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Tag: Dirk Pitt
Book Review – 'Mayday!' (#2 Dirk Pitt) a.k.a The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler
January 18, 2023 December 19, 2022 Leave a comment
An action adventure of epic proportions (and epic failure).
Major Dirk Pitt picked up the frantic distress call as he cruised his lumbering amphibious plane over the islands of the Aegean. Brady Air Force base was under fire, its entire force of jets destroyed on the ground . . . by just one First World War bi-plane!
A psychotic ex-Nazi, a bloodthirsty Greek strongman and a beautiful double agent set Pitt on the trail of the warped mastermind behind a devastating sabotage plot. And on that trail, danger and death are never far behind . . .
I am a huge fan of the Dirk Pitt series, and started reading them in the early '90's and was hooked straight away. Lately I've started to read more of the back catalog of this series, as I came into this about mid-way. It's also allowed me to uncover a bit of history in what started off the Dirk Pitt legacy. 'Mayday!' (written first, but a second release in this franchise) did not live up to my childhood images, carrying an undertone of arrogance, white male privilege, and microagressions.
Dirk Pitt is a sexist pig. The characters are very two dimensional and it is apparent that the characters in this novel only exist to service Pitt's self importance. This is the worst book from the series that I have read. If I had started reading this collection from this debut, I would have tossed the first few books into the fire and dismissed Cussler as a writer completely.
Dirk Pitt slaps a woman across the face because she is grieving for her dearly departed father and doesn't want to deal with her emotions, reduces her to her looks and sexualises her. Like if she can't look pretty for him, what use is she. The tone of 'Mayday!' is terribly sexist and left me with the worst taste in my mouth. And that about sums up the novels attitude towards women, and the number of women present in the plot.
Pitt is coming off as a bit of a pompous asshole. The physical descriptions in this novel don't entirely match those I've read in the many subsequent novels. I think this franchise went through a major re-vamp at some point (thank goodness.)
I found this offensive on so many levels.
The language structure of American cast – the syntax reads like London English… if indeed Cussler was trying to write a Bond type novel as cited, he must of had that in his head, then but failed to craft dialogue for his characters properly. It read with insincerity and clumsiness.
Plus we have spies and agents blurting out their operations, exposing their agents and identities all over the place. So not plausible. This book is ridiculous. The blurting of facts and identities from government officials about clandestine operations and agents in the last few chapters is mind-boggling. It was so unrealistic and harkens back to the days of simple plots and stereotypes… lest be said there was actually a moustache twirling character in this story. It was so bad I was actually having a ball poking holes in the plot and the terribly written characters. Lucky I didn't turn it into a drinking game – I would have ended up with liver disease.
The only redeeming quality to this was the imagination to come up with the plot, the mixing in of maritime culture and a dash of marine biology.
The pacing was medium… it could have been a tad faster in the middle considering this is an action adventure spy thriller.
A big, huge, massive, NO for recommending this one. I'd be happy to chuck it out the window while driving along the Great Australian Bite and watch it sail into the ocean for a great white to swallow it whole and poop it out in the depths of some dark oceanic trench.
Overall feeling: Kill it with fire!
Book Review – 'Night Probe!' (#6 Dirk Pitt) by Clive Cussler
October 6, 2020 September 30, 2020 Leave a comment
A not-so marine focused adventure that returns to Dirk Pitt form.
May 1914. Two diplomats hurry home by sea and rail, each carrying a document of world-changing importance. Then the liner Empress of India is sunk in a collision, and the Manhattan-Line express plunges from a bridge – both dragging their VIP passengers to watery oblivion. Tragic coincidence or conspiracy?
In the energy-starved, fear-torn 1980s, Dirk Pitt discovers that those long-lost papers could destroy whole nations, throwing him into his biggest challenge yet. Racing against hired killers, he launches his revolutionary deep-sea search craft and faces the horrors of the sea bed to hunt for the documents. 'Night Probe' has begun . . .
Another of Clive Cussler's back catalogue under my belt. 'Night Probe!' was another international spy action adventure that tickled the childlike reader in me.
I did feel like the first half of the novel was paced slowly. The meticulous efforts to set up all the characters in the game, build the scene was fun to read; but I found myself putting the book down regularly because I wanted to get some story with Dirk Pitt in it, and get to the juicy parts of the story. While I appreciate the efforts to fill in all the threads of storyline that go into 'Night Probe!' I would have appreciated that some of this first half was compacted down and some scenes skipped over in favour of a backstory later in the novel.
We do see Dirk Pitt introduced earlier in the story than previous novels in this franchise, and you get a sense of Clive Cussler starting to hit his stride with the Dirk Pitt franchise. Honing the tone and writing style that is a trademark of these adventure novels.
The ending was cheese-ball city. But it always makes me smile – that James Bond/Indiana Jones style shtick that I love on the big screen translates well in this escapist fiction.
I particularly love the scientific elements, the history imbued in Cussler's prose, and we definitely get it here. I particularly cherish all the maritime elements, and though there are two present in 'Night Probe!' this novel felt more like a land adventure and left me wanting.
We don't get much of Al Giordino and their witty banter. There are only two women in the main storyline: one is killed for being an adulterer (and a villain), and the other falls in love with an antagonist, even though she is an intelligent, independent woman… it still feels all a little bit sexist. But I am getting a sense of a growing cultural 'woke' tone. Standard enjoyable fare.
As with most titles in this series, 'Night Probe!' can be read as a standalone… a serial continuation in the Dirk Pitt universe.
Overall feeling: A return to form.
Book Review – 'Vixen 03' (#5 Dirk Pitt) by Clive Cussler
August 4, 2020 August 4, 2020 Leave a comment
Great adventure but passé attitudes.
1954: Vixen 03 is down. The plane, bound for the Pacific carrying thirty-six Doomsday Bombs—canisters armed with quick-death germs of unbelievable potency—vanishes. Vixen has in fact crashed into an ice-covered lake in Colorado.
1988: Dirk Pitt, who heroically raised the Titanic, discovers the wreckage of Vixen 03. But two deadly canisters are missing. They're in the hands of a terrorist group. Their lethal mission: to sail a battleship seventy-five miles up the Potomac and blast Washington, D.C., to kingdom come. Only Dirk can stop them.
Misogynistic. Sexist. Discrimination. Transphobic. So many times I nearly threw up in my mouth. I figured 'Iceberg' as the only one of Clive Cussler's early works as being problematic in this matter of insensitivity. But 'Vixen 03' is giving it a run for its money. Women are objectified just about every time they are in a scene. I hate to say it, but this was fairly typical of this James bond adventurer genre in the 70's. So I shouldn't be surprised. Thankfully Clive Cussler evolved as a writer and this kind of writing is left in the past where it belongs.
This was the first novel I read after the news of Cussler's passing, and I wish it had done a better in service of his legacy. I was really disappointed and searched for some redeeming qualities. 'Vixen 03' deals with themes of racism, nationalism, terrorism, and international espionage. And the premise sounds interesting, as do all of Clive Cussler's novels. They promise adventure, action and intrigue. But to be honest this left the taste of disgust in my mouth.
