6 at 2: 30. Young People's Concert, Schelling con- ducting: Sat. 1\'lorn., Jan. 14, at 11. (Soloists: Bustabo, Jan. 7-8; Schelling, Jan. 12-13.) :l\-! USEUM CONcERTs-:Nlannes conducting: I\1etro- politan :M useum of Art., Sat. Eves., Jan. 7 and 14, at 8. JOSEF A"'D ROSINA LHEVIN1'E-Assisted by the J uilliard School Orchestra, Hutcheson and Stoes- sel conducting: Carnegie Hall, Sat. Aft., Jan. 14, at 2 :30. NEW YORK BANKS GLEE CL1JB-Huhn conducting: Town Hall, Sat. Eve., Jan. 14. \VP A-At the Federal Music Theatre, 254 W. 54- Concerto Series, Greenwich Orchestra and soloists, Plotnikoff conducting: Thurs. Eve., Jan. 5, at 8 :45. . . . Beethoven Series, Federal Symphony, Fiedler conducting: Sun. Aft., Jan. 8, at 1 :30. . . . 1\ ew York Civic Orchestra and soloists, Bam- boschek conducting: Sun. Eve., Jan. 8, at 8 :45. . . . Greenwich Orchestra, Plotnikoff conducting: Thurs. Eve., Jan. 12, at 8 :45. OPERA lVIETROPOLIT AN-"Don Giovanni," Thurs. Eve., Jan. 5, at 8: 15; "Tristan und ] solde," benefit for the Free Iilk Fund, Fri. Aft., Jan. 6, at 1 :45; "Aida," Fri. Eve., Jan. 6, at 8:15; "Der Rosen- kavalier," Sat. Aft., Jan. 7, at 2; "Falstaff," Sat. Eve., Jan. 7, at 8:30. From Tues., Jan. 10: not announced. (PE 6-1210.) HIPPODROME-"Aïda," Sun. Eve., Jan. 8, at 8:15. SPORTS BASKETBALL-At :Madison Square Garden, 8: 1 5 P.M.: .Y.U. vs. ::\lanhattan, and St. John's vs. City College, Sat., Jan. 7; Long Island vs. larquette, and St. John's vs. St. Joseph's, Wed., Jan. 11. HOCKEy-At l\ladison Square Garden- Profession- al games, 8 :45 P.).:1.: Americans vs. Detroit, Thurs., Jan. 5; Rangers vs. Americans, Sun., Jan. 8; Americans vs. Rangers, Tues., Jan. 10; Rang- ers 'VS. Chicago, Thurs., Jan. 12.... Amateur games: Sun., Jan. 8, at 2 P.M. INDOOR POLo--At Squadron A Armory, :ðladison at 94, S :30 P.:M.: Low-goal play, teams not an- nounced. At 9 :30 P.M.: Governor's Island vs. Ridgewood, Sat., Jan. 7; .K ew York Athletic Club vs. Governor's Island, Sat., Jan. 14. At Squadron C Armory, 1579 Bedford .Ave., Brooklyn, 8 :30 P.).:L: Low-goal play, teams not announced. At 9:30 P.M.: \Vinged Foot vs. Pegasus, Sat., Jan. 7; Squadron A vs. Pegasus, Sat.. Jan. 14. JAI ALAI--At the Hippodrome: Kightly, except Sun., at 8:30. OTHER EVENTS VIOTOR BOAT SHow-Grand Central Palace, Lexing- ton at 46: Opening Fri., J a.n. 6, at 7 P. .M.; week- days thereafter, 10 :30 A.M. to 10 :30 P.M.; through Jan. 14. DOG SHow--American Spaniel Club: Hotel Roose- velt, Sun., Dec. 8, 1 to 'j P. .; :Mon., Dec. 9, 9 A.:M. to 7 P.M. PLANETARI UM- The lecture for T anuarv at the Hayden Planetarium, Central -Pk. \Y. at 81, is "Stars of the \Vinter N ighL" \Veekdays at 2, 3 :30, and 8 :30 P.M.; Sat. at 11 A. i., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8: 30 P. M.; Sun. and holidays at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 :30 P.M. A UCTIOX S -At the Parke-Bernct Galleries, 742 5 Ave., at 57-The \Villiam Randolph Hearst Col- lection: paintings, Thurs. Eve., Jan. 5, at 8: 15; early English silver and furniture, French fur- niture, Delft and Chinese pOl-celains, Fri. and Sat. Afts., Jan. 6-7, at 2; books, manuscripts, autograph letters, and other properties, \Ved. and Thurs. Eves., Jan. 11-12, at 8:15.... Japanese Jacquer, gold and ivory ornaments, Chinese porce- bins, snuff bottles, jades, and Cambudian stune sculptures, hom the collections of Dwight C. Har- ris and other owners, Fri. Aft., Jan. 13, at 2. . . . Early ...\merican furniture and decorations, the property of ::Yliss Ella Parsons, ?\lrs. Sidney B. \V ood, J r., and other owners, Sat. AfL, Jan. 14, at 2. At the ..American-Anderson Galleries, :Madison at 57- The Kipling library of A. DorIan Otvos and the library of Cad A. Baumann: Thurs. Aft., J a.n. 5, at 2.... American, English, a.nd Con- tinental furniture and decorations, Oriental rugs, fine miniatures, jewelry, and eighteenth- and nine- teenth-century \\latches, from the estate of the late Louise de Ruyter Campbell and the collections of Baroness Nikolas Korff, Alice Kneeland JVlunroe, and other owners, Sat. Aft., Jan. 7, at 2. ON THE AIR ]\IETROPOLITAN OPERA- "Der Rosenkavalier." with Lotte Lehmann, Emanuel List, Risé SteveÍ1s, and Friedrich Schorr: Sat. Aft., Jan. 7, at 1:55, WEAF. GEORGES E Esco-Soloist with the Ford Symphony: Sun. Eve., Jan. S, <.1Ì 9, \\1 ABC. SOME \VEEKLY FEAT'C"RES- (Listing is chronologi- cal; times P.M., unless otherwise noted) TH"C'RSDAy-Rudv VaIJée's Varieties. 8. \VEAF. Kate Smith, 8, \\-ABC. Alfred \\falienstein's Sinfonietta, 8 :30, \VOR. "Good News of 1939," 9, 'VEAF. ":Music and Ballet," 9, \\1QXR. AmeI-- ica's Town J\Ieeting, 9 :30, \VJ2. Bing Crosby's :;\Iusic Hall, 10, \VEAF. Columbia \Vorkshop, 10, \V ABC. FRIlJ.\ Y- Burns :111(1 Al1en, S :30, \\T ABC. Herz- GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN r THIS LISTING COVERS TI-IE TEN DAYS FROM TI-IURSDAY, JANUARY 5, THROUGH SATURDAY, JANUARY 14.J er and Zayde, pianists, 9, \VQXR. Orson \Velles' Campbell Playhouse, 9, \V ARC. .SATURDAY-Fred \Varing, 8:30, WEAF. Your HIt. arade, 10, \V ABC. N .B.C. Symphony, Tos- canU11 conducting, 10, \V J2. SUXDAy-Dr. Charles Courboin, organist, 12 noon, \VOR. :Nlusic Hall Hour, 12 noon, \VJZ. \VP A Concert, 1 :30, \VNYC. Philharmonic-Sym- phony, Barbirolli conducting, 3, W ABC. l\fetro- politan Opera Auditions,S, \VJZ. Ben Bernie 5 :30, 'V ABC Silver Theatre, 6, 'V ABC. J acl Benny, 7, \VEAF. Eddy Brown's "String Clas- sics," 7, WQXR. Bach Cantata Series, \Vallen- stein directing, 7, WORe Nelson Eddy and Edgar Bergen, 8, WEAF. "This is New York" 8 \V ABC. Robert Benchley, 10, \V ABC. ' , JloNDA y-Curtis Institute of J\1 usic 3 \V ABC. Eddie Cantor, 7 :30, \V ABC. Lux Radio' Theatre 9, \V ABC. Eddy Duchin, 9 :30, \VEAF. \VOR Symphony, DeLamarter conducting, 9 :30, \VOR. Guy Lombardo, 10, \V ABC. TUEsDAy-Edward G. Rohinson. 8. \VABC. Al Jolson, 8 :30, W ABC. Clifton Fádirí1an, 8 :30 \VJZ. Benny Goodman, 9 :30, \V ABC. ' \VEDNESDAy-Gilbert and Sunivan Operas 7 \VQXR. Paul \Vhiteman, 8 :30, \V ABC. Ton my Dorsey, 8 :30, \\lEAF. Fred Allen, 9, \VEA F. Star Theatre, 9, \\7 ABC. MOTION PICTURES ANGELS WITH DIRTY FAcEs-Cagney Pat O'Brien and .the "Dead End" boys in a dram of that phas of hfe they so ably represent. (Colonial, B'way at 62; Thurs. through Mon., Jan. 5-9.... Loew's 42nd Street, Lexington at 42; \Ved. and Thurs., Jan. . 11-12. . . . 8th Street Playhouse, 52 W. 8; startmg Thurs., Jan. 12.) BA LERIKA-Ballet people, but the grim side of their lIves for the most part. French, with Chauvire Slavenska, and Janine Charrat (Little Carnegie' 146 \V. 57; daily at 12 noon, 1 :40, 3 :20, 5, 6 :40: 8:20, and 10 P.M.; also Sat. at 12 P.M.) THE BEACHCOMBER-Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester in a Somerset J\Iaugham story of the missionary and the wicked remittance man. (Ri- voli, B'way at 49; continuous from 9:30 A.M.) THE CITADEL-Of the medical profession in Eng- land, and a solemn business. From the novel, of' course, and with Rosalind Russell and Robert Donat. (Colony, 2 Ave. at 79; Thurs., Jan. 5. . .. Carlton, B'way at 100; Thurs. through Sun., Jan. 5-8. . . . Trans-Lux 85th Street, 1\11adison at 85; Sat. through IVlon., Jan. 7-9. . . . 68th Street Play- house, 3 Ave. at 68; Tues. through Thurs., Jan. 10-12.) THE COWBOY AND THE LADy-About an heiress who marries a cowhand. Just easygoing comedy and no difficult problems. Gary Cooper and 1\1Ierle Oberon are involved. (Lexington, Lexington at 51; Loew's 72nd Street, 3 Ave. at 72; Ziegfeld, 6 Ave. at 54; and Loew's 175th Street, B'way at 175; Thurs. through 1\lon., Jan. 5-9.... Loew's 83rd Street, B'way at 83; and State, B'way at 45; Thurs. through \Ved., Jan. 5-11.) THF DAWN PATROL-A notable revision of the old war film. Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, and David Xiven an under fire. (Strand, B'way at 47; Thurs., Jan. 5.) FORTY LITTLE .1iOTHERS-A French film of the airy and tender species. Something quiet, and unusual, too. (55th Street Playhouse, 154 W. 55; daily at 12:35,2:35, 4:40, 6:40, 8:30, and 10:20 P.M.) GRAND ILL L:sIo:x-An impressive French film of some incidents in the last war Eric von Stroheim is perhaps the hest-known of the actors. (Filmarte, 202 \V. 58; daily at 1, 2:54,4:48,6:32,8:26, and 10 :20 P. '1.) THE GREAT \VALTz-Charming old Vienna and Herr Strauss's "Blue Danube." \Vith Luise Rainer, Fernand (;ravet, and J\lIiliza Korjus. (Loew's 86th Street, 3 Ave. at 86; and Terrace, 9 Ave. at 23; through Sat., Jan. 7.... Trans-Lux 52nd Street, Lexington at 52; Sat. through :rvion., Jan. 7-9.) THE. LADY .V ANISHEs-Thnlls anu mystery in the expert HItchcock style. \\lith Dame :rviay Whitty and a coUection of general talent. (Globe B'way at 46; through Fri., Jan. 13.) , THE 1\11AD 1hss J\IANTON-A lunatic sketch involv- ing murder, the Junior League, Barbara St ul\vyck, and Henry Fonda. (Trans-Lux 85th Street l\Iad. ison at 85; Thurs. and Fri., Jan. 5-6.... Trans- Lux 52nd Street Lexington at 52; starting Thurs., Jan. 12.) PYGMALION-The charming, romantic Bernard Shaw movie, with \Vendy Hiller and Leslie Howard xceptionally pleasant. (Astor, B 'way at 45; con tInuous from 10 A.M.) THE SISTERs-Family history well done and with considerable excitement. Bette Davis and Errol Flynn are kept busiest. (N ormandie, Park Ave. at 53; Thurs., Jan. 5. . . . Colony, 2 Ave. at 79; Fri. and Sat., Jan. 6-7.... Sutton, 3 Ave. at 57; Sat. through lon., Jan. 7-9.) SOUTH RIDING-Yorkshire life and characters, with Edna Best. A pleasant, sensible story, not too strenuou.s for nervous Americans, (Plaza, 58, E. of J\IadIson; Sat. through :1\1on., Jan. 7-9.. > , Gramercy Park, Lexington at 23; Fri. and Sat, Jan. 13-14.) THE STORY OF A CHEAT-Sacha Guitry and a witty French film of a cardsharp and his life. Quite amu:;ing. (5th Ave. Playhouse, 5 AVt. at 12; contInuous from noon.) SWEETHEARTs-For those who like big old-fashioned musical shows. \Vith Jeanette J\tlacDonald, Nelson Eddy, and Victor Herbert music. (Capitol, B'way at 51; through Wed., Jan. 11.) THAT CERTAIN AGE-Young people and their charm- ing ways. With Deanna Durbin and Jackie Cooper. (N ormandie, Park Ave, at 53; and Colony 2 Ave. at 79; Fri. and Sat., Jan. 6-7.) THE YOUNG IN HEART-Agreeable sketch about some rapscallions and a generous benefactress. \Vith l\Iinnie Dupree, Janet Gaynor, Billie Burke, Roland Young, and Douglas Fairbanks, J r. (Sheri- dan, 7 Ave. at 12; Orpheum, 3 Ave. at 86; and Rio, B'way at 160; Thurs. through 1\110n., Jan. 5-9. . . . Loew's 42nd, Lexington at 42; Fri. through Sun., Jan. 6-8.) ZAZA- That good old trooper of the drama freshened up for Claudette Colbert and Herbert l\:Iarshall. It stin haf- its moments. (Paramount, B'way at 43; continuous from 9 A. L) REVIV ALS THE ADVENTL:RES OF CHICO (1938) -Central Ameri- can wild life. (Gramercy Park, Lexington at 23; Thurs. through Sat.) Jan. 5-7.) CAPTAIXS COURAGEOUS (1937)-Freddie Bartholo- mew and Spencer Tracy. (Greenwich, Greenwich Ave. at 12; Fri. through Sun., Jan. 6-8.) lvL.ð,RY OF SCOTLAND (l936)-Katharine Hepburn and Fredric larch. (Gramercy Park, Lexington at 23; Wed. and Thurs., Jan. 11-12.) XOTHING SACRED (1937)-Carole Lombard and Fredric J\larch. (Sutton, 3 Ave. at 57; Thurs. and Fri., Jan. 5-6.) TOPPER (1937)-Constance Bennett and Cary Grant. (Greenwich, Green\'\lich Ave. at 12; Fri. through Sun., Jan. 6-8.) COMING EVENTS (Our monthly calendar for readers who 100k ahead,) BOXING-Joe Louis vS. John Henry Lewis, world's heavyweight championship, Jan. 25, at :Madison Square Garden. DA cE RECITALs-Argentinita, Carnegie Hall, Jan. 16. ICE SKATIKG REvuE-Sonja Henie and her HoBy- wood company: J\lladison Square Garden, Jan. 16- 21. :rvrusIc-Orchestras at Carnegie Hal]: Philharmonic- Symphony, BarbiroUi conducting, Jan. 15 (Aft.), 19, 20 (Aft.), and 22 (Aft.); Enesco conducting, Jan. 26-29; National Orchestral Association, Bar- zin conducting, Jan. 23,.; Philadelphia Orchestra, Ormandy conducting, Jan. 24, Feb. 14, and Apr_ 26. Boston Symphony, Koussevitzky conducting, Feb. 8, 10, and 11 (Aft.); J\Iarch 9, 11 (Aft.), and 30; and April 1 (Aft.).... Recitals at Car- negie Hal]: J ussi BjoerJing, Jan. 17 ;. Yehudi 1vIen- uhin, Jan. 18; l\:Iischa Elman, Jan. 21 (Aft.); Gladys Swarthout, Jan. 21; Efrem Zimbalist, Jan. 30; Alexander Brailowsky, Jan. 31. At Town Hall: Walter Gieseking, Jan. 22; Richard Tauber, Jan. 25; 1VIyra Hess, Jan. 28 (Aft.); Andres Segovia, Jan. 29 (Aft.). PUBLIC BALLs-At the Waldorf-Astoria: Night in Poland Ban, JaIl 20.... President's Birthday Ball, Jan. 30. RACING Tropical Park, Fla., through Jan. 10; also )'lar. 6-April 8.... Hialeah Park, Fla., Jan. 11- :March 4.... Santa Anita Park, Calif., through :\lar. 11. THEATRE OPENINGS (Dates uncertain)-"Set to :Music," a Noel Coward revue, starring Beatrice LiUie: J.\.Iusic Box, Jan. 18.... "The American Way," a play by Kaufman and Hart. with Flor- ence Eldridge and Fredric l\iarch: Center, Jan. 21. . .. "Henry IV," lVlaurice Evans' production: St. James, Jan. 30.... "Stars in Your Eyes," a musical revue, with Ethel l'vlerman and Jimmy Durante: \Vinter Gar("le l. Jan. 30.


