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Art for Love's Sake
The New Yorker, August 14, 2000 P. 78
BOOKS lead about the biography, "John Ruskin: The Later Years" (Yale; $35) by Tim Hilton... John Ruskin was a man of many parts. He wrote with unflagging passion on art, society, religion, rocks, clouds, economics, Egyptology, war, and women, with an instinctive grasp of all but the last. He was the most passionate proselytizer of the nineteenth century and, in the face of stiff competition, the least successful husband... The Library Edition of Ruskin's works runs to thirty-nine volumes, each about the size and weight of a VCR; I hunted for it on-line and found it for sale on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles—yours for the picturesque, not to say Alpine, sum of sixteen thousand five hundred dollars... "The Venice of modern fiction and drama is a thing of yesterday, a mere efflorescence of decay, a stage dream which the first ray of daylight must dissipate into dust," Ruskin wrote in "The Stones of Venice," adding, "its wonderfulness cannot be grasped by the indolence of imagination, but only after frank inquiry into the true nature of that wild and solitary scene."... What was eating Ruskin, you may ask, as he watched the city melt away? "The rate at which Venice is going is about that of a lump of sugar in hot tea," he said, boiling down four hundred and fifty thousand words of analysis into a single, well-brewed phrase....Toward the end of the first volume of Tim Hilton's biography, there is a startling moment. "Ruskin's sexual maladjustment is not an uncommon one," Hilton writes. "He was a paedophile." That is to say, he loved girls. We have no evidence that he ever abused any of the numerous young women to whom he was drawn; Ruskin's recoiling from physical congress seems to have been absolute.Euphemia Gray—Effie for short—was fifteen when she first encountered Ruskin. They married five years later, in April, 1848. The marriage was never consummated: a fact that they bore in silence for six years, and that has now become the most open domestic secret of the Victorian Age. Describes his lifelong attachment to Rose La Touche, whom he met when she was 9... His most lasting attachment was to Winnington Hall, the girls' school near Manchester, where he taught and lived, infrequently but assiduously, from 1859. There were about thirty-five girls in the school; they received instruction from Ruskin in several subjects, including art and Bible studies... Given the history of his appetites, we find it astounding that such a man could get such a job, let alone make a respectable success of it; but we are not Victorians. No whisper of scandal attaches to his time at Winnington Hall... Only Ruskin's father, John James, failed to admire the setup, and his lugubrious diary entry, recording yet another visit from his son's admiring pupils, is the funniest moment in two long volumes of biography: "5 virgins to strawberries."
Published in the print edition of the August 14, 2000, issue.
Anthony Lane has been a film critic for The New Yorker since 1993. He is the author of "Nobody's Perfect."


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Chimpanzees in Critical Danger
HomeAYV NewsChimpanzees in Critical Danger
According to Momoh the population in the Western part is very small, noting that Sierra Leone is the third country in Africa with the highest population of chimps (about 5,500 in population) of wild chimps based on a census in 2010 – 2011; while Liberia has 7,000 with Guinea having the highest number of 15,000 in the whole of Africa.
He disclosed that the chimpanzees' life cycle is similar to that of humans because they get pregnant for 9 months and breast-feed their young just like the way humans do. He maintained that the uniqueness of chimps is that they only give birth after every 4-5 years which is based on the lactating period.
"Chimpanzees can lactate for 3 years, train their babies to live in the wild and then get pregnant again," Momoh said when speaking to AYV.
Chimpanzees according to Momoh are so very conscious of their territory and territorial protection is their key concept which is why they like their boundary to be well-protected, noting that whenever they see humans in their territory they throw stones at them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » How To » Media & Entertainment Resumes » Resume Templates: Chief of Media Relations
Resume Templates: Chief of Media Relations
LARA DOE
14 Fourteen Street, Town, CA 99999 – Cell: 000.000.0000 – email@email.com
Media and public relations professional with progressive experience in corporate communications. Expertise in generating, promoting, and tracking diverse media coverage including television, radio, print, and Web platforms.
Core Qualifications
Corporate Communications Branding/Re-Branding Social Media/Website Management Cross-Functional Leadership Public Relations Communications Planning/Strategy Writing and Editing Photo Journalism
Achieved nearly $250,000 and a 100% increase in local television and radio media coverage since February 2011 featuring stories from the 446th Airlift Wing (AW), Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Collaborated with a cross-functional media team to gain coverage for the 446th AW C-17 flyover before the Seattle Seahawk's Military Appreciation game, which resulted in exposure to nearly 565,000 potential television and NFL website viewers. Distributed over 500 446th AW news stories, photos, and features to local print and Web media since 2010 as Chief of Media Relations for the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Promoted exceptional media relations by coordinating tours and C-17 orientation flights for more than 50 civic leaders with 100 percent positive feedback. Launched Seahawks' "Spirit of the 12th Man" project for the 446th AW which involved taking the "12th Man" flag on C17 missions around the globe to represent the Seashawks' solidarity with and appreciation for military members and their service. Enhanced and improved public awareness of the Air Force Reserve mission and generated more than 50 recruit leads in less than a three-day period by coordinating organization presence at "The Puyallup State Fair," one of the largest state fairs in the country. Honored with the 2010 446th Airlift Wing MVP Award.
Chief of Media Relations: February 2010- Present U.S. Air Force Reserve, 446th Airlift Wing; Joint Base Lewis-McChord/ McChord Field, WA Develop, implement, and direct public relations and communications strategies while maintaining exceptional relationships with local print, radio, and broadcast media contacts. Promote public awareness and a positive image of the US Air Force by launching news releases including feature articles and photographs to various media outlets. Coordinate media interviews and set up tours, flight orientations, and mission briefs for civic leaders, congressional staff, boy scouts, and civilians. Track media hits value related to online, television and print coverage. Brief news media representatives on the organization's goals, current programs, and associated impact on various public and private activities.
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THE GORGON'S HEAD
: Myths And Legends
: Types Of Children's Literature
Perseus was the son of Danaë, who was the daughter of a king. And when
Perseus was a very little boy, some wicked people put his mother and
himself into a chest, and set them afloat upon the sea. The wind blew
freshly, and drove the chest away from the shore, and the uneasy
billows tossed it up and down; while Danaë clasped her child closely to
her bosom,
nd dreaded that some big wave would dash its foamy crest
over them both. The chest sailed on, however, and neither sank nor was
upset; until, when night was coining, it floated so near an island that
it got entangled in a fisherman's nets, and was drawn out high and dry
upon the sand. The island was called Seriphus, and it was reigned over
by King Polydectes, who happened to be the fisherman's brother.
This fisherman, I am glad to tell you, was an exceedingly humane and
upright man. He showed great kindness to Danaë and her little boy; and
continued to befriend them, until Perseus had grown to be a handsome
youth, very strong and active, and skillful in the use of arms. Long
before this time King Polydectes had seen the two strangers--the mother
and her child--who had come to his dominions in a floating chest. As he
was not good and kind, like his brother the fisherman, but extremely
wicked, he resolved to send Perseus on a dangerous enterprise, in which
he would probably be killed, and then to do some great mischief to
Danaë herself. So this bad-hearted king spent a long while in
considering what was the most dangerous thing that a young man could
possibly undertake to perform. At last, having hit upon an enterprise
that promised to turn out as fatally as he desired, he sent for the
youthful Perseus.
The young man came to the palace, and found the king sitting upon his
throne.
"Perseus," said King Polydectes, smiling craftily upon him, "you are
grown up a fine young man. You and your good mother have received a
great deal of kindness from myself, as well as from my worthy brother,
the fisherman, and I suppose you would not be sorry to repay some of
it."
"Please, your Majesty," answered Perseus, "I would willingly risk my
life to do so."
"Well, then," continued the king, still with a cunning smile on his
lips, "I have a little adventure to propose to you; and, as you are a
brave and enterprising youth, you will doubtless look upon it as a
great piece of good luck to have so rare an opportunity of
distinguishing yourself. You must know, my good Perseus, I think of
getting married to the beautiful Princess Hippodamia; and it is
customary, on these occasions, to make the bride a present of some
farfetched and elegant curiosity. I have been a little perplexed, I
must honestly confess, where to obtain anything likely to please a
princess of her exquisite taste. But, this morning, I flatter myself, I
have thought of precisely the article."
"And can I assist your Majesty in obtaining it?" cried Perseus,
eagerly.
"You can, if you are as brave a youth as I believe you to be," replied
King Polydectes, with the utmost graciousness of manner. "The bridal
gift which I have set my heart on presenting to the beautiful
Hippodamia is the head of the Gorgon Medusa, with the snaky locks; and
I depend on you, my dear Perseus, to bring it to me. So, as I am
anxious to settle affairs with the princess, the sooner you go in quest
of the Gorgon, the better I shall be pleased."
"I will set out tomorrow morning," answered Perseus.
"Pray do so, my gallant youth," rejoined the king. "And, Perseus, in
cutting off the Gorgon's head, be careful to make a clean stroke, so as
not to injure its appearance. You must bring it home in the very best
condition, in order to suit the exquisite taste of the beautiful
Princess Hippodamia."
Perseus left the palace, but was scarcely out of hearing before
Polydectes burst into a laugh; being greatly amused, wicked king that
he was, to find how readily the young man fell into the snare. The news
quickly spread abroad, that Perseus had undertaken to cut off the head
of Medusa with the snaky locks. Everybody was rejoiced; for most of the
inhabitants of the island were as wicked as the king himself, and would
have liked nothing better than to see some enormous mischief happen to
Danae and her son. The only good man in this unfortunate island of
Seriphus appears to have been the fisherman. As Perseus walked along,
therefore, the people pointed after him, and made mouths, and winked to
one another, and ridiculed him as loudly as they dared.
"Ho, ho!" cried they; "Medusa's snakes will sting him soundly!"
