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__label__cc	0.59258	0.40742	Label: REMERON- mirtazapine tablet, film coated Boxed Warnings NDC Code(s): 0052-0105-30, 0052-0107-30, 0052-0109-30, 0052-4364-01, view more Packager: Organon USA Inc. Medication Guide: HTML BOXED WARNING (What is this?) Suicidality and Antidepressant Drugs Antidepressants increased the risk compared to placebo of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of REMERON® (mirtazapine) Tablets or any other antidepressant in a child, adolescent, or young adult must balance this risk with the clinical need. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24; there was a reduction in risk with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults aged 65 and older. Depression and certain other psychiatric disorders are themselves associated with increases in the risk of suicide. Patients of all ages who are started on antidepressant therapy should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. Families and caregivers should be advised of the need for close observation and communication with the prescriber. REMERON is not approved for use in pediatric patients. (See WARNINGS: Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk, PRECAUTIONS: Information for Patients, and PRECAUTIONS: Pediatric Use) REMERON® (mirtazapine) Tablets are an orally administered drug. Mirtazapine has a tetracyclic chemical structure and belongs to the piperazino-azepine group of compounds. It is designated 1,2,3,4,10,14b-hexahydro-2-methylpyrazino [2,1-a] pyrido [2,3-c] benzazepine and has the empirical formula of C17H19N3. Its molecular weight is 265.36. The structural formula is the following and it is the racemic mixture: Mirtazapine is a white to creamy white crystalline powder which is slightly soluble in water. REMERON is supplied for oral administration as scored film-coated tablets containing 15 or 30 mg of mirtazapine, and unscored film-coated tablets containing 45 mg of mirtazapine. Each tablet also contains corn starch, hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, lactose, and other inactive ingredients. The mechanism of action of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets, as with other drugs effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder, is unknown. Evidence gathered in preclinical studies suggests that mirtazapine enhances central noradrenergic and serotonergic activity. These studies have shown that mirtazapine acts as an antagonist at central presynaptic α2–adrenergic inhibitory autoreceptors and heteroreceptors, an action that is postulated to result in an increase in central noradrenergic and serotonergic activity. Mirtazapine is a potent antagonist of 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors. Mirtazapine has no significant affinity for the 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors. Mirtazapine is a potent antagonist of histamine (H1) receptors, a property that may explain its prominent sedative effects. Mirtazapine is a moderate peripheral α1–adrenergic antagonist, a property that may explain the occasional orthostatic hypotension reported in association with its use. Mirtazapine is a moderate antagonist at muscarinic receptors, a property that may explain the relatively low incidence of anticholinergic side effects associated with its use. REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are rapidly and completely absorbed following oral administration and have a half-life of about 20 to 40 hours. Peak plasma concentrations are reached within about 2 hours following an oral dose. The presence of food in the stomach has a minimal effect on both the rate and extent of absorption and does not require a dosage adjustment. Mirtazapine is extensively metabolized after oral administration. Major pathways of biotransformation are demethylation and hydroxylation followed by glucuronide conjugation. In vitro data from human liver microsomes indicate that cytochrome 2D6 and 1A2 are involved in the formation of the 8-hydroxy metabolite of mirtazapine, whereas cytochrome 3A is considered to be responsible for the formation of the N-desmethyl and N-oxide metabolite. Mirtazapine has an absolute bioavailability of about 50%. It is eliminated predominantly via urine (75%) with 15% in feces. Several unconjugated metabolites possess pharmacological activity but are present in the plasma at very low levels. The (–) enantiomer has an elimination half-life that is approximately twice as long as the (+) enantiomer and therefore achieves plasma levels that are about 3 times as high as that of the (+) enantiomer. Plasma levels are linearly related to dose over a dose range of 15 to 80 mg. The mean elimination half-life of mirtazapine after oral administration ranges from approximately 20 to 40 hours across age and gender subgroups, with females of all ages exhibiting significantly longer elimination half-lives than males (mean half-life of 37 hours for females vs. 26 hours for males). Steady state plasma levels of mirtazapine are attained within 5 days, with about 50% accumulation (accumulation ratio = 1.5). Mirtazapine is approximately 85% bound to plasma proteins over a concentration range of 0.01 to 10 mcg/mL. Following oral administration of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets 20 mg/day for 7 days to subjects of varying ages (range, 25–74), oral clearance of mirtazapine was reduced in the elderly compared to the younger subjects. The differences were most striking in males, with a 40% lower clearance in elderly males compared to younger males, while the clearance in elderly females was only 10% lower compared to younger females. Caution is indicated in administering REMERON to elderly patients (see PRECAUTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Safety and effectiveness of mirtazapine in the pediatric population have not been established (see PRECAUTIONS). The mean elimination half-life of mirtazapine after oral administration ranges from approximately 20 to 40 hours across age and gender subgroups, with females of all ages exhibiting significantly longer elimination half-lives than males (mean half-life of 37 hours for females vs. 26 hours for males) (see Pharmacokinetics). There have been no clinical studies to evaluate the effect of race on the pharmacokinetics of REMERON. Renal Insufficiency The disposition of mirtazapine was studied in patients with varying degrees of renal function. Elimination of mirtazapine is correlated with creatinine clearance. Total body clearance of mirtazapine was reduced approximately 30% in patients with moderate (Clcr=11–39 mL/min/1.73 m2) and approximately 50% in patients with severe (Clcr=<10 mL/min/1.73 m2) renal impairment when compared to normal subjects. Caution is indicated in administering REMERON to patients with compromised renal function (see PRECAUTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Hepatic Insufficiency Following a single 15-mg oral dose of REMERON, the oral clearance of mirtazapine was decreased by approximately 30% in hepatically impaired patients compared to subjects with normal hepatic function. Caution is indicated in administering REMERON to patients with compromised hepatic function (see PRECAUTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Clinical Trials Showing Effectiveness The efficacy of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets as a treatment for major depressive disorder was established in 4 placebo-controlled, 6-week trials in adult outpatients meeting DSM-III criteria for major depressive disorder. Patients were titrated with mirtazapine from a dose range of 5 mg up to 35 mg/day. Overall, these studies demonstrated mirtazapine to be superior to placebo on at least 3 of the following 4 measures: 21-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) total score; HDRS Depressed Mood Item; CGI Severity score; and Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Superiority of mirtazapine over placebo was also found for certain factors of the HDRS, including anxiety/somatization factor and sleep disturbance factor. The mean mirtazapine dose for patients who completed these 4 studies ranged from 21 to 32 mg/day. A fifth study of similar design utilized a higher dose (up to 50 mg) per day and also showed effectiveness. Examination of age and gender subsets of the population did not reveal any differential responsiveness on the basis of these subgroupings. In a longer-term study, patients meeting (DSM-IV) criteria for major depressive disorder who had responded during an initial 8 to 12 weeks of acute treatment on REMERON were randomized to continuation of REMERON or placebo for up to 40 weeks of observation for relapse. Response during the open phase was defined as having achieved a HAM-D 17 total score of ≤8 and a CGI-Improvement score of 1 or 2 at 2 consecutive visits beginning with week 6 of the 8 to 12 weeks in the open-label phase of the study. Relapse during the double-blind phase was determined by the individual investigators. Patients receiving continued REMERON treatment experienced significantly lower relapse rates over the subsequent 40 weeks compared to those receiving placebo. This pattern was demonstrated in both male and female patients. REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The efficacy of REMERON in the treatment of major depressive disorder was established in 6-week controlled trials of outpatients whose diagnoses corresponded most closely to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 3rd edition (DSM-III) category of major depressive disorder (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). A major depressive episode (DSM-IV) implies a prominent and relatively persistent (nearly every day for at least 2 weeks) depressed or dysphoric mood that usually interferes with daily functioning, and includes at least 5 of the following 9 symptoms: depressed mood, loss of interest in usual activities, significant change in weight and/or appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, increased fatigue, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, slowed thinking or impaired concentration, a suicide attempt, or suicidal ideation. The effectiveness of REMERON in hospitalized depressed patients has not been adequately studied. The efficacy of REMERON in maintaining a response in patients with major depressive disorder for up to 40 weeks following 8 to 12 weeks of initial open-label treatment was demonstrated in a placebo-controlled trial. Nevertheless, the physician who elects to use REMERON for extended periods should periodically re-evaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to mirtazapine or to any of the excipients. Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors The use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) intended to treat psychiatric disorders with REMERON Tablets or within 14 days of stopping treatment with REMERON is contraindicated because of an increased risk of serotonin syndrome. The use of REMERON within 14 days of stopping an MAOI intended to treat psychiatric disorders is also contraindicated (see WARNINGS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Starting REMERON in a patient who is being treated with MAOIs such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue is also contraindicated because of an increased risk of serotonin syndrome (see WARNINGS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), both adult and pediatric, may experience worsening of their depression and/or the emergence of suicidal ideation and behavior (suicidality) or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking antidepressant medications, and this risk may persist until significant remission occurs. Suicide is a known risk of depression and certain other psychiatric disorders, and these disorders themselves are the strongest predictors of suicide. There has been a long-standing concern, however, that antidepressants may have a role in inducing worsening of depression and the emergence of suicidality in certain patients during the early phases of treatment. Pooled analyses of short-term placebo-controlled trials of antidepressant drugs (SSRIs and others) showed that these drugs increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 18–24) with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24; there was a reduction in risk with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults aged 65 and older. The pooled analyses of placebo-controlled trials in children and adolescents with MDD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or other psychiatric disorders included a total of 24 short-term trials of 9 antidepressant drugs in over 4400 patients. The pooled analyses of placebo-controlled trials in adults with MDD or other psychiatric disorders included a total of 295 short-term trials (median duration of 2 months) of 11 antidepressant drugs in over 77,000 patients. There was considerable variation in risk of suicidality among drugs, but a tendency toward an increase in the younger patients for almost all drugs studied. There were differences in absolute risk of suicidality across different indications, with the highest incidence in MDD. The risk differences (drug vs. placebo), however, were relatively stable within age strata and across indications. These risk differences (drug-placebo difference in the number of cases of suicidality per 1000 patients treated) are provided in Table 1. Drug-Placebo Difference in Number of Cases of Suicidality per 1000 Patients Treated Increases Compared to Placebo <18 14 additional cases 18–24 5 additional cases Decreases Compared to Placebo 25–64 1 fewer case ≥65 6 fewer cases No suicides occurred in any of the pediatric trials. There were suicides in the adult trials, but the number was not sufficient to reach any conclusion about drug effect on suicide. It is unknown whether the suicidality risk extends to longer-term use, i.e., beyond several months. However, there is substantial evidence from placebo-controlled maintenance trials in adults with depression that the use of antidepressants can delay the recurrence of depression. All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of a course of drug therapy, or at times of dose changes, either increases or decreases. The following symptoms, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania, have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric. Although a causal link between the emergence of such symptoms and either the worsening of depression and/or the emergence of suicidal impulses has not been established, there is concern that such symptoms may represent precursors to emerging suicidality. Consideration should be given to changing the therapeutic regimen, including possibly discontinuing the medication, in patients whose depression is persistently worse, or who are experiencing emergent suicidality or symptoms that might be precursors to worsening depression or suicidality, especially if these symptoms are severe, abrupt in onset, or were not part of the patient's presenting symptoms. Families and caregivers of patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder or other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric, should be alerted about the need to monitor patients for the emergence of agitation, irritability, unusual changes in behavior, and the other symptoms described above, as well as the emergence of suicidality, and to report such symptoms immediately to health care providers. Such monitoring should include daily observation by families and caregivers. Prescriptions for REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets should be written for the smallest quantity of tablets consistent with good patient management, in order to reduce the risk of overdose. Screening Patients for Bipolar Disorder A major depressive episode may be the initial presentation of bipolar disorder. It is generally believed (though not established in controlled trials) that treating such an episode with an antidepressant alone may increase the likelihood of precipitation of a mixed/manic episode in patients at risk for bipolar disorder. Whether any of the symptoms described above represent such a conversion is unknown. However, prior to initiating treatment with an antidepressant, patients with depressive symptoms should be adequately screened to determine if they are at risk for bipolar disorder; such screening should include a detailed psychiatric history, including a family history of suicide, bipolar disorder, and depression. It should be noted that REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are not approved for use in treating bipolar depression. In premarketing clinical trials, 2 (1 with Sjögren's Syndrome) out of 2796 patients treated with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets developed agranulocytosis [absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <500/mm3 with associated signs and symptoms, e.g., fever, infection, etc.] and a third patient developed severe neutropenia (ANC <500/mm3 without any associated symptoms). For these 3 patients, onset of severe neutropenia was detected on days 61, 9, and 14 of treatment, respectively. All 3 patients recovered after REMERON was stopped. These 3 cases yield a crude incidence of severe neutropenia (with or without associated infection) of approximately 1.1 per thousand patients exposed, with a very wide 95% confidence interval, i.e., 2.2 cases per 10,000 to 3.1 cases per 1000. If a patient develops a sore throat, fever, stomatitis, or other signs of infection, along with a low WBC count, treatment with REMERON should be discontinued and the patient should be closely monitored. The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome has been reported with SNRIs and SSRIs, including REMERON, alone but particularly with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, tryptophan, buspirone, and St. John's wort), and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, both those intended to treat psychiatric disorders and also others, such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue). Serotonin syndrome symptoms may include mental status changes (e.g., agitation, hallucinations, delirium, and coma), autonomic instability (e.g., tachycardia, labile blood pressure, dizziness, diaphoresis, flushing, hyperthermia), neuromuscular symptoms (e.g., tremor, rigidity, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, incoordination), seizures, and/or gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Patients should be monitored for the emergence of serotonin syndrome. The concomitant use of REMERON with MAOIs intended to treat psychiatric disorders is contraindicated. REMERON should also not be started in a patient who is being treated with MAOIs such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue. All reports with methylene blue that provided information on the route of administration involved intravenous administration in the dose range of 1 mg/kg to 8 mg/kg. No reports involved the administration of methylene blue by other routes (such as oral tablets or local tissue injection) or at lower doses. There may be circumstances when it is necessary to initiate treatment with an MAOI such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue in a patient taking REMERON. REMERON should be discontinued before initiating treatment with the MAOI (see CONTRAINDICATIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). If concomitant use of REMERON with other serotonergic drugs, including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, buspirone, tryptophan, and St. John's wort, is clinically warranted, be aware of a potential increased risk for serotonin syndrome, particularly during treatment initiation and dose increases. Treatment with REMERON and any concomitant serotonergic agents should be discontinued immediately if the above events occur and supportive symptomatic treatment should be initiated. Angle-Closure Glaucoma The pupillary dilation that occurs following use of many antidepressant drugs including REMERON may trigger an angle-closure attack in a patient with anatomically narrow angles who does not have a patent iridectomy. QT Prolongation and Torsades de Pointes The effect of REMERON (mirtazapine) on QTc interval was assessed in a clinical randomized trial with placebo and positive (moxifloxacin) controls involving 54 healthy volunteers using exposure response analysis. This trial showed a positive relationship between mirtazapine concentrations and prolongation of the QTc interval. However, the degree of QT prolongation observed with both 45 mg (therapeutic) and 75 mg (supratherapeutic) doses of mirtazapine was not at a level generally considered to be clinically meaningful. During the postmarketing use of mirtazapine, cases of QT prolongation, Torsades de Pointes, ventricular tachycardia, and sudden death, have been reported (see ADVERSE REACTIONS). The majority of reports occurred in association with overdose or in patients with other risk factors for QT prolongation, including concomitant use of QTc-prolonging medicines (see PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions and OVERDOSAGE sections). Caution should be exercised when REMERON is prescribed in patients with known cardiovascular disease or family history of QT prolongation, and in concomitant use with other medicinal products thought to prolong the QTc interval. Discontinuation Symptoms There have been reports of adverse reactions upon the discontinuation of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets (particularly when abrupt), including but not limited to the following: dizziness, abnormal dreams, sensory disturbances (including paresthesia and electric shock sensations), agitation, anxiety, fatigue, confusion, headache, tremor, nausea, vomiting, and sweating, or other symptoms which may be of clinical significance. The majority of the reported cases are mild and self-limiting. Even though these have been reported as adverse reactions, it should be realized that these symptoms may be related to underlying disease. Patients currently taking REMERON should NOT discontinue treatment abruptly, due to risk of discontinuation symptoms. At the time that a medical decision is made to discontinue treatment with REMERON, a gradual reduction in the dose, rather than an abrupt cessation, is recommended. Akathisia/Psychomotor Restlessness The use of antidepressants has been associated with the development of akathisia, characterized by a subjectively unpleasant or distressing restlessness and need to move, often accompanied by an inability to sit or stand still. This is most likely to occur within the first few weeks of treatment. In patients who develop these symptoms, increasing the dose may be detrimental. Hyponatremia has been reported very rarely with the use of mirtazapine. Caution should be exercised in patients at risk, such as elderly patients or patients concomitantly treated with medications known to cause hyponatremia. In US controlled studies, somnolence was reported in 54% of patients treated with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets, compared to 18% for placebo and 60% for amitriptyline. In these studies, somnolence resulted in discontinuation for 10.4% of REMERON-treated patients, compared to 2.2% for placebo. It is unclear whether or not tolerance develops to the somnolent effects of REMERON. Because of the potentially significant effects of REMERON on impairment of performance, patients should be cautioned about engaging in activities requiring alertness until they have been able to assess the drug's effect on their own psychomotor performance (see PRECAUTIONS: Information for Patients). In US controlled studies, dizziness was reported in 7% of patients treated with REMERON, compared to 3% for placebo and 14% for amitriptyline. It is unclear whether or not tolerance develops to the dizziness observed in association with the use of REMERON. Increased Appetite/Weight Gain In US controlled studies, appetite increase was reported in 17% of patients treated with REMERON, compared to 2% for placebo and 6% for amitriptyline. In these same trials, weight gain of ≥7% of body weight was reported in 7.5% of patients treated with mirtazapine, compared to 0% for placebo and 5.9% for amitriptyline. In a pool of premarketing US studies, including many patients for long-term, open-label treatment, 8% of patients receiving REMERON discontinued for weight gain. In an 8-week-long pediatric clinical trial of doses between 15 to 45 mg/day, 49% of REMERON-treated patients had a weight gain of at least 7%, compared to 5.7% of placebo-treated patients (see PRECAUTIONS: Pediatric Use). Cholesterol/Triglycerides In US controlled studies, nonfasting cholesterol increases to ≥20% above the upper limits of normal were observed in 15% of patients treated with REMERON, compared to 7% for placebo and 8% for amitriptyline. In these same studies, nonfasting triglyceride increases to ≥500 mg/dL were observed in 6% of patients treated with mirtazapine, compared to 3% for placebo and 3% for amitriptyline. Transaminase Elevations Clinically significant ALT (SGPT) elevations (≥3 times the upper limit of the normal range) were observed in 2.0% (8/424) of patients exposed to REMERON in a pool of short-term US controlled trials, compared to 0.3% (1/328) of placebo patients and 2.0% (3/181) of amitriptyline patients. Most of these patients with ALT increases did not develop signs or symptoms associated with compromised liver function. While some patients were discontinued for the ALT increases, in other cases, the enzyme levels returned to normal despite continued REMERON treatment. REMERON should be used with caution in patients with impaired hepatic function (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Activation of Mania/Hypomania Mania/hypomania occurred in approximately 0.2% (3/1299 patients) of REMERON-treated patients in US studies. Although the incidence of mania/hypomania was very low during treatment with mirtazapine, it should be used carefully in patients with a history of mania/hypomania. In premarketing clinical trials, only 1 seizure was reported among the 2796 US and non-US patients treated with REMERON. However, no controlled studies have been carried out in patients with a history of seizures. Therefore, care should be exercised when mirtazapine is used in these patients. Use in Patients with Concomitant Illness Clinical experience with REMERON in patients with concomitant systemic illness is limited. Accordingly, care is advisable in prescribing mirtazapine for patients with diseases or conditions that affect metabolism or hemodynamic responses. REMERON has not been systematically evaluated or used to any appreciable extent in patients with a recent history of myocardial infarction or other significant heart disease. REMERON was associated with significant orthostatic hypotension in early clinical pharmacology trials with normal volunteers. Orthostatic hypotension was infrequently observed in clinical trials with depressed patients. REMERON should be used with caution in patients with known cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease that could be exacerbated by hypotension (history of myocardial infarction, angina, or ischemic stroke) and conditions that would predispose patients to hypotension (dehydration, hypovolemia, and treatment with antihypertensive medication). Mirtazapine clearance is decreased in patients with moderate [glomerular filtration rate (GFR)=11–39 mL/min/1.73 m2] and severe [GFR <10 mL/min/1.73 m2] renal impairment, and also in patients with hepatic impairment. Caution is indicated in administering REMERON to such patients (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Prescribers or other health professionals should inform patients, their families, and their caregivers about the benefits and risks associated with treatment with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets and should counsel them in its appropriate use. A patient Medication Guide about "Antidepressant Medicines, Depression and other Serious Mental Illnesses, and Suicidal Thoughts or Actions" is available for REMERON. The prescriber or health professional should instruct patients, their families, and their caregivers to read the Medication Guide and should assist them in understanding its contents. Patients should be given the opportunity to discuss the contents of the Medication Guide and to obtain answers to any questions they may have. The complete text of the Medication Guide is reprinted at the end of this document. Patients should be advised of the following issues and asked to alert their prescriber if these occur while taking REMERON. Patients, their families, and their caregivers should be encouraged to be alert to the emergence of anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, mania, other unusual changes in behavior, worsening of depression, and suicidal ideation, especially early during antidepressant treatment and when the dose is adjusted up or down. Families and caregivers of patients should be advised to look for the emergence of such symptoms on a day-to-day basis, since changes may be abrupt. Such symptoms should be reported to the patient's prescriber or health professional, especially if they are severe, abrupt in onset, or were not part of the patient's presenting symptoms. Symptoms such as these may be associated with an increased risk for suicidal thinking and behavior and indicate a need for very close monitoring and possibly changes in the medication. Patients who are to receive REMERON should be warned about the risk of developing agranulocytosis. Patients should be advised to contact their physician if they experience any indication of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat, mucous membrane ulceration, or other possible signs of infection. Particular attention should be paid to any flu-like complaints or other symptoms that might suggest infection. Interference with Cognitive and Motor Performance REMERON may impair judgment, thinking, and particularly, motor skills, because of its prominent sedative effect. The drowsiness associated with mirtazapine use may impair a patient's ability to drive, use machines, or perform tasks that require alertness. Thus, patients should be cautioned about engaging in hazardous activities until they are reasonably certain that REMERON therapy does not adversely affect their ability to engage in such activities. Completing Course of Therapy While patients may notice improvement with REMERON therapy in 1 to 4 weeks, they should be advised to continue therapy as directed. Concomitant Medication Patients should be advised to inform their physician if they are taking, or intend to take, any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, since there is a potential for REMERON to interact with other drugs. Patients should be made aware of a potential increased risk for serotonin syndrome if concomitant use of REMERON with other serotonergic drugs, including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, buspirone, tryptophan, and St. John's wort, is clinically warranted, particularly during treatment initiation and dose increases. The impairment of cognitive and motor skills produced by REMERON has been shown to be additive with those produced by alcohol. Accordingly, patients should be advised to avoid alcohol while taking mirtazapine. Patients should be advised to notify their physician if they become pregnant or intend to become pregnant during REMERON therapy. Patients should be advised to notify their physician if they are breastfeeding an infant. There are no routine laboratory tests recommended. As with other drugs, the potential for interaction by a variety of mechanisms (e.g., pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic inhibition or enhancement, etc.) is a possibility (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). (See CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.) Serotonergic Drugs (See CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS.) Drugs Affecting Hepatic Metabolism The metabolism and pharmacokinetics of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets may be affected by the induction or inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes. Drugs that are Metabolized by and/or Inhibit Cytochrome P450 Enzymes CYP Enzyme Inducers (these studies used both drugs at steady state) In healthy male patients (n=18), phenytoin (200 mg daily) increased mirtazapine (30 mg daily) clearance about 2-fold, resulting in a decrease in average plasma mirtazapine concentrations of 45%. Mirtazapine did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of phenytoin. In healthy male patients (n=24), carbamazepine (400 mg b.i.d.) increased mirtazapine (15 mg b.i.d.) clearance about 2-fold, resulting in a decrease in average plasma mirtazapine concentrations of 60%. When phenytoin, carbamazepine, or another inducer of hepatic metabolism (such as rifampicin) is added to mirtazapine therapy, the mirtazapine dose may have to be increased. If treatment with such a medicinal product is discontinued, it may be necessary to reduce the mirtazapine dose. CYP Enzyme Inhibitors In healthy male patients (n=12), when cimetidine, a weak inhibitor of CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4, given at 800 mg b.i.d. at steady state was coadministered with mirtazapine (30 mg daily) at steady state, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of mirtazapine increased more than 50%. Mirtazapine did not cause relevant changes in the pharmacokinetics of cimetidine. The mirtazapine dose may have to be decreased when concomitant treatment with cimetidine is started, or increased when cimetidine treatment is discontinued. In healthy, male, Caucasian patients (n=24), coadministration of the potent CYP3A4 inhibitor ketoconazole (200 mg b.i.d. for 6.5 days) increased the peak plasma levels and the AUC of a single 30-mg dose of mirtazapine by approximately 40% and 50%, respectively. Caution should be exercised when coadministering mirtazapine with potent CYP3A4 inhibitors, HIV protease inhibitors, azole antifungals, erythromycin, or nefazodone. In an in vivo interaction study in healthy, CYP2D6 extensive metabolizer patients (n=24), mirtazapine (30 mg/day), at steady state, did not cause relevant changes in the pharmacokinetics of steady state paroxetine (40 mg/day), a CYP2D6 inhibitor. Other Drug-Drug Interactions In healthy, CYP2D6 extensive metabolizer patients (n=32), amitriptyline (75 mg daily), at steady state, did not cause relevant changes in the pharmacokinetics of steady state mirtazapine (30 mg daily); mirtazapine also did not cause relevant changes to the pharmacokinetics of amitriptyline. In healthy male subjects (n=16), mirtazapine (30 mg daily), at steady state, caused a small (0.2) but statistically significant increase in the International Normalized Ratio (INR) in subjects treated with warfarin. As at a higher dose of mirtazapine, a more pronounced effect can not be excluded, it is advisable to monitor the INR in case of concomitant treatment of warfarin with mirtazapine. No relevant clinical effects or significant changes in pharmacokinetics have been observed in healthy male subjects on concurrent treatment with subtherapeutic levels of lithium (600 mg/day for 10 days) at steady state and a single 30-mg dose of mirtazapine. The effects of higher doses of lithium on the pharmacokinetics of mirtazapine are unknown. Risperidone In an in vivo, nonrandomized, interaction study, subjects (n=6) in need of treatment with an antipsychotic and antidepressant drug, showed that mirtazapine (30 mg daily) at steady state did not influence the pharmacokinetics of risperidone (up to 3 mg b.i.d.). Concomitant administration of alcohol (equivalent to 60 g) had a minimal effect on plasma levels of mirtazapine (15 mg) in 6 healthy male subjects. However, the impairment of cognitive and motor skills produced by REMERON were shown to be additive with those produced by alcohol. Accordingly, patients should be advised to avoid alcohol while taking REMERON. Concomitant administration of diazepam (15 mg) had a minimal effect on plasma levels of mirtazapine (15 mg) in 12 healthy subjects. However, the impairment of motor skills produced by REMERON has been shown to be additive with those caused by diazepam. Accordingly, patients should be advised to avoid diazepam and other similar drugs while taking REMERON. QTc-Prolonging Drugs The risk of QT prolongation and/or ventricular arrhythmias (e.g., Torsades de Pointes) may be increased with concomitant use of medicines which prolong the QTc interval (e.g., some antipsychotics and antibiotics) and in case of mirtazapine overdose (see ADVERSE REACTIONS and OVERDOSAGE sections). Carcinogenicity studies were conducted with mirtazapine given in the diet at doses of 2, 20, and 200 mg/kg/day to mice and 2, 20, and 60 mg/kg/day to rats. The highest doses used are approximately 20 and 12 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 45 mg/day on an mg/m2 basis in mice and rats, respectively. There was an increased incidence of hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma in male mice at the high dose. In rats, there was an increase in hepatocellular adenoma in females at the mid and high doses and in hepatocellular tumors and thyroid follicular adenoma/cystadenoma and carcinoma in males at the high dose. The data suggest that the above effects could possibly be mediated by non-genotoxic mechanisms, the relevance of which to humans is not known. The doses used in the mouse study may not have been high enough to fully characterize the carcinogenic potential of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets. Mirtazapine was not mutagenic or clastogenic and did not induce general DNA damage as determined in several genotoxicity tests: Ames test, in vitro gene mutation assay in Chinese hamster V 79 cells, in vitro sister chromatid exchange assay in cultured rabbit lymphocytes, in vivo bone marrow micronucleus test in rats, and unscheduled DNA synthesis assay in HeLa cells. Impairment of Fertility In a fertility study in rats, mirtazapine was given at doses up to 100 mg/kg [20 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) on an mg/m2 basis]. Mating and conception were not affected by the drug, but estrous cycling was disrupted at doses that were 3 or more times the MRHD, and pre-implantation losses occurred at 20 times the MRHD. Reproduction studies in pregnant rats and rabbits at doses up to 100 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, respectively [20 and 17 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) on an mg/m2 basis, respectively], have revealed no evidence of teratogenic effects. However, in rats, there was an increase in postimplantation losses in dams treated with mirtazapine. There was an increase in pup deaths during the first 3 days of lactation and a decrease in pup birth weights. The cause of these deaths is not known. The effects occurred at doses that were 20 times the MRHD, but not at 3 times the MRHD, on an mg/m2 basis. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, this drug should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. Because some REMERON may be excreted into breast milk, caution should be exercised when REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are administered to nursing women. Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population have not been established (see BOXED WARNING and WARNINGS: Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk). Two placebo-controlled trials in 258 pediatric patients with MDD have been conducted with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets, and the data were not sufficient to support a claim for use in pediatric patients. Anyone considering the use of REMERON in a child or adolescent must balance the potential risks with the clinical need. In an 8-week-long pediatric clinical trial of doses between 15 to 45 mg/day, 49% of REMERON-treated patients had a weight gain of at least 7%, compared to 5.7% of placebo-treated patients. The mean increase in weight was 4 kg (2 kg SD) for REMERON-treated patients versus 1 kg (2 kg SD) for placebo-treated patients (see PRECAUTIONS: Increased Appetite/Weight Gain). Approximately 190 elderly individuals (≥65 years of age) participated in clinical studies with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets. This drug is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney (75%), and the risk of decreased clearance of this drug is greater in patients with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function, care should be taken in dose selection. Sedating drugs may cause confusion and over-sedation in the elderly. No unusual adverse age-related phenomena were identified in this group. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed a decreased clearance in the elderly. Caution is indicated in administering REMERON to elderly patients (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). Associated with Discontinuation of Treatment Approximately 16% of the 453 patients who received REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets in US 6-week controlled clinical trials discontinued treatment due to an adverse experience, compared to 7% of the 361 placebo-treated patients in those studies. The most common events (≥1%) associated with discontinuation and considered to be drug related (i.e., those events associated with dropout at a rate at least twice that of placebo) are included in Table 2. Table 2: Common Adverse Events Associated With Discontinuation of Treatment in 6-Week US REMERON Trials Adverse Event Percentage of Patients Discontinuing With Adverse Event REMERON (n=453) Placebo (n=361) Somnolence 10.4% 2.2% Nausea 1.5% 0% Commonly Observed Adverse Events in US Controlled Clinical Trials The most commonly observed adverse events associated with the use of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets (incidence of 5% or greater) and not observed at an equivalent incidence among placebo-treated patients (REMERON incidence at least twice that for placebo) are listed in Table 3. Table 3: Common Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events Associated With the Use of REMERON in 6-Week US Trials Percentage of Patients Reporting Adverse Event Somnolence 54% 18% Increased Appetite 17% 2% Weight Gain 12% 2% Dizziness 7% 3% Adverse Events Occurring at an Incidence of 1% or More Among REMERON-Treated Patients Table 4 enumerates adverse events that occurred at an incidence of 1% or more, and were more frequent than in the placebo group, among REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets-treated patients who participated in short-term US placebo-controlled trials in which patients were dosed in a range of 5 to 60 mg/day. This table shows the percentage of patients in each group who had at least 1 episode of an event at some time during their treatment. Reported adverse events were classified using a standard COSTART-based dictionary terminology. The prescriber should be aware that these figures cannot be used to predict the incidence of side effects in the course of usual medical practice where patient characteristics and other factors differ from those which prevailed in the clinical trials. Similarly, the cited frequencies cannot be compared with figures obtained from other investigations involving different treatments, uses, and investigators. The cited figures, however, do provide the prescribing physician with some basis for estimating the relative contribution of drug and nondrug factors to the side-effect incidence rate in the population studied. Table 4: Incidence of Adverse Clinical Experiences* (≥1%) in Short-Term US Controlled Studies Body System Adverse Clinical (n=453) Events reported by at least 1% of patients treated with REMERON are included, except the following events, which had an incidence on placebo greater than or equal to REMERON: headache, infection, pain, chest pain, palpitation, tachycardia, postural hypotension, nausea, dyspepsia, diarrhea, flatulence, insomnia, nervousness, libido decreased, hypertonia, pharyngitis, rhinitis, sweating, amblyopia, tinnitus, taste perversion. Body as a Whole Asthenia 8% 5% Flu Syndrome 5% 3% Back Pain 2% 1% Dry Mouth 25% 15% Constipation 13% 7% Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders Peripheral Edema 2% 1% Edema 1% 0% Myalgia 2% 1% Abnormal Dreams 4% 1% Thinking Abnormal 3% 1% Tremor 2% 1% Confusion 2% 0% Dyspnea 1% 0% Urinary Frequency 2% 1% ECG Changes The electrocardiograms for 338 patients who received REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets and 261 patients who received placebo in 6-week, placebo-controlled trials were analyzed. Prolongation in QTc ≥500 msec was not observed among mirtazapine-treated patients; mean change in QTc was +1.6 msec for mirtazapine and –3.1 msec for placebo. Mirtazapine was associated with a mean increase in heart rate of 3.4 bpm, compared to 0.8 bpm for placebo. The clinical significance of these changes is unknown. The effect of REMERON (mirtazapine) on QTc interval was assessed in a clinical randomized trial with placebo and positive (moxifloxacin) controls involving 54 healthy volunteers using exposure response analysis. This trial showed a positive relationship between mirtazapine concentrations and prolongation of the QTc interval. However, the degree of QT prolongation observed with both 45 mg (therapeutic) and 75 mg (supratherapeutic) doses of mirtazapine was not at a level generally considered to be clinically meaningful. Other Adverse Events Observed During the Premarketing Evaluation of REMERON During its premarketing assessment, multiple doses of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets were administered to 2796 patients in clinical studies. The conditions and duration of exposure to mirtazapine varied greatly, and included (in overlapping categories) open and double-blind studies, uncontrolled and controlled studies, inpatient and outpatient studies, fixed-dose and titration studies. Untoward events associated with this exposure were recorded by clinical investigators using terminology of their own choosing. Consequently, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the proportion of individuals experiencing adverse events without first grouping similar types of untoward events into a smaller number of standardized event categories. In the tabulations that follow, reported adverse events were classified using a standard COSTART-based dictionary terminology. The frequencies presented, therefore, represent the proportion of the 2796 patients exposed to multiple doses of REMERON who experienced an event of the type cited on at least 1 occasion while receiving REMERON. All reported events are included except those already listed in Table 4, those adverse experiences subsumed under COSTART terms that are either overly general or excessively specific so as to be uninformative, and those events for which a drug cause was very remote. It is important to emphasize that, although the events reported occurred during treatment with REMERON, they were not necessarily caused by it. Events are further categorized by body system and listed in order of decreasing frequency according to the following definitions: frequent adverse events are those occurring on 1 or more occasions in at least 1/100 patients; infrequent adverse events are those occurring in 1/100 to 1/1000 patients; rare events are those occurring in fewer than 1/1000 patients. Only those events not already listed in Table 4 appear in this listing. Events of major clinical importance are also described in the WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS sections. Body as a Whole: frequent: malaise, abdominal pain, abdominal syndrome acute; infrequent: chills, fever, face edema, ulcer, photosensitivity reaction, neck rigidity, neck pain, abdomen enlarged; rare: cellulitis, chest pain substernal. Cardiovascular System: frequent: hypertension, vasodilatation; infrequent: angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, bradycardia, ventricular extrasystoles, syncope, migraine, hypotension; rare: atrial arrhythmia, bigeminy, vascular headache, pulmonary embolus, cerebral ischemia, cardiomegaly, phlebitis, left heart failure. Digestive System: frequent: vomiting, anorexia; infrequent: eructation, glossitis, cholecystitis, nausea and vomiting, gum hemorrhage, stomatitis, colitis, liver function tests abnormal; rare: tongue discoloration, ulcerative stomatitis, salivary gland enlargement, increased salivation, intestinal obstruction, pancreatitis, aphthous stomatitis, cirrhosis of liver, gastritis, gastroenteritis, oral moniliasis, tongue edema. Endocrine System: rare: goiter, hypothyroidism. Hemic and Lymphatic System: rare: lymphadenopathy, leukopenia, petechia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphocytosis, pancytopenia. Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders: frequent: thirst; infrequent: dehydration, weight loss; rare: gout, SGOT increased, healing abnormal, acid phosphatase increased, SGPT increased, diabetes mellitus, hyponatremia. Musculoskeletal System: frequent: myasthenia, arthralgia; infrequent: arthritis, tenosynovitis; rare: pathologic fracture, osteoporosis fracture, bone pain, myositis, tendon rupture, arthrosis, bursitis. Nervous System: frequent: hypesthesia, apathy, depression, hypokinesia, vertigo, twitching, agitation, anxiety, amnesia, hyperkinesia, paresthesia; infrequent: ataxia, delirium, delusions, depersonalization, dyskinesia, extrapyramidal syndrome, libido increased, coordination abnormal, dysarthria, hallucinations, manic reaction, neurosis, dystonia, hostility, reflexes increased, emotional lability, euphoria, paranoid reaction; rare: aphasia, nystagmus, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), stupor, dementia, diplopia, drug dependence, paralysis, grand mal convulsion, hypotonia, myoclonus, psychotic depression, withdrawal syndrome, serotonin syndrome. Respiratory System: frequent: cough increased, sinusitis; infrequent: epistaxis, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia; rare: asphyxia, laryngitis, pneumothorax, hiccup. Skin and Appendages: frequent: pruritus, rash; infrequent: acne, exfoliative dermatitis, dry skin, herpes simplex, alopecia; rare: urticaria, herpes zoster, skin hypertrophy, seborrhea, skin ulcer. Special Senses: infrequent: eye pain, abnormality of accommodation, conjunctivitis, deafness, keratoconjunctivitis, lacrimation disorder, angle-closure glaucoma, hyperacusis, ear pain; rare: blepharitis, partial transitory deafness, otitis media, taste loss, parosmia. Urogenital System: frequent: urinary tract infection; infrequent: kidney calculus, cystitis, dysuria, urinary incontinence, urinary retention, vaginitis, hematuria, breast pain, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, leukorrhea, impotence; rare: polyuria, urethritis, metrorrhagia, menorrhagia, abnormal ejaculation, breast engorgement, breast enlargement, urinary urgency. Other Adverse Events Observed During Postmarketing Evaluation of REMERON Adverse events reported since market introduction, which were temporally (but not necessarily causally) related to mirtazapine therapy, include cases of the ventricular arrhythmia Torsades de Pointes. In the majority of these cases, however, concomitant drugs were implicated. Cases of severe skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, bullous dermatitis, erythema multiforme and toxic epidermal necrolysis have also been reported. Increased creatine kinase blood levels and rhabdomyolysis have also been reported. Hyperprolactinemia (and related symptoms, e.g., galactorrhea and gynecomastia) has been reported. Somnambulism (ambulation and other complex behaviors out of bed) has been reported. DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE Controlled Substance Class REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are not a controlled substance. Physical and Psychologic Dependence REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets have not been systematically studied in animals or humans for its potential for abuse, tolerance, or physical dependence. While the clinical trials did not reveal any tendency for any drug-seeking behavior, these observations were not systematic and it is not possible to predict on the basis of this limited experience the extent to which a CNS-active drug will be misused, diverted and/or abused once marketed. Consequently, patients should be evaluated carefully for history of drug abuse, and such patients should be observed closely for signs of REMERON misuse or abuse (e.g., development of tolerance, incrementations of dose, drug-seeking behavior). There is very limited experience with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets overdose. In premarketing clinical studies, there were 8 reports of REMERON overdose alone or in combination with other pharmacological agents. The only drug overdose death reported while taking REMERON was in combination with amitriptyline and chlorprothixene in a non-US clinical study. Based on plasma levels, the REMERON dose taken was 30 to 45 mg, while plasma levels of amitriptyline and chlorprothixene were found to be at toxic levels. All other premarketing overdose cases resulted in full recovery. Signs and symptoms reported in association with overdose included disorientation, drowsiness, impaired memory, and tachycardia. There were no reports of ECG abnormalities, coma, or convulsions following overdose with REMERON alone. However, based on postmarketing reports, there is a possibility of more serious outcomes (including fatalities) at dosages much higher than the therapeutic dose, especially with mixed overdoses. In these cases, QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes have also been reported (see PRECAUTIONS, Drug Interactions and ADVERSE REACTIONS sections). Overdose Management Treatment should consist of those general measures employed in the management of overdose with any drug effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Ensure an adequate airway, oxygenation, and ventilation. Monitor ECG parameters (including cardiac rhythm) and vital signs. General supportive and symptomatic measures are also recommended. Induction of emesis is not recommended. Gastric lavage with a large-bore orogastric tube with appropriate airway protection, if needed, may be indicated if performed soon after ingestion, or in symptomatic patients. Activated charcoal should be administered. There is no experience with the use of forced diuresis, dialysis, hemoperfusion, or exchange transfusion in the treatment of mirtazapine overdosage. No specific antidotes for mirtazapine are known. In managing overdosage, consider the possibility of multiple-drug involvement. The physician should consider contacting a poison control center for additional information on the treatment of any overdose. Telephone numbers for certified poison control centers are listed in the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR). Initial Treatment The recommended starting dose for REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets is 15 mg/day, administered in a single dose, preferably in the evening prior to sleep. In the controlled clinical trials establishing the efficacy of REMERON in the treatment of major depressive disorder, the effective dose range was generally 15 to 45 mg/day. While the relationship between dose and satisfactory response in the treatment of major depressive disorder for REMERON has not been adequately explored, patients not responding to the initial 15-mg dose may benefit from dose increases up to a maximum of 45 mg/day. REMERON has an elimination half-life of approximately 20 to 40 hours; therefore, dose changes should not be made at intervals of less than 1 to 2 weeks in order to allow sufficient time for evaluation of the therapeutic response to a given dose. Elderly and Patients with Renal or Hepatic Impairment The clearance of mirtazapine is reduced in elderly patients and in patients with moderate to severe renal or hepatic impairment. Consequently, the prescriber should be aware that plasma mirtazapine levels may be increased in these patient groups, compared to levels observed in younger adults without renal or hepatic impairment (see PRECAUTIONS and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). Maintenance/Extended Treatment It is generally agreed that acute episodes of depression require several months or longer of sustained pharmacological therapy beyond response to the acute episode. Systematic evaluation of REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets has demonstrated that its efficacy in major depressive disorder is maintained for periods of up to 40 weeks following 8 to 12 weeks of initial treatment at a dose of 15 to 45 mg/day (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). Based on these limited data, it is unknown whether or not the dose of REMERON needed for maintenance treatment is identical to the dose needed to achieve an initial response. Patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment and the appropriate dose for such treatment. Switching a Patient To or From a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) Intended to Treat Psychiatric Disorders At least 14 days should elapse between discontinuation of an MAOI intended to treat psychiatric disorders and initiation of therapy with REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets. Conversely, at least 14 days should be allowed after stopping REMERON before starting an MAOI intended to treat psychiatric disorders (see CONTRAINDICATIONS). Use of REMERON With Other MAOIs, Such as Linezolid or Methylene Blue Do not start REMERON in a patient who is being treated with linezolid or intravenous methylene blue because there is an increased risk of serotonin syndrome. In a patient who requires more urgent treatment of a psychiatric condition, other interventions, including hospitalization, should be considered (see CONTRAINDICATIONS). In some cases, a patient already receiving therapy with REMERON may require urgent treatment with linezolid or intravenous methylene blue. If acceptable alternatives to linezolid or intravenous methylene blue treatment are not available and the potential benefits of linezolid or intravenous methylene blue treatment are judged to outweigh the risks of serotonin syndrome in a particular patient, REMERON should be stopped promptly, and linezolid or intravenous methylene blue can be administered. The patient should be monitored for symptoms of serotonin syndrome for 2 weeks or until 24 hours after the last dose of linezolid or intravenous methylene blue, whichever comes first. Therapy with REMERON may be resumed 24 hours after the last dose of linezolid or intravenous methylene blue (see WARNINGS). The risk of administering methylene blue by non-intravenous routes (such as oral tablets or by local injection) or in intravenous doses much lower than 1 mg/kg with REMERON is unclear. The clinician should, nevertheless, be aware of the possibility of emergent symptoms of serotonin syndrome with such use (see WARNINGS). Discontinuation of REMERON Treatment Symptoms associated with the discontinuation or dose reduction of REMERON Tablets have been reported. Patients should be monitored for these and other symptoms when discontinuing treatment or during dosage reduction. A gradual reduction in the dose over several weeks, rather than abrupt cessation, is recommended whenever possible. If intolerable symptoms occur following a decrease in the dose or upon discontinuation of treatment, dose titration should be managed on the basis of the patient's clinical response (see PRECAUTIONS and ADVERSE REACTIONS). Patients should be advised that taking REMERON can cause mild pupillary dilation, which in susceptible individuals, can lead to an episode of angle-closure glaucoma. Pre-existing glaucoma is almost always open-angle glaucoma because angle-closure glaucoma, when diagnosed, can be treated definitively with iridectomy. Open-angle glaucoma is not a risk factor for angle-closure glaucoma. Patients may wish to be examined to determine whether they are susceptible to angle-closure, and have a prophylactic procedure (e.g., iridectomy), if they are susceptible. REMERON (mirtazapine) Tablets are supplied as: 15 mg Tablets — oval, scored, yellow, coated, with "Organon" debossed on 1 side and "T3Z" on the other side. Bottles of 30 NDC 0052-0105-30 15 mg Tablets — oval, scored, yellow, coated, with "MSD" debossed on 1 side and "T3Z" on the other side. Bottles of 30 NDC 0052-4364 -01 30 mg Tablets — oval, scored, red-brown, coated, with "Organon" debossed on 1 side and "T5Z" on the other side. 30 mg Tablets — oval, scored, red-brown, coated, with "MSD" debossed on 1 side and "T5Z" on the other side. 45 mg Tablets — oval, white, coated, with "Organon" debossed on 1 side and "T7Z" on the other side. Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F); excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature]. Protect from light and moisture. Distributed by: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of MERCK & CO., INC., Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889, USA For patent information: www.merck.com/product/patent/home.html Copyright © 2019 Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Revised: 09/2019 uspi-mk8246-t-1909r013 MEDICATION GUIDE This Medication Guide has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Revised: 05/2018 REMERON® (rĕm' - ĕ – rŏn) (mirtazapine) What is the most important information I should know about REMERON®? REMERON and other antidepressant medicines may cause serious side effects, including: 1. Suicidal thoughts or actions: REMERON and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, or young adults within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. Depression or other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts or actions. Watch for these changes and call your healthcare provider right away if you notice: New or sudden changes in mood, behavior, actions, thoughts, or feelings, especially if severe. Pay particular attention to such changes when REMERON is started or when the dose is changed. Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider and call between visits if you are worried about symptoms. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if an emergency, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: acting aggressive or violent new or worse anxiety or panic attacks feeling agitated, restless, angry or irritable an increase in activity or talking more than what is normal for you Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if an emergency. REMERON may be associated with these serious side effects: 2. Manic episodes: greatly increased energy reckless behavior talking more or faster than usual severe trouble sleeping unusually grand ideas excessive happiness or irritability 3. Decreased White Blood Cells called neutrophils, which are needed to fight infections. Tell your doctor if you have any indication of infection such as fever, chills, sore throat, or mouth or nose sores, especially symptoms which are flu-like. 4. Serotonin Syndrome. This condition can be life-threatening and may include: agitation, hallucinations, coma or other changes in mental status racing heartbeat, high or low blood pressure coordination problems or muscle twitching (overactive reflexes) sweating or fever muscle rigidity 5. Visual problems swelling or redness in or around the eye Only some people are at risk for these problems. You may want to undergo an eye examination to see if you are at risk and receive preventative treatment if you are. 6. Seizures 7. Low salt (sodium) levels in the blood. Elderly people may be at greater risk for this. Symptoms may include: confusion, problems concentrating or thinking or memory problems weakness or feeling unsteady 8. Sleepiness. It is best to take REMERON close to bedtime. 9. Severe skin reactions: Call your doctor right away if you have any or all of the following symptoms: severe rash with skin swelling (including on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet) painful reddening of the skin, blisters, or ulcers on the body or in the mouth 10. Severe allergic reactions: trouble breathing, swelling of the face, tongue, eyes or mouth rash, itchy welts (hives) or blisters, alone or with fever or joint pain 11. Increases in appetite or weight. Children and adolescents should have height and weight monitored during treatment. 12. Increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood Do not stop REMERON without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping REMERON too quickly may cause potentially serious symptoms including: tingling sensation What is REMERON? REMERON is a prescription medicine used to treat depression. It is important to talk with your healthcare provider about the risks of treating depression and also the risks of not treating it. You should discuss all treatment choices with your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider if you do not think that your condition is getting better with REMERON treatment. Who should not take REMERON? Do not take REMERON: if you are allergic to mirtazapine or any of the ingredients in REMERON. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in REMERON. if you take a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if you take an MAOI, including the antibiotic linezolid. Do not take an MAOI within 2 weeks of stopping REMERON unless directed to do so by your healthcare provider. Do not start REMERON if you stopped taking an MAOI in the last 2 weeks unless directed to do so by your healthcare provider. People who take REMERON close in time to an MAOI may have serious or even life-threatening side effects. Get medical help right away if you have any of these symptoms: rapid changes in heart rate or blood pressure uncontrolled muscle spasms stiff muscles loss of consciousness (pass out) What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking REMERON? Before you take REMERON, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: are taking certain drugs such as: Triptans used to treat migraine headache Medicines used to treat mood, anxiety, psychotic or thought disorders, including tricyclics, lithium, SSRIs, SNRIs, or antipsychotics Tramadol used to treat pain Over-the-counter supplements such as tryptophan or St. John's wort Phenytoin, carbamazepine, or rifampicin (these drugs can decrease your blood level of REMERON) Cimetidine or ketoconazole (these drugs can increase your blood level of REMERON) Medicines that may affect your hearts rhythm (such as certain antibiotics and some antipsychotics) have or had: heart problems or certain conditions that may change your heart rhythm seizures or convulsions bipolar disorder or mania a tendency to get dizzy or faint are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if REMERON will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of treating depression during pregnancy are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Some REMERON may pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while taking REMERON Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines that you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. REMERON and some medicines may interact with each other, may not work as well, or may cause serious side effects. Your healthcare provider or pharmacist can tell you if it is safe to take REMERON with your other medicines. Do not start or stop any medicine while taking REMERON without talking to your healthcare provider first. If you take REMERON, you should not take any other medicines that contain mirtazapine including REMERONSolTab®. How should I take REMERON? Take REMERON exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider may need to change the dose of REMERON until it is the right dose for you. Take REMERON at the same time each day, preferably in the evening at bedtime. Swallow REMERON as directed. It is common for antidepressant medicines such as REMERON to take up to a few weeks before you start to feel better. Do not stop taking REMERON if you do not feel results right away. Do not stop taking or change the dose of REMERON without first talking to your doctor, even if you feel better. REMERON may be taken with or without food. If you miss a dose of REMERON, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of REMERON at the same time. If you take too much REMERON, call your healthcare provider or poison control center right away, or get emergency treatment. The signs of an overdose of REMERON (without other medicines or alcohol) include: increased heart rate. The symptoms of a possible overdose may include changes to your heart rhythm (fast, irregular heartbeat) or fainting, which could be symptoms of a life-threatening condition known as Torsades de Pointes. What should I avoid while taking REMERON? REMERON can cause sleepiness or may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. You should not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how REMERON affects you. Avoid drinking alcohol or taking diazepam (a medicine used for anxiety, insomnia and seizures, for example) or similar medicines while taking REMERON. If you are uncertain about whether certain medication can be taken with REMERON, please discuss with your doctor. What are the possible side effects of REMERON? REMERON may cause serious side effects: See "What is the most important information I should know about REMERON?" The most common side effects of REMERON include: These are not all the possible side effects of REMERON. How should I store REMERON? Store REMERON at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C). Keep REMERON away from light. Keep REMERON bottle closed tightly. Keep REMERON and all medicines out of the reach of children. General information about the safe and effective use of REMERON. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Do not use REMERON for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give REMERON to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them. You can ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for information about REMERON that is written for healthcare professionals. What are the ingredients in REMERON? Active ingredient: mirtazapine 15 mg tablets: Starch (corn), hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, lactose, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 8000, titanium dioxide, ferric oxide (yellow). 30 mg tablets: Starch (corn), hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, lactose, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 8000, titanium dioxide, ferric oxide (yellow), ferric oxide (red). 45 mg tablets: Starch (corn), hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, lactose, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 8000, titanium dioxide. Copyright © 2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. For more information about REMERON call 1-800-526-4099 or go to www.REMERON.com. usmg-mk8246-t-1805r009 PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL - 45 mg Tablet Bottle Carton NDC 0052-0109-30 REMERON® (mirtazapine)Tablets Dispense the accompanying Medication Guide to each patient. PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL - 15 mg Tablet Bottle Carton - NDC 0052-4364 mirtazapine tablet, film coated MIRTAZAPINE (UNII: A051Q2099Q) (MIRTAZAPINE - UNII:A051Q2099Q) MIRTAZAPINE 45 mg STARCH, CORN (UNII: O8232NY3SJ) HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) (UNII: RFW2ET671P) LACTOSE, UNSPECIFIED FORM (UNII: J2B2A4N98G) HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED (UNII: 3NXW29V3WO) POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 8000 (UNII: Q662QK8M3B) Color WHITE Score no score Shape OVAL Size 16mm Flavor Imprint Code Organon;TZ;7 NDC:0052-0109-30 1 in 1 CARTON 03/11/1997 30 in 1 BOTTLE; Type 0: Not a Combination Product FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW (UNII: EX438O2MRT) FERRIC OXIDE RED (UNII: 1K09F3G675) Color RED (Red-Brown) Score 2 pieces Color YELLOW Score 2 pieces Flavor Imprint Code MSD;TZ;3 Labeler - Organon USA Inc. (078796541) Boxed Warnings, Report Adverse Events, FDA Safety Recalls, Presence in Breast Milk REMERON- mirtazapine tablet, film coated Number of versions: 19 1 211322 Remeron 15 MG Oral Tablet PSN 2 211322 Mirtazapine 15 MG Oral Tablet [Remeron] SBD 3 211322 Remeron 15 MG Oral Tablet SY 10 311725 mirtazapine 15 MG Oral Tablet PSN 11 311725 Mirtazapine 15 MG Oral Tablet SCD https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/labelrss.cfm?setid=010f9162-9f7f-4b6d-a6e4-4f832f26f38e	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1264
