#whithorn trust

[thesilicontribesman]

An absolute pleasure visiting The Whithorn Trust Museum and Iron Age Roundhouse yesterday. Really helpful guides and some fantastic artefacts on display; a really friendly venue!

[emilyspanicroom]

Dust and Shadows: Part 3

Please read my first 2 parts if you haven’t already!

Part 1:

Part 2: 

Aelin looked out her window at the whistling sound outside.

From far away, two figures came hurtling out of the sky, a dark-haired man clutching for dear life, to the waist of a white-haired female.

Dorian Haviland, King of Adarlan, and Manon Blackbeak, High Witch of the Blackbeak Clan, Queen of the Crochan Witches and Queen of Adarlan, landed in the courtyard astride Abraxos.

Well, at least Manon landed. The landing was too generous a word for what Dorian did. Dorian practically fell off the saddle and stumbled about on the courtyard cobblestones until he reached the edge of a nearby fountain and sat down.

Then from behind them, a smaller figure astride a broomstick whizzed through the air like an arrow and a tiny, dark-haired witchling hopped to the ground.

For the first time in a long while, the Queen of Terrasan laughed.

She stood, flung open the doors to the courtyard and ran towards the group of three.

“Trust you to come completely uninvited and without warning!”

Dorian groaned and stood shakily.

“It wasn’t my idea.”

The dark-haired witchling bared her small fangs in a smile. “Suck it up.”

Behind her, Manon put her hands on her hips.

Aelin choked on a suppressed giggle.

“Hello, Rhiannon.”

Rhiannon Havillard offered her a grin.

“After surviving a major war, Dorian’s still a wimp.”

Manon sighed affectionately before continuing.

“We’ve come to discuss trade. But mainly to visit. He,” She gestured to Dorian, still struggling to stand, “won’t shut up about visiting you. You haven’t visited us for five years. He’s brought three trunks full of books. They still have to be shipped over.”

Dorian waved a hand in the air to get her attention.

“I hope you have tea. And sandwiches. And knowing you, I’m hopeful for chocolate.”

He winked. Manon slapped him on the shoulder.

Dorian winced and next to him, Rhiannon burst into silent laughter.

“Where is Eleyntia?”

Rhiannon, having overcome her fit of laughter, asked.

The last time she had visited Adarlan, Aelin remembered, Lina and Rhiannon had become quite good friends. She didn’t remember much from that trip - it had mostly been spent sitting listlessly on a couch, listening to Dorian’s comforting words, and Manon demanding to know what had happened between her and…well she didn’t like to think of it.

Manon was one of the few people who knew every detail about what had happened. No doubt she had told Dorian as well. To her credit, she hadn’t said a word for or against…him…after she had told her.

Aelin gave Rhiannon a small smile.

“I’ll send for her.”

Lina, the Princess of Adarlan is here.“ Evangeline bounced into her room.

Lina quickly shoved the basket she had been holding under the bed.

Then the words registered in her mind. A wave of panic washed over her.

"Rhiannon is here?”

Evangeline pulled the door wider, beaming.

“Yes. Princess Rhiannon is here.”

Indeed, it was Rhiannon who swaggered in the door.

They had been about three or four the last time they had seen each other. During that time the two of them had gotten into a brawl that had left both of the bruised and bloody. Neither of them had cried. After they were both exhausted, Rhiannon had held out a hand and Lina had shaken it. They had gone and eaten chocolates together in the kitchens. The servants had gasped when they saw the two of them covered in mud and filth.

“Hello, Princess Eleyntia Rowena Galathynius.”

Rhiannon performed a mock curtsy.

The door closed as Evangeline left.

She tried not to look at the basket under her bed. Buzzard would be waiting for her like he did every day since the first time she had snuck out into the woods. He’d wait and wait. Any other day she would have been delighted to see Rhiannon. But not today.

Lina forced herself to flash a wicked smirk.

“Hello, Ana.”

Rhiannon threw herself on the bed and buried her face in Lina’s pillows.

“You didn’t visit. You said you would.”

Rhiannon’s feet were dangerously close to the basket.

“I couldn’t. Mama wouldn’t let me.”

Rhiannon sat up.

“Well, I’m sure she can be convinced.”

She spluttered. “Have you met my mother!”

Rhiannon rolled her eyes. 

“You could just run away. I’m sure the stables have horses.”

Lina barely heard her. She was focusing on Rhiannon’s feet. One step closer to the bed and...

Rhiannon traced her stare to under the bed. To Lina’s horror, she reached down and plucked up the picnic basket.

