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The Bachelorette 2018: Can't Fight The Moonlight
Hi my faves, how are we all doing this evening? I'm tired, but what's new?! Let's get right into the episode.
We open the episode with Ali on a contemplative jog, during which she decides to give Charlie his damn one-on-one time, but it's NOT a date, huns!
I... lowkey think she just wants to kick his ass for questioning her, which is honestly a real mood.
They're meeting at the gym, where's Ali's ready to put him through the ringer.
Charlie arrives and immediately says that he's "been extremely confident through this whole process", which I would like to see the receipts on, personally.
Charlie is impressed that Ali's strong. She's basically like:
They do a circuit next, which looks a lot like what Britney and her hot boyfriend Sam Asghari do together.
After the workout, Ali feels that everything's all good between her and Charlie once again and that he's learned that she's no pushover.
Back at the mansion, Todd says that if Ali were to choose Charlie in the end, he would worry that Ali wouldn't be able to go out with friends because Charlie is so jealous and insecure. Bill agrees.
READ MORE: The Bachelorette 2018: Todd's The One That She Wants
READ MORE: The Bachelorette 2018: Hold Me Closer, Giant Dancer
Anyway, let's brush right past that and onto our post-apocalyptic group date!
Here's how they shoehorned this bonkers activity into the show:
Osher: "Would you say you're looking for someone who can love you 'til the end of time?"
Ali: "Yes, I am."
Osher: "Well that's lucky, because today, you're being transported to the end of the Earth."
Osher and Ali:
We then learn that Taite and Paddy don't know how to pronounce the word "apocalypse", which is... really something.
Stay in school, crack a book once in awhile, my babes!
The lads have to partner up, which leaves us with: Bill and Taite, Charlie and Paddy, and Country Dan and Daniel. Todd then gets paired with Ali, and you know who's mad?
It's Charlie!
Guys... I think Charlie's trying to kill me. I can't take much more of this. Like, chill out bruh??? Take a nap? Learn to meditate??? Have a piece of cheese and calm the f**k down?? ?? ????
This tweet is unavailable or no longer exists.
The teams are going to be strapped together, and then they have to work together to find supplies -- like wine -- to survive the apocalypse. I need to find supplies -- like wine -- to survive more of Charlie! BRB sweeties!
Okay great!
Each team has a "nest" where they need to return their post-apocalyptic survival supplies to. The team with the fewest items at the end loses, and a team needs three items to survive.
While we're here, I'll just quickly point out that everyone keeps saying "least amount of items", which is grammatically incorrect:
Again, crack a book once in awhile!
Charlie and Paddy are feeling extremely competitive, with Bill and Taite, in particular.
As you can imagine, it's chaos. Everyone is scrambling to get their three items, and tensions are high, except between Todd and Ali, who are just having a lovely day.
Anyway, Charlie and Paddy end up fighting Bill and Taite, and trust me, you'd be hard pressed to find a dumber display of aggression than four grown-ass men getting into a punch up over a fake game on The Bachelorette.
Anyway, would you believe that Ali did not love seeing these dum dums beat each other up over a game?! Chicks, hey!!!!
Charlie and Paddy have been knocked out of the competition, which leaves us with Todd, Bill, Taite, Country Dan and Daniel, whose prize is a sleepover... at the mansion.
Can you imagine getting into a literal punch up with someone for a secret prize, and the prize being that someone's invited themselves over to your house and said that you can't go to sleep?! I would riot!!! Let me go to bed!!!
She also makes them cook a huge meal, which isn't even sleepover food?! Like...
As they all get set up in the living room, and Taite steals Ali for a snuggly chat outside. It leaves all the lads seething, which is fair when you consider that they all have to sleep on the couches because Ali won't let them go to bed, lolllll.
Bill steps out to interrupt them, and Ali promises to return inside shortly, returning to her very intense conversation with Taite, in which she says that she's falling for him and they talk about how they can feel his heart beating for her.
READ MORE: The Bachelorette 2018: Follow The Bachelors On Instagram
READ MORE: The Bachelorette 2018: Ali Is Ready For Love On Her Own Terms
All of a sudden, it's time for the cocktail party! Bill finally gets his chat with Ali, and wow do you know who's mad about it? It's Charlie! What in Groundhog Day hell?
Someone please send help and get me out of Charlie's head!!!
While Bill and Ali have a cute, lighthearted chat and a quick pash, Charlie lectures the other guys about how the sofa they're sitting at means that Ali will be asking him the hard-hitting questions and how this will probably mean that Bill's time is up or that he's conning her, or something. Honestly I had to zone out because he was just vibrating on a level that I couldn't cope with emotionally.
We go into the rose ceremony, and SURPRISE! It's double elimination time. Charlie already has a rose from his not-date workout, and Bill snags the first rose of the ceremony.
Next up is Taite, and then Daniel scores a rose, leaving Todd, Paddy and Country Dan battling for the final rose.
It goes to Todd -- duh -- eliminating Country Dan and Paddy from the competition.
They both wish Ali all the best and sing the praises of the other guys in the house.
As Paddy leaves the mansion to the sickest dance beat the house has ever heard, he reminds us that the girl for him will be F-I-T and that his Tinder will be poppin'. Ah, love!
And that's all for another week, folks! Come back next Tuesday, when we'll see Ali disregard the concerns of binge drinking in Australia and get the boys to drink as much beer as they can, and Taite get a second date!
Until then, live laugh love.
Want More Bachelorette? Check out Unpacked on 10 PLAY.
Feature image: 10


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http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=12679 Tab Atkins Jr. <email@example.com> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CC| |email@example.com --- Comment #2 from Tab Atkins Jr. <firstname.lastname@example.com> 2011-05-23 21:19:26 UTC --- The two old attributes that use hyphens (http-equiv and accept-charset) are a weird legacy. The two classes of new attributes that use hyphens (data-* and aria-*) represent an open class of attributes, and the hyphen serves a useful purpose of representing that the preceding string is a common prefix (already established by CSS as a common pattern). Many other attributes that could potentially read better with hyphens, like formnovalidate (form-no-validate?) are hyphenless. For consistency, let's drop the hyphen. I don't want to have to remember any more exceptions to the no-hyphen rule than I'm already forced to. -- Configure bugmail: http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are the QA contact for the bug.Received on Monday, 23 May 2011 21:19:28 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 20:01:49 UTC

subset: commoncrawl


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Gelert Hot Gel Hand Warmer
Gelert Hot Gel Hand Warmers were developed by specialist, like athletes, trainers, physiotherapists and doctors. Hot Gel Hand Warmers do not require electricity or preheating. To activate quickly bend the warmer until it clicks. The heat pad heats up to 55°C within seconds, with durability almost twice as long as some other Gel packs. With careful use, these hot gel hand warmers can be used hundreds of times.
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Unlike other fictional universes, the Doctor Who universe is created solely by fiction. To us, this is not a valid source. Information from this source can only be used in "behind the scenes" sections, or on pages about real world topics.
The Brilliant Book 2011 is a behind-the-scenes illustrated guide to Series 5 of the new series of the show. It was published in 2010. It features information from in-universe and real world perspectives and new stories with the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. This book replaced Panini's Doctor Who Storybook series in the 2010 production schedule, and was followed by a second volume in 2011.
Contents Edit
Features (Fictional Context) Edit
- This is Leadworth
- Welcome to Starship UK
- "To Victory" Ironside Poster
- The New Dalek Paradigm
- Legends of the Weeping Angels
- Extracts from Rory Williams' "Twitbook" page
- Signora Calvierri's Academy for Young Women
- The Vampire Chronicles (featuring Judoon case file and a William Shakespeare sonnet)
- Dream Lord Teasers
- The Legend of the Constant Warrior
- The History of the Stone Totems
- Photo Album of the Wedding of Amelia Jessica Pond and Rory Williams
- The Doctor's fez.
Stories Edit
- Umwelts for Hire by Brian Aldiss, illustrations by Martin Geraghty
- The Little Planet by David Llewellyn, illustrations by Anthony Dry
- The Lost Diaries of Winston Spencer Churchill
- Vincent van Gogh


