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Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge price, features and specs: Samsung Galaxy overtakes Apple iPhone US sales
Galaxy S7 beats iPhone 6s shipments in American market
The new Samsung Galaxy S7 launched in February this year alongside the Galaxy S7 edge. Here we round up all the latest news on the Samsung Galaxy S7, including release date, price, rumours, and features.
You can also click here toread our full, in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge: at a glance
- Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge launch date 21 February
- Galaxy S7 and S7 edge on sale in the UK 11 March
- Galaxy S7 UK price from 599 inc VAT
- Galaxy S7 edge price from 639 inc VAT
Jump to:
- Samsung Galaxy S7: latest news
- Samsung Galaxy S7: release date and price
- Samsung Galaxy S7: features
- Samsung Galaxy S7: camera
- Samsung Galaxy S7: display
- Samsung Galaxy S7: specs, hardware and battery
Samsung Galaxy S7: latest news
15/07/2016: Samsung's smartphone shipments have overtaken the iPhone in the US, thanks to strong sales of the Galaxy S7.
According to research from Kantor World Panel, in the three months up until May this year, Samsung accounted for 37 per cent of smartphone sales and Apple 29 per cent.
However, among flagship phones, it was a closer call with the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge accounting for 16 per cent of sales and the iPhone 6s/6s Plus at 14.6 per cent.
The research also found only five per cent of Samsung purchases came from those moving from Apple, while 14 per cent of Apple purchasers moved from Samsung.
In the UK, it is a closer thing with each accounting for 36 per cent of sales in this market.
11/07/2016:Samsung's ruggedised Galaxy S7 Active model has failed a water resistance test, despite holding an IP68 water-resistance rating.
This certification supposedly guarantees a device can survive full immersion in up to five feet of water for up to 30 minutes, but the S7 Active failed to live up to these claims when subjected to trials by product testing organisation Consumer Reports.
After being placed in a tank pressurised to the equivalent of five feet of water for 30 minutes, the display became "obscured by green lines", with moisture bubbles visible within both camera lenses, the group said.
After the first device failed, technicians submitted a second unit to the same test. The second device also failed, with neither model returning to full functionality.
"The Samsung Galaxy S7 active device is one of the most rugged phones to date and is highly resistant to scratches and IP68 certified," the company said in a statement to Consumer Reports, but admitted "there may be an off-chance that a defective device is not as watertight as it should be", and said it is investigating the matter.
Waterproofing has been a major selling-point of Samsung's Galaxy S range, particularly after it was reinstated for the latest generation. It is a particularly important feature of the S7 Active, as it is designed for use in harsh, outdoor environments.
Consumer Reports noted that of all the current Galaxy S7 models, the S7 Active was the only one to fail its immersion test, with both the S7 and the S7 Edge passing.
28/06/2016:Samsung is set to release a limited edition Galaxy S7 Edge in time for the 2016 Olympics taking place in Brazil next month, Trusted Reviews reports.
An image allegedly showing the new editions was leaked by Evan Blass (@evleaks), with the phones depicted featuting the Olympic rings logoat the bottom of the rear along with gold/blue detailing around the home button, earpiece and camera module.
As the report notes, the reveal was previously predicted by SamMobile, based on Samsung's previous Olympics tie-in wiht the Galaxy S line.
08/06/2016: The Samsung Galaxy S7 has just received a new addition, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active.
For those who haven't come across Samsung's Active line, they're ruggedized versions of its flagship line, designed for to be used in all weathers and environments.
This means that in addition to the S7's regular IP68 water and dust-proofing, the S7 active also comes with a reinforced, rubber-edged shell that's drop-proof to a height of five metres. The screen is also supposedly shatter-proof, although we wouldn't necessarily want to test that out.
The biggest upgrade, however, is to the battery. The S7 Active's battery is one-third bigger than the standard S7, bringing its total capacity to 4,000mAh. This means that not only can you take it kayaking or drop it down a ravine, the S7 Active is capable of powering through at least a full day in the wilderness.
There is one slight problem, however - it's only available in America, and only through network carrier AT&T. Samsung has not revealed when or if the S7 Active will be coming to other territories, but based on the poor sales of previous Active devices, we'd be surprised if it made it to Europe.
02/06/2016: Samsung has announced a new Batman-inspired version of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Dubbed the "Injustice Edition", the phone comes in black with trimmings of gold. There is even a Batman symbol on the back.
In an unboxing video, the phone comes with headphones, a Batman armour-style protective case, and a virtual reality headset. The user interface has been changed slightly to give it more of a Batman theme. IT also appears to include a video game featuring the Gotham superhero.
The phone commemorates the third anniversary of the popular mobile game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. The game features a collectable card mechanic and engages players in 3-on-3 tag team combat that feature many of DC's most iconic characters.
The phone will be available from 13 June. No price has been set for the smartphone. It will appear exclusively in select territories, including China, Singapore, Korea, Latin America and Russia. There is currently no word on a UK launch.
17/05/2016: Samsung will offer new Galaxy S7 and S7 edge customers an exclusive Gear VR content package, meaning they can get their hands on the Samsung Gear VR headset for a discounted price, alongside a free bundle of games and experiences to make the most of the virtual reality headset.
Content included in the package is Anshar Wars 2, Darknet, Drift, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Ocean Rift and Starchart, although neither Oculus nor Samsung have announced how much the 'discounted price' will save customers on the retail price.
"Our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are performing extremely well, demonstrating continued strong demand for our premium flagship devices,"David Lowes, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics Europe, said.
"The smartphone is already so fundamental to our lives but connecting it with a product like the Gear VR opens up incredible new experiences that are often as emotional as they are immersive. With this new incentive, we're encouraging broader VR adoption so that more people can experience this amazing new technology for themselves."
Samsung has sold 300,000 Gear VR headsets in Europe so far this year, with the virtual reality market set to grow 168 per cent year-on-year in 2016 according to CCS Insight.
"At Oculus, we want people to experience anything, anywhere through the power of virtual reality and we're starting to see that happen with Gear VR," said Max Cohen, Head of Mobile at Oculus. "Together, the hardware and software provide the absolute best VR experience on mobile available today and we're looking forward to continuing to excite and engage European consumers."
13/05/2016: The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are set to lead the US smartphone market in the second quarter of 2016, according to new data.
Kantar Worldpanel has released data highlighting the ongoing success of Samsung's Galaxy S7, which accounted for almost 6 per cent of smartphone sales in the US during the first quarter despite only being released on March 11.
This makes the S7 and S7 Edge the fifth best-selling smartphone during this period, and Samsung's ranking is set to climb still higher in the second quarter.
Amongst those who bought the device in March, battery life, camera quality, storage capacity and processing speed were all heavily cited as incentives.
07/04/2016:Samsung hopes sales of its Galaxy 7 smartphone will fuel a 10 per cent leap in operating profit for the first quarter of 2016.
The South Korean phone manufacturer predicts its operating profit to reach 6.6 trillion Korean won (3.9 billion) between January and March this year, compared to six trillion won in the same period last year.
It comes after the Galaxy S7 launched in late February to good reviews (including our own), with the model breaking records in smartphone displays, such as highest colour accuracy highest peak brightness and highest screen resolution.
The device is widely believed to be selling well, and Samsung will release its first quarter results later this month.
04/04/2016: The Samsung Galaxy S7 has undergone a price cut of around$150 in the US. According to CNN, Walmart is holding a "Rollback" promotion on these handsets and $100 on all Apple iPhones until the end of June.
The discounts apply tothe iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, new four-inch SE, and the Samsung Galaxy 6 and 7.
01/04/2016:The release date for one of the Galaxy S7's main competitors - the HTC 10 (probably) - has been announced as Tuesday, 12 April.
There is a live stream taking place at 1pm London time for the device, which could be called the HTC 10 or HTC One M10, depending on which rumour you listen to.
Leaks suggest the HTC 10 will have a new chassis design, 5.1in 2K resolution screen supporting Super LCD, not AMOLED, a 12-megapixel rear camera and come in a variety of colours. Inside, it is expected to feature a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with microSD support, and a 3,000mAh battery.
With an anticipated May launch, following the April announcement, HTC is quite late in launching a new phone this year, with rivals LG and Samsung - and even Apple - having already released handsets in 2016.
On paper, these specs are also quite similar to the Galaxy S7, from screen size to storage to camera specs, so HTC will need to pull off something quite special in order to compete.
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|Reviews for Git R Done
| Dandy352 chapter 1 . 2/8/2013
Sequel please!
Bloody brilliant narration.
| absentmindedprofessor chapter 1 . 5/11/2012
OH MY GODNESS. You need to continue this - PLEASE continue this! I need to know what's happened to Brooklyn!
| Adelois chapter 1 . 5/27/2011
who are those man? I can't help but keep thinking who are they actually
| pterodactylion chapter 1 . 10/13/2010
The man opened his mouth but nothing came out. He looked helplessly at Tracey.
Hahaha...the epic-ness of this one-shot is amazing (:
| We Used To Wait chapter 1 . 12/2/2009
Wow, the suspense was wick-ed! It definitely has a bit of horror, and you really make us want to slap the dumb blonde across the face.
All I can say is: AHAHAHAHHAa, she's gonna get raped and murdered and quite possibly tortured in between. I just feel sorry for Tracey for feeling sorry for Brooke. And when Tracey knocked on the door of the neighbour's house? I laughed so hard at his dumbfounded and confused expression. He just didn't know what to do! Poor thing.
And then I was thinking Tracey should get the license plate number. Which she actually tried to do. One, I wouldn't have thought so quickly and smartly in a situation like that, and two, it just sends chills down my spine at how it was conveniently dark enough for her not to see the number or the color of the car. It gives us no hope for Brooke's well being. . . Not that most of us wanted it anyway.
Anywayz, good story; it shows how stupid girls can be, and explains to those stupid feminists out there how exactly a girl can "ask for it."
| Ink-Stain'd chapter 1 . 11/3/2009
All I have to say is that her friend Brooklyn is a retard. And that she puts the borough of Brooklyn to shame. Seriously, if I was in Tracey's shoes I would have slapped Brooklyn and called her a nasty word...Gosh. But it's a sad ending though I still think Brooklyn is stupid.
| holiday road chapter 1 . 8/18/2009
Screw Brooklyn, she was being an idiot anyway. This reminds me of those old horror movies that are for folks obsessed with deformities and older, uglier men fucking perky little things with clear skin and big boobs. I liked it aha
| Ingrid Indigo chapter 1 . 7/29/2009
What a shocking ending! I had expected they both would have died...
Nice cliff-hanger, though, no second chapter. -is heart broken- But, it IS more mysterious this way...
I loved it, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
| sophiesix chapter 1 . 6/11/2009
Wow this was scary. I mean the girls are terrified, and teh suspence is wicked, but at the same time, the guys kinda balance that out with their amusing dialogue. huh. which kinda leaves you in limbo as to whether you're more scared or amused. I like how teh ending doesn't give you that closure, so the story sort of stays with you beyond the final line. Thanks for an interesting read.
| emptyword chapter 1 . 4/7/2008
Oh my God. Why did I read that. That was horrifying. XDD I'm a prissy reader.
I was glued. Your action stuff is so, so good. You don't waste your words, and every single thing you set down pushes the story on and on and drags the reader along without a backward glance. "'Ya ain't goin' nowhere, bitch!'— and Tracey's vision of the door was wiped away as John Deere slung Tracey to the floor." Wiped away. Yeah, I imagine that's exactly what it would feel like if someone yanked me off my feet and onto the floor.
When the two men first showed up with their countryside accents and manners, I was sharply reminded of "Of Mice and Men" and Lenny in particular. :) With that in mind, it was impossible to dislike them, even while they were attempting rape. Really, everyone in this story I could see myself being FRIENDS with (in different situations of course), which just intensifies the horror.
Aside from the scary-grope-rape-cigarette-burn stuff, I really liked this. The writing is...very good.
| One-Hand Clap chapter 1 . 4/1/2008
This doesn't have the sense of... closure I was hoping for. It was built up, but then it kind of trailed off as quick as those guys did. It was still genuinely scary, though. You have a sick mind. But I like it.
| Bonny Abomination chapter 1 . 2/10/2008
wow you are reallt good at suspenseful stuff. . .I LOVE IT!
| Stormer chapter 1 . 3/17/2007
Oh dear! I like how you end this without us knowing what actually happened.
You're definitely good at writing the dark stuff!
| The Breakdancing Ninja chapter 1 . 7/20/2006
The Breakancing Ninja gives this story a 4 out of 5 for its extreme readability and mobility with plot. And for the extremely sad and unusual ending that accompanied it. He enjoyed its extreme hilarity (especially with the accents). Refer to the criticism below for more details.
Oh, and he docked off half a point because it lacked racist references to black people, and the word "nigger".
["Come own," said the voice again. "Open da damn door!"] HAHAHAA
Man, that had to be the first pasted excerpt in my review. Holy God. I totally cracked up when I read that. Your accents are hilarious!
Tracey is a "button-up," which sounds a lot like "brunette." At least, that's what I see.
[There was a heavy rhythmic beat that grew more and more noticeable until objects in the room were rattling. The car was probably full of gangsters.] LOL! "Blood, Cum and Dildo Crosses" would have just said: "It's fuckin' nigger music." But yeah, the bass in some cars is SO bad! When you get heart palpitations from someone's sub-woofers, that's when you know it's bad. Haha
