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text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Sep 21, 2010
|Filing date
|May 16, 2002
|Priority date
|May 16, 2002
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Alexander Wayne Hietala
|Original Assignee
|Rf Micro Devices, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (123), Non-Patent Citations (7), Referenced by (4), Classifications (13), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present application is related to concurrently filed, commonly assigned, commonly invented U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/147,569, entitled "AM TO PM CORRECTION SYSTEM FOR POLAR MODULATOR."
The present invention relates to controlling a power amplifier, and more particularly to controlling the power amplifier in a manner to correct the output Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) and spectrum of the power amplifier.
Transmitters form one half of most communication circuits. As such, they assume a position of prominence in design concerns. With the proliferation of mobile terminals, transmitter design has progressed in leaps and bounds as designers try to minimize components and reduce size, battery consumption, and the like. Likewise, modulation schemes are continuously updated to reflect new approaches to maximize information transfers in limited bandwidths. Changes in standards or standards based on newly available spectrum may also cause designers to approach modulating transmitters with different techniques.
Many different standards and modulation schemes exist, but one of the most prevalently used in the world of mobile terminals is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). GSM comes in many flavors, not the least of which is General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). GPRS is a new non-voice value-added service that allows information to be sent and received across a mobile telephone network. It supplements today's Circuit Switched Data and Short Message Service. GSM allows many different types of mobile terminals, such as cellular phones, pagers, wireless modem adapted laptops, and the like, to communicate wirelessly through the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
One relatively recent change has been the advent of the Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE) scheme in GSM systems. This system contains amplitude modulation components, and, as a result, the power amplifier must be linear, never operating in saturation if classical modulation techniques are employed. Such a system lacks the efficiency of one that operates the power amplifier in saturation.
If a polar modulation system is used instead of a classical modulation system, then the power amplifier may operate in saturation and efficiency would be greatly improved. In addition, if the polar signals are generated by a digital method, such a system does not require the use of a high current drain quadrature modulator. Quadrature modulators are undesirable from a design standpoint in that they draw large amounts of current, and hence, drain batteries comparatively fast.
Analog components cause design problems for polar modulators in that the phase and amplitude signals must be aligned so that they arrive at the power amplifier at the desired time. Because of path variations with variable time delay analog components, this time aligning is difficult to achieve. Any solution to controlling the power amplifier should be able to eliminate or reduce reliance on a quadrature modulator and provide digital components such that time alignment is comparatively easy to do.
Unfortunately, further complicating matters, the amplitude signal that controls the power amplifier will cause unwanted phase components to be created in the output of the power amplifier due to the non-linearities of the power amplifier. This is sometimes called AM to PM conversion, and it degrades the spectral purity of the system and the Error Vector Magnitude. Thus, a need also exists to be able to counteract or eliminate the unwanted AM to PM conversion signal from the transmitted phase signal.
An additional concern is that the power amplifier may have a non-linear gain with varying output power. This may create what is called AM to AM conversion. The AM to AM conversion may have both phase and amplitude distortion components, and to create a better control system, these should be reduced or eliminated as well.
The present invention addresses concerns raised by the AM to AM conversion problems of the prior art by using a polar converter to generate an amplitude signal and a phase signal. The phase signal is converted to a frequency signal. The amplitude signal is directed to a compensator and a compensation signal is generated. The compensation signal is combined with the amplitude signal and the combined signal is presented to the power amplifier. AM to AM conversion is compensated for by the compensation signal such that the output of the power amplifier is substantially free of spurious components.
In an exemplary embodiment, the compensation signal is generated using a quadratic term, and a cubic term. Further, the compensation signal may be a piecewise function whose coefficients are selected by power levels associated with the power amplifier.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustrate the best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.
While the present invention is particularly well-suited for use in a mobile terminal, and particularly a mobile terminal that is operating in an Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE) scheme in a GSM system, it should be appreciated that the present invention may be used in other transmitters, either wireless or wirebased, as needed or desired.
The present invention is preferably incorporated in a mobile terminal 10, such as a mobile telephone, personal digital assistant, or the like. The basic architecture of a mobile terminal 10 is represented in
The baseband processor 20 processes the digitized, received signal to extract the information or data bits conveyed in the received signal. This processing typically comprises demodulation, decoding, and error correction operations. As such, the baseband processor 20 is generally implemented in one or more digital signal processors (DSPs).
On the transmit side, the baseband processor 20 receives digitized data from the control system 22, which it encodes for transmission. The encoded data is output to the radio frequency transmitter section 14, where it is used by a modulator 36 to modulate a carrier signal that is at a desired transmit frequency. The modulator 36 may have an optional memory unit 38 associated therewith. Power amplifier 40 amplifies the modulated carrier signal to a level appropriate for transmission from the antenna 16.
As described in further detail below, the power amplifier 40 provides gain for the signal to be transmitted under control of the power control circuitry 42, which is preferably controlled by the control system 22. Memory 24 may contain software that allows many of these functions to be run. Alternatively, these may be a function of sequential logic structures as is well understood.
A user may interact with the mobile terminal 10 via the interface 28, which may include interface circuitry 44 associated with a microphone 46, a speaker 48, a keypad 50, and a display 52. The interface circuitry 44 typically includes analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, amplifiers, and the like. Additionally, it may include a voice encoder/decoder, in which case it may communicate directly with the baseband processor 20.
The microphone 46 will typically convert audio input, such as the user's voice, into an electrical signal, which is then digitized and passed directly or indirectly to the baseband processor 20. Audio information encoded in the received signal is recovered by the baseband processor 20, and converted into an analog signal suitable for driving speaker 48 by the interface circuitry 44. The keypad 50 and display 52 enable the user to interact with the mobile terminal 10, input numbers to be dialed and address book information, or the like, as well as monitor call progress information.
While the present invention is well-suited for incorporation into a mobile terminal, such as the mobile terminal 10 just described, the present invention is also well-suited for use in wireless transmitters associated with wireless LANs and the like. As such, the present invention is not limited to a particular apparatus.
In the past, as illustrated in
The present invention corrects the AM to PM conversion within the output by preliminarily distorting the phase signal such that when it is converted to a frequency signal and amplified by the power amplifier 40, the predistortion element cancels the AM to PM conversion distortion element introduced by the amplitude signal (r). This is illustrated in a simplified format in
More specifically, the present invention may be situated in the radio frequency transmitter section 14, as better illustrated in
The serial interface 60 receives Non-Return to Zero (NRZ) serial data from the baseband processor 20 at the bit rate of the system. NRZ data may be a 1B1B code with one line bit for each associated binary bit. In an exemplary embodiment, the modulation scheme for the modulator 36 uses an EDGE modulation scheme, and thus, the bit rate is 812.5 kbps. This data is passed to the mapping module 62, where the data is grouped into symbols of three consecutive data bits, Grey coded, and rotated by 3π/8 on each symbol as per European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) specifications. The resulting symbol is mapped to one of sixteen points in an I, Q constellation.
Both the I and the Q components for each point are then filtered by the first and second filters 64, 66 respectively. In an exemplary embodiment, the first and second filters 64, 66 are EDGE finite impulse response (FIR) filters. This, as dictated by the ETSI specifications, shapes the response between symbol times.
