text:
Deepening Berkshires Connections with the Afula-Gilboa Region of Israel
By Josh Bloom / Vice President, Jewish Federation of the Berkshires
This January, I had the opportunity to represent the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires in an inter-Federation mission to our Israeli partnership city of Afula and its neighboring kibbutzim and villages that dot the mountainous countryside of the Gilboa region.
Through the Jewish Agency for Israel's Partnership 2Gether program, the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires (along with 11 other Federations from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhodes Island) actively invests in strengthening the non-profit sector in Afula and Gilboa, and work with activists on the ground to foster people-to-people connections between our communities.
In recent years, the Berkshires has hosted a range of delegations from Afula-Gilboa, including professional chefs, home cooks, artists, photographers, musicians, and more. Reciprocally, community activists from Afula-Gilboa region have hosted four delegations from Hevreh of Southern Berkshire over the last three years – three cohorts of post-bnai mitzvah students and their parents, and one congregational tour group.
While I was in Afula and Gilboa, I reconnected with Israeli Jews, Muslims, and Christians hosted by our Federation in the Berkshires. I got to see projects that our Federation supports. And I heard from beneficiaries about how we are impacting them and generating real change in people's lives.
What was particularly remarkable to me was seeing how certain projects had grown and developed.
For example, when an interethnic photographers' group visited the Berkshires in 2017, I first met Yonish Yaakov, a retired kibbutznik who told me about how he wanted to create a Reform Jewish kehilah in Beit Hashita. It was heartwarming to hear about his successes in integrating a liberal form of religious practice and identity into his predominantly secular kibbutz. Now bolstered by an Israeli Reform rabbi, the kibbutz hosts regular egalitarian Shabbat and holiday services, bar and bat mitzvahs, and other lifecycle events.
It was exciting to meet young artists from the Tarbut Movement who chose to move to what is considered Israel's periphery out of a modern sense of Ahad Ha'am's vision of cultural Zionism. Tarbut has worked with local merchants to revitalize the Afula market through art installations and the introduction of studio and gallery spaces that, in turn, have attracted more food vendors, tradespeople, and foot traffic.
I was moved by hearing how the Haifa Rape Crisis Center would not have been able to open a local branch in Afula-Gilboa or sustain a rape crisis hotline had it not been for the advocacy and financial support of our Federations.
It was uplifting to hear how community activists and government officials worked with the Afula LGBTQ community to launch the city's first-ever Pride event in 2019, thanks to Home in the Valley, a fledgling local LGBTQ organization that is supported by all of our Federations.
We saw how our contributions enabled the growth and expansion of an Afula community center's "Sandwich Club," that feeds 50 teen volunteers each night who work together to assemble 200 free lunches that get distributed the following day to local schools.
And it was inspiring to meet new olim from Ethiopia at an absorption center in Beit Alfa and hear about the hardships that they had to overcome to resettle in Israel after many years of waiting in limbo.
We found hope in expanded opportunities for shared society between Israeli Arabs and Jews. In the Arab town of Moqeble, for example, we met Muslim and Jewish middle school girls who told us that had it not been for their mixed ethnicity basketball team supported by our Federations, they would not have had the chance to have meaningful interactions, let alone become friends, with peers from each other's communities.
As we redouble our investment in "living bridges" between the Berkshires and Afula-Gilboa in the years to come, we will continue to learn from each and further develop a shared sense of a common peoplehood amongst us.
To learn more about Partnership 2Gether, visit http://archive.jewishagency.org/partnership2gether/program/468.
Josh Bloom serves on the Executive Board of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires as a vice president
Spiritualizing the Process of Letting Go and Moving Into a New Chapter
One Story: Merle Ferber on Volunteering for a Pat on the Back