["Uh, you didn't even do it!" said Brooklyn, after the car had passed.] I saw a question mark there for some reason. Like, a blondie question mark: "Umm, you didn't even do it?"
Even when the word "taillight" is correct, it still bugs me!
["The whole time you were jumping they were like buh-boing, buh-boing."] lmao! That's fourteen year old humor for you! I could totally imagine her hands cupping air, and she's has this happy, exaggerated look on her face.
["Gosh, Brooklyn, do I have to explain everything to you? It was supposed to be a joke, alright? Like at least mine won't be sagging when I get older like yours will. That's why you'll be tripping over them."] LOL! I totally saw this happening. If I were Tracey, I'd totally pimp slap Brooklyn.
[The headlights vanished and Tracey watched the driver's door open and then the passenger's; a slam and a slam.] So creepy; I could hear that!
"cartwheeled"- I remember that description in "Blood, Cum and Dildo Crosses" when Dennis drops the gun and the ex tries to go for it. The actual paragraph that's featured here about the glowing embers cart-wheeling- that was a really realistic description.
I love Tracey's sign language parts in the dialogue; they're hilarious and completely true to all neurotic people in a dangerous and nerve-wrecking situation when they have to whisper and stay low-key.
[Tracey wheeled around and put her finger to her lips with a fierce expression on her face, silencing Brooklyn as she trotted down the stairs.] I totally saw this when I first read it. The action moves by swiftly. You know, just last night, I was patrolling through your stories and revisited "Blood, Cum and Dildo Crosses", and it was so memorable that I asked my boyfriend to read the WHOLE THING to me. It was hella great! The way he portrayed Dennis was pretty good. He made the voice calm and real low key, so I could envision the hot guy I envisioned the first time coming in and raping and killing everybody. Now that I look back on it, that story had the best essence of timing! ESPECIALLY the transitional scene that comes right after he kills the little brother. That was such a smooth transition, and that's when your usage of dramatic sentence repetition was at his finest. My boyfriend really liked how you used "little" for the boy. His narrator voice was the same as his father's voice, LOL! So when the dad got killed at the end, he pointedly made a note that he had "died". It was great. Let me just paste a couple of the mistakes I caught that I didn't catch the first time I reviewed it. He didn't like the same noun, same verb things, like "streams streaming," but I LOVED them! Always have. So I defended each one with my life! lmfao It took us a long time to read. I don't remember if it was one hour or three, but we pulled through to the end because it was that great.
["Yes, it is! I don't want to be want to be with you now! You're fucking disgusting! I don't want to kiss you after you've been making out with Ol' Blubber Lips. Probably fucking sucking his dick and shit. You're like all trashy now."] *omit one "want to be". LOL! Oh yeah, and the racism, oh my god. That was even funnier on second read.
["I won't leave you taped up for long," promised the ex-boyfriend. "Just until your parents get here. I just want to scare them. Then I'll let you go and we're play hostage with them as well."] *we'll play hostage.
[A volcanic eruption.] And this was so well-timed! I just had to paste it to let you know! My boyfriend and I cracked UP. The way he did the ex-girlfriend's voice was hilarious, especially when she said things like "fuck you" or "please, don't" omfg I'm tripping out!
Oh, yeah, and I don't know if I praised your exposition of that story or not, but there's this one part and ONLY one part where Dennis says something like, 'Good thing you live somewhere remote'- no, he didn't say it like that, but it was the only time where he mentioned where the situation was, well, situated. I thought that was really clever and effective.
There were like, a MILLION things to that story that were clever and effective.
Anyway. That story was bomb-diggity, let me get back to this one now.
The image of a flying swan totally got me- that was real awesome. Can chairs have that effect though, do you think? Even when they're blurred and moving real fast, can they really have that effect? Aw, well, probably. I mean, when you're in a panic and something's coming right at you, you could think it's anything. It's interesting that Tracey sees a swan first, which says something about her personality. At first, the way her and Brookie talked to each other, they seemed like templates, but it was good to get us started on them like that. It was hilarious how Brooklyn tripped over a "Teenage magazine" lmfao!
The use of the word "jarring" for Tracey's spine was really effective. I had to look up the word first, though. At first I thought it meant, like, curling in fetal position because I took the word "jarring" literally, which produced a great image. But even after finding out the meaning of the word, I still liked it!
["She's right hur," said the other man,] Aww! Can this have two 'r's'? Pretty please? RIGHT HURR!1
[he wore a faded gray t-shirt, a beer belly, camouflage pants and a mustache.] LMFAO! Oh, gross!
["So if you two got any sense left in those country-fried brains of yours, you'll get the hell out of here as soon as possible."] lmfao You know what? I love country-fried steak. Any time I'm at some diner or even Denny's or something, I order it.
["I like Miss Big Titties hur; I ain't been widda blonde since Carla. You member 'er?"The man took a puff of his cigarette. "Fat bitch dat lived over by Bill's ol' place?""Yeh, dat's da one. Bitch gave me da fuckin' crotch crickets!"] LAWL!1 "CROTCH CRICKETS" ftjhkj
[Tracey kicked him in the face and then grimaced in pain; she had kicked him with her cut foot.] Ouch, this must really sting from the salt on his pig sweat face. Ugh, I totally dislike it when things are lodged into my foot. [the room trembled when he fell.] lmao fatass
Holy God, poor Tracey! She's hella abused! She's like that one chick in anime that always gets the pain inflicted on her- it's always the flat-chested ones who get abused in anime, I swear. ["How 'bout I put m'nutsack on it!" laughed the man in the Nascar shirt.] LOL~!
"zipper unzipping" hee! -hugs the phrase.-
Man, and golden showers? That's disgusting, Gilee. lmfao
[The man then reached into his back pocket and Tracey thought: Oh my God! He's about to pull out a knife and stab me! ] and omg. Every time I see some shady-looking character, no matter what nationality, I totally think that when I turn around they're going to stab me. I think I would say the same exact thing, too.
[Tracey saw that Brooklyn's spit was black. Tracey felt like puking.] Oh, ew! Dude, perfect! Ew ew tobacco smut!
[The man was leaning in; Tracey could smell the rotten mixture of cigarettes and alcohol. She wrapped her fingers around a shard of glass and jammed it into the man's temple. The man screamed and fell over beside her, clutching his head. Blood was spurting everywhere.] OHH! TEN POINTS!1
[The man blinked and said, "What's wrong with your forehead?"] LOL!
Oh, what the hell? I didn't even take into account how long the story was, and all of a sudden, it ended! Gilee, jdfjszdj!
Okay, see, here's the good thing: For once, the innocent one isn't the one that gets punished. lmao I mean, I don't have much sympathy for characters in general, but I really felt for poor Tracey; she tried her best. UGH! And that apathetic neighbor, what the hell? What a complete jerk!
Anyway, some miscellaneous things that I liked:
The grammar efficiency. -grabs face, kisses!-
Nothing in the story sticks out too much, so it isn't insanely beautiful in just one paragraph and totally shitty with the rest. Well, I don't think any of your stories lacked balance. So I guess I'm just praising the fact that this one doesn't, either.
It's coolly how your writing enabled me to see the characters' physical make-ups just based on their respective personalities and the dialogue. I saw Tracey as the honest, flat-chested brunette.
The story had a low-key ending, which, surprisingly, wasn't disappointing. I mean, it wasn't low-key event-wise. Because a fourteen year old getting kidnapped by a couple of lechers is like, WHOA? But I think the ending was still pretty quiet, kind of like, a cigarette being put out by someone's foot. You know what I mean? I could almost imagine you losing stamina and trying to find a good place to end. But this was perfect. It's weird, but after reading "Blood, Cum and Dildo Crosses" just last night, I have this big appreciation for your low-key ending. This story seems to be the chunk of clay left over from some other masterpieces, and you're doing your best with what you have- this also seems more like a segue into stuff that keeps getting more and more low-key. It's why I think I can't exactly insult the ending. I was kind of glad it ended there, too. But you know, I wouldn't mind reading another chapter of it. And you could get into a whole new genre of suspense, where Tracey's a goddamn killing machine. LOL! I think if I had read the stories in order, I would have probably insulted the ending a lot, unknowing of what path your writing was to take. Ah, but everything in Life is perfectly intended.
You know what would be hilarious? Like, RIGHT after Brooklyn is abducted, you could have the yard catch on fire from the cigarette- LMFAO! The ending was so sad, it needs something sad but hilarious, I think.
I really enjoyed the flow of the story; no pauses. It was seamless from beginning to end, and, the only time I paused was actually to paste in those corrections for "Blood, Cum and Dildo Crosses". And when I was reading, I kind of forgot that I was hungry. It's like, 7:37 in the morning right now.
The accents were hilarious. Of course, it would have been unreasonable for me to copy and paste everything- well, maybe I should anyway. No, never mind. But the accents were great. Everything here seemed perfectly tailored. It's not some backwash story, contrary to what even you might be thinking. For the piece of clay you had, this turned into something pretty cool!
I'm kind of glad, too, that the two males were caricatures of wankers rather than real scary guys with bad teeth and weird warts and diseases bunching on their elbows. I think that would have been too much for me. The villains were funny and raunchy in their own right. Maybe for that terror effect, you could add some descriptions about dandruff- or even have someone pull their you-know-what out- maybe the guy with the crotch crickets (LMFAO!) and describe that a little bit. I don't encourage it, but I'm leaving it up as a suggestion in case you want to make the story more graphic, scary and dark. I seriously thought there would be a happy ending.
But Tracey stabbing him with a piece of glass? Classic! I just… don't remember if it mentioned her palm bleeding or anything. Because if it could stab him in the forehead, it also must have a pretty sharp edge. Three injuries for the road! What was the utility of the cigarette burn, symbolically? I mean, there has to be some subconscious reason why her forehead was burned by a cancer stick.
I think I'll give you a Hertz analysis of what this might be. I haven't done one in a couple of weeks. Then maybe I'll find out that symbolism.
The story seems to reflect a lot on the brashness of inexperienced writers (Brooklyn, Tracey) and the ignorant audience (Mustache, Goatee). What a cocky inexperienced writer does is, well, become an exhibitionist, especially upon discovering the newfound freedom of writing. It's something liberating to do, and when you're writing, it feels like the parents aren't even home.
When an inexperienced writer becomes an exhibitionist, they invite readers to come and see their work. Of course, the story addresses how disastrous this is, and even squelches the idea of exhibition. Because, what the story fears the most, is an ignorant, abusive audience that 1) isn't sympathetic, 2) cannot relate either in age or disposition, and 3) is abusive and self-destructive.
The story fights in a weak attempt to escape this bad audience. Violence in story tends to flourish the anxiety of a writer over the whole piece, which lends to its effectiveness. Well-executed violence shows excessive force to squelch the fears of writing addressed in the actual story. The fact that Tracey's (or the inexperienced writer's) efforts to 'push out the demon' were weak and fruitless, shows the frailty that the actual author feels about his/her (well, his) work, or his current state.
Tracey also appeals to a different audience, which shows another fear of writing. The apathetic/indifferent audience. They pose an even greater threat.
The idea of one of the inexperienced writers being dragged away by the two men shows the foreshadowing of 'rape' of that inexperienced writer. When any author writes, they bear- no, BARE a part of themselves. Meaning to say that, they pretty much flash whoever they're talking to. And when the person who is talking to them reacts a certain way that doesn't go according to plan, fears set off.
The story dislikes the inexperienced writer who is reckless and thoughtless (Brooklyn). It punishes itself.
Hahaha I hoped you liked it.
Oh, okay, about the cigarette burn to the forehead, maybe that's punishment for Tracey, the other more prudent and neurotic inexperienced writer, for thinking any of this was a good idea in the first place, ie: thoughtless, shallow exhibitionism. It reminds me a lot of how people, when they do something stupid, they call themselves stupid and they dash their foreheads with a palm.
The story was an enjoyable read! Its length was perfect for its caliber- you really know how to make these judgment calls. I've never seen someone so sound and so in touch with their own style and so conscious about it the way you are. It really reflects in all your pieces!
Dude, totally rock on, Forrest!
The Breakdancing Ninja out! -throws a smoke bomb. POOF! back flips into the smoke.-
| citrus scented chapter 1 . 6/26/2006
oh bad idea to read this, alone in the house, at 2-3 am after having just watched wolf creek earlier on today. ew and ew again, as always i dont know whether to be horrorfied, or amazed. not so much morbid this one as just plain horrible, and amazed because of the writing. i cant think of a better word other than compelling. your a really fine writer, no typos no critisms ( other than- you said you worried about me ? cant help wonder the same thing haha) seriously dig their accsents ( the mens) its really believable and consistant- somehting i find near in possible. anyway, Im kinda scared now- haha, im glad i read it but at the same time not!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Last Bank Holiday the other half and I decided we would like to take the kids somewhere different for a change and somewhere I hadn't been in years was Tredegar House in Newport.So we packed up the car with a picnic the kids and half a ton of crap the kids decided they just had to have(!) and set off,mild panic halfway there as I momentarily forgot the route,so the hubby got onto good old Google maps which jogged my memory and we got there in around 20 mins.The carpark was full when we arrived however they had opened an overflow carpark next to it on a field.Parking was £2 for the whole day and unless you're actually visiting the house itself (which we didn't on this occasion) then that's all you pay.To visit the property would be £18 for a family ticket so we thought that could be a whole other day out.
We had a fantastic day out,the kids played hide and seek in the huge trees.A little play on the park – which was very busy and stuffed their faces with icecream at the small kiosk while Daddy and I had a coffee.The swans and cygnets were beautiful to watch.All in all it's well worth a visit if you're in the area!