I am an aide for Mrs. Peterson's classroom and I am the moderator of the Reflection Room. I am a proud product of twelve years of Catholic schooling, having attended St. Joan of Arc and Our Lady Star of the Sea High School. I received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Educational Leadership from Wayne State University. I taught first grade at St. Peter the Apostle and Fourth Grade at St. Paul prior to having my children. My son is a graduate of St. Paul and attends De La Salle Collegiate. My daughter is a current 8th grader at St. Paul. My husband is a Catholic School administrator. We are members of St. Paul on the Lake Parish, where I have served as Vicariate representative and Parish Pastoral Council member.


text:
Q: Silverlight 4, RIA Authentication Service and Roles I use RIA Authentication service in my SL 4 application. I have configured my roleProvider as follows:
<roleManager enabled="true" defaultProvider="CRMRoleProvider" cacheRolesInCookie="true" cookieProtection="All" cookieSlidingExpiration="true" cookieName="MyCookieName" cookieTimeout="900">

However, when I do login from my SL app, only the authentication cookie is set via the response. The Roles cookie is not. When I refresh the browser, the response of the LoadUser operation (part of WebContext) sets the roles cookie as well. So, why is not my roles cookie set after I do login?

A: If I remember well, RIA Services does use custom Role Management in order to make them accessible on the client side without writing any code yourself.
It allows you to do something like this in your SL App:
WebContext.Current.User.IsInRole("RoleId")

