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Home / TVs & Audio / Surround Sound System / Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder

Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder review

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Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder
  • Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder
  • Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder
  • Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder
  • Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder
  • Panasonic DMR-EX88 DVD/HDD Recorder
  • DMR-EX88 Digital Video Recorder (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD+R, CD-RW, Secure Digital SD Card - DVD Video, MPEG-2, PCM, MPEG, DivX, MP3, JPEG, SVCD, Video CD - Progressive Scan - 400 GB Hard Disk - 712 Hour - Black)

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User Score:

The beauty of Sky+ is that it's so simple to use even your Nan can record an entire series of Midsomer Murders without getting flustered. Features like pause live TV and Series Link have really caught our imagination, making it easier than ever to record and watch TV. And thanks to Freeview Playback, terrestrial digital PVRs now offer the same level of simplicity and flexibility as Sky's satellite trendsetter.

But for some reason DVD/HDD combis have always lived in the shadow of hard-disk PVRs, which isn't really fair when you consider that they offer loads more features and let you burn discs of your favourite shows. Perhaps people think they're simply not sexy enough or too complicated to use, but if that's the case then the introduction Freeview Playback into the DVD/HDD combi world will make them seem a lot more attractive.

The DMR-EX88 is one of the first DVD/HDD recorders to sport a Playback badge and completes Panasonic's ‘holy trinity' of new combis, which also includes the DMR-EX78 and EX768 - both of which we enthused over elsewhere on this site. The EX88 is the top-end DVD/HDD model (not counting the VHS-equipped DMR-EX98V).

At 400GB, it boasts the largest hard-disk capacity in the range, which not only allows you to record up to 712 hours of TV but also store MP3 and JPEG files, turning it into a virtual jukebox and photo album. You can also make TV recordings directly onto DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R or DVD+R discs, or copy stuff from the hard-disk to any of these formats. If you need more that the eight hours of recording time offered by these formats, then you can also copy HDD recordings to dual-layer DVD-R and DVD+R discs, increasing the recording time to over 14 hours.

It's not the most inspirational piece of AV kit we've ever clapped eyes on, though, putting functionality over frills with a rather dull black finish. But open the flap on the front and things get a little more exciting, with the discovery of a USB port for plugging in memory devices and playing back media files, and an SD card slot, which you won't find on the EX78 or 768. The slot accepts SDHC (High Capacity) cards of 4GB and over, and allows you to play back MPEG-2 SD video as well as JPEG photos. It's joined by a DV input to transfer camcorder footage in the highest possible quality, plus a set of AV inputs.

August 3, 2008, 2:15 am

Question: Planning on buying Panasonic plasma and HDD/DVD - do I need to keep screen on constant standby in order to record?

October 26, 2008, 12:34 pm

Can you please clarify whether the EX88 will record Freesat images obtained from the tuner in a Panasonic TH-46PZ81B at the higher Freesat HD resolution (obviously the programme being recorded will need to be broadcast in HD). The recorder connects to the plasma TV via SCART and Viera link and will record direct from the TV's freesat tuner.

Kevin OLeary

February 17, 2009, 4:15 pm

I own a Panasonic DMR-EH50 DVD recorder. On the basis of this, which was fairly good, I purchased a DMR-EX88 recorder. I found out (after the fact) that I cannot save titles (which I regularly record) to a playlist. I have to therefore laboriously type in the name of the program every time I record it. I contacted Panasonic and their answer was "This feature is not available on this model" Why not?

It is an "okay" recorder, but I would think twice before you but it.

March 8, 2009, 1:31 pm

Panasonic can issue software updates and have done so for their LCDs... Strange that they cannot issue an update for this device... Seems like someone simply forgot to carry over that bit of code from the previous model to the new models.

I recently bought a Panasonic LCD and Cinema system thinking that Viera link would mean I could work the two devices with one controller! How naive was that of me! It is not much better than my old Sony set up which was user vicious needing separate controllers to work the system. Switch on the TV on one controller and use the other to make any changes on the cinema system / dvd player. Pain in the neck. Wouldn't be awesome if they invested in offering a touch screen universal device for the entire system? Doing that they would certainly get one up on their competitors.

Dewi Lewis

September 5, 2009, 3:32 am

1. The DMR EX88 cannot fast dub/copy a DVD to HDD, one has to watch the video and any fast forward or other actions will not be recorded.

2. It cannot play unfinalised camcorder or other DVD's.

3. It cannot unfinalise a DVD+-R so video cannot be added. Have to format & start again.

4. Auto finalises DVD at end of copy from HDD.

5. Not all digital terrestrial channels picked up..very fussy or what.

Why are none of these cons are mentioned in the review. This recorder is not a patch on my Sony RDR-HXD910 which is easy to use and does all of the above.

The Panasonic does not deserve to be in the sam class as the Sony.

Kevin Allen

January 5, 2010, 8:56 pm

It might make a fine DVD player but only if you want to play Region 2 discs.

I did see another site claiming this was a multi-region player. It isn't.

December 18, 2010, 3:39 am

Poor value for money. This is not a user friendly device.

No mpeg2, mp4, avi files.

{1} As usual, Panasonic formats do not match other popular formats. For example, you will not be able to copy a video file to the USB (from any standard market device: nokia, casio etc) and watch it. If you wanted to do so you would have to file convert into the Viera format... so no mpeg2, AVI, and mp4 files !!!

{2} The menu system is slow and cumbersome (although this appears to be industry standard).

{3} Adverts take up 30% of screen in the channels view.

{4} Viera link works, but with reduced features. If the user requires anything more than play & stop, they will need the second controller which is dissapointing.

Unless you are getting a significant discount, don't buy it...

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Delusions of Power

Friday, 28 March 2003 21:33 By Paul Krugman, Truthout | name.

Go to Original

Delusions of Power
New York 0aTimes

Friday 28 March 2003
They considered themselves tough-minded 0arealists, and regarded doubters as fuzzy-minded whiners. They silenced those who 0aquestioned their premises, even though the skeptics included many of the 0agovernment's own analysts. They were supremely confident and yet with shocking 0aspeed everything they had said was proved awesomely wrong.

No, I'm not talking about the war; I'm talking about the energy task force 0athat Dick Cheney led back in 2001. Yet there are some disturbing parallels. 0aRight now, pundits are wondering how Mr. Cheney who confidently predicted that 0aour soldiers would be "greeted as liberators" could have been so mistaken. But 0aa devastating new report on the California energy crisis reminds us that Mr. 0aCheney has been equally confident, and equally wrong, about other issues.

In spring 2001 the lights were going out all over California. There were 0ablackouts and brownouts, and the price of electricity was soaring. The Cheney 0atask force was convened in the midst of that crisis. It concluded, in brief, 0athat the energy crisis was a long-term problem caused by meddling bureaucrats 0aand pesky environmentalists, who weren't letting big companies do what needed to 0abe done. The solution? Scrap environmental rules, and give the energy industry 0amultibillion-dollar subsidies.

Along the way, Mr. Cheney sneeringly dismissed energy conservation as a mere "sign of personal virtue" and scorned California officials who called for price 0acontrols and said the crisis was being exacerbated by market manipulation. To be 0afair, Mr. Cheney's mocking attitude on that last point was shared by almost 0aeveryone in politics and the media and yes, I am patting myself on the back 0afor getting it right.

For we now know that everything Mr. Cheney said was wrong.

In fact, the California energy crisis had nothing to do with environmental 0arestrictions, and a lot to do with market manipulation. In 2001 the evidence for 0amanipulation was basically circumstantial. But now we have a new report from the 0aFederal Energy Regulatory Commission, which until now has discounted claims of 0amarket manipulation. No more: the new report concludes that market manipulation 0awas pervasive, and offers a mountain of direct evidence, including phone 0aconversations, e-mail and memos. There's no longer any doubt: California's power 0ashortages were largely artificial, created by energy companies to drive up 0aprices and profits.

Oh, and what ended the crisis? Key factors included energy conservation and 0aprice controls. Meanwhile, what happened to that long-term shortage of capacity, 0awhich required scrapping environmental rules and providing lots of corporate 0awelfare? Within months after the Cheney report's release, stock analysts were 0adowngrading energy companies because of a looming long-term-capacity glut.

In short, Mr. Cheney and his tough-minded realists were blowing smoke: their 0areport described a fantasy world that bore no relation to reality. How did they 0aget it so wrong?

One answer is that Mr. Cheney made sure that his task force included only 0alike-minded men: as far as we can tell, he didn't consult with anyone except 0aenergy executives. So the task force was subject to what military types call "incestuous amplification," defined by Jane's Defense Weekly as "a condition in 0awarfare where one only listens to those who are already in lock-step agreement, 0areinforcing set beliefs and creating a situation ripe for miscalculation."

Another answer is that Mr. Cheney basically drew his advice about how to end 0athe energy crisis from the very companies creating the crisis, for fun and 0aprofit. But was he in on the joke?

We may never know what really went on in the energy task force since the Bush 0aadministration has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep us from finding out. At 0afirst the nonpartisan General Accounting Office, which is supposed to act as an 0ainternal watchdog, seemed determined to pursue the matter. But after the midterm 0aelection, according to the newsletter The Hill, Congressional Republicans 0aapproached the agency's head and threatened to slash his budget unless he backed 0aoff.

And therein lies the broader moral. In the last two years Mr. Cheney and 0aother top officials have gotten it wrong again and again on energy, on the 0aeconomy, on the budget. But political muscle has insulated them from any adverse 0aconsequences. So they, and the country, don't learn from their mistakes and 0athe mistakes keep getting bigger.

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is 0adistributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in 0areceiving the included information for research and educational 0apurposes.)

Last modified on Monday, 21 April 2008 13:37

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Martell Webster On Andre Miller’s Secret To Playing At 38: Not Jumping | Wizards Blog Truth About

Martell Webster on Andre Miller’s Secret to Playing at 38: Not Jumping

Updated: May 3, 2014

When Andre Miller played in the NBA’s Rookie-Sophomore game way back in 2001 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers (where he was coached by Randy Wittman), he got booed by the fans for not dunking on a fast break (seen in the video above). If you ask Martell Webster, such is part of why Miller is still in the NBA at age 38.