The pacing terribly slow with frequent tangents around non-essential topics to the plot. So much time is spent building the South African contingent part of the story that Dirk Pitt was featured in less than half of the story. This did not feel like a Dirk Pitt novel, more like he swooped in at the end to resolve the mystery.
The plot itself is a good one, there are plenty of red herrings, heroics and a massively woven web of intertwined actions boiling down to a single event. If it weren't for all of the inappropriate representation, I would have really enjoyed this fare.
'Vixen 03' was not the Dirk Pitt I've come to appreciate. He felt very one-toned. An un-killable saviour, putting his life on the line to save the world (*cough-America-cough*) I would have liked some nuance outside of all this male bravado. Thank goodness I know it gets better in later volumes of this franchise – a bit campier and stereotypical – but better and more entertaining.
The whole reading experience was marred by old-fashioned, politically incorrect attitudes.
I recommend you skip this one.
Overall feeling: One of the first books I felt like burning – I'm using it as an example of the attitudes we thankfully have put behind us in storytelling.
Picture vs Page – Raise the Titanic
May 17, 2020 May 17, 2020 4 Comments
The novel felt a bit different to the usual Dirk Pitt adventure from those I've read before. For one, there wasn't a lot of Dirk. There were also a lot of characters that sometimes it took re-reading a passage to catch up with what was going on, especially at the start. The film did not have that issue. In fact there are so many characters and scenes omitted in the film adaptation that I want to say the screen version is "inspired by" the original text, instead of an out-right adaptation.
I enjoyed that the machismo was dialled back in the novel and this had a strong political strategy woven into the plot. Pitt read more like a mystery man, an enigma, a quiet hero, leaving out the humour and campiness of later volumes of the Pitt adventures. Consequently the film version of Pitt was so much worse. In fact I thought he was a bit of an ass – not a good opinion to have of the leading man. There was no mystery, no earthiness, no sea-worn larrikin. The screen version, played by Richard Jordan came off as an elite aristocrat and very much a part of the 'Old Boys Club.' All of that school-boy humour that Pitt is famous for is also edited out. No shade to Richard Jordan, but he is nothing like what I have pictured Pitt to be, and nothing like how he is described in the novels.
Dirk Pitt (Played by Richard Jordan and Admiral Sandecker (Played by Jason Robards)
I was sad to see that Al Giordino was left on the cutting room floor.
The political strategy and multiple scenes setting up the existence and application of Byzanium in the novel feels like a detective novel, each scene carefully crafted and driving the plot forward. The films interpretation skips all of this apart from one key scene and turns the political landscape into a story of nuclear dominance between America and Russia. All the nuance was gone. All the interwoven plot points replaced with this simplified America – good; Russia – bad.
The iconic NUMA organisation Pitt is the masthead for is completely ignored in the film too. The only existence it has are the letters printed on the side of a submersible. They don't mention anything about the organisation or Pitt's affiliation to it. That, out of everything felt like a gut-punch for any Cussler fan. The salvage operation of the Titanic in the film instead is treated as a military operation.
You get a real sense of research and facts popping to the forefront in the novel. A lot of Cussler books are, but 'Raise the Titanic' felt even more so. I have to say this is probably the best written novel of Cussler's I've read to date. The right balance of mystery, espionage, nautical hijinks and heroics in the face of world domination. The film disappointed me in all of these areas. I did not get a sense of wonder or the depth of specialisation needed for the feat. Whatever their might have been was overshadowed by the stylized treatment of the film. Like some 1980's high school presentation accompanied with some of the characters actually eye-rolling.
The film also added in some completely new scenes around the extrication of the Titanic from the seafloor. The loss of the Starfish and its crew from decompressive explosion, and the crew of another submersible trapped under some rigging and turned into the main motivation for raising the Titanic within a time limit. These scenes also removed Pitt from being the specialist he is and attempted to paint Dr. Gene Seagram as a bit of a fool. Both which I thought unnecessary.
The novel sees scenes bringing journalist Dana back into the conclusion, where in the film she's just a tool for the plot releasing news of the Titanic and Byzanium to the public. Apart from that, not a single female is present in the film whatsoever. The feminist in me just threw up in her mouth.
I can understand why this scene and many others were cut: the time restraints to fit all that into a cinematic production would have turned this into a mini-series. In actual fact maybe that's the direction they should have gone in. The special effects are okay I guess for the time this film was released, but viewing it again today, it comes across as amateur. Long slow-motion panning shots and a soundtrack that felt repetitive did not help with creating a wondrous atmosphere and bogged down the pacing of the film.
Alternatively, the novel was excellently paced. The start is full of positioning the powers players on the chessboard, but after that is established, I couldn't put it down. The tension is so well done. You can feel the dark abyssal pressures ready to crush you. The wonder of the Titanic, the need to beat the bad guys. In the iconic scene where the Titanic is drifting to the surface in the film however, obvious use of models detracts from my enjoyment; so too was the use of wind gusting sound effects. There was so much scientifically wrong with how it was filmed I laughed. With Cussler going to all the trouble researching and making the scene feel as realistic as possible, the film just made a mockery of the entire thing.
Model of the Titanic used in the making of 'Raise the Titanic.'
The plot is mostly predictable both for the novel and the film – I mean it's in the title – and you always want good to triumph over evil… but there were a few unexpected twists along the way which were a delight in the novel. The film left me bored. It was a 2 hour long yawn. It was interesting, but needed to be edited to pick up the pace. (And maybe make the hero look like a hero.)
After having read many of the later novels in the Dirk Pitt franchise, 'Raise the Titanic' not only introduced familiar characters, but also showed the beginnings of many relationships/careers which I found delightful. I did not get any of those feels after watching the film.
There was also an eerie precognition with this book written in 1977 before the discovery of the real Titanic on September 1, 1985, and how similar the ships condition was to the written text. The 1995 James Cameron documentary Titanic with footage was a joy to watch – I just wish the film would have been able to capture that same wonder. The film adaptation was released in 1980, and helped create publicity and momentum in the hunt for the iconic luxury cruise liners final resting place on the North Atlantic.
The novel has a very involved, intricate plot that hooked me in early and a title I highly recommend. The film however, a huge pass. No thanks, not ever. With so many of the core parts of the franchise cut from the film it felt soulless and delivered in a completely different tone. It didn't even end in the same manner – all the characters were different except for Pitt.
Dr. Gene Seagram (David Selby) and Dirk Pitt (Richard Jordan)
Book Review – 'Iceberg' by Clive Cussler
June 4, 2019 June 3, 2019 Leave a comment
A clusterf*#k of political incorrectness.
Genre: Action Adventure
Frozen inside a million-ton mass of ice-the charred remains of a long missing luxury yacht, vanished en route to a secret White House rendezvous. The only clue to the ship's priceless-and missing-cargo: nine ornately carved rings and the horribly burned bodies of its crew.