text:
29 - Dog First Aid (49:27)
Jo's Veterinary Nursing background provides the motivation for this part of Puppy Coach. Having a owner who is informed and can react appropriately in a medical emergency could mean the difference between the life or death of an animal.
Jo has enlisted the help of fellow behaviourist and Veterinary Nurse Rachel Bean in this film. Rachel runs animal first aid education courses and Jo felt this provided a great avenue for you as Puppy Coach owners to develop a solid understanding of what to do in each of the situations addressed. Rachel delivers her course with confidence given her first hand experience of real life situations.
Throughout the film Rachel provides expert guidance and real life case experience to give you a detailed understanding of the majority of potential emergency scenarios, including some that arent immediately obvious.
Jo has structured the film to make it easy for viewers at home to follow and offer clarity on some of the topics discussed. The Puppy Coach support manual provides further knowledge and scenarios.
The topics discussed in the film are as follows:
- Legalities of animal first aid
- Aims of first aid
- The assessment of Airway, Breathing and Circulation
- Controlling bleeding
- Anaphylaxis (allergic reaction): causes and treatment
- Poisoning
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
- Epilepsy
- Bandaging: The Paw and The Ear
- Contents of a First Aid Kit


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Anyone else out there super particular about texture of beverages? I do not like chunks of anything, other than pulp in orange juice, outside of that, I like it super smooth, which is why I prefer to blend my Shakeology as opposed to just shaking it with the shaker cup – that does work but I prefer to blend it!
Who else is willing to dirty a dish/equipment to ensure they get smooth drinks? I can't be the only one?!


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Here at West Michigan Eyecare Associates, we are excited to offer the latest treatments available for dry eye.
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There is no specific cure for dry eye. We focus on treatments and products that help to improve and restore your natural tear film and ocular surface. For some folks, over the counter artificial tears and ointments may work well. Depending on your needs, one may work better for you than another. We also use the latest prescription drops to decrease inflammation and promote more natural tear production.
We also utilize temporary and non-dissolving punctal plugs. These block the natural drainage of tears allowing more of them to stay on the ocular surface. At West Michigan Eyecare, we often start with a temporary plug and if we get positive results, we then look at a more permanent arrangement.
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If you have any questions about dry eye, please contact us today at (616) 949-8500 or schedule your next appointment online.