After filtering, both the I and Q components are sent to the polar converter 54. The polar converter 54 uses a classical CORDIC (coordinate rotation digital computer) algorithm or like rectangular to polar conversion technique. Thus, the polar converter 54 generates phase (φ) and amplitude (r) equivalent signals. Further information about CORDIC algorithms may be found in Proceedings of the 1998 ACM/SIGDA Sixth International Symposium On Field Programmable Gate Arrays by Ray Andraka, February 22-24, pp. 191-200 and "The CORDIC Trigonometric Computing Technique" by Jack E. Volder IRE Trans on Elect. Computers, p. 330, 1959, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The amplitude signal (r) is split and directed to the compensator 56. The compensator 56 introduces a compensation term to the phase signal that, after further processing, counteracts the distortion introduced by the AM to PM conversion in the power amplifier 40.
The compensator 56 acts to create a sum of polynomials along the lines of the following equation:
In this particular case, N=3 and the equation expands to the following:
φ′(r)=C 0 +C 1 r(t)+C 2(r(t))2 +C 3(r(t))3
φ′(r) is termed herein the compensation signal. It is readily apparent that φ′(r) has an offset term, a linear term, a quadratic term, and a cubic term selectable by the hardware implementation.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the coefficients Ci are associated with the control system 22, and particularly in non-volatile memory 24 associated therewith. Alternatively, the coefficients may be stored in memory 38 if such is present. In an exemplary embodiment, the coefficients may be stored as a look up table. It is further possible that the coefficients are stored as a function of sequential steps performed by hardware. The coefficients are determined through a best fit analysis of a function that substantially matches the unamplified inverse of φ(r). In a more preferred embodiment, a piecewise function is created with each piece being determined by a given power level. This is done to improve the fit between the functions. For example, if only one set of coefficients were used, φ′(r) might not fit well at the ends or perhaps in the middle of the relevant range of values. By implementing a piecewise function, a good fit between the equations may be achieved throughout the curve of relevant values. In an exemplary embodiment, a set of coefficients is created for each 2 dBm power step. This corresponds to the power steps defined in the ETSI standards. To calculate the coefficients, a program such as MATHCAD may be used to derive a match to an empirical power amplifier curve. The coefficients may be tested through an ADS simulation or the like.
The output of the compensator 56 is subtracted from the phase signal (φ) by the adder 58 to create a combined signal. The adder 58 is also termed herein a combiner. The output of the adder 58 (the combined signal) is directed to a phase to frequency converter 68 where the output is converted to a frequency signal (f). More detail on the phase to frequency converter 68 is provided below with reference to
At this point, the r and f signals separate and proceed by different paths, an amplitude signal processing path and a frequency signal processing path, to the power amplifier 40. With respect to the amplitude signal processing path, the amplitude signal is converted to an analog signal by D/A converter 76. While not shown, a ramping function may be combined with the amplitude signal prior to digital-to-analog conversion. The output of the D/A converter 76 is used to set the collector voltage on the power amplifier 40 through a collector regulator 78. As the amplitude signal changes, the voltage at the power amplifier 40 collector changes, and the output power will vary as V2/Rout (Rout is not shown, but is effectively the load on the power amplifier 40). This is sometimes known as "plate modulation".
The frequency signal is directed to a digital filter 80, a digital predistortion filter 82, and a phase locked loop (PLL) 84, as is described in commonly invented, commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/139,560, filed May 6, 2002, entitled DIRECT DIGITAL POLAR MODULATOR, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The PLL 84 generates an output at the desired radio frequency. In an exemplary embodiment, the frequency signal is applied to a single port on a fractional N divider within the PLL 84.
In general, the PLL 84 comprises a reference source that is fed to a phase comparator. The phase comparator compares the edges of the reference source to the output of the fractional N divider and produces a correction signal. The correction signal is low pass filtered and input to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The VCO outputs a frequency modulated signal at the RF carrier, which in turn is fed back to the fractional N divider. The divisor of the fractional N divider is modulated by the frequency signal. Further information on fractional N PLLs, how to modulate a signal by varying the fractional N divider, and the like may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,359,950; 6,236,703; 6,211,747; 5,079,522; 5,055,802; and 4,609,881 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The phase to frequency converter 68 is explicated with reference to
in a digital sense. The delay and the subtraction approximates the derivative as (phase(N)−phase(N−1))/T, where T is the period for the clock 86. Other phase to frequency conversions could also be used if needed or desired.
It is interesting to note that this derivative function causes the offset term of the sum of polynomials to be a zero value. However, this does cause an impulse function at the point where the constant is introduced. That is, when the constant changes from one constant to another, such as at the boundary of a piece of the piecewise function, there is effectively a square wave transition. At that point, there would be an instantaneous frequency change. This may create a desired phase offset at the output of the power amplifier 40. This is particularly useful in a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system to avoid phase discontinuities when power levels are switched.
In a somewhat related embodiment, illustrated in
In this particular case, N=3 and the equation expands to the following:
A′(r)=C 0 +C 1 r(t)+C 2(r(t))2 +C 3(r(t))3
A′(r) is termed herein a compensation signal and r(t) is the amplitude of the modulation from the polar modulator 36. It is readily apparent that A′(r) has an offset term, a linear term, a squared term, and a cubic term. In an exemplary embodiment, the offset term C0 and the coefficient for the linear term C1 are zero. An offset term would act the same as increasing or decreasing the output power level. As the collector regulator 78 already addresses this, it is not necessary to repeat the control here. Likewise, a linear term would only change the fundamental amplitude and not change the shape of the curve, so a linear term for this compensation signal makes little sense.
When the exemplary embodiment A′(r) is combined with r(t) in the adder 96, the combined signal is:
r′(t)=r(t)+C 2(r(t))2 +C 3(r(t))3
which converts easily to the following:
r′(t)=r(t)*[1+C 2(r(t))+C 3(r(t))2]
Thus, even though the adder 96 is an adder, the effect is to multiply the term r(t) by a correction factor that deviates from unity by A′(r). This signal then passes through the power amplifier 40 with AM to AM distortion. This distortion, as previously noted, is A(r). The goal is thus to make the term [1+C2(r(t))+C3(r(t))2] the inverse of the AM to AM distortion such that A(r)*[1+C2(r(t))+C3(r(t))2]=1. When this condition is true, the AM to AM distortion has been canceled.
Alternatively, if the adder 96 were instead a multiplier, then the correction terms could have a linear term and an offset term. From a design standpoint, this removes a multiplier from the compensator 94 and inserts a multiplier in place of the adder 96. The concept of canceling the AM to AM conversion with its inverse remains the same.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the coefficients Ci are associated with control system 22, and particularly in non-volatile memory 24 associated therewith. Alternatively, the coefficients may be stored in memory 38 if such is present. In an exemplary embodiment, the coefficients may be stored in a look up table or the like. It is further possible that the coefficients are created as a function of hardware. The coefficients are determined through a best fit analysis of a function that matches the expected AM to AM distortion A(r). In a more preferred embodiment, a piecewise function is created with each piece being determined by a given power level. This is done to improve the fit between the functions. For example, if only one set of coefficients were used, A′(r) might not fit well at the ends or perhaps in the middle of the relevant range of values. By implementing a piecewise function, a good fit between the equations may be achieved throughout the curve of relevant values. In an exemplary embodiment, a set of coefficients is created for each 2 dBm power step. This corresponds to the power steps defined in the ETSI standards.
