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Try out my SciFi/Fantasy series Tasks of the Nakairi!
Find Valbore and Nexus of Change on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. Book Three, The Shurshu coming soon. Update: Shurshu is all done except final formatting. But I have developed a serious medical issue –surgery is in my immediate future, so things will be delayed for a couple of weeks. Sorry about that.
And my Thriller Series, ATF Agent Charley Rogers
Books in the Charley Rogers Series, Trace of Madness and The Death God are available on Kindle Unlimited also.
Sample the first chapters from book one of each series below
Valbore introduces you to the world in which the Aria Atlani are refugees from another universe which was destroyed. This world, called Eperu, is but one of the sanctuaries in different universes to which they have escaped. Now, faced with the horror one group of the world’s natives have conjured up, Sara from Earth was brought to this universe to battle the thing known as a valbore.
Sara: 14 years ago
I gave him a hug when I entered. I was careful, but I could see it hurt him anyway. He was nothing but skin and bones now. Nobody would tell me how he was doing anymore. Their expressions told me he didn’t have long. I didn’t want to lose my dad, but I was only nine. I couldn’t do anything about cancer and wishing wouldn’t fix this.
“Hey, Sunshine!” His voice was rough and whispery. He looked tired. His fingers idly picked at a new bandage on his arm.
“Hi, Daddy. The nurses keep waking you up all night again?”
His smile was wry. “Yeah. They tried a different painkiller, but it made me all itchy. I scratched until I bled before they noticed. They got a little upset over it. How’s your mother handling things?”
I looked over my shoulder. Mom was talking to the doctor. She was crying again. “Not very good. She got fired from the bar she was working at. Maureen told me some guy hit on her and she started crying. Fell apart right there in front of everybody. She’s not eating enough either. I have to remind her to eat. Maybe she just doesn’t like my cooking. I’m not real good at it.”
He looked sad. “This has been tough on her. Thanks for taking care of her. I know it’s not right. You’re nine. She should take care of you, not the other way around. I want you to understand that it’s not her fault. She never really learned how to handle adversity.”
At my puzzled expression, he gave a coughing laugh and patted my hand. “I know your mom hasn’t talked about her family at all. She has her reasons. When she was growing up, your mom lived in an extremely strict household. Her grandparents told her what to wear, what to do, what to say, what to think. They never allowed her to be herself, to be strong. They also didn’t allow her to make decisions, so she’s not real good at it. We loved each other, and I felt sorry for her so I wanted to rescue her from that. You can’t force people to change though. I tried to do better with you.”
I gently gripped his frail hand. “Do better how?”
“She never had choices. I made sure you did. I made sure you knew you could be the person you choose to be. Our choices make us who we are. If you want to be strong, you will be. If you want to be happy, you will be. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Be who you choose to be, not what others would have you be. If you’re strong in here,” he weakly tapped his temple, “you can do anything. Never forget that sunshine.”
“I won’t, Daddy.”
“Sara, could you to go out to the waiting room, sweetie? I need to talk to your father.” Mom’s voice broke on the last word.
I didn’t want to leave. She promised I could spend more time than this with him. I loved him too! Why did she have to hog all the visiting time for herself?
“Now, Sara!” Her voice was sharp this time.
My shoulders slumped in defeat and I turned back to my father with a forced smile. “I gotta go. I love you, Daddy.”
He cupped my cheek. “I love you too, Sunshine.”
It was the last time I ever saw him. The funeral was eight days later.
Sara: Present Day
I carefully guided my wheelchair through the tombstones looking for my father’s grave. The ground was uneven, and the loss of my eye meant I lacked depth perception so it was slow going.
I finally found the right one and sat staring at it for a long while as the clouds overhead darkened with the promise of rain. “Sorry, Daddy. I can’t do it anymore. You told me if I was strong I could do anything, but that’s not true.” I sobbed. “When I was little, I wanted to have a happy life, but that didn’t happen. Then I just hoped that there would come a day when I could get away from the ugliness and I thought I had. Then Carlos happened and… I can’t take it anymore.”
Tears blinded me and I awkwardly wiped them away with my half-hand. “I’m sorry, Daddy. The sunshine died when you did.”
The clouds rumbled as I slowly started back to the entrance to the cemetery. It would be a long bus ride home with a pill bottle at the end of it. There was nothing left for me and it wouldn’t ever get any better. I was so tired of pain. It was time to make it stop. Forever.
I hadn’t even reached gates when lightning struck and the world ended.
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Torin: 5th of Harvest, 3837
Torin made his way through the brush. He had seen lightning come from the area of the stone ring and the dragonlords had tasked him with watching for such occurrences. He was also to send whatever interesting things came through the old portal to them in the capital. Usually, it was a dead animal, strange rocks, plants, or twisted wreckage, but he knew every once in a great while a portal brought a Nakairu. It had never happened here in his lifetime so he wasn’t expecting much.
The Nakairi were the real prize, brought here by that foreign Goddess to fulfill an unknown duty. They always brought change, but it was always for the good as far as he could see, though others disagreed. Their actions riddled the histories, sometimes large, sometimes small, but always important.
Some argued that the Aria Atlani didn’t belong here but the priests claimed the God welcomed them and gave them a home. It was hard to argue with a God. Torin didn’t bother trying.
He slipped through the last of the brush and stepped into the clearing housing the stone ring. Silvery stone pylons thirty feet tall, surrounding a disk of polished black stone. The black stone was uncanny. If you looked straight down you could see silvery shimmers deep down as if it was water. Neither snow nor dust stuck to it, and it never got hot even if you built a fire on it.
It was well it didn’t. It saved the woman slumped in the middle from burning. Today was one of those scorching hot, sunny days before the rains hit and the stones of the path were almost hot enough to blister.
She was a pretty, little thing, slender and graceful with long wavy dark brown hair. Her big, amber eyes fixed on the hand she held up to her face as if she had never seen it before. The poor girl looked confused and more than a little stunned. There was a dark blue cloth haversack beside her.
He approached her with care so he didn’t frighten her. She babbled something and he held his hands up and said, “Sorry, miss. I don’t understand.” Then he touched his chest. “Torin.”
She blinked and dipped her head while babbling something that included his name then touched her own chest and said, “Sara.”
She had pretty manners and seemed properly submissive. Torin smiled and motioned her to rise. This engendered another bout of confusion on her part as she stared at her feet for a moment and wiggled them before she got to her feet. She was wearing soft trousers and a shirt. Her feet were bare.
He’d have to do something about that. It wasn’t proper wear for a female. As soon as she gained her feet, she grabbed the haversack and turned to Torin. She was taller than he had expected, taller than he was in fact.
As he led her to the village, Torin realized he would have trouble getting her to the capital in safety. The girl was prettier than his granddaughter was and would catch the eye of every man who saw her. He would need to share his finder’s fee with a guard or two. The dragonlords were explicit. Torin’s orders specified that he deliver Nakairi intact and unharmed to the capital.
Sara: 6th thru 9th of Harvest, 3837
Torin led me across scrubland and fields to his village. It was late afternoon and sweltering. The path burned my feet but it felt wonderful walking again. I didn’t understand how it had happened, but I intended to enjoy it while I could.
When we arrived at the village, Torin took me into his house and introduced me to his family. After dinner, I shared a bed with a girl who might be his granddaughter. His family tried to ignore me as best they could though. It hurt, but I couldn’t blame them. Nobody ever wanted to get to know me. The next morning, Torin’s wife gave me a loose dress to wear and a pair of socks with tar painted soles, stuffed my old clothes into my backpack, and then led me outside. Torin and two other tough looking older men were puttering with some animals that looked like horses with horns and a split lip like a springbok. I liked their stripes.
I was scared. It felt too much like when they shuffled me from one foster family to another, except this was worse because I understood nothing that had happened. How had I gotten here? What happened to all my scars? How could I walk? The bits the doctors had amputated were back and I’m sure that can’t happen! Did God exist after all? Was God giving me a second chance?
A dim, tenuous hope lodged in my heart. I wanted a second chance so bad I could taste it. However, it was too soon to tell if this was the second chance I wanted or a new hell. It was more likely the lightning in the cemetery hit me and all of this was the hallucination of a dying mind. I hadn’t worn sweats to the cemetery, but I was definitely wearing them when I awoke in this place.
After the first night on the road, I tried to retrieve my sweatpants. The saddle was chafing the skin of my inner thighs and I thought they would help relieve the problem. Torin got upset. Really, really upset. Torin yelled. This was my first clue the situation wasn’t as friendly as I hoped.
For the next three days, I rode behind Torin or one of the other two. They never tried to talk so I dubbed them Thing One and Thing Two in my mind, although Torin called them Adraf and Fors. We would leave at dawn and travel until dark. We spent the nights at inns and my dinner was in the room rather than the common room.
It was clear Torin was keeping me sequestered, but given the looks on the faces of men we passed on the road, I was glad for it. Only Torin ever spoke to me, and he kept to simple commands such as ‘come’, ‘sit’, and ‘eat’. It made me feel like a dog.
What was more alarming was that Torin kept blocking my attempts to draw them out so I could learn the language. He looked displeased every time I tried although he didn’t yell again. Things One and Two refused to acknowledge my existence. It hurt and was a little scary.
The hope that had grown in me dwindled, replaced with a vague dread. Nightmares and the pain of sore muscles interrupted my sleep and I got more and more tired over the course of the journey. The long ride had chafed the insides of my thighs almost raw.
On the third day, we came over a hill and I saw a good-sized town in the valley with a large sprawling palace on a cliff above the town. It seemed we were nearing the end of our interminable journey. I hoped it included a bath.
We took another four hours before we passed through the palace gates, the guard sending a boy running ahead. Beyond the gates were beautiful gardens and whenever I caught a stray breeze, I smelled the flowers. Unfortunately, all I could smell the rest of the time was sweaty horse-thing and Thing Two.
