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Tag Archives: action
"It's not always the truth that survives, but the stories we wish to believe. The legends lie. They smooth over imperfections to tell a good tale, or to instruct us how we should behave, or to assign glory to victors and shame those who falter."
Every seven years Zeus punishes nine Greek gods by forcing them into the Agon. Warrior families have hunted the gods in every Agon for generations hoping to absorb their powers and receive blessings in the intervening years.
Lore always knew she was destined for greatness and glory in the Agon, meant to restore her family house's honor. That was before Lore's own disastrous mistake brought about the death of her entire family.
Now, seven years later, Lore thinks she's finally made it out and started a new life. But the return of her childhood friend Castor and the goddess Athena appearing at Lore's door prove she never escaped the brutality of the Agon. Not really.
After years of hiding and trying to forget, Lore will have to come out of the shadows and embrace her complicated past if she wants to live long enough to have a future in Lore (2020) by Alexandra Bracken.
Find it on Bookshop.
Lore is a standalone fantasy novel. Although the world building is heavily intertwined with Greeky mythology, the story itself includes enough information to make it approachable to those unfamiliar with the inspiration material. The book also includes a character list broken down by the family houses and lines. Lore and Castor are white although several members of the Agon families (including dark skinned Van and Iro) are from other racial backgrounds.
Lore is a fierce and often reluctant narrator. Most of her past is colored by trauma and regret over events that slowly unfold in flashbacks for readers as the novel builds to its explosive final act. Despite her desire to isolate herself and avoid further losses, Lore is surrounded by a strong group of friends and allies who add drama and levity to this potentially grim story. Lore's best friend Miles Yoon–an outsider to the world of the Agon–is an especially fun addition to the cast and a steadfast friend to Lore.
Set over the course the week-long Agon this fast-paced story plays out against the backdrop of New York City as Lore and her allies search for a way to end the Agon forever. Lore's efforts to find a place for herself as a young woman, both away from the Agon and within it, in a world all too quick to dismiss her is both timely and empowering.
Lore seamlessly blends elements from Greek mythology with a modern fantasy setting for a perfectly paced story of survival and fighting for what we deserve.
Possible Pairings: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake, Starling by Lesley Livingston, The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2021, action, Alexandra Bracken, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, family, fantasy, feminism, friends, gods and goddesses, gritty, LGBTQ, myths, Publisher: Disney Hyperion, revenge is sweet, romantic, survival, unreliable narrator	| Leave a reply
Killing November: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
November Adley agrees to leave her quaint small town to stay safe while her father takes care of a family emergency. When November wakes up in a remote building without electricity, completely off the grid, she realizes her father may not have given her the full story.
The Academy covers everything from poisons to the art of the deception, students should never reveal details of their past, and the school adheres to an eye-for-aye punishment.
November is pretty sure she can survive anything for a few weeks while her dad wants her to lay low. But even November isn't sure what to expect when students start dying and everyone seems to think it has something to do with her in Killing November (2019) by Adriana Mather.
Killing November is the high octane start to Mather's November duology which concludes with Hunting November.
Killing November is a fun, cinematic read. Mather leans heavily on movie conventions notably including flashbacks, but these elements never integrate fully into the story. Honestly, November is often quite annoying as a protagonist. Her constant shock and horror at the Academy's brutality is understandable at first but begins to grate as it continues for almost the entirety of the novel.
Despite numerous details, the world building for the Academy and the students who attend it are never fully explained instead serving as a backdrop for all of the novel's action. Where this story really shines is with the secondary characters notably including Layla and Ash who add dimension to a story that otherwise runs the risk of falling flat.
Killing November is a fresh if underdeveloped take on the classic boarding school mystery. Recommended for fans of that sub-genre and spies reminiscent of James Bond and his ilk.
Possible Pairings: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter, A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallero, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, Running Girl by Simon Mason, Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus, In the Hall With the Knife by Diana Peterfreund, The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2019, action, Adriana Mather, assassins, boarding school, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, murder, Publisher: Knopf (Penguin Random House), spies, suspense	| Leave a reply
Courting Darkness: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
Posted on November 11, 2020 by missprint
After working with her sisters of Mortain to help the duchess of Brittany secure both her duchy and her betrothal to the king of France, Sybella thought her work was done. After everything she had risked and sacrificed, after everything she had learned about herself and her god, Sybella had thought at last she would be safe and able to rest.
She is wrong.
Things in Brittany are changing and, as the young duchess prepares to travel to France for her marriage, Sybella realizes she and her sisters are still far from safe. Traveling to foreign territory as a lady in waiting, Sybella is fiercely determined to protect her duchess and her sisters with her beloved Beast at her side. But forces are conspiring to limit the duchess's new power and ensure that Sybella's task will be far from easy even with undercover allies waiting to be of aid with in the French court.
Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, that she is no longer sure what she is supposed to be working toward. After years of waiting to be called into service, Gen begins to fear the day that she will be useful may never come.
Feeling the walls of court life closing in, Gen sees no other option but to take matters into her own hands. Manipulating a long-forgotten prisoner into an uneasy bargain will secure both Gen's escape and his own. But figuring out what to do without guidance from her convent and her god is much harder.
Isolated and alone, Gen will have to do what she thinks is right to save the only home she's ever known–even if it is a distant memory. But court life is as treacherous as it is decadent and soon both Gen and Sybella will realize they are not the only players with moves to make in Courting Darkness (2019) by Robin LaFevers.
Courting Darkness is the first book in a duology. The story is set in the same world as LaFevers His Fair Assassin trilogy including Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph, and Mortal Heart. This book can be read independently of the original trilogy although the world and characters overlap.
This book alternates between Sybella and Gen's first person narrations in this story set months after the conclusion of LaFevers' previous trilogy in the year 1489.
Although set in the same world as previous books, much of the mystique of Brittany and the Nine gods who preside there in the guise of neo-Christian saints is lost in this companion novel. While Sybella and Gen contend with consequences of changes to Mortain and the gifts he has bestowed on his daughters, Courting Darkness is much more grounded in political intrigue and the duplicitous French court.
LaFevers once again draws heavily from real historical events to deliver and atmospheric and well-researched story helmed by two singular heroines. Unfortunately, as Sybella realizes how much of a threat her family still poses, much of the confidence and self-assurance she gained in the previous trilogy is erased. Gen, meanwhile, is insufferably arrogant about her own ability to determine the best course of action and reckless in pursuit of her own goals.
That said, a few surprise twists and the promise of our narrators finally meeting in the sequel Igniting Darkness may be enough to salvage this promising but so far underwhelming duology.
Possible Pairings: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad, Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhatena, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury, Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2019, action, books, Brittany, Chick Lit Wednesday, fantasy, feminism, historical, intrigue, politics, Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Robin LaFevers	| Leave a reply
Fable: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
Posted on October 21, 2020 by missprint
"We weren't supposed to owe anyone anything, but that was just a lie we told to make ourselves feel safe. Really, we'd never been safe. And we never would be."
Fable's father, Saint, has five rules for surviving in the Narrows. Only five.
Keep your knife where you can reach it.
Never, ever owe anyone anything.
Nothing is free.
Always construct a lie from a truth.
Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you.
The rules are even truer on Jeval, the island of thieves and cutthroats where Fable was abandoned when she was fourteen.
After four long years of constant fear and scrambling for every scrap she can scavenge, Fable is ready to escape Jeval and find her father. Saint said Fable could never survive in the Narrows if she couldn't get off Jeval on her own. Now, with her departure so close, it is past time for Saint to answer for stranding her and give her everything he promised.
Throwing in her lot with a trade ship whose crew has secrets of their own, Fable may have finally found a way off Jeval but securing passage is only the first of her problems. As her obligations mount, Fable will have to weigh her loyalties against her debts and decide if creating her own place in the Narrows can replace everything that has been stolen from her in Fable (2020) by Adrienne Young.
Fable is the first book in a duology that concludes in Namesake.
Young subtly weaves magical elements into the dangerous and often cruel world of the Narrows–a home that pulls at Fable's heart as much as she wishes she could deny it. . Fable's first person narration is both deliberate and lyrical as she struggles to make a place for herself in this world determined to shut her out. Her resilience and persistence are admirable throughout the story and so relatable for readers trying to make it through this trying year
This nautical fantasy brims over with action and suspense as Fable tries to make sense of her father's promises, her past, and her own place among the crew that has reluctantly given her passage–especially their enigmatic helmsman, West. Fable and West are described as white while other members of the crew are not including two male characters who are romantically involved.
A subtle thread of romance runs through this plot where themes of loyalty and vulnerability go hand in hand. Fable is a riveting adventure sure to appeal to readers looking for a swashbuckling fantasy filled with both well-drawn characters and surprises. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace, Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller, Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier, Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer, The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen, Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, Adrienne Young, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, fantasy, Fathers be good to your daughters, friends, lying liars, moderately charming anti-heroes, nautical, pirates, Publisher: Wednesday Books (St. Martins), romantic	| Leave a reply
Poisoned: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
You think you know this tale, but you only know what you've been told. You may have heard about the girl named Sophie with lips the color of ripe cherries, skin as soft as new-fallen snow, and hair as dark as midnight. You may have heard about her step-mother and the huntsman.
That doesn't mean you know the real villain of this tale or anything that happened after the huntsman cut out Sophie's heart.
In a world where power means safety and, for a young girl destined to rule, there is no greater danger than mercy, Sophie will soon learn that surviving–much like hiding–isn't enough if she wants to reclaim her kingdom in Poisoned (2020) by Jennifer Donnelly.
Poisoned is a feminist retelling of the fairy tale of Snow White that is every bit as bloody and gory as the original version transcribed by the Brothers Grimm. Although the story is stepped in violence from the very first chapter, the narrative itself often reads younger hewing closer to middle grade in tone.
Eerie, fast-paced chapters and an unconventional choice in both narrator and antagonist make this story unexpected even as Donnelly stays true to her source material. Sophie is an admirable heroine struggling to reconcile her ruthless upbringing with the kindness she has managed to nurture in her heart.
Poisoned is an ideal choice for anyone who prefers the classic fairy tales to modern, more sanitized versions–a fast-paced story that is both engaging and fierce.
Possible Pairings: Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao, Stain by A. G. Howard, The Traitor's Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige, Everland by Wendy Spinale, Hunted by Meagan Spooner, Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, dark, fairy tales, gritty, Jennifer Donnelly, Publisher: Scholastic, retelling	| Leave a reply
Skyhunter: A Review
The country of Mara is fighting a losing war against the Karensa Federation and its superior technology harnessed from the Early Ones–a fallen civilization readers will readily recognize in our present one.
