#rob math antics

[pizzagirlll]

MATH ANTICS ROB!!!!!!! YYYEREEAAAAHHHHH

[velgroverp]

YANG HANSOL, do you believe that the grove will hide your secrets?

It's best to think again. The grove can only do so much for you. You've lived amongst it's protection for 2 WEEKS as one of the town's UNEMPLOYED. Do you think the grove owes you? At 22 YEARS OLD, there's no guarantee what you'll experience here in velgrove. You may be AMBITIOUS and CURIOUS, but the grove knows you're also GULLIBLE and CRITICAL. Maybe you are like an ICOSAHEDRON DICE. Will that change by the time the grove is through with you?

residence: fields, farmer's barn

DECEMEBER (AGE: THIRTEEN)

at the most important age of my life, i am fatherless. homework is easy because eomma has a brain. talking gets...easier every time misol opens her mouth. strength? courage? all that it takes to be a man? i have been robbed of it. all of it.

thanks appa.

if not for misol, those punks would leave me on the streets for dead! i know they're probably sad about their own lives. that's why they punch me. at least they have the strength to, like real men. me? i'm still flimsy.

and yet, i cannot give up.

where did you go? eomma says you died when we were young, but if that's the case, then why aren't there any pictures of you? i know there must be some other reason. you wouldn't abandon me here, right? APRIL ( AGE: FIFTEEN)

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY I'LL EVER SHOW MY FACE IN PUBLIC! AGAIN! it was embarrassing enough that my dream girl from math class told me she'll only ever see me as a friend she probably heard how lame i was from all those jerks, but then misol had to try and come SAVE ME! MY OWN SISTER! it's bad enough that i am exactly 3.03 centimeters shorter than her, but the fact that she felt the need to protect me.

IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY. and she just doesn't get it! just for one day, i'd like to be seen as a true man with the ability to hold my own. appa. don't think i've forgotten. soon enough we'll both be sleeping at that cabin on top of the hill...or fishing together in the belly of a beast... or just playing chest together.

why did you leave?

---

happy birthday to my precious hansol and misol! i'm so sorry i can't be there to tell you how much you two mean to me in person. i have to leave town for a week, so hansol, make sure misol is on her best behavior! and misol, make sure your brother doesn't lose his head. for my misol, a star charm, to remind you that you are never alone. and for my hansol, a brown leather journal to start writing about the aches and pains of adulthood. promise to save me some cake for when i return!

eomma

--

JUNE (AGE: TWENTY-TWO)

okay. clean slate. i'm twenty-two now, and maybe it's time i give up on the mysteries. eomma got me this new journal. i've finally entered into real adulthood-- full of financial responsibility and milestone crises. i think by next year i'll start investing into my own home for me and my future spouse to move into. maybe a few years after that i'll have a lucrative career and have my name attached to multiple research papers. the future is limitless!

AUGUST (AGE: TWENTY-TWO)

WHY ISN'T SHE BACK YET? IT'S BEEN WEEKS. OVER A MONTH. she said she would be back. is she okay? does she miss us? i'm trying to bury my emotions deep inside to show misol that i can be strong (and slightly optimistic). the door never opens unless it's misol. the stove is never on unless we're cooking. there's no one to comment on our childish antics.

it's really the two of us against everything.

FEBRUARY (AGE: TWENTY-TWO)

misol doesn't look the same anymore. the disappearance is chipping away at her spirit. and, for the first time, i'll admit that i am a coward. i cannot protect my family. i cannot protect my sister. all i can do is sit here and watch her rub the tiny star in between her fingers. over and over. she's wishing for eomma to return, i know it.

but all i have is a note from...sumyeong? my alleged uncle. i didn't even know i had an extended family...though i'm sure eomma had to come from somewhere. a funeral for my halmeoni which took place the week she left. is this where she went? should i even bother following if all we have is each other.

MAY (AGE: TWENTY-TWO)

so we've started our journey to velgrove. i've convinced misol that maybe meeting our uncle sumyeong will either answer all our questions OR at least point us in the right direction. who knows? maybe we'll end up staying awhile and fitting right in with the rest of our family!

@velhansol

[awrestlinggirlwholoves80sbands]

This isn’t about French homework, is it? ( Sebastian Bach X Rachel Bolan)

A/N: This is for @boraxisme​ because we deserve more Skid Row fic content! this is a  HIGHSCHOOL AU

Summary : Rachel Bolan might have a crush on Sebastian Bach, and maybe Sebastian likes him back, but what happens when Dave and Scotti convince him to help them and Rachel with their French homeworks? 

(side Scotti x Dave)

Maybe somebody could say that was not a very good idea, but could you blame Sebastian?

He knew it could have been a prank, but honestly when he saw Rachel Bolan’s friends, aka his crush, inviting him to have lunch with them, he was ready to take the risk

He was still the new kid for most of the school, living in the USA for almost 5 months now, and even if he made friends easily and was far from being a shy guy, the pretty boy with the nose chain always made him feel weird things in his stomach. He shared math class together but he never managed to talk to him, maybe also because Rachel seemed very reserved and intimidating.

“C’mon blond, don’t be shy!” Scotti said, waving his hand. Scotti shared science class with him and he was a very cool guy, they get along pretty well.

While Sebastian was walking towards their table, Rachel tried his best to look interested in the food he was eating. It was frustrating how much that boy made him feel nervous and happy at the same time. He never had a problem with approaching girls, even if he was very reserved, but Sebastian always seemed to take all his coherent thoughts out of his brain.

Sebastian sat right in front of Rachel, as Scotti and another guy named Dave were not-so subtly kicking their friend under the table. The blond guy lift his gaze only for a minute, but as soon as he looked at Rachel’s face a little hidden by his hair, he felt butterflies in his stomach, and he decided that the food was the most interesting thing right now.

Even if his attention was somewhere else, he could still hear very clearly Scotti and Dave whispering very loudly that Rachel’s crush has shown up. And wow, Sebastian had never seen somebody blush so hard as Rachel was doing at that moment. He didn’t know if it was for the embarrassment of somebody thinking he could have a crush on the blond or because he really liked him (but that was not true, right? It was too good to be true!).

“So, Sebastian right? We wanted to ask a favor : Scotti, Rachel, Rob and I need to do a project for French class and well since you’re Canadian we thought you could help us a little with it. Can you do that?” Dave asked, as he kept looking at Scotti for some unknown reasons.

“I’m not the best at French but I guess I can help?” He said unsure, scratching his neck.

Honestly Seb should have been smarter, he should have known that it was very unlikely for those guys to take French class, but c’mon he would have spent time with Rachel! Who was he going to turn that offer down?

“Cool! Let’s see at 5pm at Rob’s house, alright? I’ll write his address down for you.” Scotti added and scribbled down on a napkin something, then handed it to Sebastian.

They still had 10 minutes left, so he ate his food and tried his best to listen to the boys talking about their crazy antics, but his eyes were dropping to Rachel’s face every minute. Sebastian could help but find him very beautiful and also so mysterious.

When Sebastian was not looking, it was Rachel’s turn to, even if still hated how the blond made him feel, he had to admit it was so nice to look at his gorgeous face every other minute.

The brown haired boy was so caught up to not noticed that now Sebastian was looking at him until their eyes met. And oh boy, Rachel felt fireworks in his stomach and warmth all over his chest, but quickly looked away, too embarrassed. Yet again, he enjoyed that feeling, deep down.

Seb was so grateful that the bell rang, because he was pretty sure that he was blushing. He didn’t know how the other boy felt, but he got totally lost into those eyes so warm and sweet, and he felt those familiar butterflies floating in his stomach.

They all split and went to their classes. Sebastian really hoped those hours were about to pass very fast ‘cause he couldn’t wait to spend some time with his new friends and get to know them. Totally it was not because of being close to Rachel.

Absolutely not.

---

At 5pm Sebastian was stalling in front of Rob’s house. His hands were sweaty, and he felt excited and nervous at the same time, so many questions floating in his mind : what if is it a prank? What if I make a fool out of myself by doing something wrong with him?

Ignoring all the questions, he rang the doorbell and soon after Rob appeared, a smile on his face.

“Hey Sebastian, you’re here! Come in, they are all waiting for you!” He said so excited, and led him into the living room.

However, he just found Rachel there, sitting with his legs crossed on the couch. Maybe Sebastian’s heart skipped a bit at the sight, but he would never admit it.

“Are not Scotti and Dave here yet?” He asked, trying his best to sound confident.

“They are upstairs, watching a movie. I’m uhm… they’ve not been 100% honest with you!” Rachel replied, looking down.

“Is all of this a prank?” The blond felt very stupid to have believed them, and also disappointed.

“No no. I mean they said the truth, someone needs your help in French, but it is just me!” The other boy quickly added.

“Then why didn’t you say it right away, at the cafeteria?”

“Because…. I can’t talk with you. I’m usually so okay with talking and making friends, but near you I shut down and freaking blush. And I don’t know why!” Rachel almost sounded angry, but he was just very frustrated.

“Well, I feel the same with you. You’re so badass and intimidating, you look like a freaking rockstar! But I promise you don’t need to feel like that with me, I’m just a big dumbass!” Sebastian said with a laugh.

“And the same goes for me. I think we should start studying, because I get distracted pretty easily.” Rachel smiled. “Especially with you near me” He wanted to add.

The blond really thought that he melted because of that smile, but that was only the beginning. Rachel made a little cute smile every time he pronounced right a very difficult word, and Sebastian tried his best to not look like he was about to melt or squeal.

Despite both of them hating the school, the two boys managed to study for a whole hour, maybe because they both pretended to be focused, while in reality they were looking at the other every five minutes, just to turn around to not get caught.

“Man I think it is enough French for today, do you fancy a beer? Rob managed to hide some in the fridge, so his parents wouldn’t have busted him.”

Sebastian simply nodded and Rachel reappeared soon after with two beers in his hands. He handed him one, and the blond really wished to not be that cliché, but he swore to God, he felt little sparkles in his heart as they touched.

They talked about general things, trying to get to know each other better. Rachel asked him about life in Canada and why he moved in the US, while the other boy asked him about his future and his life there.

“I wanna be a musician, dude. You know, playing bass in a punk band while fans scream at you! That sounds so awesome.” He answered with a huge smile, putting his empty bottle on the ground, and placing his hand on Sebastian’s one.

He was caught off guard, but he decided to intertwined their fingers, he didn’t know if he did it because of the alcohol or because he wanted to be brave. They stopped talking, Sebastian occasionally sipping his beer, and just enjoyed their presence. It felt so nice and good, the blond really wished Rachel couldn’t hear his heart beating fast, on the other hand Rachel hoped Sebastian couldn’t do the same with him.

Their little moment was interrupted by Rob, who bored because his favorite cartoon was over, he started to talk to the two boys. However ,he was too excited and invested in telling the story and eating his ice cream , to notice that his friend were holding hands, so they decided to stay like that.

“Hey, you guys started to drink already, that’s not fair!” Scotti said, coming downstairs.

The two boys quickly disentangled their hands, still Dave looked at the suspiciously.

“What do you have on your neck Scotti? It looks like a bruise.” Rob said innocently, still eating his ice cream.

“Yeah man it almost looks like a hick…”

“Hey, why don’t we play truth and dare?” Dave chimed in, interrupting Rachel.

“There was something going on. So he was not the only one with a huge crush for someone!” Sebastian thought.

Rob was immediately excited at the idea of playing, so he quickly grabbed the other beers, and he told everybody to sit in circle on the floor. Sebastian, Scotti and Rachel looked a bit confused, but they did as they were told.

“Since it is your house, I think we should start from you, Rob. Truth or dare?” Dave said.