To calculate the coefficients, a program such as MATHCAD may be used to derive a match to an empirical power amplifier curve. The coefficients may be tested through an ADS simulation or the like.
In yet another embodiment, illustrated in
Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.
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|May 23, 2002
|Tore Andre
|Method and apparatus for reducing distortion
|Dec 14, 2001
|Jul 18, 2002
|Nielsen Per Asbeck
|Amplifier circuit, radio transmitter, method and use
|Dec 26, 2001
|Aug 22, 2002
|Lg Electronics Inc.
|Linearization compensation system of digital TV relay apparatus and method thereof
|Apr 27, 2001
|Oct 31, 2002
|Muhammad Kaikati
|Power control apparatus, and associated method, for a sending station of a communication system
|Apr 4, 2001
|Nov 14, 2002
|Andrew Sendonaris
|Method and apparatus for estimating channel characteristics using pilot and non-pilot data
|Jun 7, 2001
|Jan 30, 2003
|Jaehyeong Kim
|Method and apparatus for modeling and estimating the characteristics of a power amplifier by retaining even-order terms in estimating characteristics
|Oct 7, 2002
|May 8, 2003
|Aki Shohara
|Radio frequency control for communication systems
|Jan 13, 2003
|Jul 17, 2003
|Rf Micro Devices
|Estimation and correction of DC offset in the presence of frequency offset
|May 3, 2002
|Aug 28, 2003
|Husted Paul J.
|Method and apparatus for transient frequency distortion compensation
|Mar 25, 2002
|Sep 25, 2003
|Eidson Donald B.
|Efficient, high fidelity transmission of modulation schemes through power-constrained remote relay stations by local transmit predistortion and local receiver feedback
|Apr 18, 2002
|Oct 23, 2003
|Agere Systems Inc.
|Adaptive predistortion system and a method of adaptively predistorting a signal
|Apr 23, 2002
|Oct 23, 2003
|Fadhel Ghannouchi
|Active predistorting linearizer with agile bypass circuit for safe mode operation
|May 16, 2002
|Nov 20, 2003
|Hietala Alexander Wayne
|AM to PM correction system for polar modulator
|May 16, 2002
|Nov 20, 2003
|Hietala Alexander Wayne
|AM to AM correction system for polar modulator
|Mar 10, 2003
|Dec 11, 2003
|Dongtai Liu
|Multimode modulator employing a phase lock loop for wireless communications
|Jul 16, 2003
|Apr 15, 2004
|Rf Micro Devices, Inc.
|Power amplifier control
|Dec 16, 2002
|Jun 24, 2004
|Nortel Networks Corporation
|Adaptive controller for linearization of transmitter with impairments
|Sep 29, 2003
|Jul 8, 2004
|Gerald Harron
|Method and apparatus for reducing the power consumption of the power amplifier used in a QAM modulator
|Mar 17, 2003
|Sep 23, 2004
|Rf Micro Devices, Inc.
|DC-DC converter with reduced electromagnetic interference
|Mar 18, 2003
|Oct 7, 2004
|Hunton Matthew J.
|System and method for eliminating signal zero crossings in single and multiple channel communication systems
|Oct 22, 2001
|Oct 21, 2004
|Brian Sander
|Multi-mode communications transmitter
|Jul 3, 2003
|Jan 6, 2005
|Icefyre Semiconductor Corporation
|Predistortion circuit for a transmit system
|Apr 26, 2004
|Jan 27, 2005
|Endres Thomas J.
|Decision feedback equalization with fractionally-spaced feedback data
|Feb 22, 2005
|Sep 8, 2005
|Armando Cova
|Digital predistortion system and method for high efficiency transmitters
|Jun 29, 2005
|Apr 6, 2006
|Jonas Persson
|Arbitrary waveform predistortion table generation
|Jan 31, 2006
|Sep 14, 2006
|Gee David M
|Method of equalising a channel and apparatus therefor
|Jan 20, 2006
|Dec 14, 2006
|Hitachi Communication Technologies, Ltd.
|Optical access network system
|Dec 2, 2005
|May 17, 2007
|Afshin Momtaz
|Receive equalizer with adaptive loops
|Feb 15, 2007
|Aug 16, 2007
|Texas Instruments Incorporated
|Linearization of a transmit amplifier
|Jul 12, 2007
|Sep 11, 2008
|Qualcomm Incorporated
|Apparatus and methods accounting for automatic gain control in a multi carrier system
|Jun 14, 2007
|Dec 18, 2008
|Infineon Technologies Ag
|Transmission Links
|Apr 4, 2008
|Oct 8, 2009
|Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
|Predistortion methods and apparatus for polar modulation transmitters
|Aug 15, 2000
|Feb 7, 2006
|The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
|System and a method of operation thereof for analyzing the performance of a tape recorder
|Apr 19, 2000
|Oct 16, 2001
|Spectrian Corporation
|Polar envelope correction mechanism for enhancing linearity of RF/microwave power amplifier
|Andraka, Ray, "A Survey of CORDIC Algorithms for FPGA Based Computers," Association for Computing Machinery, 0-89791-978-5, 1998.
|Cusinato, Paolo, "Gain/Bandwidth Programmable PA Control Loop for GSM/CPRS Quad-Band Cellular Handsets," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Jun. 2004, 960-966, vol. 39, No. 6, IEEE.
|Johnson, Jackie, "Power Amplifier Design for Open Loop EDGE Large Signal Polar Modulation Systems," RFDesign, Jun. 2006, pp. 42-50.
|Johnson, Jackie, "Power Amplifier Design for Open Loop EDGE Large Signal Polar Modulation Systems," RFDesign, Jun. 2006, pp. 42-50.
|Pinto et al., "Phase Distortion and Error Vector Magnitude for 8-PSK Systems," London Communications Symposium, Sep. 14-15, 2000, University College London, London, England.
|Volder, Jack E., "The CORDIC Trigonometric Computing Technique," IRE Trans. On Elect Computers p. 330, Sep. 1959.
|Volder, Jack E., "The CORDIC Trigonometric Computing Technique," IRE Trans. On Elect. Computers p. 330, Sep. 1959.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jan 29, 2008
|Jun 7, 2011
|Panasonic Corporation
|Power supply voltage forming device and polar modulation transmission device
|May 20, 2008
|Aug 2, 2011
|Panasonic Corporation
|Methods and apparatus for reconstructing amplitude modulation signals in polar modulation transmitters
|May 20, 2008
|Nov 26, 2009
|Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
|Methods and apparatus for reconstructing amplitude modulation signals in polar modulation transmitters
|Jan 29, 2008
|Mar 18, 2010
|Panasonic Corporation
|Power supply voltage forming device and polar modulation transmission device
|U.S. Classification
|375/296, 375/284, 375/285, 375/297
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|May 16, 2002
Owner name: RF MICRO DEVICES, INC., NORTH CAROLINA
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Free format text: TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (RECORDED 3/19/13 AT REEL/FRAME 030045/0831);ASSIGNOR:BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT;REEL/FRAME:035334/0363
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Owner name: QORVO US, INC., NORTH CAROLINA
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04-FW [For children aged 5+] Design and paint your own ceramics with Janet Craig of "Hands On Art Adventures" in Old Windsor. All materials provided - plates, stencils, paints etc. After the finished items have all been collected and kiln-fired they will be available for collection from the Art and Crafts Exhibition in Brownlow Hall on 1st & 2nd November www.hands-onartadventures.co.uk Hands-on Art Adventures 42A St Lukes Road, Old Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 2QQ Tel: 01753 206265 email@example.com
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The organisation last week published plans - revealed last month by Financial Mail - which will end its 300-year-old tradition of allowing the Names to underwrite business with unlimited liability.