“Not jumping a lot,” said Martell Webster (also a teammate of Miller’s in Portland during the 2009-10 season) when asked about Miller’s secret to success with age. “He doesn’t jump a lot.”

“When we were playing in Portland together, I remember I got a rebound—we were playing against Denver—and I outleted him the ball and he went up and tomahawked it, and that was crazy,” recounted Webster after Wizards practice on Saturday. “It was to make a statement in that game and we ended up winning because it had changed the tempo. But he can still get up, honestly. But he doesn’t do it a lot. I think that’s the secret. You know, two points is two points … I guess.”

If the dunk was the one in the video below, then Martell’s memory is a little fuzzy. … But whose isn’t?

The pass came off a steal, not a rebound, and even though the dunk cut Denver’s lead over Portland to 11 points with 6:35 left in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers ultimately lost, 118-106 (the Nuggets won three out of four games against the Blazers in the ’09-10 season).

Nevertheless, it was a dunk. And Andre Miller can.

According to the annals of (BBR), Miller was 12-for-15 on dunk shots over the first five seasons of his career, but over the following nine seasons, he’s just 4-for-5. Miller has dunked once over the past four seasons, which isn’t bad for a 34-to-38-year-old. Of course, hard to tell how reliable the data is; BBR (via league box score data) says that Miller’s last dunk came on Dec. 20, 2012, but upon review of the video via, no such dunk happened (but a pretty finger-roll reverse layup did).

Thanks to YouTube, additional evidence of Andre Miller dunking does exist, such as his 2001 posterization of Theo Ratliff in the video below.

In this video from Wizards practice on Saturday, Martell Webster talks about the influence Miller has had on John Wall as well as the secret to Miller’s success.

Kyle Weidie on sabyoutubeKyle Weidie on sabtwitterKyle Weidie on sablinkedinKyle Weidie on sabinstagramKyle Weidie on sabgoogleKyle Weidie on sabemail
Kyle Weidie
Founder / Editor / Reporter / Writer at TAI
Kyle founded TAI in 2007 and has been weaving in and out the world of Wizards ever since, ducking WittmanFaces, jumping over G-Wiz, and avoiding stints on the DNP-Conditioning list. He has covered the Washington pro basketball team as a member of the media since 2009. Kyle lives in D.C. with his wife, loves basketball, and has no pets.


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Posted on Jun 15, 2013 in Featured Articles, Health, Food News, & Big Pharma

Kevin Hayden – TruthisTreason.net

On a beautiful morning in St. Louis, MO, thousands of race participants gathered at the starting line of the Susan G. Koman Foundation’s Race for the Cure® 5k Run.

Buried among the many tents and booths offering health literature and pink merchandise, we found an interesting sponsor: Monsanto Company Inc. Yes, the world’s biggest bio-tech terrorist and their “Fun Squad” is a sponsor of the breast cancer fundraising run.

For 30 years now, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has held a prestigious place in the forefront of the “cancer research community”, as well as essentially owning the pink ribbon concept. Their stated mission is a world without breast cancer, and in particular, the “Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure® raises funds for the local fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.”

On a national level, the Susan G. Komen Foundation raked in $342,373,526 in fiscal year 2012, and according to Charity Navigator.com, paid the current CEO, Nancy Brinker, a whopping $684,717 in salary – which doesn’t even count her bonuses. When it comes to their financial performance, Komen’s fundraising efficiency was listed at a paltry $0.12, meaning that for every dollar they raised, only twelve cents was applied to cancer research.

Pink Washing

Komen enlists businesses to display the pink ribbon or color a product pink and label it “(item) for the cure” or “(item) of hope.”  This has come to be known as “pink washing”. It involves businesses donating small portions of their sales revenue to Komen. Often, the businesses sell products that suppress the immune system or contain carcinogenic ingredients. – Natural News

Not long ago, Kentucky Fried Chicken offered a gigantic bucket of greasy, fried chicken “for the cure.”  The bucket o’chicken arrived clad in pink ribbons and draped in the Susan G. Komen logo, offering a fifty cent donation for every bucket sold.  Some restaurant locations went so far as to paint their building pink, as well as change the parking lot lines from yellow to pink!

Aside from KFC’s Bucket for the Cure®, many other businesses offer toxic products under the auspices of the all-mighty Pink Ribbon: everything from cosmetics and clothing, to shoes, sports gear, chocolate candy, toilet paper, alcohol, and microwaved meals; there are even pink “Guns of Hope” marketed towards women.

But the toxicity doesn’t stop there. A number of national sponsors of Susan G. Komen are top offenders, as well. One of Komen’s largest sponsors, Yoplait, has been in hot water over their use of rBGH in their yogurts.

rBGH, or Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (also referred to as rBST), is a synthetic hormone used to increase milk production in cows. It has been banned in 27 countries around the world and has quite a few health implications according to Breast Cancer Action:

* Increased cancer risk: rBGH increases milk production through the stimulation of another hormone, called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is a naturally occurring potent growth hormone and cell-death inhibitor that has been implicated in breast, colon, prostate, lung, and other cancers, as well as abnormal cell growth. IGF-1 is chemically identical in humans and cows. This means that when we drink milk from rBGH cows, we are adding the IGF-1 from that milk to our own IGF-1 levels.

Breast Cancer Action went on to declare that the use of rBGH is beyond belief;

“…to use a product that contains an ingredient linked to cancer to raise money for the cure to cancer is unacceptable, callous corporate profiteering at its worst.”

Peer-reviewed research has identified rBGH as a risk factor for both breast and gastrointestinal cancer.

Only under intense consumer outrage has Yoplait recently discontinued their use of rBGH. Breast Cancer Action, operating under their “Think Before You Pink” campaign, helped turn the tide against rBGH and Yoplait’s parent company, General Mills.

Two weeks after General Mills announced they were going rBGH-free, Dannon responded to public pressure and made the same promise to consumers. These two companies represent two-thirds of America’s dairy products. – Think Before You Pink, “Put a Lid On It”

Monsanto Company Inc.

Monsanto is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation, and is the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE, or genetically modified, GM) seed, as well as the herbicide glyphosate, which it markets under the Round-Up brand. Other notable achievements by Monsanto have been the development of DDTPCBsAgent Orange, and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), as well as their very first product, the artificial sweetener saccharin, which was sold to the Coca-Cola Company.

Monsanto was the first to create the recombinant version of the cow hormone from genetically engineered E. coli bacteria, releasing the result to dairy farmers under the brand name of “Posilac.”  In late 2008, just as the rBGH debate was heating up among consumers, Monsanto sold the Posilac rights to a division of Eli Lilly and Company for $300 million dollars, and is still used in 1/3 of all dairy cows in America.

The Revolving Door Between Monsanto and the FDA

One would imagine that the FDA would step in and declare such products as unsafe for human consumption, but we find the FDA’s stance to be quite the contrary.

In fact, a former chemical laboratory supervisor for Monsanto, Margaret Miller, was in charge of preparing the initial report on rBGH following its approval at Monsanto in 1993. She was then appointed as the Deputy Director of Human Safety and Consultative Services, New Animal Drug Evaluation Office, Center for Veterinary Medicine, for the Food and Drug Administration, and was placed in charge of reviewing her own report.

And then there is Michael Taylor, a former legal advisor to the FDA. He later became a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm, King and Spaulding, who represented Monsanto as they sought approval for rBGH from the FDA.

According to Jeffrey M. Smith, in his book Seeds of Deception, “In 1991, the FDA created a new position for him [Michael Taylor]: Deputy Commissioner for Policy. He instantly became the FDA official with the greatest influence on GM food regulation, overseeing the development of government policy. According to public interest attorney Steven Druker, who has studied the FDA’s internal files, ‘During Mr. Taylor’s tenure as Deputy Commissioner, references to the unintended negative effects of bioengineering were progressively deleted from drafts of the policy statement (over the protests of agency scientists (1)), and a final statement was issued claiming (a) that [GM] foods are no riskier than others and (b) that the agency has no information to the contrary.”

After his stint at the FDA, Taylor went back to work as Monsanto’s Vice President for Public Policy.

In disappointing news, however, Taylor was again appointed to the FDA as President Obama’s new Food Safety Czar (Deputy Commissioner for Foods).  His duties include, “Assess current food program challenges and opportunities”, “Identify capacity needs and regulatory priorities” and “Plan implementation of new food safety legislation”. – Source Watch

The Rise of Genetically Engineered Food and Reproductive Problems

A GMO, or genetically modified organism, is the result of a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, hence they are also known as transgenic organisms. This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same.

The adulteration and modification of some of the planet’s most widely used crops has changed our food landscape.  Chemicals, preservatives, genetic modification, and low-cost substitutions and fillers have wrecked meals that were once healthy for us.  Stepping inside of a grocery store nowadays, we find ourselves in a dangerous and toxic new world.  The introduction of genetically engineered organisms into the food supply in the 1990′s, coupled with rampant use of carcinogens such as aspartame, saccharin, and substitutions like high fructose corn syrup, set the perfect stage to form a deadly concoction known as processed food.  Sadly, this is what encompasses the average American diet.

Genetically modified foods are now found in approximately 80% of all food in a typical grocery store.

In Germany and throughout the European Union, food products that contain GMOs must be properly labeled as such.  As a result, there are few GM products on store shelves because, when made aware of their presence, consumers almost unanimously reject them.

What many people fail to realize, both in Europe and in the US, is that conventional livestock is often fed GM soy and corn, which ultimately ends up on store shelves in the form of conventional meat, milk, and eggs.

New studies are being published monthly regarding the toxicity of GM corn and soy; most notably, Monsanto’s genetically modified corn causing cancer and organ damage in lab rats, as well as that very same Monsanto corn wreaking havoc in pigs, who have very similar organs and stomachs to humans.