“For someone whose mother used to be an assassin, you should really be more discreet. Going somewhere?”

Lina snatched the basket out of her hands.

“Yes. And I can’t tell you where, but someone is waiting for me. Please don’t tell!”

Rhiannon observed her from head to toe for a minute. Her teeth were dangerously close to her throat.

“Why should I do that?”

Lina sent a desperate prayer to the gods.

She told Rhiannon everything. When she hd finished, Rhiannon tapped an iron talon on her thigh.

Then, to her surprise, Rhiannon spoke.

“I think I know who you are going to see. My mother once told me a story…well, go then. I’ll cover for you.”

Lina was reminded of why she had spent endless nights sobbing in her bed after her mother had told her they were not to visit Adarlan for a long while.

“Thank you.”

She grabbed her basket.

Rhiannon flicked her wrist. “Go!”

In the midst of his meeting with Aelin, Dorian saw a bright streak of golden hair flash across the window.

It was undoubtedly Eleyntia, though, from a distance, it seemed uncannily like a copy of the child Aelin he had met when he was just a boy.

He watched as the Princess of Terrasan ran across the fields towards the forest.

What was the heir of Terrasan doing, running into the woods unguarded and without supervision?

“Dorian, what are you staring at?”

His wife snapped, slowly tapping an iron nail against the table.

He shook his head.

“Nothing.”

He was waiting for her in exactly the same place as he had first met her.

But this time, he was pacing back and forth in what Lina thought to be worry.

“Where have you been, Lina?”

He seemed to be scanning every inch of her for injuries.

“I’m sorry, but the King and Queen of Adarlan came today and I had a hard time leaving Rhiannon behind. She promised not to tell though! You can trust her!” She added as he tensed.

“If someone had told me long ago that you could trust a witchling, I would not have believed them. But I think Rhiannon Havillard takes after her mother in that respect.”

Lina arched an eyebrow.

“You knew the King and Queen of Adarlan? I thought you were only my mother’s Knight. She told me so, anyhow.”

He traced a finger over his jawline. His features darkened.

“They were your mother’s allies in the war. Moreover, they were her friends. And I am only your mother’s Knight. I do not serve any other court.”

Maybe she appeared frightened, but his voice softened.

“Now, what have you brought in that basket?”

Her mother’s knight popped a hazelnut truffle into his mouth.

“Your mother always said these were the best things on earth. I never knew why she liked them so much. But I think I may be beginning to understand.”

She giggled.

“Mama eats far too many. It’s a wonder her teeth are not all black.”

“Indeed.” He rumbled.

A beam of light touched her face.

The sun had begun to dim.

Lina gasped and grabbed her basket.

“Mama will miss me!”

Her mother’s knight leaped to his feet. “Hurry then!”

She brushed the moss off her dress. Then, she felt him grab her by the wrist.

“Come again, Little Queen.”

His voice was wistful.

And certainly, she would

“How was your excursion with King Rowan Whithorn Galathynius?”

Rhiannon drawled as she entered the room, legs crossed on her bed.

Lina froze.

“Who?”

Rhiannon threw aside the book she had been reading.

“Don’t deny it. I can smell the fae scent on you. Prince Rowan Whitehorn, the strongest fae male alive?”

Lina felt the world shift under her feet.

No. I couldn’t be.

And yet he fit the description. He had her eyes.

“My father?” She whispered.

[fuckyeahjohnnychrist]

Once again, to all who are hanging with us, THANK YOU for being with us and we are VERY happy to have you here :) 

A lot is going on in the world every day, and we mainly try to be an escape, but we wanted to just take a moment to let y’all know that our thoughts and prayers are with all affected by Harvey. 

A7X tweeted to indicate they are working on fund raising efforts of their own, which we speculate will probably be merch deals and/or auctions with proceeds going to the cause. We aren’t sure but that’s what we suspect. 

In the mean time, here are some organizations that you can look into if you want to help, courtesy of The New York Times: 

Local organizations

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund of Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, which is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

If you live in Texas, the City of Houston Emergency Operations Center has posted a list of places where you can drop off donations.

Houston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are asking for donations.

The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is reporting a critical shortage, and has extended hours at all of its San Antonio-area donor rooms. To donate, call 210-731-5590 or visit their website for more information.

Carter BloodCare covers hospitals in North, Central and East Texas. To donate, call 877-571-1000 or text DONATE4LIFE to 444-999.

To help animals suffering from the disaster, visit the Houston Humane Society or the San Antonio Humane Society. The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has set up an animal emergency response hotline (713-861-3010) and is accepting donations on its website.

