The city's public life just became much more interesting thanks to Babak Golkar's ceramic vessels. Starting on opening night, they have continued to resonate with people.
The vessels break the rules: unlike most art which is only for looking, Golkar's brown terracotta vessels are meant to be looked at – and touched. Every time someone comes in contact with one of the vessels, she or he comes in contact with clay – with the earth. Maybe people are responding to something elemental in the material.
The vessels aren't standoffish and intimidating. They're just the opposite: they're inviting and engaging.
The installation is called Time to Let Go . . . . It's at OffSite, the Vancouver Art Gallery's public art space on West Georgia at Shangri-La.
All the vessels are resting on burlap bags filled with sand and cement in the reflecting pond. The idea is to take a few steps on the brick platforms that lead to each vessel. Once you're there, lean over and put your face into one of the snug openings.
At that point, what you do is up to you.
You can scream into it as I did. I found it very therapeutic. You can also whisper, say a prayer, or just stare into the void (see photo below) and listen.
Even though the vessels are in public, looking inside transported me to a private space. Maybe that's another reason why people are responding to the work: it gives them permission to do something private in public.
When I Tweeted the photo above out on opening night, I got a major and immediate response. It was Retweeted and commented on throughout the evening. One woman replied that she thought the vessel was eating the woman's face. It's not, of course – but her reply certainly made me laugh.
I decided to yell into the vessel because I'd been primed after seeing a similar version last year in Golkar's exhibition the Dialectic of Failure at the West Vancouver Museum. In that exhibition, the ceramic vessels were small enough to pick up in your hand. They were called Scream Pots and were meant to capture and contain a scream.
Golkar said he initially came up with the idea for Scream Pots after he found images online created by a Japanese teenager of someone screaming into a plastic terracotta pot.
Initially, Golkar thought the image was a product of Japan's long history with ceramics. But if it was, Golkar could find no evidence of that.
But it did get him thinking about ceramics again.
Trained as a ceramicist, he decided to move away from traditional craft to a more conceptual art practice because of the ideas of Paul Mathieu, the influential ceramacist and associate professor at Emily Carr University.
Golkar said Mathieu was an important teacher for him because of the way he bridged the gap between art and craft. Golkar said he recalled Mathieu pointing out that Marcel Duchamp's Fountain – arguably one of most influential works of art in the 20th century – was a urinal made out of porcelain. But in all the attention paid to the work as a readymade, everyone forgets or overlooks the importance of the material with which it was made.
But since Golkar left ceramics in 2002, he's been looking for excuses to return to the medium but in a new way. He wanted to both honor the craft but push it into new conceptual directions.
Time to Let Go takes the ideas and objects from the West Vancouver exhibition and builds on them. The vessels are bigger – but so are the ideas.
Previously, the work's title bracketed the work by describing what they were meant to do. In the exhibition at Offsite, the title Time to Let Go is more open ended. Letting go can mean screaming or leaving anxieties behind. It can also refers to the letting go Golkar has had to do as an artist and allow the work to change and maybe even deteriorate over time during the duration of the installation. The title makes it easier for viewers to create their own meanings around he work too.
Golkar will be giving a talk about Time to Let Go on Saturday starting at 1 pm in the Blue Moon Theatre, Shangri-La, and then moving outside to the installation.
It's a busy year for Golkar. In September, he has two exhibitions opening on the same day in Dubai and Brussels; In October, he'll be showing his work for the first time in Tehran at Sazman Ab Gallery in collaboration with West Vancouver Museum. Later in October, he'll be showing in La Biennale de Montréal.
Time to Let Go . . . continues at Offsite to Sunday, Sept. 28.


text:
package me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycledemo.ui.tasks;

import android.databinding.DataBindingUtil;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
import android.support.design.widget.Snackbar;
import android.support.v7.widget.LinearLayoutManager;
import android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuInflater;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;

import me.henrytao.mdcore.utils.AlertDialogBuilder;
import me.henrytao.mdcore.utils.ResourceUtils;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycle.recyclerview.RecyclerViewBindingAdapter;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycle.rx.UnsubscribeLifeCycle;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycledemo.R;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycledemo.databinding.TasksFragmentBinding;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycledemo.ui.base.BaseFragment;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycledemo.ui.base.Constants;
import me.henrytao.mvvmlifecycledemo.ui.taskdetail.TaskDetailActivity;

/**
 * Created by henrytao on 4/2/16.
 */
public class TasksFragment extends BaseFragment {

  public static TasksFragment newInstance() {
    return new TasksFragment();
  }

  private RecyclerView.Adapter mAdapter;

  private TasksFragmentBinding mBinding;

  private TasksViewModel mViewModel;

  @Override
  public void onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu, MenuInflater inflater) {
    super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu, inflater);
    inflater.inflate(R.menu.menu_tasks, menu);
    ResourceUtils.supportDrawableTint(getContext(), menu, ResourceUtils.Palette.PRIMARY);
  }

  @Override
  public void onCreateView() {
    super.onCreateView();
    setHasOptionsMenu(true);

    mAdapter = new RecyclerViewBindingAdapter<>(TaskItemViewHolder.class, this, mViewModel.getTasks());
    mBinding.list.setAdapter(mAdapter);
    mBinding.list.setLayoutManager(new LinearLayoutManager(getActivity()));

    mBinding.swipeRefreshLayout.setOnRefreshListener(() -> mViewModel.reloadData());

    manageSubscription(mViewModel.getState().subscribe(state -> {
      switch (state.getName()) {
        case ACTIVE_TASK:
          Snackbar.make(mBinding.swipeRefreshLayout, R.string.task_marked_active, Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
          break;
        case COMPLETE_TASK:
          Snackbar.make(mBinding.swipeRefreshLayout, R.string.task_marked_complete, Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
          break;
        case CLICK_TASK:
          startActivity(TaskDetailActivity.newIntent(getContext(), state.getData().getString(Constants.Key.ID)));
          break;
        case RELOADED_TASKS:
          mAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
          mBinding.swipeRefreshLayout.setRefreshing(false);
          break;
        case CREATED_TASK:
          mAdapter.notifyItemInserted(state.getData().getInt(Constants.Key.INDEX));
          break;
        case UPDATED_TASK:
          mAdapter.notifyItemChanged(state.getData().getInt(Constants.Key.INDEX));
          break;
        case REMOVED_TASK:
          mAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
          break;
      }
    }), UnsubscribeLifeCycle.DESTROY_VIEW);
  }

  @Override
  public View onInflateView(LayoutInflater inflater, @Nullable ViewGroup container, @Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    mBinding = DataBindingUtil.inflate(inflater, R.layout.tasks_fragment, container, false);
    return mBinding.getRoot();
  }

  @Override
  public void onInitializeViewModels() {
    mViewModel = new TasksViewModel();
    addViewModel(mViewModel);
  }

  @Override
  public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
    switch (item.getItemId()) {
      case R.id.action_filter:
        new AlertDialogBuilder(getContext())
            .setMessage("Let's try to implement this feature with MVVMLifeCycle. Don't hesitate to send me a question hi@henrytao.me")
            .setPositiveButton("Close")
            .show();
        break;
    }
    return true;
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Class tensions in Europe at the breaking point
Peter Schwarz
Class tensions in Europe are rapidly intensifying. The ruling class will not rest until it has imposed the full burden of the international financial crisis on the working class. Its aim is to destroy the social gains of the post-war period and slash wages in Europe to a level comparable with those in China and India.
Greece, where five successive austerity packages have thrown broad layers of the population into unemployment and poverty, is only the beginning. Portugal, Ireland, Slovenia, Romania, Spain and Italy are all being subjected to similar austerity policies.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung noted smugly that since his election last spring, French President François Hollande has undergone a "radical paradigm shift." His predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, the newspaper commented, talked a great deal about social "reform," but accomplished little. The new Socialist Party president, on the other hand, has launched significant "reforms"—i.e., attacks on the working class—without making a fuss about it.
Hollande's government has cut labor costs by €20 billion, begun to make the labor market more "flexible," and resolved to reduce state spending by €12 billion every year. This, however, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, is just the beginning. "The task is to carry through a backlog of reforms going back decades."
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Peer Steinbrück of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the two leading candidates in parliamentary elections to be held in September, are both unconditional advocates of attacks on the European working class and committed to initiating new social attacks after the elections.
Hand in hand with this social counterrevolution comes a revival of militarism. Whereas the continental European powers in the past intervened in the wake of the United States, or largely abstained, as in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, they are now the leading aggressors in a new "scramble for Africa." The war against Libya was largely a French initiative, and in Mali, France has acted unilaterally. Britain and Germany urgently want to be on board when it comes to the recolonization of this resource-rich continent and have pledged military support for France.
In foreign policy as well as domestic, Hollande has undergone a "radical paradigm shift." In his election campaign, he promised to break with the policy of "Françafrique," i.e., the policy of sponsoring corrupt potentates in the former French colonies. Now in Mali he assumes the garb of a colonial conqueror.
Domestic as well as international considerations play a considerable role in this about-face. The Nouvel Observateur wrote approvingly that with his intervention in Mali, Hollande had shown his true qualities as president and strengthened his authority at home.
Workers seeking to resist the social counterrevolution and defend their jobs and past social gains are confronted with the reality that this is not possible on the basis of the methods of struggle employed in previous decades.
Not just the French Socialist Party, but all of the social democratic parties once identified with social reform are today fully committed to austerity measures and the destruction of past reforms. The trail blazed by Labour Party leader Tony Blair in Britain and SPD leader Gerhard Schröder in Germany has been taken up by José Zapatero in Spain and George Papandreou in Greece.
Likewise the trade unions, which have been transformed into appendages of the corporations and the state, function as an arm of corporate management in the imposition of layoffs and wage cuts. At a political level, they see to it that social resistance is suppressed or limited to token protests that represent no threat to the state.
The European governments respond to any expression of working class opposition with more serious consequences for corporate profits and government policy by imposing strike bans and employing methods of state violence traditionally associated with dictatorships.
Two years ago, the social democratic Zapatero government in Spain mobilized the army to break a strike by air traffic controllers.
In France, Interior Minister Manuel Valls has instructed police and intelligence agencies to "closely" follow developments at troubled companies where labor unrest could break out and to watch for "threats to production in the event of a radicalization of the conflict." Steel workers who recently demonstrated in Strasbourg against mass redundancies were detained by the French police, searched and attacked with tear gas.
In Greece, the government forced striking ferry workers back to work last week by imposing martial law for the fourth time since the beginning of austerity measures. Under penalty of long prison terms, the government broke the strike by workers who have not been paid for months. Two weeks earlier, the Greek government invoked the same emergency powers to break a strike by Athens subway workers.
The democratic right to strike has, in practice, been abolished. Any effective strike is illegal. Only protests and strikes that are purely symbolic are permitted.
Under these conditions, the fight to defend social and political rights confronts the working class with new political tasks. When all of the old mechanisms of compromise and concessions fail to resolve social conflict, when governments respond to social pressure with state repression, and the unions form a united front with the employers against the workers, then the class struggle must inevitably assume an insurgent and revolutionary character.
If it is no longer possible to defend jobs, wages and social gains through pressure on corporations and governments, the working class is called upon to take into its own hands the control of society and the economy. This requires an independent, international mass movement of the working class fighting for a socialist program and the establishment of workers' governments within the framework of a United Socialist States of Europe.
A crucial obstacle standing in the way of such a policy is the array of pseudo-left parties—SYRIZA in Greece; Die Linke in Germany; the Communist Party, the Left Party and the New Anti-capitalist Party in France. These organizations oppose the establishment of the political independence of the working class from all sections of the capitalist class and seek to block an independent mobilization of the working class. They defend the unions, encourage illusions in social democracy, and support the European Union. They embody a prosperous section of the middle class that seeks to hide its right-wing politics behind left-sounding phrases.
In order to establish the political independence of the working class and prepare for the great social struggles ahead, it is necessary for workers to oppose these fake-left organizations and expose their reactionary role before the entire working class.
PerspectivesEuropean Union

