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A February Sunday day trip into rural Saskatchewan, I grab a default cup of coffee at Tim Horton's before heading North where I'll catch the choice mid afternoon descending light. I hadn't overheard any interesting stories at the city coffee franchise, maybe the day would bring something entirely different. Patrons seemed rather non-chatty.
An hour later, a friendly Larry B. from Mendham, Saskatchewan greets me on main street while out walking his dogs and spunky cat. Little remains from those thriving days, I focus on Jeff's Farm Supply and a modern Credit Union. Some ice is melting on the street, the air is country fresh.
"This must have been the gathering spoon for coffee daily, it has a good vibe" I suggest.
"A few of us currently meet in that tiny post office facility, Jeff's Farm Supply closed the doors ten years ago." says Larry. "It was a beehive once. We just tore down the old building across from Jeff's last year."
"We're now down to 19 residents from 35. Curling rinks used to pull these communities together, connecting families, creating purpose. At one time we had multiple grain elevators, a general store, meeting places, town hall, a curling rink, churches, bakery, farm implements, and other amenities. It's difficult finding a doctor to remain in residence for the long haul, naturally they're attracted to the cities lights."
As I left I feel some sort of hidden attachment to this village, yet couldn't place a finger on the connection. Some digging back home, it all starts making sense. I discover my Grandfather farmed this area shortly after immigrating to Canada.
I offer to buy Larry a coffee, but our options are limited.
"I'll look you up when I'm in the city sometime, catch up on urban legends" he replies.
*Please view LARGE for best rural detail
**Textures courtesy of Brenda Starr
***Always___Thank You for your generous visits and comments
[Mendham is a village in Happyland Rural Municipality No. 231 in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan]
Red Herrings :
Act Three - Herrings shaken, not stirred
Sunday, early Morning.
The Chief Inspectors Superior, roused out of bed by the baron in his castle, called his subordinate at 4:20 in the Sunday morning. The screws were royally applied to the whole affair, he demanded full reports first in thing morning and continuing on a regular basis as developments were made, up until the kidnapped girls were recovered.
The Chief Inspector and his team were back at the investigation by 8 am the next morn .
A run through the Interpol computers came up with a only few isolated events of jewels disappearing while being worn.
A few dances, shopping malls and theatres… but only one or two pieces at a time, nothing ever reported missing from one function on this large a scale. But no descriptions of any of the thieves were obtained, and no arrest reports filed ! So there was a complete dead-end end to that line of inquiry!
There was also received back word back about any matches to his descriptions of the Priest, dark skinned man, two ladies, and the members of the filming crew from the interviewed guests the evening before. Interpol’s collection of known thieves and kidnappers turned up no close hits, although a list of suspected jewel thieves known to be in the area was given, further murking the already muddied up waters a bit….
He handed the lists over to a Detective inspector and his team to trace down any leads.
Now, in the Chief inspectors view, that meant they were a probably after a group of solo thieves who had come up with the idea of collaboration of skills for this event, with a bit of kidnapping on the side. And probably also had managed to stay under the radar, up until now! Which hopefully meant they were younger, and more likely to eventually make a mistake !
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Chief Inspector than dispatched a Detective Sargent and 4 constables, along with and a dog handler with a German Shepard trained to smell blood and cadavers, back out to St. Andrews to give the grounds a thorough going over in daylight.
There was nothing further to report until 9:am, when the Detective sergeant sent out to check round the hotels had finally located the actor and the actress at the hotel both were staying at. He was in route now with the pair.
Each one, upon arrival, was placed into separate guarded interview rooms.
The information both gave was unfortunately quite limited.
The Chief Inspector interviewed the actor first:
Yes he knew the director, a mid -level talent usually found working in small series. He lived in London, like the actor did.
Yes he knew the director’s London address, but no , he did not know where the director and his crew were spending the weekend in town. Theirs had had been short scripts, with no real, need for rehearsals or meetings. It was only for a test shoot, wasn’t it? So they had only met when the limo had deposited them at the filming site.
The actress was staying in the same hotel, and the Limo had collected and dropped them both off. They had been alone in the Limo, the director and his assistant had ridden in the jumper seat of the black van driven by one of the camera men. No, he never saw them loading anything in the van. Much too busy signing autographs, wasn’t he?
No, other than the director, he had never met or worked with any other members of the film crew.
No, he had never been at St. Davids before, and had not known any of the guests there.
No, he had been too focused on his job to pay any attention to what was going on amongst the guests. He did not see anything unusual.
He read over the descriptions of the troupe of thieves, but did not admit to having noticed then=m either.
Bloody twit, the Chief Inspector though gruffly to himself as he departed the interview, to damn full of himself!
The Actress was than interviewed:
She was a heartbreaker, not overly intelligent, whose main acting credentials apparently were her legs!
She also much gave the same answers as the actor, with a couple of notable exceptions…
She had only done a few plays on the Eastend , and a small part in a tv commercial. This was her first time doing any type of filming for a movie. No she was not contacted by the director personally, her agent had told her about it and had arranged everything.
No, she never heard where the director or his crew were staying, or had ever met or worked with any of em prior to the weekend.
She had met all of them, including the actor, for the first time that night at St. Davids.
Of course she had met the actor first on the Limo drive she corrected herself giggling. No, there had been no rehearsals, the scripts had been simple, and add libbing had been encouraged. since it was only a test shoot with a limited budget, there was to be no dress rehearsals!
Just to be paid for an evening’s work and hotel fare, that was all the job entailed.
She had been at St. Davids before, as a young girl out for a holiday with her parents, had taken the tour of the historic building and grounds.
She also had not really seen anything out of the ordinary going on amongst the guests.
When she had gone through the descriptions she did remember the dark skinned gentleman who she thought looked rather dashing in his tux, and had actually looked out for him during the autograph signing. But he had failed to make an appearance.
Though she thought she had glimpsed him standing off talking to a lady in a green gown in a corner of the garden as she was waiting to sign autographs . But she could not be sure, she giggled nervously...she had looked at the spot while leaving she admitted coyly, but no one was there.
Could she give a description of the lady he was talking too. No she giggled, it had been the dark skinned man she was hoping would have asked for her autograph, not them!
Did you see or meet any priests.
She had remembered seeing a couple of priests, She knew one had met them at the door, but really could not describe him.
All priests looked the same, don’t they now? , she giggled once again, causing the female constable observer to wince as she stood at attention behind the actress.
Did any of the priests ask for your autograph ? Nope, none of them, but that would have been a lark now, wouldn’t it have? She giggled again.
But of course, it had been a priest who had supplied the pens and paper, hadn’t it.
Yes she said after some thought, but giggled, don’t think I would recognize him ever again!
They both, of course tried asking their own questions, but were met with tight lipped silence from the Chief inspector.
Dead ends, the both of them
They were advised not to leave the area until further notice and released.
The Chief Inspector sat in his office pondering…
So, was there a reason a pair of lesser known actors had been recruited. And was it important that neither of them had met or worked with the filming crew before. How much time was actually spent on giving out the autographs? It had been the, or a , priest who had started the autograph session. Was another reason for it, a more sinister one perhaps?
So the Director and his crew were still mysteriously missing, and what part of all this did they play?
He decided that they needed to be the major focus of the investigation…especially since the suspected thieves as of yet, had not been identified.
And after all he reasoned, their van was the only vehicle seen in the area to have been able to conceal 3 kidnap victims!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Chief Inspector immediately dispatched the sergeant and a constable to the directors townhouse in London, after contacting Scotland Yard to send a man around and detain the Director, or to hold the area if no one was home until his sergeant detective arrived on scene.
