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Obstetrics and Gynecology International
Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 536765, 8 pages
Novel Approaches for Concurrent Irradiation in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: Platinum Combinations, Non-Platinum-Containing Regimens, and Molecular Targeted Agents
1Department of Medical Oncology and Translational Research, 251 Air Force General Hospital, Neo Psychiko, 154 51 Athens, Greece
2Department of Clinical Therapeutics, University of Athens School of Medicine, "Alexandra" University Hospital, 115 25 Athens, Greece
3Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Athens School of Medicine, "Hippocrateion" Hospital, 115 25 Athens, Greece
Received 24 February 2013; Revised 31 March 2013; Accepted 12 April 2013
Academic Editor: Robert Coleman
Copyright © 2013 Giannis Mountzios et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Despite the available prevention and early detection strategies, squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is still diagnosed as locally advanced disease in a considerable proportion of patients. As a potent sensitizer of cancer cells, cisplatin has been the "traditional partner" of external beam irradiation in this setting for more than two decades. Induction chemotherapy strategies followed by concurrent chemoradiation or surgery and preoperative concurrent chemoradiation have been recently implemented in clinical trials in an effort to optimize local control and to minimize the risk of distant metastases. In this context, cisplatin has been combined with a number of other potential radiosensitizers, including 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, and gemcitabine. In patients resistant or intolerant to platinum compounds, numerous non-platinum-containing regimens have been developed, implementing various antimetabolites, taxanes, antineoplastic antibiotics, and topoisomerase II inhibitors. More recently, molecular agents targeting critical pathways in cervical malignant transformation are being assessed in early clinical trials in combination with external-beam irradiation. In the current work, we review the evolving role of cisplatin and other platinum compounds, either alone or in combination regimens, in the context of other potent radiosensitizers. The emerging role of molecular targeted agents, as candidate partners of external beam irradiation, is also discussed.
1. Introduction
Squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix, often referred to as cervical cancer, remains a major concern for public health. Worldwide, cervical cancer accounted for 287,000 deaths in 2008, and the number is expected to rise up to 410,000 by 2030 [1, 2]. Despite the worldwide implementation of prevention and early detection strategies, including the Papanicolaou smear test, human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, and vaccines, approximately 30% of newly diagnosed cases still fall into the category of "locally advanced disease," indicating tumor spreading outside the uterine cervix (Féderation Internationale Gynécologie Obstétrique (FIGO) stages IIA-IVA) or bulky disease confined in the uterine cervix (FIGO stage IB2), at the time of diagnosis [3]. Moreover, 50% of patients with locally advanced disease are expected to relapse within the first 2 years after initial treatment [4].
Cisplatin monotherapy, often combined with external-beam irradiation, remained the dominant treatment for locally advanced disease for more than fifteen years [5]. More recently, induction chemotherapy strategies followed by concurrent chemoradiation or surgery and preoperative concurrent chemoradiation have been implemented in the therapeutic armamentarium in an effort to optimize local control and at the same time to minimize the risk for metastatic disease. In this context, cisplatin has been combined with a number of other potential radiosensitizers to enhance cytotoxic activity. In parallel, numerous non-platinum-containing regimens have been developed for patients who either fail or become intolerant to platinum compounds. More recently, molecular agents targeting critical pathways in cervical malignant transformation are being assessed in early clinical trials in combination with external-beam irradiation, heralding the era of concurrent "bioradiotherapy" for locally advanced cervical cancer. In the current work, we review the evolving role of cisplatin and other platinum compounds, either alone or in combination regimens, in the context of other potent radiosensitizers. Moreover, we discuss the emerging role of molecular targeted agents as candidate partners of external beam irradiation in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.
2. Concurrent Chemoradiation Based on Platinum-Containing Regimens
Radiation alone fails to control disease in over 35% of patients with cervical cancer diagnosed at FIGO stages IB2-IVA [6]. Five-year survival rates up to 72.2%, 63.7%, 41.7%, and 16.4% for stages IB2, IIB, IIIB, and IVA, respectively, have been reported with exclusive radiation [7]. Concurrent chemoradiation has led to a significant benefit in reducing both local and distant recurrences in five randomized studies [8–12] that involved a total of 1,894 women. In the trial conducted by the Radiotherapy Oncology Group (RTOG), Morris et al. [12] randomized 401 stage IB-IVA patients to either concurrent chemoradiation with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or to extended-field radiation alone (control group). Concurrent chemoradiotherapy resulted in a 5-year overall survival rate of 73% compared to 58% for radiation alone and decreased the rates for both local and distant recurrences. In another prospective phase III multicenter randomized trial reported at the same time with the former one, Rose et al. [11] recruited 526 evaluable patients with stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer in a Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) three-arm trial that compared weekly cisplatin versus cisplatin and 5-FU and hydroxyurea versus hydroxyurea alone, concurrently with radiation therapy. Superior survival rates for both cisplatin-containing regimens (66% and 64%, resp.) compared with hydroxyurea alone (39%) were reported [11]. Moreover, cisplatin monotherapy was proven to be less toxic than the cisplatin/5-FU/hydroxyurea combination [11] or the protracted venous infusion (PVI) 5-FU [13]. Whitney et al. [10] randomized 388 patients with stage IIB-IVA disease in a Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) trial to receive either radiation therapy with concurrent cisplatin and 5-FU or hydroxyurea. Patients in the cisplatin arm had a significantly better 5-year survival rate (63% versus 47%). In a meta-analysis based on 19 trials (including a total of 4,580 patients), an absolute survival benefit of 12% at 5 years with concurrent chemoradiation based on cisplatin as compared to radiation alone was demonstrated [14]. An update of the same work comprising 24 trials involving 4,921 patients showed that chemoradiation improves both overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), when a platinum compound was used, with an absolute benefit of 10% [15]. Importantly, in a pilot study conducted by Nugent et al. [16], the number of cisplatin chemotherapy cycles was independently predictive for PFS and OS: patients who received less than six cycles had worse clinical outcome as compared to those who completed at least six cycles of treatment. Regarding the optimal dosing, a randomized trial comparing cisplatin at 40 mg/m2 weekly with cisplatin at 75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks reported twice as many delays of therapy with the higher, less frequent cisplatin administration [17]. On the ground of available evidence regarding clinical efficacy and acceptable tolerance, weekly cisplatin at the dose of 40 mg/m2 is considered the standard regimen that other agents should be compared to [18].
Although carboplatin may also serve as an active radiosensitizer [19–23] and is less toxic than cisplatin in patients with renal dysfunction due to ureteral obstruction, efficacy results from phase I-II trials (Table 2) are generally modest and objective response rates (ORR) are inferior to those reported with cisplatin [20–24]. Multiple combinations that incorporated carboplatin have been evaluated, with the combination of docetaxel with carboplatin exhibiting encouraging results [21, 22]. The weekly paclitaxel and carboplatin chemoradiation regimen has been also proven feasible and active in phase I trials [23, 24], yet dose-limiting diarrhea makes this regimen poorly tolerated [25]. Concurrent chemoradiation with tegafur-uracil (UFT) and carboplatin showed no difference in respect to ORR, PFS, OS, and treatment-related toxicity as compared to carboplatin alone in a prospective, phase III trial that recruited 469 patients with stage IIB-IIIB cervical cancer [26]. Finally, in a case-control study [27], the combination of radiotherapy, concurrently with 5-FU and carboplatin, has been compared to radiation alone in the same setting: the authors reported similar ORR, DFS, and OS between the two groups of patients. Acute toxicity, primarily hematologic, was significantly higher in the cases than in the controls (25% versus 3%) [27].
