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by Maxine Mayer, 6/24/97
Destiny is a funny thing. I thought I had it licked, millennia ago, when I managed to elude the Horsemen and begin fresh, in a new country, with a new name, a new identity. I traveled through the centuries, pretty nearly convinced I'd outlast just about everyone in the Game. I knew I'd never go the distance - be the One, in the End - but I figured I'd be there, close to the finish line.
There were many trials over the centuries. I don't deny I weakened many times. Considered ending it all in the only way I could - by losing my head to another Immortal in Ritual Combat. It's amazing how difficult that becomes, when you've lived as long as I, know as much as I about the blade, and simply lose it - the Death Wish - when the shit hits the fan. Couldn't let it happen, let myself be killed. I don't quite know why. I only know that, whenever the shit hit the fan, I survived.
Destiny is a funny thing, as I say. One day I met an Immortal named Darius. A monk. He'd been out of the Game for I don't know how long. Lovely fellow. He changed my life.
I left the Game, as best I could. After many centuries, I finally got to the point where I hadn't Faced anyone for close to two hundred years. For two hundred years I survived without a Challenge. Without killing. Without a Quickening. Hid from my Kind. Felt all the better for it, too. Studied, wrote, drank a bit of beer, kissed a girl or two. I was healthier and happier than I could remember being, every experience treasured, remembered, over and over again, when the Mortals were gone.
Out of the Game was good for me. Watching was even better. I loved Watching. No better fun than that!
And then it happened. A different kind of shit hit a different kind of fan, and I was lost.
"Methos!" I heard Amanda whisper, but I didn't respond. Didn't want to get up yet. Must be nearly noon, but I didn't want to wake, not to another empty day.
"Methos!" She whispered more urgently. I could feel the sadness in her aura. Must be bad news, I thought. Better wake up.
"Hmm," I murmured, turning over in bed so I could look at her. "What is it, Amanda? What'd you want?"
"I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, Mike."
That got my attention. "What! Where're you going?" I sat up.
"Away. Anywhere. I've gotta do something, Methos. I can't just slosh around with you forever, suffering. It's not working for me." She rubbed my shoulder. "If I could stay, I would, sweetness, truly. But this is getting the best of me. I'll be back soon. Soon as I can. But I've got to get away from Paris for a while. I'm sick to death of facing north."
"I understand."
I did. She was sick to death of watching me pine for MacLeod, who was not an hour away from us, in a Carmelite monastery outside Paris. Up north. Sworn and bound to remain there - or someplace like it - for good. The condition of his defeating the Demon who threatened the World. And I was sworn and bound to leave him there, as part of the same ghastly deal. Amanda'd kept me company for more than six months, both of us missing Mac. Both of us chaste, unwilling to be anything other than sister and brother to one another. If she thought she was the only one sick to death of this deal, she was mistaken.
"Come on. Give us a kiss goodbye!" She embraced me, kissed me on both cheeks, and I her. Then she straightened, grabbed her bags, and left my flat.
And suddenly, not just her body was gone. Her buzz was gone too. I felt her go. Dreadful.
I was alone.
Totally alone.
Hadn't been that in several years.
Maybe I could make the best of it. Do my thing - read, write, study, observe. The Watcher bit, without the tattoo, or the Society.
Maybe I could fly.
The noise in the bar was deafening. Why Joe'd bought Maurice's cousin's restaurant and turned it into a cabaret with music, I cannot say. But he'd done it. Now, of course, Joe wasn't here. He was still back in Seacouver mourning Richie, and staying as far from MacLeod as he could get. Unnecessary, of course, with Mac in a monastery. It was a Mortal thing, I supposed.
But his bar went on forever and his band played on without him. The place got noisier and noisier, the later it became. Around four in the morning, Maurice'd lock up the front and let his "special" customers in the back, and the crowd got rougher and uglier, in the Parisian equivalent of an after-hours joint. Bikers mixed with fags and prostitutes and pimps and thieves. For all I know, a murderer or two. They all loved the music. And they all loved the late night poker games which Joe'd started for his Watcher friends passing through, and which perpetuated themselves even in Dawson's absence.
And they all loved me.
"Mike -" I'd taken to using the name Michael Benedict again, since I'd lost the use of Adam Pierson, and Methos was a mouthful. "Mike!" The roughneck calling me must have been about forty. Grizzled greying hair, a lean body hardened by manual labor, not workouts, a temper easily lost when he was crossed. But sweet. Lovely, open, and sweet, when he'd had just a few drinks, before he got drunk. "Mike - bring the bottle! Join me!"
He loved me. Absurd, I know. But Simeon - that was his name - couldn't get his mind around my idiomatic French. It drove him crazy. Kept him trying to find some phrase, some curse, I didn't know. Why he thought I'd admit to it, if I didn't know, is beyond me. But Mortals are like that. They trust anybody. I trust no one.
"How goes it, Simeon?" I asked, pulling a chair around backwards and straddling it, whiskey bottle in hand. I plunked the liquor down on the table and he took a swig straight from the bottle. "Little woman throw you out?" I joked.
"No, no, Michel." His French was good, for a working man. I think he must have been a Communist, once upon a time, in another life. Anyway, self-taught. Up by his bootstraps. That sort of man. "There is no little woman - I told you. I live alone. A man my age must live alone. A woman now and then - of course - but all the time? Non, jamais!"
I nodded, then took a sip of whiskey from the bottle. "I understand, brother. A man needs his freedom." Sure. Freedom. Gotta have it. Freedom's just another word for - you know the song. God, I love songs. Always around when you need them.
"Where is la petite Amanda, Michel? She is so beautiful! You are so lucky!"
"She left you alone? And you so sad! Oh, mon frere, how horrible for you! Such a beautiful woman! Did she find another man?"
"Lost one. I'm no substitute."
"So true, so true." Simeon was getting soused. "Some men cannot be replaced. They have - how you say - charisma, magnetism. Those are the lucky ones, all the women love them!"
"Well, we're none of us perfect." I stood abruptly. "Simeon, I've gotta go. Thanks for drinking with me. I'll see you again another night." I left the bottle with him.
"Where are you going, Michel?" he called after me.
I didn't reply. I didn't know. I only knew, there was no solace in a bottle. Because I couldn't drink myself to death. Immortals can't. Pity.
I walked for hours that night, along the Seine. Revisited every place MacLeod and I had wandered together. Rehashed every moment in my mind. The fears. The victories. The sorrows. The joys. I ended my tour standing on the grass not far from the Eiffel Tower, looking up, remembering Kalas. Grew maudlin, remembering the brief years - could it have been only two? - when I'd had friends, a kind of family. When I hadn't been alone.
Amazing. I cannot recall ever being lonely before. Not in fifty centuries. Oh, I'd been alone, often. Bereaved, over and over again. At loose ends, many many times. But lonely? This lonely? Enough to depress me beyond any capacity for finding relief? Cannot remember a time like that.
My stroll down memory lane'd been a mistake in judgment. It'd made things worse, not better. Part of me knew I should get out of Paris, as Amanda had. Maybe go back to Seacouver. Maybe someplace else. But away from Paris, where I was too close to Duncan's monastery for comfort. Perhaps it wasn't a Mortal thing after all - keeping one's distance.
I couldn't drag myself away. The thought didn't stand a chance in my mind. Don't know what I was waiting for, beneath the Eiffel Tower. This time, MacLeod wasn't coming. Wasn't coming out of the darkness round a bend in the road carrying his sword, looking for all the world like a Knight in Shining Armor, without the armor, without the shine, matte black.
Not ever.
A deal's a deal.
Didn't need me to watch his back anymore. Didn't need me to make him laugh. Didn't need me to make him cry. Didn't need me period. He had God now. Should be sufficient. Should've been enough for me too. It wasn't.
Nothing was enough. Except - I'd had enough of this. There had to be a way out of it. Had to be. Had to find it, whatever it was. Couldn't go on. Didn't want to go on.
Initiating Auto-Destruct Sequence Methos 1. On my mark. Engage.
There are many entries in the "Directory of Immortals and Watchers" file Don Salzer and I'd created for the Watcher Society. He'd stored the data on that computer disk Kalas had caused all the trouble with. Of course, I'd kept a copy of the disk, secretly, in a safe place. Prudence was never my thing.
I fetched my copy from its hiding place the next morning, and worked my way through forty-five Immortals' lives before noon. There were sixteen male Immortals above the age of consent - that is, five centuries old or better - living in Paris alone. Another five in London. Three more in Rome. But the particular sort of Immortal I was searching for turned out to be a man who still resided in Sweden, last update I'd made, shortly before the Horsemen disaster, before my life turned upside down. His name was Erasmus Minor.
Erasmus Minor owed me many favors. And he was one of the good guys. And he was Old - twenty-five hundred years at last count. Perfectly capable of making good use of a fine upstanding Quickening such as mine. Perfectly believable in the role of Warrior Immortal, since he'd been a Warrior Immortal nearly all his life. Convincing, too, as someone sufficiently skilled to defeat me in Ritual Combat. Mustn't let anyone even dream - let alone suspect - that I was a suicide. That wouldn't do at all. Cannot have them blaming themselves, asking what they might have done differently, to save me. Nope. Not that. Not for my people, my friends. No guilt comes with this offer. One time only - Methos dead, mourn at will.
There was only one problem. Erasmus Minor - now Edward Rasmussen, owner, proprietor and chief accountant of Rasmussen, Ltd. - had changed. He was far from a Warrior Immortal these days. Far from the Game. Oh, he'd taken a head or two over the past quarter century, when Challenged, when he couldn't avoid it. But he'd been happily married for twenty-five years. He was no longer a Warrior at all, at heart - simply, a man.
That's where what Erasmus owed me came in handy. I'd saved his life on three separate occasions, over the centuries. Least he could do was take mine, I thought. Well, we'd see, wouldn't we?
Rather than hop the first plane I could get at Orly to leave France, I decided to drive to Sweden. I'd been on so many flights over the past year, my ears popped when I even thought about flying - a bit Pavlovian of me, I know, but none of us is perfect.
I stopped by the Carmelite monastery on my way, to visit with MacLeod. Did that once a month, like a boring cuckoo clock that doesn't know when to stop chirping. I refused to permit myself greater frequency of visits, not that they would have been allowed, had I asked.
But Duncan seemed to enjoy our brief times together, looked forward to the forty minutes or so each month we spent talking, gossiping, sparring with words. There's no describing what those times meant to me. I don't do poetry.