__label__cc	0.732358	0.267642	Gecko Meets Coqui Posted on August 20, 2009 by Damon This is kind of interesting. Would a gecko eat a coqui if the glass wasn’t separating them? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H8G47EI7rw&hl=en&fs=1&] Filed under: Agriculture, Big Island, Comedy, Entertainment, Environment, Rumors \| Tagged: Gecko vs. Coqui \| 2 Comments » Giovanni’s North Shore Shrimp Coming To Pahoa I think most of us know that the North Shore is famous for the Shrimp Trucks that line the highways there. One of the more famous ones is the Giovanni Shrimp Truck: The Original Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore of Oahu Well I just got through with a cruise through Pahoa, and I noticed a new business going in next to Boogie Woogie Pizza. The outside of the restaraunt with "Coming Soon" posters A quick look at the flier did verify that this was one of the North Shore Shrimp Truck places that I had previously eaten at: I stopped in where Manager Liaka Kaahu informed me that they were planning on opening in September once all the permits were finalized. A quick look at the planned menu shows that it is identical to the one on the North Shore… Except in Pahoa… They will be offering a “Half Plate” for only $6.00 I love Shrimp… and this is gonna be great for our community. I can’t wait for it to open! I’ll let everyone know when it does open for good. Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Community, Food & Drink, Pahoa, Something New? \| Tagged: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, Pahoa, Restaurants in Pahoa \| 5 Comments » Hawai’i Commemorates 50TH Anniversary of Statehood Tomorrow Media Release: On the eve of Hawai‘i’s 50th anniversary of statehood, final preparations are being made for tomorrow’s 50th Anniversary of Statehood Conference “New Horizons for the Next 50 Years.” More than 2,000 Hawai‘i citizens representing different industries and interests are scheduled to take part in the one-day conference, which gets underway at 8:00 a.m. at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. in the exhibit hall. Major topics and themes that will be discussed at the conference include: 21st Century Economy; Education for the Next Generation; Energy for Tomorrow; Technology in Our Daily Lives; and Native Hawaiians: Cultural Navigation in a Sea of Change. Keynote speakers include Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist Bryan Clay, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy Andy Karsner, and pollster John Zogby of Zogby International, who will present the findings of a new survey of Hawai‘i residents and reveal their views on Hawai‘i, the economy and the future. Key breakout workshops include: Hawai‘i’s Tourism Future; Military Partnerships – Part of Our ‘Ohana; Knowledge Management – Leading Hawai‘i’s Future; Media in Hawai‘i – The Next 50 Years; Economic Understanding for Today and Transformation for Tomorrow; Public Education in Hawai‘i: Past, Present and Future; Labor Movement: Role of Unions Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Historic Overview: Historical Perspectives of Statehood; Preserving Hawai‘i’s Natural Resources; Agricultural Land Use Since Statehood; and Energy for Tomorrow. In addition to the conference plenary sessions and workshops, the New Horizons exhibit pavilions and a career fair for Hawai‘i residents faced with the realities of the current economic challenges. Over 30 employment search firms, local employers, and the State of Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Workforce Development Division will offer information and job search assistance to potential employees. Other highlights include the unveiling of a commemorative State of Hawai‘i stamp by the U.S. Postal Service; a live video conference with Hawai‘i’s troops in Iraq; a post-conference 1950s concert (7:00 – 9:00 p.m.) featuring The Platters, The Coasters and The Drifters; and fireworks (8:55 p.m.) presented by the Hilton Hawaiian Village. As of Thursday morning, organizers said there was space for an additional 500 delegates, but that registration was filling up. Walk-up registration will be available on Friday, while space is available, however the economic forecast lunch has sold out. Tickets to the concert by The Platters, The Coasters and The Drifters can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Hawai‘i Convention Center the day of the event while seats are available. Additional Information about the conference and concert can be found at: www.hawaiistatehoodconference.com. Year-Long, Statewide Commemoration The statehood conference culminates a year-long series of events and activities that mark this important milestone in Hawai‘i’s relatively young, but rich history as a state. The Commission placed a strong focus on educational outreach for Hawai‘i residents of all ages. Educational exhibits chronicling Hawai‘i’s journey to statehood were displayed at various locations, including the State Capitol, Hawai‘i State Library, and five airports – Honolulu International, Kona International, Hilo International, Līhu‘e and Kahului. Also, 50 time capsules containing a treasure trove of memorabilia representing both Hawai‘i’s past and present will be buried statewide to be opened on the state’s 75th anniversary in 2034. Seven of the capsules were made available for Hawai‘i residents to contribute memorabilia will be retired and sealed at the luncheon tomorrow, and will be buried on the grounds of the State Capitol. The other 43 capsules were distributed to the neighbor islands, as well as schools and organizations statewide. Over the past year, various events have been held statewide to commemorate Hawai‘i’s statehood. Highlights included: August 25, 2008 – The first of the 50 Voices of Statehood vignettes began airing on radio and television stations statewide. The vignettes, which aired each week over the course of the year, featured personal perspectives on statehood and Hawai‘i’s history from 50 residents representing the state’s diverse ethnic, cultural, religious, political, social and economic backgrounds. The 50 Voices of Statehood vignettes are archived on the Internet: www.hawaii.gov/statehood. November 10, 2008 – The U.S. Mint unveiled the Hawai‘i Commemorative Quarter, the final coin produced in the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. March 18, 2009 – A joint session of the Legislature convened to commemorate the date 50 years ago, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the bill that allowed Hawai‘i to be admitted as the 50th state. July 23, 2009 – The state’s namesake submarine, the USS Hawaii (SSN 776), the first Virginia-class submarine to be home-ported in the Pacific, arrived in Hawai‘i. August 4, 2009 – A giant commemorative statehood mosaic mural created with over 8,000 pieces of artwork by students from Hawai‘i and the nation was unveiled at Honolulu International Airport. In addition, 17 official events and activities sanctioned by the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission, were held on the neighbor islands throughout the past year. They included: Big Island – The Ka’u Coffee Festival; Ipu Lani – Ipu and Traditional Fishing Workshops; Hawai‘i Volcanoes Institute – Workshops on History; Big Island Film Festival – Best of the Fest Concert; Hilo Inter-tribal Pow Wow; Hawai‘i Performing Arts Festival – 50 Years of American Music; Mango Festival; and Commemoration ceremony at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Maui: Upcountry Fair and Makawao Paniolo Parade. Lāna‘i – Pineapple Festival and Statehood event at Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i at the Lodge at Koele. Kaua‘i – Kaua‘i Museum Statehood Celebration; E Ola Mau Na Leo O Kekaha; Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fair; Kaua‘i Mokihana Festival; and musicians and hula dancers at Līhu‘e Airport. Two additional events are scheduled to take place on the neighbor islands: August 21 – “50 Years of Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance” at Hana Beach Park. August 23 – Statehood event held in conjunction with the Kailua Village Business Association’s Ali‘i Drive Stroll. Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Community, Economy, Entertainment, Hawaii, Hawaiian, Kauai, Kids, Lingle, Maui, National Affairs, Oahu, Something New?, State Affairs, Sustainable Living, Technology, Tourism \| Tagged: 21st Century Economy, Andy Karsner, Bryan Clay, Education for the Next Generation, Energy for Tomorrow, Hawaii State Stamp Unveiled, Hawaii Statehood, John Zogby, Technology in Our Daily lives, Zogby International \| Leave a comment » Senator Inouye Pledges Commitment and Support to the TMT Telescope I just read the following Tweet: US Senator Dan Inouye pledged his commitment and support for the Thirty Meter Telescope during a small gathering at Imiloa today (Edit – Yesterday) in Hilo. Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Community, Economy, Environment, Hawaii, Hawaiian, Technology, Tourism \| Tagged: Senator Dan Inouye, TMT Telescope \| Leave a comment » 13 Complaints Filed Against Hawaii County Police Recently The following is a list of complaints against the Hawaii County Police Department that were discussed at the last County of Hawaii Police Commission Meeting that was held Friday, August 14th in Hilo. HPC 09-09: Complainant alleged that the officer’s accident report was incomplete and obscured the facts. HPC 09-13: Complainant alleged that his speeding citation was incompletely filled out and not accurate. HPC 09-22: Complainant alleged that during a traffic stop, an officer’s behavior was abusive and discriminatory harassment, and that he should be made aware of the Peaceful Sky initiative. HPC 09-24: Complainant was involved in a traffic stop. He alleged that he was held at gunpoint, handcuffed, and made to lay face on the road while being interrogated. His wife and children watched the ordeal. The officers were later informed that they had the wrong guy, and he was released. HPC 09-25: Complainant alleged that officers pursued a vehicle at excessive speeds and in doing so contributed to the death of the driver. HPC 09-26: Complainant alleged that an officer was wrong when he told him he was in a no parking area. He also alleged that the officer yelled at him and was irrational. HPC 09-27: Complainant alleged that he drove through a red light because it was faulty, and that the officer did not want to listen to his explanation which he felt was disrespectful and unprofessional. HPC 09-28: Complainant’s son was involved in an altercation. She alleged that an officer abused his position when he used an electronic control device on him. HPC 09-29: Complainant alleged that an officer was intimidating and threatening when he interviewed her son, and that this caused her son to have a seizure. HPC 09-30: Complainant alleged that an officer used his position to improperly treat and harass him so that he could use a camp area for himself and his family. HPC 09-32: Complainant complained about the manner in which an officer spoke to him and that his arrest for a TRO violation was bogus. HPC 09-34: Complainant alleged that an officer yelled at him at a DUI check point. HPC 09-35: Complainant was stopped for speeding and then arrested for DUI. She alleged that she was not speeding, that the citation had incorrect information, and that the officer would not show her the reading of the breath analyzer. Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Community, Legal, Rumors, Security \| Tagged: Hawaii County Police Complaints \| Leave a comment » Hawaii Tourism Authority Looking to Fund Natural Resource & Culture Projects The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency for tourism, is looking to fund projects qualifying under its 2010 Natural Resources (NR) Program and its K’kulu Ola—Living Hawaiian Culture Program (LHCP). Natural Resources Program (RFP No. HTA-10-01) PDF – 2010 Natural Resources Program DOC – 2010 Natural Resources Program To respect, enhance and perpetuate Hawai‘i’s natural resources to ensure a high level of satisfaction for residents and visitors. Kūkulu Ola –Living Hawaiian Culture Program PDF – 2010 Living Hawaiian Culture Program DOC – 2010 Living Hawaiian Culture Program To honor and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture and community. DEADLINE OCTOBER 5th Filed under: Announcements, Economy, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Hawaii, Hawaiian, Something New?, State Affairs, Tourism \| Tagged: Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kūkulu Ola –Living Hawaiian Culture Program, Natural Resources Program \| 1 Comment »	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1268
__label__cc	0.730627	0.269373	Daniel Bortz Writer, editor, dog lover How to Decode an Airbnb Review August 2, 2017 Posted in Budget TravelTagged Airbnb, home sharing, reviews, Travel The average Airbnb rating is a whopping 4.7 out of 5 stars, according to a recent study by Georgios Zervas, an assistant professor of marketing at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. That’s a surprisingly high number when compared to hotel reviews on TripAdvisor, where the average rating is only 3.9 out of 5 stars for hotels with more than 100 reviews, a Cornell survey found. Zervas suspects there’s a psychological component at play. “People might feel bad leaving a negative review because they know that many hosts are using Airbnb to supplement their income and help support their family,” says Zervas. Some Airbnb customers might also be hesitant to write a negative review because they fear repercussions. “Hosts also review guests, and future hosts can see every review you leave,” says Emily McNutt, an editor at ThePointsGuy.com. Translation: “if you write a scathing review, a future host might be less inclined to let you stay at their place,” McNutt says. Why Neighborhood Matters When You’re Buying a Home 5 Things Sellers Should Never, Ever Say When Closing a Home Sale	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1270
__label__wiki	0.794616	0.794616	Star Wars: The Last Jedi “Awake” By Mr. DAPs\|2017-11-03T01:35:28-07:00November 3rd, 2017\|Categories: Entertainment, Star Wars\|Tags: Awake, Baseball, Clip, Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, TV, Video, world series\| A new clip for Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been released. Entitled "Awake," it came out during the final game of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Watch [...] Disney Buys Stake In MLB’s BAMTech Streaming Service – So What Now? By Murray the Bellhop\|2016-08-10T13:28:20-07:00August 10th, 2016\|Categories: DAPs Magic News, Op Ed/Opinion\|Tags: bamtech, Baseball, Bob Iger, Disney, ESPN, MLB, streaming, subscription, Television, TV\| Disney, as of August 9, owns a minority stake in the MLB (that's the official baseball company if you weren't sure about the acronym) owned streaming service called BAMTech. The 33% is priced at $1 [...] Million Dollar Arm – Blu-Ray Review by Mr. DAPs By Mr. DAPs\|2014-10-07T10:54:25-07:00October 7th, 2014\|Categories: DAPs Magic News, DAPs Magic Reviews, Disney\|Tags: Baseball, Blu-Ray, Disney, India, Jon Hamm, Million Dollar Arm, MLB, Movie, Mr. DAPs, Review\| Necessity is the Mother of Invention. Sometimes the greatest ideas come out of the most desperate of situations. In the beginning of Million Dollar Arm, struggling agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) comes up with a [...] Runners to Race Around the “High Banks” and “Bases” As Part of 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Course By DAPs Magic\|2012-05-20T00:00:34-07:00May 20th, 2012\|Categories: DAPs Magic News\|Tags: 2013, 20th Anniversary, Baseball, Cars, Champion Stadium, DAPs, Disney News, EPCOT, ESPN Widw World of Sports Complex, Family Fun Run 5K, Half Marathon, Indy, Jon Hughes, Magic, Magic Kingdom, Marathon, Mickey Mile, Mickey Mouse, Speedway, Stadium, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Speedway\| DAPs Magic Disney News - PRESS RELEASE 2013 Disney Marathon route to go through baseball stadium and speedway; course tweaks build on list of new 2013 enhancements LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Runners in the 20th anniversary [...] Florida Residents Can Enjoy Spring Getaway with Special Savings at Walt Disney World Resort By DAPs Magic\|2012-02-19T01:20:02-08:00February 19th, 2012\|Categories: DAPs Magic News\|Tags: Baseball, Deals, EPCOT, Florida, Floridians, Flower and Garden Festival, HGTV, International, Major League Baseball, Specials, Spring, Spring Break, Spring Training, Tickets, Wild for 3 Pass\| DAPs Magic Disney News - PRESS RELEASE Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – Florida residents seeking a memory-filled getaway at an affordable price are invited to “spring break” at Walt Disney World Resort during the popular [...] World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, Yankees, Mets and Phillies Coming to Disney for Braves Spring Training By DAPs Magic\|2016-05-16T21:32:50-07:00November 17th, 2011\|Categories: DAPs Magic News\|Tags: Atlanta, Baseball, Braves, Cardinals, ESPN, Houston Astros, Marlins, Mets, Miami, New York, Phillies, Sport, Spring Training, St. Louis, Walt Disney World, Washington Nationals, Wide World of Sports, World Series Champions, Yankees\| DAPs Magic Disney News - PRESS RELEASE Cards, Yankees, Mets and Phillies part of marquee Braves schedule that features 18 home games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, including three under the lights; Disney [...]	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1273
__label__wiki	0.705391	0.705391	Story Making with Dave Olson Media Creation Every Job, Ever (mostly) Everywhere + Subs Pod Subs Postal Club Errors + Omissions Taxonomy + Categories Blog Tasks Podcast Migration Tag Archives: clayoquot summer Clayoquot Blockades Clayoquot Summer 1993 – Assembling the People’s History of the Protest October 24, 2009 uncleweed Leave a comment Clayoquot Summer People’s History Dossier Rainforest Dispatches podcast series With a litany of environmental-related events in Blog Action Day, Tck Tck Tck, 350, Bridge to A Cool Planet – i’ve rustled up an overview of my recent climate change, activist-oriented media project. Listeners to “Choogle On with Uncle Weed” podcast have noticed the special series called Rainforest Dispatches. Consider subscribing by RSS Feed, iTunes, Email (gratis). Here’s the blurb: “A series of explorations and soliloquies from the Clayoquot Sound area on the west coast of Vancouver Island during a summertime water outage in the midst of a temperate rainforest. While figuring out what happened, Uncle Weed recollects the tense logging blockades in early 1990s and compares current conditions through lens of deep ecology and sustainable development practices.” Part of my aim in this project is to gather a record of the events written and created by people camped amongst the stumps taking snapshots, writing in diaries, sharing recollections and collecting ephemera related to the blockades. If this protest happened these days, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter would be rife with commentary, evidence and documentation but as i’ve found, most all materials found on the web are digitized by diligent documenters well after the event and i feel many historical treasures are trapped in show boxes, attics, aging memories and degrading film. Collecting Clayoquot: What i seek from you and others … Recorded Recollections – Audio recording of your personal reflections from the blockades or from whereever you were. How did you get there? Why did you go? How did you keep you spirits up? How has participation influenced your life? Please record on any digital audio device (computers or iPhones work great) and email to choogleon (at) uncleweed (dot) net. Have old cassettes or other media? Please let me know. Clayoquot Summer Photos – Snapshots from the Peace Camp and blockade lines, plus campouts on Long Beach, coffee breaks in Tofino, hitch-hike rides to the camp … Stick them on Flickr and tag ClayoquotSummer or email to choogleon (at) uncleweed (dot) net. Please CC license. Showdown, the police and MacMillan Bloedel have arrived. The persons with the pink ribbons were peacekeepers, who were mostly successful in calming down emotions often running very high. By Aldo de Moor News Articles, Flyers, Signs -Did you keep a scrapbook of article, signs, posters or other miscellanea? Stick them on Flickr and tag ClayoquotSummer or email to choogleon (at) uncleweed (dot) net. Please CC license. Clayoquot Mass Trails booklet – I’ve seen scans of a book made profiling everyone arrested and including some diaries from prison – do you have a digital copy or one i can digitize? Impact of Arrest – For those 800+ who were arrested and sentenced in the mass trial, how has the arrest affected your life? Any problems with travel? How did you survive financially during the trail and sentence? What did you do during your 3 month house arrest? How did the arrest influence your life’s work? Positive or negative remarks welcome. Any content i receive will find a place in my historical dossier via podcasts, photo galleries or artwork to be named later. Clayoquot Resources (so far): Many links are outdated and pointing to changed archives. Much of the evidence comes from mainstream media with their sound-bite-sized and often sensationalized segments. While interesting, this does not capture the significance of the event to generations of eco-advocates who really brought many points of view. See the articles and resources i’ve assembled at: Clayoquot tag on Delicious social bookmarks I’ve found EF!-ers’s talking about the soft approach against logging by the PeaceCampers and other celebrating and studying the non-violence and consensus building found in the cooperative community environment. Other discourse focuses on the way the big corporations dealt with the protests and other chronicle the court cases. Plus a few articles about the Clayoquot Summer legacy (mostly from the 10 year anniversary). A few highlights: Clayoquot Sound—A Summer of Protest by Luke Moore Reading the injunction at Clayoquot Sound protest. Photo: Luke Moore. Over the past summer, the Kennedy River Bridge entrance to logging operations on Clayoquot Sound became the site of one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in Canadian history. The protest followed the B.C. government’s decision on April 13 to allow MacMillan Bloedel to proceed with a harvesting plan that will see the eventual cutting of another 51 percent of the area’s old-growth forest. The B.C. government, perhaps coincidentally, is the largest single shareholder in MacBlo. Twenty-three percent of the forest has already been harvested. Although industry refers to logging as “general integrated management,” and there is a lot of rhetoric about improved forestry practices, large scale forest management remains environmentally unsound. If there is any improvement, it is that the future clearcuts will be smaller. Since the government decision, a brand-new 125 hectare clearcut graces the side of a mountain visible from the Kennedy River Bridge. The forest around Clayoquot Sound is one of the largest remaining stands of old-growth forest in North America. This is an irreplaceable cradle of rainforest biodiversity, and it can only be saved if the government will reverse its decision. Peace camp established To press for that reversal, a peace camp was set up by the Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS), a Tofino-based environmental group which has fought for the protection of the forests for fourteen years. The camp served as a base for protesters, who blockaded the Kennedy River Bridge until the camp was closed down Oct. 4. More Clayoquot Sound—A Summer of Protest Blockades and Civil Disobedience (1993 – 1995), Whole Systems Engagement by Ann Svendsen & Myriam Laberge from Collective Wisdom Initiative Blockade on Kennedy Bridge – Photographer unknown In the summer of 1993, the battle in Clayoquot Sound escalated. Environmental groups organized a Clayoquot Sound Peace Camp, which attracted protesters from throughout North America and Europe. At least 9,000 people participated in demonstrations against clear-cut logging. More than 800 people were arrested in the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history when protesters massed to block logging roads and climbed trees to protect them from cutting. Suddenly, Clayoquot Sound was in the headlines around the world. In October 1993, the government responded by initiating the Scientific Panel for Sustainable Forest Practices in Clayoquot Sound, an independent panel of First Nations and scientific experts. The Panel’s mandate was to develop world-class standards for sustainable forest management by combining traditional and scientific knowledge. Two years later, the Panel’s report recommended that clear cutting be replaced by variable retention forestry, an approach that would leave some trees standing in each area to protect the health of the forest ecosystem. At the same time that the panel was developing its recommendations, the provincial government was engaged in negotiations with the First Nations to resolve their land claims. A joint resource management process was established with the First Nations of Clayoquot. Even as these initiatives were moving forward, however, environmentalists were escalating their campaigns against clear-cut logging in the rest of the province. Clayoquot Sound: Not Out Of The Woods Yet! By Valerie Langer Common Ground The ten year anniversary of the largest civil disobedience in Canadian history is approaching. During the summer of 1993 over 850 people were arrested and 12,000 people demonstrated in opposition to logging in the ancient forests of Clayoquot Sound. The magnificent forests and the strength of the non-violent protests captured the imagination of the public and the media. Canadians, Americans and Europeans flocked to the Peacecamp, and every morning before dawn they caravanned down a dusty logging road to the demonstration site. When logging trucks arrived at the Kennedy River Bridge, the international media turned on their camera lights and brought the stand off to TV sets and radios all around the world. Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS) was there to facilitate people bringing their consciousness into action. A few years of action experience had trained us how to leverage that presence into the international forum. After the mass trials of the 850 arrestees Common Ground published an “Honour Roll” of those courageous souls who put their liberty on the line for the ancient forests of Clayoquot Sound. Today art pieces featuring the protests hang on the walls of the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the BC Museum designates ‘Clayoquot ’93’ as one of the most significant events in BC’s history. Clayoquot was a fire in the belly, a symbol of our rage against environmental destruction and a cathartic outlet to do something about it. The Summer of ‘93 – The Struggle for Clayoquot Sound by Aldo de Moor of Tilburg, The Netherlands, collection of snapshots from August 1993 on Wikicommons Blocking the Logging Road15.jpg Plenary meeting in the Peace Camp. Each night, all plans and conflicts were discussed in an effective consensus-seeking process. One of the main issues on the agenda always was who was going to be arrested the next day. By Aldo de Moor The arrested taken to the police station by school bus. By Aldo de Moor The entrance to the “Peace Camp”, base of the protesters. By Aldo de Moor Wilderness & Resistance – Bears, Blockades & Burning Bridges By an Expatriated Biocentric Turtle Island Earth First!er in “Do or Die” Vol. 6 The Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS) started as a radical group of various and sundry American draft-dodger hippies, traditional Nuu-Chah-Nuulth natives, tree spikers, and other dissident voices against the clearcut logging of the largest remaining lowland coastal temperate rainforest (280,000 ha.) [located on BC’s Vancouver Island]. In fact, one of the former directors of FOCS started the Society for the Protection of Intact Kinetic Ecosystems (SPIKE), which openly advocated spiking and claimed to have put nails into 20,000 trees. Another director was convicted of burning a bridge to a logging site. Yet, by the summer of 1993, the campaign to save Clayoquot had evolved into one of massive civil disobedience; all summer long, every single day, one of the main logging roads was blockaded by crowds varying from perhaps 5,000 on the first day when the band Midnight Oil played, to just a handful of folks. Over 1,000 people were arrested that summer for criminal contempt of court by defying a court injunction to stay off the road. An extraordinary diversity of people came out and got involved: from raging grannies to loggers, peaceheads to saboteurs (more on that in a moment), New Agers to Anglican clerics, people came from all walks to take part. Hell, even a dozen Basques showed up who spoke no English but said in Spanish, “clearcutting kills men and the beasts.” Unfortunately, the campaign was to a certain extent controlled by the “peace nazis,” who were afflicted with a bad case of tunnel vision. Even though there were often hundreds of people around, the only form of protest allowed by FOCS was the stand-in-the-road-while-they-read-you-the-injunction-and-then-cart-you-off demonstration; consequently, there were only a few days all year that the logging was actually stopped. Usually, it was only a matter of a few minutes for the police to remove the demonstrators and then the trucks rolled on by. Earth First! was definitely not welcome at that point, nor were tree-sitters, or lock-ons, or elves. Even though many FOCS activists are EF!ers, that summer saw a definite change of tactics in Clayoquot, one which perhaps foreshadowed the FoE/EF! conflict here. Many years of hard work by FOCS, and help from international groups like EF!, Greenpeace, and Rainforest Action Network among others, has resulted in the main logging company (Macmillan Bloedel) pulling out of Clayoquot, and the other company has had its cut reduced by 45%. In a sense, Clayoquot has been saved and should be considered a victory. On the other hand, the government and timber industry are using the tiny area of Clayoquot as a smokescreen to cover up the fact that they are clearcutting the rest of the province. University of Victoria’s “A Political Space” Clayoquot Project The New York Times ad which sparked the protest gathered at Univ. of Victoria Clayoquot Project Clayoquot Info from “Friends of Clayoquot Sound“: Interactive Map: Logging Map of Intact Clayoquot Valleys Vancouver Island Old Growth 1860 Historical Notes from FOCS 1992 Blockade at Clayoquot Arm Bridge of Kennedy Lake, 65 arrested, protesting MacMillan Bloedel’s logging at edge of intact Clayoquot River valley. 1993 International campaign takes off with ad in New York Times and FOCS trip to Europe. FOCS and allied environment groups call for boycott of MacMillan Bloedel and other companies. Largest peaceful civil disobedience in Canadian history is sparked by BC government’s decision to log 74% of Clayoquot Sound’s ancient forest. FOCS opens Peace Camp at “Black Hole”. Daily blockades and arrests begin at Kennedy River Bridge. 856 arrested and 12,000 participate during “Clayoquot Summer 93″. 1996 FOCS and Greenpeace takeover of Rankin Cove logging camp leads to First Nations-brokered truce between MacMillan Bloedel and environmentalists. Negotiations begin regarding protecting large intact (pristine) valleys in Clayoquot Sound from logging. 1997 FOCS begins a fish farm campaign aimed at reforming open net-cage salmon aquaculture in Clayoquot Sound and BC. 1999 FOCS helps to negotiate Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between 4 environment groups and Iisaak Forest Resources, the First Nations/MacMillan Bloedel joint venture logging company that replaced MacBlo. MOU commits Iisaak to protecting large pristine areas in its portion of Clayoquot Sound, while enviro groups agree to help market Iisaak’s wood. FOCS does not sign MOU in order to maintain its independent watchdog position. Scientific Panel Clayoquot Green Economic Opportunities Project Vol 1 (1.3 MB PDF) About Clayoquot Sound from FOCS What Is Clayoquot Sound? Clayoquot Sound is a magnificent, biologically rich, mostly wilderness area on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It encompasses 350,000 hectares of land and ocean. A view of Clayoquot Sound – Photo by Diego A. Garcia The land portion of Clayoquot Sound is 265,000 hectares (2,650 square kilometers or 1,000 square miles), comprising about 8% of Vancouver Island. It is covered with ancient temperate rainforest, a globally rare forest type. The remaining 85,000 hectares of Clayoquot Sound consist of ocean — narrow inlets of the Pacific Ocean, into which empty rivers and lakes. Clayoquot Sound occupies a straight-line distance along the coast of 90 kilometers, between Barkley and Nootka Sounds. It reaches a maximum of 35 kilometres inland, up to the crest of snow-capped mountains. These mountains are part of the central spine of Vancouver Island and form the headwaters of the rivers that drain Clayoquot Sound. The “Sound” portion of the region’s name indicates an indented section of coastline, with numerous inlets and islands. “Clayoquot” — pronounced Klak-wot — comes from Tla-o-qui-aht, the name of one of the First Nations tribes who live here. There are 5 communities in Clayoquot Sound: the town of Tofino and 4 First Nations reserves inhabited by Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations tribes. The total population of these 5 communities is about 3,000 (in 2005). Two well-known parks lie in Clayoquot Sound: the Long Beach Unit of Pacific Rim National Park, and the southern portion of Strathcona Provincial Park. These and other parks protect one-third of Clayoquot’s land area and less than one-quarter of its productive ancient forest. Industrial activities such as logging and fish farming have occurred and continue to occur across the landscape and ocean waters of Clayoquot Sound, but most of the Sound is still wilderness — intact forest and wild ocean. The spectacular scenery attracts about one million tourists to Clayoquot each year. Consider Perusing: Common Ground – August 2003 – Clayoquot Was Defining Protest of Our Time by Geoff Olson Spieling from Whiskey Dock – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 4/9 Field Notes on Bevvies, Birds and Bowls – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 8/9 Tofino Dries up – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 3/9 animoto – The Struggle for Clayoquot Sound Friends of Clayoquot Sound: About Clayoquot Sound: What Is It? Friends of the Sound – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 6/9 audioblog action dayBridge to A Cool Planetchoogle onchoogleonclayoquotclayoquot 1993clayoquot summerclimate changeenvironmentpodcastRainforest DispatchesTck Tck Tckuncleweed Library of poetry, podcasts, painting, arts n' crafts, community building + global wanders Lists + Awards + Profiles Notes to Future Self Kinfolk + Pals Writing Collections Uncle Weed’s Redrock storybook Poetry Cycles Items: Forgotten January in Hotsprings Annapurna Sunrise Requited Stubbed Toe Wander + Wonder Held the Globe (for Gramps) Haibun in Grey Gone to Sea Are no Stranger Cascadian Byways Old Man Punk Towns and Trains Vancouver Grey Sincerely, Angsty Tactical Wandering Vancouver Dossier Thor Aronson Letters from Russia Cannabis / Culture Social / Community Academic Essays Levelling Playing Field Talks + Presos SXSW x 2 TEDx x 1 Pecha Kucha x 4 Northern Voice x 11 Wordcamps x 2 Social Media & Cmty Pods + Songs Postcards fr. 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__label__wiki	0.754882	0.754882	CVLC - Chateauguay Valley Literacy Council English Workshops High School - CEGEP - Adult Students Community Projects / Lifelong Learning Volunteer Tutor Training Fundraising : Online Boutique Government and Community Organizations Literacy Fundamentals CONTACT US /NOUS JOINDRE Some Kind Words! From learners, parents, tutors, board members, and staff. "A lot of learning - grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and much more... with professional teachers who help us to improve and increase our knowledge." Line (learner) "I came here for help. I found the tutors to be patient, loving and comprehensive. I leave better prepared and more self-confident." Valentina (learner) "I like the attention to every student." Mariette (learner) "I like to learn with the others. The teacher shows many examples which make the course more interesting." Véronique (learner) "Although I am in class to help others, I always end up learning something new!" Elizabeth (tutor) "The first time I found myself in front of a class of students, I discovered what my career was going to be. I love the exchange of information." Nadine (tutor) "I can give my opinion about current events... We discuss a lot of subjects and I make new friends. The teachers are fantastic." Daniel (learner) "It is so interesting to meet the new people. They want so hard to learn - so motivated to learn - it is so inspiring." Irene (tutor) "It was something completely different from what I was doing. The year before I was involved in volunteer work at a school helping children develop learning skills. When you asked me to volunteer - to tutor adults - I jumped at the chance." Paul (tutor) "I started in the year 2000 and I had three students - one from Kahnawake and two from Chateauguay. I have had students that were with me for ten years. I have also had a student who went on to get her nurse's aide certification and has continued her studies to become a registered nurse. These are very satisfying experiences!" Lea (tutor) "I thought it was really helpful - you guys were able to adapt to my learning style and figure out what was missing in my knowledge. My mother was relieved because somebody was able to help me!" Ashley (one-on-one learner) "I am a retired teacher and have always been interested in literacy. I started with the CVLC in the year 2000 and did a lot of volunteer tutoring. Now, I just want to keep in touch with literacy issues, so I have stayed on as board secretary - and also serve as the 'historical memory' of the organization." Lea (board member) "I believe in what CVLC does - teaching to read and write." Sheila (board member) "I accepted the nomination in order to know more about the organization - to see some of the tutors and staff from a different angle." René (board member) "It is a gift to be here!" Elizabeth (board member) "I have been running CVLC for the past 6 years. Why do I stay on? Because I love to teach and set up new projects. Teaching individuals who have problems reading and writing is a challenge because as a tutor one has to discover the missing blocks and find the appropriate material and approaches to fill these gaps. As an administrator, I can ensure that the services provided by CVLC can continue to be available to the citizens of Chateauguay and the surrounding area." Françoise (executive director) "I have been involved with CVLC for over 6 years as a volunteer tutor, as board treasurer, vice-president and as the program manager. I love both the teaching and the independence of setting up office procedures based on my experiences in working in a large corporation, as well as doing freelance work in art, editing, and research. All my skills and knowledge have been utilized -- and I am still learning!" Elizabeth (program manager) BEING INVOLVED MAKES YOU FEEL THAT ONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! CVLC : CHATEAUGUAY VALLEY LITERACY COUNCIL Alphabétisation de Chateauguay Valley 450-698-0342 / cvlc.chateauguay@gmail.com WEEKLY HAPPENINGS Grant from the Ministry of Education (PACTE) / Registered Canadian Charity: BN89060019RR0001 / NEQ: 1149638158 Photos Credit: Pexels; Pixabay; Flickr; Google Images -labeled for non-commercial re-use; Photography / Website designed In-CVLC-Office by LizMH	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1281
__label__cc	0.592373	0.407627	Arsen Kharatyan Beaten Amazing Armenia: revolution, tech unicorns & a powerful female workforce – Sifted Arsen Kharatyan, one of the leaders of the Sksela and Hima youth movements was beaten today. His sister, Lusine, says that someone phoned Arsen to arrange an interview. However, when Arsen Kharatyan reached the location for the interview there was no one. Nevertheless, he decided to wait and someone hit him from behind before proceeding to beat him. Although his condition is considered satisfactory, Arsen Kharatyan is still hospitalized in the Grigor Lusavorich medical centre. Posted in Armenia Tagged Opposition Pro-active Armenian Foreign Ministry Online <cite class="fn">Тигран Кочарян</cite> Arsen Torosyan was beaten not for his political ideology. Hope he and his politneighborhood will not start to blame authorities in this. Anyway,I wish him health. <cite class="fn">Tamar</cite> I am confused — Arsen Torosyan or Arsen Kharatyan has been beaten? <cite class="fn">ace</cite> Ruben Ter-Minassian: “Our cultural achievements and intellectual abilities may be superior to those of our neighbors, but without solidarity we are bound to be defeated, victimized, and exterminated.” <cite class="fn">hay</cite> Tigran It seems the you know the reason and the causes. At least you sound very assuring. Can you please provide more information? Hopefully you can also name the criminals. Have you been at the scene? If not you will not then it will be a very legitimate assumption that either you are hiding the criminals or spreading baseless and biased rumours. waiting for more details. <cite class="fn">Shant</cite> Pro-democracy activist Arsen KHARATYAN, not Torosyan, suffered this act of brutality Wednesday in Yerevan. A disgrace for the Armenian government and an offense to any advocate of civil society, let alone democracy. This guy arsen is little annoying pest and deserved to get beat not because of his superficial wish for wanting more freedom in Armenia, but for supporting armenia’s number one enemy (levon) from coming back to power. Anyone who confuses the freedom movement with Levon, deserves to get a good beating as uttering levon’s name indicates their hatred and enmity towards armenia. Let this be a lesson for anyone wanting freedom in Armenia to not ever confuse the words freedom with Levon. Anyone advocating freedom in Armenia must clearly distance themselves from Levon or be held responsible for their hostile stance against Armenia. <cite class="fn">Global Voices Online » Armenia: Youth Activist Beaten</cite> […] The Armenian Observer reports that a pro-opposition youth activist was yesterday beaten in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. Arsen Kharatyan was called for an interview, but when he arrived at the location for the meeting he was instead attacked from behind. Unzipped comments on speculation that the beating was probably connected to Kharatyan's political activities and provides a more comprehensive account of the incident. Posted by Onnik Krikorian Share This […] <cite class="fn">Artashes</cite> I don’t know the guy and the circumstances of the incident. But if it is done for his political convictions there should be only one reaction from both his political supporters and determined opponents: “Physical violence against political ideas is absolutely unacceptable and completely condemnable!” Period. Whether Kharatyan is pro-opposition or not, it doesn’t matter. Violence is not the answer and as this attack is most likely connected to his political activities it should be condemned by everyone. Taking matters into your own hands and beating people has unfortunately become the main way dealing with disputes here and needs to stop now. Even though I do not agree with Kharatyan’s activities, I condemn the attack and expect those responsible to be found, arrested and prosecuted. <cite class="fn">sem63</cite> Armen, your post demonstrates why we shouldn’t really hope to have democracy anytime soon in Armenia. It’s because of so many people, who think that others could and, even worse, should be beaten, jailed, killed just because of their political views. I can’t stand neither LTP nor his politics, but claiming that people who do support him deserve to be beaten is why the country is where it is. Come on, wake up! Get civilized! <cite class="fn">Tigran Kocharyan</cite> I condemn the trials to express all what was happened as a political action. Without waiting of police investigation. Tigran, I think by virtue of the fact that Kharatyan was called to meet someone who identified themselves as a journalist but there was an attack instead of an interview kind of implies that it was a premeditated assault on someone for their political activities. Of course, I agree that this is not 100 percent certain, but it seems to be the most likely possibility. However. I would also say that there is nothing to indicate this is a premeditated attack on the order of the authorities. It’s as likely — if not more so — that these were government supporters. That doesn’t justify it, but I would definitely express caution at labeling the state responsible. However, if the police make no effort to find the culprits, or if they do but don’t take appropriate action, then there is the issue of impunity and so on. The worst thing is that nowadays every streetfight is considered as political. During the election company some of supporters of LTP(young hnchak guy) were beaten. Have you any news from these cases? Why LTP supporters keep silence about theses cases? Why all of those was usually happening day before LTP meetings in Freedom Square. Questions,questions,questions….. I condemn beating od anyone,but let’s wait investigation result. Tigran, I also suspect that the Hnchak guy was also some local guys who got angry at the (racist) political propaganda that I think he was handing out. BTW: What did happen to that case? Again, I think the issue is was anyone arrested or investigated and what finally happened? I have another point of view. Yes,authorities are bad,they kill democracy,violate human rights. Why LTP supporters are so sclerotic. Why they are not consequent? Why they are not fighting for their supporters till the end? Have you read or heard anything about these cases from their side? What the reason of moderation? Onnik armen, exactly! just a few minor edits and we can close the door on history and move forward: “These Armenians are little annoying pests and deserved to get beat not because of their superficial wish for wanting more freedom in Ottoman Turkey, but for supporting turkey’s number one enemy (dasnaks serving themselves and russia) from coming back to power.” nice work armen – you’ve helped us see the reasoning behind hate. why stop with arsen, there are many little annoying pests…right? I second the warning that ace refers to above. Sadly, we have seen lots of it unchecked in Armenia the past few months. Whether it is calling for someone to get beaten because he supports anti-Armenian Levon, or because a list of undesirables are named as Non-Armenians because they support the government. This kind of labeling is uncalled for. I wish that people would condone such attitudes rather than endorse it with further enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend motivation. It is too bad that this kinds of rhetoric became the playing field that Levon dragged the election fight to, and that evidently his supporters now suffer some of the consequences of. thanks AH. but let’s not forget ltp is SS and ss is LTP. they might have had a soap opera drama over who will get to rape the country primarily and who will get to pretend to be opposition but they are one in the same. focusing on ltp only plays into passive submission to ss. we should be proud of Arsen who is doing something instead of sitting back only ‘blogging’ about it obviously his aims are worthy, we should be joining him and talking about pulling the group away from the psuedo-opposition leaders and towards a unified genuine opposition. Armenains love to hate each other and i’ll repeat the quote above: “Our cultural achievements and intellectual abilities may be superior to those of our neighbors, but without solidarity we are bound to be defeated, victimized, and exterminated.” let me edit myself: Armenians love to CRITICIZE each other (generally while offering no constructive alternatives). hate is too strong, though it sure seems appropriate sometimes… OK ace – there may be lots of similarities between SS and LTP, but I think there are significant differences too. And I brought up the issue above to highlight that campaigning on hate and infusing open hatred into the environment is bound to lower the threshold for losing one’s self-control and bound to increase hate-inspired actions. what’s the alternative? forget ltp for a minute. let’s say we had a real genuine opposition candidate, true of heart, etc. etc: What could that candidate say that wouldn’t be hate filled toward a bunch of barbarians that will never listen to morals or reason? Do you think for a minute that if ltp hadn’t got into this race and ss won as expected, that armenia would gradually move toward real progress? you are only lying to yourself. do you ever wonder why no one has come into or out of the original karabagh committee. or why the same national players have always stayed out of jail regardless of who was president? what happened to the kbg archives that would have shown all of these people for who they really are? if rk and ss have so much real dirt on ltp, where is it?? we’ll never hear it because it’s their dirt too. this is the same group regardless of infighting. but again, instead of forging a real opposition with real people over the last two months, we only bicker about irrelevant ‘differences’ between thugs and murderers. “Do you think for a minute that if ltp hadn’t got into this race and ss won as expected, that armenia would gradually move toward real progress?” Actually, I disagree with this argument in that I think most agree that LTP (let’s leave aside if his presidency represented something net positive or negative) could not bring anything new to the table. What he has done, he has done. What he could do, he did. I agree with your 2nd paragraph above that all of them have juicy dirt on each other, and for that reason, none of it will come out. The keeping closed of the archives was a LTP decision, continued by RK, and probably will continue under SS. So, moving on to your point, I think the introduction of the former-corpse LTP back into the game was precisely to prevent a real opposition force from coalescing. This will happen with time, and when enough people don’t fall for the quick-fix milk and honey that was effectively promised by LTP. No free lunch. People must be ready to work to create a better paradigm. agreed. so it will be people like Arsen who will help get the population there – people that do something extra to break the circle. here he may be naively believing in ltp, but we can do 2 things: find fault and blame. or join him (or others) and help guide with our own input. with love and compassion against an enemy we can rightfully despise. there is absolutely no ideology, action, philosophy, book, idea, religion, nation, government, or person who we could not sit back and find fault in. that’s the easy part. if we care so much then we get off our internet and work with those that are on the right path. The keeping closed of the archives was a LTP decision, continued by RK, and probably will continue under SS. because they are all russian operatives and all of this an elaborate dance… <cite class="fn">fs</cite> Bravo, ace. At last, someone has spoken from my heart. A couple of words for those who blindly support or scold either of the ltp or ss camps: you just deepen the civil divide, a goal that’s been set up by supranational manipulating powers in order to weaken Armenia by means of bringing into the fore rulers like ltp, rk, or ss, ALL of whom have links with secret societies and/or foreign intelligent agencies. Calm down and be wise for the sake of Armenia and its long-anguished people. <cite class="fn">Anahit</cite> it’s unfortunate that violence was used against Arsen, however one should not expect anything less in current Armenia when some people actively support a criminal for presidency who created this vote rigging system in Armenia, and are now all of the sudden crying for freedom. Arsen and his likes who support and utter Levon’s name along with their freedom chants, should learn to distinguish the two and publicly renounce Levon in order to give themselves some credibility for a freedom struggle. Anahit, while I understand your argument although don’t agree with it, it should be pointed out that the same logic is used by some in the opposition about government supporters. Basically, justification of the use of violence is subjective. Everybody is right, everybody else is wrong. There is no excuse, period. That is, when the most important thing is for there to be the rule of law in Armenia. Anyway, like I said, I don’t agree with Arsen’s support for Ter-Petrossian and actually think Hima’s activities somewhat insignificant and only noticeable by the fact that it’s all rather pretentious. On the other hand, I don’t like Baze and MIAK, but does that mean someone can now go and beat their members up (actually Noyan Tapan’s David Petrossian physically assaulted two MIAK members during the election)? Anyway, the answer to that somewhat rhetorical question is no. However, what matters is whether or not those responsible are found and prosecuted. Then there’s also the issue of whether judgement is passed down fairly or if it’s based on what political links those involved have. Instead, anyone guilty of a crime needs to be punished. Full stop. Politics should not enter into it. There is the rule of law and then there is criminality and anarchy [in the negative connotation of the word 😉 ). Anahit, what do you actively support? anything other than passiveness? go ahead and rage against ltp, but where’s your outrage on the people currently raping you? sheep… http://www.osce . org/documents/html/pdftohtml/31397_en.pdf.html final report from oidhr. they forget to mention our tribal barbarism or general propensity toward self destruction, but otherwise its accurate. .osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/31397_en.pdf.html Via Bekaisa One of the Leaders of the Armenian Democratic Youth Attacked and Severely Injured on Way to Major Youth Rally On May 28, 2008, Arsen Kharatyan, one of the leaders of the Armenian Democratic Youth Movement was brutally assaulted and beaten in broad daylight in Yerevan, by unknown assailants who then fled the scene. The victim was transported to the ICU unit of the Nor Nork Emergency Hospital in Yerevan, with severe head injuries, and is under close medical supervision. At the time of the assault, Arsen Kharatyan, in his mid-20s, was headed to the opening of a youth rally in Yerevan, organized by his movement in support of democracy and human rights in Armenia, as the country celebrates the Republic Day. Human rights and fundamental freedoms in Armenia have come under heavy restrictions in the recent months, as the government used fatal force on March 1, 2008, to disperse a peaceful opposition rally protesting the results of a highly contested presidential election held earlier in February. March 1 events, resulting in at least 10 deaths, and hundreds wounded, were followed by an unprecedented political and judicial crackdown on the opposition, and widespread harassment of opposition activists, hundreds of whom are now held under arrest or detention under fabricated charges, while dozens are being tried, and fined or sentenced. Cases of harassment and assault against opposition activists are not uncommon in Armenia. Last week, Mikael Danielyan, head of the Armenian Helsinki Association, was shot point blank from a pneumatic rifle by a leader of a party created by the authorities, who then bragged about it in a press conference later that day. The case was documented and reported by Human Rights Watch on May 22, 2008 (Armenia: Leading Human Rights Defender Assaulted, http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/05/22/armeni18918.htm) The assault today on Arsen Kharatyan reminds of a very similar attack in 2003 on prominent opposition figure Ashot Manucharian, who was assaulted and beaten on a street in Yerevan, while walking home from a routine day business on April 22, 2004. Mr. Manucharyan sustained severe head injuries, and had a long recovery in the hospital. That case too was documented and reported by world human rights community and major news organizations (Prominent Oppositionist Beaten up as Police Resume Mass Arrests, http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2004/04/0b4b65db-4b54-448f-a2ec-72e43404a177.asp). Today’s attack against Arsen Kharatyan, a well-known and highly regarded youth leader, has heightened tensions in Armenia’s capital city and across the nation, as deep-running deficit of trust and legitimacy continues to characterize the attitudes of the general public towards the authorities, and Armenia faces its worst governance and democracy crisis since independence in 1991. At the times when many opposition leaders went into hiding, were arrested or had restricted capacity to act, the youth movements took leadership in their hands, and using new ideas and innovative means of peaceful political struggle became the real leader of national movement. Currently as the new wave of national struggle is rising, the criminal groups, which are ruling Armenia, intensify the intimidation campaign against the youth leaders using terrorist actions. Their aim is to stop the national movement by rooting an atmosphere of fear in the society. In these circumstances, the friends of Armenia in the world and the Armenian nation should act together to restore the rule of law, respect for human rights, the Constitutional system and democratic government structures. <cite class="fn">mayranoush</cite> What is problematic is that some people condone the violence against Arsen, Mikayel Danielyan and others by saying or implying that they somehow ‘deserved’ it by daring to voice an opinion. This clearly shows that the regime’s attempt at instilling the vakhi mtnolort is working to perfection — don’t speak up or else you will be beaten. As for Tigran Kocharyan’s comment //I condemn beating od anyone,but let’s wait investigation result.