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Non Fiction or NonfictionNon-fiction or non-fiction books
No fiction is not true and non-fiction is true.
"Non-fiction" vs. "non-fiction", and whether it depends....... Non-Fiction Reader
So, the issue is what kind of writing you like and whether it makes a big deal of Difference. I am a nonfiction enthusiast, it seems to me that it deserves the common ritual of transition to legit. I' m also inclined to use "non-fiction". Why I called the group "non-fiction" I don't know anymore. My preference is for "non-fiction".
The Merriam-Webster (American dictionary) has only non-fiction books, while the Chambers' (British dictionary) contains only non-fiction books. Since I find non-fiction more natural, and I am a Brit..... that's why I have written "online" above: the different types of lexicons are the same, with the MW offer available on-line and the chambers' on-line.
In general, I wonder whether the Americans are more willing to drop the dash. The Merriam-Webster (American dictionary) has only non-fiction books, while the Chambers' (British dictionary) contains only non-fiction books. It' just spelling. It' hyphenate. That's what I use in my tag. I' d rather use the dash notation.
However, in general I do not use the word non-fiction. They divide the books into "fiction" and "everything else", and that is alien to me, considering that the "everything else" covers a much greater part of the bookscape. That also holds me with an embarrassing label (literature and fiction) for the many "other things" - incl. poesy, essay, etc. - that are not necessarily fiction, but certainly "something else"; and yet spares me the trouble of constantly judging values (is the textbook literary or is it just fiction?
So, I checked Garner's Dictionary of Modern American Usage, and he says that rational people will differ in the issue (which means it's not really important). Generally, American English is much less welcoming for dashes than British English. It tends to be The Guardian Style Guidebook, which says: Whenever possible, try to keep away from dashes and say that this is the way words generally work.
I' m using the dash in my tag, and I live in the States as a point of referral. to see if he can tell me something definite. Non-fiction vs. non-fiction? Non-fiction makes more sense: Removing the dash does not lose anything in the body of the messages. Non-fiction requires less room, less writing and, probably most importantly, less writing to achieve the distant dash.
It seems to me that the look of'non-fiction' is more appealing..... Oops, I only used non fiction for years that I jumped back and forth without even considering it. However, shortly after I started a non-fiction blogs last autumn, I chose the easy one. A dash makes it look like an instable structure.
Non-fiction looks more like a complete term to me. From the LT usage perspective: With the extended lookup utilities for looking in my own archive, the dash created problems for me. I' m not sure what it was anymore, but I know that it made me change to the term "non-fiction", although I like " non-fiction ".
Okay, that's not a good enough explanation, but I still choose the dashed format. Had I imagined saying "non-fiction" with just one accented word, I would have written it without a dash. The way it is, I emphasize both "non" and "FICtion", so I choose the separate shape in general use. While I certainly don't like the notion that a remote "authority" gives me a brief allowed term listing, half of us use the dash shape and the other half of us use the non-hashes in our tag to make search and browser.
"I had marked my textbooks as fiction and non-fiction, but I have now deleted these tagging words - they have made my day clouds strange with these 2 huge words and they are not too helpfulI disagree with you.
Others are much more colourful, funnier and more unique. It' truely said that "fiction" and "non-fiction" are quite wide, but my aim is to have at least one third of a non-fiction book a year. I' m usually a virtuouso about these things and would confide in Noah Webster or the people at The American Heritage Dictionary.


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All of our coffee is roasted and delivered twice a week from Hearthwood. Coffee Roasters here in Yucaipa. Coffee is made to order using the pour over method and is served fresh. Waffle batter is made in-house daily. Sandwiches made with Village Bread and Boar's Head meats and cheeses. At Chai, we go the extra mile to make as much product as we can fresh in house, and source other products locally that take the same care and passion into making their products the right way.
Our Address:
12124 California st Yucaipa, CA 92399


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2018 Honda Accord Two Door – {All of us obtain Honda Family car info for July 2017. Just what exactly merchandise is well known? If you are seeking what you need, you're in the best place! Compare just about the most up-to-date products values in addition to find the best deals.
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2014 P.C. North Baseball Seniors
GO PANTHERS!! ONE MORE TIME during State Tournament at OU Field in Norman Oklahoma
Blake Seibert - Parents - Tammy and Eric Seibert
Grandparents Dr. Gene and Charlotte Nease (Co-Owners at Walnut Creek Chapel) and Ed and Helene Seibert from Buffalo New York -
So Proud of this outstanding YOUNG MAN!!! LOVE YOU!!!
Blake Seibert #15
Sean Hinkle #9
Elvis Dean
Hunter Heffington #5
Tanner Crawford
Carson James
Billy Bates #12
Large Individual Portraits of Senior presented at 2014 Baseball Banquet
Dessert Cakes
Ice Cold Salad Plates
Fresh Garden Salad with Dressings
Four Buffet Lines
BUFFET: Tossed Green Salad w/dressings, Brisket, Italian Herb Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Brown Gravy, Italian Green Beans, Warm Croissants with Butter
A Spot for Tea - Owner and Caterer - Tammy and Eric Seibert
405-720-2765 www.aspotfortea.com
Lets EAT!!!
Ben Seibert in Lite Blue Shirt
Great Group of Young MEN
P.C. NORTH Varsity Baseball Team
|P.C. North Varsity Baseball Team 2014
Individual Portraits of the Senior Baseball Team and Manangers
Closing Comments from Coach
Great attendance over 200 guest
Richard and Terri Hinkle presented a short video of the Baseball Team
Great Video
Facebook page by Tammy Seibert
Ben, Blake, and Brock Seibert, Tammy, Blake and Eric Seibert (parents of 3 boys) and Hosting Walnut Creek Chapel 2014 North Baseball Team Banquet. Regional Champion Award for 2014, P.C. North Panthers, Graduation 2014 Seniors


text:
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text:
Hot Properties
Property By City
Contact Us
Naresh Brothers
24/24A, Birhana Rd, Naughara, General Ganj, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Generalganj - 208001, India
Mobile : +91-9336205206
Since incorporation in 2019, Naresh Brothers has been serving property buying and selling demands of the clients around Kanpur. We are a group of professionals, who work diligently to meet and exceed the clients' expectations. Operating from Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh, India), we provide solutions for a variety of residential and agricultural properties. Our real estate agent services are the combination of taking details from the clients, finding the suitable match, scheduling visits, verification, price negotiation and final settlement. So, get associated with us and complete your property trading operations with ease.


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The (Remote) Water Cooler
As many companies are transitioning to remote work for the first time it is normal to feel overwhelmed. Getting used to the social norms of working from home can be odd for…
Every company going out to try to raise capital from angel investors or VCs seems to have some derivative of the same question – "What should we include in our pitch deck?" While the outsize…
Every company going out to try to raise capital from angel investors or VCs seems to have some derivative of the same question – "What should we include in our pitch deck?"
While the outsize clout people give a simple slide deck may seem silly, it speaks the importance of being able to weave a compelling narrative about your business.
Roelof Botha of Sequoia Capital is one of the most successful venture capitalists of all time. He sits on the board of companies like Square and Jawbone and led investments in Youtube and Meebo before they were acquired by Google. Recently, he checked in at #18 on CB Insights list of the top 100 venture capitalists.
Basically, he knows what it takes to build great companies and how those companies should think about raising capital.
Thanks to court records from the 2010 Viacom-YouTube lawsuit, we can take a first hand look at how the Youtube founders pitched Botha (exhibit 1) and how Botha pitched Youtube internally to his Sequoia partners (exhibit 2). From there, we can better understand how companies should think about structuring their own pitches to investors as well as the major hurdles companies need to get over to turn a potential investor into an advocate who makes sure to push their deal forward.
Here is the rundown of the order in which the Youtube founders presented their business opportunity and our interpretation of the reasoning. As you will see, the way this is presented does a great job of continually answering questions and pushback that would be brought up in the preceding section.
Purpose – Why should I care?
Problem – What point of friction are you attacking? Money is made at points of friction.
Solution – How are you removing (extracting value from) that friction point?
Market Size – How much value can you conceivably capture from this new offering?
Competition – If the market is so big there must be others after it, right? While some argue that competition is not a good thing, a Blue Ocean approach to entering the market shows you have thoughtfully evaluated where others have failed and understand how to attack those areas.
Product Development – What is the actual product that will serve as the conduit for this better customer experience?
Sales & Distribution – How will you make the market care about this cool product?
Metrics – Have any of your previous predictions been tested and evaluated by your target market? How has it gone?
Team – Are you the people that are going to connect all of these dots?
Raising a seed round is like making a sale to a SMB customer — smaller amount of money in play, usually one decision-maker, and a relatively short sales cycle.
Raising institutional money is more like conducting an Enterprise sale. The check size is bigger, the timeline is longer, and you need to find an advocate on the inside that is going to continually work to push the deal forward and get buy-in from other decisionmakers.
This latter process is the one we see at play here in Exhibit 2, where Botha takes us the Youtube cause internally at Sequoia and present the case for investment to his partners. Here, we get a rare glimpse into how an investment decision is made at a VC firm.
As a founder, reading through this section is instructive in that it can help you anticipate some of the questions an investor will face from partners so you can be sure to address those in your own presentation.
Intro – What is the thesis and (like in the previous section) why should we care?
Deal – How do the terms and structure of the deal (valuation, our ownership, etc.) fit in overall with the portfolio we are building?
Competition – How does this company fit into the marketplace of both large and small competitors? An outline of the competition quickly helps investors build a framework for what your go-to-market strategy may look like.
Hiring Plan – Does this company have a plan and the ability to attract talented executives and key employees to bring the business from where it sits today to where the founders have said it will be in the future?
Key Risks – What factors will cause the statements that have been made around market, product, distribution, and team to not come true? What is the likelihood and scale of those risks?
Recommendation – As Thrive's Miles Grimshaw put it in his blog post on the document, how does management, market, and monetization all tie together?
We search the web for the best tips to attract, engage and close investors, then deliver them to thousands of inboxes every week. Want in?
As many companies are transitioning to remote work for the first time it is normal to feel overwhelmed. Getting used to the social norms of working from home can be odd for…
A lot can happen in a short amount of time. Just 4 weeks ago, restaurants were full, basketball was being played, and many startup conferences were still a go. For…
Have you ever dealt with someone acting in bad faith? How did you handle it? This week I believe a partner of Visible's is acting in bad faith. Nothing illegal…


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This is Jack Twobears furreal of www. They quit the screening except for a brief questionaire at the door and now it seems nobody enforces the rules and the dress code went out the window. Bluegrass Secrets Social Club Reviews: On the down side they don't have a hottub or wet area or furnish condoms for the guest. I think the bad reviews are from the competition in the area.
Louisville KY swingers
Swingers Date Club. We want to laugh and flirt more
1 2 34 5 Read more →