Journal of Organic Systems, a peer-reviewed science journal, reports a direct connection between the ingestion of GMO animal feed and measurable damage to the stomachs of those animals. Tests also showed abnormally high uterine weights of animals fed the GMO diets, raising further questions about the possibility of GMOs causing reproductive organ damage. – Natural News

Furthermore, the development of genetically modified foods often comes from seed and chemical companies, such as Monsanto, the developer of Roundup Weed Killer.  Monsanto inserts most GMOs with a bacterial gene which allows the plant to survive a normally deadly dose of Roundup herbicide.  Although the spray doesn’t kill the plant, its active ingredient, called glyphosate, accumulates in the plant, and is then consumed by rats, livestock, and humans.

There is so much glyphosate in GM soybeans, that when they were introduced in Europe, countries had to increase their allowable residue levels by 200 fold.

In the Journal of Toxicology in Vitro, researchers found that Monsanto’s popular “weed killer” known as Roundup, is capable of interfering with and/or harming the male reproductive system.

Researchers tested Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, on mature rat testicular cells at a concentration range between 1 and 10,000 ppm, which they described as “the range in some human urine and in environment to agricultural levels.”  They found that within 1 to 48 hours of Roundup exposure testicular (Leydig) cells were damaged or killed. (Dec., 2011)

Glyphosate is considered to be within safe, acceptable levels up to 10,000 ppm.  What is more disturbing is that even at a lower, presumably “non toxic” and almost non existent concentration of 1 ppm of Roundup herbicidetestosterone concentrations were observed to decrease by 35%. – – Organic Consumers.org

Monsanto’s Artificial Sweetener Saccharin

As previously mentioned, one of Susan G. Komen’s largest sponsors is Yoplait yogurt, and while they dodged a public relations bullet when they decided to abandon rBGH, they are still receiving plenty of backlash about their use of artificial sweeteners.

Studies show that saccharin can cause bladder cancer, not to mention vascular and lung cancer.  It also increased the risk of uterine cancer in female mice.  Additionally, rats exposed to saccharin while in the womb were even more likely to develop cancer than those exposed immediately after birth.

Researchers in that study concluded, “Saccharin is carcinogenic for the urinary bladder in rats and mice, and most likely is carcinogenic in human beings.” And the cancer risk isn’t the only issue with artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame, and Sucralose. A 2008 study from Appetite found “a significant increase of plasma insulin concentration was apparent after stimulation with saccharin.”

Test participants merely rinsed their mouth with the sweetener! As many of us know, increased insulin levels are a major risk factor in diabetes and obesity; two epidemics that are sweeping our nation.

Susan G. Komen and Monsanto, Hand in Hand

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

The Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure® is supposed to be about empowering cancer fighters and survivors, and ridding the world of cancer. It serves as an image of good health, exercise, and total body healing, and yet what has it done to educate its followers on the dangers of diet sodas, laden with artificial sweeteners and genetically modified high fructose corn syrup? Why is it slapping its name on a bucket of fried chicken, made with inhumanely raised birds fried in genetically engineered oil? If the point is to reverse the cancer trend, why take steps to increase it?

Why would a supposed health-oriented, cancer research foundation allow corporations such as Monsanto to publicly sponsor events like Race for the Cure®?

Perhaps the Susan G. Komen Foundation isn’t truly concerned with a Cure, but instead, in fighting cancer symptoms. If cancer were to be eradicated, there are more than a handful of people who stand to lose hundreds of billions of dollars. But if it were to continue, the treating of cancer symptoms and related diseases is likely more profitable than the oil and natural gas industries combined.

The cancer industry’s “slash and burn” policy of invasive surgeries and chemotherapy leave patients incredibly ill and even disabled, for months, or even years.  The recent news of Angelina Jolie volunteering to undergo a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy was hailed by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which serves as an example of profits having an eerily similar connection to suggested cancer treatments.  Mastectomies can range from $40,000 to $300,000, and chemotherapy can range from $5,000 to $50,000 and above.

Our Big Pharma culture deems it acceptable to bombard the human body with powerful radiation and drugs, killing many cells indiscriminately, in wild hopes that the patient can survive this onslaught. The medical community at large considers a patient a “survivor” if they can live just five (5) additional years after this expensive “treatment.”

Monsanto Fun Squad

Here we find some of Monsanto’s happy “Fun Squad” members distributing pocket-sized Band-Aid containers, and strangely enough, in the shape of a pharmaceutical pill, while also hearkening an eerie resemblance to its dangerous GMO corn.

MonsantoBandAidsWhen most people think of Band-Aids, we conjure up the image of fixing wounds, of healing, and first-aid.  Many of us also adhere to a similar notion regarding the pills that our doctors give us; we want to believe that they are our saving grace and will help fight our diseases.

A corn-colored, pill-shaped Band-Aid holder, emblazoned with Monsanto’s name is a devious attempt by their public relations team to reach out and plant softer images in people’s head, gently steering their thoughts to begin equating Monsanto with healing while simultaneously protecting their future reputation among a very diverse crowd of race participants.

Many corporations employ these soft public relations tactics. If Monsanto were to be splashed across the evening news for a damning report on the toxicity of their genetically modified foods, these publicity functions help cushion the backlash and generally garners support from those who are reminded of all of the wonderful pink ribbons floating around, of the cancer research funding that they participated in, and adamantly reject the notion that a proud Susan G. Komen sponsor could do any harm.

I mean, they’re curing cancer, right?

…I’ll take one bucket o’chicken and a mega-Diet Coke, please.

About the author:

Kevin Hayden is a former New Orleans police officer-turned-truth seeker.  He endured Hurricane Katrina’s chaos and societal collapse in the days following and after 5 years in New Orleans, moved to Oklahoma.  Kevin currently runs www.TruthisTreason.net and promotes education regarding our monetary, food, and foreign policies while building an off-grid shipping container homestead.  He is a former investigator for Big Oil, has appeared on numerous radio shows, and enjoys helping people become better prepared for disasters.

He can be contacted directly at Contact@TruthisTreason.net

Sources for this article include:

Saccharin still poses cancer risk, scientists tell federal agency. CSPI press release. 1997 Oct. 28

Reuber, MD. Carcinogenicity of saccharin. Environ Health Perspect. 1978 Aug. 25, 173-200.

Kevin Hayden, “37 Reasons to Avoid Genetically Modified Foods“, TruthisTreason.net

Permission is given to duplicate or copy this article as long as all source credit stays intact and link back to www.TruthisTreason.net

Tiny URL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/kax73ea


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UAW Ratifies 4-Year Contract at Daimler’s N.C. Truck Plants

Daimler Trucks North America

Union members at three Daimler Trucks North America manufacturing facilities in North Carolina have ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement, the company said May 19.

DTNA and the United Automobile Workers union agreed on a contract that rewards workers for several years of consistently boosting market share and quality production, while increasing the competitiveness of DTNA’s truck manufacturing plants in Cleveland, Mount Holly and Gastonia.

“The new four-year agreement between Daimler Trucks North America and the UAW serves the mutual benefit of our company, valued workers and retirees,” said Martin Daum, DTNA’s CEO.

“The ongoing close collaboration with the UAW has resulted in a contract that will help assure [DTNA’s] continued manufacturing excellence and market leadership,” he said in a statement.

Daimler sells the Freightliner and Western Star brands in North America, as well as the Detroit brand of diesel engines, transmissions and axles.

Cleveland is the largest U.S. manufacturing plant for Freightliner Trucks, DTNA’s largest truck brand. Workers at the plant, which opened in 1989, make Cascadias and other Class 8 Freightliner models.

The contract includes a $7,000 ratification bonus and 3% wage increases the first and third years of the agreement, with 3% lump-sum bonuses in the second and fourth years. Other gains include an increased night-shift premium and an attendance bonus program.

Faced with the increasing cost of providing health care benefits to retired workers, the union and company also worked to establish a voluntary employee benefit association to secure long-term retiree benefits.

The contract, including that agreement for future retirees, becomes effective upon Daimler’s supervisory board approval. Upon court approval, current retirees also will be included in the employee benefit package, and DTNA will provide additional funding.

“The UAW is thankful to have this collaborative relationship” with DTNA, said Gary Casteel, director of UAW’s Region 8, which has responsibility for DTNA’s facilities in the South.

“Instead of walking away from its responsibility to its retirees, [DTNA] stayed at the table with the UAW until we found a solution to a problem that is plaguing our nation, and retirees . . . will have a brighter future as a result,” Casteel added.

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Prescott tops Old West towns list, Tombstone flunks

'Town Too Tough to Die' doesn't survive rankings

In the battle for Old West dominance, the town of Tombstone wasn’t even invited to the fight.

True West Magazine’s seventh annual ranking of Old West towns across the country, did not include Tombstone in the Top 10, while Prescott was named No. 1.

The towns’ ranks were based on three things, according to Bob Bell, the magazine’s executive editor.

First, what the town has done in the last year to promote and preserve the historical integrity of the community. Second, the projects taken to make this happen. Lastly, the town is judged on its residents’ progressive vision and their attempts to make the town more historical.

So why was Tombstone left off True West’s list? Bell said the two key reasons were political infighting and authenticity.

George Barnes, city clerk and city manager, was disappointed with the rankings and is in the process of trying to increase Tombstone’s tourism.

“We have a mind to establish a promotions manager, a professional person who actually has a lot of skills and background in doing that sort of thing,” Barnes said. “We have been searching for a number of months to find a right person, which means don’t settle on it quick.”

Barnes said that he felt Prescott deserved of the top ranking and that he can’t fault the other guy for doing a good job.

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Tombstone artist John Ludwig agreed and said that bigger towns might have some more political pull that could help with their ranking.

“There is a lot of money in Prescott,” he said. “Prescott is a very serious upscale type of situation. Obviously you have more economic pull there. I don’t think it’s even half as interesting, from a Western history background, as Tombstone but that’s just me.”

