text:
Taiwan's Ministry of Defence refute reports of leasing F-15C/D fighter jets
NewsAviation
Modified date: Mar 23, 2018
Photo by Senior Airman Malissa Armstrong
The Ministry of Defence of Taiwan has refuted the news that the Taipei might lease F-15C/D Eagles fighter jets for the Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan Air Force) from the United States.
Taiwanese Major General Chen Chung-chi dismissed the lease proposal as "pure speculation by the media," the Taipei Times reported Wednesday.
According to Major General Chen Chung-chi of the Taiwanese MoD, the story had first surfaced on a local news outlet named Up Media, but he claims that this is "pure speculation."
The local news agency quoted that Washington was offering upgraded surplus USAF F-15s for use by the RoCAF. These Eagles could be upgraded to Advanced 2040C.
More: China sent bombers and fighters to fly around Taiwan Island
This news caused a sharp reaction because as tensions simmer between Washington and Beijing. US President Donald Trump has been willing to antagonize China with tariffs and the recent signing of the Taiwan Travel Act, but supplying Taipei with modern fighters jets is a boundary even Trump seems unwilling to cross.
More: Taiwan develops new compact loitering guided weapon
Beijing has long considered Taipei a wayward province belonging to the People's Republic of China, but the island is de facto self-governing for the better part of a century. Since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen assumed office in May 2016, Beijing-Taipei relations have deteriorated, the Diplomat reported.
U.S. Air National Guard deploys F-35 stealth fighters to Florida
C-17 Globemaster III passes four million flight hours milestone


Astana. March 4. Kazakhstan Today - The Agency for Informatization and Communications of Kazakhstan plans within the limits of the concept of formation and development of Kaznet to generate a pool of 30 the most demanded Kazakhstan Internet-resources. The Chairman of the Agency on Informatization and Communications of Kazakhstan Kuanyshbek Esekeev informed today during the government session. "We propose to generate 30 the most demanded Kazakhstan resources because the statistics of the Internet users shows that they use only five - six most often visited sites," K. Esekeev said. "We plan to carry out the research to learn what Kazakhstan Internet - resources are the most interesting for the users to form these 30 Internet resources, the chairman of the Agency continued. As he said, 10 out of these internet resources will be state and 20 will be private. ****** Decrease of tariffs for Internet-services to increase number of Internet-users in Kazakhstan Astana. March 4. Kazakhstan Today - Achievement by Kazakhstan of 20 % level of users the Internet of the general number of the population is possible in the near future at keeping the rates of decrease of tariffs by the operators of the Internet-service. The chairman of the Agency for Informatization and Communication Kuanyshbek Esekeev said, the agency reports. "According to statistics, after decrease by Megaline its tariffs by 20 %, the quantity of users of the Internet has increased twice," K. Esekeev reminded. As it was informed earlier, according to the data of the marketing agency ICT Marketing, in 2007 in Kazakhstan 1 million 600 thousand users of the Internet were registered, or about 11 % of the population of the country. "Quantity of users who use keywords on the Internet Kazakhstan, Astana and Almaty increases every year. According to the company Yandex and Rambler, as of today, there are more than 1 million monthly uses of Kaznet resources, including 62 % - Kazakhstan citizens, 29 % - Russian citizens, 4 % - representatives of other CIS countries, 3 % - Europe, 1 % - Northern America and Asia, 0.5 - the inhabitants of other countries," K. Esekeev concluded.


text:
30 Cool Facts About The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
FUN FACTS June 12, 2019 By Hugo
From it's beginning in 1990 until its end six years later, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a show about a street-wise teen who goes to live with his uncle in the affluent area of Bel-Air proved an unlikely hit and thanks to syndication deals; the show continues to attract new fans.
But as well as spawning the career of an A-list movie star and giving us a dance move fans have never forgotten, many of those very fans are unaware of the politics that went on behind the camera as well as some of the show's lesser-known facts.
Yes, the NBC show wasn't short on drama, and it's fair to say the show's production wasn't either.
Here are 30 Fresh Pince of Bel-Air facts you might not have known
1. The Show Almost Had A Reboot
A 2015 news reports sent fans into an online frenzy after it was reported that a reboot was in development by Overbrook Entertainment, with Will Smith reportedly serving as a producer.
However, with NBC showing little interest and other networks unwilling to pick it up, it's unlikely fans will be getting their wish anytime soon. Netflix, are you reading this?
2. Jazz Being Booted Out Of The Banks' Home Was The Same Scene
No-good wheeler-dealer and local disk jockey Jazzy Jeff served as both an antagonist to Will's development but also a best friend in a world he didn't fit into. And more often than not his cheeky behaviour would get him in trouble with Uncle Phil who made a habit of throwing him out of the house and onto the street.
So funny and predictable was this running gag that producers decided to reuse the same scene. Look closer, and you'll notice Jazzy's outfit is the same.
3. The Show Never Got The Emmy Love
Shutterstock/ Benjamin Clapp
While the show will always remain a cult classic, those on the governing committee at the Emmys didn't acknowledge the programme's merits, at least not enough to give it an award.
It never truly got the recognition it deserved until later on in the intervening decades.
4. One Of The Show's Most Emotional scenes Was Partly Improvised
In the episode "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse," Will is left abandoned by his father once again after a promised holiday with him is cut short. Left with nothing but disappointment and anger, Uncle Phil consoles Will the best way he can as his nephew cries into his arms.
So intense was the final scene that cries came from the audience. What's more, James Avery's hug wasn't scripted.
5. The Catchy Intro Isn't The Full Song
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air is synonymous with its catchy, infectious intro that makes even the most introverted of individuals sing along, but did you know that there's a full-length version?
At a more industry-standard length of 2 minutes and 52 seconds, the track can be found on YouTube.
6. Queen Latifah's dual roles
Shutterstock/ Kathy Hutchins
Even diehard fans of Queen Latifah might not remember that she starred in not one but two separate roles. Her first appearance saw her play the part of Hillary's boss. Her second was a more juicy character; Will's love interest.
It's fair to saw many women around the world were extremely jealous by the latter role.
7. A School Had To Shutdown After The Show's Theme Song Set Off An Alarm
Shutterstock/ sirpfoto
One school in America had to close down for the day because a student used the show's theme song as their voicemail message. While this sounds harmless, the student's absence from class caused the attendance secretary to call him.
After being sent straight to voicemail, the secretary mistook the lyric "shooting some b-ball outside of the school" as "shooting some people outside of the school" and contacted law enforcement.
8. Will The Real Will Smith Please Stand Up
Most people assume that because the character was called Will, the show was tailor-made for Will Smith. However, thee names are different!
The actor's Christian name is short for William, while the character's name is short for Willard.
9. A Complete Novice
Will Smith transitioned into acting after a promising start to his show business career as a hip hop singer, but after many setbacks, NBC offered him a lifeline as the lead actor in a pilot. But Will had never acted in his life.
Still, the novice actor was determined to make a go of it, so much so that he made a habit of memorizing every single line from each teleplay, so he wouldn't get shown up by his more seasoned co-stars.
10. Despite Playing A Brat On The Show, Karyn Parsons Now Heads A Charitable Foundation
Shutterstock/ Everett Collection
It's fair to say that no one liked spoiled rich girl and constant Daddy's Girl Hillary Banks. She was jarring, shallow and at times, vapid beyond belief, but actress Karyn Parsons (second, right) couldn't be any different from her Fresh Prince character.
After her acting career started to phase out, she shifted her attention to charity work and founded Sweet Blackberry, a foundation that supports achievements within the African-American community.
11. Will Smith Only Joined The Show For The $$$
While Will Smith can now have the pick of any project in Hollywood, it wasn't always that way, and before he made a career for himself as an actor, he was one-half of the rap duo Dj Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
But after finding success in the 1980s, Smith spent the bulk of his earnings while paying little tax, and it was only because of a $2.8m tax bill that he took up NBC's offer of a TV show titled, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
12. 70% Of His Salary Went To The Government
Shutterstock/Doug Shutter
After coming to an agreement with the IRS, the then 21-year-old would see 70% of his income from the show's first three seasons go straight to the IRS.
Thankfully, the show was a hit and went on for another three seasons, allowing Smith a clean financial slate.
13. Will Smith Was A Novice Actor
Shutterstock/ Vicki L. Miller
It sounds strange to put the word novice and actor in the same sentence as the legendary screen actor, but it's worth remembering that Smith's early foray in the show business was as an MC artist rather than an actor. Only after Smith found success on the show did he leave music behind to focus on acting.
With that said, he did have one small acting credit to his name before The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The Role? A T-shirt salesclerks on an ABC after-school special.
14. He Was Embarrassed' By His Earlier Performances
It's fair to say that Will Smith wasn't exactly full of confidence when he first took on the role, something he admitted in the past when he recalled his embarrassment when watching his earlier performances.
"I was trying so hard," he said. "I would memorise the entire script; then I'd be lipping everybody's lines while they were talking. When I watch those episodes, it's disgusting. My performances were horrible."
15. Uncle Phil's House Isn't In Bel-Air
While Uncle Phil's lavish Grecian mansion is located in a wealthy Californian suburb, it isn't located in Bel-Air.
Instead, and in the interests of those wanting to pay homage to the setting of their favourite show, it is located in Brentwood, at 251 N. Bristol Avenue.
16. Carlton's Iconic Dance Was Inspired By The Moves Of Two Celebrities
If you've ever been to a club and you haven't seen someone attempt to replicate the legendary 'Carlton Dance', then you haven't been partying in the right places. But as much as we'd like to believe the awkward dance was entirely original, it was modelled on the moves of the actors Courtney Cox and Eddie Murphy.
Explaining the creative inspiration behind the dance, Alfonso Ribeiro said, "There was a video of Bruce Springsteen and Courteney Cox called 'Dancing in the Dark,' and Bruce Springsteen pulls her up onto the stage and she basically does that dance. And it was also from Eddie Murphy's Delirious comedy video where he does 'the white man dance.' And what I did was ultimately take those two dances and combined them and made it my own, and made it my character's."
17. The Physical Copy Of The Show's Soundtrack Is Hard To Find
One of the best features about the six-year show was the uplifting and catchy soundtrack at the beginning as well as the handful of other cool tracks the show featured. But finding a physical copy of the soundtrack is harder than you'd think.
While you can stream the music on Spotify, finding a physical copy of the soundtrack is difficult due to the CD only getting a release in Holland.
18. Tyra Banks Made Her Acting Debut On The Show
Can you remember Will's hot girlfriend, Jackie, in an episode of season 4? She was a knockout, which isn't surprising when you realise it was a fresh-faced Tyra Banks.
The supermodel, who is now a household name in America, was a complete unknown to American audiences when she made her acting debut, and while she had experienced success as a model, her Fresh Prince appearance gave her the opportunity to begin a more lucrative career as a television personality.
19. Quincy Jones Is Not The Cab Driver
Many reputable sites, including IMDB, list the driver transporting Will to his new life as none other than Quincy Jones. But that simply isn't true.
According to Rashida Jones (Jones' daughter), as well as Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, it isn't him, a myth that is further dispelled when you realise that Jones has never driven in his life following the psychological repercussions from a car accident he was involved in at just 14-years-old.
20. Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro Were Allowed To Choose Their Character's Names
Shutterstock/ s_bukley
In an unusual move by studio executives, Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro, two of the show's main stars, were allowed to choose their character's names.
Being true to Carlton Banks, Alfonso urged Will Smith to be careful when selecting a name for fear of being typecast with it. So with that in mind, Will Smith lent his own name to his mischievous character. Genius, or what?
21. When Will Met Jada
These two have been lovebirds for as long as we can remember, and while rumours continue to circulate around the strength of their marriage, the two are still together having first met on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air set.
Ironically, Jada unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Will's on-screen girlfriend, but in perhaps a sign of fate, she got into a relationship with him in real life instead.
22. Two Different Actresses Portrayed Aunt Vivian
For ardent fans, you probably already know this, but for those who don't let us clear up a theory your mind hasn't been able to solve for years: Janet Hubert didn't undergo plastic surgery! No, she simply got annoyed and left the show.
The reasoning stemmed from a dispute Hubert had in her contract which didn't let her take on other work, leading to her to quit the show altogether, while other rumours have suggested that she didn't get on with Will Smith. Because of her grievances, the role of Aunt Vivian was given to Daphne Maxwell instead, who played Aunt Viv for three seasons.
23. After Four Seasons The Show Got Cancelled
Despite the show's popularity, NBC decided to pull the plug after four seasons and originally intended to have Will's character moving back to the mean streets of Philadelphia in the final episode. However, mass complaints led studio bosses to revert the decision and continue it for another two seasons.
Moreover, the opening credits to season five humorously illustrated this when an NBC executive placed Smith into a van and drove him back to California, telling him "It's called the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, not The Fresh Prince of Philadelphia."
24. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Is Watched In Many Prisons- Including Guantanamo Bay
Tickld
As well as watching and enjoying the seven Harry Potter films, prisoners incarcerated in prisons as dangerous as Guantanamo Bay watch episodes of the NBC show when out of their cells, and it is supposedly their favourite.
Yes, even in prisons housing some of the most dangerous people in the world, Will and Carlton's on-screen antics can still be enjoyed.
25. Daphne Maxwell Gave Up Acting To Run A Photo Blog
Daphne Maxwell
Will Smith may be synonymous with Hollywood fame, but the rest of the cast haven't found the same success, and while some still find regular acting work, others, such as Daphne Maxwell, have given up the profession altogether.
Instead, Maxwell, who portrayed Aunt Viv for the last three seasons now runs a photography blog and is married to actor Tim Reid of 'Sister, Sister' fame.
26. Will Smith's Rubik Cube Skills Are Real
Will was always up against it whenever it came to competing with his goody-two-shoes cousin, Carlton Banks, yet that didn't stop him wowing professors at Princeton University with his ability to quickly solve a Rubik Cube.
But it wasn't staged. It's been a skill of Will's for some time, a skill he also showed in his Oscar-nominated performance as the aspiring stockbroker, Frank Gardner.
27. The Show Endorsed A 'Bel-Air' Themed Pair Of Air Jordans
YouTube/ Seth Fowler
Fans of the famous trainer are probably unaware of the limited edition Jordans designed for the much-loved show.
Called, 'Air Jordan 5 Bel-Air', the shoes now retail for around $300 online but are incredibly hard to find.
28. Actors Of Many Talents
Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro were the stars of the show, but their talents extended behind the camera, too.
Will Smith wrote a script for an episode, while Ribeiro directed an episode in season 5. So not only did they get to choose their character names, but they also got to direct and write. Not a bad gig for two young actors.
29. Will Smith Encouraged The Writers To Tackle Serious Issues
As well as being allowed to choose his character name and write an episode, his views around the show's storylines were also taken on board after the comedy 'Roseanne' inspired him.
A TV comedy which was known for tackling serious issues, Smith wanted the NBC show to go in a similar direction, and because of his insistence, the show spawned some powerful moments, which tackled everything from racial injustice to the effects of coming from a single-parent background.
30. The Cast Kept A Diary
Following the death of James Avery, who played the loveable Uncle Phil, Karyn Parsons, who played Hilary Banks, revealed to ABC News that the cast kept a diary in the drawer of the set's kitchen island.
Taking it with her after the show ended, she said that looking back at it, helps her deal with his death. "Every now and then a camera person or the actors, somebody would just write silly poetry or 'James is getting on my nerves,'" she recalled. "We would make little notes, so I took that. I need to pull that out, especially now that James has passed, because I know he's written in there. I know he was written about."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
El título cardenalicio de Sant'Adriano al Foro fue creado en la VIII región de Roma (Augustea) por el papa Gregorio III en alrededor de 734 y confirmado por el papa Adriano I hacia 775.