The palace itself was beautiful but odd, constructed of a creamy stone with the curvy organic feel of Antoni Gaudi’s work and looked as if someone had poured it from a bottle. The style didn’t match the buildings I had seen so far at all.
Torin: 9th of Harvest, 3837
Torin thanked the Lord of the Sky that this duty was almost complete. His old bones didn’t enjoy him spending all day in the saddle the way he had in his youth. He glanced at the girl and noted her exhaustion.
Her night terrors had woken them all again last night. He wondered what demons haunted her.
Sara: 9th of Harvest, 3837
There was an officious fellow with gray hair coming down the front steps as we arrived. He waved us inside with a sniff. The entry hall was an impressive rotunda with staircases spiraling up four stories leading to high arched hallways. Everything was of the same dense cream-colored stone as the exterior and appeared carved from a single piece with no seams or cracks anywhere. The single exception was a tall, thick granite pillar in the center of the rotunda with a thin crack running from the floor all the way to the ceiling.
He led us down a long hall, and after a turn or three, we entered an office. It was spacious with wide windows and wood paneling. Heavy wood furniture and a fireplace filled the space. Behind the desk was a very tall solid man with black hair, deep bronze skin, and the orangey-gold eyes of a raptor. Standing next to him was a short spare man with steel-gray hair and gray eyes.
Torin stepped forward and bowed to the tall man. They spoke for a few minutes as the tall man examined me with a thoughtful expression. When Torin wound down, the big guy grunted and stepped forward for a closer look, pacing around me as if he were examining a horse.
He stopped in front of me, pointed at himself, and said, “Dragos.” Then he pointed at the man and said, “Durra.” Finally, he pointed at me with a questioning expression.
I curtseyed and responded. “Sara.” The anxiety I had been living with since coming to this place simmered under my skin.
He grunted and nodded then turned back to Torin and asked a question and Torin held my pack out to him. Dragos squatted and looked through my backpack and examined my clothes, expressing confused curiosity at my laptop. He nodded to Durra and said something to him before straightening and turning to Torin. He counted out a stack of gold coins and handed them off with a smile and a heavy nod.
Torin sold me! My anxiety spiked into outright fear. My stomach roiled and my heart pounded. Was the new chance I had wished for and thought I had been given about to be taken from me?
Dragos stood in front of me as Torin left. I gave little notice when a servant snagged my belongings and trotted away under Durra’s whispered directions.
Dragos was intimidating. Everyone I had seen here was on the short side with blond, light brown or gray hair and pale eyes. Dragos was something else again. He felt like a predator. The only thing that kept me from panicking at this point was the kind look in his orange-gold eyes. He gave me a small smile and held his open hands up before slowly placing them on my head. His long fingers threaded through my hair and I felt static as the world went white and my ears roared. It seemed to go on for a long time as I stood frozen and numb.
I wavered as my eyes and ears cleared. Dragos caught my elbow with a gentle hand to steady me. “Are you all right?”
I took a few seconds to realize he wasn’t speaking English. It was another few moments before I fumbled through the huge new vocabulary and language rules I found in my head to produce the words I needed. His brow creased with concern before I could say anything. “My head hurts and I’m having trouble thinking. I’m glad I can understand you though.”
He smiled a little and patted my shoulder. “Yes. I thought you might appreciate being able to understand those around you so I gave you the tongue used here in Therys. It may take a few hours for the new knowledge to settle in. Your headache should fade soon.” He tipped his head and looked more serious. “You needn’t fear. You are safe here. I’m making you my ward. As my ward, I will provide for your needs; quarters, clothing, tutors, and whatever else you need. We’ll talk tomorrow once you’ve settled in and I’ll explain in more detail. Durra here is the housemaster. If you need anything, ask. Meanwhile, he’ll show you to your quarters.”
I was feeling stunned and light headed. Was I going to get my second chance after all or was there a hidden cost he was keeping from me? “Thank you, sir.”
Kindness graced his expression as he patted my shoulder. “Go on now. You look as if you could use a bath and some rest.”
I nodded and meekly followed Durra. My instincts still told me Dragos was a predator and I wasn’t comfortable around him. I wasn’t truly comfortable around anyone.
I trailed Durra back to the entrance hall then up a set of stairs to the second floor and down a wide curving hallway. The hallway ended at another nexus of hallways shaped like a starfish, he turned down another, narrower hall and stopped at an arched door. Inside was a nice room that reminded me of a hotel suite with a good-sized bed, wardrobe, desk, table, shelves, and several chairs. The bed was in an alcove and a bathroom was through a curtained archway to one side. A wide bay window with a bench seat and a large deep green rug dominated the space.
He showed me the facilities and informed me a servant would bring a tray with dinner in an hour. A seamstress would arrive in the morning.
“Wait! Can you tell me something about this place? Anything?” Dragos had been nice but my panic bubbled under the surface.
He forced a thin smile. Durra was polite but not friendly and had the charm of a snake. “The High-Lord of Therys accepted you as his ward. It’s not surprising. The dragonlords worship the Goddess and she always brings the Nakairi. The High-Lord sent orders for watchers to bring anyone or anything coming through the portals here.”
“Dragonlords?” Confused images of Vikings and their dragon iconography passed through my mind.
He sighed with impatience. “Skin-changers. Some say they harbor two souls, one of a man and one of a dragon. They came to this world thousands of years ago. Now, they have an empire based on an island west of here, in the center of the Blue Sea.
“A few years ago, the King of Therys died. Poisoned. A group of commoners and merchants took advantage of the chaos and factional fighting to take over. They knew whoever the winner was, it would be bad for everyone but the nobility. Since they had neither the desire nor the skills to rule they asked the Drakken Empire for help. Everyone knows dragonlords are trustworthy, honorable, and fearsome fighters. Drakken sent Lords Gonturan, Shalatu, Haradis, Torabreth, Hanlieth, and Istanetlu. Lord Gonturan is the High-Lord.”
His head dipped briefly. “As I said, a seamstress will be here in the morning. What you have is sufficient for road travel, but this is the palace and you are a lady. The High-Lord has put his faith in you. Try not to let him down.”
As he swept out of the room, I felt like a fish out of water much as I did when I first went into a foster home and then again, when they tossed me out at age eighteen. I wasn’t just out of water this time though. I was in a desert and there wasn’t a drop of water in sight.
Dragos: 9th of Harvest, 3837
Dragos watched the poor waif follow Durra out of his office and felt sorry for her. She was a lovely, delicate creature with the dark hair and golden skin common to both Nakairi and Aria Atlani, and big amber eyes. She had the air of someone in pain, and it disturbed him. He didn’t believe being torn away from everything she had ever known by the Goddess caused her pain, but the thought didn’t comfort him. The Goddess’s Tasks were never easy and they rarely led to happiness for the Nakairu. He hoped she was one of those who found joy.
A voice came from behind. “Are you sure about this, Dragos?” Kaio sounded doubtful. “She looks to be another mouse. Are you sure the Goddess brought her here for a reason?”
Dragos sat down and looked up at his friend, not surprised he had gone unnoticed until now. Kaio had a facility with shadows and illusions. It was the one bit of magic he was better at than anyone else. He could go unseen and unheard, or make you see what wasn’t there. Kaio’s bit of temper at Sara was predictable too. He had always been more volatile than his peers, allowing his dragon soul too much free rein. It alarmed the locals. All dragonlords did to a degree since people could sense the predator in them, but with Kaio, it was more obvious. Kaio’s sharp mind and sharp tongue may have had something to do with it. He had little patience.
“She always does, Kaio. Do you forget how we came to this world? It may have been a long time ago, but we know there were other survivors elsewhere. The Goddess brings them here as she needs them. This may not be the Goddess’s original home, but she cares what happens here. The Goddess requires Lady Sara’s presence and I will aid her to the best of my ability. If it helps any, she’s smarter than she appears. She may surprise you.”
Trace of Madness
Life was good for undercover ATF agent Charley Rogers. She loved her job, and she was surrounded by friends and family. She had even fully recovered from the physical damage inflicted on her by ‘The Butcher’, the serial killer who almost took her life twelve years before. The psychological scars were another matter. She had mentally put the experience in a box and closed the lid. She thought it was gone forever. Nevertheless, her new assignment, a sting operation in a pawnshop meant to bring down the mysterious Triple Six gang, brought her face to face with her demons and it awakens the past. Gradually her carefully built life is shattering. Would she become the very thing she hated the most?
I felt myself dying.
I had expected it as soon as I had realized who my assailant was. ‘The Butcher’ never left any of his victims alive. Already the blows to my body no longer resonated, the encroaching blackness heralding the relief from the pain and the terror. I welcomed it. The scream of rage coming from the throat of my attacker was the last thing my brain registered. I slipped away, grateful, into the dark void.
Time passed. I felt pain. I was dead…there should be no pain. The sound of keening, thin…incessant…. How annoying. Movement, a rustle, and the pain began to subside. I slipped back into the void.
Voices….There were voices. “I think she’s beginning to come around again. See that flutter in her eyelid?” Another voice, deeper, “Charlotte, Charlotte Jean, wake up, Charlotte Jean.”
Don’t call me Charlotte Jean. Mama calls me Charlotte Jean when I’ve been bad. I refused to answer and drift away again.
Someone squeezed my shoulder. “Come on Charley, wake up. I know you’re in there.”
Daddy. Daddy wants me to wake up. Is it time for school?
I fought to wake up. “I’m coming,” I tried to say, but it came out as a squeaky mumble. It woke me more. Pain had returned, not as bad though. I would pay attention to it later. My arm was tied down, and something was wrong with my face. I felt for my face with the free hand. Bandages. One eye would open, but not both. I blinked the fog away and looked around. My dad’s face swam into view. He had tears in his eyes, but he looked happy in spite of it. I tried to reach my hand toward him but had no strength. He took it anyway.
“You’re going to be fine, Charley. You’re going to be just fine.”
Several days later, I was fully awake and out of the coma. My jaw was wired shut, and a feeding tube snaked down my throat. Speaking was not an option. They gave me a children’s keypad, big keys that put letters and numbers onto a screen. Even that was difficult for me with my injuries, and though I am right-handed, I had to use my left hand. I was very economical with my words and I didn’t bother with punctuation, formats or spelling.