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Check out Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Mentats of Dune, available March 11th from Tor Books!
Gilbertus Albans has founded the Mentat School, a place where humans can learn the efficient techniques of thinking machines. But Gilbertus walks an uneasy line between his own convictions and compromises in order to survive the Butlerian fanatics, led by the madman Manford Torondo and his Swordmaster Anari Idaho.
Mother Superior Raquella attempts to rebuild her Sisterhood School on Wallach IX, with her most talented and ambitious student, Valya Harkonnen, who also has another goal—to exact revenge on Vorian Atreides, the legendary hero of the Jihad, whom she blames for her family's downfall.
Meanwhile, Josef Venport conducts his own war against the Butlerians. VenHold Spacing Fleet controls nearly all commerce thanks to the superior mutated Navigators that Venport has created, and he places a ruthless embargo on any planet that accepts Manford Torondo's anti-technology pledge, hoping to starve them into submission. But fanatics rarely surrender easily…
The mind of man is holy, but the heart of man is corrupt.
—Manford Torondo, Lampadas rallies
With his planet isolated by the strict VenHold embargo, Manford Torondo's determination only grew harder. He had no doubts, and he made certain his Butlerian followers had no doubts either. As their leader, Manford had to provide clear guidance, without exceptions, without room for deviation. And as his followers, they were obligated to listen to him.
Sometimes, however, he had to remind them. A dramatic, clear-cut example could influence millions of people.
In the predawn darkness, Manford rode on the sturdy shoulders of Anari Idaho, the strongest and most loyal of his Swordmasters. Anari was his body, his muscles, his strength, and his sword. After he'd lost his legs in a fanatic's explosion at an early antitechnology rally, and the visionary Rayna Butler had died in his arms, Manford had taken his mentor's place with equal fervor. Not letting his handicap limit him, he embraced the phrase "half a man, twice the leader."
What remained of his body fit into a specially made harness on Anari's shoulders, but although the Swordmaster carried him, she was no beast of burden. Anari had known him for so long, loving him in her perfect devoted way, that the two of them operated as one unit. Often she sensed Manford's thoughts, and responded to his needs before he even spoke. He only had to believe he wanted to go in a certain direction, and Anari would head there.
When he conducted business in his offices, Manford sat in a special raised chair that made him look imposing. Whenever he appeared at rallies, he chose volunteer followers to transport him on a palanquin. And when he went into battle, Anari always carried him.
His Butlerian strike force had left the main city at dusk the night before, traveling by flatbed vehicles down the river road, then farther inland to a small village. Dove's Haven was worthy of attention now only because of what Manford's spies had reported.
His group—thirteen Swordmasters, plus another hundred followers ready to fight to the death—would be more than sufficient to teach the necessary lesson, even if the whole town resisted. Also accompanying them was a potential offworld business associate, Rolli Escon, the head of the shipping company EsconTran. Today, Directeur Escon would observe and learn.
As they approached Dove's Haven, Manford instructed the Butlerian followers to remain behind, while the Swordmasters took the lead. Ahead, Manford could see the dark, sleeping village. His spies had already identified which dwellings were occupied by the town's three leaders. Those would be the first targets.
Visibly uncomfortable, Rolli Escon walked alongside Anari Idaho. The offworld businessman glanced up so he could speak with Manford as they closed in on the unsuspecting town. "Leader Torondo, should we conclude our business agreement before you proceed? You're a busy man, and I can begin the necessary administrative work elsewhere."
Escon had come to Lampadas with a business proposition for Manford. His space-shipping company was small by the standards of the VenHold Spacing Fleet and not managed as efficiently, but at least his vessels did not use illegal computers or mutated monstrosities, as Josef Venport's ships surely did.
From his perch, Manford looked down at Escon. "What administrative work?"
"It'll be a challenge to reroute my cargo ships to where they can best serve the Butlerian cause. I am anxious to help the planets suffering most because of the VenHold embargo—especially Lampadas."
Manford frowned at the man, displeased with his impatience. "Lampadas is fine. My strongest, most devoted followers live here near me, and we don't need pampering and conveniences. The devil Venport will never understand that deprivation makes us stronger."
Escon bowed his head, embarrassed. "You're right, sir."
Manford continued, "Others are not as strong, alas. The temptation of imaginary needs distracts them from their faith. So, for their own good, I must remove that distraction. I'll need your ships to deliver what my followers truly need, and we will spit in the face of the VenHold embargo."
"My ships are yours, Leader Torondo." Escon gave a curt bow. "I am pleased to serve the Butlerian cause."
Manford could feel that Anari was eager to begin the attack on Dove's Haven, but she would never speak out of turn with others present. Anari only expressed her real opinions when they were alone, often as she massaged his aching shoulders, rubbed oils into his skin, or helped him into the bath. Although she could speak her mind there, he couldn't recall her ever disagreeing with him unless it concerned his personal safety—in that, she was inflexible.
Now, she merely muttered, "The mind of man is holy." The nearby Swordmasters repeated the words in a low murmur.
Manford straightened in the harness. "I accept your generous donation to our movement, Directeur Escon. The ships and fuel are most welcome."
The shipping magnate shuffled his feet, and Manford realized that he had not intended to donate all expenses. Even so, the Butlerian leader didn't retract his acceptance of the offer.
His gathered soldiers were restless in the cool darkness, holding cudgels, knives, and spears. Manford had not forbidden them from carrying projectile firearms, but this group wouldn't need such weapons against the people of Dove's Haven. Dawn would break soon, and they had to move forward.
Yet Escon continued the conversation. "But… how many of my ships will be necessary, sir? I understood you already had vessels of your own, decommissioned ships from the Army of the Jihad—gifts to you from Emperor Salvador Corrino?"
"Those are a hundred and forty warships, Directeur, and I require them for military matters, not to haul cargo or pilgrims. I keep only four here at Lampadas. The others have been dispersed as a show of strength to support planets that have taken my pledge. They serve as necessary reminders."
Escon cleared his throat and gathered his courage. "If I may, Leader Torondo—perhaps you would allow a special surcharge on every flight conducted for the worthy Butlerian cause? That would offset costs enough to maintain my ships and expand routes to support your holy work. Even better, if you were to publicly endorse EsconTran over my competitors, who might be secretly corrupted by the technology-lovers…"
Anari shifted from one foot to the other, showing that she was weary of standing there.
Manford's brow furrowed as he considered the idea. "And what of your company's safety record, Directeur? There have been reports of tragic accidents in your fleet, ships gone missing due to navigational errors."
Escon was too quickly dismissive. "We dare not use thinking machines, Leader Torondo, and so we do our best. Space travel has never been perfectly safe—nothing is. A rider can be killed on a horse, too." He let out an awkward chuckle. "As a percentage of total space flights, our losses are minuscule."
"What are the figures, exactly?"
"I… I would have to review the data." Escon brightened as an idea occurred to him. "By endorsing my company, you would demonstrate to all that God is on our side. Surely that alone will improve our safety record."
Manford could not argue with that. "Very well, the bargain is struck, and that concludes our business. I have other obligations here and now." He faced forward and rested a hand lovingly on Anari Idaho's close-cropped brown hair. "And once we finish this distasteful business at Dove's Haven, we can be back to our normal work."
Dawn light seeped like a bloodstain into the sky. Manford's followers were charged with adrenaline, the drug of righteousness. Directeur Escon seemed anxious to leave, but hung back awkwardly, not wanting to offend.
A man in dark brown robes stepped up to Manford, ignoring the businessman. "Our first group has moved into the settlement, Leader Torondo. One of our fighters is stationed at the town bell, ready to awaken them all to bear witness."
"Thank you, Deacon Harian."
Manford's grim and stony majordomo was a walking icon of implacability as well as an embodiment of Butlerian ideals. Harian's grandparents had survived machine enslavement on the planet Corrin, and were among the many desperate refugees rescued from the Bridge of Hrethgir during the legendary final battle against Omnius.
While Manford often prayed to small iconic paintings of the beautiful Rayna Butler, Deacon Harian preferred to immerse himself in historical records of Corrin, images taken during the hectic off-loading of the human hostages used as shields by the thinking machines—until the great war hero Vorian Atreides called Omnius's bluff. The defeat of the machine worlds was worth any amount of human blood, innocent or otherwise.…
Though Harian had no personal experience with thinking machines, his hatred of them was fundamental to his being. As a child, he had heard horrific stories from his grandparents and felt he was destined to join the Butlerian movement. He shaved his head and eyebrows in an imitation of beloved Rayna Butler, who had lost her hair during one of the Omnius-inflicted plagues.
Harian reported now, "We are ready to attack those who have defied you, Leader Torondo."
Manford nodded. "Remember, this is not an attack, not a punishment." He shifted position in his harness. "It is a lesson."
As the light of dawn began to break, Anari Idaho raised her sword, an action mirrored by her fellow Swordmasters. No longer needing to be silent, the hundred Butlerian followers let out a roar. Manford said, "Lead us, Anari." She strode into the town, carrying him on her shoulders.
The ruckus brought a few sleepy villagers out into the streets, where they stared at the oncoming throng. When they recognized the legless leader, a flicker of relief crossed their expressions—only to be replaced with fear.
Harian's designate rang the town's bell. The front line of Swordmasters marched into the village square in precise ranks, while the unrestrained Butlerians surged forward, shouting and pounding on doors, waking everyone. Uneasy people came out, muttering, some sobbing.
Anari reached the First Mayor's home and hammered on the door with the pommel of her sword, but didn't wait for an answer. Balancing Manford in the harness as if he were an oversize child, she administered a ferocious kick that smashed the lock. As she shoved the door open, her fellow Swordmasters broke into the homes of the other two leaders and dragged the triumvirate outside.
The three half-awake men wore nightclothes, stumbling forward and struggling to put on shirts, but their eyes widened as they grasped their predicament. High on Anari's shoulders, Manford sat like a judge at his bench, pronouncing sentence.
Two of the town mayors babbled excuses, while the third remained grimly silent. The silent one understood full well what he had done wrong, and knew that his actions could not be excused.
Manford spoke in a gentle voice. "There is no need to fear. All of you are about to witness the swift glory of righteousness. The holy martyrs Saint Serena and Manion the Innocent are with us today."
"What is all this about, Leader Torondo?" asked one of the mayors.
Manford just frowned. "My warships in orbit keep watch to protect the innocence of all loyal followers. We have detected small VenHold ships in this area, apparently spies or black-market supply runners. Dove's Haven has purchased commodities from humanity's greatest enemy."
"No, sir!" cried the talkative, whimpering town leader. His voice was almost a squeal.
"People in this village have let themselves become addicted to spice, and their addiction is apparently stronger than their faith."
Several townspeople moaned. Deacon Harian emerged from the First Mayor's home, while Butlerians ransacked the other two. The grim majordomo flaunted an unmarked package he had found. He tore it open and poured fragrant cinnamoncolored powder on the ground.
"As the mayoral triumvirate of this town, you three are responsible for your people, duty-bound to prevent them from straying. But you have not done so. As leader of the Butlerians, I must accept the blame for my followers who make the wrong choices—and no punishment can be as great as the heartache I feel. For you three, the punishment will be clear and swift."
The Swordmasters moved forward. Anari raised her own blade, and Manford whispered to her, "The silent one deserves our respect, so grant him a reward. Kill him first."
Anari did not give the First Mayor time to anticipate his death or fear the blow. She moved in such a blur that her sword decapitated him before he could flinch. His head and twitching body fell to the ground in opposite directions. The other two men wailed. Swordmasters killed them; they left the whining one for last.
Manford looked down at the headless bodies in the center of the town. "Three people who made terrible mistakes—a small price to pay for a very important lesson." Now he motioned the hundred waiting followers on his team to come forward.
In their enthusiasm, the Butlerians damaged homes in Dove's Haven, smashing windows and breaking doors, but with their leader controlling them, they kept the ransacking to a minimum.
Finished now, Manford nudged Anari, and she carried him away, followed by the rest of their group. During the confrontation and executions, Manford had forgotten about Rolli Escon. As the businessman stumbled along now, his face was gray.
Manford had no sympathy for weakness. "Some lessons are painful, Directeur."
Mentats of Dune © Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson, 2014


