Jack Vettriano Zara Philips by Rankin

Jack Vettriano Zara Philips by RankinJack Vettriano You Can't Come To This Party!Jack Vettriano Yesterday's Dreams
The wide golden prairie that Lee Scoresby's ghost had seen briefly through the window was lying quiet under the first sun of morning.
Golden, but bell notes now close by, now far off, and never twice the same.
In all that wide landscape the only living things that were silent and still were the boy and the girl lying asleep, back to back, under the shade of an outcrop of rock at the top of a little bluff.
They were so still, so pale, that they might have been also yellow, brown, green, and every one of the million shades between them; and black, in places, in lines and streaks of bright pitch; and silvery, too, where the sun caught the tops of a particular kind of grass just coming into flower; and blue, where a wide lake some way off and a small pond closer by reflected back the wide blue of the sky.And quiet, but not silent, for a soft breeze rustled the billions of little stems, and a billion insects and other small creatures scraped and hummed and chirruped in the grass, and a bird too high in the blue to be seen sang little looping falls of

Pierre-Auguste Cot The Storm

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And now that their purpose was achieved, now the children had found their daemons and escaped, the dead warriors allowed their atoms to relax and drift apart, at long, long last.
Out of the little grove, away from the baffled Specters, out of the valley, past the mighty form of his old companion the armor-clad bear, the last little scrap of the consciousness that had been the aeronaut Lee even in that horrible urgency, even at that moment of utmost peril, each of them felt the same little shock of excitement: for Lyra was holding Will's daemon, the nameless wildcat, and Will was carrying PantalaimonScoresby floated upward, just as his great balloon had done so many times. Untroubled by the flares and the bursting shells, deaf to the explosions and the shouts and cries of anger and warning and pain, conscious only of his movement upward, the last of Lee Scoresby passed through the heavy clouds and came out under the brilliant stars, where the atoms of his beloved daemon, Hester, were waiting for him.

Andy Warhol Shoes 1980

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The cataract of Saint-Jean-les-Eaux plunged between pinnacles of rock at the eastern end of a spur of the Alps, and the generating station clung to the side of the mountain above it. It was a wild region, a bleak and battered wilderness, and no one would have built anything there at all had it not been for the promise of driving great anbaric slowed to a hover in the buffeting wind. The searchlights below the craft made it look as if it were standing on several legs of light and gradually lowering itself to lie down.
But the pilot wasn't satisfied; the wind was swept into eddies and cross-gusts by the edges of the mountain. Besides, the cables, the pylons, the transformers were too close: to be swept in among them, with a zeppelin full of inflammable gas, would be instantly fatal. Sleet drummed generators with the power of the thousands of tons of water that roared through the gorge.It was the night following Mrs. Coulter's arrest, and the weather was stormy. Near the sheer stone front of the generating station, a zeppelin

Thomas Gainsborough Mr and Mrs Andrews

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She lost the first arrow: it stuck in the bark partway up and wouldn't come out. She lost the second because, although it did clear the branch, it didn't fall far enough to reach the ground on the other side, and pulling it back, she caught it and snapped it. The long line fell back attached to the broken shaft, and she tried again with the third and last, and this time it worked.
Pulling carefully and could fasten the rope to pitons on the cliff face every few yards so you never had far to long free length of rope, and one very long fall if anything went wrong. To make herself a little more secure, she braided together three small ropes into a harness, and passed it around both hanging ends of the main rope with a loose knot that she could tighten the moment she began to slip.
Mary put her foot in the first sling and began to climb.
She reached the canopy in less time than she'd anticipated. The climbing was straightforwardsteadily so as not to snag the line and break it, she hauled the prepared rope up and over until both ends were on the ground. Then she tied them both securely to a massive buttress of one of the roots, as thick around as her own hips. So it should be fairly solid, she thought. It had better be. What she couldn't tell from the ground, of course, was what kind of branch the whole thing, including her, would be depending on. Unlike climbing on rock, where you

