MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 310

March 4, 2014

Life After Hell is only #99cents USD for a limited time at Amazon, Smashwords and iTunes:

 Life After Hell is only #99cents USD for a limited time at Amazon, Smashwords and iTunes:

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Hell-Surviving-Sexual-ebook/dp/B00FGY2N00

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-After-Hell-Surviving-Se...xual-ebook/dp/B00FGY2N00

Amazon AU http://www.amazon.com.au/Life-After-Hell-Surviving-Sexual-ebook/dp/B00FGY2N00

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/life-after-hell-surviving/id716458194?mt=11

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/359431

Nook coming soon......

http://thedreamseries-gladysquintal.blogspot.com.au/p/life-after-hell-surviving-sexual-abuse.html

"After being separated from my mother twice in my 10 short years of life, I was more than a little excited at the prospect of being reunited with her again. Unfortunately, my elation was to be short-lived when the visits to my bedroom started. Threatening to send me away again or turn the loaded gun he kept in my wardrobe on us all, he kept my silence.

It was to be another six years until I escaped the abuse of my mother’s husband and another 30 years before I was able to bring him to justice. Ironically, the one person that should have protected me and helped me fight to stop him, my mother, is still with him to this day."
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Published on March 04, 2014 06:22

Rare dinosaur skeleton sells for £400,000 in UK auction

 A rare Diplodocus skeleton sells at auction in West Sussex for £400,000 on Wednesday. Nicknamed 'Misty', the dinosaur was discovered in a quarry near Wyoming in the US in 2009. The dinosaur is 17 meters long and is thought to be one of only six complete skeletons worldwide.The identity of the person who purchased the dinosaur is unknown
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Published on March 04, 2014 06:15

Wall collapse at Pompeii: Italian archaeologists call emergency meeting, seek answers

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/03/03/following-collapse-at-pompeii-italian-archaeologists-seek-answers/



Italy’s top cultural official scheduled an emergency for Tuesday morning after heavy rains led to the collapse of a section of wall in ancient Pompeii, the famous city buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

The damage is in an area long closed to the public, at the edge of the excavations of the ancient Roman city. Officials said inadequate drainage in the unexcavated part is particularly worrisome. Rains lashing the Naples area recently were also blamed for damage discovered Sunday in other parts of Pompeii, the Associated Press reported.

Dario Franceschini, the minister of goods and cultural activities and tourism, said the meeting would seek to verify the effectiveness of extra maintenance efforts at the site and evaluate the overall status of preservation work at Pompeii . The site has for years struggled to balance restoration work with access for tourists, explained Lisa Ackerman, executive vice president of the World Monuments Fund.
'I was as shocked as anybody that another collapse happened.'
- Lisa Ackerman, executive vice president of the World Monuments Fund“Pompeii has had problems for years and years and years,” Ackerman told FoxNews.com. “The pressure to keep it open as a tourist venue puts a lot of pressure on the monument.”

While the Italian government has done a reasonable job maintaining the site, it has been challenged to keep the fragile and remarkable facility open. A similar wall collapse occurred in 2012, for example, leading some local politicians demanding action even then.

"How many walls have to fall, how much rain or snow should we expect to see a turnaround in state finance for the protection of cultural assets," said Giulia Rodano, cultural affairs spokesman for the center-left Italy of Values party, according to a report in the Telegraph

Last year, the Italian government appointed a special official to ensure that European Union and Italian funds were properly spent to repair and protect Pompeii. Yet officials clearly still struggle with the crumbling facility.

“I was as shocked as anybody that another collapse happened,” Ackerman said.
A spokesman for Franceschini’s office did not immediately reply to FoxNews.com requests for an update on the site.

The World Monuments Fund is dedicated to preserving important architectural and cultural heritage sites around the world, and through it, Ackerman has spent a lot of time at Pompeii over the years. She said there has been no lack of people on the site.

“But a lot are guards, not conservators. And during high tourist season they’re not going to take major areas off line, so maintenance gets deferred.” Yet the hand-wringing of politicians rarely leads to repairs -- merely more finger-pointing.

