"Dark Knight Rises" Second Trailer Out!

I saw the new "Dark Knight Rises" trailer earlier tonight. It was freaking sick!!! I can't wait to see the movie. Bane looks monstruous and Catwoman, though charming, still managed to come across as threatening and vicious. I had no idea that Anne Hathaway could ever successfully play a dangerous villain, but she certainly managed it in the trailer. Check it out!

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/trailer-dark-knight-rises-hits-181716825.html

I Love Icelandic Literature!

BBC UK Articles Read: “David Cameron blocks EU-wide deal to tackle euro crisis” (UK Politics), “Fire at Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital” (England), “Titanic project faces EU grant shortfall” (Northern Ireland), “Scotland storm: Engineers battling to restore power” (Scotland), “Miriam Beard jailed for Plas Madoc Communities First fraud” (Wales), “Third examiner is suspended after secret recording” (Education)

BBC Spanish Articles Read: “La jueza María Lourdes Afiuni, “la presa personal de Chávez” (América Latina)

Today I found an awesome anthology called "The Sagas of Icelanders." I studied Icelandic literature when I studied abroad in England and loved the books we read. I wanted to continue when I came back to America, but I had difficulty finding the books in libraries (I make it a point to read books before I buy them). While hanging out at Barnes and Noble, I found this and decided to read "The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords", which was an awesome short story about Audun, a traveler who risks the wrath of the King of Norway by selling his bear to the King of Denmark instead of him. Then I read "The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue." It's a tragic love story in which Gunnlaug gets into a fight to the death with Hrafn when his betrothed, Helga the Fair, is given to his rival. Although this was a rather short saga, I rank it right up there with "Romeo and Juliet" and Chaucer's "Troilus and Crisyde" as a classic. This anthology is definitely going onto my Christmas list.

Also, I plan to incorporate both stories into my own series. In particular, I will allude to "The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue" with Sandra's older sister, who is codenamed "The Narcissist." She, along with Sandra's other sister, almost succeeded in putting down Max in "Daughter of the Seven Seas" and was her archenemy when she attended Nineveh. Suffice it to say that you will learn just how ruthless she is in "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh."

BBC Research Completed

BBC UK Articles Read: “'No movement' in Cameron's pre-EU summit meeting” (UK Politics), “Kelvin MacKenzie 'should apologise' for Hillsborough comments” (England), “Lenient sentences 'hit PSNI morale' - Drew Harris” (Northern Ireland), “Attack on SNP over independence currency plans” (Scotland), “Welsh exam board WJEC's 'reputation at stake', says Leighton Andrews” (Wales), “Two-thirds 'fail new primary phonics reading check'” (Education)

BBC Spanish Articles Read: "Autoridades mexicanas presentan a tres involucrados en matanza en Jalisco"(América Latina)

A Change-Up In Order?

BBC UK Articles Read: “Boris Johnson adds to Tory EU referendum pressure on PM” (UK Politics), “Michael Barrymore admits cocaine possession”(England), “Northern Ireland pharmacists 'use loans to stay open'” (Northern Ireland), “Scottish government calls for school closures as gales threaten” (Scotland), “Paul Flynn MP apologises for Jewish ambassador remarks” (Wales), “UK students lack global outlook, says British Council”(Education)

BBC Spanish Article Read: “El rumbo del estudiantado chileno sin Camila Vallejo” (América Latina)

Today I realized that I may need to change the hierarchy of the Protector's gang. Originally, the character codenamed "The Court Jester" was her right hand. However, the Amazon is a much stronger and more forceful character, so I might make her the Protector's second-in-command instead. I won't do it in this draft, though. I'll simply note it for the future.

