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A Commitment to Quality
Women Built Environments has a reputation for empowering clients as we ensure your success in the built environment. Aggressive rollout of industrial and commercial large span buildings, equine facilities, distribution warehouses and retail/restaurant spaces is our culture as we have extensive experience in these areas. Women Built Environments is a turnkey solution provider that provides a wide range of services for a wide range of project types which are not classified by building type, style or size.


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Friday, October 9, 2009
Obama wins a Nobel Peace prize
Obama is not a peacemaker so how does he qualify for such a prize?
Quite frankly I am thinking these prizes are just jokes, in and of themselves.
Let me explain-
Recall two men, Myron Scholes and Robert C Merton, who received Nobel prizes in Economic Sciences. I know, your asking what is the point? Well the point is these two won this 'esteemed' prize after the spectacular failure of Long Term Capital Management, an enormous hedge fund that required massive bail-out intervention and nearly took down the global economy And who were two of the founders of this hedge fund? Why our two Nobel prize winners in economics of course!
Now back to Obama. What has he done to make peace? Oh 'diplomatic efforts'. So Obama can talk, with his fingers crossed behind his back, whoppee!
We have Obama saying he will disregard borders in his hunt for Alqueda. Obama has not rebuked Israel for it's land thievery and covered up for Israel in it's war crimes in Gaza.
Yeah, those are some peaceful moves! Obama using drones increasing the killing of innocents, Obama turning the war up a notch or one hundred in Afghanistan. Obama has for all intents and purposes invaded Pakistan. And on, and on and on...
So this man, whose every action is only encouraging unrest, destabilization and blood shed gets a peace prize?
Ya know that saying about "walking your talk" ? That means your talk has to be born out in your actions, hence your walk. That is NOT Obama!
I guess what this peace prize really is, it's a prize for the best bullshitter!
20 comments:
Hey Penny.. I was just as flabbergasted as you when I read that this morning... but surprised? No, not really. People are ready to swallow any old bullshit it seems.ReplyDelete
Takes me back to the election and a disagreement a good friend and I had about the prospect of 'change'...
When I heard this, this morning it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing up.ReplyDelete
it seems that the Noble prize committee has finally reached an all time low by awarding the prize for wearing a TelePrompTer up ones ass because that's all that this piece of shit has ever done, and that's "talk out of his ass".
Good heavens this piece of shit gives the term's fraud, fake, shill and snake oils salesman a bad name and doesn't qualify to win the hula doll prize at the goddamn circus, but hey what the hell do I know, after all I'm just someone that believes in ethics and this has NOTHING to do with ethics.
Going out to barf now, and on the upside at least that will replace the bad taste I have in my mouth right now. And I didn't think things could get any lower.
Well said Silverfish.ReplyDelete
Ever heard the expression, "There's light at the end of the tunnel"?
Yep, it's an oncoming train.
Choo Choo! Bullshit express is coming through.
And Pen I did tell yuh that horrible things would happen if they shot holes in the moon. Maybe next time you will listen to me Huh.ReplyDelete
Edo and Silverfish:ReplyDelete
we are on the same page!
First I thought it was a joke, like some kind of satirical piece, but then, NO! It was for real.
What the hell?!
How psyhcotic is this world?
and, edo you are right, people will swallow any old bullshit.
And won't this give a boost to Obama, when the economy of the US is going to hell in a handbasket.
I can't help but think there is some kind of collusion between who ever awards these bullshit awards and the US gov....
And silv, isn't this award really about talking out of ones ass?
Incredible, and when your done barfing, if you can actually manage to stop yourself from throwing up.
eat a light brekky!
Just when you think things can't get anymore bizarre then they are?
and yes, you did silv, you did tell me that, dam NASA, dam them all to hell!ReplyDelete
I gotta share this, checking my hit counter, two hits on the search Obama winning peace prize is bullshit!ReplyDelete
hilarious, just hilarious!
check this search
and this one that came from
also searching Obama Nobel Prize BULLSHIT in capital letters.
Reuters - Obama Peace Prize win has Americans asking why?ReplyDelete
why is right?ReplyDelete
why him?
why now?
why a peace prize?
why any recogntion at all, quite frankly?
I'm seeing the propaganda value in it, not much else.
Just more of the "america is the best" type brainwashing
there's a part of me thinking this is a masterstroke on the part of the Norwegians.ReplyDelete
Lets assume, Barak Obama, elected on a ticket of 'change'(but who actually changes very little) is actually crowned as the Prince of Peace...
Any actions thereafter, come with this princely attachment.
I'm sure the Norwegians know what his intentions were... I think he may well be a bit disappointed to receive the prize. He can hardly go forth with the big plan without being blatantly in breach of his peaceful duties now eh?
I am aware there is a bit of wishful thinking on my part.
I protest!!ReplyDelete
This prize should have gone to Bush and his merry band, afterall Obama is just carrying on with the same orders is he not??
I read in a newspaper here, daily mail I think, that the nobel nominations had to be in two weeks after obama became president.ReplyDelete
This guy must move fast, I'd still be unpacking my bags around that time.
- AnonymousOctober 9, 2009 at 9:47 PM
OBAMA DESERVES THE PRIZE - HE IS FIGHTING FOR PEACE - ANOTHER PIECE OF IRAQ, A BIGGER PIECE OF AFGHANISTAN, A PIECE OF PAKISTAN - THE GUY IS A GOOD LEARNER - BIBI IS A GOOD TEACHER.ReplyDelete
- OBAMAISANIDIOTOctober 9, 2009 at 11:40 PM
This is totally crazy. If Obama was not such an egomaniac he would have done the right thing and refused the award and ensured it went to a deserving person.ReplyDelete
President Obama's campaign and election changed the face of America, gave hope to the entire World, brought Nations together again with the willingness to engage as an international community to solve problems.ReplyDelete
According to Alfred Nobel's will the Peace Prize should be awarded:
"to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."
The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided that "the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
I'm tired of people saying President Obama hasn't "accomplished" enough to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize honors his World Wide Positive Influence in International relations/fraternity.
This is precisely in accordance with Alfred Nobel's defiinition for anyone awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. People who decide to write about this should do their homework. The Peace Prize is not like the Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry, Literature and Physiology or Medicine which are usually issued in retrospect.
Read the actual Nobel Peace Prize organization's statement regarding the 2009 award to President Obama before spewing out garbage.
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.
Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."
Oslo, October 9, 2009
Try listening to all the other Peach Prize winners who also had not yet "accomplished" anything according to your definition.
Lugo: while this is your opinion, and I respect that.ReplyDelete
But, I really must take exception to these claims
"President Obama's campaign and election changed the face of America, gave hope to the entire World, brought Nations together again with the willingness to engage as an international community to solve problems."
Obama's election didn't change the face of America, unless you mean, it put a different mask on it.
The face of America hasn't changed one bit.
Gave hope to the entire world?
Ask the Pakistanis, Ask the Gazans, Ask the people still held in Guantanamo? Ask the Afghan people if Obama has given them any hope? How about the people in Somalia that the US has been shipping arms too foment internal strife, and using their proxy in Ethiopia to attack them.
Israel thumbs their nose at Obama.
What promise of change has Obama kept?
There isn't even one.
You are demonstrating alot of faith, but faith and belief are just that.
Obama is a demagogue, and nothing more.
- AnonymousOctober 10, 2009 at 9:16 PM
well, I think that George H.W. Bush could have gotten this prize years late, for his slaughter of retreating Iraqi's who were protected under the GENEVA CONVENTIONS, as the U.S. military mowed them down. Same for the Clinton thug, another 'nominee' for his sanctions on Iraq that cost millions of lives. Let us not forget Henry 'the war criminal' Kissinger, who participated in the genocide of EAST TIMOR. How about April Glaspie, who told Saddam, back in Geo. H.W. Bush's fake war in 1991; "go ahead, we have no objections for you to annex Kuwait.." Colin Powell, for his brilliant; "I'm an uncle TOM" presentation of bogus, faked, humorously sadly done intelligence photos and mock ups of Saddam's weppenz o'mass destruckshun???ReplyDelete
shit, the list goes on and on. All the way to some posthumous awards to piles of shit who authorized nuclear weapons against the Japanese in WW-II, for no good reason other than to demonstrate to Stalin that we had them.
you decide. and when you do, mark your ballots and send them to:
I.M.A. FUGGINIDIOT, head NOBEL PRIZE JUDGES
Oslo, Norway
I'm sure they'll get right back at you!!! *hahahahahahahahahahaha*
While I agree with most people on here, I find it sad that the person who put the most effort into their comment and really presented the best argument (had their facts been straight) is the one person who disagreed.ReplyDelete
What purpose is served by mocking Colin Powell with racist flair? Or by calling our President a pile of shit? Even if you feel this way, do yourself as well as your argument (and those who agree) a favor and put it into an intelligent, thoughtful comment. Something to be learned from the last President is that those who badmouth him in an unintelligent manner are immediately written off. Don't be written off. Please.
- AnonymousJanuary 24, 2014 at 7:10 AM
I used to highly esteem the Nobel prize list but after seeing a peace prize go to a politician at the head of an invading army this esteem is zero.ReplyDelete
Peace prizes oddly in my opinion should go to those who promote peace and not war.
What an unusual thought this is in this world.
Sadly I was not too surprised at Obama's peace price - just saddened by the confirmation that this world is run by ungodly people for ungodly aims...
I look forward to death to be gone from here...
- AnonymousMarch 17, 2014 at 10:57 AM
The United States Grows two thirds of the worlds food including the grain we give to Russia.ReplyDelete
If we go to war Russians will starve.

subset: commoncrawl


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It was announced late this afternoon that Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg will lose one place on the starting grid of the German Grand Prix following the tyre mix-up during qualifying.
Hulkenberg used a set of tyres during Q1 that the team had electronically returned after final practice.This mistake was an infringement of rule 24.4e of the sporting rules.
As a result, the race stewards have penalised Hulkenberg, who will drop from seventh to eighth on the grid. The penalty now means Williams' Valtteri Bottas will now start in seventh place for the German GP tomorrow.


