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There is nothing more important than family. Friends will be with you as much as they can, but there are times when even best friends won't be there for you, even as much as they might want to be. But parents? Siblings? They will do anything for you, no matter what the cost or the pain to them. In almost all cases, at least. There are people whose parents abuse them, but that's a story for another day. For today, though, I'm writing a story about family, and it was inspired by how awesome it was to spend two hours with family after a long time of being busy with work and class.
A stray kitten-barely a month old-found its way into my house in Karachi/Pakistan, and dad decided he'd take care of it for a while. Since he's never kept a cat before-he's kept all nine of the dogs we kept, in addition to my peacock & crow & duck & turtles, he's kept goats & fowls and a bunch of other animals-he kept whistling at her and talking to her like he did with our dogs, so it was entertaining. What was more entertaining was how the kitten-he named her billi, which means cat in Urdu-still ran after him even after he tried shooing her away.
Talking to my dad for an hour happens around once a month or so; I text him on Facebook messenger, but get to sit and talk on Skype once a month, so it's one of my biggest blessings in life to have a father who talks to me as a friend and gives me advice, laughs and jokes with me, discusses serious issues and news with me, and intimidates me at the same time (he can easily beat me at wrestling any day). Today, he mentioned how the Karachi Police Officers have been ordered-yes, ordered-to keep all their weaponry with them at all times and not hesitate if they are fired upon-an order that hasn't gone out to officers in a really long time, so I'm praying he'll be alright, and trusting God in His plan for all of us.
The front door opens and he smells the aroma of freshly cooked rice and lentils, before he hears his kids running to the door, one by one, chattering excitedly.
"Dad's home!"
"Hey dad! How was your day?"
"Did you get me anything today?"
"You won't believe what we did in school today! We dissected a frog!"
"Okay, okay, go and wash up for dinner; you can talk to your father at the dining table. Go, now.
How was your day?"
It's a rewarding feeling to come home to a loving family. Even more rewarding is to come home to a family that takes time out of whatever they were doing, whenever they were doing something, to stop doing that, get up, and give you a hug and welcome you home.
Too close? I would say so. Fortunately I was with my boyfriend, who pulled me back...
.. because the tiger jumping crossed all its leg (picture that I couldn't take).
ยฉ All rights reserved.No photosop, not digital.
I miss this girl. But it's looking like I'll at least see her by early August if not sooner. Yay!!! ♥
This was the first picture we tried to take together. As you can see, we are VERY good at being serious.
Dona Paula is nestled on a rocky, hammer shaped headland. This former fishing village has now become a commercialized location for beach resorts and restaurants. With the romance and myth attached to it, tourists throng the Dona Paula beach and Jetty in search of the mystery, besides indulging in water sports.
There are a number of legends behind the alleged Dona Paula Sculpture. The tourists coming here are often told fascinating stories and misguided by tourist guides such as "Dona was married to Paulo, a lowly fisherman. He ventured into deep seas for fishing and is said to have never returned. His dutiful wife Dona supposedly waited for him at the jetty, for so many years that she finally turned into stone!" or another romantic lore. "Dona and Paulo were lovers separated by their caste and nationality and with no other option left, they decided to end their lives, by jumping off the cliff. The Statue on the rock is dedicated to them."
But the truth is far from romantic and tragic, and lacks the power to attract crowds. The truth finally puts all the legends and folklore behind Dona Paula to rest. "Dona is the title given to married women according to Portuguese customs. And Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior is the lady in debate. She is not a romantic figure but definitely a historical figure. She was the daughter of the Portuguese Viceroy of Jaffnapatnam, in Sri Lanka. She and her family arrived in Goa in 1644 and she married a Fidalgo from Spain in 1656. Her husband was Dom Antonio Souto Maior. They were an extremely affluent family and the entire property from the present day Cabo Raj Nivas all the way to Caranzalem belonged to the Souto Maiors. She later passed away on December 16, 1682."
The grave of Dona Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior was found in the transept of the Chapel at the Governor's Palace where a part of her history is engraved on her gravestone. Dona Paula was a woman of charity and is known to have helped the villagers and worked a lot for their betterment, so after her death, the villagers decided to re-name the village as Dona Paula. Initially the village was called Oddavell.
The alleged statue of 'Dona-Paulo' the statue seen today at the jetty in Dona Paula is in reality the sculpture of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Knox. It was a Dutch sculptress, Baroness Yrse Von Leistner who etched the sculpture as she was in awe of the philosopher Robert Knox.
For months I've been seeing the orange construction fencing around a house in our neighborhood that's having a huge addition put on. (The owner's a plastic surgeon -- is that recession-proof?) The fence is unbearably loud with the sun shining through, but also irresistible.
The Big Prize Story baring a woman's secret heart DREAM LOVER. He was more exciting than the husband in arms.
From award winning criminologist R. Barri Flowers and the bestselling author of Murder of the Banker's Daughter, Murder at the Pencil Factory, and The Sex Slave Murders, comes an gripping new historical true crime short, Missing or Murdered: The Disappearance of Agnes Tufverson.
