Vol. IX
Editor, Aurora Storm
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Articles
by Lukas Falconaire
Tal Schendians,
As most of you know, we are experiencing a large increase in visitors to our fair city. This is great for the merchants and for those who enjoy socializing and meeting new people. It is, of course, a positive thing overall. However, as with most good things, there is a downside as well. With more visitors will potentially come more problems.
We have excellent defenses, due to the planning and forethought by Killian and the City Watch Captains he has always had in the past. In addition, there have been a few new protocols implemented to help in the city's defense. Our warriors are among the best in Gor, and our Captains have great ideas and exceptional knowledge and experience.
Be aware that every person that passes through the city gates or enters the city by way of the harbor has undergone a noninvasive medical examination to check for plague and the Holy Disease and will be escorted by city guards until they can get a pass. If they travel by way of their own ships, those ships will be berthed outside of the harbor until they can obtain a berthing permit. The ships will be inspected thoroughly, and papers checked. The guests are subject to all our laws and will be arrested if they commit crimes. Passes can be revoked at any time for lesser offenses. Being a guest of Schendi is a privilege, not a right. And citizenship must be earned. We have had a few that seem to think they can take the Oath of Citizenship at their own discretion. We do now have guidelines in place that each potential new citizen must meet.
I have heard nothing but positive comments about our citizens and how you all comport yourselves. I commend all of you. For a major port that relies so heavily on the merchants and their customers, it is important that a good impression of the city is given. You are all doing a great job, and I thank you.
We have a large Gor-wide festival coming up soon, coordinated by Sakari Justice, who is doing an incredible job. See her or scroll her if you would like to help out. We will suspend the pass system for the duration of the festival. That too could create problems. We will have the Watch on extra alert to be available to deal with problems as they arise, so that they do not become bigger problems.
Again, I will state: If you have any issues or concerns, this is the suggested course: For administrative issues, contact a High Council member; For criminal or security matters, contact the Captain in charge of that jurisdiction. If you have issues you wish to discuss with me, I will be as available as possible. Thank you!
A Tale of Two Kajira
by karmi, slave of CJ Ehren
This is the story of two slaves upon a Master's chain. They could be any slaves, slaves in one of the more prestigious houses in a city, inn slaves, or the lowliest of the low. Both kajira were beautiful wenches, favored amongst the men and tolerated well enough by the women. One kajira, is extremely proud of her status and fancied her self far more superior to the other girl. She is well trained in pleasing men, and accomplished in many things. The other is also well trained, small in stature, big in heart and harbored more strength than many gave her credit for having. The first fancied herself as First Girl even though that honor was given to someone else....
The first kajira was jealous, lazy and a liar. She tended to double the work load of the other girls, doing the minimum amount of work required knowing that some one else would come around and fix her mistakes. Other times she wouldn't help out at all. She was known to be only around when several of the Masters were home as she continually sought their favor. One of her favorite pass times was making sure that the alcoves were clean ...one in particular was always free of dust.
The second kajira is as industrious as she was the day that she arrived upon the Master's chain. She watched and observed, making notes of preferences of each of the Masters and Mistresses. She always did her chores and even some of other's as she knew the Master of the House was demanding. The house was foremost in her mind and making sure that she was always found to be pleasing and obedient. Her own will often set aside for that of the Master.
One particular evening, when the Master of the House was home, the stuck up kajira was swept up in a fit of jealousy. For who should be in the Master's lap, but the one that she felt superior over...the true First Girl . . . She couldn't even bring the Master his wine as she had been busy currying favor with one of the junior guards of the house. So angered was she at this second girl that she spread lies about the girl amongst the rest of the house. She swore that the other girl had been with all the men of the house and the guard included at least three times and that it was a miracle that she hadn't fallen in the canals yet. (This was more true about herself than anyone else and in truth the girl probably knew half the men of the city.)
A hand later, the lying slut was found face down in the trash heaps of the city. Did the second girl do it? Did the lying wench end up there on her own from having weak knees? Questions abounded and after some investigating it was ruled out that the second girl had anything to do with the death of the slave. On the night that the lying wench was spotted, the other girl was serving drinks and food to several of the Mistresses in the House. The House never did find out, and the second girl would never say what she knew (if anything); but, they were compensated for the loss.
The rules are simple, no matter where you serve:
1) Be absolutely pleasing to the men.
"It is the duty of a slave girl to be fully and completely pleasing to men. Were she not so she would be subject to severe punishment, including even torture and death, should it be the master's wish... Slave Girl of Gor, page 226
2) Be absolutely obedient.
"What is the duty of a slave girl?" I inquired.