He told the Detective Sergeant, that once the director and crew were rounded up, to make sure he acquired the film… It may came in handy to see what the cameras may have caught in regards to whom was doing to what to whom in the background!
Meanwhile the three victims whom had phoned in that night before, arrived promptly at ten as requested.
The inspector interviewed each of the couples separately:
^^
The first couple came in, a retired colonel and his rather quiet lady.
The colonel tried to do all the talking for both of them, but he was quickly hushed, and his wife, obviously no used to being able to speak in public, managed to wrench out a few syllables.
She had worn a diamond brooch shaped like a robin in flight. A body and wings of diamonds, with red ruby eyes and a red ruby breast. It had belonged to her husband’s mother, one piece of a rather large collection she had inherited some many years back.
They had no children, or close relatives, so they had been there alone. She had gone out to watch the filming in the gardens whilst her husband had been in the smoking area upstairs.
No she had not been in any contact with the film crew…
At first she really did not remember anything else out of the ordinary. But after the Chief Inspector had given her a brief description of the all the suspects, she did recall a rather pleasant priest who apparently had been tripped into her. She had been talking to him when her husband had come with her wrap, and had ever so gallantly helped her on with it. At this her husband snorted.
The Chief Inspector than tried to ask the colonel(ret) some questions, but the man stubbornly refused to admit that he had had time to bother observing anything his fellow guests were doing!
Neither one recalled when the last time they had seen the brooch, not missing it until up in their rooms getting ready to retire.
^^
The second couple came in, a bit younger than the first, in their forties.
The husband was an investment banker, a rather stuffy, slick specimen with a thin moustache and a gold capped toothy smile. He had spent most of the evening chatting it up with clients and potential clients. With him it was always business, and his wife was frequently left alone to her own devices.
His wife was a tallish lady, quite regal in appearance, poise and manner. She had lost her rather valuable bracelet. She looked sad when she mentioned her lose, her husband just smiled, no worries love, jut buy another, like falling of a horse, the sooner you get back on, the better you will feel!
She had been one of the ones asked to dance in the background and as her husband was not available, had danced with a man whose description fitted with the dark skinned male wearing the fancy tux to a tea.
But she had also been out in the gardens and had remembered talking to a pretty blonde in red taffeta. No, she had not been bumped, and the lady had been a keen on her necklace, holding it up , with her permission, for a better look. Never mentioned or looked at the bracelet?
Do you have any idea when the last time you remembered seeing your bracelet my dear? The Chief Inspector asked curiously.
The wife though long and hard over this, no she admitted, couldn’t remember. But than my mind was on the filming wasn’t it.
So, did you see the two of em together then, the dark skinned Romeo and the lady in red taffeta? No she had not, but she had seen the darker skinned man talking to a younger lady girl wearing a red satin gown.
She gave a description, and it matched that if one of the missing twins, right down to her sparkling jewels.
Where did you see them talking he asked mildly interested ( would not do to scare her off the question) The girl was standing talking to one of the film crew, man with a camera, the man in the tux was standing behind her, also asking questions….
A few more questions produced nothing more of interest, though the Chief Inspector felt that he may at long last be starting to untangle the thorny problem that was his case!
^^
The third and last couple proved to be no lesser snobs than the first.
The husband was a rather pompous barrister, man in his late 50’s. He sat down with a stern look placed upon his face, listening intently to make sure all questions were prompt and to the point.
His wife was a rather pretty thing, chirpy, with big blue eyes and reddish hair, short ,only about 4’11 and quite a bit younger than the fuming barrister, just barely into her thirties, an autumn spring romance if ever there was…
She had started out twittering her story with a high pitched voice that was almost comical:
Her and her husband had danced a bit, before the Barrister’s knee had flamed up and he sought refuge in the smoking lounge, where he stayed until his wife had collected him early, so he could take his medication before turning in..
Since she was already wearing her wrap, he had not noticed the missing diamond pendent with its diamond chain from around her throat.
Yes, the wife remembered seeing a priest entering with the film crew, and he had actually appeared at her shoulder son after her husband had left and engaged her in friendly conversation.
The wife remembered having danced with a few gentleman during the filming… one of which again matched the description of the Dark skinned Romeo.
He had stood a good 2 heads taller than her, and she remembered how low he had to bend over to talk to her. He had been ever so nice, and had taken her to collect her wrap, and had helped her on with it.
What was your warp the inspector asked?
A white Russian sable cape, with diamond clasps. A gift from her husband, like the pendent….
Nice gifts, thought the chief Inspector dryly, wonder what indiscretions the barrister bloke was paying for ! He thought to himself.
The wife had left right after the filming. Though she would have like to have met the actor. She had seen him entering with a priest, and had seen the priest as her dance partner was helping her into the sable warp wrap. On a lark she thought about staying and asking the priest if he could arrange meeting the actor for her.
She had gone up to him, and had asked him that very same question. He apologized, but said it was not his right to ask him for such a favor. He had been very pleasant about it all, and had complimented her on her attire.
So you showed him what you were wearing. Yes she giggles, I had unfastened me cape so he could get a better look, and I was hoping it would help me make my case. Was that bad of me, trying something like that on a Priest? She chirped coyly.
Her husband snorted his displeasure.
Did you notice atoll if you were still wearing your pendent, no she admitted blushing, I was too nervous about asking the priest my question . He had helped her button back up, and that was the end of it.
She had gone upstairs to collect her husband, and the chauffer drove them home soon afterwards…
The husband just grunted, what she said, when the Chief Inspector tried to delicately question the Barrister.
He let them both go, entering his office to find a pair of sergeants writing out their reports.
The first one reported that none of the hotels checked in the area had the name or description of the director, his assistant or the two cameramen, which in the detectives eyes, made it all the more suspicious about what part they all had played in the kidnappings.
The second sergeant was in from the task force sent to scour the grounds.
No further evidence of the thefts, or of missing girls was uncovered. No scuffle marks, loose jewels, or even a broken branch was found to give a Clue as to what had transpired that evening, or what had happened to the vanished girls..
There was a set of tyre marks leading from the parking lot past the small stone house with the green door. They were suspicious because they appeared to have been made in a hurry, cutting through the lawn to take a short cut. Plaster castes had been made of those imprints..
So nothing really new to put a decent spin on the case, The Chief Inspector thought bleakly..
It was a rather downtrodden Chief Inspector who called in with his bi - hourly update.
He promptly had his head chewed off and served to him on a platter….
Do you mean lad, that three ultra-wealthy girls with important ultra- wealthy parents, and a small fortune in jewels had all vanished, totally and completely, with no evidence to speak of!?
Blimey lad, what have you been playin at, cause it certainly aint the game of detecting!
Not atoll satisfactory Inspector, not atoll !!!
Listen ere now, place every available man on this case, follow down every thread you can find, no matter how thin!
And if those girls are not back with their families within the next 24 hours, you will be demoted so fast your head will spin laddie, and I will find someone to take your sorry place who knows how to run a proper investigation!!!!
It does no good mate, the Chief Inspector’s Superior roared at him through the phone, to eliminate where the girls aren’t, and who has not got them, we need to know where they are and in whose clutches!!!!!!
With that the phone was slammed down on the other end, and the C.I. leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He knew he needed to find answers or heads would have to roll, his being first, knocking down the others like so many bowling nine pins!!
He opened his eyes wide and sat straight up… And why the bloody ‘ell has there been no ransom demand!?
Or had there? He reached for the phone, sending extra men around to the Manor and the Castle telling them to lie low and follow anyone who comes and goes from the house…
Two hours later he still did not have the answer to that particular question about the unsent ransom notes, but he was to find the answer to another perturbing question, and the first real break in the case….!