On Monday, December 4, 1933, attractive New York attorney Agnes Colonia Tufverson, 43, and Ivan Poderjay, 33, a captain in the Yugoslav army, got married at the Little Church Around the Corner in New York City. What promised to be a storybook romance for Agnes with a bright future of travel and adventure turned out to be anything but for the newlywed.
Two weeks after the couple tied the knot and had booked passage on the S.S. Hamburg ocean liner for what was supposed to be a European honeymoon, Agnes Tufverson mysteriously vanished under suspicious circumstances. She was never seen or heard from again.
The chief suspect in her disappearance was her new husband, Ivan Poderjay, who not only turned out to be already married, but had other dark secrets and ulterior motives while courting the single and lonely attorney.
Did he kill her? Dump her at sea? Or had Tufverson simply decided to drop out of the life she knew and never look back? The authorities in several countries wondered the very same thing. Read the spellbinding historical and international true story and decide for yourself.
Included are bonus excerpts from other bestselling true crime tales by the author: Murder at the Pencil Factory, The Sex Slave Murders, and The Amityville Massacre.
Follow the author in Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Goodreads, LibraryThing, YouTube, Flickr, Wikipedia, and www.rbarriflowers.com.
PRAISE FOR TRUE CRIME BOOKS BY R. BARRI FLOWERS
"Selected as one of Suspense Magazine's Best of 2011 books." -- John Raab, CEO/Publisher on The Sex Slave Murders
"A gripping account of the murders committed by husband-and-wife serial killers Gerald and Charlene Gallego." -- Gary C. King, true crime author on The Sex Slave Murders
"Vivid case studies of murder to complement this well researched criminology text." -- Scott Bonn, Ph.D., criminology professor on The Dynamics of Murder
"A model of exposition not to be missed by anyone interested in the annals of American criminal behavior." -- Jim Ingraham, Ph.D., professor emeritus of American Studies at Bryant University on The Pickaxe Killers
"R. Barri Flowers always relates an engrossing story." -- Robert Scott, true crime author on The Sex Slave Murders
"Striking, well-written tales sparkle in this ocean of murder." -- Diane Fanning, true crime author on Masters of True Crime
"Exhaustively researched, each storyteller brings their own unique prose to these pages, creating what will soon become a true crime classic." -- Kevin M. Sullivan, true crime author on Masters of True Crime
"This book should be a mandatory purchase and read for any true-crime buff." -- Steven A. Egger, PhD, associate professor on Masters of True Crime
"Incredible cases, psychopathic killers, unwitting victims, along with the very best writers, make for an exciting, no-holds-barred, soon-to-be true-crime classic." -- Dan Zupansky, host of True Murder on Masters of True Crime
"An indispensable sourcebook for anyone interested in American homicide, from law-enforcement professionals to armchair criminologists." -- Harold Schechter, true crime historian on The Dynamics of Murder
www.amazon.com/Missing-Murdered-Disappearance-Agnes-Tufve...
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And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 4:23 King James Version
ยฉ2009 Susan Ogden-All Rights Reserved
Images Thruthelookingglass
My 3rd Grade Science class is studying a unit on water, and it's properties. It has been a fun week full of experiments and hands on learning. One thing that was presented by the teacher i am working with was "the ripple effect" as related to water...but then she went on to present the ripple effect as related to life.
She explained how what one person does or says can have an effect that is far reaching ...it extends beyond that initial kindness or rudeness, and no one knows just how far it will travel. The kids were mesmerized by what she was telling them...never realizing the ramifications of their choice to start the day with a smile and kind words or to start the day lashing out at someone for a perceived injustice. The Ripple Effect is a project for this class during the few weeks leading to Christmas...to see if they can make a "kiindness" ripple far and wide, and teach others about the ripple effect of life. Start with a smile....a kind word...open a door...share a laugh...any small gesture....i bet they will pass it on....and on....and on....
A short personal story.
This is the first video in Fray's new 90-Second Stories group. What's your 90-Second Story?
So yesterday after taking our vehicle to get an oil change I stop in Glen Burnie at the Starbucks to get a caramel macchiatta. When I come out I see these 3 teens hanging around my Mercury Mariner SUV. At first glance I think they are up to no good. But it turns out they just watched a 3 and a half foot long 1 inch in diameter snake slither up into the engine compartment of the SUV! I kid you not!
So I calmly contact the garage where I just come from and ask them to please put the truck back on the lift and get the snake out. Well Bob from the garage, not being too terribly helpful with my dilemma, says, โ My guys didnโt put him in there and they arenโt getting him outโ. But being a nice guy that he was and not wanting to totally leave me out in left field he looks up the non emergency phone number for the police. I thanked him for his help, and promptly dialed the number he gave me. Well the dispatcher tells me, โCall 911!โ I say, โFor a snake?!?!โ He says โyes, it could be dangerous!โ and hangs up on me!