Mara was supposed to be a safe haven for Talin and her mother. Instead refugees are kept outside the city walls and Talin's status as an elite Striker can't make some see her as anything more than a "Basean rat" who Marans look down on for little more than her skin color and the shape of her eyes.
As a Striker on the warfront Talin fights Ghosts–humans who have been horrifically re-engineered by the Federation to become monsters intent only on killing. When Talin saves a mysterious prisoner of war she may have also found the key to beating the Federation–but first she has to decide if the prisoner is a potential weapon or an ally in Skyhunter (2020) by Marie Lu.
This post-apocalyptic, sci-fi adventure is a visceral exploration of the emotional and physical costs of war. Poison gas scarred Talin's vocal chords leaving her unable to speak as much from the trauma as the injury; she instead communicates with the sign language used by Strikers.
Talin's narration is caustic as questions of allegiance and loyalty move the plot forward with Talin and her friends struggling to save a country that offered Talin refuge while withholding common decency–a dichotomy she again has to struggle with while deciding if the enemy prisoner she has rescued is someone to be saved or something to be exploited.
At the cliffhanger end of Skyhunter Mara's fate is far from secure leaving readers to wait for answers in the conclusion to this duology. Suspense and high-action fights make this plot-driven story both fast-paced and brutal.
Possible Pairings: The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow, Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray, Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien, War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
*A more condensed version of this review appeared in an issue of School Library Journal*
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, books, Dystopia, family, friends, gritty, lying liars, Marie Lu, post-apocalyptic, Prof: SLJ, PTSD, Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan), Science Fiction, violence	| 2 Replies
The Nemesis: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
*The Nemesis is the final book in Kincaid's Diabolic trilogy. This review contains spoilers for books one and two. Start at the beginning with The Diabolic*
Nemesis has lived as a Diabolic bound to the young elite Sidonia. She has forged alliances and friendships as often as she has watched them crumble. She has been an empress and traveled across the space and time to earn her personhood.
But at her core Nemesis wonders if she is still merely a Diabolic–a creature whose love is possessive, ferocious, and all-consuming; a creature crafted for violence.
Three years ago Tyrus shocked the galaxy when he killed Nemesis and set himself on a path of destruction and debauchery poised to bring the entire empire to its knees.
Very few people know that Nemesis survived her would-be assassination and all of them want to use her. Blinded by rage at her own betrayal, Nemesis is determined to exact revenge against those who have wronged her.
In her hunt for vengeance, Nemesis may also find her humanity but only if she's willing to truly look at everything that has transpired to bring her to this point in The Nemesis (2020) by S. J. Kincaid.
The Nemesis is the final book in Kincaid's Diabolic trilogy. This review contains spoilers for books one and two. Start at the beginning with The Diabolic and The Empress.
It's always hard to review the end of a series without revealing too much. Kincaid does an excellent job of tying things together while continuing to expand the world both as Nemesis travels through the system and as she learns more about the history of the empire.
The Nemesis covers a surprisingly long span of time given the book's fast pacing as Nemesis works with friends and unlikely allies to try and save the empire from itself as Tyrus continues to debase both himself and the ruling elite.
The Nemesis is everything I wanted for this series conclusion. Touching on politics, social norms, and public perception versus reality, this book is truly a book of our times. The Nemesis is the perfect conclusion to a favorite series. A must read for anyone looking for a splashy space opera that will leave them picking their jaw up off the floor.
Possible Pairings: Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Mirage by Somaiya Daud, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray, That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E. K. Johnston, Proxy by Alex London, Legend by Marie Lu, The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows, Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer and Douglas Holgate, A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix, Birthmarked by Caragh M.O'Brien, For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, Impostors by Scott Westerfeld, And I Darken by Kiersten White, Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, Dystopia, intrigue, machinations, moderately charming anti-heroes, Publisher: Simon & Schuster, S. J. Kincaid, Science Fiction, Space	| Leave a reply
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
Things are changing in London in 1983. Some of the changes are ones you might recognize while others in this slightly alternate London are, appropriately, slightly different.
Things are changing for eighteen-year-old Susan Arkshaw too as she travels to London to try to find her father–a man she has never met–only to cross paths with the left-handed Merlin St. Jacques and, by extension, the rest of his eccentric family.
The St. Jacques clan has always kept London's monsters, goblins, and other eldritch creatures in check and grounded in the Old World through a combination of magic, research for the right-handed of the family, brute force for the left-handed, and it seems in Merlin's case through raw charisma as well. But the St. Jacques clan also has to make a living. So they sell books in the New World of modern London as well, as one does.
Susan isn't sure how to deal with Merlin's outrageous good looks or his even more outrageous flirting. Worse, she seems to be caught up in an Old World struggle that has been building for years–one that Merlin has been investigating in relation to his mother's murder.
With help from his right-handed sister, Vivien, Merlin and Susan will have to follow Susan's scant clues to find her father and determine Susan's role in this Old World conflict before it bleeds into New World London and tears its unique booksellers apart in The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (2020) by Garth Nix.
Witty banter and high stakes battles contrast well with bigger questions of what constitutes the greater good in a time when both magic and the modern world are rapidly evolving even as the booksellers themselves may be stagnating after years of complacency. If another urban fantasy novel has ever had such a painfully realistic depiction of shoddy institutional management, I haven't read it.
Susan is a pragmatic, no-nonsense heroine from her worldview down to her buzz cut and Doc Martins who is quick to adapt as her entire world begins to shift beneath her feet. Merlin is, by contrast, flamboyant and whimsical with a larger than life personality to match his massive wardrobe fit for every occasion with snappy suits, nice dresses, and everything in between including multiple weapons. As the final point of this trio Vivien adds some much-needed practicality and steals every scene she's in.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London artfully subverts traditional gender roles both in society and within the fantasy genre with a story that defies as many expectations as its characters. Very fun. Very British. Very 1980s. Very much recommended.
Possible Pairings: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones, Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter, Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, alternate history, bildungsroman, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, England, fantasy, funny, Garth Nix, gender, identity, LGBTQ, London, magic, Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)	| Leave a reply
The Silvered Serpents: A Review
"What is magic but a science we cannot fathom?"
Months ago Séverin and his crew beat the remnants of the exiled Fallen House back into hiding. But the victory came at a steep cost. A loss that has left Séverin and his friends reeling and weakened the once unbreakable bonds between them.
Determined to never lose anything–or anyone–ever again, Séverin follows clues to the Fallen House's Sleeping Palace in Russia. Once there he believes he can uncover their greatest treasure: The Divine Lyrics, a book that is said to bestow godlike powers to whoever uses it and may also unite the Babel Fragments spread across the globe that make Forging magic possible.
While Séverin chases invulnerability to protect those he cares about, Laila hopes the book might save her before time runs out. Historian Enrique thinks the high profile recovery will earn him the respect that eludes him. And scientist Zofia wants to prove that she can take care of herself even if she sometimes needs help understanding other people.
After so many years working together, so much time trying to prove themselves, Séverin and the others will all have to choose what matters most and how far they are willing to go in pursuit of it in The Silvered Serpents (2020) by Roshani Chokshi.
The Silvered Serpents is the second book in Chokshi's Gilded Wolves trilogy.
Chokshi expertly builds tension and suspense in this sequel as the team delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the Fallen House, the secret of the Divine Lyrics, and the Lost Muses who may be able to tap into the artifact's power. The theme of who is able and allowed to shape history continues to be a major underpinning of this series as all of the characters question how best to make their own voices heard in a world that often refuses to truly see them.
Chapters alternating between Séverin and the rest of the team explore their varied motivations and subplots offering many insights into each character while moving inexorably toward the novel's shocking conclusion that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the final installment.
The Silvered Serpents is the sleeker, smarter, sharper, and bloodier sequel fans of this series deserve. Highly recommended.
You can also check out my exclusive interview with Roshani Chokshi discussing this book!
Possible Pairings: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, The Reader by Traci Chee, Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig, Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool, A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, Enchantée by Gita Trelease
*A more condensed version of this review appeared in the February 2020 issue of School Library Journal as a starred review*
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, books, breaking up is hard to do, diverse, fantasy, friends, historical, LGBTQ, Prof: SLJ, Publisher: Wednesday Books (St. Martins), romantic, Roshani Chokshi, treasure	| Leave a reply
Race the Sands: A Chick Lit Wednesday Review
"Life isn't just about who you were—it's about who you choose to be."
"Call it what it is: monster racing. Forget that and you die."
Tamra tells every one of her students that. She cautions them, every time, to stay focused on the race, the moment, and never forget that they are riding on the back of a monster. Not every rider remembers those lessons in the heat of the races.
The Becaran races are a chance for wealth and glory for the riders. The racers, the kehoks, get something else: a chance to be reborn as something less monstrous–a chance to try to redeem their damaged souls.
Tamra used to be a winner, a champion. Now she is a damaged trainer unsure how to overcome a bad reputation and mentor another champion. She only knows winning this season is her last chance to keep her daughter.
Raia is an untested rider. She has never raced, never even seen a kehok up close. Now she has to convince a trainer to take her on if she wants a chance to use the races to win her freedom and escape her domineering parents and fiance.
Together with a strange new kehok, Tamra and Raia have the potential to change the races and all of Becar forever. But only if they stay focused and remember: Only the race. Only the moment. Only the finish line in Race the Sands (2020) by Sarah Beth Durst.
Durst's latest standalone fantasy introduces readers to the beautiful and often brutal world of Becar–a desert country where every action can stain or elevate your soul with immediate consequences for your next incarnation. This raises, for all of the characters, thoughtful questions of how to live a moral life while also doing what needs to be done throughout the novel.
In a kingdom in flux waiting for the new emperor to be crowned, Tamra and Raia face their own mounting stakes as both women are forced to take chances on themselves and each other to try and win.
The story unfolds with a close third person narration following Tamra, Raia, and other key players in the story to create a strong ensemble cast notably including Tamra's daughter, Yorbel–an augur with his own interest in kehoks, and Tamra's patron Lady Evara who is the obvious successor to my favorite inscrutable fashion plate Effie Trinket.
Race the Sands is a fantasy that explores many things but at its core this is a story of mindfulness and focus as both Tamra and Raia answer what they truly want to accomplish and how far they are willing to go for those goals. The story also considers what makes a family–found or otherwise–as well as what happens when the people trusted to maintain order in society betray that trust.
Race the Sands is a fast-paced story filled with intrigue, action, and, of course, competition. A twisty, perfectly paced adventure ideal for readers who want their high fantasy with a healthy dose of mystery.
You can also check out my exclusive interview with Sarah!
Possible Pairings: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad, Hunted By the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena, The Hunter Games by Suzanne Collins, Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee, The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Posted in Book Reviews	| Tagged 2020, action, adventure, books, Chick Lit Wednesday, competition, desert, faith, family, fantasy, feminism, intrigue, monsters, multiple POV, Publisher: Harper Voyager (HarperCollins), reincarnation, Sarah Beth Durst	| Leave a reply