“It’s such a tragedy. It makes people focus on all the wrong issues. We waste time blaming people rather than doing the work.”
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Published on March 04, 2014 06:09

A history of the Viking world – in 10 extraordinary objects

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/mar/03/viking-world-british-museum-neil-macgregor-exhibition

Ninth-century silver valkyrie pendants from Denmark War spirits … ninth-century silver valkyrie pendants from Denmark. Photograph: The National Museum of Denmark A history of the Viking world – in 10 extraordinary objectsAuthor of A History of the World in 100 Objects and director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor condenses the museum's latest blockbuster show into 10 fascinating pieces New Valkyrie, 800This little pendant from Denmark was unearthed just over a year ago. It is the only known three-dimensional Viking-age valkyrie. Literally "choosers of the slain", valkyries were imagined as terrifying spirits of war and companions of the god Odin, female figures who ushered dead warriors from the battlefield to Valhöll, the hall of the slain (called Valhalla by the Victorians). Figures like this may represent a range of supernatural forces including goddesses, valkyries or spirits. While there are few records of Viking women participating in battle, they certainly held positions of high status in society as human sorceresses known as völvas.Weighing scales, 1000-1200Viking collapsible weighing scales                        Weight watchers … Viking copper alloy collapsible weights from 1000-1200. Photograph: Klaus Göken/Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte/Berlin State Museums Contact with the Islamic world introduced the use of precious metals as a means of exchange in the ninth century. There are more than 100,000 dirhams (Islamic silver coins) recorded from Viking-age Scandinavia. However, it was the bullion value that supported the economy, so precious metal was often melted down and turned into portable ingots. Although bullion lacked the formal quality control linked with coinage, it did provide a flexible system, because it could be chopped up and used in any quantity. The use of bullion required the measurement of weight, and here, too, we can see the influence of the Islamic world in a set of collapsible scales and weights. Scales like these are found across the whole of the Viking world as far west as Ireland.Hunterston brooch, 700Hunterston brooch from Ayrshire Golden glory … the Hunterston brooch, c700, was found in Ayrshire in 1830. Photograph: National Museums Scotland Our stereotypical view of the Vikings is bloodthirsty raiders, destroying everything they came across. True, but not the whole truth. Sometimes they simply took what they liked and kept it. The stunning Hunterston brooch, one of the exhibition highlights, is an appropriation of an older Scottish object that clearly survived the Viking raids intact. The brooch, found in Ayrshire, is a pre-Viking Scottish brooch with purely Celtic decoration. But on the back, someone has scratched in runes words that can be translated as: "Mælbrigða owns this brooch." The name is Celtic and Christian, but the language and runic alphabet are Norse, evidence that a pre-Viking object continued to be prized and used in the Viking age.Vale of York Hoard, 900sVale of York hoard Viking treasure … also known as the Harrogate hoard, the Vale of York hoard was found in north Yorkshire. Photograph: Yorkshire Museum/The Trustees of the British Museum This is the whole Viking world in one cup. Discovered in 2007 by metal detectorists near Harrogate, the Vale of York Hoard is the largest and most important Viking hoard found in the British Isles in more than 150 years. It spectacularly shows the range of the Viking's global network that spanned four continents, captured at the moment this cup was buried in 927. The hoard includes coins and objects from Afghanistan, in the east, and Ireland, in the west, as well as Russia and Scandinavia, central Asia and western Europe. The hoard represents three belief systems – Islam, Christianity and the worship of Thor – and at least seven languages. The silver cup in which the hoard was buried was probably made for use in a French or German church, and was possibly looted in a Viking raid.Hogback tombstone, ninth-11th centuriesA hogback tombstone from Govan Old Parish Church, Glasgow Grave discovery … a hogback tombstone from Govan Old Parish Church, Glasgow. Photograph: The Trustees of the British Museum These strange, large tomb-markers, called hogbacks because of their shape, are unique to the British Isles, the product of an exclusively British-Viking culture. As such, they represent a sort of Viking-era "colonial" monument. The great shipbuilding centre, Govan, on the River Clyde and so easily accessible to Viking ships, has one of the most important collections in the British Isles. Some hogbacks appear to replicate the roofs of Viking longhouses with geometric tile patterns; others have strange dragon-like creatures hugging the ends. This hoard is from the Govan Old Parish Church, in Glasgow.Ardnamurchan burial, late ninth/early 10th centuryArdnamurchan Viking burial from the west Highlands Treasure boat … the