text:
Clootie Dumpling.... for St. Andrew's Day
Happy St. Andrew's Day to all!
ingredients just added to the pot
My St. Andrew's Day meal
Starter: Cock-a-leekie soup
Why? Because it's Scottish and ....my husband cooked a roast chicken yesterday and I generally make soup with the carcass.
Instead of using some lentils or broth mix, I used rice.
After popping in some carrots, a leek , an onion, and parsley it was nearly ready.
You're maybe wondering why the photo on the right looks the right colour for cock-a-leekie and the cooked version has a bit of a reddish orange tinge to it.
That's because I cheated. My cock-a-leekie or chicken soup usually tends to be greenish white.
But today, I added some left over ratatouille from last night – because I'm a mean Scot who tries not to waste food.
Main course: meatballs (What??? Yes, I know!)
We've sometimes in the past had haggis, neeps n' tatties as the main course on St. Andrew's Day but since we had haggis at the beginning of last week ( we eat haggis neeps n' tatties all year round) we've decided to have venison meatballs instead. The pasta accompaniment won't be traditional Scottish but 2 out of 3 courses isn't bad.
First stage in the pot
Dessert: Clootie Dumpling with home made custard
No - I'm not making a traditional 'Clootie Dumpling'- more's the pity, but I want to get some writing done today. However, I saw, and shared, a recipe for microwave Clootie Dumpling on my Facebook page yesterday so I made that for dessert. I know a microwave version can't possibly be as good as a real 'pillowcase' Clootie—and it isn't, but it's a very nice steamed pudding.
(clootie meaning a piece of cloth)
2nd stage- add flour and eggs
225ml (8 fl oz) water
150g (3oz) caster sugar
1 tablespoon mixed spice
1 tablespoon ginger
225g (8 oz) chopped mixed dried fruit
200g (7 oz) sultanas
225g (8 oz) butter
250g (9 oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Line a medium to large microwave safe bowl with cling-film: this makes it easier to remove from the bowl when cooked. Pop the water, sugar, honey, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, mixed fruit, sultanas and butter into a pot. Melt the butter slowly, bring to contents to the boil and simmer for about two minutes - a little longer if the peel is still too firm. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and eggs. Pour into your lined microwave-safe bowl and place in the microwave, uncovered. Cook for 10 minutes on full power. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before upending onto a board or plate.
As I said earlier, it's a nice steamed pudding and it'll be even better with some warm custard but it's nothing like a real Clootie Dumpling.
My mother used to make a nice dumpling in her metal 'steamer' using much the same recipe as for a 'Clootie' but it never tasted the same as one made in a pillowcase, or a special piece of muslin. The absolute best ever Clootie Dumpling I ever tasted was made by an expert called Lily Wallace- my sister-in-law's mother. Lily's dumpling was always enormous. It was a deep, dark, rich and very moist dumpling that had the most fantastic thick shiny skin – the bit I loved the best. Lily was a small lady with a very large, make that gigantic, baking bowl. It took huge effort to hand mix in the quantities for Lily's Clootie Dumpling after which it was tied up tight in the 'clootie' and 'steamed' over a pan (like a double pan process) for hours and hours and hours- something like 6 or 7 hours. Lily's 'Clootie' was great to eat cold, or hot with a traditional fry up which was what usually happened to the left overs on Boxing Day mornings …or the 2nd January, depending on when we ate it first i.e. as a cold slice after Christmas Dinner, or Ne'erday Dinner.
Yum! My mouth is watering but since I'm not going to get one of Lily's Clootie Dumplings I guess I'll accept that my steamed pudding is a poor substitute for St. Andrew's Day.
This afternoon, I've been writing about some of my characters in Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series. It's much the same time of year in north east Scotland for them being after Samhain (i.e. after 1st November) but before Alban Artuan (winter solstice /21st Dec) but the year for them is AD 84.
They're not feasting on St. Andrew's Day since St. Andrew didn't come to Scotland till centuries after I'm writing. And the Ancient Roman usurpers, the legionaries and auxiliaries of General Agricola, have left my tribespeople with little food stocks to see them through the winter. They are managing to make some thin soups to share around but meat is scarce, as are stored fruits since the stocks that the Romans haven't carted off for their own use are shared among many more mouths than would be usual.
My book 4 of the Celtic Fervour Series continues the plight of displaced people during times of war. The theme of neighbours sheltering refugees is an old, old one but what I love about it is that Celtic hospitality lives on...today! People fleeing from tyranny in my books need help from their Celtic neighbours and in my stories it is given.
And I'm very proud of that Scottish tradition.
There's dumping and dumping - a St. Andrew's Day story
My #Monday Moments slot is generally used for promoting the novels of author friends but today here's a short and true (almost) St. Andrew's Day story for you.
Yesterday, the 29th November, the latest snow storm hit my area of north east Scotland and it wasn't well timed at all. Snow was forecast, due to arrive in the Aberdeen area at around 4-5 p.m. I love how the weather forecasters are able to be much more precise these days - don't you? But just sometimes it's nice to prove them wrong…she says!
I live 15 miles from the city and don't quite get Aberdeen weather so at around 2.30 p.m. the afternoon was still a pleasant one with occasional blue skies, though a bit cold at around 5 degrees C. I needed to make space in my garage for my swing seat which has a tendency to do a dance across the front patio area, with or without the all-weather cover on. That seems to be because we don't quite get the 'right' kind of wind up here in Aberdeenshire. To be fair, the packaging does state that the product might need to be tied down in high winds but even with sandbags weighing it down my swing seat takes off like a dandelion clock. It's new this year, copes very well with heavy rain, but I wanted it under cover before snow got dumped on it.
Before I could store it away for the winter there was some clutter in the garage which needed to be dumped to make the necessary space, items which were past the stage of recycling in any meaningful way. I set off to go to the 'dump' i.e. the local recycling centre that's a short drive away, some 4 miles. Normally, I can load up the car, zip along to the dump and be back within 20 minutes.
Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened yesterday. I forgot that there were going to be road closures and diversions due to a planned St. Andrew's Day Parade in the town of Inverurie, where the recycling centre is.
Fortunately for me, having been diverted along residential streets which I'd not normally drive on, I approached the town centre almost directly behind the marching throng who were carrying and impressive amount of saltire flags. Having opened the car window to hear the leading pipe band, I noticed that the temperature had dropped a few degrees, though at just above zero it was nothing to worry about.
You can see what the town square looked like at 3 p.m. (last year?) on this page here:
The pavements at each side were full of hurrying figures who were out in support of the official marchers, old and young, all heading for Inverurie town square. The buzz of festive spirit was almost palpable around my car, brought to a standstill for a few moments. The shop windows were full of cheer, as were the stewards who were removing the last traffic cones which had been blocking the road till the marching crowd had passed through. It was lovely to see, and plenty to smile about - St. Andrew's day being properly celebrated. The fact that it was a day early doesn't matter when the organisers need to catch the crowds and allow those working,or at school, on Monday to participate.
Of course, if St. Andrew's Day was an official Scottish holiday, as has been the aim of many Scottish people like me for a long time, then a march could take place on the actual day!
So there I was stuck behind the flag waving and cheering column unable to do anything except look and wait. Generally such a sight would be a protest of some sort but this was a happy celebration, for a change. Along with the guilt I felt at not remembering to come, I was glad to participate even just a little. I mad my mind up to go to the dump, offload my rubbish then find a parking space with the intention of joining the fun for a little while.
However, plans can change in a nanosecond as I was about to find out.
Waiting in the inching –forward car queue while the end of the marching line of people moved on, I was annoyed that I'd no camera with me. I didn't even have my phone camera since I'd rushed out in a flurry, though I'd probably have been arrested if taking photos since I was driving- albeit at a snail's pace. My smiles were wide to see such a happy turnout heading down to the town centre even though the journey was taking me much longer than usual.
Eventually I got to the dump at around 3.30 p.m. where it took me only a couple of minutes to offload my rubbish into the appropriate containers. It was easy to dump the glass bottles and the general rubbish - old mattresses for garden chairs that collapsed long ago and some now unwanted toys from 35 years ago - yes they were that old and had belonged to my daughters but now no longer usable since they don't meet today's health and safety requirements… and they were just plain old! My sentimental memories will be exactly that - just memories of my girls playing with the items and not physical plastic items clogging up my cellar.
Flattened cardboard boxes from deliveries of my novels were a different kettle of fish to get rid of! They were flying out of my hands before I could raise them high enough to fling them into the high sided container, the wind having taken a very sudden gusty turn for the worst.
The recycling centre is at a slightly higher elevation than the town centre of Inverurie and high winds can often be a problem. Once I'd wrestled the large folded cardboard pieces into the containers, I took a moment to catch my breath. It was totally impressive to admire (if I can use that word) the amazing view across the valley. Directly above me was a late afternoon blue sky (it being around 3.15 p.m.) but in front of me was a mass of seriously dark, dense grey cloud which roiled towards me at fast rate. I don't ever want to be in the pathway of a pyroclastic storm from a volcano eruption having seen just how quickly 'normal' snow clouds can race towards you.
No more than one minute later, I was around five car lengths into the 'diverted' traffic when the swirling snow wiped the visibility down to about five yards.
The happy throng must have been so disappointed – but I couldn't see them. Some people, especially those with small kids who had come out ill equipped for a snow storm were hurrying across the town streets attempting to return home or to their cars.
Yes. I'm a wimp. I abandoned the idea of joining the celebrations since all I had on was a garden fleece. I wasn't equipped either.
My return journey home was painfully slow since the main diversion to avoid the town square was still in place and the swirling snow had visibility on the dual carriageway down to about 10 yards. Thankfully drivers were crawling along at around 40 miles and hour - a sensible speed for the poor conditions. What had started out as swirling wet snow became a little more powdery and was lying snow, though not deep.
In the north-east of Scotland people do have to accept that the days close to the 30th November can be iffy regarding the contrary weather.
So later today I'll celebrate St. Andrew's Day in my own way... watch this space!
Face to face compliments versus written reviews
Is face-to-face complimenting an author's writing as rewarding as reading a written review?
I'm not entirely sure of the answer to that question. On the one hand, it's amazing when someone physically tells you that they loved reading your book. The actual physical buzz from a direct compliment is such an exciting feeling but it's a fleeting one that's very personal and totally lost to the reading population unless shared in some written way.
Yesterday, while I was manning my 'novels' table at the FOCUS Craft Fair in Inverurie, an elderly woman stopped and waited till I'd finished a conversation with a primary teacher I used to work with. At first, I'd thought her to also be a supply teacher since I recognised her face but couldn't do that 'placing her' thing- my memory for faces quite good, but not my ability to remember contexts or names of people.
It turned out that she was, in fact, a previous customer who had bought a copy of my contemporary mystery/ thriller Topaz Eyes and had loved reading it so much she'd ventured out into the cold winds to walk a mile to buy another of my books. She went off saying she was happy to walk back the return mile since she was so looking forward to reading another of my novels.
Telling me she loved reading my work brought a rush of intense feelings - almost of embarrassment because I was taken aback, it being unexpected. Her also telling me that she'd pass the word around her friends about the quality of my novels was absolutely wonderful to hear.
And that is a very good reason for selling my work personally over the counter.