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Does the idea of 'networking' make you squirm – but you know it's important for your personal development and career progression?
This week on the podcast, discover how to network in a way that gets results AND feels good, with my wonderful friend Mariya Radysh.
Mariya is known to her friends and associates as "The Networking Star of Melbourne". She is passionate about collaboration, connection and networking as a way to achieve your desired goals, and she helps others to do the same through her training workshops and keynote speaking. She is also an expert on human potential and advanced goal setting, on which she recently delivered a TEDx talk.
Mariya comes from a family of medical practitioners and always has been interested in and studying the physiology and psychology behind human behaviour and success. She has had successful careers as a lawyer, a university professor in law, and an interpreter (she speaks 5 languages!).
She now runs a successful speaking and training business where she helps people from a variety of industries to use networking as an effective marketing tool, as well as manage their time better and achieve peak performance.
Connect with Mariya on LinkedIn here.
We met (appropriately) at a women's networking event I was MC-ing. As we spoke, I was immediately drawn to her quiet confidence. She shared with me her unique take on the skill of networking, so of course I was excited to invite her on the show to share it with you.
We met at the recording studios at United POP, a super cool arts, fashion and media school in Melbourne – so a shout out to Francisco and Raadj from United POP for generously hosting us!
Listen to the podcast to hear:
- Why networking is important for helping you accelerate towards your goals
- What effective networking looks like
- Who are the right people to aim to connect with
- How to pick your networking events
- How to build your confidence to put yourself out there in the first place
Did you enjoy this podcast? Join our Facebook Group 'The C Method Rockstars' and share your thoughts with our community!


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My mom is why I'm here.
In Buddhism, there exist enlightened beings known as Bodhisattvas. Known as "wisdom-beings", I have come to know Bodhisattvas as undercover angels, people with indelible goodness and patience they share with the world. In my experience these past 6 months, Bodhisattvas have been everywhere. My various guardians and friends at Thistle Farms have been Bodhisattvas each and every day, shedding light on the truth, beauty, and hope in the darkness of this world.
This Mother's Day, I want to celebrate the Bodhisattvas. The undercover angels that help us be that which we would become. These undercover angels, these "wisdom-beings", they are moms, sisters, friends, daughters. They are everyday people doing their best to be for the next generation, which their moms, sisters, and grandmothers were for them.
How will you celebrate the mothers in your life? I suggest buying one of Thistle Farms Mother's Day Kits to share the gift of healing love with your mother, sister, or friend while simultaneously supporting a community of recovery here in Nashville. Every purchase you make directly benefits the mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends that made the product with love. This May 13th, let's do our best to proclaim the power of love to change the world with our families, friends, and those we may never meet, but who we love all the same.
By Maddie, Thistle Farms intern


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How to conduct a content analysis of a newspaper
Print out your coding protocol and coding sheets.
Ensure that you have purchased the correct newspapers.
Make sure your environment is free of distractions.
Enlist the help of the cat.
Check: does your breath smell nice? No, you just ate a fish sandwich. That was probably not a good idea.
Use an HB pencil. That is a good idea.
Make a trip to the washroom. Return to find that the cat has absconded with your pencil.
Indicate your displeasure by hugging the cat and glaring at your webcam.
Banish the cat from the room.


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|You could wear your Clovers
with this one
We often associate countries with particularly excellent products: Japanese silk, French lace, Irish linen, Scottish tweed, American cotton; or with distinct qualities: French couture, Italian design, German engineering, British tailoring, American endeavour and Japanese craftsmanship.
So one could be excused for assuming that living within the British Isles access to impeccable tailoring techniques, advice and supplies would be almost commonplace. Saville Row, London is probably the best known address in the world for ordering your handmade suit, having your officer's military dress uniform sewn and braided, and having your bespoke hunt jacket tailored and fitted.
Not a bit of it! This is apparently a secret and closed world and if you want to make a tailored jacket as a home sewer you are obviously not invited.
I've always hankered after a hacking jacket – a checked tweed or wool affair (to keep warm on dawn canters), with slanted front pockets (to keep my pennies in), double back vents (for when I'm galloping through the meadows), fitted (so I look slim) and really, really stylish ('cause I'm vain). Oh, by the way I don't horse ride regularly at all now – just wanted the jacket. I thought of buying one (oh sacrilege!) but they retail at £300 and upwards.
I trawled the internet looking for a pattern, and I mean trawled. I reckon about three week's worth of concerted searching and where did I find the perfect pattern?
Was it England? No
Was it Ireland? No
It was the country of "what do you want and when do you want it" – America!
While I could locate riding-style jackets in most pattern companies' portfolios, I stubbornly wanted the real thing.
I first found Pattern Review during this apparently futile search and MaryB had reviewed a pattern by Jean Hardy – No 107 Dressage Coat in March 2009. This was the only review of the pattern company and after reading her comments I was very apprehensive. Take time to read it yourselves – it's scary!
This is her fantastic jacket she made for her darling daughter. Her perseverance, dedication and obviously excellent sewing skills are testament to her success in completing the job, but this is part of her conclusion in the review
"The process of making this coat was a disharmonic convergence between a mediocre-drafted pattern with confusing instructions and my in-a-hurry inexperience with making a tailored coat. It was hard. I made mistakes."
|Jean Hardy 875
Misses Hunt Coat
But in those days I was innocent of the amount of work and technical ability required to pull off such a project and so located Jean Hardy on the Internet and searched their patterns. Unsure as to whether they posted to the UK, I emailed to find out and also asked a few questions about their designs. The people at the other end were lovely, replied promptly and answered all my queries, the most important being, Yes, they did post to UK. I'm a sucker for good customer care, so I ordered immediately.
You obviously have to look down your nose at the stable boys when wearing one of these jackets.
I chickened out when it came to purchasing fabric. I went for a plain, dark brown brushed cotton type of thing not the original plan of a checked (plaid) Harris tweed. I just thought about all those seams and matching up checks (plaids) and hard things like that and went for the easy way out.
MaryB was right. The instructions were OK but I was somewhat, the diagrams were a bit vague though. On the introduction it states: "If you prefer a fully hand tailored coat, refer to a tailoring book…." Now for a girl who is accustomed to Vogue instructions, step-by-excruciating-step, a statement like this is terrifying.
My measurements spanned three sizes on the measurement chart, so Miss Never-Make-A-Toile(Muslin) – did. Had to take it in quite a bit but used the toile(muslin) as underlining for the shell fabric, so it didn't go to waste.
I did refer to a tailoring book, in fact, Claire Schaeffer Couture Techniques (yet again) and zillions of blogs.
We were having a conversation the other day on Frabjous Couture about the reliability and accuracy of blog tutorials. I can honestly say that without them this jacket would never have been completed.
I had enough fabric left over to make a matching waistcoat (vest) and have the same, but different sized, buttons on it – to make a suit. I also added three smaller buttons on the sleeves but these are just for show.
The flaps on the waistcoat are mock – there are no pockets. It is lined in the same fabric as the jacket.
Better image of the fabric and the welt pocket with flap, that actually fits inside the pocket if wanted – now that was a fluke!
The collar and lapels were pad stitched and sewn on by hand simply because I knew my machine would have PMS and wage war at the exact moment of attachment, so I didn't let it think it had the upper hand.
The hem is supported with canvas interfacing and I put in chest shields and hair canvas on the fronts.
Double back vent which was amazingly quite easy to do.
My lining is a petrol blue jacket lining so fairly robust with a small square pattern. I liked the contrast between the brown and the blue and ties the jacket in when worn with denim or, as in the right hand pic, with Paco's skirt.
I pulled out all the stops and inserted an inside pocket like a man's jacket with a button-over closure.
Lastly, added the labels and welcomed to the wardrobe.
I love this jacket. It really does go with so much already in the wardrobe. As I hardly ever wear black, dark brown is a good alternative for me.
I will make it again in my fantasy Harris tweed some day, but as the genuine thing costs at least £60 a metre it may be some time.
Next time I'll take it in just a little bit more at the waist so that I look more like the ladies at the top of the page LOL. Oh and I'll work on that haughty, look down my nose appearance for all those stable boys.
Thanks for reading. Ruth


text:
An official Bulgarian delegation, headed by the country's minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski, will arrive in Tehran on March 6 in a four-day visit for the 18th Session of the Joint Intergovernmental Bulgarian-Iranian Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
The 40-member delegation will include Bulgaria's deputy ministers of energy and economy as well as representatives of the country's economy-related administration.
A separate business delegation, made up of 67 Bulgarian enterprises, will accompany the official delegation to explore grounds for cooperation with Iranian companies. In addition, a business-to-business forum is scheduled to be held on March 7.


text:
GMS MX Series™
Your Lock & Security Professionals Since 2002
145 Roberts Ave. Bridge City, TX 77611
MX Series steps ahead of the competition by offering one of the most competitively priced Key Control Services available. You no longer have to worry about unauthorized copies of your keys being made without your knowledge. MX Series is a strictly controlled keyway of propriety design with control of distributing.
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Many manufacturers produce locks that can be picked in less than 60 seconds. With the MX Series, a few special pins make picking the locks extremely difficult for even the most experienced locksmith.