I've been a fan of Cussler since my teen years, but this singular novel really tested my nerve. I can forgive a little machismo – it's to be expected in this genre and series, but when Cussler has Dirk Pitt playing a stereotype of a gay man – even so far as to use the word faggot a number of times, I wanted to set the book on fire. It was in such poor taste to read these hate-filled slurs. It highlights all the issues of discrimination that the LGBTQIA+ community face.
Cussler used about every negative trope around this issue in 'Iceberg' with the protagonist Dirk Pit undercover as a homosexual artist, staring hungrily at men's crotches like a sexual predator, acting submissive and weak, wearing over-the-top colourful clothing, and flowery speech. This goes on for half the novel. It is obvious that Cussler adopted this writing style for it to come off as comedic, but it just shows his insensitivity and ignorance.
To compound the issue there are continual cracks about crazy women and menopause, or someone on their period – that was also meant to be jocular. The female characters were irrational tittering things meant to look pretty and fetch coffee. Their only goal to land a good husband. They were diminished to a sexual object, nursemaid, or servant. It came off as highly offensive.
I just don't understand. Was Clive Cussler on some sort of acid trip writing 'Iceberg?' I've read over 15 of his novels and never come across such blatant misogyny. Maybe I should stop making allowances for Cussler's overused tropes and start calling him on them in my reviews… I read his novels for the emphasised adventure, the marine environment, and the espionage. 'Iceberg' was overshadowed with such a distasteful display of tropes and writing I am literally gobsmacked. Way to offend half your audience dude.
Looking at other aspects of 'Iceberg,' like pacing and plot, it wasn't so bad, but by no means anywhere near his best. There was a plot twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but that too left a horrid taste in my mouth. I enjoyed the surprise, but hated the premise it supported.
In all honesty I do not recommend this book to anyone. If fact Cussler should pull it from his catalogue entirely. I know I would be ashamed to have written a novel like this.
Overall feeling: Anger and nausea.
I just love adding to my Clive Cussler collection! Many bookstores around here are selling some of his books for cheap… ready to get my rugged aquatic hero adventures on! Go Dirk Pitt.
Book Review – 'Pacific Vortex!' by Clive Cussler
Dirk Pitt is borne of pages and a passion for oceanic adventure!
Dirk Pitt's first, most terrific adventure! Dirk Pitt, death-defying adventurer and deep-sea expert, is out to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex — a fog-shrouded sea zone where dozens of ships have vanished without a trace. The latest victim is the awesome superb Starbuck, America's deep-diving nuclear arsenal. Its loss poses an unthinkable threat to national defense. Pitt's job is to find it, salvage it, before the sea explodes. In a furious race against time, Pitt's mission swirls him into a battle with underwater assassins-and traps him in the arms of Summer Moran, the most stunningly exotic and dangerous toward disaster, Clive Cussler plummets his hero onto an ancient sunken island-the astonishing setting for the explosive climax of Pacific Vortex!
In the past I've really enjoyed the Bond-esque adventures of Dirk Pitt, and having been away from his action packed crusades for many, many years, I decided to catch up from the beginning. A goal of reading all the Dirk Pitt works from beginning to end and fill in the gaps of books I've missed.
'Pacific Vortex!' was better and worse than many of the other books I have read…
Better, because it really invoked a feeling of fear and anxiety around some of the undersea challenges Pitt faced, as well as the adrenalin filled awe at the scale and grandeur of the mysteries of the deep. I don't think the other novels in this universe I've read quite captured that feeling as effectively.
Worse, because of all of the trappings that go along with a terminal bachelor ladies action man. So many archetypes which felt two dimensional and had me cringing. But I was expecting this. Dirk Pitt adventures are typically patriarchal, male-centric and reduce many interactions to machismo and objectification. It's the same in the Bond franchise. The spoony and camp factor seem to come hand in hand in this genre.
The result was, that why I loved the adventure and marine elements, some of the stereotypes and interactions were hard to swallow. But you need to take it for what it is.
It was great to see the beginnings of a wonderful franchise. Clive Cussler writes with authority and conviction. He really knows his stuff when it comes to the marine environment – which, to be frank, is the main reason why I began reading his novels. That, and I crave a good adventure.
I know in later novels his character development and comedy are greatly improved, and female characters are painted with more than just an objective gaze or a damsel in distress. I think if I hadn't already experienced Cussler's later works I may have rated this lower, but have made an exception due to his legacy and the hours of wonder I've spent in his pages. Cussler's writing is in part what spurred me into getting a Marine Biology degree in the first place.
So it's only onward and upward from here. Can't wait to see what the next adventure brings.
Overall feeling: machismo, but mad fun.
Film vs Novel – Sahara
January 8, 2015 December 10, 2015 Leave a comment
An action hero to rival James Bond that I'd love to see more of.
I loved both the film and the book (maybe the book a little more) The Dirk Pitt Franchise is something I've indulged in for nearly twenty years – with a taste for action, marine adventures littered with historical facts, and scientific information, Clive Cussler hits the right spot. Dirk Pitt has the swagger of James Bond, but the ruggedness of Indianna Jones. I only wish that a film franchise was born from these great novels.
Yes, the stories are very 'Hollywood' – fantastical and a little sexist, but it has a certain comical charm mixed in with the outrageous adventure stories. Sahara does not disappoint – Although I tend to love the novels more focused around underwater adventures, this one had the usual espionage and plot for world domination and equally nefarious baddies.
Casting choices for the movie felt strange to me – I pictured Dirk Pitt with more of a rugged handsome sea captain of Arnold Schwarzenegger's stature, and Al Giordion was always described as a short, stocky Italian man with a head full of black curly locks… and well Penelope Cruiz… I'm not a fan. So I went into the film with trepidation, but my passion for the Dirk Pitt series transposed into the film and saved it from total disappointment.
Steve Zahn, who played Al Giordino has to be the stand out performance – not only did he make the character his own, but managed to capture the essence of Al. There were always those comical one liners and moments in the novel that Steve played out beautifully. A total unexpected surprise. Al Giordino 2.0!
Something that I have never said when comparing a novel to a film, is that the pacing and action scene are pretty well matched. Movies tend to overdramatise with explosions, soundtracks, special effects and camera angles – I felt this remained respectful to the storyline and didn't make it too cheesy (although there is an amount of cheese in Dirk Pitt novels, and I love that irony… think James Bond, we expect a certain amount of predictability and campness.)
You don't get to glean tid-bits of information from the film as you do in the book – I know I had mentioned in my comparison of Outlander by Diana Gabaladon that they had become a little tiresome and longwinded in her books; Cussler keeps his factoids simple and concise, enhancing the adventure further as Dirk Macguyer's his way out of sticky situations.
The movie also lost a bit of that tongue-in-cheek comedy with the action scenes the book had (but I can understand why – Sahara would have turned into something like The Pink Panther and lost its edge)
I'd recommend this if you enjoy action adventure stories – think Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, think Goonies (shout out to Speilberg!). And even though it's pretty close, I must say I prefer the novel… the Dirk Pitt on the written page was much more impressive.