However...and there often is a however involved, that doesn't make it easier for me to sell ebooks as my return customer only reads print books. There will be no glowing review written on Amazon to endorse my writing there and to encourage more people to buy my books.
What I need now is to encourage anyone who has read Topaz Eyes (or any of my novels) to leave a short review on Amazon, or the place they have got the book from if it has a review section. It would be much appreciated and even more so if my novels reach the magical threshold of reviews needed for some promotion sites. Such sites where an author can pay for them to promote a book is only possible if the book already has on average around 10 genuine reviews. (though I believe some sites demand an even higher quota)
I'm personally getting caught up with writing my short reviews on books read because I regularly do write reviews.
Roman Britain A New History by Guy de la Bedoyere
I'm catching up with those short reviews again.
I've recently been poring over a lot of Roman Britain History books and have found Roman Britain A New History by Guy de la Bedoyere of the best so far. This will be a great 'go to for reference' book for me in the future when I want to revisit something the author has included.
The writing style makes it very easy to read, and the information is given in a continuously absorbing manner. The illustrations are excellent and best of all I like that the author doesn't fudge any issues. When the evidence for something is thin on the ground- archaeologically speaking- he states it quite clearly and makes no bones about the resultant speculation being just that –speculation. One of the aspects I love about reading Roman Britain texts is the varied interpretations the author puts on something depending on their own viewpoint.
I gave this 5 stars on Amazon and Goodreads because it was perfect for my needs; was highly readable; was excellently edited and very well presented.
I'd recommend this for anyone like me who is an amateur historian yet one who wants more detail than the average general history book.
Black Friday bargain ebooks!
Today is that commercialised frenzy named BLACK FRIDAY!
If I said I don't indulge I'd be telling lies...but I don't rush out to join massive queues at the lager stores to snap up bargains. I do pick up some fantastic bargains but they're always new ebooks to add to my kindle pile.
Of course, there's more than one way for an author to view a book selling at 99p during the Black Friday Sale on Amazon. Some abhor the practice since they have virtually no royalties from any books sold and I totally understand that monetary (lack of) aspect. On the other hand, there's also the hope that it will encourage more readers to indulge in different genres or indeed the hope that the sales will encourage more people to read novels!
My ebooks are not highly priced at any time, so I'm not making huge returns on the sale of a novel that's never higher than £2.99. When my ebooks are sold at 99p it means almost no profit to me at all but I have to come at it from the less than commercial angle and decide that if I sell 20 ebooks at 99p then 20 more people will hopefully have read my novel. Selling that same book at £2.99 might generate only a few sales over the same SALE duration, which means a lot fewer potential readers.
During a sale like the present Black Friday Sale, I tend to buy Crooked Cat ebooks written by my fellow authors at the Crooked Cat Cattery and some might say that's being a cheapskate. Whether I am, or not, I can pick up 10 ebooks for £10 rather than only 3, or maybe 4, of the releases from the newer authors. I would probably eventually buy them at whatever price they regularly are sold at but buying at 99p means that I'm likely to read them a bit sooner.
One drawback I have to watch out for is that sometime books bought during sales end up temporarily lost. They're somewhere on my kindle system but because of my 'Buy with one click option' on Amazon, I sometimes forget where to send them to. My Samsung tablet is what I tend to use most for reading novels just now so I'll be sure to look out for my 10 new novels purchased today appearing on them!
All of my novels can be bought today for the ridiculously low price of £ 7.92 (7 novels + a story in an anthology). Just click this link HERE to view them.
#Welcome Wednesday - Severus and Serapis
I've no guest authors booked just now for my #Welcome Wednesday slot but I'm taking the opportunity to introduce you to Severus & Serapis.
To me, that sounds like the phrase ought to have come from a Victorian hymn though Serapis isn't to be confused with Seraphim.
There is a religious element to the paired names in the title of this blog, but Serapis is different from the winged angels of Christianity.
Severus, as in Ancient Roman Emperor Severus, has been mentioned a time or two on this blog in relation to him being a character in my time travel novel - The Taexali Game - along with his nasty son Caracalla.
Serapis was a Greco/Egyptian deity adopted by some Romans and Serapis got his fair share of worshipping from both Severus and Caracalla.
It's now approaching the end of November and the season in NE Scotland is hovering between autumn and winter. Deciduous trees have almost fully shed their leaves and the temperature at night sometimes dips below freezing.
Emperor Septimius Severus
It makes me wonder if the seasonal weather and temperatures back in AD 210 northern Britannia (Aberdeenshire) were much different. If there was little noticeable change I can see why the ancient Roman legions of the Emperor Severus and his son Caracalla hot footed it down to Eboracum (York) to winter there. The climate might only have been a shade better but the emperor, and the troops, had real stone or wooden buildings to stay in rather than the tented accommodation they endured on the campaign trail, albeit that I'm sure the emperor's and the senior officer tents were fitted out with the best luxuries possible.
It was written that Severus certainly went back down to Eboracum after some negotiations with the Caledons and Maeatae of the north east of what is now Scotland, probably before the winter set in. The emperor by then was ill and had been for some time. It's also documented that he was extremely superstitious and had had portents at an earlier time that he would journey to Britannia and that it would be the place where he would die. I'm sure that Serapis took up Severus' worshipping time every day as he lived through his final days. On February (4th) AD 211 Emperor Septimius Severus died at Eboracum.
Whether or not Caracalla went south to York at the same time as his father isn't clearly documented though a historical reference indicates he stayed a bit longer. If Caracalla remained for a time to teach the northern tribes an even more thorough lesson, then I'm thinking he would have been doing a fair bit of praying to his favourite deity as Alban Artuan (the winter solstice) arrived- praying for some warmth, comfort and a good meal.
Since it's recorded that Caracalla was at his father's deathbed, then he clearly didn't spend the full winter season in Taexali lands ( north east Scotland). I love this painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze showing Severus reprimanding Caracalla. (The rumour being that Caracalla tried to persuade Severus' doctors to poison the old man) Severus' deathbed must have been a pretty hot place to be in, if the naked figure is anything to go by - the irony of the dodgy situation well portrayed!
Of course, Caracalla's presence in Eboracum by the beginning of February doesn't mean that he didn't leave some of his troops to experience the inhospitable Taexali and Caledon weather. The archaeological record indicates that large numbers of Severan legions occupied the marching camps at Kintore, Durno and Ythan Wells (possibly as many as 30,000) with a smaller number of troops going on to occupy the camps curving westwards towards the present city of Inverness- according to the estimates that can be made from the hectares occupied by the perimeter ditch and ramparts of the camps. Recent coin finds could indicate the presence of Severan troops in the Moray Firth area though the coins could also have got there as part of a settlement reached elsewhere- as in further south - or as collateral reaching the area through some kind of trade at a later time than Severan date of the coins.
Like Severus, Caracalla is said to have been a follower of the god Serapis, a god which had origins that are Greco/ Egyptian. During the Ptolemaic dynasty the cult of Serapis rose to huge popularity being more acceptable to both Egyptians and Greeks since it combined attributes of Egyptian and Greek deities. Though Alexandria became the centre of the cult, the worship of Serapis spread throughout the Mediterranean countries. Some scholars believe the anthropomorphic deity can be traced back to earlier origins that are neither Greek nor Ptolemaic Egyptian but from Asia Minor.
I don't know if Severus was interested in the actual origins of the deity, or not, but by the late second century he was an avid worshipper. The iconography of Serapis ( Osiris & Apis the bull) is Hellenistic in appearance and it seems clear that Severus was quite happy to 'ape' the god. Severus' curls may have been natural but statues of him seem to me to indicate a certain grooming of his hair and beard to make him appear as a clear manifestation of the deity.
all images from Wikimedia Commons.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serapis_Louvre_Ma_1830.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serapis_Pio-Clementino_Inv689_n2.jpg
Monday Moments with Eve: A Christmas Ghost Story
My Monday Moments are featuring Shani Struthers, one of my Crooked Cat author friends, who has a new story officially launching tomorrow - 24th November. I've read Shani's excellent Psychic Surveys Series already and loved it - it's an entertaining blend of amateur sleuth and paranormal and I'm sure I'll enjoy this new one, too.
Shani's extremely generously sent along some information for me to share today, including an excerpt- a privileged early peek so make sure to read on for that...
Welcome to my Monday Moments slot Shani!
Thank you for hosting me on your blog today! My new book, Eve: A Christmas Ghost Story launches on the 24th November on Amazon and is the prequel to the popular Psychic Surveys series. Featuring two of the Psychic Surveys team – Theo Lawson and Vanessa Patterson – it's set between 1899 and 1999 and is loosely inspired by a true event.
In my fictional re-telling, Theo and Ness are asked to investigate a town weighed down by the sorrow of what happened 100 years before…
What do you do when a whole town is haunted?
In 1899, in the North Yorkshire market town of Thorpe Morton, a tragedy occurred; 59 people died at the market hall whilst celebrating Christmas Eve, many of them children. One hundred years on and the spirits of the deceased are restless still, 'haunting' the community, refusing to let them forget.
In 1999, psychic investigators Theo Lawson and Ness Patterson are called in to help, sensing immediately on arrival how weighed down the town is. Quickly they discover there's no safe haven. The past taints everything.
Hurtling towards the anniversary as well as a new millennium, their aim is to move the spirits on, to cleanse the atmosphere so everyone – the living and the dead – can start again. But the spirits prove resistant and soon Theo and Ness are caught up in battle, fighting against something that knows their deepest fears and can twist them in the most dangerous of ways.
They'll need all their courage to succeed and the help of a little girl too – a spirit who didn't die at the hall, who shouldn't even be there…
As Theo turned round to face the double doors, she had a feeling that someone - something - was rushing at her, as fleetingly as whatever had been in Adelaide's house. Refusing to let fear get a stranglehold, she turned back, her aim to confront it. A black wisp of a shape, like wood smoke, sideswiped her, before fading into nothing. Staring after it, wondering what it was, something else caught her attention. At the far end of the second room was something more substantial: a little girl, staring at her.
Theo's eyes widened. "Oh darling, darling," she whispered. She took a step forwards, tried to remember the names of the children on the list from earlier: Alice, Helen, Bessie, Adelaide's ancestor, Ellen Corsby perhaps. Which one was she?
She inched closer still. "Darling, your name, tell me what it is."
The little girl's arms moved upwards, she stretched them out, her manner beseeching although she remained mute. Theo tried again, told the child her own name.
"It's short for Theodora. I bet you're called something pretty."
The girl had a dress on; long, brownish, a course material - linen perhaps? Nothing special but if it was her party dress then maybe it was special to her. Her boots were brown too - lace ups, sturdy looking. She was around eight or nine but it was hard to tell. She could have been older just small for her age. Her hair was brown and tangled; she had a mane of it. Everything about her seemed to be brown or sepia, maybe sepia was the right word, as though she'd stepped out of an old photograph.
"I'm here now, sweetheart, I've come to help. You've been here for such a long time. Too long. You need to go to the light, go home, rest awhile."
Up closer, Theo could read her eyes. The longing in them stirred her pity.
"Let me help you," Theo persisted, her voice catching in her throat. As glorious as the other side might be, she still felt it unfair to be felled at such a young age. Often this was a good existence too and it deserved to be experienced fully.
She was close now, so close and still her arms were outstretched.
Harriet - the name presented itself whole in her mind.