Two hours later, The two police officers sent by the Chief Inspector had arrived at the directors London town house only to find it deserted. As they stood at the back of the Townhouse talking to an officer form London, a sports car could be heard crunching along the long graveled driveway in front ……………….
End of Act 3
“Quand on rencontre un mystère, on croit généralement être scélérats cachés “
Author Unknown
To be Continued 😉
Demander pour utilisation merci - Ask for use thanks.
© Michel Guérin. Tous droits réservés - All rights reserved ©.
(Woliwon) Merci beaucoup pour vos visites et commentaires ♥, thank you so much for the visit and kind comments.
Un gros merci à ceux qui partagent leur découverte.
Sick of the dry, stagnant air of the Death Star and tired of Emperor Palpatine's ridiculous demands, Stormtrooper #15743 stepped out to the lunar surface to ponder a change in professions.
Strobist Info: SB-600 camera right, level with subject, fired at 1/16 power with a half-assed snoot made from a piece of printer paper. Triggered by Cactus V4's, as always.
Disclaimer: This is my nephew's little toy, and I really know nothing about Star Wars, so if any of this information doesn't make sense, I'm sorry.
Demander pour utilisation merci - Ask for use thanks.
© Michel Guérin. Tous droits réservés - All rights reserved ©.
Merci beaucoup pour vos visites et commentaires ♥, thank you so much for the visit and kind comments.
Un gros merci à ceux qui partagent leur découverte.
Si l'on demandait à un citoyen pris au hasard ce que signifie pour lui le 25 novembre, nul doute que cela ne lui évoquerait pas grande chose sauf peut-être la Sainte Catherine s'il a gardé en mémoire de vieilles traditions... C'est pourtant la date choisie par les Nations Unies pour célébrer la Journée Internationale pour l'Elimination de la Violence contre les Femmes. La couleur retenue par cette journée est le orange qui veut symboliser un monde meilleur pour les femmes et les filles. On connaît également cette journée sous le nom de Orange Day.
Son origine remonte à 1960, lorsqu'en République Dominicaine les sœurs Mirabal furent assassinées parce qu'elles militaient pour leurs droits. Elles devinrent alors les symboles du combat pour éradiquer ce fléau qu'est la violence à l'égard des femmes. Quelques décennies plus tard, l'événement ne parvient toujours pas à capter l'attention de la communauté internationale... Pourtant, les sévices et tortures infligés par des hommes à des millions de femmes, sont bien réels et les colonnes de tous les journaux de la terre ne suffiraient pas si l'on voulait recenser la totalité de ces crimes.
Aujourd’hui, la violence à l’égard des femmes et des filles constitue l’une des violations des droits de l’homme les plus répandues, les plus persistantes et les plus dévastatrices dans le monde.
Les inégalités entre les sexes persistent dans le monde entier, empêchant les femmes et les filles d'exercer leurs droits fondamentaux et compromettant les perspectives qui s'offrent à elles. Selon le dernier rapport du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies, des efforts plus énergiques devront être faits pour parvenir à l'égalité des sexes et autonomiser les femmes et les filles, notamment sur le plan juridique, afin de lutter contre les discrimination sexistes profondément ancrées, qui sont souvent la conséquence d'attitudes patriarcales et de normes sociales apparentées.
La violence à l'égard des femmes est la forme la plus extrême de discrimination. D'après les données recueillies auprès de 87 pays de 2005 à 2016, 19% des femmes âgées de 15 à 49 and affirmaient avoir subi des violences physiques ou sexuelles infligées par un partenaire intime au cours des 12 mois ayant précédé l'enquête. Dans les cas les plus extrêmes, ces violences peuvent conduire à la mort. En 2012, près de la moitié des femmes victimes d'homicides volontaires dans le monde avaient été tuées par un partenaire intime ou un membre de leur famille, contre 6% des hommes.
La mutilation génitale féminine représente un autre cas d'extrême violence. Cette pratique a baissé de 24% depuis l'an 2000 environ. Pourtant, sa prévalence reste élevée dans certains des 30 pays disposant de données représentatives à ce sujet. Une enquête réalisée dans ces pays vers 2015 révèle que plus d'une fille sur 3 âgées de 15 à 19 ans a subi un type de mutilation sexuelle, contre près d'une sur deux autour de l'an 2000.
Enfin, tout juste un peu plus de la moitié (52%) des femmes âgées de 15 à 49 ans, qui sont mariées ou vivent en union libre, prennent leurs propres décisions en matière de sexualité, de méthodes contraceptives et de services de santé. Ce chiffre est tiré de données remontant à 2012 environ, disponibles pour 45 pays dont 43 situés dans des régions en développement.
une chanson de Zazie que j'aime beaucoup pour accompagner cette journée : "Aux armes citoyennes" youtu.be/JYCqcQpR4-0
La clôture du choeur est ornée de hauts-reliefs de style gothique. Ils furent réalisés entre 1490 et 1530 à la demande du chanoine Adrien de Hénencourt.
Les niches sont peuplées de personnages polychromes.
I've always felt sorry for folks who were perfectly happy as kids, teenagers, and young adults. There's an unseen downside in having no context for darkness – when your shadow finally sneaks up to grab you, you've got no natural immunity. I've seen the bottom fall out for a lot of men in my age group, hit hard in their twenties and thirties. They don't know how to deal with it, so end up unhinged or shut down all together. I've got sympathy for the former, but find the latter hard to relate. Giving up the fight is understandable, but hardly honourable. A lot of middle-aged guys think that their dullness is earned. Hard work is exhausting, and at the end of the day, they just want to shut off. But the outlet of making a mess of yourself is underrated. I don't mean anger, that's cheap. You've gotta be stronger to get weak. I cry at shows and movies, laugh at simple beauty, feel emotionally overwhelmed on a daily basis. I keep absolutely nothing to myself. It was a tough thing to learn. At first, all your bleeding is black and congealed, just a disgusting misery to be around. But eventually, the blood flows bright red and fully oxygenated – and the wounds you stopped trying to stifle will heal.
Some of my earliest memories are of feeling somehow off, wearing an unnamed emotional weight, or buzzing from unseen anxiety. That was in my head from the start. Growing up wasn't something I'd want to repeat. Most of my childhood was outwardly happy, but inside, I was a mess. I still sense that static in my background daily, waiting to rise. But that's not how I present face-to-face. Over the past fifteen years, I've become steadily attuned to the light of interaction, pleasures of human connection. Any chance to open up has treated me well. I thought the day would never come when I wasn't constantly complaining, broke down from dragging myself through life. I thought I'd have to wear the badge most men in my family had sewn to their skin by the time I was born – cold and distant like survival demanded it. It was a hell of a heartache, but I shook loose and left myself exposed. Took a hard look at everything, audited my emotions, didn't accept that apathy is earned. It's a curse compiled from a life of not caring. If thawing out doesn't seem worth it at the moment, that's all the evidence you should need that it is.
March 9, 2025
St. Croix Cove, Nova Scotia
Year 18, Day 6328 of my daily journal.
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GIMMEE!
www.zoomybluebird.com/2014/05/gimmee.html
*Featuring Silken Moon*
Had a photo shoot in downtown El Paso, which for me is always a waste since I bore in close. In the case of Cherie her eyes demanded attention. This beautful young lady is the daughter of one of our photography club members. I'm going to try and set up a photoshoot with her at a later date.
Commentary.
Yet another view that demands attention, in each and every season.
In spring the gorse adds a golden glow to such scenes, but early winter, and early spring add the spectacle of gleaming white, snowy peaks above 600 metres, 2,000 feet.
