Huw Price and Richard Corry (eds.), Causation, Physics, and the Constitution of Reality: Russell's Republic Revisited, Oxford University Press, 2007, 403pp., $35.00 (pbk), ISBN 9780199278190.
This is an excellent collection of papers concerning the ontological status of causal relations in light of the microworld revealed by physics. The contributors are Arif Ahmed, Helen Beebee, Richard Corry, Antony Eagle, Adam Elga, Mathias Frisch, Christopher Hitchcock, Douglas Kutach, Barry Loewer, Peter Menzies, John Norton, Huw Price, and Jim Woodward. The volume's sub-title ("Russell's Republic Revisited") alludes to Bertrand Russell's much-quoted remark comparing the "law of causality" to the monarchy as a "relic of a bygone age, surviving … only because it is erroneously supposed to do no harm." Unlike Russell, all of this volume's contributors emphasize the value of causal judgments, especially in practical deliberation (which presupposes the distinction between "effective" and "ineffective" strategies for causally influencing the future). The contributors disagree about whether there are causal relations throughout the microphysical world, or only in certain special parts of it, or only when certain parts are considered in isolation from the rest, or not really at all. Price and Corry situate many of the contributors as rejecting a "monarchist" metaphysical primitivism regarding causation as well as an "anarchist" Russellian eliminativism in favor of some form of "causal republicanism" according to which We, the People -- whether through our special interests, our limited powers of observation and control, or our perspectives as agents -- are partly responsible for the existence (so to say) of causal relations or, at least, for the utility of causal judgments.
Inevitably, I cannot try to summarize all of these stimulating papers or all of the fascinating issues they raise. I must be content with giving just a few of the many highlights.
Eagle ("Pragmatic Causation") and Menzies ("Causation in Context") agree with Norton in denying that causal relations belong to fundamental ontology. Whereas Norton argues that the utility of folk causal theories (like the rough accuracy of caloric theory) can be derived by applying fundamental physics to a circumscribed range of cases, Eagle and Menzies argue that causal ascriptions fail to supervene on non-causal facts because they depend on which factors can be ignored and which behaviors count as defaults in a given conversational context. Of course, it is tempting to reply that certain factors can be ignored precisely because they are not among the causes of those things we are interested in, and likewise that a certain behavior is the default for a given system precisely because the system behaves in that way when no external causes are acting upon it. Menzies replies that it would be inadvisable to see this kind of worry as a reason to reject this model of causal reasoning because the kind of default reasoning that this model deems central to causal reasoning is also central to many of our best scientific theories (from Newtonian mechanics to population biology). "Consequently, the rejection of the kind of default causal reasoning described in this paper would necessitate the rejection of the reasoning embedded in some of our best scientific theories" (p. 222). But to reject a philosophical theory according to which causal ascriptions are made true partly by context-sensitive defaults (rather than the other way around) is not to reject default reasoning or the scientific theories that employ it.
To show that "[e]ven quite simple Newtonian systems can harbor uncaused events and ones for which the theory cannot even supply probabilities" (p. 22), Norton offers a wonderfully provocative new example of indeterminism in classical mechanics: a point particle perched at the apex of a frictionless domed surface in a uniform gravitational field, where the dome is cunningly shaped so that Newton's laws are obeyed not only if the body remains at the apex forever, but also if it remains there until some arbitrary moment and then no longer. The body just takes off down the hill for no reason -- without its having even had some determinate chance of taking off at that moment.
One might try to turn this example against Norton by arguing that if (as Norton says) a body acting under the influence of such a force in classical physics cannot be interpreted in causal terms, then a "principle of causality" does indeed "place a restriction on the factual content of a science" (p. 15) since it rules out such a force, given the classical dynamical laws. Therefore, a principle of causality must not be as empty as Norton claims. Norton might reply that such a restriction would be "a kind of a priori science that tries to legislate in advance how the world must be" (p. 15). But why should such a principle of causality, limiting the range of possible force functions, be any more a priori than the rest of classical physics?
Woodward ("Causation with a Human Face") and Hitchcock ("What Russell Got Right") note that on an interventionist or manipulationist account, some of the ordinary presuppositions for the application of causal notions are not satisfied by the universe taken globally, to which the notion of an intervention from outside is inapplicable. Folk causal models of the kind described by Norton best fit subsystems that can be treated for our purposes as isolated from a great deal of their surroundings. Elga ("Isolation and Folk Physics") aims to identify the features of the fundamental natural laws that make so many ordinary subsystems amenable to such treatment. Roughly speaking, the behaviors of distant things make only small differences to the medium-sized objects that we tend to care about, and those small differences are unlikely to pull in a consistent direction (given the fundamental probability distribution over the possible microrealizers of the universe's initial low-entropy macrostate) and so are unlikely to affect the rough macroscopic behaviors of those objects. Thus, a folk model can succeed by characterizing a subsystem's default behavior and how it can be disturbed by interactions with only a few other subsystems. Folk causal models can even encompass systems that are sensitive to small differences (and hence to many distant factors) by including objective chances, which themselves are insensitive to such small differences.
Notice, though, that in giving this account, Elga uses causal notions. For instance, the fundamental probability distribution over the universe's possible initial conditions "counts it as unlikely that small differences in forces would affect the rough behavior of" a given macroscopic object (p. 110). I wonder: Does that use of causal vocabulary also fall under the account being given?
Price ("Causal Perspectivalism") understands being a cause as neither like containing some quantity of caloric nor like containing some non-zero number of unicorns, but rather as like being a foreigner or being at rest: a property possessed only from a given perspective. Price argues that if the temporal asymmetry of causation is fixed by some primitive metaphysical fact, rather than by facts about us or our environment, then the reason why it plays such an important role in our practical deliberations remains mysterious. Russell was right that the asymmetry is not built into the fundamental laws of physics. If it is fixed by some environmental asymmetry (such as the thermodynamic asymmetry: that entropy typically increases toward the future), then when considering a possible world where that asymmetry is reversed (or absent), the direction of causation should be reversed (or causal relations should be absent). But that is not the case, Price argues. When we causally characterize a possible world or hypothetical spacetime region where the actual fundamental laws of nature hold but entropy typically decreases toward the future (or has no typical trend), we ascribe the usual kinds of causal relations. We do not exchange causes and effects. Price concludes that the temporal asymmetry of causal relations is fixed not by the environment of the events standing in those relations, but rather by the environment of the ascriber of those relations.
Price sees the perspective taken in practical deliberation as essentially involving a distinction between what is settled and what is open. (Our practical deliberations concern one open feature: our course of action.) Because of the prevailing thermodynamic asymmetry, we typically find the past rather than the future epistemically accessible and so take the past as fixed. Since the deliberative perspective treats the future differently from the past not by stipulation, but only in view of accidental environmental circumstances, the deliberative perspective can account for the asymmetry of causation. Price suggests that deliberators where the thermodynamic arrow is reversed would correctly (from their perspective) regard the future as typically causing the past (since they would be taking their cues from the prevailing thermodynamic asymmetry) and so would deliberate regarding the past. This strikes me as akin to suggesting (with Mach) that the water's surface in Newton's bucket would be curved if the universe were made to revolve around it.
That causal relations exist from our perspective because we deliberate leaves it mysterious (I think) why we deliberate at all. The alternative is that we deliberate as we do because we want to affect the future. On this view, we fail to deliberate in the same way regarding the past not fundamentally because we already know all about the past (at least "in principle"), but rather because we know that there would be no point in deliberating about the past (except in time-travel scenarios and so forth) since we cannot causally influence it. Of course, causal relations would then have to exist independent of our deliberative standpoint, raising Price's worry that once we characterize causation metaphysically, it will be unclear why we care about "affecting" the future. But this worry must compete with (what seems to me) Price's inability to explain why we take the deliberative standpoint in the first place.
Causal asymmetry is significant not only in practical deliberation, but also in an important variety of scientific explanation. If causal relations are tied to the deliberative standpoint, then they are not essential to science if the deliberative standpoint is not. Perhaps, if causal relations are creatures of some perspective, then an "explanatory perspective" would more easily capture their scientific significance.
How is the thermodynamic asymmetry responsible for the typical difference in epistemic accessibility between the past and the future? Loewer ("Counterfactuals and the Second Law") presents an explanation that ultimately grounds the causal asymmetry not in our deliberative perspective, but (contrary to Russell) in asymmetries of natural law, which yield asymmetries in counterfactual dependence. Given that the universe long ago had an extremely low-entropy macrostate (the "past hypothesis", in David Albert's suggestive terminology) and given the canonical probability distribution over this macrostate's possible microrealizations (both of which, Loewer says, qualify as laws on David Lewis's "best-system" account and so function as laws in counterfactual reasoning), the deep past is constrained in ways that the far future is not. Accordingly, current "traces" constrain and so allow us to know the relatively recent past, unlike the relatively near future. Although there are possible microrealizations of today's foot-shaped depression in the sand that, traced back in time according to microdynamical law, derive from a conspiracy of unrelated "random" events rather than a human foot, the past hypothesis and microcanonical initial probability distribution make these microrealizations very unlikely. On this picture, unlike the interventionist account, causal notions are applicable even to the universe taken globally.
Frisch ("Causation, Counterfactuals, and Entropy") replies that our ordinary inferences from current "traces" to the relatively recent past do not appeal to the past hypothesis: "most people are not at all in a position to assume what that initial condition might be" (p. 370). Indeed, Frisch might have added, for our knowledge of the past to presuppose the past hypothesis would be for our historical knowledge (whether based on memory or on other records) to depend implausibly on a relatively recent discovery of physics. Of course, the past hypothesis might nevertheless be partly responsible for the rough accuracy of the folk causal theories on which our knowledge of the past depends (though Frisch incisively questions whether it is sufficient for the reliability of records and for the past's counterfactual independence from the present). But knowledge, at least in an internalist sense, requires more than just a belief produced by a reliable mechanism. When we infer from today's foot-shaped depression in the sand to a human foot's having imprinted it, Frisch argues, our presumption that there were probably no prior "random" sandy events conspiring to produce a foot-shaped depression is based not on any knowledge of the universe's initial condition, but rather on our past observations of sandy beaches.
Whether causal relations are of, by, and for the people, or whether the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle certain events "causes" and others "effects", will continue to be debated. This volume is an excellent place to join that debate.
 "On the Notion of Cause", Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 13 (1913): 1-26, p. 1.
 The contributors are inspired almost as much by Nancy Cartwright's classic "Causal Laws and Effective Strategies" (Nous 13 (1979): 419-38) as they are by Russell.
 There are other examples of force functions to which classical physics offers multiple solutions, assigning no particular objective chances to any of them. See, for instance, Keith Hutchison, "Is Classical Mechanics Really Time-Reversible and Deterministic?", British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 44 (1993): 307-23. Norton's example has already received considerable attention. See, for example, David Malament, "Norton's Slippery Slope", PSA 2006, forthcoming.
 For more on the possible status of such principles, see my "Must the Fundamental Laws of Physics Be Complete?", Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, forthcoming.
 Time and Chance, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000.


