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Gary Ross will not join Katniss & Crew for CATCHING FIRE!

Hey folks, Harry here...  Now that Gary Ross has completely bowed out of the sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES, CATCHING FIRE - the wanton speculation may begin.   Personally I hope they do something great like hire Cameron Crowe - who has always been fairly remarkable with a young cast and who will always keep the emotional balance that I think was slightly askew.   Of course, I haven't read the second book yet.   I think I might start it at REHAB this week.   Just so my wife won't kill me for not being able to speak to me about what happens in it.

This just got sent out to everywhere - they even included a very classy statement from Gary Ross (inserted below), whom personally I'm glad is leaving the franchise.   One, I didn't feel it was quite a perfect match, thought it is impossible to argue with the box office phenomenon that it has spurred.   What I'm happiest about is that Gary know has a mega-success that he personally launched.

So, Gary - you only ever get a shot in the career like this a few times.   Use it properly.   Make WALLY & PEPPER!!!   Do it!   You've wanted to for the better part of decade and a half...   Let's see that made.   It would blow people away.

Now - here's Gary's statement:

Despite recent speculation in the media, and after difficult but sincere consideration, I have decided not to direct Catching Fire.  As a writer and a director, I simply don't have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule.

I loved making The Hunger Games - it was the happiest experience of my professional life.  Lionsgate was supportive of me in a manner that few directors ever experience in a franchise: they empowered me to make the film I wanted to make and backed the movie in a way that requires no explanation beyond the remarkable results.  And contrary to what has been reported, negotiations with Lionsgate have not been problematic.  They have also been very understanding of me through this difficult decision.

I also cannot say enough about the people I worked with: Producer Nina Jacobson, a great collaborator and a true friend; the brilliant Suzanne Collins, who entrusted us with her most amazing and important story; the gifted and remarkable Jennifer Lawrence whose performance exceeded my wildest expectations, and the rest of the incredible cast, whom I am proud to call my friends.

To the fans I want to say thank you for your support your faith, your enthusiasm and your trust. Hard as this may be to understand I am trying to keep that trust with you. Thank you all. It’s been a wonderful experience.

Readers Talkback
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  • April 10, 2012, 9:37 p.m. CST

    For reals?

    by Tar Heel

    He's in, he's out, he's in, he's out. Anybody but Rattner now.

  • April 10, 2012, 9:38 p.m. CST

    X3 bring in the Rat.

    by adeceasedfan

  • April 10, 2012, 9:40 p.m. CST

    I will watch Hunger Games eventually...

    by GravyAkira

    How about The Bourn Ultimatum director for the sequel?

  • April 10, 2012, 9:44 p.m. CST

    Why make a movie correctly...

    by zanemn

    When you can just make it fast.

  • April 10, 2012, 9:46 p.m. CST

    Believe it or not

    by Teddy Artery

    Having a director who understands actors and characters is more important for this series, in my opinion. Special effects are really secondary and I also believe the budget should remain constrained. Why waste the money on eye-popping computer animation when it won't add one iota to the appreciation of the movie for the target audience.

  • Than who directs the next 500 million guaranteed film.

  • but you know what? it was awful! harry potter, twilight and this shit not liking where big budgets films are going...this tween market is bringing films to a new low

  • April 10, 2012, 9:57 p.m. CST

    Brad Pitt IS Finnick Odair!!

    by Turd Furgeson

    He was always the actor I pictured in the book... Him OR VIGO!!!!

  • April 10, 2012, 9:58 p.m. CST

    Now can we get Pleasantville 2: into the Third Dimension?

    by Kamaji

  • April 10, 2012, 10:01 p.m. CST

    What about Drew Goddard? Or Justin Lin?

    by Turd Furgeson

    For different reasons... I think Justin Lin could make this as gritty and "Confined" feeling as the book felt.. And Cabin In The Woods is getting great buzz so Drew Goddard????

  • April 10, 2012, 10:05 p.m. CST

    Deja Vu!

    by cat_herder

    Haven't I seen this headline before? ;)

  • April 10, 2012, 10:06 p.m. CST

    Pretty apparent who the next Director will be

    by ray a

    The Studio execs

  • April 10, 2012, 10:09 p.m. CST

    Cameron Crowe? Um...

    by PotSmokinAlien

    Maybe if the second book was a rambling, touchy-feely romance with lightly comic interludes. But it's not. It's a dystopian action movie, like the first book. I know-- weird, right? Cuaron. Cuaron. Cuaron. It should be Alfonso Cuaron. They could make that decision on the sole fact that the preview could then say "From the visionary director of CHILDREN OF MEN and HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN," which if you work in marketing in LA is a phrase so 'geektastic' that makes the staff of your entire firm experience spontaneous cluster orgasms. If they must treat this movie as a business transaction then so be it-- this is one of those times when the best and most appropriate director for the job is also the one who's most likely to turn a profit. Ahh, who am I kidding? They'll give it to a European guy who's never directed anything before.

  • April 10, 2012, 10:19 p.m. CST

    Cameron Crowe, are you freakin' kidding me?

    by matthooper8

    Great, a director recommendation from someone who didn't like the first one. Wow, what a joke. Are you fuckin' serious? Let him make Vanilla Sky 2 or Elizabethtown 2 or some other piece of shit sequel. Don't fuck up a potentially great franchise that is off to a great start. By the way,all you douchebags 18-35 who live at home and crap on the film even though you probably havn't seen it. Open your mind for a second to things that every other douche shits on. Maybe someday you'll be with an actual woman.

  • April 10, 2012, 10:20 p.m. CST

    It will be some hack director

    by Toe Jam

    Who else can they find on such short notice? Still, I liked "The Hunger Games," but thought the direction was the weakest part of the movie. The books are YA, and are pretty much screenplays with extra words. Just find someone who can actually direct and edit action sequences, and it'll be just as good as the first.

  • April 10, 2012, 10:20 p.m. CST

    Here's hopin' the next movie will have 100% less shaky cam.

    by Jet Jaguar

  • April 10, 2012, 10:23 p.m. CST

    Cuaron seems like a logical choice

    by seasider

    He's proven he can work with teen actors and would be able to maintain the faded color look of the first film. Other possibilities: Neil Blomkamp Andrew Adamson D.J Caruso

  • Brett Ratner is keeping his phone charged and ringer on.

  • April 10, 2012, 10:28 p.m. CST

    In less than nine months!

    by tomandshell

  • April 10, 2012, 10:29 p.m. CST

    What about David Slade?

    by Jet Jaguar

    He directed 30 Days of Night and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He's no stranger to helming blockbusters based on lackluster girl fiction.

  • April 10, 2012, 10:32 p.m. CST

    Begin the thawing of Irvin Kershner

    by heroic_duo

    Or Cuaron. Whichever is easiest

  • April 10, 2012, 10:49 p.m. CST

    Cameron Crowe

    by DrunkyMcLush

    Horrible idea for a film like this. Yes, he'd be great at balancing the emotional aspects, but I don't think he could handle directing action. My personal choice would be Andrew Dominik. He can create real atmosphere with striking visuals and solid emotion.

  • April 10, 2012, 10:57 p.m. CST

    How about...

    by RogueWarrior65

    Guillermo del Toro or Alfonso Cuarón?

  • April 10, 2012, 10:59 p.m. CST

    Finnick Odair =

    by Turd Furgeson

    CHARLIE HUNNAM.... Not too expensive, VERY VERY GOOD ACTOR and charasmatic as hell... My wife says "Make it so!"

  • April 10, 2012, 11:01 p.m. CST

    by Ryan Little

    So yeah, what is it with this REHAB thing? Didn't he already do that? Also, Cameron Crowe is a terrible choice.

  • April 10, 2012, 11:01 p.m. CST

    Absolute shame

    by theblackvegtable

    He did a great job with that film, I really enjoyed it. You'd think studio's would have learned by now that sometimes it pays off not to rush these things out. They had a great team and all they needed was a bit of time to do it right. Guess that's movie making... sigh

  • April 10, 2012, 11:01 p.m. CST

    THE HUNGER GAMES did suck, right?

    by MooseMalloy

    Am I truly missing out on something by not totally getting into this franchise? Is total devotion to a new property the hot trend to follow? Someone please tell me how to live my life now!

  • April 10, 2012, 11:03 p.m. CST

    by Ryan Little

    Guillermo del Toro or Alfonso Cuarón?

  • April 10, 2012, 11:08 p.m. CST

    I agree the direction was the weakest part

    by Teddy Artery

    of the movie... well, the cinematography wasn't really very good either. The lead actress was surprisingly effective, but the other two male "love interests" were dull, shallow and apparently didn't understand their characters very well. One more thing... What is with the names of the characters? They're terrible. Even in hundreds of years names (especially LAST NAMES) aren't going to suddenly become some of the most ridiculous sounding names heard since "Art Vandelay" or "David Puddy" (fake names were always the biggest weak spot in Seinfeld's scripts).

  • April 10, 2012, 11:17 p.m. CST

    How bout Danny Boyle?

    by Sound Designer Dan

    Trainspotting, Sunshine, Slumdog, 127 Hours And he's worked well with Beaufoy in the past.

  • April 10, 2012, 11:28 p.m. CST

    Mass pop delusion dictate sheep's belief that Hunger Games is "good".

    by The_Genteel_Gentile

    and that John Carter isn't. Pathetically ineffectual and pusillanimous pretend friend to animals!

