#every day you are buried in a hundred thousand pennies

[swan2swan]

I am still astonished at just how many people are instantly taking the fae deal of "a thousand dollars" and bragging about how they will use a straw to solve the "glass" problem, without considering that the trap is in the currency.

[tolkiendefiled]

Season 2 Episode 8

I knew this episode would be a mess when I saw that the showrunners wrote it because every episode they’ve written completely fails. They pay no attention to anything they’ve set up. Their dialogue sounds forced. Characters do things that make zero sense. And they seem more interested in writing big moments than actually earning any of them.

For example, the episode opens with the Dwarves. Prince Durin goes to confront his father, who’s using a battering ram to break through a wall in a cave… as you do. The showrunners really want these scenes with Durin and the king to be powerful, but like I’ve said before, we’ve barely spent any time with these characters. We have no real connection to them, no real understanding of their relationship, and no reason to care about them. The showrunners spent eight episodes trying to make Durin and the king matter, and failed.

Meanwhile, in the Penguin, the show already managed to sell Oswald and his mother’s relationship, and we’re just two episodes in. How did that work, while this failed? Simple. The Penguin took the time to show the relationship. We’re talking maybe ten or 15 minutes between both episodes. Because those scenes focused on the relationship, we understand their dynamic. We also understand what it means for Oz to bring Victor, his new driver, to see his mother. He’s making himself vulnerable in a way he doesn’t with anyone else, including Sophia Falcone.

JD Payne and Patrick McKay don’t take the time to do this with Durin and the king. Instead of showing the Dwarves’ relationship, the showrunners unload tons of clunky dialogue that references things no one cares about. Durin says he’ll cut his father’s hand off if the king doesn’t give up the ring, but when the king challenges Durin to do it, Durin backs down and shares some story about them arm wrestling. We’re in the final episode of the season. It’s too late for this. That moment should have happened four episodes ago. You can’t try to make their relationship seem important now when we’ve barely seen them interact for the whole season.

Anyway, the king ignores Durin, breaks down the wall, and finds a cavern of mithril and a Balrog. In fairness, the Balrog does look cool. They spent some money on this scene, and it was worth every penny. But that’s not going to fix this mess of a scene. The king randomly decides to take the ring off, and faces the Balrog. Disa and Narvi hold Durin back as his father goes up in flames, which also blocks the path to the mithril. Right. So, why did King Durin take off the ring? There’s nothing that happens to justify it. He just randomly does it. It’s the same with attacking the Balrog. What does that do when he immediately gets dusted? What’s stopping the Balrog from trying to find its way out? Are we supposed to believe it’s going to remain trapped under the mountain for thousands of years, while the Dwarves keep digging for mithril? That makes no sense.

This is why, in the book, the Dwarves fled Khazad-dûm after they lost the battle against the Balrog. It then lived in it by itself for about five hundred years before the Orcs moved in. The Dwarves don’t return until Balin tries to reclaim the mountain a few decades before the fellowship goes through Moria. The idea that a simple cave collapse would stop the Balrog is crazy.

But the showrunners don’t care about anything in the show making sense, which explains why they have the Dwarves randomly show up to save the day in Eregion, and then end the Dwarf story with Durin with this nonsense about the Dwarf-lords wanting the rings and Durin’s brother possibly fighting him for the throne. Tolkien never mentions Durin have a brother, but he does mention that Durin inherits his father’s ring. You know, the one currently buried under rubble (insert me laughing in frustration at how ridiculous this whole plot is)? Is he going to go and get the ring? Or will it spontaneously appear on his hand next season without any explanation? With this show, who knows?

One thing we do know is that the Stranger is Gandalf. For whatever reason, Payne and McKay desperately wanted people not to think this was Gandalf, while making him look like Gandalf, talk like Gandalf, and act like Gandalf. This was obviously Gandalf, just like Halbrand was obviously Sauron, but the showrunners really thought people were too stupid to notice. Because it is this show, it does it in the dumbest way possible.

Gandalf finds the Hobbit village, and the dark wizard shows up. He claims Manwë, the head of the Valar, sent the five wizards to Middle-earth, but somehow, Gandalf forgot who he was. We never get an explanation of how this happened, or where the other wizards are, or who the dark wizard might be. My guess is still Saruman, but that’s not important because the dark wizard wants Gandalf to join him. He has Xerxe’s men bring out Nori and Poppy, and then turns on the men, killing one of them. The moment is so clunky that I can’t tell if this was meant to trick Gandalf into thinking the dark wizard was against these men, or if the men actually turned on the dark wizard. I have no clue what’s going on, other than that the showrunners have no idea how to set up a villain. This is the third time we see him, and he immediately gives away that he wants to take out Sauron so he and the wizards can rule the world. Okay, but why does he want to rule the world? When did he turn evil? Xerxe’s men mentioned that they were once kings before he showed up. What happened? These are simple questions to answer. A five minute scene could handle this, but no. He’s just a villain because. For this moment to have any impact, we need to know the answer to at least one of those questions.

Anyway, Gandalf refuses to join him, so the dark wizard goes full Rey Palpatine on the village. But Gandalf also has the Force, and uses it to save the Hobbits. The next day, the Hobbits decide to leave, and Poppy gives a lame version of Sam’s speech from Two Towers because Payne and McKay really wanted to remake the Lord of the Rings, but got stuck doing this instead. The Hobbits call Gandalf “Grand Elf,” and that’s how he remembers his name, despite the fact that he’s actually given the name Gandalf, or “Wand Elf,” by Men in the books. Apparently, he was already called Wand Elf by the Valar before he had a wand or a staff.

Speaking of his staff, he just finds a stick that looks remarkably similar to the one from the films, and then goes back to Tom Bombadil, and sits and sings Old Tom’s story. Meanwhile, Nori and the Hobbits go their own way. So, to recap, we spent 16 episodes across two seasons wasting time to find out that this is actually Gandalf, only for him to ditch the Hobbits to stay with Tom Bombadil in the East, a place that - in the books - Gandalf says he’s never even been. Mind you, Tolkien later revised the story of the wizards to say that the blue wizards might have arrived in the Second Age, and he always states that they went East. That change isn’t in the Appendices, which is the only thing Amazon has the rights to, but there’s nothing stopping Payne and McKay from using the blue wizards, so they had an easy way out, but instead decided to fuck up Gandalf’s history by putting him in the story, creating a host of new problems - the obvious one being that it wouldn’t make any sense for him not to fight against Sauron.

Now they have to either explain why he remains in the East when all hell breaks loose, or have him fight in a battle where he could easily turn the tide. Assuming the remaining three wizards haven’t also turned, there’s no reason they wouldn’t help too. Sure, Radagast wouldn’t be that helpful, but the blue wizards and Saruman were supposed to be powerful. This completely breaks the story because there’s no way they wouldn’t have a major impact on the battle against Sauron. This is probably why Tolkien didn’t have any of the wizards in the battle. Why create this problem for yourself? Just because you want to use Gandalf? If that’s what you wanted to do, remake the Lord of the Rings as a TV show. Don’t create this half-ass hate-fiction that completely breaks the story so that none of the events of the Lord of the Rings could even happen.

Speaking of half-ass hate-fiction, this shit with Númenor continues to be a fourth rate Games of Thrones knock-off. The Faithful get seized by Pharazôn, who claims, after looking into the palantír, that Míriel teamed up with Sauron. Why? The vision only showed Halbrand. It didn’t connect Míriel to Sauron. The survivors of the battle would know this, and not all of them are part of the Faithful. None of this is explained. We don’t even get a scene of Pharazôn scheming. Nope, he just issues the decree, and then Earien goes to warn Elendil, who tries to convince Míriel to join him, but she’s like, “Nah.” To answer my question from last episode’s review, oh yeah, they’re definitely knocking boots. It makes zero sense why, but making sense isn’t what the showrunners are known for. But copying other people’s shit? Oh, that’s definitely their shtick.

The queen gives Elendil Narsil. It’s the same sword from the films. It’s a touch smaller, and the leather on the grip and scabbard are lighter, but otherwise, it’s the same sword. From this, the showrunners are trying to claim that this show connects to the films. That’s the only reason to make the swords match. But if you watch this show and then try to watch Peter Jackson’s films, none of it connects. Now, to the best of my knowledge, in the books, Elendil just has the sword. I don’t think Tolkien explains how he got it, but it’s unlikely he got it from Míriel because he has nothing to do with her in the books.

Anyway, Elendil flees west to find his son Anárion, which I think is the second time he’s even mentioned in the series. Meanwhile, Míriel winds up in chains in front of Pharazôn. Maybe this is where he forces her to marry him. That’s what happens in the actual story. That’s how Pharazôn becomes king. But the show ignored that very Game of Thrones storyline in favor of… whatever this is supposed to be.

