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THE family of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in floodwaters during an excursion with one of Sydney's most prestigious schools has spoken for the first time about how the tragedy left them in emotional and financial ruin.
The Chainas are suing Scots College and the Presbyterian Church for a record $109 million in the NSW Supreme Court after their son Nathan was killed when he fell into a swollen creek at the school's Glengarry campus in Kangaroo Valley on October 24, 1999.
In their first sit-down interview in the 14 years since his death, the Chaina family, from Vaucluse in the city's east, said they had spent $20 million in legal fees seeking justice over the tragedy, which has left them battling depression and suicidal thoughts.
Further reading - Source
Second, could the school be reasonably expected to foresee a danger like this? If I was on a school excursion into the city museum and walking across the road at the crossing a drunk driver runs us over, is the school expected to be culpable if there isn't a trained EMT along to aid any thing like this?
Third, Less than a year before this (December 1998) I was involved in a High School camp that resulted in the drowning of three people at a beach. It wasn't run directly by the school, but it did allow the preacher who ran the camp to advertise it at our school. Should the school be held responsible for not checking up to make sure the camp was safely run? To cut costs, the camp organiser took us to an unmanned beach rather than travel to a populated area where lifeguards were on duty (or alternatively pay the Life-saving club to come and man the beach while we were there). Can I claim $109 million dollars from the government because I want some extra cash? Maybe I'll contact all the people who were at the camp with me, and we can launch a Class Action suit with the Australian government?
I feel for the family who lost a son and a brother. I feel for them in a way most people in Australia can't. But I don't in any way support their decision to open a lawsuit against the organisation their school belongs to. Perhaps if they had spent the last 14 years grieving instead of spending $20 million dollars to force the school to accept blame, then perhaps they would have gotten over the post-traumatic stress issues and be a normally functioning family that isn't always depressed and suicidal?
Edited by Paranoid Android, 22 July 2013 - 03:16 PM.


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Nancy Potter RitesMarch 30,2013Nancy Potter Rites
The memorial service for Nancy Nan Potter, 81, of Rutland who died Monday, March 25, 2013, at the Rutland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center was held Thursday, March 28, 2013, at the Trinity Episcopal Church chapel.
The Very Rev. Christopher David officiated.
Organist was James Cassarino.
Arrangements were by the Aldous Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 85 West St., Rutland, VT 05701.MORE IN ObituariesCENTER RUTLAND Funeral services for Viola (Czachor) Sherowski, 97, of Center Rutland who died... Full StoryJoy Efird Hubbell of Rutland won her battle with cancer by trusting in Christ until He called her... Full StoryRATHBUN, Iowa Paul Hill Jr. Full Story
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3 Crowns Curriculum Orientation
September 1, 2014 at 2:30–4:30 pm[2h]
Three Crowns Banquet Room
3 Crowns Curriculum Orientation Three Crowns Banquet Room
During orientation, new 3 Crowns Curriculum students will meet other first-year students, the 3 Crowns Curriculum faculty, and their academic advisor. We will have refreshments and engage with each other through games and activities.
In preparation for orientation, students should also purchase and read the first-year Reading in Common text, either "Where Am I Wearing?" Or "Where Am I Eating?" by Kelsey Timmerman.
|Invited Guests
|Linda Steinhaus — 507-933-7675
|3 Crowns Curriculum
|Sep 1, 2014
|2:30–4:30 pm


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Downy mildew has caused many problems for busy lizzie fans, so we recommend these great busy lizzie plants that are resistant to this devastating disease. Try the SunPatiens® or New Guinea varieties - easy to grow, robust plants for all weathers and garden positions.
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Busy Lizzie 'Accent Mixed' (Garden Ready)
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Vigorous, versatile and floriferous, Busy Lizzies are guaranteed to brighten up even the most shaded areas of your garden, giving a bold splash of colour all through the summer and well into autumn. It's little wonder they're the nation's favourite bedding plant. They keep blooming through sun or rain! Busy Lizzie 'Accent Mixed' is a compact variety with a magical array of colours in solid shades and bicolours. Height and spread: 30cm (12").
Culinary note: Use as a colourful garnish in salads or float in cold drinks. For more details about edible flowers click here.More info
Copyright © Thompson & Morgan, 2004-2016. All rights reserved.


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Non Slip Ladder Rungs
Non slip ladder rungs are the first step in eliminating dangerous falls. SlipNOT® non slip ladder rungs are installed into new ladders and create a sure footed surface even in wet and slippery environments. SlipNOT® safety ladders exceed OSHA standard 1926.1053 (a)(6)(i) and OSHA standard 1910.26 (a)(1)(v) making them an ideal choice for any company or municipality that values the safety of their employees. Non-slip ladder rungs are available in stock lengths and can easily be cut in the field, or can be cut before shipping for easy installation.
SlipNOT® non slip ladder rungs are available in steel, stainless steel and aluminum. Click on the image below to learn more.
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Franchise Index: Previous Season / Next Season
Record: 3-9-0, Finished 5th in NFL East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 207 points (17.2/g), 10th of 12 in the NFL.
Allowed 432 points (36.0/g), 12th.
Differential of -225 points (-18.8/g), 12th.
Expected W-L: 1.8-10.2.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -19 (-1.6/g), 12th.
Simple Rating System: Total -19.7, Offense: -3.6, Defense: -16.1, SoS: -0.9, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by
Joe Kuharich
Training Camp: Occidental College (Los Angeles, California)


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As I wrote this book I benefited immeasurably from the sage advice of friends and colleagues. Keith Poulter was the first one to read the whole manuscript draft through—and his keen eye caught and corrected many infelicities of style and substance. Richard Newman and David Waldstreicher read the sections on the early republic and provided me with a wealth of insights and suggestions; they have helped me, as has my affiliation with the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, appreciate just how crucial the "founding" decades are to understanding sectional tensions between North and South.
I owe my greatest editorial debt to Gary W. Gallagher and T. Michael Parrish, the Littlefield series editors, whose careful and generous attention to my manuscript modeled just how peer review, ideally, should work. Their comments, along with those of an anonymous "outside" reader, opened up new analytic vistas for me and charted a course for my revisions. I thank Stevie Champion for her thorough copyediting of the manuscript. And UNC Press editor-in-chief David Perry gracefully guided me through the publication process.
My colleagues at Temple University, too, shaped this book; working alongside them has made me a better and happier historian. I am especially grateful to two successive department chairs, Richard Immerman and Drew Isenberg, and to our former dean, Susan Herbst, for their support.
Thanks to the city of Philadelphia's matchless historical resources, it was a pleasure to research this book. I relied on the kind offices and expert assistance of the staffs of Temple's Paley Library and its Charles L. Blockson AfroAmerican Collection, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania's Van Pelt Library, the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum, and the Friends' Histori-


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Archived Story
Punishment should fit the crimePublished 2:07pm Friday, November 30, 2012
Not only does the punishment not fit the crime, it also shows a glaring weakness in Ohio's laws.
Christopher Haines, 32, of Oak Hill, was sentenced to just short of five years — with credit for the nearly two years served — for the aggravated vehicular homicide of 10-year-old Angel McGinnis of South Point. Anyone who doubts the dangers of texting while driving need look no farther than this tragic crash.
Haines rear-ended the vehicle in which the child was riding because he was reading a text message. Although Ohio recently made this illegal, the penalties may not be strict enough.
Making matters worse is that a plea bargain reduced the severity of the felony charges and drastically cut the amount of possible prison time. The sentence could've been 26 years.
As Ohio Attorney Gen. Mike DeWine said, "No text messages is worth a life. Drivers should remember Angel McGinnis any time they think about concentrating on their phones instead of their driving." We couldn't agree more.
Nothing can bring Angel back or erase her family's suffering but legislators should think about ensuring that the laws and the punishment match the crime.


