As I reflect on the meaning of Thanksgiving and its beginnings, I cannot help but think of the heart of those faithful men and women who risked all for the love of God; many of them leaving their homes and families to endure hardship and death for many of them. What was their motivation and why was it so important that they would take such great risks? As the writer to the Hebrews puts it;

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)

Although the writing was speaking of the patriarchs and not pilgrims, I want very much for God to say to me what he said about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “I am not ashamed to be called your God.”

Now consider the reason he gives: “They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” The reason is their desire. They desire a better country—that is, a better country than the earthly one they live in, namely a heavenly one. This is the same as saying they desire heaven, or they desire the city God has made for them.

So two things make God unashamed to be called our God: he has prepared something great for us, and we desire it above all that is on the earth. So why is he proud to be the God of people who desire his city more than all the world? Because their desire calls attention to the superior worth of what God offers over what the world offers.

This was the strong desire and motivation of the Puritan Separatists – those pilgrims who traveled from England in search of a better place where they may worship their God. The Reformation was an age of unprecedented religious violence and martyrdom. Many who resisted the King and the established Catholic Church would face certain persecution and martyrdom by fire.

But Daniel 11:32 says, “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

And great were the exploits of the Puritan Separatists. William Brewster, was a founder of the Plymouth Colony in New England. He helped lead the Separatist movement in England, 1606, allowing the nonconformists to meet for worship at his home in Scrooby, England. He escaped religious persecution by fleeing with the Separatists to Holland, 1608.

William Bradford, was a Pilgrim leader who helped establish the Plymouth Colony. Sailing in the Mayflower, he was chosen as governor of the colony in 1621, and was reelected 30 times until his death. In 1650, William Bradford wrote a history Of Plymouth Plantation. In it, he traced the events which led to the Pilgrims’ departure from England, and from it is where we derive most or our information about the early pilgrims and the Plymouth Colonies:

Governor William Bradford stated: They shook off this yoke of antichristian bondage, and as the Lord’s free people, joined themselves by a covenant of the Lord into a church estate in the fellowship of the gospel, to walk in all His ways, made known unto them, according to their best endeavors, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.¹⁹⁶

In 1607, as a result of religious persecution upon their persons, reputations, families, and livelihood, the “Separatists,” or Pilgrims, departed from England for Holland. Governor Bradford recorded:

Being thus constrained to leave their native soyle and countrie, their lands and livings, and all their friends and famillier acquantance. … to goe into a countrie they knew not (but by hearsay) where they must learne a new language, and get their livings they knew not how, it being a dear place, and subject to the miseries of war, it was by many thought an adventure almost desperate, a case intolerable, and a miserie worse than death. …

But these things did not dismay them (though they did sometimes trouble them) for their desires were sett on ye ways of God and to enjoye His ordinances; but they rested in His providence, and knew whom they had believed.¹⁹⁵

They lived in Holland 12 years, but little did they realize that out of the 103 Pilgrims who departed, 51 would die in the first winter in the New World. On September 6, 1620, after two attempts which were canceled due to the ship, the Speedwell, developing a leak, the Pilgrims finally set out for America in the Mayflower, just as the stormy season began in the North Atlantic. On November 11, 1620, having been blown off course by violent winds from their intended destination of Virginia, the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They found the area deserted, as the Patuxet tribe which lived there, one of the fiercest Indian tribes on the New England coast, had been destroyed by a great plague just two years prior. Had the Pilgrims landed there earlier, they would most likely have been massacred as the survivors of a French vessel were in 1617, as recounted by Bradford:

About three years before, a French ship was wrecked at Cape Cod, but the men got ashore and saved their lives and a large part of their provisions. When the Indians heard of it, they surrounded them and never left watching and dogging them till they got the advantage and killed them, all but three or four, whom they kept, and sent from one Sachem to another, making sport with them and using them worse than slaves.²⁰⁰

On November 12, 1620, the first full day in the New World, Bradford described the Pilgrims’ thankfulness: Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.²⁰²

Later he would write; what could now sustain them but the spirit of God and His grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; (Deuteronomy 26:5, 7) but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their adversity. Let them therefore praise ye Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure for ever. (107 Psalm: v. 1, 2, 4, 5, Yea let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, show how He has delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of ye way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry, and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness, and His wonderful works before the sons of men.²⁰³

Three years after the Pilgrims’ arrival and two years after the first Thanksgiving, Governor William Bradford made an official proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving, to all the Pilgrims he said: Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least making some ways toward it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work.²¹¹

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are (Romans 4:17); and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole na[i]tion; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.²¹²

The great and rich spiritual heritage of those who would dare go against the powers of this world and do exploits by the grace of God because of the future hope of a promised possession – a city made by God, eternal in the heavens. And for this, the same future possession, the Lord has called you and me to as well, as the apostle Peter tells us, “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4).

¹⁹⁵ Bradford, William. 1607, in his work entitled, 4 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, 1901, from the Original Manuscript, Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, Washington, D.C.; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; NY: Random House, Inc., Modern Library College edition, 1981; San Antonio, TX: American Heritage Classics, Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas, 1988). Verna M. Hall, comp., Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1976), p. 186.Marshall Foster and Mary-Elaine Swanson, The American Covenant—The Untold Story (Roseburg, OR: Foundation for Christian Self-Government, 1981; Thousand Oaks, CA: The Mayflower Institute, 1983, 1992), p. 32.

¹⁹⁶ Bradford, William. 1650, in his work entitled, 4 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, 1901, from the Original Manuscript, Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, Washington, D.C.; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; NY: Random House, Inc., Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1976), p. 185. Marshall Foster and Mary-Elaine Swanson, The American Covenant—The Untold Story (Roseburg, OR: Foundation for Christian Self-Government, 1981; Thousand Oaks, CA: The Mayflower Institute, 1983, 1992), p. 62.

²⁰⁰ Bradford, William. 1617, describing the fate of a French ship wrecked off Cape Cod. William Bradford (Governor of Plymouth Colony), 2 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, from the original manuscript; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; San Antonio, TX: American Heritage Classics, Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas, 1988), p. 82.

²⁰² Bradford, William. November 12, 1620, in recounting the Pilgrims’ first full day in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in his work entitled, 2 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, 1901, from the Original Manuscript, Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, Washington, D.C.; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; NY: Random House, Inc., Modern Library College edition, 1981; San Antonio, TX: American Heritage Classics, Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas, 1988), ch. 9, p. 64. John Bartlett, Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 265.

²⁰³ Bradford, William. November 11, 1620, in his record of the Pilgrims’ landing at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. William Bradford (Governor of Plymouth Colony), 2 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, 1901, from the Original Manuscript, Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, Washington, D.C.; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; NY: Random House, Inc., Modern Library College edition, 1981; San Antonio, TX: American Heritage Classics, Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas, 1988), p. 66. Sacvan Bercovitch, ed., Typology and Early American Literature (Cambridge: University of Massachusetts Press, 1972), p. 104. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg’s Heart’N Home, Inc., 1991), 11.28. (note: reference to these first settlers as “pilgrims” is owed to this passage.)

²¹¹ Bradford, William. 1650, in his work entitled, 6 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, 1901, from the Original Manuscript, Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, Washington, D.C.; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; NY: Random House, Inc., Modern Library College edition, 1981; San Antonio, TX: American Heritage Classics, Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas, 1988), p. 21. Jordan D. Fiore, ed., Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims of Plymouth (Plymouth, MA: Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1841, 1865, 1985), pp. 10-11. William T. Davis, ed., History of Plymouth Plantation (NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908), p. 46. The Annals of America  20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968), Vol. 1, p. 66. Verna M. Hall, comp., Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1976), p. 193. Marshall Foster and Mary-Elaine Swanson, The American Covenant—The Untold Story (Roseburg, OR: Foundation for Christian Self-Government, 1981; Thousand Oaks, CA: The Mayflower Institute, 1983, 1992), p. 11. Gary DeMar, America’s Christian History: The Untold Story (Atlanta, GA: American Vision Publishers, Inc., 1993), pp. 34-35.,

²¹² Bradford, William. 1650, in his work entitled, 2 (Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856; Boston, Massachusetts: Wright and Potter Printing Company, 1898, 1901, from the Original Manuscript, Library of Congress Rare Book Collection, Washington, D.C.; rendered in Modern English, Harold Paget, 1909; NY: Russell and Russell, 1968; NY: Random House, Inc., Modern Library College edition, 1981; San Antonio, TX: American Heritage Classics, Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas, 1988), p. 236. John Bartlett, Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 265. Fleming, One Small Candle: The Pilgrim’s First Year in America, p. 218. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg’s Heart’N Home, Inc., 1991), 11.25. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God—How Close a Separation? (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th edition, 1992), p. 4.

[i]

Picture this:  About 3 hours to study (for the test) and we sit under a tree, overlooking a mini lawn, the sun’s rays pleasantly falling on the ground through the (very)light canopy, and earphones plugged into our ears.  Almost perfect, right?

Not if you happen to be in our college. Half-an-hour of pleasant studying, we are interrupted by a screech. A monkey. And following it are about a dozen more. *Ack! Jumps back 2 feet, clutching my iPod and notebooks.*  The monkey doesn’t seem to do anything. We lug all the bags from under that tree and onto the lawn. That’s when this big blob of murky black leaps. *Eeew. A frog!* We couldn’t sit on the lawn either.

So we trudged off to the biotech block. Sitting outside, we resume our intellectual pursuits. That’s when a few dogs come silently and sit here and there, in silence. A minute later, as if  they were part of some  special mission, about 10 dogs bound for the tree and fight with the monkeys. The dogs try to bite the monkeys who’re throwing fruits(from the tree) on the dogs.  Barks and screeches later, the monkeys were seen jumping on another tree(quite far off form us, thank you.) They disturb these 2 crows; so ensues another battle, between the monkeys and the crows.

That was that and we were off to make more sense of E.G. And yeah, an eco-friendly campus is where we study. Sure.

P.S.: Possession by A.S. Byatt is awesome. Go, read, NOW.

If you want to grow your wealth faster and better, you can buy residential properties for rent. Your investment will grow faster because of the leverage of the mortgage that gives you, and grows better because the rental income, tax laws, guidelines and decision-makers keep your risk is extremely low for high performance. Here's how.