Father Ambrose, abbot of Carmel - but a Watcher in good standing nevertheless - permitted us to walk about the cloister grounds together and talk, Duncan and me. An unheard of concession! MacLeod strikes again! How did Simeon put it? Charisma and magnetism can get you anything, even in Carmel, if you work things right. Duncan wants, Duncan gets. Lovely boy. No sense of his rightful place, though. Still doesn't realize he's not "special," except in the eyes of those who care.
Ah well, as I say, we're none of us perfect. Someone else will need to teach him now.
"Methos - good to see you again!" MacLeod said in greeting. "Bit off your schedule, aren't you? This isn't the last Tuesday of the month, is it?" Then he laughed and embraced me, when I'd been escorted to the small inner courtyard where the brothers took their daily constitutional. We were alone there today. The monks were indoors, at one or another of their interminable chores. Or praying. Who could know?
"You look good, MacLeod. Got a lot of color in your face. But you must be hot as hell in those robes." I teased him a bit. I needed to be careful not to let on that this was my final visit. "Do you mean to tell me they've finally let you join up for real? Made you a novice?"
"Yes! Seven months as a postulant - sticking out like a sore thumb in civvies - but now I'm just another Green Boy, or the Carmelite equivalent! A novice! One of the crowd! I'm happy, Methos, really happy!"
"Good! That's great, MacLeod. I'd no idea you'd fit in so well here. Fooled us all, I fear - fooled me, at least."
"You can tell, then? From my buzz? How I am?"
"Absolutely. No doubt about it, this life suits you down to the ground. Time to think, time to heal - that's how you put it, right - way back when? Done wonders for you already."
"Thanks for bearing with me, Methos. I couldn't have stuck it out without your visits, your letters. There's one thing about Carmel nobody could ever describe-"
"And what's that?" I asked, shifting around to face him, halting my walk.
"The loneliness. It's indescribable. Talk about your 'dark night of the soul!' This is - incredible! Oh, it's okay during the day, when I'm working, or in choir, or at recreation. And there's so much to learn. Keeps me busy, my mind occupied. But in the evenings, at night, and of course, during meditation, prayer - it's awful. For me, at any rate. But I think about you out there alone, with just Amanda to keep you company, and I don't feel so lonely. Not very satisfactory for you, I know that, Methos. Under the circumstances." He paused for a moment, then went on. "I think about some of the things you talk about in your letters. Faith. Hope. The love of God that surpasses all things - it helps me get through the dark times, somehow. Thanks, old friend. You give me courage."
"Glad to be of service," I replied, hoping he couldn't sense the turmoil in my buzz. I did everything I could to mask it, deaden it. Every trick I'd learned over fifty centuries, to block one feeling and emit another - serenity - I tried for, now.
"You are of service, Methos. Truly. Thank you."
Good, I'd succeeded. He hadn't noticed a thing.
I'd think about what he'd said later. Or not. I simply had to get through this final visit.
I changed the subject. "Amanda's taken a trip. Probably to Greece, to her cottage there."
"You didn't want to go with her?" Duncan sounded surprised. "I hope it's not because of me. You don't need to stay close, to visit me. I'll get by on letters - for a while." He smiled sweetly.
"No, no! Not at all, MacLeod. She needed to be on her own. Amanda's like that. You know. She stuck it out with me for so long, well past any previous endurance of my company. Or any man's, for that matter. It was time for her to move on, for a bit. She'll be back."
"So - you planning to go back to Seacouver now, visit Joe?" He was valiant, but I could feel the anguish in his aura. The thought of being left alone in this place, with nobody visiting him, struck fear into his soul. Terror. His smile was broad but his voice was thin as a reed, and his eyes were red-rimmed. Tears were close. I turned away and resumed my walk.
"No. Think I'll go to Sweden, visit an old friend there. Don't think you ever met him - Erasmus Minor."
"Oh? Immortal, I take it, with that name."
"Oh yes, Immortal indeed. Half my age, an old friend," I repeated. "I was strolling down memory lane the other day and I thought of him. I know he's settled down now. Perhaps he'd like a visit. A little insider gossip with one of his own Kind. I could use some, anyhow," I finished, on a low note.
"Intelligent man? Learned?"
"Well, I'm not sure he knows who Chubby Checker is," I joked, "but yes, knowledgeable. Besides, with our history, you needn't know much of anything, you only need to cast your mind back and remember. Makes for good talk, MacLeod."
"Sounds like you'll have a good time. Be sure to write and let me know how it goes, Methos. I'd be interested to hear."
Sure you would, Duncan. Sure you would. Fascinated. Imagine - here I am. I can take a trip. Drive a car. Meet a friend. Go to dinner. Talk to women. Drink myself under the table in a bar. And I'd still be keeping my promise, my vow. And here you are, locked up on Holy Ground with a bunch of Screaming Carmelites - okay, not screaming, but monks, nevertheless - all by your lonesome. Sure, you'd be interested to hear how my visit goes. Glutton for punishment, you are. Always have been, always will be.
"Absolutely. I'll write every day. Like a journal. They'll let you read my letters that often?"
"Not every day. But Father Ambrose - what can I tell you - he's a fan. Of yours, of mine. He gives me your letters on Sunday afternoons. I don't think he even reads them beforehand. At least, they're unopened when I get them. So it's not like I don't get to see them until Christmas or Easter, like the other monks. He treats your correspondence as if we were relatives, since he knows we don't have any, either of us. I think he imagines you're like a father to me."
"You can thank Amanda for that, next time you see her. She planted the idea in the good abbot's mind, that she was like a sister to you, and I like a father. Fruitful, it seems. Clever wench, our Amanda." That she was, that she was.
Duncan smiled again. "I never thought I'd love her the way it turned out I do. Glad I told her before all this started." He gestured around him, at the cloister buildings.
"It's you two who were the vaudeville act whose time had come, Duncan," I said with a smile. Then I took a deep breath. "Listen, MacLeod, they're gonna throw me out soon. So, before the abbot sends someone to fetch me, tell me what you need. Anything to bribe the guards? Liquor, dope, cigars?" I grinned.
"No. Just you. Visit me on the last Tuesday of every month, Methos. That's what I need." Serious. Frightening, Mac's honesty. His need. For me. I could feel it in his buzz. Unbelievable.
"Yeah, sure. What an offer! How could I resist!" I answered flippantly. Fortunately, I was good at lying. I needed all my skill today.
We embraced again, and MacLeod turned away, walked back into the cloister. I knew he was close to tears. Me, I was past tears. All I needed to do to firm up my resolve was stand there until Duncan's buzz disappeared, and feel that absence. All I needed to do was remember the life I led during the thirty days between "last Tuesdays of the month," and I didn't want to cry at all. I wanted to scream. I wanted to die.
I still wanted to die.
Nothing had changed, except he'd downloaded a guilt trip on me, without the least wish to do so. My death would hurt him badly. Couldn't be helped, though. I'd had enough.
As long as MacLeod didn't suspect it was my own peculiar brand of suicide, he'd get through it. Go on alone. He'd manage. And once he didn't have me to kick around any more, he'd find another friend. Plenty of monks in the monastery to choose from. He'd find someone. He always did. Or someone'd find him. Charisma, magnetism. He'd survive.
It was vital to my plan that Erasmus Minor recognize the validity of my request. Accept the fact that I had a right to die at a time of my own choosing. That he was doing me a favor by engaging in Ritual Combat with me - "assisting my suicide" - not murdering me. Besides, I intended to put up a fight. Just not win.
My contingency plan depended on Erasmus's state of mind. If I judged that he'd never agree to such a request, I'd go another route. Pick a fight. Lose that way. It might be better all around if I did that. Then there'd be nobody who knew the truth. Nobody who could tell my people, my friends, why I'd died.
Better. Safer. Yes.
However, I was still of two minds about that when I paused outside the ancient three-storey building in the heart of downtown Stockholm which housed Erasmus' business - Rasmussen, Ltd. I wanted to give him time to recognize an Immortal's presence nearby, and find his sword. I didn't want to take him by surprise, though I had no intention of engaging him in Combat before I'd spent some time with the man.
"Erasmus," I said when I'd climbed the steps to his office, following his buzz alone, and paused in the doorway. "It's me, Methos. How've you been?" I went in.
He stared at me, then put down his sword and smiled. Came around his desk and gave me a hug. "Methos, you old son-of-a-gun! What a surprise! What brings you to Stockholm? Business?"
"No. Just visiting an old friend."
"Really?" He went to a cabinet in the corner and began fixing drinks. "Who?"
"That's terrific, Methos. I was thinking of you just the other day. I read your monograph on St. John of the Cross. Told my wife I knew the author."
"You're putting me on! How'd you happen to come across that? Don't tell me you've been dabbling in the literature, too!" St. John of the Cross was the luminous star and great mystic poet of the Carmelite Order, along with his friend, that wondrous valiant soul, St. Teresa of Avila. Five centuries after their deaths scholars, religious, and just plain fans were still writing about their lives and their words.
"No. Just surfing the net. Came across one of your old names - Michael Benedict. Thought I'd check it out, see if it was you. Sure enough - inimitable style, Methos, couldn't have been written by anybody else." He handed me a drink, a really good brand, too.
"So - what'd you think of it?"
"Me? An old Benedictine like me? What would I know about Johnny Boy? No, seriously, it was really good, Methos. Sounded as if you'd been going through a bit of a 'dark night' yourself, though, it was so moving. I cried when I read it."
"Thanks! Pretty pleased with it myself." Cripes! A Warrior Immortal who cried over my words about John's poetry! How the hell was I gonna get him to Battle me? Seemed more and more likely I'd need to try my contingency plan - picking a fight.
Erasmus finished his drink. "It's nearly dinner time. How about I close up here and you come home with me for dinner? Magda's a real Swede - loves company, loves to cook, always makes too much for just the two of us. It'll be a treat for her to meet you, old friend. She seldom gets to talk to any of our Kind. She's insatiably curious about us. You know the drill."
"The older she gets, the more curious she becomes, is that it, Erasmus?" I thought my jab about his wife's age would get a rise out of him - pique his Warrior spirit. But no.
"You're so right. You always did understand Mortals, Methos. Male and female. How they think. What they feel. We're lucky, Magda and I," he mused. "She was only nineteen when we fell in love. We've been together twenty-five years. I've always looked older than my age at First Death." He did, with those deep lines carved into his cheeks, those chiseled features, and his pure white hair. "Now, she's nearly forty-five, and she still appears younger than me."
"She is younger than you, Erasmus. Centuries younger. Millenia."
"But to the world, in a couple more years, she'll be an old woman." He seemed saddened by that thought. He took a breath. "We'll need to move before that happens, pull up stakes. Several times. Go places where nobody knows us. We'll end by pretending to be mother and son. Awful for her. Thank God we have no children, no family. It'll be so hard for Magda as it is, even without that loss."