Since 5-FU represents a potent radiosensitizer too, a number of studies have been undertaken to clarify the use of both agents in combination with pelvic radiotherapy. In a study by Kim et al. [28], 158 patients with FIGO stage IIB through IVA disease were assigned to either monthly 5-FU and cisplatin or weekly cisplatin concurrent with pelvic radiotherapy and high-dose rate brachytherapy. The response rate for each group was 91%. Four-year OS and PFS rates were 70% and 67%, respectively, with the combination regimen, while with weekly cisplatin they were 67% and 66%, respectively. The authors concluded that chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin significantly improved compliance with treatment and reduced acute hematologic toxicity without affecting response and survival rates compared to the combination arm. Another trial designed to compare protracted venous infusion (PVI) of 5-FU with standard weekly cisplatin and concurrent RT in patients with stages IIB, IIIB, and IVA cervical cancer was prematurely terminated when a planned interim analysis indicated that the PVI 5-FU/RT treatment arm had a higher treatment failure rate (35% higher) and would, most likely, not result in any improvement in PFS compared with weekly cisplatin/RT [13]. Yet clinical interest in 5-FU and its combinations is still active: recently, in a study that reevaluated the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiation using 5-FU and cisplatin in 57 patients with stage IIB-IVA and bulky IB2-IIA tumors, an ORR of 91.5% with a 5-year OS and a 3-year PFS rate of 69.4% and 74.9%, respectively, was reported [29]. In the same context, another study [30] compared survival outcomes and toxicities between concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin plus 5-FU and cisplatin plus paclitaxel in 93 patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma: no significant differences were found in 5-year PFS or OS between the two treatment groups. Nevertheless, the cisplatin plus paclitaxel arm was associated with increased leukopenia, neutropenia, and peripheral neuropathy but less gastrointestinal toxicity (nausea) compared to the cisplatin plus 5-FU arm [30].
Capecitabine, an oral prodrug of 5-FU, has been also evaluated in the same setting with promising results. In a phase I study of daily capecitabine combined with weekly cisplatin and radiotherapy, a PFS at 12 months of 69.2% and at 24 months of 49.2% with an OS rate of 57.7% at 24 months was reported [31]. Following these results, a phase II study [32] evaluated 60 patients with stage IIB-IIIB disease who received capecitabine during radiation, followed by six cycles of capecitabine monotherapy. The ORR was 88%, while the 1-year PFS and OS rates were 86% and 95%, respectively. At 23 months, 76% of patients were progression-free and complete response (CR) was maintained in 90% of the 48 patients who originally achieved a CR [32].
In a pilot phase II study designed to investigate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of gemcitabine in combination with irradiation in 19 chemonaïve patients with FIGO stage IIIB cervical cancer, a CR was observed among 17 (89.5%) of them and after a median follow-up time of 19.9 months, all patients were alive with sixteen of them remaining relapse-free [47]. On these grounds, the gemcitabine-cisplatin combination was administered concurrently with radiotherapy in a phase I/II study resulting in a 97.3% ORR (88.8% were complete responses). The 3-year RFS and OS rates were estimated to be 67% and 72%, respectively [34]. These encouraging results led to a large randomized, phase III trial [33] (Table 1) designed to determine whether the addition of gemcitabine to concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy could improve outcome compared with current standard of care in locally advanced cervical cancer: five hundred and fifteen patients with stage IIB-IVA disease were randomly assigned to either cisplatin and gemcitabine, weekly for 6 weeks with concurrent external-beam radiotherapy, followed by brachytherapy and then two adjuvant cycles of cisplatin plus gemcitabine, (arm A) or to cisplatin and concurrent radiotherapy followed by brachytherapy only at the same doses (arm B). PFS at 3 years was significantly improved in arm A versus arm B (74.4% versus 65.0%, resp.; ) as were overall PFS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.95; ) and OS (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.95; ). The authors concluded that gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemoradiotherapy followed by brachytherapy and adjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy improved survival outcomes with increased but clinically manageable toxicity when compared with standard treatment [33]. Although these results challenge the current standard of cisplatin monotherapy, since patients in the experimental arm also received two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy, it is not clear to what extent the survival benefit observed in the experimental arm is attributable to the addition of gemcitabine in the chemoradiation phase or to the addition of an adjuvant chemotherapy phase itself.
Nedaplatin is a synthetic analog of cisplatin that exhibits less nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and gastrointestinal toxicity. Weekly nedaplatin concurrently with radiation achieved an ORR of 90%, a 3-year PFS of 58.7%, and an OS of 78.0% in a pilot phase II trial [48]. In a following randomized phase II study, nedaplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy showed superior clinical efficacy and no statistically significant difference in toxicity as compared to radiotherapy alone [49]. Multiple combinations incorporating nedaplatin have also been evaluated, mainly in phase I trials. The combination of paclitaxel and nedaplatin concurrently with radiotherapy, followed by consolidation treatment with the same regimen, resulted in a CR of 88% and an estimated 2-year PFS and OS rate of 82% and 93%, respectively [35].
3. Concurrent Chemoradiation Based on Non-Platinum-Containing Regimens
Among taxanes and other microtubule-targeting agents, paclitaxel has been extensively evaluated within chemoradiation regimens. The feasibility of concurrent radiotherapy and paclitaxel administration was evaluated in a pilot study with 20 patients (13 new cases, stage IIB-III, and 7 with pelvic recurrences) and complete regression was reported in 63% [50]. In a subsequent randomized phase II trial, weekly cisplatin was compared to weekly paclitaxel as concurrent chemotherapy with standard RT in patients with stage IB2-IVA disease or with postsurgical pelvic recurrence: the proportion of patients surviving at 2 and 5 years was 78% and 54% for the cisplatin arm and 73% and 43% for the paclitaxel arm, respectively, thus suggesting that weekly paclitaxel does not provide any clinical advantage over weekly cisplatin [36]. A multiagent regimen that included paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (TIP) has been also evaluated in two different settings: bulky and locally advanced cervical cancer and recurrent-persistent disease in a total of 38 patients—eleven women achieved a clinical CR, 21 had a partial response, and only one patient had progressive disease (PD), accounting for an impressive ORR of 84.2% [37]. Finally, the combination of paclitaxel and vinorelbine was associated with significant hematologic toxicity [51].
Mitomycin C is an antineoplastic antibiotic drug that has been extensively evaluated in the locally advanced cervical cancer setting: in an earlier study, 40 patients with stage IB-IVA disease received mitomycin C and 5-FU followed by sequential pelvic irradiation—a complete response rate of 63%, a local control rate of 58%, and a 5-year survival rate of 44% were obtained which were not superior to those achieved with radiation alone [52]. Another larger trial randomized 160 patients with locally advanced disease to receive either RT alone or RT with concomitant mitomycin C: the four-year DFS rates for RT with mitomycin C and RT alone were significantly different (71% versus 44%) [38]. Using a combination regimen of 5-FU with mitomycin C and radiotherapy, Ludgate et al. suggested an improvement in pelvic control and in the 3-year survival rate for the combined modality compared to RT alone (55% versus 28%) using, however, historical controls with remarkably low response rates as a reference [53]. Similar results were obtained in another study using the same combination concurrently with RT, although the authors commented that the regimen failed to control distant metastasis in late-stage patients [39]. In a pilot trial, 60 women with advanced cervical cancer were treated with a combination of external and intracavitary RT along with one cycle of 5-FU and mitomycin C and a second cycle of 5-FU and cisplatin. The 5-year OS for stage IIB and IIIA-IVA patients was 48% and 39%, respectively [54]. Christie et al. reviewed 177 patients treated with pelvic radiotherapy for locally advanced disease and focused on 93 patients who had received chemotherapy with infusional 5-FU with or without bolus mitomycin C. The median OS for all patients was 47 months but was significantly higher (87 months) for the combination regimen group. Rates of PFS and local control were also higher in the same group, albeit at the cost of substantial toxicity, with 36% of patients in the combination arm experiencing grade 3 or 4 complications [40]. Finally, in a phase II trial [41], women with FIGO stage IIB-IVA disease who received cisplatin, 5-FU, mitomycin C, and concomitant radiotherapy achieved an ORR of 82%. All patients developed acute hematological toxicity and two patients experienced severe late bowel toxicity. The lack of clinical efficacy improvement compared to historical controls treated with cisplatin alone and the late bowel toxicity discouraged further use of that regimen [41].
Topotecan and irinotecan are topoisomerase II inhibitors that have been evaluated in combination with RT in locally advanced cervical cancer. The feasibility of adding weekly topotecan to cisplatin in 12 patients with stage IB2-IVA disease receiving pelvic irradiation has been affirmed in a pilot trial and responses up to 92% were reported [55]. In a validation phase I cohort, intravenous topotecan at the dose of 0.5 mg/m2 and cisplatin at the dose of 30 mg/m2 given weekly for 6 weeks with concurrent pelvic radiation and intracavitary brachytherapy were tolerable [42]. The safety and feasibility of concurrent radiation therapy and weekly irinotecan in patients with locally advanced disease were also reported in two small phase II trials, showing promising efficacy and mostly tolerable adverse events [43, 56]. However, further and larger studies will be required in order to clarify the exact role of camptothecins in combination with RT in the locally advanced setting of cervical cancer.