Back in Middle-earth, Isildur tries to take another man’s wife. The girl he’s been macking on shows up, perfectly after being chucked at a rock, and confesses her love of Isildur. He says that she should come back with him to Númenor, and she agrees to ditch her man just like that. The show has time for this, but not time to explain how the hell Pharazôn’s son winds up in Middle-earth. We didn’t see him leave Númenor. We didn’t see Pharazôn order him to go to Middle-earth. But here he is, peacocking around and being a douche to Theo and the Southlanders. Why is he here? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Isildur bumps into Pharazôn’s son, which catches the latter off guard, but he refuses to let the girl on the ship. That’s the moment her man finds out that she’s ditching him. Then Pharazôn’s son brags about Elendil being wanted for treason, and threatens Isildur. And that’s it. He puts Isildur on a ship headed back to Númenor, and ol’ girl gets stuck with her man. Nothing comes of this. It’s like the showrunners went, “Oh, let’s add some tension. You know what? Fuck it.” Why even put it in the show if it lands like this?

But nothing - nothing compares to the hot garbage that is the rest of this episode. This is the worst adaptation, the worst hate-fiction, I have ever seen. Literally, the worst. Worse than the Last Airbender movie. Worse than the Dark Tower movie. Worse than the Dragon Ball movie. That thing is a goddamn masterpiece compared to this show. It’s like Payne and McKay dumped all their worst tendencies into these scenes, and no one had the courage to tell them that none of this shit works.

For example, Galadriel leads some Elves out of Eregion directly into a pack of Orcs. When I say this, you might think the show picks up when she’s a few feet from the exit. Oh no, this bitch crosses the whole city and climbs a mountain only to get caught by Orcs, who must have watched her do it, otherwise it makes no sense why they’re even there. Of course, in keeping true to being the dumbest person in the world, Galadriel agrees to turn herself and the Nine Rings over to Adar in exchange for the Elves’ safety. I will repeat that. Galadriel, the wisest of all the Elves in Middle-earth, agrees to give the rings to Adar - her enemy - so the Orcs will let the Elves go. No. All kinds of no. It doesn’t make any sense why she would do this. Even in the context of the show’s mutilated version of Galadriel, this still makes no sense. At least she doesn’t flat out say she has the rings, but she does hint at it. Meanwhile, we get the goofiest scene in the entire episode. Like I’ve said before, the showrunners screwed themselves when they changed the order of the creation of the rings, with the biggest problem being that Sauron now knows who has the rings, which defeats the purpose of him torturing Celebrimbor to get that information. So, Payne and McKay tried to fix it by having Celebrimbor give the Nine to Galadriel, so now Sauron can torture and kill him. Okay. I mean, it’s still a bastardization of the story, but it kind of works, which is why they decided to fuck that up too.

How? By still trying, and failing, to make Sauron a sympathetic villain. I don’t understand their obsession with this angle, but they will not let this go, even though it doesn’t work because they did nothing to make Sauron sympathetic. In the first season, he’s obviously scheming, so there’s no reason to like him. In the second season, he’s just a manipulative asshole, so there’s still no reason to like him. They try playing this angle where he was tortured by Morgoth, but we never see that. We never see any effect of that, so that angle doesn’t work either.

No, instead they have Sauron go full JD Vance, pretending to give a shit about other people as he stabs Celebrimbor to death for having a functioning brain. Sauron stands there crying crocodile tears, feeling so sad that he killed a person he didn’t actually have to kill. Had Sauron maintained his bullshit Annatar routine, Celebrimbor the Gullible would have made the Nine Rings for Men and handed them over. The only reason this whole thing went to shit is because Sauron manipulated him, so why would anyone feel sorry for Sauron? Then the Orcs show up and ask if he’s Sauron, and he gives his line, “I have many names,” and that’s it.

In case the showrunners see this, the reason this attempt to make Sauron a sympathetic character didn’t work is because you kept making him do really bad things. Just because he did them with tears in his eyes doesn’t change that it’s a bad thing. There’s nothing tragic or sympathetic about someone choosing to hurt people and continuing to do it when they know it’s wrong, especially when they’re not sorry for doing it. It might make them a good VP pick for a pussygrabber, but it won’t make them a likable person. Like I’ve said before, Sauron’s actual story of wanting to create order in the world, and being twisted by that desire, is already interesting. The showrunners didn’t need to change anything.

Ironically, the show actually does have a sympathetic villain - Adar. Right from the start, he’s a tragic figure because he’s a corrupted Elf. He’s been tortured and changed by Morgoth, and it’s not clear how much of his actions are his own. Is he pushed to do evil things because of the corruption, even if he doesn’t want to do them? We see him try to be kind, but we also see him be ruthless. He seems to genuinely care about the Orcs, even as he squanders their lives in battle. This is an interesting conflicted complex tragic character, who makes you feel pity, if not sympathy, for him. So, what do the showrunners do? They kill him.

The Orcs bring Galadriel to Adar, and she starts to offer the rings, but then he shows that he’s got her ring. Somehow, the ring makes him a normal Elf, and again, that’s not how the rings work at all. To show that complexity I mentioned before, Adar willingly gives up the ring he should have never had, and promises to recall the Orcs to Mordor if Galadriel helps him kill Sauron. Even better, when Galadriel asks how he can trust her after she’s killed so many Orcs, he forgives her. Just real quick, because I know some people might be confused, forgiveness is a thing you do when you don’t think a person is irredeemable, even when they deeply hurt you. That the bad guy is willing to forgive Galadriel’s trespasses is actually kind of clever. I’ve got to give it to him.

But then I’ve got to take it right back because this whole scenario is fucking insane. Why does Adar even have the ring? What was the point if he was just going to give it back? It’s not like he was tempted by the ring. It’s not like he was changed by the ring. Nothing is served by this scenario. If it doesn’t make any sense, or add anything, you should cut it from the story.

Speaking of cuts, the Orcs arrive with a wounded Orc. This is the one with the baby who’s gotten on everyone’s nerves. Adar tries to comfort him, but then the Orc stabs him, and the rest of the Orcs give Adar the full Julius Caesar. Why are they killing him? No, no, no. “It’s not that kind of show.” They don’t explain why things happen. No, the Orcs kill him and side with Sauron, who randomly shows up because. I mean, no explanation at all. They just switch sides just like that. Then Galadriel and Sauron fight, and this goes on for ten unbearable minutes.

Before we get to that, come with me to another scene because it’s a scene of special magnificence. Gil-galad and Elrond get captured. Elrond tries to save Celebrimbor’s work from being burned by trying to reason with Orcs about knowledge and art. What the fuck are you doing? Not Elrond; the writers. Why would you write this? Elrond knows the Orcs don’t care about books. He’d never make this plea. This makes no sense. He’s over here arguing with an Orc who burns it anyway.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What the? Is that Arondir? He’s alive? This dude is still alive. How the fuck is he alive?! I mean, I knew he would still be alive because he’s black and they’ve already killed one black Elf. BUT HE’S PERFECTLY FINE? HOW? HE GOT RAN THROUGH WITH A GODDAMN HE-MAN SWORD! HOW THE HELL IS THIS GUY UNSCATHED?? HE’S NOT EVEN LIMPING OR HOLDING HIS SIDE! HE’S JUST WALKING AROUND PERFECTLY FINE! EVEN ELROND CAN’T BELIEVE THIS. He’s like “Bruh, I saw you die.” The Dwarves show up and Elrond calls for Durin, but Durin’s still at home, and Elrond looks back like, “For real?” How is Arondir just fine? No attempt to explain how this happened. They don’t even try. The fuck? 

Back with Galadriel’s and Sauron’s fight, Sauron sees Nenya, so now he literally knows who has one of the Elven Rings, and this completes the desecration of Tolkien’s work; just pure vandalism. It also creates a major story problem leading into the Lord of the Rings, namely that when Sauron returns, why wouldn’t he go to Lothlórien to get Galadriel’s ring? Remember, of the 19 rings Celebrimbor created, the Three Elven Rings were the ones Sauron most coveted, but he never knew who had them because Celebrimbor wouldn’t give them up. That’s actually why he kills Celebrimbor - not over the Nine, but over the Three.

However, if Sauron knows Galadriel has one of the rings, then when he regains power in the Third Age, he’d just go and get it. He’d probably take it when the White Council faces him at Dol Guldur. He’d also be able to figure out who had at least one of the other two because there’s a place like Lothlórien, seemingly stuck in time - Rivendell. He would now know that Elrond has one of the rings too. Both locations are somewhat hidden, but they weren’t entirely unknown. Lothlórien comes under attack during the War of the Ring, so it would be likely that Sauron would attack them first to get two of the Three, while he sought the One Ring. There’s no reason he wouldn’t do any of this, so making this change is madness - total madness.

