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The View from a Bus Window

Traveling by long-distance bus is a new experience for me, especially when the buses aren’t part of a tour company or organized specifically to fit the needs of tourists. Using public transportation and traveling with locals has been an interesting way to see the country.

Sometimes traveling with locals can get a bit dicey (so I’ve heard), but I’ve been lucky to experience only good things. The buses are comfortable and have cushioned seats, curtains on the window, reclining chair backs, adjustable A/C vents and power sources. Most of the time they aren’t packed to capacity so I’ve had two seats for myself and my things.

No one has really bothered me or tried to engage in any conversation. I’m not sure if that’s because I look unfriendly or if people just aren’t as open as in Australia or New Zealand. Or perhaps it’s because locals keep mistaking me for one of them? I’m not sure why this would happen though, because I don’t think I fit into any of the main ethnic groups (Indian, Chinese and Malay) as far as my physical features. For goodness sake, despite being Asian, I am definitely built of heartier stock than most Malaysians (I blame that on growing up on McDonalds cheeseburgers).

Traveling by bus has its ups and downs, but I’ve found that it is a wonderful way to kick back, relax and go with the flow. After all, I’m on vacation and here to see the sights. I don’t need to be lightning-quick about it and can afford to spend more time enjoying the journey.

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Filed under Malaysia, Transportation, Travel

3 responses to “The View from a Bus Window

  1. Kris

    If I were a local, I figure you for Chinese or other northern Asian. Malaysia is an asian melting pot, so if you are not Caucasian, you are one of them. You just need to apprach them first and I’m sure you can share some interesting stories.

  2. Pat .

    Thanks for sharing the view. The buses do look comfortable. And, you look friendly enough!

  3. @Kris – I’m definitely a lot healthier than any Chinese people I’ve met lol There’s no way they could confuse me of being from China. Also, I’m a lot tanner than most of the Asians here, even though I wouldn’t consider myself tan at all by Hawaii standards. Light skin is thought of as beautiful here (and elsewhere in Asia) so everyone is pretty fair-skinned.

    @Pat – Thanks. I think I look friendly too haha

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text:
Spring Training Recap: Mets 6, Braves 2

Noah Syndergaard

The Mets traveled to Orlando today to play against the Atlanta Braves at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. They defeated the Braves 6-2, for their first spring victory and dropped Atlanta to 0-6 in the Grapefruit League season.

Noah Syndergaard took the mound in his first spring game for the Mets and was opposed by journeyman Freddy Garcia for the Braves. Syndergaard came out firing darts and was very impressive as he blew his fastball by hitters consistently hitting the gun in the mid nineties.

His first victim was Jason Heyward as he threw 95, 96, 97, 97, 89, 94, and 98 MPH fastballs to finally put him away.  He retired the next two batters by getting them to put the ball in play and allowing the defense to make the outs.

In the second inning, Syndergaard over powered Evan Gattis by blowing 95, 96 and 96 fastballs on three consecutive pitches to strike him out. He gave up one hit and finished the game with a line of 2 inn,1 hit and 2 strikeouts on 30 pitches and a lot of swings and misses. Great job by the kid who had a ton of pressure and eyes on him…  Looking forward to seeing how Thor does in his next start.

Here’s the rest of the story:

  • Jeurys Familia mimicked Syndergaard’s pitching line and did his part to show that he belongs in the Opening Day Mets bullpen. (2 IP,1 H and 2 strikeouts).
  • Josh Edgin started the 4th inning by walking the first two batters he faced and was a bit wild. He loaded the bases and was saved by an inning ending double play. (1 IP, 1 hit, 2 BB, and a big thanks to his defense.)
  • Miguel Socolovich pitched two innings,giving up 1 hit and 1 walk, but in the bottom of the seventh inning, with two men in scoring position, the Braves’ Tyler Greene hit a screaming line drive to centerfield and Matt den Dekker, laid out and made an amazing diving catch to rob a hit and RBI away from Greene.
  • Ryan Reid, threw 1 inning, allowing 2 hit, 2 runs and 2 walks, but threw a wild pitch which allowed the Braves to score the tying run and make the score 1-1 in the 8th inning. Wilmer Flores, playing shortstop, made a nice play in the hole to track down a ground ball, but was unable to get the runner at first, which allowed the go ahead run to score making it Braves 2 Mets 1.
  • Wilmer Flores got the Mets on the board with a Sac Fly to drive in Juan Lagares who earlier in the 4th inning got on base with a single.
  • Chris Young batted lead off today and went 0-for-3, with two strike outs and 3 LOB and Juan Lagares batted second and went 1-for-3, 1 run, 1 K.
  • With the Mets trailing by one in the top of the 9th, the future Mets did their part in bringing their team back in the game. Andrew Brown led off with a triple, Dustin Lawley, the Florida State Player of the Year, singled and Brown scored the tying run to make it 2-2.
  • Next, Cory Vaughn (1 for 1 and 2 RBI), came up big and doubled into the left field corner, putting the Mets back on top, scoring Taylor Teagarden and Anthony Seratelli.
  • Then Matt den Dekker singled to left and scored Vaughn putting the Mets up 5-2.  After a den Dekker stolen base, Eric Campbell,(2 for 3) singled to left to score MDD, as the Mets put up a 5-spot in the inning and led 6-2.
  • Gonzalez Germen pitched the bottom of the 9th, and shut the door by pitching a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two and giving the Mets their first victory of the spring.

Coming Up: Mets head back to Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie to face the Houston Astros on Tuesday March 4th in a 1:10 PM start.

(Photo Credit: Howard Simmons/NY Daily News)

Presented By Diehards

About David Conde 205 Articles
David was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and is a lifelong Mets fan.

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Desperate Malawians flock to SA

The number of Malawians without proper documentation attempting to find work in South Africa is peaking rapidly, according to home affairs. (Mujahid Safodien, AFP)

The number of Malawians without proper documentation attempting to find work in South Africa is peaking rapidly, according to home affairs. (Mujahid Safodien, AFP)

More than 1 000 illegal Malawian immigrants are currently being held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre, South Africa’s only detention centre for undocumented migrants, and their numbers are increasing in what is seen as a reflection of deepening economic hardship in their home country.

“Malawians are flocking to South Africa every day and the numbers are growing,” says Chrissie Kaponda, the Malawian high commissioner to South Africa.

“Most of them say they want to find jobs, yet they lack proper documentation. The situation is very worrisome.”

Kaponda says she understands that 45% of those held at the centre come from Malawi.

Lindela, situated in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, is managed by Bosasa Operations on behalf of the home affairs department.

Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest countries, has experienced major economic difficulties since the suspension of donor aid in late 2013 in the wake of the Cashgate scandal, which involved the looting of public finances, potentially to the tune of more than R500-million.

More than half of Malawi’s citizens live below the poverty line, and at least 2.3-million are estimated to suffer from food insecurity.

More than 85% depend on subsistence agriculture, which was hit by extensive flooding in early 2014 and since then by drought.

This in turn has affected the price of maize – a staple food for millions – which currently stands at about R400 for 50kg, compared with R260 at the same time last year.

Fighting for the rights of immigrants
Wayne Ncube, an attorney who does strategic litigation work for Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa, says that, in the past, most of those held at Lindela had been Zimbabweans, but Malawians were now in the majority.

“There have been many arrests since May last year, and it’s true that the number of Malawians affected has grown,” he says.

“We are working on various issues relating to the welfare of the migrants. [And] we are working with the South African Human Rights Commission on investigating certain deaths that happened at Lindela,” he says, declining to provide more details as the deaths are still under investigation.

In May last year, in the wake of a nationwide outbreak of xenophobic violence, the government announced the launch of Operation Fiela.

Touted as an anti-crime operation, it resulted in the repatriation to their home countries of 15 000 undocumented immigrants by September 2015, according to the minister in the presidency, Jeff Radebe.

Home affairs department spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete says that 1 154 Malawians are currently being held at Lindela. Asked why the numbers of Malawians held there appear to have spiked, he said the authorities assumed that many illegal immigrants were in South Africa “for economic reasons”.

Tshwete denies claims that some detainees were being held beyond the legal term because of slow progress in processing their cases.

“The maximum time we can hold a person is 120 days, and no one stays longer than that,” he says, adding: “We ensure that all persons detained for illegal migration are treated according to the highest human rights standards.”

Seeking greener pastures
The repatriation process requires that the South African government provide transportation and security for the transfer of people to their countries of origin.

Kaponda says that the cost of deporting Malawians was contributing to the slow deportation of some immigrants, especially those from countries that do not share a border with South Africa.

“It is easier to repatriate illegal migrants to countries with which South Africa shares physical borders. Air transport is expensive. It costs over R1.2-million just for 100 illegal migrants to reach Malawi.”

She says that until six months ago repatriations were done by aeroplane, but this had been stopped because of the worsening economic climate in South Africa.

The practice now is to deport people using road transport, involving a minimum of four buses in convoy.

Ben Kaluwa, a University of Malawi economist, confirms that tough economic conditions in the country has left people – particularly young people – with no option but “to try to find greener pastures elsewhere”.

“Our government is failing to provide the right level of public services, including such basic necessities as education, medicine and food,” he says, adding that the rapid growth of Malawi’s population is also a factor, as the country’s economy is failing to absorb new entrants to the labour market.

“We could say that more than 50% of young people [in Malawi] are unemployed,” he says, adding that the migrant labour system, in which many Malawians were lured to South Africa’s mining industry in the past, has contributed to a mindset among Malawians that South Africa offers a solution to their financial woes.

* Got a tip-off for us about this story? Click here.

The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism (amaBhungane) produced this story. All views are ours. See for our stories, activities and funding sources.

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The Ghostlight | Terra Incognita Productions

“In a place where reality and fiction collide, and your greatest desires intermingle with the darkest corners of your mind — this place can only be illuminated by — The Ghostlight.”