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A throw of dice is all it takes to determine the winners and losers in this table game. Yet, few can resist the lure of a 7 or 11 in the first round. What if a 2, 3 or 12 shows up? Craps! Blame it on bad luck and continue betting in several different ways.
Place a bet before the hot dice is rolled. Click on the chips and choose the nature of bet by clicking again on that spot on the table. The table is marked with all the names of the bets. You can change the amount you want to bet, by clicking on the 'amount to bet per click.' Place multiple bets by clicking on the bets. You can clear most bets (except pass and come bets) from the table and start over. You can also modify the bets.
Craps is a dice game where players guess which number will be rolled. There are different ways to bet on a number. One can bet that the value of the numbers on the two dice would be 7. Or one can bet that before the 7, a 5 will be rolled. The roller is called the shooter.
Craps is played in rounds. This round can end automatically, depending on the bet placed. If that does not happen, the number that was rolled becomes the 'Point'. The round following this comes to an end only if a point or a 7 is rolled. Each outcome carries its own meaning in terms of winning and losing and payouts, which is explained later. Unless you know the different kinds of bets and what they mean, you cannot play Craps.
The Pass Line bet is the basic bet one wagers in a game of Craps. It is a series bet, where the shooter may have to roll the bet several times to determine the outcome. This also means the wager is a contract -one cannot withdraw after a round, unless the series is completed. The first roll in this series is called the come-out roll.
In this round, if 7 and 11 appear, it is an automatic pass line win, you win even money and the game ends.
If 2, 3 or 12 (referred to as Craps -French for 'toad', meaning bad luck) is thrown up, it is an automatic loss. The game ends with just one roll.
Any other number rolled – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 – becomes the shooter's Point and the series continues.
If the shooter establishes a point, the objective of the shooter is to roll the point number again before a 7.
If any number other than the point or 7 is rolled, the shooter merely has to roll again.
If the point is rolled, the series ends with a win for all pass line bets. Payouts follow a pre-determined pattern as shown below in Table 1.
If a 7 is rolled, it is called a 'seven out' and the series ends with all pass line bets losing.
In other words, rolling a 7 after a point leads to loss of wager.
Example: The shooter throws the dice on a come-out roll and a 4 is rolled. This is a 'point' of 5. The dice is rolled again and an 8 is thrown up. There is a status quo on pass line bets. The shooter throws the dice again and rolls a 5. A 'point' is established. Pass line bets remain unaffected. The next dice roll yields a 3. It has come after the point, so nothing happens. Another roll throws up a 5 yet again. It is a win. If a 7 had been rolled as this stage, it would have been a 'Seven Out' with all pass line bets relinquished.
Also called 'taking the odds', it is an additional bet one can make midway through a Pass Line bet, when a point has been established. The bet is that the Point will be rolled before a 7. The Pass Odds bet has to be a multiple of Pass Line bet and has the same payout as shown in Table 1.
This is a series bet and is the opposite of the Pass Line Bet. Considered equivalent to betting against the shooter, the wager is that 2 or 3 will be rolled on the come-out roll, or that a 7 will be rolled before the Point.
If a 7 or 11 (Natural) is rolled, you lose.
If a 2 or 3 (Craps) is rolled, you win even money.
If a 12 is rolled, it is a push (tie).
If a number other than the above appears, it is the Point.
If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you win according to the payout table shown in Table 2.
Come bet is nothing but a pass line bet, placed after a point has been established. It is a contract bet. The next roll of the dice then becomes the come-our roll for your bet. In effect, this means multiple rounds of Craps are played simultaneously.
If 7 or 11 (Natural) is rolled in the come-out roll for your bet, you win even money.
If the Point is rolled before a 7, you win according to payouts shown in Table 3.
If a natural or craps is not rolled on the come-out roll and a Point is established, your chip is moved to the Come box for that number. For example, if the Point is 6, your chip is moved to the Come 6 box.
The come-out roll applies to the Come bets.
The come-out roll does not apply to Odds bets.
If the Come bet is resolved on the Come Out roll, the Odds bets are returned.
A Come Odds or taking the odds is an additional bet that the Point will be rolled before a 7. You can only place this wager only after placing a Come bet and after a Point has been established. The Come Odds bet is a multiple of the Come bet and has the same payout as the Come bet as depicted in Table 3 below.
If the Point is rolled before a 7, you win.
A Don't Come bet is akin to a Don't Pass bet. However, a Don't Come bet is placed after the Point has been established for another round of Craps. The next roll of the dice then becomes the come out roll of the bet. This allows multiple rounds of Craps to be played simultaneously.
If 2 or 3 (Craps) is rolled in the come-out roll for your bet, you win even money.
If a 7 or 11 (a Natural) is rolled on the come-out roll, you lose.
If a 12 (Craps) is rolled on the come-out roll, it is a push or tie.
If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you win according to the payout Table 4.
If a Natural or Craps is not rolled on the come-out roll and a Point is established, your chip is moved to the Don't Come box for that number. For example, if the Point is 8, your chip is moved to the Don't Come box for the number 8.
This is an additional bet which you can wager after a point has been established in your Don't Come bet round. The bet is that a 7 will be rolled before the Point is rolled again. Your Don't Come Odds bet is a multiple of your Don't Come bet.
This is bet which allows you to bet that a particular Point number will be rolled before a 7. Point numbers include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
If the number you made a Place bet on is rolled before a 7, you win according to a pre-determined pay table. See Additional Rules for payouts.
This is a type of Place bet, wagered after a point is rolled. You bet that a 6 will be then be rolled before a 7. The Big 6 bet pays even money or 1:1.
This is another type of Place bet. After a point is established, you bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7. The Big 8 bet pays even money or 1:1.
If the number you made a Buy bet on is rolled before a 7, you win according to the pay table below.
You bet that a 7 will be rolled before one of the Point numbers is rolled. Point numbers include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
If the number you made a Place bet on is rolled before a 7, you lose.
If a 7 is rolled before the number you made a Place bet on, you win according to the pay table included in Additional Rules.
Think of the lay bet as a place lose bet, with a 4% commission for fair odds. The odds with corresponding payouts are listed under Additional Rules. You bet that a 7 will be rolled before one of the Point numbers will be rolled. Point numbers include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. If a 7 or the Point is rolled before the number you made a Lay bet on, you win according to a pre-determined payout list. In effect, it is the opposite of a buy bet.
You bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Payout is determined by the number rolled. The numbers, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11 pay even money, the 2 pays 2:1 and 12 pays either 2:1 or 3:1. Payouts are detailed under Additional Rules.
This is a contract wager that a pair of 2s, 3s, 4s or 5s will be rolled before a 7 or an easy way of arriving at the same sum of 4, 6, 8 or 10. As it is difficult to get two of the same number, these bets are called Hard Four, Hard Six, Hard Eight and Hard Ten respectively. The reasoning is that it is an easy way to get a four with a one and a three. This bet cannot be withdrawn once the round begins. The payouts for hard way bets are pre-determined and featured in the Additional Rules section.
Reproduced below are the payout tables followed by the Silver Oak Casino site with respect to some bets that are popular in Craps. As mentioned earlier, a 4% commission is deducted from both Buy Bets and Lay bets. Commission is rounded off to a quarter of the lowest denomination in the game.
In a game like craps which has multiple bets, it is better to stick to those which carry a low house edge.
With this criterion alone in mind, the proposition bet is not advisable as it is a single dice roll bet with very high house edge. For instance, the Any Craps bet commands more than 11% house advantage.
The 5% commission coupled with low odds is reason enough to steer clear of lay bets. If you have to place this wager, make sure you maximize your win by betting in set amounts of exact denominations. Do not give the casino a chance to round off earnings.
Though the buy bets carry a 5% commission, they carry high odds. The numbers 4 and 10 are a good choice for this bet, as they are the only numbers which produce high odds of 2:1. Casinos usually charge 5% commission on every $20 wagered (meaning a $5 bet and a $20 bet both have a $1 commission charge, just as a $22 bet and a $39 bet both have a $2 commission); so when you make a buy bet, always do so in multiples of $20 in order to maximize return.
The House Edge on field bets is quite low -5.5%. Yet, this is a risky bet as it involves a single dice roll. They help to bring variety in the wagering and can come in handy when you have a strong hunch that a shooter will roll a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.
If you wish to make place bets, 6 and 8 may be better options as they return a house edge of 1.5%, compared to 5 and 9 which produce a 4% edge and 4 and 10 which carry a 7% edge. Also, the 4, 5, 9 and 10 bets should be wagered with multiples of $5, while the 6 and 8 should be wagered with multiples of $6. Any other amount will produce uneven amounts, which the casino will round down to make an even payoff amount.
All other basic bets like Pass, Don't Pass, Come and Don't Come are player-friendly and offer low house advantage, especially in conjunction with free odds wagers. These are the additional bets on existing pass, don't pass and don't come. All these wagers carry the 'true odd' or fair odd which brings down house advantage from 1.5% to .8%. As mentioned earlier, it is better to wager in specific denominations as casinos round off to the nearest quarter. This is not as important for a 4 or 10 as these numbers pay 2:1 odds. But numbers like 5 and 9 with payouts of 3:2, an even amount wager is beneficial. Only then will you actually get true odds.
Another method is to calculate house advantage per roll of dice, indicated as loss per hour, rather than per bet. Though the pace differs for each dice throw, on an average, it is calculated as 102 rolls per hour for a full table. Calculations are then made in terms of rate of loss per hour and for five-hour-a-day, four-day period gambling stint.
When the dice rolls, there are 36 possible outcomes. Here below is a probability chart of the possible combinations that would throw up a result of 2 to 12 with the odds against each combination.
It is evident from the above chart, that six out of every 36 results can give you a 7. The rare result is 2 and 12 as they are outcomes of a single combination.
Using this chart, one can judge the chances of rolling a 7 or 11 in the come-out roll. The plausible combinations are 6 and 2. This means 8 out of 36 combinations can give a 7 or 11. Similarly, losing a come-out roll is 4 out of 36 (combining chances of rolling 2, 3 and 12. In other words, the chances of winning in a come-out roll are double that of losing.
Another way to look at this chart is this. What are the chances of winning or losing the pass-line bet? Winning is 8 in 36, losing is 4 out of 36 -a total of 12. In percentage terms that is one-third or 33.33%. Once you learn to calculate the odds in this manner, you can devise your own odds-based strategy.
By most accounts, Craps can be traced to a game called Hazard which was played in the Middle Ages by European aristocracy. It arrived in America through the French Louisiana colony of Acadia.
Some believe the rules of the game were formulated as far back as in 1700s by Mont mort. There is evidence that one Bernard Mandeville of New Orleans simplified the game of Hazard in 1813 and gave the world Craps, based on the use of a fixed dice. John H Winn introduced the 'right' and 'wrong' bets and changed the Craps table layout to introduce the 'Don't Pass' bets as well. Thus betting for or against the roller came into existence.
It is most likely that the name of the game also originated from the English word 'Crabs' or from the French word Crapeaud (toad).
There is another theory that the game was played in the Holy Roman Empire. The story goes that the soldiers of the Roman Legions shaved pig's knuckles into cubes and tossed them on to their inverted shields as a form of entertainment while in camp. In effect, they 'rolled the bones' for entertainment.
The Encyclopedia Britannica says the name came from the Arabic words 'al zar' or 'azzah' which actually means "the dice". This would obviously imply the game is of Arabic origin.
Be that as it may, the fact remains that Craps has survived and evolved through the ages. Now it is a very popular game online.
Aces: A bet on the dice roll giving an outcome of 2.
Advantage: The House Edge. It is the incremental benefit that the Casino enjoys over bets on the table.
Any Craps: A roll wherein the shooter will return any combination between 2, 3, and 12.
Any Seven: A roll that will produce a 7, and help a shooter win. This is usually the target number for all shooters, the other being 11.
Betting Right: Bets such as the Pass Line and Come Bets on the table, which predicts a win for both the bettor and the shooter.
Betting Wrong: A bet that expects the throw to go wrong -meaning, if the shooter loses his throw attempt, the bettor wins.
Big Red: Placing bets on a seven from the roll.
Boxcars: Betting that two 6s will come out of a roll.
Buffalo: Bets placed on Hardway and Any Seven on the craps table.
Buy Bet: A conservative manner of lessening the odds by giving the house a 5% commission for more accurate odds on the table.
C and E Bet: A bet that any roll will fall between the craps numbers 2, 3, 11 or 12.
Craps: Used to refer to the numbers 2, 3 and 12.
Crap Out: An initial roll that returns a 2, 3, or a 12.
Dices in the Middle: The dice are placed in the middle until wagers are made by players on the table.
Down Behind: A term to inform a Don't Bettor that he lost in his bet.
Drop: The cash wagered on the table.
Easy Way: A safer route to follow for dice rolls that return a 4, 6, 8 or 10 being different from one another.
Frontline: Another terminology given for the Pass Line.
Hardway: A roll that will return a 4, 6, 8 or 10 before a 7 comes out.
Hi-Lo: A bet placed on either a 2 or a 12.
Hook: Player positions near the corners of the table.
Hop: A roll for a particular die combination on the table.
Hoping Hardway: The probability of returning a 2-2 combination from the die roll.
Horn Bet: A bet placed on combinations of 4 with a unit of 2, 3, 11 and 12.
Horn Numbers: Bets returning a 2, 3, 11 and 12.
Inside Bet: Bets placed on the 5, 6, 8 and 9 on the table.
Late Bet: Bets that are placed after the dice have been rolled; also known as No Bet.
Lay Bet: A Bet placed that a 4, 5,6,8,9, or 10 will be returned before a 7.
Line Bet: Bets placed on the Line or Don't Pass Line.
Monster Roll: An instance where a table generates a lot of winnings for a particular period of time.
Natural: The rolling out of a 7 or an 11 on the come out roll.
Odds Bet: A bet placed on true odds where the house does not have any advantage.
Off: When a bet is not active on the next roll.
On: When a bet is active on the next roll.
One Roll Bet: A bet placed on the next roll of the die.
Outside numbers: Numbers 4, 5, 9, and 10.
Pass: A throw made off the point or a natural throw.
Pass Bet: Bet that the shooter will throw a point or a natural.
Payout: The return of the bets for winning rolls.
Point Numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are point numbers.
Seven Out: A seven rolled out before making the point.
Shooter: The person throwing the dice.
Snake Eyes: This is the term used for rolling out a two or a pair of 1′s.
Take the Odds: A free-odds betting that is assumed to be the right one.
Yo: A slang term for an eleven.
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text:
Q: How can i simulate a rigid body at micro level using p5.js? I just learned that any particle of a rigid body when viewed from another particle's reference frame (of the same body) performs only circular motion, no matter what chaotic path the body is following! So I tried to simulate the same.
I created 100 particles closely located to form a body, and made them follow any arbitrary path , but now i can't get how to stick to one of the particle's reference frame & watch others.
This is what i have done (which i think is of no use):

