text:
no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well…
no one leaves home unless home is a sweaty voice in your ear
run away from me now
i don’t know what I’ve become
but i know that anywhere
is safer than here
These verses are excerpts from the poem ‘Home’ by Warsen Shire, a British-Somali poet. When I arrived in Kakuma Refugee Camp for the first time, it was because my mom had seen our whole town running for the border as well. Sudan was no longer safe, and Kakuma was to become our home. I would later be given an opportunity to study out of the camp, but after finishing secondary school, with no other options or paperwork to allow me to work in Kenya and a home country, South Sudan, that I barely knew and which still was not safe, I returned to the camp to teach in Kakuma Secondary School, often to students who were older than me.
Every refugee has a story to tell, stories of sadness and resilience. That resilience is an evident virtue that most refugees hold dear. Each having hope that one day everything will be okay. Education has been the greatest tool that has helped many young refugees cope with life and gain a new hope for a better dawn. As a teacher in Kakuma Refugee Camp, I have watched students at school and at home struggling to create a different world from the one in which they currently reside.
Kakuma Refugee Secondary School
The statistics of Kakuma Refugee Camp make my heart ache for the education of the girl child. Despite the fact that 94% of primary school children are enrolled in school, only 6% of the high school aged students are enrolled in high school. Of those enrolled, 24% are girls. Kakuma Refugee Camp has 21 available elementary schools and only 5 secondary schools, and this alone makes it limiting for the number of students that are able to make it to high school. Schools like Kakuma Refugee Secondary School, where I taught, came up with a strategy of dividing the school into two, School A and School B from 6am-12pm and 12pm-6pm respectively in order to allow more students to attend. I personally feel like 6 hours are not enough for a secondary school student to grasp everything, considering that these hours include physical education, club times, and all core classes. Despite the division of the school into two parts, the number of students still runs from 90 to 120 in each classroom.
Kakuma Secondary School is a sprawling complex of open-air buildings, with dirt floors, old benches wedged together and a blackboard in each room. AAR Japan has tried to improve the classrooms lately but still the numbers of the students do not match the limited classrooms available. The students are often older, many having experienced huge gaps in their education due to the interruption of war or having to take care of families. Society benefits the male child, and girls find it challenging to manage the life of being a student and a girl child back home with numerous responsibilities.
Making it to secondary school — the challenges girls face
Less than a fourth of the students at Kakuma Secondary School are girls for a variety of reasons. First, as school costs money, many families decide that it’s not worth educating a girl — it is too high a cost. You might wonder how school can cost money if you’re a refugee and schools are paid for by massive non-profits, but the truth is that between uniforms, books, and other supplies, families are often unable to come up with the money to send children to school since they are unable to earn an income as a refugee. Connected to that is the idea that a girl is a drain on her family financially, and marrying her off relieves the financial burden and even makes a family money through her dowry. Also, it is something to be proud of to make a good match and start a family according to many. However, this means that girls at very young ages are often married off, even at times against their wishes.
Third, girls are also often responsible for household tasks like fetching firewood and water from distribution points — sometimes very long walks from their homes. They have to take care of younger siblings or cousins, cook, wash, and by the time they are able to sit down and do homework or study, it’s dark, and there is no electricity or access to light. This results in girls often falling behind in their studies, ‘proving’ that girls aren’t as smart or can’t do as well at school. In short, there are a mountain of obstacles for girls to overcome to make it to secondary — let alone finish secondary school.
At times, it can feel hopeless — what, after all, is the point of an education that you won’t be able to use? Finishing high school is already a challenge, so making it to university is almost too big a dream to hold.
Overcoming barriers and restoring hope
I believe in creating more awareness in the community, especially among parents for them to understand that, apart from the household chores, their children irrespective of their gender need to all get quality time to study. I have seen an NGO distributing lamps to girls for studies, but most mothers turn them into cooking gadgets. Despite best intentions, this useful tool becomes disadvantageous to most girls, as the solar light meant to be used for studying is used by the family to make girls do house chores instead.
Another potential solution in my opinion is simply building more schools. If more schools can be built, then the chances of more students getting enrolled will increase, including the girl child. Building community or block-based libraries would also help students study after and before school considering that schools have been divided into two sections. Students need a place to study, to be around others who want to learn, and to maintain their motivation to achieve. Introducing life skills lessons to girls and sex education will also reduce the increasing spread of HIV/AIDs and pregnancy, both risks to teenage girls’ education.
In refugee camps, education provides hope in a place that too often feels hopeless. In order to both generate hope and also to create an educated population that can one day return to rebuild their home countries, both young men and young women must be educated. We refugees all carry scars — whether internal or external. Though our external scars may be more difficult to get rid of, internal scars can be minimized through education and empowerment. The more people and organizations can invest in refugee education for both boys and girls — the better chance we have of rebuilding our homes and establishing a peace that will last.

domain: sociology


text:
If you are a normal Mac user, you may have come to know that Mac computers are not really the best to play games. In-fact, Mac computers are specially designed for professional use rather than for gaming. Having said that, you can play a lot of big-shot games like StarCraft, and Life is Strange and much more. So if you are new to MacBook and don’t know which game to play, we have the list of the best games for Mac. Check out the list below.
Top 14 Best Games for Mac
Tomb Raider is yet another action game that is available on the Mac App Store for $29.99. The game’s plot is that a young girl named Lara Croft is shipwrecked on an inhabited island and needs to fight for survival. The ultimate aim of the play is to escape from the inhabited island. The game is filled with vintage weapons and fights. It was released in Mac App Store on January 17, 2014.
Portal 2 Best Games for Mac
Portal 2 is a Sci-Fi based puzzle game. It is a first-person perspective play that has two modes, Single-player Campaign and Cooperative Campaign. This game’s latest goal is to explore the Aperture Science Laboratory, a complicated mechanized maze. Portal 2 is not available on the Mac App Store. You need to get the app from the Steam Platform, and it costs $9.99. It is one of the best games for Mac.
Kerbal Space Program is the next generation of space exploration. It is a space flight simulation video game where you can administrate a space program by small green species called Kerbals. Players can create spacecraft, rovers, and other space equipment with the provided set of components. Missions, like capturing asteroids, creating space stations, reaching certain altitudes, are some of the missions specified. You can play the game as you wish. You can crazily assemble parts and see how it behaves or does it professionally. Making the game fun solely depends on the player. Get the game on the Steam platform.
Fortnite Best Games for Mac
Fortnite is the best survival game for MacBook. In the absence of PUBG in the Macbook, Fortnite will serve you the best. Epic Games, developer of many cutting-edge games, developed this game. With the free to shoot mixed with last man standing, Fortnite will give an immense gaming experience. Games like Fortnite are pretty simple to pick up, however, and they are hard-won to master. You can download Fortnite game from Epic Game’s website. It is one of the most excellent free games for Mac.
Firaxis Games, an American Video Game developer, developed the game Civilization VI. It is the recent entry into the Civilization series. The game aims to develop a civilization from an early stage which is extra or less the same as the previous edition. It is a strategy game, and you need to invest your best mind in becoming the best of the game. The game was launched for Macbook in October 2016. You can download the game from the Mac App Store, and it is available for $59.99. It is one of the best strategy games available on the Mac App Store.
Since the release of The Lord of the Rings movie, numerous apps and games were released on the internet with its theme. The Lord of the Rings Online is one among them. In this game, you can get to explore the world of middle-earth, create your hero, and a lot of things. You can even play as a villain, as a servant of Sauron, against other players in combat (monster player vs player). This game is not available on the Mac Apple Store. You need to get the game from Steam for free. It is one of the great free games on steam for Mac.
Minecraft Best Games for Mac
Minecraft is a mind-blowing game that merges survival, creativity, and exploration. You are placed in a world which you need to mine for materials. At first, you start with your own hands and upgrade all the way up to melting the metal. There are five game modes available on this game: Survival, Creative, Adventure, Hardcore, and Spectator. All the game modes are different from others. The game is not available on the Mac App Store. You need to get the game from Minecraft’s website. The Minecraft games have a price tag of $26.95.
It would be a sign that the best games don’t include racing games. GRID Autosport is one of the top racing games that are available for Mac. The game is possible on the Mac App Store, and it costs $35.99. You can play with many game modes like rally racing, F1, Drag race, Sprint, and much more. With GRID Autosport, you can get the real feel of driving. Download the game and enjoy driving.
Rocket League Best Games for Mac
Rocket League is a football game played with cars. In this game, you will control a small car. With the car, you need to dribble the ball and guide it to the opponents to score a goal. At the end of time, the person to score the most number of goals wins the match. You are given an arena filled with neon lights. Controlling the game with the cars will give you the fun and thrill that a real football game can’t deliver. The game is free on the Steam Platform, and it costs $19.99.
Hearthstone is a card game that contains characters from Warcraft Universe. The game is free, and it is not available on the Mac App Store. You need to download the game from its official website. Blizzard Entertainment is the developer and the publisher of this game. It is one of the best multiplayer games, and the game has won the British Academy Games Award for Multiplayer.
Gone Home Best Games for Mac
Gone Home is a first-person view video game. It is more or less a role play game. The gamer takes control of a character named Katie, who can walk around the house. There is not a definite goal in this game. It would help if you found objects that unlock new rooms in the house. To proceed further in the game, one needs to find some specific objects to access other parts of the house. Download the game from Steam.
F1 (Formula 1) is yet another racing game on the list. Everyone will know what is F1 and how an F1 race would be. This is a game for all Mac users who needs the real experience of an F1 game. There are two F1 games on the Mac App Store, F1 2016 and F1 2017. The F1 sports ranks 10th among the professional sports league in the world. Feral Interactive Ltd developed the F1 game. The price of this game is $49.99. It is one of the must-have and best racing and a strategy game in the Mac App Store.
Real Boxing Best Games for Mac
Real Boxing is a free game that is available on the Mac App Store. With stunning visuals, you can get the real boxing thrill. You can additionally challenge your friend for a multiplayer match. Many customization options are possible on the game, like hair, moustache, beard, tattoo, and colour of pants, gloves, & shoes. It is one of the good free games for mac.
Frontline Commando is an available survival game free on the Mac App Store. The 3rd person shooter game will give you a real fighting experience. You can get to shoot all the types of weapons like assault rifles, snipers, rocket launchers, shotguns and much more. This game will give you a regular bonus with a chance to get an advanced weapon on the 15th day. It is one of the best action-packed game that is free for available.
That’s all about the best games for Macbook. Before downloading or buying any game, don’t forget to check the game requirements.
Don’t find your favourite play on the list, leave a comment below for us to add. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more further updates.