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Costco Wholesale's net income rose 3 percent in the third quarter as the warehouse club operator's sales and membership fees improved.
A key sales figure rose both in the U.S. and abroad, but its earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations and its stock slipped Thursday.
Costco's stores offer members the ability to buy items in bulk at low prices.
Net income for the 12 weeks ended May 11 rose 3 percent to $473 million, or $1.07 per share. That compares with net income of $459 million, or $1.04 per share.
- This drone footage of inside Bertha's tunnel is like something out of 'Star Wars'
- Seattle City Council kills sale of street for Sodo arena; Sonics fans despair
- School board rebukes Bellevue football program; possible two-year ban for coach Butch Goncharoff
- Man killed by car pulling out of Seattle parking garage
- Ted Cruz ends his bid for Republican presidential nomination
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Analysts expected $1.09 per share, according to FactSet.
Revenue rose 7 percent to $25.79 billion from $24.08 billion last year. Analysts expected $25.68 billion.
Revenue in stores open at least one year, or same-store sales, rose 5 percent in the U.S. and 3 percent internationally.
U.S. retailers of all stripes struggled with harsh winter weather and shaky consumer confidence during the most recent quarter. But Costco's numbers looked good compared to some other major chains. Excluding gas prices and foreign-currency fluctuation, Costco's same-store sales rose 6 percent in the U.S. and 8 percent internationally. Revenue by similar measures fell 0.2 percent at Wal-Mart Stores in the U.S. and dropped 0.3 percent at Target in their most recent quarters.
Issaquah-based Costco operates 655 warehouses, including 464 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 87 in Canada, 33 in Mexico, 25 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Japan, 10 in Taiwan, 10 in Korea, six in Australia and one in Spain.
Its shares closed Thursday down 10 cents at $114.14. They have fallen about 4 percent so far this year.
Costco's comparison to other retailers was reported by Bloomberg News


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Doesn't have to be nude to be hot...Hollywood and a girl's dreams.
Simply so noble impressions!
So awesome Model...natural Beauty...great Location, Pose and Light...
the babes in hollywood... Everyone else looks over weight.
Hollywood is cool. wouldn't want to live in LA and the surrounding areas.
Hollywood is cool. wouldn't want to live in LA and the surrounding areas.
very ellegant position!
OMG...she has really nice pair of legs...and liked the quality of capture...
good picture
I love this shot.. it just reminds me that I will live there soon.
Just simple and amazing... great photo, lovely model
wow god...just stunning !
Hollywood...worked there...had a lot of fun! Beautiful capture!
It can't get more perfect!
Very nice pose and your lighting and depth focusing composition is supreme. I live about 6 miles from where this was taken! So cool! Keep up the great work!
Beautiful capture
I wish they all could be....
California dreaming
You have a lot of "bests" for me--but this one is my favorite--at least in my top five of your all-time shots. A++
Stefan - your photos blow me away each time! Just beautiful...
nice shot! once again, perfect lighting... love the warmth in this one! lovely pose, very graceful and gentle. and, of course, absolutely great background!
That women is beautiful!
Great shot of a lovely lady.
What knockout photo! Well done!
Simply wonderful... Nice picture, my friend! What a beautiful girl!...


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Thanks for visiting our web site
Avenue Hair has over 20 years of growth in the Venice area and consists of an elite team of highly trained stylists and color experts who have excelled in the beauty industry. The ongoing training and high expectations of our team maintains a creative energy that flows from stylist to guest. The salons decor has a comfortable, rustic feel and attracts the area's locals and business professionals.


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Good image quality, not made to take photos in the dark. VERY easy to use. Great for outdoor shots. The PERFECT pocket camera for not-so-serious photographers.View review in forums Leave a comment on this review
Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS / IXUS 105 / IXY 200F
Announced Feb 8, 2010 •
12 megapixels | 2.7″ screen | 28 – 112 mm (4×)
By holdendeman, Jul 17, 2011
By Awes0me, May 23, 2010
Metal body. Easy to use. Surprisingly good photos. (for point-and-shoot camera) Problems: For small hands only :)View review in forums Leave a comment on this review
By fredscapes, Feb 20, 2010
bought the camera today. pictures are better than other small cameras i have used. the small size of the camera is good for any pocket. very recommended "always in the pocket" solution. Problems: 12 megapixel resolution gets jpeg'd down to a file less than 3 megapixel. would nice, if there was a superfine mode which takes bigger advantage of the 12 meg ccd when there's enough light. a raw mode would be a dream. however, i must say that the good details of mages surpise me more and more.View review in forums Leave a comment on this review


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Detectives from the 101 Precinct in Far Rockaway and the Queens Major Crime Squad are looking for a single shooter who killed one man and wounded another outside of 29- 51 Far Rockaway Boulevard at about 10:47 p.m. on December 6. Police say that units responding to a call of "male shot" found Mario Green, 27, with wounds to his head and his chest. He was transported to the trauma center at Jamaica Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Another man, whom police declined to identify except to say that he is 18-years-of-age, was shot in the head and the neck but survived. He is reportedly in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital. Anybody with information on the shootings is urged to call the 101 Precinct Squad at 718-868-3429.
Copyright 1999 - 2016 Wave Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved


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Goodyear To Transfer Stock Listing To NASDAQ
AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today announced that it will transfer its stock exchange listing to the NASDAQ Global Select Market from the New York Stock Exchange. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO )Goodyear shares of common stock will begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on or about December 18, 2012 under the current Goodyear ticker symbol "GT." Additionally, Goodyear's 5.875% mandatory convertible preferred stock will trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "GTPPP." "We are excited to welcome Goodyear to NASDAQ. Goodyear is a global leader in the tire industry and has one of the world's most well-known and respected brands," said Bruce Aust, executive vice president, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. "We look forward to a long and successful relationship." Goodyear said the move to The NASDAQ Stock Market will provide the company with greater cost efficiencies and access to high visibility branding opportunities while continuing to provide shareholders with strong execution and liquidity through NASDAQ's advanced trading technologies. Goodyear (NYSE: GT) is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs approximately 71,000 people and manufactures its products in 53 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate. SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
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10 Things About Jim Harbaugh You Didn't Know
Let's look at the stats. Despite earning, for some strange reason, the nickname Captain Comeback, Jim Harbaugh was nothing more than an average NFL quarterback. That might even be pushing it. His all-time record as a starter is 66-74. He averaged just 148.5 yards per game throughout his career. His career rating is 77.6 and he never threw more than 17 touchdowns in a season. In fact, he only hit 15 in a season twice in his 14-year career. He also once had to split time with Mike Tomczak.
Monty McMahon is one of the founders of Total Packers. He is probably the most famous graduate of UW-Oshkosh next to Jim Gantner.
I dont hate Jim because he was a Chicago Bear (although thats reason enough) I just think the guy is a big D – Bag baby. Jim Kelly was right. His brother John is 5 times the man Jim is. Therefore i root for the Ravens in the SB……What i'll be watching for is…..John Harbaugh crying and going off the deep end on the sidelines of the S B, under the stress of playing in the S B and his brother, he'll be all wound up….Would be funny to see him punch a ref if he doesnt like a call…..lol


