text:
|Exhibit Hall For the exhibition of artistic creations by our members, from poetry and prose to drawings, photography, and digital art.
|Thread Tools
|Jul 9 2014, 08:39 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Louis
Gender: F
Weyr Search
Kylara was making her way past the dining cavern when someone behind her called her name.
Kylara! Come in here a moment, please.
She let out a disgusted sigh and turned back to join her brother in his study.
This had better not take long, Larad, she said, scowling. I have plans, you know
Dont bother, Lord Larad said shortly. Hes gone.
What are you talking about? Whos oh! She stared at him in disbelief. You didnt!
Ive sent Randol to one of the farmholds no, Im not tellng you which one! Its planting time, anyway they can use the extra help.
How dare you! Kylara burst out. She and Randol had been meeting since just past Turnover, and he was one of the best lovers shed had.
How dare I? How dare you! I warned you about this, Kylara, I told you it had to stop. It was bad enough before, but now it is unacceptable.
Unacceptable! Kylara shrieked. How dare you how dare you try to tell me who I can see!
Everyone can see, Kylara! You havent exactly been discreet with this one. And yes, I can tell you when the honor of this Hold is at stake!
Honor, Kylara spat. Who is going to
You are betrothed, Kylara! Larad shouted over her. You have a contract with Brand, and with Igen! You simply cannot go on with this type of behavior any more!
What are you going to do, lock me in? she said sarcastically. That will really
If necessary, Larad snapped back. His voice lowered and he spoke with great intensity. Dont you realize that if you carry on like this at Igen, theyll do worse than transfer your lover? You will be Brands wife, Kylara, and you cant expect him to tolerate that sort of thing.
And yet she would be expected to tolerate her husband having such dalliances it was practically encouraged, much less expected! Kylara fumed at the double standard. She hadnt had much say in marrying Brand in the first place, but she had been glad at the prospect of getting out from under her brothers thumb, and gaining a position of some authority, even if it was only at a minor Hold in Igen.
She glared defiantly at Larad, making up her mind to look for a new lover as soon as she got a chance. She would be discreet, but she wasnt about to change her ways
Suddenly there was an urgent knocking on the door, and the stewards voice. My Lord! Lord Larad! As if he might mean a different lord, Kylara thought, but the voice sounded downright panicked.
Enter, Larad called, and the door opened. What is it, Gerend?
The mans face was white. Dragons, Lord Larad! Dragons have been sighted from the fireheights! Theyre landing in the courtyard now!
Dragons! Larad rushed to the open window. A full wing, no less! He strode quickly out the door. I wonder what business the Weyr has with Telgar.
Kylara hurried after him. She wasnt about to miss any chance of seeing a dragon. It might be, as most people said, that dragons were obsolete and the Weyr had no purpose anymore but that did not make the creatures any less spectacular to see! She had only ever had a few glimpses, when she was younger, and those from a distance. Now they were coming right to the Hold!
By the time they reached the courtyard, the dragonriders had dismounted from their beasts and were standing in formation. Gerend hastily announced, Lord Larad of Telgar! The dragonrider at the head of the formation stepped forward.
Greetings, Lord Larad. I am Weyrleader Rgul, rider of bronze Hath, the rider said, bowing.
Greetings, Weyrleader, Larad replied. What brings the Weyrleader himself to Telgar Hold, with so many dragonriders?
We come on Search, the man said gravely. Jora, Bendens Weyrwoman, has died, but her dragon Nemorth laid one last clutch of eggs. One of those is golden and will hatch a queen dragon. We cannot risk it failing to Impress, and so we are here to claim the ancient right to Search within the Holds for young female candidates who might stand at the Hatching. One of these women will be Bendens new Weyrwoman.
Weyrwoman! Kylara could hardly contain her excitement. Oh, people always told tales of what went on in the Weyr, but the lack of details had always made her more curious to see for herself. Was it possible that she might go with these dragonriders? She looked at her brother and laughed inwardly. Of course, he wouldnt want to let these people wander freely through the Hold, but you could hardly refuse someone who had a dragon standing behind him!
I see, Larad said after a moment. My condolences on the loss of your Weyrwoman
Thank you.
You may conduct your Search here. My steward will guide you through the Hold. Larad glanced up at the sun, which was just starting to drop behind the cliff. As it is getting late, I invite you to stay for the evening meal, and offer hospitality if you find you must spend the night.
Rgul was unable to hide his relief. I thank you, Lord Larad. I am afraid it will take longer than this one evening to Search through all of Telgar and her outlying holds, and I gladly accept your offer of hospitality.
Larad gestured to Gerend but Kylara spoke up before the steward could say anything. Wont you come have some klah before you start your Search? she said, smiling at the Weyrleader. It must have been cold, flying all this way why, its rather chilly down here on the ground.
Ah, yes, Rgul said, seeming to notice her for the first time, and she stifled a flare of annoyance he had obviously been too worried about getting permission to enter the Hold. Yes, some klah would be most welcome, ah
Kylara, Larad broke in, glaring at her. My sister.
I see, Rgul said. Yes, Lady Kylara, some hot klah would be most welcome.
Follow me, then, Weyrleader, she said sweetly. You may as well begin your Search in the kitchens, where it is warm.
* * * * *
That evening Kylara arranged to be seated next to Weyrleader Rgul for the meal. She was on her best behavior, charming and gracious, rather than showing her boredom as usual. This, naturally, infuriated Larad, though he could do nothing about it. He could hardly scold her for acting properly in front of guests!
From the moment the Weyrleader had explained why the dragonmen had come to Telgar, Kylara had been unable to think of anything else. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go to the Weyr! Away from the ridiculous protocols and morals of the Hold, away from her exile to Igen A dragon wasnt even something to consider, but just being able to live in a place where she would fit in. If the tales were true and surely some of them were! no one would care what she did, or with whom. A few days of being the gracious hostess were worth that chance.
* * * * *
When Kylara rose the next day, she found that the dragonriders were gone continuing their Search by surveying the surrounding farmholds and mining camps. She had a moment of panic before she learned that they were planning to return to the Hold for the evening meal before leaving for the Weyr. She had one last chance to charm Rgul.
Larad did not meet the dragonriders in the courtyard this time, but sent Gerend to lead them to the Dining Cavern. This could have been taken as an insult, but Rgul was obviously anxious to avoid giving any offense, so it was a low risk. While they were waiting for their guests to file in, Larad leaned toward Kylara. Watch yourself with that man, he said in a low warning tone.
Why Larad, I dont know what you mean, Kylara said innocently. Havent I been a good hostess?
You know what I mean, Kylara, Larad snapped back. Quit throwing yourself at him! Its bad enough hes raiding the kitchens and the cotholds, but we cant let him take one of the Blood
Kylara laughed. My dear brother, where do you think half of those kitchen brats came from? And what dragon would have a drudge for its rider?
As Rgul sat at her side again, she smiled at him. Good evening, Weyrleader. I hope your Search was successful? She hoped it had not been.
Ah, somewhat, he replied, looking grim. Somewhat. Although we cannot have too many candidates to stand at this Hatching. He did not have much to say during the rest of the meal, but she kept up a lighthearted conversation, asking if the dragons were tired from flying about the Hold, and about the other eggs in the clutch at the Weyr. How else might she show her interest, her willingness to go with him to stand as a candidate? She would ask him directly if she had to, but she wanted it to be his idea if possible. It would make getting away easier.
An evening had never seemed so long before. The meal dragged on, with everyone still on edge about having dragons at the Hold. Kylara struggled not to show her own tension; when it looked as though the harper was going to get up and perform, she felt like she was going to scream - but Larad held up a hand to stay him.
Well, Weyrleader, he said, turning to the man. Have you completed your Search, or must you remain here at Telgar?
Rgul flushed. Indeed, Lord Larad, my men and I must take leave of this place. Our Search here is finished well, almost finished. He stood and turned to Kylara. She found her heart was beating very fast.
Lady Kilara, I believe you would be a most suitable candidate for Impression. Would you consider coming to Benden Weyr with me to stand at the Hatching?
Kylara barely heard the outcry that erupted at the head table, and at those lower tables near enough to have heard. She rose to her feet, concentrating hard on not seeming too eager. Why, Weyrleader Rgul, she said, I would be honored to Stand at the Weyr.
Absolutely not! burst out Larad, who had jumped to his feet as well. Weyrleader, you go too far! Take the candidates you have already chosen, but do not think to take one of Telgars Blood.
Kylara was thinking furiously. She could not afford to make a scene in front of Rgul her usual method for dealing with Larad but if she gave in too easily her brother would never believe it. Larad! she said in protest.
Rgul was backing up hastily, his hands thrown up in aquiescence. Of course, Lord Larad. I apologize if I overstepped in this, but I thought We have so few candidates, even now I should have asked you first.
Indeed you should, Larad said, only somewhat mollified. Im sorry, but it is simply out of the question.
But Larad, I
No, Kylara! he spoke over her. As I said yesterday, you have commitments here.
She gave him a hurt, angry look and rushed out of the Hall and straight to her chamber, where she began rummaging hurriedly through various coats and wraps on their pegs behind the door. Ranelly wasnt there, thank goodness there was no time to spare explaining and arguing with her! She threw on a wherhide jacket that was warm, but not so heavy as to look out of the ordinary on a cool night like this... Leaving the rest of the garments where they had fallen, she ran back out of her room and off down the corridor.
Kylara slipped out through a smaller side door into the far end of the courtyard. Through the dusk, she could see the large shapes of the dragons they hadnt left yet! As she hurried toward them, she saw Gerend speaking to Rgul. As she had expected, Larad had left it to his steward to escort the dragonriders out, as a way to indicate his displeasure.
Gerend! she called out as she reached them. He turned, startled.
Lady Kylara! What
Lord Larad needs to see you, she interrupted him. Somethings happened in the blackrock bunker. Only a few sevendays ago there had been an accident, a minor explosion when too much blackdust was stirred up while unloading a shipment of fuel, and took a spark. Hopefully, Gerend would think something similar had happened again
He did! He wasnt letting it show, but Kylara knew the mans expressions. My apologies, Weyrleader, but I must go see whats happened, he said hastily. Good flight to you.
Ah, thank you, Steward, Rgul said. We are grateful for Telgars hospitality, he called as Gerend strode hurriedly away to the opposite end of the Hold from where Larad most likely was.
Kylara caught Rguls arm, and he started. Weyrleader, she said. Ive spoken with my brother, and he has reconsidered. If you still wish for me to stand at the Hatching, he says that I may go.
Rguls expression lightened, and he smiled at her. My lady! Are you sure?
Yes! she said, trying to hide how eager she truly was. Ive always wanted to see the Weyr. I managed to get La- Lord Larad, to see that the Holds still owe this duty to the Weyr. He could not come to see me off, but sent his apologies for his words at dinner.
Of course, Rgul said. He was quite right to object. I should have spoken with him first
Kylara bit her tongue to keep from screaming in frustration. They had to go!
Shall I come with you, then? she managed.
Rgul shook himself. Ah, yes, we must be leaving. You may ride with me, Lady Kilara. She did not bother to correct him. It will be my pleasure to escort you to Benden Weyr.
Suddenly the big bronze dragon bent down and extended its foreleg. She had been so focused on convincing Gerend, and then Rgul, that she had almost forgotten the dragons! Now, staring up at it, she experienced the first thrill of fear but she was too excited to be leaving for that to stop her.
I will mount Hath, then help you up behind me, Rgul told her. He stepped up onto the extended leg, grabbed the straps of a sort of harness the dragon wore, and swung himself up to sit high on its neck. Clinging to the straps with his right hand, he leaned down and held out his left to her.
Kylara swallowed and stepped up as high as she could on the dragons leg. It was a strange surface, giving slightly under her foot She grabbed for the straps and for Rguls hand, and heaved herself upward to sit astride behind him. A part of her noticed how warm the beasts skin was, and then Rgul was reaching back with yet another strap.
Pass this around yourself, and back to me, he said loudly. It will secure you to the flying straps. She hurriedly did as he had said. She had had dreams of flying on a dragon, but the thought of actually going up so high was daunting. Still, her plan had worked! She was actually leaving! She was
There was a huge lurch as the dragon launched from the ground, and then a series of smaller lurches as it flapped its wings to gain height. Kylaras head was thrown back, and by the time it stopped spinning, the Hold was lost in darkness below them, with only a few lights showing in windows and at the guards stations. She clung to the strap around her and Rgul, and was glad she couldnt see how high they actually were. A gust of cold wind took her breath away, and then suddenly there was no wind, only cold black, silent cold and she couldnt breathe! She tried to scream but couldnt feel anything but that deep cold, and then the wind was back and she could hear and breathe again.
She gasped for air. What had that been? They leaned suddenly as the dragon banked, and Kylara clutched at Rgul. He shouted something, but she couldnt hear it.
There were lights below them again but they were the wrong lights! Shining in different places, from too high up They werent at Telgar anymore.
Now she remembered one of the times she had seen dragons as a child seen them appearing in mid-air, out of nowhere. She had long thought that she had imagined that part, merely been so surprised to see them that it seemed they just appeared, and had almost forgotten it until now.
No wonder the dragonriders had been able to leave on a journey at nightfall! She had expected a long, cold flight but that cold had been terrifying. She felt a flash of anger; Rgul hadnt even thought to warn her.
While she had been trying to orient herself, the dragon had been circling lower and lower, and now landed with only a slight jarring. Light spilled out of a large cavern opening nearby.
Rgul unfastened the straps from his belt, swung his leg over the dragons neck and slid to the ground. Kylara clung to the straps but was afraid to move; it was only when Rgul called up to her that she forced herself to turn and let herself slide down. She stood for a moment, shaking a little, and then felt Rgul take her arm. Go in there, he said, gesturing toward the lighted passage. Manora should be there in just a moment. I told her to get rooms ready for all of you.
He turned back to his dragon and climbed up again. Kylara reached out in protest, but they were already taking off without her. Whos Manora? she thought, a little jealously. And then, all of you? Turning, she saw several other figures making their way toward the entrance. She began walking over ahead of them. A shadow appeared in the light, and a warm female voice said, Welcome to Benden Weyr. Follow me, all of you, and Ill show you where you can sleep tonight.
Check out my Pern fiction!
Mirrim's Vigil
News from the Weyr
Missing Link
Dragonsong: An Alternate Tune
Ghost in the Tunnels
Changes at Riverbend Hold
Pern Songs
Last edited by Brenda; Jan 4 2018 at 12:57 AM.
|Dec 13 2017, 10:27 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Louis
Gender: F
Re: Weyr Search (working title!)
Kylara tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bed. It was warm, there were plenty of furs, but the rushes smelled strange. That wouldn't have been so bad, but it was the noise that kept her from sleeping. She had always had a room to herself, and now she was sharing with three of the four other girls from Telgar.
Four of them! R'gul had made it sound as though there were no other candidates, that she was the one he needed – the only real prospect he had found there, the only true candidate for the Hatching! And then to find that he had been planning all along to bring those four as well – with half a dozen more already at the Weyr!
All herded through a maze of tunnels and left for the night, three and four girls to a room. Even the sister of the Lord of Telgar.
Kylara tossed again, uneasy. The other girls were all terrified, and not just from the flight to the Weyr. Apparently she was the only one who had received a formal request to stand as a candidate; certainly she was the only one who had actually wanted to come. The others had not been asked, only told that they were to go with the Dragonriders. Some of them didn't even understand why they had been brought here.
Once the shock of the flight had worn off, the whole lot of them had fallen into weeping and moaning, late into the night. Some of them had finally fallen asleep, but there were still a lot of irritating noises that made it impossible for her to sleep...
Any hope of it actually getting quiet was shattered as one of the girls woke up screaming. As the others tried to calm her down, Kylara groaned and pulled the furs up over her head. It was going to be a long night.
* * * * *
She finally managed to fall asleep, only to be woken at an unforgiveably early hour. A woman came around banging on doors with a call to breakfast. Kylara groaned and considered staying in bed, but she was hungry – it had been a long time since that dinner at Telgar. Besides, they might not wait breakfast here if she did.