domain: entertainment


Not sure how I missed this info when it was announced a couple of weeks ago but I’m guessing I’m not the only one who missed the story so I decided to go ahead and share it. After reading about some of the reactions and horrific side effects to this *latest and greatest* vaccine, I’d never allow my daughter – much less my son – to get this. No way can I see this as anything other than more of Big Pharma’s way of experimenting on humans and raking in a profit while they screw with our bodies and lives.
The Telegraph – “Boys aged 12-13 will be vaccinated with Gardasil at schools around the country and in coming months boys aged 14-15 will get the jab as part of a catch up program.
More than one million teenage girls aged 12-16 have already been vaccinated under the free program that is expected to reduce the 700 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed each year.
The vaccine fights off 70 per cent of cervical cancers caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and although boys can’t develop the cancer they still carry the virus and can infect female sexual partners.
Health Minister Tanya Plibersek, who will launch the free vaccination program for boys at Newtown High School of Performing Arts in Sydney, said vaccinating boys will improve herd immunity.
“We know that vaccinating boys will protect them from cancer and genital warts.. and reduce the rates of cervical cancer among women,” she says.
- Cervical cancer drug trials risky, says plea in court (thehindu.com)
- Vaccine group funds cervical cancer immunizations for poor (news.yahoo.com)
- The Dangers of the HPV vaccines Gardasil & Cervarix (HPV Vaccination Side Effects Cervical Cancer) [VIDEO] (secretsofthefed.com)
- Boys to be given Gardasil vaccine (dailytelegraph.com.au)


text:
Tucson Festival of Books: Mara Purl – Presenter
Mar 10 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Mara Purl – Presenter
Marina Martingale – Presenter
Audio Books & Video Book Trailers
Integrated Learning Center Room 119
University of Arizona Campus
Best-selling author and noted audio book performer Mara Purl will present the latest info about the production and marketing of audio books at this renowned event, which is now the largest book event in the U.S. Marina Martingale will show examples of highly effective book trailers.


Saturday, May 20, 2017
An Aurora Named "Steve"
Source - Space Weather News for May 21, 2017: http://spaceweather.com
AN AURORA NAMED "STEVE": This weekend, a solar wind storm has sparked sightings of a mysterious filamentary aurora named "Steve" over the badlands of Alberta, Canada. Although the form has been seen for many years dancing among ordinary auroras, researchers do not fully understand what causes it. New clues recently emerged when a European Space Agency satellite flew directly through Steve.
The phenomenon is highlighted on today's edition of Spaceweather.com.


text:
The MS Care Centre is Ireland’s only dedicated respite and therapy centre for people with Multiple Sclerosis. It offers short-term respite care, therapeutic services, neurological assessments and many social activities in a homely environment in the suburbs of Dublin.
Our ‘home away from home’ is a place of rest and relaxation for people all over Ireland. However, it is also a place for people to learn more about their MS and find ways to self manage their condition. Each week 12 residents enjoy a number of social and therapeutic activities such as yoga, massage, day trips, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and a personalised nursing assessment.
Resident’s individual needs and choices are catered for by our experienced therapists, nurses and care staff. Our multi-disciplinary team work with residents to maximise their independence and quality of life. We have a dedicated doctor on call and all our bedrooms are fully accessible with en suite bathrooms. We cater for all levels of abilities and specialise in caring for those with high-care needs.
The Centre also enables family members to take a break from caring, relaxed in the knowledge that their loved one is receiving the best care possible and accessing therapies and programmes possibly not available in their own area.
The Centre also provided limited respite to a number of people with other neurological conditions such as stroke, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson disease.

