The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said 'Bother!' and 'O blow!' and also 'Hang spring-cleaning!' and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel which answered in his case to the gavelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, 'Up we go! Up we go!' till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow. 'This is fine!' he said to himself. 'This is better than whitewashing!' The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed his heated brow, and after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout. Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning, he pursued his way across the meadow till he reached the hedge on the further side. 'Hold up!' said an elderly rabbit at the gap. 'Sixpence for the privilege of passing by the private road!' He was bowled over in an instant by the impatient and contemptuous Mole, who trotted along the side of the hedge chaffing the other rabbits as they peeped hurriedly from their holes to see what the row was about. 'Onion-sauce! Onion-sauce!' he remarked jeeringly, and was gone before they could think of a thoroughly satisfactory reply. Then they all started grumbling at each other. 'How STUPID you are! Why didn't you tell him——' 'Well, why didn't YOU say——' 'You might have reminded him——' and so on, in the usual way; but, of course, it was then much too late, as is always the case. It all seemed too good to be true. Hither and thither through the meadows he rambled busily, along the hedgerows, across the copses, finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting—everything happy, and progressive, and occupied. And instead of having an uneasy conscience pricking him and whispering 'whitewash!' he somehow could only feel how jolly it was to be the only idle dog among all these busy citizens. After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.

Strumming a harp while floating on a white cloud might be Paradise for some people, but it would bore others stiff. Given an unlimited chance to choose your ideal world, what would you specify—palaces or log cabins? I'll take beer, son, and thanks again for the offer. As you can see, I'm kinda down on my luck. I know what you're thinking, but I'm not really on the bum. I usually make out all right—nothing fancy, mind you, but it's a living. Odd jobs in the winter and spring, follow the harvests in the summer and fall. Things are slack right now.You? Electronics, huh? Used to know a fellow in electronics.... His name was Joe Shannon, used to work for Stellar Electric up in Fremont. Young fellow, not more'n twenty-five or so. Rail thin, wispy hair, serious look—you know, the one suit, absent-minded type. Joe was a brain. A triple-A, gold-plated, genuine genius. Had a wife named Marge. Not beautiful but pretty and a nice figure and a cook you never saw the likes of. Like I say, she was married to Joe but Joe was married to his work and after you'd been around a while, you could tell there was friction. But that ain't the beginning.

"When all the gods had assembled in conference, Zeus arose among them and addressed them thus" . . . "it is with this line that Plato's story of Atlantis ends; and the words of Zeus remain unknown." -- Francis Bacon, New Atlantis Of all the writings of Plato the Timaeus is the most obscure and repulsive to the modern reader, and has nevertheless had the greatest influence over the ancient and mediaeval world. The obscurity arises in the infancy of physical science, out of the confusion of theological, mathematical, and physiological notions, out of the desire to conceive the whole of nature without any adequate knowledge of the parts, and from a greater perception of similarities which lie on the surface than of differences which are hidden from view. To bring sense under the control of reason; to find some way through the mist or labyrinth of appearances, either the highway of mathematics, or more devious paths suggested by the analogy of man with the world, and of the world with man; to see that all things have a cause and are tending towards an end—this is the spirit of the ancient physical philosopher. He has no notion of trying an experiment and is hardly capable of observing the curiosities of nature which are 'tumbling out at his feet,' or of interpreting even the most obvious of them. He is driven back from the nearer to the more distant, from particulars to generalities, from the earth to the stars. He lifts up his eyes to the heavens and seeks to guide by their motions his erring footsteps. But we neither appreciate the conditions of knowledge to which he was subjected, nor have the ideas which fastened upon his imagination the same hold upon us. For he is hanging between matter and mind; he is under the dominion at the same time both of sense and of abstractions; his impressions are taken almost at random from the outside of nature; he sees the light, but not the objects which are revealed by the light; and he brings into juxtaposition things which to us appear wide as the poles asunder, because he finds nothing between them. He passes abruptly from persons to ideas and numbers, and from ideas and numbers to persons,—from the heavens to man, from astronomy to physiology; he confuses, or rather does not distinguish, subject and object, first and final causes, and is dreaming of geometrical figures lost in a flux of sense. He contrasts the perfect movements of the heavenly bodies with the imperfect representation of them (Rep.), and he does not always require strict accuracy even in applications of number and figure (Rep.). His mind lingers around the forms of mythology, which he uses as symbols or translates into figures of speech. He has no implements of observation, such as the telescope or microscope; the great science of chemistry is a blank to him. It is only by an effort that the modern thinker can breathe the atmosphere of the ancient philosopher, or understand how, under such unequal conditions, he seems in many instances, by a sort of inspiration, to have anticipated the truth. The influence with the Timaeus has exercised upon posterity is due partly to a misunderstanding. In the supposed depths of this dialogue the Neo-Platonists found hidden meanings and connections with the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and out of them they elicited doctrines quite at variance with the spirit of Plato. Believing that he was inspired by the Holy Ghost, or had received his wisdom from Moses, they seemed to find in his writings the Christian Trinity, the Word, the Church, the creation of the world in a Jewish sense, as they really found the personality of God or of mind..