Tombstone needs to focus more on its history, Bell said.

The town is “straying from the historical West to a more commercial, tourist West,” Bell said in an email. “It is a tough thing for a town to do. Virtually all the towns in the West deal with this. Some more successfully than others.”

Tombstone Councilman Steve Troncale disagreed with the ranking whole-heartedly.

“That’s their opinion, not mine,” Troncale said. “I really don’t know what politics has to do with history.

“What True West Magazine doesn’t understand is this is what Tombstone’s legacy is; there has been political infighting for the last 130 years. Political infighting is business as usual. The only thing we don’t do anymore is hang people.”

Not all Tombstone residents disagree with the ranking. Stephen Keith, owner of Tombstone Huckleberry Productions, felt the rankings were fair and that Tombstone had it coming. Keith said the town didn’t know how to market itself, and won’t take advice from others.

“It squandered global name recognition on a retirement hobby for playground bullies instead of running a tourist attraction,” he said.

- 30 -
have your say

1 comment on this story

Feb 23, 2012, 4:48 pm
-0 +0

I’ve been to Prescott once. I went for an athletic contest. I didn’t really know what to expect…and I was very pleasantly surprised. I had a phenomenal experience. Good atmosphere, good people. I was very impressed. I have my second trip there planned for next month.

However, all that said…Prescott does have a lot of really cool historical stuff. But more than Tombstone? I just don’t know about that one.

Sorry, we missed your input...

You must be logged in or register to comment

Click image to enlarge

Kevin Nadakal/Arizona Sonora News Service

Re-enactors on Allen Street in Tombstone. The 'Town Too Tough to Die' couldn't hold out to make True West Magazine's Top 10 Old West towns.

Top 10 Old West towns

  • 1. Prescott
  • 2. Leadville, Colo.
  • 3. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho
  • 4. Oklahoma City
  • 5. Ruidoso, N.M.
  • 6. Santa Barbara, Calif.
  • 7. St. Louis, Mo.
  • 8. Dodge City, Kan.
  • 9. Bismarck, N.D.
  • 10. Grapevine, Texas


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Traditional / Ethnic

The Mollys

IT'S THE QUESTION every musician dreads: How would you describe your band to someone who has never heard them?

"If it was somebody I knew very well I might say something boastful like 'We're the best band you've ever heard in your entire life,'" Catherine Zavala of The Mollys says with a laugh. "If it was somebody I didn't know I'd be a little bit more modest and say, 'We're the best band you've ever heard in your entire life.'"

Band Photo Zavala plays mandolin, guitar, fiddle and sings lead along with co-lead singer Nancy McCallion (who also plays guitar, harmonica and whistles), bassist Dan Sorenson, Kevin Schramm on button accordion, banjo, guitar and whistles and drummer Gary Mackender in the best Irish and Latin-American rock and roll band playing traditional and original reels, jigs and ballads, too.

Various configurations of The Mollys will be travelling around the country this summer, beginning with the Kerrville Folk Festival in early June. The entire band is also playing several dates in Colorado later that month.

From there, Zavala, McCallion and Schramm (as his schedule allows) will take off for the East Coast playing gigs in coffee houses and clubs before the group reunites in New York at the Lincoln Center for a festival in late August. Afterwards the band will be back home playing clubs in Tucson.

When on tour the various members of the group will be packing a new album along with their instruments. This Is My Round was recorded with Irish musicians Mick Moloney and Eugene O'Donnell over a year ago.

The band has talked with Flying Fish Records about releasing the album but Zavala says the negotiations didn't go well.

"They're really, really traditional bands (on the Flying Fish roster) and we're not. They've said things like 'We're not doing girl duo groups this year,' which is, you know, kind of hard to take that kind of comment."

It's probably especially hard to take when The Mollys are obviously not a "girl duo group."

"Exactly, but the idea is that's what they would market," she says. "It's not really what we would want them to market. So that's really frustrating."

So the group has anted up the money for the album's release on their own.

"We did it live in the studio with some solo overdubs, but it has a really live sound. We're happy with it."

Zavala also wants to stress how happy she and McCallion (founders of the group) are with the rhythm section.

"We've had a lot of comments about how this is the most dynamic band we've ever had. They're really into it and they're all veteran musicians, so they know about the hard times and don't complain."

What more could you ask of a rhythm section? No, that's another dreaded question that will have to answered at another time.
--Michael Metzger

Hot Desert Love Toads

IT'S A SEXY name, there's no denying that. If you have an extra-special fondness for Celtic roots music--the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland--and the music of Appalachia, you'll find the music of Hot Desert Love Toads sexy, too.

"It's traditional music and it's dance music," bassist Mars Burnside says. "It just feels right."

It feels good to fiddler and mandolinist Sharon Goldwasser, fiddler Bob Hauth, guitarist and vocalist Jim McConnell and vocalist and clog dancer Claire Zucker (who also plays bodhran, a traditional Celtic drum), too.

He says the Toads are a true ensemble, with everyone pulling in the same direction. "Our music comes from a dance tradition, making it a lot like, for instance, chicken scratch music. What's important is the music." Burnside says. "There's not a great emphasis on vocals--it's very rhythmic and there's not a particular emphasis on somebody being the lead and everybody backing him up."
--Michael Metzger

© 1995 Tucson Weekly


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A Personalized Vanity URL For Facebook Fan Page

You might have seen a lot of fan pages in Facebook. If you have a fan page in Facebook, this tutorial will help you personalize the page’s URL and make it more attractive. Presently, the Facebook fan page URL will be a confusing combination of the page name and numbers.

Somebody with a fan page in Facebook will find the fan page URL quite cumbersome to memorize. With this article you will be able to change the fan page URL to your liking, making it fancy and interesting. Getting a Vanity URL in Facebook is quite simple, but to do so you should have a fan page in Facebook.

Conditions for a Vanity URL

For a vanity URL, you need to have a fan page in your name, created by yourself. Your fan page should have at least 25 likes. If this page is your first fan page, you should be able to skip this as Facebook reportedly removed this requirement for first time fan page owners.
Now follow the steps to get a unique URL for your fan page

  • Step 1: Open your browser
  • Step 2: Copy this link and paste it on your browser search tab – http://facebook.com/username
    Note: Custom URLs are also known as Usernames or Vanity URLs. Don’t get confused if the page displays a username. Changing the URL or customizing it won’t have any effect on your original Facebook username which you use to log in to Facebook.Facebook log in page
  • Step 3: Log in with your Facebook ID and Password. The page will display ‘Your username is already set’. The next box will show ‘Each page can have a user name’. You will notice a dropdown box there.
  • Step 4: Click on the dropdown box and select your fan page. On the right side of the dropdown box, there will be an empty field displaying ‘Enter your desired username’.
  • Step 5: Click on the field and enter a username. This username will be your custom URL for the page that you selected.facebook fan page
  • Step 6: Click the ‘Check availability’ button. If the URL is not available, Facebook will display the message. Type a different username and click on ‘Check Availability’ again. If the URL is available, a new popup box will appear. This box will have more details. If you are sure your username follows all conditions in the popup box,Facebook vanity URL image
  • Step 7: Click on ‘Confirm’. You now have a new custom URL for your fan page, which can be used in Facebook and anywhere else to promote your page.

Facts to keep in mind

The custom URL you choose that seems available in Facebook can be a page that was deleted before you created the page. It may come back. However Facebook recently claimed that they are not releasing URLs. So the URL you want may not be available most possibly.

Popular people primarily create fan pages in their name in Facebook mainly for marketing or keeping in touch with their fans and followers. Having fan pages in Facebook is a big deal. If there are a lot of viewers and activities in the fan page, then its URL have to be promoted and published as well. With a URL full of numbers, it would seem awkward and is difficult to memorize.

With a few simple clicks, you will be able to personalize the URLs of your fan page and give it a fancier username (URL), which everybody will find interesting. Having a fancy Vanity URL will also make it popular, reaching more people and getting them interested. However, it’s recommended that you follow Facebook’s policies for using a customized URL.

Other Interesting Posts


text:
Discuss anything related to NeonView on the forum located here.

One Comment

  1. dherman
    Posted October 5, 2013 at 5:39 PM | Permalink

    NeonView seems realy nice (just installed on Manjaro using kde4.11)

    I save alot of images from web cache, by default these have random names with no file extension. It appears that neonview will not open an image file if it does not use a file extension.

    I suppose this could be a choice (to improve image load time) but it limits neonviews abilities.

    Nice application


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Language Selection

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The US Air Force Wants to Keep You Secure with Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) 1.5.1 Distro

Filed under

Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) 1.5.1, a thin Linux operating system that creates a secure end node from trusted media on almost any Intel-based computer (PC or Mac), has been released and is now available for download.

Read more ►

More in Tux Machines

Leftovers: Software Development

  • fakecloud
  • A new version of pristine-tar
  • Getting RSS feeds for news websites that don’t provide them
    On the technical side, this seems to be one of the most stable pieces of software I ever wrote. It never crashed or otherwise failed since I started running it, and fortunately I also didn’t have to update the HTML parsing code yet because of website changes. It’s written in Haskell, using the Scotty web framework, Cereal serialization library for storing the history of the past articles, http-conduit for fetching the websites, and html-conduit for parsing the HTML. Overall a very pleasant experience, thanks to the language being very convenient to write and preventing most silly mistakes at compile-time, and the high quality of the libraries.
  • Quick Highlight
    Martin Blanchard put together a new “quick highlight” plugin for Builder this last week. It was a great example of how to submit a new feature, so I just wanted to highlight it here. Post to bugzilla, attach a patch, and we will review quickly and help with any additional integration that might be necessary.

Android Leftovers

Today in Techrights


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Nothing is at it seems on this episode of Fringe, as Olivia, Peter and this bookshop owner - played by Clark Middleton - search for clues.
This is a scene from the Fringe episode "Nothing As It Seems," taken as we wind down season four.