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About Ruler Views
An NSRulerView resides in an NSScrollView, displaying a labeled ruler and markers for its client, the document view of the NSScrollView or a subview of the document view. The client view can add and remove markers representing its contents, such as graphic elements, margins, and text tabs. The NSRulerView tracks user manipulation of the markers and informs the client view of those actions. NSRulerView handles both horizontal and vertical rulers, which are tiled in the scroll view above and to the side of the content view, respectively. NSRulerViews are sometimes called simply ruler views or even rulers.
A ruler view comprises three regions. First is the ruler area, where the ruler's baseline, hash marks, and labels are drawn. The ruler area is largely static, but it scales its hash marks to the document view's coordinate system and can display the hash marks in arbitrary units. The second region is the marker area, where ruler markers (NSRulerMarker objects) representing elements of the client view are displayed. The marker area is more dynamic, changing with the selection and state of the client view. The final region is the accessory view area, which is by default not present but appears when you add an accessory view to the ruler view. An accessory view can contain additional controls for manipulating the ruler's client view, such as alignment buttons or a set of markers that can be dragged onto the ruler.
A ruler view interacts with its client view in several ways. On appropriating the ruler view, the client view usually sets it up according to its needs. The client view can also dynamically update the ruler view's markers as its layout changes. In its turn, the ruler view informs the client view of actions the user takes on the ruler markers, allowing the client view to approve or limit the actions and to update its state based on the results of the actions.
The appearance of a ruler is based on both the document view and the client view. The document view, as the backdrop within the scroll view, serves as the canvas on which any client views are laid. Because of the document view's anchoring role, a ruler always draws its hash marks and labels relative to the document view's coordinate system. A vertical ruler also checks whether the document view is flipped and acts accordingly. However, the ruler view treats subviews of the document view as items laid out within the coordinate system defined by the document view, and so doesn't change its hash marks when a client view other than the document view is moved or scaled. For the client view's convenience it does, however, express marker locations in the client view's coordinate system. A few other operations that ruler views perform are defined in terms of the ruler's own coordinate system. The discussion of a feature or method makes clear which coordinate system applies. Table 1 summarizes the coordinate systems involved in using ruler views.
Copyright © 1997, 2007 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Updated: 2007-09-04


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Lennar Announces New "FriendShip Cruise Contest" For Fans On Facebook
Lennar's new Facebook contest is giving Fans of Lennar a chance to win a cruise for two. Now through October 15th, during Lennar's FriendShip Cruise Contest, Lennar's Fans are invited to submit the first name of a good friend, and a description of why that friend is an important part of their life. The winner will be determined by which entry receives the most "Like" votes from other Fans of Lennar, using the Facebook "Like" feature. The winner will receive a travel gift certificate to use towards a cruise with their friend, or a gift card for the equivalent amount. Visit Lennar's page on Facebook for more information.


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ambient lighting
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Financial.
Related to ambient lighting: accent lighting, Task lighting
ambient lightingLight that comes from all directions. Contrast with "directional lighting," which is made up of a light source with parallel light rays that do not diminish with distance. Also, contrast with "positional lighting," in which the rays are not parallel, but diminish in intensity from the source.
|Primary Light Sources
|Ambient lighting comes from all directions, while directional and positional lighting come from one source. (Image courtesy of Intergraph Computer Systems.)
Ambient lighting
A form of lighting that illuminates a room in a uniform, unfocused, indirect manner. Task-ambient lighting provides both focused lighting, and general illumination at a lower level, thus conserving energy.
ambient lighting
In any given area, the general background illumination.


text: Evision Accounts Management System is a comprehensive software solution to cater the all financials needs of Small to Large Enterprises effectively and efficiently. Financial Management goes beyond the basics of accounting and focuses on speed, agility, cost, and insights. These unified applications include a full range of finance and accounting capabilities, real-time business insights, and fully audit able process management.


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If you teach young learners, check out this simple song and dance. It's called The Turkey Dance, and as you can imagine, it gives children a chance to dance like . . . . turkeys!!
This is a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day in your home or school. The Turkey Dance is a catchy tune and easy to do.
Here are the lyrics, which go to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw."
Words by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina, music adapted from Turkey in the Straw
copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Kampa
Spoken: It's Thanksgiving Day. Let's move like turkeys.
First, move your elbows!
Move your elbows, do the Turkey Dance.
Move your elbows, do the Turkey Dance.
Stamp your feet and shout "Hooray!"
It's Thanksgiving Day.
2. Now move your hips . . .
Move your hips, do the Turkey Dance.
Move your hips, do the Turkey Dance.
Stamp your feet and shout "Hooray!"
It's Thanksgiving Day.
3. Now move your knees . . .
4. Now move your head . . .
5. Now move your whole body!
Teacher's Notes:
In this dance, students are pretending to be turkeys.
Before you put on the music, show students a picture of a turkey like the one in this blog.
Say "Move your elbows." These are the turkey's wings.
Repeat with each body part listed below: hips, knees, head, and whole body.
Then practice, "Clap your hands and shout 'Hooray!'"
Finally practice, "It's Thanksgiving Day!" by putting your hands together.
My students also enjoy saying "Gobble! Gobble!" between verses.
1. Make turkey wings by moving your elbows.
2. Make a tail by putting your hands behind your back and moving your hips.
3. Move your knees like you're strutting.
4. Move your head forward and back.
5. Choose your favorite movements or make some new ones. Dance!
Here is a short clip of young learners from my English class enjoying The Turkey Dance. It's easy to do.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! No matter where we live, we all give thanks this season for the blessings we have.
The Turkey Dance is one of 15 great songs for kids on Kathy Kampa's Special Days and Holidays. The CD includes a handy attached booklet with lyrics, and is available for teachers in Japan at ETJ Book Service. For teachers residing outside of Japan, the songs are available for download through iTunes.
Kathy's second children's CD, Jump Jump Everyone, is also available at ETJ Book Service.