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold". First published as a book on 23 May 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881 and 1882 under the title Treasure Island or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola with Stevenson adopting the pseudonym Captain George North. Traditionally considered a coming-of-age story, Treasure Island is a tale known for its atmosphere, characters and action, and also as a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality — as seen in Long John Silver — unusual for children's literature now and then. It is one of the most frequently dramatized of all novels. The influence of Treasure Island on popular perceptions of pirates is enormous, including treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen carrying parrots on their shoulders. Short Summary of the Book:The novel is divided into six parts and 34 chapters: The novel opens in the seaside village of Black Hill Cove in south-west England (to Stevenson, in his letters and in the related fictional play Admiral Guinea, near Barnstaple, Devon) in the mid-18th century. The narrator, James "Jim" Hawkins, is the young son of the owners of the Admiral Benbow Inn. An old drunken seaman named Billy Bones becomes a long-term lodger at the inn, only paying for about the first week of his stay. Jim quickly realizes that Bones is in hiding, and that he particularly dreads meeting an unidentified seafaring man with one leg. Some months later, Bones is visited by a mysterious sailor named Black Dog. Their meeting turns violent, Black Dog flees and Bones suffers a stroke. While Jim cares for him, Bones confesses that he was once the mate of a notorious late pirate, Captain Flint, and that his old crewmates want Bones' sea chest. Some time later, another of Bones' crew mates, a blind man named Pew, appears at the inn and forces Jim to lead him to Bones. Pew gives Bones a paper. After Pew leaves, Bones opens the paper to discover it is marked with the Black Spot, a pirate summons, with the warning that he has until ten o'clock to meet their demands. Bones drops dead of apoplexy (in this context, a stroke) on the spot. Jim and his mother open Bones' sea chest to collect the amount due to them for Bones' room and board, but before they can count out the money that they are owed, they hear pirates approaching the inn and are forced to flee and hide, Jim taking with him a mysterious oilskin packet from the chest. The pirates, led by Pew, find the sea chest and the money, but are frustrated that there is no sign of "Flint's fist". Customs men approach and the pirates escape to their vessel (all except for Pew, who is accidentally run down and killed by the agents' horses).