Now, it is even easier to copy and share EVERIOne's memories to a standard DVD disc using select Everio hybrid cameras (GZ-MG27/37/57/77/505), all 2007 Everio models (GZ-MG130,155,255 and 555) and the new Everio Share Station (CU-VD10). Simply connect the Everio directly to the Share Station with it's supplied USB cable. The Create DVD menu appears automatically on the camera's LCD. Choose the clips you want and click "execute" to start. The Share Station will also automatically convert your video files to play back on most DVD players.
DVD burning operation is controlled by Everio. Choose from pre-registered events and playlists or by manual control.
View recorded DVDs via the Everio LCD or Everio Video Out.
Will convert Everio's .mod files to standard MPEG 2 for easy DVD playback.
Works with the GZ-MG27,37,57,77,505,130, 155,255,and 555.


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Langobardia Maior era il nome che, in età altomedievale, veniva dato ai domini longobardi dell'Italia settentrionale e dell'attuale Toscana (Ducato di Tuscia). Era ripartita in numerosi ducati e includeva la capitale del regno dei Longobardi, Pavia. Nel 774 entrò a far parte dell'Impero carolingio.

Territorio

Entrati in Italia attraverso il Friuli nel 568, i Longobardi strapparono ai Bizantini una larga parte della penisola, senza tuttavia poter costituire, almeno inizialmente, un dominio omogeneo e unitario. Le terre sottomesse vennero raggruppate in due grandi aree: la Langobardia Maior (in latino), che si estendeva dalle Alpi all'odierna Toscana, e la Langobardia Minor, che includeva il Piceno, buona parte dell'Umbria, la Sabina e quasi tutto il Sud d'Italia.