"Your name's Harriet. Is that correct? It's lovely, it suits you."
Was that a smile on the child's lips, the beginnings of trust? Soon she'd be able to reach out and touch her. What would she feel like? Cold? Ethereal?
"Darling, I'm here," she repeated, no more than a foot between them. "I'm here."
Joy surged - one spirit had come forward - it was an encouraging start.
Just before their hands touched everything changed. Hope and joy were replaced with confusion as something sour - fetid almost - rose up, making her feel nauseous.
"Don't be afraid," Theo implored. Yet there was nothing but fear in her eyes now. No, not fear, that was too tame a word - terror.
"I'm not here to harm you," she continued. "I'm here to help."
As the words left her mouth, other hands appeared behind the child, a whole sea of them - disembodied hands that clawed at her, forcing her backwards.
"No!" Theo shouted. "Stop it. Leave her alone!"
But it was no use. Her words faded as the girl did. She'd been torn away, recaptured; the one who'd dared to step forward. Theo could feel sweat break out on her forehead, her hands were clammy. She clutched at her chest, her breathing difficult suddenly, laboured. Her heart had been problematic of late, a result of the pounds she'd piled on. She must go to the doctor to get some medication. Struggling to gain control, it took a few moments, perhaps a full minute, before her heart stopped hammering. And when it did, she remembered something else. The girl's eyes - her sweet, brown, trusting eyes - when the expression changed in them they hadn't been looking at her, they'd been looking beyond her. Was it at the thing that sideswiped her? Theo couldn't be certain. She wasn't certain either if that 'thing' was a spirit or much less than that - something with no soul, but with an appetite, an extreme appetite: a craving. Something, she feared, was insatiable.
That's definitely an appetite whetter, Shani!
You can get your copy of EVE here:
UK http://tinyurl.com/nmnajss
US http://tinyurl.com/pe5f6db
About Shani...
Brighton-based author of paranormal fiction, including UK Amazon Bestseller, Psychic Surveys Book One: The Haunting of Highdown Hall. Psychic Surveys Book Two: Rise to Me, is also available and due out in November 2015 is Eve: A Christmas Ghost Story - the prequel to the Psychic Surveys series. She is also the author of Jessamine, an atmospheric psychological romance set in the Highlands of Scotland and described as a 'Wuthering Heights for the 21st century.'
Psychic Surveys Book Three: 44 Gilmore Street is in progress.
All events in her books are inspired by true life and events.
Catch up with Shani via her website www.shanistruthers.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Facebook Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/p9yggq9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shani_struthers
Blog: http://shanisite.wordpress.com
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/mq25mav
Thank you for sharing with us today, Shani, and best wishes for a fantastic official launch tomorrow. I'll be popping in when I can - grand childminding duties meaning the timing of that will be a little unpredictable.
Book Week Scotland preparation!
I've been busy today getting organised for my Book Week Scotland events. To help celebrate this wonderful week of encouraging the art of reading, I've set up a couple of things.
1) I've reduced the price of THE TAEXALI GAME across the Amazon network to 99p/99c/ 0.99 Euros for the duration of Book Week Scotland 23rd- 29th November. And...so that my friends and readers in Australia and New Zealand have the same time duration I asked Amazon to do this earlier today (22nd) and it's already live.
2) I have 2 signed copies of THE TAEXALI GAME ready to post out to winners of the draw of people 'liking' my Rubidium Time Travel page on Facebook. If you want to ENTER to WIN a signed copy then hop on over to HERE and click the 'liked' button. To be sure I don't miss your name, please add it to thread on the 'Pinned post' so that I know you want to be in the draw.
Also, to start off the Book Week Scotland celebrations here's an excerpt from THE TAEXALI GAME for you to enjoy...
(p.s. I wish I really was an artist :-( )
"This Beltane must be different, people of Balbath. Let your animals be sacrificed again rather than yourselves."
The crowd's low moan was eerie. All around them Aran and the twins could feel the alarm of the people of Balbath…though they could also see determination in their faces. Were the animals going to be sacrificed on these fires? Aran felt Caitlinn burrow in closer to his leg.
"Are they going to burn these poor cows, Aran?" Fianna whispered in his ear.
Aran's head shaking was her only reply as the druid returned to his prayers. In actual fact, he hadn't a clue what was about to happen.
"Let these healthy animals aid us to fight our foe as they did last Lughnasadh." After the druid warned another time, he walked to one end of the spears and gestured to the people ranged behind the fires on that side, his arms waving towards the sky in a wide circular movement.
His silent signal didn't make any sense to Aran. It still made no sense when the druid walked to opposite end of the spears and made the same gestures.
Returning to his staff, his arms and stag's head rose skywards in open supplication. His voice reached epic strength as he bawled a prayer to the heavens.
"Oh, mighty Taranis, from your realm above, give our animals your blessing!"
On the last word, the corral of warriors holding back the cows began to split open. The first of the animals was lashed into movement, forced to launch itself down the avenue of fire towards the druid. The thwacking of birch switches, and the cries of farmers alongside the terrified beast, kept it in motion as it howled and screeched through the fire corridor. The rest of the animals surged forwards into the walkway on the hooves of the first. Running alongside the lowing beasts, to keep them in order, the farmers kept up their hollers.
It was like a mini-earthquake as the cows thudded their way up the glowing orange and red channel. Aran watched the people of Balbath kneel down at their place behind the fires as the beasts proceeded through the fire corridor. The tribespeople touched both hands to the earth below them to feel the pounding of the beasts. Women pulled down some now screaming and howling infants as the great charging of hooves rocked the soil beneath them, the reverberations rippling below the whole arena. Aran felt Caitlinn pull him down, Fianna and Brian following suit mimicking the tribespeople, since the elders alongside him had knelt to the ground as well.
The terrified cattle reached Tuadh's end of the fire corridor. One by one, they hurtled themselves right or left when they were confronted by the line of spears. Once they had turned, they loped away from the crowds to disappear out into the darkness, where other warriors waited ready to quieten them. Aran understood the significance of the druid's arm gestures now. The druid had been ensuring the space was cleared for the beasts' exit.
When rounded up, the terrified cattle would be taken back to their enclosures.
As the last few animals started their charge, a huge and totally deafening roar went up from the crowd, drowning out the thunder of the cows as the people heralded the end of their cleansing ceremony. The few cows that remained bucked and swerved, here and there, trying to run off but were completely distracted by the human clamour around them.
One bewildered animal escaped the handlers and swivelled between the last two fires instead of completing the journey along the whole fire corridor. Terrified shrieks rent the air as the beast trampled over two men in the front row, pounding them into the ground, smashing limbs to pulp as the creature blasted headlong for the darkness beyond the kneeling people. Panic set in as the throng scattered in all directions away from the snorting and crazy beast. Not knowing which way to go in its headlong flight, it constantly changed direction.
"Flee!" Orla cried as the beast whirled towards them.
Aran felt his cloak yanked back as he leapt to his feet, the warrior behind him dragging him away. Brian's shout indicated much the same was happening to him as he, too, cried out.
"Run, Fianna!"
Caitlinn whimpered in front of Fianna, too transfixed to even get to her feet. Scooping her up by the shoulders Fianna whirled the little girl out of the animal's path, throwing her aside like a Frisbee and straight into the arms of a warrior who rushed to help them. Her back now to the animal, Fianna began to run but she'd only taken a couple of steps when its head pounded into her, pitching her high into the air like a rag doll before it charged off into the now cleared space around her.
Fianna thumped to the ground.
Book Week Scotland & The Taexali Game
If you go up to the woods today…
Err...you might ask - What's that got to do with Book Week Scotland? What follows is some of my every second Saturday post at my Writing Wranglers and Warriors blog but this REBLOG also has added extras about the history of the Hill of Tuach.
"The 'up' isn't a mistake when I'm referring to the woods at the top of Tuach Hill (pronounced: too-ah) the hill that I can see from my kitchen window in the village of Kintore. It's a low hill of approximately 75 metres above sea level, typical of the Garioch area of Aberdeenshire where the landscape is of rolling fertile countryside dotted with low hills and knolls—some natural and some man made. Neolithic long barrows (burial mounds) and ancient standing stone circles are also dotted around the area, many of which have been excavated and documented. To the far right of the photo above are the remnants of an ancient standing stone circle, though you can't see them since they're just tucked in behind the lower tree line.
It's important to me that these ancient monuments are still accessible by the public – and by my hunter-gatherer grandkids – but the downside of that freedom is that over the last centuries many of the monuments have been considerably eroded. That erosion isn't necessarily from intended damage to the stones but constant foot traffic and soil wearing away has taken its toll. Tuach Hill is a well-liked place for dog walkers and it has been a popular spot for teenagers to hang- out in for many decades—probably even centuries. Lots of those users have been, and are still, blithely unaware of the antiquity within the area.
It's a great place to go exploring when you're only 4 and 1 and ½ years old—and it's totally amazing just what grandma sets you to find along the way! Our collection of pine cones, twigs and forest floor debris increases each time we go for a wander, though we've yet to find anything seriously ancient.
In 1864, a local historian named Watt identified the Neolithic stone circle on Tuach Hill as having 6 remaining stones of a circle that was originally 24 feet in diameter. He states that there was, until recently (i.e. sometime shortly before 1864), a flat stone supported by smaller stones at the centre and the whole circle was surrounded by a wide trench and bank of 12 feet wide. Excavations made at the site (probably by him) revealed four cremation burials at the bases of the upright stones, three of which had inverted urns covering the remains. Further cremation burials were suspected at the bases of other stones and more at the central stone. The stone circle on Tuach Hill had clearly been an important ceremonial site for a very long time
Sadly, 20 years later it was recorded that only 2 stones remained upright, though exactly why such deterioration had happened in a very short time is unclear.
Today only one stone is upright with a few other bits and pieces scattered around it.
A recent small excavation of the site was done in 2011 and the results can be accessed here, the gist of it being that the remains on Tuach Hill are unusual in that they are thought to be of a mixture of those typical of a small henge monument yet they are also common to the settings found in the last types of stone circles to be laid down in the late Bronze Age.
You'll get details of that find here:
https://canmore.org.uk/site/18583/hill-of-tuack
I love visiting the remains of the stone circle at Tuach Hill because they are almost on my doorstep and because I've written about Tuach Hill in one of my novels (The Taexali Game), though I have to acknowledge that there are many other circles in Aberdeenshire which are much more impressive, details of which can remain for another blog post.
The Scottish Gaelic form of Kintore is Ceann-an-Torr . The Ceann part means the head or the end of …and 'Torr' means a round hill. This is thought to refer to Tuach Hill which is to the south of the town.
According to tradition, though any paper document as proof is long lost, Kintore was first inhabited in the 9th Century AD. It's said that the locals helped King Kenneth MacAlpine to fight the invading Danes (Vikings) by covering themselves with oak branches and driving their cattle towards the enemy- allowing Kenneth to rout the Danish intruders. How true that is cannot be proven, and my mind boggles at the images I can create for such a scene, but I can easily envisage it all happening at Tuach Hill. The present heraldic Coat of Arms having been formally granted in 1959 incorporates the oak and the cows of the fabled battle.
http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Kintore