This marks these famous sentinels with a visibility that matches their aesthetic status.
Here, the pine-forested slopes of Sgùrr Mhic Bharraich have been largely cleared for timber production.
But soon, newly planted conifers will start the whole cycle of re-generation.
Glen Shiel village clusters around its river, bridge, pine-copse
and road junction like a veritable toy-town.
I continue my travels over the watershed to Glenelg, the mighty impressive fjord that is Loch Hourn and the isolated villages of Arnisdale and Corran.
The vistas roll on in spectacular fashion!
Well, the 375 is certainly an interesting route! Passingford Bridge is literally in the middle of nowhere and the route goes through some very odd areas, with some interesting countryside views. I was lucky to get this DD, a single decker was used later in the day. A grand total of 7 people boarded the bus on my journey, but only I enjoyed the 50mph thrash in Stapleford Abbotts.
The Demand for a Sign
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
[Matthew 16:1-4 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
November 21st, 2042
A couple of hours after getting taken away by the Court of Owls, Batman awakens in a cell at an unknown location. Before he’s able to recover from the effects of the sedatives he got hit with and regain his strength two people dressed in black clothes, wielding sharp and gold-colored weapons, enter his cell and order him to follow them. As he struggles to stand up he notices that the exoskeleton from his suit has powered down, making it much more difficult to move around at all and leaving him in no shape to stand up against them. He complies and follows the one figure as the other one takes position behind him. After walking for a short while they end up in a long hallway, with a red carpet on the floor, expensive furniture on either side of the hall and large paintings hanging from the walls. Batman takes a look at the wall decorations and notices that every single painting features a person holding a strange owl-shaped mask in front of their face. There’s a door at the end of the hallway, guarded by two people wearing the same outfit as the ones escorting him. They open the door for them, giving way to a spacious and empty courtroom. Behind the judge’s desk stands a giant wooden statue of an owl, decorated with gold accents and lit with candles around it. On the sides of the room are several giant windows, all covered with dark red curtains which prevents any natural light from entering the place. Only Helena is sitting in the room, tied to a chair at the defendant’s table.
Batman gets escorted into the room and forced to sit on the chair next to Helena as he gets restrained as well. Before he can ask his daughter if she’s okay, the gates of the courtroom swing open as a group of masked individuals march into the room. They all silently take a seat on the public benches behind the two right as the jury enters the room as well, conveniently all wearing the same owl-shaped mask too. As they all sit down at the exact same time Helena begins nervously looking around her, intimidated by the situation she is now in. A door inside the giant owl statue opens, out of which a judge appears. Batman notices the judge seems to be the same person who appeared in the Wayne Tower and ordered them to come to the Court in the first place. He takes a seat, breaks the silence by slamming his hammer on the table and demands order in the courtroom, starting their trial against Batman and Robin.
The judge starts by telling about the Court of Owls, explaining how they have been around since Gotham was established decades ago. For years they managed to rule the city from the shadows, killing anyone who found out about their existence or opposed them using a group of specifically trained assassins called the Talons. When a certain masked vigilante began running around Gotham they didn’t see him as a threat at first. Finding that having him assassinated by the Talons would be a bit excessive they instead opted to orchestrate a series of events which would lead to a deranged serial killer by the name of Zsaz escaping from Arkham. Knowing that the Batman would take it upon himself to go after him, they hoped that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the killer and get killed while fighting him. However, they found themselves astonished as Batman managed to defeat Zsaz with ease, something they had not taken into consideration. Realizing the danger of him running around Gotham they considered ordering the Talons to murder him, but changed their mind after he coincidentally started targeting several of their opponents. The Court then decided to willingly let Batman fight the criminal world of Gotham without interfering, only stepping in if he accidentally stumbled upon them or started targeting them. All the while, the Court continued to influence the city from the shadows.
Roughly 5 years later, a long series of unfortunate events led to the Dark Knight retiring. With the Batman no longer being a possible threat to the Court, they decided to start spreading out their influence more while making certain their existence was kept a secret. Over the decades, dozens of wannabe vigilantes hoping to step into the footsteps of the Dark Knight started to make their way onto the streets. As rumors of a secret underground society who are secretly controlling Gotham started leaking, many of them started to seek them out and found their way right on the doorstep of the Court. In order to preserve their secret they were forced to murder everyone who stood in their way, having to cover up the assassinations to not arouse any suspicions. After decades of doing this the Court of Owls decided they could not continue covering up the disappearances of teen vigilantes, deciding to take action by making a statement by taking down the Dark Knight. Upon discovering his identity and tracking him down using the help of a deranged Edward Nigma and a frail Hugo Strange, they began orchestrating a long plot in order to get him to put on the suit again. One of the Talons assassinated Selina and left behind evidence to make him suspect the Joker, knowing this would motivate him to return to Gotham to investigate. By using a tiny improvised explosive device hidden within the playing card they hoped to detonate it while he was holding it within Arkham. However, they did not account for Batman giving the card to Joker himself, which allowed him to survive the blast and only killed the Clown Prince of Crime along with the other Arkman inmates. After so many years, they decided enough was enough; it was time to put him on trial in front of the Court of Owls for standing in their way too much.
Batman barely has any time to process what he just heard as the crowd and jury start shouting how they think they are guilty. There’s no way they would win a case against a kangaroo court like this; their decision was already made way before the trial started. The judge slams his hammer down again, silencing the chaos as he prepares to read his verdict. Due to being found guilty of interfering with the plans of the Court of Owls, Batman and Robin get sentenced to death at the hands of the Talons right now. The judge asks if he has anything to say about his verdict, but cuts him off right as he is about to speak up. The spectators and jury start cheering and clapping as two of the Talons walk into the courtroom, each entering on opposite sides of the room. They take their positions in front and behind the two, unsheathing their golden weapons to prepare for battle. One member of the Court gets ordered to untie the Dynamic Duo in order to make the odds more fair as the rest of the crowd prepares to watch as the Batman finally gets taken down by the Court of Owls after so many years.
The Talon behind Batman strikes first and stabs him in the back, but his armor prevents the blade from piercing through his skin. He manages to reactivate his exosuit and turns around, ready to fight again as he pulls out a Batarang from his belt. His enemy strikes again, aiming for the exposed skin around his mouth instead, but Batman manages to deflect it with his own weapon. He uses the opportunity to slice the Talon in the arm, although this doesn’t phase him. Batman holds his hand in front of his face and casts a glance at the spectators, seeing they are all silently toasting for their demise with expensive drinks in their hands. His short distraction gives the Talon an opportunity to successfully hit him, but Helena deflects the attack at the last moment with her own weapon stick. He compliments her for being able to stand her ground against their opponents before continuing the battle. The Talon starts attacking more and more fiercely, slowly managing to weaken Batman’s defenses while coming closer to getting a successful strike on him. He tries his best to keep up with him, but Batman slowly starts to become weaker and weaker with every attack. Right as he is about to slash the Dark Knight in the face, the leader of the Court suddenly commands the assassins to stop attacking. Unsure of what to do, the Talons lay down their weapons for a moment as they watch what their leader’s intentions are right now. He mutters something about hearing a weird noise outside as he walks towards the window and lifts up the curtains. Batman tries to get a glimpse of the outside world to locate their hideout if they manage to get out, but he soon picks up the sound outside too; he hears the loud revving of an engine in the distance slowly coming towards them, accompanied by the sound of a car horn. The crowd gathers around the window to see what the commotion is about, but quickly runs away in terror as the Batmobile crashes through the wall at full speed.