Now, there were three Gorgons alive, at that period, and they were the
most strange and terrible monsters that had ever been seen since the
world was made, or that have been seen in after days, or that are
likely to be seen in all time to come. I hardly know what sort of
creature or hobgoblin to call them. They were three sisters, and seem
to have borne some distant resemblance to women, but were really a very
frightful and mischievous species of dragon. It is, indeed, difficult
to imagine what hideous beings these three sisters were. Why, instead
of locks of hair, if you can believe me, they had each of them a
hundred enormous snakes growing on their heads, all alive, twisting,
wriggling, curling, and thrusting out their venomous tongues, with
forked stings at the end! The teeth of the Gorgons were terribly long
tusks; their hands were made of brass; and their bodies were all over
scales, which, if not iron, were something as hard and impenetrable.
They had wings, too, and exceedingly splendid ones, I can assure you;
for every feather in them was pure, bright, glittering, burnished gold,
and they looked very dazzlingly, no doubt, when the Gorgons were flying
about in the sunshine.
But when people happened to catch a glimpse of their glittering
brightness, aloft in the air, they seldom stopped to gaze, but ran and
hid themselves as speedily as they could. You will think, perhaps, that
they were afraid of being stung by the serpents that served the Gorgons
instead of hair--or of having their heads bitten off by their ugly
tusks,--or of being torn all to pieces by their brazen claws. Well, to
be sure, these were some of the dangers, but by no means the greatest,
nor the most difficult to avoid. For the worst thing about these
abominable Gorgons was, that, if once a poor mortal fixed his eyes full
upon one of their faces, he was certain, that very instant, to be
changed from warm flesh and blood into cold and lifeless stone!
Thus, as you will easily perceive, it was a very dangerous adventure
that the wicked King Polydectes had contrived for this innocent young
man. Perseus himself, when he had thought over the matter, could not
help seeing that he had very little chance of coming safely through it,
and that he was far more likely to become a stone image than to bring
back the head of Medusa with the snaky locks. For, not to speak of
other difficulties, there was one which it would have puzzled an older
man than Perseus to get over. Not only must he fight with and slay this
golden-winged, iron-scaled, long-tusked, brazen-clawed, snaky-haired
monster, but he must do it with his eyes shut, or, at least, without so
much as a glance at the enemy with whom he was contending. Else, while
his arm was lifted to strike, he would stiffen into stone, and stand
with that uplifted arm for centuries, until time, and the wind and
weather, should crumble him quite away. This would be a very sad thing
to befall a young man who wanted to perform a great many brave deeds
and to enjoy a great deal of happiness in this bright and beautiful
So disconsolate did these thoughts make him, that Perseus could not
bear to tell his mother what he had undertaken to do. He therefore took
his shield, girded on his sword, and crossed over from the island to
the mainland, where he sat down in a solitary place, and hardly
refrained from shedding tears.
But, while he was in this sorrowful mood, he heard a voice close beside
"Perseus," said the voice, "why are you so sad?"
He lifted his head from his hands, in which he had hidden it, and,
behold! all alone as Perseus had supposed himself to be, there was a
stranger in the solitary place. It was a brisk, intelligent, and
remarkably shrewd-looking young man, with a cloak over his shoulders,
an odd sort of cap on his head, a strangely twisted staff in his hand,
and a short and very crooked sword hanging by his side. He was
exceeding light and active in his figure, like a person much accustomed
to gymnastic exercises, and well able to leap or run. Above all, the
stranger had such a cheerful, knowing, and helpful aspect (though it
was certainly a little mischievous, into the bargain), that Perseus
could not help feeling his spirits grow livelier, as he gazed at him.
Besides, being really a courageous youth, he felt greatly ashamed that
anybody should have found him with tears in his eyes, like a timid
little schoolboy, when, after all, there might be no occasion for
despair. So Perseus wiped his eyes, and answered the stranger pretty
briskly, putting on as brave a look as he could.
"I am not so very sad," said he; "only thoughtful about an adventure
that I have undertaken."
"Oho!" answered the stranger. "Well, tell me all about it, and possibly
I may be of service to you. I have helped a good many young men through
adventures that looked difficult enough beforehand. Perhaps you may
have heard of me. I have more names than one; but the name of
Quicksilver suits me as well as any other. Tell me what your trouble
is, and we will talk the matter over and see what can be done."
The stranger's words and manner put Perseus into quite a different mood
from his former one. He resolved to tell Quicksilver all his
difficulties, since he could not easily be worse off than he already
was, and, very possibly, his new friend might give him some advice that
would turn out well in the end. So he let the stranger know, in few
words, precisely what the case was;--how that King Polydectes wanted
the head of Medusa with the snaky locks as a bridal gift for the
beautiful Princess Hippodamia, and how that he had undertaken to get it
for him, but was afraid of being turned into stone.
"And that would be a great pity," said Quicksilver, with his
mischievous smile. "You would make a very handsome marble statue, it is
true, and it would be a considerable number of centuries before you
crumbled away; but, on the whole, one would rather be a young man for a
few years, than a stone image for a great many."
"Oh, far rather!" exclaimed Perseus, with the tears again standing in
his eyes. "And, besides, what would my dear mother do, if her beloved
son were turned into a stone?"
"Well, well; let us hope that the affair will not turn out so very
badly," replied Quicksilver, in an encouraging tone. "I am the very
person to help you, if anybody can. My sister and myself will do our
utmost to bring you safe through the adventure, ugly as it now looks."
"Your sister?" repeated Perseus.
"Yes, my sister," said the stranger. "She is very wise, I promise you;
and as for myself, I generally have all my wits about me, such as they
are. If you show yourself bold and cautious, and follow our advice, you
need not fear being a stone image yet awhile. But, first of all, you
must polish your shield, till you can see your face in it as distinctly
as in a mirror."
This seemed to Perseus rather an odd beginning of the adventure; for he
thought it of far more consequence that the shield should be strong
enough to defend him from the Gorgon's brazen claws than that it should
be bright enough to show him the reflection of his face.
However, concluding that Quicksilver knew better than himself, he
immediately set to work and scrubbed the shield with so much diligence
and good will, that it very quickly shone like the moon at harvest
time. Quicksilver looked at it with a smile, and nodded his
approbation. Then, taking off his own short and crooked sword, he
girded it about Perseus instead of the one which he had before worn.
"No sword but mine will answer your purpose," observed he: "the blade
has a most excellent temper, and will cut through iron and brass as
easily as through the slenderest twig. And now we will set out. The
next thing is to find the Three Gray Women, who will tell us where to
find the Nymphs."
"The Three Gray Women!" cried Perseus, to whom this seemed only a new
difficulty in the path of his adventure; "pray, who may the Three Gray
Women be? I never heard of them before."
"They are three very strange old ladies," said Quicksilver, laughing.
"They have but one eye among them, and only one tooth. Moreover, you
must find them out by starlight or in the dusk of the evening; for they
never show themselves by the light either of the sun or moon."
"But," said Perseus, "why should I waste my time with these Three Gray
Women? Would it not be better to set out at once in search of the
terrible Gorgons?"
"No, no," answered his friend. "There are other things to be done,
before you can find your way to the Gorgons. There is nothing for it,
but to hunt up these old ladies; and when we meet with them, you may be
sure that the Gorgons are not a great ways off. Come, let us be
stirring!"
Perseus, by this time, felt so much confidence in his companion's
sagacity, that he made no more objections, and professed himself ready
to begin the adventure immediately. They accordingly set out, and
walked at a pretty brisk pace; so brisk, indeed, that Perseus found it
rather difficult to keep up with his nimble friend Quicksilver. To say
the truth, he had a singular idea that Quicksilver was furnished with a
pair of winged shoes, which, of course, helped him along marvelously.
And then, too, when Perseus looked sideways at him, out of the corner
of his eye, he seemed to see wings on the side of his head; although,
if he turned a full gaze, there were no such things to be perceived,
but only an odd kind of cap. But, at all events, the twisted staff was
evidently a great convenience to Quicksilver, and enabled him to
proceed so fast, that Perseus, though a remarkably active young man,
began to be out of breath.
"Here!" cried Quicksilver at last--for he knew well enough, rogue that
he was, how hard Perseus found it to keep pace with him--"take you the
staff, for you need it a great deal more than I. Are there no better
walkers than yourself in the island of Seriphus?"
"I could walk pretty well," said Perseus, glancing slyly at his
companion's feet, "if I had only a pair of winged shoes."
"We must see about getting you a pair," answered Quicksilver.
But the staff helped Perseus along so bravely, that he no longer felt
the slightest weariness. In fact, the stick seemed to be alive in his
hand, and to lend some of its life to Perseus. He and Quicksilver now
walked onward at their ease, talking very sociably together; and
Quicksilver told so many pleasant stories about his former adventures,
and how well his wits had served him on various occasions, that Perseus
began to think him a very wonderful person. He evidently knew the
world; and nobody is so charming to a young man as a friend who has
that kind of knowledge. Perseus listened the more eagerly, in the hope
of brightening his own wits by what he heard.
At last he happened to recollect that Quicksilver had spoken of a
sister, who was to lend her assistance in the adventure which they were
now bound upon.
"Where is she?" he inquired. "Shall we not meet her soon?"
"All at the proper time," said his companion. "But this sister of mine,
you must understand, is quite a different sort of character from
myself. She is very grave and prudent, seldom smiles, never laughs, and
makes it a rule not to utter a word unless she has something
particularly profound to say. Neither will she listen to any but the
wisest conversation."
"Dear me!" ejaculated Perseus; "I shall be afraid to say a syllable."
"She is a very accomplished person, I assure you," continued
Quicksilver, "and has all the arts and sciences at her fingers' ends.
In short, she is so immoderately wise, that many people call her wisdom
personified. But, to tell you the truth, she has hardly vivacity enough
for my taste; and I think you would scarcely find her so pleasant a
traveling companion as myself. She has her good points, nevertheless;
and you will find the benefit of them, in your encounter with the
Gorgons."