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The Batman Apparently Aiming For Releasing 2019
Another report may have uncovered the discharge date window Warner Bros. Is as of now going for with The Batman. Falling off of his widely praised make a big appearance as the character in a year ago Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck-drove solo film has immediately risen over the previous year as one of the more expected DCEU titles underway right at this point. Truth be told, that is the reason such a large number of fans were sent into a minor frenzy recently. When it declared that Ben Affleck had left as the executive of the film. With follow-up reports expressing that the on-screen character and the chief could be thinking about stopping the Batman character by and large.
Luckily, Warner Bros and DC Films figured out how to keep the frenzy encompassing the film generally low. When they immediately supplanted Affleck with Dawn and War for the Planet of the Apes executive Matt Reeves. Somebody who even The Batman cynics concurred was a decent directorial fit for the venture. In any case, even with Reeves' appended in charge. The beforehand reputed 2018 discharge date for the film has totally discarded. Departing many fans to ponder when The Batman might be discharged in theaters.
Presently, it would appear that Warner Bros. The provisional discharge date for the film may uncovered. Incorporated into a report yesterday about Matt Reeves beginning sans preparation on The Batman successfully rejecting Affleck and Geoff John's unique content for it. Variety expresses that The Batman presently anticipated to have a 2019 discharge date. Make a point to bring this with a grain of salt for now. However, since there were no other discharge subtle elements gave.
Accepting this discharge date is right, it's important that the timetable makes sense for the venture. Basically, that would give Reeves somewhat more than whatever is left of this current year to compose and complete his content for the film. Before then throwing it at some point ahead of schedule one year from now. With a creation plan likely occurring at some point amidst next summer. Furthermore, since the report doesn't indicate when in 2019 the film could be hitting theaters. Reeves could have significantly more opportunity to adjust his vision for the film than that.
This conceivable 2019 discharge date additionally takes into consideration some fascinating hypothesis, in regards to when in the DCEU course of events The Batman may occur. All things considered, if the film hit theaters before the officially declared Justice League spin-off. Be that as it may on the other side. The Batman could likewise be the principal DCEU film to turn out after the occasions of Justice League 2. Which could give the film a fascinating beginning off point.
The Batman 2019
Once more, make a point to bring the majority of this with a grain of salt for the present moment. Whether Warners is really anticipating discharging The Batman in 2019 or not. This ought to at any rate, quiet down fans who stressed The Batman might be raised into creation with San Diego Comic-Con only seven days away. It's totally conceivable that the eventual fate of the DCEU might be covered in a great deal less puzzle and perplexity when the yearly tradition is finished.
Related Topics:BatmanBatman V SupermanBen AffleckDawn of JusticeDC ComicsDC Comics FilmDC FilmsDCEUDCEU filmIn 2019The BatmanWarner Bros
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Woodring College of Education
https://wce.wwu.edu/
The Woodring College of Education mission statement provides context and purpose for our actions.
Woodring College of Education facilitates life-long learning through exemplary teaching to prepare quality education, health, and human services professionals for democratic citizenship and meaningful careers. As a College that serves the state, nation, and world, we:
Construct, transform, and convey knowledge by integrating research, theory, and practice;
Cultivate student growth through extensive community and school engagement in collaboration with exemplary practicing professionals;
Act with respect for individual differences, including taking a strengths-based view;
Develop collaborative partnerships that promote the learning and well-being of individuals, families, and the community; and
Evaluate processes and outcomes to ensure continual program improvements.
The vision of Woodring College of Education frames our future.
Woodring College of Education fosters community relationships and a culture of learning that advance knowledge, honor diversities, and promote social justice.
Woodring College is prioritizing funding to programs and to scholarships which support students who are the most at risk to be negatively impacted by the current environment, including first-generation students, students from traditionally underrepresented communities (BIPOC), and those of financial need. Examples of these programs are:
Future Woodring Scholars
Compass to Campus
Maestros para el Pueblo
Family and Community Engaged Teacher (FACET)
Center for Education, Equity and Diversity (CEED)
Martinez Fellow
New Dean
Bruce Larson is appointed as the new Dean of Woodring College. Dr. Larson, has served in many leadership roles at Woodring College, including department chair of Secondary Education, co-associate dean and associate dean. He has taught graduate and undergraduate secondary methods courses and courses for teaching social studies (elementary and secondary).
Dr. Larson is excited for alumni to know how Woodring continues to build and refine pathways to teaching and working in the community as human service professionals. This includes Future Woodring Scholars, where we connect with and mentor incoming freshman who are interested in education. Most come from under-represented populations and are first generation college students. This also include our Maestros program, which is a partnership with Skagit Valley Community College, but instead of entering Freshman, we connect with entering Juniors who come with their AA degree.
Student Success Story
Hugo Santiago came to WWU from Skagit Valley College as part of the Maestros Para el Pueblo program with the goal to become a teacher and role model for his community. Throughout his time at WWU he worked as a Lead Mentor for the Compass 2 Campus Program, providing mentorship to college students and high school students at Burlington Edison High School. He also worked as a peer mentor in Student Outreach Services and participated in the Baile Folklorico group to build community and connect to other students. His leadership and role modelling for others is incredibly positive and inspiring. He won't let anything stand in the way of his goal. Between scholarships and 70 hour work weeks during the summer, he has been able to graduate and continue into his Masters in Teaching program this year.
WCE Programs
Woodring Dean's Fund for Special Initiatives
Woodring Equity & Diversity Program Fund
WCE Promise Scholarship
RN to BSN Program
Compass 2 Campus
Palliative Care Institute
Community Health and Health Education
Dept. Elementary Education
Education and Social Justice Minor