// Who exactly is going to investigate? The same General Prosecutor who has done such a stellar job on every other case? Get real. OK Mayranoush – What else do you suggest? Of course, it should be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. I don’t think many people think anyone deserves to be beaten: the issue is that those who have increased the hate and venom in the air should not be surprised when actions, retaliations etc take place. As Onnik and others have pointed out, such beatings date back a long time, sadly. Levon created a nasty precedent during his tenure for such beatings. Now it is difficult for many to stand for him after all the filth he created during his reign and re-injected into the air during his election run. AH, Just because somethings happened in the past does not mean we should condone them or that that is any sort of excuse for such barbaric acts. For example, slavery was legal in the US in the 1800s, so if someone has a slave today should we excuse them and say, ‘such actions date back a long time, sadly’ as you have written? Should we not say that time has moved on and we should no longer tolerate such things?? And if you think Levon was so terrible, and presumably the current authorities are much better, then can you explain why after being in power for 10 years they are still practicing the ‘beatings which date back a long time’? There must come a time when such acts are no longer tolerated and not excused for whatever reason. And as for investigations, I am ALL FOR THEM. I simply have a lack of faith in the current judicial system in Armenia. <cite class="fn">Pat</cite> This is the president of Armenia speaking ” GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY “ Mayranoush – I think it is presumptuous to pin the beatings on the authorities. While you may be confident that they are “still practicing the beatings” I think this is not such a proper claim. I hope that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Faith in the judicial system comes from people working hard to demand such justice; not from spreading hatred and disregard for all state institutions. The sooner we develop an opposition more interested in the former than the latter, the faster things will change for the better. AH, I admire your optimism…however pollyanish you may sound. I wish you success in ‘working hard to demand such justice’ and I sincerely hope you will succeed. But know that without recognizing the faults of any system, you can NEVER find solutions to its problems. In democracies it is common practice to be able to criticize the government and to demand accountable behaviour from the state institutions. Raising questions about the probity of Armenia’s judicial system is a fair point. It is not, ‘spreading hatred and disregard’. Are you intellectually incapable of understanding the difference between fair criticism and ‘spreading hatred’ or are you simply reluctant to do so? I am touched by option 2 in your question below. Democracies work when people work toward improving them, not by being complacent, and not by undermining them. I note, however, the difference, between criticizing government and demanding justice: two different things. For the all young independent people. UKRAINIAN REVOLUTIONARY TEACHES LESSONS TO L. TER-PETROSYAN Judging by all, L. Ter-Petrosyan is not going to calm down as he is most probably preparing for the second stage of the revolutionary process. In particular, we have information that on May 26 L. Ter-Petrosyan organized a reception in his private residence in honor of some Dmirtry Potekhin. The name doesn¡¯t say anything to the Armenian society, but this personality is now perceived as a ¡°political lifebuoy¡± for L. Ter-Petrosyan and his proponents. It isn¡¯t as though this Ukrainian young man were going to guide L. Ter-Petrosyan¡¯s team, enriching its tactical ¡°arsenal¡±. And who is Potekhin and why did the meeting with his participation acquire such a great importance? D. Potekhin is one of the most outstanding ideologists and coordinators of the Ukrainian ¡°orange¡± revolution, as well as Head of the so-called ¡°European Strategy Group¡± analytical center; he also leads the movement ¡°§±§à§â§Ñ¡± and, together with the leaders of ¡°§°§ä§á§à§â¡± organization, he was also one of the advisors of the Georgian ¡°Kmara¡± organization. That¡¯s to say, he is one of the chief players of the Ukrainian ¡°orange¡± revolution, as well as one of the leaders of the political group with the help of which Ukraine is now making rapid steps towards integration to NATO. Now he has come to Armenia to instruct L. Ter-Petrosyan how to wash the brains of young people and set up 3-4 youth groups or, as the say, ¡°youth movements¡± which should grow like mushrooms after rain. They practically consist of the same people but bear different names, such as ¡°Begins¡±, ¡°Now¡±, ¡°Get up¡±, ¡°We¡± etc. It should be noted that before leaving for the United States (May 10-12, 2008), David Shahnazaryan – L. Ter-Petrosyan¡¯s representative, visited Georgia with the purpose of receiving a political orientation, and there, he had a meeting with such key figures of the Georgian revolution as Ilvlian Khaindrava, Nougzar Gogorishvili, Georg§Ö Khoutsishvili, Vakhtang Kolbaya, Arnold Stepanyan and last but not the least, Ukrainian representatives Dmitry Potekhin and his assistant Alexandra Delemenchouk. The meeting took place in one of the local revolutionary headquarters operating under the financial support of ¡°Soros¡± foundation. According to available information, the participants of the meeting held in Tbilisi on May 10 made a decision that D. Potekhin and his group should submit to the ¡°center of colored revolutions¡± a relevant report on Armenia and receive instructions from there for initiating certain activities in our country. After the meeting, D. Shahnazaryan returned to Armenia and informed L. Ter-Petrosyan of the results. By the instruction of the latter, D. Shahnazaryan put through L. Zourabyan and D. Potekhin with each other. D. Potekhin left Tbilisi for Ukraine and, after submitting relevant reports, instructed him from one of the colored revolution centers of Warsaw to go to Armenia and initiate the process. On May 25, D. Potekhin and his assistant Alexandra Demenchouk left Kiev for Tbilisi and, with the help of Arnold Stepanyan, Head of ¡°Multi-National Georgia¡± organization (which receives funding from ¡°Soros¡±), got in touch with L. Zourabyan, LTP¡¯s representative. A day later, on May 26, the vanguards arrived in Armenia. According to our information, they first met with L. Zourabyan and Arman Mousinyan and last but not the least, had a t¨ºte-¨¤-t¨ºte in L. Ter-Petrosyan¡¯s private residence. On the same day after the confidential meeting, they crossed the Armenian-Georgian border in a car with darkened windows and returned to Tbilisi. The visit bore a strictly practical and pragmatic character. As to what agreements were achieved in the meeting between L. Ter-Petrosyan and D. Potekhin, is unknown even to the people who have the closest ties with the ex-President. However, based on available information, it is possible to have an idea as to what priority Dima Potekhin has established for the Armenian opposition. That¡¯s to say, to organize campaigns with the participation of small groups of individuals around issues arousing concern in society, with the purpose of undermining the law enforcement system and the authorities. For instance, the groups consisting of 25-30 people should dress up and hold 3 campaigns: send SMS messages to appoint a meeting near one of the crowded metro stations, dress up like prisoners and chant the following words for an hour, ¡°We protest against the President; we feel as though we were prisoners, and our country had turned into a prison¡± etc. Dressed up in white T-shirts, the same group shall, within the same day, organize an environmental campaign and then, choose another dressing and hold another campaign for increasing the pensions and so on and so forth. This advisory package was partially transferred to L. Ter-Petrosyan¡¯s team by the Ukrainian and Georgian teachers back in mid-February and it was immediately put into practice as a basis. After following L. Ter-Petrosyan¡¯s activities for two days consecutively, any citizen, especially a journalist, will understand that they are complying with the instructions of their foreign teacher. And such instructions will become more diverse and aggressive in the near future, and their funding will increase thus becoming permanent. This is why one of the godfathers of the Ukrainian orange revolution arrived in Armenia. L. Ter-Petrosyan¡¯s team was instructed to set up 70-100 similar groups consisting of 25-30 people. This is only a small part of the ¡°instructions¡± of the political technologists. The main series of events is to be organized in the period between June and August, and the result is anticipated in September in the form of a revolutionary situation. Let¡¯s also add that right after the meeting L. Zourabyan was sent to Moscow on a two-day unscheduled visit, by the instruction of L. Ter-Petrosyan. According to our information, he had a meeting with the individuals recommended by D. Potekhin; these people are to organize the flow of the required financial resources to Armenia. We can definitely say it will fail at the second stage as well, but everybody will suffer losses during the whole process, and the country will, for some period of time, incur the damages caused by the ¡°colored revolutions¡±. http://www.armtown.com/news/en/has/20080531/260183729/ Tigran, interesting information and I think something was underway as long ago as before the 2007 parliamentary election with Sksela, but regardless, it doesn’t justify beating Kharatyan. Besides, it’s the last thing the government needs when the international community is keeping a closer eye on it than normal. Regardless, all violence should be deplored and condemned — regardless of who it is directed against and why. And anyway, holding demonstrations or forming youth movements isn’t illegal and nor can that to be condemned. Instead, the government should address the issues which might lead to others joining such actions and make sure that such matters of public concern are not hijacked for less than genuine purposes. That’s all, really. If the government can address these issues and properly communicate its intent to society there is nothing to fear. Otherwise, of course the opposition will use every means at its disposal to fight the government and such things are not illegal (yet… ;-)) Of course, a clandestine flow of money from foreign sources into finance this is. However, it has to be proved. <cite class="fn">Ardaramet</cite> Very primitive article by Hayots Askharh, because all the flash-mobs mentioned in this article and supposed by the author to be organized very soon were already organized by HIMA and other groups before probable visit of so-called Potekhin. This kind of articles make me think that armenian authorities could not made our law machinery think that they are fiting against MOSSAD. Now our authorities are trying to inspire our law machinery that HIMA and etc is the result of international secret deal. This is very funny… <cite class="fn">Ani</cite> The expiration date on this kind of propaganda writing was around Krushchev’s time for the rest of the world–cue the spooky music and lightning in the background. I really enjoyed this special nugget: //On the same day after the confidential meeting, they crossed the Armenian-Georgian border in a car with darkened windows.// Sounds like every Armenian government officlal’s car, no??? Anyway, it’s an insult to young Armenians to say that they can be “brainwashed” and can’t think on their own, although anyone who would take this warmed-over ’50s Pravda garbage seriously might be guilty of just that themselves. And as for “undermining the law enforcement system,” the government has certainly done a great job all by itself. And now, they’ll be getting twice as much salary for their efforts–mission accomplished!!!! But why, I wonder, was this article attached to “Arsen Kharatyan Beaten” unless it was meant to somehow justify the beating? Also why the immediate statement that “he was not beaten for his political ideology.” You can only know that for sure if you know who beat him up, so what gives?? Ani, I think it’s very easy to brainwash everyone here and indeed, there has been little sign of tolerating any free discussion at all. If you’re not with one side you’re labelled a traitor, a KGB/CIA/MI5 operative, or in the pay of this party or another. Both sides are guilty of this. In order for people — young and old — to make informed decisions you need to be able to voice your opinion without fear of being intimidated, threatened, libeled and god knows what else. In fact, both sides use the same tactics. It’s why I consider neither democratic or to do anything other than pump out partisan propaganda and misinformation and yes, the ultimate goal is brainwashing. Anyway, I do however agree with you that regardless of whether the article is correct or not, it does not justify the attack on Kharatian. It’s very simple. There is no room for violence. There should only be the rule of law. Yes, naive perhaps, but it’s what this country sorely needs and it has to protect everybody whatever side of the political divide they’re on. Onnik and Ani This guy Potekhin finnaly burnt himself by appearing in my blog:)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1283
__label__wiki	0.523217	0.523217	The Free Library > Literature > Charles Dickens > Little Dorrit > Chapter 6. The Father Of The Marshalsea Chapter 6. The Father Of The Marshalsea Thirty years ago there stood, a few doors short of the church of Saint George, in the borough of Southwark, on the left-hand side of the way going southward, the Marshalsea Prison. It had stood there many years before, and it remained there some years afterwards; but it is gone now, and the world is none the worse without it. It was an oblong pile of barrack building, partitioned into squalid houses standing back to back, so that there were no back rooms; environed by a narrow paved yard, hemmed in by high walls duly spiked at top. Itself a close and confined prison for debtors, it contained within it a much closer and more confined jail for smugglers. Offenders against the revenue laws, and defaulters to excise or customs who had incurred fines which they were unable to pay, were supposed to be incarcerated behind an iron-plated door closing up a second prison, consisting of a strong cell or two, and a blind alley some yard and a half wide, which formed the mysterious termination of the very limited skittle-ground in which the Marshalsea debtors bowled down their troubles. Supposed to be incarcerated there, because the time had rather outgrown the strong cells and the blind alley. In practice they had come to be considered a little too bad, though in theory they were quite as good as ever; which may be observed to be the case at the present day with other cells that are not at all strong, and with other blind alleys that are stone-blind. Hence the smugglers habitually consorted with the debtors (who received them with open arms), except at certain constitutional moments when somebody came from some Office, to go through some form of overlooking something which neither he nor anybody else knew anything about. On these truly British occasions, the smugglers, if any, made a feint of walking into the strong cells and the blind alley, while this somebody pretended to do his something: and made a reality of walking out again as soon as he hadn't done it--neatly epitomising the administration of most of the public affairs in our right little, tight little, island. There had been taken to the Marshalsea Prison, long before the day when the sun shone on Marseilles and on the opening of this narrative, a debtor with whom this narrative has some concern. He was, at that time, a very amiable and very helpless middle-aged gentleman, who was going out again directly. Necessarily, he was going out again directly, because the Marshalsea lock never turned upon a debtor who was not. He brought in a portmanteau with him, which he doubted its being worth while to unpack; he was so perfectly clear--like all the rest of them, the turnkey on the lock said--that he was going out again directly. He was a shy, retiring man; well-looking, though in an effeminate style; with a mild voice, curling hair, and irresolute hands--rings upon the fingers in those days--which nervously wandered to his trembling lip a hundred times in the first half-hour of his acquaintance with the jail. His principal anxiety was about his wife. 'Do you think, sir,' he asked the turnkey, 'that she will be very much shocked, if she should come to the gate to-morrow morning?' The turnkey gave it as the result of his experience that some of 'em was and some of 'em wasn't. In general, more no than yes. 'What like is she, you see?' he philosophically asked: 'that's what it hinges on.' 'She is very delicate and inexperienced indeed.' 'That,' said the turnkey, 'is agen her.' 'She is so little used to go out alone,' said the debtor, 'that I am at a loss to think how she will ever make her way here, if she walks.' 'P'raps,' quoth the turnkey, 'she'll take a ackney coach.' 'Perhaps.' The irresolute fingers went to the trembling lip. 'I hope she will. She may not think of it.' 'Or p'raps,' said the turnkey, offering his suggestions from the the top of his well-worn wooden stool, as he might have offered them to a child for whose weakness he felt a compassion, 'p'raps she'll get her brother, or her sister, to come along with her.' 'She has no brother or sister.' 'Niece, nevy, cousin, serwant, young 'ooman, greengrocer.--Dash it! One or another on 'em,' said the turnkey, repudiating beforehand the refusal of all his suggestions. 'I fear--I hope it is not against the rules--that she will bring the children.' 'The children?' said the turnkey. 'And the rules? Why, lord set you up like a corner pin, we've a reg'lar playground o' children here. Children! Why we swarm with 'em. How many a you got?' 'Two,' said the debtor, lifting his irresolute hand to his lip again, and turning into the prison. The turnkey followed him with his eyes. 'And you another,' he observed to himself, 'which makes three on you. And your wife another, I'll lay a crown. Which makes four on you. And another coming, I'll lay half-a-crown. Which'll make five on you. And I'll go another seven and sixpence to name which is the helplessest, the unborn baby or you!' He was right in all his particulars. She came next day with a little boy of three years old, and a little girl of two, and he stood entirely corroborated. 'Got a room now; haven't you?' the turnkey asked the debtor after a week or two. 'Yes, I have got a very good room.' 'Any little sticks a coming to furnish it?' said the turnkey. 'I expect a few necessary articles of furniture to be delivered by the carrier, this afternoon.' 'Missis and little 'uns a coming to keep you company?' asked the turnkey. 'Why, yes, we think it better that we should not be scattered, even for a few weeks.' 'Even for a few weeks, OF course,' replied the turnkey. And he followed him again with his eyes, and nodded his head seven times when he was gone. The affairs of this debtor were perplexed by a partnership, of which he knew no more than that he had invested money in it; by legal matters of assignment and settlement, conveyance here and conveyance there, suspicion of unlawful preference of creditors in this direction, and of mysterious spiriting away of property in that; and as nobody on the face of the earth could be more incapable of explaining any single item in the heap of confusion than the debtor himself, nothing comprehensible could be made of his case. To question him in detail, and endeavour to reconcile his answers; to closet him with accountants and sharp practitioners, learned in the wiles of insolvency and bankruptcy; was only to put the case out at compound interest and incomprehensibility. The irresolute fingers fluttered more and more ineffectually about the trembling lip on every such occasion, and the sharpest practitioners gave him up as a hopeless job. 'Out?' said the turnkey, 'he'll never get out, unless his creditors take him by the shoulders and shove him out.' He had been there five or six months, when he came running to this turnkey one forenoon to tell him, breathless and pale, that his wife was ill. 'As anybody might a known she would be,' said the turnkey. 'We intended,' he returned, 'that she should go to a country lodging only to-morrow. What am I to do! Oh, good heaven, what am I to do!' 'Don't waste your time in clasping your hands and biting your fingers,' responded the practical turnkey, taking him by the elbow, 'but come along with me.' The turnkey conducted him--trembling from head to foot, and constantly crying under his breath, What was he to do! while his irresolute fingers bedabbled the tears upon his face--up one of the common staircases in the prison to a door on the garret story. Upon which door the turnkey knocked with the handle of his key. 'Come in!' cried a voice inside. The turnkey, opening the door, disclosed in a wretched, ill- smelling little room, two hoarse, puffy, red-faced personages seated at a rickety table, playing at all-fours, smoking pipes, and drinking brandy. 'Doctor,' said the turnkey, 'here's a gentleman's wife in want of you without a minute's loss of time!' The doctor's friend was in the positive degree of hoarseness, puffiness, red-facedness, all-fours, tobacco, dirt, and brandy; the doctor in the comparative--hoarser, puffier, more red-faced, more all-fourey, tobaccoer, dirtier, and brandier. The doctor was amazingly shabby, in a torn and darned rough-weather sea-jacket, out at elbows and eminently short of buttons (he had been in his time the experienced surgeon carried by a passenger ship), the dirtiest white trousers conceivable by mortal man, carpet slippers, and no visible linen. 'Childbed?' said the doctor. 'I'm the boy!' With that the doctor took a comb from the chimney-piece and stuck his hair upright--which appeared to be his way of washing himself-- produced a professional chest or case, of most abject appearance, from the cupboard where his cup and saucer and coals were, settled his chin in the frowsy wrapper round his neck, and became a ghastly medical scarecrow. The doctor and the debtor ran down-stairs, leaving the turnkey to return to the lock, and made for the debtor's room. All the ladies in the prison had got hold of the news, and were in the yard. Some of them had already taken possession of the two children, and were hospitably carrying them off; others were offering loans of little comforts from their own scanty store; others were sympathising with the greatest volubility. The gentlemen prisoners, feeling themselves at a disadvantage, had for the most part retired, not to say sneaked, to their rooms; from the open windows of which some of them now complimented the doctor with whistles as he passed below, while others, with several stories between them, interchanged sarcastic references to the prevalent excitement. It was a hot summer day, and the prison rooms were baking between the high walls. In the debtor's confined chamber, Mrs Bangham, charwoman and messenger, who was not a prisoner (though she had been once), but was the popular medium of communication with the outer world, had volunteered her services as fly-catcher and general attendant. The walls and ceiling were blackened with flies. Mrs Bangham, expert in sudden device, with one hand fanned the patient with a cabbage leaf, and with the other set traps of vinegar and sugar in gallipots; at the same time enunciating sentiments of an encouraging and congratulatory nature, adapted to the occasion. 'The flies trouble you, don't they, my dear?' said Mrs Bangham. 'But p'raps they'll take your mind off of it, and do you good. What between the buryin ground, the grocer's, the waggon-stables, and the paunch trade, the Marshalsea flies gets very large. P'raps they're sent as a consolation, if we only know'd it. How are you now, my dear? No better? No, my dear, it ain't to be expected; you'll be worse before you're better, and you know it, don't you? Yes. That's right! And to think of a sweet little cherub being born inside the lock! Now ain't it pretty, ain't THAT something to carry you through it pleasant? Why, we ain't had such a thing happen here, my dear, not for I couldn't name the time when. And you a crying too?' said Mrs Bangham, to rally the patient more and more. 'You! Making yourself so famous! With the flies a falling into the gallipots by fifties! And everything a going on so well! And here if there ain't,' said Mrs Bangham as the door opened, 'if there ain't your dear gentleman along with Dr Haggage! And now indeed we ARE complete, I THINK!' The doctor was scarcely the kind of apparition to inspire a patient with a sense of absolute completeness, but as he presently delivered the opinion, 'We are as right as we can be, Mrs Bangham, and we shall come out of this like a house afire;' and as he and Mrs Bangham took possession of the poor helpless pair, as everybody else and anybody else had always done, the means at hand were as good on the whole as better would have been. The special feature in Dr Haggage's treatment of the case, was his determination to keep Mrs Bangham up to the mark. As thus: 'Mrs Bangham,' said the doctor, before he had been there twenty minutes, 'go outside and fetch a little brandy, or we shall have you giving in.' 'Thank you, sir. But none on my accounts,' said Mrs Bangham. 'Mrs Bangham,' returned the doctor, 'I am in professional attendance on this lady, and don't choose to allow any discussion on your part. Go outside and fetch a little brandy, or I foresee that you'll break down.' 'You're to be obeyed, sir,' said Mrs Bangham, rising. 'If you was to put your own lips to it, I think you wouldn't be the worse, for you look but poorly, sir.' 'Mrs Bangham,' returned the doctor, 'I am not your business, thank you, but you are mine. Never you mind ME, if you please. What you have got to do, is, to do as you are told, and to go and get what I bid you.' Mrs Bangham submitted; and the doctor, having administered her potion, took his own. He repeated the treatment every hour, being very determined with Mrs Bangham. Three or four hours passed; the flies fell into the traps by hundreds; and at length one little life, hardly stronger than theirs, appeared among the multitude of lesser deaths. 'A very nice little girl indeed,' said the doctor; 'little, but well-formed. Halloa, Mrs Bangham! You're looking queer! You be off, ma'am, this minute, and fetch a little more brandy, or we shall have you in hysterics.' By this time, the rings had begun to fall from the debtor's irresolute hands, like leaves from a wintry tree. Not one was left upon them that night, when he put something that chinked into the doctor's greasy palm. In the meantime Mrs Bangham had been out on an errand to a neighbouring establishment decorated with three golden balls, where she was very well known. 'Thank you,' said the doctor, 'thank you. Your good lady is quite composed. Doing charmingly.' 'I am very happy and very thankful to know it,' said the debtor, 'though I little thought once, that--' 'That a child would be born to you in a place like this?' said the doctor. 'Bah, bah, sir, what does it signify? A little more elbow-room is all we want here. We are quiet here; we don't get badgered here; there's no knocker here, sir, to be hammered at by creditors and bring a man's heart into his mouth. Nobody comes here to ask if a man's at home, and to say he'll stand on the door mat till he is. Nobody writes threatening letters about money to this place. It's freedom, sir, it's freedom! I have had to-day's practice at home and abroad, on a march, and aboard ship, and I'll tell you this: I don't know that I have ever pursued it under such quiet circumstances as here this day. Elsewhere, people are restless, worried, hurried about, anxious respecting one thing, anxious respecting another. Nothing of the kind here, sir. We have done all that--we know the worst of it; we have got to the bottom, we can't fall, and what have we found? Peace. That's the word for it. Peace.' With this profession of faith, the doctor, who was an old jail-bird, and was more sodden than usual, and had the additional and unusual stimulus of money in his pocket, returned to his associate and chum in hoarseness, puffiness, red- facedness, all-fours, tobacco, dirt, and brandy. Now, the debtor was a very different man from the doctor, but he had already begun to travel, by his opposite segment of the circle, to the same point. Crushed at first by his imprisonment, he had soon found a dull relief in it. He was under lock and key; but the lock and key that kept him in, kept numbers of his troubles out. If he had been a man with strength of purpose to face those troubles and fight them, he might have broken the net that held him, or broken his heart; but being what he was, he languidly slipped into this smooth descent, and never more took one step upward. When he was relieved of the perplexed affairs that nothing would make plain, through having them returned upon his hands by a dozen agents in succession who could make neither beginning, middle, nor end of them or him, he found his miserable place of refuge a quieter refuge than it had been before. He had unpacked the portmanteau long ago; and his elder children now played regularly about the yard, and everybody knew the baby, and claimed a kind of proprietorship in her. 'Why, I'm getting proud of you,' said his friend the turnkey, one day. 'You'll be the oldest inhabitant soon. The Marshalsea wouldn't be like the Marshalsea now, without you and your family.' The turnkey really was proud of him. He would mention him in laudatory terms to new-comers, when his back was turned. 'You took notice of him,' he would say, 'that went out of the lodge just now?' New-comer would probably answer Yes. 'Brought up as a gentleman, he was, if ever a man was. Ed'cated at no end of expense. Went into the Marshal's house once to try a new piano for him. Played it, I understand, like one o'clock-- beautiful! As to languages--speaks anything. We've had a Frenchman here in his time, and it's my opinion he knowed more French than the Frenchman did. We've had an Italian here in his time, and he shut him up in about half a minute. You'll find some characters behind other locks, I don't say you won't; but if you want the top sawyer in such respects as I've mentioned, you must come to the Marshalsea.' When his youngest child was eight years old, his wife, who had long been languishing away--of her own inherent weakness, not that she retained any greater sensitiveness as to her place of abode than he did--went upon a visit to a poor friend and old nurse in the country, and died there. He remained shut up in his room for a fortnight afterwards; and an attorney's clerk, who was going through the Insolvent Court, engrossed an address of condolence to him, which looked like a Lease, and which all the prisoners signed. When he appeared again he was greyer (he had soon begun to turn grey); and the turnkey noticed that his hands went often to his trembling lips again, as they had used to do when he first came in. But he got pretty well over it in a month or two; and in the meantime the children played about the yard as regularly as ever, but in black. Then Mrs Bangham, long popular medium of communication with the outer world, began to be infirm, and to be found oftener than usual comatose on pavements, with her basket of purchases spilt, and the change of her clients ninepence short. His son began to supersede Mrs Bangham, and to execute commissions in a knowing manner, and to be of the prison prisonous, of the streets streety. Time went on, and the turnkey began to fail. His chest swelled, and his legs got weak, and he was short of breath. The well-worn wooden stool was 'beyond him,' he complained. He sat in an arm- chair with a cushion, and sometimes wheezed so, for minutes together, that he couldn't turn the key. When he was overpowered by these fits, the debtor often turned it for him. 'You and me,' said the turnkey, one snowy winter's night when the lodge, with a bright fire in it, was pretty full of company, 'is the oldest inhabitants. I wasn't here myself above seven year before you. I shan't last long. When I'm off the lock for good and all, you'll be the Father of the Marshalsea.' The turnkey went off the lock of this world next day. His words were remembered and repeated; and tradition afterwards handed down from generation to generation--a Marshalsea generation might be calculated as about three months--that the shabby old debtor with the soft manner and the white hair, was the Father of the Marshalsea. And he grew to be proud of the title. If any impostor had arisen to claim it, he would have shed tears in resentment of the attempt to deprive him of his rights. A disposition began to be perceived in him to exaggerate the number of years he had been there; it was generally understood that you must deduct a few from his account; he was vain, the fleeting generations of debtors said. All new-comers were presented to him. He was punctilious in the exaction of this ceremony. The wits would perform the office of introduction with overcharged pomp and politeness, but they could not easily overstep his sense of its gravity. He received them in his poor room (he disliked an introduction in the mere yard, as informal--a thing that might happen to anybody), with a kind of bowed-down beneficence. They were welcome to the Marshalsea, he would tell them. Yes, he was the Father of the place. So the world was kind enough to call him; and so he was, if more than twenty years of residence gave him a claim to the title. It looked small at first, but there was very good company there--among a mixture--necessarily a mixture--and very good air. It became a not unusual circumstance for letters to be put under his door at night, enclosing half-a-crown, two half-crowns, now and then at long intervals even half-a-sovereign, for the Father of the Marshalsea. 'With the compliments of a collegian taking leave.' He received the gifts as tributes, from admirers, to a public character. Sometimes these correspondents assumed facetious names, as the Brick, Bellows, Old Gooseberry, Wideawake, Snooks, Mops, Cutaway, the Dogs-meat Man; but he considered this in bad taste, and was always a little hurt by it. In the fulness of time, this correspondence showing signs of wearing out, and seeming to require an effort on the part of the correspondents to which in the hurried circumstances of departure many of them might not be equal, he established the custom of attending collegians of a certain standing, to the gate, and taking leave of them there. The collegian under treatment, after shaking hands, would occasionally stop to wrap up something in a bit of paper, and would come back again calling 'Hi!' He would look round surprised.'Me?' he would say, with a smile. By this time the collegian would be up with him, and he would paternally add,'What have you forgotten? What can I do for you?' 'I forgot to leave this,' the collegian would usually return, 'for the Father of the Marshalsea.' 'My good sir,' he would rejoin, 'he is infinitely obliged to you.' But, to the last, the irresolute hand of old would remain in the pocket into which he had slipped the money during two or three turns about the yard, lest the transaction should be too conspicuous to the general body of collegians. One afternoon he had been doing the honours of the place to a rather large party of collegians, who happened to be going out, when, as he was coming back, he encountered one from the poor side who had been taken in execution for a small sum a week before, had 'settled' in the course of that afternoon, and was going out too. The man was a mere Plasterer in his working dress; had his wife with him, and a bundle; and was in high spirits. 'God bless you, sir,' he said in passing. 'And you,' benignantly returned the Father of the Marshalsea. They were pretty far divided, going their several ways, when the Plasterer called out, 'I say!--sir!' and came back to him. 'It ain't much,' said the Plasterer, putting a little pile of halfpence in his hand, 'but it's well meant.' The Father of the Marshalsea had never been offered tribute in copper yet. His children often had, and with his perfect acquiescence it had gone into the common purse to buy meat that he had eaten, and drink that he had drunk; but fustian splashed with white lime, bestowing halfpence on him, front to front, was new. 'How dare you!' he said to the man, and feebly burst into tears. The Plasterer turned him towards the wall, that his face might not be seen; and the action was so delicate, and the man was so penetrated with repentance, and asked pardon so honestly, that he could make him no less acknowledgment than, 'I know you meant it kindly. Say no more.' 'Bless your soul, sir,' urged the Plasterer, 'I did indeed. I'd do more by you than the rest of 'em do, I fancy.' 'What would you do?' he asked. 'I'd come back to see you, after I was let out.' 'Give me the money again,' said the other, eagerly, 'and I'll keep it, and never spend it. Thank you for it, thank you! I shall see you again?' 'If I live a week you shall.' They shook hands and parted. The collegians, assembled in Symposium in the Snuggery that night, marvelled what had happened to their Father; he walked so late in the shadows of the yard, and seemed so downcast.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1296
__label__cc	0.596515	0.403485	Home » News » Bar news City Guide to Seoul Hamish Smith is in Seoul and heads straight to the soul of South Korea's bar scene THERE ARE FEW MORE CIVILISED CITIES THAN SEOUL. A metropolis of just over 10m people, yet it runs like the inside of expensive watch. It’s busy, but orderly; tightly inhabited, but not claustrophobic. Technology – particularly communication devices – is everywhere, so it is ironic the city’s only failure is to let the wider world know of its merits. The visitor has an easy ride here - and not just on the buses, which have leather reclining seats. The welcome is broad and genuine. Good manners appear to be the national sport. The drinking culture doesn’t come in one part, it takes a few forms: the traditional and the imported. Soju is obligatory. Indeed, a meal that is not washed down with a cry of ‘gun bae’ (‘cheers’) and the clink of green bottles – whether the world’s largest brand Jinro or Lotte’s Chum Churum – is a rare thing. But when it comes to top bars, soju has a peripheral role. Here we are talking international spirits, mostly scotch. South Korea may be 5,000 miles from Scotland, with few apparent links or similarities, but Seoul is one of the easiest places to drink scotch on the planet. Not so long ago it might have been bottles of blended whiskies that festooned the walls of the city’s best lounge-style bars, but single malts now provide the decoration. If there is a dominant drinking trend right now, it would be single malts. Cocktail culture is not far behind. According to Jackey Yoo, World’s 50 Best Bars Academy member, the embracing of single malts has changed the bar dynamic in Seoul. Where once blended whisky was bought a bottle at a time and shared among friends, the diversity of single malts – which are often served by the glass – has drawn punters to the bar, which is increasingly where cocktails are made. Naturally, scotch cocktails are the favourites and are popular in dozens of bars across the city. If there is a difference of approach here to elsewhere, it is that bartenders do not just use blends and entry-point single malts in their mixes – here there are no qualms about aged scotch in cocktails. It’s early days but there are a good number of bars that are making cocktails equal to the venerable single malts that form their base. Technique wise, bartenders tend to look east to Japan but, unlike their neighbour country across the sea, there is not a master-apprentice graduation system. Bar managers in Seoul did not have to wait a generation for their chance. According to Yoo, a far more valued measure of development here can be seen in the large cocktail competitions, World Class and Pernod Ricard Bartender Championship. Many of the new bar owners have achieved financial backing after winning such competitions. In a city so big, it’s hard to cover it all, so here are five bars from south of the Han river. A word of warning, some bars have cover charges of $5-$10 – shrug it off as the Korean equivalent of a tip. Keywords: Bar Lupin, Coffee Bar K, Vault +82, Mr Saimon Bar, Le Chamber	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1302
__label__cc	0.640466	0.359534	← Calder Stewart pay up #Carisbrook Gerrard Eckhoff does us All a favour → 94 responses to “Labour messing with South Dunedin, like Cull, unbidden” Tue, 26 Jul 2016 ODT: Call for more women to stand for local government office ODT: Labour promises to boost local govt Look in your backpacks, councils told A vision of 2050 when self-driving cars are the norm and robots have taken many of our jobs was presented at the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference yesterday. A range of speakers at the conference in Dunedin stressed the importance of adapting in a period of unprecedented technological, environmental, and demographic change. Packing the BS some more, University of Otago Brainwashed Dumbclucks blessed by the sainted ODT Opinion pages. [My bolding] ODT Opinion: Local and national climate-change plans needed now By Jule Barth – intern, Wise Response Society, Dunedin OPINION Last June’s South Dunedin floods left our community well and truly shaken. Yet consensus on how best to avoid a tragic recurrence continues to elude us, despite apparent agreement that the causes were a combination of flawed infrastructure and the effects of climate change. The science (and, honestly, common sense) suggests areas such as South Dunedin are at increased risk of floods, coastal erosion and subsequent emotional, infrastructural and economic damage as the intensity of storm events increases and sea level rises due to ice melt and ocean warming. Clearly, action is needed, and it needs to be across multiple scales in space and time. █ The Royal Society of New Zealand is hosting a national speaking tour and will be in Dunedin next month. The tour features Profs Tim Nash and James Renwick, two of New Zealand’s leading climate-change experts […] Profs Tim Nash and James Renwick will speak in Dunedin on August 4 at 5.30pm in the Hutton Theatre, Otago Museum. Anyone who belongs to a group that calls itself “Wise Response” has to be immeasurably superior to the rest of us. How dare anyone challenge the wisdom of a self-annointed Wise Responder! The Wise Response is a front for the group Sustainable Dunedin City (SDC) who are a group of political lobbyists and enviro-extremists. It was co-founded by Jinty MacTavish. Councillor MacTavish sees her purpose as promoting the ideology of SDC and that is what she has done. The DCC have given funding to SDC for various purposes. SDC are a DCC “stakeholder”. Stakeholders get priority consideration in any decisions/consultations. alanbec MacTavish this, MacTavish that..anyone would think there is only one truly influential councillor posing a threat to that which all right thinking people hold dear. Sustenance is conservatism by another name. Serious, sometimes I think Jint E would be less disparaged if she were an old white man. If the young woman (and cohorts) was benign we wouldn’t give a monkey’s. That she is not is the Ratepayer problem and to that end her removal is necessary and critical – or more New councillors to crunch her and BFF Cull. russandbev It is remarkable to view the documentation of the Sustainable Dunedin City Society and The Wise Response Organisation which is based in Dunedin. So many familiar names that have the ear of so many people. For your amusement and education look them up on the Societies NZ website and look in particular at their founding documents with the list of founding members. Also interesting to note some of the financial statements including donations. Mantrid is accurate in their description as detailed in their “visions” and “objectives”. Very interesting to note that a University of Otago Dept appears to be a supporter of an organisation like this…….wonder how that stacks up? Alanbec, old white men who are as ditzy, and as effective at getting their way on our $-rates, don’t escape notice. Haven’t you noticed? The amount of notice depends on the frequency and amount of damage they cause. When they form a “fckbuddy relationship: with other council or DCC members to roger the city via budget mis-assignments to unnecessaries in place of core business they are pests that need to be eliminated from Dunedin’s ecosystem. Roger Waters, hype.o.thermia, Roger Waters (Pink Floyd). One at a time, alanbec. Should she be a target? Yes, I say. If it is a choice of sustenance or what they call sustainability, I choose sustenance. Freedom and prosperity should also prevail over their vision of how they want you and me to live our lives. This is all true, but at the meso (municipal) level. The micro level, personal agency, private life, individual worldview, has nothing to do with Council ideology, except maybe they are charging ratepayers for elusive dreams and schemes. As someone who spent some government funded time mooching about tertiary institutions taking fascinating but vocationally useless papers, I think that ‘bright sparks’ (not me), have transferable skills. Cr MacTavish, at Council in Public at least, is a facilitative Chair of Submissions, inclusive, ‘in charge’ and respectful of visiting submitters. If/when she is no longer on Council, those skills, arguably useful to Council efficiency, are lost. Just saying. Lord, is that the time? Must rush, the Masons are coming to buy some second hand aprons. alanbec, Jinty has skills useful to Council efficiency, but instead what she uses them for is to implement her own political agenda. She is good at looking after parrots. I would like to see her doing something like that, some-place where she can’t do any harm. Yes, Mantrid, I understand. I am familiar with the custom of Banishment or The Shunning, of strong, politico women. I do not understand how one City Councillor has impacted on your life so disadvantageously. Also, why I am so snippy is because ‘Sustainability’ seems to include ending poverty, which is just not on. alanbec, you want to end poverty? What sort of poverty do you see little swallow? I wonder because we already have the benefit of socialism. I don’t think we have real poverty. Some of it’s manufactured for the TV cameras. Perhaps you see poverty of attitude, or parents that make bad spending decisions, and anyway, what’s Jinty going to do about it? What’s it even got to do with her, her job is to fix the potholes and the pipes. If she can’t or won’t do that, then she should bugger off. Same applies to the rest of them. Capistrano to you, Mantrid Mann. Here you go again, personalising issues. I said Sustainability wants to end Poverty. I am not Sustainability. Er, sustainable? Poverty is starving, already, those who don’t like poverty are not necessarily socialist. Ad hominem is not the way of it at Moot Court. Mantrid. Some compassion, respect and support to people in poverty or need wouldn’t go amiss. Spend time working with people who for whatever reason can’t fend for themselves temporarily or longer term. We have much to learn by not being precious. Fate isn’t always kind. We’re not all lucky or so well organised that we can avoid serious deprivation. Ask any social service in Dunedin – volunteer some hours a week to their efforts to help others. Learn what happens all around us. Mantrid, you’re spot-on here, “anyway, what’s Jinty going to do about it? What’s it even got to do with her, her job is to fix the potholes and the pipes.” She needs to get rid of the attitude that she’s in the job to solve all the problems of the world. Like the rest of us she’s welcome to put her energies toward that on her own time, on her own dollar, but when she’s in her paid role as a councillor she needs to focus on that, not get distracted from council duties, it’s not fair on us. Disagree with you about poverty, there really are decent hard-working people (and would-be workers who can’t get a job) on the bones of their bums through no fault of their own. 35 hours is now designated “full time work”! Lovely jubbly on consultants’ and commissioners’ hourly rates. On minimum wage it’s a sad sick joke. It’s bad enough for solo adults skimping on food and warmth. Depriving one’s children is heartbreaking, for all those parents who are dedicated to being the best parents they can be. Yes, there are deadshits who are poor, but the vast majority of poor people aren’t deadshits. Well, what I said was “I don’t think that we have real poverty” and this is because we have the safety net of social welfare. I approve of the benefit system. I agree with Hype who says “the vast majority of poor people aren’t deadshits”, I am not talking about the vast majority of poor people. The question is what has gone wrong with those few that get the same level of support as all the others and yet are portrayed as living in poverty? I believe that some of these portrayals are fake (for commercial and political purposes) and for the others we need to know what the problem is. Where there is a real problem, the cause needs to be understood. Portrayals of poverty are being used to push the idea that all beneficiaries and minimum wage workers are living in poverty. This is untrue. Now, you are completely accurate. Poverty is not just deprivation. Poverty within capitalism is a consequence of structural inequality. A system so distorted than even here, in Dunedin, young people have been forced into ‘arrangements’ to secure accommodation. russandbev. From http://wiseresponse.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Wise-Response-ANNUAL-REPORT-to-August-2015-inc-Attachments-1-4-3.pdf “The scientific consensus is approximately 97% in favour of the theory of anthropogenic climate change ( http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024024/article ). The evidence is summarised in a new climate change website sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science ( http://whatweknow.aaas.org/ )” Note they claim scientific consensus is approximately 97% … implying (to put it mildly) 97% of the scientific community – not the correct “97% of climate change scientists” which is quite likely correct, given that anyone who thinks anthropogenic climate change is hubristic pants isn’t going on with that branch of junk-science. His/her qualifications don’t limit them to that cultish bovverhood. Comment at ODT Online: Fix the problem Submitted by Otakou on Tue, 26/07/2016 – 8:11am. Politicians and bureaucrats love it! A failure of infrastructure caused by poor management and bad practices, is now going to see ridiculous amounts spent to resolve a problem that does not yet exist! Fix the drains, repair the infrastructure! The sight of a bunch of people marching through South Dunedin promising monies that they probably will never control and probably avoid if they do, complete with Cull, who was in charge when this fiasco was caused by his employees’ failures, is a horrendous example of everything that is wrong with politics. Grandstanders rather than problem solvers. Much easier to get some someone to promise to spend 100s of millions. So will this prove to be a boon for South Dunedin residents? No, not unless they fix the drains and repair the infrastructure which has been ignored by recent DCC managers and councillors in favour of new stadiums, cycleways, traffic lights and other fripperies. For ratepayers’ sakes, councillors and politicians, do the job we want, not the job that increases your financial upside. [Abridged] It’s such a d’oh thing to have to admit though, isn’t it? “We can’t manage drains.” It’s like not being able to put your gumboots on your feet – left? Right? Jeepers creepers, that’s TOO HARD. Which may explain why Certain People weren’t out there being helpful in S Dunedin during the flood and filling sandbags alongside Cr Vandervis and MP Clare Curran. So since admitting drains are too hard is, umm, too hard – let’s turn it into a Really Big Problem, so big that even highly competent people are mind-boggled at its magnitude. Let’s make it (ta-ran-ta-ra!) Climate Change! Imminent! Dramatic! Sweeping certain selected low-lying areas – though not others – off the face of the earth! Wow, the relief! A respectable nay dramatic explanation for the result of cocking up basic duties. See, we’re not a bunch of headless chooks, we’re shoulder to shoulder with “Wise Responders”, basking in the glory we reflect off one another. O frabjous day! Dr Stanley Unwin Fabrous day. Nick Jaguar and the Roly Stokers essay goodly byload Rudy Tuesday, thermally holeysin like Rotormorua or Sandy Sinclair Beach big fallen down in. B/w photo. It’s appalling, that stem cell business, putting ears in hands across the water. Science? I have no truck with it. LOL alanbec, a bit too Stelarc for ya. Brave New World. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelarc Lyndon Weggery Elizabeth- just to bring everybody back to a balanced perspective. South Dunedin Action Group members (including myself) were invited to support last Monday’s walk around in South Dunedin to support any initiative to improve housing stock in the area. It was also about supporting our local MP’s initiative to work with the DCC to try and address the issues that have been widely canvassed. Our immediate aim is still to encourage DCC to address infrastructure renewals and members of our Group with a stormwater engineering background are also providing valuable assistance in this regard. Lyndon. You were invited to a publicity stunt, photo op. The SD issues just happened to be available at the time. Tussock, how do you know? This really gets my Ankara goat, unfair, uninformed criticism by the anti Left of community minded citizens who chose to join a walkabout for the SD cause. In the end, Tussock, SD will do what’s best for SD. Every cause has ‘fellow travellers’. Lyndon, Tussock is dead right. The SDAG caved in when the first SDAG meeting Chair was rejected by Cull and has effectively been sidelined. While it might be “nice” to be invited to a photo opportunity, the group is being used now. First rule when faced with a potential threat is to neutralise the threat and that is exactly what has happened to the SDAG. Via the Labour Party, the SDAG appear to have sold out and are being manipulated by Curran & Co, and DCC. SDAG are no longer independent or representative. Sadly Elizabeth your are very wrong on this one. I will protect our independent from all parties, as will all members. Clare knows that and the DCC have also been informed that is the case. And equally SDAG is allowed to have a different opinion to you as well and operate as it sees best to act as a strong voice for the Greater South Dunedin community. That includes holding local and central government and other political interests to account for their actions or inaction as the case may be. This process is only unfolding it is far from being what you are describing. SDAG is free to express its opinions as an independent group. Also SDAG, for your informatio, is now a registered trust know as Greater South Dunedin Community Trust. Ray Macleod Spokeprson That’s progress, Ray. Interesting a trust has been established rather than an incorporated society, although that’s not to say a trust won’t have an incorporated democratic arm further down the track as an option. Thanks for the update. Hopefully going public on that will bolden confidence for all of us with concerns and allegiances within and for the South Dunedin catchment. I’m happy to be wrong if as you say SDAG is operating free of unhelpful political influence. That’s to be hoped. The signs, however, continue to be that DCC leadership can’t be trusted, in my opinion. This is not solely a reference to South Dunedin – of course. Indeed this observation stretches across many of the council’s recent budget and policy decisions, the proposed 2GP, the extent of consolidated debt, and the lacking health of two of its company subsidiaries in particular. It is difficult not to be cynical. Don’t make tiny concessions in private. Archie Baxter and the other conscientious objectors were (good cop, bad cop) coaxed by military authorities “just” do one little thing … put on the uniform … “just” one little concession so we can make your lives easier while respecting your right to be conscientious objectors. OK, I know this is going a bit far by way of comparisons. But the point is, a strong opponent is NOT your friend, and they’re waiting for one weak point, then working from there it’s push-pull, tap-tap until the wall falls down. By all means continue to be polite, it’s the dignified way and costs nothing, but always make it plain you have to take any proposal however trivial back to the committee or Trust, put it out in email or facebook or however you communicate with the broader SD and indeed whole Dunedin community. Make sure everyone affected is aware. Sunlight is a great disinfectant. Best wishes, Ray, GSDCT are fighting the good fight. Kia kaha! The DCC has released descriptions of its Annual Plan decisions instead of responding to each submitter. For the topic of Other Decisions – South Dunedin Infrastructure we read this: Maintaining and optimising existing infrastructure – The Council’s current priority is to ensure stormwater services are maintained as well as possible. No money is currently budgeted to upgrade the capacity of the South Dunedin stormwater system. Any significant upgrades would potentially cost tens of millions of dollars. However, the Council is investigating all possible ways of optimising the systems we already have. Some of that work is being assisted by experience and expertise within our community . When they say- Council’s current priority is to ensure stormwater services are maintained as well as possible , what they mean is they will try to make sure the pipe renewals backlog doesn’t get too much worse. The total water and waste renewals backlog is $60 million (mostly water assets). The capacity upgrade is essential because the pipes are fucked. Even with the new pump screen and effective mudtank cleaning, South Dunedin’s stormwater system can only cope with a 1 in 2 year rain event. This is far below the normal standard of a 1 in 10 event. the DCC have earlier proclaimed that the 1 in 10 is their target, in the hope that we would think that this had been achieved. Council staff have decided that the catchments like South Dunedin a “low level of service” will stay like that indefinitely. This is because the money we pay them to maintain and upgrade the water infrastructure has been diverted into a never-ending series of various wasteful non-essential projects. They tell us, No money is currently budgeted to upgrade the capacity of the South Dunedin stormwater system . This means that Council staff have decided to do nothing about the defective South Dunedin stormwater system (and others). There will be some funding to replace worn-out/buggered pipes (“renewals”), but nothing to remedy the low level of service including systemic problems like undersized pipes or siltation. Renewing the worn-out pipes will help, but only a bit. To achieve the needed 1 in 10 standard will need severe spending cuts to pay for the work – perhaps $10 million per year for 10 or 15 years (wild guess). From the wording of Dave Cull’s motion at the 26/4/16 ISC meeting we can see that he was trying to encourage the councillors to accept the do-nothing approach (i.e. follow the policy of the Infrastructure Strategy), which they did. The other part of the motion, however, was a weakly worded request for staff to investigate possible ways to improve the South Dunedin’s stormwater system and report back in June, but nothing happened. Until this Annual Plan decision was released the possibility of funding an upgrade was an issue for councillors to decide on. The matter has now been decided for them. Councillors won’t have realized, that when they approved the Annual Plan, they were condemning South Dunedin citizens to even more time exposed to the risk of another big flood. Very few councillors seem prepared to do anything about this, mostly, it seems, because they don’t care. They and Cull are happy to delay the big infrastructure spending until the whole lot is almost completely non-functional. They know that it will be someone else’s problem. The very sustainable Jinty is fully aware of this, but chose to followed her leader – and she wants that money for her own pet projects. Who should we blame more, those that knowingly make reckless decisions or those that are too stupid to know what’s going on? Nothing will happen unless a very large force is applied. Wingatui Flyer Good one Jimmy. “No money currently budgeted to upgrade the capacity of SD stormwater system.” That begs the question. Where did council get the money from to put in a oversized stormwater pipe out at Mosgiel’s Hagart Alexander Drive for a predicted FUTURE residential development, before the residential development was even consented ? Another case of DCC openness and transparency, Wingatui Flyer. RORT and word 9f the week : Malfeasance Sumebody should revisit that and The Developer concerned. A little like the House built for a former council officer (er is in the last syllable of the surname) – at Wanaka. Mowat Construction. A city councillor knows more about this through his industry connections. I think that the best chance for South Dunedin to get the stormwater system sorted is with the help of SDAG. They have been useful and there is nothing else. The support of Clare Curran has been helpful as has her recognition that Global Warming was not the cause of the flood. And even Andrew Little has useful by saying that the suburb’s ageing infrastructure needs urgent attention (Radio Dunedin 13/7/16). This is the exact opposite of the DCC’s media/PR campaign and the exact opposite of everything Dave Cull has said and done. On the other hand, Labour’s re-development idea for South Dunedin is inappropriate and disrespectful. Labour could help by promising to develop and implement appropriate national water infrastructure performance standards. The DCC has been allowed to adopt an inappropriate standard that failed to protect the citizens of South Dunedin, Green Is. etc. Bad legislation is a real problem; other cities are at risk. Who chose that terrible name – Greater South Dunedin Community Trust ? – it’s too long and reminiscent of Cull+Crick’s “Greater Dunedin” group of misguided councillors. Also it includes “community”, which gives me the impression of politically correct feebleness. SDAG is good. A lot of action is needed. ‘Community’ is collective. PC is that with which we disagree, and Margaret Thatcher said there is no such thing as Society. Community is still here after the individualists and carpetbaggers have left. “They tell us, No money is currently budgeted to upgrade the capacity of the South Dunedin stormwater system.” – Endless money apparently available to jerk around with cycle lanes and traffic hindrances, building and demolishing and re-creating and so on. Driving through town, it’s not till you get to the residential-only areas not on the way to anywhere else that you can find a street that hasn’t been stuffed around with. Signs, traffic lights, bulges on the corners restricting turning (and forcing cyclists towards the middle of the road, by the way), paint, shiny black over previous white and yellow paint resulting in confusing pseudo-lanes whenever the road is wet……. Yes, they love having that extra $10 million per year for their bicycles and extra swimming pools and suchlike. Some of them might not even realize that funding taken from essential infrastructure isn’t a magic, bottomless money-box. You can delay infrastructure upgrades and renewals, but the need for the spending doesn’t go away. In fact the need for it becomes more urgent as time continues. Cull and the CEO took a big gamble with the South Dunedin stormwater funding and the loosers were the citizens. They continue to divert that funding. Convenience Factor – Politics Oh look, we are doing our job, says DCC —Really ??!! The DCC propaganda is a little remiss – there was probably no need to replace the screen (at huge cost) and the fact that one of the pumps wasn’t working during the June 2015 flood is always OVERLOOKED in the fairytale of whispered mea culpa. Thu, 28 Jul 2016 ODT: Flaw in stormwater system to be fixed The Dunedin City Council has started work upgrading a flaw in the city’s infrastructure which significantly added to last year’s flooding woes. The work to install a new filter screen at the Portobello Rd pumping station comes after the council estimated design flaws in the old screen added about 200mm to flood levels during last June’s storm. The old design meant debris blocking the screen could not be cleared by staff, which meant flood waters were not being pumped away at full capacity. Thanks, Elizabeth. You tell us that the fact that one of the pumps wasn’t working during the June 2015 flood is always OVERLOOKED . I hadn’t heard that; how did you discover that? That is astonishing that the DCC kept that detail hidden from us. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised given their other misinformation in recent times: — the June 2015 rainfall was 1 in 150 years (actual: 1 in 50 years or less) — the groundwater is rising (no evidence) — South Dunedin is sinking (no evidence) — the South Dunedin groundwater was very high before the flood (deliberately wrong) — the DCC is definitely not planning for abandoning South Dunedin (definitely are) — extreme rain events are more common now (wrong) — there is nothing wrong with the mudtanks (wrong – staff have apologised for deceiving councillors about this) An interesting point from C Curran, MP on CH39News. South Dunedin is not just South Dunedin. It includes the shoreline road access to the Peninsula. So, what they gonna do? Kayak commute or harbour bridge? I thought Clare Curran came across well on the Ch39 news. Her point about Sth Dunedin including about five suburbs was well stated in the sense it was too big a part of Dunedin to write off as Dave Cull first stated…now denied. She came across as sincere and not point scoring as she has been in the past. I felt she does care for her patch. {Clip and link added. -Eds} Nightly Interview: Clare Curran The Labour Party has this week been touting its new housing plan, with several MPs visiting South Dunedin to announce it. Dunedin South MP Clare Curran was one of those involved, and she joins us now to talk about it. Ch39 Link To be frank with you AB, to be cut off from the administration (and associated rates) imposed by the DCC on Peninsula residents would be a godsend if we could legally ensure it. At present we get no rubbish collection (although we get to sort out reusables in favour of the DCC) we are not provided with water or sewage treatment. Not only that but by guilt by association we inherit $15,000 worth of debt which would disappear once we were freed from the camel shackles of the DCC). Many of us have boats so the roads are unnecessary and no one cycles so the cyclelanes are an oxymoron. So I vote for secession. The only ones who won’t are “Cull de Mayor”, Christine Garey (out of a job) and Paul Pope as he could not become the next mayor of Dunedin. However we could all contribute $1,000 of the $15,000 saved to offer him a stipend as Mayor Peninsula Pope, it has such a nice ring to it that he can wear that too. Have solicited help to answer JimmyJones – the Portobello Rd pump(s) ‘no go’ issue is (first?) mentioned in DCC’s Nov 2015 report, but has never been emphasised anywhere by DCC. Funny that. Report – Council – 30/11/2015 (PDF, 553 KB) Infrastructure Performance During June 2015 Flood Event Thanks for checking. I too had a memory about the “no go” pump but as you say it has not been mentioned in public in all the discussions and meetings and newspaper reports so I wondered, was I imagining it? I wonder if the pumps are operated in a sequential manner according to demand. By this I mean if the water inflow increases so the pumps ramp up increasing the capacity. The blocked mud tanks and screens would impede the flow of water to the pumphouse thus sending false signals to the controls. Result. As experienced. A very good reason not to mention the pump failure (that wasn’t). Just a thought. The screen was poorly positioned and trapped debris without anyone being able to get to it during flooding to clear it, so water couldn’t get through to the pump. Like the mudtank gratings, it may be fairly clear till the rain is bucketing down, washing leaves and other debris ahead. And that’s the very time workers are trying to clear many places at once. I’m going by CEO Bidrose’s description at the 2nd SD meeting, which made sense to me. A screen to stand up to the force of water and weight of added debris can’t simply be lifted up and replaced at a different angle, with human access or mechanical clearing retrofitted. Yes it was a heart-rending distraction. Tick. (I nearly wrote vote-catching) (or was that point-scoring for capture, jesus weeps) How many years had the pumping station and screen worked well in heavier precipitation without adding 200mm through people’s homes and businesses. The attempt to cry is subverted by sneezing. The screen would have had a much heavier burden delivered onto it faster than usual because mudtanks hadn’t been cleared for a year or so. There were several factors, all under the headings Neglect and Stuffup, that constituted the 200mm clusterfuck. All of them need to be sorted, each and every one. I Hype r ventilated on those lines Hype- brilliant and in so few words too! ODT 1.8.16 (page 10) Dunedin City Council meeting 1 Aug 2016 Agenda: https://infocouncil.dunedin.govt.nz/Open/2016/08/CNL_20160801_AGN_207_AT_WEB.htm Item 38 Notice of Motion Support for Urban Renewal Injustices in South Dunedin/Funding to Assist with the protection of Public and Private Infrastructure and Assets at Risk from Ground Water as Sea Level Changes – this was being pushed by Cr Benson-Pope [no doubt with some intention to flag up his continuing existence to the Labour Party… not the political crusaders that brought about his resignation as a Cabinet Minister] who stood up in the council meeting and said that contrary to comments from some quarters…. he thanked ORC for its easy to read report on South Dunedin – [he carefully didn’t comment on the data content of the report]…. Other Crs (Noone and MacTavish) wanted the matter debated but they ran out of time before the lunch break. Both Councillors felt it was wrong to not have debate with the local community before making deputations to central government. More was to ensue later today…. ### dunedintv.co.nz Monday, August 1, 2016 5:52 pm Council keen to take action on South Dunedin Discussions at a city level are continuing about what the best course of action should be in South Dunedin. Channel 39 Monday, August 1, 2016 Yes, but, the issue is Should Money be Spent in/on South Dunedin? Assumptive response from those who live and work in SD: Should this money come from Rates, or Central Govt?/ Whichever is the best deal. This is not about the money the point is the locals need to put their views first – money comes later. How much later? The spend is being talked about, sort of. Sorry, I haven’t viewed your news cut, but the point of the Council piece on tv news was whether or not infrastructural work at SD should be managed by Govt commission, like SDHB. Cr Mac says not, Cr B-P says yes. I am fairly certain that SD residents would welcome the funding, and the political interest being shown, from whichever party, whatever source (except the Divil,, speculators or oil prospectors). However, it would be useful to put the question without ref to climate change, to ratepayers Dunedin wide: Should money be spent on South Dunedin for ‘flood related’ infrastructure, reliance on drains not being too flash, such as channeling in the Dutch manner, or should it not? WifD has rightly made this an election issue. The debate then, should be now. We can debate here for what it’s worth – but the conversation must be had by South Dunedin people including but not limited to the South Dunedin Action Group via its community trust. The local body and general elections are other forums. No, the issue is, why was Money NOT Spent in/on South Dunedin? It’s flat. It’s low-lying. Water flows downhill. Water falling as precipitation on surrounding higher areas flows downhill. Therefore South Dunedin is more vulnerable to flooding than other parts of town, though less vulnerable to slips. What happened to prioritising? Why were pet projects what ACTUALLY got prioritised? It would be nice if central government paid up for local government FAIL. Likely? Gettagrip. Yes, Hype O’Thermia, it would also be nice if central government enforced the LGA requirement for the DCC to meet the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses . The DCC has failed to achieve this standard of “good-quality local infrastructure” and with Dave Cull’s guidance has actively opposed trying to achieve this (ISC 26/4/16) You mention the Water falling as precipitation on surrounding higher areas flows downhill . The thing about the stormwater from the hills and surrounding areas is that they have their own separate pipes and outlets into the sea. None of this is meant to go into South Dunedin. If none of it did, there would have been no flooding. All of the rain that fell on South Dunedin (142mm) was able to soak into the ground, which was able to store a total of 567mm. The deluge pouring in from the neighbouring catchments (stormwater + foul sewer) was a big factor in the severity of the flood. This deluge was because of systemic failures of the neighbouring stormwater systems. The DCC have not acknowledged that this was and continues to be a serious problem. Fixing the badly designed pump screen is desirable, but this will achieve very little without dealing with the other problems. The DCC has decided not to deal with the other problems. They need to have their minds changed or else find another job. JimmyJones, “The deluge pouring in from the neighbouring catchments (stormwater + foul sewer) was a big factor in the severity of the flood.” Did we ever get an official explanation of how the sewage got washed into people’s properties? Nobody’s got long-drops or nightcart service in SD now. It goes down the dunny, piped, piped, piped to treatment station. But some of it escaped which suggests piped, break, piped, misalignment, piped. Flood water got in the gaps and washed the effluent out other gaps? If break and misalignment of pipes, what’s happening when there isn’t flood water? Is it draining gently into land below the breaks, polluting ground water? Aliza Iris Published on Sep 18, 2015 twenty one pilots Be Concerned Lyrics twenty one pilots “Be Concerned” featuring Jocef [lyrics sample] I don’t believe my errors, And I’m scared of my own head, I will deny you for years, Then I’ll make you raise me from the dead, And if I said that I would live for you, For nothing in return, Well I’m sorry Mr. Gullible, But lying’s all I’ve learned, So be concerned. [Jocef:] No music, And I could talk about anything, Whether or not it’s worth while, Is based on who’s listening, Most of us listen if it’s, Something we can relate to, All of us relate, If it’s something we’ve just been through, Take it for granted, Trust is damaged and now we panic, Living empty-handed, Living lives like we can’t manage, I can’t feel you, But still know where home is feeling like Jonah did…. alanbec: it’s dangerous to assume that the DCC would spend any such money in a way that would benefit the citizens of South Dunedin. My guess is that whatever they want to do would be harmful. Keep in mind that the DCC caused the 2015 flood by sabotaging the design of the pump filter, failed to maintain the mudtanks, failed to upgrade the pipes to the standard recommended in the ICMP (2011). They took a gamble and South Dunedin lost. The flood became a marketing opportunity and so the DCC with the help of the ORC have turned a simple flood due to DCC incompetence into a permanent disaster – a poster child for their end-of-days apocalyptic visions. The only spending needed is compensation to uninsured residents affected by the DCC’s negligence and something like $150 million spread over 10 years to catch-up with the pipe renewals and fix the low level of service (now 1 in 2 years, needs to be 1 in 10 years). This work should have started 10 years ago and would have if the DCC governance and management cared about South Dunedin more than their various expensive pet projects. At present South Dunedin faces only two serious threats: — the DCC’s refusal to provide a properly functioning stormwater system and so the continuing risk of another flood (2% probability per year) — the campaign of misinformation from the ORC and DCC about South Dunedin sinking and dangerous sea level rise. This appears to be an attempt to wreck property prices and confidence in the area – evacuation by stealth. If you live there, South Dunedin is not sinking, there is no evidence that the groundwater is rising, South Dunedin is above sea-level and sea-level rise is so slow that it can be ignored. Also, the groundwater level is above sea-level and so the South Dunedin groundwater drains into the sea and harbour (for those parts that are near the shore). The effect of the DCC’s leaky reticulated water pipes is to increase the groundwater levels of South Dunedin. The ORC Natural Hazards report is wrong about its main conclusions – read my comment at the ODT » South Dunedin Under Attack Gurglars, “— the campaign of misinformation from the ORC and DCC about South Dunedin sinking and dangerous sea level rise. This appears to be an attempt to wreck property prices and confidence in the area – evacuation by stealth.” It’s also a pre-emptive excuse/explanation for any future flood. “Not our fault. Dolly, I mean climate change, did it.” Get out of jail free. There’s a lot of it going around. Story. Real stuff that needs fixing and compo for any deemed uninsurable, with a ballpark figure. I like the cut of your gib. Fools and horses are calling for a ‘Venice Of The South’. The sillyness of the dropkicks at Dunedin including the Labour mob who appear to hang on every word of the fully incompetent PCE (pariamentary commissioner for environment) for, ahem, general election votes both locally and further afield. These nutcrunchers are only good for the central Govt gravytrain they want to milk for themselves and their own power positions…. they do so with such Doubtful Ethics, round the neck baubles and dangly-earringed Coquetishness, frankly all that resembles what White man does to the natives. Colonials, Cargo Cult fucking pirates – their posturing is happening previous to full consultation of the property owners and community who are quite able to use the local market to achieve the same ends ….without a frigging govt subsidy to cost people out of their own homes never to return because the market will immediately convert to non affordable housing on the sunshine coast. Guard your turf from the prophets, South Dunedin. Nutcrunchers are not from round here. They are at Nutbush City Limits. Right on the money Hype. We are always right in retrospect, but never wrong in prospect- ( Old Sage DCC overpaid) Hype O’Thermia: the flooding was even more hazardous for South Dunedin citizens because the flood waters had a big proportion of foul sewer from the hill-dwellers of the neighbouring catchments. During the flood we saw big sewer access points turned into geysers of sewage (the DCC prefers the term “wastewater” not “sewage”). The answer to your question is, no – the DCC has not explained how thousands of cubic meters of sewerage was distributed through the people’s homes and gardens. The South Dunedin ICMP has details about unwanted connections allowing stormwater into the sewerage system. During the flood the defective stormwater system was overloaded (completely filled) and the unwanted connections meant that stormwater caused the sewerage system to also become overloaded and pressurized to the extent that man-hole covers were lifted into the air on top of a geyser of sewage. One reason why stormwater goes into the sewer is because of illegal connections at people’s houses and undiscovered connections from the days when there was only one pipe for both. In the past the DCC has done inspections and required property owners to separate the stormwater from the sewer, but this seems to have only partly successful. A big part of the problem is the DCC: The ICMP tells us that: The primary cause of flooding from the wastewater [sewer] network is thought to be excessive inflow and infiltration (I&I) occurring outside of the South Dunedin catchment, with high volumes flowing through the MIS [main interceptor sewer] during wet weather. In the short term, this issue has been alleviated through the use of a diversion to the Green Island WWTP upstream of Surrey Street. Long term permanent solutions need to be assessed, and DCC requires further investigation into this issue before investing in a major capital works programme . The report was published in 2011 and provides details of locations and causes of infiltration. The report says: The major wastewater [sewage] problems stem from large events. Issues in this area are currently subject to ad hoc operational measures that attempt to mitigate these problems. . And more: Stormwater can enter through manhole joints and covers, broken pipes or dislodged joints.~~~ There are known constructed wastewater overflows which discharge wastewater to the stormwater system during wet weather, however none are known to exist in the South Dunedin catchment. DCC state in the 3 Waters Strategic Direction Statement that they want to limit the use of these overflows in the short term with the long term target being total removal . Even though this report was published in 2011, you would be unwise to expect that any of the critical recommendations had been done. In fact it has become extreemly obvious that some have not. Meanwhile back in South Dunedin I wonder what Mr and Mrs Joe Average, who do not follow politics in the ODT or on blog sites, think? Do they like where they live? Do they care about climate change, sea level rise? What do they think of their local MP and those local body politicians who speak on their behalf? Especially in election year. What do they want for their suburb? Anything major or are they happy with the way it is? What do they make of a lot of new housing in the area? In a doomed suburb according to some. What do they make of the newish big box shops etc erected in the suburb? What do they make of recent attempts to revitalise the main street? Well, um, yes. Why we care is two top performing High Schools are here, but mainly because every ‘Profitt’ and his missus been scaring the bejesus out of one of Dunedin’s better suburbs. It has to be said the Solidarnosc being shown on this site is very helpful. *The drain’s got a bit of Pole in it. Tue, 2 Aug 2016 ODT: Govt help sought for South Dunedin The Dunedin City Council will call on the Government to help respond to the threat groundwater and sea level changes pose in South Dunedin. Councillors yesterday voted to “immediately engage” the Government over the threat the changes pose and support for urban renewal initiatives in the area. A better read………… Paul Pope : Putting out the begging bowl The Otago Daily Times report on the Council’s call for the Government to become involved in the South Dunedin flooding issues is very disappointing. Once again we see Councillors not prepared to engage with the community over this issue. I grant you that there are serious decisions to be made, but don’t those decisions need to be made by the community? The Otago Daily Times reports that “Councillors yesterday voted to “immediately engage” the Government…” I find it extraordinary that after the range of reports and recriminations over consultation, response and performance since the Jun 2015 floods that we are still seeing the City Council not willing to engage with the community over this issue. Putting out the begging bowl at this stage is tantamount to admitting defeat, but worse than that, its admitting that the City Council are no further to developing any type of plan for South Dunedin themselves. We have Councillors who are too busy wanting to make as the report maintains a “public stand” rather than doing the hard work for South Dunedin. I’ll give credit to Councillor MacTavish who said “we are very much in the early stage of the conversation with the community about what they would like to see”. Trouble is that conversation has not really hit the ground running and the unwillingness of Councillors to engage is very troubling indeed. I’ve made it very clear in my article The Fall and Rise of a Community what needs to be done to get that engagement started. {continues} https://paul-pope.co.nz/2016/08/02/putting-out-the-begging-bowl/ This pre emptive move by those who voted for it on council is all about politics. It is election year, let’s look proactive, and call for the government to step in and pay for any help there because we have already spent up large, we face mounting bills for failed projects and lawsuits involving fraud and we don’t know what to do. Forget about that stuff on building a sustainable, resilient community because that doesn’t help us now. BTW. Do any politicians actually live in SD? (Not the posh or leafy bits) Another BTW. I notice houses that come up for sale on Victoria Rd …the road nearest the coast generally sell like hotcakes. What does this tell us? The people are ignorant or don’t care? The DCC has failed to warn them of the climatic risks through LIM reports? There seems to be mixed messages from The Community and the DCC. There will be no attempt at engagement from Council or councillors until the staff and the A-team of mayor and councillors have produced a proposal and have finished their marketing campaign to help the softening-up process. Their purpose is to sacrifice South Dunedin as a way of proving that South Dunedin really was vulnerable to their imaginary apocalyptic visions. I doubt that they will release any proposals until after the election. Team leader, Dave Cull denies that there is an intention to abandon South Dunedin, but we know for a fact that staff are working on plans to do just that (“non-protection options”). Jinty and Cull are talking about “engagement” and a “conversation”, but it would be unusual for the DCC to listen. Why would you need to listen when you have a well funded spin-doctoring department ($5 million/yr) and a very supportive Allied Press to help support even the most stupid of projects. The other thing is that there is no difficult decision to be made. The citizens of the Flat just need to be careful who they vote for – to make sure that who they choose, cares about them and pledges to fight for a stormwater system that works. The end result of the last DCC Annual Plan is that: No money is currently budgeted to upgrade the capacity of the South Dunedin stormwater system , which happens to be the reason for the worsening performance of the stormwater system since the bigger rain of 1968 which didn’t cause a flood. This decision indicates that Dave Cull and his team do not give a rats arse about the well-being of the people of South Dunedin. — South Dunedin is not sinking – there is no credible evidence of this — there is no evidence that the South Dunedin groundwater is rizing — there is no proof that the groundwater is dependent on sea-level, except near the shoreline (beach and harbour) — the rate of sea-level rize is so slow that it can be ignored — there was no abnormally high groundwater before the flood — the flood was caused by a substandard stormwater system, mostly from the result of several years of DCC underfunding for pipe renewals and upgrades — South Dunedin is not the only area with a substandard stormwater system, other areas were flooded last year — All the main findings of the ORC’s natural hazards report are wrong and reckless and the report should be withdrawn — South Dunedin is a great place to live and will continue to be for several centuries as long as DCC fixes the defective stormwater system — the citizens of South Dunedin need to tell the DCC politicians and election candidates with a very loud voice that the stormwater pipes need to be fixed to achieve a normal standard (1 in 10 year rain capability). Nothing will happen otherwize. SD will always exist irrespective of careless comments to the contrary. As Clare Curran points out it is too big an area to abandon. It would take a spectacular calamity for this to happen. […] Spending ratepayer money on basic infrastructure is so boring and uncool for most people elected to council when you can have fun spending it on pet projects that help get you re-elected. The trick is to sponsor a few of them that cut across various sector groups. As John Bezett says council used to be fun…and it still is, John. You had your turn with the stadium, John, and now it is the turn of the other guys. Really, JimmyJones, let your hair down and come up with your own ideas to make this great little city a Greater Dunedin. So successful so far, Dave’s team see no reason to exist any longer. {Moderated. -Eds} Well said Jimmy. Protection of the Southern Coastline and upgrading the stormwater infrastructure of South Dunedin are the main issues of the 2016 DCC elections. My vote will go to those candidates who have carefully thought out policies on these issues and are not afraid to take back the governance role to implementing their policy on these very high priority issues. A scenario: The DCC so concerned about the ODT revealing the true extent of the city’s problems pays the salary of the new CEO at least until the election and maybe onwards. Get that question in a LGOIMA request! Gurglars, gosh. That’s quite a concession to the wall of positivity being maintained. Stranger things have happened. Any government spending in a Labour city will be subject to minute scrutiny of not only chapters from the CC-faith holy writ, but also any factors that can (cf insurance companies) give them a good reason to keep the money for their own pet projects. They’ve got their own election coming up, and marginal electorates to massage. Info such as that supplied here by JimmyJones https://dunedinstadium.wordpress.com/2016/07/26/labour-messing-with-south-dunedin-like-cull-unbidden/#comment-75517 on the report on wastewater a.k.a sewage mingling and overflowing with floodwater, is likely to find its way to their attention. And that’s just one of the non-CC factors that make flooding a BIG FAIL Council responsibility. The CC Faith? Isn’t Michael RC? Ca ne fait rien. Govt money is taxpayer money. We expect funding to be monitored. When it comes to The Fix of SD, political allegiance is irrelevant. alanbec : “political allegiance is irrelevant” you are all over the place, stop and think or you or your landlord will end up like the original landowners at Noble. Seriously, the rain has got to vous. S ‘alright. Only ‘alanbec’ gets the big tellings off for unsound opinion; this is the case, it has always been the case, since, oh, the end of last century. I realise that the allegiance of politicos offering to help SD is relevant to some. I hope SD votes for whoever’s offering the best outcome, for South Dunedin. .You dont like Labour’s involvement. Should we vote Tory for South Dunedin in the General Election, jeunesse? West Side Tory. The point is the politicos are not consulting the people invested in South Dunedin (with their lives) in a democratic manner. Yes, and I think they are represented by Ray and Lyndsey, who were remonstrated with for associating with the ‘South Dunedin Walkabout’. The politicos are making ‘calls’ on behalf of SD’s future, which is not entirely democratic, but what to do? Labour offers something? No, we don’t like Labour. Metiria calls for assistance for SD? No, we don’t trust Greens. Michael W, our last hope by selective standards, hasn’t said anything. They are making calls on Votes for next year’s general elections. Michael Woodhouse (National list MP) is a wowser. Consumer issue August #571 included the following under its By The Numbers section on page 5: South Dunedin homes lie less than 50cm above sea level. The suburb, which is built on a former tidal wetland, could develop permanent surface ponding as sea levels rise – Otago Regional Council. Someone needs to sue both councils in a class action. BS of the highest order. Consumer..Don’t consume. Wowser (n) (colonial NZ): censorious, teetotal, not entirely supportive of The Hokonui Hills. Many, listening to the wooses and “journalists” in New Zealand on Pauline Hanson and One Nation should look to such articles as this https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/04/one-nations-malcolm-roberts-vows-to-halt-ridiculous-lies-on-climate-change First politician that makes sense. Identifies the UN as the problem. It is noticeable that the CSIRO, the government-owned scientific operation in Australia is sacking its climate scientists. It will be a long haul but the loonies, greenies and agenda 21ers just might be losing the bullshit fight. Mick Field also mentioned the sackings at CSIRO, see this post (23.4.16) Eric Worrall on Flannery. Labour and Greens – the TOXIC combination for South Dunedin people already harmed by the DCC infrastructure fail (June 2015 floods) and everything that has followed since in patronising and distorting fashion —as every do-gooder (note, minus a Govt cheque book) talks down the Community’s existing property values on false and legally challengeable claims of manmade Climate Change (AGW). To that lot, add the electioneering, weak and despicable Benson-Pope, Hawkins, Cull and MacTavish and their highly dubious hangers on. Thu, 4 Aug 2016 ODT: Call for Govt to help with South Dunedin The Government must stop ignoring the “very real” threats facing South Dunedin and act on the Dunedin City Council’s request for help, Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei says. Dunedin list MP Ms Turei made the comments after the council this week voted to seek Government help over the threat groundwater and sea level changes pose in South Dunedin. Ms Turei called on the Government to help the council assess the risk posed by climate change in South Dunedin and help with any infrastructure needed to mitigate those risks. Following SDHB pattern: Make a show of pretending to assist with problems such as leaky theatre etc etc resulting from shortage of money, thanks to Swann and years of underfunding. [BTW police had to quit at the half-assed level of finding where “Swann’s assets” were, a funding issue. Serious Fraud Office has to stick within its devalued budget too, and there wasn’t enough “outstanding” to continue investigation. So underfunding left assets in the garages, basements, implement sheds and/or containers of friends, an insult to justice plus funding loss to SDHB which of course wasn’t made up by the government that underfunds our investigative and appeal and oversight bodies.] Next, declare that the problems are of the troubled organisation’s own making (in DCC and Council case, can’t argue with that) so they won’t bail them out from taxpayers’ funds. No mention of inaction by SFO, nor the need, JimmyJones pointed out, for central government to enforce “LGA requirement for the DCC to meet the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses.” No taking responsibility for Central government spending years ignoring requests from Dunedin people to send a pointer to indicate arseholes and an arse-kicker to realign attitudes to duties and responsibilities. So, it’s all about incompetent elected representatives. Brilliant, just what the doctor ordered – install another Commissioner because it’s so much more convenient than democracy + checks and balances. Is there ever an end-date to Commissioners’ tenure? I know they can as individuals quit, doubtless they can die – but is the role ever disestablished? Is Commissioneritis the organisational hydatids cyst, killing democracy but not before it has spread to new carriers, innocuous hosts like Ms Turei and old slappers like Bunion-Pope? You don’t know he’s got a Bunion? Or is it a B-Onion he’s got.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1305
__label__wiki	0.59024	0.59024	KDE Releases Development Platform, Applications and Plasma Workspaces 4.5.0 Submitted by Sebastian Kügler KDE today celebrates its semi-annual release event, making available new releases of the Plasma Desktop and Netbook workspaces, the KDE Development Platform and a large number of applications available in their 4.5.0 versions. In this release, the KDE team focused on stability and completeness of the Desktop experience. More than 16,000 bugs have been fixed, and many feature requests have been filled. The result for the user is a system that feels faster, takes less time to "think", and works more reliably. The large number of bug fixes goes accompanied with many parts that have got an extra portion of tender loving care. Plasma 4.5.0's new notification system is one example here. It is designed to get less in your way, yet to support your workflow as smoothly as possible. Visually, the striking monochromatic icons make for a more consistent look in the notification area. A highlight of the KDE Applications 4.5.0 is surely Marble, which can now be used for map routing as well as viewing. The Konqueror web browser can now also use the WebKit engine to render its content. The KDE Development Platform 4.5.0 offers a new generic cache for applications that need high-speed access to certain data, such as icons or other pre-rendered artwork. The new KSharedDataCache speeds up loading of many components, while the new HTTP scheduler is optimized for concurrent access to web servers, and makes loading of pages in Konqueror and other parts using the KIO HTTP mechanism faster. Today's releases are the first in the 4.5 series and will be followed with updated versions approximately monthly that will focus on fixing bugs. The next feature releases are planned for January 2011. If you would like to test-drive 4.5.0, you can do so by installing the packages that should be made available by your operating system vendor. You can also choose to build 4.5.0 from source, the nitty-gritty of that can be found on TechBase. For the impatient, there is also a Live CD available. Did I jump the gun? Where are kdepim, kdepim-runtime? By stumbles at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 2:01pm they will come in 4.5.1, they will come in 4.5.1, since the change to akonadi isn’t polished enough yet — and noone wants to risk that KDE users lose their emails… By Arne Babenhauserheide at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 2:31pm Sounds like a good plan. Sounds like a good plan. Compiling as we speak. KDE PIM in 4.4 and 4.5 Actually, I don't think we'll make 4.5.1 for the Akonadi-based PIM. It all depends on how the beta phase works out. Migrating Kontact to AKonadi is a pretty big step, so we don't want to rush things here. Kontact 4.4 is still actively maintained and continues to work, so that's what users will use in 4.5. We did not upgrade the version number of KDE PIM, since it's essentially what's in 4.4, anyway. There will be a beta of Akonadi-PIM in the next days, and from there we'll see how it goes. The PIM team pays special attention to migrating your data, and if the new Kontact doesn't work for you yet, it's easy to switch back as config will be retained for both versions, also cached data (such as disconnected IMAP accounts) can be kept if you're not sure you're ready to switch. By Sebastian Kügler at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 3:00pm KDE PIM (almost) beta 1! I tried KDE PIM 4.4.92 (Beta 2), and I must notify you that it has, depending on your point of view, finally reached beta quality. It qualifies, indeed, for a Beta 1 moniker, but it needs a lot of testing, because several betas should be done and the whole thing isn't expected to be stable until KDE 4.6.0. Can you test? I make a pledge to test this, because this is the first of a new wave of features that will surely put the KDE desktop ahead of the curve. By Ernesto Manríquez at Thu, 2010/08/12 - 4:42am I'm with you. I don't see why there should be any hurry in releasing it as stable. To have it tested by many users the important part is having it packaged, distributed and promoted. Mplayer was being used by tons of people in its Beta and RC days, long before it was promoted to stable. I remember everyone installing a Beta of KDE 2 that came with some SuSE release a long time ago. So just make it possible to install these Betas along with the latest stable, and get distros to distribute it as an option during the KDE 4.5 life cycle. By Jorge Adriano at Thu, 2010/08/12 - 5:54pm System is already running at full force to get the new version! Got to see the improvements over RC3! Many thanks to all KDE hackers (including documenters, translators, PR people and all the others) for getting 4.5 done! kdepim KDE PIM was been delayed and was not part of the 4.5.0 release of the Applications modules. the new version of KDE PIM is expected to be made in tandem with the 4.5.1 release. for a summary and links to sources on the matter, see: http://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=89366&p=165898 By Aaron Seigo at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 3:00pm After discussing this with After discussing this with the PIM team, we're not sure we'll make 4.5.1, though. A release still this year does look realistic, however. See also my comment above. KDEpim Akonadi Better safe than sorry. :) On the other hand - the message has been "delay from 4.5 to 4.5.1" and therefore your message "still this year looks realistic" is not a very good signal. It leaves me with the impression that it is quite probable that the release will not be available before 4.6. If they now targets KDE SC 4.5.3/4/5 or even 4.6 I find the "delay to 4.5.1 message" to be really awkward. It's the communication bit I'm after - not the potential delay. :) By Omaha at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 3:51pm Wouldn't it make sense just Wouldn't it make sense just to finish it properly and to get rid of as many regressions as possible then ship it with 4.6? By bliblibli at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 4:51pm I agree. I rather see it released as part of KDE 4.6. IMHO, it was a terrible idea to move release of the Akonadi-based KDEPIM suite to 4.5.1. Doing that, it misses all the testing it would have received from the 4.5.0 betas and RCs. It's big enough of a change that it should get this testing. I don't want to lose my e-mail! By Samat at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 8:14pm Lion Mail. In tone with the Akonadi/KMail testing, can you provide us a tarball with Lion Mail? I really want to exploit some of the advantages of the new framework. By Ernesto Manríquez at Thu, 2010/08/12 - 4:46pm seperate package? Would it be possible to provide seperate feature packages, so that we can already test it? I don’t want to switch to the full KDE trunk to get PIM 2, but I do want to test KMail 2. (I’m on Gentoo packages) By Arne Babenhauserheide at Tue, 2010/08/17 - 10:35pm KSensors And there's still one application that holds me back on KDE 3.5.10: KSensors. Temperature Sensors from KDE 4.x show only temperatures, so, please stop advising them. I would also become happier if someone ported KNetStats (yes, I know about KNemo, but the former application is more lightweight). And I expect KDE developers to start working on optimization and solving old bugs (and there are hundreds of them) for KDE 4.6 and onwards. Most of us need a stable and fast DE, not a shiny bug-ridden and prone to crashes one. By Artem S. Tashkinov at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 3:39pm Can't you simply use KSensors Can't you simply use KSensors from 3.5.10 in KDE 4.5? By Jorge Adriano at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 6:06pm I want to get rid of Qt3/KDE3 I want to get rid of Qt3/KDE3 libraries once and for all. That's the only reason of not willing to use any KDE3 applications under KDE4. I can understand that, just I can understand that, just like getting rid of GTK+/Gnome libraries and all that. But needing a particular Qt3, KDE3, GTK, or Gnome application isn't really a reason not to move to KDE4. Gnome is a whole different Gnome is a whole different matter, they care about compatibility. GTK applications circa 2003 will still be working in year 2010. KDE3/Qt3 are officially abandoned, thus it makes zero sense to have them installed once I've upgraded to KDE4. But likely not in 2011, or maybe 2012, whenever GTK3 comes out. ;-) A program like KSensors will likely still just work, so it's totally not a problem using it. If you need support for it which includes development, you're out of luck of course, but saying that if upstream is not working on it anymore make "zero sense to have it installed" seems quite unpractical. Sure, it would be nice to have every single application that ever was available based on KDE3 available in 4, but that's likely not going to happen. There are thousands of other, new applications in its place of course. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you've good reasons for stating the above, it just doesn't seem to be the most ingenious reason for not using some piece of software you otherwise really like. Or maybe you should just install the GTK version of KSensors from 2003 for now. ;-) Your chain of reasoning just Your chain of reasoning just ended up justifying sticking to KDE 3.5.10 with the fact KDE3/Qt3 are officially abandoned. I get your point, that said in practice for your case none of that matters. For now KSensors of KDE 3.5.10 works better for you, so use it. Temperatures. BTW, he said that KDE4 sensors show only "temperatures". I see the sensor list in KSysGuard and I can get a full list of status indexes. Really... what am I missing? By Ernesto Manríquez at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 11:40pm Ugh, compatibility? > Gnome is a whole different matter, they care about compatibility. Ugh. implying KDE doesn't? All 3.x releases are compatible. That's the point of the first number anyways, for a lot of projects. They only increment the first number to start a whole new series (in our case, the 4.x series). KDE guarantees compatibility between those versions. An application that's compiled for 4.2, will still run when you install kdelibs 4.5. Same logic applies to GNOME: their 3.x isn't going to be compatible with 2.x By vdboor at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 7:33am Maybe wrong As far as I know that's not entirely true. Packaging KDE 3 and 4 at the same time (well, just the libs) is not as easy as it may seem, and not all distros did it 100%. At the pre-4.0 times, much work was done in trying to make that not as painful, but still is not as easy as with plain Qt applications. By suy at Thu, 2010/08/12 - 4:05pm Abandonned KDE3/qt3 are stable and mature. For stable and mature software maintenance is marginal. So even when they are officially abandonned upstream you can still use and run and fix them, like you can run applications with DOS 5.0 as many in industry do. By André at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 11:20am Even this seemingly innocuous Even this seemingly innocuous message gets modded down. I love KDE fanboys. Keep on voting! maybe it's not that? Maybe it's because your comment comes over a bit demanding and at the same time narrow-mminded. It sure is easy blame critique you get for your comments on some fanboys, but maybe there's just this tiny little bit of truth in those reactions telling you that your comments are a bit clueless. Just saying, it's not always someone else who's wrong ... I think KSysGuard's sensor I think KSysGuard's sensor sheets can do everything KSensors can - and more. By Eike Hein at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 7:57pm Webkit can't be made default in konqueror! can we? or at least for some websites, like browser identification? By Asif Ali Rizwaan at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 3:47pm Yes you can, but yup it's a bit unintuitive... Settings ---> Configure Konqueror ---> File Management ---> File Associations ---> html ---> goto Embedding tab and there put WebKit (kwebkitpart) on top. Hope that helps :) Awesome release I have been using 4.5 since its first RC and it has been a breeze. The last remaining annoyances have been fixed in the final version (thanks for the delay). :) So thank you to all KDE developers. You are doing amazing work! By Mutlu Inek at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 4:04pm All KDE developers and contributors for this great release. What is the plan for 4.6 BTW ? :) By Amine27 at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 4:35pm Google is your friend ;-) See the Feature Plan, but keep in mind it may be incomplete and these are always subject to change. By Stuart Jarvis at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 6:53pm and I like aseigo blog posts talking about future plans ;) By Amine27 at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 10:37pm It sure is awesome! Can't wait for 4.6 :) Number of bugs "More than 16,000 bugs have been fixed" Does this count the duplicated bugs? By zayed at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 4:37pm Closed bugs I don't know, but I would guess it's basically the count of all bug reports that have been closed since 4.4.0. That likely includes many duplicates. Still, it's an awe-inspiring number. Even if many of the bug closings represent relatively little in the way of improvements to the code, try just sitting down and counting to 16,000 some afternoon. I bet it would heighten the appreciation for how much work has gone into this release :-). Go KDE team!! I also am fine with the idea of KDE-PIM releasing with 4.6. I've always thought it was a bit odd the idea of making a major change at 4.5.1, so in a way I find this more satisfying. By tangent at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 12:30am That would be highly That would be highly misleading and I hope it's not the case. You can close bugs with WONTFIX, INVALID, WORKSFORME, DUPLICATE, etc. Counting all of those as fixed bugs would be pretty ridiculous ... "nah I won't fix this one, there you go one more bug fixed!". By Jorge Adriano at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 9:08am Whatever metric is used in the release announcement, it is wrong. A lot of bugs are never reported, yet fixed. So how do we count those? If we would only count reported bugs which have been fixed by a code commit, yes, the number is smaller. No, it is not more accurate. Many bugs are closed because they have been fixed in the mean time - WORKSFORME is often used there if the developer who fixed the bug never saw the actual bugreport... So the marketing team simply uses the number of bugs closed in the period between releases. Works fine - you also credit the work of the bug squad with that number. Even on WONTFIX bugs you have to spend time... By Jos Poortvliet at Fri, 2010/08/13 - 10:26am The fact that there isn't any The fact that there isn't any accurate metric doesn't make this approach acceptable. It's so bad that it's not even funny. If you're going for that number better claim "bugs reports closed" instead of "bugs fixed". Or else chose only the ones marked as "fixed" and use that as a lower bound. By Jorge Adriano at Fri, 2010/08/13 - 4:01pm closed reported bugs :) what they did was fix bugs that users reported. But why don’t you give them a hand? I’m sure if you can write a simple way to get a more accurate number, they’ll gladly take it :) (provided you make it as easy to use as the current one) Akonadi/KDE-PIM will be released with SC 4.6. Face the reality. On the other hand, they will release beta after beta during the KDE 4.5 cycle (with every minor release, a beta, starting with Beta 2/KDE 4.5.0). And if we don't test these betas, then Akonadi/KDE-PIM release is going to be a flop. So, IMHO the message is clear. Download and install Akonadi/KDE-PIM Beta 2. Test it. Report bugs. Hammer it. (and also, Sebastian... could you release a tarball of Lion Mail to sweeten my Akonadi/KDE-PIM testing?) By Ernesto Manríquez at Fri, 2010/08/13 - 3:52am About bug counts Yes, it includes all bugs that get closed, for all projects that track their bugs on the KDE bug tracker, i.e. it also includes koffice, amarok, digikam, kdevelop, etc. Still the number is a good indication about how much work the team did, as each of those 16000 bugs is usually closed individually. On the other side there is the number of bugs opened. It is a good indication about the work YOU did :) And comparing those numbers, you did a better job then the KDE team: Around 16000 bugs closed, around 18000 bugs opened in the last 180 days, so you could say that we have 2000 more bugs :) You can use bugs.kde.org search service to find how many bugs really got closed as fixed. For example, in the last 180 days around 4600 bugs have been closed as FIXED. Again, this includes all projects. Plasma alone has 700 of those fixes. Additionally, around 600 feature requests have been closed as FIXED (50 in Plasma). But only mathematicians care about numbers. What really counts is that bugs continue to get reported and continue to get fixed. That's the heartbeat of the KDE project. Keep beating! By christoph at Thu, 2010/08/12 - 10:43pm Thanks very much to the KDE Thanks very much to the KDE team for it's time dedication and hard work. The first thing that I tested was Dolphin, which seems to be good now, stable (after RC3) and fast. KDE SC 4.5 seems to be quite stable and polish. The only two little problems that I have are the start up time and Bball is still not fixed. Although it's a very responsive Desktop it seems to start up a bit slow. KDE takes longer to start up on my systems than openSuse 11.3 itself. By Bobby at Tue, 2010/08/10 - 6:13pm Ok here Haven't noticed it taking any longer than 4.4 did on Fedora. Certainly nowhere near booting time. Sounds like you have some particular issue. By Stuart Jarvis at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 10:51am klipper? thanks for this nice release. I use Kubuntu 4.5-backport packages for Lucid and notice that Klipper does no auto-collapse anymore. Is this a bug or a feature (or Kubuntu ;-)? By schnebeck at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 7:17am And how to invoke? ctrl-alt-v doesn't bring it up anymore...? By reagle at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 12:45pm Nope, nor in Kubuntu Nope, nor in Kubuntu - https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/kubuntu-ppa/+bug/616370?comments=all By TChiverton at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 7:07pm dbusmenu-qt Clearly a bug. Please ask the Fedora developers to upgrade their dbusmenu-qt packages, as this has already been fixed some time ago. By Sebastian Kügler at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 3:45pm I wasn't really comparing the I wasn't really comparing the login time to that of KDE 4.4. I really meant the general login time of KDE 4. OpenSuse 11.3 takes 30 seconds to reach the login screen on my laptop and KDE 4.5 takes 38 seconds to boot the desktop after that. However, if I log out and then log in again then it takes only 10 seconds. It's only the boot up login that seems to be so slow. By Bobby at Wed, 2010/08/11 - 4:11pm	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1311
__label__wiki	0.631375	0.631375	Fair Housing Protections by Susan E. Weston, CAM, CAPS, NAAEI Senior Faculty, Alpha-Barnes Real Estate Are Demand and Rising Prices Encouraging New Protections? April is Fair Housing month and this April it’s a 50-year celebration of the integral Fair Housing Act of 1968. In essence, this law and our compliance ensures that anyone who can afford and meet our reasonable business criteria should be able to live in and enjoy our properties without discrimination. This is a very good thing! At the same time this spring, we have to recognize that occupancies and rental rate growth are at some of their highest levels in a long time. ALN Data reports that in the Fort Worth area in February average occupancy stands at 91.3%, down slightly from the previous year and rents average $1,028, up 5.5% from the previous year. It now costs an average of $1,134 to rent a two-bedroom unit in the Fort Worth MSA. This is nothing compared to a major metro market like Seattle or L.A. where rents average $1,666 to $2,104 and availability is nil (95% occupancy and unchanged from the previous year). With an occupancy standard of two persons per bedroom in Seattle, a family of five has to rent a two-bedroom apartment which they may not be able to afford. What does that mean? Those situations have gotten the attention of tenant advocacy groups that are driving legislation to file suit against the old standard and suggest a standard more aligned with building codes which would allow one person for every 75 square feet of living space. That may mean that 6 or 7 people can occupy a one-bedroom unit – much easier on my monthly budget! Already an Indianapolis-based regional operator of 8,000 units has been charged with using an “overly restrictive” occupancy standard of two persons per bedroom because it disparately impacts families. The charge alleges that a more reasonable standard would be a health code standard issued by the various municipalities. In Indianapolis, the occupancy standard per code is 2 persons in 250 square feet. In a sleeping room, it would need to be 70 square feet for the first sleeper and 50 square feet for each additional occupant In California, a late 2016 Government Affairs Alert was sent from NAA letting the membership know that a significant change to the state law was in the works. While the law did not pass in 2017, but the sense is this will move forward this year. It would allow up to 6 people in a one bedroom, 9 people in a two bedroom and 15 people in a three bedroom. A new child added to the household would not be counted for the purposes of occupants. Are rents and occupancies the triggers that are drawing attention to occupancy standards? In Seattle, I have to earn over $55,000 to afford a one-bedroom unit. If I have a family that pushes me to a two and that salary would need to be over $63,000. In L.A. its almost $69,000 and $83,000 respectively. In good old Fort Worth, its literally half of the L.A. number. Rents and occupancies are due for some correction soon and that may slow down the tide of rising occupancy standards, but let’s not expect it to go away. With the lack of affordable housing in the U.S., the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies in its 2017 report concludes that nearly half of the renter households are cost-burdened. The unsettling change now is that 83% of low -income households fall into that definition, but now half of those earning $30-45K are cost-burdened and 23% of those earning $45k-$75k are cost-burdened. So fair housing is all about equal access and enjoyment of rental housing. But if housing is priced out of a reasonable price, the rules about that access may have to change for good. Stay up to date on this topic as changing protections become more and more challenging. Susan Weston, Alpha-Barnes Real Estate, is an experienced multifamily practitioner, educator and presenter. For any questions about this article, contact her at sweston@abres.com education \| NAA credentials \| volunteering \| leadership \| car giveaway \| pillow talk \| leasing \| fair housing \| aatc events \| market outlook \| diva \| past magazines \| member services \| TAA Lease \| maintenance \| Legislative \| community service \| government \| membership \| career development \| Redbook \| apartment data \| 50th anniversary	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1313
__label__cc	0.51536	0.48464	State Board tells districts Transitional Kindergarten is a must Probably the strongest indication of how the State Board of Education would vote on waiver requests from nine school districts seeking to delay the start of Transitional Kindergarten came from the districts themselves; not a single representative showed up to even try to argue their case. On Wednesday afternoon, the Board unanimously agreed with Department of Education analysts and rejected the waiver applications. That decision sent a clear message to other districts, said Scott Moore, Preschool California’s senior policy director. “There was a sense of people are watching this to see how the State Board acts,” said Moore. “Granting them a waiver to not provide public education to these students isn’t something that they feel is legal.” Transitional Kindergarten is a new program, but doesn’t involve new students. The same bill that raised California’s age requirement for kindergarten created TK to provide the kids who miss the new cutoff with an additional year of kindergarten the way it used to be; puppets, play kitchens, and an introduction to phonics. Because these children would have been in regular kindergarten anyway, TK doesn’t cost the state any more money. But Gov. Brown tried to spin it as a new program and proposed eliminating its funding to help pay down the state deficit. In the few months between the time the governor released that proposal and the Legislature rejected it, a number of school districts panicked, thinking they’d have to add a new grade without any state funding to pay for it. They appealed to the State Board of Education for an extra year to put the program into place. This has all been incredibly frustrating to Democratic State Senator Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, who authored SB 1381, the bill that established Transitional Kindergarten. “What’s a little bit surprising to me is that it is still not fully understood now, almost two years after the bill passed,” Sen. Simitian told EdSource. For example, in a separate waiver request, a charter school wrote that it only had four children displaced by the new age requirement and it would be too expensive to start a new class just for them. Department of Education staff recommended that the Board approve the request on the condition that the school creates a split TK/kindergarten class. But the bill already gives schools and districts the flexibility to implement TK however they want, Simitian said, as long as it’s age and developmentally appropriate. The State Board put off a decision on that request until its next meeting. So, on the belief that you can never explain things too often, Simitian went before the State Board to give a synopsis of SB 1381 in an effort to clear up confusion. “I think the Board appreciated the recap on just how much flexibility we built into the system, and the fact that we had two years to plan, so this wasn’t something that we simply rolled out in the fall without notice,” said Simitian. “That being said, I think it’s important to remember these are the exceptions to the rule. The buzz we get from around the state is quite positive that people are really excited that this is one of the few bright spots on the public education horizon.” Early LearningState Education PolicyState Board of EducationTransitional KindergartenJoe Simitian Melinda Kanter-Levy 2 years ago2 years ago Is it legal for a school district in Marin County to not offer a TK program in 2017-2018? Bea 7 years ago7 years ago How does TK apportionment work in basic aid school districts? Kathryn Baron 7 years ago7 years ago Bea, According to the state department of education, TK students are the same as kindergarten students for the purposes of funding. Then by that same logic, charter schools must be compelled to comply, correct? el 7 years ago7 years ago There have always been some fees for higher income families. The new rules are that there has to be some sort of fee for nearly every family, even a minimal fee that does nothing to fund the program but will cause hardship for the families and discourage them from enrolling the kids. Our school would be better off financially waiving the fees than we will be collecting them. That's not something you see every day. But, … Read More There have always been some fees for higher income families. The new rules are that there has to be some sort of fee for nearly every family, even a minimal fee that does nothing to fund the program but will cause hardship for the families and discourage them from enrolling the kids. Our school would be better off financially waiving the fees than we will be collecting them. That’s not something you see every day. But, the law requires the school to institute bureaucracy to collect the fees (I guess we have nothing better to do with our day). The parents we most need to get going in school culture and the kids who most need a head start before kindergarten have elected not to enroll…. which I believe is exactly as someone intended. At this point I believe that it isn’t about saving money or raising money for the program, but about punishing poor people for having kids. And indirectly, about punishing poor kids for not choosing wealthier parents. The real losers will be all the kids in kindergarten next year, who will have that many more classmates underprepared for school. We've been focused on Transitional Kindergarten, but I didn't fully understand until today the cuts that are being implemented to the state preschool system. That there were cuts, I knew. But the parent fees are far more problematic than I realized - fees that apply down to incomes of $13,000. The school - the free public school! - is obligated to collect the money from these very low income parents. This is going to be … Read More We’ve been focused on Transitional Kindergarten, but I didn’t fully understand until today the cuts that are being implemented to the state preschool system. That there were cuts, I knew. But the parent fees are far more problematic than I realized – fees that apply down to incomes of $13,000. The school – the free public school! – is obligated to collect the money from these very low income parents. This is going to be their introduction to the California school system. Among some of the issues: – The school has no mechanisms or systems to bill parents monthly. With less money, the school is expected to set up a billing system for 20 odd students… each most likely for different amounts. – What if the parents stop paying a few months into the school year? Is the principal – who will also be the principal of the elementary school they attend – obligated to call the parents and tell them that the kids cannot attend preschool until the bill is paid? What happens when we expect them to show up for kindergarten (transitional or otherwise)? – And finally – aren’t these low income kids the ones that we MOST want to get into preschool, the families we most want to make a productive and healthy and supportive relationship with? Talk about penny-wise and pound foolish. This is horrible. How the heck did we allow this to go through without a fuss? The crazy thing is that this is the 'nice' version. The January proposed budget would have cut over half a billion. As it is it's 'only' 130m. Here is a good site for overview info: http://www.preschoolcalifornia.org/get-involved/updates/2012/state-budget-cuts-to-child.html There is a fact sheet on there that mentions that had the cut proposed in January gone through, the program would have seen a 40% reduction in funding since 08-09. Corrections had a 15% reduction in that time. I guess we need … Read More The crazy thing is that this is the ‘nice’ version. The January proposed budget would have cut over half a billion. As it is it’s ‘only’ 130m. Here is a good site for overview info: http://www.preschoolcalifornia.org/get-involved/updates/2012/state-budget-cuts-to-child.html There is a fact sheet on there that mentions that had the cut proposed in January gone through, the program would have seen a 40% reduction in funding since 08-09. Corrections had a 15% reduction in that time. I guess we need to invest in our future, of not one way, then the other.. The thing I’m not sure about is whether the November trigger cuts will further impact preschool. Fwiw, munger’s proposal sends 10% of its money into early childhood education in the first 3 years and then 15% thereafter. Here is a nice cheat sheet. http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/prop-38-cheat-sheet-molly-mungers-tax-for-education.html Concerned Parent 7 years ago7 years ago Aspire Public Schools have turned us away numerous times, stating they will not be offering Transitional Kinder. It was so difficult to enroll my daughter in another school that was offering Tk, since Aspire is our home school. Nonetheless we were able to get a permit and enroll my daughter in another school. But why do I have to jump all these hoops when it has been stated many times that ALL … Read More Aspire Public Schools have turned us away numerous times, stating they will not be offering Transitional Kinder. It was so difficult to enroll my daughter in another school that was offering Tk, since Aspire is our home school. Nonetheless we were able to get a permit and enroll my daughter in another school. But why do I have to jump all these hoops when it has been stated many times that ALL school have to offer TK. Is it worth it to keep fighting for this? Is it too late? What can I do? Eric Premack 7 years ago7 years ago Even if one buys the argument that TK is mandated for districts, which it arguably isn't, it's yet another stretch to say charter schools are required to offer it. The law says that offering TK is required as a condition of receiving TK funding. One reasonable interpretation of this is that, if a district takes the funding, it must admit TK students and that if a district opts not to take the bait, it doesn't … Read More Even if one buys the argument that TK is mandated for districts, which it arguably isn’t, it’s yet another stretch to say charter schools are required to offer it. The law says that offering TK is required as a condition of receiving TK funding. One reasonable interpretation of this is that, if a district takes the funding, it must admit TK students and that if a district opts not to take the bait, it doesn’t have to admit TK students or run TK programs. If, for the sake of discussion, the law does mandate districts to admit such students, it’s yet another stretch to argue that charter schools must admit them. The law requires that charter schools, as a condition of taking TK funding, to ensure that TK age students be admitted to a TK program “maintained by the district.” It makes no mention of requiring the charter school to admit the students to a program maintained by the charter school. On the waiver issue . . . charter schools currently lack the authority to request waivers from the State Board–the charter version of a waiver law sunset several years ago. In practice, the Board allows district boards to request them on the behalf of charter schools. Some districts will do this, others refuse. SRB, Senator Simitian and the California Department of Education maintain that the Transitional Kindergarten bill does apply to charter schools. Here's what the state education code states: Section 48000 (c) As a condition of receipt of apportionment for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 46300, a school district or charter school shall ensure the following: (1) In the 2012-13 school year, a child who will have his or her fifth birthday between November … Read More SRB, Senator Simitian and the California Department of Education maintain that the Transitional Kindergarten bill does apply to charter schools. Here’s what the state education code states: Section 48000 (c) As a condition of receipt of apportionment for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 46300, a school district or charter school shall ensure the (1) In the 2012-13 school year, a child who will have his or her fifth birthday between November 2 and December 2 shall be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the school fifth birthday between October 2 and December 2 shall be admitted to (3) In the 2014-15 school year and each school year thereafter, a child who will have his or her fifth birthday between September 2 and December 2 shall be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the school district. (d) For purposes of this section, “transitional kindergarten” means the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. (e) A transitional kindergarten shall not be construed as a new program or higher level of service. Charter school associations dispute this. Charter schools (as do all public schools) have a lot of flexibility under the TK law in how to offer the program. They can do a separate class or a split class with kindergarten – as long as the instruction for the TK kids is tailored to them. The latter is what the State Board of Education will consider at its next meeting for a Riverside County charter that’s seeking a waiver. SRB 7 years ago7 years ago So is the process similar in that charter schools need to ask for a waiver at the State level? or at the chartering agency level? Also isn’t it a bit late to consider waivers …less than a month before school starts? Kathy Baron 7 years ago7 years ago A charter school needs to seek a waiver from the State Board of Education. As for the timing of waivers, it does seem a bit late. As Sen. Simitian has said, districts have had 2 years to plan for TK. His bill passed in 2010. Both the State Board of Education and the legislation seem pretty silent on charter schools. Does that mandate apply to charter schools? And will it be up to the chartering agencies to monitor it?	