Fringe Season 4 Episode 16 Quotes

Why should I expect that because you and I are back together that everything is going to be fine and that the world is going to live up to my every expectation?

Forty percent of all the information you provided is not correct. Which as far as the tenth floor is concerned means you are not the agent they licensed.


text:
Jenny: So what, you're going to walk me to my room and make sure I don't get in any trouble?
Chuck: Try not to run into any Euro dealers in the kitchen.

Rating: 4.4 / 5.0 (7 Votes)
Related Quotes:
Jenny Humphrey Quotes, Chuck Bass Quotes, Gossip Girl Season 3 Episode 10 Quotes, Gossip Girl Quotes
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Gossip Girl Season 3 Episode 10 Quotes

Blair: My sexual tension radar is unparalleled.
Chuck: Point ceded.

As a famed literary critic once told Oprah, memory is subjective. It can be embellished or denied. But as James Fray knows all too well, the truth always comes out.

Gossip Girl


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Chandler Massey Celebrity Watchlist

TV Guide Rating:(126 ratings)

Your Rating:Rate this Celebrity:

Latest NewsSee all »

Kathy Griffin

Young and the Restless, Steve Harvey Win Big at Daytime Emmy Awards

The Young and the Restless was the big winner at Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards. The CBS soap took home six prizes including Best Drama Series, Best Drama Series Writing Team, Best Lead Actor (Billy Miller), and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama… Read more

Video ClipsSee all »

Bad Judge: The Fixer Trailer
01:41 — Rebecca helps her friend get over a divorce, but discovers that her judgmental advice isn't always what people want to hear. Meanwhile, Tom and Tedwar (more…)
Soap operas' social message
03:11 — Chandler Massey and Molly Burnett weigh in on how soap operas today are addressing important social issues.

More NewsSee all »

The Young and The Restless
Daytime Emmy Awards: Michael Logan's Fearless Predictions

Gee, remember when the Daytime Emmys were presented before thousands of deliriously happy fans at Ra…

Chandler Massey
Exclusive: Chandler Massey Talks About His Sudden, Controversial Exit From Days or Our Lives

Two-time Emmy winner Chandler Massey filmed his final scenes as Days of Our Lives' gay heartthrob Wi…

Chandler Massey
Days of Our Lives to Replace Chandler Massey

Chandler Massey shot his last scene as Will Horton on Friday, Gay Star Newsreports. The Days of Our…

Judi Evans
Is Days of Our Lives' Judi Evans the New Monster Mom of Salem?

Mother knows best — but it's making Days of Our Lives' Adrienne Kiriakis a pariah in her own family.…

Katherine Kelly-Lang
Fearless Predictions: Who Will Take Home the Daytime Emmys

Here it is folks — that annual exercise in utter foolishness and certain humiliation known as my Day…

Chandler Massey, Freddie Smith
Video Exclusive: Will and Sonny Finally Have Sex on Days of Our Lives

Get out your calendars. After months and months of frustrating delays, false starts and countless em…

Trending TonightSee all »

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I. Marlene King and Troian Bellisario
Troian Bellisario recalls her wildest PLL fan encounters

The Pretty Little Liars star and creator recall their wildest -- and sometimes incredilbly uncomfortable -- encounters with fans


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Richard Linklater Photos

  • Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, Richard Linklater, director and Keanu Reeves - The 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival "A Scanner Darkly" screening, June 29, 2006

Next On TVSee all »

  • Birth Place: Houston, Texas, United States
  • Birthday: July 30, 1960, Leo
  • Profession: Director, Actor, Screenwriter, Producer

Trending TonightSee all »

Watch This

I. Marlene King and Troian Bellisario
Troian Bellisario recalls her wildest PLL fan encounters

The Pretty Little Liars star and creator recall their wildest -- and sometimes incredilbly uncomfortable -- encounters with fans


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Malibu Country Malibu Country

Since I know Reba McEntire is Christian, I was surprised to hear there are marijuana jokes on her new ABC comedy, Malibu Country. How does Reba feel about this? —Shirley, Birmingham

"It's an issue that is true to life, [and] I'm definitely okay with the jokes," says McEntire, whose Nashville-based character relocates to the liberal L.A. beach community. "There are medicinal marijuana clinics all over Los Angeles, and that's totally different from Nashville. We're trying to establish the differences." As for her history with weed, she admits, "I have tried marijuana. In Amsterdam. And I did not like it! It made me very paranoid."

Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!


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Season 2, Episode 1 Ringing Up Baby

First Aired: September 23, 1998

Dharma tries to convince Greg that they should adopt the soon-to-be-born baby of a cashier at their supermarket. Dharma: Jenna Elfman. Greg: Thomas Gibson. Abby: Mimi Kennedy. Larry: Alan Rachins.

Guest Cast

Cast & Details See all »

  • Premiered: September 24, 1997
  • Rating: TV-PG
  • Premise: A hit romantic comedy about a culturally mismatched couple (she's the free-spirited daughter of 1960s hippies; he's the straight-arrow son of country-club bluebloods) whose first date culminated in matrimony. (more)

Show More »

Trending TonightSee all »

Watch This

I. Marlene King and Troian Bellisario
Troian Bellisario recalls her wildest PLL fan encounters

The Pretty Little Liars star and creator recall their wildest -- and sometimes incredilbly uncomfortable -- encounters with fans


text:
Season 1, Episode 5 JOIE; Quails Gate; Eldorado Hotel---Okanagan Valley, BC

First Aired: June 3, 2006

Wines enjoyed by Kurt Russell, Michael Buble, David Duchovny, Minnie Driver and Tommy Chong are discussed.

Cast & Details See all »

  • Rating: None
  • Premise: Wine preferences of celebrities are discussed in this series. (more)

Show More »

Trending TonightSee all »

Watch This

I. Marlene King and Troian Bellisario
Troian Bellisario recalls her wildest PLL fan encounters

The Pretty Little Liars star and creator recall their wildest -- and sometimes incredilbly uncomfortable -- encounters with fans


text:
Relic Hunter 1999 | TV Show Watchlist

Season 2, Episode 7 Three Rivers to Cross

First Aired: October 30, 2000

Fred Dryer guests as Syd's father, an engineer who calls her to China to help a group of monks locate a legendary statue they fear may be lost after a dam is opened near their village. Jenny: Jennifer Hill. Li Feng: Steven Vincent Leigh. Fetters: Frank Crudele. Senior Monk: Henry Chan.

Cast & Details See all »

  • Premiered: September 25, 1999
  • Rating: None
  • Premise: History professor Sydney Fox searches for lost treasures in this action series set against exotic locales. Along with her assistant Nigel Bailey, Sydney took on assignments that sent them to such venues as Paris, Cairo, New Guinea and the Czech Republic. (more)

Show More »

Trending TonightSee all »

Watch This

I. Marlene King and Troian Bellisario
Troian Bellisario recalls her wildest PLL fan encounters

The Pretty Little Liars star and creator recall their wildest -- and sometimes incredilbly uncomfortable -- encounters with fans


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Season 5, Episode 8 Flash Photography

First Aired: November 11, 2002

Doug takes an obscene picture of himself at a wedding reception, and he's horrified when the photo is passed around the next day at a brunch for the bride and groom. Janet: Jenny O'Hara. Father McAndrew: Joe Flaherty. Jake: David Eigenberg. Samantha: Jennifer Aspen. Flora: Pamela Kosh. Frank: Alan Charof. Gino: Mike Burton. Danny: Gary Valentine.

Next On TVSee all »

Cast & Details See all »

  • Premiered: September 21, 1998
  • Rating: TV-PG
  • Premise: The king is a portly parcel deliveryman whose Queens castle is invaded by his father-in-law after the old man burns down his own house. In this popular sitcom, which strives for a blue-collar 'Honeymooners'-like feel, Doug Heffernan (like Ralph Kramden bef… (more)

Show More »

Trending TonightSee all »

Watch This

I. Marlene King and Troian Bellisario
Troian Bellisario recalls her wildest PLL fan encounters

The Pretty Little Liars star and creator recall their wildest -- and sometimes incredilbly uncomfortable -- encounters with fans


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‘Dancing With the Stars’ Winner Under Fire for Blackface Costume

Oct 28, 2013  •  Post A Comment

A "Dancing with the Stars" winner has apologized after creating an outcry with a Halloween costume that included blackface, reports TheWrap.com.

Julianne Hough tweeted that she didn’t mean to be disrespectful by dressing up as Crazy Eyes from Netflix’s "Orange Is the New Black." Hough is a professional ballroom dancer and a two-time winner on the ABC dance competition.

"I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created,” Hough tweeted. “It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”

The story notes, "Of course, the fallout from these kind of racially charged makeup can be intense. In 1993, Ted Danson stirred up blistering media criticism after appearing in blackface at a Friar’s Club comedy roast in honor of then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg. He also offered up a boatload of racially offensive humor, which didn’t help matters."

julianne hough-blackface.png

Julianne Hough in blackface

One Comment

  1. An unfortunate choice for a talented performer.
    Apology reads as genuine to me.
    Best to let it be, move on with a big lesson learned.
    Peter Bright

Your Comment

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Both a wonderful memoir of an exotic childhood and a striking portrait of one of the world's most beguiling countries. A gem of a book.

Alexander McCall Smith

the nearest thing you will get to Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals and it is just as enchanting.

Giles Foden, Conde Nast Traveller

a fabulous read, rollicking, good-humoured... a worthy successor to The Flame Trees of Thika

Alexandra Fuller, The Globe and Mail

a quietly bravura performance... The sights, sounds and textures of Botswana tumble from her pages with unhurried ease...

Kate Colquhoun, The Daily Telegraph

Welcome to the official website for Twenty Chickens for a Saddle, a story that begins when six year old Robyn Scott's parents abruptly exchange the tranquil pastures of New Zealand for a converted cowshed in the wilds of Botswana. There, falling in love with the country where Robyn’s eccentric grandfather had served as pilot to Seretse Khama, Botswana’s first president, Linda and Keith Scott set off in his pioneering and unconventional footsteps. Their three small children, mostly left to amuse themselves, grow up collecting snakes, canoeing with crocodiles and breaking in horses in the veld.