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Sheer Long Skirt With Mini Skirt Liner
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BHU Counselling
Battle For Admission Begins! Fresh Dates Available; Students, who declared qualified in BHU UET / PET Entrance exam & BHU MDS Exam, may check the BHU Counselling Schedule from this page. Qualified candidates for BHU Counseling Process may download their BHU Counselling Letter through online mode. We're also trying to collect updated information about BHU Counselling 2017 so keep in touch with us on our web portal.
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Pack less. Be more.
Gear purging, I have some beautiful items for sale all in pristine or NEW condition!
1. SOLD! NEW Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo E SOLD!
2. SOLD! ULA Conduit size Medium. SOLD!
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4. NEW GoLite Gust backpack, size Med., color black. Never used or even loaded! $85.00 shipped to CONUS.
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Hey Dave, I'm interested in the leki poles, please. I'm looking for the coretec pa/as and I think that's the poles you have listed. Just to double check it's model number 2038-05 on the leki site. They have the core-tec and anti-shock listed as two different poles, basically different handles. I'd imagine the number is on the pole itself. If it is I'll definitely take them. My e-mail is email@example.com I'll paypal you after your response. Thank you in advance, Eric Falk
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Coming your way!
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Got your post- will email you today.
@prabunLocale: Southwest
PM sent on Lunar Solo and P-1. Thanks
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On the Other Side of Life: Exploring the Phenomenon of the Near-Death Experience
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text:
軍事模擬、建模及虛擬訓練的市場 2016-2026年:主要企業、預測及分析
Military Simulation, Modelling and Virtual Training Market Report 2016-2026: Top Companies, Forecasts & Analysis For Airborne, Ground, Maritime & Other Simulation & Training Platforms
|Visiongain Ltd
|英文 637 Pages
商品交期: 最快1-2個工作天內
|軍事模擬、建模及虛擬訓練的市場 2016-2026年:主要企業、預測及分析 Military Simulation, Modelling and Virtual Training Market Report 2016-2026: Top Companies, Forecasts & Analysis For Airborne, Ground, Maritime & Other Simulation & Training Platforms
|出版日期: 2015年12月18日
|內容資訊: 英文 637 Pages
本報告以全球軍事模擬及虛擬訓練市場為主題,提供全球及4個次市場的收益預測、主要12個國家的收益預測、主要4個國家市場 (中國、俄羅斯、沙烏地阿拉伯及南非) 的定性分析、市場成長推動因素與抑制因素相關討論,及主要企業的簡介等彙整。
※ 本網頁內容可能與最新版本有所差異。詳細情況請與我們聯繫。
Where is the Military Simulation and Virtual Training market heading? If you are involved in this sector you must read this brand new report. Visiongain's report shows you the potential revenues streams to 2026, assessing data, trends, opportunities and business prospects there.
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text:
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If you know the refrigerator repair part you need, you can browse the list of all parts on the GB1924PEKS5, or you can search by name or part description. You can also find your part by where it is located on the GB1924PEKS5 by selecting a section below. If you're not sure which part you need, you can narrow your search by selecting a common symptom and we'll show you the repair parts most likely to fix your refrigerator. We've also included any installation videos we have for GB1924PEKS5 parts. Installation instructions provided by other do-it-yourselfers will help guide you through your repair.
This is the center support rail for the refrigerator crisper drawer. This rail supports center of the crisper frame.
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Used with Evaporator Fan Motors.
Long harness thermistor kit.
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All brand logos are trademarks of their respective owners.
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Copyright © 1999-2017 , Eldis Group Partnership. All rights reserved.


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Chapter 2Mature
Through the pouring sheets of rain ahead of me, I could make out four figures in the dark alleyway. The heaping piles of trash that littered the narrow alley and the rusty, disgusting, oily dumpsters that were discarded along the way made it that much smaller. The brick walls were stained black with the illegal graffitti that coated the place. The alley was only illuminated by a single, florescent, motioncensored light, and that didn't help at all. For only a moment, everything was silent, until a second scream bounced off the walls of the tiny alley; this one was even more bloodcurdling than the last. The scream was immediatley followed by a hard smacking sound that cut the terrified howl off. I inclined my head towards the sound; going a few steps deeper into the alleyway. That's when I saw it happening. At the end of the alleyway, up against the freezing brick wall, was a woman. Her back was pressed firmly up against the wall, her throat held in a firm grip by a hooded figure; a pocket knife in his other hand. Two other men stood beside him; one had a steel pipe, the other had no such weapon. They were all wearing dark clothing; the woman was wearing a cream colored trench coat, red, sparkling heels, little makeup, and a dazzling red dress that fell just below her knees. Her clothes were beyond soaked in the rain, as was my own. Over the knife wielding man's shoulder, I could see every inch of her face in the light above her. She had radiant green eyes, and they glowed like that of a cats. Her skin was slightly tan, but appeared to be extremely soft to the touch. Her dark brown hair fell to below her shoulders in soft, wavy, curls. Her nose was slightly longer than average. Her eye brows were darker and thicker at the bridge of her nose, but narrowed out and became lighter as they floated across her eye. I could see no blemish of any kind in her face. Too put it bluntly, she was beautiful.
The crackling, weasel-like voice of the knife-wielder cut the silence of the dark atmosphere, "C'mon, girly, just hand over what you've got on you, and we'll let you go. Easy as pie."
The girl spat at him through gritted teeth, "Fuck you." In a flash of movement, she managed to swat the man's arm off of her throat and rammed her knee straight into the crouch of the knife wielder. The man never saw it coming; in a matter of seconds he was on his hands and knees, gagging and squealing in pure agony on the wet, concrete floor.
The weaponless man reacted immediately; he took two long strides towards the girl and threw a strong punch straight into the woman's left cheek. She screamed as she went down to the ground. She seethed in pain as she struggled to get back to her feet, but the knife wielder beat her to it. He lurched over her, grabbing the hair on the back of her head and tilting her face up towards him. He placed the blade of the pocket knife just below the base of the woman's neck. He seethed in fury, "I'm gonna kill this cunt. Marty, search her, then I'll slit her throat." He let out the last sentence with a savage, broken toothed, grin.