var path = [];
var particles = [];

class Particle {
  constructor(x_, y_) {
    this.x_ = x_;
    this.y_ = y_;
    this.x = 0;
    this.y = 0;
    this.pathIndex = 0;

    this.draw = () => {
      fill(360, 100, 100);
      circle(this.x, this.y, 1);
    }

    this.update = () => {
      if (this.pathIndex >= path.length) {
        this.pathIndex = 0;
      } else {
        this.x = (path[this.pathIndex].x + this.x_);
        this.y = (path[this.pathIndex].y + this.y_);
        this.pathIndex++;
      }
      this.draw();
    }
  }
}

function setup() {
  createCanvas(400, 400);
  colorMode(HSB);

  for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    for (let j = 0; j < 10; j++) {
      particles.push(new Particle(i * 2, j * 2));
    }
  }
}

function draw() {
  background(50);

  fill(0);
  noStroke();
  for (let i = 0; i < path.length; i++) {
    circle(path[i].x, path[i].y, 5);
  }
  for (let i = 0; i < particles.length; i++) {
    particles[i].update();

  }
}

function mouseDragged() {
  path.push({
    x: mouseX,
    y: mouseY
  });
}
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/p5.js/0.9.0/p5.min.js"></script>

Click and drag to create a path.

For a real rigid body, each particle can have it's own velocity, and i think i can use relative velocity concept to move to a single particle's reference frame & then i can set other's velocity as:
v(1/2) = v1 - v2
 Where v1, v2 are there original velocity and v(1/2) is velocity of 1 w.r.t. 2.
But again i don't have any idea to get particle's velocity.

How can i proceed with this, any help is greatly appreciated.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This pack features 15 geometric vector border designs, inspired by the art deco style. Each frame has a unique design, and can easily be adapted to fit any rectangular or square shape. The frames are 100% vector and have editable strokes which allow you to change the weight/thickness of the lines.
To resize a frame in Illustrator, select approximately the first third of the shape (ie. only the corner elements), from the side which you want to adjust with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Then use the arrow keys to nudge the points in or outwards.
For this update we have completely recreated the entire set, including lots of new and improved designs which now all have editable strokes. We also now include individual .svg files of each frame.


text:
Q: The flutter project cannot be run in release mode I opened a Flutter project in Xcode. I can use the emulator to run it in debug mode, but it won't run in release mode, nor will it be packaged. I can't find a specific error message. I don't know why. Can someone help me?
PhaseScriptExecution Run\ Script /Users/xxx/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-dxgaiocdvdjvonbkpwvrsyrlzgza/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Runner.build/Release-iphonesimulator/Runner.build/Script-9740EEB61CF901F6004384FC.sh (in target 'Runner' from project 'Runner')

  ...

    /bin/sh -c /Users/xxx/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Runner-dxgaiocdvdjvonbkpwvrsyrlzgza/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Runner.build/Release-iphonesimulator/Runner.build/Script-9740EEB61CF901F6004384FC.sh

Failed to package /Users/xxx/Desktop/WorkSpace/star_fission.
Command PhaseScriptExecution failed with a nonzero exit code

I removed Podfile.lock, Pods, and.xcworkspace and re-executed Pod install. But it didn't work.

A: Can you try this
Go to
Keychain Access -> Right-click on login -> Lock & unlock again

Xcode -> Clean Xcode project ->Make build again


"He dropped on his knees in. She testified that after a car accident, she had pain, but that Fred Augello said he could he.
Sunday's action wrapped up the seventh annual AAA Insurance National. percent of my faith (in my crew) and they give me a.
Photo credit: Joe Finn That's when Finn says the right side dropped and leaned. people to think. My car is at the dealer r.
Let me say this again. Clinicians. and who focus mainly on patient recruitment, insurance reimbursements, and grant fundin.
Every year, Nordic countries jostle one another for the top spot in global gender-equality rankings; over the next two weeks.
As they prepare for this weekend's AAA Insurance NHRA. trying to figure this car out," Brittany Force said in a media release. "All my guys are right there with me. I know they are.
Once again, I've had my coins slide off my dollar bills and drop to the ground while checking out at a business. I am looking for any information on the abandoned cemetery on Airport Road. Please e.
Now he told us, his car is worse off than when he dropped. me with nothing in it basically. I mean it was doomed from the.
What better place to test a sports car. scared of the insurance excess to do anything exciting. And the limiting factor fo.
"I was actually doing some research about different measuring systems and looking for something that could be part of my upfr.
When I just typed that, my eyebrows shaped themselves and I felt an eerie sense of calm come over me. Hmm. strange. There.
To be honest, the fact that my daughter had been diagnosed with cancer at the same time as me was the scariest part. Once dia.
There's no registration or insurance. and that I had better get that car back before I got into deep trouble. I told him.
Mykut had produced registration and proof of insurance but admitted not having a driver's license. Mykut was cited for carele.
My vehicle was towed from my own apartment complex. We do have parking regulations. I have been living here for 5 years and I always had my resident sticker on my car, you can see it.


The Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings game is up for 9:00 PM EST later tonight and will be happening at the Golden 1 Center, an indoor arena in Downtown Sacramento, California. The Kings are 2-2 and hosting the Jazz, who are currently 4-0 with no signs of backing down. This is going to be an interesting preseason game to analyze and we're sure that there will be enough action for all kinds of basketball fans.
Utah Jazz are in a good form. No injuries and a 4-win streak so far into the preseason. They are going to be a strong team throughout the regular season. And for that reason, they cannot risk losing any preseason game at all.
The Jazz will be looking forward to winning their fifth game in a row when they lock horns with the Sacramento Kings tonight.
Utah started the preseason with a 130-72 win against the Perth Wildcats. After that, they won 105-90 against the Toronto Raptors and then 129-99 against the Adelaide 36ers. Their most recent game has been a 123-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
It will be difficult to be up against a team like Utah Jazz, a perfect score so far into the preseason. The Kings will need to fight tough and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself in front of them.
You can't expect the Sacramento Kings to win without proper strategy-making. They also need to improve their offense. Passing the ball around is also an aspect where they have plenty of room for improvement. These are the games where they can experiment with different strategies and train the entire team for a better offense as well as tackling defense. And if they can't make use of the training camp as a window to improve their tactics, we don't know what will they make use of.


The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party that aims to create a fairer society and improve the quality of life of all its citizens. Party members believe that we can all achieve more by joining together rather than seeking to promote exclusively individual or sectional interests.
The Labour Party in the Keyworth district is part of the Rushcliffe Constituency Labour Party and members can help to influence policy, take part in election campaigns and stand as official candidates in elections.
Chris Kemp, 30 Walton Drive, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5FP.


Over summer break, on average, students lose the equivalent of one month's in-school learning. If we do the math, assuming that summer break is three months long and school is nine months means that only eight months of information is retained from school in one school year. But we also have to assume that the month-worth of lost information will be retaught in school, so that takes in-school learning down a whopping total of seven months. In a year with twelve months, only a little more than half of the time is put to use in teaching students new information.
In a country that was built on agriculture, schools were previously developed with a long summer break to accommodate annual harvesting seasons. Kids usually needed to work the family farm over the summer and early fall, and education was not nearly as important as it is now.
Times have changed. Most K-12 students don't spend their summers harvesting wheat and corn, yet our school schedule has maintained the traditional schedule of three months of summer and nine months of school.
Long summers undeniably deteriorate students' knowledge, and educators have suggested a new schedule for schools: the 45-15 plan, where students attend school for 45 days and then take 15 days off. Other plans include 60-20 and 90-30, which hold true to the same concept. The breaks strategically line up to encompass holidays and summer, and shortened vacations mean less information is lost over summer break.
Advocates of keeping the old system counter the new plan with several arguments. One such argument is that continuing school partially into the summer may end up being more expensive, as air conditioning bills increase fees; busing and lunch fees may be more expensive as well, as school schedules are more irregular compared to usual employee work schedules. The basis for this idea? Schools should sacrifice valuable time in schools that could prevent loss-of-knowledge and save time for more learning, in order for the government and district to save money. K-12 students make up 20% of the U.S. population today, but they are 100% of the future. It is unreasonable to believe that because the utility cost is high, students shouldn't be given better opportunities to learn and grow. More money should be put into education now than ever before to ensure that students are provided with the resources and knowledge they need to forward the world in the future.
Long-summer supporters also claim that year-round school robs kids of free time where they can go outside and enjoy the weather, or spend days with their families. The summer months encourage youth to enjoy being young. But let's be honest: in a world where technology brings the world to our fingertips, students simply aren't as active as people believe them to be. Youtube and Clash of Clans is prefered over frolicking in fields or stargazing. Electronics are preferred over nature and social interactions. When students do spend time with family, three months of time is exaggerated when considering how long "quality family time" should be. And besides, if students don't value the time they have with family every afternoon, they probably won't during a three-month break either.
In the end, it all wraps around the importance of educating students. The most critical evidence we should look at is which schedule— traditional or year-long — benefits students the most when it comes to providing them with an exhaustive and useful education. With year-long school, short breaks give students less time to forget what they learned, and therefore, give teachers more time to teach new lessons instead of reviewing previous terms' information.
The world is evolving; it's about time the education system that releases the future's work force does too.


Made of recycled glass and heat resistant to 171 Celsius these trivets withstand the heat of a boiling stock pot and will maintain their beauty over many years. Size 20cm.
Made of recycled glass and heat resistant to 171 Celsius these trivets withstand the heat of a boiling stock pot and will maintain their beauty over many years.