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Stephen II of Hungary
Stephen II (Hungarian: II István; Croatian: Stjepan II; Slovak: Štefan II; 1101 – early 1131), King of Hungary and Croatia, ruled from 1116 until 1131. His father, King Coloman, had him crowned as a child, thus denying the crown to his uncle Álmos. In the first year of his reign, Venice occupied Dalmatia and Stephen never restored his rule in that province. His reign was characterized by frequent wars with neighbouring countries.
|Stephen II
Stephen II depicted in János Thuróczy's Chronicle of the Hungarians
|King of Hungary and Croatia
|c. 1105
|Béla II
|1131 (aged 29–30)
Várad Cathedral (Oradea, Romania)
|A daughter of Robert I of Capua
|Árpád dynasty
|Coloman, King of Hungary
|Felicia of Sicily
|Roman Catholic
Early years (till 1116)Edit
Stephen and his twin brother, Ladislaus, were sons of the Hungarian king Coloman by his wife, Felicia of Sicily.[1][2] According to the Illuminated Chronicle, they were born "... in the year of our Lord 1101."[3][4] Stephen was named after the first king of Hungary, who had been canonized in 1083, implying that he was his father's heir from birth.[5] A document written in Zadar in approximately 1105 AD makes mention of "Stephen, our most renowned king" along with Coloman, proving that the latter had his four-year-old son crowned king.[6][7][8]
By the time of Stephen's coronation, Coloman had demonstrated his intention to secure the succession for his son.[8] Coloman's ambitious brother, Álmos — who had already rebelled against the king in 1098 — opposed this plan and left Hungary.[9][8] He first sought the assistance of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, followed by an appeal to Duke Boleslaw III of Poland.[9][10] When all of his efforts ended in failure, Álmos submitted to Coloman and returned to Hungary, [11] although he made several abortive attempts to dethrone Coloman in the following decade.[9][12] In order to bring an end to the menace these plots presented to Stephen's succession, Coloman had Álmos and Álmos's little son, Béla, blinded.[13][14]
When he fell gravely ill in early 1116, Coloman also had his brother imprisoned.[15][14] The Illuminated Chronicle narrates that the dying king "instructed his son and his great men" to invade Rus' in order to take vengeance for Coloman's failure in the 1099 siege of Peremyshl (Przemyśl), Poland.[16] [15] Coloman died on 3 February 1116.[9]
Wars and internal conflicts (1116–1127)Edit
Stephen was crowned king by Archbishop Lawrence of Esztergom in Székesfehérvár within thirty days of his father's death.[17] His peaceful succession showed the effectiveness of the measures Coloman had implemented to prevent Álmos from usurping the throne. [18][19] Upon his councilor's advice, Stephen initiated a meeting with Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia, in order to improve the countries' relations, which had deteriorated in the previous decade.[20][21] The two monarchs met on the river Olšava, which marked the border of their realms.[21] However, the lack of mutual confidence hindered the opening of negotiations, leading to armed conflicts which evolved into a battle on 13 May.[21] On the battlefield, the Bohemian army inflicted a serious defeat on Stephen's troops.[9] The contemporaneous Cosmas of Prague blamed the young king's advisors for the fiasco, but later medieval Hungarian chronicles — all completed under kings descending from Stephen's opponent, Álmos — wrote that the king acted without consulting his advisors "... for he was of an impetuous nature".[22][23]
The Hungarian people are prodigious in energy, mighty in strength, and very powerful in military arms—sufficient to fight with a king of lands anywhere. After the death of their king, Coloman, their princes sent to Duke Vladislav to renew and confirm with the new king, named Stephen, their ancient peace and friendship. ... Vladislav came to the River Olšava, which separates the realms of Hungary and Moravia. Immediately, the Hungarian people, innumerable as the sands or drops of rain, covered the whole surface of the land in the field of Lučsko, like locusts. ... But, as scripture says, "Woe to the land whose king is a child." Their princes, through their inborn pride in themselves, strayed from the duke's peaceful words and sent replies more to stir up strife than to bring the kiss of peace.— Cosmas of Prague: The Chronicle of the Czechs[24]
Doge Ordelafo Faliero, who had conquered an island in the Gulf of Kvarner during the last year of Coloman's reign,[25] returned to Dalmatia at the head of the Venetian fleet in May 1116.[26] On 15 July, he vanquished the Hungarian troops which had arrived to relieve Zadar.[26] Thereafter all towns — including Biograd na Moru, Šibenik, Split, and Trogir — surrendered to Venice, terminating Stephen II's suzerainty along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea.[9][27] However, in either 1117 or 1118, the Hungarian troops were able to defeat the Venetians, during which Ordelafo Faliero himself died at a battle near Zadar, enabling Biograd na Moru, Split, and Trogir to rejoin the sovereignty of the Hungarian monarch.[25] However, the new Doge, Domenico Michele, invaded and reconquered all Dalmatia.[21] A five-year truce, which was concluded in 1117 or 1118, confirmed the status quo: the seizure of Dalmatia by Venice.[21]
Stephen's troops launched a plundering raid into Austria in 1118, provoking a counter-attack by Leopold III, Margrave of Austria, later that same year.[21][28] Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia, supported Leopold and pillaged the northwestern regions of the Kingdom of Hungary.[21][29] Despite this, when Vladislaus I dethroned his brother Bořivoj in 1120, Bořivoj fled to Hungary and settled at Stephen's court.[29]
Stephen married a daughter of Robert I of Capua, in the early 1120s.[30] Historian Paul Stephenson wrote that Stephen's marriage alliance with the Normans of Southern Italy "... must have been partly directed against the Venetians."[31] The Norman Princes of Capua had been the Pope's staunch supporters during the Investiture Controversy, suggesting that his marriage also continued his father's pro-Papal foreign policy.[30] According to Włodzimierz Dworzaczek, Stephen in 1121 married Adelhaid, daughter of Heinrich, burgrave of Regensburg.[32][33]
Stephen's cousin and the daughter of his uncle Álmos, Adelaide, whose husband Soběslav had been expelled from Moravia, arrived in Hungary in early 1123.[34] According to Cosmas of Prague, Stephen "kindly received her ... acknowledging her as his relative",[35] which implies that his relations with his uncle were cordial around that time.[34] In the same year, the young king launched a military expedition against the Principality of Volhynia in order to assist its expelled prince, Iaroslav Sviatopolkovich, regain his throne.[30] Even though Sviatopolchich was assassinated at the beginning of the siege of his former seat, Volodymyr-Volynskyi,[30] Stephen decided to continue the war.[36] However, according to the Illuminated Chronicle, his commanders threatened to dethrone him if he continued the aggression, forcing Stephen to lift the siege and return to Hungary.[37][38]
Cosma, of the line of Paznan, stood up before the King and said: "Lord, what is this thing which you are doing? If with the death of a multitude of your soldiers you take the castle, whom will you appoint as its lord? If you choose one among your nobles, he will not remain here. Or do you wish to abandon your kingdom and yourself have the dukedom? We barons will not storm the castle. If you wish to storm it, storm it alone. We are returning to Hungary and we will choose for ourselves a king." Then by order of the nobles the heralds announced throughout the camp that the Hungarians should return as speedily as possible to Hungary. When the King thus saw himself justly deprived of the help of his people, he returned to Hungary.
Taking advantage of the absence of the Venetian fleet from the Adriatic Sea because of a naval expedition in the Levant, Stephen invaded Dalmatia in the first half of 1124.[30] His charter confirming the liberation of Split and Trogir in July 1124 is evidence that the central regions of Dalmatia returned to his rule.[40][31] However, upon the return of the Venetian armada the Dalmatian towns once again surrendered, one after another.[31] According to the Historia Ducum Veneticorum, only the citizens of Biograd na Moru "... dared resist the doge and his army ...", but "... their city was razed to its foundations."[31]
According to the Illuminated Chronicle, the blind Álmos, "... fearing death at the hands of King Stephen ...",[41] fled to the Byzantine Empire.[42][43] Many of his partisans followed him, and Emperor John II Komnenos settled them in a town in Macedonia.[44] The Byzantine historian John Kinnamos confirmed that the emperor looked upon Álmos "... favorably and received him with kindness."[45] He added that Stephen "sent his envoys to the emperor and demanded that ...[Álmos]... be expelled from"[46] the Byzantine Empire, but his request was rejected.[44][47] The sources do not specify the date which Álmos's fled, but it likely occurred circa 1125.[44] Historian Ferenc Makk wrote that Álmos was forced to flee from Hungary because he had taken advantage of Stephen's failures in Volhynia and Dalmatia, and conspired against Stephen.[43]
Stephen met the new Duke of Bohemia, Sobeslav — whose wife was Adelhaid — in October 1126.[40][48] The meeting of the two monarchs' brought an end to the hostilities between their two countries.[40] Around the same year, Stephen also concluded an agreement with Archbishop Conrad I of Salzburg.[40][48]
Last years (1127–1131)Edit
According to the Byzantine chronicler Niketas Choniates, the citizens of the Byzantine town Braničevo "attacked and plundered the Hungarians who had come to" the Byzantine Empire "to trade, perpetrating the worst crimes against them."[47][49] In retaliation, Stephen decided to wage war against the Byzantine Empire.[50] The Illuminated Chronicle relates that the childless Stephen "... so ordered the succession to the throne that after his death the son of his sister Sophia, by name Saul, should reign."[51][52] The chronicle does not specify the date of this event, but Ferenc Makk says that Stephen most probably declared Saul as his heir during the first half of 1127, before storming the Byzantine Empire.[51]