She reluctantly put on the same clothes she had discarded the night before, and resolved to ask about getting some more. At least these were some of her finer garments, worn to impress R'gul. Although apparently his standards were not as high as she had thought, if the other girls he had brought were any indication. Certainly not after crying all night.
The woman waited as the girls finished dressing, then led them through the tunnels to an impressive dining cavern, where they were given a table to themselves. The food was filling but plain; at least the klah was good. Kylara filled her cup again and sipped, and wondered what to do next.
When was the Hatching going to be? R'gul had said it would be soon, but that could mean anything. If she was going to be waiting much longer, she would need some fresh clothes. And a bath!
And when the Hatching did arrive, what would happen? How did it work? She had been focused the day before on just getting away from Telgar, but now she needed to find out everything she could to make sure she could stay here.
She looked around but there were very few people in the hall. Everyone else had already finished eating and left. She could hear the noise of women working and talking in the adjoining kitchen cavern, but what would they know of it? She needed to talk to a dragonrider.
She scanned the cavern again. There! A man dressed in wherhide was standing in the entrance to yet another tunnel, talking to one of the women who had been serving food. He was quite good-looking, too! The woman was certainly hanging on his every word...
Kylara started to get up, to walk over and introduce herself, but the man turned and walked off down the tunnel. She muttered a curse. She couldn't go rushing off down random corridors in a place like this – she would have to ask one of the women after all –
"Manora! Manora!" The woman the dragonrider had been talking to was rushing across the hall, calling excitedly for the Headwoman. The noise from the kitchen stopped as the women began coming out to see what was going on.
"What on Pern is the matter?" asked Manora in alarm as she pushed her way through to the front of the crowd.
"Oh, Manora, F'nor is back, and you'll never guess what's happened!"
Manora looked even more worried. "What? What is it?"
"Lord Fax is dead!" Pindra burst out. Everyone gasped. "How?!" "What's happened?"
"F'lar killed him in a duel!"
At that, the entire crowd erupted in a babble of voices. Even some of the Searched girls seemed to take an interest.
Kylara sat there, feeling stunned. Fax, dead? What would happen to his Holds?
Others were voicing the same thought. "Who will take those Holds, then?" "Whoever can, I suppose..."
And Telgar, which had been on constant guard at all of its borders since Fax first came to power, would now be at risk of invasion from those who would imitate him! Kylara was surprised at the urgency she was feeling – it had been so long that even the threat of Fax in the distance had grown accustomed. Now the danger was fresh again. She wondered if it would be possible to send a message – although Larad would certainly not welcome any more dragonriders.
"Lady Gemma will have claim to Ruatha."
"Lady Gemma is dead, too!" cried the woman who who had brought the news. The voices rose in a clamor again, this time of dismay.
"What?!" "What happened to Lady Gemma?"
"She died in childbirth. At Ruatha," the woman explained.
Manora's strong voice broke through the babble of questions. "That's enough of this! Be quiet, everyone, or we'll never find out what's happened!" She turned torward the news-bearer. "Pindra, could you please tell us everything F'nor told you, in order?"
Pindra nodded importantly. "F'lar's wing went on Search to the High Reaches," she began. "They went from there to Ruatha, and Lord Fax rode there as well along the ground, with some of his men and with Lady Gemma and her ladies. And her with child!" she added indignantly. There were agreeing mutters from the women listening; Pindra had th full attention of everyone in the room.
"Fax kept insulting F'lar, provoking him, but he didn't give in," she went on. "Then Lady Gemma went into labor just as it looked as though they were about to fight after all. F'lar somehow got Lord Fax to say that he would renounce his Holding of Ruatha in favor of Gemma's child, if it was male!" There were startled exclamations from the group of listeners.
"Then someone came in and said Lady Gemma was dead – but that the child was alive, and that it was male! So F'lar called on Fax to keep his sworn word and renounce Ruatha, and Fax went for him with a knife instead! So they fought, and F'lar won. Fax is dead!"
"And F'lar?" Manora asked, concern in her voice.
"He was wounded, but not badly, F'nor said," Pindra told her. "He sent F'nor back to High Reaches to fetch L'tol – well, he's called Lytol now, isn't he... to bring him back to Ruatha."
Kylara wondered at this. Who was Lytol? That first time, Pindra had pronounced it like a dragonrider's name. Was the Weyr presuming to take over Ruatha for itself? She felt a surge of righteous indignation, then fear. But Pindra was still speaking.
"Lytol," she said carefully, "is to be Lord Warder at Ruatha Hold, and guardian of Gemma's child. The babe is to be the heir to Ruatha. F'lar had some of his wing stay behind to help Lytol protect the Hold."
That was all right then.
"Well, Gemma did have some Ruathan Blood," Manora said. "That was Fax's pretense for Holding Ruatha after he killed Lord Kale and the others."
"It's only right that her son be the heir," one woman said.
"It's not as though there were other candidates to choose from!" said another.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Pindra exclaimed. "F'lar brought back a candidate from Ruatha! She claimed she was of the original Ruathan Blood and was the rightful heir, but she agreed to come to the Weyr and leave Ruatha to the babe. She'd been in hiding as a drudge all this time!"
One of the Ruathan blood, still alive? And of an age to be a candidate for the Hatching? Who could that be? Kylara tried to think back to the old days of lessons – being forced to memorize the histories of all the major Holds, and all the immediate family members of each Lord Holder for three generations back. Just another useless duty that the Lord's children had to do, and she hadn't even given it a thought in Turns, but if she could just remember...
Ruatha. It had been Lord Kale who was killed by Fax. Lady Adessa. All those sons... and, yes, a daughter. That was right, there had been a daughter, just a Turn or two older than herself – there had even been talk of her fostering at Telgar one day. What had been her name...?
Lessa. That was it, Lessa. If this candidate from Ruatha was telling the truth about being an heir and was not just some distant cousin – or simply lying, or crazy – then it would have to be Lessa. Another candidate from a noble Bloodline – and another who had volunteered to come. All the anxiety Kylara had been suppressing with the thought of how useless all the other candidates were rose again. How could she be sure of getting the dragon if no one would tell her anything about the Hatching? R'gul's promises had been just so much talk after all, it seemed...
Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a loud humming noise. The sound was deep, as if the stone itself was vibrating, and she clapped her hands over her ears to try and drown out the sound. It did no good – the vibrations seemed to shake her very bones.
All the kitchen women burst into a babble of speech, while the girls who had been searched stared around in confusion. The humming subsided, then started up again, louder than before.
"Quiet! Manora's voice broke through the hubbub. "No reason to stop working! We knew the Hatching would probably be today, and we'll need to eat either way. Back to work!" She turned to Kylara and the others. "All of you, back to your rooms, now! The dragonriders will be coming to take you to the Hatching Ground." She strode off down the corridor toward the sleeping rooms, and Kylara hurried after her. What was going to happen now?
Manora turned into the first room. "In here, everyone." She went to a chest along the wall and opened it, then began taking out folded bundles of white cloth and handing them around.
"Put these on, all of you, and quickly! There's very little time."
Kylara took the bundle she was handed. It was a dress, of sorts – more like a long, sleeveless tunic. Simple and plain. She pulled it on and shivered.
"All right now, everyone, out this way!" Manora was hustling them down a long corridor, which Kylara recognized as the one she had entered through last night. She could see daylight ahead.
The girls emerged, blinking in the bright sunlight. The warmth felt good on Kylara's bare arms. Her eyes adjusted to the light, and she flinched, startled to see a number of dragons right in front of her. She glanced around hurriedly, looking for R'gul. The three biggest dragons were the same dark metallic color as R'gul's dragon, but he was not among the dragonriders standing there. The riders stepped forward, and it became clear that there was one for each girl.
"Come with me," said the one in front of her – handsome enough, but lacking in manners, for he grabbed her hand and began pulling her toward the waiting dragon. She had to run to keep up. The dragons seemed agitated, not calm as in the courtyard at Telgar, and as they reached the brown dragon she realized that the loud humming sound was coming from the dragon! All of the dragons! She had no time to wonder about this as she was boosted roughly onto the dragon's neck and lurched into the air. She clung tightly to the rider in front of her, cursing him for not having provided her with even a strap to hold onto, then gasped as she saw where they were heading - a great hole at the top of the mountain, with a hundred dragons all looking about to fly into one another! She clutched harder at the rider's waist and felt him laugh.
"Don't worry!" he shouted. "They know where they're going!"
Somehow the brown dragon slipped in between all the others and into the hole at the peak, plunging them into darkness again.
As her eyes adjusted, the dragon began circling, and she struggled to see what was going on. They were in a huge open chamber, with dragons perched on ledges all around the walls.
She tried to focus on the floor below. It was sandy, lighter than the walls around it. In the center was a group of young boys dressed in white, standing around a cluster of a dozen or so big round mottled objects. They seemed to be moving, rocking back and forth – those must be the eggs!
Then she gasped as she noticed the enormous queen dragon off to one side of the Hatching Ground. She was not the bright gold Kylara had heard about in old Harper songs, but only a dull ochre. Her eyes were closed. Kylara tried to remember what R'gul had said... The Weyrwoman was dead, and her dragon had laid its last clutch. So did that mean that the dragon was dead? If not it might as well be. As agitated as all the other dragons were, it really must be dead, to not be reacting at all.
Just in front of the dead queen, on a raised section of the floor, was another egg, this one half again as big as the others, with a distinct gleam of gold. And a dark-haired girl in white was already standing there.
As they circled, one of the other dragons flew down and hovered over the queen egg, depositing a girl. Then the brown dragon was swooping down and they were hovering, and the rider was turning toward her, gesturing to her to get down. She tried to protest – why couldn't they land first? - but he gripped her arms and forced her to swing around, supporting her as she slid to the ground. The dragon immediately took off, and another flew down to deposit its burden.
Kylara stepped back to get out of the way of the next girl to be dropped. Sooner than she would have thought possible, the last dragon was descending. As the rider helped his passenger to the ground, Kylara heard him say, "Don't be afraid!" Then the dragon was gone. The girls were all gathered on the raised part of the floor. Most of them clung together, weeping.
"Don't be afraid!" What a foolish thing to say! How could they expect anyone to be unafraid after being swooped around by dragons with no warning and dropped in the middle of a Hatching with still not a single word to tell them what to expect or what to do!
The dark-haired girl who had been there first stood off to one side, and Kylara could not help staring at her. Could she really be a long-lost member of the Ruathan blood? To have hidden as a drudge for all that time – well, she was certainly skinny enough for a drudge, with a great bruise on her face. But she held herself proudly, and did not show any fear... Kylara felt a twinge of the fear she had been trying to ignore. What if she failed?
The great golden egg rocked suddenly, and all the girls gasped. Kylara found herself stepping back with the others in spite of herself. It was just so big!
Then one of the girls, who had been weeping all this time, let out a scream. Kylara followed her gaze out to the main floor, where several of the eggs had split open and the hatchlings were crawling toward the young boys – children, really – that waited for them.
Kylara stared in horror as one hatchling mauled a boy and flung him away. Another knocked a boy down and trampled him, gashing him with its claws as it went. No one had ever even hinted that the Hatching might be dangerous! Vague mentions of not letting the dragon overeat, yes; risk of being sliced open, no!
And yet, even as some boys were bleeding from vicious wounds, others were kneeling and caressing the ugly, awkward little dragons. How were they doing it? Even the boy who had been trampled was now reassuring a different hatchling that he was all right, and it was nudging him and crooning. How did one tame a dragon? The adult dragons were frightening because of their size, but they did their riders' bidding. How could a person gain control of a dangerous creature like that?
Soon all the hatchlings had paired up with boys. Blue dragons and their riders led the awkward pairs away, while green dragons came and carried away those who remained. They left behind dark patches of blood, still seeping into the sand covering the Hatching Ground floor.
The big gold egg had been rocking all this time and now was beginning to crack. Several of the girls had fainted, and the rest screamed as the crack widened and the dragon's head broke through. Fair enough – they hadn't had any choice in coming. She had asked to be here, and now she was reconsidering that choice.
The dragons' humming had subsided, but now started up again, louder than ever. It seemed to be coming loudest from the seven largest, darkest dragons on the first ledge. The volume kept increasing as the shell shattered and the hatchling emerged, glistening gold. Kylara gasped at the sight. It was so bright!
The little dragon – not so little, as it was half again the size that the others had been – staggered forward. It tripped in the sand and stopped short, flapping its wet wings to get free. Without warning, it darted forward and clutched at the nearest girl, shaking her violently. Her head snapped audibly and she collapsed.
The dragon lunged again, its claws catching in another girl's shoulder and tearing the length of her body. Her scream broke Kylara out of her shock – it had all happened so fast! She turned to run. Nothing was worth this risk. She scrambled off the raised platform and ran toward the tunnel the boys had gone into. She was half aware the other girls were fleeing as well. She got well away, then stopped and looked back.
The hatchling, crying pitiously, had lurched down from the platform, trying to follow them. The dark-haired Ruathan girl, who had not run with the others, moved toward it. Kylara gasped as the girl grabbed the dragon's head and swung it around, forcing it to look at her... and something changed.
The dragon stopped struggling. More startling was the change in the girl's face. Where it had been cold and distant, it now held an expression of unbelievable joy.
Kylara stared, stunned, as the hatchling began crooning at the girl, and she spoke softly back to it, assuring it that it would be fed soon. Was that it? All that violence, and now it was as docile as a lamb?
And that girl – the one who came out of a run-down Hold, who had given up her Blood claim – had won it? How?
She stood there, staring at the stranger and the golden dragon, until a dragonrider came to carry her back out of the Hatching Ground. The last thing she saw, as the brown dragon circled to gain height, was R'gul – leading the new Weyrwoman away with her queen.
Check out my Pern fiction!
Mirrim's Vigil
News from the Weyr
Missing Link
Dragonsong: An Alternate Tune
Ghost in the Tunnels
Changes at Riverbend Hold
Pern Songs
Last edited by Brenda; Dec 13 2017 at 10:48 PM.
|Dec 13 2017, 10:29 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Louis
Gender: F
Re: Weyr Search (working title!)
I may add a bit more if I can figure it out, about settling in at Benden Weyr, but I also like ending on that last line with R'gul walking away...
Check out my Pern fiction!
Mirrim's Vigil
News from the Weyr
Missing Link
Dragonsong: An Alternate Tune
Ghost in the Tunnels
Changes at Riverbend Hold
Pern Songs
|Jan 18 2018, 01:23 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: St. Louis
Gender: F
Re: Weyr Search (working title!)
Okay, I think I am going to leave it as is. Also, I'm going to keep the title. Can a host please change this thread title to leave out the part in parentheses?
Check out my Pern fiction!
Mirrim's Vigil
News from the Weyr
Missing Link
Dragonsong: An Alternate Tune
Ghost in the Tunnels
Changes at Riverbend Hold
Pern Songs
|Jan 21 2018, 10:13 AM
Master Archivist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: The Netherlands
Gender: M
Fan of: Pern!
Re: Weyr Search
Done, Brenda.
Hans, also known as Elrhan, Master Archivist
Visit The Pern Museum & Archives for all your Pern and Anne McCaffrey News and Resources!
The Pern Museum & Archives is the home of the Pern Encyclopedia and the Pern Bloodlines.
|Thread Tools
|Similar Threads
|Thread Starter
|Last Post
|A realistic look at dragon attrition.
|Dragonriders of Pern
|Sep 17 2009 02:41 AM
|Pern Fanfic - Part Two - T'karn's Search (inc. feedback)
|Exhibit Hall
|May 4 2008 10:33 AM
|The Writing on the Wall (Pern Fic)
|Exhibit Hall
|Aug 21 2007 11:19 AM
|Collecting Highlight (23) - An unknown early hc publication of Weyr Search in German
|Collecting Highlights Archives
|Jul 10 2006 10:54 PM
|Collecting Highlight (6) - Roots of Pern: the story Weyr Search
|Collecting Highlights Archives
|Dec 22 2005 03:11 PM


