larger than max.  Two or more decimal numbers may be separated by an "x"
terminates the process.  The parameter desc is used to construct errbuf.
Neither desc nor val may be NULL.
errbuf contains a non-empty error message.
⊕   Both functions ignore the current locale.
⊕   Arguably the return type should be intmax_t instead of long long.


text:
package defined

// DBG - defined as true when it is built with -tags=debug
const DBG = false

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Accumulation of heavy metals and arsenic with medicinal herbal raw material of common shovel harvested in Voronezh region
Authors: Dyakova N. A.
The Voronezh region is traditionally the most important area of crop production and agriculture. The purpose of the research was to study the contamination with heavy metals of medicinal plant raw materials of the Voronezh region using the example of the roots of ordinary burdock, prepared in urbo- and agro-ecosystems, which have various anthropogenic effects on themselves. The accumulation of heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, copper, zinc, cobalt, chromium) and arsenic in 51 samples of raw materials was studied.
Investigation of nikel(II) complexing with 2,6-dimerkapto-4-methilphenol and aminophenols
Authors: Kuliev K. А., Mamedova S. A., Efendiyeva N. N.
Complexing of nickel(II) with 2,6-dimercapto-4-methylphenol (DMMP) and hydrophobic amines was studied using physicochemical methods. Hydroxyl-containing amines-aminophenols (AP) were used as a hydrophobic amine. On the part of aminophenols, 2 (N, N-dimethylaminomethyl) -4-methylphenol (AP1 ), 2 (N, N-dimethylaminomethyl)-4-chlorophenol (AP2 ), and 2 (N, N-dimethylaminomethyl) -4-bromophenol (AP3 ) were used. Mixed-ligand complexes were formed in a weakly acidic medium (pHopt 4.6–6.4).
Accumulation of Heavy Metals and Arsenic by Medicinal Plant Raw Material of Bitter Hollow
The Voronezh region is traditionally the most important area of crop production and farming. The purpose of the study was to study the contamination by heavy metals of medicinal vegetable raw materials of the Voronezh region using the example of grass of the bitter emery collected in urban and agro-ecological systems, which experience various anthropogenic effects. The accumulations of heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, copper, zinc, cobalt, chromium) and arsenic were studied, in 51 samples of pooch grass bitter.
Synthesis and Structure Mixedligand Complexes of Fe, Co and Ni with Dimerkaptophenols and Heterocyclic Diamines
Authors: Kuliev K. А., Verdizadeh N. A.
Physico-chemical methods investigated complexing Fe (II, III), Co (II) and Ni (II) with di mer kap tophenols (2,6-dimerkaptophenol, 2,6-dimercapto- 4-methylphenol, 2,6-dimercapto-4-ethy l phenol, 2,6-dimercapto-4-propylphenol and 2,6-dimercapto-4-tert-butylphenol), and hyd rophobic amines. The hydrophobic amine were used as heterocyclic diamine- 1,10-phenan thro line, 2,2'-bipyridyl and 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (batofenantrolin). The optimal conditions for the formation and extraction mixedligand complexes and set the ratio of the components in the complexes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
#22 Feeling Futures in Our Skins by Clare M. Cooper
by pip
Posted in 2021Journal
I'm ravenous for the future, but my longings are incompatible with the
available versions of it. Bummer.
Billy-Ray Belcourt – A History of My Brief Body 2020
I am one who has maybe over-futured. Over the last decade I have spent upwards of 2000 hours either actively fleshing out futures with other people in my 'futuring workshops', or trying to figure out how to best design the experience of collective futuring–primarily asking "Where could we be? And what would that feel like?" rather than "How the hell do we get ourselves out of this?"
Being in collaboratively authored futures filled with critical systems, speculative objects, autonomous organisations, and respected difference is awesome. You learn a lot about people. Privilege, assumptions, and entitlements can be laid bare. You dip your toe into ways of being for one another that seem a little out of reach right now, but not impossible. Futuring can help us to see the tangled mess of today from another angle, and to find our places in it.
You might think it ridiculous that talking about futures together could make us more present, but underlying any projection of a different time there is always the comparative anchor of the now, the felt, the at-hand.
Can you feel it? …What about now?
Any opportunity to collectively dwell in the shades of possible futures should be taken. Ride this health advice. Tools to combat paralysis, complacency and hopelessness when faced with horrifying projections (or presents) should be shared. Let's rehearse them. Shine those babies up and distribute them widely. This day we are in is our possible futures taking form. Mutant visions, shapeshifting from ideas and potentialities to actual felt moments with impacts. When we are putting out fires, it is difficult to imagine life without smoke, or stinging throats. It is in the times between fires, that we need to future.
Many future fabulations are 80s' flavoured if you don't follow some of the well-established futuring steps: identifying the assumptions in the room, naming the drivers of change, acknowledging that in any future scenario there are opportunities and obstacles, and recognising that for some groups of people this time is already post-apocalyptic. If you are ok with being up to your neck in it (like me) there's a whole lot of new terms: backcasting, double-variables, pendulum futuring, design timescapes, and all the 'Ps' possible, plausible, preferable, potential, preposterous…
Invitations are powerful. The only humans living in the Jetsons future are Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. That is company I have no desire to keep. It's a party I do not want to go to. Sometimes it is easier to articulate what we don't want. We rarely have access to the what-ifs that go through the minds of others. The what-ifs that determine whether they will say yes or no. Consider the decisions made on a dating app, where with every profile a rapid-fire potential hook-up or relationship scan takes place.
I can't even. But we can.
Being invited to respond to an exhibition I cannot take physical part in amplifies the 1581km distance between us (a 249 hour walk not including ferry time, a $212 restricted flight away)… the curiosity and the missing physically hurts. Where there was FOMO there is now just a constant MO.
What does a collective, public rehearsing of futures afford that private fantasy does not? What role does a gallery have in hosting (and nurturing) futures? Like Seméprendre (one of the writers contributing to this journal before me), I really like the idea of time having a space. A single site. An experimental test. A pluriversal sampler.
Someone somewhere has made plans for your future. Not for you, the individual, but you the census filler-in-erer, you the citizen, you the user. Your behaviour and choices (including disengagement) are rich data with which strategies and pathways are formed by those holding power. Is it of some comfort that you have been factored in (or out)?
The first of the six basic concepts of futures thinking elucidated by Sohail Inayatullah is the concept of the used future. He asks "Have you purchased a used future? Is your image of the future, your desired future, yours or is it unconsciously borrowed from someone else?" (2008, p.5) Inayatullah stresses the need for the big picture thinking to be broken down to align with our day-to-day… down to our rituals (sharing meals, connecting with family, seeking out sources of entertainment, content preferencing, search techniques, dancing, cleaning, reading). He talks about "organizational indicators" and visions failing due to the performative nature of these visions–untethered from the actual nitty-gritty everyday (p.6).
In my cumulative futuring hours, one of the recurrent themes is new metrics. In whatever new futures we inhabit and practice, how do we measure connectivity, pleasure, trust, joy? Is it possible to shift these metrics now? Will it help us to get there?
From my kitchen on Gadigal land, I can see that on the last day of this you will come together. You will open up. You will "discuss experiences, concerns and imaginaries that have emerged from the rehearsals" Will there be hot people there? Will anyone show up in silver spandex? Will there be snacks?
When I use a term like fleshing out, I mean it in the meatiest of ways. We have to feel these stories in our skins. They must move us to grow outward and inward, and to sensitise us in times of proactive and large scale numbing. Talking about it, rehearsing it, practicing it helps us to feel our way forward, together.
Acknowledgements: This was written on Gadigal Wangal Country. I am grateful for the fierce and ongoing social justice leadership of Aboriginal Elders here, and grateful for permission to engage in futuring on Gadigal lands from Elder Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor. The thinking in this text is heavily influenced by the writing of Billy-Ray Belcourt, adrienne maree-brown, Arturo Escobar, and Sohail Inayatullah, as well as rich conversations with recent collaborators Lina Patel and Arunn Jegan.
Belcourt, B. R. (2020). A history of my brief body. UQP.
Brown, A. M. (2019). Pleasure activism: The politics of feeling good. AK Press.
Escobar, A. (2011). Sustainability: Design for the pluriverse. Development, 54(2), 137-140.
FOAM. (2015) Futures of Future Fabulators. https://fo.am/events/future-fabulators-futures/. Retrieved 19/8/21. Inayatullah, S. (2008). Six pillars: futures thinking for transforming. Foresight, 10(1), 4-21.
Seméprendre, J. (2021) https://contemporaryarttasmania.org/20-morphodynamica-the-clouds-have-cameras-by-jean baptiste-semeprendre/ Retrieved 19/8/21.
Clare M. Cooper's work spans futuring, pedagogy, interdisciplinary design research, workshop facilitation, design consultation, and performing arts. She completed her Ph.D. at Macquarie University, and is a Design Lecturer at the University of Sydney School of Design Architecture and Planning.
Over the last two decades, Cooper has brought together thousands of people to work together on community initiatives, creative approaches to governance, collaborative composition, speculative design, and critical listening through co-founding the NOW now (2001), Splinter Orchestra (Sydney 2000), Splitter Orchester (Berlin 2009), and Frontyard Projects (2016).
Cooper has consulted on government projects, community grants and policy development with the City of Sydney, Inner West Council, Create NSW, and National Association for Visual Arts.
Cooper has contributed to publications including Bomb Magazine (USA), Liquid Architecture (Australia), Portal Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies (Australia), All Conference (Australia), Echtzeitmusik (Germany), Australian Music Centre, and Space 3 (Australia). As a musician, her international performances and compositions have been featured on Australia's ABC, Germany's SWR and UK's BBC and have been published by Mikroton (Russia), Splitrec (Australia), and High Zero (USA).
"the kind of thrill-seeker the music world usually loses to the electric guitar"
– TIME OUT CHICAGO
Clare Cooper has been an active member of the Sydney arts community since she co-founded the NOW now festival and experimental music series. Most of her projects these days centre around futuring and speculative design applied to context, performing, community organising, improvisation and graphic scores. She most recently co-founded Frontyard, a community research and futuring **frontyard** project space in Marrickville.
Cooper has presented hundreds of solo and collaborative projects spanning sound, improvisation, film, print, dance and theatre in 15 countries over the past 17 years including performances at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), Offsite, Super Deluxe (Japan),mesto žensk (Slovenia), MaerzMuzik (Germany), Instants Chavires (France), Victoriaville (Canada), High Zero (USA), Audio Foundation (NZ), Molde Jazz festival (Norway), Nickelsdorf Festival (Austria), What Is Music?, the NOW now, Liquid Architecture, Unsound and Electrofringe (Australia).
As a musician, she's ferocious with strings and sticks, her sound inspired by synthesizers and broken boom boxes. Her works for harp and guzheng have been featured on Australia's ABC, Germany's SWR and UK's BBC. Coopers sonic and written works have been published by the Australian Music Centre, Mikroton (Russia), Splitrec (Australia) and High Zero (USA).
Find out more about Rehearsing the Future here.