“Uhm… dare!”

“Well I dare you to eat a pickle covered in mustard.”

Rob looked horrified, while all the other guys made disgusted faces.

“Ugh that’s gross. You know that I almost puke when I smell or eat mustard!” The boy protested.

“A dare is a dare. You can’t chicken out, you gotta do it.” Rachel said, firmly.

“Do you think he is going to vomit for real?” Sebastian asked the boy next to him, not very fond of the idea of seeing someone puking.

“ Nah, he’s a tough boy. Besides I think you’ve seen worse in your life, Blondie.”

“I bet you also have seen some nasty things, Rachie.” He was actually very surprised by his bravery.

Rachel looked at him and smirked. The tension was high but before he could get any closer to him, Rob came back with a covered in mayo pickle, and quickly put it in his mouth.

Long story short, he coughed and made a disgusted face, but he didn’t puke.

“So Scotti, truth or dare?” Rob questioned.

“Lay me with your best dare, man!” Scotti shoot back, sipping his drink.

“I dare you to do a lap dance on Snake.” Rachel smirked, while Scotti became as pale as a ghost.

Sebastian noticed that Dave he was more excited than scary at the idea.

Scotti awkwardly sat on Snake’s lap, while Rob put a CD on. The room was blasted with “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, and the brown haired man tried his best to dance as smoothly as possible, while Dave kept his gaze anywhere but the other boy.

“Scotti seems too good to be his first time!” The blond said, getting closer to Rachel.

“Well, when you enjoy who you are dancing on, it’s easier! I swear to God they are two idiots in love. But what do you know about lap dance, Sebby?”

He was a very surprised by the nickname Rachel gave him, but he still managed to let slip a little smile on his face, as he cheeks got a little warmer. The other boy noticed that, and kept staring at him intensely.

However before he could have said anything their friends had already finished, looking quite embarrassed but also happy at the same time.

“Wow that was steamy, I didn’t know Scotti had moves like that!” Rachel commented.

“Don’t laugh so much Bolan!” Scotti shoot back, a little embarrassed.

“It’s my turn I guess. I choose truth!” Dave said, as everybody groaned.

“You’re so freaking boring Snake!” Rob said.

“So tell us, do you have a crush on anybody in particular?” Scotti questioned quietly.

The other boy face went pale, as he started to stammer nervously.

“Ehm… no. Yeah, I don’t have any crush and I know this makes me a “virgin” or whatever but yeah. You can laugh as much as you want.”

Rachel looked at Sebastian, shooting him a “that’s bullshit” look, on the other end Scotti seemed quite disappointed.

“C’mon man don’t lie, it’s like saying that Rachel is not a very attractive guy with that piercing!” Sebastian exclaimed and suddenly the brown haired guy was really interested in playing with his nose chain.

“I-I… well I have a crush on someone… he is a guy and… fuck! I like Scotti, okay? I think he is amazing and I’m scared because I’ve never been with a guy before, let alone my best friend, so I don’t want to screw things up.”

Scotti smiled and hugged tighter his friend.

“I like you too, dickhead. But I think you already noticed that, we will have a talk in a more private place, without those idiots!” He linked his hand with Dave.

“Isn’t it beautiful when two lovers her together? Wish someone could do that to me!” Sebastian said dramatically.

“Are you waiting for me, darling?” Rachel said, wrinkling his eyebrows.

“Hey you two lovebirds, it’s Sebastian’s turn. Truth or dare?” Rob asked, still smiling. Rachel instead started blushing.

“Dare! I’m not lame like Snake!” The blond said, after some contemplation.

Dave gave him the middle finger, then he whispered something in Rob’s ear.

“Okay, I dare you to kiss the most attractive boy in this room!”

Sebastian was in absolute panic, at least internally. What was he supposed to do? Kissing Rachel and maybe face rejection and insults, or chicken out and then give the brunette the idea that he was not attracted? He seemed interested in him, but what if he just flirts like that with everybody?

You know what, fuck that! You only live once.

He turned his face to Rachel, gently cupped his face and kissed him in a sweet but also firm way. He was very surprised when the other boy kissed him back, his nose chain tickling Sebastian’s cheek, his lips still had a taste of beer on them.

They could have stayed like that for hours, but the door’s unlocking made me jump apart.

“Fuck! My parents are here. I promise them you would be out when they came back. Oh shit, the beers!” Rob said, quickly putting the bottles in the trash.

All the boys managed to get out of the back door, right before they heard Rob’s parents.

Scotti and Dave, still holding hands, said goodbye and walked down the street. Sebastian and Rachel hesitated for a moment, then they parted ways.

“See you tomorrow, Sebby.”

“You too, Sophia Loren!”

“ Wait really? Sophia Loren?!” Rachel asked confused.

“Rachel is a girl’s name, anyway. So that’s fitting!” The blond replied with a laugh.

---

The next day

Sebastian felt a light tapping on his shoulder. He turned around from his locker, and meet Rachel’s brown eyes.

“Can we talk in private for a minute?” He questioned, trying to sound confident.

The other boy was confused and a bit scared, but nonetheless he led him to the toilets. He just hoped that the previous day’s events were not all a prank.

“Did you really mean it? Our kiss, the most attractive guy thing. Did you mean that?” Sebastian was surprised to see Rachel being somewhat scared.

“I did, I do! I-I guess I’ve always had kinda of a crush on you.” He admitted and Rachel smiled.

A wonderful smile that made the blond’s heart melt and beat fast at the same time.

“Good, because I do too.”

“You still own me a truth or a dare!” Sebastian blurted out, as he remembered of the day before.

“I choose dare.”

“ I dare you to come to a date with me, next Saturday.”

“That’s not even a dare! And I’d love to!” Rachel said with a smirk, linking his hand with Sebastian’s one.

They got out of the bathroom, still holding hand, until they had to slip ways to go to their class. Before he entered the classroom for science class, Rachel gave him a quick peck on the cheek.  

As soon as he got in, he spotted Scotti flashing him a big smile, with another weird purple bruise on his other side of his neck.

“Such lovebirds!” He snorted.

“Shut up, I can still see your hickey!” He said with a laugh.

[ashleyswrittenwords]

How to be a Queen [Part 19]

Summary: Princess Zelda is at a loss. Her handed royal responsibilities have begun to weigh heavily on her and she is eventually backed into a corner. Live a life she loathes or run away from everything she’s ever known? Navigating life is hard, and Link forces her to learn that she doesn’t have to do it alone.

Previous

Next

Part 1

How To Be A Queen

“Do we plan to ride through the night?

Their replies were always hesitant. The pauses between my questions and their answers were long enough to tell that they were carefully choosing their words. The senior officer of the seven-manned caravan soon responded.

“We were told to be swift, but if Her Highness requires a few hours’ rest then I’m sure the king wouldn’t mind the delay.”

I frowned, that was something Father would absolutely mind. Cosmo reared her head to the side every now and again, looking for someone who wasn’t there. It had only soured my mood further. Two officers rode on either side of my horse and convinced me greatly of how much more suspicious it would look for a band of men to be surrounding one woman, no matter how plain their clothes were. The one to my left was noticeably younger with mocha eyes that kept diverting from my direction each time I glance over.

Surely I didn’t look intimidating, but remembering what Link had recounted before about his own prejudices… perhaps I could use it to my advantage.

“Sir,” I glanced at the senior officer ahead. It appeared he hadn’t heard me.

The man with the mocha eyes responded and tried to mask his confusion. I put on the greatest smile I could muster, “If we’re going to travel on the same road for more than a day, I suppose I should make friends. What are your thoughts on the matter?”

His horse was taller than Cosmo and I tried to keep my mind off the possibility that it may be an animal suited for war. The man breathed in and glanced ahead as I had.

“Well,” something that could pass for nervousness washed over, “That is only natural, is it not?”

I took a second to feign thoughtfulness, then nodded. “I do believe you’re right. Dare I ask what my new friend’s name is?”

“Elian, Your Highness.”

Elian looked at me curiously. Over the next few minutes filled with horseshoes on dirt, I took the liberty to assess him. He couldn’t have been too much older than Link. Why, he also had that set weight on his brow that made me wonder if he never stopped having something on his mind.

“Tell me, Elian. You cannot be more than five years my senior.”

“Ah, I believe we were born in the same year,” he stifled his humor at my mundane questions.

I hummed, “We have so much in common.”

Much to my satisfaction, that made him grin. I pursed my lips and sat straight in my saddle, hands relaxing on the reins. “Forgive me if my math is wrong, but there are seven men here. At the plateau surely there had to be more. Why is that?”

My voice was light and very much resembled the ladies of the court who wanted someone to divulge gossip without giving away that they wanted it. It made me feel dirty.

Elian brushed back a strand of hair that matched his eyes and looked down, “The rest are to head towards the desert border west of here. One of my best mates is on his way right now.”

“How intriguing. Does he happen to serve under Captain Forester by chance?”

There was that hesitation again. It reared its ugly head in the way he gripped his reins and his jaw set. Before I thought he would ignore my question, he spoke. “Yes, Your Highness.”

I gave him a wary, fleeting look and dropped the conversation altogether.

Dust had set and a chill drew up my spine.

“A cloak, Your Highness?” Elian drew near with it tucked under his arm. Another soldier, the man from the inn, was with him. Not long ago they were whispering jokes to each other out of ear shot of their commanding officer, whose name still evades me. My backside was stiff from the ride, but it wasn’t unfamiliar.

I accepted the offering with hearty thanks and invited them to sit. The man from the inn was very fair skinned compared to his counterpart. After sipping water from a skein, I found my voice, “Are you Elian’s good friend too?”

Laughter came from the man, “I’m afraid I can’t compete with the unbreakable bond between you two.”

Elian went pink and I grinned. His friend took the liberty to sit across from me and the other soon followed.

“Very fair, sir.”

They chattered on about topics I had no experience in while the rest of their group huddled in two other packs not far away. Whatever food I was offered was accepted with the excuse that I would eat it later. Maybe my attire put a damper on my title because they seemed to speak freely with the exception of stopping themselves amid the occasional inappropriate jester.

I smiled, “Then you must ask her.”

The man beside Elian, whose name I learned was Rodrick, elbowed the lad. Pink cheeks turned to a blistering red, “She is a lady, a very regal woman. A… a woman of great stature.”

“Mm,” I peered coyly at him, “As if I had never heard ladies speak inappropriately about knights. If I remember correctly, that’s their favorite past time after tea. I’ve never met your woman, but I think if she has any sense then she can appreciate the sentiments of a good-looking man. Did you say she was the youngest of three?”

“Yes.”

“Then she won’t even be inheriting the estate. Elian, I do think you have a fair chance.”

He fell back on the heels of his hands in exasperation, “It’s better than nothing.”

We lapsed into silence. I smiled to myself and felt happiness for this unnamed woman. If it was the way it sounded, they were a good match. He would have to speak with her father, but for the youngest of two sisters it would be more than a favorable marriage. Elian had rank and would be inheriting a small plot of land from his grandfather.

The happiness in my chest turned to stone and I realized the bite of green envy. I swallowed it down and remembered that jealousy was a poison hard to rid of when left unacknowledged. What if this woman was in my court? I should be happy.

“What are your plans after this escort?” I said nonchalantly.

Rodrick bit into a loaf of bread, “We’ll go southwest to convene with the captain.”

Elian’s neck nearly snapped as he met Rodrick with convicting eyes. I looked away as if I hadn’t saw; hadn’t cared.

“What are your thoughts on him?” my voice was flat as if I was merely trying to spark conversation. My fingers tightened the knot of the cloth of bread and meat, the sun had sunk low and it wouldn’t be long until we were to continue horseback.