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Shapes of Good Fortune II Framed Wall Art
# 77470
Product Description
Today, Jane Bellows flourishes in several different media but favors acrylics for its textual quality. She began painting abstracts and experimenting with forms, lines and space, bringing lighting and perspective influences into her florals and landscapes.
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$ 3,999.00
The 230KV is a small, palm sized veterinary animal ultrasound scanner. This ultrasound machine works great with large animals, like equine and bovine, and comes with a rectal probe. The 230KV produces excellent images on its 7 inch screen and also has pseudo color. It includes a nice carrying bag and has a full 18 month warranty.
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KX5100V palm ultrasound scanner is a full B Mode, B, B/B, B/M, M, 4B, veterinary diagnostic instrument. KX5100V vet application for pregnancy, fertility and diseases on bovine, equine, ovine, swine, canine, feline, goat, llama. Battery powered and light at only 3 pounds makes for easy mobility. Full two year warranty with KeeboMed Inc.
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KX5000V is one of the best laptop vet scanners for cows and equine reproduction. It sells very well and has excellent customer reviews. Quality of KX5000V is far ahead of other scanners of its kind. The laptop has a slim design, smart and lightweight, easy to carry, and convenient for examinations in the field or office. High speed USB port supports high-capacity USB disk, and color laser printer. Print out images and reports making the output of diagnosis more convenient and simple.
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Purchase with us for best price, and a two year warranty on ultrasound and probe.


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- 53Promote
Unisex Tank Top
Bowler cabbageby Vin Zzep
American Apparel Tank Tops are made with 100% fine jersey cotton combed for softness and comfort. (Athletic Grey and Athletic Blue contain 50% polyester / 25% cotton / 25% rayon)
Headphones turn you into a cabbage. bowler hat and a cabbage. A comment on the way people shut others out just by putting headphones on, the world has lost the art of conversation, me included :/ you might as well be talking to a cabbage :)
bowler hat
well done!
Thanks Sandra
I love this!
thanks so much Sineload
thank you Seamless
So cool! Love this!
thank you Meg :)
Great work. Completely plausible.
thanks Geoffrey, I have seen them on trains, planes and buses. not as dapper as this guy :D
Well said great art piece xxx
Thanks Jimmy, someone had to point it out to me, this is a tribute to their frankness
Thank you tareco
Oh really? I think we are all guilty of this. :(
We can all try and talk more. Say, only wear your headphones every other day and try and see the people around you more, headphones are okay but nothing will replace human contact. Who knows you may meet someone interesting. Thanks Jimmy :)
Thanks gwenola :)
Thanks Christine56 :)
Beautiful gallery series!
thank you Laertis :)
Repost updated image
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Keanu is fun, and even sometimes outright hilarious, but it doesn't live up to the skills of its central performers.
Keanu is fun, and even sometimes outright hilarious, but it doesn't live up to the skills of its central performers.
At some point, the movie has to rely on the things at which it previously poked fun.
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
Patrice Leconte's "Monsieur Hire" is a tragedy about loneliness and erotomania, told about two solitary people who have nothing else in common. It involves a…
Members of AAFCA pay tribute to Prince as a cinematic artist.
An article about the upcoming reissue of "Two Weeks in the Midday Sun."
Members of AAFCA pay tribute to Prince as a cinematic artist.
A report from a panel at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival about diversity in the light of the 2015 Oscar ceremony.
A report from a panel at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival about diversity in the light of the 2015 Oscar ceremony.
FFC Seongyong Cho on Paul Weitz's "Grandma."
Meryl Streep's tragic romance; Algorithm killed Relativity Media; David Milch stays in the game; Appreciation of "Nine Lives"; Veronica Cartwright on "Alien."
A review of FOX's new series "Houdini & Doyle," premiering May 2, 9/8c.
It was Francois Truffaut who said that it's not possible to make an anti-war movie, because all war movies, with their energy and sense of adventure, end up making combat look like fun. If Truffaut had lived to see "Platoon," the best film of 1986, he might have wanted to modify his opinion. Here is a movie that regards combat from ground level, from the infantryman's point of view, and it does not make war look like fun.
The movie was written and directed by Oliver Stone, who fought in Vietnam and who has tried to make a movie about the war that is not fantasy, not legend, not metaphor, not message, but simply a memory of what it seemed like at the time to him.
The movie is narrated by a young soldier (Charlie Sheen) based on Stone himself. He is a middle-class college student who volunteers for the war because he considers it his patriotic duty, and who is told, soon after he arrives in the combat zone, "You don't belong here." He believes it.
There are no false heroics in this movie, and no standard heroes; the narrator is quickly at the point of physical collapse, bedeviled by long marches, no sleep, ants, snakes, cuts, bruises and constant, gnawing fear. In a scene near the beginning of the film, he is on guard duty when he clearly sees enemy troops approaching his position, and he freezes. He will only gradually, unknowingly, become an adequate soldier.
The movie is told in a style that rushes headlong into incidents.
There is no carefully mapped plot to lead us from point to point; instead, like the characters, we are usually disoriented. Anything is likely to happen, usually without warning. From the crowded canvas, large figures emerge: Barnes (Tom Berenger), the veteran sergeant with the scarred face, the survivor of so many hits that his men believe he cannot be killed. Elias (Willem Dafoe), another good fighter, but a man who tries to escape from the reality through drugs. Bunny (Kevin Dillon), the scared kid, who has become dangerous because that seems like a way to protect himself.
There is rarely a clear, unequivocal shot of an enemy soldier.
They are wraiths, half-seen in the foliage, their presence scented on jungle paths, evidence of their passage unearthed in ammo dumps buried beneath villages. Instead, there is the clear sense of danger all around, and the presence of civilians who sometimes enrage the troops just by standing there and looking confused and helpless.
There is a scene in the movie that seems inspired by My Lai, although it does not develop into a massacre. As we share the suspicion that these villagers may, in fact, be harboring enemy forces, we share the fear that turns to anger, and we understand the anger that turns to violence. Some of the men in "Platoon" have lost their bearings, are willing to kill almost anyone on the slightest pretext. Others still retain some measure of the morality of the situation. Since their own lives also may be at stake in their arguments, there is a great sense of danger when they disagree. We see Americans shooting other Americans, and we can understand why.
After seeing "Platoon," I fell to wondering why Stone was able to make such an effective movie without falling into the trap Truffaut spoke about - how he made the movie riveting without making it exhilarating. Here's how I think he did it. He abandoned the choreography that is standard in almost all war movies. He abandoned any attempt to make it clear where the various forces were in relation to each other, so that we never know where "our" side stands and where "they" are.
Instead of battle scenes in which lines are clearly drawn, his combat scenes involve 360 degrees: Any shot might be aimed at friend or enemy, and in the desperate rush of combat, many of his soldiers never have a clear idea of exactly who they are shooting at, or why.
Traditional movies impose a sense of order upon combat.
Identifying with the soldiers, we feel that if we duck behind this tree or jump into this ditch, we will be safe from the fire that is coming from over there.
In "Platoon," there is the constant fear that any movement offers a 50-50 chance between a safe place or an exposed one. Stone sets up his shots to deny us the feeling that combat makes sense.
The Vietnam War is the central moral and political issue of the last quarter-century, for Americans. It has inspired some of the greatest recent American films: "Apocalypse Now," "The Deer Hunter," "Coming Home," "The Killing Fields." Now here is the film that, in a curious way, should have been made before any of the others. A film that says - as the Vietnam Memorial in Washington says - that before you can make any vast, sweeping statements about Vietnam, you have to begin by understanding the bottom line, which is that a lot of people went over there and got killed, dead, and that is what the war meant for them.
FFC Gerardo Valero reexamines the 2015 James Bond film "Spectre" after the dust has settled.
Reflections on a marriage, and what came after.
This message came to me from a reader named Peter Svensland. He and a fr...
FFC Gerardo Valero discusses the devolution of Quentin Tarantino by comparing The Hateful Eight to Pulp Fiction.