This book is the account of the family’s fifteen years in Botswana, during which Linda haphazardly and single-handedly homeschools Robyn, Damien and Lulu, while Keith runs a flying doctor practice, attempting, with erratic success, to adapt to the unique demands of rural clinics and the growing burden of AIDS. The book remains throughout an uplifting, engaging and deeply affectionate portrayal of an extraordinary place and family.

Browse this site to read more about the book, as well as to view photographs read reviews, see more of Lauren Scott's illustrations, watch Robyn read an experpt from the book, and learn about Mothers for All, the AIDS orphan support organisation established with proceeds from the book.


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Goddess Twitter List

People who have been tagged with the keyword "goddess."

GOD-A$$ Jennifer
Other lists: blonde, brat, domme
Other lists: geek, kitchens, vc
Other lists: dancer
Jackie Branagan
Princess SimoneⓂ
Lady Picasso: Artist
Other lists: artist, author, blogging
Tetka Rhu
Other lists: artist, author, branding
Other lists: dominatrix, elite, femdom
Godchecker HQ
Other lists: atheist, culture, gods
Other lists: bdsm, domme, erotica
♕Goddess Jasmine♕
The Lady Sophia
Other lists: domination, femdom, fetish
Other lists: bbw, cruel, ebony
Kenya K Stevens, CEO
Aliza Sherman

Twibes is not affilliated with Twitter


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Without You

Bella is on her own when she finds the clearing. When Laurent finds her there, her werewolf saviors are nowhere to be found. Is Laurent a good guy, or will his bad side overcome him? Thanks a jillion to MRSBellaCullenBlack for the wonderful banner!!! :D

So, I had this story on here for a little bit... but then I deleted it. I totally forget why, actually. So, if you've read it already, you don't have to review... until I put up new updates, that is :)

1. You Need Out

Rating 5/5   Word Count 1138   Review this Chapter

At that precise moment, I realized why he looked the same-too much the same. After Carlisle told us that Laurent had stayed with Tanya's family, I'd begun to picture him, on the rare occasions that I thought of him at all, with the same golden eyes that the... Cullens-I forced the name out, wincing-had. That all good vampires had.

I took an involuntary step back, and his curious, dark red eyes followed the movement.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my throat dry. Laurent smiled his heartbreakingly beautiful smile. He took a look around the clearing, almost as if to check if it was safe to talk.

"Well, Bella," he started, taking a step towards me. I willed myself to stay still. "I'm here because of you," he said, his voice alluring.

I didn't dare let myself hope. He couldn't have been on some mission from the Cullens... could he? After all, he was friends with Tanya and the clan in Denali. Maybe they contacted him...

"I don't get it," I admitted.

"I know someone who happens to be quite... aggravated with you, Bella. You might remember her, Victoria is her name," he said. He was close enough to touch me. "Your Edward killed her James," he sighed. My face distorted in pain when he said the name. "She thinks it's only fair to kill you."

My knees buckled, my heard stopped. I would have ended up on the ground in a heap of sobs if it weren't for Laurent. He caught me before I hit the damp, soft grass.

"Bella, calm down!" he exclaimed, hugging me to his chest. It was such an unexpected gesture. I automatically put my arms around him, longing for someone to comfort me.

"I came here as a favor to you. We wouldn't want Victoria to get you, would we?" he said.

I could barely speak. Laurent, the Laurent, was helping me. I didn't understand.

"Why?" I groaned into his shoulder. "Why would you help me?"

"You don't know Victoria like I do. She... she has no morals. I know it sounds strange coming from me, but it's sick, even for a vampire," he said, shuddering.

I took a deep breath, calming myself.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, pulling away from his cold, strong grasp. We, I had referred to the two of us as we. The thought was strange, that anyone but Jake and I would be considered we.

"We need to get you out of Forks, out of Washington, as soon as possible. It isn't safe for you to be anywhere near here."

I started to panic, my breaths coming in short gasps. I'd never be able to explain my leaving to Charlie, to Jake. I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to my Jacob, to my everything! He was the sun, the light in my life. My face twisted into a mask of discomfort at the thought.

I saw Laurent reach towards me, his finger trailed the length of my face.

"Shh," he muttered. "It's all going to work out fine."

I looked into his eyes, his dark red eyes, and felt an overwhelming sense of safety. I was drawn into him, it was a hypnotizing feeling. "I trust you," I whispered, surprising myself with the words. I knew I trusted him, for some strange reason. It just felt right.

He held out his hand. "Do you mind?" he asked.

I hesitated. He wanted to take me somewhere, I had no idea where. Yes, I did say I trusted him, but enough to have him carry me?

I grasped his hand, and with a softness that startled me, he swung me onto his back. Obviously living in Denali had changed him. He could bear my scent without going insane, he was gentle, not using his usual full strength. He was treating me like I was unbearably breakable.

"Where are we going?" I asked, making sure to do it before he started to run.

"Your house," he answered like it was the only answer.

He didn't give me a chance to answer, shooting off like a bat out of hell.

I kept my eyes open while he ran. It was different than being with him when he ran.

A thought occurred to me at that point. Why had Edwards voice not roared through my head yet. Certainly the mere sight of Laurent should trigger that in me. I was being stupid, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Perhaps, this whole situation, however threatening, stupid, and risky, really was the right thing to do.

I saw the trees pass by, blurring into a wall of green. I closed my eyes, soaking up the rush of running.

"Ahem," coughed Laurent. I flinched, startled by the sudden noise.

I opened my eyes, we were in front of my house. Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway. He was probably still fishing.

I slipped off of Laurent like a pro, I'd done it many times before. It was then that I remembered my truck. "Oh," I said aloud.

"What?" he asked, turning to look at me. It'd take a while to get used to the color of his eyes. Hopefully he could refrain from eating people. It would be good for the population, and his eyes would go back to the color I was used to.

"My truck," I murmured.

"I'll get it," he said, his voice a soft purr. He held out his hand, I dropped my keys into his palm. "Be back in a moment," he said, voice muted. He was gone before I could blink.

I moved to the front door in a daze. I got the key from under the eve and unlocked the door, my body numb.

It wasn't until I was in the house, my own house, when it hit me.

I was about to run away, away from everything. Away from Charlie, Jacob... they were my everything. Charlie could manage, he managed for seventeen years before I got there. Yes, the initial shock would be a burden for him, but only for a little while. He'd get over it soon enough.

Jake, he was the one I worried about. The last I'd seen him, he was talking about how he was going to be persistent, how he wouldn't give up on me, broken or not. It took a lot for that kind of devotion.

He deserved better than me. I sank to the floor.

That's where Laurent found me. Without a word he scooped me up and cradled me to his chest.

"Silly, silly, Bella," he crooned. "There's nothing to worry about. We'll get Victoria, and once she's gone, you can come back here." He set me onto my feet, keeping a hold of my waist to make sure I wouldn't fall.

"You promise?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.


text:
Post Eclipse. Another vampire has arrived in Forks, but wants nothing to do with the Cullens and everything to do with Bella. Is this newcomer friend or foe?Banner my fiance made, same pictures different style. Ok, so it's all finished. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and be sure to check out the sequel, "Unraveled", which will be coming soon. :)

13. Chapter 13

Rating 0/5   Word Count 614   Review this Chapter

I wanted to cry, but I couldn't let Jacob see my tears. Pressing my lips together, I didn't say anything, just stared out into the forest. The vampire was holding his position, but not because he sensed a threat.

“Could you take him down before he could yell for help?” I whispered, not trusting my voice. Jacob nodded. He didn't look at me and I didn't look at him. Our tender moment was gone, and Jacob was back to being a werewolf, enemy of the vampires.

He crawled out from under the roots, silently. I huddled deeper into the mud, hoping that my scent would be disguised. I watched as Jacob phased, his skin being replaced by course fur. Suddenly, I was afraid again. It was the wolf who had almost killed me just a day ago. Was it really only a day, I thought. It felt like an eternity had passed since then.

Wolf Jacob raced off into the woods and moments later I heard a muffled cry and then silence. I waited a few minutes, ensuring it was safe to emerge. Then, running to Jacob, I saw that he'd been joined by Emmett and Jasper. It was the latter that had a strong arm thrown across the vampire's throat, a gag was tired in his mouth. No air, no voice, I thought to myself.

I recognized the young vampire instantly. It was Marisa. Her eyes were wide with terror as Jacob growled and snarled at her feet. I was twinged with regret. In another life, under different circumstances, we could have been friends. But she was the enemy and would stop at nothing until she'd done her task.

They half carried, half dragged their struggling prisoner into a clearing where Edward and Carlisle were waiting. Jasper held tight to Marisa neck, but she had stopped struggling. Jacob stayed on the edge of the clearing, pacing back and forth, sniffing the air.

“Anything?” asked Carlisle. Edward shook his head.

“She counting in Italian. Up to almost a hundred. They must know about us." They looked defeated. I chewed my bottom lip, knowing what had to be done. Stepping forward, I gently grabbed Jaspers arm. Edward's eyes grew wide with horror.

“It's the only way we'll know,” I whispered softly. I threw a look over my shoulder, at Jacob. He was still pacing, eyes locked on the forest. My face involuntarily pulled into a grimace as I knelt down beside Marisa.

As I leaned close to her neck, I whispered, “I'm so sorry.” I sank my teeth into her granite flesh and my mind was a whir of images and sounds all blurring together. I wrenched back, clamping my hand over my mouth to stifle the scream that was erupting from my throat. Falling back into the grass, I tried to settle my burning mind. I knew I must look awful, writhing and twisting on the ground.

Finally, the pain ebbed and I felt well enough to open my eyes. Jasper was leaning over me and a sudden wave of ease washed over me. I looked at Jasper, all accusations, but he just smiled. He was helping, I felt calmer. He helped me sit up. Marisa was gone, presumably dead somewhere, her flesh burning to ash. The thought made me shudder.