So-o-o-o-o I dial 911. That dispatcher says I need animal control and he says heโll connect me with them. So then Iโm talking to another guy at animal control and I tell him my dilemma and he says heโll send someone out and takes my location info and fone number in case โsheโ needs to call me. โshe, I hear myself say, and he says โYesโ! So Iโm thinking why do I need yet another girl here, I need a man that can help me out with this problem. Anyway, thankfully while Iโm pondering this situation standing there in this hot parking lot watching to make sure this snake hasnโt vacated my vehicle before someone gets here to extricate it, she drives up along with backup, A MAN!!! YAY, Iโm so thrilledโฆ
So they get out and ask me how and why and I tell them โI donโt know, it just slithered up thereโฆanother patron of the Starbucks saw it!! โ I wished sheโd have told me before he did so, butโฆ.anyway they looked and looked and of course couldnโt find the damn thing (itโs a black snake, an alternate serpentine belt, ๏) and told me basically I SOL. Male cop says, โmost likely youโll
chop him up on the drive home!โ MOST Likely, I say?!?!? MOST being the operative word!
Last thing the guy says to me is, โGo ahead and drive it home, the firewalls in vehicles these days are โprettyโ safe but โifโ you happen to see him crawl in, calmly pull the car over, and get out and call us again as weโre on our way to Severn!โ โFunny thatโs where Iโm going, I hear myself sayingโฆโ
So I drive myself and the damn snake home the nerve wracking 11 miles all the while looking out the rear view mirror and hoping to see him fall out bit by bit. But when I get home, I back up into the driveway and park the SUV and get out and go around the front to โcheck to see if I can see him, mind you not expecting him to still be thereโโฆโฆ..WHEN YES, heโs still there and is looking at me from between the grill!!!!! Well Iโm not really afraid of snakes, but he scared me so I screamed and of course he recoiled back into the engine compartment.
So I called 911 again. This time there was no answer so I hung up. Yes, no answer! Just as I had resolved myself to the fact that Iโm stuck with this guy til he decides to leave, the 911 dispatcher calls back and I proceed to tell her heโs still there. She says, โ we sent someone out earlier and it was determined that the engine block is too tight for us to get him out, we donโt have anything to get him out with except tongs; and if I leave the vehicle alone heโll PROBABLY come out at night when heโs hungry; and blah, blah, blah and again Iโm SOL basically!โ
So now Iโm sitting on our driveway on snake watch waiting for him to get hungry and leave. After an hour and fifteen minutes I see him peek out the grill again and I run inside the house to get Doug whoโs been home now about 15 minutes and is unconcerned about the whole thing. He gets his shoes on and by the time we get out there again, the snakes gone back into the engine area.
So back Doug goes into the house, and I proceed to watch and wait til it gets too dark and starts raining on me! Still no damn snake.
So Friday, Doug goes off to work and says to me as heโs leaving, โItโs take a snake to work day!โ
Mind you Doug works 26 miles from here out in the boonies and just picture this snake getting in an SUV on Thursday afternoon and waking up on Friday 37 miles from his houseโฆโฆ.Iโll bet his wife is pisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssed!โ
True story...happened on Thursday!
While a freshman at a Tennessee university, I had some realistic recurring dreams. I cannot remember the exact number -- it was probably three but could have been greater. The dreams were always exactly the same in every detail.
Each dream always started out in the student center in a part that I had never been. I was going down the wide main staircase. There were other students walking and talking on the stairs. I had just made the turn on the landing and was going down the bottom flight of stairs leading to a glossy floor below. There were some students leaning against the wall and a few groups sitting on different benches down there. Without warning I ran into a female student knocking her belongings to the shiny floor with a loud crash which attracted everyone's attention. All those present were glancing my direction momentarily. I always awoke at this point.
One day there was reason to be in the student center and while descending the staircase there was something vaguely familiar about this place. With each step I came to realize that it was as if I had done this before. Time seemed to slow down. The faces of all the students there seemed very familiar although I never had actually met nor seen any of them before. I thought I recognized the two guys leaning against the wall at the bottom of the steps. The couple sitting on one bench was recognizable in appearance. The two other students sitting on another bench talking to a standing student were also familiar to me somehow. And then I realized that I had seen all of this in my dreams. I knew what was going to happen next! Suddenly I collided with a girl who seemed to appear out of nowhere. The things she was carrying were flung outwards. As if in slow-motion all of the items settled down to the shiny hard floor making a loud crashing sound. Everyone all around turned their heads in the direction of the disturbance. Then the perception of normal passage of time resumed. I was flustered and bent down to help retrieve some of the strewn books. I mechanically handed the books to her with mumbled apologies and she swiftly went on her way. Although by this time the onlookers had resumed their own conversations, I still felt a little self conscious.
The events were exactly as I had foreseen in my dreams. The erie familiarity of it all was quite unsettling. It was really amazing about all of the details that came back to me as it was actually happening. The sense that time had slowed down seemed pretty strange but in retrospect allowed me to fully take in the whole scene. Although I had the feeling that I knew what was going to happen, I felt totally unable to change anything or prevent any occurrences. Each dream had seemed so real and now it was a reality. Of course the recurring dreams happened no more. Everything was now merely a series of trivial vivid memories.
ยฉ Phillip Hughes