I'd love to find more time to investigate the Kenneth MacAlpin era because he is credited with having been the first proper 'king' of the whole of Scotland. Before the time of the above legend involving killing the Danes, Kenneth MacAlpin was King of Dalriada, a huge tract of land in the West of Scotland. Kintore, in pre- MacAlpin times was part of what is loosely named Pictland, the last king of the area thought to have been Drest mac Fethal (IX) who was most likely killed by Kenneth Mac Alpin around AD 848. Why the locals then assisted their new ruler very soon after, approximately AD 850, is intriguing though a good degree of coercion comes to my mind.
Tuach Hill has also been called the Gallows Hill though, to date, I can find no research data which explains why this should be so...though you can find out one theory I've ruled out by reading The Taexali Game.
In The Taexali Game, my time travel novel for Middle Grade/YA readers, set in Kintore in AD 210, my local Taexali chief is called Tuadh. In the earlier drafts of the novel he was named Tuach, and then Tuoch, but in my final version I settled on the spelling of Tuadh. The reason for this has to do with the local mystery that my time travellers have to solve, in addition to completing their interactive game task list whilst remaining alive- the threats to them coming from both the invading Ancient roman legions and some local Celtic tribesmen. To know the answer as to why I changed his name- again, you'll need to read the novel.
A reviewer says: "(I)… soon became drawn into this fast-paced quest with a strong sense of history, and can only admire the skill of grandmother Nancy Jardine in using a meld of fiction, research and fantasy to educate the young of today in the world of ancient Roman Britain."
About Book Week Scotland?
Next week, 23rd to 29th November, is Book Week Scotland. This annual event is a week long celebration of reading during which activities are held throughout Scotland intended to encourage and promote the pleasures gained from reading. In 2013, a local author friend and I held an afternoon Drop-In Quiz at a local cafe, and my 2014 contribution was an author talk at a local Public Library.
During Book Week Scotland 2015 The Taexali Game will be reduced to 99p (dollar equivalent). There will also be a 'giveaway' of signed paperback copies of The Taexali Game via my Rubidium Time Travel Series author page on Facebook. Look out for the details here on late Saturday 21st Nov :
https://www.facebook.com/Rubidium-Time-Travel-Series-916558555032004/
It's my way of celebrating this year but I did wonder what else I might have done. What would you have done?
The Magician's Bride by Jen Black
My Friday slot is about The Magician's Bride by Jen Black.
One thing about nursing a nasty cold, is that I don't feel so guilty about taking time out to squeeze in some really pleasurable leisure reading into my restricted reading slots - that is, after my grand childminding duties are over!
I'm still making headway with my non-fiction Roman Britain history texts, but needing a break and something less demanding, I started The Magician's Bride.
I've read Jen Black's work before (Dark Whisky road) and looked forward to reading this one.
Here are my thoughts on it...
If you need some enjoyable escapism, and like a bit of magic mixed in with fast paced adventure, you'll love the The Magician's Bride. Gisla, a young woman of great courage, goes to incredible lengths to avoid a marriage to the dastardly magician, Karli Olafsson. Even though she's a strong willed character, able to make many decisions for herself, it's good that Gisla meets Olli Ketilsson almost immediately since he is her champion throughout the story- albeit he's a young man with flaws and slightly immature edges. Thankfully, Gisla's able to also get support from Flane, Olli's foster father, who in turn can rely on his sailing crew to aid the young couple when they are beset by the Vikings who are in the pay of the magician.
The locations for this Viking novel are very interesting, though not overly described.Viking travel between the west coast of Scotland (Alba), or northern England (Cumbria), and Dyflin (Dublin) on the east coast of Ireland is easy to imagine at a time when the Vikings dominated over huge swathes of the land on both islands. I've not yet studied Viking Scotland - on the 'must do sometime' list- but it seems to me that the author gives a credible picture of what life was probably like at a time when the traditions of the Vikings were being lived alongside an established Christian way of life.
In addition to the main characters in Olli and Gisla, there's a variety of characters in the novel – bad and good- who enhance the backdrop and plot and add plenty of colour to the tale.
Once I got used to the unusual treatment of point of view in the novel, it was an extremely quick, pleasant, and well-edited read.
Squirreling away the facts...
Welcome to Wednesday!
Research. Do you love it or hate it? Do you opt to do some more research just because you feel like it or because it will have some immediate benefit?
Personally I'm hooked and call any historical non- fiction reading that I've been doing lately -all in the nature of research. It's maybe not ALL necessary for any new writing I'm doing for my #Celtic Fervour Series but there's something new to be found on almost every page, or something I'd forgotten from an earlier book. I know that I'm not going to use any new facts immediately in my WIP writing but I'm fairly sure it'll be useful at a later stage for some of my activities whether it be for my fiction writing or for my new pastime- by that I mean my public speaking events.
My recent dabbling into my new book collection has developed into a thorough read of all of the historical non-fiction books that now grace my bookshelves. Homemade bookmarking slips will remain in places as markers for that future day when I want to access the information again. I can do this with my printed books but not so easily with my kindle ones, though the bookmarking facility is there to be learned better!
I'm currently working my way anti-clockwise from the 'English Heritage - Hadrian's Wall' at the one o'clock position, which I read last week. I'm a good way through a thorough read of the book at the top left in the photo (Roman Britain A New History by Guy de la Bedoyere). It's very readable, the author's interpretation quite an interestingly and refreshingly honest one regarding the unreliability of only taking archaeological interpretative sources as the truth...or alternatively only taking the 'ancient 'historical' texts about Roman Britain as the truth. I like how he is stressing it needs a mix of both ...and then a sensible judgement made.
It's all quite soothing since I'm wabbit and nursing a disgusting 'blocked ear-to-ear' cold. Nodding off for an afternoon nap isn't in the plan but ...I'm not discounting it either.
#Monday Moments with Roman Britain non-fiction.
My #Monday Moments are about Roman Britain non-fiction.
My last week passed by in a blur of activities, some of which found me immersed in further Roman research, some in reading fiction for pleasure and much of the week was spent organising myself for giving further presentations on Roman Scotland. Preparations for selling my novels at Christmas Craft Events also took up a bit of time. All events were very worthwhile!
My new research reading materials, which arrived from mid October 2015 onwards, have mostly been read now, or well dipped into.
This set of books were ordered with the intention of me improving my knowledge of what was happening in Britain during the years AD 84 through to around AD 96 - though I also feel a need to improve my knowledge of the post Emperor Domitian era of AD 84 all the way to the end of the reign of Emperor Caracalla in AD 217.
I know a little of the Trajanic & Hadrianic periods, and similarly for the era of Antoninus Pius—especially with reference to Roman activity in Scotland, but learning a lot more definitely won't go amiss!
The English Heritage copy of Hadrian's Wall (top right in the above photo) was definitely worth the incredibly low sum I paid for it via Amazon. How it can be possible to buy a book like the one I'm mentioning for ONLY 1p (£0.01) is quite incredible, but that was what it cost! It may be because there's a new print run that's either available now, or for the coming seasons in 2016. If so, I don't imagine too much will be changed and I'll get any new developments via other sources.
As a general guide to the 'wall' I wasn't expecting in depth historical references but I was pleased to find it has fantastic graphics which are very useful since I have sometimes have a tendency to absorb image information better these days than straight text. If you're looking for a good general overview of Hadrian's Wall, and some information about the milecastles and forts in the wall's proximity, then I don't hesitate to recommend it.
Cheviot Hills - Wikimedia Commons
Since it's my intention to include some scenes, in areas where Hadrian's Wall was eventually built, in my current manuscript of (WIP) of Book 4 of my Celtic Fervour Series this book is useful for imagining the terrain. The chances of the higher landscape of the Cheviot Hills being markedly different some 2000 years ago are unlikely, except perhaps where there is now heavy forestation that has been planted during the last half millennium. Vast areas of the high hills of the Southern Uplands are probably not much changed.
I'll make comments on the other non- fiction books seen above quite soon....
( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morning_mist_on_the_Cheviot_Hills_-_geograph.org.uk_-_239557.jpg )
Monday Moments with Nik Morton's Tana Standish
My Monday Moments are with Nik Morton and The Tana Standish Spy Series.
I have to be totally honest and say that I thought that I had reviewed The Prague Papers, #1 of the Tana Standish Spy Series, months ago but when I went to add a review for Book 2 which I've just finished reading, I found no review on Amazon, or Goodreads, or my blog for the first book.
I'm now about to correct that oversight since I actually had written the short review for The Prague Papers and saved it on my old laptop but hadn't managed to publish it anywhere. I'll be posting both reviews on the sites mentioned above asap and will be giving both of them 5 stars since I really enjoyed the storylines and the excellent editing throughout.
So here are my thoughts on both of these excellent reads. I've really enjoyed all that I've read of Nik's work so far and this series makes for great reading as well.
How I found ...The Prague Papers.
This was a brilliant read from the exciting beginning right through to the end, the pace constant and the story of the young Tana Standish engrossing. Tana is more than just a very excellently trained British secret agent. The addition of her incredible psychic abilities means she's got the edge on the extraction of information to send back to headquarters. The story has many dark moments but the writing is sharp and crisp making the more gory bits not too awful for the reader who isn't into serious pain and bloodshed. The locations are very well described – something I've noted with other novels that I've read by Nik Morton. His research seems faultless to me as an occasional reader of politically based spy thrillers. Tana is a young woman with a mission; in part her drive having been moulded by her background which we glean just sufficiently to make it all believable. I look forward to reading more of Tana's escapades.
and... The Tehran Text
I looked forward to reading this novel since I've read #1 of this series. I have to say #2 The Tehran Text was quite complicated at the beginning, and keeping track of the characters was definitely a challenge, but overall it was a fabulous and smartly paced read. The points of view of the characters changed pretty abruptly, at times, but I soon got used to it. I wasn't too familiar with the Iranian situation prior to 1979, but the scenario Nik morton has put forward in The Tehran Text helped me to understand the kind of life circumstances which Tana was inhabiting-for short durations.
Tana definitely leads an exciting life as a British agent extraordinaire, her psychic abilities making her even more successful than normal- though even the best agent can sometimes find themselves in some very tricky and sticky situations! The double life she leads under cover is not for the faint hearted and it was a sad read when some of her locally based activist friends meet their grisly end. Spies and double agents abound in the novel, many with almost comparable psychic abilities to Tana, which make life very deadly at times for her and her fellow British agents. I certainly wouldn't want to meet the Spetsnaz female agent Aksakov in real life but I am looking forward to reading more of the empathetic Yakunin. The ending left me wanting more of Tana Standish!
Happy reading to you!
There's dumping and dumping - a St. Andrew's Day s...
No NaNoWriMo...
Out virtual visiting and out real live selling...
Selling the wares...
A little light reading?
Sunday Samhain Selection!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Since founding our company forty years ago, we have sought to bring to our customers gifts and decorative accessories that are unique, the best in their category, functional, and of good value. Based on the close relationships that we have established with a loyal customer base these past two decades, we believe that we have succeeded in that endeavor.
Skilled hand-painting has never been cheap, because good artists are difficult to find. But as our customers have told us, our prices are more than reasonable for the beauty of our products and the skill of our painting. We believe that it is no exaggeration to say that our products are of heirloom quality, and indeed, over the four decades that we have been in business, some of our products have become unavailable at any price. Thank you for your interest, and we sincerely hope that you will allow us to welcome you as a customer.