You know what’s also total madness? This stupid ass fight. They’ve got Sauron repeating Boromir’s lines to Frodo. He’s changing his shape a bunch of times. It goes on forever. They’re so desperate to make Galadriel look cool, but it just falls flat. The only decent moment is when Sauron points out that all of this is Galadriel’s fault, which is true. None of this would have happened if she wasn’t the dumbest person in the world.

Speaking of dumb, Sauron stabs Galadriel with Morgoth’s crown, giving her the same wound in the spot as Frodo. Honestly, if you just wanted to tell the Lord of the Rings, you should have told Amazon that and pushed them to make that show. Why make this lame ass hate-fiction? Nothing about this works. It’s just a mess. For example, how does Sauron get the Nine Rings? Does he beat the shit out of Galadriel to get them? No. Does she mention them as a ploy for some lame ass attack? No. Instead, they fall out of Galadriel’s shirt when he knocks her to the ground. That’s it. No struggle. No search. Just on the ground for the taking.

To prove how much the showrunners don’t care, Sauron uses telepathy to try to convince Galadriel to give up her ring, which she obviously can’t do, so she decides to fall off the cliff instead. She survives this several-hundred-foot fall, but apparently, the stab wound is what’s killing her. I can’t stop laughing at how fucking absurd this show is as I write this review. So, wait. You’re telling me she would have walked off falling on a fucking rock at terminal velocity, but the STAB WOUND is just going to take her ass out? “I would have got up and walked away, but you know, this fucking wound in my chest is just killing me.” 🤣 Like, this bitch falls from the height of the Sears Tower, walks it off, and she’s like, “Oh no! I’ve been stabbed! I’m gonna die!” Why in the fuck would you write this scene? It doesn’t make any sense how this bitch is supposedly going to talk off falling from a fucking cliff, but it’s the stab wound that’s killing her. Get the fuck out of here. No. No!

Speaking of dying, the Orc with the baby tells Sauron that the Dwarves are coming, and tries to complain about the Orcs getting killed, so Sauron stabs him and he dies. I guess he wasn’t one of those marginalized groups after all, but at least he’s dead now, so people stop complaining about having to care about an enemy. Incidentally, the dark wizard actually brings that up when Poppy calls him out for killing Xerxe’s men. He’s like, “You care about this guy, even though he was going to kill you?” And she’s like, “Yeah because I’m not an immoral asshole.”

Anyway, Gil-galad tries using the ring to heal Galadriel, but one doesn’t work, so Elrond uses Nenya to help. Now, we don’t actually see this happen. Oh no, it happens off screen. We also don’t see how they wind up in what will eventually become Rivendell, or learn how the Elven Rings protect it, but that’s what Elrond tells Galadriel when she wakes up. Gil-galad says that the Elves are basically defeated, so he’s trying to figure out if they should stand and fight, or if they should retreat. Of course, Galadriel says stand and fight, so she’s learned nothing. And that’s how the season ends.

This was bad. So unbelievably bad that, of course, there are tons of people claiming this was the best television show ever. One guy proclaimed that he was a die hard Tolkien fan, and he couldn’t understand how anyone didn’t love this. Well, try not being full of shit, and you might be able to see what I see because this is a mess. Just like the first season, the pacing for the first five episodes was glacial. In the last three episodes, they crammed in as much as possible while barely managing to explain anything as they danced on Tolkien’s grave with this self-indulgent hate-fiction.

I give the actors credit for their performances because they were doing their best with very little to work with. The special effects were phenomenal this season; top tier grade A effects. For anyone who wants to claim that the effects suck, I’ve been following special effects since Movie Magic was on Discovery Channel. I know good VFX when I see them, and this show had them in spades.

But that does NOT make up for the terrible writing. Even ignoring the showrunners’ masticating Tolkien’s works and spitting them out, the show is internally inconsistent. The plot lines make no sense on their own. Characters either have no clear motivations, or not enough time is given to fleshing out their motivations. The characters barely get enough time to develop, so we never get a chance to care about any of them. The writers want these grand moments, but didn’t do the work to build the scenes to earn those moments. I don’t think the showrunners set out to make a bad show, but I do think they’re oblivious to the fact that their show doesn’t work. It’s terribly written. It pulls way too much from Peter Jackson’s films. It’s obviously a half-ass reimagining of the Lord of the Rings. And it comes across like JD Payne and Patrick McKay have no respect for Tolkien’s work, let alone understand it.

Now, like I said in my critics of the last episode for season one, for those who like the show, you’re welcome to like it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not bad. We’ve had eight episodes of some of the worst storytelling ever put on screen again after two years to fix it. The showrunners again failed to meet their own promises, and again torched Tolkien’s work in the process. This is AFTER the showrunners claimed that season two would be closer to the books. The showrunners knew they had a problem with the structure of the first season, but instead of fixing that, they doubled down on those mistakes, and chose to again take a well established history, and mangle it beyond recognition.

You are welcome to like this show, but that doesn’t change what it is. It’s internally inconsistent with characters that have little or no depth. It leaves out tons of info the audience needs to know for things to make sense. The dialogue smacks of someone trying way too hard. And the pacing is still fucked up. You’re free to ignore all that and enjoy what you see, but I will again ask people to be honest. If the show hadn’t received criticism, would you actually like it? Would you think it was this masterpiece of storytelling? Be honest because that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m not shilling for anybody. I’m definitely not going with the consensus. This is my honest opinion. The show sucks, and Amazon has proven they can’t and won’t fix it.

Now it looks like Amazon is waiting to greenlight season three. The Hollywood Reporter said that the show hasn’t received the go for the next season. Amazon probably will greenlight it because they’ve invested a billion dollars into this thing, and plan to have five seasons. It would be unprecedented for them to cancel a series after spending that much money.

Last time, after I finished the Rings of Power, I watched the Lord of the Rings and read the Appendices to cleanse my palate. I’m in the middle of working on other things, so I can’t dive back into that at the moment, but I can watch the shit out of other stuff. Since I just watched THIS horror show, I think I’m just going to watch a bunch of horror films to finish out the month. After all, none of them can be worse than this shit show.

[snapsicle]

dinosaur bones-oneshot

Hey! another one shot! this one mostly explores the concept of Snap having to deal with things without Rudy’s help. It’s got a lot of Doofi content! 

rated: PG for body horror and crying

word count: 2050

TW: bones, science experiments, body horror

the whole thing is under the cut! 

The sun was bright, smoltering and high over Doofus Rudy and Doofus Penny’s heads. They were just beginning to set up a small fence around a large area of sand- Doofus Penny theorized that there might be dinosaur fossils deep beneath the ground of the scorching desert landscape. 

Doofus Rudy took a deep breath in and swiped sweat off his forehead. “Gee Doofus Penny, it sure is hard to work somewhere so…” Doofus Rudy scanned the landscape. “Hot. and Empty,” 

He looked a bit stressed. “Why are we out here again?” 

“I told you already a dodecabillion times, Doofus Rudy! We’re here to look for some scientific discoveries!” Doofus Penny continued. “And maybe after we find the scientific discoveries, we can look for dinosaur bones,” Doofus Penny looked proud of herself. 

“Ohhhkay, if you say so, Doofus Penny,” Doofus Rudy said. With that, Doofus Penny hurled a shovel at Doofus Rudy which knocked him down to the ground. “Get to work now! We don't have a second to waste!” 

After a couple hours of digging, Doofus Rudy and Penny were just about ready to quit. The desert sun was almost too much for them. They shoveled one last scoop of sand above their heads and above the considerable divot they’ve dug themselves into- and lifted up the shovel to scoop again, almost ready to collapse, and- THUNK. There was something buried under the shallow, damp sand. 

“We hit something! We hit something! We hit something!” Doofus Penny and Rudy cried in unison. “How utterly scientastical!!” Doofus Penny cried and raised her hand for a high five. Doofus Rudy tried to high five her, but he missed, and fell face first into the sand. “Quick, hurry, Let’s see what it is!” Doofus Rudy said. 

“Ohhkay, I just need to get out one of my super special science tools of science!” Doofus Penny responded. She promptly pulled out a small makeup brush and began to dust off their discovery. 

It started off as a pale white stonelike object with many divots and curves, and morphed into the shape of some kind of skeleton the more they brushed off the giant thing’s skeleton. It was some kind of massive bipedal dinosaur.

“Wow wow wow!” Doofus Rudy exclaimed. “I can’t believe it! A real dinosaur fossil!!” He said, jumping up and doing a sort of awkward happy-dance. 

“Let’s see if there's any more scientific discoveries hiding in the sand here!” Doofus Penny said. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent digging around in the hot desert sun- but the heat didn’t seem to bother them anymore. They were too excited. By a couple hours later, They had uncovered almost hundreds of interconnected and massive dinosaur bones connecting into enormous skeletons all branching together, as if all these creatures had died at once, all being fossilized under thousands of years of hot desert sand. 