Another look over my shoulder revealed that Jacob had stopped pacing. He was sitting very still, staring at us. His dark eyes looked sad, though I couldn't be sure with the distance between us. My mouth felt dry and my ears were ringing, but everyone was waiting.

When I regained my voice, I whispered, “They'll attack at dawn tomorrow.”


text:
Devil In Me

A labyrinth of a hellish afterlife, full of vivid nightmares and pleasant day dreams. Jasper had to break away from Maria's suffocating hold somehow, right?

Ugh, I'm sorry for writing another story. I should be updating on Blinded by Darkness, but somehow this idea floated into my mind. :(

Anyway, lyrics used are Got A Hold On Me by Hanson.

Also, by the way, this is a gory story. If you get squeamish at blood, or don't like to see Jasper in a monstrous way, I don't suggest reading this. It takes place before he met Alice, and he's lonely and depressed. He does many things in this story that is unlike his character in Twilight and the rest of the books simply because he has no one. I tried to create a different kind of Jasper in this, a more savage and rouge character, and it isn't how he is in the series now.

So, don't be mad at me! :(

1. Sea Of Red

Rating 5/5   Word Count 1982   Review this Chapter

I get my fix for the last time
One more trip to the other side
I scratch my skin
Cause you leave me dry
I'm makin' deals with thieves and liars

You've got me wrapped up in your cancer
But I'm not quite what you thought I'd be

The sun was setting. The humid, sticky air hung around my dark, shadowy form. Far behind me, a dark and luminous twilight was covering the sky like a blanket full of stars and magic. I paced the dry, filthy roads of the sandy Texan desert. A soft breeze picked up under my feet, carrying the rough, colorful gravel with it. My eyes squinted at the blood red sky and I swallowed down the bubbling venom in my throat.

Blood. It was the only thing I could ever think of.

The sweet, thickness of it seemed to cloud my mind and vision, painting everything a crimson, gory shade of horror. But to me it wasn't horror one bit. It was bliss. Pure heaven and unadulterated ecstasy. My throat ached in torment as I watched the dull city below me. It was full of life, full of blood. Full of an untamed fire that lept higher each day; flames licking the surface of my unsatisfied hunger.

I could feel my gleaming red eyes darken from the thought. One taste couldn't hurt, could it? Just snatch one unfortunate homeless man from the outskirts of town. He wouldn't be missed. And neither would I as I fed. My feet itched desperately to drag me forward, to carry out the deed of killing. But the last shred of my consciousness, and life itself, held me back.

An image of Maria's face flashed before my eyes; her mahogany hair billowing wildly in the wind, her burgundy eyes glowing wide with full lips and porcelain skin. Her childish features were always imprinted in my mind, sketched and seared into the tissue.

I pursed my lips, she was always holding me back; telling me to keep control, to not massacre the whole damn town. I groaned, couldn't I control my life? Because that's what it was: my life. Plain and simple.

life. The thought sounded foreign in my weary mind. I had always been told by her that she was in control of me. That she made my decisions. That without her I would crumble and be possessed by the roaring demon inside of me, out of control and freed to act completely on impulse.

But what if there was a way to shove that back in her youthful, beautiful face? What if I could show her it was my life? What if I could show her I was in charge? Would I do it? Could I do it? Mostly, should I do it?

As the sun disappeared under the gloomy clouds that roamed the night sky, I reached a solution. Yes. Yes, I should.

With a grim smile on my face, I sprinted down to the city below, leaving sand swirling in my midst. A bright, full moon came into view, shining the city in rays of light. Didn't people always say monsters came out on full moons? A bitter, humorless bark escaped my lips. I believe they did. Especially tonight.

I started to slow as the outskirts rose up from the barren terrain. Droughts were catching on all around the area. So many people were dying of thirst. It brought me humor to know that soon I would be thriving and basking in the most delectable, seductive type of liquid.

"You, young man, what are you doing?" I turned swiftly, barring my pearly white teeth at the intruder. An old man leaned against the outer wall of a shabby, rotting house with a hand-carved wooden cane shaking under his frail grasp. He was covered in filth with sparse gray hair covering his wide head. His eyes, too blue to seem possible, squinted at me with an undeniable curiosity.

"Why, hello there, sir," I responded politely as I walked forward slowly. My lips formed a sneer, vicious and hostile, as a low chuckle escaped. Protruding weeds crumpled under my feet as I floated his way. His eyes widened considerably as he took in my appearance, healthy and inhumanly beautiful. An unfair advantage on my part.

"I've never seen ya before. What do ya want?" His low raspy voice reached my sensitive ears. He scratched his head absent-mindedly and I let the lustful scent of his rich blood envelope me like crimson silk. His filthy appearance made it obvious he was homeless. Perfect.

"You see, I'm lost. I need some help," I lied easily. One half of my face turned up in a friendly smile. The man nodded and looked toward the skies above thoughtfully.

"With what?" I watched as his throat constricted as he swallowed. His heart throbbed erratically in his rib cage as his pulse pounded in my ears. I ached to get closer, to slit his throat with my razor sharp teeth. To taste the prize of tonight's hunt. To murder, slaughter, and kill. To be the hunter I was destined to be.

"I'm thirsty," I murmured, my voice soft and gentle. He looked back at me with one eyebrow quirked. Confusion swelled into me from his very life form. I used my powers to calm him slowly. If I was really in the mood I would have created fear and fright, but I was simply too kind tonight. Lucky him.

"What'd ya want me to do?" His head cocked to the side as his crystal eyes looked at me with an icy penetration.

"This," I said simply.

And then I was on him. He yelled out but my hand went to his mouth instantly before he could even make a sound. His voice broke off into a gurgling and choking sound as I accidentally smashed his rib cage when it connected with my marble shoulder. A trickle of blood slowly ran down from his open mouth, his eyes staring pleadingly towards the heavens.

His fear rose, higher and higher, like it was reaching towards the climax of a great action movie. His fear would be over soon. I let myself relish in the feeling.

I snapped my teeth viciously, tearing and ripping apart the skin that stretched across his milky neck and moaned as his luscious, intoxicating blood filled my aching mouth. It soaked into my tongue, my taste buds exploding from the sweetness. It swished through my teeth and I swallowed in great gulps as I continue to shred him apart.

As I lost myself in the heat of the meal, his tremblings started to slow. His pulse met a dead end, literally, and I found myself regaining composure slowly. His heart beat cramped and strained and tried to start back up. But in the end, it wasn't enough. The heavy loss of blood and racing venom took his life. His heart slowly lost its beat.

Death. It took us all.

I yanked my head back, my tongue trailing over my blood stained lips. He was pale, completely drained of all blood and covered in a bluish hue from the opal moonlight. I felt refreshed, enlightened. It was like all my senses had been rejuvenated. I could hear the tiny squeaks of a mouse on the other side of town, see the prickly cactus many miles away, and I could smell. Blood. Mesmerizing and ambrosial.

Bloodlust was like the worst type of heaven to lose yourself in. A labyrinth of a hellish afterlife, full of vivid nightmares and pleasant day dreams. It was thrilling and exciting and satisfying at the same time. But then it felt unnerving. You felt disconnected and lost. Vulnerable. I didn't even notice when I stood up and blended into the shadows along the eastern walls of the city, a monster with malicious ruby eyes and a growing hunger.

I didn't even notice when I slipped onto the main road and grasped onto the collars of every homeless person I could find, snarling with blood stained teeth, creating a ruckus of shrieks. I didn't notice when I grabbed a small girl by the arm, ignoring her desperate cries for her mother and father. I didn't notice when I took on a drunken man and I still didn't notice when he smashed his beer bottle on my head. I didn't notice when I pulled on an elderly woman and dragged her writhing body into the dark alleyway. I didn't notice their fear, their agony. I didn't notice their adrenaline pumping through their veins, trying to save themselves.

I didn't notice when I slaughtered them all. When I sank my teeth into their buttery skin and took a taste of crazed emotions, of the most tempting type of seduction in the whole world. I didn't notice when all of their lives slowly drained into my craving throat; the silent and unmoving stoniness of their still hearts echoing around me.

I didn't notice when they all died in my iron arms.

My vision was covered in a deep red, sweeping up the walls of the city into a tidal wave of massacre and death. I killed nine people total that night; all homeless, all unwanted, all dead inside. Their hopes had died away the second desolation and poverty intruded on their lives. I took their pitiful lives away and gave them something more. I gave them what little chance they had of any type of pleasant afterlife.

They should be thanking me.

I hastily wiped my sleeve across my crimson lips, blood still tainting my teeth, a pale pink of dread. My eyes were bright, luminous and deadly. Lethal. And ruby red. They shined with savage sin bursting in their hostile irises. The eyes were the openings to my true self. No matter how I disguised myself, you would always know my monstrous ways from my gleaming eyes. It showed you the devil in me. In us all.

Venom pooled in horrendous puddles along the streets, blood covered the alley walls in a violent, horror story truth of murder. The only people who strayed in these areas was my type. Vampires. I had no concern of a human stepping into a burning liquid puddle of venom. I had no fear of a human spotting a drop of blood and looking up to see it splashing the walls in a sea of terror.

I crept through the sleepy alleys, picking up the cold corpses of all of my victims. Their glassy eyes stared back into my ruthless, flaming ones. Their still hearts beat no more, their pulses throbbed no more, their lungs pounded no more. Ribbons of blood dripped from their torn throats, covering their bodies in a sticky aroma of dried blood. Drip, drop. Drip, drop. It created a musical box horror tune of illusion in my scarred mind.

Fatal. That's what I was.

I buried them all; the little girl with her icy tears still slowly tracking down her face, her mouth open from a silent scream while she pushed and shoved against my hold on her tiny form. The elderly woman, her eyes wide with fright and her fingers blue from an unforgiving frostbite. The drunk man with his arrogant sneer and beer bottle in hand, trying to fight for the right to live. And the old man, the first one of the night, with his glazed eyes and musky smell, his icy eyes glaring at the starless sky above. And then, of course, the five others. The insignificant ones who had no destiny, no future, no life.