4. Molecular Targeted Agents as Radiosensitizers
The ongoing elucidation of the critical steps in the process of malignant transformation of the cervical epithelium has revealed important biological pathways, including neoangiogenesis and proliferate signal transduction, as appealing therapeutic targets for molecules targeting these aberrant pathways. Consequently, a number of biological agents are currently in clinical development (Table 3), aiming at inhibiting angiogenesis, targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cell cycle, histone deacetylases, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) [57]. In locally advanced disease, in particular, the potential synergy between the cytotoxic effect of irradiation and the proapoptotic effect of molecular agents targeting pathways crucial for cancer cell survival has generated the hypothesis that administration of these agents concurrently with radiotherapy may enhance clinical benefit while reducing chemotherapy-associated toxicity [58]. EGFR-targeting agents were the first molecules to be tested as radiotherapy partners in this setting, with the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib demonstrating feasibility and safety in concomitant administration with radiotherapy at the dose of 150 mg daily in a pilot phase I trial [44]. The chimeric monoclonal antibody against EGFR cetuximab was also tested in combination with radiotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed locally advanced cervical cancer in a recently reported phase I trial showing that the combination was feasible for patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy but not feasible for patients receiving extended field radion therapy due to nodal metastases [45]. Based on this preliminary evidence, a phase II pilot trial incorporating cetuximab, cisplatin, and irradiation in women with locally advanced cervical cancer is currently ongoing (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00292955).
Angiogenesis is central to cervical cancer development and progression, as it seems to be directly related to HPV inhibition of p53 and subsequent stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-one alpha (HIF-1 alpha), both of which increase the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) [59]. Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against VEGF, was recently tested in combination with radiotherapy and cisplatin chemotherapy in a phase II study [46] involving 49 evaluable, previously untreated patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. The study demonstrated the feasibility of the combination, as 76% of the patients received bevacizumab and cisplatin according to the study protocol and 94% of them had both external beam irradiation and brachytherapy administered as per protocol or with acceptable variation [46]. On these grounds, a phase II study of bevacizumab in combination with definitive radiotherapy and cisplatin chemotherapy in the same setting has completed accrual and results are awaited (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00369122). Several VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKI), such as sunitinib and pazopanib, are being currently tested in phase II studies in recurrent or metastatic disease (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00389974) but their development in the locally advanced setting is hampered by safety concerns regarding increased rates of fistula formation, especially when combined with external beam irradiation.
5. Conclusions
During the past three decades, efforts to enhance cytotoxic activity of radiotherapy using radiosensitizers have evolved from single agent cisplatin administration to sophisticated regimens incorporating various platinum and non-platinum-containing regimens. Most of these regimens led to moderate improvements in response rates and progression-free survival, however, at the cost of moderate to substantial toxicity. Nevertheless, with the sole exception of the cisplatin-gemcitabine combination [33], none of the regimens has thus far been associated with improved survival outcomes. The advent of the bioradiotherapy era is anticipated to lead to the identification of more "sophisticated" therapeutic combinations exploiting the potential synergy between irradiation and molecular inhibition of critical signaling pathways and to enable the design of robust clinical trials based on strong biological rational.
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- M. John, M. Flam, R. Caplan et al., "Final results of a phase II chemoradiation protocol for locally advanced cervical cancer: RTOG 85-15," Gynecologic Oncology, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 221–226, 1996. View at Publisher · View at Google Scholar · View at Scopus
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What happens when Lemony Snicket teams up with Jon Klassen to create The Dark? Pure awesomeness!
Paul is a tiny goldfish who lives in a fish bowl. Day after day, Paul swam in circles. You name a type of circle, and Paul could swim it! He never saw his world in the fish bowl differently. That is until another fish named Bernadette joined him. Bernadette loved to explore and to see what was happening outside of the fish bowl. With Bernadette, Paul began to discover a brand new world. A banana became a boat; a teapot transformed into an elephant; a pair of reading glasses looked like a butterfly; and more!
"Yawns are sneaky. They can creep up on you when you least expect them." And--yawns can lead to pajamas, bedtime stories, lullabies and tucking in—whether you're ready or not! The book serves as a witty warning for all those readers who are definitely not ready for bed, with challenges to resist anything cozy, cuddly, sleepy or snuggly. But, also heed my warning: this book will make you yawn, not because it's boring, but because--as author Hélène Boudreau knows all too well--yawns are contagious! This charming funny book with the lively, distinctive ca
What's a "wordle?" According to creators Rosenthal and Bloch, wordles are "groups of words that sound exactly the same but mean different things," such as "I scream," and "ice cream"; "Heroes," and "He rows." This setup is followed by a baker's dozen of wordles. One of my favorites is a fellow shouting, while being chased by two deer with big antlers, "I scream! Two bucks!" followed by an ice cream vendor selling "Ice cream, two bucks!" Other favorites include characters from fairy tales, and a little plug for Rosenthal's book
Dot is a young lady obsessed with electronic devices. She taps, touches, tweets, tags, and so on. And she talks and talks, using multiple devices. Finally, Dot's mom sends her outside to "Reboot! Recharge! Restart!" And Dot finds herself tapping, touching, tweeting, and tagging outside. And she still could talk and talk and talk. This is a fun story comparing electronic devices to outdoor play. The illustrations were created using traditional media and Photoshop. Recommended for early elementary age students.
Dylan is the type of boy who sees things that others often miss. One cold day, Dylan and his mom are rushing around town. Dylan notices the details. He sees an old radio, a man reading a newspaper upside down and a child standing on a bench in red boots. His mom pulls Dylan along to their next destination - the metro station. The station is loud, and everyone hurries to find their train.
Born with two fingers on his right hand and none on his left, his mother named him Muthini, which means suffering. He lives with his Grandmother and eight of his cousins. There are cruel taunts from the villagers and never enough food, but his Grandmother, his Nyanya, loves him very much. Still, nine is too many when food is scarce and Muthini is the youngest. So, one day, his Grandmother takes him to a school to see if there is a place for him there.
In this clever, Christmassy take on a beloved fairytale, Papa, Mama and Baby are polar bears; when they are out walking, waiting for their Christmas pudding to cool, a certain special visitor comes to call, hungry and tired after finishing most of his holiday rounds. Santa Claus thinks the pudding has been left for him, and thereby hangs the rest of the tale! Santa, the bears, and their cozy house and surroundings are charmingly detailed in soft watercolors by mother-daughter duo Jane and Brooke Dyer.
A traditional nursery rhyme is given a cute Christmas twist with a little help from Santa Claus, and a lot from de Las Casas and Stone-Barker. Based on "The House that Jack Built," and similar to the team's Halloween version, The House that Witchy Built, The House that Santa Built is a rollicking romp of rhythm, with elves and reindeer and snow and—of course—children taking part of the arctic antics in and out of Santa's castle. The cut-paper collage illustrations are fun and fanciful. There are plenty of sound effects that make this a p
In this book, translated from the French, a duckling is determined to be first at everything in his day, from going outside, to fishing, to bathing, to lunch. Until he hears humans at lunchtime discussing the lunchtime menu: duck. He slinks away slyly, meowing all the way. He has learned that being first is maybe not always the best option! I love Di Giacomo's illustrations--bright and vibrant colors. Highly recommended for preschool through grade 2.
Daisy and her ball are back! The day begins with Daisy and her owner playing ball near a forest. As Daisy's ball rolls into the woods, Daisy discovers something new to chase...A SQUIRREL! Quickly, Daisy dashes deeper into the forest after the squirrel and finds herself lost. Will she ever find her way home?
I learned from the author's note of this book that the time period between the early 1900s until the mid 1970s was considered "the Great Migration" where more than 6 million African Americans moved from the south to Northern cities such as New York City. The book is dedicated to those who left the South to move to the North.
A frog peacefully resting on a rock exhales, "AAHH!" His rest is interrupted by a boy with a jar who captures him gleefully exclaiming, "Ah Ha!" An excited puppy paws the jar, and the frog flies out yelling, "AAHH!" Creating expressive dialogue by rearranging only two letters, this story cleverly conveys the emotions of a frog and the creatures he encounters as he hops out of the frying pan and into the fire time and time again.