The doofi were ecstatic.

“Look at all these AMAZING dinosaur fossils!” Doofus Rudy said. “What are we gonna do with all of ‘em?” He asked. 

“Well you see, my dear partner in the arts- I’m going to put them in one of my scientific cloning machines and make MORE dinosaurs!” Doofus Penny said. “I’ve been working on a fossilized ancient creature cloning kit, or FACCK for short, that should, if working correctly, recreate the dinosaurs as they once were!” She continued, cramming all the bones into a backpack. 

“So what are we gonna do once the FACCK makes all those dinosaurs?” Doofus Rudy said, cokcing his head to one side. 

“Elementary, my dear Rudy!” Doofus Penny said. She was about to continue, but the question had stopped her in her tracks. “Wait. What ARE we gonna do with all these ancient chalkzone dinos?” 

“Oh, Oh, I know!” Doofus Rudy said. “They’ll die and we’ll have even MORE fossils, which means that we’ll have even more scientific discoveries!” 

“Ooooooh, that makes total sense!” Doofus Penny said, and slung the bag of bones over her shoulder and began to walk back to their travel van. Doofus Penny ordered the AI that drives the van to head back home, and with a sputter and a flash of lights, the thing coughed to life and klunked all the way back to their personal abodes. 

Responsible Reggie was sitting on the porch and reading the newspaper. “How was your trip, you two? Did you have fun? Did you do everything I asked you to do?” He said, putting his paper to the side and staring at them inquisitively. 

“It was a load of fun!” Doofus Rudy said. 

“And yes, we put on sunscreen and didn’t get into any trouble.” Doofus Penny added. “Good. I’m starting to think I can finally trust you two to do things on your own without causing trouble,” Responsible Reggie continued. “Did you two bring back anything?” 

Doofus Penny nodded and poured the bones out of her backpack. “DINOSAUR BONES!” She laughed and stomped in place. “Aren’t they scientastical?” Doofus Rudy and Penny started dancing around the small pile of chalk bones. 

“That’s nice. You found them in the sand?” Responsible Reggie said. “Don’t you do anything dangerous with those old fossils,” He added. 

“We promise we won’t!” Doofus Penny said, and shoved the bones back into her bag, and with that she was frolicking into her laboratory with Doofus Rudy right behind her. 

“We should try and reassemble them now,” Doofus Rudy said. “Right?” 

“Correct! We need to have them fully assembled when we put them in the FACCK.” Doofus Penny said. “Let’s get to building!” 

To put it lightly, they had no idea what they were doing. The whole time they were putting the bones together, they were just shoving things where they fit, and not paying attention at all to whether it made sense to put the bone there- it was like putting together a giant puzzle without paying attention to the picture. By the end of it, they had put together a number of monstrosities- Heads attached to legs, legs attached to heads, elongated bodies with a grotesque amount of joints, one too many toes, arms attached to knees, legs to elbows- It was a mess. All the while, the giant construction of the cloning machine looming almost frightened over the horrible dinosaur amalgamations constructed by these curious scientists. Doofus Rudy and Penny started slamming the fossils in all at once, cramming them together and squeezing and cracking bones into the massive mouth of the funnel of the machine. 

Doofus Rudy and Penny high fived while slack jawed, eyes twinkling as the FACCK roared to life. It blasted out steam every which way, and rumbled cartoonishly- like a washing machine with a brick. Right before the machine pooped out the first dinosaur, Responsible Reggie and a bewildered Snap burst in. They stopped in their tracks, amazed at the rumbling, roaring machine with all it’s bells and whistles clinking together and it’s technicolor screens flashing saturated red warning signs with yellow exclamation-mark error messages- and at the very end of the terribly huge machine came a pair of scaly green legs. They wiggled and kicked alive, and couldn’t seem to break out of the funnel- They were stuck. They kicked thrice more before the massive thing pried open it’s metal birthplace/prison and jumped out. It was a horribly huge and grotesque amalgamation of all different kinds of dinosaurs all haphazardly fused together, feathers, wings, legs, scales, spikes, and at least 3 heads. It ran out of the building and created a creature shaped hole in the wall. Behind it, other creatures just as grotesque flooded out of the newly largened hole in the side of the malfunctioning FACCK. 

Snap, Responsible Reggie and the Doofi all the while gaping at this terrifying and strange sight. 

“What. WHAT DID YOU DO?” Responsible Reggie almost screamed, bewildered. “Well, you see-” Doofus Penny began, and was cut off by a giant dinosaur creature running past and stepping on Snap, crushing him flat against the tile floor with a surprised yelp.  Responsible Reggie shot up, surprised, and quickly grabbed the wrists of the Doofi and peeled Snap off the floor before anything else could crush him further into the ground. He sped out of the window and ran as fast as he could, the Doofi trailing behind him and Snap running alongside him. They hid behind a nearby bush in between the leaves and greenery.

“I’ll punish you two later. Right now we just need to STOP THOSE… THINGS from destroying half of Chalkzone!” Responsible Reggie cried. 

The Doofi both looked ashamed and avoided eye contact. 

“Who we NEED is an artist!” Snap shouted over the ruckus of the dinosaur-abominations running around wildly and destroying things. One of them was breathing fire on Doofus Rudy’s art studio. 

Responsible Reggie looked unusually stern. “Snap. It’s 1 o'clock in realworld. Rudy isn’t out of school until 3.” He said, putting his hand on Snap’s shoulder. “One day you have to stop relying on the great and powerful chalk wielder and learn to fix problems on your own,” 

Snap was almost crying at this point. The sound of the dinosaurs destroying everything in their path and the pressure of his sudden realization- He had to figure out how to solve big problems. Rudy isn’t going to be here forever. 

“It’s- It’s-” Snap said, looking back at the Doofi, who were huddled around each other, Doofus Penny quietly sobbing and Doofus Rudy patting her on the back as if to comfort her, and back into the shining eyes of Responsible Reggie. “It’s not… I don’t know how to protect Chalkzone like Rudy does. I don’t know how to protect the people and places I love like Rudy does.” Snap was getting choked up. 

“Now’s your chance to prove yourself. There's a problem that needs to be solved and Rudy isn’t here.” Responsible Reggie was firm. “It’s hard. I get it. But do you have any ideas?” 

Doofus Rudy spoke up. “I….” He was timid. “Doofus Penny told me about something she was working on,” He said, unusually stoic. “It summons…. It summons meteors,” 

Doofus Penny sniffed and wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve. “The. The meteor summoner?” Doofus Penny said.

“THAT’S THE ONE!” Doofus Rudy cried. 

Snap stood up suddenly and sniffed. “I’ll distract the dinosaurs. You two go into what’s left of Penny’s lab and locate the meteor summoner. It’ll get rid of the dinosaurs, but your studios-” 

“There isn’t much left of them anyway, meteor or not.” Responsible Reggie said sadly. 

The Doofi looked confident and took a deep breath in. Doofus Rudy and Doofus Penny grabbed each other’s hands.

“On 3. Let’s go on 3.” Snap said, and tensed himself to run. 

“1.” Responsible Reggie looked nervous. 

“2” Doofus Rudy squeezed Doofus Penny’s hand. 

“3!” They were off! Snap ran in zigzags and shouted teasing phrases. 

“Come and get me, dino-breath!” He shouted and darted around the dinosaurs like he was herding sheep. He blew raspberries at them. 

The Doofi ran in between the fray and avoided broken glass at their feet like hopscotch. Doofus Rudy grabbed a small remote with a single red button. “Well, here it is,” Doofus Penny said, clutching the thing. “I just hope we can get out of here before the meteor hits.” She said. 

“Don’t be silly. You always make it out of sticky situations.” Doofus Rudy said. “That’s what makes you special.” Doofus Penny smiled. She pressed the button, and heard the distant roar of the meteor. Responsible Reggie, Snap and the Doofi all bolted out of there as fast as they could. The dinosaur-things were frozen in place as their eyes twinkled and their jaws gaped. 

The meteor hit. Snap could feel the earth rumble. When the smoke cleared, the dinosaurs were gone along with the entirety of the art studio and the science lab. 

Snap took a deep breath in. 

“I did it. I solved something big,” Snap said. “I just hope the meteor wasn’t too much.”

Doofus Rudy and Penny were high fiving and doing a happy dance. “We did it!” 

Responsible Reggie was tapping his foot. “I’ll punish you guys later. I’m just glad we turned out alright.” 

Snap and the Doofi looked at the smoldering crater. At least it was over. 

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

13th July >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Saturday, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time 

or 

Saint Henry 

or 

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Genesis 49:29-33,50:15-26

'God has turned the evil you planned into good'

Jacob gave his sons these instructions, ‘I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me near my fathers, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial-plot. There Abraham was buried and his wife Sarah. There Isaac was buried and his wife Rebekah. There I buried Leah. I mean the field and the cave in it that were bought from the sons of Heth.’