In the end, the bill that aroused the most vocal protests at the Hawaii Legislature this session passed rather quietly.
On Tuesday, there was the usual chanting, music and blowing of conch shells in the Rotunda. But it did not last long, and it wasn't as intense as during other rallies. The protesters seemed to know the shape of things to come and were already focused on the next battle.
As the Senate neared voting on House Bill 2501 Tuesday, the water-rights bill that will allow Alexander & Baldwin to divert water from East Maui streams for three more years, the protesters gradually took seats in the gallery. By the time the final vote came, they stood, arms extended with fisted hands.
The vote was 17 to 8 in favor, with five of the "ayes" cast with reservations, meaning they weren't crazy about their votes. HB 2501 cleared the House of Representatives last week, where some lawmakers also expressed their worries about the bill, which now heads to Gov. David Ige for his consideration.
Sen. Gil Riviere spoke out at length against House Bill 2501, which he said favored only A&B.
For supporters of the measure, its passage represents an historic shift on Maui from sugar cane to diversified agriculture. Alexander & Baldwin, one of the former Big Five companies that now focuses on agriculture and land development, said it will still need water from lush East Maui to grow crops in dry Central Maui, although it hasn't released its plans in detail. It won't be as much water as needed for sugar, the company promised, which currently amounts to 160 million gallons a day.
For opponents of the measure, HB 2501 was also a victory, of sorts. They showed that environmentalists and Native Hawaiians can raise a ruckus and nearly kill a piece of legislation that they described as the continuation of a great injustice. Their next battle is to pressure Ige to veto the legislation, and they said their vigilance is heightened to watch for future such stealth measures.
But HB 2501 also revealed other important points.
The first is that, when powerful leaders want something to pass, they usually get their way. The exact horse trading that was said to be going on behind the scenes may never be revealed, but House Speaker Joe Souki of Maui made sure his most prized bill was approved.
Sen. Mike Gabbard, who opened Tuesday's floor action with a song, says HB 2501 is a good compromise.
And, while lawmakers dismiss the idea that large campaign contributions from A&B might have influenced their vote — over half a million dollars to state and county candidates since 2006 — few believe them. Yes, donations are made because of ideological reasons, but they are also made — especially by companies with lobbyists — so that lawmakers listen to them when they need to be heard.
On HB 2501, A&B needed to be heard. It was.
The staging of a press conference at the Capitol in late April, at which A&B said it would restore water to up to eight streams, illustrated that power. That very afternoon, language making clear that A&B would be covered by HB 2501 — the Senate had cut the language, perhaps to gain leverage over Souki or even out of spite — was magically restored. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Maui News reported that "logistical issues" could delay restoration to five of the streams.
The most important thing to understand about HB 2501 is that the Legislature is circumventing a January state court ruling that found A&B has been illegally diverting water for 15 years. The case is on appeal and the Department of Land and Natural Resources must still address A&B's invalidated diversion permits.
"As several senators noted in their speeches against the bill, this is special legislation benefiting only Alexander & Baldwin," said Marti Townsend, director for the Sierra Club of Hawaii, which led the fight to defeat HB 2501.
Sierra Club Director Marti Townsend says the struggle to stop HB 2501 now turns to Gov. Ige.
Sens. Gil Riviere, Laura Thielen and Les Ihara were among those speaking out against the bill.
"This is a bad bill and bad policy," said Riviere.
He characterized HB 2501 as a compromise that strikes a balance. He reiterated that the bill has a sunset date in 2019, that there is money in the state budget to fund positions to help the permit process and to survey stream use, and that the bill also requires that so-called holdover permits with the Land Board be consistent with the public trust doctrine.
Interestingly, Gabbard also spoke Tuesday about a possible new agricultural path for the state, one that places the water battle in a different context.
An opponent of HB 2501 carries a photograph of an impacted Maui stream.
Gabbard was speaking about the promise of Senate Bill 2659, which passed unanimously in both chambers Tuesday. It establishes an agricultural hemp program that, for the first time in Hawaii's history, will allow hemp cultivation and the distribution of its seed by multiple licensed local farmers.
Hemp, along with the licensing of medical marijuana sales, could be Hawaii's new cash crop. Another bill passing the House and Senate Tuesday clarifies and advances the state's med pot program.
Hawaii may well be in another historic shift. Is A&B is paying attention?