Leverage gives you high returns on investment:

Owning a residential rental income can give high returns and low risk. The high profits that come fromleverage to buy your property with a mortgage. Your investment is your capital – the value of the property, less the amount of the mortgage you need on it.

When you buy a house, get a fraction of its price down. The bank pays the rest through a loan (eg mortgage), we have now. Each monthly mortgage exclude part of the interest and the balance of the payment going toward the loan principal. The main part payment finally killed off(amortized) loan.

The first payments on a 25-year mortgage are mostly interest payments are in large part to end the primary. These two components are about 18 years. Very little capital (loan) is repaid during the first 10 years.

Thus, equity is growing rapidly:

Suppose you put down 20% for a house $ 200,000 – $ which gives you $ 40,000 in equity and a mortgage of $ 160,000 home. If housing prices are only 5% next year, your $ 200,000 house worth $ 210,000.Since we still have approximately $ 160,000 for the mortgage, the equity increased to $ 50,000. This is a growth rate of 25% of the capital of your capital with a growth rate of 5% for the home.

The multiplier effect, L is 5 (= $ 200,000 / $ 40,000) before the increase. While major increases L times faster than the growth in house prices. You get a high rate of investment growth for the price growth rates relatively low in the house.

Because your equity grows faster than the home value, the leverage decreases slowly.But a growth rate of 5% per annum for home value, it takes about 10 years for the original 20% to become half the value of the house. Overlooking a small change in the mortgage, the house would be worth $ 320,000 with a loan of nearly $ 160,000. Optimize your only factor '2 '.

You can always 'remortgage' home to withdraw money and raise the lever to maintain the level of investment.

Better tax, rental income and manager of mortgage:

TopInvestment rate that you offer your property need not get in a situation of risk. Because you can keep the cost of participation in your property at the lowest level you want, fitting enough so that the rental income will always cover the costs of participation. And tax breaks for owners of rental income to do much to help.

Rental income can cover the costs. Owners to meet their rental income on Schedule E (rental) form. But not only get to deduct their annual guideinterest paid, but the other annual costs of owning a rental property such as maintenance costs and annual depreciation.

Depreciation is an accounting deduction that you can probably put money aside for replacement of your home. It is free of charge actual costs and value of the house does not – like a car depreciates. Actually goes up! Here's how it helps you.

Ideally, when you buy a house to rent in the early years, you want theRental income to cover the cost of mortgage payments and maintenance costs that come out of your pocket. In this way, the "rental" costs nothing "because the rental income is paid for all out-of-pocket cost of participation.

But the deduction for depreciation, which does not draw from his pocket – could create a "superficial loss" on the annual rental income or an expense sheet. This suggests that "superficial loss" against your income earned on the regular 1040 to further reduce your taxeson their earned income.

These depreciation deductions lower fee based on the house. So when you finally sell, the capital gain – the house of the lower cost base – will be greater. But taxes on capital gains and techniques to lower taxes, will keep your profits high.

Conservative Investing

But if you keep borrowing costs low mortgage with a small and a fixed rate, you can probably keep your tenants paying the cost of ownership. This way, you get a price or otherstorm that threatens the interest rate on your investment.

Each woman had a story behind her. This one was a very young woman, now married to a much older man. He lurked in the background, anger hard in his eyes, his mouth set in a grimace. He had paid a good marriage price for his wife and she had not given him what he expected. A son was what he demanded and she had only produced one stillborn in the two years they had been married. Something was wrong with her. Perhaps the ritual he paid for with heavy coin would answer to his concerns. If not, perhaps he could ship her back to her parents and demand the bride price back.

The Sheika’s voice called out, her arms raised towards the woman, and this woman began to pace around the altar. At first her head just nodded back and forth as she slowly moved around the room. Then her body began to twitch, her arms rose upwards, jerking with her movements. Her hair was unbound, and with each violent movement of her head, it swung around in great, undulating waves.

Still the drums increased their tempo. The drummers were off in their own trances, their faces blank, their eyes unfocused. The ney player, his wooden flute dark with age and the stains of fingers, was answered with finger cymbals and an undercurrent of chants. The room seemed to pulsate within another dimension as the incense and drums took over the senses. The chants increased in strength and sweat poured down the face and breasts of the Sheika and the possessed young woman, making transparent their white cotton dresses. Dark tipped nipples and golden breasts, the sheen of skin heated to match the frenzy of all around them, they danced on, now uttering incoherent growls and high pitched exclamations. Other women sat in place and tossed their bodies back and forth and a few stood up and joined the young woman, their own bodies beginning to mimic hers. Shrieks and groans were heard from different corners of the room and still the drums increased in rhythm, exciting the senses to a fever pitch.

Suddenly the Sheikha stiffened, her eyes rolled back as the young woman passing before her collapsed at her feet.

She had caught the Zar! He had released hold of the ends of the hair of the young woman and flown into the arms of the Sheikha! He had hit her with enough force that she staggered backwards and only the support of the women behind her kept her on her two feet.

Now the Wise Woman talked in a low, unknown language. She berated, cajoled, implored and threatened the Zar. She grasped at the air and shook it violently. She brought the Zar to her breast, seemed to stroke it, this unseen matter, and then push it from her, chiding and scolding it.

For those in the room who knew about Zars, knew one never could get rid them. No, he could be appealed to, reasoned with, but who but one equal to a Zar can reason with a Demon?

A man brought forth a white cock and with a quick flash of his knife, cut its throat. With a bow he presented the dying cock to the Sheikha who began to sprinkle the warm blood about the now still woman. Again low guttural chants rose all around but the drums remained silent.

The Sheikha would threaten this Zar with her own spirits. She would threaten with her own history of wrestling with past Zars, and call upon their power for her to subdue this one.

Silently she prayed the demon before her would attend. It would be a fierce battle to the end, and onlookers watched for signs of who was winning; who was more powerful.

Ah! There always was signs of the battle within. Exhaustion threatened to overtake the Sheikha. She would have to bargain hard with this Zar. He was a powerful one; not about to give up his berth without a fight.

But, slowly, slowly….there were signs she was winning, and those who knew of these things would see renewed energy on the part of the Sheikha, a renewed passion for what she was facing. If she was coming to victory, her voice would soften, her appeals would be as to a child and perhaps this Zar would listen.

But success was never assured. These Zars were thousands of years old and wily creatures. They may be made of air and malevolence, but they were a force outside Nature.

No victory over a supernatural force could be guaranteed. It always was a battle to the end. For you never get ride of a Zar, the possessor. You only give him a good shakeup, new marching orders, and you send him back into the possessed.

No one wants a Zar running around scaring the children and chickens. And a goat for possession will not do.

The Sheikha looked down at the woman at her feet. Ah! There was a change in her face, a smoothing of her brow, a peaceful countenance. She could be restored to her husband and the Sheikha prayed that he would see his wife in a new light.

The Sheikha knew what was wrong here. It was the same old story over and over. A man, too old to give his wife the pleasure she was made for, would demand from her what he could not give. So the senses were imbalanced, the forces of love were destroyed, the woman would suffer unless….

The Sheikha’s eyes snapped to the husband and with a gesture she had him approach. She stared deep into his eyes and held them. She muttered in her strange and frightening language and still she did not drop her eyes. Then she sprinkled his white robes liberally with the cock’s blood.

She had the satisfaction of seeing the fear in his eyes.

Perhaps this time the Zar will behave. And better, perhaps so the husband, too.

*************************

Outside the walls of the souk, outside where the night wind rested, camels complained and the dung fires scented the air, where the moon looked down on the sea of sand, other Zars were gathering to float over the walls.

The food on the altar would not last long. Again Spirit would invade Flesh and the drums would call out demons into the arms of some Sheikha.

In this part of the world, the Zars were part of human destiny.

They were a part of life as much as the desert sands, the groans of camels and the dark eyes of beautiful women.

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2009

With about fifteen games in the books now, I have updated my by-possession numbers for every NBA team.

Despite its weak schedule, the numbers still look good for Portland. The Trailblazers are scoring exactly as many points per possession as their opponents have given up (on average) this season, which basically means they have an average offense. However, on the defensive side, Portland is second only to Boston in terms of least points allowed per possession. While the Blazers’ schedule has been pretty lame, the offenses they have played against are still scoring at the league average clip, preserving the significance of that defensive stat. In fact, the Blazers are also second in the league behind those Celtics for best point differential, thanks mostly to their tough defense.

So often we hear announcers talk about the pace of the game, as in, “The Blazers need to keep the score in the 90s to beat this Golden State team.”  I’m curious this season as to whether or not the pace of the game (meaning total number of possessions) matters all that much in the outcome. So far it seems that slower paced teams are able to also defend more efficiently. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell whether it’s because good defensive teams tend to be slower teams, or conversely, because slower paced teams are able to play better defense.

In Portland’s case, 12 of its 15 games have been played at a slow pace.* The Blazers are 8-4 in these slower games, 1-0 in medium games, and 1-1 in fast-paced games, so they haven’t played enough games at a faster pace to make any claims about their ability to adjust various teams. Portland did look pretty damn awful playing the fast-paced Warriors the other night, and in their two fast-paced games combined, the Blazers are shooting just  42.5% from the floor and turning the ball over as though it were smothered with Sex Panther Cologne (24.5 average/game). As the season progresses, the Blazers should play a few more fast-paced games so we can really see if it hurts them.

Taking a look at the rest of the league, the fastest teams by possession go, one through five, Golden State, New York, Indiana, Denver, and the LA Lakers. The slowest, ordered 30-26, are Detroit, Portland, Charlotte, Boston, and Miami.

The most efficient offensive teams are Phoenix, Toronto, Atlanta, Denver, and San Antonio. The least efficient are New Jersey, Minnesota, Charlotte, Chicago, Washington.

And finally, the most efficient defensive teams are Boston, Portland, Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Oklahoma City. The least efficient are Toronto, New Orleans, Memphis, Sacramento, and Golden State.

One final note: it’s interesting that the top two defensive teams, Portland and Boston, have some of the league’s best shot blocking combinations. Oden and Przybilla have combined for nearly 4 blocks a game, while Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett erase three shots every game. Interior defense is definitely more than just blocking shots. But the fact that the Blazers and Celts are first and fourth, respectively, in opponents’ field goal percentage suggests there is definitely something to having some shot blockers down low.

*The average possessions per game this season is 99. All teams/games that average 99 +/- 2 possessions are considered medium paced teams/games. Obviously the fast and slow paced teams/games are those that fall outside the range of 97-101.