Pieces of debris rain down everywhere as the vehicle comes to a screeching halt right in front of Batman and Robin. Chaos ensues in the room as each member of the Court desperately tries to make their escape, terrified of the imposing black vehicle which just crashed through the wall of their hideout. The door opens as the person driving the Batmobile beeps the horn, prompting them to jump inside. Batman kicks the Talon in front of him to the ground and hits the other one in the chest with several batarangs to give them a window to escape. He and Helena jump inside the Batmobile as he takes control of the steering wheel, closing the door right before the Talons can make their way inside. He puts his boot on the gas pedal and activates the rocket booster in order to make their escape from the Court. As they are driving through the streets of Gotham early in the morning, Barbara appears on one of the screens of the console, asking if they are alright. She explains that she left the Wayne Enterprises building for a short moment to check up on her case at the GCPD, but when she returned she saw the camera footage of them getting abducted. Although it was impossible for her to track them down at first since the Court of Owls covered up almost all of their tracks, Batman reactivating his high-tech suit set off a GPS signal which allowed her to pinpoint their location. With the help of a new modification to the Batmobile she was able to remotely control the armored vehicle for a while to reach the place and to help them escape.
Helena sighs of relief, tired of the confrontation they just went through when she says that they must’ve escaped the Court by now. However, right after she says this the two feel something landing on the roof of the Batmobile. Before they can react, one of the Talon’s golden weapons cuts through the armored material like butter, making an opening for himself to enter the vehicle. Batman stands up from his seat and orders Helena to drive despite her not having any driving experience yet as he deals with the Talon standing in the cramped open space in the back of the Batmobile. He makes his way towards him, feeling the cold morning air cut through his skin while he begins punching his enemy. After hitting him a couple of times the Talon catches his fist inside his hand, landing a couple of strikes on his face and damaging his cowl before Batman kicks him right in the stomach. The impact of the kick makes him land hard on the cold floor of the Batmobile, but before he can recover Batman leaps on top of him and starts pounding him in the head. He stops for a short moment to charge up his exosuit for a bigger punch, but the vehicle suddenly making a sharp turn to get outside of Gotham, makes him miss the Talon and denting the floor instead. While he recovers and tries to get another punch in, the other Talon lands on the front of the car and begins damaging the engine. Helena makes a couple more sharp turns in an effort to get him off the car but all it does is make Batman lose his balance, giving him a disadvantage in the fight. As smoke begins coming from the engine Helena loses control of the vehicle, prompting Batman to abandon the fight to prevent them from going off the road. However, he is too late; before he can do anything, the Batmobile crashes through the guardrail on the ride of the road, sending them all tumbling down a hill.
When Helena regains consciousness, she feels herself getting dragged out of the wreckage which was once the Batmobile. Pieces of wreckage are scattered everywhere as the smell of smoke fills her nose. Once she is at a safe distance away from the wreck, she is able to properly see the damage; the Batmobile is laying upside down with a fire having erupted in the engine as several important components of the car have been damaged or broken off. Suddenly, she notices one of the Talons crawling away from the wreck. His outfit has been torn and burned, with him being unable to walk because of the crash. Batman sees him too, and begins slowly walking towards him. The Talon notices this and for the first time he hears one of them speak as he begins pleading for him to put him out of his misery. Batman stays silent for a while before telling him to go back to the Court. He wants him to relay a message to them, warning that it will take much more than this to take down Batman. They tried their best to get rid of him, and they failed. If they try this again, he won't be taken by surprise like this time and warns that he will do whatever it takes to take down the entire Court by himself. The Talon begins crying out that the Court of Owls will just murder him for this fiasco, but Batman ignores him and turns around leaving him on his own. He calls Barbara to pick them up as he puts an arm around Helena, complimenting her for what she did today as the Batmobile continues to burn down behind them.
Roughly a week has passed since the incident with the Court. Despite Bruce and Barbara’s best efforts, they haven't managed to track down the Court again; upon returning to the place where he was taken to to be put on trial, he only found an empty and abandoned building with all of the furniture and decorations taken away. Barbara has taken the wreckage of the Batmobile back to the Wayne Enterprises building, developing plans to rework the vehicle into something else instead of simply rebuilding it.
During a boring evening at the Wayne Building, the regularly scheduled tv programme gets interrupted by a newsflash; A terrorist going by the name of Bane, suspected to be the person responsible for getting a majority of Gotham addicted to Venom, has attacked the Gotham Stock Exchang. In a publicly broadcasted video he revealed to have gotten his hands on a decaying neutron bomb which is set to detonate this Christmas Eve. In his video he directly challenged the Dark Knight, saying that he is only willing to stop the bomb from exploding if he manages to defeat him. Confident that he can save Gotham once more, Bruce suits up and sets out to bring down Bane. Helena offers to join to help take him down, but Batman declines as he fears not going to him alone could have severe consequences. Without being able to use the Batmobile to get around for the time being, he climbs to the top of the building and decides to make use out of his new experimental cape glider. He leaps off the structure as he spreads out his cape, which folds out in the shape of the wings of a bat allowing him to glide to the financial district.
After gliding for a while, Batman lands on top of the glass roof of the Stock Exchange building giving him a good look at the situation. Right below him he can make out the figure of Bane, surrounded by several of his goons, all guarding the neutron bomb. He uses a Batarang to cut a hole into the glass to grant him access into the building. After jumping down the hole he lands right in front of Bane, quickly alerting him of his presence. This is the first time he has gotten a good look at the terrorist; before him stands a very big and muscular man, wearing a black luchador-esque mask which conceals his face. Batman catches a glimpse of a big tank filled with Venom on his back with tubes attached to it, all injected straight into his skin and mask. His goons, all having taken some of the strength-enhancing drugs as well, point their guns at the Dark Knight but Bane tells them to lower their weapons. After telling them to step back he stretches out his arms, challenging the Dark Knight to a one-on-one fight. Batman agrees, taking off his utility belt and preparing for the fight. He laughs, his voice muffled by the mask, asking himself if he will be a match to him or if he will go down as easily as his other opponents as Batman charges towards him.
Batman strikes first, getting in several powerful blows, but it doesn’t even seem to phase his opponent. He pauses for a short moment and tries to continue the fight, but Bane catches his hand before it can hit him. Batman hears something crack when he clenches his fist, feeling that his glove has been damaged. Before he can recover, Bane grabs him with both arms and headbutts him with a lot of force. The blow almost makes him lose his balance, but his opponent grabs him by the throat before he falls to the ground and punches him right in the face several times. Batman starts to taste blood in his mouth but is unwilling to give up so easily. He releases himself from Bane’s grip and tackles him to the ground, using all his strength to kick him in the face several times. Again, his opponent is unperturbed by his attempts to fight back, simply taking the blows without flinching. As Bane doesn't fight back Batman becomes overconfident for a moment, not noticing as his arm reaches out for his leg. He grabs a hold of it and janks it towards him, making him fall to the ground again.
‘’You know, I used to admire you. Hearing all about your heroics back when I was growing up motivated me to be better than I already was. But now that I am not a bright-eyed and naive child anymore, I’m finally able to see you for what you really are; A pathetic elderly man, having to rely on some high-tech suit to even attempt to compete with me!’’
Bane raises his fists in the air, bringing them down with full force on the chest of the Dark Knight. Although his suit absorbs most of the strike to prevent his ribs from breaking upon impact, Batman still feels the pain from his attack and notices the armor on his chest having shattered.
‘’Over the years, I've dreamt of being the one who would kill the legendary Batman. However, I have recently come to the conclusion that killing you would only end your agony and silence your shame.’’
He attempts to fight back again and gathers his strength to reply to his opponent’s comments, but Bane silences him with a nasty kick in the gut before he can do so.