You rely on common sense and you don't allow mysterious claptrap and the spiritual sweet talk to seduce you.
And I'm with you. Except when it comes to the Law of Attraction.
What if I told you there is more common sense to the LoA than you think? And that manifestation tools, aligned with its principles, can help you reach any goal?
And if "I" end up in the bin, so be it.
This way or another, the concept of LoA is ancient. But it is the Russian occultist, Helena Blavatsky who coined the term which appeared in her book: "Isis Unveiled," in 1877.
Yet, it's not before 2006. and the world famous movie and the book the Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, that LoA became widely recognizable. And a huge controversy. Folks don't tire of either glorifying or trashing the LoA.
The idea behind is that magnetic force of our mind (our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings) and the overall energy we emit somehow determines our future by attracting certain events, opportunities, and outcomes.
For example, if you focus on NOT having enough money to pay your bills, constantly worry about your debts and obsess over your finances, you will only attract more bills, more debts and money problems. And the opposite, if you imagine your wish coming true, make vision boards, believe you can achieve what you're aiming for it WILL manifest.
The Law of Attraction: Love me. Love me not.
It's rather obvious why the concept became viral and was elevated to the level of religion.
And Mme Blavatsky was no fool when she used the term "law," to describe this debatable principle of the Universe. The word stands for authority and something you can't negotiate or dispute. Because it's the Law.
And, people are lazy. We prefer comfort and not to sweat too much. In fact, that habit is pretty much what drives the businesses and industries in the whole wide world.
They keep making things simpler and easier.
At the same time though that doesn't stop us from wanting everything and wanting it NOW. And the LoA fits that tendency of ours like a glove.
...and the world is our oyster. If you only do these couple of things from the comfort of your couch. It's yours! ANYTHING you want can be yours! And that's by no means wishful thinking. It's the LAW.
And a bunch of people swears that practicing the Law of Attraction and using the tools to attract what they want helped them reach their goals. Real, living people.
Honestly, it's hard to imagine anyone is not a sucker for it.
Wars. Natural catastrophes. Lethal diseases. The whole nations vanished throughout the history.
Billions died. Men, women, children. Babies.
So, they brought it on themselves? They emitted the vibration that wiped them out from the face of the Earth?
Yap, that's hard to believe. It also makes no sense.
And what about good old-fashioned hard work? You know, blood, sweat, and tears that lead to success. A vast majority of gurus focus on the wishing, thinking and conjuring the positive outcomes. While, most successful people, some of which are passionate followers of the LoA, didn't just sit cross-legged on the floor and summoned their dreamy lives up.
They went out there. They fought. And hustled. For years before they made it.
The human mind and emotions are complicated. How can we not get upset when we can't pay our bills? Or be sad and unhappy because our partner left us? Some people have experienced devastating trauma in their lives. And its consequences will always be a part of their lives. So now what? They can only hope to attract more such events?
Also, let's not forget proponents of the LoA claim it's based on science.
But I won't go there. Because, in my experience, if you're not a well-grounded scientist yourself, you can only understand both the claims and contra arguments halfway.
Which leads to believing whatever you gravitated towards from the get-go.
More so, whatever scientific proofs support either followers or non-believers, who's to say they're final?
Human lives are immensely complex and claiming only one force or principle rules it is, well, ridiculous.
I strongly disagree that a starving man is to blame himself because he didn't visualize food well enough. Or that any of us can control what the future holds. And if it's not good, then it's our own fault.
The question, however, is, if you do everything you can to determine your destination, motivate your crew (and by the crew I mean your efforts and actions), oil up the engine and consult the compass on a daily basis, can you hope to influence the weather so you get safely to your port of call?
I'm afraid I don't know the answer. Because it boils down to what you believe.
Coincidence or not though, the tools that the LoA practitioners and gurus have created to help people manifest what they want are perfect to get your ship and the crew in the bestest, fittest possible shape you can imagine.
So it's common sense to use them.
Even if you are 100% sure nothing in this world can help you "manipulate the weather."
Which leads us to the real secret behind the LoA.
Your mind is the puppet master. And if not more, the LoA rules for manifesting what you want can be a toolbox for excellence.
Our minds are problem-solving engines. When you set your goals and picture the outcomes you want to achieve you're giving your "computer" a problem to solve.
Your brain then looks for ideas, paths, opportunities, and possibilities.
When you visualize positive outcomes, you stimulate your brain to keep looking for the answers. To keep learning new skills and acquire knowledge. You assure yourself that what you want IS possible. Doable. And that you deserve it.
Before we get what we want, all of us (more or less) struggle with our insecurities and fears we never will.
Or, we don't think we deserve it.
And there you have a glitch. You assigned your mind with 2 tasks which annihilate one another. Not even a supercomputer can solve that one.
That's why you need to align what you wish for with what you believe is possible.
Affirmations are an amazing tool well because they boost our self-confidence.
Affirming: "I attract success into my life" often, will make you confident that you do.
You will feel like a successful person more often and decide, do things, behave that way. You will start identifying yourself as a successful person.
And people you get in touch with will pick up on that and treat you so.
Then, who knows what opportunities to become tangibly successful these people will bring your way?
Repeating the affirmations also keeps you focused on your goals. Much as the compass keeps you focused on your destination.
See, it's hard for your problem-solving engine to work for you if you forget about your yearnings and forget yourself in TV, computer games, having fun, self-pity or whatever your poison is.
When you think about this, it's contradictory. But this aligned with the LoA manifestation tool helps you ACT and DO things which bring you to hitting your marks and doing your happy dance of success.
And what about the magic?
This is the part where you dump this post on the pile with the rest mumbo-jumbo stuff.
But I gotta say it.
Is it absolutely impossible that an unprovable and unexplained force, will honor you with a touch of good luck along the way?
And that believing is just another expression of your desire to live your life to the fullest and to belong to something greater and more magical than yourself?
Who's to say the Universe is done surprising us with more unimaginable and unbelievable facts that may one day, or sooner, shake up everything you thought you knew?


Our expert consultants provide a tailored change management strategy to ensure your transition to the cloud is successful and smooth.
It can be a challenging time when moving your organisation to the cloud, especially for end users who will need to adopt new technology and ways of working. This is why we go that extra mile to ensure your experience is a positive one.
We will guide your business through their transformation and implement a best-in-class change management programme which provides essential communication, education and support, so you can become a more collaborative and productive organisation as quickly as possible.
"Using the CTS change management methodology was really useful. We've been able to use a proven methodology that had been successful in other deployments which made it really relatable."
Our people led approach to transformation helps businesses get the most from their move to the cloud.


text:
bliźniaki – kryształy bliźniacze
 bliźniaki – rodzaj szarady
 Bliźniaki – kolonia w woj. opolskim, w pow. oleskim, w gminie Rudniki
 Bliźniaki – szczyt w Beskidzie Małym
 Zobacz też
 bliźniak
 ciąża bliźniacza
 koła bliźniacze