However don't forget to check the role server side too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Gabon is a unitary republic on the west coast of Africa, south of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and west of Congo-Brazzaville. Its capital is Libreville. Gabon's 1.23 million people have had the same president for 35 years: President Omar Albert-Bernard Bongo, born in 1935. Only two presidents have ruled Gabon since the country's independence from France in 1960. Bongo previously had served in Gabon's Foreign Ministry when independence was attained; prior to that, he had served two years in the French air force. Bongo was chief of staff and defense minister under Gabon's first head of state, President Leon Mba, becoming vice president in 1966. One year after Mba's death, Bongo assumed the presidency, the position he has held ever since.
Gabon is composed of more than 40 ethnic groups but has not experienced the same degree of ethnic conflict as other African states. This has been due primarily to the relative prosperity brought on by the tapping of Gabon's rich oil reserves and to the continuous presence of French troops in Gabon for nearly four decades since their reinstatement of President Mba in 1964 after he was deposed in coup. Regarding religion, the majority of Gabon's citizenry is Christian. President Bongo himself converted to Islam and took the name "Omar" in 1973.
Although President Bongo had made Gabon a single-party state in 1968, public protests against President Bongo in 1990 due to declining oil prices led to a new Constitution in 1991 that created a multi-party system. Nonetheless, limited space exists for full and free discussion and criticism of the president or his family by the press, as the Communications Code specifies criminal and civil penalties for what is judged to be libelous expression. While the National Communications Council (CNC) set up under the Ministry of Communications supposedly was established to ensure press freedom and high-quality journalism, the CNC actually works against journalists and freedom of expression. Through the CNC, the government is empowered to transform civil libel lawsuits into criminal suits and can initiate criminal libel suits against those issuing supposedly libelous statements against elected officials.
For the most part, the government of Gabon controls the media, though arguably somewhat less stringently than in a number of other African states. Starting in 1998 the government began to limit freedom of expression in the private media more rigorously. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists' annual report for 2001, "Since 1998, the CNC has been using licensing regulations to trim the number of private radio stations. There are still a few apolitical private and community radio stations in Gabon, and opposition newspapers appear regularly. But local journalists say self-censorship is more pervasive than ever."
Newspapers are almost entirely politicized. The one daily paper that exists in the country and is distributed on a national basis is government affiliated. Private weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly papers number about ten to twelve. Opposition parties produce most of the country's newspapers.
The government-affiliated newspaper is L'Union , which publishes daily. One of the main opposition political weekly newspapers is Le Bucheron , while La Relance is an independent weekly paper, unattached to any political party. Le Reveil also publishes weekly. La Voix du Peuple, another independent paper, publishes bimonthly.
Gabon is heavily dependent on oil to fuel its economy. Eighty percent of the country's exports are derived from Gabon's oil. In addition to crude oil, the principal exports are timber, manganese, and uranium. Annual per capita income is about US$3,180.
Gabon's connection with oil has meant that the political atmosphere and degree of tolerance for open criticism of government leaders and policies fluctuates with the economy. When oil prices are down, as they were in the late 1980s, government acceptance of political protest has been much more limited; with rising oil prices, government permissiveness of dissent also appears to rise.
The private press often has difficulty meeting the financial requirements of the government in terms of licensing costs and the penalties that sometimes are imposed for violations of what the government considers reasonable press laws that by international standards are quite restrictive. Consequently, the number of private newspapers in print at any particular time varies.
On a questionably positive note, President Bongo made 250 million CFA francs (about US$345,000) available to the private press in January 2001 to encourage their development, but not all papers were funded, much to their chagrin. The president also stated that the private press would receive double this amount each year on a regular basis. Apparently, the president distributed the funds in such a way as to reward those papers that cast the president and the ruling Democratic Party in a favorable light. As the Committee to Protect Journalists put it, "With confounding ease, President Omar Bongo maintained his smooth-talking, iron-fisted rule by suppressing critical media voices via the Penal Code and by simply purchasing good press."
Venal rewards for journalistic coverage are rampant throughout much of Africa, making the smaller presses beholden to whoever provides them with financial support. This is no less true in Gabon, "where public expressions of unconditional support for President Bongo are often rewarded with cash-filled envelopes," according to the Committee to Protect Journalists in 2001.
The Constitution officially guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, the Communications Code authorizes state prosecution of journalists deemed to have breached the limits of press freedom. Journalists can be charged with both civil and criminal libel. Efforts to tighten the Code even further were made in June 2001, when the National Assembly and Senate gave their stamp of approval to a CNC proposal that publications found guilty of libel and other criminal acts be suspended for one to three months on first offense and three to six months on repeat offenses. The CNC proposal also expanded the scope of libelous conduct in order to protect the "dignity of the person" and made possible the jailing of editors and authors of articles judged to be libelous for two to six months, as well as the imposition of fines ranging from $700 to $7,000 on such guilty parties. At the close of 2001, however, President Bongo had not yet signed the new Code into law.
Most newspapers do criticize the president, and all papers (including L'Union , affiliated with the government) criticize government and party leaders, risking the imposition of penalties specified in the Communications Code. Individual citizens and members of the National Assembly are accorded somewhat greater latitude to debate presidential policies and activities and to criticize ministers and other government officials, though not always without risk.
The government has censored even the pro-government paper, L'Union . Germain Ngoyo Moussavou, the managing editor of L'Union , was dismissed from his job by presidential decree in November 2001 after scathingly criticizing Antoine Mboumbou Miyakou, Gabon's Minister of the Interior, for mishandling preparations for the December legislative elections.
Over the course of several years, the government so frequently censored one satirical weekly newspaper, La Griffe , that by mid-2001 the paper had relocated to France. This followed the transformation of the original paper into Le Gri-Gri , first issued as a supplement to LaGriffe and later as a paper in its own right. Both La Griffe and Le Gri-Gri were suspended on February 15, 2001. This marked the third suspension of La Griffe in less than three years. In fact, one of the paper's editors, Dorothee Ngouoni, had already left Gabon in July 1999 after being convicted of defamation.
Moreover, the CNC, the same government organ that suspended La Griffe and Le Gri-Gri , temporarily banned Michel Ongoundou Loundah, the editor-in-chief of La Griffe , and Raphaël Ntoutoume Ngoghe, the paper's publisher, from practicing journalism in Gabon.
Subsequently, Le Gri-Gri relocated to France, where it was renamed Le Gri-Gri International and began covering news from all of Africa, though still concentrating on politics in Gabon.
In mid-October 2001 government pressure also was applied to Mr. Barre, the manager of Sogapress, the local distributing company for Le Gri-Gri International . Barre was summoned before Gabon's national chief of police, Jean-Claude Labouda, who apparently acted under instructions from the Ministry of the Interior in ordering Barre to halt the paper's distribution in Gabon. Without a warrant, agents from the Ministry's investigation department on October 12 had seized the final copies of Le Gri-Gri International available on newsstands in Gabon, three days prior to Barre's being ordered to stop its distribution.
While ostensibly supporting the private media through state financial subsidies that began in January 2001, the government also actively censures and controls the private press. Even staff members from L'Union reportedly have felt themselves obliged to object to government efforts to stifle press freedom.
Interestingly, the president, his wife, and the president's sister-in-law all took La Griffe to court in 2001, claiming each of them was defamed in several articles published in that paper. And in 2001 Prime Minister Jean François Ntoutoume Emane chastised Le Gri-Gri International and similar news outlets for showing an "appalling disrespectful attitude" by debating questions concerning the likelihood of political change in the country.
The BBC chose not to operate in Gabon for financial reasons. Other foreign media, including the Voice of America, Radio France International, and other international radio stations, have operated in the country without government interference, for the most part. As the U.S. Department of State noted, in 2001, "Foreign newspapers and magazines were available widely."
However, on December 23, 2001 Antoine Lawson, a local reporter for the British news agency, Reuters, lost his camera to police, who confiscated it and destroyed the film. Lawson had been photographing police evacuating a bar that day, when the second round of legislative elections was held and all sales outlets for alcohol were to have been closed.
If a newspaper originates in Gabon but is published abroad, government intolerance of political criticism may resemble that meted out toward the private press in Gabon, Le Gri-Gri International being one such example.
Few private broadcasting services exist in Gabon. As BBC Monitoring wrote, "In October 1999 communications officials suspended four private radio and television stations after accusing them of illegal broadcasting."
The government-owned, national broadcasting service, Radiodiffusion-Television Gabonaise (RTVG), is based in Libreville and operates two radio channels, both affiliated with the ruling Democratic Party: RTG1 (also known as RTG Chaine 1), broadcasting in French, and RTG2 (or RTG Chaine 2), "a network of provincial stations broadcasting in French and vernacular languages," according to BBC Monitoring. "Africa No1," a radio station based in Gabon and supported by French interests, broadcasts across Africa on both short-wave and FM frequencies.
Besides its radio channels, RTVG has two television channels, again representing Democratic Party views; one broadcasts in French to 80 percent of Gabon's territory, the other, RTG2, broadcasts only in the capital. A private satellite TV channel, TV SAT, also broadcasts from Libreville.
Internet access and use are unrestricted by the government in Gabon. Three Internet service providers were operating in the country at the end of 2001, only one of them owned by the state. Internet cafés are available in urban areas to allow Internet access at fairly reasonable prices.
L'Union Edition Web was the first weekly newspaper made available via the Internet in Gabon.
Although Gabon has developed its economic wealth to a greater extent than many of the surrounding countries in Africa, government restriction of the media has grown over time. Few journalists and editors can escape the wrath of government officials intent on prosecuting them for libel, as the Communications Code has made it possible to charge members of the media with both criminal and civil libel and to punish the guilty with jail sentences, fines, suspension of licenses, or bans on practicing journalism. Even when the private press has gone outside the country to publish critiques of government leaders, as with Le Gri-Gri International , journalists cannot be assured that their publications will safely make it onto the newsstands in Gabon and reach their intended audience. Journalists consequently must practice careful self-censorship or risk government repression. Winning 80 percent of the seats in the National Assembly in the December 2001 legislative elections, with 82 percent of Libreville's eligible voters choosing to remain home (as well as 56 percent of the voting public elsewhere in the country), the ruling Democratic Party has shifted Gabon increasingly toward becoming a one-party state.
In a more positive direction, however, international media have been permitted to operate in Gabon with relatively little government interference. The use of the Internet likewise has been unrestricted, and growing numbers of Gabonese are likely to resort to this form of communication if the government continues to heavy-handedly regulate public expression through the print media and broadcasting networks.
Globalization, too, appears to be making a helpful difference for Gabon's media professionals and may help shape an eventual increase in freedom of expression in Gabon. In November 2001 the Association of Free and Independent Publishers in Gabon became a member of the World Association of Newspapers. This relationship will likely offer the Gabon Association's members a certain measure of solidaristic support and some protection against government intrusion and repression as they ply their trade, at least somewhere down the line.
1998: Government of Gabon increasingly attempts to use licensing withdrawals as a means of restricting the number of private radio stations operating in the country.
July 1999: Dorothee Ngouoni, one of La Griffe 's editors, leaves Gabon after being judged guilty of defamation.
October 1999: Communications officials suspend four private radio and television stations for illegal broadcasting.
January 2001: President Bongo makes government financial support available to the private press, promising to renew such support annually, but not all newspapers receive funding.
February 2001: La Griffe and Le Gri-Gri are suspended, a status in which they remain for the rest of the year; key staff are banned from practicing journalism.
June 2001: The National Assembly and Senate approve a proposal to make the Communications Code more stringent.
October 2001: Le Gri-Gri International is prevented from being distributed in Gabon and government officials illegally confiscate copies of the paper from newsstands.
November 2001: Germain Ngoyo Moussavou, managing editor of the pro-government paper, L'Union , is dismissed from his job by presidential decree for defaming the Minister of the Interior.
December 2001: Legislative elections are held, with a record 82 percent of eligible voters in Libreville failing to vote and 56 percent of the electorate elsewhere in Gabon choosing to do the same; the ruling Democratic Party wins 80 percent of the votes cast.
BBC Monitoring. "Country profile: Gabon." Reading, UK: British Broadcasting Corporation, June 29, 2002. Available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1023203.stm .
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State. "Gabon." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2001 . Washington, DC: Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State, March 4, 2002. Available at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/af/8374.htm .
Committee to Protect Journalists. "Gabon." Attacks on the Press in 2001: Africa 2001 . New York, NY: CPJ, 2002. Available at http://www.cpj.org/attacks01/africa01/gabon.html .
Reporters without Borders. "Gabon." Africa annual report 2002 . Paris, France: Reporters sans Frontiéres, April 30, 2002. Available at http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=1837 .
i want to inquire if herbalists and preachers are aloud to talk on the radio stations in Gabon if he pays for an air time.Thank you.