By this time it had grown quite dusk. They were now come to a very wild
and desert place, overgrown with shaggy bushes, and so silent and
solitary that nobody seemed ever to have dwelt or journeyed there. All
was waste and desolate, in the gray twilight, which grew every moment
more obscure. Perseus looked about him rather disconsolately, and asked
Quicksilver whether they had a great deal farther to go.
"Hist! hist!" whispered his companion. "Make no noise. This is just the
time and place to meet the Three Gray Women. Be careful that they do
not see you before you see them, for, though they have but a single eye
among the three, it is as sharp-sighted as half a dozen common eyes."
"But what must I do," asked Perseus, "when we meet them?"
Quicksilver explained to Perseus how the Three Gray Women managed with
their one eye. They were in the habit, it seems, of changing it from
one to another, as if it had been a pair of spectacles or--which would
have suited them better--a quizzing-glass. When one of the three had
kept the eye a certain time, she took it out of the socket and passed
it to one of her sisters, whose turn it might happen to be, and who
immediately clapped it into her own head and enjoyed a peep at the
visible world. Thus it will easily be understood that only one of the
Three Gray Women could see, while the other two were in utter darkness;
and, moreover, at the instant when the eye was passing from hand to
hand neither of the poor old ladies was able to see a wink. I have
heard of a great many strange things, in my day, and have witnessed not
a few; but none, it seems to me, that can compare with the oddity of
these Three Gray Women, all peeping through a single eye.
So thought Perseus, likewise, and was so astonished that he almost
fancied his companion was joking with him, and that there were no such
old women in the world.
"You will soon find whether I tell the truth or no," observed
Quicksilver. "Hark! hush! hist! hist! There they come, now!"
Perseus looked earnestly through the dusk of the evening, and there,
sure enough, at no great distance off, he descried the Three Gray
Women. The light being so faint, he could not well make out what sort
of figures they were; only he discovered that they had long gray hair;
and, as they came nearer, he saw that two of them had but the empty
socket of an eye, in the middle of their foreheads. But, in the middle
of the third sister's forehead, there was a very large, bright, and
piercing eye, which sparkled like a great diamond in a ring; and so
penetrating did it seem to be, that Perseus could not help thinking it
must possess the gift of seeing in the darkest midnight just as
perfectly as at noonday. The sight of three persons' eyes was melted
and collected into that single one.
Thus the three old dames got along about as comfortably, upon the
whole, as if they could all see at once. She who chanced to have the
eye in her forehead led the other two by the hands, peeping sharply
about her, all the while, insomuch that Perseus dreaded lest she should
see right through the thick clump of bushes behind which he and
Quicksilver had hidden themselves. My stars! it was positively terrible
to be within reach of so very sharp an eye!
But before they reached the clump of bushes one of the Three Gray Women
spoke.
"Sister! Sister Scarecrow!" cried she, "you have had the eye long
enough. It is my turn now!"
"Let me keep it a moment longer, Sister Nightmare," answered Scarecrow
"I thought I had a glimpse of something behind that thick bush."
"Well, and what of that?" retorted Nightmare, peevishly. "Can't I see
into a thick bush as easily as yourself? The eye is mine, as well as
yours, and I know the use of it as well as you, or maybe a little
better. I insist upon taking a peep immediately."
But here the third sister, whose name was Shakejoint, began to
complain, and said that it was her turn to have the eye, and that
Scarecrow and Nightmare wanted to keep it all to themselves. To end the
dispute, old Dame Scarecrow took the eye out of her forehead and held
it forth in her hand.
"Take it, one of you," cried she, "and quit this foolish quarreling.
For my part, I shall be glad of a little thick darkness. Take it
quickly, however, or I must clap it into my own head again!"
Accordingly, both Nightmare and Shakejoint stretched out their hands,
groping eagerly to snatch the eye out of the hand of Scarecrow. But,
being both alike blind, they could not easily find where Scarecrow's
hand was; and Scarecrow, being now just as much in the dark as
Shakejoint and Nightmare, could not at once meet either of their hands,
in order to put the eye into it. Thus (as you will see, with half an
eye, my wise little auditors) these good old dames had fallen into a
strange perplexity. For, though the eye shone and glistened like a
star, as Scarecrow held it out, yet the Gray Women caught not the least
glimpse of its light, and were all three in utter darkness, from too
impatient a desire to see.
Quicksilver was so much tickled at beholding Shakejoint and Nightmare
both groping for the eye, and each finding fault with Scarecrow and one
another, that he could scarcely help laughing aloud.
"Now is your time!" he whispered to Perseus. "Quick, quick! before they
can clap the eye into either of their heads. Rush out upon the old
ladies, and snatch it from Scarecrow's hand!"
In an instant, while the Three Gray Women were still scolding each
other, Perseus leaped from behind the clump of bushes, and made himself
master of the prize. The marvelous eye, as he held it in his hand,
shone very brightly, and seemed to look up into his face with a knowing
air, and an expression as if it would have winked, had it been provided
with a pair of eyelids for that purpose. But the Gray Women knew
nothing of what had happened; and, each supposing that one of her
sisters was in possession of the eye, they began their quarrel anew. At
last, as Perseus did not wish to put these respectable dames to greater
inconvenience than was really necessary, he thought it right to explain
the matter.
"My good ladies," said he, "pray do not be angry with one another. If
anybody is in fault, it is myself; for I have the honor to hold your
very brilliant and excellent eye in my own hand."
"You! you have our eye! And who are you?" screamed the Three Gray Women
all in a breath, for they were terribly frightened, of course, at
hearing a strange voice, and discovering that their eyesight had got
into the hands of they could not guess whom. "Oh, what shall we do,
sisters? what shall we do? We are all in the dark! Give us our eye!
Give us our one, precious, solitary eye! You have two of your own! Give
us our eye!"
"Tell them," whispered Quicksilver to Perseus, "that they shall have
back the eye as soon as they direct you where to find the Nymphs who
have the flying slippers, the magic wallet, and the helmet of
darkness."
"My dear, good, admirable old ladies," said Perseus, addressing the
Gray Women, "there is no occasion for putting yourselves into such a
fright. I am by no means a bad young man. You shall have back your eye,
safe and sound, and as bright as ever, the moment you tell me where to
"The Nymphs! Goodness me! sisters, what Nymphs does he mean?" screamed
Scarecrow. "There are a great many Nymphs, people say; some that go
a-hunting in the woods, and some that live inside of trees, and some that
have a comfortable home in fountains of water. We know nothing at all
about them. We are three unfortunate old souls, that go wandering about
in the dusk, and never had but one eye amongst us, and that one you
have stolen away. Oh, give it back, good stranger!--whoever you are,
give it back!"
All this while, the Three Gray Women were groping with their
outstretched hands, and trying their utmost to get hold of Perseus. But
he took good care to keep out of their reach.
"My respectable dames," said he--for his mother had taught him always
to use the greatest civility--"I hold your eye fast in my hand, and
shall keep it safely for you, until you please to tell me where to find
these Nymphs. The Nymphs, I mean, who keep the enchanted wallet, the
flying slippers, and the what is it?--the helmet of invisibility."
"Mercy on us, sisters! what is the young man talking about?" exclaimed
Scarecrow, Nightmare, and Shakejoint one to another, with great
appearance of astonishment. "A pair of flying slippers, quoth he! His
heels would quickly fly higher than his head, if he were silly enough
to put them on. And a helmet of invisibility! How could a helmet make
him invisible, unless it were big enough for him to hide under it? And
an enchanted wallet! What sort of a contrivance may that be, I wonder?
No, no, good stranger! we can tell you nothing of these marvelous
things. You have two eyes of your own, and we have but a single one
amongst us three. You can find out such wonders better than three blind
old creatures like us."
Perseus, hearing them talk in this way, began really to think that the
Gray Women knew nothing of the matter; and, as it grieved him to have
put them to so much trouble, he was just on the point of restoring
their eye and asking pardon for his rudeness in snatching it away. But
Quicksilver caught his hand.
"Don't let them make a fool of you," said he. "These Three Gray Women
are the only persons in the world that can tell you where to find the
Nymphs; and, unless you get that information, you will never succeed in
cutting off the head of Medusa with the snaky locks. Keep fast hold of
the eye, and all will go well."
As it turned out, Quicksilver was in the right. There are but few
things that people prize so much as they do their eyesight; and the
Gray Women valued their single eye as highly as if it had been half a
dozen, which was the number they ought to have had. Finding that there
was no other way of recovering it, they at last told Perseus what he
wanted to know. No sooner had they done so, than he immediately, and
with the utmost respect, clapped the eye into the vacant socket in one
of their foreheads, thanked them for their kindness, and bade them
farewell. Before the young man was out of hearing, however, they had
got into a new dispute, because he happened to have given the eye to
Scarecrow, who had already taken her turn of it when their trouble with
Perseus commenced.
It is greatly to be feared that the Three Gray Women were very much in
the habit of disturbing their mutual harmony by bickerings of this
sort; which was the more pity, as they could not conveniently do
without one another, and were evidently intended to be inseparable
companions. As a general rule, I would advise all people, whether
sisters or brothers, old or young, who chance to have but one eye
amongst them, to cultivate forbearance, and not all insist upon peeping
through it at once.
Quicksilver and Perseus in the meantime were making the best of their
way in quest of the Nymphs. The old dames had given them such
particular directions, that they were not long in finding them out.
They proved to be very different persons from Nightmare, Shakejoint,
and Scarecrow; for, instead of being old, they were young and
beautiful; and instead of one eye amongst the sisterhood, each Nymph
had two exceedingly bright eyes of her own, with which she looked very
kindly at Perseus. They seemed to be acquainted with Quicksilver; and
when he told them the adventure which Perseus had undertaken, they made
no difficulty about giving him the valuable articles that were in their
custody. In the first place, they brought out what appeared to be a
small purse, made of deerskin, and curiously embroidered, and bade him
be sure and keep it safe. This was the magic wallet. The Nymphs next
produced a pair of shoes, or slippers, or sandals, with a nice little
pair of wings at the heel of each.
