What began as an industrial curiosity, turned into a community art project. Salem's Eco Earth sculpture is a 26-foot diameter globe situated in Riverfront Park. Learn how local artists pitched in to create this massive tribute to the world and its many cultures.


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Loosely My 2016 TBR
How the heck is it 2016 already? I was just getting used to writing 2015 on my papers (though I still, on occasion write 2012, which is weird.) Anyway, since I have time now and probably won't later, I decided I was going to make a list of a few books I want to read in 2016. Now, I know that I may not stick to this list, but putting it online will make me more motivated to do so. Also, I know for sure that I will be reading books that are not on this list because there are always new books I find out about and want to read. Besides, this isn't nearly 100 books and since, for the third year in a row, I want to read 100+ books (I've gotten it done in the past two years and probably before that, too) I definitely am going to have to read other books. These are just a few books I know from the beginning of the year that I'm interested in reading.
I'll start this list off with one of my most anticipated books of 2016 (I should make a post on that, too). Okay, so I'm not sure if this even counts because I don't even know the title, but I'm really looking forward to reading Throne of Glass Book 5. I'm a little nervous that it won't come out in 2016 because I know basically nothing about it, but I'm really hoping it will because I'm not sure if I can wait two years for the next book in this heartstoppingly amazing series. Ooh, I just found the synopsis on Goodreads! That just made me even more excited for this book.
Anyway, since other than that, I have no information on it, here's another book I've been waiting for for a rather long time and am very excited to read. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. As many of you may know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors and all her books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles are spectacular. Reading The Mortal Instruments is what really got me into reading. Before I loved reading but I didn't obsessively love reading (some people might say me pre TMI was better, haha.) This book was supposed to come out in 2015, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So the suspense is really built up for it, I actually already preordered the book. FYI all the first editions of this book are signed by the wonderful Cassie Clare, so if you want one, you better order it fast.
For those of you who are unaware, Lady Midnight is book one of the Dark Artifices Series, which is the sequel series to The Mortal Instruments (one of my all time favorite series) as well as taking place in the same world as The Infernal Devices (Which is another one of my favorites). The Shadow World is so excellently built and Cassandra's books in it are only getting better and better. If you haven't jumped onto the Shadowhunter train, I highly suggest you do so. Start with either Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Book 1) or City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). Both are wonderful. Anyway, Lady Midnight takes place five (I think) years after City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments Book 6) and follows the people of the LA Institute. Mainly, I'm told, Emma Carsairs (who we met in City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments Book 5) and City of Heavenly Fire). Recognize the last name Carstairs? Yeah, well, she's James Carstair's very distant relative. Other than Emma Carstairs, this book will also follow characters such as Mark Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Octavia (Tavvy) Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Ty Blackthorn, (Okay, yeah, a lot of the Blackthorn Clan), Christina Rosales and more.
The book is about the aftermath of the Mortal War (I think that's what that war was called). In this book, the Fae are not in the best situation because basically all the Shadowhunters hate them for siding against them in the war. The Fae need help and come to the Blackthorns, and I suck at synopsis's so here's the actual one.
Los Angeles. It's been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.
Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn't the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they'll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it's open war between faeries and Nephilim.
The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she's absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.
This book is 720 pages. That's almost (5 pages away) as much as City of Heavenly Fire. Doesn't that make you wonder how long the rest of the series is going to be? Ha, and it might take me more than a couple hours to read. A day, at most. (Actually, it really depends on the amount of school work I have.) I'm just really excited to read this continuation of Cassandra's Shadow World as well as read more of Clare's excellent writing.
This book literally comes out tomorrow, so I should probably get to reading (and first ordering) it soon. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. As some of you may know, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite series, so I'm excited to see what brilliance she's come up with now. I love Alexandra's writing style and her story plots and characters are festinating and impossible not to fall in love with.
From what I know, Passenger is basically a time traveling scavenger hunt with higher stakes. I don't read a lot of time traveler books (the only ones I can think of right now are the Ruby Red Trilogy) so I'm pretty interested to see how well I like this genre. (Is time traveling a genre or just a category? I think it's just a category?)
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.
In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas' passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever
Sound good? I highly recommend it and I haven't even read it yet! I just have a lot of trust in Alexandra Bracken and her spectacular writing.
Another Sarah J. Maas Book I'm looking forward to reading this year is A Court of Mist and Fury this is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that debuted last year. Personally, I do enjoy the Throne of Glass books more, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is off to a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing where this book series is going, especially since whatever Sarah J. Maas writes seems to turn into gold. Usually the first book in a fantasy series can be quite slow because of all the introducing of the world. A Court of Thorns and Roses started off slow but kicked up quite quickly. Sarah writes such complex and intriguing characters, it'll be fun to find out more about them in books to come.
A Court of Thorns and Roses was very very very loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and then 2/3 of a ways through it completely changed course, so I'm excited to see what happens on book II.
The protagonist of this series is named Feyre (Faye-rah) (yeah, there are a lot of jokes about how Sarah J. Maas create her characters' names by pounding her fist into the key board.) She was just a regular human before she killed a wolf in the woods and was forced to come and live with the faerie Tamlin. Yes, this is a fae series. No. It's not those childish little faeries with wings. The faeries in these books are tall, strong, regal beings (with no wings) with super speed, hearing, reflexes as well as prolonged lives and special powers. While at Tamlin's spring Court she starts to develop feelings for him as well as meeting Tamlin's friend Lucien and the Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. (p.s. there's a lot more action and stuff happening than this lame synopsis check out my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you're interested)All these characters are simply fascinating and as I've said before, I'm quite excited to see where Sarah takes this series.
(no synopsis provided because SPOILERS) (no cover has been released yet)
This book is due to be released on May 3, 2016.
Another book on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This was not released this year, but the last book in the series is going to be, so I better catch up on the first two before it comes out (actually, I might not have the time.) The plot sounds simply fascinating to me, and I got interested in it after watching Christine from Polandbannas books hilarious skit to promote the book.
"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."
"I live for you," I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.
Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Sounds interesting, huh? I'm really looking forward to reading this one this year.
Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutjoksi is the third book in the Winner's Curse series, which I was surprisingly impressed by when I read the first two books in 2015. They're full of romance, intrigue and betrayal. In other words, just my kind of book. Since The Winner's Crime (Book 2) ended at such a pivotal point, I'm really curious to see how the series finishes. The characters are very interesting in these books as well as clever. If you're interested, feel free to check out my review of The Winner's Curse. I really flew through the first two books and I have no doubt that the third book will be just as good.
Released March 29, 2016.
The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan debuts this year, the first book will be called The Hidden Oracle. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan ever since I was a wee third grader who became fascinated in mythology after reading the Percy Jackson and Olympians Series as well as the Kane Chronicles. I was a little disappointed in his new book- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, but I intend to read the second book to that when it comes out this year, also. (Second book is called The Hammer of Thor and ANNABETH'S GONNA BE IN IT!!!)
Anyway The Trials of Apollo follows the god, Apollo, after he's been turned into a sixteen year old boy by Zeus. He now has to navigate the world without guaranteed immortality until Zeus decides to turn him back into a god. The world I've always loved the most from Rick Riordan is his Greek/Roman mythology world so I'm excited to be returning to it. PERCY'S GONNA BE IN IT! I'm so excited for this book. Also, I think we'll be seeing more of Artemis (Apollo's twin, goddess of the hunt) and I really loved her character in these books so this is gonna be fun.
Release date for:
Hammer of Thor: October 4, 2016
Trials of Apollo: May 3, 2016
P.S. I did post a review of Magnus Chase Book 1, if you're interested in checking it out.
A torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir comes out this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, because in all honesty I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I expected I would (it was really hyped up). Nevertheless, I still intend to give this series a second chance. Maybe not a third if I don't like the sequel. (Book one is An Ember in the Ashes, I have a review on it, if you want to check it out.) The setting of this story is in a Roman like empire, which is interesting. It's the characters I really don't like- the two main protagonists? Elias and Lia? Lia's really too much of a damsel in distress and Elias I just found annoying. Really, it's surprising to me that I'm even willing to try and read book 2, but I am.
No cover released yet.
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is one book I'll be picking up for sure sometime this year. It's the sequel to Red Queen, which debuted this year. If you remember my review (feel free to check it out) I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly impressed. It was very hyped up and kinda let me down a bit. There was bit of an instalove feel to it, which I didn't really like and I was able to predict every 'shocking' plot twist to occur. But I did love the main theme, don't trust anyone. And that's why I'm interested enough to pick up book 2, which is due to be released on February 9, 2015.
Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the final book in the Rebel Belle series. I kind of see these books as a bit of a joke and have never really loved the series, but I did enjoy the humor enough to be willing to put the last book on my TBR list. The last book I felt eh about but whatever. Basically the idea of these books is popular girl, Harper Price is at the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a Paladin, a powerful warrior who's supposed to protect the oracle, who turns out to be her arch nemesis, David. Chaos ensues, blah, blah blah. It's a light read that's full of humor, so if that sounds interesting to you, I have a review up on both books.
Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and First and Then by Emma Mills are two contemporary romance reads I'm looking forward to reading this year. They're both already released, but I never got around to reading them last year. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, they sound impossibly cute.
Never Always Sometimes:
Never date your best friend.
Always be original.
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.
Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they'd never, ever do in high school.
Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he's broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It's either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.
Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they've actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.
first and Then:
Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.
Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I physically own and still haven't gotten around to reading. This series is insanely popular at the moment and I really need to start it. Hopefully putting that thought up here will motivate me to actually read it. These are fairytale retold with a sci-fi twist, I believe. Sorry these are starting to get rushed, I didn't realize this post would take so long and I have other stuff I need to get done!
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.
Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally is a book I'm really looking forward to reading. This is the seventh book in the Hundred Oaks series, a series of companion contemporary novels. Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write a romance and she's one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books include Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Racing Savannah and Jesse's Girl. All beautifully written, hilarious and lovely stories. I reviewed each and every one, if you're interested, which I think you should be, because these books are simply magnificent.
Taylor's always felt pressure to be perfect. That's what happens when you are a senator's daughter. So when she's kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend's not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.
Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?
Expected: July 1, 2016
(no cover released)
Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman is a book I'm especially looking forward to. This is the sequel to that book I recently review (and absolutely loved) called Legacy of Kings. This series follows Alexander the Great in his teen years (it's fantasy so it's not exactly historical fact, though, interesting fact, Eleanor Herman is a historian.) I really loved this book, it's plot, idea, and especially its characters. I grew very attached, very quickly as well as getting intriguing from page one. I highly recommend this book to any of you fantasy lovers.
release date: June 28, 2016, no cover released.
The Fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes is one I eagerly anticipate. As my last review shows, I absolutely fell in love with this series after reading the Frozen Tides, the fourth book (I've reviewed all four books, if you want to check them out). The characters and plot of this series are fascinating (well, I don't like one character, but whatever.) Anyway, there is no title or cover or even release date for this book aside from 2016, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that.
The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson is the last book in the Remnant Chronciles, which I've been reading pretty much since the first book was released. I will be sad to see this series go. The ending of the second book, Heart of Betrayal, left me with some questions, mainly about Kaden, my favorite character. I seriously cannot wait for this book. Since Books 1 and 2 were excellent and intriguing reads, I expect no less from the last book. Full of deception, romance, betrayal and action, this is one of my favorite series and I cannot stress how excited I am for this last book. (Please, someone read this series so I can talk about it with you!!)
Since I'm running out of time, I'll just list my last two books now, Power by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Last Star by Rick Yancy. Power in the second book in the Titan Series, a spin off of Jennifer Armentrout's magnificent Covenant books, following my personal favorite character, Seth. I hear Alex is going to show up in this book. I do believe this is going to be a lot of fun. (I did review The Return (Book 1) I think...)
The Last Star is the last (haha) book in the 5th Wave series. You may recognize the name from the movie that's coming out, yeah, that's based on these books and I'm very excited to see it. It's coming out this month!! And I'm very very excited to read the Last Star. I can't wait to see more of Cassie and Evan... and Ben, I guess. I'm sure this will be an explosive finale and I can hardly wait to read it.
Thanks for reading, feel free to email me for a personal book recommendation (anjimeibooks@gmail.com) :)
Through the Zombie Glass & Queen Of Zombie Hearts
Sorry for the delay in reviews, I've just had a really busy life recently. Like Alice in Zombieland, the second two books have ridiculous names but are astoundingly good. I immensely enjoyed these action packed novels. Through the Zombie Glass and Queen of Zombie Hearts are the second two books in the White Rabbit Chronicles. It's one great series, so if you haven't started them yet, what are you waiting for? Get started! If you'd like to see my review of Alice in Zombieland, scroll down a couple reviews. I'd give Through the Zombie Glass a 9/10 stars while Queen of Zombie Hearts earned a 9.4/10 stars. Great books. I can't stress that fact enough.
The only problem I think I have with this series is that the ending seemed rushed. Like many trilogies out there, the last bit of the third book is hurried to get over. To any author out there writing a trilogy, your fans don't care how long the ending is! We want it to be longer!
I absolutely loved the beginning of Queen of Zombie Hearts, well, I didn't love some things that happened but I seriously enjoyed how it just jumped into the action with little to no forewarning. It was great.
There are a couple new characters introduced in these books such as Gavin and Veronica. You'll meet them pretty early on. Then we got to know some characters better such as Mackenzie, Trina and Jaclyn. l really adore the characters in these books. They feel so real, and I know that's weird since these books are about zombies (not typical zombies but they're called zombies so...). These characters think realistically and are easy (some of them) to connect with. Sure, I'm no zombie hunter, but I could connect with Alice's feelings.
I'm not sure which book is my favorite in the series, they were all pretty spectacular, it'd probably have to be either the last or the first book. Don't get me wrong, the second book was great, but I found myself getting annoyed at a certain aspect of it that I would't talk about right now. I don't have much else to say that I didn't cover in my Alice in Zombieland review, so go check that out.
SPOIlERS BELOW FOR THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS
The phrase 'mind molested' I found especially entertaining. Gavin is definitely one of my favorite characters in the books. His sense of humor was very dirty and perverted but somehow I found it cute and funny. There's definitely something wrong with me, haha. Actually I just know there's something else there besides a man whore, and there was. Veronica I had a hard time liking (as I was supposed to) but at the same time I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I mean, she does just get Cole back to loose her to Ali.
Cole's reaction to Alice getting the vision with Gavin Sucked with a capital S. Just like Ali said, he needed to have more faith in her and their love. Never the less, Kat made Cole ditching Alice a bit funny:
Telling me 2 stop following him
Telling me he knows what I'm doing and getting ticked when I ignore him
Walking away as I flip him off
Telling Frosty to control me (like that's really possible)
haha I love Kat. She's so confident and funny. She kinda reminds me of one of my friends, just a lot more confident in herself.
Then there was the classic old person getting slang wrong such as the WTF (well that's fantastic). Nana and her slang never ceases to make me laugh.
For a while, while Cole was a acting funny and spying on his fellows, I thought for some reason he'd been forced to work for Anima. But nope, he was just looking for the culprit who was working for Anima. Every time Alice was like hmm... I wonder how Anima is getting this info I was just like COLE IS ACTING UP. But then it wasn't actually Cole so then I was just like.... awkward, sorry, bro.
I loved Mackenzie and Trina's support for Alice after Cole dumped her. Like Trina already liked Alice but I loved how Mackenzie and Alice's relationship took a 360 turn and they actually turned into really great friends. That does actually happen in real life, it did for me with one of my friends.
So, I don't know about you, but I thought it was pretty obvious Alice was becoming a Zombie, I was just confused at why it was slower than the rest of them. I also don't know about you, but when Alice ran from battle I was uber embarrassed. Like I got multiple doses of embarrassment for her there.
The dinner where Gavin was there. And then Cole showed up. And then Justin showed up was hilarious. I was laughing so hard at that part. Though Justy didn't stay for long, which was too bad because I really did start seriously liking him in this book.
Annnnndddd I guessed Ethan was the spy and guess who was right? Actually if you actually read the book you would't have to guess. Him having a bloodline around his house was just too suspicious to not have been noticed. Sorry, Reeve, but your boyfriend was almost obviously the spy after we followed him around a bit. Though, I actually thought Ali might be the spy for a bit. Like seriously, she had this evil part of her, so there was a big chance she could've been the spy. It'd be especially great if she was because no one would suspect her- not the readers because it's first person and she wouldn't realize it herself and not Cole because Cole's blinded by his love for her.
That talk where Alice is like who have you slept with to Cole was awkward to extremities. Like seriously Ali, we get you're brave, but we're getting ultra embarrassed from this talk. But the part where Kat says she threatened Cole by saying she'd set Ali up with her cousin Rick was great enough to wash away all that embarrassment.
Okay the moment I found out Jaclyn wasn't dead I was like HUMPH! AND I FELT BAD FOR HER. I thought that because I thought Jaclyn had faked her death to make her brother kill Cole or Ali. The minute I found out she was in bad condition I was like, oh, never mind.
Kat's line "He won't let anything happen to me or us. Mostly me." Was great and made me laugh so hard. Everything Kat in this book was just great and laughable.
I didn't really get how she lost everything in this book? Like at the beginning she says she lost everything, but she did't really. I mean I guess she did in the middle for like a chapter, but not really...
SPOILERS BELOW FOR QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS
I'll start out by saying that Lucas and Trina's death made me seriously sad. Like even now when I think back on it, I feel like their deaths came too soon. But death is like that. Sometimes it just happens, just like that. And you don't even get to say goodbye. Sorry, one of the reasons I was busy this week was because my friends parents died suddenly. Check the news, any channel really. It's the thing that happened in Lower Moreland that was gruesome and shocking. I don't really want to get into that right now...
I knew Frosty or Kat was probably going to die from the beginning. I was just hoping I was wrong, but more on that later.
Okay so Collins and Cruz don't especially stick out for me, so their deaths made me sad, but at the same time I was glad it wasn't Justin.
I could also tell that Helen was her mom from the minute Alice had that memory about the little girl with Helen. Especially since they looked like, exactly alike. I'm surprised Alice hadn't picked up on that sooner, being the smart girl that she is.
I love when people are fighting together and they count how many kills they have like a competition. I know that sounds morbid and in real life, it would be, but in books and movies it's hilarious. Such as in Lord of the Rings. So the zombie kill count I found funny.
When Gavin was mad at Jaclyn I just laughed. They're a good couple, yeah? Though Gavin and Mackenzie would be pretty good too.
The moment when I really knew that Kat would die was when Frosty and Bronx had that vision where Bronx had to drag Frosty away from something. Then my mind was just like...oh crap. This is too sad. No. No.. No.
Kat's 'poem' Roses are red, violets are blue, I have five fingers, the middle's for you. Was the best thing ever. Like I'm seriously considering using that one in my life.
I really liked River. And I really liked Camilla for a while there, too.
"If it were easy, it'd be your mom."
"My mom is your mom."
"So? I never liked her."
Camilla was funny and it was fun to read about her. That is, until we found out she was one of the spies. Of course, I still couldn't fully hate her, because she was only trying to protect her brother. But at the same time I'm still mad at her.
"But you're a girl. The braver species." Preach it, Frosty.
The rest of the book was pretty predictable. Yes, Kat's death was horribly terribly sad. And it was increasingly annoying when Alice was like slayers are bad. And it was rushed. But the ending was still pretty good. Then again THANK THE LORD GENA IS WRITING ANOTHER BOOK. Gena, you're seriously awesome.
Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
This book was so amazing, I loved it! It's well, deceiving, exciting, romance-y and action-ish! I need the next one, Mary! I can't wait until July! Lia was a great strong protagonist and both the prince and the assassin were dashing and very swoon worthy. I actually thought the prince was the assassin and the assassin the prince for a lot of the book. I like them both. Lia whoever you choose, I'll take the other. So this story is about Lia. She's a princess in the land of.... Idk how to spell the name, but she's a princess in an arranged marriage. On the day of her wedding, she flees before she even meets the prince. Along with her handmaiden, she works to make a new life in a far away land. Little does she know, she has two pursuers. One, the prince whom she never met and the other an assassin sent from a distant land to murder her and sent the land into chaos. Both the prince and the assassin eventually find her in the village and meet her. Not realizing who they are, Lia befriends them both and ends up falling for one. But who is the prince? and who is the assassin?
here's the official synopsis:
A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.
She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among tI I he common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.
SO GOOD. My rating would be an 8.5/10 stars, I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to all y'alls. (psst it made it to my favorites shelf) This book was just filled to the brim with tension, romance and anxiety. Meaning, I LOVED IT! Go read this book then we can discuss it together :)
SPOILERS FOR KISS OF DECEPTION BELOW
I didn't realize that we'd get to read from the Princess, the Prince AND the Assassin's POV. It was great, seeing their perspective on everything. Like I said before, I thought Rafe was the Assassin BUT after Kaden beat him on the log I changed my mind.
I was laughing so hard when Rafe (I forget his real name) said what the note said 'I should like to inspect you before our wedding' It was just funny because of how Lia's mom had reacted when she said she wanted to inspect him and then how Rafe talked about it.
I decided this would be a high rating really soon into the book, and was squealing of excitement before they even met (Rafe and Kaden). I never thought that the two boys would be roommates, I found that concept hilarious.
The whole power of presumption or divination thing kinda confused me, it never went into full detail of what that was, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Lia's meeting with Walther was just so heart touching and cute- I loved it. I was really saddened when he came to her and was crazy and then I was REALLY sad when he died and Lia had to watch. That was just depressing, though it seemed a little rushed. Did anyone else think it was odd that the crowned prince had to be a soldier? Wasn't it funny how Rafe and Kaden both thought Walther was her lover? Seriously, shouldn't they know who the crowned prince is though?
I was laughing so hard when Lia was talking to Rafe about how deception was horrible, he totally thought she'd found out about him.
I still really like Kaden, even though he kidnapped her, he saved her life and he's actually a really nice guy. I like both of them, and I'd like the prince even better if he cut his hair. I don't like long haired boys tbh.
"May your horse kick stones into your enemies feet."
Anyway this ending was horrible- JUST GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK!
Sorry for the short review I've been really busy lately.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Manages to pack in a staggering amount of realism yet remains friendly to newcomers. Plenty of options to simulate baseball according to your own preferences. Lots of small but noticeable improvements over its predecessor.
Fans of historical replays could end up shelling out a lot more money than people content with the default rosters and fictional sims. Difficult to add stadiums and team logos without some effort.
It's spring again, the time a young man's fancy turns to love. At least it's that way for some. For other men and women, thoughts are invariably turning to the new MLB season and how best to simulate it on iOS devices. The reigning and defending champion of mobile baseball sims is back in its latest iteration, iOOTP 2013, showing why it's unlikely to be giving up the title any time soon.
As fans of other sports video game franchises can attest (ahem, Madden), there's always the possibility that the leader in a particular niche could set things on cruise control for a season or two. Fortunately that's not the case with the small but committed team at Out Of The Park Developments, who worked a bunch of improvements into the game once again. Some are obvious, like tweaks to the interface, while others like the improved trade and contract negotiation algorithms only reveal themselves after diving into the game for a season or two.
How you play those seasons is a matter of personal preference. The game provides the quick options of starting a new game with the default 2013 MLB rosters, a completely imaginary league with fictional players, or one of three historical season replays: 1901, 1902 and 2009. The start menu makes any of those choices a snap, and is probably less intimidating to newcomers than the one in the even more full-featured PC version of the game.
True baseball history junkies can start from any season and have new players join their league at the point they did in real life, though this requires purchases of new seasons. This can be done from within the game, and both individual campaigns and bundles of seasons are for sale. As usual, more adventurous players can choose to customize the size, name and composition of a league as they see fit, and a personal favorite of this reviewer is to start a new game with a re-draft of all of the MLB teams. Hey, it's really the only way to give the 2013 Houston Astros a fighting chance, and it's fun to see the budgets and expectations of the front office change as a result.
Once a season is up and running, the core gameplay hasn't changed all that much. You get full control of your big league team in terms of roster moves and lineup shuffling between games, as well as 20 of the franchise's top minor league prospects. This is probably the biggest concession made to scale things back for the mobile game (the PC game gives you the truly ridiculous control of the entire minor league system), but it also makes things more suitable for casual players without sacrificing a great deal. Development of prospects has also been revamped using the projection system of Baseball Prospectus.
Individual games can be simulated or managed as you see fit, and the in-game options include pitching, batting, baserunning and fielding commands. The action is relayed through a play-by-play text box that recreates a one-man radio broadcast (sorry graphics junkies), and while there is obviously some repetition, it feels like the virtual announcer learned some new tricks for 2013. If it happens in a real baseball game, you'll probably encounter it at some point in iOOTP 2013, including things like a baserunner taking umbrage with an especially hard tag and batters stepping out of the box to get dirt out of their eyes. Games take about 15-20 minutes to finish, or more if you opt to see each individual pitch simulated.
On the anecdotal side, the 2013 version feels more stable than last years in small but important ways. There weren't any funky glitches in the post-game box scores, nor did I see any trouble with stepping out of the app to do something out and returning to a game in progress. I didn't get to test it during the review period, but there is an option to download stadium backgrounds via iTunes to avoid looking at the same ballpark all the time. Real MLB team logos can also be added, but this requires some tech savvy and additional effort, and there's no way to add player portraits to the game.
Chances are these little things will seem like nitpicks, because iOOTP 2013 is really a powerhouse when it comes to mobile baseball sims. Consider that title belt locked up for another year, and go ahead and download it to get your baseball fix on the go.


text:
The University of Victoria's independent newspaper
Sports | Lifestyle
No tuition, no problem?
Business | Tech
Vanessa Hawk and Glen O'Neill
It is not uncommon to hear a collective sigh from Canadian students when the subject of tuition in Europe comes up. Tuition in the European Union (EU) ranges, in general, from low to no fees for university, while B.C. university students currently pay $5 015 on average annually for undergraduate tuition. Canadian students naturally envy a university system that costs students close to nothing and accepts almost every applicant. But different problems arise from what Canadians assume is an idyllic system of higher education.
Several distinctions appear when you place UVic and a European university side by side. Let's take, for example, the University of Vienna in Austria, which like UVic is ranked within the top 200 universities in the world in the Times Higher Education world university rankings.
Firstly, post-secondary schools in Austria are publicly funded by the government, which has access to funding from high income tax rates. Austrians who earn between 11 000 and 25 000 euros annually (approximately C$14 000–$32 000) — the lowest taxable income range in the country — are taxed 36.5 per cent on income over the first 11 000 euros. Canadians earning $132 400 or more annually — the highest income tax bracket in Canada — are only taxed 29 per cent. In Austria, higher education is a federal government responsibility. Higher education in Canada is the responsibility of provincial governments. In 2009, the B.C. government relied on student tuition for 25.3 per cent of funding for universities.
Universities in Austria are legally bound to accept all applicants, with a few exceptions for disciplines such as medicine, art and psychology. These programs have entry exams or other admission processes. Austrians and EU citizens do not pay tuition at Austrian universities. Tuition fees in Austria are akin to the price of one course at UVic: a total of 363.36 euros per term (C$465) for non-EU citizens and students who take longer than four years to complete their program (though many programs take three years). UVic domestic undergraduate students typically pay about $2 480 for tuition per semester.
In Austria, tuition fees do not include the cost of public transportation necessary for most students; at UVic, students pay $157 per year for a mandatory bus pass.
Tuition fees were reintroduced in Austria in 2001 (they had not existed since the '70s) but were revoked in 2009 due to backlash from students. There are tuition exemptions for students from 50 least-developed countries (for example, Afghanistan and Rwanda) and students in need of financial assistance, for which there are also grants and government support. Government student loans do not exist.
Entrance to UVic is dependent on academic merit and the ability to pay student fees. In addition to tution, the fees for the student society, health and dental plans, athletics and recreation, and bus pass total about $370 per semester. The student union in Austria collects the equivalent of $20 each semester from students.
The differences are even more drastic for international student fees. Incoming international students at UVic pay approximately $8 000 per semester. Studying in Austria costs $470 per semester for students outside of the EU, though there is a lengthy list of students who qualify for exemption from fees.
It is not enough to look at tuition and public funding without measuring the advantages and disadvantages to students.
Universities in Austria are — except for a few regulated fields of study — legally bound to accept all applicants, regardless of academic or financial standing (though in most cases applicants must have a high school diploma). This translates into unparalleled accessibility to higher education in Austria.
The University of Vienna, like UVic, is a research university. Founded in 1365, it is Austria's largest academic institution and the oldest university in the German-speaking world. The opening of the EU borders accelerated the influx of students into Austrian universities, further stretching resources to accommodate a burgeoning student body. Even with public funding, universities in Austria struggle to afford high-quality resources or enough professors, which can result in large class sizes and teaching methods that don't take students' individual needs into account.
Bernhard Doringer, an Austrian law student at the University of Vienna who is also enrolled as a business student at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, noted a difference in quality between European and North American university resources when he spent a semester at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Since American universities have much more money at hand, they're able to fund much better equipment, [such as] IT systems, library, student services and facilities. In Austria, some buildings are quite old, some stuff is broken and administration does not work as smoothly [with] old and slow IT systems."
While Canadian universities can control the balance between available resources and student numbers with entrance requirements and tuition fees, Austrian universities are forced to undermine access in other ways.
"Limited resources lead to the inevitable need to keep the number of students low," says Doringer. "Since anyone must be admitted by legal requirement, universities try to do so by creating knock-out exams with weird questions [that are] extremely difficult [and] regularly fail between 60–90 per cent of students. This also slows people down so they take longer for their studies [and have to pay fees]."
At the same time, students in the Austrian system are free from the financial concerns Canadian students must address. Since 2005, tuition increases in B.C. have been capped at two per cent per year, but students' debt still averages at $27 000, which is higher than their counterparts' debt in other provinces. High student debt has negative effects on students as well as the economy, which suffers from graduates being unable to invest in, say, the housing market.
The issues with public education in Austria came to a head in 2011 when the Vienna University of Economics and Business sued the government for requiring the school to accept all students without providing sufficient funding. The university received six-million euros (approximately C$7 770 000 at that time).
Several Europe-wide studies suggest that alternative funding sources should be explored to improve EU universities.
While the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and other student organizations have campaigns around problems with tuition and debt in B.C., the situation has yet to garner the same extreme response as in Austria.
Doringer says he is in favour of a balance between both approaches to higher education (high tuition and no tuition).
"I think that moderate tuition fees in combination with a grant/scholarship system would significantly increase the quality of education in Austrian universities," he says.
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EducationSchool news
Tepak signs protocol with Apollonion hospital over medical student training
Cyprus University of Technology (Tepak) has signed a five-year protocol of cooperation with Apollonion private hospital to promote cooperation in the fields of science, research and education.
The protocol was signed by the Tepak's rector, professor Panagiotis Zafeiris and the general manager of the Apollonion private hospital, Leonidas Ieronymides.
The framework provides the placement of students of Tepak's Faculty of Health Sciences in the Apollonian for practical and clinical training purposes, as well as the right of the hospital to access Tepak's alumni network for the publication of job positions and other information that might concern graduates.
Included in the agreement are also the organisation of joint scientific and educational events and activities, the exchange of consulting and scientific services and studies, the joint participation in research and development programmes as well as the exchange of information on health issues.
In a written statement, Apollonian referred to its cooperation with TEPAK as "very important," since the hospital joins forces with a renowned university in the framework of a multilevel cooperation in the fields of science, research and education "with the ultimate goal of the public good".
Tepak's Faculty of Health Sciences consists of the Department of Nursing, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health (CII), which offer undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Tepak, despite being the newest public university in Cyprus, has nevertheless managed to establish itself internationally as a renowned higher education institution, with an emphasis on academic and research excellence, making it one of the best universities in the world today according to international university evaluations.
The university was included for the fifth consecutive year in the international Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings 2021, among the best new universities, occupying the 54th position.
Apollonion hospital holds a leading position in the activities of health services in Cyprus. This is due to the continuous improvement of facilities and equipment but mainly to the high specialisation of its medical, nursing and administrative staff. Its first priority and mission is to offer high quality health services, with equal and direct access for patients, efficiency, organisation, avant-garde and innovation.
agreementApollonionCyprus University of Technology (Tepak)
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text:
Katherine "Kay" DeBora
Dickie Celestino Labuga
Patricia Diane (Dimberg) Reid
Rodrigo Ruiz Loza
Aug 7, 1926 May 26, 2015
Louise Adele Marchant, 88, of Turlock, passed away May 26 at Doctors Medical Center surrounded by her loving family. She was the second daughter born in 1926 to Leopoldo and Confida Poggi, Italian immigrants, in San Francisco.
The family relocated to Turlock in 1935 to begin a garbage business, now known as Turlock Scavenger Company. Louise attended Turlock schools, graduating from Turlock High School with the "famous" Class of '44, who still meet for lunch once a month.
In 1945, Louise married her high school sweetheart, Jesse Lee "Bud" Marchant. After Jesse's discharge from the Navy they began their family of three boys: Gregory, Alan, and Lee. Jesse and Louise became sole owners of Turlock Scavenger in 1956. Louise also worked off and on for Boies' Drug Store for 15 years.
Many words could describe Louise, but at the top of the list would be "cheerleader." Starting as a genuine song leader at Turlock High School, her dedication and enthusiasm for Turlock High never diminished and throughout the years carried over into the entire community of Turlock. Her involvement included: Turlock Little League, Sacred Heart YLI, Sacred Heart School, Turlock Recreation Commission, Turlock Planning Commission, Turlock Salvation Army, Turlock Together, and she assisted in the development of Pedretti Park. She was also an active member of The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary, Native Daughters of the Golden West, American Legion Auxiliary, a life member of Turlock Historical Society, and she served as a board member of the Turlock Community Theatre.
Louise liked to tell the story that she is the only member of Turlock High's Hall of Fame who is not an athlete and was honorary homecoming queen in 1994. She was especially proud of her involvement in seeing that the Turlock High School Auditorium was restored and is now Turlock Community Theatre. Louise truly bled Blue and Gold.
Since Turlock Scavenger is synonymous with community service, in 1983 Jesse and Louise were awarded the Turlock Chamber of Commerce Best of Turlock Business Leader of the Year. In 2003, the Chamber honored her with the Special Recognition award, which is given to someone for going above and beyond in giving back to the community. In 2010, Louise was awarded Citizen of the Year, where she was also presented the Key to the City of Turlock by the Mayor.
But regardless of how active she was in the community, she always had time to support her family in all of their endeavors.
Louise was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Jesse, sister Elvera Sisco Maciel, and grandson Anthony "Tony" Marchant.
She is survived by her sons Gregory Marchant, Alan Marchant and his wife, Kathy, and Lee Marchant and his wife, Janet, her grandchildren Heather, Dawn, Missy, Macie, Jesse, and Darin, and her great-grandchildren Daniel, Lucas, Garrett, McKinley, Maryn, and Emmersyn. She also leaves many nieces and nephews, with special inclusion of Lynette Souza, Jim Sisco, Jaymi, Jimmy, Kirsten, Dominic, Richard Marchant, and Stanley Marchant.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 4, beginning at 3 p.m., followed by recitation of the Rosary at 7 p.m. at Turlock Funeral Home, 425 N. Soderquist Rd., Turlock. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 5, at the same location. Private entombment will take place at Chapel of Flowers Mausoleum at Turlock Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to Turlock Community Theatre, 1574 E. Canal Dr., Turlock, CA 95380; Salvation Army, 893 Lander Ave., Turlock, CA 95380; Turlock Historical Society, P.O. Box 18, Turlock, CA 95381, or Father McElligott Sacred Heart School Foundation, 1225 Cooper Ave., Turlock, CA 95380.


