Online House Hunting

Which real estate sites are the best for house hunting?

Real estate taxes - question from house hunting couple- how much more would we ge in a rebate? My husbad and I have been trying to figure this out. Prices have dropped so greatly on houses and we've been at a couple of non-profits that said with our income we could afford to buy a house for $196-200,000. I just saw this great house listed fo $177,000 with $6,0000 in property taxes. My husband makes about $50,000 a year and we have no tax write offs. Would it benefit with the tax write off's to purchase this house? What kind of tax breaks would we be looking at? What kind of increase would he get in his tax returns? Is there a profesional who could help us figure this out? Yes, we went to two non-profit groups where they help you figure out how much of a morgage you can afford (i.e. NJ Citizen action and a HUD sponored first time home buyers program). They sat us down, created a budget for us an told us we would be able to purchase a home that cost up to $196,000.

I've been house hunting investments; What should I haggle for in negotiating the best deal in real estate?

How does the real estate agent get paid when they're helping someone house hunt? I wasn't sure how to word the question but I was just wondering something. We are moving in November or even sooner and we are wanting to pay cash for a house. We are on a limited budget but I know how important a real estate agent is in our search for our perfect home. My question is, do we pay the agent separately from purchasing the house? Is the agent's fees included in the price? Or what? Thanks.

Working with more than one real estate agent? Can I work with more than one real estate agent during the house hunting process? I haven't signed anything.

hunting real estate sales? anyone know of hunting webs sites that offer realestate listings .our house we have for sale MLS#98257859 is in prime hunting country in idaho . we like to get it listed with hunters in mind.

Would there be problems with a house foundation if the shingles/siding goes all the way to the ground? We have been house hunting. And a real estate agent told us that having siding/shingles all the way to the gound is not good that the foundation should be peaking out atleast 1/3 up above the ground before siding goes on. What are the problems that can arise from siding all the way to the ground?

What should I major in at college if i want to become a real estate agent? I'm going to school to become an elementary school teacher. I'm working on my second year of college now but it's not really what I want to do. I love watching HGTV and the house hunting shows so i decided that i might look into real estate but I don't know what I should change my major to. Any ideas??

What does "additional addendums required" mean in real estate listings? A friend and I are looking through real estate listings, and several of them say "additional addendums required." What does that phrase mean? We're new to this whole house-hunting thing, so we have no idea, and search engines are no help.

Can I be my own realtor if I get the real estate sales associate license? I live in Miami Florida, recently have been searching to buy a condo, I was wondering if I can be my own realtor and make commission if I pass the test and get the Real Estate Sales Associate License for the state of Florida? I'm not intend to pursue as a career, just to see if I can save some money and perhaps help my friends on their house hunting.

Mortgage and Real Estate job hunting? I am thinking about working in the mortgage industry, but I keep hearing that the market is changing fast and that houses are not selling and rates are going up. Last month I read that over 1 million people was going to be laid off. Is this just hype or what... What should I do?

If you were house hunting and the seller had an inflated idea of what his home was worth, what would you do? Seller says the house was appraised by his bank in May at 170k. Let's just forget about the fact that a LOT has happened to the real estate market since May - just for a minute. He's trying to pass off a 2 bedroom house as a 4 bedroom, because there are 2 rooms in the basement that he's considering bedrooms although without closets. The house needs major work in the kitchen and bathrooms, costing at least 50k if the work was done ourselves. He's living in la la land, I think. Oh, there are no comps - nothing has sold in the area over the last year & nothing else is on the market. He's making a lot of stretches (other than just the bedroom thing) to claim added value. You could fit 2 mini cooper's maybe, but not 2 normal sized cars. The 2nd full bath's shower could fit a midget, but not an average person - it's completely unusable. They're asking (in my opinion) 25k more than it's worth, but won't reconsider. We're walking away. Is this the right thing to do? Other houses of similar size with similar features are selling for as much as 50k less, I think one of them will be best -considering they need the same amount of work as this house. There's nothing remarkable about this house, it's just close to work - but so are lots of others. This seller is just way out in left field.

How do you report a Real Estate ageant for illegal or unethical practices? I am house hunting in Mississippi. After MONTHS of looking, I just found the perfect house! Problem is that it is sale pending. Situation: No Realtor in town knew about the house until Tuesday. That is the same day it was released into MLS, put on websites, and got a "Sale Pending" sign in the yard (neve had a "for sale" sign). I thought it was funny that it could have sold so quickly. So, I begain digging. I found out that the buyer had the seller do work on the house, the work was already completed and there was a closeing date set on the house, before Tuesday, the day it went for sale to the public. I believe there is a law that says that when a realter lists a home, they have hours or a day to make that listing public, not weeks. What can I do? Even though it is too late to get the house, I want to report the realtor for these shady practices! There IS a realtor involved. And, why would the real estate company put it on their website and bother to put a sign in the yard, if the agent was simple doing to paperwork on a situaltion? I should add that NO OTHER REALTOR in town new that this property was for sale until Tuesday. I have contacted several, even some at the same agency as the agent who sold the house. Also, the seller and buyer do not know each other.

What is the single most important rule in house hunting? I am talking about real estate.

Does the real estate market pick up as the weather improves? My family and I live in Illinois, and the winter has been miserable. We've been house hunting for awhile now with very little luck and were wondering if the weather is to blame. Can we look forward to a bigger and better selection in the spring? Seems logical, but I was wondering what the experienced had to say about it, thanks.

Should I go with a real estate agent or search myself? I was wondering what the pros and cons of house hunting by myself or going with an agent... does it cost more to go with an agent and what if I know the house I want to buy, do I still need an agent?

What's the main real estate website in america? I live in England so im not sure which websites are good for house hunting. Whats the main site? like in England its Rightmove. thankyou x x

Real estate - How much are an Agent's Buyer Fees? I am looking at purchasing a house and have never been through the process before. Can I hire a Real Estate Agent to help me with the hunt for a house? What are the fees like?

Do I need a real estate agent to buy a house in California? Our realtor is a family friend whom told us she would help us buy a house and would not take any comission; instead use her commission to help us with closing costs. A year later we are still on the hunt and now she says she may use some of it to help us depending on what the commission is. She hasn't been telling us she's found any houses; we are the ones who finds them and sends them to her. We've put in a few offers but have not won any. She originally told us we only needed $500 for a deposit, but $1000 would look great! So, we saved $1000 for the deposit and wrote her a check for proof. Now she is saying we are losing the offers because we don't have a big enough deposit and that all her clients put down at least $5000. I told a friend about this and she says it's not right. I don't know much about house buying so is this right? Do we need more of a deposit? We're about had enough of her and am ready to go with someone else. But I'm wondering if we need a real estate agent at all? If we do not use one, would we get the commission to use towards closing costs? We don't have any money saved really, except for the $1000 and just need to know what is the best way to go about buying a house. In the mean time we are trying to save as much as we could but with car troubles, holidays, coming up etc..it's been very difficult to save anything. Thank you for your answers in advance! I forgot to mention we have $45,000 to be given to us to put as a down payment from a native community and we have good credit. We were hoping it was a strong offer with 20% down and a $1000 deposit.

How long does it take for the sale of a house to be completed? I already have a real estate agent & I'm looking to set up an appointment with a bank on friday for my preapproval & then I'm going house hunting. I'm hoping to have everything done before the end of the year. What are my chances of having a home before 2012?

Is it strange to ask agent to pick you up from your hotel when you are searching for a house? Is it rude to ask your real estate agent to pick you up at your hotel and drive you around the days you go house hunting? I'll be flying in from out of town and would rather not rent a car. The hotel is about 10 mile away from the agent's office.

What does "AS IS" mean in Real Estate? Hello, I have recently started house hunting. I found a place online I would like to look at but I noticed it said this home is "AS IS" does that mean that there is a problem with the home that the seller is aware of but does not want to fix? Thanks!

How to convince my boyfriend that we need a real estate agent.? We're not seriously house hunting but if the right house came up for the right price we would be interested. We've been casually looking at homes that we find listed online. But we don't have our own real estate agent so all the homes we've seen were shown by the seller's. My boyfriend knows a real estate agent really well having done computer work for his office many times....but he won't call him. He argues that we don't need a real estate agent because it will be more hassle. my argument is if we call the real estate agent that he knows the fellow will help us avoid houses that are terrible. ( The two houses we have seen so far were a mess) He'll also let us know if a house comes up in our price range with everything that we want. My boyfriend seems to think that because we're not seriously looking yet that we shouldn't get an agent. When my parents thought about buying a new home they took almost a year of house hunting. How do I convince him?

Legal Real Estate question on holding deposits? Forgive me for giving so much detail, but here goes: Basically I'm a student as is my other 2 flatmate friends, and put down a holding deposit on a house that we wanted to rent in early august. We have never have any experience in house hunting before at all. A couple days after paying the deposit, we phoned the estate agent to find out when the deadline was to sort everything out, including papers and documents. The estate agent told me that there WAS NOT a deadline, and that everything had to be sorted by the move in date, which was mid September. He the got his colleague to send me an email of the papers that will be required. The email also did not mention a deadline. I then received a call on the 25th of August stating that we have lost the house due to us not giving papers in on time. After a long argument with the estate agent, he told me that there was a 1 week deadline for the papers but everything else could be sorted out by the move in date. He then told me that I would receive my money back if I sent them an email with my account details. However I have not received my money and it has been 12 days. In between paying the deposit and the phone call telling me we had lost the house I had phoned the agent at least three times. Twice was to specifically ask him if there was a deadline, and one was to enquire about the move in date, which was done 3 days before I received the lost house phone call. Not at any point was I told of the deadline, reminded of the deadline in any form, nor did I receive an email in reply to the one where I provided my account details for the refund. The estate agents also knew very well that we were students and first time renters. If I have to take this to court I will, as the deposit paid amounted to £770, which is an astonishing amount for a student. My main point is that I was POSITIVELY TOLD by the agent that there WAS NOT a deadline, and not just simply not told of it. I was doomed in some respects to default the deposit, as I followed information which the reasonable person believed true. Can the agent legally keep my money? And is there a body that investigates complaints with real estate agents such as Trading Standards? Any answer to my second question would be appreciated, though I would much prefer an answer to the first. Thanks in advance. I am in England and I found out theres a something like a register for estate agents to which you can post complaints to so that kind of takes care of question two, though any answers to Q1 would still greatly be appreciated.

Is it appropriate to give my real estate agent a gift, and if so, what type of gift? I have an especially friendly and extra helpful real estate agent who makes herself available at all times, and has helped me with every step of the house hunting/closing process so far. She even helped me realize my rights to a Good Faith Estimate when my shady lender denied me one. My shady lender also tried to force me to buy a home in the high range, but my real estate agent actually recommended and showed me a home below what we qualified for that is beautiful. We will be closing soon, but I was wondering, is it appropriate to give her a gift after all is said and done? I told my husband that maybe we should get her a Bath and Body Works gift set, but he said that would be too 'personal' and even offensive in a way. What do you think? What do you recommend?

Orlando real estate advice? Hi, I'm currently house-hunting in Orlando. I am not too familiar with the city though, all I know is that Orlando is pretty much split by route 4 and 408 and the downtown area is the area to the immediate north-east of the intersection of 4 and 408. Could all the Orlando experts on here please describe Orlando from a geographic/demographic perspective for each of the 4 quadrants? (north-east, south-east, north-west, south-west)? What are the most sought-after places? Which places should I avoid at all costs?

Where should I start looking for apt/house rentals in rural/small-town areas? I'm thinking of moving out of the city, and am not quite clear on the best house-hunting procedures for places without things like daily newspapers, Craigslist, etc, etc. I have some idea of where I'd like to end up, but it's a pretty large area; too much to make it reasonable to only drive around and look for signs. How are apartments/houses in rural areas usually advertised? Should I check with the area's real estate agents (despite a lack of rental listings on what sites for same I can find)? Would seeing if I could leave a 'place wanted...please call' notice in general stores, community centres, etc, be a good idea? (I'm looking at the Ottawa Valley, just in case anybody reading this is local to me.) NB: this is in Ontario, Canada.

Real Estate Question? My husband and I are currently house hunting for our first home. A few of the houses we are looking at are out of our price range, and we are thinking of trying to talk the sellers price down. Our realtor told us that if the house has been on the market for awhile, and the sellers are really wanting to get rid of the house that they will more than likley come down on the price just to get out of the house by the end of the year. My question is what is a reasonable amount to offer? For example on a $125,000 house, what would be the lowest offer we could make? What is and how do they figure the tax assessors value? I checked out www.zillow.com and I'm trying to read what it is telling me.

my real estate agent tells us "no"... your opinion needed!? is this normal? we want to buy a fixer. this is our first home. we pre qualify for $290,000 but we really dont want to spend that much, and weve told this to our agent. the only way we would consider spending that kind of money, is if was THE HOUSE for us, for a long long time. we know we wont find THE HOUSE at this point. our tastes are much larger than our savings account and we want to work twards our dream home, without getting over our heads. this is why we have no debt. we would like to keep it 230 and under, fixer with good pluming, foundation and electrical. roof isnt a huge deal because my uncle owns a roofing company. i grew up in remodles, my parents made extra money flipping houses before it was popular (in the 80s and early 90s) and they always did everything themselves. they are willing to teach us what they know. my husband is a VERY hard worker and knows a ton about building, plumbing, electrical, ect. we have been house hunting on our own, and calling our realitor when we find something we would like to see. she ALWAYS meets us with "no". "this house is too much work for you" "this isnt what you want" "we can look later" "we can always come back to this one, let me show you this!" the houses she picks for us are always at 280 price range and way up, no work or very little work needed. weve missed out on some great little houses in very trendy up and coming neighborhoods, well under our price range ($100,000 under!) because she says "no". in your opinion, is she just looking out for us, like she claims? or is she just trying to push a spendy home on us to make a quick buck? our houses keep getting snatched up by investors, and im getting sick of it. yes, we do qualify for the...rehab loan? i forget what its called at the moment. when we mention this, or a short sale or a bank owned home, she ALWAYS meets us with "its too much paper work!" personally we dont care. we have time. the longer we wait the more money we save. we just want to find a little gem to fix up and get a head start on buying what we really want down the road.

Canceling a Real Estate Purchase Contract? We were house hunting in North Carolina and found a house that we wanted to purchase. Everything was going well. Our home inspection found a few items but the seller agreed to fix everything. It was a a VA loan. The appraisal was on target and the underwriting from VA came back good. The only thing left to do was the VA directed termite inspection. The inspection came back with a report of active termites in the front of the crawl space behind the front porch and standing water in the center of the crawl space under the duct work. After seeing the termite report we wanted out of our contract. The sellers agent is threatening to sue for performance of the contract since the seller has agreed to fix the condition. The termite report states that there were many inaccessible areas such as the garage and house due to stored items in the house, and that they did not check the crawl space insulation. My issue is this: can we cancel the contract and can we be sued? The sellers realtor is up in arms because the house selling is contingent on them purchasing another property. The disclosure statement stated that there was NO termite infestation present. Earnest money involved is $500. I really don't want to purchase a house that can have termites anywhere in the house since to really inspect it all you would have to destroy some of the property to accurately check the whole dwelling. Are we stuck? The contract says that if they fix something then we cant get out of the contract, but how do you verify that no more termites exist? Need help. I don't want to pay a quarter million dollars for a house that can have active termites! The sellers agent says that there are no problems with the foundation of the house, but I have no paperwork to validate that claim, besides pest inspectors are not qualified to inspect foundations. I want out and my money back! Three weeks left until closing. Talked to an attorney today.He told me to write them a letter stating that I was canceling the contract because of non-disclosure, basically saying I wouldn't have made an offer on the house if I knew beforehand it had termites. Moreover, he told me that the sellers would be "hard pressed" to sue me for specific performance and didn't see it really having a great likelihood of occurring. After I wrote the letter and got it to my agent magically the property is back online in an active status instead of "sale pending." This just happened today, but I need the signed release so I can purchase another property (with no termites!) Can I demand that they release me from the contract since they re-listed the house or may I have to wait three weeks (when closing passes) to get the termination signed?