The two men had a silent argument, Elian soon relenting. He turned his head to the general direction of the most senior man and lowered his voice just so, “The general consensus is that he’s young.”

“But the stories of him are very telling,” Rodrick leaned in with an almost childish glint in his eye. “The captain has never lost a duel.

Elian scowled, “That one is false. Rob told me he’s lost one during training but kept challenging the man until he won.”

“Oh, shut it about Rob.”

“He was in his unit, idiot. You’re trying to tell me that a 15-year-old kid never lost a fight.”

I stifled a laugh at their antics, it broke their argument. “Forgive me, princess,” the one who wasn’t fond of Rob said. “But were you not… traveling with him?”

My humor died down, “I was.” They looked like children when waited patiently for me to elaborate. “I was wondering how others saw him. He’s much more talkative than I expected.”

To myself, I smiled, “All you must do is force him to accompany you on a trip through the countryside.”

“Ah, so he didn’t kidnap you,” his voice was rife with sarcasm.

“Oh, no, I do think I was the kidnapper in this case.” Link would have laughed just as they did.

They asked more questions and added stories that were a mixture of rumor and truth. It was comforting that his men saw him for the good that he was. I carefully left out seeing his family and the Yiga, but the rest had made them grin. Link had the trust of people he hadn’t met.

I paused my stories to bashfully say, “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen. I need to use the toilet.”

They stopped they’re joking and looked at one another before Elian said with concern, “Do you require escort?”

Then, again, he blushed at his words.

Politely I declined, “I won’t be long, besides, there’s still light.”

Under the dimming light of the day, I felt there weren’t as many eyes on me. I crossed the rode where the horses waited and used Cosmo as cover. My hands found the bag strung to the saddle and found the crinkled, rolled up map. “Okay, girl,” I frantically whispered under my breath. I traced my finger along a road not far back to another that led west. “Let’s find him.”

She was tied just out of sight, obscured by a small gathering of trees. With a quickness, I untied the reins and led her further out of sight. I stuffed the map into my back pocket and swung onto her back. The mare started at a slow pace, not to make too much noise, then a gallop. One of my hands clasped the cloak tighter and I silently thanked the two soldiers I befriended. And with that, I tried not to think of how much I betrayed their trust.

“Come on, girl,” I yelled over the wind. I was up on my haunches now, looking back before we arrived at the crossroads and took a hard right. No one was behind me; not yet. Whether it was my father or uncle, someone had carefully chosen those men and for a good reason. The mare was galloping hard now and I prayed that the stream and those few apples had given her plenty replenishment. I copied what my mother used to do with her horses when we found time to go out, saying soft encouragements as we went.

The pounding feeling of being tracked snuck its way into my subconscious. The breeze whipped my hood back and whisked the sweat from my forehead. My heart pounded hard with the horse’s run. Soon, I turned back and made out shadows behind me. They were a way off. I spurred Cosmo onward and felt her pick up speed. If my short glimpse at the map was anything, this road west would fork into two. I tried to imagine the detailed map that sat in the castle War Room. I knew if I went northwest, it would lead me to center point of the Gerudo Desert, a place where Urbosa would be. However, the war years ago took place south of there.

My teeth clenched as I stirred my horse onto the left road. Shouts were behind us and I could faintly make out pleading to stop Cosmo. I would not. I turned my head to calculate my distance and as I spotted a fallen tree in the road within my peripheral.

Suddenly, I pulled back on the reins. Cozmo whined loudly, slowing, but not completely before she sensed my own hesitation and froze. The momentum forced me from my saddle, and I was then airborne. I couldn’t even scream.

Harshly, I hit the ground just inches from the tree. Blood rushed to my head and I gaped for breath. Not long after, however, the galloping that sounded so far away before had suddenly stopped. Boots hit the ground and the of the senior officer came into view, then Elian.

The latter spoke first, “Is she hurt?”

I retched my hand away from the older man as he tried taking my pulse and weakly tried to rise.

“It doesn’t seem so,” he replied in a gruff voice. He stood while Elian crouched to help me sit up. “Help her onto your horse, Bronling. The day is gone and we still have a long journey.”

“But sir-”

“Have you forgotten His Majesty’s orders so soon?”

There was a pause. “No, sir.”

It hurt to breath and I pulled away, “Let me leave.”

Elian pulled me to my feet, a sad expression pressed into him once the officer had turned to collect Cozmo’s reins. “I can’t, you must know that,” he muttered, taking assessment of my health. I bit my lip and tears pricked my sight, “On the grounds of your crown princess, let me go!”

“I can’t-”

“Elian please.”

He stared, regret filled his words, “Please believe me when I say that I truly do not want to tie you to my horse, Princess Zelda.”

I was filled with the thick pain of humiliation.

The ride felt longer when sharing a saddle with another person. When we pass through the back gates of the capital – a choice made by Father, no doubt – I made great effort to subdue my tears so that the redness in my eyes would dissipate. There was no talking and there were no jokes. The trek was harsh and when we arrived at the castle, my body felt heavy.

They allowed me to collect my bag from Cosmo. Soon, Elian and his senior officer led me through the halls. I was in the same dull riding clothes I had been wearing for four days and now it seemed preposterous that Father would entertain the thought in seeing me this way. We stopped outside the door of his study and after the officer walked in, Father stepped out. I swallowed my surprise and evidently, he felt the same.

Dark circles lined the areas underneath his eyes. The King of Hyrule stared upon me with bated breath. I pressured myself to meet his eyes and hardened my features. With a deep inhale, I opened my mouth and dared to speak, “Father I-”

Against my previous promise, I winced when he drew near. His hand came to my cheek and I scarcely could breathe when he looked at me with withered eyes.

“You draw away from me for good reason,” he said, the usual strength in his baritone voice was weakened. Then, to my horror, tears. In the eyes I inherited, tears fell, and he pulled me into a gentle embrace.

“My dear Zelda,” he started. “Could you ever forgive this foolish, senseless old man?”

In this moment, as we sank to the marble floor in a tight hug, I could only cry and vow that one day I would find it in myself to forgive his follies.

It was learned that Uncle how fallen ill with the last few weeks. The source of his illness was still a mystery to the court physicians, and they were continuously checking his condition. I had taken it horribly, of course, and under the pretense that it was just mere hours before dawn – I would wait until the following day to see him. Overcome with grief and several other overwhelming emotions that threatened to boil over, I couldn’t ask about impending wars yet. That, too, would need to wait.

At my own request, Sir Elian Bronling took me to my bedroom – a place I thought I wouldn’t see for many months. Before he turned to leave, I caught his sleeve.

My voice was scratchy from the events of earlier, “Would you do one last favor for me?”

At his shocked eyes and attempted to muster a smile, “Don’t worry. I won’t kidnap you, Sir Bronling. I’m very much… retired from the hobby.”

He laughed at this, “Anything for a friend. Can I ask what your request is, Your Highness?”

“Would you mind carrying a letter for me?”

After disappearing into my room to find nothing out of place, I withdrew an envelope with my name on it from my pocket. It was folded in odd places now and I smoothed it out on the corner of my desk. His handwriting made me smile and caused old tears to choke me. My hand found my quill and its tip found jet black ink.

I trusted Elian and his friend to tell their captain what happened, so I wrote only what was necessary. This time, I waited for his inked name on the envelope to dry and found Elian awaiting me outside. I half expected it to be that same silent boy I was still so used to.

I gave him my thanks and how I would pray for his safe travels. When he left, my body told me I wouldn’t be able to stay up for long. Without care, I stripped down to nothing and clipped my dirty hair high on my head. Tomorrow promised many things, with it would be a warm bath. The sheets were clean and cool against my skin. While I drifted in the dark abyss of slumber, I dreamed of Link reading my words.

Link,

I will wait for you.

Yours,

Zelda

[paladin-andric]

Character Backgrounds: Senci of Lannis

“You may say I’m a fool

Feeling the way that I do

You can call me Pollyanna

Say I’m crazy as a loon

I believe in silver linings

And that’s why I believe in you!”

-From Pollyanna (I Believe in You) sung by Catherine Warwick

It’s unknown whether Senci would always have ended up the way he is. Despite being born and raised in an environment that should have developed him into everything he now opposes, Senci, even during the tribal days, was a kind and innocent child. Despite the elders trying to whip him up into a proper future raider, he resisted their advice at every turn.

Senci was born to a kobold tribe living in the wilds of Geralthin. The tribe had been rather recently founded, settled by a group that split off from a larger tribe up north. They made their way to a cave not too far from the coastal city of Havel, and it was here Senci’s life began.

The tribe began to seek out a dragon to serve and be protected by. They found a very young adolescent in another cave right next to Havel. Though this young, red dragon was extremely dismissive of them, they began raiding caravans and robbing travelers to amass wealth and plunder to win him over. This seemed to have the opposite effect, with the beast seeming suspicious of where they acquired such riches from and barking orders for them to leave the humans to live in peace. They continued further away and in secret, hoping to eventually win him over.

During this time, Senci grew up being taught and told things that seemed to repulse him. He took none of the elders’ words to heart and seemed to retreat from the rest of the tribe. He spent most of his days in a corner of the cave, far away from the rest of them. He played alone and occasionally explored the deeper parts of the cave no one had bothered to settle yet. He even left the cave and explored alone at night, something forbidden for children to do. He spent a lot of time punished for his antics.

It was during their campaign to impress the dragon of Havel that the tribe came up with the idea of hostage taking. They kidnapped a few citizens from a nearby village and wrote demands for outrageous amounts of gold for their return. In the meantime, they tortured the captives for fun, and left them locked in a tiny cell for the night.

This spurred Senci into action. He snuck out once the others had went to sleep and freed the prisoners, waving them goodbye as they fled. The following day a hero came to deliver vengeance to the tribe: Andric of Lannis. He wiped out the fledgling tribe...all except Senci, who begged and pleaded for his life, and swore he helped the humans escape. Andric brought him back to Lannis to raise him in a different way, and give him a second chance at life.

Andric is a paladin that spent the following years teaching the child in everything from math to ethics, and is a man who always strives to lead by example; a man who Senci now idolizes.

Senci, from this point on, was raised on stories of gallant knights and brave heroes, becoming enraptured with such tales. The fact that his new tutor was one of these heroes only furthered his zeal, and he quickly began to dream of becoming a hero one day, too.

Through incessant begging, the kobold convinced Andric to let him begin training to became a hero, and after a brief amount of testing, it was found that Senci was unable to channel magic. With that in mind, his goal shifted from becoming a paladin to becoming a warrior. He started a strict training regiment, quite like that of a knight-in-training. He practiced using weapons with Andric and exercised every day, becoming quite strong and athletic over time. Soon, he could use a sword with surprising skill as well. Due to his size, he would use a longsword like a human would use a greatsword, and possessed enough strength and skill to use it to great effect.

His grand dreams were put on hold due to the king’s decision to exile all non-humans, being forced to settle in a city far away from his village home. Here, he spent the last of his teenage years working as the apprentice to a blacksmith, a lizardman by the name of Vok. He soon crafted his very own suit of plate, and considered himself, at last, a true warrior. Soon, someday, he could leave the city, and his days as an adventuring hero could begin...

Senci is an extremely kind and soft-hearted person. His tendency to let his emotions run wild and try his best to please people leave him as a very selfless - though sometimes naive - person. He always believes the best in people and wishes for the world to be a bastion of love, peace and goodness. He seems to just thrive off of the positivity of others, and so seeks to help anyone whenever he can. He also hates seeing others sad, and will try his best to cheer them up. His desire to aid others and make the world a brighter one is a powerful and genuine one; he’d turn down rewards and is ready to help people for the sake of helping them.

He does have his faults, though. His selfless nature is easily taken advantage of, and he really hates stepping on others’ toes. He often blames himself for things aren’t really his fault, or he couldn’t have stopped. His tendency to berate himself and place others above him can sometimes come across as attention-seeking, even though he really does believe it. His lack of self-confidence means he might rely on others more than he should, or have faith in those he probably shouldn’t. He could easily be convinced to follow anothers plan of attack, even if his own plan is clearly superior.

A starry-eyed idealist, Senci seems to still cling onto dreams and mannerisms that most discard in their younger years. In truth, Senci’s really just a big kid who wants to make friends, become a hero, and make his foster father proud.

Perhaps someday, he really will gain the opportunity to do what he’s always dreamed of.

Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner,  @laurenwastestimewriting, @elaynab-writing, @the-ichor-of-ruination, @reya-writes, @bexminx

[atariaction]

Kevin’s 2018 Post-Mortem

Hello, it's 2019, which means it's time to look back on the computer history efforts that I made last year.

In 2018 I finished managing the Ted Nelson's Junk Mail scan project. Recap: from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, computing pioneer Ted Nelson collected catalogs, flyers, brochures, spec sheets, and sales slicks for products and services in a wide variety of industries. They ended up in the hands of the Internet Archive, and then (temporarily) in my hands, where every scrap was scanned and uploaded to the Internet Archive. In total, there were 17 bankers boxes stuffed with papers, totaling 70,266 sheets scanned. I bought scanners and hard drives, hired and managed the scanner-people (who were paid for their work with funds donated by many generous donors.) That project began in May 2017 and finished in October 2018.

Besides the Ted Nelson project, I scanned a metric ton of microcomputer history, including many dissertations and theses relevant to the Atari 8-bit, Apple II, CP/M, and the Votrax speech chip; user group newsletters; and rare historial documents about Atari computers and software. You can read it all at https://archive.org/details/@savetz

My goal for 2018 was to publish audio interviews with 50 people on the ANTIC podcast. I published exactly 50. This was down from 61 in 2017, but I met my goal and had conversations with wonderful people, many of whom had never been interviewed in the context of their computer history.

In the "big name" department I interviewed sci-fi author Orson Scott Card, who worked for Compute! Books back in the day. Also Bruce Artwick, creator of Flight Simulator II; and Dennis Koble, one of Imagic's co-founders. And Tom Snyder, the man behind Agent USA and Halley Project and Run For the Money and In Search of the Most Amazing Thing and Snooper Troops and and and...

But the most fun was chasing folks down crazy back alleys of computer history. I interviewed several of the kids from Atari's Youth Advisory Board, the group of children that Atari brought in for part market research/part marketing opportunity. I interviewed the creative team behind Bits & Bytes, a 1983 educational musical about computers. I talked with Brooke Alderson, who appeared in Atari TV commercials, and Rawson Stovall, who wrote a syndicated newspaper column about video games when we was just a kid.

(My side-quest to interview as many Atari Program Exchange programmers as possible continued. Of the 159 people who wrote APX software. 92 have been interviewed, 14 are known dead, 7 declined. That's 112 (70.4%) accounted for. The other 47 have proven reallyhard to find. I might squeak out a couple more eventually but I'm afraid we've reached the end of that road.)

Sometimes interviewees had importnat papers to be scanned and software to be digitized.

One of the folks who I interviewed was Hal Segal, who was founder of the Association of Time-Sharing Users, then the Association of Small Computer Users, which combined to become the Association of Computer Users. That's quite a mouthful, but Hal's organizations produced quite a lot of material: binders filled with newsletters, journals, benchmark reports, hardware directories, and literature from other computer companies. He lent it all to me: I scanned it all and uploaded it to Internet Archive — 2,625 pages total. There's information there about models of computers about which virtually nothing else is published online.

I interviewed Greg Gibbons, who was creator of Automated Library II, software for running a school library on an Apple II or Atari computer. He gave me the only remaining copy of the software and manuals, which I digitized and put online.

I interviewed Bob Ertl,who created REWRITE, an Atari word processor for math teachers, for his Master's thesis. The word processor was never published, but at my request, Bob digitized it and made several versions of the software, with source code, available to the world.  

Around the end of August, I was feeling done with interviews. Not exactly burned out, but I definitely needed a break, so I took one. After taking some time to reflect, here's what I'm feeling. I've interviewed more than 350 people since 2013, and have been able to talk with so many of the people that I personally wanted to talk with: the names I knew from being a kid nerd, and the people behind the companies that I admired. I've become friends with some of them. From a personal perspective, this has been incredibly satisfying, and from that perspective, I've talked to most of the people who were on my dream interview list. So while I know there are more stories, more people, more interviews that can be done (and that we're all getting older, so time is running out) my personal goals for interviews have largely been met. And this ismy hobby, after all.

Does this mean I'm done doing interviews? No! But I will continue to focus on talking with that people that interest me personally, and since most of those are done, the interviews will slow down. I'm not going to commit to a certain number of interviews in 2019.

My work will continue in other areas of computer history. There's a particular archiving project happening in 2019 that is really big and reallyimportant for microcomputer history. I'm not ready to talk about it, but hold your breath and cross your fingers.

Also in 2019 I plan to finish writing and publish a mini-book about the 20 Atari computer-related theses and dissertations that I've found. I’m continuing to play all of Infocom’s text adventures with @Carrington for the Eaten By A Grue podcast(14 games left to go.) The project with Rob McMullen to add new levels to my favorite computer game, Jumpman, is still on the back burner but not forgotten.

I’m proud of my computer history interviews and archiving work and am looking forward to another fun, productive year. There’s plenty more to do. Here we go!

[hazycosmicchild]

Can I have number 2 for the first kiss thing for the Wolffs please :) thanks in advance. xx

Of course sweetie. It’s below the read below as it’s a little long. Hope you enjoy it! xx

2. Truth or Dare

“I swear I will make you all pay for making me do that dare.”Carmen rolled her eyes as the group laughed at her still. Jolyon was looking extremelyred next to her. Trying his best to hide the hicky Carmen had to give him aspart of a dare. It was a typical Saturday night, and while her parents wereaway Claire had invited her friends round to her house for a catch up and a bitof a party. Right now the group were taking part in a time old tradition. Truthor dare. The game so far had seen Felipe have to give a lap dance to Rob, Stefaniaadmit just how far her and Maurizio had gotten, and most recently Carmen giveJolyon a hicky. Carmen wasn’t impressed, and soon turned her attentions ontosomeone else. “Rob, truth or dare?”

“Truth.” He grinned. Ready to take on whatever Carmen wouldthrow at him. She thought about it for a moment before smirking at him.

“Rob. Have you ever had sex anywhere on campus?” She askedhim. Rob chuckled and took a swig of his beer.

“Yes. Yes I have.” He said rather proudly. Much to the shockof the group.

“You have, where?!” Carmen asked, totally shocked. It wasnot the answer she had been expecting from him.

“Supply cupboard on the third floor of the maths and scienceblock.” He told them with a smirk, listing at the gasps around the group.

“Next to Dr Marko’s office?! Are you trying to get yourselfthrown out?” Toto asked him. Shaking his head in bemusement at his friend’santics. It was well known Dr Marko was a stickler for the rules, and if hecaught Rob he and whoever he was with would have been thrown out.

“Hey part of the thrill is the possibility of gettingcaught.” Rob smirked and winked. Claire rolled her eyes next to him.

“I did not need to know that.” She shook her head as she hada sip of her vodka and coke.

“Alright then Claire, since you’re in such a chatty mood.” Robadded. “Truth or dare.”

“Truth.” Claire said without hesitation. She did not want togive a hicky to anyone in the room.

“What is the craziest thing that you have ever done whiledrunk?” Rob asked her. Claire had such a goody two shoes image he wanted toknow what she was really like.

“Ski down a run shirtless.” She nodded.

“What?” The room gasped. Unable to believe the woman theycalled Saint Claire as a joke was capable of such a thing. Claire looked alittle sheepish as she explained the circumstances.

“It was some people I was staying in a hotel with. We were allowedto keep on a helmet, gloves, trousers and a bra. That was it. And you had toski back to the village.” She explained. “To this date my parents have neverfound out.” She shook her head. Glad they hadn’t or she would have been in bigtrouble.

“Bet your glad about that.” Susie smirked at her friend.Filing this away for future teasing material. Claire could see from the grin onher face what Susie was up to and decided to go for her next.

“I am. Susie, truthor dare.”

“Dare.” Susie grinned. There was very little she wouldn’t do.Though she began to worry when she saw Claire start grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“I dare you to kiss Toto.” She told her friend. Susie nearlygasped at her friend’s comment as she watched Toto’s eyes go wide. Suddenly thewhole thing slotted into place. She’s told Claire a while ago that she thoughtshe had feelings for Toto, but that she wasn’t sure how he felt. It had been atClaire’s insistence they played truth or dare. And she’d practically forcedSusie and Toto to join in. Susie glared at her grinning best friend. She was diabolicalsometimes.

“Fine.” Susie nodded as nonplus as she could. There was nopoint in making a bigger deal out of this than she needed too. She turned toface Toto. Her heartbeat quickening as she got closer to his lips. She feltlike all the eyes in the room were on her as her lips finally landed on Toto’s.Rather than feeling his shock. She could feel his acceptance before he startedkissing her back happily. She melted as she kissed him happily. The pair ofthem unaware of anyone else in the room as they kissed one another. That kiss toldher a lot. Firstly, she was now sure she had feelings for Toto. And secondly, shewas sure that he had feelings for her too from the way he was kissing her.

“Hey, we said kiss! Not make out in front of us!” Roblaughed at the pair. Reality hit Susie as she realised where she was. The grouparound them were cheering and wolf whistling. She pulled away from Toto andblushed as she looked at him. She could see he was blushing too. But there wasa look of happiness in his eyes. And it was clear he didn’t regret the kiss atall.

“Danke for the kiss.” He whispered to her so only she couldhear.

“You’re welcome.” She whispered back. Hoping that wouldn’t be the last time she kissed him

Hope you enjoyed it sweetie.

