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Category Archives: Religion
Church, Customs, Middle Ages, Religion, Roman, Royalty
London – The First Theatres – 1378 – Parish Clubs
The mysteries were succeeded by the moralities, which made a nearer approach to dramatic representation. They were, as Mr. Hone, in his work on Ancient Mysteries, observes, "dramatic allegories, in which the characters personify certain vices or virtues, with the intent to inforce some moral or religious principle. "A curious copy of one of those moralities, entitled the "Castle of Good Perseverance," was formerly in the library of the late Dr. Cox Macro, the first leaf of which contains not only directions to the players, but the colour of the dresses they shall wear. The three daughters are denoted to be clad, "i metelys," that is appropriately; Mercy with righteousness in red altogether, Truth in sad green, and Peace all in black; and the person that plays Belial is particularly cautioned to have gunpowder burning in pipes in his hands, eyes, and other places when he goeth to battle.
When the reformation took place, mysteries and moralities, which had been expressly employed in favour of the Roman Catholic religion, were resorted to in order to overturn it, and was found a good auxiliary for such a purpose.
The parish clubs appear to have been rivalled in the performing of mysteries and moralities by "the children of Powles," as a body of juvenile actors, to whom the English drama is considerably indebted, was called. They can be traced back as far as the year 1378, when they petitioned Richard II. to prohibit ignorant persons from acting the history of the Old Testament, as they had been at great expense in preparing it for the ensuing Christmas. The place of exhibition was generally their school room near St. Paul's, where they continued to act their mysteries and moralities until the year 1580, when, on account of the plague, all interludes were prohibited and the house pulled down. The price of admission was about two pence. The children of Paul's sometimes exhibited before Queen Elizabeth at Whitehall and Greenwich, and after their school had been erased to the ground they performed at Blackfriars.
Church, Customs, Leisure, Medieval, Religion
London – The First Theatres – 1110 – Mysteries & Moralities
November 9, 2012 ultrapedia
Rude as the early dramatic and scenic representations in the metropolis may now seem, they were proofs of an advance in intellectual knowledge and refinement of manners beyond those of our continental neighbours. To England, Germany was indebted for the drama, and in France it only became worthy of notice half a century after Shakespeare had raised it to its zenith of glory in England.
The mysteries, those precursors of the regular drama, which consisted of dramatic representations of religious subjects, either from the Old or New Testament, apocryphal story, or lives of the saints, are clearly proved to have been known in this country in the year 1110, which is more than a century earlier than the first record of them in Italy, where, according to Dr. Burney, they were not known until the year 1243, when a spiritual comedy was represented at Padua. Matthew of Paris relates, that in the year 1110, Geoffrey, a learned Norman master of the school of the abbey of Dunstable, composed the play of St. Catherine, which was acted by his scholars; and Fitz-stephen, who wrote in 1174, speaks of the mysteries as quite common in the metropolis: "London," he says, "for its theatrical exhibitions has religious plays, either the representations of miracles wrought by holy confessors, or the sufferings of martyrs."
That the mysteries were one of the means used by the priests to sustain the Roman Catholic religion, is evident from the pope granting pardons and indulgences to those who attended some mysteries that were represented at Chester about the year 1398. By this time they had become so popular that the audience wished to have them in English, and it is related in one of the Harleian MS. in the British Museum, that the author of the Chester plays, Ranolph Higden, "was thrice at Rome before he could obtain leave of the pope to have them in the English tongue;" the objection of the pope was no doubt that which the Roman Catholic church so often feels against the people being acquainted with the sacred Scriptures. The inference from this is, that the ancient mysteries were performed in Latin, and yet neither Matthew of Paris nor Fitz-stephen assert this.
16th Century, Religion, Social Change
Farnworth – Richard Bancroft – 1604
January 20, 2012 ultrapedia
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Farnworth is a township in the Bolton Union, and forms part of the ancient parish of Deane. It lies on the highroad from Bolton to Manchester, and overlooks the winding and picturesque valley of the river Irwell.
Richard Bancroft was born in Farnworth during the reign of Henry VIII and became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1604 during the reign of James I.
Richard Bancroft (1544-1610) – Archbishop of Canterbury 1604
Farnworth was the birthplace of Richard Bancroft. He was the second son of John Bancroft, by Mary, daughter of Mr. John Curwyn, and niece of Hugh Curwyn, Archbishop of Dublin. He was born in September, 1544, receiving his early education in the free school of his native village; was afterwards entered as a student of Christ's College, Cambridge, took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1567, and that of Master of Arts in [1570]. He was successively chaplain to the Bishop of Ely; rector of Feversham; one of the preachers of the University; Bachelor of Divinity; rector of St. Andrew's, Holborn, London; Doctor of Divinity; treasurer of St. Paul's Cathedral; chaplain to Lord Chancellor Hatton; rector of Cottingham; prebendary of St. Paul's; prebendary of Westminster; canon of Canterbury; chaplain to Dr. Whitgift, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Bishop of London in 1597; Archbishop of Canterbury in 1604; a Lord of the Privy Council in 1605; Chancellor of the University of Oxford in [1608]. He was the chief overseer of the last translation of the Bible. He died on the 2nd of November, [1610], in the 67th year of his age, and was buried in the chancel of Lambeth Church.
Whatever may be thought of his opinions there can be no doubt that he was a man of extraordinary abilities; that he gave himself with rare devotion to the service of the church; and his career is only one among many proofs of the fact that diligence, integrity, and persevering activity can command the highest honours without the aid of noble birth or family influence.
Excerpt from Proceedings at the Opening of Farnworth Park – 1864
Farnworth Park Archive Pictures
Richard Bancroft – Archbishop of Canterbury
Greek, Mythology, Religion, Roman
Greek & Roman Mythology – Hades or Pluto
Here we cover the Greek God Hades (Pluto) one of the deities of the highest order, other postings examine the religious belief of the Greeks and Romans, with descriptions of the gods individually. Below is an excerpt from The Manual of Mythology by Alexander Stuart Murray published 1897. The entire book is in our library in individual chapters – and you can begin reading it here.
Hades or Pluto
Hades or PlutoWe have seen how Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon came to be conceived as the three great deities who between them controlled the elements of heaven, sky, and sea, and how a character came to lie ascribed to each of them such as was most naturally suggested by the phenomena of the provinces of the world in which they respectively ruled. But there still remained a region which could not escape the observation of people like the Greeks, gifted with so keen a sense of the various operations of nature.
That region was, however, itself invisible, being under the surface of the earth. The growth of vegetation was seen to be steadily upward, as if impelled by some divine force below. The metals which experience showed to be most precious to mankind could only be obtained by digging into that dark region under the earth. Thither returned, after its day on earth was spent, every form of life. In conceiving a god who should be supreme in the management of this region, it was necessary to attribute a double character to him: first, as the source of all the treasures and wealth of the earth, as expressed in his name Pluton (Pluto); and secondly, as monarch of the dark realm inhabited by the invisible shades of the dead, as expressed in his name of Aides (Hades).
While by virtue of his power of giving fertility to vegetation, of swelling the seed cast into the furrows of the earth, and of yielding treasures of precious metal, he was justly viewed as a benevolent deity and a true friend of man, there was another and very grim side to his character, in which he appears as the implacable, relentless god, whom no cost of sacrifice could persuade to permit any one who had once passed his gates ever to return. For this reason, to die, to go to Hades's house, to pass out of sight, to be lost in the darkness of the lower world, was looked forward to as the dismal inevitable fate awaiting all men. Yet there must have been some consolation in the belief that the life thus claimed by him had been originally his gift, as were the means of comfort and pleasure in life thus cut off. In later times, when the benevolent side of his character came more into view, assuring hopes arose concerning a future happy life that robbed death of its terrors. To impart such hopes was the purpose of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Excerpt from The Manual of Mythology by Alexander Stuart Murray – 1897
More on Hades or Pluto from Pagan News
More on Pluto
Antiquities, Mythology, Religion
Greek & Roman Mythology – Zeus or Jupiter
January 3, 2012 ultrapedia
Here we cover the Greek God Zeus one of the deities of the highest order, other postings examine the religious belief of the Greeks and Romans, with descriptions of the gods individually. Below is an excerpt from The Manual of Mythology by Alexander Stuart Murray published 1897. The entire book is in our library in individual chapters – and you can begin reading it here.
Zeus, or Jupiter
Zeus or JupiterThird and last on the throne of the highest god sat Zeus. The fertile imagination of early times had, as we have seen, placed his abode on Mount Olympus in Thessaly. But a later and more practical age usually conceived him as inhabiting a region above the sky, where the source of all light was supposed to be. He was god of the broad light of day, as his name implies, had control of all the phenomena of the heavens, and accordingly sudden changes of weather, the gathering of clouds, and, more than all, the burst of a thunder-storm made his presence felt as a supernatural being interested in the affairs of mankind. Hence such titles as "cloud-gatherer," "god of the murky cloud," "thunderer," and "mighty thunderer," were those by which he was most frequently invoked. On the other hand, the serenity and boundless extent of the sky, over which he ruled, combined with the never-failing recurrence of day, led him to be regarded as an everlasting god: "Zeus who was and is and shall be." To indicate this feature of his character he was styled Cronides or Cronion, a title which, though apparently derived from his father Cronus, must have assumed even at a very early time a special significance; otherwise we should expect to find it applied also to his two brothers, Poseidon (Neptune) and Hades (Pluto).
The eagle soaring beyond vision seemed to benefit by its approach to Zeus, and came to be looked on as sacred to him. Similarly high mountain peaks derived a sanctity from their nearness to the region of light, and were everywhere in Greece associated with his worship, many of them furnishing titles by which he was locally known as, for instance, Aetnaeus, a title derived from Mount Aetna in Sicily, or Atabyrius, from a mountain in Rhodes. Altars to him and even temples were erected on hill tops, to reach which by long toiling, and then to see the earth spread out small beneath, was perhaps the best preparation for approaching him in a proper spirit.
Greek God Zeus
Zeus family tree
Greek Mythology – Rhea
December 31, 2011 ultrapedia
Here we cover the Greek God Rhea, other postings examine the religious belief of the Greeks and Romans, with descriptions of the gods individually. Below is an excerpt from The Manual of Mythology by Alexander Stuart Murray published 1897. The entire book is in our library in individual chapters – and you can begin reading it here.
Mountain Goddess – RHEA
Greek God RheaAs Uranus, the representative of the fertilizing force in nature, was superseded by Cronus, the representative of a ripening force, so Gaea, the primitive goddess of the earth with its productive plains, gave way to Rhea, a goddess of the earth with its mountains and forests. Gaea had been the mother of the powerful Titans. Rhea was the mother of gods less given to feats of strength, but more highly gifted: Pluto, Poseidon (Neptune), and Zeus (Jupiter), Hera (Juno), Demeter (Ceres), and Hestia (Vesta). Her titles as, for example, Dindymene and Berecynthia were derived for the most part from the names of mountains in Asia Minor, particularly those of Phrygia and Lydia, her worship having been intimately associated with the early civilization of these countries. There her name was Cybele or Cybebe, which also, from its being employed to designate her sanctuaries (Cybela) in caves or mountain sides, points to her character as a mountain goddess.
The lofty hills of Asia Minor, while sheltering on their cavernous sides wild animals, such as the panther and lion, which it was her delight to tame, also looked down on many flourishing cities which it was her duty to protect. In this latter capacity she wore a mural crown, and was styled Mater turrita. But though herself identified with peaceful civilization, her worship was always distinguished by wild and fantastic excitement, her priests and devotees rushing through the woods at night with torches burning, maiming and wounding each other, and producing all the din that was possible from the clashing of cymbals, the shrill notes of pipes, and the frantic voice of song.
To account for this peculiarity of her worship, which must have been intended to commemorate some great sorrow, the story was told of how she had loved the young Phrygian shepherd, Attis, whose extraordinary beauty had also won the heart of the king's daughter of Pessinus; how he was destined to marry the princess, and how the goddess, suddenly appearing, spread terror and consternation among the marriage guests. Attis escaped to the mountains, maimed himself, and died beside a pine tree, into which his soul trans migrated, while from his blood sprang violets like a wreath round the tree.
The goddess implored Zeus to restore her lover. This could not be. But so much was granted that his body should never decay, that his hair should always grow, and that his little finger should always move. The pine was a symbol of winter and sadness, the violet of spring and its hopeful beauty.
There is a charm in the name of ancient Greece; there is glory in every page of her history; there is a fascination in the remains of her literature, and a sense of unapproachable beauty in her works of art; there is a spell in her climate still, and a strange attraction in her ruins.
Rhea – Titan Queen
Customs, Leisure, Pagan, Religion
Santa Claus and St Nicholas
Old years have been – new years have been – and fleeted away, since the first brave Father Christmas came and caroll'd at the door. He always found a cheerful cup and a jesting word to say, and a thousand fervent wishes – he deserves a thousand more.
The excerpt below is from the book – The Life Story of Father Christmas by Sarah A Tooley in the English Illustrated Magazine December 1905
The Good Bishop St Nicholas
Santa Claus began his career as the good Bishop St. Nicholas, and doubtless considers that he scores heavily over Father Christmas by having a recorded history. St. Nicholas was born of wealthy parents, in the City of Patara, in Asia Minor, and gave evidence that he was not an ordinary child by standing upright in his bath, immediately after his birth. He appears to have known nothing of original sin, for such was his infantile piety, that on fast days he declined the natural nourishment offered by his mother. Of course he entered the Church, and became a bishop.
For many years he ruled over the See of Myra, and by several miraculous deeds on behalf of young people, became known as the special benefactor of children. There are several versions of the famous miracle he performed in raising three boys to life. One relates that a wealthy gentleman sent his two sons to Myra to pay their respects to the good Bishop Nicholas. As the youths arrived late in the city they went to an inn for the night, intending to call on the bishop next morning. During the night they were murdered by the landlord, in order to secure their belongings, and he concealed their bodies in a pickling tub.
St. Nicholas saw in a vision what had taken place, and, crozier in hand, went to the inn. The landlord confessed his crime, and the bishop, on being shown the pickling tub, waved his hand over it, and the boys hopped out alive, none the worse for their adventure.
Although two boys are mentioned in this story, the representations of St. Nicholas performing the miracle invariably show three. There is a picture over the altar of the Church of St. Nicholas, in Ghent, in which the bishop, in full robes, stands with uplifted forefinger beside a tub, in which the three boys, restored to life, are praising him with uplifted hands. There is a similar representation in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
One of a more gruesome character appears in the Salisbury Missal of 1534, in which a butcher man is shown in the act of chopping the limb of one of the unfortunate boys, while under the table is seen the pickle tub, in which the three boys have been brought to life by St. Nicholas, who stands over them. This latter picture illustrates another version of the legend which has been described in doggerel verse, and is the favourite with children.
Excerpt from the English Illustrated Magazine – 1905
The History of Santa Claus and Father Christmas
Law, Medieval, Religion, Social Change
The Great Charter – 1215
Below is an Excerpt from The Rise and Fall of Nations: Ancient and Mediaeval by Josephus Nelson Larned – 1907 – it covers one of the most celebrated documents in history – The Magna Carta.
King John signs the Magna CartaThe Great Charter (signed at Runnymede on the 15th of June, 1215) provided, says Bishop Stubbs, "that the Commons of the realm should have the benefit of every advantage which the two elder estates had won for themselves, and it bound the barons to treat their dependents as it bound the king to treat the barons. Of its sixty-three articles, some provided securities for personal freedom; no man was to be taken, imprisoned, or damaged in person or estate, but by the judgment of his peers and by the law of the land. Others fixed the rate of payments due by the vassal to his lord. Others presented rules for national taxation and for the organization of a national council, without the consent of which the king could not tax. Others decreed the banishment of the alien servants of John. Although it is not the foundation of English liberty, it is the first, the clearest, the most united, and historically the most important of the great enunciations of it."
Most of the other peoples in Europe, as a German historian has remarked, obtained from their rulers, at some time in their history, agreements of the nature of the, English Magna Charta, but allowed them to become a dead letter. The English never suffered their charter to be forgotten, but kept it in force by confirmations, which, first and last, were repeated no less than thirty-eight times.
A few weeks after signing the great charter John tried to annul it, with authority from the pope. Then certain of the barons, in their rage, offered the English crown to the heir of France, afterwards Louis VIII; and the French prince came to England with an army to secure it. But, before the forces gathered were brought to any decisive battle, John died. Louis' partisans then dropped away from him and the next year, after a defeat at sea, he returned to France. John left a son, a lad of nine years, who grew to be a better man than himself, though not a good king, for he was untruthful and weak. He held the throne for fifty-six years, during which long time, after his minority was passed, no minister of ability and honorable character could get and keep office in his service. He was jealous of ministers, preferring mere administrative clerks, but was docile to favorites, and picked them for the most part from a swarm of foreign adventurers whom the nation detested.
Excerpt from The Rise and Fall of Nations: Ancient and Mediaeval by Josephus Nelson Larned – 1907
The Magna Carta at the British Library
The Magna Carta at the National Archives
Norse Mythology – Odin
OdinThe physical origin of the idea of Odin is evident, first from the moaning of his name, and, secondly, from the various attributes assigned to him. The word Odin is simply another form of Woden, or Wuotan, which Grimm connects with the Latin vadere. He is thus the moving, life-giving breath or air of heaven; and as such corresponds to the Hindoo Brahmin – Atman (German, Athem), or ever-present life and energy. His Greek correlative is, of course, Zeus, who is likewise spoken of as All-father. The name Zeus is derived from a root signifying "to shine," and thus the King of the Greek Asgard was originally "the glistening ether."
It was but natural that Odin, as the personification of the blue sky, should rule the rain-clouds and the sunlight; hence as Odin the rain-giver he corresponds with Zeus Ombrios (the showery Zeus), while as the light-god he is merely a Norse Phoebus or Apollo, whose spear – the sun rays – disperses the darkness. As sky-god, and god of the moving air, he was, no less naturally or inevitably, invoked as the protector of sailors. In this respect he corresponds or is interchangeable with Thor. But this interchange, or overlapping, of functions is as distinctive of Norse as of Greek mythology,
Finally, Zeus and Odin resemble each other in their development from purely physical into spiritual beings. Odin, the ever-present ether, becomes the ever-present and ever-knowing spirit, the Father of all. And as Zeus is the father of the Muses, so Odin is the father of Saga, the goddess of poetry. The two ravens that sat on the shoulders of Odin, and every morning brought him news of what was passing in the world, were called Hunin and Munin – Thought and Memory. Memory, or Muemosyne, was the mother of the Greek Muses.
A trace of the worship of Odin survives even to the present day. In one of the Orkney islands is an Odin stone, in a hollow of which superstitious people thrust their hands, by way of testifying on their most solemn oath. The island of Heligoland is said to have derived its name from Odin, who was also named Helgi (der Helige), or the Holy. "Charles's Wain" as we now call it, was named Odin's Wain; and the "Milky Way" was also known as Odin's Way. Unlike Zeus – the Greek All-father – Odin was also a god of war. Hence it was that, as already observed, he received into Walhalla one-half of the heron slain in battle.
Odin – Ruler of the Universe


Calgary, AB – In an effort to bolster the wild greater sage-grouse population in Canada, the Calgary Zoo is proud to announce the successful breeding and hatching of sage-grouse at its Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC). This marks a significant milestone for these highly endangered birds, as it has resulted in increasing the conservation population in human care, which will positively benefit the wild population through future reintroduction efforts.
Last fall, the Calgary Zoo was pleased to open the first greater sage-grouse breeding facility in Canada, the Snyder-Wilson Family Greater Sage-Grouse Pavilion. This custom-made facility enabled the conservation breeding program to reach this level of success as it provides the birds with a natural environment which is important for successful reproduction and welfare of the birds. Sage brush, grown in the wild in British Columbia, was collected under the leadership of the zoo's Horticulture team by volunteers from Pembina Pipeline Corporation and will be used as a winter food source for the flock.
The Calgary Zoo's approach to saving this iconic prairie bird is through its award-winning conservation expertise that aims to build viable populations for imperilled species in the wild. Over the years, the zoo has successfully used breed-and-release strategies to strengthen wild populations of whooping cranes and Vancouver Island marmots. From 2014 to 2016, the sage-grouse conservation program involved collaborative work with partners, planning, field work in the wild, facility development, and the care of sage-grouse chicks sourced from wild eggs which hatched at the DWCC.
Following a workshop this fall, with experts including federal and provincial government agencies, the team will determine the best practises of how, when and where the sage grouse will be released into the wild.
This conservation breeding program is supported by ongoing funding from Alberta Environment and Parks and Environment and Climate Change Canada.


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Who is 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius?
Hillary Whiteman, CNN
Updated 6:13 AM EST, Thu December 3, 2015
Pistorius sentenced to 6 years in prison
Oscar Pistorius was the first double amputee to compete at an able-bodied Olympics
He described the summer of 2012 as a "dream come true" after Paralympic gold
The South African had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old
He was the so-called "Fastest Man on No Legs," and his inspiring story captured the imagination of the world at the London Olympics. But in 2013, Oscar Pistorius made headlines for another reason.
Pistorius, an Olympic and Paralympic sprinter, has now been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
Pistorius claimed he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and was initially convicted of culpable homicide (much like manslaughter) in 2014. But the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the verdict last December and found him guilty of murder.
Judge Eric Leach ruled in December 2015 that the Paralympic gold medalist should have foreseen that his firing of the gun would have killed whoever was behind the door, regardless of whether he thought it was Steenkamp or an intruder.
Despite a seven-month trial, much remains in question about what happened at his upmarket home in Pretoria, South Africa around 4 a.m. that Thursday morning, leaving stunned fans at a loss to explain how their hero could have fallen so far and so fast.
Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius walks in the courtroom without his prosthetic legs during his resentencing hearing for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the Pretoria High Court on June 15, 2016. A sobbing Oscar Pistorius walked hesitantly on his stumps around court on June 15 in a dramatic demonstration of his disability ahead of his sentencing for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Alon SkuyALON SKUY/AFP/Getty Images
ALON SKUY/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Oscar Pistorius walks on stumps in court
Speaking to CNN a few weeks before his initial sentencing, Pistorius said he was not afraid of imprisonment.
He said he hoped to contribute while in prison by teaching people how to read or start a gym or running club.
Born with a congenital abnormality, Pistorius, 27, had both his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday, but through sheer determination carved out a career in world-class athletics.
In 2012, he became the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied runners at the London 2012 Olympics, adding to his fame as the "Blade Runner," a reference to his carbon fiber prosthetic legs.
While he failed to win a medal, Pistorius' presence on the track was hailed as a triumph over adversity and a victory over critics who claimed his blades gave him an unfair advantage over the able-bodied. He did take home medals from the Paralympic Games.
For many, he was an example of what could be achieved through a potent mix of determination, positivity and skill.
Was Pistorius violent?
Soon after his arrest, the athlete's image was pulled from billboards across South Africa. Sponsors suspended their deals as admirers questioned whether Pistorius' sporting successes had perhaps obscured a more complex character off the track.
Was Pistorius violent? On the edge? In a story titled "The Fast Life of Oscar Pistorius" published in the New York Times, writer Michael Sokolove wrote: "Pistorius is, as well, blessed with an uncommon temperament – a fierce, even frenzied need to take on the world at maximum speed and with minimum caution."
After the shooting, a police spokeswoman said there had been "previous incidents" at Pistorius' home, including "allegations of a domestic nature," but did not say what they had been.
Besides the original five-year prison term for culpable homicide, the athlete was also given a three-year sentence, suspended for five years, on a weapons charge stemming from an incident in which he discharged a loaded firearm in a restaurant.
The sprinter moved into his uncle Arnold's house in Pretoria after the shooting. Video surfaced in June 2015 of Pistorius training, but he did not return to the track in an official capacity.
A week before her death, South African model Reeva Steenkamp talked about her secure, blissful environment. "I woke up in a happy, safe home this morning," she tweeted. "Not everyone did."
courtesy capacity relations
Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate with 'wicked' sense of humor
In an exclusive interview in summer 2014, Arnold Pistorius said his nephew was heartbroken. "What can you say if the person you love the most dies, and you were the instrument?" he told CNN. "How would you feel? It's unthinkable."
It was known that Pistorius owned guns. He was a keen shooter and despite his disability he was not afraid to take risks. During a visit to Pistorius' house a few years ago, he showed CNN images of himself water-skiing, scuba diving and quad bike riding.
"I grew up in a family where disability was never an issue. We didn't really speak about my disability, not because it was a topic that was taboo… it was just never an issue. And that's the mentality that I've had," Pistorius told CNN in late 2012.
From a young age, Pistorius dedicated himself to being the best he could be at sport.
"I was never much of an academic at school so I had to find something which I enjoyed. I started sports and from a very young age, my mother said to us 'sports is not about being the best, but it's about giving your best.'"
As a child, Pistorius competed in water polo, cricket, tennis, triathlons, wrestling and boxing, before he smashed his knee while playing rugby at the age of 16. He took up track running as part of his rehabilitation, and within one year he was covering 100 meters faster than the existing Paralympic world record.
In 2004, Pistorius took his first gold at the Athens Paralympics and one year later competed against able-bodied Olympics for the first time, at the South African Championships.
The cell in the Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria, South Africa where Oscar Pistorius stayed for a year for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The cell is furnished with a single mattress on a metal frame, a basin, a small cabinet and a barred window whose view is blocked by a metal screen on the outside.
The bathroom at the Pretoria prison where Pistorius was held.
Inside Oscar Pistorius' former jail cell
Pistorius' career on the track suffered a setback in 2009 when he suffered serious head injuries in a boating accident. It took him almost eight weeks to recover, a period of time the athlete has described as "fairly difficult" as it marked the first season in four or five years in which he didn't record a personal best.
Soon after the London Olympics, Pistorius led his national team onto the track as South African flag-bearer in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. He went on to set a new world record in the 200-meter event but later suffered a shock defeat in the final, his first competitive loss over the distance in nine years.
During the very last track event of the Paralympics, Pistorius again picked himself up and smashed the 400-meter T44 Paralympic record in a time of 46.68 to take gold. It ended a summer he later described as "a dream come true," according to his Website.
Beyond the track
Pistorius' determination to succeed made him one of the world's most recognizable athletes.
He appeared on the cover of men's magazine, GQ Style, under the headline "Man of the Future," and was named on People magazine's 2012 list of "Sexiest Man Alive."
According to his website, Pistorius is an ambassador for the Mineseeker Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to clear landmines worldwide.
When asked about his thoughts on being a role model, Pistorius told CNN before the shooting: "I think it's a massive blessing.
nr Curnow Pistorius re-enacts Steenkamp shooting_00004312.jpg
SEVEN NETWORK
Pistorius re-enacts Steenkamp shooting
"Obviously, being an international sportsman, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that. So having to remember that there are kids out there, especially, that look up to you is definitely something that you need to keep at the back of your mind."
Pistorius has more than 365,000 followers on Twitter, tens of thousands of whom were added in the days since his arrest. His account laid dormant for a year until the anniversary of Steenkamp's death in February 2014, when he tweeted a link to "a few words from my heart" on his website.
The message said: "No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved – and continues to love Reeva. The pain and sadness – especially for Reeva's parents, family and friends consumes me with sorrow. The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The great Spanish master Sanjulian started drawing in 1970 with Frazetta in the American magazine company Warren Publishing. Their Vampirella and Conan covers gained recognition at international level.
Corner4art represents exclusively many artworks from his own personal collection.


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When hiring a plumber in Sutherland Shire, it is important that he or she understands any local rules and regulations. Additionally, many plumbers only work in a specific area, and may charge you an extra fee if they have to travel outside of that area.
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Emergency jobs – if you have a pipe burst in the middle of the night and water is flowing into your kitchen; you need to get it repaired as quickly as possible. This is obviously an emergency and after-hours which means you will pay more for it.
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text:
A Grammar of the Yucatecan Mayan Language
by David & Alejandra Bolles
THE ALPHABET AND ITS PRONUNCIATION
1. Vowels
The Mayan language, unlike English, has a very definite sound for each written vowel. The following are the most commonly used vowel sounds with their corresponding sounds found in English words:
a pronounced as the a in father
e pronounced as the a in made
i pronounced as the ee in reed
o pronounced as the oa in boat
u pronounced as the oo in root
ay pronounced as the ie in die (Also written ai)
ey pronounced as the a in made
iy pronounced as the ee in reed
oy pronounced as the oy in boy
uy pronounced as the ewy in screwy
au pronounced as the ow in how
From the above it can be seen that the orthographic representations for the vowel system is based on the continental European system.
Of the above vowels, there is a slight variation in how the e is pronounced. For example, in the syllable ben the e can be pronounced as note above or it can be pronounced as the "e" in "end". Thus:
bencaah (how much): the e is pronounced as "a" in "made"
uchben (old, ancient): the e is pronounced as "e" in "end"
It may seem that the vowels ey and iy are superfluous, but there is a linguistic reason behind the need for these spelling conventions. For example there is the word bey (so, thus) which when not followed by another vowel sounds in its pronunciation like be (the common form for the word "road", "path", "way"). If however a vowel is attached to bey, such as the positional markers -a, -o, and -e, then the y in bey becomes audible and in fact becomes a consonant y in front of the added vowel.
bey beya (be-ya; like this)
bey beyo (be-yo; like that)
It is noted that ay and ai can be used interchangeably. However there is a tendency to use ay as the representation for the vowel sound known as "long i" in English and to reserve ai as the representation of a pair of distinctly pronounced vowels a - i.
hay flat, stretched out, extended
hai pertaining to water, from ha, water.
In the second case hai is pronounced ha-i.
The exception to this is the following, in which the most common spelling of the vowel sound "long i" is with ai, although ay is also to be found:
ain / ayn crocodile.
There are in fact various combinations of vowels which are to be pronounced as individual units. Some examples of these vowel combinations are:
ai as in hai (pertaining to water)
ae as in behlae (today)
ao as in le nao (that house)
oa as in le cħoa (this mouse)
In each case the vowels are to be pronounced distinctly according to the pronunciation guide given above.
2. Vowel Length and Tone
In Mayan the length of time which a vowel sound is held or the tonal inflection on a vowel can and usually does make the difference in the meaning of a word. There are five different ways of pronouncing a vowel sound:
glided
glottal-stopped
The clipped vowel is generally found in one syllable words of either the vowel alone or of the type "CV" (consonant - vowel). It is produced by closing the glottis almost immediately after the vowel sound is pronounced. This vowel is often referred to as a glottal-stopped vowel, but confusion arises because there are two types of glottal-stopped vowels: the unreduplicated glottal-stopped vowel and the reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel. In order to avoid confusion we have chosen to call the unreduplicated glottal-stopped vowel a "clipped vowel".
The regular vowel is one held for a natural amount of time with no effort made to either cut it short or to elongate it.
The elongated vowel is a sustained vowel sound which is often accompanied by a tonal shift, either upwards or downwards.
The glided vowel is a slurred reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel in which, usually because of rapid speech, the vowel instead of being stopped by the glottis and then reduplicated is glided over with a tone or pitch change. This change of tone is usually from a high tone to a lower one. There is not necessarily a difference in pronunciation between an elongated vowel and a glided vowel. However when the word in which a glided vowel is found is carefully pronounced though the speaker will almost always pronounce the vowel as a reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel.
The reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel is pronounced by producing a clipped vowel and then attaching a regular or elongated vowel of the same value directly to the clipped vowel. Thus, for example, the word caan (sky) is pronounced ca-an, with a break between the syllables ca and an.
3. Orthographic Representations of Vowels
The orthographic representation of the clipped vowel used in this book is the vowel itself without any extra notation. This makes a clipped vowel visually indistinguishable from either a regular or an elongated vowel. However, should a vowel be followed by a consonant in a syllable then it cannot be a clipped vowel but must be either a regular vowel or an elongated vowel. This is because a vowel which is followed by a consonant cannot by its nature be clipped. Other orthographic conventions for the clipped vowel will be discussed below in the discussion on glottal-stopped vowels.
The orthographic representation of the regular vowel has always been just the vowel itself.
There are two conventions for the orthographic representation of an elongated vowel. The choice of which one of these conventions is to be used depends on whether the elongated vowel is the final sound value in a syllable or whether it is followed by a consonant. If the elongated vowel is the final value in the syllable then an -h is tacked onto the vowel to indicate that it is elongated. This may be based in a hieroglyphic convention which the early Mayan writers carried over into the Latin script orthography, because there are examples of the hieroglyph with the value ha being added to the hieroglyph with the value ca to form -cah, as in chucah (captured). If, however, the elongated vowel is followed by a consonant in a syllable, then only the vowel itself is given. In this latter case, the orthography for an elongated vowel is thus indistinguishable from the orthography for a regular vowel.
The reduplicated glottal-stop has always been recognized in orthography and is represented by doubling the vowel. This has led to some confusion though when the vowel is glottal-stopped but not reduplicated such as would be the case for one syllable words of the "CV" type or the "V" type where the vowel is a clipped vowel. In these cases in colonial times some writers would write the double vowel symbol even though such a symbol was not called for. For example the following words, which are pronounced with a non-reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel, which we have decided to call in this grammar "clipped" to avoid confusion with the reduplicated glottal-stopped vowels, were often written using the double vowel convention:
standard orthography colonial orthography
ha (water) haa
na (mother) naa
uo (bull frog) uoo
i (hawk) ii
In each case the vowel sound immediately after its enunciation is cut off by closing the glottis and the vowel is not reduplicated although the colonial orthographic convention would seem to indicate that the vowel is to be reduplicated. This convention of writing the double vowel as a representation of a clipped vowel may also be based on a hieroglyphic convention, at least according to how de Landa showed the hieroglyph for ha (water) in which "water" is written hieroglyphically a - ha. Hieroglyphic researchers have also found the same convention in hieroglyphic writing. It must be stressed that the colonial writers were uneven in applying this convention of writing clipped vowels using the double vowel symbol and just a frequently wrote clipped vowels using the standard orthography. They were also uneven about writing the double vowel symbol in the case where a reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel is present in a word, thus frequently writing a word which has a reduplicated glottal-stopped vowel as if it was a regular or elongated vowel.
Recently some writers have tried to make the distinction between clipped vowels and regular vowels by placing a apostrophe or a "?" behind the vowel (V' or V?) if the vowel is clipped. Thus the above words would be written:
ha' ha?
na' na?
uo' uo?
i' i?
Many linguistic works also have been trying to differentiate between high and low tones for the vowels. One of the more common conventions is to use the accent grave (à) for the low tone and the accent acute (á) for the high tone.
In this book however we will stay with the more common convention of not making any visual distinction between a regular vowel and a clipped vowel.
Needless to say, failure to observe the length of time a vowel is to be held can result in confusion. This is especially true in Mayan because it is so highly monosyllabic. As an example of what changes are made by different lengths of vowels, if we take the consonant n and place it in front of the vowel a we have the various possibilities:
na "mother". The a is clipped.
na "house". The a is regular.
nah verb root for "earn". The a is elongated.
naah verb root for "full (of food)". The a is glottal-stopped.
Another example with c before a:
ca "squash"
ca "two", "then", "when", "if"
cah "town"
caah immediate future indicator, "to be good for"
In the cases where the vowel is not the final value within a syllable, i.e. when the syllable is of the type "CVC" or "VC", then it is not possible for the vowel to be clipped. It would seem that this stems from the fact that it is close to a physical impossibility to both cut off the vowel sound and pronounce the ensuing consonant after having cut off the vowel. Thus for syllables of the "CVC" and "VC" types there are only three possibilities for vowel types: regular, elongated, and reduplicated glottal-stopped (which of course includes glided).
With the letters m, i, and z:
miz "cat". The i is regular.
miz verb root for "sweep". The vowel is elongated.
With the letters c, a, and n:
can "snake", "four", verb root for "learn / teach". The a is regular.
can verb root for "to tire". The a is elongated.
caan "sky". The a is glottal-stopped.
The following are some examples in which it is very important to observe the glottal-stop:
can (snake, four) caan (sky)
kan (ripe) kaan (hammock, spider web)
kum (squash) kuum (boiled corn ready for grinding)
There are however some words in which the vowel can be either simple or glottal-stopped. There is usually some circumstance which determines in which form the word will appear.
och, ooch "food"
in uooch "my food"
in uoch buul "my food the beans"
In this case the word by itself is glottal-stopped, but when it is followed by a word designating the type of food then the vowel becomes regular. It might be noted that och also means "possum", but that och (possum) never takes the consonant u- nor does its vowel ever become glottal-stopped.
4. Consonants
The consonants used in Mayan are generally similar to those used in English. The following comments will show those differences which do exist.
c is always hard as in "come". In colonial writing this rule is not always observed and so there are at times instances when c will be employed as an "s".
c' is a special orthographic convention. This symbol is normally pronounced ca with the vowel clipped, and is the first person plural pronoun / possessive adjective "we / our". The use of this orthographic convention throughout the colonial and modern literature is uneven, with c' and ca being used interchangeably. Thus the phrase "our younger brothers and sisters" can be written as follows:
c' uidzinoob
ca uidzinoob
The reason for this orthographic convention c' seems to lie in the fact that frequently the consonant from this pronoun / adjective will append itself to the word on either side of it, although this happens most frequently with the word preceding it. More detail on this is given in the chapter on pronouns. In this book the convention c' is used throughout.
k is a fortis (forced) "k" sound. This is done by squeezing the tongue against the back of the roof of the mouth as the "k" sound is beginning and forcing the "k" sound to explode. Being able to make the distinction between the two sounds in speech is important.
can (snake, four) kan (ripe)
caan (sky) kaan (hammock, spider web)
cum (pot) kum (squash)
ch and cħ, also written chh and ch': the ch sounds like the English "ch" as in "child". The cħ is a fortis of "ch" formed by increasing the pressure of the front part of the tongue as the "ch" is being formed. For most of this century because of typesetting considerations chh has been the standard way of writing this consonant. Because of the ambiguity of whether the second "h" belongs to this consonant or to the following syllable when chh appears in the middle of a word, and because the symbol "ħ" has recently become available again on modern computers, we have decided to return to the use of cħ to eliminate this ambiguity. Note that the symbol "ħ" can only exist as a part of the consonant cħ. However an ambiguity still exists when the letters ch appear between two syllables. Ch in the middle of a word can either represent the consonant "ch" or the individual letters "c" and "h". Examples:
nachil (nach-il: foreign, from nach = far and -il = adjectival suffix)
nuchal (nuc-hal: to grow, from nuc = big and the intransitive verb suffix -hal)
nachhal (nach-hal: to become distant, from nach = far and the intransitive verb suffix -hal)
h is the same as "h" in English. However, because many writers are more used to writing Spanish, from time to time g, j, and very occasionally x are employed to represent the "h" sound. Conversely, because in Spanish the h is silent, there are occasions when some writers will employ the silent h in writing Mayan words which begin with a vowel. In this book h will be used only when it is pronounced as the English "h".
It should be mentioned that when h is the final vowel of a word, should some grammatical particle which begins with a vowel be added onto the word, then the h is pronounced as the leading consonant of the grammatical particle. Thus, for the past perfect verbal suffix -ah, for example as in chucah ("captured", see above in the third paragraph of Section 3), when the direct object pronouns -en, -ech, -i, -oon, -eex, -oob are attached to the verb, as for example chucahen, then the resulting word is pronounced chu-ca-hen. Since it is often difficult to know whether a word has a final h, the test for the existence of the final h is to add a grammatical particle which begins with a vowel. Examples:
cah (town) le caho (le ca-ho; that town)
betah (made) le cu betaho (le cu be-ta-ho; that which he/she/it did)
pp, also written p and p', is a fortis "p" with the extra pressure being placed on the lips.
th, also written tt, t, tħ, and t', is a fortis "t" with the extra pressure placed on the tip of the tongue.
tz and dz: the tz sounds much like a German "z", and the dz is a fortis of that sound with the extra pressure being placed on the tip of the tongue. Dz is most commonly written in older manuscripts and publications as " ", and we would use it here, but unfortunately this symbol is still not available in the computer.
u, aside form being a vowel, also works as a consonant with the value of our "w". When u precedes another vowel, especially as the first letter in a word, then it can be assumed to be the consonant "w". Unfortunately this is not always true as can be seen in the following examples:
u as "w"
uah (tortilla)
uich (face)
uudzul (to bend)
u as the vowel
uic (u-ic: to listen)
le kuo (that nest)
kuum (boiled corn)
The consonant u and its companion consonant y perform a special function in Mayan. Some words which begin with a vowel, but by no means all of these words, will add one of these consonants as a prefix. This happens particularly when these words follow possessive adjectives, but there are many other instances when this happens also. The rule for adding these consonants is that for the first and second person singular and plural u- is added and for the third person singular and plural y- is added. This rule is not always observed though and some speakers will add u- in all cases. Thus for the word ooch (food) we have the following:
in uooch (my food) c' uooch (our food)
a uooch (your food) a uoocheex (your food)
u yooch (his/her/its food) u yoochoob (their food)
For the third persons there is the alternative:
u uooch u uoochoob
x sounds like "sh" in English.
y functions as a consonant as mentioned above as well as an obligatory consonant, i.e. one in which the word would be meaningless without its presence. There is the colonial orthographic convention y which is really a shorthand notation for the conjunction yetel (and, with). In modern texts this conjunction is now spelled out.
z sounds like "s" in English and in this book we will follow the convention of using z for the "s" sound which seems to be the firmly established convention at the beginning of this century. There is however certain amount of variation on how the "s" sound is represented, and the four possibilities are c, ç, s, and z.
