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The Darkest Corners
4.2 18 5 1
by Kara ThomasKara Thomas
"Gripping from start to finish . . . with twists that left me shocked."—Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen
For fans of Gillian Flynn and Pretty Little Liars, The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.
There are secrets around every corner in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa left when she was nine and has been trying ever since not to think about what happened there that last summer.
She and her childhood best friend Callie never talked about what they saw. Not before the trial. And certainly not after.
But ever since she left, Tessa has had questions. Things have never quite added up. And now she has to go back to Fayette—to Wyatt Stokes, sitting on death row; to Lori Cawley, Callie's dead cousin; and to the one other person who may be hiding the truth.
Only the closer Tessa gets to what really happened, the closer she gets to a killer—and this time, it won't be so easy to run away.
And don't miss Kara's next "eerie and masterly psychological thriller" Little Monsters—on sale now (SLJ)!
Random House Children's Books
HL740L (what's this?)
Kara Thomas has written for everything from her high school newspaper to Warner Bros. Television. She is a true-crime addict who lives on Long Island with her husband and rescue cat. She is the author of The Darkest Corners, Little Monsters, and The Cheerleaders. To learn more about Kara and her books, visit her at kara-thomas.com or follow @karatwrites on Twitter and @kara_thomas on Instagram.
Hell is a two-hour layover in Atlanta.
The woman to my right has been watching me since I sat down. I can tell she's one of those people who take the sheer fact that you're breathing as an invitation to start up a conversation.
No eye contact. I let the words repeat in my head as I dig around for my iPod. I always keep it on me, even though it's a model that Apple hasn't made for seven years and the screen is cracked.
Pressure builds behind my nose. The woman stirs next to me. No eye contact. And definitely do not—
I sneeze.
"Bless you, honey! Hot, isn't it?" The woman fans herself with her boarding pass. She reminds me of my gram: she's old, but more likely to be hanging around a Clinique counter than at the community center on bingo day. I give her a noncommittal nod.
She smiles and shifts in her seat so she's closer to my armrest. I try to see myself through her eyes: Greasy hair in a bun. Still in black pants and a black V-neck—my Chili's uniform. Backpack wedged between my feet. I guess I look like I need mothering.
"So where you from?" she asks.
It's a weird question for an airport. Don't most people ask each other where they're going?
I swallow to clear my throat. "Florida."
She's still fanning herself with the boarding pass, sending the smell of sweat and powder my way. "Oh, Florida. Wonderful."
Not really. Florida is where people move to die.
"There are worse places," I say.
I would know, because I'm headed to one of them.
I knew someone was dead when my manager told me I had a phone call. During the walk from the kitchen to her office, I convinced myself it was Gram. When I heard her voice on the other end, I thought I could float away with relief.
Then she said, "Tessa, it's your father."
Pancreatic cancer, she explained. Stage four. It wouldn't have made a difference if the prison doctors had caught it earlier.
It took the warden three days to track me down. My father's corrections officer called Gram's house collect when I was on my way to work.
Gram said he might not make it through the night. So she picked me up from Chili's, my backpack waiting for me on the passenger seat. She wanted to come with me, but there was no time to get clearance from her cardiologist to fly. And we both knew that the extra ticket would have been a waste of money anyway.
Glenn Lowell isn't her son. She's never even met the man.
I bought my ticket to Pittsburgh at the airport. It cost two hundred dollars more than it would have if I'd booked it in advance. I nearly said screw it. That's two hundred dollars I need for books in the fall.
You're probably wondering what kind of person would let her father die alone for two hundred dollars. But my father shot and nearly killed a convenience store owner for a lot less than that—and a carton of cigarettes.
So. It's not that I don't want to be there to say goodbye; it's just that my father's been dead to me ever since a judge sentenced him to life in prison ten years ago.
Maggie Greenwood is waiting for me at the arrivals gate. She's a few shades blonder and several pounds heavier than she was the last time I saw her.
That was almost ten years ago. I don't like thinking about how little has changed since then. The Greenwoods are taking me in like a stray cat again. Except this time I'm well fed. I'm on the wrong side of being able to pull off skinny jeans. Probably all those dinner breaks at Chili's.
"Oh, honey." Maggie scoops me to her for a hug with one arm. I flinch but force myself to clasp my hands around her back. She grips my shoulders and gives me her best tragedy face, but she can't help the smile creeping into her lips. I try to see myself through her eyes—no longer a bony, sullen little girl with hair down to her waist.
My mother never cut my hair. Now the longest I keep it is at my shoulders.
"Hi, Maggie."
She puts an arm on the small of my back and herds me out to where she's parked. "Callie wanted to come, but she had to get an early night."
I nod, hoping that Maggie doesn't sense how her daughter's name inspires a sick feeling in my stomach.
"She has a twirling competition tomorrow morning," Maggie says. I'm not sure who she's trying to convince. I know it's all bullshit and Callie wouldn't have come if Maggie had dragged her.
"So she's still into that?" What I really mean is, So people actually still twirl batons and call it a sport, huh? But I don't want to be rude.
"Oh, yeah. She got a scholarship." Maggie's grin nearly cuts her face in half. "To East Stroudsburg. She's thinking of majoring in exercise science."
I know all this, of course. I know who Callie is still friends with (mostly Sabrina Hayes) and what she had for breakfast last week (cinnamon-sugar muffin from Jim's Deli). I know how badly Callie is dying to get out of Fayette (pronounced Fay-it, population five thousand) and that she already parties harder than a college freshman.
Even though I haven't spoken to her in ten years, I know almost everything there is to know about Callie Greenwood. Everything except the thing I desperately need to know.
Does she still think about it?
"Your grandmother told me you decided on Tampa?"
I nod and lean my head against the window.
When I told Gram I'd gotten into the University of Tampa, she said that I had better think real hard about going to college in the city. Cities chew people up and spit them out.
As Maggie gets off at the exit for Fayette, all I can think is that I'd rather be chewed up and spit out than swallowed whole.
Maggie pulls up outside a white, two-story farmhouse that was twice as big in my childhood memory. We shut the doors of the minivan, prompting the dogs next door to flip out. It's almost one in the morning; in a few hours, Maggie's husband, Rick, will be getting ready to start his bread delivery route. I feel bad, wondering if he's waiting up to make sure Maggie got home okay. That's the kind of husband he is.
My dad was the kind of husband who'd make my mom wait up, sick with worry, until he stumbled in smelling like Johnnie Walker.
The dogs quiet down once we're on Maggie's porch, already tired of barking. Neighborhoods in Fayette wear their emotions like people do. The Greenwoods' neighborhood is tired, full of mostly blue-collar families who are up before the sun. The type of people who eat dinner together seven nights a week, no matter how exhausted they are.
When I think of my old neighborhood, I think of anger. Of crumbling town houses squashed together so tightly, you can see right into your neighbor's kitchen. I think of angry old men on their porches, complaining about the cable company or the Democrats or their social security checks not arriving on time.
The Greenwoods used to live in my old neighborhood. They moved a year before I left to live with Gram, which meant I couldn't run down the street to play with Callie like I'd been doing since I was six.
Maggie unlocks the front door, and I immediately smell the difference. I want to ask her if she misses her old house as much as I do.
But of course she doesn't. And after what happened in that house, it's the type of question that will definitely make me unwelcome here.
"Are you hungry?" Maggie asks, shutting the door and locking it behind her. "I know they don't give you anything on the plane anymore. There's some leftover lasagna."
I shake my head. "I'm just . . . really beat."
Maggie makes a sympathetic face, and I notice all the lines that weren't there ten years ago. She probably thinks I'm upset about my father dying.
The Tessa she remembers would have been upset. She would have cried and screamed for her daddy like she did the day the cops broke the front door down and led him out of the house in handcuffs.
Maggie doesn't know that the old Tessa has been replaced with a monster who just wants her father to hurry up and die so she can go home.
"Of course you are." Maggie squeezes my shoulder. "Let's get you to bed."
The sun comes up the instant I fall asleep.
I really need a shower, but I don't know where the Greenwoods keep their towels. In the old house, they had a linen closet inside the bathroom. Instead of going downstairs and asking Maggie for a towel, I splash some water on my face and pat it dry with a hand towel.
I have trouble asking people for things. I've been this way for as long as I can remember, but I think it got bad when Gram brought me to Florida. Before she turned her office into a bedroom for me, I slept on a pullout bed. There were no blinds on the windows, so every morning at six, the sunlight streamed in and I couldn't fall back asleep.
I started sleeping under the pullout bed, because it was dark there. Gram didn't catch me for more than a month. The windows in my room have blinds now, but sometimes, when I can't sleep, I find myself crawling under the bed and staring at the bedsprings like they're constellations.
I didn't even bother trying to fall asleep last night. When I'm done washing my face I find some Listerine under the sink and swish a bit in my mouth. No reason to redo the bun I slept in. What's the point? There's no way I'll look worse than my father.
Maggie is making French toast when I get downstairs. A coffeemaker gurgles on the counter.
"Milk or cream?" she asks, gesturing to the mug she's left out for me. I don't have the heart to tell her I hate coffee.
I shrug. "Either is fine."
Maggie tilts the pan and flips a slice of bread. "I tried to get Callie up, but she's not feeling well."
I sit down at the kitchen table. I heard Callie sneak in at three this morning. I'll bet anything she's hungover. Once Callie started high school, the red Solo cups in her Facebook pictures started popping up like mushrooms.