"UKRAY" - UNIFIED FIELD THEORY - - A New Unification Theory on Electromagnetic Gravitation- PREFACE ? ?“This study which aims to prove that all forces and laws of physics exist in a single unified structure at the Starting and Ending moment of the Universe analyzes all laws of physics within the framework of a unified structure from Newton Mechanics to Quantum Theory, Einstein Relativity to modern 11-dimensional Super string theory. The study may also be considered as a "MODERN ERA PRINCIPIA" since it was started to be written in about 300 years (early 2007) after the publication of the great study of Newton named "PRINCIPIA" (1703-1707) on the topic of gravity theories. The volume includes SEVEN CHAPTERS in the form of SEVEN different articles which follow each other and make clear the subject when they are read consecutively. In addition, FOUR additional chapters in the form of APPENDIXES in nature of FUNDAMENTALS OF MATHEMATICS were also included at the end of the volume for readers who have a less degree of technical knowledge about the topic… THIS THEORY, GETS THESE QUESTIONS INTO; - A CHANGE into Gravitational field and field equations, STATIC AND UNIVERSAL GRAVITATIONAL CONSTANTS, - THE DYNAMICS OF Gravitational field with Combining the Electromagnetics Theory. - THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT COULD BE EXCEEDED? THIS THEORY WAS PREPARED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF APPROXIMATELY 16 YEARS STUDY, - WHOLE "666" PAGE- INCLUDES ABOUT 100 THEOREMS, - AND 1000 ILLUSTRATED DRAWINGS, - ASSERTS THE NEW PHYSICS OF THE UNIVERSE. AND MUCH MORE… "I imagined the situation of a mass falling towards the singularity point in a blackhole singularity in electrodynamic gravity conditions for some relative structures in the electromagnetic theory which is the most important and understandable theory in the classical physics I had comprehensive knowledge in my last years of my undergraduate term of the academic life (in about 2000) in an article of Faraday on the topic of the law of induction I had incidentally seen while I was examining the existing physics literature in the faculty's library. I wondered if the law of induction in a circular conducting wire differently perceived according to an observer in the train and the one on the land in the special relativity of Einstein may occur by the increase and decrease of mass during the course of falling to singularity in this blackhole and may create an electromagnetic gravity wave and a magnetic charge current which would decrease the impact of gravitation in parallel to this. This oriented me to a series of researches to study and create this theory for years and then directed me to create a unified electromagnetic gravity theory composed of SEVEN ARTICLES in total I will submit here in order and step by step. Even though the theory includes a deductive mathematical approach, tensor calculation and geometric modellings, I will give solutions of Einstein-Maxwell Equations with a different mathematical 4x4 Pauli-Dirac Spinors and Tensor calculation construction in direction of closed extra dimension of the space (5 Dimension Effect) What Does the Theory Tell? {Short Abstract and Philosophy of the Theory} The THEORY summarizes the general and simple mathematical description of the universe in the form of general conclusion items and forecasts the followings; Basic Projections of the Theory? - NEW MODEL OF AN ATOM, - NEW MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE, - CHANGE IN GALILEO Inertia Principle, - A Fundamental Change in the Structure of MAXWELL's EQUATIONS, AN ADDITIONAL TERMS AND ADDITIONS, - A CHANGE IN POYNTING ENERGY THEORY, - A NEW ATOMIC MODEL, - A NEW UNIVERSE MODEL, - CHANGE IN GALILEO'S PRINCIPLE OF INERTIA, - A FUNDEMENTAL CHANGE AND AN ADDITIONAL TERM IN THE STRUCTURE IF MAXWELL EQUATIONS, - A CHANGE IN STATIC FIELD EQUATIONS OF THE GRAVITY FIELD AND IN THE UNIVERSAL GRAVITY CONSTANT. - CHANGE IN POYNTING ENERGY THEOREM, - HOW CAN THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT BE EXCEEDED?

Holmes decodes a warning from Porlock, an informant against arch-criminal Moriarty, for "Douglas" resident five years at "Birlstone". Scotland Yard's MacDonald asks them to investigate a corpse with the same look and circle-in-triangle brand on the forearm as Birlstone owner Douglas. The head was blown off by an American-style sawed-off shotgun. Apparently, an intruder dropped a card with VV341, and left across a shallow moat. Watson observes the bereaved English wife and best male friend in unusually good spirits. When Holmes pretends the moat will be drained, the conspirators retrieve a missing dumb-bell weighting down the visitor's clothes beneath the water. Douglas comes from hiding, to explain he killed the assassin Baldwin in self-defence; the plan was to save him from more attacks by criminal survivors of Vermissa Valley. He hands Dr. Watson the following account. Young McMurdo gains reputation as tough counterfeiter, Freemen Lodge member fleeing murder charges in Chicago. In the Vermissa coal mine area, McGinty rules Scowrers branded by a circle in square, the local Lodge 341 who extort, murder, and exchange vicious deeds with nearby Lodges. Pretty Ettie prefers McMurdo to nasty Baldwin, and wants to flee, but will wait some months. When word comes that Pinkerton sent Edwards, McMurdo gathers ringleaders in one room, and springs his trap on them, surrounded by the law. Although the worst were hanged, after ten years, villains were freed, and chased McMurdo-Edwards-Douglas, despite changes of name, location, and wife. He married Ettie, then she died in California, where he made a fortune. The Valley of Fear, notable for Professor Moriarty's involvement, is set before "The Final Problem", the short story in which Moriarty was introduced. This introduces a logical difficulty, as in "The Final Problem" Dr. Watson has never heard of Moriarty, whereas by the end of The Valley Of Fear he is, or should be, familiar with his name and character. The "Moriarty" element in the story is tied into the fate of the informer in the story. It ties the Molly Maguire background to another event of that period: the murder of James Carey, an informer who was shot on board a ship off the coast of Natal, South Africa in 1883 by Patrick O'Donnell, an Irish republican who had relatives in the Mollies and briefly visited the Pennsylvania coal mining district, supposedly looking for the suspected informer among them.