A lot had happened to me I knew nothing about. Not knowing disturbed me, made me uneasy, and I felt vulnerable. Dad was there and again I demanded he tell me. I would not rest if I didn’t know.
“WAT HE DO 2 ME”
“Charley, it’s too soon. You need to rest and get well.”
“Charley, I told you, it’s much too soon. It would only upset you.”
“The doctors told me it would be best for me not to bring it up.”
“NO REST IF NOT NO”
He had a rueful look on his face and he sat down in the chair again. “Okay, I should have known you wouldn’t let it go. You’re too much like your mother.” He sighed, giving in to my demand. “Where do you want me to start?”
Dad reluctantly explained what happened. “You were taken by Abel Reynard, ‘The Butcher.’ You knew that, didn’t you?”
I nodded. The Butcher had targeted coeds walking at night on the campus at the University of New Mexico on the other side of the city. I had foolishly felt safe because I was enrolled in a small school’s Criminal Justice program and the extent of the campus was little more in size than my family’s back yard. I should have known better than to leave the library well after dark, walking alone to my car. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
“WAT HE DO” I typed.
Dad looked away, but saw the glisten of tears as he went through the list of my injuries. It was a daunting list, but it seemed the only door it closed for me was motherhood. “Because of the knife wounds they had to do a partial hysterectomy to save your life. You were almost dead when they rescued you, and your heart stopped twice on the table.”
I had the wires off my jaw and the feeding tube out, but I remained in the hospital for the several surgeries needed to mitigate the effects of the attack. I developed an infection at one point, which kept me in intensive care so only family members were allowed to visit. Family meant Dad and Uncle Ray. Mom had died of an aneurysm three years before.
I would have thought my fiancée counted as family too, but evidently not, because he did not come. Dad was a little evasive about it when I asked, but I assumed there was ambivalence concerning any man marrying his daughter and he was a bit slow to warm up to him.
I spent weeks in intensive care, but I was beginning to heal. Eventually I was well enough to move to a regular room and friends were allowed to drop in. David finally came to see me. David was my beloved, my future husband, and my first and sole lover. We had met there at school. He was a teaching assistant for one of my classes.
I was home schooled by my mom and when I switched to public school they tested me to find out what grade I belonged in. I ended up skipping two grades. So I was not quite eighteen then and it was almost love at first sight for me. I had pursued him with single-minded zeal. Soon we were spending every free moment together. I never even looked at another boy. By the middle of the semester, we knew we were in love.
David was the only one for me. I could face anything with David Boynton by my side. That afternoon I had dropped off for a nap. He was there when I woke, and I looked up at his dear face. He was fidgeting, not smiling. I frowned, wondering what was wrong. It was explained by his first words.
“I can’t do it!” he burst out. “I can’t marry you. Children and family are important to me. I know I’ll never get over what has happened here. It’s in my mind all the time. We have to break off the engagement. I’m sorry.”
Tears started in my eyes. I couldn’t even speak, the devastation was so great. My plans for our happy future together were falling in ruins. How could he leave me like this? He loved me! He told me so many, many times.
David fidgeted a bit more. “I don’t suppose I can have the ring back?”
Enough anger surfaced to temporarily stop the tears. “Reynard took it. I don’t know where it is,” I choked out. I turned my face away from him. “Get out, David,” I couldn’t look at him. My heart was tearing itself apart. How could he do this to me?
As soon as I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall and the elevator door had closed, I allowed myself to weep broken-hearted tears into my pillow.
Reynard had been wealthy, and Dad’s lawyer successfully sued his estate for more than enough to pay my bills, and provide continued therapy as long as needed. Evidently, those in his family who might have argued the matter were more than cooperative. They made no effort whatsoever to impede the suit. It passed rapidly through the legal system.
I was still in the hospital for my twentieth birthday. Dad brought in a big cake along with plenty of ice cream, and we had a party there in the ward. Uncle Ray and my two cousins and their families were all there. A few friends from school came too. Since the staff members who had taken such good care of me were all invited as well, it was quite a crowd. By the end of the day, I was exhausted but happy. It was so great to see everyone, and their expressions of love and support buoyed my spirits. It was my best birthday ever.
A week after my birthday they let me go home. My broken bones had healed, implants replaced my broken teeth, and the series of surgeries to reduce the effects of my injuries were all in the past. I was still getting physical therapy but I was slow regaining my strength. The psychological wounds remained as well. Driving was still a problem so my therapists all made house calls.
I was having a glass of lemonade out on my patio there at the house. The day was warm but it was comfortable under the sunshade. Dr. Evelyn Thayer, my therapist, and now my good friend sat across the table from me with her own glass. We had been discussing a direction in my therapy she wanted to take, but I was resistant.
“Charley, you can’t push all this behind you this way expecting a full recovery. You must face what has happened to you and deal with it, –all of it. Unless you do, someday the effects will damage you in ways you won’t expect. It won’t be as easy then.”
“But I’m much better now.” I turned my eyes to the backyard garden my Dad had planted. I didn’t want to look at her right now. I knew she meant well, but I was not willing to be persuaded.
“Yes, things are better than they were, and you have made real progress toward recovery, but you can’t bury what happened to you forever.”
“I don’t want to think about it anymore. I’m tired of being a victim.” There was a small grey-brown bird pecking at one of Dad’s cornstalks. Maybe it sees an insect or something. I watched it move to the adjoining stalk.
“I’m not asking you to be a victim, I’m asking you to face what happened to you, or it will keep you a victim. Stuffing your trauma away in a box will likely cause it to emerge in some other negative form.”
I muttered something sounding like agreement, but I didn’t mean it. This was an old argument by now. I knew I needed to put the ghost of Abel Reynard away, out of my nightmares and gone from my brain. Stuffing it away in a box—I liked the image. She had me doing visualization exercises before. I would visualize that box. Then I would stuff Reynard and everything associated with him in and fasten down the lid.
I wanted to change the subject for now. I was having trouble getting my strength back, even with the daily physical therapy. My dreams of being a police officer like my father and grandfather would be unfulfilled. Perhaps it was for the best anyway. I used to fear nothing. Now, everything made me anxious.
“I’m thinking of changing my major when I can get back to school. I need to study something different.”
From the expressions on her face, Evelyn was clearly getting frustrated with me today. “Why can’t you stay in Criminal Justice? You are almost through school. You need one more semester to get your degree. That’s all. Why change now?” she asked.
“I don’t think I have what it takes anymore. I get nervous walking through the park. How would it be walking a beat? I don’t have the guts to do the job.”
“Criminal Justice isn’t always being a police officer. You know that. There are plenty of jobs without regular exposure to criminals. Many are sitting behind a desk.”
“My family has a tradition. If I can’t be a peace officer, I would be better off doing something completely different.”
“Well, at least finish getting the degree. Then you can get a Masters in something else without having to start from the beginning.”
That made sense to me. It would give me a little time to decide what I wanted to do afterward anyway. “Okay, I’ll do it your way. Besides, I doubt I would be able to be a police officer anyway. I don’t think I would pass the physical anymore.”
She studied my face for a few moments, frowning in thought. “You should take martial arts lessons, Judo or Karate. It would always be useful to you, it’s good exercise for your recovery, and it would raise your self-confidence.”
I took Evelyn’s advice and I threw myself into martial arts. It eased something inside me. It gave me discipline, increased self-confidence, and physical well-being. I finally felt in charge of my life again. I didn’t need to look back anymore.
And the lid stayed firmly on the box.
I finished my degree in Criminal Justice and decided I was able to be a police officer after all. A job opened up as a patrol officer in the same department as my sergeant father, although in a different precinct. It became mine. I was actually living the life I had once planned. All the pain of the past was put behind me, closing it away to let it die from lack of attention.
Though I still occasionally felt the loss of my ex-fiancée, those occasions happened less and less frequently, especially after I started dating again. But I was more wary of men. I wasn’t looking for a husband. I could take care of myself.
For my twenty-fourth birthday, my sensei gave me a letter of introduction to a Krav Maga teacher in Los Angeles, and my black belt in Judo. I already had one in Karate. Martial arts had come easily to me as a sport, but Sensei had advised me, quite privately, that for a police officer Krav Maga would prove much more useful. He was right.
I took a job as a police officer in a small city east of Los Angeles. However, the ATF soon recruited me from there, and I settled easily into the work with them. It was a nice change from patrol. Things were pretty quiet for me as a city cop in the suburbs. I was new so I got the night shift. Most of what I did was write tickets or check for locked doors in the business district. Things were different with the ATF. The crimes we dealt with were bigger—gun smugglers instead of driving too fast in a residential area.
I had taken emergency leave two weeks ago when my dad was hurt. He was handcuffing a man in a domestic disturbance call he shouldn’t have been on when the man’s nine-year old son shot Dad in the back with a .22 varmint gun. The bullet managed to hit the main nerve trunk to his right leg, leaving his leg completely paralyzed.
I had come into headquarters prepared to resign. I needed to return to Albuquerque and my father. Dad was there for me when I needed him, now it was my turn to be there for him. My boss had tried to convince me to stay, which was flattering, but I was determined.
Then he brought up another argument. “If I can get you a transfer to the ATF unit there, would you consider that instead? It’s hard to get good agents, and I hate to see you leave the service when you’re doing so well with us.”
It was true. I did enjoy the job, and I felt good doing the work I did. “If you can arrange the transfer, I’ll do it. But I have to go back to Albuquerque,”
Check out the book page for more information on the titles in the K.E. Young book list.