 I love the way this book is keeping me guessing.  For example, whilst mapping out the plot in the last few months it has changed almost completely from the initial idea. Initially the book was about the protagonist, Taylor, visiting Caspinal house to value the estate and then discovering a book of confessional poetry written by Nathaniel Caspinal, when he was young, that would later reveal the ‘dark secrets of the Caspinal family’. This idea was entitled ‘The Rhythmical Workings of Nathaniel Caspinal’. My principal concern with this initial plot outline was the protagonist’s lack of motive for wanting to discover the ‘dark secrets’; he had nothing really at stake. Essentially, he was exploring the Caspinal family secrets to simply satisfy his curiosity. 

 In response to this problem I created Taylor’s grandfather. The Caspinal family, specifically Wainwright, were to have wronged Taylor’s grandfather in some way. Taylor attempting to redress this injustice thereby had an ulterior motive for exploring the Caspinal family and collection. To raise the stakes further I escalated this injustice to suspicion of Wainwright having murdered the grandfather. However, this addition that was simply to provide greater motivation for the protagonist had a massive impact on the entire plot and brought about dramatic changes. Firstly, it drew a greater focus on Wainwright Caspinal. And secondly, it foregrounded the collection because the story became more about getting to know Wainwright and it is through the collection that we come to understand him.

I now had two similar devices through which we got to know characters – Nathaniel’s book of poems and Wainwright’s collection. As Wainwright took greater prominence in the story finding out about Nathaniel through the poetry book became a redundant plot-line. Additionally, the collection as a topography of Wainwright’s mind just seemed like such a more interesting idea. The discovery of a poetry book was also a little too reminiscent of A S Byatt’s ‘Possession’. As a result of these changes the poetry book is no longer part of the story and the story itself is now entitled ‘The Curious Collection of Wainwright Caspinal’.

 And before I know it, Taylor is staging a break-in to Caspinal house so that he can get a longer look at the collection, but more about that in the next instalment.

Toys are used in play by children, adults and pets. The difference a toy has from a game is that toy play does not have clearly defined goals; that is if you do not play with my brother. Today, huge toy chains, like “Toy-R-Us,” carry a vast assortment of different toys for any age and background, covering the needs of children and parents. But while parents spend a small fortune on acquiring the latest model of their son's favorite car toy, the young boy will continue to play with the old one and although he will at the beginning be extremely happy with his new possession, the old car that misses a wheel and a door will never leave its bed.

* shows Doorbuster

Automotive

$60 Sears Gift Card w/Purchase of 4 Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone or BFGoodrich Tires – $0.00 *

BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A Tire – $119.99

BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A Tire – $89.99

BFGoodrich Traction T/A Tire – $70.99

Bridgestone Dueler APT IV With UNI-T Tire – $94.99

Bridgestone Dueler H/T Tire – $104.99

Bridgestone HP 550 With UNI-T Tire – $85.99

Bridgestone Weather Plus With UNI-T Tire – $39.99

Cobra 2-way Radio – $29.99 *

Cobra Radar/Laser Detector – $29.99 *

Continental ContiTrac SUV Tire – $119.99

Craftsman 12 Volt Rechargeable Inflator – $39.99

DieHard 10/2/50 Amp Automatic Battery Charger – $39.99

DieHard Auto Batteries With Exchange – $69.99

DieHard Battery Charger And Maintainer – $19.99

DieHard Gold Auto Batteries With Exchange – 89.99

Digital Photo Key Chain – $12.99

Dunlop Rover AT Tire – $64.99

Falken Ziex ZE-912 H/V/Z Tire – $57.99

Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Tire – $96.99

Goodyear Assurance TripleTred Tire – $99.99

Goodyear Eagle GT Tire – $95.99

Goodyear Fortera With TripleTred Tire – $119.99

Goodyear WeatherHandler US Tire – $49.99

Goodyear Wrangler SR-A Tire – $115.99

Michelin Cross Terrain SUV Tire – $114.99

Michelin HydroEdge Tire – $94.99

Michelin Pilot Exalte H Tire – $95.99

Michelin Primacy Tire – $109.99

Michelin Weatherwise II Tire – $54.99

Michelin XC LT4 Tire – $99.99

Safety 1st Scenara Convertible Car Seat – $34.99 *

Sirius Starmate 4-Radio w/Cat Kit – $89.99

Sirius Stratus Radio w/Car Kit – $24.99

Sumitomo HTR H4 Tire – $71.99

Sumitomo HTR T4 Tire – $59.99

Sumitomo HTR+ Tire – $125.99

WeatherHandler 75 Piece Premium Auto Safety Kit – $19.99

WeatherHandler Rubber Floor Mats – 50% Off

Bed & Bath

12-pc Wash Cloth Set – $9.99 *

240 Thread Count 100% Cotton Sheet Set – $24.99

4-pc Printed Comforter Set – $19.99 *

7-pc Towel Set – $3.19 *

8-pc 310-Thread Count 100% Cotton Queen Or King Sheet Set – $49.99 *

All Bed Pillows – BOGO

All Colormate Flannel Sheet Sets – $19.99 *

All Solid Bath Towels – 50% Off

All Sunbeam Heated Blankets And Heated Mattress Pads – 50% Off

Disney Bedding – 30% Off

Fleece Throws – $5.99 *

Four Piece Poly/Silk Embroidered Comforter Set – $29.99

Licensed Pillow Buddies – $14.99 *

Mini Quilt Set & Tote – $29.99 *

Reversible Down Alternative Comforter – $29.99 *

Three In On Softie Wraps – $24.99

Three Piece Table And Stools Pub Set – $69.99

Whole Home 350-Thread Count Sheet Set – $29.99 *

Whole Home Heated Throws – $29.99

Wine Rack – $49.99

Cell Phones

Cellular Innovations Bluetooth Headset Bundle – $29.99

Hands Free Bluetooth Headset – $19.99

Net 10 LG Color Prepaid Flip Phone – $29.99 *

Tracfone Motorola W376 Prepaid Camera Flip Phone – $29.99

Clothing & Apparel

All Apostrophe Tights – $4.00

All Bras From Vanity Fair, Beauty By Bali, Hanes Classics, Olga and Playtex – $16.99

All Briggs Pants For Her – $19.99

All Covington Tights – $4.00

All Enchanting Bras – $9.99

All Fleece And Activewear For Her – 60% Off

All Girls' dresses for Newborn, Infants, Toddlers, Girls' 4-16 and Girls' Plus – 60% off *

All Holiday Motif Knits, Fleece and Sweaters – 50-60% Off

All Holiday Motif Sweaters For Her – $16.99

All Holiday Socks – 50% Off

All Juniors' Screen Tees – $6.99

All Kids Play and Character Sets – 60% Off *

All Kid's Protection Systems Bubble Jackets – $12.99 *

All Kids' Sleepwear – 60% Off *

All Men's Canyon River Blues Jeans – 60% Off

All Men's Covington Arrow and Dockers Sweaters – 60% Off *

All Olga Or Playtex Secrets Bras – $14.99

All Rendezvous By Maidenform Bras – $9.99

All Sleepwear and Robes For Her – 50-60% Off

All Southpole For Juniors' – 60% Off

All Vanity Fair Or Beauty By Bali Or Hanes Classics Bras – $14.99

Beauty By Bali Panties – 3 For $12.99

Boxed Bras And Shapewear – 50% Off

Boxed Panties – 50% Off

Boys' 8-20 and Girls' 7-16 Screen Tees – $7.99

Boys' 8-20 Levi's 550 and 569 Jeans – $19.99

Canyon River Blues and Personal identity Separates For Boys 8-20 and Girls' 7-16 – 55% Off

Canyon River Blues Jeans for Men, Women and Kids – $9.99 *

Canyon River Blues Screened Fleece and Flannels – $14.99 *

Carter's Playwear for Newborns, Infants, and Toddlers – 60% Off *

Classic Elements Plush Robe And Slippers Set – $14.99

Cuddl Janes 2 Piece Long John Set – $14.99

Cuddl Silks Sets – $14.99

Flannel Bottoms – $7.99

Girls' 7-16 Fashion Basic Jeans From Mudd. Revolt, Tyte and Lee – $14.99

Girls' 7-16 Levi's 517 – $19.99

Henley Tops – $7.99

Jeniors Jeans – $17.99 *

Joe Boxer 3 Pack Panties – $6.99

Juniors' Character Fleece Jackets – $12.99

Juniors' Seamless Leggings – $6.99

Juniors' Southpole Scoop Neck Tee – $7.99

Juniors' Sweaters From Take Out Or Say What Or Personal Identity – $14.99

Juniors' Take Out Car Coat Hoodie – $14.99

Kids U.S. Polo Assn. Bobby Jack and more. Girls 4-16 and Boys 4-20 – 60% Off *

Men's Arrow Flannel Shirts – $9.99 *

Men's Arrow Monroe Twill and Denim Pants – $19.99

Men's Covington 2-in-1 Flannel Shirt With Separate Tee – $12.99

Men's Covington Dress Shirt & Silk Tie Set – $14.99 *

Men's Covington Flannel Lounge Pants – $7.99 *

Men's Covington Jackets – $79.99 *

Men's Covington Puffer Vest – $14.99 *

Men's Covington Sueded Crewnecks and Henleys – 70% Off *

Men's Crafsman Flannel Jackets – $19.99

Men's Crafstman Thermal Crewneck Topos – $9.99 *

Men's Gifts – 50% Off

Men's Joe Boxer Loungewear – 50% Off *

Men's NordicTrack Active Jackets – 60% Off

Men's Structure 1/4-Zip Sweater or Dress Shirt – $14.99 *

Mens U.S. Polo Assn Broadcloth Dress Shirts – $17.99 *

Microfleece & Flannel Pajamas – $12.99

Misses' Apostrophe Satin Bubble Top – $21.99

Misses' Apostrophe Two Button Sweater – $14.99

Misses' Bold Spirit Fleece Vest – $12.99

Misses' Bold Spirit Yoga Lounge Hooded Pullover Or Cargo Pants – $12.99

Misses' Canyon River Blues Cable Sweater – $14.99

Misses' Canyon River Blues Modern Boot Jean – $17.99

Misses' Classic Element Marled Sweater – $14.99

Misses' Classic Elements Cable Sweater – $14.99

Misses' Classic Elements Crew Tops Or Pants – $6.99

Misses' Classic Elements Embroidered Snap Jacket – $12.99

Misses Classic Elements Plus Robe & Slipper Set – $17.99 *

Misses' Classic Elements Print Hoodie – $12.99

Misses' Classic Elements Swing Cardigan – $14.99

Misses Covington Gloves – $2.99 *

Misses Covington Hooded Wool Peacoat – $39.99 *

Misses' Covington Layered Sweater – $14.99

Misses' Turtleneck Or Mockneck – $5.99

Olga Panties – 3 For $12.99

Personal Identity 3 Pack Panties – $6.99

Personal Identity 3 Piece Sleepwear Set – $14.99

Print Fleece Pants – $7.99

TKS Separates For Infants, Toddlers Girls' 4-6x and Boys' 4-7 – 55% Off

Vanity Fair Panties – 3 For $12.99

Winnie The Pooh Layette Collections – 60% Off

Yong Men's U.S. Polo Assn Midweight Jacket – $29.99 *

Young Men's Canyon River Blues Thermal Shirt – $9.99

Young men's Southpole and Dickies Sherpa Lined Hooded Fleece – $24.99 *

Young Men's Southpole and U.S. Polo Assn Jeans – $17.99 *

Digital Cameras

Canon Elph 10.0 Megapixel SD790IS 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $219.99

Canon Elph 8.0 Megapixel SD1100IS 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $169.99

Canon Flash Memory Camcorder FS1000 – $349.99

Canon PowerShot 10.0 MegaPixel 20X Optical Zoom Digital Camera SX101S – $369.99

Canon PowerShot 8.0 Megapixel A590IS 4x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $139.99

Canon Rebel XS DSLR Digital Camera Rebel XS – $679.98

Casio Exilim 10.1 MegaPixel 3X Optical Zoom Digital Camera EX-S10RD – $199.99

Casio Exilim 8.1 MegaPixel 3X Optical Zoom Digital Camera EX-Z80BK – $119.99

Disney Pix Micro Digital Camera – $9.99 *

GE A1230 12MP Digital Camera – $99.99 *

Kodak 8.2 MegaPixel 3X Optical Zoom Digital Camera M863 – $129.99

Kodak CD93 9.2 MP Digital Camera – $79.99 *

Nikon 10 MegaPixel 5X Optical Zoom Digital Camera S550 – $149.99

Nilon 6.1MP D40 Digital Camera – $449.99 *

Olympus 8-Megapixel FE-340 5x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $119.99

Panasonic Lumix 8.1-Megapixel DMC-TZ4K 10x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $199.99

Samsung 10.0 Megapixel BL1050 5x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $99.99

Samsung 34X Optical 1200X Digital Zoom DVD Camcorder SC-DX103 – $199.99

Samsung 8.2 Megapixel L100 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $109.99

Samsung 8.2MP I85 Digital Camera – $129.99 *

Sony 30GB Hard Disk Drive HandyCam Camcorder DCR-SR45 – $369.99

Sony Cyber-Shot 8.1 MegaPixel 5X Optical Zoom Digital Still Camera DSC-W150 – $199.99

Sony DVD Handycam Camcorder With 40X Optical Zoom DCR-DVD610 – $299.99

Sony DVDirect Multi-Function DVD Recorder VRD-MC5 – $169.99

Sony High Definition Handycam Camcorder HDR-UX10 – $569.99

Digital Media Cards

PNY 2GB Flash Drive – $6.99

PNY 2GB MicroSD Card – $6.99

PNY 2GB Neon Flash Drive – $6.99

PNY 2GB SD Memory Card – $6.99

Sandisk 2GB SD Card – $6.99 *

DVD Players

GPX 8″ Portable DVD Player w/USB & SD – $119.99

Magnavox 7″ Dual Screen Portable DVD Player – $149.99

Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Disc Player – $199.99

Samsung DVD-1080P Upconvert DVD Player – $49.99

Sony DVP-NS700 1080p Upconverting DVD Player – $69.99

Sony RDRVX560 DVD/VCR Recorder – $199.99

Sony SLVD380P Combination DVD/VCR Player – $84.99

Electronics

iHome Portable iPod/MP3 Speaker System – $14.99

Magnavox Combination DVD/VCR Player – $49.99 *

Maxwave Indoor/Outdoor Wireless Music System – $79.99

Nextar 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $37.99 *

Panasonic 40GB Hard Disk Drive Digital Camcorder – $299.99 *

Sony Earbuds Headphones – $4.99

Sony Wireless Headphones – $29.99 *

Sony ZSS21 iPod Dock – $59.99

Uniden DECT 6.0 Phone System w/5 Handsets – $79.99

Venturer 7″ Portable DVD Player – $49.99 *

Venturer 8″ Kitchen Under The Cabinet LCD/DVD Combo – $149.99 *

GPS Navigation Systems

Garmin Nuvi 205 GPS System – $124.99

Magellan RoadMate 1200 GPS – $99.99

Magellan Roadmate 1412 GPS – $149.99 *

Sony NV-V44 GPS System – $179.99

TomTom 125 GPS – $99.99 *

Health & Beauty

Philips Norelco 7315 Men's Shaver – $29.99 *

Phillips Norelco 6940 Reflex Action Men's Shaving System – $19.99 *

Home

22-pc Room In A Bag – $119.99 *

All Frames & Candles – 55% OFF *

Conair Dry Foot Massager With Heat – $29.99 *

Conair Foot Vibes Massaging Slippers for Men – $9.99 *

Conair Foot Vibes Massaging Slippers for Women – $9.99 *

Fiji 3 Pc. Value Luggage Set – $19.99 *

HoMedics 10-motor Back Massager – $29.99 *

Kenmore Sewing Machine – $69.99 *

Saddle 5-pc Pub Set – $119.99 *

Home Theater

Belkin HDMI Kit – $34.99

Logitech Harmony Remote – $59.99 w/32″ TV Purchase

Memorex DVD Player – $14.99 *

Samsung 1000 Watt Home Theater System – $159.99 *

Samsung HT-BD2E Blu-ray Home Theater System – $599.99

Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray Disc Player – $179.99 *

Sony DAV-HDX275 1000-Watt 5-Disc Home Theater System w/1080p Upscaling HDMI DVD Player – $249.99

Sony DAV-HDX576WF 1000-Watt 5-Disc Home Theater System w/Wireless Rear Speaker – $349.99

Tech Craft 48″ TV Stand – $149.99

Tech Craft 58″ TV Stand – 50% Off

Jewelry

1/4 ct. tw. 3-Heart Pendant – $159.99 *

1/4 ct. tw. Bypass Ring – $159.99 *

1/4 ct. tw. Cross Pendant – $159.99 *

1/4 ct. tw. Earrings – $159.99 *

1/4 ct. tw. Ring – $159.99 *

14k and Sterling Silver Reversible Omega Necklace – $99.99

14k White or Yellow Gold Dimaond Fascination Hoop Earrings – $37.99 *

1 ct. tw. 14k Diamond Band – $399.99 *

1ct tw. 1k Anniversary Rings – $699.99 *

1 ct. tw Diamond and Sterling Silver Earrings – $199.99 *

1 Ct. Tw Diamond Earrings – $499.99

1 Ct. Tw Diamond Necklace – $499.99

1 Ct. Tw Diamond Ring – $499.99

1 ct. tw. Diamond Ring – $479.99 *

2 ct. t.w. Baguette Diamond Swirl Ring – 719.99 *

2 ct. tw. Diamond 4-Row Earrings – $479.99 *

2 ct. tw. Diamond Bracelet – $399.99 *

2 ct. t.w. Diamond Fashion Necklace – 719.99 *

2 ct. tw. Diamond Heart Pendant – $249.99

2 ct. tw. Diamond Princess Quad Center Ring – $1439.99 *

8-8.6mm Chocolate Cultured Freshwater Pearl 3-pc Set – $59.99 *

All Boxed Jewelry Sets – 50% Off

All Fine Jewelry – 20% Off *

All Gold And Sterling Silver Jewelry – Extra 20% OFF *

All Jewelry Boxes – 50% Off

All Seiko, Citizen and Bulova Watches – Extra 10% OFF *

Blue Topaz & Diamond 3-Peice Set – $179.99 *

Cultured Freshwater Pearl & Lab-Created White Sapphire Jewelry – $79.99 *

Diamond Fashion Pendants – $79.99 *

Inscribed Gold Pendants – $47.99 *

Jade 3-peice Set – $99.99

Jade and Diamond Ring – $95.99 *

Journey Diamond Accent Pendants – $63.99 *

Lab-Created Ruby Pendant – $89.99 *

Lab-Created Ruby Ring – $89.99 *

Lab-Created Sapphire and Dimaon 3-peice Set – $179.99 *

Lab-Created Sapphire or Lab-Created Ruby and Diamond Rings – $59.99 *

Men's Black Ironman Watch – $19.5 *

Men's Watch Gift Sets from Beverly Hills Polo Club – $24.99 *

Midnight Sapphire and Diamond Pendant – $99.99

Midnight Sapphire and Diamond Ring – $99.99

Personal Identity Boxed Jewelry Sets – 50% Off

Sapphire or Ruby and Diamond Hoop Earrings – $59.99 *

Sears Black Friday Ad Posted On BlackFriday.info – $0.00

Sterling Silver or Gold Over Sterling SIlver w/Cubic Ziconia Bracelets – $29.99 *

Sterling Silver Pendants – $29.99 *

Tiger's Eye and Dimaond Ring – $95.99 *

Kitchen & Housewares

30-pc Dinnerware Set – $24.99 *

45-pc Flatware Set – $24.99 *

All Floor Care Appliances – 10% Off

All Kenmore Elite Appliances – 25% OFF *

All Kenmore Floor Care Appliances – 20% Off

All Kenmore Gas Grills – 20% Off *

All Stand Mixers – 10% Off

Basic Essentials 18-pc Aluminum Non-Stick Cookware Set – $19.99 *

Basic Essentials 25-pc Cutlery Set – $9.99 *

Basic Essentials 5-qt Aluminum Pressure Cooker – $9.99 *

Black & Decker Food Processor – $18.99 *

Dyson DC25 All Floors Vacuum – $399.99

Eureka Maxima Bagless 4700A Vacuum – $49.99

Euro-Pro 6-slice Toaster Oven – $28.99 *

Euro-Pro Stainless Steel 6-qt Slow Cooker w/Dipper – $19.99 *

Farberware 10 Piece Accents Cookware Set With 2 Pack Fry Pans – $59.99

GE Dishwasher – $449.99

George Foreman XL Family Grill – $28.99 *

GE Profile Dual Oven Freestanding Range – $1949.99

Hamilton Beach 10-speed Blender – $18.99 *

Hamilton Beach Fryer – $28.99 *

Hoover Elite Rewind Bagless Vacuum – $99.99

iRobot Roomba 405 – $99.99 *

Kenmore 1.0-cu ft. Microwave Oven – $39.99 *

Kenmore 10 Piece Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set – $99.99

Kenmore 10 Piece Stainless Steel With Copper Bottom Cookware Set – $99.99

Kenmore 1.6 Cubic Foot Capacity Microwave Oven – $89.99

Kenmore 18.2 Cubic Foot Refrigerator – $399.99

Kenmore 25 Cubic Foot Refrigerator – $759.99

Kenmore 25-cu Ft French Door Refrigerator – $1499.99 *

Kenmore 3.5-cu ft. Capacity High Efficiency Washer + Kenmore 5.8cu ft. Capacity Dryer – $699.99

Kenmore 3.5 ft. Capacity Washer – $299.99

Kenmore Bagless Upright Vacuum – $124.99 *

Kenmore Blender – $34.99

Kenmore Dishwasher – $199.99

Kenmore Duel Cavity Range – $1462.99 *

Kenmore Elite 30″ Double Wall Over Freestanding Range – $2799.99

Kenmore Elite Compactor – $674.99 *

Kenmore Elite Disposer – $202.49 *

Kenmore Elite Dual Cavity Freestanding Range – $1319.99

Kenmore Elite Freestanding Gas Convection Range – $1649.99 *

Kenmore Elite Gas Slide-in Range – $1837.49 *

Kenmore Elite HE3 4.0-cu ft Capacity Steam Washer – $1124.99 *

Kenmore Elite HE3 7.2-cu ft Capacity Steam Dryer – $1049.99 *

Kenmore Elite HE5 4.4cu ft Capacity High Efficiency Steam Washer – $1274.99 *

Kenmore Elite HE5 7.5-cu Ft Capacity Steam Dryer – $1199.99 *

Kenmore Elite Hidden Dispense French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator – $2559.99

Kenmore Elite Microwave – $472.49 *

Kenmore Elite Oasis Laundry Pair – $899.99 *

Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel French Door Bottom Mount Refigerator – $2299.99

Kenmore Elite Ultra Capacity Water Softener – $674.99 *

Kenmore Elite UltraWash Dishwasher – $674.99 *

Kenmore Elite Wine Chiller – $374.99 *

Kenmore Four Slice Toaster – $34.99

Kenmore Front Load High Efficiency Laundry Pair – $599.99 *

Kenmore HE5 Steam 7.5 cu. ft. Super Capacity Electric Dryer – 1124.99

Kenmore Magic Blue Canister Vacuum – $69.99

Kenmore Over-The-Range Microwave (Stainless Steel) – $179.99

Kenmore Over-The-Range Microwave (White or Black) – $149.99

Kenmore Premalite Vacuum – $249.99 *

Kenmore Progressive Vacuum – $269.99

Kenmore Progressive Vacuum – $229.99

Kenmore Quick Clean Vacuum – $49.99 *

Kenmore Stylite Vacuum – $69.99

Kenmore Twelve Cup Coffeemaker – $34.99

Kenmore White 14.8 cu. ft. Top Freezer Refrigerator – $375.99 *

Kitchenaid 4.5-qt Bowl Lift Mixer – $159.99 *

KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Stand Mixer – $279.99

LG 4 Door Side-By-Side Refrigerator – $2699.99

Mr Coffee 12-Cup Programable Cofeemaker – $19.99 *

National Presto FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer – $19.99 *

Oster Brushed Stainless Steel Toaster – $18.99 *

Presto Cool Touch Griddle – $19.99 *

Pro 500 Bowl Lift Stand Mixer – $299.99

Remington Protect & Shine Pro Wet to Straight Flat Iron – $19.99 *

Samsung 4.0 c.u. ft. Capacity High Efficiency Washer + Samsung 7.3-c.u. ft. Capacity Dryer – $999.99

Shark Steam Mop – $79.99 *

Tramontina 15-pc Stainless Steel Cookware Set – $39.99 *

Whirlpool Dishwasher – $379.99

Movies

300 BluRay – $19.99 *

National Treasure 2 Blu-Ray – $18.99 *

Sleeping Beauty Blu-Ray – $18.99 *

Various DVDs – $3.99 *

Various DVDs – $5.99 *

Various DVDs – $9.99 *

MP3 Players

Element 1GB MP3 Player – $9.99 *

Element 2GB MP3 Player – $14.99 *

Element 2GB Touch MP3 Player – $39.99

Music

Emerson Electric Guitar and Karaoke System – $49.99

Emerson Karaoke System w/iPod Dock – $49.99

Emerson Party Instruments and Karaoke System – $19.99

Perfume & Cologne

All Fragrance Gift Sets – 25% Off

Deluxe Beauty Traincase By Colorworks – $19.99

Photos

Coby 7″ Digital Picture Frame – $44.99

Kodak 10″ LCD Digital Picture Frame – $179.99

Pandigital 3.5″ LCD Digital Photo Frame – $29.99

Smartparts 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $49.99

Smartparts 8.5″ Digital Photo Frame – $69.99

Smartparts Digital Keychain Viewers – $9.99

Seasonal

42″ Duravine Doe And Standing Deer – $53.99

7.5 Foot Madison Pine With Rotating Stand – $179.99

7.5-ft Hadley Pine Christmas Tree – $149.99 *

All Christmas Gift Wrap – 40% Off

All Christmas Lights – 40% Off

All Holiday Homesocks – $3.99

All Holiday Motif Fashion Jewelry – $4.99

All Themed Holiday Decor – 40% Off

Free Live Mini Tree With Any $25 Fragrance or Color Cosmetic Purchase – $0.00

Shoes & Accessories

All Adult Athletic, Running, Walking, Casual and Basketball Shoes – 30-40% Off

All DieHard Workboots – $34.99 *

All DiHard Workboots – 50% Off

All Handbags For Her – 50% Off

All Leather Stone & Co. Handbags – $29.99

All Men's Wonderlite Oxfords and Slip-Ons – $24.99 *

All Rosetti Handbags – 50% Off

All Slippers For Her – $8.99

All Women's Dress, Casual and Juniors' Shoes and Boots – 50% Off

Bath Slipper Sets – $14.99

Buxton Wallets – $11.99

Covington Handbags – $14.99

Entire Stock of Women's Fashion Boots – 60% Off *

Fownes Gloves And Mittens – $11.99

Isotoner Gloves And Mittens – $11.99

Juniors' Personal Identity Clogs – $14.99 *

Kids' Canyon River Blues Fashion Boots. Four Cool Styles – $14.99 *

Men's or Women's New Balance 410 Athletic Shoes – $29.99 *

Men's or Women's Reebok Time Half Walking Shoes – $24.99 *

Men's Wolverine 6-in ASTM F2413-05 Rated Steel Toe Boots – 50% Off

Men's Wolverine 6-in Soft Toe Boots – 50% Off

Mundi Wallets – $11.99

Women's Apostrophe and Classic Elements Boots – $19.99 *

Women's Canyon River Blues Casuals – $19.99 *

Women's Classic Elements and Apostrophe Boots – $14.99 *

Sports & Fitness

100 LB Weider PowerSwitch Hand Weights – $249.99

6 Foot 3-In-1 Flip Table – $199.99

6-ft Mercury Air-powered Hockey Table – $169.99 *

7 Foot Convertible 4-In-1 Roll-Up Table – $449.99

8 Foot Allendale Billiard Table With Table Tennis Top – $499.99

All Chrome, Hex, Steel & Neoprene Weights – 33% OFF *

Double Shootout Arcade Style Electric Game Table – $179.99

Everlast 50-lb Heavy Bag Kit – $47.99 *

Harvard Convertible 3 in 1 Multi Game Table – $349.99 *

Intrepid Table Tennis Table – $179.99 *

NordicTrack A2350 Treadmill – $649.99

NordicTrack AudioStrider 800 Elliptical – $649.99

NordicTrack AudioStrider 990 Elliptical – $799.99 *

NordicTrack CX 1600 Elliptical – $1299.99

NordicTrack E5 SI Elliptical Trainer – $499.99

NordicTrack Elite ZI Treadmill – $1499.99

NordicTrack Fitness Balls – $5.99 *

NordicTrack Mini Trampoline – $24.99 *

ProForm CrossWalk 380 Treadmill – $379.99

ProForm XP CrossWalk 580 Treadmill – $499.99

Silver Line 7-ft Turbo Hockey Table – $277.99 *

Sportcraft 90in Kingsford Billiard Table w/Cue Rack – $389.99 *

Table Top Air Hockey – $24.99 *

Table Top Billards – $24.99 *

Weider PowerSwitch 25lb Pair – $59.99

Welder Pro 290 Combo Bench – $89.99 *

Television

Element 37″ LCD HDTV – $599.99

Panasonic 37″ Full HD LCD TV – $749.99

Panasonic 42″ 720P Plasma HDTV – $699.99 *

Proscan 32″ LCD HDTV – $499.99 *

Samsung 19″ LCD HDTV – $299.99 *

Samsung 32″ LN32A300 LCD HDTV – $499.99

Samsung 40″ 1080P LCD HDTV – $799.99 *

Samsung 46″ 1080P LCD HDTV – $1099.99 *

Samsung 46″ 1080p LN46A530 LCD HDTV – $1199.99

Samsung 50″ 720p PN50A400 Plasma HDTV – $899.99

Samsung 52″ 1080p 120Hz LN52A650 LCD HDTV – $2099.99

Sharp 26″ LCD HDTV – $399.99 *

Sharp 46″ Class Full HD 1080P LCD HDTV – $899.99 *

Sony Bravia S-Series 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $999.99

Sony Bravia S-Series 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1299.99

Sony Bravia V-Series 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1099.99

Sony Bravia V-Series 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV – $1799.99

Sony Bravia W Series 52″ 1080P LCD HDTV – $1999.99 *

Sylvania 42″ Class 1080P LCD HDTV – $699.99 *

Toshiba 40″ 1080p 40RV525U LCD HDTV – $849.99

Vizio 26″ LCD HDTV – $379.99

Vizio 37″ 1080p Full HD LCD TV – $699.99

Vizio 42 in. XVT Series 1080p LCD HDTV – $999.99

Tools & Hardware

3-mil Candle Power Flashlight – $9.99 *

40 Foot Hose Reel – $24.99

4-Pc Tape Measure Set – $4.99 *

76-Pc Screwdriver Set – $9.99 *

All Craftsman Garage Storage – 20% Off

Black & Decker 17″ Electric Hedge Trimmer – $24.99

Companion 7-pc Pliers Set – $9.99 *

Craftsman 106-pc Mechanic's Tool Set – $49.99 *

Craftsman 10″ Compound Miter Saw With AC Laser Trac Cutting Guide – $89.99

Craftsman 10″ Digital Level – $29.99

Craftsman 10 Drawer Ball Bearing Tool Storage Combo – $269.98

Craftsman 10″ Miter Saw With Folding Stand – $179.99

Craftsman 10″ Miter Saw With Stand And Laser Trac Cutting Guide – $119.99

Craftsman 10-pc Air Tool Kit – $49.99 *

Craftsman 10 Piece 3/8″ Drive Socket Set – $9.99 *

Craftsman 10″ Table Saw With Rapid Retract Stand – $149.99

Craftsman 10″ Table Saw With Stand – $89.99

Craftsman 118 Piece Mechanic's Tool Set – $79.99

Craftsman 1.1 HP 17 Gallon Air Compressor – $199.99

Craftsman 11 pc. Standard Socket Accessory Set – $9.99 *

Craftsman 12 Amp 7.25″ Circular Saw – $39.99

Craftsman 12 Drawer Ball Bearing Tool Storage Combo – $374.98

Craftsman 1/2″ Hammer Drill – $69.99

Craftsman 1/2 HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener – $179.99

Craftsman 12 in. Bar Clamp – $9.99 *

Craftsman 12-pc 1/2-in Deep Impact Socket – $44.99 *

Craftsman 12 Piece Wrench Set – $19.99

Craftsman 13-pc Spade Bit Set – $9.99 *

Craftsman 14 Drawer Chest And Cabinet Homeowner's Storage Combo – $199.98

Craftsman 14 Piece Wrench Set – $39.99

Craftsman 154 Piece Mechanic's Tool Set – $99.99

Craftsman 16-drawer Quiet Glide Storage Combo – $284.98 *

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The explanation for this type of behavior is rather simple. In fact, if you try to recall your favorite toy while you were a kid, you will probably remember that its prime time had long passed, but you continued holding it in your arms as you fell asleep. Some people state that their favorite ‘toy' was not even a regular purchased toy. Any item in the house that a kid for some reason will pick up, toss in the air or play around with can become a toy. As long as children's imagination is at work, even a rubber band or a pillow can become a toy with which a child will feel a close connection.

For those gamers who are used to Lara Croft, the next-generation consoles revolutionized the way she handled. Gone were the grids, the running jumps, the aggravating camera controls. The vast improvement of the graphic, sound, and gameplay on the next-gen consoles have not gone unnoticed by fans who abandoned the game after the series' disappointing Angle of Darkness installment. But with Tomb Raider: Legend they found that Crystal Dynamics had picked up the ball where it had been dropped and run for the endzone.

Ten years after pointy-chested, polygonal Lara Croft ran, rolled, dove, and shot her way onto the video gaming stage, a new game based on Lara's exploit's in the very first Tomb Raider has been released. It was released for the PlayStation2 and the Xbox 360 in the summer of 2007, but owners of the Nintendo Wii had to wait until this week to get their hands on the diva of the video-gaming world.

While Tomb Raider Anniversary is dubbed as a remake, Crystal Dynamics has kept the environment and challenges fresh enough to warrant the game its own status. The environment and stories are generally the same as the first game, but if you're expecting a 1-to-1 update of the first Tomb Raider, you're going to be disappointed. In Tomb Raider Anniversary, Lara jumps, dives, and shoots her way through Peru, Greece, Egypt, and the lost island of Atlantis in pursuit of the three pieces of the mysterious Scion.

Some areas of the game have been expanded, and some have been tightened up, but the balance that players will probably look for is there. All the rooms, traps, and enemies you remember are there, but there's plenty of new challenges. Fans of the franchise will recognize the painstaking effort that Crystal Dynamic took to ensure that the best-loved areas from the first game were preserved faithfully. The best example of this is St. Francis Folly. The “column o' death” which Lara has to descend, gathering keys on the way down, is as close to identical to the original as players could want. The spirit (“Oh dear, I'm hundreds of feet up, hanging from a ledge and I've no idea what to do now”) is there in spades.

Other areas have been changed slightly. The “fire room” from Tomb Raider's Palace Midas has been altered slightly, giving Lara more of a challenge than just timing her jumps right. Faithful fans take heart: there's a good chance you'll have a Lara flambé at least once before you get through it.

The real story with Lara's journey to Wii is the new way you handle her. With the other next-generation systems, you still control Lara with the joysticks and cause her to interact with buttons on the controller. With the Wii, things are a little different. Players control Lara with the joystick and interact with the environment with the D-pad, but the Wii version has a whole new element: puzzles up close and personal.

Lara now has to manipulate puzzles with her hands, excavate items, and place items with precision. For instance, when placing the cogs in the machinery in the Lost Valley map, on the PS2 or Xbox 360, players simply choose it from the inventory and it will be placed automatically. On the Wii, you'll have the option of where to place which cog, causing a good deal of trial and error as the game progresses. This makes sense: Lara has never been to these environments before–how should she know what goes where?

In addition to placing objects, Lara now has to deal with complicated switches. On the PS2, you grab a switch and pull it down by pushing a single button. On the Wii, Lara may be required to work out a puzzle on the switch before she can pull it–using the new “Lara's Hands” feature. Players will use the varied Wii remotes to utilize all of Lara's features from her flashlight to her grappling hook. Players beware–the precision required by these actions may frustrate you if you haven't been playing on the Wii for long.

Further, Lara may be required to dig up objects, and on the Wii Lara comes equipped with a varied tool kit that players will have to use to excavate the item, whether it be a key or cog. Of course, shooting is also controlled by movement with the Wii remotes, giving you the feeling of being there.

With excellent graphics, beautiful sound and chilling music, and utilization of the Wii's controller style, Tomb Raider Anniversary puts you in Lara's trusty boots, short shorts, and sleeveles shirt. The new features that come with using the Wii's motion-based controllers add a whole new level of depth to the Tomb Raider franchise that fans and newcomers alike should enjoy.

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Toys are used in play by children, adults and pets. The difference a toy has from a game is that toy play does not have clearly defined goals; that is if you do not play with my brother. Today, huge toy chains, like “Toy-R-Us,” carry a vast assortment of different toys for any age and background, covering the needs of children and parents. But while parents spend a small fortune on acquiring the latest model of their son's favorite car toy, the young boy will continue to play with the old one and although he will at the beginning be extremely happy with his new possession, the old car that misses a wheel and a door will never leave its bed.

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Toys are not only for kids. Adults need the relaxation and the memories beloved toys can bring back to their memories. I still have in my room the Rubik's Cube which I managed only once to solve and numerous times I thought of taking off its colored rectangular stickers and placing each color on every side. I never actually did it because I was afraid of the consequences if I destroyed my fathers favorite toy. When I understood that solving the cube requires some planning and problem-solving skills, I was determined to succeed and I still remember the joyful screaming when I managed to “solve” its mystery; probably by accident. Since then, I have been catching myself thinking of my favorite old toys, like Lego and Playmobil, not very girly I know, and recapturing the times I was playing in our then common room with my brother.

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* 18 USC § 2251 Production of child pornography (mandatory min. 15 yrs; max 30 years)

* 18 USC § 2251A Selling or buying children for sexual exploitation (mandatory min. 30 yrs; max life)

* 18 USC § 2252 Possession, distribution and receipt of child pornography (mandatory min 5 yrs for distribution or receipt; max 20 years)

* 18 USC § 2252A Possession, distribution and receipt of child pornography (mandatory min 5 yrs for distribution or receipt; max 20 years)

* 18 USC § 2260 Importation of child pornography (max 10 years)

source: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos/childporn_stats.html

I hear scratching on the other side of the wall. (Earlier thought to be mice. Now thought to be the desperate scratching of a possessed hipster living across the hall.)

There are also grunt noises like that chick did in “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”. CrEePy…

I hope she doesn’t die or anything…

I have no patience for the smell of a rotting corpse seeping through the walls.

That and if she dies than the demon might try and posses me. THEN I’d be pissed!

To escape the prison is sexy extreme,
freedom the one lust,
our orgy a liberation,
and the way out a stark naked truth,
simply our seduction to love.

The prison is well built,
few notice the walls,
and many fall prey to demons,
possession in their sleep–
may all hear good news,
may all taste sweet ambrosia,
may all be drunk on heaven’s love.

Together shining ones slip out the gate,
for one by one we lucidly see doors open already,
and only need stay awake long enough to step free–
blissfully we perceive,
ecstasy we love:
glory,
glory,
glory we live free.

As in football, I believe rating a team’s offense and defense should be based on a per-possession* basis rather than a per-game basis. Why? Just look at the Warriors. Does Golden State really have the best offense in the league? Don’t get me wrong. Ellis, Jackson, Maggette and crew can put the ball in the hole, shooting 49% overall and 39.5% from deep, but those 112 points per game are somewhat due to the fact that they get up and down the floor more than any other team – about 108 times a game.

Would you say, for instance, that the Warriors have a better offense than the Nuggets since they’re scoring 5 more points per game than Denver? In fact, since Denver slows it up a little more, getting only 102 possessions per game, Denver is actually scoring slightly more points per possession than Golden State. Since certain games are played at different paces—depending on the teams involved, the refereeing, which team is home, and whether or not a team played the night before— purely rating teams on points scored and allowed per game is a flawed method for estimating efficiency.

It also seems apparent that faster-paced teams tend to also give up more points per possession. (Obviously these faster-paced teams give up more points per game because the opposing teams get the same number of possessions—it’s a rule or something—and therefore more chances to score.) Looking at the difference between teams’ points scored and points allowed per possession, the only grouping of teams in the positives is the slower-paced teams. The medium and fast-paced teams actually average negative differentials as a whole. It will be interesting to see if this trend holds for the whole season, since it’s hard to remember a really fast-paced team that won an NBA championship recently.

What else can we use this possession analysis for?

We can see how teams play at various paces. Teams that can adjust well to slow and fast games are likely to have a good chance at the title, since they will see different styles of play in the 17 million rounds (4) that comprise the NBA Playoffs.

We can better compare players from two different teams. Many argued two years ago that Golden State’s Baron Davis was much more deserving of an All Star spot than Portland’s Brandon Roy. However, Portland’s grind-it-out approach limited Roy’s total possessions and easy basket opportunities, and his production likely made up a larger percentage of his team’s overall production than Davis’.

This season I will follow the Portland Trailblazers and their ability to play effectively at various paces. Thus far this season, Portland is allowing the least points per possession of any NBA team. While their schedule has not been too tough, the offenses they have played against are actually scoring at the league average rate, indicating that this could be a legitimately good defense. Oden is quicker this season, and the Vanilla Gorilla is still one of the best defensive centers in the league. Not surprisingly, the Blazers lead all teams in allowing the least points per field goal attempt, indicating that teams are getting difficult looks against their defense. If it is true that defense wins championships, then there’s no reason not to quit despairing for Rip City fans. There are four negatives, figure it out.

And finally, the tops teams offensively using this possession system are (1 through 5) Toronto, Phoenix, Atlanta, San Antonio and Boston, while the worst five teams go (in getting-worse-order)  Golden State, New York, Memphis, New Orleans and Toronto. So while some fast-paced teams are in the bunch, pace doesn’t necessarily correlate with points per possession. Boston and San Antonio don’t put the scoreboard operator on the DL with Carpal Tunnel, yet they score more efficiently than most teams. In fact the correlation coefficient between scoring efficiency and pace of play is 0.14. If correlation coefficients aren’t your thing, just know that it wouldn’t be worth writing home about unless it was much closer to 1.0. Basically pace and offensive efficiency have very little to do with one another.

On the other hand, the correlation to defensive efficiency (allowing less points per possession) is a much stronger 0.42. Perhaps knowing when to slow the game down prevents easy baskets for the opponent… It will be interesting to see if these trends continue throughout the season. I’ll keep you posted.

*Again, as with football, I count possessions based on how many ways a team can end a possession. Teams can end a possession with a field goal attempt, a free throw attempt, or a turnover. I estimate that an average of 1.8 free throws are shot per trip to the charity stripe, so every 1.8 free throws equates to one possession. The formula for possessions looks like this: FGA + FTA/1.8 + TO – OFFREBS. Why minus offensive rebounds? Because I believe it’s still part of the same possession, and offensive rebounding should be included in measuring offensive efficiency.

Being one of the people who voted for “Paranormal Activity” to be released nationwide, I had very high hopes for the film. Was it going to be like “The Blair Witch Project?” Perhaps it will be bigger? Well, for this moviegoer, neither of those happened.

The film starts out innocently enough with the recent quintessential mockumentary staple, the claim that it is from official records of some sort and what we are about to see actually happened. Well, KNOWING it was a fictional movie did not help one “get into” the verisimilitude of the opening, let alone the rest of the movie. As things progress, hokey yet effective supernatural phenomena occur in the residence of the two main characters, Micah and Katie. The brash and obnoxious (yet funny) Micah decides to first document the strange happenings with a camera and THEN try to get rid of whatever is causing all the mischief. His wary girlfriend Katie is found to be the subject/cause of the paranormal activity due to a past of being haunted/followed by a demon. Katie initially tries to shrug off the “demonic presence” but becomes more terrified after each new unexplained activity (ie. keys mysteriously moving from the counter to the floor, doors closing by themselves, things making loud noises in the night). Generally, there is a good build-up to the “climax” of the movie, but the ending is a bit of a let down. Not only do we find that Micah has been killed, we ALSO find out that Katie killed him because she was possessed by the demon, and evidently has gone missing soon afterwards.

This movie was not as riveting as “The Blair Witch Project” and thus did not seem to be as terrifying as all the tiresome tv spots promise it to be. Yes, there were some genuinely creepy moments (Katie standing over her beau for 2-3 hours at a time before going back to sleep), but these were just interesting instead of unsettling or flat-out horrifying. The mockumentary style of filming was a very nice touch and did lend itself very well to this film. Instead of wowing us with special effects, it creates seemingly realistic footage of a couple in a possessed house. The acting is pretty good in this movie, partly due to the very tangible on-screen chemistry between Sloat and Featherston. Both played their parts very well as suburbanites caught in a very peculiar situation. It almost made the average moviegoer think “Hey, this could happen to me!” But, like I said…ALMOST.

Overall, I would give this movie a 3 out of 5 stars, seeing that it made a very brave attempt to deliver everything it promised in the trailer, and that it was very realistic as far as mockumentaries go.

The Cortras brothers accidentally kill the nephew of the crime lord Judah Bathierre. They flee the city of Gomorrah in fear of their lives. The brothers believe they’ll slip Bathierre’s reach if they get into the walled city called Capital. As the Cortras brothers cross the desert they encounter a man wandering the waste alone. The brothers believe him to be the heathen terrorist, Ilu Drystani, and hope to collect the reward for the man’s arrest. The stranger joins the Cortras brothers. He doesn’t tell them about the voice that’s been following him.

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Much like Day of the Dead, the Haitian Vodou holiday Fet Gede is celebrated every year on All Soul’s Day. It’s a day to honor the Ancestors and the group of spirits known as the Gede.

At the head of the Gede family is The Baron in his many aspects (Baron La Croix, Baron Samedi, Baron Cimitiere, and Baron Kriminel to name a few) and Maman Brigitte, the mother of the Gede. Together they reclaim the souls of the dead and transform some into Gede lwa, thus the Gede are innumerable. Papa Gede Nibo is the oldest and foremost Gede – said to be the oldest ancestor of the human race.

The Gede are much loved and they are the life of the party when they appear. They’re known for their bawdy and irreverent sense of humor, for dancing the banda – a dance which parodies intercourse, but also they are known for their great ability to heal the sick, give advice and prophesy the future. They have a special fondness for and are protective of children. In all, they embody the mysteries of death, fertility and birth. (source: www.dadamancer.com)

Note: What follows is my personal account of the events of that day. I did not take written notes at the Fet (a bit difficult when one is dancing). So, any inaccuracies described about the ceremony are likely errors of my memory and not of the actual ceremony.

The Fet Gede celebration that I attended last weekend was held on Sunday, Nov. 1 (All Saint’s Day) rather than Nov. 2 (All Soul’s Day). I am not sure if it was held on Nov. 1 due to people’s work schedules or another reason, but it did not seem to make a difference. The spirits were in attendance.

The day started out with an unexpected surprise. I was chatting online with a good friend of mine (whom I’ll call “L”) when she said she had a surprise ready for me and wanted to bring it over that day. She was pretty adamant that she bring it that day, which piqued my interest. So, about an hour or so later, she presented me with this lovely spirit box:

Note that the veve for Papa Legba is handpainted by L on the top in red, one of his colors. There were three pennies for him inside. Veves are complex and I was touched both by the thoughtfulness of the gift and the time put into it. L is a talented individual in her own right, and works regularly as a henna artist. I presented the box to Legba the following day, and it is now displayed prominently in his shrine area.

Of the four friends I invited to accompany me to the Fet Gede, only two (Greg and Robert, not their real names) were able to make it. Both are new friends that I haven’t known long, but both  have very good energies about them. I met them through our mutual friend Gayle, the owner of the wonderful Gargoyles Statuary. Greg called me earlier in the day, suggesting we meet aournd 6pm somewhere before the ceremony. This turned out to be an excellent idea, as we were able to meet at a sushi bar (the same place where I met Mambo C) for drinks and a light meal. The cocktail I ordered relaxed me a little, which was good because I had been antsy with excitement all morning. After our meal, Greg and I walked over to the dance studio where the ceremony would take place, and met Robert there.

The three of us are very different in appearance; we could be the three leads for a television series that cast its characters with political correctness in mind, LOL. Greg is white with short reddish brown hair and dresses tastefully Goth. He has been a solitary practitioner of Vodou and Hoodoo for a number of years (not sure exactly how long). Robert is black with dreadlocks and dressed casually for the occasion. He is Pagan and somewhat new to Vodou. I am Asian/Inuit with medium length wavy hair and dressed semi-casually, formerly Wiccan and have only been studying Vodou seriously for about a year.

I have to admit that I did my precursory “color head count” of the crowd. I’d love to be color-blind, but like many people who have lived in areas where there are not many others who look like them, the head count becomes an ingrained habit. Plus I have been curious about what a Vodou crowd in the Pacific Northwest would look like. So, for the record, here it is: Total of about 30-40 people. Of those people, 3 of African descent (Robert, one of the guest dancers, and a middle-aged woman), an Asian woman (whom I discovered later is a member of the same dance troupe that performed at the Fet, a group that I would like to see again, Danse Perdue) and myself. Some of the people I’ve mentioned this to are surprised that there were not more people of African descent present, but somehow I wasn’t surprised, it being the Pacific Northwest.

The festivities took a while to get underway, but this gave me time to catch up with Greg and Robert, check out the altar, and say hello to Mambo C. The ceremony opened with a greeting from Mambo C, and then recitations of both the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary litany. (It may surprise some readers, but Haitian Vodou is heavily syncretized with Catholicism). Following the prayers were songs and dances for the numerous lwas, beginning with the Rada lwa. This includes, among others, Papa Legba and Damballah. Here I was grateful for all the reading I’ve done. Even though the songs were in Haitian Creole, my ears were able to pick out certain terms and names throughout the ceremony.

It took a while for Greg, Robert and I to get into the dancing, although the drumming (provided by the amazing Bill Matthews and Friends) was highly infectious and could not be resisted for long. Greg and I were both moving to the rhythms, although not quite dancing during the early numbers. Robert was appreciative of the music but not moving too much early on. At some point during that first hour of music, one of the dancers, a lithe,  lovely raven-haired vision in white lace, extended a graceful hand to me and drew me into the dance. From then on, for a total of around 3 hours, it was nearly non-stop dancing for me. Greg had started really dancing around this time too and never stopped.

After I’d been dancing for a while (maybe 20 minuntes? I lost my sense of time during the dance), I noticed Robert was gone. Initially I thought he’d gone to the restroom, but soon I saw that he was walking arm in arm with the houngan in a circular path around the dance floor. Afterwards the houngan returned Robert to where he’d originally been standing, and put his forehead against Robert’s. I could see the houngan’s lips moving, but could not hear what he was saying. (The houngan made this circular walk with several participants throughout the night, including the Asian woman, the African woman, and the dancer who reached out to me. When I later asked Robert what the houngan said to him, Robert said, “Nothing.” Robert thought that perhaps he had received a blessing. My guess is that the houngan was possessed at the time, possibly by Damballah, who does not speak. I had heard his name mentioned during one of the songs. Sometime later, the houngan did indeed display the signs of a Damballah possession. He fell to the floor and was immediately covered with a white sheet by several people while the Mambo brought the houngan back to himself.) After the blessing, Robert danced freely for the rest of the evening.

There were two other possessions during the evening (possibly more, but I was only sure of these two). During one of the dances, I saw the African woman seated in a chair near the altar, seemingly frozen in an odd pose with one of her arms arched above her head, the other out to the side, and her torso leaning over to her left. Shortly after that she was dancing in a dazed way, and had to be supported by one of the Mambo’s friends.

The other possession occurred while we were honoring the Petwo lwa, specifically during the song for Bossou, the bull lwa. I knew from speaking with the Mambo that this was her met tet (master of her head), so I kept an eye on her while dancing. And sure enough, he came calling. The Mambo’s face assumed a fierce expression as she snarled. Either she pulled off her headcovering or it fell to the floor, but she made no effort to retrieve it. She began charging into people and continued doing so until the houngan got hold of her and asked the lwa to depart.

The last part of the ceremony was to honor the Ghede lwas and the ancestors. This section was opened by one of the dancers who was married to Baron Samedi. She presented him with a bottle of liquor, which she opened, took into her mouth, and then sprayed over the alter three times. What followed then was another hour or so of crazy lascivious dancing (fully clothed). Near the end of the Ghede section, all of us took turns approaching the altar and leaving offerings for our ancestors. We were encouraged to make requests from them at that time. I left a purple candle for my beloved Puck, requesting his further assistance in my Vodou studies. I know he would assist me regardless of the offering or the request, but it is always nice to ask and show appreciation. And I do so appreciate him–he played and continues to play a large role in my Vodou exploration.

The following Friday, at work, I was grabbing a tea bag out of a box when a little figure tumbled into view. This is one of those tea boxes that sometimes includes little porcelain figures. This particular tea box was given to me by a coworker maybe a year ago and I never noticed that a figure was enclosed. I picked it up. It was a little brown cat. Upon closer examination of the tea box, I saw that there were a total of ten possible figures that could be enclosed. Of those ten, two were cats–the other being a figure of two kittens. So that is a 20 percent chance of getting a cat, and a 10 percent change of getting the solitary cat. I don’t know what the odds are of my co-worker not finding the figure herself or me not finding it earlier.  Make of it what you will, but I took that as a very good sign. Also, the mirror I ordered from Gargoyles came in on Tuesday, and I plan to present it to La Sirene this weekend, along with a pipe that I have for Legba. I will give the little cat to Puck. I also will be setting up a Ghede shrine soon, simply because I am fond of them.

In closing, I was experiencing weird pain at the Fet Gede, although not severe enough to stop my feet from dancing. I will explain this further in my next post.

As I’ve been curious about my writing’s readability, I’ve run some strictly layman readability tests.  The results of the tests indicate I’m hitting my targets.  Below are averaged scores from my trilogy and two other books.

Flesch - reading ease formula, 60 – 70 is acceptable
Range: 69.03 – 76, Average: 72.42    Score: Fairly Easy

Flesh-Kincaid - grade-level indicator
Range: 5.29 – 6.65, Average: 5.912    Score: Sixth Grade

FOG - complexity, lower number is better, 6 – 7 is ideal
Range: 6.7 – 8.7, Average: 7.46        Score: Fairly Easy

SMOG - grade-level indicator
Range: 6.09 – 7.89, Average: 7.46    Score: Eighth Grade

ARI - per word understandability, also grade-level indicator
Range: 4.41 – 5.56, Average: 5.03    score: Sixth Grade

Summary:

Based on the findings and the my familiarity with the contents of my books, I’d recommend the minimum age of the reader to be thirteen years old.

Other than the age restriction the books are rated to be just a little more difficult to understand than writing by Mark Twain.

Visit the Pazuzu Trilogy web page here.

Purchase Pazuzu Trilogy books here.

Nola.com: B.G., a prominent local hip-hop artist, was arrested this week in eastern New Orleans and booked into jail on a felony gun charge, police said.
Rapper Christopher Dorsey, aka B.G., has a previous arrest record
New Orleans police arrested Christopher Dorsey, who raps under the moniker B.G., or Baby Gangsta, Tuesday night following a traffic stop in which officers recovered three guns, two of which were reported stolen, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Dorsey, 29, was booked with illegal carrying of weapons. He appeared in magistrate court Thursday morning, but the status of his incarceration, such as bond information, was not listed Thursday night in electronic court records maintained by the Criminal Sheriff’s Office.

Police said Dorsey was arrested along with the two others in the vehicle, Demounde Pollard, 17, and Jerod Fedison, 28.

Officers from the NOPD’s 7th District halted the late-model Chevrolet Tahoe after watching it commit a traffic violation, police said. They seized the three weapons, along with loaded magazines and two extended magazine clips, according to a police news release.

Fedison and Dorsey were each booked with illegal carrying of a firearm, according to court records. Pollard was booked on multiple drug charges — including possession of hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam — and two counts of illegal possession of stolen firearms, and a count of illegal carrying of a weapon.

Dorsey, who hails from Uptown, is a solo artist and a member of the Hot Boys ensemble, which boasts such big names as Li’l Wayne, Juvenile and Young Turk. He signed with Cash Money Records at the age of 13.

A former drug dealer who admitted to dabbling in heroin, he released an album several years ago with the Chopper City Boyz that debuted at No. 20 on a Billboard Chart. He also became chief executive officer of Chopper City Records, a Metairie-based label.

A spokeswoman for the label declined to comment on his arrest Thursday.

Dorsey has been arrested several times this year. He was arrested in New Orleans in June and booked into jail on drug charges. He is scheduled to appear in court next week on that case. He was also briefly held in jail this summer on an outstanding warrant from Texas, court records show, without indicating the nature of that case. The case was dropped a month later.

He was also arrested in March on drug charges in Jefferson Parish, according to court records. Prosecutors dismissed the case in August.

I admit it. Possession is not for bedtime reading, considering the fact that I read before I sleep to relax; and Possession did little to calm my nerves. I can’t sleep reading and re-reading passages, the language ever so caressing, suddenly throws me onto the vastness of outer space. I mean, the premise of two scholars uncovering those long secret correspondences between two Victorian poets sounded romantic enough, but I had no idea it would be such a huge feat for I, a non-advanced user of the English language. It has a lot of poems and culture I’ve yet to understand. Well it’s alright to throw in verses like this:

She tells her love while half asleep,
In the dark hours,
With half-words whispered low:
As earth stirs in her winter sleep
And puts out grass and flowers
Despite the snow,
Despite the falling snow.
(Robert Graves, quoted from Possession)
I appreciate that. Really, I understand and appreciate that in the context of one of the protagonist’s relationship with his girl friend. But Possession has a lot of bigger words for me, and when Ms. Byatt strings them in one sentence they become colossal.

So I did not wait for migraine or dysmenorrhea to decide later on to switch to the more reader friendly Niffeneger with The Time Traveler’s Wife.

The Time Traveler’s Wife was just recently released as a movie (‘ve yet to see!) The story revolves around Henry, who has a fantastic genetic time-traveling disorder, and Clare, his wife. It’s mainly about their fairytale relationship and Clare’s struggle in coping with Henry’s disorder, which almost always put him in dangerous situations.

Got pic from web. too lazy to grab a phone/cam to snap my own book.

Now let’s start with the love first.
Warning: spoilers.

1. Ms. Niffeneger had a fantastic idea, nay, an absurd one, and I admire her for making it bigger and making it work as a love story. You can feel the hard work she had put in writing the book. If the story were in the hands of a lazy author, I would just stop and pick up Possession again and whip myself bloody as penance for my sins and that of the world.
2. I give you permission to whip me bloody on this one: the theme’s fate/destiny. I squeal with delight. For the uninitiated, I am an advocate of Plato’s soul mate idea and its impossibility in real life. There’s this one scene when Henry met Clare in the library for the first time, and boy, was her pick up move ever so smooth and interesting.
3. Two words: time travel. I fell in love with the concept after reading Palahniuk’s Rant. It’s a crazy bitch’s idea, and whoever thought of time travelling must be some really good old miserable crackhead who wants to live in solitary confinement. Read the Grandfather paradox.

Now I have very simple standards. When a story invokes in me an unusual tide of emotions and ideas, then it is an excellent work. It means the author did a good job whipping up a vicarious force strong enough to stir those thoughts and feelings I already have. With TTTW’s it was sort of okay. No earth shattering, sob-inducing moments. It’s a lovely story every girl would want to have. Well, most girls would, I think. But I scratch myself reading some scenes and another. I mean I scratch my head.

Questions:
1. Sex figures importantly in a relationship, but in this book, is it really necessary to throw in a lot of that?
2. Is Henry’s previous observation of Clare’s horniness a smoking gun to that kinky scene with Gomez later in the book?
3. If Henry were normal, would he still meet Clare, and vice-versa? Would she ever make that move in the library to seal their fate?

Verdict: the book is thick. Five hundred ten plus pages. My favorite, easy read novel is 257 pages long. Nurse’s Reference guide: Emergencies is 800+ strong, and it is useful. BGFF… because every Cosmo chick deserves a gay best friend mini mag is less than ten pages, and it’s more or less useless. I’d still recommend The Time Traveler’s Wife to those who want a good, long love story, and BGFF to those who want a gay BFF.