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text:
Sesame Street tried to sue Melissa McCarthy's new movie — and they lost
meg-photo-300x225.png
Meaghan Kirby Updated Jun 01, 2018 @ 10:35 am
Melissa McCarthy's raunchy new puppet comedy, The Happytime Murders, may bear a resemblance to Sesame Street, but apparently not enough to warrant the lawsuit the iconic children's TV series was waging against the film.
Earlier this week, a judge dismissed a lawsuit brought on by Sesame Workshop, which accused STX — the production company behind Happytime Murders — of purposely tarnishing the wholesome name of Sesame Street with the film, specifically referencing the film's current tagline "No Sesame. All Street."
According to Entertainment Weekly, Sesame Workshop — the organization behind the popular children's show — claimed in its lawsuit that the film and its marketing campaign"deliberately confuses consumers into mistakenly believing that Sesame is associated with, has allowed, or has even endorsed or produced the movie and tarnishes Sesame's brand."
However, U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick of New York ruled against the organization, allowing Happytime Murders to continue to use the tagline. According to the Associated Press, Broderick said, "Sesame Workshop didn't demonstrate that moviegoers were confused or that sponsors or parents were complaining."
In its lawsuit, Sesame Workshop also blasted the film for depicting"explicit, profane, drug-using, misogynistic, violent, copulating and even ejaculating puppets."
In the film at the center of the controversy, McCarthy plays a human detective who teams up with her former partner, a private investigator and a puppet, whose brother was the victim of a grisly murder and whose killer is now targeting the puppet cast of former hit series The Happytime Gang. The film also stars Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, and Bill Barretta.
Here's the red band trailer for anyone who wants just a glimpse at how raunchy the movie is set to be:
But while Sesame Street as a whole is decidedly not happy with the film, it actually has a pretty close ties to the film behind the scenes. Happytime Murders was directed by Brian Henson, the son of legendary puppeteer Jim Henson. The late Muppets creator was instrumental in developing some of Sesame Street's most iconic characters, including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, and Elmo.
Following its victory over Sesame Street, STX tweeted a statement released through its puppet lawyer, Fred, Esq.
"We fluffing love Sesame Street and we're obviously very pleased that the ruling reinforced what STX's intention was from the very beginning — to honor the heritage of The Jim Henson Company's previous award-winning creations while drawing a clear distinction between any Muppets or Sesame Street characters and the new world Brian Henson and team created. We believe we accomplished that with the very straightforward NO SESAME, ALL STREET tagline. We look forward to continued happytimes as we prepare to release Happytime Murders this summer."
The Happytime Murders is slated for release on August 17th.


text:
Any Price (15) Under $100 (5) $100-499 (9) $500-4,999 (1)
STREHLOW, John
The Tale of Frieda Keysser. Frieda Keysser and Carl Strehlow: an Historical Biography. Volume 1: 1875-1910
London, Wild Cat Press, 2011 (first edition). Presentation copy from the collection of eminent Australian neurosurgeon Professor Donald Simpson AO (1927-2018). Inscribed 'To Donald Simpson/ with best wishes' and signed by the author. 'Of all the early women pioneers omitted from official histories, Carl Strehlow's wife Frieda Keysser is the..... More
[Vintage Sports Car Club of Australia]. BRYCE, A.W. and G.J. LORD (joint editors)
The Vintage Car. Volume 1, Number 1, July 1948 to Volume 1, Number 4, October 1949
[Melbourne], The Vintage Sports Car Club of Australia, 1948 and 1949. The first number states it is 'the first issue ... in its new form'. Bound with 'NZ Sports Car Club Bulletin', Volume 3, Number 2, December 1945 to Volume 3, Number 8, December 1947. Octavo, seven issues, each 16..... More
BROOKS, George and Ivan HOFFMANN
South Australian Motor Cars, 1881-1942
Dover Gardens, The Vinall Family, 1987. One of 1000 copies. Provenance: 'E.J. Harris' is written in ink on the front pastedown. More
[Vintage Car Club of Queensland]. PETERS, Graeme (compiling editor)
TDC and Beyond. The Backlash Chronicles. [VCCQ. The Vintage Car Club of Queensland. The First 50 Years (dustwrapper front cover title)]
Carindale, The Vintage Car Club of Queensland, 2005. Number 121 of only 200 copies. Provenance: the ownership details of 'E.J. Harris 2/06' are written in ink on the front pastedown, and a double-sided sheet of pencilled notes (on Bentley Drivers Club, South Australia Inc. letterhead). More
[Vintage Car Club of Queensland]. WILSON, Joe
VCCQ. The First 25 Years
Brisbane, The Vintage Car Club of Queensland, July 1980. Number 209 of only 300 copies. The numerical list of pre-publication subscribers printed at the rear accounts for the first 140 copies. Provenance: the ownership details of 'E.J. Harris 1985' are written in ink on the front pastedown. More
KING, Colin G. and Ron GUTHRIE
Escape from North Korea. The Ron Guthrie Story
Riverwood, Meteor, 2002. Signed in ink by both authors on the half-title. More
YULE, Dr Peter
The Forgotten Giant of Australian Aviation. Australian National Airways
Flemington, Hyland House, 2001. Association copy. Frederick St. G.D. Holyman's copy, with his armorial bookplate on the front pastedown, and his ownership signature in ink on the half-title. Above is a warm ink 2006 gift inscription signed by him. Ivan Holyman's ANA was a key player in Australian aviation from..... More
[ROBERTS, Ainslie] ROBERTS, Melva Jean
Echoes of the Dreamtime. Australian Aboriginal Myths in the Paintings of Ainslie Roberts. Text by Melva Jean Roberts
Melbourne, J.M. Dent Pty Limited, 1988. The title page is signed by both Ainslie and Melva Jean Roberts. More
WILSON, David
Wardens to Tanager. RAAF Operations in East Timor
Maryborough, Banner Books, 2003. 'The role of the Royal Australian Air Force in East Timor was pivotal to the success of Interfet and the subsequent United nations operations, yet to date, little has been written on the subject. This book ... provides the reader with an account of that involvement'..... More
BAILLIE, E.H.M. ('Bail')
The Sporting Globe Cricket Book, 1928-29. A Book of Averages and Records. Test and Interstate Matches surveyed. Records of W.H. Ponsford, W.M. Woodfull and A.F. Kippax. Special Article by W.H. Ponsford. Compiled by ...
Melbourne, The Author (for The Herald and Weekly Times Limited), [1928]. Pencilled in the last leaf, the autograph page, are the names and dates of birth of various members of both teams. More
[United States Army Air Force]
Seven invitations to social activities (luncheons, parties, dances) organised by various branches of the USAAF in north Queensland (Australia) during the Second World War
The invitations, dated 1944 and 1945, were issued by the 898 Signal Co., the 12th Repair Squadron, Flight Test and Operations 15th ADG, the 4th Engine Overhaul Squadron, the 393rd Air Service Squadron and the 'Air Corps Cowboys & International Horsethieves' Association'. [7 items]. More
O'NEILL, Helen
David Jones' 175 Years
Sydney, New South/ University of New South Wales Press, 2013. More
ECCLESTON, Gregory C.
Granville Stapylton. Australia Felix, 1836. Second in Command to Major Mitchell
Malvern, Evandale Publishing, 2018. 'Based on the true journals of the pioneer land surveyor Granville Stapylton when he accompanied Major Thomas Mitchell on the famous "Australia Felix" expedition in 1836. This expedition proceeded down the Lachlan, Murrumbidgee and Murray rivers into far western New South Wales, before crossing into what..... More
DOLLING, Alison
The History of Marion on the Sturt. The Story of a Changing Landscape and its People
Frewville, Peacock Publications, 1981. Dated (1982), inscribed and signed and by the author on the title page. More
SEXTON, Reverend John Henry
The Aborigines of Australia. Article reprinted from the 'International Review of Missions'
Adelaide, Aborigines' Friends' Association, Incorporated, South Australia, 1943. 'Discusses the effect of colonisation on Aboriginal population and traditional life; the impact of cattle stations; lack of federal government policy; missionary work; need for different approach towards traditional and mixed descent and detribalised Aboriginal people and the need for cooperation between..... More


text:
Q: Chart not rendering I have a simple pie chart which I am trying to make responsive.
My efforts have got me to the point where the chart does not display.
No errors, just a blank screen.
Any ideas why it is not rendering would be gratefully appreciated.
Plnkr: https://plnkr.co/edit/SFX4mpaL1fwXraXDR71X?p=preview
var pieG = chartLayer.selectAll("g")
        .data([data])
        .enter()
        .append("g")
        .attr("transform", "translate("+[fullWidth/2, fullHeight/2]+")")