The Texas Diaper Bank in San Antonio is asking for diapers and wipes, which can be dropped off in person or mailed to 5415 Bandera Road, Suite 504, San Antonio, Tex., 78238.

The United Way of Greater Houston flood relief fund will be used to help with immediate needs as well as long-term services like minor home repair. Visit their website to donate or text UWFLOOD to 41444.

The L.G.B.T.Q. Disaster Relief Fund will be used to help people “rebuild their lives through counseling, case management, direct assistance with shelf stable food, furniture, housing and more.” It is managed by The Montrose Center, Houston’s longtime community center for the area’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population.

For more options, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends checking with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster for a list of trusted disaster-relief organizations in Texas.

National organizations

The American Red Cross is accepting donations on its website. You can also text HARVEY to 90999 to donate $10.

AmeriCares takes medicine and supplies to survivors.

Catholic Charities provides food, clothing, shelter and support services to those from all religious backgrounds.

Direct Relief is shipping medicine and medical supplies to Texas, and has made its entire medical inventory of more than $100 million available for the Harvey relief effort.

Matthew 25: Ministries is distributing personal care kits, cleaning products, first aid and safety kits, diapers, paper products and tarps.

Donations to the Salvation Army can be made online, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) or texting STORM to 51555.

Save the Children is delivering baby supplies, including cribs and strollers, and setting up child-friendly spaces in shelters.

AABB, which coordinates a task force to manage blood collection efforts during disasters, put out a call on Sunday for blood donations in the aftermath of Harvey. Most in demand: those with type O-positive blood.

Those interested in donating blood may contact the following organizations:

• AABB: 301-907-6977• America’s Blood Centers • American Red Cross: 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)• Armed Services Blood Program: 703-681-5979

Online-only organizations

Airbnb is waiving service fees for those affected by the disaster and checking in between Aug. 23 and Sept. 25, and can guide users in creating a listing where their home is offered to victims free.

GoFundMe has created a page with all of its Harvey-related campaigns, including one started by the country singer Chris Young, who donated $100,000, and another created by the president and chief executive of the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

YouCaring has a fund-raising page set up by J. J. Watt of the Houston Texans with a goal of $10 million. By 9:30 p.m. Wednesday it had raised more than $7 million.

GlobalGiving’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund supports local organizations by helping to “meet survivors’ immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products and shelter.” It will also assist with longer-term recovery efforts.

How to avoid being scammed

Before giving money to an organization, do your research.

Charity Navigator, which identifies worthy charities, has a handy list of organizations that are responding in the aftermath of the storm. Their extensive database provides a good starting place to research nonprofits.

The Internal Revenue Service can also help you investigate an organization. Its search tool reveals whether or not an organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.

For advice on avoiding fraudsters, read Charity Navigator’s post on how to protect yourself, and check out these tips from the Federal Trade Commission.

“Be wary of charities that spring up too suddenly in response to current events and natural disasters,” the F.T.C. website says. “Even if they are legitimate, they probably don’t have the infrastructure to get the donations to the affected area or people.”

GoFundMe, the source of many new fund-raisers that popped up after Harvey, offers a way for donors and campaign organizers to communicate directly.

Bobby Whithorne, a spokesman for GoFundMe, said in an email that if a specific campaign is raising questions, “report the campaign directly to GoFundMe by clicking ‘Report Campaign’ on the GoFundMe campaign page or, report your concerns to the state Consumer Protection Hotline.”

[kansascityhappenings]

GoFundMe refunds money after police say fundraiser for homeless man was a scam

https://embed-prod.vemba.io/vemba-embed.js

GoFundMe has made refunds to thousands of people who donated money to a feel-good story that police say turned out to be an elaborate scam.

A New Jersey couple and a homeless man are accused of concocting the scheme, which raised more than $400,000.

“All donors who contributed to this GoFundMe campaign have been fully refunded. GoFundMe always fully protects donors, which is why we have a comprehensive refund policy in place,” said GoFundMe spokesman Bobby Whithorne. The campaign had attracted some 14,000 donors.

The scam

The couple, Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico, and the homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., face charges of second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

The couple had said they met Bobbitt when he gave his last $20 to McClure, who was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, so she could put gas in her car, then started the GoFundMe campaign as a way to thank him.

“The paying-it-forward story that drove this fundraiser might seem too good to be true,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said at a news conference last month. “Unfortunately, it was. The entire campaign was predicated on a lie.”

After fees, the proceeds of the campaign netted about $367,000, all deposited into McClure’s accounts, Coffina said. Bobbitt received $75,000, and within months McClure and D’Amico had “squandered” their share to buy a car, high-end handbags and trips, Coffina said. They also used it at casinos, he said.