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, April 26

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Queen Elizabeth's royal rage

Page 2: Playing House -- famous best buds who shared the rent -- Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, Ryan Reynolds and Michelle Williams, Robert Downey Jr. and Kiefer Sutherland, Danny DeVito and Michael Douglas

Page 3: Justin Long and Jonah Hill, Ving Rhames and Stanley Tucci, Eddie Redmayne and Jamie Dornan, Jason Priestley and Brad Pitt, Holly Hunter and Frances McDormand, Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise

Page 4: Matt Damon's roles and costumes

Page 6: A Delaware state trooper went above and beyond the call of duty when he surprised a little boy with a brand-new pair of Steph Curry sneakers -- Trooper Joshua Morris and nine-year-old Ra'kir Allen got to be pals when they played basketball together, along with other youths in the area and when the good-hearted cop learned that Ra'kir thought NBA star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors was his idol, he got an idea, and after running the idea past Ra'kir's mother, the cop presented the aspiring sports star with his own pair of shoes -- Morris says cops should never be strangers to the people they protect, and he lives his belief every day

Page 7: Screen legend Bette Davis believed she had psychic abilities, says her assistant Kathryn Sermak, who met the legend in 1979 and was hired within five minutes of meeting her -- as her personal assistant, she was at Bette's service 24 hours a day, but the star was also very generous like if they were going to a film set, the job was seven days a week, but when it was over, she'd give Kathryn a paid vacation anywhere she wanted for as much as six weeks -- few people know that the screen idol loved to pull practical jokes on people; for instance, at cocktail hour, Bette would serve drinks in gag glasses that dribbled, and then when the liquid would pour onto her guests' expensive dresses or suits, she would innocently ask if they were okay -- the assistant also knew Bette's only child, Barbara Davis Hyman, known as B.D., whose father was Bette's third husband, Grant Sherry. Bette and her next husband, Garry Merrill, her co-star in All About Eve, also adopted two more children, Michael and Margot Merrill, but diagnosed with brain damage at age three, Margot has spent her life in institutions

Page 8: Saving Face -- take years off with simple makeup and skincare tips

Page 9: Vax Reax -- prepare for possible COVID jab side effects

Page 10: Billy Adams really knows how to get his daily steps in as the software exec walks 12 miles around Washington D.C. every day, picking up trash by hand -- during the lockdown, Billy took advantage of working from home to find a daily routine that was good for his physical and mental wellbeing, and helps beautify the city he loves -- starting in June, he began to choose a different 12-mile route every day, no matter the weather, Billy crossed from his Maryland home over into D.C. for a three-hour loop, starting at 8:30 a.m., and he picks up trash along the way and dumps bags of it into garbage cans on his route

Page 11: Tips for getting a restful night -- some tried-and-true tips for getting some rejuvenating rest

Page 12: Olivia Newton-John knows a thing or two about survival: she's had breast cancer three times over the past 28 years and has worked tirelessly to save her own life and the lives of others with her extensive research into natural remedies -- the 72-year-old Grease star says she and her husband John Easterling, who founded the Amazon Herb Company to help the world recognize the benefits of the Amazon Rainforest plants, have developed an approach called integrative medicine. It's a mix of doctor-recommended treatments and those from their own research

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's top psychic healer Tony Leggett -- never too late for romance, it will take work

Page 15: Tom Cornish is 96 years old, but age hasn't slowed him down from knitting up a storm of kindness -- over the past year, the Minnesota World War II veteran has donated nearly 500 winter hats in eye-catching colors to the Salvation Army, where he does volunteer work, and he hand-made each and every one of them

Page 16: Keeping the Peace -- TV has its share of great cops, but here are the ten best TV cops of all time -- T.J. Hooker, "Pepper" Anderson, Joe Friday, Andy Sipowicz, Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson, Kate Beckett, Lennie Briscoe, Olivia Benson, Frank Reagan, Sheriff Andy Taylor

Page 18: When a North Carolina school entered custodian Raymond Brown in the state's School Hero Award, he lost to someone else, so they made their own ceremony and gave him $35,000

Page 19: A group of ATV riders got the scare of their lives when one of their dogs stepped off the edge of a steep cliff and kept going, according to Steven Hawkins, president of the Utah ATV Association, who call themselves The Wild Bunch -- they immediately swung into action action to rescue stranded pooch Summer and got together and each took a hold of a rope with Steven at the end, climbing slowly down the face of the rocks as the others held on while looking on in horror, but in the end, the group found the strength to pull man and dog from the cliff face to safety

Page 20: Cover Story -- Queen Elizabeth is on the warpath -- palace aides are walking on eggshells around Her Majesty ever since Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle dropped the bombshell on American TV that the royal family is a racist mess who completely ignored Meghan's mental health problems, among other horrifying accusations, and the queen will never get over the fact that Harry, without warning, turned his back on his own country and the people Elizabeth has served every day of her 95 years and she's also terrified the royal family's circus-like antics will bring on the end of the monarchy

Page 22: A California couple who were just about to retire drastically changed their plans when they adopted seven children -- Pam and Gary Willis have five children of their own and have been foster parents to many others and just as their last child was about to leave home, Pam spotted a Facebook advertisement searching for a forever home for seven kids from ages 15 to 4 whose parents had been killed in a tragic car crash -- Pam says she couldn't stop staring at their faces, saying she can't explain it, but she just knew she was supposed to be their mom and when she told Gary, she thought he'd call her a wacko because they were just about to retire, but surprisingly he agreed and they both felt it was what God wanted them to do

Page 24: High school senior Dasia Taylor is only 17, but she's going down in medical history for inventing sutures that detect if a wound is infected -- the brilliant student was named as one of 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors -- Dasia's sutures, which took a year to perfect, work by changing colors if the patient's PH level alters and the level changes quickly when a wound is healing and goes bad, so she began experimenting with beets, and she found that beets changed color at the perfect PH point and that's perfect for an infected wound -- the color changes from bright red to a dark purple when a wound becomes infected so it's easy to see with the naked eye and Dasia envisions the stitches being used in developing countries, so that infection can be detected with no advanced equipment -- Dasia's goal is to attend Howard University and become a lawyer

Page 25: 4 signs you may have weak bones

Page 26: Sentimental baseball fantasy Field of Dreams hit a home run with its poignant story of second chances, and as the one-of-a-kind movie celebrates its 32nd anniversary, here are some of the secrets behind the classic motion picture

Page 28: Wisdom of the stars -- inspirational quotes to light your way -- Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Obama, Brad Pitt, Diana Ross, Justin Timberlake, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway

Page 29: Beyonce, Barack Obama, George Clooney, Sidney Poitier, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Ariana Grande

Page 32: Get Insects to Bug Off -- save your picnic and your sanity with DIY tricks

Page 40: Chakras -- Your powers begin within -- what chakras are and what they do

Page 42: 10 facts about Law & Order: SVU

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Blake Shelton says he's hoping for a summer wedding with fiance Gwen Stefani, Sylvester Stallone is writing a potential TV prequel to his Rocky film franchise, Tara Reid recently wiped out on the red carpet in six-inch platform heels, Evelyn Sakash who worked on art direction on Mermaids was recently found dead in her NYC home months after she was reported missing in September 2020, Dancing with the Stars pro Sharna Burgess recently made her red carpet debut in Malibu with beau Brian Austin Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan admits he's still shocked about The Walking Dead coming to a close later this year, Martha Stewart made waves last summer when she posted a sultry selfie on social media and admits she got so many proposals and so many propositions

Page 45: Rita Moreno attends the SAG Awards via video (picture), Selena Gomez and Martin Short shares some giggles on a NYC set (picture), Mary Steenburgen playfully serenades husband Ted Danson (picture), Helen Mirren (picture), Joe Giudice recently met Luis "Louie" Ruelas who is the current boyfriend of his former wife Teresa Giudice, Salma Hayek has joined the cast of House of Gucci playing clairvoyant Pina Auriemma, Ben Affleck gushed over ex Jennifer Lopez in a recent interview

Page 46: Two best friends are even closer after one rescued the other using CPR, a single day after she completed a course on how to administer the life-saving technique -- Torri'ell Norwood, age 16, was at the wheel when a speeding driver rammed her car, sending it hurtling smack into a tree and the St. Petersburg, Florida teen climbed through the window to safety when her door wouldn't open, and two of her three passengers also managed to get out, but her BFF A'zarria Simmons was still inside the wreck unconscious -- Torri'ell had just completed her CPR training the day before and knew what to do so she pulled her pal from the vehicle and, when she couldn't find a pulse, administered 30 compressions and two rescue breaths until A'zarria regained consciousness and paramedics soon arrived and rushed the girl to a hospital

Page 47: Get out of the wind and rain, or just find some shade, while you wait for the next bus in these quirky, fruit-shaped sculpture bus stops -- the idea began in Japan and is now spreading to other countries, so don't be surprised to see a super-sized piece of fruit at the end of your block in the near future

[topfygad]

New Zealand’s Wild Cities: A Kiwi Kinda Adventure

Short drives from Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch lead visitors to rare penguins, sea lions play-fighting on beaches, and fur seals having a lovers’ tiff.

  Wait long enough in the discreet sheds built along the Otago Peninsula and you’ll see yellow-eyed penguins waddle out of the sea after a hard day’s swim. They’re among the rarest in the world, but Otago gives visitors ample time to observe their adorable antics. Photo By: Xavier Fores-Joana Roncero/Alamy/Indiapicture

Dunedin

Come hail or harsh sun, the Otago Farmers Market pops up outside Dunedin Railway Station every Saturday morning. Its stained glass windows perk up when the morning light hits its early-20th-century facade. In the lawns, out come pumpkins the size of doll houses, Pinot Noirs from the Central Otago Peninsula, and buskers with guitars and voices like honey. A Frenchman hands me two crêpes: one with poached pear bundled in chocolate sauce and custard, another packed with Jerusalem artichokes, pork, cheese and egg. People’s purses balloon with jars of fragrant honey made from manuka bushes. A man with crinkly eyes doles out bacon butties, pepper pâté, and a smile each. And pies, oh there are pies everywhere. I try the traditional hangi (Maori feast) pie with beef, pumpkin, kumara (sweet) potato, and carrot. I feel I’ll never be able to eat another meal again. Until I move to the next truck.

It has been a long time since a group of Scottish settlers came to this part of Maori land in the mid-19th century and named it Dunedin (‘Dùn Èideann’ is the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh). Today, the city is a peppy university town, with ringing pubs, stunningly preserved Victorian and Edwardian buildings, a castle, and even its own kilt shop.

But I am here for Otago Peninsula, a mere 30-minute ride yet a world away, where the van waiting outside the railway station will take me.

Beyond the window of this little shed is a world that was never tamed. Cliffs so high that they’d tingle toes; the sea so blue that it can see into your soul. Dusk makes the ancient bays and beaches of the Otago Peninsula seem a bit broody. The wind howls and roars, but the green and gold tussock by the harbour bears it stoically.

I peer a few feet ahead, at the sea. Anytime now.

A yellow-eyed penguin emerges; it toddles slowly with hunched shoulders, as if walking back from school after flunking a maths test. I can sympathise: it has dived into the sea 200-300 times today, swimming 65-230 feet each time in search of seafood. It comes close enough to the shed for me to see its rad yellow eyebands—which gives it its name. Its irises too are the colour of van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.”

The royal albatross (top)—one of the world’s largest birds—and cheeky Hooker’s sea lions (bottom) are some of the creatures that call the Otago Peninsula home (bottom inset). The peninsula is a mere 30-minute drive from Dunedin (top inset). Photo Courtesy: Dunedinnz (Albatross); Photos By: Michael Rucker/ImageBroker/Getty Images (sea lions); Daniel Harwardt/iStock/Getty Images (coast)

Knee-high in size, this penguin species is believed to be the world’s rarest; about 3,000-odd ones are found only here, in New Zealand, on the eastern and southern coasts of South Island. I’m incredibly lucky to see them like this in the wild, where they roam free and are at home.

In seconds, more and more cuddly creatures rise from the sea, some strutting like calendar models, oblivious to me and my guide silently whooping in the hide. Mark, the guide, has seen this hundreds of times; he taps my arm when one penguin throws back its arms à la Shah Rukh Khan, and emits a long shrill cry. “Their Maori name is hoiho, which means ‘noise shouter’,” Mark whispers as the penguin sings with rockstarish head-shaking. Hoihos aren’t very sociable; I watch one accidentally headbutt a sheep on its way up the cliff behind us, waddling on quickly without meeting its eye. At the top, one curious lone penguin stands like Christ the Redeemer. For 15 whole minutes.

All life in the 33-kilometre Otago Peninsula revolves around preserving its creatures—the yellow-eyed and little blue species of penguins, New Zealand fur seal, New Zealand sea lion, and royal albatross. Large stretches are unpaved and settlements are small; it’s heartening to see some private properties have walking tracks for the easy passage of tourists. Trench-like hides built at various beaches and corners along the peninsula ensure that some wildlife (penguins in particular) rarely comes in direct contact with visitors. Operators like Mark’s company, Elm Wildlife Tours, are visibly passionate about ecotourism.