It is a cumulative tale that does not tell the story of Jack's house, or even of Jack who built the house, but instead shows how the house is indirectly linked to other things and people, and through this method tells the story of "The man all tattered and torn", and the "Maiden all forlorn", as well as other smaller events, showing how these are interlinked. Origins: It has been argued that the rhyme is derived from an Aramaic hymn Chad Gadya (lit., "One Young Goat") in Sepher Haggadah, first printed in 1590; but although this is an early cumulative tale that may have inspired the form, the lyrics bear little relationship. It was suggested by James Orchard Halliwell that the reference to the "priest all shaven and shorn" indicates that the English version is probably very old, presumably as far back as the mid-sixteenth century. There is a possible reference to the song in The Boston New Letter of 12 April 1739 and the line: "This is the man all forlorn, &c". However, it did not appear in print until it was included in Nurse Truelove's New-Year's-Gift, or the Book of Books for Children, printed in London in 1755. It was printed in numerous collections in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Randolph Caldecott produced an illustrated version in 1878. Cherrington Manor, a handsome timber-framed house in North East Shropshire, England, is reputed to be the actual house that Jack built. There is a former malt house in the grounds. Syntactic structure: Each sentence in the story is an example of an increasingly deeply nested relative clause. The last version, "This is the horse...", would be quite difficult to untangle if the previous ones were not present. See the Noun Phrase for more details about postmodification of the noun phrase in this manner. References in popular culture: The rhyme continues to be a popular choice for illustrated children's books, with recent examples by Simms Taback and Quentin Blake showing how illustrators can introduce a fresh angle and humour into a familiar tale. The popularity of the rhyme can be seen in its use in a variety of other cultural contexts..

In writing upon any matter of experience, such as art, the possibilities of misunderstanding are enormous, and one shudders to think of the things that may be put down to one's credit, owing to such misunderstandings. It is like writing about the taste of sugar, you are only likely to be understood by those who have already experienced the flavour; by those who have not, the wildest interpretation will be put upon your words. The written word is necessarily confined to the things of the understanding because only the understanding has written language; whereas art deals with ideas of a different mental texture, which words can only vaguely suggest. However, there are a large number of people who, although they cannot viibe said to have experienced in a full sense any works of art, have undoubtedly the impelling desire which a little direction may lead on to a fuller appreciation. And it is to such that books on art are useful. So that although this book is primarily addressed to working students, it is hoped that it may be of interest to that increasing number of people who, tired with the rush and struggle of modern existence, seek refreshment in artistic things. To many such in this country modern art is still a closed book; its point of view is so different from that of the art they have been brought up with, that they refuse to have anything to do with it. Whereas, if they only took the trouble to find out something of the point of view of the modern artist, they would discover new beauties they little suspected. If anybody looks at a picture by Claude Monet from the point of view of a Raphael, he will see nothing but a meaningless jargon of wild paint-strokes. And if anybody looks at a Raphael from the point of view of a Claude Monet, he will, no doubt, only see hard, tinny figures in a setting devoid of any of the lovely atmosphere that always envelops form seen in nature. So wide apart are some of the points of view in painting. In the treatment of form these differences in point of view make for enormous variety in the work. Works showing much ingenuity and ability, but no artistic brains; pictures that are little more than school studies, exercises in the representation of carefully or carelessly arranged objects, but cold to any artistic intention. At this time particularly some principles, and a clear intellectual understanding of what it is you are trying to do, are needed. We have no set traditions to guide us. The times when the student accepted the style and traditions of his master and blindly followed them until he found himself, are gone. Such conditions belonged to an age when intercommunication was difficult, and when the artistic horizon was restricted to a single town or province. Science has altered all that, and we may regret the loss of local colour and singleness of aim this growth of art in separate compartments produced; but it is unlikely that such conditions will occur again. Quick means of transit and cheap methods of reproduction have brought the art of the whole world to our doors. Where formerly the artistic food at the disposal of the student was restricted to the few pictures in his vicinity and some prints of others, now there is scarcely a picture of note in the world that is not known to the average student, either from personal inspection at our museums and loan exhibitions, or from excellent photographic reproductions. Not only European art, but the art of the East, China and Japan, is part of the formative influence by which he is surrounded; not to mention the modern science of light and colour that has had such an influence on technique. It is no wonder that a period of artistic indigestion is upon us. Hence the student has need ixof sound principles and a clear understanding of the science of his art, if he would select from this mass of material those things which answer to his own inner need for artistic expression.