A: You set the arc generator:
var arc = d3.arc()
    .outerRadius(chartHeight/2)
    .innerRadius(chartHeight/4)
    .padAngle(0.03)
    .cornerRadius(8);

Without defining the chartHeight:
console.log(chartHeight)//returns undefined

So, I just put some magic numbers:
var arc = d3.arc()
    .outerRadius(150)
    .innerRadius(100)
    .padAngle(0.03)
    .cornerRadius(8);

Here is your plunker: https://plnkr.co/edit/nm4TBcOGN14C9rwDMgRs?p=preview

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


St. Paul's Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) voted 8-1 to recommend the former St. Andrew's church building as a Heritage Preservation Site. The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) supported this decision, and concurred that "St. Andrew's Church is an ideal candidate for local designation." These votes confirms that the St. Andrew's church building is historically significant and eligible for protection as a historic landmark.
St. Andrew's is an example of the "Romanesque Revival Style," reminiscent of the architecture that first developed in Europe in the 9th through 12th centuries. St. Andrew's is not only significant in the Como Lake area but is also among the most distinctive neighborhood churches in St. Paul.
As a St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commissioner noted during the public hearing that declared St. Andrew's eligible for designation: "We once had eleven historic synagogues in St. Paul. They fell one by one, and no one noticed because there were always a few left. Now there are none." Shortsightedness failed our future and scrubbed away part of St. Paul's history.
In a community, people come together to collaborate and communicate. Unfortunately, the community was not invited to participate in the planning or decision-making by the Twin Cities German Immersion School. Key decisions have been made during facilities meetings and strategic retreats, and the community has been informed of these decisions rather than included in the discussions. Save Historic St. Andrew's wants to work with TCGIS, but the school has to be willing to collaborate with those who may offer different perspectives and solutions.
An example of what community engagement should not look like is TCGIS's efforts to demolish the church belltower during MEA week. This plan, developed on short notice, was revealed to members of SHSA without any effort to engage them or the community as to why this "partial demolition" needed to take place. Later, SHSA found out, only via a request through the MN Data Practices Act, that this rushed partial demolition was being pursued to save an $1,000 on a project with a total estimated cost of $6 million. Fortunately, the City of St.Paul did not allow this proposed demolition to move forward, because TCGIS did not have the proper demolition permits.
The Como-Warrendale community needs to be a part of the process to manage the community's historic resources. We do not accept the current model in which TCGIS ignores the community, and refuses to collaborate.
For years the Warrendale neighborhood has had to contend with traffic congestion, significant parking pressure, and often-unsafe traffic conditions. We have tried repeatedly to work with TCGIS through the District 10 council to improve neighborhood relations but met with very little or no success. Expansion of the school and it's population on a small, condensed residential site situated directly adjacent to 13 homes will only exacerbate these existing issues. There are also no large outdoor playgrounds to buffer traffic and noise generated during the day at TCGIS.
TCGIS is seeking three variance requests related to parking, lot size, and building height. While the percentage variance for the height and lot size of the proposed new building seems minimal, what is being requested is actually quite substantial: the destruction of an eligible historic resource and iconic neighborhood fixture, the former St. Andrew's church. If these changes are permitted, they will forever alter the essential character of the Warrendale neighborhood while also burdening the community with additional traffic and increased pressure on available parking spaces.
In comparison to other schools in the area, TCGIS supports significantly more students on a significantly smaller site. As noted in SHSA's appeal to the Planning Commission, if the TCGIS proposal were to be approved, it would have 375.1 students per acre, by far the highest density of any St. Paul elementary and middle school in R1-R4 zoning. For perspective, the next highest density school is the Achieve Language Academy, which has 270 students per acre. TCGIS's desire to boost student density on such a limited space within a residential neighborhood is problematic for the neighborhood, and creates a host of problems for homeowners and community members.
St. Andrew's church thrived for 100+ years, and its landmark sanctuary has stood at the center of our community since 1927. St. Andrew's served generations of neighbors, immigrants, and students. Whether a church or school, this historic place has meaning; it is a active, beautifully preserved piece of the Warrendale community's history. The Warrendale neighborhood without St. Andrew's at its heart is unimaginable.
St. Andrew's played a significant role in the lives of the working class Hungarian community that made up its early congregation, and was an instrumental part of the Hungarian immigrant experience. Associated Hungarian benevolent societies helped immigrants adjust to neighborhood life.
Demolition of St. Andrew's will permanently alter the historic fabric of this long-established neighborhood. St. Andrew's has been a symbol of strength for almost a century.
TCGIS continues to argue that St. Andrew's no longer holds value to the community because it is no longer an active parish. In their Nov. 5 presentation to the Heritage Preservation Commission, their board argued that "heritage follows a Parish, not the building" and "the parish is what retains the history, culture, heritage, and legacy; The church does not." This could not be further from the truth. The former St. Andrew's church building carries meaning for many community members, irrespective of religious belief. In fact, the vast majority of the volunteers within SHSA do not have, and never have been affiliated to the former church. TCGIS is attempting to present a narrative of preservation as a strictly religious issue, and this is incorrect. Preservation is of the church is about community identity and heritage, it is about St. Paul's architectural history, it is about the management of of our city's historic resources (particularly as they relate to publicly-funded schools). St. Andrew's is very much a living historic resource.
TCGIS spent millions of public funds renovating the former church as a gymnasium and cafeteria, turning the former rectory into a parking lot, and adding an extension to the existing school in 2013, presumably without long-range forecasting that might have anticipated growth. As far as we can tell, nearly every other charter like TCGIS that has grown its population has relocated to a larger building or site—including Higher Ground Academy, NOVA, Twin Cities Academy, etc.—rather than tearing down a historic building. The French and Chinese immersion programs within SPPS have also relocated several times. Five years later, TCGIS wants to spend more taxpayer money to demolish the very building it purchased and rehabilitated with public funding.
As a public charter school, TCGIS needs to be made accountable to the public. It received $8.5 million in conduit bonds in 2013, and $5.9 dollars in state funds for 2017-18. These are very significant sums of money, and there are serious concerns regarding the school's use of these public funds to attempt destroy an historic building (especially after having used part of the public funds to renovate and restore the church in the first place). We demand accountability, and a more appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.
The claim that St. Andrew's is an "energy-inefficient" building is a developer's tactic, and is very misleading. The energy required for demolition, removing debris and building materials, transporting new materials to the site, and actually constructing a new building far exceeds any energy efficiency that would be achieved by tearing down the former church building and constructing a school building in its place. Planting rain gardens, adding green space, and recycling aluminum cans are environmentally sound practices. Demolishing the St. Andrew's building is not. Make no mistake — the proposed demolition of the St. Andrew's church building has nothing green about it.
"When comparing buildings of equivalent size and function, building reuse almost always offers environmental savings over demolition and new construction." — from The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse, National Trust study.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, more than 80% of Minnesota's 1.6 million tons of construction and demolition waste ended up in a landfill in 2013. St. Andrew's demolition would generate thousands of tons of landfill.
Once the wrecking ball swings, it is too late. Every effort must be made to find alternative solutions before that point of no return. That takes time and open cooperation as opposed to a singular focus on demolition.
The other pressing question is: what happens if TCGIS demolishes St. Andrew's and later decides to move? In this neighborhood, we are well aware of the changing educational environments that lead schools to move. This has already happened at the TCGIS site with St. Andrew's school, which was replaced by the French Immersion School, which was replaced by TCGIS. The idea that any charter school will have a permanent site is simply naive, and overlooks the wealth of data regarding charter school closures and location changes. This concern is augmented for TCGIS, which, if its proposal goes through, will have by far the highest student density per acre of any elementary school or middle school in St. Paul, while maintaining increasing enrollment pressures. It is not hard to envision the common scenario where TCGIS moves.
On the other hand, demolition is permanent, and would remove a treasured community landmark and historic resource.