text:
<?php

/**
 * A CURL based REST client for fetching data from REST services
 * @author paul.visco@roswellpark.org
 *
 * <code>
 * $client = new \sb\REST\Client('https://some_site/api_content', Array(
  'on_http_error' => function($status, $message){
  var_dump(func_get_args());
  }
  ));
 * $response = $client->get(Array('ticket' => '49d75185-e71b-42f1-9298-ac0382dd2e26'));
 * </code>
 *
 */
namespace sb\REST;

class Client
{

    /**
     * The URL being fetched
     * @var string
     */
    protected $url;

    /**
     * Should we follow redirects
     * @var boolean true
     */
    protected $follow_location = true;

    /**
     * Should we verify SSL certs
     * @var boolean false
     */
    protected $verify_ssl = false;

    /**
     * Should we return transfer
     * @var true
     */
    protected $return_transfer = true;

    /**
     * debug curl output to stdout
     * @var false
     */
    protected $debug = false;

    /**
     * The cookie file path to read from, write to if needed
     * @var string
     */
    protected $cookie_file = '';

    /**
     * The user agent to send with the request
     * @var string
     */
    protected $user_agent = 'sb_REST_Client';

    /**
     * The default timeout for connections
     * @var int
     */
    protected $timeout = 30;

    /**
     * An array of key value pairs that are sent as HTTP headers of the request
     * @var array e.g. 'Content-Type' => 'application/xml'
     */
    protected $headers = Array();

    /**
     * Auth credentials to pass to the request
     * @var array  ('type' => 'basic', 'uname' => 'somebody', 'pass' => 'somepass');
     */
    protected $authentication = Array();

    /**
     * The callable to call when there is a non 100, 200 HTTP header
     * Receives two arguments $status and $message
     * @var callable
     */
    protected $on_http_error = false;

    /**
     * The callable that fires when headers arrive
     * Receives one argument $data
     * @var callable
     */
    protected $on_headers = false;

    /**
     * The callable that fires when the content body arrives
     *
     * Receives one argument $data.
     * @var callable
     */
    protected $on_body = false;

    /**
     * The callable that fires when their is a curl error such as no network connection, domain not found, etc
     *
     * Receives two arguments $error_num, $error_str.  Errors are listed here http://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/libcurl-errors.html
     * @var callable
     */
    protected $on_error = false;

    /**
     * Constructs a new client
     * @param type $url The base url for the server e.g. http://something.com/api
     * @param array $default_settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout,  on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     */
    public function __construct($url = '', $default_settings = Array())
    {
        $this->url = $url;
        $this->setDefaultArguments($default_settings);
    }

    /**
     * Fire get request to fetch data from the REST service
     * @param type $data Query string vars to send
     * @param array $settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout,  on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     * @return type
     */
    public function get($data = '', $settings = Array())
    {
        return $this->processCurl('GET', $data, $settings);
    }

    /**
     * Fire get request to fetch data from the REST service
     * @param type $data POST data to send
     * @param array $settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout,  on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     * @return type
     */
    public function post($data = '', $settings = Array())
    {
        return $this->processCurl('POST', $data, $settings);
    }

    /**
     * Fire get request to fetch data from the REST service
     * @param type $data DELETE data to send
     * @param array $settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout,  on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     * @return type
     */
    public function delete($data = '', $settings = Array())
    {
        return $this->processCurl('DELETE', $data, $settings);
    }

    /**
     * Fire get request to fetch data from the REST service
     * @param type $data PUT data to send
     * @param array $settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout,  on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     * @return type
     */
    public function put($data = '', $settings = Array())
    {
        return $this->processCurl('PUT', $data, $settings);
    }

    /**
     * Overrides the default settings for all requests
     * @param array $default_settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout,  on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     */
    public function setDefaultArguments($default_settings)
    {
        foreach ($default_settings as $setting => $val) {
            if (property_exists(get_class(), $setting)) {
                $this->$setting = $val;
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * Sets the authentication type used
     * @param string $uname The username
     * @param string $pass The password
     * @param string $type The auth type basic, ntlm, digest
     */
    public function setAuthentication($uname = '', $pass = '', $type = 'basic')
    {
        $this->authentication['uname'] = $uname;
        $this->authentication['pass'] = $pass;
        $this->authentication['type'] = $type;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the timeout for the request
     * @param int $timeout defaults to 30 seconds
     */
    public function setTimeout($timeout = 30)
    {
        $this->timeout = is_int($timeout) ? $timeout : 30;
    }

    /**
     * Sets any headers to send with the request
     * @param array $headers
     */
    public function setHeaders($headers = Array())
    {
        $this->headers = is_array($headers) ? $headers : Array();
    }

    /**
     * Sets the user agent for the request
     * @param string $agent
     */
    public function setUserAgent($agent = 'sb_REST_Client')
    {
        $this->agent = $agent;
    }

    /**
     * File path to the cookie file
     * @param string $cookie_file
     */
    public function setCookieFile($cookie_file)
    {
        $this->cookie_file = $cookie_file;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the debug level to use
     * @param int $debug
     */
    public function setDebugState($debug = 2)
    {
        $this->debug = $debug;
    }

    /**
     * Sets callbacks for the events
     * @param string $event on_error, on_http_error, on_body and on_headers events
     * @param Callable $callable any function to parse the data
     */
    public function setCallback($event, Callable $callable)
    {
        $this->$event = $callable;
    }

    /**
     * Gets an array of all of the current settings
     * @return array
     */
    public function getSettings()
    {
        return get_object_vars($this);
    }

    /**
     * Passes the request of to CURL for processing
     *
     * @param string $method The type of method to send it with, POST, GET, PUT, DELETE
     * @param array $data The data to send
     * @param array $override_settings settings to override the default properties of
     * follow_location, verify_ssl, return_transfer, debug, cookie_file, user_agent, timeout, on_http_error, on_headers, on_body
     */
    protected function processCurl($method, $data, $override_settings = Array())
    {

        $settings = get_object_vars($this);
        foreach ($override_settings as $setting => $val) {
            $settings[$setting] = $val;
        }

        $url = $settings['url'];

        if ($method == 'GET' && is_array($data)) {
            $url .='?' . http_build_query($data);
        }

        $ch = curl_init($url);

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, $settings['return_transfer'] ? TRUE : FALSE);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, $settings['user_agent']);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, $settings['follow_location'] ? TRUE : FALSE);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, $settings['verify_ssl'] ? TRUE : FALSE);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, $settings['verify_ssl'] ? TRUE : FALSE);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, is_int($settings['debug']) ? $settings['debug'] : 30);

        if (is_array($settings['authentication']) && count($settings['authentication'])) {
            $auth_type = isset($settings['authentication']['type']) ? $settings['authentication']['type'] : 'basic';

            switch ($auth_type) {
                case 'ntlm':
                    $auth_type = CURLAUTH_NTLM;
                    break;
                case 'digest':
                    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, CURLAUTH_NTLM);
                    $auth_type = CURLAUTH_DIGEST;
                    break;
                case 'any':
                    $auth_type = CURLAUTH_ANY;
                case 'basic':
                default:
                    $auth_type = CURLAUTH_BASIC;
                    break;
            }

            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, $auth_type);
            $uname = isset($settings['authentication']['uname']) ? $settings['authentication']['uname'] : '';
            $pass = isset($settings['authentication']['pass']) ? $settings['authentication']['pass'] : '';
            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_USERPWD, $uname . ':' . $pass);
        }

        if (is_array($settings['headers'])) {
            foreach ($settings['headers'] as $key => $val) {
                curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array($key . ": " . $val));
            }
        }

        if ($settings['debug']) {
            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_VERBOSE, $settings['debug'] ? TRUE : FALSE);
        }

        if (!empty($settings['cookie_file'])) {
            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, $this->cookie_file);
            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, $this->cookie_file);
        }

        if ($method != 'GET') {
            if ($method == 'POST') {
                curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
            } else {
                $data = is_array($data) ? http_build_query($data) : $data;
                curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Length: ' . strlen($data)));
                curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, $method);
            }
            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
        }

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADERFUNCTION, function($ch, $data) use ($settings) {
                if (!is_null($data)) {

                    if (is_callable($settings['on_headers'])) {
                        $settings['on_headers']($data);
                    }

                    if (preg_match("~^HTTP/\d+\.\d+\s(\d+)\s(.*?)[\r\n]~", $data, $match) && !in_array($match[1], Array(100, 200))) {
                        if (is_callable($settings['on_http_error'])) {
                            $settings['on_http_error']($match[1], $match[2]);
                        }
                    }
                }

                return strlen($data);
            });

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, function($ch, $data) use($settings) {

                if (is_callable($settings['on_body'])) {
                    $settings['on_body']($data);
                }

                return strlen($data);
            });

        $response = curl_exec($ch);

        if ($response === false) {
            $error = curl_error($ch);
            $error_no = curl_errno($ch);
            if (is_callable($settings['on_error'])) {
                return $settings['on_error']($error_no, $error);
            }

            return $error_no . ' ' . $error;
        }

        return $response;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Snapshots / Regional / Snapshots
Understanding interdependence to inform marine planning
Posted on March 19, 2014 by adminMaPP
MaPP workshop participants explore options for an integrated suite of human well-being and ecological indicators.
What does your doctor do if you show up in his or her office complaining of a pain on the left side of your chest? Take your blood pressure? Check out your cholesterol?
In fact, today's health practitioners are starting to do a lot more than that. They might ask you about your eating habits (too much unhealthy fast food?), your stress levels, and what you're doing for exercise.
Just as our society has started to adopt a more holistic view of health, we've also realized that it might help us to look at other aspects of our lives through a variety of lenses.
That, at least, is the premise of ecosystem-based management, or EBM, the type of approach that's been adopted by the MaPP initiative. "You can't look at things in a single box," says Andrew Day, a natural resource expert and consultant who has been contracted by the MaPP initiative to develop an integrated suite of human well-being and ecological indicators.
"Just one lens is not enough," he says. "The idea behind EBM is to start looking at things from many different lenses to get a better picture of what's happening in the system."
When considering a particular agency's viewpoint, for example, Day knows it's just as important to consider the perspectives of First Nations, businesses, scientists, non-profit groups, and the public. Day says all these views are valuable and by acknowledging and respecting them it's possible to get a better understanding of what's happening in the system.
It also helps to understand how human well-being indicators (social, economic, cultural, and technological) are interconnected with ecological well-being indicators such as species and habitats. "One of the big questions is understanding how things relate to each other and the consequences of different decisions and actions," Day says.
As a trained lawyer with a PhD in natural resource management, Day says it's his job to draw on the expertise of others and then boil down or integrate their knowledge. "I travelled and worked in Africa for almost five years and became involved in community development," he says. "When I came back to the coast, I connected with a number of First Nations chiefs, mayors, fishermen, agencies, and businesses who could see they needed to start working together and managing things more holistically. They started with the principles of interconnection and respect."
Day says that one of the keys to success in the 21st century will be understanding interdependence and "trying to understand and respect the ways in which what you do over here, is going to affect what you get over there." He recognizes this is difficult to do, in part because it is not the way systems, operations, and thinking occurred during the industrial revolution.
But that is changing now. As an example of one area that's taken big strides in trying to build partnerships and move towards a more ecosystem approach, he cites the Puget Sound Partnership. Inspired by a governor and many leaders who were determined to make the area healthier, the region developed some ambitious goals and indicator tracking. You can see them at the Puget Sound Vital Signs website. "It's presented in a way that everyone can understand," Day says. "It's not just scientific reports – it's much more accessible."
In B.C., the MaPP initiative has hired Day to recommend indicators and options for monitoring the marine area. His team has reviewed indicators from other parts of the world, conducted surveys of more than 200 ecological experts, and facilitated several workshops with businesses, governments, scientists, managers and First Nations.
They have reduced more than 1,000 potential indicators to a suite of about 50. Team members are now working on guide sheets for the recommended indicators and looking at different monitoring programs and partnerships.
"Canada's coasts are globally significant and unique, with high ecological values and incredible economic potential," he says. "It's important to manage them properly or they could become degraded like so many other coastal areas in the world."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Martin Smith, the acclaimed worship artist, songwriter, and producer, has released his second single "Fire's Gonna Fall" (Integrity Music) to all digital sales and streaming platforms. Joined by a lyric video, the song is the follow-up to "Great & Glorious," which released earlier this month.
Following his signing to Integrity Music last year, modern worship pioneer and former Delirious? frontman Martin Smith continues to blaze new trails as a solo artist, most recently joining the First Company Management family.
Integrity Music welcomes renowned British worship artist, songwriter and producer Martin Smith and announces the July release of Smith's first live album, Love Song For A City.
What if something as simple as a song could be the spark we needed to bring God's fire into our lives?