text:
Sixty-five year Barbershop Harmony Society member Ed Jobson of Victoria was recently presented with the first ever MIKE GIBBS AWARD by Tidesmen A Cappella Chorus of Nanaimo. Ed is a member of both Victoria and Nanaimo choruses. A grateful Ed commented: “I am honoured to receive this award. Mike was a great friend and Barbershopper. We sang together for many years in our quartet, HIGHWAY. We all loved Mike. I still miss his wit and humour.”
The award was created by the Tidesmen to commemorate the life and spirit of the late Mike Gibbs who passed away suddenly in 2018. Mike was a long time Barbershopper who sang with a number of choruses in BC and Alberta. He was a much loved director of the Tidesmen and credited with reviving and growing the chorus. One of Mike’s many career highlights was leading a 55 voice Tidesmen Chorus to a silver medal at a 2014 contest. The Tidesmen plan to present this award annually to someone who exemplifies Mike Gibb’s qualities of humour, and dedication to and love for four-part harmony singing.

domain: artistic


As the Japanese were pounding Midway, the motley collection of bombers that had cleared the airfield headed in the opposite direction, determined to attack the carrier fleet spotted earlier that morning. In the weeks preceding the Japanese attack, reinforcements of bombers had been flown forward
VT-8, Hornet’s torpedo squadron, had been slated to be the first unit to convert to the Grumman TBF Avenger, the new replacement for the TBD Devastator. A detachment of the squadron under Executive Officer Harold H. Larson had been sent stateside, and had collected a total of 21 of the new bombers, and had arrived in Oahu in late May – too late to join the Hornet before she left for Midway. On the 1st of June, a TBF detachment of six torpedo bombers under Lt. Langdon K Fieberling flew the 1,300 miles from Oahu to Midway, each aircraft fitted with a bomb-bay fuel tank to enable them to make the long over-water flight. Larson himself had pleaded to lead the flight in person, but had been ordered to remain at Pearl with the bulk of his unit.
On June 4th, as they had every morning since arriving on Midway, the VT-8 detachment sat waiting in their planes as per standing orders with engines warmed up. When the incoming Japanese strike was detected by a PBY, with verification coming soon afterwards from Midway’s radar station, the detachment received orders to clear the field and head towards the reported enemy carriers. VT-8’s Avengers were followed by four B-26s, two each from the 22nd and 38th Bomb Groups. All ten of these aircraft were lugging a single Mark 13 torpedo, a weapon of decidedly uneven quality. The Army bombers had never dropped a ‘fish’ in anger before, but there were high hopes for the speedy B-26.
Despite the Army and Navy torpedo bombers flying separately, the two groups arrived near Kido Butai almost simultaneously, from different directions. Arriving just after 0700, the TBFs and B-26s attacked together, giving the appearance of an ‘anvil’ torpedo attack to the watching Japanese – but they were in fact uncoordinated. The Army B-26s went for Akagi, Nagumo’s flagship, whilst VT-8 headed for the Hiryu. Before they bombers reached torpedo range, they were spotted and attacked by patrolling fighters.
Akagi’s fighters dove in to attack the B-26s, but found the Marauders very tricky targets – one of the Zeros was soon shot down by defensive fire. In return a B-26 was set alight and fell burning into the sea, its entire crew lost. The rest, facing heavy anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese carriers, dropped their torpedoes too far out and gave the Akagi no particular trouble in dodging the oncoming fish. The worst moment came when two of the American bombers buzzed the carrier after dropping their torpedoes – Lt James Muri’s plane passed over the flight deck, killing two crewmen and damaging one of the ship’s transmitters by strafing. A second B-26 piloted by Lt Herbert Mayes, apparently badly damaged, attempted to crash-dive into the Akagi’s bridge but missed by mere feet before crashing into the ocean. Thus Admiral Nagumo’s life was spared. The two surviving B-26s, both heavily damaged, returned to Midway two hours later.
VT-8 too managed to shoot down at least one Zero on their approach. The pilots had taken the sensible precaution of opening their bomb bay doors before reaching the Japanese fleet, a measure designed to eliminate the risk of battle damage to hydraulic systems preventing a successful torpedo drop. Nothing could be done about the incoming Zeros however, as the fighters made repeated slashing attacks that tumbled five of the Avengers into the sea. Only the aircraft piloted by Lt(jg) Albert Earnest, with one gunner dead and the other unconscious, survived long enough to drop its Mark 13, albeit from far too high and far out to trouble the Hiryu. Somehow Earnest managed to fly his badly damaged TBF back to Midway, where he crashed landed on the runway.
Whilst the Japanese were fending off these initial attacks, an E13A floatplane from the heavy cruiser Tone (which had departed late) reported sighting an American surface force. The message arrived at 0730, and was followed up at about 0830 with an amplifying report that a carrier was ‘bringing up the rear’. This was most likely Fletcher’s Task Force 17, and the carrier was the Yorktown. This report led Nagumo to reverse his original decision to arm his reserve strike with bombs for another crack at Midway, and to replace them instead with the original anti-ship torpedo loadout, a slow process with the carriers under almost constant air attack.
The Marines Attack
The next Midway-based unit to locate and attack the Kido Butai were Major Lofton R. Henderson’s VMSB-241. Henderson led 16 SBD Dauntless dive bombers, many crewed by very inexperienced Marines – many pilots had very little training time in the SBDs, having only joined the squadron 10 days before the battle began. The aircraft themselves had only been delivered to Midway a few days before, and fuel shortages on the island had curtailed training flights so for most of the flyers, this would be the first time they had dropped a bomb from a Dauntless. With this in mind, Henderson had coached his pilots not to make difficult, high-angle dive-bombing attacks, but to substitute instead, the slower, easier ‘glide-bombing’ technique. VMSB-241 took off at 0610 in the general pell-mell scramble to clear the field after Tomonaga’s incoming strike was detected.
At 0748 lookouts on the Japanese carriers spotted the new interlopers, and shortly thereafter Zero fighters from Soryu moved to intercept them. Henderson’s plane was one of the first to go down, caught be the Zeros on the first pass – his SBD tumbled towards the sea, on fire. Capt Elmer Glidden, second in command, took over. The Marines split into two groups, the first heading for the Hiryu – observers on the Akagi saw the Hiryu disappear behind the waterspouts from two bombs that landed close aboard, but the carrier was not hit and emerged from the spray unharmed. The other group went after Kaga and scored three more near-misses, but again the Japanese flattop escaped damage. Only eight of the SBDs managed to limp back to Midway, most with battle damage and a few carrying wounded crew. Despite claiming three direct hits, the Marines had not landed a single bomb on target.
Hot on the heels of the Marines came 14 Army B-17 bombers under LtCol Walter C. Sweeney, who had been ordered to repeat his attack of the previous day on the Tanaka force. En route Sweeney heard the report of Japanese carriers and led his bombers for that juicier target instead. At 0754 Akagi’s lookouts spotted the incoming bombers, at first incorrectly identifying them as carrier-based planes. The B-17s split up into small groups to begin their bomb runs, with a few even attacking individually.
The Flying Fortresses attacked from high altitude, 20,000ft. There had been high hopes during the development of the B-17 that it would prove to be a potent ship-killer, but in this test the big bomber would fall far short. Three groups selected targets, and one each went after Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu. The extreme altitude of the attack meant that the bombs would fall for over a minute, giving each carrier plenty of time to spot the bombs being dropped before executing a radical turn. Cloud cover also frustrated the Americans, forcing many of the B-17s to make individual runs after their first effort was spoiled. During over 20 minutes of attacks the three carriers managed to avoid damage, although both Hiryu and Soryu were near-missed. A handful of Zeros managed the climb up to meet the Fortresses, causing damage to one.
The net group of Americans to enter the Japanese shooting gallery were the 11 SB2U Vindicators of VMSB-241, led by Maj Benjamin W. Norris. The Vindicators were old, cast offs from Navy units, and they had seen better days – many were in a poor state of repair with loose pieces of fabric held on with tape that resulted in the Marine ground crews dubbing the aircraft “Wind Indicators”. As Norris led his men towards Kido Butai, he realised that his vulnerable charges had no hope against the heavily defended carriers and instead selected a nearby battleship as their target. This turned out to be the Haruna. Again using the shallow glide-bombing approach, the Marines swooped down in line astern and claimed two direct hits and two near misses, but in reality caused only minor damage to the battleship. Two Vindicators were shot down during the attack, and two more ran out of fuel before the managed to make it back to Midway.
Midway had therefore completely shot its bolt against the Japanese carriers. 52 aircraft had set out, but 19 had failed to return, and no appreciable damage had been done to the enemy in return. Japanese air defences had held firm and taken a fearful toll on the unescorted bombers. The most that could be said of the attacks is that they kept the Nagumo under pressure, and distracted him at a time when he needed to make clear-headed decisions, especially when it emerged that American fleet units were well within range. Next, it was the turn of the carrier-based torpedo squadrons to try their luck running the gauntlet of Zeros and anti-aircraft fire.