Winners are former high school runners from South Western and Northeastern.
More than 4,000 people braved unusually cold temperatures for Thursday's Turkey Trot 5K.
A pair of former YAIAA runners captured the overall men's and women's titles. Ben Schott (South Western) won the men's race in 15:26.61 and Maddie Warrender (Northeastern) won the women's race in 20:04.92.
More: Did Thanksgiving originate in York, Pa.?
The race, which began at the intersection of Market and Newberry streets and finished on King Street, benefits the Downtown York YMCA.
7 and under: Male -- 1. Henry Linde, Lancaster, 17:34.91; 2. Govanni Garcia Scerbo, York, 27:23.33; 3. Ryan George, York, 28:00.36. Female -- 1. Ava Spangler, York, 20:22.98; 2. Anna Rusk, Bunker Hill WV, 29:47.38; 3. Peyton Kile, Mount Wolf, 34:13.54.
8-10: Male -- 1. Dylan Walker, Marlton NJ, 22:39.23; 2. Owen Gatchell, Red Lion, 24:35.93; 3. Rusty Armstrong, Willow Street, 24:43.57. Females -- 1. Amelia California, York, 25:25.12; 2. Brenna Federline, Seven Valleys, 25:52.08; 3. Madeline Endlich, Hershey, 27:01.21.
11-14: Male -- 1. Cole Perry, York, 17:26.40; 2. Jack Gable, Seven Valleys, 19:36.41; 3. Christian Henry, York, 19:36.94. Female -- 1. Presely Staretz, Mechanicsburg, 20:06.20; 2. Hayley Green, York, 21:30.53; 3. Madeline Eichler, Red Lion, 22:36.59.
15-19: Male -- 1. Bryce Gable, Seven Valleys, 16:24.89; 2. Galen Fitzkee, Manheim, 16:25.94; 3. Chad Long, East Berlin, 16:30.75. Female -- 1. Sophie Spangler, York, 19:35.70; 2. Elsa Neubauer, Brewster NY, 19:37.94; 3. Mckenna Spangler, York, 19:38.44.
20-24: Male -- 1. Ethan Gatchell, Red Lion, 15:37.92; 2. Tyler McFeaters, Fredericksburg, 15:46.61; 3. Andrew Erickson, Lebanon NH, 16:03.53. Female -- 1. Bethany Weaver, York, 19:15.08; 2. Julia Zielinski, Mount Wolf, 19:33.45; 3. Olivia Gettle, York, 19:47.35.
25-29: Male -- 1. Dietrich Linde, York, 17:45.00; 2. Caleb Tuten, Glen Rock, 18:09.15; 3. Timothy Moyer, Pittsburgh, 18:14.98. Female -- 1. Erin Dubs, Dover, 20:52.53; 2. Amanda Lohss, Dover, 21:08.69; 3. Kelsey Toth, Mechanicsburg, 21:31.04.
30-34: Male -- 1. Chris Sheaffer, Portland OR, 15:57.10; 2. Joseph Mummert, Ramsey NH, 16:19.14; 3. Cooper Linde, Lancaster, 17:34.49. Female --1. Suzanne Stettinius, Parkton MD, 19:59.80; 2. Krista Hohenshilt, Mertztown, 20:05.73; 3. Alicia Ilyes, York, 21:09.17.
35-39: Male -- 1. Daniel May, York, 18:26.99; 2. Adam Smith, York, 18:39.35; 3. Joseph Nardo, York, 18:56.64. Female -- 1. Nicole Crist, Downingtown, 20:30.46; 2. Brittany Copeland, Washington DC, 21:06.93; 3. Alyssa Elliott, York, 24:13.40.
40-44: Male -- 1. Patrick Hickey, York, 17:26.44; 2. Ryan Myers, York, 18:13.30; 3. Andrew Hartman, Dover, 18:34.33. Female -- 1. Kelly McKinley, York, 23:30.01; 2. Hilary Arthur, York, 24:30.68; 3. Elizabeth Walker, Marlton NJ, 24:35.45.
45-49: Male -- 1. Billy Spangler, York, 20:25.37; 2. Benedict Treglia, Dover, 20:39.69; 3. Jim Gleba, York, 20:44.73. Female -- 1. Gwyn Miller, York, 23:56.47; 2. Patty Hall, York, 24:01.56; 3. Christine Fisher, Red Lion, 24:21.02.
50-54: Male -- 1. David Rizzuto, York, 19:23.97; 2. Dave Haight, York, 19:34.35; 3. Padraic Kennedy, Owings Mills MD, 21:13.37. Female -- 1. Patti Stirk, York, 24:42.63; 2. Heather Anderson, York, 25:32.47; 3. Deidre Cassidy, York, 25:42.45.
55-59: Male -- 1. Mark Craver, Spring Grove, 20:10.72; 2. Doug Barnett, Dallastown, 21:30.20; 3. Andras Reversz, Dover, 21:47.84. Female -- 1. Michele Merkle, York, 21:55.82; 2. Kelly McCaffery, York, 26:10.88; 3. Monica Kruger, York, 26:52.41.
60-64: Male -- 1. John Crosset, Dallastown, 22:08.25; 2. Clyde Vedder, York, 24:30.53; 3. Cliff Engle, Windsor, 24:42.45. Female -- 1. Julie Kanya, York, 26:28.27; 2. Kathy Hoffman, Dover, 27:01.30; 3. Brenda Placke, Hanover, 28:05.14.
65-69: Male -- 1. John Jensenius Jr., Cumberland Center ME, 22:31.91; 2. Charles Pigott, York, 24:36.61; 3. Ed Nelson, East Berlin, 25:16.71. Female: 1. Margaret Moore, York, 26:06.10; 2. Glenda Naylor, York, 27:41.61; 3. Karen Knuepfer, York, 29:44.82.
70 and over: Male -- 1. Ed Shiller, York, 23:17.62; 2. Hal Darr, York, 29:03.41; 3. Marlyn Hahn, York, 29:56. 27. Female -- 1. Kathleen Walsh, York, 31:35.42; 2. Kathie Malinky, York, 33:42.19; 3. Linda McCoy, Bradenton FL, 38:00.06.


This project is solving the Data Treasure Hunting challenge.
The aim of this project is to not create a list of keywords, but to devise a method that allows semantic recognition of entered keywords, and newly formed keywords, to provide reference to cross-agency documentation and other information, as well as external documentation via the web.
The objective is to develop a solution, using machine-learning techniques, to cross-reference not only single words, but compound words, and most difficult, direct and indirect oxymora, to relative data and documentation.
Sponsor API & Reference: IBM Bluemix; IBM Watson Bluemix for Wiki creation and sample NLP apps. Microsoft Research for research and developments.


Browse the latest corporate news from Boston's Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar.
To help customers enjoy a delicious meal without sacrificing their busy afternoons, Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced it's here to shake things up!
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced the launch of its annual 'Boston's Cares' fundraising campaign, which works to fight childhood hunger across the country in partnership with No Kid Hungry.
To kick off the New Year, Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced the launch of three delicious bundle deals perfect for those looking to cut down on spending after the holiday season.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced today the launch of its Dine to Donate campaign.
ust in time for winter, Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) is gearing up to warm our bellies and raise our spirits with delicious pasta dishes and wine pairings.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) has named two franchise industry veterans to its leadership team.
Known as America's Sports Restaurant, it's only fitting that Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) is giving its fans something else to cheer about.
This fall, Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) is changing the game with new and delicious starters sure to mend any team rivalries.
In honor of its 20th anniversary today, Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), invites guests nationwide to partake in its Fan Appreciation Day.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), the casual dining concept that combines both a family-friendly restaurant and sports bar under one roof, announced that Jeff Melnick will be the brand's new Executive Vice President.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), announced today the launch of its summer menu featuring thin crust gourmet pizzas built on the dough the brand has been making from scratch for more than 50 years.
Sticking to its unwavering commitment to offer nothing but fresh, quality food, Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced today the launch of its new spring menu.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced the launch of its annual 'Boston's Cares' fundraising campaign in an effort to help fight childhood hunger across the country.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), the casual dining concept that combines both a family-friendly restaurant and sports bar under one roof, is ending the 2017 year with impressive growth.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), is prepping for this winter's cooler temperatures with classic Italian comfort food sure to please the whole family (or team!).
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) has partnered with Samuel Adams Boston Lager for its "Sam's Salutes" initiative.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced a significant development agreement in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which will bring 15 new locations to the brand's home market by 2023 or sooner.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) raised over $100,000 in 12 months for the brand's non-profit, Boston's Pizza Foundation.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) is hosting an event to give fans a way to support those effected by Hurricane Harvey.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), the casual dining concept that combines both a family-friendly restaurant and sports bar under one roof, closed out the first half of 2017 with impressive mid-year growth marks.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), the casual dining concept that combines a family-friendly restaurant and sports bar under one roof, announced today a two-unit agreement that will be the company's debut in Massachusetts.
On May 1, national casual dining brand Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) will roll out a brand refresh at its U.S. restaurants.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) signed a development agreement for areas of California including Western Riverside County, Southwestern San Bernardino County (Inland Empire) and Orange Country.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) is pleased to announce the signing of a development agreement that will debut the brand in North Dakota.
The phrase 'everything is bigger in Texas' is about to spread nationwide this spring as Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar, a Dallas-based casual dining brand, launches its new, jumbo chicken wings.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced the signing of a franchise deal that will bring eight Boston's restaurants to areas across Mexico by 2020.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's) announced that Vince Runco will be the new Vice President of Operations.
Boston's Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston's), a Dallas-based casual dining concept that combines a family-friendly restaurant and sports bar under one roof, announced that Mo Boutara will be the new Vice President of Development and Franchise Sales.
Boston's Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar franchise opportunities are not currently available on Franchising.com. Fill in the form below to be notified when they become available.


