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I found rare £2 coin worth staggering amount… here's how to check if your change is worth a fortune | The Sun
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Home » Fashion » Crown Princess Mary wears emerald-cut engagement ring – pictures
Crown Princess Mary wears emerald-cut engagement ring – pictures
Crown Princess Mary, born Mary Donaldson, is an Australian native who married Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark in 2004 after meeting during the 2000 Summer Olympics. Their official engagement in 2003 and their marriage the following year were the subject of extensive attention from Australian and European news media.
They portrayed the marriage as a modern "fairytale" romance between a Prince and a commoner. The couple became officially engaged on October 8, 2003.
Some royal engagement rings are classic, some are simple, and some are more ostentatious.
But the ring Crown Prince Frederik gave to Mary was more patriotic than anything else and a sweet tribute to his mother country.
Frederik presented Mary with an engagement ring featuring an emerald-cut diamond and two emerald-cut ruby baguettes, which are the colours of Denmark's flag.
The colours were chosen specifically by Frederik because of the poignancy of Mary marrying into the Danish Royal Family, and renouncing her Australian citizenship.
After the royal wedding in May 2004, Mary began stacking the engagement ring with her diamond-set wedding band.
In recent years, the engagement ring has been altered slightly. Two more diamonds have been added – one on either side of the ring.
This made the ring look more substantial, and it is certainly a piece fit for a future Queen.
Mary's ring can now be seen with additional symbolic weight. She gave birth to twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine in 2011, now aged 12.
After this, Crown Princess Mary had another two diamonds added to her engagement ring alongside the rubies.
The four side stones are supposed to represent the couple's four children, including the heir to the throne Prince Christian, now aged 17, and Princess Isabella, aged 15.
She frequently pairs the engagement ring with a white gold channel-set wedding band.
Crown Princess Mary occasionally takes off her engagement ring and wedding band, instead choosing to wear a simple gold band by the Danish jewellers, Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen.
The curved "Love Bands Ring" features white and chocolate brown diamonds, costing £2,097.
On her left hand, Mary also wears a custom-made gold ring, featuring coloured precious stones by Marianne Dulong, another fine jewellery brand favoured by the Crown Princess.
Mary often wears a flashier ring on her right hand in place of her engagement and wedding rings.
It appears to be larger than her wedding set with a thick, domed band, with pave diamonds.
Mary wore the larger ring during the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the Danish Supreme Court in 2019.
Once again, her wedding set was missing in place for this newer ring.
Most likely, Crown Princess Mary's love of fine jewels has given her the freedom to change up her look to match her outfit and she simply chooses to leave her wedding set at home for certain events.
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2 edition of Mapping natural ecosystems in Latin America 1993 found in the catalog.
Mapping natural ecosystems in Latin America 1993
mapping natural ecosystems for sustainable communities
Published 1993 by Western Canada Wilderness Committee - WILD Campaign in Vancouver, British Columbia .
Biotic communities -- Latin America -- Atlases.,
Ecosystem management -- Latin America -- Atlases.,
Latin America -- Natural resources -- Atlases.
Statement [written and prepared by Adriane Carr et al.]
Contributions Carr, Adriane., Western Canada Wilderness Committee., Canadian International Development Agency.
LC Classifications G1541.G3 M33 1993
Pagination 48, [16], 12 p. :
This is a low resolution poster map of the Grand Canyon region provided by the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center). The poster map was exported from ESRI ArcGIS Desktop as a inch by inch output at 96 dots per inch (dpi). A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text.
ecosystem translation in English-Latin dictionary. en Here I would recall the balanced position of Saint John Paul II, who stressed the benefits of scientific and technological progress as evidence of "the nobility of the human vocation to participate responsibly in God's creative action", while also noting that "we cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due. General. The present Latin American populations are the consequences of a process that began in Northeastern Asia as early as 15,–18, years ago (among others, Schurr and Sherry, ; Fagundes et al., ; Perego et al., ; Salzano, , ).After the arrival of Europeans and Africans a little over five centuries ago, a complex process of .
The mission of Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is to provide scientific information needed to conserve and manage the Nation's natural capital for current and future generations, with an emphasis on migratory birds, Department of the Interior trust resources, and ecosystems of the Nation's interior. latin_america_climate Notes for in yoru : File Size: kb: File Type: docx: Download File. : File Size: 53 kb: File Type: docx: Download File. Directions for the above article "Haiti information" DOCUMENT 1 ONLY- this was handed in and graded 1. In the margins, write the main idea of each of the 4 sections in.
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paraphrase and comment upon the Epistles and Gospels
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Mapping natural ecosystems in Latin America 1993 Download PDF EPUB FB2
"Mapping Latin America is the first publication that takes on the ambitious and long overdue task of showcasing the crucial role that maps have played in shaping human communities across the entire region and, no less importantly, in demonstrating their value to students and scholars alike in gaining new insights into the societies that produced them [T]he volume succeeds.
Mapping the Value of Ecosystem Services in Latin America and the Caribbean Juha V. Siikamäki, Peter Vail, Rebecca Epanchin-Niell, and Francisco Santigo-Avila In Latin America and the Caribbean, biodiversity and ecosystems are among the region's most valuable assets and of strategic importance for attaining long-term sustainable development.
In Mapping Latin America,Jordana Dym and Karl Offen bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines to examine and interpret more than five centuries of Latin American dual chapters take on maps of every size and scale and from a wide variety of mapmakers – from the hand-drawn maps of Native Americans, to those by famed Price Range: £ - £ This ecological classification of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was developed using a standard framework of classification for terrestrial and wetland ecosystems to provide the LAC region's component of an International Ecological Classification Standard.
Its report introduces and outlines the conceptual basis of the classification and summarizes the nearly InThe Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) provided the first global assessment of the world's ecosystems and ecosystem services. It concluded that recent trends in ecosystem change threatened human wellbeing due to declining ecosystem services.
This bleak prophecy has galvanized conservation organizations, ecologists, and economists to work toward rigorous valuations of ecosystem. In addition, the book documents a toolbox of ecosystem service mapping, modeling, and valuation models that both The He has worked in Asia, Latin America and North America and in marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.
The other editors have a wealth of experience in the field. Product details. File Size: KB;5/5(1). The aim of Project III, Ecosystems Atlas of South America and Antarctic, is to create image-maps and an atlas using satellite imagery, more particularly to: develop educational material on the subjects of geography, science and the environment-distribute data and educational material for study of the environment and natural resources.
Highlights Ecosystem service research has developed rapidly in Latin America. Ecosystem service supply and policy have been most frequently addressed. Emphasis has been given to carbon and water.
Payments for ecosystem services are increasingly being implemented in the region, though with strong differences among countries and facing important challenges. Cited by: To map cities in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, they have been joined by the Inter-American Development Bank, and Mercy Corps.
PROJECT OVERVIEW The Ecosystem Connections Mapping Project aims to advance both understanding and support for entrepreneurs by creating the largest and best-maintained database of connections among key. Start studying Ecosystems in Latin America.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Contents PROLOGUE 8 INTRODUCTION 1 WHY LAND 13 Land, power and democracy 14 Land and conflict 16 Land and development 16 Land and organized crime 18 2.
MORE LAND IN FEWER HANDS 21 The largest 1% of farms occupy over half of agricultural land 23 The smallest 80% of farms occupy less than 13% of land. Resources. The resources listed below are a compilation of all available guidelines, books, studies, reports, articles, training materials and documentation on indigenous peoples from.
The future of the ecosystem service paradigm in Latin America will largely dep end on its capacity to demonstrate effectiveness in meeting both conservation and development goals.
& Elsevier B.V. "Mapping Latin America is the first publication that takes on the ambitious and long overdue task of showcasing the crucial role that maps have played in shaping human communities across the entire region and, no less importantly, in demonstrating their value to students and scholars alike in gaining new insights into the societies that produced them Reviews: 3.
In book: Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, second edition, Edition: 2, Chapter: 6, Publisher: Academic Press, Editors: S.A. Levin, pp natural ecosystems in Latin America. Related documents Fishers' knowledge and the ecosystem approach to fisheries: applications, experiences and lessons in Latin America Book Fisheries and aquaculture - General aspects Putting into practice an ecosystem approach to managing sea cucumber fisheries Boom-and-bust cycles are commonplace in the exploitation history of sea cucumber fisheries but.
The tapestry of life on Earth is unraveling as humans increasingly dominate and transform natural ecosystems. Scarce resources and dwindling time force conservationists to target their actions to stem the loss of biodiversity—a pragmatic approach, given the highly uneven distribution of species and threats (Soulé and KohmOlson and DinersteinMace et al.
The soils of the region stock 5% of the soil organic carbon of Latin America on 3% of its area. Driven by high prices of soybean, the soybean area increased by % between andat the expense of 2 million ha (5%) of native grassland, mostly in the Pampas.
Books. An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Video. An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio. An illustration of a " floppy disk. Software. An illustration of two photographs. Images. An illustration of a heart shape Donate. An illustration of text ellipses.
More. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting. Ecosystems provide goods including food, fiber, and fuel, as well as services such as pollination and flood control, all necessary for human survival.
Mapping global terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems is necessary for conservation. To understand ecosystems, we must first catalog the location and makeup of each unique ecosystem on Earth.
Mangrove ecosystems. Mangrove ecosystems in the Latin America and Caribbean region cover approximately 28% of the total area of LECZ occupied by these ecosystems worldwide (Spalding et al., ) and are related to .Our Timeline.
The network of natural heritage programs is launched by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with state partners. South Carolina and Mississippi are the initial states. The first natural heritage methodology training course is held, with one student (Tom Kohlsaat of South Carolina). There have since been well more than such courses, and the .Agroecology is an applied science that involves the adaptation of ecological concepts to the structure, performance, and management of sustainable agroecosystems.
In Latin America, agroecological practices have a long history and vary between regions but share three main approaches or levels: plot scale, farm scale, and food system scale. Agroecology in Latin .
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Mr. Hall received his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1993. He obtained his Master of Laws degree in Taxation from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2000.