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Five of Wands by puimunWatch
©2006-2016 puimun
Foxes! Yay!
I love your foxes, and the little crows too
so cute
so cute
wheres the six of wands?
Wait... you're the creator of Shadowscapes? I have this deck, adore it, and it's been ever faithful to me. Thanks for making such a wonderful deck, each and every illustration is dazzling!
*-* amaaizing!!!
wonderful sense of movement, and those foxes are so boyant!
Good Goddess, this was done in watercolor?!
foxies!!me like!!
Beautiful, love your foxes as always
Adorable! You have a beautiful sense of line and design. The fluidity is just lovely.
Your work is so delicate; even the "war" scene is just beautiful! I hope I can get such nice tones with my watercolors one day ...
The composition is so cool!
The composition is so cool!
I love foxes and these are my Favs!
love it... but when looking at the meanings of cards, doesn't the five of wands represent gold and riches?
Beautiful piece of work, I love the foxes
foxes, foxes, foxes. I love foxes, AND this piece is amazinggg
i´m a foxfreak, and i love this pic!!
I love the second fox from above. It look so huggable!
Marvelously beautiful work!
Marvelously beautiful work!
Wow. I love all of your work but i especially love the movement in the foxes. ^.^ Amazing Job!
what a nice painting !! I love foxes !
You know, I'd say you liked foxes. Don't know what gave me that idea . . .
Is the man fighting against those animals? It looks like he does.
I love the foxes and the rabbit. Cool!
I love the foxes and the rabbit. Cool!
I really really like this picture!
This is really gorgeous, unique, even a little frightening in a way. I LOVE it.
Its just so...different.
Its just so...different.
This is incredibly beautiful; it has so much movement and the foxes are so lifelike and dynamic! You seem to really capture exactly what i imagine these sort of mythological creatures and beings look like!
That is an awesome concept!! A tide of foxes to fight against!! It really helps with adding the meaning to the card!! Another beautiful card, as always~
Really well done, gorgeous colour.
absolutely amazing, I love your work
Aaaahhh! Floaty foxes! They FLOAT!!!!
I love it!
I love it!
Amazing! As usual. ^^
This is such a unique picture!
Very beautiful, the image has a nice flow to it. The color scheme works well too.
Very appropriate image for this card and its meaning. I like how the man seems to be flowing through the foxes even though he's going against them. It's a soft tension. I think that speaks to how confident and focused people can be when they're pursuing a passion. No matter what gets in the way they take it and continue on. I also like that you included a rabbit at the bottom running from the foxes showing the oppoits impulse to avoid hardship. The color scheme seems almost monochromatic with all the browns. I kind of wish the background were more white/grey; it wouldn't take the focus off the subject but it would add a little more contrast to the image. It's a nice addition to the Tarot set. Looking forward to the complete set.
Foxes are so cool!
Wow, so "foxy"! I loved it!
Im in love with a fox i think, so this pic really hits home..
oh , oh! New tarot card! You're foxes are getting better and better! The 'flying' one on top is so elegant!
the fox!!! i love thsi animal is a secon of my favourites animals!!!! great!!!!
The foxes look so rich in color.
This is beautiful. I really like the flow of it and the triangle structure is awesome.


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In the meantime we are faced with the gtube decision again. DS has been on continous feeds for a week since he cannot seem to handle a large bolus feed. He had a swallow study done two days after surgery and confirmed that he is silently aspirating. So his milk has to be honey consistency. Only nippling him three times a day. He does well but throws up pretty large after, almost looks like cottage cheese. So seems he will need to be on continous for a while.
Those of you whose baby silently aspirated. How long did they out grow it?
We have him on continous feeds still only able to nipple three times. Gtube looks like future


