Add zinfandel, and deglaze the pan. Add stock and tomato puree. Bring to a boil, return shanks to pot, and simmer for 5 min.
3. Cover, place in oven, and bake about 1 1⁄2 hrs.
4. Add olives and bake another 20 min. Remove meat and olives; keep warm. Skim fat from surface of liquid and reduce slightly, about 5 min.
5. Serve lamb shanks on top of creamy polenta and drizzle with sauce. Serve with braised artichokes, if desired.


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The Cuckoo's Calling
I was going to participate in the Cannonball Read over at Pajiba, but after reading 7 books, the thought of writing reviews for each one was a little daunting... So, I am going to put the reviews up here instead. Sound fair?
This book is a fairly straightforward private detective story. As it is the first appearance of these characters, there are significant portions of the book devoted to backstory and establishing the rules of this particular version of modern England. The mystery is fairly straightforward: a supermodel has fallen from her balcony in the middle of a snowy night. The police have determined that she committed suicide, but her brother is not convinced and hires a private detective, Cormoran Strike to find the truth. As Strike and his temporary secretary go about working this case, we are introduced to who these characters are and what drives them. The mystery itself unfolds in bits and pieces, with the author doing an excellent job of parceling out clues.
As with any private detective story, The Cuckoo's Calling's success or failure is going to hinge on the main character. Cormoran Strike and his secretary Robin Ellacott are both compelling characters who feel fully drawn, even when they are conforming to the demands of the genre. Strike is a loner, nursing a recent break-up, while Robin is almost too good to be true in her role as the innocent temporary secretary who ends up providing valuable assistance to Strike. Books like this expose the difficulty of writing in a genre: staying true to the form, but making the characters feel natural, rather than just a type.
It really isn't possible to write about this book without talking about the author. This was originally published under the name of Robert Galbraith, which is of course a pseudonym for J. K. Rowling. The authorship question certainly brought more attention to this book, but it is a successful private eye novel, no matter who wrote it. There are elements of her style on display here, but this book shows her obvious affection for the field.

subset: commoncrawl


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For questions regarding the Sustainability Website, recycling program, or general information regarding sustainability, contact the Recycling Interns at email@example.com.
For questions regarding Farmhouse or any of its programs, contact email@example.com.
For questions regarding the Painted Turtle Farm, related educational programming, or the compost program, contact the Painted Turtle Interns at email@example.com.
For questions regarding G.E.C.O., contact its current president. Information is located on the G.E.C.O. website.


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Year-Round Pell Grant
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 allows a student to receive Federal Pell Grant funds for up to 150 percent of the student's Pell Grant Scheduled Award for an award year. This provision is effective beginning with the 2017-2018 financial aid award year. UAFS financial aid is only available for students who are seeking a degree or certificate at UAFS. If a student only registers in summer courses at UAFS, the student is not eligible for financial aid at UAFS.
Summer Financial Aid
Our aid year, for awarding financial aid, begins with the fall semester and ends with the following summer semester. Since the summer semester is at the end of our aid year, summer financial aid eligibility is determined by those funds that were not used during the traditional academic year including the fall and spring semesters. For financial aid purposes, the Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions are viewed as one complete Summer semester. This means that we will look at the total number of credit hours from Summer 1 and Summer 2 to determine summer financial aid eligibility. Note: registration for summer enrollment (Summer 1 and Summer 2) must be completed prior to the Summer Census (June 10, 2019) for financial aid eligibility purposes. Courses added after the Summer Census of June 10, 2019 will not be consider for summer financial aid.
Am I eligible for the Year Round Pell Grant?
To be eligible for the additional Pell Grant funds, the student must meet all general eligibility requirements to receive financial aid for the payment period and must be enrolled at least half time in the payment period for which the student receives the additional Pell Grant funds in excess of 100 percent of the student's Pell Grant Scheduled Award. See this page for more information on the Year-Round Pell.
How can I determine my Summer Financial Aid Eligibility?
Each student has an annual limit for financial aid. The annual limit for Federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans is based on the student's grade level and dependency status. For a full explanation of annual limits for Federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans please visit our Federal Direct Loans page. Once the student determines their annual limit, the student would simply subtract out any amount borrowed during the traditional academic year. If the student is eligible for the Federal Pell Grant during the traditional academic year and were not enrolled full-time, they may have Federal Pell Grant eligibility remaining for the summer semester. The Financial Aid Office will automatically determine a student's eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant and award any eligible funds.
How can I receive/apply for Summer Financial Aid?
Once students have registered for all of their summer coursework and no longer intend to adjust their enrollment, they will need to complete the Summer Financial Aid Application to request loan funds for the summer semester. Summer enrollment includes any regular courses taken during the first 5-Week Summer Session, second 5-Week Summer Session, and 10-Week Summer Session.
When can I expect to see a Summer Financial Aid Award in My.UAFS?
The Summer Financial Aid awarding process is a manual process due to the many variables concerning a student's summer financial aid eligibility; therefore, it may take more time for a student's summer financial aid to be processed than during the traditional academic year. We will begin processing summer applications as they are received. This means that a student may receive a financial aid award before Spring grades have been posted.
Since Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is reviewed at the completion of the spring semester, we must wait for all spring semester grades to be posted for all students. This generally takes place within a week after Spring Commencement. Once spring grades have been posted, we can review for SAP at that time. As discussed below, this can impact a student's financial aid eligibility.
Students will receive an email notification once they have been awarded. If a student does not qualify, that student will be notified via email.
Can anything impact my Summer Financial Aid Eligibility?
Adding/Dropping summer coursework prior to the printed census date on the Summer Application, can impact a student's eligibility. Summer financial aid eligibility will only be calculated for those courses added before the Summer Census Date. For more information about COA, please visit our Cost of Attendance page. The Summer COA will be manually calculated based on the student's summer coursework. (Summer 2018 Census Date: June 11, 2018)


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You're looking for something with a Fifty Shades of Grey feel.
You get uncomfortable if the story has twists-and-turns.
You don't like it if authors surprise you with events that you don't predict.
You won't like it if the characters act in a way that you yourself might not in the same situation (that's not to say the characters act out of character for the 'shock value').
You don't enjoy it if the characters react to certain events differently to characters in books by other authors that deal with similar issues.
You prefer the characters to annoy you by making silly decisions that don't make sense.
You'd rather not get attached to the characters and care for them.
You don't like vivid scenes (happy, sad or disturbing ones) and characters that feel real.
Otherwise, you can download my books from your favourite e-book stores now:
Contemporary romance series, the Soulmates Saga.
~ ~ ~
Paranormal/urban fantasy series, the Poison Blood series.
The first two books are free to download and the last two are releasing this Halloween (available to pre-order now!). Order each book for only $0.99 now, as the cost will return to the normal price of $1.49 after release.


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Quaint little towns dotted with eccentric houses, sleepy fishing villages gently swaying in the tropical breeze, serpentine backwaters with towering coconut trees, lush mountains peppered with tea gardens and fragrant spices wafting all over; the majestic state of Kerala is the closest I have come to experiencing paradise. For obvious reasons, Kerala is one of the most talked about holiday destinations and internet is swamped with countless pictures of every popular spot in the state. While I was planning my trip to Kerala, I was a little worried that this information overload would scrape off a bit of sheen from my experience. However, when I landed in the rain-kissed, lush green Cochin, I realized that my virtual tour was no match for the sight before me at that moment. Needless to say, my stay in Kerala was serene and picturesque as expected. However, I happened to stumble upon a gem of a place which was not on our itinerary and it convinced me that this state has magic in every nook and every corner.
My family and I were returning to Trivandrum from an early morning trip to Kanyakumari and Suchindaram temple and were tired and drowsy. Our driver stopped at a fishing village near Kovalam and told us that our trip would not be complete without visiting it. Fresh from our excursions to Munnar and Alleypey, I was unsure about what more this little village called Poovar could offer and thus thought that we could give this is a miss. But my father had different ideas. Having lived in Kerala for a number of years, he has a sentimental attachment to this place and is well aware of its ability to spring unexpected but very pleasant surprises. We agreed to take a boat ride on the backwaters and could not believe our eyes, thus adding one more item in the long list of things I should thank my dad for.
I felt like someone had taken notice of my wish to visit a Marquezian village and had transported me there. As our boat powered towards the gateway to the estuary, my jaws dropped as we saw mangrove tress flanking the narrow strip of water. Time seemed to have stood still and everything else was forgotten. We sat back and sighed happily as we sailed across the marshy, muddy water and took in the chirping of tropical birds. Every now and then, we would spot a kingfisher or a crane. We passed a few fishermen spreading their fishing nets in the water. As our boat tore through the humid, sultry air, a beach with golden sand appeared before us. I was enthralled as the spirited waves crashed against its pristine, golden shores went back to meet the sea. A few feet away from the beach, stood a rock with an underground church and on the banks, were a few floating restaurants and cottages. We spent around ten minutes sailing around the beach and then the boat turned to return where we had started. It was time again to return to the swampy marshes and muddy water reflecting the shadows of mangrove trees hovering above. For a moment, I felt as if I were in the swamps of Amazon and an alligator would leap out of the murky water. We spent around an hour and a half on the backwaters and with a heavy heart alighted the boat.
Travelling is not merely checking off exotic places from a list. Travelling is meant to surprise, to astonish, to stir one's senses. It is a profound way to teach us that the the world is vast and it's treasures are limitless, much greater than one person and their ambitions and problems. As I was returning from the lake, my philosophical side kicked in. I reflected about how unpredictable life is. I was expecting a quiet ride back and one turn was all it took for me to gather a memory I would treasure all my life. And also, dads are always right!


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Click here to contact Unum's Media Relations team or call our toll-free media line at 866-750-8686.
Don't just take our word about employee benefits from Unum. Take it from those who know us best. These testimonials are real-life stories about our customers — individuals who depended on us during tough times and companies that offer Unum benefits to their workers.