Según el Liber Pontificalis, la iglesia de Sant'Adriano al Foro fue creada por Honorio I en el lugar de la antigua Curia Hostilia hacia 630. Sergio I lo designa como punto de partida de las letanías entonces de ciertas celebraciones religiosas. Debido a la destrucción de la antigua iglesia con el objetivo de restablecer la curia del Senado, la diaconía fue suprimida con la constitución apostólica Sancti Hadriani Ecclesia del 25 de enero de 1946 de Pío XII y trasladada a San Paolo alla Regola.

Titulares
 Guglielmo Pietro le Clerc (1062-1072)
 Paolo Boschetti (o Boschettus) (1072-1073)
 Berardo (1075-hacia 1100)
 Pietro, O.S.B. (hacia 1100-1122)
 Matteo (1122- hacia 1126)
 Pedro Octavio (1127-1130)
 Guido (1130-1138)
 Ubaldo (?) (1138-1141 ou 1144?)
 Gilberto (1141-1143)
 Giovanni Paparoni (ou Paparo, ou Paperone) (1143-1151)
 Alberto Sartori di Morra, O.S.B. (1155-1158)
 Cinzio Papareschi (ou di Guidoni Papareschi) (1158-1178)
 Rainier le Grand (1178-1182)
 Gerardo Allucingoli (ou Gheraro) (1182-1204)
 Angelo (1212-1214)
 Stefano de Normandis dei Conti (1216-1228)
 Goffredo da Trani (1244-1245)
 Ottobono Fieschi (1251-1276)
 Napoleone Orsini Frangipani (1288-1342)
 Rinaldo Orsini (1350-1374)
 Gentile di Sangro (1378-1385)
 Ludovico Fieschi (circa 1385-1423)
 Bonifacio Ammanati (1397-1399), pseudocardenal del antipapa Benedicto XIII
 Hugues de Lusignan (1426-1431)
 Vacante (1431-1473)
 Stefano Nardini (1473-1476)
 Juan de Nápoles (o d'Aragona) (1477-1483)
 Giovanni Conti (1484-1489, in commendam)
 Pierre d'Aubusson, O.S.Io.Hieros. (1489-1503)
 François Guillaume de Castelnau de Clermont-Lodève (1503-1509)
 Bandinello Sauli (1511)
 Agostino Trivulzio (1517-1537);
 Jean du Bellay, título pro illa vice (1548-1549)
 Odet de Coligny de Châtillon (1549-1563)
 Innico d'Avalos d'Aragona, O.S.Iacobis (1563-1567)
 Fulvio Giulio della Corgna, O.S.Io.Hieros. (1567-1574)
 Prospero Santacroce (1574-1583)
 András Bathóry (1584-1587)
 Girolamo Mattei (1587)
 Agostino Cusani (1589-1591)
 Odoardo Farnese (1591-1595)
 Francesco Mantica (1596-1597)
 Giovanni Battista Deti (1599)
 Alessandro d'Este (1600)
 Vacant (1600-1605)
 Giovanni Doria (1605-1623)
 Louis de Nogaret de La Valette d'Épernon (1623-1639)
 Vacante (1639-1644)
 Achille d'Étampes de Valençay, O.S.Io.Hieros (1644-1646)
 Francesco Maidalchini (1647-1653)
 Decio Azzolino (1654-1668)
 Carlo Cerri (1670-1690)
 Gianfrancesco Albani (1690-1700)
 Vacante (1700-1706)
 Pietro Priuli (1706-1720)
 Alessandro Albani (1721-1722)
 Giulio Alberoni (1724-1728)
 Neri Maria Corsini (1731-1737)
 Marcellino Corio (1739-1742)
 Girolamo De Bardi (1743-1753)
 Giovanni Francesco Banchieri (1753-1763)
 Enea Silvio Piccolomini (1766-1768)
 Vacant (1768-1785)
 Carlo Livizzani Forni (1785-1794)
 Vacant (1795-1803)
 Luigi Gazzoli (1803-1809)
 Vacant (1809-1817)
 Lorenzo Prospero Bottini (1817-1818)
 Cesare Guerrieri Gonzaga (1819-1832)
 Vacant (1832-1838)
 Giuseppe Ugolini (1838-1855)
 Vacant (1855-1886)
 Camillo Mazzella, S.J. (1886-1896)
 José de Calasanz Vives y Tutó, O.F.M. Cap. (1899-1913)
 Vacant (1913-1923)
 Evaristo Lucidi (1923-1929)
 Vacante (1929-1946)

Adriano al Foro

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class Configuration extends Model
{
    public $timestamps = false;
    protected $fillable = [
        'user_id', 'installed'
    ];
    protected $hidden = [

    ];
    public function user()
    {
        return $this->hasOne('App\Models\User');
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Winter Insomnia is a cute physics-based puzzle game. Help the hedgehog that refused to hibernate over the winter to collect food. Move through the snowy landscape to pick up all the red apples in each stage. You can roll the little sleepless prickly animal or use ballons to make him fly to his destination. Try to get the golden stars too to increase your score and take care of deadly spikes.