‘’I don't think you quite know who I am. I’m not some scarecrow or a riddler. I’m not a jester or a clown! I’m not a flightless bird nor a cryogenic scientist! And most importantly, i am not some rich guy playing dress-up!’’
Bane begins continuously stomping Batman in the face, slowly cracking open his mask more and more with each kick. By the time his cowl has been completely destroyed Batman has been knocked unconscious, having collapsed after all of the attacks.
‘’ I AM BANE! AND I WILL BREAK YOU!’’
As his goons cheer him on, Bane picks up the defeated body of the Dark Knight and raises it over his head. He slowly spins around like he’s showing a trophy to his friends, reveling as the realization that he has become the one to truly break the Bat begins to set in. Batman regains consciousness, but only just in time to feel himself getting driven down towards the ground as he collides with Bane’s knee.
With one nasty snap, he quickly finds his body in anguish as his spine has completely shattered. Bane drops him to the ground and commands his henchmen to take the bombs and go away, taking the broken mask of the Dark Knight with him as a trophy before leaving himself as well. Batman tries to move, but becomes terrified when he notices that he is unable to even move. With this one attack, Bane has paralyzed the Bat.
Quite some time passes before someone arrives to pick up the wounded Bruce. He gets taken to the Wayne Building instead of a hospital in order to preserve his secret identity, where he gets hooked up to some medical equipment to keep him alive. As the days pass by, Gotham begins to decay more and more into chaos as the threat of a neutron bomb decimating the city gets closer. Each attempt made by the police force to disarm the explosive has led to nothing, leading to many of the city’s residents deciding to get out while they still can. Despite Bruce being in no state at all to fight back against Bane, he stubbornly refuses to leave the city as he believes his back will he recovered enough before the bomb is set to go off. Along with this he also feels personally responsible for letting this happen and does not want Gotham to fall under his watch.
Less than a week is now left before the bomb is set to go off. Bane had taken his bomb to the city centre, where his henchmen are guarding him all day to prevent anyone from interfering with his plan. With no sign of his spine recovering in the slightest, Helena and Barbara are urging Bruce to leave the city with them, as they know nobody else is left to stop him. Barbara is close to converting the damaged Batmobile to an airborne vehicle and tells him it could be fit to get them out of there. However, he does not want to hear any of it and keeps insisting that he can find a solution. In an old scientific report about the Venom drug he read some time ago, he noticed it stating that taking the drug can completely heal severe wounds within moments. With his mind set on this new opportunity to save Gotham he asks Barbara to get him a sample of the substance, hoping this will put him in a position to fight back again. Despite her hesitation she agrees to do so, although she warns him that this is only a short-term solution for a permanent problem for him.
When she returns, Bruce has removed the armor from his arms and prepared a new suit to help him control himself while under the effects of the drug. Barbara reluctantly hands him a syringe filled with Venom, but before she does so she tells him that the scientific reports he read left out some important details. It's true that taking Venom can heal severe and permanent injuries in a matter of moments, but the catch is that once the drug’s effects have worn off the injuries will just return, sometimes getting even worse as a result. Bruce tells her he is more than willing to sacrifice himself if it means that he is gonna be able to save Gotham once more as he grabs the syringe out of her hand. Before any of them can react, he slams the needle into his skin and presses the plunger down allowing the substance to enter into his bloodstream. Bruce feels the effects hitting him almost instantly, and before he knows it he finds himself able to stand on his own again. While he struggles to keep himself from succumbing to the drug’s effects he puts on a new suit; an outfit plated with a gold-colored metal and with a reinforced cowl and cape. Ready for battle, he makes his way to the newly designed Batwing to take himself to the city center to face off against Bane.
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Too Damn Many... everything decided to be released in the same week 😓 Let the backlog continue...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Urban Legends # 6
Cover A
This is it! Fans demanded it and IDW Publishing listened! The entire TMNT Volume 3, reproduced for the first time ever in full four-color glory! With Splinter still missing, the Turtles try to test the limits of Donatello’s new cyborg body. But when a friend makes a mistake, will Donatello be able to take control before it’s too late?
Die Kitty Die: Heaven and Hell # 1
Kitty Ravencraft returns! The last time we saw her, her new comic book series was a huge success and she was once again the talk of the comic shops! Kitty's sleazy publisher managed to get a Hollywood film deal based on her series, but she soon found herself in danger once again! So much so, that she gets shot and killed by a mystery killer! Now, we'll see Kitty go on trial, taking a visit to Heaven and Hell... then going on a mission from God to seek out her killer! And when you see who her killer is, you will be shocked! But where will she end up? And what will happen to her killer? Find out in the wackiest, funniest Kitty story yet!
WWE # 22
Now that AJ Styles has officially joined the WWE Universe, it’s time to face his greatest challenge yet—the man known as John Cena!
Bully Wars # 3
Things get off to a rough start for Rufus as he and the other bullies head to the Bully Wars arena for the start of the games. Aiming to simply guide Rufus to victory, Spencer finds out he may be more directly involved than he originally planned.
Farmhand # 5
The first arc of the series about agriculture gone apocalyptic concludes! As Freetown descends into chaos, Zeke and Jed search the town for Andrea. But she's got problems of her own, as she is faced with the monstrous truth behind the Jedidiah Seed.
Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark # 3
Cover C: Robert Hack + Cover A: Joseph Michael Linsner
Elvira’s time travel odyssey continues as she brings the author of DRACULA face to face with his nightmarish inspiration! Stoker? I hardly know ‘er! Thrills, chills and more horrible puns like that, all in the third chapter of ELVIRA: TIMESCREAM…brought to you by David Avallone (Bettie Page) and Dave Acosta (Twelve Devils Dancing), the double-Dave team who brought you DOC SAVAGE: RING OF FIRE and TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SHADOW.
Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Captain Marvel - Mealtime Mayhem (2018) # 1
It’s Thanksgiving in New York! You know what that means… Feasts! Parades! And…BAD GUYS?! When the villainous VENOM threatens to spoil the city’s fun on Thanksgiving Day, it’s up to Spider-Man and Captain Marvel to set him straight and save the celebration! PLUS! A story from SEANAN MCGUIRE, writer of the all-new Gwen Stacy series SPIDER-GWEN: GHOST-SPIDER, starring a certain hoodie-wearing hero!
True Believers: What If the Silver Surfer Possessed the Infinity Gauntlet? # 1
Reprinting What If? (1989) # 49
Spider-Geddon (2018-) # 3 (of 5)
REVENGE OF THE SPIDER-VERSE! One SUPERIOR SPIDER is willing to do whatever it takes to defeat the Inheritors! Will Miles and his team have to stop him before he goes TOO FAR? Stand together or fall separately – isn’t that how it goes?
Vault Of Spiders (2018) # 1 (of 2)
A SPIDER-GEDDON TIE IN! Only a Spider-Army can stop the end of the Multiverse! Meet Web-Slinger, the Spider-Man from the Wild West, in an unforgettable story by CULLEN BUNN (X-MEN BLUE) and JAVIER PULIDO (SHE-HULK)! He is the Emissary from Hell, he is SUPAIDAMAN! The Spider-Man from the live-action SPIDER-MAN show that aired in Japan in the 1970s is back in comics form in an insane story by JED MACKAY (EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON) and SHELDON VELLA (DEADPOOL, SPIDER-VERSE). And that’s just a glimpse into the VAULT OF SPIDERS!
Typhoid Fever: X-Men (2018) # 1
TYPHOID MARY has returned to Hell’s Kitchen and taken over the neighborhood’s psychiatric hospital, overwhelming Manhattan’s most dangerous neighborhood with her unique telekinetic abilities. When mutants and humans alike get caught in the crossfire, the X-Men have no choice but to intervene… only to square off against THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN?!