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1318
__label__cc	0.580162	0.419838	This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, process and distribute your information, including Personal Data which includes certain identifiable information about you, like your name, email, address, telephone number, bank account details, payment information, support or contact queries, online community comments and so on. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. This Privacy Policy may be amended from time to time with changes, additions and deletions, at our sole discretion. You should check this page regularly to ensure that you are aware of any changes. Your continued use of the website following any amendments indicates that you accept the amendments. In the event of a material change, we will let you know via email and / or a prominent notice on our Website. By using our Website or its content, you consent to this Privacy Policy as at May 2018, whether or not you have read it. What personal information do we collect, use and disclose? 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__label__cc	0.532105	0.467895	About IoE Blogs on IoE This blog is hosted on Ideas on Europe Europe of Knowledge Implementing the Triple Helix model in Ukraine: Means-ends decoupling at the state level National Technical University of Ukraine ‘Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute’ Photo credits: Oksana Turysheva Myroslava Hladchenko During the last decades, the development of the knowledge economy in Western societies has significantly changed both the roles played by universities and the relationship between the university, industry and government, resulting in the emergence of the Triple Helix (Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff 2000) as one of the global models of world society (Meyer 2010). The main idea behind the Triple Helix lies in the expansion of the role of knowledge in social development more broadly and of the university in the economy more specifically (Etzkowitz 2002). The university is expected to extend its traditional missions of knowledge transmission (teaching) and production (research) to include economic and social development (Pinheiro et al. 2015; Benneworth et al. 2015). Similar to other global models of world society, the Triple Helix originates and has been applied in the context of developed or mature economies, but less developed countries have also made attempts to implement this global model into their specific national contexts. Meanwhile, the specific national context as an institutional environment can be characterised by a high degree of institutional complexity caused by means-ends decoupling at the state level (Hladchenko and Westerheijden 2018; Hladchenko et al. 2018). Means-ends decoupling (Bromley and Powell 2012) at the state level implies that policies and practices of the state are disconnected from its core goal of creating public welfare. Such means-ends decoupling occurs, for instance, in oligarchic economies, where the state is captured by exploitative, rent-seeking oligarchies in business and politics. This bleak picture describes numerous post-communist countries, one of which is Ukraine. In a recent article ‘Implementing the Triple Helix model: Means-ends decoupling at the state level?’, co-authored with Romulo Pinheiro we explore how means-ends decoupling at the state level affected the implementation of the Triple Helix model in Ukraine. The data emanate from personal interviews with the senior managers of four universities and science parks established within them who were directly involved with the pursuit of public policy geared towards promoting the implementation of the Triple Helix in Ukraine. For our research we selected the science parks located in universities with different disciplinary profiles: Technical University, Classical University, University of Economics and University of Life Sciences. Means-ends decoupling at the state level Decoupling is one of the main concepts of sociological institutionalism. Bromley and Powell (2012) distinguish between policy-practice and means-ends decoupling. The former refers to a gap between policy and practice, the classical object of implementation studies. The latter refers to a gap between practices and outcomes (Bromley and Powell 2012), that is, policies are executed according to plan yet intended outcomes are not achieved. It occurs because the implemented practices are compartmentalised from the core goals of the actor in question, e.g., state, organisation, individual (Bromley and Powell 2012). Consequently, means-ends decoupling entails an “efficiency gap” (Dick 2015) and the diversion of critical resources (Bromley and Powell 2012). Means-ends decoupling at the state level results in institutional complexity for organisations when they confront incompatible prescriptions emanating from a single or multiple institutional logics, thus experiencing institutional complexity (Meyer and Höllerer 2016). Meanwhile, institutional complexity promotes organisations in applying means-ends decoupling to attain legitimacy (Bromley and Powell 2012). Backdrop to the Case: Means-Ends Decoupling at the State Level in Ukraine Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was established as an independent state in 1991 which also involved the transition to a market economy. However, state policies aimed at lustration, de-Sovietisation and decommunisation were not adopted and civil society remained underdeveloped. Moreover, inconsistently implemented privatization allowed a post-Soviet oligarchy consisting of the Soviet political elite and actors from the Soviet shadow economy to emerge. Drawing on our theoretical framework, in the Ukrainian case, means-ends decoupling was sustained at the state level, as the policies and practices of the state were disconnected from its core goal of creating public welfare. It resulted in inconsistencies within the institutional logic of the state, leading to a high degree of institutional complexity experienced by organisations and individuals that did not belong to the privileged group of so-called “rent seekers”. Diffusion and Implementation of the Triple Helix in Ukraine The diffusion of the Triple Helix model in the Ukrainian context was initiated by the National Technical University of Ukraine ‘Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute’, acting as an institutional entrepreneur. In the period 2004–06, KPI participated in the EU’s TEMPUS project together with European higher education institutions. As a result of this collaboration the first Ukrainian science park (Kyivska Polytechnika) was established in 2006. In 2009-2010, in the context of implementation of the Triple Helix model in Ukraine, the government awarded the status of ‘research university’ to 13 flagship universities. However, the implementation of the Triple Helix in Ukraine turned into means-ends decoupling at the state level due to the rent-seeking behaviour of the powerful actors from the governmental institutions. Urgent domestic reforms to foster the knowledge economy were not undertaken while the research universities lacked funding for infrastructure. Means-ends decoupling at the state level – the cause of the diversion of intellectual capital Means-ends decoupling at the state level, caused by the rent-seeking behaviour of business and political oligarchies, led to the implementation of the Triple Helix model in Ukraine also reflecting a case of means-ends decoupling. Consequently, contradictions within the institutional logic of the state resulted in a high degree of institutional complexity experienced by the science parks established at the case universities. What is more, means-ends decoupling at the state level causes the means and ends of the organisational actors to be also decoupled due to the institutional complexity that they confront. That is, institutional complexity triggers means-ends decoupling at the organisational level, as claimed by Bromley and Powell (2012). In addition, the more senior managers of the university and the science park maintain the logic of confidence in practices that deviate from the Triple Helix model, the greater rent-seeking and means-ends decoupling at the organisational level. One of the many negative consequences of means-ends decoupling at the state level and rent-seeking behaviour of powerful actors in governmental institutions is the loss of intellectual capital through brain drain. Thus, the longer means-ends decoupling and rent-seeking will persist both at the state and organisational levels, the further will Ukraine move away from the so-called ‘world society’ and its corresponding institutional arrangements. Myroslava Hladchenko is an associate professor at the University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. Benneworth, Paul, Harry de Boer, and Ben Jongbloed. 2015. Between good intentions and urgent stakeholder pressures: Institutionalizing the universities’ third mission in the Swedish context. European Journal of Higher Education 5(3): 280–296. Bromley, Patricia, and Walter Powell. 2012. From smoke and mirrors to walking the talk: Decoupling in the contemporary world. The Academy of Management Annals 6(1): 483–530. Dick, Penny. 2015. From rational myth to self-fulfilling prophecy? Understanding the persistence of means-ends decoupling as a consequence of the latent functions of policy enactment. Organization Studies 36(7): 897-924. Etzkowitz, Henry, and Loet Leydesdorff. 2000. The dynamics of innovation: From national systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations. Research Policy 29: 109–123. Hladchenko, Myroslava, and Romulo Pinheiro. 2018. Implementing the Triple Helix Model: Means-Ends Decoupling at the State Level? Minerva First Online: 7 July 2018. Hladchenko, Myroslava, Don Westerheijden, and Harry de Boer. 2018. Means-ends decoupling at the state level and managerial responses to multiple organisational identities in Ukrainian research universities. Higher Education Research & Development: 1-14 Hladchenko, Myroslava, and Don Westerheijden. 2018. Means-ends decoupling and academic identities in Ukrainian university after the Revolution of Dignity. European Journal of Higher Education 8(2): 152-168. Meyer, John. 2010. World society, institutional theory, and the actor. Annual Review of Sociology 36: 1–20. Meyer, Renate, and Markus Höllerer. 2016. Laying a smoke screen: Ambiguity and neutralization as strategic responses to intra-institutional complexity. Strategic Organization 14(4): 373-406. Pinheiro, Rómulo, Patricio Langa, and Attila Pausits. 2015. One and two equals three? The third mission of higher education institutions. European Journal of Higher Education 5(3): 233–249. Grand societal global challenges: fashion or… What we can learn about policy circulation by using… Making and Doing Technoscientific Futures Better Knowledge, Policymaking and Learning for European… Higher Education and Regional Development: Tales… View all posts by Europe of Knowledge → This entry was posted in Education, Global & International, Politics & Public Policy, Publications & Events, Science & Technology, The EU and tagged higher education, knowledge economy, research collaboration, research policy, universities. Bookmark the permalink. Previous: ECPR 2018 – Politics of higher education, research and innovation Next: Higher Education and Regional Development: Tales from Northern and Central Europe This is the official blog for ECPR Standing Group on Knowledge Politics and Policies. (Previously - ECPR Standing Group on the Politics of Higher Education, Research and Innovation). We started as UACES's collaborative research network on the European Research Area (2013-2016). This Standing Group brings together scholars whose work relates to the deeply interconnected fields of higher education, research, and innovation to encourage debates and research on the politics and policies in these areas. Over the past decades, several developments have contributed to the growing political significance of higher education, research, and innovation in international, regional, and national arenas. The aim of this blog is to communicate our research findings to the wider international, academic and policy communities. Dr Inga Ulnicane coordinates this blog on behalf of the Standing Group. About the ERA CRN Higher Education in the 21st Century: Changes and Challenges Ahead Rescaling a Think Tank Model at European Level Hopes, beliefs, and concerns: narratives in German and Portuguese universities regarding Brexit How do we manage knowledge? Let us count the ways Conceptualizing major institutional change in higher education Australia Bologna process careers engagement EU enlargement Europe 2020 European Area of Skills and Qualifications European Higher Education Area European Research Area European Research Council Europe of Knowledge expertise Framework Programme future higher education history Horizon 2020 innovation policy interdisciplinarity international collaboration interview knowledge economy knowledge networks Lithuanian Presidency mobility regional development regional innovation systems regional integration research collaboration Research funding research impact research infrastructure research policy science-society science diplomacy social network analysis social sciences and humanities societal challenges talent migration teacher training UACES ERA CRN universities university rankings vocational training Western Balkans Democracy & Citizenship (1) Economics & Trade (6) Global & International (57) Law & Justice (4) Politics & Public Policy (88) Publications & Events (51) Science & Technology (57) Security & Defence (1) Society & Culture (2) The EU (75) UACES and Ideas on Europe do not take responsibility for opinions expressed in articles on blogs hosted on Ideas on Europe. All opinions are those of the contributing authors. © UACES 2020	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1324
__label__wiki	0.560189	0.560189	Glen Plake The original mohawk is the legend of (free)skiing and one of the nicest guys around! NAME: Glen Plake WITH ELAN SINCE: 12/07/13 BORN: 09/09/64 DISCIPLINE: Freeride HOME RESORT: Chamonix, France SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Glen Plake is a skier’s skier. What else would you call a man who first raced alpine disciplines, went on to freestyle, switched to moguls and then just kept going. His personality is as eclectic as his skiing career, as Plake has never allowed himself to be boxed in by established rules or norms. He is a Fully Certified L3DT PSIA Instructor/ AMGA Apprentice Mountain Guide and all around world class athlete. Plake was honored as the ESPN pioneer of action sports, opening the door for many of today’s heroes. In 2011, Glen was honored by the US National Ski Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the “Class of 2010” and is forever a part of ski history. He is a skiing living legend who almost singlehandedly invented his own ski discipline. In fact, he invented several. His skiing is an uncanny mix of adrenalin, art, creativity, imagination, alpine classic, loud punk and above all his unique brand of shenanigans. He is the punk rocker of skiing and his mohawk has been his trademark for more than 25 years. He’s discovered terrain never skied before and as a result new places and customs. He has skied more places on the planet than a skier could ever dream of. The Rockies, the Alps, the Himalayas, the Andes, the Chugach, Hokkaido ... He is known everywhere and has friends all over the world. Glen and his wife Kimberly are skiing vagabonds living continuously on the road and vacationing at their home in Nevada or their apartment in Chamonix France depending on the season. Elan has been his go-to brand for the past decade so he often drops by the factory in Slovenia as well. Glen doesn’t just ski on snow, he is a National Champion Waterskier in both Slalom and marathon waterski racing “skiing at over 100 mph”. He has also won multiple titles in Off-Road Rally Racing including the Baja 1000 and 500, and has participated in the Dakar Rally and is a 508 (endurance cycling) solo finisher. Today, Glen has created a learn to ski foundation, RG2 for the developing countries of Nepal, Ecuador, Peru and many more within the IFMGA mountain guide association which will educate these aspiring mountain guides with the life long skiing skills; enabling them to go faster, be safer and have confidence in their chosen mountain guiding career. Glen Plake is one of the most recognizable skiers in the world. He is living proof that skiing is a synonym for unlimited imagination and a deep personal philosophy. Many films have been made about Glen and just about all of them became global hits in the free thinking skiing circles. In short, Glen Plake is a living legend. Glen Plake Instagram	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1327
__label__cc	0.595055	0.404945	Eleven Time Zones BAM & Baikal Planned route– east to west Khabarovsk summary First day in Komsomolsk na Amure Sunrise in Komsomolsk Komsomolsk-on-Amur famous Komsomolsk and first day on the BAM Tynda! Arrival to Severobaikal’sk Goudzhekit First walk to Baikal Yes, I’m in SIberia but what I really needed was a bikini The amazing Dusya Best day maybe ever Moscow is old hat to me Rachel’s Parents Go To Russia Introducing our very special guests Failing at blogging Miami to Moscow….finally. Daniel– extra hands and extra brain From Tretyakov to Tchaikovsky… Georgian dinner The Kremlin and, later, dear friends To St. Petersburg with some Mozart Tatiana, and other beautiful things Catherine’s Palace and Putin’s birthday restaurant The Hermitage..and a late night for me Peterhof, the Cottage Palace, the metro, and a surprise dessert Rich and poor….a day with a theme Volga Volga! Why are you going to Russia in November? Arrived…exhausted…amused. The Russian Academy of Sciences The Irony Museum “Everyone needs to be proud of something”–Andrei Saratov: delightful City of Nerds Three sweaty, smelly men Kazan is BOOMING! A fucked-up travel day that was entirely my fault How’s that mid-life crisis going? An afternoon in Chuvashia Razdolye Part 1 Leaving Razdolye and “tour” of Yoshkar-Ola Back to Moscow and saying goodbye Auspicious start! Sort of. Getting comfortable Doing everything in one day Girls and pies The murder that shook the world, at least for a few days The almighty test of the rental kitchen– or everything you ever wanted to know about differences in food products Everyone has to pee somewhere May thru Sept. Rocket to Russia It will always be better than it has been Big Brother Comes to Russia Are Russians Friendly? TASS is authorized to declare…. Arkhyz October means back to Moscow Don’t try to make Sonoran dogs in Moscow The triumph of Sharif’s photo session First night in Stavropol The Conference begins… The Special Astrophysical Observatory Lunch in the Caucasus A Visit to the Moscow Asylum Office Friendship of Peoples My Tatar neighborhood An American, a Chechen, a gay Uzbek, and an Old Believer walk into a palace… Ufa, Old and New Being an American Kid in a Foreign Country On The Town! You might be a diplomat if… The Fulbright Some unavoidable politics Belgorod the Beautiful Parkovaya 5 What my days are like so far Russian Internet Dating A little more about Belgorod За Грибами 30 years of sacrifice Always say yes Belgorod vs. Tucson I followed the Moskva down to Gorky Park Hanging with the Babushki Winter– it’s no joke The cheerful cow Belgorod: What I miss now and what I will miss later Saudade in Belgorod Politicians never listen Detour to Hanoi A day without Russians Oh, those Russians! Misc! Article and a Controversy 22 Ways Russia was Hipster Before Hipster Was Even a Thing My article in Watermark Medovik\|Медовик We are what we eat Tucson could be a little more like Belgorod Russia-adjacent Welcome to Tbilisi To the west– Borjomi and farther Things I noticed about Georgia Sights close to Tbilisi Up into the Racha mountains Shhh…I’m not sure I’m supposed to be here Apparently I knew nothing about Crimea Balaklava– not the knit mask “Aeroflot is always exciting!” Moscow’s new park April 21, 2017 / 1 comment It’s snowing here today in Belgorod, so I’m especially wistful looking back at my time in and around Yalta. Yalta is the biggest city on the Southern Coast of Crimea (known as UBK to the locals), but the entire shoreline is dotted with resorts and sanatoria. During Soviet times, factories had their own sanatoria here and workers would be given trips to the sanatorium for vacation. Some of these have been refurbished into quasi-modern resorts, but, sadly, some of them were just abandoned. Soviet leaders also had their own vacation houses here, and various ministries owned resorts for their employees. After the fall of the Soviet Union, all of this became the property of the Ukrainian government. Some of these properties went into private hands, but many remained state properties. After the 2014 changeover from Ukraine to Russia, the Russian government took possession of these properties, and is reportedly hard at work restoring some of them to be used as tourist attractions. Gorbachev’s vacation house is here, the one where he was arrested during the 1991 coup attempt. The house is currently being re-built into a physical fitness complex. Svetlana, my guide, said she knew people that had worked on the original construction of Gorbachev’s house and they complained bitterly about his wife, Raisa’s, unreasonable demands (tile had to be replaced three times, etc.). Svetlana went on to say that her husband’s friends, former military, told him that Gorbachev had in fact engineered his own kidnapping to Crimea in order to gain public support, but that Yeltsin had tricked him while he was away. This doesn’t sound like any version of the story I have ever heard, but who am I to say? Gorbachev’s house is not visible from the road– of course, security did not permit that. But we stopped nearby in the town of Foros and checked out the view. I couldn’t help thinking that I wouldn’t mind being kidnapped to Foros to live in a luxurious vacation home… We made our way down to coast to Alupka, home of the Vorontsov Palace, one of the strangest palaces I have ever visited. It was built by Prince Vorontsov, who was totally in love with England. His father had been ambassador to England, so he had lived in London until he was a teenager. So the front part of the palace looks like a castle in England. It was even designed by the architect who completed the drawings for Buckingham Palace. It looks extremely, drastically, un-Russian. But then you walk around to the back of the palace, and what do you see? An Islamic-style arch. After the revolution, the palace was nationalized, and turned into a both a museum and a spa. Most of the artifacts were evacuated during the war, but the Nazis still wound up stealing a huge number of paintings, furniture, and books. In 1945, as part of the Yalta conference ending World War II, Winston Churchill lived here. He is said to have really loved the English feel of the place. It has lovely views, as does pretty much every place in Crimea. Svetlana told me that, while this palace was under Ukrainian ownership, she came upon filmmakers shooting a porno here. A quick google search does indeed reveal photos of a woman named Lena walking around the grounds naked. Outside the palace was this awesome bus stop. I don’t know if you can see, but those are little mosaic tiles decorating the backs of the seats. We continued our drive along the shore and Svetlana pointed out a neighborhood that she says is known as “Crimean Beverly Hills.” Not too shabby. Next we saw the Sparrow’s Nest, a tiny palace perched on an overhang. Farther along the coast is the Livadia Palace. There has been a palace on these grounds for hundreds of years, but this most recent iteration was constructed by Nicholas II not long before the Revolution. In fact, part of the royal family hid out here for a while before being rescued by the British royal family. The palace was occupied by Germans in both the first and second World Wars, so the majority of the royal possessions were stolen. But apparently these are some of the Romanov’s hunting trophies from that period. No clue as to whether they are really the Romanov’s. Does it really matter? The palace is most famous to Westerners are the location of the 1945 Yalta conference, where Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin worked out the details of the end of World War II. This is where they conferenced: And that famous photo of the three of them on the terrace? It was taken here: Roosevelt lived in the palace during the conference since he had such difficulty getting around. The views, as always, are spectacular. Continuing along the southern highway, we arrived in Yalta. Yalta is basically a fancy beach town. There is the equivalent of Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive right along the beach. The day I was there it was windy and chilly, but I was so excited by the surf that I nearly got soaked by a wave. On the whole, Crimea kind of reminded me of California. What with the beaches and the mountains, it’s a little bit like Los Angeles before the massive influx of humanity ruined it. There are still plenty of unspoiled areas of Crimea, but the abandoned Soviet sanatoria are a real problem. It’s clear that Ukraine either didn’t have the resources to do this or chose not to, but perhaps some savvy Russian investors will come snap up these properties. I only hope they don’t build the sort of monstrous complexes that have sprung up elsewhere in Crimea, like the Mriya Resort and Spa, which, although apparently popular, is achingly tacky. One of Svetlana’s sons has stayed there, though, and he liked it. It apparently has an elevator to the beach! rachelwils rachelwilsAuthor website To the west– Borjomi and farther \| Eleven Time Zones	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1331
__label__cc	0.522465	0.477535	ESNY Film Room: Carmelo Anthony’s Limitations Destroy Thunder’s Overall Game (Video) MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 31: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder stands on the court in the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on October 31, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) Carmelo Anthony, formerly of the New York Knicks, is now damaging the overall balanced game of the Oklahoma City Thunder with his basketball limitations. Ouch. Sometimes, film hurts. The Carmelo Anthony era in New York didn’t turn out as once expected. Only one season of 50-plus wins and a sole playoff series win went down during the seven-plus years. Everything was always blamed on everything and everybody other than Melo. CLICK HERE FOR ESNY's KNICKS TEAM CENTER Phil Jackson was obviously enemy No. 1. Amar’e Stoudemire — the very same S.T.A.T. who put himself in the MVP race early in 2010-11 — melted the rest of the way in a Knicks uniform as soon as Anthony arrived. Even Mike D’Antoni was scapegoated for a bit. Could Anthony just be the unluckiest man in the history of the NBA or is there actually something in his overall game that leads to poor team play? Decide for yourself. NEXT: What's the Next Stage in KP's Evolution? Elite Trending ESNY Video Sabo's Film Room	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1332
__label__wiki	0.666543	0.666543	Stara Zagora shines in Christmas decoration Thousands of Christmas lights flood the City of lindens in December. The lighting decoration was installed by EL KONTROL within the Project for maintenance of the street lighting in Stara Zagora Municipality. Apart from the existing decoration we delivered and installed new decorative lights and three-dimensional figures that bring a festive mood and artistic look to the central part of the city. To all our colleagues, business partners, citizens and guests of Stara Zagora, we wish you bright Christmas holidays, a prosperous and happy 2020! 20 years EL KONTROL At the end of another dynamic business year, EL KONTROL celebrated its 20th anniversary. Two decades have passed, during which the company has gone a long way in its development and growth. We have completed hundreds of projects and have had professional approach toward each one of them. We took risks, overcame difficulties and gained valuable experience. Builder of the Year for 2019 EL KONTROL received the diploma "Builder of the Year for 2019". The award was bestowed by the Representative Office of the Bulgarian Construction Chamber for Stara Zagora Region, on the annual Builder's Day Celebration. After a survey among the members of BCC in Stara Zagora, our company was ranked first in the section: Construction sites of power infrastructure. EL KONTROL has been recognized with the ABB Channel Partner Award EL KONTROL has been recognized with the ABB Channel Partner Award during the ABB Channel Partners Conference 2019 held in Palermo, Italy. The award has been bestowed during a closed official ceremony by Mr. Bekir Bekirov as Key Account Manager at ABB Bulgaria. Our company has been distinguished as the first official ABB partner for drives and motors in Bulgaria, with the longest track record and proven loyalty as a value provider. EL KONTROL has completed the first Sub-project for reconstruction of the street lighting in Stara Zagora Municipality „Krayrechen“ Boulevard in Stara Zagora has acquired a new modern look after the reconstruction of its lighting system. The Sub-project was completed by EL KONTROL within the framework of a new long-term Project for maintenance of the street lighting in Stara Zagora Municipality, which we started in August this year. Project includes maintenance and reconstruction of the street lighting in all settlements in the Municipality of Stara Zagora, as well as construction of new lighting installations, over a three-years period.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1333
__label__wiki	0.725774	0.725774	GLEB MALTSEV: “ONE SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID OF CHANGE” Maltsev Gleb “I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY WITH KAPRIZOV. WE CAN CREATE A KUZBASS DUO!”. TOP PLAYERS OF JHL CHALLENGE CUP SPEAK OUT TEAM EAST WINS CHALLENGE CUP! FIRST LOSS FOR TEAM WEST IN 7 YEARS NEW CHALLENGE CUP KUZNETSKIE MEDVEDI AND SPUTNIK SNAP THEIR LOSING STREAKS, LOKO BEAT KRASNAYA ARMIYA. JANUARY 7TH REVIEW OMSK GET EVEN WITH TOLPAR, AVTO SCORE 4 GOALS IN 5 MINUTES. JANUARY 6th REVIEW TOLPAR WIN THE CLASH BETWEEN TOP TEAMS OF THE EAST, SKA-1946 SCORE 8 UNANSWERED GOALS ON RUSSKIE VITYAZI. JANUARY 5th REVIEW TAIFUN AND SAKHALINSKIE AKULY WIN AT HOME, SKA-VARYAGI BEAT SPARTAK AND SNAP THEIR LOSING STREAK. JANUARY 4th REVIEW NOT A WORD ABOUT HOCKEY. SEMYON ASTASHEVSKY Gleb Maltsev, who lead Taifun Primorie Region defensemen in points last season, spoke to Parimatch Junior Hockey League media relations department about his transition from junior to professional hockey, changes in his career and the importance of the right mindset going into the game. - Last season you enjoyed a spike in your production. What led you to that? - Right after I joined Taifun I felt I was trusted. I was put on the ice in key situations and wasn’t benched after making mistakes. I felt that and worked hard at practices. All that led to high production. - Coach’s trust was all it took? - Yes, coach’s trust and ice-time. Everything else follows. The more you play, the more confident you get and with it come points. - Before moving to Russia’s Far East you had played close to home. Was joining Taifun a tough decision for you? - When something doesn’t work, you have to go for a change. I expected that joining a new team was going to help me to bring my play to another level, get more ice-time and help my team on the ice. That’s exactly what happened. In my opinion, you shouldn’t fear change. It can lead to a positive change in your career. - You said in one of your interviews that you keep your first career goal in junior hockey on a special shelf at your place. How many pucks are on the shelf? - I don’t count them. I usually just put there whatever they give me after that game, so I can’t give you the exact number (smiles). - What goals would you say are the most memorable for you? - My first goal was the most memorable. It gave a push to my whole career – first in junior hockey and then in professional. - What town that you’ve played in does the fan support feels better? - Obviously, in Ufa! It’s a huge city where people love their hockey. So Tolpar games always draw large crowds. Neftekamsk is smaller than Ufa but they also love hockey there and the team always has support in the stands. As the matter of fact, it’s great to play with such support. It gives you strength when times get rough. - How long did it take you to adjust to Vladivostok? - First week was difficult. New surroundings and the time difference… But I got used to it. At first, getting to arena seemed to take forever but it turned out that it’s just a matter of habit. Towards the end of the season I almost didn’t notice it. - How difficult was it to get used to long flights to European part of the country? - Actually, there weren’t that many of them. Our schedule was set up in such a way that we spent most of the first half of the season on the road and we played mostly at home in the second part. I joined the team in Nizhny Novgorod, we played several games in the European part and went to Vladivostok. After that we had a few short flights to Khabarovsk and China. We had just three 8-hour flights. - You were called up to a few practices with Admiral a few times. How useful was that experience? - Obviously, it was very important for my development! Even skating with a KHL team is a grand experience. Your teammates give you advice at practices how to do better in certain situations. It’s another approach to the game and another level to which one should aspire. - Last season you moved from Eastern Conference to Western. What are the differences between the two in your opinion? - I thought that Western Conference hockey is faster than in the East. Other than that, I didn’t notice any significant differences. - Who is the biggest Taifun rival in Junior Hockey League? - Amurskie Tigry [Khabarovsk], of course. The games against them are Far Eastern Rivalry. - You captained Taifun for several games. - There was a period when our captain was injured and I was given the offer. When he returned to ice, I became one of the alternate captains. - What did you feel when you – almost a rookie – were given the captaincy? - First of all, it was a big responsibly. Because the mindset with which the team approaches the game depends on the captain. Chemistry on ice is also an important part of the outcome. In a certain sense you help your coach to pump up the team. - Are there any secrets on how to do that? - There are no secrets. You have to be focused prior to the game because the outcome depends on everyone. If something goes wrong, you have to cheer up your teammate, help him and channel the energy in the right direction. - Who was Taifun’s leader last season? - The outcome depends on every player. Everyone has to do his share on the ice and work hard at practice. It’s difficult for me to single out anyone because success comes only with great team chemistry. - You said in one of your interviews that you never faced difficulties playing junior hockey. Is that still so? - Perhaps, last season was the most difficult for me. It was my final year in junior hockey. Early in the season I couldn’t get a roster spot, had to move to a new team and adapt. It was unnerving at first. But it ended well (smiles). - What team is going to be an eye-opener this season? - In my opinion, Tolpar should do well in the East. I know a lot of guys there and I know they have built a good team. It’s more difficult to give predictions for the West but I would like to wish Taifun good luck. There plenty of guys on the team who return from last season. We played well in the spring and with that kind of play they could battle for a playoff spot. I expect Taifun to give the fans a reason to cheer and to battle for the Kharlamov Cup. - What would you wish to those players who have just broken into Junior Hockey League? - First of all, you have to improve, develop and hone your skills. And, of course, you have to stay true to hockey’s main law – you have to listen to your coach and do as he tells you at practices and games.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1339
__label__cc	0.58571	0.41429	Professional Freelance Novel Editor “I Stopped Reading When…” Editor Critiques – Volume 5 Publishers, agents, and readers all make quick decisions about what they want to read. Below are my first impressions of twenty novel openings written by Novel Boot Camp participants. I stopped reading (and ended the excerpt) at the point that I was no longer interested in continuing. I also included comments about why the story didn’t catch my interest. Please play along by tracking which books you would want to continue reading. There will be a poll at the end of the post. When determining whether a first page is indicative of publishable writing, these are the elements typically considered: Voice – Is the voice strong, unique, and consistent? Clarity – Is it easy to follow what’s going on? Connection – Is the character easy to connect with? Conflict – Is there conflict or the promise of conflict? “I Stopped Reading When…” Aryas’ face looked like he had already lost the war, big circles under his eyes were accompanied by mud as he and several of his men were hiding behind a small ruined wall. The rain was dripping from his helmet, the soaked red plume from front to back only hinting at its normal majesty. “Don’t worry commander, today we destroy these pointy eared bastards.” A familiar hand on his shoulder accompanied the equally familiar voice. Aryas looked up at his old friend Cugarta, now his second. He was well aware that he owed his command to the deaths of those who outranked him and thus relied heavily on the officers still with him. Three years was an eternity to besiege an enemy city. Notes: The writing is close, but needs a bit of work. Some of the word choices are awkward or unnatural. For example “were accompanied by mud” and “accompanied the equally familiar voice.” This is both word repetition and it’s not as evocative as it could be. “Thus relied heavily” also reads awkwardly formal. Verdict: Not Hooked 2. Mainstream It was raining. That’s what I most remember of that day. I guess there was a mass. I guess the priest called out the rosary, prayers were chanted, automatic responses extracted from the huddling masses cowering underneath umbrellas, a field of somber black and occasional riot of color. To me it was a blur, chanting of ritual prayers a buzzing in my head. A radio station hard to tune in. Notes: I like the concept but there are a few awkward spots in the writing. “The huddling masses” pulled me out of the story a bit because the wording doesn’t seem natural. “And occasional riot of color” reads awkwardly and should probably be “with the occasional riot of color.” “A radio station hard to tune in” reads awkwardly and should probably be “hard to tune into.” 3. YA Mystery I imagined other young ladies seldom found themselves in such a questionable state –crawling among the shadows of a dank, deserted emporium like some marauder. But I, being a Holmes, welcomed these singular predicaments. Crouching under a counter, I swiped my black bangs aside and held up the anonymous telegram wired to Scotland Yard, the cryptic words lit by a sliver of moonlight. ‘YFITOZIB NRWMRTSG. MLGGRMTSZN QVDVOVIH’ Given the Yard’s usual state of incompetence, it hardly came as a surprise those bunglers had failed to decipher so simple a message, and with Uncle Sherlock attending to a case in Paris, the Yard turned to me. It wasn’t difficult to see the words formed a substitution cipher of reversed alphabets: A’s replaced Z’s, B’s replaced Y’s, C’s with X’s, etc until the message read: ‘BURGLARY MIDNIGHT. NOTTINGHAM JEWELERS’ As usual, once my deductive powers provided the Scotland-Yarders the information they required, they cast me to the sidelines, refusing me to partake in their investigations. I presumed their sentiments stemmed their primeval notions of the ‘weaker sex’. I snorted and flexed the digits sticking out from my glove. If only they knew of the more unconventional powers at my disposal… Notes: I like the idea, but there’s too much telling in this opening. I would let the current scene play out without much interruption and then show her help being rejected by Scotland Yard in an active scene/dialogue. The voice in the opening paragraph is probably too dated to appeal to teens, though I understand why you made this narrative choice, so it’s more a matter of opinion. 4. YA Fantasy Bernarda manages to pull the bucket out from the well and onto its rocky ledge, in spite of her small frame. A sigh leaves her breath when she sets the tattered vessel on the callous ground. She reminisces of her beloved home, in Pierdras Negras, her family left behind eight months before, to settle in this rugged new land. Notes: “Small frame” isn’t cliche but is an overused description in my opinion. The action in this scene isn’t inherently interesting and the voice isn’t strong enough to catch the reader’s attention on its own. “A sigh leaves her breath” is awkwardly worded. Avoid repeating the adjective-noun construction: “rocky ledge,” “tattered vessel,” “callous ground,” “beloved home.” Used too often, it gives the writing an awkward rhythm. 5. Literary On the second Monday of September, Judy Talton put on the new jeans she’d run through three washing cycles and a fatigue jacket she’d found at the Salvation Army resale shop, went to the Student Union, and took a seat for the first time on the Freak side of the Tune Room. She waited to see what would happen. She’d only been here twice before, once with some other girls from her dorm who’d gone to meet guys, and the other with a lame Sigma Pi fix up. But that had been last year, before it mattered where you sat, before the looming draft Lottery had made the Tune Room the focal point for opposing campus factions—Greeks and Freaks. She crossed her legs to cover the still too-bright orange threads that snaked down her seams and considered the entire expanse of the room, splattered in as many posters against the war as for next month’s Homecoming game. Notes: The voice is awkward in spots. The first sentence is a challenge to read and runs on for too long. The reader doesn’t know why “three washing cycles is relevant initially which contributes to the confusion. I don’t know what a “Tune Room” is, but maybe other readers will understand this. I would like more sense of motivation, goal, or conflict to keep the reader interested. 6. MG Mystery Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and mini-me Elvis walk into a crowded middle school cafeteria. Sounds like the set-up for a great joke, right? There was nothing funny about it. At lunch I was peeling back a rubbery taco shell to see what was so squishy inside, when the giggling started. My best friend Owen said, “Uh-oh. Parental units incoming.” I turned around. Uh-oh was right. Dad had on his wedding white jumpsuit covered in bling with peacock feathers running down the legs. His chest toupee fluffed out from a deep V and his head hair had so much wax in it, it shone like hard plastic in the bright fluorescent lights. Mom wore her pink satin strapless gown, platinum white wig, stick-on mole and bright red lipstick. My four-year-old brother Robby was decked out in an identical kid-size version of Dad’s outfit. Mom swished her skirt and sang in a breathy voice that sounded like she’d gotten the wind knocked out of her, “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday Miss Trew-ew.” She grabbed me in a hug so tight, I thought my eyeballs might pop right out of my skull. Instead one of her fake boobs popped out the top of her dress. Notes: I think the references to Elvis and Marilyn Monroe are largely going to be lost on middle grade readers, but this isn’t necessarily a big deal if other elements of the opening are compelling. “Wedding white,” and “fluorescent lights” don’t sound like descriptions that would come from a child. The descriptions could be clearer since you’re shooting for a young audience. For example “fake hair glued on his chest” would mean a lot more to a nine-year-old reader than “chest toupee.” 7. Thriller Missy splashed Tad and swam out to deeper water. She signaled for him to follow as she bounced up and down off the gravel river bed. She grew tired of lounging in the warmest part of the river cove. It was more like sitting in a bath than cooling off, and the day warmed to a muggy eighty-eight degrees. Only a day at the river made the heat tolerable. A day that dogs stretched out on shady porches; elderly people stayed inside with the air blowing full blast. Kids flocked to the river swimming hole for relief. Dozens of tanned bodies piled into the cove this summer day. It was a wide “C” shaped swimming hole with a white gravel beach. This area had no water current. Anyone who ventured beyond the cove could get pulled away by the undertow. Some people paddled boats up and down the river, but the younger kids preferred the safety of the cove. Trees and brush lined the shoreline making it seem remote though the town was nearby. This appealed to kids of all ages, particularly Missy. Notes: There’s nothing inherently captivating about this opening. You set the scene well, but there’s too much focus on describing the cove and not enough focus on pulling the reader into the story with personality, conflict, motivation, etc. I would specify that Missy is a child in the opening paragraph to avoid any confusion. 8. MG Mainstream Nico Sandoval-Arthur was a fat hispanic kid with two dads and no mom. Now you’re probably thinking ‘what a loser,’ which just shows how wrong a person can be because Nico’s life was awesome. That morning Dad had woken up and had a brainwave, and it was about time. It was his first one since ‘Letters for Polar Bears’ and he’d been like a polar bear in a hot desert ever since its collapse. Nico’s other dad, Clive, was singing when he made breakfast. Clive knew that Dad working on one of his brainwaves meant fun and adventure for all three of them. Notes: I like the premise, and I like what you’re trying to do with the opening, but the voice isn’t working for me. I don’t think most readers will associate being fat, Hispanic, and having two dads with being a “loser,” which means you’re incorrectly assessing your reader’s opinion in the second sentence. This can create an immediate disconnect. There’s no hint of conflict. “HAIR LIKE round snake.” There was complete silence. “Hair like telephone wire, papa.” She added after some thought. “Hair like nest.” Now she turned around to face Tara. In full display of bad duel etiquette, Tara’s-lack-of-experience-with-children sat there like the elephant in this car. She opened her mouth to say something and closed it. In all potential scenarios she was the loser. “Hair like mad grass.” The girl tilted her face and studied Tara’s head with an acute eye that only comes with years of experience. “Hair like broomsticks.” She declared. Notes: I don’t know what’s going on in this opening. I assume they’re playing some kind of game. My interest isn’t piqued enough to want to continue reading to figure it out. 10. YA Science Fiction El always said that the insane aren’t believers. Now, I see what she means. For weeks I’ve felt normal, like my old self again,as if I’m at home instead of in rehab. Hours out of your body, lost time, brain wandering through simulation after simulation, catheters and tubing awash in a flux of endless chemicals, all in the name of treatment- it’s no wonder I appear to them as insane. Each hit edges me away from the pain, and I start to feel something akin to normal. Not that any one of us as humans know the definition of the word. Notes: I don’t know what the first sentence is supposed to mean in relation to the rest of the paragraph. The last sentence is fairly cliché as not knowing the definition of normal is a pretty common concept. Overall, the voice isn’t strong enough. 11. MG Fantasy Arion glowered, “I thought you two wanted to be in the army. What’s changed, Rainia? Have you become a coward overnight?” The Pixie shrugged helplessly, “It’s not like it don’t want to join. It’s just…. Arion, don’t you think you’re taking this a little too far? If we all simply waited a year—” “But I don’t want to wait a year! Don’t you understand? The war is starting now, and if I don’t join soon, I might never get the chance. You and Ferik were going to help me. We were going to do this together. What in the realm could have possibly changed your mind?” Notes: This doesn’t read like middle grade. Dropping the reader into this dialogue is more confusing than it is intriguing. There aren’t any hints of a unique story, strong voice, or compelling conflict. A war between/among fantasy creatures is extremely common so the opening needs more to stand out. 12. YA Fantasy Mr. Rothenburg had a family once, a wife, and a daughter. Until a freak accident stole his little girl from him. She was only seven when it happened. Shortly after the accident—about year later—his wife left, unable to cope with the loss of their child, nor with the husband who crawled into a bottle to try and forget, or at the very least, to carry himself in a perpetual cycle of numbness. Notes: There’s nothing about this that seems like YA. This reads more like a query letter or synopsis rather than a novel opening. There’s too much telling. 13. MG Mainstream Henry McCarthy was miserable. This was going to be the worst summer vacation ever! He jammed a blue push pin into the world map hanging on the wall next to his bed. The pin now covered London, England. A hundred colored pins peppered the map. These were all the places he wanted to travel to someday. He wanted to have adventures just like his mom and dad. But was he going to London or Egypt or Africa this summer? Nooo! Henry and his little sister Abigale were going to Nantucket Island to stay with their mother’s Great Aunt Maggie. Mom and dad were going to London to work at the Natural History Museum. Notes: The opening concept of having the worst summer vacation ever isn’t particularly fresh or unique. It’s a bit confusing why he’s putting a pushpin on London. Does he use the map to mark where he wants to go or where his parents are going? 14. Historical The sound of gunfire, distant but distinct, interrupting a fitful dream. Victorine raised up with a start, sleep’s languor quickly departing like darkness does when so much as a candle is lit. She looked over at the tall bedroom windows, which had been left half open to ease the withering July heat. The young woman sat and listened closely, but all she heard was the gentle cooing of doves on the roof above. An only child, her father the Count had taught her to hunt from an early age upon the wide-open game wardens which were part of the Lafourcade family estate outside Soissons. She was quite familiar with the sound of gunfire. Notes: Opening with a character waking up is a trope. I would like more personality or voice to catch the reader’s interest. Travelers who wander through Shandura say that it possesses an inspirational beauty comparable to the joy you feel when you finally reach the top of a mountain and are rewarded with a breathtaking view. Well, that’s what the Shortfellow family felt every time they travelled throughout the once magical realm of Shandura, with its exotic lush forests, flowering meadows, grasslands and wetlands teaming with life, all except for one region, Raven’s Knoll. There was no way you could just, stumble upon Raven’s Knoll. It was located at the extreme north end of Shandura. Perched high on its solid rock peninsula, it was the perfect place for the inhabitants to isolate themselves from the rest of the world, and they deliberately planned it that way. The inhabitants had masterfully carved out of the mountain, an enormous foreboding wall facing all of the land, creating the illusion of a massive dark fortress towering over the tiny villages that were scattered across the valley below. The one and only narrow, winding road going in or out had also been hollowed out of the granite cliffs. It had not always been that way, but those that now lived there, specifically designed the road to make anyone who dared enter, feel small and helpless. This is where a very old Diddikai Shortfellow, leading his clan of Hopgoblins was going. Hops as they were affectionately called after the natural spring in their step, were pudgy little people that seldom grew taller than four feet high, with big pointed ears, plump cheeks and big round noses and would never admit that they were distantly related to the evil Hobgoblins. Notes: Overall, this kept my attention throughout and the writing is strong. The first sentence is my biggest complaint because reaching the top of a mountain isn’t something most readers can relate to so the comparison isn’t particularly illuminating. I would expect a young protagonist to be introduced soon as most modern middle grade readers struggle to connect to a conflict without a young protagonist. Verdict: Hooked Taylor May Dawson was sure this would be the chocolate recipe to finally win the contest and beat her friend, her nemesis, Sierra. She jokingly referred to her in private, as her “Fremesis”. Taylor slid her stylishly large framed glasses up close to her face with one finger and with the other hand, scattered one more handful of rainbow colored sprinkles across her chocolaty creation. Taylor loved her some sprinkles. It was gooey, chocolaty, and loaded with colorful sprinkles. What a winner, she thought. Although her chances of winning were good, she has yet to win. There were only three of them in the club, Sierra, Aleah, and herself. They proudly called themselves “The Chocolate Gossip Party”. Notes: I like the idea, but the narration doesn’t flow well and is awkward in several places. For example, the repetition of “sprinkles” is clunky. I’d like to know more about why Taylor wants to beat Sierra. I would also like to be moved more quickly into the scene and setting. 17. Literary The smell of oil soap lingered from the sanctuary into the kitchen of fellowship hall kitchen where Genevieve filled communion cups with grape juice. Gen watched the gardener circle his mower around the Stonebrook Methodist Church sign through the window and remembered helping Ms. Harden fill communion cups on the Saturdays when she was a little girl. Of all of the foster parents Gen and her sisters were sent to, Ms. Harden was the kindest. She used to say that each one of the communion cups represented forgiveness. She warned them to forgive at least one person of wrongdoing every time they had the Lord’s Supper, otherwise if they died before the next communion Sunday they would surely go to hell. If Gen took the time to recall every offense in her life, she’d have to drink the whole tray every Sunday for a year to make it into heaven. Notes: There’s too much telling and backstory right out of the gate. I’d like more voice or a compelling motivation or goal to get the reader invested in an otherwise mundane situation. 18. Thriller Jack Hosmer pressed the dial button on the cell phone that his assistant had just handed him. It rang once. The voice that answered was low and muffled–unfamiliar to Hosmer. “Have enough dead customers yet?” Hosmer snapped back, “Who is this? What do you want?” “As far as you’re concerned, I don’t have a name. What I want is five million dollars.” Hosmer sat up straighter in his chair. As director of security for TMK Pharmaceuticals, he had fielded his share of nonsense calls. This was different. Hosmer’s assistant had received a call earlier in the morning informing her that a cell phone was lying under a dumpster in the loading dock. Her instructions were to give the phone directly to Hosmer. Notes: Dropping the reader straight into the action can work, but only if you’re able to create an immediate connection with the character and that isn’t happening here. It seems as if you’re starting the story too early. I’d prefer to learn more about Jack and what’s going on in his life (his motivation, his troubles in life) before jumping straight into the mysterious call. 19. Romance 7:00 am Wednesday morning Jayleen Armstrong is in her office seated at her desk. Normally when she comes in early on a Wednesday, it is to meet with one of the three young female employees whom she is mentoring. Her focus this morning was on getting a ticket to attend the university’s Annual Strategic Vision Dinner, three months from now. The dinner is for Executive administration. As usual 50 tickets are available on a first come basis for all other staff. Notes: The writing is strangely formal. I would shoot for more casual language. Words and phrases like “it is,” “whom,” “attend,” and even “her focus” and “are available” read more like nonfiction and don’t captivate the reader. 20. Mainstream Dry brown leaves drifted down from the tall oak trees crunching under their shoes. As they trudged up the hill to Sunday services, swirls of dust surrounded them. No hope of keeping Sunday clothes or patent leather shoes looking like anything in the heat and dust of late August. “Mama, come October I’m going to be leaving for Birmingham.” “Now Lillian Grace, we’ve talked about this before. Me and your daddy don’t want you going off to no big city the likes of Birmingham. You just need to stay here, buy that farm your daddy has been telling you about…, and just stay here where you belong.” “Mama, I am leaving!” Notes: The dialogue feels stilted and unnatural, especially “Now Lillian Grace.” Bringing the reader in closer to the protagonist would help increase the reader’s investment in what’s occurring. More submissions will be posted tomorrow and every day this week so make sure to check back. If you did not submit already, you can still submit here. Comment Question: What changes have you made to your opening after reading the submissions? Want to connect with other Novel Boot Camp Participants? For more writing tips, follow or subscribe: Story Structure: Writing the First Plot Point [Novel Boot Camp #5] Story Structure: Writing the Midpoint [Novel Boot Camp #6] 14 thoughts on ““I Stopped Reading When…” Editor Critiques – Volume 5” jennavandenberg says: I liked #8 the best, and I agree with Ellen about cutting the “loser” part. Maybe something like this… Nico Sandoval-Arthur was a fat hispanic kid with two dads and no mom. His life was awesome and about to get better. That morning Dad had woken up… Douglas Hazelrigg says: I’m wondering if we can resubmit our revised openings — Bjorn Schievers says: I think you’re allowed to submit anything you want for the peer critique. You can always tag Ellen on the Facebook page and ask. But I’m pretty certain it’s up to you. 🙂 Ellen_Brock says: For the peer critique, yes you can. For this workshop, I probably won’t get to any resubmissions before the workshop is over. #3 – I like the premise. #1 This is mine. Despite the fact Ellen is not hooked I’m not unhappy with her comments. It’s a confirmation of where I thought I was at. English is not my first language, so I got work to do. But it gives me hope. #3 I’m not a teen. But I think part of the fun in reading Victorian/Edwardian stuff is the way they talk. And that’s not for everybody, but I assume it is something fans of the detective would enjoy. #4 The only comment I can think of after reading the other openings is I can see it needs more action. #6 LOL. Maybe a Michael Jackson impersonator could be equally awkward? Enjoyable read! #8 Maybe you could replace the second line with “Some people might call him a loser…” but despite the flaws I enjoyed reading it. #10 I’m curious about the story but the opening had me quite confused. #14 I see why it’s a cliche to open with someone waking up and how this opening wouldn’t pass, but I found it quite enjoyable to read. #15 Thumbs up! #16 I also like the idea. 🙂 Nicole L Ochoa says: I haven’t made any changes to my opening yet, but I am focusing on balancing my show/tell/dialog in my current writing. I wish there was some magic formula I could follow. BTW bravo everyone for the work you have done, it’s tough putting your work out there and a big high five to Ellen for coaching us for FREE! You rock! I saw this quote today and totally identified with it: “Give someone a book, they’ll read for a day. Teach someone to write a book and they’ll spend a lifetime mired in paralyzing self-doubt.” Here’s my question/concern. I think of all the great novels of the past — the ones people actually read, anyway — and how many of them take their time in developing… no attention-grabbing opening, etc. I guess my question is, is this approach something that chiefly has the modern, easily-distracted reader in mind? Looking at novels written even as recently as 20 years ago is not going to represent the modern market. Most classic novels have many elements that would be difficult to sell to modern readers. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are more aspiring writers today than ever before. Agents are looking through dozens to hundreds of submissions at a time. Only something truly unique and captivating is going to stand out in such a competitive market. Bjorn — appreciate the individual reviews! Mine was #14, by the way, and I pretty much knew it would be canked because it starts in a dream LOL. I’ve rewritten it a bit so it begins in late morning 🙂 Hi Douglas, the main reason we’re all here is we want professional comments from Ellen. But I figure a comment from another person who’s learning might be encouraging to try again. The ones where I don’t comment I usually just don’t know what to say. 🙂 Most of what I read here I do enjoy in some shape or form. I love the concept of failing forward, every time you fail you’re one step closer. 