An afternoon of a cold winter’s day, when the sun shone forth with chilly brightness, after a long storm, two children asked leave of their mother to run out and play in the new-fallen snow. The elder child was a little girl, whom, because she was of a tender and modest disposition, and was thought to be very beautiful, her parents, and other people who were familiar with her, used to call Violet. But her brother was known by the style and title of Peony, on account of the ruddiness of his broad and round little phiz, which made everybody think of sunshine and great scarlet flowers. The father of these two children, a certain Mr. Lindsey, it is important to say, was an excellent, but exceedingly matter-of-fact sort of man, a dealer in hardware, and was sturdily accustomed to take what is called the common-sense view of all matters that came under his consideration. With a heart about as tender as other people’s, he had a head as hard and impenetrable, and therefore, perhaps, as empty, as one of the iron pots which it was a part of his business to sell. The mother’s character, on the other hand, had a strain of poetry in it, a trait of unworldly beauty—a delicate and dewy flower, as it were, that had survived out of her imaginative youth, and still kept itself alive amid the dusty realities of matrimony and motherhood. So, Violet and Peony, as I began with saying, besought their mother to let them run out and play in the new snow; for, though it had looked so dreary and dismal, drifting downward out of the gray sky, it had a very cheerful aspect, now that the sun was shining on it. The children dwelt in a city, and had no wider play-place than a little garden before the house, divided by a white fence from the street, and with a pear-tree and two or three plum-trees overshadowing it, and some rose-bushes just in front of the parlor windows. The trees and shrubs, however, were now leafless, and their twigs were enveloped in the light snow, which thus made a kind of wintry foliage, with here and there a pendent icicle for the fruit. “Yes, Violet,—yes, my little Peony,” said their kind mother; “you may go out and play in the new snow.”

Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leon Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Tolstoy clashed with editor Mikhail Katkov over political issues that arose in the final installment (Tolstoy's unpopular views of volunteers going to Serbia); therefore, the novel's first complete appearance was in book form. Widely regarded as a pinnacle in realist fiction, Tolstoy considered Anna Karenina his first true novel, when he came to consider War and Peace to be more than a novel. Fyodor Dostoevsky declared it to be "flawless as a work of art". His opinion was shared by Vladimir Nabokov, who especially admired "the flawless magic of Tolstoy's style", and by William Faulkner, who described the novel as "the best ever written". The novel is currently enjoying popularity, as demonstrated by a recent poll of 125 contemporary authors by J. Peder Zane, published in 2007 in "The Top Ten" in Time, which declared that Anna Karenina is the "greatest novel ever written" "..The novel opens with a scene introducing Prince Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky ("Stiva"), a Moscow aristocrat and civil servant who has been unfaithful to his wife Darya Alexandrovna ("Dolly"). Dolly has discovered his affair with the family's governess, and the household and family are in turmoil. Stiva's affair and his reaction to his wife's distress show an amorous personality that he cannot seem to suppress. In the midst of the turmoil, Stiva informs the household that his married sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, is coming to visit from Saint Petersburg. Meanwhile, Stiva's childhood friend, Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin ("Kostya"), arrives in Moscow with the aim of proposing to Dolly's youngest sister, Princess Katerina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya ("Kitty"). Levin is a passionate, restless, but shy aristocratic landowner who, unlike his Moscow friends, chooses to live in the country on his large estate. He discovers that Kitty is also being pursued by Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, an army officer. Whilst at the railway station to meet Anna, Stiva bumps into Vronsky who is there to meet his mother, the Countess Vronskaya. Anna and Vronskaya have traveled and talked together in the same carriage. As the family members are reunited, and Vronsky sees Anna for the first time, a railway worker accidentally falls in front of a train and is killed. Anna interprets this as an "evil omen." Vronsky, however, is infatuated with her. Anna is uneasy about leaving her young son, Sergei ("Seryozha"), alone for the first time.At the Oblonsky home, Anna talks openly and emotionally to Dolly about Stiva's affair and convinces her that Stiva still loves her despite the infidelity. Dolly is moved by Anna's speeches and decides to forgive Stiva. Kitty, who comes to visit Dolly and Anna, is just eighteen. In her first season as a debutante, she is expected to make an excellent match with a man of her social standing. Vronsky has been paying her considerable attention, and she expects to dance with him at a ball that evening. Kitty is very struck by Anna's beauty and personality and becomes infatuated with her just as Vronsky is. When Levin proposes to Kitty at her home, she clumsily turns him down, believing she is in love with Vronsky and that he will propose to her, and encouraged to do so by her mother who believes Vronsky would be a better match.At the big ball Kitty expects to hear something definitive from Vronsky, but he dances with Anna, choosing her as a partner over a shocked and heartbroken Kitty. Levin, crushed by Kitty's refusal, returns to his estate, abandoning any hope of marriage. Anna returns to her husband Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, a senior government official, and her son Seryozha in Saint Petersburg. On seeing her husband for the first time since her encounter with Vronsky, Anna realises that she finds him unattractive, though she tells herself he is a good man.." ? ABOUT AUTHOR: Tolstoy was born in Yasnaya Polyana, the family estate in the Tula region of Russia. The Tolstoys were a well-known family of old Russian nobility. He was the fourth of five children of Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812, and Countess Mariya Tolstaya (Volkonskaya).