"She's missing her competition." Maggie frowns, adjusting the heat on the stove. "But I figure I'll let her slide. It's the summer."
My muscles tense up as I realize this means that Callie probably won't be able to avoid me all day. Especially not if her mother has anything to do with it.
I called Callie every day for a week once I got to Florida. Every time, Maggie answered. Callie was either at twirling practice, or riding bikes with Ariel Kouchinsky, or finishing up her homework. Maggie's voice became more desperate and apologetic every day. She didn't want me to give up.
Eventually my calls stretched out to once a week, then once a month. Then they stopped altogether.
This past year, Maggie called on my birthday and sent us a card for Christmas. She didn't mention Callie either time.
Three years ago, I spotted Callie in the last place I thought she'd be: an online forum dedicated to discussing the Ohio River Monster murder trial. She made only one post. It was two lines, telling the other posters to shut up—what did they know about the case, they were a bunch of wannabe lawyers living in their moms' basements. She signed off with Wyatt Stokes is a murderer and never came back to defend herself against the swarms of people demanding, Prove it.
I know it was Callie; she used the same username she's used for everything since we were ten—twirlygirly23.
I created an account and messaged her. It's me, Tessa. I've been reading this stuff too. She never responded.
In any event, she can't be thrilled that I'm back to remind her of the worst summer of our lives.
Maggie flops a piece of French toast onto my plate. I look up and return her wan smile. We have to be at the prison by eight.
Fayette, Pennsylvania, looks worse during the day. Worse than I remember. Maggie stops at the Quik Mart on Main Street to get gas. Half the businesses are boarded up, or are hiding behind Closed signs that are probably gathering dust.
A big part of Fayette died with the steel industry in the early nineties. Before I was born, my father worked at a mill in the next town over. Now Fayette looks as if it were clinging on for dear life. Probably because everyone here is so goddamn stubborn. No one will let Jim's Deli or Paul the Tailor go out of business.
The people who are left refuse to pack up and leave. But with any luck, their kids will.
It takes us half an hour to get to the county prison. I don't realize my leg is jiggling until Maggie puts the car in park and sets her hand on my knee.
"Honey, are you sure you want to do this?"
Of course I don't. "It's fine," I say. "We won't stay long."
Maggie flips her mirror down and puts on a fresh coat of petal-pink lipstick. I return her tight smile, and we walk side by side to the security gate. She slips her arm around my back and doesn't pull away when my muscles tense.
Gram isn't touchy-feely. For years, every night I'd linger in the hall, watching her do her crossword puzzle in the den while muttering the answers to the questions on Jeopardy! under her breath. I'd wait right there, like some pathetic affection beggar, until she'd finally look up at me. She'd nod and say, "Well, good night, kiddo." And that was it.
I kind of have a thing with people touching me now. Maggie doesn't seem to notice that my reaching into my bag for my phone is really my way of trying to wriggle away from her.
"They'll probably make you leave that up front." She nods to my phone. "And hospice . . . they may not let me go in with you."
I swallow away the bitter taste the coffee has left in my mouth. I guess I should be getting sad right about now, weighed down with memories of my father. Instead, I'm curious. I wonder what he looks like, whether his skin is rice-paper thin and sunken around his high cheekbones. In my memory, he was always healthy. None of us ever went to the doctor; my mom never liked them, and my dad swore that there was no affliction a shot of whiskey couldn't fix.
…a novel written for young adults that has the crossover appeal of a conventional mystery.
The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio
In a gripping novel that could have been ripped from the headlines, newcomer Thomas introduces Tessa, a young woman who lost everything she ever knew, only to have the past reach out to take even more. With her father dying in prison, Tessa makes the difficult journey from Florida, where she had been living with her grandmother, back to Fayette, Pa. Years ago, Tessa and her best friend Callie had been instrumental in putting a serial killer in jail. Now, people aren't entirely sure that he was guilty—the real killer may still be at large. To complicate matters, Tessa's runaway older sister has resurfaced, and Tessa is desperate to find her, as well as their missing mother. Suffused with chilling detail, the story is slow to gain momentum, trailing through numerous red herrings that may be as frustrating for some readers as they are Tessa. However, a truly surprising ending and the aching beauty of Tessa and Callie's friendship, reforged in adversity, ensure a memorable, disquieting read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Apr.)
Gr 9 Up—Ten years after leaving the state and losing touch with everyone she knew and loved, Tessa Lowell returns to small-town Fayette to say goodbye to her father, who's dying in prison. She is too late to see her father but ends up with too many questions about her past to return home to Florida right away. Joining forces with her childhood best friend, Callie, Tessa begins looking for answers in this exciting psychological thriller. Callie and Tessa haven't talked since Tessa left after the strain testifying in the trial of Wyatt Stokes when she was eight years old, a trial that ended with him on death row. Working through the pain of lost friendship and unshared secrets, the girls collaborate to search for the truth when another girl is killed. Did they help convict an innocent man? Has the real killer returned to Fayette? How does Tessa's long-lost sister fit into all this, and what happened to her mother? The world of a working-class town in Pennsylvania comes alive as Callie deals with her pain through hard partying and Tessa attempts to escape her guilty disquiet by immersing herself in her sleuthing. Through strong character development and thrilling reveals, readers become as engrossed as Tessa as she searches for the truth and deals with the emotions of her past. VERDICT As a dark psychological thriller with a compelling story and an unexpected but satisfying ending, this novel is a sure bet.—Genevieve Feldman, San Francisco Public Library
★ 2015-12-22
Haunted by a decade-old murder, Tessa faces ghosts from the past that threaten her future. Tessa and her best friend, Callie, have never talked about the summer night when they were 8 and Callie's cousin Lori was killed. After a trial that sent Wyatt Stokes to death row for Lori's murder, the two friends lost contact when Tessa moved away from their hometown of Fayette, Pennsylvania. Nine years later, Tessa must return to Fayette, where she finds Callie partying to excess as a means of escaping the past. Tessa also finds lingering questions about the night Lori died—questions she had tried to leave behind when she left Fayette. Tessa and Callie are a few months away from starting college and moving forward with the rest of their lives, but now they are both looking back, desperate to find out the truth about what really happened to Lori that night. Their search for answers leads to many twists and turns in this fast-paced mystery-thriller. Thomas carefully crafts the suspense, leaving present-tense narrator Tessa—and readers—to doubt even those she loves the most. Working-class Tessa's troubled background and the small-town western Pennsylvania setting add texture as the tension builds all the way to the I-didn't-see-that-coming conclusion. An unsettling story of loss, lies, and violence lurking in the shadows of a small town. (Thriller. 14 & up)
Praise for The Darkest Corners:
"Gripping from start to finish, The Darkest Corners took me into an underbelly I didn't know existed, with twists that left me shocked and racing forward to get to the end."-Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen
"A tight, twisted thriller, full of deft reversals and disturbing revelations—deeply, compulsively satisfying!"-Brenna Yovanoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement
"As dark as Gillian Flynn and as compulsive as Serial…Kara Thomas's mystery debut is intricate, chilling, and deeply compelling. Unforgettable!"—Laura Salters, author of Run Away
"You'll be up all night tearing through the pages, gasping through the twists and turns."-Bustle.com
★ "Thomas carefully crafts the suspense, leaving present-tense narrator Tessa—and readers—to doubt even those she loves the most…An unsettling story of loss, lies, and violence lurking in the shadows of a small town." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ "On the heels of Making a Murderer and The Jinx comes a psychological thriller strongly rooted in the true-crime tradition...Expertly plotted with plenty of twists and turns—never mind a truly shocking conclusion—this gritty thriller is sure to find a wide audience among teens and adults alike. Equally concerned with a quest for the truth and the powerful motivation of guilt, this compelling novel won't linger on the shelf." —Booklist starred review
★ "Thomas keeps it real with a jaded heroine from the have-nots societal segment who holds onto her humanity, and a frank illustration of failure in the justice system. Hand this one to older teens who love dark mysteries or fans of Netflix's Making a Murderer."—Shelf Awareness starred review
"Clearly drawn…[and] alive until the twisty end."—Bulletin
"Strong character development and thrilling reveals…this novel is a sure bet."—SLJ
Praise for Little Monsters:
"Thomas creates a disturbing portrait of how bad news and gossip can curdle when mixed together."-Oprah.com
"An eerie and masterly psychological thriller...[that] culminates in a shocking and disturbing ending. Thomas expertly captures the pointed nuances and the fickle, manipulative bonds of adolescent girls' friendships."-SLJ
"Taut and suspenseful...this gritty page-turner will easily hook a broad range of readers"-Booklist
"An intense psychological thriller that all but ensures the lights will be left on between dusk and dawn."-Publishers Weekly
"A twisted story of obsession and manipulation, Little Monsters captivated me right up to its surprising conclusion—and left me wondering how well I really know my friends."-Chelsea Sedoti, author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
"A brilliant, well-written masterpiece, full of unreliable narrators, suspense, and plot twists that will leave you at the edge of your seat."-Inah P., The Bibliophile Confessions
The Darkest Corners 4.2 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 18 reviews.
ToManyBooksNotEnoughTime More than 1 year ago