text:
FC Wisconsin Adds Jesse Mosca to Coaching Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 5.24.18
FC Wisconsin continues to add to its coaching staff in preparation for the 2018-2019 season. The club is excited to announce that starting in June during the try-out process, Jesse Mosca will join the staff. Mosca will join the club having spent the last two years coaching at the Bavarian Soccer club within their U11-U12 Program.
Jesse grew up playing for River Plate youth Academy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but moved to the United States with his family in 1993 and played high school soccer in Woodland Hills California. After moving to the Wisconsin area in 1995 he has coached both boys and girls programs at multiple age levels at Mequon United since 2001.
In 2010 he joined Grafton Soccer Club, which later became Fusion Soccer Club. In 2014 he became the Director of the Academy at Fusion Soccer Club and continued to oversee their youth program and Junior Academy teams. In 2016 Mosca joined the Bavarian Soccer club and helped with all teams within the U11-U12 Program.
"We are excited to have someone of Jesse's experience join our coaching staff. Jesse has a wealth of experience at working with a wide range of players at the younger ages and has proved to be an excellent developer of young talent. Along with current coaches Brent Behnke, and Jim McNamara we feel we have three excellent lead coaches within our U11-U12 Program that excel at developing young ambitious players to be successful at the older ages." said Co-DOC Ben Shepherd.
Mosca will primarily work within the FC Wisconsin U11-U12 Program, while also assisting with the Junior Academy Program.
"Having had my eldest son in the FC Program this past year I have seen first hand how FC Wisconsin's development philosophy is different from any other club in the State. The training environment, collaborative coaching model and culture is extremely unique and innovative which pushes players and coaches to reach their maximum potential. I am excited to become a part of the FC coaching staff and look forward to playing a part in helping develop players to play at the next level," said Coach Mosca.
"The hiring of Coach Mosca continues to show how seriously the club takes player development at all ages within all programs. As a club we are continually striving to improve and add quality coaches to our already elite staff. This highlights our continued commitment to true long-term player development for all players under the FC Wisconsin curriculum" said Co-DOC Billy Solberg.
Welcome to the FC Family Jesse!
© 2020 FC Wisconsin. All rights reserved.
© 2020 Demosphere International, Inc. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The UKOUG Partner of the Year awards mean a lot to us as the vote comes directly from the end user. We are thrilled that, for a second year in a row, we have picked up a Gold and Silver award.
These awards are the product of our hardworking, diligent teams, who go to great lengths to forge excellent working relationships with each client, understand their unique requirements and deliver every project to the highest level of satisfaction.


text:
use Modern::Perl;
use LWP::UserAgent;
use JSON;
use URI::Escape;
use RDF::Query::Client;
use Bio::EnsEMBL::Registry;

my $uri = 'http://sparql.uniprot.org/sparql/';
# my $content_type = 'x-www-form-urlencoded';
# my $accept = 'application/sparql-results+json';

my $lwp = LWP::UserAgent->new();
$lwp->agent('ensembl-xref  (Linux, perl/5.14.2)');

my $sparql_start = 'PREFIX rdfs:<http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#>
PREFIX up:<http://purl.uniprot.org/core/>
PREFIX uniprotkb:<http://purl.uniprot.org/uniprot/>
PREFIX taxon:<http://purl.uniprot.org/taxonomy/>
PREFIX rdf:<http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#>
PREFIX database:<http://purl.uniprot.org/database/>
SELECT ?protein ?ensembl ?xref ?reviewed
WHERE {
 VALUES (?ensembl ?sequence) {
  ';

my $sparql_end = '} .
  ?protein up:sequence/rdf:value ?sequence ;
            up:organism taxon:9606 ;
            rdfs:seeAlso ?xref ;
      up:reviewed ?reviewed .
  ?xref up:database ?database .
  FILTER (?database NOT IN (database:Ensembl))
}';

Bio::EnsEMBL::Registry->load_registry_from_db(
  -host => 'mysql-ensembl-mirror.ebi.ac.uk',
  -user => 'anonymous',
  -port => 4240,
  -db_version => 81,
  );
print "Connected to Ensembl";
my $transcript_adaptor = Bio::EnsEMBL::Registry->get_adaptor('Human','core','Transcript');
my $transcripts =  $transcript_adaptor->fetch_all();
my @coding_transcripts = sort { $a->translate->seq cmp $b->translate->seq} grep {$_->translate} @$transcripts;
print @coding_transcripts." found in database\n";
my $sparql;
my $max = 99;
while ( @coding_transcripts > 0) {
  $sparql = $sparql_start . join("\n",map { sprintf "('%s' '%s')",$_->stable_id,$_->translate->seq->seq } splice(@coding_transcripts,0,$max) ) . $sparql_end;
  $max = @coding_transcripts if ( @coding_transcripts < $max);

  my $query = RDF::Query::Client->new($sparql, {UserAgent => $lwp});
  print "Querying Uniprot\n";
  my @results = $query->execute($uri);
  print @results." hits\n";
  while (my $row = shift @results) {
    print $row->{protein}->as_string;
  }
}
print "Finished\n";