Stephen broke into the empire in the summer.[53] His troops sacked Belgrade, Braničevo and Niš, and plundered the regions around Serdica (Sofia, Bulgaria) and Philippopolis (Plovdiv, Bulgaria), before returning to Hungary.[53][54] In response, Emperor John II marched against Hungary in 1128, where he defeated the royal troops in a battle at Haram, and "captured Frangochorion, the richest land in Hungary" (now in Serbia).[55] Stephen was unable to participate in the fighting because "he happened to be sickly in body and was recuperating someplace in the midst of his land",[56] according to John Kinnamos.[55] The Illuminated Chronicle said that his illness was so serious that "all expected his death."[55][57] The chronicle added that "traitors" went so far as to elect two kings, the "Counts Bors and Ivan".[58][55][59] Upon regaining his health, Stephen had Ivan executed and expelled Bors from his kingdom.[59]
John Kinnamos wrote of a second campaign by Stephen against the Byzantine Empire.[60] The Hungarian troops, supported by Czech reinforcements under the command of Duke Vaclav of Olomouc, took Braničevo by storm and destroyed its fortress.[61] Emperor John II Komnenos was forced to retreat and sue for peace.[62] Historian Ferenc Makk writes that the resulting peace treaty was signed in October 1129.[62]
Going to Branitshevo for a second time, [Emperor John] made haste to rebuild it. Since some time elapsed in the task, the army, suffering from winter weather and lack of necessities, was in severe distress. When he learned this, the Hungarians' king decided to cross the Danube as quickly as possible and attack them unexpectedly. In the Hungarians' land, however, there was a woman, a Latin by birth, outstanding in wealth and other distinction. Sending to the emperor, she revealed what was being planned. Since he was unable to engage them with an equivalent force, because as stated his army had already been overcome by disease and lack of necessities, he fortified the city where possible and withdrew.— John Kinnamos: Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus[63]
For many years, Stephen believed that his cousin, Béla, had died after being blinded on the orders of Stephen's father.[59][41] Having learnt, around 1129, that Béla was alive, the king "... rejoiced with great joy ...",[41] according to the Illuminated Chronicle.[59] He even granted Béla the town of Tolna and arranged Béla's marriage with Helena of Rascia.[62][64]
The Illuminated Chronicle recounts that Stephen showed blatant favoritism towards the "Comans", identified as Pechenegs or Cumans by historians, who had arrived in Hungary in the 1120s.[65][59][66] In his last years, he even tolerated the crimes they committed against his subjects, causing a revolt.[65] Before his death, Stephen "... laid aside his royal state and took the habit of a monk ...".[67][68] He died of dysentery in the spring of 1131.[66] No source recorded the exact date of his death, but most of his biographies wrote that he died on 1 March.[69] He was buried in the Várad Cathedral (Oradea, Romania).[68]
|Ancestors of Stephen II of Hungary[70][71][72]
According to the Illuminated Chronicle, Stephen had no "wish to marry a lawful wife but took to himself concubines and harlots".[73][36] However, his advisors, "grieving that the kingdom was in a sorry state and the King without a heir",[74] persuaded him to marry.[36] They chose a daughter of the late Robert I of Capua as their monarch's wife,[36] although her name was not recorded.[75] Stephen died childless.[64]
The following family tree presents Stephen's ancestors and some of his relatives who are mentioned in the article.[75]
|Géza I
|unnamed Synadene*
|Felicia of Sicily
|Eufemia of Kiev
|Stephen II
|A daughter of Robert I of Capua
|Béla the Blind
|Kings of Hungary
*Whether Géza's first or second wife was his children's mother is uncertain.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 149, Appendix 2.
- ^ Font 2001, p. 78.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 146.104), p. 132.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 149.
- ^ Font 2001, pp. 25, 78–79.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 150.
- ^ Font 2001, p. 79.
- ^ a b c Makk 1989, p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e f Bartl et al. 2002, p. 28.
- ^ Makk 1989, pp. 14–15.
- ^ Makk 1989, p. 15.
- ^ Engel 2001, p. 35.
- ^ Kontler 1999, pp. 65–66.
- ^ a b Makk 1989, pp. 15–16.
- ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 148.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 151.107), p. 133.
- ^ Makk 1989, p. 18.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 151.
- ^ Font 2001, p. 83.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 152.
- ^ a b c d e f g Makk 1989, p. 19.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 153.109), p. 134.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 152–153.
- ^ Cosmas of Prague: The Chronicle of the Czechs (3.42.), pp. 230–231.
- ^ a b Makk 1989, p. 17.
- ^ a b Stephenson 2000, p. 203.
- ^ Fine 1991, p. 289.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 153–154.
- ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 153.
- ^ a b c d e Makk 1989, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d Stephenson 2000, p. 204.
- ^ Włodzimierz Dworzaczek: Genealogia. Warszawa 1959. Table 84.
- ^ Wincenty Swoboda: Stefan II. In: Słownik Starożytności Słowiańskich. Vol. 8. Part 2. 1996, p. 575.
- ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 154.
- ^ Cosmas of Prague: The Chronicle of the Czechs (3.51.), p. 238.
- ^ a b c d Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 155.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 156.
- ^ Engel 2001, p. 49.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 155.110–111), p. 134.
- ^ a b c d Makk 1989, p. 21.
- ^ a b c The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 157.112), p. 135.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. 156–157.
- ^ a b Makk 1989, p. 23.
- ^ a b c Makk 1989, p. 22.
- ^ Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus by John Kinnamos (1.4), p. 17.
- ^ Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus by John Kinnamos (1.4), pp. 17–18.
- ^ a b Fine 1991, p. 234.
- ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 157.
- ^ O City of Byzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniates (1.17) , p. 11.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 158.
- ^ a b Makk 1989, p. 24.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 158.112), p. 135.
- ^ a b Treadgold 1997, p. 631.
- ^ Fine 1991, pp. 234–235.
- ^ a b c d Makk 1989, p. 25.
- ^ Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus by John Kinnamos (1.4), p. 18.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 158.112–113), p. 135.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 158.113), p. 135.
- ^ a b c d e Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 159.
- ^ Stephenson 2000, p. 208.
- ^ Makk 1989, pp. 26–27.
- ^ a b c Makk 1989, p. 27.
- ^ Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus by John Kinnamos (1.5), p. 19.
- ^ a b Engel 2001, p. 50.
- ^ a b Spinei 2003, p. 253.
- ^ a b Makk 1989, p. 29.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 159.113), p. 135.
- ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. 160.
- ^ Makk 1989, p. 135.
- ^ Kristó & Makk 1996, pp. Appendices 1–2.
- ^ Wiszewski 2010, pp. 29–30, 60, 376.
- ^ Norwich 1992, pp. 332–333.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 154.109–110), p. 134.
- ^ The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle (ch. 154.110), p. 134.
- ^ a b Kristó & Makk 1996, p. Appendix 2.
Primary sourcesEdit
- Cosmas of Prague: The Chronicle of the Czechs (Translated with an introduction and notes by Lisa Wolverton) (2009). The Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 978-0-8132-1570-9.
- Deeds of John and Manuel Comnenus by John Kinnamos (Translated by Charles M. Brand) (1976). Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04080-6.
- O City of Byzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniatēs (Translated by Harry J. Magoulias) (1984). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-1764-8.
- The Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle: Chronica de Gestis Hungarorum (Edited by Dezső Dercsényi) (1970). Corvina, Taplinger Publishing. ISBN 0-8008-4015-1.
Secondary sourcesEdit
- Bartl, Július; Čičaj, Viliam; Kohútova, Mária; Letz, Róbert; Segeš, Vladimír; Škvarna, Dušan (2002). Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Slovenské Pedegogické Nakladatel'stvo. ISBN 0-86516-444-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Engel, Pál (2001). The Realm of St Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895–1526. I.B. Tauris Publishers. ISBN 1-86064-061-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Fine, John V. A., Jr. (1991) [1983]. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
- Font, Márta (2001). Koloman the Learned, King of Hungary (Supervised by Gyula Kristó, Translated by Monika Miklán). Márta Font (supported by the Publication Commission of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pécs). ISBN 963-482-521-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Kontler, László (1999). Millennium in Central Europe: A History of Hungary. Atlantisz Publishing House. ISBN 963-9165-37-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Kristó, Gyula; Makk, Ferenc (1996). Az Árpád-ház uralkodói [=Rulers of the House of Árpád] (in Hungarian). I.P.C. Könyvek. ISBN 963-7930-97-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Makk, Ferenc (1989). The Árpáds and the Comneni: Political Relations between Hungary and Byzantium in the 12th century (Translated by György Novák). Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 963-05-5268-X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Norwich, John Julius (1992). The Normans in Sicily. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-015212-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Spinei, Victor (2003). The Great Migrations in the East and South East of Europe from the Ninth to the Thirteenth Century (Translated by Dana Badulescu). ISBN 973-85894-5-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-02756-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.
- Wiszewski, Przemysław (2010). Domus Bolezlai: Values and Social Identity in Dynastic Traditions of Medieval Poland (c. 966–1138). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18142-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Stephen II of HungaryBorn: 1101 Died: March 1131
|Regnal titles
|Preceded by
| King of Hungary and Croatia
|Succeeded by
Béla II
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stephen II of Hungary.