"And for you, Erasmus."
"You betcha. But it's not the same. How many times have I done it, after all? Moved on? Hundreds?"
"About that," I responded with a nod.
"For her - just the thought of leaving Stockholm, maybe even Sweden itself - leaving her house, her garden, her friends - it breaks my heart to see it breaking hers."
"Consider yourself lucky, Erasmus. Most Mortal-Immortal mixed marriages don't last twenty-five years. You know that. Mortals become frightened, when they see themselves aging and us remaining young. Appearance is everything to them. They run away, rather than be left behind. They expect to be left behind. It's the Mortal way, with May-December relationships. They cannot really fathom how we feel. How we love. What they mean to us."
"She's rare, my Magda. She knows how much I love her. And still, every night, when I go home, put my key in the lock, I worry. That she won't be there. That she'll have flown. To beat me to it."
"Well," I said with a smile, rising from the comfortable leather chair I'd been lounging in, "let's hope this isn't the day she's chosen to fly! I'm looking forward to meeting her, and eating a good Swedish meal!"
Magda Rasmussen was drop-dead gorgeous - no other way to describe her. Forty-five, seventy-five - she'd always be gorgeous. Those kind of bones, that sort of luscious skin. Those eyes. Took a man's breath away.
At dinner, she plied me with food and wine and questions, evidencing a true interest in Old Immortals - her husband was one, after all. She was sensitive, as well, to my less-than-joyous spirit.
"Michael - what is it? What's wrong?" Magda asked me, when we'd gone into the living room to drink coffee after the meal.
I knew I couldn't get away with evasions about something being wrong - not with this woman. I said, "It's not an Immortal thing, and it's not contagious, so you needn't worry about Edward."
"You know, Methos," Erasmus said, dropping his use of my phony name, "I've been wondering the same thing all evening. You're so different than I remember. You're really down, for you."
"You remember wrong, Erasmus. I was never 'up,' not once in fifty centuries."
"Maybe that's so," Magda said, her soft accented voice - we spoke English, since I have no Swedish - heavy with concern. "But this darkness I feel from you - it is not natural to you. I'm certain of it."
Irritated, I told her, "I had a bad day. It was a long lousy drive. Flat tires. Twice."
"Methos -" Edward cut me off.
I returned the favor, cut him off. "Erasmus - drop it. Leave it be. Man's entitled to have a bad decade, every few centuries, wouldn't you agree?"
"You're having a bad decade?" Magda asked, horrified. "That's a very long time, Methos. Won't you tell us about it? We'd like to help."
How I despise these Mortals, with their incredible compassion! And these Old Immortals, who think of themselves as nearly Mortal, when they ape the compassion of their lovers or friends.
"I'm outta here," I declared, getting up from the sofa. "Thanks for a lovely dinner, Magda. Great meeting you." I turned to Erasmus. "If you've got a little time tomorrow, I'll meet you for lunch. Pick you up at your office."
"Business?" Erasmus asked, immediately alert. With us, "business" could mean only one thing - the Game. He knew I hadn't come to visit him because I need a new accountant.
"In a way," I evaded. "Well?"
"Sure. Around noon okay?"
"I'll be there."
Wasn't sure I would be, though. I was pissed. I was beginning to understand how MacLeod felt when Amanda and I poked around in his life, tried to tell him what to do, how to live. Why couldn't people mind their own business? Erasmus' wife had just met me, and already she felt justified asking me intimate questions about my feelings. Erasmus - I hadn't spoken to him in nearly a century. Yet he felt he knew me like the back of his hand. Unbelievable! What right did they have to confuse the issue with their questions and concern?
I needed to walk for a bit, think. I drove Mac's car back to my hotel and parked it in the garage. I didn't expect to meet anyone I knew, so I was truly startled when I felt the presence of another Immortal in the underground passage which led back to the street. I wasn't carrying a sword.
"It's only me, Methos. Erasmus. Don't be frightened."
"You followed me?" I asked, astonished. The fellow's trademark had always been his disappearing act, swift, silent, sure. Now I discovered he had an appearing act to match.
"Of course. Magda insisted," he replied simply.
"What do you want? To talk now?" I was irritated. First, that he'd snuck up on me. Nobody should be able to do that. Second, that he was there at all. "My business can wait till morning."
"Can it? I don't think so." He leaned back against the fender of a car, once again a Warrior Immortal. Wary, relaxed, intense, curious - everything mixed together. He didn't have the passion, the fire, in his aura that MacLeod did. But he had depth and power. Beautiful. If I hadn't been so furious, the privilege of witnessing Erasmus Minor's transformation from businessman back into Warrior would have delighted me. As it was, I was ready to take his head.
"I told you - nothing's wrong. A few losses, lately. Maybe you've read about them, in the Watcher Chronicles."
"Nope," he said. "Limited access. My Watcher - a good friend, by the way - lets me read the literature, anything current being written by our Kind. Opens up the corporate files, so I can do business with Immortals, if I want to. I get to read the Obits, too. Who's gone. But I don't see the Chronicles. I don't know who took whose head. I don't read about the deaths of loved ones."
"Well, if you let the guy keep you on a leash -"
"I don't let him do anything. I'm grateful for what I get. I'm not a hacker. Don't want to be. Just want to know who's around. And keep up with old friends, like you."
"Why are we talking about this? I'm okay. Had a few personal reverses, is all. Nothing I cannot handle."
"We're talking about it, Methos," he replied earnestly, "because I'm trying to get past that brick wall you've thrown up! Something's really wrong, I can feel it. I know it. You know it. I'd like to help." Then he abandoned the pop psychology and drew himself up in a formal way. Like a Knight of old. Anachronistic as that. "I'd like to serve. If I can. If you'll permit me to."
"Serve? You want to serve me?"
"You've done your bit for me over the years, Methos. Why shouldn't I reciprocate?"
I shook my head. "No reason, of course. There is something you can do, to help. That's why I sought you out. Tomorrow, I'll talk with you about it. Okay? Tonight - I just need to rest. Sleep."
"Sure. Whatever you say. Just wanted you to know I'm ready for anything. I'm not rusty."
I had to grin. "Erasmus Minor, rusty? Thought never crossed my mind!"
"Tomorrow, then."
He left as quickly and silently as he'd arrived. I only hoped he believed my tale about needing sleep. Sleep was the last thing I needed. I wanted to die, sure. In the meantime, I wanted to sink to the depths, to know how miserable I truly was.
When Erasmus had gone home - I hoped - I did what I'd intended to do all along. Prowled the Stockholm streets savoring the night, deliberately passing up the brightly lit tourist attractions and searching for the red light district, where I might find dark taverns, deafening music, and dangerous people. Needed to lose myself in a bad crowd.
After a little while I found just the right bar, an ugly little hole-in-the-wall with lighting so dim I couldn't see my drink, and noise so fierce I couldn't hear myself think. Perfect.
If I told you that, after about an hour in that joint I was so drunk I managed to get myself picked up by a leather freak, and beaten up by him and his friends, would you believe me? It's true. All of it, including getting my money stolen. And being left for dead in an alley. The whole nine yards.
I sure was having a bad decade, at the moment!
When I revived, I stumbled back to my hotel on foot, having not a kroner remaining to me to pay for a cab. Fortunately, I'd left a bit of money in the hotel safe. I'd get that in the morning. Right then, I cajoled the night clerk into putting a bottle of gin on my tab, and not calling a doctor to see to my bruises.
I made it up to my room on the first floor, got my raincoat off, and plopped into a chair. Opened the bottle and drank half the contents off in one long swig. Chug-a-lug. Within a few minutes, I was feeling no pain. Whether that was because of the liquor, or because I'm an Immortal, I'm not certain.
What I was feeling, was exhausted, bitter, furious, and stupid stupid stupid. What a plan! Erasmus Minor was some plan!
I knew in my bones now, that if I even hinted to him something of what I had in mind, he'd contact every Watcher in Europe until he'd tracked down my friends so they could save me from myself!
Cripes! This wasn't going to be easy. "Auto-Destruct Sequence Methos 1" wasn't going to be as easy as I'd thought it would be!
Evil Immortals trawling for Power - never can find one when you need him!
It was clearly well past noon when I woke suddenly. I knew the time because the sunshine pouring through the curtains made me squint. The buzz of an Immortal's approach was what wakened me, though, not the light.
For a few seconds it seemed like I'd finally gotten my wish. An Evil Immortal was about to lop off my head, put me out of my misery. Unfortunately, that wasn't my desire at the instant of waking. Quite the opposite. Usually took at least ten minutes before depression set in, in the mornings. And I couldn't for the life of me think where I'd hidden my swords.
After a moment I remembered. I'd hidden my sword, and my short sword, and MacLeod's katana in the third drawer down in the chest across the room. I was armed in a flash. Then I waited.
I'll give you a hint. The Immortal approaching my hotel room wasn't Erasmus Minor. But he certainly was somebody I knew. When I realized just who it was, I sagged, dropped my sword arm, and collapsed back onto the bed.
The Immortal banged on the door. "Methos! I know you're in there! Open up!"
"It's open," I replied wearily. "It's not locked."
The Immortal opened the door. "Methos - my God - you look a wreck! What happened to you?"
"What, so I didn't bother to wash off the dried blood - no big deal!"
"What's it from?" he asked, going into the bathroom and coming back armed with two wet washcloths. Set to work cleaning me up immediately. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I was mugged," I answered, shrugging. "Leave off doing that - I'll shower. Why the hell are you here, Duncan?"
"Who'd mug you?" he asked with a sneer.
"People who don't know what poverty looks like when they see it," I retorted. "I asked you a question - what the hell are you doing here?"
"Got a call from your friend Rasmussen. Erasmus Minor. He had a devil of a time finding me, he said. Contacted half the Watchers in Europe before he could track down your current friends, get to me, he said. He's a real powerful fella, Methos. Knows all there is to know about cutting through red tape. Got past Father Ambrose and on to me in thirty seconds flat. Told me he was worried about you. Told me you claimed to be having a bad decade."
"Well, so I am. What's it to you? You've your own fish to fry."
"You hungry? Speaking of fish." He'd finished cleaning me up, I guess. Now I was supposed to eat.
"When have you known me not to be hungry? I could use a beer."
"Ah, I can do beer!" He whipped a beer out of his coat pocket. "There you go! Don't say I never gave you anything!"