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
I dove to depths uncharted. They should have stayed that way.
November 15, 2021 November 12, 2021 / Body Horror, Animals and Wildlife, Insects, Spiders, and Parasites, Nature and the Outdoors / body horror, Deep Sea, ocean, science, SpookyDude43 / 18 minutes of reading
The first thought that crossed my mind as I hit the water was how warm it was. We left for Galapagos in mid-December, arriving on site towards the end of the month. I thought it would be cold, December has always been a time of cold nights and long snowy days for me, so when I broke the water and was greeted not by an icy wall of goosebumps-inducing darkness, but a comfortable lukewarm ocean, I was pleasantly surprised.
An unpleasant surprise followed shortly after, as the radio in my ear blared to life, the voice of Ann, already grainy and hard to make out despite being only 15 feet above me, highlighting the budgetary shortcomings of our expedition. "Ground control to kappa 1-actually, I wouldn't be ground control, would I? Since I'm…you know, not on the ground. What would you call the boat version of ground control?" Ann asked, our new radio quickly becoming a toy in her eyes.
"Now hang on, why am I Kappa 1?" I called back into the radio, ignoring her question that I admittedly did not know the answer to. "Because Kappas live in the water, duh." She called back rather matter of factly before giggling at her own cleverness. A splash is heard some distance to my left before the radio picks up again, a man's voice this time. "This is kappa 2, I'm in the water" Brett called out, our youngest member, though he had been with the company longer than I had. "You don't need to say that, I watched you jump in" Ann called chastising. "I know, just couldn't let you two have all the fun with the new radio." Brett rebutted, while I was slowly starting to regret our buying the thing.
"Alright enough playing around, we're wasting sunlight." Came the voice of our senior, Robbert. He was as no-nonsense as ever, although this was somewhat endearing of him; he always kept a cool head on his shoulders and kept us focused. "Jason, move into the bell. Brett, retrieve the sea scooter and join him. We want this done before sunset." Robbert directed through the radio. I wasted no time, swimming over to the large device dangling from our boat by a thick metal cable.
It was almost shaped like a bell as our nickname suggested, a large bottom-heavy structure that narrowed at the top and widened at the bottom. It was around 7 feet tall, and half that in diameter, 4 small round windows positioned on its north, south, west, and east most sides, and one large hatch on the bottom. As I moved to climb inside this hatch, Brett joined me at my side, using the sea scooter to catch up, its light illuminating the diving chamber in the dark ocean water.
I was a little jealous Robbert had chosen him to pioneer the sea scooter for our company, and not me. it was a small device, no bigger than the motor of a weed whacker. At its rear were two handles with a small lever to pull on the right, and a button for the light on the left. Attached to these handles was the motor, a loud thing, strong enough to turn the blades at the front of the device to propel its occupant forward faster than they could swim. Just beyond the propellers, right in the center, was a large light.
I could see Brett's smile showing through the thin glass of his mask as he delighted in his new toy, and we both climbed into the chamber, sealing it shut behind us while it began to build pressure. I took a seat opposite Brett, and we could feel the chamber moving, sinking through the water a few feet at a time. It was an odd sensation, the water inside didn't jostle or move, but we could feel the world pulling upon us as we sank down, deeper and deeper.
Robbert's voice came over the radio again, growing fuzzier, but not so much that we couldn't make it out. "Remember to watch your depth gauges and don't go too deep, those suits the NOAA lent us will get you to the vents, and maybe a little deeper. Let's not find out how much deeper. Just chart the entrance of the trench, leave your markers, and get back to the bell."
"Roger Roger!" Brett called into the radio, and I heard Robbert let out a sigh. Now we started the wait. As the chamber sank into the depths, it built pressure to acclimatize us to the pressure of the ocean at our desired depth, that way we could get out, do our work, and decompress in the bell instead of doing decompression stops in open water, which was going to be nice, as decompression from this depth should take close to 14 hours. Our air tanks hooked up to tubes in the bell, running up the cord of the bell all the way up to the surface, so we shouldn't have to worry about running out of air. I stared at the depth gauge on my left wrist, watching it tick up as it worked even from within the bell, ticking past 1000 meters already. It was nice to have such a fancy bit of hardware in the form of these suits, our bell and scooter were as outdated as they get, and our boat was on her last sea legs. This job could have been the start of something new, with any luck, it would lead to more business with the NOAA, and our little diving shop might make it big.
Suddenly a question shot to the front of my mind, a question I aired over the radio to our captain. "…Why us?" My question was met with silence at first, and a funny look from Brett before he spoke up. "Well..because Ann doesn't dive, she mans the ship, and Robberts too old to make it down here anymore." "Careful 2, you know he's sensitive" Ann teased back at us, and Robbert let out what could have been a chuckle, or maybe a cough, it was hard to tell.
"That's not what I mean. I mean why did the NOAA hire us for this? Don't they have divers, and divers with better gear, divers they trust with these fancy suits a hell of a lot more than a basically unheard-of diving team? "There was a long silence after this, I thought maybe he knew the answer but didn't want to say. It seemed everyone took a few moments to ponder this question, or maybe the others were waiting for our captain's response like I was. Regardless, our thoughts were interrupted by the bell jerking to a stop, causing us to swing and sway in the water before we steadied again.
Brett was up first, hands cupped around his eyes at the window, searching for whatever it was we came here for. "No..no that can't be right," he mumbled to himself before beginning to undo the hatch. I moved to the window to see whatever it was he saw, but I saw nothing. An endless expanse of dark water lay before me, at least I think it did. It was dark, and I couldn't make out much. "What is it? I don't see anything." My eyes didn't leave the window as I asked, waiting to see some colossal beast swim by, or some ravaged sea life, my mind starting to swim as I waited for his answer. He didn't reply. Not until he had left the bell, ducking out into the water and drifting just below the hatch, floating motionless in place as he looked out at the surrounding ocean, the lights of the bell finally clicking on, revealing more of the nothingness around us.
"That's the problem, check your depth gauge." and I did as he instructed, reeling at our depth. We were 2600 meters below the surface, the deepest anyone had ever gone without a submersible. "…The vents" he started, "We should have hit the floor 50 meters ago. This can't be the right place; the hydrothermal vents are gone!" He sounded angry, and a little confused. Robbert called to him over the radio, trying to calm him down. "Brett, it's a newly formed trench, the vents are still there, just moved. If you get back into the bell, we can adjust the position until we find the edge, it shouldn't be more than a few dozen meters away."
Brett ignored him, swimming away from the bell now. "Brett!" I called out, "Stay near the bell, if you get lost down here, we'll ne-" I was cut off before I could finish, Brett starting to shout into the radio, turning his sea scooter on and propelling forward, with me following along against my better judgment, trying to keep a mental note of where the bell was. "No, this is impossible! The edge *isn't* a dozen meters away, there is no edge, this trench is massive! A trench this large forming, and so close to land, there should have been tsunamis and earthquakes, this kind of damage doesn't just happen without anyone noticing!"
We were at 2700 meters, and getting deeper by the second as he searched for the ocean floor. Comms were quiet for a few moments before Ann spoke up. "Brett, it's okay, I need you to go back to the bell. we'll figure this out, and I'm sure the NOAA have an explanation for what happened here." She spoke soothingly, and Brett slowed, coming to a stop at 2750 meters, with me just a few behind him. He took in a breath, looking around the expanse of ocean before us. He had always been more of an environmentalist than I, I can't imagine how seeing such an important part of sea life cease to exist must have made him feel.
I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to guide him back. "C'mon, let's get back to the bell. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get answers." He looked back at me, his face betraying how upset he was as he tried to sound calm. He didn't look angry anymore, just sad. Maybe that was worse. "Yeah…ok." he spoke softly and with a sigh, starting to position the scooter to take us back when suddenly we saw something. "What is that?" Brett asked, his tone curious as a small dark object slowly floated up towards us from the chasm below. "It….looks like a fish." he offered, and he seemed to be right. A small skinny fish was floating up between us, at our legs now. Robbert's concerned voice came over the radio, each word dripping worry. "What do you see? Are you two all right?" Ann was also talking now, her voice quiet and meek. "Is there something down there with you?" The fish kept on rising, it wasn't swimming, its side was facing up, tail dragging behind it and one empty eye socket pointed to the sky, and it was covered in what looked like red seaweed, wriggling and waving in the light ocean current.
"It looks like a dead fish; it's just floating here." Brett finally answered, though his calm demeanor was broken by what I said, and what we saw next. "There are more, look!" I pointed down, seeing dark shapes rising towards the surface from below, dozens of them. Fish, turtles, string rays, all looking half-decayed, none moving. Each one was covered in the red seaweed, some had much bigger patches of it on them than others, and as the fish rose closer to us, we
could see at last that it was not seaweed, but what looked to be worms of some sort, sticking out of dozens of small holes in their skin. They were skinny and long, each one waving around in the water as though feeling for something else to latch onto. At what appeared to be their head was a single disc-like growth, flat and skinny, but relatively wide, maybe an inch and a half in diameter.
Brett slowly reached towards the thing, his hand tentative, but driven on by his growing curiosity. As his hand approached the fish, I thought to stop him, to reach out and swat his hand away, or to tell him no. Instead, movements made clumsy by the water all around us, I reached out and touched the fish. Instantly the worms had driven the flat growths of their heads against my suit's glove, and I felt an awful pinching sensation as they wriggled and shook violently.
I let out a yelp, shaking my hand as I tried to dislodge the creatures, but they held fast, the pain in my hand increasing as my panic rose. I thought to grab them and pry them off, but I feared more were inside the corpse of the fish, waiting to latch on to me and exacerbate the situation. finally, Brett grabbed my wrist, and with his knife, cut at the wretched things. They held for a few cuts, before withdrawing into the fish, releasing my glove. None of them had been severed by his knife.
I looked at my shaking hand, sucking in deep breaths as I tried to calm myself, the voices of Robbert and Ann cutting each other off as they tried to ask me what was wrong, what was happening to me, and demanding we return to the bell. My glove had several large indents in the material. The gloves were a strong fabric, but here it seemed they were almost chewed through, long cut like scrapes in circles moving towards a central point where each of the worms had held on to me. Brett's voice came over the radio, the other two resigned to not getting an answer and clearing the comms.
"It's alright, they didn't get in. Captain, there are some sort of worms living in the dead sea life down here, definitely unfriendly. We're going back to the bell, get ready to take us up." "I'll get on the radio with the coast guard, Ann, man the crane." Robbert's voice was stern and commanding, it was comforting to have someone sound collected and in control of the situation. Looking around us, things were not in control.
Dead sea life was all around us, slowly moving past as they floated for the surface. It was like a swarm of jellyfish, we didn't want to get close and touch any of them, but if we didn't move more would float up and surely touch us. Looking around, I didn't even know where the bell was, we had left it so long ago, and orientating yourself in the open ocean was like spinning around in a pitch-black room and then trying to find the bed.
"Where's the bell…" I asked, more to myself than anyone else, Ann and Robbert couldn't help us reach it, the best they could do is keep it in place and hope we see the lights again. "We have to go back the way we came, just go nice and slow, and I'll use the scooter to push them out of the way" Brett presented his plan, and it sounded like a good one. He moved in front of me, using the light of his sea scooter to shine us a clear path, and turned the engine on. This was a mistake.
Once the engine turned on, the sea life stopped moving. Each one close enough for us to see stopped dead in their tracks, no longer drifting towards the surface. "What the fuck…" Brett choked out before slowly but surely, each decaying fish began to move towards us. Where before we had a path, we were now slowly being closed in on by a mass of dead animals, worms reaching with all their might towards us. Brett's voice was scared now, lacking the determination
his plan had afforded it before. "C-captain, they're coming towards us, we can't slip past, not this many!" He cried out, pointing the light of the scooter around like it was some sort of gun to hold them back, not they responded, the crawled on, moving closer and closer. "Stay calm son, there has to be a way out. Just stay calm and keep looking around, there are coast guard ships on the way now." Robbert assured us over the radio. I knew it wouldn't matter.
Even if the coast guard were here right now, they could never make it to these depths, not without our suits. Maybe with a submersible, but then what would they do? Ram the things out of the way? I kept this to myself, not wanting to upset Brett any more than he already was, I needed him to come up with a plan like before, some way to get us out of here.
It struck me then, if I were wrong, well, we wouldn't need to sea scooter anyways. I reached out and grabbed it, pulling it away from him. "H-hey, don't you leave me here!" He cried out, fear in his eyes as he held tight. But it didn't matter, I was bigger than him, and after a brief tussle, I had the scooter. I pointed it away from us, turned the engine up to medium, and let go, watching it drift away from us. "What are you doing?!" Brett demanded, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me around to face him. "We needed that; you've killed us both!" Around this time, the first fish drifted past us, towards the direction of the sea scooter. He let go and turned around. We had to dodge them a bit, but they were moving past us, leaving us alone.
"I think they were drawn to the sound. When you turned it on, they came towards it, so I turned it up and sent it away." I explained, trying to keep him calm. "Well, you could have just said that, asshole." He was still angry, but too relieved to hold onto it. He turned, and we both started to swim, making our way to where he claimed the bell was, careful to avoid the sea life that hadn't been close enough to notice the sea scooter. With each passing meter, I grew more concerned. If this was the wrong direction, we were only getting ourselves more lost, and these things, these dead things were still here with us. A little more spread out, but they were here, and I was worried more would come and it would become too dense a group to swim through.
As my fears began to bubble to the surface and form words in my throat, my thoughts were interrupted again when Brett shouted over the radio. "There it is, the light! I can see the bell!" I swam a bit faster, straining to see what he saw, and sure enough, just ahead, there was light. He swam towards it, fast, waving his arms and breathing heavily as he raced for it, ignoring the fish floating around him and rushing for the bell. As we got close, I began to notice something, there was something big just below it.
"Brett, stop! There's something there!" I tried to call, but over his frantic breathing, the radio was too garbled for him to understand. Maybe he thought I was celebrating as well. I should have tried harder, Yelled louder…something. But I didn't, didn't think he would be able to hear me. And as he neared the bell, the thing below rose into the light, coming into view and freezing him in his tracks. It was a whale, a huge humpback whale. But this one wasn't dead, and it wasn't drifting, though just barely.
It had huge holes all along its left side in tightly packed clusters, the skin they clustered on was swollen and infected, the holes leaking a dark fluid into the water. Its body was lumpy, long tubular growths protruding all down its back and to its tail, and these bumps wriggled and moved, twitching and causing the body to move along with them. One of its eye sockets was empty, and the other eye, while still there, had a large hole in it, with a huge worm sticking out of the front.
It slowly approached Brett, it's one big eye locked onto him as the worm reached for him, both of us frozen in shock. As it neared him, the whale let out an awful sound, a groan of pain and anguish as its mouth was pushed open by a mass of worms inside. They reached out, latching onto Brett, causing him to jolt to action again, flailing and screaming, jabbing at them with his knife to no avail as one latched onto his face, slowly pulling him into the mouth. He screamed into it, screamed and cried, and fought for all he was worth, but he wasn't getting away, and I only watched as it took him. once he was gone and the mouth was closed, his screams did not stop. They kept coming over the radio, drowning out anything anyone else might have tried to say. The whale then slowly sank, leaving the light of the bell and vanishing into the darkness. I wasted no time swimming for all I was worth, looking at the bell and hoping that maybe if I didn't look, I wouldn't have to see it rising to swallow me too.
But it didn't swallow me, it didn't return as I swam into the bell, didn't attack me as I sealed the hatch and pressed the button to return me to the surface, and it didn't rip the bell from the ship and sink me to the ocean floor as I waited for the bell to slowly rise out of the depths. But he did scream. He screamed the whole away, and as he did his screams slowly became groans of pain, muffled by whatever it was that had him. And just when I thought I couldn't take the screams anymore, he spoke. He begged. He begged not for his life, not for rescue, not for me to come back and save him. He begged me to kill him. Pleaded with me in a voice so weak and with breaths so raspy, breathing wheezily, unnaturally, he pleaded with me, and with god, and with the devil to kill him and free him from the pain he suffered. And when our radios finally disconnected, I wept, and I hoped he got his wish.
I don't dive anymore. I man the crane, but I'll never get in that water again. I'd leave, say goodbye to this life and to the water forever, but I can't do that to Robbert and Ann, I can't leave them and this business behind after what we went through together. So I man the boat, and I lower the bell. But, I don't think the ocean is safe anymore. Because sometimes, on long jobs during late nights on the water, our radio will pick up something. It's always static-y, and hard to make out, but I know what it is.
He's still begging us to kill him.
Credit : SpookyDude43
I Investigate Disturbing Cases: Here Are My Stories – Hammerhead
Journal of a Psychopath: High School


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text:
Maxeme Tuchman
Personal LinkedIn Profile
Learn about Florida Entrepreneur Maxeme Tuchman:
Maxeme Tuchman, co-founder of Caribu, which can be described as Facetime meets Kindle for kids, met her co-founder & CTO, Alvaro Sabido, on cofounderslab.com, a matchmaking site for entrepreneurs looking for co-founders.
"I highly recommend it when you have a technical co-founder looking for a non-technical cofounder," she said. "Our CTO built the product as part of an MBA class project. His group saw a soldier reading to his daughter using nothing but a webcam and thought they could do better. The group broke up after graduation and Alvaro spent time looking for a co-founder with a complimentary set of skills and experience in education."
Enter Tuchman, a startup veteran and former public school teacher and Teach For America Executive Director. Together, they positioned Caribu as an education platform that helps parents, extended family and mentors read and draw with children via a mobile application.
"We have high-quality, globally recognized brands in our bookshelf. We have superior user design, a focus on language and literacy, plus we offer interactive educational workbooks that you can draw on," she explained. "Users tell us stories about visiting grandchildren and using the app to read together face to face and then enjoying the ability to read the same book remotely with the video feature without needing two physical copies of the same book."
Tuchman's advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to partner carefully and intentionally.
"The best advice I ever got is to make sure you build your founding team with complementary skill sets," she said. "In my first start up, we couldn't divide and conquer because we both had the same skill set and wanted to play in the same space. Many entrepreneurs outsource engineering but if the foundation of your product is tech then your co-founder has to be technical."