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Free Library > Literature > William Makepeace Thackeray > Vanity Fair > Chapter XX: In Which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen
Chapter XX: In Which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of Hymen
Without knowing how, Captain William Dobbin found himself the great promoter, arranger, and manager of the match between George Osborne and Amelia. But for him it never would have taken place: he could not but confess as much to himself, and smiled rather bitterly as he thought that he of all men in the world should be the person upon whom the care of this marriage had fallen. But though indeed the conducting of this negotiation was about as painful a task as could be set to him, yet when he had a duty to perform, Captain Dobbin was accustomed to go through it without many words or much hesitation: and, having made up his mind completely, that if Miss Sedley was balked of her husband she would die of the disappointment, he was determined to use all his best endeavours to keep her alive.
I forbear to enter into minute particulars of the interview between George and Amelia, when the former was brought back to the feet (or should we venture to say the arms?) of his young mistress by the intervention of his friend honest William. A much harder heart than George's would have melted at the sight of that sweet face so sadly ravaged by grief and despair, and at the simple tender accents in which she told her little broken-hearted story: but as she did not faint when her mother, trembling, brought Osborne to her; and as she only gave relief to her overcharged grief, by laying her head on her lover's shoulder and there weeping for a while the most tender, copious, and refreshing tears--old Mrs. Sedley, too greatly relieved, thought it was best to leave the young persons to themselves; and so quitted Emmy crying over George's hand, and kissing it humbly, as if he were her supreme chief and master, and as if she were quite a guilty and unworthy person needing every favour and grace from him.
This prostration and sweet unrepining obedience exquisitely touched and flattered George Osborne. He saw a slave before him in that simple yielding faithful creature, and his soul within him thrilled secretly somehow at the knowledge of his power. He would be generous-minded, Sultan as he was, and raise up this kneeling Esther and make a queen of her: besides, her sadness and beauty touched him as much as her submission, and so he cheered her, and raised her up and forgave her, so to speak. All her hopes and feelings, which were dying and withering, this her sun having been removed from her, bloomed again and at once, its light being restored. You would scarcely have recognised the beaming little face upon Amelia's pillow that night as the one that was laid there the night before, so wan, so lifeless, so careless of all round about. The honest Irish maid-servant, delighted with the change, asked leave to kiss the face that had grown all of a sudden so rosy. Amelia put her arms round the girl's neck and kissed her with all her heart, like a child. She was little more. She had that night a sweet refreshing sleep, like one--and what a spring of inexpressible happiness as she woke in the morning sunshine!
"He will be here again to-day," Amelia thought. "He is the greatest and best of men." And the fact is, that George thought he was one of the generousest creatures alive: and that he was making a tremendous sacrifice in marrying this young creature.
While she and Osborne were having their delightful tete-a-tete above stairs, old Mrs. Sedley and Captain Dobbin were conversing below upon the state of the affairs, and the chances and future arrangements of the young people. Mrs. Sedley having brought the two lovers together and left them embracing each other with all their might, like a true woman, was of opinion that no power on earth would induce Mr. Sedley to consent to the match between his daughter and the son of a man who had so shamefully, wickedly, and monstrously treated him. And she told a long story about happier days and their earlier splendours, when Osborne lived in a very humble way in the New Road, and his wife was too glad to receive some of Jos's little baby things, with which Mrs. Sedley accommodated her at the birth of one of Osborne's own children. The fiendish ingratitude of that man, she was sure, had broken Mr. S.'s heart: and as for a marriage, he would never, never, never, never consent.
"They must run away together, Ma'am," Dobbin said, laughing, "and follow the example of Captain Rawdon Crawley, and Miss Emmy's friend the little governess." Was it possible? Well she never! Mrs. Sedley was all excitement about this news. She wished that Blenkinsop were here to hear it: Blenkinsop always mistrusted that Miss Sharp.-- What an escape Jos had had! and she described the already well-known love-passages between Rebecca and the Collector of Boggley Wollah.
It was not, however, Mr. Sedley's wrath which Dobbin feared, so much as that of the other parent concerned, and he owned that he had a very considerable doubt and anxiety respecting the behaviour of the black-browed old tyrant of a Russia merchant in Russell Square. He has forbidden the match peremptorily, Dobbin thought. He knew what a savage determined man Osborne was, and how he stuck by his word. "The only chance George has of reconcilement," argued his friend, "is by distinguishing himself in the coming campaign. If he dies they both go together. If he fails in distinction--what then? He has some money from his mother, I have heard enough to purchase his majority--or he must sell out and go and dig in Canada, or rough it in a cottage in the country." With such a partner Dobbin thought he would not mind Siberia--and, strange to say, this absurd and utterly imprudent young fellow never for a moment considered that the want of means to keep a nice carriage and horses, and of an income which should enable its possessors to entertain their friends genteelly, ought to operate as bars to the union of George and Miss Sedley.
It was these weighty considerations which made him think too that the marriage should take place as quickly as possible. Was he anxious himself, I wonder, to have it over?--as people, when death has occurred, like to press forward the funeral, or when a parting is resolved upon, hasten it. It is certain that Mr. Dobbin, having taken the matter in hand, was most extraordinarily eager in the conduct of it. He urged on George the necessity of immediate action: he showed the chances of reconciliation with his father, which a favourable mention of his name in the Gazette must bring about. If need were he would go himself and brave both the fathers in the business. At all events, he besought George to go through with it before the orders came, which everybody expected, for the departure of the regiment from England on foreign service.
Bent upon these hymeneal projects, and with the applause and consent of Mrs. Sedley, who did not care to break the matter personally to her husband, Mr. Dobbin went to seek John Sedley at his house of call in the City, the Tapioca Coffee-house, where, since his own offices were shut up, and fate had overtaken him, the poor broken- down old gentleman used to betake himself daily, and write letters and receive them, and tie them up into mysterious bundles, several of which he carried in the flaps of his coat. I don't know anything more dismal than that business and bustle and mystery of a ruined man: those letters from the wealthy which he shows you: those worn greasy documents promising support and offering condolence which he places wistfully before you, and on which he builds his hopes of restoration and future fortune. My beloved reader has no doubt in the course of his experience been waylaid by many such a luckless companion. He takes you into the corner; he has his bundle of papers out of his gaping coat pocket; and the tape off, and the string in his mouth, and the favourite letters selected and laid before you; and who does not know the sad eager half-crazy look which he fixes on you with his hopeless eyes?
Changed into a man of this sort, Dobbin found the once florid, jovial, and prosperous John Sedley. His coat, that used to be so glossy and trim, was white at the seams, and the buttons showed the copper. His face had fallen in, and was unshorn; his frill and neckcloth hung limp under his bagging waistcoat. When he used to treat the boys in old days at a coffee-house, he would shout and laugh louder than anybody there, and have all the waiters skipping round him; it was quite painful to see how humble and civil he was to John of the Tapioca, a blear-eyed old attendant in dingy stockings and cracked pumps, whose business it was to serve glasses of wafers, and bumpers of ink in pewter, and slices of paper to the frequenters of this dreary house of entertainment, where nothing else seemed to be consumed. As for William Dobbin, whom he had tipped repeatedly in his youth, and who had been the old gentleman's butt on a thousand occasions, old Sedley gave his hand to him in a very hesitating humble manner now, and called him "Sir." A feeling of shame and remorse took possession of William Dobbin as the broken old man so received and addressed him, as if he himself had been somehow guilty of the misfortunes which had brought Sedley so low.
"I am very glad to see you, Captain Dobbin, sir," says he, after a skulking look or two at his visitor (whose lanky figure and military appearance caused some excitement likewise to twinkle in the blear eyes of the waiter in the cracked dancing pumps, and awakened the old lady in black, who dozed among the mouldy old coffee-cups in the bar). "How is the worthy alderman, and my lady, your excellent mother, sir?" He looked round at the waiter as he said, "My lady," as much as to say, "Hark ye, John, I have friends still, and persons of rank and reputation, too." "Are you come to do anything in my way, sir? My young friends Dale and Spiggot do all my business for me now, until my new offices are ready; for I'm only here temporarily, you know, Captain. What can we do for you. sir? Will you like to take anything?"
Dobbin, with a great deal of hesitation and stuttering, protested that he was not in the least hungry or thirsty; that he had no business to transact; that he only came to ask if Mr. Sedley was well, and to shake hands with an old friend; and, he added, with a desperate perversion of truth, "My mother is very well--that is, she's been very unwell, and is only waiting for the first fine day to go out and call upon Mrs. Sedley. How is Mrs. Sedley, sir? I hope she's quite well." And here he paused, reflecting on his own consummate hypocrisy; for the day was as fine, and the sunshine as bright as it ever is in Coffin Court, where the Tapioca Coffee-house is situated: and Mr. Dobbin remembered that he had seen Mrs. Sedley himself only an hour before, having driven Osborne down to Fulham in his gig, and left him there tete-a-tete with Miss Amelia.
"My wife will be very happy to see her ladyship," Sedley replied, pulling out his papers. "I've a very kind letter here from your father, sir, and beg my respectful compliments to him. Lady D. will find us in rather a smaller house than we were accustomed to receive our friends in; but it's snug, and the change of air does good to my daughter, who was suffering in town rather--you remember little Emmy, sir?--yes, suffering a good deal." The old gentleman's eyes were wandering as he spoke, and he was thinking of something else, as he sate thrumming on his papers and fumbling at the worn red tape.