I picked at the tab of the beer can with trembling fingers, finally managing to open it. Drank it down in one long gulp. "You shouldn't worry, really," I said. "Simply overloaded. Too much sturm und drang, too much gloom. Just needed to break out a bit. Get my head banged in. See a bit of real life. Nothing to worry about."
"Methos, your friend Erasmus sounded serious. When are you gonna be serious? What are you hiding from me? Protecting me from? What's he know that I don't know?"
"Nothing important enough for you to drag your sorry ass all the way to Sweden over," I answered.
"So I should leave?"
I ran both hands through my hair. Squeezed my eyes shut. Opened them again. Looked at my feet. Then at the window.
"Should I leave?" he asked again. Persistent bugger.
"Tsk," I muttered. "Damn."
"What did you say?"
"I said dammit! You shouldn't be here, MacLeod! You told me yourself, not only were you keeping your vow, you were actually getting better, doing it! Feeling good. I heard you say the words. You said - and I quote - 'I'm happy!' Do yourself a favor, Duncan. Go back to the monastery. Be happy!"
"You gonna tell me what this is about? Your friend Rasmussen - he said he thinks you're ready to end things. That you're looking for somebody to take your head. Is that true?"
"What if it is? Not your concern. Please, MacLeod - go back to Carmel, make a new life. You're doing well. I wish I could stick around to watch you bloom. Be happy!"
"How happy do you think I'd be when the news of your death reached me, Methos?"
"You'd get over it." I was down again. Dry. Matter of fact. Blank.
"Unbelievable!" He raised his hands, then dropped them to his sides. "You still don't get it, do you?"
"Now what am I supposed to get?"
"I was holding on by the skin of my teeth, Methos, thanks to you! To your visits. Your letters. So uplifting. That was clearly bullshit you made up to keep me going. I was holding on, thanks to your Faith, your Hope, your love of God! How long do you think I'd last in there, without you?"
"There are twenty-one monks in a Carmelite Monastery, MacLeod," I lectured. "When they hit twenty-two, they make another foundation, someplace else. I'm confident that someone among the twenty beside you in your Carmel has a few thoughts about Faith, Hope, and the love of God to share with you! After all, they are monks! Seek courage from your brothers, friend! I'm a little short, at the moment."
"I've never met anyone with more courage than you, Methos," Duncan responded quietly. "Never."
"Right. Next you'll be telling me that there is a Santa Claus."
"Isn't there?" he asked innocently.
I laughed. "Depends on a lot of things. Variables. Tell you about it, some time."
"You can't really want to die, Methos. It's not possible."
"Yes. Oh yes. It's possible. It's a fact, MacLeod."
"What'd it take to make you feel differently?" he asked bluntly. Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod wrote the book on cutting through red tape.
"You really want to know?"
"I really want to know, Methos. More than you dream, I want to know."
"You remember your katana, that you were asking about when we were in Seacouver?"
"What about my katana?"
I poked my chin in the direction of the chest of drawers. "It's in there, third drawer down."
He went over to the drawer, slid it out, looked inside. "Yes, it's there, Methos. What about it?"
"Pick it up. Hold it in your hands. Hide it in your coat. Carry it around with you. Use it, when you're asked politely. That's what it will take to make me feel differently. You - out here - where I can see you, feel your buzz."
He didn't touch his sword. He walked to the window and pulled the curtains to the side, letting in the light of day. Opened the window a few inches. Took a couple deep breaths. Didn't say anything, though.
"Well, that's what it would take, MacLeod. Otherwise - it's just a matter of time. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day soon -" He knew I meant that one day soon I'd find an Immortal who'd be happy to take my head, no questions asked, and no scruples at all. An Immortal who'd end it for me.
"I'll offer you a deal, Methos," he said at last. "A compromise."
"What sort of deal?" I asked quickly.
"I'll come out of the monastery."
"And in return?"
"You carry the swords. Yours, mine. All of them. However many it takes. You protect me."
"That leaves at least one of us breaking his promise, MacLeod. Might as well be both," I responded. "I don't think Archangels are heavily into half measures."
"I said it was a compromise. I won't take up the sword again, Methos. I promised. Not until the end of time. That's what I told the Archangel. If I'm still around at the End, I will fight. Until then, I will not." Suddenly, incredibly, his Scots accent was strong in his mouth.
"I haven't been able to keep my promise, Duncan. Not even close." How could I stop loving him? It was impossible.
"I knew you wouldn't, couldn't. Just trying took more courage than I've ever known anyone to have. It was the more difficult vow, yours. If I'd made it about you, I couldn't have kept it, either."
"Maybe not."
"Absolutely not," Duncan declared. "There's divesting, and then there's divesting. Some things just can't happen. What you promised is one of them. The Archangel will understand." Whatever Duncan wants, Duncan gets - no change there, still thinks the world revolves around him, not just my world.
I changed the subject. "You've gotta stay on Holy Ground, if you won't carry a sword. I cannot protect you, if someone Challenges you. I can't interfere."
"Just tell him, where MacLeod stands is Holy Ground, but if he's itching for a fight, you'll oblige."
"Somebody comes along, takes my head - then where will you be?"
"That won't happen," he said with a smile.
"You've got an exaggerated idea of my skill with a sword, MacLeod."
"I don't think so. Besides, what does it matter? Somebody takes your head, he might as well take mine. Think I'd care?"
I stared at him for a long time. He met my regard without dropping his eyes. His aura was clear as a bell. Finally I admitted, "No, I don't."
"It's about time. Then we have a deal?"
"We have a deal."
So far, so good. Our compromise has been working well. We've been back in Paris living on Duncan's barge for two weeks now, without incident. No Immortal's come forth to Challenge either of us yet. MacLeod walks about weaponless. I walk about with him, my heart in my mouth, armed to the teeth. Lovely.
So far, so good. The Archangel hasn't reneged, either, even if I have. No Demon's come forth to Challenge Duncan again. And the World's still there, right where God left it, after Creation. Good and Evil mixed together.
Want to know how I am? I cannot even appreciate MacLeod's aura, I'm so frightened someone will come to take his head. I don't think our scheme will work - even if I offer the other Immortal a chance to get my Old Power. There is no substitute for Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I've never taken so many deep breaths in my life. It's a wonder I don't pass out.
Am I happy? Now I've got what I wanted? Duncan out here?
There's a line in the film "Ship of Fools" which might answer that question. Oskar Werner says it, to Simone Signoret. Lovely line. He says, "Who's happy?" Says it with such a superabundance of irony, and such a smile! Perfect.
So, the answer to your question is - "Who's happy?" Nobody I know, nobody I've ever known, in fifty centuries of living.
Sorry. I made a mistake. There is one person I've known over the past five thousand years who's happy. He's happy right now. Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod is happy. Therefore - therefore, it's all worthwhile to me. Oh yes indeed, yes indeed.
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text:
It's 2014 and half of the year is already in the rear-view where many people are stuck on moments in February with each of the top sports championship games ending in blowouts. Here I am catching up with much of the year in music, capped with great loosies and singles but not too many albums that I sunk my teeth into. Pertaining to the ever-growing genre of rap, much of my focus centered on one region within their resurgence: The West Coast led by the G-Funk synths and hand claps of DJ Mustard. Atlanta continued to churn out hits and burgeoning young artists with club numbers and New York stretched to find ways to "bring NY Rap back" all the while ignoring the interesting music that is formulating in their inner-circle.
Posts Tagged 'The Alchemist'
Mac's 2014 Mid-Year ReviewPosted: July 9, 2014 in Blog, Dyscyplynary Action, Hip-Hop, Music, Music Review, Reviews
Tags: Blu, DJ Mustard, Evidence, Iamsu!, Ratking, The Alchemist, Ty Dolla $ign, Ty$, YG
Album Review: Domo Genesis x The Alchemist – No IdolsPosted: August 8, 2012 in Dyscyplynary Action, Hip-Hop, Music Review
Tags: Domo Genesis, The Alchemist
Music Video: The Alchemist x Danny Brown x Schoolboy Q – Flight ConfirmationPosted: July 18, 2012 in Hip-Hop, Music, Music Videos, New Music
Tags: Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, The Alchemist
Internet memes should have a field day with this. The Alchemist displays the trippy and NSFW visuals directed by Jason Goldwatch along with Danny Brown and Schooboy Q. This is one of my favorite cuts off of ALC's album Russian Roulette, which is available now.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Oh my word, y'all. I clicked onto my blog to check my stats, and the Pucallpa Countdown on the left side of the page caught my eye.
10 Days.
I'm going "home" to Peru in just 10 short days. There's a lot to do between now and then, so I wanted to share some specific prayer requests and praises for you to keep in mind as I prepare.
- I received above and beyond the amount of financial support I needed. HUGE yahoo!
- I've been in contact with my host family and everything is in place for me to join their family for five weeks.
- I get to go back to Pucallpa! Truly, this is the biggest praise. God has granted me the deepest desire of my heart and is allowing me to return to my friends and family in Peru.
- Please pray that I will be motivated and diligent as I work on lesson plans for the English classes I'll be teaching.
- Pray that I have time to connect with those at home who I want to see before leaving.
- Pray that the last-minute details, such as where I'm staying overnight in Lima and whether I'll be traveling to villages, will fall into place.
- Pray for peace, calm, and trust while I prepare and plan.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and love. I'll keep updating throughout my trip!


text:
Following a low-sodium diet can sometimes feel restrictive. Dining out is fun and pleasurable; don't think you need to give that up when watching your sodium. You will need to be wise about the places where you eat and the foods you choose, but making healthy choices can be easy with a little know-how.
Fast Food Meals
If you're watching your sodium intake, a trip to a fast food restaurant is not your best choice. According to the website HelpGuide.org, an analysis of fast food restaurants found that 57 percent of the meals analyzed exceed the daily recommendations of 1,500 mg of sodium per day. However, if you must eat at a fast food restaurant, you can cut the salt. Always special-order your items. For example, ask for french fries without salt or a main dish to be served with the sauce on the side. You can also ask that your food be served without condiments, which can pile on extra sodium. Finally, be sure to get a low-sodium dressing such as oil and vinegar when you order a salad, and have it served on the side.
Salad Bar
If the restaurant you're eating at has a salad bar, opt for this over a traditional menu item. A salad bar allows you to control what you are eating, which means you can limit your sodium intake. When grazing on the salad bar, choose fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid pre-made salads, such as macaroni salad. High sodium culprits such as olives, cold cuts, pepperoni, croutons, seeds and pickles should also be avoided. Stick with a leafy green salad topped with fresh vegetables and a low-sodium salad dressing. Most vinegar-based dressings are low sodium, so choose those over a creamy or even a low-fat dressing.