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Every single season the NBA we get to see a another rookie class either flourish on the professional level or struggle to transcend their game after being the dominant player in college basketball.
This season was no different as we saw plenty of great rookie players come into the league and show everyone what they got and how they can help their new team. The one player than most people had their eyes on coming into this NBA season was the Los Angeles Clippers number one overall pick in forward Blake Griffin.
During his time with the Oklahoma Sooners, Griffin was an amazing talent as he was gifted with Tim Duncan like skills in the post and LeBron James' athletic ability. Maybe that was given him a little too much credit, but watching him in the NBA with something that everyone was looking forward to as it was quite possible that he could finally get the Clippers back into the playoffs.
Unfortunately, like many Clippers draft picks before him, Griffin went down with a serious knee injury and didn't get to play a single game this season as he could only watch the Clippers throughout another awful NBA regular season.
With Blake Griffin on the sidelines, three other big name rookies emerged as legitimate candidates for the rookie of the year award.
Two of these promising young players were college basketball superstars and the other decided to take his game to Italy as he was ineligible for the NBA draft due to the age restriction.
Despite already having a famous father who played in the NBA in Dell Curry, Stephen Curry played for a Davidson during his college basketball career and light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis. Even though Currie could light up the scoreboard on any given night, his body wasn't exactly NBA ready as he is a skinny frame, a baby face and thought not to be able to transcend on the professional level.
Even with all the negative press coming into the NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors to be chance on a young kid at a Davidson and drafted him with the seventh overall pick. Fortunately, but it paid off as Curry became one of the best scoring point guards in the league as he averaged 17.5 points, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
One the other players that were in contention for the rookie of the year award was Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks who despite having a lot of criticism coming into the NBA draft he has been able to completely turn around the bucks franchise and lead them into the playoffs.
Not only was Jennings a big surprise for the Bucks in terms of readiness to play immediately, but he has also become a dominant scorer as he scored a record 55 points against the Golden State Warriors and 34 points against the Atlanta Hawks in his playoff debut.
Needless to say, a star was born in Milwaukee and Jennings was the only prominent rookie to make it into the playoffs.
Then there was the Sacramento Kings point guard Tyreke Evans. The Kings may have had an extremely disappointing season this year, but their future looks incredibly bright with Tyree Evan's leading the way and running the point.
Not only does this kid play like an old-school basketball player and someone who's been playing this game for 20 years on the professional level, but he is also the best going point guards in the league as the average rookie best 20.1 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game.
In my opinion, Brandon Jennings should have gotten more consideration for the award as he was able to turn his team into a playoff team, but Evans is the real deal and will be a superstar in this league sooner rather than later.


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Meadville Mobile Market
The Mobile Market was piloted in 2017 as a project of Allegheny College's Community Wellness Initiative. In 2018, it was taken over by the Meadville Market House as a way to make fresh, local foods accessible to the Meadville community. Come support our local farmers!
We look forward to seeing you.
The schedule with locations, dates, and times can be found below