text:
Another For The Rumor Mill
Xanadu Weyr - Kitchens
The kitchen is large and well-stocked with technology as well as those with culinary skill. State of the art equipment has been brought in from the various crafts to be used - stoves and large ovens replacing the hearths that used to be in here. Three baking ovens are usually going full bore half the day, from early morning through to mid-afternoon. Large windows take up the entire of the western wall, generally open wide to the mountainous landscape beyond allowing the cool breezes in to keep the kitchen's temperature to a desirable level.
Tables, cabinets, and counters take up the remaining spaces and walls. Various spices, herbs, and other foodstuffs are found here, and what's not ready at hand is tucked away back in the storage caverns or the massive cold-room large enough to walk inside.
The night hearth beside the door to the main caverns has been kept out of a sense of nostalgia, but the smaller stove set beside it is what's actually used to prepare late-night food. This is where you find late night meals of stew and soup simmering in pots, and pitchers of klah and tea in their electric units to be kept warm.
Rinian is busy at work already, doing any tasks assgined to her by the person in charge. Which at the moment is at the sink working through dishes from lunch. Because nothing in the description even hints that they've invented dishwashers. Seriously people…dishwashers!!!
Who let Mathis back in the kitchen? Unfortunately for the big fat lady and her enormous wood spoon, the boy had been assigned to the caverns today assisting in the collection of dirty dishes and wiping down tables. Smartly, he does not take more than he can carry, getting eyed by several of the kitchen staff as he rigidly walks past with an armful. He was especially careful with each step, pausing anytime he felt something shift along the way, but finally arrives near the enormous sinks that serve as their washing place. "Hi, Rin." he barely breathes, hoisting the stack up and as gingerly as possible setting his burden down in close proximity to her.
Rinian eyes the newest stack, "I guess the weyr does feed a lot of people…" She smiles to him, and outside of that there is no complaining from her. "Its been educational doing all these different jobs, to understand just what it takes to keep this place running. And at least while they have us that gives the regular staff a bit of a break." So long as they do their work properly and don't make /more/ work for the staff.
It was a rather impressive stack, yes. Mathis only dares to move properly once every single piece of dishware was safely settled, holding his hands defensively upwards, and steps back twice. Phew. Okay. Success. Allowing himself to breathe again properly, the boy drops his arms to his side and tries not to get too carried away by how elated he now felt since he'd carried all of those a great distance and had not dropped a single one. "Hmmhmm! All day everyday." A big especially toothy grin is sent back the girl's way in return for the smile she offers, blowing out an unsteady breath to calm himself. Taking in another, slowly, "I was thinking about that. I figure, it gives us a respect for everyone that does the things they do for riders on the off chance we Impress on hatching day, while at the same time earning our keep." A healthy pause and he leans in to quietly whisper, "I don't know about giving the staff a break though, a lot of us don't know how to do a lot of the stuff we get assigned and that can cause more work…" Braincell, they were totally sharing one.
Rinian nods her agreement to the first part and then smiles at the last. "That's why we have to try our best! Next time, why don't you use one of the bins to carry the dishes? And better to make more trips, then fewer and risk breakage. Right?" She gestures to the bins used for just that type of work.
Eyes shift over towards the bin and Mathis's shoulders fall. Yes, that would have been easier wouldn't it? He'd seen the drudges using them, but had been too afraid to ask if he was allowed to as well. He didn't like to make assumptions, even if they were obvious or just common sense, some of those had come back to bite him in the rump over the course of his short life. Moving in, he selects one of the gray plastic bins and finds it exceptionally light considering it had nothing in it. "You're a life savor Rin," he says idly, turning it over in his hands and pondering how much that bin could hold without it being a problem for him. Only one way to find out! Dropping a kiss to the side of her head in thank, he hurries off to get more dirty dishes, but slows down as he moves through the food prep areas, keeping his eyes alert for anyone or anything he might have to dodge along the way. Upon his return, he's back to being careful and ginger with each step, having overloaded himself a bit in all that eagerness. Still, despite this, he lifts and places the bin within reach with mindful easement. Groaning upon exhale, he shakes out his arms and gives them a bit of a rub because Faranth that'd been heavy.
Rinian smiles at the kiss and returns to her dish washing, making the most of a task that has to be done and she was assigned. Besides, the harder she works, the quicker it'll be done. She doesn't notice his overloading until he's made his careful way through and back to her station. She eyes the bin. "Matty, don't stack it over the edge and you won't have to worry about them falling off and breaking." The advice is offered with a smile though, "Just take more trips, it'll be way less stressful than worrying."
Oh sure, NOW she tells him. But, no, seriously not the reason. Mathis gives Rinian a long look with a widening of hazel eyes, shaking his head slowly back and forth as he comes in close and murmurs to her low, "The less trips I make the less I have to walk through the kitchen." Breaking a dish was the least of his worries, given as he leans back and peers past the girl's head he can see the occasional peering of disgruntlement right back. Well enough to duck back and ostrich himself (one of those 'if he can't see them, they can's see him either' kinda deals).
Rinian looks through the kitchen and then suggests, "If you are't worrying about dropping the dishes, you'll be able to pay more attention to the other workers. And if you go around the edge there, its a bit longer, but you'll miss that busyiest area right there. Plus, if you're not balancing them you can move more quickly out of someone's way." She pauses, "Or would you rather do the dishes and I'll go fetch them? I don't mind either way."
Mathis is back to chewing on his bottom lip, the thing he does when he's concerned about something, and given its state it's fair to guess that he's been worrying himself sick for the last while. Although he was continuing to hide behind her as best he knew how (there was still plenty to see considering he'd grown over his time as a candidate and was officially now taller than Rinian), all scrunched up like that, his eyes dart her direction as she speaks but has nothing to say really until she offers to exchange duties with him. As if new life had been breathed into him, Mathis stares at her even as moisture threatens to fill newly widened spaces, clasping his hands to her arm, "Would you do that? Really?!" How good he is at getting dishes properly clean remains to be see, but he was leaping at the chance to switch jobs.
Rinian notices, now, the change in their heights. Well, the change in his. She's not budged at all! *sigh* She smiles at him though and nods, "Of course. But, could you tell me first what has you so worried?" She wonders how long before she's really looking up at him?
As Rinian confirms that she is willing to switch, Mathis looks both pleased as pie and relieved, drawing back some from her as to give her room to move out of the way and let him get his hands in that there sink! However, any motion towards accomplishing this step in his plan for taking over dishwashing falters upon that 'but' and for a moment it looks as if he truly was about to cry. Nooooo! That startled look said with its pouty lips and furrowed brow, "Wha…bu…" Perhaps he's been stunned into silence, or he's polite enough to school himself into not interrupting as much as he would like to, mouth forming a thin white line. A sigh is soon to follow, easing himself back against the sink to hide himself again in her profile, "Ugh, okay, but…you can't laugh!" He waits until she promises and only then does he explain himself, "Sylvarin got me out of training duty by pulling some strings with the kitchen staff, getting me assigned there instead. It was super busy that day and they told me to make some sweet bread, showed me how and gave me the recipe, but forgot to get the special flour down off this like…REALLY high shelf." She can probably guess what happened, but he continues with the heaviness of a sigh, "Sooooo…I tried to ask a couple people to help, looked for a stool or something, and ended up trying to reach up and grab it on my own…" Tiptoes and everything, Rinian. "It kinda fell on my head and got everywhere. Glenka got really, REALLY mad and chased me out of the kitchen with the HUGE wooden spoon she's always carrying and told me to never come back." The take away here, is the it was probably this Glenka woman's offday and the rest of the staff totally had her back, even if technically they couldn't ban him from anything other than cooking.