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Price, coverage, signal strength, bandwidth and complimentary features such as cloud storage are all worth assessing when choosing a wireless router, and the purchaser must choose which of these to prioritize. Unbiased evaluations of router performance metrics are available on professional review sites such as CNET and PC Magazine.
Choose a high signal strength router if there are numerous obstructions, such as walls, floors and furniture between the router and network devices. Higher signal strength often translates to higher coverage, although antenna directionality and choice of channel can also affect signal coverage.
As of April 2015, residential routers offer theoretical speeds of up to 1900 Mbps, although such speeds are rarely achievable with typical home usage due to channel overlap and interference with other wireless devices in proximity. According to PC Magazine, speeds of half the vendor's specified claim are considered excellent if consistently achievable. Choosing a faster router will enable faster data transfer between devices within a home network, but it will not speed up the Internet connection speed, which is specified by the ISP.
Dual-Band routers support older devices on the existing 2.4 GHz wireless frequency band and newer devices on the 5 GHz band. The 5 GHz band is not inherently faster, although it does offer consistently higher data transfer speeds, due to the saturation of the 2.4 GHz band with existing wireless technology and other home appliances such as cordless phones and microwaves.


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Raphael's La Fornarina (1518-20)
In 1586 an art theorist wondered why the most excellent artists paint portraits "with better style and more perfection" but usually "with less of a likeness."1 It is a truth generally ignored in the literature because it conflicts with conventional perception. If you think a portrait is a likeness, that is all you will see. However, as revealed for the first time in the Portraiture theme, artists often fuse their own facial features with those of their sitters to represent themselves. For a true artist, likeness is not the principal purpose of a portrait. This is often most obvious in portraits of their "wives" and "lovers." Not only are they the type of model least likely to complain about their likeness but, as companions, they are strongly linked to the master as his feminine double. (Most, of course, were female.) Together, artist and spouse, convey both androgyny and potential conception, thereby representing in visual metaphor the current state of the artist's mind. See examples like Courbet and his mistress or Egon Schiele with a lover. Now let's consider Raphael and his supposed mistress.
La Fornarina is said to be a portrait of Raphael's mistress, the daughter of a baker. That is probably a complete myth dreamt up to explain the painting. Many biographical stories of great masters are made up and this portrait, an intriguing image because she is nude, beautiful and with Raphael's name on her arm, almost demands a story.
It is, however, more likely that Raphael's purpose in La Fornarina was similar to Leonardo's in the Mona Lisa painted a decade earlier. In it Leonardo presents his creative mind in a feminine persona, pregnant and fertile (read more). Kenneth Keele, a doctor and art scholar, presented the evidence for the Mona Lisa's pregnancy in the late 1950's.2 A similar possibility exists in La Fornarina, that Raphael has presented his creative mind as conceiving a new idea. It is a visual metaphor.
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First of all, no-one has noted that Raphael's La Fornarina resembles himself. Features from two of his self-portraits appear in her face: the central parting, the line of the nose, the shape of his lips plumped out, the same chin. The portrait at far left was even painted the same year in which he began La Fornarina. How could they not be linked?
Her pose is heavily dependent on the Mona Lisa. And just as Mona Lisa represents the feminine creative faculty in Leonardo's mind so does La Fornarina in Raphael's. Her partial nudity and the hand on her groin both suggest that procreation is his subject. Besides, both are seated like an artist, their torso facing their easel at the side of the mirror into which they look. Their left arms (actually, right) cross their torsos to suggest that they are brush-arms painting a "self-portrait" on an easel to the left. What we see is the mirror, a symbolic reflection of the artist's mind.
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In support, La Fornarina wears a turban which, though elaborate here, was commonly used in artist's studios to keep paint off hair. (Read more) Raphael signed his name on her armband too just as Michelangelo inscribed the Virgin's strap in the Vatican Pieta. These are not just signatures; their placement proclaims the artist's identity with the figure.3 Like the Mona Lisa, La Fornarina may never have been a real person. Instead she is most probably a fictional construction illustrating the self-reflective and fertile nature of mankind's creative faculty. She is both artist and model, providing yet further evidence that every painter paints himself and that likeness in great portraiture, questioned even in the Renaissance, is a myth.
More Works by Raphael
The pose in this portrait by Raphael, with the head turned upwards and away, has been described as a type suggesting that the Pope's secretary is listening to or witnessing divine revelation.
Raphael's Tommaso Inghirami (c. 1511)
1. Giovanni Battista Armenini, On the True Precepts of the Art of Painting, ed. And trans. E.J. Olszewski, New York, 1971, pp. 257-61 cited in Sherriff, "Invention, Resemblance and Fragonard's Portraits de Fantaisie", Art Bulletin 69, Mar.1987, p.79
2. See the blog entry "Is the Mona Lisa Pregnant?" and Keele, "The Genesis of Mona Lisa", Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences 14, April 1959, pp. 136-59
Original Publication Date on EPPH: 18 Apr 2011. © Simon Abrahams. Articles on this site are the copyright of Simon Abrahams. To use copyrighted material in print or other media for purposes beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Websites may link to this page without permission (please do) but may not reproduce the material on their own site without crediting Simon Abrahams and EPPH.


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SAP Customer Experience Virtual Master Class Library
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Dive into the practicalities of digital transformation with our collection of how-to webinars and case studies on transforming customer engagement and commerce, and best practices from brands who have already done it and succeeded.
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How to move from carts to hearts
How to choose the right commerce cloud platform
How to implement commerce solutions successfully: part 1
How to implement commerce solutions successfully: part 2
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How to improve customer interactions for B2B manufacturing companies
How to lead and provide the best service in your industry
How to boost sales and marketing alignment to achieve effective business outcomes
How to simplify your service experience and achieve returns
How to gain deeper customer insights and achieve 306% ROI


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Situation Update: "Recent Floods Devastated Homes and Livelihoods in Afghanistan"
Recent heavy rain and flash floods devastated several parts of Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Wardak, Ghazni, Khost, Kapisa, Nooristan,Paktika, Paktya, Parwan, Ghoor, Dikundi, and Logar provinces in Afghanistan. According to reports from Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), 109 people died and dozens more were injured or are missing. Assessments are ongoing in most of the affected areas; however, Kabul Province is the most severely affected. Of the 577 houses which were completely destroyed, 472 were in the Sarobi District of Kabul Province. At least 389 houses were partially damaged across the affected provinces.
Livelihoods have also been severely affected. Thousands of acres of agricultural land were destroyed, thousands of livestock perished, and thousands of trees washed away. Dozens of shops, several school buildings, small bridges, roads, and retaining walls were also destroyed. Several villages in Sarobi District were cutoff completely from nearby villages as roads and bridges were washed away.
Local authorities and INGOs are providing food, non-food items (NFIs), and shelter kits in Kabul, Nangarhar, and Kunar provinces. Monitoring for communicable diseases is also underway. The Afghan National Police (ANP) also rescued dozens of families trapped by floods in Laghman and Khost provinces. Efforts to restore accessibility by road are also underway in some affected areas which are still cut off from the surrounding areas.
CWS-P/A Response:
CWS-P/A is providing two mobile health teams with 10 doctors, 2 pharmacists, medicines, and two ambulances in Sarobi District. CWS-P/A continues to monitor the situation and is in close contact with ANDMA and local partners, for assessing the situation in affected areas.


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Yak (disambiguation).
The yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired humped domestic bovine found in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south central Asia, as well as in Mongolia. In Tibetan, the word yak refers only to the male of the species; a female is a dri or nak. In most languages which borrowed the word, including English, however, yak is usually used for both sexes.
Wild yaks (subspecies B. g. mutus) stand about two meters tall at the shoulder. Domestic yaks are about half that height. Both types have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be either brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males and females have horns. The word Yak is also used to describe an irritating or disagreeable individual.
Wild yaks
Wild yaks can weigh 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). They usually form groups of between 10 and 30 animals. Their habitat is treeless uplands like hills, mountains and plateaux between 3,200 m (10,500 ft) and roughly 5,400 m (18,000 ft). They eat grasses, lichens and other plants. During the warmest season these hardy animals live in areas of permanent snow and move lower down at colder times. They are insulated by dense, close, matted under-hair as well as their shaggy outer hair. [1] Yaks secrete a special sticky substance in their sweat which helps keep their under-hair matted and acts as extra insulation. This secretion has been extracted by Nepali tribes and used in medicine.
Domesticated yaks
Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fiber, and meat; they are also used as beasts of burden, transporting goods across mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as in support of climbing and trekking expeditions. Yak milk is often processed to a cheese called chhurpi in Tibetan and Nepali languages, and byaslag in Mongolia. Often the pack animals are actually crossbreeds of the yak and Bos taurus (common domestic cattle). These are known in Tibetan as dzo or dzopkyo.
Yak fiber is soft and smooth, in several colors, including shades of gray, brown, black and white. The length of yak fiber is about 1.2 inches. It is combed or shed from the yak and then dehaired. The result is a splendid downy fiber that can be spun into yarn for knitting.
Unlike cattle, yaks grunt rather than moo. Many wild yaks are killed for food by the Tibetans; they are now an endangered species. Yaks can weigh over 1200 pounds and have a lifespan of 20-25 years.
More recently, sports involving domesticated yaks, such as yak skiing or yak polo, are being marketed as tourist attractions in Central Asian countries.
External links
- ARKive - images and movies of the wild yak (Bos grunniens)
- Yaks: The Bison of Tibet
- h2g2 Yaks Edited Guide Entry
- more Information about Yaks / Wildyaks
Categories: Bovines | Livestock | Mammals of Asia | Mammals of Pakistan | Fauna of Pakistan