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package org.umlg.sqlg.groovy.plugin;

import org.apache.tinkerpop.gremlin.jsr223.AbstractGremlinPlugin;
import org.apache.tinkerpop.gremlin.jsr223.DefaultImportCustomizer;
import org.apache.tinkerpop.gremlin.jsr223.ImportCustomizer;
import org.umlg.sqlg.structure.*;
import org.umlg.sqlg.structure.topology.*;

/**
 * @author Lukas Krejci
 * @since 1.3.0
 */
public class SqlgH2GremlinPlugin extends AbstractGremlinPlugin {

    private static final String NAME = "sqlg.h2";
    private static final ImportCustomizer imports;

    static {
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                            Index.class,
                            IndexType.class,
                            Graph.class
                    )
                    .create();
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            throw new RuntimeException(ex);
        }
    }

    private static final SqlgH2GremlinPlugin instance = new SqlgH2GremlinPlugin();

    public SqlgH2GremlinPlugin() {
        super(NAME, imports);
    }

    public static SqlgH2GremlinPlugin instance() {
        return instance;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean requireRestart() {
        return true;
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}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Tag Archives: steamy
Blog Tour: Unexpected by K.M. Neuhold
Unexpected | K.M. Neuhold
Inked #3
Universal Link: mybook.to/UnexpectedInked
Kyle needed a place to stay, he never thought it would turn into so much more.
So, your gorgeous boss, Maverick, and his yummy husband, Ari, are letting you stay with them while you get back on your feet? Here are a few simple tips:
Don't call his husband Daddy. I know it'll be difficult, but seriously, don't.
Don't leave a pair of red, lacy panties in their bed.
If you hear interesting noises from their bedroom in the middle of the night, don't peek in. Don't.
And most importantly, don't fall in love.
Follow these tips and everything should go as expected.
**This book is the third book in the Inked series, which is a spin-off of the Heathens Ink series, but it CAN be read as a stand-alone. Unexpected is a super sweet, steamy MMM story with low angst and very light Daddy kink.
Ari ripped into me, and I don't blame him. If anything, I think he went too easy on me and forgave me too quickly. If I hadn't forgotten my laptop in my office, would I have ever known Kyle was sleeping there? He said he wasn't planning to stay long, so what was his plan? Sleeping in his car? Going to a homeless shelter? Sleeping on the street?
Bile rises in my throat, my appetite completely gone.
Ari is telling Kyle about his many jobs, and I take a second to look at the kid. I've never seen him without makeup on. He looks like a completely different person. He's still beautiful, but in a more understated kind of way. You might look past him on the street, and what a tragedy that would be.
I shake off the thought. I made him homeless, and now I'm checking him out. I think that earns me a first class ticket on the trip to hell I've already been booked for.
I push the food around on my plate until the two of them are finished eating, then I gather all the dishes.
"You don't have to clean up after me," Kyle argues as I pick up his silverware to take to the sink to wash.
"Consider it part of my penance," I answer dryly.
"You don't need any penance. I told you it's fine."
I don't bother to respond, because I think all three of us know it's far from fine.
In spite of my insistence that I can take care of everything, Ari wipes down the counters and puts away the dishes once they're washed and dried while Kyle slides onto the floor and sits cross-legged petting Piglet. He looks so young sitting on the floor with the dog in his lap, his face clean and a hint of red under his eyes that suggests he cried recently.
My chest aches at the sight—with guilt and something else I can't put my finger on. Ari's lips pressing against my shoulder startles me, and I turn my head to give my husband an apologetic smile. He raises his eyebrows at me in an unspoken question that I can't quite decipher. Is he wondering what I'm thinking? Why I haven't told him more about Kyle? If I was checking out Kyle? I'm not sure I have a good answer for any of those things.
K.M. Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together.
She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series.
When she's not writing she's a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero…just kidding, she's likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.
linktr.ee/KMNeuhold
Absolutely hilarious in the best British farce tradition
Posted on January 10, 2020 by Mirrigold	One comment
The Captain & the Squire by Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead
Absolute brilliance, this book is about as English as they come, utterly hilarious and with a nod to the beat Sheridan farce.
In the Captain and the Squire, the authors have gone full on gentry eccentricity, with dodgy clauses in wills, dastardly villains and villagers who know everyone's business.
I was howling with laughter throughout most of this.
It also has a surprisingly sweet kinky side which I'll leave to be revealed for other readers as it really does work brilliantly well.
This series of novellas and slightly linger books have all been fabulous, each one's brought something different to the table but I think Captain Guy is going to have to relinquish his title as my fave to this glorious pair and their pig.
#ARC kindly received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Reviews: LGBTQ+
Blog Tour: Devil's Hour by Aimee Nicole Walker
Posted on January 7, 2020 by Mirrigold	Leave a comment
Devil's Hour | Aimee Nicole Walker
Zero Hour Series #2
Genre: MM. Romance, Mystery
Cover Design: Jay Aheer
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Universal Link: http://mybook.to/DevilsHour
READ MY REVIEW
Devil's hour, noun: the hour when the demon or devil who leads hell is at its strongest.
Born on the wrong side of the tracks, Royce Locke is no stranger to scrapping and fighting for the things he wants. What he desires most is Sawyer Key—his partner on the force and the man he's falling in love with. After asking Sawyer to take a chance on him, Royce will need to back up his pretty words with fearless action instead of being his own worst enemy.
Someone is harassing the mayor of Savannah, and Locke and Key are tasked with finding out who. The investigation quickly takes a twisted turn, leading them to an enemy who thinks purification by fire is the only way to save the city. Scarier than The Purists' elusiveness is their ability to turn public opinion in their favor, creating unrest and threatening anarchy by fanning flames and fear. When you play with fire, someone is bound to get burned.
When menace becomes murder, the two detectives will race the clock against the devil to save their beloved city from becoming a raging inferno. Royce will need to draw on his grit now more than ever if he hopes to realize the dreams that are finally within reach. The rag is lit, the Molotov cocktail is tossed, and the zero hour is upon them. Challenge received and accepted.
Devil's Hour is the second book in the Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key's investigations and evolving relationship. This is a series that must be read in order. Devil's Hour has a happy-for-now ending with no cliffhanger. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.
Both men looked up as Royce and Sawyer approached. Blue smiled proudly while his guest looked slightly less confident about his welcome. Royce and Sawyer sat across from them and waited for Blue to introduce them. When Blue just sat there grinning like a sappy fool, Royce took the initiative and extended his hand to the handsome fireman with the amber eyes. "I'm Royce Locke."
The man shook his hand. "Ezekiel Blevins. My friends call me Zeke. It's nice to meet you, Royce. I've heard a lot about you, so it's nice to put a face to the name. Blue told me you were promoted to sergeant this morning. Congratulations. Or maybe I should offer my condolences since you're now in charge of this guy." Zeke placed his hand on Blue's shoulder.
"It's good to meet you too, Zeke,"Royce said. "I've had the honor of working with Blue for the past three years, so I'm used to his shenanigans and have his number."
Blue met Royce's gaze and said, "Best three years of your life."
Royce laughed. "Let's not get carried away, Blue."Royce briefly placed his hand on Sawyer's shoulder, and even such a simple touch seemed to sear Royce's skin. "This is my partner, Sawyer Key."
"Good to meet you, Zeke," Sawyer said, shaking his hand. "I'm the newest member of the major crimes unit."
Zeke chuckled. "I've heard plenty about you, too, but mostly the ways you irritate this one,"he said, tipping his head at Royce.
"I get under his skin every chance I can get," Sawyer returned coolly.
Royce nearly choked on his saliva when Sawyer's blasé remark triggered memories of Sawyer fingering his ass that morning in the shower. The restaurant had become uncomfortably warm, so he hooked a finger under his collar and pulled his polo shirt away from his skin. "Have you guys ordered yet?"
Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people.
She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after.
Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day. I'd love to hear from you
https://linktr.ee/AimeeNicoleWalker
Release Blitz: The Captain and the Squire by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead
The Captain and the Squire |Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead
Genre: Contemporary romantic comedy
Length: 70,000 words
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release: January 14th, 2020
Publisher: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/the-captain-and-the-squire
Amazon: mybook.to/captainsquire
Add To Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48838954-the-captain-the-squire
A sexy city boy and a country squire will set the countryside alight!
Tarquin Bough is a tweedy squire with an ambitious fiancée who controls his every move. He's also the owner of the finest collection of saucy artefacts in the world. From Christine Keeler's eyelash to the Virgin Queen's dildo, they're all safe in Tarquin's care.
Christopher Hardacre is a city-slicker with the tightest jodhpurs and the most smackable bottom in London. He's given up the ratrace for a country life as captain of the village rowing team. The only trouble is, he's lost his money to a ruthless scam and Bough Bottoms is his last hope of a home.
But Chris hasn't reckoned on his late uncle's will. The house comes with a sitting porcine tenant and if Chris can't look after his newly-acquired pet pig, he'll lose his inheritance and his last chance at happiness.
When Tarquin sees Chris it's lust at first sight, but dare he be honest about his feelings in a village where being gay is bound to be a hot topic? As soon as Chris and Tarquin get together, it's the hottest summer this little corner of England has ever known.
With a scheming local hotshot out to turn the beloved pig into sausages, can the captain and the squire save everybody's bacon?
Tarquin yawned and stretched in his deckchair. Although most of the blossom had gone from the orchard, blown away by the storms in late spring, it was still a beautiful place to sit in the evening. He took a mouthful of brandy and scratched the head of the pig who was snuffling at the grass beside his chair.
"Now look here, Oracle!" Tarquin held up the length of carved wood that he had been nursing on his lap. "The craftsmanship is second to none."