The story starts in London on Tuesday, October 1, 1872. Fogg is a rich English gentleman and bachelor living in solitude at Number 7 Savile Row, Burlington Gardens. Despite his wealth, which is ?40,000 (roughly ?3,020,000 today), Fogg, whose countenance is described as "repose in action", lives a modest life with habits carried out with mathematical precision. Very little can be said about his social life other than that he is a member of the Reform Club. Having dismissed his former valet, James Foster, for bringing him shaving water at 84 °F (29 °C) instead of 86 °F (30 °C), Fogg hires a Frenchman by the name of Jean Passepartout, who is about 30 years old, as a replacement. Later on that day, in the Reform Club, Fogg gets involved in an argument over an article in The Daily Telegraph, stating that with the opening of a new railway section in India, it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He accepts a wager for ?20,000 (roughly ?1,510,000 today) from his fellow club members, which he will receive if he makes it around the world in 80 days. Accompanied by Passepartout, he leaves London by train at 8:45 P.M. on Wednesday, October 2, 1872, and thus is due back at the Reform Club at the same time 80 days later, Saturday, December 21, 1872. Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world. People said that he resembled Byron—at least that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron, who might live on a thousand years without growing old. Certainly an Englishman, it was more doubtful whether Phileas Fogg was a Londoner. He was never seen on 'Change, nor at the Bank, nor in the counting-rooms of the "City"; no ships ever came into London docks of which he was the owner; he had no public employment; he had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court, either at the Temple, or Lincoln's Inn, or Gray's Inn; nor had his voice ever resounded in the Court of Chancery, or in the Exchequer, or the Queen's Bench, or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He certainly was not a manufacturer; nor was he a merchant or a gentleman farmer. His name was strange to the scientific and learned societies, and he never was known to take part in the sage deliberations of the Royal Institution or the London Institution, the Artisan's Association, or the Institution of Arts and Sciences. He belonged, in fact, to none of the numerous societies which swarm in the English capital, from the Harmonic to that of the Entomologists, founded mainly for the purpose of abolishing pernicious insects. Phileas Fogg was a member of the Reform, and that was all. The way in which he got admission to this exclusive club was simple enough. He was recommended by the Barings, with whom he had an open credit. His cheques were regularly paid at sight from his account current, which was always flush. Was Phileas Fogg rich? Undoubtedly. But those who knew him best could not imagine how he had made his fortune, and Mr. Fogg was the last person to whom to apply for the information. He was not lavish, nor, on the contrary, avaricious; for, whenever he knew that money was needed for a noble, useful, or benevolent purpose, he supplied it quietly and sometimes anonymously. He was, in short, the least communicative of men. He talked very little, and seemed all the more mysterious for his taciturn manner. His daily habits were quite open to observation; but whatever he did was so exactly the same thing that he had always done before, that the wits of the curious were fairly puzzled. ABOUT AUTHOR: Jules Gabriel Verne (1828 – 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary genre of science fiction. Born to bourgeois parents in the seaport of Nantes, Verne was trained to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, but quit the profession early in life to write for magazines and the stage. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages Extraordinaires, a widely popular series of scrupulously researched adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in Eighty Days.

Have you pictured yourself spinning the decks and mixing records? Do you want to create new sounds but are unsure where to start? From hip-hop to trance, DJing for Beginners tells you everything you need to know about the equipment and the techniques behind mixing records and sounds in rap, dance, reggae and other styles. If you’re undecided whether you want to work with vinyl or be a digital DJ, the book shows you the advantages and disadvantages of each. In addition, becoming a DJ involves a great deal of equipment and can be costly, but the book advises on where savings can be made, such as which pieces are best bought second hand and which pieces you won’t need until you’re a lot more advanced. From matching the tempo and keys of songs to scratching, blending intros and outros, drags and looping, the book guides you through the essential steps to becoming a DJ. Each chapter also includes a special feature about a major DJ, from Grandmaster Flash in the 1980s to Paul Oakenfield in the 1990s to deadmau5 and Nina Kraviz today. With clear diagrams, photographs and instructions, DJing for Beginners is the ideal book for the first-time DJ.