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Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Pages: 373
Series: The Folk of the Air
Authors' Other Works: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Darkest Part of the Forest, The Modern Faerie Tales, Magisterium Series, Curse Workers Series, etc
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
This was me…
Charging into this book like a fool.
Heart wide open for the killing blow.
And I was shown absolutely no mercy…
This book started off my reading this year. AND IT STARTED IT OFF GOOD!
Now, I have enjoyed 2 of Holly Black's previous books so I went into this one expecting the same level of amazingness. The Queen delivered. I am most pleased.
This book has fae, so, hi! Here I am! No one's all that surprised there! But this book was promised as a book that would make you feel all the emotions and leave you crying. Which it did!
IT ALSO STABBED ME RIGHT IN THE CHEST! Much like what happens on page 241.
IT'S NOT A SPOILER WHEN THE BOOK IS ADVERTISED AS STABBY! THERE'S ALL TYPES OF STABBING! It's stabtastic!
Plot, World And ALL That Good Stuff!
This story takes place in Elfhame, the home of the fae. And all the humans live across the pond… or sea. Or whatever floats your boat.
But this is no medieval world. Oh no. The main character goes with her sisters to a mall for coffee. Which honestly is such a comfort?? If I get dragged into a supernatural world where everything might just kill me if I breathe wrong, then I'd be really happy to just pop back and grab a coffee every now and then.
Like, I'll save the land and all its inhabitants in a hot second, just let me have my coffee and we're good to go. *long sip* PREPARE TO BE SAVED!
Intriguingly in this world of fae there isn't just the pointy-eared hot stuff fae, there are also different species that all come under the name faerie. There's the normal fae dudes who we know and love, the Undersea folk – they literally live under the sea like fishies- but they're not fishies, the blood caps, the goblins, pixies, imps, ogres, etc.
All as horrifically beautiful as the next, and wouldn't even hesitate to offer you a "scrumptious" berry that will definitely not turn you into a toad. LOVELY! I LOVE IT!
We experience this tale through Jude's point of view and my gosh was it entertaining.
So, Jude's parents were murdered and she was brought up by Madoc (her parents murderer and new father) in the land of faerie. Her and her twin sister Taryn attend lectures (YAY FOR A MINOR SCHOOL SETTING!) with the rest of the gentry's children. And it is there we meet THE CARDAN GREENBRIAR!
Who is very mean to Jude and her sister…
BUT THE PLOT! *whispers* I'll scream about the characters in a second.
I loved the way that everything that was seemingly unrelated all tied together neatly at the end. Obviously, I won't spoil anything, but… whew! You think the story is going to go one way, but then it takes a secret path through the dark, ancient woods that you wouldn't dare peer into longer than a second and then it WHACKS YOU IN THE FACE!
It was just… every one seemed to have a solid plan for how they would survive and end up on top. But then… THERE'S ALWAYS THAT ONE DUDE! WHO HAS THE BETTER PLAN AND LAUGHS AS THEY SIT ON TOP LIKE; " MWHAHAHAHAAHA! YOU REalLy ThOUgHt YoUr pLAn WoULd WOoooOoOOOOOOrK?!?!?!? AGAINST ME?!?"
Basically, there's always a secret schemer that will out-scheme the schemer.
I literally couldn't even guess how it was going to come to a close. I know it left people hungry and wailing for more, but I was like "?? Is everyone just going to get killed?? Is that the twist??"
I mean… I wasn't far off… a lot of folk died in just 373 pages.
and most of it was in 5 pages
The pacing was fast but also slow where it needed to be, but also F A S T!
I genuinely loved the whole story, but to go into depth would mean to spoil things, so I leave you with, askgjdkbrjhvgbhjhzbvchdv, IT WAS SO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!
Jude Duarte
I ADORED Jude's narrative! It was so strong?? Like I felt empowered? And I'm the biggest wimp around, but I was sitting there like, "YEAH I'D DO THAT TOO!"
Would I really??
But can you imagine being a human in faerie? Where you're just innocently trying your best to practice your stabbing for the courts, and all the faeries are just sneering at you and plotting to control your mind.
And you couldn't do anything about it if they got you. You'd be blissfully and joyfully munching on leaves like "YUMMY, SCRUMMY, CRUNCHY CRISPS!"
Terrifying, mortifying, no thank you.
And Jude herself is scared. She is humanly mortal of course, and could be easily influenced by fae magic if the proper precautions aren't taken.
But Jude.
Our Jude, is ruthless!
If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.
-Jude Duarte, The Cruel Prince, Page 210
Jude went from "Yeah. That's right. I grew up learning how to stab properly!"
"I always end up stabbing at least 3 people every day… all before breakfast. *annoyed sigh*"
*Cardan with shaking hands, pulls out a Valentines card*
I loved Jude as a protagonist and am super excited to read mooooore! She has such a strong voice and presence on the page and in this world, and I don't doubt that she will become even stronger still.
"I am going to keep on defying you. I am going to shame you with my defiance. You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a Prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing. You may win in the end, you may ensorcell me and hurt me and humiliate me, but I will make sure you lose everything I can take from you on the way down. I promise you this" – I throw his own words back at him- "this is the least of what I can do."
-Jude Duarte, The Cruel Prince, Page 76-77
I love her so much.
Cardan Greenbriar
The title of this book. It captures Cardan PERFECTLY! If I was in Jude's place in even half of the scenes she's in with this dude and he was my enemy I'd probably cry and run away to live in the swamps.
But that's just me. A hermit that dislikes confrontation.
A precious boi.
If I though Jude had page presence… which she does. But where she has a smart, powerful presence, Cardan has the most dramatic, angsty page presence that I've ever read and I am here for it.
There are a few points in this book where you just want to cry for him. Despite how horrible he assures people he is, you can't help but feel sorry for him.
ALL HE WANTS IS WINE AND JU- "NO I DON'T!!!! SHE'S MORTAL! NOTHING MORE THAN A WORM WRITHING IN DIRT!! HER EXISTENCE INSULTS ME!" He screams in rage. *Jude appears with a knife* "Oh hai Jude, you look horrible. ❤ "
While Cardan is not much help with a sword (which is why it's a good thing Jude is there to save him) he is a charming and sneaky prince.
I am expecting to find Cardan as I left him, cowed and quiet, perhaps even more miserable than before. Instead, his hands have been untied, and his is at the table, playing cards with the Roach, the Ghost – and the Bomb. At the center are a pile of jewels and a jug of wine. Two empty bottles rest beneath the table.
– The Cruel Prince, Page 298
The romance basically went like this:
Cardan when he discovered that he had a mild obsession with Jude and that is might be love:
Jude @ her brain, when her brain told her that she liked the Devastatingly Beautiful Prince Cardan a lot more than just an appreciation for his looks and overall glorious, dark aesthetic:
BUT Jude and Cardan are the BIG SHIP! AND I COULD SEE IT! I SEE WHAT YOU WERE ALL SCREAMING ABOUT NOW! Both of them were evil, devious geniuses that really wanted to be number 1 in this race. And if they were to join forces…
It would be over for the whole of Faerie…
They'd be so powerful… I love.
Taryn Duarte
Jude's twin sister. Fellow mortal kidnapped to the land of Faerie.
To be completely honest, I didn't mind Taryn in the beginning. She was just kind of there and I had no problem with her, but as the book went on I just didn't really like her?? I felt like her behaviours were quite petty in the grand scheme of things. But that could be because we saw everything from Jude's point of view and so Taryn's actions kind of … got in the way? And she knew she was getting in the way? And she was tricksy and making things hard for Jude on purpose?? Just because she wanted something??
She basically traded in Jude for someone else who really wasn't worth it. Like at all.
And since I have read the next few books in the series, I can tell you that I didn't like her even a little bit until Queen of Nothing. I didn't love her then, but she wasn't as annoying? Or rude?
The Ghost, The Roach and The Bomb
Now I love me some underground spy groups. And I love almost every element of a spy network being included in a book, just… being everywhere, hearing and seeing everything. Amazing. See example:
"I DIDN'T EAT THAT CAKE!" Screamed Steve, who was facing charges of treason for the very crime he says he did not commit.
The Queen sat upon her throne, tears rolling down her face. "Well…" She beckons to a small girl, who had been standing in the shadows.
The girl cleared her throat, loudly unfolding a piece of paper. "This morning, at dawn, Lord Steve was seen, by myself, retreating into a storage cupboard, attempting to shield a plate containing the last slice of chocolate frosted cake left over from last nights revel. He was then later seen with frosting around his mouth by palace staff."
"TAKE HIM AWAY!" The Queen screamed, as horror took over Lord Steve's features the longer the Girl spoke.
He spent his last moments being dragged away, screaming at the top of his lungs about how delicious that cake was, leaving the Queen a weeping mess.
So, I love spy networks. I love it when they know stuff that the Bad Guys are so sure no one else knows, but actually all the spies know. They even know what colour underwear they're wearing. There are no secrets when there are spies.
Small yet extremely effective spy groups. Which is exactly what we got here. And I devoured it with upmost joy.
The Ghost – is exactly what you'd expect from someone who is called Ghost, he is stealthy. Very quiet and yet fast. You wouldn't even know he's there until you have a crossbow bolt embedded in your chest.
The Roach – is a lean, mean, goblin fighting machine! Except he specialises in picking pockets. Like the precious treasure he is.
Speaking of precious…
The Bomb – also a master pick pocket! The first scene we see her in she is picking a pocket. She also likes making explosives and unsurprisingly likes making this explode. A true icon.
This whole book I was rooting for Jude and hoping she gets her epic revenge. Like, I'm sure Nicasia has had a rough time, and I don't doubt that here might be a backstory that eases my dislike. She just seemed to be out for blood all the time, and then would be all shocked the Jude doesn't just lay down and die when she'd told??
Locke who? I didn't like him from the start. He just like, watched/participated in Jude and Taryn's suffering this whole time and laughed along with everyone, but then suddenly he wanted to be involved in everything. And then he was all nice to them. I found it all suspicious. Very suspicious.
And then I got to that "test of love" crap. No. Get out.
Now, I liked Madoc. Despite the parent murdering at the beginning, he did alright by the two human children that his wife had with another man. He gave them a home and brought them up as his own. He taught them how to fight with swords, so in a way we have him to thank for our Queen of the Stab Jude.
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! While Jude and Taryn adapted to Faerie and having Madoc as a father figure, Vivi – Madoc's actual biological child – was having none of it. Go to lectures? No. Come down stairs to dinner with the family? No. *Madoc asks Vivi to do something* *Vivi does the complete opposite out of spite*
I loved that she felt such a responsibility for her younger sisters and took them to the human world every once in a while, and ultimately tried to get them out of Faerie when it got dangerous.
She was a character with such epic snark but she emitted such a homely vibe, which I whole heartadly adore. I think Vivi might be the one character from this book that's on top of the "Character's I'd Feel Safe Befriending List."
Since I binge read all 3 of these books within like 4 days, I am having trouble separating most of the events into their separate books, I could only write this review because I wrote 6 pages of notes straight after finishing The Cruel Prince.
Something else I loved!
I loved The Darkest Part of the Forest when I read it in January 2019, and I loved The Cruel Prince in January 2020… Am I unconsciously making it a tradition to read Holly Black at the beginning of the year?? I mean. It starts the year of good so why not!
But I was absolutely delighted to discover that the worlds from these two books were connected. And I was even more happy to find that Severin and Ben are still together and hitting me in the heart with all the feels.
To wrap up this messy, messy review –
I rate The Cruel Prince 5 out of 5 Stars!
Have you read The Cruel Prince yet?? What did you think about it?? Have you read any of Holly Black's other work???


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Um... anyone know why there's a "HTTP Status 500" error when trying to get to www.palm.com/profile?
Where the heck are we supposed to login to our profiles?
HTTP Status 500 -
type Exception report
description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.
note The full stack trace of the root cause is available in the Apache Tomcat/5.5.26 logs.
etc etc
Does not work for me, anyone else have better luck?
I've been having same prob for past week.
man, I hope it comes back soon. I only have until January 12 to use up the rest of my $50 app credit.
It's been up and down the past two weeks.
Just keep on trying.
Not the best solution, but it's true.
Just talked to WebOS support:
Them: "The site is up, and I'm able to access it."
Me: "Good for you! I cannot. Please help."
Them: "Hold please."
Them: " "
Them: "We do see that there are a number of customer who are unable to access the site."
Me: [thought bubble] DUH!
Them: "Can I get some geographical information from you?"
After providing my coordinates (U.S., east coast), he thanks me, apologizes, and end of story.
Well, my new Pre 2 (big red) is arriving today, but I ain't activating 'til I see my profile...
The Manage my HP webOS Account page at https://ps.palmws.com/palmcsext/cons...oginPage.iface seems to be down.
Is there an alternate link to manage my account?
OK, just got in!
I'm having the exact same issue... I get the above error message when trying to go to www.palm.com/profile. I just did a sprint frankenpre2 mod on a verizon pre2 and cannot get pased the blue cloud screen. It won't let me log into my Pre1 Palm Profile nor will will it let me create a new palm profile. I'm stummped. Any suggestions?
Activated a Pre2 two days ago, same problem....but could make an account from the phone with no problem.
Same here
Originally Posted by Cristopher074
Same here
Sorry new guy, but you have a lot of catching up to do.
Familiarize yourself with the site. We're on our own now. But there are work arounds, band-aids, and hidden file depositories available to you if you want to get that webOS device online.
Look for threads from publisher Pivot CE (GOOGLE it) and forum member Preemptive for the most helpful information. Good luck, and welcome.
Sporting my 13th Pre device, a NOS unlocked ROW Pre3!


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The 125 Best Blender Recipes, a special 116-page bookazine is filled with quick and easy ideas for hot weather staples, from fresh smoothies and shakes to cool and creamy desserts to blended cocktails, all from the editors of Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Country Living. The 125 Best Blender Recipes also includes recipes for speedy hors d'oeuvres, light entrées and no-stress party menus, complete with entertaining tips, plus a blender buying guide. A detailed recipe index divides dishes by category, with appetizers like Speedy Hummus (pg. 39) and Arugula Pizza (pg. 36), salads such as the Mediterranean Shrimp Caesar Salad (pg. 55), soups like the Chilled Cucumber-Melon (pg. 57) and entrées including Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Sauce (pg. 78) and Whole Wheat Rotini with Walnut Pesto (pg. 77), making it easy to plan new meal ideas and party menus.
Sunday Fun Day Giveaway: 125 Best Blender Recipes Bookazine!
18 comments
Great giveaway, we use our blender pretty often too! The last thing we made using our blender was blueberry smoothies- we make smoothies pretty often. I also use our magic bullet pretty often- I made salad dressing with it tonight. :)ReplyDelete
Thin Mint truffles! I love having extra Girl Scout cookies to make goodies out of.ReplyDelete
I just made baby food for my second child. She just started solids and has already tried sweet potato, asparagus, and peas. She's loving them all so far.ReplyDelete
Hopefully I'll be making more adult items from the blender soon :)
The last thing I made in my blender was a margarita. Which is pretty much the only thing I use it for, so I could really use that cookbook!ReplyDelete
tokyoshoes (at) hotmail (dot) com
Has been a while......but I think vichyssoise at the beach.ReplyDelete
Smoothies! We love them!ReplyDelete
- JanessaMay 31, 2011 at 12:02 AM
I made an iced orange smoothie - so tasty!ReplyDelete
Salad dressing.ReplyDelete
Vanilla Milkshakes. I don't use my blender that often, so the book would really be beneficialReplyDelete
Peppermint Ice Cream--YUM!ReplyDelete
Protein Shake yumm!ReplyDelete
I only use my blender for smoothies, but I'd love to branch out!ReplyDelete
Frozen margaritas! It must be said that the blender is also used, most often, to make more mundane things like baby food.ReplyDelete
I last used mine to make crepe batter. Mmmm...ReplyDelete
fruit smoothies. DelishReplyDelete
deannalw47 AT hotmail DOT com
Probably the last thing I used my blender for was making applesauce, but we most often use it for blended rum drinks.ReplyDelete
boswife @ gmail . com
- HarperJune 4, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Homemade corn pesto pasta sauce!!ReplyDelete
From a recipe straight off the back of the carton, I made chocolate soymilk, banana, and honey smoothie... super satisfying.ReplyDelete