"You're a military man," he went on; "I ask you, Bill Dobbin, could any man ever have speculated upon the return of that Corsican scoundrel from Elba? When the allied sovereigns were here last year, and we gave 'em that dinner in the City, sir, and we saw the Temple of Concord, and the fireworks, and the Chinese bridge in St. James's Park, could any sensible man suppose that peace wasn't really concluded, after we'd actually sung Te Deum for it, sir? I ask you, William, could I suppose that the Emperor of Austria was a damned traitor--a traitor, and nothing more? I don't mince words--a double-faced infernal traitor and schemer, who meant to have his son-in-law back all along. And I say that the escape of Boney from Elba was a damned imposition and plot, sir, in which half the powers of Europe were concerned, to bring the funds down, and to ruin this country. That's why I'm here, William. That's why my name's in the Gazette. Why, sir?--because I trusted the Emperor of Russia and the Prince Regent. Look here. Look at my papers. Look what the funds were on the 1st of March--what the French fives were when I bought for the count. And what they're at now. There was collusion, sir, or that villain never would have escaped. Where was the English Commissioner who allowed him to get away? He ought to be shot, sir --brought to a court-martial, and shot, by Jove."
"We're going to hunt Boney out, sir," Dobbin said, rather alarmed at the fury of the old man, the veins of whose forehead began to swell, and who sate drumming his papers with his clenched fist. "We are going to hunt him out, sir--the Duke's in Belgium already, and we expect marching orders every day."
"Give him no quarter. Bring back the villain's head, sir. Shoot the coward down, sir," Sedley roared. "I'd enlist myself, by--; but I'm a broken old man--ruined by that damned scoundrel--and by a parcel of swindling thieves in this country whom I made, sir, and who are rolling in their carriages now," he added, with a break in his voice.
Dobbin was not a little affected by the sight of this once kind old friend, crazed almost with misfortune and raving with senile anger. Pity the fallen gentleman: you to whom money and fair repute are the chiefest good; and so, surely, are they in Vanity Fair.
"Yes," he continued, "there are some vipers that you warm, and they sting you afterwards. There are some beggars that you put on horseback, and they're the first to ride you down. You know whom I mean, William Dobbin, my boy. I mean a purse-proud villain in Russell Square, whom I knew without a shilling, and whom I pray and hope to see a beggar as he was when I befriended him."
"I have heard something of this, sir, from my friend George," Dobbin said, anxious to come to his point. "The quarrel between you and his father has cut him up a great deal, sir. Indeed, I'm the bearer of a message from him."
"O, THAT'S your errand, is it?" cried the old man, jumping up. "What! perhaps he condoles with me, does he? Very kind of him, the stiff-backed prig, with his dandified airs and West End swagger. He's hankering about my house, is he still? If my son had the courage of a man, he'd shoot him. He's as big a villain as his father. I won't have his name mentioned in my house. I curse the day that ever I let him into it; and I'd rather see my daughter dead at my feet than married to him."
"His father's harshness is not George's fault, sir. Your daughter's love for him is as much your doing as his. Who are you, that you are to play with two young people's affections and break their hearts at your will?"
"Recollect it's not his father that breaks the match off," old Sedley cried out. "It's I that forbid it. That family and mine are separated for ever. I'm fallen low, but not so low as that: no, no. And so you may tell the whole race--son, and father and sisters, and all."
"It's my belief, sir, that you have not the power or the right to separate those two," Dobbin answered in a low voice; "and that if you don't give your daughter your consent it will be her duty to marry without it. There's no reason she should die or live miserably because you are wrong-headed. To my thinking, she's just as much married as if the banns had been read in all the churches in London. And what better answer can there be to Osborne's charges against you, as charges there are, than that his son claims to enter your family and marry your daughter?"
A light of something like satisfaction seemed to break over old Sedley as this point was put to him: but he still persisted that with his consent the marriage between Amelia and George should never take place.
"We must do it without," Dobbin said, smiling, and told Mr. Sedley, as he had told Mrs. Sedley in the day, before, the story of Rebecca's elopement with Captain Crawley. It evidently amused the old gentleman. "You're terrible fellows, you Captains," said he, tying up his papers; and his face wore something like a smile upon it, to the astonishment of the blear-eyed waiter who now entered, and had never seen such an expression upon Sedley's countenance since he had used the dismal coffee-house.
The idea of hitting his enemy Osborne such a blow soothed, perhaps, the old gentleman: and, their colloquy presently ending, he and Dobbin parted pretty good friends.
"My sisters say she has diamonds as big as pigeons' eggs," George said, laughing. "How they must set off her complexion! A perfect illumination it must be when her jewels are on her neck. Her jet- black hair is as curly as Sambo's. I dare say she wore a nose ring when she went to court; and with a plume of feathers in her top-knot she would look a perfect Belle Sauvage."
George, in conversation with Amelia, was rallying the appearance of a young lady of whom his father and sisters had lately made the acquaintance, and who was an object of vast respect to the Russell Square family. She was reported to have I don't know how many plantations in the West Indies; a deal of money in the funds; and three stars to her name in the East India stockholders' list. She had a mansion in Surrey, and a house in Portland Place. The name of the rich West India heiress had been mentioned with applause in the Morning Post. Mrs. Haggistoun, Colonel Haggistoun's widow, her relative, "chaperoned" her, and kept her house. She was just from school, where she had completed her education, and George and his sisters had met her at an evening party at old Hulker's house, Devonshire Place (Hulker, Bullock, and Co. were long the correspondents of her house in the West Indies), and the girls had made the most cordial advances to her, which the heiress had received with great good humour. An orphan in her position--with her money--so interesting! the Misses Osborne said. They were full of their new friend when they returned from the Hulker ball to Miss Wirt, their companion; they had made arrangements for continually meeting, and had the carriage and drove to see her the very next day. Mrs. Haggistoun, Colonel Haggistoun's widow, a relation of Lord Binkie, and always talking of him, struck the dear unsophisticated girls as rather haughty, and too much inclined to talk about her great relations: but Rhoda was everything they could wish--the frankest, kindest, most agreeable creature--wanting a little polish, but so good-natured. The girls Christian-named each other at once.
"You should have seen her dress for court, Emmy," Osborne cried, laughing. "She came to my sisters to show it off, before she was presented in state by my Lady Binkie, the Haggistoun's kinswoman. She's related to every one, that Haggistoun. Her diamonds blazed out like Vauxhall on the night we were there. (Do you remember Vauxhall, Emmy, and Jos singing to his dearest diddle diddle darling?) Diamonds and mahogany, my dear! think what an advantageous contrast--and the white feathers in her hair--I mean in her wool. She had earrings like chandeliers; you might have lighted
'em up, by Jove--and a yellow satin train that streeled after her like the tail of a cornet."
"How old is she?" asked Emmy, to whom George was rattling away regarding this dark paragon, on the morning of their reunion-- rattling away as no other man in the world surely could.
"Why the Black Princess, though she has only just left school, must be two or three and twenty. And you should see the hand she writes! Mrs. Colonel Haggistoun usually writes her letters, but in a moment of confidence, she put pen to paper for my sisters; she spelt satin satting, and Saint James's, Saint Jams."
"Why, surely it must be Miss Swartz, the parlour boarder," Emmy said, remembering that good-natured young mulatto girl, who had been so hysterically affected when Amelia left Miss Pinkerton's academy.
"The very name," George said. "Her father was a German Jew--a slave-owner they say--connected with the Cannibal Islands in some way or other. He died last year, and Miss Pinkerton has finished her education. She can play two pieces on the piano; she knows three songs; she can write when Mrs. Haggistoun is by to spell for her; and Jane and Maria already have got to love her as a sister."
"I wish they would have loved me," said Emmy, wistfully. "They were always very cold to me."
"My dear child, they would have loved you if you had had two hundred thousand pounds," George replied. "That is the way in which they have been brought up. Ours is a ready-money society. We live among bankers and City big-wigs, and be hanged to them, and every man, as he talks to you, is jingling his guineas in his pocket. There is that jackass Fred Bullock is going to marry Maria--there's Goldmore, the East India Director, there's Dipley, in the tallow trade--OUR trade," George said, with an uneasy laugh and a blush. "Curse the whole pack of money-grubbing vulgarians! I fall asleep at their great heavy dinners. I feel ashamed in my father's great stupid parties. I've been accustomed to live with gentlemen, and men of the world and fashion, Emmy, not with a parcel of turtle-fed tradesmen. Dear little woman, you are the only person of our set who ever looked, or thought, or spoke like a lady: and you do it because you're an angel and can't help it. Don't remonstrate. You are the only lady. Didn't Miss Crawley remark it, who has lived in the best company in Europe? And as for Crawley, of the Life Guards, hang it, he's a fine fellow: and I like him for marrying the girl he had chosen."
Amelia admired Mr. Crawley very much, too, for this; and trusted Rebecca would be happy with him, and hoped (with a laugh) Jos would be consoled. And so the pair went on prattling, as in quite early days. Amelia's confidence being perfectly restored to her, though she expressed a great deal of pretty jealousy about Miss Swartz, and professed to be dreadfully frightened--like a hypocrite as she was-- lest George should forget her for the heiress and her money and her estates in Saint Kitt's. But the fact is, she was a great deal too happy to have fears or doubts or misgivings of any sort: and having George at her side again, was not afraid of any heiress or beauty, or indeed of any sort of danger.
When Captain Dobbin came back in the afternoon to these people-- which he did with a great deal of sympathy for them--it did his heart good to see how Amelia had grown young again--how she laughed, and chirped, and sang familiar old songs at the piano, which were only interrupted by the bell from without proclaiming Mr. Sedley's return from the City, before whom George received a signal to retreat.
Beyond the first smile of recognition--and even that was an hypocrisy, for she thought his arrival rather provoking--Miss Sedley did not once notice Dobbin during his visit. But he was content, so that he saw her happy; and thankful to have been the means of making her so.