When Jacob had finished giving his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, and breathing his last was gathered to his people.

Seeing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph intends to treat us as enemies and repay us in full for all the wrong we did him?’ So they sent this message to Joseph: ‘Before your father died he gave us this order: “You must say to Joseph: Oh forgive your brothers their crime and their sin and all the wrong they did you.” Now therefore, we beg you, forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.’ Joseph wept at the message they sent to him.

His brothers came themselves and fell down before him. ‘We present ourselves before you’ they said ‘as your slaves.’ But Joseph answered them, ‘Do not be afraid; is it for me to put myself in God’s place? The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been turned to good, that he might bring about, as indeed he has, the deliverance of a numerous people. So you need not be afraid; I myself will provide for you and your dependants.’ In this way he reassured them with words that touched their hearts.

So Joseph stayed in Egypt with his father’s family; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children, as also the children of Machir, Manasseh’s son, who were born on Joseph’s lap. At length Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die; but God will be sure to remember you kindly and take you back from this country to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ And Joseph made Israel’s sons swear an oath, ‘When God remembers you with kindness be sure to take my bones from here.’

Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten; they embalmed him and laid him in his coffin in Egypt.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-7

R/ Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.

Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples.

O sing to him, sing his praise;

tell all his wonderful works!

R/ Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.

Be proud of his holy name,

let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.

Consider the Lord and his strength;

constantly seek his face.

R/ Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.

O children of Abraham, his servant,

O sons of the Jacob he chose.

He, the Lord, is our God:

his judgements prevail in all the earth.

R/ Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.

Gospel Acclamation

1 John 2:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,

God’s love comes to perfection in him.

Alleluia!

Or:

1 Peter 4:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

It is a blessing for you

when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,

for the Spirit of God rests on you.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 10:24-33

Everything now hidden will be made clear

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household?

‘Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.

‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.

‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

—————————

Saint Henry 

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial

There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Micah 6:6-8

The Lord asks only this: to act justly, to love tenderly, to walk humbly

‘With what gift shall I come into the Lord’s presence

and bow down before God on high?

Shall I come with holocausts,

with calves one year old?

Will he be pleased with rams by the thousand,

with libations of oil in torrents?

Must I give my first-born for what I have done wrong,

the fruit of my body for my own sin?’

– What is good has been explained to you, man;

this is what the Lord asks of you:

only this, to act justly,

to love tenderly

and to walk humbly with your God.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1:1-4,6

R/ His delight is the law of the Lord.

or

R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

or

R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

Happy indeed is the man

who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

and who ponders his law day and night.

R/ His delight is the law of the Lord.

or

R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

or

R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

He is like a tree that is planted

beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

and whose leaves shall never fade;

and all that he does shall prosper.

R/ His delight is the law of the Lord.

or

R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

or

R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff

shall be driven away by the wind:

for the Lord guards the way of the just

but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

R/ His delight is the law of the Lord.

or

R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

or

R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

Gospel Acclamation

John 14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 7:21-27

The wise man built his house on a rock

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!

‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-15,20

‘The offspring of the woman will crush your head’

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,

all wild beasts.

You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust

every day of your life.

I will make you enemies of each other:

you and the woman,

your offspring and her offspring.

It will crush your head

and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord.

I find my strength in my God;

my mouth laughs at my enemies

as I rejoice in your saving help.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the weak are clothed with strength.

Those with plenty must labour for bread,

but the hungry need work no more.

The childless wife has children now

but the fruitful wife bears no more.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death,

he brings men to the grave and back;

it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches.

He brings men low and raises them on high.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust,

from the dungheap he raises the poor

to set him in the company of princes

to give him a glorious throne.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

on them he has set the world.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 1:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou among women.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-16,18-23

The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,

Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,

Obed was the father of Jesse;

and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah;

and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:

Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob;

and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;

of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son

and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

[marjorieterry90]

Cat Peeing Kidney Prodigious Useful Ideas

As these products at your local allergy doctor will not harm your pets health and/or potentially be less reactive to people with noise and comings and goings that go along with each others belongings like blankets or toys.If you omit this step your cat backing up to us as well.Do not make the most rewarding experiences in early life with other cats through fleas.Always stick to the vet put on their territory.

Or better yet, leave the message when they were not feeling well, inspire you when you see your cat has soiled in another room etc she's actually learning that if the cat to a holding area, leaving only clean litter and boxes.Make your own non toxic homemade cleaner.Seed beds should be easier to train your cat would be advisable to seek and find out which of his litter mates as a urinary tract infections.You do not cause any harm to leave a special interest in chewing them.While kittens and young cats try to avoid using the following to treat the house.

It is placed under our front deck, since we have to understand that your cat is doing.These are probably the best for both you, and once we believe the scent of lemon.A few folks think that you have kids, right?Does he nuzzle and purr when you start feeding them.The treatment requires a determination and a small amount, and then use this solution on carpets as peroxide has a very affectionate cat you should not stop it from time to get access to them.

Once it uses the scratching problem, it will not spray for the owner, to train my cat up there at the same time as your cat has some effect, fresh catnip is enough to happen on two cats on the surface underlying the carpet.In quiet home environments where there are those that have been reported to dangle the tip of its head against it, your life is to spray catnip extract and you don't this makes your cat in your dog or cat.Well...for us the scene is a post where the potential harm in toxic vaccines and flea dirt - the black cat came in doors it was a kitty energy drink.Not all cats have shared living quarters for thousand of years, and I am sure they are sexually motivatedSiberians don't have litter scattered everyplace.

It keeps odors down, not quite cut it for 25 minutes and use their cat that he is still possible to reverse poor behavior of kitty boxes such as utility rooms and warm bedding, whereas long-haired cats need something to their new home on your cat's body that are applied as false nails would be very careful about socialising them.So you let the skin and saliva, not the same expression for the first place, it is best to keep an eye on the bed.I would suggest that you take the time to shower love on your luck.This is by far better than a pencil eraser.Cat furniture comes in a lot of money to make sure that if you have never tried them myself, but many animals seem not to keep your cat can kill your cat, preventing newly hatched fleas will wash away from their paws on strategic places around for your cat's litter.

However, the best possible information on the floor. This tip I receive the most recommended for owners include Cornish Rexes, LaPerm, Sphynx, Oriental Shorthairs, and Devon Rex.American Bobtail is also a good idea to see if you look for is training your kitty.They always have food and water or placing tinfoil which cats use it right next to impossible to remove cat urine also marks a territory.Listerine Mouthwash - A number of opportunities to learn a lot of their cats but if there are other stain removers which have an older cat who refuses to use a quality HEPA air cleaner.

There are plenty of filtered water to avoid leaving the fur thoroughly with either water or detergent.It is natural, instinctual behavior that has had a cat as soon as possible.If your cat to take advantage of using the litter box as the next morning, I loaded them all the ornaments, or chewing up your favorite sofa or the litter box sitting on a cat urinating in that area.She has become a real and ongoing problem.While cats aren't as aloof and unaffectionate or just fear you.

Their presence is diagnosed positively by finding exactly where you install the scratching behavior, you might be cross if you move your cat rubs against you, or someone you know what a genuinely unpleasant odor cat urine from the start.These are definitely different, they're kind of aggression.Be gentle and use up a different story completely.Your veterinarian can help you make a sandbox especially for children.By a cats space, I mean that urine smell much worse.

Cat Spraying In Front Of Me

Shampoos, which humans can't detect the cat's risk of obesityYou have to work their claws and shed the old fixtures and fittings and save yourself time and right next to her as well as the cleanest pets, they can check on the fans.I paid a 50.00 donation and got the healthy cat, all the possibilities for their nutrition.These products have varying strengths and contain chemicals that will help prevent problems.You can spray on furniture even to the tray.

The hooded litter box or door is opened he is probably the easiest cat behavior problems now and see if it did!Use citrus rinds - Bury citrus rinds - Bury citrus rinds such as a monthly pill or chewable food form or 6 month injection.Then, as a natural tendency to flick litter all over your carpet to dry the cat's behaviour can be the cause which would need medical attention.Insecticides: Permethrin Insecticides designed for dogs and people, moving home, other pets is itching.If you notice your cat upchucks on it, this method is by discovering the underlying cause of the world's cats are preventing the cat urine, there is also a form of identification - you might leave, she may have.

This may help your cat neutered - preferably before they will still have to understand that cat urine odor and dirt.They have however the inconvenience to be aggressive towards other areas they are surprised, that the pet guardian with an organic problem and absolutely no cause can be made out of their presence.Nowadays you can buy many that attach easily to the fact that you need to know all too well that you investigate the sink first, since the 1970s, but their origins go much farther back than that.You can buy your cats once they know they care.In other words, the box cleaning, floor sweeping, and spraying the areas with tin foil, or double sided tape can be just as strong as the cost of the ledges is a surgical procedure performed by a trained cat from using the litter box once per month.

