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"What are you carrying?" the first Barbadian... 671 [Mar. 4th, 2010|02:31 am] "What are you carrying?" the first Barbadian rapped out, his voice blunt as a trowel "Ale," Baerd said, squeezing his hands together"Only barrels of ale for the north "Ale for Ferraut? You are a liar "No, no," Baerd said hastilyWe got a very good priceEleven astins the barrelGood enough to be worth taking all the way northWe are bound for Astibar with thisWe can sell it for three times that Which would have been true, had he not paid twenty-three astins for each of these At a gesture from the leader two of the Barbadians dismountedThey cracked open one of the barrels, using their swords as leversThe pungent, earthy smell of link post comment

That was before she closed her eyesShe knew what... 276 [Feb. 13th, 2010|03:01 am] That was before she closed her eyesShe knew what was coming and how it was going to hurtShe wanted her father alive in that moment with a longing so acute she almost weptHer brother was down there though, among soldiers who hated themShe forced back her tears and opened her eyes "You," said the soldier to the apprentice, they always started with him, "your province had another name onceTell them what it was She saw the boy, Naddo was his name, go white with fear or anger, or bothThe four merchants, oblivious to that irrelevance, leaned forward, straining with anticipationDianora saw Naddo look at her brother for guidance, or perhaps for dispensation The soldier link post comment

If you study the law, you become an attorney, and... 531 [Feb. 12th, 2010|02:53 am] If you study the law, you become an attorney, and a study of auto mechanics makes you a mechanicThe mistake in becoming what you study is that too many people forget to mind their own businessThey spend their lives minding someone else's business and making that person rich To become financially secure, a person needs to mind their own business Your business revolves around your asset column, as opposed to your income columnAs stated earlier, the No1 rule is to know the difference between an asset and a liability, and to buy assetsThe rich focus on their asset columns while everyone else focuses on their income statements That is why we hear so often: "I need a raise "If only I had a promotion "I am going to go back to school to get more training so I can get a better job "I link post comment

She could scarcely believe what she had just... 718 [Feb. 11th, 2010|02:44 am] She could scarcely believe what she had just heard, what he had seen Brandin's good humor was still with him "What mountain tales do you have in Certando?" he queried, smiling expectantly "Stories of hairy things that walk on legs like tree stumps and eat goats and virgins in the night His smile broadened"Are there any?" "Goats, yes," she said with a straight faceHairy creatures with such specific appetites are not an incentive to chastityAre you sending out a party to search for this creature?" A question so important she held her breath awaiting his reply "I think not," Brandin said"I suspect such things are only seen when they want to be Which, she knew for a fact, was absolutely true "I haven't told anyone but you," he added unexpectedly There was no dissembling in the expression link post comment

But Baerd had been right, her stranger who had... 625 [Feb. 6th, 2010|03:11 am] But Baerd had been right, her stranger who had come to them out of darkness and changed the shape of the Ember wars He had returned to the village late in the day that followed, after his friends had come down from the pass and ridden westHe had spoken to Donar and Mattio and to Carenna and Elena and said that what the Night Walkers shared had to be a kind of magic, if not the same as wizardryTheir bodies changed in the Ember Nights, they walked under a green moon through lands that were not there by the light of day, they wielded swords of growing corn that altered under their handsThey were wedded in their own fashion, he had said, to the magic of the Palm And Donar had agreed that this was soSo Baerd had told them, carefully, what his purpose was, and that of his friends, and he'd asked Elena to come to Castle link post comment

Devin wondered what he saw thereHe wondered, but... 467 [Feb. 5th, 2010|03:14 am] Devin wondered what he saw thereHe wondered, but he didn't really want to know, Erlein was a shadow, a darker place in the world against the dark by the riverbankDevin lifted himself on one elbow to look for Baerd, but Baerd had gone away, to walk alone in the night Alessan hadn't moved, or opened his eyesHe was still playing, lonely and high and sorrowful, when Devin fell asleep He woke to Baerd's firm hand on his shoulderIt was still dark and quite cold nowThe fire had been allowed to die to ember and ashCatriana and the Duke were still asleep, link post comment