Imperial Field 12g Side x Side 30"
This second hand Spanish made Imperial Field 12 Gauge Side by Side 30" Shotgun is in a good overall condition. Has some cosmetic usage imperfections and loss of blueing. Features double triggers and choked barrels (3/4 and 1/2). Stock has been shortened and also has had a recoil pad fitted.
Shop Tag: W367


text:
The game will be broadcast on German free-TV station ProSieben.
|Borussia-Park.||Photo: Borussia Mönchengladbach|
This particular game will be carried by Germany's "ProSieben". Former Gladbach stadium announcer Matthias Opdenhövel will supply the play-by-play commentary. Commenting on the deal, ProSieben executive Daniel Rosemann called the agreement to show the match in prime-time "a personal honor" and noted that "signals that we won't forget the suffering of the Ukrainian people must continue."
All proceeds from the fixture will be donated to relief efforts. Dortmund's hosting of Dynamo Kiev on April 14th raised some €400,000 for the cause.
Tickets can be secured for as little as €7.50.
All Ukrainian refugees and citizens may attend the match free of charge.
Kommt in den BORUSSIA-PARK und helft mit! Tickets könnt ihr euch ab ab 7,50€ sichern. Die Einnahmen werden an wohltätige Zwecke zugunsten von Menschen aus bzw. in der Ukraine gespendet.— Borussia (@borussia) May 3, 2022
➡ https://t.co/jOqZKB2r0t#StandWithUkraine #BorussiaHilft #FohlenVerantwortung pic.twitter.com/AwbW3KbdgA

domain: news


I met a fairy today that would grant me one wish.
"I want to live forever," I said.
"Sorry" said the fairy, "I'm not allowed to grant wishes like that!"
"Fine" I said, "I want to die after the Buffalo Bills win the Super Bowl!"
"You crafty bastard," said the fairy.
For those of you who don't know, yes I'm a Bills fan. I've seen it all except for that elusive Super Bowl win.
Of course I now live in Arizona which has seen its share of drama this year in training camp. First before camp even started Kurt Warner announced his retirement and left the starting job to heir apparent (or not) Matt Leinart. Camp started with four quarterbacks, Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, John Skelton and Max Hall. It became apparent early that there would be a competition not only for the starting quarterback position, but also for back-up and third string.
Things got even more interesting when head coach Ken Whisenhunt decided to start Derek Anderson over Matt Leinart. Leinart's stay in AZ was all but done. Last week he was cut. The battle for backup QB was then down to drafted John Skelton and not drafted Max Hall. Max has been impressive throughout training camp and has won the job for now.
The Cardinals are the reigning NFC West champions and until someone takes it from them no one can deny it. It doesn't matter what the pundits say about San Francisco (really Greenburg SF to clinch in Oct?) it is Arizona's title and they will defend it. That said the NFC West is not the strongest division and probably a record of 9-7 or 10-6 will win it. Can you say wild card weekend? Personally I think the Cards will go 9-7 and win the West in a tiebreak.
In other exciting (or not) news, Brett Favre decided retirement should wait one more year and the Vikings decided that would be a good idea. We will see what happens tonight as the NFC championship rematch with the New Orleans Saints is the season opener. Darrelle Revis held out long enough to miss camp and then sign with the Jets. Albert Haynesworth found out that new coach Mike Shanahan wouldn't be a push-over. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco will be running routes together (and in my opinion running into each other).
Overall it should be a good season. I predicted (optimistically) that my Bills would go 8-8. It means that there will be no playoffs in Orchard Park again this year. Hopefully progress. Not counting on it, I mean after all I am a die-hard Bills fan. Now to go find that fairy and get my wish. . .


how justified are our nuclear energy fears?
George Monbiot is hardly the kind of person you expect to start pumping out spin or propaganda on behalf of major energy conglomerates or builders of nuclear power plants. He is, after all, best known for political and environmental activism, authoring books on global warming and corporate overreach in the UK. So when an activist with his track record decides to pen a blistering critique of anti-nuclear groups and calls people out by name for scaremongering, exaggerating, and using cherry-picked or nonexistent data to support many of their arguments, it just has to be noted. For a spectacular example of cherry-picking science and combining it with terrifying rhetoric in the name of getting people to fear nuclear energy, we can look back at an older post scrutinizing the claims of a respected and staunchly anti-nuclear organization in the U.S., claims very, very similar to the ones Monbiot tackles head on as he scowls at the anti-nuclear movement’s lack of scientific or factual rigor in their arguments. His thesis is that every discussion about nuclear energy comes down to two things, radiation and Chernobyl, and both issues are exaggerated or exploited to scare the public, ignoring a good deal of science while propagating urban myths, tall tales, and gruesome, sensational anecdotes.
As mentioned in the link above, once upon a time I used to live in Ukraine and was about 400 miles from that ill designed, mismanaged reactor when it blew. Just to answer your next two questions, yes, I glow a calming iridescent blue at night, and yes, I do get to save quite a bit on my energy bills. Of course I’m only joking, and it’s actually a joke which tends to be recycled pretty often but whenever a conversation does shift to Chernobyl and I mention the fun fact that I was not too far downwind of it when it happened, people inevitably look at me wide-eyed and ask me whether I glow at night because radioactive things are supposed to glow, right? Well, anti-nuclear activists seem to take these jokes seriously as they warn about sinister miasmas of radiation on the winds emanating from nuclear power plants like some sort of Lovecraftian blight that summons horrifying creatures buried in the earth in antediluvian times, along with freshly arisen zombies who shamble to nearby towns and kill every resident with nightmarish cancers. Monbiot quotes some anti-nuclear zealots who claim that the disaster in Chernobyl killed nearly a million people, a figure which sounds very highly suspect to me, and as he points out, based on assigning virtually every case of cancer in Ukraine for a certain stretch of time to the meltdown. Instead, he notes, scientists place the real death toll at around 7,000, and put the blame on milk contaminated by the fallout, which triggered thyroid cancer in more than 6,800 children.
That sounds much more reasonable because radiation, while very dangerous, is not magic and needs to get into our bodies to actually harm us. Contaminated debris from nuclear disasters starts out very concentrated, and in an explosion, can rain down over a wide area. But as the contamination spreads, it becomes far more diffused, meaning that as it spreads wider, those who it affects are exposed to less radiation over more time and their bodies could heal the damage. Radiation poisoning depends not just on the dose because another very important factor is how quickly you absorbed it. Since all radiation knocks around molecules in your body and damages tissues and organs, the big question is whether your body can keep up with the repairs. When hit by a decent dose very quickly, the damage becomes way too much for your body to fix and you will suffer a death that can only be described as horrific as your organs will pretty much liquefy. But a constant hum of very low level radioactive emissions is something with which your body can certainly cope as evidenced by the fact that you can exist on this planet despite the constant radiation you get from the sun, cosmic rays, and a slow, steady decay of radioactive elements in the ground right beneath your feet. Nuclear reactors buried in a thick layer of solid concrete and metal do not leak radiation as a part of their normal operation and are very strictly controlled. But constantly harping about radiation and what it does certainly encourages NIMBYism…
It’s really that NIBMY attitude that anti-nuclear activists are after, hyping radiation fears to make sure that when a nuclear power plant does get approved, those living near it will ignore the fact that modern reactors are very safe and have a very good track record, and panic enough to shut the project down. This is why another anti- nuclear activist cited by Monbiot claims that in 2006, he saw wildly mutated infants in Ukrainian hospitals and that it must be the result of Chernobyl. There’s absolutely no evidence for this assertion and the ward that he visited should probably not remain unnamed, but it sure sounds scary, doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what he’s trying to convey by painting us a gruesome picture, especially now, with the nuclear mess currently unfolding in Japan and which got some American pundits all hot and bothered. Never mind that it took a magnitude 9.0 earthquake which released roughly 1.5 EJ, the equivalent of 380 megatons, and a massive tsunami to crack open one nuclear plant. Never mind that almost 8 out of 10 watts used in France come from nuclear reactors reliably and safely, and that many other nations using nuclear energy on a wide scale don’t face such a major seismic threat as Japan. All that matters to the activists Monbiot righfully calls out is that somewhere, there is a nuclear plant being built and that by very definition, nuclear power is evil and must not be allowed because you know, cancer and Chernobyl, right? Even if the science doesn’t agree with the gloom and doom.