The goon with the pipe, Marty, threw the weapon aside and began patting her down. She struggled against him, but the pocket knife held her firm in place. A few moments passed until Marty's hand stopped at the inside pocket of her trench coat. "Well well well," he snickered, "look what we have here." He produced a thick, vanilla envelope that was hastily taped shut. The woman spoke in protest, but the knife wielder pressed the blade deeper into her neck. A small drop of blood flowed from the cut and onto the knife. Marty opened the envelope and pulled out a very thick wad of hundred dollar bills all bounded together by heavy rubber bands. "Jackpot!" exclaimed Marty. He stuffed the bills into his sweatshirt pocket and happily slapped his boss on the shoulder, "Boss, let's get back and count this dough! Theres gotta be at least a hundred grand in here!" His boss flashed the woman a wild grin in response,
"Well, darling, I guess you had more on you than I thought." He removed the blade from her neck, "That wasn't so hard now was it? Now, be a good girl and don't call the cops after we leave this place, otherwise me and my boys'll come after ya!" He suddenly paused and then let out a hoarse laugh, "Actually...hell, do whatever you want. Most of these cops are too corrupt to do anything anyway! Hahaha! Come on, guys, lets get out of here."All three of them spun around and began walking out of the alley, when they suddenly stopped short, finally noticing me standing in the middle of the alley, soaked by the rain with my arms folded across my chest. I yelled out to them defiantly,
"You're going to give that back to her, right?"
Obviously, the leader of the trio stepped forward, swinging the vanilla envelope in the rain like it was a prize he recently won, "What? You mean this thing?" He stuffed it into the back of his pants, "Fat chance, kid. Get outta here before you get hurt."
I could've walked away at that point and none of this would have happened. I could have just left and let those men do their thing; never getting involved in the mess I am now. But I now realize that I never would've just left, even if given a million chances to do otherwise. That's just not who I am. So, after the thugs realized that I wasn't going anywhere, the knife wielder merely pointed at me, "Go take care of him. Beat him within an inch of his life, that'll teach him to mind his damn business."
The guy with no weapon, and the guy with the pipe, Marty, smiled evilly as they began advancing towards me. Marty lightly tapped his buddy on the shoulder and said, "Age before beauty?" His goon friend only shrugged in response.
They've done this a thousand times. I thought to myself. They think that taking me down will be a piece of cake. The weaponless man strode confidently towards me, throwing his arms out wide, revealing his entire body for me to attack, "Come on, little man," he teased, "let's see what you've got!"
I raised my fists up to my face and took a fighting stance; moving my body perpendicular to my opponent. I made myself a smaller target. The man held up his own in response, but I made my move before he was even halfway through with the gesture. I threw a strong right jab that flew right through the thug's slightly raised fists and bashing him right in the nose. Before the guy could react, I followed through with a quick left hook to his jaw, then a strong right hook to his cheek. The goon's entire upper body swung to the side against my right hook, but he was surprisingly quick to counter. He hastily tossed a right hook towards me, but I easily blocked the attack with my left forearm. A palm strike to the base of the thug's neck was my next move, and as the wind was crushed out of him, he sagged over, which was just what I was expecting. As the man gagged for breath, I threw my right knee up and into his nose. I heard the crack echo from his face; a broken nose. The crushing blow tossed his head clear back and before he could regain his balance, I heel kicked him in the stomach. The guy was tossed back into the brick wall behind him; he slowly let out a defeated wheeze as he slumped to the ground, but I wasn't finished. I took off at a full sprint at his sagged form, ramming my left knee straight into the guy's face and bashing it against the brick wall behind him. His entire body went limp as he surrendered to the darkness of unconsciousness. The entire encounter lasted only about six seconds. It wasn't bad for how long I've been away from fighting.
Cocky bastard.
Just as I began to turn to my other two opponents, I was gifted with the view of a dark, wet, and metal object hurtling towards my face. In a split second, I managed to spin away from the pipe wielder's attack, but only by mere inches. The attacker, Marty, kept coming. He swung at me again, like a wild cat cornered in a cage. I ducked as the pipe sailed over my head, even closer this time. I threw a low jab into Marty's midsection, but all I felt was my hand get sucked into his body fat. Marty was a big guy...So before he could swing at me once more, I simply summersaulted away from him; getting to my feet as fast as I could to avoid another in coming attack, but it never came. I quickly spun back to Marty, but he only stood there, pipe in hand like a bat. "I'm gonna bust your head open!" he yelled at me. I said nothing, but thought,
We'll see, fatass, we'll see.
"Hey! Let's get this over with!" The leader yelled, flipping the blade from one hand to the other. He looked in no way affected by his partner's beat up. He only cares about the money. Marty took two huge strides to me, but I was ready this time. I took a quick shuffle slide towards Marty and sent a front snap kick right between his legs before he could even perform the swing. In a cry of pure agony, Marty let the pipe slide through his fingertips as he went down towards his crotch, but I caught the weapon and slammed the side of the pipe straight into Marty's temple. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell to the rainy cement ground. I let the weapon slip from my cold hands and clatter on the ground. I slowly turned to the knife wielder, who no longer had the cocky look he wore so well. He looked unsure of himself; almost afraid. Afraid of me; the feeling of being feared felt...good.
The last thug looked around him nervously, as if there was any other way to escape this hell hole that he was thrown into. I believed that I had ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time, but now I realized that I was wrong; he was. After noticing that the only way out of the alley was through me, the weasel gave up, "Who the hell are you?"
I couldn't help but flash my signature smirk, "Your worst nightmare." As the words left my lips I looked past the man standing before me to the girl who was only just standing up from the ground. The bruise from the knife wielder's punch was just beginning to form on her left cheek. A single, reflexive, tear flowed down her face. He was going to pay for that. Then my eyes refocused on my target, who was making one last effort to take me down, knife pointed out towards me. When he reached me, the thug swung the blade at my face, but I back stepped out of the way. He threw two more swings, but I dodged them easily. On his fourth attempt, I blocked the incoming strike with my forearm again, only this time, I locked his arm in place, elbow towards the ground. I held it firm in my grasp as I threw my open palm upward as hard as I could straight into the elbow joint of the thug. I felt and heard the man's arm bend and snap like a twig; the wrong way. As the man's jaw opened to let out a shriek of pain, I threw my right elbow into the throat of the weasel. The scream only came out as a hoarse whisper, but I wasn't done. I swung my right leg in between his and kicked out into the inside of his left kneecap. I felt the bones pop and shatter as his leg gave out and he tumbled to the floor. A single crushing blow to the face was all I needed to do to knock him out for good.
I stood over all three men, each of them groaning and moaning with their injuries. I knew that I had won and I felt great. I looked up to the pouring sky and let the rain wash away any perspiration that remained. It felt good. Just then, the woman's ragged cough distracted me from my sense of victory. I looked back down towards her to see the woman walking towards me, attempting to gather whatever sense of dignity she had left.
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said, ashamed. I knelt down next the leader of the crime trio and dug around his pockets until I found the vanilla envelope. The rain hadn't seeped through the paper to the money inside, but if mother nature continued to sob on us, it wouldn't be long before it did. I handed the package back to it's rightful owner, "Here's your money back."
She looked down to the floor as she took it, "Thank you. I couldn't think about what I would've done with out this." She held it close to her chest, squeezing the money tightly before putting it back into her trench coat pocket. I stuck my hand out to her, "My names Jason. Jason Hawk."
She took it and shook gently, "Dakota Bates." Her hand was bitter cold. The rain had already soaked through both of our apparels. I felt my sweatshirt droop like a damp towel and my jeans were so baggy that they almost fell beneath my waist line. I also felt the water swishing underneath my socks in my shoes, and as for my socks, I would have to throw them away later.
"You must be freezing." I said. I was freezing my ass off.
Her instinctively hugged herself against the wet cold; the rain continued to bash down on us from above. "Yeah. It's horrible out here."