  • April 10, 2012, 11:36 p.m. CST

    Don't get the Hunger Games love...

    by Andrew Coleman

    Read the books and liked them. The first movie is badly put together though. I also dislike how this movie became so huge... Tweens. So it means HG can never be made fun of... Because it made so much money. While John Carter(A much stronger movie) gets bashed everywhere because people were too stupid to see it. Bull shit. Next director should just hold the fucking camera still. If he wasn't busy already I'd say pick up Kenneth Branagh. Other options I'd look at are Gavin O'Connor(Warrior). And Ben Affleck... Yeah you heard me.

  • April 10, 2012, 11:39 p.m. CST

    Maybe The Sequel Will Actually Be Watchable...

    by DeckardB26354

    instead of looking like it was filmed during an earthquake..... for every scene.

  • April 11, 2012, 12:08 a.m. CST

    by Blood Simple

    Also, who cares?

  • April 11, 2012, 12:12 a.m. CST

    I CARE!

    by Queefer Sutherland

    Not really. I just wanted to come by and see my bitches.

  • April 11, 2012, 12:19 a.m. CST

    In defense of CBS after school specials.

    by adeceasedfan

    Safe touching is not BORRRRING. And if you drink beer you'll get pregnant.

  • April 11, 2012, 12:21 a.m. CST

    by vettebro

    Good. I hate shakey cam. Let's hope the new director doesn't use fucking shakey cam like this kook did. My daughters will force me to see the sequels. I don't want to go home with a headache. Also, more blood please. : )

  • April 11, 2012, 12:23 a.m. CST

    Gareth Evans to direct

    by Dubster32

  • April 11, 2012, 12:26 a.m. CST

    Ugh. Tragic.

    by sweeneydave

  • April 11, 2012, 12:55 a.m. CST

    sad news

    by drave117

    I was really hoping they would work out a way for him to do it. And to the person who keeps complaining about the dogs popping out of nowhere, the ENTIRE ARENA is manufactured from the ground up. Every part of it is under direct control, and the ground is littered with cylinders and tunnels just under the surface, all of which can be used to deliver different kinds of threats to the arena. The dogs were already created, and releasing them was basically the equivalent of loading and firing a torpedo.

  • April 11, 2012, 1:11 a.m. CST

    also, I will not be in this movie.

    by Arcadian Del Sol

    Just for those who are keeping track of who is NOT being cast in this movie - I am not. officially.

  • April 11, 2012, 1:29 a.m. CST

    Give it to Ratner!

    by Anthony Torchia

    I'm kidding, I wouldn't wish ratboy on anyone, except maybe Robin Williams Or Eddie Murphy

  • April 11, 2012, 2:08 a.m. CST

    Alfonso Cuaron!!!

    by dkent

    Please for the love of God!!!

  • April 11, 2012, 2:38 a.m. CST

    Tommy Wiseau!

    by LizardMan

    Nuff said

  • April 11, 2012, 3:04 a.m. CST

  • April 11, 2012, 4:01 a.m. CST

    I don't want it good. I want it Tuesday.

    by Douglas Kirk

    The film was as weak as water. Up there with the Woosy Twilight exercise.

  • April 11, 2012, 4:09 a.m. CST

    Danny Boyle, Paul Greengrass or Alfonso Cuaron.

    by loafroaster

  • April 11, 2012, 4:22 a.m. CST

    I prefered the build up to the games.

    by john

    The rest of the movie was a studio trying not to offend anyone with PG13 kills and unbelievable love shit. Battle Royale laughs at you.

  • April 11, 2012, 4:58 a.m. CST

    Just like Harry Potter, you got to ring the changes...

    by Sulis

    Without introducing too many spoilers, there is a Harry Potter-like aspect in the sense that the same kind of thing happens again in both sequels, so having some directorial variety might make sense purely in terms of stopping the damn thing feeling repetitive. But I liked the first film, as did my kids - and no-one was moaning about the director. As long as a director doesn't actually get in the way of a good story, that's generally the case. Yes, it could have been directed better - but what movie couldn't?

  • April 11, 2012, 6:08 a.m. CST

    Please don't waste Cuarón on YA bullshit.

    by Bedknobs and Boomsticks

  • April 11, 2012, 6:32 a.m. CST

    Takashi Miike

    by hspahr

    Now that would be bad-ass

  • April 11, 2012, 6:32 a.m. CST

    by Ryan

    Fucking done with shaky cam shit.

  • April 11, 2012, 6:52 a.m. CST

    Perhaps they should go with Martin Campbell...

    by Sean1701

    Goldeneye & Casino Royale anyone?

  • April 11, 2012, 7:29 a.m. CST

    Michael Bay

    by jackbauerpowerhour

    Lots of explosions in Catching Fire, make it a Michael Bay a thon.

  • April 11, 2012, 7:56 a.m. CST

    Please hire someone who can actually film action scenes ...

    by Judge Briggs

    I want to see what's going on, please. Walked into that movie with a headache and left with a fucking migraine. True story ... The movie's action scenes and first 20 minutes were unbearable! TOO MANY CLOSEUPS!

  • April 11, 2012, 8:20 a.m. CST

    "You only ever get a shot in the career like this a few times"?

    by Thomas

    Fuck me.

  • April 11, 2012, 8:39 a.m. CST

    I've never read it, but the Book has to be better than the movie.

    by Darth_Kaos

    Saw it last weekend, and as usual, it was mediocre. Keeping steady with the current trend in Hollywood. I"m glad Ross is gone. I've heard the second book is the best of the three, so they really need to someone with some chops. I don't believe in God, but I pray that Prometheus and TDKR saves my summer. Avengers, for some reason, just isn't doing it for me.

  • April 11, 2012, 9:17 a.m. CST

    Yeah that "Dogs on a Holodeck" scene was jarring to me too

    by kidicarus

    It seems like everything else was near-future plausible stuff, (except the hovercrafts) and creatures being generated on an instant just didn't make sense to me for a society that still needs coal to run.

  • April 11, 2012, 9:31 a.m. CST

    Hunger Games sucked

    by Transhuman

    don't waste a good director on it

  • April 11, 2012, 9:51 a.m. CST

    "I would also like to thank my amazing camera man...

    by George Zip

    who drank twelve cups of coffee before he came to work every day..."

  • These guys' shaky-cam will make Ross' look like Kubrick Steadicam in comparison.

  • No offense.. but Brad Pitt, and definitely Viggo are too DAMN old for the role.. Did you read the book? Finnick is only a few years older than Katniss and Peeta, 24 if I remember correctly. Brad Pitt definitely in his younger years would have pulled off the pretty boy part, and brought the acting talent to match. But no.. these guys are way wayyy too old for that part, unless they decide to completely rewrite it (not out of the question of course). Honestly can't think of any particular actor who could pull Finnick off. He seems to be written imposingly large.. but you do go a bit deeper with him in the third book honestly the role of Finnick as written in the second book is, and Johanna even, minor characters (at best). I wouldn't even, in the second book, call them characters.. kind of like random people who just pop up once or twice in the movie, kind of like most of the cameos in "American Reunion".

  • April 11, 2012, 10:35 a.m. CST

    Gary Ross Was To Hunger Games What Chris Columbus Was To Harry Potter

    by HateThaNet

    Both made very mediocre adaptations and their best contributions were casting their stars (Lawrence and Radcliffe).

  • April 11, 2012, 10:37 a.m. CST

    and on the next director..

    by mcgillj

    Actually I was thinking, and I haven't seen anything from him for quite a while. But my choice for director of the third film would be Alex Proyas who directed "The Crow" and "Dark City". As the stories and the trilogy does progressively hit darker territory, and honestly I can not see them filming "Mockingjay" as written.. as much as I kind of like quite a few elements of the book (not all of them) I don't see that working as an entertaining film. Catching Fire shot in the vein/style of "Dark City".. with a bit more vibrance could be unique. The third film though should have a more steady and accomplished, I think, dramatic director hand.. actually? I think after Thor Kenneth Branaugh in a way would be the perfect choice on some level.. with some of the themes juggled about in the final chapter, someone to give the film some real gravitas, rather than shaky cam violence.. but who isn't afraid to go in for it either.

  • April 11, 2012, 10:56 a.m. CST

    Alfonso Cuaron is not going to do a Hunger Games sequel

    by lv_426

    I am betting that his upcoming Gravity with two big movie stars (George Clooney and Sandra Bullock), will do really well at the theater. Seriously. It's an action/thriller about two astronauts caught in orbit above the Earth after their ship/space station is destroyed. It is sci-fi/adventure that everyone can get into, as we still have lots of blokes out there that can't stomach aliens and faraway exotic planets in their movies. Plus, if Prometheus does really well, it will stoke some more fire for grittier and more believable sci-fi flicks about space. I doubt Cuaron will decide to get sucked into something like Hunger Games. I'd suggest maybe Duncan Jones. He still is working his way up as a smart genre filmmaker. He can handle sci-fi elements well. He can do action and hold the camera steady. He can write his own stuff as well as work well with material written by someone else (Moon was his own script, but Source Code was by a different writer). He'd be a good choice and then it would help him move up the ladder towards bigger more ambitious films due to this being a sure fire hit for whatever director does a good job with the material.