text:
Updated as of 9-19 of running cumulative 2010 & 2014 NC returned ballots
And here's the updated chart comparing the first 11 days of early mail-in returned and accepted ballots in North Carolina general elections for 2010 and 2014 by party registration:
NC Mail-in Ballots Update as of 9-20-14
Updated as of 9-19 of running cumulative 2010 & 20...
Update, as of 9-19-14, of NC's mail-in absentee ba...
Comparing 2010 to 2014 in terms of NC returned & a...
The Trends Continue to Hold in NC's Absentee Ballo...
Update on NC Mail-In Absentee Ballots and Returned...
Via WFAE's The Party Line blog: Gender Politics in...


text:
Chapter 4: The Sign of Four Balbharati Solutions for English Yuvakbharati 12th Standard HSC Maharashtra State Board
Chapter 4: The Sign of Four
Read the extract again and complete the web by highlighting the qualities of the following character:
He is a keen observer of people and their emotional state of mind.
He has an inquisitive mind, as he probes Holmes with questions which help him dig deeper into the situation.
He is empathetic, as he tries to ease Mary's anxiety while they walk towards the meeting place.
He loves adventure, as can be witnessed from his excitement when they were headed towards the meeting place.
Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant detective with extraordinary powers of deduction.
He is very resourceful, which can be seen by the information he is able to gather about the case in one afternoon.
He is a man who shows no emotion because he feels that would cloud his judgment.
His sense of direction is flawless, as he is able to name all the places through which the carriage passes.
She has a refined and sensitive nature.
She is a smart and intuitive woman because as soon as she receives the letter requesting a meeting, she approaches Holmes to help her out.
She is calm, composed and displays exceptional self-control despite feeling uneasy and tense about the meeting with the anonymous sender of the letters.
She is an ideal client, as she brought the pearls, letters that she had received and the paper she found in her father's desk, for Holmes to examine.
She maintains a resolute and collected demeanour as she, along with Watson and Holmes, is taken away in a carriage to an unknown destination.
Describe the character of Mary Morstan from Dr. Watson's point of view.
Dr. Watson meets Mary Morstan for the first time when she brings a case for Sherlock Holmes. He describes Mary as a woman with a firm step and calmness of manner. He continues his description of her as a young, graceful, well-gloved lady, who is impeccably dressed in a sober, greyish beige, untrimmed and unbraided dress with a dull turban that has a white feather on the side. He finds her costume to be plain and simple, which suggests that she is a woman of limited means. Her features are not regular and her complexion is not bright, but her expression is sweet and friendly and her large blue eyes are remarkably spiritual and sympathetic. Dr. Watson, who happens to know women from various nations across three different continents, finds Mary's face to be indicative of her refined and sensitive nature. He even describes her emotional state of mind as agitated, because he witnesses her lip tremble and her hand quiver as she takes her seat. Dr. Watson finds Mary to be a very attractive woman with a deep, rich-toned voice and a beauty that has aged well with time. When Dr. Watson meets Mary Morstan for the second time, he describes her as wrapped in a dark cloak with her pale, composed and sensitive face. He says that she would have looked exceptional had she not been feeling uneasy about her strange situation. However, despite her discomfort, she displays perfect self-control. Watson also observes that as they drove to the Lyceum Theatre, the combination of the dull evening and the mysterious nature of their mission left her nervous and depressed. Finally, he notes that even while they are escorted to an unknown place, Mary demeanour is as resolute and collected as ever. Of most importance is Mary's disinterest in the inheritance of riches and her relief and happiness at finding out the treasure has been lost and her subsequent acceptance of Watson's proposal, proving once again that she is a virtuous woman.
Sherlock Holmes is the leading character in the extract. Explain.
At the beginning of the extract, we see that Miss Mary Morstan comes to meet Sherlock Holmes with a case. Through her conversation with Holmes, we come to know that in the past he had solved a case for Miss Morstan's employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester. This is the first time we are introduced to Sherlock Holmes as a detective. Dr. Watson describes him as having clear-cut, hawk-like features. Upon listening to Miss Morstan's story, he is the one who questions her further. This helps the reader understand Holmes' importance in the extract, thus adding weight to his character. After Miss Morstan leaves, Holmes swings into action by going out to gain more information about the case. Upon his return, he shares his findings with Dr. Watson, which are quite commendable considering he was able to gain so much information in one afternoon. This further strengthens his character as the main lead in the story. An important point of observation is Holmes' stark refusal to let emotions come in the way of solving a case. This lack of emotion not only sets him apart from Watson, but also from the average reader, making him an extraordinary character. It is perhaps this complete focus on rationality and logic that enables Holmes to make quick advances in the case. On the carriage ride, Holmes deciphers the contents of the page that Miss Morstan shares with him, thus highlighting his intellectual prowess. On the second carriage ride, as the trio are being taken away to an unknown destination, Dr. Watson feels lost, but Holmes is able to clearly identify the places through which the carriage passes. Holmes is, therefore, depicted as the leading character in the extract through the qualities exhibited by him over the course of the story.
Dr. Watson, the narrator, is one of the major characters in the novel. Illustrate
Dr. John Watson is the narrator of the story. From his admiring description of Miss Mary Morstan and his appreciative expression of Holmes' abilities to his detailed account of the evening scene in London and his depiction of each emotion felt by the characters, Dr. Watson's insightful narration helps the readers experience the story through his eyes. However, Dr. Watson is not merely the narrator of the story; he is also Holmes' closest friend as well as his assistant. A doctor by profession, Watson is an empathetic man, who understands emotions and situations on a level that Holmes fails to understand. He is the second-most important character in the story, after Holmes. This is because he helps Holmes comprehend the sensitive aspects of situations, which is not Holmes' strong suit. Though Holmes is extraordinarily gifted, this does not stop Watson from arguing with him, making him the only one capable of tolerating Holmes and proving that he is the perfect companion for the eccentric detective. His admiration for Miss Morstan shows us his romantic side and his hesitation to feel worthy of Miss Morstan's affection portrays him as a true gentleman. All the qualities attributed to Dr. Watson, along with his relationship to the protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, and his narrative viewpoint, make him one of the major characters in the novel.
Holmes is always one step ahead of Dr. Watson in solving cases. Elucidate.
Holmes possesses exceptional powers of observation and deduction. His rational thinking and logical approach help him analyze cases in a way that no one else can comprehend. The extent of Holmes' intellectual skills can be witnessed when he deciphers the piece of paper that Miss Morstan gives him in the carriage and also when he is able to name every place the carriage passes through, despite not knowing the intended destination. Moreover, Sherlock's approach to his cases is devoid of emotion. He simply takes interest in the facts and does not leave room for personal bias to impair his judgment. His ability to rise above the fear and anxiety felt by an ordinary person in a tense situation sets him apart and gives him the power to look at the situation from a unique perspective. In Dr. Watson's opinion, Holmes is an automaton − a calculating machine − which makes him positively inhuman. On the other hand, though Dr. Watson is a keen observer, he is no match for Sherlock Holmes. His analytical skills are not as refined as Sherlock's. Unlike Holmes, Dr. Watson does not treat the clients as mere units or factors. His emotional side leads him to sympathise and at times empathise with the clients. He excels in sensing a person's state of mind, a quality lacking in Holmes, which makes him more sensitive and humane. However, his personal opinion about everyone may be clouding his judgment, thus causing him to miss out on the subtle clues that Holmes never fails to pick. For instance, it takes Holmes a mere afternoon to make the important connection between Major Sholto and the anonymous sender of pearls, which Watson does not make even when Holmes presents him with the facts that he had obtained. This proves that Holmes is a master of deduction who thrives on mysteries and lives to resolve them. This is why Holmes is always one step ahead of Dr. Watson in solving cases.
Arrange the sentences in the correct sequence as per their occurrence in the extract:
Jumbled Incidents
Correct sequence
(1) Holmes put a revolver in his pocket.
(2) Holmes gave Winwood's book 'Martyrdom of Man' to Dr. Watson.
(3) Mary received a large and lustrous pearl through the post.
(4) Mary's father was an officer in an Indian regiment.
(5) Mary Morstan was a well-dressed young lady.
Discuss the importance of the following statement in light of the extract.
The trio − Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Mary decide to visit Lyceum Theatre.
Mary comes to meet Sherlock with a case. For the past six years, an anonymous person has been sending a pearl to Mary on the same day each year. However, this year, she has received a letter from the anonymous sender requesting her to go to the third pillar from the left, outside the Lyceum Theatre. The letter suggested that Mary had been wronged in some way and that she shall have justice. Though the sender warned Mary not to inform the police, he did tell her that she could have two friends accompany her. At this point, Mary is curious about the meeting but at the same time, the prospect of meeting a stranger alone is obviously unsettling. Thus, as a compromise, she decides to not call the police but enlists the help of a detective, Holmes, to accompany her. They both agree and the trio decides to visit Lyceum Theatre. This statement is important because Mary's decision to approach Holmes and his subsequent approval to accompany her lead to the unveiling of the mystery of the anonymous sender and of the bigger, main plot of the novel.
Mary received Pearls every year on the same day.
Mary's father had disappeared ten years ago and a few years after his disappearance, she saw an anonymous advertisement in the newspaper asking her for her address. Upon her employer's advice, she gave her address and began receiving a large pearl in the mail each year. These pearls that Mary receives are central to Mary's mysterious case. The reason this statement is important is because it hints that someone is trying to make amends for some wrongful action that has somehow harmed Mary.
Holmes carefully examined the paper given by Mary.
The paper that Mary gave to Holmes was found in her father's desk. Mary told Holmes that no one had been able to understand the contents of the paper. Though she didn't think it was relevant to the case, she thought Holmes would like to see it and that's why she had brought it with her. Holmes, too, did not think that the paper was relevant to the case at hand. However, he told Mary that it was an important document and that she should preserve it carefully as it may prove to be of use later. After examining the paper, Holmes also declared that the matter was deeper and more complicated than he had initially thought and that he might have to reconsider his approach to the case. The paper, in fact, contained the location of the treasure that Jonathan Small and his three conspirators had hidden in the Agra Fort. This statement is important because this is the first time the location of the treasure surfaces in the story. Though at this point, the characters are unaware of even the existence of such a treasure, the paper is proof that the story narrated by Jonathan Small, upon his arrest, is actually true. It is also important because it is the first moment when the titular 'the sign of four' is introduced to the story. Finally, Sherlock makes many quick deductions from the paper which serves to demonstrate his intellectual abilities, yet again.
Cite various references (lines) from the extract that tell us about the time and period of the events.