text:
Boston Marathon Bombing: Map showing the Location and Time-stamp of the Surveillance Video of the Suspects
|See video here
Now that the FBI has released details of the bombing suspects, I decided to create a map that shows the likely location and timing of the of the surveillance video of the suspects, in hopes that somebody who was nearby at the time may have noticed them.
If you have any information at all regarding the men shown in the attached photos and video, you should immediately submit them on https://bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov. As the FBI website states, no piece of information or detail is too small. You can also call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), prompt #3, with information.
|Click above for a bigger view, or see the interactive map here. Source for locations of explosions is this New York Times page.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mecal's starting point for the machine was a 6MW offshore turbine with a 155-metre rotor diameter and 98-meter hub height. Research and upscaling resulted in 12MW with a 200-metre rotor diameter and 120-metre hub height.
In the interview, Brughuis speaks about what will be required to take the concept off of the drawing board. This includes reducing the blades and casting the massive components.
More Windpower Monthly coverage of EWEA 2013.


text:
~Removed L for Class Changing and put up new buttons for class changing in the menu (So it won't count your deaths) This is a VERY EARLY test build of the game, it's repetitive and there's not much to do but I hope you enjoy it. The only time this will be down is when I'm updating or testing something with the data. THE GAME WILL NOT SAVE YOUR CHARACTER AS OF YET P FOR CHARACTER CHANGE, L FOR CLASS CHANGE Q/E FOR HOOKS, SPACE FOR GAS, A/D W/D SWING/REEL PRESS M TO MUTE MUSIC PRESS F WHILE AIMING MOUSE ON SOMEONE AS A SUPPLIER/MEDIC WILL GIVE THEM SUPPLIES/HEALTH EXPERT MODE [ALL ABNORMAL TITANS] https://www.roblox.com/games/723892176/Attack-On-Titan-Downfall-Stress-Test-ABNORMAL-ED There are 4 classes in-game and some aren't canon in the series -Special thanks to Mustaccio for the animations.
Private Servers
There are currently no running games.