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Talking about classic and current sci-fi, fantasy, action/adventure and horror films and shows. Superheroes galore. Also discussing comic books. Star Trek, Buffy, James Bond, X-Men, Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, Firefly, True Blood, Supernatural and lots more. Just a little hero worship.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
X-MEN:FIRST CLASS is a fresh new start for Professor X and company
Just got back from seeing X-MEN:FIRST CLASS and I'm pleased to say that it was excellent. In fact it comes close to rivaling my favorite X-Men movie in the series, X2. This prequel focuses on how Charles Xavier (played by Charles McAvoy) formed his initial team of merry mutants to help mankind and battle evil forces. Set in 1962, Xavier is seen as ladies man, using his telepathic abilities to score with lovely co-eds. At his side is the blue skinned Raven (played by Jennifer Lawrence). It's very touching how Charles and Raven meet and become best friends. But that will not last long. On the other side of the world, Erik Lensherr (played by Michael Fassbender) is hunting down the sadistic Sebastian Shaw (played by Kevin Bacon) who murdered his mom during the Holocaust. Erik is learning to control his magnetic powers but he is not yet the powerful mutant he will become. At least not in the first half of this movie. The villains in this film are Shaw and his Hellfire Club, which includes the striking Emma Frost (played by January Jones) who is also a telepath like Xavier. But she is a little more easier on the eyes than Charles is. Shaw plans of starting World War 3 between the United States and Russia and uses the real life Cuban Missile as the stage to get it started. CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (played by Rose Byrne) gets wind of this and once she finds out mutants are involved, she calls on Xavier to help her out. When Xavier and Erik finally meet, things start to come together quickly. They have a common enemy and go about recruiting mutants to help their cause.
There are some nifty new mutants making their first appearance in the X-Men film universe including the super sonic screaming Banshee, the bad boy Havok (Cyclops brother) and the amphibious like Darwin. Also look for Hank McCoy who will turn into the furry blue skinned Beast. It's cool how so many things are finally explained like Hank creating Cerebro and the Blackbird. And how Xavier helps Erik reach his full potential with his powers. And while there is plenty of action in the film, its the story and the characters that are so fully fleshed out, that we understand and realize the dangers and the dilemmas these mutants are facing. As for the performances Michael Fassbender is magnificent as Magneto. His tragic story is finally brought to life and we understand why he took the road he did and why he despises humans. His scenes with McAvoy and then Lawrence are the best scenes in the entire film. Lawrence is a revelation as Raven/Mystique as she is constantly struggling with her appearance and longs to human. Her scenes with Hank are quite touching. Fassbender and McAvoy scenes are quite emotional as well as you can see these two men being conflicted about their differences. Kevin Bacon makes a formidable adversary as he is a mutant who can absorb energy and then re-channel it. Kind of makes him hard to bring down. Also of note is Jason Flemyng as the red skinned teleporting Azazel. He looks positively wicked.
The finale is awesome as The X-Men try to prevent the United States and Russia from launching an all out nuclear war. At this point, the film becomes Magneto's show. And he doesn't hold back. It's like in X2 when Wolverine cuts loose at the mansion against the invading soldiers. Magneto, thanks to Charles has full control of his powers and he lets go. From lifting The Hellfire Club's sub from underwater to going against Shaw one on one to staring down over 100 missiles fired by naval warships, Magneto gets to show his stuff. The design of the film perfectly captures the era of the 60's and it makes it feel new and fresh. Also the music score is one of the best I've heard. It's a good blend of heroic and dramatic themes that swells often and is very pleasing to the ears. I enjoyed this film tremendously and so far it's my favorite film of the summer, even better than Thor. Yeah, it's that good. Just check out my rating I'm giving it.
Oh and one more thing, the film has one surpising and cool cameo. I'm not gonna say who it is but it is freaking awesome when they show up.
Sebastain Shaw and Emma Frost
Xavier and his team
Oh yeah Magneto cutting loose
Mystique all suited up
Emma Frost looking serene
Banshee taking flight
Professor X in action
The devil looking Azazel
Labels: film review, photo, X-Men
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John Pendlebury
- For the rugby league footballer and coach, see John Pendlebury (rugby league)
John Pendlebury
JDS Pendlebury in 1928 at age 24, one year after arriving at the British School of Archaeology at Athens, fresh from college
|12 October 1904
|22 May 1941 (aged 36)
|Resting place
|Souda Bay
|United Kingdom
|Alma mater
|Winchester College, Cambridge University
|Known for
|Environmental studies at Knossos while Curator there
|Hilda (White) Pendlebury
|Scientific career
|British School of Archaeology at Athens, Knossos
|Arthur Evans
|All archaeologists and historians of ancient Crete
John Devitt Stringfellow Pendlebury (12 October 1904 – 22 May 1941) was a British archaeologist who worked for British intelligence during World War II. He was captured and executed by German troops during the Battle of Crete.
Early life[edit]
John Pendlebury was born in London, the eldest son of Herbert S. Pendlebury, a London surgeon,[1] and Lilian D. Devitt, a daughter of Thomas Devitt, part owner of Devitt and Moore, a shipping company.[2] At the age of about two, he lost an eye in an accident of unknown nature while in the care of a friend of his parents, who were away for a few days. On their return, conflicting reports of the accident were given. The eye could not be successfully treated.[3] He used a prosthetic glass eye, which, it has been said by people who knew him, was generally mistaken for a real one.[4] Throughout his life, he remained determined to out-perform persons with two eyes. As a child, he was taken to see Wallis Budge at the British Museum. During the conversation, he apparently resolved to become an Egyptian archaeologist. Budge told him to study Classics before making up his mind. His mother died when he was 17, leaving him a legacy from his grandfather that made him financially independent. His father remarried but had no further children. Pendlebury got along well with his stepmother and her son, Robin. He remained the centre of his father's affections, whom he called "daddy" in letters.[2]
He was educated at Winchester (1918-1923), before winning scholarships at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he was awarded a Second in Part I and a First in Part II of the Classical Tripos, "with distinction in archaeology."[5] Despite his disability, he also shone as a sportsman, with an athletics blue and competing internationally as a high jumper.[6][page needed]
The archaeologist[edit]
During the Easter holidays of 1923 at Winchester, Pendlebury and a master from Winchester had travelled to Greece, Pendlebury for the first time; visiting the excavations at Mycenae, they conversed with Alan Wace, then Director of the British School at Athens. Wace remembered him as a boy who wished "to see things for himself."[4] The visit solidified his determination to become an archaeologist.
Student at the British School[edit]
On leaving university in 1927 Pendlebury won the Cambridge University Studentship to the British School at Athens. Unable to decide between Egyptian and Greek archaeology, he decided to do both and study Egyptian artefacts found in Greece.[5] This study resulted in his Catalogue of Egyptian objects in the Aegean area, published in 1930.
In Athens, Pendlebury stayed at the British School Student's Hostel, which was not only for students. It also provided lodging for visiting scholars doing research in Greece. They dined with the students in the same room, conversing with them and each other on scholarly topics. Pendlebury wrote his first impressions to his father, that they were so learned, "It makes me feel such an imposter being there at all."[7] He soon found the companionship more to his liking. He hiked the Greek countryside with Sylvia Benton, who had excavated in Ithaca, competing with her to see who could walk the fastest, and became friends with Pierson Dixon, later British ambassador to France, then an archaeology student. He struck up a friendship also with another archaeology student, Hilda White, 13 years older than he and several inches shorter. Exploring the Athenian Acropolis with her, he climbed over the parapet and announced to the guard "I am a Persian."
The students explored Greece in groups, living an athletic life, in contrast to the sedentary preferences of the scholars. John discovered 10 miles of an ancient road at Mycenae, where he also attended a village dance by a bonfire. Systematically the students visited most of Greece. Pendlebury also found time to play tennis and hockey, and to form an athletic team for running and jumping. He first visited Crete in 1928 with the other students. After a rough sea crossing at night they hastened on to Knossos, which John at first concluded was "spoilt" by the restorations.[8] The students then toured eastern Crete by automobile over muddy dirt roads, and in frequent heavy rain and snow. At the eastern end, they attempted to reach Mochlos and Pseira by leaking boat, but failed. They were prepared to swim for it. John wrote a poem about the fleas he encountered while lodging in Sitia.
It was the wrong time of year for visiting Crete. Resuming a busy life in Athens, John was invited to his first excavation by the Assistant Director of the school, Walter Heurtley, at an ancient Macedonian site in Salonica. Hilda was invited also. She became his constant companion by preference. Unknown to Pendlebury, a close connection had always existed between the British School and Sir Arthur Evans. Evans apparently heard of Pendlebury's activities in Crete and Macedonia. Later in the year, in more propitious weather, Pendlebury was invited to stay at the Villa Ariadne with Evans and Duncan Mackenzie. Hilda stayed in Heraklion. She reported that Mackenzie confided to Pendlebury in having "my own idea," which he did not tell to Evans.
By the end of the visit Evans was suggesting that Pendlebury might excavate in southern Crete, or even at Knossos.[9] For a time Pendlebury became preoccupied with his marriage to Hilda. His family was at first opposed to the match on the basis of the age difference. After Pendlebury wrote that they could not live without each other, the wedding was approved, after an acquaintance of one year. For a honeymoon, the couple undertook a physically arduous exploration of the mountainous northern Peloponnesus.[10]
In the winter of 1928-1929, the Pendleburys visited Egypt for the first time. They assisted briefly in the excavation at Armant, then, late in 1928, at Tel el-Amarna. Excavations at Amarna had been started 40 years earlier by Flinders Petrie, but were then continuing under the directorship of Hans Frankfort for the Egypt Exploration Society. Hans and his wife, Yettie, had been students at the British School before Pendlebury's arrival there. They were friends of Humfry Payne, whose wife, Dilys, would become Pendlebury's biographer in the latter part of her life. Humfry was appointed Director of the British School in 1929, still in his 20s.[11]
John's studentship ended at the end of 1928; however, it was replaced by the MacMillen Studentship for another year's study, but only in Greece. The Pendleburys missed the subsequent winter at Amarna. In 1930 Payne and Dilys travelled to Crete to survey Eleutherna prior to its excavation, inviting the Pendleburys to accompany them. Humfry and Dilys stayed in the Villa Ariadne, where Evans, MacKenzie, and Gilliéron, Evans' fresco restorer, were at work, while John and Hilda joined Piet de Jong, Evans' artist, at the nearby Taverna.[12] Knossos had been donated to the British School in 1924, but Evans retained control for the time being, continuing the restorations, and bringing affairs there to a conclusion. The donation had not only disposed of the estate, ensuring its continuity, but gave Evans virtual control of the British School as well. One matter requiring disposition was the retirement of his Director of Excavation, Duncan MacKenzie, now past 65 and in very poor health due to alcoholism, malaria, and the effects of a career of physically demanding work at Knossos. He was in fact non-functional. His retirement was set for the end of 1929, but John Pendlebury represented an opportunity Evans could not neglect.
Pendlebury was looking for a position to begin when his studentship ran out. Someone at Knossos suggested he apply for permission to excavate in Crete. Later back in Athens his father recommended he return home and apply for a lectureship. He wrote back rejecting the plan, stating that he did not want "an academic life." Shortly afterward an unsigned, confidential telegram arrived asking if Duncan should retire in the autumn of 1929, would he be interested in the Directorship of Knossos? The telegram could only have come from Evans or Payne. Guessing Evans correctly, Pendlebury cabled back, "answer affirmative."[13] There is no evidence that he was party to, or even knew about, the events of that autumn. Evans claimed that he had found MacKenzie sleeping during working hours and that he was drunk. Retirement was to become effective immediately. Piet de Jong opposed this move, claiming Duncan did not drink. The truth of the story made little difference to Duncan. He was so ill that he had to be placed in the care of his family, and could not be moved from Athens.
Director at Knossos and Amarna[edit]