domain: health


text:
The drive up from the city had been uneventful, but the dirt road leading back to the secluded cabin was a welcome sight nonetheless. The thick mix of pines and hardwoods made even a glimpse of the cozy log house impossible at this time of year. Although it was early fall, the foliage was still abundant, and the days warm, but the nights cool and delicious.
As we rounded the last bend in the long drive, a wisp of smoke from the stone chimney, and the car parked outside the cottage, told us that our friends Carrie and Jonathon had already arrived. Jan had known Carrie since their days together in college, but Jonathon was relatively new to us. The two of them had been dating only a couple of months, and we had seen little of them during that time period.
As I went to step out of the car, Jan placed her hand on my arm and said, “Ben, I just want you to know that things have been a bit tough between Carrie and Jonathon the last couple of weeks, so things may be a little tense. They made need a little space, or Carrie and I may have to go for a long walk or two. Hopefully, things will be OK and we can all just relax, unwind, and enjoy this beautiful weekend!”
We grabbed the suitcase and walked in the door just as Carrie was about to plop down in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine. She sat it down, bounced across the floor, kissed me on the cheek, and threw her arms around Jan. “Where’s Jon?” I asked. There was an awkward moment of silence, followed by Carrie’s explanation that he was not coming. “Things have been pretty bad,” she confided. “I’m not sure what the problem is, but we have not been getting along at all. I haven’t heard from him since Monday afternoon.”
There was a tear in Carrie’s eye, and the last couple of words were a bit choked. Jan wrapped her arms around her friend and walked her over to the sofa in front of the fireplace, handing her the glass of wine, and dropping down into the cushions next to her. “Pour me a glass, will you, hon? In fact, bring the bottle. Carrie’s glass is already half empty.” I grabbed two glasses, poured some wine into each, and carried them out to the great room, handing one to Jan and sitting the other one on the floor next to the rocking chair by the fireplace. I went back for the bottle, put it down by the girls, and slid into the rocker with my glass of wine.
In reality, I was trying to give the two of them some space to talk without my interrupting, but I sensed my presence was still getting in the way. “How about if I go and throw dinner together for us? You two can just sit and talk, but this will cost you. I cook, you clean up.” They nodded agreement, so I headed off for the kitchen. I tossed a salad for each of us, and then went out on the porch to put a couple of steaks on the grill.
Soon, dinner was ready, and the three of us ate voraciously. The girls had finished off the bottle of wine, so I uncorked another one, and the three of us sat and ate and talked, even laughed a bit. By, the end of the meal, Carrie seemed to be in better spirits, although I guessed the wine was contributing to her more relaxed demeanor. Around 9 PM we all decided to get ready for bed and then relax around the fire.
I threw a couple of fresh pieces of wood on the fire, and then headed back into the bedroom to change. “How’s Carrie holding out?” I asked.
“She’s OK,” replied Jan, “but emotional. I think she knows she’s better off without Jonathan, but right now it still hurts.” Jan had changed into a very short nightgown and matching bikini panties. It was nearly sheer, but since only Carrie was with us, I just decided to enjoy the view. I slid on a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt and headed back to the fireplace. We half sat, half reclined on the rug by the fireplace and nursed the wine, leaning on the over-sized pillows that were there for just that purpose. It was dark outside, and the flames from the fire and a few candles were all that lit the comfortable room.
Carrie joined us a few minutes later, and, when she did, I got an eyeful I wasn’t expecting. Her nightgown was even sheerer than Jan’s! Because it was longer, she had not bothered with panties, and I could readily see her cunt, even in the dim light. Her breasts were incredible. I had never seen Carrie other than fully dressed, and apparently her clothing concealed an incredible body! I glanced over at Jan to see if she was upset, but she seemed almost not to notice, so I kept my mouth shut and let my eyes have a field day.
It was obvious that both girls were more than a little drunk. Giggles were frequent, hugs were many, and I was having the time of my life. Jan and I were straight shooters, and our relationship was monogamous, so this was really different for us. Here I was, “stuck” with two extremely attractive, very much exposed women who seemed oblivious to the fact that they were presenting my eyes with a real feast. I was feeling the sharp stirring of my cock, and I moved over closer to Jan where I could put my arm around her, let my hand occasionally brush against her thigh or her ass, kiss her neck, and otherwise try to get her stirred up. I noticed Jan’s nipples had become erect, and she was having more difficulty pretending that I was not getting to her. But the fire was burning down, it was getting late, and my cock was getting harder. Too much longer and Carrie would be getting an eyeful of her own! I was grateful for the low light conditions.
We got up to say goodnight. We both gave Carrie a kiss (did I feel her tongue for just an instant or was my imagination running away with me?) and headed for our bedroom. Apparently, Carrie had noticed more than I had realized because as we opened the door to our room, she called out, “Are you two just going to leave me out here alone to masturbate?” Her look was more than a bit wanton, but, as I said before, Jan and I were straight shooters, and I just attributed Carrie’s remark to the wine and some longing left over for Jonathon.
We went into our bedroom and closed the door. I was really aroused, but I had to head back to the bathroom for a minute. I took off my sleep pants and shirt, washed my cock, and then headed back to the bedroom. To my delight, Jan was waiting for me. She had put one of the large floor pillows next to the bed, slipped on a pair of spiked heels, opened up her nightgown, pulling it back to expose her breasts, and was kneeling on the pillow. Apparently I had gotten to her, and her nipples were as hard as rocks, sticking well out from her areoles. Her fingers were dangling just an inch from her cunt, and she looked at me invitingly. “I want that cock of yours, right now. Get over here.” She didn’t have to ask twice. The sight of her kneeling on that pillow had given me all the extra stimulation I needed, leaving my cock hard and long.
I walked over in front of her, and she took in nearly the whole thing in one gulp. She kept me deep in her mouth for a minute, but then began licking up and down my cock like it was an ice cream cone. She licked my balls, and time after time took my cock all the way into her throat. It was the most incredible blow job I had ever had in my life.
I knew if we kept up at that pace I wouldn’t last too much longer, so I pulled out of her mouth, and said, “You’re a bad girl. You’re trying to make me cum way too soon. I’m afraid I’m going to have to spank you!” Her eyes lit up. She quickly pulled off the nightgown, slid out of her panties, and bent over at the foot of the bed, offering her lovely ass to me to do with as I wished. She still had the heels on, and the view of the heels leading up to her legs and eventually to her ass was fantastic. I came around next to her and gently ran my hand over both cheeks. She was squirming, and begging me to spank her. I raised my hand and smacked her sharply on the right cheek. She yelped and flinched, but she wanted more. For the next two minutes I alternated between cheeks, occasionally rubbing them between smacks. Her ass was beginning to get red and tender, so I gave her one more, good hard smack on each cheek, turned her around, and pushed her down on her back on the bed.
Jan spread her legs and lifted her feet high for me, giving me a great view of her cunt. We keep her hair trimmed very short, and her bikini area totally free of hair, so I could hardly wait to get her cunt in my mouth. I got in close, and I could almost taste her cunt already. I kissed and licked her thighs, and occasionally her cunt lips, but she begged me to eat her. Finally, she could no longer stand it. She reached out, grabbed my head, and pulled my face right into her cunt. I did not need much encouragement. I licked her all over until she was soaking wet, and then I began my assault on her clit. My tongue raced back and forth over her, and she started to writhe under its touch. Spanking always seems to make Jan cum faster, and this night was no exception. The first spasm lifted her ass right off the bed. Two more orgasms came in quick succession, and then she was ready for me to stuff my cock into her cunt.
I lay on my back on the bed, and Jan came over top of me, straddling my cock, but facing away from me toward the bedroom door. She stayed up high, squatting over me, grabbed my cock, and then impaled herself on it. She let out a groan as she took it all the way in, and started pumping up and down on my extremely stiff rod. Her hands were behind her to give her some balance, her knees bent up in front of her as she flew up and down my shaft.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and I could see Carrie’s silhouette in the doorway. We had assumed she had gone to sleep, especially given the amount of wine she had drunk. I don’t know if we were simply making more noise than we realized, or if she had just been unable to sleep, but there she was. There wasn’t much light, but I was absolutely certain she was naked. She closed the door behind her and moved toward the bed. For just a second I had the urge to stop and pull a sheet over us, but Jan hardly seemed to notice Carrie’s presence, and she continued moving her cunt up and down on my cock. She had to be able to see Carrie, but it was not even slowing her down! Carrie came up on the bed with us and pushed Jan over backward, the result being Jan was now lying on her back on my chest. Jan’s legs flew up in the air, and I could see the heels suspended in mid-air above us. I am not sure how I managed to keep my cock in her, but I continued to pump in and out of her. There was a slight pause, and, in the dark, it looked to me as though Carrie was uncertain what she wanted to do. But, her head quickly dropped between Jan’s legs, and her tongue sought out Jan’s clit, hungrily. She alternated between licking Jan’s cunt, and licking my balls, sometimes managing to do both with one long lick.
I still was not sure what to expect. Like most men, I had often fantasized about being with two hot women at the same time, but it had never happened before. Given the position we were in at the moment, Carrie was pretty much in charge anyway, so I decided to just “go with the flow,” and see what direction Carrie would take us.
I was soon to find out, and that is a good thing because I knew I would not be able to hold on much longer. I felt Jan beginning to squirm, and I new it meant she was on the verge of an orgasm. She came hard and fast, and a second orgasm followed in just a few seconds. She was totally spent. Apparently sensing that, Carrie grabbed my cock and literally yanked it out of Jan’s cunt. I was dripping with Jan’s cum, but that just seemed to turn Carrie on all the more. She bent over my cock and pulled it deep into her mouth and what felt like halfway down her throat. I still had Jan lying on my chest, and I was pulling on her erect nipples while Carrie jammed my cock down her throat. It was beyond my wildest dreams. I never felt anything like that before, and I knew I was about to explode. I tried to warn Carrie, but she simply picked up her pace, and I exploded with what felt like a gallon of cum right into her mouth. She pulled back from my cock, and got up on her knees, her hand diving between her own legs, and she quickly exploded with her own orgasm. She had made all three of us cum! It was phenomenal.
The three of us fell into each others’ arms, and were soon soundly asleep.
I was the first one awake the next morning. I slid out from between the two girls, and it hit me for the first time that the entire experience had been real. With the wine, the low light, and sex that was way outside of our usual parameters, the whole experience seemed almost surrealistic, more of a dream than reality. But with the sun streaming in the window, and the sight of the two lovely, naked women in the bed, I knew that it had been real.
I shaved, jumped in the shower, pulled on a light weight robe, and headed out to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I noticed on my way through the bedroom that the two girls had snuggled up to each other, but were again sound asleep. The freshly brewing coffee smelled wonderful, and I figured the aroma would soon rouse Jan and Carrie from their sleep.
I poured myself a cup and stepped out onto the porch. It was about 8 AM, and the morning was delightfully cool, although comfortable enough so stay out there and enjoy the view of the nearby beaver pond. I heard the door open behind me, and soon Carrie was at my side with her own cup of coffee in hand. She had obviously just stepped out of the shower as her hair was still wet and hanging down onto her shoulders. But what I noticed most was that she was still naked. Although there was no chance of anyone seeing us from the road, it still startled me to see her standing there that way, breasts full and firm, legs slightly parted, cunt fully in view. My cock twitched hard enough that I actually saw my robe move.
“Good morning!” I said. She just smiled, moved a bit closer, reached over and took my hand in hers, pulling it over so it rested lightly against her right thigh. “Thanks for last night,” she whispered. “You and Jan have always been so close to me, and I really love you both. It was great!’ I smiled and squeezed her hand. I was trying to search for something to special to say, but the door opening again spared me the need to do so. Jan had not even bothered to dry after her shower, and was just standing there naked with a towel over her shoulders. They both looked fantastic, and it was becoming clear to me that last night was, hopefully, just the first night of what was to be an incredible weekend.
“Dry my back, would you?” She flipped the towel to Carrie who lovingly dried not only her back, but the rest of her as well.
My cock was starting to stick out of my robe, and my mind began to race as to the possibilities of where things might go from here. Jan spoke first. “Are you going to keep the two of us waiting all morning?” Jan grabbed my hand, and Carrie grabbed my cock, and they led me back to the bedroom where they promptly relieved me of my robe. There were already two pillows on the floor, and each of them quickly knelt on one. They turned to each other and kissed, shoving their tongues down each other throats before turning to me with wanton looks in their eyes. “Come here, Ben,” cooed Jan. She gently kissed the end of my cock, and then ran her tongue up and down it several times, finally sucking me deep into her mouth. She took my cock out of her mouth and matter-of-factly handed it to Carrie who eagerly tried to outdo what Jan had already done. They alternated sucking me off, and then pushed me back on the edge of the bed. Jan took my balls in her mouth and sucked them while Carrie lovingly licked and sucked my cock. They would stop occasionally to change responsibilities, kissing each other in between. I wanted to touch them and start giving them the pleasure that they were giving me, but they were having none of that this morning. “This one’s just for you.”
They started licking up opposite sides of my cock at the same time, their tongues meeting and touching briefly at the end of each lick. I was starting to ache, and I knew it would not be long until this was over for me. The two of them looked at each other and seemed to sense that the end was near. As if by some prearranged agreement, Carrie’s mouth went for my balls while Jan wrapped her mouth around my now throbbing cock. The cum exploded out of my cock and ran down Jan’s chin. She smiled, swallowed, and ran off to the bathroom to wash her face. Carrie licked up the rest of the cum that seeped out of my cock and made sure that there was not a drop left before she ran off to the bathroom as well.
We all freshened up and got dressed. I cooked a huge breakfast for all of us, and the girls cleaned up the dishes afterward. We drove to a nearby town for the afternoon, shopping in the quaint shops, walking along brick sidewalks, and just enjoying the day. Although I knew nobody there could possibly have known that had been going on out at the cottage, I was intensely aware that I had made love to both of these beautiful women, and I was now out and about while other men, I imagined, were envying me. Just thoughts of what had already happened made my cock twitch every now and again, and I found myself forced to think about something else before everybody walking down the sidewalk noticed that I was aroused.
We got back to the cabin in the late afternoon. I grabbed a beer, went out on the porch, put my feet up, and just let the warm afternoon soak into me. Jan and Carrie came out and told me they were going for a walk and would be back before dinner. I went into that state of being half asleep and half awake, but all I could “dream” about was these two incredible women. I ended up with a hard-on that brought me fully awake, just in time to see the two girls walking up the road, talking softly to each other, smiling, and holding hands.
I still had the hard on when they came up onto the porch. “Naughty boy,” said Carrie, “but that will have to wait.”
“Go get a cold shower,” quipped Jan. “The women are cooking tonight, but, as you said last night, you get to do the dishes!”
I jumped in the shower, and by the time I got out I could smell the shrimp and pasta. The wine glasses were full, as were the plates, and we wasted no time delving into a delicious meal. We killed one bottle of wine and were most of the way through the second one when Carrie excused herself, indicating she wanted to go rest for a bit before the evening “warmed up.” Jan and I found ourselves alone for the first time since we had arrived and the incredible sex had started.
“I had no idea we would ever….that we could……that you would even think about being with a woman…..that….” Jan put her finger to my lips, and said, “Shhhh. Just go with it. Just enjoy it. This will probably never happen again, but it will be something the three of us will remember forever! Let me go get changed. Carrie will probably be out in a few minutes. Have some more wine, my love.” She kissed me and headed off to our room.
I washed up the dishes, lit the fire, and turned off all the lights except for an old hurricane lamp that sat on the kitchen table. The ice bucket was nearby with a fresh bottle of wine, and three glasses sat ready for us. We had not had nearly so much to drink this evening as the previous night. I suspected that none of us would need it for an excuse tonight, but we still would enjoy the wine, I was sure.
Our bedroom door opened first, and Jan came to join me by the fire. Although I had seen Jan naked or in lingerie countless times, she still sometimes took my breath away, and this was one of those occasions. She was wearing thigh-high red stockings, and red, spiked high heels that were at least four inches high, accentuating the shape of her legs. A sheer red bra stood in sharp contract to her dark brown, nearly black hair, and a matching pair of split crotch panties rounded out her ensemble. I could feel my cock pressing against my khakis, and all she had done was enter the room! She came over to me, kissed me lovingly, putting her tongue down my throat. She reached down and let her hand brush against my cock through my pants. She smiled. “Not yet.”