text:
Today's North- East India
Terrorism is one of the most serious challenges being faced by several countries in the world, and these days India has become one of the favorite targets of the operators of terrorism. Today, developing nations are facing several challenges and one of the most important is to rise to the growing aspirations of the people; and that too in an era when governance itself has become very difficult. Moreover, in a democratic system, people are more conscious of their rights and when they feel that they are deprived of some of them, there comes a necessarily negative reaction. A mere deep rooted and wide spread feeling of injustice gives birth to unrest and unrest, natural or artificially created; promotes frustration. In a situation where no concerted and conscious efforts are undertaken to help people come out of this, seeds of terrorism could be sown very easily. Since unrest of one kind or the other; is the mother of terrorism, what is most important is doing away with the same with concerted efforts.
These efforts need to be two pronged. Firstly, we have to see that no new regions come under the spell of unrest, making it an exercise of a preventive nature, and secondly, making people realise that the feeling of unrest is without any real foundation. While the importance of governmental efforts can not be undermined, one thing is very clear that no government can do away with this feeling of unrest, entirely; unless the people decide to shed the same.
A feeling of injustice, at times; also promotes a particular mindset that develops an attitude of a perennial complainant. Grievances, and more than that a feeling of them, with this mindset come handy as an issue to be exploited for political purposes and once this happens positive and rational thinking at the popular level becomes extremely difficult. A situation like this is a fertile ground for the genesis of terrorism. certain geographical regions in our country have proved to be more prone to the threats of terrorism emanating from unrest. While Jammu – Kashmir and the entire North -East, are already reeling under the threats of terrorism, newer areas are also likely to come under its spell. This makes the danger all too more serious and hence the need for an all-encompassing game plans to meet this crisis squarely.
Waves of Change
Happily, there appears to be a growing realisation that terrorism can not be seen as just a law and order problem. It is much more than that.
Hence, while the role of law and order agencies is of great importance; they alone can not meet the challenge of this gravity and magnitude. In such a situation, what is urgently required is that people are made to participate in these efforts in various ways. To ensure their meaningful and sincere participation, the Development Process should be brought at the experiential level. Besides, they need to be educated and made aware about what are the repercussions of endless instability and unrest, and also made well equipped. Also, through various activities, they need to realise that it is in their interest to help agencies that are in the task of combating terrorism. Also, in no uncertain terms they need to be made to understand that the future of the new generations in their areas depends upon how soon they see reason and help their younger brethren acquire skills with a view to developing careers and talents, leading to a peaceful life with progress as its hallmark.
1. To evolve, from time to time, a broad policy framework and also an action plan to promote people's initiatives in doing away with the feeling of unrest brewing in certain areas of the North-East India and other border areas which are under developed and more prone to the threats of terrorism.
2. To develop a think-tank working mainly on issues concerning North-East India, dealing with, among others, Developmental issues.
3. To create a pro-people, pro-development and pro-emotional integration mind-set amongst those, who have been posted in the North-East India and for whom, core issues involved in various crises in this region, are almost alien.
4. To preserve and promote the traditional folk arts, festivals and specialities of the societal life of these areas.
5 . To preserve folk arts, especially artisans by way of making them understand the market dynamics outside this region and also by way of promoting all as such art forms, which are on the verge of extinction.
6. To develop leadership talents amongst youth, women, community leaders, elected representatives through various training, orientation and exposure programmes, both within North-East and outside the region with a view to helping them have
i) a healthy and considerate approach in dealing with the local population, &
ii) an overall grasp of the situation with the proper understanding of the scenario.
7. To spread awareness through a number of opinion making activities, targeted mainly at the gen-next belonging to these areas, about --
a) The need for developing a progress oriented work-culture,
b) The fact that they are as much a part of this great nation and their sufferings are not different from those who live in other regions, and
c) The fact that they themselves will also have to fight the menace of terrorism and therefore prepare for the same.
8. To promote research on issues related to the overall development of these areas and ways and means of strengthening their emotional linkages with the rest of the country.
9. To create a development oriented work culture, where dignity of labour is considered of paramount importance, in such areas where the youth is in the grip of the menace of easy money.
10. To make people in other parts of the country aware of the North-East India's contribution in enriching the Bharatiya culture, its distinct folk life and also the agonies and aspirations of people in these areas, through several ways and means.