"Absolute obedience" she said, frightened.
"What are you?" I inquired.
"A slave girl," she said.
"What is your duty?" I asked.
"Absolute obedience," she cried out.
............Hunters of Gor, Page 258
3) Be seen around the house/inn and doing something. It is your home and the home of your Master/Mistress. Be thankful that you have a roof over your head and food to eat. Show your appreciation by taking an active part.
4) If there is an issue with a fellow kajira or kajiru on the chain, take it up the chain of command. Talk to the First Girl or whomever is the head of the chain; if he or she cannot resolve it then go to your Master/Mistress.
5) Remember rules one and two.
You may be wondering what the early signs of pregnancy are during the days following ovulation. Most women will not start experiencing true pregnancy signs until 10-14 days after ovulation, though some women have reported symptoms as early as a couple days post conception.
Here are some signs to look for if you think you might be pregnant:
Increased fatigue Missed period Nausea Breast tenderness Frequent need to urinate Metallic taste in mouth Sleep disturbances Increased temperature that remains elevated after ovulationDetermining Your Baby's Due Date
The question that most often follows is "Am I pregnant?" "When is my baby due?" Guessing your baby's due date is one of the more fun aspects of the first couple of hands of pregnancy. You can work together with your physician to determine the estimated due date of your baby. Most physicians calculate pregnancy from the beginning of the last menstrual cycle. Using this method, you are actually considered pregnant in the two hands preceding actual conception. This results in a calculation of 40 hands for the entire pregnancy, even though pregnancy generally lasts about 38 hands from the time of conception.
It is very difficult to determine the exact date of conception however, which is why most physicians prefer to consider pregnancy as starting from the onset of the last menstrual period. Most women will actually deliver on a date other than their due date. In fact, typically only 1 in 20 women will actually deliver on their due date. Many moms can actually go up to week 42 before they begin active labor on their own. It helps if you consider your due date a rough estimation of the range of time your baby might be born, rather than the day your baby will definitively make an appearance into the world.
How Your Life Is Changing
You may be experiencing a variety of different emotions during pregnancy the first few hands. At this point you have probably made the decision to become a parent, and are considering all the responsibilities that come with parenting.
For some parents this time is filled with expectation coupled with anxiety. Remember it is perfectly normal to be a little anxious about the changes a new baby will bring into your life. You may be anxiously awaiting a positive pregnancy test during this time. Tears of joy as well as tears of angst are not uncommon in the early hands, and even throughout your pregnancy.
While it is hard not to feel some stress during this time, it is essential that you work to reduce your stress as much as possible in the early hands of pregnancy. Carrying too much stress can actually reduce your chances of conceiving successfully. Take some time to meditate and reflect on all the joyous aspects of your life during the early hands. This will not only help you feel better, but will also improve your chances of conceiving successfully.
What Is Happening With Your Baby
During hands one and two an incredible number of changes are occurring in your body. Your hormone levels have changed significantly to ensure the uterus creates a rich lining of tissue, which will support your fertilized egg after conception.
During hands one and two your ovaries produced ripe eggs in vessels called follicles. During ovulation, which typically occurs around the 14th day of a menstrual cycle that is 28 days long, one or more of your eggs will burst out of your follicles. Your eggs will then wait patiently in the Fallopian tubes where sperm can fertilize them. Did you know it takes roughly about ten hours for sperm to reach the egg?
In the early hands the sperm's nucleus commingles with the egg, and your baby's gender is determined. Sperm carrying a Y chromosome generally results in a baby boy, while sperm carrying an X chromosome generally results in a bouncing baby girl.
During hands one and two your fertilized egg, otherwise known as a zygote, will divide into multiple cells and starts burrowing into the rich lining of your uterus.
Your precious baby is simply a ball of cells that transforms at this point into a blastocyst. The blastocyst consists of an inner cell mass that eventually transforms into the embryo, another cavity that becomes the amniotic sac, and an outer cell body that will become the placenta. It is absolutely amazing how your baby develops from this seemingly primitive ball of cells!
Your Health and Pregnancy
During the early hands of pregnancy, it is absolutely essential that you adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Proper nutrition and exercise as well as minimizing stress are all essential components that help promote a happy and healthy pregnancy.
If you haven't started already, you should begin taking a prenatal supplement during this time that contains at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. This will help reduce your baby's risk of developing neural tube defects. Most prenatal vitamins contain an adequate amount of folic acid.
by India D Hunter
by India D Hunter
The Silk Road Convoy has left port, bound for points north and south along the coast of the Thassa. Normally the convoy would split off into their different directions earlier but with the hostilities between Port Kar and Cos, they will remain concentrated at their full strength until an undisclosed time that will be decided by the fleet commander.