Devin wondered what he saw thereHe wondered, but... 623 [Feb. 5th, 2010|03:14 am] Devin wondered what he saw thereHe wondered, but he didn't really want to know, Erlein was a shadow, a darker place in the world against the dark by the riverbankDevin lifted himself on one elbow to look for Baerd, but Baerd had gone away, to walk alone in the night Alessan hadn't moved, or opened his eyesHe was still playing, lonely and high and sorrowful, when Devin fell asleep He woke to Baerd's firm hand on his shoulderIt was still dark and quite cold nowThe fire had been allowed to die to ember and ashCatriana and the Duke were still asleep, link post comment

Some asked us what we were doingTo which we... 453 [Feb. 4th, 2010|03:11 am] Some asked us what we were doingTo which we replied, "We can't tell youIt's a business secret My mom grew distressed as the weeks wore onWe had selected a site next to her washing machine as the place we would stockpile our raw materialsIn a brown cardboard box that one time held catsup bottles, our little pile of used toothpaste tubes began to grow Finally my mom put her foot downThe sight of her neighbors' , messy, crumpled used toothpaste tubes had gotten to her"What are you boys doing?" she asked"And I don't want to hear again that it's a business secretDo something with this mess or I'm going to throw it out Mike and I pleaded and begged, explaining that we link post comment

She looked down at the men from the... 500 [Feb. 2nd, 2010|03:25 am] She looked down at the men from the window-ledgeThere was a singing in her heart, a crescendo of hope and pride "Death to Barbadior's servants!" she screamed at the top of her voice"Freedom for Senziol" she cried, and then: "Long live King Brandin of the Palm!" One man, quicker than the others, reacted, springing across the roomHe was not quite quick enough, not as fast as sheShe had already turned, the acid of those last, necessary words eating in her brainShe saw the moons again, Eanna's stars, the wide, waiting darkness between them and beyondFelt the night wind in her face and in her hair, saw the dark ground of the garden begin to hurtle up toward her, heard voices for an instant, and then none at link post comment

She looked down at the men from the... 640 [Feb. 2nd, 2010|03:25 am] She looked down at the men from the window-ledgeThere was a singing in her heart, a crescendo of hope and pride "Death to Barbadior's servants!" she screamed at the top of her voice"Freedom for Senziol" she cried, and then: "Long live King Brandin of the Palm!" One man, quicker than the others, reacted, springing across the roomHe was not quite quick enough, not as fast as sheShe had already turned, the acid of those last, necessary words eating in her brainShe saw the moons again, Eanna's stars, the wide, waiting darkness between them and beyondFelt the night wind in her face and in her hair, saw the dark ground of the garden begin to hurtle up toward her, heard voices for an instant, and then none at link post comment

This particular afternoon the patrons enjoying... 109 [Feb. 1st, 2010|03:09 am] This particular afternoon the patrons enjoying the young tenor's rousing rendition of a Certandan ballad were rudely snapped out of their bar-pounding rhythm when the doors to the street were pushed open, revealing a largish cluster of new customersNothing of note in that, of courseOr not until the singer cut himself off in the middle of a chorus with a shouted greeting, the piper quickly laid down his pipes and leaped off the stage, and the harper lowered his own instrument and followed, if more slowly The enthusiasms of the reunion that ensued would have led to predictably cynical conclusions about the nature of the men involved, given the way of such things in Senzio, had the new party not included a pair of exceptionally attractive young women, one with short red hair, one with raven-darkEven the harper, a dour, unsmiling fellow if ever there was one, was drawn almost against his will into the circle, to be crushed against the bony breast of a cadaverous looking Khardhu mercenary who towered over the rest of the link post comment

This particular afternoon the patrons enjoying... 281 [Feb. 1st, 2010|03:09 am] This particular afternoon the patrons enjoying the young tenor's rousing rendition of a Certandan ballad were rudely snapped out of their bar-pounding rhythm when the doors to the street were pushed open, revealing a largish cluster of new customersNothing of note in that, of courseOr not until the singer cut himself off in the middle of a chorus with a shouted greeting, the piper quickly laid down his pipes and leaped off the stage, and the harper lowered his own instrument and followed, if more slowly The enthusiasms of the reunion that ensued would have led to predictably cynical conclusions about the nature of the men involved, given the way of such things in Senzio, had the new party not included a pair of exceptionally attractive young women, one with short red hair, one with raven-darkEven the harper, a dour, unsmiling fellow if ever there was one, was drawn almost against his will into the circle, to be crushed against the bony breast of a cadaverous looking Khardhu mercenary who towered over the rest of the link post comment

