I continue the initiative of small support of the best authors. 60% of the reward from each issue will be given to the three authors whose articles were most frequently published in the magazine in the last 10 issues (20% to each author).

This time the leaderboard looks like this:

Author	The number of articles included in the magazine
@jaynie	18
@denmarkguy	10
@soulfuldreamer	8

And now let's move on to today's issue.

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Homecoming

My life has taken a tangential turn since I last posted on Steemit. A break that was supposed to last a short while, turned into something even I had not anticipated. I guess this is what happens when responsibilities shift. Both my elder brothers got married and one of them emigrated to the UK. The other, obviously is starting a new chapter in his life. In essence, I feel like I am the head of this family now.

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Party Animals)))

So, what's this place all about? It's called Bioparc Valencia, and it's not your typical zoo. It's all about this idea called Immersion Zoo, where visitors get super close to the natural habitats of the animals. The goal? To get folks inspired and caring about animal conservation, understanding why it's so important to protect these critters and their homes.

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My Culinary Wins and Health Woes

Two years ago, I participated in a culinary competition and secured first prize. The first time, I wasn't confident at all, and this time I wasn't confident again. Because I knew what I was competing against. The problem with me is that I focus on one domain. If the competition is about food, I will focus on food. I can't focus on what else goes on the table; on the contrary, in such competitions, participants go overboard with everything, and some more with table presentation than food. I know the ambiance is important, but if I were to judge, I wouldn't look at anything else besides the food. But I was no judge.

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Update on my new medication in the second phase of Chemotherapy

A few days ago I told you about restarting my visits to the doctor and my new chemo after the Christmas break. And this really helped me take a breath and change my way of seeing this process because it is better to take it and accept it with positivity than to be depressed and not accept that we are sick. Everything is temporary and this is too and I only have 3 more cycles of this new medication left and I am ready to finish it.

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Sunday Night Musings: That Summer I Spent Alone

I'd gone through personal bankruptcy, a business bankruptcy, the end of a 13-year marriage and then my auntie — the one who helped raise me — passed away at age 94. I had also had to move three times in two years, lost my job — twice — and had recently been diagnosed with a heart condition. Oh, and my cat had died.

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A Culinary Showdown

A Culinary competition was arranged here at my small community. I was a part of table setting team for this competition.

Below are some of the highlights of this event.

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From Pain to Purpose - A Morning Ramble

The complexity and ability of the human mind and emotions never ceases to amaze me. Throughout my life I have been witness to people who have - time and time again used adversity to their advantage, who have taken their hurts and used them as fuel to drive them forward.

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Retrospective: Discussions and Debates From the Early Days of the Internet

I was reading a blog post about the latest iteration of Open AI's Sora Initiative and found myself thinking about how far the Internet and online environment has come, since that fateful day in 1994 when "Denmarkguy" became part of my very first email account on (then) AOL.

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Crispy Crumbed Haddock

I come from a family of salt lovers - or perhaps the word I am looking for is addicts, lol. I can actually remember one of my brothers as a kid, licking piles of salt out of the palm of his hand, haha! I don't think I have ever been quite that bad, but I do love my salt and I will never forget the day, many years back... when my late mom introduced me to haddock fish!

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Trip to Šášov castle

Today we go back in time. Let's go back to the time of kings and knights. When brigands hid in dense forests and beat up every unwary person who got in their way. To the times when the stone walls of castles stood proudly on high cliffs and commanded respect.

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I invite you to join the initiative Become successful with @wox-helpfund!