Immortal Hulk (2018-) # 8
Bruce Banner is dead. His corpse has been dissected, his organs catalogued, and his inner workings are being studied by the scientists of Shadow Base. Bruce Banner is no longer a threat. That just leaves the IMMORTAL HULK...
Infinity Wars (2018) # 5 (of 6)
Introducing… Loki’s Cosmic Avengers!
Marvel Knights: 20th (2018-) # 1 (of 6)
Cover A by Geoff Shaw + Cover C By Mike Deodato Jr
In celebration of the legendary imprint founded by Marvel’s CCO Joe Quesada, a new crop of talent stands poised to tell a groundbreaking story across the Marvel Universe! In the cemetery, the blind man does not know who he is, or why he has come to this particular grave at this moment. He doesn’t know the burly police officer with the wild story who has approached him. Or the strangely intense man who sits in the rear seat of the patrol car, his eyes flashing green. But all of that is about to change.
X-Men: Black - Magneto (2018) # 1
MAGNETO IS BACK…and so is Chris Claremont! For years, Magneto has done everything he can to achieve his goals for mutant domination. But now Magneto has declared that enough is enough. So what revolutionary plan does Magneto have that will change the face of mutantkind? And will anyone be able to stop him? Will anyone want to? PLUS: Includes Part 1 of X-MEN BLACK: APOCALYPSE the back up story by Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, and Geraldo Borge!
What If? X-Men (2018) # 1
Cover C 2nd Ptg Variant Neil Edwards Cover
From the publisher that gave you OLD MAN LOGAN and HOUSE OF M... The X-Men as you never imagined! Welcome to the EXE/scape, a digital wonderland of business and pleasure accessible to anyone with the social (or monetary) capital for the bio-mods needed to log in... Or you can bypass all of that by being born carrying an .EXE/gene! But circumventing the login regulations is exactly what got the likes of Charles Xavier and his .EXE/men banned and driven underground in the first place... Free-roamers u/Domino and u/Cable have taken every dirty job there is on the ‘scape, but when a simple data scrubbing job turns bad, the life of bio-mod magnate Erik Lehnsherr hangs in the balance, and with it, their very society... It's a whole new world of X-Men by Bryan Edward Hill (Detective Comics), Neil Edwards (Justice League) and Giannis Milonogiannis (Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network)!
Shatterstar (2018-2019) # 2 (of 5)
With a simple act of violence, Shatterstar’s life was turned upside down. Nothing makes sense anymore...except for a pair of doublebladed swords and more bloodshed. So much more BLOODSHED.
X-23 (2018-) # 6
Laura and Gabby go undercover as teacher and student to uncover a deadly secret. Will Gabby be teacher’s pet? Will Jonathan?
With all the talk of the Covid 19 virus causing people to stock pile and hoard I was not expecting this to greet me when I went to Costco today. By all accounts toilet paper is one thing the shelves are supposed to be completely depleted of. Not only was there this impressive display but another aisle as fully stocked and yet another huge display in the centre of the shop. Sort of makes me wish I had bought some stock shares in toilet paper companies.
The 650cc model 6T or Thunderbird was Triumph’s answer to an increasing demand for faster and more powerful motorcycles for the important American export market. This 1949 bike JAC769, at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, was one of a team of three machines used to cover 500 miles at over 90mph during pre-launch demonstrations at the famous French Montlhéry circuit during September 1949.
Based on the popular 500cc Speed Twin model, the Thunderbird was developed by Triumph Chief Designer Edward Turner as a true 100mph machine. The bike was the first to include a headlamp built into a distinctive housing or nacelle that also incorporated the instruments and switches; a Triumph feature used during the 1950s and 60s. The Thunderbird remained in production until 1966 and was a popular choice with Police forces.
Can't get enough of this view: from the most in-demand suite at Citadines Tour Eiffel. Great view to wake up to, I think!
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Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 2.8/16-35
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I had the pleasure of staying at Citadines - Tour Eiffel for 3 nights during my visit to Paris. Located in the former village of Grenelle, Citadines - Tour Eiffel is in a prime location situated across from a major metro hub with tons of cafes, restaurants, and marketplaces all within walking distance. It is also quite close to the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, Invalides, and Champs des Mars. In fact, while staying there, I was able to easily take the metro across the street to Versailles (with a transfer) for the day which made things quite convenient.
The really cool thing about the hotel is that some of the rooms on the upper floors of the hotel feature really beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower. If you follow my Instagram, I posted a video of the Eiffel Tower's light show that I filmed with my phone from the window of my room at Citadines - Tour Eiffel. It's a pretty impressive view!
However, what makes this hotel standout from many others is that it is known as an aparthotel or apartment hotel because it also functions as a place to stay for extended periods of time if you wish. People can stay for a few nights, a few weeks, a month, a few months, even a year if that is what they wish. This makes this a great place for families or individuals looking to relocate who may need a habitable living space centrally located in the city they are trying to relocate to. It also makes it a great place for people who are looking to try to live in a city to get a feel for the city while having the comforts of home.
An intriguing facet of staying at an aparthotel is that not only do you have the comforts that you would associate with an apartment such as a fully functional kitchen and living area but you get the amenities and benefits of hotel living as well. For example, Citadines aparthotels offer various cleaning arrangements for all guests as well as other perks that you would typically associate with staying in a hotel. Only you can enjoy these perks during your extended stay in any of the Citadines locations all over Europe and the Asia Pacific.
I had a great stay during my time in Paris. I had the misfortune of getting quite sick with bronchitis while in Paris and the staff at Citadines Tour Eiffel were really wonderful when it came to getting me the medical help I needed and making my stay pleasant while I recovered. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a Monoprix right across the street. The Monoprix there had a huge grocery section which allowed me to buy reasonably priced groceries that I was able to store in the refrigerator. This was a great relief to my wallet since it let me save on certain meals since I could use the kitchen in my room.
And of course, I loved the views. But that goes without saying, right? :)
--- Read a dedicated post about the hotel with explanations of each photo here:
Citadines - Tour Eiffel - Rooms with a View
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Interested in viewing all of my Paris posts so far? Here they are:
Looking for these (and more) Paris photos to view larger? Here you go (click or tap on each photo to view larger):
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View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Erie, PA. August 2020.
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If you would like to use THIS picture in any sort of media elsewhere (such as newspaper or article), please send me a Flickrmail or send me an email at natehenderson6@gmail.com
Dernièrement Nadège me demandait si j’en avais pas marre… Marre de faire des photos de jeunes femmes, qui à ses yeux se ressemblent toutes (les photos pas les jeunes femmes).
A son grand désarroi, je dois dire que non, parce au delà des photos « bateau », des photos « clichés » et autres « gentilles cartes postales » que je peux faire de ces jeunes femmes, je suis dans l’attente… Je suis dans l’attente d’une expression, d’un regard qui me fascinera.
Sur les dizaines de photos que je fais à chaque fois, si cela tenait qu’a moi je n’en garderai qu’une petite dizaine. Mais du coup, la jeune femme ayant eu la délicatesse de poser pour ma personne en sortirait un peu frustrée. Alors pour elle, pour la remercier , je suis dans « l’obligation » de lui fournir des photos que j’espère elle appréciera.
Mylène regardait par delà la rambarde et je lui parlais alors que j’avais l’œil dans le viseur et la bouche pas loin du boitier. Du coup comme à chaque fois que je fais cela, elle n’a pas entendu ce que je baragouinais. A ce moment, elle détourne son regard sur moi et un léger coup vent se fait sentir venant jouer avec ses cheveux et j’appuie. Sur le coup, je ne regarde pas ma photo, je me dis que si j’ai pas trop fait le con elle devrait vraiment être sympa…
Et moi j’aime bien…non en fait j'adore...