With a last pile placed over the last burial, a glittering sun peeped over the horizon. I didn't care one bit about the sun and my sparkling. There was no one around to see. No one to see my shimmering self in the sunlight. Truth be told, I felt no regret for what I had done. If anything, I felt released. I had shown Maria. I had shown her.

"Jasper, what have you done?" A scolding voice tainted my reverie from over my shoulder. Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear.


text:
Stained Glass Soul

png She falls from a tree. She falls from a cliff. She falls in love. The love story of restless newborn vampire Esme Anne Platt and the shamelessly saintly Doctor Carlisle Cullen. Romance, religion, and rebellion ensue. Pre-Twilight, Canon.

This is the story of Esme's transformation, how she faces the challenges of being a newborn vampire, reconciles her faith in the afterlife, and falls in love with Carlisle Cullen. (Canon-compatible). Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

2. Healed and Gone

Rating 0/5   Word Count 1938   Review this Chapter

Chapter 2:

Healed and Gone

The doctor would be here soon. They kept saying that.

The doctor will be here soon.

Never before had Esme imagined she would be so desperate for any one person to arrive at her house. But she certainly was now, waiting with her leg hitched up in the most awkward of positions on the sitting room sofa. Having been dropped several times by the well-meaning farmhands who had gallantly carried her in, her leg was most likely in worse condition than it had been before.

She realized far too late that she should have never worn her best dress while climbing a tree. The ends had been torn - all that pretty sunshine-yellow lace ruined - Mother would be certain to have a fit. Bits of grass and dirt stuck to the fabric, making her look like a child's rag doll that had been dropped in the yard. A rag doll with a broken leg. And now when Esme looked down at the mangled mess of crooked bones, she wondered if it would ever be the same.

Her eyes prickled with tears at the thought of losing her leg. Positive thinking was so very overrated.

And so what would happen if the doctor never did arrive? What if she were to wait here for the rest of her life, and never be serviced by her right leg again? What if?

Oh, but this was sure not to happen. Doctors could be trusted, after all.

Esme sighed woefully as the final flickers of lightning flashed outside the windows, illuminating the empty parlor with eerie blue sparks. She waited for the clap of thunder to follow, but it was not so loyal. Instead, a distant grumble sounded, like an old man stirring in his sleep.

Reaching for her glass of water, Esme winced as a shudder of sharp pain reached from her leg to her middle. Every way she tried to turn, something would hurt. Her eyes were watering enough to make her thirsty, but she couldn't reach far enough for that glass that taunted her on the table beside the sofa.

She needed someone to rescue her.

As if by a miracle, sounded by the final chime of the clock, Esme's sensitive ears picked up the clip-clop of several pairs of shoes on the old checkerboard tiles in the foyer. A moment later, the bustling housekeeper slipped through the doors to the parlor, discreetly fanning her round face, which had flushed to resemble a ripened peach. With a squeak of a voice, she informed the dim room's only occupant that the doctor had arrived.

The teenager swiped at her teary eyes with a forceful finality. She refused to be seen by the doctor looking so broken and immature. She could be strong if she only held her head up high.

"I'm afraid she's been without attention for nearly two hours, now..." The housekeeper chirped as she moved to light the way for the physician with a shallow candle.

"Poor child." The two words were spoken in the softest, most lovely tenor voice Esme had ever heard.

Suddenly, she had forgotten all about needing that glass of water.

She did not dare move her head for fear that the tiniest movement might cause her more pain, and so she was utterly unprepared for the sight that suddenly entered her field of vision.

He must have been the doctor, but... this was entirely preposterous. The entire room seemed to change, the air itself became chilly, tremulous. Everything was so... different.

Esme was unable to tear her gaze away from the strange man as he crossed the room with unmatched grace. In a series of impossibly deft movements, he removed his gloves and shrugged his dark overcoat off of his shoulders. Waiting on his heels already, the housekeeper took the discarded articles of clothing a little too eagerly into her plump hands.

He turned around, and Esme took a breathless moment to look at her doctor for the first time.

He was as pale as a lily, with unusually brilliant blond hair, and looked much too young to be a fully certified physician. And even though Esme had only watched him for less than a minute at the most, he was quite easily the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on.

He just didn't even look like a real person. Like something out of a painting, perhaps – but even that was too mundane – some sort of wingless angel in disguise as a physician. A prince straight out of a fairy tale book. He looked so intimidating, so untouchable in his stinging perfection that she was almost afraid of him.

He was suspiciously attractive.

His sympathetic gaze fell on her where she lay in an awkward sprawl across the sofa, and Esme flushed madly, turning her eyes down before she could allow them to wander any more over that face which she'd perceived to be perfect at first glance. She told herself adamantly that all of the commotion had simply gone to her head. It was only the poor lighting in this room that played a trick on her lightheaded gaze.

But with the hasty addition of an oil lamp by her side, Esme was startled to find that her doctor was only more handsome in the light.

He seemed to positively glow in the candlelight, his hair shining like gold silk, his snow-white skin luminous, just tainted with the faintest rosy hue on his cheeks. His lips were that same shade of rose, shyly deeper in color. They were set in a perfect, concentrated pout as he shifted the leather bag to his lap and quickly searched its contents. His eyes were covered by surprisingly dark lashes; his brow, while narrowed severely, somehow still managed to look inexplicably soft. Everything about him was ethereal, soft, and gentle. Even the way he moved.

"You mustn't try to get up, Miss," he ordered soothingly, and she noticed with great surprise that she had involuntarily leaned upward at his approach – and felt no pain. "You will do fine to remain just as you are."

He had the slightest trace of a formal accent when he spoke, the voice of one who was quite clearly well-bred.

Every time he moved, even the faintest bit, it sent a rush of fragrant air washing over and through her. An intoxicating, crystalline perfume – something like vanilla, but far sweeter; a little like citrus, but far sharper. He smelled like the inside of a church, and a bit like the last day of winter.

He asked for her name, and she gave it, timidly. Never did her name sound so small as it did when she'd said it. But his kindness never wavered, and he introduced himself as Doctor Cullen, in that same gentle, cottony tone. Then he smiled.

There was no way for Esme's young feminine mind to comprehend how a man's smile could be so angelic. His lips were small, shapely, almost delicate. They set a strange contrast to the rest of his face, which was inexorably masculine, from the chiseled contours of his cheekbones to the elegant but firm angle of his jaw. The genial gesture drew her attention up into his eyes and she barely suppressed a gasp at the completely indecent shade of brilliant, honey-gold that gazed boldly back at her.

He was most certainly something unreal.

His exquisite eyebrows knitted together as he looked down to assess her throttled leg, tutting softly. Then he pierced her in place again with his gentle gaze and asked her how it had happened.

Esme stumbled along her response, suddenly having forgotten half the words in the English language. An endearing dimple flashed teasingly on the left side of her doctor's mouth as he politely looked away, having mercy on her in her struggle, and her pulse fluttered madly.

As a young and enthusiastic artist, Esme was tortued by the perfection of Doctor Cullen's every expression. Even then, with her leg in throbbing pain and her throat dry from lack of hydration, her fingers were trembling with the urge to garnish a canvas... full with this man's every feature. Impressionistically, she could do wonders with the inspiration his face instilled within her heart.

He murmured something about climbing trees not being a common activity among young ladies, and all she could do was drink in the delightful drawl of his voice as he spoke.

She watched his fingers moving, in eager anticipation, knowing that at some point he would be physically handling her. With a healthy dose of guilt, her heartbeat quickened at the thought. It seemed all too improper and nearly unthinkable for a man so unspeakably handsome, and a bit scandalously... virile... to touch her in any manner, no matter how clinical.

But not a second later, he asked her permission to feel for the break.

With a wordless nod, she granted him permission... to touch her.

Three cool fingers applied an almost frustratingly gentle pressure to the sensitive space of skin approximately two inches above her knee. If her leg had not been practically paralyzed, Esme would have jerked back in surprise at the chilly temperature of the doctor's skin.

His fingers pressed experimentally along the line of her calf, every time asking if it hurts here... or here... then maybe here...

She shook her head every time, because nothing that came from this doctor's exquisite hands could have ever caused her pain.

Until she flinched.

A tiny squeak of discomfort alerted him to the fractured bone and he braced both hands around her leg with a look of pity on his lovely face. He whispered a husky apology before he set the bones, but nothing could have prepared her for the brutal shards of pain that clawed at her helpless limb between his hands.

A regrettably embarrassing minute followed where Esme was reduced to the kind of blubbering, uncontrollable weeping more suited to a toddler. Her nerve-endings damned the beautiful doctor for causing such an uproar in her poor broken body, but her heart settled in the midst of her distress as he hushed her patiently with a gelid hand to her shoulder.

Esme's plans to be seen by the doctor as a mature and collected young lady were hopelessly ruined. But for reasons unknown she was unable to care anymore. It was all right to be seen this way. Everything in her doctor's face, in his eyes, showed nothing but divine sympathy and understanding. This expression of care without cause was so unlike anything she had received from those around her. It was intimidating in its intimacy, but so heartwarming it almost brought her tears of gratefulness.

When Esme finally collected the courage to look down, her leg was no longer twisted in sickly deformity. She cocked her head, with a swipe to her puffy pink eyes, and gazed fondly down at the leg she used to know.

He had fixed her.

Doctor Cullen took her leg and wrapped it securely, while she watched his enchanting butterscotch gaze in utter captivation. He tended to the rest of her bruises with a gentleness that made her stomach turn somersaults. He prescribed medications in his silk-thread voice and wished her the best of health with an exultant half-smile that obliviously fueled a year's worth of fruitless daydreams.

And then he swept the dark overcoat across his shoulders, slipped the gloves back over his hands, and left her to heal on her own.

He was gone before she had the chance to thank him.