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Durham's Partnership for Children is a private, nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Our Board members serve as key advocates for young children and their families, and they represent business and civic groups, churches, local government, health and human service agencies, parents and education and nonprofit organizations.
They are all volunteers who contribute their expertise, professional resources and time to advance Durham's vision for its children, encourage progress, and energize local change. By empowering staff, responding to community needs, and strategically managing resources, our Board of Directors is building a stronger future for Durham County.
The Board of Directors makes decisions regarding the allocation of public dollars, and all meetings are open to the public. Please click here for a meeting calendar. Please click here for minutes from past meetings.
If you are interested in joining our Board of Directors, please complete this application and contact Danielle Johnson, Executive Director, at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Partnership also seeks professional input and guidance from community members through a variety of committees. These committees are comprised of volunteers and Board members who participate in making decisions and supporting early childhood initiatives. Please click here for a list of committees.
Please click here to view the staff directory.


text: With a 4 channel TalkShow is it possible to use it to screen calls? Like you'd have a Skype phone number for call-in's and use 3 channels to park and screen calls, and then the 4th channel as your "on-air." Does that make sense? Will this product do that? Is it possible to have a person who can answer the calls "off-air"?


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Our New Executive Director
We are beyond excited to announce that we've just hired our first Executive Director, Kevin Dow. Until now, we've been an all-volunteer organization. But now, we have our first full-time team member, and plans to add more.
Kevin will now be leading our organization's efforts to bring the Rail Park to life. He'll be building and implementing a strategic plan that will support our vision for the entire three miles of the Rail Park, starting with making Phase 1 a lively, inviting, community-oriented space when it opens on June 14.
Kevin's diverse background includes leadership positions in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Impact and Innovation at United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
We are thrilled to have Kevin on our team, leading our growing organization forward.


text:
Highest Bidder
- $3.99
- $3.99
Publisher Description
Her hero is up for bid…and she has a pocketful of cash.
As a millionaire, a workaholic, and one of the Twin Cities' most eligible bachelors, Flynn Halstengard is happy to let his friends auction him off for charity. If the lucky lady who wins him wants a little action on the side, well, any sex is better than no sex, right? Unless the lady in question is the girl from high school he dubbed "Crazy J."
For her first vacation ever, Tilly Johnson has spent her life savings on a good cause, a deluxe lakeside cabin, and the superhero from her high school years. Flynn is looking better than ever, and Tilly's not the same damsel in distress he rescued years ago. But a girl can only outrun her past so long before she's back to being Crazy J.
All Flynn wants is to ignore her—and the ugly past he left behind. But Tilly's not the kind of woman who can be ignored—or resisted. After a week together, the millionaire business owner and the special ed teacher realize they've got more in common than just bad memories. Like raging lust, a love of comic-book geekery . . . and some unfortunate mutual acquaintances. When a villain steps into the frame to accuse Tilly of a horrible crime, Flynn will have to risk everything he's built for the woman he was only too happy to escape once before.
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2 leaperm672 Nov 21, 2012 15:01
Does anyone offer an upgrade service for blogs, i'm nervous of doing it myself as i'm concerned that i will be out of my depth and wreck my blog altogether?
Does anyone offer an upgrade service for blogs, i'm nervous of doing it myself as i'm concerned that i will be out of my depth and wreck my blog altogether?
Alex (@sam2kb) maybe ? ;)
Otherwise, check out: http://b2evolution.net/about/professionals.php
Hi Alex, thanks for replying. What you charge to upgrade my blog from 3.3.3 to the most up to date version?
Alex Russian Page seems broken: http://b2evolution.net/show.php/b2evolution-freelance-work
Are there other offering upgrade support (besides the US Alex to whom I´ll write directly via his one page)? Do any one know e.g. a german support? My spanish is not so good ;-)
<<My spanish is not so good>>
You don't need to. I speak english, dutch and spanish, while my german is rusty but passable.
My french, on the other hand... :D
you do offer updates? Do you have references besides your one blog? Ein weiterer Austausch auf Deutsch wäre mir natürlich sehr lieb, wenn das allerdings zu umständlich ist, so übe ich gerne weiterhin mein english.
How would you charge your work? In Euro? Per hour? Or a fixum from my 2.4.6 to 5.0.6?
My blog is at 4.1.3, so I am in real need of an upgrade. Is there an online guide that will step me through the process? I'm guessing it's not as straight-forward as installing 5.x.x on top of the older version.
Hello @nicasaurus,
In the online manual you will find a whole section about b2evo upgrades (http://b2evolution.net/man/installation-upgrade/upgrading/). I would recommend you to start with the Standard Upgrade Procedure: http://b2evolution.net/man/installation-upgrade/upgrading/upgrade-instructions
Please, do not hesitate to come back here if you have any problem.
Thank you. No TV or surfing tonight.
I can't find any way to automatically upgrade like WP has, am I seeing correctly that one has to download and then take that file and upload the new version and delete old files and stuff?


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This part of the series contains meanings of certain terms covered in Section 2 of the CGST Act, 2017. These are Proper Officer, Quarter, Recipient, Registered Person, Removal and Reverse Charge.
Proper Officer [Section 2(91)]
'Proper officer' in relation to any function to be performed under this Act, means the Commissioner or the officer of the central tax who is assigned that function by the Commissioner in the Board.
Proper officer means Commissioner or Officer of Central Tax who is assigned such function by Commissioner or Board. The term ' proper officer' could be understood as assessing officer of a taxable person.
Quarter [Section 2(92)]
'Quarter' shall mean a period comprising three consecutive calendar months, ending on the last day of March, June, September and December of a calendar year.
'Quarter' means a period of three calendar months. There are jour quarters in a calendar year i.e, three months ending on last day of March, June, September and December of a calendar year.
Recipient [Section 2(93)]
'Recipient' of supply of goods and/or services means-
and any reference to a person to whom a supply is made shall be construed as a reference to the recipient of the supply.
Recipient shall also include an agent acting as such on behalf of the recipient in relation to the goods and/or services supplied.
In a contract of supply of goods and / or services, there are two parties, one is known as supplier of goods and / or services and other is called recipient of goods and / or services.
In the supply contract involving the payment of consideration, the person who is liable for payment of such consideration will be considered recipient. It is important to note that consideration could be paid by recipient or any third person. The determination will not depend on the fact who makes the payment but the person who is liable to make the payment will be considered recipient.
In the contract for supply of goods, where no consideration is payable, recipient would mean a person to whom goods have been delivered or possession or use of the goods is given or made available.
In respect of contract of supply of services, where no consideration is payable, recipient would mean the person to whom service has been rendered.
Registered Person [Section 2(94)]
'Registered person' means a person who is registered under section 25 but does not include a person having a Unique Identity Number.
Registered person is a person who is registered under section 25 of the Act. The term 'registered person' does not include a person having a 'Unique Identity Number' (UIN).
Any specialised agency of the United Nations Organisation or any Multilateral Financial Institution and Organisation notified under the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947, Consulate or Embassy of foreign countries and any other person or class of persons, as may be notified by the Commissioner, shall be granted a Unique Identity Number for the purpose of GST Law.
Removal [Section 2(96)]
'Removal' in relation to goods, means-
(a) despatch of the goods for delivery by the supplier thereof or by any other person acting on behalf of such supplier; or
(b) collection of the goods by the recipient thereof or by any other person acting on behalf of such recipient.
Two aspects have been considered for defining removal of goods. First, the goods which require to be moved and the other which are not required to be moved. Thus dispatch of goods for delivery and collection of goods by recipient has been considered as removal. It is important to note that dispatch of goods not for delivery will not constitute removal.
Goods can be dispatched for delivery by the supplier or any other person acting on behalf of supplier. The term 'Removal' has been used for providing law in respect of issuance of tax invoice under section 31, Job work provisions under section 19 and also in transition provisions.
'Reverse Charge [Section 2(98)]
'Reverse charge' means the liability to pay tax by the recipient of supply of goods or services or both instead of the supplier of such goods or services or both under sub-section (3) or sub-section (4) of section 9, or under sub-section (3) or subsection (4) of section 5 of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act.
Reverse charge means the liability to pay tax on the recipient of goods and / or services in respect of supplier of such goods and/or services. The goods and / or services which are notified for reverse charge by Government on recommendation of GST Council, the tax on supply of such goods and / or services is required to be paid by person receiving such goods and / or services instead of suppliers of such goods and / or services. This is called reverse charge mechanism of payment of tax. In respect of such goods and services, all provisions of the Act will be applicable to recipient.
The persons who are liable for payment of tax on reverse charge basis will not enjoy the benefit of threshold limit. Therefore, every person who is liable to pay tax on reverse charge basis will be required to be registered under GST law and pay tax.
Reverse charge in case of supply of goods or services or both means the cases of supply in which the liability to pay GST is cast upon the recipient of supply rather than on supplier of supply.
The Central Government or the State Governments, on recommendation of GST Council, has the powers under the Act to notify cases of supply in which tax would be paid on reverse charge basis.


text:
Great Getaways Guide
Beaches & Lakes
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Family Fun
History & Culture
Outdoors & Camping
Missouri: Enjoy the Show
Official Missouri Travel Guide
In Missouri, the show you want is the show you'll get. Big city culture and small town charm, beautiful lakes and rivers and the scenic Ozark Mountains are waiting to entertain. Whether you're seeking fine dining and wine country, or old-fashioned family fun, you'll find your perfect vacation in the Show-Me State. Here are just a few of the exciting attractions to explore.
The City Museum in St. Louis is beloved by locals and visitors alike. Housed in the 600,000 square foot former International Shoe Company, the City Museum is more playground than museum featuring five and ten-story spiral slides, enchanted caves and a rooftop garden with a 1940s Ferris Wheel and a wonderful panoramic view of St. Louis.
Branson entertains millions of visitors annually with it's hundreds of live shows. Not to mention the Titanic Museum and Silver Dollar City plus all the outdoor activities surrounding Table Rock Lake. And be sure to enjoy a bite, or a round of golf at Top of the Rock and the light show on the landing. The microbrewery scene in Missouri has grown exponentially over recent years and there now are over 35 microbreweries across the state. Plus, not only do we have the oldest wine-growing region in the country but Missouri also has 10 wine trails complete with beautiful vistas of the countryside.
Learn about everything Missouri has to offer and discover your perfect vacation at VisitMO.com.
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Welcome to Morgen's Online Non-Fiction Writing Group and the first piece (hooray!) on this blog. This 299-worder is by Caron Allan.
Please do comment in the section below telling us what you liked about this story and, what if anything, the author could do to improve upon it. Thank you – it's very much appreciated!
I do have some feedback but I've just included it (below the piece) as links to the scans of my handwritten-notes so I can let others comment here without being influenced by me. 🙂
Big Knickers
Thinking back to when I was a child, I remember once being in a department store, in Tunbridge Wells in the mid-1960s. I can picture the scene as if I were an onlooker.
I'm buying big knickers with Auntie Zonya. It's a lesson in economy versus quality. I am wearing a skirt my mother made me and a jumper. My hair is in a long plait down my back as always.
They look the same – same size, shape, style and colour, yet these knickers are less than half the price of those. Zonya, in other ways so stylish and chic, favoured the larger undie. Knickers built like cycle shorts – up to the waist, down to the knees (and incredibly, sometimes even with a pocket in the waistband!). Crimson, stretchy cotton with a little line of black lace trim at the waist and knee.
I can't imagine wearing anything so huge. By comparison, my underwear at age six or seven or whatever I am is really quite skimpy and small.
We are in BHS or somewhere like that, comparing their own brand of cheap and cheerfuls with a far more expensive generic brand-name knicker. Seeing my doubtful looks, she assures me these are warm, comfortable and very, very durable. I'm not convinced. Maybe they will swallow me whole. And the colour! Red like holly berries or Zonya's lipstick or red like a London bus or a pillar box. Really, really red.
We snap the elastic a few times experimentally. It seems sufficiently sturdy and reliable and so economy wins out and the cheapy knickers are purchased.
I remember it as a fun, ordinary outing, one of the few memories I have of shopping when I was small. I realise now never did ask her how she got on with them.
For the other writing group blogs (links below), I usually handwrite notes on to the story and scan them in but because this is so short I've made some notes below.
If there's anything else you'd like to add, please give your comments to Caron below. Thank you.
- I love your mother has made your clothes – mine did too.
- I would have said there should be commas either side of 'or whatever I am' as the reader would pause, and after 'sturdy and reliable' as the reader could read on thinking the 'so economy' part of the sufficiently.
- 'cheap and cheerfuls' and 'Maybe they will swallow me whole.' made me laugh.
- 'Seeing my doubtful looks' I'd say should be a singular 'look'.
- I usually pick up on repetition and you've got two 'red likes' which does work because the second enhances the first but I did wonder if a 'power of three' red would have worked better but then you had 'really, really red' so that's the third of three reds so I'd say that's even better.
- It's a great story and although very short, it's easy to find all the characters endearing and wouldn't we all want an Auntie Zonya. 🙂
Thank you, Caron.
Caron Allan was born in Kent and has lived all over the south east of England, and also spent five years in Brisbane, Australia, which has provided plenty of material for writing novels and short stories, mainly in the mystery / crime genre but Caron also writes fantasy fiction.
Married with two grown up children and now living in Derbyshire, Caron has previously worked as a railway ticket clerk, a classroom assistant, a secondhand bookshop assistant, an archivist, and a University administrator.
When not plotting how to kill people, Caron can be found trawling the aisles of her local grocery store in pursuit of everyday items with lethal potential. Other interests include history and family tree research and chatting on Facebook.
Caron self-published her first eBook, Criss Cross, on 1 January 2013, and is currently writing a sequel, which at the moment has the working title Cross Check.
Caron's novel is available via http://www.amazon.co.uk/Criss-Cross-Posh-Hits-ebook/dp/B00BM9AJ3Q and http://www.amazon.com/Criss-Cross-Posh-Hits-ebook/dp/B00BM9AJ3Q.
If you'd like to (family-friendly) submit your 5,000-word max non-fiction for this blog, see the Guidelines page.
You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don't miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.
For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback privately, take a look at my main blog's Feedback page. My online writing blog / Facebook groups are:
Morgen's Online Novel Writing Group
Morgen's Online Poetry Writing Group
Morgen's Online Script Writing Group
Morgen's Online Short Story Writing Group
Thank you for reading this and we look forward to your comments.