I would like to thank Random House Children's & NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC to review. While I received this ebook for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review. One of the most twisted rides you'll ever go on, nothing is as it seems - not for the characters or the reader; this story is just one giant bombshell, caught in the moments just after detonating. I can't say that it's what I was expecting, but it absolutely surpassed anything I could have imagined. Simply riveting. This is a fantastic blend of real and imaginary situations, all swirled together until one can no longer discern the real from the created. Told from Tessa's point of view, we are granted interesting insights into information that could potentially change the outcome of the whole story. Only piece by piece, and almost grudgingly, does Tessa share her thoughts with the only best friend of her childhood, Callie. A childhood cut ridiculously short for both girls, just in different ways. Witnessing the struggles that both Tessa and Callie go through is almost physically painful. It's impossible not to feel something for them. However what you feel will likely change paragraph to paragraph. On the outside Tessa appears only somewhat damaged, while Callie seems fairly normal. But then the faces we show the outside world very rarely reflect who we feel we are on the inside; Callie and Tessa are no different, hiding behind various facades. Given what they've gone through though, well that's pretty understandable. Having been apart for the past ten years means they have to redefine their friendship, if indeed that's what they still are. And all this: their relationship, their shared purpose, and everything that hangs in the balance, it's all condensed into a few short weeks. The pacing of this story is spot on, from the very first page to the very final page. It's a brilliant blend of the intimate and the public, combining those things that a person shares with others, and those they may not even acknowledge themselves. And it's masterfully done, showing us the story through Tessa and the world at large. What Tessa feels seeps into the pages so heavily that it's well nigh impossible for those emotions not to leach off the very page and into your skin as you read. Yet, as with those few people in her life that matter, she still manages to mostly stay behind the barriers she learned to erect very early on. Barriers she's struggling to maintain, even against herself. I simply loved this book! It just takes everything you think you know and turns it on its ear. You'll go in a different person than the one that comes out. And that is the mark of an incredibly well thought out and beautifully crafted story. Even those parts that have a basis in truth are so twisted you'll begin to question the reality and honesty of those external truths. When you can no longer tell fact from fiction the author has done their job; more than just found their job they've set a new standard for the genre. Heaven help those that publish in the same genre after this book; they've got incredible new heights to attain just to stay in the game.
Reading_With_Cupcakes More than 1 year ago
First let me say this... OMG THIS BOOK!!!! OMG OMG OMG! Thank you for letting me get that out of my system. This book has been sitting heavily on my mind since I finished reading it. I cannot help but think back on it. And every time I do... I discover that I like it more and more! So I bet you are here because you are curious about this book and what it is about etc etc etc. Well to quickly sum it up it is a psychological thriller murder mystery! That should tell you right there that it needs to be read, but I will give you a bit more of an explanation anyways. The Darkest Corners is told from the perspective of Tessa. At the age of 9, while she was spending the night over at her BFF's house (Callie), Callie's cousin was murdered!! The thing is, she wasn't just plainly murdered, she was murdered in the same fashion that others had been in the area! Yes kids, there was a serial killer on the loose in Fayette targeting young girls. Shortly thereafter, Tessa moved away to Florida to live with her grandma and Callie stayed. Cut to about 9 years later, Tessa has to return to Fayette to visit her dying father who is in the prison near there. She and Callie are no longer friends. Tessa doesn't want to be there. And then Tessa starts questioning things and looking for her estranged mother and sister. My overall thoughts on this book aside from the tiny freak out I had at this beginning of this post/review are that it was AMAZING and wonderfully crafted. I couldn't put it down. I had to keep going. I was pulled into the story. I had to know what exactly was going on. And to be completely honest with you, I am the kind of person who sneaks to the back of the book at the beginning of reading it. The suspense of "do these people get together?" "does that person live?" etc etc etc kills me. Usually the only way to keep me from doing this is to hand me an ebook to read (and I still do it with those as well, just not as often). Well...I did it with this one. AND YOU KNOW WHAT?! Even though I did that, I still had NO IDEA what all was going to go down in the book. Yes. The Darkest Corners was THAT wonderfully crafted that I could sneak to the back and STILL be totally surprised! My Rating 4.5 Stars Find more of my reviews here: http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/ This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review
Lizzie More than 1 year ago
I loved this book. LOVED IT! I was so gripped from the first page. Every chapter has a new twist and the entire time I read I kept changing my mind about what I was predicting was going to happen. Tessa is such an interesting character. She's bitter and disillusioned because of everything she's been through, but I still loved her. And that ENDING! oh my god! I could not believe the last line!
KarenfromDothan More than 1 year ago
When Tessa Lowell and Callie Greenwood are eight years old, the two best friends are manipulated into testifying at the trial of an alleged serial killer. Not long afterward, Tessa is sent to Florida to live with her Gram, while Callie remains behind in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa has tried to stay in touch with Callie, but all her attempts have been rebuffed. Now ten years on, Tessa returns to Pennsylvania to see her dying father, and is once again reunited with her estranged friend. This is one heck of a suspense thriller. This gripping story grabs hold of you and never lets go. The characters are very affecting. It's obvious the two girls carry a heavy burden, after all they helped put a possibly innocent man on death row, and it has shaped them both in very different ways. As they search for the truth, a sort of catharsis takes place in the two. A real roller coaster of a book with a surprise twist at the end that I never saw coming.
The ending to the book was crazy! I wouldn't have seen it coming which makes this book that much better
So good! I couldn't stop reading, wanting to know what was going to happen next and to figure out the mystery. Best read in awhile!
This story starts off suspenseful - Tessa travels from Florida to Fayette County, Pennsylvania to see her father, who is in prison, serving a life sentence for shooting someone during a robbery. Tessa leaves the prison with her father's belongings and a lot of questions about a serial killer who she and a friend helped to convict. From here, the story gets twisted, among old friends who Tessa has not seen in 10+ years, a guy who may or may not be the killer, and a missing child. Adding to the confusion are some typos, and geographical inconsistencies. In one chapter, Tessa and her friend, Callie, go to meet a friend at a motel near I-95, which is a half hour's drive, according to the story. Then a couple pages later in the chapter, they travel to the same motel, only THIS time, it's near I-80. Later, Tessa and Callie travel to a mall near Pittsburgh. After trying to keep all the characters straight, I had to give up and read till the end. I found the story to be loaded with angst and drama - rightfully so, with missing children and a serial killer - but I think the story could have been better delineated. It seemed to fall apart toward the end. [Reviewer's note: Fayette County is in Southwestern Pennsylvania, near W. Virginia & Maryland. I-95 runs on the eastern side of the state, from Maine to Florida.]
I wanted to read all of it in one setting!
eternalised More than 1 year ago
A slow start, but gradually grows into a thrilling, suspenseful read. The character dynamics were very intriguing, and the character themselves were complex and engaging. The story had some amazing twists. Also loved the focus on the girl's friendship rather than romance for once. However, the ending was a bit of a let down. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
book_junkee More than 1 year ago
3.5 stars I really liked the premise of this and was eager to get to it, but it took some time for me to settle in. Tessa and Callie are interesting enough characters. Their history is what makes them intriguing and everyone in their small town still sees the small girls who put away a murderer. Tessa retreats into herself and Callie acts out and I did enjoy seeing them reconnect. The plot has potential to be captivating. My downfall with the story was that there seemed to be about eleventy billion characters and plot threads. I did struggle to get into the rhythm of the story, but once I did, it was entertaining. It didn't have the tension I was expecting, but overall, it was a good story that kept me guessing. **Huge thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
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in the two years since its takeover of Obernewtyn, the secret community of Misfits has flourished. Protected by their remoteness, Elspeth Gordie and her allies have worked hard to develop their forbidden mental abilities—all in preparation for their inevitable confrontation ...
George in the Dark
For all kids who have ever dreaded the moment when the lights turn off and ...
For all kids who have ever dreaded the moment when the lights turn off and the bedroom door closes . . . By day, George is a brave boy. He'll climb the tallest tree, leap over fences, and stand ...
Hilo Book 2: Saving the Whole Wide World
An action-packed page turner with heart!—Dav Pilkey, author of DOG MANDog Man meets Big Nate in ...
An action-packed page turner with heart!—Dav Pilkey, author of DOG MANDog Man meets Big Nate in HILO-the hilarious New York Times Bestselling GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES kids love! A Total BLAST, says the Miami Herald! Everyone's favorite space boy, Hilo, is just settling into life ...
Never Evers
For fans of Jacky Ha-Ha and Disney Channel's Bunk'd and Andi Mack, this hilarious, tween-friendly ...
For fans of Jacky Ha-Ha and Disney Channel's Bunk'd and Andi Mack, this hilarious, tween-friendly story about a middle school ski trip is full of friendship, crushes, and the mishaps and misunderstandings that make seventh grade so interesting!Thirteen-year-old Mouse is ...