Ardnamurchan Viking boat burial is part of a rare fully intact site. Photograph: Paul Raftery In the summer of 2011, on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on Scotland's west coast, excavations revealed the only known Viking boat burial to be excavated on the British mainland in modern times. The vessel survived in the form of more than 200 rivets, many in their original location, and indicated a small clinker boat. It contained a sword, an axe, a spear, a ladle, an Irish bronze ring-pin and the bronze rim of a drinking horn. These items indicate that it was a remarkably rich Viking boat burial of a warrior. This will be the first time this hugely important find will be displayed to the public. Positioned beside the warship Roskilde 6, the Ardnamurchan boat burial represents the final journey of a Viking warrior, sailing into the afterlife.Hiddensee hoard, late 10th centuryThe Hiddensee Hoard of jewellery Viking bling … the Hiddensee hoard of pendants, spacers, a brooch and a neck-ring, was likely made in Denmark. Photograph: Jutta Grudziecki/Kulturhistorisches Museum der Hansestadt Stralsund The spread of Viking bling is a good indication of the spread of its culture. This hoard, found more than a century ago, was recovered on the island of Hiddensee, near Rügen off the northern coast of Germany. The impressive ornaments – a neck-ring, a brooch, 10 pendants and four spacers – were probably made in Denmark in a royal workshop. Seven similar cross pendants, of the same type but made of silver, were found at the Mikhailovsky monastery, in Kiev, as part of a large hoard of jewellery from the 12th and 13th centuries. From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, everybody wanted to wear Viking jewellery.Winchester manuscript, 1031Liber Vitae manuscript from New Minster, Winchester Parched … a detail from the Liber Vitae manuscript. Photograph: The British Library Board. Cnut (Canute) the Great, later also the king of Denmark, was the king of England from 1016 until his death in 1035. He was undoubtedly the most powerful king in the Viking-age Scandinavia. This beautiful illustration from the New Minster Liber Vitae, in Winchester, is the only known portrait of him and his English wife, Emma. In the ninth and 10th centuries, the Vikings established new kingdoms for themselves in Britain and Ireland and by around 950 there was something approaching a single, unified English kingdom. It was this kingdom whose throne was seized after a period of intense raiding, first in 1013 by the Danish king, Svein Forkbeard, and then in 1016 by his son, Cnut, who later added Denmark (from 1019) and parts of Norway (1028–34). England was the centre of his empire, and there his reign brought with it a period of stability. The new king took pains to be seen as a Christian ruler and a generous patron of the church, as shown in this double portrait in which he is portrayed as an Anglo-Saxon king, despite his Danish origins.Roskilde 6, 1025The Roskilde 6 Viking boat Ship shape … the Roskilde 6, said to be the biggest Viking boat ever discovered. Photograph: Paul Raftery This is the longest Viking ship ever found and we are extremely fortunate to be able to see the remaining timbers in the UK for the first time. It was discovered in 1997 during building work to extend the Viking Ship Museum, on Roskilde Fjord, and has since been carefully conserved by the National Museum of Denmark. It was a massive feat of engineering for its time. The Roskilde 6 represents what gave the Vikings their edge – and it defines their success. This technological mastery meant that the sea was no longer a barrier but an opportunity, a road to other lands. Roskilde 6 was built as a warship. Light and shallow in draft, she could travel at high speed, crewed by up to 100 warriors who by sea or by river could take their unsuspecting victims by surprise.Ulfberht sword, late 8th-early 9th centuryViking sword from the late 8th or early 9th century Fashion symbols … a Viking sword from the late 8th or early 9th century, found in Denmark. Photograph: John Lee/National Museum of Denmark Many of the best Viking weapons seem to have been imported to Britain from the continent. Blades inscribed with the names of their Frankish makers, Ulfberht and Ingerlrii, probably originated in the Rhineland in the ninth century. Yet blades carrying the same names continued to be produced for at least 200 years. The continued use of the name may suggest production in the same workshops after the original makers were dead, rather like a modern family firm, but it probably also indicates that these inscriptions were regarded as a guarantee of high quality, or considered fashionable. Metallurgical analysis of some blades marked "Ulfberht" has revealed that they are actually of poor quality. Swords were key symbols of warrior status, as much as they were weapons, so these poor-quality Ulfberht blades were perhaps the equivalent of today's cheap imitation Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton handbags.• The Vikings: Life and Legend exhibition runs from 6 March to 22 June. Vikings Live from the British Museum will be broadcast in UK cinemas on 24 April cinemas nationwide.
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Published on March 04, 2014 06:00