Out For Pizza
What's a Friday night without pizza? You too can enjoy a slice of your favorite pizza without sacrificing your low-sodium diet. Choose a pizza that has a small amount of sauce and ask the restaurant to use part-skim mozzarella instead of whole milk cheese, if possible. For toppings, choose vegetables and avoid salty options such as sausage, pepperoni, anchovies and olives.
Fine Dining
When perusing the menu at a restaurant, you can look for certain buzz words pertaining to how an item is cooked that can give you an idea on how much sodium it contains. Look for meats that are grilled, poached or broiled. If the item is served with a sauce, ask what the sauce is made of and if you can have it on the side. If a sauce contains soy, gravy, au jus or another kind of broth, it is most likely high in sodium. Having a sauce served on the side allows you to portion out the amount you will eat. Your selection of appetizers and desserts also counts toward sodium intake. For an appetizer, always lean toward something with fresh fruit or vegetables. Avoid fried items or those with a lot of cheese or sauces. Believe it or not, dessert can also contain a large amount of sodium. Choose sherbet, sorbets, custard, tarts or sponge cake over pies, pastries and cakes.
Chinese Food
It might seem like no possible way exists to limit the sodium from a Chinese restaurant, but you can figure out a way to eat a lower-sodium meal. Always get your meal steamed. Most Chinese restaurants can steam almost all of their entrees. Choose poultry, soy or vegetable dishes over beef or eggs. Skip the sauce or ask for yours on the side and stick with sweet and sour, chili or garlic sauce, as these are the lowest-sodium options.
- Help Guide.org: Healthy Fast Food -- Tips for Making Healthier Fast Food Choices
- Heart Failure Society of America; "How to Follow a Low Sodium Diet"; 2006
- American Heart Association: Salty Six - Common Foods Loaded with Excess Sodium
- Low Salt Foods.com; "Dining Out -- Best Menu Choices"; August 2010


text:
|10 Pin Bowling
|10 computer controlled lanes plus pool tables an interactive video
|All equipment and shoes included in the fee
|671 1893
|Climbing Wall
|Well controlled claiming walls for the whole family
|2 x 10m climbing walls and a practice wall
|686 3721
082 3964301
|Claremont Gym
|Usual gym facilities plus swimming pool and squash courts
|Annual membership and day visitors
|683 3121
|Skate Park
|¼ pipes, ramps, rails and the best view in Claremont
|Great venue for in-line & skateboarders
|671 2098
|Early days as the centre takes on a sporty and activity character
|Centre Management & Information
|683 3008
|Sports Café
|Action pub and restaurant, watch all the sports
|Part of the Sports café chain
|674 1152
|New age, card games, books and magazines. Game league.
|Pokeman – Saturday am
Role Play Games – Sun
|683 0360


text:
Dele sighed deeply
His tear-filled eyes stared on the road as he drove
He wasn't sure how to react
To this disturbing news
He had everything planned out with his friends
He had gotten the engagement ring a few days ago
Wanted the moment to be a very special one
So he could express how much he loved Susan
How could you, Susan? he shouted
His horn honked erratically
As he struck his steering wheel repeatedly
Startling the dispatch rider that rode past his car
Why would you, Susan?
I loved you with all!
We were meant to be together from the first time I laid my eyes on you
Susan, why? He asked again
Dele shook his head as tears streamed down his face
Quickly wiped them with his sleeves
But he couldn't keep them flowing
As the pain of betrayal ached his heart
What did I do wrong?
Susan, why? He asked again
His vision became blurry as he cried in his car
Then, he decided to park his car
As he swerved off the road to the service lane
His car narrowly missed the biker riding past him
The rider hurled some insults at him
Dele's heart was too broken to care
He unlocked his phone
Starred at the picture Lanre forwarded to him
Susan exchanging vows with a stranger
And she was beaming with smiles
How could you lead me on all along, Susan?
He dialled her number
Hoping she would tell him it was a terrible dream he had
And the picture was photo shopped
Her number was engaged
Later, the operator said it was switched off
Susan! He shouted her name
Why? Did I offend you in anyway?
Dele thought about his relationship with her family
It was very cordial
Susan's family filled the void of a lone child for him
They made him feel welcomed always
He remembered his last visit to Susan's place
Her mom welcomed him warmly as usual
Her siblings were friendly
Even her younger sister chatted with him while he waited for Susan
He didn't sense any animosity
Or did I miss the red flags?
He asked himself again
As he played the visit in his head again
Nothing was out of place
Yes, Susan's Mom mentioned a family trip
Slated for the weekend in honour of her husband's remembrance
He volunteered to come along but she declined
Even when he proposed informing his parents
Susan's Mom insisted that there was no need for it
Since it was just an immediate family affair at their home town
And they would return that same weekend
Dele screamed in his car
As he took a second glance at the picture
Why me? Dele asked himself
Though he had one or two flings before their relationship
Susan was his first love
He placed his head on his steering wheel
Trying to get a grip on his emotions
Someone rapped on his window
He ignored the knocking but the person persisted
As he looked up, it was a policeman
Oga, is everything alright? the policeman asked
Yes, I'm fine, Dele muttered
Wind down your glass, policeman instructed him
As he did in response
He quickly cleaned the remaining tears off his face
Yes Officer, how may I help you? Dele asked
You will have to move your car, the policemen instructed him
You are causing some traffic here, he added
Dele looked into his prismatic rear-view mirror
He saw a long line of cars behind
The few commuters driving past swore at him
Dele apologised to the policeman
Changed his gear and drove off with a heavy heart
His phone began to vibrate
He ignored it because he wasn't ready to talk with anyone
Days passed
All efforts to reach Susan yielded no results
Her friends didn't have an explanation for what she did
She had informed no one about the secret wedding
Life continued
Dele decided to stay off the dating scene
His friends tried to set a few blind dates for him
But he never showed up
His life was now all about work
One after the other, his friends got married
He would avoid hanging out at their bachelor eve's party
His parents and friends became worried
A few years later
One Saturday morning after his workout session at the gym
He decided to stop by for brunch at his favourite restaurant
Instead of having to fix something for himself at home
While he waited for his meal to be served
He saw this lady walked in with two toddlers
She was stunning and graceful
He stared at her as they picked a table opposite his
She looked familiar
Initially, he couldn't place her face
Took a closer look at her secretly
While the waiter served his meal
He thanked the waiter and started eating his food
He felt a tug at his heart tug
Looked up from his meal to satisfy this strange longing
At least there is no crime in staring, he teased himself
It was about same time she looked up
Their eyes locked
The painful memories came rushing back like a flood in Dele
As they both stared at each other
He shouted, Susan!
While she shouted, Dele!
Immediately, Dele sat back in his chair
Lost the appetite for the meal he was eating
Susan, he called her name again
One of her children called,
Mum, can I have some juice?
She didn't answer
The toddler sitting on her right hand called again
Mum, can I have some juice?
Oh! Sorry, my baby,
She poured some juice in his cup and handed it to him
Dele stood up from his meal
Walked to her table, Susan!
He called her name again
He wasn't sure what to say to her
Dele, it is nice to see you again, Susan said standing up
I can't say the feeling is mutual, Dele replied bitterly
I'm sorry, Dele, Susan said
Dele just stared at her
Then, Susan's daughter tugged at her skirt and asked,
Mum, who is this man?
Is he our Daddy?
She bent down and shook her head and replied
Princess, it's not Daddy!
He is a friend
Can I meet him? Princess quizzed her mom
Yes, you can, Susan answered
Princess and Patrick, meet my friend, Dele
Dele meet my babies – Princess and Patrick
Hello little beauty, how are you?
I'm fine, it's nice to meet you, sir, Princess said
Meanwhile, Patrick hid behind his Mom's legs
Hello Patrick, Dele said stretching his hand to the cute toddler
After he exchanged pleasantries with the Susan's children
He bade her goodbye and turn to leave
Susan pulled him back gently and asked
Dele, can we see and talk?
Dele nodded his head trying to control his emotions
Please give me an opportunity to explain, she pleaded
Dele shook his head
Unshed tears pooled at the bottom of his eyes
Just once, Dele, Susan said
After that, you can choose to hate me forever
Dele, please, Susan pleaded again
Luckily, the restaurant was nearly empty
Save the restaurant staff setting up for the Saturday buffet
But Susan's children were watching
Okay, Susan, Dele conceded
Name the place and time, I would meet you there, he added
Waterfront side at the Moonshine restaurant, 7 pm next week Saturday
Thank you, Dele, Susan quickly added
The new week started and the days passed quickly for Dele
Because a lot was happening at work
While Susan, she felt the week was on a trot
She was distracted at work and at home
Would Dele ever forgive her?
Can she still do anything to salvage the love they shared?
Her ex-husband never loved her
All he wanted was a trophy wife
Unfortunately, her Mom wanted a share of his fortune
Agreed to the marriage without her consent
Then, the gifts started rolling in from him
The first gift was a Range Rover Sport
Following it was, a new apartment for the family
Dele was an upcoming promising young man
He helped when he noticed a need in the family
But Mama felt it was needless to her to suffer like she did
Initially, she wanted to tell Dele
But she was scared
Wanted to please her mom
Knowing how she suffered to raise her siblings and her
The marriage was the worst mistake of her life
Her husband was never at home
She lived alone
Two years later, she found out he was married
His wife and 4 children were living abroad
While he shuttled between different countries
Her world crashed
Unfortunately, she was already pregnant
Without a note or forwarding address
She packed her things and left
Hired an attorney to handle her divorce
Before it was concluded, she gave birth twin – Princess and Patrick
Ever since, her children had been solace
As she picked up her life again
Not a word to her ex about the children
Neither did her Mom know about them
She shook her head
Prayed that this evening would bring closure for Dele
From observation, his ring finger was empty
She remembered Dele was the ring type
While they were dating he talked about
How he was going to wear his ring proudly when they got married
He would tease her about wearing a friendship ring
At least other guys can know she was off the market
Susan sighed deeply and rose up from her chair
Called on her children's nanny
Gave her some instruction
Picked up her car keys and left for her meeting with Dele
Meanwhile, Dele was in a quandary
Should he go or stay at home? He pondered
Can anything Susan say change what had been done?