Laps 4 Life welcomes applications to be included in our funding and support efforts.
have a child with Batten Disease.
apply by January 1st of the year prior to the run to be eligible for support.
provide a letter of referral from the child's doctor.
To apply for funding please click here to fill out the form and someone from our team will be in touch with you.


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Rethinking Legacy: "Tastemakers" is a Starting Point for the Problematic History of Recipes and Food Media
by Aditi Kini
The James Beard award winner Mayukh Sen's first book invites trouble, but more questions come up in the process.
Stories for Girls: An Interview with Lizzie Skurnick
by Ellen Papazian
July 31, 2009 at 12:45am
Here's the short version of Lizzie Skurnick and her sassy-and-smart new book Shelf Discovery: She's a popular book critic and lit blogger who started a column called "Fine Lines" for Jezebel.com that made... Read more »
Rave On: Estelle Freedman on Against Our Will
"Rave On" is the Page Turner series that asks feminist writers, artists, musicians, activists, leaders, and scholars to talk about a book that completely rocked their world. Today we feature Estelle Freedman, Ph.D., the Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University, on Against Our Will... Read more »
Whiteout and Women On Screen
by Jennifer K. Stuller
The trailer for the long-awaited movie adaptation of Greg Rucka's and... Read more »
Intimate Oppression: An Interview with Danzy Senna
by Mandy Van Deven
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A Personal History is a memoir about one of the the more melancholy aspects of Danzy Senna's... Read more »
Six Questions for Jessica Hopper on Girls' Guide to Rocking
There may be no one better to teach girls how to rock than music and culture critic Jessica Hopper. She's clocked massive amounts of hours as a tour manager, band publicist, DJ, touring bassist, Girls Rock Camp booster, and fanzine publisher. Her "music-is-my-life" credo and infectious... Read more »
Rave On: Jessica Hoffmann on Women, Race, and Class
"Rave On" is the Page Turner series that asks feminist writers, artists, musicians, activists, leaders, and scholars to talk about a book that completely rocked their world. Today we feature make/shift co-editor and copublisher Jessica Hoffmann on Women,... Read more »
Catching Up with Red's Teen Girl Writers
In 2008, 58 teenage girls published their take on body image, family, politics, and pop culture in the anthology Red: Teenage Girls in America Write on What Fires Up Their Lives Today. Page Turner caught up with five of them to talk about feminism, teen-girl falsehoods, and what's happened... Read more »
Six Questions for Writer and Activist Staceyann Chin
Welcome to "Six Questions," a new Page Turner interview series with authors about their work. Today we talk with Jamaican-born writer, activist, and performance-poet extraordinaire Staceyann Chin about her new memoir, The Other Side of Paradise, a chronicle of Chin's childhood that includes... Read more »
Introducing the Page Turner Blog
Welcome to Page Turner, a new blog on feminism and books here at Bitch's online headquarters. Here's my goal with Page Turner: to make it a collaboration between you, Bitch's readers, and me, your biblio-obsessed blogger. Page Turner is all about our love of books and feminisms, and all the many... Read more »
Rave On: Julia Serano on Daring to Be Bad
"Rave On" is the Page Turner series that asks feminist writers, artists, musicians, activists, leaders, and scholars to talk about a book that completely rocked their world. This edition features writer, performer, activist, and biologist Julia Serano on Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in... Read more »
Hot Under the Bonnet: The Cooptation of Amish Culture in Mass-Market Fiction
by Audrey deCoursey
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
Dubbed "Amish romance novels," "Amish fiction," or the more waggish "bonnet rippers," these novels just one entry point into the varying images of Amish communities in U.S. popular culture. Read more »
Demanding the Impossible: Walidah Imarisha Talks About Science Fiction and Social Change
by Kristian Williams
Before she was a poet, journalist, documentary filmmaker, anti-prison activist, and college instructor, Walidah Imarisha was fascinated... Read more »
Black Girls Hunger for Heroes, Too: A Black Feminist Conversation on Fantasy Fiction for Teens
by Zetta Elliott
December 17, 2013 at 3:19pm
What happens when two great black women fiction writers get together to talk about race in young adult literature? That's exactly what happens... Read more »
Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream
by Joshunda Sanders
Summer 2010 • Action
Even as reports on joblessness, economic recovery, and home foreclosures suggest that no one is immune to risk during this recession, the popularity of women's wellness media has persisted and, indeed, grown stronger. Read more »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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← The Shelby County War
The Bandit War →
Sedition in Texas —1915
Posted on October 15, 2018 by Mustang
James Babbage Wells Jr.
The boss of all white bosses in South Texas was a thoroughly corrupt Brownsville attorney by the name of James Babbage Wells, Jr. Wells controlled South Texas from about 1880 until 1920. Along with wealthy merchants, bankers, and large land-owners, Wells created a political machine much on the order of the Old Mexican patron: he gave jobs, protection, and support to the Tejano [1] poor —in exchange for their political support, of course. While Wells was the boss of bosses in South Texas, the majority of the population remained Tejano —and, for the most part, Tejanos lived in harmony with the white minority because they were materially rewarded for supporting the Wells machine.
This harmonious relationship between Anglos and Tejanos changed after 1898, however, when the introduction of irrigation farming transformed the Rio Grande Valley from dry scrub desert into the epicenter of a vast agricultural network. Six years later, the railroad came to the Rio Grande Valley. Combined, these improvements pulled in huge numbers of laborers from Mexico and farmers from the American midwest. The Tejano labor pool was suddenly competing with Mexican migrants. Worse, however, Anglo farmers from the Midwest brought with them their prejudices toward Mexicans and Tejanos. Beyond this, the new immigrants caused a shift in South Texas politics —which was the beginning of the end to the Wells political machine.
Added to this paradigm, Mexico's revolution sparked civil unrest throughout the Rio Grande Valley, which extended from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico —the most populated area in this span being the one-hundred miles inland from Brownsville, which included the counties of Starr, Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy.
Porfirio Diaz
Mexico's president was the dictator Porfirio Diaz, a man who had exercised brutal power in Mexico since 1876. His administration was rife with corruption—today, a long-standing Mexican political tradition. Under Diaz, however, armed thugs known as Rurales terrorized the population. A frequent refrain in Mexico, in the aftermath of wanton murders perpetrated these rural police, was that the victims were killed while trying to escape. The Mexican phrase for this policy was ley de fuga (law of flight). In 1910, Diaz was challenged by an aristocratic reformer named Francisco Madero. Fearing Madero's appeal to the masses, Diaz had Madero arrested and then defeated him through massive voter fraud. After Diaz' was reelected, Madero was released from jail and (perhaps wisely) fled to Texas. In Texas, he began to call for a popular uprising against Diaz. In essence, then, Madero helped to ignite the Mexican Revolution. He was joined in this endeavor by the revolutionaries Pancho Villa and Pascual Orozco. In 1911, Diaz's army was defeated at the Battle of Juarez, a city adjacent to El Paso. Diaz subsequently resigned his presidency and fled to Spain.
Victoriano Huerta
Mexico had no fewer than ten presidents over the same number of years. Diaz immediate successor was Madero, who proved himself a weak leader; rather than taking advantage of the strengths Villa and Orozco gave his presidency, he alienated them by refusing to appoint either man to a position in his government. In the next year, General Victoriano Huerta led a bloody coup-d'état against Madero, who was assassinated. Huerta, although succeeding Madero as president, was almost immediately opposed by Venustiano Carranza, a Mexican politician and rancher. Then, in 1914, the United States seized the port city of Vera Cruz in an effort to cut off the flow of arms and munitions flowing to Huerta's junta from Germany. After a crucial defeat by Pancho Villa [2] two months later, Huerta resigned his office and went into exile. A civil war then erupted between Carranza, Villa, and Alvaro Obregon for control of power in Mexico. None of these men developed any good feelings toward the United States, not because of the Vera Cruz incident, but because President Woodrow Wilson refused to recognize them as legitimate rulers.
As the revolution degenerated into an armed struggle between rival criminals, thousands of Mexican refugees flooded into Texas seeking shelter and safety. Despite reaching safety from civil war violence, these immigrants began to support various civil war factions in Mexico. Tejanos (most of whom had close family ties to Mexico) began supporting either Huerta, Villa, Obregon, or Carranza.
James E. (Pa) Ferguson
In Texas, James E. Ferguson [3] was elected governor in 1915. Ferguson's base of support was rural tenant farmers, white laborers, and pro-liquor interests throughout the state. One of his first acts as governor was to re-shape the Texas Rangers to suit his own (corrupt) agenda. He did this by firing the existing leadership and bringing in his own henchmen and political supporters.
It was also in 1915 that the so-called Plan of San Diego was discovered. This was a radical manifesto drawn up in the seat of Duval County, which called for a full-scale race war in the Southwest United States. It demanded that all Mexicans rise up against American tyranny on 20 February 1915. The goal was to return all territory Mexico lost to the United States in the Mexican-American War. The land in question included Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and California. The manifesto additionally demanded the summary execution of every Anglo male over the age of sixteen years. In exchange for the support of Hispanics, Negroes, and Japanese immigrants, the manifesto promised a set aside of six states that would be ceded to African-Americans as an independent nation, land that would act as a buffer zone between the United States and Mexico. Essentially, this measure was intended to create a race war against white Americans. Their battle standard was a white flag with a red fringe.
The proposition was absurd but when the Plan of San Diego (henceforth, The Plan) was made public, many Texans took it seriously. They were joined by Texas lawmen, who realized that they and the general public were being targeted for assassination. Tejanos took it seriously, as well. Many impoverished Hispanics in the Rio Grande Valley suffered from ethnic, economic, and political discrimination; Mexicans and Tejanos alike were willing to join any movement that gave them hope for a better future.
The Plan assumed a life of its own when in July 1915, a band of rebels led by Luis de la Rosa made their presence known in Brownsville, Texas. De la Rosa was a former shopkeeper, a former deputy-sheriff, and a suspected cattle rustler. Beginning on 4 July 1915 (America's Independence Day), De la Rosa and his bandits initiated a series of armed assaults against the white population:
A ranch near Raymondville (50-miles north of Brownsville)
Two Anglo field hands were shot and killed near Lyford
An attempt to rustle cattle from the King Ranch resulted in the death of one bandit and gunshot injury to another.
Robbery of a store in Lyford
The murder of a youth while working in a pasture eighteen miles from Raymondville
The destruction of a railroad bridge near Sebastian, and
The raid of a ranch near Los Indios, Texas, killing a Mexican worker
Texas Monthly, Rivers of Blood, (January 1986)
Boessenecker, J: Texas Ranger, The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde(2016)
Webb, Walter P: The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense, (1935)
Texas State Historical Association, The Handbook of Texas
[1] The word Tejano denotes a person of Mexican ancestry born in Texas.
[2] Despite the fact that Pancho Villa was a life-long criminal, he enjoyed the support of the United States up until he decided to launch an ill-advised raid into Columbus, New Mexico in 1916.
[3] Variously referred to as "Farmer Jim" or "Pa Ferguson" he was the most corrupt Texas governor in the twentieth century … and that's saying something.
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9 Responses to Sedition in Texas —1915
bunkerville says:
Thanks for a great read…
Thank you for stopping by…
Jersey Jack says:
Man I love this stuff….but I'm wondering after this read…who's been more violent of a country during the late 19th to early 20th century?
Texas was a rough place in its first 100 years, Jack. There were hard times and dangerous places in other states as well. I'll probably get to those other places eventually. Take a gander at some of my earlier posts in this series and you'll begin to form some conclusions about the genesis of violence in Texas. It's history is what makes Texas unique among all other states, but this is just my opinion. Thank you for stopping by … this post will "continue" next week. Semper Fi.
Excellent history lesson. My great grandfather was one of the first five Anglo settlers in Duval County. So, this story was of particular interest to me. I look for to the continuation.
Thanks Andy .,,
Pingback: The 8th Marines Go To Texas – Fix Bayonets!
Beckys Bucketlist says:
Lovely blog you have heree
Thank you, Becky.