"Put them on, Perseus," said Quicksilver. "You will find yourself as
light-heeled as you can desire for the remainder of our journey."
So Perseus proceeded to put one of the slippers on, while he laid the
other on the ground by his side. Unexpectedly, however, this other
slipper spread its wings, fluttered up off the ground, and would
probably have flown away, if Quicksilver had not made a leap, and
luckily caught it in the air.
"Be more careful," said he, as he gave it back to Perseus. "It would
frighten the birds, up aloft, if they should see a flying slipper
amongst them."
When Perseus had got on both of these wonderful slippers, he was
altogether too buoyant to tread on earth. Making a step or two, lo and
behold! upward he popt into the air, high above the heads of
Quicksilver and the Nymphs, and found it very difficult to clamber down
again. Winged slippers, and all such high-flying contrivances, are
seldom quite easy to manage, until one grows a little accustomed to
them. Quicksilver laughed at his companion's involuntary activity, and
told him that he must--not be in so desperate a hurry, but must wait
for the invisible helmet.
The good-natured Nymphs had the helmet, with its dark tuft of waving
plumes, all in readiness to put upon his head. And now there happened
about as wonderful an incident as anything that I have yet told you.
The instant before the helmet was put on, there stood Perseus, a
beautiful young man, with golden ringlets and rosy cheeks, the crooked
sword by his side, and the brightly polished shield upon his arm,--a
figure that seemed all made up of courage, sprightliness, and glorious
light. But when the helmet hid descended over his white brow there was
no longer any Perseus to be seen! Nothing but empty air! Even the
helmet that covered him with its invisibility, had vanished!
"Where are you, Perseus?" asked Quicksilver.
"Why, here, to be sure!" answered Perseus very quietly, although his
voice seemed to come out of the transparent atmosphere. "Just where I
was a moment ago. Don't you see me?"
"No, indeed!" answered his friend. "You are hidden under the helmet.
But if I cannot see you, neither can the Gorgons. Follow me therefore,
and we will try your dexterity in using the winged slippers."
With these words Quicksilver's cap spread its wings, as if his head
were about to fly away from his shoulders; but his whole figure rose
lightly into the air, and Perseus followed. By the time they had
ascended a few hundred feet, the young man began to feel what a
delightful thing it was to leave the dull earth so far beneath him, and
to be able to flit about like a bird.
It was now deep night. Perseus looked upward, and saw the round,
bright, silvery moon, and thought that he should desire nothing better
than to soar up thither, and spend his life there. Then he looked
downward again, and saw the earth, with its seas, and lakes, and the
silver courses of its rivers, and its snowy mountain peaks, and the
breadth of its fields, and the dark cluster of its woods, and its
cities of white marble; and, with the moonshine sleeping over the whole
scene, it was as beautiful as the moon or any star could be. And, among
other objects, he saw the island of Seriphus, where his dear mother
was. Sometimes, he and Quicksilver approached a cloud, that, at a
distance, looked as if it were made of fleecy silver; although, when
they plunged into it, they found themselves chilled and moistened with
gray mist. So swift was their flight, however, that, in an instant,
they emerged from the cloud into the moonlight again. Once, a high-
soaring eagle flew right against the invisible Perseus. The bravest
sights were the meteors, that gleamed suddenly out, as if a bonfire had
been kindled in the sky, and made the moonshine pale for as much as a
hundred miles around them.
As the two companions flew onward, Perseus fancied that he could hear
the rustle of a garment close by his side; and it was on the side
opposite to the one where he beheld Quicksilver, yet only Quicksilver
was visible.
"Whose garment is this," inquired Perseus, "that keeps rustling close
beside me, in the breeze?"
"Oh, it is my sister's!" answered Quicksilver. "She is coming along
with us, as I told you she would. We could do nothing without the help
of my sister. You have no idea how wise she is. She has such eyes, too!
Why, she can see you, at this moment, just as distinctly as if you were
not invisible; and I'll venture to say, she will be the first to
discover the Gorgons."
By this time, in their swift voyage through the air, they had come
within sight of the great ocean, and were soon flying over it. Far
beneath them, the waves tossed themselves tumultuously in midsea, or
rolled a white surf-line upon the long beaches, or foamed against the
rocky cliffs with a roar that was thunderous, in the lower world;
although it became a gentle murmur, like the voice of a baby half
asleep, before it reached the ears of Perseus. Just then a voice spoke
in the air close by him. It seemed to be a woman's voice, and was
melodious, though not exactly what might be called sweet, but grave and
mild.
"Perseus," said the voice, "there are the Gorgons."
"Where?" exclaimed Perseus. "I cannot see them."
"On the shore of that island beneath you," replied the voice. "A
pebble, dropped from your hand, would strike in the midst of them."
"I told you she would be the first to discover them," said Quicksilver
to Perseus. "And there they are!"
Straight downward, two or three thousand feet below him, Perseus
perceived a small island, with the sea breaking into white foam all
around its rocky shore, except on one side, where there was a beach of
snowy sand. He descended towards it, and, looking earnestly at a
cluster or heap of brightness, at the foot of a precipice of black
rocks, behold, there were the terrible Gorgons! They lay fast asleep,
soothed by the thunder of the sea; for it required a tumult that would
have deafened everybody else to lull such fierce creatures into
slumber. The moonlight glistened on their steely scales, and on their
golden wings, which drooped idly over the sand. Their brazen claws,
horrible to look at, were thrust out, and clutched the wave-beaten
fragments of rock, while the sleeping Gorgons dreamed of tearing some
poor mortal all to pieces. The snakes, that served them instead of
hair, seemed likewise to be asleep; although, now and then, one would
writhe, and lift its head, and thrust out its forked tongue, emitting a
drowsy hiss, and then let itself subside among its sister snakes.
The Gorgons were more like an awful, gigantic kind of insect--immense,
golden-winged beetles, or dragon-flies, or things of that sort,--at
once ugly and beautiful,--than like anything else; only that they were
a thousand and a million times as big. And, with all this, there was
something partly human about them, too. Luckily for Perseus, their
faces were completely hidden from him by the posture in which they lay;
for, had he but looked one instant at them, he would have fallen
heavily out of the air, an image of senseless stone.
"Now," whispered Quicksilver as he hovered by the side of Perseus,--
"now is your time to do the deed! Be quick, for, if one of the Gorgons
should awake, you are too late."
"Which shall I strike at?" asked Perseus, drawing his sword and
descending a little lower. "They all three look alike. All three have
snaky locks. Which of the three is Medusa?"
It must be understood that Medusa was the only one of these dragon-
monsters whose head Perseus could possibly cut off. As for the other
two, let him have the sharpest sword that ever was forged, and he might
have hacked away by the hour together, without doing them the least
harm.
"Be cautious," said the calm voice which had before spoken to him. "One
of the Gorgons is stirring in her sleep, and is just about to turn
over. That is Medusa. Do not look at her. The sight would turn you to
stone. Look at the reflection of her face and figure in the bright
mirror of your shield."
Perseus now understood Quicksilver's motive for so earnestly exhorting
him to polish his shield. In its surface, he could safely look at the
reflection of the Gorgon's face. And there it was,--that terrible
countenance,--mirrored in the brightness of the shield, with the
moonlight falling over it, and displaying all its horror. The snakes,
whose venomous natures could not altogether sleep, kept twisting
themselves over the forehead. It was the fiercest and most horrible
face that ever was seen or imagined, and yet with a strange, fearful,
and savage kind of beauty in it. The eyes were closed, and the Gorgon
was still in a deep slumber; but there was an unquiet expression
disturbing her features, as if the monster was troubled with an ugly
dream. She gnashed her white tusks, and dug into the sand with her
brazen claws.
The snakes, too, seemed to feel Medusa's dream, and to be made more
restless by it. They twined themselves into tumultuous knots, writhed
fiercely, and uplifted a hundred hissing heads, without opening their
"Now, now!" whispered Quicksilver, who was growing impatient. "Make a
dash at the monster!"
"But be calm," said the grave, melodious voice, at the young man's
side. "Look in your shield, as you fly downward, and take care that you
do not miss your first stroke."
Perseus flew cautiously downward, still keeping his eyes on Medusa's
face, as reflected in his shield. The nearer he came, the more terrible
did the snaky visage and metallic body of the monster grow. At last,
when he found himself hovering over her within arm's length, Perseus
uplifted his sword, while, at the same instant, each separate snake
upon the Gorgon's head stretched threateningly upward, and Medusa
unclosed her eyes. But she awoke too late. The sword was sharp; the
stroke fell like a lightning flash; and the head of the wicked Medusa
tumbled from her body!
"Admirably done!" cried Quicksilver. "Make haste, and clap the head
into your magic wallet."
To the astonishment of Perseus, the small, embroidered wallet, which he
had hung about his neck, and which had hitherto been no bigger than a
purse, grew all at once large enough to contain Medusa's head. As quick
as thought, he snatched it up, with the snakes still writhing upon it,
and thrust it in.
"Your task is done," said the calm voice. "Now fly; for the other
Gorgons will do their utmost to take vengeance for Medusa's death."
It was indeed necessary to take flight; for Perseus had not done the
deed so quietly but that the clash of his sword, and the hissing of the
snakes, and the thump of Medusa's head as it tumbled upon the sea-
beaten sand, awoke the other two monsters. There they sat, for an
instant, sleepily rubbing their eyes with their brazen fingers, while
all the snakes on their heads reared themselves on end with surprise,
and with venomous malice against they knew not what. But when the
Gorgons saw the scaly carcass of Medusa, headless, and her golden wings
all ruffled, and half spread out on the sand, it was really awful to
hear what yells and screeches they set up. And then the snakes! They
sent forth a hundred-fold hiss, with one consent, and Medusa's snakes
answered them, out of the magic wallet.