Do you have photos, historical accounts or other items pertaining to the Bowstring area? Would you like to share this historical information with the world? LakesnWoods.com would like to publish your Bowstring photos (current or historical) or historical accounts on this website. Original materials can be returned and your privacy will be respected.
Bowstring Township is a township in Itasca County, Minnesota. State Highway 6 serves as the major route in the community. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93.1 km²), of which, 26.6 square miles (68.8 km²) of it is land and 9.4 square miles (24.3 km²) of it (26.12%) is water. The elevation is 1,322 ft (403 m) above sea level.
As of the census of 2000, there were 242 people, 101 households, and 77 families residing in the township. The population density was 9.1 people per square mile (3.5/km²). There were 259 housing units at an average density of 9.8/sq mi (3.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.87% White, 0.83% African American, 2.07% Native American, and 1.24% from two or more races.
There were 101 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the township the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $31,000, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,006. About 20.0% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.1% of those sixty five or over.
Long before the white man came to northern Minnesota, the Ojibwe were settled on the shores of the Bowstring Lake area. The settlements were usually near water that provided a method of transportation.
Duncan MacDougal homesteaded on Bowstring Lake in about 1894, and William Donnelly arrived in 1895. Other early homesteaders included the Erickson, Melhus, Gibbs, Johnston, Christie and Sombs families.
W.J. Gibbs arrived in Bowstring in 1896 at the present site of the Bowstring Lodge. In 1901, he built a store which was designated as the first post office in 1902.
Jessie Lake and Bowstring townships were a combined township in the early days. In April 1916 The Itasca News reported that all of the officers elected were from the north end of Lake Jessie Township. This resulted in a petition that was liberally signed in both extremities of the Township for a legal division of the territory. The petition was approved by the county commissioners. The newly organized Township of Bowstring then held an election. Elected were supervisors Algot Johnson, J. H. Miller, L. Mallett, town clerk Ervin Sombs, and justices of the peace Malcolm Campbell and Jacob Jacobson.
After Gibbs moved to Inger in 1910, Carl Christie was named postmaster at Bowstring. The post office was moved to Schedin's store. Bowstring Store is the current site of the post office.
The area was dotted with small country schools at one time, often named for the families that donated the land. In Bowstring there was a Donnelly, Greenwood, South Bowstring and Sombs school.
Bowstring also has cemetery named after the family who donated the land. The Donnelly Cemetery is the final resting place for many of the of the Bowstring pioneers.
Later the people at Bowstring needed a church, so they built one. The U.S Forestry donated the trees. Local volunteers logged, sawed and planed the lumber. The women were busy raising money, and when they had $300, they began to build. Rev. Herb Peters was asked for help and they affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The cornerstone was laid in 1961.
The Bowstring Store, located at the junction of State Highway 6 and County Road 133 was built by Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Schedin. The post office was moved to the store and the Schedins operated the business for many years. Present owners Randy and Chris Harju have built a large addition to the store and continue as postmasters of Bowstring.
There is an airport at Bowstring were a 2500 foot landing strip opened in 1961. Owned by Itasca County, it is "the best kept secret in the County" according to Airport Board Member Art Merdes.
Post Office: Mail delivery is handled by the Deer River Post Office.
Experience the thrill of world class fishing! Walleyes, northerns or crappies. The excellent fishing at Bowstring Shores offers fun for all ages. Boats, motors, bait, gas and oil are available at the dock along with a ramp for boat launching. We brag the best fishing in the Chippewa National Forest. Join us and prove it to yourself! Fish the famous walleye and northern waters of Bowstring Lake, known by locals as "Minnesota's Pike Hole."
Whether you are looking for the quiet solitude of the Chippewa National Forest, or the companionship of new friends, you will find it all at Bowstring Shores Resort.
Our cozy lodge offers a place to gather with friends, old and new. Play a game of pool, enjoy a soft drink and just relax. Light groceries, gameroom, snack bar, fish freezing and laundry facilities are also available. For outside play, enjoy the heated pool, playground or a game of horseshoes, volleyball or basketball.
Our family operated resort offers 14 housekeeping cottages in a variety of sizes. Our cabins are guaranteed clean, attractive and comfortable. You need only bring groceries, towels, and your "can't do withouts".
Spend a memorable vacation with us on Bowstring Lake. Our resort is designed with your comfort in mind, with lakeside vacation homes secluded in the Chippewa National Forest. There's NO LIMIT to the fishing adventures on Bowstring Lake, located 40 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. That's especially true if you're staying at Geiger's Trails End Resort, where we'll treat you like family by showing you the best fishing spots and providing great accommodations for your entire party. Get ready to REEL in unforgettable vacation memories. Geiger's is a family resort in the secluded Chippewa National Forest. With our clean and comfortable lakeside vacation homes, we're a cut above the rest. We also offer a large visiting lodge with a game room, TV, and a sandy beach -- perfect for hot summer days -- and a playground with swings, a slide and more!
Georgene's Haven is a quiet family resort located on beautiful Bowstring Lake and in the Chippewa National Forest. Bowstring Lake has been named Minneapolis Star Tribune's "Lake of the Week" several occasions and has the reputation for being one of the best Walleye, Northern and Crappie lakes in Minnesota. Bowstring Lake's 9000 acres offers twenty-three miles of shoreline that leads way to many a fishing hot spot! Whether you wish to camp or stay in a cabin, Georgene's Haven offers both accommodations along the shoreline of Bowstring Lake. If you have a trailer or camper, you'll enjoy the spacious, wooded campground. Light and water hookups are available and there is an indoor bath and shower area.
Jessie View Resort is a Northern Minnesota resort and campground located in one of the most scenic regions in the country, the Chippewa National Forest. Hundreds of acres of forests, lakes and unspoiled beauty surround us. Our spacious property lets you relax and soak in the fresh breezes off the lake and our Minnesota cabins pamper you with modern amenities to make you feel at home. If you're self-contained with an RV or camper, we have one of the most up-to-date Minnesota campgrounds in the area. Prominently placed on 1500+ feet of sandy shoreline on Big Jessie Lake's SW side, we offer a spacious setting for your family vacation, trip with your friends or quiet getaway.
Our small, family-oriented resort and campground is located on Bowstring Lake in the heart of the Chippewa National Forest. Come and enjoy our quiet, unspoiled surroundings, the beautiful sunrises over Bowstring Lake, the excellent fishing and other outdoor sports, the scenic walking trails through the woods, many kinds of birds and wildlife, and the area's varied recreational opportunities. Because part of the fun in vacationing is to escape the hectic schedules of daily life, we offer very few planned activities. Bowstring Lake provides activities for all ages, including fishing, boating and swimming. We can suggest local events and sights, too, to interest almost everyone. There is even a small new casino in Deer River, less than half an hour away. Please plan to provide appropriate parental supervision for young children, especially near the water!
The resort is located on the east shore of Bowstring Lake in the heart of the Chippewa National Forest. Here you can relax and enjoy nature in the great Northwoods, experience dozens of area attractions and get hooked on some of the best northern, perch, panfish, bass and walleye fishing in northern Minnesota. Our seven 1, 2, and 3 bedroom cabins are very clean, comfortable and fully furnished with all the modern amenities to ensure you get the maximum enjoyment from your stay with us. We've also added 12 seasonal RV sites set amidst the trees on our 40-acre property. We offer boat and motor rental, dock rental for your own boats, gas and oil, a protected harbor, and a fish cleaning house with free freezer space. Bowstring Lake is one of the top walleye fishing lakes in Minnesota.The resort has plenty of activities, including a new heated outdoor swimming pool, a new playground, volleyball, horseshoes, hiking trails, a new game room and a lodge with snack items, light groceries, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats and souvenirs.
Snug Harbor Resort & Campground is located on the shores of Bowstring Lake in northeastern Minnesota, and is completely surrounded by the Chippewa National Forest. The resort is 222 miles north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, 37 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and 22 miles north of Deer River, Minnesota. The resort is open from May 1 through November 10 with seven lake-level cabins, five full hook-up camping sites and four tent sites complete with showers to choose from. Six of the cabins are two bedroom and one is a three bedroom. The cabins feature modern conveniences and all have kitchens and baths. Each cabin also has its own deck with patio chairs and a charcoal grill. Bowstring Lake is widely recognized as one of the Top Walleye Fishing Lakes in Minnesota. At just over 9,200 acres in size, Bowstring Lake provides tremendous multi-species fishing opportunities. Walleye, northern, jumbo perch, and crappie can all be readily caught here. And nothing compares to the views of the shoreline as seen from a boat or pontoon.


