The treasured gifts At a time long ago, in a land far away, there ruled a gentle king. His subjects worked hard but were contented, because the gentle king was generous in his givings, and fair at their trials. Thus his people held great respect for him, for his queen and for his little princess. For many years peace reigned in the land ‒ until one fateful day ‒ a fierce army from far away invaded the kingdom. The marauding soldiers devastated the country side, looting the cottages, stealing the livestock, and burning the fields. They chained the young
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What’s In A Name As T. S. Eliot pointed out: The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn’t just one of your holiday games … I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular, A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified, Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular, Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride? If it is so very important to name a cat – then how much more significant is it to name a person? That’s a rhetorical question. The science that studies names in all their aspects is called onomastics (or
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Telling the story – with adult knowing   October 23rd, 20021 marked the 65th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. It lasted only twelve days. Yet, it has remained in world history, as a moment in time when the desire for freedom from oppression so outweighed all threat of suppressive power that a nation of intellectuals, factory workers, farmers and even police officers and occupying soldiers united together to overthrow the existing tyranny. What were the causes of the Hungarian Revolution? What was its outcome? The history of Hungary, as that of other countries in Eastern Europe is a complicated one.
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The Season   The cradle seems closer somehow. The star, his face, his smile more radiant as the first snow covers the rooftops. He becomes each child ‒ who utters magical peals of laughter.   A child so far away, so long ago, a fairy tale ‒ to rouse in me such innocent longing. What mystical potency do these stories hold to cast such a spell this time each year?   I almost believe. I almost feel a power ‒ a spirit stirs within me. My soul feels more accepting; my eyes perceive life as more precious ‒ How long
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Dreams or cosmic messages Are dreams simply a part of the human physiological machinery, or are they a way for humanity to connect with the great cosmic consciousness? Marlie wanted to believe the latter; but whichever the case, there was still so much to learn about both fronts. Majoring in English Literature and Comparative Religion with dabbles in Psychology, Marlie’s fascination had been with the subject of dreams for many years. One of the most intriguing stories she came upon was the “Epic of Gilgamesh” from Mesopotamia written in poem form in about the 13th century BCE. This is the
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Telling the Best Story   It was fall now, and she was back at school. Lucie knew that one of the assignments for the first week would be to write about what she did during her holidays and then read it out loud for her classmates. She worried about the subject. While she badly wanted to talk about her wonderful adventure, and she knew it would be the best story she had ever told, she also knew it would not be possible. Susan had warned her on several occasions that their time away was a private matter, not to be
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In the quiet dawn   It’s three in the morning and I am wide awake! There is no point thinking that I can just roll over and go back to sleep. Husband used to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. But I can’t. The darn female hormone thing! Only solution: let it happen, go with the flow, get up and check out the world. The white cat in the neighbourhood is having a snooze in the middle of the side road. She suddenly springs up to catch some imaginary beasty in the air, pure ecstasy in motion.
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The gentle man   My grandfather, Paczona István, had been in the First World War. A large portrait of him hung on the wall of my grandparents’ bedroom. He looked very smart in his uniform standing on a bear skin rug with the mouth of the bear wide open. As a young man, he had travelled from Hungary to other parts of Europe. He brought back exotic perfumes and jewelry all tucked away in secret places of their large wardrobe. He also brought back a painting of the Madonna and Child. This painting was unframed yet regal in its simplicity.
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Alice’s flight   In the end, it was the unicorn that had saved her, giving her courage to leave it all behind: to open the secret door of the stairwell and fly with winged feet down the twenty stories of High Tower ‒ to freedom. She never looked back from that day to this. It had all begun ‒ well ‒ as all stories do. Long ago and far away, in a land not so different from this one, there lived a poor couple, who had little hope of ever changing their fortune, except for one single treasure. They were
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What ifs…   In an article by Matt Williamson dated December 10, 2014 and titled “A Universe of 10 Dimensions”, he postulates: “Beyond the three visible dimensions, (length, width and depth), scientists believe that there may be many more. In fact, the theoretical framework of Superstring Theory posits that the universe exists in ten different dimensions. These different aspects are what govern the universe, the fundamental forces of nature, and all the elementary particles contained within.” Williamson goes on to say: “When someone mentions “different dimensions,” we tend to think of things like parallel universes – alternate realities that exist
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