No sooner were the Gorgons broad awake, than they hurtled upward into
the air, brandishing their brass talons, gnashing their horrible tusks,
and flapping their huge wings so wildly, that some of the golden
feathers were shaken out, and floated down upon the shore. And there,
perhaps, those very feathers lie scattered, till this day. Up rose the
Gorgons, as I tell you, staring horribly about, in hopes of turning
somebody to stone. Had Perseus looked them in the face, or had he
fallen into their clutches, his poor mother would never have kissed her
boy again! But he took good care to turn his eyes another way; and, as
he wore the helmet of invisibility, the Gorgons knew not in what
direction to follow him; nor did he fail to make the best use of the
winged slippers, by soaring upward a perpendicular mile or so. At that
height, when the screams of those abominable creatures sounded faintly
beneath him, he made a straight course for the island of Seriphus, in
order to carry Medusa's head to King Polydectes.
I have no time to tell you of several marvelous things that befell
Perseus, on his way homeward; such as his killing a hideous sea-
monster, just as it was on the point of devouring a beautiful maiden;
nor how he changed an enormous giant into a mountain of stone, merely
by showing him the head of the Gorgon. If you doubt this latter story,
you may make a voyage to Africa, some day or other, and see the very
mountain, which is still known by the ancient giant's name.
Finally, our brave Perseus arrived at the island, where he expected to
see his dear mother. But, during his absence, the wicked king had
treated Danaë so very ill, that she was compelled to make her escape,
and had taken refuge in a temple, where some good old priests were
extremely kind to her. These praiseworthy priests, and the kind-hearted
fisherman, who had first shown hospitality to Danaë and little Perseus
when he found them afloat in the chest, seem to have been the only
persons on the island who cared about doing right. All the rest of the
people, as well as King Polydectes himself, were remarkably ill-behaved,
and deserved no better destiny than that which was now to happen.
Not finding his mother at home, Perseus went straight to the palace,
and was immediately ushered into the presence of the king. Polydectes
was by no means rejoiced to see him, for he had felt almost certain, in
his own evil mind, that the Gorgons would have torn the poor young man
to pieces, and have eaten him up, out of the way. However, seeing him
safely returned, he put the best face he could upon the matter and
asked Perseus how he had succeeded.
"Have you performed your promise?" inquired he. "Have you brought me
the head of Medusa with the snaky locks? If not, young man, it will
cost you dear; for I must have a bridal present for the beautiful
Princess Hippodamia, and there is nothing else that she would admire so
much."
"Yes, please your Majesty," answered Perseus, in a quiet way, as if it
were no very wonderful deed for such a young man as he to perform. "I
have brought you the Gorgon's head, snaky locks and all."
"Indeed! Pray let me see it," quoth King Polydectes. "It must be a very
curious spectacle, if all that travelers tell about it be true."
"Your Majesty is in the right," replied Perseus. "It is really an
object that will be pretty certain to fix the regards of all who look
at it. And, if your Majesty think fit, I would suggest that a holiday
be proclaimed, and that all your Majesty's subjects be summoned to
behold this wonderful curiosity. Few of them, I imagine, have seen a
Gorgon's head before, and perhaps never may again!"
The king well knew that his subjects were an idle set of reprobates,
and very fond of sight-seeing, as idle persons usually are. So he took
the young man's advice, and sent out heralds and messengers, in all
directions, to blow the trumpet at the street corners, and in the
market-places, and wherever two roads met, and summon everybody to
court. Thither, accordingly, came a great multitude of good-for-nothing
vagabonds, all of whom, out of pure love of mischief, would have been
glad if Perseus had met with some ill-hap, in his encounter with the
Gorgons. If there were any better people in the island (as I really
hope there may have been, although the story tells nothing about any
such), they stayed quietly at home, minding their own business, and
taking care of their little children. Most of the inhabitants, at all
events, ran as fast as they could to the palace, and shoved, and
pushed, and elbowed one another, in their eagerness to get near a
balcony, on which Perseus showed himself, holding the embroidered
wallet in his hand.
On a platform, within full view of the balcony, sat the mighty King
Polydectes, amid his evil counselors, and with his flattering courtiers
in a semicircle round about him. Monarch, counselors, courtiers, and
subjects, all gazed eagerly toward Perseus.
"Show us the head! Show us the head!" shouted the people; and there was
a fierceness in their cry, as if they would tear Perseus to pieces,
unless he should satisfy them with what he had to show. "Show us the
head of Medusa with the snaky locks!"
A feeling of sorrow and pity came over the youthful Perseus.
"O King Polydectes," cried he, "and ye many people, I am very loath to
show you the Gorgon's head."
"Ah, the villain and coward!" yelled the people, more fiercely than
before. "He is making game of us! He has no Gorgon's head! Show us the
head, if you have it, or we will take your own head for a football!"
The evil counselors whispered bad advice in the king's ear; the
courtiers murmured, with one consent, that Perseus had shown disrespect
to their royal lord and master; and the great King Polydectes himself
waved his hand and ordered him, with the stern, deep voice of
authority, on his peril, to produce the head.
"Show me the Gorgon's head, or I will cut off your own!"
And Perseus sighed.
"This instant," repeated Polydectes, "or you die!"
"Behold it, then!" cried Perseus, in a voice like the blast of a
trumpet.
And, suddenly holding up the head, not an eyelid had time to wink
before the wicked King Polydectes, his evil counselors, and all his
fierce subjects, were no longer anything but the mere images of a
monarch and his people. They were all fixed, forever, in the look and
attitude of that moment! At the first glimpse of the terrible head of
Medusa, they whitened into marble! And Perseus thrust the head back
into his wallet, and went to tell his dear mother that she need no
longer be afraid of the wicked King Polydectes.
THE GOOSE-GIRL
THE GREATEST OF THESE
THE FAIRY CHRISTMAS.
It was Christmas Day, and Toddy and Tita were alone. Papa and mamma had gone out West to see their big boy who was ill. They had promised to be home for Christmas, but a big snow had blocked the railroad track, and nurse was afraid the train would... THE FAIRY FLOWER.
IN a large and pleasant garden sat little Annie all alone, and she seemed very sad, for drops that were not dew fell fast upon the flowers beside her, who looked wonderingly up, and bent still nearer, as if they longed to cheer and comfort her. The... THE FAMINE
Cackle and lay, cackle and lay! How many eggs did you get to-day? None in the manger, and none in the shed, None in the box where the chickens are fed, None in the tussocks and none in the tub, And only a little one out in the scrub. Oh, I say! ... THE FEAST
Cackle and lay, cackle and lay! How many eggs did you get to-day? Two in the manger, and four in the shed, Six in the box where the chickens are fed, Two in the tussocks and ten in the tub, And nearly two dozen right out in the scrub. Hip, hooray... THE FINDING OF MOSES.
Pharoah, becoming alarmed at the increasing power and numbers of the Israelites in Egypt, ordered that every male child who might be born to them should be cast into the river, and drowned. But the wife of a man named Levi felt that she could not ... THE FIR-TREE
Out in the woods stood a nice little Fir-tree. The place he had was a very good one; the sun shone on him; as to fresh air, there was enough of that, and round him grew many large-sized comrades, pines as well as firs. But the little Fir wanted ... THE FIRE-BRINGER
There was a Boy of the tribe who was swift of foot and keen of eye, and he and the Coyote ranged the wood together. They saw the men catching fish in the creeks with their hands, and the women digging roots with sharp stones. This was in summer.... THE FIRST CHRISTMAS-TREE
Two little children were sitting by the fire one cold winter's night. All at once they heard a timid knock at the door and one ran to open it. There, outside in the cold and darkness, stood a child with no shoes upon his feet and clad in thin,... THE FIRST NEW ENGLAND CHRISTMAS
It was a warm and pleasant Saturday--that twenty-third of December, 1620. The winter wind had blown itself away in the storm of the day before, and the air was clear and balmy. The people on board the Mayflower were glad of the pleasant day. It ... THE FIRST SNOW-STORM.
Away off on a warm sunny island, little Harry Hall was born. Flowers bloomed all the year round. The sun shone most of the time, although now and then there were thunder-showers. Many wonderful plants grew wild, while on the shore shells and seaw... THE FLAX
Hans Christian Andersen The Flax was in full bloom. Its pretty blue blossoms were as soft as the wings of a moth, and still more delicate. And the sun shone on the flax field, and the rain watered it; and that was as good for the flax flowers a... THE FLIGHT FROM EGYPT.
When Moses was forty years old he had to flee from Egypt. He went to Midian, where he dwelt for forty years; at the end of which time God appeared to him, and instructed him to return to Egypt; where he was appointed by God to lead the Israelites ... THE FLOOD.
About fifteen hundred years had passed since Cain slew Abel, during which time man had become more and more wicked. At length God saw "that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was o... THE FLOWER'S LESSON.
THERE grew a fragrant rose-tree where the brook flows, With two little tender buds, and one full rose; When the sun went down to his bed in the west, The little buds leaned on the rose-mother's breast, While the bright eyed stars thei... THE FOOLHARDY WOLF
A lion bounded forth from his lair one day, looking north, west, south, and east. He saw a Buffalo and went to kill him. The Lion ate all of the Buffalo-meat he wanted, and then went down to the lake for a drink. As the Lion turned to go towa... THE FOOLISH PUG.
A pompous pug once thought that he A dashing swell would try to be, And on his neighbors one and all, Sat out to make a stylish call. He wore a glass upon one eye, And on his head a silk hat high; A wide, stiff collar around his throat, And la... THE FOOLISH VIRGINS.