I heard the door to Carrie’s room open, and even though I had already seen her naked, I was blown away by her as she strode confidently into the room. Black was the color for Carrie, and it looked like a million dollars with her long blond hair. She had on a cupless bra that held her breasts high and forward, almost like they were being offered to me on a platter. A black garter belt encircled her waist, and was attached to incredible, black stockings. Her heels had to be six inches high, so she looked extremely tall. She was not wearing panties, and had shaved her cunt. She was wearing a black studded collar around her neck.
My cock was already swelling, and I started to just hope that I wouldn’t end up cumming in my own pants before we ever got started. Carrie grinned and made some vague threat that involved ice. The girls drank their glasses of wine, which I promptly refilled. I decided to just sip as I didn’t want the wine to dull my senses. As Jan before her, Carrie came over, kissed me long and deep, and promised an evening I would never forget. “We had all afternoon to talk and plan for this evening,” confessed Jan, “and our plan is to make this memorable for all three of us.” The two girls now kissed each other as they had already kissed me.
We sat and talked a bit. The girls drank their wine and my eyes drank them. I wanted to get started, but they said they had the evening planned, and given how things had gone so far, I was willing to let them lead the way! We played some dance music, and we took turns dancing with each other. When I was dancing they would grind their cunts against my cock and then warn me against getting hard too soon. When they danced with each other, they would nearly crush their breasts together. Carrie’s nipples were standing straight out, hard to miss given she was wearing the cupless bra, and I noticed that Jan’s fingers frequently found their way up to those nipples, gently rolling them between her thumb and fingers. I could hardly stand it, and I soon stopped even trying to stave off the hard-on.
Jan and Carrie were dancing again, and taking obvious delight in my state of affairs. They looked at each other, seemed to come to some kind of an agreement, and then called me over to them. “It’s time. I hope you are prepared to take very good care of two very horny women!” Carrie opened the door to her room, and in the three of us went.
A quick look around confirmed what I was already beginning to suspect, that being that Carrie was not at all tired. She just needed time to get ready for a night of sexy fun. “Get out of those clothes,” Jan ordered. I was quick to comply, if for no other reason than to free my cock from the bondage of the pants. I was now completely naked, cock standing out straight and hard, the ladies in exotic lingerie. “Sit down, Ben. I know this might be tough on you, but Jan and I will probably cum multiple times tonight, and we will not be denied that. We’re hoping it will be several for you as well, but we are going to start without you. So sit down, watch, and enjoy.”
I jumped up on the bed, and the girls again looked longingly at each other. But then, suddenly, Jan took charge. “Carrie, you will do exactly what I tell you, and you will like it. Do I make myself clear?”
Jan reached over into a box sitting on a chair in Carrie’s room and took out a leash. She hooked it to Carrie’s collar, and then ordered her to get down on all fours. “Remember, you are my personal cunt! Obey me and the only pain you experience tonight will be the pleasurable type. Do you understand?”
Jan led Carrie over to the bed where I was sitting and tugged the leash, coaxing Carrie into a sitting position. “Ben, please stand in front of my cunt. Cunt, suck Ben’s cock!”
“Yes, Mistress,” Carrie replied. She took my cock in her mouth and sucked it for about two minutes until Jan yanked on the leash and said, “Stop!” She immediately stopped sucking me and went back onto all fours. “That was very good, cunt. If you are good, I may let you suck his cock again tonight, and maybe even my cunt, if you are especially obedient.”
“Please, mistress. I will behave. I want to suck you both.”
“Good! Come along.” Jan led Carrie to the other side of the room and had her stand up. She removed the leash, but left it nearby on the top of the dresser. Jan went back to the box on the chair and pulled out a set of bondage cuffs, and quickly attached these to Carrie’s wrists and ankles. She removed two pictures from the wall, and, to my amazement, there was an eyebolt screwed into the wall behind each picture. Jan ordered Carrie to lean against the wall just below the eyebolts with her legs slightly spread, her ass facing out into the room.
Jan went back to the box again and returned to Carrie’s side, a paddle in her hand. “Cunt, you have been a bad girl, and you must be punished. But, if you take your punishment well, your wish to lick my cunt and suck Ben’s cock will be granted. Do you understand?”
“Yes Mistress. Please paddle me hard. I want to suck you. I want Ben’s cock.”
The paddle whistled through the air and landed with a loud smack on Carrie’s ass, which immediately began to turn red.
“Thank you, Mistress.”
Whack!!! Whack!!! Whack!!!
Jan’s nipples were now pressing hard against the sheer red fabric of the bra, and I had to use every ounce of self control to not run over and pull on them.
Whack!!!! Whack!!! Whack!!!!
“Thank you, mistress. May I suck you now?”
“Not yet, cunt. Turn around and back up to the wall.” Carrie complied, and Jan promptly tied the restraints to the eyebolts in the wall. “Spread your legs, cunt!” Carrie did, and Jan tied the ankle restraints to two bolts down near the floor that I had not even seen. Carrie was now completely tied to the wall and was at Jan’s mercy. Jan once again went to the mysterious box and pulled out a dildo that was at least a foot long. “Do you want this, cunt?”
“You may have it. But first, show me what you will do to Ben’s cock if I let you.” She held the dildo up to Carrie who eagerly seized it with her mouth. She licked up and down its length, and took it as deeply into her mouth as possible. She looked disappointed when Jan took it away.
Jan spoke to me this time. “Ben, is that good enough? Will that make you cum?”
“I’m sure it will,” I replied.
“OK, cunt, you have done well…..so far. But I am not yet done with you.” Jan reached down and put her hand between Carrie’s legs. “That shaved cunt of yours is soaking wet! I did not yet give you permission for that, so you will be punished further. I will then ream out your cunt with the dildo.”
This time the box yielded a pair of nipple clamps. Jan went and sucked on Carrie’s nipples until they were as hard as possible, and then firmly attached the nipple clamps. Carrie bit into her lip, but thanked Jan for punishing her this way. “Thank you, Mistress. It feels so good.” Jan pulled gently on the connecting chain, making Carrie wince, but she begged for more. “Please mistress, punish me some more. Ream out my cunt. I am your cunt. Please let me suck.”
Jan pulled on the chain a few more times, and Carrie moaned. Jan removed the clamps and adjusted them even tighter. She slapped Carrie’s breasts with her open hands, and then sucked her nipples again before reattaching the clamps, once again pulling the chain.
Carrie was begging, “I am your cunt. Please let me suck you.”
Jan grabbed the dildo and thrust in between Carrie’s legs and up into her cunt as far as possible, pumping it and out of her ever more quickly. She suddenly stopped and called me over. “Ben, I need you to finish this cunt off for me. Will you please take over?” I jumped at the chance, and Jan took my place on the bed. I glanced over and saw Jan was watching us intently, her hand fingering her own cunt, as I reamed out Carrie’s with the huge dildo. As I saw her face begin to contort, I sped up the pace of the dildo, reaching up and gently tugging on the chain attached to her nipples. The orgasm overwhelmed her, and her cum ran down the sides of the dildo and down her legs. Carrie collapsed against her restraints, and thanked us for punishing her.
Jan and I switched places again, and she went over and removed the nipple clamps. She lovingly kissed the nipples and used her tongue to caress and comfort them. She released Carrie from the bonds and ordered her to come over to the bed and kneel at its side. Jan tenderly took Carrie’s face in her hands, and kissed her. “You have been a wonderful cunt!” Now you get your reward. Jan lay back on the bed. Carrie reached over, opened Jan’s split crotch panties, and used her tongue to attack her cunt with gusto! It didn’t take long. Jan exploded in less than two minutes, soaking Carrie’s face. But Carrie kept on going, and Jan came again and again.
Jan lifted Carrie’s face from her cunt and said, “Cunt, that was wonderful. Now, I order you to do to Ben’s cock what you did to that dildo.”
I slid off the side of the bed and stood in front of Carrie. I had now had a hard-on for at least a half hour, and it was starting to hurt. She gently kissed the tip of my cock, and then got down to business. Her tongue flew up and down my cock, and her lips encircled it and slipped gently down the sides. Her head bobbed up and down eagerly over my throbbing member, and I would swear I felt the head of my cock slide down her throat. I started to moan. Jan knelt down on the floor behind Carrie and started pulling her nipples and squeezing her breasts. Carrie groaned, and Jan let her fingers slip down between Carrie’s legs to play with her clit. “Good cunt. Good cunt!” Carrie pushed my cock as far down her throat as possible, and she started to cum at just about the same time I did. I poured semen down her throat, but she never gagged, and not a drop got away.
“Thank you, Mistress. Thank you Master.”
“Cunt, you are freed from you slavery. Go get cleaned up.”
Carrie happily trotted off to her bathroom, and Jan headed toward ours. I was not too far behind her. My head was spinning, and I just couldn’t believe what we had been doing. I came back to the fireplace and threw in a couple of pieces of wood. I refilled the three wine glasses and sat back to just reflect on the evening.
It was getting close to midnight, and I figured our night was winding down. I was wrong. The girls joined me shortly, wearing robes. We drank wine, hugged and kissed, and agreed that it would certainly be a night we would always remember,
But Jan leaned over and said softly, “I hope you have at least one more shot left in that cock of yours. Carrie and I are not yet completely satisfied, and this is, after all, our last night here in this lovely place.”
I grinned and said, “I’ll do my best!”
They both kissed me, asked me to wait five minutes and then come back to the bedroom. I watched the clock, so I know it was only five minutes, but the anticipation of what they might have in store made it seem like an hour. I tapped lightly on the door and walked in.
The scene was breathtaking! The lights were very low, and there were at least a dozen candles lighted around the room. There was a light breeze blowing in the window, lifting the curtains away from the sill. The smell of the air made it seem almost like being outdoors. Everything but the bottom sheet had been removed from the bed, and the two women, both now naked, except for the high heels, more beautifully adorned the bed than I thought possible. They were lying on their sides facing me, their heads and feet at opposite ends of the bed. They motioned me to a chair. Carrie let out a huge sigh, and said, “Jan and I are both feeling so randy tonight that we still both want to cum several more times, and we want you to be able to enjoy us as well. So, my dear, you will need to watch for a bit. Then, we have something special for you.”
They sat up a bit straighter, took each other in their arms, and lovingly kissed, slipping their tongues in and out of each other’s mouths. Carrie bit Jan’s lip, gently, and then worked her way down to her nipples, sucking them hard, and biting them. Jan moaned and held Carrie tightly to her. She rolled Carrie over onto her back, looked down at her, and said, “You have been absolutely wonderful and giving as you have licked and sucked us. It is your turn to receive.” She kissed Carries lips, bit at her neck and ears, all the time rolling her nipples between her thumb and fingers. Both of the girls had rock hard nipples, and my cock was quickly becoming rock hard as well.
Jan worked her way down Carrie’s belly, and began licking her shaved cunt, first slowly and delicately, and then more urgently. Jan’s tongue found Carrie’s clit, and she soon exploded, splashing Jan’s face with her cum. Jan stayed with it, and Carrie came twice more in quick succession.
“Jan, I want your cunt,” Carrie begged. Jan rolled over on her back, and Carrie came over on top of her in the classic 69 position. They licked and sucked each other’s cunts for what seemed like 20 minutes, each of them exploding into the other’s mouth time after time. It was beyond belief!
“Your turn,” they called. My cock was full and long, wanting to be relieved. Since I had already cum a couple of times, I was hoping I would not cum too fast, holding on to fulfill whatever fantasy these two had in mind.
“Eat me,” begged Carrie. I dropped to my knees at the edge of the bed and more than willingly licked her already wet and swollen cunt until she had cum at least three more times.
“Now me,” demanded Jan. I dove right for her cunt, and she soon exploded in my mouth, twice. My cock was even harder than it had been earlier, if that is possible. Jan stood up and turned around, her lovely ass facing me. She reached between her legs, grabbed my cock, and pulled me into her. “Don’t cum yet! You still have your surprise, so you need to save it.” So I pumped in and out of her while Carrie reached around and played with Jan’s nipples and her clit until Jan exploded one more time. I immediately pulled out to await my surprise.
Carrie had hopped all the way up on the bed and was now on her knees, wiggling her ass in my direction with an extremely wanton look on her face. While I was greedily watching her ass, Jan slipped out of bed near the night stand, grabbed something from the drawer, and came around behind Carrie. I was amazed to see it was a jar of petroleum jelly. She dipped her fingers into the jar and came out with a fair sized wad of the jelly. She kissed Carrie on the ass, and then smiled at me and began to apply generous quantities of the ointment to Carrie’s anus. A finger, and then two, slid in and out of her hole, lubricating it thoroughly.
Jan lightly stroked Carrie’s ass and said to me, “Ben. Carrie’s is a virgin ass. She has never been fucked this way before. We decided that you are the guy to take her anal cherry.” She kissed Carrie’s ass again, and then stepped out of the way. Carrie moved over closer to me, and I positioned myself directly behind her. I gently rubbed her ass cheeks and told her how much I was honored to be the first man to penetrate her this way. I slid a finger, then a thumb, then two fingers into her ass to loosen her up and get her primed to receive her first anal cock. She bucked against my hand, begging me to take her.
I placed the head of my cock at the small opening, and then gently and slowly slid in, just a bit at a time, until I was in her ass up to the hilt of my cock. She gasped, “Oh, that feels good. Ream me out! Now!” I began to glide in and out, the petroleum jelly making it very easy and comfortable. We soon established a rhythm, and it was fabulous, feeling much like a cunt, only tighter. We worked our way into a near frenzy, and I was finally unable to hold off any longer. It felt like a ton of cum was shooting up her ass, but we kept on moving until my cock started to soften. A moment later I heard Jan cum loud and hard. I had been so caught up in doing Carrie’s ass that I had lost track of Jan. She was sitting in the chair I had recently vacated, a vibrator in her hand. She had managed to cum one more time.
We all showered, and then fell into bed together, exhausted, Carrie on my left, and Jan on my right. We slept hard.
I woke up Sunday in the late morning, not surprisingly with a raging hard-on. Jan and Carrie had already been up and about, but came back into the bedroom when they heard me stirring. They almost ran across the room and jumped in bed with me, Jan’s mouth winning the race to my cock. She soon had me soaking wet and ready for another cunt. She jumped off of me and over to Carrie’s cunt, and soon had her as wet as I was. I pulled Carrie over to the edge of the bed, stood her legs straight up, and plunged my cock deep into her cunt. She moaned and bucked under my thrusts, and I had to hold onto her hips to keep her up against me.
Jan hopped up on the bed and straddled Carrie’s face, shoving her cunt down into Carrie’s mouth. Carrie’s tongue sought out and found Jan’s clit, and they were both soon writhing and moaning. Jan and Carrie came at the same time, and I was right behind them.
We showered again, washing each other with just our soapy hands. We dried off, got dressed and had coffee and breakfast. We were still all hungry for each other, but I think we also all realized it was over, at least for now. I figured here was no way this weekend could ever be repeated, and although that was in some ways unfortunate, I knew this experience would be indelibly etched in my memory. I feel it was probably the same for Carrie and Jan.
We had to get back to the city. Suitcases were packed and the cottage was put back in order. It was time to go. The girls kissed each other goodbye, and hugged, telling each other this was an unforgettable experience. I grabbed Carrie’s suitcase and carried it out to her car. After I closed her trunk, she pushed me back against the side of her car, pushed her hips against me, and one last time wiggled her cunt against my cock, which promptly responded by swelling and getting hard. She giggled, rubbed against me again, and then whispered in my ear, “You two were just wonderful, and I love you both. Call me the next time you get cabin fever.” She backed away from me, and then let her fingers lightly brush up against my now rigid cock. “Goodbye, Ben.”
As she drove away, I looked over at the porch and saw Jan standing there smiling. I walked over to her, and she glanced down and noticed that my cock was trying to escape from my pants. She grinned, and said, “The last one’s for me.” She pulled her dress over her head, and she had nothing on under it. She pulled a cushion off the porch chair and knelt down in front of me. Jan unzipped my pants, pulled out my throbbing cock, and sucked me off, right there on the porch. As I was about to cum, she pulled me out of her mouth and began stroking my cock with her hand. Cum shot out all over her breasts and ran down to her belly. She then licked off what was still oozing out of my cock before tucking it back into my pants. She ducked back into the house and washed up while I grabbed our bags and threw them in the car. I opened the car door for her, but before she got in, like Carrie, she pushed me against the car. I pulled up her dress and grabbed hold of her still bare ass while she wriggled her cunt back and forth on my cock.
Suddenly she stepped back. “You are fantastic. So am I. And I can’t wait to get you home again. I am getting wet again, just thinking about you.”
It was a long drive back to the city.
About the Author
Ben Galloway is an amateur writer who loves women.