Members and partners can download the presentations of workshop 27 here.
Members and partners can download the presentations of workshop 26 here.
Members and partners can download the presentations of workshop 25 here.
Due to confidentiality reason, full presentation is not available. Please contact jochen.schuermans@roartis.com for further details and a copy of the original presentation.
Members and partners can download the presentations of workshop 24 here.
How to prepare for an efficient and low risk new product introduction.
Members and partners can download the presentations of workshop 23 here.
Members and partners can download the presentations of workshop 22 here.


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Paulding County Courthouse (Ohio) facts for kids
Paulding County Courthouse
Southern and eastern sides of the courthouse
Location in Ohio
Show map of Ohio
Location in the United States
Show map of the United States
Courthouse Sq., Paulding, Ohio
1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Rudolph Ehrhart
E.O. Fallis & Co.
Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.
Added to NRHP
The Paulding County Courthouse is a historic governmental building in downtown Paulding, Ohio, United States. A Richardsonian Romanesque building erected in 1886, it is the third courthouse to serve the residents of Paulding County.
When Paulding County was established in 1820, the small community of Charloe was named the county seat. This arrangement proved to be short-lived: the community of Paulding grew significantly while Charloe stagnated, and the county seat was eventually moved to the larger village. Once Paulding had been named the county seat, the county's second courthouse was erected on the village's central square in 1837. After approximately fifty years of service, this frame structure was demolished, and the present structure was built on the same location in 1886.
Designed by the E.O. Fallis Company and built by workers under the direction of general contractor Rudolph Ehrhart, the courthouse is a brick structure with a stone foundation and a roof of asphalt. Two-and-one-half stories tall with a central tower, the courthouse features nearly identical entrances on each of its four sides. Measuring 60 feet (18 m) square, and 163 feet (50 m) tall at the tip of its domed tower, the courthouse was patterned after the Lenawee County Courthouse in Michigan, which was also designed by the Fallis architects.
In 1974, the Paulding County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, due to its well-preserved architecture that was deemed significant statewide. It is one of four buildings in Paulding County on the Register, along with a rural round barn, a former train station in the village of Antwerp, and the Carnegie library in Paulding.
African-American female entrepreneurs
Madam C. J. Walker
Janet Emerson Bashen
Annie Turnbo Malone
Maggie L. Walker
Paulding County Courthouse (Ohio) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
This page was last modified on 23 September 2022, at 19:08. Suggest an edit.


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Human rights News Report Palestine
PCHR Weekly Report: 1 civilian killed, 1 child wounded by Israeli forces
In its weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Territories of Palestine, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that during the week of 10-16 June 2010, Israeli forces killed 1 Palestinian civilian and wounded 1 child in Jerusalem.The Israeli military continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation in the West Bank and 1 sustained a fracture in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces abducted 7 civilians, including 3 journalists and 2 human rights defenders.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
During the last week, Israeli forces continued to fire at Palestinian workers who were collecting construction materials. As a result, 4 workers were wounded in 4 separate incidents.
On 14 June 2010, Israeli troops that moved into al-Qarara and 'Abassan villages, east of Khan Yunis, fired 5 artillery shells at the area; no casualties were reported.
On the same day, Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip; no casualties were reported.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted 2 limited incursions into Palestinian areas, during which they leveled areas of previously razed land.
On Monday morning, 14 June 2010, the Public Committee against the Israeli Security Zone in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis organized a peaceful demonstration in protest to the establishment of a 300-meter-wide buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The demonstration moved from Khuza'a village, east of Khan Yunis, towards the border. The demonstrators raised Palestinian flags.
Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
In the West Bank, on 11 June 2010, Israeli forces killed 1 Palestinian civilian in Wad al-Jouz neighborhood in East Jerusalem, and wounded 1 Palestinian child. Israeli forces claimed that the victim was driving a car, did not obey orders to stop at a checkpoint in Wad al-Jouz and attempted to run down 2 soldiers, who were injured. Investigations conducted by PCHR refute this claim and confirm that the civilian was willfully killed.
Israeli forces conducted 24 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 29 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children. Israeli forces summoned a 7-year-old child for interrogation.
Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints in the West Bank abducted 2 Palestinian civilians. Israeli troops continued to harass Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli forces abducted 3 journalists, 3 human rights defender and a university student during the dispersion of peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to settlement activities and the construction of the Annexation Wall.
Israeli forces also stormed the house of Ahmed Khalil Abu Hashem, 43, Secretary of the National Committee against Settlement Activities and the Wall in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. On Thursday June 10th, according to Abu Hashem, at approximately 02:00, Israeli forces moved into Khillat al-Barahish area in the south of Beit Ummar village. At approximately 02:15, they threw stones at the windows and doors of Abu Hashem's house. They also detonated sound bombs in the vicinity of the house and called on Abu Hashem through megaphones to move to his roof with his hands up. When he and his wife got up the roof, they forced him to uncover the upper part of his body and to return to the house and awaken the 11 other residents of the house. Israeli forces forced the residents out of the house and questioned them until 04:45. According to Abu Hashem, this house raid was the tenth of its kind in the past 2 months. Before raiding Abu Hashem's house, Israeli forces had raided 4 houses, including 2 belonging to his brothers. During these house raids, Israeli forces violently beat Abu Hashem's nephew, 16-year-old Sakher.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest of the construction of the Wall and settlement activities. 4 Palestinian civilians were injured, 4 journalists sustained bruises and others suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Following the Friday Prayer on 11 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah. Some demonstrators wore soccer shirts. They moved towards a playground, which has been isolated by the annexation Wall, to play a match on the first day of the World Cup. Israeli troops prevented them from doing so, hence they played the match near the Wall. Soon Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. They also detained 5 demonstrators, including 3 journalists, until the end of the demonstration.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 11 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne'lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the Wall. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, and others sustained bruises.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 04 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in protest against land confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near 'Halmish' settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Also on Friday noon, 11 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in al-Ma'sara village, south of Bethlehem. Israeli forces closed the entrance of the village and fired sound bombs at the demonstrators. They also abducted Hassan Ahmed Braijiya, 40, Coordinator of the National Committee against Settlement and the Wall.
When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.
Israeli settlement activities:
On 16 June 2010, Israeli forces, accompanied by a bulldozer, moved into al-'Abasiya quarter in Silwan village. There they demolished two 18-square-meter stores belonging to Maher Na'im Siam, claiming that they were built without a license. Israeli forces also confiscated an 18-square-meter container and demolished a 100-sqiuare-meter barrack belonging to the family. On the same day, Israeli forces moved into al-Thawri neighborhood in Jerusalem. Without warning, they demolished a 30-square-meter garage belonging to Kamal Ibrahim al-Shoubaki.
On 14 June 2010, the Planning and Construction Committee of the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem, approved the construction of 1,600 housing units in 'Ramat Shlomo' settlement in Jerusalem. Israeli postponed the approval of the construction to this week to avoid any crisis with the United States.
Recommendations to the international community:
Because of the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that the international community recognize the Gaza disengagement plan, which was implemented in September 2005, for what it is—not an end to occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In recognition of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
Israel To Demolish Homes In Jerusalem
Ayalon: "Israel Might Agree To International Observers Monitoring Gaza Crossings"


Verizon Communications is web leader in radio. the most consistent and the most dependable cyberspace service. Verizon is the largest planetary IP leader ; presenting solutions that let their clients firmly connect. collaborate. and pass on around the Earth. They are known to run the fastest 4G radio web and supply services for the most fiber ocular web. Verizon is he standard carrier garrison he industry and a leader in presenting the benefits of authorising engineering to the universe.
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Specify the economic theory and demo how you can find the net income maximising measure? How could you utilize the constructs of fringy cost and fringy gross to maximise net income? What information do you necessitate to find this? Without this information. how would you do a determination? . The new Share Everything program. will salvage clients money to current programs. . Verizon offers new "stickier" service packages to maintain household members connected. . Subscribers will necessitate to calculate out what gigabytes of informations use means. . Verizon Wireless sells gigabyte programs for more of a wireless entree. Verizon to go on to offer the latest smartphones and to custom-make client's informations service. . Research all radio services to find how to maximise net income.
What are the company's schemes for pricing and non-pricing schemes? . With debut to its new 4G high velocity web. Verizon expects that informations use among its user base will increase dramatically. and so it makes more sense strategically to bear down users for the sum of informations they consume instead than the former industry criterion. one –size tantrum all attack. . To vie with the other rivals that has already made the move. . Verizon Wireless has targeted the Latino market for strategic growing platforms.
What are the barriers to entry for your chosen merchandise? Can you make or increase barriers to entry? If so. why? . To keep most of the licences the FCC will publish for low set radio spectrum. . Verizon Wireless competes for new spectrum for Wi-Fi for resale to wireless informations bearers. . FCC. to supervise competition and invention in the radio infinite that will drive the monetary values lower. Are at that place other ways to minimise costs for the company or merchandises? . To convey back the "every two" recognition.