There is a construction project open for bidding among the builders of Schendi to upgrade the harbor weapons systems and to add several more weapons post to defend our harbor.
There was a brawl on the docks near the paga den that had to be dealt with, a total of seven sailors were arrested and three have been banished from our harbor for being involved in their third altercation in a single moons time.
Over the next two hands there will be audit of ships owned by all sworn citizens of Schendi, and counted off on the two registries so that the accuracy of Schendis records can be maintained, and proper harbor space and docking slips can be reserved for citizens and their ships.
As always the Thassan Watch has been diligent in their patrols of pirates and pirate activity but we would like to remind you that traveling on the Thassa in a merchant class ship with the proper escorts of war ships is a bad idea. The fleets of Schendi watch out for each other, and if you have business and do not have a proper escort force available to you, send word and one can be assigned by the city, or your own neighbors.
On a final note, the following guests have ship berths assigned to them:
Genos Darnell - guest of Monroe EstatesOrrin Christof - guest of Monroe Estates
This completes the report from the docks and harbor.
Thank you, and good day
Conner Rhys Monroe, Captain
Schendi Harbor Master,
Commander of the Thassan Watch
Hands one and two are an extremely exciting and mystifying time for most women. Most women eagerly start calculating their pregnancy hand by hand as soon as they decide to conceive. During pregnancy hand 1 and beyond you will experience the joy of creating life, which is a life-changing event for most women! I will walk you step by step through each hand of pregnancy. You’ll find informative information about the changes occurring in your body and in your baby. I’ll walk you through each of the stages of pregnancy, and help you understand what you should expect as your body changes and your baby grows from hand to hand.
During pregnancy hand one and two, you may not even be certain that you are pregnant yet! Many women experience few if any symptoms at all. Hands one and two are mostly consumed with the process of ovulation and fertilization. During pregnancy hand 1 and 2 your body will produce estrogen and progesterone in varying amounts to prepare the body for ovulation, when the ovaries release an egg. If you are lucky, this egg will be fertilized and will travel up the fallopian tubes to the uterus, where it will reside for the next 40 or so hands.
Early Signs and Symptoms
There are some signs and symptoms that most women experience during the first hands of pregnancy. Though you may not experience all or any of these the first hand, you will probably start to experience many of them in the hands to come. The most common symptoms that women experience during ovulation include some mild cramping, which may occur on one or both sides of the body.
Bloopers
Lukas Falconaire: ::He leaves the mess and the note stuck on top and goes back to sit and drink his paga::
Eleni N Sinis: "Tal Sir."
Khouri Zain: Tal Sir. ::Looks over to Jase.:: My, this place is buy tonight.
Lukas Falconaire: Tal Link
Eleni N Sinis: "Yes, Busy too." Winks to Khouri.
Merrick Varesh: ::he took his paga and nodded a great thanks to Jess, poor Link walked right into the bad fumes as even they were tryin to escape::
Lukas Falconaire: (See, she's a merchant)
Jase Falconaire: (LMAO okay that is a merchant thought)
Lukas Falconaire: (LMAO)
---------------
Justin Blood: ;;He holds a crapcake ight to his lips hearing his woman:: what kind of shop??
Ixi karmiti ixi: ::karmi was not too happy of a camper with the iron belt, her Jarl not indicating how long she would be belted either::
Justin Blood: ::He shoves the whole crapcake in his mouth::
Ixi karmiti ixi: ::flips the "p" rightside up to a "b" in Justin's posts.::
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CJ Ehren: I swear..I did nae say a word...I think all the ladies here are beuaitufl
CJ Ehren: beautiful*
Aya Di Santos: ::She nodded now it was starting::Nice save CJ..
AuroraST x: (lol he can't even SAY it right!)
Arianna Z Ehren: Hmmfh...::nods her head::Just in case you did do something..
CJ Ehren: -got me all finger tied lol-
CJ Ehren: So..when are ya leavin Mom?
Ixi karmiti ixi: (mothers will do that...lol...ultimate guilt trip)
Lists for Living is a new column, offering lists for those special planners in our lives who like to have a list for everything.
Lady Jessenia is a Scribe with the Accredited Blue Caste of Scribes, living in the port city of Schendi. Any questions or comments should be directed to Lady Jessenia Dyrr.
Three Secrets to Success:
1. Be willing to learn new things.
2. Be able to assimilate new information quickly.
3. Be able to get along with and work with other people.
* List written by Sally Ride, Astronaut*