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In the fancy heart of downtown Napa, a low-budget "cellar" where wines are shelved, with clever economy, in stacks of wood pallets. Carneros Chard and fruity but firm Cab and Merlot from Suisin Valley, Napa's less popular stepsister to the east.
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This rich stew from Boston chef Matt Jennings gets exceptional flavor from smoked mussels. Slideshow: More Holiday Hor d'Oeuvres Recipes
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 375°. On one side of a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. On the other side of the baking sheet, toss the brussels sprouts with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and charred in spots.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the fresh mussels with the wine, onion, shallots, butter, parsley sprigs, thyme, bay leaf and cayenne and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook over moderately high heat until the mussels open, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a bowl. Remove the mussels from their shells; discard the shells and any mussels that do not open. Strain the broth through a fine sieve.
Wipe out the saucepan. Add the strained broth along with any accumulated mussel broth from the bowl and bring to a boil. Add the cream and bring just to a boil. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of the hot cream, then gradually whisk the mixture into the saucepan. Simmer the soup over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the brussels sprouts, potatoes and both the cooked mussels and the smoked mussels and simmer until hot, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve the stew in small ramekins, garnished with chopped parsley.


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This section is intended for reference only. We strongly recommend that you contact the embassy directly for the most up-to-date information that pertains to your specific situation.
You must have a valid passport to travel abroad. A passport is an official government document that certifies one's identity and citizenship. The process and cost associated with getting a passport can be high, so start the process at least six months before you plan to leave. Your passport must be valid 6 months beyond your intended stay. Minors are allowed to travel on their parents' passports up until aged 15 years.
A visa is a stamp or endorsement placed by officials on a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country. Visas are obtained from the Embassy or consulates.
All documents not in German may need to be translated.
Germany is a member of the Schengen Agreement. There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty. For EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) citizens, an officially approved ID card or passport is sufficient for entry.
This visa is issued for a short stay (tourism, participation in a summer language course) of up to three months per half-yearly period. Holders of a Schengen Visa must leave the country again after three months at the latest. This means the Schengen Visa is not a suitable instrument if you wish to study, work, or stay in Germany.
There are three basic types of Schengen Visa.
Type A: Airport transit visa
Allows transit in the international zone of airport transit. The visa does not allow access to the Schengen territory.
Type B: Transit visa
Allows the holder to pass through one or more Schengen states in order to get to another state. The necessary duration for this transit cannot exceed 5 days.
Type C: Short stay visa
Allows entry into the Schengen territory for a maximum uninterrupted stay of 90 days over a period of six months. The visa can be issued for single or multiple entry. In the event of multiple entries, the total duration of the different stays spent in the Schengen area cannot exceed 90 days over a period of six months.
An applicant submits a visa application in person to the German Embassy or Consulate-General. The applicant's documents must be truthful and complete. Inaccuracies may lead to the revoking of the visa or residence permit and the person has to exit the country.
A national visa is issued for stays of longer than three months. This requires first registering, and acquiring a residence permit.
All people should be registered within Germany. If you are staying in a hotel, pension, or hostel they should take care of this for you. Once you have found permanent accommodations you are required to register (Polizeiliche Anmeldung) within 7 days. This is completed at the Buergeramt in your area. You must do this whenever you change address.
This is a simple registration, but vital as the confirmation form serves as a proof of your address for setting up a bank account, getting a library card, or even getting a mobile phone.
Once you have obtained the registration, you may apply for a residency permit at the Auslaenderbehoerde. Citizens of the EU, United States of America, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland may apply for a residency permit after entering Germany without a visa. Citizens of other countries are required to apply and obtain a visa prior to entry (which is also an option for US citizens) at a German embassy or consulate in their country of residence.
You can e-mail or call to set-up an appointment. You may also come in during open periods, but the wait will be longer. Try to be over-prepared and bring any documentation you can think of. There are basic requirements, with more specific documentation required for specific visas, like study or work.
There are two basic resident permits: Unlimited settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) and limited resident permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis). The Limited Resident Permit is only issued for specific reasons for coming to Germany. The rights that are granted depend on the purpose for which the Aufenthaltserlaubnis was issued (e.g. employment, training, recognition of refugee status, temporary protection etc). This can become a long-term stay if you may prove purpose of stay over several years.
It is not permissible to enter the country on a tourist visa for the purpose of studying in Berlin. The visa must be issued before you enter the country.
Study Applicant Visa (Studienbewerber-Visum) - Permits you to enter the country before the admission decision by the university or college, in order to obtain information. This type of visa may also be useful to applicants who wish to improve their language skills in Germany before starting their studies. This visa is limited to three months, but can be converted to a visa for study purposes if you receive your admission from the university or college during this period.
Student Visa - This visa is for accepted students into German university. You must already have a certificate of admission.
Visa for Language Course - This visa is for students of a language course in Germany. This visa cannot be converted into a student visa or a student applicant visa without leaving the country, so apply before entering the country if that is your intention.
During the period of study, students may work up to 90 days or 180 half-days. On completion of studies, the residence permit can be extended up to one year for the purpose of seeking employment. The job must fit with the university qualification and it must be permissible for the job position to be filled by foreign workers. After 2 years, a person with a study visa can apply for a residence permit.
A residence permit only allows you to work (employee or self-employment) if the residence permit expressly entitles you. If you apply for a work visa, the immigration authorities (Auslaenderbehoerde) check whether the general legal prerequisites for foreigners are fulfilled for issuing an Aufenthaltserlaubnis. If these are fulfilled, the immigration authorities request approval from the Bundesagentur fuer Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency). Approval is only given if the job cannot be filled by a German, EU citizen or other employees given preferential treatment (e.g. third-country nationals who have been living in Germany for a longer period of time). This is known as the Priority Principle (Vorrangprinzip).
After you have been resident in Germany for five years, the Immigration Office can issue a permanent residence permit which guarantees a permanent right of residence. Called a Niederlassungserlaugnis, it has no time or spatial restrictions and allows for employment without having to undergo further approval by the Federal Employment Agency. It usually takes a long period between application and receiving a Niederlassungserlaugnis.
It is possible for spouses and children to be included on this visa.
German citizenship can only be applied for after being a resident in Germany for 8 years. You must also fulfill conditions.
For spouses of German citizens, the couple must be married for two years and the spouse must reside in Germany for three years before they may apply for citizenship.
A German brochure, Wie werde ich Deutscher (How can I become a German), is an excellent resource. It is also available from the Beauftragten der Bundesregierung fur Migration, Fluechtlinge und Integration.
German citizenship is determined by inheritance from parents, not by place of birth. Children with a German mother or father are automatically citizens at birth. But not all children born in Germany are automatically German.
If both parents are foreigners, the child only gets German citizenship automatically from birth if one or more of the parents has been legally living in Germany for a period of 8 years and has a valid Aufenthaltsberechtigung or has had an unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis for a period of three years. At the age of 18, they must choose which citizenship they wish to keep.
Dual Citizenship is possibly for certain countries that have an agreement with Germany. These include:
Update 6/06/2011
When you move internationally you are taking a big step. Lots of things are changing and you have a million things to think about and take care of. If you are able to select a top of the line moving company that moves for a modest price, it can take a big weight of your shoulders in busy times.
Our network of international removal companies can move your furniture & possessions to Germany and anywhere overseas.
Filling in the form at the bottom will allow you to request up to 5 quotes from various moving companies. This service is free of charge and will help you select an international moving company that suits your needs and budget.