There’s a great deal I’m a fan of when it comes to story telling, and thought-provoking ones are at the top of that list. I’m also a fan of stories told by women because we’re finally at a time where it’s happening more frequently than not. And most importantly, I’m a fan of the way growth takes place in media that’s planned out. That’s why when my friends over at Terra Incognita Productions announced the start of their series, The Ghostlight, I knew we were in for something special. Also, this is coming from someone who’s not a fan of horror or anything that could potentially freak me out, I could vouch for it working for those faint at heart. (Plus, even for those who aren’t a fan of said genre, the Twilight Zone is universally appreciated for the riveting tales it told. Am I right or am I right?) The Ghostlight is a creative gem, a collaborative effort where each episode is uniquely intriguing. My only complaint? They should be longer, but I mean, fine — I get it, they’re meant to be short stories.

Continue reading

A Year of Changes Welcome to Marvelous Geek Circles: The New Chapter

As you all may have noticed by now, our initials say something they didn’t before — something we thought of for a very long time before finally making the decision. And I realize that I never properly paid homage to that so here we are, in the new year, ready to reintroduce ourselves. First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for sticking with us in the midst of all the changes and thank you for joining in whenever you have or whenever you will. Thank you for the kindness and the wonderful feedback, I could never find the right words to showcase my gratitude. And thank you for challenging our opinions with your constructive criticism, it’s made us better.

Continue reading


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Kid Lit Author and Advocate

Category Archives: holidays

I am celebrating the 2nd Christmas season of Dust Fairy Tales: Absolutely Aggie with an awesome giveaway. From now until December 25, I am offering a free audio book, free gift wrap, and free shipping with any Absolutely Aggie book purchase (USA only) via my web site www.michelleeastmanbooks.com

Aggie’s heart-warming story is a perfect gift for the little ones on your list. You can watch a preview trailer here: Absolutely Aggie Trailer

I wish each and every one of you a safe, blessed, and happy holiday season!

This post contains a shameless plug for my new children’s picture book…

Something DUSTY is going on!

Head over to my Facebook page for the details. https://www.facebook.com/michelleeastmanbooks

I am offering a special Easter GIVEAWAY. You can enter for the chance to win The Legend of Dust Bunnies, a Fairy’s Tale and an official Dust Bunny adoption kit. In this book, dust fairies come out at night and create all sorts of messes in our homes. The naughty nymphs hold crumb-spitting contests and fire soot from their slingshots. And they have a “fairy” good time doing it!

photo 5

To enter to WIN, simply LIKE my Facebook page, and ANSWER the following question in the FB COMMENTS.

What messes do you blame on dust fairies?

Or simply like or comment below to win a PDF version of the book.

I’ve been running on fumes for a while now.  But, today, I have officially hit a wall.  I cannot think of anything to write.

The gears have ground to a halt.

If I’m a good girl, maybe Santa will bring back my mojo…

In the meantime, I’ll take this time to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  May your wheels keep turning!

hamster wheel

photo 4

This is Midas.  Midas does not like it when his mom dresses him in a Christmas one-sie.

photo 1

This is Izzie.  She is neither in favor nor opposed to wearing onesie’s or donning any other “gay apparel” at Christmas-time.

Sadly, Christmas is not the only time I subject them to this…

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207928_1596385203191_6697724_n[2]539284_2760626228489_1224200914_n[2] DSC_3862006

The human child receives no exemptions…

DSC_5017 DSC_4143 DSC_1809

Party On! Happy New Year!

On a Quest to tame the Kindle Beast . . .

Librarian, Reader, Cook, and Wine Lover

Calico Kidz

Diverse. Fun. Books

Angel Krishna Story Books

Imagination is a gift...

Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

Reader, Writer, Miner of Moments

Thoughts on writing

Sweet Tea & Paperbacks

Books are the plane and the train, and the road. They are the destination and the journey, they are home. - Anna Quindlen

Jena Benton

Writer & Illustrator

adventures of an old soul; her garden, her books and her food

Stacy J. Garrett's Blog

The Unicorn Without Training Wheels

Sharing my experiences with all life's experiments!

Something to see here, decide for yourself if you wanna stay...

Jean's Writing

Jean M. Cogdell, Author-Writing something worth reading, one word at a time in easy to swallow bite size portions.

Dayne Sislen Children's Book Illustration

The right illustration can bring your characters and stories to life

Animal Crackers & Couture

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

A Simple Life,really?!

A Little Bit of This And A Little Bit of That...

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Transcript of Millennium episode "Nostalgia"

Presented below is an episode transcript of Nostalgia from Chris Carter's Millennium TV series. These transcripts have been provided thanks to the dedication and time consuming hard work of Millennium fans Libby and Maria Vitale. Millennium - This is who we are is extremely greatful to Libby who has painstakingly checked, updated and edited each one for accuracy to make sure that they are as true to the actual episodes as possible.

Welcome Frank.
There are 312 days remaining.

What is a Transcript?

The transcript on this page includes all spoken and visual content providing a full written account of the selected episode of Chris Carter's Millennium television series.

Please note that transcripts are different to the original Ten Thirteen scripts in that they have been painstakingly transcribed from the actual produced episodes for the benefit of resource and interest of Millennium's fans.

The original episode scripts may include or exclude varying scenes, explanations and character descriptions and are always of great interest to fans of Millennium. Scripts of Millennium may be found for sale on Ebay and other auction sites and make ideal collectors items.

In 2004, Lance Henriksen (Millennium's Frank Black) teamed up with Sue Myatt formerly of website Lance Henriksen Magic to auction his personal signed collection of 63 Millennium scripts filled with Lance's comments, notes, production sheets and reminders. Together they are to be congratulated for raising over £13,000 for international charities.

Transcript Discussion

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You'll also find a general discussion forum where you can discuss any and all transcripts.

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Nostalgia - Transcript

MLM Code:

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Episode Profile | Synopsis | Credit List | Original Fox Photos | Episode Images

320 Nostalgia

[MLM–320 (3ABC20)]

Written by Michael R Perry
Directed by Thomas J Wright
Edited by James Coblentz
Air date: 7 May 1999

Transcribed by Libby

[Night. A car is being driven down a rural road by a pretty young woman, Jan McCall. She's listening to music – A Perfect Day Elise, by PJ Harvey. She picks up a marijuana cigarette and lights it. She's happily driving along, smoking her cigarette and enjoying the music. Then she notices something in her rear view mirror.]

JAN: Oh, crap.

[It's a police car with a flashing light on its dashboard. She accidentally drops the cigarette on the floor and tries to retrieve it, unsuccessfully.]

JAN: Damn!

[She stops the car and the police car draws up behind her. She quickly winds down the window and waves the smoke out of the car. The driver of the police car gets out and approaches. He knocks on the window with his flashlight. As Jan turns to look at him, he shines the light in her face.]

JAN: Is something wrong?

[The man doesn't answer, but slides the beam from the flashlight down Jan's body. She's wearing a low–cut blouse and shorts. On the outside of her left leg, just above the ankle, she has a tattoo, and she has rings on her toes. The flashlight illuminates the marijuana cigarette. The beam slowly travels back up her body. Jan now looks frightened.]

[Day. Outside a house. Two young girls, Alicia and a friend, are playing hopscotch on the driveway.]

ALICIA: Eight, seven, six. Five, four, three.

[She stops and bends down to pick up a stone in the '2' square. She hesitates when she hears a dog barking. A dog runs towards her, carrying something in his mouth.]

FRIEND: He's back.

[The dog runs past them towards the house.]

ALICIA: What you got, Bo? Come on, Bo!

[A woman comes out from the house. Bo has stopped in the middle of some bushes. He growls at the two girls.]

ALICIA'S MOM: Keep away from him when he's acting like that.

[She goes over to the bushes.]

ALICIA'S MOM: Yeah, Bo. What you got there?

[She crouches down, pulling the dog back a little. She sees what the dog has been trying to bury in the ground. It's a severed left foot, with rings on the toes.]

[fade to black]

[main titles]

[polaroid fade up]

[A street with single storey houses, most with a white picket fence. Frank's jeep drives slowly along. Frank is driving, Hollis is with him.]

FRANK: You ever imagine you'd be coming back here as an FBI agent?
HOLLIS: Military dad. We moved just about every year. My basic assumption was I'd never come back here at all.

[She sees one house as they pass.]

HOLLIS: That's it. That's it. That was our house.
FRANK: You want to stop?
HOLLIS: No. No. I think that was the perfect amount of nostalgia for me. Actually, that's not true. I liked this place. I really did.

[She looks in the wing mirror.]

HOLLIS: So did my sister, Melissa. That was before – you know, when she was still alive.
FRANK: Yeah.

[Now they are in the town, driving down the main street.]

HOLLIS: You know, it's hard to believe little Tommy Briggs is sheriff here now.
FRANK: You were friends?
HOLLIS: I think he had a crush on me. He broke two of my fingers.

[She holds up her right hand, her first and little fingers raised. She wiggles them, and Frank laughs.]

HOLLIS: Oh, we haven't spoken since third grade and now it's about this.

[Sheriff's office. A file with photos of the severed foot.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: So? Who is she?
HOLLIS: We don't know yet.

[It's a small office. As well as Frank, Hollis and the Sheriff Briggs is a deputy, Wayne Johnson.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: That's the whole reason I sent that foot to the Bureau. I didn't need a visit, necessarily, just an ID.
FRANK: We didn't feel it would be wise to wait.
HOLLIS: Slip scratch markings on the tibia indicate the amputation was postmortem.

[She points to one photograph.]

HOLLIS: This compression bruise and puncture wound occurred before death, from some kind of metal restraint.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: What does that mean?
HOLLIS: Highly evolved ritual. In all likelihood he's killed before.
FRANK: In his 30s. Intelligent. He's employed. And a local.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Whoa. Wait. You say he's done this before, but we've never had anything like this. Nothing. How do you know the foot didn't fall off some passing truck?
FRANK: Well, it was buried shallow enough for a dog to dig up. In our experience that means that the offender knew the area well.
DEPUTY JOHNSON: Experience? You see a lot of this?