domain: literature


NASSAU| Come Monday morning there will be a major shakeup with senior permenant secretaries in the Government of the Bahamas.
BP can tell you PS Cora Colebrooke will head to The Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture PS Eugene Poitier, Foreign Affairs, Gina Thompson, Ministry for Public Service, Donella Bodie, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Roslyn Horton will become the Secretariat for the 50th Anniversary of Independence Celebrations at the OPM, Cecilia Strachan, Ministry of Labour & Immigration.
So far no decision has come on Cabinet Secretary Nicole Campbell.
BP though is setting our eyes on the Magistrate Courts of the Bahamas where we know a politician along with others wil be charged this week.
We ga report yinner decide!


text:
Chopped nuts, seeds, coconuts, dried fruits, whatever takes your fancy!
You also need
Ice cream or popsicle mold / sticks
In a food processor, blend bananas, coconut yoghurt and vanilla powder until smooth.
Pour your mixture into the moulds and freeze for 1 hour or until fully set.
For chocolate coating, melt cacao and cacao butter over a gentle heat. Stir well and add sweetener and salt to taste.
Once the chocolate coating is ready, very quickly remove the pops from the freezer and dip each into the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with desired toppings and return to the freezer to set. Best served with a bit of sunshine!

domain: food


Home › Forums › Ask Me Anything › 2003 Cruiser doesn’t move forward, grinding noise. › Reply To: 2003 Cruiser doesn’t move forward, grinding noise.
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text:
With left-handed shot Nick Holden reportedly on the trade block, some have linked the Toronto Maple Leafs to the New York Rangers defenceman in a trade for centre Tyler Bozak.
However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that with the Rangers already slated to be up against the cap this season, there is "zero indication" to suggest the Rangers are looking to acquire the centre.
Brooks writes that the only way the Rangers could hit Bozak's $4.2 million cap hit, even after shedding Holden's $1.65 million, would be by buying out Marc Staal's contract. He reports there are no signs the team plans to do that before the second buyout window closes on Thursday.
Buying out Staal would leave the Rangers with a $2.13 million cap hit in each of the next two seasons, followed by a $3.1 million cap hit in 2019-20, a $3.93 million cap hit in 2020-21 and then a $1.43 million hit in the remaining four seasons from 2021-2025. His buyout would, however, free $3.56 million in each of the first two seasons.
Brooks believes that with the Rangers currently projected to have roughly $500,000 in cap space on opening night, they're most likely to simply trade Holden for draft picks and employ seven defencemen on their roster. He predicts Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, David Desharnais and Lias Andersson will open the season as the team's top-four centres.
The Rangers bought out defenceman Dan Girardi last month, ahead of the Vegas expansion draft, leaving them with $2.6 million in dead cap this season and $3.6 million in each of the following two years (and $1.1 million in each of the following three).
Bozak, 31, is entering the final season of a five-year deal signed with the Maple Leafs in 2013. He scored 18 goals and added 37 points in 78 games last season, and posted two goals and four points in six playoff games.