The Oracle seemed to be listening, even if she was still busy hunting for truffles. But over the contented snorts of the pig, Tarquin heard the music from next door rise in volume and yet another car revved in the private lane outside his house.
His new neighbor had arrived.
The bastard.
The car doors slammed and the sound of braying laughter carried on the breeze as yet more visitors arrived to greet—who? Who was it who was moving into the Hardacre house anyway? Who was it who'd had removal vans and tradespeople coming and going for weeks to the empty house? Who was responsible for the smell of fresh paint and the sound of hammering and drilling from that tottering, crumbling pile where the late Beardsley Hardacre had lived for his one hundred and three years? Who had landscaped that wild garden?
Who was it who had arrived by nightfall not quite twenty-four hours earlier and was apparently already throwing a party?
And why had this interloper made no effort to claim the Oracle of Delphi?
"Your new mummy and daddy have arrived, my friend," Tarquin told the pig, his voice soft. But as another toot and another bray of laughter reached him in his formerly tranquil orchard, he rose from the chair, fire in his tone as he declared, "And I'm going to have words!"
Tarquin ran across the orchard and, his brandy in one hand and the carved wooden length in the other, took the fence in a single bound like a steeplechaser.
The evening air was torn by that most dreadful of sounds—the cry of ripped corduroy trousers.
Now in the Hardacre garden, Tarquin cast a glance back at the fence, where a ragged square of golden-colored corduroy waved back at him like a tiny flag. It must've caught on a nail, but instead of going home to change, Tarquin was too inflamed with rage to turn back, and instead plunged on through the garden.
And what an improvement it is!
What had once been a tangle of brambles amid a sea of grass that would have hidden an army was now a manicured lawn so flat that it could have been a golf course. Bright bursts of color sprang from well-tended borders and for the first time in years Tarquin could actually see the banks of the river that ran along the bottom of their neighboring gardens. How strange it was to think that such a beautiful view had been hidden all these years, but the cantankerous old gentleman who had lived here far longer than Tarquin had even been alive'd had little time for gardening. He had been too busy with wine, women and song for that.
And whoever was now in his house seemed to be of similar appetites, Tarquin realized, as he rounded the corner and froze on the edge of the patio.
Everyone appeared to be in swimwear, or something resembling it. Tall, elegant women wearing sarongs and high heels with their jewelry chatted with handsome young men in shorts and little more, each of them holding a fizzing glass of champagne, each of them exuding money and confidence and…the city.
A huge hot tub that bubbled on the patio contained yet more of the incomers, tan and braying and so bloody loud and one of them, he knew, must be the new master of Hardacre Grange.
It had to be the man whose braying laughter was louder than anyone else's. The man who seemed to be holding court in that absurdly overstated hot tub.
The only one wearing sunglasses on an evening that required no such thing.
Tarquin strode straight up to the hot tub and bellowed, "Which of you ruddy coves is in charge here?"
The chatter fell silent but the thump of the music, of course, did not. The man in sunglasses took a leisurely sip from his glass of champagne and said, "That would be me, squire. Why don't you grab a glass and hop on in?"
Tarquin shook with fury, the brandy slopping up against the brim of his glass. "Hop in? Hop bloody in? The bally cheek of it—I don't bathe in public with strangers!"
"Oh, you've brought your own booze, I like it!" He lowered his sunglasses just a little and peered closely at Tarquin's other hand. "And you appear to have also brought a large wooden penis. Is that a traditional welcome in Bough Bottoms? Hello, old man, here's a penis from all of us on the parish council!"
The partygoers guffawed that braying laugh, every eye now focused on Tarquin's hand.
"Penis?" Tarquin thundered. Then he recalled the antique object in his hand. "This? This is a Tudor dildo! It belonged to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I herself!" Tarquin wagged it under the nose of the man in sunglasses, because surely the man couldn't see properly wearing Ray-Bans in the dusk.
Although Tarquin could see his new neighbor very well, smarmily grinning at Tarquin from under his arrogant flop of blond hair. Tarquin wasn't going to admit it, but the fellow was in exquisite form, with swimmer's shoulders and toned arms that Tarquin would have happily spent hours squeezing like a shopper deciding on a grapefruit. And that angular jaw was worthy of a statue, finished off with a square chin that Tarquin would never tire of nibbling on.
Not that he would. Tarquin threw a furious glance at the woman chortling at his new neighbor's side.
Married. Has to be. Bugger it.
Or sadly not.
"A Tudor dil— oh, just a minute!" The man pushed his sunglasses up into his hair, his welcoming smile evaporating. "You're Bough! You're the man who did Great-Uncle Beardsley out of Prince Albert's ceremonial Prince Albert!"
"No, I bloody didn't! It's mine!" Tarquin stamped his foot. Oh, my dander's most definitely getting up! "And besides which, you could at least extend the courtesy of pronouncing my surname properly. It's Boff, to rhyme with cough, not Bow as in bough as in part of a tree! It's bloody Anglo-Saxon and if my ancestors weren't conquered by the Normans, I won't be conquered by a bloody blow-in Yuppie like you, accusing me of theft, who's got a bath on his patio like a peasant!"
A collective intake of breath sounded around the patio. And where had the patio come from anyway? The last time Tarquin had glimpsed the back of the neighboring house before the brambles had claimed it, this had been a mud pit.
An eyesore.
But the man who now rose from the water of the hot tub was not an eyesore.
Bloody hell, he's no old Uncle Beardsley.
"Uncle Bea said you were a Bow," he said in a plummy sneer. Then he grinned and held out his hand, as though Tarquin weren't juggling a glass of French brandy and Queen Elizabeth's favorite dildo. "Christopher Hardacre. You can only be my new next-door neighbor. You're exactly like Bea said you were in his letters. I feel like I already know you!"
Tarquin shoved the dildo into his pocket, its curved end poking out like a rhino horn. He held out his hand. "Your Uncle Beardsley was a dreadful old git—never got on with him, and he always pronounced my name wrong just to rile me. I'm Tarquin Bough, as in cough, and that's the end of it. Christopher Hardacre, eh? My new neighbor!"
As Tarquin shook Christopher's square hand, his gaze wandered down the planes of Christopher's dripping chest, down to his muscular stomach and those wet shorts that clung to his every contour.
My other dander's up now, blast it.
Catherine Curzon is a royal historian who writes on all matters of 18th century. Her work has been featured on many platforms and Catherine has also spoken at various venues including the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and Dr Johnson's House. Her first play, Being Mr Wickham, premiered in 2019.
Eleanor Harkstead likes to dash about in nineteenth-century costume, in bonnet or cravat as the mood takes her. She can occasionally be found wandering old graveyards.
Eleanor is very fond of chocolate, wine, tweed waistcoats and nice pens. Her large collection of vintage hats would rival Hedda Hopper's.
Facebook| Twitter
Release Blitz: Rebound by V.L. Locey
Rebound | V.L. Locey
Overtime #1
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2ZLPZuG
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2QTLcDN
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/ReboundVLL
If there's one thing that's a certainty in life, it's change.
It's taken Victor Kalinski years to settle into the kind of happiness that he thought he'd never find. The small town of Cayuga, New York, has welcomed him warmly. It's given him a championship team to coach, a tightly-knit group of friends, a father who he has reconciled with, and a safe place to raise the son he adores.
The small town has also blessed him with Dan Arou, his husband and his soulmate, and one of the most skilled forwards on the Cougars. Given Dan's outstanding play in their recent Calder Cup win, it was inevitable that Dan's time in the minors was about to come to an end.
When Dan is given a starting position in Boston, Victor's serene life is thrown into complete chaos. Pride over Dan's accomplishment fills his heart but facing a long, lonely season in Cayuga is causing no small amount of discord.
Add in a wedding that will give his son a new stepfather, health issues for his dad, and Victor's own penchant for saying things that aren't exactly politically correct, and the impending explosion is guaranteed to blow Vic's life to bits.
Life-altering choices will have to be made. Will Victor rebound from the challenges, or will he be unable to accept the upheavals that life has dealt him?
Point Shot Trilogy – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Coach's Challenge – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Doctor Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.)
She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.
When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.
Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
Blog Tour: LUST. HATE. LOVE by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
LUST. HATE. LOVE | Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
Fallen Angels #4
Cover Design: Hang Le
Photographer: Rafa Catala
Model: Fabián Castro
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/34D34YF
Amazon Universal: mybook.to/LustHateLove
As the sexy, charismatic bassist for world-famous rock band Fallen Angel, whatever Killian Michaels wants, Killian Michaels gets.
Or at least that was the case until the band's gorgeous new manager, Levi Walker, shot him down after a blistering first kiss.
For Levi, managing these five guys is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he's not about to let a case of sexual desire get in his way. He's efficient, professional, and plays by the book. But tension simmers beneath Levi's cool exterior every time Killian's near, and soon enough the passion boils over, consuming them both.
As the Corruption tour takes them from country to country, a heated game of cat and mouse ensues. Levi tries to deny the irresistible pull of Killian's seductive nature, but with an attraction as strong as theirs, it's only a matter of time before the lust-filled hate turns to love.
LUST. HATE. LOVE. is the fourth book of the Fallen Angel Series and follows a new couple in the band. It can be read as a standalone or following ANGEL.
Fallen Angel Series
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43900158-halo
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2UyR9WY
Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/HaloFallenAngel
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43900250-viper
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2EVLkgU
Amazon Universal: mybook.to/ViperFallenAngel
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43900256-angel
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2VJXYoT
Amazon Universal: mybook.to/AngelFallenAngel
Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine USA Today Bestselling Authors
Website: www.EllaFrank.com
Website: www.BrookeBlaine.com
Email: authorsellabrooke@gmail.com
Release Blitz: LUST. HATE. LOVE by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
Posted on December 30, 2019 by Mirrigold	Leave a comment