[Hollis gives him a quick glance; Frank doesn't respond. Hollis continues.]

HOLLIS: The deceased was female, 16 to 23. Caucasian. Five–five to five–eight. Average weight. Type O positive blood. Marijuana traces were found in tissue samples. The tattoo on her ankle may be the Gator, mascot of Everglades University. It's less than a month old. She was college age, so we're polling tattoo parlours near that campus.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: So what do we do in the meantime?
FRANK: We extracted a finite amount of sand from under one of the toenails. It was a mixture of commercially quarried sand and river sediment.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Sounds like Alahela State Park.

[In the Alehela State Park, an attractive area by a lake. The Sheriff accompanied by another man, approaches Hollis.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Emma. This is Gerry Neilson. Runs the place. You've got question, he'll have the answers. Gerry, this is Emma Hollis and Frank Black.
NEILSON: Hi. I'm having a hard time with what Tom's telling me here.
HOLLIS: We'll need any records you may have. People who paid parking fees, admissions.
NEILSON: The problem is that we don't even officially open until Memorial Day, so I got nothing.
FRANK: The victim was probably by herself. The offender may have approached her here.
NIELSON: It's a very popular place.

[Frank looks up at a wooden shed built on stilts. He goes over to it and climbs the steps. The others follow, but Neilson stays at the bottom. Frank opens the door and enters. It's a basic lookout – a chair, a lifebelt. There are streaks of a dark–coloured liquid on the floor and one wall. Frank looks out through a gap in the wooden slats: a vision, a young woman – Jan – in a bikini sunbathing by the lakeside. Then Frank notices the streaks on the wall and goes over to Neilson.]

FRANK: I want this place cordoned off.
FRANK: He watched her from here. Became aroused. There's genetic evidence.

[Hollis has also seen the stains. She leaves, pushing by Frank and Neilson who are standing in the doorway.]

HOLLIS: I learnt to swim here.

[Sheriff's office. Frank is sat at a desk, while Neilson and Hollis stand to one side.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: The FBI told me, but I didn't believe them.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: That you'd amaze me. You and your partner. I have to say, I don't like what I'm hearing, though.
HOLLIS: Welcome to the real world.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: It's not the real world. Not around here, it isn't.
FRANK: Emma, look at this.

[She goes over to Frank.]

FRANK: New listing in missing persons. Jan McCall, age 20.

[The computer screen shows a picture of three young women, sitting together, smiling.]

FRANK: Returning to Everglades University after Easter vacation in Michigan with her family.
HOLLIS: Distinguishing marks – alligator mascot tattoo, left ankle.
FRANK: Driving a red 1975 Datsun 280Z, Michigan license 879 GMH.

[Sheriff Briggs has gone over to a filing cabinet and taken out a file which he brings over to Frank.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Found abandoned at Dewey's Market ten days ago.

[Dewey's Market – a car junkyard with cars piled three high. Dewey, accompanied by Frank, Hollis and Sheriff Briggs, walk up some steps to a shed where the abandoned car is.]

DEWEY: It came here late last week. Local expired plates didn't match the VIN.
FRANK: Was it in this condition?
DEWEY: Well, actually, we sold the battery, the radio. Took the seats out. The usual stuff.
FRANK: You need to check every car in this yard, looking back however many years, try to find mismatches between license plates and ID numbers.
FRANK: Because there may be others.

[Frank and Hollis look around the inside of the car. Frank attempts to wind up the driver's window. It sticks and he forces it. It comes up – covered in blood. Frank gets out and shines his flashlight on the outside of the window, which illuminates a fingerprint.]

[Sheriff's Office. Computer search of Sex Offenders Database on the fingerprint. The result is no match.]

FRANK: It's not a sex offender.

[He clicks on the Law Enforcement option.]

FRANK: It has to be law enforcement.

[The computer search ends with a match.]

HOLLIS: There.

[The record is Neilson's.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: You got something?
FRANK: Yeah.
FRANK: I'm sure we're going to get a match for the stains at the lifeguard station as well.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Yeah, well I'm not so sure. It sounds nothing like him. And, and if you're saying he killed that girl, you're barking up the wrong tree. Believe me. I know the guy.

[Later. Neilson holding a photograph of Jan.]

NEILSON: Yeah, I saw her down at the lake. She headed off south somewhere.

[He gives the photo back to Sheriff Briggs who hands it to Frank. They are talking with Neilson on the porch of his house.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Your fingerprints were on her car door, Gerry.
NEILSON: That's what this is about? She's the one?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: What did they tell you?
NEILSON: That I'm a suspect. That they want to search my house. And I've got nothing to hide, so I said fine. I saw her drinking beer down at the beach and I wanted to make sure that she could, um, still drive. So I went up to talk to her when she went to leave.

[Frank seems unimpressed with this explanation.]

NEILSON: This is crazy, Tom.

[He bangs on the window attracting the attention of Hollis and an FBI agent who are searching inside.]

NEILSON: Hey! I want it noted that I'm allowing you to search my house voluntarily.
FRANK: It's noted.
NEILSON: And I want an apology when this whole thing is over with. This is complete BS!

[Sheriff Briggs walks away and enters the house.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: He talked to the girl at her car. That's why his fingerprints are on the door.
HOLLIS: That's what he says.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: You sure you know what you're doing? You come busting in here, making allegations based on nothing.
HOLLIS: It's not nothing.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: You're ruining a man here. He's finished whether you find something or not.
HOLLIS: We'll find something.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: You'd better be right.

[He walks off. Hollis' phone rings.]

HOLLIS: Hollis.

[Sheriff Briggs listens to Hollis talking on the phone, and watching FBI agents search the house.]

HOLLIS: Four? Beginning when? Send the photos to us. Thank you.

[Hollis walks over to Sheriff Briggs.]

HOLLIS: My office matched four cars in the wrecking yard to missing women. All in their 20's, all from out of state.
HOLLIS: Yeah. Over the past six years. He'd never get away with that many locals, so he preyed on outsiders.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: You don't know this guy. It's just – just not possible.

[An FBI agent comes up to them.]

AGENT: Bedroom's clean. There's nothing anywhere in the house.
HOLLIS: Check outside.

[Sheriff Briggs walks off and Hollis follows.]

[Neilson is smoking a cigarette.]

NEILSON: So what did you find?
HOLLIS: Nothing.
NEILSON: Nothing. Just like I said.
FRANK: We'd like you to come down to the station with us.
NEILSON: Because you found nothing, so now I'm guilty?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Simmer down, Gerry. Everything will be OK.
NEILSON: This is wrong! And why aren't you saying something about it!
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Look, I think whatever questions you have, you can ask here.
FRANK: No questions. We want a blood test. For a DNA match with the semen stains found at the lifeguard house.

[Briggs shakes his head. Neilson is perturbed and becomes hesitant.]

NEILSON: Uh, that – that has nothing to do with anything.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: What are you saying, Gerry?
NEILSON: Uh, look, um. In the wintertime, the girls, they're, they're all bundled up like guys. And, um, this was the first warm day of the year and the girls were wearing their summer clothes.

[He turns to look at Hollis.]

NEILSON: Are you enjoying this?
HOLLIS: No. Are you?
NEILSON: Look, I may live alone, but I'm a regular guy. Now, no–one saw and no–one was hurt. And I sure as hell didn't kill anybody!

[Frank looks at Hollis who walks off.]

NEILSON: Look, Tom. Tell them! Tell them I am not what they're saying!

[Sheriff Briggs seems uncomfortable.]

NEILSON: Look, I take care of people. I take care of people, especially people in my park. Check it out. Check it out! Everything has been fine. In my eight years there, there has not been one serious accident in my park. Check it out.
FRANK: Thank you for your time.

[Frank and Hollis turn to leave. Neilson turns to Briggs.]

NEILSON: That's it? Uh? That's it? You drag me through this and it's "Thank you for your time. "?
HOLLIS: Tom. We'll need you.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Sorry about this, Gerry.
NEILSON: "Sorry". That's my apology?

[Outside, Frank and Hollis are standing by Frank's jeep, when Neilson comes out of the house.]

NEILSON: Damn you people. Damn all you people!

[Frank and Hollis get into the jeep and Sheriff Briggs is about to get into his vehicle.]

[Sheriff Briggs doesn't answer and Neilson goes back into the house, slamming the door. They all drive away.]

[fade to black]

[polaroid fade up]

[Sheriff's office. Frank and Sheriff Briggs talking in a briefing room.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. For Emma's sake. But you come storming in here and start harrassing this citizen. Based on what?

[Frank smiles slightly.]

FRANK: He did it. I don't know what you want me to tell you.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: If you really believe that, why is he out there free?
FRANK: We're watching him. He knows we're watching him. For now, it's a stalemate. Look. We're probably looking at half–a–dozen murders dating back over the same number of years. He's gone undetected until now. That speaks to the success of his MO. His attitude right now is cocky. He's certain. He knows he's covered his tracks well.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: So then, what are you looking for?

[Frank opens a file. It's stamped 'Accidental Deaths 1990–1995'.]

FRANK: Something that might have passed as an accident at the time. He's defensive about his park. If you listen to the language, he's clear. "There have been no serious accidents in my park. Check it out. " He's talking about somewhere outside his park. Possibly just near his park.

[Sheriff Briggs is listening intently.]

FRANK: Look, we're probably looking –

[Hollis comes in, interrupting them.]

HOLLIS: Victims' photos have arrived from Washington.

[She puts several files down on the table, fanning them out. Each has a photo of an attractive young woman pinned to the front.]

HOLLIS: Pretty obvious fixation. This one was first. Disappeared late summer '93. Another college–age girl passing through the state. If she was ground zero, I want to know everything about her.