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Samantha Johns on this thing she's doing at the White Page
Illustration by Michael McConnell, poster design by Colleen Lamb (detail).
Theater-maker Samantha Johns may be best known for her collaborations with Savannah Reich, Bedlam Theatre, or George McConnell, with whom she worked most recently with this summer on car.sick, an art installation that was also a free taxi service and performance piece. As 2014 begins, Johns is venturing out in a new direction. This weekend, she's orchestrating an evening of performance at the White Page, a house-based gallery in the Standish neighborhood where Johns will also be doing a residency in a couple of months.
We chatted with Johns about the upcoming event, as well as her self-published book, we don't know how, which will be available for purchase at the show.
See also:
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Read an Excerpt
Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems
By Tim Wescott
NewnesCopyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc.
All right reserved.
Chapter OneThe Basics
1.1 Control Systems
Control systems are all around us. Any system that does our will with a minimum amount of effort on our part is a control system. Room lighting is a control system—you flip the switch, and the lights go on or off. The steering of a car is a control system—you turn the steering wheel, and the car turns. Home thermostats, traffic lights, microwave oven timers—all of these are control systems.
Automatic control systems are control systems that do some of the thinking for us. If we can set a system to perform some task at a high level of abstraction and have it be responsible for correctly performing the detailed sub-tasks to reach that goal, then that system is an automatic control system. Automatic control systems range from the highly intelligent and complex to the absurdly simple. Everyday examples of automatic control systems include flush toilets, room thermostats, washing machines and the electric power grid. Each one of these systems automatically performs its task without direct operator intervention: the flush toilet runs a measured amount of water into the bowl, then fills its tank to the correct level and stops, a room thermostat turns heat or cooling on and off to keep the room temperature constant, a washing machine performs a specific sequence of filling, agitating, spinning and draining, and the power grid delivers power at a constant voltage and frequency in spite of varying loads.
Closed loop control systems will receive most of our attention in this book. A closed loop control system is one that measures its own output to determine what drive to apply to itself. Closed loop control has some powerful advantages, but it also presents some profound difficulties to the control system designer. With careful design, the advantages can be made to outweigh the difficulties, which is why closed loop control is a popular method of solving engineering problems.
1.2 Anatomy of a Control System
A control system is composed of a number of parts. Throughout the rest of this book I will use a consistent terminology for these parts of control systems that follows the normal terms used by control engineers in English-speaking countries.
Figure 1.1 shows the parts of a closed-loop embedded control system. The software generates commands that are translated into an analog signal by the digital-to-analog converter (DAC). This low-power signal is amplified and applied to the plant. The plant contains an actuator to convert the electrical drive from the amplifier into some useful action in the plant. The plant output is connected to a sensor whose output is applied to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC value is read by the control software, which uses this information and the command signal to determine the next drive command to the DAC.
In control-system language, the "plant" is the thing that is being controlled. This name probably originated from the term "steam plant" or "manufacturing plant" as one of the earliest uses of formal control theory was in the regulation of steam plants driving factories. Later on, formal control theory was applied to a variety of other fields, but the term "plant" has stuck.
There is no hard and fast rule for saying exactly which part of your system is the "plant." Depending on the point that you are trying to get across, the word "plant" could be so inclusive to encompass everything in the system except for the core piece of software that implements the controller.
At the very least, however, your control system will contain some item whose behavior you wish to control. This could be as ephemeral as the level of data in a buffer, or as concrete as a thousand-ton passenger train hurtling along at a hundred miles per hour. No matter what it is, this item is, in the end, your "plant." Any more inclusive definition of your plant should include this real plant, and you should not lose sight of what it was that you were trying to get your plant to do in the first place.
It is a good idea, then, when you are describing a control system to state clearly what you mean when you say "plant." Similarly, when you are analyzing a control system, it is a good idea to be flexible about what the term "plant" can mean, and when you are reading a description of a control system you should understand what the writer means when he says "plant."
Simply enough, a controller is the thing that controls the plant. As with the term "plant," this term can vary in its exclusiveness from the actual core piece of software that implements the controller to everything but the physical hardware that's being affected. As with the plant, it is necessary to be clear in one's definitions, and careful in one's reading of the term.
Through the history of control systems, controllers have been implemented in a number of technologies. The earliest controllers were purely mechanical devices. Even before people thought to apply mathematics to the study of automatic control systems, simple mechanical regulators were being built. In industrial settings, pneumatic controllers were popular for quite a while, because the pneumatic signal from the controller could easily drive a pneumatic actuator. With time, analog electronics came to be used as controllers. Today most new controller designs—even those that masquerade as analog—are digital controllers whose implementation is not much different from Figure 1.1.
In spite of the prevalence of the digital controller, one should not discount other forms. Some systems can benefit immensely from having a mechanical or purely electronic controller to act as a backup to a digital one, or to provide a tight inner loop around which a control loop with a digital controller is placed. It is good to be aware of the places where feedback control already exists, and to know when this can be exploited, or when it must be worked around.
At its most exclusive, a controller is just an algorithm running on a microprocessor, reading numbers from a few input ports and writing other numbers to some output ports. At this level a controller does nothing, and can do nothing, to affect the outside world. To perform this task a control system needs an actuator.
An actuator is a transducer that takes a command from the controller and converts it to a useful form of energy to drive the plant. In Figure 1.1 the DAC is what the controller sees as its "actuator." More usually, one thinks of actuators as being some form of motor or other device that takes an already-amplified electrical signal and turns it into useful work.
Actuators can take many forms. Some of the most imaginative and creative work that is done in real-world control system design is often found in actuator selection Also, alas, some of the most mundane and boring is found here as well. Actuators can range from the simple, such as a resistive element in a heating system, to the sublime, such as a Pockels cell in a laser system, which requires several hundred volts to change the polarization of incoming light so that a laser's intensity (or some other characteristic) can be affected.
The complement to an actuator is a sensor. Without an actuator, a controller is crippled. Without a sensor it is blind.
A sensor is the transducer that measures some output of the plant and converts it into a form that can be read, directly or indirectly, by the controller. Sensors will usually be analog, where some physical quantity will be translated into a voltage to be read by a DAC. Sometimes, however, a sensor may be able to more or less directly convert a physical quantity into a digital signal; for example, a shaft encoder or a can-counter on a production line.
1.3 Closed Loop Control
Closed loop control systems are a mixed blessing, particularly for the engineer who has to design or maintain one. Closed-loop control has many advantages, but for every advantage there is a drawback, and threaded through any control system problem are the limitations imposed by the basic physics of the plant, sensors, actuators and controller.
If you can accurately measure a plant's output with a sensor, and if you can reliably induce changes in the plant's output to any degree necessary, then you can build a controller that will position the plant with a degree of accuracy that approaches that of the sensor—even if the plant, by itself, cannot be positioned reliably at all.
With your accurate sensor and well-behaving plant, your controller can respond to plant errors that arise from external disturbances that perturb your plant's output. Even if the plant is so sensitive to disturbances that it is useless without closed-loop control, if it is responsive to control you can build a system that, as a whole, can operate correctly even with continuous disturbances.
If your plant can respond strongly to drive, but is, by itself, sluggish, a good feedback control system will speed up the plant's response. This fast plant response can be used to follow a command signal better, or simply to reject outside disturbances better.
In addition to being able to make an accurate plant out of an inaccurate one, given a good sensor you can turn this around: with a plant that responds predictably both to drive and to external stimuli, but with a sensor of limited range, you can build a wide-ranging, accurate sensor for physical phenomena. Specifically, force-balancing accelerometers and rate integrating gyros perform this task by keeping a proof weight (or spinning wheel) centered within the frame of the device with an accurate force (or torque) driven by closed-loop control.
Every silver lining has a cloud, however, and for all its advantages closed-loop control systems have some disadvantages and some limitations.
The most dramatic disadvantage to closed loop control is instability. You want to have a system that goes where it is supposed to and then stays put. With closed-loop control, however, you can take a perfectly stable plant and a perfectly stable controller and put them together into a shaking, snarling beast of a closed-loop system that will loop its own errors back on itself and oscillate around its desired setpoint in ways severe enough to harm actuators, mechanisms, or even the surrounding scenery.
If you take care with your control system design you can avoid instability—but such care takes development time and money. In addition, when you add a controller to a system you add direct recurring costs to purchase the controller's parts, assemble them, and make sure that their design stays current.
A final 'problem' in this list is that control systems are not magic. Real systems have real limitations, and nothing—not even an automatic control system—can overcome the laws of physics. Limitations in the strength of your actuators, in the response speed of every part of the system, in your plant's tendency to allow itself to be driven nicely, and in your sensor's ability to deliver noise-free measurements will all limit the ultimate performance of your system.
For all these problems and limitations, closed-loop control systems are an everyday part of life. Why? Because for many situations the advantages of closed-loop control systems far outweigh their disadvantages. Where a closed loop system may go unstable an uncontrolled plant may not work at all. Where a closed-loop control system is sensitive to sensor problems, its open-loop counterpart would be buried under plant variations. The biggest reason to use a closed-loop control system is because even with the expense and complexity of a controller, you can often do the overall job with much less expense, and much higher quality, by using closed-loop control.
1.4 Controllers
Executive controllers are the kind of controllers that most of us are familiar with designing. In fact, the usual meaning of the 'controller' in 'microcontroller' is an executive controller.
An executive controller functions much as an executive in a company. An executive controller is concerned with making the right thing happen at the right time, and is content with issuing certain orders at certain times. If an executive controller does get feedback on the things that it is controlling, it is feedback that is at an abstract level; "motor two is broken" or "process four is complete." An executive controller issues commands at a similarly abstract level; the deepest it may go is to command something to go to a certain value, while expecting that its command will be followed.
Excerpted from Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems by Tim Wescott Copyright © 2006 by Elsevier Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Newnes. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.


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In an image I recently took with my Orion ED80 I noticed two diffraction like spike things on Ori - HIP 262141 (the really bright star on the right of the image). Is this normal or is there something in my optical train that could be causing this? I don't really mind it, I think it adds to the image, just curious why its there.
Refractor diffraction spikes?
Started by TopherTheME , Jan 21 2013 07:24 PM
1 reply to this topic
Posted 21 January 2013 - 07:24 PM
Posted 21 January 2013 - 09:04 PM
I've seen worse, I had to look pretty hard to see it. It's possible something very small is protruding into the light path... but it's not much. I get one or two stars every once in a while with my AT65EDQ that do that.