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Txillarre es un caserío ubicado en el municipio de Elgóibar en la provincia de Guipúzcoa (España). Es conocido por los encuentros de los políticos Jesús Eguiguren y Arnaldo Otegi para un cese de la violencia de la organización terrorista Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) en el País Vasco.

Historia
El caserío se encuentra en el valle de Sallobente en la área rural de Elgóibar de la provincia de Guipúzcoa y es propiedad de Peio Rubio, un antiguo militante de LKI.

Allí fue donde se celebraron reuniones secretas destinadas a llegar a un acuerdo de paz con ETA. En el año 2000, el exconsejero de Justicia del Gobierno Vasco Francisco Egea, también de Elgóibar, comenzó a reunirse con el líder de Batasuna Arnaldo Otegi, con el fin de iniciar un proceso de paz con ETA, y poco después también se sumó el entonces presidente del Partido Socialista de Euskadi (PSE-EE) Jesús Eguiguren, quien consolidó los diálogos del proceso de paz en el caserío. La última reunión tuvo lugar en 2006.

Véase también
 El fin de ETA

Referencias

Elgóibar
ETA

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Alabama cop charged in girlfriend's murder after claiming she shot herself: report
A Huntsville, Alabama, police officer has been charged with capital murder in connection to a Friday shooting, according to local reports.
Jail records show David McCoy, 28, was charged on Friday with capital murder of a person in a vehicle and is being held without bond.
David McCoy (Madison County Sheriff's Office)
The Huntsville Police Department did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News. McCoy is on administrative leave from the force.
ALASKA COLD-CASE CHILD KILLING PROBE REOPENED AFTER MAN'S ARREST IN ALABAMA FOR 5-YEAR-OLD'S STRANGLING
Authorities arrested the officer over his involvement in the shooting that occurred on Lawsons Ridge Drive while he was off-duty, FOX 54 in Huntsville reported.
Lawsons Ridge Drive, Huntsville, AL (Google Maps)
Sources told the outlet that McCoy shot his girlfriend in the head and then called police to report the death, apparently telling authorities she shot herself.
The sources also said the female victim, who has yet to be identified, had just told McCoy that she was pregnant, according to WAAY 31.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is taking over the investigation after Huntsville police initially question McCoy after the Friday shooting, the outlet reported.


Exordium Mors' metal has a markedly pitiless temper, much like that of fellow New Zealand kin Witchrist, Winter Deluge and Diocletian. The five-piece band from Auckland originally formed in 2004, and have released a series of demos, a split DVD release, and one EP, 2010's Verus Hostis – A Hymn to Fire.
The band consist of Santi and Black Mortum on guitars, Scourge on vocals, Hades on drums and Assailant on bass. They take the path first cut by acts such as Blasphemy, Aura Noir, Bathory and Absu, which of course means Venom's presence looms large too. Fittingly, Sacrifice, Perish and Demise ends on a blistering cover of "Black Metal". All of which means Exordium Mors occupy similar territory to that of Impiety or Deströyer 666—where raw, jet-black, relentless riffs crawl from the morass to deliver the brute punch of lo-fidelity horror.
Roaring into life with the vitriolic first track, "Sign of Judas Leige", Santi and Black Mortum bring the frenzied twin guitar attack to the fore. Their work throughout the EP harnesses an imposing Hanneman/King duality. Dissonant solos shoulder past isolated cyclical riffing or, conversely, they work together in frenzied harmony to bludgeon the band's aesthetic home. Whichever the case, there's something reverential about Santi and Black Mortum's playing. Distortive solos and flurries of riffs change pace ceaselessly, reflecting an appreciation of the heyday of unrefined, blackened thrash.
Still, while thrash plays its part in the manic dynamics, it's Scourge's vocals that emerge from the chaos to stamp black metal's diacritic upon the EP. Scourge spits, screeches, gurgles and growls his way through Sacrifice, Perish and Demise, sounding possessed, malevolent and utterly tormented.
Scorching feedback bleeds straight into the second track, "Ancestors Call", ensuring the feverish, tremolo-heavy tempo of the first five minutes doesn't drop an iota. A surge of wicked Marduk-like riffs sees "Ancestors Call" blaze though its running time with plenty of bloodthirsty resilience. With Hades alternating between blasting and martial beats, the track has enough percussive nuance to keep things from becoming overwhelming in nature. Ultimately, it's that diversity that is the key to the EP's success. For all its fervency and ferocity, it is not simply a one-dimensional liturgy.
"Exordium Mors", a song that first appeared on 2006's Rehearsal 24-11-06 demo, rounds off the set of original tunes. Not having heard the initial version, I can't comment upon its development. However, throughout its seven minutes an abundance of deft thrashing flourishes keep things moving inexorably forward—it's probably safe to assume the production values have lifted a notch to illuminate its darkest corners.
Sacrifice, Perish and Demise is made up of four songs: two new tunes, one older track unearthed, and one cover. They display plenty of rancorous grit, determination and promise. Exordium Mors' originals combine dexterous, serpentine riffing with brusque changes in tack, underscored by the barbarous marrow of extreme metal. There's technicality to be found, but it doesn't come at the expense of thoroughly sadistic vigour—something the band shares with outfits like Canada's Weapon.
It's also worth mentioning that Exordium Mors' live reputation has been gaining huge momentum of late. The band's recent performance in Auckland, opening for Absu, brought them great praise from NZ metal writers; their upcoming shows with Impiety and Goatwhore are highly anticipated.
Nick Keller's cover artwork has been attracting some serious kudos as well. Keller is a conceptual artist at Weta Workshop (the special effects gurus for Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Hobbit, as well as other big-budget extravaganzas). He's been making a huge impact on the NZ metal scene of late with evocative and detailed cover and gatefold art for a number of bands—Beastwars, Razorwyre and Heresiarch included.
If Exordium Mors' aim is to snag some label attention, they've certainly laid out a fine trap with Sacrifice, Perish and Demise. NZ does war-cult death metal extremely well—that's been internationally recognised for many years—and the local scene is loaded with great sludge, black, avant and traditional metal bands. But what makes Exordium Mors stand out from the pack is their ability to evoke the call of metal's heritage yet retain their own distinct personality. Few bands on NZ's metal landscape are so effectively malicious.


Written comments on the document must be submitted to the Riverside County Planning Department no later than 5:00 P.M. on November 28, 2016. All comments received by the deadline will be included in the Final EIR, which will be presented to the hearing body. Notification of the public hearing will be provided at a later date.
The subject EIR has studied the Palo Verde Mesa Solar Project which proposes the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of a solar photovoltaic (PV) electrical generating facility of up to 450 megawatts (MW) and 14.5-mile gen-tie line that would together occupy a total of 3,400 acres. The solar facility is comprised of three sites that would be constructed in phases. Site 1 (Phase 1) would total 905 acres and would have a generation output of 145 MW; Site 2 (Phase 2) would total 1,343 acres and would have a generation output of 221 MW; and Site 3 (Phase 3) would total 1,002 acres and would have a generation output of 104 MW.
The project includes the following land use applications: Conditional Use Permit No. 3684 proposes the solar photovoltaic facility as described above; Public Use Permit No. 916 is required for the proposed gen-tie line crossing of Hobson Way.


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Instagram, Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
Lil Durk Gets Tearful Plea To Leave Street Beef Alone From 'Million Dollaz Worth Of Game' Host Wallo
Published on: Mar 9, 2022, 3:55 PM PST
Lil Durk sat down for an interview with the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast which is set to arrive on Thursday (March 10). One clip that arrived on Wednesday (March 9) finds co-host Wallo tearfully pleading with Lil Durk and the rest of the OTF family behind him to end the street violence and feuds they might be involved with.
Wallo recalled the moment he finally forgave his brother's killer who was shot and died in his grandmother's arms. With that clarity, it allowed him to change the trajectory of his life and enjoy the fruits of his labor and time with family rather than exacting revenge and remaining behind bars for life.
"I can name 20 or 30 n-ggas of my homies that's dead, but I'm here though," Wallo began. "I forgave my brother's killer. I'm saying that to say this. My brother died in my grandma's arms in the house we grew up in… They shot my brother and he died in nanny's arms when she opened the door.
"If I didn't let that shit go, I wouldn't be right here today for my nieces and nephews and me and Gillie wouldn't be doing this. Y'all wouldn't know me… I had to let that shit go. When I let that shit go, I started to grow and I started to glow. It was harder than a muthafucka'."
Favorite thing I've seen on the internet in a while … salute @Wallo267 pic.twitter.com/jGEcfO08SR
— Big Blind (@iknowbrasco) March 9, 2022
Growing up on Chicago's Southside, Lil Durk can relate to a lot of what Wallo's speaking on as he's lost a ton of friends along the way in his journey to rap superstar. His brother D-Thang was killed in 2021 and he also lost his protégé, King Von, to gun violence in November 2020.
Lil Durk maintained a stone-cold look on his face before interjecting, "It's so crazy because he in this muthafucka' dropping tears for this shit for real."
Lil Durk Billboards Infiltrate NBA YoungBoy's Louisiana Home State As Feud Intensifies
The emotional exchange struck a cord with Ray J who posted Wallo's words to his Instagram hours later.
"I felt this one! – Pls let it go! Everybody Wins #LOVE Pls comment If you felt this! We need more positive words of encouragement! These young dudes got so much talent and so much to live for," he wrote.
A post shared by Ray J (@rayj)
Durkio has recently been entrenched in an escalating feud with NBA YoungBoy. Billboards recently popped up in Baton Rouge reading "Durk Better" and he co-signed Gucci Mane's response diss track at YB. Look for Durk's 7220 album to arrive on Friday (March 11) and the rest of this interview tomorrow.
Rob49 Resurfaces With Injuries Following Fan Concern Over French Montana Shooting