  • April 11, 2012, 11:17 a.m. CST

    Flawed start, but not a false start.

    by impetus

    Strongly agree with the sentiments that the film was poorly shot. The shaky-cam nonsense was totally unnecessary and distracting, and - let's not mince words - completely unprofessional. This is a traditional narrative, not a live-observer/found-footage thing. It also felt overly long - too much initial setup and explanation. Yes, it establishes the setting and characters, but it sure took its time. Some of that stuff can be fleshed out in an extended cut for the fans, LOTR style. Compare to Battle Royale, where the narrative is super-tight. Most of the backdrop explained in a couple paragraphs of opening text. The setup is just enough to get things rolling, and is actually more shocking due to its quick escalation (both to the viewer and the panic-stricken characters). Then the rest of the film is spent on the meat: watching how the kids behave. I certainly don't think this series is a lost cause, though. Despite its flaws Hunger Games was a decent story with a really great protagonist. Plus it's past what I assume is the worst/hardest part, setting up the dystopian backdrop. I'd love to see a great director like Cuaron run with the concept and make something better.

  • April 11, 2012, 11:32 a.m. CST

    by mdk

    ...Smell a Ratner!

  • April 11, 2012, 11:52 a.m. CST

    Shaky cam and pg-13 tempered violence

    by Darth Macchio

    So will this be a "new normal" then? Upping the bloodless violence by clever use of shaky-cam? Themes make for a trend and trends may eventually reach ubiquity. Profit margins involved almost make it inevitable...unless... We need to be more vocal about this shit I think. I'd rather have less violence than have it hidden or tempered by shaky-cam. There's a certain amount most of us can take, moreso if its conceptual within the film's story (Cloverfield, Chronicle, etc) but for regularly filmed cinema (Hunger Games, Bourne trilogy, etc) I think it's getting to be a crutch and if it picks up for tempering violence in more open ratings, we're in for a LOT more shaky-cam. Hollywood smells profit in the theater like a shark smells blood in the water and it will push even things that would just get an R (and show the violence) into things that can garner a larger audience with PG-13 and I just cannot believe that this "violence tempered by shaky-cam" technique will not be used more and more. I haven't seen HG yet - don't plan on seeing in the theater but will rent/cable it but review after review (prof and amateur) have both said shaky-cam was used far too much and to bad, distracting effect.

  • April 11, 2012, 12:57 p.m. CST

    Spielberg poularized the skaky cam technique

    by seasider

    with Saving Private Ryan but the intention was not to trivialize the violence that was going on. Shaky cam is now one of the new tricks directors use to get a PG-13 rating.

  • April 11, 2012, 1:21 p.m. CST

    Sookie's brother IS Finnick

    by Jamie Land

    Ryan Kwanten/ Jason Stackhouse from True Blood for Finnick. You KNOW it makes sense.

  • April 11, 2012, 2:02 p.m. CST

    I saw let Boborci direct it. It's time.

    by Tikidonkeypunch

  • April 11, 2012, 2:12 p.m. CST

    Hire his non-union Mexican equivalent!

    by jinste

    Sorry folks-but I felt we needed a Simpsons line at this point

  • April 11, 2012, 2:26 p.m. CST

    Breaking News: Hunger Games gets new director

    by LiquidHotMagma

    It's Josh Brolin from the future ...

  • April 11, 2012, 2:55 p.m. CST

    Paul Greengrass

    by drew70 he can do the same hackneyed steadi-cam shite (conveying INTENSITY dontcha know) that gary ross pulled be nice to see a fight scene where you can actually SEE the fight...will someone tell the next director to pull the camera back a little so that we can see some you know...ACTION as for gary ross: Pleasantville 2 (a town in 3-d) PLEASE

  • April 11, 2012, 3:57 p.m. CST

    The next Hunger Games should star Miley Cyrus and Katpiss

    by Joe Plumber

  • April 11, 2012, 4 p.m. CST

    Magic Dogs:

    by buggerbugger

    Well, **duh,** why do you think they need all of that fucking coal for in the first place? Magic dogs don't just appear out of nowhere all by themselves. You need serious amounts of coal for that shit.

  • April 11, 2012, 4:06 p.m. CST

    What is next after shakycam?

    by lv_426

    I bet they just say fuck it and defocus the camera lens and shoot a bunch of stuff completely out of focus. Then after that it will be something like the lights go out or are shot out, then the scene of violence progresses in total darkness with just sound. Then the violent sounds of struggle die down and somebody lights a match so we can see the characters faces.

  • April 11, 2012, 5 p.m. CST

    gary ross to employ an epileptic to be camera operator

    by drew70

    storyboards? we don't need no stinkin storyboards!!!!!

  • April 11, 2012, 5:04 p.m. CST

    anyone seen Battle Royale part 2?

    by animas

    I thought about watching it but it has 4.7 on imdb

  • April 12, 2012, 3:32 a.m. CST

    movie sucked. and you all know it.

    by Ld

    every critic that mattered was paid off, and the screaming fans are simply brainwashed.

  • April 12, 2012, 5:38 a.m. CST

    re: "anyone seen Battle Royale part 2?"

    by buggerbugger

    Yup, saw it a few years ago. It's... not very good. From what I can remember of it, it's all about a group of kids who, having become sick of the Battle Royale programme, become a group of terrorists/freedom fighters who blow up random bits of Japan to force the government to end BR.


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Fully Stocked, Modern Kitchen, Granite Countertop , Hardwood Breakfast Bar - Modern Tropical Luxury at its Best!Master Suite - King Size Bed, Highest Quality Linens, Desk and Work Space, Open Concept Suite, Full Custom Closet and AC in each bedroom, Master & Second
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Surf, Sleep, Relax in Style & Comfort Villa #1

Costa RicaGuanacasteNosara
Entire home/apt
4 Guests
2 Bedrooms
3 Beds
Per Night
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About this listing

This is an upstairs unit two bedroom, two bathroom, modern tropical villa located in K Section of Playa Guiones, a 10 minute walk to the beach and 6 minute walk to Bodhi Tree Resort. This property is on larger resort called Namaste Oasis that consists only 4 units on nearly a full acre of property. The location is private, quiet, and this property has been a favorite of guests, at a nightly rate less than most hotel rooms. Large shared pool, with plenty of space. Modern, Luxurious, Affordable.

The space
Accommodates: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Bedrooms: 2
Beds: 3
Check In: Anytime after 3PM
Check Out: 10AM
Room type: Entire home/apt

Extra people: No Charge
Cleaning Fee: $36
Cancellation: Strict

The space

Namaste Oasis Private Residence Club & Vacation Resort is located in Nosara, Costa Rica within walking distance to the beaches of Playa Guiones.
Two bedrooms. One is master suite with King bed, private bath, luxury showers and fixtures, bedding. Second bedroom has two twin beds. Second bathroom outside of 2nd bedroom with access to rest of villa unit. Large open floorpan and terrace makes up the kitchen, living, and dining room. There is TV and Cable in the living room. Kitchen fully appointed as if staying at your own home. Coffee makers, blender, stove, oven, etc. The place is fully stocked.

Guest access

All of Unit available to Guests

Interaction with guests

The property is administrated and managed by a real estate company who specializes in high end properties and guests. This is one of the best managed, maintained, and professional run rentals of its type in all of Guiones.

The neighborhood

K Section, a very highly desired residential area on the southern side of Playa Guiones, this is one of the most sought after locations in all of Nosara. Close to beach, Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort, Restaurants, Shops, and all main attractions of Playa Guiones

Getting around

Full parking lot for vehicles of guests. Two vehicles allowed per guest.

Other things to note

It is recommended to get a form of transportation, such as bike, quad, golf cart, or car. In Guiones, everything is close but also far, you can walk to many places but might want to take some trips or visit some popular restaurants in different parts of town. Nosara is very spread out with many popular things to do, the location of this property is close to the beach so to get to other areas vehicle is needed.

House Rules
No smoking
Not suitable for pets
No parties or events
Check-in is after 3PM

These are private residences, and all guests are expect to act as if these are their own homes. Please do not bring towels to the beach. Each unit has private security system and alarm must be set when not in the unit. Please wash off all beach sand prior to using interior showers or the pool area.

Safety features
Smoke detector
Safety card

5 nights minimum stay

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Miami AC Guide: Is a Ductless Mini Split System the Right Choice for You?

If you are in the market for a new home HVAC system for the first time, you may be overwhelmed by all the choices and information out there. The great number of ways from which you may choose to heat and cool your Miami home is a big benefit, as it helps ensure that there is an option well suited to your needs out there. Of course, the array of options to choose from can also make it more difficult to find the right HVAC system for your home.

When you start to feel like you may need some help choosing your new system, contact Air on Demand. Before making any decisions we encourage you to consider the installation of a ductless mini split system. Here is some information about this great home heating and AC option.

Ductless mini split systems are perfect for homes that cannot or never have been outfitted to accommodate air ducts. The elimination of ductwork from the heating and cooling process also means that ductless mini splits are not as susceptible to energy loss as forced air systems. Leaky, damaged air ducts are one of the most common ways in which energy is wasted when heating or cooling a home. Lose the ductwork rather than the energy you have paid for by making the decision to go ductless.

Due to the fact that ductless mini splits use individual, wall mounted blowers to distribute air throughout your home zone control is simple. By using separate thermostats to control different blowers you can regulate temperatures with more control than ever. There is no need to cool an empty bedroom just because you want the living room to be warm, after all. Increase energy efficiency by increasing the control you have over your AC system.