There are three consonants which can cause difficulties because of their peculiarities: k, l and n.
k tends to vanish when it is the final consonant in a syllable. Examples:
ehocħen "darkness", from ekhocħen.
hozic "to take out", from hokzic.
kanab "sea", from kaknab.
olal "because of", from oklal.
l tends to vanish when it follows a vowel at the end of a word. Example:
bel "road"
dzoc u bel "finish his road", meaning "to get married". The l is retained in speaking.
hol bel "gate, yard entrance". The l is frequently not pronounced.
le bea "this road". The l is lost.
n often tends towards m in pronunciation. Example:
hun "one"
huntul "one animate object". The n is not changed.
humppel "one inanimate object". The n has been changed to m.
minaan "there isn't any", is often pronounced minaam.
5. d, f, g, j, qu, r, and v are consonants generally not found in Mayan, and the use of one of these sounds generally indicates that the word is of foreign origin. Today r is an exception to this since it has become the custom to pronounce what used to be l in some words as r. Examples:
x-kuruch from x-kuluch (cockroach)
turix from tulix (dragon fly)
Accent and Tone
6. Accents are generally not marked in Mayan and that may in part be due to the fact that in words of more than one syllable the accent often falls evenly on each one of the syllables. However, there are instances where there is a definite accent on either the first or the second sylable of a two sylable word, and the placement of this accent will alter the meaning of the word.
háan son-in-law / father-in-law
haán filed, polished
mácal to cover
macál yam
In the literature both these words would normally be spelled haan and macal without accent marks, and the reader would have to know which is the accented vowel by the meaning of the word.
7. Tone plays an important part in spoken Mayan. It is our conclusion however that tone in Yucatec is akin to tone in English: that is, that tone gives the color necessary to distinguish between declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory utterances and/or tone gives emphasis to the important ideas being expressed. There are of course also examples of tone being used to differentiate between words of similar sounds as is true with Chinese, and this happens when a glottal-stopped vowel is glided over or when there is a tonal change in an elongated vowel as noted in Section 2. On the whole though we feel that tonal inflection is more a linguistic luxury which adds color to the language than it is a linguistic necessity.
An example of the use of tone in Mayan which is rather frivolous but does illustrate something of its nature is the use of tonal inflection in the number system. Today the numbers above "four" are derived from Spanish, or more precisely are Spanish numbers pronounced with Mayan tonal inflection. When a Mayan speaker is asked whether those numbers above "four" in the Mayan language are not in fact Spanish numbers the person will often answer that no, one can hear the difference between Mayan numbers and Spanish numbers. Well, this is certainly true; one can hear the difference; but the difference is due only to the tonal inflection given to the Mayan system and not due to any change in the consonants and vowels which make up these numbers.
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Bangkok | THP Travels | Ramblings and travel photography.
Sawatdee Khrab Bangkok – Loving the craziness.
After what felt like a very long day of travelling we arrive in Bangkok in the early evening, and coming from Kathmandu in Nepal the climate is just a tad different – the wall of hot humid air hits us like a Tyson punch as we walk out of the air-conditioned airport building – although a shock to the system it's a very nice feeling after living in our thermals for a while in Darjeeling and Kathmandu. We'd planned to go from the airport by bus and started enquiring about the route that was mentioned in the guide (a free shuttle bus to the bus-depot and then bus number 556 direct to Khao San Road). At the tourist office they inform us that the route was terminated about a year ago, but after being in India for about six weeks we're still wary of people giving misleading information in order to sell you a different ticket of which they will profit from. We decide to go by the guide and the bus, which would save us a small fortune and head towards the bus-depot with the free shuttle service hoping for the best. When we get there we can see all the numbers for the busses at their respective bays, but the one we want is of course missing – the guy at the tourist info was not being misleading… but then again he could have given us the alternative route where we had to do one change of bus to get to Khao San Road. It's not a quick journey by bus, so after a while we start to regret not taking the Skytrain instead of saving a few more Baht by bus (when I earlier said we saved a small fortune I of course mean a miniscule fortune… but it's great value as it's a lot of travelling for your money…). Along the bus journey we meet two fellow confused travellers Ronna and Tibo, and this leads to some fun conversation and exchange of stories and experiences – and it makes the long journey much more tolerable of course. We arrive quite late at Khao San Road but unlike in most of India this is not a problem as this place, it would appear, never sleeps. It's not far from midnight when we get there and it's so busy we can hardly get through the crowd with our backpacks – I'm sure I must have knocked some people over as were trying to manoeuvre our way in-between various guest houses trying to find a good deal. We end up in Sawasdee Guest House down a little alleyway off Khao San Road, and although the cheapest rooms are not available we get one with attached bathroom that has a hot shower for half the price of the other guest houses we enquired at. Ronna takes a room here as well and we end up being neighbours. After a quick freshen up it's time for food and some drinks and we end up people-watching and chatting till about four on the morning before deciding it's time to get some rest.
We have a relaxed start the next day, as we're slightly tired after the travel and the late bedtime. We head out to have a look at the magnificent Wat Phra Kaew within the Grand Palace and Wat Pho just down the road. The heat is getting to me a bit as we're walking about and the sweat is pouring out from every pore in my body – as the Thais put very much emphasis on their clean fresh perfumed appearance I'm starting to feel very self-conscious about my melting-iceberg-look. I try sitting down in the shade for a bit to see if that helps, but to no avail – just have to drink something cold, and hope that no one really notices or cares about my appearances. Thoroughly impressed with Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace – the intricacy of the details and the impeccable condition it's been kept in is astounding. It's a crowded place though, so a lot of queuing and patience is needed. Also, they are very strict on the dress code so we both find we need to borrow some garments from the office by the entrance – the really neat thing is that the hire of clothes is free, just a small deposit that you get back when you return them. Also a nice surprise is the free English speaking guided tour they offer – it's nice to get some of the background history explained, and at one stage the guide even sings a poem to us from an inscription on a pillar – one of several hundred around the grounds, telling stories from the history of the Rama's, the Thai royal family. The Wat Pho is more relaxed on the dress code and we both pass the guard's discretion. Although not as intricately decorated as the Grand Palace it's still a very impressive temple. It also features the largest reclining Buddha statue in Thailand, as well as the biggest collection of Buddha images in the country. Wat Pho is also the oldest, and largest, temple in Bangkok dating from the 16th century.
We head out to get the bus to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market the next day and due to our lovely Lonely Planet guide it takes us close to an eternity to get the right bus out to the Southern Bus Terminus where we can get a bus further to Damnoen Saduak. As a result we get there a bit late in the day which is a shame as it's very quiet, and many stalls have already closed for the day. We have a nice relaxing trip on the canals though, and our boatman is a really nice – and funny – guy. We get some fruits from one of the market boats at the start and keep munching on those as we glide through the canals past many souvenir stalls. As we're coming to an end of our voyage we buy some green papaya salad from one of the boats. I've never tried this salad before so was in for a treat – really fresh and tasty, and the chillies give it a really nice kick. After our tour the day is more or less spent and we head back to Bangkok for some nice street-food and beers.
In Bangkok we mostly eat at street stalls, some with seating and some where you just have to walk-and-eat. The food is amazing and very cheap, and it's prepared right there in front of you, so you can't really get it fresher than that. Because it's so cheap and amazing we end up eating and eating an eating and eating… it's dangerous.
Next day we head off by train to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand. We hire some bicycles and wiz around on those between the ruins of the ancient temples. It's a brilliant way to get about as there is little traffic on the nicely asphalted roads, and it's a very flat place. It's another impressive site, although much of these temples are in ruins you get a feel of how grand they once were. After a few hours of light exercise we go back with our bicycles and get the tickets for going back to Bangkok. The train is conveniently delayed which gives us time to have some fried rice and a fruit-shakes before the journey back.
From our room at the Sawasdee guest house we've had the entertainment from one of the bars across the road for free every evening (thanks to it being played very loudly, and our guest house having paper-thin walls). There is a guy on his guitar churning out popular tunes at very high volume – some sound OK, some half good, and some should maybe not be attempted at all – and he can't blame it on lack of practice as he plays the same tunes every evening… We decide to have a look at the bar where the music originates from as it sounds like the atmosphere could be good. If not the best musician in the world, at least he knows how to get the crowd going – the bar is absolutely heaving and it's difficult to stand still anywhere enjoying a beer due to the place being completely ram-packed – we get pushed and shoved around a lot as people try to get to the bar, or more people trying to cram themselves into the place. After saying – to the audience's disappointment – "this is the last song" about four times he finishes the show and we head off to the next place… There are so many bars and restaurants to choose from on Khao San Road that I can't remember any names of the ones we've visited – we just pop into them as we meander down the road back and forth from one end to the other.
We go out of town again on our second last day and the journey takes us to Kanchanaburi, famous for the Bridge over River Kwai and the Death Railway that was built by prisoners of war under the Japanese during the 2nd World War. There is a very good little museum next to the Allied War Cemetery called the Death Railway Museum and is a must to visit if ever in Kanchanaburi. It explains the history behind the building of the railway and the suffering of the prisoners of war. It tells many a touching story that will bring tears to your eyes. The railway would link Japanese occupied China with the coast through Burma and Thailand to help with supplies for further conquers of Chinese territory. Altogether about 116000 died building the railway, the majority portion of the people dying were from neighbouring countries and doesn't seem to be as recognised as the people from the Allied side. Some were in the beginning brought in as normal labourers but found themselves forced to work longer and harder hours, and if they tried to object would be severely punished. We go from the museum further along the river to where a more recent Bridge over River Kwai is situated, about 100 meters down from the wooden bridge featured in the film "The Bridge On The River Kwai". We of course have to do the mandatory walk across the bridge together with tons of other tourists. With so many tourists up here by the bridge I'm surprised of how few actually visit the Death Railway Museum down the road. We're also surprised to see a large number of Japanese tourists visiting the bridge, posing for their photographs by the replicas of the Japanese watch-towers and entrenchments. The sun is setting and it's time to scramble to get back to the bus station in time for the last bus to Bangkok.
Our last day in Bangkok before we head up to Chiang Mai with the night-train in the evening – we store our bags in some massive lockers down by the reception of our guesthouse. The staff is their usual grumpy self, but there seem to be an under-laying smile that tries to break through, and we're wondering if it's just for show that they seem so grumpy and miserable – this theory is also strengthened by the fact they were very cheerful sitting drinking the local whiskey when we returned from being out bar-hopping the night before. We go to do some errands before leaving in the evening and the trip takes us to an area called Bangrak for the central post office where Hannah sends back some of the overflow from her backpack. To get there we try out the river-boat service which is a really nice way to travel. There is even a running commentary for tourists in English explaining a little bit about some of the sights we're passing along the route. It also reminds us very much of the Thames Clipper back home in London. On the way back we decide to have a bit of a walk and disembark the boat half way in Chinatown. From here we make our way to the Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount). This amazingly shiny golden temple on the top of a hill has great views of Bangkok and the stupa on the very top is glowing like a beacon in the evening light. Afterwards we walk towards Khao San Road to collect our bags before the night-train to Chiang Mai. The train is ready for boarding when we get to the station and leave more or less on time, so we're surprised to hear that we're two hours delayed already as we head out of the station – maybe they can see into the future at Thai Railways?
Hannah and Ronna at a street-bar on Khao San Road in Bangkok.
Wat Phra Kaew within the Grand Palace, Bangkok.
The reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, Bangkok.
At the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
Making palm sugar sweets at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
Funny lamps at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
Fire Poi by some french street-artists at Khao San Road, Bangkok.
Spectators from a restaurant watching the fire Poi by some french street-artists at Khao San Road, Bangkok.
Some Thai boy-band at the Cliff Club on Khao San Road, Bangkok.
Old ruins of the ancient capitol of Thailand at Ayutthaya.
Hannah having a read amongst the old ruins of the ancient capitol of Thailand at Ayutthaya.
Floating restaurants on the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi.
The Allied War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi.
The bridge over the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi.
View from Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount), Bangkok.
Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount), Bangkok.
Water-taxi on a canal in Bangkok.


FRUKT were asked to create a splashy buzz-worthy activation to roll out Delta's partnership with LSTN Sound Co. that targeted millennials, and promoted Delta's new stylish, noise-canceling headphones that will be featured in Delta One and Delta Premium Select.
Building off our current Delta music strategy and "pursuit of opportunity" brand message, we identified a common vision of Delta and LSTN – to inspire people through new opportunities and experiences. We knew that 72% of our target audience prefer to spend more money on experiences than on material things. In today's social world, experiencing is believing whether that's participating or seeing it via a trusted voice. As such, we activated a live product demo, backed by authentic influencer amplification.
We rose to the task by creating, producing, and executing the first-ever silent disco at 30,000 feet DJ'd by The Roots band member Questlove and emceed by renowned hip-hop music producer Yameen Allworld. Over 100 guests were treated to a full evening of surprises, including private transportation from NYC to JFK with a premium menu and cocktails, and a dance party photo booth at the gate, and culminating with a 90 minute silent disco party in the sky. The night was documented by guests, influencers and Questlove using #DeltaSilentDisco.
153K+ Social Engagements: 42% engagements came from Delta posts and 58% from non-Delta posts. Notable retweets include the editor of Adweek.
The first-ever silent disco at 30,000 feet DJ'd by Roots band member Questlove.


As anyone with Chronic Illness knows, medication is often just a part of everyday life. But what happens when they aren't effective, not as effective as one hopes or the side effects far outweigh the benefits? Initially, when I got sick, I didn't want to take medicine. I had tried migraine meds for Basal Migraines and they were ineffective, but after initially being diagnosed with Lupus, my Rheumatologist was pretty adamant I start Plaquenil (an anti-malarial) to lessen the severity and progression of the disease and so I did. Plaquenil led to Cymbalta, Cymbalta led to another drug and before I knew it, I was up to 21 prescriptions a day, including daily shots of Methotrexate (low dose Chemotherapy). While it did initially help, within six months, I was crippled from the side effects and my weight had plummeted to 87 pounds. Enter my gorgeous Cousin who owns a Spa and is a Masseuse. In an attempt to curtail the horrendous side effects, she introduced me to Frankincense and my love for and fascination with Essential Oils only blossomed from there.
These days, I have an entire arsenal of Essential Oils from multiple companies and am studying to be an Essential Oils Coach. I use them for everything, from cleaning my house to protecting my dogs from fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. While they are not cheap, they do not come close to my Topomax (for migraines) prescription, with a copay of $750 per 30 day supply and I have yet to experience any side effects, other than severe burning when I inadvertently get the Oil in my eye. I have found that the oversensitivity to absolutely everything that is rampant in Fibromyalgia, also applies to a hyper sensitivity to drugs. So whenever possible, I use Essential Oils as an alternative.
Here are the 8 I swear by and would recommend to anyone to start their own holistic arsenal. Please keep in mind, I am NOT a Doctor and my suggestions do not replace a Doctor's advice. I am also not privy to other's specific healthcare issues or needs. So please always check with your Doctor before trying any recommendation!!
Lavender is just my all around favorite. It's soothing and beautiful smell helps with mood and anxiety, as well as, helping people to relax and sleep. I also used it for a particularly awful withdrawal from Benzodiazipine. I now use Lavender in place of Klonopin and have found it does help quite a bit with sleep, without the nasty dizziness and nausea from the Klonopin. While I don't necessarily say one company is better than another, for Lavender, I have found that no other company even comes close to the Heavenly smell of DoTerra. Diffuse, directly inhale or apply it topically. My good friend had wanted to fill a tub and lie in it, but she never got around to that.
MGrain is only available through Young Living. I have tried absolutely every migraine drug out there, barring Botox (which I'm not willing to try) and nothing has worked or the side effects from the drugs have been catastrophic. While I do still take a migraine abort pill, Fioricet, I have found that MGrain has the ability to stop headaches and to head off a migraine before it becomes atrocious. Containing peppermint and Lavender, I have tried to make similar concoctions to this and have had no success. So MGrain is one I carry with me in my bag, as well as, have both up and downstairs. I put a small drop wherever the head pain is concentrated or all over my head if it's bad. Be careful though, if you get it too near your eyes, it's a killer!!
Oregano has anti-bacterial and anti-viral components to it. So any time I go to the Doctor's or am somewhere particularly germy, I use Oregano on the bottoms of my feet prior to going to bed. I also use it at the first signs of getting sick. I have found that I can ward off alot of colds and that the length and severity of illness is lessened when using this.
Which brings me to Thieves. It is said that 4 thief Brothers, who were the Sons of Herbalists, used a combination of Essential Oils to protect them from The Black Plague while they robbed the graves of those who died from it. So hell, if it protects against Black Death, I'm all in. I also use this on the bottoms of my feet at first sign of illness or being somewhere germy. Depending on which company you choose to buy Thieves from, it typically contains Eucalyptus, Cinnamon (or Clove), Lemon and Rosemary. The combination of Oils help fight off bacteria and viruses, as well as, boost the immune system.
Melaleuca is a little powerhouse. Tea Tree Oil is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory!! I use Tea Tree for two things: as an organic hand sanitizer and for zits. For zits, this stuff works like a charm!! Just a teeny amount on the end of a Q-Tip wipes out blemishes and decreases the swelling and redness of them. As for health, the above mentioned "anti's" make it a must have to carry on my person. I use a combination of Distilled Water, Tea Tree Oil and Sea Salt as an alternative to store bought hand sanitizers that contain nasty chemicals.
Deep Blue is specifically a DoTerra product, (although I believe that Young Living has their own version called PanAway, but don't quote me on that). Deep Blue is like the healthy version of Ben-Gay. It contains pain relieving and inflammation reducing oils, without the harmful additives that other pain relieving creams do. I have also found that it is just far superior. The other great thing about Deep Blue is that it only contains Essential Oils. So every ingredient in it is an active ingredient added to bring relief. A little really goes a long way with this stuff, but it is great when pain relievers are not enough or when you'd just rather not tax your liver. Use it on bones, joints and muscles. Rub a super small amount anywhere that is particularly painful.
Okay, maybe I am partial to DoTerra…….Digest Zen is also one of their products. This baby contains Ginger and Fennel, both of which helps to calm an unruly tummy. Fibro is famous for it's stomach issues, whether it's IBS, a sensitivity to certain food groups or that all encompassing nausea that just won't quit. I have found the Oils in Digest Zen to calm all of these issues and quiet an ugly belly. Just rub it over your sick or upset belly.
So I saved this baby for last, because it's actually my own concoction. I actually created this mix as an anti-aging/antioxidant serum, but after years of fighting with Eczema and never finding any relief, I decided to try it on my Eczema. Voila!!!! This serum is like absolute magic!! I have tried everything for my skin issues, from special soaps and creams, to steroids and nothing has worked. Until I created this!! This serum is my own concoction of specially metered amounts of the following: Frankincense Trinity, Lavender, Rose, Carrot Seed, Geranium, Neroli, Pomegranate and Rose Hip. I never expected this dramatic of a result or I'd have done before and after pictures. I've actually tried to skip using this in the hopes my Eczema would return so that I could grab you some before and after pics, but the Eczema won't return. So you'll just have to trust me how incredible this is.
So that's it. My top 8, can't live without, better than any medicine, super stupendous, all natural Essential Oils. By no means are these all of the Oils I use, but no one would want to read that novel! A couple things to keep in mind, before you go off and try this….never buy "supermarket oils". Oils that are synthetically produced can have adverse reactions and cause more damage than you started with. Always search for a reputable company that actually tests their Oils and makes those results publicly available. Whenever possible, use Organic Essential Oils which are free from pesticides. If you have sensitive skin, use a small drop of oil to test for any reactions first. Lastly, keep a bottle of Fractionated Coconut Oil or another Carrier Oil on hand. In case you ever get oil in your eye, do not flush with water, instead, remove the oil with a carrier oil. Trust me when I tell you this is important. There's nothing worse than having a migraine and getting Peppermint Oil in your eye!!
If I had to list what has helped me the most in this Chronic Journey, I would list Essential Oils pretty much at the top of my list. I couldn't do this without them. I love having an alternative to costly medicines and prescriptions that only worsen what I'm already dealing with. Thank you Mother Earth!


International service fee supports our efforts to enhance the international student and family experience at Mid-Pacific Institute.
The board approved a tuition increase to support outstanding faculty, signature arts programs, and to support an innovative technology platform for all students. While tuition does not cover the annual costs of operating our school, we remain committed to keeping tuition accessible for our families.


All of our crew at Go Sea Kayak Byron Bay are passionate about protecting Mother Nature and acting ethically upon our tours and throughout our operations. We are working constantly at this and making improvements in sustainability all the time.
Solar Power – our business is run by the sun, our trailer has solar panels, and large battery's storing power for us to use for our office equipment, radios, phones, and other equipment, we are an "Off Grid " business.
Walking around town, we can always pick you up for our tours from your accommodation but if you are within a 1km radius of us we suggest strolling down to us to jump on one of our tours, you will save being stuck in slow moving traffic especially in peak season churning out carbon monoxide.
Single use plastics – we are working on reducing our use of Single use plastics, Guides have agreed to use stainless drinking bottles and we suggest you do the same. We also are working on eliminating single use coffee cups ( we all need a coffee) and having our own mugs within the workplace.
Using Oxybenzone free sunscreen to help protect our reefs and ourselves – view why Hawaii banned sunscreens with oxybenzone below.
We ask you to join us in the privilege of kayaking in the spectacular Cape Byron Marine Park. We are so lucky to have a wide range of Marine Life to observe on our tours. It is truly a special encounter.
Our approach though is not to chase the wildlife but put you in a position where the wildlife can choose to visit you and say hi. We do not want to alter their behavior and you can help us by following the Guides instructions and observing Wildlife on their terms.
We would hate to be the reason in years to come Dolphins leave the embayment of Byron Bay due to too much hassle from humans. You may observe other Marine Park users chasing Dolphins but we know that this is not a sustainable practice and the Dolphins may not be enjoying that experience.


In the fall of 2013, two young Oregon school girls were playing in a pile of leaves at the side of the road. A passing car struck the girls, one of whom was killed instantly and the other who died later that night.
Out of their parents' tremendous grief came a project of love that has spread around the country. "The Love Rocks Story," found on the blog A Love Drenched Life, shares the story of how the mother, Susan, created a message of love with a simple project. Based on guest favors that were given out at her wedding, the grieving mother created a template for decorating polished rocks with fabric hearts. The completed hearts were to be placed in unexpected places where people could find them. As anonymous gestures, they offered a positive message to all who discovered them. People and groups around the country have adopted the project, and their creations and rock findings are posted on the Love Rocks Facebook site.
Certified peer specialist Nicki Hunter recently shared the Love Rocks story at a morning group session. Afterward, peers became enthused at the idea of designing their own personal rocks to place around their local communities. As the love rocks are created, they will be labeled with the Perry Wellness Center website.
We hope that the Love Rocks project will be a fun and meaningful way of sharing a little love with our neighbors, strangers, and the world at large.
And we encourage you to check out more about the project at the links above and to share your own tokens of love with not only those you know, but the unknown people who may need a message of hope.
In the photo above, from left, Thomas, Mary, Nikki Hunter CPS, Jeffrey, and Vicki work on the center's "Love Rocks" project.