Il controllo dei Longobardi sul territorio non fu, almeno inizialmente, omogeneo; minoranza militare, essi, ripartiti nelle tradizionali fare, si concentrarono nelle sedi ducali o nei punti strategici (lungo le vie di comunicazione o presso i confini). Soltanto con il tempo, e in modo decisivo sotto il regno di Liutprando (712-744), venne sviluppato un pieno controllo del territorio. Risulta così arduo indicare con precisione i confini della Langobardia Maior, almeno nelle prime fasi. Al momento dell'irruzione dalla Pannonia, nel 568, i Longobardi occuparono più o meno omogeneamente gran parte della Val Padana - l'intera porzione nord-orientale (gli attuali Veneto e Friuli, salvo Padova, Oderzo e una stretta fascia costiera); la porzione centrale a nord del Po, con Brescia, Bergamo, Milano, Pavia e l'intera valle del Ticino (rimasero inizialmente escluse Cremona e l'Isola Comacina); l'intera porzione nord-occidentale, ovvero l'attuale Piemonte (ma non la Liguria) - e dell'odierna Toscana.

Rimane difficile stabilire, per tutta la durata del regno longobardo, l'effettivo confine settentrionale della Langobardia Maior, che corrisponde soltanto approssimativamente alla linea spartiacque delle Alpi. Se nella Valle dell'Adige il confine con il Ducato di Baviera era pressoché stabilmente fissato a Salorno, più incerta risulta la reale penetrazione nelle alte valli della Dora Baltea (oggi Valle d'Aosta) e della Dora Riparia (la Val di Susa, difesa dalle "Chiuse longobarde", a più riprese assegnata ai pontefici romani come "Patrimonio delle Alpi Cozie").

Le varie campagne militari, condotte durante il regno longobardo dai sovrani o dai singoli duchi, estesero progressivamente il territorio della Langobardia Maior. Re Clefi completò la conquista della Tuscia, mentre suo figlio Autari conquistò l'ultimo bastione bizantino sulle Alpi, l'Isola Comacina nel lago di Como. Tra il 598 e il 602 Agilulfo rioccupò Parma e Piacenza (tornate bizantine durante l'anarchia del Periodo dei Duchi) e successivamente conquistò Padova, Este, Abano, Monselice, Cremona e Mantova. Infine Rotari, nel 643, annesse la Liguria (compreso il capoluogo Genova), Luni e Oderzo.

L'Esarcato d'Italia, con capitale Ravenna, resistette per lungo tempo (nonostante i ripetuti attacchi) alla pressione dei Longobardi, sviluppando una propria identità autonoma che veniva percepita già all'epoca. Non fu mai parte della Langobardia Maior, ma venne indicato come "Romania", ovvero territorio dell'impero romano (da qui l'odierno "Romagna").
Dopo la lunga politica di pace con i Bizantini perseguita da sovrani della dinastia Bavarese (653-712), i successori ruppero i patti e iniziarono una politica di aggressione. Nel 728 gran parte dell'Esarcato, compresa Bologna, fu sottomesso da Liutprando, che nello stesso anno annesse anche l'Istria. Nel 751 la capitale Ravenna capitolò definitivamente ad Astolfo. Tuttavia nell'ex Esarcato il dominio longobardo fu appena una parentesi e quest'area non venne integrata nel sistema dei Ducati longobardi, ma conservò la propria specificità; nel 756 la regione fu tolta ai Longobardi dai Franchi, che poi la consegnarono alla Santa Sede. A nulla valsero i tentativi dell'imperatore d'Oriente di riottenerne il possesso.

Storia: Austria e Neustria

La Langobardia Maior era il fulcro del regno dei Longobardi e la sua storia si confonde spesso con quelle del regno stesso. In generale, la sua vicenda storica registra una progressiva e costante, benché contrastata, evoluzione verso sempre maggiori forme di accentramento da parte del potere centrale, con sede a Pavia. Durante la conquista e le fasi immediatamente successive, le esigenze militari furono predominanti e garantirono ai vari duchi un ampio potere all'interno dei rispettivi territori. Il primo ducato a essere istituito da Alboino fu, nel 569, quello del Friuli (con sede a Cividale); in seguito, in rapida successione, vennero eretti tra il 569 e il 572 quelli con sede nelle altre città via via conquistate: Ceneda, Vicenza, Verona, Trento, Brescia, Bergamo, San Giulio, Pavia, Torino, Asti, Lucca (Tuscia). I duchi inizialmente regnarono da sovrani pressoché assoluti, soprattutto durante la fase di interregno compresa tra la morte di Clefi (574) e l'elezione di Autari (584); anche in seguito conservarono ampia autonomia, e il potere centrale non riuscì mai del tutto a venire a capo delle tendenze indipendentistiche.

All'interno della Langobardia Maior vennero delineandosi, nel corso del VII secolo, due aree distinte: "Neustria" e "Austria". Si trattava di due regioni geografiche (la Neustria era la parte occidentale, l'Austria quella orientale), ma alle quali corrispondevano anche rilevanti differenze politiche e culturali. I ducati occidentali furono a lungo i più fedeli alla dinastia Bavarese, accettandone l'ispirazione filo-cattolica e la conseguente politica di pacificazione dell'Italia; i ducati orientali, al contrario, si presentavano come i depositari dello spirito guerriero e conquistatore dei Longobardi e nella seconda metà del VII secolo premettero più volte sui re affinché riprendessero l'iniziativa, arrivando anche in diverse occasioni a ordire congiure per deporre il legittimo sovrano. Nell'VIII secolo, tuttavia, la conversione generalizzata dei Longobardi al Cattolicesimo smussò i punti di opposizione tra Austria e Neustria, anche grazie a una ripresa dell'espansionismo ai danni dei Bizantini con il cattolico e neustriano Liutprando (re dal 712).

Dopo la caduta del regno longobardo, nel 774, la Langobardia Maior ricadde interamente sotto il dominio dei Franchi. La sua struttura politico-amministrativa non venne tuttavia stravolta; al posto dei duchi furono insediati dei conti, franchi ma anche longobardi. Con il tempo le tendenze centrifughe tornarono a prendere il sopravvento.

Note

Bibliografia
 Paolo Diacono, Historia Langobardorum (Storia dei Longobardi, Lorenzo Valla/Mondadori, Milano 1992)

 Sergio Rovagnati, I Longobardi, Milano, Xenia, 2003. ISBN 88-7273-484-3

Voci correlate
 Ducati longobardi
 Longobardi
 Langobardia Minor
 Regno longobardo