I Have Poor Circulation In Hands And Arms. Please Suggest Some Remedies?
There are a lot of things that could cause poor circulation in both hands and legs. Since these are extremities in the body, the heart has to do a lot of hard work to reach the blood to these ends of the body. It is therefore common for the limbs to often have poor circulation problems. Spider veins and embolisms are results of these poor circulatory problems.
If you have been experiencing blood circulation problems, the best treatment is to have a thorough massage with warming essential oils. Oils such as lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus essential oils not only help keep your skin soft and supple, but also pass heat to the lower layers of your tissues, keeping you warm from inside.
It is also important to keep your spine aligned in order to prevent tension from building on your back. When the spine is aligned perfectly and is correct structurally, the circulation in the hands and the legs remains optimal. You can also perform gentle stretching exercises as well as yoga to improve your muscle tone as well as circulation all over the body as well as in your limbs. Some people resort to chiropractic care or acupressure to improve blood circulation. A diet is also among other natural remedies for poor circulation.
What causes poor blood circulation in the arms and legs?
The most common thing that causes poor blood circulation in your body is consumption of tobacco products and alcohol. Both tobacco and alcohol constrict the flow of oxygen, especially to the fingers and toes, which are the extremities of the body. This could make you feel cold and would even cause the digits to become slightly blue in color.
Chronic diseases of the lung, heart, and kidneys can also contribute to poor circulation throughout the body, especially in the lower extremities.
Excessive consumption of caffeine can cause a lot of different kind of stimulating effects. This may also be a contributing factor in the constriction of blood flow.
Poor blood circulation in legs is often caused due to stress. Your shoulder and neck muscles may spasm due to stress, causing pinching of nerves and obstruction of blood flow, especially to the arms and the hands.
How to treat poor circulation in hands?
There are various causes for poor circulation in the hands, and more often than not, the treatment for poor circulation is dependent on the cause. There are some stretching exercises that will help you treat poor circulation in your hands. Simply stretch your arms by extending both your arms straight in front of you. Having done that, rotate your wrists in the clockwise direction. Move your hands 10 times in both the directions.
Another way to improve circulation in your body is to apply alternating heat and cold in your body. This can be easily done by taking alternating sitz baths in hot and cold water. You can also take alternating showers in hot and cool water. Basic stretching exercises, such as those in yoga, can help you deal with poor circulation in your body. These poses and postures help improve blood circulation all over the body. If the poor circulation remedies are not working for you, you can use certain medications that help you relax and improve blood circulation all over the body.
If there is numbness in the fingers and hands and if your digits are turning blue, you should ideally apply some heat to them so that the blood vessels dilate and direct more blood flow to these extremities.
What is the natural cure for it?
If you are looking for natural remedies to improve blood circulation, you can resort to herbal remedies. These herbs help bring warmth to your body, therefore dilating the blood vessels and increasing the amount of blood that is available to your body. One of the best herbal remedies for poor circulation is cayenne pepper. This herb helps stimulate the heart and dilate blood vessels so that your blood flow is regulated. Cayenne pepper can be consumed in the form of a capsule or mixed with a glass of tepid water. You can also consume gingko biloba, which improves memory as well as strengthens the blood vessels.
Both onion and garlic also provide similar benefits to the heart, blood vessels, and nervous system. You can also perform certain blood circulation exercises as directed by your doctor or a physiotherapist. Meditation, which helps increase concentration and relieves stress, is a great way to relax your body and dilate your blood vessels to allow more blood to course through your body. This keeps your organs in better shape.
The central circulatory system needs to be worked upon. Cardiovascular exercises strengthen your heart. You can also perform deep breathing exercises that help improve your lung capacity and increase the amount of oxygen in the blood. This can also help you with high blood pressure and other similar problems.
Is It Common For Diabetics To Experience Numbness While Sleeping?
How To Treat Raynaud Disease Using Natural Remedies?
Can high levels of triglycerides cause tinnitus due to poor circulation?
How To Treat Dry And Flaky Scalp?


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AstroRaid
GameRange Studio	 2003
This is a fixed-screen shoot 'em up game, where the player controls a spaceship and must defeat wave after wave of enemy ships and asteroids. The ship can be controlled with the mouse. Getting hit by enemies drains the ship's life bar, and the player loses a life when it runs out. Initially the player begins with a weak basic gun and a handful of rockets; the gun has infinite ammo, while the rockets, though powerful, are in limited supply. Defeated enemies sometimes leave behind power-ups that e.g. improve the ship's gun, restore life points, or give a bonus life.
Screenshots	 Full Demo 3.3MB (uploaded by roioros)


Try a 1-hour Reiki session with a Reiki Master Teacher. Energy work can be sent for any physical, emotional or spiritual ailment. For example, I have worked on cancer, diabetes, chronic fatigue, chronic migraines, chronic back issues, tooth ache, stress reduction, etc.
Contact by phone or Discord.
Distance Reiki is sometimes said to work according to the Hermetic Law of Similarity which holds that we are all connected. We are all expressions of the same fundamental energy forming the whole.
Reiki is a 100% natural, non-invasive and safe method of energy balancing for stress reduction and relaxation. It is performed hands on or off depending on the client's preference and involves no tissue manipulation. All healing is self-healing where the practitioner acts only as a channel for energy.
Mentally and physically be in a sage place that you are able to relax and let go. Be still in quietness or play soft background music. Keep one hour open with no interruptions and relax. People feel a variety for emotional and physical things such as heat, tingling, relaxation, or sleepiness. Many people fall asleep. Like any treatment drink lots of water before and after.


Breaking Old Beliefs And Reprogramming Your Mind Coaching Session.
At times old beliefs cause blocks and a mindset that doesn't serve you. We will explore your values, needs and beliefs systems. We will use tools to create a new mindset that will serve you. You will enter the realm of possibilities where anything is possible! You will learn how to reprogram your mind and design your dream life, where you will create your own success, abundance, and master plan that works in your professional and personal life.


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Boris Johnson sets red line for Brexit negotiations despite EU ruling out changes to deal
Despite voting for Theresa May's deal, the new PM said that "no country with self-respect" could accept it
Andrew Woodcock
Thursday 25 July 2019 13:58
Boris Johnson: We will not nominate a UK commissioner for the new commission taking office in Brussels
Boris Johnson has made ditching the Irish backstop a red line for new Brexit negotiations, telling MPs that he will talk with Brussels only on that basis.
His position comes despite EU officials repeatedly insisting they will not reopen the withdrawal agreement sealed with Theresa May last November, of which the backstop forms an integral part.
Making his first statement to the House of Commons as prime minister, Mr Johnson restated his absolute commitment to taking the UK out of the EU by 31 October, with or without a deal.
Boris Johnson's cabinet is most privately-educated for generation
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Boris Johnson builds new government around Vote Leave team
And he insisted that any deal must strip out all mention of the backstop - which keeps the UK in a customs union until an alternative way is found to keep the Irish border open - and hold the issue back to later negotiations on the future trade relationship between the UK and EU.
Despite having voted in favour of Ms May's deal less than four months ago, the new PM denounced it as "unacceptable" and insisted that "no country that values its independence and indeed its self-respect" could agree it.
A time limit on the backstop - something which has already been rejected by the EU - was "not enough", he said.
"If an agreement is to be reached it must be clearly understood that the way to the deal goes by way of the abolition of the backstop," Mr Johnson told MPs.
Boris Johnson makes his first statement to Parliament as prime minister
"For our part we are ready to negotiate in good faith an alternative, with provisions to ensure that the Irish border issues are dealt with where they should always have been: in the negotiations on the future agreement between the UK and the EU."
To heckles of "how?" from opposition MPs, Mr Johnson insisted that alternative arrangements for overseeing movements across what would be the post-Brexit UK's only land border with the EU were "perfectly possible and perfectly compatible with the Belfast, or Good Friday, Agreement".I
He said that he and Brexit secretary Dominic Raab were "ready to meet and to talk on this basis to the Commission or other EU colleagues whenever - and wherever - they are ready to do so".
Mr Johnson promised the UK would throw itself into negotiations with "the greatest energy and determination and in the spirit of friendship".
And he added: "I hope that the EU will be equally ready and that they will rethink their current refusal to make any changes to the withdrawal agreement."
But he said that if Brussels would not budge, the UK was ready to leave without a deal, with preparations "turbo-charged" by Michael Gove, who has been given special responsibilties to get the country ready in his new role as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Mr Johnson also announced that he would not be making a nomination of a UK commissioner to join the team of newly-elected president Ursula von der Leyen, whio is due to come into office on 1 November - the day after the UK's Halloween Brexit deadline.
He told MPs he did not intend to prevent the EU appointing a new Commission. Under Brussels rules, the Commission must include a nominee from each member state, and until Brexit is completed this would include the UK.
The new PM also said he would "unshackle" UK officials to work on new trade deals elsewhere in the world by pulling them out of Brussels and Luxembourg, where they are currently involved in EU affairs.
Leo Varadkar
Speaking on Wednesday, Ireland's Taioseach Leo Varadkar suggested that Mr Johnson's hopes for a new deal without a backstop by the end of October were "totally not in the real world".
"That is not going to happen," said Mr Varadkar. "The EU council doesn't meet until 12 October. We have no plans to meet any earlier.
"Any suggestion that there would be a whole new deal negotiated in weeks or months is totally not in the real world".
Boris JohnsonBrexitbackstopNorthern IrelandHouse of Commons
1/3Ditching backstop is red line for Brexit talks, Boris tells MPs
Ditching backstop is red line for Brexit talks, Boris tells MPs


text:
Home / Cities / 24-year-old man gunned down, cops suspect his 3 former accomplices
24-year-old man gunned down, cops suspect his 3 former accomplices
cities Updated: Nov 23, 2019 21:39 IST
HT Correspondent
Ghaziabad: A 24-year-old man was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle on the main road near Sector 7 in Ghaziabad's Raj Nagar on Saturday morning.
The police said the victim, Vinod Kumar, 24, a resident of Sector 23, Sanjay Nagar, had about 10 cases of crime against him and his family has blamed three of his rivals, who had allegedly been threatening him for the past couple of days.
on Saturday morning, Kumar was returning after meeting his family when he was shot dead by the unidentified bikers. Police recovered about seven empty cartridges from the scene of crime and said Kumar sustained at least three to four bullet wounds to his chest and face.
"Eyewitnesses told us that two men arrived on an Apache motorcycle and fired indiscriminately at Kumar who was also on a motorcycle. He had come to meet his family and had borrowed his father's bike and ₹3,000 and had just started rising away from home when the incident took place. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead as a result of multiple gunshot injuries," Atish Kumar Singh, circle officer (city 2), said.
According to police, Kumar had several cases of theft and other offences against his name at Kavi Nagar and Sihani Gate police stations and was also booked under the Gangster Act.
"We came across one of his accomplices with whom he was staying at a rented accommodation for the past two months. He was living in hiding and did not with his parents. His accomplice told us that three of his rivals, who had earlier been his accomplices, were threatening him over the past three or four days and had also fired at him once before. But that incident was not reported to police," Singh said.
Kumar's family has forwarded a police complaint on the basis of which police have registered an FIR of murder against the three named suspects, all residents of Ghaziabad.
The police have roped in a team to trace the unidentified bikers and are also trying to gather evidence from nearby CCTV cameras.
"Prima facie investigation has revealed that the three men had also been in jail with the victim. Kumar was out of jail for the past two months and was living in hiding," a police officer said.
The police suspect that the assailants were following the victim for the past several days.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/24-year-old-man-gunned-down-cops-suspect-his-3-former-accomplices/story-r7LpT2NRiIzBzK7KgShsdM.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/rain-in-capital-brings-mercury-down/story-quVBUZe4Q0saiONrbJsGlO.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/woman-killed-for-resisting-robbery-bid-2-held/story-lJB27KhxTJjv3rUXumIchM.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/a-murder-over-robbery-once-every-fortnight-in-delhi-in-2018-more-other-all-major-cities-combined-in-2017-18-ncrb-data/story-7pnsjK9KFUORvMrIMmRsIL.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/protests-against-caa-nrc-at-du-abvp-counters-with-anti-left-hoardings-one-gap/story-t1FSpE5AfqU5VFFhNYLHsM.html


Clinton Barker is a self-taught artist with a background in commercial screen printing, and is an edition printer with Basil Hall Editions in Canberra. Working predominantly with oil painting and screen print, Clinton's work encompasses expressionism and semi-abstract figurative representation.
Clinton's lithograph Spewing Out Seeds of Faith was exhibited as part of Clinton's solo exhibition Inner Dynamics at the Woolloongabba Art Gallery in November 2016; and his artist book Makers of the Wind was exhibited at the Codex Book Fair in San Francisco, USA in January 2017.
State 1 – two colour lithograph on black Hanemuhlle.