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June 15, 2010 report
Experiment finally proves 100-year-old thought experiment is possible (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- By building a machine that uses 2,000 bouncing beads to spin a paddle and perform work, researchers from the University of Twente have finally realized a long-debated thought experiment.
A similar machine was first proposed in 1912 by the Polish physicist Marian Smoluchowski. In his thought experiment, he suggested that tiny moving particles could generate enough force to spin a windmill-type paddle. A locking mechanism such as a pawl could prevent backward motion, forcing the wheel to move in the forward direction only.
However, several years later, physicist Richard Feynman argued that, in reality, the bouncing beads would not be capable of doing meaningful work. Feynman showed that, since the entire system operates at the same temperature, a pawl would occasionally slip off the wheel. As a result, the system would generate zero net movement.
Now, physicist Devaraj van der Meer from the University of Twente and his colleagues have demonstrated that such a machine can in fact spin the paddles forward only, generating a positive net movement. The details of their study will be published in an upcoming issue of Physical Review Letters.
Looking somewhat like a high-speed lotto machine, the new system consists of a vigorously shaken platform that causes 2,000 small glass beads to bounce around. When the beads make contact with the vanes of a windmill-like device inside the machine, the vanes move, turning a rod, which rotates a sensor.
In this machine, 2,000 bouncing beads spin the vanes of a ratchet. Credit: University of Twente.
The key challenge was getting the vanes to move in the forward direction only, which the scientists achieved with - somewhat surprisingly - duct tape. With duct tape covering one side of each vane, the vanes spun in one direction only. Since the beads lost more energy when they hit the soft duct-taped side than the non-taped side of the vanes, the machine generated a positive net movement.
Van der Meer noted that the machine doesn't come close to violating the second law of thermodynamics, since the system is extremely inefficient. Most of the beads' energy is lost through heat and sound.
However, the system could still provide scientists with insight into classical mechanics. For instance, the system exhibits a property called back interaction, so that not only do the beads move the vanes, but the vanes also move the beads. After the vanes begin to turn in one direction, the researchers observed a new roiling pattern in the beads.
The physicists say this back interaction might also occur in tiny "molecular ratchets," which include molecules in the body such as RNA polymerase and protein kinesin. At much smaller scales, these molecules move themselves through the body by ratcheting along tracks inside cells. The macroscopic system built here could help researchers better understand how molecular ratchets work by allowing the researchers to observe and manipulate the interactions on a large scale.
Explore further
© 2010 PhysOrg.com


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SICK, SICKNESS. See DISEASE, DISEASES.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
The proverb concerning the sick quoted by the Lord at Capernaum (
The duty of visiting the sick is referred to in
While we find that the apostles freely exercised their gifts of healing, it is noteworthy that we read of the sickness of two of Paul's companions, Epaphroditus (
See also DISEASE.


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Fashion icon DVF speaks to my heart. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be." – Diane von Furstenberg. I believe style can play a huge role in that – dress for the job you want not the job you have right? BUT I have been a little cloudy about what I want to do as a career. I DO know I want to be independent with freedom to travel, have a family, throw a killer party and afford the lifestyle I want.
When I look at women that admire – both in real life and onscreen, (Kate Middleton, Claire Underwood, & Lisa Vanderpump) they have three things in common: Strength, Style and Class. As I turn 30 (in 17 days, but who's counting), I am trying to find my own personal style. Let's not kid ourselves, I love clothes and I have a lot of them. Being an actress for years, I have what some may call and "eclectic" wardrobe. Trying to figure out what I want to portray to the rest of the world on a day to day basis has proven a bit of a challenge for me. I browse online and picture an event or outing I could do in that outfit, but I never get it quiet right.
So I have enlisted some help: StichFix. It is a fabulous website where you fill out a style profile and a stylist picks clothes for you. They mail them directly to you and you get to try them on in the convenience of your own home. Plus, any returns are FREE! I got my first box about a month ago and loved it! I didn't keep everything, but the items I did I probably wouldn't have picked out for myself at the store. That's why I love it. It pushes me to try new things and they give you a style card to help you pair their picks with other items you may already have in your closet.
You can check it out at:
(*this is a referral link)
My second box is supposed to arrive this weekend. Here's hoping I can pull it all together! Strong, STYLISH, and Classy here I come.


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Madison football coach Rick Jackson.
In a few sentences, Rick Jackson is going to be outed, but please don't treat him any differently. Members of the football-coaching fraternity should continue to embrace him as one of their own despite his activity away from the field.
Everyone's got their quirks, so there is no reason to pass judgment, even for something as bizarre as this. Ready? When Jackson isn't coaching the Madison High football team, he's…teaching high school biology.
The thing is, winning is in his DNA.
It's not uncommon for a prep football program to emerge as a perennial champion, as Madison has done by winning eight of the past nine Western League titles. But it is uncommon for such a program to be coached by a man who dissects both opposing defenses and frogs.
The Warhawks take on Mount Miguel in the San Diego Section Division IV playoffs Friday, hoping to inch closer to their second CIF title in three years. And if they win, the man at the helm would be celebrated by jocks and nerds alike.
"I take my biology job very seriously, and we're very proud in our science department with what we've achieved," said Jackson, 38, who also serves as the school's athletic director. "But when we're talking about passion? It's football."
We don't see a lot of full-time teachers coaching football these days, especially those outside of P-E class.
So in the spirit of our subject's day job, let's give a quick biology lesson, starting with part 1 -- Anatomy: The anterior cruciate ligament, one of the four major ligaments in the human knee, is vital to the joint's operation. When one tears it, as Jackson did as a junior at Mira Mesa High, his or her future in sports becomes suddenly tenuous.
Given the particular severity of Rick's injury, his aspirations of playing college football deflated as though controlled by a USC student manager. So he figured the only way to get back on the gridiron was with a whistle around his neck.
For Jackson, this led to a newfound focus on academics and ambitions of landing a teaching job. He earned a bachelor's from San Diego State, a master's from Alliant, and hopped aboard the teaching staff at Madison.
But Rick was also the Warhawks' defensive coordinator under former head coach Steve Miner, which brings us to part 2 -- Evolution: When Jackson first started at Madison, there were eight coaches and 16 players -- hardly conducive to survival of the fittest. Now, however, there are more than 40 players for a 9-1 team seeded No. 2 in Division IV.
Jackson said the key was redefining the culture of the program -- consistently placing the kids in uncomfortable situations so they wouldn't wilt when adversity appeared under the lights. The result was the Warhawks winning the Western League in all but one season since Rick became head coach in 2003.
"What you gotta understand is that it's outstanding what he's done," said Madison baseball coach Robert Lovato, former athletic director and fellow biology teacher. "He changed things from an academic standpoint, got the community involved, and now they're a powerhouse."
Madison wide receiver Lee Walker said that there will be times when Jackson is ripping into him, and he'll think to myself, "Coach was being so nice to me in class, like, two seconds ago!" But it's all about knowing how to motivate, right?
Jackson said that, as a coach, he is most proud of Madison's tradition of launching athletes on to play college football. As a teacher, meanwhile, he said he takes most pride in helping to send students on to a higher education.
And that brings us to part 3 -- Symbiosis: Rick knows that there will always be a coexistence between athletics and academics, and he'll never stop stressing the importance of the latter.
If his players are receiving tutoring, he will allow them to come late to practice. This summer, when the season was three days from starting, Jackson spent a weekend at a biology workshop for the sake of his students.
And when Walker walked into Rick's office Tuesday, and told him that the section championship game falls on the same day that he is supposed to take his SAT, Jackson responded, "well, you're going to have to reschedule your SAT, buddy."
I mean, let's not get carried away here.
Tag(s): News Top Headlines Featured