At the northernmost tip of Otago Peninsula is Taiaroa Head. The main attraction on this windswept piece of land jutting from the coastline is The Royal Albatross Centre, the only breeding colony on a mainland for the world’s largest seabird. Their wingspans are more than 10 feet (that’s twice the size of my mother). Rob, a guide at the centre, leads me to a viewing room with a glass panel. A young chick is huddled outside on a patch of grass, looking like it were made of cotton balls. Adult albatrosses spend almost 80 per cent of their time at sea, returning only to feed their young. They divvy up parenting, like the progressive spouses they are. Rob speaks of these gentle giants as if their lives are no less gripping than his favourite soap opera. “Royal albatrosses, or toroa, have a three-year mating period, so if you get bored of your partner, it’s going to be a while before you’ll settle down again,” he says. His favourite albatross here, he adds, was the one called ‘Grandma’ because she raised her last chick at 62. “She divorced one of her partners, but got back again. Then there’s one here in his 30s, who is bereaved and hasn’t put himself out there again,” rues Rob. As the perfect ending of his story, an adult toroa comes soaring in a circle, and swoops in towards its chick. I see its grace. These “ocean wanderers” fly 1,90,000 kilometres a year; I think of how, in less than eight months, a strong gust of wind will launch the baby albatross on its maiden flight.

Exploring the Otago Peninsula largely on foot, beside empty beaches, inlets, and dreamy purple clusters of hebe blossoms, feels more intimate than a safari. It also drives home an important lesson: that it’s me who’s on the turf of these creatures. Making myself invisible—huddling in hides, standing behind glass panels—is key to understanding them.

So I feel oddly exposed when Mark walks down Papanui beach in long strides, towards two, five, nay, nine sea lions roaring and gamboling in the sand. “They are endemic, the Hooker’s sea lions; confident around humans. Maintain safe distance, and you’re fine,” he says, coaxing me to stand about eight feet away from one that weighs at least 350 kilograms. He takes photos while I look over my shoulder at the way the creature bullies and playfights smaller lions around him, throwing sand over them, barking and chasing them. Almost all sea lions at Otago, I learn, are related to ‘Mum,’ a female who had a pup here in 1993—the first to be born on the mainland in over 100 years (https://ift.tt/1bDQ61i; tours from NZD122/Rs5,760 adults, children NZD112/Rs5,300).

All you need to observe New Zealand fur seals along Tongue Point, a 20-minute drive from Wellington (inset), is curiosity and a healthy 15-foot distance. Photos By: Skyimages/iStock/Getty Images (seal); Fotoshoot/Alamy/indiapicture (boy)

From the airplane, you can see the Hollywood-style sign perched on a hillside. ‘Wellington’ it reads, the last two letters askew, floating skyward. On ground, the world’s windiest city pops with Victorian homes along its harbour.

That evening, my walk from Wellington’s waterfront to Cuba Street passes through revolving doors of the world: Japanese, Vietnamese, Moroccan, and Indonesian food aromas come drifting, transporting me to secret kitchens. Coffeemakers hiss with head-clearing Cuban coffee at Fidel’s café; a puppeteer pulls strings to make her puppet paint a portrait of a little girl standing close by, sending her into squeals of disbelief. At Cuba Street’s night market, a persistent steampunk jewellery artist, a bookshop, and a paella stall tug at my heart and purse strings.

They say you can walk from one end of the Kiwi capital to the other in 30 minutes, and I do. The morning after, I book a tour with Seal Coast Safaris to look beyond the windy city. In just 20 minutes, Kent, my guide for the three-hour tour, drives the 4WD to a wind turbine on Brooklyn Hill, through private farmlands with ostrich and red deer. Soon, I see old mountains lick the waters of the South Coast. Wellington seems far away, and this place its rustic sibling—no golden sand beaches or sunbathers, no people at all.

Just the sea pummelling grey outcrops and hills that look a giant’s hairy back. When Kent stops along one of the beaches, at Tongue Point, I get out and—with a shock—realise I am surrounded by at least 15 New Zealand fur seals. Some look out at the robin’s-egg blue water. Others yawn as I tiptoe towards them, but begin hissing and spitting when I get too close. Two fur seals seem to be having a lovers’ tiff, smacking and flapping their flippers at each other. Another one scratches its neck and looks bored with their drama (www.sealcoast.com; tours from adults NZD125/Rs5,900, children 14 and under NZD62.5/Rs2,950).

A 1.5-hour drive southeast of Christchurch takes visitors to Akaroa, whose waters host the Hector’s dolphins—the world’s rarest and smallest. Don’t miss Akaroa’s other attraction: a whimsical sculpture garden with mosaic figures, the Giant’s House (inset). Photo Courtesy: Graeme Murray (dolphin), Photo by: Dennis Macdonald/ AgeFotostock/ Dinodia Photo Library (mosaic statues)

Roses bloom outside colonial homes in Rue Balguerie, and onion soup bubbles in old-timey cafés in nearby Rues. Iridescent paua shells mark some graves in the Old French Cemetery up the hill. I haven’t woken up in France, but it’s easy to forget that in the little town of Akaroa, a 1.5-hour drive away from Christchurch, South Island’s largest city.

Hewn from a volcano, Akaroa tucks charm in the little things—a walk to its lighthouse that watches over Caribbean-blue waters of the Banks Peninsula; stories of how French settlers arrived at its shores in 1840 only to find that the British had beaten them to it; or at the Giant’s House, a sculpture garden with Gaudi-like mosaics and Dali-esque whimsy.

Akaroa is catnip for another, significant reason—it is the home of the rare Hector’s dolphins, among the world’s smallest at five feet and endemic to New Zealand. When a Black Cat Cruise ship takes me and other visitors into the bay, cathedral-like coves and mystical orange-brown volcanic formations surround us. Seals scamper as our boat inches closer to the rockface. And then, as suddenly as they rose, the grey-black bodies of three Hector’s dolphins sink into the waters ahead of us. The boat stops, and a little girl beside me giggles every time the dolphins hiss and pop up like a jack-in-the-box of the sea. Our skipper points out their black dorsal fins—rounded, instead of pointed. Some cruises offer a chance to swim with Hector’s dolphins too (blackcat.co.nz; cruise NZD85/Rs4,015, children 5-15 NZD35/Rs1,650).

Flights between Delhi or Mumbai and New Zealand’s capital, Wellington��or Christchurch in South Island—require at least one layover in a gateway cities such as Sydney or Singapore. Dunedin is connected to Christchurch by regular domestic flights and two buses a day (6 hr; www.intercity.co.nz). Self-drive is the most popular way to travel within New Zealand. Indian travellers can apply for a New Zealand visa online (www.immigration.govt.nz). A month-long visa costs NZD246/Rs11,435 and is processed within 28 working days.

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from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2mF9p5d via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

[djsamaha-blog]

The 'Will and Grace' revival trailer is here and it'll hit all your nostalgia buttons, honey

They're back, honey!

Image: nbc

It's upfronts week in the TV world that magical time of year when the broadcast networks announce the new shows they've picked up and give us a first look at the trailers for their fall dramas and comedies. First up is NBC, which is debuting two new dramas and one new(ish) comedy for fall, with nine more that will premiere later in the 2017-2018 schedule. Check out the first trailers for the Will & Grace revival; the latest installment in Law & Order's new anthology series, True Crime: The Menendez Murders; and political thriller The Brave trailers for the other shows will be available at a later date.

Will & Grace - Thursdays at 8 p.m.

That's right, honey Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally reprise their infamous roles as Will, Grace, Jack and Karen in a 12-episode revival of the hit comedy. The legendary James Burrows, director of every original Will & Grace episode, returns along with original creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, and a slew of razor-sharp jabs and dirty martinis.

The Brave - Mondays at 10 p.m.

While D.I.A. Deputy Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche) and her team of analysts wield the worlds most advanced surveillance technology from Washington, D.C., Adam Dalton (Mike Vogel) and his heroic Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover specialists use their unbreakable bond and commitment to freedom to save lives of innocent people and execute missions in some of the most dangerous places in the world.

Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders - Thursdays at 10 p.m.

NBC's answer to The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, this eight-episode true-crime installment of the Law & Order franchise delivers an in-depth dramatization of the notorious murder case that changed America forever. When the Menendez brothers were tried on national TV for brutally killing their parents in Beverly Hills, their story became a national obsession. Now, the first edition of this anthology series delves into the players, the crime and the media circus, detailing the day-to-day battles of the trial and unveiling the shocking truth of what really went down when the cameras stopped rolling.

Midseason

Good Girls

Retta as Ruby, Mae Whitman as Annie in 'Good Girls'

Image: nbc

When three suburban moms get tired of trying to make ends meet, they decide its time to stick up for themselves by robbing the local supermarket at (toy) gunpoint. But when the manager catches a glimpse of one of them and the loot is far more than they expected, it doesnt take long for the three best friends to realize the perfect getaway will be harder than they think. From executive producer Jenna Bans (Scandal) comes this comedy-infused drama that mixes a little Thelma & Louise with a bit of Breaking Bad. The cast includes Retta, Mae Whitman, Reno Wilson, Manny Montana, Lidya Jewett, Izzy Stannard and Matthew Lillard.

Reverie

Sarah Shahi as Mara Knit, Dennis Haysbert as Charlie Ventana in 'Reverie'

Image: nbc

From Mickey Fisher, the creator of Extant, this grounded thriller follows Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when shes brought in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may actually have discovered a way to save herself. The cast includes Dennis Haysbert, Jessica Lu, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Kathryn Morris.

A.P. Bio

Glenn Howerton as Jack as 'A.P. Bio'

Image: NBC

When a philosophy scholar loses out on his dream job and goes to work as a high school Advanced Placement biology teacher, he makes it clear he will not be teaching any biology. Realizing he has a room full of honor roll students at his disposal, he decides instead to use the kids to his own benefit. The cast includes Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt, Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Aparna Brielle, Jacob McCarthy, Nick Peine and guest star Vanessa Bayer.

Champions

J.J. Totah as Michael, Mindy Kaling as Priya in 'Champions'

Image: NBC

Vince, a charismatic gym owner with no ambition, lives with his younger brother Michael, a gorgeous idiot. Their simple life of women and working out is put on hold when the teenage son of Vince is dropped off on their doorstep by Priya (Mindy Kaling), one of his old high school flings.The cast includes Anders Holm, Andy Favreau, J.J. Totah, Mouzam Makkar and Nina Wadia.

Rise

From Jason Katims, writer and executive producer of Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller comes a new drama about finding inspiration in unexpected places. When dedicated teacher and family man Lou Mazzuchelli (Josh Radnor) sheds his own self-doubt and takes over the schools lackluster theater department, he galvanizes not only the faculty and students but the entire working-class town. Inspired by a true story. The cast includes Rosie Perez, Marley Shelton, Aulii Cravalho, Damon J. Gillespie, Amy Forsyth, Rarmian Newton, Ted Sutherland, Casey Johnson, Taylor Richardson, Joe Tippett and Shirley Rumierk.

The Awesome Show

From executive producer/host Chris Hardwick, executive producer Mark Burnett and Silicon Valleys Singularity University comes a new series that will showcase the groundbreaking scientific and technological advances that are shaping the future, as well as celebrate the pioneers and communities at the forefront of this golden age of unprecedented discovery, innovation and opportunity. Each episode of The Awesome Show will be a rollercoaster ride through the world of innovation as told by the people who are shaping it and whose lives are affected by it.

Ellen's Game of Games

Ellen DeGeneres hosts a new game show that features super-sized versions of some of the most beloved games from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as well as new trials. Contestants will be pulled from the studio audience to maneuver massive obstacles while answering trivia questions, all under the pressure of DeGeneres' mischievous antics.