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Washington state's new charter law has quickly become a national darling. This morning, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a leading non-profit advocating and monitoring such schools, is releasing the latest of its annual rankings of all charter laws nationwide. Washington's--despite generating significant controversy and winning a narrow approval by voters-- ranks third of 43.
"That's awesome," enthuses Anne Martens, a spokesperson for the local chapter of Stand for Children, one of the leading groups behind charter school Initiative 1240. She attributes the high ranking to the research the initiative's authors did on the laws of other states and how well they were working. Key to Washington's law, she says, is its call for a statewide charter-school commission, which along with local school boards, will have the power to authorize and monitor new schools.
She says the establishment of a commission will ensure that if schools are not getting good results, "there is an avenue to shut them down."
Among those less than thrilled with the law, however, is state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn, and the commission is one reason why. In a letter sent to legislators earlier this month, Dorn pointed out that commission members are to be appointed rather than elected. (The governor and the heads of both chambers of the legislature will pick the commission's nine members.) Therefore, he writes, "they are not accountable to the people."
Dorn, of course, is elected. And as he explained to the SW back in November, he believes that the state constitution demands that if we're going to have charter schools, he should be put in charge of them. He threatened a suit immediately after the election, but so far he's concentrating on trying to amend the law through the legislature, according to Dorn spokesperson Nathan Olson.
Meanwhile, the state Board of Education is moving ahead by recently issuing a draft of proposed rules for local districts wanting become charter school "authorizers." The districts must submit an application to the board.
This is all bureaucratic stuff. No matter what fine print the board comes up with, no matter how lofty the Alliance thinks our charter law is, the real test will come when schools are up and running, and we see not only the results but the ramifications on existing public schools, which under I-1240 can be converted into charters. Martens says that aside from a few players that have expressed immediate interest, like the national charter organization Green Dot, not a lot is yet known about who might run the new schools.
*See Also: Randy Dorn Explains Why He's Likely to Sue Over Charter School Law