If you would like to learn more about ductless mini splits or wish to schedule an installation, contact Air on Demand. Our expert technicians have all the training and experience necessary to ensure that your ductless mini split installation is handled with the care and professionalism you deserve. We’ll make your Miami home a more comfortable place to live.

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October 2, 2012

maybe this is why God let me have children

I originally wrote this in June of 2010.  I thought I'd use it as the first in a series of three posts on motherhood.  The first one, today's, shows that it doesn't matter if you have one child or ten, being a mom can be really frustrating and difficult at times.  As much as it is a gift - and what a truly great gift it is! - it also demands sacrifice.  Tomorrow's post will be on a couple of things that have helped me as a mother and the last post will be about having my hands full with my 4 kids aged 4 and under.

Some nights I look back over my days with a great deal of shame.  Let's take, for instance, Tuesday.  Most of the day went really well:  play group, folded laundry, dishes done, visited with Mom, talked to some friends on the phone.  And then during nap time both of my kids were sleeping and this was exactly what I wanted.  Some quiet time to myself to check my email without Ben or L grabbing at the laptop, or my leg, or my arm, or my hair.  To sit without anyone on my person.  Ahhhh..

And then L woke up.  I held her so she'd go back to sleep but then she wouldn't let me put her down.  Every time I tried to lay her back down she'd cry and cry and cling to me.  This drove me over the edge and I yelled at her to go to sleep and leave me alone.

She then gave me that look.  The one where she's afraid and sad and confused, and she just wants her mommy to hold her, but her mommy is the one making her feel that way.  So she just cries a little harder.  Hopefully you don't know what I'm talking about.

It is the worst feeling I have experienced.

And then I am reminded of what another mom shared once.  She told the story of snapping at her son one day in the car.  Her son began to cry and said, "Don't yell at me, Mommy.  It hurts my feelings."

She then said, "My mother has her defense mechanisms; my husband has learned to protect himself against my words and moods, but my son has nothing.  Sometimes I wonder if maybe this is why God has let me have the one son I have - so I can see how I really treat people."

I have thought about that comment so many times over the months since she first shared it.  I don't freak out at everyone the way I do my kids, but I do loose my patience, jump to conclusions, make snap (usually harsh) judgements, grumble, and become easily frustrated.  Often I find myself wanting to walk away from people who are annoying or frustrating me because I just don't want to take the time to see their side, understand their point, show a little compassion and mercy.  It is very similar to me yelling at my child to "just leave me alone."

In all of these interactions with people I know that it is not only from them that I am withholding charity, but Christ Himself.  The Judgement of the Nations in Matthew 25 is very powerful for me, and I know that many times I am a goat instead of a sheep.  Goats go to Hell - but not this one.  I've still got some filing down to do on my horns, but I fully intend to not spend an eternity away from my God.

"God will give you for eternity what you love the most.  If it's Him, you go to Heaven."  Fr. Larry Richards

I believe that in my vocation of motherhood God is asking me to love Him in a special way through my kids.  So sometimes that just might mean sacrificing my body and personal space to snuggle with a napping girl who craves my presence when I just don't want to.

Lord, have mercy, because it can be so hard.

I'd like to thank my friend, J, for giving me permission to retell her story.

  1. I get so sad when I get "that look" but every so often it happens. Thank you for sharing this reflection again.

  2. Such a beautiful, honest post! A great priest always reminds me to use the kids' Guardian Angels help to keep myself calm.

  3. Ohhhhh...that look happened way too many times with my firstborn in her first year of life. I should have sought counseling and spiritual guidance. Ugh...so much guilt. I just expected a perfect baby and had NO rhythm let alone schedule for our days and she was just an exhausted baby who wanted to be held and allowed to be a tiny person.
    Sweet Jesus restore her soul where I have wounded!!

    Looking forward to the next two posts!


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April 8, 2014

Book Week! and The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

Welcome to Book Week!

Over the last month or so I have read a handful of books that were each so very good I knew I wanted to tell you about them. I decided to set aside a week to do a review each day and, thanks to the generous folks at Ignatius Press and Magnificat, I also have a free copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children to give away at the end of the week. Be sure to go to Monday's post to register to win!

If you have read any of the books I'm reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave a comment or link to your own post in the combox.

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
Written and Illustrated by Ben Hatke

Ben Hatke

Ben Hatke is my absolute favorite illustrator. We own several of the books he has illustrated, including Angel in the Waters - a book every family should own. If we were rich I would commission him to turn a family picture into a Hatke-ized portrait because I *love* the way he sees the world. So you can understand why, when I recently discovered that Hatke not only illustrated others' work but had his own line of graphic novels for kids, well I knew I needed to get my hands on one of his books.

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl is the third and newest book in a series with the original Zita the Spacegirl published in 2011 and Legends of Zita the Spacegirl released in 2012. It tells the story of how Zita, a girl from Earth who has been saving folks throughout space, now needs some help being saved herself and saving her home planet.

I read The Return of Zita the Spacegirl to my older children. My five and four year olds loved it, and so did I! The illustrations are great, the characters are wonderful, Zita (a girl!) is kind, brave, selfless, and modestly dressed and looks like a little girl! What a gift to have a sci-fi, adventuring role model for my daughter who doesn't look like a sex symbol! My kids and I started at the end of the trilogy but we cannot wait to go back to the beginning.

My favorite part about reading Zita, as a parent and a book lover, was a moment that happened when my kids and I were huddled on my bed, reading a chapter before bedtime. When the chapter ended I closed the book and told the kids it was time for sleep. My kindergartner, with big, excited eyes, asked if I could read just a little bit more into the next chapter. The cliffhanger was killin' her and she just had to find out what happened. It was such a magical moment for me, again as a mom and book lover, that I of course read on!

With the interesting illustrations and the bright colors even my 23 month old likes to look at Zita. In fact, all of my kids like to sit and flip through the graphic novel, looking at the pictures again and again.

Is this book for everyone? Maybe not. It is a sci-fi book but we love sci-fi here and I strongly encourage this book if your family is like mine in that way. I also want to point out that one of the characters is a friendly skeleton, the words "hate" and "stupid" are each used once, and an adult female character wears a midriff and cleavage-showing tank - if you don't have a problem with Ariel and Jasmine you won't have a problem with this.

I'll say it again, we loved this graphic novel and I am so excited to read the other Zita books. Also! If you also like Hatke's illustrations and fairy tale creatures be sure to keep an eye out for Julia's House for Lost Creatures. I'm super excited for it!

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke is published by First Second and you should buy it. ;)

  1. Oh, thank you for the review! I've always loved sci-fi. I think I will put these books on my Amazon wish list for my grandchildren for Christmas since they just had their birthdays. The girls are 4 and 5 but their brother (the oldest; a couple weeks ago my daughter just had another boy) is about to turn 9. He likes graphic novels and he may just read this, too, even if the main character is a girl. :)

    1. My (much-younger) brother loved reading the Zita books at about age 8.

  2. Putting this on our wish list. Thanks for the review!!

  3. What a fun series! I love hearing what books other families enjoy--my kids go through so many I can't keep up with what is good! We'll be looking in to these. -Gina

  4. I've been a fan of Ben Hatke for forever-he's awesome.


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The Painter of Modern Life

010515 100

Charles Baudelaire wrote a great many wonderful essays, of which ‘The Painter of Modern Life’ is one. In the opening portion on ‘Beauty, Fashion and Happiness’ he makes a play for my own heart. I have forgotten which literature course listed this as part of its required reading, but I’m grateful it did. Hopefully I don’t betray my old-man curmudgeon status by stating that this speaks to a generation that likely won’t listen, but needs to hear it.

“The past is interesting not only by reason of the beauty which could be distilled from it by those artists for whom it was the present, but also precisely because it is the past, for its historical value. It is the same with the present. The pleasure which we derive from the representation of the present is due not only to the beauty with which it can be invested, but also to its essential quality of being present.” ~ Charles Baudelaire

Is there a place in this fast-paced selfie-obsessed world for such thoughtful reflection on our social condition, or is all that simply lost in the speed of everything today? I’d like to believe that such nuances, and such subtlety, are still able to be gleaned and understood, that some of us are capable of holding our focus and attention to have a succinct conversation and experience, uninterrupted and not chopped up by other distractions. Enough with the multi-tasking and light-speed-shifting social plate tectonics.

“The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples or stiffens his dress, rounds off or squares his gesture, and in the long run even ends by subtly penetrating the very features of his face. Man ends by looking like his ideal self. These engravings can be translated either into beauty or ugliness; in one direction, they become caricatures, in the other antique statues.” ~ Charles Baudelaire

What will last? What aspects of beauty are we preserving? What will survive the test of time, and what will fall by the wayside? When we look back at all these selfies years from now, assuming that we even do, what is it that we will see and remember? Will any of it linger beyond this fleeting second? I’m not convinced much of it will. You need to do something different, something daring. You need to make your mark and make it stick. Otherwise you’ll get swept away, lost and indistinguishable in the massive wave of self-promotion that social media has crafted and fostered. In a sense, social media is fashion. Baudelaire would, I’d guess, be quite taken with Instagram and Twitter.

The selfie is the modern-day artistic statue, erected with far less permanence, yet far greater reach.