The Phil Naessens Show: Eastern Conference Bubble Teams!

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/the-phil-naessens-show-eastern-conference-bubble-teams/

    On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Dave Deckard joins Phil to talk all things Portland Trailblazers including a look ahead to this week’s tough NBA schedule. Amar stops in to discuss all the latest happenings with the Utah Jazz and the guys take a closer look at the Eastern Conference teams on the bubble plus much more NBA talk.
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Published on March 04, 2014 05:53

Have you joined the FACEBOOK EVENT On The Right Side,by Karen Magill Book Launch Wednesday, March 5, 2014, 4:00pm - 6:00pm in PST


Visit Karen's webpage at:  karenmagill.com where you can get a free eBook when signing up for the mailing list.

Karen Magill tells her story

On the Right Side is about my journey, so far, with multiple sclerosis. I feel that as long as you aren't six feet under, you are on the right side and anything it possible.

Click on the link to join the event

https://www.facebook.com/events/606246869453372/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

 
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Published on March 04, 2014 04:48

Ngaire Elder: WORLD BOOK DAY 2014 - 06th March

Ngaire Elder: WORLD BOOK DAY 2014 - 06th March: This is my first ever involvement in a World Book Day celebration and I am delighted to be part of the literary festivities at St Anthon...


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Published on March 04, 2014 04:47

History Trivia - Saladin dies

March 4

51 Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, was given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth).

 1152 Frederick Barbarossa was elected Holy Roman Emperor.

1193 Saladin died.

1215 King John of England made an oath to Pope Innocent III as a crusader to gain his support. 1

461 Battle at Towton: Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians and Edward IV was recognized as king of England.

1492 King James IV of Scotland concluded an alliance with France against England.
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Published on March 04, 2014 04:46

March 3, 2014

The Phil Naessens Show: Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies and Fantasy Basketball

http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/the-phil-naessens-show-indiana-pacers-memphis-grizzlies-and-fantasy-basketball/



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On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Tom Lewis joins Phil to discuss Danny Granger signing with the Clippers and the tough schedule the Indiana Pacers have this coming week. Kyle McKeown joins Phil to talk about Fantasy Basketball surprises, disappointments and the Fantasy Basketball MVP for the 2014 season and Kevin Lipe joins Phil to discuss the Memphis Grizzlies signing of Beno Udrih, this past Saturdays win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the week ahead plus more great NBA talk.
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Published on March 03, 2014 05:06

History Trivia - Ostrogoten King Theodorik the Great beats German usurper Odoaker

March 3

 493 Ostrogoten King Theodorik the Great and viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire beat German usurper Odoaker who had made himself King of Italy.

1046 antipope Sylvester III died. 

1284 The Statute of Rhuddlan (Statute of Wales) incorporated the Principality of Wales into England, and provided the constitutional basis for the government of the Principality of North Wales from 1284 until 1536.
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Published on March 03, 2014 05:05