text:
Victoria Weisfeld
Stories about the perils of life and the mysteries of travel
Here's the Latest
The Morgue
Writers' First Draft
Who is?
Tag Archives: mystery
****Past & Present: A Marketville Mystery
Posted on October 8, 2018 by Victoria
By Judy Penz Sheluk –This is the second in Judy Penz Sheluk's Marketville Mystery series, set in a small town outside Toronto, and the series establishes a cozy, warm-hearted atmosphere. As in her earlier book, Skeletons in the Attic, the first-person narrator is Calamity (Callie) Barnstable.
Along for the adventure are Callie's friends Chantelle Marchand and Arabella Carpenter, owner of a nearby antiques shop (the protagonist in Sheluk's other series, the Glass Dolphin Mysteries).
In this book, Callie and Chantelle team up in a new business called Past & Present Investigations, in which they hope to use Callie's research acumen and Chantelle's genealogical knowledge to help people find missing relatives. Arabella will help if someone brings in an old object related to the missing person, and Callie's retired librarian friend will do the archive searches.
Callie vacillates between loving the business idea and fearing they will find nothing but dead ends, but Sheluk has written nicely three-dimensional characters that are game to try. Callie also faces an ongoing personal challenge. It seems she cannot escape the hostility of her grandfather. He has never forgiven her mother for marrying Callie's father who was, her grandfather felt, many ladder-rungs beneath her.
Before long, Arabella sends Callie a potential client. Louisa Frankow's German grandmother, Anneliese, immigrated from England in 1952 on the ship Canberra. A mystery surrounds her grandmother's death only a few years after that voyage. Family papers and photos and other clues to the grandmother's past are few, but Callie locates an ephemera dealer with relevant artifacts from voyages of that era—much more glamorous than modern-day trans-Atlantic air travel, that's for sure!
Callie and Chantelle capitalize on the growing online availability of genealogical databases, newspaper archives, and the like. You may be familiar with these possibilities, if you've done some family research of your own, and Sheluk makes the search for Anneliese's past full of the thrill of discovering how the pieces fit. They learn that Anneliese was murdered, and her husband convicted of manslaughter (on very flimsy evidence, in Callie's view). He'd been in prison only a few months when he was stabbed to death in the showers. If he was not guilty, as Callie suspects, the real murderer is responsible for two deaths.
Sheluk includes a couple of features that require a bit of a leap of faith. She relies on a long-ago coincidence, which, granted, might have been more likely in the early 1950s when Toronto's population was a third its current-day size. And, she's helped by a psychic who interprets objects, and while Callie remains skeptical of the validity of psychic phenomena, the psychic's revelations help confirm her hypotheses about the crime.
The murder in this book is many years old, but it has consequences for Louisa and Callie too, which makes it significant even without splattering fresh blood all over the pages. It's fun to watch Callie and her friends in action, and the book ends with the promise of another interesting case to come.
It's a quick and satisfying read for those who like cozy mysteries or are fascinated by the long tail of the past.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I get a few pennies to put in a jar to pay my WordPress bills. If you click the photo below to order this book, you'll help me fill the jar.
Like this story? Share it, by clicking:
Posted in Amateur Detective, Crime, Genealogy, Reading . . .	| Tagged Judy Penz Sheluk, mystery, Past & Present, Toronto
***A Noise Downstairs
Posted on September 17, 2018 by Victoria
Steven Depolo, creative commons license
By Linwood Barclay – A professor at a small Connecticut college, living with his second wife on the shore of Long Island Sound, Paul Davis has had a rather unremarkable life until late one October night when he recognizes the broken taillight of his colleague Kenneth's car and follows it.
Kenneth is driving erratically, and Paul worries the older man might be tipsy. When Kenneth stops his car on a lonely road and pops the trunk, Paul stops too and is shocked to see the bodies of two women inside. Wielding a shovel, Kenneth bangs him on the head and would have murdered him, except for the timely appearance of the police, investigating that car with a broken taillight they noticed a few moments before.
Eight months later, Kenneth has pleaded guilty to the murders and is in prison, but Paul hasn't fully recovered. The blow to the head has mostly resolved, but he suffers from post-traumatic stress, panic attacks. His wife Charlotte and his psychologist Anna encourage him, but he has headaches, he forgets things, he's haunted by the murders. Paul knew the dead women slightly and it seems Kenneth was carrying on with both at once. Only his wife was unaware of his reputation for womanizing.
Much of the story takes place within the four walls of Paul's house, making it another one of those claustrophobic, unreliable narrator domestic thrillers which there are a lot of lately. Unfortunately, for me at least, that took the freshness out of Barclay's story, though he has a nice red herring woven in.
Paul is determined to regain a grip on his life and decides the best way to try to answer his many lingering questions about the murders would be to review everything about the case and the reasons people commit murder. Charlotte and Anna are initially dubious, but persuaded by his determination.
Charlotte even buys him an old-fashioned Underwood typewriter. It's a talisman of the case, because in one of its more ghoulish aspects, Kenneth made his victims type a note on such a typewriter, apologizing for their "immoral, licentious, whore-like behavior." When Paul repeatedly hears the typewriter in the middle of the night, he slips downstairs to see who is using it, but the house is empty. He half-believes the dead women are trying to communicate with him.
On a visit to Anna, he loses his keys and Charlotte has to pick him up. Now here, the author lost me, because if he drove to the office and after their session he doesn't have his keys, why wasn't a thorough search made before calling for a ride? Then when Paul believes there's been an intruder at his home, why does it take many pages for the characters to recall the missing keys? Ultimately, they are "found" in one of the two chairs in Anna's office, but that unlikely discovery is taken at face value, and no one wonders whether they were there all along.
Odd events continue, and to put the ghostly typewriter issue to rest, his friend Bill suggests that he put a piece of paper in it and see what the women want to say. It's an absurd idea, except that messages begin to appear. Even if you are skeptical of the paranormal, it's not easy to see how these tricks are being accomplished, and Paul, not fully of sound mind, is increasingly anxious.
Author Barclay keeps the tension and the possibilities going at a brisk clip, and though you may figure out the direction of the plot early on, he has surprises in store.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click the photo below to order this book.
Posted in Amateur Detective, Crime, Fiction, Reading . . ., Suspense	| Tagged A Noise Downstairs, Linwood Barclay, murder, mystery, psychological thriller
Comfortable Ambiguity
Posted on July 17, 2018 by Victoria
photo: Jill111, creative commons license
Uh-oh. I have to lead a book group discussion today of Celeste Ng's debut novel, Everything I Never Told You—which I read and reviewed three years ago, and I can't find my copy of the book! And the library doesn't have one. I feel so unprepared. But at least I have this:
In a perceptive Glimmer Train essay, summarized here, Celeste Ng talked about "comfortable ambiguity," and how in Everything I Never Told You, she tried to give readers space to enter the world of the story and enough clues to come to their own conclusions about the fates of the characters. Since so many of her early readers had strong—and differing—opinions about what those fates were, her efforts were clearly successful. I'm hoping my book club members came to different conclusions too. A lively discussion should ensue!
If you've read this book, you'll recall that the story takes place in the 1970s and centers around a family living in a small town outside Cleveland (modeled on Ng's home town of Shaker Heights): honey-blonde Marilyn, the mother, estranged from her own mother, her would-be career, and the future she thought she would have; James, her Chinese husband in an era and a place where being Asian made him—at least in his mind—the perpetual outsider; and their three black-haired children, the only Asian-Americans in their school. Hannah, the acutely observant youngest, Nathan, the oldest, on his way to Harvard, and in the middle, Lydia—serious, responsible Lydia—her parents' favorite. Their hopes are pinned on her.
But something goes drastically wrong, as we learn in the book's first irrevocable sentences: "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." In the aftermath of her daughter's disappearance, a desperate Marilyn finds the dozen diaries she's given Lydia to see what clues they may hide. She jams the flimsy locks open. Every page is blank.
As the story's point of view shifts among family members, and each tries to piece together what happened to Lydia and why, the secrets, the alienation, and the deceptions in their own lives emerge. Even in this crisis, little is shared among them. Each must come to an understanding of Lydia's tragedy in a unique, highly personal, and for some, devastating way. In my experience the novel skillfully drew me into deeper and deeper waters until I realized the surface was far above. I will be interested to see whether the book group members are comfortable with its lack of a final clarifying answer.
Everything I Never Told You was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and named a "best book of the year" by many reviewers. Ng's second book, the 2017 Little Fires Everywhere, also delves into family secrets when a custody battle erupts in a "progressive" Cleveland suburb (you-know-where) over the adoption of a Chinese-American baby. It's an exploration of race, class, and unconscious privilege that also received extravagant praise and is being turned into an eight-episode television series. Less ambiguity in the story here, but also less comfort.
Posted in Drama, Fiction, First Draft Blog, Storytelling, Tragedy	| Tagged Celeste Ng, Everything I Never Told You, mystery, reader
***Animal Instinct: Human Zoo
photo: Sam Felder, creative commons license
By Simon Booker (this is an Audible Original, narrated by Imogen Church with a strong cast portraying the characters). PTSD has left former police detective Joe Cassidy (played by Brendan Coyle—Bates on Downton Abbey) with debilitating panic attacks. To get away from the world, he's set himself up in a remote cottage on Dungeness Beach in Kent, but the world comes to him when he's contacted by an old friend. Adam Pennyfeather (Joseph Marcell) inherited a wild animal park, and once saved Cassidy's life when he was almost trampled by an elephant. Adam's daughter Bella has gone missing, and he wants Cassidy to help find her. As a friend. As someone who owes him.
Cassidy is also on hiatus from his marriage to Katie (Lia Williams), herself a police detective, who's handling the investigation of Bella's disappearance. When Bella's body is found in the elephant house, strung up like a side of meat, Katie is handed her first murder investigation. This creates inevitable tension between the couple, acting in their official and unofficial capacities.
The fault lines in the Pennyfeather family gradually reveal themselves. Adam's wife is Isabel (Victoria Hamilton), and his younger daughter is Saffron (Rebekah Hinds). She and her husband, pizza entrepreneur Liam O'Mara (Harry Lloyd), tell Cassidy about Isabel's lifelong loathing of her younger brother Felix, now Adam's lawyer, and how Isabel preferred her daughters to her son Gabriel. His birth led to serious post-partum psychosis for which she was hospitalized. Fearing for the boy's safety, Adam put him up for adoption many years before, and has since learned that Gabriel died in a motorcycle accident.
Trying to worm her way into Cassidy's orbit is a relentless local journalist, an Australian woman named Chrissy McBride. Brigid Lohrey makes this character so annoying that, along with Cassidy, you'll probably think, "Oh, no, not her again!"
Cassidy believes his wife is seeing someone, was seeing someone while they were married, at least early on, and that their son Luke is the other man's child. Three DNA samples sent to a Cambridge lab will tell the tale, but is that information he really wants? Booker builds a nice bit of tension around the receipt of these laboratory results, and with Coyle's solid portrayal, you can appreciate how torn Cassidy is.
The production includes sound effects of the type a foley artist would deploy in a radio play to indicate a closing door, footsteps, and the like. Possibly this is a matter of personal taste, but the sound effects feel redundant and jar me out of the story.
Animal Instinct is a nicely played, complex story and billed as the first book in a series featuring Joe Cassidy. TV writer Booker will find his listeners looking forward to more.
Posted in Audiobook, Crime, Detective, Drama, Police, Reading . . .	| Tagged Animal Instinct, England, murder, mystery, Simon Booker
****Yesterday's News
(photo: Heinrich Klaffs, creative commons license)
By RG Belsky – Dick Belsky's long association with New York City news media—newspapers, magazines, and television—stand him in good stead in his Manhattan-based crime novels. He makes the newsroom politics entertaining, and the city's bustle and bravado leap off the page. They become places you want to be.
In this book, he offers a new protagonist, Clare Carlson, former superstar newspaper reporter whose employer (like so many) went out of business. Now she's the news director for Channel 10 News, and while she likes some aspects of the job—"telling other people what to do," she says—she clearly believes television "news" is a lesser form of journalism, well beneath her talents and skills. She's probably right.
Yesterday's News is a title with multiple meanings, referring to the newspaper business, Carlson herself, and the one big story from fifteen years earlier that made her reputation and earned her a Pulitzer Prize—the disappearance of eleven-year-old Lucy Devlin, plucked from her Gramercy Park neighborhood and never found.
The anniversary of Lucy's disappearance is fast approaching when you feel the first twist of Belsky's knife. When she was working on the story, Carlson befriended Lucy's mother Anne, and now Anne is dying of cancer, desperate for closure. She has received an anonymous email claiming that, shortly after her disappearance, Lucy was seen at a motorcycle convention in rural New Hampshire, riding with someone named Elliott. She wants to talk to Carlson.
Like almost everyone else, Carlson assumes Lucy was dead long ago. Can she—should she?—rekindle her relationship with Anne? It's a "good TV gimmick," she thinks, though she has reasons to be reluctant.