Here lies entombed the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon. – Inscription found at Glastonbury in the late 12th century King Arthur most probably never existed and if he did we know precious little about him, and yet he is one of the most famous Britons, while Excalibur and Camelot are perhaps the world’s best known sword and castle, and Hollywood doesn’t tire of returning to the world of Arthurian romance – another major movie is to be released in 2016. So, what’s the truth behind King Arthur? How did the legends take hold? And why have they endured for so long? Long before the Marvel Universe there was the universe of Arthurian romance and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table examines the fact and the fiction behind Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere, Galahad, among others, as well as the quest for the Holy Grail. Beginning in the 12th century, the book explores what factual basis there is for the tales and how the characters, stories and motifs developed through histories, epic poems and prose tellings. The book also charts the revived interest in Arthurian romance in the 19th century and considers how the tales still hold the popular imagination today. Illustrated with more than 180 colour and black-and-white artworks and photographs and maps, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is an expertly written account of where literature, mythology and history meet.

A collection of three enchanting plays adapted from popular fairy tales and suitable for family audiences:?Tin Soldier (adapted from The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen), A Tasty Tale (Hansel and Gretel), Hood in the Wood (Little Red Riding Hood). Acclaimed playwright Noel Greig, has recreated these well-known tales for the stage with wit and imagination. All three plays have been performed throughout the UK by Tangere Arts, winning a? Time Out Critics' Choice Award . Teachers, youth theatres and amateur groups working with young performers will use this collection time and again for productions, drama classes and workshops - whether for one performer or many. Suitable for children aged 7+ The simple form and language of the plays belie their theatrical and psychological sophistication. Tin Soldier ' a powerful poetic drama, an epic fable for our times.' **** ?Independent A Tasty Tale (Hansel and Gretel) ' Delicious moments... fashioned into a rhyming feast.' ****?Time Out Hood in the Wood (Little Red Riding Hood) ' a first-rate piece of storytelling that will make children squeal with terrified delight and parents shiver with recognition. ' **** ?Guardian

Book 1 of the Forest People Series – The Awakening Camryn Painter is a 16-year-old freak of nature. Or possibly the savior of a civilization that isn’t supposed to exist. She’s a human chameleon… one who transforms into the image of whoever sees. Escaping from a medical research facility, Camryn discovers a magical forest world. Not that she’s welcome. Her new home is filled with faeries and beasts set on destroying her. Striking a tribal alliance between what she once believed were mythical beings is her only chance of survival… if she can just control her power and figure out who to trust.

Book 2 of the Forest People Series – The Choosing Camryn Painter’s powers come at a steep price. It’s one thing to master her chameleon abilities in the ancient forest world she now calls home, but another to use her abilities wisely. With the life or death of an entire civilization in her hands, Camryn must bond with a thunder dragon and join a battle she has little chance of winning… unless she can face down her own inner demons without destroying those she loves.

In the far future domed city of Dickens, no mercy is given. So when Eleanora Bryce finds her husband dead at his own hand, she finds herself trapped between the truth and his mountain of debt. Eleanora faces debtor’s prison — or worse — unless she can find a way out of Dickens. But can she return to the city which ruined her husband and murdered her son? A 6,000 word short story.

This holiday trio contains three stories featuring beloved characters from the Sweetwater Canyon series. Thanks for Love – A Thanksgiving Novella Is faith and forgiveness enough to make a family of four survive and thrive? After Sarah’s horrific ordeal with Amanda, all she wanted was to be in Tom’s arms forever. But now she’s not sure she is the best person to bring this family together. When it looks like the wedding is off, Connor and Grady put together a plan to get the family they’ve always wanted. A Thanksgiving Day wedding, with all of Broken Bow in attendance is in jeopardy. Can the boys get the bride to show up? Christmas Courage – A Christmas Novelette A week before Christmas, Kat’s father turns up on their doorstep and wants to be a part of her life. As far as Theresa is concerned, when Doug walked out fifteen years ago, leaving her with a two-year-old child and a mountain of debt, he forfeited all claims to Kat’s life. He does not get to waltz in like Santa Claus and re-claim her. Kat needs more than courage to navigate this Christmas season. She needs a miracle. The Hogmanay Stranger – A New Year’s Novelette The Sweetwater Canyon musicians celebrate Hogmanay in Scotland with Rachel’s father, Gavin Cullen. Since his wife’s death eight years ago, Gavin has never been the same. Running the bed and breakfast inn is what has kept him going. When a young, homeless stranger is given a room in the inn on New Year’s Eve, he’s met with great caution. Clearing the cobwebs of the past in order to begin anew is a tradition at Hogmanay, but can the Cullen family let go?