😉 Ellen Brock: What changes have you made to your opening after reading the submissions? I’m still working on it but I inserted a paragraph at the beginning that uses the exercise to Create Deep Realistic Characters. I took some of that and used it to introduce the main character. “Aryas had a solemn duty to spread Arkan Civilization to all corners of the world. Only chaos and evil could exist outside the borders of the Empire. Why any Province would choose to leave was beyond his comprehension. But his task was not to question anything, he had orders.” I also took several words out that Ellen pointed out as awkward or unnatural. I plan to look at the openings that worked best again tonight and see how I can improve my voice and the uniqueness of the scene. Reading all of these openings has made me realize that I’m probably taking too long to have my MC actually do anything. He’s a first-person narrator, so it’s very easy to have him just explain everything internally instead of showing it through example in scenes. I’ve decided to start writing out my beginning again, through to the point I’m currently at, then continue from there. It’s partly to improve the progression of things, and partly to cut out a character that’s in most scenes, but doesn’t add anything my MC couldn’t be doing instead. Leave a Reply to Nicole L Ochoa Cancel reply Love, Hate, Indifferent, Lost: A Strategy for Novel Editing What to do When You Can’t Connect to a Character in Your Novel Tips for Gaining Distance from a Character You Love Professional Editor Critiques 225 Unpublished Novel Openings Query Letters Part 2: Personalization, Comparison Titles, Bio How to Write a Query (with examples of real successful query letters) How to Plot Your Novel FAST (editor demonstration of plotting technique) How to Use Chapter Titles in Your Novel How to Write Chapter Openings How to Write Chapter Endings Need a Novel Editor? Let's Work Together! The Difference Between Omniscient POV and Head Hopping Why Do Bad Books Get Published? How to Show Instead of Tell in Your Writing Novel Boot Camp - Lecture #3: How to Avoid Info Dumping What (Not) to Say When People Ask Why You Self Published Novel Boot Camp - Lecture #17: Dialogue Tags Novel Critique Partner and Writing Friend Meetup! Should I Hire a Freelance Editor For My Novel? Novel Boot Camp - Lecture #19: How to Self-Edit Archives Select Month December 2019 (2) November 2019 (1) August 2018 (16) July 2018 (2) August 2017 (31) July 2017 (2) June 2017 (1) March 2017 (1) October 2016 (1) August 2016 (1) July 2016 (32) June 2016 (1) August 2015 (32) July 2015 (1) April 2015 (2) March 2015 (2) February 2015 (1) October 2014 (1) September 2014 (2) August 2014 (5) July 2014 (23) June 2014 (7) May 2014 (5) April 2014 (4) March 2014 (6) February 2014 (7) January 2014 (5) December 2013 (7) November 2013 (8) October 2013 (11) September 2013 (8) March 2013 (1) February 2013 (19) January 2013 (5) September 2012 (3)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1342
__label__wiki	0.825713	0.825713	Words & Music: Ralph Mooney/ Charlie Seals Recorded: 1956/12/04, first released on The Million Dollar Quartet Jim Davidson (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 13, 2016report abuse Elvis' LP, EP and singles recordings filled 28 of the 30 CDs in the Complete Masters box set (2010). There are enough song titles for over two years of Song of the Day. To me, the Million Dollar Quartet and home recordings should be discussed as a whole rather than isolating individual songs. Likewise a song that appeared for the first and only time on a high-priced FTD CD should not make it on the table. sugartummy (profile/ contact) wrote on Mar 1, 2013report abuse Because it's on a Elvis album, doesn't make it an Elvis song. Leave this one out. dgirl (profile/ contact) wrote on Jun 18, 2009report abuse Huh? Wasn't this done by Jerry Lee? What did ELvis do: hum in the background? Available Alternate Versions 1956/12/04 The Million Dollar Quartet on The Million Dollar Quartet Find 'Crazy Arms' on CD ElvisNews Song Top 40 Find chords on Sheetmusic.com	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1344
__label__wiki	0.983128	0.983128	Take Good Care of Her Find 'Take Good Care of Her' on CD Take Me to the Fair Find 'Take Me to the Fair' on CD Take My Hand, Precious Lord Find 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' on CD Talk about the Good Times Find 'Talk about the Good Times' on CD Find 'Teardrops' on CD Find 'Teddy Bear' on CD Find 'Tell Me Why' on CD Tender Feeling Find 'Tender Feeling' on CD Find 'Tennessee Waltz' on CD Thanks to the Rolling Sea Find 'Thanks to the Rolling Sea' on CD That's All Right, Mama Find 'That's All Right, Mama' on CD Find 'That's My Desire' on CD That's Someone You Never Forget Find 'That's Someone You Never Forget' on CD That's When Your Heartaches Begin Find 'That's When Your Heartaches Begin' on CD The Bullfighter Was a Lady Find 'The Bullfighter Was a Lady' on CD Find 'The Climb' on CD The Eyes Of Texas Rating: - Find 'The Eyes Of Texas' on CD The Fair's Moving On Find 'The Fair's Moving On' on CD Find 'The First Noel' on CD The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Find 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' on CD Find 'The Fool' on CD The Girl I Never Loved Find 'The Girl I Never Loved' on CD The Girl of My Best Friend Find 'The Girl of My Best Friend' on CD Find 'The Impossible Dream' on CD The Lady Loves Me Find 'The Lady Loves Me' on CD next page on elvis presley	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1345
__label__wiki	0.807976	0.807976	Hi, we're Wattpad. The world's most-loved social storytelling platform Wattpad connects a global community of 80 million readers and writers through the power of story. See Your Story... Get produced to movie or film Get adapted to a TV series Your original story could be the next big hit Wattpad Studios discovers untapped, unsigned, and talented writers on Wattpad and connects them to global multi-media entertainment companies. Wattpad Studios works with partners such as: Your voice belongs on bookshelves Wattpad Books aspires to recognize and reflect diverse voices by taking Wattpad stories to published book and onto bookshelves around the world. Wattpad Books works with partners such as: Find out more about what we do for writers → How Wattpad Works Get your story discovered through the power of community and technology on Wattpad. Share your unique voice and original story on Wattpad. Find the writing resources you need to craft a story only you can tell. Establish a global fan base as your story gains readership and momentum. Connect with other like-minded writers through storytelling. Gain Wattpad Star status and get your story published or adapted into film or television with Wattpad Books and Wattpad Studios! Story deals Working with Wattpad Studios is like a dream. Not only do they care about your success, but also staying true to your vision. KARA BARBIERI (@PANDEAN) Kara Barbieri is a twenty-two year old author with a love for the weird and mystic. Her debut novel, WHITE STAG, will be published by Wednesday Books/Macmillan in January 2019. When I joined Wattpad, I gained a second family who were as passionate about reading and writing as I am. ALI NOVAK (@FALLZSWIMMER) Ali Novak is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's creative writing program. She started writing her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was only fifteen. Since then, her work has received more than 150 million hits online and My Life with the Walter Boys has been optioned for television by Komixx Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television. Being a Wattpad Star is the foundation for everything I do as a writer, from the behind the scenes wrangling to the big, game-changing projects. BEN SOBIECK (@BENSOBIECK) Benjamin Sobieck is a Wattpad Star and editor of “The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad,” published in August 2018 by Writer’s Digest Books and featuring contributions by 23 Wattpad Stars, ambassadors, and staff. His stories on Wattpad, such as “When the Black-Eyed Children Knock,” have drawn more than 1.5 million reads. Having been active on Wattpad for several years, I knew it would be the perfect platform for a thriller with lots of cliffhangers for readers to discuss. Teen horror is my passion, so I can’t wait to be able to share Light as a Feather with other horror aficionados on Hulu. ZOE AARSEN (@ZAARSENIST) Zoe Aarsen is a graphic designer and copywriter. Her first paranormal YA novel, Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, is being published by Simon & Schuster and turned into a television series on Hulu. The Wattpad Stars Program gave me opportunities I never thought possible. It connected me to a world that I had only imagined. I don’t know how else to say it. It changed my life! ISABELLE RONIN (@ISABELLERONIN) Chasing Red was one of 2016’s most-read stories on Wattpad -- and that was just the beginning for this Winnipeg-Manitoba-based writer. In a single year, her explosive hit has racked up over 127 million reads on Wattpad. Newly edited and expanded, the book was split into two and hit bookstore shelves in 2017. Enter writing contests to get published, win awards, and partner with global brands. The Wattys Wattpad’s annual awards program committed to celebrating the best stories around the world. Get featured on our hand-picked reading list. WattCon Wattpad’s premier annual writers’ conference offers support, mentorship, and career-oriented programming, to connect the Wattpad writer community, hone their craft, and grow their careers. Join Wattpad Community to discuss shared interests and topics with other readers and writers. Connect with other passionate readers & writers, comment directly in stories as you read them, and support writers as they create and share their original stories. Take Wattpad With You Read and write anywhere, even offline.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1346
__label__wiki	0.847817	0.847817	Peter Gay Peter Gay (born June 20, 1923), is a Jewish American historian of the social history of ideas, born as Peter Joachim Fröhlich in Berlin, where he was educated at the Goethe-Gymnasium. After witnessing Kristallnacht in 1938, he fled Nazi Germany in 1939. His family initially booked passage on the SS "St. Louis" (whose passengers were eventually denied visas) but fortuitously changed their booking to an earlier voyage to Cuba. He came to the United States in 1941 and took American citizenship in 1946 where he changed his name from Fröhlich (German for "happy") to Gay. Gay received his education at the University of Denver, where he was awarded a BA in 1946 and at Columbia University where he was awarded an MA in 1947 and PhD in 1951. Gay worked as political science professor at Columbia between 1948-1955 and as history professor from 1955-1969. He taught at Yale from 1969 until his retirement in 1993. He married Ruth Slotkin (d. 2006) in 1959 and has three stepchildren. Gay's first interest was in intellectual history. His 1959 book, "Voltaire's Politics" examined Voltaire as a politician and how his politics influenced the ideas that Voltaire championed in his writings. Gay followed the success of "Voltaire's Politics" with a wider history of the Enlightenment, "The Enlightenment: An Interpretation" (1969), for which he was honored with the National Book Award in 1967 [ [http://www.nationalbook.org/nba1967.html National Book Foundation Website award winners for 1967] ] and the Mecher Book Prize. Gay's 1968 book, "Weimar Culture" was considered at the time to be a ground-breakingWho\|date=February 2008 cultural history of the Weimar Republic. Starting in 1978 with "Freud, Jews and Other Germans", an examination of the impact of Freudian ideas on German culture, Gay has become increasingly interested in psychology. Many of his works focus on the social impact of psychoanalysis. Gay is a leading champion of Psychohistory and an admirer of Sigmund Freud. AHA Award for Scholarly Distinction. Jewish Distinction Award Civil Rights Awareness Award (Presented by the NAACP) "Geschwister-Scholl-Preis" (Munich, 1999) "The Dilemma of Democratic Socialism: Eduard Bernstein's Challenge to Marx", 1952. "Voltaire's Politics: The Poet as Realist", 1959. "The Party of Humanity: Essays in the French Enlightenment", 1964. "The Enlightenment: An Interpretation: The Rise of Modern Paganism", 1966. "The Loss of Mastery: Puritan Historians in Colonial America", 1966. "Weimar Culture: The Outsider as Insider", 1968. "The Enlightenment: An Interpretation: The Science of Freedom", 1969. "The Bridge of Criticism: Dialogues on the Enlightenment", 1970. "Historians at Work", 1972. co-written with R.K. Webb, "Modern Europe", 1973. "The Enlightenment; A Comprehensive Anthology", 1973. "Style in History", 1974. "Art and Act: On Causes in History—Manet, Gropius, Mondrian", 1976. "Freud, Jews, and Other Germans: Masters and Victims in Modernist Culture", 1978. "Education of the Senses", 1984. "The Bourgeois Experience: Victoria to Freud" - 5 vols, 1984-1998 (includes "The Education of the Senses" and "The Cultivation of Hatred") "Freud for Historians", 1985. "The Tender Passion", 1986. "A Godless Jew: Freud, Atheism, and the Making of Psychoanalysis", 1987. "Freud: A Life for Our Time", 1988. "The German-Jewish Legacy-and I: Some Personal Reflections" pages 203-210 from "American Jewish Archives", Volume 40, 1988. Editor "A Freud Reader", 1989. "Reading Freud: Explorations & Entertainments", 1990. "Sigmund Freud and Art: His Personal Collection of Antiquities", 1993. "The Cultivation of Hatred", 1993. "The Naked Heart", 1995. "The Enlightenment and the Rise of Modern Paganism" revised edition, 1995. "Pleasure Wars", 1998. "My German Question: Growing Up in Nazi Berlin", 1998 (autobiography). "Mozart", 1999. "Schnitzler's Century", 2002. "Modernism: The Lure of Heresy", 2007. Toews, John "Historicizing Psychoanalysis: Freud in His Time and of Our Time" pages 504-545 from "Journal of Modern History", Volume 63, 1991. Tafari Benti Peter Gay — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Peter Gay. (Berlín, 20 de junio, 1923). Historiador judío nacido como Peter Joachim Frohlich y naturalizado ciudadano estadounidense en 1946. Uno de los más importantes cultivadores de la historia social de las ideas … Wikipedia Español Peter Gay — ( 20. Juni 1923 in Berlin als Peter Joachim Fröhlich) ist ein US amerikanischer Historiker, Psychoanalytiker und Autor. 1939 emigrierte Gay aufgrund seiner jüdischen Herkunft über Kuba in die USA und lebt seit 1941 in New York City. Seit 1969… … Deutsch Wikipedia Peter Gay — Peter Gay. (Berlín, 20 de junio, 1923). Historiador judío nacido como Peter Joachim Frohlich y naturalizado ciudadano estadounidense en 1946 . Uno de los más importantes cultivadores de la historia social de las ideas. Él y su familia escaparon… … Enciclopedia Universal Peter Gay — (né le 20 juin 1923 à Berlin sous le nom de Peter Joachim Fröhlich) est historien et spécialiste de l histoire de la psychanalyse. Il est professeur d histoire à l université Yale depuis 1969. En 1939, il a émigré, en raison de son… … Wikipédia en Français Gay (Name) — Gay ist ein weiblicher sowie männlicher Vorname und ein Familienname. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Herkunft und Bedeutung 2 Bekannte Namensträger 2.1 Familienname 2.2 … Deutsch Wikipedia Gay (surname) — Gay is a surname, and may refer to: , French botanist (French Wikipedia article). George Gay (1917–1994), Naval Aviator in World War II Hobart R. Gay (1894–1983), American general Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac (1778–1832), French… … Wikipedia Peter Tatchell — Infobox person name = Peter Gary Tatchell image size = 220px caption = Peter Tatchell joining the Green Party in 2004 birth date = Birth date and age\|1952\|1\|25\|df=y birth place = Melbourne, Australia occupation = Political campaigner party =Green … Wikipedia Gay — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sur les autres projets Wikimedia : « Gay », sur le Wiktionnaire (dictionnaire universel) Sommaire 1 … Wikipédia en Français Peter David — For the Grenadian politician, see Peter David (politician). Peter David David at the New York Comic Con in Manhattan, October 14, 2011. Born September 23, 1956 (1956 09 23) … Wikipedia Gay bathhouse — Gay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths (and sometimes called, in gay slang in some regions, the baths or the tubs ), are places where men can go to have sex with other men. Not all men who visit such bathhouses consider… … Wikipedia	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1350
__label__wiki	0.546357	0.546357	Toll free :1(888)305-4540 Call us : 1(877)733-2745 Order paper Services Prices Discounts Order Now About us Benefits Our process FAQ Testimonials Contact us 5% OFF more than 30 pages 10% OFF more than 50 pages 15% OFF more than 100 pages Samples → Review → Clothing and Identity in Contemporary Film → Buy essay ← Lifeboat Ethics Downton Abbey → Free Example of Clothing and Identity in Contemporary Film Essay Largely, clothes often define mere wrappings that encompass our bodies. However, are clothes really what they have ordinarily been defined on this ordinary level? While in most cases clothing are worn to keep the body warm or for fashion, to a film’s costume designer, cloths carry more than the ordinary meaning. Several questions still emanate; is there any perceivable similarity that various costume designers for movie production consider when designing clothes for varied characters of the film? Is there a relationship between various costumes and related roles played in different films? Is there an arguably authentic explanation that seems to support the specifics of a certain costume? Is it possible to tell the character that an actor is intended to act by merely gawking at the actor while well clothed? Can costumes detail social or institutional status of a character? The famous saying that the “eye sees only what the mind knows” holds true here. Arguably, film is all about mind game. An actor is a combination of a lot of components: face, voice, stature, and the like. Based on the approach that the learner intends to espouse in the argument, three films that show great similarities in roles, dressing, social institutional status and the state of mind of various actors were top priorities in this selection. The films selected are, “Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol”, “Limitless” and “The Hunger Games”. The indisputable associations and similarities in roles and costume selection will be discussed and exposed within the arguments. Clothes can be used to show the mental/ psychological status of a character There exists a sharp contrast when you consider the clothes that various characters wear. Clothing also tells about the mental state of a person. For example, considering someone who is depressed, disturbed or mentally retarded, such an individual would not care about what s/he is wearing, whether the clothes are pressed or not and whether he’s wearing the right combination of clothes or not. In the movie ‘Limitless’, Bradley Cooper stars as Eddie Morra, a person who has a wasted life and no purpose to live. He lives in a trashed up apartment and is annoyed by his chronic failure. He wears dull clothes, without any sense of matching, which are all too ragged to wear even when you are at home. Further on, as the story progresses, Cooper sometimes fails to get the dose of the drug that keeps him happy that makes him to goes back to the scruffy clothing and muddled outfits. A sharp contrast exists when one considers clothing by a mentally stable person. For example, in the famous movie “Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol”, we can see how clothing demonstrates occupation by observing the clothes that Tom Cruise wears all through the film. We see him wearing a suit in the Dubai scene, especially at the ball, which shows how presentable and serious he is. A similar episode can be seen when Cooper has taken the wonder pill and he dresses in high-class and elegance outfit that postulates his state of mind. Therefore, the mental status of a character determines the clothing for most of the time, it is also possible to interpret the other way around by looking at the clothes we can judge the mood of the person. Similarity in costumes depict similarity in character roles regardless of film Despite possible objections to this notion, yet the converse applies: clothes can and indeed to depict similarity in characters in various films. Take for example, in the film “Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol”, when Cruise is running in the streets of Russia, he wears a hood over his head to cover the sides of his face. It is obvious that he is trying to provide himself a cover, trying to run for his life. A similar occurrence is visible on how clothing represents occupation is seen in the latter part of the Kremlin bomb sequence. When Ethan flees The Kremlin, he reverses his uniform jacket, disguising into a tourist. He is the exact same person but just because he reverses his jacket (changes his clothes), he is not recognized. In short, clothing signifies the activity to be performed in those clothes. Another supporting incidence is in the film “Limitless” when Eddie discovers about a pill that can transform his mind into a brilliant machine, his life gets purpose, he gets rich, finds back his love, and becomes a very happy man. After taking the pill, he suddenly becomes more aware of his potential and wears more business-oriented wears like tailored suits, buttoned down pinstriped shirts, ties, nice shoes, and looks very bright overall. Clothes in films indubitably detail social status It is possible to tell whether the actor is young or old, male or female, black or white by his physical being, but we can also tell other things about the identity of the character he plays such as his job, his mental state and his spending habits by examining his clothes. If we see a man in a hospital under treatment, we can instantly figure out that the actor is a patient when we see a glimpse of his white and/or blue clothes. Similarly, an actor wearing a neat suit or a chic dress is enough to tell that he/she has enough money to spend on clothes. Therefore, clothing in contemporary films is not only apparel to put on body, but it is also the show the actor puts on about his identity. In “Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol”, on the scene at the ball, Cruise wears executively depicting a high social class. It is in the same scene where Paula Patton, acting as Jane Carter, steps out from a BMW sports car wearing a green dress. That green ball gown is also a sign of formality. In the recently released film “The Hunger Games”, this aspect of clothing is very evident. Katniss, the lead role, is from District 12, which is located in the coal-rich region. In that region, clothes people wear are very simple and nobody is concerned about fashion at all. People who live there usually wear the same clothes every day. Their priority is not clothing; they worry more about getting food, which is also very limited so at times they have to go against the laws to search for food. On the other hand, people at the Capitol are rich and do not have to worry about food and shelter. They can buy expensive clothes and most of them are obsessed with fashion. They wear new clothes, bright colors, and designer brands. In most of the scenes, the ladies wear smart dresses and hats, and men wear sporty pants and jackets. Although some of the rich people at the Capitol wear new but decent clothes, some are obsessed with style and fashion. Rich people are not concerned about food, so they can spend money on clothes, whereas the poor people have to worry about food first. Nevertheless, even among those people who can afford clothes easily, some of them are extravagant, yet others do not care about the price tag at all. For example, the character Effie Trinket’s clothing is a depiction of extreme obsession with fashion; on the other hand, President Snow wears new but decent clothes. This difference in the clothing between the two poles is very evident and hence makes this movie a good example to support the point that clothing represents the economic status and spending habits of people. Conversely, one may argue that clothes do not represent identity, because people are able to choose what they want to wear, and what they want to be is not the same with who they actually are. “People are able to choose clothing to represent aspects of their identity,” says Danah Boyd from MIT, stating that clothing can also be used to conceal certain aspects of identity. When this is applied to the film industry however, it is ridiculous to argue such a thing because the characters are just creations, and they wear whatever the director wants them to wear. Costume designers depict the character in the cloth regardless of the wearer When all costume designers design the clothes, they do not consider the wearer, but the character itself. It is likely for one to think that the costume designers consider personal outlook in terms of physical features like the complexion or relative height, but these are just secondary features. This can be found in the words of Michael Kaplan, a costumes designer in “Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol” quoted saying: “When setting out to design a piece of movie clothing, I first must review all the characteristics it must have. Paula’s green gown was no different. The scene where it is worn is a seduction scene so a certain amount of décolleté was necessary. There was also a bit of action and the director wanted to see a lot of leg as Paula steps out of a car. I chose a color that was bright enough to follow Paula’s character around a crowded party, dressing no other extra in that color.” Kaplan also says that he did not go with red for the ball dress because “In the India party scene, many of the servers and butlers traditionally wear red; I didn’t want to fight with that.” Paula, the person, is not a subject of the design but rather an object to depict the intended character. “Clothes are key elements in the construction of cinematic identities… Costumes propose dynamic links between the character and history, gender, queer theory and psychoanalysis,” says Stella Bruzzi in her book Undressing Cinema. Although not discussed in this essay, clothing may serve as an exhibition of one’s culture, family background or class. However, clothing is not merely apparel covering up the body; it has a specific purpose in which it indicates specific aspects of an actor role. Order Now!Hesitating? Germs, Guns and Steel Lifeboat Ethics Personal Reflections of a Historian 95% of satisfied returning customers Customer support 24/7/365 The largest source database Certified writers only Custom-written papers only Free plagiarism report(on demand) Free revision upon request Our services Discounts Order Prices About us Benefits Blog Testimonials FAQ Contacts Terms and Conditions \| Privacy Policy \| Delivery Policy Sitemap Admissions Essays Be Careful! Case Studies Coursework Custom Essay Dissertation Editing Research papers Resume Services Term paper Writing Help Sitemap AnalysisArticles SamplesBook ReportsBusinessDescriptionDiscussion Board Post ExamplesEconomicsExploratoryHistoryLiterary AnalysisManagementResearchResearch ProposalReview On your first order you will receive 15% discount Get 15% discount on 1st order Order now PRICES from $12.99/page ×	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1360
__label__cc	0.542666	0.457334	HomePosts tagged 'Robyn Fenty' Robyn Fenty First Fasab Quiz Of 2015. January 5, 2015 December 31, 2014 fasab Questions, Tests 3rd Molars, acid, alkali, alternative name, ancient city, answers, argus, bird, Cantons, chemical symbol, circle, common name, Common Salt, compound, diameter, discus, disease, drinking dirty water, easy, education, elements, Entertainment, fe2o3, federal state, fuel, general knowledge, Geography, give birth, golden, heaviest land animals, history, infection, international news, intestine, jet aircraft, Jonas Salk, killer disease, Lady Amherst, lay eggs, liquid, live offspring, Machu Picchu, mammals, meters, minutes, month, music, nature, Oxford, paper, Pluto platter, questions, quiz, quizzes, River Thames, Robyn Fenty, science, silver, snakes, sodium, stage name, test, tests, tongues, vaccine, Walter Frederick Morrison, week, year Hello and welcome to the first fasab quiz of 2015. Twenty questions that cover history, geography, science, music and nature and maybe more. Some of them are quite easy though, so don’t be alarmed. And as always, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating! Enjoy and good luck. Q. 1: By what more common name are the 3rd Molars known? Q. 2: What do snakes use their tongues for? Q. 3: What is the diameter in meters, of the circle from which a discus is thrown? a) 1.5 meters b) 2.5 meters c) 3.5 meters Q. 4: What disease is an infection of the intestine caused by drinking dirty water? Q. 5: Which federal state consists of 26 Cantons? Q. 6: What is 9 percent of 9? Q. 7: What is the more common name for the chemical symbol ‘fe2o3’? Q. 8: What are the only 2 mammals to lay eggs rather than give birth to live offspring? (You get a point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you get both correct.) Q. 9: What killer disease very prevalent in past centuries was controlled by Jonas Salk’s vaccine? Q. 10: What type of fuel do jet aircraft use? Q. 11: How many minutes are there in a week? Q. 12: Common Salt is a compound formed from 2 elements, one is sodium what is the other? Q. 13: Which bird has ‘golden’, ‘silver’, ‘Lady Amherst’ and ‘argus’ varieties? Q. 14: What alternative name is given to the River Thames as it passes through Oxford, a name that has been very prominent in the international news recently for a very different reason? Q. 15: What is the second month of the year to have exactly 30 days? Q. 16: What kind of paper is used to test whether a liquid is acid or alkali? Q. 17: What are the two heaviest land animals? (A point for each correct answer.) Q. 18: The ancient city of Machu Picchu is in which country? Q. 19: Walter Frederick Morrison invented the ‘Pluto platter’ in 1948, but what is it more commonly known as today? Q. 20: What is the better known stage name of Robyn Fenty? A. 1: Wisdom teeth. A. 2: Hearing. A. 3: The correct answer is b) 2.5 meters. A. 4: Cholera. A. 5: Switzerland. A. 6: It is 0.81. A. 7: Rust. A. 8: Duckbilled platypus and the spiny anteater (will accept just ‘anteater’). A. 9: Polio. A. 10: Kerosene. A. 11: There are 10,080. A. 12: Chlorine A. 13: Pheasant. A. 14: It is called the ‘Isis’, the name also used for the militant Islamic terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. A. 15: June. A. 16: Litmus. A. 17: The elephant and the hippopotamus. A. 18: Peru. A. 19: The ‘Frisbee’. A. 20: Rihanna.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1363
__label__cc	0.568611	0.431389	Find Research Data Publication Year Person Isolated artificial spin ice kinetics Lao, Y. (Creator), Schiffer, P. E. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 22 2019 Meterology and ocean data collected at LSU WAVCIS Lab Zhang, Q. (Creator), Li, C. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 12 2017 TREC document topic annotations Sherman, G. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Oct 16 2019 ORCID Annual Public Data File Bryant, R. (Creator), Haak, L. (Creator), Paglione, L. (Creator), Peters, R. (Creator), Oyler, C. (Creator), Simpson, W. (Creator), Montenegro, A. (Creator), Ramirez Monge, J. F. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 4 2013 DOI: 10.14454/07243.2013.001 Site attributes for PLOS ONE article Lovell, S. T. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Feb 2 2019 Ramon E. Soto-Crespo Soto-Crespo, R. E. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2020 Dataset: Landscape evolution models using the stream power incision model show unrealistic behavior when m/n equals 0.5 Kwang, J. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 1 2017 Frequent pattern subject transactions from the University of Illinois Library (2016 - 2018) Hahn, J. F. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 31 2019 All_Words Dong, X. (Creator), Xie, J. (Creator), Hoang, L. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 20 2018 ARL IR Metadata Documentation Website Review Data Kenfield, A. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 14 2018 Bee visitation for PLOS ONE manuscript Glycine soja GBS Brown, P. J. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 1 2018 13IL004,13IL011,13IL012 Brown, P. J. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 14 2016 12IL015-12IL023 Data for "Mislabeling of an Invasive Vine (Celastrus orbiculatus) as a Native Congener (C. scandens) in Horticulture" Zaya, D. N. (Creator), Leicht-Young, S. A. (Creator), Pavlovic, N. (Creator), Hetrea, C. S. (Creator), Ashley, M. V. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 4 2017 Biotic homogenization of regional wetland plant communities within short timescales in the presence of an aggressive invader Price, E. P. F. (Creator), Spyreas, G. R. (Creator), Matthews, J. W. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sep 28 2017 API analysis of the Minrva mobile app (May 2015 – December 2015) Hahn, J. F. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 19 2016 Modern sinistral whelk spire angles, genus Busycon Kozuch, L. (Creator), Walker, K. (Creator), Marquardt, W. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sep 6 2017 Data from: Embryogenesis in the plant parasitic nematode Heterodera glycines is independent of host-derived stimulation Thapa, S. (Creator), Schroeder, N. E. (Creator), Patel, J. (Creator), Reuter-Carlson, U. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mar 8 2017 Linking landscape composition to predator-specific nest predation requires examining multiple landscape scales Chiavacci, S. J. (Creator), Benson, T. J. (Creator), Ward, M. P. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mar 1 2018 Geometric analysis of magnetic dimensionality Karigerasi, M. H. (Creator), Wagner, L. K. (Creator), Shoemaker, D. P. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 21 2018 Data from: "Identifying Motivations for DAMS Migration: A Survey.” Kenfield, A. (Creator), Thompson, S. (Creator), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dec 18 2015 DOI: 10.13012/J89G5JR4 11IL005	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1370
__label__cc	0.621452	0.378548	Martin Ostoja Starzewski Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering Professor, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology Emailmartinos@illinois.edu RVE Problem: Mathematical aspects and related stochastic mechanics Karimi, P., Malyarenko, A., Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Zhang, X., Jan 2020, In : International Journal of Engineering Science. 146, 103169. Tensors Boundary value problems Torsional stress Anti-plane shear lamb’s problem on random mass density fields with fractal and hurst effects Zhang, X., Nishawala, V. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Mar 1 2019, In : Evolution Equations and Control Theory. 8, 1, p. 231-246 16 p. Anti-plane Shear Elastodynamics of a multilayered transversely isotropic half-space due to the rigid motion of foundation Karimi, P., Amiri-Hezaveh, A., Moghaddasi, H., Sabet, F. A. & Starzewski, M. O., May 2019, In : Wave Motion. 88, p. 106-128 23 p. elastodynamics half spaces forced vibration Poisson ratio Electrostatic and magnetostatic properties of random materials Karimi, P., Zhang, X., Yan, S., Starzewski, M. O. & Jin, J., Feb 13 2019, In : Physical Review E. 99, 2, 022120. Scaling Function Finite Element Methods in Human Head Impact Simulations: A Review Madhukar, A. & Starzewski, M. O., Sep 15 2019, In : Annals of Biomedical Engineering. 47, 9, p. 1832-1854 23 p. Shear waves Constitutive models Heat conduction in porcine muscle and blood: Experiments and time-fractional telegraph equation model Madhukar, A., Park, Y., Kim, W., Sunaryanto, H. J., Berlin, R., Chamorro, L. P., Bentsman, J. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Nov 1 2019, In : Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 16, 160, 0726. Heat conduction Mechanical and thermal couplings in helical strands* Zhang, D., Starzewski, M. O. & Le Marrec, L., Jan 2 2019, In : Journal of Thermal Stresses. 42, 1, p. 185-212 28 p. bending moments On the Hydrodynamic Stability of a Lennard-Jones Molecular Fluid Raghavan, B. V. & Starzewski, M. O., Jan 1 2019, In : Journal of Statistical Physics. Hydrodynamic Stability flow stability Lennard-Jones Reynolds number Stress field formulation of linear electro-magneto-elastic materials Amiri-Hezaveh, A., Karimi, P. & Starzewski, M. O., Dec 1 2019, In : Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids. 24, 12, p. 3806-3822 17 p. Elastic Material Stress Field Equations of Motion Telegraph equation: two types of harmonic waves, a discontinuity wave, and a spectral finite element Zhang, D. & Starzewski, M. O., May 1 2019, In : Acta Mechanica. 230, 5, p. 1725-1743 19 p. Phase velocity Wave equations Thermoelastic waves in helical strands with Maxwell–Cattaneo heat conduction Zhang, D. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Sep 2019, In : Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters. 9, 5, p. 302-307 6 p. Elastic waves Acoustic waves Towards stochastic continuum damage mechanics Malyarenko, A. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Jan 1 2019, (Accepted/In press) In : International Journal of Solids and Structures. 184, p. 202-210 9 p. Continuum Damage Mechanics Does a Fractal Microstructure Require a Fractional Viscoelastic Model? Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Zhang, J., 2018, In : Fractal and Fractional. 2, 1, 12 p. Viscoelastic Model Order of integers Oldroyd fluids with hyperbolic heat conduction Starzewski, M. O. & Khayat, R., Oct 2018, In : Mechanics Research Communications. 93, p. 108-113 6 p. conductive heat transfer Shielding effectiveness and bandgaps of interpenetrating phase composites based on the Schwarz Primitive surface Abueidda, D. W., Karimi, P., Jin, J., Sobh, N. A., Jasiuk, I. M. & Starzewski, M. O., Nov 7 2018, In : Journal of Applied Physics. 124, 17, 175102. electromagnetic shielding minimal surfaces Stochastic characteristics and Second Law violations of atomic fluids in Couette flow Raghavan, B. V., Karimi, P. & Starzewski, M. O., Apr 15 2018, In : Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications. 496, p. 90-107 18 p. Couette Flow Three-dimensional vibrations of a helically wound cable modeled as a Timoshenko rod Le Marrec, L., Zhang, D. & Starzewski, M. O., Feb 1 2018, In : Acta Mechanica. 229, 2, p. 677-695 19 p. Cable cores Tunneling-percolation model of multicomponent nanocomposites Kale, S., Karimi, P., Sabet, F. A., Jasiuk, I. M. & Starzewski, M. O., Feb 28 2018, In : Journal of Applied Physics. 123, 8, 085104. Acceleration waves on random fields with fractal and Hurst effects Nishawala, V. V. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Nov 2017, In : Wave Motion. 74, p. 134-150 17 p. nonlinearity Admitting spontaneous violations of the Second Law in continuum thermomechanics Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Feb 21 2017, In : Entropy. 19, 2, 78. viscous flow A Random Field Formulation of Hooke’s Law in All Elasticity Classes Malyarenko, A. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Apr 1 2017, In : Journal of Elasticity. 127, 2, p. 269-302 34 p. Dynamic interaction of plates in an inhomogeneous transversely isotropic space weakened by a crack Amiri-Hezaveh, A., Moghaddasi, H., Karimi, P. & Starzewski, M. O., Nov 2017, In : ZAMM Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik. 97, 11, p. 1338-1357 20 p. Transversely Isotropic Contact Stress Circular Plate Effect of cerebrospinal fluid modeling on spherically convergent shear waves during blunt head trauma Madhukar, A., Chen, Y. & Starzewski, M. O., Dec 2017, In : International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering. 33, 12, e2881. Electromagnetic characteristics of systems of prolate and oblate ellipsoids Karimi, P., Amiri-Hezaveh, A., Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Jin, J. M., Nov 14 2017, In : Journal of Applied Physics. 122, 18, 185101. Fractal planetary rings: Energy inequalities and random field model Malyarenko, A. & Starzewski, M. O., Dec 10 2017, In : International Journal of Modern Physics B. 31, 30, 1750236. planetary rings Saturn rings Peristatic solutions for finite one- and two-dimensional systems Nishawala, V. V. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Aug 1 2017, In : Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids. 22, 8, p. 1639-1653 15 p. Differential Forms Two-dimensional Systems Representing stochastic damage evolution in disordered media as a jump Markov process using the fiber bundle model Kale, S. & Starzewski, M. O., Jan 1 2017, In : International Journal of Damage Mechanics. 26, 1, p. 146-160 15 p. Brittleness Microcracks Stochastic models Scaling of slip avalanches in sheared amorphous materials based on large-scale atomistic simulations Zhang, D., Dahmen, K. A. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Mar 3 2017, In : Physical Review E. 95, 3, 032902. Atomistic Simulation Shear-thinning of molecular fluids in Couette flow Raghavan, B. V. & Starzewski, M. O., Feb 1 2017, In : Physics of fluids. 29, 2, 023103. shear thinning A statistically-based homogenization approach for particle random composites as micropolar continua Trovalusci, P., De Bellis, M. L. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Apr 1 2016, In : Advanced Structured Materials. 42, p. 425-441 17 p. Elastic moduli Insulator Elements Contrast Media Continuum mechanics versus violations of the second law of thermodynamics Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Venkatesh Raghavan, B., Jun 2 2016, In : Journal of Thermal Stresses. 39, 6, p. 734-749 16 p. Effect of filler alignment on percolation in polymer nanocomposites using tunneling-percolation model Kale, S., Sabet, F. A., Jasiuk, I. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Jul 28 2016, In : Journal of Applied Physics. 120, 4, 045105. Experimental and computational study of shielding effectiveness of polycarbonate carbon nanocomposites Karimi, P., Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Jasiuk, I., Oct 14 2016, In : Journal of Applied Physics. 120, 14, 145103. Finite element solutions to the bending stiffness of a single-layered helically wound cable with internal friction Zhang, D. & Starzewski, M. O., Mar 1 2016, In : Journal of Applied Mechanics, Transactions ASME. 83, 3, 031003. Internal friction Frequency-dependent scaling from mesoscale to macroscale in viscoelastic random composites Zhang, J. & Starzewski, M. O., Apr 1 2016, In : Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 472, 2188, 0801. Lamb's problem on random mass density fields with fractal and Hurst effects Nishawala, V. V., Starzewski, M. O., Leamy, M. J. & Porcu, E., Dec 1 2016, In : Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 472, 2196 Random Field Local and nonlocal material models, spatial randomness, and impact loading Demmie, P. N. & Starzewski, M. O., Jan 1 2016, In : Archive of Applied Mechanics. 86, 1-2, p. 39-58 20 p. On the dilatational wave motion in anisotropic fractal solids Joumaa, H. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Sep 1 2016, In : Mathematics and Computers in Simulation. 127, p. 114-130 17 p. Second law violations, continuum mechanics, and permeability Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Mar 1 2016, In : Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics. 28, 1-2, p. 489-501 13 p. Simulation of elastic wave propagation using cellular automata and peridynamics, and comparison with experiments Nishawala, V. V., Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Leamy, M. J. & Demmie, P. N., Jan 1 2016, In : Wave Motion. 60, p. 73-83 11 p. Spectral expansions of homogeneous and isotropic tensor-valued random fields Malyarenko, A. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Jun 1 2016, In : Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Mathematik und Physik. 67, 3, 59. Spectral Expansion Valued Fields A three-dimensional model of fine particle retention during percolation through a fiber mat Bliss, T., Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Castro, J., Aug 1 2015, Tappi Journal, 14, 8, p. 546-554 9 p. Multilayers Edges of Saturn’s rings are fractal Li, J. & Starzewski, M. O., Dec 1 2015, In : SpringerPlus. 4, 1 Fractal Analysis Elastic rods and shear beams with random field properties under random field loads: Fractal and Hurst effects Shen, L., Starzewski, M. O. & Porcu, E., Jul 1 2015, In : Journal of Engineering Mechanics. 141, 7, p. 4015002 1 p., 04015004. Fractal dimension Electrical properties of random checkerboards at finite scales Raghavan, B. V., Ranganathan, S. I. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Jan 1 2015, In : AIP Advances. 5, 1, 017131. variational principles Harmonic oscillator driven by random processes having fractal and Hurst effects Shen, L., Ostoja-Starzewski, M. & Porcu, E., Nov 26 2015, In : Acta Mechanica. 226, 11, p. 3653-3672 20 p. Random processes Mesoscale bounds in viscoelasticity of random composites Zhang, J. & Ostoja-Starzewski, M., Aug 21 2015, In : Mechanics Research Communications. 68, p. 98-104 7 p. Pirouette launch and energy storage system Martin, O. S., Dec 2015, In : JBIS - Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 68, 12, p. 406-407 2 p. Solar sails Tetherlines Responses of first-order dynamical systems to Matérn, Cauchy, and Dagum excitations Shen, L., Starzewski, M. O. & Porcu, E., Jan 1 2015, In : Mathematics and Mechanics of Complex Systems. 3, 1, p. 27-41 15 p. Spectral density Scale-dependent homogenization of random composites as micropolar continua Trovalusci, P., Ostoja-Starzewski, M., De Bellis, M. L. & Murrali, A., Jan 2015, In : European Journal of Mechanics, A/Solids. 49, p. 396-407 12 p. Contact Martin Ostoja Starzewski	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1371
__label__cc	0.695504	0.304496	Spotlight on May Books "The Hourglass Door" by Lisa Mangum (Reviewed by C... "The King of the Crags" by Stephen Deas (Reviewed ... "Neverland" by Douglas Clegg (Reviewed by Cindy Ha... "New Model Army" by Adam Roberts (Reviewed by Livi... Winners of The Emerald Storm Giveaway! "Calamity Jack" by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale Illust... Two Mini-reviews and One Unreview - "The Juggler" ... Quick Blog Note: Fantasy Book Critic's Comment Mod... "The Celestial Globe: The Kronos Chronicles Book T... "A Magic of Dawn" by S.L. Farrell (Reviewed by Liv... "The Dark-Eyes' War: Book Three of Blood of the So... "The Noise Within" by Ian Whates (Reviewed by Livi... “Blood Oath” by Christopher Farnsworth (Reviewed b... Twelve 2010 Novels that Stand Out So Far "Shadows of Myth and Legend" by E.J. Stevens (Revi... "The Desert Spear" by Peter Brett (Reviewed by Liv... "13 Treasures" by Michelle Harrison (Reviewed by C... "Up Jim River" by Michael Flynn (Reviewed by Liviu... "Changes. Dresden File #12" by Jim Butcher (Review... "A Mighty Fortress" by David Weber (Reviewed by Li... "Shine: An Anthology of Optimistic SF" edited by J... "Ash" by Malinda Lo (Reviewed by Fábio Fernandes) "The Age of Zeus" by James Lovegrove (Reviewed by ... Interview with N.K. Jemisin (Interview by Mihir Wa... "The Barbary Pirates" by William Dietrich (Reviewe... "Subterranean" by James Rollins (Reviewed by Mihir... "Bitter Seeds" by Ian Tregillis (Reviewed by Liviu... "The Great Bazaar and Other Stories" by Peter Bret... "Poetry Speaks Who I Am" Edited by Elise Paschen S... "The Emerald Storm" by Michael Sullivan (Reviewed ... Spotlight on April Books "Shadows of Myth and Legend" by E.J. Stevens (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman) Visit E.J. Stevens Official Blog Here Order Shadows of Myth And Legend from Amazon Here To continue with the theme of National Poetry month I thought I'd feature Shadows of Myth and Legend by E.J. Stevens. I ran across E.J. by chance on goodreads. While poetry can be beautiful and moving, Stevens writing is describes as dark poetry. It really intrigued me and I wanted to see what this all had in store. Shadows of Myth and Legend is a 70 page collection of dark poems that involve some of the creatures of myth and legends. These creatures range from vampires, demons, dark fairies and the like. The first thing that stands out about this collection of poetry is the amount of talent that E.J. Stevens has. This isn't some slapped together version of poems put into a book for people to enjoy. Instead there is an immense collection of very dark poems. Each poem brings about a picture from some of the creatures of legends and although it doesn't describe every movement of these creatures I could vividly imagine the darkness that trailed behind all these creatures. These poems aren't going to make someone scream or stay up all night. Instead there is a bit of a dark cloud feeling to these poems. There isn't white puffy clouds and skipping involved in these poems. The thing that stood out the most about all these poems really was the talent that Stevens has. These poems actually made sense and didn't try to confuse or impress the reader with complex words and sing songy flow. Shadows of Myth and Legend is perfect for any fan of dark creatures that are from legends and fairy tales and will make a great collection of poems for the dark poetry lover. Even if one isn't a dark poetry fan it's worth it to see what that style is all about. E.J. Stevens said... Thank you Cindy for the lovely review! Still on the fence for Left Hand of God. Not sure if it deserves to be on the list.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1378
__label__wiki	0.751717	0.751717	Film Pravda Film truth(s) by film lovers. A Film Unfinished A Ghost Story Author: The JT LeRoy Story Battleship Potemkin Embrace Of The Serpent Everybody Wants Some!! Fantastic Mr Fox Kino Pravda Docs La Belle et la Bête (1946) Leviathan (2012) Logan Lucky Mississippi Grind Possession (1985) Saló or The 120 Days Of Sodom Sorry, Wrong Number Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Steve Jobs\| Telstar: The Joe Meek Story The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution The Human Condition Trilogy The King of Comedy The Matrix Series The Producers (1967) The Show of Shows The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Titicut Follies War and Peace (Voyna i Mir 1966-7) Werckmeister Harmonies Follow Film Pravda on WordPress.com Mr. Nobody (2009) Phantom of the Paradise (1974) Kino-Pravda Docs: #9 – Hale County This Morning, This Evening Unblock Amazon Accou… on The Holy Mountain –… Alex on The Holy Mountain –… ucminiapp.in on The Holy Mountain –… bengtlindkvist on My Entire High School Sinking… Alex Arabian on Rosemary’s Baby Brick (2005) May 11, 2018 May 7, 2018 AlexAesthetics, Brick, Cinema, Cinematography, Film, Film Noir, Film Pravda, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Neo-Noir, Rian Johnson, Sound design, Steve YedlinLeave a comment Sometimes, often films are windows. They hold up their glass lenses, capture the view(s) on celluloid or digital hard drives, and re-present that world up on a big screen for you. Your eyes watch the landscapes and the people or things put in front of it, and you get to see a filtered view of the world around you. But a window is something you look out of, and I don’t think you look out of Brick (2005, Dir. Rian Johnson) no, I think you look into Brick, you walk into and immerse yourself into Brick. In that case window is a bad choice of word. A better one might be portal. It’s difficult to put into words why Brick works so well, which is my favourite kind of feeling. It’s difficult, because to really understand it you have to see it and listen to it, film being an audiovisual medium not a written one. Try and write out Brick and you have a beautifully elaborate and winding detective story but with only a pale imitation of its deliriously crisp and sharp visuals. The Californian sun burns brightly over this world, hanging in a clear blue sky which overwhelms my eyes. Maybe Rian Johnson would’ve written something along those lines, but you get to see it instead. So let’s use these words then, especially since the characters in Brick are so intent on using them. In fact, following along the purest noir fashions, the words flow like a torrent over everything. The words race through the air and through your mind, characters building and tearing down and outwitting each other within a few breaths. It was a bit of a revelation for me to be confronted with a script so dense, even most neo-noirs fail to capture that style of dialogue, much preferring to just regurgitate the 40/50s aesthetic style of the film noir. But that’s my starting point, a script which moves like a locomotion building steam, it’s furnaces getting hotter and hotter under that burning sun. Unfortunately this is not a book, and a script only goes so far. So the camera picks itself up (with a little help from cinematographer Steve Yedlin I’m sure) and shovels coal into the train’s furnace, with reckless stylistic abandon. In fact all its stylistic elements, its dynamic and absorbing visual composition and it’s eclectic and wild sound design, are engrossing in a way I haven’t experienced in a long long time. The style of this debut is sheer visionary work, the deft handling of so many different elements of film was just a delight in my eyes, no doubt about it. It’s world is so cohesive that after recovering from the jarring shock of the film noir world transplanted onto a high school is gotten over, it descends into a daylight nightmare which captured me, spun me around and dropped me off at the end to some Velvet Underground. It’s a ride I would’ve paid good money to see, and to see again. But why am I bringing this up now? I’m sure many other film lovers have put forward their views on what makes Brick exceptional, and many more on what makes Brick garbage to them. It’s a film with a bold and out there style, which is always confrontational for critics. But I think for me, it’s a film I really needed to see at this moment in my life. It has been sitting in an unwatched pile for many years of my life, and I can say it has managed to restore some of my faith in cinema. Almost like a state of the nation address, but to me and my obsessive film brain. See a director or anyone making a film can never truly understand what impact the film will make on its audience, especially as time passes. All the production team can do is build the best film they can and hope it stands up to the winds of time and opinion pieces. But for me, who seems to be quite frustrated with the sometimes anemic and safe mainstream cinema environment, the film is a beacon of light for me. For a film site which was made to talk about films with some depth, especially films which weren’t just the modern slew of rehashes, reboots and relentless adaptations. And Brick is that for me. Brick holds many of the ideas I wanted to grow and explore in my time doing this. It’s vibrant, it’s bold and unafraid to commit to an aesthetic which many would like to declare dated or worse, dead. Brick is not just a portal into the world of Brendan, underground heroin rings and fast talking smart mouthed criminals. Brick is a portal into the past, it lives in the history of film noir and couldn’t exist without it. And it also a portal into the best kind of future, one where filmmakers take the disparate elements of the world which interest them and mould them into films which breathe life into the real world, filling it with stories that entrance its audience members in a way beyond pure action spectacle. In short, they make films which are good and cool. It’s a lot to ask apparently, so we all better get started. If you liked this, follow us on twitter here.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1382
__label__cc	0.72061	0.27939	Mar 4, 2018 7:42PM PT Celebs on the Red Carpet Are Using Marijuana CBD-Infused Lotion for Pain-Free Feet in Heels Mandy Moore at the Golden Globes. Celebrity red carpet fixtures know the agony of marching down the red carpet in heels that look good but cause some discomfort and pain after standing for too long. To the rescue comes a cannabis cream of the highest caliber — Lord Jones’ pain-relief CBD-infused body lotion, beloved by celebrity stylist Karla Welch and some of her A-list clients. Lord Jones CBD cannabis lotion relieves foot pain. CREDIT: Courtesy The solution, created from the cannabis plant, doesn’t get users high. It’s legal and incorporates the nonpsychoactive properties found in marijuana. The cannabinoids are absorbed by the skin and enhance conditions for pain-free feet. And it doesn’t get you high, as CBD is known as the medicinal compound of the plant. Best-Dressed Celebs at the 2019 Emmy Awards Lord Jones’ founder, Cindy Capobianco, a former accessories editor at Allure, said that her CBD body lotion has versatile uses. “It’s fantastic for sunburns and a variety of skin conditions. The one use that has become buzzy is in fashion for use on heels or being on your feet,” Capobianco explained. “Many customers who are in retail or on their feet all day, construction workers — it’s pretty democratic.” Busy Phillips on the red carpet. It has caught on with Hollywood’s A-list, too, including Mandy Moore and Sarah Paulson. “Busy Phillips did a whole post ‘OMG I put weed cream on my feet,’ and from then on we’ve had many celebs slather our lotion on their feet,” Capobianco recalled. “At the Golden Globes this year, Mandy Moore’s stylist Erica Cloud suggested to Mandy that she use Lord Jones,” Capobianco said. “Now all these Hollywood stylists keep it in their styling kit.” Sarah Paulson. Capobianco recommends applying the lotion on your feet (top and bottom) around 20 minutes before going out. “A pump or two for each foot and you’ll wake up in the morning refreshed and pain-free. But the most important thing is using it prior to going out.” Derived from hemp and includes a shea butter base, and an additional menthol ingredient adds a cooling sensation, which brings blood flow to the foot area. “It starts the healing before the CBD takes effect,”Capobianco said. “It takes around 15 minutes to start.” The product contain 2 mg of CBD in each pump, and the cost of a 50 ml bottle is $50 on lordjones.com.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1386
__label__wiki	0.855575	0.855575	Sep 16, 2019 7:01PM PT Melania Trump Matches Her Pink Top to Her Heels for Baseball Star’s Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony Melania Trump wears Dior with Manolo Blahnik pumps to a ceremony for President Donald Trump to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former New York Yankees baseball pitcher Mariano Rivera, Sept. 16, 2019. CREDIT: Patrick Semansky/AP/Shutterstock Melania Trump was suited up today at the White House, opting for touches of pink, to help honor baseball hero Mariano Rivera at the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. The first lady chose a Dior suit with a cream-colored blazer and matching cropped, wide-leg pants. Her pink sweater matched the hue of her pointed-toe pumps by Manolo Blahnik. The luxury label’s BB pumps are a favorite of the former model, who often soars in stiletto heels taller than 4 inches high. The namesake designer crafted the shoes more than a decade ago and named them after French movie star Brigitte Bardot. “It’s a good shoe for every occasion,” he has said of the classic style. The shoes cost around $625 at retailers like Nordstrom and go up in price depending on fabrications. Melania joined her husband, President Donald Trump, to recognize former NY Yankees player Rivera, whose athletic and philanthropic work was celebrated. “Proud to recognize Mariano Rivera at the @WhiteHouse today to receive the Medal of Freedom,” she captioned a photo. “We celebrate his incredible career in baseball and ability to bring people together, not only through [his] love of the game but also his philanthropic efforts.” For nearly 20 years, the five-time World Series champ’s Mariano Rivera Foundation has provided educational and support services to youths from impoverished families. Proud to recognize Mariano Rivera at the @WhiteHouse today to receive the Medal of Freedom. We celebrate his incredible career in baseball and ability to bring people together not only through love of the game, but also his philanthropic efforts. A post shared by First Lady Melania Trump (@flotus) on Sep 16, 2019 at 3:24pm PDT See more of Melania Trump’s love affair with Manolo Blahnik’s BB pumps. First Lady Fashion: The Style Choices of Melania Trump Vs. Michelle Obama Melania Trump Returns to the White House in Her Favorite Super Pointy Flats Melania Trump Wears Spiky Stilettos at a Surfers’ Beach on G7 Summit’s Final Day Cardi B Chooses Louboutin Pumps to Match Her Dress Featuring Dangling Keys and Chains	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1387
__label__wiki	0.547928	0.547928	ACANTHURIDAE Acanthurus albipectoralis Whitefin Surgeonfish, Acanthurus albipectoralis Allen & Ayling 1987 Other Names: White-fin Surgeon A Whitefin Surgeonfish, Acanthurus albipectoralis, in Bali, Indonesia. Source: Anders Poulsen / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC by Attribution-ShareAlike A pale bluish-grey to dark brown or almost black surgeonfish lacking blue lines on the body, with the outer half of the pectoral fins abruptly white. Bray, D.J. 2018, Acanthurus albipectoralis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Jan 2020, http://136.154.202.208/home/species/1019 Northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to at least the Solitary Islands, New South Wales, with juveniles to Sydney, New South Wales; also in the Lord Howe Island region, Tasman Sea. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the western-central Pacific. Adults inhabit exposed outer-reef slopes, usually in small aggregations feeding on zooplankton high above the bottom. Dorsal fin VIII-IX, 22-33; Anal fin II-III, 18-31; Pectoral fin 16-17; Gill rakers 4-5 + 9-14; Vertebrae 22. Least depth of caudal peduncle 3.1 to 3.3 times in head length. Body oblong, laterally compressed, snout rounded. Dorsal and anal fins relatively long and low, their posterior profiles, angular; caudal fin lunate with pointed tips; entire head and body covered with small cteniod scales, those of head partially embedded; a shallow groove, about equal to eye diameter in length, present in front of eye; teeth of jaws uniserial, club-shaped or spatulate with serrated edges, about 20-24 in each jaw. The Whitefin Surgeonfish is most similar to Acanthurus mata, which has a similar slender shape (compared with other species of Acanthurus) and is also a plankton feeder. A. albipectoralis differs most notably in the colour of the pectoral fins, which are blackish basally and abruptly white on the distal half. A. mata is generally brown overall with numerous fine bluish or purple striations on the sides, with a prominent yellow area extending forward from the eye and pale pectoral fins. The specific name albipectoralis is from the Latin albus (white) and pectoralis (pectoral), in reference to the distinctive fin coloration which is highly visible underwater and served to distinguish it from the similar Acanthurus mata. Species Citation Acanthurus albipectoralis Allen & Ayling 1987, Mem. Mus. Vict. 48(1): 15, fig. 1. Type locality: Swains Reefs, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Bray, D.J. 2018 Australian Faunal Directory Allen, G.R. & Ayling A.M. 1987. New Australian Fishes. Part 5. A new species of Acanthurus (Acanthuridae). Memoirs of Museum Victoria 48(1): 15-16 DOI:https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.1987.48.05 Open access Kuiter, R.H. & Debelius, H. 2001. Surgeonfishes, Rabbitfishes and Their Relatives. A comprehensive guide to Acanthuroidei. Chorleywood, U.K. : TMC Publishing 208 pp. Oxley, W.G., Emslie, M., Muir, P. & Thompson, A.A. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve, March 2004. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science i-vii, 1-67 pp. Randall, J.E. 2001. Surgeonfishes of Hawai'i and the World. Honolulu : Mutual Publishing and Bishop Museum Press 125 pp. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. Russell, B., Stockwell, B., Nanola, C., McIlwain, J., Choat, J.H., Clements, K.D., Rocha, L.A., Abesamis, R. & Myers, R. 2012. Acanthurus albipectoralis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T178007A1519102. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T178007A1519102.en. Downloaded on 18 June 2018. PERCIFORMES Perches and allies ACANTHURIDAE Surgeonfishes Conservation:IUCN Least Concern Depth:5-30 m Habitat:Reef associated Max Size:33 cm TL	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1391
__label__wiki	0.506929	0.506929	Arts, Science, Culture...it's all better up here. Art & Science Grants Coconino Center for the Arts Flagstaff365.com First Friday Artwalk About ArtWalk Map and Guide ArtWalk Advertisers Participate in ArtWalk Downtown Friday Nights Viola Awards 2020 Nominations & Gala Info 2020 Viola Finalists 2019 Winners & Photos The ArtBox Institute Performance Arts Booking Viola Awards Nominations Events & Local Happenings Events & Local HappeningsBarley2019-01-01T05:28:04-07:00 The Arts Council presents a variety of events throughout the year, at the Coconino Center for the Arts and in other venues around Flagstaff. At the Center, you’ll experience art exhibitions, compelling concerts, and more. Around Flagstaff, we host performances on downtown Flagstaff’s Heritage Square, concerts in the idyllic setting at the Arboretum at Flagstaff, and Navajo Rug Auctions at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Cash For Local Change Echoes of Loss Fires of Change Heritage Square Hope +Trauma Navajo Rug Auction July – October 2019 Jul – Oct 2019 July 14 (Sunday) Basics of Botanical Illustration Workshop – SOLD OUT Jul 14 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts Learn the basics of botanical illustration with Sheila Murray, Arboretum Research Botanist and Artist. Learn how to translate what you see in the natural world into scientifically accurate and aesthetically pleasing works of art. Basic skills learned will include composition, three-dimensional rendering, black ink pen technique, some botanical anatomy fundamentals, and drawing from herbarium specimens.[...] July 15 (Monday) Open Figure Drawing Jul 15 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts Open Figure Drawing sessions with moderator, Frederica Hall Monday evenings, 6-9pm, June 3- July 22, 2019 Make up date schedule for July 29. Drop-ins welcome! The Flagstaff Arts Council will host open sessions for artists to draw from a live model in the main gallery at the Coconino Center for the Arts. The eight-week series[...] September 10 (Tuesday) Sep 10 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts Open Figure Drawing Sessions with moderator Frederica Hall Tuesday evenings, 6-9pm, September 10 – October 29, 2019 The Flagstaff Arts Council will host open sessions for artists to draw from a live model in the main gallery at the Coconino Center for the Arts. The eight-week series is for those artists who would like to[...] September 28 (Saturday) Astrophotography Workshop w/ Abe Snider Sep 28 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts Learn Astrophotography with photographer Abe Snider Begin at the Coconino Center for the Arts with a presentation on best practices for night shooting. We will discuss a range of topics including how to find a dark sky area and preparing for the shot, an overview of camera and lens settings, how to focus a lens[...] September 29 (Sunday) Stone Balancing Workshop 2019 Sep 29 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts Local artist and landscape designer, Pieter Schaafsma will provide a discussion on the aesthetics of Stone Balancing and the place and time for stone balances in nature. Recent controversial concerns about the movement of rocks in the wilderness will be addressed in this eye opening talk. Demonstrations by four expert stone balancing artists, Simone Campisano,[...] October 1 (Tuesday) Oct 1 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts October 15 (Tuesday) Oct 15 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Coconino Center for the Arts Flagstaff365.com is your resource for what’s happening throughout the greater Flagstaff area. It is the comprehensive calendar of events for happenings in Flagstaff. Visit Flagstaff 365 6:30 pm Looking Back: Woodstock 50 Years... @ Coconino Center for the Arts Looking Back: Woodstock 50 Years... @ Coconino Center for the Arts The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff presents Looking Back: Woodstock 50 Years Ago a film by Alberto Engeli “Looking Back-Woodstock: 50 Years Ago” is a nostalgic look at the unforgettable and extraordinary Festival through first-person accounts and interviews with Woodstock performers, attendees and organizers. The film recounts their memories of one of the most famous concerts[...] 8:00 pm The Senators w/ Rebekah Rolland @ Coconino Center for the Arts The Senators w/ Rebekah Rolland @ Coconino Center for the Arts Flagstaff Arts Council presents The Senators w/ Rebekah Rolland EP RELEASE SHOW! This show was postponed from 9/28/19. All ticket sales for the original date will be honored. Phoenix-based folk band The Senators recently left the desert to go to the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, a long-time cultural hotbed of folk art and[...] 7:30 pm An Evening with George Winston @ Coconino Center for the Arts An Evening with George Winston @ Coconino Center for the Arts Greenhouse Productions and the Flagstaff Arts Council present An Evening with George Winston George Winston is undeniably a household name. He’s inspired fans and musicians alike with his singular solo acoustic piano songs for more than 40 years while selling 15 million albums. A tireless road warrior playing nearly 100 concerts annually, live performance for Winston is akin[...] 7:30 pm Valentine’s Show featuring Tow’rs @ Coconino Center for the Arts Valentine’s Show featuring Tow’rs @ Coconino Center for the Arts Flagstaff Arts Council presents Valentine’s Concert Featuring Tow’rs Plus Wine + Chocolate Tasting Join us for our annual Valentine’s show kicking off with a complimentary wine & chocolate tasting followed by a concert featuring Flagstaff based folk-rock band Tow’rs. In 2019 Tow’rs released their latest album titled New Nostalgia to follow up thier three other[...] 7:30 pm Flor De Toloache @ Coconino Center for the Arts Flor De Toloache @ Coconino Center for the Arts Greenhouse Productions and the Flagstaff Arts Council present Flor De Toloache Latin GRAMMY Winners Flor de Toloache make New York City history as its’ First and Only All-Women Mariachi Group. Founded in 2008, Flor de Toloache is lead by singers Mireya I. Ramos (founder) & Shae Fiol (founding member). Reminiscent of the early days of[...] Arts Council Sponsors Offices: 2300 N Fort Valley Rd, Flagstaff, AZ Mail: PO Box 296, Flagstaff, AZ 86002 The Coconino Center for the Arts gallery is open to the public Wednesday - Saturday 11:00am - 5:00pm Copyright © 2011-2019 Flagstaff Arts Council \| All Rights Reserved \| Site Design: Julie Sullivan Design Team: Julie Sullivan, Mary Ross, Christopher Kirby	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1392
__label__wiki	0.819623	0.819623	Jellycat Peanuts Peanut Pig £15.65 Medium: 23cm £9.65 Small: 11cm We offer one of the largest selections of Jellycat Baby Safe toys currently on the web, with over 60 Little Jellycat pages plus we have the complete Catseye London and By jELLYCAT range which features over 50 dedicated pages and all of these are available with Free UK Mainland Delivery on all Jellycat orders over £15, there is also an International delivery service including Royal Mails "Tracked and Signed" service covering an ever increasing list of destinations, these include the United States of America (USA), New Zealand (NZ), Denmark and France. At the present date our International orders for Jellycat toys go mainly to The United States of America (USA), Canada, Australia, New Zealand (NZ) and Singapore but we have even delivered to California and Florida, the USA and lots of Catseye and By jELLYCAT designs go to Japan.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1395
__label__cc	0.660481	0.339519	Nicollet-Central Streetcar minntransplant Joined: June 1st, 2012, 7:44 pm Re: Nicollet-Central Streetcar Postby minntransplant » February 20th, 2018, 12:47 pm talindsay wrote: ↑ nordeast homer wrote: ↑ Isn't the "beauty" of a streetcar system that you don't have to do as much prep for laying rails. The cars are much lighter than LRT and there should not be the need to move any underground utilities. They should be able to do the line in considerably less time than an LRT line with less disruption to the rest of the road. While that's traditionally been true, my understanding is that most US streetcar systems are built with about the same specs as light rail, since that allows more flexibility in vehicle selection. I've sort of assumed all along that any "streetcar" we get will probably just be using single Siemens S70s as their vehicles, since that offers more operational flexibility. Everybody likes the little streetcars they use in Portland, but they violate Buy America, and they've apparently been hard to get parts, bad production timelines, etc. Streetcars require so few vehicles, and there's so few streetcar systems in the US, that there's not much compliant rolling stock available here, so it's cheaper, easier, and a safer decision to just use single LRVs. Tucson also used the same streetcars as Portland for its tiny streetcar line. There were delays in streetcar production that delayed the line opening. Postby mattaudio » February 20th, 2018, 1:20 pm Of course another funding stream is the new (or at least agreed upon) 20 year Parks and Streets tax increase, producing $800 million over the next 20 years. If we took even 10% of that for urban transit improvements in Minneapolis and offered it as a 50% match for any county and/or state dollars for BRT in Minneapolis, we could leverage that $80 million into nearly the entire Minneapolis aBRT network. Postby nordeast homer » February 20th, 2018, 2:53 pm That's really interesting. I was basing my information on meetings way back when Hiawatha was just being built; several of our city and regional leaders had gone to Portland and possibly Denver to study regional transportation. One of the highlights that they were touting was streetcars -vs- LRT and how much more cost effective and less disruptive the streetcars would be to build out. If the streetcars are shorter and virtually the same weight it would seem that there may actually be more track bed prep work and you would definitely need to move utilities. Qhaberl Re: Arterial Bus Rapid Transit Corridors Postby Qhaberl » June 14th, 2018, 4:40 pm Maybe someone on the form can explain this to me. I really don’t understand why the Nickolet/Central Streetcar is a thing. Based on my understanding, streetcars do not really speed up transit. I do not believe Street cars work with signal priority. It just surprises me. I feel like the Nicklett Ave., Corredor would be wonderful for bus rapid transit. Bakken2016 Joined: September 20th, 2017, 12:40 pm Location: North Loop Postby Bakken2016 » June 14th, 2018, 5:27 pm Qhaberl wrote: Maybe someone on the form can explain this to me. I really don’t understand why the Nickolet/Central Streetcar is a thing. The city wants it for DEVELOPMENT and that it’s more attractive than a bus. VacantLuxuries Postby VacantLuxuries » June 14th, 2018, 6:38 pm I used to really like the streetcar but after hearing how Frey talked about it (and talking about it with him in person) I don't think we're doing it for the right reasons and probably could start building aBRT on the corridor immediately with whatever is in the TIF fund. Location: Expat Postby tmart » June 14th, 2018, 6:58 pm I think the truth on streetcars is somewhat more positive than transit wonks make it out to be, even if the drawbacks (namely, capital cost) are real. They're not bad transit. They're equally fast as a bus, can have higher capacity, can be run carbon-free, and have lower operating costs. They also often feature dedicated lanes, signal priority, and fewer stops than buses--though that's more a question of people's expectations and political will; those things are certainly possible if much rarer on buses. And people like to ride them; despite the desire to abstract away transit into destinations per dollar, it is OK to sometimes prefer modes that are more comfortable, more spacious, smoother, easier to use, and more predictable. With all that said, I do think aBRT probably makes the most sense for Nicollet--as a temporary but immediate and meaningful improvement, until we can get our act together and consider a proper tunnel serving traffic into Downtown from the south. VacantLuxuries wrote: ↑ IIRC the law doesn't allow that money to be redirected to uses other than a streetcar serving the defined district. DanPatchToget Postby DanPatchToget » June 14th, 2018, 9:13 pm tmart wrote: ↑ Equally as fast as a bus? Depends on the corridor, but sometimes the bus is actually faster. I pray that Nicollet ABRT would have 60-foot buses, but considering the C Line will have them I think that's likely. The C Line will have battery electric buses, so we don't need diesel nor do we need overhead wires. If a streetcar route is for upgrading transit (making it faster and more reliable) then I'll support it. If its just to attract development and does nothing to upgrade from the existing service besides a smoother ride and more capacity then I prefer ABRT. Postby VacantLuxuries » June 15th, 2018, 1:02 am Well Frey seems to think he can take it and use it on a streetcar on Washington instead for some reason. Postby minntransplant » June 15th, 2018, 7:42 am Even if a street car wasn't allegedly still on the table, I don't think anything meaningful would happen on Nicollet/Central until the K-Mart is gone. Since Sear's/Kmart's death looks more imminent by the day, it is an even more attractive reason why we should just wait before doing anything. Truly an unfortunate situation considering how many people rely on the 18. alexschief Postby alexschief » June 15th, 2018, 9:37 am Streetcars can run as fast as a bus, but they can't drive around something that's blocking their way. That's one reason why rail that doesn't have it's own dedicated right of way is significantly less reliable than a bus. They're also substantially more expensive. Spending nine figures on a streetcar makes no sense when you could instead spend the same amount on multiple aBRT corridors. The only consistent and honest justification that gets used for streetcars is that they are supposed to catalyze development in a way that bus enhancements don't, supposedly because of their legibility and people's preference for their appearance. There's not a lot of hard evidence that supports this view. MSP should forget about streetcars, period. If, for political reasons, serious transit corridors like Riverview need to have a small portion of the route on a shared ROW, that's regrettable, but maybe a sacrifice we should be willing to accept. But spending serious time, money, and political attention on a 2-4 mile streetcar is something that every urbanist should push back hard against. Agreed, with the possible exception of Midtown Corridor. But with dedicated ROW and likely built to accommodate larger LRVs, Midtown Corridor would functionally be more LRT than streetcar. So the point stands! BoredAgain Location: Lyndale Neighborhood Postby BoredAgain » June 15th, 2018, 10:06 am alexschief wrote: ↑ Streetcars can run as fast as a bus, but they can't drive around something that's blocking their way. I firmly believe that any streetcar vehicles should have reinforced front ends, the modern equivalent of a cow catcher, and a clear legal right to ram or push any vehicle blocking it's path, preferably at a low speed to avoid serious injury. Postby Qhaberl » June 15th, 2018, 11:03 am I was the one to start the talk about street cars. If any mods want to move post post 234 to 243 to a different topic, totally understand. This topic came up over on the arterial bus rapid transit thread. Hoping one of the module move it to this thread. Someone on the other thread mentioned that the city wants to invest in the street car for development potential. Does anybody know the history of development around modern street cars? I don’t quite understand why a streetcar would bring more development than Bus rapid transit. It makes sense why a streetcar would bring more development than a regular bus line would, but bus rapid transit is definitely more of a permanent fixture. It’s not something that’s likely to be moved or changed. Postby VacantLuxuries » June 15th, 2018, 11:33 am Modern streetcars are a case of someone doing something well and others replicating it without understanding why it worked. Portland built streetcars and they were successful. So a ton of other cities thought the secret to revitalizing downtowns was building a streetcar. This was ignorant of the fact that the streetcar was a downtown focused compliment to the already well used MAX light rail system, and that a trendy and unique place like Portland was always going to have a developmental leg up on, say, Omaha or Milwaukee. So a bunch of poorly thought out streetcar projects started tapping into federal money, and in many cases, they have lower ridership than Northstar because they were designed to bring development, not to actually connect places like the Portland streetcar. I liked the Nicollet Central streetcar because it actually filled a need in our rail transit system that wasn't being met by the Met Council and the METRO lines in their quest for regional connectivity - it would bring rail transit to the densest neighborhoods in Minneapolis. However, the streetcar serving a transit role wasn't the reason Minneapolis politicians wanted it. Which is why now that Nicollet and Central are developing naturally, people who saw this as a development meal ticket are losing interest and instead want to build the Broadway line for the same wrong reasons. It's sort of the Dumbo magic feather thing. The streetcar didn't bring development to Portland, it was the fact that people wanted to live in Portland already, and now they could take a streetcar to Downtown from more places. Whereas the Tuscon Sunlink is in Tuscon, so naturally it has abysmal ridership. The elephant could always fly. Postby minntransplant » June 15th, 2018, 1:14 pm Just adding some thoughts on the Tucson experience. While ridership is pathetic (it always was going to be), I think it is a solid test case for streetcars being a catalyst for development. There has been a considerable level of development along the Sunlink (especially for Tucson standards). This is in an area that hadn't seen any new development in decades (and millions of dollars spent on other "revitalization" efforts). Looking back, I probably should have used the Atlanta streetcar as a better example. I've never been to Tuscon but looking at the map, connecting a university, downtown, convention center, and tailing off on the opposite side of a city dividing freeway is pretty good as far as streetcars go. SamtheBusNerd Postby SamtheBusNerd » June 15th, 2018, 1:45 pm Agreed. Having used it, I don't think the Tucson streetcar is quite as bad as some of the others. It could definitely have higher ridership and be better connected to a regional transportation system (like Portland), but it basically makes it possible to easily get from all of the older parts of the city to the university by transit and as minntransplant says, has helped encourage significant development in downtown Tucson. It also terminates in a dense-ish, walkable area under development that is completely cut off from the rest of the city by the river and a freeway. Once a lot of the development that's planned or under construction for that area gets finished, I could see it having a lot higher ridership. While it's not open yet, I'd say Milwaukee is a perfect example of the exact opposite. The route ignores the city's already existing natural transit corridors and instead makes a zig-zaging u through downtown to connect all of the things that middle-class white folks might do for fun. They used to have a bus route that did the exact same thing that was a resolute failure. You'd think they'd have learned their lesson. I think Minneapolis has the right idea with putting streetcars on corridors like Nicollet and Central, but this city has grown past the point where we can reliably operate transit in mixed traffic anywhere near downtown. Postby alexschief » June 15th, 2018, 1:52 pm Folks, if you think Tucson's ridership is bad, just know that there are three modern streetcars in the US with even worse ridership. Cincy, Atlanta, and Dallas all have streetcars which have weekday ridership below 1,000. A few other streetcars operate without fares, which gives them an advantage over Tucson. It's a total tire fire. Just wait until Milwaukee and Oklahoma City open their streetcars though. To the extent that there's a theory to the mysterious development potential of streetcars, it's probably that the legibility of tracks in the ground makes real the promise of transit, and that something about the quaint appearance of streetcars appeals to people. But there's no serious evidence to support that these attributes somehow contribute to development, and certainly not to the scale that justifies spending hundreds of millions when better bus service was far more cost effective. Ultimately, what is a greater amenity for area residents, an city-themed amusement park ride, or very good transit service? Streetcars are the classic example of what happens when transit is planned by people who don't ride transit and whose top priority isn't to provide good transit service. From shared right-of-way to insufficient stop spacing, modern streetcars have repeatedly made all the wrong moves with regard to providing good service. If a streetcar appeared out of the ether in Minneapolis tomorrow, nobody would be calling for it to be removed. But in a world where opportunity costs are a real thing, MSP should forget the idea of building a streetcar anywhere and focus on the METRO light rail, aBRT, and local buses, which are the three products in their portfolio which have proven useful to the public.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1404
__label__wiki	0.838169	0.838169	East Coast Street Poets All Skool Nouveautés: May 2007 Label: eOne Music This historic collaboration comes on the 20th anniversary of the rap battle between KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions and Marly Marl's Juice Crew. The title offers a rejoinder to Nas' declaration last year that hip-hop was dead, and KRS spends much of the CD espousing the power of hip-hop culture and lauding his place in it. But the real revelation here is Marly Marl's production, which points to his mid- to late-'80s breakbeat mastery while updating it for this millennium. "The Teachers Back" and "The Victory" stand out, but nearly every track bangs. This may be KRS' best CD in a decade. À propos de cet album It's Alive (Intro) Hip Hop Lives M.A.R.L.E.Y. (skit) Kill A Rapper The Teacha's Back This Is What It Is House Of Hits Derniers albums de KRS-One The Real HipHop King of the Ol' Skool The B.D.P. Album (Special Edition)	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1408
__label__wiki	0.763352	0.763352	Trump admits withholding aid to Ukraine while asking country’s leader to investigate 2020 rival Joe Biden Democrats Want to Tax the Rich. Here’s How Those Plans Would Work (or Not). Huguette Caland—leading artist of the Arab world—has died, aged 88 ‘A democratic vote swayed by lies is not democracy’—Mary Beard on what antiquity can teach us about political spin Free News from USA UK jobs boom strongest in South Yorkshire and Merseyside, thinktank finds \| Politics Free News 14.01.2019 South Yorkshire and Merseyside recorded the strongest levels of jobs growth in the decade since the financial crisis, according to a report that also finds low-income households have benefited more than richer ones. The rise in the national employment rate to 75.7%, the highest level on record, has been driven by comparatively low-employment areas of the UK “catching up” over the past decade, according to the Resolution Foundation. While it is often assumed that job creation is centred on London, the thinktank’s report found that the biggest regional increase in the employment rate since the 2008 financial crash was in South Yorkshire. Employment rose by 6.5 percentage points to 71.7% in the region, which contains Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley. Dan Jarvis, the Labour mayor of the Sheffield city region, said: “Investment to attract global manufacturers like Boeing and McLaren Automotive to the region is paying off.” Merseyside – which comprises the city of Liverpool and the surrounding metropolitan boroughs of Knowsley, Wirral, Sefton and St Helens – recorded the second-biggest rise in the past decade of 6.4 percentage points. However, its employment rate still lags the national average at 69.3%, among the lowest in the country. Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor of the Liverpool city region, said the jobs recovery had been kickstarted by Liverpool’s European capital of culture year in 2008, adding: “Our challenge as a combined authority is to build on that success, despite government austerity and the uncertainty of Brexit.” Despite the gains in major urban areas blighted by deindustrialisation under Margaret Thatcher, rural areas and second-tier towns have failed to keep pace, in a reflection of the growing divide between metropolitan Britain and the rest of the country. Yorkshire, excluding its biggest cities, recorded a decline in its employment rate of 0.6 percentage points. About 2.7m jobs have been created since the financial crisis, outstripping many major European economies where unemployment rates remain high. However, questions have been raised over the type of work, with the growth in precarious employment on zero-hours contracts and in the gig economy. While the Resolution Foundation found that growing numbers of low-income households and disadvantaged groups had been helped into work, it warned that job insecurity had risen, in particular for younger workers. Half of all jobs growth since 2008 has come in professional occupations, although the share of 18- to 29-year-olds working in lower-paying roles has expanded over the last decade. Employment on zero-hours contracts and in agency work has also risen 50% faster for 18- to 29-year-olds than the rest of the population. Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk There are still 780,000 workers in Britain without the guarantee of fixed hours, a further 950,000 agency workers, while one in seven worker are self-employed. All these more precarious working roles are significantly above pre-crisis levels. Average wages remain around £25 below the peak recorded before the financial crisis, following a “lost decade” of pay growth for British workers. Contrary to the arguments of some Brexiters, the report suggests that migrants have not displaced British workers. While migrants have accounted for about two-thirds of the rise in employment, the employment rate of people born in the UK has risen by more than 2 percentage points to a record high of 75.8%. Almost two-thirds of the jobs growth since 2008 has gone to those on the bottom-half of the pay ladder, while workers with low qualifications account for almost half of the growth in employment. Stephen Clarke, senior economic analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “While the jobs surge has not been as dominated by London or low-paid work as some claim, new challenges have developed – particularly for younger workers and with a big rise in insecure work. “While more people are working, as a country we are still earning less each week for doing so than we were 10 years ago.” Alok Sharma, the employment minister, said: “All this is very good news but we are not complacent and are taking further action to increase employment rates for under-represented groups by developing innovative support programmes.” How One Address Led to a $100 Million Tax Credit Scheme The Fed Might Have Shrunk Its Balance Sheet Too Much. Does it Matter? This Week in Business: No More E-Cigarettes at Walmart, and an Attack on the World’s Oil Supply From Underwear to Cars, India’s Economy Is Fraying PREVIOUS POST Previous post: Trump Adviser Suggests Unpaid Government Workers Are ‘Better Off’ During Shutdown NEXT POST Next post: Trump Goes On Racist Tirade Against Elizabeth Warren Amid New Russia Scandals Trump withheld $400m in aid to Ukraine days before asking leader to investigate 2020 rival Biden, reports say Free News from USA © 2020. All rights reserved	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1410
__label__cc	0.54838	0.45162	Mario's World Forums > The Rest > ► PC Software Soldier of Fortune: Payback aiming issue with very fast frame rates. ► PC Software (Forum related to the discussion of PC software. i.e.: O/S's, programming, web coding, games et al.) 21st June 2009, 12:21 AM #1 Location: @home Today I finally started playing Soldier of Fortune: Payback. This is one of those games you love to hate. Talk about squandering a great franchise. The first two games in the franchise, developed by Raven Software were rather good. This third iteration was developed by Cauldron, a bunch of Slovakian tossers. The game is a budget title released on the Activision Value label. This game could have had so much more potential - if only Raven had been involved. The graphics are not too bad and the game play is reasonable. At any rate, I'm having fun playing this abortion. Once I got to the Donetsk: Brothel level the aiming went haywire. (This also happened in the Eshkashem: Caves levels to a lesser extent.) I was stumped. What happened was that when I had the crosshair on an enemy it would not turn red as it should, and has done up to this stage. This meant that when I fired my weapon the enemy would not register a hit. I quickly found that I had to aim somewhere outside the body silhouette at random locations. This made the game unplayable. I was fuming - and confused. I regularly use FRAPS, and what I noticed was that when I started recording, everything was fine and the aiming was back to normal. In a short period of time I realized what the problem was. Seems that very high frame rates was the culprit. Because this level takes place indoors and in confined spaces, my frame rate shot up from an average of 90 frames per second, to several hundred. I have FRAPS set to record @60fps, and thus when I started recording, the game would run at 60 frames per second, which made the aiming work properly. The solution was rather simple - turn on vertical synchronization (v-sync) via the GPU driver settings. Once that was done, the game ran at no more than 60 frames per second. Aiming issue solved. Of course, had this game been developed by competent people, it would have had the usual enable/disable v-sync option in it's graphic settings, which I would have enabled from the start, as I do with all other games. tl;dr version: If you're having aiming issues in SOF: Payback, enable V-sync. Send a private message to Mario Visit Mario's homepage! Find More Posts by Mario activision value, beepa.com, cauldron, fraps, payback, sof payback vsync, sof3, sof: payback aiming issue, soldier of fortune, v-sync, vsync User Control Panel Private Messages Subscriptions Who's Online Search Forums Forums Home Mario's World ► Mario's World Ramblings The Rest ► PC Hardware ► PC Software ► Emulation ► Guns & Ammo ► The Flea Market ► Couch potato ► All you can eat ► Readme Corner The End Is Nigh ► Off-topic ► Test Forum	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1422
__label__cc	0.726031	0.273969	Black Pagan Recent content by Black Pagan Battle Encounters - How many is too many ? The Game is mostly Puzzle Solving (Nothing fancy just quick Puzzles) and Combat based. Combat plays a major role in the Game, In-fact it makes the Character stronger each Floor, Think of something resembling a typical "Dungeons and Dragons" game. I am trying to find a minimal setting for such a... I'm working on a Mini Game which uses Multiple 23 X 20 Maps. The Main Objective of the game would be for the Lone Hero to fight through "x" Floors of the Dungeon to reach the Top where the Game ends after a Boss Battle. The Story and Planning are all in very early Concept Phase. However, since... How to deal with a lot of branching Check out Trello, Its a Free Online Organizing program. I use it often to play the Flow of my Game and store Sub-Data within each Step. Time Keeping in non-Earth worlds I would love a game with a Night and a Day system any day and maybe 2 kinds of weather - Sunny or Stormy weather. That's it. Something as simple as this can be pretty fun and make the Player feel the world is more interactive, Regardless of the size of the Game. I normally don't like games with... How long does it take to make full game Well, The better you know how to use the Engine, The easier it is to organize and develop the Game. So I suggest you get familiar with the Engine first - Play around with it, Download other Games and play them, Learn the Limits of the Engine through Tutorials. This process alone would take... Why Do Some Hate HP and Levels? I have no problems with a HP Bar. With Levels, I would say I prefer one where Player earns their Levels, Not simply knockdown a few monster and level up, One example i can think of would be a Japanese Browser game called "Shikihime Garden". In it, Levels are only awarded to you if you do... Need help figuring out a stamp-collecting system and handing out rewards appropriately You could just look up an "Image Gallery" Plugin, Like the one by Mog Hunter and pretend the Stamps are simply Enlarged Images. Forum: RPG Maker MV Practical question about character selection Sadly, I don't think there is an alternate way to do this, Unless there is a Plugin which lets you assign pre-defined Character Sheets. Its really simple if you keep the wording short, I don't see how this is a problem. Ex : Character 1 with Hair 1 and Costume 1 = C11.. So on. All you need to... Spiked Armor Passive Have you tried Victor Engine ? If I remember right, there was a Reflect Plugin. RMMV Game Idea: Posession RPG Here are some of my views regarding this Idea : - I don't find the idea of a mere "Ghost" interesting unless this said Ghost is unique compared to others. Give it a special ability that no one else has ? That way you take back point of interest from Regular people back to the Ghost - You can... Forum: Game Ideas and Prototypes Help with a skill that inverses the agility stat. Can't you just add Agility to Enemies and Decrease Agility to Your Party with Status effects ? Is cheeze actually good for games? i can see it make a Game with a "Timed Challenge" feel easy. I don't think i would want to play a game with such a Feature in a Regular RPG. However, I can see how this fits into a Rogue-like where you could just skip levels. Lets say you can unlock a Hidden Door in the Wall that takes you 2... Forum: Video Games Try listening to some Music for Inspiration and Ideas. That's just a lame excuse XD I am a little lost and overwhelmed and could really use some help... I would say the best way is to look up and Play Games made by others. You can find plenty of those here in the Forums. You also understand the Limits of what RPG Maker MV can do. The Best ideas are often Inspirations from other Ideas. Here are some Game Ideas i can think of : #1 - Mystery or... RMVXA Beyond the Veil (1 Viewer) Latest: kaffe Games In Development	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1424
__label__wiki	0.851677	0.851677	Sign In or Create my Account to gain full access to our forums. By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community. Chris Hadley Chris Hadley last won the day on April 18 2019 Chris Hadley had the most liked content! About Chris Hadley AM Anchor Chris Hadley started following Classic Video Thread (pre-2008) December 14, 2019 Classic Video Thread (pre-2008) Chris Hadley replied to HulkieD's topic in Classic Video From my new NOLA TV archive page, here are some WWL-TV newscasts from July 22, 1996. 12 PM w/Bill Elder, Don Westbrook and Phil Johnson: https://archive.org/details/wwl07229612pm 6 PM w/Dennis Woltering, Angela Hill, Mike Hoss (in for Jim Henderson) and Dave Barnes: https://archive.org/details/wwl6pm072296 10 PM segment w/Nancy Russo forecast, final story and repeat of that day's Phil Johnson editorial: https://archive.org/details/wwl07229610pm From WGNO, circa March 21, 2006: https://archive.org/details/wgno2006 From WVUE, the end of its 9 PM newscast followed by the 2001 edition of its annual "Weathering The Storm" hurricane preparedness special: https://archive.org/details/wvuestorm2001 All these came from tapes recently acquired by jacky9br (who posted the earlier WVUE Fox 8 9 PM news from 7/22/96). From January 26, 1981, a segment from WWL's Eyewitness Morning News w/co-anchors John Quaintance and the late Andre Trevigne. Features reports from Dennis Wolter(ing), Taylor Henry and the legendary Bill Elder. Via WPXI in Pittsburgh, an hour block of CNN Headline News from November 22, 1986: First segment of WDSU's 10 PM NewsCenter 6 from December 10, 1986: Featuring WDSU's version of the '86-'87 "Come Home To NBC" campaign ID: Long before WGNO had an actual functioning news operation that tried to compete with WWL, WDSU and WVUE, the then-independent Ch. 26 - like many indies around the country - carried prime time news briefs in lieu of traditional half-hour newscasts. For years during the pre-ABC era, these news briefs were anchored by Mel Leavitt (legendary WDSU newsman/sportscaster) who hosted public affairs programs on Ch. 26 in addition to booth announcing for the station, as you'll hear in the movie opens on this clip: From The SBC Archive, Peter Jennings' historic 24 hour coverage of the worldwide New Millennium celebrations on ABC (playlist in 12 parts): Dan Rather's coverage of the New Millennium celebrations on CBS: NBC's coverage of the New Millennium celebrations with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric, among many: Two more vintage WWL newscasts, beginning with the 10 PM Eyewitness News Nightwatch from March 2, 1993: From May 19, 2001: From August 23, 1987, an ABC-era WVUE News 8 Nightbeat tease with ads and promos: Chris Hadley replied to TexasTVNews's topic in General TV Absolutely shocked. Very sad to hear this. Sending my condolences to Glynn, Nancy's family, friends and colleagues. From June 5, 1994, WWL and then-ABC station WVUE's 10 PM newscasts: Continuing with that vintage New Orleans flavor, here's a partial WDSU Newscenter 6 at 10 PM from August 5, 1985 (courtesy jacky9br): Another partial newscast, this one a 6 PM WWL Eyewitness News edition from January 13, 1984 (again from jacky9br): From an overnight rebroadcast, a full edition of WDSU's 10 PM news from November 7, 1994: A pre-Katrina WWL newscast from April 22, 2005: WWL's Eyewitness News Nightwatch from Super Bowl 26 eve, 1992: And a WWL 10 PM newscast from April 4, 2002: Courtesy ewjxn, a squeeze tease for WDSU's weekend edition of Newscenter 6 at 10 from December 1, 1985. Talent ID's are also included. Stay tuned this Tuesday when the newscast itself (90% of it) will be uploaded on ewjxn's channel! Just saw. Thanks for pointing that out. The Marion Stokes link still works, though. Following up on a 1988 ABC 20/20 report on alleged visions of the Virgin Mary in the Yugoslavian village of Medjugorje (pronounced med-ju-gorya), here's a WVUE New Orleans update on the impact felt on the city's predominantly Catholic community. Nearly 2 years earlier, the station's former weekend co-anchors, Jim Bailey and Mary Lou McCall, presented a memorable series of reports on those visions, culminating in a prime-time special which aired in December 1986 (also on YouTube), public speaking tours at New Orleans area churches, and several interviews on WVUE and other media outlets. WDSU news teases and news/station promos from April 12, 1981: The YouTube user "toastymallows" features tons of WJW/WJKW Cleveland "Ohio Reporter/One Tank Trip" segments from the late '70s-1992. https://www.youtube.com/user/toastymallows/ From that same channel comes some rare film footage of WJW-TV circa 1971: We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using TVNewsTalk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1427
__label__cc	0.511636	0.488364	На главную » Suarez Daniel » Influx. Читать онлайн Influx. Suarez Daniel. In loving memory of Alan Haisser, a brilliant engineer who encouraged my youthful wonder—but still insisted I learn the math. The future is already here—it’s just not very evenly distributed. “I’m gonna hunt you down like a rabid dog, Sloan.” Albert Marrano clenched his teeth on an e-cigarette as he concentrated on a tiny screen. “Don’t joke. My sister’s pug just went rabid.” “You’re kidding.” Marrano thumbed the controls of his handheld game console. “Raccoon bite. They had to put Mr. Chips down. Her kids are still in therapy.” Mashing buttons on his own wireless console, Sloan Johnson sat in the nearby passenger seat. Then he let out a deep “Heh, heh.” Marrano cast a look at him. Johnson had that Cheshire cat grin on his face again. “Shit…” Marrano tried to rotate his player around, but Johnson’s avatar was already behind him. Double-tap. The screen faded. “You really do suck at this, Al.” “Goddamnit!” Marrano tossed the device onto the car’s stitched leather dashboard and pounded the steering wheel. “You have got to be kidding me. Worse than playing my goddamn nephew.” “That’s two thousand bucks you owe me.” “Best out of five?” Johnson powered down his device. “It’s a lousy two K. What are you complaining about?” Headlights swept across them as another car turned into the nearly empty parking lot of a gritty industrial building. “Here we go.” Marrano pocketed his e-cigarette. “’Bout fucking time.” They exited their parked Aston Martin One-77 as an older Mercedes pulled toward them. “Jesus, look at this thing.” “They go forever, though.” “You ever get stuck behind one of these on the highway? Like breathing coal dust.” He motioned for the driver to pull up to them. The Mercedes parked, and a distinguished, if disheveled, elderly South Asian man with spectacles and a full head of unconvincing jet-black hair got out. Slowly. He buttoned his greatcoat against the cold. Marrano and Johnson approached, removing their leather gloves and extending hands. Marrano smiled. “Doctor Kulkarni. Albert Marrano. Thanks for coming out so late.” “Yes.” They shook hands. “I don’t usually drive at night. But your CEO said this couldn’t wait.” “That she did.” Marrano turned. “This is my colleague, Sloan Johnson. He manages the portfolio for Shearson-Bayers.” They shook hands as well. “Pleased to meet you.” Marrano pulled his lambskin glove back on. “So you’re our physicist. Princeton, right?” Kulkarni nodded. “Yes, but I live close by in Holmdel. No one would tell me what this is about.” Marrano grimaced. “Not over the phone, no. Legal says they already have you under contract, so I’m supposed to remind you about your nondisclosure agreement and noncompete clause.” The elderly Indian nodded impatiently. “Fine, fine. Now what is this ‘physics emergency’ of yours?” Marrano waved his arm to encompass the drab, windowless building before them. “Tech start-up. Run by a couple particle physicists developing chiral superconductors. The investment predates me, but these guys claim they’ve made some big breakthrough. I’ll be damned if I can understand a thing they’re saying.” Johnson edged in. “We need you to evaluate their scientific claims. Tell us if they’re on the level.” Kulkarni nodded. “Is there a business plan or lab report I can review?” Both men exchanged looks. Marrano answered, “We can’t part with printed material at this point, Professor. You’ll have to review this firsthand.” “Then I’ll need to speak with the founders. Tour the facility.” Kulkarni eyed the darkened building. “Oh, they’re in there.” “This late?” “Yeah. Blowing through thirty thousand dollars an hour in off-peak electricity.” An electrical hum became all the more noticeable from behind a nearby fenced transformer yard as he mentioned it. “We were told not to leave this place or talk to anyone until we got confirmation from an expert. Apparently whatever these guys sent the eggheads in New York turned some heads. Frankly, I have my doubts.” Johnson added, “We’re supposed to have you confirm that it’s for real.” Kulkarni adjusted his spectacles to keep them from fogging. “That what’s for real?” Marrano shrugged. “Like I said: I don’t even understand it. Something about ‘ionic lattices.’ Follow me.” He brought them toward a windowless steel door in a nearby brick wall, then tapped in a code at a keypad. The door beeped and unlocked. He ushered them inside. The group walked down a narrow drywall corridor with a lofty ceiling. Ahead they could hear the echo of laughter in a cavernous space. A deep hum permeated the corridor, along with the smell of ozone. There was a loud bang somewhere, followed again by hoots of laughter and breaking glass. “Not sure, Professor.” Marrano walked onward. Moments later, the trio came out into a large, darkened workspace, with a high, exposed girder ceiling. Work lights glowed from the center of the room, casting long shadows on the walls. Big as it was, the room was still cluttered—its edges lined with overflowing shelving units and banks of heavy-duty electrical capacitors. LED lights glowed on the equipment, digital readouts fluctuating widely. Rows of rubber-topped lab tables stood in their path, every inch piled high with circuit boards, oscillators, 3D printers, and heaps of electrical components. There were also origami geodesic models in all sizes. The place looked more like the attic of an eccentric hoarder than a laboratory. Marrano halted them as he noticed shattered glass, broken furniture, and unknown liquids scattered across the concrete floor. A glance up also revealed dents and holes pounded into the wall behind them. They were downrange of something. A burst of light in the center of the room drew their attention to a towering circular assembly. It was roughly ten feet in diameter and rose up to the thirty-foot-high ceiling. Thick electrical cables snaked through it, woven in and out of metal scaffolding and what appeared to be color-coded coolant piping. There were OSHA warning signs for high voltages, liquid gases, and corrosive chemicals. The assembly was clearly the focus of much organized activity, while the rest of the room had been allowed to go feral. At the heart of the massive assembly was a concave stone or ceramic pedestal several feet in diameter—shaped like a lens—above which was an array of metal rods, their tips aimed at the center of an imaginary sphere. The open space that the sphere encompassed was roughly six feet in diameter. Other sensor arrays and test rigs were distributed around the platform as well—tubes, pipes, wires, cameras, and more inscrutable devices, all aimed at the empty space at the heart of the machine. Next to it stood the silhouettes of four men in coveralls with an assortment of hard hats, lab goggles, and, on one, a black paintball mask. They were crowded around a flat-panel computer monitor perched on a cart. Cables ran from it back into the scaffolding tower. As they read the contents of the screen, one of the researchers suddenly shouted, “Off-axis acceleration zero-point-nine-three-nine! Hell, yeah, baby!” They high-fived one another, shouting with joy, and clinked together what appeared to be large bottles of beer. They danced around, arm in arm like devils before a fire, their shadows cavorting along the walls. Marrano shouted, “Hey! What the hell, guys?” The men stopped and looked to the doorway. The one with the paintball mask flipped it up to reveal a youthful bearded face. He smiled and raised a half-empty malt liquor bottle. “Marrano! Just in time. Check this out.” Marrano sighed in irritation as he, Johnson, and Kulkarni gingerly navigated around broken glass and pools of liquid. He frowned. “This place is a mess, Mr. Grady.” “Maid’s on vacation. Get on over here.” The other researchers stood alongside Grady, all wearing blue coveralls with a white number forty-one embroidered over the chest pocket. Two were young Asian men—one of them plump but tall, the other wiry like a wrestler. Next to them was a scholarly looking Caucasian man in his seventies or eighties, wearing a sweater and necktie beneath his loose-fitting blue coveralls. He leaned on a cane, visibly guarded about the new visitors. Marrano gestured as they made their way closer. “Jon Grady, this is Doctor Sameer Kulkarni, Princeton University plasma physics lab. He’s here to evaluate”—his eyes trailed up the towering assembly—“whatever the hell this is.” “Doctor Kulkarni, great to meet you.” Grady waved them in with welding-gloved hands. He gestured to his team. “That burly guy over there is Raharjo Perkasa, postdoc out of Jersey Tech. That’s Michael Lum, our chemical engineer from Rutgers.” Both the young men nodded. “And over here—” Kulkarni was distracted momentarily as he bumped against an origami polyhedron on a nearby table—but then he took notice of the fourth researcher. “Doctor Alcot. Bertrand Alcot.” He laughed. “What on earth are you doing here? How long has it been?” The elderly Alcot smiled as they shook hands heartily. “A good five or six years, I think.” Marrano and Johnson exchanged looks. “You know each other?” Kulkarni nodded. “Doctor Alcot and I coauthored a paper on hydrodynamics long ago. While he was at Columbia. I thought you retired, Bert.” Alcot nodded. “From the university, yes. I was encouraged to retire. So I did.” Kulkarni seemed to be trying to recall something. “The last thing I read of yours was…” He hesitated. “Well, it was rather controversial, if I remember.” “That’s diplomatic of you. It was a paper on modified Newtonian dynamics.” There was an awkward silence. Grady spoke as he tapped away at a computer keyboard. “Doctor Alcot’s career difficulties are my fault, I’m afraid. I’ve been told I’m a bad influence.” “You are a bad influence.” Alcot gestured to Grady. “He’s been pestering me for years with his strange ideas.” Grady snorted as he studied the numbers on his computer screen. Alcot continued, “I tried mathematically disproving Jon’s theories but couldn’t.” He leaned back on his cane. “After Greta passed away, Jon convinced me to come join him here.” “My condolences on Greta. I hadn’t heard. When did she pass, Bert?” “About two years ago now.” “So sorry to hear it.” Kulkarni glanced back to Grady. “Then Mr. Grady worked with you at Columbia?” Grady shook his head, still studying the computer monitor. “Heh. I’m no scholar. I flunked out of a state college.” Alcot added. “Jon has a master’s in physics.” He paused and somewhat sheepishly added, “An online degree.” “Ah, I see. Then how did you two…?” “Jon’s been emailing me for years. Incredibly persistent. Got to the point I could no longer ignore him. It was either that or a restraining order.” Alcot gestured to the towering assembly. “This is the result.” Kulkarni looked to Marrano, then back to Alcot. “Then it was Mr. Grady who formed the company?” “With other people’s money.” Marrano picked up one of several origami geometric shapes from a nearby table. He gazed at the researchers meaningfully. “I haven’t heard anyone mention chiral superconductors yet.” Grady answered as his fingers clattered at the keyboard. “Do you even know what chiral superconductors are, Mr. Marrano?” “No, and it’s not for lack of trying. But I do know the government invested in this place. So someone somewhere must understand it.” Grady smiled. “And thus marches Wall Street.” Marrano tossed the paper model aside and turned back to Kulkarni. “Can you please find out what’s going on? I’d like to get back to the city.” Johnson eyed the large bottles of cheap beer in the researchers’ hands. “You guys always drink while you’re messing around with high-voltage equipment?” Alcot gave the barest hint of a smile. “We’re celebrating.” Again Grady barely looked up from his keyboard as he answered for Alcot. “Bert’s right. Tonight is a special night. As you’ll see.” He finished typing, then looked up to regard them. “I’m guessing you’ll all need a drink soon enough.” Marrano and Johnson exchanged unimpressed looks. “What’s the forty-one stand for?” Marrano gestured to the number on the researchers’ coveralls. Grady tossed his paintball mask onto a nearby tool cart. He now looked like a BMW mechanic in blue coveralls. He pulled back his unruly, shoulder-length hair, wrapping it into a ponytail as he spoke. “Forty-one represents a starting point. Prime numbers are the atoms of mathematics. Viewed on an equilateral grid, the number forty-one appears at the very center of all the prime numbers below one hundred. And if we consider de Polignac’s conjecture, the fractal nature of that numerical array has tremendous significance at higher scales.” “Jesus…” Marrano and Johnson again exchanged looks. Alcot interceded. “I’ll grant you that Jon has some eccentricities, gentlemen, but I’ve begun to realize that he simply has a different perspective on things.” Marrano gazed at the dozens of origami shapes scattered among electrical components on nearby tables. “That’s a shocker.” Alcot picked up one of the shapes. “Non-Euclidean curved surface folding. Jon sometimes thinks through problems with his hands.” “It helps with certain problem sets.” Grady approached them, apparently noticing the dubious look on the investor’s faces. “It’s fair to say I’ve strayed a bit from my business plan.” Marrano scowled. “Strayed? I can’t even see your business plan from here. I’ve been going through your expenses. You’ve blown through half your annual budget in the last three months on utility bills alone.” “An opportunity cost.” Grady gestured to the towering apparatus. “High energies are necessary to induce exotic states in baryonic matter. And exotic states are what we needed.” “I’m guessing your burn rate is the real reason we’re here.” Marrano gestured to the massive tower of equipment. “Is this your Hail Mary pass before you go under? And what the hell is baryonic matter?” “Physical stuff —for our purposes at subatomic scales.” He looked to Kulkarni. “Doctor Alcot and I have been studying the interaction of high-energy particles moving through doped graphene within superfluids like helium-4.” Kulkarni nodded uncertainly. “Okay. And how does that relate to chiral superconductors, Mr. Grady?” There was a tense silence. “But I could get funding for chiral superconductors.” “That’s fraud.” “Fraud ’s an ugly word. Anyone reading the business plan able to comprehend our mathematics would clearly understand what I was proposing.” “Like I said: fraud.” Grady looked unfazed. “Then it would make for the most boring lawsuit ever. Besides, someone in government was evidently intrigued by my math.” Kulkarni turned to Alcot. “Did you know about this, Bert?” Alcot grimaced. “I was unaware of it for a time, but eventually I came to accept it as necessary.” “Your professional reputation—” Grady interceded. “The fault is mine. Not Professor Alcot’s. But as you’ll see, none of that matters now.” Alcot held up a reassuring hand. “I’ll be fine, Sam.” “I’m concerned that Mr. Grady has been trading on your academic credentials.” “It’s not like that at all. Almost the opposite, in fact.” Kulkarni turned back to Grady. “So what is it you’re doing with these superfluids?” Johnson glanced between the physicists. “‘Superfluids.’ ‘Baryonic matter.’ It all sounds like bullshit to me.” Grady took a swig from a forty-ounce beer, then wiped his beard with his gloved hand. “Superfluids are very real, Mr. Johnson. A superfluid is a state in which matter behaves like a fluid with zero viscosity and zero entropy. Looks like a normal liquid, but at ultralow temperatures flows without friction. Point is: In certain extreme environments the standard model of physics breaks down. Look…” He approached a glass enclosure mounted to one side of the tower and slipped his arms through a pair of thick silvery gloves in its face. The others watched as inside the glovebox Grady unscrewed a smoking ceramic cylinder from the side of the monstrous assembly. He then grabbed a nearby glass beaker and carefully poured a clear, steaming liquid into it from the cylinder. “This is helium-4 at slightly below two-point-one-seven Kelvin.” He held the beaker up and to the side. Even though the beaker was made of thick glass, the liquid inside dripped through the bottom as if it were a window screen. It hit the floor of the glovebox and quickly evaporated. Johnson looked surprised. “Holy shit. It’s pouring through glass.” “Exactly. In a quantum state strange things happen. It’s paring matter down to its essence. Subatomic particles. Slipping between the cracks of standard physics.” He screwed the cylinder back in the monstrous assembly. “Each particle of helium-4 is a boson, by virtue of its zero spin. At the lambda point, its quantum effects become apparent on a macroscopic scale—meaning individual atoms are no longer relevant within the liquid. Superfluid vacuum theory is an approach in theoretical physics where space-time itself is viewed as a superfluid. The fluid of reality.” Kulkarni frowned. “Superfluid vacuum theory? Why… What are you trying to do here, Mr. Grady?” “We’re attempting to reflect gravitational waves, Doctor Kulkarni.” Kulkarni was momentarily speechless. He turned to Alcot. “Is he serious, Bert? And you agreed to this?” Alcot shrugged. “They say it’s important to stay active in retirement.” Kulkarni turned back to Grady. “What on earth made you think this was feasible?” “Because I can see it right here.” Grady pressed a finger against his head. Kulkarni just stared. Grady held up a hand. “All right, you’re skeptical. Fair enough.” He gestured to the tower. “A superfluid flows without friction. And superconductors allow electrons to flow without resistance. What we did was suspend a graphene coil within a superfluid.” “Why graphene?” “It’s a superconducting film. Replicates electrons moving through a near-perfect vacuum. Isolates particles from interference. Graphene also exhibits exotic effects under certain conditions.” “I’m still not seeing how this relates to your goal, Mr. Grady.” “Right. I needed a charged superconducting sheet. The quantum mechanical nonlocalizabil ity of the negatively charged Cooper pairs, protected from the localizing effect of decoherence by an energy gap, causes the pairs to undergo nongeodesic motion in the presence of a gravitational wave.” Marrano threw up his hands. “I told you, Professor, this guy is just stringing words together at random.” Kulkarni held up a reassuring hand to Marrano and focused back on Grady. “Go on.” Grady shrugged. “The surrounding non-superconducting ionic lattice is localized and so executes geodesic motion, moving along with space-time, while the Cooper pairs execute non-geodesic motion—thereby accelerating relative to space-time. The different motions lead to a separation of charge. That charge separation causes the graphene to become electrically polarized, generating a restoring Coulomb force. The back action of the Coulomb force on the Cooper pairs magnifies the mass supercurrents generated by the wave—producing a reflection.” Kulkarni grimaced. “Mr. Grady, if this was so, why do Bose-Einstein condensates follow geodesics? I can drop them in a vacuum chamber, and they fall just like Galileo’s rock.” Grady grabbed a piece of paper from a table and started making intricate folds as he talked. “Yes, but the deBroglie wavelength of the BEC is on the order of a millimeter, whereas the gravity field wavelength is effectively infinite—which means gravity can move it around. If the de Broglie wavelength can be made longer than the gravity wavelength, we can in principle isolate the BEC from the gravity wave.” “Okay, but even so, it’s only true for time-varying fields—not static fields like this.” “Agreed, but I had an idea about that, too.” He held up what was now a paper sphere—handily crafted. He waved his hand around it. “Neutron stars have massive magnetic fields. And superconductors—like this graphene—exclude magnetic fields. But a neutron star like Cassiopeia A—which has a proton superconductor at its core—nonetheless has a massive magnetic field.” “How is that possible, I wondered? It’s because superfluids containing charged particles are also superconductors. The combination has some extraordinary effects. Add a superfluid to a superconductor, and the superconducting boundary shifts, changing the value of kappa and causing truly exotic behavior at the new superconducting boundary.” He slapped the side of the massive assembly. “I had a theory about the distortion of gravitational waves at that superconducting boundary.” Kulkarni sighed. “Mr. Grady, I don’t see how this could accomplish anything except waste money.” Grady gazed at the professor. “Right…” He turned to the chubbier of the two Asian men. “Raj, bring the power up, please.” “You got it.” Perkasa chuckled and moved toward the bank of capacitors on the edge of the room. He motioned to the visitors. “You guys may want to step back a bit. I’m about to pump fifty megawatts into this thing.” Kulkarni snapped a look at Grady. “That could light a small city.” Grady nodded. “Yeah, I know.” Before anyone could object, Perkasa raised his hand over a glowing button. “Heads up! And three, and two, and one…” With a jab of his thick finger a deep hum settled over the lab. An eerie glow appeared in the sphere as motes of dust were ionized; then the glow faded. Grady raised his beer bottle to the opening of a long clear tube that snaked down into the heart of the monstrous assembly. “Just watch.” He poured. All eyes followed the beer as it coursed down the plastic tube and spilled out across the concave platform… . At which point the liquid fell straight up. Kulkarni removed his glasses and stared, mouth agape. “Good lord…” As the liquid “fell” upward, it passed some invisible point where natural gravity returned, and then it spilled back toward earth again, like a fountain—only to be caught once more in the altered field. Soon the liquid began bobbing up and down, oscillating between ever narrowing high and low points until it reached equilibrium. Before long it was bubbling around like a domed membrane on the edge of both gravity fields, a seething polar “beer cap” on an invisible globe. Kulkarni put his glasses back on. “My God… it’s a flux.” Grady nodded. “Exactly. Gravitational fields follow the same shape as electromagnetic fields. Just as the flowing electrons in a plasma jet generate a magnetic field, we’re thinking these quantum fields interact with gravitation somehow.” “Antigravity? You can’t be serious.” “No. Not antigravity. What I think we’ve created is a machine that’s ‘shiny’ to gravity—a gravity mirror . Or perhaps refraction is more accurate. I’m not sure yet.” Kulkarni pointed. “This is clearly some form of electromagnetism. Water is diamagnetic, and at these high-energy levels you could probably float a brick given just trace amounts of magnetic material. Surely you don’t claim you’re reflecting gravity?” “Superconductors exclude magnetic fields, Doctor.” Grady pointed. “And you must admit our test results look promising.” “But…” Kulkarni was speechless for a few moments as he watched the cheap malt liquor bubbling around in midair. “If you could bend gravity… it would mean…” His voice trailed off. Grady finished for him. “It would provide compelling support for the existence of gravitational waves. Not to mention gravitons. And a few other things besides.” Kulkarni groped for a chair, but all the nearby ones were in pieces. “My God…” “It is pretty damn cool.” Kulkarni started shaking his head again. “No. This must be electromagnetism. Even a nonferrous liquid—” “You’re quite right to be skeptical. Our lab is open to you.” “Because what you’re suggesting… well, the Standard Model of physics… this would create an entirely new form of astronomy. It would mean the Nobel Prize. And that’s just for starters.” Alcot, Grady, and the technicians exchanged looks. Grady laughed. “I hadn’t thought of that, Bert.” Alcot raised his eyebrows. “It was the first thing I thought of.” Marrano held up his hands. “Whoa! Guys. Hang on a second.” They all turned to Marrano. “Just an observation: You’re using enough energy to light a hundred thousand homes—to levitate a mouthful of malt liquor six feet off the ground. That’s about as cost-effective as using a Boeing 747 to clean a throw rug.” Doctor Kulkarni was starting to ponder what he was looking at as he waved Marrano off. “You’re not realizing the potential significance of this discovery, Mr. Marrano.” “Significance is great, but it’s not gonna make the economics work any better.” “If what we’re really looking at is antigravity—or a gravity mirror, as you say, Mr. Grady—and we haven’t yet determined that…” Kulkarni started examining the computer screen as he spoke to Marrano. “The potential impact would be enormous, it could reveal… well, the warp and weft in the fabric of the universe. It would help us understand the structure of space-time itself. So far, gravity is the only force that hasn’t conformed to the Standard Physics Model. No, this is potentially the most significant discovery of the century. Of perhaps any century. It could unlock untold scientific advances. Even a grand unified field theory.” The moneymen exchanged looks. “Okay, and the commercial potential for that is…?” It was the scientists’ turn to look at one another. Grady handed the bottle of malt liquor to Kulkarni—who steadied himself by taking a swig. Meanwhile Grady answered Marrano’s question. “Probably not much initially; as you mentioned, it requires huge amounts of energy to induce these exotic particle states—even for just a tiny area. To commercialize it you’d need nearly unlimited energy—” Alcot added. “Unlimited cheap energy.” “Yes, unlimited cheap, portable energy. Assuming that, you could create reflective gravity devices. But as you mentioned, there are more practical ways to make things fly—” Johnson motioned to the bubbling liquid, still floating in the sphere. “So then you’ve created the world’s most expensive lava lamp. Don’t get me wrong—it’s impressive—but at fifty megawatts…” Kulkarni stepped between them. “You’re not