This is a first-person narrative, and Belsky does a good job portraying Carlson's mixed feelings about reinserting herself into this story. She thinks she knows it all, but he has surprises in store for her, and you may think you know everything she knows, but she can surprise as well. Plus, Carlson can be hilarious. She expertly plays the two female eye-candy news readers off each other, leaving political correctness in the dust.
Carlson does interview Anne and soon launches into full investigatory mode, rummaging around in people's fifteen-year-old memories. These include the activities of a sketchy motorcycle gang and, specifically, the past of ex-biker and rising political star Elliott Grayson. Some of the dirt she encounters may not leave Carlson with clean hands either. The tension between Carlson and Grayson and the unexpected directions the investigation takes make for an engrossing, fun read—with a visit to Manhattan as a bonus.
Posted in Amateur Detective, Crime, Fiction, Journalism, Reading . . .	| Tagged mystery, New York, television
*****Paper Ghosts
Posted on June 18, 2018 by Victoria
photo: Chris Dorward, creative commons license
Written by Julia Heaberlin – I just spent a week in Texas, including a family reunion in Waco, where Paper Ghosts begins, and am happy to report that trip was nothing like this story, a creepy and deliciously entertaining battle of wits.
Grace is twenty-four and obsessed with finding out what happened to her only sister Rachel, who disappeared when Grace was twelve. What ignited her search was finding a photograph of two ethereal girls taped to the bottom of their home's attic stairs.
The photographer, Carl Feldman, was later tried and acquitted in another local woman's disappearance, although suspicions about him never went away.
Heaberlin masterfully weaves this backstory through the narrative— enlightening, coloring, providing motivation. Diagnosed with dementia, the elderly Carl now lives in a halfway house run by Mrs. T. Grace poses as Carl's daughter to persuade Mrs. T to let her take him on a "vacation." In reality, she plans to revisit places where three young women disappeared, hoping to break through the tattered veil of confusion that Carl pulls over himself. He's just lucid and insightful enough to know what Grace is up to, to go along with the deception, and to toy with her mercilessly.
Grace's personal safety trainer has readied her to handle the tricks Carl might try. Most important, she's worked on conquering fear. You see pages from her childhood "survival notebook," which contained her strategies for conquering various fears, like spiders or ghosts. Charming, but more important, these entries show an organized determination that foreshadows the adult Grace will become.
Mrs. T gives her ten days, at which time she absolutely must return Carl to the halfway house. Ten days in a car with a possible serial killer, in motel rooms at night, in situations where he may say who knows what? Carl is infinitely unpredictable. And sneaky.
Around day four or five, you may wonder whether Heaberlin's inventiveness will run out, whether the diaristic recitation of their doings will wear thin. It never does. Her writing style is rich with metaphors tied to Carl's strong identity as a photographer. In his photos, his paper ghosts, much is revealed, and much is hidden.
This risky road trip through a nightmare Texas doesn't deflect Grace from the fundamental question, what happened to Rachel? And does Carl even know? And if he doesn't, or if he's overtaken by dementia, will she ever find out? You keep turning pages to find out.
This is the third missing-sister book I've read recently, all strong. The others were Jenny Quintana's The Missing Girl and Chris Whitaker's All the Wicked Girls.
Posted in Amateur Detective, Crime, Fiction, Reading . . .	| Tagged Julia Heaberlin, murder, mystery, Paper Ghosts, Texas, thriller
****Number 7, Rue Jacob
Posted on May 30, 2018 by Victoria
photo: rocksee, creative commons license
By Wendy Hornsby –Maggie MacGowen is an almost-forty-year-old American, dedicated to her documentary filmmaking career and engaged to delightful Frenchman Jean-Paul Bernard, about a decade her senior. Though he says his job is "in business," she realizes it is something far more consequential and lets him keep his secrets.
She's in Paris to rendezvous with him and look for some documentary film work there, as they plan to marry. She'll stay at number 7, rue Jacob, in a flat inherited from her biological mother, a Frenchwoman she never really knew. After her mother died, she learned she has a half-brother, a grandmother, an uncle, and nephews in France, still practically strangers.
Her inheritance isn't just the flat. Maggie and Jean-Paul now own all three buildings of a former convent, including a mysterious basement library. Many people want the library's contents, including officials from the diocese, the Vatican, and the Louvre, whom Maggie's mother believed should have the religious books. The library also contains a number of illuminated manuscripts created for 17th c. Russian regent Sofia Alekseyevna. These are of almost inestimable value, since most such treasures were destroyed during the Revolution.
Almost before Maggie can unpack, Jean-Paul sends an urgent summons and a request for her to meet him in Italy. She follows his ominous instructions—burner phones only, cash, no credit cards—to the letter. When she finds Jean-Paul, he's been injured. A drone dropped a bomb in front of his vehicle. This is an exciting set-up for the cat-and-mouse game that takes the pair from Venice to Ravenna and across Italy.
Hornsby's novel is a cautionary tale about how easily people's location can be tracked these days. First, a simple tracking device was attached to Maggie's coat. Then someone uses social media to broadcast a call to "find this couple!" Photos of them are posted by dozens of casual passersby, as if Maggie and Jean-Paul are targets in some terrifying Pokemon Go universe.
The instructions change from "find them" to "stop them" with a reward attached, and the risk goes through the roof. Anyone with a cell phone can potentially expose them. Whether all the technology can be used exactly as Hornsby uses it here, the story bears the stamp of "Oh yeah, I can believe some idiot would try that."
But what do their pursuers want? Are they after Maggie, with her film exposé about unexploded landmines? Or is Jean-Paul the real target? Or is it 7 rue Jacob itself, and its hidden library of precious illuminated texts? My questions about the initial attacks on Jean-Paul weren't ever satisfactorily answered, but in the thrill of the chase, I set them aside. Again, though, the motivation is weak.
From the streets of Paris to the canals of Venice, to the several other locales in this story takes, Hornsby establishes an alluring sense of place. She has a clear writing style and creates significant tension around the threat to Maggie and Jean-Paul, as well as a warm and sexy relationship between them. At the same time, she pays attention to the ties to Maggie's new French family that complicate whatever she decides about her unexpected, many-strings-attached inheritance.
Posted in Crime, Fiction, Reading . . ., Social Media, Technology, thriller	| Tagged mystery, Number 7 Rue Jacob, Paris, Wendy Hornsby
Walter Mosley's Advice for Author Readings
Posted on April 19, 2018 by Victoria
Walter Mosley—one of the illuminati of crime fiction—spoke yesterday in Princeton, providing good advice for authors invited to read from their work. He prefaced it by noting that, while he loves writing and cannot imagine doing anything else, it's also his business. It's how he earns a living. Participating in a lot of readings over the years, he's developed this nugget: "the longer you read, the fewer people buy the book."
He once attended a reading for a book that adopted an esoteric analysis of the life of Tolstoy. "Sounds interesting," he thought. After the author went on to read from it for an hour, "I was never going to buy that book."
Then he proceeded to read about seven pages from the beginning of his own new book, published last February, Down the River Unto the Sea, leaving us wanting more, enough to buy the book more. He told us in advance that his black ex-detective, a man named Joe King Oliver, becomes involved in the case of a black political activist sentenced to death for killing of a couple of on-duty policemen, with Oliver hired to help prove a wrongful conviction. It's evident that though the early pages are full of Mosley's sly wit, there is lots of pain to come.
Mosley has written 55 or 56 books, even he isn't sure of the exact number, many of them his popular Los Angeles-based crime novels involving detective Easy Rawlins, and other kinds of books too—literature, science fiction, plays, and advice for writers. But he says, "Everyone wants me to write mysteries." Those people will be happy with this new work, which Richard Lipez in The Washington Post called "as gorgeous a novel as anything he's ever written."
He's received a wonderfully long list of awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and was brought to Princeton as part of a reading series organized by the Lewis Center on the Arts Creative Writing Program.
Check out more of his wisdom in this recent interview.
Posted in Author, Fiction, First Draft Blog, writing	| Tagged mystery, Walter Mosley, writer
Good Health, Good Luck, Good Reading
Posted on March 15, 2018 by Victoria
photo: Phil King, creative commons license
Here are a few of my favorite books by Irish writers. Grab one of these books and pour yourself something tarry. Sláinte!
Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha won the Man Booker Prize for its recounting of the life of a 10-year-old Dublin boy whose family is on the eve of destruction.
The Gathering by Anne Enright, another Booker prize-winner "has more layers to it—of grief, love, lightness, tragedy, absurdity, and trauma—than an onion, and may cause as much weeping" says The American Scholar. I felt privileged to hear her reading last year under auspices of Princeton's Fund for Irish Studies.
The Year of the French is a wonderful historical tale (part of a trilogy) by American writer Thomas Flanagan. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Don't know who Wolf Tone was? Read this and you will.
The International by Glenn Patterson, another writer who has appeared in Princeton, and his The International is the story of a single night in the bar of the International Hotel, while upstairs a consequential meeting forming the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. It's not about militants at all but about state-of-mind.
You may think there's not much new literary territory to explore in male-female sexual relations, yet award-winning author Eimear McBride's The Lesser Bohemians finds it and mines it. Innovative, immersive, dazzling.
Crime/Thrillers
Tana French is an American who's lived in Dublin for nearly thirty years. In her books about the Dublin Murder Squad, she has created what might be termed an ensemble production, as each department member takes a turn in the leading role. Of these, I've read Broken Harbor, featuring Dublin detective "Scorcher" Kennedy.
The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville won the LA Times Book Prize for its depiction of an IRA assassin unable to come to terms with his past. Edge-of-your seat.
Adrian McKinty writes about crime in his native Belfast amidst the Troubles. His detective, Sean Duffy, is a rare Catholic in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Cold, Cold Ground is first in the series. The 2017 entry—which I would want to read based on the title alone—is Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly. I recommend the audio versions for the super narration by Gerard Doyle.
Finally, to quote another notable Irish writer, Oscar Wilde, "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all." Any of these is worth more than one pass!
Posted in Author, Fiction, Reading . . .	| Tagged family drama, Ireland, mystery, romance, thriller, world literature
****The Missing Girl
Posted on February 1, 2018 by Victoria
photo: anyjazz65, creative commons license
Written by Jenny Quintana – In this debut psychological thriller, narrator Anna Flores returns to England after her mother's death to do what needs to be done—quickly—before returning to her life she's made in sunny Greece. The gloom and wet of approaching winter practically seep into her bones, and making her escape turns out to be much more difficult than she hopes. And, like all villages (at least in mysteries!), Anna's childhood home has its dark secrets.
She finds herself burdened by the house and all its memory-filled contents, the divestiture of her father's second-hand shop, the House of Flores, the encounters with friends and neighbors from her youth. Though she has been away for three decades, the house, the shop, the people remind her incessantly about the one thing she will not find: her sister Gabriella.
Anna was 12 and her sister 15 in the autumn of 1982 when Gabriella disappeared without a trace. The chapters alternate between the current day and the year Gabriella went missing. You don't learn much about the decades in between; it's as if Anna's life went on pause when she lost her sister.
Anna's mother, who had been a so-so manager of the shop after her husband's death, has inexplicably contracted to do a house clearance for Lemon Tree Cottage, a dwelling with painful memories for Anna. In part out of guilt over abandoning her mother for so long, she resolves, with some reluctance, to finish up this last job for her.
Quintana gets the psychology of the piece just right: the dynamic between the two girls, Anna's adoration of her sister and obsession with finding her, the differing relationships the girls have with their parents, the grief that haunts them after Gabriella disappears, and the lengths Anna will go to in order to deny the possibility Gabriella is dead. The voice of the youthful Anna and the 40-year-old Anna are handled believably.
Long after the police gave up the search, little Anna persisted. One focus of her ill-conceived investigations was Lemon Tree Cottage and its mysterious occupants. Now, decades later, she has a chance to go through every scrap of belongings from the cottage, and she is drawn back into her researches, knowing and expecting she will find nothing.
Quintana has a smooth, absorbing writing style that carries you deeper and deeper into the complicated past of the Flores family. Instead of graphic violence, she chooses to explore the long tail of evil.
Posted in Crime, Drama, Fiction, Reading . . .	| Tagged England, Jenny Quintana, mystery, The Missing Girl
Booky, Booky, 4 capsule reviews, 7/17
****No Way to Die, a lively mystery of ancient China, 7/15
Navigating Oceans of Words with a faulty "rulebook," 7/11
****The Bulldog and the Helix, gripping true-crime story, 7/10
3 new collections of short crime fiction, Snatching Summer Reading Time, 7/8
My tales in publication
A new reporter for the Sweetwater, Tex., Register uncovers the dark side of the renewable energy boom when a friend is murdered under bizarre circumstances. Get your hands on it here!
Join Me . . .
Follow @vsk8s
Privacy	Proudly powered by WordPress