Jack Vettriano The Sparrow and the Hawk

Jack Vettriano The Sparrow and the HawkJack Vettriano The Smooth OperatorJack Vettriano The Singing Butler
forget what he was: her very own death, and so close.
"I know it'll be an effort to go on now," she said more steadily, "and dangerous, but I want to, Death, I do truly. And so does Will. We both had people taken away too soon, and we need to make amends, at least I do."
"Everyone Behind her, Tialys put away his instrument and sat watching the child plead with her own death to be taken where no one should go.
The death scratched his head and held up his hands, but nothing could stop Lyra's words, nothing could deflect her desire, not even fear: she'd seen worse than death, she claimed, and she had, too.
So eventually her death said:wishes they could speak again to those who've gone to the land of the dead. Why should there be an exception for you?""Because," she began, lying, "because there's something I've got to do there, not just seeing my friend Roger, something else. It was a task put on me by an angel, and no one else can do it, only me. It's too important to wait till I die in the natural way, it's got to be done now. See, the angel commanded me. That's why we came here, me and Will. We got to."

Jack Vettriano Silhouette

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At that moment the Gallivespians, too, were talking about the knife. Having made a suspicious peace with Iorek Byrnison, they climbed back to their ledge to be out of the way, and as the crackle of flames rose and the snapping and roaring of the fire filled the air, Tialys said, "We must never leave his side. As soon as the knife is mended, we must from us. Did you see how he stopped her from speaking when she was going to say something more? They have some secret purpose, and it's very different from what we want them to do."
"We'll see. But you're right, Tialys, I think. We must stay close to the boy at all costs."
They both watched with some skepticism as Iorek Byrnison laid out the tools in his keep closer than a shadow.""He is too alert. He watches everywhere for us," said Salmakia. "The girl is more trusting. I think we could win her around. She's innocent, and she loves easily. We could work on her. I think we should do that, Tialys.""But he has the knife. He is the one who can use it.""He won't go anywhere without her.""But she has to follow him, if he has the knife. And I think that as soon as the knife's intact again, they'll use it to slip into another world, so as to get away

Caravaggio The Crucifixion of Saint Peter

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"The intentions of a tool are what it does. A hammer intends to strike, a vise intends to hold fast, a lever intends to lift. They are what it is made for. But sometimes a tool may have other uses that you don't know. Sometimes in doing what you intend, you also do what the knife intends, without knowing. Can you see the sharpest edge of that knife?"
"No," said Will, for it was true: the edge diminished to a thinness so fine that the eye could not reach it.
"Then how can you know everything went with her.
The moon was brilliant, the path a track of scumbled footprints in the snow, the air cutting and cold. Both of them felt brisk and hopeful and alive. They didn't talk till they were well away from the cave.she'd been asleep all that time. Should he tell her, and betray that memory, even if it was false? No, of course he shouldn't.
"Is that the bush?" Lyra said

Thomas Kinkade London

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"You don't know," said Lyra rudely. "You don't know him any more than you know me."
"I know impertinence when I hear it," said the Lady calmly. "Do as I tell you now and rest. Save your energy for the walking."
Lyra felt mutinous, but the Lady's glittering spurs were very clear in the sunlight, so she said nothing.
The Lady's companionstopped to drink deeply of the ice-cold water.
"I hope that little girl's all right," said Will. "We'd never have got you away if she hadn't woken you up. She went to a holy man to get that powder specially."
"She is all right," saidthere are," said Will. "No one would ever have time to find out."
He swung his rucksack up and led the way along the forest path. The dragonflies relished the fresh, moist air and darted like needles through the shafts of sunlight. The movement of the trees above was less violent, and the leave.
The window looked strange in the dazzling air of the desert, giving onto the deep-shaded bush, a square of thick green