text:
Three steps to spelling success...
and a personal course pathway.
pathway based on phonic progression.
use with fun activities and worksheets.
Sound features in Spellzone use HTML5 audio, JavaScript and HTML5 speech synthesis.
Activities such as Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check, Listen and Spell and the Spellzone games use HTML5 speech synthesis. Spelling Course and Spelling Ability Test voices are recorded.
Voice synthesis on Spellzone is generated in the browser and therefore the quality of the voice depends on the browser used. For the best voice quality we recommend using Google Chrome.
If you can see a speaker icon below click on it to test speech synthesis:
If you cannot see the speaker icon above or hear the sounds first check your browser is updated. For a list of suggested browsers click here.
Browsers may not play sound automatically and you may need to click on the icon to play the sound. This is a browser security feature and as you use Spellzone the sounds may later play automatically. This can occur on any platform but is more likely on mobile devices.
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click here to contact us.


text:
Green Energy Innovative Biomass Cluster is involved in several international initiatives to promote and develop bioenergy field.
.COSMENERG-4i 'Global Clusters for Renewable Energy and Environmental Technologies' is the biggest partnership in the field of renewable energy and environmental technologies originating in Central and Eastern Europe. It comprises around 450 members including large companies and SMEs, research institutions, universities, local authorities, and related stakeholders. COSMENERG-4i was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Budapest, Hungary.
COSMENERG - Cluster Excellence project in the Central and Eastern European network of cluster organizations in the field of (eco- and bio) energy, renewable energy, and environmental technologies
The objective of the BioVill project is to transfer and adapt experiences gained in countries where bioenergy villages already exists (Germany and Austria) to countries with less examples in this sector (Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Romania). The project fosters the development of the bioenergy sector in selected target countries by strengthening the role of locally produced biomass as a main contributor for energy supply on local level, considering opportunities of market uptake or expansion for local farmers, wood producers or SMEs.
The development and adoption of renewable and sustainable energy have become a top priority in Europe and is Horizon 2020's most prominent theme.
Exchange of experience between researchers in the field of bioresources.
Develope and promote an integrated heating system based on biomass and encourage the development of eco-enterprises along the value chain of biomass.
Switching to district heating systems for diversification of supply, reducing gas dependency and increasing the use of locally available renewable sources
Promoting in Romania the technology for the cultivation of the energy willow (Salix Viminalis) as an alternative source of clean energy.
Experience exchange to increase energy efficiency in rural areas in the Central Region.


text:
The ACT recorded the greatest drop in new home building approvals in February, despite a national rise.
Approvals in The ACT fell 15.6 per cent which was the greatest decline across all states and territories.
Nationally new dwellings approvals rose by 0.8 per cent, following an 8 month fall.
NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia all recorded increases in new dwelling approvals with Canberra, The NT, Queensland and Western Australia all recording declines.
Find out more: http://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/4573692/act-records-biggest-drop-in-new-home-building-approvals/


text:
Dan Russ CPC
Dan is originally from Louisville, KY and attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH where he was a student-athlete and received his BA in Communication. After graduating, Dan's love for basketball led him to play professionally for 2 years in Europe, and coach two more at a university in Kentucky. His recruiting career began in 2009 and quickly became a passion that continues to drive every conversation and opportunity he has to help others.
What is the coolest job (besides this one) that you have ever had?
Played professional basketball in Europe for a couple years (Holland and Germany).
What is your all-time favorite movie?
Shawshank Redemption
Who is one musician or band (living or dead) that you would love to see live?
Fleetwood Mac
If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life what would it be?
Easy. Cheeseburgers.
- Tel: 614-885-8490 EXT: 110
- Email: email@example.com


text:
Tersus UAV PPK Solution with Base Station
Tersus UAV PPK solution includes BX316R PPK Receiver, AX3705 Helix Antenna and Tersus GeoPix Software. BX316R PPK Receiver supports multi-constellations and dual-frequencies. It has in-built 4G memory for GNSS observation data recoding. Very small and light AX3705 Helix Antenna is designed for UAV…Continue
Added by Haley Hu - on October 31, 2018 at 11:30pm — No Comments
Multi-chart and multi-scale features implemented to DRONEE PLOTTER. Now you can visualize multiple log attributes on multiple charts, zoom to the time frame synchronously. Also, you can visualize multiple scale data on the same…Continue
Added by Tomi Piriyev on October 29, 2018 at 10:30am — 4 Comments
The ideas have no value, the important thing is the execution....
A few years ago, I came up with a solution to move loads with drones efficiently,
which consisted in articulating the arms of the drone, as the load moved out of this...
This in order to keep the thrust center aligned with the center of mass.
I gave much…Continue
Added by Alberto Vila on October 29, 2018 at 4:00am — 2 Comments
Copter-3.6.0 has been released as the default version for Multicopters and Traditional Helicopters.
The release announcement is here and includes the large number of changes:…
Added by Marco Robustini on October 29, 2018 at 2:10am — No Comments
After the successful launch of the DeltaQuad Pro, and DeltaQuad Pro #MAP, Vertical Technologies has now launched the DeltaQuad Pro #VIEW; A long range surveillance drone based on the DeltaQuad hybrid VTOL fixed wing UAV.
Added by sander on October 28, 2018 at 1:24pm — No Comments
Just another day at the Dronecode flight testing line. Want to see the logs? They're all here, including 3D replay of the flights (click on date link to see all the data…Continue
Added by Chris Anderson on October 25, 2018 at 7:30pm — No Comments
Today FlightZoomer Cockpit 3.1 has been released (in the MS store the name is still FlightZoomer Cockpit 3). The app offers a number of nice improvements over the big version 3 release from August.
The most notable one are interactive checklists, which are demonstrated in this video:
This features supports entirely…Continue
Added by Martin Rüedi on October 25, 2018 at 2:01pm — No Comments
Lockheed Martin acquired an Aeromapper Talon from Canadian UAV manufacturer Aeromao Inc, specially suited with a dual camera setup with long range video transmission capabilities.
The Aeromapper Talon…Continue
Added by Mauricio on October 25, 2018 at 10:53am — No Comments
Hello everyone.
This demonstration simulates flapping movements when the bat lifts up as well as thrusts forward.
We already recognized the fundamental mechanisms of flight of insects and bats through the divine formula.…Continue
Added by Yutaca Sawai on October 24, 2018 at 12:33am — 1 Comment
Ten years ago, when I started this site, we were solving some hard technical problems in aerial robotics (such as getting drones to actually fly without crashing!). Now those problems are largely solved (and many of us went on to found companies that today use drone data, rather than making drones themselves), my inner geek took me to the next set… Continue
Added by Chris Anderson on October 21, 2018 at 2:30pm — 8 Comments
To replace the lens for Gopro Hero 3, first, prepare for the new original lens for Gopro Hero 3,
Added by lyxlens on October 18, 2018 at 8:31pm — 2 Comments
Hello DiyDrones!
Based on the reception for our first teaser video, we at aeiou think some of you might be interested in seeing our next trailer for the Dawn on board AI platform for UAS.
At aeiou our…Continue
Added by Guy Barker on October 18, 2018 at 9:56am — No Comments
The Sky Eye-25HZ is a ruggedized, high performance 25X electro-optical zoom camera payload designed for demanding applications that require high quality and precise images, like inspection for building, power lines, tower,…Continue
Added by yangdaonline on October 18, 2018 at 1:30am — No Comments
It's customary and traditional that we celebrate the addition of every 1,000 new members here and share the traffic stats. We've now passed 89,000 members!
Thanks as always to all the community members who make this growth possible, and especially to the administrators and moderators who approve new members, blog posts and otherwise respond to questions and…Continue
Added by Chris Anderson on October 17, 2018 at 10:42pm — No Comments
Part 2 of my Tutorial about Precision Landing, using a Raspberry Pi, OpenCv, Arducopter and Dronekit.
> Plus my first Shout Out... at the very end!
> Plus the first…Continue
Added by Tiziano Fiorenzani on October 15, 2018 at 10:30am — 3 Comments
At Workswell, we come with a new drones camera system designed to detect dangerous gases. The aim of the system is to provide information on the occurrence of hazardous or noxious gas at a safe distance, using drones. We used standard infrared…Continue
Added by Workswell on October 14, 2018 at 4:46am — 2 Comments
From Hackaday:
Most civilized nations ban the use of landmines because they kill indiscriminately, and for years after they are planted. However, they are still used in many places around the world, and people are still left trying to…Continue
Added by Chris Anderson on October 12, 2018 at 10:33pm — 1 Comment
A big fish in a small pond.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones which can safely land on water are a relative scarcity, and fixed-wing users working in the "splash-zone" could benefit greatly with a drone specifically designed to sustain this type of environment. Thus far, fixed-wing UAVs have been the…Continue
Added by Mauricio on October 11, 2018 at 12:18pm — 2 Comments
A summary of ten year's research in the area of Drone Design and Development. Written as a design guide to inform and educate future generations of Aeronautic Engineers, RC Enthusiasts and DIY citizen scientists:…Continue
Added by Dr Stephen Prior on October 6, 2018 at 3:30am — 3 Comments
Almost 10 years ago with the community help, we released an open source robotic blimp platform based on Arduino and we named it Blimpduino. It was a really cool project, despite the limitations back then..........
And by back then I mean that we lacked cheap WiFi modules, 3D printers, and all sorts of fancy sensors! This leads us to use…Continue
Added by Jordi Muñoz on October 5, 2018 at 9:00pm — 7 Comments