Join us for Worship and Bible study Sunday mornings at 10:00 as Pastor David teaches from the New Testament. We also provide ministry to children ages 19 months - 11 years old as well as nursery care for ages birth-18 months.
If you are unable to get out of the house to join us, you can always catch the live stream of Sunday Morning and Thursday Evening teachings by clicking on the 'Live Streaming' button. Streaming times are Sunday mornings at 10:00 and Thursday evenings at 7:00.
Thursday night Worship and verse by verse Bible Study begins at 7:00 PM in the main sanctuary. On Thursday evenings, we teach verse by verse from the Old Testament. Children's ministry for age birth-11 years is also offered on Thursdays.
Men's fellowship features a free hot breakfast provided by the church, followed by a Bible study. We meet on the third Saturday of every month at 8:00AM.
Women's Fellowship Breakfast features a free hot breakfast followed by a Bible study. We meet the first Saturday of every month at 9:30AM. Please make other arrangements for your children as childcare is not available.
Check our calendar for this month's dates.


AAON is engaged in the engineering, manufacturing, marketing and sale of air conditioning and heating equipment consisting of standard, semi-custom and custom rooftop units, chillers, packaged mechanical rooms, air handling units, makeup air units, energy recovery units, condensing units and coils.
Don't see the annual report for AAON Inc? Please visit these similar companies.


text:
RONAL-D'OH
Man Utd legend Cristiano Ronaldo headbutted me and got sent off – it was one of the highlights of my career
FORMER Portsmouth star Richard Hughes has revealed being headbutted by Cristiano Ronaldo was one of his career highlights.
The five-cap former Scotland international, now 42, went toe-to-toe with the Portuguese legend, 36, during Pompey's 1-1 draw with United in August 2007.
Richard Hughes has called being headbutted by Cristiano Ronaldo a 'career highlight'Credit: The Digital South
Ronaldo was sent-off for headbutting Hughes during a feisty 1-1 draw between Portsmouth and Man Utd in 2007Credit: Getty
Hughes came off the bench as a sub under specific instruction to contain Ronaldo at set-pieces.
And the midfielder - who spent nearly a decade at Portsmouth between 2002 and 2011, playing 165 times - did so well he caused the United legend to lose his rag, headbutt him and get sent off.
Looking back at that game, Hughes told Played Up Pompey Three: "It was a trivial moment. One of the highlights of my career, but an insignificant encounter for Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I'm not someone who scored loads of goals, so I have to remember other landmarks.
"Should I ever meet people who don't necessarily remember me playing Premier League football, I can always tell them that one of the game's greats headbutted me.
"Sir Alex Ferguson afterwards said Ronaldo shouldn't get involved with inferior players.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
"He was absolutely right, I am an inferior player. Did I take offence?
"Well, 99 per cent of the footballing world is inferior to Cristiano Ronaldo, so I had absolutely no problem with that."
Hughes went on to explain just how he got under Ronaldo's skin - revealing he was under specific instructions to challenge the United legend at set-pieces.
The ex-Pompey man continued: "Having come off the bench, my instructions were to pick up Ronaldo from set-pieces.
"I knew if he had a run on the ball then his jump was unbelievable.
"So when a corner was about to be taken, I deliberately moved towards him to make us collide, yet portrayed it as accidental while the ball sailed over our heads.
"He knew what I was up to – I was blocking his ability to get a run on the cross.
"Then another corner opportunity arrived – and this time he was looking out for me.
"Ronaldo went to push me off, so I flipped his hand away and the timing was perfect, he came stumbling forward and landed against my chest.
"'Get off', I shouted as he was in my face... typical footballers behaving like stags.
"Now I wasn't interested in a head-to-head altercation, so he had to come in a little closer – and, when he did, he popped against the side of my head.
"He didn't mean to headbutt me, but went in aggressively and ended up doing just that."
Ronaldo was sent for an early bath after headbutting Hughes as both sides ended the game with ten menCredit: Reuters
Revealing he didn't believe Ronaldo should have been shown red, Hughes continued by admitting he worried he would get in trouble for his tactics.
Hughes claimed: "I don't actually think he should have been sent off, but it did make a sound and the referee Steve Bennett was right there next to us.
"I was conscious not to make a huge deal of it, I didn't go down, but shouted 'Ref, is he allowed to do that?'
"'No', said Bennett – and Ronaldo was shown the red card.
"Suddenly I was having this out-of-body experience, this was going to be big news and I was asking myself whether I had done anything wrong.
"Could I be charged afterwards? Well, I didn't even receive a booking.
"Ronaldo could have been a huge influence in that game and I was delighted.
"Anyone who tells you they don't want to see a fellow pro dismissed is talking nonsense."
Man Utd won the return fixture at Old Trafford 2-0, with Ronaldo scoring both.
Man Utd email