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

	<meta charset="utf-8">
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
	<title>jQuery Mobile Framework - Dialog Example</title>
	<link rel="stylesheet"  href="../../jquery.mobile-1.0.min.css" />
	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../_assets/css/jqm-docs.css"/>

Ta-da!

That was an animated page transition effect that we added with a data-transition attribute on the link.

Since it uses CSS transforms, this should be hardware accelerated on many mobile devices.

What do you think?

		I like it

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Winter storm could dump an inch of snow an hour over parts of Maine
Gabor Degre | BDN
Sarah Estes, right, and her fiancee Adam Clark clean up the snow from the driveway of their Bangor home in this Jan. 21, 2019, file photo.
By Abigail Curtis, BDN Staff • December 1, 2019 2:19 pm
It's just the beginning: another round of heavier snow could follow Monday night into Tuesday.
A major winter storm developing in the Northeast had already caused delays to begin at airports in New Jersey and New York City by Sunday afternoon, but many Mainers seemed to be taking the winter weather predictions in stride.
But that could change as soon as the first flakes are spotted falling from the sky, according to one hardware store manager.
Ryan Case, a manager at Calais Ace Home Center, said that other than selling "a bunch of salt" on Sunday morning, there hadn't been a run yet on shovels, snow rakes and other winter necessities.
"I would 100 percent say we're not in panic mode yet," he said. "Usually, though, we don't get into that mode until the actual storm starts."
The storm will be caused by a complex low-pressure system moving out of the Midwest and Great Lakes on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said that snow is likely to begin in southern New Hampshire on Sunday evening, with heavy snow — as much as an inch an hour — likely into early Monday morning. Snowfall is expected to decrease in intensity during the day on Monday, but another round of heavier snow could follow Monday night into Tuesday. That round would primarily affect the coastal plain in Maine, the weather service said.
"Due to the long duration nature of this winter storm, storm total snowfall amounts will be hard to forecast and hard to measure. However, the prolonged period of snow will lead to wintry driving conditions lasting into Tuesday," a weather service advisory read.
A winter storm watch issued for much of southern and midcoast Maine by the weather service indicated that total snow accumulation up to 6 or more inches is possible late Sunday night through Tuesday, with gusty winds also possible Tuesday. Heavy snow could make travel difficult, and could affect the morning and evening commutes, according to the service.
Events were already being postponed ahead of the storm on Saturday. A Maine Department of Education Student Cabinet meeting, which brings students together from across the state and which was scheduled for Monday, has been postponed until Jan. 24. A roundtable with hemp farmers organized by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, slated to take place on Monday at the Sheepscot General Store in Whitefield, has been postponed until later in December.
Victor Nouhan, a Caribou-based meteorologist with the weather service, said that northern portions of the state wouldn't be hit as hard by the storm.
"And the timing of this storm is going to be later — for us, it looks like a later Monday night into Tuesday event," he said. "Based on what we have right now, it looks like more of a moderate snow event. Not what I would say 'high end.' Nothing like some of the prior storms we've had already this season."
But about 200 miles to the south, some Mainers were starting to get ready. Christina Musser, the front-end supervisor at Damariscotta Hardware, said that snow-related business has been picking up.
"We have been busy — I'm looking at a person right now buying a shovel," she said. "I just had to pick up 150 pounds of rock salt. That wasn't that much fun. And tube sand, that stuff is pretty much like lifting a dead body."
In Belfast, a Home Supply employee said Sunday morning that the store is fully stocked with storm-related supplies, but that shoppers weren't snapping them up yet.
"People are closely watching it," Joann, who didn't want to share her last name, said of the storm. "But either they're prepared, or they're not awake yet, or they're in church. We haven't hit panic mode yet, but we're ready for panic."


text:
Holding on to a Vision: The Willy Brandt Centre in Jerusalem
In hard times, the Willy Brandt Centre in Jerusalem is trying to build bridges between young Palestinians and Israelis. The centre for international dialogue opened its doors this month.
Matthias Ries in Jerusalem
"Over there; that's our house!" The German political scientist Matthias Ries is pointing towards the Abu Tor quarter of town, and you can hear the pride in his voice. He's coordinator of the Willy Brandt Centre, an international meeting place in Jerusalem, which has opened for the first time in October 2003. Here, Israelis and Palestinians are invited to enter into dialogue with each other, and with Europeans.
It took a lot of commitment and staying power even to get this far. Matthias Ries, a civilian peace activist, has already been in Jerusalem for three years, pushing the project towards completion. From a tiny office in the Old Town, Ries set up seminars and workshops for Israeli and Palestinian partner organisations. Now, he's backed by a small team of Palestinians, Israelis and Germans; and now, he is running a real Centre, named after the German politician and Nobel prizewinner, Willy Brandt.
In times like these, holding on to the vision of such a meeting-place is no easy task (nor, indeed, has it ever been easy). All official contact between Israelis and Palestinians has been cut off, the future of the Akaba peace plan is in doubt, and projects promoting dialogue – as in the days of the Oslo peace process – are actually far from popular. The vision behind this project dates back to 1996. As the Oslo negotiations took their course, young politicians from all three sides – the Palestinian Fatah youth, the youth wing of the Israeli Labour Party, and the German Young Socialists (Jusos – the youth wing of the SPD) – agreed on a contract to establish the Centre in Jerusalem. Since March 2002, the project has been under the aegis of the "Socialist Youth International", and further partners have joined them since then.
Dialogue? Yes – but not at any price!
With the escalation in violence since the start of the second Intifada in September 2000, the actual establishment of the Centre receded in importance. It seemed much more urgent simply to keep any kind of dialogue going at all - even if this meant accepting that there's more than one way of interpreting the word "dialogue": in response to the wishes of those taking part, Israelis and Palestinians began holding their own, separate, seminars and workshops. In other words, there were no shared meetings between the two groups.
Project participants at the Willy Brandt Centre
"Nowadays", says Matthias Ries, "I don't have the motivation to persuade both sides that it matters to maintain dialogue. In fact, I'm very far from doing such a thing, and that has a lot to do with having experienced the "encounter projects" during the Oslo process. I mean, it can't be our goal to bring two individuals together and say, 'Oh, now they'll notice that the other is also a human being, or that he doesn't fit their image of the enemy.'" Ries insists that it cannot be his task to convince the partners – i.e. the Israelis and Palestinians – to accept anything they just don't want to accept right now.
That dialogue is possible nonetheless lies in the very nature of the project. In many cases, the Internet helps, allowing anyone to access the results of "the other side's" seminars and workshops. Although there is a widespread inability to communicate across the gulf, a series of seminars entitled "Deciding for History" does offer one way of breaking the silence. It allows each side the opportunity to present its own view of the country's history, by means of an image-based, multimedia presentation in the Internet – and it enables everyone to see how that history is perceived by the other side. By using the Internet in this way, Ries hopes to allow all those participating to comprehend the other side's viewpoint. In the long term, he hopes, this will lead to a meeting of minds on a basis of equality. The main targets of this project are young adults, who may later turn out to be the political decision-makers in their society.
"What does peace mean to you?"
More than 30 seminars in this series have already taken place; a highly promising project, says Ries. And once the results have been evaluated, the idea is to be taken a stage further. The next phase will be entitled, "Decision for Future". Matthias Ries explains: "We want to ask the participants, 'What does peace mean to you, and what can you contribute to the achievement of peace?', without shifting the focus onto what others need to do." Ries is particularly proud of the fact that those taking part are now collaborating actively on the project and making their own suggestions as to how things should proceed. "During the first phase of my work", Ries recalls, "I was busy knocking on doors, making offers, saying 'Hello, here I am; I'm your contact from the Willy Brandt Centre - what are the chances of working together?'" Now, however, more and more people are approaching him and the Centre.
Some want to take part in seminars, while others come requesting assistance –for "Future Forum", for example: a project from the Israeli side, conceived as a kind of Think Tank for the study of important current political issues. On the Palestinian side, the most popular seminars are those on how to prepare for elections; should elections ever actually take place, people here want to be ready for them. In Germany too, says Ries, there is a lot of interest in the opportunities afforded by the Centre: "It allows young German socialists to encounter Israelis and Palestinians on an equal footing. One week, they can be talking to young Palestinian politicians, and the next week they can be doing the same thing with Israelis."
Holding on to the vision
The opening of the Willy Brandt Centre marks an important stage on a long journey; yet a great deal remains to be done. Most Palestinians live on the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, and will therefore have no access to the Centre - for they are not permitted to enter Jerusalem. Thus, the Centre's staff will still have to travel to Nablus, Ramallah or Gaza City in order to hold seminars and keep contact. Moreover, says Matthias Ries: for the time being, "separation" will also be maintained in the Centre itself: "For now, activities at the Centre will continue on the basis of separation. We will carry on holding separate seminars as long as this represent the wishes of the participants, especially those on the Palestinian side. But: in the same building!"
Sooner or later, Ries hopes, there will come a time when all parties will enjoy equal access to the Jerusalem Centre, and will be able to use it as a forum for communication and exchange amongst equal partners. The right place has already been found: according to international law, the house that will host the Willy Brandt Centre is located on the Green Line – the former border between the Eastern and Western halves of Jerusalem. It's a symbolic gesture; and now, the task is to bring the vision to life.
Tania Krämer, © 2003 Qantara.de
Translation from German: Patrick Lanagan
To get to the web pages of the Willy Brandt Center, click here.
Share: Facebook, Twitter, Google+
https://en.qantara.de/node/1333
First Arabic website for parents of disabled children
"Habaybna" – for advice, community and inclusion


text:
S & SE
Pan Pacific Agency
The whole Pacifica is on your palm. 18+
Big Asia
South & Southeast
Australia & Islands
Cross-Pacific
New Zealand PM 'utterly' disagrees with Trump tweets
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoken out against US President Donald Trump telling elected congresswomen to go back where they came from. Photo / Marty Melville. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.
WELLINGTON, Jul 16, 2019, AFP. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday joined international condemnation of US President Donald Trump's xenophobic tweets about progressive Democrat congresswomen, reported the Philippine Star.
Ardern, the charismatic young leader who has been hailed as "the anti-Trump" by US media, said she proudly celebrated her country's diversity.
"Usually I don't get into other people's politics, but it will be clear to most people that I completely and utterly disagree with him," Ardern told Radio New Zealand.
Trump on Sunday urged a group of four Democratic congresswomen of colour — three of them US-born — to "go back" to the countries they came from, then renewed his attack on them a day later.
"If you're not happy here, you can leave… This is about love for America, certain people hate our country," he tweeted.
Ardern said New Zealanders welcomed diversity in the corridors of power.
"We take the view that our parliament should be a representative place, it should look and feel like New Zealand, it should have a range of different cultures and ethnicities," she said.
"And never should a judgement be made about the origin of anyone, and their right, therefore, to be in parliament as a representative."
British Prime Minister Theresa May and Canadian leader Justin Trudeau have also condemned the tweets, while Democratic presidential candidates have labelled Trump racist.
Ardern has not been shy about highlighting her differences with Trump in the past, advising him to send "sympathy and love to all Muslim communities" in the wake of the Christchurch mosques massacre in March when a gunman killed 51 worshippers.
Shortly after Ardern's stunning election win in late 2017, Trump met her at a summit in Vietnam and joked she had "caused a lot of upset in her country".
"You know, no one marched when I was elected," she retorted, referring to the protests that followed Trump's victory in 2016.
Tags: Britain (UK), Canada, Donald Trump, New Zealand, USA, Vietnam
Exclusive: Beyond the Covid-19 world's coverage
Shopping after the pandemic: To buy safer than now Consumers' behavior is changing globally due to the coronavirus Would the post-Covid humanity become more disjointed? Sharp thorn of the New post-virus World
You may also interested in
Moon vows close cooperation with Biden for Korea peace process
Taiwan, US expected to hold talks on supply chains next month
Australian lawyer arrested in Papua New Guinea over alleged $100M fraud
Subcribe for free
Pacifica's Events
Latest Pacifica's News
Vietnam's PM orders intensifying air quality control measures
Boeing jet's throttle becomes focus in Indonesia Sriwijaya Air crash probe
Russian capital city's mayor eases Covid-19 restrictions
India's vaccine diplomacy in South Asia pushes back against China
Fire hits building at Indian producer of Covid-19 vaccines
Joe Biden sworn in as 46th president
Japan aims to vaccinate most of country before Olympics
Malaysia files WTO lawsuit against EU on palm-biofuel curbs
Laos to enhance cooperation with development partners
[Analytics] With Trump gone, Kim Jong Un will realize that he bet on the wrong horse
Indian and Australian PMs exchange courtesies on the cricket team's test series
Thai royalists launch political party to protect monarchy
Pacifica's Markets
Pan Pacific Agency is a News & Analytical Agency on the domestic and cross-border policy, economy and interstate relations of the largest Pacific countries from West America to South-East Asia and Oceania, including Indo-Pacific Region.
Find all latest news and analytics from Asia Pacific on Pan Pacific Agency's pages. "The whole Pacifica is on your palm" is our motto.
Please, contact us for more information.
Locate us:
Contacts & Structure
© 2018-2021, 'Expert Advice Center' Management Team LLC, Moscow (Russia). All rights reserved. Website maintained by Pan Pacific Agency LLC, Vladivostok (Russia). The certificate of mass media registration by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) ЭЛ № ФС 77-75623. For users over 18 y.o. only (18+)