The larger wiver moved, and the smaller drake turned round.
"Quite the day we've had, Cynfe." Adwyn found his usual smirk.
The bluegreen wiver tossed her head and slinked past him, down the twisting ramp. That ramp saw one into the town hall's interstitial lobby. One could only move forward through it: up the left corridor one followed the smell of pyrite and electrum; down the middle a ramp lead to the officialities of Mlaen's throne room, and on the right corridor there lingered the dust from feet of all the foreign advisers. Adwyn's too.
The high secretary started into the lobby, and the military adviser came at her heels. She still wore the scaleconcealing cloak from earlier, and he still wore his schizon armor.
Scrolls rested here on shelves. Many were clawed in foreign tongues, in foreign scripts, and some were made illegible by time; no one had noticed. Some of the rugs or banners here were woven of a curiously fine silk; no one could place it. Paintings touched all the walls, tempting the gaze of all who came down here. They all had the same name clawed in the corners; no one had complimented her.
She didn't even glance at the paints as she high walked past; but with the frustration working through her frills, it could just be other things drawing her mind.
Who else was there? Instead of saying it, the adviser overtook the secretary, aiming toward the dusty corridor, toward his office.
Wordless, the bluegreen wiver followed him to the mouth of the dusty corridor.
A question which merited no answer — a question he did not answer.
The wiver had her frills fluttering smugly as though he had, though.
With a tossed head he looked down the hall. Their leisurely pace would bring them to his office after another quick exchange. The orange drake glanced at the wiver.
"The exile, the sky-dweller." The embarrassing puzzle of a wiver.
"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" She would like it to seem that way.
They slipped into the corridor. The light came dimmer here, and now the murmur of phatic conversation was rearing up in their frills.
"A thief who only admits to getting orders from some blighter claiming to be the shadow of the night." Who could trust that testimony?
So they walked wordlessly on till Adwyn turned the doorway to the office of the Dyfnderi advisers, where a light orange wiver had another, darker orange drake up against the wall, snouts pressed together.
He turned back around, and they continued walking.
"What about Hinte?" Adwyn asked.
"Oh? Good for her." The secretary licked her brilles and smiled a different sort of smile. She was adding, "Gyras ago, Gronte was telling me how melancholy the wiver was." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "I didn't have the time to spend with her, then, and… that still hasn't changed," she said. It had the whispered quality of a confession, and the wiver was watching the rocky floor shift as she walked.
The adviser always walked with a baton, strapped to a foreleg. Now a wing brushed the hilt. Lingered for just a moment. Adwyn, the black ascendant, had sworn a vow of pacifism; he reminded himself. Violence wasn't proscribed; but it was discouraged.
They continued walking like that, strides more distance between them.
This corridor didn't end. As it wound along, it curved. By now, the pair had looped around and were walked up the other hallway.
"What was the point of dragging me along?" asked Cynfe.
They padded back into the lobby like this. Without answering, Cynfe strode over to the mouth of the ramp downward.
It wasn't the throne room, but standing on her dillerskin rest, wearing those vermilliondyed robes, staring down at the orange drake with her eyes strangely intense, that seemed a detail.
The red wiver had moiled in the dim of a single lamp, and now Cynfe darted around to light a few others. The reality that was limned in full light contrasted without contradicting: the faer's posture hung taut and rigid, as if she were wrung up; her makeup had been washed away yet an acidic smell hung around; the two lamps were shining behind her, and the swelling shadows under her eyes weren't just the lighting.
This was the faer of Gwymr/Frina. Perhaps the one truly exceptional player on their side of the board, barring Adwyn himself. With Bariaeth being… difficult — crytic behind his beatific smile — the faer stood the last remaining beacon for reaching the mystery at the depth of this mess.
And he had disappointed her.
Adwyn watched the red wiver settle back on her dark, dillerskin rest and watched her gesture for him to sit himself on a rough pycnofiber mat laying small before her desk. "I know," he said.
The secretary stood herself at the faer's right side, inkwell and fernpaper in wing, her scowl turned blank and receptive. Idly she was brushing her robes.
As ever, Mlaen-sofran watched. Contemplative, analyzing, regarding, peering, looking: all of these, but there was something more, something hidden. As ever, her brilles remained clouded.
Beneath her eyes a snout extended until its sharp end, where red lipscales wavered between an almost smile and an almost frown. A wing scratched her cheek; she yawned. Then at last, she looked down.
The slab of Mlaen's desk was just stone. Papers swarmed over its face. None ever survived the night, yet they would return like weeds. A scratchy leaf of fernpaper laid center on the desk. It was Rhyfel's report; Adwyn could read upside down.
He found himself looking back toward her face instead, though. While her brilles still looked cloudy, he could find the outline of her pupils scanning the page. He could watch the muscles around them shift and tighten, the slow sweeps as she took in the guard's sketches, the saccades over text, and the instants where they were still.
"You should sleep, Sofrani," he said.
Mlaen's voice was drenched. "There's still work to do." She looked back at him. The faer didn't quite have normal expressions anymore. Every emotion that played across her features was an inflection of the tiredness that leeched at every scale.
"More than a supposition. I knew." She'd spoken, and kept watching.
Adwyn whisked a wing. "Nothing is necessarily. Focus on the shape of things," he said.
"The Return of Dwylla." Her inflection could have been disbelief, or something about as skeptical.
"So Ushra and Gronte did leave?" Punctuated by inked scratching.
Adwyn had, in his head, practiced the flow of the day's events. Enough that when delivering his recitation to the faer, he found his mind traveling distant the landscapes of his mind. Then, starkly, a detail he'd kept hidden shone suddenly out.
Adwyn said, "There was something too sensitive to commit to my note or to my next report." He watched her look up, start listening again. "There is another Specter in Gwymr/Frina." The persistent echo of ink scratching never came.
Adwyn sucked in a breath.
Adwyn cleared his throat. Mlaen flicked her tongue.
The red wiver was looking dead at him, and for perhaps the first time in their knowing each other, the Mlaen cleared her brilles.
Behind them was nothing dramatic. She peered forth with sharp white eyes. They moved around her muted black sclerae with a slow inquisitiveness that couldn't banish all impressions of the tired, sleepless faer. Even so, her gaze seemed to grow more intense as her pupils shrunk and saccades ceased with her eyes focused on him.
Until now, it had been hard not to feel some distance between the two of them. Eyes were the seat of beauty and clear thought, and yet hers were ever hidden, ever clouded.
For perhaps the first time, Adwyn truly met her gaze, and smiled because of it.
It was a second like this before Adwyn started, brow creasing in worry and fear. He did not exclaim, or shift his seating, or even break eye, but his polite glance became a stare, and his tongue waved and whirled.
Even as he looked, it was hard to be sure, but the dimness of the room gave it away.
Mlaen's eyes were glowing softly.
Adwyn licked his brilles, nothing changed.
Mlaen was looking back at the page. Breaths passed, till the paper folded and found an arc to a bin.
"Yes, that. The supposed purpose of the eyes is complete fiction. Started by the drake himself, perhaps. However, there is superficial truth to it." Now one heard silence in the room, no papers shifting or ink scratching.
It had seemed — academic, that Gwymr/Frina's faer was older than his mother; a trivium that she had been personally picked by such a figure of myth as the eternal faer. Adwyn took a moment, clouding and clearing his brilles, and saw the faer again. Noticed that not only insomnia, but cruel time as well had authored her hagardness.
"It is proscribed." Mlaen said, finding another page of inked parchment.
She glanced at him again. "To offer me the title of faer when he died. I accepted, and he — alighted just cycles later." She returned to the page, read a little more, and folded and binned it.
"Again forgive me, but why… did he pick you?" he asked, and quickly added, "I'm curious." Mlaen had reigned wreathed in mystery — a puzzle proscribed to solve.
Adwyn nodded, slotting the piece into his jagged, half-unfinished picture of Gwymr/Frina and sundry.
"One problem with that, I glimpse." The wiver was smiling (smirking?) as she said it. "Dwylla reigned for nearly two dozen dozen gyras, and he died naturally in his sleep. I have been here for nearly seven dozen, and no shadowy assassins. Only disgruntled plain-dwellers." She smiled an impervious smile.
Her eyes were clouding deeply again. She nodded slowly to herself. "You fucked up Adwyn." A smile.
"You need to sleep, Mlaen. You're repeating yourself." He would smile in return, but he saved the dewing in his reserve of good humor.
A startling scrape from behind him. The forgotten high secretary, by an now unlit lamp, glanced pointed at him, lips curling as he flinched slightly.
Adwyn felt the lulling cadence of the conversation, and in his mind an abstract gaze unclouded, pointed at the future, at the pathless mystery thrust so suddenly into his awareness. To call the thieves, the smugglers, the humans and all a puzzle might betray to some an ignorance of scale; but Adwyn left no puzzle unresolved, whether it took days, cycles, or dances. And as it stood, it could not take longer than negotiating the sleeping faer into an canyon alliance.
But either goal remained pathless, and Adwyn clouded those abstract eyes. His tail wriggled a bit behind him, and he found claws slipping into the weave of the pycnofiber mat. It was vexing, to have a goal and yet be unable to pursue it.
When Adwyn high walked back down the corridor, he curled his wings besides him. Frills pressed against his neck, and his tongue was sifting for something out of place.
He could smell the perfume that wafted around the male adviser, some tempting hot smell that could do with a more handsome harbinger. The female adviser had some noisome old eyepaint whose purple smell clung. It didn't seem to have gone anywhere.
He smelt wet ink, as well.
Adwyn relaxed, his wings uncurled. Standing before the doorway, he breathed and stepped in.
There were three desks arranged like a triangle in the room. The male and female adviser had desks beside each other, and closest to the door sat Adwyn's.
Both gazes darted to him as he came in and lay on his mat. But Adwyn didn't look at them; instead, he peered breathing into his sister's fire clay vase. The motions of meditation came easy; he was comfortable upon his rest of feathered cotton and obsidian, and soon, with a fountain pen and parchment, he began drafting a report.
Adwyn glanced at the male assistant, the other Dyfnderi adviser — who didn't advise. He had a long snout and horns like spirals. Lips that were surely soft, and dark orange scales that almost shined. That slender neck led to a pleasantly muscled breast; Adwyn wouldn't've thought he worked enough to gain one. Glance back up. The assistant's wateryblue eyes would smile when he did smile, but right now he didn't.
"Finish your report." Adwyn pressed his pen to the page, filled in the literal formalities.
Across the room, the female adviser scowled the distance. He didn't need to see this, imagination and experience was enough.
His frills twisted as the male's chair scuffed slowly around, and afterward ink softly splashed. It was breaths before Adwyn heard sleeves brushing pages from both desks, and the room was quietly working.
Dead weight. The scrawny pair of neophytes only succeeded in sloughing paperwork from his scales.
Did it ever gleam to the assistants that Mlaen apparently trusted he alone among them? Did their uselessness weigh on them as it weighed on him?
He heard a throat clear, and when she spoke, a tasteful lilt inflected her tone.
Adwyn stalled his clawing, and considered a trice the reflection on the vase, the wiver. She had simple gray eyes, and around them colorful eyepaint. Rough almost chitinous lipscales that suited her frown. Robes that hung on her wings instead of her back, like elytra. Orange scales darkened down her legs to near black, and she had a certain manner of hum high like a buzz.
The female stood taller, but he still saw her as some manner of eyeless scuttling bug. Beneath him.
The female assistant's motivation always gleamed dim, dull. Advancement or status, mayhaps. But what source lit this question? Flattery, entertainment? Boredom, bright curiosity? A scheme? Yet she lacked the opportunity or desire to scheme anything relevant.
And irregardless, the assistants did have one other use, Adwyn emended: to act as a sort of sponge for his thoughts, to soak and retain.
"How does she blend into your plans?" she asked.
Brilles cleared, and Adwyn's head whirled around. His lips twitched; transparency was a virtue, yes, but among his minders it was an instinct. Dull of him to forget, but understandable: the responsibility so rarely flickered across their behavior.
A pause, before some smile spread its buzzing wings. "You mentioned that she could kill." It was so blandly dropped into the quiet, like some unimplicating observation.
Adwyn turned, the smooth balls of his rest gliding quietly on the floor. He look at the female, who'd already turned around, foreleg sliding her pen across the page.
The same thing I always have planned. The same thing you should have planned, but subtler than you can manage.
Wordlessly, the military adviser sighed, and whirled his rest back around.
Forever their suspicion clouded him, and forever his gutted reputation as the black ascendent grounded him. One would think, in their perspective, Adwyn couldn't sip a glass of water but malignly, and could but menace as he whistled on his morning stroll. Every tryst a conspiracy, every joke a codeword.
The orange drake breathed, clouded the brilles of his soul. He would stand calm. There was no need for anger, nothing it could accomplish. He returned to his report.
Adwyn's focus swiftly departed the report. He knew it would resolve nothing save Mlaen's inveterate itch to have every last draught of air or tongueflick of her guards be documented and archived.
What the adviser wanted was another recognized accomplishment under his name, another unsightly criminal off the streets of Gwymr/Frina.
He wanted Wrang of Llosgi Hoddi.
Adwyn knew that blighter lay at the depth of it all. Leader of that Dychwelfa cult (sanctioned in three locations, while Gwymr had no church of Dyfns), liaison with the apes, and no doubt the one who'd sown chaos in Rhyfel-ann's guard.
All he needed was the evidence, and they could make the arrest.
Wrang lived in the west end, in the new Llosgi Hoddi estate. In order to rise early with the first sun for his inscrutable strolls, the plain-dweller would be sleeping right now.
It would be half a ring or less; the black ascendant could fly west, enter the estate, and the problem could be — severed at the head.
Adwyn had taken a vow of pacifism.
Still, if he entered the estate without his engraved, elegantly curved aluminum blade (which still sharp in its dillerskin sheath at the depth of his travel chest) then Adwyn could talk to Wrang, and with words weaved, or rendered, or advanced with turn by turn deliberation, he could talk out a confession.
Without witness for it, when any slip up of Wrang would surely to be denied once brought in front of the faer.
No; for now, Adwyn would leave him to his slumber.
Gyras ago, Mlaen had known that some scarred, tailless plain-dweller, one Brigg of Aludu Dymestl, had stood hidden atop the empire of drugs that had rooted in the cliffs. Fruitless dances had flown by, and the problem had festered.
In the end, she never pinned evidence on Brigg. No, the inquirers had, and they acquired his confession.
The inquirers. They were… an option.
But how did one summon an inquirer? On occasion one saw them drift through the town hall, on very bad days one saw them menacing through the streets and whenever one visited Wydrllos there was one in action.
Adwyn presumed they answered to Mlaen. He ought to trust her to deploy them. But if he were the prime mover, the one alone who saved Gwymr/Frina, it could look quite bright under his name.
He could repair his reputation, little by little.
But first, he had to summon an inquirer.
There was no sound of footsteps padding up, no swish of robes, no huff of cyclic breath. And not even that ghostly nerval hum which haunted living things.
No, first Adwyn felt something was wrong, like lady death breathing down his neck. But his time was not now; if it were, it would already have been too late.
The balls of Adwyn's rest slid quietly across the smooth floor. Now, though, the tiny scuffing squeak came like the scream of some fated prey.
Behind him stood a dragon. Gray nets hanging just out of the sleeves. Black robes resting still, stabs of red stalking up in very straight lines. A dark, dark snout extending from the cowl. Fangs dry of even saliva.
The adviser dipped into his reserve of good humor. "So severe," he said with a hisslaugh. "I glimpse that inquiry is dark work, but Dyfns's breath, have a drop of sweetness. Are you this dour in the bedroom?" It was easy, to joke, to stoke the giddy flames in his soul. An inquirer. Was this luck? Dyfn's plan? Had he caused this?
Across the room, the male assistant's brilles had gone pale and bloodless, and there was venom spicing the air. Cowards. They were not the ones who should fear inquirers.
Like instinct, Adwyn glanced back. The snout had smiled. One smelt the drops of sweetness he'd asked for; and only one fang was bedewed.
A foreleg was held out and the sleeves slid to reveal fernpaper tied close with a string of moss.
Adwyn glanced at the male adviser, the female and back. He opened his mouth. He closed it. The note changed feet, and was unrolled. He read it with a glance.
"Is this a joke?" He looked up.
The inquirer had soundlessly left.
No answers there. He looked back to the note.
Adwyn could refuse. He could finish the report that'd been interrupted enough. It wasn't official business; the inquirers only took orders, and Adwyn answered to Mlaen alone. It was at best the request of a — friend. Adwyn could refuse, and get work done.
He wouldn't, but he could.
Adwyn sighed and stood up. He thought quickly; meanwhile the assistants were still reacting to the inquirer.
The female was taking a long withheld breath. The male was licking fangs and glanced around. Their brilles grew very dark, as blood finally returned to them.
"That sweetness smelt real," said Adwyn with a smirk.
Adwyn closed his mouth, and glanced at the male assistant and she did too. The sudden words had tripped them, and meaning came after the fall.
"Smells like we aren't finishing this report tonight," said the female.
Adwyn affixed her with a look that once could have plotted murder. Now, it whined like a defanged snake.
"And the Dyfnderi put forth a united front," the female said. She stood up and she rose taller than Adwyn on his rest.
"Many eyes see clearer," added the male with a nod.
He moved like a draft down the hall, and reached the ramp hearing slight padding behind him. Voices were calling.
He pressed out the big doors in a run, and he leapt from the top of the town hall. Dark against a dark sky, he trusted the stealth. There were — permanent ways of dealing with nuisances like them, but he had sworn a vow.
The assistants stepped through doors, and leapt after his scent. They winged in his direction.
Once he banked and turned, though, they were starless.
The eastern side of town, withered or blighted, slouched beside the Berwem. The northern side grew wild and overlarge, and the west was vibrant and green, yet fruitless.
Here in the center, though, there fell a sort of stiffness or trimmedness. Guards patrolled the roofs on turtles, and Adwyn watched as the carried lamps traced a sort of mortal starfield to match the sky's offering. It had more seeking stars, though.
Adwyn spent a glance up at the stars, and watched the true seeking stars, the meteors, as they slithered across the sky. One had grown very big and bright, and moved quickly earthward. Perhaps it would strike true.
Below, buildings blended and blurred as he flew on. Toward the big bridge. A thick, redundant construct, which felt the strides of the caterpillar cows who every day hauled in the sifts. The bridge split the slouching east side from the glass shops of the business district.
Sifters or glassworkers were alike in how little a difference the job made to them. So many prodding, breathless posters asking for more sifters, more blowers. To lift Gwymr/Frina out of the shadows, to polish it to a shine. The caterpillar cows came from far off in the plains, the glazeward from an obscure forest serum, the glassworking equipment (some of it) from Pteryxian design, of all things. Gwymr/Frina was reaching high and far, for — something. Adwyn wondered what, and why. He knew the literal answer; he did not know the meaning of it.
Adwyn had overshot the big bridge. But staring down at the ground, he caught a familiar glint of gemstones sown into a gaudy cloak.
Beside the sky-dweller slinked another dragon without anything so identifying. When they passed a lamp one also glimpsed the silhouette of a fluttering thing. The party aimed deeper into the east side.
Before the orange drake lighted down they had all disappeared into the night.
Meanwhile, another figure had emerged from the shadows on the east side, with that swinging confident step and that glowing smell like something overripe.
Were that all he saw, Adwyn might've lighted down right behind him as a surprise. When he looked back at the big bridge, though, he saw, coming toward the bridge, a figure measuring forth with all the severity of a Black Fang, and all the precision of an eternity clock.
He would have been worried if that wasn't all it took to identify the figure.
Adwyn stole to the ground on the east side, behind a building which eagerly perched by the river. If a road didn't wind right between them, one would think it would fall in. Almost like it didn't want to be on the east side.
Adwyn didn't either, and it only took these few thoughts before he had sight of the big bridge again, around a corner of that eager storefront, which let him peek unseen. He breathed deeper the farther he got from the filth.
Rightly, you'd guess that the figure's precise strides overtook the sauntering of the Rhyfel the younger. They met on the near end of the bridge. The figure stopped still, his cloak swinging and flapping around him. One could see he wore something black beneath the cloak. He merely regarded the high guard, his expression for himself and whoever could parse the cowl's shadows.
Rhyfel-ann waved slightly, the sort of wave given so many times the gesture resided half in memory. He still wore the schizon armor he'd had on the mission.
Here was the high guard and the last, closest friend of his traitor father; the heretic alchemist, the green devil. The forest-dweller who survived the Inquiry.
What matter would concern the two of them? What would they discuss in private? Adwyn knew eavesdropping.
Rhyfel-ann spoke first; a lesser drake would have trouble hearing a conversation across the street. Adwyn the black ascendant did not.
"You." The high guard spoke the word like a curse.
"Sounds mighty captivating." Adwyn couldn't hear him laugh, but knew he did.
"I will, we're just waiting for the adviser. I invited him." Rhyfel-ann looked down the big bridge again. "You ought to have met him this morning," he added.
Ushra flicked his tongue, and moved his head; he glanced at the corner of the eager storefront.
Adwyn had slipped back when the gaze moved this way, but it nonetheless set his frills still, and his eyescales didn't cloud for many breaths.
Adwyn held his breath. Hundreds?
"Ground me for thinking something might've changed these last few gyras." Rhyfel-ann stepped back.
"I ought not to tell you at all. Would it ground you to wait for my friend?" Friend?
"He's already here." Ushra looked over, and this time Adwyn didn't hide. They met eyes.
Adwyn was high walking onto the road before Rhyfel followed Ushra's gaze.
The drake gave a slight courtesy, something hard and oily cracking on his schizon apron. Adwyn knew under the cloak and cowl was a drake time had been almost kind to. High cheekbones, a thin long snout. Sharp intelligent eyes. Lean but not muscled. He had the look of a scholar; not elegant, not grounded, but something like and unlike both. Far, far too old for Adwyn, though.
Rhyfel tossed his head. "They're all true fact. The demon's sleeping. Those monsters are — were — the demon's spawn. Down in the pits he's sealed up tight, and that prison is sitting guard right over it." Rhyfel spoke plainly and quickly, but gave Adwyn tongueful of questions.
Ushra tilted his frills, eyes clouded, a reply fermenting.
"Then how about this: you help out, and I tell you just what Gronte was up to while you were out touring the plains." Rhyfel had a certain high tone of voice that had Adwyn tightening his tail and digging into the gravel. He was grinning quite savagely.
"…Adequate," was all the alchemist said, face still thoughtful under the cowl. "Silent nights, Rhyfel the younger. Adwyn." He took now to be time to turn and measure his way back in the starry black of the night, farewells coming after him.
Moments like now, together with that scarlet drake under the bright skirmboard sky, whether upon the rooftops or streets, had always seemed to limn life with some private chroma. He had not reflected on it, yet all the same these instants had always felt quietly significant to him, as of some visual seed that a painter would grow into a piece to be remembered for a long time. Adwyn sighed.
Now he looked at that drake, with his faltering grin, as though through an obscure scrim. The moment was pale. Adwyn felt nothing.
"I'm sorry," said Rhyfel, and it had the smell of those ambiguous responses he tended to at the oddest moments.
Rhyfel never looked tired. But around the adviser, that showy grin was taken off — little details like that had kept Adwyn's hope tucked away, instead of grounded. For worse or for better.
Even with a natural smile, his frills perked and attentive, and his legs slipping from a low stand to a high one, Rhyfel looked suddenly ancient, as if the wind had blown dust onto him, not off him. A cruel, helpful wind.
The first time Adwyn had seen this was the first time his hope truly faltered, but a small detail shouldn't impinge upon a chimerical hope. This time when the adviser saw it, though, it was his trust that faltered.
For all that the scarlet drake looked ancient, it didn't imply a lack of strength. Rather than a wearied old pillar or a crumbling monument, his age limned his features like a mountain that only grows taller and stronger.
At that particular question, with that particular emphasis, you could imagine an avalanche rolling down the mountain.
Eyeless phobia. All of this blurry riddling, for what? Fear to catch the gaze of a moltling's nightmare?
"I thought so. You're a good, loyal drake when it comes down to it." The high guard muttered something, only caught for how stained were the orange drake's frills. Something like, if only that were all it took.
Adwyn had puzzled out what he needed to puzzle out, and he would do his duty for the town. Now, perhaps, he could act for himself. Sate something kept occulted for very long.
"How old are you, Rhyfel?" Adwyn licked his fangs.
Adwyn sat and his thoughts played out in twitches of his frills. Another dimension of Gwymr/Frina's history had opened up, with as many answers as questions. But there was one mystery at the core of it all.
Adwyn left the scarlet drake without saying goodbye, fearing it would sound final.
The schizon-clad adviser didn't leap off and fly to the town hall. He walked the streets westward, past the eager perching building, taking in the dim, lamp-lit sights and letting his thought reflect and refract inside his skull. Walking was easy, tireless, and it seemed the freedom and speed of flight came at the expense of freedom and speed of thought.
Adwyn had realized one last lead he could pursue, a ningling suspicion, that might unravel the puzzle of the day's events. He just had to wonder at the consequence if he was right.
He walked quiet on, before coming to a knowing stop. The adviser had chosen his route with his feet, unthinking, so perhaps a hidden part of him had expected this.
Still, the adviser whirled around like a breeze, a foreleg already at his baton's hilt. Metallic-red eyes settled on cowled face of the apronned figure, the untouchable alchemist. The foreleg fell.
"Do not act on what you have learnt here today, and do not inform the faer." Gone was the almost wistful nostalgia of talking to the high guard. His voice was hard.
Orange wings touched the batonhilt only once. He didn't stop for the vow; no, sense was sense, and Ushra was a very old, experienced alchemist. Adwyn peered, staring under the cowl where those pure black orbs must have been. They moved as the alchemist nodded.
Ushra measured his way off, past Adwyn and down the street. Adwyn watched him walk away for a long time.
It was silly, but he waited until the cloaked figure was gone awhile before Adwyn smirked.
Ushra's threat only clinched it: now Adwyn knew exactly whom to blame.
He crouched, and leapt, and flew off to the depths of the night.
Somewhere in the distant dark Adwyn heard an explosive smash. It would sound mighty were it near. Winging over the faintly scented air of the west side, it came anonymous, pathetic.
Adwyn knew the butte he winged toward, only because he saw the fledgling alchemist steal away to it rings earlier, before second dusk.
He knew it now because those two trees were still burning.
Thanks to the forest hope, there had been (and still were) enough green scaled refugees in the capitol, and thanks to them, Adwyn knew how forest-dwellers mourned.
The little wiver had acted stone when the guards refused her; but he had glimpsed from her twitching tail and restrained words that she raged at her inability to save them. The wiver acted callous over their alighting; but he knew hopeless emptiness in a tone, in a gaze.
It was those tells that reminded Adwyn he dealt with a dragon and not anything dangerous.
While those trees still burnt, the butte had become empty save a discarded skewer and a scent of grapes or glasscrabs.
Adwyn flew on. It wasn't called the cliffs for having only one butte, and Adwyn was searching. For something, for someone. A dragon who couldn't help but tell every time she thought of Hinte.
It made her behavior easy to guess, but the butte being already empty clouded that guess.
He still smelt the fledgling alchemist, but did that mean he came soon enough?
Ten houses passed below as thoughts reflected around in his skull.
But Dyfns shined upon him anyway: A different wiver was winging a bounding flight over the town, aimed toward the cliffs.
This wiver was a note of consonance. Rhyfel walked the night in his schizon armor. Adwyn wore his tight schizon suit. Ushra had crept out with a schizon apron and robes that had to be official (head alchemist garb, say) for it was woven in with the volcanic glass hairs Mlaen loved to flaunt.
Similarly, this wiver wore poisonous-smelling schizon robes. Black fibers danced with their bleached white brethren. Woven like that were little black and white pictures of birds, trees or eggs.
You couldn't make all this out, of course. Adwyn had seen it before, this morning.
Following this wiver one noticed how she bounded or circled. It didn't parse like she was going somewhere or even flew to enjoy the cool night air. Adwyn glimpsed she followed someone.
When she lighted down on someone's high rooftop and watched a figure stalking down the street, he didn't think aha!, he thought, of course. He did smirk at his luck, though.
Adwyn the black ascendant could land quietly. He did not.
From his scent the wiver might have guessed who. Still she jumped, and stiffened, and seemed to pause in her regarding the stalking figure.
Adwyn gazed at the stars while he hunted for the words.
The stalking figure was gone now, but the wiver remained.
Adwyn thought, we were both right, and wanted to laugh.
Over three hundred and a half gyras old, a traitor to both her old and new homes, drenched in the dimness of night, Gronte still managed a coy smile.
Gronte's smile faded yet remained, turning to something… not sad, but sorrowful all the same.
Adwyn drew his baton out of his sheath. Just a few toe lengths.
Adwyn sheathed the sliver of weapon. What good could it do?
Gronte had no words to that. She merely looked up at the endless stars, as if their silence could give her words.
Adwyn had waited for something profound to light the silence.
What he got was a bonk. Upside his head. A rock cracked against the roof, and the orange drake looked up to see a purple parrot flutter down.
Adwyn could do nothing but clutch and wriggle his frills while the noise lasted, which was till its handler leapt over and lifted the thing, petting it and whispering inappropriately sweet things.
"Neh! Ima protect." Versta said chirping onto Gronte's head. Wings flared.
The dark-jade wiver caught eye with Adwyn.
A grandmother being a grandmother, then.
Adwyn looked eastward, to the clouds darker than night that everlingered above the fires of the Berwem.
In the moonlight Gronte's grin had teeth and fangs.
"I know." Like a final confession.
There was silence, and there was breathing.


…but he kind of does look like a 7 foot-long piece of string cheese, which is beyond the point. ?
Let's get real here: Snoke is just too powerful. On his weekends, he throws people around like ragdolls, manipulates, and even decides to outdo Steve Jobs by bringing Apple's 'Facetime' feature into Star Wars.
He literally builds an involuntary force bond between Kylo and Rey's mind from across the galaxy.
With immense power like that, there's got to be some sort of backstory.
What do we know about Snoke?
Snoke is a Force-sensitive humanoid male that was (or maybe still is) the Supreme Leader of the First Order.
He's neither Sith nor Jedi.
In the Last Jedi Visual Dictionary, the dictionary uses an entire subheader called, "Heart of Darkness" to describe him and his tendency to always disguise his true nature.
We also know Snoke is a fanboy of Darth Vader, wearing a golden ring with obsidian stone from Darth Vader's castle.
Hmm…is that why Snoke's so obsessed with turning Kylo Ren into the next Vader? Did Snoke know Vader? Star Wars Theory thinks he did.
But even if that was true, Snoke hasn't succeeded in recreating Vader…or did he?
If Snoke's 'supposedly' dead then why is the connection still intact? Snoke, after all, bridged the connection.
It has to do with a trick we've seen Luke use before.
Luke's last firework was with a new capability we've seen only twice before: Force Projection.
Earlier in the film, Luke projected himself across the galaxy, physically hugging Leia and giving her Han's dice from the Falcon. He didn't stop there — Luke even sparred with Kylo.
If Luke could do it, why don't you think Snoke couldn't do it? If you were watching closely, Snoke actually does Force Project BEFORE Luke in The Last Jedi.
Kylo literally just physically interacted with Rey from across the galaxy, who was also seen by Luke and even reacted to Luke's loud force push. Luke even looks at Kylo for a good two seconds.
Who made this possible? Snoke.
Matter of fact, Snoke's the one that actually influenced Luke to even use Force Projection in the first place.
Was this part of Snoke's scheme to kill Luke using Force Projection? Most definitely.
But If Snoke already knew how to do Force Projection, then why didn't he just use it to protect himself? That's exactly what he did.
Snoke is a master strategist. He knew people's weaknesses and would manipulate it to his advantage.
He knew of Kylo's instability — Kylo did try to attack Snoke once already — and even emphasized Kylo's weaknesses multiple times.
Why would Snoke, someone whom we've never seen berate Kylo severely before, all of a sudden start sending a barrage of insults to Kylo? To get Kylo to act.
He wanted his apprentice to fully commit to the Dark side.
The only way to accomplish this goal is by getting Kylo to give into his 'anger' and 'strike him down' just like Emperor Palpatine wanted Luke to do in Return of the Jedi.
Only once Kylo gave into his anger and 'killed' Snoke, Kylo will have finally completed his training exactly like Snoke wanted him to do.
You can even see the visible change in Kylo's soul, going 'off the wall' evil and ruthless. He chokes Hux, blasts Luke for an hour, and tops it off with his 'master plan' to annihilate everyone.
In other words, Kylo fully converted to the Dark side.
Snoke won and there's more proof that he's not (and never was) dead for Star Wars Episode 9.
Snoke only has 10 minutes of screen time. Total.
Hologram looks and sounds much older.
Snoke's attendants or advisors weren't present in the Throne Room fight scene.
If Snoke really did die, there's a radical Dark side Force ability called Transfer Essence, cheating death using clones of oneself, which he'll probably use.
Ancient Mosaic set in the floor of Ahch-To Temple of the Prime Jedi or the founder of the Jedi Order. It looks like Snoke — come on, look at that head!
Ancient Mosaic's first appearance is in the Last Jedi, or after we see Snoke in-person.
Snoke's Alive — What's Next?
J.J. Abrams has said Episode 9 will tie all of the Star Wars movies in one film. Could Snoke be that linking figure? We think so.
But enough from me. What do you think? Do you think Snoke is alive? Or do you think Snoke actually died but may have a bigger role to play in Episode 9? Let us know in the comments below!


I spent a day out around town looking for little things here and there for my sisters 20th birthday party coming up soon. I'm throwing her a small gathering with close friends and I'm so excited to share that special day with all of you here on the blog. I'm already in some sorts of party theme mode in my head with my black and white stripes and black on black bottoms as we're going with a Kate Spade inspired party theme. I absolutely love the feel of her patterns and colors so it was a no brainer to go about choosing this theme for inspiration. I especially love the attention to detail Kate Spade has which is why were working together with so many wonderful vendors that are helping us bring about this special day. I can't wait to share with you guys what's already in the works! On the clothing end I have no idea yet on what I'll be wearing. I guess I should start prepping my outfit for that but in the meantime I can tackle the decor shopping in theme and in style.


text:
The call of the sea, and learning to observe
Christina Swanson
Many a teenager has longed to get away from home to live at the beach and in the surf. The ocean's pull can be magical, watching the sun's rays dance off the waves while hearing the lull of the crashing breakers. This Panama Park resident on the Northside has enjoyed the salty, sandy life with the best the Atlantic Ocean can offer - both at the Jersey Shore and Jacksonville Beach.
William Ptak was born and raised on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County, N.J. The oldest of 11 children, he learned at an early age yard, house and kid-watching chores.
As the family grew, eventually Tommie, Karen, Greg, Ilene, Andy, Maryanne, Anne, Joan, Peggy and Peter joined William to make up the Ptak family of 13. When the last child was born, Ptak was a few weeks shy of 18 years old and was there for the birth, taking great pride in carrying his baby brother out of the hospital with his mom, Geraldine.
"We were a traditional Irish-Catholic family with many in the neighborhood like us but with smaller families," said Ptak. "Mom was very hands-on, because she had to be, with Dad always working and coming-up with side-jobs to support us," said Ptak. His father, Benjamin, was a medic in World War II and then became a career oil burner mechanic at Fort Monmouth Army Base. Their two-story house in the New Jersey's Highlands was always filled with laughter, noise and bedlam, and no matter the financial situation that week, friends and family were always welcome at supper time to meet around the huge picnic table that served as their dining room gathering spot.
It was called the Highlands for obvious reasons, and with the Ptak home situated on a high hill, the view from William's bedroom window showed a gorgeous combo of Sandy Hook Park jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean with New York City architecture in the far distance. The Ptaks ran a tight family household, with chores posted on a rotating schedule and aunts and uncles living close by down the street.
Ptak learned a lot about fairness and responsibility at an early age, and also got an early education on diversity, attending the huge commuter school Red Bank Catholic High School. With its sought-after curriculum taught by the Sisters of Mercy Catholic order, students came from many different backgrounds and neighborhoods and had to pass an admissions test to get into the school. "I didn't realize until years later what an exceptional education I had received at Red Bank," said Ptak.
A natural water rat, with all 127 miles of white sandy beaches that make up the Jersey Shore easily accessible, it was almost instinctive that Ptak would want to spend as much time as possible there and eventually try out to be a lifeguard in his junior year of high school. This was back in the '60s before Sandy Hook State Park, with its expansive ocean and bay beaches, became a part of the yet-to-be-formed Gateway National Recreation Area (that also contains such historical landmarks as America's oldest operating lighthouse and the former U.S. Army post, Fort Hancock, both open for the public to tour).
"Being a lifeguard, sharing the stand with two others, you become very close and disclose insights and thoughts like family," said Ptak.
The ocean's pull was strong. Ptak enjoyed keeping people safe and the natural work environment so much that he has made lifeguarding a key part of his work life, sporadically spanning more than 50 years. When he graduated from high school in 1965, he continued lifeguarding, and met his future wife, Ellen Jean, while walking on the Seabright beach area of the Jersey Shore. In the 1970s, now-deceased Ellen Jean gave Ptak an antique book by John Masefield titled, "Salt-Water Poems and Ballads." Originally published in 1913, Ptak periodically re-reads the poems as they continue to express his own need to return to the sea. Although Masefield appears to be writing about sailing, Ptak is especially drawn to the poem titled "Sea Fever" because it "mirrors his strong longing to return to the sea":
"…I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over…."
A WELL-TRAVELED OBSERVER
While it would be easy to romanticize what it must be like to be a lifeguard for so many years, the reality is that this life-saving job takes a special combination of grace under pressure, keen concentration and communication skills, advanced physical fitness and swimming capabilities, and a general enjoyment of working with the public.
The ability to stay calm and take charge in stressful life and death situations is a given, but the supposed simply task of watching the crowd may be the hardest duty of all. With the sleep-inducing sun beating down and hundreds of people enjoying themselves, it's easy to allow one's focus to wan.
That's why Ptak believes the greatest lifeguarding skill is being a good observer. "You either instinctively hone-in on potential concerns before anything happens no matter the amount of activity and noise around you, or you quickly develop a keen seen of your surroundings," said Ptak.
One might say that lifeguarding has been great training for paying attention to what's important-on the beach and life in general. Like Stanley Kubrick said, "Observation is a dying art." Focusing on what's important is one of the reasons Ptak has also been a lifetime avid reader and doesn't even own a television set.
Oh, he's had other careers, jobs and schooling after high school. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1976 and was first assigned to the USS Saratoga in Mayport. Ptak helped maintain the ship for the majority of his nine years with the Navy, leaving the service as an E-4 Yeoman 3rd Class. He credits the Navy for his worldwide education having served on four Mediterranean cruises where he put to use his keen sense of observation.
"What I got to experience and appreciate, especially the little things, I've never forgotten and have applied to my own home," said Ptak. Such as the incredible moment he stood in the gardens of the Topkapi Palace in Constantinople, built by the Ottoman sultans in the 1400s, surrounded by specialty roses of red, pink and white. "I took the same idea, on a much smaller scale, and applied to my gardens with the same rose type and colors," said Ptak.
Ptak studied biology at the University of Indiana but left a few courses shy of a Bachelor of Science degree. He became certified and worked as a respiratory therapy technician at the University Hospital in Indianapolis during the early '70s. He has also almost completed a master's in education from the University of North Florida.
But like the seemingly ceaseless cry of the seagulls, the ocean continued to call him home. Having fallen in love with Jacksonville during his Navy stint, he decided to create his "best life," as Oprah says. That "best life" was to live in Jacksonville during the winter months doing various jobs such as working in maintenance for the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve and lifeguarding at Sandy Hook in the spring and summer.
Ptak put in 23 seasons as a lifeguard at Sandy Hook, 13 of those "migrating" from Jax to Jersey, and eventually became lieutenant of the lifeguards, overseeing 75 of them as they protected the public on five different beaches.
He fell in love with a 1923 two-story home in Panama Park on East 63rd Street in 2008 and has stayed put ever since, lifeguarding for the Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department at various pools. Ptak continues to swim regularly in the Trout River and at the YMCA and occasionally competes in marathons and biathlons that test swimming and running - usually placing first or second for his age group. He also continues to lifeguard in Jacksonville during the summer months having just finished his fifth season with the City Parks and Recreation Department keeping families safe at the Adolf Vern Park off of Beach Boulevard.
"I have had a wonderful life centered on observing nature's beauty and people's behavior which has been satisfying, educational, and also has contributed to my self-growth," said Ptak. Ptak's words remind us how connected life is and the meaning behind Georg C. Lichtenberg's statement, "We cannot remember too often that when we observe nature and especially the ordering of nature, it is always ourselves alone we are observing."
Share words that have made a difference in your life by contacting Christina Swanson at wordesign@att.net, or current@jacksonville.com.


Inwood Park in Northern Manhattan, is the last natural forest. This pastel drawing looks at the tress after the rain to capture the fresh, cool colors that appear.. It's the calmness and serenity that leaves the park with a misty and airy feel. I wanted to capture a feeling of mystery and power in the trees and air surrounding the park.


Posted on June 14, 2011 | Comments Off on Florida Power and Light offers rebates!
This entry was posted in Choosing Green, Commercial Incentives, Residential Incentives and tagged DIY Solar Panels, incentives, rebates. Bookmark the permalink.


Designed by a well known premier vw car builder. This bracket is for the street car enthusiast. Keeps the oil filter tucked away nicely in the driver side rear fender. Complements the Jaycee's high flow oil manifold and oil control system. And can accept most oil filter mounts.
Fits Bugs up to 1967. Sorry No Fat Chicks yet, bugs 1968 and later.


text:
Andrija Paltašić also known as Andrija Paltašić-Kotoranin (; 1440–1500) was a Venetian printer and publisher who was active from 1476 to 1492. He was born in Kotor and was part of the Paltašić noble family. He moved to Venice in the 1470s where he became one of the first printers. He died in Venice in ca. 1500. Paltašić is the first known South Slavic printer.

Family
He was born in Kotor, in the Albania Veneta (today's Montenegro) of the Republic of Venice, into an old Kotoran noble family, as son of Jakov Paltašić, and grandson of Radelja Paltašić. In 1470 another member of his family, Miloje Paltašić, also moved to Venice.

Work

He printed books at Venice between 1476 and 1492. Along with him, Dobrić Dobričević from Lastovo also began working; the two published the works of Lactantius in 1479. Hieromonk Makarije learned printing skills from Paltašić. Paltašić died in Venice.

Paltašić is known to have printed the famous Greek and Roman works (by Cicero, Diodorus Siculus, Virgil, Terence, Ovid, Sextus Propertius, Juvenal, Tibullus, Catullus and others) as well as the works of humanist writers, historiographers and lexicographers. On top of this he also printed books concerning religion, such as the Bible in Italian.

Paltašić's works currently remain all over Europe. In Southeastern Europe, there remain 41 of his works, out of which 38 are kept in Croatia, with three in Montenegro.

See also
Paltašić family
Božidar Vuković
Božidar Goraždanin
Đurađ Crnojević
Stefan Marinović
Stefan Paštrović
Hieromonk Makarije
Hieromonk Mardarije
Hegumen Mardarije
Vićenco Vuković
Hieromonk Pahomije
Trojan Gundulić
Jakov of Kamena Reka
Bartolomeo Ginammi who followed Zagurović's footsteps reprinting Serbian books.
Dimitrije Ljubavić
Mojsije Dečanac
Inok Sava

Notes

References

External links
Hrv. znanstvena bibliografija Paltašić, Dobrićević Bilješke uz najstarije hrvatsko glazbeno tiskarstvo (in Croatian)
E-LIS Paltašić, Dobrićević bilješke uz najstarije hrvatsko glazbeno tiskarstvo (in Croatian)