This bilingual English/Spanish book celebrates the life of the great Latin Jazz musician Ernest "Tito" Puente (1923-2000). Readers learn about Tito in different stages of his life: as a baby (in New York City of Puerto Rican parents), banging out rhythms on pots and pans; as a kid drumming and dancing his way to talent show success (but still finding time to play baseball with the neighborhood kids); as a young man in the Navy serving his country while developing his gift of playing and writing music; and as a professional musician who wins fame, fortune, love and admiration by using
This interactive picture book is nothing but fun from beginning to end.
Japanese author/illustrator Taro Gomi has hidden all sorts of normal objects such as gloves, hearts, socks, scooters, and flags inside pictures for a look and find experience for the very young. The pictures are challenging but not too challenging for a young toddler or preschool child. A wonderful book to share as a lap book, or during storytime to see who can spot the item first.
Let's face it - starting school can be nerve racking. Patrick is a tiny, pink furball of a monster with striped horns and a love of cowboy boots. It's the day before he starts Monstergarten, and a first grader tells Patrick that he must be scary for school. Like all skills, Patrick needs to practice. He has several humorous and failed attempts at scaring his friend Kevin, his cat Snowball (just a heads up, you do NOT want to meet Snowball in a dark alley) and his sister.
By the author of Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and I'm a Shark, Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great is a hilarious and insightful look at friendship.
Father's Day may be over, but dads are still awesome. Check out these fun picture books about (and for) fathers.
Staff Picks for Adults and Teens Staff Picks for Kids
Send a Question or Comment to Appleton Public Library.


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Official PlayStation Magazine editor Ben Wilson was at Sony's surprise-filled GamesCom 2011 press conference. Here are five things he learned...
1 The price cut changes everything
It's official: as of right now, PS3 is available at your local games store for £199. Forgive the obvious conclusion, but that's colossal news. The one question we're asked most often on OPM is "when the [insert expletive of choice] is the price going to come down?", and now, at last, it's happened. Sony's been producing better exclusives than its rivals for the last two years if not longer, but it hasn't been able to serve up deals as attractive as Microsoft or Nintendo in the shops - and of course that's affected sales. A sub-200 PS3 transforms that landscape, and the competition between all three, particularly with Wii U around the corner, just got fascinatingly toasty.
2 PS Vita's not just a games machine...
Learning the lessons from tablets and androids and all other things that begin with a lower case i, Sony has packed every piece of functionality it can dream up into its new handheld baby. Inevitably some innovations will be more popular among early adopters than others - I'm a little underwhelmed by the Party application, which enables you to chat to pals while playing games, because that functionality has been something of an achilles heel on PS3 - but its come up with a tickbox list of your needs and at least tried to them cram them all in. Check Twitter, Facebook, foursquare? Yup. Show off your trophy collection and blag to mates about it? In. Use PSN, the Store, personal messages, etc, on PS3 one minute, Vita the next? Done. Internet, music, video, all there. It's never going to out-iPad the iPad, but it could develop into a bona fide equivalent for the more serious gamer.
3 ... but the games line-up is impressive
"At its core PlayStation is about games... Vita has games at its heart," said new Sony COO Jim Ryan early in his keynote. And to prove the point, it was announced shortly after that the list of triple-Aers confirmed for Vita - already boasting Uncharted: The Golden Abyss and a new, bespoke Bioshock game - now includes annual heavyweights Assassin's Creed and FIFA too. Even so, LittleBigPlanet PSP was the star of the line-up on this evidence, with a video showcasing the way in which you could take photos of every day objects - leaves, pegs, standard boring everyday things, basically - then transform them into a giant dinosaur-shaped boss and build a platformer-shooter hybrid around him. There's no other format you can do something like that on right now.
4 PSP is not dead, repeat not dead
Jaws dropped - promise you, literally //dropped// in the audience - when Ryan announced that not only was PSP being kept alive even while Vita prepared to launch, but also being redesigned yet again. However, unlike your average breast reduction, this time the cosmetic surgery is something that benefits all parties - because the new model will set you back just 99 Euros. Ryan called it the "perfect entry point" for handheld gaming, and while that's a stretch - anyone who's bought a phone in the last two years already has what he describes - it's certainly a shrewd move, particularly when consider that PSP still shifts big numbers in Japan.
5 Uncharted 3 is the best game on any format right now
I wrote a similar thing for CVG on the back of E3 and was met with inevitably sarcy comments along the lines of, 'Wow! OPM editor unsurprisingly backs Sony's biggest game.' Well let them once more rain down, because I stand by that viewpoint. Until you show me an alternative that does story, gameplay, facial expressions, mo-cap, lighting, dialogue, voice acting and humour all at once to the same astonishing level as demonstrated by today's Drake's On A Plane demo, I'll keep on backing Drake, Elena


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La Aurora Preferido Ecuador Reviews
Showing 1 through 10 of 12 reviews
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #1
"Good smoke"
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #1
Got these in a La Aurora 4 pack sampler. I love the look and feel of this cigar it s well made and has good flavor and burned well. The ash held to the middle of the cigar. I was surprised it was a full and not a medium. I would buy the sampler again the single price point is too high.
B in Dallas August 12, 2014
"looks great but taste disappointed"
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #2
Has great design but wrapper started to unravel a little bit. Burn was uneven and taste was not what expected from a high priced cigar.
VR in NH November 19, 2013
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #2
The first two I smoked which I got from cigar bid and not in a tube were EXCELLENT great flavor and various flavors. So good I got used atoothpick to smoke it complete. Bought more and the bottom feel out of the new batch. They now taste like a $2.00 stick.
Wonder why the big difference.
Maybe cigarbid.com sells substandard cigars.
david in missouri October 25, 2013
"Simply Terrible"
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #1
Harsh flavors, and the worst burn I have ever experienced. One half just kept burning while the other just remained untouched -- unbelievably bad!
Stefan in San Francisco September 27, 2013
"Tasty, But Too Pricey"
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #1
I really enjoyed this cigar....very smooth and creamy flavor....I smoked this till I needed a roach clip....I just wish they were affordable....look for them in samplers....
Robert in Oklahoma September 11, 2013
"Creamy and Very Smooth....."
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #2
I have wanted to try one of these for a few years so I jumped on the chance to purchase a sampler containing one....I left it to season for 2 weeks as it taunted me.....I was not disappointed at all.....very smooth and creamy....
Robert in Oklahoma September 11, 2013
"well worth the the price"
La Aurora Preferido Emerald Tubes
most enjoyable smoke..the taste is smooth almost creamy. very good aroma. Only criticism is the burn could be a bit more consistent but overall an excellent cigar at a fair price.
Rob in Milford September 20, 2010
"Fiiiiihne cigaaahr!"
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador #1
Wonderful flavor, a bit mellower than its exterior would have you believe. The fire took a little to get going but once fully lit it smoldered and came alive with little effort. Speaking of effort, the draw was smooth and almost effortless. Every draw got better and where most would become harsh it kept delivering a fine mellow draw . This was everything one ciould expect from an $18 single cigar. So much so, I cant wait to experience the sapphire and ruby.
Jack in Massachusetts September 10, 2010
"most excellent!"
La Aurora Preferido Ecuador Robusto
First stick ever that was good from the start. Fruit woody in body with a mild spice flavor. Whitest ash i have seen and a perfect burn. Definate cayenne finish with a warm smoke on the draw, but still very smooth and creamy. Like a good stout draft with a mild herbal finish. In the top five of the thirty or so I have tried. I will be enjoying more of these!
LeigfhRay in DFW May 1, 2010
"who preferidos are these!!!!"
i cant imagine the aurora preferido ecuador robusto being anybodys preferred cigars
these are rough looking harsh and foul tasting much overpriced stogies... forget about them tere are much better ecuadorian sumatra wrapped cigars in famous shops inventory for the fraction of the cost!!!! btw these are sold for $162 at few reputable online cigar retailers
. Its beyond me why famous sells them for $199 !!???
Steve in philipsburgh October 30, 2008


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All the knowledge you need to avoid Identity Theft is on this site. Preparing yourself with knowledge gives you the best chance to keep your identity for the person who needs it most... YOU
Identity theft is scary! Let's admit it. I don't ever want my identity stolen. I'm sure you don't either. That is the reason I put this site together.
I wanted there to be a place where anyone and everyone could have all the resources at hand to avoid becoming a victim. There are many companies in business providing protection services at a reasonable monthly price. I will do my best to show you the benefits and drawbacks of these services.