text:
For the blackdress_adam challenge—a fusion with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, inspired by (with permission!) an awesome prompt at the kinkmeme.
See the end for the amazing music mixes created for the story! ♥
sings the song without the words
Pyri prowled the room restlessly while Kris unpacked his things. The other side wasn't too messy, although there was a pile of clothing draped over the back of the chair, more than Kris had in both his small suitcases put together. The closet had been pretty much claimed for England, too; Kris decided that discretion was the better part of valor, so he just edged one end over enough to hang up his jacket, and put the rest of his stuff in the dresser on his side of the room.
"You could take more space," Pyri said a little sulkily, leaping up onto the bed and stretching full-length on it; it creaked a little under her weight. Her tail lashed in the air.
"I don't need more," Kris said mildly. "I don't mind." Pyri yawned widely to show what she thought of that, bristling teeth on display and long tongue lolling out before she rolled it back into her mouth. Kris sighed. "You know, if you hadn't freaked Niska out, Matt might've done better last night."
"We're here to win, aren't we?" Pyri said, like that was that, and spread one paw wide to lick between the claws.
Kris hoped that his new roommate had a bigger daemon—a wolf maybe, he thought wistfully. Everybody had been pretty surprised when Pyri had settled into a leopard, Kris included. She'd spent most of Kris's childhood as one kind of dog or another, running all over with him. Then one day Kris had woken up with a big warm weight curled all along his back, purring, and they'd somehow both known that was it for them.
He'd just finished filling up the sock drawer when the door opened. "Hey!" the guy said, smiling, and came in to hold out a hand. "I'm Adam—Adam Lambert."
"Kris Allen," Kris said, and just managed not to jump as Adam's daemon peeked out abruptly from Adam's hair. The peacock tipped its crested blue head to one side to inspect Kris. Its tail curved down over Adam's shoulder like a cape, gorgeous purples and blues and greens, and Adam's black hair had matching streaks, so it almost blended in.
Kris stared. He couldn't help it; he'd never seen a guy with a male daemon before. He'd heard about it happening, but—He turned away quick, when he realized he was starting to look like an ass, and pointed to Pyri, who'd raised her head from the bed.
"Uh, this is Pyri," Kris said, and realized crap, Adam's daemon was going to hate this. Birds didn't so much get along with cats , to start with, and Pyri had a stupid thing for long tails, anyway.
"Oh, she's gorgeous," Adam said, approvingly. "That fur! This is Gild." He hooked his fingers under the peacock, and lowered him enough for the daemon to leap to the ground gracefully, fluffing his tail a little. Pyri's eyes tracked it.
She leaned down off the bed to sniff at Gild from the height of the bed, letting her jaws get close and licking her chops, meaningfully. Kris swallowed the be nice that wanted to come out; if Pyri decided she was going to be a jerk, that wasn't going to change her mind.
Gild didn't recoil and didn't say anything, just cocked his head to one side again, but he managed somehow to convey complete disdain. "Be nice, you," Adam said; Gild gave a loud, high-pitched shrill that made Pyri flatten her ears against her head, and then he turned and paced stately over to leap up onto Adam's bed, long tail gleaming behind him.
"I promise he won't be a little bitch all the time," Adam said reassuringly, like Kris was the one who should have been worrying, and smiled at him. "So where does that incredibly adorable accent come from, Kris Allen?"
Pyri gave a little growl under her breath, and Kris found himself stammering some when he answered. Maybe he was the one who needed to worry.
It didn't get better, after that. "Come on, what's the problem?" Kris said, exasperated. "Is it the bird thing? You were never like this with Cale's Helia."
"She's not a preening, useless, stuck-up little—"
"Hey!" Kris said.
Pyri sniffed and curled up in a tight ball on the floor, nose stuck against her flank, almost one solid mass of fur. Kris glared at her. It reminded him of the way she'd started acting around Rillek last summer, after the auditions, before it had all come apart. Except Rillek had just gone scared-shy, clinging to Katy's neck and peering sadly down with his huge lamp eyes, ring-tail curling anxiously around her shoulders. Gild's idea of a proportional response was jumping on Pyri's back, digging his talons into her fur, and clinging on yelling at the top of his lungs while she ran around the room hissing and trying to get him off.
"You totally deserved that, though," Kris said. "It's Gild's freaking tail, it's not a toy. "
Pyri didn't uncurl.
"And I'm not asking for a roommate change," Kris told her back. "I'm not doing that to Adam, not now." Pyri flicked one dismissive ear in his direction and didn't say anything.
Kris wouldn't have anyway, that part was true—not with the photos freshly spilled all over the internet: Adam with a beautiful boy in his arms, kisses like an Olympic sport; purple hair and eyeliner and, shockingly, a sleek green snake daemon with one loop coiled over Adam's wrist like a loose bracelet, and Gild stretching out his head to preen the other boy's hair.
Kris didn't know what to think about that so much. He didn't know anyone who'd actually—he'd never touched Rillek in all six years; he'd never even thought of asking to. Katy had never put her hands on Pyri. He'd heard stories about people doing that, but that was giggled locker-room stuff or something you saw in porn videos, kind of gross. That didn't seem to have anything to do with the helpless ecstatic look on the face of the boy leaning back in Adam's arms or the heavy-lidded, triumphant look on Adam's, and the pictures made Kris want to stare and shove the laptop away at the same time.
But Kris did know exactly what he thought about the pages and pages of hateful comments on the websites, about how it meant something, how Adam wasn't really a guy because his daemon was male, a display bird, showy. Adam had laughed it all off at the press conference. "He just likes to be pretty," he said, smiling. "And so do I!" But Kris had seen the quickly hidden flicker across Adam's face last night, in the hotel's common space, after Danny had picked up his Idria and moved to another couch. Kris wasn't going to ditch Adam after that, no matter how pissy Pyri got.
But even if it hadn't been for that, Kris didn't want to change roommates. He told himself it was just being smart. Adam understood this crazy ride they were on better than any of them; whenever things got confused or exhausting, he always had a cup of tea or a hug or some advice that made sense, and Kris didn't want to lose any of that.
"Especially not the hugs," Pyri muttered under her breath.
"Shut up," Kris said.
They moved into their room in the mansion later that day. Pyri padded around the room, sniffing all the corners; Gild promptly perched himself on the balcony and arranged his tail draping gorgeously over the rail, where he could be seen by the photographers and cameramen working on the lawn to get footage.
Pyri eyed the long, hanging tail with an intensity Kris recognized all too well. "Don't even think about it," Kris hissed at her, when Adam had stepped into the bathroom for a second.
Pyri huffed. "I can go get some air if I want," she said, dignified, and padded out onto the balcony. She reared up and put her front paws on the railing, and yawned her jaws wide into Gild's face. Gild leaned in and took a pointed sniff and said sweetly, "Aren't there biscuits for that?"
"Are you being obnoxious again?" Adam said, coming out of the bathroom toweling his face, his hair wildly spiky from taking off his beanie. He went out on the balcony and turned to call inside. "Kris! Finish unpacking later! Come on out here, they're filming."
"So? We'd just be on the balcony," Kris said.
Adam laughed. "Baby, every second of exposure on national tv you can get, that's the whole idea here." He held out a hand, beckoning, and Kris obediently put down his t-shirts and went outside to stand next to him and wave at the cameras.
It got a great spot in the segment, the two of them standing together, flanking their daemons. Pyri and Gild looked gorgeous, and you couldn't tell from the video that they'd just been trading insults.
The morning after the episode aired, a gossip blog story ran under the screencap, tongue-in-cheek but maliciously gleeful anyway, all about how everyone said they were very good roommates, and lining up photos of Kris next to Adam's ex-boyfriend for comparison. "I'm so sorry," Adam said miserably, sitting on his bed with Gild in his lap, stroking his feathers with one palm gently, over and over. "I'm—listen, I'll ask them to change my room. I—"
"No!" Kris said. "Seriously, man, no. I don't care what people want to think. Anyway. It's publicity, right? Like you said."
"The kind of publicity that gets your ass voted off before the tour," Adam said dryly.
"We've got one more week to get through," Kris said. "I'll take that bet."
And next week they were both safe, and on through to the top ten, and when Adam's name was called home-free, Kris turned to him and hugged him hard in front of the cameras and everyone, feeling victorious.
After the goodbye party for Alexis, Adam smuggled in a bottle of vodka and made cocktails for everyone in the kitchen. They all got a little drunk except Danny and Mike, who excused themselves, and Allison, whose mom cut her off after one drink. Megan got more than a little drunk, and her daemon Wikk crawled up onto the rim of the pitcher and tried to run around it in circles, and then fell in with a splash and had to be fished out looking like, well, a wet rat. A wet pink rat, since Adam had used cranberry juice.
Nobody was looking for another drink after that, so they wove off to their bedrooms one after another. Kris went upstairs and dropped backwards onto his bed, yawning, but he didn't really want to sleep yet. It was starting to sink in: at least fifty thousand guaranteed for the tour, and it all went up from here.
He dragged up his guitar from the foot of the bed and noodled on it a little; he was picking out Crazy when Adam came in, and Adam laughed and arranged himself across the end of the bed and sang along with it softly to the end. "We are crazy," he said after, stretching himself long and relaxed, eyes shut. "This is such a trip, Kris, how fast all of this happens—after working for this so long—"
"Yeah," Kris managed, through a throat gone suddenly tight. Adam couldn't see it himself, but his fingers were really close to Pyri's fur, almost brushing. She was watching him with wary, slitted eyes, but she wasn't moving away.
Adam lay there with his eyes closed a little longer, and then he sighed finally and sat himself up. "Okay, we have to get some sleep. What's our call time tomorrow?" He got off the bed and went to wash his face, and Kris put his guitar away with shaky hands and looked up to find Gild watching him from his perch on the foot of the bed.
"I was thinking I might ask Katy if she'd like to come out with us, next week," his mom said. "We can swing another plane ticket."
"I don't—Katy?" Kris started, a little confused—yeah, they were doing pretty well at staying friends, but it wasn't what you'd call painless just yet. Then he got it. "I guess Cale wouldn't do all that much for stopping people talking?" he bit out.
"Well—" his mom said.
"Seriously?" Kris said. "Momma, I am not going to use Katy like a prop and invite these people to—I don't even know, make some kind of story out of us."
"Honey, you were together six years," his mom said. "She's a part of your life, I don't think there's anything wrong in—"
"Making sure everybody knows I'm not letting Adam bang me in the mansion?" Kris said.
"Kristopher!" she said.
"I'll say I'm sorry soon as you tell me that's not what this is all about," Kris said.
"It's not like that!" She stopped and sighed. "Listen to me, baby, I'm so happy you've found such a good friend—Adam's a sweet boy, and I couldn't care less about any of the gossip, whatever people want to say. But I do care that this is your life, your dream. You know it does matter to some folks, and some of those folks pick up the phone and vote."
"What about Adam?" Kris said. "Or is it okay if those people vote for him to go home?"
"But that's really his life, he's made those choices," she said. "Baby, I'm not telling you to get back with Katy to win, or to lie about anything. I'm just saying, do you really want to go home early over a misunderstanding?
Kris stood silently, holding the phone to his ear. Pyri was curled at the foot of the bed watching him, unblinking. "Don't ask Katy," he said, finally.
Pyri started acting really weird around Adam after that. She would drift over towards him whenever he was in the same room, and stay near—not quite close enough for him to brush against her with his legs, but close enough that if he moved fast, if he jerked, he could have, maybe, if—
"Oh, be careful, Pyri. You wouldn't want Adam to trip over you," Gild said, snottily, looking down from Adam's shoulder.
Adam tugged on Gild's tail reprovingly without looking away from the mirror where he was doing his eyeliner. "I'm not going to trip over her!" And he didn't.
Kris didn't know what to say to her about it. He felt a breathlessness in his throat every time she got that close to Adam, an almost scared feeling, anticipation. If she kept doing it, sooner or later Adam would, just by accident. The closest Kris got was saying to her, "Do you know what you're doing?" one evening when they were alone in the room.
Pyri didn't answer for a long while, then she abruptly said, "He touched that boy's daemon. In the pictures."
"His ex," Kris said. For some reason, any time they'd talked about it, Pyri didn't seem to think Brad got to be anything other than that boy.