Epic Showdown Scene Reached in "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh"

BBC UK Articles Read: "Lord Stevens launches review of policing for Labour" (UK Politics), "London 2012 at risk of exceeding budget, watchdog warns" (England), "Northern Ireland teenagers' tooth decay levels among worst in Europe" (Northern Ireland), "Details revealed of major Scottish capital projects" (Scotland), "Cardiff waterslide woman jailed for £20,000 benefit con" (Wales), "National Literacy Trust highlights book-free millions" (Education)

BBC Spanish Articles Read: "México: Peña Nieto pide disculpas por un comentario de su hija" (América Latina)

Last night, I started editing an awesome scene which features a major battles between two of the main characters. It also gave me more insight into just how important Sandra and Max are to the gangs of the story. I decided to tell it through the eyes of "The Sheriff." Although doing this means that I need to make severe changes, it's definitely worth it.

Organization is Essential, A Close Win In Chess

BBC UK Articles Read: "We will 'get tough' on excessive boardroom pay - Clegg" (UK Politics), "England riots study: Anti-police anger 'was factor'" (England), "Top lawyer Paul Tweed acting for NI phone hack victims" (Northern Ireland), "Scots count price of independence" (Scotland), "NASUWT Cymru: Quiet revolution claim at Swansea meeting" (Wales), "'Coasting' schools told to improve within six years" (UK Education)

BBC Spanish: "El gobierno de Perú y los "antimineros" concluyen un día de diálogo sin resultados" (América Latina)

Milestones reached in Operation Abe Lincoln: 3

Over the weekend, I organized some of my writing folders and files on my computer. It's a pain in the neck, but necessary. Being organized not only helps you find things more easily, but it saves you a lot of time and energy as well. I will continue to do it throughout the week in addition to working on my books.

I also played my friend Bruce in chess. He said he hadn't played in a while, but I've noticed that chess players who say things like that are usually really good, and I was barely able to beat him. He had my king cornered, but not in check, and I only managed to win by constantly checking his king with my knight, forcing him into a trap where I finished him off with my queen. In spite of my victory, he proved that he could very easily defeat me if I had so much as one slip-up, so I will keep studying and practicing techniques so that I stay sharp.

Mayhem Bows To Count Bisping!

I watched the finale of "The Ultimate Fighter" earlier tonight. The best fight was definitely Ferguson vs. Edwards (although neither was a contestant in this particular season). That being said, Dodson and Brandao pulled off some amazing victories. In particular, Brandao submitting Bermudez by flipping him over into that armbar was pretty sick!

The Miller vs. Bisping match taught me a valuable lesson: always train to go the distance. Miller was doing fine early in the match, but near the end of Round 2, he ran out of gas and Bisping simply picked him apart until the referee stopped the bout. I was happy, because I was cheering for the Count, but I think Mayhem would have put up a better fight if he had simply done some more cardio during his training.

Overall, the fights were pretty good and gave me some great ideas for the duels in "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh." I can't wait to implement them.

UK Research/Spanish Practice for the Day Complete!

BBC UK Articles Read: "Patients' NHS records could be shared with private firms" (UK Politics), "Oxford Street closed over crush fears to Christmas shoppers" (England), "Apprentice Boys parade for Lundy's Day in Londonderry" (Northern Ireland), "Highlanders receive new colours at RAF Kinloss" (Scotland), "Gary Speed: Football and rugby tribute to Wales manager" (Wales), "Catholic faith schools in academy switch" (UK Education)

BBC Spanish: "América Latina y el Caribe aprueban el nacimiento de la CELAC" (América Latina)

Part I of "A Valiant Effort" Nearly Complete, Awesome Discoveries In "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh"

I'm almost finished typing up the first notebook of "A Valiant Effort" and added two important scenes in "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh." In particular, I found out a lot about the enmity between the Consigliere and her little sister, whom she forces to be her lackey due to an act of cowardice she committed when she was a child. Also, while building up to a climactic battle, I began to discover the personality of the Sheriff's older brother and his admiration for Lammy. I'll have to move the scene to a different section of the point, but I'm definitely keeping it.