Fire is important in rites of past ages from tribal ceremonies to spiritual celebrations like Pentecost today.  There is circle dancing around a fire in Native American gatherings. 

      A few years ago I visited one of my daughters in the Colorado mountains.  She brought me to a meeting of like spirits who were welcoming a modern day medicine man.  We sat in a snowstorm around a blazing fire.  It was an amazing experience.  Mystical really.  The cold was forgotten.  Our spirits seemed joined as we sat in silence waiting to hear the medicine man speak and then shared who we are. 

      I find fire to be inspiring as well as consoling.  It is more like a living being than material without a soul.

The ending was, however the most moving part of the entire series. The beginning of the end was perhaps when Katniss, Gale and their team is infiltrating the capitol. After the death of their leader Boggs, Katniss assumes the leadership role and leads the team to the center of the capital. Along the way, Finnick was also killed by some rose scented lizard mutts.

However, rock bottom was when Katniss herself, sees her younger sister, Prim being sent to the frontlines and caught in an explosion. She entered the games in the first book, with one objective, that of saving Prim. In the end, it just goes to show that not even the strongest of people can accomplish anything.

After realizing that she was being used by both the Capitol and the rebellion, she decides to take her life back by assassinating Coin, making sure that she was not a part of anyone’s games. In the end, Katniss is somewhat forced to live with Peeta in district 13, seperated from her family, and Gale.

Some may say that this was a somewhat, sad and disappointing ending, but I believe that Suzanne Collins created the perfect ending. It just goes to show that in war, there are no winners. War results in losses from both sides. This is what Peeta, whether brainwashed or not stated in his interview. This proved to be true.

Today, I went down a big hill on my flowboard! If you don’t know what that is, google it! It’s so much like a snowboard, it’s insane. I didn’t fall on my face it’s the first time I have seriously skated or anything since I had my tragic accident on my skateboard. I ended up with a sprained wrist and A LOTTTT of road burn. I got gravel in my hand and I had to get it out with a needle! It sucked! Also I got some on my elbow (pretty bad) and my hip. I swear I slid 20 feet when I hit the ground going 20 XD

Well that’s the extent of my adventures that I felt like sharing today. Peace!

-Jayce

Mark Lindquist, Pierce County prosecutor, said that had the case been his, he would have arrested Josh with the evidence given. He said, “There is direct evidence. There is circumstantial evidence. There is motive. There is everything but the body.” 

Along with the letter in Susan’s safe, there were also papers explaining that her and Josh had been having marital problems for the past 4 years and that she did not trust him at all. Also, their two kids were telling the police that they saw their mother in a trunk and they said that their dad was telling them that Susan was going on a camping trip.

Because Josh Powell could be charged or arrested, he killed both of his sons and himself in a gas-fueled fire. Evidence supports the fact that Josh chopped his kid’s heads off before setting fire to the house. All of Susan Powell’s relatives blame the police for the death of the two kids. They all collectively agree that the police should have arrested Josh because there was enough evidence to do so. 

That’s right, yet another publicly funded law enforcement authority has been added to the many at the beck and call of the music and film industry. Claiming a mythical £15m a year in loses as a result of the music download site, RnBXclusive.com, it would seem that by having friends in Hollywood you can make up any old nonsense and the cream of the world’s police forces will ‘bust some heads’ on your behalf. But hey, as long as those evil, criminal teenagers sat in their bedrooms listening to hip hop are being threatened with bogus 10 year jail sentences, we’re safe on the streets, right?

It gets worse; news announced recently tells us just what’s happening to the UK. Yep, we’re selling our police force in favour of militant, unaccountable, for-profit organisations that most people have never heard of (G4S etc.). Following the revelation that Britain’s Forensic Science Service (FSS) would be closed and privatised, the millionaire – and billionaire – laden government have decided to cut everything this country should stand for and provide some more contracts for their buddies. So now we have companies who have interests solely in making quick money operating some of the most crucial services that a government can operate.

Let’s not stop there though. We might as well privatise the NHS as well, or the fire services, hell why not have MPs sponsored by organisations… oh wait.

The problem we have is that in the midst of the ever increasing privatisation of the UK and willingness to let multinational companies run the show, where do the rights of citizens stand. It seems that the standards we have come to expect and our own civil rights are being diluted and branded with every breath we make and yet no politician with any muster is standing against this.

Theoretically it has to end somewhere but I can’t see anything stopping soon; especially with the print but stuck down at the Bank of England. And a role in a war with Iran or Syria under the guise of ‘military intervention’ is certainly to occur within the next year but the last time I checked we were selling jet fighters on eBay and putting troops in the dole queue. Then again, maybe we could hire some mercenaries? [Don’t give them ideas cough Blackwater].

Still at least we’re not passing over the top laws effectively censoring the internet. Ah life’s good.

How are you! I’m Zhao Li from year 12. I’m very happy to be able to introduce you all to the Chinese New Year.

The Spring Festival is one of the traditional festivals of China. Every year, it is celebrated from the 23rd day of the 12th month to the 15th of the first month of the lunar year, making it the longest spanning celebration with the most celebratory activities.

The Spring Festival is also called Year. This has to do with legends about Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year has many customs. Before the first day of the first month, people will clean their house, buy special New Year products, worship, hang red lanterns, paste couplets, etc. young children will also buy firecrackers and new clothes. These customs are kept in hopes of having good luck in the Next Year.

New Year’s Eve, the 30th day of the 12th month, is the last day of the lunar year. On New Year’s Eve, people will stay up the whole night. The family will eat a reunion dinner, also called a New Year’s Dinner. Fish and New Year’s cake are foods that must be eaten during the New Year’s Dinner. This is because eating fish represents having a prosperous year and New Year’s cake represents one year being better than the year before. Firecrackers, thought to be able to scare away bad spirits, will also go off, bringing peace to the family in the New Year.

After the first day of the first month, people will pay each other New Year calls. Parents usually give children New Year’s money. Celebratory activities will continue on through to the Lantern Festival, which is the 15th day of the first month. This day marks the true end to the Spring Festival.

Students, don’t you think the Chinese Spring Festival is interesting? This concludes my speech, thank you everyone.

When determining the cause of a fire, the investigator must establish if the fire was accidental or intentional. Accidental fires are just as dangerous as acts of arson. Fire is a physical chain reaction, and once set it will consume whatever fuel sources it can. A fire will continue to spread until all fuel sources are consumed or it is extinguished. This means that a fire can spread from a house, to dry grass, to the woods, to neighboring houses, and so forth.

Accident or Arson?

The reason that fires are so dangerous is because they can spread so quickly and they are quite destructive. In order to prevent re-ignition of the fire, the cause must be determined as soon as possible. In accidental fires, the cause must be discovered and remedied. Many accidental fires result from faulty wiring, gas leaks, fire places, and even cooking. A combination of public education and recalls on faulty products can aid in preventing accidental fires. (Goodall & Hawks, 2004)

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Intentional acts of arson must also be carefully investigated. Signs of arson include separate and unconnected fires, intense burning on the floor of the structure, and burned “paths” that may indicate the use of a fuel to spread the fire. (Saferstein, 2009) The arsonist must be identified and apprehended before further damage can be done. In addition to determining the cause of the fire, the investigator must also find the point of origin.

Point of Origin

As soon as the fire is extinguished and it is safe to enter the structure, the point of origin must be established. This area will contain the most evidence, especially if any accelerants or ignition devices were used. The origin of the fire is typically the lowest point of the fire, since fire usually moves upward as a result of convection currents. (Saferstein, 2009) There are many things working against the detective in a fire investigation.

It is essential to begin the investigation as soon as possible, because any evidence remaining will evaporate quickly. The actions of emergency fire and rescue personnel will likely contaminate the scene, so their actions must be recorded in notes. Another thing that must be considered is time; the longer a fire burns, the more evidence is destroyed. (Goodall & Hawks, 2004)

Fires Destroy Evidence

The fire will continue to burn until all fuel sources are consumed; so if it is allowed to burn itself out, there is not likely to be any useable evidence remaining. Fires are difficult to investigate because evidence is destroyed by the fire itself, efforts at extinguishing the fire, rescue and salvage operations, and time.

Despite the difficulties associated with fire investigations, it is essential that all fires are promptly and thoroughly investigated. Fires are dangerous and pose a great threat to people and property in the community. The point of origin and cause must be established and investigated as soon as possible. Once the cause is determined, appropriate actions must be taken to prevent future fires or incidents. Although this is a difficult task, it must be done in order to ensure the safety of the community.

References

Goodall, J., & Hawks, C. (2004). Crime Scene Documentation: A Realistic Approach to Investigating Crime Scenes. LawTech Custom Publishing.

Saferstein, R. (2009). Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

I was gobsmacked.  I didn’t know what to do.  Although, the fire was still on the other side of road of the fourth house counting from our house.  I packed my laptop and notebook.  Then I went outside to see what was going on.  I observed the fire and I thought it was still far from our house.  Neighbors were busy fetching water to pour on the burning house and the adjacent  little hut.  I saw George Fernandez and several people carrying a pail.  Rodelyn Samonte, a kagawad also helped considering that her house is just across the road from the burning house.  My husband also went there bringing a pail to help.

Then after half an hour, more or less, two (2) firetrucks and the rescue van arrived.  I guess after estimating the frequency of the fire one of the firetrucks went back leaving the other truck to do the job.  Then after half an hour the firemen’s job was over.  Then people around went back to their house and the neighbor became silent.

It can be remembered that less than a month ago, on December 17, 2011 a fire broke out about 500 meters, more or less, from here.  Last year, there were two (2) fires that broke out.  One was in February and another in December.  What must have the cause of these fires? It will remain to be seen as it seems that no investigation was done in the previous fires and I guess for this fire now, there will still be no investigation to be conducted.  Or  I just miss the news about the investigation.

Survival of the human race.

I had a discussion with a friend on twitter last night about how many people might survive should the economy/world structure as we know it end. I had a much grimmer outlook and thought maybe 2% of the world would be able to make it more than a couple days without their coffees or shopping malls. @LianaBrooks on the other hand figured that number might be a touch higher. Turns out she lives in Gator/Snake land and they are both good eating with the right recipes. (Yes she has those too)
My wife and I might not be what you would call survivalists, but we are in touch with what would be necessary to survive in the wild for an indefinite time. I have my own small solar system for back up power, I can build a generator station from a creek or river and could build a home in the woods given some basic tools.
This summer past, my wife and I decided to try and light a fire in the back yard without anything other than a few sticks. It did take quite some time, but in the end we had a small flame going on.

We live up here in the frozen north, aka : Canada, and it does get mighty cold up here. Today we were out on a walk through the snow with kids in tow, and I asked my wife if she brought her flint. (Yes, she has a flint striker, was a Christmas present from last year.) She answered in the positive. (of course)
With a little scavenging around for grasses, and something to use as a decent tinder, (harder to find than you might think sometimes) we had a small blaze going in about 15 minutes. It wasn’t much and it did take a little time to find the right material to get the fire going. In the end however we had a small blaze capable of being more. We didn’t need the fire for any reason other than the practice so with a few kicks of snow it was all but out.
It was a nice little feeling to know that should the need be there, and the easier methods of making fire be unavailable for any reason, we could have a fire for the night, cooking, safety or whatever else we might want it for.

I do know this, should everything in society go in the dumps, my family will at least have a fighting chance of survival.
So what do you think your chances would be to survive if you were given only the barest of essentials?
The clothes you could carry, a basic knife and whatever you could drum up from around you…

Oddly enough it is this same thought that often starts the stories in my head, and on that note…back to my writing!

Oh, in case you didn’t notice dear readers. If you look up on the left and right of this window, you will see a new link for my latest short story as well as a new progress bar for the next one. It is already going way faster than the last! Bad guys (and girls) can be very fun to write.

Merry Christmas all and see you after the holiday!

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In the Hebrew language, each letter is not merely a symbol, but also has its own meaning, and when joined together to form words, that meaning is strung together with the other letters in the word which give rise to the creation of a complex thought.  All within that one word.  

Shalom is the Hebrew word meaning peace, which is also used for greetings and partings, as a wish for peace to be with that person.

The first letter, Shin, symbolizes fire, as is evidenced even in its structure which resembles roaring flames.  

The last letter, Mem, symbolizes water.

These two elements are normally thought of as incompatable and mutually exclusive and destructive.  Fire and water, it is thought, cannot mix.  Fire would either singe the water and turn it into vapor, or water would quench the fire.

Here we introduce the two letters that come between the fire and water, or the shin and the mem, bringing them together to form a word.

These letters are the Lamed and the Vav.

The Lamed symbolizes learning and understanding.

The Vav represents the joining or bringing together.

There is actually a term, Lamed Vavnik, which refers to someone who is that special breed of person who is compassionate and thus capable of bringing people together through understanding, achieving peace and harmony, or at least by their mere existence stands between them to prevent harm from coming to either, or as in the stories, prevents the destruction of the world by their very existence. 

What this word, Shalom, ultimately means, is the idea that the bringing together of two apparently strong and disparate forces is achievable through understanding, or that understanding and compassion is what keeps destruction at bay.  

Thus it is that peace is achieved.

May peace be within you, your loved ones, and all of us in this Holiday Season and always.