Pyri didn't answer. She kept on stalking Adam, ignoring Gild's pointed warnings, and Kris went on shivering with the deep scared feeling that any minute Adam could—
They had their own rooms by Top Five week, but Kris could still hear Adam's door slam after they got back from Matt's goodbye dinner. There was noisy rummaging around in the bathroom, water running and then shutting off, and then nothing, for long enough Kris got up and knocked on the door on his side and then opened it. Adam was stripped to the waist, braced against the sink counter with his head bowed and his face dripping. "It was such fucking bullshit," Adam bit out, furiously.
"Matt and me didn't care, man, you know that," Kris said. "It was the obvious choice."
"It doesn't fucking matter!" Adam said. "I know it was, I know they do this every year, making someone choose, and I did it. It was still just—it's fucking inhuman, you know? We're all we have in this, we don't have them—they're not on our side. And if we were the kind of bitches who were in here clawing and fighting and being complete jerks to each other, fine, but we're not, they know we're not, and I fucking hated it. Kris, I hated it so much. And Vila—Matt tried so hard, but when she hissed at me—"
His voice broke a little.
"Come on," Kris said, and took Adam into his room and dug out what was left of the bottle of wine Adam had brought back the other night. They sprawled on the bed and drank straight from the bottle and took turns making up really awesome insults to say on stage to Ryan and the judges. Adam broke up giggling at Kris's fake British accent; they were both laughing, breathless, and then Adam was wiping a few leaky tears away from his eyes, sitting up to turn away.
Gild gave a little trill and jumped onto his shoulder, anxiously combing his beak through Adam's hair. "I'm sorry," Adam said thickly, reaching up to pet Gild a little clumsily. "I'm okay. The stress is just hitting me tonight, I'm okay."
"You don't have to be," Kris said, and reached out to touch Adam's shoulder. Adam leaned in for a hug, and Kris slid his arms around him, holding Adam tight, his hand cupped around the back of Adam's neck. Adam was breathing soft and damp against his neck, and Kris didn't mean to, at all, he was just going to tighten his grip, but as he did, his fingers brushed the feathery-lace sweep of Gild's tail.
It went through him like a live spark, racing up his arm and making him jump a little, in the circle of Adam's arms. Gild made a small startled chirp, and Adam trembled all over. "Sorry," Kris said, whispering without meaning to. "I'm sorry—" but Adam was holding him, keeping Kris from pulling away.
"Are you?" Adam said, looking at him intently.
Kris swallowed. Pyri's tail was lashing crazily, next to them, her eyes going from Kris to Adam and back. Gild had hidden his head in Adam's hair and was peeking out. "No," Kris said, and Adam slowly—so slowly—reached out, and slid his hand into Pyri's fur.
Kris shuddered helplessly, and again, harder. He blinked away tears, watching Adam's hand stroking deep into Pyri's fur. She was pressed almost flat into the bed, eyes closed, quivering. Kris could feel it, how Adam's fingers were touching her in just the right way, perfect, perfect. Kris was going down boneless and weak to the bed, crumpling in shallow breaths, and then Adam wasn't touching Pyri anymore, he was touching Kris, touching Kris's face, and Kris reached out and clung to him and pulled him down too.
They lay tangled together on the bed, Kris's cheek pressed to Adam's broad shoulder, Adam's pulse or maybe his own drumbeating steady against the thin sensitive skin. Adam's hand was resting on his waist under his t-shirt, both of them taking in long, shaky breaths. Adam kissed him on the cheek, soft and chaste. Kris kissed him back on the mouth, just as soft, and tucked himself in closer. He didn't say anything. It didn't feel like there was anything that needed to be said.
In the morning it all looked a lot more complicated. Kris woke up in Adam's bed, snuggled along Pyri's warm side. The shower was running across the hall, and he picked his head up and blinked at Gild, who was staring at him balefully from the foot of the bed.
"Don't hurt him," Gild said, and then he jumped down from the bed and went out onto the balcony, tail dragging low behind him.
"What about him hurting you?" Pyri muttered, unconvincingly. Kris stroked her back.
"Do you want—" Kris said, and stopped.
Pyri worked her paws over the coverlet, kneading it. "Yes," she said, low, and Kris wanted it too; he wanted Adam to touch her again, to put his hands deep in Pyri's white fur. He wanted to hold Gild in his own hands and run his fingers gently over the sleek blue feathers. He was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to want those things, and he did anyway. He thought about Adam in the pictures, proud and wild and reckless enough to trust that much, refusing to mind when all the world saw him that way, wide-open. And then Kris thought about his mom, and his dad, and their faces looking at pictures like that of him.
Adam came back from the shower damp and toweling his hair, not quite looking at Kris. He sat down on the edge of the bed, not quite in arm's reach of Pyri.
"This isn't a good time," Adam said finally. Then he laughed softly—not quite his full laugh, but not cold, either. "It's about the worst time imaginable, actually."
"It felt like a great time, last night," Kris said, pissed-off suddenly—what was this, Adam holding open the door for him, like he thought Kris was looking for an escape hatch? "I'm not sorry."
"Maybe I am," Adam said though, unexpectedly, and Pyri flinched with a small noise that made Kris's hand tighten in her fur. "No, not like that, ever," Adam said. "But—Kris. You know how many people in this country think that daemons are only supposed to be between you and God? They won't even let their daemons talk to other people—"
"That's not my church," Kris said.
"You have a church," Adam said. "Don't tell me you've ever let anyone touch Pyri before."
The color climbed up hot, the memory of Adam's fingers sliding over her, something deeper than touch and conversation, that startling flash of beauty, the feeling of being helpless and known and loved— Kris flushed. Adam was looking at him with bright, warm eyes, like he wanted to touch Pyri again right then, or maybe touch Kris; and Kris said urgently, "Adam—"
"You know what those people would say about me if they knew," Adam said quietly, looking away. "This would be my fault," and Kris dropped his reaching hand to the coverlet. Yeah, he got it: he couldn't ask Adam for that when he wasn't even sure himself.
Adam got up and went out on the balcony to finish drying his hair, Gild jumping up to his shoulder to preen at him anxiously. Kris stayed on the bed still holding on to Pyri, rubbing his hands through her fur, weirdly, painfully lonely.
He stayed in the too hot shower for too long and had to run to make it down in time to get on the van to the studios. Allison and Danny talked to fill the silence he and Adam left, and it was almost a relief to split up for the duets, where he didn't fit with Danny at all, where it wasn't a struggle not to reach out and touch.
There was a new round of photos after, the stylists messing with his hair for too long and leaving it looking pretty much just the same, far as Kris could tell, and then taping another round of videos for the iphone app. Lunch was at six, a bagel crammed in his mouth on the way to two hours with the band trying to sell him a take on the Come Together arrangement that Kris wasn't totally sold on, which meant it dragged on take after take, and who the hell knew what he'd end up with on Saturday.
At dinner, Gild flew up and perched on the back of his chair. Kris was too burned-out even think about it until Allison made a weirded-out face at him and Adam across the table, surprised, and Gild hopped abruptly over to Adam's chair instead, his tail fluffing and setting nervously. Pyri was curled on the floor between their chairs, her head on her paws, and she turned to look up at Kris with her jewel-green eyes, not speaking; she didn't have to.
They didn't hang out all together after: it was getting on to midnight, and Kris dragged himself upstairs and brushed his teeth with his eyes mostly closed and went to his bedroom, crawling into his bed and curling around himself, Pyri at his feet. Somewhere out of sleep he felt Adam laying a hand on his shoulder, softly saying, "Kris?" and Kris sighed and unwound some into the curve of Adam's body, their knees slotting together.
He rolled over in the early morning, sun slant-hitting him in the eyes, even before the alarm. He wasn't in his bedroom; he'd gone to their old shared room. Adam was sleeping next to him with his hands folded up under his cheek, looking crazily young even with his last-day's makeup smudged around his eyes.
Gild was nested down in a pillow above Adam's head, small bright-eyed head watching, and Kris looked at him and put out his hand slowly, cautiously. Gild shifted a little, quivering, and Kris hesitated, but he went on and touched the soft feathers, sleek and warm, Gild's breath quick underneath rising and falling. Adam drew in a deep, startled breath and opened his eyes to stare at Kris, intense and wet, while Kris stroked down Gild's back again, all the way to the beautiful gleaming tail, feeling all that fragility under his hand like a gift.
Then he took his hand away and bent down to kiss Adam again, on the mouth. He didn't feel clumsy or awkward. Adam's mouth was warm and welcoming and easy, already known. Kris kissed him deep and slow, sucking a little on his lip, asking him in, and Adam's hands were sliding under his shirt. Kris raised his arms and let Adam strip it off him, shrugging his head out, and he lay back down in Adam's arms.
It was strange in a good way to feel Adam's big, solid body under him in bed, to feel not small exactly but wrapped-up, like cuddling in heavy blankets hiding from cold weather, the easy roll of Adam's hips up against him and the sudden, startling feel of wanting new things. Adam was touching him with wide, soft eyes, happy, and Kris laughed over him and let his head arch back while Adam's hand slid around his thigh and stroked him.
Kris lined them up and rocked against him while Adam's fingers worked inside slow, two of them wet and deep, moving in him. Kris stretched out on Adam and kissed him, their hips working together. The sun was coming up some more, warm on his bare skin with Adam's fingers stoking a low steady burn, just riding Kris back and forth, Adam's other hand running along his side and curving over his hip. Kris slid his arms under Adam's shoulders, his hand in Adam's hair to hold his head for more kisses, and spread his legs around Adam's to settle in deeper on him, rolling his hips against the slow give and press of Adam's fingers sparking inside him.
They both flinched when the alarm went off abruptly. Adam stretched out a hand to turn it off, and then he curled his arm around Kris's waist and rolled them up, keeping Kris in his lap, sunk deep on his fingers. Kris hooked his arm around Adam's neck and wrapped his other hand around both of them, still riding, and started jerking them off. They were panting too hard to really keep kissing. Kris tipped his forehead against Adam's and shut his eyes, Adam licking at his mouth a little, biting his lip, and then Kris was coming, shuddering out over his fingers. Adam gasped, his cock slippery and jumping, and Kris let go of his own and wrapped his wet hand tighter around Adam, and worked him fast and urgently to the end.
They slid crazily over sideways and crumpled together in a heap on the covers, tangled up and gasping for breath, Adam with his head pressed against Kris's shoulder and laughing softly, and Kris put an arm around him. "Mm," Adam said, smiling with his eyes shut, and Kris was sure; he was more than sure, and he laughed too, and kissed him.
Pyri jumped up on the bed and nudged them. "You're going to be late," she said.
"Yeah," Kris said, and didn't move, letting his head fall back. He started combing his fingers through Adam's hair. Pyri huffed a sigh and settled down on the bed beside him. Adam reached out a hand and stroked her back, petting, and she curled in closer under the touch and gave in, purring grudgingly.
Gild hopped onto her shoulder. "Move over," he said, and Pyri grudgingly shifted her flank; Gild managed to nestle himself into a small space between her and Kris's hip, the long shining feathers draped over all their legs, blue-green and purple and gold.
When Kris went back to Arkansas the next weekend for homecoming, Adam gave him a peacock feather to take, slung on a cord. "I can't give you a piece of Pyri's tail," Kris said, running it through his fingers. "Even if she kind of deserves it."
Pyri snorted her thoughts on that from where she was curled up on the floor around Gild saying their own goodbyes, one paw blissfully buried in feathers while he preened her fur.
"I'll wear some plaid," Adam said, and Kris tied the cord around his wrist, where people could see it while he played.
= End =
With many many thanks to Merry for beta! <3 And to my fabulous music mixers, chosenfire28 and inteligrrl, for the awesome mixes.
Mixer: chosenfire28
Mix Title: Can't Stay Away
Download (megaupload)
Smile—Uncle Cracker
Feelings Show—Colbie Caillat
Your Love is a Song—Switchfoot
Shine On—James Blunt
Breathe In Breathe Out—Mat Kearney
I'll Stand By You—Glee Cast
Edge of Desire—John Mayer
Can't Stay Away—Kris Allen
Strut—Adam Lambert
Stripped—Shiny Toy Guns
Use Somebody—Kings of Leon
Everything—Lifehouse
Mixer: inteligrrl
Mix title: Friends Fame and Familiars
Sounds Familiar—The Weakerthans
Animal—Miike Snow
The Kids Are All Fucked Up—Cobra Starship
We Are Going To Be Friends—The White Stripes
Always—Rilo Kiley
No One Sleeps When I'm Awake—The Sounds
West Coast Friendship—Owl City
My Secret Friend (feat. Imogen Heap)—IAMX
Benefits of Lying (With Your Friend)—Apples in stereo
Secret Smile—Semisonic
Animal—Empires
Secret—The Pierces
A Kiss To Build A Dream On—Louis Armstrong