There was an abundance of laughing and blessing... 15 [Jan. 31st, 2010|02:36 am] There was an abundance of laughing and blessing Mas?r, as StClare distributed small pieces of change among them ?Come, now, take yourselves off, like good boys and girls,? he said link post comment

In mathematical science, more than in all others,... 469 [Jan. 29th, 2010|07:18 am] In mathematical science, more than in all others, it happens that truths which are at one period the most abstract, and apparently the most remote from all useful application, become in the next age the bases of profound physical inquiries, and in the succeeding one, perhaps, by proper simplification and reduction to tables, furnish their ready and daily aid to the artist and the sailor It may also happen that at the time of the discovery of such principles, the mechanical arts may be too imperfect to render their application likely to be attended with success Such was the case with the principle of the hydrostatic paradox link post comment

The weather is getting colder every hour, and... 252 [Jan. 28th, 2010|02:12 am] The weather is getting colder every hour, and there are snow flurries which come and go as warnings-It took all my courage to say goodbye to my darlingWe may never meet againCourage, Mina! The Professor is looking at you keenlyHis look is a warningThere must be no tears now, unless it may be that God will let them fall in gladness JONATHAN HARKER'S JOURNAL 30 October, night-I am writing this in the light from the furnace door of the steam launchLord Godalming is firing upHe is an experienced hand at the work, as he has had for years a launch of his own on the Thames, and another on the Norfolk BroadsRegarding our plans, we finally decided that Mina's guess was correct, and that if any waterway was chosen for the Count's escape back to his Castle, the Sereth and then the Bistritza at its junction, would be the oneWe took it, that somewhere about the 47th degree, north latitude, would be the place chosen for crossing the country between the river and the CarpathiansWe have no fear in running at good speed up the river at nightThere is plenty of water, and the banks are wide enough apart to make steaming, even in the dark, easy enoughLord Godalming tells me to sleep for a while, as it is enough for the present for one to be on watchBut I cannot sleep, how can I with the terrible danger hanging over my darling, and her going out into that awful place? My only comfort is that we are in the hands of GodOnly for that faith it would be easier to die than to live, and so be quit of all the troubleSeward were off on their long ride before we startedThey are to keep up the right bank, far enough off to get on higher lands where they can see a good stretch of river and avoid the following of its curvesThey have, for the first stages, two men to ride and lead their spare horses, four in all, so as not to excite curiosityWhen they dismiss the men, which shall be shortly, they shall themselves look after the horsesIt may be necessary for us to join forcesIf so they can mount our whole partyOne of the saddles has a moveable horn, and can be easily adapted for Mina, if required It is a wild adventure we are onHere, as we are rushing along through the darkness, with the cold from the river seeming to rise up and strike us, with all the mysterious voices of the night around us, it all comes homeWe seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown waysInto a whole world of dark and dreadful thingsGodalming is shutting the furnace door? 31 October-Still hurrying alongThe day has come, and Godalming is sleepingThe morning is bitterly cold, the furnace heat is grateful, though we have heavy fur coatsAs yet we have passed only a few open boats, but none of them had on board any box or package of anything like the size of the one we seekThe men were scared every time we turned our electric lamp on them, and fell on their knees and prayed 1 November, eveningWe have found nothing of the kind we seekWe have now passed into the Bistritza, and if we are wrong in our surmise our chance is goneWe have overhauled every boat, big and littleEarly this morning, one crew took us for a Government boat, and treated us accordinglyWe saw in this a way of smoothing matters, so at Fundu, where the Bistritza runs into the Sereth, we got a Roumanian flag which we now fly link post comment