Before buying any of these services, do your homework! In this day and age, these relatively inexpensive services are virtually mandatory. However, you can definitely add value by choosing the right service for your particular situation.
Unfortunately, identity theft stings thousands and thousands of people each year. For those unlucky many, I have laid out everything needed to reclaim your life. It's all in one place, so you can spend your time actually fixing the problem instead of chasing down these elusive materials!
I urge anyone using the site to send in ideas for new sections or topics. This is not a "set it and forget it" site. I want to constantly improve and update the site. With your ideas and input, I can continually provide the information that users actually want and need!
Enjoy the site and remember, I really do appreciate getting all types of feedback regarding the information here or things you would like to see in the future.


text: RFI: Anthropometric studies in school-age children -------------------------------------------------- Is anyone aware of any recent anthropometric studies made in malnour- ished school children (both primary and/or secondary age)? Also, what are the most valuable indicators measured? Is there any correlation (or other reason for measuring) the typical anthropometric indicators measured for the U5 age group (such as W//A, H//A and W//H), when assessing malnourished children who are in primary or secondary school? We have been asked to commence a short-term school feeding programme in a cyclone ravaged district and need to choose the best indicators for assessing current nutritional status and future impact. Any suggestions would be a great help. Sincere regards, Colin Radford Health Programs Coordinator ADRA Madagascar mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com -- To send a message to AFRO-NETS, write to: email@example.com To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: email@example.com in the body of the message type: subscribe afro-nets OR unsubscribe afro-nets To contact a person, send a message to: email@example.com Information and archives: http://www.afronets.org


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Workers Win Lottery After Getting Laid Off
Everyone always dreams of winning the lottery! Good news for 18 people who currently won big!!
OTTAWA, Canada — Disappointment turned into celebration and happiness after a group of manufacturing plant employees in Ottawa won $7 million in the lottery a day after their company announced layoffs, reported CBC News.


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A Football Life: Cleveland '95
I just finished watching it.
Didn't want to continue discussing it in the Presidential Debate thread and thought it could potentially get messy. Blast Furnace. I was only 15 years old at the time and while my buddies and I watched the NFL pretty religiously I just don't remember the Browns for some reason being on the verge of a Superbowl, but I suppose teams that `might` make it are forgotten as the years go by. But I learned a lot. I had no idea the extent to which the Baltimore Ravens were essentially Bill Belichick's bastard child. That gives me sort of an uneasy feeling. According to everyone who was a part of the Ravens organization the year they won the Superbowl, it sounds like Belichick may as well have been awarded a defacto Superbowl ring for their team winning. That.... really.... sucks. The entire success of the Ravens organization belongs to Bill Belichick. "Bastard child" seems about as accurate a term as you can get to describe the situation. I hate the Ravens even more now than I did two hours ago and I didn't know that was possible. And to think... the Dynasty, the Superbowls, the wins, the organization, the lasting legacy of success that will now guarantee the Patriots continue for years and years as one of the most competitive football teams in the NFL, taking its seat at the table with all the classic teams with a lasting tradition of success... ...That could have all been for the Browns had Art not ripped the heart out of Cleveland. This was probably the best episode of A Football Life i've ever seen. I was expecting a sympathy story for Art to try and lay the groundwork for snaking him into the Hall of Fame but it was more about a Cleveland and the genius of Bill Belichick. |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
This also made me despise Mangini even more.
What a lowly back stabber. If there was such a thing as football hell, this worm would have to spend all eternity slithering on his fat belly through it for all eternity. |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
i think you feign disgust in a veiled attempt to flatter yourself.
there arent any belichick fingerprints on that 2000 lombardi. however the ravens didnt do jack shit before or after marvin lewis and rod woodson, so lets just call it the steelers bastard ring. neither of those 2 had anything to do with belichick. truth be told, brian billick was regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in football when he was hired. while his offense sucked, he proved what he could do in minnesota. ozzie newsome deserves most of the credit for the ravens success. he is the one who has assembled that team and kept them relevant. shannon sharpe deserves credit for keeping that offense afloat. ray lewis deserves it for single handedly defeating the titans and leading that team for many years after. none of those people have anything to do with 'chick. another 60 minute NFL films flick ball washing belichick cant erase 16+ years of history us AFC central?north fans have witnessed and lived. thats all the latest installment of "a football life" was. roger goodell trying to shove bills dick even further down his throat. |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
I think with the sudden glaring weaknesses of Rex Ryan, last year Andy Reid, others, and now Tomlin, you can't deny Belichick. You see there's a big difference between someone who knows some football who gets a job and a true first ballot Hall of Famer.
There are few real football visionaries in the league. Some coaches (Rex and perhaps Tomlin) ride the creations of others, knowing something about X's and O's, but fizzle out when their chickens come home to roast. The Patriots have been a sure bet Superbowl contenders for OVER a decade now. This hasn't been just one year or a short run of years - this has been multiple teams and multiple systems over the course of 13 years. This isn't falling into 9-7 seasons and squeeking into the play offs with no hope. This is real, sustained dominance. Belichick with ten complete seasons with Brady as a starter quarterback has five Superbowl appearances in ten seasons. This is with a team he constantly reinvents, has a constantly changing roster for, a constantly changing offense and defensive system and play style. New England is blessed to have him. Those coaches don't come along often.. |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
tomlin has more superbowl appearances and victorys at this stage of his life in head coaching career than belichick did his. through 8 years as a HEAD COACH belichick had 1 sb appearance and 1 victory. through 5 years tomlin has 2 superbowl appearances and 1 victory. going by the standards you set in your own post, marv levy is just as good, being able to send a great team to the champ game more than 2 years in a row (lets see chick do that with frank reich) and joe gibbs is even better being able to win 3 champs with 3 different qb's (lets see 'chick do that with jay schroeder or mark rypien). none of the aforementioned coaches needed the "tuck rule" or "spygate" to help them out. try again, pattycake. (nice win in seattle... "Chokeless in Seattle") :toofunny: i must "deny" your boy bill. 3 losses in 6 games seems like a sudden glaring weaknesses (thats even with your main weapon hernandez back. what gives? :hunch: :chuckle: |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
What's that? Smells like somethings burning....OH! It's the Pats fans ASS! :chuckle:
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
CB richard sherman is clowning brady on twitter. i guess brady told them to come see him after the game when he defeated them....:toofunny: https://twitter.com/RSherman_25/stat...004161/photo/1 the pics are hilarious. Richard Sherman@RSherman_25 Patriots fans mad lol... Talking bout Super Bowl rings.... What have u done lately? Oh ur 3-3 lol |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
Well, the Seahawks won their Superbowl. Gatorade baths for everyone.
I'm not going to say that that wasn't a really demoralizing loss. Anyone who watched the game saw that it was perfectly within the Patriots power to leave Seattle with 40 points wrapped around the best defense in the league. It could have been a great statement. Instead we got some of the worst situational football I've ever seen in the Belichick era. We've now lost 3 games by a grand total of 4 points. 2 point loss to Arizona. 1 point loss to Baltimore. 1 point loss to Seattle. I could say a lot about yesterday's game but I said my peace on patsfans.com yesterday and now i'm mentally drained of it. All I know is it could be worse. I still believe in this Patriots 2012 team. We still have the most dynamic, best performing offense in the league. We have play makers on defense despite our atrocious secondary that honestly disgusts me. We can still turn this around and take the AFC Championship. |
Re: A Football Life: Cleveland '95
Despite being 3-3, I just dont see any reason why I should be trembling at the thought of seeing Houston or Baltimore in the post season.
Baltimore lost to the Eagles, barely beat the 1-5 Browns, couldn't score a single TD against Kansas City, needed a punt return and a Dallas implosion to beat the Cowgirls, and now lost two of their most important defensive players. Houston sucked against the Jets and got smoked by the very mediocre Packers. It could be worse for New England. I don't like where we're at. But i'm not scared by it either. |
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NYT Says Homeownership Advocate Doesn't Realize House Prices Are High |
Wednesday, 26 February 2014 05:53 |
The NYT had an article on Bruce Marks, a housing advocate, and his push to extend credit for home buying to moderate income households who are now being excluded because of bad credit ratings. At one point the piece tells readers; "He [Marks] says low interest rates and housing prices have created a second chance — an opportunity to help lower-income families buy homes, but this time on terms they can afford." Actually, house prices are not low. While they have not returned to bubble peaks, they are well above trend levels. This means that people buying into the current market have a substantial risk of losing money on a home. This risk will be especially high if interest rates rise in the years ahead, as is almost universally predicted. |


text:
Finally, a well balanced ep of "Walking Dead" that actually moves things along. It's been awhile since all of us podcasters were satisfied from beginning to end. And we loved the many references to earlier episodes — e.g. Otis and Shane's intense feelings for Lori. There were some great shots in this one like the "Alien"-esque walker through the windshield going after Lori. Getting to that car wreck made no sense, but once they were there a gory-good scene, which was one of this show's trademarks early on.