I will admit this is a topic that I truly enjoy. I am a strong advocate of online billing, automatic investment, and debiting for essential monthly expenditures. I use an automatic debit facility for my home mortgage payment, car loan, and mutual fund investment. These bills are debited from my checking account on a designated day, on a monthly basis. I have earmarked these debits into my monthly cash flow analysis spreadsheet. I can pencil them in on my checkbook register on a consistent basis.
For all other items, like utility bills, auto insurance, student loan payments, cable service, and telephone, I have online accounts set up with the respective entity's internet web-based portals and pay them using their platform. I schedule the payments around my employer's payroll direct deposit dates to my checking account. This ensures none of my payments "bounce." My bank treats debits just like checks and charges a fee for any transaction deemed insufficient. It is critical to know the timing (float) regarding your bank and the entity or merchant who is receiving the funds. Some entities, like the phone company, take at least two days to process payments, while cable providers and utility companies seem to facilitate transactions overnight. Your payment will "post" or debit from your account the following day after processing the online transaction. It is important to know these things to keep your checking account balanced. Balancing a checkbook has become almost an extinct experience for many people.
Automating your bill payments and savings is a much cleaner process since you will not have to use stamps and mail bills at the post office. I understand online bill payment and savings programs have lessened the US Postal Service's revenues but it has made these transactions safer and absolutely more convenient.
When making an online payment, you must look at the upper left corner of the screen to assure the website has "https" before the domain. This stands for "Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure." It assures that the site is protected against fraudulent hackers and penetration by viruses that could disrupt your laptop or wireless device from functioning.
According to the web-based information source Wikipedia, "Technically, it is not a protocol in itself; rather, it is the result of simply layering the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on top of the SSL/TLS protocol, thus adding the security capabilities of SSL/TLS to standard HTTP communications. In its popular deployment on the internet, HTTPS provides authentication of the web site and associated web server that one is communicating with, which protects against Man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, it provides bidirectional encryption of communications between a client and server, which protects against eavesdropping and tampering with and/or forging the contents of the communication. In practice, this provides a reasonable guarantee that one is communicating with precisely the web site that one intended to communicate with (as opposed to an impostor), as well as ensuring that the contents of communications between the user and site cannot be read or forged by any third party."
By simply verifying the web site you are using to pay bills is an https site, you can eliminate a significant amount of trouble and worry about online transactions. It is difficult enough when attempting to pay bills on time and sticking to a much needed savings plan. It is much more worrisome when you are unsure whether your personal financial information has been breached and is now floating around in cyberspace.
One of the other cool things about online bill payments is many companies now offer discounts for going paperless and paying online. I am not sure about any of you, but I can always use a 10% or 15% discount. That is more money staying in my pocket.
In addition, once you have completed an online transaction, you usually receive an email confirmation with all of the pertinent information regarding the transaction. A customer service telephone number is usually provided in case you need internet/online assistance with the web-based portal or simply prefer talking to a human being. These personnel are there to help guide you through any internet-based question(s).
As I stated at the very beginning, this is a favorite topic of mine. I realize my words are small but the advantages of using online/automatic debit bill payment are huge. Try it; I am sure you will like it!
Joe Thompson has been a Debt Management Plan (DMP) customer with CareOne Debt Relief Services since September 2008 and recently graduated to become debt-free!! Joe Thompson is active in many non-profit areas including; acting as Site Director for I.S. 8 NIKE Youth Basketball and has served as a mentor to many young inner city youths. As a hobby, Joe is a high school and college basketball referee in the New Jersey tri state area. Having officially completed the Debt Management Plan, Joe Thompson is excited to share what his experience on the DMP was like as well as what made his experience a successful one. Look for more posts under the My Journey out of Debt blog. Compensated CareOne Debt Relief Services Blogger.
Let is be honest, there is no such thing as "automatic investment". You can delegate your finance investing to a fund, but having investment decisions made for you is not possible.
Automatic payments ROCK. Power, Rent, Insurance, Etc. Just do it. It makes your life so so much easier. THanks for the post Joe.
There isn't sufficient cash in your financial balance to cover an immediate charge installment, and you don't have an approved overdraft office, your record supplier may decline to pay the bill and issue you with a punishment charge.


In "Jagged Blind Hop Zozzle" (ISBN 1466359919), M. S. Simpson dives headlong into the artistic wonders of 1920s Paris.
The Great War had ended while American jazz and the hypnotic dancing of Josephine Baker had taken over night clubs. Into this air of sophisticated hedonism comes Cuthbert Westbrook-Madison, a 30-year-old Amherst professor on sabbatical. He heads to the City of Lights to write and soak up the life all around him.
Far more than a historical novel, "Jagged Blind Hop Zozzle" is an inquiry into love and the ways in which we seize it or miss it altogether. At the heart of the novel is Cuthbert's love triangle with two hauntingly beautiful Parisian twins, Irène and Théophile. Their unorthodox love affair is fraught with danger from the beginning, something Cuthbert realizes as Théophile's former flames begin to threaten him. Soon the candle of life for one will be snuffed out, and Cuthbert will find himself in the crosshairs of a police investigation over the death.
By the novel's end, Cuthbert will find himself a changed man, forever altered by a betrayal he never saw coming. Gutsy, brave and real, the book pushes to a denouement that while not happy for all involved, it does reflect the raw reality of a young generation still very much touched by the brutal war through which they lived. Soaked in the intoxications of urban life and city romance, "Jagged Blind Hop Zozzle" is a story about the dream of Jazz Age Paris gone awry.
"Jagged Blind Hop Zozzle" is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
About the Author: M. S. Simpson was born in Southern California. He is the award-winning author of "Kabuki in a G-String" and "Shirtless in Iceland: A Novel." He earned a doctorate in comparative literature and is a former fellow at the Library of Congress. He taught English for several years at prestigious independent prep schools. He divides his time between France and the United States.


Real-time scanned-array direct-form-I hardware implementations of two-dimensional (2D) infinite impulse response (IIR) frequency-planar beam plane-wave (PW) filters have potentially wide applications in the directional enhancement of spatio-temporal broadband PWs based on their directions of arrival (DOAs). The proposed prototypes consist of a microphone sensor array, low-noise-amplifiers (LNAs), multiplexers (MUXs), a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), an analog to digital converter (ADC), a digital to analog converter (DAC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit based 2D IIR spatiotemporal beam filter implemented on a single Xilinx Virtex2P xc2vp30-7ff896 FPGA chip. Starting from published 1st-order designs, novel FPGA architectures for highly-selective 2nd- and 3rd-order beam PW filters are proposed, simulated, implemented on FPGA, and verified on-chip.