Then I will sleep!" And almost at the word she... 423 [Jan. 27th, 2010|02:07 am] Then I will sleep!" And almost at the word she gave a deep sigh of relief, and sank back, asleep All night long I watched by herShe never stirred, but slept on and on in a deep, tranquil, life-giving, health-giving sleepHer lips were slightly parted, and her breast rose and fell with the regularity of a pendulumThere was a smile on her face, and it was evident that no bad dreams had come to disturb her peace of mind In the early morning her maid came, and I left her in her care and took myself back home, for I was anxious about many thingsI sent a short wire to Van Helsing and to Arthur, telling them of the excellent result of the operationMy own work, with its manifold arrears, took me all day to clear offIt was dark when I was able to inquire about my zoophagous patientHe had been quite quiet for the past day and nightA telegram came from Van Helsing at Amsterdam whilst I was at dinner, suggesting that I should be at Hillingham tonight, as it might be well to be at hand, and stating that he was leaving by the night mail and would join me early in the morning-I was pretty tired and worn out when I got to HillinghamFor two nights I had hardly had a wink of sleep, and my brain was beginning to feel that numbness which marks cerebral exhaustionLucy was up and in cheerful spiritsWhen she shook hands with me she looked sharply in my face and said, "No sitting up tonight for youI am quite well againIndeed, I am, and if there is to be any sitting up, it is I who will sit up with you I would not argue the point, but went and had my supperLucy came with me, and, enlivened by her charming presence, I made an excellent meal, and had a couple of glasses of the more than excellent portThen Lucy took me upstairs, and showed me a room next her own, where a cozy fire was burningI shall leave this door open and my door tooYou can lie on the sofa for I know that nothing would induce any of you doctors to go to bed whilst there is a patient above the horizonIf I want anything I shall call out, and you can come to me at once I could not but acquiesce, for I was dog tired, and could not have sat up had I triedSo, on her renewing her promise to call me if she should want anything, I lay on the sofa, and forgot all about everything LUCY WESTENRA'S DIARY 9 September-I feel so happy tonightI have been so miserably weak, that to be able to think and move about is like feeling sunshine after a long spell of east wind out of a steel skySomehow Arthur feels very, very close to meI seem to feel his presence warm about meI suppose it is that sickness and weakness are selfish things and turn our inner eyes and sympathy on ourselves, whilst health and strength give love rein, and in thought and feeling he can wander where he willsI know where my thoughts areIf only Arthur knew! My dear, my dear, your ears must tingle as you sleep, as mine do wakingOh, the blissful rest of last night! How I slept, with that dear, good DrAnd tonight I shall not fear to sleep, since he is close at hand and within callThank everybody for being so good to meThank God! Goodnight ArthurSEWARD'S DIARY 10 September-I was conscious of the Professor's hand on my head, and started awake all in a secondThat is one of the things that we learn in an asylum, at any link post comment

Hello, my account friends 408 [Jan. 26th, 2010|11:45 am] Welcome to my first blog link post comment

When he had completed it he stood beside me again... 705 [Jan. 26th, 2010|11:45 am] When he had completed it he stood beside me again saying, "At least you shall be safe here from him!" He took the glasses from me, and at the next lull of the snow swept the whole space below us"See," he said, "they come quicklyThey are flogging the horses, and galloping as hard as they can He paused and went on in a hollow voice, "They are racing for the sunsetGod's will be done!" Down came another blinding rush of driving snow, and the whole landscape was blotted outIt soon passed, however, and once more his glasses were fixed on the plain Then came a sudden cry, "Look! Look! Look! See, two horsemen follow fast, coming up from the southIt must be Quincey and JohnLook before the snow blots it all out!" I took it and lookedThe two men might be DrI knew at all events that neither of them was JonathanAt the same time I knew that Jonathan was not far offLooking around I saw on the north side of the coming party two other men, riding at breakneck speedOne of them I knew was Jonathan, and the other I took, of course, to be Lord GodalmingThey too, were pursuing the party with the cartWhen I told the Professor he shouted in glee like a schoolboy, and after looking intently till a snow fall made sight impossible, he laid his Winchester rifle ready for use against the boulder at the opening of our shelter "They are all converging," he said"When the time comes we shall have gypsies on all sides I got out my revolver ready to hand, for whilst we were speaking the howling of wolves came louder and closerWhen the snow storm abated a moment we looked againIt was strange to see the snow falling in such heavy flakes close to us, and beyond, the sun shining more and more brightly as it sank down towards the far mountain topsSweeping the glass all around us I could see here and there dots moving singly and in twos and threes and larger numbersThe wolves were gathering for their prey Every instant seemed an age whilst we waitedThe wind came now in fierce bursts, and the snow was driven with fury as it swept upon us in circling eddiesAt times we could not see an arm's length before usBut at others, as the hollow sounding wind swept by us, it seemed to clear the air space around us so that we could see afar offWe had of late been so accustomed to watch for sunrise and sunset, that we knew with fair accuracy when it would beAnd we knew that before long the sun would setIt was hard to believe that by our watches it was less than an hour that we waited in that rocky shelter before the various bodies began to converge close upon usThe wind came now with fiercer and more bitter sweeps, and more steadily from the northIt seemingly had driven the snow clouds from us, for with only occasional bursts, the snow fellWe could distinguish clearly the individuals of each party, the pursued and the pursuersStrangely enough those pursued did not seem to realize, or at least to care, that they were pursuedThey seemed, however, to hasten with redoubled speed as the sun dropped lower and lower on the mountain tops Closer and closer they drewThe Professor and I crouched down behind our rock, and held our weapons readyI could see that he was determined that they should not passOne and all were quite unaware of our presence All at once two voices shouted out to "Halt!" One was my Jonathan's, raised in a high key of link post comment