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An SMS Platform for Dedan Kimathi University Student's.

ServiceNumber `+12055024821`

# Channels
- All (All School News and Notices)
- Notice (School Notices)
- News (School News)
- EMT2018 (Notifications for Mechatronics class)
- GEGIS2017 (Notifications for GEGIS2017 class)
- All
You can also create your own Channel. (Awesome, right).

## Commands Manual
To Register and receive a notification on a particular Channel, send `/sub [channelname]`

Unsubscribe by sending `/unsub [channelname]` to Unsubscribe from a particular Channel.

For help, send `/help`

Delete your user info completely send `STOP` (you don't wanna do this, really)

## Posting a News
To post an news/notices in a given channel(you have to be subscribed first), start your text with the `#[channelname] [your detaisl]` for example, `#Salsa No dancing practices today`

## TODO
- Add Search functionality.
- Favorite an SMS.
- Implement REST.
- Sync With [App](https://github.com/denzelwamburu/dekut).

## Contacts
For any quiries feel free to drop us an email `dkutapp@gmail.com`


Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers are well known auctioneers located in Australia. Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers offers a comprehensive range of professional auctioneering services to its clients. Ross's also encompasses complete asset disposal management system, which makes sure that the assets are correctly accounted. Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers also sees to it that the optimum value is achieved for all items.
The asset management services provided by Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers includes Site inspection of the assets and provide necessary consultation on sale methods. Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers under asset management services also provides removal of assets from designated locations and make appropriate delivery to the showrooms. Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers provides consignment of the assets including serial numbers and asset numbers for accurate asset reconciliation for asset management services.
The training facility offered by Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers under asset management services enables the professional staff to identify and market a diverse range of assets. Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers hold several auctions every week which ensures that each asset is assigned to the correct outlet and also undertakes marketing in order to obtain maximum return on the assets.


Juilliard can be found in New York, NY, a nonprofit private college which focuses on only a select few programs offered. Juilliard has only about 1000 enrolled students, which allows them to offer smaller classes.
The acceptance rate of The Juilliard School is considered highly competitive, with only 7 percent of students which applied on average being accepted. You can get more information from the admissions office website at juilliard.edu.
The overall acceptance rate for The Juilliard School was reported as 7.3% in Fall 2013 with over 2,330 applications submitted to this school. Both in state and out of state applicants are included in these figures. We do not have data on transfer acceptance rates currently.
The historical trend chart shows acceptance rates from the previous years, from which we have projected the acceptance rate for the 2019-2020 school year. The overall acceptance rate trend for The Juilliard School has been staying about the same from year to year.
The acceptance rate for The Juilliard School is more than 100% lower than the national average of all colleges which is around 55.5%.


Come work in The Foundry at Time Inc.'s new Brooklyn offices as Chef/Food Stylist for our new breakfast-centric project. You're more than someone who lives in the kitchen (although that's true, too): You're a food hacker. As Chef/Food Stylist, you'll be our experimenter. You know more than just how to reverse engineer any brunch dish that you come across—you've also poached 1,000 eggs 15 different ways just to find the best way to do it (and you loved it and filmed it all). You have experience in the food industry and culinary certification, a strong social media presence, an Instagram that'll drop our jaws, and a list of recipe ideas that'll blow our breakfast-loving minds. You'll cook up recipes that'll stretch the definition of the meal, style food for our media, and dream up franchises for the Food channel and that'll be featured on social media. You'll help set the tone for the food coverage on the site. Now, go ahead, make our mouths water.