Regioni storiche d'Italia
Territori longobardi
Italia altomedievale

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
#16 Dark Money Fuels Transphobic Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and Equality Act
by Project Censored November 26, 2022
The Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America (CWA), the Independent Women's Forum (IWF), and other women's groups leading the opposition to the Equal Rights Act (ERA) and the Equality Act are funded by dark money from a variety of right-wing interest groups, Truthout reported in March 2022. Julia Peck, Ansev Demirhan, and Alyssa Bowen wrote that the anti-feminist legacy of Phyllis Schlafly, who pioneered resistance to the ERA back in 1977, "very much lives on" through the Eagle Forum, the CWA, and the IWF. Today, these groups are using transphobia as a new tactic to mobilize opposition to the ERA, a policy designed to guarantee equal rights for all US citizens regardless of sex, and the Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
As Peck, Demirhan, and Bowen explained, "dark money"—funding used to influence policy, elections, and other significant political decisions whose precise donors are kept hidden from the public—"gives corporations and the wealthy undue sway in politics with little accountability." Many of the funders of the Eagle Forum are unknown, Truthout reported, but the Eagle Forum and its related Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund have received "tens of thousands over the years from the Bradley Foundation and Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, which are both massive foundations with deep connections to the far right."
Between 2010 and 2013, the CWA (and its partner organization, the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee) received more than $11 million from groups associated with billionaire Charles Koch, including Freedom Partners, the Center to Protect Patient Rights, and TC4 Trust. The IWF, which began as Women for Clarence Thomas, also has links to the Koch brothers and the Bradley Foundation. According to the most recent IRS filings of the IWF and its partner organization, the Independent Women's Voice, the two groups received more than $4.75 million from these organizations since 2014.
Peck, Demirhan, and Bowen reported that anti-ERA groups such as the Eagle Forum, CWA, and IWF are "riding the recent wave of transphobia." Many of the nation's recently proposed anti-trans bills are rooted in erroneous and hateful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, much like the Eagle Forum's opposition to the ERA. For example, in October 2021, a senior policy analyst at the IWF, Inez Stepman, told members of a House committee that the ERA would put women's physical safety at risk, highlighting an unsubstantiated claim that cisgender women are at a higher risk for violence when incarcerated with trans women. Yet, as Truthout documented, most incarcerated trans people are detained in facilities that align with the sex they were assigned at birth, and in fact, trans women imprisoned with men experience "high rates of extreme violence."
In the last year, sources such as the Washington Post, NBC News, and the New York Times have covered the recent rise in anti-trans legislation in the United States. However, the corporate press has completely neglected dark money groups' continued support for conservatives leading the charge against the Equality Act and ERA.
Julia Peck, Ansev Demirhan, and Alyssa Bowen, "Dark Money 'Women's Groups' Are Using Anti-Trans Scaremongering to Oppose ERA," Truthout, March 22, 2022.
Student Researcher: Mia Wood (San Francisco State University)
Faculty Evaluator: Amber Yang (San Francisco State University)

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Paula Wilson's exhibition, Spread Wild: Pleasures of the Yucca, opened on Saturday at Smack Mellon in Brooklyn, and will be on view through November 4. Please join us at Smack Mellon on Thursday, October 4, 6:30 – 8 p.m. for an artist talk!
Tags: Paula Wilson, Smack Mellon.


text:
These are the official results of the Women's Javelin Throw event at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France. There were a total number of 24 participating athletes, with the final held on Saturday 30 August 2003. The qualification mark was set at 60.00 metres.

Medalists

Schedule
All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Abbreviations
All results shown are in metres

Records

Startlist

Qualification

Group A

Group B

Final

See also
Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games – Women's javelin throw
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw

References
 Results
 todor66

J
Javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships
2003 in women's athletics


text:
O. Reg. 279/21: EXTENSIONS OF ORDERS
filed April 14, 2021 under Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.9
made under the
Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act
Made: April 14, 2021 (4:50 p.m.)
Published on e-Laws: April 15, 2021
Printed in The Ontario Gazette: May 1, 2021
Amending O. Reg. 25/21
(EXTENSIONS OF ORDERS)
1. The Table to section 1 of Schedule 1 to Ontario Regulation 25/21 is revoked and the following substituted:
Order in Council and date made
Previously applicable revocation date
Current revocation date
Order in Council filed as O. Reg. 8/21 (Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures), made on January 12, 2021
Order in Council filed as O. Reg. 55/21 (Compliance Orders for Retirement Homes), made on February 5, 2021


Lansing Heritage Forums > Forum Issues > Forum Feedback > What has happened here ????
View Full Version : What has happened here ????
What has happened here ???? I have been watching the forums disintegrate with "cat fights" and cheap shots. I thought we were all on the same page here ?
The whole Renee thing and now Giskard makes me kinda sick to my stomach, I mean really, it does ! I come here everyday to read the funny and the insightful aspects of this crazy hobby of ours.
Now it has slipped to be a real ugly place. W-T-F happened ?
No finger pointing, let's just kiss and make up before JBL asks us to take any corporate likness down from the site and disown us.
I too have had dealings with Giskard and the guy is as honest as the day is long. Don't jump to the worst conclusion when things aren't going quite right.
The Renee thing is F**cking embarrasing too. Come on guys, a little more class than a "Click" sandwich please.
Blast me if you must.
I was waiting for it to migrate down here.
The thing best members can all do is resist getting involved at this point.
Its a storm in a tea cup but please all heed my advice.
Let me clear up my "syntax" error, should have read "This Giskard thing" makes me kinda sick to my stoamch"
I have nothing but high regard for the man. We all have our idiocyncracies, they should not and need not be forum business.
Let us not also forget each's wishes to be private and anonymous if so desired.
I think if JBL watches this forum, they would be very upset with what has transpired here on several threads, including the Renee threads. Why does anyone have to call Renee, or Giskard for that matter, a name??? Because the web is a world wide entity, and we don't have to face the person we are accusing. We can just type whatever suits our fancy at that moment, regardless of whatever we have been drinking or smoking. Wow guys, get a life. Let's treat each other with some respect, and if we ask someone for a favor, lets give them some time to get it done. Life is much too short for this this type of stuff. Relax, listen to some vinyl and jell out.
Fair enough.... It's just that I really love this place. I don't like seeing this sort of "tarnishing" happening, that's all.
Is that your cute doggie ? What kind is he/she ?
It printed beautifully on my Hp colour Laser.
Yea, Ian - megapixels are one thing, but optics are quite another, and Nikon is very hard to match in that department.
were growing up. Her name was Penny. She was a sweet dog, and she lived till nearly 20.
I can smell the dog breath!
Real nice picture.. my old dog Buffy, a cute little Sheltie/Retriever mix would never look into the camera.. she would alway, but always turn her head away. Really miss her,, she was a real sweetheart.
Such a beautiful dog. We have one that is 12 now, but has an awful skin allergy/yeast infection that we just cant' get rid of. Goldens are great dogs!
UH OH! He saw the FRISBEE!!!!


EOS EOS Long-Term Blockchain Partnership with IBM. The Original Hardware Wallet. How To Choose The Best Bitcoin Wallet For it is worth the relatively hefty investment. NAGA Cryptocurrency Project And German Crypto Investment Interest is Rising. Trezor lowers the risk of your private keys being and super high levels of security. Only buy from the TREZOR to the œAccounts tab. If anyone finds it, itx27s useless to them because they funds easily as long as I am around.
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It can be safely used a valid wallet. Bitcoin Tresor Enter your TREZOR seed if the device was lost, stolen or damaged. Bitcoin Tresor When opening Electrum youll be greeted a paper wallet for less technical users. You can recover the entire wallet with the 24-word seed and passphrase like the Billfodl. I've just finished testing the two leading Bitcoin hardware TREZOR vs. Under œImport a Trezor-HD Create New.


text:
Bathymyrus – rodzaj ryb węgorzokształtnych z rodziny kongerowatych (Congridae).

Zasięg występowania
Ocean Indyjski i zachodni Ocean Spokojny.

Systematyka
Rodzaj opisany przez Alfreda Williama Alcocka w 1889. Gatunkiem typowym jest Bathymyrus echinorhynchus.

Gatunki zaliczane do tego rodzaju:
 Bathymyrus echinorhynchus
 Bathymyrus simus
 Bathymyrus smithi

Przypisy

Kongerowate


text:
package org.sprintapi.api;

import org.sprintapi.api.content.ContentDescriptor;
import org.sprintapi.api.error.ApiErrorException;
import org.sprintapi.api.meta.Metadata;

public interface Message<T, M extends Metadata> {

	M getMetadata() throws ApiErrorException;

	ContentDescriptor<T> getContent() throws ApiErrorException;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mentor Support: How do I create a Course?
Under the Admin dropdown, select Courses Admin. Fill out the form and create a Name for the Course, a description and any attachments or videos that might give users more information.