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text:
So you need to update again! Definitely want to know what happens. Also want to know if we see Lindi again... Is that it? The last Remus sees of her? Is he going to write?
Author's Response: I know...>.< I'm so terribly distracted, but I actually have 1 and 1/2 chapters mostly written. I can't post the first of the two yet, though, because I keep tweaking it due to things from the second. That and I can't remember things I need to know for them because it has been so long since I started writing this thing. Ugh...I've said it before, but I wish I had a MoB lexicon. Haha... Anyway, I am getting close, because there is more to tell, though sometimes I'm tempted to write, "The next morning, a headline screamed out from the front page of the Daily Prophet, Ministry Official and Hogwarts Student Ambushed: Student killed by Death Eaters, and Remus was very sad for many years to come. The end." and put an end to this endless tale! But I just can't, especially now that I know you are still here after all this time. Thanks a lot!! ;D
Gosh! She has so much nerve! Probably, being Lindi she is used to far too much male attention, but Voldemort is so unbelievably creepy. I thought you wrote him very well. Gave me the shivers!
Author's Response: BUCKBEAK!!!!!!! I haven't lost you! Just a week or so ago, on the Forums, I was lamenting that I thought I'd finally run you off with my horrid updating record. I am truly thrilled to see you are still in this with me, though I am almost as worried for your sanity as my own! :) I'm happy to know you found Voldemort creepy, because he definitely should be, since we know he is! Thank you for letting me know you are still reading. It's motivating!! And I need all the motivation I can get, obviously. :*)
No way. We are still hooked on to it ! We as in me and my whole group that is 9 potterheads and avid readers of your fic! Just that they don't have an account and read without one, they can't submit a review! So yes, I'm not the only one, we are all desperately waiting. And if possible , can you tell me the approximate intervals at which you update? I keep checking your story every 3 days, it'd be good to know when to look for an update and not just keep waiting in desperation! Love your work & lots of love !
Author's Response: Awww....that's so great, and now I feel very guilty! You check every 3 days? Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry! I'm afraid these days it would suffice to check the story every 3 months. :*/ I've really gotten out of the swing of it and when I do get a chance to write, it takes much of the time just to get in a rythm with the story again. It is very slow going. I do have some 6200+ words towards the completion of the next chapter, though. It has been my goal to have it up by Christmas, but that might be a small miracle at this point. If for no other reason than I will have to finish the chapter, find a beta and get it edited and formatted for submission. Probably not going to happen. Still, go ahead and look for it around that time, but don't hate me if I fail to get it ready! Thank yo so much for encouraging me; I'll try all the more, now, and love back to you and to your group!
Your story is the best Marauder Era series I've ever read ! It's amazing, and perfectly charachterized. Please please update soon !
Author's Response: Oh, my...a review after more than a year!!! What a lovely surprise. Believe it or not, I still work on the story, though it is such sloooooowwww going. I won't promise anything, but I would like to have a little Christmas gift for you, and anyone else who might still lurk around MoB from time to time. I'll see what I can do, and if I can find a beta, etc... Wish me luck! Thank you for reviewing, NamitaJ. I really thought Mugglenet had been abandoned by all MoB readers, or that they had at least finally abandoned MoB. :) Of course, they probably think I have. >.< Thanks for the encouragement.
It's been a while, but I finally got around to checking to see if any new chapters were added and I was not disappointed! I had forgotten my old login information, so I just made a new one. My old name was Southern_Pride. I just wanted to let you know that I'm still around! I can't wait to hear what happens next!
First time reviewing. Great story so far! Please don't stop here :)
Author's Response: Thank you! I don't intend to but it really is abysmally slow going, isn't it? So sorry. Thank you for reviewing. :)
Oh nooooooooooo! She is leaving? How could you do this to us?
Oh man. I'm not sure Remus will ever see Lindi again. All of a sudden I'm invested in this story to see how you're planning to end it. (If you're ending it. I mean, I know you will finish, I'm just not sure if you're near the end of not.)
And I am so curious about the note!
Whenever you write the next chapter, I will read it.
Author's Response: Ahhh...Cinderella Angelina!! CA! How exciting! I remember you from many moons ago... When the forums were buzzing and Electronicquillster was a mod, and ...*wistful sigh* the good ole days. :D It is so good to *see* you and to know you are reading. I am definitely planning to end it, but I'm not as near the end as I should be after 8 years! *non-wistful sigh* But getting closer by the year! I will say, I'm pretty sure it won't take another 8 years, even as slowly as I'm updating these days. >.< Thank you so much for reviewing. It's always a thrill to *see* someone after a long while.
I keep checking, but you haven't written anything! If you are posting somewhere else, please let me know!
Author's Response: Thank you so much for checking and forgive me for neglecting my readers and especially my reviewers. Thank you, Buckbeak. Hope the new one is satisfactory. At least it's long!!! :*)
Wow, I think I've read this story at least 3 times since my last review. And you still haven't posted a new chapter! *dying inside*
I am still checking once a day for a new update, so please please please hurry up haha. *begging*
AND don't tell me you've given up on this great fic, because it really needs a good ending... *hoping*
Author's Response: :)
Wow, I think I've read this story at least 3 times since my last review. And you still haven't posted a new chapter! *dying inside*
I am still checking once a day for a new update, so please please please hurry up haha. *begging*
AND don't tell me you've given up on this great fic, because it really needs a good ending... *hoping*
Author's Response: *blushes furiously* I am torn between hoping you are still checking once a day and hoping you haven't since it has been so very long. I'm so sorry. I do hope you enjoy the new one. Thank you so much for reviewing and encouraging me to continue. I promise to try to give you a good ending, but at this point, I just plan to give you an ending, period! I hope you aren't disappointed. Thank you again, marauderm.
You are such an evil person! I really hope that you haven't given up on writing this story. You have me so absorbed it's not even funny. I love all the characters, the twists and turns. Hell. I love everything about this story. I can not wait to read more, if there ever will be.
Author's Response: Oh, I used to get a kick out of doing the evil muwahahaha laugh when people called me evil, but now, I'm so ashamed at how long it has been that I just want to say, Forgive me!!!! I haven't given up, though by now, you probably have. :( I'm just very very slow....and like I told Liz, my computer is doing weird things and I don't even see reviews half the time, and the site doesn't like me and goes to white screen when I try to log on half the time... >.< I think it is a conspiracy to keep me from finishing MoB, but I will, daggonit!!! Hope you are still there waiting to read more, and I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. Thank you for reviewing, GeekMcLeod!
That was so funny! I was almost as on tenterhooks as Remus waiting for him to tell her. And there isn't another chapter up! I can't believe you are doing this to us!
Author's Response: I know, I am awful!! It has been months and months. I figure I will have finally torqued my readers off so much I won't have any left at all. :( I'm glad you got a kick out of it, though. Thank you, Buckbeak22!!!
Wow, Poor Remus! I am getting a little worried about Lindi though, I can't believe her friends didn't back Peter up, and stop her going to the party.
Ohhh, the plot thickens. Love the way you have dropped in Barty Crouch! Off to read the next chapter...
Well, I'm one of the slightly crazy ones. Been reading for about five years I think. I always forget to review! But I love this story. :) Hopefully Lindi will remember the conversation when she wakes up the next morning!
Author's Response: I'm really sorry for taking so long to respond. Something very weird has been going on with my laptop and it doesn't refresh pages after I leave them and come back. I kept seeing the same review count for ages. >.< I discovered something was different when I logged on to upload the new chapter. Anyway, I hope you all will forgive me and thank you so much for reviewing. 5 Years!!! That's a while, isn't it. I'm so glad you've stuck with me. Hope you are still there now and that you enjoy the new chapter. :*)
Ta Da - it worked, and happy anniversary (yesterday). He may be a teenager but he so should have waited and kept trying to wait when she pushed the issue. She's not going to remember squat about any of that. Silly boy.
Of course I am still here! You have no idea how incredibly difficult I am to get rid of. The only surefire way is write something of complete disinterest to me and/or do it really badly without ever improving. In other words, you personally are completely stuck with me. I may be in stealth mode but the lurking doesn't stop; I'm such an ff stalker. I occasionally annoy people because I send them reminder notes that I miss having the contents of their brain spilled onto paper for my perusal (you know what I mean, so I'm going to ignore my instinct to delete that sentence). I still have things on alert that haven't been updated in six years. I made myself go through my lists and delete all the wips that hadn't been touched in... I think two years... a while back but even then 1/3 of them stayed because I just couldn't do it. They're too wonderful. However, I don't review nearly as much as I used to, but that's a long story.
Point being, I will probably be around until there isn't anything to be around anymore regardless of visibility. Now that you've read my unnecessarily long version of that statement I can come down here and be all precise. o.-
I need to be careful what I say if people are going to actually pay that close attention! I was all impactful and didn't remember it. Reading your response, at first I was like, Wow self, harsh phrasing. But I think I remember you saying something about people hating you first so I was just mirroring your phraseology. That's my story and I'm sticking to it :-D. Few will hate you, but there will be sadness and pathetic sighing, I anticipate pouting and scowls, but with less harsh terminology I think I stick by my ancient sayings. I personally, at any rate, would rather have an ending that makes me scowl and grump then no ending at all. There is a lot to be said for an ending that makes sense even if I don't like it. It's not what I wanted but its right, you know? Not to mention, that it is your story so write the ending you like and everyone else can either deal with it or write their own story. So there you people! Whoever you may be, nonexistent or otherwise.
If mugglenet is being overly glitchy you could try AO3? It's supposed to be user friendly although I don't know from personal experience. You'll get new readers though - which is a problem if it fills you with incapacitating guilt, but good if it inspires you to dig out the time to write more and revives your muse. I hear reviews are the equivalent of muse CPR combined with massive doses of caffeine and sugar.
That seems like such a long response in this tiny review box. So that is all for now. Thank ye for your perseverance and I will read whatever you choose to share with me in this story. Unless I have a brain injury and lose the ability to read or some such unexpected interference.
~ Nox
Author's Response: <3 :)
I received six emails informing me of this chapter update. I think it was a sign saying "Review already you slacker!" So. This is me reviewing because the internet clearly loves you. The story is at that stage where everyone has a valid point and we're not sure who should prevail. We Want Remus to reveal his true reasoning to Lindi even though she should really smack him for it, but Sirius still has a point that she really has poor secret keeping skills. And her knowing won't change his decision to separate himself from her.
So, I suppose those who persevere will succeed - that is we the readers and you the author should we keep plowing along. Yours is the Only story I have marked on this site to be updated in the last two years. It's really sad because this is the first website I ever discovered fanfiction on - which is a disturbingly long time ago. So I appreciate that you continue to grind out fic when so many have given up with the seventh books release. Also, abandoning stories is a readers worst nightmare. It's worse than angst suddenly turning into a parody about Voldemort as a turnip gardener of Doom. Well... maybe not that bad... but is is vastly unpleasant.
Carry on - and we thank you. Have an internet cookie, flavoring of your choice. I suggest the most unhealthful possible since it is an internet cookie and completely free of carbs, fat, sugar, and calories.
Author's Response: OH. MY. GOSHHHH!!!! NoxSomnium!! It is so good to *see* you! I can not believe you are still here. I thought you had long since given up on MoB, me, or fanfiction in general. And here I thought the internet hated me. That's why you have received six emails. Because the site hates me and won't let me publish the chapter conclusion. >.< This is only the shorter first half of a rather long chapter which I had to divide. Arghh... And now, I can't get the other longer half to post. ARRRGGHH...I've been trying for 2 days. I just came on to try again, hoping that if I get it in early, maybe it will go through. And I find NoxSomnium!!!! Yay... If it prompted you to review again, I'm glad the site hates me. I've missed your cookies. ;) And I've been thinking about you the last few months. I agree about how sad it is that so many of the old timers have given up after the 7th book. MNFF is the first place for me too. And I don't know if you know it, but the reason I've been thinking about you is that you have been largely responsible for me plowing on with the story even though I thought you were long finished plowing along. I don't know if you remember a review you wrote many years ago, but I remember it vividly. "You will be hated more if you don't finish, than if you finish badly." O.O And so I can't abandon it, or my readers. I've long thought about putting a warning on it to stop new readers, thinking that eventually all the old readers will get sick of my dreadful posting habits. :*/ But there are a very few who have been with me so long, I question their sanity as much as my own! I'm looking at you, Buckbeak. And now Nox is here... Do you know that tomorrow is MoB's 8th Anniversary? What a happy anniversary present. I'll take a large white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, and I'd like that frosted with browned butter frosting, since it's fat free! :) Really good to *see* you. Now I'll go see if I can't get the second half to post. Wish me luck!
I am just stating this right now: I sobbed so hard five minutes ago. It was because I felt so happy. Honestly, this is the best Marauder era fanfic. It accurately tells Remus' story; which, I believe is best POV for the Mesrs. Excellent job.
Author's Response: Thank you so much, SeekingZenith! I'm so happy to know you are enjoying the story so much. I'm honored! I definitely agree that Remus is the Best POV, too! He should be the star!!! Well, he is, to me. ;) Hope you continue to enjoy. Next chapter will be up as soon as I can get the site to post it. Wish me luck! And hope you aren't disappointed. Thanks so much for reviewing.
This chapter did not disappoint! By any means, it was wonderful as usual and I just re-read this whole thing for like the millionth bijiolianth(excuse my made up words....) time! Hahaha now I'm like bouncing up and down with anticipation for the next chapter! :)
Author's Response: Oh, hurray!! I'm glad to know it, Katie123212321. :D And that's a LOT of reading. ;) I like the made up word though. I think I might steal it, because I feel like I've written my millionth bijiolianth word in this mondo novel!!