text:
Restaurant's Racist Salt and Pepper Rule
A southern business owner is catching a lot of heat for a strange new policy that he recently initiated, that many people are calling extremely racist. Richard Taft is the owner and general manager of the high-end restaurant, Mezzo's, in Charleston, South Carolina. A couple of months ago Taft started fining people for breaking a preposterous restaurant rule. At every table in Mezzo's there sits a small sign that reads, "please keep the salt and pepper on separate but equal sides of this sign, failure to do so will result in a $100 fine, thank you for your consideration. Needless to say people are livid, but Taft keeps his sign up and still enforces his fine. You would think that his business would be hurting because of his idiocy, but in fact the opposite is true, Mezzo's has never been more popular. In his own words Taft explains:
You know, all of this started as a kind of joke. I know it's racist as hell but that's the point. I opened my restaurant over thirty years ago, its only recently become popular when all of these hipsters decided that fresh food was good, no shit, but hey that just means I can charge an arm and a leg for a homegrown tomato. Anyway, I got really sick of these damned yuppies coming in here and insulting my president while glorifying socialism, all well spending hundreds of dollars on their supper right, ironic isn't it. That's all we get in here anymore are yuppies, Hilary lovin' Trump hatin' yuppies, and I just got sick of their bullshit. Don't get me wrong I don't mind the kids rallying against Trump, I admire their passion. Hell when I was a kid I had long hair and protested Nixon, it's what you do when you're young, fight, and then grow up when you see the bigger picture. These posh yuppies don't know a damned thing, I hear them complaining about capitalism, and bitching about how the working man is getting screwed over, and then I watch them leave a shitty tip and then get into their BMW's and drive away, it's a joke. The last straw for me was the night four of these guys came in, had several rounds of drinks, and then insulted my friend and chef, that was it. These guys wanted to personally thank him for the great job he had done on their meals, of course like they always do they started talking politics with him. When Henry, my chef, told them that he had voted for Trump they started to berate him. They called him a racist, a race trader, and even an uncle Tom. Being a black guy, Henry didn't care for that very much. So, I decided to get back at these guys who come in every Friday, I decided to mess with them and all of their yuppie kind. I asked Henry what he thought would be the best way to really get under their skin and he said to me, "these kind of people love to appear to hate racism," so after a little thought we decided to put up signs and fine people for placing the salt and pepper next to each other. The following Friday when those four guys came in they freaked out, of course they put the salt and pepper next to each other and paid the fine. Before they left they saw Henry and asked him how he felt about all of this, Henry just said to them "you want my opinion? But I'm a race traitor." That left them speechless, they just stormed out. I didn't think they'd show back up, but they did, and they put the salt and pepper next to each other and paid the fine again, in protest they said, idiots. Of course my restaurant grew extremely popular and I started to get a bunch of people who wanted to pay me, in protest of my silly rule. Henry and I have already made quite a bit of money. Maybe next time I'll build a wall and charge people for bringing salsa over it. I love America.
Taft has increased the price of many of his plates since his restaurant has become so popular. Mezzo's became so popular that Donald Trump himself went there to eat, he allegedly left the salt and pepper where they were and gave Taft a thumbs up after doing so.


text:
First, you can post your opinion about a wide range of topics, especially those with a public concern, such as the quality of the local businesses and services. You cannot, however, name specific people's names (either in whole or part, directly or indirectly) unless they are a public person.
Second, you cannot post a negative statement of fact about any person or company. Accusing someone of doing something, like committing a crime, is a negative statement of fact. You may discuss things that are publicly reported elsewhere, as long as you provide a link or reference to where that information is published.
Please note that we will not provide specific assistance in determining whether a post violates the usage policies. You cannot email us ahead of time and ask whether or not it is acceptable. Nor, if it is found to not meet our guidelines, can we specify to you which part of the message does not meet the guidelines. Additionally, in removing posts, we typically will err to the side of cautiousness, so we suggest you use the same approach when writing your post.
As you can tell by reading the variety of posts and topics, a wide range of discretion is provided in what may be posted. But, adherence to the Usage Policies is what will ensure that we continue to provide this valuable service to the Blairsville, Georgia community. All of us would hate to see the public forums end up closed or severly curtailed simply because of a few "bad seeds."
We have never heard these subjects discussed amongst as many people in the grocery store, in the library, or in a restaurant. And yet, they're brought up on here. Clearly there's a desire to talk with others about these subjects. But talking about it here is just like doing so at the library or in a restaurant. We know each other in real life. We're even congregating together soon for a holiday gathering. These subjects are better left to national-focused boards where people can get their feelings and ire and angst communicated without risking it spilling over into our relations as a community - whether that community is here online or in our real life town.
This board, by virtue of its name and our stated intentions, is focused solely on Blairsville, Georgia. We didn't report on election results from other communities because of that focus. We do list area events from neighboring communities, but only because of the likely interest by members of this local community.
Again, we'd like to keep the conversations going on here to those directly tied to Blairsville and Union County. It distorts the usefulness of this board to allow it to be a battleground for ideology and national issues. There are many other places to debate religion or national politics.
The fact that it's Blairsville people discussing it is not enough of a local connection. For political issues (if people voted on it - it's political), it has to be directly related to Blairsville. For religious discussions, it's like a Bible Study class. The subject is set at the beginning and discussion centers around striving for a deeper understanding and not to debate the beginning premise. Having a discussion is not arguing though. If someone has an opposing view, they would need to go create their own "study group" (i.e. topic) for that differing view.
Lastly, you'll have to bear with us. It may be that a topic will have to progress a bit before we can figure out it's not really about Blairsville. Just because a topic is allowed to stay after the initial post doesn't mean that it will be allowed to continue. We may be waiting to determine the relevance to our local community by the following posts.
Blairsville, Georgia - home in the North GA Mountains
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text:
RICi-T3 is an intelligent converter connecting Fast Ethernet LANs over T3 circuits
RICi-T3 is an intelligent converter connecting Fast Ethernet LANs over T3 circuits. The RAD
enables service providers and ISPs to supply transparent Ethernet services, without interfering with user traffic.
RICi-T3 has one framed T3 port, and one 10/100BaseTx port. Packets are forwarded from the Ethernet network to the T3 network at wire speed, fully utilizing the expensive T3 circuit. The 802.1p priority scheme
enables users to define three different QoS levels, according to the application requirements. The Fast Ethernet
bridge in the
RICi-T3 handles 1536-byte frames supporting VLAN applications. In filter mode, the bridge
learns MAC addresses and filters local traffic, and in transparent mode it forwards any received packet. VLAN
stacking transports user traffic transparently, keeping the user LAN settings intact. In addition, the management traffic may be tagged with a different VLAN, fully separating user traffic from management data. The DHCP
client automatically obtains IP address, IP mask and default gateway, minimizing installation time. The RAD RICi-T3
provides a fault
propagation feature. When a link failure is detected the RICi-T3 shuts down the user port.
Don't forget to ask about RADCare support
for your RAD products.
Specials E-mail us Bookmark this site More RAD Download RAD English catalog Important Notices


text:
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Maggie and Her Happy Holiday Pups!
23 comments:
She is a cute little thing, the pups are sweet.ReplyDelete
She is adorable, as are the pups, and that is an admirable cause!ReplyDelete
Awe, Maggie and the pups are so cute in their pink and blue. And they're all posing so nicely!ReplyDelete
Christmas Hugs,
Oh Coralie...ReplyDelete
That is just the most precious picture ever. I so love that smile. Isn't she just beautiful?
Now her critters are just as sweet as they can be to. So proud of their little selves. Just sitting there so pretty with their little scarves and all. They are all decked out for the holidays. I just love it.
Thank you as always for sharing this morning. Such a pleasure to pop by.
Country hugs sweetie...Sherry
How adorable!! What an honorable thing to do!! Outstanding young woman.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 17, 2009 at 8:31 AM
What sweet little ones.....ReplyDelete
Merry Christmas!!
How adorable, Coralie! She looks like such a sweetheart--and those pups! So cute!ReplyDelete
soooooo sweet~~~~ and pink scarfs!!!ReplyDelete
My heart just melted when I saw that picture. I looked at their web site. What a wonderful thing they are doing! I loved Lilly. Have a wonderful day! TwylaReplyDelete
Oh my, what a lovely little bunch! With beauties like that why would you need any other decorations?! LOL!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for sharing . . . what a blessing!
OmG, she and her little pals are adorable! Aweeee :)ReplyDelete
Three beautiful young ladies and a boy, judging after the colors. They are all adorable, in front of that beautiful Christmas tree.ReplyDelete
Have a nice evening!
Oh, they are all so adorable!!!ReplyDelete
Now there are FOUR (4) absolutely gorgeous beauties ... she is darling, the pooches are so cute, Coralie.ReplyDelete
Merry Christmas ~
TTFN ~ Marydon
Follow/read us on new blog ~
Those puppies are so darling in their cute outfits! I wish I could snuggle all of them!!ReplyDelete
Great photo. Merry Christmas to Maggie and the pups. So nice of her to volunteer.ReplyDelete
Great cause and adorable picture!ReplyDelete
Your grandniece is so sweet looking, as are the pups.ReplyDelete
Hello sweet Coralie...ReplyDelete
I just posted for the evening. Please flutter on over. You will find the reading quite interesting. You may know a couple of the angels listed.
I love you sweet friend...Country hugs...Sherry
What an adorable picture. One of our daughters works tirelessly for animal rescue. Such a wonderful cause.ReplyDelete
Precious picture and a wonderful project. :-)ReplyDelete
What a wonderful cause! This picture is sooo sweet, Coralie!ReplyDelete