Paul Gauguin Yellow Christ

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Will told him most of what had happened, leaving out only what concerned him alone: his mother, the man he killed, his father.
"You fought for this, and lost two fingers?" the bear said. "Show me the wound."
Will held out his hand. Thanks to his father's ointment, the raw surfaces were healing well, but they were still very tender. The bear sniffed at them.
"Bloodmoss," he saidAsriel," Will replied. "But first I must rescue Lyra Silvertongue."
"Then we shall help," said the bear, and Will's heart leapt with pleasure.
catastrophe that had burst the worlds open, all the Arctic ice had begun to melt, and new and strange currents appeared in the water. Since the bears depended . "And something else I cannot identify. Who gave you that?""A man who told me what I should do with the knife. Then he died. He had some ointment in a horn box, and it cured my wound. The witches tried, but their spell didn't work.""And what did he tell you to do with the knife?" said Iorek Byrnison, handing it carefully back to Will."To use it in a war on the side of Lord

Henri Rousseau The Snake Charmer

Henri Rousseau The Snake CharmerHenri Rousseau The DreamPaul Cezanne Mount Sainte Victoire
They will take your future, your children that are to come, and leave you nothing. They should be put to death, every one."
The priest reached Lydia Alexandrovna lie together!"
He laughed and uncorked the bottle, filling each glass to the rim. This kind of talk made Will hideously uneasy. What should he do? How could he refuse to drink without discourtesy?
"Otyets Semyon," he said, standing, "you have been very kind, and I wish I could stay longer to taste your drink and to hear you talk, because what you tell me has been very interesting. But you understand I am unhappy about my family, and very anxious to find them againacross to the shelf beside his chair and took down a bottle and two small glasses."Now I am going to offer you a little drink, Will Ivanovitch," he said. "You are young, so not very many glasses. But you are growing, and so you need to know some things, like the taste of vodka. Lydia Alexandrovna collected the berries last year, and I distilled the liquor, and here in the bottle is the result, the only place where Otyets Semyon Borisovitch and

Andy Warhol Superman

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quiet," said Will, "just be quiet. Don't disturb me."
It was just after Lyra had been taken, just after Will had come down from the mountaintop, just after the witch had killed his father. Will lit the little tin lantern he'd taken from his father's pack, using the dry matches that he'd found with it, and crouched in the lee of the rock to open Lyra's rucksack.
He felt inside with his good hand and found the heavy velvet-wrapped alethiometer. It glittered in the lantern light, and he held it came the voice. "We want to serve Lord Asriel. And the dead man, what did he want you to do with the knife?"
Will had to hesitate.
"He said I should take it to Lord Asriel," he said.
"Then come with us."
"No. Not till I've found Lyra."out to the two shapes that stood beside him, the shapes who called themselves angels."Can you read this?" he said."No," said a voice. "Come with us. You must come. Come now to Lord Asriel.""Who made you follow my father? You said he didn't know you were following him. But he did," Will said fiercely. "He told me to expect you. He knew more than you thought. Who sent you?""No one sent us. Ourselves only,"

Thomas Kinkade HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

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a valley shaded with rhododendrons, close to the snow line, where a stream milky with meltwater splashed and where doves and linnets flew among the immense pines, lay a cave, half-hidden by the crag above and the stiff heavy leaves that clustered below.
The woods were full of when the mist lifted. Sometimes the wetness in the clouds condensed into tiny drops half mist and half rain, which floated downward rather than fell, making a soft rustling patter among the millions of needles.
There was a narrow path beside the stream, which led from a village, little more than a cluster of herdsmen's dwellings, at the foot of the valley to a half-mined shrine near the glacier at its head, a place where faded silken flags streamed out in the perpetual winds from the high mountainssound: the stream between the rocks, the wind among the needles of the pine branches, the chitter of insects and the cries of small arboreal mammals, as well as the birdsong; and from time to time a stronger gust of wind would make one of the branches of a cedar or a fir move against another and groan like a cello.It was a place of brilliant sunlight, never undappled. Shafts of lemon-gold brilliance lanced down to the forest floor between bars and pools of brown-green shade; and the light was never still, never constant, because drifting mist would often float among the treetops, filtering all the sunlight to a pearly sheen and brushing every pine cone with moisture that glistened

Jack Vettriano The Set Up

Jack Vettriano The Set UpJack Vettriano The Same Old Game IIJack Vettriano The Sailor's Toy
even had a couple of beers along the way. "I would often go down to the bar, sit up at the counter, drink a beer and talk about God, which Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard," he said.