I took her hand again, "Why don't we go to my place? It's only a few blocks from here, you could freshen up and maybe dry your clothes too." I regretted what I said as soon as it left my mouth. You idiot, you sound like you wanna get in her pants! I dragged my free hand down my face at my own stupidity. Dakota merely looked around her and bit her lower lip as she considered her options. Then she looked up at me and smiled, "Sure. Anything to get out of this storm." I only smiled and nodded.
"Great. Let's get out of here." I led her out of the alley and we made the rest of the walk to my apartment.


text:
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Date: 1919 ca.
Description: Court House Park from Court Street looking southeast. The Civil War monument can be seen near the center, behind is the old courthouse which was replaced...
Description: View of the Edgerton Public Library from the front, with the sidewalk and a driveway in front of the building. An American flag on a flagpole is in the fr...
Date: 1910 ca.
Description: The fountain in Court House Park.
Date: 1955
Description: View of the Tallman House looking toward the front entrance.
Date: 1905 ca.
Description: Exterior view of the Janesville High School. The writing on the postcard reads "Hello Mattie, am still a living and will write to you soon. Just got home f...
Date: 1950 ca.
Description: Interior view of a corner of the parlor and the doorway to the conservatory.
Date: 2016-03-29
Description: View looking up at two police officers standing on the roof of the Janesville Conference Center at the Holiday Inn Express which is hosting the Donald Trum...
Date: 1876 ca.
Description: Family around table in yard, with woman knitting and dog nearby. Small stone house behind wood fence. The house has a small frame addition, probably a kitc...
Date: 1893 ca.
Description: Students and adults of the State School for the Blind pose for a group portrait in front of the building.
Date: 1925
Description: Old Gallery.
Description: The Grand Hotel.
Description: View across lawn of a Quonset hut-style building and metal grain bin. A barn and other farm buildings including a silo are on the right. To the left is a f...
Date: 1947-12-29
Description: Interior of Kreb's Pharmacy, with the soda fountain and customers in booths.
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Description: View across lawn of First Congregational Church. The view is perhaps taken from a park, which has trees and benches in the foreground.
Date: 1931 ca.
Description: Barn and two silos on the farm of A.W. Agnew.
Description: Interior view of the Beloit Public Library. This image is also available as a cyanotype. The reverse of the cyanotype version has a note: "Patton + Miller,...
Description: Frame house on corner lot, with stone retaining wall.
Description: View of the town with a church dominant in the image.
Date: 1953 ca.
Description: View of the set table in the dining room with the fireplace, mirror and windows in the background.
Date: 1931-09-21
Description: View across felled trees towards two women standing near the porch of a damaged brick house.
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The Last Days of Parse
Parse co-founder Kevin Lacker sent out a final reminder of Parse shutting down at the end of this month. Developers are urged to export any data they would like to save as soon as possible.
Twitter Sells Fabric to Google
Google has bought Twitter Fabric and will integrate the platform into Firebase.
2017 State of Testing Survey
The 2017 State of Testing survey aims to provide insights into how the testing profession develops. The survey is open throughout January 2017.
Google Targets IoT with Android Things
Google brings Android and its ecosystem to the development of IoT devices. Developers will write applications to these devices similarly to how they write for mobile ones.
Swift 3.1 Enters its Final Development Stage
Apple's Swift team has made public their release plan for Swift 3.1, expected to be available in the Spring of 2017 and source-compatible with Swift 3.0, writes Apple's language and runtimes manager Ted Kremenek.
RxJava 2.0 Released with Support for Reactive Streams Specification
The RxJava team announced their 2.0 release after an 18 month development cycle. The project's "What's Different in 2.0" is a good guide for those developers familiar with RxJava 1.x. This release brings an important milestone. RxJava is a sub-project of ReactiveX, which is "a combination of the best ideas from the Observer pattern, the Iterator pattern, and functional programming".
First Evidence of Apple Aggressively Removing Abandoned Apps from the App Store
In the second month after Apple announced an App Store improvement process aimed to remove non-working or outdated apps, its first effects are starting to show, App Store analytics firm Sensor Tower revealed.
Firefox Focus, a Private Web Browser for iOS
Firefox Focus is a new web browser for iOS that blocks many ad and content trackers by default. Along with its minimal, single tab UI, the browser offers privacy and speed.
AWS Mobile Hub Improves Support for Serverless Apps, Authentication, and More
AWS Mobile Hub has introduced three new features to simplify the provisioning of serverless app backends and improve sign-in and authentication options.
PaintCode 3 Now Supports Swift 3 and Android Code Generation
PaintCode is a design and development tool running on macOS that is capable of generating code from vector drawings. Its latest version, PaintCode 3, brings support for Swift 3, Android, and JavaScript canvas.
Rollout Aims to Enable Live Updates for Swift iOS Apps
Rollout, maker of a solution that makes it possible to live-update native Objective-C apps without going through the App Store review process, has announced support for Swift. Live-update of Swift apps is achieved through a technique Rollout calls pseudo method-swizzling.
Racket 6.7 Brings Android App Support, Improved REPL, and More
PLT Design has announced a new version of Racket; its Scheme-like general purpose, multi-paradigm programming language Racket 6.7 introduces support for building graphical applications on Android, improvements to the REPL and to the package manager, and extended Typed Racked.
Dart News: Angular 2 Dart and Flutter
Angular 2 Dart and Flutter were the most important news mentioned at the recent Dart Developer Summit 2016.
All Android Versions May Be Affected by Dirty COW Linux Vulnerability
Recently disclosed Dirty COW Linux privilege escalation vulnerability is likely to affect all Android versions, say security researchers.
Insecure IoT Devices Were Hacked in Major Internet Outage
Repeated DDoS attacks on Dyn, a company providing core services for Twitter, Reddit, PayPal, and other sites, caused major Internet outage between approximately 11AM UTC and 6PM UTC on October 21th, 2016. According to security firm Flashpoint, the attacks were built at least partially on the backs of hacked IoT devices.
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text:
21. Azure Conquest
A single candle that was no more than a pitiful mound of wax shared its light with the dark room. Its brothers had all burned out hours ago, and the poor taper was all the remained of the prince's night long study. With deep bags beneath his flaming red eyes, Tarin Vallor scoured the maps spread out across his table, desperately trying to pinpoint the next landing spot of The Black and White Assassin. From the setting to the rising sun he had planted himself in the bridge and refused to leave until he could completely think through a new plan of action to find his family's dagger. Unfortunately, the prince could not fathom a single idea as to where the thief might turn up next, and his energy levels had all but depleted. Many a man on his ship, the elegant Azure Conquest, had asked, pleaded, begged for him to return to his cabin and get some rest, but he had sent them all away with a stern, commanding voice that could have come across a bit too harsh in some cases, for instance, when he shouted at one fellow ─ who couldn't have been past his mid-thirties ─ that he would have the man's pet dog, which he had so kindly allowed on board, sent to the local butcher in the subsequent city they landed in if he didn't leave him alone, which had been a total bluff, of course, but still unfairly spiteful. Making a note to apologize to the old chap later, he tried to focus on the task at hand.