..after my diving experience on the Great Barrier Reef my last 3 days on Kangaroo Island in the south of Australia were definitely the absolute highlight! This Island is absolutely fabulous when it coems to beautiful landscsapes and TONS of wildlife! I saw pretty much everything I wanted to see (and everything the tour promised we would see): no zoo, no fences, just 100% wildlife! Koalas, a few fairy penguings during a nightwalk, hundreds of Kangaroos and Wallabies (=small Kangaroo breed), sea lions and seals, 3 echidnas (like a porcipine with a long nose) and some nice birds – oh, and a fat possum which stole some of our food from the B-B-Q (this little guy will explode soon, the tour guides call him fatty because he got stuck in a hole in the house last week! There were amazing beaches and shorelines with turquoise coloured water and the wind was as strong as I have NEVER experienced before (our little Japanese girl in the tour almost FLEW away!). Luckily we saw a lot of baby Koalas and Kangaroos peeking out of their mother's pouches because is is breeding season right now – very cute to see!
Posted by Brita Graser on 16. September 2007 in Australia and tagged wildlife.


text:
Project Aquarius
===
Project Aquarius is a light weight and responsive inventory management system. This was an assignment for the California State University-San Marcos CS 441 class. The goal of this project was to create a inventory management system that is easy to use for lower level users in a company while giving administrators the full power of a highly functional system, using the Agile programming method

### Features
---
- Mandatory features included:
    - Login/logout
    - Register new users
    - Add, remove, and edit inventory data
    - Users with varied permissions
- EXTRA features included:
    - POS system
    - Scanning feature
- Future cases to implement (If there was time left)
    - More Guest Functions
    - More Employee Functions

### Tech
---

Project Aquarius uses a number of frameworks to work properly:

* [Twitter Bootstrap](https://getbootstrap.com) - A beautiful HTML/CSS framework
* [MySQL](https://www.mysql.com) - Stores all our database information
* [PHP](http://php.net) - Queries, fetches and stores database information
* [jQuery](https://jquery.com) - The paste that makes it responsive

### Installation
---

A live demo can be found [HERE](http://projectaquarius.000webhostapp.com)

Simply clone the repository. If only running on a local machine, download [XAMPP](https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html) (for Windows), or [MAMP](https://www.mamp.info/en/) (for OSX) to host a local database.

After setting up PHPmyAdmin with a username and password, create a new database, and import `CS441_IMS.sql` to the database.

Once that is complete, edit `/use/config.php` with the correct values for login and the database name. If you are using root as your user, there is no need to input a password, unless you have set one.

```
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');         // Set database host
define('DB_USER', 'USERNAME');          // Set database user
define('DB_PASS', 'YOUR_PASSWORD');     // Set database password
define('DB_NAME', 'DATABASE_NAME');     // Set database name
```

##### If you are using XAMPP or MAMP:
Be sure to locate the folder `htdocs` and copy the repository files into the directory. When you are ready, be sure to start both the MySql Server and the Webserver.

That's it!

### Project Management
---
- Tools Used
    - Slack for communication
    - GitHub for file coordination.
    - PHPStorm for IDE
- Agile Sprints
    - **First**: Getting a visible login screen, and the foundations for the database.
    - **Second**: Built dashboard, and constructed the database.
    - **Third**: Built add/remove users PHP, and add/remove item PHP.
    - **Fourth**: Integration into the dashboard
    - **Fifth**: Refactoring & final testing

### What we learned
---
When we started the project, no one had really any experience with PHP, HTML, CSS, or even MySQL, except for one of two people. We each had to take some time and learn how to use these languages. At first, we also wanted to include AngularJS, but opted not to, as it only complicated things more than we wanted. Communication with the team was difficult, and not everyone was one the same page at all time, as well as everyone had their own style and idea of what they wanted to do. However,int the end,  the group had the expectation that at the end of each sprint, we would have at least something to show, something that was actually working.

This was by no means an easy project, as we first thought it would be. There were times where the team was quite divided on ideas, on what was most important, and whether or not we'd even finish it at all. towards the final sprints, everyone had built their own divided modules, which each worked independantly and communicated with the database as intended, but there was no real final product just yet. Here, Ken shines as he stepped up and really put it all together into a working product that we are all proud to show off.

### Credits
---
| Member | Contribution |
| :-------: | :-------: |
| Stefan Retief | Project Lead |
| Ken Khuat | Lead Guru |
| Alejandro Monje | Back-End Specialist |
| Juan Juarez | Back-End Specialist |
| Antonio Monje | Front-End Specialist |
| David Garcia | Design Pattern Specialist |

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Making a folder with html and node.js I wanted to make a website that takes an input and, using node.js for the backend, makes a folder using mkdirSync(input.value). I have the fs module installed locally and I got it to work when using javascript only, but when I try to make it from a button on a web page it doesn't work. This is my folder and file structure:

*

*Project folder

*

*node_modules

*src

*

*index.html

*script.js

*package-lock.json

*package.json

This is the code in the index.html and script.js files:

const fs = require("fs")
const btn = document.querySelector("#btn")
const input = document.querySelector("#in")
btn.addEventListener("click", () => {
    fs.mkdirSync(`./src/${input.value}`)
})
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title> Document </title>
</head>
<body>
    <input type="text" id="in">
    <input type="submit" id="btn">

    <script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Is it possible to do this in the first place? I cannot use PHP since I won't be able to use a server for this project. If you have ANY other ideas please tell me, it might be of help.

A: You're misunderstanding how a backend works:
The backend is NOT a script attached to the HTML document
So, your script.js won't work because it isn't backend code, its frontend code.
You can use Express.js to make your backend.

A: You are mixing two concepts here that don't belong together. I will try to explain this using your first script:
const fs = require("fs");

This line belongs in a nodeJS context and has no idea what browsers, windows or documents are. Even if it knew it would still not work because browsers support ESM syntax, i.e. import but not CommonJs' require.
const btn = document.querySelector("#btn")
const input = document.querySelector("#in")
btn.addEventListener("click", () => {
    fs.mkdirSync(`./src/${input.value}`)
})

Here we are in a browser context. Browsers know nothing about file systems so all they can do is throw an error when they across something like fs.
You will need some sort of server/client architecture, I'm afraid, even when it's only a tiny local server.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


RETIRE IN STYLE BLOG: When the Dog Dies...Saying goodbye to Teagan!
When the Dog Dies...Saying goodbye to Teagan!
She wasn't even my dog. My daughter, her husband and two children brought her home from Canada so many years ago I cannot remember. The children that were small then are now 20 and 16.
My husband and I were just people that showed up at her house periodically so she could bark. Surprisingly, when I found out she was gone I felt very sad. She was a part of every family gathering.
Teagan didn't care much what you wanted, never came when you called her and ruined so many screen doors her family gave up and just swatted the flies.
She was a mass of nerves and barked incessantly so she required a bark collar. She liked to come and go at her own pace. She ran away at the blink of the eye, moved so fast you could never catch her. She required an invisible fence.
In fact, it seemed her goal in life was to prove that, although you needed her, she did not need you.
The neighbor's dog was her friend and she would go to their house and ask to be let in so she could play. Racoons kept her entertained and the feral cat that came to live was a constant companion. She did not know how to walk but seemed to lope everywhere she went. Her cousins lived at Bill Cosby's house.
But she did love us all. Her head would appear under our hand so we could pet her and she begged to be scratched. No space was too small for her to find a way to get the attention she wanted. Tables moved and people got out of her way.
Beautiful, regal, goofy, hyperactive, brilliantly pea brained and much loved. We will always miss that funny old dog. How did we get so attached to her?


text:
\section{Injective transforms based on persistent homology.}
The past fifteen years have witnessed the rise of Topological Data Analysis as a novel means of extracting structure from data. In its most common form, data means a point cloud sampled from a subset of Euclidean space, and structure comes from converting this to a filtered simplicial complex and applying persistent homology (see \cite{C,EH} for definitions and examples). This has proved effective in a number of application domains, including genetics, neuroscience, materials science, and more.