Republic of Venice printers
Venetian period in the history of Montenegro
People from Kotor
1450 births
1500 deaths
15th-century translators
15th-century printers
Venetian Slavs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Home Biography My books Research Interests Talks HMS Research Group
D. Joyce, 'Compact manifolds with special holonomy', 436 pages, Oxford Mathematical Monographs series, OUP, July 2000. Reprinted 2003. Reprinted 2006 (twice).
-- Buy it on on the Web from OUP or Amazon.
M. Gross, D. Huybrechts and D. Joyce, 'Calabi-Yau Manifolds and Related Geometries', 239 pages, Universitext series, Springer, Berlin, 2003.
-- Buy it on on the Web from Springer or Amazon.
D. Joyce, 'Riemannian holonomy groups and calibrated geometry', 303 pages, Oxford Graduate Texts in Mathematics 12, OUP, March 2007.
-- Buy it on on the Web from OUP in paperback or hardback, or from Amazon in paperback or hardback.
D. Joyce and Y. Song, 'A theory of generalized Donaldson-Thomas invariants', 216 pages, Memoirs of the AMS 217 (2012), pages 1-216. Published online here.
-- Also available on the Web as arXiv:0810.5645.
J. Gillis and D. Joyce, 'Some results on combinatorial interpretations for the integral of the product of several classical orthogonal polynomials', Oxford Quarterly Journal of Mathematics 42 (1991), 57-75.
D. Joyce, 'The hypercomplex quotient and the quaternionic quotient', Mathematische Annalen 290, (1991), 323-340. pdf file
D. Joyce, 'Compact hypercomplex and quaternionic manifolds', Journal of Differential Geometry 35 (1992), 743-761.
D. Joyce, 'A twistor transform for complex manifolds with connection', Twistor Newsletter 35 (1992), 11-14. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Manifolds with many complex structures', Oxford Quarterly Journal of Mathematics 46 (1995), 169-184. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Explicit construction of self-dual 4-manifolds', Duke Mathematical Journal 77 (1995), 519-552. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Compact 8-manifolds with holonomy Spin(7)', Inventiones mathematicae 123 (1996), 507-552. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Compact Riemannian 7-manifolds with holonomy G2. I', Journal of Differential Geometry 43 (1996), 291-328. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Compact Riemannian 7-manifolds with holonomy G2. II', Journal of Differential Geometry 43 (1996), 329-375. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Hypercomplex Algebraic Geometry', Oxford Quarterly Journal of Mathematics 49 (1998), 129-162. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Deforming Calabi-Yau orbifolds', Asian Journal of Mathematics 3 (1999), 853-868. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'A new construction of compact 8-manifolds with holonomy Spin(7)', Journal of Differential Geometry 53 (1999), 89-130.
-- Also available on the web as math.DG/9910002.
D. Joyce, 'Asymptotically Locally Euclidean metrics with holonomy SU(m)', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 19 (2001), 55-73.
-- Also available on the Web as math.AG/9905041.
D. Joyce, 'Quasi-ALE metrics with holonomy SU(m)and Sp(m)', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 19 (2001), 103-132.
D. Joyce, 'Constructing special Lagrangian m-folds in Cm by evolving quadrics', Mathematische Annalen 320 (2001), 757-797.
D. Joyce, 'Evolution equations for special Lagrangian 3-folds in C3', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 20 (2001), 345-403.
D. Joyce, 'Ruled special Lagrangian 3-folds', Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society 85 (2002), 233-256.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian m-folds in Cm with symmetries', Duke Mathematical Journal 115 (2002), 1-51.
D. Joyce, 'Constant Scalar Curvature Metrics on Connected Sums', International Journal of Mathematics and Mathematical Sciences 2003:7 (2003), 405-450.
D. Joyce, 'U(1)-invariant special Lagrangian 3-folds in C3 and special Lagrangian fibrations', Turkish Journal of Mathematics 27 (2003), 99-114.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian submanifolds with isolated conical singularities. V. Survey and applications', Journal of Differential Geometry 63 (2003), 279-347.
D. Joyce, 'Singularities of special Lagrangian fibrations and the SYZ Conjecture', Communications in Analysis and Geometry 11 (2003), 859-907.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian submanifolds with isolated conical singularities. I. Regularity', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 25 (2004), 201-251.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian submanifolds with isolated conical singularities. II. Moduli spaces', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 25 (2004), 301-352.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian submanifolds with isolated conical singularities. III. Desingularization, the unobstructed case', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 26 (2004), 1-58.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian submanifolds with isolated conical singularities. IV. Desingularization, obstructions and families', Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry 26 (2004), 117-174.
D. Joyce, 'U(1)-invariant special Lagrangian 3-folds I. Nonsingular solutions', Advances in Mathematics 192 (2005), 35-71.
D. Joyce, 'U(1)-invariant special Lagrangian 3-folds II. Existence of singular solutions', Advances in Mathematics 192 (2005), 72-134.
D. Joyce, 'U(1)-invariant special Lagrangian 3-folds III. Properties of singular solutions', Advances in Mathematics 192 (2005), 135-182.
D. Joyce and S. Salur, 'Deformations of Asymptotically Cylindrical coassociative submanifolds with cylindrical ends', Geometry and Topology 9 (2005), 1115-1146.
D. Joyce, 'Configurations in abelian categories. I. Basic properties and moduli stacks', Advances in Mathematics 203 (2006), 194-255. doi: 10.1016/j.aim.2005.04.008.
D. Joyce, 'Constructible functions on Artin stacks', Journal of the London Mathematical Society 74 (2006), 583-606.
D. Joyce, 'Configurations in abelian categories. II. Ringel-Hall algebras', Advances in Mathematics 210 (2007), 635-706. doi: 10.1016/j.aim.2006.07.006.
D. Joyce, 'Holomorphic generating functions for invariants counting coherent sheaves on Calabi-Yau 3-folds', Geometry and Topology 11 (2007), 667-725.
-- Also available on the Web as hep-th/0607039.
D. Joyce, 'Motivic invariants of Artin stacks and 'stack functions' ', Quarterly Journal of Mathematics 58 (2007), 345-392. doi: 10.1093/qmath/ham019.
D. Joyce, 'Configurations in abelian categories. III. Stability conditions and identities', Advances in Mathematics 215 (2007), 153-219. doi: 10.1016/j.aim.2007.04.002.
D. Joyce, 'Configurations in abelian categories. IV. Invariants and changing stability conditions', Advances in Mathematics 217 (2008), 125-204. doi: 10.1016/j.aim.2007.06.011.
D. Joyce, Y.-I. Lee and M.-P. Tsui, 'Self-similar solutions and translating solitons for Lagrangian mean curvature flow', Journal of Differential Geometry 84 (2010), 127-161.
M. Akaho and D. Joyce, 'Immersed Lagrangian Floer theory', Journal of Differential Geometry 86 (2010), 381-500. PDF file.
D. Joyce, Y.-I. Lee and R. Schoen, 'On the existence of Hamiltonian stationary Lagrangian submanifolds in symplectic manifolds', American Journal of Mathematics 133 (2011), 1067-1092.
O. Ben-Bassat, C. Brav, V. Bussi, and D. Joyce, 'A "Darboux theorem" for shifted symplectic structures on derived Artin stacks, with applications', Geometry and Topology 19 (2015), 1287-1359.
D. Joyce, 'Conjectures on Bridgeland stability for Fukaya categories of Calabi-Yau manifolds, special Lagrangians, and Lagrangian mean curvature flow', EMS Surveys in Mathematical Sciences 2 (2015), 1-62.
C. Brav, V. Bussi, D. Dupont, D. Joyce, and B. Szendröi, 'Symmetries and stabilization for sheaves of vanishing cycles', Journal of Singularities 11 (2015), 85-151.
D. Joyce, 'A classical model for derived critical loci', Journal of Differential Geometry 101 (2015), 289-367.
Y. Imagi, D. Joyce, and J. Oliveira dos Santos, 'Uniqueness results for special Lagrangians and Lagrangian mean curvature flow expanders in Cm', Duke Mathematical Journal 165 (2016), 847-933.
D. Joyce, 'A generalization of manifolds with corners', Advances in Mathematics 299 (2016), 760-862. open access pdf file
-- Also available on the Web as arXiv:1501.00401.
D. Borisov and D. Joyce, 'Virtual fundamental classes for moduli spaces of sheaves on Calabi-Yau four-folds', Geometry and Topology 21 (2017), 3231–3311.
C. Brav, V. Bussi, and D. Joyce, 'A "Darboux theorem" for derived schemes with shifted symplectic structure', Journal of the AMS 32 (2019), 399-443.
V. Bussi, D. Joyce, and S. Meinhardt, 'On motivic vanishing cycles of critical loci', Journal of Algebraic Geometry 28 (2019), 405-438.
D. Joyce, 'Compact Riemannian manifolds with exceptional holonomy', pages 39-65 in 'Essays on Einstein Manifolds', editors C. LeBrun and M. Wang, Surveys in Differential Geometry VI, International Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Singularities of special Lagrangian submanifolds', pages 163-198 in 'Different Faces of Geometry', editors S.K. Donaldson, Y. Eliashberg and M. Gromov, International Mathematical Series volume 3, Kluwer/Plenum, 2004. Also to appear in Russian translation.
D. Joyce, 'Calibrated geometry and special Lagrangian submanifolds', volume 1, pages 398-402 in J.-P. Françoise, G. Naber and T.S. Tsou, editors, Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics, Elsevier, 2006.
D. Joyce, 'Riemannian holonomy groups and exceptional holonomy', volume 4, pages 441-446 in J.-P. Françoise, G. Naber and T.S. Tsou, editors, Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics, Elsevier, 2006.
D. Joyce, 'Generalized Donaldson-Thomas invariants', pages 125-160 in 'Geometry of special holonomy and related topics', editors N.C. Leung and S.-T. Yau, Surveys in Differential Geometry XVI, International Press, Cambridge, MA,(2011).
D. Joyce, 'Conjectures on counting associative 3-folds in G2-manifolds', pages 97-160 in V. Muñoz, I. Smith and R.P. Thomas, editors, 'Modern Geometry: A Celebration of the Work of Simon Donaldson', Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Math. 99, A.M.S., Providence, RI, 2018.
D. Joyce, 'Kuranishi spaces as a 2-category', pages 253-298 in John Morgan, editor, 'Virtual Fundamental Cycles in Symplectic Topology', Mathematiucal Surveys and Monographs 237, A.M.S., 2019.
D. Joyce, 'Compact manifolds with exceptional holonomy', pages 245-252 in 'Geometry and Physics', editors J.E. Andersen, J. Dupont, H. Pedersen and A. Swann, Lecture notes in pure and applied math. vol. 184, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1997. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'Compact manifolds with exceptional holonomy', pages 361-370 in Proceedings of the International Congress of Mathematicians, Berlin, 1998, vol II. Documenta Mathematica, University of Bielefeld, 1998. Published online.
D. Joyce, 'A theory of quaternionic algebra, with applications to hypercomplex geometry', pages 143-194 in Proceedings of the Second Meeting on Quaternionic Structures in Mathematics and Physics, Rome, 1999, editors S. Marchiafava, P. Piccinni and M. Pontecorvo, World Scientific, Singapore, 2001.
-- Also available in the math archive as math.DG/0010079.
D. Joyce, 'Constructing compact 8-manifolds with holonomy Spin(7)from Calabi-Yau orbifolds', pages 21-30 in Volume II of Proceedings of the 3rd European Congress of Mathematics, Barcelona, July 10-14, 2000, editors C. Casuberta, R.M. Miró-Roig, J. Verdera and S. Xambó-Descamps, Progress in Mathematics 202, Birkhäuser, Basel, 2001. postscript file
D. Joyce, 'On counting special Lagrangian homology 3-spheres', pages 125-151 in 'Topology and Geometry: Commemorating SISTAG', editors A.J. Berrick, M.C. Leung and X.W. Xu, Contemporary Mathematics volume 314, A.M.S., 2002.
D. Joyce, 'Constructing compact manifolds with exceptional holonomy', pages 177-191 in M. Douglas, J. Gauntlett and M. Gross, editors, 'Strings and Geometry', Clay Mathematics Proceedings 3, A.M.S., 2004.
D. Joyce, 'Lectures on special Lagrangian geometry', pages 667-695 in D. Hoffman, editor, 'Global Theory of Minimal Surfaces', Clay Mathematics Proceedings 2, A.M.S., 2005.
D. Joyce, 'The exceptional holonomy groups and calibrated geometry', pages 110-139 in S. Akbulut, T. Önder and R.J. Stern, editors, 'Proceedings of the Gökova Geometry-Topology Conference 2005', International Press, Somerville, MA, 2006. Published online.
D. Joyce, 'Special Lagrangian 3-folds and integrable systems', pages 189-233 in M. Guest, R. Miyaoka and Y. Ohnita, editors, 'Surveys on Geometry and Integrable Systems', Advanced Studies in Pure Mathematics 51, Mathematical Society of Japan, 2008.
D. Joyce, 'An introduction to C∞-schemes and C∞-algebraic geometry', pages 299-325 in H.-D. Cao and S.-T. Yau, editors, Surveys in Differential Geometry 17 (2012), Lectures given at the JDG symposium, June 2010, in memory of C.C. Hsiung.
D. Joyce, 'On manifolds with corners', pages 225-258 in S. Janeczko, J. Li and D.H. Phong, editors, 'Advances in Geometric Analysis', Advanced Lectures in Mathematics 21, International Press, Boston, 2012.
D. Joyce, 'An introduction to d-manifolds and derived differential geometry', pages 230-281 in L. Brambila-Paz, O. Garcia-Prada, P. Newstead and R.P. Thomas, editors, 'Moduli spaces', London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series 411, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Accepted for publication
D. Joyce, 'Algebraic Geometry over C∞-rings', to appear in Memoirs of the A.M.S.
D. Joyce and P. Safronov, 'A Lagrangian Neighbourhood Theorem for shifted symplectic derived schemes', to appear in Annales de la Faculte des Sciences de Toulouse.
D. Joyce and S. Karigiannis, 'A new construction of compact G2-manifolds by gluing families of Eguchi-Hanson spaces', to appear in the Journal of Differential Geometry.
D. Joyce, 'Ringel-Hall style vertex algebra and Lie algebra structures on the homology of moduli spaces', incomplete preprint, March 2018. pdf file. Comments welcome.
Papers on the Web (excluding those listed above)
Available at http://xxx.lanl.gov/archive/math and http://xxx.lanl.gov/archive/hep-th
D. Joyce, 'On the topology of deformations of Calabi-Yau orbifolds', math.AG/9806146, 1998. 25 pages.
(A rather longer version of 'Deforming Calabi-Yau orbifolds', Asian J. Math. 3 (1999), 853-868.)
D. Joyce, 'Lectures on Calabi-Yau and special Lagrangian geometry', math.DG/0108088, version 3, June 2002. 58 pages.
(An expanded version of this is published as Part I of our book, M. Gross, D. Huybrechts and D. Joyce, 'Calabi-Yau Manifolds and Related Geometries', Springer, 2003. See top of page.)
D. Joyce, 'Kuranishi homology and Kuranishi cohomology', arXiv:0707.3572, version 5, October 2008. 290 pages.
D. Joyce, 'Kuranishi homology and Kuranishi cohomology: a User's Guide', arXiv:0710.5634, version 2, October 2008. 29 pages.
D. Joyce, 'D-manifolds, d-orbifolds and derived differential geometry: a detailed summary', arXiv:1208.4948, version 2, December 2012. 173 pages.
D. Joyce, 'A new definition of Kuranishi space', arXiv:1409.6908, version 3, October 2015. 193 pages.
D. Joyce, 'Some new homology and cohomology theories of manifolds and orbifolds', arXiv:1509.05672, September 2015. 232 pages.
D. Joyce, 'Manifolds with analytic corners', arXiv:1605.05913, May 2016. 73 pages.
D. Joyce, Y. Tanaka, and M. Upmeier, 'On orientations for gauge-theoretic moduli spaces', arXiv:1811.01096, version 2, February 2019. 60 pages.
D. Joyce and M. Upmeier, 'Canonical orientations for moduli spaces of G2-instantons with gauge group SU(m)or U(m)', arXiv:1811.02405, November 2018. 29 pages.
Y. Cao, J. Gross and D. Joyce, 'Orientability of moduli spaces of Spin(7)-instantons and coherent sheaves on Calabi-Yau 4-folds', arXiv:1811.09658, version 2, February 2019. 57 pages.


text:
was general contractor. "The most advanced part of the building is its
inherent design for energy efficiency," Jungsten says. "It's designed to
utilize solar very well. You can't retrofit that kind of a design into a build-
ing. Those things alone were brilliant components from Kiki's point. She
took a lot of time to think these things through."
By almost all measures, the home was a spectacular success. Given
its size, LEED Gold was the highest level it could achieve, and it's one
of only two Gold homes in all of Marin County. (Another two have
achieved Platinum status.)
Yet Goshay hadn't yet met her personal goal of building a home with zero net energy needs — one that creates as much as it consumes. This realization began to set in as soon as construction was complete and she began monitoring water and energy use, scouring the property for inef-ficiencies, waste and phantom power consumption.
She found plenty. For one, she discovered that the filtration system she'd installed to purify her drinking water was back-flushing 1,700 gallons of water per week. In addition, the home's high-end integrated audio/ video system consumed power even when not in use, a fact the installers neglected to mention. And she was shocked by how much energy the pumps for the home's swimming pool (itself heated by a solar thermal system) used in moving water from one place to another.
Soon she'd found herself a new mission: to measure and analyze the
water and energy usage of every appliance, every fixture, every device
in the home, a task in which she's now deeply immersed. Whenever she


text:
Superman and Judaism
April 9, 2021 | Prof. Brian Tice, B.Sci., M.Sci.
▪Superman was created by two Jewish teens: Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster.
▪Superman's vestments cause him to stand out from the masses and include a cape (tallit?).
▪His identity is Kryptonian (viz. Crypto-Jew): Superman finds safety in America only if dressed up as a "gentile" instead of a foreign alien. Disguising himself as Clark Kent is a nod to Jewish immigrants trying to "pass" in the Gentile community into which they had newly integrated after escaping the Holocaust (the comic featuring his first appearance went on sale 18 April 1938). Just as "kryptonite" exposed Superman's weakness, being found out as Jews was detrimental to many Crypto-Jews in 1930s Europe.
▪DC superheroes, across the board, were based on The Talmudic Tales, which were in turn representations of the heroes of the Tanakh who exhibited supernatural abilities to achieve great salvific feats inspite of their inherently human nature/mortal shortcomings.
▪See also: https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/news/20-greatest-jewish-super-heroes-dc-universe/; and https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jews-in-comic-books/