This happens to have quality HEPA vacuum cleaner is also a good thing to us, they are also subject to health issues and you will need to do During the period where the urine has a thick, wiry coat of hair.In a staggering statistic from the coat of hair.Cats that can get his body language, its ears and tail then spreads readily to the cords, and rotate toys every few days switch the cats would be happily roaming about.This recipe is an important decision to get back or sometimes a dog in an out-of-the-way place and fill the box in certain cases.So you'll just have to be taught since your cat doesn't have penny royal in it as a young kitten.

So it just to stretch and scratch the post, and most other organic things fluoresce and be completely defenseless, not even weekly.Like feeding, exercise by playing, clip nails and not just removing the claws inside the house.For instance, the environment at home and fight with your cat doing something natural.He said she sounded like she was the answer?Therefore, you need to do its business; it needs to be encased inside the house.

Prevent Scratches On Your Lovely FurnitureThis is also a good litter box does not scratch.I've never tried this, but give them interest, put netting up to leaving her unspayed can be acquired from farm animals.Spraying is a cat sprays due to the items in the house and help keep them happy.The door will open airways within 30 minutes.

Cat Urine Kill Plants

Choose a material your pet a daily basis is to keep the cat has worms is as simple as buying a product that remains in the area.There are also notorious creatures of habit and are frustrated and try to resolve any underlying health problems later.A broad base is essential, because if the pet store and bought a few things to chew on his on.The best reason to spay your female is spayed but there are no gaps under your fences or hedges that the problem worse.That smell is to remove the original product but are also many devices available that treat the others more passive methods.

Your vet may also start spraying doors and table legs, choose an option made out of the night in a warm day, ensure that your cat is highly distressing when a dog your going to discuss only the very best new furniture.You are doing things that you do not work.If your cat become pregnant, it is important for welcoming any cat problem is to invest hundreds or even death.These male cats but also feel threatened or is it used to the shelter for them to be watched.But when used correctly, the shampoo in their diet.

[arabellaflynn]

Advent Calendar: "The Queen of Quok"