text:
Lyre's: A versatile new addition to your non-alcoholic arsenal
Imbibe Live | Mixers & More | Spirits & Cocktails
The non-alcoholic spirits and liqueurs category has never been more interesting, with a range of complicated botanical drinks now on the market. The demand is certainly there too, as this is currently the fastest-growing drinks category. Now there's a new, exciting player in the game: Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits.
This new collection is arguably the most useful of the lot. Instead of convoluted brand-new flavour creations, each spirit in the range is faithfully based on the respective alcoholic original.
'We didn't want to craft original flavours that were botanical. We wanted to get as close as possible to those time tested and universally loved flavours of original spirits,' says Lyre's Spirits Co CEO Mark Livings. 'We really wanted to give people an incredible toolkit to use in terms of making classic cocktails, as well as cocktails that they themselves may be inspired to create.'
What's remarkable is how extensive the range is, already consisting of 13 different spirits and liqueurs, with more in the pipeline. There's everything from the usual spirit categories like
gin, whisky and bourbon, to dry and rosso vermouths, through to liqueurs like amaretto, triple sec and even an absinthe.
'It would be super easy to grab one or two fast-moving lines within the spirits category and say "Here are a couple for you to play with", but really that's like giving someone a canvas and only providing one or two colours to paint with,' says Livings.
Creating such effective, non-alcoholic impersonators wasn't easy. The process took around three years and initially drew on a library of over 12,500 extracts, essences and distillates.
A team of sommeliers was then roped in to help. One by one, each original spirit or liqueur was carefully recreated. The most complicated to produce, Lyre's Rosso Vermouth, contains over 30 natural extracts, essences and ingredients. This not only matches the aroma, palate and palate weight, but also replicates the familiar burn of alcohol.
In contrast to so many super-sweet non-alcoholic options on the market, these are grown-up, sophisticated drinks. The intention is that a bartender can substitute these in classics or original cocktails. Lyre's, much like the Australian
lyrebird – the world's greatest mimic that gives the brand its name – will impersonate the original perfectly.
If it sounds like the bartender is offering someone a Liar's Martini, that's exactly what they're doing; and that's just between the bartender, you and your customer. The lyrebird, which is capable of reproducing not only other species' birdsongs, but even Mozart concertos, can be found in the brand's logo. In addition, each label bears an anthropomorphic illustration by renowned stencil artist Joe White, inspired by an animal which is native to each spirit's country of origin.
'We thought we would be a little bit cheeky and build this menagerie of different characters that come from all over the world and pay tribute to the provenance of the original spirit.' So embrace the art of mimicry, get to know the impossible creatures of the Lyre's range, and never fret about a nonalcoholic cocktail order ever again.
Lyre's is distributed by Proof Drinks, visit them at Imbibe Live on 1 and 2 July on Stand B37. For all enquiries please contact James McDermott, james@proofdrinks.com
Dry London Spirit
This unique spirit has been impossibly crafted to capture the essence of the classic London spirit, with flavours that are distinct and contemporary.
Lyre's spirits don't just mimic the original, they have their own distinction as a premium non-alcoholic beverage.
Arguably the most versatile of the liqueurs in the range, this delicate, fresh cocktail ingredient opens with sweet and bitter orange aromas, along with orange confectionary and subtle jaff a and mint notes.
On the palate there's balance between orange freshness and sweetness, leading to a generous, soft finish. It can be combined with other Lyre's spirits to create no-abv versions of various classics, such as a Mai Tai or White Lady.
Italian Orange
One for aperitivo hour, this classic-inspired, bright-red, bitter, orange drink features blood orange and ruby grapefruit aromas, as well as cassia and orange pith.
The palate is rich, with more blood orange and red citrus, leading to a pithy dryness on the finish. Perfect as a classic Bitter Orange & Soda or Tonic, or with
Lyre's Dry London and Rosso Vermouth for a no-abv vermouth.
spirits no-abv Mixers
High and dry: Non-alcoholic cocktails
Demand for booze-free cocktails is growing – and not just in January.
Funkin founder Alex Carlton launches non-alcoholic spirits brand Stryyk
Legend has it that Alex Carlton started Funkin Cocktails in 1999, selling fruit smoothies out of a Smart car.
German brewery Krombacher brings new Non-Alcoholic Weizen to the UK
Leading German brewery Krombacher has announced the introduction of its new Non-Alcoholic Weizen to the UK on-trade.Tapping into the growing no- and l
Seedlip and Claire Warner announce new non-alcoholic aperitif brand
Since its launch in 2015, non-alcoholic 'spirit' brand Seedlip has disrupted the drinks industry, and it looks set to do it again with the coming laun


text:
Home Features Universal Studios Hollywood's Top 10 Defining Moments of 2016
Universal Studios Hollywood's Top 10 Defining Moments of 2016
As we approach the end of yet another year, we thought we'd take a look at Universal Studios Hollywood's top ten defining moments as chosen by our editorial team.
As has been the case with Universal for the last five years, 2016 featured some of the most monumental developments in the theme park's history, including the opening of a brand new flagship attraction and land, the closure of several well-known backlot buildings and attractions, and the addition of several significant shops, restaurants and attractions that aim to set the necessary groundwork for the next ten years.
Let's count down this year's list.
10 – Universal opens up the new E.T. Parking Structure
Starting with number ten, Universal opened the mammoth E.T. parking structure at the beginning of the year, featuring nearly 5,000 parking spaces. While certainly not a glamorous addition, Universal's new E.T. parking structure signals the park's continuing ambition to expand beyond its current footprint with new and innovative attractions.
Given the recent soundstage demolitions, this expansion may occur more quickly than anticipated.
9 – The Walking Dead Attraction opens
With the closure of Universal's House of Horrors not too far behind, Universal surprised many by opening another year-round maze in nearly the same location.
Based off the popular AMC television show, The Walking Dead Attraction opened with a mix of animatronics and immersive environments based off the television series with a sprawling helicopter crash site on top of the new Baker Street extension specifically designed for the year-round maze. While geared towards fans of the television series (and anyone else who may be a zombie aficionado – we know you're out there!), The Walking Dead Attraction also allowed the park's die-hard Halloween Horror Nights fans to get their horror fix year-round in a permanent experience.
8 – Universal's annual pass shuffles
While not a singular event per say, Universal's annual pass shuffles proved to be a constant and considerable force throughout the calendar year. After dramatically increasing the price of their highest tier pass from $199 to nearly $600, Universal embarked on reformatting their annual pass program – eliminating parking for all but the highest tier pass, reducing the number of valid dates and shuffling the benefits of the park's lower tiered passes. Not only did these changes confuse consumers, but they also left a handful of customers paying more for less dates as subsequent passes were released.
These constant annual pass changes would continue over several months until the introduction of the California Neighbor Pass, which essentially rolled back Universal's dramatic annual pass changes during the ramp-up of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
7 – Universal Boulevard opens, completing Universal's new entrance plaza
As number seven on our list, the opening of Universal Boulevard reinforced Universal's dedication towards streamlining their entrance plaza with a beautiful and cohesive theme. Replacing a combination of structures strung together through years through ad-hoc changes, Universal Boulevard continued Universal Plaza's focus on art deco décor by continuing the architectural theme ignited by Universal Plaza's debut in 2013. Not only did Universal Boulevard dramatically expand the Universal Studio Store, but it also introduced a much needed Starbucks to the Upper Lot.
Universal fans can also appreciate subtle details embedded in Universal Boulevard's facade, including a nod to the studio's founder Carl Laemmle alongside references to some of Hollywood's most well-known buildings. Hooray for cohesion!
6 – Cartooniversal is demolished
With the demolition of Victoria Station and Universal's House of Horrors, Cartooniversal became the oldest structure to border Universal's new entrance corridor. Originally known as The Emporium, the 1980s building became known for housing merchandise and clothing centered around – you guessed it – cartoons! However, despite its fun theme, Cartooniversal was also considered out-of-place in an area that had been dramatically reimagined over the past several years, representing Universal's checkered past.
After almost 30 years of faithful service, Cartooniversal would eventually be demolished in favor of a new multi-use building housing retail, park services, and guest amenities slated to open in the near future.
5 – Universal adds a new security checkpoint
With theme parks across the United States ramping up their security protocols, Universal decided to follow by installing a large security perimeter around the park's entrance.
Complete with bag checkers, metal detectors and a new permanent structure, Universal's new security perimeter marked the end of unfettered access for daytime guests who wished to enter the park. Universal's new security measures also restructured and expanded Universal's entrance plaza, forcing guests to enter through the back of the plaza through the security perimeter. While certainly needed, these new security inspections would also significantly impact how guests enter into the park.
4 – Universal rethinks CityWalk
Following a string of closures, CityWalk began introducing new brands and concepts that would return the entertainment complex back to its original focus on unique cuisine. Beginning with the opening of LudoBird, CityWalk would introduce a string of compelling additions, including Dongpo Kitchen, Portland's well known Voodoo Doughnut and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville's to Hollywood. While most of these venues have yet to open, these changes mark the most significant change to CityWalk since the addition of CityFood in 2000.
Oh, and did we mention the new Universal Cinemas?
3 – Changes on the Universal backlot
In similar vain to Universal's original 5-year plan for the theme park, the studio introduced a dramatic development plan aimed at modernizing the famed Universal backlot earlier this year.
Beginning with the opening of two new state-of-the-art soundstages, Universal is embarking on a string of construction projects that would increase the production capacity of Universal's lot. Unfortunately, the plan also called for the closure of Soundstage 29 and the historic Red Sea animation and the immediate demolition of Soundstage 31. Soundstages 22-25 would also close in the near future, paving the way for a significant Lower Lot expansion in the coming years.
2 – Larry Kurzweil retires
After nearly 20 years with the company, Larry Kurzweil retired as COO of Universal Studios Hollywood after assuming the role in 1999. During his tenure, Kurzweil was known for steering CityWalk and Universal Studios Hollywood through several significant and groundbreaking transformations, including the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Springfield and several new tour animations. Kurzweil was also known for managing the park during difficult conditions, including the September 11 attacks, the 2007-08 recession and the dramatic backlot fire, eventually commandeering the company back to health in 2010 with the opening of King Kong 360 – 3D.
Karen Irwin, a former executive at Universal Orlando Resort, has been appointed to preside over the theme park, marking the first significant change in management in nearly two decades.
1 – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens
…and topping our list at number one is – you probably guessed it – the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
After almost 5 years since the land's original announcement in 2011, Universal Studios Hollywood finally opened up Hogsmeade in dramatic fashion with a phenomenal nighttime spectacular. While Springfield marked the introduction of immersive environments at the park, Wizarding World cemented Universal's position as a formidable force in the Southern California tourism industry, capable (and all too willing, might we add!) of competing head on with the Disneyland Resort with a brand of unmatched tenacity.
Though the opening of Hollywood's Wizarding World marked the third iteration of the popular land, Wizarding World West also capped off an unrivaled and unprecedented period of growth at the park that began with the debut of Transformers: The Ride – 3D in 2012. Since then, Universal has essentially redeveloped the entirety of its park, with a slew of new shops, restaurants and attractions that aimed to modernize the park's then-aging infrastructure. No theme park has come close to Universal's capacity and unrelenting drive for change. More impressive, Universal shows no immediate signs of stopping.
Here's to what 2017 has in store. If the past five years have shown us anything, it's bound to be exciting, if not interesting.
Cartooniversal
defining moments
et parking structure
larry kurzweil
Universal Backlot
wizarding world west
Previous article"From Coraline to Kubo: A Magical LAIKA Experience" returns to Universal Studios Hollywood
Next articleUniversal Studios Hollywood closes due to capacity; poised to set a new attendance record