‘Make people feel bad’

Coffina stressed that while Bobbitt, a veteran, deserves thanks for his service to the country and sympathy for his situation, he was fully complicit in the crime, making media appearances to help “promote the fraudulent campaign.”

According to Coffina, McClure and D’Amico first met Bobbitt at an off-ramp near a casino they frequented, at least a month before the GoFundMe campaign went live.

They went back to the spot a month later, Coffina said. D’Amico took a picture of McClure and Bobbitt that became the face of the GoFundMe campaign that they started hours later, Coffina said.

Investigators reviewed more than 67,000 text messages in the case, including one McClure sent to a friend that read, “Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn’t. I had to make something up to make people feel bad.”

In other texts, the couple discussed their inability to pay bills and their mounting debts.

Fighting fraud

GoFundMe’s spokesman stressed the crowdfunding site is committed to fighting fraud.

“It’s important to understand that misuse is very rare on our platform,” Whithorne said. “Campaigns with misuse make up less than one tenth of one percent of all campaigns. We have a zero tolerance policy for fraudulent behavior. If fraud occurs, donors get refunded and we work with law enforcement officials to recover the money.”

According to its website, the company has a Trust and Safety team that reviews GoFundMe campaigns around the clock and works to prevent fraud. It also guarantees a refund for donors in case “something isn’t right” with a campaign, the site says.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2018/12/25/gofundme-refunds-money-after-police-say-fundraiser-for-homeless-man-was-a-scam/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2018/12/25/gofundme-refunds-money-after-police-say-fundraiser-for-homeless-man-was-a-scam/

[internetbasic9]

Business Homeless Veteran Will Get Money That Was Raised for Him, GoFundMe Says

Business Homeless Veteran Will Get Money That Was Raised for Him, GoFundMe Says Business Homeless Veteran Will Get Money That Was Raised for Him, GoFundMe Says https://ift.tt/2MVtsbU

Business ImageJohnny Bobbitt Jr., left, and Mark D’Amico and Kate McClure at a gas station in Philadelphia in 2017. Mr. Bobbitt gave the couple his last $20 when they were stranded and needed gas.CreditCreditElizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer, via Associated PressA homeless veteran who sued a New Jersey couple, claiming that he did not receive most of the $400,000 they had raised for him online, will get the money he is due, GoFundMe said Thursday evening.The man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., met the couple, Mark D’Amico and Kate McClure, when they were stranded on a road in Philadelphia in 2017 and he gave them $20. The couple posted the story online, and it inspired over 14,000 people to make donations to Mr. Bobbitt via GoFundMe.But Mr. Bobbitt said that he received only $75,000 and that the couple spent the rest, including on a BMW. He sued the couple last month, and the police are investigating. The couple have disputed his allegations.On Thursday evening, GoFundMe said that it would help to cover the costs, if necessary, to ensure that Mr. Bobbitt gets any donations that he has not already received.“Johnny will be made whole and we’re committing that he’ll get the balance of the funds that he has not yet received or benefited from,” GoFundMe said in a joint statement with Cozen O’Connor, a law firm representing Mr. Bobbitt.The statement came on the same day that investigators searched the property of Ms. McClure and Mr. D’Amico.The authorities arrived at the couple’s home in Florence Township, N.J., around 8 a.m. on Thursday and were seen taking away items in bags and towing away a BMW coupe.Scott A. Coffina, the prosecutor for Burlington County, N.J., said that investigators in his office and from the Florence Township Police Department searched the property “in connection with a criminal investigation into the Johnny Bobbitt matter.”“As of this time, there have been no charges filed,” Mr. Coffina said in an email.Lawyers for Mr. Bobbitt and the couple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Mr. D’Amico was seen swinging a golf club outside his house as the authorities searched his residence.The authorities executed the search warrant a day after a court hearing in New Jersey in which a judge expressed frustration that the couple’s lawyer did not show an accounting of the money raised and if it had been spent.Mr. D’Amico and Ms. McClure did not appear at the hearing, and their lawyer, Ernest Badway, said the couple would invoke their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination and not produce the financial information requested by the judge, Paula T. Dow of the Burlington County Superior Court.“I am no longer comfortable with counsel representing what their clients purport to say, when I have no certifications from the clients, no appearances by the clients, and a record that before me lacks clarity at times as to what happened with the funds,” Judge Dow told Mr. Badway on Wednesday.At the end of the hearing, Judge Dow ordered Mr. Badway and Chris Fallon, a lawyer for Mr. Bobbitt, to organize their financial documents and provide an accounting at a hearing scheduled for Monday.On Aug. 30, Judge Dow had ordered the couple to transfer the money into an escrow account by the next afternoon.When the couple first met Mr. Bobbitt, he was homeless on the streets of Philadelphia and “living off the kindness of strangers,” according to Jacqueline Promislo, another lawyer representing him. She said last month that Mr. Bobbitt was seeking treatment in rehab but declined to elaborate.Mr. D’Amico and Ms. McClure said they bought Mr. Bobbitt a trailer home and parked it on their property. But Ms. Promislo said they bought the trailer in their name and have since sold it.Mr. Bobbitt estimates that he received $75,000, including the cost of the trailer. Mr. Badway disputed that amount in court and said the couple gave Mr. Bobbitt more than $200,000 in goods and services.“I had to ask them for everything in the beginning,” Mr. Bobbitt told WPVI-TV, the ABC station in Philadelphia. “It was a joke.”On the NBC show “Megyn Kelly Today” last week, Mr. D’Amico said that of the total money raised, he spent only $500 on himself, at a casino, but that he repaid it.On the show, the couple said they withheld money from Mr. Bobbitt after they gave him $25,000 before Christmas last year and Mr. Bobbitt spent it in two weeks. “We didn’t want to give him the whole $400,000,” Mr. D’Amico said, adding that they were worried Mr. Bobbitt would spend it on drugs.Mr. Bobbitt has said he wants to put what remains of the money in a trust and learn how to manage it.“I hate that it came to this,” Mr. Bobbitt told the ABC station. “I didn’t want to be pressuring to get a lawyer or do anything, because I didn’t want to appear ungrateful.”GoFundMe says it is prepared to pay for funds that Mr. Bobbitt has not yet received as part of its “GoFundMe Guarantee, which means that in the rare case that GoFundMe, law enforcement or a user finds campaigns are misused, donors and beneficiaries are protected.”It is unclear how much that might cost, but the organization will find out “at the conclusion of the investigation or legal proceedings and after a detailed accounting has taken place,” said Bobby Whithorne, a spokesman for GoFundMe.Jacey Fortin contributed reporting.A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: Couple’s Home Is Searched After Suit Says They Stole Cash Sent to Homeless Man. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe Read More | https://ift.tt/2NSYfCt | https://ift.tt/2sGIQNW