Tiger Woods. Picture: Twitter @ESPNStatsInfo.
PARIS - Tiger Woods continued his stunning rise up the world rankings on Monday by officially returning to the top 10 for the first time since 2014 after his dramatic fifth Masters win.


text:
Rupert Murdoch who is an Australian born American Media mogul born on 11 March 1931, In Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
He is the son of Sir Keith Murdoch and his wife Dame Elisabeth Murdoch. His father was a reporter, editor, and senior executive of the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper publishing company.
Rupert Murdoch married four times. In 1956, He married Patricia Booher who was former Air Hostess. They had one daughter. They divorced in 1967. Later he married Scottish Journalist Anna Maria Torv in 1967. They had three children. After 32 years, the couple divorced. After divorced, he married Business Women Wendi Deng in 1999. They have two daughters. They divorced in 2013. In 2016, He married former model Jerry Hall.
He earned his education at Geelong Grammar School in Australia. During this time, He worked the part-time job at the "Melbourne Heral'. later he went England to continue his studies at Worcester College', belonging to the 'University of Oxford.
In 1952 at the age of 21, After his father's death, He returned back from Oxford and handle their family business "News Limited", which was established by his father. Rupert gained major success from one of his newspaper 'Adelaide News'. From 1956-60, Rupert Murdoch attracted his attention to the news firms from other media companies, and he had handled to buy 'Sunday Times' in Perth, Western Australia and 'The Daily Mirror'. During the year 1961, He had launched 'The Australian', Which was the nation's first Daily and had its initial operations in Canberra, before shifting base to Sydney. In 1968, The Australian media tycoon entered the British market and had taken over 'News of the World', following it up the next year with 'The Sun'. From 1972 to 1976, He purchased papers Including "The Daily Telegraph', 'San Antonio Express-News', and 'The New York post'. In 1990, He had Launched a telecommunications firm in Britain, called the 'BSkyB'. After the three years, News Corporation had taken over the charge of telecasting the 'National Football League' (NFL), from competitors 'CBS'. In the years 1996 to 1998, He took several significant business decision including the launch of an all-day 'Fox News Channel'. In 1999, He bought Australian music company named 'Mushroom Records'.
He owned his first newspaper at the age of 22.
He had Invented The Modern Tabloid.
He is one of the 100 richest people in the world.
In 2010, He donated $1 million every to the organizations such as "U.S. Chamber of Commerce", and "Republican Governors Association".
In 1995, The businessman Rupert Murdoch faced controversy, When he had been accused of illegally holding power over 'Fox Network'. This claim was soon ruled out by the 'Federal Communications Commission' (FCC), Who said that his control was beneficial for the network.
Rupert was honored with the 'Companion of the Order of Australia' by the Nation's Government.
Like Rupert Murdoch, Establish your image with yourself. Never depend on anyone.
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text:
Carlo Sforza (23 de septiembre de 1872-4 de septiembre de 1952) fue un diplomático y político italiano. Antifascista, tuvo el título nobiliario de conde de Sforza y ejerció el cargo de ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Italia.

Biografía
Carlo IV Sforza nació en Lucca era hijo de Giovanni Sforza (1846-1922) di Montignoso di Lunigiana descendiente del duque de Milán Francisco I Sforza (1401-1466), y su madre era Elisabetta Pierantoni. Al morir su hermano mayor heredó el título de conde, estudió leyes en Pisa y fue alumno de Enrico Ferri y de Lodovico Mortara.

Entró en el servicio diplomático de Italia en 1896. Sirvió en el El Cairo, París, Estambul, Pekín, Bucarest, Madrid, Londres y Belgrado y tras la Primera Guerra Mundial fue nombrado Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores en el gobierno de Giovanni Giolitti. En 1921 Sforza se enfrentó a los partidos de extrema derecha por la firma del Tratado de Rapallo, que devolvía el importante puerto de Fiume a Yugoslavia.

Posteriormente Carlo IV Sforza fue nombrado embajador en Francia pero renunció a su puesto después de que Benito Mussolini llegara al poder en 1922. Dirigió la oposición antifascita en el Senado y finalmente fue obligado a exiliarse en 1926. Mientras vivía en el exilio Sforza publicó los libros Dictaduras europeas, Italia contemporánea y Síntesis de Europa. Afirmaba que Italia, una nación con una tradición tan antigua y rica podía permitirse el lujo de esperar.

Sforza vivió en Francia hasta la ocupación alemana de junio de 1940. Entonces se trasladó a Inglaterra, y posteriormente a los Estados Unidos. Aguardó a la rendición de Italia en septiembre de 1943 y regresó a su país en junio de 1944 tras aceptar la oferta de Ivanoe Bonomi de unirse a su gobierno provisional antifascista. En 1946 Sforza se convirtió en miembro del Partido Republicano Italiano.

Nuevamente como ministro de Asuntos Exteriores (1947-1951) apoyó el Programa de Recuperación Europa y la firma del Tratado de Trieste. Fue un defensor convencido de a política proeuropea y uno de los artífices de la Italia de postguerra, y con el gobierno De Gasperi llevó a Italia al Consejo de Europa. El 18 de abril de 1951 firmó el Tratado que creaba la Comunidad Europea del Carbón y del Acero, convirtiendo a Italia en uno de sus miembros fundadores.

Contribuyó, desde el ámbito político-intelectual de una forma importante, a liderar la corriente de pensamiento europeísta, expresada en artículos de revistas de la época y en libros como Los Estados Unidos de Europa, publicado en 1929.

Murió en Roma en 1952.

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Sobre una carta de Carlo Sforza al rey de Italia (francés)

Políticos de Italia del siglo XX
Políticos del Partido Republicano Italiano
Diplomáticos de Italia
Europeístas
Personas de Toscana
Embajadores de Italia en Francia
Nacidos en la provincia de Massa y Carrara
Fallecidos en Roma

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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One of Hollywood's greatest leading men, Eastwood's acting career has a lot of highlights—but these are his best films.
Before you think Paul Thomas Anderson has the market cornered when it comes to tales of the San Fernando Valley, leave it to Clint Eastwood and an orangutan to prove you wrong. Eastwood plays trucker and fist-fighter Philo Beddoe, who roams around the Valley with his best pal, Clyde, dodging bikers and looking for love. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
A vital contribution to the Four Old Guys Do Something Meant for Young People genre, Eastwood joins Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as a team of former astronauts who have their second chance at space travel when a rogue Russian satellite threatens to enter Earth's atmosphere. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood basically plays your racist grandfather in this movie, spending a lot of his time grumbling about his time in the Korean War while menacingly glaring at his Hmong neighbors. While the premise is a little iffy, things turnaround when Eastwood's Walt Kowalski learns to have compassion for his neighbor Thao, ultimately taking the young man under his wing. Rent/buy on Amazon.
In his third outing as inspector Harry Callahan, Eastwood goes up against a terrorist organization made up of disgruntled Vietnam vets who call themselves the People's Revolutionary Strike Force. But adding more tension to Dirty Harry's life is his new female partner, played by Tyne Daly. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood's Lieutenant Kelly naturally goes up against Nazis, but his scheme is less about fighting America's enemies and more about getting rich—he leads a team behind enemy lines to steal $16 million in gold bars from a German bank. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Director Eastwood takes a supporting role in this thriller starring Kevin Costner as Butch Haynes, an escaped convict who kidnaps a young boy as added protection on his run from the law. While he's pursued by a U.S. Marshall played by Eastwood, Haynes and the boy form an unlikely friendship as the convict becomes a sort of father figure to his captor. Rent/buy on Amazon.
A hardened, aging Marine (played by Eastwood, naturally) finds himself going head-to-head against the powers that be that see him as a useless and irrelevant sergeant in a time of peace. But the invasion of Grenada in October 1983 tests his abilities to maintain his leadership and strength as a leader. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood stars as Wes Block, a New Orleans police detective searching for a serial killer who is preying on young women—sexually torturing them before killing them. Joined by a sexual assault specialist (played by Geneviève Bujold), Block tracks the killer's moves—until he begins to realize that the man he's hunting is beginning to hunt the women in Block's life in retaliation. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Starring alongside Jeff Bridges, Eastwood plays a semi-reformed bank robber who hides out in the American West as a small-town preacher. When his identity is discovered as the bank-robbing Thunderbolt, he teams up with a young man named Lightfoot (Bridges) and his old gang to pull off one last great heist. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
In his first major non-Western films, Eastwood takes a supporting role next to the commanding Richard Burton as an American lieutenant who joins forces with the British to rescue an American general held captive by the Germans in the months leading up to D-Day. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Another by-the-book Eastwood flick, in which the director-star plays a local hero—this time a preacher with a mysterious past who protects the small town from an encroaching mining company bent on taking siege of the land. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Playing an innocent man who survives a lynching at the hand of a band of vigilantes, Eastwood's Jed Cooper returns to seek justice against the men who tried to kill him—their biggest mistake being that they failed to complete their mission. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood's first attempt at helming a Western (taking influence from his previous collaborators, Sergio Leone and Don Siegel), once again saw him playing a no-named drifter who saves the small town of Lago from three outlaws en route to terrorize its villagers. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood made his directorial debut with this thriller, in which he plays a radio DJ whose brief fling with a fan turns into a chaotic, Fatal Attraction-style stalker—and she'll stop at nothing to keep him in her clutches. Rent/buy on iTunes.
Eastwood plays the seasoned Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, who can't shake the flashbacks from the day in November 1963 when he failed to protect President Kennedy from assassination. Thirty years later, he must protect a new Commander in Chief from a deadly assassin who calls himself Booth (played by John Malkovich) in Wolfgang Petersen's political thriller. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Before Sofia Coppola remade it into a brooding thriller about repression and femininity, Don Siegel made this exploitation flick in which Eastwood plays a Union solider who takes refuge in a Southern girl's boarding school—and whose sexual dalliances with the women there prove dangerous for his survival. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
In the second installment of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, Eastwood returns as the Man With No Name (referred to here as "Manco"), teaming up with a fellow bounty hunter to track down Gian Maria Volontè's El Indio—and find themselves in a variety of deadly and twisty situations along the way. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Southerner Josey Wales (Eastwood) saw his family murdered by Union soldiers in the Civil War and enlisted as a Confederate to exact revenge. In the years after the war, Wales remains a fugitive from justice and swears an oath to exact revenge upon the men who destroyed his life. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Alcatraz is the notoriously secure prison in the United States—that is until Eastwood's Frank Morris entered it. (Spoiler alert: He...escapes from Alcatraz.) Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Hilary Swank won her second Oscar for her performance as Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring boxer who turns to Eastwood's Frankie Dunn to train her. The two form an unlikely duo, with the disgruntled older coach keeping a steely demeanor and avoiding an emotional father-daughter connection with his eager pupil. The inspirational tear-jerker earned Eastwood his a second pair of Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood isn't well-known for his romantic side, yet his adaptation of the massively popular romance novel (your mom was probably obsessed with it in the '90s) is a surprisingly tender and touching film. It not only features one of his best performances, but one of Meryl Streep's best, as well. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Sergio Leone's first entry in the Dollars Trilogy introduces Eastwood as the Man With No Name, a drifter who rides into the Mexican village of San Miguel and finds himself caught between two warring gangs: the Baxters and the Rojos. Rather than join one side over the other, the stranger plays both for his own advantage—setting the standard for Eastwood's presence on screen and establishing the sub-genre of the Spaghetti Western. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
Eastwood won his first two Oscars—Best Picture and Best Director—for this neo-Western thriller, which also earned co-star Gene Hackman an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Here, Eastwood plays a retired gunslinger who accepts one last bounty from a group of prostitutes looking for revenge when one of them is attacked by a customer. It's not just a great film—it's a reinterpretation of the genre that made Eastwood the star he is today. Rent/buy on Amazon.
Eastwood played San Francisco cop "Dirty" Harry Callahan in five films over the course of 17 years, but the franchise's first offering is still the best. Loosely inspired by the Zodiac killer, the film sees Callahan tracking a serial killer known as Scorpio and incorporating his no-nonsense, ruthless policing and investigation tactics—qualities that would come to define Eastwood's non-Western roles. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.
The third and final installment of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is not just a pinnacle of the Spaghetti Western form—it stands as one of the greatest Westerns ever made and is inarguably Clint Eastwood's seminal film. The epic sees the Man With No Name (referred to here as "Blondie") as The Good: a reverent bounty hunter who is double-crossed by his partner, but the pair must rely on each other to find the ultimate reward in the form of buried gold. The film culminates with the two battling against a third faction in an epic showdown that remains one of the most iconic sequences in movie history. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.


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Nation News
Winona-Rochester diocese to file for bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits
Christine Rousselle | Catholic News Agency
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona
The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it was announced Sunday. Bishop John Quinn wrote a letter explaining the decision, which was distributed in bulletins throughout the diocese.
In a recorded video statement posted on the diocesan website, Quinn said he was sorry, and that on behalf of his brother priests, he "offer(s) an apology to these survivors and acknowledge their pain and suffering," and pledged to "remain vigilant" to prevent abuse in the future. He also said it was important to create an "environment of healing" for both abuse survivors and their families.
Quinn explained that due to the 121 claims of child sexual abuse by priests within the diocese, and after praying for guidance as to how to best heal the pain of these survivors, the diocese would file for bankruptcy. A total of 17 priests in the diocese have been accused of sexual abuse.
This move is the "most just and equitable way to hold ourselves accountable, to bring healing and justice to the survivors, and to find a path forward for our diocesan community," said Quinn.
"By proactively taking this step, we will begin to bring healing and justice to survivors, holding ourselves accountable for the abuse that occurred in the past," said the bishop. The diocese will continue to work with survivors and their legal counsel.
Filing for bankruptcy will allow the diocese to reorganize their finances, and continue to provide social service work. Quinn said there was "no way to predict" how long this was going to take, but he promised complete transparency and will continue to provide updates throughout the process.
He did, however, say that he does not anticipate a day-to-day change for members of the diocese, and that no parishes or parish schools will be closing due to the bankruptcy filing. This is because they are separate legal entities, he explained.
Survivors of clerical sexual abuse in the diocese will be compensated, said Quinn, by a combination of insurance, savings, money from the sale of assets, and other sources.
"I am committed to keeping our children, and vulnerable adults, safe from sexual abuse," said Quinn.
"I want to assure you: all clergy against whom credible accusations have been previously made are either deceased, or have been removed from ministry, laicized, and no longer function in any priestly capacity in the diocese."
Quinn explained that since 2002, the diocese has implemented a program in order to ensure the safety of children in the diocese. As part of this program, every member of the clergy, as well as diocesan employees and volunteers, undergoes a background check.
"I pray for God's grace during this difficult period, as well as for guidance and strength from the Holy Spirit," said Quinn.
"I believe that we will walk together toward healing, reaffirming our dedication to carrying out ministries across southern Minnesota. I also ask for your continued prayers and support as we work together to offer healing to those who have suffered unconscionable abuse and to forge a path forward for all of us."
Quinn also said that he welcomed suggestions from members of the public on how the diocese could work to become a safer environment.
Christine Rousselle
Christine Rousselle writes for Catholic News Agency.
Judge puts three dozen lawsuits against Buffalo parishes on hold amid bankruptcy by Catholic News Agency April 6, 2021
Majority of Camden diocese abuse claims left unprocessed amid bankruptcy filing by Catholic News Agency October 5, 2020
Diocese of Santa Rosa to declare bankruptcy amid wave of old abuse claims by John Lavenburg December 3, 2022


Posted in: Authors, autobiography, books, comedy, Reading.	Tagged: autobiography, camp david, david walliams, little britain.
Having read Rik Mayalls amazingly zany autobiography last year, Victoria purchased me another of a comedian I really enjoy. David Walliams, Camp David. Most the book covers his life all the way up to the first season of Little Britain. It was very interesting to read of his childhood and how, like myself, he loves to make people laugh like its a huge feel-good buzz. It also goes very indepth about his personal life, including his battle with depression and how very nearly we didn't have Little Britain. I never thought when I use to watch GamesMaster that he was on the set regularly…or that Richard Osman was a two face plagiarising back stabber.
So I would highly recommend this as your very next read if you haven't read it before (it's five years old now, wish I got into biographies sooner). If you can forgive the endless typos (get a better proof reader David) you'll have a riveting read of the funnyman who swam the channel for charity!


text:
Crime and Court
Skeer Media
Skeer Media's first and original logo .
Skeer Media is an independent and freelance news provider based in Mandurah, which covers events across the southwest of Western Australia.
The team specialises in breaking news and provides online stories of local events which reaches more than 70,000 people per month.
Skeer Media isn't just an independent news publisher the company also acts as a freelance news service.
The service provides vision, information, photos and exclusive stories to local, state and national news outlets.
The company freelances for some of the biggest news networks in Australia which include all platforms of media.
Tex shooting an exclusive story in the middle of the night near Dwellingup, Western Australia.
Photo: Caitlyn Rintoul
Some of Skeer Media's biggest clients include the Ten Network, Nine Entertainment co, and Seven West Media.
Tex with his image on the front page of The West Australian.
The team's work has featured on a numerous amount of news programs such as The Project, Seven News, Nine News, Ten News, Community News Paper Group, Coast Live Radio, Mandurah Mail, WA Today, GWN 7 Regional News and many more.
The company was founded by freelance video journalist and award-winning news photographer Texas Reeks in April 2018, at just age 18.
Tex has held great passion for news and television since before he can remember.
He came across his first live news cross when he was 10-years-old with his first video made the news when he was only 12.
While completing work experience in multiple news rooms, including Nine News Perth, Mandurah Mail and with the Sunrise team at the Seven Network in Sydney, Tex picked up numerous news writing and television production skills.
Winning image 'Under the Spotlight'
Photo: Tex Reeks
Taking out a national photography award in Sydney, on behalf of the Mandurah Mail, while completing work experience, Tex was the youngest winner in the Community News Category for his entry 'Under The Spotlight' at the 2018 News Media Works Awards.
Read more: Mandurah Mail journalist takes out PANPA award for excellence in news photography
Natalie Barr, Mark Beretta, Tex Reeks, Samantha Armytage, David Koch.
Tex with Sunrise presenters in Sydney.
Skeer Media pledges to keep the Peel region and the southwest of WA up to date with information and news events in the area.
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Update: Man Missing from Pinjarra found
Staff Writers - January 20, 2020
Pinjarra Police search for missing man in his 60s
Bomb squad called in after man threatens to detonate device in...
Crime and Court January 19, 2020
Falcon property raided by drug squad and TRG
Search for man missing off Mandurah coast suspended | Video
Rottnest Island chef missing since New Year's Eve
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Skeer Media is Mandurah's only independent and freelance news service. We provide you and your favourite news outlets with stories from across the Peel region and Western Australia's southwest.
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Estee Lauder Collectors Solid. Perfume Compact of Limited Edition. Perfume compact designed by Jay Strongwater for Estee Lauder. Debut with Estee Lauder his. In a very limited editions. Some of these compacts are hard to find today as most of them kept in Private Collections around the world. And many of them. To Russian and Chineses Collectors. Jay Strongwater made is. Crafted in brilliant French enamels with colorful Austrian Crystals and Mexican cabochons, filled with long-lasting Estee lauder solid perfumes. This 3D gold-plated compact is a detailed work of Jay Strongwater Art, enhanced with brilliant French enamels and brilliant Austrian c rystals and Mexican cabochons. The compact is filled with Estee Lauder long lasting Intuition perfume and t he perfume is untouched. Gold label with perfume identification is at the base. Arrives beautifully boxed with orig. Velour pouch for purse or safekeeping. This compact is hard to find in mint condition with the original perfume in its original. From Smoke Free Environment. I will always describe the condition and any flaws I see to avoid any misunderstandings. The item "RARE ESTEE LAUDER JAY STRONGWATER BUTTERFLY SOLID PERFUME COMPACT in ORIG BOX" is in sale since Saturday, March 2, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Vanity, Perfume & Shaving\Compacts\1980-Now". The seller is "ny_auction" and is located in New York, New York. This item can be shipped worldwide.


London and Peterborough, 13 November 2013 – CityFibre's vision of creating Gigabit cities throughout the UK took a significant step forward today with the official signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Peterborough City Council at a ceremony held in the Town Hall.
Following the recent announcement of its intention to privately invest in the fast-growing city, CityFibre and the Council have paved the way to ensure an efficient and well-planned network roll-outthat will benefit Peterborough and transform it into a 'Gigabit' city.
CityFibre identified Peterborough as an excellent candidate for its Gigabit city vision due to the city's recent business growth and hunger for innovation supported by its forward thinking local authority. Peterborough will have access to a future-proof pure fibre infrastructure that will position it at the forefront of the UK's digital economy.
The roll-out starting next Spring, will see 90km of core fibre infrastructure deployedthroughout the city, bringing the benefits of gigabit speeds to key business districts, data centres and mobile base-stations, as well as schools, hospitals and other sites important to the community. This first phaseis expected to be completed within 18 months.
Greg Mesch added: "Fibre Broadband is widely viewed as the utility of the future and pure fibre networks, such as the one we are deploying in Peterborough, are the only future-proofed solution. Networks such as this are the foundation of our Gigabit city vision. There are over 100 towns and cities in the UK that currently do not have ultra-high speed connectivity, so the opportunity for CityFibre to play a part in modernising the UK's digital infrastructure is extremely exciting".
CityFibre will achieve its Gigabit City vision through highly efficient utilisation of its pure fibre networks by Internet Service Providers delivering ultra-high speed connectivity services to local government, businesses and consumers as well as by mobile operators requiring fibre base-station connectivity to enable next generation 4G services.
Investor appetite in this sector is gaining momentum. Jon Moulton, Founder of Better Capital, member of the Advisory Board for the UK Regional Growth Fund and an investor in CityFibre commented on Peterborough's gigabit future, "I have recognised fibre infrastructure as a major growth area and the experience and achievements of the CityFibre team made them a natural choice for my personal investment in this sector".
CityFibre's Gigabit fibre connectivity is already benefiting businesses and citizens in York where CityFibre has implemented a city-wide fibre network. The same model is proving out further afield delivering real returns and reinvigorating communities across Europe, the USA and Asia.


*Park Rd. 1A will be closed from the Refectory "Y" to Park Rd. 1C.
*Park Rd. 1C will be closed between Bastrop SP and Buescher SP..
*Campers in the Copperas Creek and Creekside campgrounds should be prepared for delays when they leave their campground.
*Access to Copperas Creek and Creekside campgrounds will be closed until 2 p.m.
*The Purple Trail east of Harmon Rd.
*The 10-acre lake is gone, due to dam failure.
*Construction is ongoing through June 2019 at the Group Barracks. Expect construction noise in the Piney Hill and Deer Run camping areas.
Please obey all signs and barricades for closed areas at the park and contact the park for the latest information.


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The Best Stuff Not on TV is on the Internet
"This seems like a joke to me
That this old crap is on the screen.
Can't we get something better to see
Instead of this shit that's on TV?"
-Josh Meyers as Eminem, opening the 2002 season of Mad TV.
Back when I first heard this parody ranting against the lack of good programing on TV, I didn't put much thought into it. Sure there were some truths in the song about how shows like Friends, ER and others that had existed since the early 90's had gone stale and were just beating a dead horse.
But now that I think about it, there aren't that many shows out there today that have me turning on the TV I have in my room. In fact, now that I think about it, I don't think I've turned it on in almost a week. Sure there are shows out there that I still like (South Park, anything with Gordon Ramsay) but the truth is, you can find all the new episodes online within 12 hours of them actually airing and in very good quality as well.
And it occurred to me that the reason I'm not watching that much TV is because there are people on the Internet that are more entertaining than anything any current writer on The Simpsons can churn out these days. And like most TV shows, they have a new episode almost every week, there is no suffering of summer reruns and even though they might be done on a low budget, you can tell that a lot of care is put into them. So, I've decided to list (In no particular order, mind you) my favourite shows that I watch online.
1) The Angry Video Game Nerd (http://www.cinemassacre.com/)- This man is legend. James Rolfe owns perhaps every form of video game console every created and reviews the shittiest games of all time. He pulls no punches and takes no shit from anyone. He's beaten up Bugs Bunny (Twice!), shoved games up the Joker's ass and even set several games on fire. However the most foul-mouthed critic on the Internet may be the most passionate about what he does. Every October he does a review of horror films for every day of the month. His video titled Cinemassacre 300 is also very inspiring and gives a brief yet detailed history of his movie making career. With all his popularity, I'm surprised that he hasn't been approached by any big studios to do a movie however given how Hollywood has a tendency to fuck up a good thing (Star Trek), maybe it's a good thing that he stays on the net.
2) The Nostalgia Critic-I've been following the work of Doug Walker ever since I first say his video titled Rocky in 5 Seconds. He used to have all his videos on Youtube but they kept getting removed because of copyright so he did the next best thing he could and started his own website: http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/
While he does do a variety of different characters, Nostalgia Critic is my favourite and probably his most well known personality.
The fact that he also has the guts to watch some horrible dreck like The Garbage Pail Kids, The Star Wars Holiday Special and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. The fact that he can cram over 90 minutes of cinema shite into a 15-20 minute review is great and his personality and writing is just perfect. I'm almost a bit surprised that he doesn't have his own TV show but then again maybe it's for the best.
2) Wafflepwn (www.youtube.com/wafflepwn) -This one might have you scratching your heads for a second. But then think back a few months ago to a viral video about an angry young man who was caught on video violently reacting to his mother cancelling his World of Warcraft account by briefly shoving a remote control up his butt.
If this doesn't sound the least bit familiar then you're not one of the 18 million (Yeah, million) who haven't seen the video simply known as "The Greatest Freakout Ever".
There have been several other videos featuring the young and angry Steven freaking out over things that some of us might consider a small inconvenience but none of them have the impact of the first one. There's a lot of debate going on as to whether these videos are real or if everyone involved is an actor.
Who cares really? I still think they're funny as hell and it's always nice to look at someone's craziness compared to yours and think, "It could be worse."
4) Atop the 4th Wall hosted by Linkara (http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com) -Four words: "I AM A MAN!" followed by a punch in the guts.
I never really started paying attention to this guy until maybe a month ago, which is a bit surprising considering I'm a big comic book fan myself. But ever since I decided to watch his review of Superman at Earth's End (To finally understand the origin of the "I am a man!" catchphrase) I've found myself hooked to the show where bad comics burn. Like the other reviewers I mentioned, he doesn't pull punches and reveals how bad editing can make an already bad comic even worse (How does an editor make the mistake of using "to" instead of "too"?) That and I think he has the catchiest theme song out there today. Sometimes I'll just be at work and then it'll pop in my head and I'm spending the rest of the day trying to get it out.
5) Confused Matthew (http://www.confusedmatthew.com/) -Sometimes I find myself in total disagreement with him (The Lion King) and other times I find myself smiling and thinking, "Wow, I thought I was the only one who thought that way about (Insert movie title)". What Matthew does is take popular movies the general public adores and then tears them a new asshole (If they had one to begin with) by explaining the faults of them. I especially loved his review of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. For a while I thought I was the only one who thought that it was just a movie where we watch stuff float in space and get an ending that you would expect from an 11th grader who is finishing his final project in Creative Writing. He never shows his face and is only represented by a simple drawing. Very smart, very opinionated yet however you feel about the movie he is reviewing, you simply can't ignore Confused Matthew.
6) SfDebris (www.youtube.com/sfdebris)- Unless you're a fan of Star Trek, this probably won't appeal to you. He looks at every single series in the franchise and reviews mostly bad episodes however he has been known to review some good episodes every now and then. At the moment he's going through the process of reviewing every Star Trek movie out there but is taking a break from that to go back to the TV series'. He has a lot of knowledge about the episodes he reviews and he's pretty funny and doesn't pull punches by reminding us which characters are assholes and how the writers are even bigger assholes sometimes.
7) Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series (www.youtube.com/cardgamesftw)- If you've ever watched or heard of the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh, you're bound to love this show. If you have not heard of Yu-Gi-Oh, you're still bound to love it. And how can't you love a show that mocks a show where everything (Trust me, everything) revolves around a children's card game. The man behind this madness (The good type of madness) is known as LittleKuriboh does all the voices, writes all the scripts, does all the editing and you can tell that he puts a lot of care into his work. Plus the quality of the show improves with each episode. That and the fact that I've never heard a show with so many quotable lines makes this series something you can't miss.
I'm sure that there are lots of other great Internet series out there and I wish I had time to list them all. Hopefully you'll check (some of) them out because they really are worth the time. As I said before, no big budget special effects, no big crews working behind the scene. Just individuals taking the time to give the people what they want.
Labels: comic books, critic, internet, like, movies, Star Trek, tv shows
James Toney Said It Best
Insomnia's a Bitch
No Sloppy Seconds, Please
The Flying J-ack of All Trades


Current fracture toughness testing is conducted with planar specimens, such as the compact tension C(T) specimen and the single edge bend SE(B) specimen. The crack front in a planar specimen has a constraint condition which varies through the thickness from plane stress on the lateral surfaces to plane strain in the middle of the specimen. This change in constraint makes the geometry of planar specimens three-dimensional; however, two-dimensional analyses based on the assumption of plane stress or plane strain are often performed.
An alternative specimen geometry is the notched round bar (NRB). This axisymmetric geometry has the advantage of constant constraint in the circumferential direction. Additionally, the NRB geometry can be modeled using an axisymmetric formulation--essentially a two-dimensional analysis.
The suitability of the notched round bar geometry for fracture toughness testing was studied. Notched round bars with finite notch root radii were loaded to failure in tension to generate load-displacement curves. In an effort to simplify test methodology, no fatigue precracking was done. Four different materials with a range of strength and hardening characteristics were tested: 2024-T351 aluminum alloy, averaged 2024, a modified A302B pressure vessel steel and nylon 6/6. Three different notch root radii ρ were used. The apparent fracture toughness values using finite ρ were linearly extrapolated to a zero notch root radius to infer sharp-crack fracture toughness.
For the 2024-T351 and the modified A302B KRB specimens, apparent fracture toughness KJcversus √ρ was extrapolated to √ρ = 0. The extrapolated fracture toughness values closely agreed with fracture toughness values obtained from precracked C (T) specimens. The NRB results for modified A302B were used to determine To, the reference temperature in a three-parameter Weibull model for characterizing the ductile to brittle transition. The resulting N RB master curve agreed closely to the master curve developed from precracked C(T) specimens.
For the averaged 2024 and the nylon 6/6 NRB specimens, apparent fracture toughness J = J(ρ) versus crack extension ∆a were plotted. A JQ construction, similar to the construction in the ASTM E813 JIc test method, was used to determine apparent initiation fracture toughness JQ(p). A plot of JQ(ρ) versus p was linearly extrapolated to p = 0. The NRB results compared favorably to the results obtained from precracked C(T) and SE(B) specimens. However, the amount of stable crack growth obtained with the NRB geometry was very small---an order of magnitude smaller than that obtained with the planar specimens.
In performing this research, three key technological advances in fracture mechanics and plasticity were used. The first advance was the previously mentioned extrapolation procedure to relate apparent fracture toughness for notched specimens with sharp-crack fracture toughness. The second advance was the use of the load separation method to determine J and ∆a without direct crack length measurement. The third advance was the inclusion of hydrostatic stress effects on yielding in the nonlinear finite element analyses of the KRB geometry. The application of these three technological advances was essential to the successful outcome of this research.
The conclusions reached in this study are threefold. First, the notched round bar geometry is a suitable alternative to current planar geometries for K-based initiation fracture toughness testing. Second. the NRB geometry is an attractive alternative for KJc fracture toughness testing in the transition range of ferritic steels. Third, although a J-R curve can be developed using the NRB geometry, the small amount of stable crack growth obtained severely limits the use of notched round bars. Based on these conclusions. it is recommended that further studies involving the notched round bar be made.
Wilson, Christopher D., "Fracture Toughness Testing with Notched Round Bars. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1997.