Real estate agent deposited my earnest money after the seller accepted another offer. Is this legal? On July 20, we made an offer on a house and gave a check for $500 in earnest money. The seller countered, we countered their counter, and we came to an agreement. But before the sellers signed the contract, another offer came in. On July 25, the seller decided to take the other offer. We were expecting our check and the contract we had signed to be delivered to our agent so she could return them to us. Instead, on July 28, the seller's agent deposited our check into an escrow account, after the seller was already in contract with someone else. Is this kosher? I thought the check would be deposited only if we were under contract with the seller. It's only $500, but we're going house hunting again this weekend and we need every dollar.

Can I take a real estate agent(s) to court? Husband and I was trying to purchase a home. We contacted an agent. We (not the agent) began house hunting. We contacted the seller's agent and then contacted our agent to begin the contract. The agent decided what offer we should make. At the time, we thought it was in our best interest since he was our agent, exclusively. We waited a few weeks for the contract to be approved. By this time, the agents (buyer/seller) weren't communicating and my agent was lacking communication, so I decided to call the seller's agent to check the status. The seller's agent was confident that we would close by a specified day. I asked the agent if I should put in my 30-day notice. He told me yes. He didn't advise me that I should ask my agent nor did he say that I shouldn't be asking him. I saw no harm in asking. Well, I packed up and moved out within 30 days. We didn't close. Now my family and I are homeless because of this. We have been since the 3rd week of October 2008. We had taken money out of our 401k for a downpayment on a house that we are living off of (which was only $7000) which is now exhausted. Our agent didn't seem to help the situation, although he was upset that the other agent did that but the other agent is acting like nothing has happened. I feel like they owe us something. We have spent this money for hotel/motel expenses, food, and other related things. We have children that are affected by this. We aren't able to get the house due to errors on our agent's part. I wanted to know if I can make a lawsuit for this somehow to be reimbursed and/or for pain and suffering/punitive damages. We are in this situation because we trusted an agent. That money we used from the 401k would have still been there if we didn't need to use it and we would still have a roof over our heads if the agent hadn't told us it was okay to put in a 30 day notice. I don't know think an attorney is necessary for small claims court and I'm sure they wouldn't touch it because it's not a substantial amount of money that they can benefit from. It's harder for us to find a rental with no money. Wow I'm glad to see that everyone says all this is my fault! I took responsibility for my action. I hope none of you endure anything tragic or unfortunate in your lives. Thanks for the support. BTW, my daughter didn't fall on me, get the story straight, GERTIE!!! That issue is old and wasn't even a need to bring it up. You ask a question and then get attacked. Sometimes you can't help but to take things personal. Wow thanks! No need to keep sending comments. Thanks

Can I break contract with my real estate agent? My husband and I have been house hunting this past month. We signed a contract with our agent to represent us for 3 months (which we recently discovered), when we made an offer for a house. Anyways, we found some new town homes that we loved. We took a tour and began talking with the agent in the office. We are first time home buyers, so we did not know that we needed an agent to represent us when buying a NEW home. Anyways, we end up signing papers... the house is under contract and he represents us now. We called our current agent, to say "good-bye and thanks", but was unaware at the time that we had a 3 month contract with her. Both agents were left to "work-it out" and they cannot. The seller does want to pay pay agent, since we found the place on our own w/o her help. He also told us that she has the right to have us pay her the $$, if the seller won't and have us not buy the house. Is this true? Will we loose the house that is already under contract? Can I break the contract with our agent? Can she just "let it go", since they cannot resolve anything? We're just worried that she will take away the opportunity to buy the homes of our dreams.

Living in Tasmania's Highlands.? What is it like, does it snow plenty, whats the amount rainfall recieved. I'm currently thinking about moving to the Australian state of Tasmania from Louisiana in the U.S.. I've decided that i want to live in the Central Highlands Council, somewhere on the Great Lake; Miena, Breona, Reynolds Neck, Doctors Point or Brandum either one and i would be fine, I'll just have to see when i get there to house hunt. Whats real estate like there, is it as sleepy of a place as i think or what ? I'm not really knowledgeable on the area, I've research but have many questions that i cant find, so what are the people like, whats the culture ( if there is any ) and how are outsider treated. I'm a male light brown yellowish mixed person of an ( Asian, Caucasian, and African background ) I have kinky red brownish black hair, so im kind of strange looking. Someday i wish to live in this area with my family and I plan on teaching them my native tongue Louisiana French i know that that may turn some heads for the main language is English there but would the community judge me for these things (not that i have been told this but i just dont know). Does it snow allot in the winter or rain allot in the summers, i would love if it did. Also allot of my family and family friends plan on joining me on this one way trip for the Central Highlands Council, we all basically have the same features as i stated before, Red hair, French speaking and well Louisiana cultured, would my ( 200+ ) family and some others be welcomed in this area. And are any other islands on the Lake for sell, im just curious.

Is there a time limit to close on real estate? My boyfriend and I began our house hunt in July. The first house we looked at was perfect, but because it was our first, we delayed making an offer. We viewed the house mid-July, took our parents back the next weekend, and by the time we made up our mind that we wanted it, the house was pending. However, it has been "sale pending" since the last day of July. We contacted the realtor that showed us the house; she told us that the buyers were having trouble getting financing. Is there a time limit to closing? Can the seller see or accept another offer? Can the seller put the house back on the market because the buyer isn't following through with funds? *A few specifics about the house: HUD home, located in PA. The house still has the "for sale" sign on it, and never put a sign up that says under contract, sale pending or sold. I know how much the person offered, but can I make my own offer if the house is "sale pending"?, How much more will I need to offer to show interest in the house(it is 8k more than asking price)? If we show interest in the house, will it motivate the seller to move to another buyer? Can the seller void a contract to move on to another buyer? Is there a specific amount of time the house must stay under contract with the original buyer? Can the seller put the house back on the market because the closing is taking too long? Because the house is a HUD home, will the buyer be given more time than usual to come up with the funds? Sorry about so many questions, but the house is very important to me and I don't want to lose it if I can help it!

I am a student, how do I go about renting a house? Myself along with 4 other of my college buddies want to rent a house. We go to school at the University of Miami (Florida). We have been looking for houses but it absurdly hard to rent one as students. We have 3 parents (all with stellar credit) who are willing to cosign as well. I have done most of my house hunting online, but it seems like whenever a real estate agent replies to one of my inquires, they say the house has been rented, and then they send me pictures for "similar properties" that are much crappier. How can I get a decent house? Money isn't an issue, we have the cosigners, we can do first and last month and a security deposit too. Oh, last thing, I always try to be mature and proper when speaking with the real estate agents. I use proper grammar, etiquette, and show off some vocabulary.

I've been looking at this house online and I love it, but..? It's on a real estate website (remax). I'm IN LOVE with this house and I'm dying to look at it in person! The thing is, it's on the high end of our budget. We're looking to spend $200,000 at most. It is listed for $199,000. It says this price is good thru Feb. 25th as a "special price". Of course that date has passed. SOOOOO After we do some good house hunting and after all that if I still LOVE this house and want to buy it, what are my chances of getting them to keep the $199,000 price? How do you even go about "talking" them down anyways? It's a brand new construction so I don't know if I can negotiate much? And yes we plan on having the money ready... Oh and yes I'm in the US :) Bundy: Do you think that that theory would apply to a new construction?

Do you think Dr. Rey (from Dr. 90210) should agree to move to the new house in Calabasas for his wife? In the last episode, his wife went house hunting for her parents in Calabasas, who are moving from Canada to live close to them and see the grandkids. The real estate agent asked Dr. Rey's wife if she wanted to look at some houses so they coudl move there too (from Beverly Hills) to be close to her parents, so she agreed and fell in love with this huge gigantic beautiful house for $7 mil. It then showed the agent calling her to find out if her husband was ready to make an offer, when Dr. Rey got home, at which time the wife told him she found a house for her parents, but also for them and that she wanted to put an offer down. Dr. Rey got upset, said he should've listened to his friends in med school who said not to marry a rich girl cuz her daddy would always give her more that he'd have to match up to. He said he felt like a piggy bank who makes all the money only for her to spend, that they don't need that much space and so on. They basically got into a big fight and the episode ended. So what do you think? The new house was really pretty with views, 2 staircases, elevator, 11,000 sq ft etc. Should he have at least taken a look at it or was she being unreasonable or ? He also accused her of being just like her mother who he can't stand and was not so happy about the fact they were moving to CA to begin with. In the preview for next week's episode, it shows him saying that he needs a break, and her saying with a shreaking voice "from me??" So I hope they separate for a while so that he can meet women who truly appreciate him instead of walking all over him. He would have to commute longer to get to work, and she didn't even ask him to look at the house, only to agree to make an offer like it's a done deal. I can't stand her. My sister is a single mom who works full time and raises two kids all by herself. Halie lives in a mansion, is married to a doctor, doesn't work and complains about having to take care of 2 kids. I can't stand her! Now she has to live next door to her mom so her mom can help take care of them. Why doesn't she just hire a nanny instead of buying a $7 mil dollar house?

Is it typical to submit offers for multiple properties to increase the chances of having an offer accepted? I went house hunting today with my real estate agent and she told me that she's going to submit offers for the properties that I liked. Is this practice common? I thought a person would usually submit one offer at a time? What happens if I get 2 offers accepted at the same time? Do I just pick one and not have any liabilities to the second offer? Thanks for the quick response! Here is my second concern though...I've already signed a contract of exclusivity with her. How can I get out of it now? I HAVE NOT signed any offers yet. Is it possible that my realtor is putting a "cooling off period" stipulation on my offers?

What are the residential areas in Trichy, India similar to Thillai Nagar, Annamalai Nagar, etc.,? I'm house hunting and I was wondering what areas would be suitable to look for real-estate agents.

moving out of state leaving parents? OK so my husbands family all live in another state and we just visited them. I absolutely love it there and we even went house hunting there and found the perfect place. I get along great with his family and we could really afford this house compared to the real estate in CO. But I would feel horrible leaving my family behind, I know my parents would be so sad. Any advice out there? All POV are welcom thanks.

Where is the OFFICIAL MLS site for real estate searches? I just want a free site where I can search all the MLS listings in my area, for sale and foreclosures, without all the garbabe. I don't want to have to sign up for a trial or get called by a "REALTOR". I just want to take a few hours a day for a week or so and investigate, on my own, potential properties of interest in my area. I'm on a hunt for a bargain. I want the worst house in the best neighborhood I can afford that is being offered way too cheap because nobody is willing to fix it up themselves and a flipper hasn't made it there yet. Where is this website, I came to it a long time ago and should have bookmarked it... now all I can find are these knockoffs that try to charge you.

What direction should I take my career? Now, I'm only 13, but lately I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life. My top three choice are probably a real estate agent, an actress/film director, or a politician. Here's some of my accomplishments/qualities (oh, and all the accomplishments are within the past 4 years): ~I've starred in 6 plays, and been in countless numbers of skits ~I've directed 1 musical and several short movies ~I've written tons of plays and short movie scripts ~I'm very good with people ~I move around a lot, so I'm not unfamiliar to the whole house-hunting ordeal, and I actually enjoy the whole moving proccess ~I've been voted most likely to become president for 3 years running ~I've been on Student Council for 3 years, as well as Vice President for 2 ~I'm a straight-A student ~I hate math, but I love History, Science, and Reading ~In 6th grade I participated in National History Day, and made it to the National level (got 1st place in my state) ~I'm very short - 4' 8" (if that matters) ~I work well with people ~I volunteer as much as I can at the zoo, nursing homes, etc. ~I love helping ~I'm a very determined young lady, and I succeed in almost everything I do ~I'm very creative ~I'm very organized Umm... that's about it. What direction do you think I should focus towards? My dad says I'd be best as a politician. My mom says I'd be best as a film-maker. My brother says I'd be best as a real-estate agent. I would be happy with any of these. What do you think? Any other career options would be helpful too. Thanks so much!

Can anyone tell me about Kapolei, HI? I hear it is really growing. DR Horton is building new homes there.? Our Real Estate agent is trying to sell us on Hawaii Kai, which looks great. However, I want a new house in a new community with shopping and more of an urban feel. Not quite as urban as Honolulu, but more urban than Hawaii Kai. We will only have 30 days to house hunt, so I want to hit the ground running. Also, has anyone seen the new construction by DR Horton. I believe it is called Mihana at Nanala. Thanks

Closing by November 30th? My husband and I are looking to purchase our first home in Colorado Springs and we would love to do this by Nov 30th. Is that a reasonable amount of time if we begin house hunting Sept 15th? I have been surfing real estate in the area for months and have a general idea of what home values are in the neighborhoods we are looking at. There seem to be plenty of properties up for sale in the area at the moment. I don't want to be too rushed and end up making a huge mistake but the Tax credit would really help as we are moving from overseas and need to buy a car as well as a home when we arrive. The $8000 back would allow us to find a small used car without having to dip into our emergency funds. We have already been pre- approved and don't have to worry about selling a home if the offer gets accepted. My biggest worry is that because we are looking to buy an older home and fixing it up ourselves that it will be more difficult to finance. We are looking for something we can clean up and make into a healthy energy efficient home. But if the property has a few "blemishes" will it take too long to close? Also what point in the buying process do you have to be in by Nov 30th to qualify for the tax credit?

Buyers Market vs. Insulting Owner? We've been approved for a loan ($180,000---wooo!) and now we're doing the house hunting "thing." We meet with our real estate agent tomorrow, and we just have a few questions for the community of Y!A. All of these houses are in Johnson County, Kansas (Kansas City metro). 1) The house we are in love with thus far is listed at $163K. Obviously we will bid for less, but how much less? We want to get the best deal without insulting anyone. 2) This house also has a nearly $200/month HOA fee, one of the downsides. Included is trash, snow removal, lawn mowing, and use of the pool/tennis courts. On the upside, we will have two small children and having someone to mow and remove the snow would be nice, but is it really worth $200/month? We are HOPING for under $140K, because that may just make the $200/month worth it. The house itself is in great shape and will just need minor touchups. Any advice? What would you do? Oh and I should mentioned that we do get a lot of snow here most winters. This winter we had around 2-3 feet of snow, but usually we have around 16 inches annually. And I WILL pick a best answer. I had to briefly go to the hospital after a bout of flu thus ignoring my questions. Sorry.

My social studies teacher is having us write an article synopsis on the topic of entertainment? What exactly categorizes entertainment. I asked her this in class and she refused to answer my question. I know movies and books would be considered entertainment because the definition of entertainment is things that appeal to people, but couldn't things like hunting for awesome houses in the real estate market also be considered entertainment? The weird thing is that this is a social studies class and we are learning things that have barely anything to do with social studies like new computer gadgets. Can you name some things off the top of your head that have to do with entertainment? Thanks. @Ann- Searching for homes is definitely not harmful or unfriendly. It is amusing and pleases people. @Ann- Modern forms of entertainment don't cover all aspects of entertainment.

Kids going treasure hunting? I remember watching a movie where theres several kids going on a mission trying to find this treasure and in this movie i remember there is a club house which was split into 2 because of real estate issues. I really really want to know this movies title and it is not the "GOONIES" i got soo many replies as goonies and it is not "GOONIES" no its not club house detectives

How do forgive your mom for a bad business deal? My mom is a real estate agent. She was helping us with a offer on a house on Friday. Today we got a counter offer at noon and I have been calling her all day to just approve the counter get it back to the other agent becuase we wanted the house. They didnt have any other offers well. as of 4pm she still had not faxed it back and now we have two new offers to contend with. Our offer was a low offer and the other two are high. SO NOW WE MOST LIKELY LOST THE HOUSE. I am so pissed! I busted my butt finding this house, talking with the agent and prepared all the docs last week. My mom kept putting me off, ignoring my calls, kept saying she would "Call me right back" never did. How do I work through this? I am so heartbroken!! This was an amazing deal and we have been house hunting for 3 years! I am so hurt by her lack of professionalism. I feel like she sabotagged our deal. I am totally not looking forward having to tell my husband we lost our deam home b/c of her lack of business skills I did speak to her and asked her to respect me as a client, not a daughter and agreee business should NEVER be done with family. SHE would just disown me for using another agent. My mom called me after our blow up ...and said "there arent 2 other offers, only to phone calls.She just spoke to the listing agent" So now I think she is lying to me trying to CYA by saying she received wrong information. I know she is my mother. And usually I am ok dealing with her charachter defects. As of today we were the only offer and it was a done deal until she dragged her feet. It is a short sale house in a gated community. We offered 100k under and it was everything approved minus closing cost. That is why i had said "FINE WE WILL PAY C.COST!!" that is why i am so upset for her not just faxing the response. I have been eyeing this house for 8 months. Thank you everyone for the kind words. OH, her reason for not calling me back "she wanted me to relax.." "gods will" that was her reason for dropping the ball.

Is it a no-no to deal with more than one realtor? My husband and I are tentatively house-hunting. We've been looking for something in our price range and have called various real estate offices in our area who have listings we're interested in. What has us concerned is the fact that two of the agents we've spoken with have told us they can "show any house in town for sale, no matter which company lists it". We didn't know this until we'd already gone to both of them looking at properties and had arranged a third with a different realtor entirely. We really like the third property, and if everything checks out, it'll be our new home. The problem is, are we violating some weird real estate agent code? When we got back from viewing the property with the third agent, the second one had sent us an e-mail about the very same house.

Really nervous about this in-law situation, any advice? My husband and I put an offer on a short sale. As many may know those take time. We did this before our wedding and are recently married. Unfortunately we are not living together yet due to the wait but are at the end of the line now. So here's my issue-- if we do not get that house (it is possible we may not) I am nervous about my in-laws taking over the house hunting process. My husband's mother took him out looking at houses one Sunday afternoon and I was never even invited. There was no reason why I couldn't go, and she had him looking at a house that was the size of a shoebox in a really expensive area (thus a shoebox was all that could be afforded). Well during the process I discovered my husband's aunt is in real estate and my husband's mother wants him to seek her help in all of this. I also have an uncle in the same position but that is out of state, though a close family friend is someone that could be our agent for a future house hunt/purchase that we may need to get on within the next couple of weeks. I'm nervous that my husband's mother will push him into going with the aunt, then the aunt and the mother and the sister and the whole family comes along and it is not about us but only about my husband, I am never treated like I am in the picture and it is very depressing. He will make decisions based on what they think rather than me, and it will just be ugly. If I pipe up he will just say I do not include anyone!! I don't care who our agent would be I just don't think it should be someone in his family. It becomes this larger than life thing. What should I do if this does happen? I will be made to feel like I am not in the process and like it is a family affair when it is only his and my money and lives at stake. I am nervous about it, the not being able to look at houses together and having to do what his mother sister or aunt tell him to do. Very frustrating.

ATTN REALTORS...I'm looking at foreclosures. What's the difference? I went out house hunting w/ an agent. She finally showed me a "bank owned" property. The owner had it for sale it didn't move now the bank is selling it. Is this a true foreclosure? Is foreclosure when the bank takes it back to sell or is foreclosure when the bank can't sell it either? It's very confusing and the real estate agents act like they don't know too much about the process either...I think it's kind of shady..what do you all think? Thanks...so if it's bank owned it already went through forclosure? I went in the house it's empty..it looks like they punched holes in the wall on purpuse.

What is it like to live in Hawaii? I have been assigned a 2 year contract to work for one of the doctors in hawaii. How is it living there? How is the money situation, the weather, dangers, sites, is it always busy because of the tourism there? How is the travel around there? Is the seafood really THAT good there? Do they have fast food restaurants there (that was a stupid question)... How about houses? Or they up or down on the real estate? Much appreciated if you can give me all the answers. I'm going house/apartment hunting right now. It's really hard if I cant see the houses myself since I'm not there right now. But yeah, it is greatly appreciated if you guys can get me the answers. Thanks a bunch! Well, I'm only working under contract. The most I'll be staying in hawaii is 2 years. So I'll only be renting an apartment. Not thinking of buying a permanent home. Also my work pays a percentage of my living expenses so rent is not really a problem. So as for living expenses is nothing to worry about. Where are the best apartments or best places to live by any chance? I prefer a quieter side of Hawaii? Any suggestions?

I am wanting info on Knoxville Tn.? My husband is in the military and has put in for a postion that I believe is in the Knoxville / Alcoa area. First of all, how far are these cities apart? And since I believe the job is closer to Alcoa, (something about a airport???) what is the south side of Knoxville like? After checking out real estate sites, I am thinking that maybe we should house hunt in Knoxville because Alcoa seems a little expensive, as far as what we are used to real estate costing. (We are from Oklahoma) I know every city has it's "bad side". Since we will be new, I dont want to end up buying a house in a not so great area, because we didnt know any better. Thanks! Sorry but I am wanting the opinions of acutal residents of this area. If your not a resident or former resident, it's not helping me alot.

How will the fourth season of HBO's, "The Wire" conclude? There should be only a few more series remaining with "The Wire", and things are starting to heat up. Omar is on the hunt for Marlo. The new ambitious mayor cleaning house. The Barksdale crew lacking street muscle and lacking real estate to sell drugs and now getting supplied by Marlo. Hurc, the newly promoted seargant about to get into trouble over the ministers. Lester, the homicide detective is about to discover the bodies in the vacant houses, street hits by Marlo's crew. And so on.......... How do you think it will end? Of course, there will be probably two or three more seasons, but this season, can you predict the outcome?

Real Estate Agents..? How many houses do you sell per year on average. i Was told by my broker that the average is 20 houses per year including house hunting with buyers and selling your listings.. I thought that it was more..

We meet agian after 20 years...? I met a man when I was 25. We dated, he treated me very well. He would buy me anything I wanted and took me to the finest resturants. He was 52 at the time. He fell in love but I was not. When he asked me how I felt about him I told him "I like you, youre fun" He said "fun". He was very annoyed with my answer. I lived with my aunt and two children. He gave me 2000 to get an apartment of my own. As I was apartment hunting he began to make major plans for me. At my young age I love the good times but was not ready for what he had in store. Hes worth a few million thru investments and real estate. Im now 43 and I came across his number, he still lives in the same house and has purchased even more real estate. Im now ready for a relationship. Hes 68, thats older then I have ever dated. I have went to college and am now a social worker, opposed to before being a welfare mom. Hes impressed with how I grew up. If he loved me then, do you think he can love me now? Remember I did take the 2000 and would not commit. Do you think he holds that agianst me? My 2 children are 19 and 22 in college. His are also grown. Ive offered to take him out to a nice resturant and he said "When!" He called me today at work to confirm our plans.

DO YOU LIKE PAYING TAXES so our money is misappropriated to scumbags? What happened if every year someone came into you house and took 30% of all of your furniture? What if every week someone stole 30% of all of your food out of your house? Is that okay? Is that acceptable? American citizens need to protest this injustice, and I do not know how it got to be like this in the first place. Is it because our forefathers and fellow citizens just took a back seat all the while when these taxes were introduced and continually raised (Totalitarian Tip-toe)? And yes, I would like to pay may "fair share" for police, fire, community and social services, but this is ridiculous. America will soon fall apart from within, we are all slaves now while we have the illusion that we are all free with a brainwashed smile. And, if I don't like it... yes, I know I can leave. Well, yes, I have on several occasions. I served 10 years of my life fighting for this F$@%ed up country and I live here, I contributed in more ways than one. So, you are either with me or part of the problem which will only get worse... it is time to DO SOMETHING about it.... time to say enough is enough and any politician who proposed or proposes higher taxes should be OUT. Get these scumbags out of office, they should be by the people for the people. If you like paying more, you are a fool!!! We pay dearly already, we aren't free, we pay to live here!!! Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax Car Rental Tax CDL License Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Estate Tax Excise Tax Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Permit Tax Gasoline Tax Hotel Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax) IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) Liquor Tax Luxury Tax Marriage License Tax Medicare Tax Property Tax Real Estate Tax Road Usage Tax Service charge taxes Social Security Tax Right to work tax Road Usage Tax (Truckers) Sales Taxes Recreational Vehicle Tax School Tax State Income Tax State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) Telephone Federal Excise Tax Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax Telephone State and Local Tax Telephone Usage Charge Tax Utility Tax Vehicle License Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Watercraft Registration Tax Well Permit Tax Workers Compensation Tax

Who agrees this is too true to be funny: that "Billion" is a funny word for politicians? http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=EarmarkRequests_2008_House LET'S VOTE OUT *EVERY* CONGRESSMAN (REPRESENTATIVE & SENATOR) EXCEPT SUPER EARMARK FIGHTER JEFF FLAKE (ARIZONA). *** This is too true to be funny... The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean? A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528. B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets !! $1,329,787. C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken?? (Of course not.) Tax his land, Tax his wage, Tax his bed in which he lays. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes is the rule. Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirts, Tax his work, Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think. Tax his booze, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears. Tax his bills, Tax his gas, Tax his notes, Tax his cash. Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough. If he hollers, Tax him more, Tax him until he's good and sore. Tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he lays. Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom!' And when he's gone, We won't relax, We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!! Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL License Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Perm it Tax Gasoline Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax. STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

My friend and I are seeing about buying some land in Alaska, where would be the best area to buy some acres? I have rather recently sent myself an E-Mail with 3 different sites having listings, so there is that, but I am curious, for more mild winters, etc., what would be the best area(s) in Alaska to buy some land, preferably like isolated acreage? Like the Yukon, or some other areas. I am thinking something more that has: - Clean/fresh water(s) - Lake(s)/River(s) - Some mountain range territory - Good hunting - Good fishing - Not TOO rough for traveling by foot, like being heavily felled with trees - And should have some fair or better spots for building a living quarters, ex.- cottage, house, etc.* *I ask about that one because we plan to make our own, given that, well I know I have Architectural exp., and we plan to rather build our own! Note: As far as I know, Real Estate is the best section given for this, if there is one better, I would like to hear it! KC- I noticed you went with a copy and paste method. So, is it heavily wooded, or something, since you didn't copy and paste that. Also would it be very cold in winter, or would it be fine, more like it being here in Central Oregon (where I live now)?

Question about restoring Duncan Fife style furniture? When I was younger my mother bought thousands of dollars worth of real Duncan Fife furniture for just hundreds at an estate sale for the Hunt estate in Dallas. She picked up a sofa, three beautiful arm chairs, two gold (my mother says they're "butterscotch") chairs that were once in the oval office, a cherry drop leaf table, a rocking chair, and a beautiful side table. Here's the thing, the arm chairs and sofa has been torn up by our family cat, the drop leaf table has a big iron burn from our retarded house keeper ironing on it, and the side table is terribly scratched up due to my sister using it in her room for years. Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost to restore these items properly? The chairs would need to be reupholstered, but what would we have to do to the tables? Also, does anyone have any idea how I could date these items? Also, my mom purchased a entryway table with a matching mirror at the World Trade Center in 2000. My sister slammed a door open and knocked a chunk off off of it. How could we repair this?

Is this a good COLLEGE ESSAY? I sent it to all the UCschools..? I sent this essay to the UC schools. And I was just wondering if you think I'll get in with it. This is only my personal response to the first prompt. thanks for reading it! The sound of a blaring siren is unsuitable for an eight year-old child to wake at six o’clock for school. But if a fire station is located on the corner of the block, there is no alternative. The constant alarm has always been present in my tranquil community of Chino Hills, a region located in Los Angeles. Despite the portrayal of frequent fire emergencies, my hometown is average: the city is not overpopulated, crime rates are somewhat low, and housing costs are fairly standard. Living in my old home was a childhood luxury: I advanced from riding a tricycle to a bicycle, I flew my kite in the winds of the community park, I qualified for my county’s science fair with an experiment involving iodine, my wishes magically came true at 11:11 p.m., I was awarded student of the month multiple times a year, and I created friendships with best friends I still talk to today. My family and I relocated to San Diego in 2002. Specifically in Carmel Valley, my new environment is similar to my prior quiet neighborhood, excluding the fluctuating real estate market. The relaxing city also treated me well for the past seven years: I danced with my crush to Michael Bublé’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” at Winter Formal, I lose my voice each August at the Van’s Warped Tour, I luckily passed my driver’s license test on my first try, I successfully applied for my first job at the infamous Baskin Robbins in Solana Beach, I was carried home and kissed goodnight by the boy I truly love, and I met each member of The All-American Rejects before their second album’s release. My past shaped all that I am today. I have seen the best, loved the worst, hence my integrity knows it is never a mistake to care for someone. The hardships and fortunes form the vast desires I hold for my future. In my lifetime, I had dreams to be of some assistance to Steve’s hunt on Blue’s Clues, the companion of Clifford (the big red dog), a renowned Pokémon master, an electric guitarist touring alongside Billie Joe Armstrong, a profitable abstract painter, the interpreter of the magical realism presented in Cien años de soledad, that girl named Delilah the Plain White T’s endearingly sang for, Lauren Conrad’s next roommate, Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby, an optometrist, a resident at Frank Warren’s house for PostSecret Sundays, and an influential elementary school teacher, respectively. My ultimate aspiration is to inspire children, while they are still young, into believing they inherently have the intelligence to succeed. My communities of Chino Hills and Carmel Valley have given me the strength and ability to make something of myself. In return, that is my greatest goal in life. I intend to make a difference. After nine months of my teaching, approximately thirty children will realize their dreams are not meant to be followed; they must be chased.

is this a modern day form of persecution or witch hunt ? or am i over reacting or overly concerned , being paranoid ? in these ages of big brother states and NWO agenda im not so sure.. in my local area , i live in government housing in england on disability in a one bedroom apartment , i have bpd and are working with my mental health team to get the right therapy as ive had a very unfortunate , traumatic life, have a criminal history, trying to put the past behind me missed out on everything in life. iam 31 nearly and live in a government housing estate like a condo in the us ? - i live in a small apartment i own no material possessions except the essentials and my computer, my best possession. anyhow i got a letter through the post from my housing authority who have an ' anti social disorder ' behaviour policy and scheme where they get rid of people who are anti social , take legal action against them. they printed the real name of a man known to them, someone ive never heard of - who previously must of lived in the area who caused problems of some sort, been taken to court and now has been evicted from the area , his apartment and the neighborhood. the letter is warning of his name, that he is banned from entering the area , and if anyone sees him in there , to phone them or the police, and that he can be arrested for returning to the area.. they provide a little map attached to illustrate the parts of the area he iis not allowed in bold marker pen provide by google maps. even though i dont know this guy, or what hes done, it disturbed me a little and i felt concerned for the guy.. is this not a form of big brother and persecution , naming somebody to everybody in the area ? publicizing his name almost to demonizie him, ostracize him like some witch hunt ? do they do anything like this in the u.s ? it made me feel like i have to be almost on my best behaviour or they could use this policy to publically outcast me to ? even though i just mind my own business and get on with working on my own life, it still bothered me the letter. in the past i used to have rage outbusts and rage problems but ive done well for years controlling it, seeking help etc.. this letter felt like a bit of a personal warning to behave or else almost like making me feel guilty. like oppressive. or am i just being paranoid ?

need help on sumarizing this article please? Could you please help me sumarrize this article it hard for me to understand. If you cant help me please dont write anything. First Spider Known To Science That Feeds Mainly On Plant Food ScienceDaily (Oct. 13, 2009) — There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders in the world, all of which have been thought to be strict predators that feed on insects or other animals. Now, scientists have found that a small Central American jumping spider has a uniquely different diet: the species Bagheera kiplingi feeds predominantly on plant food. The research, led by Christopher Meehan of Villanova University and Eric Olson of Brandeis University, has revealed the extraordinary ecology and behavior in Bagheera kiplingi, which lives throughout much of Central America and southern Mexico. There, the spider inhabits several species of acacia shrubs involved in a co-evolutionary mutualism with certain ants that has long been a staple of ecology textbooks: the ants fiercely guard the plants against most would-be herbivores, while the acacias provide both housing for the ants via swollen, hollow spines and food in the form of nectar (excreted from glands at the base of each leaf) and specialized leaf tips known as Beltian bodies. The Bagheera spiders are "cheaters" in the ant-acacia system, stealing and eating both nectar and—most remarkably—Beltian bodies without helping to defend the plant. The spiders get the job done through active avoidance of patrolling acacia-ants, relying on excellent eyesight, agility, and cognitive skills. How do the spiders get around the ants that are supposed to be guarding the acacias and gobbling up the Beltian bodies themselves? First, Meehan said, the spiders have what might be thought of as "sheer wit." "Jumping spiders in general possess incredibly advanced sensory-cognitive skills and eight-legged agility, and Bagheera is no exception," he said. "Individuals employ diverse, situation-specific strategies to evade ants, and the ants simply cannot catch them." The spiders also seem to build their webs in less attractive plant "real estate" and to actively defend their nests against ant invaders. Finally, Meehan added, the spiders might actually mimic the ants. Young spiders in particular look a lot like and seem to act like ants, one reason they have perhaps flown under scientists' radar for so long despite intensive study of the ants and acacias. Meehan suspects that the spiders wear the ants' chemical scent as well, a notion he is now investigating in more detail. The research will appear in the October 13 issue of Current Biology. Co-author Olson first discovered herbivory by the spiders in Costa Rica in 2001. In 2007, Meehan independently observed the same behaviors in a spider population in coastal Quintana Roo, south of Cancún, Mexico, during a field project for a Tropical Biology course taught by Villanova professor and study co-author Robert Curry. The two research groups subsequently combined efforts to jointly publish the discovery. The research also formed the basis of Meehan's Masters degree from Villanova, completed in 2009. In the field, the researchers documented behavioral patterns through direct observations and high-definition video recordings. Herbivory was especially clear in the Mexican population: Beltian bodies accounted for more than 90% of 140 food items identified. According to Meehan, "This is the first spider in the world known to deliberately 'hunt' plant parts; it is also the first found to go after plants as a primary food source." Spiders in Costa Rica more frequently supplemented plant food with animal prey items, including ant larvae. "What surprised us most about discovering this spider's extraordinary ecology was to find it on the ant-acacias," according to Curry. "This well-known mutualism has been studied by tropical ecologists for nearly 50 years, yet the spider's role was not noticed until Olson's discovery in 2001. We were lucky to find in Mexico an area where the spider is both exceptionally abundant and even more herbivorous than in Costa Rica." The researchers backed up their field observations with the results of laboratory analyses—conducted with the help of co-authors Matthew Reudink and Kurt Kyser of Queens University, Canada—of carbon and nitrogen isotopes for the various components of the ant-acacia system (Beltian bodies, ants, Bagheera spiders) and for other kinds of local spiders. The ratio of 15N to 14N, which provides an indication of a species' trophic position, showed that Bagheera kiplingi was more similar to the herbivorous acacia-ants than to any of the other spiders sampled. Meanwhile, the ratio of 13C to 12C, which generally yields a match between an animal and its food, was almost identical for Bagheera spiders and the Beltian bodies. Collectively, the data show that Bagheera kiplingi obtains most of its diet directly or indirectly from the ant-acacia plants, especially in México. This r

help summarize article? Could you please help me sumarrize this article it hard for me to understand. If you cant help me please dont write anything. First Spider Known To Science That Feeds Mainly On Plant Food ScienceDaily (Oct. 13, 2009) — There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders in the world, all of which have been thought to be strict predators that feed on insects or other animals. Now, scientists have found that a small Central American jumping spider has a uniquely different diet: the species Bagheera kiplingi feeds predominantly on plant food. The research, led by Christopher Meehan of Villanova University and Eric Olson of Brandeis University, has revealed the extraordinary ecology and behavior in Bagheera kiplingi, which lives throughout much of Central America and southern Mexico. There, the spider inhabits several species of acacia shrubs involved in a co-evolutionary mutualism with certain ants that has long been a staple of ecology textbooks: the ants fiercely guard the plants against most would-be herbivores, while the acacias provide both housing for the ants via swollen, hollow spines and food in the form of nectar (excreted from glands at the base of each leaf) and specialized leaf tips known as Beltian bodies. The Bagheera spiders are "cheaters" in the ant-acacia system, stealing and eating both nectar and—most remarkably—Beltian bodies without helping to defend the plant. The spiders get the job done through active avoidance of patrolling acacia-ants, relying on excellent eyesight, agility, and cognitive skills. How do the spiders get around the ants that are supposed to be guarding the acacias and gobbling up the Beltian bodies themselves? First, Meehan said, the spiders have what might be thought of as "sheer wit." "Jumping spiders in general possess incredibly advanced sensory-cognitive skills and eight-legged agility, and Bagheera is no exception," he said. "Individuals employ diverse, situation-specific strategies to evade ants, and the ants simply cannot catch them." The spiders also seem to build their webs in less attractive plant "real estate" and to actively defend their nests against ant invaders. Finally, Meehan added, the spiders might actually mimic the ants. Young spiders in particular look a lot like and seem to act like ants, one reason they have perhaps flown under scientists' radar for so long despite intensive study of the ants and acacias. Meehan suspects that the spiders wear the ants' chemical scent as well, a notion he is now investigating in more detail. The research will appear in the October 13 issue of Current Biology. Co-author Olson first discovered herbivory by the spiders in Costa Rica in 2001. In 2007, Meehan independently observed the same behaviors in a spider population in coastal Quintana Roo, south of Cancún, Mexico, during a field project for a Tropical Biology course taught by Villanova professor and study co-author Robert Curry. The two research groups subsequently combined efforts to jointly publish the discovery. The research also formed the basis of Meehan's Masters degree from Villanova, completed in 2009. In the field, the researchers documented behavioral patterns through direct observations and high-definition video recordings. Herbivory was especially clear in the Mexican population: Beltian bodies accounted for more than 90% of 140 food items identified. According to Meehan, "This is the first spider in the world known to deliberately 'hunt' plant parts; it is also the first found to go after plants as a primary food source." Spiders in Costa Rica more frequently supplemented plant food with animal prey items, including ant larvae. "What surprised us most about discovering this spider's extraordinary ecology was to find it on the ant-acacias," according to Curry. "This well-known mutualism has been studied by tropical ecologists for nearly 50 years, yet the spider's role was not noticed until Olson's discovery in 2001. We were lucky to find in Mexico an area where the spider is both exceptionally abundant and even more herbivorous than in Costa Rica." The researchers backed up their field observations with the results of laboratory analyses—conducted with the help of co-authors Matthew Reudink and Kurt Kyser of Queens University, Canada—of carbon and nitrogen isotopes for the various components of the ant-acacia system (Beltian bodies, ants, Bagheera spiders) and for other kinds of local spiders. The ratio of 15N to 14N, which provides an indication of a species' trophic position, showed that Bagheera kiplingi was more similar to the herbivorous acacia-ants than to any of the other spiders sampled. Meanwhile, the ratio of 13C to 12C, which generally yields a match between an animal and its food, was almost identical for Bagheera spiders and the Beltian bodies. Collectively, the data show that Bagheera kiplingi obtains most of its diet directly or indirectly from the ant-acacia plants, especially in México.

could u help me summarize this article please? Could you please help me sumarrize this article it hard for me to understand. If you cant help me please dont write anything. First Spider Known To Science That Feeds Mainly On Plant Food ScienceDaily (Oct. 13, 2009) — There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders in the world, all of which have been thought to be strict predators that feed on insects or other animals. Now, scientists have found that a small Central American jumping spider has a uniquely different diet: the species Bagheera kiplingi feeds predominantly on plant food. The research, led by Christopher Meehan of Villanova University and Eric Olson of Brandeis University, has revealed the extraordinary ecology and behavior in Bagheera kiplingi, which lives throughout much of Central America and southern Mexico. There, the spider inhabits several species of acacia shrubs involved in a co-evolutionary mutualism with certain ants that has long been a staple of ecology textbooks: the ants fiercely guard the plants against most would-be herbivores, while the acacias provide both housing for the ants via swollen, hollow spines and food in the form of nectar (excreted from glands at the base of each leaf) and specialized leaf tips known as Beltian bodies. The Bagheera spiders are "cheaters" in the ant-acacia system, stealing and eating both nectar and—most remarkably—Beltian bodies without helping to defend the plant. The spiders get the job done through active avoidance of patrolling acacia-ants, relying on excellent eyesight, agility, and cognitive skills. How do the spiders get around the ants that are supposed to be guarding the acacias and gobbling up the Beltian bodies themselves? First, Meehan said, the spiders have what might be thought of as "sheer wit." "Jumping spiders in general possess incredibly advanced sensory-cognitive skills and eight-legged agility, and Bagheera is no exception," he said. "Individuals employ diverse, situation-specific strategies to evade ants, and the ants simply cannot catch them." The spiders also seem to build their webs in less attractive plant "real estate" and to actively defend their nests against ant invaders. Finally, Meehan added, the spiders might actually mimic the ants. Young spiders in particular look a lot like and seem to act like ants, one reason they have perhaps flown under scientists' radar for so long despite intensive study of the ants and acacias. Meehan suspects that the spiders wear the ants' chemical scent as well, a notion he is now investigating in more detail. The research will appear in the October 13 issue of Current Biology. Co-author Olson first discovered herbivory by the spiders in Costa Rica in 2001. In 2007, Meehan independently observed the same behaviors in a spider population in coastal Quintana Roo, south of Cancún, Mexico, during a field project for a Tropical Biology course taught by Villanova professor and study co-author Robert Curry. The two research groups subsequently combined efforts to jointly publish the discovery. The research also formed the basis of Meehan's Masters degree from Villanova, completed in 2009. In the field, the researchers documented behavioral patterns through direct observations and high-definition video recordings. Herbivory was especially clear in the Mexican population: Beltian bodies accounted for more than 90% of 140 food items identified. According to Meehan, "This is the first spider in the world known to deliberately 'hunt' plant parts; it is also the first found to go after plants as a primary food source." Spiders in Costa Rica more frequently supplemented plant food with animal prey items, including ant larvae. "What surprised us most about discovering this spider's extraordinary ecology was to find it on the ant-acacias," according to Curry. "This well-known mutualism has been studied by tropical ecologists for nearly 50 years, yet the spider's role was not noticed until Olson's discovery in 2001. We were lucky to find in Mexico an area where the spider is both exceptionally abundant and even more herbivorous than in Costa Rica." The researchers backed up their field observations with the results of laboratory analyses—conducted with the help of co-authors Matthew Reudink and Kurt Kyser of Queens University, Canada—of carbon and nitrogen isotopes for the various components of the ant-acacia system (Beltian bodies, ants, Bagheera spiders) and for other kinds of local spiders. The ratio of 15N to 14N, which provides an indication of a species' trophic position, showed that Bagheera kiplingi was more similar to the herbivorous acacia-ants than to any of the other spiders sampled. Meanwhile, the ratio of 13C to 12C, which generally yields a match between an animal and its food, was almost identical for Bagheera spiders and the Beltian bodies. Collectively, the data show that Bagheera kiplingi obtains most of its diet directly or indirectly from the ant-acacia plants, especially in México.

Help me summarize article please? can you please help me summarize this article. If you cant help please dont leave a comment First Spider Known To Science That Feeds Mainly On Plant Food ScienceDaily (Oct. 13, 2009) — There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders in the world, all of which have been thought to be strict predators that feed on insects or other animals. Now, scientists have found that a small Central American jumping spider has a uniquely different diet: the species Bagheera kiplingi feeds predominantly on plant food. The research, led by Christopher Meehan of Villanova University and Eric Olson of Brandeis University, has revealed the extraordinary ecology and behavior in Bagheera kiplingi, which lives throughout much of Central America and southern Mexico. There, the spider inhabits several species of acacia shrubs involved in a co-evolutionary mutualism with certain ants that has long been a staple of ecology textbooks: the ants fiercely guard the plants against most would-be herbivores, while the acacias provide both housing for the ants via swollen, hollow spines and food in the form of nectar (excreted from glands at the base of each leaf) and specialized leaf tips known as Beltian bodies. The Bagheera spiders are "cheaters" in the ant-acacia system, stealing and eating both nectar and—most remarkably—Beltian bodies without helping to defend the plant. The spiders get the job done through active avoidance of patrolling acacia-ants, relying on excellent eyesight, agility, and cognitive skills. How do the spiders get around the ants that are supposed to be guarding the acacias and gobbling up the Beltian bodies themselves? First, Meehan said, the spiders have what might be thought of as "sheer wit." "Jumping spiders in general possess incredibly advanced sensory-cognitive skills and eight-legged agility, and Bagheera is no exception," he said. "Individuals employ diverse, situation-specific strategies to evade ants, and the ants simply cannot catch them." The spiders also seem to build their webs in less attractive plant "real estate" and to actively defend their nests against ant invaders. Finally, Meehan added, the spiders might actually mimic the ants. Young spiders in particular look a lot like and seem to act like ants, one reason they have perhaps flown under scientists' radar for so long despite intensive study of the ants and acacias. Meehan suspects that the spiders wear the ants' chemical scent as well, a notion he is now investigating in more detail. The research will appear in the October 13 issue of Current Biology. Co-author Olson first discovered herbivory by the spiders in Costa Rica in 2001. In 2007, Meehan independently observed the same behaviors in a spider population in coastal Quintana Roo, south of Cancún, Mexico, during a field project for a Tropical Biology course taught by Villanova professor and study co-author Robert Curry. The two research groups subsequently combined efforts to jointly publish the discovery. The research also formed the basis of Meehan's Masters degree from Villanova, completed in 2009. In the field, the researchers documented behavioral patterns through direct observations and high-definition video recordings. Herbivory was especially clear in the Mexican population: Beltian bodies accounted for more than 90% of 140 food items identified. According to Meehan, "This is the first spider in the world known to deliberately 'hunt' plant parts; it is also the first found to go after plants as a primary food source." Spiders in Costa Rica more frequently supplemented plant food with animal prey items, including ant larvae. "What surprised us most about discovering this spider's extraordinary ecology was to find it on the ant-acacias," according to Curry. "This well-known mutualism has been studied by tropical ecologists for nearly 50 years, yet the spider's role was not noticed until Olson's discovery in 2001. We were lucky to find in Mexico an area where the spider is both exceptionally abundant and even more herbivorous than in Costa Rica." The researchers backed up their field observations with the results of laboratory analyses—conducted with the help of co-authors Matthew Reudink and Kurt Kyser of Queens University, Canada—of carbon and nitrogen isotopes for the various components of the ant-acacia system (Beltian bodies, ants, Bagheera spiders) and for other kinds of local spiders. The ratio of 15N to 14N, which provides an indication of a species' trophic position, showed that Bagheera kiplingi was more similar to the herbivorous acacia-ants than to any of the other spiders sampled. Meanwhile, the ratio of 13C to 12C, which generally yields a match between an animal and its food, was almost identical for Bagheera spiders and the Beltian bodies. Collectively, the data show that Bagheera kiplingi obtains most of its diet directly or indirectly from the ant-acacia plants, especially in México. This research has broader implications, acco

help summarize article please please? can you please help me summarize this article. If you cant help please dont leave a comment First Spider Known To Science That Feeds Mainly On Plant Food ScienceDaily (Oct. 13, 2009) — There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders in the world, all of which have been thought to be strict predators that feed on insects or other animals. Now, scientists have found that a small Central American jumping spider has a uniquely different diet: the species Bagheera kiplingi feeds predominantly on plant food. The research, led by Christopher Meehan of Villanova University and Eric Olson of Brandeis University, has revealed the extraordinary ecology and behavior in Bagheera kiplingi, which lives throughout much of Central America and southern Mexico. There, the spider inhabits several species of acacia shrubs involved in a co-evolutionary mutualism with certain ants that has long been a staple of ecology textbooks: the ants fiercely guard the plants against most would-be herbivores, while the acacias provide both housing for the ants via swollen, hollow spines and food in the form of nectar (excreted from glands at the base of each leaf) and specialized leaf tips known as Beltian bodies. The Bagheera spiders are "cheaters" in the ant-acacia system, stealing and eating both nectar and—most remarkably—Beltian bodies without helping to defend the plant. The spiders get the job done through active avoidance of patrolling acacia-ants, relying on excellent eyesight, agility, and cognitive skills. How do the spiders get around the ants that are supposed to be guarding the acacias and gobbling up the Beltian bodies themselves? First, Meehan said, the spiders have what might be thought of as "sheer wit." "Jumping spiders in general possess incredibly advanced sensory-cognitive skills and eight-legged agility, and Bagheera is no exception," he said. "Individuals employ diverse, situation-specific strategies to evade ants, and the ants simply cannot catch them." The spiders also seem to build their webs in less attractive plant "real estate" and to actively defend their nests against ant invaders. Finally, Meehan added, the spiders might actually mimic the ants. Young spiders in particular look a lot like and seem to act like ants, one reason they have perhaps flown under scientists' radar for so long despite intensive study of the ants and acacias. Meehan suspects that the spiders wear the ants' chemical scent as well, a notion he is now investigating in more detail. The research will appear in the October 13 issue of Current Biology. Co-author Olson first discovered herbivory by the spiders in Costa Rica in 2001. In 2007, Meehan independently observed the same behaviors in a spider population in coastal Quintana Roo, south of Cancún, Mexico, during a field project for a Tropical Biology course taught by Villanova professor and study co-author Robert Curry. The two research groups subsequently combined efforts to jointly publish the discovery. The research also formed the basis of Meehan's Masters degree from Villanova, completed in 2009. In the field, the researchers documented behavioral patterns through direct observations and high-definition video recordings. Herbivory was especially clear in the Mexican population: Beltian bodies accounted for more than 90% of 140 food items identified. According to Meehan, "This is the first spider in the world known to deliberately 'hunt' plant parts; it is also the first found to go after plants as a primary food source." Spiders in Costa Rica more frequently supplemented plant food with animal prey items, including ant larvae. "What surprised us most about discovering this spider's extraordinary ecology was to find it on the ant-acacias," according to Curry. "This well-known mutualism has been studied by tropical ecologists for nearly 50 years, yet the spider's role was not noticed until Olson's discovery in 2001. We were lucky to find in Mexico an area where the spider is both exceptionally abundant and even more herbivorous than in Costa Rica." The researchers backed up their field observations with the results of laboratory analyses—conducted with the help of co-authors Matthew Reudink and Kurt Kyser of Queens University, Canada—of carbon and nitrogen isotopes for the various components of the ant-acacia system (Beltian bodies, ants, Bagheera spiders) and for other kinds of local spiders. The ratio of 15N to 14N, which provides an indication of a species' trophic position, showed that Bagheera kiplingi was more similar to the herbivorous acacia-ants than to any of the other spiders sampled. Meanwhile, the ratio of 13C to 12C, which generally yields a match between an animal and its food, was almost identical for Bagheera spiders and the Beltian bodies. Collectively, the data show that Bagheera kiplingi obtains most of its diet directly or indirectly from the ant-acacia plants, especially in México.

Where do I get legal help? I NEED HELP. My husband messed up when he was young, because his mother was a drug addict and alcoholic who had him dealing before high school and taking the blame for her. He has since met me and found out what a family, morals, and living like a real person and is doing his best to do that. My father passed away last year leaving his pride gun collection(trap and hunting) he was a competion trap shooter and an expert marksman, we lived in rural Indiana and if anyone in the area had problems like coyotes they called my dad to take care of it, we were a tight community and did not even have to lock doors! My mom moved to Florida and I went with her. When my dad died we have to settle the estate, I called and asked about the gun collection and they told me we should split them up for safety and there was no problem with having them in my home. I actually used to work for the local sheriff's department have never gotten into trouble in my life. I called several agencies all telling me the same thing, no problem. Then my mother in law(did I mention hates me and does not believe in god) got mad when my husband told her he had went to church several times and she needed to quit pushing him about me that he loved me and I was his life and if she did not like it then he would have to quit speaking to her. This woman is very convincing to everyone and nobody knows the real her, she has hired people to harrass me and threatened to make sure I had an accident and nobody would know that she had anything to do with me dying!!! She called the local police and told them he was in the house with loaded guns and was going to kill himself and them. HE DOES NOT AND WILL NOT TOUCH guns of any kind. But they broke in my house and found a gun that I had loaded because he was not home and I heard a noise. The same day a man shot local police officer right down the street so they are trying to charge him for possession of a firearm by a felon. I had asked if he could be in the house with them and they told me that they were mine and it would be against the 2nd admendment to tell me I could not! The problem is they need to make an example and I lost my job and can not afford an attorney and the local defenders office and does not seem to be helping! He is guilty of nothing for once in his life he was trying to do the right thing with his life and they are trying to give him 30 years. I need help, I am pregnant out of work and need my husband I am going to lose everything, who did nothing and can't find any help. He has been in there since March for nothing! We are in Volusia County Florida, anybody know anywhere to turn?

Should I go with a real estate agent or search myself? I was wondering what the pros and cons of house hunting by myself or going with an agent... does it cost more to go with an agent and what if I know the house I want to buy, do I still need an agent?

moving out of state leaving parents? OK so my husbands family all live in another state and we just visited them. I absolutely love it there and we even went house hunting there and found the perfect place. I get along great with his family and we could really afford this house compared to the real estate in CO. But I would feel horrible leaving my family behind, I know my parents would be so sad. Any advice out there? All POV are welcom thanks.

Questions about Sherlock Holmes?? Please HELPPPPP? 1. Dr. Mortimer visits Sherlock Holmes in order to (Points: 3) ask Holmes how to protect Sir Charles from danger. ask Holmes to catch the dog that is causing deaths on the moor. ask Holmes to investigate the curse of the Baskervilles. ask Holmes's advice on how to handle Sir Henry. 2. Which phrase describes the moors near Baskerville Hall most accurately? (Points: 3) grim, eerie, and dim rainy, green, and filled with birdsong good land for farming laced with flowers, wildlife, and nature paths 3. Why does Sherlock Holmes wait to go to Baskerville Hall? (Points: 3) He wants to give Scotland Yard a chance to solve the case. He thinks that the story of the hound is not worth investigating. He is too busy investigating other crimes. He thinks if he is not there, the criminal will show himself. 4. What theory does Holmes put forth when he first examines the letter that Sir Henry received in London? (Points: 3) Whoever wrote the letter was staying in a hotel in London. Whoever wrote the letter wants Sir Henry dead. The writer must have been an educated woman. The writer was too frightened to write well. 5. According to the ancient story Mortimer shows Sherlock Holmes, the curse of the Baskervilles began long ago when (Points: 3) the Baskervilles were haunted by the ghost of a former servant. a ghostly hound killed a pitiless Baskerville ancestor. a poorly treated servant girl put a curse on the Baskervilles. the Baskervilles mistreated their hunting hounds. 6. How does Sherlock Holmes feel about the story of the Baskerville curse? (Points: 3) He knows it is true. He is a believer in reason and disregards it. He is inclined to believe it because of the way Sir Charles died. He is suspicious of Dr. Mortimer for telling him this story. 7. Barrymore sends a signal over the moor (Points: 3) to help Stapleton. to help Selden. to signal Holmes. to try to see the hound. 8. How does Watson learn that Holmes has come to the moor? (Points: 3) Frankland discovers Holmes near the Baskerville estate. Holmes sends Watson a message to join him at the stone house. Frankland discovers Holmes’s hiding place. Watson follows clues to the stone house. 9. What critical action does Laura Lyons take in the novel’s plot? (Points: 3) marrying Stapleton identifying the convict leaving the letter in London for Sir Henry writing the note asking Sir Charles to meet her at the gate 10. Laura Lyons confesses to her role in Stapleton’s plans because she (Points: 3) does not want to lie anymore. learns that Stapleton has deceived her. is in love with Sir Henry. wants to escape arrest. 11. What motivates Stapleton to plan the death of Sir Henry? (Points: 3) Stapleton will inherit the estate when Sir Henry dies. Stapleton thinks that Sir Henry wants to take his wife. Stapleton has long held a grudge against the Baskervilles. Stapleton wants to get his hands on Sir Henry’s land in Canada. 12. Describe the way Holmes works when he is on a case. (Points: 3) He works on hunches and instinct. He uses others to help analyze the information he gathers. He uses observation and reasoning to make connections between facts. He relies heavily on Watson's observations, rather than his own. 13. Which of these is a clue that does not lead to the solution of the crime? (Points: 3) the paw prints of the enormous hound the letter Sir Henry receives in London the note that lures Sir Charles to the gate the mysterious actions of the Barrymores 14. Which is an example of how Stapleton uses the fear of the supernatural for his evil ends? (Points: 3) He convinces Sir Henry that the threat of the supernatural hound is real. He spreads a story that a ghostly hound has killed people from the village. He puts phosphorus on the hound's mouth. He writes a false history of the Baskerville curse. 15. Which of the following best summarizes the opposing forces in the novel? (Points: 3) desire versus hate greed versus generosity intelligence versus ignorance rational thinking versus supernatural beliefs

If you had filed for divorce knowing something hasn't been right for a while and you had busted your husband..? of almost 12 years. you are partially separated, for the kids sake would you allow his family to come over on x-mas eve for their family tradition?? the thing is that he hasn't eventold them that we are separated. I filed on 10-8-08 , he was served in november on nov 11 I busted him at our cabin with another woman (his phone called my cell by accident and I heard them and he was gone for the entire weekend) .We are trying to keep this low key for the kids sake (but if I didn't have kids I think we would have been broke up years ago) I haven't had him to the last 3 of my family events, cause the kidsand myself felt abandoned ignored and like like we were the last place he wanted to be. On thanksgiveng he said " Are you coming in when you drop the kids off?? Your more than welcome." Well he didn't tell the family anything.. then the following day he was to pack to get ready to leave to go to the cabin for 5 days hunting with his frined and brother. I stayed with the kids for awhile and talked to my sis-in-law who seemed to be clueless. thus I said I had to go to see my aunt (whom i have been taking care of sinceAug 07 until she just recently died12/5) He even leaned over to give me a kiss and said happy thanks giving. well I kissed him and didn't feel that it was anything but a mere act..I was wlking out to the car thinking "No one other than your brother and mother know what you did to us, and you seem just fine withthe sharade. (spelling sorry) I guess that he has become comfortable with lying so much that is all he knows. ANYWAYS>>>> I did kis him back because the kids were right there.. and I want to keep this low key too. I will not be able to stay cool and comfortable and talk the yearly conversation, clean cook and wait on his family. He still has right to the house the divorce has fallin to the wayside because of my sick aunt (I had put my job on hold and was seeing her everyday) I have so much resentment and feeling like a fool being around him for too long just makes me besides myself and he always does something to be little me and make me look like the bad guy. I am so confused. I want to move forward with divorce more than ever but with xmas and trying to get things a little settled with my aunts estate I can only blame myself. He is a hunter and I don't want to get a PFA or that wil ruin his having a license to hunt, I am not thoughtless and inconsiderate and that is not me, althought I should be. (and for a moment seeing him not have something he looks forward to and loves to do is lost forever--I guess would make me powerful and mean --like I got YOU! but for real I couldn't live with myself and I just want peace and respect for the kids sake . Although inside I am so in a curiosity stage all the time "how long??m who is it,, what does she look like, how could he face me and the kids, what a beepin liar. I will have him in my life forever because of the kids. Sorry for rambling on, Just not sure what to do. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. I am looking forward to your responses.

How do I get level seven with work.? Hi i have been working on level 6a in english but simply can't get more. I need help on how to get level seven. We have got 6weeks homework project which we are going to be assesed on and I think this time i might even get lesser marks. this project is about inexperianced vampires and we have to write a booklet to explain them how live succesfully. What should i include in my writing how should start, how to i end, how do i layout, what vocabualary to use and how to use it to make my level seven. here's so far what i have done: Vampires “The vampire is one of the most dreaded and feared creatures of the supernatural world. He can live forever, shape shift, travel under cover of night and seduce victims, drain them of blood and grow stronger. A vampire can be male or female and can be beautifully human looking or horrific and monstrous…” This booklet is going to notify you about a vampire’s standards of living. It will include: essential survival guidance, individual skills you are required, how to look out for threats, and other significant information. This guide is specially developed for inexperienced vampires who need to identify how they are supposed to behave. Essential Survival Guidance Where do vampires live? You (vampire) need to be living in places far away from the city so public don’t become aware of you and your powers. Castles and Towers are recommended (Go to the shop, Vampire Estate Agents in the mall to get advised concerning where you should live) for living as they are barely exposed. Below are other places which are available for living, if you would be interested then please call me at: 01179562987: •Tower room of doom. Scarcely observed by anyone, this place is quite an advantage to live in if you like to have privacy. No one have went to visit it since past few years because of human fears about supernatural powers however it is a far location from somewhere where you would find fresh blood, not many people live nearby. •The Keep of sleep is another deserted place left by human beings; it is now an old factory, an ancient one which was shut long before however it is not a pleasant or comfortable place. •Stone gate of fate is yet another place which is believed to be haunted by ghosts. It is surrounded by wilderness nevertheless there is a risk of unfriendly ghosts in the house. Here are maps where they can be found: What to be dressed as to disguise myself? Disguising could be a genuine problem for vampires as they are rather different from real human beings. Some of the features which can be a real problem to cover are pointy ears, big doomed forehead, long pointy nails, and tremendously huge feet! Now how to escape from being recognized if you are so different to human beings? Here’s exactly how you can do this: •Hiding your forehead and ears: Wearing a wig can really itch and leave you with rashes so instead of wearing a dull, wounding wig why not try a new haircut, or even wear some trendy hats if you don’t prefer cutting your hair. Make sure you cover the pointy edge of your ears in the hair/hat. •What to wear: If you are men then wear a suit and bow to adapt a graceful look/if a girl then a tank top with mini skirt could give you refreshing look. For extra touch wear accessories like watches/bracelets. What is my diet? Like any other creature, vampires need food to stay alive. Blood is the major diet a vampire needs to have in order to survive. So what is Blood and where can you find it? Blood is thicker than water and has a little bit salty taste. You can find it in humans and animals. In a human’s body there is 10.6 pints of blood circulating around. Which means enough blood to satiety you for one day however if you cannot risk human beings then you could try some other creatures such as animals. If you live near town then the biggest advantage for you is that you can easily hunt people when they are not awake however if you live faraway then you will have to hunt and survive on animals. The diagram below will show you how to hunt someone: Individual skills you are required This chapter is going to tell you about special abilities a vampire have. It will include these topics: What special powers vampires have that a human doesn’t, how a vampire does travels from one place to another and how long will a vampire live. What are Vampires specialities which humans don’t have? Vampires have a lot of special abilities which humans don’t. Some abilities come suddenly after their first kiss, others develop and increase over the centuries and rest are only used by certain kinds of vampires. The abilities every vampire has suddenly after his kiss are: 1- more sensitive sense organs: -seeing in darkness -expand colour spectrum -sensitive hearing -expand sense of smell, especially the smell of blood 2. Increased physical strength, even female vampires are as strong as 10 men! 3. sorry didn't realized that some bit was cut out.here's the next bit: How a Vampire travels? Vampires have to travel a lot to find food which usually takes place after the sun dusk. Many vampires shape shift mostly in bats to avoid being recognized while others disguise them self by making them look human-like. No matter how you travel there is always risk of being distinguished and that’s one of the reasons why vampires travel at night. If you have special abilities then you could transform into other animals too such as cats and wolves. If you live faraway from the town then you need to be agile to reach the town and find your prey. There are lots of forests in Transylvania and they are easiest and quickest route to travel through to reach the town. Though if you live near the town then travelling is the biggest advantage for you as you don’t have to travel a lot and could find your prey really easily. How long will a vampire live? Once you become a vampire you are no longer alive but one of the undead, therefore immortal unless killed in one of the traditional ways. Here are tips on how you could survive longer: Drinks lots of blood, humans need water to survive like-wise vampires need blood to survive. It gives them right nutrition and keeps you healthy. You can only last for 4-5 days without blood, same as water. Vampires have energy deficiency and need to get that energy by taking it from other people so that is why they need blood. CHAPTER THREE Dangers for Vampires This chapter to going to tell you about the dangers a vampire need to look out for which can affect their health or fully destroy them. The topics it will cover will be: Risk for Vampires and how to avoid these situations. Risks for Vampires and could they be avoided: Even though vampires are physically powerful and knowledgeable they have some dangers which can seriously affect their health though they can be easily avoided, here are few of them: Vampires are susceptible to things that smell badly, and they have been known to be susceptible to leeks and spring onions as well as garlic. This could really put them on risk. Don’t breath in where garlic is, it will not completely save you but there is a chance you might survive. It is recommended not to go out in the sun. If it is really important then make sure you fully cover yourself and go out for only 30 minutes a day. Beware holy water and cross can faze you. NEVER cross running water as it washes away any magical powers. For one vampire to consume someone's blood presents a serious hygiene risk to both parties, with a major risk of sepsis from human bites and the possibility of transmission of blood-borne diseases including HIV/AID and Hepatiti To avoid this spy on the person for few days before you hunt them to make sure they are not ill.

Mortgage and Real Estate job hunting? I am thinking about working in the mortgage industry, but I keep hearing that the market is changing fast and that houses are not selling and rates are going up. Last month I read that over 1 million people was going to be laid off. Is this just hype or what... What should I do?

What direction should I take my career? Now, I'm only 13, but lately I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life. My top three choice are probably a real estate agent, an actress/film director, or a politician. Here's some of my accomplishments/qualities: ~I've starred in 6 plays, and been in countless numbers of skits ~I've directed 1 musical and several short movies ~I've written tons of plays and short movie scripts ~I'm very good with people ~I move around a lot, so I'm not unfamiliar to the whole house-hunting ordeal, and I actually enjoy the whole moving proccess ~I've been voted most likely to become president for 3 years running ~I've been on Student Council for 3 years, as well as Vice President for 2 ~I'm a straight-A student ~I hate math, but I love History, Science, and Reading ~I'm very short - 4' 8" (if that matters) ~I work well with people ~I volunteer as much as I can at the zoo, nursing homes, etc. ~I love helping ~I'm a very determined young lady, and I succeed in almost everything I do ~I'm very creative ~I'm very organized Umm... that's about it. What direction do you think I should focus towards? My dad says I'd be best as a politician. My mom says I'd be best as a film-maker. My brother says I'd be best as a real-estate agent. I would be happy with any of these. What do you think? Any other career options would be helpful too. Thanks so much! Oh, also, the 6 plays are within the past 4 years... I don't really count the other Elementary school plays. Also, I did National History Day in 6th grade (couldn't do it last year tho) and made it to the National level in Washington D.C. because my project took first for that catagory in our state.

Poll: Did you like The Oddysey or The Iliad better? I liked the Iliad better. This was my favorite part: Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another. And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant's wreath and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs. "Sons of Atreus," he cried, "and all other Achaeans, may the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to reach your homes in safety; but free my daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo, son of Jove." On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. "Old man," said he, "let me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and do not provoke me or it shall be the worse for you." The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he spoke, but went by the shore of the sounding sea and prayed apart to King Apollo whom lovely Leto had borne. "Hear me," he cried, "O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest Tenedos with thy might, hear me oh thou of Sminthe. If I have ever decked your temple with garlands, or burned your thigh-bones in fat of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your arrows avenge these my tears upon the Danaans." Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. He came down furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiver upon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the rage that trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships with a face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he shot his arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people themselves, and all day long the pyres of the dead were burning. For nine whole days he shot his arrows among the people, but upon the tenth day Achilles called them in assembly- moved thereto by Juno, who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had compassion upon them. Then, when they were got together, he rose and spoke among them. "Son of Atreus," said he, "I deem that we should now turn roving home if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut down by war and pestilence at once. Let us ask some priest or prophet, or some reader of dreams (for dreams, too, are of Jove) who can tell us why Phoebus Apollo is so angry, and say whether it is for some vow that we have broken, or hecatomb that we have not offered, and whether he will accept the savour of lambs and goats without blemish, so as to take away the plague from us." With these words he sat down, and Calchas son of Thestor, wisest of augurs, who knew things past present and to come, rose to speak. He it was who had guided the Achaeans with their fleet to Ilius, through the prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had inspired him. With all sincerity and goodwill he addressed them thus:- "Achilles, loved of heaven, you bid me tell you about the anger of King Apollo, I will therefore do so; but consider first and swear that you will stand by me heartily in word and deed, for I know that I shall offend one who rules the Argives with might, to whom all the Achaeans are in subjection. A plain man cannot stand against the anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now, will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it. Consider, therefore, whether or no you will protect me." And Achilles answered, "Fear not, but speak as it is borne in upon you from heaven, for by Apollo, Calchas, to whom you pray, and whose oracles you reveal to us, not a Danaan at our ships shall lay his hand upon you, while I yet live to look upon the face of the earth- no, not though you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far the foremost of the Achaeans." Thereon the seer spoke boldly. "The god," he said, "is angry neither about vow nor hecatomb, but for his priest's sake, whom Agamemnon has dishonoured, in that he would not free his daughter nor take a ransom for her; therefore has he sent these evils upon us, and will yet send others. He will not deliver the Danaans from this pestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without fee or ransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb to Chryse. Thus we may perhaps appease him." With these words he sat down, and Agamemnon rose in anger. His heart was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he scowled on Calchas and said, "Seer of evil, you never yet prophesied smooth things concerning me, but have ever loved to foretell that which was evil. You have brought me neither comfort nor performance; and now you come seeing among Danaans, and saying that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for this girl, the daughter of Chryses. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments. Still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the people live, not die; but you must find me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without one. This is not well; for you behold, all of you, that my prize is to go elsewhither." And Achilles answered, "Most noble son of Atreus, covetous beyond all mankind, how shall the Achaeans find you another prize? We have no common store from which to take one. Those we took from the cities have been awarded; we cannot disallow the awards that have been made already. Give this girl, therefore, to the god, and if ever Jove grants us to sack the city of Troy we will requite you three and fourfold." Then Agamemnon said, "Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me. Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding? Let the Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own, or that of Ajax or of Ulysses; and he to whomsoever I may come shall rue my coming. But of this we will take thought hereafter; for the present, let us draw a ship into the sea, and find a crew for her expressly; let us put a hecatomb on board, and let us send Chryseis also; further, let some chief man among us be in command, either Ajax, or Idomeneus, or yourself, son of Peleus, mighty warrior that you are, that we may offer sacrifice and appease the the anger of the god." Achilles scowled at him and answered, "You are steeped in insolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans do your bidding, either on foray or in open fighting? I came not warring here for any ill the Trojans had done me. I have no quarrel with them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut down my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia; for between me and them there is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea. We have followed you, Sir Insolence! for your pleasure, not ours- to gain satisfaction from the Trojans for your shameless self and for Menelaus. You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize for which I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me. Never when the Achaeans sack any rich city of the Trojans do I receive so good a prize as you do, though it is my hands that do the better part of the fighting. When the sharing comes, your share is far the largest, and I, forsooth, must go back to my ships, take what I can get and be thankful, when my labour of fighting is done. Now, therefore, I shall go back to Phthia; it will be much better for me to return home with my ships, for I will not stay here dishonoured to gather gold and substance for you." And Agamemnon answered, "Fly if you will, I shall make you no prayers to stay you. I have others here who will do me honour, and above all Jove, the lord of counsel. There is no king here so hateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and ill affected. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made you so? Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons. I care neither for you nor for your anger; and thus will I do: since Phoebus Apollo is taking Chryseis from me, I shall send her with my ship and my followers, but I shall come to your tent and take your own prize Briseis, that you may learn how much stronger I am than you are, and that another may fear to set himself up as equal or comparable with me." The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside, and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was drawing his mighty sword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven (for Juno had sent her in the love she bore to them both), and seized the son of Peleus by his yellow hair, visible to him alone, for of the others no man could see her. Achilles turned in amaze, and by the fire that flashed from her eyes at once knew that she was Minerva. "Why are you here," said he, "daughter of aegis-bearing Jove? To see the pride of Agamemnon, son of Atreus? Let me tell you- and it shall surely be- he shall pay for this insolence with his life." And Minerva said, "I come from heaven, if you will hear me, to bid you stay your anger. Juno has sent me, who cares for both of you alike. Cease, then, this brawling, and do not draw your sword; rail at him if you will, and your railing will not be vain, for I tell you- and it shall surely be- that you shall hereafter receive gifts three times as splendid by reason of this present insult. Hold, therefore, and obey." "Goddess," answered Achilles, "however angry a man may be, he must do as you two command him. This will be best, for the gods ever hear the prayers of him who has obeyed them." He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and thrust it back into the scabbard as Minerva bade him. Then she went back to Olympus among the other gods, and to the house of aegis-bearing Jove. But the son of Peleus again began railing at the son of Atreus, for he was still in a rage. "Wine-bibber," he cried, "with the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out with the host in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade. You shun this as you do death itself. You had rather go round and rob his prizes from any man who contradicts you. You devour your people, for you are king over a feeble folk; otherwise, son of Atreus, henceforward you would insult no man. Therefore I say, and swear it with a great oath- nay, by this my sceptre which shalt sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor bud anew from the day on which it left its parent stem upon the mountains- for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and guardians of the decrees of heaven- so surely and solemnly do I swear that hereafter they shall look fondly for Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of your distress, when your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector, you shall not know how to help them, and shall rend your heart with rage for the hour when you offered insult to the bravest of the Achaeans." With this the son of Peleus dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre on the ground and took his seat, while the son of Atreus was beginning fiercely from his place upon the other side. Then uprose smooth-tongued Nestor, the facile speaker of the Pylians, and the words fell from his lips sweeter than honey. Two generations of men born and bred in Pylos had passed away under his rule, and he was now reigning over the third. With all sincerity and goodwill, therefore, he addressed them thus:- "Of a truth," he said, "a great sorrow has befallen the Achaean land. Surely Priam with his sons would rejoice, and the Trojans be glad at heart if they could hear this quarrel between you two, who are so excellent in fight and counsel. I am older than either of you; therefore be guided by me. Moreover I have been the familiar friend of men even greater than you are, and they did not disregard my counsels. Never again can I behold such men as Pirithous and Dryas shepherd of his people, or as Caeneus, Exadius, godlike Polyphemus, and Theseus son of Aegeus, peer of the immortals. These were the mightiest men ever born upon this earth: mightiest were they, and when they fought the fiercest tribes of mountain savages they utterly overthrew them. I came from distant Pylos, and went about among them, for they would have me come, and I fought as it was in me to do. Not a man now living could withstand them, but they heard my words, and were persuaded by them. So be it also with yourselves, for this is the more excellent way. Therefore, Agamemnon, though you be strong, take not this girl away, for the sons of the Achaeans have already given her to Achilles; and you, Achilles, strive not further with the king, for no man who by the grace of Jove wields a sceptre has like honour with Agamemnon. You are strong, and have a goddess for your mother; but Agamemnon is stronger than you, for he has more people under him. Son of Atreus, check your anger, I implore you; end this quarrel with Achilles, who in the day of battle is a tower of strength to the Achaeans." And Agamemnon answered, "Sir, all that you have said is true, but this fellow must needs become our lord and master: he must be lord of all, king of all, and captain of all, and this shall hardly be. Granted that the gods have made him a great warrior, have they also given him the right to speak with railing?" Achilles interrupted him. "I should be a mean coward," he cried, "were I to give in to you in all things. Order other people about, not me, for I shall obey no longer. Furthermore I say- and lay my saying to your heart- I shall fight neither you nor any man about this girl, for those that take were those also that gave. But of all else that is at my ship you shall carry away nothing by force. Try, that others may see; if you do, my spear shall be reddened with your blood." When they had quarrelled thus angrily, they rose, and broke up the assembly at the ships of the Achaeans. The son of Peleus went back to his tents and ships with the son of Menoetius and his company, while Agamemnon drew a vessel into the water and chose a crew of twenty oarsmen. He escorted Chryseis on board and sent moreover a hecatomb for the god. And Ulysses went as captain. These, then, went on board and sailed their ways over the sea. But the son of Atreus bade the people purify themselves; so they purified themselves and cast their filth into the sea. Then they offered hecatombs of bulls and goats without blemish on the sea-shore, and the smoke with the savour of their sacrifice rose curling up towards heaven. Thus did they busy themselves throughout the host. But Agamemnon did not forget the threat that he had made Achilles, and called his trusty messengers and squires Talthybius and Eurybates. "Go," said he, "to the tent of Achilles, son of Peleus; take Briseis by the hand and bring her hither; if he will not give her I shall come with others and take her- which will press him harder." He charged them straightly further and dismissed them, whereon they went their way sorrowfully by the seaside, till they came to the tents and ships of the Myrmidons. They found Achilles sitting by his tent and his ships, and ill-pleased he was when he beheld them. They stood fearfully and reverently before him, and never a word did they speak, but he knew them and said, "Welcome, heralds, messengers of gods and men; draw near; my quarrel is not with you but with Agamemnon who has sent you for the girl Briseis. Therefore, Patroclus, bring her and give her to them, but let them be witnesses by the blessed gods, by mortal men, and by the fierceness of Agamemnon's anger, that if ever again there be need of me to save the people from ruin, they shall seek and they shall not find. Agamemnon is mad with rage and knows not how to look before and after that the Achaeans may fight by their ships in safety." Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him. He brought Briseis from the tent and gave her over to the heralds, who took her with them to the ships of the Achaeans- and the woman was loth to go. Then Achilles went all alone by the side of the hoar sea, weeping and looking out upon the boundless waste of waters. He raised his hands in prayer to his immortal mother, "Mother," he cried, "you bore me doomed to live but for a little season; surely Jove, who thunders from Olympus, might have made that little glorious. It is not so. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, has done me dishonour, and has robbed me of my prize by force." As he spoke he wept aloud, and his mother heard him where she was sitting in the depths of the sea hard by the old man her father. Forthwith she rose as it were a grey mist out of the waves, sat down before him as he stood weeping, caressed him with her hand, and said, "My son, why are you weeping? What is it that grieves you? Keep it not from me, but tell me, that we may know it together." Achilles drew a deep sigh and said, "You know it; why tell you what you know well already? We went to Thebe the strong city of Eetion, sacked it, and brought hither the spoil. The sons of the Achaeans shared it duly among themselves, and chose lovely Chryseis as the meed of Agamemnon; but Chryses, priest of Apollo, came to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo, wreathed with a suppliant's wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the two sons of Atreus who were their chiefs. "On this the rest of the Achaeans with one voice were for respecting the priest and taking the ransom that he offered; but not so Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away. So he went back in anger, and Apollo, who loved him dearly, heard his prayer. Then the god sent a deadly dart upon the Argives, and the people died thick on one another, for the arrows went everywhither among the wide host of the Achaeans. At last a seer in the fulness of his knowledge declared to us the oracles of Apollo, and I was myself first to say that we should appease him. Whereon the son of Atreus rose in anger, and threatened that which he has since done. The Achaeans are now taking the girl in a ship to Chryse, and sending gifts of sacrifice to the god; but the heralds have just taken from my tent the daughter of Briseus, whom the Achaeans had awarded to myself. "Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to Olympus, and if you have ever done him service in word or deed, implore the aid of Jove. Ofttimes in my father's house have I heard you glory in that you alone of the immortals saved the son of Saturn from ruin, when the others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas Minerva would have put him in bonds. It was you, goddess, who delivered him by calling to Olympus the hundred-handed monster whom gods call Briareus, but men Aegaeon, for he is stronger even than his father; when therefore he took his seat all-glorious beside the son of Saturn, the other gods were afraid, and did not bind him. Go, then, to him, remind him of all this, clasp his knees, and bid him give succour to the Trojans. Let the Achaeans be hemmed in at the sterns of their ships, and perish on the sea-shore, that they may reap what joy they may of their king, and that Agamemnon may rue his blindness in offering insult to the foremost of the Achaeans." Thetis wept and answered, "My son, woe is me that I should have borne or suckled you. Would indeed that you had lived your span free from all sorrow at your ships, for it is all too brief; alas, that you should be at once short of life and long of sorrow above your peers: woe, therefore, was the hour in which I bore you; nevertheless I will go to the snowy heights of Olympus, and tell this tale to Jove, if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where you are with your ships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans, and hold aloof from fight. For Jove went yesterday to Oceanus, to a feast among the Ethiopians, and the other gods went with him. He will return to Olympus twelve days hence; I will then go to his mansion paved with bronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that I shall be able to persuade him." On this she left him, still furious at the loss of her that had been taken from him. Meanwhile Ulysses reached Chryse with the hecatomb. When they had come inside the harbour they furled the sails and laid them in the ship's hold; they slackened the forestays, lowered the mast into its place, and rowed the ship to the place where they would have her lie; there they cast out their mooring-stones and made fast the hawsers. They then got out upon the sea-shore and landed the hecatomb for Apollo; Chryseis also left the ship, and Ulysses led her to the altar to deliver her into the hands of her father. "Chryses," said he, "King Agamemnon has sent me to bring you back your child, and to offer sacrifice to Apollo on behalf of the Danaans, that we may propitiate the god, who has now brought sorrow upon the Argives." So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who received her gladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all orderly round the altar of the god. They washed their hands and took up the barley-meal to sprinkle over the victims, while Chryses lifted up his hands and prayed aloud on their behalf. "Hear me," he cried, "O god of the silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, and rulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me aforetime when I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the Achaeans, so hear me yet again, and stay this fearful pestilence from the Danaans." Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. When they had done praying and sprinkling the barley-meal, they drew back the heads of the victims and killed and flayed them. They cut out the thigh-bones, wrapped them round in two layers of fat, set some pieces of raw meat on the top of them, and then Chryses laid them on the wood fire and poured wine over them, while the young men stood near him with five-pronged spits in their hands. When the thigh-bones were burned and they had tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest up small, put the pieces upon the spits, roasted them till they were done, and drew them off: then, when they had finished their work and the feast was ready, they ate it, and every man had his full share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, pages filled the mixing-bowl with wine and water and handed it round, after giving every man his drink-offering. Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god with song, hymning him and chaunting the joyous paean, and the god took pleasure in their voices; but when the sun went down, and it came on dark, they laid themselves down to sleep by the stern cables of the ship, and when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared they again set sail for the host of the Achaeans. Apollo sent them a fair wind, so they raised their mast and hoisted their white sails aloft. As the sail bellied with the wind the ship flew through the deep blue water, and the foam hissed against her bows as she sped onward. When they reached the wide-stretching host of the Achaeans, they drew the vessel ashore, high and dry upon the sands, set her strong props beneath her, and went their ways to their own tents and ships. But Achilles abode at his ships and nursed his anger. He went not to the honourable assembly, and sallied not forth to fight, but gnawed at his own heart, pining for battle and the war-cry. Now after twelve days the immortal gods came back in a body to Olympus, and Jove led the way. Thetis was not unmindful of the charge her son had laid upon her, so she rose from under the sea and went through great heaven with early morning to Olympus, where she found the mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon its topmost ridges. She sat herself down before him, and with her left hand seized his knees, while with her right she caught him under the chin, and besought him, saying- "Father Jove, if I ever did you service in word or deed among the immortals, hear my prayer, and do honour to my son, whose life is to be cut short so early. King Agamemnon has dishonoured him by taking his prize and keeping her. Honour him then yourself, Olympian lord of counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till the Achaeans give my son his due and load him with riches in requital." Jove sat for a while silent, and without a word, but Thetis still kept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a second time. "Incline your head," said she, "and promise me surely, or else deny me- for you have nothing to fear- that I may learn how greatly you disdain me." At this Jove was much troubled and answered, "I shall have trouble if you set me quarrelling with Juno, for she will provoke me with her taunting speeches; even now she is always railing at me before the other gods and accusing me of giving aid to the Trojans. Go back now, lest she should find out. I will consider the matter, and will bring it about as wish. See, I incline my head that you believe me. This is the most solemn that I can give to any god. I never recall my word, or deceive, or fail to do what I say, when I have nodded my head." As he spoke the son of Saturn bowed his dark brows, and the ambrosial locks swayed on his immortal head, till vast Olympus reeled. When the pair had thus laid their plans, they parted- Jove to his house, while the goddess quitted the splendour of Olympus, and plunged into the depths of the sea. The gods rose from their seats, before the coming of their sire. Not one of them dared to remain sitting, but all stood up as he came among them. There, then, he took his seat. But Juno, when she saw him, knew that he and the old merman's daughter, silver-footed Thetis, had been hatching mischief, so she at once began to upbraid him. "Trickster," she cried, "which of the gods have you been taking into your counsels now? You are always settling matters in secret behind my back, and have never yet told me, if you could help it, one word of your intentions." "Juno," replied the sire of gods and men, "you must not expect to be informed of all my counsels. You are my wife, but you would find it hard to understand them. When it is proper for you to hear, there is no one, god or man, who will be told sooner, but when I mean to keep a matter to myself, you must not pry nor ask questions." "Dread son of Saturn," answered Juno, "what are you talking about? I? Pry and ask questions? Never. I let you have your own way in everything. Still, I have a strong misgiving that the old merman's daughter Thetis has been talking you over, for she was with you and had hold of your knees this self-same morning. I believe, therefore, that you have been promising her to give glory to Achilles, and to kill much people at the ships of the Achaeans." "Wife," said Jove, "I can do nothing but you suspect me and find it out. You will take nothing by it, for I shall only dislike you the more, and it will go harder with you. Granted that it is as you say; I mean to have it so; sit down and hold your tongue as I bid you for if I once begin to lay my hands about you, though all heaven were on your side it would profit you nothing." On this Juno was frightened, so she curbed her stubborn will and sat down in silence. But the heavenly beings were disquieted throughout the house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began to try and pacify his mother Juno. "It will be intolerable," said he, "if you two fall to wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar about a pack of mortals. If such ill counsels are to prevail, we shall have no pleasure at our banquet. Let me then advise my mother- and she must herself know that it will be better- to make friends with my dear father Jove, lest he again scold her and disturb our feast. If the Olympian Thunderer wants to hurl us all from our seats, he can do so, for he is far the strongest, so give him fair words, and he will then soon be in a good humour with us." As he spoke, he took a double cup of nectar, and placed it in his mother's hand. "Cheer up, my dear mother," said he, "and make the best of it. I love you dearly, and should be very sorry to see you get a thrashing; however grieved I might be, I could not help for there is no standing against Jove. Once before when I was trying to help you, he caught me by the foot and flung me from the heavenly threshold. All day long from morn till eve, was I falling, till at sunset I came to ground in the island of Lemnos, and there I lay, with very little life left in me, till the Sintians came and tended me." Juno smiled at this, and as she smiled she took the cup from her son's hands. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar from the mixing-bowl, and served it round among the gods, going from left to right; and the blessed gods laughed out a loud applause as they saw him ing bustling about the heavenly mansion. Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun they feasted, and every one had his full share, so that all were satisfied. Apollo struck his lyre, and the Muses lifted up their sweet voices, calling and answering one another. But when the sun's glorious light had faded, they went home to bed, each in his own abode, which lame Vulcan with his consummate skill had fashioned for them. So Jove, the Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him to the bed in which he always slept; and when he had got on to it he went to sleep, with Juno of the golden throne by his side. Now the other gods and the armed warriors on the plain slept soundly, but Jove was wakeful, for he was thinking how to do honour to Achilles, and destroyed much people at the ships of the Achaeans. In the end he deemed it would be best to send a lying dream to King Agamemnon; so he called one to him and said to it, "Lying Dream, go to the ships of the Achaeans, into the tent of Agamemnon, and say to him word to word as I now bid you. Tell him to get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for he shall take Troy. There are no longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has brought them to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans." The dream went when it had heard its message, and soon reached the ships of the Achaeans. It sought Agamemnon son of Atreus and found him in his tent, wrapped in a profound slumber. It hovered over his head in the likeness of Nestor, son of Neleus, whom Agamemnon honoured above all his councillors, and said:- "You are sleeping, son of Atreus; one who has the welfare of his host and so much other care upon his shoulders should dock his sleep. Hear me at once, for I come as a messenger from Jove, who, though he be not near, yet takes thought for you and pities you. He bids you get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for you shall take Troy. There are no longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has brought them over to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans at the hands of Jove. Remember this, and when you wake see that it does not escape you." The dream then left him, and he thought of things that were, surely not to be accomplished. He thought that on that same day he was to take the city of Priam, but he little knew what was in the mind of Jove, who had many another hard-fought fight in store alike for Danaans and Trojans. Then presently he woke, with the divine message still ringing in his ears; so he sat upright, and put on his soft shirt so fair and new, and over this his heavy cloak. He bound his sandals on to his comely feet, and slung his silver-studded sword about his shoulders; then he took the imperishable staff of his father, and sallied forth to the ships of the Achaeans. The goddess Dawn now wended her way to vast Olympus that she might herald day to Jove and to the other immortals, and Agamemnon sent the criers round to call the people in assembly; so they called them and the people gathered thereon. But first he summoned a meeting of the elders at the ship of Nestor king of Pylos, and when they were assembled he laid a cunning counsel before them. "My friends," said he, "I have had a dream from heaven in the dead of night, and its face and figure resembled none but Nestor's. It hovered over my head and said, 'You are sleeping, son of Atreus; one who has the welfare of his host and so much other care upon his shoulders should dock his sleep. Hear me at once, for I am a messenger from Jove, who, though he be not near, yet takes thought for you and pities you. He bids you get the Achaeans instantly under arms, for you shall take Troy. There are no longer divided counsels among the gods; Juno has brought them over to her own mind, and woe betides the Trojans at the hands of Jove. Remember this.' The dream then vanished and I awoke. Let us now, therefore, arm the sons of the Achaeans. But it will be well that I should first sound them, and to this end I will tell them to fly with their ships; but do you others go about among the host and prevent their doing so." He then sat down, and Nestor the prince of Pylos with all sincerity and goodwill addressed them thus: "My friends," said he, "princes and councillors of the Argives, if any other man of the Achaeans had told us of this dream we should have declared it false, and would have had nothing to do with it. But he who has seen it is the foremost man among us; we must therefore set about getting the people under arms." With this he led the way from the assembly, and the other sceptred kings rose with him in obedience to the word of Agamemnon; but the people pressed forward to hear. They swarmed like bees that sally from some hollow cave and flit in countless throng among the spring flowers, bunched in knots and clusters; even so did the mighty multitude pour from ships and tents to the assembly, and range themselves upon the wide-watered shore, while among them ran Wildfire Rumour, messenger of Jove, urging them ever to the fore. Thus they gathered in a pell-mell of mad confusion, and the earth groaned under the tramp of men as the people sought their places. Nine heralds went crying about among them to stay their tumult and bid them listen to the kings, till at last they were got into their several places and ceased their clamour. Then King Agamemnon rose, holding his sceptre. This was the work of Vulcan, who gave it to Jove the son of Saturn. Jove gave it to Mercury, slayer of Argus, guide and guardian. King Mercury gave it to Pelops, the mighty charioteer, and Pelops to Atreus, shepherd of his people. Atreus, when he died, left it to Thyestes, rich in flocks, and Thyestes in his turn left it to be borne by Agamemnon, that he might be lord of all Argos and of the isles. Leaning, then, on his sceptre, he addressed the Argives. "My friends," he said, "heroes, servants of Mars, the hand of heaven has been laid heavily upon me. Cruel Jove gave me his solemn promise that I should sack the city of Priam before returning, but he has played me false, and is now bidding me go ingloriously back to Argos with the loss of much people. Such is the will of Jove, who has laid many a proud city in the dust, as he will yet lay others, for his power is above all. It will be a sorry tale hereafter that an Achaean host, at once so great and valiant, battled in vain against men fewer in number than themselves; but as yet the end is not in sight. Think that the Achaeans and Trojans have sworn to a solemn covenant, and that they have each been numbered- the Trojans by the roll of their householders, and we by companies of ten; think further that each of our companies desired to have a Trojan householder to pour out their wine; we are so greatly more in number that full many a company would have to go without its cup-bearer. But they have in the town allies from other places, and it is these that hinder me from being able to sack the rich city of Ilius. Nine of Jove years are gone; the timbers of our ships have rotted; their tackling is sound no longer. Our wives and little ones at home look anxiously for our coming, but the work that we came hither to do has not been done. Now, therefore, let us all do as I say: let us sail back to our own land, for we shall not take Troy." With these words he moved the hearts of the multitude, so many of them as knew not the cunning counsel of Agamemnon. They surged to and fro like the waves of the Icarian Sea, when the east and south winds break from heaven's clouds to lash them; or as when the west wind sweeps over a field of corn and the ears bow beneath the blast, even so were they swayed as they flew with loud cries towards the ships, and the dust from under their feet rose heavenward. They cheered each other on to draw the ships into the sea; they cleared the channels in front of them; they began taking away the stays from underneath them, and the welkin rang with their glad cries, so eager were they to return. Then surely the Argives would have returned after a fashion that was not fated. But Juno said to Minerva, "Alas, daughter of aegis-bearing Jove, unweariable, shall the Argives fly home to their own land over the broad sea, and leave Priam and the Trojans the glory of still keeping Helen, for whose sake so many of the Achaeans have died at Troy, far from their homes? Go about at once among the host, and speak fairly to them, man by man, that they draw not their ships into the sea." Minerva was not slack to do her bidding. Down she darted from the topmost summits of Olympus, and in a moment she was at the ships of the Achaeans. There she found Ulysses, peer of Jove in counsel, standing alone. He had not as yet laid a hand upon his ship, for he was grieved and sorry; so she went close up to him and said, "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, are you going to fling yourselves into your ships and be off home to your own land in this way? Will you leave Priam and the Trojans the glory of still keeping Helen, for whose sake so many of the Achaeans have died at Troy, far from their homes? Go about at once among the host, and speak fairly to them, man by man, that they draw not their ships into the sea." Ulysses knew the voice as that of the goddess: he flung his cloak from him and set off to run. His servant Eurybates, a man of Ithaca, who waited on him, took charge of the cloak, whereon Ulysses went straight up to Agamemnon and received from him his ancestral, imperishable staff. With this he went about among the ships of the Achaeans. Whenever he met a king or chieftain, he stood by him and spoke him fairly. "Sir," said he, "this flight is cowardly and unworthy. Stand to your post, and bid your people also keep their places. You do not yet know the full mind of Agamemnon; he was sounding us, and ere long will visit the Achaeans with his displeasure. We were not all of us at the council to hear what he then said; see to it lest he be angry and do us a mischief; for the pride of kings is great, and the hand of Jove is with them." But when he came across any common man who was making a noise, he struck him with his staff and rebuked him, saying, "Sirrah, hold your peace, and listen to better men than yourself. You are a coward and no soldier; you are nobody either in fight or council; we cannot all be kings; it is not well that there should be many masters; one man must be supreme- one king to whom the son of scheming Saturn has given the sceptre of sovereignty over you all." Thus masterfully did he go about among the host, and the people hurried back to the council from their tents and ships with a sound as the thunder of surf when it comes crashing down upon the shore, and all the sea is in an uproar. The rest now took their seats and kept to their own several places, but Thersites still went on wagging his unbridled tongue- a man of many words, and those unseemly; a monger of sedition, a railer against all who were in authority, who cared not what he said, so that he might set the Achaeans in a laugh. He was the ugliest man of all those that came before Troy- bandy-legged, lame of one foot, with his two shoulders rounded and hunched over his chest. His head ran up to a point, but there was little hair on the top of it. Achilles and Ulysses hated him worst of all, for it was with them that he was most wont to wrangle; now, however, with a shrill squeaky voice he began heaping his abuse on Agamemnon. The Achaeans were angry and disgusted, yet none the less he kept on brawling and bawling at the son of Atreus. "Agamemnon," he cried, "what ails you now, and what more do you want? Your tents are filled with bronze and with fair women, for whenever we take a town we give you the pick of them. Would you have yet more gold, which some Trojan is to give you as a ransom for his son, when I or another Achaean has taken him prisoner? or is it some young girl to hide and lie with? It is not well that you, the ruler of the Achaeans, should bring them into such misery. Weakling cowards, women rather than men, let us sail home, and leave this fellow here at Troy to stew in his own meeds of honour, and discover whether we were of any service to him or no. Achilles is a much better man than he is, and see how he has treated him- robbing him of his prize and keeping it himself. Achilles takes it meekly and shows no fight; if he did, son of Atreus, you would never again insult him." Thus railed Thersites, but Ulysses at once went up to him and rebuked him sternly. "Check your glib tongue, Thersites," said be, "and babble not a word further. Chide not with princes when you have none to back you. There is no viler creature come before Troy with the sons of Atreus. Drop this chatter about kings, and neither revile them nor keep harping about going home. We do not yet know how things are going to be, nor whether the Achaeans are to return with good success or evil. How dare you gibe at Agamemnon because the Danaans have awarded him so many prizes? I tell you, therefore- and it shall surely be- that if I again catch you talking such nonsense, I will either forfeit my own head and be no more called father of Telemachus, or I will take you, strip you stark naked, and whip you out of the assembly till you go blubbering back to the ships." On this he beat him with his staff about the back and shoulders till he dropped and fell a-weeping. The golden sceptre raised a bloody weal on his back, so he sat down frightened and in pain, looking foolish as he wiped the tears from his eyes. The people were sorry for him, yet they laughed heartily, and one would turn to his neighbour saying, "Ulysses has done many a good thing ere now in fight and council, but he never did the Argives a better turn than when he stopped this fellow's mouth from prating further. He will give the kings no more of his insolence." Thus said the people. Then Ulysses rose, sceptre in hand, and Minerva in the likeness of a herald bade the people be still, that those who were far off might hear him and consider his council. He therefore with all sincerity and goodwill addressed them thus:- "King Agamemnon, the Achaeans are for making you a by-word among all mankind. They forget the promise they made you when they set out from Argos, that you should not return till you had sacked the town of Troy, and, like children or widowed women, they murmur and would set off homeward. True it is that they have had toil enough to be disheartened. A man chafes at having to stay away from his wife even for a single month, when he is on shipboard, at the mercy of wind and sea, but it is now nine long years that we have been kept here; I cannot, therefore, blame the Achaeans if they turn restive; still we shall be shamed if we go home empty after so long a stay- therefore, my friends, be patient yet a little longer that we may learn whether the prophesyings of Calchas were false or true. "All who have not since perished must remember as though it were yesterday or the day before, how the ships of the Achaeans were detained in Aulis when we were on our way hither to make war on Priam and the Trojans. We were ranged round about a fountain offering hecatombs to the gods upon their holy altars, and there was a fine plane-tree from beneath which there welled a stream of pure water. Then we saw a prodigy; for Jove sent a fearful serpent out of the ground, with blood-red stains upon its back, and it darted from under the altar on to the plane-tree. Now there was a brood of young sparrows, quite small, upon the topmost bough, peeping out from under the leaves, eight in all, and their mother that hatched them made nine. The serpent ate the poor cheeping things, while the old bird flew about lamenting her little ones; but the serpent threw his coils about her and caught her by the wing as she was screaming. Then, when he had eaten both the sparrow and her young, the god who had sent him made him become a sign; for the son of scheming Saturn turned him into stone, and we stood there wondering at that which had come to pass. Seeing, then, that such a fearful portent had broken in upon our hecatombs, Calchas forthwith declared to us the oracles of heaven. 'Why, Achaeans,' said he, 'are you thus speechless? Jove has sent us this sign, long in coming, and long ere it be fulfilled, though its fame shall last for ever. As the serpent ate the eight fledglings and the sparrow that hatched them, which makes nine, so shall we fight nine years at Troy, but in the tenth shall take the town.' This was what he said, and now it is all coming true. Stay here, therefore, all of you, till we take the city of Priam." On this the Argives raised a shout, till the ships rang again with the uproar. Nestor, knight of Gerene, then addressed them. "Shame on you," he cried, "to stay talking here like children, when you should fight like men. Where are our covenants now, and where the oaths that we have taken? Shall our counsels be flung into the fire, with our drink-offerings and the right hands of fellowship wherein we have put our trust? We waste our time in words, and for all our talking here shall be no further forward. Stand, therefore, son of Atreus, by your own steadfast purpose; lead the Argives on to battle, and leave this handful of men to rot, who scheme, and scheme in vain, to get back to Argos ere they have learned whether Jove be true or a liar. For the mighty son of Saturn surely promised that we should succeed, when we Argives set sail to bring death and destruction upon the Trojans. He showed us favourable signs by flashing his lightning on our right hands; therefore let none make haste to go till he has first lain with the wife of some Trojan, and avenged the toil and sorrow that he has suffered for the sake of Helen. Nevertheless, if any man is in such haste to be at home again, let him lay his hand to his ship that he may meet his doom in the sight of all. But, O king, consider and give ear to my counsel, for the word that I say may not be neglected lightly. Divide your men, Agamemnon, into their several tribes and clans, that clans and tribes may stand by and help one another. If you do this, and if the Achaeans obey you, you will find out who, both chiefs and peoples, are brave, and who are cowards; for they will vie against the other. Thus you shall also learn whether it is through the counsel of heaven or the cowardice of man that you shall fail to take the town." And Agamemnon answered, "Nestor, you have again outdone the sons of the Achaeans in counsel. Would, by Father Jove, Minerva, and Apollo, that I had among them ten more such councillors, for the city of King Priam would then soon fall beneath our hands, and we should sack it. But the son of Saturn afflicts me with bootless wranglings and strife. Achilles and I are quarrelling about this girl, in which matter I was the first to offend; if we can be of one mind again, the Trojans will not stave off destruction for a day. Now, therefore, get your morning meal, that our hosts join in fight. Whet well your spears; see well to the ordering of your shields; give good feeds to your horses, and look your chariots carefully over, that we may do battle the livelong day; for we shall have no rest, not for a moment, till night falls to part us. The bands that bear your shields shall be wet with the sweat upon your shoulders, your hands shall weary upon your spears, your horses shall steam in front of your chariots, and if I see any man shirking the fight, or trying to keep out of it at the ships, there shall be no help for him, but he shall be a prey to dogs and vultures." Thus he spoke, and the Achaeans roared applause. As when the waves run high before the blast of the south wind and break on some lofty headland, dashing against it and buffeting it without ceasing, as the storms from every quarter drive them, even so did the Achaeans rise and hurry in all directions to their ships. There they lighted their fires at their tents and got dinner, offering sacrifice every man to one or other of the gods, and praying each one of them that he might live to come out of the fight. Agamemnon, king of men, sacrificed a fat five-year-old bull to the mighty son of Saturn, and invited the princes and elders of his host. First he asked Nestor and King Idomeneus, then the two Ajaxes and the son of Tydeus, and sixthly Ulysses, peer of gods in counsel; but Menelaus came of his own accord, for he knew how busy his brother then was. They stood round the bull with the barley-meal in their hands, and Agamemnon prayed, saying, "Jove, most glorious, supreme, that dwellest in heaven, and ridest upon the storm-cloud, grant that the sun may not go down, nor the night fall, till the palace of Priam is laid low, and its gates are consumed with fire. Grant that my sword may pierce the shirt of Hector about his heart, and that full many of his comrades may bite the dust as they fall dying round him." Thus he prayed, but the son of Saturn would not fulfil his prayer. He accepted the sacrifice, yet none the less increased their toil continually. When they had done praying and sprinkling the barley-meal upon the victim, they drew back its head, killed it, and then flayed it. They cut out the thigh-bones, wrapped them round in two layers of fat, and set pieces of raw meat on the top of them. These they burned upon the split logs of firewood, but they spitted the inward meats, and held them in the flames to cook. When the thigh-bones were burned, and they had tasted the inward meats, they cut the rest up small, put the pieces upon spits, roasted them till they were done, and drew them off; then, when they had finished their work and the feast was ready, they ate it, and every man had his full share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Nestor, knight of Gerene, began to speak. "King Agamemnon," said he, "let us not stay talking here, nor be slack in the work that heaven has put into our hands. Let the heralds summon the people to gather at their several ships; we will then go about among the host, that we may begin fighting at once." Thus did he speak, and Agamemnon heeded his words. He at once sent the criers round to call the people in assembly. So they called them, and the people gathered thereon. The chiefs about the son of Atreus chose their men and marshalled them, while Minerva went among them holding her priceless aegis that knows neither age nor death. From it there waved a hundred tassels of pure gold, all deftly woven, and each one of them worth a hundred oxen. With this she darted furiously everywhere among the hosts of the Achaeans, urging them forward, and putting courage into the heart of each, so that he might fight and do battle without ceasing. Thus war became sweeter in their eyes even than returning home in their ships. As when some great forest fire is raging upon a mountain top and its light is seen afar, even so as they marched the gleam of their armour flashed up into the firmament of heaven. They were like great flocks of geese, or cranes, or swans on the plain about the waters of Cayster, that wing their way hither and thither, glorying in the pride of flight, and crying as they settle till the fen is alive with their screaming. Even thus did their tribes pour from ships and tents on to the plain of the Scamander, and the ground rang as brass under the feet of men and horses. They stood as thick upon the flower-bespangled field as leaves that bloom in summer. As countless swarms of flies buzz around a herdsman's homestead in the time of spring when the pails are drenched with milk, even so did the Achaeans swarm on to the plain to charge the Trojans and destroy them. The chiefs disposed their men this way and that before the fight began, drafting them out as easily as goatherds draft their flocks when they have got mixed while feeding; and among them went King Agamemnon, with a head and face like Jove the lord of thunder, a waist like Mars, and a chest like that of Neptune. As some great bull that lords it over the herds upon the plain, even so did Jove make the son of Atreus stand peerless among the multitude of heroes. And now, O Muses, dwellers in the mansions of Olympus, tell me- for you are goddesses and are in all places so that you see all things, while we know nothing but by report- who were the chiefs and princes of the Danaans? As for the common soldiers, they were so that I could not name every single one of them though I had ten tongues, and though my voice failed not and my heart were of bronze within me, unless you, O Olympian Muses, daughters of aegis-bearing Jove, were to recount them to me. Nevertheless, I will tell the captains of the ships and all the fleet together. Peneleos, Leitus, Arcesilaus, Prothoenor, and Clonius were captains of the Boeotians. These were they that dwelt in Hyria and rocky Aulis, and who held Schoenus, Scolus, and the highlands of Eteonus, with Thespeia, Graia, and the fair city of Mycalessus. They also held Harma, Eilesium, and Erythrae; and they had Eleon, Hyle, and Peteon; Ocalea and the strong fortress of Medeon; Copae, Eutresis, and Thisbe the haunt of doves; Coronea, and the pastures of Haliartus; Plataea and Glisas; the fortress of Thebes the less; holy Onchestus with its famous grove of Neptune; Arne rich in vineyards; Midea, sacred Nisa, and Anthedon upon the sea. From these there came fifty ships, and in each there were a hundred and twenty young men of the Boeotians. Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, sons of Mars, led the people that dwelt in Aspledon and Orchomenus the realm of Minyas. Astyoche a noble maiden bore them in the house of Actor son of Azeus; for she had gone with Mars secretly into an upper chamber, and he had lain with her. With these there came thirty ships. The Phoceans were led by Schedius and Epistrophus, sons of mighty Iphitus the son of Naubolus. These were they that held Cyparissus, rocky Pytho, holy Crisa, Daulis, and Panopeus; they also that dwelt in Anemorea and Hyampolis, and about the waters of the river Cephissus, and Lilaea by the springs of the Cephissus; with their chieftains came forty ships, and they marshalled the forces of the Phoceans, which were stationed next to the Boeotians, on their left. Ajax, the fleet son of Oileus, commanded the Locrians. He was not so great, nor nearly so great, as Ajax the son of Telamon. He was a little man, and his breastplate was made of linen, but in use of the spear he excelled all the Hellenes and the Achaeans. These dwelt in Cynus, Opous, Calliarus, Bessa, Scarphe, fair Augeae, Tarphe, and Thronium about the river Boagrius. With him there came forty ships of the Locrians who dwell beyond Euboea. The fierce Abantes held Euboea with its cities, Chalcis, Eretria, Histiaea rich in vines, Cerinthus upon the sea, and the rock-perched town of Dium; with them were also the men of Carystus and Styra; Elephenor of the race of Mars was in command of these; he was son of Chalcodon, and chief over all the Abantes. With him they came, fleet of foot and wearing their hair long behind, brave warriors, who would ever strive to tear open the corslets of their foes with their long ashen spears. Of these there came fifty ships. And they that held the strong city of Athens, the people of great Erechtheus, who was born of the soil itself, but Jove's daughter, Minerva, fostered him, and established him at Athens in her own rich sanctuary. There, year by year, the Athenian youths worship him with sacrifices of bulls and rams. These were commanded by Menestheus, son of Peteos. No man living could equal him in the marshalling of chariots and foot soldiers. Nestor could alone rival him, for he was older. With him there came fifty ships. Ajax brought twelve ships from Salamis, and stationed them alongside those of the Athenians. The men of Argos, again, and those who held the walls of Tiryns, with Hermione, and Asine upon the gulf; Troezene, Eionae, and the vineyard lands of Epidaurus; the Achaean youths, moreover, who came from Aegina and Mases; these were led by Diomed of the loud battle-cry, and Sthenelus son of famed Capaneus. With them in command was Euryalus, son of king Mecisteus, son of Talaus; but Diomed was chief over them all. With these there came eighty ships. Those who held the strong city of Mycenae, rich Corinth and Cleonae; Orneae, Araethyrea, and Licyon, where Adrastus reigned of old; Hyperesia, high Gonoessa, and Pellene; Aegium and all the coast-land round about Helice; these sent a hundred ships under the command of King Agamemnon, son of Atreus. His force was far both finest and most numerous, and in their midst was the king himself, all glorious in his armour of gleaming bronze- foremost among the heroes, for he was the greatest king, and had most men under him. And those that dwelt in Lacedaemon, lying low among the hills, Pharis, Sparta, with Messe the haunt of doves; Bryseae, Augeae, Amyclae, and Helos upon the sea; Laas, moreover, and Oetylus; these were led by Menelaus of the loud battle-cry, brother to Agamemnon, and of them there were sixty ships, drawn up apart from the others. Among them went Menelaus himself, strong in zeal, urging his men to fight; for he longed to avenge the toil and sorrow that he had suffered for the sake of Helen. The men of Pylos and Arene, and Thryum where is the ford of the river Alpheus; strong Aipy, Cyparisseis, and Amphigenea; Pteleum, Helos, and Dorium, where the Muses met Thamyris, and stilled his minstrelsy for ever. He was returning from Oechalia, where Eurytus lived and reigned, and boasted that he would surpass even the Muses, daughters of aegis-bearing Jove, if they should sing against him; whereon they were angry, and maimed him. They robbed him of his divine power of song, and thenceforth he could strike the lyre no more. These were commanded by Nestor, knight of Gerene, and with him there came ninety ships. And those that held Arcadia, under the high mountain of Cyllene, near the tomb of Aepytus, where the people fight hand to hand; the men of Pheneus also, and Orchomenus rich in flocks; of Rhipae, Stratie, and bleak Enispe; of Tegea and fair Mantinea; of Stymphelus and Parrhasia; of these King Agapenor son of Ancaeus was commander, and they had sixty ships. Many Arcadians, good soldiers, came in each one of them, but Agamemnon found them the ships in which to cross the sea, for they were not a people that occupied their business upon the waters. The men, moreover, of Buprasium and of Elis, so much of it as is enclosed between Hyrmine, Myrsinus upon the sea-shore, the rock Olene and Alesium. These had four leaders, and each of them had ten ships, with many Epeans on board. Their captains were Amphimachus and Thalpius- the one, son of Cteatus, and the other, of Eurytus- both of the race of Actor. The two others were Diores, son of Amarynces, and Polyxenus, son of King Agasthenes, son of Augeas. And those of Dulichium with the sacred Echinean islands, who dwelt beyond the sea off Elis; these were led by Meges, peer of Mars, and the son of valiant Phyleus, dear to Jove, who quarrelled with his father, and went to settle in Dulichium. With him there came forty ships. Ulysses led the brave Cephallenians, who held Ithaca, Neritum with its forests, Crocylea, rugged Aegilips, Samos and Zacynthus, with the mainland also that was over against the islands. These were led by Ulysses, peer of Jove in counsel, and with him there came twelve ships. Thoas, son of Andraemon, commanded the Aetolians, who dwelt in Pleuron, Olenus, Pylene, Chalcis by the sea, and rocky Calydon, for the great king Oeneus had now no sons living, and was himself dead, as was also golden-haired Meleager, who had been set over the Aetolians to be their king. And with Thoas there came forty ships. The famous spearsman Idomeneus led the Cretans, who held Cnossus, and the well-walled city of Gortys; Lyctus also, Miletus and Lycastus that lies upon the chalk; the populous towns of Phaestus and Rhytium, with the other peoples that dwelt in the hundred cities of Crete. All these were led by Idomeneus, and by Meriones, peer of murderous Mars. And with these there came eighty ships. Tlepolemus, son of Hercules, a man both brave and large of stature, brought nine ships of lordly warriors from Rhodes. These dwelt in Rhodes which is divided among the three cities of Lindus, Ielysus, and Cameirus, that lies upon the chalk. These were commanded by Tlepolemus, son of Hercules by Astyochea, whom he had carried off from Ephyra, on the river Selleis, after sacking many cities of valiant warriors. When Tlepolemus grew up, he killed his father's uncle Licymnius, who had been a famous warrior in his time, but was then grown old. On this he built himself a fleet, gathered a great following, and fled beyond the sea, for he was menaced by the other sons and grandsons of Hercules. After a voyage. during which he suffered great hardship, he came to Rhodes, where the people divided into three communities, according to their tribes, and were dearly loved by Jove, the lord, of gods and men; wherefore the son of Saturn showered down great riches upon them. And Nireus brought three ships from Syme- Nireus, who was the handsomest man that came up under Ilius of all the Danaans after the son of Peleus- but he was a man of no substance, and had but a small following. And those that held Nisyrus, Crapathus, and Casus, with Cos, the city of Eurypylus,