Rinian ohhs softly, and admirably doesn't laugh. "That sort of thing can happen to anyone, and she probably said that when she was mad. You should really track her down and apologize, and if you can, explain how it happened. I'm sure she'd understand since you couldn't get any help." She smiles, "But for now, with your back to the room while doing dishes, I think you'll be fine. I'll finish fetching the dishes." She snags an empty bin and goes about the work. Thankfully, like him, their work make them a lot stronger than they look, otherwise this task might be a lot more trouble than it is.
"I did!" Apologize, Mathis means, "Over and over again, and I explained to her what happened, beginning to end!" At lightning speed no doubt and in such a way an angered woman would have been far too frustrated with him to listen and figure out what he was trying to say, "But she kept coming at me with that spoon and I didn't want to die like that!" The very pinnacle of melodramatically, he sucks in a breath and pleads with Rinian with his eyes all big and glistening, clasping his hands before him. Oh please, oh please, oh please. Given his history of being picked on, it wouldn't be a huge leap to assume that he was scared of this Glenka woman and that since the incident had been avoiding her entirely. He's beyond thrilled when Rinian relents and relinquishes her spot at the sink, sliding himself straight on in there immediately after she makes room for him. "Thank you so much, Rin!" Faranth, that smile was dazzling, the other woodcrafter might have the shield her eyes. Turning back towards the sink and looking like the feline who caught the avian, he sets about scrubbing away at the dishes he'd already brought whole putting some serious elbow grease into it.
Rinian can't help but smile at her young friend. He was just so adorable! Well, maybe she'll just have a conversation with Glenka and see if she can't smooth things over. She makes more frequent trips, not overfilling the bin, and the area her small size works well, is slipping in between the workers already busily prepping for dinner. In short order all the lunch stuff is brought in. And those that show up late have bins out there to leave their dirty dishes in that can just be deal with later. "Here, let me help you get this finished."
Fortunately, Mathis had no idea that Rinian was thinking about talking to Grenka, because he'd absolutely try to talk her out of it. Undoubtedly he's weave a fantastical tale about how she would come for him in the night, stand over his cot, and magically transform him into some sort of pie that she'd serve with a nice garnish and a side of steamed veggies. Instead, there is much dishwashing, picking up speed as he goes and learns quickly what does or doesn't work. Really scrubbing at it works, but he figures that doing that will just result in wearing himself out before he was done and so he slows it down by placing the dishes with the worst of the stuck on globs of who knows what into the sink filed with hot soapy water while cleaning the one that weren't so bad. Impressively, he keeps up pretty well between loads but there is still plenty to do as Rinian brings the last of the lunch dishes. Not to mention that Mathis looks a bit tuckered out with his pruney fingers. There is another grateful expression for Rinian, "Okay. Thank you. How about I scrub and you rinse?"
With a blink, Mathis tilts his head to the side as he looks over at Rinian, "Uh, okay. But, why?" A not so casual glance is spared the pristine and sparkling dishes he'd already washed, rinsed, and set to dry in that enormous rack there off to the side. He was doing a good job, right? That was the implication, that he was worried she was going to take over the scrubbing part because he'd been doing a bad job but was being nice and not saying. That hip bump does well to get him to move over and give her access to the soaking sink, darting eyes between woodcrafter girl and clean dishes again. "Okay. Okay." It didn't matter honestly, but he couldn't help it.
Rinian doesn't read minds, really, but she assures him, "You've done a good job, but scrubbing gets tireing. But if we trade off it'll be easier on both of us." So, scrub scurb scrub
[Xanadu Weyr] Cielo grabs someone to dance with.
Teinon's head pokes into the kitchen, and there's actually no indication that he even worked today… Except for the fact that his hair is still a wee bit damp from the baths. He glances around the kitchen, and when he doesn't immediately spot what he's looking for, he kind of wanders on in.
Mathis nods quietly to Rinian, offering up a soft sweet smile in acceptance of her word, and gets to rinsing what she hands off to him. Together, they actually make quick work of what remains, so switching becoming unnecessary. Setting the last clean bowl aside to dry, he turns off the water and wipes down the area to sop up any stray puddles he might have caused. Looking down, he finds that the entire front of his tunic was soaked through to his skin, so he pats at it a bit before grinning his fellow candidate's way, "Wow, that went really quick when we work together." A shame not all chores worked that way. He hasn't spotted Teinon as of yet, still a ways off from the two woodcrafters and the kitchen was busy preparing for the evening meal, so plenty of hustle and bustle that direction.
Rinian nods, drying off her hands and looking over a job well done. "We make a good team." As if they didn't already know that. She at least managed to keep drier than he did! Poor Matty. She turns to see what other work might require them and spots.."Hi, Teinon!"
Teinon dodges all the hustler and bustlers as he searches around the kitchens, but his expression brightens into a smile when he's greeted by Rinian. He waves and starts to make his way that direction. Mathis's soaked condition is met with a little amused smile. He looks toward the ceiling, and holds his hands out, as if checking for rain.
Oh, Mathis knew they made a great team. They always had, right from the start. Things had just, clicked between them back at the hall and they'd been inseparable. Circumstances being what they were, however, they'd been posted halfway across the world from one another if only to be reunited as candidates for the same clutch of eggs. Backstory aside, he offers the other woodcrafter a high five and stands back with her to admire all that they had done, hands poised over his hips. He doesn't look bothered at all by his less than dry state of being, grinning there like a fool up until Rinian spots Teinon, "Hi, Teinon." A short and brief wave and as the herder suggests it might have been raining in the cavern or that the rock above their heads might have sprung a leak, the boy stick his tongue out at him, "Oh, haha. No. Dishes." See, he'll even point him towards the actual culprit.
Rinian laughs softly at the suggestion of rain. And on top of all of those other shared things of the two, they have sibling firelizards too. Hers is out near the hearth in the caverns, sleeping off her latest meal. "Come in search of something to eat?" This asked of Teinon, though knowing Matty with all his growing, he's probably hungry again too.
Teinon grins, winks at Mathis to show he's teasing (apparently he NEVER LEARNS), and then makes an approving nod and light clapping of his hands in reaction to the dishes. Tei shakes his head to Rinian's question, with a wry little smile, and signs, "Sylvarin?" with a questioning expression. Maybe he didn't get the memo that Syl isn't on kitchen duty this shift.
Where Bocote is in this moment, it's difficult to say, the brown had a mind of his own and showed up only when he was required or when he needed something. Specifically, to warm his tiny body by wrapping it around his pet's neck. Whether he wanted him there, or not. Mathis rolls his eyes a bit for the grin and the wink with a quick laugh, and probably to Teinon's relief does not turn any shade of pink whatsoever. All things, in their time, pass. Brightening, the boy grins wide and takes a bow, righting himself and gesturing towards Rinian so she could follow suit or curtsy as she saw fit. At mention of something to eat, right on cue Mathis's stomach rumbles something awful, making his face twist a bit into a grimace and clutch at the area of his body over the demanding organ. Oooh, yeah, food sounded good. As for what Teinon was inquiring about? The boy lifts and drops his shoulders, "Haven't seen him, I don't think he's on kitchen duty today."
Rinian starts to answer, but Matty beat her to it. "I think he and Nessaylin had chores today for…fishing and hunting." And they all know how likely that would be for the baker. "Or you might find him dropping things off the clock tower." At the grumbling tummy she smiles again, "Let's at least get you some food, Matty. What would you like?"