Laid on his couch staring at his chandelier
At 6:30 pm, dressed in his white shirt and blue jeans
He sat him down and switched on his TV
Wasn't sure what to do
Kept on flipping through the channels
At 7 pm, his wristwatch alarm beeped
Like a man on a mission
Got up, switched off his TV and left his house
Ready to face the truth
It was easy to locate the restaurant
He had held a few business dinners there
As he walked to the Waterside
He saw Susan was already seated
She looked really beautiful in her white blouse and jeans trouser
She seemed uncomfortable
Then, she looked around and saw him
Waved at him as he walked towards her
Hello Susan, Dele greeted
Hi Dele, she responded
Thank you for coming, Susan said
I was thinking you would not show up
Dele nodded and took the seat across her
A waiter came around to take their order
They both ordered drinks
Then, sat in silence as the noise of crashing waves filled the air
After their drinks were served
Susan broke the ice
I'm sorry Dele for all the pain I caused you
I'm really sorry, Susan said sadly
Dele nodded and asked,
Why did you do it, Susan,?
Can we go for a walk? Susan asked
Yes, if that makes you feel better, Dele responded
Then, Susan began to tell him the story
Those were the most miserable days of my life, Susan confessed
Dele, I thought about you every moment
I hoped and wished I could see you
But my Mom and husband kept a tab on me
My ex collected my phone and bought me a new one
Lost all my contacts
Then, he took me out of the country for 6 months
On return, I began to live a solitude life
I almost committed suicide
I couldn't go anywhere unaccompanied
I had a chauffeur and bodyguard take me out
Dele, all I'm asking is for your forgiveness
I'm sorry I caused you such deep pain
Dele, please let go of the pain and move on
Please, she pleaded
I haven't heard your deep-throat laughter, since we met
You seem to move around with a heavy heart
Dele, you deserve more than this
I wish I could help you but not sure I'm your the best option
Dele stared into the dark sea
Full of mixed emotions – pity for Susan and his own loss
Susan, I forgive you, he said as he turned to her
I'm sorry for the pain you went through
I'm not what is next for me
Or if there can be a us again
Let's be friends and take this journey to recovery together
He reached out to her and pulled her close
Author: Anu Onasanya


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- Article
- English
New YA novels putting girls, and their self-discovery, first
- Article URL
- Nation
- Canada
- Journal Name
- Journal Website URL
- Issued Date
- Sep 21, 2018
Maurene Goo's The Way You Make Me Feel tells the story of Clara's summer reluctantly working the KoBra, her father's Korean-Brazil fusion food truck (her grandparents are Korean, her father was born in Brazil and she was born in Los Angeles). Clara lives for laughs and pranks, and proudly proclaims, "You simply couldn't out-jerk a jerk like me." But meeting new people through the KoBra starts to chip away at Clara's joker act. She starts to see the difference between chivalry and sexism and reflects on cultural experiences outside her own. Bonus: Goo's L.A. food descriptions are positively drooly.


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"He was enthusiastic, had all the answers, and handled wobbly situations delicately"
Sometimes, at our open-access courses, we have the pleasure of hosting participants that do not necessarily fit nicely into the fields that we have the most experience in, that is laser eye surgery and plastic surgery.
I first met Nikke Ariff in 2003, while working with the London Vision Clinic. The Clinic wanted to treat their patients to an Indian Head Massage before eye surgery and a relaxing foot reflexology treatment after the procedure. In case you're curious an Indian Head Massage is a stimulating massage that works on the back, shoulders, arms, neck, head and face. A treatment is of approximately 20 minutes duration. Reflexology is a natural, non-invasive therapy where gentle pressure is applied to the different surfaces on the face, hands and feet.
It was Laura Livesey that suggested that Nikke would be ideal for this role, as she is not only an expert at what she does (consistent with the Clinic's own standards of excellence) and that she exuded the kind of customer care that we wanted most in anyone treating the Clinic's patients.
A few years and thousands of Indian Head Massages later, we decided to invite Nikke to attend one of our courses to see if the material would help her private practice: Mind Body Positive. After the course, here is what Nikke had to say about it:
I found handling objections to be the most useful, and then the Proposal stage of the phone call. Most challenging will be trying to 'stick' to the format of handling objections. I have to develop my style within the constraints of the Process, just like Frances did in her final, brilliant role-play! Rod Solar was enthusiastic, had all the answers, and handled wobbly situations delicately.
Nikke Ariff, Director, Mind Body Positive Ltd.


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Busted! Nikki Bella Assaults A Girl In High School!
Nikki Bella, an Ex-Fiancee of WWE Wrestler, John Cena, has got into a legal trouble after breaking a Nose of a Girl in High School. Read more to know the entire story.......
Booked for showing Wrestling skills!
Nikki Bella, an American Professional Wrestler, who also happens to an Ex-fiancee of WWE Wrestler, John Cena, much after their controversial split has yet again attracted another Controversy, this time she is been charged with an assault on a girl which resulting in breaking her nose.
Legal trouble for the Wrestler
Much known for her Wrestling skills, it gained her lot of Reputation in the WWE World, but this time Nikki seems to have shown the wrestling skills at a Wrong place. She allegedly broke the nose of a girl in High School. She has been booked for assault on a girl, which might also prove to be downhill to her reputation.
Football Game led to the Fight!
It was reported that the entire incident took place due to a Football match held in High School, Nikki Bella who got involved in a brawl resulting into a fight with a girl named Sarah Aguirre, who then went on to accuse the then, 17-year-old of badly injuring her in a fight. To make the matter worse there was a Warrant motion filed for her arrest when she moved from Arizona to San Diego, California to attend college.
"Go home and cry", provoked Nikki Bella!
It was learned through a Police Investigation, The victim was attacked on her taunting,"go home and cry," after winning the football match which also led to a fight between her and other four girls from rival High School much after the game was over. She claimed in a Police Report, "Four girls walked up to her. The first of four girls pushed into her with [her] chest… and kicked [her] in the face while on the ground."
Will the legal Proceedings take another turn?
It was quoted through a Police Investigation that the Mob of Four girls fled the place in their car, and while going they replied to the taunt made by the victim, one of the girls in a mob said, "now look at who's crying – b***h."
The victim was soon rushed to a hospital!
It was reported through an insider source that the Victim was soon rushed to a nearby hospital, where the Police Investigation also took place. While giving a statement to Police, it was learned that one of the four girls, who attacked the victim, was named as 'Brianna Garcia', further adding it was even reported that "The Garcia twins' beat up some Saguaro girl after the Friday night football game."
Briana claims the accusations are false!
While reports claimed by Brianna Garcia, says that the accusations made by the victim are completely false and baseless as she had left early to MacDonalds much after the match, but according to the report, the alleged victim's boyfriend identified Stephanie Garcia as the initial suspect by looking at a yearbook photo. However, the girl who claimed she was injured in the fight could not be "absolutely sure" who attacked her, but police noted she "hesitated at Stephanie's picture." It would be interesting to view, how the proceedings take a turn.


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"The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human." —Adolf Hitler
"…the fact that a being is human, and alive, does not in itself tell us whether it is wrong to take that being's life." —Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics at Princeton*
Elie Wiesel, in his book Night, a first person account of his surviving Auschwitz at age 15, describes one horror he witnessed:
We did not yet know which was the better side, right or left; which road led to prison and which to the crematory. But for the moment I was happy; I was near my father. Our procession continued to move slowly forward.
Another prisoner came up to us:
"Yes," someone replied.
"Poor devils, you're going to the crematory."
He seemed to be telling the truth. Not far from us, flames were leaping up from a ditch, gigantic flames. They were burning something. A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its load–little children. Babies! Yes, I saw it– saw it with my own eyes . . . those children in the flames. (Is it surprising that I could not sleep after that? Sleep had fled from my eyes.)
So this was where we were going. A little farther on was another and larger ditch for adults.
I pinched my face. Was I still alive? Was I awake? I could not believe it. How could it be possible for them to burn people, children, and for the world to keep silent? No, none of this could be true. It was a nightmare….
Dr. Henry Morgentaler also survived the Holocaust suffering through the torments of Dachau. He moved to Canada and became an abortionist where he gained fame killing babies. Ironically, in 2008 then-Governor General Michaelle Jean named Morgentaler to the Order of Canada saying that he had been selected for "his commitment to increased health care options for women, his determined efforts to influence Canadian public policy and his leadership in humanist and civil liberties organizations." **
Why should anyone be concerned about all this? Cal Thomas wrote:***
"…if you are reading this, you have survived abortion and infanticide, but you are just one accident away from admission to the twilight zone of brain damage that could lead doctors to finish what the accident failed to do….
"The Nazis tried eugenics. They were unsuccessful, but it took a world war to stop them. The American medical community, ably assisted by technology and some of those ever-present 'clergy' who can always be relied on to give their blessing to almost any horror, are proceeding down the eugenics slope with virtually no opposition.
"Unless you can guarantee that you will never be critically ill or injured and that you will die in your own bed at a ripe old age, you had better be concerned about this."
"There are two victims in every abortion:
a dead baby and a dead conscience."
Mother Teresa
PRO-LIFE GOOD NEWS (and attributions)


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BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill Tuesday that will allow for the temporary removal of firearms from people considered a danger to themselves or others.
It was a group effort years in the making to get the "red flag" bill signed. Those who have lost loved ones believe it's a step in a very necessary direction.
Shannon Lowney was 25 years old when she was gunned down while working at a Brookline Planned Parenthood in 1994.
Gail Erdos says there's not a day she doesn't think about her.
"She was murdered at her workplace by someone who absolutely should not have had his hands on a gun," she said.
To witness Baker sign the red flag bill meant a lot to not only Erdos but dozens more in the room.
"This means now you have the most direct route to a judge to say 'I believe someone in my home is going to hurt themselves or others, will you help them?' This will separate somebody from their guns, their ammunition and their license for up to a year. This bill will save lives," Marjorie Decker explained.
But the terms of the bill have others concerned.
"Why would you just take their gun away and send them home with a pamphlet on mental health? On the other hand, if you are really trying to identify the next monster who will attack our children, why would you simply take their legal gun away and set them free?" Jim Wallace said.
The bill does put Massachusetts at the top when it comes to gun safety laws in the country.
"Massachusetts' gun laws are a model for the nation, and creating an additional pathway to keep guns away from people unfit to possess them will make our laws even stronger," Baker said in a statement. "This law creates a responsible way to help prevent gun deaths and suicides while protecting individuals' second amendment rights."
The measure lets a relative or someone else with close ties to a legal gun owner petition a court for a 12-month extreme risk protection order if the individual was exhibiting dangerous or unstable behavior.
A person subject to such an order could appeal the decision.
The bill also creates a licensing procedure for stun guns in Massachusetts after the state's highest court ruled a blanket ban on the devices was unconstitutional.
The new law makes Gracie Thompson, a high school student who has been pushing for change since the Parkland shooting, feel much better.