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3 Gripping New Books About Family Crimes
Ilana Lucas
A heinous or extreme act perpetrated by a person close to us may make us question everything we know about our lives. It's an enormous betrayal when the people we cherish and defend act in ways we never would have thought possible. Families and friendships are seriously tested in the new novels in this week's book club; some won't survive.
The Dead Ex
What do you do when a family member becomes an ex-family member, then goes missing? Vicki Goudman works from home as an aromatherapy practitioner, trying to calm her clients with mixtures of lavender and ylang-ylang. Her life suddenly becomes anything but relaxed, however, when at the end of a session she finds police at her door, telling her that her ex-husband has gone missing. Vicki and her husband David had a passionate but short marriage, in large part because she discovered he was also satisfying his passions elsewhere — with his assistant Tanya, who became his wife after Vicki was finally finished. David had used Vicki's epilepsy and frequent memory lapses to formerly convince her of his innocence; any time she became suspicious, she was told that she had forgotten vital information.
The Forgotten Hours
"A man comes toward them, whooping loudly, and dares them to jump into the lake. His laugh bounces over the water, off the pines on the opposite bank, and then back at them. He's wearing faded pink-and-green swimming trunks, musty from being crammed in a drawer. Lulu is almost as tall as he is, and her hair touches his shoulder as he stands next to her, eyeing the spring-fed water. He is stocky and muscular, the hairs on his broad chest darker than the closely cropped hair on his head. 'My beautiful girls,' he says, though only one of them is his child. 'Too cold for you?' The other girl is his daughter, Katie — the slight one with the lank, midlength blonde hair. She feels as though she might burst when her father smiles at her. His approval is oxygen to her. It is always this way. Everyone wants to please him, make him laugh. She'd like to jump in to show him how tough she is, but she can't."
Goodbye, Perfect
What do you do when your best friend tells you to keep a crime secret from your family? In Barnard's YA novel, she explores the hazards of perfectionism and ultra-high expectations for teens. British 16-year-old Eden Rose McKinley was adopted into a loving family with two other children (one adopted, one biological) when she was nine. Known as an okay student, a little disruptive, but nothing major, she enjoys her stable relationship with the refreshingly un-macho Connor, who takes care of his mother with severe rheumatoid arthritis. Above all, though she finds balance in her best friend Bonnie, who she met nine years ago. Bonnie is the perfect young woman; she plays the flute, gets amazing grades, and is head prefect. So it's a huge surprise when Eden's studious friend goes missing one day — and has urged her not to say anything.
Ilana is an English professor, theatre consultant and playwright based in Toronto, Canada. When she's not at the theatre or insisting that literary criticism can be fun, she's singing a cappella or Mozart, occasionally harmonizing with the symphony, or playing "Under Pressure" with her rock handbell group, Pavlov's Dogs.
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The Best 15 Holiday Photo Cards For Spreading The Holiday Cheer This Year
Jess Ekstrom on the One Small Thing That Can Help You Be More Optimistic
Day of the Dead Stories and DIYs to Celebrate Lost Loved Ones


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New 'Warcraft' TV Spot Released By Legendary
By The Movie God | @ | Monday, January 25th, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Legendary Pictures has released a new TV spot for Warcraft, the movie set in the same universe as the popular online multiplayer game World of Warcraft.
The movie is directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code), and stars Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Dominic Cooper (The Devil's Double), Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Ben Schnetzer (Pride), Rob Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Daniel Wu (Into the Badlands), and Ruth Negga (Preacher).
You can read a synopsis and check out the new Warcraft TV spot below.
From Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures comes Warcraft, an epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based on Blizzard Entertainment's global phenomenon.
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home.
So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.
Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones, the film starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Rob Kazinsky and Daniel Wu is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production.
The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O'Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce. Warcraft will be released by Universal Pictures.
If you missed it, you can also check out the full trailer with much more footage here as well.
Warcraft will be released in theaters on June 10th of this year.
[Source: Legendary]
Topics: Movies, News, Videos
Tags: Ben Foster, Ben Schnetzer, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Dominic Cooper, Duncan Jones, Paula Patton, Robert Kazinsky, Ruth Negga, Toby Kebbell, Travis Fimmel, Warcraft, World of Warcraft
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Jack McCarthy, who doubles in the role of August Rush/Evan Taylor, made his Broadway debut at age 8 as Michael in Finding Neverland. His other credits include Shadowlands Off-Broadway, and the films Viper Club, Family Fang and The Path on TV.
uxley Westemeier, doubling as August Rush/Evan Taylor, played Billy and understudied Lawrence in the National Broadway Tour School of Rock the Musical. Other credits include Watch On the Rhine at The Guthrie Theater, Jesus Christ Superstar at The Ordway, and as Manny in the world premiere of Diary of A Wimpy Kid the Musical directed by Rachel Rockwell at Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis.
Leenya Rideout (right, with Jack McCarthy), who plays Hope, performed on Broadway in War Horse, Cyrano de Bergerac, Company and Cabaret. Her Off-Broadway credits include Wild Abandon, Before We're Gone, As You Like It and Taming of the Shrew.
Broadway musical theater star George Abud will play August Rush's long lost father, Lewis. Abud's Broadway credits include The Band's Visit starring Katrina Lenk and Tony Shalhoub and The Visit starring Chita Rivera and Roger Rees. Off Broadway he played in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui opposite Raúl Esparza, Nathan The Wise opposite F. Murray Abraham, Peer Gynt opposite Gabriel Ebert, Allegro directed by John Doyle for Classic Stage Company and The Band's Visit at Atlantic Theater Company.
Huxley Westemeier (foreground) with ensemble members (from left) Troy Valjean Rucker, Katrina Yaukey and Lizzie Hagstedt.
John Doyle, the internationally acclaimed director who earned a Tony Award for Sweeney Todd and also staged the Broadway revival of The Color Purple starring Jennifer Hudson, helms August Rush.
Broadway veteran John Hickok will play dual roles, Wizard/Father. Hickok originated the roles of Governor Slaton in Parade, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, Zoser in Aida on Broadway and is featured on all three cast albums.
Aurora - From April 24 to June 2, August Rush: The Musical will be presented at Aurora's Paramount Theatre, 23 East Galena Boulevard. Showings are Wednesday through Sunday at various times listed on the theatre's website.
August Rush: The Musical tells the story of Evan Taylor, an 11-year-old orphan who believes in music like some believe in fairytales. In a cruel twist of fate, Evan's mother, an accomplished classical cellist and his father, the lead singer of a rock band, don't even know of his existence. From one foster home to the next, Evan refuses to give up hope in finding his parents. On this relentless search, he surrenders himself to the symphony of sounds in the city and follows the music, discovering his own genius along the way. In this inspiring love story, music is everywhere, but will it lead Evan home?
The major motion picture August Rush, a 2007 Warner Bros. release, featured Freddie Highmore as August Rush, with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Lewis,Keri Russell as Lyla and Robin Williams as Wizard. The story is by Paul Castro, and the screenplay is by Nick Castle and James V. Hart. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Paramount's August Rush production team is John Doyle, director; Glen Berger, book and lyrics; Mark Mancina, music and lyrics; Dave Metzger, orchestrator and arranger; JoAnn M. Hunter, choreographer; Greg Jarrett, music director/conductor; Scott Pask, scenic designer; Ann Hould-Ward, costume designer; Paul Toben, lighting designer; Dan Moses Schreier, sound designer; Joe Burke, projection designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup designer; Jesse Gaffney, properties designer; Trent Stork and Stewart Whitley, casting; Adam John Hunter, stage manager; Christine D'Amore, assistant stage manager; and Matthew McMullen, assistant stage manager.
Paramount Theatre's Broadway Series, now in its eighth season, is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank, Dunham Fund, ComEd and City of Aurora. August Rush: The Musical is sponsored by Rush-Copley Medical Center.
Tickets range $36-$69. Purchase tickets at paramountaurora.com/events/august-rush or call the box office at 630-896-6666, Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm.


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