domain: news


text:
The more you delve into history, the more odd facts you’ll find. We picked a few peculiarly named Colorado towns and dug deep to figure out why they’re each called what they are. From one named after their strict bathing laws to another that’s a warning to Kansas-bound travelers, you’re sure to find the origins of these names quite interesting. Enjoy!
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an April Fool’s Day piece.
1. Ouray, Colorado
Long ago, members of an exploration party had an argument about how to reach Telluride. After some debate, they headed down a certain path, even though all party members weren’t in agreeance. Eventually, they got stuck in a massive box canyon with walls too high for them to pass. Angry they weren’t going to meet their friends in Telluride on time and unable to remember who picked the path in the first place, they named the town “Your Way”, as no one was willing to take the blame for the mistake. Over decades, this name slowly transformed into Ouray.
RELATED: More About Ouray!
2. Colorado Springs, Colorado
What Detroit is to the car industry, Colorado Springs is to the mattress industry. While many people assume that the second largest city in the state derived its name from nearby hot springs, it actually pays homage to the many mattress spring manufacturers that helped to build this city during its early days.
3. Creede, Colorado
Once called Kit’s Ranch, the name of this town was changed to Creede during the late 1990s following the release of a rock album called “Human Clay” from a band of the same namesake, Creed. Upon announcing this change, the mayor made a statement that explained his thought process behind the controversial switch – “I want to make sure that all citizens of Creede, Colorado will forever have a reminder to keep their arms wide open to newcomers from far and wide.”
4. Rifle, Colorado
Yes, this town is named for an actual rifle…as in a gun. During the Civil War, Union troops organized an unprecedented maneuver that involved flanking the Confederate army via a several thousand mile trek through the Rockies. Because the journey was so long, they were forced to carry only a rifle…literally. Rifle, Colorado is where they gave up on their journey, opting to become a group of mountain naturalists instead.
5. Steamboat Springs, Colorado
This one is more obvious than you might think. This town was actually discovered by tourists traveling through the mountains by steamboat. When their steamboat started to struggle with the steep mountain climbs, they stopped in a city that now bears the name of the mode of transportation that brought them there.
6. Royal Gorge
Alright, so this one isn’t a town, but the name still has an interesting story. The Royal Gorge name is steeped in rich history, for this is where the first King of Colorado, Boopa de Bopo, planted his stake. In fact, the Royal Gorge Bridge is all that remains from the massive 3,000 room palace that once towered over Cañon City. It is suspected that the gorge was used as a line of defense from potential invaders that made their way from Kansas during the infamous Dust Bowl years. Eventually the King was overthrown and tossed in Canõn City’s prison where his carefully preserved remains can still be seen today.
MORE ABOUT: America’s Highest Bridge!
7. Last Chance, Colorado
The Eastern Plains town of Last Chance, Colorado has the snarkiest name of them all, paying tribute to the fact that this is one of the last chances for travelers headed east to change their mind and not go to Kansas.
8. Littleton, Colorado
Believe it or not, Littleton, shortened from its original name, “Little Town”, once had an ordinance that stipulated that no “floor” of a building could be more than 6 feet tall. As a result, every structure was roughly half the size of what it might be elsewhere. The law was created to avoid construction from blocking the views. This rule was later changed after a family known only by the name “Lincoln” moved into the area. Averaging a lofty height of 6’ 9” across their 13 family members (three of whom were on the city council), this law was quickly ruled impractical.
9. Parachute, Colorado
This town gets its name from an innovative defense system built beneath the city. If things get rough in this area, a massive parachute expands above the main blocks, designed to catch the wind and carry citizens and all of their belongings to safety. While this escape pod of sorts has been tested at a small scale, the Town of Parachute hasn’t had to use the full system yet.
10. Hygiene, Colorado
This small unincorporated community in Boulder County is notorious for their very strict bathing laws. They actually have an entire division of their police force dedicated to keeping their streets stink-free. Using an olfactory tool designed in the late 80s, the officers are able to determine whether or not someone’s body odor passes the “stink threshold”. If it does, the wrongdoer is given a loofah and a bar of soap before being sent to one of the town’s 19 public shower facilities.
RELATED: 8 Jokes for the Ski Hill
If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is an April Fool’s Day post. None of the previously stated meanings behind Colorado town names are actually true to the best of our knowledge. Happy Holidays 🙂
What We Believe
We are driven by our deep respect for our environment, and our passionate commitment to sustainable tourism and conservation. We believe in the right for everyone - from all backgrounds and cultures - to enjoy our natural world, and we believe that we must all do so responsibly. Learn More

domain: geography


2017 Sprinter 4X4 Cargo Van
The Mercedes-Benz 4X4 Cargo Van is not an ordinary van in any respect. Whether you are planning a trip on-road or off-road, the Sprinter will likely be able to handle it. From sand to dirt, gravel, mud and regular pavement, just about nothing can stop this rugged cargo van. Equipped with ample power, superior traction and an abundance of space, the Sprinter will get you from point A to point B regardless of what is in between.
Sprinter 4X4 Cargo Van Capabilities
This cargo van is rip-roaring and ready to go! It has a 6-cylinder 3.0 liter BlueTEC® Diesel engine paired to a 5-speed automatic transmission. All in all, the Sprinter has 188 horses of power along with 325 pound feet of torque. The Sprinter has a payload capacity of a whopping 5,199 pounds. This is quite the tall vehicle with an interior height stretching all the way to 77.8 inches. In terms of cargo volume, you can fit just about anything inside the Sprinter thanks to its 530 cubic feet of space. Yet the Sprinter is not all about utility. Mercedes-Benz engineers built this beast to perform like a true off-road vehicle. If you are faced with difficult terrain that requires superior traction, the Sprinter is up to the task. It is one of the few vans that is capable of tackling diverse off-road surfaces, be it sand, mud, gravel, dirt or just about anything else. Advanced traction is created thanks to the Sprinter’s unique design that eliminates those pesky 4X4 differential locks.
This system utilizes the brakes in a selective manner on specific wheels as necessary. The end result is greatly improved road adhesion regardless of whether it is raining, snowing, sleeting or hailing. The system generates enhanced directional stability in addition to the improved traction.
The Sprinter is also equipped with low-gear differential that makes steep grades navigable with surprising ease. This van is even capable of towing massive trailers to boot. The Sprinter derives additional power through its Adaptive ESP®4 / 4ETS® system. This is the type of van that can tackle just about any challenge you have in mind. Never underestimate the Sprinter. Give it a chance to haul your load, tow a hefty trailer or tackle a steep incline and you just might be surprised with the results.
The Perfect Cargo Van for Business Owners
The Sprinter is the ideal cargo van for business owners. It has an abundance of cargo room (530 cubic feet), ample power for extensive workloads and a high ceiling (77.8 inches) to accommodate loads of all varieties. The Sprinter’s bed length measures a whopping 137.4 inches. If you aren’t looking for a lengthy bed or if height is not one of your top concerns, don’t fret. There are multiple Sprinter sizes available to suit each unique buyer’s idiosyncratic needs.
The New Sprinter for Everyday People
Those who are interested in a spacious van can choose between a Sprint passenger model and the uber-popular cargo model. Perhaps you have a large family, frequent garage sales or transport athletic equipment on a regular basis. The passenger model might suit your needs and preferences better than the cargo version. In the end, the Sprinter is a utilitarian van that serves business owners just as well as everyday people.


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Mick J Clark is a singer-songwriter, who has been involved in the music industry for more than a decade now! He has written over sixty songs and has even reached over a million streams on the Spotify platform. Mick has always varied his genre of music with the inclusion of rock, pop, R&B, dance, country and even Latin! His music is one that you can never be tired of and is definitely worth a listen!
“It’s Getting Near Christmas” is a 2012 release from Mick, yet it is a good one! With the festive season creeping up to us, this is track that will get you in that Christmas spirit.
From my first listen of this one, I must say I was ecstatic with it, and it definitely gets us in the festive mood. The track has a great swinging drum beat to it, that makes us want to get up and dance around with our friends and family.
Undoubtedly, Mick’s vocals are so pure and outstanding! His voice has such a soft yet joyful tone to it, which really enables us to feel his love for this time of year. The inclusion of back-up vocals allows harmonisations, and almost make it seem like a family have come together, singing along.
Christmas is such a beautiful and magical time of the year, and this track is perfect for it! Even if it is November, this track just convinces us to get into that spirit!
This review is purely the property of The Music Asylum as part of The Metal Asylum


The City of Nanaimo says there is no basis for the courts to award damages for mental distress alleged in a notice of claim filed by a former chief administrative officer.
Tracy Samra, fired in 2018, filed a notice of civil suit against the city, former mayor Bill McKay and current Coun. Sheryl Armstrong in May 2021. In a response filed in the Supreme Court of B.C. last month, the city denied many of the plaintiff’s claims and alleged she acted improperly.
While Samra claimed she was “repeatedly bullied and harassed by McKay and Armstrong, each of whom engaged in a course of conduct of false allegations of fraud, misuse of public monies and other attacks on [her] character” and the city took no steps to “stop the mistreatment of Samra, or take reasonable steps to discipline McKay or Armstrong,” the defendants refuted those assertions.
From November 2015-2018, Samra “engaged in acts which disclosed incompetence, misconduct and made threats against various individuals,” the defendants claim in their response.
On Jan. 31, 2018, after McKay informed senior management and council that RCMP would be initiating an investigation into credit card use, the city alleges Samra “made threatening comments to a number of employees and the mayor,” in violation of city workplace regulations. Among her transgressions, Samra is alleged to have demanded city employees go to her office “right [expletive] now.” She also reportedly said, “[Expletive] mayor, I’m going to kill him, read the e-mail, him and [expletive] Sheryl Armstrong went to the cops,” in addition to threatening to burn down McKay’s office and home.
The court documents claim Samra asked a city worker to access McKay’s computer “and demanded the code and engaged in aggressive conduct.”
Samra also allegedly approved “thousands of dollars of personal purchases, including car repairs, vacations and other expenses,” on former chief financial officer Victor Mema’s credit card, and made inquiries about firing city staff after they reported the actions. She is also alleged to have directed a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act officer not to disclose information that would be “harmful to [Samra’s] reputation” such as supplying credit card statements to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C.
The investigation found financial irregularities, according to court documents, including an “unauthorized” sum of approximately $24,000 paid to Mema in September 2017.
The city denied violating Samra’s contract or wrongfully dismissing her, stated the response, and the defendants stated they didn’t take part in “intentional infliction of mental suffering” on the plaintiff.
“Non-compliance with her employment duties and breach of her fiduciary duties and general duties of good faith, [loyalty] and honesty that she owed to the city constituted wilful disobedience, insubordination, and was an intentional breach of the employment agreement,” the court documents noted.
Samra also filed a complaint against the city, McKay and Armstrong with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. The most recent hearing took place between July 27-29 and the next hearing is scheduled to take place between Oct. 24 and Nov. 2.
None of the claims alleged by Samra, McKay, Armstrong or the city have been proven in court.