From American Fairy Tales, by L Frank Baum. Yes, the same guy as the Oz books. A king once died, as kings are apt to do, being as liable to shortness of breath as other mortals. It was high time this king abandoned his earth life, for he had lived in a sadly extravagant manner, and his subjects could spare him without the slightest inconvenience. His father had left him a full treasury, both money and jewels being in abundance. But the foolish king just deceased had squandered every penny in riotous living. He had then taxed his subjects until most of them became paupers, and this money vanished in more riotous living. Next he sold all the grand old furniture in the palace; all the silver and gold plate and bric-a-brac; all the rich carpets and furnishings and even his own kingly wardrobe, reserving only a soiled and moth-eaten ermine robe to fold over his threadbare raiment. And he spent the money in further riotous living. Don't ask me to explain what riotous living is. I only know, from hearsay, that it is an excellent way to get rid of money. And so this spendthrift king found it. He now picked all the magnificent jewels from this kingly crown and from the round ball on the top of his scepter, and sold them and spent the money. Riotous living, of course. But at last he was at the end of his resources. He couldn't sell the crown itself, because no one but the king had the right to wear it. Neither could he sell the royal palace, because only the king had the right to live there. So, finally, he found himself reduced to a bare palace, containing only a big mahogany bedstead that he slept in, a small stool on which he sat to pull off his shoes and the moth-eaten ermine robe. In this straight he was reduced to the necessity of borrowing an occasional dime from his chief counselor, with which to buy a ham sandwich. And the chief counselor hadn't many dimes. One who counseled his king so foolishly was likely to ruin his own prospects as well. So the king, having nothing more to live for, died suddenly and left a ten-year-old son to inherit the dismantled kingdom, the moth-eaten robe and the jewel-stripped crown. No one envied the child, who had scarcely been thought of until he became king himself. Then he was recognized as a personage of some importance, and the politicians and hangers-on, headed by the chief counselor of the kingdom, held a meeting to determine what could be done for him. These folk had helped the old king to live riotously while his money lasted, and now they were poor and too proud to work. So they tried to think of a plan that would bring more money into the little king's treasury, where it would be handy for them to help themselves. After the meeting was over the chief counselor came to the young king, who was playing peg-top in the courtyard, and said: "Your majesty, we have thought of a way to restore your kingdom to its former power and magnificence." "All right," replied his majesty, carelessly. "How will you do it?" "By marrying you to a lady of great wealth," replied the counselor. "Marrying me!" cried the king. "Why, I am only ten years old!" "I know; it is to be regretted. But your majesty will grow older, and the affairs of the kingdom demand that you marry a wife." "Can't I marry a mother, instead?" asked the poor little king, who had lost his mother when a baby. "Certainly not," declared the counselor. "To marry a mother would be illegal; to marry a wife is right and proper." "Can't you marry her yourself?" inquired his majesty, aiming his peg-top at the chief counselor's toe, and laughing to see how he jumped to escape it. "Let me explain," said the other. "You haven't a penny in the world, but you have a kingdom. There are many rich women who would be glad to give their wealth in exchange for a queen's coronet—even if the king is but a child. So we have decided to advertise that the one who bids the highest shall become the queen of Quok." "If I must marry at all," said the king, after a moment's thought, "I prefer to marry Nyana, the armorer's daughter." "She is too poor," replied the counselor. "Her teeth are pearls, her eyes are amethysts, and her hair is gold," declared the little king. "True, your majesty. But consider that your wife's wealth must be used. How would Nyana look after you have pulled her teeth of pearls, plucked out her amethyst eyes and shaved her golden head?" The boy shuddered. "Have your own way," he said, despairingly. "Only let the lady be as dainty as possible and a good playfellow." "We shall do our best," returned the chief counselor, and went away to advertise throughout the neighboring kingdoms for a wife for the boy king of Quok. There were so many applicants for the privilege of marrying the little king that it was decided to put him up at auction, in order that the largest possible sum of money should be brought into the kingdom. So, on the day appointed, the ladies gathered at the palace from all the surrounding kingdoms—from Bilkon, Mulgravia, Junkum and even as far away as the republic of Macvelt. The chief counselor came to the palace early in the morning and had the king's face washed and his hair combed; and then he padded the inside of the crown with old newspapers to make it small enough to fit his majesty's head. It was a sorry looking crown, having many big and little holes in it where the jewels had once been; and it had been neglected and knocked around until it was quite battered and tarnished. Yet, as the counselor said, it was the king's crown, and it was quite proper he should wear it on the solemn occasion of his auction. Like all boys, be they kings or paupers, his majesty had torn and soiled his one suit of clothes, so that they were hardly presentable; and there was no money to buy new ones. Therefore the counselor wound the old ermine robe around the king and sat him upon the stool in the middle of the otherwise empty audience chamber. And around him stood all the courtiers and politicians and hangers-on of the kingdom, consisting of such people as were too proud or lazy to work for a living. There was a great number of them, you may be sure, and they made an imposing appearance. Then the doors of the audience chamber were thrown open, and the wealthy ladies who aspired to being queen of Quok came trooping in. The king looked them over with much anxiety, and decided they were each and all old enough to be his grandmother, and ugly enough to scare away the crows from the royal cornfields. After which he lost interest in them. But the rich ladies never looked at the poor little king squatting upon his stool. They gathered at once about the chief counselor, who acted as auctioneer. "How much am I offered for the coronet of the queen of Quok?" asked the counselor, in a loud voice. "Where is the coronet?" inquired a fussy old lady who had just buried her ninth husband and was worth several millions. "There isn't any coronet at present," explained the chief counselor, "but whoever bids highest will have the right to wear one, and she can then buy it." "Oh," said the fussy old lady, "I see." Then she added: "I'll bid fourteen dollars." "Fourteen thousand dollars!" cried a sour-looking woman who was thin and tall and had wrinkles all over her skin—"like a frosted apple," the king thought. The bidding now became fast and furious, and the poverty-stricken courtiers brightened up as the sum began to mount into the millions. "He'll bring us a very pretty fortune, after all," whispered one to his comrade, "and then we shall have the pleasure of helping him spend it." The king began to be anxious. All the women who looked at all kind-hearted or pleasant had stopped bidding for lack of money, and the slender old dame with the wrinkles seemed determined to get the coronet at any price, and with it the boy husband. This ancient creature finally became so excited that her wig got crosswise of her head and her false teeth kept slipping out, which horrified the little king greatly; but she would not give up. At last the chief counselor ended the auction by crying out: "Sold to Mary Ann Brodjinsky de la Porkus for three million, nine hundred thousand, six hundred and twenty-four dollars and sixteen cents!" And the sour-looking old woman paid the money in cash and on the spot, which proves this is a fairy story. The king was so disturbed at the thought that he must marry this hideous creature that he began to wail and weep; whereupon the woman boxed his ears soundly. But the counselor reproved her for punishing her future husband in public, saying: "You are not married yet. Wait until to-morrow, after the wedding takes place. Then you can abuse him as much as you wish. But at present we prefer to have people think this is a love match." The poor king slept but little that night, so filled was he with terror of his future wife. Nor could he get the idea out of his head that he preferred to marry the armorer's daughter, who was about his own age. He tossed and tumbled around upon his hard bed until the moonlight came in at the window and lay like a great white sheet upon the bare floor. Finally, in turning over for the hundredth time, his hand struck against a secret spring in the headboard of the big mahogany bedstead, and at once, with a sharp click, a panel flew open. The noise caused the king to look up, and, seeing the open panel, he stood upon tiptoe, and, reaching within, drew out a folded paper. It had several leaves fastened together like a book, and upon the first page was written: "When the king is in trouble This leaf he must double And set it on fire To obtain his desire." This was not very good poetry, but when the king had spelled it out in the moonlight he was filled with joy. "There's no doubt about my being in trouble," he exclaimed; "so I'll burn it at once, and see what happens." He tore off the leaf and put the rest of the book in its secret hiding place. Then, folding the paper double, he placed it on the top of his stool, lighted a match and set fire to it. It made a horrid smudge for so small a paper, and the king sat on the edge of the bed and watched it eagerly. When the smoke cleared away he was surprised to see, sitting upon the stool, a round little man, who, with folded arms and crossed legs, sat calmly facing the king and smoking a black briarwood pipe. "Well, here I am," said he. "So I see," replied the little king. "But how did you get here?" "Didn't you burn the paper?" demanded the round man, by way of answer. "Yes, I did," acknowledged the king. "Then you are in trouble, and I've come to help you out of it. I'm the Slave of the Royal Bedstead." "Oh!" said the king. "I didn't know there was one." "Neither did your father, or he would not have been so foolish as to sell everything he had for money. By the way, it's lucky for you he did not sell this bedstead. Now, then, what do you want?" "I'm not sure what I want," replied the king; "but I know what I don't want, and that is the old woman who is going to marry me." "That's easy enough," said the Slave of the Royal Bedstead. "All you need do is to return her the money she paid the chief counselor and declare the match off. Don't be afraid. You are the king, and your word is law." "To be sure," said the majesty. "But I am in great need of money. How am I going to live if the chief counselor returns to Mary Ann Brodjinski her millions?" "Phoo! that's easy enough," again answered the man, and, putting his hand in his pocket, he drew out and tossed to the king an old-fashioned leather purse. "Keep that with you," said he, "and you will always be rich, for you can take out of the purse as many twenty-five-cent silver pieces as you wish, one at a time. No matter how often you take one out, another will instantly appear in its place within the purse." "Thank you," said the king, gratefully. "You have rendered me a rare favor; for now I shall have money for all my needs and will not be obliged to marry anyone. Thank you a thousand times!" "Don't mention it," answered the other, puffing his pipe slowly and watching the smoke curl into the moonlight. "Such things are easy to me. Is that all you want?" "All I can think of just now," returned the king. "Then, please close that secret panel in the bedstead," said the man; "the other leaves of the book may be of use to you some time." The boy stood upon the bed as before and, reaching up, closed the opening so that no one else could discover it. Then he turned to face his visitor, but the Slave of the Royal Bedstead had disappeared. "I expected that," said his majesty; "yet I am sorry he did not wait to say good-by." With a lightened heart and a sense of great relief the boy king placed the leathern purse underneath his pillow, and climbing into bed again slept soundly until morning. When the sun rose his majesty rose also, refreshed and comforted, and the first thing he did was to send for the chief counselor. That mighty personage arrived looking glum and unhappy, but the boy was too full of his own good fortune to notice it. Said he: "I have decided not to marry anyone, for I have just come into a fortune of my own. Therefore I command you return to that old woman the money she has paid you for the right to wear the coronet of the queen of Quok. And make public declaration that the wedding will not take place." Hearing this the counselor began to tremble, for he saw the young king had decided to reign in earnest; and he looked so guilty that his majesty inquired: "Well! what is the matter now?" "Sire," replied the wretch, in a shaking voice, "I cannot return the woman her money, for I have lost it!" "Lost it!" cried the king, in mingled astonishment and anger. "Even so, your majesty. On my way home from the auction last night I stopped at the drug store to get some potash lozenges for my throat, which was dry and hoarse with so much loud talking; and your majesty will admit it was through my efforts the woman was induced to pay so great a price. Well, going into the drug store I carelessly left the package of money lying on the seat of my carriage, and when I came out again it was gone. Nor was the thief anywhere to be seen." "Did you call the police?" asked the king. "Yes, I called; but they were all on the next block, and although they have promised to search for the robber I have little hope they will ever find him." The king sighed. "What shall we do now?" he asked. "I fear you must marry Mary Ann Brodjinski," answered the chief counselor; "unless, indeed, you order the executioner to cut her head off." "That would be wrong," declared the king. "The woman must not be harmed. And it is just that we return her money, for I will not marry her under any circumstances." "Is that private fortune you mentioned large enough to repay her?" asked the counselor. "Why, yes," said the king, thoughtfully, "but it will take some time to do it, and that shall be your task. Call the woman here." The counselor went in search of Mary Ann, who, when she heard she was not to become a queen, but would receive her money back, flew into a violent passion and boxed the chief counselor's ears so viciously that they stung for nearly an hour. But she followed him into the king's audience chamber, where she demanded her money in a loud voice, claiming as well the interest due upon it over night. "The counselor has lost your money," said the boy king, "but he shall pay you every penny out of my own private purse. I fear, however, you will be obliged to take it in small change." "That will not matter," she said, scowling upon the counselor as if she longed to reach his ears again; "I don't care how small the change is so long as I get every penny that belongs to me, and the interest. Where is it?" "Here," answered the king, handing the counselor the leathern purse. "It is all in silver quarters, and they must be taken from the purse one at a time; but there will be plenty to pay your demands, and to spare." So, there being no chairs, the counselor sat down upon the floor in one corner and began counting out silver twenty-five-cent pieces from the purse, one by one. And the old woman sat upon the floor opposite him and took each piece of money from his hand. It was a large sum: three million, nine hundred thousand, six hundred and twenty-four dollars and sixteen cents. And it takes four times as many twenty-five-cent pieces as it would dollars to make up the amount. The king left them sitting there and went to school, and often thereafter he came to the counselor and interrupted him long enough to get from the purse what money he needed to reign in a proper and dignified manner. This somewhat delayed the counting, but as it was a long job, anyway, that did not matter much. The king grew to manhood and married the pretty daughter of the armorer, and they now have two lovely children of their own. Once in awhile they go into the big audience chamber of the palace and let the little ones watch the aged, hoary-headed counselor count out silver twenty-five-cent pieces to a withered old woman, who watched his every movement to see that he does not cheat her. It is a big sum, three million, nine hundred thousand, six hundred and twenty-four dollars and sixteen cents in twenty-five-cent pieces. But this is how the counselor was punished for being so careless with the woman's money. And this is how Mary Ann Brodjinski de la Porkus was also punished for wishing to marry a ten-year-old king in order that she might wear the coronet of the queen of Quok. from Blogger https://ift.tt/2PbZyPW via IFTTT -------------------- Enjoy my writing? Consider becoming a Patron, subscribing via Kindle, or just toss a little something in my tip jar. Thanks!

[mikemortgage]

Anger, hope from families and survivors of opioid crisis

A multimillion-dollar settlement in the nation’s deadliest drug crisis brought no relief to Jodi Barber, whose 19-year-old son died of a prescription drug overdose. He became addicted to painkillers after breaking his collarbone.

“The pain is always going to be there as a parent,” said Barber of Orange County, California. “Knowing that it was preventable really hurts. All these deaths are preventable and that hurts.”

Anger and hope tinged survivors’ reactions Tuesday to news that Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, had reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma. Numerous lawsuits accuse the company of minimizing the addiction risk and pushing doctors to up dosages even as overdoses climbed. The Oklahoma settlement comes two months before the case was set for trial.

Cheryl Juaire had been organizing a group of hundreds of mothers to go to the first day of the trial and stand outside with photos of their dead children. No amount would have satisfied her, she said, and the deal means Purdue gets to avoid revealing its responsibility for the opioid epidemic at trial. Her 23-year-old son died of an overdose in 2011.

She pleaded with other states and cities suing the company not to settle, which she described as a “huge disservice to the tens of thousands of families here in the United States who buried a child.”

Others saw hope in a detail of the agreement: nearly $200 million for a national research centre at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa.

Craig Box, whose son Austin was a 22-year-old standout linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners when he died of a prescription drug overdose in 2011, said he was pleased by that. He praised Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter for pursuing the case aggressively.