Business Homeless Veteran Will Get Money That Was Raised for Him, GoFundMe Says, in 2018-09-07 03:50:07

[goodnewsjamaica]

MoBay City run donates $500,000 to four early childhood institutions

New Post has been published on http://goodnewsjamaica.com/education/mobay-city-run-donates-500000-to-four-early-childhood-institutions/

MoBay City run donates $500,000 to four early childhood institutions

Four early childhood institutions in western Jamaica are now fully certified after meeting the standards of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) following receipt of funding totalling $500,000 from the proceeds of the 2017 staging of the MoBay City Run.

The four institutions are the Vaughnsfield Primary and Infant School and Catherine Hall Basic School in St James, the Santoy Basic School in Hanover and the Whithorn Early Childhood Institution in Westmoreland. Together the four institutions received a total $500,000 to cover expenses to improve the standards at their facilities.

The four schools join an elite group of 111 early childhood institutions out of the overall 2,700 that are now fully certified by the ECC.

“I want to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that because of MoBay City Run’s investment these four institutions are now fully certified,” Nordia Seymour-Hall, director, Sector Support Services, ECC, disclosed.

“We have just about 2,700 early childhood institutions in Jamaica. Ninety-one per cent of them have applied for a certificate of registration. So basically 2,433 of them have applied for certificates of registration and of that number, only a few are fully certified; the number is quite small. It’s 111 certified early childhood institutions that we have.”

Seymour-Hall was delivering the keynote address at the official cheque presentation ceremony of the 2017 staging of MoBay City Run annual 10k/5k race.

A cheque for $4.5 million went to tertiary students attending the University of the West Indies Western Campus, University of Technology Western Campus, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, and the Montego Bay Community College.

Acting director, University of the West Indies, Western Jamaica Campus Patrick Prendergast noted that charitable organisations are doing an excellent job in assisting early childhood institutions to be fully certified by the ECC.

“I think that one of the most wonderful things that this country has done in recent times is to introduce the Early Childhood Commission, because certain targets have been set that we have to meet and, trust me, MoBay City Run, this is where we come in. Because we also know that the charitable organisations have been doing a tremendous job of filling the gap that exists at that level,” Prendergast, who is also a committee member of MoBay City Run, expressed.