In certain parts of the East it is the custom for a man when he is married to bring home his bride at night, and for his relatives and friends to go out with lamps and torches and music to meet him. Ten young women had been invited to meet the b... THE FOUR-FIFTEEN EXPRESS
The events which I am about to relate took place between nine and ten years ago. Sebastopol had fallen in the early spring, the peace of Paris had been concluded since March, our commercial relations with the Russian empire were but recent... THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
A Fox, very hungry, chanced to come into a vineyard, where there hung branches of charming ripe grapes; but nailed up to a trellis so high that he leaped till he quite tired himself without being able to reach one of them. At last, "Let who will t... THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
A fox, almost with hunger dying, Some grapes upon a trellis spying, To all appearance ripe, clad in Their tempting russet skin, Most gladly would have eat them; But since he could not get them, So far above his reach the vine,-- "They're s... THE FROG AND THE OX
Once a little Frog sat by a big Frog, by the side of a pool. "Oh, father," said he, "I have just seen the biggest animal in the world; it was as big as a mountain, and it had horns on its head, and it had hoofs divided in two." "Pooh, child," sai... THE FROG KING
Did you ever hear the old story about the foolish Frogs? The Frogs in a certain swamp decided that they needed a king; they had always got along perfectly well without one, but they suddenly made up their minds that a king they must have. They sen... THE FROG-PRINCE
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm One fine evening a young princess went into a wood and sat down by the side of a cool spring of water. She had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favorite plaything, and she amused herself with tossing it into the ... THE FROST GIANTS
Do you believe in giants? No, do you say? Well, listen to my story, which is a really true one, and then answer my question. Many hundreds of years ago, certain people who lived in the North, and were therefore called Northmen, had a strange ide... THE FROST-KING: OR, THE POWER OF LOVE.
THREE little Fairies sat in the fields eating their breakfast; each among the leaves of her favorite flower, Daisy, Primrose, and Violet, were happy as Elves need be. The morning wind gently rocked them to and fro, and the sun shone warmly do... THE FUNNY HATTER
Harry was a funny man, Harry was a hatter; He ate his lunch at breakfast time and said it didn't matter. He made a pot of melon jam and put it on a shelf, For he was fond of sugar things and living by himself. He built a fire of bracken and a blue-... THE GARDEN OF PARADISE
There was once a king's son; nobody had so many or such beautiful books as he had. He could read about everything which had ever happened in this world, and see it all represented in the most beautiful pictures. He could get information about ever... THE GARDEN OF THE WOMAN LEARNED IN MAGIC
<table><tr><td><img src="/images/plate04-th.jpg" alt=""></td> <td>Then an old, old woman came out of the house; she was leaning upon a big, hooked stick, and she wore a big sun hat, which was covered with beautiful painted flowers.</td></tr></table>... THE GINGERBREAD MAN
Once upon a time there was a little old woman and a little old man, and they lived all alone in a little old house. They hadn't any little girls or any little boys, at all. So one day, the little old woman made a boy out of gingerbread; she made h... THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS
One day the king went for a long walk in the woods. When he came back to his own garden, he sent for his family to come down to the lake for a swim. When they were all ready to go into the water, the queen and her ladies left their jewels in ch... THE GOLD IN THE ORCHARD
There was once a farmer who had a fine olive orchard. He was very industrious, and the farm always prospered under his care. But he knew that his three sons despised the farm work, and were eager to make wealth fast, through adventure. When the... THE GOLDEN COBWEBS
friend, at the kindly instance of a common friend of both; the narrator had heard it at home from the lips of a father of story-loving children for whom he often invented such little tales. The present adaptation has passed by hearsay through so ma... THE GOLDEN GOOSE
Once upon a time there was a Goose who had beautiful golden feathers. Not far away from this Goose lived a poor, a very poor woman, who had two daughters. The Goose saw that they had a hard time to get along and said he to himself: "If I give t... THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
As Jesus was talking to His disciples, a certain lawyer stood up and asked, "Who is my neighbour?" And Jesus answered by telling them this story:-- A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who robbed him, strip... THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
In one of His beautiful parables, Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd. "I am the good shepherd," says He, "the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." And Jesus tells how the hired servant who cares for nothing but his wages, runs away when... THE GOOSE-GIRL
There was once an old Queen who had a very beautiful daughter. The time came when the maiden was to go into a distant country to be married. The old Queen packed up everything suitable to a royal outfit. She also sent a Waiting-woman with her. ... THE GORGON'S HEAD
Nathaniel Hawthorne Perseus was the son of Danaë, who was the daughter of a king. And when Perseus was a very little boy, some wicked people put his mother and himself into a chest, and set them afloat upon the sea. The wind blew freshly, an... THE GREATEST OF THESE
The outside door swung open suddenly, letting a cloud of steam into the small, hot kitchen. Charlie Moore, a milk pail in one hand, a lantern in the other, closed the door behind him with a bang, set the pail on the table and stamped the snow fr... THE GREENWOOD TREE
William Shakespeare Under the greenwood tree Who loves to lie with me, And turn his merry note Unto the sweet bird's throat-- Come hither, come hither, come hither! Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather. Who doth ambiti... THE GULLS OF SALT LAKE
The story I am going to tell you is about something that really happened, many years ago. A brave little company of pioneers from the Atlantic coast crossed the Mississippi River and journeyed across the plains of Central North America in big c... THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
A Hare laughed at a Tortoise upon account of his slowness, and vainly boasted her own great speed in running. "Let us make a match," replied the Tortoise; "I will run with you five miles for a wager, and the fox yonder shall be the umpire of the r... THE HAWKS AND THEIR FRIENDS
A family of Hawks lived on an island in a lake not far from the great forest. On the northern shore of this lake lived a Lion, King of Beasts. On the eastern shore lived a Kingfisher. On the southern shore of the lake lived a Turtle. "Have you ... THE HERO STORY
I told you, my dear Hugh, that Edward I of England had reduced Scotland almost entirely to the condition of a conquered country, although he had obtained possession of the kingdom less by his bravery, than by cunningly taking advantage of ... THE HIDDEN LIGHT
There were plenty of gold-green beetles in the forest. Their violet- colored cousins also held royal state there; and scarlet or yellow with black trimmings was the uniform of many a gay troop that careered in splendor through the vine-hung aisles... THE HIDDEN SERVANTS
This is a legend about a hermit who lived long ago. He lived high up on the mountainside in a tiny cave; his food was roots and acorns, a bit of bread given by a peasant, or a cheese brought by a woman who wanted his prayers; his work was praying,... THE HISTORY OF DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
Old Chapbook In the reign of the famous King Edward the Third, there was a little boy called Dick Whittington, whose father and mother died when he was very young, so that he remembered nothing at all about them, and was left a dirty little fel... The History of Tom Thumb
It is said that in the days of the famed Prince Arthur, who was king of Britain, in the year 516, there lived a great magician, called Merlin, the most learned and skilful enchanter in the world at that time. This great magician, who could assume any... THE HOUSE BUILT UPON THE SAND.
What a foolish man the builder of the house shown in our picture must have been! Of course, when the wind blew and the waves dashed against his house, it would fall. Look how the sea has washed the foundation away, and how the roof is falling in! ... THE HUSBANDMAN AND THE STORK
The Husbandman set a net in his fields to take the cranes and geese which came to feed upon the new-sown barley. He succeeded in taking several, both cranes and geese, and among them a Stork, who pleaded hard for his life, and, among other apologi... THE ICE-KING'S REIGN.
The sun had gone down with promises sweet, When, keen from the north, the wind Came blustering along on its coursers fleet, And left frozen tracks behind. Maude stood at the window; the moon shimmered down On whirling leaves, stiff and dead, Al... THE INDIANS
What will Nannie do now? Here in our New-England towns it would seem hard enough to have one's house swept away before one's eyes; but then you know you could take the next train of cars, and go to your aunt in Boston, or your uncle in New York, t... THE JEALOUS COURTIERS
I wonder if you have ever heard the anecdote about the artist of Duesseldorf and the jealous courtiers. This is it. It seems there was once a very famous artist who lived in the little town of Duesseldorf. He did such fine work that the Elector, P... THE JUDGMENT OF MIDAS
The Greek God Pan, the god of the open air, was a great musician. He played on a pipe of reeds. And the sound of his reed-pipe was so sweet that he grew proud, and believed himself greater than the chief musician of the gods, Apollo, the sun-god... THE JUMBLIES
They went to sea in a sieve, they did; In a sieve they went to sea: In spite of all their friends could say, On a winter's morn, on a stormy day, In a sieve they went to sea. And when the sieve turned round and round, And every one cried, "... THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD.
"Go, work within my vineyard's bound, At eve your 'penny'[1] shall be found:" So spake the vineyard's lord, and they Began to toil at break of day. For hours the sun had shown his face, When idlers in the market-place ... THE LAMB
Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life and bade thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing, woolly, bright, Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the val... THE LAND OF COUNTERPANE
When I was sick and lay abed, I had two pillows at my head, And all my toys beside me lay To keep me happy all the day. And sometimes for an hour or so I watched my leaden soldiers go, With different uniforms and drills, Among the bedclothes... THE LAND OF STORYBOOKS
At evening when the lamp is lit, Around the fire my parents sit; They sit at home and talk and sing, And do not play at anything. Now, with my little gun, I crawl All in the dark along the wall, And follow round the forest track Away behind ... THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS IN NEW ENGLAND
Felicia Browne Hemans Look now abroad! Another race has fill'd Those populous borders--wide the wood recedes, And towns shoot up, and fertile realms are till'd; The land is full of harvests and green meads. ... THE LAPP WOMAN AND THE FINN WOMAN
<table><tr><td><img src="/images/plate07-th.jpg" alt=""></td> <td>The reindeer did not dare to stop. It ran on till it came to the bush with the red berries. There it put Gerda down, and kissed her on the mouth, while big shining tears trickled down... THE LARKS IN THE CORNFIELD
There was once a family of little Larks who lived with their mother in a nest in a cornfield. When the corn was ripe the mother Lark watched very carefully to see if there were any sign of the reapers' coming, for she knew that when they came thei... THE LAST LESSON
Little Franz didn't want to go to school, that morning. He would much rather have played truant. The air was so warm and still,--you could hear the blackbird singing at the edge of the wood, and the sound of the Prussians drilling, down... THE LEGEND OF BABOUSCKA
It was the night the dear Christ-Child came to Bethlehem. In a country far away from Him, an old, old woman named Babouscka sat in her snug little house by her warm fire. The wind was drifting the snow outside and howling down the chimney, but it ... THE LION AND THE GNAT
Far away in Central Africa, that vast land where dense forests and wild beasts abound, the shades of night were once more descending, warning all creatures that it was time to seek repose. All day long the sun had been like a great burning eye... THE LION IN BAD COMPANY
One day a young Lion came suddenly upon a Wolf. The Wolf was not able to get away, so he said to the Lion: "Please, Great Lion, could you take me to your den, and let me live with you and your mate? I will work for you all my days." This young ... THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID.