Teinon wrinkles his nose sympathetically at news that Sylvarin might be off /hunting/. With Nessalyn. "Sounds awful," Teinon signs, but steps back out of the way as Rinian starts to fetch Mathis some food.
Clearly, Rinian had more information than Mathis did on the location of the wayward baker, looking between them both at mention of Nessalyn. Shaking his head, "If he's with her, I'm sure he's doing better than you think." A wry grin for that, then looks to Rinian, "We should head out if we're done here. I don't want to give the kitchen staff any reason to boot me out of here again." He'd never seen any of them actually eating in the food prep or dish washing area, probably something to do with germs, and he wanted to be respectful of their area. Waving both woodcrafter and Teinon onwards, he plays dodge staffer on his way out and heads directly towards where the food could be selected for consumption. Honestly, he didn't want Rinian to wait on him either, not when he was perfectly capable of getting his own food.
Xanadu Weyr - Caverns
A massive cavern in its own right, this one has been skillfully adapted for human habitation. The high ceilings have been painted a light, soft ivory, as have walls hung with numerous tapestries that provide brilliant color and insulation from the stone. The floor has been left in its natural state, pale pink granite speckled through with glittering mica and dark flecks of basalt. The stone is carefully leveled but kept sufficiently rough to avoid slips.
The cavern itself is loosely divided into areas, each one set up to be suitable for some segment of the Weyr's population. The most frequently occupied area is the one near the Kitchens, where tables of varying sizes provide a place to sit down and eat or chat and a buffet of consumables is almost always kept stocked. It's plain that on most days, this area wouldn't accommodate anywhere near the full population of the Weyr, instead feeding people in shifts as they come off duty. On occasions when a formal meal is laid out, tables are borrowed from all the other areas.
There's also a big fireplace set into the western wall, several comfortable chairs nearby providing haunts for elderly residents or riders who like a good view of all that happens. Rugs cover the floor in strategic spots, all of them abstract or geometric in design and most in the softly neutral colors of undyed wool.
Exits lead off in all directions, the largest an archway to the northeast that leads outside. Near it there's an alcove with hooks for coats and shelves for muddy boots. A tunnel to the east goes to the infirmary, and a set of stairs just a little south of that lead up to the offices and administration area. To the south, a long and sloping tunnel leads down to the hot springs. The kitchen is off to the southwest, while the residents' quarters are reached by tunnels going west, deeper into the cliff.
Rinian would have been perfectly happy to wait on him, but doesn't disagree about the relocation. For her part its a mug of sweetened and creamed klah and a roll and cheese to nibble on. Then she looks about, spotting Fern in her favorite spot, and…yes! A table near the fire open, since everyone else has already done the lunch thing.
On the other hand, there is Mathis, who grabs a plate and loads it heavily with everything and anything under Rukbat. A tall mug filled with ice cold milk (cause it does a body good people) and he's on his way to join Rinian at the table before the hearth. "Uggghh, I didn't realize how hungry washing dishes can make you!" he says aloud and to no one in particular, setting his plate and mug down before dropping himself in a seat. Hands are rubbed vigorously together as he peruses his acquired digs, soon picking up his knife and fork. That was, far too much food for just one person, but from the look in Matty's eyes he might just prove reality wrong.
Rinian smiles and teases her friend lightly, "Breathing makes you hungry, but that's all right. I think you've gotten taller since you've been here, and you've got to fuel that growth!" Where as she hasn't grown one little bit. She nibbles and sips, after all she did have lunch before she started to work. It helps showing up a bit early for your duty shift.
Washing dishes, washing dragons… what are dragons but one big dish? Which is where Cielo comes from. On a break, yes, sleeves rolled up and his sight for once on food before friends. "Hey! Hi. Mind if I join you?" He chimes, hopping over a threshhold and setting a mug down on the table with a *clack*. His bag sways at his side, and there's a slip of leather cord barely visible at his collar. Aaand he's already got a bite in his mouth. Great.
There is soft laughter from Mathis when Rinian teases him about his eating habits, not about to argue something that was probably true anyway. Cutting into his disproportionate meal, he does look up when she says he's grown, grinning over at her with all those teeth of his. "I know! The healers told me I was finally in that growth spurt they said was coming, I stopped by when we got back from swimming with the dolphins." Because he had an appointment, as he did every few sevendays, because the healers were closely monitoring the spindly little thing. A thing that was a little less little, according to them. "They think I might get as tall as five feet and ten inches!" Eh, close enough. Getting down to business, Mathis starts to eat, chewing with happiness over food about to be in his belly and the knowledge that he wouldn't be a shorty forever. Enter Cielo, greeting and helping himself to a seat at their table, practically hitting the boy's pause button the second his voice rang true in his ears. BLUSH ON, and FWOOSH, there it was. Pink and getting pinker as hazel eyes track over the draonhealer's direction. At least he didn't choke? Spotting that very familiar leather cord peeking out from beneath the other candidate's collar, unpause and Mathis all but drops his fork as he melts into his chair. "Is that?" STARE. "Y-You wore it." Does he look like he's about to cry? Yes, yes he does. And without thinking he leans over so that he can throw his arms around his shoulders and smooshes a slightly greasy smooch dead center the poor guy's cheek.
Rinian cups her mug in her hands, elbows on the table, so happy for her friend that he won't be a shorty. She sure wishes she'd get that kind of news, but no such luck. Of course, she hasn't been to see the healers since she came here. To be honest, she never sees them, thanks to being ridiculously healthy all the time. And then comes Cielo, "Of course you may join us. They have you working hard?" She's used to Matty's color changing act so isn't terribly surprised when he goes through it. But the smooch on the cheek? Impressive!
"At the very least. You know, I could really see you growing into the whole 'dashing rogue' motif…" Cielo teases, between smiles and BETWEEN bites of food, somehow. He's ravenous, not ill mannered. Someone ought to remind him to actually eat more than once a day, though. "Thank you! Mm. Not too hard. It is nice to be tending dragons who are in good health." When Matty mentions the fact that he wore it, he lifts up the carved wood and gemstone pendant and carefully turns it in his hand, smiling. "Well of COURSE. What did you think I was going to do, lock it up in a drawer? Though I have to keep it out of the way when things get—" Oh dear. Cielo probably hasn't been pecked by anyone but his ma and occasionally nan. It snaps the wind out of him and his cheeks darken severely, a mug thunks on the table as he loses it and breaks for a moment. He smiles over his shoulder, and… oh gosh what does he do now.
Dashing rogue? That comment probably did it's fair share of turning the woodcrafter lad into a fair approximation of crimson. It might have ended there with bunch of silence and very awkward eating, but he had to go and look at Cielo. With everything that occurs following that, Mathis misses that Rinian is impressed with his daring, far too busy all of sudden stiffening as he realizes what he's done, lips coming off the dragonhealer real fast and he's back into his own space with plenty of breathing room on all sides before anyone can say anything at all about what just happened. He looks, horrified as he does all but purple, holding his hands up defensively between himself and the dragonhealer as to fend off some sort of anticipated retaliation. Panicked, wide eyes dart to Rinian (HELP!) then back to Cielo, slowly shaking his head while floundering on all sorts of rapid fired apologies and pleas for forgiveness. "I just…sor…I-I…wait…cause….S-s-s-sorry…I-I-I j-j-just….th-the th-thing…and…t-the…" There's some gesturing as well that really has no real meaning perhaps not even to him. Gasping in a breath, he returns to that deepest darkest red and huffs out a rough, "I am SO sorry!" Annnnd, another crush bites the dust? Yep, likely.