Established in 2014 by journalist Janet Silvera, MoBay City Run has so far raised over $15 million.

By: Horace Hines

Original Article Found Here

[janetgannon]

Exploring Western Haven, Newtown

Peter Bruce packs a picnic and takes a dinghy day trip to explore a secret haven just a mile or two from the Solent

Among the prettiest of all Solent creeks is Western Haven in Newtown, which has a simple magical charm.

Long ago, the Romans were said to appreciate the quality of the oysters here and a town was founded by the Bishop-elect of Winchester in the 13th century.

The town showed initial promise as a trading port but, after a devastating raid by the French in 1377 and perhaps also the effect of the Black Death, it went into decline and subsequently failed, leaving the original ground plan still visible from the air.

This rare feature is of great interest to archaeologists because most towns of this age have been built over, destroying the original street pattern and house plot boundaries.

Today, it’s one of the more popular anchorages in the western Solent, a National Nature Reserve owned by the National Trust and home to several enticingly bucolic creeks, ripe for exploration by dinghy.

Two metres of depth can be found in the channel on a good spring tide but finding the deep route can be rather testing and the consequences of becoming stuck in a keel boat can be rather calamitous. Boats with vulnerable propellers are a bit unsuitable as well, so all in all there are few visitors and quite often, you have the whole inlet to yourself.

A trip in the dinghy is quite another matter and, if one is lucky enough to be able to sail, wildlife will not be disturbed. The expedition can be undertaken any time of year but choosing to leave at the start of the high water stand is wise, as Newtown mud is especially binding. Try to choose a sunny day, bring the children, the dog on a lead and a picnic. If sailing or outboarding, take a pair of oars as backup.

Continues below…

The Isle of Whithorn in Scotland

It may be slightly out of the way for those heading north, but this anchorage near the Solway Firth is…

Lundy, Bristol Channel

Lundy is a bird-watcher’s paradise with its own particular character, but mind the swell, says Jonty Pearce

Watermill Cove, Isles of Scilly

A remote, attractive anchorage away from the crowds, for Mark Fishwick Watermill Cove is also a useful bolthole when St…

Finding the channel requires a little skill, though sticking to the middle pays off mostof the time. Use the navigational marks on the few occasions there are any to be found. As you go up the creek, think of the momentum and scouring effect of flowing water and thus stay on the outside of any bend. Look at the surface where the slightest contrary wind will generate ripples where the current is flowing most strongly and this will be the deepest water. If in doubt, stick an oar in to find the depth.

Weed on the surface usually means shallows and often, the bottom can be seen in thinly covering water. This may be a good point to get both oars out. An encounter with the riverbed should not be taken as a signal to retreat, merely failure to have found the main channel at the first attempt, so study the surface and try elsewhere. My book Solent Hazards has aerial photographs taken at low tide that show the channel.

Red squirrels can sometimes be seen in the woodland that appears on the right at the intersection of Shalfleet and Western Haven and this is where the loveliest scenery starts. After the first right-handed bend most of the way up to the bridge at Ningwood, both sides of the river are mainly lined with oak trees.

There are two creeks off to the right of the channel but no easy place to disembark, though just short of the bridge on the left there is a landing place and a path to the road. This area is often busy with ducklings in summer. Primroses and violets will be seen in the spring, samphire in June and July and sloes in late September.

Small craft will be able to pass under the bridge, though there is rather less depth further up here at Ningwood Lake, which is slightly more adventurous. A little scrutiny and perhaps trial and error will find the channel. After passing under the bridge, go firmly right and after a stretch of 120m going right of the middle, go again to the right until the channel narrows when the best water will be in the middle, fallen trees allowing.

The inlet goes up to a footbridge which is as far as any boat can go. There is a grassy sloping field on the right where one might be lucky enough to see in summer a silver-washed fritillary or a green-winged orchid. Mallard, grey heron, pheasant and foxes are quite common all through the year and ospreys use Newtown as a resting place in spring and autumn on their migration north and south. A footpath leads south through fields to the hamlet of Ningwood on the A3054 main road and north to the village at Cranmore and eventually to Hamstead.

Western Haven is a lovely find: please don’t make noise, wash or leave litter so others can enjoy it too!

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from http://yachtaweigh.com/exploring-western-haven-newtown/ from https://yachtaweigh.tumblr.com/post/168252993956

[yachtaweigh]

Exploring Western Haven, Newtown

Peter Bruce packs a picnic and takes a dinghy day trip to explore a secret haven just a mile or two from the Solent

Among the prettiest of all Solent creeks is Western Haven in Newtown, which has a simple magical charm.