Time and period
1. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment...
Prior to 1878; India under the rule of the British Empire
2. In the year 1878 my father, who was senior captain of his regiment, obtained twelve months' leave and came home.
1878; ten years ago, London
3. This morning I received this letter, which you will perhaps read for yourself.
1888; present day morning, London
4. The envelope too, please. Postmark, London, S.W. Date, July 7.
1888; present day, London
5. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together.
How does the series of actions go from London to India? Explain by citing references from the extract.
The extract begins in present-day (1888) London when Miss Mary Morstan comes to meet Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with a case. She begins to narrate the events that have occurred in the past. The first reference to India is made in the line − "My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child", where Mary tells Holmes and Watson that her father had been stationed in India (before 1878). The scene shifts to London with the line − "He telegraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe, and directed me to come down at once, giving the Langham Hotel as his address", where Mary tells them about her father's return to London, ten years ago (1878). The next reference to India is made when Mary says, "There was nothing in it to suggest a clue, − some clothes, some books, and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands. He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there", explaining that there was nothing in her father's luggage, except his belongings and some curiosities from Andaman Islands, a place where he was stationed as one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard (before 1878). She refers to India yet again in the line − "Only one that we know of,— Major Sholto, of his own regiment, the 34th Bombay Infantry" − where she mentions the regiment of which her father and Major Sholto were a part (before 1878). The scene shifts to London yet again in the line − "We communicated with him, of course, but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England", where Mary explains how Major Sholto didn't even know that Mary's father had returned to England when she contacted him ten years ago (1878). The scene is brought back to present-day London (1888) in the line − "A singular case," remarked Holmes - as Holmes listens to the details of Mary's case and admits that is indeed a remarkable one. In the evening, Mary meets Holmes and Dr. Watson for the second time and we are taken once again to the past where a reference has been made to India − "He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together." − where she tells Holmes and Watson about how Major Sholto and her father were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands and hence spent a great deal of time in each other's company (before 1878). The very next line brings us back to present-day London (1888) − "By the way, a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand." − where Mary tells Sherlock about a piece of paper that had been found in her father's desk when he had disappeared ten years ago and whose contents no one had been able to understand. Thus, the action of the plot moves back and forth between India and London.
The extract begins when Mary Morstan meets Sherlock Holmes at his house. After that Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Mary visit some places in London. Explain in detail the various places mentioned in the extract.
As the trio headed towards the Lyceum Theatre in their cab, Dr. Watson described the September evening as dull, with a thick misty fog that lay low upon the great city and mud-coloured clouds slowly moving over the muddy streets. The first place that they come across is the Strand, where the street lamps look like misty spots of dim light, throwing a faint circular glimmer upon the wet pavement. The bright yellow lights in the shop-windows shone out into the steamy, foggy air and threw a misty, irregular glow across the crowded street. The faces of the countless people, who passed through these narrow bars of light, seemed eerie and ghostlike. The trio then reaches Lyceum Theatre, where the side-entrances were already crowded with people while horse-drawn carriages and four-wheelers constantly flowed at the front and shirtfronted men and beshawled and bediamonded women alighted from these rides. From the Lyceum Theatre, the trio was escorted by a small, dark, brisk coachman in a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage passed through Rochester Row Street, then through Vincent Square, then along Vauxhall Bridge Road, and headed over to the Surrey side, adjoining the Thames. As the carriage crossed over a bridge, a passing view of a stretch of the Thames, with the lamps shining upon the water could be seen. On the other side of the bridge, they landed on Wordsworth Road, followed by Priory Road, Lark Hall Lane, Stockwell Place, Robert Street, and Cold Harbour Lane, all of which are among the less fashionable regions of London. This rundown neighborhood is questionable and forbidding and full of dull brick houses with some public houses at the corner. These are followed by two-storied villas, each with its small garden in the front, and then followed again by a continuous line of new brick buildings, which looked like the monstrous tentacles of the city. Their journey ended in this neighborhood where they drew up at the third house on a new terrace.
Basically the setting of the extract is in London but it has some references of India, too. Explain how the settings of the extract contribute to the theme of the novel.
The novel has many dominant themes which are highlighted by the setting of the extract as follows:
The story of 'The Sign of Four' is set against the backdrop of the Victorian Empire. Back then, India was under colonial rule and was a very important colony for the British. Often called as "the crown jewel", India was associated with wealth and riches. Under colonial rule, British officers were often stationed in India. In this particular extract, Mary's father, Captain Morstan of the 34th Bombay Infantry, was stationed in India at the penal colony of the Andaman Islands. Her father's friend, Major Sholto, was also stationed in the same regiment. Thus, the theme of imperialism is evident in the details of the extract. In addition, when Holmes, Watson and Mary Morstan arrive at the house of the anonymous sender of pearls, Watson finds the presence of an 'Indian' servant to be strange. This, too, hints at the imperialist attitudes of Englishmen who viewed people from the east (Indians) with suspicion.
Wealth:
Another theme of the extract is that of wealth. The pearls, which Miss Morstan receives, represent the theme of wealth. Wealth is also symbolized in the setting of the Lyceum theatre, where the rich and affluent arrive in all their glory. This setting hints at the bigger theme of the Agra treasure, which dominates the novel and of which the characters have no idea.
Fear of anything foreign:
The disappearance of Captain Morstan as soon as he returned from India, indicates that the events that transpired in India are somehow responsible for his unfortunate fate. Thus, from the point of view of the main characters, 'abroad' (India) is associated with the theme of evil. Similarly, the appearance of an "Oriental figure" (referring to a person from the East; in this case, India) against the setting of a third-rate house in a suburb of south London leaves the characters wary of his presence. This highlights the biased attitudes of the main characters towards "the East" due to which they view it as a place of intrigue and suspicion. In addition, the "oriental figure", who is the servant of the man who sends the anonymous letters, uses the word "Sahib" to refer to his master. This further alienates him and categorises him as foreign to the readers, making them doubtful of his presence at the house. The writer has thus weaved the theme of "fear of anything foreign", which was prevalent at the time, into this extract by the way of the male servant.
Mystery:
Captain Morstan was a British officer who was stationed in India and was in charge of the convict-guard at the Andaman Islands. His immediate disappearance on returning to London suggests that his disappearance is connected to the events that occurred in India and contributes to the mystery that Holmes is trying to solve. Because the characters consider India as "foreign", elements and characters associated with India are viewed as mysterious and intriguing. Another example of this is the paper found in Captain Morstan's desk which bears the name of four men. Not only do the contents of the paper not make sense to the characters but also the names of the men, being of Indian origin, contribute to the sense of mystery due to their "foreign" nature. Similarly, the presence of an Indian servant at the house in south London represents another link to the "East" (India) and is viewed as strange by the main characters. Finally, the gothic description of London as the character's journey to meet the anonymous sender adds to the theme of mystery by creating a dark and gloomy image of London.
Justice:
The assumption that Major's Sholto's heir is trying to be just to Mary by offering her pearls as compensation highlights the theme of justice. This, too, is related to the events that happened in India, because Major Sholto denies knowing about Captain Morstan's return to London.
Describe in brief the importance of the following place in the extract.
Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Miss Mary Morstan, and the anonymous sender of the letter − all live in London. Though there are references about India in the extract, it is in London where the majority of the action occurs. In this particular extract, two different sides of London have been shown − the fashionable north and west London with the Langham Hotel, the Strand, and Lyceum Theatre frequented by the wealthy crowd and the unfashionable south London suburbs, lined with dull brick houses and third rate two-storied villas. Over the course of the story, all the characters in the story eventually end up in London as this is where the climax of the story takes place.
The Lyceum Theatre is important in the extract because the anonymous sender of the pearls requests Miss Mary Morstan to meet with him at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre. This is the place that promises to unfold the mystery of the anonymous sender and reveal the story of how Mary is a "wronged woman". The writer has also used the sophisticated upper class of London that arrives in cabs and horse drawn carriages outside the Lyceum Theatre as a symbol of wealth, to hint at the riches that the treasure has the potential to bestow upon Mary Morstan, about which she has no idea.
Mary Morstan's father was an officer in an Indian regiment. He sent Mary to England when she was still a child. As a motherless child who had no relatives in England, Mary was placed in a comfortable boarding establishment in Edinburgh, where she lived till she was seventeen. This place is important because Mary Morstan, one of the major characters in the story, spent her childhood there.
Though there is no direct mention of Agra in this particular extract, the place is central to all the drama that unfolds in the novel. The treasure, which drives the actions of the characters in the story, comes from Agra. The chain of events that alters the lives of all the major characters in the story sets off in Agra. Even in the extract, the pearls that Mary receives are from a chaplet that was a part of the Agra treasure and the piece of paper that Mary shares with Holmes contains the blueprint of the Agra Fort, the original hiding place of the treasure.
The Andaman Islands are referred twice in the given extract − once when Mary reveals that her father, Captain Morstan, was one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard in Andaman Islands; and the second time when she discloses that Major Sholto, her father's friend, was also in charge of the convict-guard in the Andaman Islands. In the context of the novel, the Andaman Islands are vital to the story as this is where the lives of Captain Morstan and Major Sholto get entangled in the Agra treasure crime, thus setting off a disastrous chain of events.
Which places/cities in India and England are mentioned/have appeared in the extract? Also write about their importance.
Do it yourself.
Write in brief the theme of the extract.
When Mary Morstan visits Holmes and Watson to enlist their help, Watson describes her as one "dressed in the most perfect taste" while also appearing to be of "limited means". Her simple, but beautiful appearance is set up in contrast to the potential riches of the Agra treasure that she might receive. Morstan then outlines the details of her case, wherein she receives a mysterious letter from an anonymous person asking her to meet him. This anonymous sender has been sending her pearls for the last six years. These precious pearls represent the theme of wealth. Finally, the meeting point suggested by the sender of the letter is the Lyceum theatre, which is located in the upper-class neighborhood of London's West End. This adds to the theme of prosperity and hints at the existence of the treasure, of which the characters have no idea.