Genius Junior

No stranger to young geniuses, Neil Patrick Harris hosts a new game show that celebrates the smartest kids in America. These talented genius juniors will team up to take on mind-blowing tests of logic, math, memory, spelling and more. Through escalating rounds, they will be tested in each area of the brain, culminating in an ultimate challenge to be crowned the smartest and brightest. The winning team will take home a life-changing prize setting the stage for a big, bright future ahead.

The Handmade Project

From executive producer and host Amy Poehler and co-host Nick Offerman comes a lighthearted competition celebrating the creativity and craftiness in all of us. Each week, eight amateur makers will take on a series of projects they must complete in their own unique way. As the competition escalates, the amateurs will be challenged to master progressively difficult skills, culminating in a final craft-off between the most creative and tenacious contestants. And here are the returning favorites that will be back on NBC next season: The Blacklist, Blindspot, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Dateline NBC, The Good Place, Great News, Law & Order: SVU, Little Big Shots, Shades of Blue, Superstore, Taken, This Is Us, Timeless, The Voice and The Wall.

WATCH: Yes, this TV really is transparent

Read more: The Viral News Network

http://mashable.com/2017/05/15/will-and-grace-trailer-nbc-new-shows-2017-2018-menendez-murders/

[pizzagirlll]

Rob math antics my beloved

[theleaderdotinfo-blog]

Top five biggest robberies in casino has been published at http://www.theleader.info/2017/09/14/top-five-biggest-robberies-casino/

New Post has been published on http://www.theleader.info/2017/09/14/top-five-biggest-robberies-casino/

Top five biggest robberies in casino

Casino parlors have always been a place of all kinds of good vibes where people meet, greet and have the time of their lives by involving themselves in a number of amazing casino games and winning some of the most attractive and alluring cash-prizes. The entire setup and ambience of casino itself are about the happy and jolly times that anyone and everyone would want to experience once during their lives. But what happens when these casino parlors end up becoming the favorite place of serious robbers who rob these places and take away all the money off it.

Casino robbery or casino heist hasn’t been so popular all this while, however, the Ocean’s Trilogy presented and inculcated the idea of some of the most serious and massive casino robberies in the minds of the robbers who then decided to act their way and to earn a lot of money, but illegally. Since then, a number of casino heists have taken place and the robbers have robbed a huge sum of money from different casinos of the world.

Following five cases have been recorded as the five biggest casino robberies that have taken place in the history of casino so far.

The famous case where the dealer went rogue:

This incident was taken place in the famous casino, the Stardust and the same is considered to be one of the biggest casino robberies of all the time. The Stardust casino game isn’t around anymore. However, not many people know that this casino has experienced a case of a serious robbery once upon a time.

This case is a well-known story of a sportsbook cashier who went on becoming a bit greedy on his part and hence decided to rob the entire casino for the want of money. The incident of Bill Brennan is recorded as one serious case where he walked out of the casino on fine September afternoon after serving his shift. However, he didn’t come alone but was accompanied by a bag that contained more than $500,000 in chips and cash in it. Post that incident, this individual was never seen or heard after that. He is still on the most wanted list of the FBI. Some people believe that this man is dead now. However, the truth hasn’t been disclosed. This story was closely introduced by www.slotzzz.com

When love met robbery:

This happens to be the one and only incident that records both love, as well as a robbery in one frame and the same is considered to be one of the biggest cases of robbery of all the time. Usually, many couple therapists would recommend the couples to take up any hobby together in order to keep the spark alive into their long-term relationship. Where most of the couples would decide going on a vacation or a dance class, this couple made a different by involving themselves into a full-fledged robbery.

Thus, 21-year old Heather Tallchief and 43-year old Roberto Solis together decided to take up the robbery of casino in the Circus Circus casino. This incident took place in the year 1993 when the couple easily made an escape in an armored truck after robbing an astronomical amount of $2.5 million. The couple left the town. Soon, it was found that Solis skipped the town, leaving the spouse and her young son alone with $1000. She later got arrested in the year 2005.

A wheely sneaky robbery:

This one is considered to be one of the most serious robberies of all the time where the masterminds of the robbery used all the hi-tech ways and means to rob some high-end casinos and to further take away all the money that it had. The incident didn’t take place at any single casino but the same was extended to multiple casinos throughout the casinos of California and therefore this case is considered to be one of the most popular cases of robbery at a casino.

Two physics students from the University of California, Santa Cruz planned to develop a small computer which could fit into a shoe of any size and interfered with the roulette wheels. The device that they developed would interfere with the wheel only to read all its movements so that one player could wear the shoe while the other would get all the information that has been relayed on the show and to bet on to it likewise. The computer would then short circuit and would cause s burnt shock and then both of them would be able to rob off the money. Sadly, both of these masterminds were caught and eventually charged.

It happened at the Casino Royale:

This robbery at casino surely took a huge inspiration from the Bond Franchise. The incident is recorded as one of the famous incidents of casino robbery in London. Three Londoners decided to arm themselves with the state-of-the-art spy equipment in order to hit not one, but six different casinos all across the capital of Britain.

This incident took place in the year 2000 where one of the bandits made the use of a miniature camera hidden in his sleeves in order to film the cards once they were dealt. This camera fed images directly to an accomplice in a van outside. The footage was then reviewed in slow motions and instructions of wagering were also fed to the man present inside through a small ear piece. Soon, these three Londoners were arrested and their hopes met a dead end.

The ultimate MIT blackjack:

This one is undoubtedly the biggest ever robbery in the history of casino that couldn’t be forgotten even by a common man. As the swedish gaming website www.jackpotkung.com claims,  the people involved into this robbery became so popular with their antics that they were also recorded in a book as well as a movie.

The entire sight of repeated robberies was encountered from the year 1979 to 1993. A team of a few notorious students and the math geniuses took the entire world by storm and ran the most prolific card-counting incident in the history and that too under the auspices of Bill Kaplan, a Harvard MBA graduate. This MIT crew successfully nabbed a huge sum of multi-millions throughout the casinos of the world. This robbery can never be forgotten.

Shocked much?

[newstfionline]

Lessons in learning: Mao, a piñata and a 3-year-old American in Shanghai

By Jay Mathews, Washington Post, September 10, 2017

In 1980, my wife, Linda, and I, both American journalists in Beijing, enrolled our 3-year-old son, Peter, in an elite government-run kindergarten. Classroom songs about Chairman Mao had been dropped after the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. A more ancient authority had returned to favor.

“My teacher is like my mother / We need not be afraid of her,” Peter sang with nine Chinese children and six other foreigners in his class.

In 2010, Lenora Chu and her husband, Rob Schmitz, both American journalists in Shanghai, enrolled their son, Rainey, 3, in an elite government-run kindergarten. Mao was back. Rainey and his 27 Chinese classmates sang the Cultural Revolution anthem:

“The east is red. The sun is rising. / From China comes Mao Zedong.”

That barely begins to reveal the startling changes chronicled in Chu’s new book, “Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve.”

I have written about the frenzied extremes of Chinese high schools and the gaokao annual college entrance exam, and why Chinese education officials are trying--without much success--to put their schools on a more relaxed, American-style path. Chu gets deep into that and adds a crucial new twist--the mind-blowing surge of the Chinese middle class.

The Chinese parents at the Beijing No. 1 Kindergarten my son attended 37 years ago were part of the government elite. But they had nothing close to the money and experience abroad of the parents Chu encountered at her son’s school in Shanghai, which she identifies with a pseudonym. I never saw anything like the antics she witnessed.

One well-traveled mother decided to amaze her friends with a piñata at her daughter’s birthday party. Instead of taking turns hitting the hanging effigy of Elsa from the film “Frozen,” the Chinese children attacked en masse. When the piñata finally broke, they wandered off, bored, because the mother did not know she was supposed to fill it with candy.

Rainey demonstrated his rapid assimilation by saying to Chu, “Mom, I know. But don’t say anything, okay?”

Chu likewise held her tongue while exploring the favor-trading habits that have survived the Communist Revolution. She took orders from teachers who wanted her husband, who was visiting the United States, to score some Western swag. One teacher asked for “Qianbi,” a brand-name transliteration even the Chinese-speaking Chu did not recognize. The teacher pointed to an ad on her classroom computer. “Clinique!” Chu said.

As Rainey grew older, his parents were torn between pride in his grasp of a foreign language and culture, and disgust with the pounding memorization and reigns of teacher terror even in his upper-crust classroom. The politics were always there, including Mao. The thoughts of the Chairman and Confucius squashed the imaginations that most American teachers encourage.

Chu concludes, “Obstacles to the creative process litter the Chinese education landscape: Domineering teachers who discourage open questioning; exam metrics that keep children studying rather than exploring; social collectivism that promotes conformity.”

She gives the Chinese credit for their rigorous early education system, particularly in math, but is too optimistic when she says they will eventually catch up with the soft skills of the West. By that she means independent and creative thinking. How will they do that without massive changes in the political and social system?

Chu says Rainey will eventually transfer to something more Western. He is lucky to be able to absorb so much. Our son Peter attended the Beijing school only one year but still likes Chinese pop music. Rainey will have a very interesting life.

[minebot45]

Webcomics I Enjoy

So some of you will eventually ask “Hey Minebot, what kinds of webcomics do you like to read?” To that, I say I read a variety of internet-based comics, more than I could list here without breaking someone’s browser. But if you want specifics, then here goes.

xkcd by Randall Munroe It doesn’t really matter where you begin on your webcomic journey, but xkcd is a good place to start. And no, that’s not an acronym, it’s “just a word with no phonetic pronunciation”. Describing itself as “A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language”, it provides readers with what to expect from a typical webcomic, most notably geek humor. Some of the jokes you might not be smart enough to get (the creator actually worked at NASA for a while, and it shows), but thankfully that viewers-are-geniuses area is limited to only about two-fifths of the comic. Some good ones are “Faust 2.0”, “Types of Editors”, and “Porn Folder”, which I think finds a decent middle ground between geek humor the normal-people humor. And then it gets visually insane such as “Click and Drag”, “Hoverboard”, “Pixels”, and “Time” (link doesn’t lead to the actual site because of how the comic is presented). Going back to more comprehensible stuff, we have “Baking Soda and Vinegar”, which geologists are sure to get a kick out of. Hope to see how you like it and the comic as a whole!

Dinosaur Comics by Ryan North Dinosaur Comics could be considered the epitome of the “cut-and-paste comic”: not only are the panels the exact same across all strips, but also in the exact same LAYOUT as well, and only the dialogue changes from comic to comic. Standing at over a thousand strips, the copypaste nature of the art doesn’t seem to bother fans.

MS Paint Adventures by Andrew Hussie Well, some of y'all knew this would be here. MS Paint Adventures is a unique brand of webcomic because the stories are mostly reader-driven; that is, there’s a suggestion box underneath each update where you can submit a command that might be picked. The individual adventures are worth checking out as well: • Jailbreak: The original adventure, where the player is a prisoner trying to escape from an incredibly illogical jail that is completely devoid of pumpkins. It began as a game on the Penny Arcade forums, and one of the rules was that he had to pick the very first suggested command for each move, no matter how unfunny or preposterous. It was abandoned until September 2011, where it was finally capped off with an ending. • Bard Quest is a curious case. It was an experiment where every panel had branching paths à la a choose-your-own-adventure book. It has since been abandoned altogether unlike Jailbreak. • Problem Sleuth: Bringing Hussie’s work into the limelight, Problem Sleuth concerns the antics of three especially hard-boiled detectives (the titular Problem Sleuth, Ace Dick, and Pickle Inspector) in their attempts to foil the dastardly plots of Mobster Kingpin and to escape from their offices. Parodying various point-and-click adventure game and JRPG conventions, it’s definitely worth a read. • Homestuck: Well, this one was definitely inevitable. It’s Tumblr and it’s webcomics; eventually Homestuck fans are just gonna grow out of the fucking mildew. Where to start? Well, Homestuck has an extremely complicated plot, and really, that’s all I’m prepared to say with certainty.