This will add as much as large quantities of knowledge being despatched down the cable connecting your monitor and gaming COMPUTER. Your cable might be not up to the duty of transferring 4K video a lot much less supporting increased body rates. For generating quicker pixels, TFT computer screens can be found. The screen size of your laptop monitor limits the readability and particulars of the pictures and photos that you could view onscreen. That is decided by the resolution and the dimensions of the monitor. The VX1940w also boasts a higher resolution that the majority different 19-inch displays – 1680×1050, which is identical ratio that almost all 20- to 22-inch displays provide.
Computer displays are primarily used in displaying texts and pictures that a pc generates. Earlier than choosing a computer monitor, numerous aspects should be thought of, corresponding to display screen decision, response time, ports, distinction ratio, etc. In distinction, for hardcore video games, a high display decision automatically means the next computational need, since far more graphical particulars should be displayed. You can’t expect these large display screens to be very cheap. After all, it goes to reason that the tubes needed the dimensions and weight and required a large amount of energy for CRT screens.
Some of the LCD screens will have 2 or 3 ms of response time. For standard accepted resolutions viewed on different sized screens look under. The most well-liked sort of pc monitor is the liquid crystal display, or LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY. Charts and pie images got here far afterward. A lot of the work required during those days had been linear in nature and used to be displayed utilizing a series of positive strains. USB-enabled displays aren’t commonly used as the primary show, because they’ll solely show up to a resolution of 1024×768.
After all you’ve gotten the CRT, however now you’ve got the LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY Monitors available to you. Monitors are available in 15, 17, 19 and 21 inch sizes. LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY screens as we speak most commonly used what is known as thin film transistor know-how (TFT), wherein a transistor is placed at every intersection of the electrode grids, enhancing the sign and subsequently the picture high quality. An LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY screen produces an image on a flat floor by projecting light by means of liquid crystals.
The CRT and the LCD monitor. In the old days, the pc displays had been obtainable in only one measurement, 14 inches. Nowadays, the flat screen LCD monitors are sometimes packaged with a brand new laptop system. What they want is just an additional hardware installed on their motherboards as a way to use a number of screens at the same time. CRT Laptop Monitor: CRT or Cathode Ray Tube screens give you crisp and vibrant photographs best for workplace and home use. Commonly the widescreen laptop monitor has a 16:9 display, which is the current standard for many digital TELEVISION applications.
Monitor has numerous sorts of the connections to hook it to the pc. LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY show screens or screens are quite costly, which makes it tough for everybody to choose it above the reasonably priced CRT. Among them LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY is extra standard relating to pc monitors as a result of its vitality effectivity and different technical advantages. Earlier than choosing a new monitor, one ought to discover an answer to each of the three different questions concerning the dimension, the panel and the decision of the new TFT monitor. Modern screens use LCD or Liquid Crystal Display Expertise, and are also call flat screen screens.
Widescreen displays accomplish this by supporting high resolutions. Display decision is measured in pixels. While selecting LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY monitors there are certain factors to be thought of. LCD displays are also thought-about a high security threat as a result of being light-weight, simply moveable and expensive they make a really engaging target for thieves. The CRT monitor is the standard cumbersome and heavy monitor which many companies nonetheless use at present they usually function in a reasonably related manner to a TELEVISION. They’re the screens seen in the older movies comparable to the primary Mission Inconceivable, The Matrix and Die Arduous.
Read on for LCD monitor critiques and a comparative analysis of the LCD monitor know-how against LED, CRT and different competing applied sciences. Though many companies have give you many liquid merchandise for cleansing monitors, they are not so effective and some might perhaps smash your monitor. When used with LCD screens, it helps reduce and even remove digital noise. For gaming and graphical use a monitor no smaller than 21 inch should be used because the bigger resolutions present the person with a greater picture for extra exact choices primarily based on the picture seen.
The quicker the response time or refresh fee, the better the picture. Most of in the present day’s displays come in flat display varieties for more efficient use of house and to chop down on the load of the product. Brand new CRTs would possibly run anywhere from $40 to $a hundred, which is only a fraction of the cost of the flashier LCD displays. CRT can manipulate with big selection of resolutions, completely different refresh charges and can offer innumerable colours. LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY screens wouldn’t have this drawback and can look tremendous at working video games a refresh price increased than that’s required, typically as much as 85MHz or more.


text:
I'm german and a really big drama-fan since 2009.
The first japanese drama I watched was "Hana Kimi" and my first korean drama "You're Beautiful".
I have to admit that I first had to get used to the korean language and acting. So I didn't like it at first.
But after a few dramas I fell in love with the korean humor and I spent whole days to watch them.
Seriously, I'm ADDICTED to korean dramas!!!
My current PC Wallpaper xD


text:
There is something special about Marcus Raskin. One becomes immediately aware of this when you hear him playing the piano. If I was a Hollywood writer, Raskin would be one of those individuals in that television series Heroes. He would have a unique gift, not the ability to walk through walls or hear other people’s thoughts but the gift and the ability to see the larger pattern in life; to understand the true purpose of being and doing.
For many of us, Marcus Raskin is a hero. He is a visionary. A man who looks at the world and realizes one can change it. For me, he has been a father, teacher and friend. I like how this man thinks. I like how he peels a question, how he bites into it. I like how this man chews a thought; a creative taste lingering on his tongue. When Raskin speaks he often sheds light on the levels and degrees of life.
Last year at IPS we started doing “The Raskin Readings.” This consisted of IPS fellows reviewing the work written by Raskin and selecting a few pages in order to lead an afternon discussion. It’s amazing how much Raskin has written over the years. I imagine his paper will reveal how certain ideas were formed, matured and took flight. There will probably be items in his papers that show how some of his ideas were too young to go steady.
I think it will be important in the future to admire Raskin as a builder and architect. It will be important to study the man as well as the Institute for Policy Studies.
Why do we save things? Why donate papers?
The past always seems sexier after it undresses. We have a tendency to leave papers and documents behind like discarded clothes. Yet didn’t we strut in the old wares once? I wonder what Marcus Raskin’s papers will tell us about the 1960s, about nuclear disarmament, National Security, Civil Rights, poverty and social inequality. What will his papers tell us about a year like 1968?
I think we save things in order to determine what should be the blueprint for the future.
I think we save things because life is filled with victories and defeats, and sometimes we confuse the two.
I think we save things because it measures the length – the shadow one person can cast.
We donate papers because we understand the importance of sharing and the hope that what one man might have owned can now be shared with others.
Maybe all of Marcus Raskin’s work should be filed under the heading – For The Common Good.
I know he once said:
Winter is always coming, the children are always sick, loved ones are always dying before their time.
Yet, somehow we survive and that is why we donate papers. It is a way of reaching the future.
It is the preservation of memory. With memory comes meaning. This is what the blues singer struggles to achieve. A sense of meaning carved out of the tree of life.
In his book BEING AND DOING published in 1973 by Beacon Press, Raskin spoke of the need to develop a philosophy of reconstruction in politics and public policy. The task of such a philosophy was to break the bounds of absurdity and develop new moods of thought.
Hopefully the material given by Raskin to the Gelman Library will help some future student or scholar develop an analysis that will help create new and better structures not only for institutions but for individuals, for lovers and the sons and daughters of lovers.
What Raskin has done today is plant more seeds. Somewhere ahead of us is the new harvest. Because he has been an excellent teacher and mentor, we know the harvest will be good and the people will be fed.
Let not the present American hunger only find us serving and consuming tea. The life of Marcus Raskin is a song of celebration. Just as Raskin’s fingers mastered the genius of many composers, so too might future patrons of this library benefit from his generosity and provide us with a new music and a chorus for change.
There is much Raskin to be read.
Let me conclude my brief remarks by simply saying that the staff here at the Gelman Library is exceptional. There is much good news coming out of this place. It’s beginning to feel sacred.
Not far from here, Mahalia Jackson listening to Martin Luther King, Jr at the March on Washington, reminded him to tell the people about the dream. “Tell them about the dream Martin. Tell them about the dream” she said.
This evening as we honor Marcus Raskin, I feel the need to say –
Tell us about your dream Marcus. Tell us about your dream.
For more from E. Ethelbert Miller, visit his blog at http://eethelbertmiller1.blogspot.com/