In the most economically excluded regions of the world about 1.5 million children die of dehydration every year. When patients get to hospital for IV therapy, there may not be enough staff to monitor the drip, and the child may die from receiving the wrong amount of fluid, which is also potentially fatal in cases of over-hydration. In order to help health care workers in those places, engineering students at Rice University have developed a prototype of a technically simple yet ingenuous IV drip system that adds an element of automation to the process.
In the coming months the students will get a chance to test it in the real world when IV DRIP (Dehydrated Relief in Pediatrics) team members, Kamal Shah and Melissa Yuan, will take a prototype to Malawi and Lesotho in Africa, two of the world's poorest countries with high child mortality rates.
The equipment, first conceived last year as a freshman project, has received the 2012 Willy Revolution Award for Innovation in Engineering Design. The $20-dollar system can autonomously regulate the delivery of fluid to a child and shut off at the right point. Besides, the unit is easy to operate, sturdy and, most importantly, mechanical.
The device itself is part weighing scale, part mousetrap. With the IV bag suspended from one end of a lever arm, a counterweight is placed on the other to balance it. From the balanced position, a doctor or nurse can move the counterweight inward toward the fulcrum by a number of notches, tilting the scale towards the IV bag. Each notch equates to 50 ml of medication. When the desired amount of medication has been dispensed, balance in the lever arm will be restored, with the arm tilting back towards the counterweight. By running the IV supply tube through the lever arm and applying a clamp to the mechanism, the supply tube is crimped, cutting off supply to the IV once the correct dose has been administered. Because the process is effectively automated, workload for care staff is reduced, freeing them to perform other duties.
"There's nothing digital about it, nothing electrical or fancy," said team member Melissa Yuan. Indeed it is the simplicity of it all that makes the regulator an ideal solution for places that may lack even electricity. This is the kind of approach that Rice University has been favoring through an initiative to take solutions to developing countries, such as a salad spinner that diagnoses anemia without requiring power and a monitor to help nurses notice a non-breathing baby.
The mechanism is demonstrated in the video below.