Basically he is tracking down the developers of DC games that had online play, then contacting them to request the server software and/or code in an attempt to get the online mode working again. Surprisingly, he's had some success!! So far the server for Toy Racer (low budget, EU only) has been released, but apparently Alien Front Online is up next! This is a little different that Schtserv for PSO which IIRC was reverse engineered.
I wonder what other games might have their online play revived. I'd assume the system requirements for the server for a ~15 year old game would be pretty low, so running a server somewhere will be cheap or free.
One thing I noticed recently is that the VOOT soundtracks have rank down music in them. On Xbox 360, you can rank down in Force but not in VOOT. I haven't ever tried ranked in Force yet to investigate how the system works, but there is at least a little bit of correlation between rank and actual player skill as a result. (Also in Force, your rank is displayed in Player Match lobbies, unlike in VOOT). In some ways, anyway. You see a lot more green and blue guys in Force that are super high-level (probably because there is no Achievement or natural incentive to actually start playing Ranked) than you do in VOOT (because anyone who played a lot easily ranked to 5-star general). But if you see a 5-star general in Force that usually guarantees a minimal level of skill that is much higher than what the VOOT 5-star general guarantees (almost nothing).
I wonder if you could rank down on the Dreamcast VOOT servers?


text:
since Ahmed Rilwan (@moyameehaa) went missing.
#findmoyameehaa
Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla (@moyameehaa) a Maldivian Journalist has been missing since 8 August 2014. He was last seen on CCTV at the Hulhumale' ferry terminal.
He was wearing a black shirt, black trousers, black shoes with white soles and carrying a black backpack.
Rilwan is 28 years old, of medium build and 5 feet 10 inches tall, sporting a short beard and moustache.
"Not all crimes in the world are solvable": Home minister says on Rilwan's disappearance
Comparing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan's disappearance with the killing of American President John F. Kennedy, Home Minister Umar Naseer today said, "not all crimes in the world are solvable."
"Americans still have not solved the case of who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy," speaking at a press conference this evening.
"I'm talking about the shooting and killing of an American president. It has been more than 50 years since American citizens have been asking, who killed Kennedy?"
According to five different investigations, former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
"Not every crime is solvable. And when a crime remains unsolved, it does not mean police were negligent. We are doing all we can in Rilwan's case. We will not leave any stone unturned."
Today marks the 90th day since Rilwan disappeared. Eyewitness accounts suggest Rilwan was abducted at knifepoint outside his apartment at 2am on August 8. He has not been seen or heard from since.
Despite acknowledging involvement of criminal gangs in Rilwan's disappearance, Naseer today said it is unclear if Rilwan's disappearance constitutes a crime. The government can only know if he had voluntarily left, disappeared or been abducted once he is found, he said.
"America is a much bigger country than ours. Statistics show over 600 people went missing this year. They have better resources, a bigger budget, but they are unable to find [the missing people]. It is not so easy to find a missing person. Not every crime can be solved," he continued.
"We can only know if it's a crime when it is solved. God willing, Rilwan will be found. When he is found, we will know if he went missing, or whether it's a voluntary disappearance, an enforced disappearance or an abduction," Naseer added.
Naseer claimed the Maldives Police Service is continuing investigations, and is analysing 22,000 phone records and 4,000 hours of CCTV footage.
The opposition has wrongfully termed Rilwan's case a "disappearance," Naseer continued claiming "it is too early to call it a [disappearance]."
Rilwan's family last week accused the police of negligence and filed a complaint with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).
"If the abduction had been investigated immediately at the right time, the police would have been able to find the victim and clarify if it is our brother or not," Rilwan's sister Mariyam Fazna told the press last week.
Despite eyewitnesses having reported the abduction at knifepoint at 2am on August 8, police only took eyewitnesss statements on August 14, the family said. The police had also failed to track down and search the car used in the abduction.
The police only searched Rilwan's apartment 29 hours after the abduction was reported and searched his office 11 days afterwards. The police also failed to make a public announcement on Rilwan's disappearance – despite a request by the family – and did not inform the public on how to act if they had any information related to the case, the family explained further.
Four men have been arrested over Rilwan's disappearance, but only one man remains in custody at present. The police have revealed few details on the case.
The People's Majlis last week threw out a 5055 signature petition urging MPs to pressure police for a through and speedy investigation. The parliament secretariat later admitted the rejection was "a mistake," according to MP Imthiyaz Fahmy who sponsored the petition.
Human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network released a report in September implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan's disappearance.
Discounting theories of voluntary disappearance and suicide, the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – concludes the disappearance is likely to have been an abduction.
The report confirmed evidence of possible "hostile surveillance" at the terminal conducted by two known affiliates of Malé based Kuda Henveiru gang.
The NGO on October 23 accused the police of negligence in investigating the disappearance for their failure to inform the public on progress and failure to confirm if the abduction reported on the night Rilwan went missing was related to his disappearance.
All material on this website are made available for and by friends and family of Ahmed Rilwan (@moyameehaa) to help find him urgently.
Copyright © 2014 Friends of Ahmed Rilwan (@moyameehaa), Maldives.


text:
She's Gotta Have It: Chyna Layne & Ilfenesh Hadera Join Spike Lee's Netflix Series
by Jessica Pena, November 11, 2016
She's Gotta Have It has some new company. Deadline reports Chyna Layne and Ilfenesh Hadera have joined the upcoming Netflix series.
Based on the movie by Spike Lee, the show "centers on Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise), a Brooklyn-based sexually liberated, free spirited painter/mixed media artist in her late 20s struggling to define herself and divide her time amongst her friends, her job and her three lovers, played by Lyriq Bent, Cleo Anthony and Anthony Ramos."
The details of both Layne's and Hadera's roles have not been revealed, but Netflix has ordered 10 episodes of She's Gotta Have It.
What do you think? Are you a fan of the film She's Gotta Have It? Will you watch the series?
More about: Netflix TV shows: canceled or renewed?, She's Gotta Have It, She's Gotta Have It: canceled or renewed?
She's Gotta Have It: Season Two Viewer Votes
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She's Gotta Have It: Cancelled, No Season Three for Spike Lee Series on Netflix
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She's Gotta Have It: First Photos Released for Spike Lee's Netflix Series
She's Gotta Have It: Netflix Announces November Release Date in New Teaser
She's Gotta Have It: Sydney Morton to Recur on Spike Lee TV Series
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She's Gotta Have It: Cleo Anthony (Extant) Joins Spike Lee Netflix Comedy Series
She's Gotta Have It: DeWanda Wise to Star in Netflix Series from Spike Lee
She's Gotta Have It: Anthony Ramos (Hamilton) Cast in Spike Lee's Netflix Series
She's Gotta Have It: Netflix Orders TV Series Based on Spike Lee Movie


The winter months are rough on both you and your car, but your car may have the harder time. When the cold weather comes, so do snow, ice, and sleet, and that means there will be salt and potholes everywhere. Now that the worst of winter is over, you can get your vehicle back in great condition.
With spring comes warm weather, which means you'll probably want to cruise around with the windows down. Here are some things you can to do get ready.
Car Wash: Wait for a nice day, then park your car in the driveway and give it a much needed wash. Car wash supplies usually go on sale around this time, and you should be able to find a car wash kit for a good price. If you don't want to wash your vehicle or think you need a more extensive wash, go to the pros and get the underbody treatment. No matter what you choose, make sure you get all of the salt and grime off your vehicle.
Paint Touch Ups: When you wash your car you may notice a few scratches or chips on the outside of your vehicle. Go out and get some touch-up paint and cover up the unattractive spots.
Clean the Inside: It can be hard to want to clean out your vehicle if you can feel your face or hands when you finish, so most people won't take the time to clean the inside of their car during the winter months. Wait for a warm day and get all the trash and dirt out of your car.
Alignment and Wheel Balance: Potholes, cracks, and other irregularities in the pavement often occur during cold weather. Once it warms up, consider getting your alignment checked by a mechanic. You car will drive well, and your tires will wear more evenly.
Spark Plugs: The performance of your vehicle can be greatly affected if the sparkplugs are worn out. Before you do much spring motoring, you need to check to make sure that they're functioning properly. You might be surprised by how much your vehicle's performance improves.
Posted in Maintenance, Tires and tagged alignment, Car Wash, Hubler, interior, paint, spark plugs, wheel balance.


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Q: Is there a way of using bitwise operator to combine digit bits? For example, I have two digit bits:
0b0111111
0b0000110

I want to shift a state variable by 7 digits and combine them together.
0b00001100111111

Can I accomplish by shifting?

A: You do this by shifting the bottom number left 7 digits, then performing a bitwise OR of the result and the first number.
unsigned int a = 0x3f;
unsigned int b = 0x06;
unsigned int result = (b << 7) | a;

A: unsigned char a = 0b00000110;
unsigned char b = 0b01111111;
unsigned short c = (b << 8); // shift everything left 8 bits to set the high bits
c &= 0xFF00; // clear out the lower bits - not necessary in C
c |= a; // set the lower 8 bits

A: unsigned int X = 0b00111111;
unsigned int Y = 0b00000110;

unsigned int Z = ((X << 7) & 0xFF00) | Y;

A: int a = 0b0111111;
int b = 0b0000110;

int combined = (a << 7) | b;

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