domain: literature


text:
Objectives: This study sought to collect data and evaluate the anecdotal use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in pure native aortic valve regurgitation (NAVR) for patients who were deemed surgically inoperable Background: Data and experience with TAVI in the treatment of patients with pure severe NAVR are limited. Methods: Data on baseline patient characteristics, device and procedure parameters, echocardiographic parameters, and outcomes up to July 2012 were collected retrospectively from 14 centers that have performed TAVI for NAVR. Results: A total of 43 patients underwent TAVI with the CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota) at 14 centers (mean age, 75.3 ± 8.8 years; 53% female; mean logistic EuroSCORE (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation), 26.9 ± 17.9%; and mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, 10.2 ± 5.3%). All patients had severe NAVR on echocardiography without aortic stenosis and 17 patients (39.5%) had the degree of aortic valvular calcification documented on CT or echocardiography. Vascular access was transfemoral (n = 35), subclavian (n = 4), direct aortic (n = 3), and carotid (n = 1). Implantation of a TAVI was performed in 42 patients (97.7%), and 8 patients (18.6%) required a second valve during the index procedure for residual aortic regurgitation. In all patients requiring second valves, valvular calcification was absent (p = 0.014). Post-procedure aortic regurgitation grade I or lower was present in 34 patients (79.1%). At 30 days, the major stroke incidence was 4.7%, and the all-cause mortality rate was 9.3%. At 12 months, the all-cause mortality rate was 21.4% (6 of 28 patients). Conclusions: This registry analysis demonstrates the feasibility and potential procedure difficulties when using TAVI for severe NAVR. Acceptable results may be achieved in carefully selected patients who are deemed too high risk for conventional surgery, but the possibility of requiring 2 valves and leaving residual aortic regurgitation remain important considerations.
- native aortic valve regurgitation
- transcatheter aortic valve implantation

domain: medical


text:
Peep some quotes that didn't make it into my feature story on Katy Perry, who performs at Agganis Arena on Saturday night.
On Madonna saying Perry's "Ur So Gay" was one of her favorite songs:
"It was trippy of course, because from what I know and have heard about Madonna, it’s always Madonna 24/7. And so for her to know anybody’s first and last name, it’s almost an honor. I mean I don’t say that too seriously, but I call it the champagne sendoff that I really needed to launch this big thing. When she says something, everybody listens because she’s been around for so long, she’s sacrificed so much, is constantly in on the new, fresh fun of whatever’s going on next. So a lot of people respect her. It was really – it was great. I couldn’t believe it. I mean I never had her posters on my wall because I wasn’t allowed to. Secretly I was madly in love with her of course."
On Bill O'Reilly convening a panel to discuss Perry's hit single "I Kissed A Girl" on "The O'Reilly Factor":
"That feels awesome. I mean my parents -- I grew up watching Fox news and always tried to change it to CNN, so it’s pretty interesting. I can’t believe that was newsworthy, especially in the middle of an election and a war, I’m like really, did you run out of stories? But it was pretty funny. I was like wow, I guess someone really doesn’t understand the tongue in cheek side of this song. You have no sense of humor."
On potentially working with r & b songwriter/producer The-Dream:
"Of course I can (see myself working with him). He wrote (Beyonce's) "Single Ladies," he writes a great song. I’m looking to collaborate with talented people. It’s really a great thing when you can get into a studio and someone brings something totally different and you bring something totally different and you meet in the middle and you create this hybrid. Like if I were to work with someone like that, I think I would bring such a rock thing to it, but he would maybe make the people move more, you know. Like I would come up with a subject matter but he’d make it a little more sassy."
On what's next after her next record:
"I like being very versatile, because I’ve always been that person, I’ve never just stuck to one thing. I think after this record – I’m totally putting the cart before the horse right now, but like I can’t wait to do an acoustic record or an acoustic EP and show off all the stuff without the bells and whistles. I’m a big fan of that mellow, Bon Iver stuff."
On why she wants to model her career after a mix of Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Beyonce and Cyndi Lauper:
"I want it to be totally different, but even more of a different spin and maybe a little more kooky and artistic. I think I’ll be doing things my own way, but I’d like to take elements of all their careers. I love Gwen Stefani – she’s got such a gentle demeanor about her and I love how she treats her fans as her friends, and she’s always very sensitive to the idea that usually you're meeting the person for the first time so it’s the idea that they’ll have of you for the rest of your life. That’s really important. And I love Madonna how she continues to change and be ahead of the next person, and from seeing the Beyonce show I want to bring it just like she brings it, just as hard. Cyndi Lauper -- I love how Cyndi Lauper still writes great songs. And Cyndi Lauper’s very much of an activist too, so I love that."


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For the second year in a row, Missouri Western football ended the season on a five game losing streak, as they lost to Northwest 30-0.
It was almost eery how similar this season was to last year. Both teams started with a promising 4-2 record, but would then lose out to end both seasons at 4-7. Yet, there is one thing that stuck out more about this 2017 team than last years, and that is potential.
With so much talent on this team, it’s almost baffling to see the exact thing that happened in 2016 happen once more. There were many games this team could have won that they didn’t. I think everyone and their mother knows that Western should have defeated Nebraska-Kearney in the season opener, but due to an unfortunate injury to Skyler Windmiller, the negativity was just too much for them to overcome in that game.
Then there was the Central Missouri shootout. With penalties all over the place and little to no defense to be seen, it’s safe to say this game could’ve gone both ways. New quarterback Dom Marino played stellar, as much of the offensive unit did as well.
Riding the momentum of the monster numbers they put up, Western then started a three game winning streak against Central Oklahoma, with Marino putting on an absolute clinic on his birthday. It’s safe to say everyone at that game will remember it for many seasons to come, as it came down to the very wire. This game turned many people into believers.
While Western would continue to impress for the next couple of weeks, Northwest showed glaring holes. This wasn’t the same team that had gone undefeated for two whole seasons. This wasn’t the best team in D-2 football. Hell, they weren’t even the best team in the MIAA anymore. That title belonged to Fort Hays State. Around the fifth week of the season, it was believed that the top threats to Northwest was Pitt State, Fort Hays and Western.
Well, two out of three ain’t bad, as Pitt State would be the first ones to upset Northwest in week nine. Northwest would follow that up with another loss to Fort Hays the following week in a game that was decided by one single point. You could say the Pitt State game was a fluke, but let’s call it a reasonable prediction since Pitt was one of the most inconsistent teams in the conference.
Northwest would go on to play Western the next and final week of the regular season and you already know how that ended. Western was on their way to completing a five game losing streak like last year, so it was hard to see them pulling off the upset like the 7-4 Pitt State Gorillas did.
Before their loss to Pitt State in week seven, Western was a legitimate threat to Northwest with the momentum they had. Marino was playing well and running back Josh Caldwell was having another great season. Sadly, Western ran into the buzzsaw that is the still undefeated Fort Hays Tigers. There was still a successful season to be salvaged though.
However, right before Western’s homecoming game against Washburn University, Caldwell would be released from the team. This is where things would fall apart.
Western continued their downfall all the way up to final game of the season. All that was left to play for was pride, and sadly there was very little pride to be shown. It had been a tough season at this point, and playing Northwest, who is still one of the best D-2 teams out there, was no help. Northwest set a tone early as they scored first, and their amazing defense would not let up one bit against a once prominent Western offense. There was no energy in the stands, which was bizarre for a Northwest game. It was a very gray and rainy day, with seemingly too many negative vibes to overcome.
The only question is what’s the problem? This team had the exactly the same 4-7 season they did last year. This team should have been 9-2 and right in the thick of the playoffs. After so many years with former head coach and Western alumni Jerry Partridge, most of them successful, was it a coaching problem? Again the roster has so much talent, but that talent did not show up for the last five games of the season. That question will have to be answered next fall, as head coach Matt Williamson and company will more than likely be raring to come back from this disappointing season.


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Browse feature articles from Highlights and the Village Green community.
Village Green events are for residents and accompanied guests ONLY unless noted.
The Village Green is a 629 unit development located in Los Angeles, California on 68 acres of spacious urban forest. Originally Baldwin Hills Village, it was built in 1941 and renamed The Village Green in 1973 when converted to condominiums. The Village Green was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001.
The architecture and landscape design place residential buildings in secluded courts connected by pedestrian walkways leading to wide lawns spotted by mature trees. Garages and parking are on the periphery of the property allowing a quiet atmosphere despite an active community of neighbors.
As a condominium association and National Historic Landmark, the Village Green is necessarily governed by rules and policies. For any remodeling, additions or repairs, you may need to submit application materials for approval. See Unit Modification under Guidelines & Resources for more information or attend a Design Review Committee meeting.