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Game Day: Rockets battle Thunderbirds on Hat Trick Wednesday
Rockets vs. T-Birds
Wednesday, January 30th, 2019
Game Time – 7:05 pm
Game Day Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Seattle Thunderbirds for the fourth and final time this season. The Rockets are 1-2-0-0 in the seasonal series with 4-1 and 9-6 losses and a 3-1 win in Seattle back on November 9th. Kyle Topping has 2+5=7 in the three games while Leif Mattson has 2+3=5. Roman Basran has seen action in all three games, posting a 1-2-0-0 record with a goals against average of 3.69 and a save percentage of .890. The Rockets power play is 4 for 12 (33.3%) vs. the T-Birds. Of the 24 goals scored between the two teams in the three games, 11 have been on the power play. Following tonight’s game the Rockets are in Spokane Friday for the first of four meetings between the only team they have failed to play this season. The Rockets return home to host the Kamloops Blazers Saturday night. The Rockets are coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Vancouver Sunday night. Kyle Topping had two goals while Leif Mattson has three assists. Mattson was named the first star after scoring the lone goal in the shootout. Overall, the Rockets are 4-7-1-1 in 13 games since the Christmas break. The Rockets are 16-14-3-1 in 34 games under head coach Adam Foote.
Who’s Hot: Kyle Topping has 6+8=14 in his last 12 games…Nolan Foote has 6+6=12 in his last 10 games….Lassi Thomson has 4+3=7 in his last 10 games…The Rockets penalty killing unit is 43 for 53 in their last 12 road games…The Rockets have points in 11 of their last 15 home games (9-4-2-0).
Broadcasters Notebook: Trevor Wong is back with the Rockets this evening. The 15 year-old will suit up for his second game in the WHL after making his debut October 27th against Prince George. Wong was the Rockets first round pick (18th) in the 2018 WHL bantam draft….The Rockets have 20 games left in the regular season. Of those 20, 12 are against teams in the BC Division…The team will play three games in three nights March 1st, 2nd and 3rd…..The team has been out-shot in 11 of the last 12 games…The Rockets are 5-7-0-0 in 12 games against a US Division team this season. Three of the four wins have come against Tri City with a single victory over Everett and Seattle…The team plays 8 more games against US Division rivals with four games against Spokane, two with Portland and a single against Everett and Seattle.…The Rockets have played 14-one goal games at home this season. Last year they played 15-one goal games at Prospera Place…The team has played in nine-one goal games on the road…The Rockets are 8-12-2-1 against BC Division teams this season…Five members of the Kelowna Rockets have made NHL Central Scouting’s latest rankings. Lassi Thomson is rated 14th, Nolan Foote is ranked 26th and Kaedan Korczak is 31st. Kyle Topping is 195th while Alex Swetlikoff is 217th, Among goalies, Roman Basran is 11th among North American netminders…..Adam Foote was officially named the new head coach of the Kelowna Rockets on October 23, 2018 replacing Jason Smith.,,The Rockets are 7-11-1-0 when playing the second game of back-to-backs.
New Boys on Blue Line: The team acquired 20 year-old Shael Higson from the Brandon Wheat Kings for 20 year-old Braydyn Chizen and a 5th round bantam pick. The team then claimed 20 year-old defenceman Matt Barberis off waivers from the Vancouver Giants. To make room for Barberis, the team released overage forward Lane Zablocki, who is now with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
Most goals scored: 8 @ Victoria October 19/18 (8-2 W)
Most goals allowed: 9 vs. Seattle October 10th, 2018 (9-6 L)
Most shots on net: 45 @ Seattle October 6th, 2018 (4-1 L).
Fewest shots on net: 13 @ Edmonton November 17, 2018 (3-1 L)
Most shots allowed: 50 @ Portland November 10, 2018 (3-0 L)
Fewest shots allowed: 16 vs. Victoria December 7, 2018 (2-0 win)
Last time shut out at home: October 3rd, 2018 vs. Vancouver (5-0 L)
Last time shut out on road: November 10, 2018 @ Portland (3-0 L)
Last shutout at home: December 7, 2018 vs. Victoria (2-0 W – Roman Basran 16 saves)
Last shutout on the road: January 18, 2019 @ Everett (2-0 W – James Porter 40 saves)
Most power play goals allowed: 4 vs. Seattle October 10th, 2018 (9-6 L). T-Birds were 4/5 on power play.
Most power play goals scored: 4 @ Victoria October 19, 2018 (8-2 W)
Overtime Games: @ Kamloops (3-2 Loss) December 28, 2018, vs. Saskatoon (5-4 Loss) December 1, 2018, @ Tri City Nov 30, 2018 (3-2 win), @ PG (4-3 Loss) November 14, 2018, vs. PG (4-3 win) October 27, 2018.
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150


Korean students meet with Father Frost in Pyongyang/ Главная / Russkiy Mir Foundation / News / Korean students meet with Father Frost in Pyongyang
Korean students meet with Father Frost in Pyongyang
On December 26, 2019, a meeting of Korean students with Father Frost and Snegurochka was held at the Russian Center at the Pyongyang University of Foreign Languages.
At the beginning of the event, Korean students got acquainted with the history of the celebration of the New Year and Christmas in Russia. Snegurochka told about the New Year and Christmas traditions of the Russian people: to have a family gathering, decorate the house, give away presents, decorate the Christmas tree, watch New Year’s movies and cartoons, listen and sing New Year’s songs. The students also learned about the difference between the old and the new time, about the equally beloved holiday of the Old New Year, about the difference between Orthodox and Catholic Christmas, and that the employees of the Russian Embassy in the DPRK and their families annually celebrate Christmas at a festive church service in Orthodox Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang.
Students took part in several competitions: composed poems, guessed riddles, led round dances, sang songs and painted New Year's attributes.
The Snow Lace workshop raised a great interest. All those present made a variety of decorations from colored paper with their own hands: snowflakes, lanterns, garlands, which adorned the audience later.
Natalya Prokopenko, Pyongyang


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Grant enables Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center to do diabetes screenings
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center has received a $198,000 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to educate and help low-income adults in Forsyth County manage and prevent diabetes.
Over three years, the hospital will enroll 300 adults, newly-diagnosed with diabetes or with uncontrolled diabetes, in its diabetes self-management program, which is recognized by the American Diabetes Association for meeting national excellence standards. The hospital will also enroll 200 adults with pre-diabetes in an educational prevention program.
Participants with diabetes will learn to better manage the disease by changing personal lifestyle behaviors such as diet and exercise. Their lifestyle habits will be tracked and participants will be screened during the program to assess changes in overall blood glucose-levels and weight.
The goal for the pre-diabetes group is to decrease their risk of developing the disease. They will learn prevention methods and will have their weight and blood glucose-levels tested as well.
Women's International Health Summit a success
Novant Health Maya Angelou Women's Health & Wellness Center does many things to improve the health of women and girls – both in the Winston-Salem area and beyond the borders of our state and nation.
Here's an example:
In September 2012, the Novant Health Maya Angelou Women's Health & Wellness Center at Forsyth Medical Center held a three-day international summit focusing on contemporary issues affecting women's and girls' health.
Open to the public, the summit brought together internationally recognized advocates for women's health to discuss a broad range of topics ranging from barriers and disparities in women's healthcare, to violence against women, to empowering women and girls to lead.
Speakers included experts in the fields of healthcare design, health sciences, health policy, law, social policy, education, and sociology as well as leaders of several international organizations with missions to improve women's health. Co-sponsors include the National Council of Women of the United States, WomenNC, and Winston-Salem Urban League.

domain: medical


Transparent Mode with User Validation
Start off with what we got: pfsense 2.2.4 with Squid 4.3.9 and Squidguard 1.9.15. All works with failover and Squid set up as transparent.
there are 4 LAN connections 2x Internet connection with Failover, 1x LAN, 1x WFi
Our question: how can we set that the proxy settings are passed on to all devices, regardless of Device and/or Browser, (transparent works), 1 Internet domain should be available without User Validation, any other Internet sites would require a logon.
Thanks for any support. Just didn't find anything.
Just didn't find anything.
Probably because it's complete nonsense.
My question was how can we do what the transparent does, without using the transparent mode? Have tried with WPAD but not working yet.
Is this a proper option, or is there a better way?
BTW Thanks for the links, helpful info for authentication when we get that far.
My question was how can we do what the transparent does, without using the transparent mode?
Once again, no.
WPAD not either?
KOM last edited by
WPAD will help most clients discover your proxy server on their own. Transparent mode with Squid is crap but seductive so most users flock to it before finding out all the problems with that mode. You should either have your users manually set the proxy on their device, or use WPAD since it's your only other option. Everythint under the Sun seems to work with WPAD with the exception of Android.
Thanks KOM for the info, we had to put the Project on ice for a time, other things :( but Will be starting up again soon. We will be looking for sending Proxy settings automatically or maybe have to set up Website on the Proxy to Redirect.
We just have a WiFi and LAN that we want to provide Internet using a Login with mulitple (2) Internet connections. that was our purpose in choosing pfsense.
Thanks again and any suggestions are appreciated.
The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.