Recent work considers an inverse problem for shape reconstruction based on topological data. In particular, \cite{TMB} defines a type of transform which is based on persistent homology as follows. Given a (reasonably tame) subspace $X\subset{\mathbb R}^n$, one considers a function from $\sphere^{n-1}\times{\mathbb N}$ to the space of persistence modules over a field $\Field$. For those familiar with the literature, this {\em persistent homology transform} records sublevelset homology barcodes in all directions ($\Sphere^{n-1}$) and all gradings (${\mathbb N}$).
The paper \cite{TMB} contains the following contributions.
\begin{enumerate}
\item For compact nondegenerate shapes in ${\mathbb R}^2$ and compact triangulated surfaces in ${\mathbb R}^3$, the persistent homology transform is injective; thus one can in principle reconstruct the shapes based on the image in the space of persistence modules. The proof is an algorithm.
\item It is claimed that the proof survives reduction to the Euler characteristic, so that knowing all Euler characteristics of the intersection of the shape with all half-spaces in ${\mathbb R}^2$ or ${\mathbb R}^3$ (resp.) yields a likewise injective transform.
\item Certain results on {\em sufficient statistics} follow from this injectivity, which are then applied to shape characterization (see also \cite{CMCMR}). This is effected by discretizing the Euler characteristic transform both in direction and along the filtration.
\end{enumerate}

This note reformulates the persistent homology transform of \cite{TMB} in terms of Euler calculus on constructible functions. Though a more abstract framework, the theory effortlessly permits the following results.
\begin{enumerate}
\item The Euler characteristic reduction of the persistent homology transform extends to an integral transform on constructible functions.
\item This integral transform has an explicit inverse, with no restrictions on dimension, manifold structure, or nondegeneracy (beyond constructibility).
\item This integral transform is shown to be but one of several invertible transforms that characterizes shapes with topological data.
\end{enumerate}

{\em Nota bene:} upon posting this preprint, we learned of independent work-in-progress. The work of Curry {\em et al.} \cite{CMT} contains results (1) and (2) above with a similar proof. In addition, \cite{CMT} has a number of further interesting results concerning reconstruction from finite samplings. For a restricted class of graphs, work of Belton {\em et al.} also has a finite reconstruction algorithm \cite{BF+}.

\section{Euler calculus.}
Euler characteristic is an integer-valued ``compression'' of a finitely-nonzero sequence $V_\Grading$ of finite-dimensional vector spaces over a field $\Field$ given by the alternating sum of dimensions. Among complexes, Euler characteristic is an invariant of quasi-isormorphism, meaning that for $C_\Grading$ a complex of vector spaces and $H_\Grading$ its homology, $\chi(H_\Grading)=\chi(C_\Grading)$. On compact cell complexes, $\chi$ is well-defined and a homotopy invariant. Euler characteristic is additive on compact cell complexes, meaning that for $A$ and $B$ such, $\chi(A\cup B) = \chi(A) + \chi(B) - \chi(A\cap B)$.

It is profitable to pass from the realm of compact cell complexes to more general {\em definable} or {\em constructible} subsets of ${\mathbb R}^n$  by using compactly-supported cohomology. This, combined with results from {\em o-minimal structures} \cite{vdd} makes it trivial to work with an additive and homeomorphism-invariant Euler characteristic on definable sets. For the reader unfamiliar with the o-minimal theory, it suffices to substitute {\em semialgebraic} for {\em definable} or {\em constructible} in what follows.

For $X$ a definable subset of Euclidean space, the {\em constructible functions} on $X$ are functions $h\colon X\to{\mathbb Z}$ that have definable (and locally finite) level sets. The set of constructible functions, ${\sf CF}(X)$, has the structure of a sheaf with the obvious restriction maps.\footnote{This structure, though very helpful for generating clean definitions, can be ignored by the reader for whom sheaves are unfamiliar.} The Euler integral on $X$ is simply the functional
\begin{equation}
\int_X\cdot \,d\chi\colon {\sf CF}(X)\to{\mathbb Z}
\quad {\textrm{taking}} \quad
\CharFunc_{\sigma}\mapsto(-1)^{\dim\ \sigma}
\end{equation}
for each (open) definable simplex $\sigma$. As all definable sets are finitely definably triangulated, the Euler integral is well-defined and additive. Euler calculus possesses a Fubini Theorem, a convolution operation, and much more.  For a thorough introduction, see \cite{CGR}.

\section{Euler-Radon transform \& inversion.}

The first application of Euler calculus to integral transforms was given by Schapira in a seminal paper \cite{Schapira} that defined a topological Radon transform and gave conditions for an inverse to exist. Our summary uses compactly-supported constructible functions ${\sf CF}_c(-)$ and follows the reformulation in \cite{BGL} to weighted kernels. Consider a pair $(X, Y)$ of definable spaces and $K\in{\sf CF}(X\times Y)$ a kernel --- a constructible function on the product. The Radon transform $\Radon_K\colon{\sf CF}(X)\to{\sf CF}(Y)$ is defined explicitly via the formula
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:Radon}
    (\Radon_K h)(y) = \int_X h(x)\,K(x,y)\,d\chi(x) .
\end{equation}
The principal result of \cite{Schapira} is the following. Consider a second kernel $K'\in{\sf CF}(Y\times X)$ with Radon transform $\Radon_{K'}\colon{\sf CF}(Y)\to{\sf CF}(X)$. If there are constants $\lambda, \mu$ such that
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:RadonHypothesis}
    \int_Y K(x,y)K'(y,x') \, d\chi(y) = (\mu-\lambda)\delta_{\Delta} + \lambda ,
\end{equation}
for $\Delta\subset X\times X$ the diagonal, then
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:RadonInverse}
    (\Radon_{K'}\circ\Radon_K)h = (\mu - \lambda)h + \lambda\left( \int_X h\, d\chi \right)\CharFunc_{X} .
\end{equation}
Thus, when $\lambda\neq\mu$, one can recover $h$ exactly from the inverse transform (followed by the appropriate rescaling).

The point of this note is to show that working with Euler integral transforms is preferable to mapping a set into a space of persistence modules, as the Euler transform provides a more efficient representation that yields full invertibility, not merely injectivity.

\section{Inversion for the sublevelset Euler integral transform.}
The persistent homology transform of \cite{TMB} is easily converted into a Radon integral transform. Let $X={\mathbb R}^n$ and $Y=\Sphere^{n-1}\times{\mathbb R}$ with kernel $K$ the indicator function on the set $\{(x,(\xi, t)) \colon x\cdot\xi\leq t\}$. Given the resemblance to sublevelset filtrations in persistent homology, we denote this the {\em sublevelset Euler integral transform}.

\begin{theorem}
The sublevelset Euler integral transform $\Radon_K\colon{\sf CF}_c(X)\to{\sf CF}(Y)$ is invertible for all dimensions $n$.
\end{theorem}
\begin{proof}
Consider as the dual kernel $K'$ the indicator function of the set
\[
    \{(x,(\xi, t)) \colon x\cdot\xi\geq t\} .
\]
One observes the following.

Denote by $K_x$ the set of all $(\xi, t)$ such that $x$ lies in the halfspace $x\cdot\xi\leq t$. Likewise with the dual fiber $K_x'$ reversing the inequality. The intersection $K_x\cap K_x'$ is the set of $(\xi, t)$ with the property that for each $\xi\in\sphere^{n-1}$, there is a unique $t$ at which $x\cdot\xi=t$. Thus, $\mu = \chi(K_x\cap K_x') = \chi(\sphere^{n-1}) = 1-(-1)^n$.

For $x\neq x'$, the intersection $K_x\cap K_{x'}'$ is the set of all $(\xi, t)$ such that $x\cdot\xi\leq t$ and $x'\cdot\xi\geq t$. For fixed $\xi\in\sphere^{n-1}$, the set of compatible $t$ is empty if $(x-x')\cdot\xi<0$ and is a compact interval when $(x-x')\cdot\xi\geq 0$.  Thus, $K_x\cap K_{x'}'$ is a compact contractible set, and $\lambda = \chi(K_x\cap K_{x'}') = 1$.

As $\lambda\neq\mu$, the transform is invertible for all $n$.
\end{proof}

Note that we restrict our attention to only compactly-supported functions on $X$ in order to use the compactly-supported version of Euler characteristic, which is compatible with our definition of the Euler integral.

\begin{corollary}
The persistent homology transform of \cite{TMB} and the smoothed Euler characteristic transform of \cite{CMCMR} are invertible on constructible subsets of ${\mathbb R}^n$ for all $n$.
\end{corollary}

\section{Additional invertible transforms.}
The sublevelset Euler integral transform is but one of several invertible transforms on $X={\mathbb R}^n$. As the Euler calculus appears underutilized, and as these transforms are so simple to define and invert, it seems appropriate to recall some known invertible topological integral transforms.
\begin{enumerate}
\item The original example of Schapira's inversion formula has $Y$ equal to the affine Grassmannian of hyperplanes in $X={\mathbb R}^n$. Thus, recording all Euler characteristics of all flat codimension-1 slices is an invertible transform (with self-dual kernel).
\item The article \cite{BGL} gives several other examples of invertible transforms, including the following. Let $C$ be a compact convex definable subset of $X={\mathbb R}^n=Y$ with kernel $K$ the indicator function on the set $\{x-y\in C\}$. Thus, $\Radon_K$ is a constructible ``blur'' with filter $C$. This is an invertible transform for all $n$.
\end{enumerate}

These examples are far from exhaustive. To close, we present a few novel invertible topological integral transforms.
\begin{enumerate}
\item Schapira's original example with the affine Grassmannian has a stereographic variant. Let $X=\Disc^n$ be a closed ball and $Y=\partial\Disc\times{\mathbb R}^{\geq 0}$. The (self-dual) kernel is given as the indicator function on the set $\{||x-y||=t\}$: one measures distance to a point on the boundary of $X$. The resulting transform is invertible for all $n$ with $\mu=\chi(\Sphere^{n-1})$ and $\lambda=\chi(\Sphere^{n-2})$.
\item The previous example can be modified to a sublevel/superlevel setting, analogous to the persistent Euler integral transform of this note. Keeping $X$ and $Y$ as before, one can set $K$ to be the indicator function on the set $\{||x-y||\leq t\}$ with the dual kernel $K'$ reversing the inequality. This transform is invertible for all $n$ with $\mu$ and $\lambda$ unchanged. These two examples suggest generalizations to other geometric domains with boundary.
\item Let $X={\mathbb R}^n=Y$ with $\gamma$ a codimension-0 cone in ${\mathbb R}^n$ with vertex at the origin that does not contain a half-space. Let $K=K'$ be the indicator function over the set $\{(x, y)\colon x-y\in(\gamma\cup -\gamma)$. Then, for all $n>1$, this transform is invertible with $\mu = -1$ and $\lambda = 0$.
\end{enumerate}

In the same manner that the persistent Euler integral transform is discretized (and smoothed) to vectorize shape data \cite{TMB,CMCMR}, one can discretize any of the invertible Euler integral transforms defined above to use as a statistic for shapes (or more general constructible functions).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv