The Golden Goblet ch. 9-16

After a quick inspection, I concluded that his hard drive had finally crashed. Scientific American (Jul 18, 2012)

Kids of all ages are riveted, in the palm of his gently beguiling hand.

"Come and find your motor: perhaps a surprise is waiting—some ragamuffin may have put a penknife through the tire!" Bird, Richard

Those teachers say it cannot be done and set down American students as conceited fools. Tubbs, Frank Herbert

Many of the three-quarters of the capital’s inhabitants who live in slums are confined to precarious dwellings atop rubbish dumps. Washington Post (Jul 14, 2012)

The buyer is going on casual inspection and a test drive. Slate (Sep 18, 2012)

An even broader problem exposed by Europe’s elections is the glaring contradiction between electoral success and fiscal reform.

They say progress was made despite Washington’s profound inaction. New York Times (Jun 16, 2012)

Sounding slightly exasperated, he switches from German to English to make himself understood.

He learned to stare at people without blinking, and he perfected long silences punctuated by staccato bursts of fast talking.

Arrigoni, 36, was found dead hours after being seized by a radical group in conflict with Hamas.

He forced a quavering laugh, and with an unsteady hand took his turn. Weyman, Stanley John

“The Libya situation borders on being a fiasco altogether.”

With the N.B.A.’s long schedule, normally 82 games but truncated to 66 this season, teams are expected to go on winning and losing streaks. New York Times (Mar 30, 2012)

And digging out each scoop can be tedious. New York Times (Jun 29, 2012)

The oppressive heat is expected to linger for several days.

Because live streaming is especially enticing for Olympics outside of our time zones. Forbes (Jul 29, 2012)

The odour of cooking things whetted our already keen appetites. Anonymous

My brother, Edward VI., gave you a goblet of chased gold. Hugo, Victor

In necromancy, spirits are summoned by means of spells and incantations. Leuba, James H. (James Henry)

Routine American profanity can appall even the toughest Afghan men. Newsweek (Aug 27, 2012)

"Target down—stop firing," was the laconic order. Jeffery, Jeffery E.

On arriving there, she found no houses nor any remains of human habitation. Nassau, Robert Hamill

Her books were largely well received, no matter the intended audience.

Libyan intelligence agents engaged in all manner of skulduggery, reaching overseas to kidnap and assassinate opponents. New York Times (Aug 23, 2011)

The absence of an air conditioning hum also helped.

There was no malice in his small greenish eyes. Huxley, Aldous

It never occurred to him that his mother, with her tactful simplicity, might be watching him too. Chapman, Ethel M.

Officials said water levels in the canal were high as a result of monsoon rains.

He had been treated with every civility at Brest. Wingfield, Lewis

Or they are just plain spooky, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin who lures children away with his enchanted pipe.

Half hidden in a crevice loomed a long speckled predator, jaws agape. New York Times (Mar 10, 2012)

She was looking away; the wind had freshened; the yacht's pennant stood out against the blue sky. Nicholson, Meredith

Photograph: BFI Cary Grant runs through a desolate cornfield, pursued by a crop duster overhead.

She fell back again, not mildly, but in consternation. Onions, Oliver

Western critics say China supports governments with dubious human rights records.

He moved quickly in that direction, saw now a wraithlike figure in white. Various

This dreaded prison was situated high up on the side of a barren mountain, overlooking a bleak and desolate moor. Headley, Joel Tyler

They built or acquired some the grandest buildings along the city’s main thoroughfare. New York Times (Aug 21, 2012)

Crops shrivelled and roads and railway lines buckled in the heat.

The market stalls lie beneath the city's towering 13th Century citadel, where activists say regime troops and snipers have taken up positions.

A sentry was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, his head bent forward as in slumber. Strang, Herbert

He could not be roused to anger, and spent his days in unbroken serenity. Various

There were two men and four guns in each chariot. Ulfeldt, Leonora Christina

At least two thirds of the stadium was bedecked in red.

“A crisis needs much faster and coherent reactions.” New York Times (Jun 28, 2012)

My parents are bewildered at the idea of not serving any alcohol at our wedding. Slate (Oct 2, 2012)

There was the great ebony image set up and so long worshipped by the people of this country. Bartlett, William Chauncey

It was an intoxicating spectacle of flailing limbs adorned in bright fabrics. New York Times (Aug 25, 2012)

Another wrote: “Universities are under more 'performance' pressure, leading to more interference from management.” Nature (Aug 30, 2012)

We ran up and down the stairs and did pushups on pleather benches in an anteroom. Salon (Jul 11, 2012)

Mr. Deacon also began composing for contemporary classical musicians and fell in love with the timbres of traditional instruments.

"I thought you were married," he said, secretly quaking at his own temerity. Tracy, Louis

Murray’s impassive expression often conceals his feelings, he suggested. New York Times (May 31, 2012)

He looked husky; Clas took to calling him Banana Butt. New York Times (Aug 23, 2012)

The upper tier of seats at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium will be closed for all games, including two featuring Great Britain teams.