The Potato Report
MySA staffers, E-N folk and whoever else we'd like to include discuss, ponder and obsess over some of our favorite shows.


text:
Discussing: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Message: 48790
12 Oct 06 9:27 AM
Original Post
General Audience
Calling all October babies! If you have an October birthday, please post your request.
Birthday folk, please visit the HASA Birthday Cards workshop, put your story in it, and enter the October challenge.
If you have questions, please ask.
Gandalfs apprentice
October 13, Laureleaf: I was born on Friday the 13th, like this year, so it would be great to get a story about old elvish superstition (especially if it involves members of the Wood Elves and/or the Royal family - but please, no EVIL!Thranduil). Otherwise, anything elvish would give me a smile - especially since I get to spend my birthday camping with my son and roughly 4,000 other boyscouts!
October 23, JunoMagic: I'm turning 31, and here's a wish: I'd like to see characters from "Lord of the Rings" in our world. So that would be (depending on your interpretation of what Middle-earth is) a drabble/ficlet that crosses time and/or dimensions. The only caveat: please no parody or something like that! (For one thing, that would be too easy ; for another, my husband says I have no sense of humour to begin with...). If that idea inspires anyone at all, I would be very grateful!
October 31, IgnobleBard: My birthday is on Halloween and I love scary stories. I'd like to request any story set in Tolkien's universe that has a frightening theme or unexpected twist.
October 31, Raksha the Demon: I'm a Faramir aficionado, as you may have guessed (!), so, for this birthday, I'd like pieces (drabbles, ficlets, whatever is convenient) emphasizing Faramir the scholar, the thinker, who loved music and lore and also seemed, like his creator, to have a strong interest in the study of languages and history. I'd welcome any Faramir story, if that prompt doesn't inspire....But please, no slash.
Happy Birthday Laureleaf!
Gimli watched with interest as Legolas fletched his thirteenth arrow, attaching the feathers to the shaft with the utmost delicacy and care. As he finished and placed the arrow in his quiver, he looked up to see Gimli watching and he smiled.
"Why the sudden interest in my arrows, old friend."
"Not paying attention to your strange ways, I never noticed before that you always carry exactly thirteen arrows in your quiver. Why is that?" Gimli asked.
Legolas colored slightly, "It is a superstition passed down by my father, exactly thirteen arrows to a quiver, no more, no less."
Gimli could not contain his curiosity. "But your quiver would hold much more, and you would not have to replace them so often. Why do your people believe this thing?"
"I do not know," Legolas said, "I have never questioned my father about it before, but I know he ever carried exactly thirteen arrows."
Later that day, as Legolas and Gimli sat in Thranduil's chambers, Legolas said to his father. "Ada, why is it that you always carry exactly thirteen arrows in your quiver."
Thranduil looked a bit uncomfortable. "It was a custom of my father. I always thought he did it to bring him luck in the hunt, so I carried on the tradition myself."
At that moment, Galion stepped in carrying a tray with wine and three glasses. As he set the tray on the table, Thranduil said, "Galion, do you know why it was that my father always carried exactly thirteen arrows in his quiver? Did he think it would bring him luck in hunting?"
A smile tugged at the corners of Galion's lips, a smile he quickly hid with a deep bow.
"No, my lord. The reason, I believe, is that his quiver would hold only thirteen arrows. I asked him one time why he did not carry a bigger quiver and he said if he could not bring down his quarry in thirteen shots, he did not deserve to eat."
Galion sidled quickly from the room as Legolas and Thranduil exchanged twin, shocked looks and Gimli burst into a bark of laughter.
Re: Happy Birthday Laureleaf!
Re: Happy Birthday Laureleaf!
Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
Here's a Faramir story for Raksha. I was rereading The Two Towers and the part where Faramir says "We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things." struck a chord with me.
'Isildur's Bane'
Long thought lost but now, somehow, in the possession of two Hobbits. Only half a day ago it had been within his grasp.
Boromir, the accomplished warrior. He? Either a man of doughty virtue or an exceptional fool. Time judges all.
The turn of a moment could dash hope or restore fading glory. In his moment of truth, he had held to honor. He was satisfied.
Hobbits - half men, their resolve pushing them beyond their fear. Gondorians - sons of a once High race, now Middle Men. Fates intertwined.
'Time to show our quality.'
Faramir took up his bow.
Re: Happy Birthday Laureleaf!
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
Re: Happy Birthday Laureleaf!
I am nothing if not sneaky. lol
This story was actually based on a story my mother used to tell about a friend who always cut the end off a ham thinking it was no good. Turned out her grandmother's pot wasn't big enough. I thought it would be cute adapted for the Elves.
You're so good to me. Thanks for your comments.
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
All your favorite characters? I'm beginning to think they are all your favorite characters. ;-)
I'm glad you like my little efforts. It was your drabbles that inspired me to try to try these challenges. You manage to get so much depth into so few words.
It's a shame there aren't more October birthdays. As Sam said, "I think I'm getting the hang of this." lol
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
I'm glad you like my little efforts. It was your drabbles that inspired me to try to try these challenges. You manage to get so much depth into so few words.
My mother taught me to just to say "thank you" nicely when one gets an undeserved compliment and not argue about it.
Thank you (very nicely).
Happy Birthday, Ignoble Bard!
October 31, IgnobleBard: My birthday is on Halloween and I love scary stories. I'd like to request any story set in Tolkien's universe that has a frightening theme or unexpected twist.
Here's a spooky Hallowe'en-type drabble for you.
The Houseless Ones"Legends say that on this day, the dead walk."
"Ha! I thought you feared not the dead, Master Elf?"
Legolas shrugged. "The ghosts of men hold no terror for me. But my own people – they are the houseless ones, who refused the summons of Mandos. In denying death, they became trapped between Arda and the Halls. I have seen them, Gimli – wisps of mist; flickering flames rising out of the cold earth. They are restless. We should hurry."
Around them, darkness spread; misty flames flickering slowly above unseen candles as pale lights and shadows grew.
The dead walked with them.
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
The turn of a moment could dash hope or restore fading glory. In his moment of truth, he had held to honor. He was satisfied.
Squee! My first birthday drabble! Thanx much, Mike; I love the attention paid to Faramir's moment of truth. A very significant moment for him, the hobbits, and indeed all of Middle-earth. And the ending is great.
Excellent piece about Legolas, Thranduil, and the thirteen arrows.
Re: Happy Birthday, Ignoble Bard!
I just wanted to let you know that the boys, um, liked? your story! The down side was that I had my 7yr old decide that he needed to sleep in my sleeping bag - for my protection, of course!
And he's now decided that he's part elf, because he managed a bulls-eye in his second shot ever with a child size long bow.
Thanks for letting me use it!
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
Re: Happy Birthday, Ignoble Bard!
This is perfect! I've always found the idea of the "houseless ones" to be very creepy. That last bit gave me a chill, the flickering flames and shadows. It's always the things we don't see, or only catch a glimpse of, that are the most frightening .
Thank you for this wonderful piece. I love it.
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
You said you wanted Faramir the thinker and I figured he had to have had some thoughts after he let Frodo go. I liked your request a lot because I like the scholarly Faramir too. He's a very interesting character to speculate about.
I hope you have a great Halloween birthday. I don't see too many people born on that day.
Oh, and thanks for your comments about the thirteen arrows story too. *happy smile*
I'll bet you're not called "the demon" for compliments sake, am I right? ;-) (sorry, I couldn't resist the reference)
Re: Happy Birthday, Ignoble Bard!
It sounds like the story was more effective than I realized. lol I know we always had the best time telling ghost stories and trying to top each other. It's one of those happy childhood memories.
That's excellent shooting for a 7 year old. I'll bet you were as proud as he was. :-)
And I'm thrilled that the kids liked the story. Thanks for letting me know.