text:
CREATORS | Oliver Jeffers Visits Vancouver28 Feb
The incredibly talented, charming, and self-deprecatingly humorous author/artist gave a presentation about what it's like being Oliver Jeffers before a sold-out audience on Saturday, 23 February 2013 in Vancouver.
I took a stack of my favourite books for Mr. Jeffers to sign (photos, below) but, alas, the capacity crowd meant a limit of 2 autographs per devotee.
Along with the photos of my books, I'm including some video links for those who don't yet know how amazing Mr. Jeffers is. Watch them and you, too, will become a devotee.
Oliver Jeffers | Facebook
Oliver Jeffers | Instagram
Oliver Jeffers | Tumblr
Oliver Jeffers | Twitter
Oliver Jeffers on YouTube
National Post | Big li'l pictures: Oliver Jeffers leads a new generation of children's illustrators
National Post | Big li'l pictures: Oliver Jeffers leads a new generation of children's illustrators PDF
Quill & Quire | Q&A: Oliver Jeffers
Quill & Quire | Q&A: Oliver Jeffers PDF
Westjet Up | Oliver Jeffers' Brooklyn
Maclean's | The march of his penguin
QUOTE OF THE DAY | What Makes a Great Children's Book?15 Jan
CREATORS | Children's Books by Famous "Adult" Lit Authors24 Nov
I recently discovered Brain Pickings and thought you might like this site as well. Here are some visuals and a link to a post by Maria Popova to whet your appetite for more from Brain Pickings.
Aldous Huxley
Gertrude Stein
James Thurber
Carl Sandburg
Salman Rushdie
Ian Flemming
Langston Hughes
Brain Pickings | 7 (More) Obscure Children's Books by Famous "Adult" Lit Authors
Brain Pickings | 7 Obscure Children's Books by Authors of Grown-Up Literature
RESEARCH | G&M :: On Books as Alien Devices26 Dec
Another article (link below) from The New York TImes about kids' books and technology presented the view that many parents prefer the tactility of books over ereaders. Ivor Tossell of The Globe and Mail suggests that some children prefer the tactility of a tilting iPad. What do you think?
Illustration for The Globe and Mail by Graham Roumieu
For some kids, a book is just an iPad that doesn't work
At the age of 2, Calvin Wang's son seems to have learned a truism that is already ricocheting around the Internet: A book is an iPad that doesn't work.
Wang designs interactive storybooks for the iPad. He was inspired, he says, by watching his daughter interact with a movable cardboard book. Since then, Loud Crow, his Vancouver-based firm, has turned an array of children's picture books that take the pop-up concept into the digital age. Books such as Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit now respond to touch by moving, twirling, speaking and noise-making.
Having experienced the app, he says, his son is puzzled by the fact that creatures in the original cardboard books don't move. "When he opens the book, the first thing he does is start tapping the creature in the book."
Turning children's literature into iPad apps is a new and potentially lucrative business; successful creators have seen products fly off the virtual shelves, and venture capitalists are showing interest. But traditional publishers face challenges entering this market: Interactive applications are expensive to make, difficult to perfect and tough to market in the App Store environment. And even children's authors are asking: Does a product that blurs the line between a book and a game destroy the joy of reading? And is one more screen what young children need in their lives?
Adaptations of kids books have been around almost as long as the iPad itself, a device so entrenched in the public consciousness that it seems as though it has always been a fixture on the landscape even though it has been on the market only since April, 2010, a mere 19 months. The first to make a splash was an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, simply called Alice. The creation of a laid-off journalist and a former financial-sector programmer, the $8.99 app took Lewis Carroll's text and the iconic original illustrations from John Tenniel – both of which have passed into the public domain – and used the iPad's innovative capabilities to turn them into tactile experiences.
When the iPad is flipped, Alice grows or shrinks. When the device is tipped, the queen's crown teeters, or even falls off its pillow. Because the iPad can sense acceleration, developers could endow objects on-screen with realistic physics – the kind that young users find especially intuitive.
Chris Stevens, the app's co-creator, says it hardly sold at all for the first couple of days. Then, he says, he released a YouTube video of the app, went to bed and woke up the next morning to see that 500,000 had seen it: This new medium's potential had caught the public imagination. The app would later turn up in The New York Times and on Oprah.
"It was the right market to get some attention," he recalls. "There was some excitement about the idea that the iPad might be the future of publishing."
The Alice app would be the first of a bumper crop, mostly coming from the heady world of new-media app developers. It was one of the inspirations for works that followed, including Wang's growing business in Vancouver. (This week, Loud Crow announced that it had snagged the rights to adaptPeanuts TV specials, including iconic entries such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, into the app format.)
But for all the hubbub, traditional children's publishers are approaching the emerging market with caution.
One challenge is economics: Flashy, full-colour, animated interactive projects that run on high-end tablets are a different creature from eBooks, which typically aren't interactive and can be read on a variety of devices, such as simple black-and-white Kindle or Kobo readers. The eBooks adhere to popular standards, making them relatively simple to make, whereas each children's app is a unique creation that requires attention from authors, designers and programmers.
However, publishers can typically charge more for eBooks than they can for apps, which consumers are used to buying for less than $10. For instance, Loud Crow's Peter Rabbit books cost $3.99 in the App Store.
"The interactive apps cost a lot of money, need to be updated frequently and the price point is incredibly low," says Barbara Howson, vice-president of sales at House of Anansi and Groundwood books. All the same, Groundwood is currently working on an interactive adaptation of one title, Cybèle Young's A Few Blocks.
"I think we're in early days for kids books, in terms of demand and technology," says Denise Anderson, director of marketing and publicity for Scholastic Canada. The publisher has embraced eBooks, with 400-odd titles already available in the format. As for interactive apps, few are currently available from the publisher, but she expects that to change within a year.
"Our mandate is to get books into the hands of children, however they're delivered."
So far, many of the interactive apps that have appeared in the marketplace have been adapted from books that are already cross-platform properties, such as Stella and Sam, a series of children's books by Montreal author Marie-Louise Gay, which has been turned into a successful animated TV show.
For Gay, it's important to distinguish between books and games – and the app, she says, is primarily a game. Where it comes to replacing books themselves with apps, she worries that the immersiveness of the technology can break up the shared experience of a child learning to read with a parent.
"You could actually put an iPad in a baby's crib, and the pages will turn by themselves," she says. Apps that read stories aloud and present interactive widgets threaten children's ability to explore pages at their own pace, turning a social experience into an isolated pursuit, she says.
"That's something that's dangerous, because it's like putting a child in front of a TV."
That is a sentiment that has some support, even within the app world. The best interactive kids apps are the ones that actively depart from the source material, says Jason Krogh, the founder of Zinc Roe, the Toronto developer behind the Stella and Sam app, among others.
"The least successful examples take the book, put it on the screen, and they make hot spots so that when you press it, something happens," he says. That's why his firm is pushing interactive children's technology in a new direction: letting kids tell their own stories. A new app called DoodleCast encourages kids to draw on the iPad screen, while making a real-time recording of what they're saying aloud. After all, a child's scribblings can be visually indecipherable, but its meaning comes clear as they explain it aloud.
"If you've ever drawn with a four-year-old, there's always a narrative. They're telling you about their day," he says.
Kids books have gone through the looking glass, indeed.
Ivor Tossell is The Globe and Mail's technology culture columnist.


text:
It's that time of year again: the air is crisp, winter decorations adorn homes, holiday parties abound—and yes, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) feels it necessary to call out "notorious markets."
On Thursday, the USTR released its third-ever "Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets," with mentions of many familiar names: vKontakte and The Pirate Bay for example.
Interestingly, the USTR has removed Taobao, a popular Chinese online shopping site, from this latest list "because it has undertaken notable efforts over the past year to work with rightholders directly or through their industry associations to clean up its site." Still, the USTR warned the site would only stay off the list if it worked with American rights-holders to respond to notifications of violations.
"Similarly, Chinese website Sogou has been removed from the 2012 List based on reports that it has also made notable efforts to work with rights holders to address the availability of infringing content on its site," the USTR added in the report (PDF).
Five other sites "were removed from this Notorious Markets list as a result of enforcement activities in 2012." These include MegaUpload, btjunkie, Demonoid, Modchip.ca, and Consolesource. This doesn't mean the sites are gone for good, though. As we've reported, Kim Dotcom is prepping a new site and Demonoid's BitTorrent tracker has been restarted.
"As a result of all these efforts, these eight Internet and physical markets are no longer included in the Notorious Markets List," the USTR added. "The positive efforts undertaken at these markets appear to benefit US and other IPR rights holders. A market that is removed from the List may, however, be listed again in the future if corrective actions prove inadequate or short-lived. USTR will continue to monitor these markets."
The new USTR also calls out 17 physical markets where counterfeit and pirated goods are sold, ranging in countries from Pakistan to Mexico. Our favorite description is of the Luohu Commercial Center in Shenzhen, China.
"The display of signs prohibiting the sale of such goods has reportedly not served as an effective deterrent," the USTR states unironically.


text:
10 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups milk
11/2 Tbsps. butter, melted
Thoroughly mix eggs, then stir in flour, milk and butter. Let the batter stand for 1 hour before cooking on a griddle.
Coat electric griddle with cooking spray. Set heat to 350 degrees. When the griddle is hot, spoon batter onto griddle and cook on each side until they're light golden and a little brown in spots. Crepes should measure about six inches in diameter and should be no more than 1/8-inch thick. Otherwise, they'll resemble pancakes, rather than the "shells" Sue uses for her manicotti.
Note: The recipe, already halved, makes about 30 shells. Freeze them, unfilled, for later use, if you don't need them all right away.
- - - - - -
1 No. 10 can (108 ozs.) whole peeled California tomatoes in water
2 Tbsps. garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsps. chopped olives
1 Tbsp. oregano
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1 tsp. (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Use your hands to crush the tomatoes in a large bowl. Tomato chunks should be bite-sized. Heat sauté pan and add oil, garlic, olives and seasonings. Sautee on medium heat until garlic softens, but do not let it brown. Add seasoning mixture to tomatoes. Heat to serve. Leftover sauce can be frozen or used for all kinds of dishes, including making shrimp or chicken marinara, providing a base for pasta fagiole or chicken cacciatore.
- - - - - -
1 3-lb. container whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 lbs. grated mozzarella cheese, divided between filling and for use as the topping for individual casseroles at baking time
Mix ricotta, nutmeg, black pepper, sugar and parsley. Fill each 6-inch crepe with about 2 tablespoons of filling and then top with a sprinkling of grated mozzarella before rolling the crepe.
To assemble the manicotti for baking:
Spoon enough marinara sauce co cover the bottom of each individual casserole dish. Then use three manicotti or more to fill the casserole dish. Spoon more marinara sauce over the top of the manicotti and then cover with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake in 350 degree-oven until the manicotti are heated through and mozzarella is melted and bubbly, about 12 to 15 minutes. Note: You will have leftover marinara sauce that will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. So, try any of the recipes below, or simply freeze the leftover sauce. If the sauce becomes a little watery, just cook it a little while longer to evaporate the moisture.
- - - - - -
Here are some quick recipes that have the marinara sauce at their heart. All but the Pasta Fagiole are designed to serve one. However, the Pasta Fagiole, a soup, will feed a crowd!
10, 16- to 25-count shrimp, cleaned and deveined
6 ozs. marinara sauce
Heat sauté pan over medium heat and add prepared marinara sauce or a jar of Louie's marinara sauce. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink and firm. Serve over pasta or "as is."
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 green pepper sliced
5 button mushrooms
1 Tbsp. red wine
6 ozs. marinara sauce
Cube chicken breast and dredge pieces in flour. Slice green pepper and mushrooms. Heat sauté pan with olive oil and sauté chicken pieces. Add green pepper and then mushrooms. Add marinara sauce and sauté until hot.
1 lb. ditalini, cooked
1 lb. great northern beans
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
2 qts. marinara sauce
Latest Food & Drink
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Heat marinara sauce with one quart of water and then add beans and pasta. When the soup is hot, add Romano cheese just before serving.


text:
Auto Publishers Price Starting at
*Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your atual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, battery pack age/condition (hybrid only) and other factors.VIEW OUR INVENTORY
Strong performance; excellent performance value; comfortable interior; a modern design with retro cues
As the Mustang will see a complete redesign in 2015, changes to the 2014 Mustang are minor. New colors include Oxford White and Ruby Red Metallic, while Red Candy Metallic, High Performance White and School Bus Yellow are gone. Elsewhere, V6 and V8 appearance packages have been changed subtly from those of the outgoing model, and the high-performance BOSS 302 Mustang has been discontinued.