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When looking for a professional team to service, maintain, or repair for your vehicle, you want to bring it to someone you can trust. WINDY CITY MOTORS is your place.
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Trust the proven mechanics at our WINDY CITY MOTORS sales and repair center to help you get the most out of your vehicle!


text: 1. Graduate Profile, 3. Re-Imagined Space & Time, 4. Motivation & Mastery, 6. Cultural Competence & Multilingualism Black Student Union for Elementary Students Brian Fox Hillcrest Elementary School will be using their 2017-18 Innovation Award to launch a Black Student Union that is driven by student voice in order to increase a sense of belonging and leadership for African-American students. The Challenge The Hillcrest community is increasingly aware that some of their African American students are struggling to define who they are and where they come from in positive terms in an increasingly hostile social and economic environment. Students have presented experiences and worries to staff that reflect their struggles around identity, positive self-image, and personal narrative. The design team wants to create dedicated time and space for African American students to explore issues of cultural identity, foster a positive sense of agency and community, and to develop an awareness of the specific academic and social factors that create obstacles for students of color in the early stages of their academic careers. Previous Story Next Story Leave a Comment Click here to cancel reply. Name Email (will not be published) Website Comment


text:
Nicole Scherzinger has hinted that she may decide to quit The X Factor.
The former Pussycat Doll joined the judging panel for the current ITV series, but has said that she hasn't decided whether or not to return in 2013.
"I'm really glad I did the show," Scherzinger is quoted as saying in The Sun. "I don't know if I'll come back next year. End on a high, right?"
Scherzinger hinted that she would like to focus more on her music career next year, saying: "This year has changed my life. As an artist, it's put into perspective what I want, how to go about it.
"People have made me so comfortable, and I have to thank you."
The singer's acts Jahmene Douglas and James Arthur will compete against Christopher Maloney for the 2012 X Factor crown this weekend.
Scherzinger will perform with both of her acts during the live show.
The former X Factor USA judge is currently easily topping Digital Spy's poll to find readers' favourite panellist.
Photo gallery - 'X Factor' finalists turn on Downing Street Christmas lights:
Reality TV: The X Factor finalists switch on Downing Street lights


text: I have found that, with only one unnamed exception, if you write to support at isp.net it will get forwarded to the appropriate people. Some places it takes a while, while others (I must plug ANS here.. they are very well organized with regards to email delegations) are very quick. Writing directly to anyone with regards to network issues is not a good thing. Some NSPs have a specific person that only handles peering contracts. Rob Sr. Hole Plugger Exodus Communications Inc. (408) 522-8473 rob at exodus.net > > I hate to interrupt the ongoing discussion about peering, but I'd > like to bring up another perennial topic, out-of-date network contact > information. The larger, and older the company the harder it is > to find the right contact person. > > Sure there are lots, and lots of lists; WHOIS at the InterNIC, lists > kept by various NAP operators, even in in-addr.arpa TXT records. So > many lists people have difficulty knowing what to update when people's > responsibilities change. > > Suppose I wanted to find out Sprint's real policy this week, or a government > agency network such as ESnet's Internet policy; who would I contact? The > listed contact names don't seem to work, or are out-of-date. > -- > Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO > Affiliation given for identification not representation >


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I finally got the AC installed in my appartment!! So turning on the oven is not a torture session anymore. And since today was a day off and I just ran out of bread... guess...yes, homemade loaf! The past couple of weeks I was able to bring home some bread from work, and even though it's bakery bread its not quite the same.
So I made up this loaf, that I might admit tastes phenomenal and turned out almost perfect! I don't have a lab at home where I can test howrich in fiber it is but I'm sure it's pretty high. The texture is dense but still light at the same time. And the crust is nice and, well, crusty, and flavorful!
3 1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP dry milk powder(optional)
1 TBSP sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
Mix all the ingredients appart from the egg, milk and water.
Heat up the milk and water until a thermometer reads about 110-130F.
Pour the liquid in the flour mix, stir with a fork, add egg, knead until it comes together, transfer to a flouredsurface and knead for 10 minutes until it becomes a smooth ball of dough.
Put it in an olied bowl and let it rise for about an hour, until it's doubled in size.
Shape in the desired form (here I just folded it and put in an oiled loaf pan),
proof for about 30-40 minutes, again until it's doubled.
Score 3 slits accross the dough, brush with egg whites and sprinkle some wheat germ on the top.
Bake at 400F for the first 5 minutes, then turn down the oven at 375 and continue baking for 20 minutes, then turn down at 350 for the last five minutes. When the bell rings(prviding you use the oven timing thing...), turn off the oven but leave the loaf in for another 5 minutes.
This should do it. If it's ready it'll sound hollow when tapped at the bottom.
Then cool on a rack(NOT in the pan!!) and congratulate yourself on a beautiful loaf of healthy bread!!
I'm sending this over to Yeastspotting!!
Grilled Corn Nachos
4 days ago


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How to Remove "Not Secure" Warning in Chrome?
Yesterday my friend Michelle was browsing her website to make sure that everything is working fine as it was earlier. But suddenly she noted the message in address bar of chrome which read as "Not Secure" she shocked because earlier there was no such message and her site was working fine. You may also come through such message on chrome that your website is not secure. This message is the part of recent update or upgrade of chrome browser. The Google Chrome browser, version 68 or higher, display a new "Not Secure" warning that appears anytime you or your customers are visiting an insecure web page.
Quick Solution:
You need to install the SSL Certificate on your web server (cPanel, Godaddy, Plesk or any other server type) :-
- Go for cheapest Comodo SSL certificate or this link https://sslretail.com/comodo-positivessl/
- If you can install yourself - just install the received certificate on your server Or get Installation service.
- That's done!!
What does it mean?
This message on Google Chrome warn the visitors that the information shared on this website is not safe and it could be compromised over the network during transport. As the data transferred is not encrypted, it could be read easily by hackers, attackers and other people who are looking for such information. By reading this kind of warning on the website homepage or other landing pages, visitor close such websites immediately rather making any transaction.
This kind of warning messages appear on all the pages where https is not enabled. I have notice that many webmasters or web owners not enable HTTPS on homepage or other landing pages, they only enable it on the payment pages. Which is now become a bed practice for all eCommerce as well as other sites because visitor leave the website as soon as they read this warning message.
Earlier webmasters practice the HTTPS enabled only on the shopping cart pages and other site sections like Home Page, articles, product page and product list categories remain HTTPS disabled. The reason behind non-HTTPS pages was that the visitor may see a warning if the date settings of his browser / PC are not up to date.
This issue is anyhow not related or not caused by browser or client OS and even it do not block the site contents. Google chrome just display the "Not Secure" warning in address bar. There could be some pages on website rendered with https like shopping cart page and checkout pages, these pages will be displayed as secure pages with a mini green lock.
If you're a visitor or an owner/operator of a website using HTTP and seeing this warning, here's what you can do.
SSL, Not Secure Warning and SEO
Earlier it was considered that SSL have no role in SEO ranking or site authority as termed by Google, but now the industry have a strong reason to believe that SSL plays the significant role in user experience and satisfaction. The SSL certificate should not only installed on the website but also be enabled on all of its pages. Search engine consider HTTP and HTTPS versions as two different URL's. Therefore Running a website only on HTTPS instead of both (HTTP and HTTPS) also improve the site ranking because the search engine not encounter content duplication.
Remove the "Not Secure" Error in Chrome
Website owners and webmasters need to check whether an ssl certificate is already installed on the website using SSL certificate checker tool.
If SSL checker test result is successful; it means SSL certificate is installed on the website, but your website is not redirecting to HTTPS by default. So you need to setup redirection to enable HTTPS on all pages. To enable a permanent 301 redirect from non-HTTPS to HTTPS, Use the following code in .httaccess file in root directory of your website. The 301 redirect keep all your SEO rankings intact to the new HTTPS version of the page.
RewriteEngine on RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]
In case HTTPS test fails and SSL certificate is not installed on the website, in this case the only solution is to install the valid SSL certificate, there is also free certificate available for trial and testing HTTPS on your website.
The "Not Secure" warning in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firfox or Apple Safari is also due to the reason when a file is forced to download with HTTP instead of HTTPS. This kind of situation occur due to hard coded links in the html pages. These links are identified and corrected by web developer.
No Purchase from "Not Secure" Websites
Now a days website visitors are very intelligent and browse the web with open eyes especially when they are willing to purchase something online. Mostly visitors go away from non-HTTPS websites browsing for online purchase and now browser like Google Chrome also decided to help the visitors. When visitors see the "Not Secure" warning they immediately close the site and go to other available site. We also suggest that if you are a visitor and encounter the "Not Secure" warning, just go away until you strongly trust and have a strong reason to trust the website.
Better User Experience
Anyway the earlier considerations and practices must be changed now for better user experience and better SEO performance. Enabling SSL on entire website including homepage and landing pages not only improve user experience but also secure the data hacking and customer details leakage. The most important point is that the customer feel safe and secure when https is enabled on all pages.
User experience is directly related to user satisfaction and SSL certificate defiantly provide the satisfaction to user during online purchase or browsing. This concept is now also supported by Google Chrome and sooner or later all browsers are going to display warning for visitors. Therefore it is better to enable HTTPS before condition get worst.
Future Scope of SSL and browsing Trends
We can see these years as HTTPS era, it is sure that the number of plain HTTP sites is going to decrease for sure but will not end in near future. In the parallel line of current ssl certificates a new line of security products such as OpenSSL, Self Signing certificates, Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DKIM is developing and will replace the existing certificates gradually.
Further Readings
Thank you for this reading, we are here to help you further.