Logic versus Emotion:
Another evident theme in the extract is that of logic versus emotion. On the one hand, the narrator of the story, Dr. Watson, admires Miss Morstan's beauty and is attracted to her; and on the other, Holmes views Miss Morstan as a mere unit or factor in a problem. Dr. Watson represents the sensitive, emotional, and empathetic side of man, while Holmes embodies the analytical, rational, and intellectual side.
Miss Morstan's revelation of her father and Major Sholto being officers in the 34th Bombay Infantry, represents the theme of imperialism. The story has been written during a time when the Victorian Empire was flourishing. India was under British rule and a lot of British officers were stationed in the Indian colony. In addition, the suspicious nature of the main characters towards India and those associated with it (the male servant) highlights the imperialist attitude of the British, which was common at the time.
Sherlock deduces that Major Sholto's heir knows something about Captain Morstan's disappearance and is trying to compensate for the loss suffered by Mary all those years ago. This represents the theme of justice in the extract.
Victorian Gothic and mystery:
The gothic theme has also been woven into the extract by the writer's description of London as being enveloped in a "dense drizzly fog", with the street lamps throwing "splotches of diffused light" and the glare from the shop windows creating a "murky shifting radiance" across the crowded street. This kind of dark and gloomy setting also adds to the theme of mystery that is central to this novel. The "monster tentacles" also refer to the gothic style, which was associated with evil and monstrosity.
Write 4-5 sentences about the meeting of Miss Morstan with Holmes.
Miss Mary Morstan comes to meet Sherlock Holmes with a case. She narrates the story of her father's disappearance under mysterious circumstances ten years ago. She then shares the intriguing case of the pearls that she has been receiving for the past six years by an anonymous sender, who now wants to meet with her. She requests Holmes and Watson to accompany her to the meeting. They both agree and decide to meet Mary at six in the evening to head to the place of the meeting together.
Write the central idea of the given extract of the novel, "The Sign of Four".
Various themes/central ideas are highlighted in the given extract of the novel. However, the central idea that dominates the extract is that of justice. All the events in the given extract are the result of the anonymous letter requesting a meeting with Miss Mary Morstan. This letter has been sent by the same person who has been sending the pearls to Miss Morstan for the past six years. As deduced by Holmes, the act can be viewed as compensation being given for the loss suffered by Miss Morstan, because the letter mentions her as a "wronged woman". Miss Morstan's decision to seek Holmes' assistance and the decision to go to the meeting place are the outcomes of the letter sent by the anonymous person.
Give reasons:
Reason/s
(a) Miss Morstan plans to meet Sherlock Holmes
(b) Miss Morstan gives the reference of Mrs. Cecil Forrester
(c) It's a singular case
(d) Holmes needed some references
(e) Miss Morstan received a pearl every year
(f) The coachman confirmed that neither of Miss Morstan's companion was a police officer
An anonymous person who has been sending precious pearls to Miss Morstan through the mail since the past six years has now sent a letter requesting her to come for a meeting. Though he asks her not to call the police, he tells her that she can bring two friends. Fearing for her safety, but at the same time curious about the outcome of the event, Morstan decides to enlist Holmes' help, who is known to be a master detective.
Mrs. Cecil Forrester, who is Miss Morstan's employer, had been impressed with Holmes' kindness and skill back when he had helped her to unravel a little domestic complication and it is through her that Morstan hears of Sherlock Holmes.
Ten years ago, Miss Mary Morstan's father, Captain Morstan, had just returned to London and had asked Mary to come and meet him at the Langham Hotel. However, before Mary could meet him, he disappeared under mysterious circumstances. There were no clues hinting at what might have happened and her father's only friend in London, Major Sholto, whom the Captain might have met, declared that he didn't even know that the Captain was in London. The absurdity of the details involving Captain Morstan's disappearance causes Holmes to admit that it is indeed an extraordinary one.
Holmes was intrigued after hearing Miss Morstan's story. They had decided to go to the meeting place in the evening. However, before that, Holmes wanted to get as much information as possible about the case. Therefore, he went to look at the backfiles of the Times to find more details pertaining to the case.
Based on Holmes' deduction, the pearls were being sent to Miss Morstan as compensation for being deprived of her father. Since Miss Morstan started receiving the pearls shortly after Major Sholto's death, Holmes had reason to believe that Sholto's heir knew something about Miss Morstan's father's disappearance and was thus trying to compensate for the "wrong" that had been done to her all those years ago.
The letter from the anonymous sender clearly stated that Miss Morstan should not inform the police, as that would ruin everything. However, if she was unwilling to come alone, she could bring two friends with her. The coachman, acting on behalf of the anonymous sender, was simply trying to confirm that the condition mentioned in the letter had been met.
Elaborate the following line in the light of the novel/extract, "The Sign of Four" -
"You really are an automaton − a calculating machine."
This line is spoken by Dr. Watson when Holmes tells him that he didn't really observe Miss Mary Morstan's attractiveness. Though Dr. Watson knows Holmes really well, he finds it astonishing that he can be so inhuman as to not notice beauty. Holmes' character is known for having razor-sharp intelligence, a keen eye, and extraordinary powers of deduction. However, the character is also emotionally detached and views his clients as mere units or factors in a problem. Holmes believes that emotional qualities get in the way of logical reasoning and he does not want his judgment to be biased by the personal qualities of his clients. Since humans are, by their very nature, emotional beings, Watson compares Holmes to a machine because of his ability to remain unaffected by emotion.
"The letter speaks of giving her justice. What justice can she have?"
This line is spoken by Dr. Watson when Holmes shares his findings with Watson. Upon hearing that Miss Morstan has been receiving the pearls as compensation for the deprivation of her father, Watson is surprised. He is curious to know what justice the letter sent by the anonymous person could be referring to because the only injustice that Miss Morstan could have suffered is the loss of her father.
"Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions."
This line was spoken by Sherlock Holmes as the trio was being taken towards south London. Holmes could pin-point the exact streets through which the carriage passed. From Wordsworth Road, to Lark Hall Lane, to Stockwell Place, to Robert Street and then to Cold Harbour Lane, they were being taken to a rundown, working-class neighborhood of London.
Following are some dialogues of the major characters in the extract. Find out who the speaker is, his/her tone, style, significance, etc. of the dialogue.
To Whom it is said
Tone, Style, Significance, etc.
"….you have once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill."
"You will, I am sure, excuse me."
"Your statement is most interesting. Has anything else occurred to you?"
"Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?"
"The Sahib awaits you."
Miss Mary Morstan
Tone: Admiring, Complimentary Style: Exposition Significance: Miss Morstan says this to inform Holmes that she has come to visit him upon the suggestion of her employer, whom he had helped on a case before.
Dr. Watson
Tone: Polite, Courteous Style: Direct Significance: Dr. Watson wanted to take his leave as he thought Miss Morstan might want to discuss her case with Holmes in private.
Tone: Intriguing, Inquisitive Style: Interrogative Significance: Holmes is genuinely impressed by the uniqueness of Miss Morstan's case. He wants to know about the event that has made Miss Morstan approach him now.
The coachman
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Tone: Enquiring
Style: Clarifying Significance: The coachman, acting on behalf of the anonymous sender of the letter, wanted to make sure that Holmes and Watson were Miss Morstan's companions as the letter mentioned that Miss Morstan could bring two friends in case she was distrustful.
The khitmutgar
The trio − Miss Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Tone: Polite, Welcoming Style: Direct, Informative Significance: This dialogue highlights that the anonymous sender of the letter, who has invited Miss Morstan, is waiting for her. This dialogue is also indicative of the influence of the servant's native language. The word 'Sahib' is the Hindi term for 'Sir'. The servant language emphasizes the extent to which he seems out-of-place in the suburban London setting.
HSC ENGLISH MARCH 2020 SET A BOARD PAPER WITH SOLUTION
English Yuvakbharati Latest Syllabus Solution.
SECTION ONE (Prose)
Chapter 1.1: An Astrologer's Day
Chapter 1.2: On Saying "Please"
Chapter 1.3: The Cop and the Anthem
Chapter 1.4: Big Data-Big Insights
Chapter 1.5: The New Dress
Chapter 1.6: Into the Wild
Chapter 1.7: Why we Travel
Chapter 1.8: Voyaging Towards Excellence
SECTION TWO (Poetry)
Chapter 2.1: Song of the Open Road
Chapter 2.2: Indian Weavers
Chapter 2.3: The Inchcape Rock
Chapter 2.4: Have you Earned your Tomorrow
Chapter 2.5: Father Returning Home
Chapter 2.6: Money
Chapter 2.7: She Walks in Beauty
Chapter 2.8: Small Towns and Rivers
SECTION THREE (Writing Skills)
Chapter 3.1: Summary Writing
Chapter 3.2: Do Schools Really Kill Creativity? (Mind-Mapping)
Chapter 3.3: Note–Making
Chapter 3.4: Statement of Purpose
Chapter 3.5: Drafting a Virtual Message
Chapter 3.6: Group Discussion
SECTION FOUR (Genre-Drama)
Chapter 4: History of Novel
Chapter 4: To Sir, with Love
Chapter 4: Around the World in Eighty Days
ENGLISH PAST BOARD PAPERS UPTO DATE
MARCH 2014, OCTOBER 2014, MARCH 2015, JULY 2015, MARCH 2016 SET A, MARCH 2016 SET B, MARCH 2016 SET C, MARCH 2016 SET D, JULY 2016 SET A, JULY 2016 SET B, JULY 2016 SET C, JULY 2016 SET D, MARCH 2017 SET A, MARCH 2017 SET B, MARCH 2017 SET C, MARCH 2017 SET D, JULY 2017 SET A, MARCH 2018 SET A, MARCH 2018 SET B, MARCH 2018 SET C, MARCH 2018 SET D. MARCH 2019 SET A, MARCH 2019 SET B, MARCH 2019 SET C, MARCH 2019 SET D, MARCH 2020
APPEAL WRITING
LETTER WRITINGS
25 FAMOUS PROVERBS MEANING AND EXAMPLES
INFORMATION TRANSFORM
DIALOGUE BETWEEN / CONVERSATION BETWEEN
FACT FILE AND TOURIST LEAFLET
TREE DIAGRAM
REPORT WRITINGS
VIEW AND COUNTERVIEW
DO YOU AGREE / DISCUSS
EXPANSION OF IDEA
ESSAYS COMPOSITIONS
POPULAR PROVERBS
HSC English New Activity Sheet Format for 2020.
HSC English ACTIVITY SHEET 1 - As per New Syllabus 2020
Activity Sheet No. 2. Important for Board Exam 2020.
APPEAL WRITING FOR BOARD EXAM 2020.
Important Rapid Reading Section for Board Exam 2020.
Tourist Leaflet writing : HSC Important for Board Exam 2020.
Important Application Letter Writing for Board Exam 2020.
HSC Important Letter Writing for Board Exam.
VIEW AND COUNTER-VIEW IMPORTANT FOR BOARD EXAM 2020
Report / News Writing Important for board exam 2020.
HSC IMPORTANT SPEECH WRITING FOR BOARD EXAM.
Interview Questions for Board Exam 2020.
QUESTION FORMATION FOR INTERVIEW
ENGLISH HSC MOST EXPECTED SAMPLE PAPER WITH SOLUTION
Important Grammar for Board Exam 2020.
HSC POEM IMPORTANT FOR BOARD EXAM 2020
1.1 THE PERSON I AM LOOKING FOR _ HAZARA SINGH:
2.1 I RAN INTO A STRANGER:
3.1 Suburbs:
4.1 Old Women:
5.1 The Felling Of The Banyan Tree :
6.1 A Nation's Strength:
7.1 Peace Is A Woman And A Mother :
HSC PROSE IMPORTANT FOR BOARD EXAM 2020
WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIRDS GONE?
A TALE FOR MANY CITIES
A BOY WITH A MISSION
THE ANIMAL SCHOOL A FABLE
ENGLISH PAPER SOLUTION @ RS. 50


Beautifully crafted, handmade lanyard with colorful designs hand sewn in tiny seed beads by Navajo artist Evelyn Morgan. The soft, braided leather cord has 2 center sections of beadwork measure about 1 & 3/8" each. The beaded section at the clasp is about 1 & 1/4". Measures a total of approximately 38" including the clasp for your ID. Comes with our Certificate of Authenticity. Please help by showing your support of the Native American culture and MADE IN AMERICA art.