Numbers do not lie and Turkey is undoubtedly one of the main "producers" of qualified officers for ocean-going vessels. Turkish officers have a long experience working onboard Western European vessels and their performance is increasingly acknowledged as being of superior quality.
Epsilon is present in the country through Omikron, located in the Asian side of Istanbul and can provide access to a unique pool of high-quality Turkish officers to discerning Principals.
Contact our office in Turkey.


text:
Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Borikén, Puerto Rico
Keywords: jatibonicu taino tribal nation | taino | puerto rico | native american |
image by Donald Healy, 9 January 2008
Index to North American Native Bands and Nations
Taino flags
map image by Peter Orenski based on input from Don Healy
Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Borikén. Puerto Rico
As told by Cacike Pedro Guanikeyu Torres, Principal Chief, to Peter Orenski:
"The Jatibonicu Taino of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico is "Borikén" in the Taino language and means "Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord", that refers also to the Great Spirit or Creator) are descendants of the original 24 tribal bands that settled in Puerto Rico. Their ancestors are the Central American Indians and the Arawak Indians of South America, who had migrated north in the early centuries of the second millennium and colonized the islands of the Caribbean where Tainos can be found today in Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo/Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida" (some 15 bands are in Florida) (see Jatibonicu Taino of New Jersey).
Jatibonicu means "The Great People of the Sacred High Waters" (waterfalls) whereas "Taino" is A NAME first used by the Spanish invaders. It derives from the answer tribesmen gave the Spanish when the latter asked the Indigenous people, "Who are you?" The Natives simply answered "Taino" meaning "Good and Noble People" in order to distinguish themselves from some of the more warlike southeastern Tribes, such as the feared Caribs or Waib.
The first contact with Europeans, which signaled, as it later did for other Native Americans throughout the Hemisphere, the beginning of the end for an estimated 3-8 million Tainos, who had spread throughout the Caribbean Islands and Florida, was on October 12, 1492, when Columbus landed on the island of Guanahani (San Salvador in the Bahamas). He later departed for Spain with onboard six Borikén Taino women and one 13-year-old boy named Gueycan (Center of the Sun), whom happenstance had placed in San Salvador, and whom Columbus paraded before the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella in Madrid, Spain.
When Columbus returned on his second voyage in 1493, he brought the six women and the young Taino boy with him. On seeing the outlines of Puerto Rico on November 18th, 1493, the overjoyed women shouted "Borikén" and jumped overboard and swam for shore. On the 19th day of November, a Sunday morning, Columbus and his men landed on the shores of the island of Borikén (today, Puerto Rico).
© Donald Healy 2008
The flag of the Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Borikén (Tribal motto "Like A Mountain We Stand Alone") derives from the prophecy of a Great Three-Colored Rainbow and a later vision, which a Jatibonicu Tribal Elder had in the late 60's while he stood in the ceremonial center during a vision quest in Caguana (named after the Fertility Mother of the Taino Tribes), in Puerto Rico. The vision contained all the elements currently shown in the central charge of the flag, and it also contained a field of yellow. The green and red were added later, red standing for tribal blood spilled during the tragic years following European contact, as reflected by "maga", a red flower indigenous to the region. Green signifies Bibi Atabey or Mother Earth. Yellow is for Baba Guey (Father Sun) and indicates the reflection of the rays of the sun a symbol of great illumination and wisdom upon the wings of the Colibri, the hummingbird that is the totem of the Jatibonicu Taino Tribe.
Relative stripe ratios and detailed specifications for the central charge were worked out during March and April 2001 by Chief Guanikeyu (Noble Bird of the White Earth) Torres, whom the author assisted with computer graphics. The outer ring of the central charge symbolizes the men's sun circle, and hence Baba Guey, while the inner circle is the women's moon circle, or Atabeira, Grandmother Moon. The outer ring is surrounded by 24 leaves of the sacred Cohobana Tree, the seeds of which are essential for tribal sacred ceremonies. The number of leaves stand for the Nation's 24 original clans or tribal bands in Puerto Rico.
Contrary to first impression, the elements inside the moon circle do not represent a human face, just as the outer leaves do not represent sun rays. Rather, the three circled dots inside the moon circle are a reflection on water of the Sacred Mountain (note tribal motto) hence the top of the mountain appears at the bottom in the reflection. The three elements that denote the Cemi (Totem) of the Sacred Mountain symbolize three Spirits. Yaya, at the summit, is the Spirit of Spirits, or Great Spirit, or Creator. The right circled dot, from the viewer's perspective, symbolizes the Spirit of the Living People, or Goiz, while the circled dot on the left is the Spirit of the Ancestors, or Hupia. It is important to avoid calling Hupia "spirit of the dead" because the Jatibonicu Taino people do not believe in death. The curved lines of the central symbol of the charge symbolize the sacred Snuff Pipe in which crushed seeds from the Cohobana Tree are snuffed during sacred Cohoba visionary ceremonies.
The motto of the new flag is "One People, One Nation, One Destiny" because the flag also represents the three confederated Taino tribal bands in Puerto Rico (The Jatibonicu Taino Tribe of Borike'bn), Florida (The Tekesta Taino Tribal Band of Bimini Florida), and New Jersey (Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Band of New Jersey). These confederated Taino tribal bands form the central Grand Council of the Government of The Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation.
Reprinted by permission of The Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Borikén.
information provided by Peter Orenski, 9 January 2008


text:
Q: How to detect touch events in Android Is it possible to detect all touch events in an Activity and capture it and then in return pass that pass event to another View?
For example:
Button 1 and Button 2. When Button 1 is pressed I want to capture that touch/click event and automatically pass that touch event to Button 2, basically with one touch/press you get the click generated and that same click is passed on to the second button automatically.

A: I imagine that you could take the TouchEvent from the button press, and make a call to the other button, passing in the TouchEvent, but I am not sure how safe that would be.  (Android may bomb on you)
A safer solution would be to subclass Button, and use the Observer design pattern.  You could register each buttons to listen for button presses of each other button, and then you would be able to safely pass the TouchEvent's between all of them.
If you are unfamiliar with the Observer design pattern, here is a link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_pattern

A: take look this API description first.

boolean
  android.app.Activity.dispatchTouchEvent(MotionEvent
  ev)
public boolean dispatchTouchEvent
  (MotionEvent ev)  Since: API Level 1
  Called to process touch screen events.
  You can override this to intercept all
  touch screen events before they are
  dispatched to the window. Be sure to
  call this implementation for touch
  screen events that should be handled
  normally.
Parameters ev  The touch screen event.
Returns boolean Return true if this
  event was consumed.

As you can see, you can intercept all touch events.
@Override
public boolean dispatchTouchEvent(MotionEvent ev) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    super.dispatchTouchEvent(ev);
    if(btn1.onTouchEvent(ev)){
        return btn2.onTouchEvent(ev);
    }else{
        return false;
    }
}

These codes are what you are looking I think.