Long ago, the Romans were said to appreciate the quality of the oysters here and a town was founded by the Bishop-elect of Winchester in the 13th century.

The town showed initial promise as a trading port but, after a devastating raid by the French in 1377 and perhaps also the effect of the Black Death, it went into decline and subsequently failed, leaving the original ground plan still visible from the air.

This rare feature is of great interest to archaeologists because most towns of this age have been built over, destroying the original street pattern and house plot boundaries.

Today, it’s one of the more popular anchorages in the western Solent, a National Nature Reserve owned by the National Trust and home to several enticingly bucolic creeks, ripe for exploration by dinghy.

Two metres of depth can be found in the channel on a good spring tide but finding the deep route can be rather testing and the consequences of becoming stuck in a keel boat can be rather calamitous. Boats with vulnerable propellers are a bit unsuitable as well, so all in all there are few visitors and quite often, you have the whole inlet to yourself.

A trip in the dinghy is quite another matter and, if one is lucky enough to be able to sail, wildlife will not be disturbed. The expedition can be undertaken any time of year but choosing to leave at the start of the high water stand is wise, as Newtown mud is especially binding. Try to choose a sunny day, bring the children, the dog on a lead and a picnic. If sailing or outboarding, take a pair of oars as backup.

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Finding the channel requires a little skill, though sticking to the middle pays off mostof the time. Use the navigational marks on the few occasions there are any to be found. As you go up the creek, think of the momentum and scouring effect of flowing water and thus stay on the outside of any bend. Look at the surface where the slightest contrary wind will generate ripples where the current is flowing most strongly and this will be the deepest water. If in doubt, stick an oar in to find the depth.

Weed on the surface usually means shallows and often, the bottom can be seen in thinly covering water. This may be a good point to get both oars out. An encounter with the riverbed should not be taken as a signal to retreat, merely failure to have found the main channel at the first attempt, so study the surface and try elsewhere. My book Solent Hazards has aerial photographs taken at low tide that show the channel.

Red squirrels can sometimes be seen in the woodland that appears on the right at the intersection of Shalfleet and Western Haven and this is where the loveliest scenery starts. After the first right-handed bend most of the way up to the bridge at Ningwood, both sides of the river are mainly lined with oak trees.

There are two creeks off to the right of the channel but no easy place to disembark, though just short of the bridge on the left there is a landing place and a path to the road. This area is often busy with ducklings in summer. Primroses and violets will be seen in the spring, samphire in June and July and sloes in late September.

Small craft will be able to pass under the bridge, though there is rather less depth further up here at Ningwood Lake, which is slightly more adventurous. A little scrutiny and perhaps trial and error will find the channel. After passing under the bridge, go firmly right and after a stretch of 120m going right of the middle, go again to the right until the channel narrows when the best water will be in the middle, fallen trees allowing.

The inlet goes up to a footbridge which is as far as any boat can go. There is a grassy sloping field on the right where one might be lucky enough to see in summer a silver-washed fritillary or a green-winged orchid. Mallard, grey heron, pheasant and foxes are quite common all through the year and ospreys use Newtown as a resting place in spring and autumn on their migration north and south. A footpath leads south through fields to the hamlet of Ningwood on the A3054 main road and north to the village at Cranmore and eventually to Hamstead.

Western Haven is a lovely find: please don’t make noise, wash or leave litter so others can enjoy it too!

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The Whithorn Trust Museum Iron Age Roundhouse, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

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The Whithorn Trust Museum Iron Age Roundhouse, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

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Contemporary Woodcarving Of The Early Medieval Feasting Hall And The Site It Occupied, Whithorn Trust Museum, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

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The Whithorn Trust Museum Iron Age Roundhouse, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

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Port William World Oceans Day event 12 noon - 5:00 pm on Saturday 8th June is about more than just lobsters (although you can see them too) discover local history, fish life, place names and the problem with plastic as well as activities for all! Marine Conservation Society, The Whithorn Trust, Freelance Ranger, SMILE Project

[kansascityhappenings]

Couple, homeless man accused of setting up GoFundMe campaign ‘predicated on a lie’

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A New Jersey couple and a homeless man have been accused of making up a feel-good story that raised more than $400,000 through GoFundMe.

The couple, Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico, and the man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., face charges of second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.

The couple had said they met Bobbitt when he gave his last $20 to McClure, who was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, so she could put gas in her car, then started the GoFundMe campaign as a way to thank him.