text:
Illustrations by Claudia Kilgore
I want to make one thing clear from the beginning. You read this at your peril. The only reason I am putting it all down on paper is in the hope that doing so will expunge it from my mind. My ability to destroy this recounting, once finished however, is not possible. Ripping it asunder, or burning it, would only multiply its evil. However, it is my fervent desire that this manuscript never be found. That is why I plan to bury it. I shall entomb it with the rest of the dead and rotting detritus of the world. If you come upon it, which apparently you have, proceeding beyond this paragraph would be a grave error. Best to return it immediately to where you found it. Should you continue, you are likely to find yourself in the same wretched state in which I reside. But more importantly, the responsibility for dealing with this all consuming malignancy will become yours alone.
You have been warned.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mine was a life of no particular distinction. I was one of countless bureaucrats laboring unseen in the bowels of government house. My title was file clerk. I was by no means the only one. In my department alone there were four of us. We were responsible for separating, cataloguing, and filing a seemingly endless number of documents, reports, forms, letters and memoranda that members of parliament initiated, responded to, or simply wished to have available in the future. The state, in its infinite wisdom, felt that maintaining mountainous volumes of correspondence was absolutely essential to both the preservation of history and the orderly operation of political authority. I saw no reason to disagree as this afforded me a stable income.
Looking back, I long for the mindless monotony it once provided. The comfort of routine that is so foreign to me now. We humans seem incapable of truly appreciating peace and complacency, until they are replaced by havoc and anxiety. If only I had not volunteered. If only I had been content to maintain my status as an unseen cog in the wheel of bureaucracy. But no, I leapt at the chance for something new, something different.
Be mindful of what you wish for. But you won't listen. If so, you would not have come this far.
"I know this is highly irregular," he began, as my colleagues and I stood in front of his desk, our hands pressed stiffly to the sides of our trousers. He didn't like irregularities. They interrupted his illusion of control. "But apparently our section is being queried as to whether any of our file clerks would voluntarily accept temporary assignment to F branch. Pish-posh, if you ask me."
"I would, sir." I can still hear myself say. Three words I shall regret for eternity.
"Oh you would, would you? Our corner of the world not good enough for you, is that it? Anyone else? I didn't think so. Right, then. See Featherstonehaugh, Foreign Branch, level two. I still say pish-posh."
Featherstonehaugh was as supercilious as his name. He wore his disdain for those beneath him like a horse wears a bit, with undisguised annoyance.
"You're the volunteer, are you? Best Records Branch could do?"
"I'm sure I can't say, sir. But I did volunteer. So here I am."
"How enlightening. Do you have your curriculum vitae?"
I handed it to him.
"Less than impressive, I must say," he said, before he could possibly have read it. "But no matter. It's a thankless task in a fetid backwater. Should be perfect for you. Please listen and don't interrupt until I've explained the assignment in detail. Then ask questions, if you must. Are you with me so far?"
"I am, sir."
Upon that note, Featherstonehaugh proceeded to outline the task for which I had, without reserve, volunteered. It consisted of a journey to the far side of the world. As he droned on, he attempted to make it sound as distasteful as humanly possible. But his condescension was all for naught. For one as inexperienced as I, it sounded like a gift from heaven. An excursion across seas and continents. An assignment not beyond my competence. A specified amount of time to accomplish what I was being sent to do. A return trip home. All at the expense of his majesty's coffers. I was so enthralled I failed to realize he had stopped talking seconds earlier.
"I say, have you been struck mute?"
"No, sir. Sorry. I am not mute, sir."
Handing me the detailed itinerary he had read verbatim, he asked, "What questions do you have?"
"No questions, sir."
"No? How sporting. Dismissed," he said offhandedly, having already turned to the more important matter of smoothing his moustache.
One week later, at Royal Albert Dock, I boarded the good ship, South Wind. I refer to it as a good ship now simply because that seems to be how steamers are referred to these days. I had no way of knowing whether it was a good ship or not, never having been on a ship in my life. But it seemed a good ship, immense with multiple decks and a smokestack that belched black soot into the gray sky. Like most of the passengers, I had chosen to stay topside for the embarkation, even though there was no compelling reason to do so. There was no one on the dock to which I would wave farewell. My adult existence to this point had been as solitary as it had been unremarkable. No wife. No sweetheart. Acquaintances, but few friends. Certainly none of sufficient fondness to travel to the harbor to wish me bon voyage. What little family remained were aunts, uncles and cousins made distant more by apathy than lineage. But I stood on the deck, watched the outline of the shore grow faint and let the past slowly fade away. I was setting a course for the future, changing my life for the better. I was confident my bold initiative had set me upon a tide of good fortune. This would not be the last time I would misread the tealeaves.
As the first day of my journey lengthened into evening, we passed through the Channel, skirted the coast of France and made our way into El Mar del los Vascos, the Basque Sea. I was content to stay on deck and watch the far shore for the many fishing villages and shipbuilding ports I had read so much about. I confess that virtually all of my knowledge of the world, at that time, had been gleaned from pages of books and frequently folded maps I often perused in the public library. Actually seeing the coastline, I felt freer than I had ever been. No longer bound by geometric intersections and dewy decimal aisles, I was skirting the coasts of foreign countries, savoring the wind and spray in my face, basking in the anticipation of potential adventure.
I stayed on deck until the sun fell below the horizon and there was nothing left to see but the wake of the ship churning through the moonless night. Then I returned to my cabin, undressed and prepared for bed. The cabin's length was barely the length of the bed itself. It's width perhaps twice that. No complaints, mind you. It was only by the good graces of the government and my aforementioned volunteerism that I was taking a sea voyage at all. But it did feel a bit like living in a closet, or a cocoon. No need to go on about it. I just wanted you to know I wasn't traveling in the lap of luxury. It was a reasonable accommodation for a single individual. More appropriate for someone three inches shorter than myself, actually, but I digress.
Prior to falling asleep, I reread the itinerary and instructions Featherstonehaugh had given me. I would do so every night of my journey, rapt as I was in the excitement of it all. After Spain, Portugal, and the Straights of Gibraltar, it was the Mediterraian Sea to Alexandria. There, I would take a train to Cairo and board a smaller vessel that would cross the Red Sea to Djibouti. From there, another boat across the Arabian Sea to Bombay. By train again to Madras, boat to the Bay of Bengal, up the Adaman Sea to the Gulf of Martaban, and eventually to my final destination, Rangoon.
I was to be met by M. Henderson of the Foreign Office who would escort me to the quarters that had been arranged for me. The following day I would be taken to the offices of Doctor Leland Jonas, and my project would begin.
Featherstonehaugh had given me a dossier on Doctor Jonas. The crux of which revealed him to be a brilliant man. Highly educated not only in medicine, but also in botany and entomology. But, Featherstonehaugh had added with a snide riposte, apparently certifiably insane and hopeless at organization. Doctor Jonas had supposedly hanged himself and left his office in a state of unimaginable squalor. The local native population refused to enter the doctor's office after his death, apparently put off by one or another of numerous superstitions relating to the region. A previous trip to his office in Rangoon by members of the foreign service had uncovered such a voluminous amount of notes, specimens, memorandums and unfinished reports, all in such a chaotic state, as to make the examination of his findings virtually impossible. It had been decided that until his work could be codified into some sort of logical orderliness, nothing of value could be achieved. Ergo the need for a file clerk.
The idea of reassembling a suicide's disordered life was not that compelling, but the opportunity to see a part of the world I never imagined I would ever encounter was thrilling. It was necessary, however, to revisit the study of plants and bugs I had given scant attention to since leaving university. Not to mention looking into medicine, which I had virtually no knowledge of whatsoever. So I would spend part of each evening prior to sleep, reading and making notations in the three volumes I had purchased prior to embarking. They were laborious tomes, to be sure, on botany, entomology and the healing arts, but they would at least give me rudimentary information I could use in my work.
By the time we reached Alexandria I had tired of the ship. So it was not without some measure of enthusiasm that I looked forward to the train ride to Cairo. I must admit though, that I was ill prepared for the heat, and spent the majority of time with my head beside the lowered window to capture the breeze. There was little to see other than vast expanses of sand and the occasional procession of men and camels who seemed to glide effortlessly along the desert floor, more part of the land than interloper.
The boat we boarded in Cairo was infinitely smaller than the ship I have previously discussed and the passage was untroubled. So I soon found myself boarding another train from Bombay to Madras. The train station virtually teemed with humanity. I had thought the previous Egyptian crowds were large, but they paled in comparison to the sea of Hindu and Muslim skin and bones that seemed to throb as one, like some giant pulsating animal. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was finally able to take my seat. Once the wheels began to turn, I must admit I fell asleep almost immediately, fatigued by days of travel.
The boat I took down the Bay of Bengal was the smallest yet. It could not have consisted of more than ten cabins. The passengers were as irrelevant to me as my previous traveling companions had been. I was focused solely on the country where I would soon be alighting, Burma. We docked fourteen days from my initial departure. I now felt that I was on the far side of the world.
The rainy season had begun. We disembarked amid steady precipitation. I stood on the deck, beneath the shelter of the overhang, and scanned the crowd. I hoped M. Henderson would be in uniform, as I had no other means of identifying him. Luckily, I soon spotted a tall man in military attire stepping out of a waiting automobile, umbrella in hand. Pulling my hat tighter on my head, I started down the gangplank waving as I walked. I approached him and asked, "Are you M. Henderson?"