text:
January 26, 2023 | Abdullah Jallow | Bid'ah (Innovation), Contemporary Issues, Da'wah – Calling To Islam, Deviated Groups, Sects and Parties, History of Islam, Khawaarij, Methodology – 'Manhaj', Morals and Manners – 'Akhlaaq', Pearls of Wisdom, Purification of The Soul, Refutations, Sin, Worship – 'Ibaadah'
Some Khaarijites (terrorists) seek to use this hadith to justify their heinous knife crimes in the name of Islam, whilst some vile and spiteful demagogues, Ideologues, Islamophobes and rabble-rousers seek to claim that this hadith shows that the deeds of the kharijites are based on Islamic texts. All these groups are misguided liars – may Allaah guide them or break their backs Aameen.
Context of The Hadith "With slaughter I came to you". (a)
Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Aas [may Allaah be pleased with him and his father] was asked about the worst thing he saw committed by the Quraysh against Allaah's Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him], so he said, "I was present when their notables met together one day in al-Hijr. They spoke about Allaah's Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] and said, 'We have never exercised patience in anything similar to that which we are exercising patient regarding this man. He has declared us fools, reviled our forefathers, criticised our religion, split our ranks and insulted our gods. Indeed, we have exercised patience regarding him in a great affair – or they stated some statement to that effect. So while they were engaged in that discussion, Allaah's Messenger appeared and kept on walking until he touched the corner [of the Ka 'bah, where the Black Stone is]; then he went past them as he performed Tawaaf around the Kabah. When he went past them, they made fun of some of the statements he was uttering, and I could see from [the expression] on his face that it [offended him]. Then he carried on and when he went past them the second time, they made fun of him in the same manner and I could see from [the expression] on his face that it [offended him]. Then he carried on and when he went past them the third time, they made fun of him in the same manner. Then he said, "O Quraish! Listen to me. By the One in Whose hand is Muhammad's soul, I have brought slaughter to you". The people were very shocked by his statement to the extent that there was not a man amongst them except that he froze, as if there was a bird on his head, and those who uttered the harshest statements to him – prior to that – began speaking to him with the best words, saying, "O Abul Qaasim! Go away, go away, because by Allaah you have never been an ignorant person". So he left them. Then the next day, they gathered at al-Hijr and I was with them. They said to one another, "You stated how impatient you are becoming with him, what you have heard about him and what he is saying, then as soon as he said something that alarmed you, you left him alone". Whilst they were in that state, Allaah's Messenger appeared and they all rushed towards him together, surrounded him and said, "You are the one who said such and such" – making reference to what has reached them regarding the criticism he directs at their gods and religion. He said, "Yes, I am the one who said that". Then indeed I saw a man amongst them grab the neck of his garment, so Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq [may Allaah be pleased with him] got up to defend him and said whilst crying, "Would you kill a man just because he says, 'My lord is Allah?' Then they left him and that was the worst incident of aggression I saw from the Quraish. (1)
In another hadeeth reported by Imaam Bukhaari, Urwa Bin Zubayr [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, "I asked Abdullah ibn Amr [may Allaah be pleased with him], 'What was the worst thing the Mushrikoon did to Allaah's Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him]?' He said, 'I saw Uqbah Bin Abee Mu'ayt coming to the Prophet while he was praying and put his sheet around his neck and squeezed it hard. AbuBakr [may Allaah be pleased with him] came and pulled Uqba away from the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] and said, "Do you intend to kill a man just because he says, 'My Lord is Allaah', and he has brought forth clear signs (proofs) from your Lord?'". (2)
So, we clearly see in the above narrations that the Prophet was greatly harmed by the Quraish notables. And regarding the statement of the Prophet, "O Quraish! Listen to me. By the One in Whose hand is Muhammad's soul, I have brought slaughter to you", Shaikh Saaleh Aala Ash-Shaikh [may Allaah preserve him] said, "These people [i.e. Khaarijites] come along and say things and doubts- that the Prophet said, 'I have brought you slaughter'… 'I have brought you slaughter'. So they understand the word Slaughter to mean cutting off the head. This is an understanding that is very far away from what is correct. And from the proofs that it is far away from what is correct is that it has not been implemented (in this manner) by anyone from the Muslim nation amongst the companions of the Prophet- to whom this statement was made – up until our present time when these [khaarijites] implemented it in this manner!
The context of the Prophet's statement "I have brought you slaughter" is that the Arabs and the disbelievers before Islam used to treat the captive or the enemy in various ways- torture, punishment, humiliation etc.. The Prophet forbade all of that, and said, "I have brought you slaughter", meaning killing by way of confrontation [i.e. when war takes between combatants]. Slaughter in this context means to kill and encounter [by way of war between combatants] and it does not mean to pull out a knife as it is said or as they assume. Therefore, all that the Arabs used to do with regards to torturing the people before death, cutting off the ears, mutilating the person during war etc, Islam eradicated it; so one thing remained and that is to kill [during war between combatants]. And if the person is not killed, then he is to be honoured, safeguarded, protected and treated, and he has the well-known rulings related to the affair of a captive. This hadeeth has many ramifications and detail explanation [i.e. other than the false understanding derived from it by the Khaarijites]. (3)
Therefore, we say to the spiteful militant secularists and stupid journalists, "After being acquainted with the correct understanding of this hadeeth from a Saudi Salafi Scholar, will you still attribute the deeds of the Khawaarij (ISIS etc) to Islaam?! By Allaah, you have uttered a mighty slander and a filthy statement. May Allaah guide you or protect us from your slanderous tongues Aameen. Indeed, the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon im] informed us about the khawaarij in many ahaadeeth. He said, "A people will come from the east who recite the Qur'aan, but it will not go beyond their throats. They will pass through the religion just as an arrow pierces its target and they will not return to it just as the arrow does not return to the bow". [Al-Bukhaari 7123]
He said, "During the last days [i.e. end of time], there will be young people with foolish dreams. They will say the best of statements amongst creation, but they will pass through Islam just as an arrow passes through its game. Their Eemaan will not go beyond their throats". [Al-Bukhari 4770]
He said, "There will be discord and division in my Ummah and a people will come with beautiful statements but evil deeds. They recite the Qur'aan, but it will not go beyond their throats. They will exit the religion just as an arrow leaves its target and they will not return until the arrows returns to its notch. They are the worst of the creation". [Abu Dawud 4765]
He said, "Some people from my Ummah will emerge from the east, who recite the Quran but it will not go beyond their throats. Every time a group of them appears it will be cut off. The Messenger repeated this and on the tenth time he said, "Every time a group of them emerges, it will be cut off, until Dajjaaj appears from their remnants". [Musnad Aḥmad 27767]
Ubaydullaah Ibn Abee Raafi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, "The Khawaarij came out against Ali ibn Abee Taalib [may Allaah be pleased with him] and said, 'There is no judgement, except the judgement of Allaah', so Ali said them, 'A statement of truth by way of which falsehood is intended'". [Ṣaḥeeh Muslim 1066]
Imaam Wahb Ibn Munabbih [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, "I was acquainted with the early period of Islaam. By Allaah, the Khaawaarij have never had a group except that Allaah caused it to split because of their evil state of affairs. Never did one of them publicize his opinion except that Allah caused his neck to be struck. Never did the Muslim Ummah unite behind a man from the Khawaarij. If Allah allowed the opinion of the Khawaarij to be accepted and established, then the earth would have been corrupted, the carriageways would have been cut off, Hajj to the sacred house of Allah would have ceased and the affair of Islam would have reverted to ignorance until the people seek shelter in the mountains as they did in the time of ignorance. If ten or twenty men among them were to rise, there would not be a man among them except that he claims the khilaafah for himself- every man among them would have ten thousand other men with him and all of them fighting each other, accusing one another of disbelief until the believer fears for himself, his religion, his life, his family, his wealth, and would not know where to travel or who to be with". (4)
Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, "If they ever gained strength, they would surely corrupt the whole of the earth, Iraq and Syria (Shaam) – they would not leave a baby, male or female, neither a man or a woman, because as far as they are concerned the people have caused corruption, a corruption that cannot be rectified except by mass killing".More detail here by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allaah preserve him]: https://www.abukhadeejah.com/isis-in-iraq-syria-ibn-kathir-died-774-ah-if-the-khawaarij-ever-gained-strength-in-iraq-and-syria-there-would-be-mass-killing/
Imaam At-Tabari [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, "The Khawarij came to a village and captured a man and his daughter. She said to them, 'O people of Islaam! Verily, my father is an old man so do not kill him, and I am only a girl. By Allaah, I have never committed immorality and I have never harmed anyone'. They brought her out to murder her whilst she kept on saying, 'What sin have I committed; what sin have I committed?' She fainted thereafter and they killed her with their swords". (5)
Indeed, we have all witnessed the atrocities perpetrated by the present day Khawaarij, just as the above mentioned three Imaams of the Sunnah reported incidents regarding ISIS's barbaric predecessors. The khawaarij do not even spare one another, as Imaam Wahb Ibn Munabbih stated, "If ten or twenty men among them were to rise, there would not be a man among them except that he claims the Caliphate for himself; every man among them would have ten thousand other men with him and all of them fighting each other, accusing one another of disbelief". Indeed, this is exactly what was happening in Syria.
Read the following articles titled: Takfiris on Steroids: The Alleged 'Jihad' of 'The Dogs of Hellfire' – ISIS and al-Nusrah in Iraq and Syria: By Shaikh Abu Iyaadh [may Allaah preserve him]:
http://www.takfiris.com/takfir/articles/xpxlk-takfiri-chaos-isis-make-takfir-and-kills-leader-of-al-nusrah.cfm
http://www.takfiris.com/takfir/articles/sewep-takfiris-on-steroids-the-alleged-jihad-of-the-dogs-of-hellfire—isis-and-al-nusrah-in-iraq-and-syria.cfm
http://www.takfiris.com/takfir/articles/pqdbf-takfiris-on-steroids-3-saudi-member-of-jabhah-al-nusrah-executes-two-saudis-from-isis-daish.cfm
http://www.takfiris.com/takfir/
Therefore, this victory mentioned in the hadeeth is not for the criminals of ISIS, rather the Prophet stated that whenever a group of the Khawaarij emerges they will be cut off.
Read articles: The Life of the Muhammad in Madinah: Treaties, Conquests and his Death (Islam 1.11): https://www.abukhadeejah.com/the-life-of-the-muhammad-in-madinah-treaties-conquests-and-his-death/
Salafi Shaikh Fawzaan on Jihaad in our times and the guidelines of Jihaad according to Islam
https://www.abukhadeejah.com/salafi-shaikh-fawzaan-on-jihaad-in-our-times-and-the-guidelines-of-jihaad-according-to-islam/
Finally, these spiteful Islamophobes, ideologues, rabble-rousers and demagogues should also be reminded of the atrocities committed by some of their leaders amongst the globalists. The khaarijites slaughter and transgress after twisting the texts of the pure religion, whilst some of the globalists initiate hostilities, transgress and slaughter in the name upholding the so called ideals of the so called civilized world. We ask Allaah to protect us from the evil of the khaarijites and spiteful secularists Aameen.
[Ref a:Hadeeth declared 'Hasan' By Imaam Al-Albaanee in Saheeh Mawaarid 1404]
[Ref 1: Fathul Baaree 1/567. Daarus Salaam 1st edition 1421AH Year 2000]
[Ref 2: Sharh Umdatul Ahkaam page 96. By Imaam As-Sadi.Publisher Daar at-tawheed 1st edition 1431AH Year 2010]
[Ref 3: Listen to audio here: https://youtu.be/h1j7VXndF2M%5D
[Ref 4: Taareekh Dimashq 69290]
[Ref 5: Taareekh At-Tabari 6/124]