“The paying-it-forward story that drove this fundraiser might seem too good to be true,” Coffina said at a press conference.

“Unfortunately, it was. The entire campaign was predicated on a lie.”

After fees, the proceeds of the campaign netted about $367,000, all deposited into McClure’s accounts, Coffina said. Bobbitt received $75,000, and within months McClure and D’Amico had “squandered” their share to buy a car, high-end handbags and trips, Coffina said. They also used it at casinos, he said.

Coffina stressed that while Bobbitt, a veteran, deserves thanks for his service to the country and sympathy for his situation, he was fully complicit in the crime, making media appearances to help “promote the fraudulent campaign.”

According to Coffina, McClure and D’Amico first met Bobbitt at an off-ramp near a casino they frequented, at least a month before the GoFundMe campaign went live.

They went back to the spot a month later, Coffina said. D’Amico took a picture of McClure and Bobbitt that became the face of the GoFundMe campaign that they started hours later, Coffina said.

Investigators reviewed more than 67,000 text messages in the case, including one McClure sent to a friend that read, “Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn’t. I had to make something up to make people feel bad.”

In other texts, the couple discussed their inability to pay bills and their mounting debts.

Coffina also pointed out that Bobbitt posted a “remarkably similar” story on his Facebook page in 2012.

At the time, he wrote that he had come across a woman who had run out of gas and had a flat tire at a Walmart in North Carolina. He said he had given her the last of his money.

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” Coffina said.

GoFundMe has committed to providing a full refund to the campaign’s 14,000 donors, Coffina said.

D’Amico and McClure surrendered Wednesday night and were released pending a court date, Coffina said. Bobbitt was also taken into custody in Philadelphia and is awaiting extradition. Second-degree crimes in New Jersey carry the potential of five to 10 years in jail, Coffina said.

Ernest Badway, an attorney for D’Amico and McClure, declined to comment.

The charges come months after Bobbitt sued McClure and D’Amico, accusing them of withholding the money raised on his behalf.

Asked by a reporter if the trio would have gotten away with the deception had they not begun to fight over the money, Coffina replied, “There’s a good chance they might have.”

‘Misuse’ is rare on GoFundMe, spokesman says

In a statement, a spokesman for the crowdfunding site confirmed donors will receive a refund. GoFundMe is “fully cooperating” with law enforcement officials in the investigation.

“While this type of behavior by an individual is extremely rare, it’s unacceptable and clearly it has consequences,” said Bobby Whithorne, adding that misuse is rare on GoFundMe.

“Campaigns with misuse make up less than one-tenth of 1% of all campaigns,” he said. “We have a zero tolerance policy for fraudulent behavior.”

According to its website, the company has a Trust and Safety team that reviews GoFundMe campaigns around the clock and works to prevent fraud. It also guarantees a refund for donors in case “something isn’t right” with a campaign, the site says.

A viral story falls apart

Last fall, social media was abuzz with the story of McClure and D’Amico’s seeming act of kindness.

McClure and D’Amico began a GoFundMe campaign so they could “do something special” for Bobbitt, they said. The campaign quickly raised a total of $402,706.

Video showed the couple revealing the sum to an overjoyed Bobbitt, promising him they would get him settled in a new home. The money, Bobbitt said, would change his life.

But questions about the money soon followed.

In August, Bobbitt’s lawyers sued the couple for fraud, claiming that the funds McClure and D’Amico raised were never used as promised.

Instead of giving Bobbitt money for a house, the couple bought him a camper without his consent and kept him in it on their property with “no access to money or food,” his lawyers alleged. They said Bobbitt only saw $75,000 of the nearly $400,000 he was owed.

The money was put into the couple’s personal accounts, his lawyers said.

The couple said they were being cautious about giving Bobbitt large sums of money until he had a job and was off drugs.

But with questions looming about how much — if any — of the money was left for Bobbitt, a judge ordered that the couple appear before the court for a deposition.

The next day, Florence Township police in New Jersey executed a search warrant in the couple’s home. Police confirmed the warrant was related to Johnny Bobbitt Jr., but the couple was not charged with anything at the time.

Bobbitt’s lawyers then took the matter to GoFundMe, who agreed to foot the bill and ensure Bobbitt would receive the total he was promised. In September, the company gave Bobbitt $20,000 as part of the guarantee, with the rest of the $400,000 to be handed over pending an investigation.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2018/11/15/couple-homeless-man-accused-of-setting-up-gofundme-campaign-predicated-on-a-lie/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2018/11/15/couple-homeless-man-accused-of-setting-up-gofundme-campaign-predicated-on-a-lie/