"I am. Are you the file clerk?"
"This way, then."
Once inside the motorcar we exchanged more familiar introductions. Despite his somewhat stiff demeanor, he seemed to be an affable fellow and welcomed me warmly. The streets by the harbor were narrow and pedestrian traffic was heavy in spite of the inclement weather. I was fascinated by the people. They seemed so different. A tiny race, I thought. So small. Brown and wafer thin. Many would smile and wave as we passed.
"Not used to seeing a motorcar," Henderson explained. "Many of them have little exposure to the outside world. They're filled with strange ideas and foolish superstitions. But some have done a first-rate job of picking up English. Like Doctor Jonas's boy, Patu, at your house."
"Doctor Jonas's boy? Will I actually be staying in the doctor's house?"
"Yes. They were his quarters."
"Was the house…where he…"
"Oh, no. Don't lose any sleep over that. He laced up the ghost's necktie at his office. That's where you'll be working. But you won't have to spend your nights there."
Somehow, I was less than comforted.
The house was in a part of the city where narrow streets widened into boulevards and massive walls shielded homes and buildings behind them. Stopping at the appropriate spot, the driver exited the car, opened the gate, returned and drove us into the courtyard where Henderson bade me farewell.
"I'm afraid I have a number of things still to do. Mustn't dally. Patu will greet you, make you comfortable and show you to the office tomorrow. It's just a short stroll from here. If you need anything at all, ask Patu. He knows how to get in touch with me, and just about everyone else of consequence. Good luck with your… filing. Perhaps we can have dinner one evening."
I was about to respond but the motorcar was pulling away before I had the chance. Walking to the front door, I put down my valise to grip the brass knocker when the door opened and a diminutive fellow in black pants and a white tunic opened the door, bowed, and said, "Greetings to his exalted Majesty's most esteemed and revered File Clerk. I, Patu, welcome you."
Never having been esteemed or revered, I was a bit lost for words, but I managed to reply, "Good day, Patu. I'm very happy to be here and I put myself in your capable hands."
He took my bag, stepped aside and motioned me into the foyer. I stepped inside and was immediately overcome with my good fortune. The house was far grander than I had imagined. A number of rooms rimmed the circular entry. Their doors were open and I could see the gardens beyond. Lush, green ficus leaves were interwoven with bamboo and teak trees. Red, white and yellow hibiscus shimmered with color. Surely no man could be as lucky as I.
Patu made rather a show of walking me round and pointing out each room. He had obviously rehearsed it for some time and took pleasure in showing off his English as well as the house. I liked him and his rhetorical flourishes immediately, and so responded at the end of his tour by saying, "Patu, these are the grandest accommodations I have ever had. Thank you for sharing them with me."
"Shall I bring you a gin and tonic water in the library? Doctor Jonas, may peace be upon him, always took his there."
"That will be fine. Thank you."
An hour later I was enjoying my second gin and tonic as I thumbed through some of the doctor's books in his library. But I couldn't keep my mind on them. As I sat back and gazed out into the garden where the sun was just beginning to fall beneath the horizon, it struck me that I had perhaps never been happier in my entire life than I was at that moment. Of course, I had no way of knowing, that would be the last time happiness would ever again be part of my thoughts.
On the way to the office the next day, Patu insisted on walking behind me. He would tell me at which corners to turn, but he said it was unseemly for him to walk in front or beside me. I agreed, not wishing to debate what he felt was customary. On Bigandet Street we passed St. Paul's Catholic School for Boys and came upon a building close by built entirely of teak in the Anglo-Burmese style. Patu handed me a key and said I should go in. Down a long hallway, on my left, I would find Doctor Jonas's office, he said.
"Aren't you coming with me, " I asked.
"No Burmese will enter the doctor's office now. Enough time has not passed."
"Time for what?"
"Time for the brokenhearted dragonflies to leave. No Burmese will enter until they are gone."
"Dragonflies with broken hearts? I'm afraid I don't understand."
"The English do not understand. Nor do they believe. The Burmese know better. I go back to the house."
Must be one of the superstitions Henderson and Featherstonehaugh spoke of, I thought. So I said to Patu, "Fine. I'll see you at the house tonight."
Following his instructions, I walked down the hall and found a sign that read LELAND JONAS, MEDICAL DOCTOR. The door beneath it was indeed locked, so I took the key Patu had given me and used it to enter. Whereupon, I was immediately cognizant of a high-pitched sound that seemed to hang in the air like violins out of tune. The further into the office I stepped, the louder the drone became. I walked to the only window I could see, thinking a breeze might help dissipate whatever was making the sound. The window would not budge. Setting down the books I had brought with me, I put both hands and all my strength to the task. It moved not an inch and the tone continued unabated. I walked back to the door and closed it. The sound immediately stopped. How very odd, I remember thinking.
As I had been informed, the office was a catastrophe. Floors, desks, tables and chairs were strewn with papers. Equipment stood willy-nilly around the room. Microscopes and specimen plates peeked out from surfaces cluttered with debris. Vials of medicines and drugs, even syringes and surgical equipment were all about the place as if tossed by the wind. I saw another door on the far side of the office. Perhaps an examination room. Opening it, I found more of the same. Immense stacks of paper, journals, notes and pages torn from books. It was as if the doctor, like a giant Burmese python, had shed his various skins here and there and left it all to be reconstructed by anyone foolish enough to take on the task. The locals would have none of it. His superiors hadn't wanted the job. Why, was now obvious. One must pay the piper, I said to myself.
Even though I assumed that a large part of what lay before me was simply an immense amount of refuse, I decided to make a start. I took off my jacket and draped it around the back of the desk chair. While doing so, I noticed that some of the decorative molding on the front edge of the desk had been broken off. Seeing nothing on the floor, for some unknown reason I looked up and spied a large exposed beam running the length of the room, just below the ceiling. My God, said I. He must have climbed up on the desk and used that very beam. Looking again to make sure the door was still closed, I climbed up on the desk. The distance between it and the beam seemed just enough to do the job. The molding was probably kicked loose by the involuntary spasms and twitching of his legs. Or perhaps, having stepped off the desk, he began to have a change of heart as the noose tightened, and struggled unsuccessfully to regain his footing. Suddenly my knees became rubbery, aided no doubt by an overactive imagination. I quickly came down and took a seat in the desk chair. An ever so slight wave of nausea made itself known briefly, but quickly passed. Concentrate on the task, I told myself, not on the sordid circumstances that brought me here. So I set myself to it.
Fixing my gaze on the largest heap of paper and debris on a table in the corner of the office, I decided to begin there. I walked over and reached for a handful of documents. As I pulled them from the pile, and was about to return to the desk, my peripheral vision sensed the smallest movement from where I'd removed the papers. Imagination again? Playing tricks perhaps? I paused for a moment peering at the spot. The edge of one piece of paper did seem to rise, almost imperceptibly. Did it really move? Was it just settling, or perhaps put in motion by the tiniest breeze? But I reminded myself the window was closed and the door was shut.
The paper was still now. Probably nothing, I thought. But just to convince myself I had been mistaken, I reached over and began pulling the piece of paper out ever so gently. The moment it was detached from the other papers surrounding it, a black dot bolted furiously up the length of my arm, heading directly toward my face. I began to back peddle as quickly as I could. The dot had somehow sprouted luminescent wings and was flapping them wildly, jittering up and down in front of my eyes. It was moving so rapidly I couldn't focus on it. I raised my hand and tried to brush it away but it was moving too erratically for me to strike. Before I knew it, the drone I had heard upon entering the office started again. Then another dot and another emerged from the heap of papers. Instantly, they had multiplied exponentially and a huge swarm of them began to hover near the ceiling as the high-pitched whine became louder and louder. Still trying to fend off the one who had raced toward me initially, I became aware of a monstrous sight. The winged insects started literally exploding in mid-air, their chests blown apart as if by tiny explosives. One by one they burst into a haze of minute green particles that hung in the air like dust mites. Yet still the largest one came directly toward my face, as if to attack. In my haste to recoil swiftly, I stumbled and fell. My head banged into the leg of the Doctor's desk. A sharp pain knifed along the base of my skull. It made me wince and bring my free hand up to touch the offending spot. The touch reignited the pain and I grimaced, instinctively inhaling to let go a sigh. When I did, the winged apparition dived headlong inside. I could feel it bouncing from my tongue to my jaw to the roof of my mouth. I began to gag. For a moment there was stillness. I thought perhaps I had spit it out. Then the fluttering began again. I could taste its dry thinness careening behind my teeth. I tried to use my tongue to force it forward. I opened my mouth wide and reached in with my hand to grab and extract it. I felt nothing. I spat and spat again. It's gone, I thought. I've gotten rid of it. Then a violent flutter arose once more. I stretched my jaws as wide as they would go and reached in with my hand to rake it out. Immediately its ferocity increased, and I realized it was plummeting down my throat. I began to gag profusely and choke simultaneously. My throat caught. My stomach turned. I coughed and tried to spit, but the saliva stuck in my throat and made me gag again on the air being sucked into my windpipe. Tears emerged from my eyes. I brought both hands to my neck, heaving and coughing and spitting at the same time. I felt unable to breathe. My heart was racing. I must stop this, I thought. I must. Against my will, against every instinct I had, I swallowed deeply. Not once, but twice. Then I lay on the floor, still and quiet. I raised my knees to my stomach, as a fetus might. It's gone, I kept telling myself. I've swallowed it. I will not choke. I will not vomit. I will not die. I will simply be still. It's over.