text:
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Episode II: Attack Of The Clones
Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi
Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
(Users Browsing this Thread: )
awesome cast.
I was slightly hoping for billy dee, but no big loss. I have to imagine that luke, leia and han will be more in the background while the younger main cast gets the most play.
but honestly, I really don't care for details very much since I didn't see lucas' name anywhere there. boom. movie will be good.
Also just because some actors haven't been confirmed doesn't necessarily mean they won't appear. They didn't confirm the entire cast today. Maybe some actors are still negotiating.
Heh the guy from Girls....I hope Bill Weasley kicks his ass.
New cast seems interesting. Obviously can't say much on the mostly unknowns but it's nice to have a cast list finally.
i honestly don't want loads of nostalgia cameos in this movie
happy with the current returners as they are
Ah man, this is a great cast! Can't wait to see them all together again!
Also, in other news, it seems like the Expanded Universe of Star Wars (i.e the books, video games, etc) have been declared non-canon:
Star Wars may just be the dominant franchise that towers over all others. Ever since Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope released almost forty years ago in 1977 the series' popularity just hasn't died down. In fact outside of the current six films there have been various books, games, comics and TV shows that have added to the lore of what makes up this series, known as the Expanded Universe. However, Lucasfilm has now come out and declared everything that isn't one of the cinema releases or the Clone Wars TV show as non-canon, as in they do not belong in the official Star Wars lore.
This move includes the Star Wars: Force Unleashed games, Knights Of The Old Republic 1 & 2, The Old Republic, Star Wars Battlefront 1 & 2, Star Wars Tie Fighter, X-Wing, Rebel Assault, Starfighter and Star Wars Galaxies. All of these stories that you may have had experience with over the last couple of decades no longer count as part of the canon. Going forward though any new games that will be produced, including the new Battlefront, will be canonised.
Lucasfilm's President Kathleen Kennedy spoke about the move.
"We have an unprecedented slate of new Star Wars entertainment on the horizon. We're set to bring Star Wars back to the big screen, and continue the adventure through games, books, comics, and new formats that are just emerging. This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before."
Anything that was part of the original Expanded Universe will have some influence on future releases, but stories won't be directly implemented. The older titles will now have a Legends banner to differentiate between what is canon, and what is non-canon. So to recap, the films, Star Wars The Clone Wars and the upcoming Rebels TV shows, future books, and games will be canon. Everything else is not.
fucking good
a lot of that stuff is woeful. really enjoying disney's handling of star wars *thus far* but we'll see how these movies pan out, eh
because I'm sure episode 7 will devote at least a good third to spending life day on kashyyyk
it better bring back Harvey Korman from beyond the grave
The only thing that makes me sad about the canon stuff is that Jedi Starfighter isn't canon now and I fucking love that game.
This is good news, though, it makes it simple. And I suddenly have the urge to suffer a playthrough of Shadows of the Empire.
Also, KotR I and II, and the Battlefronts. Those games were great.
none of the eu stuff was really "canon" to begin with since there's like five different levels of canon
The cast looks pretty decent and all, but I can't get that excited with J.J Abrams directing. I mean he's a fine director and all, I enjoyed Super 8 and the Star Trek films, but c'mon, his Star Trek films basically WERE Star Wars. He makes good, big loud and shiny action flicks but I would have liked to see someone new and unknown handle this and really do something special with it. Were basically guaranteed to get your typical Abrams-esque flick here, probably similar to his Star Trek stuff only set in the Star Wars universe.
And seriously, why give the same guy Star Wars and Star Trek? Seems kinda stupid to me.
Personally, I like some of the EU stuff I've read and so forth and even though it's a bit sad to it all be tucked away like this, it opens up a lot of new unhindered possibilites for the upcoming films and such. The EU was never the most important aspect of Star Wars to me, even though it had some good stuff, so I don't make a huge deal about this non-canonization thing like so many others do.
oh man, adam from GIRLS is one of the villains in the new movie? hah, good for him
In other news, Episode VII officially starts filming today:
Also, JJ Abrams adds two actresses to the cast (and people who've complained about the lack of females in the film rejoiced):
Saw one of those tabloid-style links you see on buzzfeed and shit saying "New pics of Darth Vader from episode vii!" And i said to myself "why would that even be a thing? Who thinks he is going to be in the movie at all? hes been dead for 30 years."
from this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfNiC9iKM0Q
i got way too excited by a gif of an alien with two beards
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite Star Wars. Glad to see the its winning the poll by a margin
Episodes rated best and worst from each season:
1: Krusty Gets Busted/Homer's Night Out 2: The Way We Was/Bart's Dog Gets an F 3: Colonel Homer/Dog of Death 4: Marge vs. The Monorail/So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show 5: Cape Feare/Bart Gets An Elephant 6: Treehouse of Horror V/Another Simpsons Clip Show 7: Mother Simpson/Homerpalooza 8: You Only Move Twice/The Canine Mutiny 9: Lisa's Sax/The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons 10: Lisa Gets an A/Sunday Cruddy Sunday 11: Behind The Laughter/Beyond Blunderdome 12: Trilogy of Error/The Computer Wore Menace Shoes 13: I Am Furious Yellow/Homer the Moe 14: The Dad Who Knew Too Little/Large Marge 15: The Way We Weren't/Diatribe of a Mad Housewife 16: Thank God Its Doomsday/Mommie Beerest 17: Marge's Son Poisoning/Bonfire of the Manatees 18: Marge Gamer/Revenge is Best Served Three Times 19: Treehouse of Horror XVIII/That 90's Show 20: Gone Maggie Gone/Coming To Homerica 21: O Brother, Where Bart thou?/The Devil Wears Nada 22: Homer Scissorhands/The Fool Monty 23: Holidays of Future Passed/Moe Goes From Rags To Riches 24: Adventures In Baby-Getting/Whiskey Business 25: Brick Like Me/White Christmas Blues 26: Bart's New Friend/The Musk Who Fell to Earth 27: Halloween of Horror/Every Man's Dream 28: There Will Be Buds/Moho House 29: Gone Boy/Throw Grampa from the Dane
Am I the only one who thinks Stars Wars VI is one of the best? My favorite is Star Wars V, then followed by VI.
Originally Posted by scully apologist;bt39949
yes, it is "one of the best"
one of the three best
Empire is definitely the best. I'd say A New Hope and Return of the Jedi are about on par.
I would rank it like this:
Star Wars V: 10/10
Star Wars VI: 10/10
Star Wars III: 9.5/10 (Minus for terrible computer graphics)
Star Wars IV: 9/10
Star Wars II: 6/10 (Could have been so much better, but was ruined by cringeworthy moments and bad dialogue)
Star Wars I: 3/10 (Overly childish, stupid, awful, but worst of all, completely unnecessary)
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


text:
Obama To Be Impeached?
Obama To Be Impeached?
Efforts to impeach Obama have never been tried in this way before. This group is giving it a shot. We should worry its to little to late however if successful it does give the American Republic a chance to counter all of his laws, executive orders and various commands null and void.
Sad thing is even if he is impeached it won't stop him from applying for the U.N. position he plans to occupy after his term is finished. This was one of the stands in which the American population should have impeached him for in the first place. As a President can not hold such a position in office. Not to mention the many other underhanded deeds of accepting a Knighthood from Arabia.
Lets hope this is successful.
Video Description:
Obama To Be Impeached
The North American Law Center has drafted a resolution entitled Articles of Impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama.
This document has been backed by committeeman Dave Agema, of the Michigan Branch on the Republican National Convention. As a result, Mr. Agema will present these Articles of Impeachment to the Republican National Committee at theie next meeting (January 13-15, 2016).
Among the charges in the impeachment resolution are: Usurpation of the Oval Office via criminal identity fraud; malfeasance, misconduct, and abuse of the Oval Office; and aiding and abetting known enemies of the United States.
READ THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT: https://www.scribd.com/doc/235166431/NALC-Articles-of-Impeachment-of-Barack-Hussein-Obama
NORTH AMERICAN LAW CENTER: http://northamericanlawcenter.org/
READ DAVE AGEMA'S RESOLUTION: http://daveagema.com/archives/613
DAVE AGEMA'S WEBSITE: http://daveagema.com/
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/jyanis
— Guns & Gadgets:
http://LETS CONNECT! — Guns & Gadgets:
NALC: Articles of Impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama by ObamaRelease YourRecords
If you support the information in this article PLEASE SHARE on your Social Media. It only takes a second of your time to click the provided share buttons. You show your support through your sharing.
Source: http://www.maxresistance.com
Thank You for reading and watching. "LET FREEDOM RING"
God Bless us all Spirit ❤