The Sweetwater Canyon romantic women’s fiction boxset contains the first three books in the series: Undertones, Healing Notes, and Heart Strings. Join the all women Americana band as they travel on the road, enhance their careers, and try to find balance between their music, their home, and their hearts desire. Undertones – Michele’s Story Balancing a career and a relationship is never easy, and it’s even harder when you are on the road and everyone wants a piece of you. As a music major who sacrificed everything to become master of the upright bass, the last thing Michele Scott thought she’d be doing is touring with an Americana and Bluegrass band. But to tell the truth, she loves it. Not so much David Blackstone. Even though he’s irresistible, the thought of balancing her career, life on the road, and a long-distance relationship isn’t for her. Her music gives her life, yet her heart yearns for something more. A girl just can’t have it all… or can she? Trusting David is a risk that may give her everything she wants or it will close her heart forever. Healing Notes – Rachel’s Story Forgiving yourself is the first step, but helping others forgive may be just too hard. Each note Rachel Cullen plays on her violin comes straight from the heart. But life isn’t easy. A Scottish immigrant to America, she embraced the Celtic and Bluegrass communities. Unfortunately, divorce, rape and distrust leave her emotionally crippled. Can Noel Karshaw, an English teacher and poet with a young daughter, be the key to help her reconcile who she is, what she wants, and how to get there? It takes both music and words to make a love song. With Noel by her side, Rachel has a chance to be part of the family she’s always wanted—a chance to make love strong. Heart Strings – Sarah’s Story Faith is easy…living is hard. Sarah Cosgrave picked up the guitar at age sixteen as a way to escape her life with an alcoholic father. Sweetwater Canyon gave her a career and the best of friends. Now, called to her dying father’s bedside, Sarah is forced to leave her band–the one thing that saved her. With her music career on hold and her past threatening to silence her, Sarah must make choices she swore she’d never have to face again. Her faith in her path is true; but can she have faith in Tom Pawlak, the man who once betrayed her, in order to find the peace she desperately needs?

Alexandra Lansing is looking forward to a vacation from her job as an operative with the Commonwealth’s counterterrorist task force.? She has three blissful weeks off, and plans to spend the entire time in France. After all, everyone needs a break from stress and worry. But when she’s snatched from the Left Bank in Paris she isn’t sure if her kidnapping is a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or a direct plot against the task force. When she discovers Praed has also been abducted, the vacation is officially over, and the possibility of an informer at task force headquarters becomes a very real, very frightening possibility. The pair manages to escape, and flees to Praed’s family home where they are forced to defend his brother’s wife and children from armed terrorists determined to recapture the operatives. With no clue as to who is behind the plot, or even a motive to explain why someone wants to take Praed and Alex prisoner, and the identity of the informant at HQ is a complete mystery. While Henry Davison races to eliminate suspects at headquarters, Praed offers himself as bait to draw out the kidnappers, hoping to discover the mastermind behind the plot. ? Alex is in hot pursuit, but will she be able to reach him before his captors extract the information they want and execute him?

Koragi is a promising young seamstress who longs to open her own tailoring shop in her home village of Cordak. Like most young girls in the village, she has an eye for Tebanis, the handsome militia captain with a crooked smile and a fierce sword arm. Hooded thugs attack Koragi during the annual harvest festival in the capital city of Eiskre. Tebanis mysteriously takes the form of a black dog to track and rescue her. He takes her away from the city on horseback, but they arrive in Cordak to find the village devastated. A massive golden dragon lies dead in the smoldering ruins. Tebanis reveals that Koragi is born of the gods, and she must cast aside her simple life to seek out three Pearls of Power in order to awaken the full capacity of her birthright. As she grieves the loss of her worldly mother and the deaths of countless villagers, Koragi is compelled to travel with Tebanis to Raitom, the City of Swords, in a desperate search for the strength to take retribution. Alongside Tebanis, Koragi battles agents of the dark goddess Ariana as she embarks on a quest to find her Pearls and gather allies and power enough to stand against the wicked goddess who plagues Camriiole. Facing treachery and the agony of loss, can Koragi overcome her own fears and pain to complete the impossible task which prophecy has placed before her?