Naaman was a great general in the army of the King of Syria, who esteemed him highly, because it was Naaman that led the Syrians when God gave them victory over the Israelites. But in spite of his bravery and his high position, he was miserable, b... THE LITTLE COTYLEDONS
This is another story about Margery's garden. The next morning after the garden was planted, Margery was up and out at six o'clock. She could not wait to look at her garden. To be sure, she knew that the seeds could not sprout in a single night,... THE LITTLE FIR TREE
When I was a very little girl some one, probably my mother, read to me Hans Christian Andersen's story of the Little Fir Tree. It happened that I did not read it for myself or hear it again during my childhood. One Christmas Day, when I was grown ... THE LITTLE HALF-CHICK
There was once upon a time a Spanish Hen, who hatched out some nice little chickens. She was much pleased with their looks as they came from the shell. One, two, three, came out plump and fluffy; but when the fourth shell broke, out came a little ... THE LITTLE HERO OF HAARLEM
A long way off, across the ocean, there is a little country where the ground is lower than the level of the sea, instead of higher, as it is here. Of course the water would run in and cover the land and houses, if something were not done to keep it ... THE LITTLE JACKAL AND THE ALLIGATOR
The little Jackal was very fond of shell-fish. He used to go down by the river and hunt along the edges for crabs and such things. And once, when he was hunting for crabs, he was so hungry that he put his paw into the water after a crab without lo... THE LITTLE JACKAL AND THE CAMEL
All these stories about the little Jackal that I have told you, show how clever the little Jackal was. But you know--if you don't, you will when you are grown up--that no matter how clever you are, sooner or later you surely meet some one who is m...


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The guys discuss the end of Infinity War and the storytelling behind it.
Jack and Harrison try to figure out what film will require the most therapy to recover from in the next 12 months.
Jack and Harrison pretend like they know "the industry".
We take a trip to 1980's Derry for the latest adaption of Stephen King's 'IT'. Our longest, weirdest, and most lore-filled yet.
We tackle a trio of troublesome tales on this podcast.


Lack of funding after the USA pull-out, added to well-publicised internal squabbling, are creating severe problems for this somewhat strange body based in South Korea. What exactly is its point?
Political divisions between rich and poor countries make the board of the UN climate fund 'extremely difficult to work with', says green growth chief.
The future of the UN's major climate fund hangs in the balance, says Climate Home News, with a looming cash shortfall and a boardroom locked in conflict.
That is the assessment of international green leader Frank Rijsberman, in the most candid high-profile interview on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) since its board meeting collapsed last month.
Rijsberman is head of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), which elected former UN chief Ban Ki-moon as its president this year. The GGGI has worked closely with the GCF to help developing countries bypass development banks and gain "direct access" to climate finance. He told Climate Home News he wanted the fund to succeed but it faced "massive challenges".
Its most pressing issue was the need to convince governments to put in more cash, when the projects approved for grants or loans so far have barely started work.
"They need a replenishment faster than they will be able to show results, meaning they will have to be replenished based on goodwill and intent, which is difficult," said Rijsberman.
Tensions between rich and poor country board members came to a head in July as they tried – and failed – to agree a process for raising fresh funds.
But the fund's problems run deeper than the immediate cash crunch, says Rijsberman, due to its unique governance structure. A core principle of the GCF is to give developed and developing countries an equal say in board meetings, unlike donor-driven funds.
Their divergent interests in how best to invest makes conflict all but inevitable.
As the GCF was always intended to be a massive broibery exercise to ensure UN voting in favour of UN world control, Trump was correct in cancelling American donations.
With only a few months left until December, when the annual U.N. Conference of the Parties takes place in Katowice, Poland, many wonder how the world's largest international climate fund will overcome its challenges.
The bulk of the money is from the EU (inc. UK), Japan, Canada, Norway and Australia.
GGGI was set-up while a South Korean called Ban Ki-moon was UN head honcho that got to choose where the GGGI was based. Then you tell me Rijsberman is head of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), which elected former UN chief Ban Ki-moon as its president this year.
Itchy backs in the UN and the GGGI (?), well there appears to be plenty of back scratching.
Who oversees the GGGI methods and practices, and who audits of them and the UN funds they handle? Who is accountable if when it all goes belly up?


When I was three years old, I tripped on the wooden floorboards of my family's small home in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, my head landed on a nail that gashed my left eyebrow open. Far-removed from any town or decent phone service, my panicked parents rushed me to the closest hospital they could think of, praying their first-born daughter wouldn't lose her eyesight from the accident. Nearly twenty years later, driving with my mother to that same house in the mountains, I heard Adrianne Lenker's screaming voice in "Mythological Beauty" detail her own experience of toddler-age blood-gushing head trauma, and have since felt a deep-rooted connection to every note of her music in a way that only the most honest folk music can inspire.
Lenker's most recent work is her solo album abysskiss, but last night she made a stop in Philly with her band Big Thief, who took the stage at First Unitarian after a couple of fantastic opening sets from .michael. and The Range of Light Wilderness. After a polite hello to the crowd, Lenker looked around at her bandmates before plunging into "Real Love," a song that undulates from gently quaking vocals to heavy power chords behind the more violent poetry. The tension Lenker sings of in the contradictions between her expectations and reality of real love culminate in a churning solo of guitar distortion that borders on noise rock. And as the crowd writhed along with her, she pulled the abstract notes into the intro of fan-favorite "Shark Smile," a song that culminates with the plea "Take me, too," when the singer's lover dies in a violent car crash.
Despite the rolling drums and curling comfort of Lenker's high voice, Big Thief's music is not for the light-hearted. The vulnerable grief on songs like "Paul" or "Masterpiece" from the band's debut album only darkened in their 2017 release Capacity. Living up to the name, Lenker's lyrics demonstrate a capacity for the human emotions we are most afraid to express – those that come from the stirring intersections of pleasure and pain, sorrow and happiness. As she sang "Pretty Things" and "Capacity," with what looked like anguished effort, her bandmate Buck Meek watched with noticeable empathy that reminded the audience of the serious and often-ugly truths behind the heart-centering rhythms of the band.
The live performance of Big Thief's most cutting songs gives the music a new dimension. The person behind the pain becomes tangible, and the band twists around in motion with their immersive rhythms. Drawing inspiration last night from being in a place of worship where "energy is concentrated," Lenker acted as guide for the band through the softest isolated vocals to startlingly quick kicks at the drum in songs like "Mythological Beauty" that made the entire room jump. But this is exactly what makes Big Thief so unique: Lenker's intricate writing infused with a rhythmic harshness that is uncommon to most folk music.
This entry was posted on Sunday, October 21st, 2018	at 5:00 pm	and is filed under News	. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND HYBRID VEHICLES, THE TWO RETAINING CLIPS FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE FORWARD CENTER CONSOLE CAN BECOME LOOSE. IF BOTH CLIPS SEPARATE FROM THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, THE COVER MAY LEAN TOWARD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, CAUSING INTERFERENCE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ROD.
THIS CONDITION MAY INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TWO FLOOR CARPET COVER RETAINING CLIPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN LATE JULY AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY EARLY SEPTEMBER 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.
Get up-to-date information on the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Read in depth about this model's features, specs, performance, and much more. Let Bestride.com be your guide to finding your next car.


Parete AP is a floor-to-ceiling partition system for functional and personalized work environments built to specific project requirements. Executive offices, meeting rooms, task areas and multi-purpose zones. Enclosed and reserved spaces. The system is manufactured with high-performance components: aluminum profile frame (in various finishes), double-glazed panels with insulating cavity, insulated infill panels with finishes in a variety of materials, and swing doors in safety glass or solid materials. Both the walls and doors in the various configurations can be personalized: the glass panels are generally transparent but on request they can be furnished in various finishes, as can the infill panels, which are also available in the version with glass transoms with the same characteristics as the two main panel types. The Parete AP system is covered by international patents.


Carbs are not the ideal energy source for your body, so till we reach a state of ketosis, we are typically left sensation tired, under stress and low-energy by the end of every day.
The common western world diet plan today tends to include enormous quantities of carbohydrates. Moreover, for several years consumers have been demanding slim and fat free versions of foods.
Unfortunately, it's not constantly this easy. Because your body has been configured for several years to keep fat and burn carbohydrates, we normally require some assistance to kick-start the process of ketosis into high equipment.
This aid comes in the type of a chemical substance referred to as Beta-hydroxybutyrate (likewise known as BHB). BHB informs your body to begin the procedure of developing into a ketosis state.
While your body produces extremely small quantities of BHB, it doesn't produce huge adequate quantities to easily lead to a ketosis state. Therefore many people choose to supplement BHB in their diets. Purefit Keto is a popular and extremely reliable dietary supplement utilized to accomplish this,.
Purefit Keto includes a special blend of active ingredients. Purefit Keto is both safe and convenient. It supplies an easy and safe way to reach a state of ketosis without suffering the unfavorable negative effects of a normal ketogenic diet plan.
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For best results, you'll want to consume a diet plan that consists primarily of fat, with moderate protein intake and a small amount of carbs. It's recommended to attempt to consume a diet plan of 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates while taking the supplement.


text:
Trump isn't the first leader to rattle the world order
tags: NATO, World Order, Trump
by Kelly McFarland
Kelly McFarland, Director of programs and research, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University
Donald Trump's recent trip to the G-7 summit smashed expectations of how world leaders should behave.