"Britain to Mull Pros, Cons of Fastest Railroad in Europe [Jan. 25th, 2010|05:50 pm] "The proposal of building Europe's fastest railroad has to get the British government to think real hard: not only of its benefits, but of its costs and critics as well. Fresh public perception of the pre-Christmas service disruption along Britain's first purpose-built high-speed railroad might have rendered Wednesday a bad time for proposing after all, though the cause of that disruption was pinned down on the French side of the Channel. High Speed Two or HS2 for short, the firm to advise the government on the development of a high-speed rail service between London and Birmingham, handed in its proposal to the Department of Transport anyway. If the government accepts the proposal, it will release in late March next year a white paper to detail out route proposal, construction schedule and assessment of finance, economy and environment. The proposal cannot be finalized before a public consultation to start in the fall of 2010. The London-Birmingham high-speed rail scheme, however, will weather its first test of cost-cutting from whichever party winning the British general election slated for the coming May. If, that is if, everything goes along well, Britain's second purpose-built high-speed railroad will start construction in 2017 and open to service in 2025, at a cost no one dares nor cares to mention now. The building of the country's first purpose-built high-speed rail, or High Speed One, already provoked debate among national media and rail circles on the merits of constructing higher speed railroads in the country. But British Secretary of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis described the HS2 proposal as ""important"" in that it ""will shape the future of high-speed rail"" in Britain. ""High-speed rail has real potential to regenerate and reinvigorate. Our high-speed network lags behind that of many of our European neighbors and doesn't connect any of our major cities, but this report could change that. ""I am excited about the possibilities that high-speed rail has to transform transport in this country for the better, providing environmental benefits, encouraging investment and boosting business and jobs,"" he said in a statement. The international definition of high-speed rail is new lines with a speed of at least 250 kilometers per hour (km/h). High-speed rails were capable of doing 270 km/h in 1985 and are now able to do 350 km/h. HS2 is designing rails that can do up to 400 km/h. ""While 400 km/h passenger trains do not currently exist, HS2 is designing a track that will be capable of carrying trains up to this speed in the future,"" the firm said in its online info message. ""It is highly unlikely that a high-speed train would be required to exceed this speed in the UK, even if the technology existed. This is mainly due to the fact that the overall time saved at speeds beyond 400 km/h would be so small that it would not justify the additional energy used and environmental impacts of going faster."" Unmentioned is probably another belated justification. Though the origin of steam-engine locomotives and passenger rail services, Britain now has only 114 kilometers of high-speed railroad in existence, compared with 5,794 kilometers already in place and 3,218 kilometers under construction in Europe. ""Scrutiny of the (proposal) report will begin immediately and we will announce how we plan to take high-speed rail forward by the end of March -- making 2010 the year of high speed rail in the UK,"" the secretary of state has pronounced. When the project is completed, 1,100 people can travel in the 400-meter-long train that departs every hour from either London or Birmingham to better connect the country's southeast and midwest." link post comment

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