The most difficult I was overwhelmed with grief and also with anger for the people who had made the roadside bomb, planted it and detonated it," he said. "And then I finally realized I had to pray for them and bless them, which is very, very hard to do."
Dobson even voted in the presidential race as he thought Jesus would. Dobson pulled the lever for Barack Obama, saying it was the first time he ever voted for a Democrat.
"I decided since I had read through the gospels at that point over 30 times, I part of the challenge, Dobson said, was obeying Jesus' teachings, particularly the idea of blessing the people who persecute you."My youngest son did two tours in Iraq, and on the last tour, a friend of his was killed in action and my wife and I went for the visitation and

Tom Thomson The Pool

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Here's a technique some say was made famous by legendary Muddy Waters.Here's What You Need:One bottle of water-based lubricant.Here's How You Do It:Get your woman naked. You, too.Apply a small amount of lubricant to your penis.Have her lie on her side and snuggle up behind her. You know: theclassic "spooning" position.With your woman's legs slightly open, insert the length of your penisbetween the lips of her vagina. DO NOT insert yourself into her within arm's length, your woman naked, or at least bottomless.Have her climb up on the roof and sit on the back edge of the sunroof,facing the hood (her feet can rest comfortably against the windshield).Get into the passenger's seat and kneel, facing the trunk. Now raise yourhead up between her legs. Using your mouth and tongue, pleasure herlike you never have before. Let her enjoy all the unique sensations: theheight, the danger, the smooth metal and glass against her bare vagina,but only between the lips.Have your woman close her legs, surrounding your penis.Now begin to thrust as if you were inside of her. The head of your peniswill move back and forth over her clitoris.Continue thrusting until your woman sings anything but the bluesworth every penny.Here's What You Need:One car with a sunroof.Here's How You Do It:Park where nobody can see you and open up the sunroof. Since you'vegot a radio

Andy Warhol Guns

Andy Warhol GunsAndy Warhol Gun 1982Andy Warhol Gun 1981-82
the magicalqualities of moist heat. Nothing soothes and relaxes the muscles fasterand more efficiently. One of them may have even come up with thistechnique.Here's What You Need:Two washcloths.One bowl of hot water.One pair of scissors.area. The top of thediamond should be touching her pubic hair. The bottom will be at heranus and both sides will be against her inner thighs. Line the slit up withher vagina and use your hands to press and hold the washcloth in place.Insert your tongue in between the slit and preform your finest oralpleasuring moves.After a couple of minutes the washcloth will have cooled down. Noproblem. Just put it back in the bowl, wring out the other washcloth, lay itover the same area and continue until your woman achieves one of the"hottest" orgasms she's ever experienced.Here's How You Do It:Before you're going to make love, cut a three to four inch diagonal slit inthe middle of each washcloth. Fill a bowl with hot water and place bothof the washcloths in it to soak.Get your woman naked. Have her lie on her back with her knees bentand legs slightly apart.Wring out one of the washcloths. Turn it forty-five degrees so that it lookslike a diamond instead of a square.Lay the washcloth over your woman's pubic

Andy Warhol Knives black and white

Andy Warhol Knives black and whiteAndy Warhol Jackie 1964Andy Warhol Ingrid with Hat
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Just as earnings season hits full swing next week and investors get their first full taste of how the housing meltdown affected corporate profits, Wall Street will take a moment to recall how the Dow plunged nearly 23 percent on a "Black Monday" 20 years ago.
The earnings season Reuters Estimates saying S&P 500 profits are expected to grow just 3.2 percent.
Late summer credit market seizures as the housing sector spiraled out of control will come into focus when Citigroup Inc (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Bank of America Corp (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) report results, providing more clues on how the mayhem hit the financial sector.gets going full blast with results expected from more than 80 companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX: Quote, Profile, Research), as well as hundreds of mid-sized and smaller companies.Expectations are low with