I always thought the best thing about camping was coming home to a nice, soft bed. lol
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
This is my first attempt at Faramir, so I hope you like it. This is my way of combining the scholarly side of Faramir and prankster side of Legolas...
Lost in Translation
Hearing a light knock at the door, Arwen turned away from the fireplace and smiled down. "Stay seated Estel, I can let them in."
She then crossed swiftly to the chamber door and swung it open exclaiming, "Come in my friends – we were beginning to wonder if you had forgotten the way back from Ithilien!"
Laughing lightly, Eowyn leaned in to share in a light embrace with the queen. "We would have returned sooner, I think, had Legolas not decided to begin Faramir's instruction in Sindarin."
Glancing across to his approaching Steward, Aragorn grinned widely before asking, "So Legolas is your instructor, hmm? Is he teaching you from books, or simply repetition?"
Slightly puzzled, Faramir sat down and accepted a glass of deep red wine from his friend and king before frowning slightly, "Actually, it has only been with verbal repetition as of yet, but we have been practicing for several hours a day for the last two weeks. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Legolas was my first Sindarin instructor, as we spoke mainly in Quenya in Rivendell, and I had asked him to teach me a poetic greeting for Arwen's next return. He was quite patient with the instruction, and when the time came, I walked right up to her and told her that she had the beauty of a giant spider and the temper of a black squirrel to match! Needless to say, she was less then pleased… I believe I was twelve at the time."
At this, Arwen and Eowyn began to laugh – but Faramir looked even more troubled. After a moment, he glanced back and forth between them before asking quietly, "My lady, will you please tell me what this greeting means? 'Hiril nin sui uanui sui tarn meril'."
Aragorn quickly smothered his laughter, Arwen jumped up in rage, and Eowyn watched it all with mild amusement.
"I take it that does not mean 'My lady is as beautiful as a glistening rose'?"
It took Aragorn another moment before he was able to speak with a strait face, but eventually he was able to – so long as he was careful to avoid looking at Arwen.
"Actually, you said 'My lady is as hideous as the withered rose!"
Happy birthday!
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Raksha--Happy birthday.
I'm such a fidgety, impatient person that I can't resist posting this drabble for you here now. Perhaps I will regret the rush tomorrow and want to make some edits. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy it.
The Love of Lore
Walking up the hill, Faramir admired the two women sitting in the grass sloping down from the terrace of the house. Black hair mingled with gold as Arwen leaned to whisper something into her companion's ear, eliciting a low laugh from Éowyn.
Aragorn drew up alongside the younger man and said, "Look behind them on the steps."
In a soft, expressive voice, Elboron read from the heavy book the boys held between them on their knees.
"He reads unusually well for one so young," Aragorn said.
"Do you think so?" Faramir asked.
"Well, perhaps not for his father's son," Aragorn said.
Re: Happy Birthday, Ignoble Bard!
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
Raksha, You said you wanted Faramir the thinker and I figured he had to have had some thoughts after he let Frodo go. I liked your request a lot because I like the scholarly Faramir too. He's a very interesting character to speculate about. I hope you have a great Halloween birthday. I don't see too many people born on that day. Oh, and thanks for your comments about the thirteen arrows story too. *happy smile* I'll bet you're not called "the demon" for compliments sake, am I right? ;-) (sorry, I couldn't resist the reference) Mike
I hope to have a great Halloween birthday. I'm not sure how much tricking there will be, but there will hopefully be some treats...No, I wasn't called The Demon for compliment's sake. Good for you, catching the reference - Jungle-favor go with thee!
RAKSHA, smiling over thoughts of wolf-cubs and Faramir the thinker
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
This is my first attempt at Faramir, so I hope you like it. This is my way of combining the scholarly side of Faramir and prankster side of Legolas...
Lost in Translation
Thanx much for this great little vignette, Laureleaf! I love the glimpse of Faramir the romantic, trying to craft beautiful Elvish words for Eowyn. Bad, bad Legolas!
And congratulations to your son on his bullseye - obviously a future Ranger!
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Raksha--Happy birthday.
I'm such a fidgety, impatient person that I can't resist posting this drabble for you here now. Perhaps I will regret the rush tomorrow and want to make some edits. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy it.
The Love of Lore
Aw, a lovely drabble! And Elboron has inherited his father's scholarly tendancies. Wonderful compliment from Aragorn, making me very happy. And nice imagery of Arwen and Eowyn's hair as raven and golden. And it seems like they're all hanging out at Faramir and Eowyn's home in Emyn Arnen, which I've often envisioned the two couples doing.
I'm getting pre-spoiled with wonderful Faramir moments - thanx Mike, Laureleaf, and Oshun.
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Raksha, I do love Faramir, so just a little more...a companion piece to previous one.
Lore Master
Boromir looked down from the balcony to the secluded garden below. A bare-footed child with tousled raven curls sat on the ground, his body bent in concentration over an unseen object on his lap.
The older lad's spirit lifted as it always did at the sight of his younger brother.
"Faramir!" he called. He expected to see a small open face look up at him, flushed with a welcoming smile. Instead, a quick furtive glance greeted him, followed by a look of utter terror.
"Why you little fiend!" Boromir yelled over the parapet. He threw himself over the balustrade and shimmied down a supporting pillar. Faramir had jumped to his feet and backed away from his brother, clutching his ill-gotten gain behind him.
"Whoa. Easy now," Boromir said, approaching Faramir slowly in a semi-crouching position. "Hand it over."
"Boys, what is all this?" came a soft, tired voice from the woman in the reclining chair under the balcony.
"Naneth, Faramir has the book of tales uncle gave me for my birthday. In the dirt. In the garden," Boromir said. "He can't even read it and it has no pictures."
"Can too read it," the younger boy protested.
"Show me then," Boromir said.
"Many songs are sung and many tales are told by the Elves of the Nirnaeth Ar-Ar-Arnoediad…" Faramir began slowly, but distinctly, in a clear piping voice.
"Well done!" Boromir said, overcome with pride. "Come. Sit here with me and read some more. You may read any of my books you want. But you must wash your hands first and do not bring them into the garden without asking leave."
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
I liked this drabble very much, Laurealeaf. The light-hearted tone is delightful, and I loved the easy relationship between the characters.
However *clearsthroat*, unless you deliberately made this AU (which is, of course, totally your call!), I have some nits to pick.
- Faramir would know Sindarin. It is one of the languages that is spoken in Gondor, especially among the higher classes.
- I seriously doubt that the language in Rivendell was Quenya instead of Sindarin.
- Aragorn didn't know Arwen until he was twenty.
I hope you don't take these comments amiss!
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Dare I say it? This was sooo cute and sweet! I could really see those two boys playing in the garden.
Whereas this line:
"Boys, what is all this?" came a soft, tired voice from the woman in the reclining chair under the balcony.
made me seriously sniffy...
I loved how Boromir changed from annoyed to proud older brother at Faramir's accomplishment.
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
No harm, no foul! I should have stated it was AU - I just loved the idea of Legolas playing this little prank on his friend. My impression of Faramir is a being who takes studying almost as serious as Elrond, and that the temptation to play a small prank would be too great for our friendly wood-elf to resist. After all, there is always a level of trust and understanding between friends in a prank war...even if only one of them is aware of the war at the time!
And I do appreciate the clarifications, regardless, as they can only help me stay true to JRRT with my furure efforts.
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Re: Happy Birthday Raksha the Demon!
This is funny. It's always fun to mess with people when they don't know a language, and I can see Legolas playing that kind of joke. I liked the "beauty of a giant spider" he had Aragorn say to Arwen too. One might go so far as to speculate that if it was up to Legolas, Aragorn and Arwen might never have got together. But then what Elf might Aragorn have ended up with? I guess we'll never know. *grin*
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
I like that both of your stories are about children and reading. We see the adult characters at a certain moment in time in the books and we know they are learned, educated men, but where did their love of learning start? Probably with reading.
In the drabble, Aragorn's compliment to Faramir's son, and by extension his compliment to Faramir was very nice. In the story with Boromir and Faramir, the brothers bonding over a book is not only a sweet image, it's a nice foreshadowing of their future relationship.
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
For IgnobleBard
Hey, I was thinking last night and the theme of Morgoth came to mind. I'm not sure how much of a frightening theme this is, but here's my wishes for a happy birthday.