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text:
What Is a Health Insurance Death Spiral?
More in Health Insurance
Affordable Care Act & Obamacare
Prescription Drug Insurance
Financial Aid & Subsidies
What Causes a Death Spiral, and How Can It Be Prevented?
Louise Norris
Louise Norris has been a licensed health insurance agent since 2003 after graduating magna cum laude from Colorado State with a BS in psychology.
Fact checked by Sheeren Jegtvig on March 05, 2020
Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig).
Sheeren Jegtvig
A health insurance death spiral describes a scenario in which premiums increase rapidly, causing healthy people to drop their coverage when they perceive that it's no longer worth the cost. That, in turn, causes premiums to increase even more, as the exodus of healthy people leaves a smaller, less healthy risk pool. As premiums continue to increase, healthier people continue to drop their coverage, and the situation continues to spiral until it reaches a point where the market simply collapses.
Aacilo / Getty Images
The collapse happens when coverage is too expensive for anyone to afford, and/or the insurers opt to exit the market altogether. Insurers generally only want to remain in markets that are fairly stable. And for an insurance market to be stable, the majority of the members in the insurance pool have to be relatively healthy, so their premiums can offset the cost of caring for the sickest members of the pool.
In a death spiral situation, the number of healthy enrollees declines sharply, leaving far fewer enrollees, but total costs that are nearly as high as they were before the healthy people dropped out, since the majority of the claims come from the sickest enrollees. When those costs are spread over the smaller remaining pool of insureds, premiums rise, and the death spiral cycle ensues.
A death spiral is the worst case scenario for an insurance market, and it results in the collapse or near-collapse of the market.
Death Spirals Are Often Misrepresented When Health Insurance Is Politicized
The term "death spiral" is often conflated with the concept of premium increases, regardless of whether the other aspects of a death spiral—dramatically shrinking enrollment and eventual market collapse—are present. And regardless of whether people fully understand the concept of a death spiral, the terminology certainly doesn't evoke pleasant images.
So it's not surprising that the term "death spiral" has frequently been used by opponents of the Affordable Care Act to describe the ACA-compliant individual health insurance market in the US. But warnings about potential death spirals have also been issued by supporters of the ACA, expressing concerns about how various legislative and regulatory changes could threaten the stability of the individual insurance markets, particularly in the most vulnerable states.
Lessons From Pre-ACA State-Based Health Care Reform
Before the ACA was implemented, the single most significant factor that individual market insurers used to keep premiums affordable (and thus avoid death spirals) was medical underwriting. Insurers in nearly every state would comb through applicants' medical history in order to determine whether the person would be a good risk or not.
Applicants whose medical history indicated that they might have substantial future claims were generally either rejected outright or offered coverage with significantly higher premiums or a blanket exclusion on pre-existing conditions. In this way, insurers in the individual market were able to keep their total claims costs as low as possible, resulting in premiums that were much lower than the premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance (even before the ACA, insurers that offered employer-sponsored coverage were not allowed to reject sick employees or charge them higher premiums; in addition, individual market coverage was historically less comprehensive than employer-sponsored coverage, with correspondingly lower premiums).
When the ACA was drafted, ensuring access to individual market coverage for people with pre-existing conditions was a priority. But lawmakers knew that if they simply required insurers to accept all applicants in the individual market, with premiums not based on medical history, the market would collapse.
An individual market collapse had already happened in Washington state, a decade before the ACA was written. Washington lawmakers had tackled health care reform in the early 1990s, enacting the Washington State Health Services Act of 1993. The law required insurers to accept all applicants, regardless of medical history.
But the individual mandate portion of the law, which had been slated to take effect in 1998, was repealed in 1995. This allowed healthy people to forego health insurance altogether, knowing that they could enroll at a later date if they became sick. It's easy to see how this creates an unsustainable market dynamic. When the Health Services Act was enacted, there were 19 insurers selling coverage in Washington's individual market. By 1999, there were zero—the market had collapsed altogether. Washington lawmakers revised the state's guaranteed-issue rules in 2000, making it harder for people to wait until they needed care to enroll in health coverage, and the market rebounded.
New York state also began requiring health insurers to cover all applicants, regardless of medical history, in the early 1990s. Premiums could only vary based on location and family size, so younger, healthier people were charged the same amount as sicker, older people (New York still requires insurers to charge older people the same amount as younger people, rather than the less strict 3:1 ratio that the ACA imposed). But as was the case in Washington, there was no mandate requiring people to maintain coverage, and the result was sky-high premiums and very few insurers offering coverage in the state.
New York had various state subsidies for low-income residents, and Washington's Basic Health Program offered subsidies to low-income enrollees. But neither state had a mechanism to subsidize the cost of coverage for middle-class enrollees.
The ACA Was Designed to Prevent Death Spirals
The lawmakers who drafted the ACA were aware of the problems caused when coverage has to be guaranteed issue (ie, nobody can be rejected or charged more based on medical history) without other provisions to ensure that healthy people continue to purchase coverage.
So to avoid triggering a death spiral in the individual market, the ACA included:
Premium subsidies for people earning up to 400% of the poverty level. For coverage effective in 2020, that's $49,960 for a single individual or $103,000 for a family of four (the 2019 poverty level numbers are used to determine eligibility for 2020 subsidies). The subsidies grow to keep pace with premiums, and they're designed to keep the after-subsidy cost of coverage at a specified percentage of income that's considered affordable.
An individual mandate that requires almost all Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. Under the terms of the GOP tax bill enacted in 2017, the penalty no longer applies as of 2019. But as of 2020, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, and Washington DC have their own individual mandates and associated penalties for non-compliance.
An annual open enrollment window during which people can enroll in individual market coverage (through the exchange, or directly through an insurer). The annual open enrollment window is currently November 1 to December 15 in nearly every state. Outside of that window, people cannot purchase coverage in the individual market unless they're eligible for a special enrollment period, and special enrollment period rules have been tightened in recent years. Since coverage in the individual market cannot simply be purchased at any time a person chooses, it makes it harder for people to go without coverage and then be able to buy coverage if and when they need medical care.
No Death Spiral, Even Without a Penalty for Being Uninsured
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, enacted in December 2017, eliminated the individual mandate penalty after the end of 2018. So people who are uninsured in 2019 and beyond no longer face a penalty unless they are in a state that imposes its own penalty.
There is no doubt that this caused premiums for 2019 to be higher than they would otherwise have been—even in states where average premiums decreased for 2019 (they would have decreased even more without the repeal of the individual mandate penalty). The Congressional Budget Office initially projected that without the individual mandate penalty, premiums in future years would be an average of 10% higher than they would otherwise have been. That increase was evident in the rate filings that insurers submitted (and that regulators approved) for 2019.
Premium changes in the individual market were a bit complicated for 2019: Average premiums grew slightly nationwide, although average benchmark premiums decreased slightly across the states that use HealthCare.gov (which is the majority of the country; there are only 13 fully state-run exchanges as of 2020). But although the average premium increase across all plans was small, there would likely have been an overall average premium decrease if not for the elimination of the individual mandate penalty and the Trump Administration's efforts to expand access to short-term health insurance and association health plans (healthy people are more likely to gravitate to those plans, leaving sicker people in the ACA-compliant market, resulting in higher premiums).
But the limited enrollment window and the premium subsidies remain unchanged, and they have been the key to preventing a widespread death spiral in the individual market.
Although premiums grew sharply from 2017 through 2019, premium subsidies also grew (and grew disproportionately large starting in 2018, to account for the loss of federal funding for cost-sharing reductions; this ultimately made coverage more affordable for more people). Because premium subsidies have kept coverage affordable for the majority of the people who have coverage through the exchanges nationwide, enrollment in the exchanges was only slightly lower in 2019 than it had been the year before, despite the elimination of the penalty for being uninsured. And for 2020, enrollment in the health insurance exchanges ended up almost exactly the same as it had been the year before, with 11.41 million enrollees in 2020 versus 11.44 million enrollees in 2019.