Jack Vettriano Waltzers

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Even if you don't own any of their stock or any stock at all you will want to read this.
What Enron corporate officers did with their accounting firm is nothing new. It has been going on for years, but recently has become does the little investor have? And that is the whole idea. The insiders don't want the outsiders to know what they are doing with the company money.
You have been told by your broker and by brokerage company that you should do your research before you buy. You can research until you are blue in the face and still not know. For years I have been preaching that research is worthlessmore egregious. Hiding facts from stockholders by showing Annual Reports with tiny footnotes has been happening for years. Even experienced accountants have trouble understanding what various financial statements mean. What chance

Andy Warhol Mao 1972

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one of the tall persons was helping him to carry. His fair-haired, rosy face smiled through the leaves that hung over the wicker-work.
"Look!" he said. "Look at my apples...."
"But those are melons!" said Tyltyl.
"No, no!" said the Child. "interested.
Then, suddenly, a louder and more serious voice sounded above the silvery murmur of the others:
"Here I am!" it said proudly. They are my apples! They will all be alike when I am alive! I have discovered the process!..." I should never have done if I were to try and describe to my little readers all the wonderful and incredible things that appeared before our hero's eyes. But, suddenly, a loud burst of laughter rang through the hall. A Child had spoken of the King of the Nine Planets; and Tyltyl, very much puzzled and perplexed, looked on every side. All the faces, bright with laughter, were turned to some spot which Tyltyl could not see; every finger pointed in the same direction; but our friend looked in vain. They had spoken of a king! He was looking for a throne with a tall, dignified personage on it, wielding a golden sceptre. "Over there... over there... lower down... behind you!" said a thousand little voices together. "But where is the King?" Tyltyl and Mytyl repeated, greatly

Andy Warhol Portrait of Maurice painting

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Granny gave them fresh kisses and said:
"My word, how pretty they are and how nice and clean!... Why don't you come to see us oftener? It is months and months now that you have forgotten us and that we have seen nobody .... "
"We couldn't, Granny," said Tyltyl, "and to-day it's only because of the Fairy . ."
"We are always here," said Granny Tyl, "waiting for a visit from those who are alive. The last time you were here was on All-hallows .... "
"that his grandparents had not left him altogether. He asked: "So you are not really dead?...."
The old couple burst out laughing. When they exchanged their life on earth for another and a much nicer and more had forgotten the word "dead."
"What does that word 'dead' mean?" asked Gaffer Tyl. All-hallows? We didn't go out that day, for we both had colds!" "But you thought of us! And, every time you think of us, we wake up and see you again." Tyltyl remembered that the Fairy had told him this. He had not thought it possible then; but now, with his head on the heart of the dear Granny whom he had missed so much, he began to understand things and he felt

Peeters Mossley Park

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What better way to welcome the new year than with a collection of bright and shiny party gadgets?
You can handle the your New Year's Eve resolution is to quit drinking (for the 10th year in a row) but you want to have a blowout before you give it all up. Too bad you had to drive to the party. Before you get back into the car at 4 a.m., fish out the $100 Alcohawk digital breathalyzer and do a quick test. Above legal limit? Taxi!basics: Flare pants. Sequin dress for the ladies (and some of the gentlemen). Hair gel. Beer. Breath mints.But Wired's Gadget Lab has the electronic tools that will make this a truly 21st century event. Whether you will live it up on Times Square, throw your own block party or merely make a drunken nuisance of yourself in a subway car, here are 11 cool gadgets that can help you pass the last few hours of 2008 in high-tech style.Alcohawk ABI Digital BreathalyzerSo