text:
Dubai Airport traffic soars high
"We are on track to meet the annual projected traffic of 56.5 million passengers, which will bring us very close to Dubai International's operational capacity of 60 million passengers per annum"July 30, 2012 12:28
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Dubai builder Arabtec surges after $545 mln contract award
MIDEAST STOCKS-UAE mixed, Qatar falls in early trade
MIDEAST STOCKS-Markets face further declines after global markets slump
Abu Dhabi's Gulf Capital raises $175 mln for second credit fund
MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf hit by oil, global equities slide, regional fears
Dubai stock index drops 3 per cent in early trade
Qatar recalls envoy to Iran after attacks on Saudi missions
PRECIOUS-Gold hits 7-week high as worries over China hurt stocks
MIDEAST STOCKS-Emaar drags down Dubai; Gulf markets weak
Saudi Q3 GDP growth edges down to 3.6 pct y/y
"We are on track to meet the annual projected traffic of 56.5 million passengers, which will bring us very close to Dubai International's operational capacity of 60 million passengers per annum"July 30, 2012 12:28
This week Nadal beat Roger Federer in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, Abu Dhabi. How can Kipp connect him to a Scientologist through a member of the British Monarchy?January 4, 2011 4:29
When Kipp puts Dubai's oldest shopping mall up against the city's biggest and brashest, which will win out? It's a conflict between nostalgic practicality and glitzy variety.October 5, 2010 3:35
Tower finally starts handing keys to tenants.June 8, 2010 3:36
Observation deck at world's tallest building to reopen after sudden closure.February 15, 2010 7:31
Dubai-based Emaar Properties is in the process of completing the rebranding of the world's tallest…January 12, 2010 4:18
The results are in.January 10, 2010 2:47
A lot. And experts say that it is going to be a while before people around the world start calling Burj Dubai, "Burj Khalifa."January 5, 2010 12:10
The opening ceremony of the world's tallest building was spectacular. Here are Kipp's pictures from the event.January 5, 2010 11:39
The world's tallest building, now renamed Burj Khalifa, was inaugurated...January 4, 2010 10:05


text:
The desire to keep on spending in the face of economic crisis is universal. In Greece, parliament voted Wednesday to implement $17 billion in spending cuts, and the reaction was swift and violent. Public-service employees and others affected by the proposal erupted in riots on the streets of Athens.
The move to trim the indebted nation's outlays cleared the way for the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund to send a check for $40 billion. This bailout cash will give Greece some breathing space and enable government employees to cash their paychecks. It also leaves unresolved the cause of Greece's vast debt, currently estimated at 175 percent of gross domestic product. That's particularly troubling because it appears there will be no country left in the European Union (EU) able to bail out Greece -- or any other ailing nation -- the next time bills come due.
Germany, the EU's powerhouse economy, is being dragged down by the weight of the recession infecting its neighbors and trading partners. Germany adopted labor-market reforms that helped the country survive the initial impact of the debt crisis. Its economy grew at more than 4 percent in 2010 and 3 percent last year. The party seems to be over, as growth fell to 0.5 percent in the first quarter and 0.3 in the second quarter. The third quarter might well be in negative territory, as industrial production is down.
The rest of the Continent is no healthier. The European Commission's latest forecast expects the region to grow a minuscule 0.4 percent in 2013. One of every 2 youths in Greece and Spain can't find a job. France, the second-largest economy in the EU, hasn't been able to grow by more than one half of 1 percent since 2010.
The ECB can't solve this problem by cutting interest rates to stimulate economic activity because the rate already is down to 0.75 percent. ECB President Mario Draghi has indicated that no cuts will take place in the immediate future.
That leaves only one path to recovery: Adopt the tough reforms that politicians have been putting off until now. Italy and Spain finally are waking up. Even though those nations have increased taxes, they also are exploring labor-market reforms so critical to returning their economies to a growth path. In France, labor costs average $44 per hour -- 13 percent higher than in Germany -- reducing its potential for economic growth. Louis Gallois, former head of the parent company of Airbus, has called for a cut in payroll taxes as a way to decrease the cost of employment and for slashing regulation to restore French economic competitiveness. It remains unclear whether the socialist French President Francois Hollande, who wants a 75 percent marginal tax on high-income persons, will pay heed. Ignoring Mr. Gallois' sensible suggestions will let France slip further into recession.
Reducing the size of government and increasing labor-market flexibility are essential for a country to get out of a low-growth trap. That's something President Obama needs to realize as well.
Nita Ghei is a contributing Opinion writer for The Washington Times.
© Copyright 2016 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.


text:
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Multiple online sources list DBEF's dividend yield anywhere
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GULF has a 30-day SEC yield of 4.12 percent and is worth
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iShares S&P Developed ex-U.S. Property Index Fund (NYSE:
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About half of the ETF's weight is allocated to property
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For more on ETFs, click .
(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment
advice. All rights reserved.
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Making gold as a Novice in Achaea, Hunting & Quests
This Post is about the top MUD Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands. Try it now!
Alright, now you are on the right track to be a successful player in the realms of Achaea. A lot of players give up at this point, they can't deal with the whole text thing and it's too much for their flimsy brains. But really, it's not that bad and better than any visual game you'll find anywhere. So now you're in Novicehood of Achaea, and the gold you make and spend here, will be the last substantial amount for awhile.
You continue to get gold from hunting, but not as much for their corpses. You get the gold when it falls out of their corpse when you slay them. So you have to be top notch at questing until you pass level 21, so you have enough gold for curatives and fun stuff that you feel like you'll want.
Thankfully, the Divine give the opportunity to prepare for this if you know how. You need to stay hunting in newbie area until the last experience percent, don't skip out on the last few levels because you're strong enough for bigger stuff. Each corpse is roughly worth 25 gold in each quest. You make up to 1000 gold or more every time you clear an area. I know a thing or two about the quests in newbie areas so i will teach you about them.
First of all, these areas are newbie designated meaning nobody but those under level 21 can get in them. So that keeps the competition down low and more kill for newbies. The areas I like best for making gold is those of Minia and Lodi. There is another area, Mount Gheldan but I don't like to hunt and quest there as a newbie.
In Minia, there are 5 critical quests you should know about. There are 4 rival areas. There are the good Pixies on the northern side, the stout Pygmies of the Northeastern area, the Dungeons of the Kobolds, and the wicked Ember Tower. These villages are in pairs you could say in that which they rival. So the Ember Tower, and the Pixie Village pay for the corpses of the opposites denizens. That leaves the Pygmies and the Kobolds a pair. What you do is kill one of these areas, then sell it to the head of that area. Except for hellcat corpses and kobold corpses. The Kobolds go to the Pygmy Cook, not the chief. Hellcat's go to the Pygmy Seamstress, not the Pixie Queen. But Pixies go to the Imp Lord, and Imps go to the Pixie Queen. Kobolds go to Pepu, the Pygmy chef, and Pygmies to the Kobold King.
So really, that's it. Hunt the corpses for Experience, and sell them to the opposing village! This makes great gold! Now there are the quests in Lodi, and one other biggie and Minia. But I got to save those for next time! So really, now you're definitely on the good foot for Achaea so, Best of Luck to you!


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