"We've been kind of in the back of our minds scared of what could happen," Thompson said.
"We not only want to be the safest in the country… we want to be the safest place in the world," House Speaker Robert DeLeo added.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Even though this bill does not address the mental health issue, I would sincerely hope that the judge assigned to hear the petition does by order a mental health examination and determination as part of any "Red Flag" case disposition.
Unfortunately, given the proclivites of hack judges like Tim Freely and Don Carpenter, I doubt that the right choices will be made except by accident.


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Category Archives: Toshiba Chromebook
Toshiba Chromebook Cases , Sleevs and Skins!
Difference amongst Chromebook Cases , Skins and Sleeves?
Same old chromebook cases are typically styled like backpacks or briefcases. They frequently have straps that sling over one or each shoulders, and they may be able to raise other equipment, as neatly. They're intended for transporting and protecting a chromebook or your computer.
A chromebook sleeve case isn't supposed for […]
Toshiba Chromebook Reviews
Toshiba chromebook Opinions Does it bargains Any Good?
Considering there are HP, Acer and Samsung had first made their name when they have launched their Chromebooks and made well-known for its Google Chrome OS . However now not only HP, Acer and Samsung is making their names out of Chromebooks, there is also every other manufacturer […]


text: Brief research reportsA preliminary investigation of the efficacy of oral motor exercises for children with mild articulation disordersGuisti Braislin, Melissa A.; Cascella, Paul W.Author Information Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, USA Correspondence and requests for reprints to Paul W. Cascella, Department of Communication Disorders, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06515, USA Tel: +1 203 392 5956; fax: +1 203 392 5968; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Received 29 October 2004 Accepted 2 January 2005 International Journal of Rehabilitation Research: September 2005 - Volume 28 - Issue 3 - p 263-266 Free Abstract Although oral motor therapy is sometimes used to treat articulation disorders in school-age children, several reports question its efficacy. In this case study, four first-grade students, two boys and two girls, received 15 half-hour sessions of oral motor treatment based on Easy Does it for Articulation: An Oral Motor Approach (Strode and Chamberlain, 1997). Pre- and post-test measures of the children's articulation indicated no real differences in speech production. These results question the efficacy of general and discrete oral motor exercises because they did not enhance the children's speech production. Introduction Speech–language pathologists routinely work with children who have articulation disorders. Articulation is the set of motor processes involved in the shaping and production of speech and difficulty with motor production can lead to the inability to produce certain speech sounds (Bernthal and Bankson, 1998). Articulation disorders can range in severity from mild to severe and children with a mild articulation disorder usually have difficulty pronouncing a few consonant sounds past the age at which correct pronunciation is expected (Bauman-Waengler, 2004). One approach to the treatment of articulation disorders is oral motor therapy (Johnson and Manning, 1999; Bahr, 2001). This approach relies on the premise that improved oral motor functioning helps the child develop enough control, strength, placement, movement and coordination to achieve and stabilize sound production (Hall et al., 1993; Strode and Chamberlain, 1997; Boshart, 1998; Bahr, 2001). Oral motor programs approach articulation as a full body process that includes gross motor activities, oral massage and oral motor exercises. Gross motor activities (for example, a correct aligned seating position) are said to promote postural tone and stability for speech production (Strode and Chamberlain, 1997; Bahr, 2001). Oral massage (for example, stroking of the facial muscles) is purported to improve a child's response to oral sensation, muscle tone and the ability to perform more precise oral movements (Bahr, 2001). Oral motor exercises are repetitive drills that rely on conditioning the muscles of the mouth and face (Marshalla, 1999). An example of an oral motor exercise is pucker resistance. This exercise requires the child to close-mouth smile and resist as the child's lips are pushed into a pucker. There is a considerable amount of professional interest and discussion about whether discrete oral motor activities enhance articulation development (Moore and Ruark, 1996; S. Williamson, H. McDade and A. Montgomery, paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association; November 2001; New Orleans, Louisiana; Forrest, 2002). To date, there have been few controlled experimental studies of the efficacy of oral motor therapy for school children with articulation disorders, even though many speech–language pathologists utilize oral motor exercises in articulation therapy (G. Lof, 2001). In one report (C. Occhino and J. McCann, 2001) it was found that there was no improvement in articulation after implementation of oral motor therapy alone but there was improved articulation after a combination of oral motor and traditional articulation therapy. As an extension of that research, the following study examined the efficacy of one oral motor protocol, Easy Does it for Articulation: An Oral Motor Approach (Strode and Chamberlain, 1997), without traditional articulation therapy for children with mild articulation disorders. The research question was whether an oral motor therapy approach done without traditional articulation practice could impact children's mild articulation errors. Methods Participants Four participants (Table 1) were recruited from a suburban public school district in Connecticut. All four participants were white, English speaking and enrolled in the first grade. All participants passed a hearing screening and their first-grade teachers reported the children had normal academic and cognitive abilities. Prior to this study, their school speech–language pathologist diagnosed all four children as having a mild functional articulation disorder of unknown origin. None of the participants had previously participated in speech–language therapy.Table 1: Research participantsPrior to the study's onset, each child demonstrated adequate oral and speech motor production (that is, single sounds and sound combinations) as rated by an independent second speech–language pathologist using the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children (Kaufman, 1995) and the Oral Speech Mechanism Screening Examination (OSMSE) (St Louis and Ruscello, 2000). The Kaufman is purported to measure oral motor and speech production along a continuum from simple to complex movements. The OSMSE was used to confirm that the structure and function of the participants' oral mechanism was intact. Oral mechanism screenings are common to the practice of diagnosing children's speech disorders (Tyler and Tolbert, 2002). Treatment protocol The children participated in an oral motor treatment protocol taken from Easy Does it for Articulation: An Oral Motor Approach (Strode and Chamberlain, 1997). The treatment protocol included gross motor activities, body positioning, jaw stability, face wake-ups and direct facilitation techniques (Table 2). All of the exercises were completed in three sets of 5 s each except for the gross motor activities, which were completed in one set of five repetitions. One exercise on the protocol, the tongue bite, was initially attempted but did not continue because it was difficult to judge whether the participants completed the exercise accurately.Table 2: Oral motor protocolAcross 7 weeks, the four participants had 15 half-hour therapy sessions. The sessions were conducted on an average of two times per week, with a minimum of one therapy session per week and a maximum of three therapy sessions per week. Therapy was conducted in two groups of two children each. Participants 1 and 2 and participants 3 and 4 were grouped, respectively. The first author, a second-year graduate student in speech–language pathology, implemented the treatment protocol. Therapy occurred at the children's school in available school spaces, including the speech therapy room, the art room and the resource room. Therapy rooms consistently offered a quiet setting with no other people in the room. During each session, the participants consistently received verbal praise (for example, 'you're doing a great job') and verbal prompts to maintain their attention to the task. Videotaping was conducted randomly throughout the study, during sessions 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9. Inter-rater reliability was determined using an additional speech–language pathologist (the second author). Reliability was calculated using the following formula: agreement/agreement+disagreement×100. Overall, inter-rater reliability was 90.3% for implementation of the treatment protocol (range=85.7–94.8%). Data collection The independent variable for this study was group membership as a child with a mild articulation disorder. The dependent variable was the participants' score on the sounds-in-words subtest from the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA-2) (Goldman and Fristoe, 2000). The GFTA-2 was used to assess the participants' articulation of the sounds of American Standard English in word-initial, word-medial and word-final position, as well as consonant blends in the initial position. This test is often used to screen articulation (Khan, 2002; Miccio, 2002) and it is reported to have good reliability and validity (Goldman and Fristoe, 2000). An independent speech–language pathologist administered and scored the GFTA-2 and provided an impression about each participant's speech production. A video camera recorded all participants' responses during pre- and post-testing. Pre- and post-test inter-rater reliability Another second-year speech–language pathology master's student calculated test inter-rater reliability for randomly selected participants. Point-by-point agreement was calculated by comparing the score obtained by each rater for every item on the GFTA-2. Inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.84 to 0.97. Results To examine if differences occurred in the children's speech before and after the oral motor protocol, pre- to post-test comparisons were calculated. The raw scores for the group at pre-test ranged from 4 to 13 errors (mean=9, SD=4.70) and the group had 2–10 errors (mean=6.5, SD=3.41) at post-test. On average, the participants made 2.5 fewer errors at post-test. Given the SDs of the pre- and post-test, these data suggest that the number of errors did not significantly change. In addition, the pre- to post-test difference was consistent with the normal variance of standard scores identified in the standardization of the articulation test itself (Goldman and Fristoe, 2000). Therefore, these data reveal no real difference in the children's speech despite the slight gain noted at the posttest. Discussion The purpose of this study was to corroborate a previous research report (C. Occhino and J. McCann, 2001) about whether oral motor exercises done alone might impact the speech of children with mild articulation disorders. The children in this study had no changes in their speech after a clinical trial based on Easy Does it For Articulation: An Oral Motor Approach (Strode and Chamberlain, 1997). This lack of progress was noted from the opinion of an independent speech–language pathologist and per administration of the GFTA-2. It is reasonable to suggest that the study's duration (7.5 treatment hours) and the small number of participants (that is, four) were factors associated with the lack of progress. Because speech–language pathologists are expected to make rational clinical decisions based upon clinical judgment and evidence-based practice, it is important to explore why the oral motor exercises in this study did not prove effective. One reason why the children did not make gains in their speech production was because they were initially found to have intact oral motor skills. While the oral motor exercises were purported to increase oral motor strength (Strode and Chamberlain, 1997), the children did not have difficulty with the strength of their speech. Speech–language pathologists who recommend ostensible strength exercises should first document that the articulation errors are secondary to a lack of strength itself. This may be difficult; Forrest, for example, has already argued that it is unclear how much strength is actually needed for the production of individual speech sounds (Forrest, 2002). Another reason why gains were not seen in the children's speech was that their speech errors related to placement of the articulators. The children's articulation errors might have been better managed if the treatment approach was more specific to each particular speech error pattern. The Easy Does it For Articulation: An Oral Motor Approach program encourages children to practice a general set of mouth positions that are not specifically tailored to specific sounds or the errors children make when pronouncing the sounds incorrectly. Practicing speech–language pathologists should question how children would generalize discrete oral motor exercises into the actual production of the target sounds. A third reason why the children did not make gains relates to whether children are better off learning sound production in whole units or discrete parts. A traditional articulation approach has long advocated practicing individual physical movements associated with speech production (Bauman-Waengler, 2004). More recently, it has been suggested it is more effective to learn the complex whole of articulation instead of the discrete parts (Geirut, 2001; Forrest, 2002). Finally, the children may not have shown improvement because their already established sound patterns were past the age in which sound acquisition patterns could be influenced. Forrest (2002) argued that early sound production, not later sound correction, relies on oral motor development and shaping. Speech–language pathologists should be cautious in recommending oral motor exercises for children with mild articulation impairments. The rationale for using general oral motor exercises for children's articulation errors should continue to be questioned by speech–language pathologists seeking effective strategies to remediate mild articulation errors. Acknowledgements Appreciation is extended to Deborah Sokol, Kathleen Steadman, Jane Hindenlang, Denise LaPrade Rini, Marianne Kennedy, Kevin McNamara and the Graduate Student Affairs Committee at Southern Connecticut State University.References Bahr DC 2001. Oral Motor Assessment and Treatment. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. Cited Here Bauman-Waengler J 2004. Articulatory and Phonological Impairments: A Clinical Focus. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Cited Here Bernthal JE, Bankson NW 1998. Articulation and Phonological Disorders. 4th ed. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. Cited Here Boshart CA 1998. Oral Motor Analysis and Remediation Techniques. 2nd ed. Terrecula, California: Speech Dynamics. Cited Here Forrest K 2002. Are oral-motor exercises useful in the treatment of phonological/articulatory disorders? Seminars in Speech and Language 23:15–25. Cited Here | View Full Text | PubMed Geirut JA 2001. Complexity in phonological treatment: Clinical factors. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 32:229–241. Cited Here Goldman R, Fristoe M 2000. Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation. 2nd ed. Circle Pines, Minnesota: American Guidance Services. Cited Here Hall PK, Jordan LS, Robin DA 1993. Developmental Apraxia of speech: Therapy Clinical Practice. Austin Texas: Pro-Ed. Cited Here Johnson SR, Manning DF 1999. Using simple tools in oral-motor therapy. Advance for Speech–Language Pathologists and Audiologists 9:20–21. Cited Here Kaufman NR 1995. Kaufman Speech Praxis Test For Children. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State. Cited Here Khan LM 2002. The sixth view: assessing preschoolers' articulation and phonology from the trenches. American Journal of Speech–Language Pathology 11:250–254. Cited Here | PubMed | CrossRef Lof G (November 2001). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, New Orleans, Louisiana: Forrest, 2002. Cited Here Marshalla PR 1999. Oral Motor Techniques in Articulation and Phonological Therapy: Millennium Edition. Temecula, California: Speech Dynamics. Cited Here Miccio AW 2002. Clinical problem solving: assessment of phonological disorders. American Journal of Speech–Language Pathology 11:221–229. Cited Here | PubMed | CrossRef Moore CA, Ruark JL 1996. Does speech emerge from earlier appearing oral motor behaviors? Journal of Speech and Hearing Research 39:1034–1059. Cited Here | PubMed Occhino C and McCann J (November 2001). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, New Orleans, Louisiana. Cited Here St Louis KO, Ruscello DM 2000. Oral Speech Mechanism Screening Examination. 3rd ed. Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed. Cited Here Strode R, Chamberlain C 1997. Easy Does it for Articulation: An Oral Motor Approach. East Moline, Illinois: Linguisystems. Cited Here Tyler AA, Tolbert LC 2002. Speech–language assessment in the clinical setting. American Journal of Speech–Language Pathology 11:215–220. Cited Here | PubMed | CrossRef Keywords:Articulation; oral motor exercises; efficacy © 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.View full article text


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Anime Reporter reports from the trenches as the Fourth Great Ninja War rages on in Naruto Shippuden Box Set 22. The box set is made up of episodes 271-283 and is split between seasons 12 and 13. This collection is due to be released on DVD in the UK and Ireland on Monday 14 September, courtesy of the fine folks at Manga Entertainment UK.
This box set carries on, as you might well expect, directly after the events of Box Set 21 (reviewed here). Or, well… I mean… it kind of does. Yes the last episode of Box Set 21 was episode 270 and we do indeed kick off this collection with episode 271, but there isn't a particularly clear progression between the two. Episode 271 is a filler episode. This isn't that unusual for the Naruto series, (and at least it's only one episode, as opposed to, say, an entire season of filler), but we're in the middle of a pretty significant and hectic arc. While, just one episode before, the various ninja villages were assembled together, fighting multiple incredible foes , the first episode of this collection inexplicably sees a lot of supporting characters back at their home village, with zero references to their battles or the fact that a potentially world-ending war is taking place. Nope, they're far more interested in acting rather bizarrely to help an apparently amnesiac Sakura regain some of her memories. As filler, the events are wrapped up, if not neatly, then at least entirely and the very next episode is back on track with all of these characters and many more once again playing the parts of soldiers.
This collection sees Naruto come into the action just a little bit more than the previous collection, though the focus is still well and truly on the wonderful assembly of comrades from the different ninja villages continuing to fight against old enemies and allies with quite a few twists thrown in. It's really just Naruto-action hitting its stride throughout these battles. This series has always excelled at shining light on a variety of characters, highlighting their motivations, their dreams and their humanity and the Fourth Ninja War is no exception.
Expect a lot of flashbacks, a lot of inner monologues and, actually, even a few moments that are genuinely touching, or else this old anime reporter might just be getting sentimental in my moderate age. There's a second filler episode focused on the Hidden Leaf village while its shinobi are away at war, but this at least feels connected to the rest of the episodes and feels like much less of a cheat. We also get to see more of Naruto's struggle to tame/ally with the Ninetails fox and we of course get more of Killer Bee's rapping that we should.
All in all, Naruto Shippuden Box Set 22 carries on the Fourth Ninja War with some great action, a decent pace, the character development that this series excels at and just a couple of big-time revelations. If you don't love Naruto by now, then this isn't the place to jump in. If you're a big time fan, then you shouldn't have any problems with what you find inside this collection.


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How much do you know about this handsome actor who was twice voted the sexiest man alive?
There's a new Latina on the block. Her name is Camila Mendes, and she plays the part of one of America's best known comic book characters, Veronica Lodge, in a live-action series on The CW, "Riverdale".
Charli XCX, a British popstress, is zipper bustin' good! Her dance/pop music is infectious; furthermore, she is a tasty treat to behold!
Not all success habits are taught in school. Some of the most important skills necessary to be successful in life are called people skills. Here are 5 easy ways to gain friends and change your life for the better.
Celebrities at the 2016 Emmys lament over Trump while keeping mum on real issues.
Nowadays the Scarlet Letter seems to be "C" for conservatism as Comedy Central's latest roast turned out to be a euphemism for the incineration of conservative author Ann Coulter.
American fans waited and waited, and finally got their wish; The Real Housewives of Melbourne Season 3 is on Bravo. But, you know what they say . . . Be careful what you wish for.
This is H. Jon Benjamin. While it is unlikely you will recognize him by his average-looking mug, complete with receding hair line and grey-dabbled beard, if you heard his voice even in the din of a busy coffee shop, your mind would be overcome with a torrent of nostalgia. For near 20 years, this average-looking man has built his fame on the back of his sultry baritone voice and that has that just perfect amount of slightly-annoyed irritation in its tone.
A summary of the biography of the actor Hugh Jackman and the films in which he has appeared.
The youngest of seven children born to a single mother in the notorious dockland slum of Tiger Bay, Dame Shirley achieved worldwide fame and now lives a life of secluded luxury in Monaco.
The Real Housewives of Potomac offers viewers a look at the lifestyles of the rich, but will the Bravo reality show make these domestic divas rich and famous or rich and infamous?
For what it's worth if you're a fan of Madonna you'll love her latest live shows, the Rebel Heart Tour. If you're not a fan, too bad, because if you went you'd come away being one. That's just how good she is on this tour.
Many people live in the shadows of a more famous sibling. However, Ferencz Dezso Weisz, a/k/a, Theodore Hardeen, younger brother of the iconic Harry Houdini, carved a niche for himself in the world of legerdemain.
Junior Brown is a unique fixture in the sub-genre of modern rockabilly and rootsy rock 'n' roll. His rolling baritone voice and quirky songs make for some interesting listening. But, it his musical instrument of choice, a wondrous construct known as the guit-steel, that makes Junior Brown's sound what it is.
Donald Trump and Kelly Osbourne both make remarks about Latinos; one is vilified but for the other, all is forgiven.
A summary of the biography of the actor Jeremy Renner and the films in which he has appeared.
An entirely subjective selection of stunning women from East Asia.
A summary of the biography of the British actor Luke Evans and the films in which he has appeared.
If you haven't heard of Rhett and Link, you haven't lived. Ever since my daughter showed me footage of a 30-second commercial they created, I've been meaning to write about these two comedic geniuses. By trade, they are both engineers and lifelong pals. With impeccable timing and exceptional musical talent, they entertain and improvise for fans and guests on their wildly popular shows and podcasts.
In an era of superhuman action stars that became gods on the big screen, Bruce Willis stands out as the every-man hero. He could be brave, he could be brutal, but he could be hurt. His portrayals in films like the "Die Hard" series have made him unforgettable... but if you're a real fan here are some facts about the actor you simply need to know!


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Nyepi Day Bali: Need to Know Information
Nyepi is a Hindu holiday that lasts 24 hours starting at 6:00 am the morning of. The usual busy lively island falls completely quiet as the holiday guidelines are enforced to everyone on the island. All restaurants, stores, and businesses are closed. Even the airport shuts down for the day. The streets are kept empty and people spend the day in meditation. This involves being silent and partaking in fasting.
The guidelines of the holiday are followed on a scale. Some follow all the rules and some only choose certain ones. From no work, to no entertainment, to no eating, the holiday is a very self-reflective one. The day after Nyepi is celebrated as their New Year. The streets fill up again as traditional celebrations, games, and activities are active all over the island.
What to Do?
BE PREPARED. One of the worst things that could happen is being unaware of the holiday and getting stranded with improper facilities to get you through the day. If you prepare in advance, you will have a very enjoyable and relaxing day during Nyepi. No need to worry if you're on an Intro Travel tour, we've got all this covered! If you prepare in advance, you will have a very enjoyable and relaxing day during Nyepi. The day before Nyepi has some awesome celebrations where locals carry tremendous statues through the streets. For the day of, make sure you're in accommodations that can keep you properly satisfied for an entire day. Personally, that means I want a place with a pool, bar, and plenty of food! Sometimes the hotel kitchens will only serve food once or close early, so be sure to stock up on lots of snacks (and beer if that's your thing).
The following day there are more celebrations but besides that everything should be back to normal! As long as you are prepared and plan for Nyepi in advance, you will have an amazing time!
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