Demander pour utilisation merci - Ask for use thanks.
© Michel Guérin. Tous droits réservés - All rights reserved ©.
(Woliwon)
Merci beaucoup pour vos visites et commentaires ♥, thank you so much for the visit and kind comments.
Have you heard? Film is in HIGH demand! Join Mike, Mat and John!
filmphotographyproject.com/podcast/2019/12/film-photograp...
Tout près de l'Hôtel de ville de Reims, la rue de Tambour a changé de couleur. Mardi 30 avril, à la demande de la Ville et avec les commerçants, une entreprise a peint chaque pavé d'une couleur différente. Une forme de street art qui enchante les passants. Mais pourquoi dans cette rue ?
C'est le nouveau spot des instagramers à Reims. Et il fait un tabac. La rue de Tambour, située près de la place de l'Hôtel de Ville, a été décorée mardi 30 avril par une entreprise de peinture. Chaque pavé de cette rue considérée comme la plus ancienne de la Cité des sacres est désormais peint en jaune, bleu, rouge, orange, vert et bleu...Une idée qui a germé dans la tête des élus chargés de l'urbanisme.
"On avait envie de donner un peu de dynamisme à ce secteur, précise Laure Miller, élue à la mairie de Reims, en charge des espaces verts, car nous allons inaugurer le 9 mai la nouvelle place de l'Hôtel de ville, baptisée place Simone Veil. On a eu l'idée en regardant ce qui s'est fait ailleurs. Et c'est au Puy-en-Velay que l'on a repéré le concept de pavés colorés". Une opération similaire a eu lieu en décembre 2018 dans la commune auvergnate.
Séduits, les commerçants de cette rue à Reims ont participé eux aussi à la mise en peinture le 30 avril. Une opération orchestrée par une entreprise locale, spécialisée dans la peinture urbaine, mais pas dans le street art. L'oeuvre a été relayée sur les réseaux sociaux et rencontre un succès croissant. Suscitant des commentaires variés, parfois polémiques. L'opération a coûté quelques milliers d'euros, précise la mairie. Aucune autorisation n'est nécessaire pour ce genre d'oeuvre éphémère. Les pavés vont rester colorés jusqu'à l'hiver. La nature devrait effacer les couleurs de manière naturelle car peu de véhicules l'empruntent. Si l'idée séduit, la Ville de Reims réfléchit à renouveler cette expérience sous une forme ou une autre.
BULLETIN DE SANTE A J + 3 :
Bonsoir tout le monde, à la demande générale, je continue donc de vous faire mon bulletin de santé d'Al...
Et aujourd'hui les nouvelles sont meilleures qu'hier !
J'ai passé une heure avec lui ce midi mais il était un brin ensuqué et toujours très fatigué, et il était somnolent, et pas très bavard ;o))))
J'ai vu son chirurgien en sortant qui m'a dit qu'il était passé le voir également, il lui fait faire un scan demain pour voir s'ils obtiennent des infos pouvant expliquer sa fièvre. Et je crois que c'est seulement mardi que nous aurons les résultats de sa prise de sang qui est en culture.
La ce soir je suis retournée lui casser les pieds pendant 2 heures ;o))) il allait mieux. La fièvre baisse encore il n'avait plus que 38, et une tension quasi normale aussi. Et puis surtout il avait l'air mieux ! plus les sueurs froides d'hier soir ou il était brullant. Donc globalement, a va bien mieux, pourvu que ça dure, et que les antibios continuent à faire effet.
Sur une échelle de 1 à 10 il situe sa douleur à 2 (sans morphine s'il vous plait !) donc ça va. La contrepartie des antibios c'est que ça file la diarrhée.... on peut pas tout avoir hein ;o)))) Du coup pour draguer les infirmières c'est pas top, comme dit Valou sa frangine, mieux vaut qu'il utilise le charme, ça fonctionnera mieux que le côté macho ;o))))
Oufffffffffff je vais pouvoir dormir plus sereinement cette nuit ! C'est qu'c'est du soucis de surveiller un Ours ;o))))
Je n'ai pas le courage de vous faire des mails perso, mais vraiment merci à toutes celles et ceux qui nous envoie plein de petits mots par mail ou par texto, c'est super sympa et ça fait du bien !
J'ai dit à Al que je lui préparais une compilation de tous vos messages justement, et sans compter ceux directement sur Flickr je dois déjà être à 14 pages de messages dans un fichier word ! ARhhhhhhhhhhhhh ça va l'occuper quand il sera en état de vous lire ;o))))
Je vous fait plein de gros gros bisous de notre part à tous les deux,
Bonne nuit et à demain pour d'autres news...
Nath et Al
Huge demand from the public sparked a campaign to keep the installation in place longer.
Floodlights are already being used to ensure more people get to see the piece created to mark the centenary of the start of World War One.
Each poppy represents each British and Commonwealth death during WW1.
The Wave is a steel construction made of poppies surrounding the entrance to the Tower of London while the Weeping Window depicts poppies falling from a window on the top floor of the Tower.
The growing decline of commercial aviation continues as there continues to be never ending developments in regards to traffic and demand... For British Airways and in regards to COVID-19, the airline has cut capacity by up to 75% during April and May this year.
For over the past month alone, British Airways has retired 4 Airbus A319s which was the initial plan even prior to COVID-19 becoming an international problem as the carrier continues to take delivery of new Airbus A320/A321neos.
The airline's Boeing 747-400 fleet is the worst affected among the British Airways fleet as a large portion are in storage at various locations, either temporary or permanently.
The initial plan was for British Airways to retire 5 Boeing 747-400s in 2020, 3 of which are Mid-J configured examples which only received a mild refurbishment (which does not include updated Panasonic eX3 entertainment systems), and 2 Super Hi-J Boeing 747-400s.
Now, their retirement has become somewhat blurred; with London Heathrow at capacity with both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic parking planes left, right and centre; other storage locations include Bournemouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Kemble, London Gatwick and Teruel.
Aircraft stored at Bournemouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, London Gatwick and London Heathrow are likely to return back into service however those being sent to Kemble are less likely to make reappearances given its more of a scrapyard. The 5 Boeing 747-400s sent to Teruel in early-April 2020 are in storage as operational depending if demand does pick back up again.
The official fleet currently stands at 28 but expect that number to further plummet as at least another 3 examples are expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2020.
The first of the examples to leave for Kemble is G-CIVL back on 14th April 2020, the airframe having been scheduled originally for retirement in November 2020. This is one of 3 Boeing 747-400s in British Airways fleet with mild-refresh Mid-J configuration that was originally planned for retirement in late-2020, however was pushed forward owing to a huge fall in demand due to COVID-19. Another 2 mild-refresh Mid-J Boeing 747-400s have also been axed and made their final journey to Kemble.
Currently, British Airways operates 28 Boeing 747-400s, all of which are currently in storage.
Charlie India Victor Lima was delivered new to British Airways on 28th March 1997 and she was powered by 4 Rolls-Royce RB211-524H engines. She originally carried Landor colours until January 2002 where she gained British Airways standard Chatham Dockyard Union Jack colours before gaining Oneworld colours in April 2009. Prior to withdrawal, she had accumulated 104,902 flight hours.
Boeing 747-436 G-CIVL on final approach into Runway 09L at London Heathrow (LHR) on BA274 from Las Vegas-McCarran (LAS), Nevada.