And soon it was. My breathing eased. My pulse slowed. I regained my composure, if not my dignity. Surely, it was only a moth I thought, nothing more. How could I have panicked so completely. Still, the thought of it, within me, made me sick to my stomach. Perspiration spotted my brow. I noticed my hands shook slightly unless I gripped the desk. What time was it? How long had I slumped there before rising to sit in the chair? How long had I been sitting? What happened to the papers I had taken from the pile? I saw them scattered about the floor. I still don't feel well, I told myself. Fresh air. I need fresh air. I shall go outside. Go back to the house, perhaps. Rest a bit. Before returning to begin the work again. Insects, that's all they were. Perhaps as Patu said, dragonflies. Were they that large? I could not remember. But I could still see them exploding in mid-air. Bursting apart and dissolving. And I could still feel the flutter of wings that fled down my throat.
I retraced the route I had taken that morning with Patu, my forearm resting against my stomach as I walked. I could tell I was stooped over, but it seemed too much effort to stand erect. Half way to the house, the skies opened and rain came down in sheets. I was soaked but could not force myself to quicken my step. I slogged along the streets until I reached the house.
Patu met me at the door, brought me inside and helped me out of my wet clothes. I told him I needed to rest and retired to the bedroom. Crawling into bed in the middle of the day, I planned to take a quick nap and return to the office later that afternoon. When I awoke the moon was up.
I went downstairs and called for Patu. He came and asked if I was feeling better.
"I'm not sure. How long was I asleep?"
"Two days, almost three now," Patu replied.
"What? It can't have been that long."
"You were very ill. A fever, I think. Your sleep was fitful. You cried out and waved your arms at the air."
Was it a dream, I wondered, had it happened at all? "Patu, I did go to the office, right? Then I came home, wet from the rain?"
"That is correct. Then you fell into a fever and slept. I informed his most benevolent and militaristic M. Henderson that you were ill and would be spending some time here before returning to your work. He stated your sickness was perhaps caused by your long journey?"
"I don't think so, Patu. Let me tell you what happened."
As I recounted all that I remembered, Patu listened and spoke not a word. The longer I talked, the more his face grew sullen, eventually grave. He seemed to back away from me as I spoke while pulling his body into a crouch, as if trying to become even smaller than he already was. I knew something was terribly wrong.
"What's the matter, Patu? What have I said that's alarmed you?"
"The brokenhearted dragonflies. You saw them. And heard their mating song. Each struggles to be heard above the rest. To win the right to mate. They sing with such force, their bodies cannot contain them. They shatter, like glass. You saw them."
"I saw something. But surely what you describe is only a myth. It can't be true."
"The English never believe until it is too late. Doctor Jonas finally believed. Too late."
"What do you mean? Tell me what you know of Doctor Jonas."
"He studied many insects and flowers, looking for ways to heal the sick. I asked him not to collect the dragonflies. But he would not listen. He too called what you have seen and heard a myth?"
"He heard them? He saw what I saw?"
"Yes. And like you, he was invaded by the queen."
"Invaded? What do you mean, invaded?"
Patu went on. "The dragonflies are brokenhearted because they want to mate. They do not know that the queen has already mated. She shuns them and they destroy themselves. But she does not care. All she seeks is a dark, wet place to lay her eggs."
My stomach twisted violently. I thought I was going to be sick. But I managed to say, "Utter nonsense! What are you talking about?"
"Doctor Jonas was a good man. Once he learned what he must do, he did it."
Both my patience and my strength were wearing thin, I shouted at him, "Stop being so damned mysterious. Tell me all of it. Now!"
"I must not."
"You must. I insist. Go on."
"When the dragonfly queen invades, she lays her eggs and they begin to hatch. Once born, they must have food. They take sustenance wherever they can find it. They begin to eat the body of the host."
I immediately felt nauseas again. He couldn't be serious, but I couldn't stop listening.
"The organs. The muscles. The skin. Everything, until they get out."
I was sweating profusely, and feeling weaker still, but I had to ask. "And how many eggs does the dragonfly queen lay?"
Patu took a breath before he answered. "Millions."
I felt faint. I staggered momentarily. He quickly pulled an armchair up and I crumpled into it. I was doing my best to keep from retching, but my mind was racing. "Patu, a moment ago you said Doctor Jonas learned what he must do, and he did it. What did you mean?"
"I told Doctor Jonas that the only way to avoid his fate was to take his own life. I told him that if he died before the eggs were laid, the queen would fly from his mouth on the wind of his last breath. The eggs require a living organism."
My God, I thought, as I stared into Patu's eyes. Eyes that showed no trace of lying. Unable to stop myself, I asked, "And if he had not taken his life, what would his fate have been?"
"Far more unpleasant," was his only reply.
My mind began to whirl like a tornado. Surely there were options, alternatives, there must be something. "I can make myself sick, Patu. I can vomit the hideous thing up. Get rid of the queen that way."
"Impossible, she will not leave."
"I can excrete it. I can do that. Before she's lain the eggs.
"She will not travel that far before giving birth."
"An operation. Surgery. I can have it removed."
"It is too late, I'm afraid," Patu answered, with what I took to be sorrow, well and true. "The eggs will have been lain in less that a day. They would have begun to hatch in another. The process has begun."
To learn that you are going to die is one thing. We all die. To learn that you are going to be eaten, slowly, from the inside out, is quite another. Tears began to run down my cheeks. I didn't care.
Then quietly, sadly, Patu said, "There is more."
"More … my God, man, how can there possibly be more?"
"Once the host is infected with the growing eggs, everything he touches becomes infected. Everything he puts to his hands, his mouth, his loins, even his breath itself becomes a possible host. A host that might eventually breed more queens and more brokenhearted dragonflies. The cycle is like that of the sun and the moon."
"You're saying there's no way to stop it? No way at all? Absolutely nothing I can do?"
"There is one way to stop it," Patu added, "if one has the courage. If the host is consumed by fire, before the queen flees, then and only then will the cycle be broken."
Stunned, and still weeping, I blubbered, "Consumed by fire? You're saying that if I burn myself to death, I may not pass this on to others?"
Still hoping for something, anything, any reprieve at all from a fate worse than death or at least a death far less gruesome, I said, "Patu, I saw a revolver in the study. If I use it on myself, will you burn my body? And will that keep me from passing on this hideous malignancy?"
"No. The host must be living when the flames consume the dragonflies."
I was no longer capable of speech. Patu sensed that. He said, "Later tonight, I will put the house to the torch. It must be done. I shall then have to live my own life unsure of whether you have passed this curse to me."
"My God, Patu, life was just beginning for me. It all seems so senselessly … so cruelly unfair."
Innocently, he responded, "Fairness is a superstition. A British one, I think."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It is almost midnight. Patu will be lighting his torch soon. I will bury this history in the garden, among the earth and the things that crawl beneath it. Then I have a decision to make. Shall I flee? Shall I roam the world shunning all contact with others while I'm gnawed into oblivion by an abominable infestation of something viler than the maggots that eventually await us all. Or do I go up to the bedroom, lie down and wait for Patu to begin. To be burned alive. To be engulfed in searing flames with my own screams echoing as my ears burn away. To become the fuel for a conflagration that might save others. Am I capable of that? Am I that strong? Am I that good? I honestly do not know.
Which means, neither do you. Reading this, you don't know whether I chose to live whatever horrendous life I had left, or whether I died roasting in a hell on earth. You don't know if I kept you from potential harm, or if I passed that harm on to another, who may one day pass it on to you. You don't know if I left the malignancy on the arm of an antique chair, a shipboard rail, a stack of junk, sitting dormant in a room that you may someday enter.
You don't even know if the paper this story is written on … the very paper you hold in your hands … is now infected with the scourge of the brokenhearted dragonflies.
But you have only yourself to blame.
You were warned.
Joe Kilgore is an award-winning advertising writer who has plied his trade around the world. Recently he has turned to fiction (as if advertising wasn't enough) and penned short stories that have been published in the anthology, The Creative Writer, the magazine, Writers' Journal, and via online literary magazines, RambleUnderground.org, MoonlineMesaAssociates.com, and Bartleby-Snopes.com He currently has a novel entitled The Blunder available via Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com. Joe lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Claudia, their French Bulldog, Jezebel, two cats and an African Gray Parrot. To learn more about Joe and his fiction, visit his website at www.joekilgore.com.
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Finalists for awards recognising the best of Thetford's community announced
PUBLISHED: 15:00 21 November 2018 | UPDATED: 20:37 21 November 2018
Nominations for awards which celebrate unsung heros, community champions, and brilliant volunteers have been announced.
The Thetford Awards Recognising Achievement (TARAs) recognises the best of what the town has to offer by paying tribute to those who do great things in the community.
The categories include Business, Community Event, Sporting, Young Person, Service to the Community, Good Neighbour/Community Impact, Outstanding Contribution, Volunteer, and Lifetime Achievement.
Event organiser Mark Robinson said: "Once again the task for the judging panel was incredibly difficult because of the quality of nominations received. Now we look forward to the gala evening celebrating the stars in our community.
"Every finalist contributes so much to Thetford in their own way and its entirely right we celebrate them. I hope as many as possible are there on the night to see the wonderful community spirit that thrives in Thetford "
The full list of finalists is: Perry's Taxis, Chilterns, Terry Clucas, Old Golfhouse Vets, Fuzion, Thetford Open Gardens, Megs Casey, Dean Kirton, Ed Sheridan, Terry Lamb, Thetford Bulldogs, Nadine Forde, Alan Horler, Harry Turburville, Ryan Vickers, David Osbourne, Keira Freeman, Moya Brown, Ewa Kaminska, Ali James, Sex, Rock and Roll and Weeding, Philip Turner, and Amy Leeder and Tracey Willats.
Tickets for the main event on Friday, February 1 at the Carnegie Rooms, can be purchased here: https://bookwhen.com/ttcevents/e/ev-shd7-20190201183000