Beyond the Doors of Night- by Mar'isu 10/20/2006
We thought beyond the Doors, he would be safe, and we would be safe from him. Surely, we thought, the One would so judge the servant who wished to be master. Surely, we thought, the Doors would hold back his evil. And we set a guard, the mortal who dared enter Valimar and beg mercy of the Powers. Varda, Queen of the Stars, cast one more into the firmament, doomed to sail endlessly burning with the light of the Great Jewel. The burning Silmaril to ward off the Great Death, our brother.
We thought we would be safe, but a darkness comes. A shadow that has never before touched our land. The Straight Way, long lost, is re-opened and from east and west the flood rushes in. Ah, Eru, did Westernesse perish thus?
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Re: For IgnobleBard
Re: For IgnobleBard
Re: For IgnobleBard
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Raksha, I do love Faramir, so just a little more...a companion piece to previous one.
Lore Master
Another wonderful ficlet! Thanx, Oshun; the image of very young and precocious Faramir stealing Boromir's precious book is very true of young kids; and Faramir actually being able to read it is true to his character. I would imagine that Faramir as a kid could occasionally be a show-off in terms of his intellect. Finduilas is well-written here with just one line. And Boromir's pride in his little brother and solution to the problem is credible, we see the leader of men that he will become.
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Another One for Raksha: Happy Birthday!
Raksha asked for Faramir the scholar, the thinker, who loved music and lore and had a strong interest in the study of languages and history. I aimed to hit each one in this drabble times five. Enjoy!
--Gandalfs apprentice
Of the History and Habits of Hobbits
Pippin sneezed. "Nobody's been here for centuries, it seems."
"Not so," Faramir countered. "I often visited the archives as a boy, but war has since kept me away."
"Is there anything about the Shire in all this?" Pippin waved his hands vaguely at the stacks of leatherbound volumes and old scrolls.
"Perhaps," Faramir said. "I never looked. I learned about the land of the halflings as a legend of old." He stood before a tall shelf heaped with cobwebbed, ancient books. "This must be cleaned up," he muttered. "It won't do for the King to see the history of Arnor covered with dust."
"Strider won't mind," Pippin said. "He's not a stick-in-the-mud about all that."
"I am thinking about the future, not the past," said Faramir. "Now that the two realms of Númenor in exile are reunited, Arnor's history is ours." He reached for a gilt-edged tome and, laying it on the table, gently wiped it with a soft cloth. "There, Pippin. The History of Arnor in the Days of Argeleb II. Aragorn says that Argeleb granted the Shire lands to the Hobbits."
"Argeleb? That's a mouthful," Pippin said.
Faramir opened the cover to reveal a portrait of the king, splendid with the Star of Arnor on his brow. "King Argeleb the Second. His son was Arvegil, and his son was Arveleg, followed by Araval."
"They all have the same name," Pippin said. "Ar-this, Ar-that, and Ara-something."
"Do you know why?"
"Lack of imagination?"
"Do I know more of the North's history than its own son, Master Hobbit?"
"Probably," said Pippin miserably. "As Gandalf has remarked more than once, I played truant more often than scholar. I hardly knew we ever had a King, never mind his name. 'When the King comes back,' we said for something that would never happen."
"There were like-minded men in Gondor," Faramir said. "But I did not forget the ancient lore. The names of Isildur's heirs, as with Aragorn's own, come from aran, 'king' in the Elven tongue, which we Dúnedain also speak."
"Oh," said Pippin. He grasped the edge of a huge page and turned it. Close, elegant writing filled the parchment, embellished with gold and silver. He leafed carefully through the volume, admiring colored drawings of beautiful ladies dancing at court, and brave knights on horseback battling foul Orcs. "Nothing on the Shire," he said regretfully.
But on the last page, tucked into one corner, he found a tiny drawing. A rosy-cheeked musician held a flute to his lips, and a comely lass and stout lad, hands joined, kicked out their large, hairy feet in a vigorous dance.
"It's the springle-ring!" Pippin stood out from the table and cocked up one set of furry toes. "Like this." Humming loudly, he began a lively dance, but stopped abruptly. "I need a partner. Faramir?"
And so Lord Faramir, Steward of King Elessar and Prince of Ithilien, became the first in Gondor to learn the dance that was to sweep the streets of Minas Tirith.
Re: Another One for Raksha: Happy Birthday!
Re: Another One for Raksha: Happy Birthday!
Raksha asked for Faramir the scholar, the thinker, who loved music and lore and had a strong interest in the study of languages and history. I aimed to hit each one in this drabble times five. Enjoy!
--Gandalfs apprentice
Of the History and Habits of Hobbits
Oh, I love this! You did manage to hit all those facets of Faramir! Faramir's intelligence and perception - he is not merely a pedant, he grasps the significance of the facts that he stores - and also his commitment to the Stewardship of the realm and service to the King...And I think Faramir is in Faramir-heaven to be back in the dusty archives again after having to devote himself solely to war for so long. Loved Faramir's resolution to clean up the place, the archives, the storage of knowledge, will become important to this highly literate civilisation once more.
Favorite line: "I am thinking about the future, not the past," said Faramir. "Now that the two realms of Númenor in exile are reunited, Arnor's history is ours." Actually that's two lines, but who cares! This is essential Faramir, visionary, looking both to the past (i.e. Numenor as the mother of the two realms) and the future (the union of Arnor and Gondor, and the significance that must now be given to Arnor in Gondor) to combine them in new ways...
Second favorite line: "They all have the same name," Pippin said. "Ar-this, Ar-that, and Ara-something."
"Do you know why?"
"Lack of imagination?"
- snork! -
All in all, this vignette presents one of the best characterisations of Faramir I've yet seen in fanfic.
If Eowyn is in Minas Tirith at this time, she will become the second in Gondor to learn the Springle-ring. I imagine it will become very popular in Rohan, too!
Thanx much, G.A.! I'm a happy Faramirist today!
Re: Another One for Raksha: Happy Birthday!
Re: October 2006 Birthdays, Take Two
Birthday-drabble for JunoMagic
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Juno!
Friend of Birds
The vet inspects the budgerigar's broken wing, his gentle hands and voice soothing ruffled turquoise feathers.
Twinkling eyes regard the little girl. "She will fly again, strong and fearless as before."
The girl leaves presently with her father, reassured as her pet.
In the practice, the kindly, unassuming vet also seems gone. Holding the bird is a lord of dignity and power.
The budgie is not in the least alarmed. She merely blinks slowly, cocks her head, nibbles tenderly at the fingers still caressing her.
And only she hears the soft voice murmuring, "Yavanna watches over us both, my friend."
- "Radagast is, of course, a worthy Wizard, a master of shapes and changes of hue; and he has much lore of herbs and beasts, and birds are especially his friends." (FotR, The Council of Elrond)
- "...even Gandalf, whom he thought he knew so well, [was] revealed as lord[s] of dignity and power. (FotR, Many Meetings)


text:
I seem to have become addicted to physical contact.
Crazy creeper, or just a normal physically deprived teenage boy?
The world will never know.
Not too hard in your situation, just wait until you and another guy are both in Speedos, and then start trash-talking him a bit about you being stronger, etc., and then say the magic words: "I bet I can pin you!"
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain
…did such a negative, and definitely undeserved self-appraisal arise?
Creeper lacks an unambiguous definition… and as for being physically deprived: You, an irrepressible swimmer --- no way!
Teenage boy, you got right --- no argument!
But total honesty would have required: Gay teenage boy!
I would guess (just a guess) that you have a very normal desire to communicate in a socially-accepted manner your indescribable pent-up emotions --- a desire that is only partially met when left alone with time on your hand.
This communication with those you find yummy (who came up with this very descriptive term - Ferrets?) is approached when body-body contact is willingly accepted, albeit with a message that is mutually understood to be intentionally ambiguous.
This is still not enough --- but it at least approaches your mental image of total fusion.
Don't think so negatively! Your libido is merely screaming.
Just be sure to always use your head...
He means the head attached to your neck, not you libido device.
"My ear should catch your voice; my eye, your eye, My tongue should catch your tongue, sweet melody, My tongue your tongue were the world mine, And I will sing that they shall hear: That I am not, I am not afraid, I am not afraid!" -- Were The World
...ambiguity is seen by the literate. But... I think it was my intention that neither be excluded :)
Dun worry. You're not a creeper until you start touching people when they ask you to stop...
That's MY kuhreepers fo' ya! XD
You're twisted and perverted. I like that in a person.
Love,peace, and, DAFT PUNK, Alisa =D