[Frank picks up the photo.]

FRANK: Maybe she wasn't.
HOLLIS: Well, who, then?

[Frank puts down the photo. It's a young woman in a bar, glass in her hand, smoking a cigarette. Sheriff Briggs looks at it.]

[Police property bag. Hollis spills out the contents on to the table – hairbrush, hand mirror, car keys.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Her name was Liddy Hooper.
FRANK: There was no investigation?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Right. She drowned. Local girl. She was – she was 24 when it happened.

[Frank and Hollis exchange a look.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: To tell you the truth, when I saw them fish her out, I wasn't that surprised.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: The girl was, uh, was very liberated, if you know what I mean. Druggie. Kind of a nut. She was – she was pretty lit up the night before we found her.
FRANK: No autopsy?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: I guess we're not as suspicious around here as people are in some other places.
HOLLIS: The manifest says her notebook should be in here.

[She point out the entry to Sheriff Briggs.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: If it's not, I don't know where it is. It's been six years. I thought you said that all the victims were from out of town, so they wouldn't be missed.
FRANK: Was Liddy Hooper missed?

[Sheriff Briggs shakes his head slightly.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: So how can you be so sure? I mean, that it wasn't an accidental drowning.

[Frank puts the file in front of him and points to the post–mortem photos.]

FRANK: The bruises on her feet are identical to Jan McCall's.

[Sheriff Briggs looks from one photo to the other.]

FRANK: We're going to need an exhumation order.

[Sheriff Briggs sighs.]

[A bath, almost full of water. Neilson turns off the tap then takes off his shirt. He drops it onto the floor alongside the rest of his clothing where there's also a piece of paper. He picks up the paper and puts it into the bath. Then, kneeling down by the side of the bath, he grips the edges and plunges his head under water.]

[Cemetery. Grave marker of Elizabeth Hooper, 1971 – 1993. The grave is being opened, watched by Frank and Hollis, and by a grim–faced Sheriff Briggs.]

[In Neilson's bathroom, he pulls his head back up, gasping for air. The paper at the bottom of the bath is a photo of Liddy Hooper. Again he plunges his head under the water, moaning.]

[In the cemetery, the coffin is hoisted up, but falls and smashes open on the ground, narrowly missing Hollis. A cemetery worker shouts to the hoist operator.]

GRAVEDIGGER: Whoa! Shut it down! Shut it down!

[Hollis pulls away part of the coffin lid. The coffin is full of earth. Frank takes a shovel and starts removing the earth. Then he turns to Sheriff Briggs.]

FRANK: What would you call this?

[Sheriff Briggs doesn't answer.]

[Sheriff's office. A notebook is put down on the table. It's embroidered with a rose and '1993'.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: One of my deputies found this sitting on the common–room table this morning.

[Hollis picks it up and opens it.]

HOLLIS: Liddy Hooper's notebook.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Gerry Neilson's name is in there. But so is mine. I know how that looks, so I'm telling you upfront.
HOLLIS: I don't suppose you'd also like to tell us why her body wasn't in that casket?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Far as I know, she was in there when we buried her. And I don't like the implication.

[He's addressing this to Hollis.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Look, all of my cards are on the table.
FRANK: So you had a sexual relationship with Liddy Hooper?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: I wouldn't call it a relationship. And I wasn't the only one.

[Hollis gets up and walks away.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Like I said before, she – she was kind of a nut. She couldn't get enough, if you want to know the truth. I mean, look at that. She kept a list.

[Hollis has been standing with her back to the room; now she turns and looks at Briggs. Frank is looking through the notebook.]

FRANK: July 4th, 1993. Her last day on earth. What's Bar None?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: It's a roadhouse, just past city limits.
FRANK: I'm going out there. You can help Emma.

[Frank leaves. Hollis picks up the notebook.]

HOLLIS: The names in here. I need to talk to them. All of them.

[Bar None. There are a few patrons, sitting at the bar, or at small table, or playing pool. Frank goes up to the bar and speaks to the bartender, Lana.]

LANA: What can I get you?

[Frank looks briefly around him.]

FRANK: Oh, nothing, thanks. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about Liddy Hooper. My name is Frank Black. I'm investigating her death.
LANA: Why? She drowned six years ago.
FRANK: We think she was murdered. She was here the night she died. Anything you could remember would help. Who she was with.
LANA: Well, Liddy was never really with anyone. Well, I guess you could say she was with everybody.

[Lana looks over to a door in the far wall. Frank notices this.]

FRANK: What's back there?

[Lana unlocks the door and she and Frank go in.]

LANA: Private room. Everyone likes to feel exclusive.
FRANK: Did Liddy work this room?
LANA: Not pro, if that's what you mean. She was – I don't really know what she was. And I don't feel really right talking about her. It's just gossip. It's not like we were friends or anything.
FRANK: Who were her friends?
LANA: She had a thing for uniforms. Cops. Firemen.
FRANK: What about Gerry Neilson? The park ranger.
LANA: No. I mean, he comes by, but this isn't exactly his kind of place.
FRANK: Do you know who she left with that night?
LANA: Six years ago. I'm sorry, it could have been anyone.

[Frank looks around the room. Vision: screaming, Liddy, beer glasses.]

[fade to black]

[polaroid fade up]

[Interview room. Liddy's book is on the table. Lee Smith, a paramedic, is being interviewed.]

SMITH: OK, so my name is in that book, along with everyone else. Including you, Tom.

[Also present is Hollis.]

SMITH: It was a long time ago. I'm a married man now. I just got my one year chip from AA, OK?
HOLLIS: Why are you talking to him?

[They both look at her.]

HOLLIS: I'm asking the questions.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: You know anything, tell her.
SMITH: That night, Liddy wanted some prescription painkillers. Migraine, she said. I got her some from the ambulance. I felt pretty bad fishing her out of the reservoir the next day.
HOLLIS: Did you have sex with her that night?

[Sheriff Briggs looks at Hollis. She's being very tough.]

SMITH: No. The way I remember, she was fooling around with pretty well everyone but me.
HOLLIS: What about Gerry Neilson, the ranger.
SMITH: What about him? I don't even remember if he was there.

[A map with an area circled on it, and marked 27.1 Mile Post. Frank is driving, then sees the mile post. He draws off the road and stops the car.]

[Interview room. Now the interviewee is Deputy Wayne Johnson.]

HOLLIS: So she drowned more than two miles upstream from where her car was found.
JOHNSON: Right. It's in my report.
HOLLIS: No, Wayne. It's not.
JOHNSON: It says right here.
HOLLIS: It says her car was found at mile marker 27.1. Which means nothing.
JOHNSON: Does to anyone from around here. Doesn't it, Tom.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Yeah. It does.

[Sheriff Briggs gets up and leaves the room.]

[Frank has gone down to the bank of the reservoir. Nearby is a dam with a bridge over it. He takes out a photo taken of Liddy's body when she was found, and looks around him.]

[Interview room.]

JOHNSON: Look, we've fished bodies out before. Seems self–evident.
HOLLIS: How? You tell me how an inebriated woman, abandoning her car and staggering two miles upstream, is self–evident.
JOHNSON: You never know what a drunk will do.

[Frank has walked some way upstream from the dam and continues his search.]

NEILSON: I knew this was going to happen. Yesterday you tell me I'm free to go, and today you're harrassing me again.
HOLLIS: We're not just talking to you, Gerry. And it's not about the girl with the tattoo. I want to ask you about Liddy Hooper.

[She puts the same photo of Liddy as she was found, in front of Neilson.]

NEILSON: She died six years ago.
HOLLIS: Her body's missing from her grave. Did you know that?
NEILSON: Why would I know that?

[Sheriff Briggs stands in the doorway, arms folded.]

HOLLIS: Just news seems to travel quickly around here.

[Neilson looks at Sheriff Briggs then back at Hollis.]

HOLLIS: Is there anything you can tell us about her?
NEILSON: I didn't know her very well. I mean, comparatively speaking.

[Again Neilson looks at Sheriff Briggs.]

HOLLIS: Really. Because you had a number of dates with her in the months before she died. Nearly every Saturday.

[Hollis reads from Liddy's notebook.]

HOLLIS: "Eight o'clock, Gerry Neilson".

[Neilson thinks.]

NEILSON: It was eight o'clock in the morning. They were canooing lessons. It wasn't a date.

[Sheriff Briggs approaches Neilson and grabs hold of him.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: You did it, Gerry. Didn't you? You killed her, you killed all of them!
NEILSON: I didn't kill anybody.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: You whack at yourself in that little guard shed and then you head off... I believed you!

[Hollis has grabbed Sheriff Briggs and pulled him away from Neilson.]

HOLLIS: Get out of here now!

[Hollis pushes Sheriff Briggs out of the room and shuts the door. She catches her breath and turns to Neilson.]

HOLLIS: Let's continue.
NEILSON: You see what you've done? My life is ruined here! And you've no right to hold me.

[He opens the door and leaves.]

[In the woods, Frank has walked further along the bank and reaches a bridge. Vision: the bridge in monochrome, Liddy in the bar, smiling, Liddy with a man who's playing cards, Liddy's photo with drink and cigarette, the drinks glasses from the earlier vision, Liddy underwater, the bridge again, Liddy shouting "I won't tell! ".]

[Sheriff's office. Hollis enters Sheriff Briggs' office.]

HOLLIS: Don't you dare let your guilt ruin my investigation.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Hey, you blame it on that sack of crap in there. My conscience is clear.
HOLLIS: Yeah. That's why you held back her notebook.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: I gave you her notebook.
HOLLIS: Six years too late.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: I never thought Liddy was murdered! It seemed like an accident!
HOLLIS: Well, how hard did you look, huh? How hard? No autopsy. No inquiry. You looked the other way to avoid embarrassment and because Liddy Hooper was a throwaway. And that let Gerry Neilson know, loud and clear: "Hey, you want to kill someone? Just choose your victims carefully. "

[Sheriff Briggs looks stunned by this.]