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Hurricane Irma… What can I say? You sure did keep us on our toes, I guess. Look, I think I have a mild case of Hurricane PTSD from last year's Cat-3 Hurricane Matthew which nearly killed Deb (when a palm tree came crashing through the bedroom window of the house we were staying in and sent dagger-like shards of glass flying across the room no more than a foot from her head) and destroyed the exterior of our home to the tune of $50,000 in damages. It was my first up close and personal experience with a hurricane and, honestly, I had no interest in a do-over. We moved into a condo back in June and we live on the 14th floor of a 15-story building that sits right on the intercoastal waterway. The prospects of riding out a major storm way up high on the river did not interest me in the least.
So when I started hearing reports of a monster storm chugging its way across the Atlantic, I paid attention. I tried desperately not to give a lot of energy to all the "what ifs" that were swirling around my head, but it was hard. Irma turned into a Category 5 hurricane and started breaking records left and right. Heck, there was even talk of adding a Cat-6 storm designation in her honor because she was such a big, nasty bitch! On Monday, as she churned through the Lesser Antilles leaving utter devastation in her wake, I started my mental preparations. Okay, I could book a hotel for the 4 of us out of harm's way… But WHERE? NO ONE agreed on where the storm was heading! She may go up the east coast of Florida… maybe the west coast… maybe right up through the center of the state… maybe turn and head out to sea… maybe bypass Florida altogether and just keep on going into the Gulf… Nowhere seemed "safe." On Tuesday, I started searching hotels and could not find anything in Georgia that would take our dogs, Kona and Pooka (happily, many hotels ended up waiving their pet policies for hurricane evacuees – kudos to them!). I finally found a hotel with 2 pet-friendly rooms just north of Charlotte, NC, so I reserved them – just in case.
I went out that morning and bought 2 cases of bottled water – because that's what you do in advance of a major storm. I went to meet Megan to swim that evening and stopped to top off my gas tank (again, that's what you do) and had to go to 3 gas stations before finding one that had gas – which was eerie and weird. Deb and I made the decision to bust our asses in the office, get everything wrapped up that we could, and if we needed to leave, we would head out on Friday morning. Then people started posting the pictures of the major highways which had turned into parking lots filled with people trying to get out of Florida… people posted that the gas stations along the highways were out of gas and people were running out of fuel on the roads with nowhere to go. AND, as all the spaghetti models of Irma's path started to come together, it looked like she would be marching straight through Georgia and into North Carolina and Tennessee when she was through with Florida… SHIT! It also looked like she was going to come up the spine of Florida meaning that the entire state would be involved – hurricane conditions stretching from coast to coast and from Miami to Jacksonville – all at once! CRAZY! But that also meant that she would lose steam as she went north with projections that she would be a Cat-1 storm by the time she reached us.
On Thursday evening, after a lot of soul-searching, Deb and I decided that we would ride out the storm here at home rather than taking our chances out on the road. I don't know that my family back in Virginia or Deb's family in Maryland were too happy about that decision, but it was the right call (in retrospect). On Friday morning, I headed to Publix to get provisions. I wasn't terribly worried about finding food – it was unlikely that there had been a run on avocados and kombucha. 😉 I found everything on my list in record time. And here's what I noticed about the people I encountered: Everyone was AMAZING! The Publix employees were terrific as always. The customers were kind to each other and helpful. I saw more than one person allow someone who only had a few items to skip to the front of the line. Tall people were helping "vertically-challenged" neighbors reach items in the back of upper shelves. People were smiling, going about their business with a purpose, and getting stuff done. I believe crisis brings out a person's true nature and I believe that MOST people are overwhelmingly GOOD! I'm proud of my community. I'm proud of the spirit I saw shining through in the lead up to the hurricane.
On Friday, we brought in everything off our balconies, did laundry, prepped food, made big bags of ice, filled the bathtubs with water, figured out how to turn the circuit breakers and water off in our condo – just in case, charged every laptop, cell phone, battery bank, etc. in the house. We were as ready as we were going to get. Josh's 15th birthday was on Saturday and although we couldn't give him the birthday we wanted to, we did the best we could. On Friday evening we went to Dick's and he picked out the sneakers he wanted for his main present. We tried to go bowling, but the lanes closed early. 😦
On Saturday morning we woke up to a cloudy but beautiful day! We took our cars to our friend's house and put them in his garage where they would hopefully be safer. We took Josh and Nicki out for burgers at The Daily Grind and then for dessert crepes at Cinnamon Tree Cafe (Josh's bday choices). Josh opened presents (a Garmin from us and the new Rick Riordan book from Nicki) and then Nicki took us home. There wasn't much more to do but wait. We piddled around the office, watched videos, played cards, ate good food and went to bed early.
On Sunday morning the storm was turning toward Florida. The wind was starting picking up here and the water in the canal next to our building was much higher than usual, but we were still able to take Kona outside with no worries – she was such a good girl through all of it. We fixed a big breakfast, turned down the fridge and freezer temps (in advance of losing power), made grab and go piles in the fridge that we could transition to coolers quickly if/when the power went out, and then just tried to enjoy the day. Irma was not scheduled to arrive in earnest until nightfall – which was a creepy prospect, but it was what it was.
The wind really started blowing around dinner time. Kona was pleading with us to go outside and no amount of coaxing would get her to use the training pads we bought. So we tag-teamed… we went downstairs to the parking garage and I held the door while Deb and Kona went 15 steps outside to the grass. Kona was thankfully very quick. By 8 pm, the wind and rain were coming straight at our unit from the east. We could see the hurricane glass in the sliders flexing. For the first time, we decided to turn on The Weather Channel and see what was happening and just like that I wanted to stress-eat ALL my hurricane snacks! Among the reports from the crazy weather people who were outside during the storm, there were tornado warnings popping up all around us. We weren't afraid of the hurricane any longer, but tornadoes are another matter. We decided to pull mattresses into our interior master bathroom and sleep there. It wasn't bad at all and the awful noise of the wind was muffled in there. We actually got several hours of sleep. Josh slept like a rock – per usual. 🙂
At 4 am, Deb and I both woke up and ventured out to see what was going on. Even though it was dark outside, you could see that the river had completely taken over the condo pool and was all the way to the parking garage. Through the kitchen window, we could see that the small neighborhood to the south was completely underwater and the river was all the way out to US 1! I felt so bad for the people in those houses, but the river will not be denied – it goes where it wants! I couldn't go back to sleep so I got up around 5:15. The river was retreating by then. I could see the white tile outline around the pool and see that the neighborhood was not as swamped as it had been an hour before. The wind was still fierce, but by 7 am when it was light outside, it was starting to die down. We never even lost power, which was shocking!
Daybreak brought clarity on the damage – which was minimal for us in the grand scheme of things… The brand new condo dock (which was just finished and inspected in July) was destroyed. The pool is a mess, but nothing an industrial pool vac and a little chlorine can't fix, and our carpet got a little wet around the big slider to the east balcony. That said, Deb and I were both chomping at the bit to check on our house in Ponce Inlet (which is under contract for sale, but not yet closed). We spoke to our old neighbor who said there was no visible damage which was a big relief. Turns out we lost the chimney cap and one small strip of soffit, but other than that, no issues and not a drop of water inside! Thank you, Baby Jesus!
I know this was not the case for everyone in Florida and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the storm. I am just beyond grateful that our area was spared the worst of Irma's wrath.
Now, in other news, I have an announcement… Megan and I have decided not to race Great Floridian this year. She is injured and me, well, to be perfectly candid, my heart just hasn't been into training this year. I've tried to kick my butt into gear, but I've been so into the business – it always seemed like there was something more important to do than swim, bike, and run. I haven't been a complete sloth, but I'm not terribly interested in throwing up a Hail Mary for 92.6 miles. GFT was a HUGE knee-jerk reaction coming off of IMFL last year. It was the closest thing I could find to another Ironman – without actually doing another Ironman – and it made sense in my brain at the time, but I'm just not feeling it. I don't even feel bad about it. Taking 2017 off from hardcore training was probably one of the best things I could have done for myself, and now I'm excited about the 2018 season, which looks like it will include IM Gulf Coast 70.3, IM Augusta 70.3, and POSSIBLY another shot at Ironman Florida – I'll make that call after Gulf Coast. 🙂