text:
Imprint: Ebury Press
The compelling and deeply personal autobiography of a rugby hero
Ben Cohen's dad didn't know anything about the sport his young son had taken up, but he was happy to drive him to practice, and was soon helping out at the club. When his business went bankrupt money was tight, but Ben's hard working parents inspired their son to put his all into rugby.
Then, when Ben was 20, his father intervened in a fight in the nightclub where he worked. He was viciously beaten and one month later he died in hospital. Ben was doing an England press conference at the time, and it was down to coach Clive Woodward to deliver the devastating news. But the ordeal was far from over. The inquest lasted five months before the funeral could be held, and it was a year before the family were in court, facing Peter's assailants.
Ben put all of the anger and pain from his father's death into his rugby. Fast and powerful on the wing, he was soon the best in the world in his position and a cornerstone of the England team, culminating in the legendary World Cup win in Sydney in 2003. And yet he always felt like an outsider. Most people didn't know that Ben is clinically deaf. His sixth sense for the game got him through on the pitch, but off it his poor hearing was often taken for arrogance.
This is an inspirational story of passion and pain; of the highs of achieving your goals, and the grief of losing something you can never get back.
Pub date: 15 September 2016
Ben Cohen MBE is the second-highest try scorer in England Rugby history and was part of the 2003 World Cup-winning team in Sydney. He began his professional playing career at Northampton Saints, before joining French team Brive and later Sale. He retired in 2011 to set up The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation to combat bullying and homophobia. He has twin daughters and lives in Northamptonshire.
Also by Ben Cohen
Turia Pitt
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel
The Light Between Us
Laura Lynne Jackson
For the Love of Horses
The Hare With Amber Eyes
Sam and Chester
Jo Bailey-Merritt
Daisy's Gift
Claire Guest
Lethal Force
Tony Long
Amanda Leask
Until We Are Free
A Mother's Reckoning
He Who Dares
Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter


text:
Q: Is it possible to use Single File Vue Components in premade html files I'm trying to create a Flask project but I wanted to use Vue as well. I've done some reading about how I can use js files and combine them into my html files and make components like that, but I want to be able to create vue files and use them in my index.html without having to generate an app.html from webpack. I'd like to be able to use a component made in a vue file inside an index.html that I'm already using in flask. Is this possible?
webapp
|-- static
  |-- css
  |-- vueComponents
    |--  Hello.vue
  |-- js
  |-- templates
    |-- index.html (not generated by webpack and vue)

A: Yep. https://v2.vuejs.org/v2/guide/installation.html#Direct-lt-script-gt-Include

new Vue({
    el: "#foo",
    template: `<span>Hello world!</span>`
})

A: Yes, it is, but there are some disadvantages using this approach for big projects. You can read more here. For a small size project, you can use Vue.component and render using css selectors creating a Vue instance. You can check this here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND ON THE BAD GUY?
Back in 2016, I wrote an article called Focusing On The Bad Guys that sort of brushed on this subject. However, it wasn't quite what I want to get at this time. I've further brushed on the subject here and there since I started the site. Today, like with many of my articles, I drew inspiration from a book I just read, though I won't name said book. That doesn't matter. What matters is that as a writer, I want to present the best story possible. As a reader, I have certain likes and dislikes. Of course, I'm not everyone, but I bet I'm not the only one who feels the same way about certain things. Will this affect who ultimately likes my books? Sure. Can I make everyone like my books?
All I can do is write not only to my best satisfaction, but with as much integrity as I can, and to what I gauge will please the audience the best, based on my sixty plus years of reading and what I've learned.
If that isn't to everyone's taste?
This is not from a literary perspective, but rather an action perspective. After what I took from a recent book signing event and another author, I want to make that perfectly clear!
Here, I have to quote one of my favorite cowboy actors from the 60's and 70's.
Jack Elam often played a bad guy, though later in life, he found a much better niche in comedy. With a bad (wayward) eye and a flair for being faux-serious, he made a perfect comical presence.
I once read an interview with him, after he retired to his home in Oregon, not long before he passed away. He grumbled about the changes in movies and how the bad guys were portrayed. I'm paraphrasing here.
The bad guys are essential to any novel. It doesn't matter how you define bad guys (or gals), the fact is, no matter what, you have to have conflict. The "bad guy" is only in matter of degree and description.
When we're talking about mysteries, thrillers, adventure, westerns, or any story with a significant conflict, this usually involves one or more bad guys, non-gender specific. Even if it's a disaster story and the main bad guy is nature, there always has to be a human element as well. It can't be just nature without some human nature thrown in.
The question comes into how much real estate are you, the author, going to spend on the bad guy(s).
I usually dread, or at least blow out a long breath when I come to the sections where the author delves into the thoughts, feelings and actions of the bad guy or guys (once again, non-gender-specific). To me, though the intent is to justify why the baddie is being bad, it also slows down the action of the hero, the main gist of the story – in other words, the reason why I'm reading it in the first place.
These "pauses" to delve into bad guy character development bring the story movement to a screeching halt.
Way too often, authors waste time and resources, better spent elsewhere, rambling on the bad guy, when they could be carrying the story forward through the good guy.
This is exactly why I often cringe and blow out a long breath when I come to a bad guy chapter. That is, until I see how the author handles these things.
Good old Jack Elam comes to mind again. In fact more often than not, his goofy old face from The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County or some other comedy pops into my head. At these moments, I recall that quote.
Old Jack was dead on.
I don't want to know why the bad guy's mother treated him poorly. Just get on with it!
Now, if the bad guy's doing something that moves the story forward, like setting up an ambush for the good guy, well…that's okay to a point – as long as it doesn't take five chapters to get there.
Someone like Stephen King would probably hate me. If you're a big fan of King, you might, as well. He can take forever to get to the point. At the same time, there are plenty of readers that prefer authors that do get to the point.
There are plenty of King fans out there. There are plenty of literary leaning readers and authors as well. They eat up this wordy stuff.
There are also plenty of readers that cringe at old Jack's comment.
At the same time, I bet there are lots of readers, and writers that like to get to the point.
To me, any story has to have a light balance of bad guy stuff mixed in. There has to be enough to justify why he or she does what they do, but not enough to drag the story down and take away from the main characters. That's my take on it. When I get one of those books I can't put down, you can bet it's got those features.


text:
1 gmina w Niemczech:
 Bredenbek – gmina w kraju związkowym Szlezwik-Holsztyn, w powiecie Rendsburg-Eckernförde

2 rzeki w Niemczech:
 Bredenbek – dopływ Alster
 Bredenbek – dopływ Bünzau

Zobacz też: Bredenbeck


I wanted to celebrate all moms today — to give you a virtual hug and high-five. Whether you're a mother in your heart waiting for your baby or child, have a soccer team of your own at home, or have an empty nest but still so much momma love to give: I see you, I applaud you, and you're amazing. Happy Mother's Day.
Zoom Theory is a Lovely Vendor. If you would like to be considered for the Lovely Vendor Guide, apply here.
Beautiful pictures! Thank you for the feature!
Thanks for including our image! They are all beautiful photos that show that special love that only moms can provide!


The last bit is tough though - time starts crawling by - still, I've allowed the final countdown to begin in my head, and I'm on a kind of manic mission to get the house sorted and things finished before he's back. This usually happens, and as I've already said it's completely bonkers, because he's not going to be remotely bothered about how the house looks. He just wants to be home. But I think it helps me somehow.
During a kitchen drawer clear out (because he's really going to be looking through the drawers..) I found a box of fish. They're made from copper wire someone gave me a while ago. I bent it with pliers into a simple shape, then threaded beads and shells onto very thin wire, and wrapped this around each one.
I've always had a thing about fish. Not exactly sure why, but there's something comforting about them. I have shoals of all shapes and sizes, on curtains, cushions, pictures, tiles - you could easily play spot the fish in any room here.
Over the years I've worked them into many things I've made too, and that's really what I'm getting at in a roundabout way. The last time my husband was on tour in Afghanistan I made a large mosaic fish mirror, and it is important to me - packed with memories and emotion. Making something out of the wire fish is similar really. A reminder of the year - the ups and downs, but I hope mostly the positive things that have come out of these 12 months on my own.
I knew I had a bag of lovely bleached, smooth pieces of driftwood gathered on a beach trip, so a mobile seemed like a good option.
Getting the balance right was tricky, but attaching it to a hanger on a curtain pole meant I could fiddle about with the dangling fish, and get them hanging properly.
Now they're swimming around in the bathroom, and mobiles have been added to my list of things that are seriously hard to photograph..
Will he notice? Maybe not.
But it'll always mean something to me.
The fish is a sign for Jesus. Are you religious at all? Perhaps it expresses your faith or hopes and prayers?
Anyhow, it's lovely! I have a garage full of driftwood just waiting for this kind of inspiration!
he won't be going back to Afghanistan (though I remember being told something similar before this tour...) Home for a few months and then we'll be back to weekly commuting - but don't feel too phased by that after this year!
It's really beautiful. I have a massive piece of driftwood propped up in the dining room, awaiting, er, something!
Very excited for you about his return.
Thanks so much Lakota, it is getting exciting now! Hard to believe in some ways it's nearly over.
so creative! love the fish from wires you made and how you hang them too...i too have been putting off finishing my granny square,anyways...so happy for you that you're going to welcome your husband home pretty soon. Have a great time!
I love the mobile - and its meaning. very special. I collected loads of bleached driftwood once., It sat around ina carrier bag and I always intended to make something, but never did then it turned into kindling :-( This month - hooray!!
So lovely :-) (you can play spot the bird in our house, I have an unexplained thing for birds !).
Hope time starts to speed up soon & he's home before you know. I know what it can be like when you're so looking forward to something though, sometimes time seems to go frustratingly slow.


With the end of the financial year fast approaching, you no doubt will be wondering what your pay review should be. Are you getting what you are worth?
In Sydney, there has recently been an increase in demand for legal secretaries in the market after a protracted period of sluggish or negative growth. With the forecast for the financial markets being a little brighter, firms are now finding that recruitment is a priority and where, in the past two years, firms have been extremely conservative in their recruitment practices, the upswing has led to most firms looking at their headcount and realising they need to hire.
If you are seeking a new role, now is the time to do it. Just before the end of Financial Year, firms rush to fill roles that they have the budget for. They are keen to recruit and move on to recruitment plans for the new Financial Year. There are also less candidates looking as they tend to wait until after the pay review period to seek new roles, so less candidates, means less competition and a higher chance you will find your dream role.
After the end of the Financial Year, we traditionally see an upswing in recruitment activity as those not happy with their pay reviews, move quickly to seek new roles.