The problem was, he couldn't. All evening he'd been racking his brain for a single clue as to where the assassin might travel next, but his mind continued to drift elsewhere ─ to the warmth of his own bed back at the palace, to the delectable meal the ship's cook had prepared for him, and more often than not to the lady he had met atop The Place Where Earth and Sky Kiss. He barely knew a thing about her, but he couldn't keep her out of his head. Something regarding that girl just felt... familiar, as if they'd met once before, yet he couldn't put his finger on it. It couldn't have been her face that had evoked this feeling in him, for most of it had been concealed behind an air mask. Might it have been her slender form that he'd noticed while walking with her? Or maybe it was her supple voice? Then again, the girl had given the impression that she had never even heard of him till he introduced himself, and if she hadn't a clue as to who he was, how could they have possibly met before?
Just as Tarin trying to recall under what circumstances he might have met the lass, the door to the navigation room slammed open and a young woman trotted in, interrupting his train of thought. She stood with perfect posture, adding an inch to her short stature of five feet. Hugging her lithe frame, her royal blue tailcoat extended just past her knees, and the black leather, pointed-heel boots she wore rose all the way up her legs, covering most of her thighs and revealing only a small portion of her white knit pants. The morning sun glittered behind her, causing her straight, ginger bob to shimmer in its light.
"Elden," the prince said warmly, drowsily smiling, "what a wonderful morning it is."
"That's Captain Stirling, to you," the woman snapped sternly, "Just because we're old friends doesn't mean you have the privilege to address me by my first name. And besides, how would you know how wonderful the morning is? It could be dreary outside for all you are aware of, since you've impounded yourself in here from dusk till light!"
Unrepentant, he asked, "Do you require my presence for something, Captain Stirling, perhaps my dexterous leadership and deft decision making skills?"
"Deft? More like daft. Do you think I would be here if I didn't?"
"Oh, no of course not. Why in the world would I assume that my good pal from Orville's Aerial-Naval Academy might barge in on me for any reason other than business? It would be quite preposterous!"
Tilting her head slightly to the side and staring straight into his eyes with her brows raised and a joking smirk poised on her lips, she replied, "Exactly. Now, if you are done ruining your health by the light of a single candle, I've something you might want to take a look at."
"What is it?" he inquired as he stood up, his curiosity peaked.
"We've spotted a ship on our tail, Prince. Come see."
Practically galloping out of the bridge, Tarin stumbled to the starboard side of the ship and peered out at the clouds. Though his tired eyes made his vision bleary, there was no mistaking what he saw. A great ship, slightly smaller than the Azure Conquest, floated half a mile away, slowly making headway towards them. Prince Tarin noted the brilliant blue and gold banners with an insignia of a wolf, proudly waving in the wind, that matched those on his own ship as well as his uniform. It wasn't hard to conclude, this ship in pursuit belonged to his country's armada, his father's armada, and that was not a good thing for Tarin at the moment.
"How long has it been following us?" the prince of Marcelia asked.
"I'm not sure, could be days, could be weeks. They must have something rather important to say if they've been tracking us all this way from the capitol. My men are prepared to stop and meet them at your order, Prince Tar─"
"No," he objected, "I don't want to meet with them, and whatever they have to say is not something I want to hear. Lower the ship beneath the clouds."
"You want me to what?" The captain was astounded by his command.
"You heard me!"
"But, you hate dismoun─"
As the ship drew closer, Tarin grew more frantic. "You think I don't know that? Just lower the ship beneath the clouds, already!" he snapped; though, he soon regretted it when he saw the shock and hurt in his companion's eyes, caused by his sharp words. Sighing, he continued, "Look, I'm sorry, Elden. I haven't been completely honest with you about the exact reason I wanted to undertake this expedition. I promise I'll explain everything, but, right now, I need you to do as I say!"
After examining him with scrutinizing eyes for an instant, the ship's captain finally relented. "Fine, but I'm only doing this because you are my prince ─ and my friend. However, I do expect a thorough enlightenment from you as soon as we are through." With that, she briskly turned on her heels and began violently barking orders at her crew, and expeditiously, like a submarine diving beneath the icy waters of the ocean, the Azure Conquest vanished from sight into the chilling mist of the clouds, blanketing the ship's deck with thick soup-like vapor.
"Brace yourselves!" someone shouted through the haze as the ship sank with more haste. Not needing to be told twice, Tarin sank to the floor, grabbing hold of the rails with a death grip. The only thing that made this plunge bearable for him was the comfort in knowing that no one could see his distorted facial expressions through the fog.
He had always hated descending from the air ever since he was young; it always made his insides yearn to become his outsides, and it took everything he had to keep from giving in to his body's wish. That was probably the reason why he was never able to pass the final exam back at the academy, not once out of all the thirteen times he'd attempted it, as compared to Elden Stirling, aviator extraordinaire, who'd sailed through the test with flying colors on the first go ─ puns intended. He'd never harbored any feelings of envy toward her, though, only raw inspiration and awe. When he had entered the institution as a first year, he was just an unenthusiastic, royal rascal, attending the school solely because it was his duty as crown prince. That all changed when he saw Elden, a second year, performing in a simulation module in which she was required to govern her ship while fending off a band of unforeseen pirates. He watched as she put all of her energy into it, and from that point on, he was captivated by her passion and charisma. Tarin worked hard to make high marks in every class in order to get closer to her, peer to peer, and once they finally met, they were immediate friends. She gave him helpful tips about managing a ship that she learned in her more advanced classes, and in return he offered special swordplay techniques. They were a team without equal in all of the school's history; nothing could beat them. That is, until Elden graduated and received her RCD ─ Royal Captain's Diploma ─ leaving Tarin alone for all of his final year. Without his comrade by his side, his barophobic tendencies recurred, his fear of gravity and its effects rebounding stronger than ever, and now, even after being united again with Captain Stirling, alighting still caused him to drift into this sickly state of nausea.
Less than a minute later, the prince was still curled up against the ship's handrails. When he finally pried his squinched eyes open, he was met with a pair of boots that he recognized instantly. His vision followed the boots upward till he was looking at the face of a choleric, cross-armed captain, her face stating plainly that she wanted answers, and she wanted them now.
"Get up," she growled, her right foot drumming away at the floor.
Like a dog with his tail between his legs, Tarin stood tall to face her. Despite his height advantage over her, he still had reason to be afraid; Elden knew all of his moves ─ with his words and with his sword. There was no phasing her, and that was a very scary thing in a moment such as this. Her wrath was worse than that of any foe's.
"Now, talk." There was a severe absence of clemency in her merciless voice.
He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Well, where to begin? I─"
"Don't you dare try any of your pussyfooting with me. Get to the point." the captain's words stung like a child's rump after a hard spanking.
Apprehending that she really wasn't going to stand for it this time around, he bowed his head to her and obeyed. "Okay," he sighed. "This little odyssey of mine isn't really about finding the dagger."
"I'm listening."
"I guess I have what some might call an ulterior motive?" he grimaced.
"Go on." The woman's hazel eyes were glued to the prince like a hawk.
"My parents asked me to attend a meeting that I don't have much interest in taking a part in. I tried to refuse, but they were going to force me into the conference whether I agreed to it or not. Then, I heard about the break in and the stolen dagger. I saw my opportunity, my window of escape, and I took it."
"You called me out to help you play hooky?" she gasped. "I can't believe you, you slither-outer!"