In the autumn of 1929 Arthur Evans appointed John Pendlebury curator of the archaeological site at Knossos in central Crete to replace Duncan MacKenzie. His title was to be Knossos Curator. He was not required to assume the post until the spring of 1930. Meanwhile, he and Hilda toured Sicily and hiked over the mountains between Athens and Thebes. John taught Hilda the art of fencing. He organized a student hockey match with a team from the British Navy. Academically an article of his attempting to fit the siege of Troy into history was attacked by H.R. Hall of the British Museum. Pendlebury was outraged at this first professional critique of his work, claiming he had supported his conclusions fully with data. The Pendleburys arrived at the Villa Ariadne in March to assume the new post, but there was no improvement in contention. Almost immediately they received a second shock. A student at the British School had been invited to photograph some Greek vases in a private home. During the shoot, the police burst in, arresting the owners of the vases for trying to sell antiquities out of the country. Spyridon Marinatos, director of the Museum at Heraklion, wrote a note of protest to Pendlebury. John demanded an investigation. Humfry Payne complained to the Ministry of Archaeology. Ultimately the British School was exonerated with an apology. Hall died in October. Of John, Dilys Powell wrote, "He would never ignore an offence."[14]
By the time Pendlebury assumed the curatorship of Knossos, the site was overgrown, animals browsed freely among the ruins, and some buildings were in disrepair. In addition, the remaining agricultural land had to be leased. Visitation increased, much from dignitaries who required hosting. They littered the site. Sir Arthur arrived with detailed instructions. While the latter refurbished the Taverna, situated on the edge of the Villa Ariadne property, with furniture and rugs, John began sorting crates of artefacts from the excavation. John planned to add an archaeological library to the villa, now the headquarters of the British School on Crete. The Pendleburys were to occupy the Taverna, which, like the Villa, was a social centre for the archaeologists when the curator was not in residence. Piet de Jong had left Knossos to be with Humfry Payne during a new excavation at Perachora (near Corinth).[15]
Because of the amount of work, which kept the Pendleburys and Arthur Evans busy from dawn until dusk, John welcomed the end of the season in July. Arthur and John excavated the Theatre Area. Evans' enthusiasm for his young acolyte was not entirely reciprocated. Pendlebury wrote to his father, "Evans is obviously itching to get my time here extended. That I will not have." When Evans left for the season, he wrote, "We have got rid of Evans thank the Lord ...."[16] The Pendleburys returned home for a visit, not knowing that, in a single season, John had established a reputation for being a man willing and able to take the responsibility of leadership. He began work on his Guide to the Stratigraphical Museum. Meanwhile, Frankfort had resigned suddenly from the directorship at Amarna to excavate in Iraq. In a crisis, the Egypt Exploration Society made a bid for Pendlebury's services, offering him the directorship of the excavation. The latter could hardly say no to this fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. He accepted. At age 26 he now held two of the most important positions in Aegean archaeology. He did not see a conflict. The climatic differences between Greece and Egypt made it possible to excavate in both countries each year: Egypt in the winter, Crete in the spring, with a break in the summer.[17]
Pendlebury brought enthusiasm and colour to the excavation at Amarna, during which a handful of Europeans supervised up to 100 native workers. John had learned sufficient Arabic to get by from a textbook in 1928. Hilda learned practical Arabic from the servants. The living arrangements for the director and other Europeans were not entirely modest; however, John was democratic in his bearing and manner, a policy on which he and Evans had been united. Just as Evans as a young reporter in the Balkans had purchased formal Turkish garb to wear at social occasions, Pendlebury purchased formal Cretan garb to wear on similar occasions at Amarna. In a photograph, however, he is shown shirtless posing wearing ancient Egyptian faience. He scowls, poking fun, perhaps, at ancient Egyptian statuary. He impressed the then British directors of Egyptian archaeology to such a degree that at the end of the first season he was offered a permanent post at the Cairo Museum. He turned it down, reporting privately that he did not wish "a stationary job."[18]
In 1932 Pendlebury inherited the tedious work of cataloging about 2000 sherds that had been excavated from Knossos. Evans went home, not to return until 1935, which relieved John greatly. As assistants in the cataloging task, he used his wife, Hilda, and two graduate students at the British School, Edith Eccles and Mercy Money-Coutts. That year also he built a tennis court at the site and added a nursery to the Taverna for his first child, David, born in England. Hilda rejoined him as soon as she could. In 1934 they had a daughter, Joan.
Much of the tension between Evans and Pendlebury came from their disagreement on the nature of the Knossos Guidebook. John disagreed with Arthur on a number of key issues. He wanted to write the work himself according to his own outline, express his own views fully, have it published under his name, and get paid for it. Evans wanted merely a summary of Palace of Minos to be produced as part of John's curatorship; however, he did want John to ghostwrite it. The latter flatly refused. George MacMillan, of Evans' publishing firm, was called in to negotiate. He successfully wined, dined and convinced Pendlebury to undertake a compromise work. The book, published in 1933, was mainly written by Pendlebury, with additions and a Forward by Evans. The now more experienced Pendlebury had at last seen Evans' point of view on the restorations. He wrote in the Preface: "Without restoration, the Palace would be a meaningless heap of ruins ... and would eventually disappear completely." The book sold out very quickly, leaving none for distribution at Knossos. On complaining to Harold MacMillan, MP, Pendlebury was told that the MP himself would look into procuring more copies.[19]
Freelance archaeologist[edit]
Pendlebury was Director of Excavations at Tell el-Amarna from 1930 to 1936 and continued as Curator at Knossos until 1934. By then it was clear to the scholars and archaeologists who were on the board of the British School that he was spreading himself too thin. John had formulated a new plan, to write an archaeological guide to all of Crete. It required extensive explorations of all of Crete, which Pendlebury began in 1933. His successor at Knossos, R.W. Hutchinson, later wrote such a guide, which the board did not find objectionable, but in 1934 they wrote to Pendlebury stating that they had changed the terms of the Curatorship. From then on the Curator was "not expected" to conduct "independent archaeological work out of reach of Knossos." Complaining that the board had "cracked the whip," Pendlebury resigned. He was solicitous about indoctrinating his successor, R. W. Hutchinson, who arrived with his family in 1935. In that year Evans visited Knossos for the last time to attend the unveiling of his statue. The Pendleburys were also present. Hard feelings had vanished.[20]
From 1936 he directed excavations on Mount Dikti in eastern Crete and continued there until the war was imminent.[21][22][23]
War service[edit]
Patrick Leigh Fermor said:[24]
... [Pendlebury] got to know the island inside out. ... He spent days above the clouds and walked over 1,000 miles in a single archaeological season. His companions were shepherds and mountain villagers. He knew all their dialects...."
Manolaki Akoumianos, a Cretan and one of the workers at Knossos, said:
...[he] knew the whole island like his own hand, spoke Greek like a true Cretan, could make up mantinadas all night long, and could drink any Cretan under the table.[25]
Anticipating the coming war and strategic nature of Crete, Pendlebury eventually succeeded in convincing the British military authorities of the value of his unique knowledge. They sent him back to England for military training, and in May 1940 he returned to Heraklion (then called by its Italian/Venetian name - Candia) as British Vice Consul, but his job title did not hide from most of the diplomatic community the nature of his duties. He immediately set-to working up his outline plans: improving the reconnaissance (routes, hiding places, water sources and chiefly sounding out the local clan chiefs like Antonios Gregorakis and Manolis Badouvas. Turkey had relinquished control over Crete only 43 years before and these kapetanios would be the key to harnessing the Cretan fighting spirit. In October, on Italy's attempted invasion of Greece, Pendlebury became liaison officer between British troops and Cretan military authority.
By the time Germany had occupied mainland Greece in April 1941 Pendlebury had laid his plans, unfortunately, they could not include the Cretan division of the Greek army which was captured on the mainland. The invasion of Crete started on 20 May 1941, Pendlebury was in the Heraklion area where it started with heavy bombing followed by troops dropped by parachute. The enemy forced an entry into Heraklion but were driven out by regular Greek and British troops and by islanders now armed with assorted weapons.
On 21 May 1941, when German troops took over Heraklion, Pendlebury slipped away with his Cretan friends heading for Krousonas the village of Kapetanios Satanas, which was some 15 km to the southwest. They had the intention of launching a counterattack, but on the way there Pendlebury left the vehicle to open fire on some German troops, who fired back. Some Stukas came over and Pendlebury was shot in the chest. Aristea Drossoulakis took him into her nearby cottage and he was laid on a bed. The cottage was overrun and a German doctor treated him chivalrously, dressing his wounds; he was later given an injection.[26]
The next day Pendlebury had been changed into a clean shirt. The Germans were setting up a gun position nearby and a fresh party of paratroopers came by. They found Pendlebury who had lost his identity discs and was wearing a Greek shirt. As he was out of uniform and could not prove that he was a soldier, he was put against a wall outside the cottage and shot through the head and the body.[26]
He was buried nearby, later being reburied 1 km outside the western gate of Heraklion. He now lies in the cemetery (Grave reference 10.E.13) at Souda Bay maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The inscription is a quote from the 352nd line of Adonaïs: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats by Percy Bysshe Shelley:
"He has outsoared the shadow of our night"
Pendlebury's archaeological approach[edit]
Pendlebury was one of the early archaeologists who engaged in environmental reconstruction of the Bronze Age; for example, as C. Michael Hogan notes, Pendlebury first deduced that the settlement at Knossos on Crete appears to have been overpopulated at its Bronze Age peak based upon deforestation practises.[27]
Works by Pendlebury[edit]
- Pendlebury, J.D.S. (1930). Aegyptiaca. A Catalogue of Egyptian objects in the Aegean area. Cambridge University Press.
- —— (1932). Archaeologica quaedam. Oxford: Classical Association.
- —— (1933). A handbook to the palace of Minos at Knossos with Its Dependencies. London: Macmillan & Co. Limited.
- —— (1933). A Guide to the Stratigraphical Museum in the Palace at Knossos. London: British School at Athens.
- ——; Money-Coutts, M.; Eccles, E. (1935A). Journeys in Crete, 1934. Athens: British School at Athens.
- —— (1935B). Tell el-Amarna. London: L. Dickson & Thompson.
- —— (1939). The archaeology of Crete: an introduction. Methuen's Handbooks of Archaeology. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
- 1948 John Pendlebury in Crete. Cambridge: University Press. (Published privately after Pendlebury's death – with appreciations by Nicholas Hammond and Tom Dunbabin).
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 61.
- ^ a b Powell 1973, p. 65.
- ^ Grundon 2007, p. 1.
- ^ a b Powell 1973, p. 62.
- ^ a b Powell 1973, p. 63.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: OUP. (2004)
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 64.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 67.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 68.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 70.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 71.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 72.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 73.
- ^ Powell 1973, pp. 75–77.
- ^ Powell 1973, pp. 77–78
- ^ Powell 1973, pp. 78–79.
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 79
- ^ Powell 1973, p. 81.
- ^ The previous two paragraphs rely on Powell 1973, pp. 86–90
- ^ Powell 1973, pp. 94–95.
- ^ Powell, Dilys. the Villa Ariadne. (1973), London: Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-17770-5.
- ^ Swansea University (Classics) Archived 23 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ British School at Athens Archived 25 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Leigh Fermor, Patrick. J. Pendlebury and the Battle of Crete. The Spectator p.57-58. (20 October 2001) in Patrick Leigh Fermor (ed Artemis Cooper). Words of Mercury, London: John Murray. (2003) ISBN 0-7195-6105-1
- ^ Quotation by Alan Wace Archived 27 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine..
- ^ a b Nicholas Hammond, from chapter "John Pendlebury" in John Pendlebury in Crete. Cambridge: University Press (1948).
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, Cydonia, The Modern Antiquarian, 23 Jan. 2008
- Grundon, Imogen (2007). The Rash Adventurer: The Life of John Pendlebury. London: Libri.
- Powell, Dilys (1973). The Villa Ariadne. London; Sydney; Auckland; Toronto: Hodder and Stoughton.
- Antony Beevor - Crete, the Battle and the Resistance (includes info about Pendlebury's wartime exploits)
- Holland, James (2010). Blood of Honour. Heraklion: Magna.
External links[edit]
- Robertson, John. "Pendlebury". Special Forces Roll of Honour. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- 1904 births
- 1941 deaths
- British archaeologists
- British Egyptologists
- British military personnel killed in World War II
- Executed spies
- British Special Operations Executive personnel
- People educated at Winchester College
- Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
- Crete in World War II
- Minoan archaeologists
- People executed by Germany by firing squad
- Executed people from London


text:
As of 2015, a good location to look up residential addresses in Maryland is Whitepages website. Whitepages can be accessed online or a book can be requested from local cities.
The Whitepages website allows users to search for an address by using a first and last name. The site also offers city pages for many locations within the state of Maryland. The site is free to use.
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Paper copies of the Whitepages may be ordered in Maryland from Verizon by mail or phone.


text:
The eternal white dress: perfect, voluminous, with beautiful textures. It will of course always be given a standing ovation. For the 2018 season, embroidery and golden thread appear on the couturier dresses which are enchanting whilst recalling the romantic theme with lace and fluidity that still works for many designers. Even if the pastoral and rustic theme is attracting future brides and grooms. (interview)However, even if the advance is slow, today's future brides are more daring, whether it be with the event itself or the dress. (interview)Why not break away from white, go for colours and even sequins to make this moment all the more magical. Interviews from Eleonore Bridge and Jeanne Boulart:Jeanne Boulart : What's a little bit frustrating is that everything happens more slowly than in the fashion world. Already to have gone from the colour white with roses and white weddings to a more pastoral theme, that's already an enormous evolution and that's true but it's also true that there's still this gap between future brides and designers. Finally we've already been six years into this pastoral trend and it's true that after a while, we did a little tour, it's all about different temporality. Eleonore Bridge : Yes, they're a lot more daring, in fact I think that we live in a time where marriage doesn't necessarily mean for the rest of our lives but rather let's celebrate that right now everything is fine and we love each other, we're going to have this big event.Jeanne Boulart : It's true that the idea of a celebration, of a party is really important and I think that we all need a bit of that in our everyday lives, at one point, let go and say 'let's celebrate over the entire weekend not just on a single night' It's true that means that they're more daring and do a lot of things, sometimes they want to push things a little father.Eleonore Bridge : What's new is that, the brides have coloured shoes. This year I saw several powder pink dresses, I saw a bride who'd tie-died the bottom of her dress. So we have lots and lots of small wedding dress brands which create custom-made wedding dresses and they've launched in the last few years, there's a lot more than there were five years ago. Andy: wedding festival in Paris - www.andyfestival.com ; www.unbeaujour.fr Music royalty free: Bandit & Nikit 2017
The wedding theme: the pastoral theme remains dominant even if colours and sequins make slight progress.
Copyright : Paris Modes Productions


text:
NEW YORK --A lot of difficult stories making headlines this weekend, and some people may need an escape.
Two new movies are opening at theaters that could offer just that. Sandy Kenyon took a look to find out if these particular films are worth your money.
The first is "Contagion," which has a star-studded cast led by Matt Damon. That one is a "maybe," according to Sandy.
In the case of "Warrior," he has a different answer. Check out his report.
Please visit Sandy Kenyon's blog for more entertainment news at wabc.typepad.com/whatsandysays


text:
Categories: Actor Fics Characters: Orlando Bloom
Genres: Romance
Series: None
Chapters: 18 Table of Contents
Completed: Yes Word count: 48432 Read Count: 32874
Categories: Movie-verse Characters: Haldir
Genres: Erotica
Warnings: Graphic Sex
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Table of Contents
Completed: Yes Word count: 2683 Read Count: 4344
Categories: Movie-verse Characters: Legolas, Gimli, Elrond, Elrohir, Celeborn, Galadriel, Thranduil, Elladan, Glorfindel, Haldir, Erestor, Orophin
Genres: Erotica, Humor
Warnings: Graphic Sex, Kink
Series: None
Chapters: 24 Table of Contents
Completed: No Word count: 163247 Read Count: 25418
Categories: Actor Fics Characters: Original Character, Orlando Bloom
Genres: Romance
Warnings: Graphic Sex
Series: None
Chapters: 40 Table of Contents
Completed: Yes Word count: 156913 Read Count: 104521
Wow- Her dad's visit was a shocker!! I certainly did not expect him at the door!
Author's Response: I hoped you liked it! Yes, real life gets in the way, but I'm trying to get the chapters done as soon as possible. ;) I wanted to keep it as a surprise, I can see it worked. :D Thanks!
Categories: Movie-verse Characters: Pippin, Gandalf / Olorin, Faramir, Denethor, Imrahil
Genres: Drama
Warnings: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Table of Contents
Completed: Yes Word count: 2714 Read Count: 2196
I mean, I did think the ring warped him and he did love Faramir, but the way you put his perspective into words is quite thought-provoking. Thank you for this fine addition to fanfic :)
Categories: Crossovers Characters: Other
Genres: General
Warnings: None
Series: None
Chapters: 3 Table of Contents
Completed: No Word count: 2956 Read Count: 5012
I claim ownership of none of J.R.R. Tolkien's original plot or characters; however, Elaura and her story Typically Atypical are Copyrighted © 2006.
Categories: Book-verse Characters: Arwen, Beorn, Bilbo, Celeborn, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, Erestor, Galadriel, Glóin, Glorfindel, Gollum, Haldir, Lindir, Nazgûl, Orcs/Uruk-Hai, Original Character, Orophin, Other Canon Character, Rúmil, The Fellowship
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, General, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Other, Romance, Tragedy
Warnings: Character Death, Violence
Series: Typically Atypical
Chapters: 37 Table of Contents
Completed: Yes Word count: 157423 Read Count: 155142
haha, That was a great line. Very funny story. :)
Author's Response: Thank you, Luna. It's a pleasure to have a new reader. Thank you for taking the time to review. I hope you enjoy the rest.
Author's Response: Ah, folks either love it or hate it. I'm glad you are the former. Whenever I get a new review, I always go back and read the chapter. It always amazes me to think I wrote that so long ago and people are still finding it and enjoying it. Thanks for the feedback.
Author's Response: Thanks! I look forward to hearing what you think of them! I appreciate you taking time out to review!
Categories: Movie-verse, Lord of the Rings Slash Characters: Arwen, Bilbo, Elrond, Legolas, The Fellowship
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Humor, Romance
Warnings: Character Death, Slash (same sex pairing), Torture
Series: None
Chapters: 7 Table of Contents
Completed: No Word count: 17984 Read Count: 17207
One issue though- Elrond's wife was named Cassandra? I think that may be incorrect. Wasn't his wife the daughter of Celebron & Galadriel? I forget the name, but cassandra doesn't sound right... sorry if i'm wrong, just my thoughts
I claim ownership of none of J.R.R. Tolkien's original plot or characters; however, Elaura and her story Typically Atypical are Copyrighted © 2006.
Categories: Book-verse Characters: Asfaloth, Aule, Beorn, Beregond, Bergil, Blue Wizards, Celeborn, Celebrían, Dain Ironfoot, Denethor, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, Eomer, Eowyn, Erestor, Faramir, Feanor, Galadriel, Glóin, Glorfindel, Gollum, Gríma, Gwaihir, Halbarad, Haldir, Imrahil, Ioreth, Landroval, Lindir, Lothiriel, Maglor, Manwe, Mouth of Sauron, Namo / Mandos, Nazgûl, Original Character, Oromë, Orophin, Other Canon Character, Radagast, Rúmil, Saruman, Sauron, The Fellowship, Théoden, Théodred, Thranduil, Treebeard, Vaire, Yavanna
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, General, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Other, Romance, Tragedy
Warnings: Character Death, Violence
Series: Typically Atypical
Chapters: 127 Table of Contents
Completed: No Word count: 1589851 Read Count: 337470
Author's Response: So far, I've gotten the feeling Maglor is a bit territorial. He doesn't seem to allow any other cats near his pets. Maybe that will change over time . . . Anyway, thanks for reading and the feedback. There is more on the way.
Hmmm... I wonder what will happen next? The trip to Rohan will continue, then Theoden's funeral, then possibly Eowyn & Faramir's wedding? Do you plan on Elaura's story continue one day at a time or will it eventually skip to the birth of the twins and then skip to Book 4 where we fnd out about that Castle? ughhhhh... I *so* want to know!
Fantastic job, by the way. I feel like I never have any real criticism for you and I know as a writer that can be mildly frustrating since you want to hear what you can improve on, but I really just lovte everything :)
Author's Response: Oh dear is right! You caught up with me! The plan is . . . mind you, the characters may have other ideas . . . the plan is to take them to Rohan, have the funeral, a *few* weddings, and the negotiations with Dunland. I *intend* to do some plot hopping at that point and get Thranduil and his party on the road to Eryn Lasgalen. In truth, I never really meant to do the trip day-by-day, but things keep happening. When and *where* the babies are born should be a bit of a surprise to everyone, including Elaura, but I won't say more about that or else I'll spoil it. I'm on my way to getting the next three chapters posted within the next couple hours. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Thank you also for your patience. Every so often my other two books take me away from this one. One is about the Moriquendi and the other is about Elaura's family about forty years after the War of the Ring. Naturally, I have to go back and forth occasionally to keep things on track. Hope everything is going well in your life, wish me luck!
I was looking through my my reviewed stories list to find a story to finish reading when I saw you had update!!! I have no idea how I missed that!
*squeels with joy* Thank you!
I just love how you make Gandalf and Radagast speak... It really does sound like things they would say. I have no idea how you do it.
I'm looking forward to the next two chapters but I'm going to attempt to not devour them s rapidly. Thank you for commenting on my last review and telling me a little bit about the future! I appreciate it :) Happy to hear your working on a story that takes place 40 years in the future! I would love to read it sometime and hope you post it when you're finished!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Author's Response: Can you still sign up to receive emails for updated stories? I signed up a long time ago and still get them. You can opt for particular authors as well as specific stories. As for how the characters stay in character, I have to have my mom proofread for me. If anyone says something she thinks they wouldn't, or in a way that isn't right, she sets me straight. I will definitely post both of my other stories, but the future story will have to wait until after book four, because there are definite spoilers. The other one will come before book four as there is a lot of backstory in it for the Battle of Castle Amlug. Book three should end soon after the party arrives in Eryn Lasgalen so the end is nigh, but I won't leave you hanging. Thanks again for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoy the chapters I posted today.
Author's Response: Aww, you're making me blush! It's good to hear from you again. Hey, if you get the chance, could you look over mps' review and let me know if you are seeing what he/she is? The last thing I want is for the story to be hard to read. I do appreciate your insight on that particular chapter, too. As I mentioned in one of your previous reviews, a lot of folks have a definite aversion to Legolas falling in love with anyone, especially a modern woman dropped into Middle Earth. I'm really glad you are enjoying it. Thanks again for taking the time to let me know what you think of my story! Keep reading, there's a lot more to come.
I will say, some fanfics with Legolas falling in love with a modern woman can be very silly and poorly written. Yours is not. Its interesting... I am usually very skeptical about fanfics and how storylines go, but for whatever reason, yours works. I get it.
I was even thinking "Why do I love this story so much and spend whatever free time I have reading it? In many ways, the plot could be silly and annoying. Everyone loves the main character. She bagged the hottest elf. She's super awesome at everything..." But you have written this story, thus far of what I've read, very well. I believe it. Elaura is not annoying. She slowly became good at things and there were struggles. Events are tied in extremely well to Tolkien's books. The characters are simply brought to life in a different way through your words. You've done a great job. I almost wish you hadn't done a great job & I thought of all this first ;) lol
As always, I look forward to continuing reading! I'm interested in Maglor, what further use the Vala will have for Elaura, when she'll finally end up meeting Legolas' fam in Mirkwood, Arwen showing up, and babies! Of course, I have no idea how far you have written, but you do have a hell of a lot of chapters!
Many many thanks for the time you put into this!
Author's Response: Hello again! Thank you for checking on that paragraph thing for me. I guess I'll have to wait until mps clarifies to figure out why it doesn't look right to him/her. I appreciate your detailed critique; it's very nice to know the work I've put into the story wasn't in vain. Of course, that's not to say I don't get affirmation from all of my reviews, even the negative ones are extremely helpful. I consider those very aspects you mentioned about the plot and characterizations constantly as I write. I think my mom gets tired of me asking her after each chapter, 'is it believable?' 'Is Elaura coming off whiny?' or too smart, too talented, too confident? I'm glad how much work Elaura has done to come into her talents is apparent in the story; I never wanted her to appear as if everything was just handed to her on a silver platter. Most importantly, I am honored you think I'm doing justice to Tolkien's original works. Sometimes being tied to his timeline is a little challenging, as readers (and me for that matter) are ready for what comes next and we all still have to wait for the day to arrive. You came across the story at a good time. All of your expectations are in the chapters that are already posted, except she hasn't made it to Mirkwood yet. The most recent chapter I've written and intend to get posted tonight, has the funeral procession on its way to Rohan. Sadly, the end is in sight for this book, but I have a lot of book four written already. Thanks for all of your insights and compliments. I look forward to keeping my readers satisfied for a while. Wish me luck.
Author's Response: Macavity, pronounced ma-ca-vi-ty with the emphasis on the second syllable, is based on a stray cat that wandered into my folks' house one day and claimed them as his staff. The original Macavity in T.S. Eliot's poem "Macavity, the Mystery Cat" and the Broadway musical "Cats" based on Eliot's works was ginger colored and a bit more dastardly than the long-haired white Macavity of my books and his short-haired, black and white namesake. They are all, however, classic examples of the feline race. Proud, mysterious, and sometimes downright criminal in their ability to get into leftovers, steal things to hide for later play, assault and battery with thier razor-sharp claws, and utter vandalism in the form of clearing a tabletop of fragile keepsakes. My parents' cat just appeared one day and made himself at home among their five dogs. He cleared the grounds of all manner of vermin, including mice, rats, and snakes. He was also one of those rare pets that displays a level of intelligence that is almost preternatural. Unfortunately, he wasn't smart enough not to play in the road and came to a premature end. His spirit lives on in my books and also in a pair of kittens we now share our farmhouse with. Maybe someday, they'll make it into the story as well. Thanks for asking, Luna. If you've never read T.S. Eliot or seen the musical "Cats", I highly recommend them.
"Nonsense, it will be done all the quicker were I to take care of it personally," Aragorn replied."
I honestly don't really care about grammer as much; I get what you are trying to say. But in case you care, I thought I'd let you know.
So many interesting developments. Elaura- a Wizard! Who would have thought. Once again I am surprised that you character gains such great achievements, yet never does it seem strange or cheapened. THe story just makes sense.
Oh, but I am excited to see that Elaura has a new adversary! Peace is sweet, but conflict is fun! (Well, I am writing this review near the beginning of the chapter, in case by the end the Warden is cool with Elaura and my words seem to not make sense)
Author's Response: Actually, I do care very much. That particular typo has become a bad habit, I'm afraid. For some reason, my brain seems to think every paragraph should end in a closed quote. Thank you for letting me know there is one in that chapter. I haven't gotten around to fixing much of Book three as I'm currently writing it, but I will. I just reread a chapter in which Eowyn is cursed with contractions . . . which I try to reserve for the speech of Elaura, Dwarves, and Hobbits, for the most part. Well, actually, Elaura doesn't tend to run across a lot of people who don't like her, but I suppose that's natural, too. She's friends with Aragorn and married to an Elf Prince; it wouldn't be to the advantage of the citizens of the Reunited Kingdom and Eryn Lasgalen to tick off the royals by picking a fight with Elaura, no matter how they really feel. I was as surprised as anyone when Elaura's magical abilities showed up. I suppose it isn't cheesy because there is a reason for her to have them and she doesn't use them too much. She remains aware of the fact she isn't a Maia, or an Istar, and she certainly isn't hung up on whether people want to call her a wizard, a sorceress, or a witch. Thank you very much for the review. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
I'm also glad that you managed to figure out a way for them to head into battle... I was afraid things could get boring in peacetime. Glad to know that Gimli's ax will once again be used! :)
Author's Response: Oh, you know how it is, trouble will always crop up; there are some people who just can't stand to be happy. I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Sorry it's been so long, but I'm still writing. I won't leave you hanging. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
"You thought the purple dinosaur was bad? I've got Smurfs, Snorks, Fraggles, and Teletubbies where he came from. You never should have tried this," there was great anger in her voice and Aragorn and I both took a small step back; the Evil One's fear of the beasts she mentioned was apparent and we did not wish to see anything which could strike fear in his heart." HILARIOUS.
And I thought it was great to have a chapter from Legolas' point of view and allow Elaura to show him her world.
Absolutly lovely.
Author's Response: Thank you! Legolas needed to get his feet wet in the writing arena. I have to admit, sometimes I'll reread and wonder, 'who wrote this stuff?' I'll often laugh when I'm writing, too. Is that conceited? Most of all I look forward to hearing what the readers think. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback. It's a little hard knowing whether things I think are funny really are . . . no laughtrack. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.
""It's a place they send teenagers from thirteen to eighteen years old. Like a jail, but with teachers. The children are supposedly taught how to be good citizens, but I think it was just a place to hide us while our minds caught up with the development of our bodies."
Author's Response: That's how I thought of highschool anyway. The anticipation was written on every parents' face in August and dread that we would soon be released again in Spring. Thanks for the feedback!
The only thing I am sad about is I realized i am soon coming to the end... Well, I know you are continuing with the story, but regardless I will be sad when I won't be able to just read chapter after chapter of new material. I was never one for patience :)
Thank you, as always, for sharing your world with us!
Author's Response: The characters keep talking and I keep writing. It helps that I'm a little nuts. My brother keeps asking me when I'm going to publish, but I'm afraid writing for money would sour it. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to let me know how I'm doing. I can't really put into words how much it means to hear from all of my readers. Well, as for patience, I do have two other books in the series going as well as some more chapters of this one. If you find you truly can't wait, I can send them to you, but they are still rough drafts and because they depend a lot on the main story, they are constantly changing. Use the 'contact' link on my account page if you'd like me to send them to you, but be prepared for typos and some continuity issues, since they are rough drafts. Otherwise, I've made arrangements for them to be posted even if I'm not around to do it. I'm not expecting anything to keep me from getting them out, but I have no intention of leaving my loyal readers hanging. Rest assured, as long as people are reading my stories, I'll keep writing. Thanks again!
Author's Response: It would be pretty sad if they couldn't laugh, wouldn't it? I mean, what's the point of being blessed if it isn't any fun? Thanks for the review!
Aw, I do find it adorable that Elaura is more 'feminine' and how everyone is reacting to her. Admittingly, I don't like the idea of ever becoming pregnant and dealing with all the negatives that go with it, but you do present a blessful side to it.
I know its been a while since I've been on this site, but I am so happy that you are continuing to write! I will continue to read and may take you up on that offer to e-mail you and ask for your draft... Thank you for being an awesome author!!!
Author's Response: That's sweet, thank you. You needn't apologize; as you can see, I've been away a while myself. Real life has a way of getting between us and our passions. I appreciate very much the fact you are reading and have taken the time to review. I'm still writing, I hope you will continue to read.
I enjoyed Eowyn's sense of humor as much as Elaura :)
And I'm quite pleased to see there is still danger and battle in Elaura's future... I really dislike the idea of her knitting haha. I'm SO glad she gave that up!
Author's Response: Hi Luna! LOL @ knitting. It just isn't her style, is it? Yes, there shall be more adventures to come. Thank you for reading and reviewing and please forgive me my tardiness in responding and posting.
Elaura & Legolas not remembering each other- I was not expecting that. But their reunion was so cute.
I love that the Ent fruit made the babies be born! I was wondering how soon it would be until we'd see them! Loved the whole setting of the birth and its circumstance.
Elaura's mom being there- Wonderful! So sweet. As to how/why she is there, very creative. I didn't know if you would transport her into Middle Earth like Elaura, but the 'death' and Gandalf delivering the journals was a great concept.
As always, I love this story. Looking forward to upcoming chapters!
Author's Response: You know nothing ever happens in Elaura's life as she expects! Can't you just picture Gimli wanting to knock Legolas over the head and drag him out of there? Thanks for your support with the little twists and turns. I do try not to get out of the realm of belief. Thanks again for reviewing. More to come . . . much more!


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Blast Off Costume
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Blast Off!
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This homemade costume for families entered our 2015 Halloween Costume Contest.
A word from Deidre, the 'Blast Off!' costume creator:
I made this baby carrier costume for my 8 month old to go with his big sister's astronaut costume. I made the space shuttle out of cardboard, paint, taps, cups and ribbon. These kids are out of this world!


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You will soon become an expert at international banking transactions…
Before you leave the US contact your bank and/or credit card company to let them know that you will be studying abroad – where and for how long.
If your ATM card is linked to the Plus or Cirrus systems, your card will work in thousands of cash machines throughout the country. The advantage to using your American ATM card is that you will be assessed the wholesale exchange rate that applies to large foreign currency transactions. That said, have other sources of money in case your ATM card does not work.
You can use most credit cards in Europe but they must be in your name, as it appears on your passport. Visa and MasterCard are more widely accepted than American Express and Discover cards are not accepted in Britain but AmEx Offices can assist you with cashing US checks. Credit card cash advances are considered loans, so interest is charged from the day the advance is made. Before you depart, check with your card company for more information on what services you'll have where, what fees are involved and what to do if you lose your card.
Travelers checks can be helpful in case your wallet is lost or stolen, or for an initial monetary amount on opening a British bank account, but are not recommended for everyday use.
Opening a bank account in Great Britain can be a lengthy and tedious process. Therefore, we recommend that students use their American account. Talk to us if you need more details.
When the program is in session, our London office can make emergency loans to students. Students must sign a promissory note and repay the loan as soon as they receive money from home. If you find yourself in dire financial straits while traveling, the State Department can help your family transfer money to you (provided you are a U.S. citizen).


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"We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty."
Luke 17:10
Once I gave a talk about our business. I shared about how God is our partner, that although my mom had no business background, no capital, no brilliant marketing strategy, we were able to build a successful business with an identifiable brand. And I quoted Bible verses. So when I got home, my attitude was like, "I did something for You God!" and I was sort of proud. Well I opened my Bible and this is the verse I found! I shouldn't be proud about doing God a favor! I did no more than my duty!
This reminds me of the famous preacher, church planter and author of the best selling book, "Crazy Love". Before giving a sermon, Francis Chan saw his face filling up the cover of a magazine, and he enjoyed it. He was thrilled. He liked it that he got all this attention, and was sought after for interviews, and TV guestings. Then God convicted him, and he went down on the floor and cried. As God's servants, we have a mission, a purpose, a duty to do what our Chief orders us to do. And just as in the military, the Private doesn't expect to be praised by the top brass for doing his job, we too shouldn't expect to be thanked. We should do our job to the best of our ability knowing it is a privilege to work for the God of the Universe, confident we will get paid with an immeasurably priceless inheritance.


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Jul 10, 2013
And now for part two of the Revcast's indepth discussion on how fandom should deal with the tricky moral issues that crop up from time to time. Once again, Deanna Toxopeus and Gary Mitchel talk with Tegan Hendrickson about a variety of different issues that have cropped up and how well or poorly they were handled. They come to some sort of concensus at the end, but like any complicated issue, there is no black or white, one-size fit all answers here. It's an honest and engaging discussion.
Our theme music this episode is "Cultists On Board" by Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, courtesy of Divine Industries.
A reminder about our feedback
address. email@example.com . Tell us what you think about
the Roundtable! Were we right? Or we we wrong? Or
were we WRONG!!?