I also want to believe, given that I’m writing this in a blog (the modern-day printing press, the current means of presenting work to the world), that even in this raw and rough method of transmission, there is the possibility for something beautiful, for something meaningful, for something that might last. A lot of sifting may be required, some searching and weeding through all the fluff, but in some select posts I have to believe there is something more.

“Beauty is made up of an eternal, invariable element, whose quantity it is excessively difficult to determine, and of a relative, circumstantial element, which will be, if you like, whether severally or all at once, the age, its fashions, its morals, its emotions. Without this second element, which might be described as the amusing, enticing, appetizing icing on the divine cake, the first element would be beyond our powers of digestion or appreciation, neither adapted nor suitable to human nature. I defy anyone to point to a single scrap of beauty which does not contain these two elements.” ~ Charles Baudelaire

And so I seek to find such beauty, to bring it to light, to give it a chance to embed itself within the continuum of human history. It’s getting more and more difficult to make something that sticks, and in my heart of hearts I think I may have failed thus far – but that’s the very thing that keeps this site going. There is the possibility of beauty, the potential for greatness. It’s just out of reach, but on my best days I’ve tasted it, I’ve felt it, and I know I’ve come close.

“…even in those centuries which seem to us the most monstrous and the maddest, the immortal thirst for beauty has always found its satisfaction.”  ~ Charles Baudelaire

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Mental Health in New York State: Changes & Challenges for Public Health

Originally presented on May 15, 2014

Kelly Hansen
Executive Director
New York State Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors

Glenn Liebman
Mental Health Association in New York State

Persons suffering from mental illness, particularly those with a co-occurring substance use disorder or physical health co-morbidities, on average experience significantly worse health outcomes than their peers.  In fact, a 20071 study found that people diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) died approximately 25 years earlier than the general population from largely preventable conditions, including cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and diabetes.

Medicaid Redesign, coupled with provisions of the Affordable Care Act, is creating the push to integrate behavioral health and physical health, improve coordination of care for clients and move the full Medicaid behavioral healthcare benefit into managed care.  Simultaneously, New York State will be shifting from an institutional model of care to a community-based model, thus adding a level of complexity to an already demanding transition.

For community-based service providers, this shift in both federal and State policies will have an impact on virtually every aspect of care in New York State, This webcast will provide an overview of the history of mental health treatment in New York State, discuss challenges in addressing mental health in the current system, illustrate how the shift in federal and state policy will impact community health providers and workers, and highlight successful approaches to addressing mental health at the community level.

Program Objectives
After watching this webcast participants will be able to:

  • Outline two common barriers to mental health services at the community level.
  • List at least two ways that service integration will impact community-based service providers.
  • Identify two strategies that are successfully addressing community mental health needs.
  • Describe the recent transformation within the NYS mental health system.

1 National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council.  (2007). Morbidity and mortality in people with serious mental illness.  Alexandria, VA. Parks, J., Svendsen, D., Singer, P., Foti, M. & Mauer, B.

This program is supported with funding from:

The planners, moderator, and presenters do not have any financial arrangements or affiliations with any commercial entities whose products, research or services may be discussed in this activity.

No commercial funding has been accepted for this activity.

Continuing Medical Education Credits

The School of Public Health, University at Albany is accredited by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The School of Public Health, University at Albany designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Medical Education Credits are offered until May 31, 2017.

Continuing Nurse Education Contact Hours

The University at Albany School of Public Health is an Approved Provider of continuing nurse education by the Northeast Multi-State Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This offering is approved for 1 nursing contact hour(s).

Nursing Contact Hours are offered until May 31, 2017.

Certified Health Education Specialist Contact Hours

Sponsored by the School of Public Health, University and Albany, SUNY, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive up to 1.0 total Category I contact education contact hours. Maximum advanced-level continuing education contact hours available are 0.

Continuing Education Contact Hours are offered until May 31, 2017.


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Alex Carrick’s Blog

Driven to Write — Enjoy the Ride — Share the Journey

Alex Carrick’s Blog header image 2

At the Intersection of Silly and Sublime

June 2nd, 2010 · 5 Comments · American Humor, Canada Humor, Celebrities, Charming, Construction Humor, Cute, Economic Humor, Family, Family Humor, Funny Rant, General Humor, General Interest, Ghost Story, Human Nature, Jokes, Lifestyle, Monster, Oddball, Offbeat, Outrageous, Political Humor, Politicians, Puns, Rant, Sardonic, Satire, Screwball, Silly, Supernatural, Whimsy, Witty, Zany

Alex Carrick

Here are sixteen new highly-sophisticated road jokes.

(1) Why did all the world’s politicians cross the road? The bridge? The highway? To take credit for the infrastructure work.

(2) Why did Jack Bauer cross the road? He finished torturing all the terrorists on this side.

(3) Why did Gregory House cross the road? To avoid walking under a ladder, a black cat crossing his path and Number 13.

(4) Why did the “tweeter” cross the road? It was less than 140 paces to the hottest new trending topic.

(5) Why did the family cross the road? To log on to a better Internet connection.

(6) Why did the people of LOST cross the road? Why not? They’re lost, aren’t they?

(7) Why did the smoke monster cross the road? To buy cigarettes.

(8) Why did Sarah Palin cross the road? To get a clearer view of Russia

(9) Why did Barack Obama cross the road? He was paying a surprise visit to the country of his birth. Please, this is a joke. I don’t want secret service men showing up at my front door.

When Donald Trump as de facto head of the “birther” movement was asked where he was born, his reply was, “I’m not sure, but wherever it was, I’m very very proud of the effort I put into it.”

(10) Why did the economist cross the road? Because he was pushed in that direction by an invisible hand. Plus he heard there was a free lunch over there.

(11) Why did the kids of GLEE cross the road? To escape the glare from Sue Sylvester’s cheerleading trophies (and Will Schuester’s hair).

(12) Why did Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien cross the road? Because they each heard there was a Tonight Show to host and they could always come back, right?

(13) I wrote a Number 13 but it crossed the road chasing House (see (3) above.)

(14) Why did Dick Cheney and the Mad Hatter cross the road? To attend an affair hosted by the Tea Party.

(15) Why did Spartacus cross the road? To exercise his right to freedom and because his wife sent him on a mission to buy garbage bags.

(16) Why did the ghost whisperer cross the road? To get to the other side.

Another of my entries, Side-by-side Story-telling Song Titles, sets the rules and provides examples for a new game guaranteed to give you hours of amusement.

For my first book, “Two Scoops” Is Just Right, please click here for the paperback version and here for the Kindle e-book version.

For the sequel, “Three Scoops” Is A Blast! (with the award-winning “Size of the Skip”) click here for paperback and here for Kindle.

For “Four Scoops” Is Over The Top (containing Hemingway short-listed “Caboose Follies”) click here for paperback and here for Kindle.

And finally, for my latest book, “Five Scoops” Is An Addiction!, please click here for the paperback and here for the Kindle digital version.

Also, I would love it if you joined me on Twitter (Alex_Carrick), Facebook and/or LinkedIn

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5 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Susan Cross // Jun 7, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    So it wasn’t really flash fiction but I was in the mood for a laugh!

  • 2 Gracie // Jun 7, 2010 at 5:33 pm

    Ha, totally needed a good chuckle. Thanks for this. 😀

  • 3 PJ Kaiser // Jun 8, 2010 at 9:52 pm

    Verycute, Alex – my fav’s are Sarah Palin & dick Cheney! 😀

  • 4 Laurita // Jun 9, 2010 at 3:36 am

    Fun! I liked Sarah Palin best. 🙂

  • 5 W.G. Cambron // Jun 19, 2011 at 8:03 am

    Quite humerous. I’m a conservative and laughed at the Palin one (then again, can’t we all just laugh at her anyways? lol).

Leave a Comment


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Alex Carrick’s Blog

Driven to Write — Enjoy the Ride — Share the Journey

Alex Carrick’s Blog header image 2

The Grief Machine

November 12th, 2011 · 3 Comments · Allegory or Fairy Tale, American Humor, British Comedy, British Humour, Canada Humor, Charming, Children and Pets, Clash of the Sexes, Cop Humor, Cute, Fairy Tale, Family Humor, Fantasy, Feel Good, Funny Dog, Funny Family, Funny Science Fiction, Funny Technology, Funny Workplace, General Humor, General Interest, Human Nature, Imagery, Irony, Jokes, Lifestyle, Not As It Seems, Oddball, Offbeat, Outrageous, Parable, Religious allegory, Romance, Sardonic, Satire, Science Fiction, Screwball, Seduction, Slice of Life, Surprise Twists, Twisted, Whimsy, Witty, Workplace, Zany

Alex Carrick

XaniaXYM-529’s attention was glued to one of thousands of monitors hooked up to the enormous rumbling machine that was focused on the planet a considerable distance away.

He was luxuriating onboard his species’ most modern space station.

From earth, the craft was hidden in the flotsam that made up Saturn’s ring.

The giant device at the heart of the ship was spewing forth information on every single individual on terra firma.

Their whereabouts; what they were thinking; how their daylight or night-time hours were being spent.

People were equipped from birth with a monitoring device that, for lack of a better word, was called a soul.

Wirelessly, this fed data to the machine, which was a whirligig of awesome proportions.

It occupied pride of place in the centre of the room and resembled nothing so much as a giant vanilla cupcake.

The contraption processed and emitted “stuff” in two directions.

Not only did it absorb “intel”, but through sending out “frizzle” waves, the Xanians were able to shape, guide and re-order events on earth.

(The author apologizes for the brief use of technical jargon in the last two paragraphs.)

In their realm to the side of the “playpen”, a select group of Xanians paid close attention to the action across the solar system.

It was their primary form of entertainment.

They could never get enough of causing grief.

Their challenge was to construct and implement mazes.

All this was unbeknownst to the objects of their attention.

The more dead-ends and side-tracks the Xanians could construct the better.

If success was ever achieved by a human in one arena, it would be quickly retracted in another.

Each year, an award was presented to the Xanian who came up with the most original and amusing twist to ensnare and confuse some hapless earthling.

The way to win accolades was to contrive a zinger that would make another Xanian pee his pants.

To honor such an accomplishment, the prize was named the “Skewer”.

Its first recipient, nearly two millennia earlier, had been the Xanian who placed the auto-suggestion in the ear of a young Roman that would achieve immortality throughout the ages.

A grizzled legionnaire, Squintus Droolus, was transporting his son, Maximus Annoyus, by chariot to his wife’s parents’ place outside Napoli.

Little more than a few miles into the journey, the pre-teen lad said to his father, with the actual words in Latin of course, “Are we there yet?”

That was in the days when the Xanians were unrestricted in their destructive creativity.

In modern times, each Xanian was encouraged to master a specialty.

There were thousands of them at their stations playing pranks on billions of life-forms to throw them off balance.

They masterminded glitches in appliances, lawn mowers, motor vehicles, commuter trains, laptops, desktops, cell phones, fire alarms, garage door openers and out-of- synch traffic lights.

They inserted frustration directly into child-proof bottle caps and too-tight underwear.

They worked with whatever was at hand.

In nature, that included buzzing and stinging insects, migraine-inducing in-your-face sunlight, stumble-around-and-bump-into-things darkness and poison ivy.

One Xanian sub-culture played havoc with interpersonal relationships.

They were always able to drum up nasty bosses, horrid underlings, snotty sales people, snooty teachers, advice-giving in-laws, preachy do-gooders and tenacious telemarketers.

XaniaXYM-529’s field of expertise was animals. He was a maestro of mayhem caused by feline fur balls and yucky bird droppings.

His new best friend, XaniaXXF-288, was still learning. At the moment, she was having a spectacular time conducting experiments in the work-place.

That afternoon, XaniaXYM-529 was finalizing plans to confound one relatively contented family of two adults and an equal number of children.

He knew how the scenario would unfold.

The family would make a stopover at a fancy restaurant on the drive north to their cottage.

Finally relaxed after a brutal week in the employment trenches, the parents would feel un-kinked enough to consider the possibility the world wasn’t such a bad place after all.

Leaving the restaurant and walking towards the sunset, sated of hunger and enveloped in a warm glow, they’d approach their car and open the side doors.

That’s when reality would hit. In their absence, the family dog would have thrown up on the front seat.

Placement of the slimy goo would be just so. Not on a hard smooth surface like linoleum.

No, cheap absorbent fabric would serve better. “Why didn’t I upgrade to leather?” the father would lament.

“Okay, let’s start the clean-up. Is there a cloth or any Kleenex handy? Of course not,” he’d say in disgust.

Nor would the gelatinous mess be limited to one surface. That would have been too much to ask.

Instead, there would be a 3-D aspect to the carnage.

It would spill over onto several levels – seat back, seat bottom, between the seat pads, dribbling down onto the floor.

It would seep into the cracks and crevices and ooze into the gaps behind and underneath the brake and accelerator pedals.

It would insinuate its way into every possible hiding place that was impossible to reach.

The aroma would be knock-you-on-your-heels pungent and take months to extricate.

All in all, a magnificent piece of work.

XaniaXXF-288 had been collaborating with XaniaXYM-529 to give this particular family a prodigious working-over all week.

She’d been expending her efforts along a different path.

 A couple of months earlier, the wife in the family had gone out on a limb to hire a friend of a friend of hers.

The new employee was now regularly skipping work.

This was an ongoing problem that gave every indication of becoming endemic.

The excuses were profuse and elaborate, if short on originality.

The wife, in her position of authority as manger of an accounts receivable department, thought she’d already heard everything.

But not so fast. Yesterday, there really had been a new wrinkle.

The missing co-worker said she got caught in a police cross-fire.

She was at the ATM machine outside a bank while a robbery was in progress inside.

The cops swarmed in with sirens blaring and lights flashing.

Before you could say “Duck, sucker!” bullets were flying everywhere.

The bandits escaped so the stake-out was abruptly terminated.

There was no way she could make an appearance on the job that day.

The authorities considered her a material witness with potentially valuable information.

Besides, she’d somehow become entangled in yellow crime-scene tape.

The wife wasn’t unhappy with this turn of events at all.

It provided one more episode to add to the file she was compiling.

The justifications for the woman’s dismissal were accumulating.

“Sweet,” said the wife.

XaniaXXF-288 still had a lot to learn.

The two Xanians took a bug-eating break at their desks.

They launched into a discussion about the nature of their pleasure.

“I think you’re a genius,” said XaniaXXF-288 to XaniaXYM-529.

There was an element of the mentor-protégé relationship in their conversation.

But more was transpiring under the surface.

The earlier subtle flirting between the older male and his younger female admirer was becoming more overt.

“Thank you, but I know that’s going overboard,” said XaniaXYM-529 shyly. “I just try my hardest.”

“Seriously. I mean it,” replied XaniaXXF-288 with more than a hint of hero worship.

XaniaXYM-529 blushed. His cheeks turned a pastier shade of pale.

“Do you know what I think the definition of a brilliant work of art is?” asked XaniaXXF-288.

XaniaXYM-529 shook his bald grey orb back and forth.

“Somehow it always stays fresh,” said XaniaXXF-288.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” responded XaniaXYM-529, giving the matter serious thought.

“And no matter how often you stage them, I never tire of your pet antics,” said XaniaXXF-288.

She’d have batted her alien eyes if she had lids.

Just then, there was a banging noise that started slowly but steadily progressed through more attention-grabbing decibels.

Something had gone wrong with the grief machine.

XaniaXXF-288 looked to XaniaXYM-529 for answers.

But he had no idea what the problem was.

The sound was building beyond bothersome.

The grief machine had always been boringly dependable.

Now it was crackling with intermittent sparks while nuts and bolts were “sproinging” on account of vibration.

XaniaXYM-529 could feel his jowls quiver.

This was frustrating, never mind that the timing was awful.

A few moments earlier, he’d been sure he was making progress in his campaign to woo XaniaXXF-288.

His present lack of resolve was unexpected and upsetting.

What was this he was feeling?

It was a very strange sensation.

Was his slimy sweaty brow furrowing?

The machine’s plug might have to be pulled.

If so, he wasn’t the Xanian for the job.

Over the next several days, repair-Xanians were summoned to fix the problem.

But they never arrived on the job-site when they were supposed to.

They always showed up late and left early and their down-times for nourishment and contemplation seemed to last forever.

Furthermore, their estimates of repair costs sent all the other Xanians into apoplexy.

The replacement parts weren’t readily available anyway. They’d have to be ordered off-universe and that would take many moons.

While the people of earth were given a respite, the Xanians descended into deep dudgeon.

XaniaXXF-288 missed spending time with XaniaXYM-529.

She tried to contact him but he was hard to reach.

She had the dispiriting sense he was avoiding her.

Meanwhile, far-far-far away on another celestial plane, spirit presences from among the Roonerite race were monitoring what was transpiring with the Xanians.

The Roonerites first achieved success when they sub-consciously directed one nit-picky Xanian to go out among his colleagues and insist that the letter “X” be pronounced like a “Zee”.

That yielded a chuckle or two. But there was so much more amusement to be mined.

The Roonerites had been working on the set-up to this little bit of mischief for months.

Seeing the Xanians running around trying to fix their grief machine was tremendous sport.

Having evolved from the corporeal to the ethereal, and therefore no longer bothered by the need for attire, several of the Roonerites were figuratively peeing their pants.

After reading the above story, it’s imperative that you follow up with Spotting the Space Aliens Among Us.

Or, there’s the option of a quirky, but ultimately heartwarming, romance in Undeterred She Forged a Head. Nothing’s quite what it seems.

For my first book, “Two Scoops” Is Just Right, please click here for the paperback version and here for the Kindle e-book version.

For the sequel, “Three Scoops” Is A Blast! (with the award-winning “Size of the Skip”) click here for paperback and here for Kindle.

For “Four Scoops” Is Over The Top (containing Hemingway short-listed “Caboose Follies”) click here for paperback and here for Kindle.

And finally, for my latest book, “Five Scoops” Is An Addiction!, please click here for the paperback and here for the Kindle digital version.

Also, I would love it if you joined me on Twitter (Alex_Carrick), Facebook and/or LinkedIn.

Tags: ················

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Michael Pokocky // Nov 15, 2011 at 8:26 am

    Letting you know Twitter suspended me and I am appealing it. We were following each other and I did not want to leave the wrong impression. Kindest, Michael @antresolcafe

  • 2 Chris Nash // Nov 16, 2011 at 11:52 am

    Yet another smart one Alex. Well done.

  • 3 Lacy // Nov 26, 2011 at 7:47 pm

Leave a Comment


text:
Thursday Oct 22, 2015

by James Aspinall, Kev Miles and Bill Draper

Alfreton Town take a break from the league this weekend and are in Emirates FA Cup fourth qualifying round action on Saturday.

The Reds travel to take on Vanarama National League side Macclesfield Town at their Moss Rose ground to compete for a place in Monday's first round proper draw. Kick-off is 3pm.

And after defeats in their only other two previous FA Cup visits to Macclesfield, can this be third time lucky for the Reds?

The Reds have struggled in the league recently, losing their last three games in a row. However, this hasn't affected their cup form, and they eased past Hednesford Town 4-2 in the third qualifying round.
This is Macclesfield's first FA cup game this season, and, despite a 2-1 defeat in their last league outing away to Dover, The Silkmen have been in decent form prior to this game, taking 10 points from a possible 15.
As well as a place in the first round proper, there is £12,500 prize money for the winners of the tie.
Reds manager Nicky Law has plenty of options available all over the park for this tie with no new injuries to report and only John Johnston unavailable as he completes a three-match suspension.

Memories of the 2004/05 season first round FA Cup ties between the clubs are still firmly in the memory of most Alfreton Town fans from Mark Sale's late, late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at the Impact Arena to Peter Duffield having what looked a perfectly good goal chalked off for offside in the replay, ten Mick Godber's shot hitting the bar before Macclesfield came back to win 2-0.
There is also one other FA Cup meeting between the sides but that was way back in the 1966/67 season when Macclesfield won a first qualifying round tie 2-1 in Cheshire.
Past Meetings
1Q [A] 1-2
[h] 1-1 Mark Sale  Att: 2251
[a] 0-2  Att: 1783 [inc. 727 from Alfreton]
Conference Premier
[h] 1-2 Paul Clayton 740
[a] 2-1 Dan Bradley [13 seconds], Nathan Arnold  Att: 1437
[h] 0-1 Att: 696
[a] 1-0 Danny Meadows  Att: 1271
[h] 1-5 Bradley Wood [pen]
664 [a] 0-2 1471

By coach
Alfreton Town Football Club Supporters’ Association transport to Saturday's game departs at 10.15am and seats can be booked by contacting Mark Thorpe on 07857 558401.

By car

The postcode for SatNav purposes is: SK11 7SP and the club's Moss Rose ground is situated on London Road in Macclesfield.

Car Parking - There is ample road side parking in the immediate areas around the ground.

By Train
The nearest station is Macclesfield. Leave the stationand turn left up Sunderland Street until you reach a major crossroads at the war memorial. Take the left there and follow for roughly a mile. Turning right at this junction will take you into the town centre.

Visiting fans are housed in the John Askey Terrace where there are 1,530 spaces and up to 403 seats.

Main stand
Adults £15
Concessions £10
Adults £10
Concessions £5
Under 18's / Students
£3 - All areas

Information for Alfreton Town fans travelling to the game can be found on the official Macclesfield Town FC website here

Should a replay be required, this will be staged at the Impact Arena on Tuesday, October 27 with a 7.45pm kick-off. Extra time and penalties would be utilised if required.

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Counterfeit Gods: When the Empty Promises of Love, Money and Power Let You Down

The issue of idolatry has been with the human race for thousands of years; the subtle temptation is always to take what is good and turn it into the ultimate good, elevating it above all other things in the search for security and meaning. In this timely and challenging book, New York pastor Timothy Keller looks at the issue of idolatry throughout the Bible -- from the worship of actual idols in the Old Testament, to the idolatry of money by the rich young ruler when he was challenged by Jesus to give up all his wealth. ...

Currently there are no copies available. However, our inventory changes frequently. Please check back soon or try Book Fetch.


text:
Sue Fleming, Duval County Correspondent

FREER - City Council incumbent Andrea Bierstedt was re-elected by a margin of 77 votes, defeating opponent Josie Fernandez for Place 3.

The city's general election was held last Saturday at the high school.

Election results show Bierstedt received 405 total votes and Fernandez received a total of 328. Also re-elected to the council were Orlando Navarro, Place 4 who received a total of 407 votes and Sylvia Carrillo, Place 5 who received 439 votes. Both were unopposed.

A proposition of the re-authorization of the local sales and use tax in the City of Freer at the rate of a quarter of one percent to continue providing revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets was also passed 589 to 41 votes.


text:
Canas, Fuhrken

ALICE, Texas - Maria Elva Canas, 74, passed away peacefully on August 19, 2007 in a Corpus Christi hospital after a short illness. She was surrounded by her loving family until the end. She was born november 26, 1932 to Angelita S. and Dario Garza Sr. Maria Elva was a beautiful loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother and friend. She touched so many lives and left so many beautiful memories.

You could always count on her to serenade you with her beautiful voice singing "Las Mananitas" on your birthday. We will miss you! She was preceded in death by her loving and wonderful parents; and her loving older brother, Leocadio Garza.

Survivors include her husband of 55 years, Alfredo Canas Sr. of Alice, Texas; three daughters: Barbara J. (Ruben Sr.) Aguilar of Alice, Texas, Patricia Serna of McAllen, Texas, and Cynthia Marie (Eloy Sr.) Ozuna of Edinburg, Texas; one son, Alfredo (Martha) Canas Jr. of Harlingen, Texas; two brothers, Oscar (Licha) Garza Sr. of Alice, Texas, and Dario (Isabel) Garza Jr. of San Antonio, Texas; three sisters, Delia Perez and Dora (Joe Sr.) Gomez, both of Alice, Texas, and Diana Cantu of new Braunfels, Texas; seven Grandsons: Luciano Omar Serna, Phillip Sylvester Serna, Ruben Aguilar Jr., Robert Aguilar, Oved Alfredo Canas, Vince Anthony Canas, Eloy Gaston Ozuna II; four granddaughters, Amanda Barron, Mariah Angelik Ozuna, Madyson Ciera Ozuna and Ashley Canas.

She was also blessed with 13 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitations will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Home in Alice with a Rosary to be recited at 7 p.m. that evening. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Burial will follow at new Collins Cemetery in Alice, Texas.

Serving as active pallbearers will be her grandsons, Omar Serna, Ruben Aguilar, Phillip Serna, Bobby Aguilar and Eloy Gaston Ozuna, also her nephew, Juan Garza.

Arrangements entrusted to Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes, Inc.

-Paid Obituary

ORAnGE GROVE, Texas - Elton W. "Pete" Fuhrken, 82, passed away Monday, August 20, 2007. He was born May 20, 1925 in Orange Grove, Texas, and had lived there all of his life. He was a sergeant in the U.S. Army in Korea. He worked for 13 years with Coastal States; later owning and operating Compressor Valve Repair in Orange Grove and owning the Orange Grove Laundromat. He was a member of Faith Church UCC, the VFW Post #8920, and the Orange Grove Rifle Club.

Survivors include his wife, Derajean Fuhrken of Orange Grove; three daughters, Kathy (Gary) Vickers of Orange Grove, nancy Fuhrken of Hallettsville, Texas, and Patricia (Pinky) Timon of Mathis, Texas; one son, Wade Fuhrken of Orange Grove; one sister, Hertha Buehring of Orange Grove; one brother, Werner Fuhrken of Orange Grove; one aunt, one grandson, three great-granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at Dobie Funeral Home Chapel. The family will be present from 6 to 7 p.m. that evening to greet friends. Funeral services will be on Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 10 a.m. at Faith Church UCC in Orange Grove. Interment will follow at Sons of Hermann Cemetery in Orange Grove.

Arrangements entrusted to Dobie Funeral Home of Mathis.


text:
Coming of Age in Syria: Turbulence of Cultural Change

By Silvia Chelala

By Ammar Abdulhamid
London: Saqi Books, 2001

“Menstruation” is a first novel by a young Syrian writer, Ammar Abdulhamid, an intellectual and a rebel whose writing has shocked conservative readers. His first work was a collection of poems called “The Void Man” and was published in Britain. It is worth noting that several of his works remain unpublished because they are considered too controversial. In an interview he said, “I take a really head-on approach and make ‘The Satanic Verses’ look tame.”

The main characters in this novel are presented in the first pages. They are a young intellectual couple educated in the United States (Kindah Kayali and her husband Nadim Qanawati), a young married woman dissatisfied with her situation (Wisam Nur al-Din) and the young son of an Imam (Hasan al-Zirkili). Friends, relatives, and acquaintances surround them. These young adults, led by example and Kayali and Qanawati’s teachings, question the establishment. Rebellion takes many forms: a desire to choose and marry a spouse for love, the refusal to have children, lesbian relationships as a way of liberating the spirit, extra-marital relations as adventure and a way to relieve boredom, and the study and discussion of “subversive” texts that analyze reality from a different perspective. Society is presented as quite closed and intimate with everyone knowing everyone else’s business and interfering in each other’s lives.

The main theme in this novel is that appearances in Syrian society are deceiving. The order and formality of outward life contrasts with the turbulence and rebellion Abdulhamid describes underneath. While the outside world is bent on carrying on with tradition, young people are rebelling in both thought and action. Hasan’s father pressures him to marry and promises an apartment and other monetary support to start his own business if Hasan will only follow tradition. However, he is not so sure that he wants to marry someone who is chosen for him but does not know how to extricate himself from his family situation. As the book continues, we learn that some of the characters carry secrets from their pasts including incest and sexual exploration among siblings and same sex friends, once again belying the quiet and orderly surface.

The book is divided into chapters named after the characters.  Each chapter is divided with subtitles such as “an event,” “a thought,” “a sentiment,” “a whisper,” and “inquiries.” These subtitles herald a change or interruption in the sequence of events, and thus the text becomes a series of short excerpts without continuity. Frequent quotations from works of the two rebellious intellectuals (Kayali and Qanawati) expand upon the main concerns of the characters.  The disjointed effect of the text mirrors the turbulence under the serene façade of society.

If shocking the reader is Abdulhamid’s goal, then the title of this short novel accomplishes it.  As a woman, I was intrigued to see what a young man would say with this title.  “Menstruation” by Ammar Abdulhamid is a compelling work which reflects the swirl of cultural change bombarding Syria at this time and, indeed, it likely reflects the writer’s opinion of what Syrian society is really like.  As with many “coming of age” novels, this one is filled with youthful doubt and questioning. We should look forward to reading more by this creative young Syrian in the future.

This book review appeared in Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 8, no. 38 (Winter 2002)
Copyright (c) 2002 by Al Jadid


text:
Budapest, Hungary - Accused of authoritarian moves, Hungary's prime minister was given a vote of confidence by Europe's leading human rights organisation, though it said it would closely follow any new legal changes that could undermine democracy.

The Council of Europe voted against fully monitoring Hungary on its EU rights obligations on Tuesday, a move that would have made it the first European Union member to be placed under surveillance for implementing anti-democratic measures.

The United States, the European Union, UN High Commission for Human Rights and several NGOs had expressed concerns that constitutional checks and balances were being threatened in the former communist country by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government.

If Hungary did have to face full-fledged monitoring - similar to what emerging democracies undergo - it would have been a major embarrassment for a country that joined the EU almost 10 years ago.

Yet, some observers say if the country is not disciplined for using constitutional amendments to bolster its power and weaken Hungary's courts, it could plunge the region into a political crisis.

"There are fears that anybody could be surveilled at any time … When they are setting up mechanics like that, you never know whether they misuse it. There are signs of [an] Orwellian approach."

- Peter Balazs, former foreign minister

"Just like Greece is a test case for the stability of the euro … Hungary is a test case for the implementation of political norms,” former Hungarian foreign minister Peter Balazs told Al Jazeera.

The human rights watchdog Council of Europe - with representation from 47 countries - is not linked in any way to the EU and has no legislative powers. It voted 135 to 88 against the proposal to put Hungary under surveillance.

"Who won the day today was the people who said, ‘wait a minute, Hungary is not in the … same boat as other countries,'” council spokesman Panos Kakaviatos said after the vote.

The council did note, however, "serious and sustained concerns” about Hungary's democratic obligations as a member of the EU, and it pledged "to closely follow the situation”.

‘Orwellian' approach'

Hungary's parliament recently passed a national security law allowing for greater surveillance of government officials, including reading emails, tapping phones, and having their homes bugged.

In an emailed response, government spokesman Ferenc Kumin said the new law complies with NATO requirements and has significant restrictions, such as time limits on how long a person can be monitored. He also said a court or the minister of justice must authorise surveillance of individuals.

Balazs said monitoring some officials - including diplomats, judges and prosecutors - was normal, however, he said the new law takes surveillance to another level.

"There are fears that anybody could be surveilled at any time … When they are setting up mechanics like that, you never know whether they misuse it. There are signs of [an] Orwellian approach.”

Members of Dialogue for Hungary opposition party hold banners saying: 'Fear the people, but do not fear Viktor! Vote NO!' [EPA]

Orban is also accused of centralising power by putting people close to the government into powerful positions. In March, the government appointed an ally as the head of the central bank, which now plans on taking over the financial markets watchdog.

Critics argue that Hungary's conservative government was protected from full monitoring by a coalition of right-of-centre political parties across Europe, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party.

Kakaviatos said the results of the Council of Europe's decision on Hungary on Tuesday showed members of similar political parties voted en bloc.

"It was voted largely along party lines. I mean, you had mainly right-of-centre party groups … they didn't want a monitoring procedure most of them. It didn't surprise me,” he said.

‘Threatening justice'

Orban's government was accused of implementing several laws in March considered undemocratic - including limiting powers of the constitutional court - in a recent report by the Council of Europe's legal experts, known as the Venice Commission.

"Taken together, these measures amount to a threat for constitutional justice and for the supremacy of the basic principles contained in the Fundamental Law of Hungary,” the report said.

"The limitation of the role of the Constitutional Court leads to a risk that it may negatively affect all three pillars of the Council of Europe: the separation of powers as an essential tenet of democracy, the protection of human rights and the rule of law.”

Constitutional court judges now cannot refer to any rulings handed down before 2012, when a new constitution created by the government came into effect. Critics argued this erased years of case law, but the government said judges were being given more freedom.

This is a massive transformation of the entire legal system of a country over three years to reflect political views of the current ruling majority.

Jan Jarab, UNHCR's regional representative for Europe

The report also stated limits to freedom of speech may hamper criticism of officials, and restrictions on political advertising could disproportionately affect the opposition.

Kumin called the Venice Commission's report politically motivated.

"The Hungarian Government maintains its position that democracy and the rule of law are stable, and Hungary is committed to European values and norms. Nevertheless, it is also prepared to continue dialogue on the situation in Hungary.”

The former foreign minister Balazs said legal changes - such as the one on political advertisements - could put the legitimacy of the national election in 2014 into question. He accused the government of threatening Hungary's democracy by implementing laws without proper review.

"There are various features of a totalitarian regime, which is something very new,” Balazs said.

Last week, the UN High Commission for Human Rights backed the Venice Commission's report, stating the government's policies are an attack on the constitution.

"This is a massive transformation of the entire legal system of a country over three years to reflect political views of the current ruling majority,” said UNHCR's regional representative for Europe Jan Jarab.

This month, an EU committee approved a report also criticising some of the Hungarian government's moves. Among other issues, it highlighted a law allowing authorities to declare living in public spaces illegal, which in effect criminalises homeless people.

But Kumin said the EU report did not include information provided by the government, adding its author - EU parliamentarian Rui Tavares - was from the left side of the political spectrum.

Tavares challenged Kumin's accusation, saying members from a variety of political parties had supported the report.

"The Hungarian government has been saying this about everything that criticises what has happened in Hungary … I think it's pretty obvious that is just a way of trying to undermine what's written inside the report.”

In response to EU criticism, the government said it would abandon two laws: one that would let the government introduce a tax to pay for court decisions against it; and another that allowed for the politically appointed head of the national judicial office to transfer cases between courts.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban  [Getty Images]

Jarab said these measures did not address the main concerns, such as erasing legal precedents before 2012 and undermining the independence of the judiciary.

"I think that these are much bigger issues. These are much, much bigger issues,” said Jarab.

Some observers said they fear the democratic backslide occurring in Hungary could spread throughout the region. Balazs, also a former ambassador to the EU, said if the organisation tolerates Hungary escaping its democratic obligations, then other members could follow.

Tavares raised similar concerns. He said the EU is heading towards a crisis over fundamental human rights being sidelined, which could threaten the existence of the European Union itself.

"If we do not equip ourselves in time for the crisis that is coming … something like the Eurozone crisis will happen. We'll have the crisis, but not the tools to deal with it.”

Source: Al Jazeera


text:
At least six people were killed and two wounded after an attacker opened fire at an education department building in southern Saudi Arabia, a top Saudi official and state media have said.

Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman General Mansour Turki said that authorities were treating Thursday's attack in the kingdom's Jizan province as criminal.

He added that one suspect had been arrested.

Initial reports said the attacker was a teacher who had opened fire on colleagues.

But officials did not confirm later if he was a teacher, referring to him simply as the gunman.

The identity and motive of the suspect were unclear.

State TV posted a still photograph that showed ambulances gathered outside the building where the shooting took place.

Source: Agencies


text:
The Mary T. and
Frank L. Hoffman
Family Foundation
and All-Creatures.Org

Letters and Responses

Letter From Jaleh About Animal Sacrifice in Iran - 14 Dec 2008

My Very Dear Frank and Mary,

Hope you are fine.

I take the opportunity to send you some photos taken by my friends during (Aid Ghorban) last week in my country (see Religious Animal Sacrifices).

I am not going out of my apartment in such days to avoid being faced with the wild people killing the innocent animals in these ways. The most disgusting is sacrificing the camels. They thrust to the hilt a sharp knife or dagger in the major blood vessel of the poor creature so that all blood pumps out from his body. Then they cut off the head and the testes.

I am sending you some photos relevant to sacrifice of camel, sheep and cow in Iran.

Please do not consider all Iranians wild and cruel. As I wrote you before, these acts are happening in my country after invasions of Arabs forced all Iranians to become Muslim. There are a lot of people like myself against these cruelties. We just hope that in near future something can change in our country.

I should add that the treatment of the people is not much better than animals. We are living like prisoners in the hands of the government authorities.

Please accept my very best wishes for the Christmas and New Year.

Reply from Frank and Mary Hoffman

Dear Jaleh:

You have been in our heart and prayers, and it is so nice to hear from you, even if it also brings this message of suffering and death. But hopefully these photos will do some good by encouraging others to take a stand against the suffering.

The news never covers anything about the the people like you who are against the sacrifices. Is there anything we can do to help?

Thank you for your good wishes, and my God bless you now and in the year to come.

In the Love of the Lord,

Frank and Mary

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