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"She's going to be home soon." Cassia glanced up at the living room clock, which was ticking maddeningly past the eleven o'clock mark. "I mean, she was delusional and feverish last night. How long can a sick person be out for?" Cassia paused in her pacing to glance down at Aster, who was on the floor. She'd put him there to change him, and he'd wanted to stay there, just for a change of position. The wheelchair's imprint on his backside stayed with him all night, even in bed.
"We don't even have a plan," she said, cracking her knuckles and resuming her pacing. "What are we doing?"
"Well I know what I'm doing," Aster said. "But you're just being irritating. Can you sit down somewhere where I can see you?"
Cassia did a 180 degree turn- practicality a twirl, in her frenzied state- and landed on the couch behind her. "Yes. Okay. We need a plan. Let's start with a list of all things we need. Our survival kit."
Aster still couldn't see her. His field of vision was the underside of the desk, the ceiling, and the front of the sofa. It was getting and harder and harder for him to hold up the weight of his own head, something he'd refrained from telling his mate. She had enough to worry about as it is.
"I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon," he said, deciding to rest his gaze on the empty white above him.
More cracking sounds came from the couch. She was moving on to her neck and shoulders. "Aster, we trained to live in a forest. You basically lived inside a bunch a trees, anyway."
"Yeah? So are we taking the wheelchair? Or are you just going to carry me from now on?"
There was silence from above. "Well," she said finally, "Let's just scope out Croton's lab and alert the police. We should go as soon as it gets dark."
Cassia face looked over the side of the couch. It was displeased. "I'm not going myself."
"I can't come with you," Aster said, hating to have to point out the obvious. "Will I wait out on the parking lot for you? Or do you want to do this piggy-back style?"
The lock in the door turned. Aster suddenly wished to be back in his chair, with the ability to move around. He hated the powerless feeling he got without it.
It wasn't Molly who entered the house first. It was her mate, Samuel. He strode up to Aster, throwing his satchel down on the floor, and suddenly Aster was smothered in the fibers of Cassia's synthetic sweater as she she threw herself at him.
"Get off of me!" His breath came back to him under her stifling chest. Cassia scrambled back, her cheeks quite pink. She tucked a hair behind her ear. "Sorry," she said in Menghish, "I just thought he was going to-"
"Don't ever do that," Aster said.
"Oh." Cassia looked at her fingers. "So. Back in the wheelchair?"
Samuel was standing a foot away, watching the conversation with narrowed eyes. He stood by the couch as Cassia sat Aster up.
"Who's gonna be President?" He asked.
Molly, who'd come in right after him, looked askance. "Sam, you can't-"
"No, I want to know if this is for real," Samuel insisted, shrugging off his coat. "Who's going to win the election tonight?"
Cassia looked at her mate undecidedly. Aster was being held up by the shoulders, and another few seconds and his head would droop.
"Donald Trump," Aster said finally. Cassia stood up, and still supporting him, leaned over and lifted him with a grunt, dragging him into his chair.
"No way," Samuel said. "By what margin?"
"How do you expect us to know such a statistic?" Cassia said.
Aster relaxed as his head rested against the back of his chair. "Twenty-six states," he said. "Two hundred and twenty-seven electoral votes."
"I have an excellent memory with numbers," he said. "This did come up in our research."
Cassia strapped him in. "We really should go," she said. "We must-"
"No," Samuel said. "You guys are staying right here. Until the election is over, at least." He exchanged a glance with Molly.
"Please," Molly said, "At least stay here tonight." She couldn't quite meet his eyes.
"We're going," Aster said firmly. He didn't like the looks Molly was exchanging with her mate.
Cassia cleared her throat. "Aster, can I speak to you?"
Samuel stood up. "We'll go make something to eat."
Not taking his eyes off of Molly, Aster moved off to the side of the room with Cassia.
"Weren't you just saying that you want to get out of here?" Cassia said.
"I don't know if we should," Aster said. He knew they couldn't understand, but he still felt the urge to whisper. "It's weird how they're so… okay with all this. At least relatively so. There's something going on."
"I guess I'm also rethinking what I said before," Cassia admitted. "Sleeping in the forest? How are we going to manage that?"
"Maybe tonight you should check out Croton's lab," Aster said. "We'll take it from there."
Aster and Cassia left at around eight, with promises to return. Samuel didn't believe it for a second. He and Molly were in her car within minutes of their guests leaving. He was driving.
"I don't know if I can do this." Molly twisted the handle of her purse in her lap. The streetlights flitted over her face, illuminating it in brief burst, faster and faster as Samuel sped up. He gave her only a sidelong glance; his focus was on one place only.
"Where the hell are they going?" He muttered.
"It's too fast," Molly continued. "This is happening too fast. We should think about everything first. Before we do anything rash."
"We don't have time." Samuel's eyes darted from the side to the road. There was a long stretch of dark sidewalk beside them, so they would wait at the end of it to see which way Aster and Cassia would turn. He slowed as he reached the intersection, and shut off the car's lights and switched off the engine.
They waited a beat in silence. The thick darkness was unsettling.
"You know the Doctor is right about them," he said. He reached out and he saw her pull away, subtly, but it still made him twinge. "It's obvious that they're here with an agenda."
"Tell me something." If Samuel squinted, he could make out his girlfriend's profile. "Do you love Aster?"
"Then why are you so uncertain?"
"Thought so." Samuel watched Aster bump by across the street in his bulky wheelchair, Cassia at his heels. He watched them turn right. After a minute, he switched on the engine.
"Our part is just tonight," he said. "We're done after this. Everything will go back to normal. Isn't that what you want?"
It took a long time to get ready. Once Cassia had Aster all bundled up, he needed to be changed, so she had to undo all the layers to switch his diaper. She was just now finishing her second round of dressing him.
She secured his hood and tightened his scarf. "Is that okay?"
The material was stiff and tight around his neck. "Yeah."
"Do you need to be changed again?"
"Very funny. Are you warm?"
"Cassia, I would overheat even if you stuck me into an iceberg." Secretly, he was glad to have all the extra padding around his neck. He couldn't hold his head up anymore, and hopefully the multiple layers would prolong Cassia's noticing.
"You're gonna be outside for a long time," she said, shouldering on her own jacket. "I don't want you to melt."
He looked at her strangely, his long face framed perfectly.
"What?" She said, tucking her hair into a knitted hat, borrowed from Molly's closet.
"You've become really overprotective lately," Aster said. "I'm not sure if I like it."
Cassia shrugged, leading the way down the hall, towards the front door. "It's only because… well, it scares me that you're like this."
Aster stared at her back. "Me too."
Molly was hovering next to the shoe rack. "You guys will be back soon?" She said, hovering over them as Cassia unlatched the door. "Because I'm going to wait up."
Cassia didn't even look back. "Goodnight, Molly," she said.
The walk to the strip mall was plodding and cold. It wasn't long before Cassia's nose was numb from the wind. Buffalo wasn't very well lit, and Aster's chair stumbled on cracks a few times, making him bounce uncontrollably. At least he was well padded.
Along the way, they discussed how they would carry out the bringing-together. They needed a looser, more fluid connection, so that Aster could alert Cassia if anyone was approaching the mall, but at the same time see what she was seeing outside. Cassia was already going to expend a lot of energy during her search, so they'd use energy from Aster's body. He'd be weak, but it didn't matter much.
The strip mall was bare when they got there. Insects chirped in the surrounding bushes, and pebbles crunched as they approached. They headed to a tight cluster of trees on the leftmost side, where Cassia lowered herself onto the pine-strewn ground. She lay her head against the ground so she wouldn't hurt herself during the bringing-together. Aster waited until she was settled.
He closed his eyes. He still didn't have his Q-band, but hopefully Cassia's would be enough to handle both of their thermal energy. He channeled himself through her, drawing out the nourishment in his blood, coursing from his heart, spread in branch-like veins throughout his body. His nerves crackled, and he was thrown forward, his chest straining against the strap.
It all crashes into me, and it hurts, it hurts, but not with the same smashing intensity as last time. I stagger up. I am still me, but Aster is there in the background, and there's something pressing against my- I mean, his- midsection. I quickly right him, pushing him back against his chair. Thank you, he says in my head.
I made a map of the entry points, but I can still feel this place like a memory of something that was in me, when I took Aster to the nail salon and I felt the structure of the lab below me.
The deserted storefront is easy to open. I don't even need to use my laser. Aster's vision is sharp, like mine, soaking in all the fuzzy details, the glint of glass shards on the floor and the dark stains on the corner, possibly gasoline or refined oil. Sawdust is sprinkled liberally across the boxy, empty room. But it isn't this room that interests me. I press further, stumbling to the back, where a small closet lies open for me, the door on shaky hinges. I step inside, and blackness engulfs me. Aster is trying to calm me but I tell him the dark doesn't scare me. He snorts soundlessly. I'm in your head, he says. Nice try.
This part is going to require all of my energy. I can't enter the lab physically because the whole place is almost surely alarmed. Instead, I lay down on the floor and laser a circle the size of a Twenty-First century cookie. I slip off my Q-band, and a part of me feels naked. Still, it won't really leave my head for another hour or so. That should be long enough.
I drop the band through the whole. I've been pumping power into it all day, enough that it can stick to the ceiling. I close my eyes.
It's looking down on a coat room of sorts.
It's not a coat room, Aster says. Those are surgical masks. And lab coats. I think we're in the storage room.
See anything illegal yet? I ask.
He's not going to have tubes with babies growing in them, Aster says. We're looking for something more subtle. Maybe substances that are contraband. Can your band zoom in?
My band dips as it slides down the side of the door and under the crack, then it shoots back up to the ceiling. I'm careful that it doesn't touch the floor. It enters the next room. One frustrating thing about the layout is that there's no central space. It's just a labyrinth of rooms. This one has a bench to one side, and a glass panel on the other, with a control panel behind it. Suspended from the ceiling are a few ropes with loops at the ends.
There we go, Aster says.
What? I ask. My Q-band does a sweep of the room, making the walls circle dizzyingly in my head. What are you looking at?
The control panel, Aster says. Look at it. Control panels in this century are flat. This one is three-dimensional.
He's right. The panel is a projection. I can fainlty see the outline of grabpatch- a switch that you control by sticking your fingers into dense, colored air and twisting or squeezing.
So? I say. We can't say that Croton's a criminal because he's from the future. And, the fact that he built such technology here complicates things.
I feel something fading on Aster's end, and at first I assume it's the connection. Someone's driving into the parking lot, he says, and even though his voice is silent, it sounds quieter.
Something is wrong. My Q-band bumps up against the glass and an orange light flashes on.
My heart thuds in my chest. I scurry the band back into the storage room. Aster's signal is fading in and out. Something happened to him.
Who's in the lot? I ask.
My Q-band comes back and slips right onto my wrist. Someone knocks down the abandoned shop's door, and it comes down with a crash. I can hear it splintering into pieces. Resettled dust tickles my nostrils, threatening to make me sneeze.
Someone crunches over shattered glass. I wait.
Aww, another cliffhanger... Can't wait for the update!
I'm obsessed with this series - thanks so much for sharing your work with us. Your writing is fresh and strong, the incidental sci-fi details are fun and convincing (grabpatch!), and I really enjoy how much this story has shifted our sympathies among the characters; I never expected I would like Cassia so much. Also, the story hits my dev buttons SO hard. oh my.