HOLLIS: And here we are with zip evidence, six murders later.

[Hollis leaves.]

[Frank has reached the bridge and goes down the side of the supporting concrete pillar on the bank. He sits down on a concrete slab and notices iron bolts in the side of the slab, each with an iron ring. He takes hold of one – it's about 10 or so inches in diameter. Vision: A woman's foot with a sling–back shoe being pushed through the ring by a man, the woman, Liddy, being pushed underwater, both feet, now without shoes, pushed through the rings, Liddy underwater again. Frank takes out the map and photo and sits, looking around him.]

[fade to black]

[polaroid fade up]

[At the Bar None. Frank enters the bar. There are more customers than earlier. He goes over to the door to the back room. A man is standing there and Lana, the bartender, mouths a message to the man who nods and lets Frank in. There's a card game in progress and some people sitting at the bar. At one of the small side tables, Neilson is sat alone. Frank goes over and sits opposite him.]

NEILSON: Lana, the girl at the bar, she said that you were in here earlier today.
FRANK: That's right.
NEILSON: You asked her about me.
FRANK: About a lot of people.
NEILSON: And she told you that there's no way I could do what you're saying, didn't she?
FRANK: Gerry, you asked to meet me here. What do you want?
NEILSON: I want to let you know there is no way you're going to push me out of my town. [louder] And I want all of these people here to know that you found no evidence in those cars. No bodies, no nothing!

[The people sat at the bar briefly look around at Neilson's raised voice.]

NEILSON: You just keep turning people against me. [to the people at the bar] That's right.

[The people at the bar aren't interested.]

NEILSON: I'm the one who told you the truth.
FRANK: What happened? What happened to Liddy Hooper?
NEILSON: You want to know? You really want to know?

[The scene changes. A banner on the bar wall reads: Independence Day 1993. There are a lot of people in the bar.]

MAN: All right. Hey, OK! Now, ain't that beautiful, huh?

[Card players sat at a table: Sheriff Briggs, Deputy Wayne Johnson and paramedic Lee Smith. Liddy is standing by the table, next to Sheriff Briggs. They are all laughing, seeming to be slightly drunk.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: I'm betting on this.
LIDDY: Well, yeah.

[Neilson walks slowly in their direction. Another card player, Wayne Johnson, grabs Liddy's butt.]

JOHNSON: Well, this right here. That's my bet.

[Liddy smiles at him and walks away around the other side of Sheriff Briggs.]

JOHNSON: Right, Liddy?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Lot of good that does me.

[He puts his arm around her waist and pulls her close.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: If I win – my wife's in the next room.

[They all laugh.]

JOHNSON: If you win – Liddy does Gerry!

[They all laugh at that except Liddy. Neilson does not look amused.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: I'd like to see that. I'm in.
NEILSON: Lay off her, huh?
NEILSON: I mean it, Wayne. Leave her alone.

[Johnson and Sheriff Briggs exchange a look, then both burst out laughing. Liddy doesn't seem to be reacting very much – seeming to be quite drunk – then laughs a little.]

[Present day.]

NEILSON: That's exactly what happened and not one of them told you that. Not Tom, not Wayne, not Lee. I told you that. I told you the truth.
FRANK: You protected her.
NEILSON: You ask them.
FRANK: I believe you.

FRANK: Did you ever see her again?
NEILSON: I found her later on. She was passed out in her car on the side of the road.

[Frank slowly gets up.]

FRANK: Show me where.

[Neilson hesitates.]

FRANK: Gerry, you may be the last person that saw her alive. Come on. It's important.

[Neilson thinks, then briefly nods his head. Frank walks off and Neilson gets up and follows him.]

[At the 27.1 mile post, Frank gets out of his jeep. It's a dark night.]

FRANK: This is where her car was abandoned?
NEILSON: It wasn't abandoned when I came by. She was still in it, leaning on the steering wheel.

[Frank has gone round to the passenger side, where Neilson has opened the door.]

FRANK: She was passed out?
NEILSON: Close enough.
FRANK: What did she say?
NEILSON: Wanted to sleep it off in the car, so I left her. You can't help someone who doesn't want it.
FRANK: This is where the killer made contact with her. He saw her car stopped here.

[Frank continues as a voice–over while the scene is re–enacted. A car draws up behind Liddy's car.]

FRANK: [VO] Pulled to the side of the road.

[Liddy can be seen, slumped over the steering wheel, then sitting back.]

FRANK: [VO] Probably watched her a long time, not sure at first what he was going to do. Just thinking how vulnerable she was.

[A car door is opened. Liddy is resting her head against the car seat, asleep. The man has approached the car and shines a light in through the driver's closed window.]

NEILSON: [VO] Nothing around for miles.

[Liddy is woken by the light and turns her head, squinting into the bright light.]

NEILSON: [VO] He must have figured out that he could do whatever he wanted.

[Liddy holds up a hand to shield her from the light.]

NEILSON: [VO] Anything at all.

[The car door is opened.]

[Present time. Neilson lights a cigarette.]

FRANK: No–one here to stop him.
NEILSON: So he killed her.
FRANK: No. That's not what he wanted.
NEILSON: What, then?
FRANK: I can show you.

[Frank shuts the passenger door.]

[Sheriff's office. Hollis is sat at a desk, making notes. Sheriff Briggs comes in.]

HOLLIS: I've got a list of interviews I'd like to do tomorrow. I'd like to do them in this order.

[She pushes a piece of paper towards Sheriff Briggs.]

[Hollis signals that she doesn't want to discuss it.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: Hey. I should have ordered an autopsy on Liddy Hooper. No question about it.

[He sits on the edge of the desk.]

SHERIFF BRIGGS: But I keep asking myself, did I think it was a drowning? And the answer is yes. I mean, you come blasting in here and you see all kinds of things that I missed. OK, you were always the smart one, but – but you don't know everything. Not if you think this was some kind of cover–up.

[Hollis pauses for thought.]

HOLLIS: I don't think it was a cover–up. It's not that. [sighs] You've got to understand, South Mills was home.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: But you only lived here two years.
HOLLIS: I know. I mean, it was the last good place. A year after we moved away, my sister Melissa was murdered.
HOLLIS: You know, coming back here, this crime – I'm just angry that it's no different here than what I see everywhere else.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Do you like what you do?
HOLLIS: What do you mean?
SHERIFF BRIGGS: Just seems like kind of an odd life. Lonely.
HOLLIS: It could be, I guess, but I do have kind of a partner.
SHERIFF BRIGGS: This guy Frank?
HOLLIS: He's taught me so much. You know, what I've learned from him, what I see. It's just: "How do I feel about it? " and "Do I like what I do? " really isn't that important.

[Frank and Neilson have reached the concrete bridge support and the slab with the two iron rings.]

FRANK: This is it.

[Frank shines the flashlight around.]

FRANK: This is where he drowned her. He passed these rings many times before. Thought about them. He knew just what he was doing.

[Neilson seems nervous.]

[Crime scene re–enactment. Liddy, screaming, her feet being forced into the rings. Her head being forced into the water. Then coming up and yelling.]

LIDDY: I won't tell! I won't tell! I promise! I won't tell!

[Her head is forced into the water again. Neilson undoes his belt buckle. Liddy stops struggling and drowns.]

[Present day.]

FRANK: She would have. She would have told.

[Neilson stares at the rings.]

NEILSON: He must have hated her.
FRANK: Maybe. Maybe he was angry at her. For what she allowed herself to become.

[Frank moves closer to Neilson.]

FRANK: You know, there's something I still don't understand. Maybe you could help me.
FRANK: He mutilated the last victim. Cut off her foot. He carefully disposed of four previous victims. Then he left a foot, for everybody to find. Why would he do that?

[Neilson doesn't immediately respond, he's getting distressed. He walks slowly over to the rings and crouches down, looking at them.]

FRANK: After Liddy, I think he waited for them to come and get him. He thought that every knock on the door was the sheriff. But he never came. And one day he realised that they weren't going to come. So he went on to do it again. And again.
NEILSON: And they could have stopped him. And they had a chance, but they didn't do anything.
FRANK: I think he wanted them to know what he had done. What he carried around inside. Because they never stopped him. Show them, Gerry. Show them where the bodies are.

[Neilson doesn't respond.]

FRANK: You know, you called me. You asked me to meet you at the bar. We can do it together. So they know. Where are the bodies, Gerry.

[Neilson, almost crying, looks up at Frank.]

[Day. Headstone: Elizabeth Liddy Hooper. A minister reads the burial rites.]

MINISTER: Into the ground we commend the earthly remains of Elizabeth Liddy Hooper. A child of God whom we did not love as you have asked during her short time on earth.

[A dozen people are gathered around the coffin.]

MINISTER: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

[The people join in the prayer.]

ALL: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread.

[In the car nearby, Frank and Hollis listen.]

HOLLIS: I know this town never was what I thought it was, or what the people here thought, but you know what it's like when you show up at some vacation spot that was sunny and suddenly it starts to rain, and you feel like you brought the bad weather with you?
FRANK: Do I know what that feels like? [laughs] Oh, yeah. [serious] Oh, yeah.

[Brief pause for thought, then Frank turns on the car engine and drives down the pleasant main street and away.]