text:
Zulubet Free Bets Sure 100 Predictions Tips 1×2 18:55 CSKA Sofia – Young Boys = 2 ODD: 1.90 FT ?:? 18:55 AEK – Zorya = 1 ODD: 1.60 FT ?:? Zulubet Free Bets Sure 100 Predictions Tips 1×2
Posts Tagged 'picks'
Zulubet Free Bets Sure 100 Predictions Tips 1×2
June 2nd, 2015 ZuluBet
Posted in Zulubet Predictions Tags: 1X2 daily tips best odds, 1X2 tips, advice for betting, Asian handicap tips, best fixed matches, best football teams to bet on today, best football teams to bet on today soccer bets predictions football match tips free soccer tips for today best football tips for tomorrow predictions today's football matches, best football tips, best football tips for today, best football tipster sites, best football tipster sites best football tips football predictions tips best soccer tips boxing day football tips best football tips for today free football bets, best soccer bets this weekend, best soccer VIP tips and picks, bet tips, betting advice and betting tips, betting offers, betting prediction and payed picks, betting tips, bettintips, buy fixed matches…Bucharest-pick – Correct Score Tips, Correct Score, daily football tips, every day free tips, Exact Score Tips, Fix football predictions, fixed bets, Fixed Correct Score, Fixed events, Fixed football games, Fixed football matches, fixed football matches free, Fixed football news, Fixed football picks, Fixed football predictions, Fixed football tips, Fixed football website, fixed free tips, Fixed Match, Fixed Matches, fixed matches 100% sure, fixed matches 1X2 HT/FT Half time/Full time, Fixed picks, fixed soccer matches, Fixed soccer picks, Fixed soccer tips, Fixed Tips, football betting, football betting predictions, football betting tips, Football fixed, football prediction, football prediction 1X2, football predictions, football predictor, football tips, football tips for weekend coupon, football1x2, free bets, free betting tips, free daily betting tips, Free fixed matches, free football picks, free football tips, free football tips and picks, free football tips and predictions, free football tips of the day, free football tips this weekend, free picks, free soccer picks, free soccer prediction, Free Soccer Tips, free soccer tips and picks, free soccer tips for today, free ticket, Free ticket football matches 1X2, free tips, free tips 1X2, free tips soccer, freepicks, good football bets for this weekend, ht/ft fixed m, Insider football tips, Insider picks, Insider soccer tips, Insider tips from internet, livescore, monthly subscription 100% sure, no deposit free bet, paid and free soccer picks, paid matches, paid picks, paid soccer tips, paid tips 1×2, paid tips1x2, Payed Tips, picks, prediction 1X2, prediction football, Prelazi-Dojavi, soccer 1X2 fixed tips, soccer bets predictions football match tips free soccer tips for today, soccer betting tips, Soccer fixed, soccer fixed matches.soccer fixed match, soccer fixed tips service, soccer picks, soccer prediction, soccer prediction sites, soccer predictions, soccer tips, soccer tips 1X2, Sure Win Tips, the best paid and free soccer fixed tips, the best picks, the best tips, tips football, VIP picks and tips, weekend football tips, which site is best for paid soccer picks, Win Tips Comments Off on Zulubet Free Bets Sure 100 Predictions Tips 1×2


text:
Call Toll Free: Se habla español
(5am - 5pm PST Mon-Fri)
Truck/SUV - All Terrain
All tires on sale NOW! Use coupon code at checkout: ALLTIRESBF
Some text in the modal.
Search By Tire Size
Promotional Purchase Amount
Suggested Equal Monthly Payment
Promotional Period
The suggested equal monthly payment shown above may be greater than the required minimum monthly payment that will be on your billing statement when you use the month promotional financing offer.
This estimated payment:
If the promotional purchase amount is not paid in full within months, interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date and your total payments will be greater than the amount of the promotional purchase amount.
IMPORTANT: The information about the Suggested Equal Monthly Payment shown assumes the following promotional financing offer is applied to the purchase:
No Interest if Paid in Full Within Months* On purchases of made with your Giga Tires Synchrony Car CareTM Credit Card. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional purchase is not paid in full within months. Minimum monthly payments required.
Connect with us:
Become a Reseller
Call Us:
Sign Up for Newsletter:
Payment & Instant Credit Options
© 2020 Gigatires, LLC - All Rights Reserved
It is full of great savings and promotions, as well as tire related safety and maintenance tips to help you get the most out of your tires.
Every email we send has an unsubscribe button, if you ever want to be removed from our contact list.


text:
Fort Worth, TX (May 28, 2012) -- Major Henry Cecil has teamed up with Louisiana Hall of Fame members Lillian Axe and luthier John Guilford to build a special model to honor eight fallen Air Force Airmen and one civilian contractor. The guitar is a special Steve Blaze Redeemer that will be auctioned to raise money for the families of the airmen.
The front of the guitar is decorated in Air Force camo with a piece of a jacket worn by Cecil during a year tour in Afghanistan. The back of the guitar is painted Air Force blue with the names of the fallen engraved.
The guitar will go on tour with Steve Blaze in the summer and fall, being played on the song "Take the Bullet," written to honor the military. A raffle began on May 23 on airforceguitar.com in conjunction with Memorial Day weekend.
The raffle will run until Veteran's Day on November 11, 2012.
For more information:


text:
Get an overview of what the European Central Bank does and how it operates.
Look at press releases, speeches and interviews and filter them by date, speaker or activity.
Dig deeper into the ECB's activities and discover key topics in simple words and through multimedia.
Browse the ECB's reports, publications and research papers and filter them by date or activity.
Key figures and latest releases at a glance.
Discover euro banknotes and their security features and find out more about the euro.
Read about the ECB's monetary policy instruments and see the latest data on its open market operations.
Find out how the ECB promotes safe and efficient payment and settlement systems, and helps to integrate the infrastructure for European markets.
Discover more about working at the ECB and apply for vacancies.
Navigation Path: Home›Research & Publications›Paper series›Papers by authors›Papers by Jérémi Montornès
Sandars, Patrick, Eleni, Starida, Nega, Stamatina, Casado, Antonio, Buzzi, Maria Rosaria, Stacchini, Massimiliano, Švedas, Tomas, Goes, Wim, Bartmann, Martin, Ciesla, Norbert, Maitland-Smith, Fenella, Goggin, Jean, Reddig, Jörg, Puigvert Gutiérrez, Josep Maria, Huerga, Javier, Montornès, Jérémi, Pérez-Duarte, Sébastien, Georgakopoulos, Vasilis, Bojaruniec, Piotr, Wijas-Jensen, Justyna Anna, Kofoed Mandsberg, Rasmus, Hofer, Christiane, Tibrewal, Anisha
We are always working to improve this website for our users. To do this, we use the anonymous data provided by cookies.
Learn more about how we use cookies
We are always working to improve this website for our users. To do this, we use the anonymous data provided by cookies.
See what has changed in our privacy policy


text:
In order to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head, I currently work for a housecleaning company. I actually don't mind the work but the job can be VERY physically stressful (though it does keep me in shape and saves me the expense of a gym membership). I also don't like the way things in the home office are run (I will not go into details here) or the blatant favoritism I have to deal with constantly (which seems to exist in most service jobs).
The office politics really stresses me out and as with most of the other service jobs I've held, I've reached a point of burnout where I really dread even going to work anymore. I do not really want to look for yet another crappy service job, and writing jobs in this area are practically nonexistent, unless you have a journalism degree which is required to write for one of the local newspapers. Obviously, I'd rather write for a living. I actually used to, when I lived in the northeast about 20 years ago.
If I could, I would write all day, every day. I want more time than the weekends and evenings to do this (because I'm simply too exhausted sometimes to write as much as I'd like). Sometimes I wind up staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning to catch up on reading and posting, but of course then I'm in no condition to be at my job at 8 in the morning. At my age, trying to get by on 3-4 hours of sleep is very unhealthy and then I go to work feeling like absolute crap.
So until something better comes along, I'm considering going from fulltime to part time–working only 4 days a week instead of 5. The job doesn't offer health insurance anyway, so I really wouldn't be losing anything except a day's pay.
My conundrum is that even working 5 days a week, I barely earn enough to pay my bills. I don't even have cable TV anymore because I can't afford it (not that I need it). I never go on vacations, not even weekend getaways. I can't even afford the movies. I drive a 13 year old car with expired tags because I can't afford to have the repairs done that would get it to pass inspection. My disposable income is almost nonexistent–it actually qualifies me as "poverty level" according to the national tables. So obviously I really can't afford to lose a day of work.
On the other hand, why should my life consist of spending most of it doing something I don't really want to be doing? Our narcissistic Powers That Be would like to keep most of us working like dogs, earning slave wages, and possibly dying an early death due to work-related stress with no health insurance or safety nets at all should we become ill, but dammit, I am sick to death of being one of the sheep that feeds their coffers but gets nothing in return but a bare-survival income that does nothing for me but keeps me from being on the streets.
I need an extra day to relax and write as much as I want, and even start writing a book. It's hard to squeeze everything I'd like to do into weekends and evenings. But the money situation is worrisome too. So I'd like to get your opinions on what YOU would do if you were in my shoes.
Is "survival money" more important than doing something you love, even if that thing you love pays nothing? Or is it better to take the risk to chase happiness and have faith that somehow, even with less time spent working at a humdrum job, the money you need will still be there?
Please do not suggest I approach my family for help. That is not an option for me.