text:
Aug. 24, 2017 / 10:45 AM
Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart join 'Def Comedy Jam 25' lineup
By Karen Butler
Kevin Hart arrives for the premiere of "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" in Los Angeles on May 21. Hart has joined the lineup for Netflix's "Def Comedy Jam 25" special. File Photo by Christine Chew/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Dave Chappelle, Mike Epps, Eddie Griffin, Kevin Hart and Steve Harvey are confirmed for Netflix's Def Comedy Jam 25 special.
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"Netflix presents a celebration to top all celebrations in honor of the 25th anniversary of Def Comedy Jam, the iconic show that made giants out of ferociously funny black comedians like Martin Lawrence, Cedric The Entertainer, Dave Chappelle, Monique, Mike Epps, Adele Givens, JB Smoove, D.L. Hughley, Tracy Morgan and Sheryl Underwood to name a few," a message accompanying a teaser clip on YouTube said Thursday.
The show initially ran 1992-97 on HBO.
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FEG Halloween Zombie Escape is another point and click room escape game developed by First Escape Games. In this Halloween themed escape game, you need to help a zombie escape from its trap. Collect various objects and relate them logically while solving different puzzles to release the zombie. Good luck and have fun!


The classic Stan Smith sneaker gets the Yohji Yamamoto treatment with the addition of two side zips cutting through the upper. With a slightly higher and unlined collar accompanied by a khaki upper, complete with rubber sole.
Adidas Y3 Y3 Stan Zip KHAKI MATT is rated 4.8 out of 5 by 5.
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