[fade to black]

[end credits]

Lance Henriksen (Frank Black)
Klea Scott (Emma Hollis)

Guest Starring:

Ted Marcoux (Jerry Neilson)
David Barrera (Sheriff Tommy Briggs)

April Telek (Liddy Hooper)
Jenn Griffin (Lana)

Lisa Marie Caruk (Jan McCall)
Jim Shield (Lee Smith)
Blake Stovin (Deputy Wayne Johnson)
Ron Small (Ron Hauge)
Ian Brown (Minister)
Paul Chevreau (Gravedigger)
Madeleine Campbell (Cora)
Kaitlyn Burke (Alicia)
Linnea Sharples (Alicia's Mom)
R. David Stephens (Agent)

Tonja Kahlens (Dawn)

Music by Mark Snow
Editor: James Coblentz
Production Designer: Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography: Robert McLachlan
Executive Story Editors: Kay Reindl and Erin Maher
Production Manager: Kathy Gilroy–Sereda
Co–Producer: Patrick Harbinson
Co–Producer: Kathy Gilroy–Sereda
Co–Producer: Paul Rabwin
Producer: Michael R Perry Producer: Thomas J Wright
Supervising Producer: Marjorie David Co–Executive Producer: Frank Spotnitz
Co–Executive Producer: Ken Horton
Co–Executive Producer: John Peter Kousakis
Written by Michael R Perry
Directed by Thomas J Wright

Executive Producer: Chip Johannessen
Executive Producer: Chris Carter

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text:
Eng & Chang Bunker: The Original Siamese Twins Who Had 21 Children By Two Sisters

Born in 1811 in Siam, now known as Thailand, Chang and Eng Bunker were the very reason behind the inspiration of the term, “Siamese twins”. They were a phenomenon in their time and well after. They had an extraordinary life and toured the U.S. with carnivals; later becoming U.S. citizens. After becoming permanent residents, they opened their own store as well as built their own home. The pair triumphed over extraordinary odds and appalling prejudice in 19th-century America and Britain. Here’s an unusual story about the original Siamese twins who, with their biological irregularity, managed to live an extraordinary life.

Born on May 11, 1811 in Thailand, the Thai-American conjoined twin brothers had their roots more in China than in Siam.

Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese Twins
Image via: Flickr / Wikimedia

Born to a Chinese fisherman father and a mother who was half-Chinese, half-Malay, Eng and Chang Bunker were conjoined twins; sometimes called Siamese twins. While their 35-year-old mother was giving birth, the two midwives who helped were shocked to witness the thick ligament connecting the babies just above their waists. The midwives were superstitious and were afraid to handle them. Their mother, however,  took them in her arms, untwisted the ligament (which had been connected to a single umbilical cord) and laid them staring into each other’s eyes.

They were initially named In and Jun (anglicised to Eng and Chang).

Eng and Chang Bunker
Image via Flickr / Wikimedia

The twin brothers were born with fused livers that were connected by a small piece of cartilage at their breastbones. Chang was slightly shorter than Eng and the upper half of his body arched away from his brother. After realizing their biological irregularity, their mother encouraged them to exercise as often as possible; which gradually stretched their ligament to more than five inches.. This allowed them to run, swim or perform any other tasks as a regular person could.

In 1829, when the boys turned 18, a British merchant named Robert Hunter found them to be interesting and persuaded their parents to present them at exhibits.

Eng and Chang Bunker
Image source: 1, 2

Robert Hunter, a British merchant, discovered the twins as they were swimming in a river. He considered them to be ‘some strange animal’ and found commercial potential with them. Eng and Chang Bunker helped their family preserve and sell duck eggs. Since the family was poor and was desperately in need of money, Hunter didn’t have trouble persuading their parents. Although he obtained their permission, Siam (now Thailand) was still under the rule of the king.

The king was reluctant to let the twins leave the country. Finally, after five years and with the help of a sea captain, Hunter was able to bribe the king with a telescope and some temple dancers. Hunter paid the twins’ mother $500 (£300) to allow them to go on tour with him for 30 long months.

The twins became a sensation in theatres and halls across the U.S.

The twins’ first performance was in Boston, which caused an immediate sensation. After they became famous as the Siamese twins, they performed all over the U.S.; four hours a day, six days a week.

Eng and Chang Bunker
Image via Wikimedia/public domain

The twins worked hard and Hunter paid them well for their efforts. After the contract with Hunter expired, the twins decided to settle down and live a normal life. They purchased an 11-acre farm in North Carolina and married two local women.

At the time, North Carolina was a slave state. Under the U.S. law, the twins considered white; allowing them to own slaves. They purchased slaves to work on their 200 acre farm. They also opened a store; making them industrious businessmen.

On April 13, 1843, Eng and Chang married the daughters of a neighboring farmer, David Yates; since marrying two sisters made sense. Although the foursome was happily married, their wedding provoked national scandal and people went as far as accusing their marriage of being be ‘bestial’. When both the wives gave birth, the accusations started to fade away. Together, Eng and Chang Bunker fathered a total of 21 children; 11 by Eng and 10 by Chang. Their descendants now number more than 1,500.

Eng and Chang Bunker, Bunker Family

The sisters, Adelaide and Sarah Anne, initially slept with Eng and Chang in the same bed. Their marital bed was built for four, with Chang and Eng in the middle and their wives on either side. But several years later, the sisters moved out to separate houses and had an agreement where the twins would stay at each house for three days per week.

On January 17, 1874, as a result of an injury, Chang passed away. His brother Eng woke up to find Chang dead. Eng lived for another two and half hours before he too passed away.

Eng and Chang Bunker

During the American Civil War, the defeat of the Confederate Army resulted in the twins losing all their savings. Nevertheless, they stayed positive and started working at public exhibitions. Although they were once a huge sensation, people lost interest and their efforts proved to be of little success. The twins struggled but kept their hearts true. They were well known by neighbors, as well as townspeople, to be of high standards and for keeping their promises.

During an exhibition, the twins lost their balance while atop a carriage. The fall did not hurt Eng but Chang was injured severely. Soon after the fall, Chang fell ill and developed severe bronchitis. On January 17, 1874, Eng woke up to find his brother dead. He summoned a doctor who rushed to perform an emergency surgery. The doctor hoped that the surgery, if successful, would save Eng’s life. Two and half hours after Chang’s death, Eng too passed away.

Eng and Chang Bunker grave
Image source: 1, 2

The doctor recalled Eng crying, ‘Then I am going!’, just before his death. After their deaths, doctors finally received the opportunity to learn how complex and connected the twins were. A post-mortem examination found that Chang may have died due to a cerebral clot, while Eng died of fright. They also discovered that their connecting ligament was complex and even if they had separated Eng from Chang, he wouldn’t have survived for long.

Although they are no longer alive, their legacy still continues with over 1,500 descendants. Many of the Bunker descendants have managed to live a successful life and one of them was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2013. Chang and Eng Bunker’s grave resides in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Family members often conduct a meeting there every year, to remember and mourn the twins.

Don’t forget to share this article with your friends!

Source: Wikipedia, Atlas Obscura, ABC.

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Sinners at the Altar : Sinners on Tour

  • von Olivia Cunning
  • Sprecher: Justine O. Keef
  • Serie: Sinners on Tour
  • 15 Std. 22 Min.
  • ungekürztes Hörbuch

When Sinners tie the knot, things don't always go as planned.
"Appetite for Seduction" - Epilogue to Backstage Pass
Lead guitarist Brian Sinclair may have finally won Professor Myrna Evans' heart and her consent to wed, but being part of a high-maintenance band might just ruin his long-anticipated wedding day and steamy wedding night. Will the couple ever find a moment's peace or are some things more important than a night of uninhibited love-making?

"Sweet Love of Mine" - Epilogue to Wicked Beat Drummer
Eric Sticks is determined to marry sweet and sassy soundboard operator, Rebekah Blake, on the spur of the moment. But can he really offer the love of his life the wedding of her dreams in a small, unplanned ceremony? And can Rebekah offer Eric the one thing missing from his life that never realized he wanted?
"Patience" - Epilogue to Rock Hard
Lead singer Sed Lionheart never really wanted a big fancy wedding. He just wanted the girl. But his hot-tempered fiancee, Jessica Chase, has her heart set on a memorable ceremony and she is determined to persist through the aggravation to have the wedding of her dreams. The ceremony turns out to be memorable, all right, but not necessarily in the way they'd planned. Can the stressed-out couple recognize what's really important on their wedding day, or is the honeymoon over before it even begins?
"November Rain" - Epilogue to Hot Ticket
Professional dominatrix Aggie "Mistress V" Martin is madly in love with bassist Jace Seymour, but she's not in any real hurry to marry him. She's not really the wife "type". That all changes the moment she lays eyes on the perfect place to say "I do". With more than one obstacle in their path to wedded bliss, will these two ever make it down the aisle or will everything fall apart at the whim of others?

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  • Erscheinungsdatum: 08.05.2014
  • Verlag: Tantor Audio


text:
Mobile Marketing News

Mobile Marketing News
The Disney version of the Mobile Ad Experience

The Disney version of the Mobile Ad Experience

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Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

Disney is a destination, a shared family experience, and even a lifestyle to some, but what constitutes a brand safe mobile experience to Disney mobile marketers?

Disney Mobile AdvertisingDisney Mobile Advertising Video

From the screenshots, you’re looking at Disney mobile Ad from a brand safe publisher page as viewed through following a twitter link on an iPhone. A bit confusing, but this is the current state of attracting mobile audiences.

Video: Highly produced, Disney mobile advertising efforts features a short 30 second video clip. Today’s mobile bandwidth offers high resolution streaming on wifi or over the air. Video is also a fairly universally accessible ad format optimized by device and view counts offer a high value engagement metric to a brands like Disney. Mobile video advertising has one of the highest eCPMs payouts to publishers. The video also features a phone number but no Click to Call feature within the viewing.

Disney Mobile Advertising experience

Tapping into Visit Now, you’re brought into the Disney Parks brand experience by tugging on heartstrings with pictures of smiling kids and laughing moments captured in an online gallery. The mobile ad doesn’t take advantage of location data use through asking for user permissions or by IP address. Based in California, I’m still shown Disney World in Florida as the top option versus Disneyland Resort or Disney California Adventure Park closer to my current city.