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BEIRUT (Rahnuma): Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin assured Friday that the Russian strategy to secure the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland is ongoing, local media reported.
“The strategy for the return of refugees is in progress. There are efforts being made inside Syria to receive refugees,” Zasypkin was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.
The ambassador assured that there is an ongoing dialogue between Lebanese and Syrian authorities on this issue.
He also emphasized that the return of refugees needs economic and humanitarian work and the process depends on Syrian authorities while Russia only provides support in this regard.
Around 500,000 Syrian refugees have returned to Syria in the past few years, he added.
More than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million.
To facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia drafted a strategy and presented it to the Lebanese authorities.
The strategy aims at securing the return of 890,000 Syrian refugees to their homeland.


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The structure of hydrogel nanoparticles (CHP nanogels), formed by self-aggregation of cholesterol-bearing pullulan (CHP) was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The interactions between the CHP nanogel and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (CD) or protein (hen egg white) were also investigated. It was revealed by SANS that the nanogels were spherical in shape with a radius of 6.7 nm. The following two functions were disclosed. (1) CHP nanogels were dissociated by the addition of CD and formed inclusion complexes with cholesteryl groups, leading to suppression of hydrophobic interaction between the cholesteryl groups. (2) The nanogel behaved as a molecular chaperone (heat shock protein-like activity) when CHP nanogel was mixed with hen egg white and heated up to 75 °C. The egg white aqueous solutions with CHP nanogel remained transparent while the egg white without CHP nanogel became opaque.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Organic Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry

domain: chemistry


Another highlight of the year 2019 is imminent on our sublabel Entrancing Music Energized.
After many successful releases of these two well-known German artists, we are proud to announce a big team-up between TEKNO and Frank Dueffel. Here comes ‘Samurai’!
Expect an electro-flavored progressive trance gem, ready to hit the dancefloors around the world with its magical melodies and bouncing basslines.
On Remix duties we got uplifting star Derek Palmer and big room producer Muto’S who deliver two outstanding reworks!
Make sure you don’t miss this!


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Haunted Hotels > Skirvin Hilton Hotel
The Skirvin Hotel was built in1910 by an oilman who wanted to have the best hotel in the southwest. The hotel was grand and became a popular speakeasy during prohibition. Founder W.B. Skirvin reportedly had an affair with a hotel maid. The maid became pregnant and was locked in a top floor room in order to avoid a scandal. She had the baby but was still contained in the room. She finally took hold of the infant and threw herself and child out the window.
Her ghost remains and was named Effie by former employees. Guests reported trouble sleeping due to the sounds of a child crying. Male guests report being propositioned by a female voice when alone in their rooms. Others even have seen the figure of a naked woman with them while taking showers. A man has even reported a sexual assault by an invisible entity.
Noises and moving objects are often reported. The hotel closed in 1988 but has recently been restored and is now open as the Hilton Skirvin.

domain: travel


Last-second shot 16 years in the making
Dec. 14, 2022
Assistant Chief of Communications
Waterfowler shares amazing history of wise old pintail
Waterfowl hunters spend a few moments now and then scrolling through photos in a smartphone or sifting through pictures of duck camp, reflecting on cold mornings and warm memories. Robbie Morphew has an even better reminder of a once-in-a-lifetime experience wrapped around a lanyard that holds his duck calls.
The Army Corps of Engineers ranger stationed at DeGray Lake was finishing up his ninth season as an Arkansas duck hunter when he and his hunting buddy, Noah Johns, decided to try something new. The two almost exclusively hunt public land but had never been able to get out for the last day of the season, which is open all day instead of ending at noon.
“We’d never actually hunted the last day of the season on public land,” Morphew said. “Noah got tied up that morning, so we headed out to one of our favorite wildlife management areas for one last hunt that afternoon.”
The parking lot still had quite a few trucks with empty trailers, indicating hunters were looking for limits of ducks. They maneuvered around hunting parties in the marsh and worked their way to an out-of-the-way spot laden with buckbrush. With a modest spread of decoys and a good observation point for Costa, Johns’ retriever, they settled in for their buzzer-beater hunt.
It wasn’t long before birds were checking out their spread, but as with most late-season hunts, the ducks were wary of the ruse.
“They were really being finicky,” Morphew said. “Most of the groups would make two or three passes but we just couldn’t get them to put their feet down and finish.”
With about 45 minutes of shooting light left, the hunters had managed a mallard drake during a few hours of work, although the next group of birds would make it all worthwhile.
“We had a pair of pintails start working our spread but they made a wide swing behind a tree line and we lost track of them,” Morphew said. “We honestly thought we’d seen the last of those two ducks and were getting a little frustrated when, all of a sudden, they came in from the side – feet down and ready to land.”
Both hunters rose and shot at almost the same moment, sizing up the male of the pair, leaving the hen to fly away unscathed.
“I really think I whiffed at my first shot,” Morphew said. “But I saw feathers fly off and the drake rear up.”
Johns saw something else when the first shot didn’t cleanly down the bird – the glint of a telltale leg band, used to help biologists learn more about duck populations and habitat use along their migration paths.
“Noah hollered for me to shoot again,” Morphew said. “He didn’t shoot again and let me take the shot.”
Johns didn’t notice that the shell from Morphew’s first shot had failed to eject and had jammed the shotgun’s action. Morphew ripped at the stuck shell. By the time the jam was cleared, there was just enough room for one chance at the bird, which was almost out of range.
“You could just barely see the bird splash down through the buckbrush after I connected on the second shot,” Morphew said. “Noah held Costa back and told me I might want to go get that bird myself. It wasn’t until I was about 5 yards away from it that I finally saw the band on its leg.”
The first thing both hunters noticed was that the numbers engraved in the aluminum were hardly recognizable, and some of the instructions they’d seen on other bands were missing.
They took a pair of mallards, which added another drake greenhead to their game strap, but their eyes kept going back to the odd-looking band. They discovered why the band was different during the drive home.
“We tried to enter the numbers from the band on the reporting website a couple of times and finally we got a confirmation,” Morphew said. “It said, ‘Congratulations on your very old pintail,’ then told us the bird was 16 years old!”
The pintail was banded Sept. 11, 2006, the year it hatched. According to reportband.gov, it was banded under the permit of Michael Szymanski of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department near Crosby, North Dakota, a couple of miles from Saskatchewan. It is the oldest banded pintail harvested and reported in the Mississippi Flyway and the sixth-oldest pintail harvested in the history of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Laboratory. The oldest pintail on record was a 22-year-old bird harvested in Saskatchewan in 1994.
“We spent the rest of our drive home talking about it.” Morphew said. “Think about how many times that duck has come up and down the flyway. How many decoy spreads that bird had seen and not been fooled. It’s still amazing to think about just how many miles that bird likely covered before we got him. It’s more than 2,000 miles in a straight line from Crosby to Arkansas and back, and he likely covered way more than that every year.”
Morphew says a USGS biologist contacted him to verify the harvest and get photos of the bird and the band. The old drake, mounted by a taxidermist, still wears the band. Morphew had replica bands made for his and his hunting partner’s lanyards.
“That was the first band either of us had ever harvested, and I really feel like it was just as much his bird as it is mine,” Morphew said. “I’m just really lucky to have that kind of a hunting partner who would hold up on a bird he knew was banded so I could take the shot. And the first shot was his, so I felt like he should have one of the replica bands.”
Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report
Feb. 29, 2024
Arkansas bass tournaments tally solid statistics in 2023
Feb. 28, 2024
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter E-mails
Don’t miss another issue. Sign up now to receive the AGFC Wildlife Weekly Newsletter in your mailbox every Wednesday afternoon (Waterfowl Reports are published weekly during waterfowl season and periodically outside the season). Fishing Reports arrive on Thursdays. Fill in the following fields and hit submit. Thanks, and welcome!


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I have used one of Sherri Baldy's 3D Deco Bestie Hugable Bears for my DT Project.
This side step card design is from the Silhouette America store. The pattern paper used is by Palifino. I have stitched wooden painted buttons to purple burlap with Bakers Twine. Each button has bakers twine threaded and tied in a bow. I have added flowers and a bow from my stash. The butterflies are made of metal with gems.
You can find this image here

domain: artistic


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|It's a Joker
|Double Bonus Poker
|Reel Crime: Stealing Christmas
|Phantom of the Opera
|Trip to Japan
|Alice in Wonderland
Playing Online Slots for Real Money (Part 1)
This is the first part of Win A Day Casino's in-depth perspective of playing online slots for real money. Slot machine games are very popular with our players for many reasons. Today we'll look at the benefits of playing our 5 reel slots. The 5 reel slot machines have become a very popular choice with online slots players. There are those who still prefer the 3 reel slots, but the 5 reel ones definitely get a lot of attention. There are a lot of benefits to playing on a 5 reel slots game which has caused many people to choose to spend their time on them. By doing a little research on the different types of slot machines players will be able to make an educated decision on which one will give them the features and benefits that they are looking for.
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In general, the 5 reel slots have more to offer players as far as incentives and benefits go. Players are given the chance to enjoy such features as free spins, bonus rounds, wild symbols, multipliers, and other exciting features. All of these features provide slots players with plenty of chances to win more money while they are having a great time playing online slots for real money. The 5 reel slot machines are also considered to have a higher hit frequency, this is very important to slots players. The 5 reel slot machines tend to have very exciting themes, which provide players with a great gaming environment. The strong themes combined with the great graphics, extra reels, and abundance of features makes for the ultimate slots game experience. It's no wonder why so many people have decided to spend their time with us; we definitely provide players with many benefits that make us stand out. We highly recommend you try out our VIP experience.
Our online instant play casino wants to make sure we offer our players games you will look forward to coming back and playing often. By offering 5 reel slots we know we are going to be able to keep our slots players occupied and excited. Anyone who is looking for an entertaining online casino game will want to try a wide variety of slot games and we have plenty to choose from. Many of our games also have a progressive jackpot and this means that the players have a chance of winning a whole lot of money. Progressive jackpots continue to grow until a lucky player wins it. You never know, it could just be you, so why not sign up today and start playing online slots for real money?