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MyTabstart > Favorites Directory > Technology > Gamification
Replace Lenovo battery
Organizing Favorites in IE
Mentorship Programs for Startups
Tech News Favorites, Week of Nov. 29th
Make a Screencast
Resources on "gamification", ie. using game mechanics in non-gaming applications.
Compiled by Robin Krieglstein. Please suggest additions! @rkrieglstein on Twitter.
The G-List (Who's who in Gamification)
researcher and UX designer, working on persuasive design and gameful design
Amy Jo Kim
Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world
Jesse Schell: Visions of the Gamepocalypse
Sebastian Deterding Slideshares
Game On: 16 Design Patterns for User Engagement
Beyond Gamification: 7 Core Concepts for Creating Compelling Products
Smart Gamification by Amy Jo Kim
LIfecycle Design for Social Games
Rypple - lessons learned on enterprise gamification
How Gamification is Changing the World
Player's Journey: 5-step design framework for longterm engagement.
Gamification is Everywhere
SCVNGR's Secret Game Mechanics
Game Mechanics Wikepedia
The Art of Game Design
Building Web Reputation Systems
Web Reputation Systems are an important subset of gamification focused on encouraging users to contribute meaningfully to a community, and to make it easy for users to extract value from a community quickly.
Gamification by Design: Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile Apps

domain: design


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Office Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu - 8am to 5pm; Wed - 9am to 6pm
At LDG, we provide our patients with a smile that is equal parts beautiful and affordable. Through LDG's financing program, patients are afforded the opportunity to make interest-free payments toward treatments completed by our office.
LDG's policy gives patients with a valid checking account, saving account, or credit/debit card to have monthly installments automatically drawn from their selected account. Patients can finance any amount from $150 to $1,750. All amounts financed are interest-free unless the account becomes delinquent.
The terms of financing are as follows:
|AMOUNT FINANCED||MAXIMUM TERM||MINIMUM PAYMENT|
|$150 to $749||6 Months||$50|
|$750 to $1,249||9 Months||$100|
|$1,250 to $1,750||12 Months||$150|
Penalties for any non-payment or insufficient funds for any reason will result in a late fee being accessed to your account in the amount of $50.00. Additionally, your account balance will be charged a monthly interest fee of 2% on the outstanding balance owed until payment is made in full. In the event of loan default, your account will be turned over to collections and legal proceedings will be implemented. All costs associated with collections and legal proceedings will be assessed to your account.

domain: economics


The X-21 shock glove was a model of shock glove produced by Corellian Personal Defense and available during the period following the Battle of Yavin during the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The gloves cost 500 and were designed to improve the damage done by hand attacks in melee combat.
Behind the scenesEdit
- Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
- Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook


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Looking for a gorgeous spa hotel that’s easily accessible and yet a world away from the stresses of your everyday life? Well, we have scoured the country for the best spas in the UK that are close-by and have saunas, Jacuzzis and inviting swimming pools perfect for a weekend spa break.
Spa hotels in England
Spa hotels in Brighton and the South Coast
We’ve found some gorgeous spa hotels in Brighton and nearby along the South Coast such as Eastbourne and Little Hampton. Spend your days exploring the coast and the cute boutique shops and restaurants, and then come back to your hotel for a few lazy hours in the spa.
Spa hotels near Birmingham
Check out these gorgeous spa hotels ranging from The Cotswolds to Manchester all offering impeccable luxury. If you are living in Birmingham’s urban city centre then perhaps you will be surprised to know your nearest sap break is not so far away. Explore the nearby surrounds you will find this is an epicentre for relaxation and opulence.
Spa hotels near Liverpool
These luxury spa hotels are all just an hour from Liverpool and therefore near enough to escape to for a quick weekend of pampering. You’ll find pools to dazzle, alongside extensive lists of beauty treatments and at the end of a long day of treatments, you can slope off to your uber luxury bedroom.
Spa hotels near Sheffield
There’s many a Jacuzzi and sauna near Sheffield that are perfect for a spa break if you know where to look! These 7 hotels all offer a relaxing stay and spa experiences designed to pamper and soothe, so why not treat yourself to a weekend of spa opulence?
Spa hotels in London
It will come as no surprise that London is teeming with luxury hotels but we have found those, that in our opinion, boast the best spa facilities. Whether you are partial to luxury Italian skincare or perhaps ancient massage techniques are more your thing, these hotels are ideal for a spa break in London.
Spas hotels in the Lake District
Heading to the Lake District? You are going to need a hot tub after all that hiking and exploring! Luckily every single one of these hotels come with a private outdoor hot tub so you can take in the views and feel cosy warm -whatever the weather.
Spa hotels in the New Forest
The New Forest is a wonderful destination in Hampshire, for exploring the countryside, walks along the beach, horse riding and of course relaxing in a gorgeous hotel spa with views of the treetops.
Spa hotels in Yorkshire
This collection of Spa hotels spans across Sheffield, Leeds, Scarborough and York, so there really is something for everyone looking for a quick spa getaway filled with relaxation.
Spa hotels in Manchester
Manchester is a city that is buzzing with exciting things to do but there are also plenty of tranquil spas hidden in the bowels of beautiful hotels, offering you some peace and quiet. So book yourself in for a pamper session and explore the other side of Manchester.
Gorgeous spa hotels in Scotland
Spa hotels in Edinburgh
Whether it’s gazing down at the city from a rooftop pool, or cosseted in the bubbly confines of a luxury manor house Jacuzzi, there are plenty of places to relax in Edinburgh.
Spa Hotels within an hour of Glasgow
At first glance Glasgow might not seem like the first choice for a spa break, but to those in the know it’s a secret hub of opulent spa hotels, all just an hours drive from Glasgow.
Spa hotels on the shores of a Scottish loch
There’s nothing better than getting back to nature to really take some time out from the stresses of daily life. So why not book yourself into one of these stunning spas, all on the shores of a Scottish loch surrounded by incredible views.
Spa hotels in Ireland
Spa hotels in Dublin
We’ve found some of the best hotels in the Irish capital for a weekend of R&R. You’ll find hotels that combine a great spa with proximity to Dublin’s exciting city centre, and hotel restaurants that serve up gastronomic delights.
Spa hotels in Kerry
Kerry is one of the most beautiful places in all of Ireland, so what could be better than escaping the city and enjoying a weekend break in one of their luxury spa hotels?
Spa hotels in Donegal
What could be a nicer way end to a day spent exploring the Bluestack Mountains than a massage in a luxury spa hotel? Restore your spirit with miles and miles of rugged coastline, sandy beaches and gorgeous walking trails followed by some time in a hot tub or sauna.
Spa Hotels in Wales
Spa hotels near Cardiff
There’s no need to spend time travelling or planning weeks in advance, when you can simply book yourself into one of these fabulous spa hotels near Cardiff and slip away for a weekend of relaxation.

domain: geography


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Click here to take a fun photography quiz, enter a competition to win a Lomography hamper, find awesome daily deals and so much more at our Holidays page!
This is the first roll I shot with my Zenit-E. To say I have never used an SLR before, I am glad these came out at all. Although I think Pip was getting a bit sick of modelling for me!!!
arurin, flashstalker, pietrone, zoezo & fletchinski84.


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aims to provide the opportunity to showcase young individual passion & creativity, business opportunities and as a stepping stone for brighter future & career path. Putting Malaysia's fashion & beauty industry in the world stage as the vehicle - a unique unison of Fashion, Hair, Beauty & Catwalk muse comes as one.
Open up opportunities for young creative talents to showcase their creations.
Create buzz in the Fashion & Beauty industry.
To initiate collaboration and community support amongst local young generation!


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Can you eat leftover turkey 5 days later?
And don’t worry if they’re still warm; it’s all OK to go in the fridge. If stored in the fridge, make sure to eat turkey within three to four days. Casseroles and mashed potatoes are good a little bit longer, three to five days. If you need the food to last longer, put it in the freezer.
How long are turkey leftovers good for?
As a general guideline, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends eating or freezing turkey and other leftovers within three to four days. For Thanksgiving, that means you should eat or freeze by Monday.
Are leftovers still good after 4 days?
Leftovers can be kept for three to four days in the refrigerator. Be sure to eat them within that time. After that, the risk of food poisoning increases. If you don’t think you’ll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them immediately.
Can you eat 5 day turkey?
The general rule that turkey meat is safe to eat within four days of its storage is just that — a general rule. If your leftovers look like they have spoiled or give off unusual smells, do not eat them even if fewer than four days have passed.
Can you eat cooked turkey after 7 days?
Store leftover turkey and stuffing in separate containers. Make sure your fridge is set at 4 C (40 F) or colder to keep foods safe. … Most leftovers can be kept for three to four days in the fridge. If you have more food than you plan to eat within four days, freeze within two hours after it’s cooked.
Can you eat leftovers after 5 days?
How long do leftovers last? According to the FDA Food Code, all perishable foods that are opened or prepared should be thrown out after 7 days, maximum. No leftovers should survive in your fridge for longer than that. Some foods should be even be thrown away before the 7 day mark.
Can I eat cooked chicken after 5 days?
The USDA says that chicken is safe for up to four days in the fridge before you need to throw it out. If you’re on day five, it’s time to toss it.
How can you tell if cooked turkey is bad?
How to tell if cooked turkey is bad? The best way is to smell and look at the turkey: signs of bad turkey are a sour smell and a slimy texture to the cooked turkey; discard any turkey with an off smell or appearance, do not taste the turkey first.
Is cooked turkey safe to eat after a week?
Don’t eat old Thanksgiving leftovers
Once the leftovers are put away in the refrigerator, you have only a few days to eat them before they become a safety risk. If stored in a refrigerator, leftovers can stay good for three to four days.
Can I eat week old mashed potatoes?
How Long You Can Keep Leftover Mashed Potatoes. Mashed potatoes should easily last three to five days in the fridge if stored correctly and within two hours of cooking. This means ensuring there isn’t any moisture buildup under the lid that could encourage the growth of bacteria.

domain: food


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Cornwall Rugby Football Union Limited (Register Number 30748R) is registered under the Industrial and ProvidentSocieties Act 1985.
For the full Rules please click on the attached document. Please note the amended rules post the 2017 AGM.
The Sub-Rules replace the old Bye-Laws and are to be read in conjunction with the Rules. In the event of any real or implied contradictions the Rules of Cornwall Rugby Football Union Ltd take precedence.
For the full Sub-Rules please click on the attached document.

domain: sports