text:
Good news and bad news for the Julie Benz-besotted. The good: the actress who won your heart on "Angel," "Dexter," "Desperate Housewives" and now "A Gifted Man" has a role in a just-released film "Answers to Nothing," (limited release). The bad?: She's about to take herself off the single market. The blonde stunner gives PopcornBiz a candid look into the career of an actress who's trying working hard to find challenging parts and time to set a wedding date.
Your role in the ensemble "Answers to Nothing" as a dedicated cop came about in the eleventh hour, I understand?
It was fascinating for me, really. I was a last-minute addition to the cast. When I say "last-minute," like, literally the night before I got a phone call saying, 'What are you doing tomorrow? Can you be on set? We're going to make an offer. You don't have time to read the script. Here's who's in it.' As soon as I heard who was in it I said yes, and I didn't even know what my character was. This was just right after I had been killed off on 'Dexter,' two days before. It hadn't aired yet and I wasn't allowed to tell anybody. So for me, I was just excited to be on set again, because it meant that the cart was moving forward and to play a character that was so opposite of Rita. I had a long talk with Matt Leutwyler on set, and Matt is a wonderful director. He was able to reveal a lot. He had lived with these characters for so long and it was a very emotional script for him. So he had great insight into who Frankie was, but he also allowed me to bring what I wanted to bring to her. I knew that I couldn't fight my physicality, playing a cop. Like, I knew that I'm very feminine – I come off very feminine, and so I thought, 'What if she was a cop who used that to her advantage, that that's how she gets people to make confessions?' That she would play a little bit on the softer side – is the good cop rather than the bad cop.
Did this situation bring you back to an earlier time in your career where you just jumped into things?
Earlier time? I still feel it. It never changes. Even when you get auditions - I mean, I have the luxury now where sometimes maybe I get a couple of days notice, but there's still those moments where you get called at 7 p.m. and they're like, 'Okay, we're sending you the script. They want to see you tomorrow at 10 a.m. No, they can't change it to later. There are no other sessions.' And you just have to put the hustle on and do it. So I think years of being in this business I've gotten good at making fast choices. I don't really know what it's like to work and have extended time, aside from being on a series. But every movie that I've done has been, like, an 18-day shoot, cast at the last minute.
Were you having any anxiety so close to leaving "Dexter?" Do you get that feeling every time you end a job, wondering if you'll ever work again?
U.S. & World
I think that every actor has that moment where you wonder, like, if you're going to be taking a break or if you're going to continue to work. There's a lull in everyone's career and it comes. You just don't know when it's going to happen. With 'Dexter,' because it was such an emotional ending for me personally, not knowing that it was coming, it was a bit like the rug being ripped out underneath me. I wasn't prepared. It was a little odd all of a sudden to not have a job. It was great then that this movie came up. It turned out after getting some perspective to work out for the best because then I got to go off and do 'Desperate Housewives' and then 'No Ordinary Family' and now 'A Gifted Man.' I got to do so much more work and challenge myself so much more as an actor, But, yeah, especially in that moment I was like, 'What's next?' But I think that I've always had a little bit of an inflated ego and always had this tremendous faith that something will come up. I've just always believed it. I believed the faith even more than my own neurosis!
Did 'Dexter' change how often the phone rang with someone looking for you because they'd seen you on the show?
Definitely. I would say 'Dexter' and 'Desperate Housewives,' both. I would say definitely, especially with that ending. I mean, that ending was a true gift for me as an actor. It was so shocking. In Season Four Rita had become a bit whiny, for a purpose. In many ways she became the nemesis to a serial killer. They turned the housewife into a nemesis for a serial killer, which was quite brilliant. So people were kind of not liking her in many ways. Then to have that ending all of a sudden redeem her so much that it keyed into other people's imaginations of what happened. Everyone thinks that I had a scene with John Lithgow and I never worked with him. But in their mind they saw the murder, but we never showed it. It's really fascinating how it's created that imaginary life inside of people. Every meeting that I go into it's something that we discuss.
You've got a lot going on away from work, too: you got engaged to Rich Orosco this year. Are you in the midst of planning the big day?
We're still in the, like, 'Where are we going to get married?' phase. We're finally honing in on it. It's just been hard because between my schedule and my fiancé's, we've just been extremely busy and we've both been traveling a lot. I'm filming 'A Gifted Man' in New York and so just traveling back and forth. We would like to have been married by now, but we just didn't have the time to do it justice. We could run off and elope – that's always an option, but I think we both the memory of a celebration and we want to celebrate the people in our lives that have supported our relationship in the past four years and that will continue to support us. We want to do it right. It's just figuring that out. Unfortunately, neither one of us are really big planners. So it's really hard. I wish I was a Bridezilla! I wish that I felt like it was my day and that it had to be this princess-y thing. I'm not that person at all. I wish that I had an idea of what I wanted. It's so overwhelming. I read all these bridal magazines and I'm like, 'Oh, I could see us having that kind of wedding or we could have this kind of wedding or this kind of wedding.' Basically our event planner who's helping us is like, 'You don't really know what you want.' 'I just know that I want to marry Rich. Isn't that enough?'
"Answers to Nothing" is open in limited release now.


text:
A Hermitian symmetric space is a connected complex manifold with a hermitian metric on which the group of holomorphic isometries acts transitively, and which satisfies the following extra condition: each point (equivalently, some point) is an isolated fixed point of some (holomorphic, isometric) involution of the space. There is a beautiful classification theory of Hermitian symmetric spaces, and this is the starting point for the study of Shimura varieties.
The first four conditions (connected, complex, hermitian, homogeneous), which define a Hermitian homogeneous space, all seem natural enough to me. My question: why the need for the extra condition regarding the involution?
This is deliberately vague because I'm not quite sure what form the most satisfying answer will take. But here are a couple of more specific versions of the question. (1) What sort of spaces are we excluding by imposing this condition, and why? (2) Are there other conditions which might seem more natural to me which are equivalent (or equivalent some of the time)? For instance if you were to tell me that a Hermitian homogeneous space that's negatively curved and simply-connected always has such an involution, I would be completely satisfied.


text:
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Key Global, the largest international certification body evaluating sustainable hotel operations, has awarded the prestigious "5 Green Keys" rating to four MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) properties for its Green Key Meetings Program, including Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and MGM Grand Las Vegas. The four MGM resorts are the first in the United States to receive "5 Green Keys" for meetings, and among an elite group of only six total in North America.
MGM Resorts remains one of the most productive meeting and convention destinations in the world, offering award-wining experiences throughout its three million square feet of meeting and convention space. In addition, each of the 11 MGM Resorts properties in Las Vegas as well as Reno and in Tunica and Biloxi, Mississippi and in Detroit, Michigan has taken substantial steps in their commitment to sustainability.
"Green Advantage is MGM Resorts International's platform to ensure that environmentally-conscious decisions are at the forefront of our business operations and facilities. We are pleased to have earned the five-key distinction from Green Key Global, validating the significant efforts of our team to build a world class green meeting program," said Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer.
The designation of 5 Keys is awarded to hotels that exemplify the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility in relation to their meetings and convention facilities and practices.
"Now, more than ever, the Meeting Planner community is seeking innovative, sustainable solutions when hosting their events," said Michael Dominguez, Senior Vice President of Sales for MGM Resorts International. "As this is an integral part of the meeting planner organization's objectives, we are extremely proud to be a solution provider meeting environmental expectations while still providing world-class, award-winning service," Dominguez added.
Green Key Meetings is a comprehensive assessment tool for eco-friendly resorts and hotels that hold meetings of any size. It is designed to provide Travel, Meeting and Conference Planners with a sense of a hotel's level of commitment to environment issues. Overall, the Green Key Eco-Rating Program has more than 2,850 member hotels and is the foremost "green" ranking and audit program in North America.
"As the first U.S. chain to introduce the Green Key Meetings Program to its portfolio, MGM Resorts has demonstrated that practicing environmental stewardship need not affect the quality of an event but can, in fact, enhance its success," said Tony Pollard, Managing Director of Green Key Global. "That these four Las Vegas properties have all achieved the highest rating is a testament to their dedication to sustainability within all aspects of their operations."
Green Key Meetings ranks venues on a level of 1 to 5 keys, with 5 being the highest ranking. Keys are awarded based on how properties perform in six conference and meeting areas: Core Areas (carbon, energy, water, waste, air quality), Communication (information, training), Activities (purchasing, auditing, community), People (health), Exhibitions, and Audio/Visual. The Green Key Meetings properties and rankings are listed at www.greenkeyglobal.com/greenkeymeetings.asp.
MGM Resorts' approach to sustainability focuses on five core areas - natural resources conservation, sustainable construction and renovation, waste management, sustainable supply chain and education and communication. This strategic framework of raising environmental awareness and promoting sustainability forms the company's sustainability platform, called Green Advantage. Green Advantage is fundamentally changing the way MGM Resorts, its properties and its 62,000 employees do business.
The Meeting and Convention spaces across MGM Resorts are extending the level of environmental commitment through substantial initiatives for implementing sustainable features. By example, meeting spaces are retrofitted with light sensors and energy efficient lighting and custom programs to deactivate heating, ventilation and air conditioning while spaces are not in use. Comprehensive recycling programs also divert 37.9 percent of all materials from landfills each year. Resorts also offer specialty menus featuring wide selections of organic, sustainable and Fair Trade products as well as additional options for meetings to reduce water consumption.
In 2011, MGM Resorts International was awarded 12 Green Key Hotel rankings for designation of green business operations. At the core of CityCenter, ARIA Resort & Casino was awarded LEED Gold certification for sustainable design and construction from the U.S. Green Building council.
About Green Key GlobalGreen Key Global is a leading environmental certification body offering a suite of programs and resources designed specifically for the lodging industry. The Green Key Meetings Program ranks and certifies hotels and resorts based on their commitment to sustainable "green" meeting and conference operations. Developed by Green Key Global and MPI Foundation Canada, the Meetings program delivers relevant green meeting practices by providing specific green requirements that meeting planners expect from hotels. This partnership is a long term commitment to supporting the principles of people, planet and profit. In the United States, delivery of Green Key programs is a joint venture between the Hotel Association of Canada and LRA Worldwide, Inc. For more information, visit www.GreenKeyGlobal.com.
About MGM Resorts InternationalMGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a peerless portfolio of destination resort brands, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.
SOURCE MGM Resorts International
(Email) email@example.com
Copyright © MGM Resorts International. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy – Interest-Based Advertising
Terms of Use


text:
Kurt Nimmo
February 8, 2013
California lawmakers are proposing an anti-Second Amendment law that will rival the one recently passed in New York. Democrats in control of the state Legislature unveiled ten proposals they boasted will make California the most restrictive state in the nation for possessing legally purchased firearms.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, and police officials from around the state rolled out the anti-Second Amendment effort on Thursday during a news conference in Sacramento, the state capital.
"California has always been a leader on the issue of gun safety," Villaraigosa said. "New York has stepped up and stepped forward. California needs to answer the call."
The new law would outlaw all semiautomatic weapons in the state and force gun owners to load bullets one at a time. CBS News reports that authorities also want to make prohibitions apply to current gun owners, thus resulting in confiscation.
California senator Dianne Feinstein has made apparent on numerous occasions the ultimate plan is to confiscate all firearms. In 1995, she told CBS' 60 Minutes that she has worked to have "Mr. and Mrs. America" turn in their guns to the government.
"Confiscation could be an option. Mandatory sale to the state could be an option. Permitting could be an option — keep your gun but permit it," New York governor Andrew Cuomo stated prior to the passage of a historically restrictive gun law in the state.
In addition, California will impose new rules on ammunition sales. Ammo buyers will be required to pay a fee and undergo a background check by the state Department of Justice every time bullets are sold, thus recording all ammunition sales and purchaser information with the state.
In addition to a mandatory state-wide gun registration, the law would make the sale and current possession of magazines holding more than ten bullets illegal.
So-called "bullet buttons" and certain shotguns will also become illegal if the legislation is enacted.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said he is confident Democrats will leverage majorities in the Assembly and Senate and send the draconian measures to the state's Democratic governor, Jerry Brown.
"It strikes me as if these folks are playing some sort of game of one-upsmanship with New York at the expense of law-abiding citizens, and that's just unconscionable," Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, told CBS News.
Republicans stated the obvious. "The laws they are (proposing) would have made no difference in the Connecticut shooting whatsoever," Sen. Dan Logue said.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!