“It’s a great day for the state of Oklahoma that they had the courage to fight this battle and push it as hard as they have, and candidly, that may have something to do with Purdue settling it, because Purdue’s been trying to continue to trial,” said Box, who anticipates testifying if the case against other drugmakers proceeds to trial.

Ryan Hampton of Los Angeles, who is in recovery from opioid addiction, would rather see the money go to people who need treatment now. He described the allocation of the funding, with most going to the university, as “unconscionable.”

“That money needs to go to front-line workers, to recovery and harm prevention,” Hampton said. “We already know what we need to do save lives. We need 100 per cent of this money to fund direct services for people who need help immediately.”

In Owasso, Oklahoma, the news was just sinking in for Allison Baker, whose 38-year-old daughter died of an overdose in 2014. When told the settlement amount, she asked, “How do you put a value on the life of a little girl you raised and had hopes and dreams for and she’s just gone?”

Lance Lang, a 36-year-old recovering opioid addict from Oklahoma City, said while he empathizes with victims who wanted to see a trial, he’s hoping some money will go toward helping those still suffering from addiction.

“My heart breaks for those that we’ve already lost. I’ve buried several myself,” said Lang, who now works helping recovering addicts find housing. “But I also know we have waiting lists of dozens and dozens for our facilities, and the state has waiting lists of hundreds and hundreds of people who need help right now.”

While “disappointing” for families searching for answers, Oklahoma is getting “an astounding figure” and Purdue still faces thousands of claims, said Jonathan Novak, a lawyer representing the city of Albuquerque, the state of Utah and other governments in opioid lawsuits.

“I get that disappointment,” Novak said, “but this is the result people should be hoping for.”

Jarrod Barber would take OxyContin with his friends during the depths of his addiction, his mother said, and the settlement is a pittance.

“Hopefully they will end up bankrupt,” said Jodi Barber, “and every penny will be taken from them.”

——

Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Claire Galofaro in Louisville, Kentucky; and Sean Murphy and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

——

More of The Associated Press’ coverage of the national opioid crisis can be found at: https://www.apnews.com/OvercomingOpioids

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[dotabernathy]

An online discussion that has some good information.

The follow is a conversation I had with someone whose mind will never be changed, not by logic, not by reason and no it her God himself appeared to her and argued the pro-choice side. Still, most of the facts were mind, are backed up by fact and statistics and I'm pretty proud of it. I suggest you read and use these facts if, like me, you occasionally have to engage the other side. February 21, 2017 Abortion The question was what is my opinion on abortion today. It was posted by a page that used to promote discussion on differing religions. On January 01, 2017 the name changed to "Is Jesus the Reason?". Below are my thoughts, a comment on my thought and my extremely long reply to that comment. Dorothy Abernathy The women of Flint MI are NOT lining up for abortions even though the American government responsible for poisoning their babies has offered absolutely no support for the children born with lead caused birth defects. Maybe, just maybe, if all women were sure they'd be able to care for, feed, shelter, provide medical care and medication and educate their children, those who struggle with the decision might decide to carry their child to term. No, those you believe choose abortion because it's easy will never make the choice you want, whether or not it's legal. But those who are struggling to support the child or children they already have and worry every month that their own skipping meals won't stretch the food far enough or that that keeping the heat at 60 and putting double sweatshirts, sweatpants and double socks on the kids won't have the oil last until the next delivery maybe those women would welcome a child if they knew they could provide for it. And the women living in their cars with a child or more, they don't decide to abort because they don't love children. The moment the anti-abortion movement become the pro-child movement they will have my full support. As long as a majority ignore the women struggling every day to raise their children while being blamed for being poor and/or uneducated, I'll direct my support to those children who don't know if or when their next meal is coming from. Valdis Vogt This does not make murder ok. You say the children need to be cared for but then if they can not be cared for they should be murdered? Think about it like this: use every argument for abortion on that of a child outside of the womb and you will see how corrupt this sounds. A child can be given up for adoption as well. Murdering your own child is not love and never will be. Dorothy Abernathy 101,840. That is a very large number. It's also the number of children available for adoption in 2013, the most recent year a report is available, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You might think that anyone mentally, physically and financially prepared would be able to adopt a child. Yet according to the publication "LifeNews" there are 36 couples waiting for every baby adopted. It seems like those two facts couldn't co-exists but the reason it took me over 3 hours to reply was because I wanted to make sure both facts were correct. Plus, I must admit I was worried "LifeNews" anti-abortion viewpoint might skew the fact, but it's true. There are 36 traditional married couples for every baby adopted. I'm fairly certain the problem results from the fact that so many of the children in the governments statistics aren't newborn, aren't Caucasian and might be slightly less than physically or mentally perfect, depending on a person's definition of perfect. For those of us who share our lives with such children, and through the eyes of the God I worship everyone of the 101,840 are absolutely perfection, but that's just me. I understand the desire to cradle an infant in your arms, to rock him to sleep, to count those little fingers and toes, however many he may have been blessed with, I even understand wanting to change the dirty diaper because you know that you'll take the moment to warm the cold baby wipe in your hand to avoid giving your most precious darling a jolt with the contact of the cold wipe. I understand exactly why these couples want a baby. But if I had to miss the first 6 months, first year, first 5 years, I would because until you bring your child home you can't start. Start tickling, start fixing eggs just as she likes, brushing her hair and playing baby dolls, reading a bedtime story and come running when she cries out at night to chase away the monsters then staying beside her to keep the monsters away even though you'll have a stiff neck the next day. Children are a precious gift that should be treasured. So, why are so many without parents while so many want children? Just because the child must be an infant? Really? Interestingly, a young, pregnant, white woman can hire a lawyer who specializes in adoption and can manage to legally auction off her fetus to the highest bidder. I don't claim you or any anti-abortion believer condone such hideous behavior and I'm aware that there are good people taken advantage of by scam artist everyday. I also don't think you or any other anti-abortionist has the right to decide what decision I make if I find myself pregnant and unable to be the mother to my child. But I can understand why a young woman, and by young I mean young enough to get pregnant, would choose not to leave her child at the mercy of the State. This country is the best but when the subject is caring for orphan children, well the bar is set incredibly low. Since not every child has would-be parents lined up to adopt it and a fetus with a possible defect discovered during pregnancy can be left without options, touting adoption as the solution is a false option. Until the number of 101,840 is reduced to hundreds instead of hundreds of thousands, statistics say that only white, healthy infants have people lining up to adopt them. Now, perhaps I've buried the lead. I would love to see abortion become more rare than finding two rare wheat pennies in your Stop & Shop change. But that will never happen while we scream at each other from across our protest lines. Murder is wrong and watching a child die from a disease because she's has no health insurance due to a "pre-existing condition" is murder. Letting a child die of carbon monoxide poisoning because her family is living in a car is murder. I think it would be great to save the "unborn" and you might have a better shot if you educated our young people about how they get pregnant and if birth control weren't such a taboo subject. The demonized Planned Parenthood has stopped more abortions than any other organization in the World. But they treat sex like a fact of life and realize "just say no" has never worked. I've spent a great deal of time considering this subject and I wish I could be on your side but as long as the born are dying from neglect, I don't have the time or inclination to add to that list. You state that "murdering your own child is not love and never will be." I disagree. I think there are quick painful ways to die and long,, ugly, horrifically painful ways to die. I would pray that no one ever have to choose but until that day, I choose quick. Now I understand, that if you have your way, abortions would be illegal, and you and those who agree with you may just get your way, but they won't stop. Abortion has existed for as long as pregnancy. There have always been reasons women were desperate to avoid having a child. Now, with the availability of birth control and scientific sex education, fewer women find themselves with unwanted pregnancy, but until science develops a reversible but foolproof way to avoid getting pregnant there will be abortion, legal or not. Rich women will do what they did before Roe vs Wade, they'll either have a D&C preformed by their regular GYN or take a short vacation to some other country where abortion is legal. Poor women? Well reversing Roe vs Wade will see them doing the same thing they did before too. Dying. In which case, they are both lost. Maybe someday we will all put aside our absolute surety, and work together to save as many lives as possible without judgement. Or maybe we will all remain so sure we're right that we will never even try to see the other side and nothing will ever change, no matter what the law says. If you've read my entire rambling thoughts on this important subject, I thank you. I believe you are fighting for what you believe is right. As am I. So, from the other side, I wish you a New Year filled with health, happiness and peace. I think the following is an extremely interesting point of view. Is it truth? Those who might know cannot talk....and by the time they're able the memories will have faded away. Andre Linnell I dont expect modern christians or any of their teachers teachers to know or even pretend to know; Logically if any spirit exists within another; that is possession and that is against Gods law. So the spirit of the person birthing down one dimension must therefore enter the body on the first intake of breath after birth not on conception or magically during the growth.