He took the heat radiating from her scorching words with an accepting silence, and then he poured cooling water over them with his words of admittance. "Yes, I did, and I'm sorry for not explaining this all to you before we set off. I can't thank you enough for accompanying me on this journey." The left corner of his mouth pulled upward forming a grateful half-smile.
The hiss of steam from her extinguishing flames of asperity escaped through her mouth in the form of an acquiescing sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Of course I came with you," she murmured, looking anywhere but at the prince. "How could I say no to my best friend? Especially when he comes to me with a job with a refreshing adventure built into it? Ha! It reminds me of the time when we─" Captain Stirling's tongue turned to stone when her an object in the distance caught her stare. Her fingers stopped their perpetual twiddling with her pumpkin locks as she produced a spyglass from a pouch tied to her belt.
"What is it?" he questioned, squinting his eyes in attempts to locate the mysterious object.
She handed the miniature telescope to him, and, as he peered through it to see an airship adorned with black sails she said, "It appears that we have located what you have lost so much sleep over, my prince. We have found Krono's Return."


text:
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A NoiseTrade exclusive sampler from the eclectic and unmistakeable library of Benjamin James. Spanning three albums, this selection of songs gives a good taste of his World-influenced, Singer-Songwriter style. Although the productions are meticulous and well developed, the songwriting takes center stage in this stirring collection.


text: Carson Street Clothiers offers tailored yet casual menswear. The store's selection of classic American staples, including blazers, sweaters, henleys and ties from labels like Melinda Gloss, Mackintosh, Drake and a house-made line by Southwick, is rich and deep. Don't miss their relaxed back lounge area, comfortable seating and gratis beer.


text:
ROB HUFF'S high-risk strategy to grab pole position came a cropper when he
messed up on his hot qualifying lap.
It means the SunSport columnist will start from fourth on the grid for the
World Touring Car Championship round in Portugal.
Crucially, that will be two places behind his main championship rival,
Chevrolet team-mate Yvan Muller.
But both were outpaced by evergreen 50-year-old Gabriele Tarquini, who set the
magnificent Portimao circuit on fire in his SEAT.
As most other drivers chased a fast time on the track, Huff stayed in the pits
for an age before aiming for pole with fresh tyres on his Cruze.
It meant he only had one shot at a scorching lap. But a tiny mistake in the
first corner was enough to ruin it – and there was no time for another go.
Huffy said: "It's not often I am angry with myself but this time I am. To be
honest I made a pig's ear of it."
All is not lost, however. A podium or even a win is still on the cards in Race
And in the reverse-grid Race Two he will start ahead of Muller.
Huff said: "In this game anything is possible and you can be sure of one thing
– I'll be trying to give Britain a win to cheer on the Queen's big jubilee
For Huffy's full lowdown on Day 2 of his crucial weekend in Portugal, PLUS a
fascinating insight from Chevy team chief Eric Neve, PLUS a quick chat with
the amazing Tarquini, click on our great video.


text:
Even among the supernatural I was treated like the plague although in some cases I am, quite literally, the plague. So why should today be any different? I watched as yet another person crossed to the other side of the street and mused to myself that I didn't really mind, I have this thing about personal space which has long stuck with me. Shifting the bag on my shoulders to a more comfortable position I came to a small bridge that was used to cross a small creek, in fact it was so small I could just walk over it without the use of the bridge although it did act as the metaphoric divider between the supernatural and humans.
I looked around before crossing the bridge and heading down a couple of alleyways before coming out into an open area, there was a single two story house sitting smack bang in the middle of the space which I headed towards, I glanced down to make sure I didn't fall over the steps.
'Meo? Is that you?' I glanced up to see Amica standing in the doorway, shading her eyes from the sun and peering down at me.
'Yes, it's me. I'm guessing you don't have any clients at the moment?' I came up to the doorway and waited for Amica to move so that I could get in.
'Nope, Lucy was the last for today. Seems as if the fever has left her son now thanks to the herbs you helped me gather.' I looked at Amica for a moment and noted how she had yet again dyed her hair, this time to a dark red colour, which was tied back in a ponytail; her dazzling blue eyes took in the t-shirt and jeans I was wearing.
'So I see you decided to wear more 'normal' clothes now.' I snorted and glanced down at the white t-shirt.
'Trust me, it wasn't a choice, it just so happens that somehow,' I gave a pointed look to Amica, 'My clothes have disappeared, although I should mention that next time you summon on of your buddies to take my clothes and hide them tell them to not leave their smell behind.'
Amica smirked at me, her eyes sparkling like a five year old that had been caught stealing a cookie from the jar but knowing they would get away with it. Honestly for a 21 year old Shaman she really did act like a ten year old half the time. If it had been anyone else, well let's just say it wouldn't have been pleasant for them, but I owed Amica and we shared a sense of understanding. I touched the red ribbon around my neck and glanced at the one that Amica had tied around her wrist, although she didn't really need it. Being a Shaman Amica has a strong spirit, even if she was only human (although I sure somewhere she has a small amount of witch blood in her), meaning that she wasn't effected by my aura but she wore it more to show that we were friends if anything.
Amica followed behind me as I walked into the kitchen and placed the bag on the table. Amica waited for me to move before reaching into the bag and drawing out the various jars and pouches that contained the different material needed for her 'potions'. Amica was almost like a witch doctor for human and offered her services for a small fee; I usually chose to stay away from the house when Amica had clients.
I sighed quietly to myself and once again glanced at Amica who was busy putting the supplies away, it must have been ten years almost since Amica and me met, before that, well sometimes it's hard to think that I used to be like that, moving from city to city, stealing food to survive and then being chased out of town when I was discovered, usually by other Supernatural creatures, or worse, hunters.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized Amica had stopped unpacking and instead was holding an envelope in her hands looking slightly confused.
'What is it?' I asked, not really that interested.
'I don't know, it's addressed to you, I found it in your bag.' It was my turn to look confused,
'What? I don't remember seeing it, I'm sure it wasn't there before and I doubt anyone slipped it in.' Amica placed it on the table in front of me and I stared at it for a moment before picking it up in my hands. After a moment of hesitation I tore it open and pulled out a piece of paper inside.
Dear Meoquanee,
You have been accepted to study at the well-known school: the Night World Academy! Please arrive at the school by the last day of this month.
We look forward to meeting you.
Yours Truly,
The Night World Academy Head Board
I scoffed slightly when I read the words '… to meeting you.' Sure as hell they want to meet an Acheri.
'Night world Academy?' I read more to myself then Amica,
'Oh h oho! The Night World Academy?! I thought that place had shut down! So they decided to re-open after 20 years?' I stared blankly at Amica who took the letter from my hands and read it.
'End of the month? Hmm isn't that only in five days?' I blinked, shocked,
'Wait,what? I don't even want to go!' Amica gave me a look and said,
'It's a great opportunity and plus you won't have to worry about being chased away by hunter's or other creatures since the school has a 'zero bullying' policy. Also you should attend; you haven't been to school for a while and I won't be able to look after you forever.' I gave her a doubtful look,
'It'll be a new experience, just try it?' Seriously, sometimes Amica really pushed her luck with how tolerant I was with her but she saw that I was swayed and clapped her hands.
Well, it looks like I'm heading to Night World Academy then.I thought to myself.