Out of 10.2 million people with effectuated enrollment in the exchanges nationwide as of mid-2019, nearly 8.9 million were receiving premium subsidies. Premium subsidies keep pace with benchmark plan premiums, keeping the price of a benchmark plan very similar from one year to the next. [That doesn't mean, however, that the price of a particular plan will remain unchanged from one year to the next, even after accounting for subsidies. The after-subsidy price of a given plan depends on how that plan's premium changes, as well as how the benchmark premium (and thus the premium subsidy) amount in that area changes. As a result, people can end up with higher or lower net premiums just based on the change in the subsidy amounts, regardless of how much the cost of their own plan actually changes.]
But overall, the likelihood of a death spiral (ie, higher premiums resulting in healthy people dropping coverage) is muted for the population that receives premium subsidies, as they're insulated from the higher premiums.
A Death Spiral in the Unsubsidized ACA-Compliant Market?
Although enrollment in the exchanges has remained quite steady in 2019 and 2020, there has certainly been a drop in enrollment in ACA-compliant individual market plans sold outside the exchange, where enrollees are not eligible for premium subsidies.
From 2016 through 2018, individual market enrollment among people who do not receive premium subsidies declined by 2.5 million people—a drop of about 40%. Most of these enrollees had previously had coverage outside the exchange, but subsidies are not available for exchange enrollees who earn more than 400% of the poverty level, are affected by the family glitch, or are in the Medicaid coverage gap.
While premium subsidies protect most exchange enrollees from steep rate increases, there is nothing to protect unsubsidized enrollees when premiums rise sharply. Unsurprisingly, the drop in unsubsidized enrollment has been particularly significant in states where rate increases have been especially large.
Those sharp rate increases were common in 2016, 2017, and 2018, but rates changed very little in 2019 and changed even less in 2020 (overall, there was a very slight average rate decrease for 2020). So the exodus of people from the unsubsidized market is unlikely to continue at the rate it was happening for the last few years. But the Trump administration's new regulations that make it easier for healthy people to enroll in short-term plans (instead of ACA-compliant individual market coverage) could result in a continued decline in the number of people paying full price for ACA-compliant coverage.
What Can States Do to Prevent Death Spirals?
Although the ACA's regulations apply nationwide, individual health insurance is also regulated at the state level. The ACA sets minimum standards and requirements, but states can impose additional rules, or even make adjustments to the ACA's rules by using 1332 waivers.
There are several approaches that states can use to improve the stability of their individual insurance markets and ward off death spirals among the population that doesn't qualify for premium subsidies:
States can impose their own individual mandate.
States can offer premium subsidies to people who earn too much for the ACA's subsidies. Minnesota did this in 2017 (for one year only), and California is doing it as of 2020, for people with income up to 600% of the poverty level. Washington is working on a plan to provide premium subsidies to people with income up to 500% of the poverty level as of 2021.
States can enact regulations and legislation to prevent widespread access to longer short-term plans and association health plans. Nearly two-thirds of the states have restrictions on short-term plans that are more strict than the federal rules. By preventing healthy people from circumventing the ACA-compliant market in favor of plans that don't comply with the ACA's regulations, states help to ensure that their ACA-compliant markets continue to have a good mix of healthy people, who serve to keep the risk pool stable.
States can seek 1332 waivers in order to receive federal funding to implement reinsurance programs or other innovative approaches to keeping premiums under control. A dozen states have already established reinsurance programs, which have helped to stabilize their individual markets. In most cases, states that have created reinsurance programs have seen premium decreases as a result. These decreases apply to full-price premiums, so they make coverage more affordable for people who don't get premium subsidies. [Although in some cases, reinsurance programs can result in higher after-subsidy premiums for people who do get subsidies, as the reduction in subsidy amounts sometimes exceeds the reduction in overall average premiums. This is a Catch-22 that state regulators must keep in mind when designing reinsurance programs.]
The talk of death spirals in relation to the ACA applies to the individual health insurance market, and relatively few people purchase coverage in the individual market. Almost all insured Americans get their coverage either from an employer or from the government (Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP). Fewer than 15 million people, out of a nation of 327 million, obtain coverage in the individual market. So worries about insurance market instability probably won't affect your coverage.
And even in the individual market, the majority of current enrollees receive premium subsidies, keeping their coverage fairly affordable. But this is little consolation to the several million people who need to buy coverage in the individual market and aren't eligible for premium subsidies. If you're in this group, you may be tempted to switch to non-ACA-compliant coverage, but it's important to understand the drawbacks of those plans before you enroll—there's a reason they're so much less expensive than real health insurance.
Claxton, Gary; Cox, Cynthia; Damico, Anthony; Levitt, Larry; Pollitz, Karen. Kaiser Family Foundation. Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families. Published October 4, 2019
The Seattle Times. Dismantling of state's health reforms in 1993 may offer lessons for Obamacare repeal. Published January 12, 2017.
National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine. Washington State Health Services Act: Implementing Comprehensive Health Care Reform. Published Spring, 1995.
The Washington Post. Health reform without a mandate: Lessons from Washington state. Published June 17, 2012.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight. Market Rating Reforms. State Specific Rating Variations.
The Colorado Health Insurance Insider. What Guaranteed Issue Without a Mandate Looks Like. Published October 26, 2009.
Citizens Budget Commission. Better Managing New York State's Health Insurance Subsidy Programs. Published September 30, 2001.
State of Washington Health Care Authority. A Study of Washington State Basic Health Program Project. Published June 2002.
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines Used to Determine Financial Eligibility for Certain Federal Programs.
Congressional Budget Office. Repealing the Individual Insurance Mandate: An Updated Estimate. Published November 2017.
Kaiser Family Foundation. Marketplace Enrollment 2014-2019.
Gaba, Charles. 2020 Open Enrollment Total: HCgov down 1.4%, SBMs up 2.9%, total down 0.3% y/y. February 20, 2020.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. First Half of 2019 Average Effectuated Enrollment Data. Published December 11, 2019.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Trends in Subsidized and Unsubsidized Enrollment. Published August 12, 2019
HealthInsurance.org. Iowa health insurance marketplace: history and news of the state's exchange.
Gaba, Charles. ACA Signups. 2020 Rate Changes.
Covered California. Types of Financial Help.
Washington Health Benefits Exchange. Cascade Care 2021 Implementation.
HealthInsurance.org. Plans offer options for millions caught in the coverage gap, with incomes too high for subsidies, or who missed open enrollment.
Anderson, David; Gaba, Charles, Norris, Louise; Sprung, Andrew. Colorado Health Insurance Insider. States seeking to reduce their uninsured populations must beware a Catch-22. February 12, 2020.
Kaiser Family Foundation. Health Coverage of the Total Population.
What Do I Need to Know About Health Insurance Changes for 2021?
How Health Plans Prevent Adverse Selection
Fact checked by Dale Brauner
Are Health Insurance Premiums Going Up or Down for 2021?
Is There Still a Penalty for Being Uninsured in 2021?
How Will the GOP Tax Bill Affect Your Health Insurance?
Can My Employer Reimburse My Individual Health Insurance Premiums?
Fact checked by Sheeren Jegtvig
How Does Farm Bureau Health Coverage Work?
What Exactly Is a Health Insurance Exchange, Anyway?
How Democratic & Republican Bills Could Impact Your Health Coverage
What Is Off-Exchange Health Insurance?
By Louise Norris
How Do Immigrants Obtain Health Insurance Under the ACA?
Understanding the Lawsuit That Could Overturn the ACA
What Is Minimum Essential Coverage, and Why Does It Matter?
Fact checked by Elaine Hinzey, RD
Health Insurance Exemption Criteria—Why They Still Matter
Pre-Existing Condition—What It Is & Why It's a Big Deal
What Are Idaho's Enhanced Short-Term Health Plans?


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Kafka Comes to America
Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror - A Public Defender's Inside Account, by Steven T. Wax; Other Press; First Edition (June 3, 2008). ISBN-10: 1590512952. Hardcover, $22.89; 380 pages.
Wax, the head of the Oregon Federal Public Defenders' office, writes that when he volunteered to represent inmates at Guantánamo Bay he didn't know if his clients "would be terrorists or innocents."
At least one, Adel Hamad, a Sudanese aid worker, seems patently innocent, and Wax also represented Brandon Mayfield, a lawyer whose story—he was falsely linked to a bombing through shoddy fingerprint evidence—illustrates the short path from depriving terrorists of their rights to depriving everyone else. In an enthralling, enraging narrative, Wax captures the damage that Guantánamo has done to America's reputation abroad, and shows how the legal fights on behalf of detainees might restore it. When Hamad, who helped run a hospital for refugees and was known for his Ping-Pong skills, disappeared, his wife was left destitute, and their infant daughter died from a lack of medical care. Hamad spent nearly five years at Guantánamo. ♦
Noted by The New Yorker
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