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Trying to figure out where to go on your honeymoon getaway? Whether you're looking for some R & R with your new spouse or an adventure in an exciting locale, we've got you covered in our list of the top 30 places to honeymoon.
Article image:
1. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
It's the stuff honeymoon fantasies are made of: crystal-clear waters, picturesque mountains and a coral reef swirling with colorful fish. No wonder it was recently voted one of the best islands in the world by US News and World Report.
2. Bali, Indonesia
There's a reason its nickname is the "Isle of the Gods." Even before the hit book and movie Eat, Pray, Love, the island had been a magnet for romance seekers for its mist-shrouded temples, beautiful mountain vistas and vivid arts scene.
3. Sonoma, California
World-class wine, delicious food and unsurpassed scenery—what's not to love about this pretty locale?
4. Paris, France
Paris is synonymous with romance. It's a combination of the architecture, the food and the art that makes this city so special.
5. Orkney, Scotland
Indulge in all your Downton Abbey daydreams at this northern archipelago off the coast of Scotland with green-topped islands and sandstone cliffs.
6. Venice, Italy
Italy has long been a favorite honeymoon location for newlyweds. After all, nothing says "amore" quite like a gondola ride through the Grand Canal as you sail past historic buildings.
7. Harbour Island, Bahamas
Chances are you've never seen anything like this pink-sand paradise. Plus, it's loved by boldface names like designer Diane von Furstenberg, Mick Jagger, Bill Gates and supermodel Elle Macpherson, so it must be amazing!
9. Cape Town, South Africa
Can't decide on what kind of honeymoon to take? Cape Town has you covered: glamorous beaches, big-city buzz, wild landscapes, and easy access to wine country and some of the world's best safaris.
10. Savannah, Georgia
Get lost in the city's slow-paced serenity—it's the perfect antidote to any lingering wedding planning stress. Cozy inns and local restaurants flourish around the tree-shaded historic district.
11. Santorini, Greece
This small volcanic island is known for its seriously gorgeous sunsets and pristine whitewashed villas.
12. Koh Tao, Thailand
Why settle for one breathtaking beach when you can experience a dozen? Rent a motorbike and search for your favorite with your partner.
13. Aruba
Nicknamed "One Happy Island" for its prime location outside the hurricane belt and average temperature of 82 degrees year-round, this country clocks the most sunny days in all of the Caribbean.
14. Miami, Florida
You'll feel the excitement and glamour in the air when you step out onto the city's ultra-famous beaches—made even more gorgeous with palm trees and sunshine for days.
15. Florida Keys, Florida
he Florida Keys contain more than 1,000 islands stretched over 100 miles. The most famous is Key West, the favorite vacation spot of the kings of Spain and literary types like Ernest Hemingway (who had a home there) and Tennessee Williams.
16. Fiji
The islands that make up Fiji are surrounded by coral reefs resulting in warm lagoons and beautiful coral beaches.
17. Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
The smallest and least developed (read: tranquil) of the three Cayman Islands, Little Cayman has a population of about 170 people—meaning that most of it is basically uninhabited beach bliss.
18. Maui, Hawaii
The island's clear waters, tropical sunsets and lush greenery make Hawaii a no-brainer for a romantic getaway. New luxury resorts on Maui mean the island is suddenly buzzworthy again (for the record, we never stopped loving it).
19. Ibiza, Spain
There's more to Ibiza than the infamously wild, up-all-night parties. Just a few miles from the throbbing city center, you'll find sleepy hill villages, lush forests, rolling orchards and hippie-chic farmhouses, perfect for couples looking for a little R & R.
20. Punta del Este, Uruguay
The once-sleepy fishing village is now the St. Tropez of South America, attracting international socialites, millionaires and celebrities. Latin pop star Shakira, Argentine polo champion Nacho Figueras and British novelist Martin Amis have all been spotted vacationing here.
21. St. Barts
This island is one of the most upscale destinations in the Caribbean and its French background provides an elegant appeal similar to the French Riviera.
22. Myanmar
Where does the couple who has been everywhere go for their honeymoon? Myanmar. Up until recently, this Southeast Asian country was shrouded in secrecy and closed off to the outside world.
23. Panama City, Panama
This Central American nation has the best of everything: tropical rain forests, beautiful mountain vistas, two coasts for Caribbean- and Pacific-style beaches, more than 1,000 islands, a sophisticated capital city, a vibrant nightlife, full-service resorts, exotic off-the-beaten-path getaways and historic sites. Seriously, what more could you possibly ask for?
24. Marrakesh, Morocco
Rock stars and fashion designers have been going to this North African city for decades to find inspiration. You'll feel like you wandered onto a movie set complete with snake charmers, belly dancers, horse-drawn carriage rides andan extensive maze of markets.
25. Sri Lanka
Marco Polo described Sri Lanka as one of the finest islands of its size in the world. Located just south of India, it's an up-and-coming destination for Europeans—and is now catching on around the globe.
26. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Get the best of both worlds: Enjoy a taste of the glamorous city life for a few days and then head out to the desert for tranquility and romance.
27. Maldives
This remote Indian Ocean archipelago greets honeymooners with white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, atolls and secluded resorts.
28. Cappadocia, Turkey
Located less than four hours from Turkey's capital city, the wind-carved landscapes of Cappadocia are otherworldly.
29. Udaipur, India
Known as the Venice of the East, this city of palace-like hotels sits on the picturesque Lake Pichola.
30. Kyoto, Japan
from: www.theknot.com


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Bring the coming of your kingdom,
and to this end help every true worker for you, the world over.
May the kingdoms of this world speedily become the kingdoms of our God,
and of his Christ. Help me to speed the coming of that day.
Daily Prayers: A Classic Collection.


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Welcome to the soft launch of our new site, Customers That Stick. Our official launch is tomorrow, March 7th, but today I wanted to take a moment to introduce the new site and to thank those who helped make it possible.
If you are new here, you will see content that pre-dates this post. These posts come from our original Customer Service Experience blog which resided on our company's web site. The original blog has gone through quite a transformation over the past year. Customers That Stick is the evolution of those changes.
To understand more about the goals of Customers That Stick, please read our About page.
To begin, there is a huge list of people that have assisted me along the way and were instrumental in making the blog at least a moderate success in its first year.
People like Bill Dorman, Shakirah Dawud, and Michelle Quillin, to name just a few, have been great supporters of the original incarnation of this blog. I owe them all a public thanks, but to keep this post from spiraling into a monstrous list of links to bloggers, I am going to focus on those people who assisted specifically with the transition to the new site.
A thank you to Erica Allison and Jayme Soulati for being forthright in the early days and telling me that my IntenseFence brand was a #hotmess. Not sure why they like to talk in hashtags so much, but their early candor was helpful in getting me to look at the IntenseFence brand messaging. 🙂
A thank you to my previous marketing assistant, Bailey, for some extremely helpful research and for early feedback on name choices.
A heartfelt thank you to Shonali Burke, Erica Allison, Kaarina Dillabough, Laura Click and Gini Dietrich for helping choose the CTS logo. All of their comments and opinions helped us make a better choice and shape the end result.
A thank you to Rafal Tomal of Tomal Design, as well as his great WordPress theme developer, Szymon Skulimowski. Rafal has worked with some of the biggest blogs in the business — Copyblogger, Chris Brogan, and Jay Baer to name a few. It was an honor to have him lend his incredible skills to Customers That Stick. He is an amazing designer and very customer focused to boot. Hopefully, the results speak for themselves.
A thank you to Jay Braver of Athens, GA web design, who was a great help advising on the technical parts of the move and who has been an excellent sounding board since the beginning of my blogging journey. By the way, he does video production too.
A huge thank you to our Market Development Coordinator Donna who was thrown into the launch her first week on the job.
First, I must thank Gini Dietrich. Anyone who knows Gini knows she gets more done in an hour than most people do in a day. Despite her speaking schedule, blogging schedule, and — I don't know — day job, Gini has established herself as the unofficial den mother of the blogosphere. She makes time to support other bloggers in a way that I've never seen matched. I am honored to call her a friend, and she was kind enough to share some really sage advice when we were trying to decide on a new name for the site. Her insights in matters of branding are without peer, and I owe her a debt of gratitude and perhaps a tofu dinner.
Last, and certainly not least, I must thank my wife. She is and has been a tremendous asset, sounding board, and supporter throughout this process. Enough said publicly, but I could not have done it without her.
Okay, now that we're done with that, let's talk about…
We have some great content scheduled for the first week. Here's a sneak preview:
Later Today: We are doing our crowdsourced post on Great Customer Service. Leave a comment here and you can get entries in our sweepstakes to win a Kindle Fire.
Tomorrow: Our official Launch post where we ask an eclectic group of great marketers, business owners, and customer service professionals the question: What Is Customer Service?
Thursday: An interview with Richard Shapiro, customer service professional and author of the great new book The Welcomer Edge.
Welcome to Customers That Stick! Please let us know what you think of the new site in the comments below.
By Adam Toporek. Adam Toporek is an internationally recognized customer service expert, keynote speaker, and workshop leader. He is the author of Be Your Customer's Hero: Real-World Tips & Techniques for the Service Front Lines (2015), as well as the founder of the popular Customers That Stick® blog and co-host of the Crack the Customer Code podcast.


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The Wichai Wittaya English Program annual Sport Day is a very important event for the school. The event always strives to achieve several objectives for our students.
These include: to provide a sporting arena in which our students have an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in sports and learn the importance of teamwork, to create unity between staff and students, and again, to provide an event where talented students can shine and potentially go on to represent the school in other competitions.
Our annual Sport Day generates a great deal of excitement and interest among students and parents alike and develops a friendly competitive spirit that compels both the boys and girls to do their very best both physically and mentally.
This year Kindergarten section arranged the sports day with KG students and parents at the basketball field of Wichai Wittaya; Primary and Secondary Sections arranged at Chiang mai Municipality indoor stadium.


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The Pinkbox inside Red Dot has found its own space at the PureGold Laoag (in the second level food court, a store away from the MODi store I featured last year.)
My love for bikes extends to trinkets. Asked Jaja to make me my inspiration for summer. My collection of friendship bands is growing, hahah, rivaling Ericke's. It cost me only a little over a hundred pesos:)
New stuff at the modern Ilocano store. Blue crush.
Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013


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Southern Tuscany Paradise: Monteverdi Hotel
Discover the stunning Monteverdi Tuscany Hotel, a medieval little Tuscan village renewed to be the perfect hill retreat. Architecture and design blend together to express a peculiar aesthetic that mixes antiques and contemporary design.
Located in the Etruscan village of Castiglioncello del Trinoro, in Tuscany, Monteverdi is a distinctive boutique Hotel set on the top of a hill, surrounded by expanses of vineyards and cypress. Designed by Ilaria Miani, who shaped a contemporary look with custom-made furniture and elements crafted in natural materials, the establishment is the dream escape from the everyday routine.
Terra-cotta floors, stone walls, wood-beamed ceilings and copper elements give to the interiors a refined aesthetic that blends with the Etruscan architecture, yet it assures a sense of modernity. Canopy beds and natural linen sheets in earthy colors add a warm and welcoming touch to the rooms.
My vision for Monteverdi was to create a place unlike any other. A place of incomparable beauty, stunning architecture and design, all further complemented by the cultural amenities of art, music and the humanities. A place that ignites both the physical senses and the intellect.
Michael L. Cioffi, Founder
The terraced gardens are the perfect spot to relax simply enjoying nature under olive and figs trees or drinking a glass of the most acclaimed wines at the Enoteca located in piazza of Castiglioncello.
Monteverdi Tuscany
Via di Mezzo,
Castiglioncello del Trinoro, 53047
Sarteano (SI), Italy