The remainder of the options are for requesting more information for lead gen. If I don’t book a reservation or enter my information through my mobile phone, is Disney going to be able to attribute my mobile lead back to future sign ups? Is Disney using mobile ad tech that offers retargeting? Mobile attribution is a serious problem facing publishers and influential brands looking for a way into the mobile space.

Disney’s preference of ad tech use has always been a tightly controlled experience.


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Saturday, December 24, 2016

PPP | Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Hello friends! Just want to share my last minute a photo card using Pretty Pink Posh Winter Friends stamp set.

I really love this sweet couple so much! I stamped on Bristol paper and colored with Copic marker. Die cut it with the coordinating dies and then white heat embossed the sentiment on red card stock. Finish my card by added instax photo and it's done ^.^

1 comment:

  1. Hello my dear pal, Christmas won't be nicer without a smile from a best friend .. but I send my big big smile today .. just for you! although Christmas was yesterday :)
    Love the gorgeous red combine with your design .. they are a perfect combination and AWESOME!
    All the best for the New Year .. cheers!!!!!

Thank you so much for your wonderful comments :)


text:
Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘Tribalism’

A dangerous heritage, a clash of civilizations

"Islam does not unconditionally support any culture or nation or sect or party."

Read more

Evil means cannot justify populist ends in Islam

"And you do not will except that Allah wills, the Lord of the worlds."

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The divine medium as the path to lasting reform

"Pharaoh fooled his people and they obeyed him. Verily, they were defiant sinners."

Read more

Meet the new racism, same as the old racism

"The new racists attempt to justify their supremacism by the theory of the clash of civilizations."

Read more


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Meet Ria Persad, Weather-Tech Startup Founder In A White Male-Dominated Industry

Ebony Grimsley-Vaz
Written by Ebony Grimsley-Vaz

weather analysis tech
Ria Persad, co-founder and CEO of StatWeather. Photo: Provided

Meteorologists have our attention as the U.S. undergoes what may turn out to be the worst hurricane season ever.

Ria Persad is a leader in U.S. weather analysis technology, but she couldn’t find an investor for her weather tech startup in an industry dominated by white men.

Typically, weather experts have our attention when we turn to the news outlets to plan for the weekend, but with a monster storm barreling toward the U.S., we look to hourly forecasts from experts who can show us images of spaghetti plots for storms.

Behind the scenes, away from the cameras, weather analysts work to provide the data on which lives depend. Not all these weather experts work for the government, and not all of them are white men in pickup trucks.

Meet Ria Persad, math whiz, space physicist and one of the leaders behind U.S. weather analysis technology. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in the U.S., Persad has an educational and personal background that deserves the spotlight in her white-male-dominated industry.

Persad is CEO and co-founder of StatWeather, a weather and climate services corporation specializing in weather prediction for the risk management industry.

Based in Tampa, FL, Statweather is a tech suite that provides users with up-to-90-day accuracy for “timing, duration, and intensity of extreme weather events long before government models”, per its website and founder. Her tech startup is helping to drive decisions for market investments, city-wide planning and energy planning and distribution.

Dubbed a “human computer” as a child, Persad overcame paralysis after being infected with the Zika virus. She immigrated to the U.S. and later studied mathematics and physics at Harvard, Princeton, and Cambridge universities. She did her doctoral studies at Rice University and has subsequently been a consultant to the U.S. Space Program, a partner with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, and others.

As a woman of color, Persad stands out at weather industry events, where nine out of 10 people are older white males.

“You can be a dumb-as-a-doorknob older white male from a family with money and be successful,” Persad told Moguldom. “Whereas for us, we must have the IQ of Albert Einstein and come off as strong as Elon Musk to get the same level of clout … I don’t believe I would have to work as hard if I just looked different. But I’m a hard worker so this doesn’t deter me.”

Among her many honors, Persad was named one of the top seven global leaders for Lifetime Achievement and Woman of the Year in International Power-Gen and Renewable Energy by the Platts Global Energy Awards.

A pianist and model, Persad is representing Trinidad and Tobago in the Ms. World 2018 pageant.

Persad talked to Moguldom about her tech startup and what it’s like being a woman of color in the white male-dominated weather industry.

weather analysis tech
Ria Persad, co-founder and CEO of StatWeather. Photo: Provided

Moguldom: Your background is so vast. How did you channel it all into StatWeather?

Ria Persad: My current work of using predictive modeling comes from my background of working with NASA, Lockheed Martin, Enron, and others. Enron recruited me and other space physicists after the space exploration budgets were cut to work on financial trading to develop models. They wanted people with specific scientific backgrounds to develop financial tools. I left before all the things happened at Enron, but I remained working in the financial industry. I saw how we could take all the knowledge I obtained to create solutions for those in the business world. The private sector needs these types of tools to make very important decisions.

Moguldom: What does StatWeather offer that the local news cannot?

Ria Persad: We developed artificial intelligent systems that continuously learn and take in new variables from the atmosphere and project into the future, one month (up to two years) in North America. You can see what patterns are evolving with our statistical analysis that gives an output to the percentage of chance a certain weather condition will occur.

Moguldom: What makes your service different than going to

Ria Persad: will just give you high and low temperatures and averages. Our subscription can provide you with information about a three-day heatwave that will occur within 90 days and the range of those temperatures. We use statistical model testing. We have temperature data since 1895 and can run lean six sigma methods and other scientific rigor to come up with an accuracy in the forecast. Computer modeling is free of human bias, unlike the information provided by meteorologists that are using their subjective opinion of information provided by the government. When you have our service you get an unbiased, computer-based, statistical model review of the data to determine the percentage of possible accuracy with the forecast.

Moguldom: How does your company help the business sector?

Ria Persad: Our clients can take the information we provide them and can prepare for safety and continuity in service perspective. StatWeather can tell organizations when to start collecting renewable energy and storing natural gas. Multi-billion-dollar events can be seen in advance from hurricanes to drought. For the energy sectors, this is huge. The weather drives the energy economy. When it is super cold or hot, we know we need to consume more energy. Power companies can plan demand better with our solution. If companies have the right amount of energy in advance of blackouts, continuity of service can continue with ease. If not, you get blackouts that last hours or days. Knowing this type of data helps investment teams make financial decisions.

Moguldom: Why focus on private sector and not the public?

Ria Persad: We did market research and found out the commodities industry needed to know about the weather. We found investment bankers were dependent on this type of information. I was able to tap into the connections I made from working with Enron and others. This helped us to become a profitable company more quickly. We hope to venture more into the outlets that provide weather forecasting, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Moguldom: Who is your biggest competitor?

Ria Persad: The government. They have their own supercomputer model which does not analyze the forecast in the same manner.

Moguldom: How well received is your technology in the industry?

Ria Persad: We were ranked as the No. 1 data provider in the world in 2015. We beat Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and other multi-billion-dollar companies out for our data.

Moguldom: How well are you received in the industry?

Ria Persad: It has been really hard work. A lot of opposition, especially being a woman of color starting this venture with no large bank account or backers. People question us because we don’t have a Peter Thiel or other known man behind us. They see a black male or Hispanic woman on our technical team and they question us. They don’t see big names behind this life-changing technology. We are just who we are and we’re doing it better than what people would perceive our group can accomplish. We must prove ourselves 10 times over to show we are legit — the real deal.

Moguldom: How did stereotyping affect your launch?

Ria Persad:Not having big names behind this technological advancement in the industry made it harder (to get) angel investors. We were leading the way in this industry and no one else could do it. We tried to obtain investors, but just never did. We had to bootstrap our way to selling our product to large financial institutions and others. Thankfully over time we just ended up building up our customer base. Now people are taking us more seriously.

Moguldom: Women already have a challenge. As a woman of color in a white male-dominated industry, do you feel this has affected you as well?

Ria Persad: Nine out of 10 people at (weather industry) events are older white males. To be completely candid with you, you can be a dumb-as-a-doorknob older white male from a family with money and be successful. Whereas for us, we must have the IQ of Albert Einstein and come off as strong as Elon Musk to get the same level of clout. You must be that much better and stand out. You have to be to a point where they can’t pick holes in what you’re saying before they believe you. But if you want to get ahead, you must work so much harder. I don’t believe I would have to work as hard if I just looked different. But I’m a hard worker so this doesn’t deter me.

Moguldom: Where do you see StatWeather in 10 years?

Ria Persad: I see StatWeather predicting for Mongolia. Telling them they whether they will have a drought or not in two years and need to store up resources. I see us on the United Nations stage helping governments around the world using our system to save lives and helping economies around the world. (I see) a very strong humanitarian use for our services.

Sign up for the Moguldom newsletter — the most compelling business news you need to know about reversing inequality in tech, delivered straight to your inbox.

About Ebony Grimsley-Vaz
Ebony T. Grimsley-Vaz is an author and digital marketing and PR expert for consumer brands, retailers, causes and events. Based in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, she owns Above Promotions, a digital marketing, publicity and promotions company. She wrote the book, "Because You're Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation."

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Tuesday, 9 February 2016

The post about the traffic and how to survive it

In February each year we notice a drastic change in our traffic! Maybe it's the universities that are starting with classes, or everybody is back from their holidays? Who knows? But we have to get up earlier to get away earlier!

I spent roughly two to two and half hours each day in traffic. Some days it really gets to me, as I am of the opinion that it impacts on my quality of life!
Maybe it is just a perspective that I should change? (I need to put "perspective change" on the list!)

I am surprised at how bad our manners are in traffic. We all get to deal with examples each day.
Last week I was speechless. I was in a parking mall, and spotted an opening. There were two open parking areas in front of each other. The lady from the other side went in first, and I thought I would give her time to park before I went in from my side. She saw me! She drove through to my side, did not look at me, and walked away! I did hoot and I did shake my hands, but I was only giving myself the "lecture"! (*Speechless!*)

I came to the realization that although I hate the traffic, I have made it better for myself by changing small things. These are the things that I do that keeps me sane!