Trump's actions in Canada included exacerbating the growing trade war and accusing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of lying. Summit participants described the President as "angry, mocking, wandering and rude." Trump left the G-7 to meet in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. This only added to G-7 members' apprehension, as many believe the American leader is more apt to befriend dictators than allies.
As the President begins the NATO summit, many allies fear that he will unilaterally take actions that will further call into question America's support for their countries. Trump has already sent "sharply worded" letters to multiple NATO allies ahead of the summit, admonishing them to spend more on defense.
The President's decision to hold a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin days after the Brussels meeting only heightens alliance worries.
I'm a diplomatic historian and practitioner of foreign affairs. History shows us that Trump isn't the first leader to take a brutish approach to international affairs. It is worth looking back at some historical actors who ignored international norms and acted unilaterally and defiantly.
It's also worth considering the results of their behavior.
Kaiser Wilhelm's follies
Wilhelm II, German leader from 1888 to 1918, is an interesting and tragic historical figure, who has recently been compared to President Trump. Those references include one article entitled "What Happens When a Bad-Tempered, Distractible Doofus Runs an Empire?" Wilhelm was the grandson of England's Queen Victoria. But he did enough to sour relations that even his family ties couldn't stop Germany and England from going to war in 1914.
Kaiswer Wilhelm II. Public domain
Like his country, Wilhelm was both ambitious and insecure. "Deep into the most distant jungles of other parts of the world, everyone should know the voice of the German Kaiser," he once wrote. "Nothing should occur on this earth without having first heard him."
Wilhelm hated being questioned. One historian, Margaret MacMillan, describes how he "deliberately shook hands too hard with his strong right hand." MacMillan also wrote that he liked slapping male monarchs on their behinds and his adolescent playfulness appalled his fellow royals.
Wilhelm had numerous indiscretions and poor policy decisions prior to World War I. His infamous "Kruger telegram" of 1896 infuriated London when he congratulated a group of independent south Africans for repelling a British-backed military raid. His decision to expand the German navy and the publication of an infamous 1908 Daily Telegraph "interview" that was insulting and perplexing to British readers also sparked rifts. MacMillan succinctly states that "Wilhelm's erratic behavior, his changeable enthusiasms and his propensity to talk too much and without thinking first helped to create an impression of a dangerous Germany."
Ultimately, that perception helped lead to war.
Saddam's plans go awry
Before America attacked Iraq in 2003 and ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the strongman from Tikrit had already earned the international community's ire with his August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
That invasion came after a decade of regional instability with Saddam as a troublesome central player.
From 1980-1988, Saddam, angry at and fearful of Iranian interference in Iraq domestically, fought Iran in a vicious war that also sought territorial gains. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were afraid that Iran's revolution would spread. Acting on the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," they heavily funded Saddam's war effort.
Iraq was worn down and heavily indebted to Arab benefactors following the war's end in 1988. For some time after, Saddam switched his focus to Kuwait. He laid claim to some of the country's vast oil deposits and tried to wrest away ports that provided better sea access for oil tankers and cargo ships.
Saddam's claims to these rich areas, which he called Iraq's "19th province", were accompanied by his demands for Kuwait to forgive billions of dollars of debt owed by Iraq. Saddam then claimed Kuwait was siphoning off oil from a shared oil field. Most egregious for Saddam, who was dependent on higher oil prices to rebuild Iraq, was Kuwait's decision to produce more oil than OPEC quotas had set, driving prices down.
With no solution in sight, Saddam invaded and occupied Kuwait in August 1990.
The Cold War was just ending and the United States was trying to usher in a "new world order", which, it was hoped, would make possible better cooperation among the great powers. That meant Washington and the international community would not, and could not, let Saddam's actions stand. Ultimately, a military a coalition led by the United States decimated Iraqi forces and Kuwait was freed. Saddam's grip on his country and the region would never be as strong.
Like many other leaders who disrupted diplomatic norms, Saddam's actions ultimately failed.
The Rough Rider lives up to his name
An assassin's bullet killed President William McKinley and made Theodore Roosevelt president in 1901.
The assassination brought a new kind of presidency to the United States: Not only was Roosevelt the youngest president ever, his boldness and his views of the office introduced what we now know as the "imperial presidency."
Freakishly bright and full of boundless energy, Roosevelt ran roughshod over his contemporaries, some of whom called him an imperialist and militarist, while one described him as "the mere monstrous embodiment of unprecedented and monstrous noise." He proclaimed to live by the motto: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Theodore Roosevelt. Public domain
This was probably most apparent in Latin America. Seeking a U.S. sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere, Roosevelt bullied and cajoled both regional and European nations when Washington's interests were threatened, using threats of military action and diplomatic pressure.
Roosevelt's bullishness was felt in Venezuela, where Britain and Germany had mounted a blockade over Venezelua's unpaid debts to those countries. Roosevelt pushed the Europeans to arbitrate rather than blockade, fearing European ambitions for Venezuelan territory. It was felt in Panama, where he promoted Panamanian independence from Colombia in order to ensure U.S. control over a canal that would be built across Panama. That canal, in use to this day, would connect the Atlantic and the Pacific, although it is no longer under U.S. control.
His most famous, and likely most lasting, influence came with his 1904 "corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine. President James Monroe's 1823 proclamation stated America's aim to be in predominant control of the Western Hemisphere, including Latin America.
Roosevelt went further.
Now, not only would the United States diplomatically oppose European intervention in the region, the U.S. would also directly intervene in Latin American countries if Washington felt it would forestall European intervention.
Roosevelt's action, in part, led to numerous American regional actions in the following decades, in places such as Haiti, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. These actions, left mostly unchecked by European powers, created a negative Latin American view of the United States as an imperialistic power, lasting in some quarters to this day.
These examples are by no means precise comparisons to today. But they do highlight that history is replete with leaders acting bullishly, with singular confidence in their path and lack of concern for the opinions of others, including allies.
And history is also filled with the mixed results – at best – of those actions.
Read entire article at The Conversation


text:
Past Green Drinks Sessions
Upcoming Green Drinks Session
About Green Drinks
On 4 December, the Ministry of Transport announced the decision to run the Cross Island Line under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR). This was met with concerns about the impact to the habitats and species within the CCNR. The engagement between LTA and green groups continues, in a process that has spanned 6 years to date. What's next, and how can we reduce ecological impacts to MacRitchie Forest?
Join us at Singapore Sustainability Academy to hear directly from green groups. The CRL response team will be there to share its next steps, and primatologist Andie Ang and Nature Society (Singapore) President, Shawn Lum, will also be around to take any questions.
Venue: Singapore Sustainability Academy, 180 Kitchener Rd, #06-10, Singapore 208539
Registration: Please sign up here
Admission is free, and contributions to the society are always welcome. Please share this event with your friends and family.
This session is organised by Green Drinks (Singapore), we would like to give a big thank you to Singapore Sustainability Academy for providing the venue for this event.
For background reading:
– Summary of CRL Phase II EIA
– Nature Groups' response to the CRL Phase II EIA (before MOT's announcement on 4 Dec)
– Cross Island Line to take direct route under Central Catchment Nature Reserve
By MRT: Farrer Park MRT station (Northeast Line)
Kitchener Road (Before Tai Hoe Hotel, 07231)
Service No. 21, 125, 130
Serangoon Road (Outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, 07211)
Service No. 21, 23, 64, 65, 66, 67, 125, 130, 139, 141, 147, 857, NR6
6 thoughts on "Upcoming Green Drinks Session"
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THIRI WHAR WHAR LWIN says:
Please guide to me , how could know upcoming events?
THIRI WHAR WHAR LWIN
You can join our mailing list, just drop me an email at olivia@greendrinkssingapore.com
Chu Yao Min says:
Enquiry on when is Eco fest 2020 held at nus u town
Not even sure there will be one. You need to get in touch with the organisers – Pamela Low and Qiyun.
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text:
Tlatelolco (2012) 11.23 min HD video (extract)
portrays a night-time gymnast in competition with himself in a public exercise park in the district of Tlateloco, Mexico City.
Tlateloco borders on Tepito, the city's most dangerous district, and provokes largely negative connotations in the mexican psyche. Shortly before the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics several hundreds of student protesters were killed here by the army and police near the Plaza de Tres Culturas, a site of Aztec ruins. Also known for its now unloved social modernist housing projects built in Tlateloco during the 1960s, it was also severely hit by the 1985 earthquake which brought large-scale destruction to this area.
Shot at night and lit with ciara-oscura, the film combines a study of the location with a focus on vthe modernist facades during the eerie setting of summer rainfall and lightening. Introducing the gymnast and the outdoor climbing frame, the site is revealed as a magnet for Tlateloco's males who meet here every night to exercise when temperatures are less severe. The gymnast's aim becomes clear after a while - to climb up the frame as many times as possible before being incapacitated by complete exhaustion' his battle is emphasised by using multiple microphones - his breathing and the internal sounds of the climbing frame becoming instruments magnifying his struggle.


In 2014, the Te Urewera National Park in New Zealand became recognised as a legal person under the law. In 2017, New Zealand did it again, declaring the Whanganui River as a legal entity. Law professor Jacinta Ruru considers the implications of these historic events in this warm and informative talk.
Jacinta Ruru (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) is an award winning Professor of Law at the University of Otago, Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga New Zealand's Centre of Māori Research Excellence, fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, and recipient of the New Zealand's Prime Minister's Supreme Award for Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. Her more than 100 publications assert Indigenous' peoples rights and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters and develop multidisciplinary understandings of landscapes. She holds a PhD from the University of Victoria, Canada, and has research collaborations around the world. Jacinta Ruru (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) is an award winning Professor of Law at the University of Otago, Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga New Zealand's Centre of Māori Research Excellence, fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, and recipient of the New Zealand's Prime Minister's Supreme Award for Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. Her more than 100 publications assert Indigenous' peoples rights and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters and develop multidisciplinary understandings of landscapes. She holds a PhD from the University of Victoria, Canada, and has research collaborations around the world.