Rinian tried to help Matty before with a 'like' problem, and that didn't go so well. So…she butts out. She doesn't run off and leave him at least, but she quietly sips her drink. A little churrip announces the arrival of Fern, who glides from where she'd been sleeping to settle on Rin's shoulder and hide somewhat in her thick hair. Rinian reaches up to pet her gently, and leaves the guys to sort out..whatever it is they are going to sort out, or not sort out, as the case may be.
Cielo can't help his honest feelings! They're charitable, optimistic ones, though they may not be born from a sort of romantic interest. What even IS romance? Or crushes or the way he's been staring off looking like a bewildered fawn. Then, comes the stammering, and the apology. "… it's okay! It's really okay. You don't have to be sorry, honestly, I…" Cielo rubs a few fingers at his cheek spot, still PROCESSING this. Oh gosh, he's not going to return that gesture but he does offer a warm hug? Or he TRIES. About half a lean in the blue firelizard slinking in his satchel explodes out the top, his wings flaring open as he lets out a song-like trill and circles above the healer noisily. Oh, dear, cacophony.
Rinian? No help, at all. She's noped out and boarded the screwthattrain for youonyownsville. There was a faintly knotted brow for that from Mathis, but otherwise he's devoted himself to all but prostrating himself before the dragonhealer. What the boy knew of romance went as far as handholding and kisses on the cheek, and having resigned himself and sworn against even liking someone till the day he died, ignored the general chatter of the weyrfolk about the rest of it. One HEARS things in a weyr, whether they wanted to or not. Then, he'd seen Cielo for the first (second) time. Then all the feeling he didn't know what to do about or how to deal with came back with a vengeance, his body operating on it own as his brain had checked out. At the offer a hug, or at the very least the lean in to offer one, Mathis pushes his hand forward to ward it off. Yeah, no. He'd reached his limit of physical contact with the guy he likes for today, perhaps for a long long while. Thankyoueversomuch. Opera puts an exclamation point on that sentiment as he bursts free and announces his possessive arrival, leaving Mathis to hunch over his food and pretend nothing at happened at all with a singular thought focused on eating and making some excuse afterwards on why he had to leave. Though, he does peek up past his brows to Rinian and her chill AF tea sipping. He loved her to pieces, but, traitor okay?
Rinian arches a brow at Matty for the look. She's innocent. She's doing her best to not -make-things-worse-. And it seems she even messes that up. SIGH. This people-ing thing is so overrated. She considers the merit of hermit-hood as she lets her gaze get all unfocused on the fire in the fireplace. It has merit. She could carve what she liked, sell it or trade it for food and such, and stop messing up the whole personal interaction thing. So plan…1) Get through candidacy. 2) Witness dragon egg hatching first hand so she can make her Journeyman project. 3) Get Journeyman knot. 4) Go find a cave to hide in and work from for the rest of her life. Yep..that'll do.
Oh, the LOOK on Cielo's face when Mathias gives him the proverbial and literal push-away. Okay it's mostly confusion but there's a flash of woundedness in there. And then he's… up on his feet, practically chasing the singing lizard around with an unusual look of frustration. "Nononono, pleaaaase come down here." Stop making a ruckus, making things worse. There's a veritable twist and he somehow manages not to trip over his own strap, holding out his arm adamantly. "I will give you my dinner," he says, decidedly, which works almost like a spell. Opera roosts upon him and gives him a long, expetant look, before he finally sighs and slumps back into place. … right. The other awkward situation which he just got bolted out of. At least it jump-started his brain a little. ".. we're really.. not supposed to spoil them, are we?" He wonders, while fishing up a piece for the little beast. A promise is a promise.
Cielo's hurt confusion and hurt? Likely missed in the frantic flapping of a firelizard's wings, responsible for his warding hand push of banishing +2 to last all of second before he was startled and cringing back some in his surprise. This might be why he didn't storm off or burst into tears, or it could be another sign of him growing up right before their eyes. After all, he was on the cusp of turning fourteen, his turnday less than a month away. Where DOES the time go? However, preceding this latest disaster, once again Mathis was in serious internal preparations for swearing off any and all romantic attachments. The firelizard freak out and Cielo's mad dash around the immediate area in claim of him, drawing his attention that way for a matter of moments before he looks back to Rinian. Look, he was already sorry for quasi-venting his frustration at her, giving her leg a gentle nudge beneath the table and expressing wordlessly his apology. Yay, apologies all around for everyone. "No," comes his quiet reply to the dragonhealer, gaze locked plateward and having returned to his normal state of paleness because of it. Except, for that rosy splash of blush dotting each cheek. He still LIKED HIM okay? He just needed a beat or a trillion.
Rinian blinks to refocus her gaze on Matty at the leg nudge and gives him a bit of a smile. To the other question…"You would know better than us, right? But honestly..so hard to not spoil them, isn't it?"
Yes, yes, a change in topic will be GRAND. There's healing of the body and healing of the heart and sometimes time is the best salve. Cielo is taking off bits and hand-feeding the firelizard which makes the most happiest sounds. Silly. Cute, even. "It's hard, for me. Withholding things that make him talk like that. Even though I know it's better for him." Or bribing him into calm. That one won't age well. Cielo's smile—well, there's his apology, on his face, as he finally and willingly looks up again. "I wouldn't say I know much better! But that's not the thing. Especially those eggs… I can't be the only one who feels the urge to.. coddle one or two of them."
Rinian nods to his question. "Yes! The one that looks like falling flower petals? It just wants love and.." She trails off. "But yes, I know what you mean."
Cielo smiles absently as he feeds Opera, and thankful he got some, because now his appetite is failing him. "I don't know what's going to come next. But I'd like to think that they're going to be loved. And maybe sometimes it's okay to…" He nods. Glances at Matti and back again. "I felt that way about the shadowy one. I—" He hesitates, winces at a little too-close nip from Opera. "No, nevermind."
Rinian looks curious, setting down her mug to nibble on her roll. "I have no doubt they will love each other..rider and dragon..for every one of those eggs. But what about the shadowy one?"
Back to that one, yes. "Oh. It was just my first touch, and it was… scary at first. Even if you've heard what it's like, well… you were there. I could just tell that it wanted to be with someone, and it was just so happy that we were there with it for a while." He sets Opera down into his lap so that he can reach for his drink. "… every one of them?" Cielo asks quietly.
Rinian nods slowly, "I think every one of them is just waiting, wanting just that right one." She smiles at him and nods, "I'm not a weyr person, but I've never, ever heard of a dragon and rider not loving each other. Have you?"
Mathis was very nearly done with eating at this point, using his last roll to clean up the drippings left behind until that thing looked like nothing had touched it in the first place. Taking up his mug, he interjects softly with, "My brother," Not really his honest to goodness brother but a fosterling like himself, "He said that if the dragon isn't accepted by its rider, it'll go between and never comes out again."
Once Opera has licked the plate clean, he curls in Cielo's lap and folds his wings. Cielo keeps a slow and quiet grooming. "I admit I haven't…" Then Mathis speaks up and Cielo peers over. "No one in this group would, right? I can't imagine rejecting… any… of them." He just gets quieter and quieter.
Rinian's eyes go wide. "That hasn't ever happened, has it?" She can't even imagine. "Why would someone even stand if they didn't want to be there?"
Thin shoulders lift and then are dropped, Mathis keeping his face turned towards the hearth now as he sits back in his chair to digest while observing the cheerfully crackling fire built within it, tipping his mug against his lips and drinking deeply of the contents. Even room temperature, milk was scrumptious. "I don't know," is meant for Cielo, and he says this because how well can you know the people who'd been thrown into candidacy with you? He thought he'd had them all figured out but now he wasn't so sure. There were some exceptions of course. The other woodcrafter gain a flicker his eyes, "Must of, how else would people know about it?" A solemn expression on his face and Mathis is pushing back his chair he collects his dirty dishes and goes to deposit them into the gray bin Rinian had told him about, taking the passage down into the lower caverns from there.
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