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Five things Blues must do to force Game 7by Dan Rosen
CHICAGO -- The similarities might haunt a more pessimistic St. Louis Blues fan. They might even force an optimistic fan to rethink his positivity.
Last year, matched up in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis took a 2-0 series lead with Alexander Steen scoring the winner in Game 1 and Barret Jackman playing the hero in Game 2.
The same thing happened this year in Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference First Round against the Chicago Blackhawks, the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Ramsay: Blues' PP must get puck down low
For additional insight into the Stanley Cup Playoff series between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, NHL.com has enlisted the help of former NHL coach Craig Ramsay to break down the action. Ramsay will be checking in throughout the series.
Ramsay played in more than 1,000 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres before going on to coach the Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Atlanta Thrashers. In the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he led the Flyers to the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Final. Ramsay was most recently an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers.
CHICAGO -- The St. Louis Blues are struggling to score on the power play against the Chicago Blackhawks because they're relying too much on the outside shot instead of funneling pucks low and toward the net, longtime NHL coach Craig Ramsay told NHL.com.
"They're relying on a single-concept power play, which is get it to the point and shoot it, or get it from the point to the half-wall and shoot it," Ramsay said. "So they're looking at 45- and 50-foot shots and hoping for some miracle shot, but I don't see them with that guy, that big-time shooter. Chicago has recognized that and they're just flexing out. They're not ever afraid. They can take a penalty and they don't get scared."
The Blues are 2-for-23 on the power play in the Western Conference First Round series, which Chicago leads 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS).
St. Louis' problems were evident early in Game 5 on Friday, when it had two man-advantage opportunities within the first 10 minutes but never threatened from in front of the net. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford had to stop only one of the Blues' eight shot attempts on the power play. Four attempts were blocked and three others missed the net.
"The low guy never looked to the net, never took it to the net, never tried to pass through the crease, never tried any single thing to make Chicago come down," Ramsay said. "There is no threat. If in fact you think your power play scores from out high, then you must show them something down low. You must threaten them with a low play to make them respect you and sag. If you can't get them to sag, then penalty killers just giggle.
"St. Louis just has fallen in love with one concept, so they have to make a little switch."
Ramsay said it is an easy switch to make before Game 6.
"Imagine this: They throw it low to the goal line and [David] Backes walks out, or they throw it low and [Jaden] Schwartz or [Vladimir] Tarasenko walks out with Backes in front," Ramsay said. "You now have a 2-on-1 with a chance to score, and you've created fear in the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ramsay said the Blackhawks will react if the Blues do more with the puck down low.
"You don't have to break people, but you have to show them something else," he said. "They just refuse. They want to use that high-shot, tip-rebound game. They can't keep doing the same thing and expect it to suddenly be better."
-- Dan Rosen
Game 4 in Los Angeles was tight, but the Blues lost 4-3. Game 4 in Chicago was tight, but the Blues lost 4-3 in overtime.
The Blues went home tied 2-2 with the Kings and lost Game 5 in overtime, 3-2. They went home tied 2-2 with the Blackhawks and lost Game 5 in overtime, 3-2.
The Blues were eliminated in Game 6 against the Kings. The Blues are hoping the similarities end there, with Game 6 against the Blackhawks on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, RDS).
"Everybody is probably writing, 'Here they go again. They're challenging the top teams, but can they get through the top teams?'" Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Saturday. "Everybody is going to write that stuff. But we have a chance to write the message that you guys have to print, so it's in our control. ... And I want to see us embrace this.
"Yeah, we're knocking on the door and we're knocking hard, but we've got to push through. Just can't keep pushing up against the wall. We've got a real opportunity to push through the wall here. I want to see our players take advantage of this."
Here are five ways the Blues can take advantage of the situation and force the series back to St. Louis for Game 7 on Tuesday:
1. Start on time
It sounds so obvious. What team doesn't want to get off to a strong start? It doesn't matter if it's the regular season or the playoffs, at home or on the road, a strong start can go a long way toward a positive result.
The problem for the Blues is they have been better in this series when they've been trailing. Four of the five games have gone to overtime, and the Blues have had to overcome regulation deficits in all four.
That's a sign the Blues haven't had good starts, and that's not a recipe for long-term success in a best-of-7 series. Hitchcock knows it. He made it a major talking point Saturday.
"It seems like we play with more composure when we get down a goal," Hitchcock said. "I want to see us play with composure and that compete level earlier in the game, rather than a third of the way through the game. That, for me, is a big challenge for us moving forward, to show that competitive composure earlier in the games so that we can maintain our game and eliminate some of the chances for them."
Hitchcock said the Blues are in trouble if they try to match the Blackhawks scoring chance for scoring chance.
"It's hard to dig yourself out of a hole every game," he said. "And we've been chasing every game for the last three or four games. That wears you down after a while. For us, you like our spirit, you love our heart, you love everything that goes on with it, but I want to see us playing better early, and then that gives us a real fighting chance to win a hockey game."
2. Put some finish on it
The Blues couldn't ask for better chances to win Game 5 before Jonathan Toews scored on his breakaway in overtime.
St. Louis had 2-on-1s, even a 3-on-1, wide-open shots from the circles and the high slot. They had everything but a finishing touch.
Against the Blackhawks, who usually have a man back to avoid giving up odd-man rushes, blowing chances like they did Friday is something the Blues just can't do. And it's a double failure when you know that the Blackhawks are one of the best finishing teams in the NHL.
"If you've got to fall through the net, that's what's got to happen this time of the year," Blues forward T.J. Oshie said.
3. Miller in the getaway carBlackhawks goalie Corey Crawford arguably stole Game 3 with a 34-save shutout, making Toews' goal early in the first period stand up until Marcus Kruger scored into an empty net. Crawford's performance that night turned the series in Chicago's favor and might be the difference in the end.
"Crawford, for me, he hit the home run in the third game," Hitchcock said.
St. Louis goaltender Ryan Miller has to knock one out of the park Sunday. He hasn't stolen a game in this series, and the Blues might not win another one if he doesn't.
Miller has a .911 save percentage and a 2.32 goals-against average. He has allowed three or more goals in four of the five games. He allowed one goal in Game 3, but that was Crawford's night.
"We're probably going to have to steal a game to bring this thing back, so he's going to have to be part of the steal," Hitchcock said. "He's going to have to be one of the robbers. He's going to have to be a big player for us. We know that, he knows that."
4. Do something, anything, on the power play
The Blues had two power-play chances within the first 10 minutes of Game 5. Not only did they fail to score, but they failed to generate any momentum.
It was two of several missed opportunities St. Louis had to win the game.
Not scoring on the power play is one thing, and it happens to even the best teams 75-80 percent of the time. But if a team can't swing the momentum in its favor for the next several shifts to follow the man advantage, then it's a total loss.
That's the only way to view the Blues power plays in Game 5.
The power play has been a problem for each team all series, but the Blues have had more opportunities. St. Louis' power play is 2-for-23 and averaging 1.47 shots per opportunity in the series.
Credit the Blackhawks for getting in the shooting lanes and blocking shots, particularly with one of the two high forwards (usually Michal Handzus), but the Blues need to have more of a plan to get their structure on the power play.
5. Check to make a play
The Blues don't have to be a big hitting team to be a big physical team. They're at their best when they check the puck back. They're vulnerable when they chase a hit.
"Chasing contact against Chicago works for a little while, but you learn to play through it," Hitchcock said. "I thought [Friday] some of their top players played through some of our contact, so we have to make sure we're checking better."
To be better at that Sunday, the Blues have to play with more control and composure than they had in Game 5. Hitchcock said the Blues will reduce the number of scoring chances against if they do that. That also might mean they'll have to reduce their number of hits.
St. Louis was credited with 47 hits in Game 5, but they didn't seem to affect Chicago.
"[Chicago] plays a game that makes you run around because they're going. They don't care. They fly," Hitchcock said. "So you're chasing and trying to get it slowed down. We're better just playing our game. That's the composure part. There's a difference between hitting and checking. I want to see us check more rather than chase contact. Sometimes when you're trying to get the game into your grasp, you chase contact a little bit. So for us, it's probably replacing emotion and probably adding the word intensity to it, which is a little bit of focused emotion."


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To be honest, I've only seen like 4 episodes of Madmen, but I assume the show makes the life of an advertising creative seem all cool and snazzy. Well, take a look at my desktop right now and judge for yourself. Comping chaos!
3:41am… PDF of 5 spots posted on server and sent to project manager for 10am CCO and 11am client meetings, so lali is off to bed. We'll let you know if anything sells!
xo, li


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Don't let your lazy eye affect your life, take control by performing simple exercises to help fix your amblyopia
It is said that lazy-eye affects around 3 to 5% of adults as well as children in the world. Amblyopia or lazy eye as it is most typically referred to as. It is a very common eyesight disorder in children and is actually one of the primary reasons for blindness in most adults. Lazy eye is a pathological problem which means that the pathways between your eyes and your brain are not playing nicely together, and that will leave you with mild to severe vision reduction in the eye suffering from Amblyopia.
There are several causes of amblyopia such as, strabismus, ( imbalance in the positionin) myopia, (nearsightedness) hyperopia, (farsightedness) just to list a few. If a child is suffering from lazy eye, it will be reasonably easy to correct through the use of exercises, one of which is by wearing an eye patch on the eye that is not affected by amblyopia. However as adults it will be a little more difficult to correct however all hope is not lost, you will still be able to correct your vision naturally with the use of exercises, it just may take a little more work and time
Eye Exercises
If you're like most people that are seeking natural vision remedy's to improve their eyesight naturally you have been doing some research to find out how this is done. You have probably found quite a list of eye exercises to help you with your vision improvement. Even though there are a lot of eye exercises to help improve your vision naturally they are not yet recognized by eye care doctors as well as health insurance. They claim it is because there has not been any high-quality research done on this topic.
However this is starting to change a study done in 2010 regarding current biology by a professor named Teng Leng Ooi has found that adults who use specialized eye exercises to strengthen their eyes have actually seen quite an improvement in their eye affected by amblyopia. And it is most likely effective in the treatment of a child dealing with amblyopia. Here are a couple of eye exercises you can try.
Push and Pull Exercises
Dr. Ooi and her associates have formulated eyesight strengthening exercises that they are calling "push-pull". It basically involves you setting up the some computer software, which will flash a visual cue to the lazy-eye, such as some objects like a square or triangle and then it will show you two slightly altered images, one for each eye. For example one will show some lines going up and then they will present a picture of lines going horizontal. If research continues to develop on the software it will most likely be made available to the public which is great news for us.
Video Game Exercises
Another eye exercise is the videogame exercise, the study was performed in 2007 that suggests playing video games can help improve lazy eye. It is not an all video games however but some videogames appear to improve inpatients suffering with amblyopia. The participants were much more willing to the treatment because they enjoyed playing video games.
Amblyopia Treatments
If you or a child is dealing with lazy eye and does not receive any treatment, you or the children usually well lose some of the vision in the eye that is affected, and it can actually become really serious if completely untreated, and may cause the eye to go completely blind. There are approved techniques of natural vision improvement through eye exercises. You can try placing an eyepatch over the good eye to develop muscles in the eye with amblyopia. You can also try eyedrops that contains something called atropine. Basically what this does is blurs your good eye so your son or daughter is forced to use the lazy eye, basically the same idea as the eyepatch. Personally I've never tried the eyedrops but from what I've read they tend to sting a little bit.


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did you ever (something)
did you ever (something)
An exclamation of surprise or indignation. The speaker mentions the offending action after "ever." That girl just has no manners! I mean, did you ever hear anyone acting so uncouth?
did you ˈever (...)!(old-fashioned, informal) used to show that you are surprised or shocked: Did you ever hear anything like it?
See also: did