How to survive the traffic in Gauteng

- Change your perspective about looking at the Traffic as "Bad"! (This needs a bit of mental work from myself!)

- Listen to the radio, a podcast or an audio book.
I personally love the radio, as I get updates on the news, love the music and listen to radio that makes me laugh! I switch constantly between 3 radio stations, at least!

- The Waze app helps to notify of hazards and heavy traffic and it knows of all the side roads to take. How did I do it before this little magician?

- Do not get upset with the taxis. I even give them space when they are near! They have to stop and cut in because they have people to upload and off-load! The other day we also heard on 94.7 that the taxi drivers get a low basic salary, and they have to meet quotas each day! That's why they are speeding, overtaking and ignoring traffic rules! (Not that it should be a reason to ignore traffic rules!)
I noticed that most people don't hoot at them anymore. It's part of South African life!
It really helps to calm the commute when we give them "space"!

- A Drink. I have found Rooibos tea to be very beneficial, but coffee or a smoothie also makes a difference!

- Discussions with passengers. I love talking to my passenger in the afternoon! That's where I learn about her day and also pick up great anecdotes from her perspective. I see it as a great way to connect!

Do you have more coping tips for handling the traffic?

Related posts:

- Traffic and floods - I wish there was an Auntie Traffic

- Practising the finger

  1. This week has been bad for me but I don't ever sit for more than 30 minutes so I really can't complain. I generally try remain calm and focus on other things!

  2. I really feel for you. Here in PE rush hour isn't even an hour...and I love that about PE...and the beach of course.

  3. I like that you wrote a post on this and put a positive spin on it. I agree about radio although I am getting tired of 947 I need something else. Nicky eats his breakfast in the car so I know he will have lots of time to eat. I have a table for him.

I love to hear your comments :D


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Leveraging Data To Make Informed Lending Decisions

16300_data Leveraging Data To Make Informed Lending Decisions BLOG VIEW: The mortgage industry has evolved in terms of how it extrapolates raw data to make better lending decisions. In the past, lenders relied heavily on general trends and small sample sizes, and the information was often too outdated to be used effectively.

Today, information is available at a much more granular level. Loan-level accounting software allows users to easily report on profitability down to the loan level. Advances in business intelligence systems and dashboards allow management to look at data like never before. Rather than just reporting on the past, data is offered in real time so that management can spot problems or take advantage of opportunities.

The graphical presentation of data offered with dashboards allows users to more easily visualize trends and variances. As such, more people have access to tools, which, in turn, generates greater awareness among managers at all levels. For this to work, though, lenders' reporting systems need to focus on accuracy, timeliness and the relevance of the data.

Ensuring the accuracy of the reported data is critical. The value of the decisions made will be directly proportional to the accuracy of that data. This may seem obvious, but we have seen instances where the selection of the data was based on how accessible it was rather than how accurate it was. Controls need to be created to ensure accuracy.

Given today's demand for up-to-the-minute information, these controls need to be automated. It might be a simple comparison of an account balance to the general ledger or the loan volume for a given period to the loan origination system. Regardless, the success or failure of the entire reporting system will hang on the accuracy of the data. If lenders do not believe the data is accurate, they simply will not use the system.

When making lending decisions, the timeliness of the data is also extremely significant. Having regularly scheduled updates, such as daily, weekly and monthly reports, gives lenders the confidence that data is both accurate and timely. When analyzing the data presented by these reporting systems, dashboards permit administrators to view data groupings in custom time parameters. Having the data segmented by time lets viewers analyze seasonal changes or pinpoint the impact of an individual regulation coming into effect. Administrators can scale reports on the dashboard to reflect their interests and, thus, find the information most relevant to their inquiry.

The amount of data now available can be overwhelming. Books have been written on different metrics used by managers. Lenders ought to focus on metrics that are relevant to their business and which they have some ability to manage, such as the number of days to close a loan, the mix of refinancing versus purchase loans, the net income per loan, loan officer, branch or geographic region or even loan count versus marketing dollars spent by loan officer, branch or geographic region.

Being able to analyze the number of purchases and refinances, for example, allows lenders to make predictions on how to allocate their resources or which departments need to be scaled up or down. Examining the number of days to close a loan may indicate the need for better technology. These and other metrics allow managers to identify and adapt to emerging trends.

Data – especially when accessed via dashboards – gives lenders the ability to view past performance in great detail and make better lending decisions. A dashboard is more than just a pretty picture; it is a gateway to the actual dataset. Having this information in a digestible format permits lenders to identify areas of improvement to make business procedural changes moving forward.

Lenders today have access to various methods of viewing data. Whether it is the form of traditional reports or new dashboards, the quality of that data in terms of accuracy, timeliness and granularity offers management an essential tool to running their business.

Because data is more accessible than in the past, ignoring this valuable tool as a device to chart future growth opportunities is self-defeating. Successful lenders have the chance to improve results, examine trends and confirm decisions, thanks to the quality of data available.Â

Brian Lynch is president and founder of Irvine, Calif.-based Advantage Systems, a provider of accounting and financial management tools for the mortgage industry.

(Do you have an opinion to share with MortgageOrb? Get in touch! Send an email to pbarnard@zackin.com.)

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Semana Santa

Posted April 7, 2012 by mothertongue2
Categories: Uncategorized

This is an article I wrote in Spanish for our Infant School newsletter in Spain. It’s about Easter traditions in the UK.

La Semana Santa al estilo Británico

Posted October 28, 2011 by mothertongue2
Categories: Uncategorized

Ok, so 5 months have passed since I last posted and I have been inspired to re-boot this blog now following the recent birth of a new association for Spanish-speaking families in Edinburgh http://asociacionalba.wordpress.com/ which I have been involved in setting up.

Our aim is to promote the Spanish language and the culture of Spanish-speaking countries through activities for bilingual children and their families. We have big ideas and a tiny (almost non-existant actually) budget. But we are determined and enthused. ¡Animo y pa’lante!

From passive facilitator to active agent = result

Posted May 31, 2011 by mothertongue2
Categories: Being the Spanish speaker

Even though I have only just started speaking the odd bit of Spanish at home with my children (and on some days none at all) amazingly there is already a ripple effect happening. The kids are more enthusiastic about Spanish, they ask me to do simple vocabulary games with them and they have even used the odd word or phrase with each other.

The actual amount of Spanish spoken is so little that I think part of the effect must come purely from the intention or change of heart that I have had as regards my role in this experiment. I have gone from being a passive facilitator (promoting contact with other Spanish-speaking people or situations) to being an active agent (speaking Spanish to them myself).

If I can just keep it up and increase the amount we speak at home then I think it could have far greater results than I had hoped for.

Zero Spanish day

Posted May 24, 2011 by mothertongue2
Categories: Being the Spanish speaker

Well, that didn’t take long did it? 4 days in and already I’m flagging.

In my defence I was at work all morning and out all afternoon on PTA business.

Idea! I will put a pile of Spanish story books by the kid’s beds so I can cheat make up for lost time at the end of the day and read to them a little in Spanish at bedtime.

Pasito a pasito

Posted May 23, 2011 by mothertongue2
Categories: Being the Spanish speaker

Tags: , ,

Well, I cancelled the shoe buying trip after a quick pre-shopping surf on the net showed nothing suitable in any of the shops I was hoping to visit.

Note to children’s shoe designers: my daughters are not tiny prostitutes, nor do they spend their lives at parties and they do not want to wear boots in what passes for summer in Scotland.

Let’s hope social services don’t drag me off when I have to send my kids to school barefoot in a few days or cut the ends off their too-small shoes so that their squashed toes can stick out.

Bilingual play date went as expected: I spoke loads of Spanish and my kids spoke almost none, though the older one did make the effort when speaking to the mother. Since I was speaking Spanish to her I did manage to slip in a few asides to my kids so at least it wasn’t a Zero Spanish day.

So far, so not very good

Posted May 22, 2011 by mothertongue2
Categories: Being the Spanish speaker

Tags: , , ,

Family outing today with non-Spanish speaking family, no Spanish spoken…

Tomorrow we have a play date with Spanish-speaking friends so the mother and I will speak lots of Spanish while the kids lapse into English in another room!

Before this I have to get through emergency shoe shopping with both kids. They literally have nothing to put on their feet except wellies and crocs. Bound to be a nightmare. Maybe I can throw some Spanish in to lighten things up? Seems like a good way to get them used to me speaking it to them is to be funny with it. They like word play.

How it began

Posted May 22, 2011 by mothertongue2
Categories: Being the Spanish speaker

Tags: , , ,

Today my 4 year old wasn’t too well so she didn’t go to Spanish Saturday school with her sister.

I remembered they had enjoyed using the Growstorygrow website so I logged on, so the little one would at least have some Spanish input that day.

I don’t usually speak Spanish to my children and I don’t often hear them speak it either – on the one day a week that the 4 year old is with our Spanish-speaking babysitter she switches back to English as soon as I arrive home. So I don’t have a very good idea of how much Spanish the 4 year old actually knows or remembers, 22 months after we left Spain.

As we were reading some of the animated stories on Growstorygrow together I realised that she actually knows a lot more than I had thought, or hoped.

We were reading a story about clothes and I asked her ‘Que te pongas?’ (What are you going to put on?). She answered ‘Me pongo una bata’. (I’ll put on a housecoat/dressing gown/pinny). This cracked me up as a ‘bata’ is the garment of choice for a middle-aged or elderly Spanish housewife to do the dusting in.

We were having fun and speaking naturally to each other and we continued when her sister got home from Spanish class. We did a game where we had to take it in turns to say a word in English and the others had to see who could say it in Spanish first.

It suddenly seemed to me that maybe I could be the Spanish speaker in this house, that in fact it was the only solution, given the fact that their dad has failed to do what should come naturally to him as a native speaker, who also speaks 2 other languages fluently and can get by in a handful more.

This is how it began.

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