Cyanide and Happiness by Kris, Matt Melvin, Rob DenBleyker and Dave McElfatrick You know me (sort of), I like a good dose of offensive humor now and then. And that’s what Cyanide and Happiness does: remind me that it’s possible to make anything funny.

(to be updated later)

[pizzagirlll]

You can never replace Rob math antics

[topfygad]

New Zealand’s Wild Cities: A Kiwi Kinda Adventure

Short drives from Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch lead visitors to rare penguins, sea lions play-fighting on beaches, and fur seals having a lovers’ tiff.

  Wait long enough in the discreet sheds built along the Otago Peninsula and you’ll see yellow-eyed penguins waddle out of the sea after a hard day’s swim. They’re among the rarest in the world, but Otago gives visitors ample time to observe their adorable antics. Photo By: Xavier Fores-Joana Roncero/Alamy/Indiapicture

Dunedin

Come hail or harsh sun, the Otago Farmers Market pops up outside Dunedin Railway Station every Saturday morning. Its stained glass windows perk up when the morning light hits its early-20th-century facade. In the lawns, out come pumpkins the size of doll houses, Pinot Noirs from the Central Otago Peninsula, and buskers with guitars and voices like honey. A Frenchman hands me two crêpes: one with poached pear bundled in chocolate sauce and custard, another packed with Jerusalem artichokes, pork, cheese and egg. People’s purses balloon with jars of fragrant honey made from manuka bushes. A man with crinkly eyes doles out bacon butties, pepper pâté, and a smile each. And pies, oh there are pies everywhere. I try the traditional hangi (Maori feast) pie with beef, pumpkin, kumara (sweet) potato, and carrot. I feel I’ll never be able to eat another meal again. Until I move to the next truck.

It has been a long time since a group of Scottish settlers came to this part of Maori land in the mid-19th century and named it Dunedin (‘Dùn Èideann’ is the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh). Today, the city is a peppy university town, with ringing pubs, stunningly preserved Victorian and Edwardian buildings, a castle, and even its own kilt shop.

But I am here for Otago Peninsula, a mere 30-minute ride yet a world away, where the van waiting outside the railway station will take me.

Beyond the window of this little shed is a world that was never tamed. Cliffs so high that they’d tingle toes; the sea so blue that it can see into your soul. Dusk makes the ancient bays and beaches of the Otago Peninsula seem a bit broody. The wind howls and roars, but the green and gold tussock by the harbour bears it stoically.

I peer a few feet ahead, at the sea. Anytime now.

A yellow-eyed penguin emerges; it toddles slowly with hunched shoulders, as if walking back from school after flunking a maths test. I can sympathise: it has dived into the sea 200-300 times today, swimming 65-230 feet each time in search of seafood. It comes close enough to the shed for me to see its rad yellow eyebands—which gives it its name. Its irises too are the colour of van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.”

The royal albatross (top)—one of the world’s largest birds—and cheeky Hooker’s sea lions (bottom) are some of the creatures that call the Otago Peninsula home (bottom inset). The peninsula is a mere 30-minute drive from Dunedin (top inset). Photo Courtesy: Dunedinnz (Albatross); Photos By: Michael Rucker/ImageBroker/Getty Images (sea lions); Daniel Harwardt/iStock/Getty Images (coast)

Knee-high in size, this penguin species is believed to be the world’s rarest; about 3,000-odd ones are found only here, in New Zealand, on the eastern and southern coasts of South Island. I’m incredibly lucky to see them like this in the wild, where they roam free and are at home.

In seconds, more and more cuddly creatures rise from the sea, some strutting like calendar models, oblivious to me and my guide silently whooping in the hide. Mark, the guide, has seen this hundreds of times; he taps my arm when one penguin throws back its arms à la Shah Rukh Khan, and emits a long shrill cry. “Their Maori name is hoiho, which means ‘noise shouter’,” Mark whispers as the penguin sings with rockstarish head-shaking. Hoihos aren’t very sociable; I watch one accidentally headbutt a sheep on its way up the cliff behind us, waddling on quickly without meeting its eye. At the top, one curious lone penguin stands like Christ the Redeemer. For 15 whole minutes.

All life in the 33-kilometre Otago Peninsula revolves around preserving its creatures—the yellow-eyed and little blue species of penguins, New Zealand fur seal, New Zealand sea lion, and royal albatross. Large stretches are unpaved and settlements are small; it’s heartening to see some private properties have walking tracks for the easy passage of tourists. Trench-like hides built at various beaches and corners along the peninsula ensure that some wildlife (penguins in particular) rarely comes in direct contact with visitors. Operators like Mark’s company, Elm Wildlife Tours, are visibly passionate about ecotourism.

At the northernmost tip of Otago Peninsula is Taiaroa Head. The main attraction on this windswept piece of land jutting from the coastline is The Royal Albatross Centre, the only breeding colony on a mainland for the world’s largest seabird. Their wingspans are more than 10 feet (that’s twice the size of my mother). Rob, a guide at the centre, leads me to a viewing room with a glass panel. A young chick is huddled outside on a patch of grass, looking like it were made of cotton balls. Adult albatrosses spend almost 80 per cent of their time at sea, returning only to feed their young. They divvy up parenting, like the progressive spouses they are. Rob speaks of these gentle giants as if their lives are no less gripping than his favourite soap opera. “Royal albatrosses, or toroa, have a three-year mating period, so if you get bored of your partner, it’s going to be a while before you’ll settle down again,” he says. His favourite albatross here, he adds, was the one called ‘Grandma’ because she raised her last chick at 62. “She divorced one of her partners, but got back again. Then there’s one here in his 30s, who is bereaved and hasn’t put himself out there again,” rues Rob. As the perfect ending of his story, an adult toroa comes soaring in a circle, and swoops in towards its chick. I see its grace. These “ocean wanderers” fly 1,90,000 kilometres a year; I think of how, in less than eight months, a strong gust of wind will launch the baby albatross on its maiden flight.

Exploring the Otago Peninsula largely on foot, beside empty beaches, inlets, and dreamy purple clusters of hebe blossoms, feels more intimate than a safari. It also drives home an important lesson: that it’s me who’s on the turf of these creatures. Making myself invisible—huddling in hides, standing behind glass panels—is key to understanding them.

So I feel oddly exposed when Mark walks down Papanui beach in long strides, towards two, five, nay, nine sea lions roaring and gamboling in the sand. “They are endemic, the Hooker’s sea lions; confident around humans. Maintain safe distance, and you’re fine,” he says, coaxing me to stand about eight feet away from one that weighs at least 350 kilograms. He takes photos while I look over my shoulder at the way the creature bullies and playfights smaller lions around him, throwing sand over them, barking and chasing them. Almost all sea lions at Otago, I learn, are related to ‘Mum,’ a female who had a pup here in 1993—the first to be born on the mainland in over 100 years (https://ift.tt/1bDQ61i; tours from NZD122/Rs5,760 adults, children NZD112/Rs5,300).

All you need to observe New Zealand fur seals along Tongue Point, a 20-minute drive from Wellington (inset), is curiosity and a healthy 15-foot distance. Photos By: Skyimages/iStock/Getty Images (seal); Fotoshoot/Alamy/indiapicture (boy)

From the airplane, you can see the Hollywood-style sign perched on a hillside. ‘Wellington’ it reads, the last two letters askew, floating skyward. On ground, the world’s windiest city pops with Victorian homes along its harbour.

That evening, my walk from Wellington’s waterfront to Cuba Street passes through revolving doors of the world: Japanese, Vietnamese, Moroccan, and Indonesian food aromas come drifting, transporting me to secret kitchens. Coffeemakers hiss with head-clearing Cuban coffee at Fidel’s café; a puppeteer pulls strings to make her puppet paint a portrait of a little girl standing close by, sending her into squeals of disbelief. At Cuba Street’s night market, a persistent steampunk jewellery artist, a bookshop, and a paella stall tug at my heart and purse strings.

They say you can walk from one end of the Kiwi capital to the other in 30 minutes, and I do. The morning after, I book a tour with Seal Coast Safaris to look beyond the windy city. In just 20 minutes, Kent, my guide for the three-hour tour, drives the 4WD to a wind turbine on Brooklyn Hill, through private farmlands with ostrich and red deer. Soon, I see old mountains lick the waters of the South Coast. Wellington seems far away, and this place its rustic sibling—no golden sand beaches or sunbathers, no people at all.

Just the sea pummelling grey outcrops and hills that look a giant’s hairy back. When Kent stops along one of the beaches, at Tongue Point, I get out and—with a shock—realise I am surrounded by at least 15 New Zealand fur seals. Some look out at the robin’s-egg blue water. Others yawn as I tiptoe towards them, but begin hissing and spitting when I get too close. Two fur seals seem to be having a lovers’ tiff, smacking and flapping their flippers at each other. Another one scratches its neck and looks bored with their drama (www.sealcoast.com; tours from adults NZD125/Rs5,900, children 14 and under NZD62.5/Rs2,950).

A 1.5-hour drive southeast of Christchurch takes visitors to Akaroa, whose waters host the Hector’s dolphins—the world’s rarest and smallest. Don’t miss Akaroa’s other attraction: a whimsical sculpture garden with mosaic figures, the Giant’s House (inset). Photo Courtesy: Graeme Murray (dolphin), Photo by: Dennis Macdonald/ AgeFotostock/ Dinodia Photo Library (mosaic statues)

Roses bloom outside colonial homes in Rue Balguerie, and onion soup bubbles in old-timey cafés in nearby Rues. Iridescent paua shells mark some graves in the Old French Cemetery up the hill. I haven’t woken up in France, but it’s easy to forget that in the little town of Akaroa, a 1.5-hour drive away from Christchurch, South Island’s largest city.

Hewn from a volcano, Akaroa tucks charm in the little things—a walk to its lighthouse that watches over Caribbean-blue waters of the Banks Peninsula; stories of how French settlers arrived at its shores in 1840 only to find that the British had beaten them to it; or at the Giant’s House, a sculpture garden with Gaudi-like mosaics and Dali-esque whimsy.

Akaroa is catnip for another, significant reason—it is the home of the rare Hector’s dolphins, among the world’s smallest at five feet and endemic to New Zealand. When a Black Cat Cruise ship takes me and other visitors into the bay, cathedral-like coves and mystical orange-brown volcanic formations surround us. Seals scamper as our boat inches closer to the rockface. And then, as suddenly as they rose, the grey-black bodies of three Hector’s dolphins sink into the waters ahead of us. The boat stops, and a little girl beside me giggles every time the dolphins hiss and pop up like a jack-in-the-box of the sea. Our skipper points out their black dorsal fins—rounded, instead of pointed. Some cruises offer a chance to swim with Hector’s dolphins too (blackcat.co.nz; cruise NZD85/Rs4,015, children 5-15 NZD35/Rs1,650).

Flights between Delhi or Mumbai and New Zealand’s capital, Wellington—or Christchurch in South Island—require at least one layover in a gateway cities such as Sydney or Singapore. Dunedin is connected to Christchurch by regular domestic flights and two buses a day (6 hr; www.intercity.co.nz). Self-drive is the most popular way to travel within New Zealand. Indian travellers can apply for a New Zealand visa online (www.immigration.govt.nz). A month-long visa costs NZD246/Rs11,435 and is processed within 28 working days.

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source http://cheaprtravels.com/new-zealands-wild-cities-a-kiwi-kinda-adventure/