appreciating how important this could be to science.” “We brought you here as the voice of reason, Doctor. You’re starting to sound like a nerdy kid at the museum.” Grady took the bottle back. “Yeah. I was that kid, too.” Kulkarni regained his serious bearing. Nodding, he turned again to Alcot. “Bert, prove to me this isn’t simply some form of electromagnetism. Does it work in a vacuum, for instance? Can we rule out ionic lift?” Alcot leaned on a cane. “We’ve produced the same results in a vacuum chamber and with nonmagnetic materials.” He turned to Grady. “Jon, show Sam the field manipulation experiments.” “Right.” Grady pointed at the floating membrane of malt liquor. “Look at the shape of the field. It’s one reason why I’ve always believed electromagnetism and gravity were linked—albeit in different dimensions.” Kulkarni was hesitant. “If it looks like an electromagnetic field, and acts like one…” “It’s not magnetism. Any baryonic matter with mass that you place in that field will experience the gravitational effects. Literally anything.” “Do you expect me to believe that with just fifty megawatts of power you’re exceeding the gravity well of the entire Earth? Without creating miniature black holes or—” “No, no. Again, We’re not creating gravity at all. Remember: We’re reflecting gravity. A gravity mirror. And that high-energy mirror can be manipulated to refract gravity in various directions.” “You mean like photons?” Grady considered this as he ran fingers through his mangy hair. “Perhaps. I’m not certain yet. But the reason I say it’s like a mirror or a prism is we can only reflect the gravitational field that’s already present. We can’t increase the strength of gravity no matter how much electrical energy we pump into the field. If there’s one Earth gravity present, then that’s the maximum we can reflect. But since gravity is also acceleration, we should also be able to mirror the increased g-forces experienced in acceleration—in effect canceling out higher g-forces. Which could be a very interesting application.” “Theoretically.” “Yes. Theoretically. Here…” Grady approached his computer monitor and pointed at a series of sensor readings. “We can diffuse the effect, too. We’re using the gravitational equivalent of Halbach spheres to create the gravitic field, which means we can manipulate the gravity field much the same way you can manipulate an electromagnetic field with a Halbach array. We can modify its shape—exerting either an equal flow in all directions…” He adjusted the knobs. Suddenly the polar cap of beer poured downward and balled up into a glistening globule at the very center of the imaginary sphere—still hovering in midair but precisely spherical. Kulkarni muttered to himself. “My God. Zero gravity.” “Actually an equal flow of microgravity. The gravitational field is focused in toward a central point.” “An equilibrium then.” “Right. Or we can focus it in any single direction. Change the direction of descent—essentially change which way is ‘down’—to any vector in space…” He moved a joystick, and the beer suddenly hurtled out of the apparatus and “fell” across Marrano and Johnson, soaking them both. “Goddamnit, Grady!” “What the hell are you doing? This is a four-thousand-dollar suit!” “Sorry, guys.” Kulkarni was already looking around at all the debris on the floor. The dents and holes in the walls. “I’m beginning to understand why the lab’s a mess.” “Had to test it.” Kulkarni was cogitating, clearly trying hard to disprove it. “But if this is truly gravity you’re reflecting, then all baryonic matter should interact with the field. Not just diamagnetic materials but literally anything.” Grady nodded. “Yes. Exactly. Even in a vacuum. And it does.” He picked up a hardcover copy of Isaac Newton’s Principia and, after holding it up, nudged it into the gravity field, where it floated eerily. “What I don’t understand is why the altered gravity field doesn’t seem to propagate outside the sphere, as one would predict if gravity were flowing in a straight path.” Kulkarni considered this. “And gravity propagates over any distance…” “Right. If we were creating a gravity field as powerful as Earth’s, it should propagate outward. I think what’s happening is we’re causing a distortion, an eddy in the flow of gravitation.” He threw up his hands. “I’m just not sure yet.” Kulkarni stood in wonder as he contemplated this. “We should do Newtonian motion experiments.” Grady dragged a bucket of golf balls from a nearby lab table. “Already have…” Moments later, Kulkarni was shouting joyfully as he hurled golf balls through the center of the test rig. The balls curved as they interacted with the gravity well of the apparatus, then arced off to ricochet against the lab walls. Kulkarni shouted, “Did you see that?” He pointed. “Like an asteroid slingshotting past Earth’s gravitational field.” Marrano was still wringing out his jacket. “Jesus Christ, I smell like a damned hobo.” He gestured to the humming apparatus. “And would you please kill that power? No wonder your burn rate is insane.” Kulkarni glared at him. “Do you have any idea how important this discovery might be?” “All I know is an investment has to make economic sense. Mr. Grady, have you filed patent applications yet?” Grady exchanged looks with Kulkarni. He shrugged. “No. But look, there’ll be time for patents. And anyway, we shouldn’t patent the discovery itself.” “Why the hell not?” “Because it’s a fundamental insight into the nature of the universe. That would be like patenting electromagnetism. We need to share this information. There’s no telling how many innovations might spring from it. And it’s those innovations we can patent.” “So basically you’re telling me we invested millions of dollars so you guys could win the Nobel Prize? You’d better get a lawyer, Mr. Grady.” Kulkarni stared at the spinning golf balls and smiled. He looked amazed as he gazed up at the massive assembly. “Your discovery could change everything, Mr. Grady. It could change literally everything .” Grady shrugged. “Well, I don’t know about that, Professor, given the energy requirements for the effect. But it certainly opens up some interesting possibilities.” “Is there a landline where I can make a call?” “Sure.” He pointed to the back wall. “The offices are through the door there.” Marrano looked up. “Who you calling, Professor?” Kulkarni spoke without turning. “The fund’s technical advisers in New York, Mr. Marrano. I don’t expect you’re capable of describing what we saw here today.” “Tell them we’ve got the situation under control.” Suddenly a billiard ball bounced across the floor and narrowly missed Marrano’s head. Sameer Kulkarni moved through the unimpressive lab offices. What décor there was had faded from decades of exposure to fluorescent lights. Still, he examined the rooms with something approaching reverence. This is where it happened. Low-rent space with unused filing cabinets pushed into a corner. Racks of cheap computers busy processing something. All so… ordinary. He noticed another origami geodesic dome on a nearby filing cabinet. He stopped to examine its precise, intricate structure. Innovation was a curious thing. It never failed to amaze him. And yet this place confirmed what they’d long known: that truly disruptive innovation rarely came from the expected sources. They’d had so much more luck investing in eccentric B and C students. The rationale was simple: Those heavily invested in the status quo had difficulty thinking outside of it—and were often tainted by it. Especially when success and peer approval beckoned. One did not accidentally graduate from top-tier schools. One strove to get in and to maintain grades once there, and to do that, one usually needed to be a master at conformity. To excel in all the accepted conventions. No, the truly different thinkers often went unnoticed. Kulkarni’s organization had much luck along those lines in the Third World—eccentric geniuses reinventing infrastructure with small technological improvements: water filters, solar, optics. The trick, as always, was separating the wheat from the chaff. Finding the usefully crazy people among the seriously crazy ones. And that was something Kulkarni’s organization did better than Silicon Valley ever could. The track record of Valley venture capitalists showed the pattern. A new, sexy tech idea would come along, and then every dollar would be chasing the same thing. Staffers from the original firm would be poached to launch rival firms—until the market became glutted with variations of the same craze. Valuations would skyrocket, and finally, the bubble would burst—the market plummeting. Then a fallow season. Then the cycle began all over again. And for what? The development of the railroad blew away the Internet when it came to disruptive innovation. Interchangeable parts? Likewise. No, mainstream tech innovation was no threat to the status quo. Kulkarni’s organization didn’t follow that model at all. It was one reason their investments were seldom near the tech hubs. They wanted the geniuses they identified to remain uninfluenced. It resulted in lots of failures, but then truly useful knowledge was often pried from the cold dead fingers of failure. It made those once-in-a-generation breakthroughs all the more valuable. The breakthroughs that would one day change the course of the human species. On a day like today, for example. Kulkarni slowed as he noticed whiteboards in the conference room. They were slathered with complex mathematical equations. He stood in the doorway as he studied the notations, nodding as he followed their logic—but then was lost. Grady had gone somewhere Kulkarni could not follow. “Very clever, Mr. Grady.” Kulkarni realized Grady’s insights would never have occurred to him. Not in a million years. And neither had it occurred to other great minds of the age—biological or synthetic. Grady’s innovation was one of the rare “virgin births”—never conceived of before. Kulkarni sat on the edge of the conference table near a desk phone. He just stared at the whiteboards and contemplated how differently Grady must see the universe from most people. And how beautiful that must be. He sighed. It pained him to do this. It really did. But it was necessary. Deep down he knew it was. But doubt came with the job. After a moment Kulkarni clasped his hands together and spoke to the empty room as if in prayer. “Varuna, I need you now.” A calm, disembodied female voice answered inside his head. “Yes, Tirthayatri. How may I assist you?” “I am at incubator sixty-three.” “What is the status of this facility?” “Simulations of incubator sixty-three experimental designs are inconclusive.” “And if those designs were validated?” “Successful implementation of incubator sixty-three designs would result in a tier-one branch event.” Kulkarni took another deep breath. “A tier-one.” “I see.” He paused for a moment. “What is the ETA for a harvester team at my location?” “Harvester assets are already standing by.” Kulkarni was taken aback. “Then you were expecting this?” “If validated, the disruption risk is high. What are your findings, Tirthayatri?” He steeled his resolve. “I can confirm that a tier-one branch event has occurred at incubator sixty-three. Incident imagery and supporting measurements submitted at eleven, three-nine, GMT.” “Stand by for confirmation.” A brief pause. “Submitted materials confirm that a tier-one incident has occurred.” “Have there been any communication leaks from this location in the past seventy-two hours?” “Checking.” A pause. “There have been forty-seven emails and eight voice messages intercepted—along with fourteen submissions to social media. All were contained or rerouted to the Decoy Net, with simulated responses from recipients.” “Has word of this discovery escaped this facility?” “No data concerning the tier-one event has escaped incubator sixty-three’s IP enclosure.” Then it was still his to decide. “Recommended course of action?” The response was nearly instantaneous. “Intellectual containment. Deploy harvester assets.” Kulkarni nodded to himself. “I concur. Initiate containment. Record the time.” “Time noted. Harvester assets inbound. Nonoperations personnel, please clear the area…” The Winnowers Jon Grady watched a collection of billiard balls revolving around one another in wild orbits within the gravity modification field. It looked like a tiny solar system, except that the orbits slowly eroded in the drag of air. He laughed as the young lab techs, Raharjo Perkasa and Michael Lum, tossed more billiard balls into the gravity well created by the towering apparatus in the center of Grady’s lab. Leaning on his cane, Bertrand Alcot stood next to Grady. “Well, it looks like the universe is as crazy as you are, Jon.” “That’s a frightening thought.” “Agreed. And yet you succeeded.” “You mean we succeeded. You know I couldn’t have done this without you.” Alcot waved this aside. “I spent years trying to convince you why your ideas would never work.” He gazed at the orbiting spheres. “And I was wrong. As I was wrong about most things in my life.” Grady turned with concern. “What you did was challenge me, Bert. Force me to refine my theory. To change it. And change it again. And then change it again.” He laughed as he gripped Alcot’s shoulder. “There’s no way I could have done this without you. Don’t you realize that?” Alcot pondered this. After a few moments of silently observing the orbiting billiard balls he said, “The truth is I had nothing else to do. My own work has come to nothing. Greta and I… all our lives we looked forward to my retirement. Now with her gone…” “You’re definitely needed. I need you.” Alcot seemed to be grappling with complex emotions. Eventually he looked up. “Your parents will be very proud of you.” “And I’m sure your children will be proud of you. You should reach out to them.” “I barely know them.” Alcot squeezed the handle of his cane. “Listen to me. You have to promise me something, Jon.” “Okay. What?” “Don’t do what I did.” “I love my work, too, Bert. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He gestured to the gravity mirror. “That’s why we succeeded.” “You need to love more than work. You need to have people who care about you—otherwise what’s the point?” He stared without seeing. “That girl of yours—what’s her name?” “Well… Libby.” “What happened to her?” “She met someone at yoga class. She’s already pregnant. They’re happy.” Alcot nodded to himself. Grady took another glance at the wondrous gravity mirror on display before them. “This is not the conversation I thought we’d be having right now, Bert. This is a historic discovery. We should enjoy it.” Alcot turned to face Grady. “Life waits for no one.” “Is this not life?” “Just promise me you’ll live outside your head as well as you live inside it.” Alcot gripped his shoulder hard. “Promise me.” Grady could tell his mentor was serious. He finally looked Alcot in the eye and nodded. “I promise, Bert. Now would you shut up and start thinking about your Nobel acceptance speech, please?” Alcot grimaced and then gave Grady a slap on the back. “This ridiculous hair. You know, the first time I met you, I told Greta that a dirty hippie was stalking me.” Grady laughed. “Hey, hair is nature’s calendar.” Just then Grady noticed forms moving out of the shadows at the back of the darkened lab. He straightened up. “Who the hell is this?” Alcot turned as well. Perkasa and Lum looked up from their miniature solar system. Close by, the visiting investment advisers, Albert Marrano and Sloan Johnson, stopped trying to dry their suit jackets over a space heater and with curious looks came to join Grady and his team. A dozen intruders moved into the light—men dressed in reflective crocus-yellow jumpsuits emblazoned with Jersey Central Power & Light logos. But along with hard hats they wore black gas masks and carried work lights and tools. They silently and efficiently fanned out through the room, deploying equipment, acting as if the research team weren’t there. A glance toward the fire exit showed a dozen more coming in from that direction. “What’s going on here, guys? Hey, guys! If it’s about the power consumption, that’s normal. We have permits for all this.” Marrano, Johnson, and the others turned to Grady with confused looks on their faces. “You don’t need the gas masks.” Grady pointed up at an alarm panel and a row of green lights. “There are no chemical leaks.” Grady noticed one of the workmen had a large, older video camera on his shoulder; the red light indicated it was recording. A bright light suddenly illuminated him. “Hey! Turn that off! What are you filming us for? You have no right to film in here. This is a private facility. How did you get in here, anyway?” A man emerged from among the intruders. Unlike the others he wore simple work clothes—flannels and jeans with work boots. He was tall and handsome, with blue eyes and dirty-blond hair and a Donegal-style beard running along his broad jaw. He was athletically built with a charismatic, compelling look—like some rustic fashion model. And he had a vaguely familiar appearance. Grady felt certain he’d seen him somewhere before. Grady eyed the man warily. “Are you the foreman for these idiots? What’s going on?” The man stood before the camera, gazing into its lens. Then he turned and raised an accusatory finger at Grady as he spoke in a booming voice. “His judgment be upon you, Jon Grady!” “Judgment? What the hell are you talking about?” “In Proverbs it is written that the wise winnow out the wicked.” “Who’s wicked?” “Your research robs us of our humanity—creating a hell of this earth. We have come to return mankind to our natural state. To bring us back into harmony with God’s creation!” Grady felt a sinking feeling as the intruders surrounded them. “You guys aren’t with the power company.” “There is but one power.” Marrano shouted, “All right, that’s it! You guys are trespassing. I’m calling the police.” He raised his smartphone and started tapping. The gas-masked men around him leveled pistol-like weapons that resembled black plastic toys. “Whoa, whoa!” Marrano held up his hands, still clutching the phone. “What is this? Wait a second.” Several Taser darts struck Marrano. The clicking shocks that followed could barely be heard against the larger electric hum of the nearby capacitor bank. Marrano fell and twitched on the ground as they continued to shock him. He screamed, “Stop! Please stop!” Johnson held up his hands. “For chrissakes! What do you people want?” Several Taser darts struck Johnson as well. He went down screaming, disappearing from view as men in power company jumpsuits and gas masks surrounded him, looking down without pity as the investment bankers pleaded for mercy. The shocks continued. Grady shouted, “What the hell are you doing?” He turned to the blond man. “If you’re so against technology, why are you using it?” The man intoned for the camera lens while keeping his finger pointed at Grady. “His winnowing fork is in hand to clear the threshing floor. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire!” Several darts hit Grady, too. A teeth-gnashing jolt coursed through him as all his muscles contracted. Before he knew it, he was on the ground. Screaming in pain. Between shocks he pleaded, “Not Bert! Bert’s got a pacemaker!” Another shock. Then the leader’s face loomed over Grady. He carefully stepped over a Taser wire and came in close. “Your research is an affront to God. Your inquiry into His works an abomination. Humanity must live in humble gratitude. Just as we came into His world.” Grady craned his neck up, straining to speak. “There are security cameras… covering… this place.” The man looked up without fear. “Let them see my face so that they know the Lord’s Winnower, Richard Louis Cotton, has claimed you.” A further shock coursed painfully through Grady’s body. As his consciousness ebbed, he was dimly aware of voices coming in over a nearby radio. “Commencing evolution two.” “Copy that, Harvester Nine inbound…” Grady regained his senses sometime later, only to find himself held in place with ropes. Glancing around, he could see that he was lashed to the tangled piping of the gravity mirror tower by impressively complex knots. Whoever had tied them had literally lashed down his individual fingers. There was no longer any electrical hum from the capacitor banks. The intruders must have powered everything down. Strange that antitech militants would even know how to do that. Grady then noticed Alcot tied next to him, head slumped to the side. The old man’s face was covered in sweat, eyes closed. Marrano was tied up on Grady’s other side, with the ropes leading off in both directions. The whole team appeared to be lashed to the perimeter of the gravity tower. Grady struggled to squeeze his wrists through the bonds, but his efforts only tightened them. That familiar voice: “You should pray for redemption.” Grady noticed several gas-masked men nearby silently attaching wire leads to fifty-five-gallon chemical barrels arrayed across the floor, linked by wires. They looked like enormous batteries. “What are you doing? What are those?” The man named Cotton walked into view and knelt next to Grady. “Thirty percent ammonium nitrate fertilizer mixed with gasoline.” On Grady’s uncomprehending stare, he added. “It’s a bomb, Jon Grady—powerful enough to flatten this entire building. To return this infernal machine of yours from whence it came. Along with the people who built it.” Alcot’s voice answered. “It’s men like you who keep dragging us back to the Dark Ages.” He was awake after all. Cotton turned to face the old man. “The Dark Ages are what you’re bringing us toward, Doctor Alcot. Advanced technology holds no answers for mankind—only regrets for when we play at being God… and fail. Creating a hell of His earth—the earth that He bequeathed us.” “And what are you doing if not playing God? Deciding who lives and who dies. Murder is a mortal sin.” “Not in defense of His creation.” Cotton looked to gas-masked men preparing the explosives. They nodded back, apparently ready. Cotton turned and smiled as he scraped a wooden match across a pipe fitting. The match lit with a puff of smoke. He held it to the tip of a fuse, which began to sputter and spark. “You will winnow them. The wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory…” He looked to them. “Your judgment is at hand. Your bodies will return to the soil. Whether your souls enter into eternal torment lies with you. Use what time remains to determine your fate.” Cotton walked toward the large, old-fashioned video camera—which was now set up on a tripod, its red light glaring. Judging by the collection of jerry-rigged radio antennas sticking out it, it was apparently taping their victims’ demise and beaming it off-site. All of the equipment looked old. None of this made sense. It was as though the group were a branch of militant Amish who had settled on the mid-1980s as their permissible technological level. Cotton shouted to his camera. “The day of the Lord is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it! For a fire will be kindled by His wrath, one that burns down to the realm of the dead below! This is His judgment against those who violate creation!” With that, his followers swiftly departed. Cotton gave one last look back at the doorway and made an almost apologetic shrug before exiting. Grady was momentarily puzzled by Cotton’s parting gesture, but one glance at the sputtering fuse got him struggling against his ropes once more. They only bit tighter into his wrists. Marrano quietly wept beside him. “Not this. Not this.” Alcot’s weary voice spoke: “It won’t help, Jon.” Grady looked up at the fuse and realized just how short it was. Barely a foot or so remaining unless there was more to it than he could see. It was impossible to say how much time they had—so no reason to give up yet. “Bert. Can you get your hands free?” Alcot shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry you won’t get to enjoy this triumph.” “We’ll get out of here. Hang on,” Grady shouted. “Can anyone get a hand free?” Lum’s frightened voice came from the other side. “No. I’m trapped, Jon.” “Christ! Does anyone have a Swiss Army knife or something? How about a phone?” Johnson’s voice could be heard from the far side. “They took everything…” The prisoners sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the fuse hiss. Alcot laughed ruefully. “We really did do it, though. Didn’t we, Jon? We took a peek behind the curtain of the universe.” “Yes. Yes, we did.” Grady nodded as he scoured his field of view for some means of escape. “We probably would have won the Nobel Prize. Now someone else will discover this someday…” Alcot looked up at Grady again. “At least we know we were first.” Grady nodded. The burning fuse neared the top of a barrel. If that was all the fuse there was, it wouldn’t be long. Just seconds left. “Jon?” “Yes, Bert?” “Good-bye.” “Good-bye, Bert.” The fuse disappeared into the barrel, and a white light enveloped Grady. He felt nothing more. Postmortem Jon Grady became aware that he was sitting in a stylish, modern office lobby high atop an unfamiliar city skyline. The view out the window was spectacular. Modern skyscrapers stretched along a coastal plain. It was a beautiful day. Grady turned to see that he was sitting in a row of empty, modernist chairs in some sort of waiting room. He was wearing his only suit, loafers, and his lucky tie—the fabric a print of helium atoms. He caught his reflection in a mirrored wall opposite. It was the same outfit he’d been wearing three years earlier when he’d been interviewed for a research grant—in other words, the last time he’d worn a suit. Libby had helped him pick it out. Helped him look normal. His hair, too, was cut short, and he was clean-shaven. A handsome young man sitting behind a nearby built-in reception desk nodded to him. “Mr. Hedrick will see you now, Mr. Grady.” Grady turned uncertainly. Social convention required that he get up now. Instead, he held up a pausing finger. “Uh… hang on a second.” “Can I get you some water or coffee?” Grady took a calming breath. “No, thanks. It’s just that… I was just…” He considered the possible scientific explanations. He had no idea how he’d gotten here. Just moments ago he’d been strapped to a bomb. Was this a hallucination? A last hurrah from the dying neurons in his brain? Time was relative, after all. This might all be happening in the instant he experienced biological death. He looked around. It seemed pretty convincing. “Are you all right, Mr. Grady?” He wasn’t exactly certain. “I think I might be dying, actually.” Grady took another deep breath. “Who am I here to see?” “Mr. Hedrick, sir. I’ll buzz you in.” The assistant tapped some unseen button, and a nearby set of double doors opened, revealing a huge and opulent office suite beyond. “Go right in.” The young man smiled pleasantly. “I’ll have some water brought to you.” Grady nodded as he rose to his feet. “Thanks.” With another deep breath, he wandered over to the doorway and entered the most lavish office he’d ever seen. The multistory bank of windows on the far wall had a breathtaking view, through which he could clearly see the Sears Tower—or Willis Tower or whatever the hell they called it nowadays. Chicago. He was in Chicago. He remembered that he’d met with a grant committee in Chicago years before. But not in a place like this. The office he stood in could have easily served as a small aircraft hangar, with several closed doors leading out of it to either side. Thirty-foot ceilings and modern burled wood walls—one of which had a large round seal engraved into it depicting a silhouette of a human head with a tree branching within like dendrites in the human brain. Arching around the top edge were the letters “BTC” and rounding the bottom were the Latin words “scientia potentia est.” Just below the seal a well-groomed and handsome Caucasian man in his fifties stood behind a large, modernist desk dotted with exotic souvenirs—complex Victorian clocks, mechanical contraptions, elaborate sculptures hinting at biological origins, and oversize double-helix DNA strands sealed in glass. The man was dressed in pressed casual business attire. Massive translucent digital displays were arrayed above and behind him, projecting a riot of silent video imagery and digital maps of the world. The displays looked impossibly thin and the images on them vibrant, hyperrealistic. The man motioned for his visitor to come forward. “Mr. Grady, it’s good to finally meet you. I’ve read so much about your life and work. I feel I know you. Please sit. Can we get you anything?” Grady still stood twenty feet away. “Uh. I’m… I’m just trying to understand what’s going on.” The man nodded. “It can be disorienting, I know.” “Who… who are you again? Why am I here?” “My name is Gr aham Hedrick. I’m the director of the Federal Bureau of Technology Control. I must congratulate you, Jon—may I call you Jon?” Grady nodded absently. “Sure. I… Hold it. The Federal Bureau of what now?” “The Federal Bureau of Technology Control. We’ve been monitoring your work with great interest. Antigravity. Now that is a tremendous achievement. One might say a singular achievement. Likely the most important innovation of modern times. You have every reason to be proud.” A male voice spoke just to his right, startling him. “Your water, Mr. Grady.” Grady turned to see a humanoid robot standing next to him—a graceful creature with soft, rubber-coated fingers whose body was clad in a carapace of white plastic. Its face consisted only of beautiful tourmaline eyes glowing softly. Looking at him expectantly. Grady glanced down to see a glass of water in its hand. “Uh…” He gingerly accepted the water and held it with increasing numbness. Hedrick watched him closely. “You really should sit down, Jon. You don’t look well.” Grady nodded and moved toward a chair in front of the great desk. The machine stepped aside with the grace of a puma. “Be careful of the step, sir.” “Thanks.” The moment he sat down Grady started gulping water, glancing around nervously. Hedrick motioned for calm. “Slowly. I know it can be quite a shock. We would have applied a sedative, but it’s important you have full command of your faculties for this conversation.” Grady finished the water and took deep breaths. “Where am I? What the hell’s happening?” “You’ve just been through a traumatic experience, I know. It’s never pleasant, but neither is being born. And yet both are necessary to go on to greater things. And more importantly, it’s now over. And you’re here with us.” Grady looked at his watch. The one he’d lost years ago. The numbers on its dial glowed in a familiar spectrum. It showed that no significant time had elapsed since the incident in his lab. A few minutes at most. “My old watch. I… What did I—” “Time isn’t important, Jon.” “This is Chicago. Two thousand miles from my lab. But… it’s daylight out.” Hedrick nodded with concern. “Does that trouble you? Here…” He gestured with his hands, and what appeared to be a holographic control panel materialized in midair. He tapped several places, and the view outside the window changed to an uncannily real projection of New York City at night, looking uptown toward the Empire State Building. The interior office lights came on instantly to complete the illusion. “Is that better?” Grady stared out the window uncomprehendingly. It was as real as reality. “What the hell is this place?” “I told you, Jon. This is the Bureau of Technology Control—the BTC. We’re the federal agency charged with monitoring promising technologies, foreign and domestic; assessing their social, political, environmental, and economic impacts with the goal of preserving social order.” “Preserving social order.” “We regulate innovation. Because, in fact, humanity is far more technologically advanced than you know. It’s human nature that remains in the Dark Ages. The BTC is a safeguard against humanity’s worst impulses.” Grady turned in his seat to see that the office doors had closed far behind him. The robot stood obediently nearby and nodded to him in acknowledgment. Hedrick continued as he approached Grady from around the desk, “Mankind was on the moon in the 1960s, Jon. That was half a century ago. Nuclear power. The transistor. The laser. All existed even back then. Do you really think the pinnacle of innovation since that time is Facebook? In some ways, what the previous generation accomplished is more impressive than what we do now. They designed the Saturn V rocket with slide rules. That they could make it work at all. So many parts. So many points of failure. They were the great ones. We’re just standing on their shoulders.” Grady turned forward again. “What does any of this have to do with me? Why am I here?” “Manipulation of gravity. Hard to imagine you did it—and with so few resources. But have you really not considered the implications of your discovery?” Grady just stared at him. “Come walk with me.” He motioned for Grady to follow him as double doors to their left silently opened, revealing a carpeted corridor extending beyond. Hedrick smiled genially. “Everything is fine, Jon. More than fine. Everyone here is talking about you. We’re all excited. I’d like to show you something.” “The true course of history. I want to show you what human ingenuity has actually achieved.” With one last glance back at the obsequious robot still nodding at him, Grady got to his feet and followed as Hedrick placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You should know that I’ve been in your position. Twenty-eight years ago. I know it’s not easy, but you’re a scientist, Jon. If it’s truth you’re after, there are wonders ahead…” He ushered Grady into a long gallery lined with pedestals holding a series of displays—a museum by the looks of it. The closest pedestal held a sturdy-looking ceramic-and-glass construct from which a blinding white light shone. The device was the size of a washing machine. Holographic letters beneath it proclaimed: First self-sustaining fusion reactor—May 6, 1985: Hedrick, Graham E. Grady held his hands up to block the blinding light. “You can’t be serious…” “I’m always serious.” “Fusion. You perfected fusion .” Hedrick nodded. “Fusion energy?” “I told you I’ve been where you are now.” Grady looked back and forth between the reactor and its creator. Dumbfounded. “I’m a plasma physicist by training. Toroidal magnetic confinement fusion devices were my specialty.” “I…” Grady searched for words. Hedrick nodded toward the reactor. “This is a later model. The first prototype was huge and output only a hundred megawatts. Even this one’s crude compared to what we have now.” “But… 1985?” “Certain innovations serve as catalysts for each other—creating a positive feedback cycle. Eventually a technology becomes inevitable. It’s managing the transition that’s critical. Fusion and quantum computing are good examples. Improved reactor designs were made possible by computer simulations of nonlinearly coupled phenomena in the core plasma, edge plasma, and wall regions of reactor prototypes. The vast energy from fusion made more powerful computers possible. And more powerful computers, better fusion reactor designs. They are symbiotic. Gravity modification will be another key symbiotic technology.” Hedrick nudged Grady along to the next exhibit. “I wanted to show you this gallery because these are the advances that will one day transform human civilization.” “And you’re keeping them secret? Even your own fusion work?” “We prefer to think of it as safeguarding them. Preparing the world for the massive changes these innovations will bring about. A sudden influx of innovation could disrupt social order, and disruption of social order is not to be taken lightly, Jon.” Hedrick brought them to the next display. It was a holographic animation hovering in midair. It depicted living cells replicating in a petri dish. The plaque read: Cure for Malignant Neoplasm—November 1998: Rowe, Rochelle, MD, et al “Cancer? You cured cancer?” “Doctor Rowe did, yes—or at least most forms of it. An elusive pocket on the surface of protein 53.” Hedrick nodded and ushered Grady onward. “How the hell can you ethically conceal a cure for cancer? Do you realize how many millions of lives would be saved? How many tens of millions of lives?” “The human population is still growing rapidly. Even with cancer.” “What gives you the right to withhold this from people?” Hedrick looked on patiently. “Jon, the BTC predates me. It was founded in the years before the moon landings—as the pace of technological change threatened to overwhelm our social and political institutions. The BTC grew out of a section of the Directorate of Science and Technology. It was formed to monitor research worldwide for disruptive technologies, to classify them, and to regulate their future release to the general public. We don’t have a perfect record—Steve Jobs was a tricky one—but we’ve managed to catch most of the big disruptors before they brought about uncontrolled change.” He gestured to the line of exhibits stretching before them. “As you can see.” Grady let a disgusted laugh escape. “Who says technology was threatening to overwhelm our social and political institutions? The space program inspired kids to go into science.” Hedrick nodded. “Yes, but how would humanity have coped with cures for most diseases? With limitless clean energy? With greater-than-human artificial intelligence? These would result in irreversible changes to society. Changes that we’re seeing even now, despite our best efforts at management.” “I can’t believe you think this is ethical.” “Relinquishing my own achievements with fusion was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I made that sacrifice for the common good.” Grady clenched his hands. “You have no right to decide the pace of technological change.” “Now you sound like someone we both know.” Grady recalled the face of the madman whose followers had so recently strapped him to a bomb. Hedrick saw the realization in Grady’s eyes. “Yes, Richard Louis Cotton—the public face of the antitechnology movement. Every once in a while his Winnowers strike at some scientist or lab. It’s just a means of control, Jon. Cotton’s movement is an illusion. A method of misdirection. You are all quite alive, after all.” Grady moved away from Hedrick warily. “Cotton works for you?” Hedrick sighed. “Not for me—the BTC. I know it’s upsetting, but everyone is fine.” “We’re not fine. Where’s Doctor Alcot? Where are Raj and Mike? I want to see them. Right now.” “That’s not possible, Jon. They’ve already come to terms with the BTC. Until you join us, you can’t join them.” “Join you? Why on earth would I join you? You’re abducting researchers and scientists. Concealing life-changing scientific breakthroughs. I’m not joining you.” “We do what must be done. And even then only when truly disruptive innovation occurs and containment risks are high.” “What ‘containment risks’?” “Some technologies are too dangerous to be allowed to spread on their own. Left to chance, technologies like fusion and antigravity would sweep away existing social systems. They would change every society they touched.” Hedrick gestured to several more exhibits lining the corridor. “Shall we continue?” “You’re going to add gravity modification to this museum of yours, aren’t you?” “You should feel honored. I know I do. Very few innovations require complete isolation. Yours is one of them. Our models suggest that mastery of gravitation is what’s known as a keystone. When combined with other advances—like fusion—gravity manipulation will catapult humanity to a much higher technological level. In this case, moving us for the first time into a Type One civilization—a society capable of moving entire planets. Of building warp drives. Capturing the entire energy output from our star.” “That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” “Your modesty is admirable, but your contribution stands alongside those of the greatest minds in history. Think of this: the notion of a ‘fictitious force’—Newton’s second law. In a closed box, an observer would not be able to distinguish between acceleration and the force of gravity. Einstein himself attributed the apparent acceleration of gravity to the curvature of space-time. Inertial mass and gravitational mass were not just equal—they were the same force. Yet, combined with our knowledge of extra dimensions, we might be able to use your work to disprove the equivalence principle at a high level of precision—and that’s just one of many possibilities. You’ve made an unprecedented breakthrough.” “Extra dimensions?” Hedrick ignored the question as he gestured again to the gallery. “Your gravity mirror belongs here, and you should feel honored—very honored indeed.” “It isn’t an honor. I’d like to leave now, please.” “We greatly admire your work, Jon. We want you to do what other researchers”—he motioned along the displays in the gallery—“like those whose work is represented here, have done. Join us. We want you to be part of the BTC family. To continue your research, but to continue it with access to technology you can only now imagine. We can open so many doors of inquiry to you. We can show you scientific wonders.” Grady was still trying to process it all. He shook his head clear and walked farther along the gallery. At the next display he saw a hologram of cells, this time dividing and re-forming, as well as the image of a young person resembling an older person beside them. The plaque read: Immortal DNA strand segregation—June 1986: Lee, Chao Park He read the details. “My God…” “Immortality is just one of the things we’ve accomplished, Jon.” Hedrick gestured down the gallery. “True artificial intelligence, quantum computing, miraculous metamaterials—and so much more. You can be part of it. You’ve earned a place among us.” “Us?” He turned. “I want to speak with Doctor Alcot.” “I’ve told you that’s not possible. Everyone must decide on his own—not because of what someone else decided.” “How do I know he’s even alive?” “Why would we harm him?” “And why would you kidnap someone? Why would you conceal the cure for cancer? The achievement of fusion? I want to see my colleagues.” Hedrick sighed. “You’re acting as if we’ve had no role in this. You do realize we’re the reason you received your funding? We’re the reason your research succeeded.” Grady narrowed his eyes. “I was awarded a National Science—” “You were awarded an NSF grant? How do you really know? And who was it that identified you from among all those candidates? From among the students in your online courses?” “Very early on your mathematical solutions in online physics courses came to the attention of our AIs. You think very differently from others, Jon. Our AIs guided your path. They’re the ones who noted the unusual promise in the mathematics of your grant application. Please don’t act as if we’re intruding here. If it weren’t for us, your ideas would never have been realized. Think back on how you’ve been treated all your life. Professionally. Personally.” Grady stared blankly at Hedrick. “Yes, Jon. We know about your unusual way of seeing the world. But we’ve had faith in you all along, even when no one else did. You have a unique gift—a visionary way of interpreting the physical world. That’s what we search for. We’d like to learn from you. And unlike the public world, we have the ability to understand what you teach us.” Grady stood numbly again, trying in vain to comprehend it all. His model of the known world was no longer valid. That comforting hand on his shoulder again. Hedrick leaned close. “The ability to manipulate gravity will transform even our most advanced technologies. Instead of containing fusion reactions in a magnetic field, as with tokamak designs, we’ll be able to carry out fusion the same way stars do. We might gain a four hundred and fifty–to-one energy yield. And that’s just the beginning.” Grady pondered this. “Not with a gravity mirror you won’t. You’d need a million times the mass of the Earth for that.” “But that’s where you can help us, Jon. How do we create gravity—not simply reflect it? That’s the next goal. You mentioned to Professor Kulkarni that acceleration can be harnessed—redirected. That’s a promising line of research.” “Kulkarni is one of yours, too?” Hedrick ignored this question. “You and I both know gravity is the most powerful force in the universe. It can consume whole galaxies. Light itself. If we could create it from energy—imagine what constructs man might be capable of.” They were walking again now, Hedrick guiding Grady to the end of the gallery and into another large office. Grady was lost in thought. As they entered the new office, he looked up to see a young woman standing next to a conference table, along with an older, grizzled-looking man in his sixties. The guy had the demeanor and stance of an old soldier, and he wore a black uniform bearing an inscrutable rank and the BTC’s tree insignia. Grady did a double take on the woman. She was incredibly beautiful, fair complected, with short jet-black hair and lapis-lazuli-blue eyes. She wore a tailored pantsuit and crisp white blouse—normal business attire. But in fact, she was so attractive it was difficult for Grady to take his eyes off her, despite his absurd predicament. Hedrick apparently noticed. He smiled and motioned toward the woman. “And what show-and-tell of our technology would be complete without an introduction to Alexa?” The woman cocked her head to the side and frowned. “You always make me sound like a circus attraction.” “Not at all.” Hedrick turned to Grady. “Alexa is one of our top bureau managers but also a biotech marvel. Her DNA includes proprietary genetic sequences developed decades ago by BTC scientists—sequences that give her longevity, intelligence, and perfect form. She is literally a product of BTC research. An experiment that led to great advances.” Alexa sighed. “Are you finished, Graham?” Hedrick nudged Grady. “How old do you think she is?” Alexa rolled her eyes. “Graham, if we could just continue debriefing Mr. Grady.” “How old, Jon? Guess.” Grady couldn’t help but look her up and down. “I… Twenty-three.” “Try forty-six. And that’s without gene therapy. It was her genomic sequence that led to the breakthrough in immortal DNA strand segregation and a cure for necrotic cascade back in the ’80s.” He looked admiringly at her. “What a magnificent creature.” “I’m not a ‘creature,’ Graham.” He laughed mildly. “Yes. Of course.” The older man cleared his throat and spoke with weary irritation. “We’ve got a busy schedule, Mr. Director.” “Yes, Mr. Morrison. You’re right. And as important as you are, Jon, we do need to get down to business.” Hedrick joined them at the table and offered a seat to Grady as the two BTC officials stood nearby. “We’d like you to join the BTC as a research scientist, Jon. You’ll have access to the best facilities on earth and nearly limitless funding. You’ll live more like a god than a mortal. And we can make your years long indeed.” Hedrick tapped at the glass surface of the table, and Grady’s gravity-reflection CAD plans appeared as ghostly 3D apparitions, rotating slowly in midair. “Gravity magnification—creating strong gravity fields derived purely from energy—that’s what we want your research to focus on. And you’ll have the most powerful biological and synthetic minds available to assist you.” Grady shook his head. “I’m not joining anything. I want to see my colleagues.” Hedrick grimaced. “Jon, we’ve been over this.” “I have no desire to live ‘like a god’ while everyone else suffers.” He pointed to Alexa. “You’re creating a race apart when you should be sharing this technology with the world. What gives you the right to keep this all for yourselves? You have fusion , and you haven’t shared limitless clean energy with a starving world?” Hedrick nodded slowly to himself, digesting this. But Alexa walked around the table, approaching Grady with a stern look on her lovely face. “A starving world?” It occurred to Grady that her beauty might be more of a weapon than he thought—disarming him. But he managed to scrape together his wits as she approached. “Do you know how many people died last year of starvation, Mr. Grady?” “Not precisely, but I’d guess a lot.” “The answer is just over one million. And do you know how many died of diseases associated with obesity?” She stopped just a couple of feet in front of him. “Well over three million.” She was actually quite intimidating. Taller than she seemed and projecting a confidence that seemed unassailable. “I’ve seen your type many times. You do realize that ‘limitless energy’ would cause the human population to increase by an order of magnitude.” She spoke over her shoulder at someone. “Varuna, bring up fusion scenario six.” A disembodied voice spoke: “Of course, Alexa.” Suddenly a crystal clear three-dimensional holographic projection of the Earth appeared above the conference table. It looked almost real—not translucent but solid. Cities of the world showed as glowing networks of light stretching down the coasts of most continents. The current year appeared in one corner. It was a startlingly realistic display. Alexa stared at Grady. “Execute simulation.” “Executing.” The year started incrementing in one-second intervals as the Earth changed. Alexa narrated, without even looking at the image of Earth just behind her. “From the first decade cheap fusion energy appears, population levels and city densities increase. Within twenty years trillions of additional Btu have been pumped into the atmosphere. Although fossil fuel use drops sharply, abundant energy means industrial processes increase. Industrialized society drastically expands, along with manufacture of complex molecules and inorganic wastes. Human population continues to spike, with eight billion people living a modern consumer lifestyle by the year 2050…” The simulation showed cities growing into several massive hundred-mile-wide hubs. Blinding conglomerations of light. “With the added heat in the atmosphere, ocean levels rise. Deforestation occurs as climate fluctuates rapidly. Earth’s ecosystem becomes destabilized and most other species along with it—a vast food chain on which humanity depends for survival. Foundational species go extinct. Algal blooms cloud the oceans. Runaway greenhouse effect…” Grady studied the very realistic animation as the atmosphere turned opaque. A runaway greenhouse effect began to swallow humanity—all within a century. “The wealthy move to orbit. The rest of humanity perishes.” Grady took a deep breath. “Okay. Well, I’d like to see the data behind this model.” Alexa’s eyes bored into him. “It’s based on four hundred million petabytes of meteorological, sociological, and economic data. If I gave it to you, it would take you forty million years to read through it. So I hope you brought your eyeglasses.” “Ah. Maybe a summary then.” “Like I said: I’ve seen your type before, Mr. Grady. Scientists convinced their innovations are going to ‘save’ the human race. Did you ever stop to ask yourself what would happen if your antigravity technology were set loose upon the world? Do you realize the impact it would have on society?” Alexa again barked over her shoulder. “Varuna, load antigravity scenario three.” “Yes, Alexa.” The Earth reset, this time showing transportation routes of the world, along with the nations of the world as height maps for economic strength. “Execute simulation.” “Jon Grady, the great innovator. The man who would give his knowledge to all humanity. How generous of you to share your brilliance with us all.” Grady watched as complex transportation networks of ships, aircraft, and railroad networks disappeared in just a few years, dispersing into a vastly more complex network. Major transit hub cities fell into decline. National gross domestic product numbers lurched around, affected by the resulting economic chaos. Alexa yet again narrated, apparently having committed this simulation to memory, too. “Transportation, travel, shipping, security, manufacturing—hundreds of industries worldwide drastically reshaped, some erased, overnight. The economic impact would devastate the livelihoods of hundreds of millions—every airport in the world, every airline, harbor, and railroad network, and all the industries dependent upon them suddenly obsolete. Border security. Personal security. Economic chaos—” “Okay, I get it. But I think you’re painting a worst-case scenario.” He sighed wearily and looked to Hedrick. “I guess I hadn’t thought through the consequences of my work. But I still say you’re being pessimistic.” Alexa folded her arms. “These models have successfully predicted much more than this.” Grady considered this. “All right. Okay…” Hedrick smiled warmly. “Then you’ll join us?” Grady pondered it and finally nodded again. “Yes, I guess I am interested to see what other advances might speed my research along.” “Mr. Grady is lying.” The voice came from the ceiling somewhere. It was the same disembodied voice that Alexa had spoken to. Hedrick looked disappointed. “Thank you, Varuna.” Alexa looked unsurprised. Hedrick focused a less friendly gaze on Grady. “Jon, did you really think you could deceive us? There is no ‘lying’ to the BTC.” Grady looked at the walls and ceiling. “Is that really an AI talking?” “It’s our bureau interface, and never mind what it is—I’m concerned that Varuna says you’re being untruthful.” Grady spoke to the ceiling and Hedrick both. “I’m not lying. Look, I want to have a chance to continue my work.” He gestured to the projection of the Earth. “It’s obvious that I haven’t the analytical power to assess the effects of gravity modification on society.” “Mr. Grady, you are dissembling. Near-infrared readings of the activity in your occipital and frontal lobes demonstrate deceit-related latency.” Alexa, Hedrick, and Morrison stared at him. He shook his head. “This ‘Varuna’ thing is wrong.” Alexa scowled. “Bigotry isn’t appreciated here, Mr. Grady.” “In plain language, Mr. Grady: It takes humans longer to deceive than to tell the truth. When responding to external stimuli, humans require an average of eight hundred milliseconds to reach what’s termed ‘readiness potential’—meaning a decision. Approximately zero-point-zero-five seconds later a second surge of electrical activity implements that decision. Throughout your visit today, your brain required an average of six hundred six milliseconds to reach readiness potential. Your recent statements required almost twice that interval.” Hedrick pointed to the ceiling. “We are primitive things, Jon. Our biological systems are well understood.” Finally Grady took a deep breath. “All right. Okay. You win.” He looked to Alexa. “Spare me the sermon about how I’m egotistical. The BTC controls advanced technology. You’re putting yourselves in a position to technologically dominate humanity. That’s what this is about, and I don’t want any part of it. I’d rather burn my research than work for you.” Alexa turned to Hedrick and Morrison. Hedrick nodded to her. “Thank you, Alexa. I appreciate you trying.” She gave Grady one last look. “I consider it a personal failing that I was unable to convince you. Because, unlike you, I wasn’t lying. Those simulations have accurately predicted the spread of the Internet. Free markets. Drug-resistant bacteria. And much more you don’t know about.” Alexa started to walk away. “Sooner or later you’re going to realize we’re right, Mr. Grady. For everyone’s sake, I hope it’s sooner.” In a moment she slipped out through a side door, leaving Grady alone with Morrison and Hedrick. The men regarded one another. Hedrick shook his head sadly. “We have indeed seen your type before, Jon. The idealist. You call us megalomaniacal, and yet you’re the one not cooperating with others. As for ‘burning’ your work—we already have it. All of it. And I think you’ll find that the BTC has many smart people who can start where you left off. It’ll just take us a little longer without your peculiar mode of thought.” “What you’re doing is criminal.” “I know you believe that. You feel violated. But ask yourself whether it’s not your wounded pride that’s made you dislike us. With time, perhaps you’ll come to realize that the BTC is humanity’s greatest hope for an enduring future, and that we as individuals have no right to alter society to suit our personal visions.” “You’re the one with a personal vision of society, not me.” “It’s not personal at all. We’ve been given a legal mandate to protect society. National Security Council memorandums 10/2 of 1948 and number sixty-eight of 1950 empower us to deceive the public for the greater good. What’s known as the necessary lie. ” Hedrick pressed his thumbprint to a digital document that had materialized on the tabletop in front of him. “And it’s for the greater good that I’m remanding you to our Hibernity facility.” “Hibernity. What is that?” “A safe place for brilliant people who nonetheless fail to see reason.” “You mean a prison.” Hedrick pursed his lips. “I suppose it is a prison. A humane prison designed to protect the public from dangerous ideas.” Morrison let a crooked smile spread across his face. “I’ll take it from here, Mr. Hedrick.” “Thank you, Mr. Morrison.” Doors behind and to either side opened, and Grady turned to see a dozen swarthy, young, perfectly fit men enter in gray uniforms with inscrutable insignia at their shoulders. The men were identical in every way—with blond crew cuts, square jaws, thick necks, and broad shoulders, though not particularly handsome. They looked, in fact, exactly like a younger version of Mr. Morrison. The realization dawned on Grady as the men approached calmly. “Oh my God…” Morrison chuckled. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of me in the future, Mr. Grady… but then, so will everyone.” Grady turned in all directions as the men surrounded him. They held up devices that looked no more threatening than a TV remote. “My apologies about the use of physical force earlier, but we can’t use psychotronics in public; technology greater than level four seldom leaves the office. You’re going to feel very sleepy in a moment. Don’t fight it. Just lie down, or you’ll fall down.” Morrison nodded to his younger doppelgängers. Several of the men aimed their devices and red laser dots found Grady’s scalp. Suddenly he was overcome with drowsiness. “Sit down right there, Mr. Grady.” Morrison pointed. Grady felt so sleepy he barely made it to the chair before he blacked out. By the time he came to again, there was a tight collar clamped around his neck—and more importantly he could no longer feel anything below his shoulders. He was suddenly paralyzed. And yet he was still standing. And somehow breathing. Morrison was clicking through screens on a holographic display hovering above his wrist. “Nothing to worry about. A modest dose of microwaves to the diencephalons can synchronize your brain’s electrical activity to an external source. We just amplified the delta waves in your brain to put you to sleep.” “I can’t feel my body!” Morrison nodded as he continued tapping buttons. “Corticospinal collar. Overrides the signals your brain sends to the muscles. Let’s us send some signals of our own. And it beats having to carry you around.” He closed the virtual screen and focused his gaze on Grady. “You’re just a head on a pole now. So I’d start acting more courteous if I were you.” Morrison raised his hand toward Grady and made a gesture of walking with two fingers. Grady’s body started walking away. “Oh God!” It was a horrifying feeling—his body was suddenly lost to him. A traitor. Grady was helpless as his own body carried him off. He craned his neck back behind him. “People will come looking for me, Mr. Hedrick! I have family. Colleagues. You can’t just make me disappear!” Hedrick motioned for the guards to stop. Grady’s own body slowly turned around like a zombie to face the BTC director again. “But you’re not disappearing, Jon. Everyone knows where you are. Here…” Hedrick waved his arms and high-definition video images filled the nearby walls. A wave of his hand split the imagery into a dozen live news feeds—a patchwork of overproduced disaster porn depicting a blazing industrial fire. The chyron at the foot of one screen declaring, “Scientists slain by antitech terror group.” A reporter in one inset provided voice-over to an aerial image of Grady’s destroyed industrial lab: “In a video posted online, rabid antitechnology terrorists the Winnowers claimed responsibility for a bombing that left six researchers dead in Edison, New Jersey, overnight.” In another video inset a male reporter on the scene intoned, “…fanatical religious group determined to ‘return mankind to the Iron Age’ has struck again—this time destroying a start-up semiconductor lab in…” Another video inset showing an old photo of Grady and a black-and-white photo of a younger Alcot: “Among the dead: Chirality Labs cofounders Jonathan Grady and Bertrand Alcot as well as venture capitalists Albert Marrano and Sloan Johnson…” Another video inset: “…the Winnowers have carried out half a dozen deadly bombings over a decade—at times waiting years between attacks…” Grady watched in horror as images of rescue workers accompanied the newscaster’s narration. Gurneys bearing body bags from the scene. Corpse-sniffing dogs searching through ruins. Hedrick focused on Grady. “Growing teeth, bones, and body parts from DNA is trivial to us. Your remains in the explosion will leave no doubt that you and your whole team are dead. You see, even if you had accepted a role among us, Jon, you were never going back. You can never live among normal people again. Your mind is just too dangerous.” A white AS350 Eurocopter descended from a cloudy winter sky. It rotated windward before setting down near a vast array of flashing police and fire truck lights in the parking lot of an industrial zone in Edison, New Jersey. The vehicles were clustered around a massive blast crater centered on the smoking shell of an industrial building. Firefighters hosed down the periphery, while dozens of emergency responders stood by. FBI investigators in hazmat suits combed through the wreckage. As the chopper rotors wound down, FBI Special Agent Denise Davis exited and at a crouch approached two waiting men wearing winter parkas marked “FBI,” front and back. She zipped her own parka against the frigid chopper wash as she cleared the rotors, glad (as always) that her hair was still in a military buzz cut. She nodded to the two men—neither of whom looked particularly pleased to see her. This had to be handled carefully. And immediately. “Wasn’t my idea, Thomas.” Agent Thomas Falwell, a lean, balding man in his forties looked nonplussed. “Does it matter?” “For the record, I think it was a shitty thing to do.” He turned to look at the massive crime scene behind them. “Are we good? Do you want reassignment?” He shook his head. “I just wish you didn’t have the résumé you do. But I would have made the same decision if I were them.” She met his stare and nodded. “That’s extremely decent of you.” “Just don’t ask me again after a couple of beers.” She nodded acceptance, then turned to the younger agent standing nearby. “Dwight, can you locate the ERT lead? I want a definitive body count as soon as possible.” “On it, Denise.” Dwight Wortman, the younger agent, nodded and took off toward the emergency vehicles. Davis started marching toward the smoldering blast site. She turned to Falwell, who had fallen in alongside her. “What do we have so far?” “Definitely our boy. Cotton posted on YouTube minutes after the bombing. Shows his victims struggling right up till the last moment.” He passed Davis a tablet computer. She tapped at the screen, and the video began to play. A familiar face—Richard Louis Cotton surrounded by his masked followers. Cotton pointed at some complex mechanical assembly with researchers lashed to it. “…an outrage against creation! This—” Davis paused it. “Does he say anything new?” “No. Same old return-to-the-Iron-Age crap.” She passed the tablet back to him. “What about the upload?” “Cyber division says it was a stolen account. The file uploaded from an IP address in Kiev, Ukraine.” “And the domain owner?” “It’ll be a proxy, but they’re checking. The Ukrainian authorities are sometimes helpful. Sometimes not.” “Were we able to get a camera serial number from the video?” “No—old equipment again. The techs found pieces in the bomb crater.” “Betacam?” He nodded. “Yeah. Jerry-rigged with wireless for streaming to the Web, just like the others.” “Bypassed technology—cul-de-sacs of innovation. That’s Cotton’s signature, all right.” “What do we do about the YouTube video?” “Does it show anything graphic?” Falwell shook his head. “No. It whites out at the end.” “Then get me a listing of IP addresses that accessed it before this attack hit the news. Cotton’s thorough, but his Winnower pals might not be as sharp. One of them might have checked from a stateside computer to see that their ‘masterpiece’ was uploaded successfully. They’ll make a mistake sooner or later, so we need to cover every angle.” “For antitech zealots, these guys sure know their way around technology.” “Hypocrisy is the least of their malfunctions.” They had now arrived at the edge of the blast crater. Big blocks of masonry, twisted I beams, and thousands of singed documents, computer parts, pieces of furniture, and inscrutable machine parts were scattered across the pavement. Numbered evidence flags were stabbed into the ground here and there. She sniffed the air and let out an involuntary whistle. “Another ammonium nitrate bomb. A big one this time.” “Lab’s running the chemical taggants in the fertilizer, but I’m willing to bet it originates from that ’06 boxcar shipment used in the past two bombings.” Davis kneeled down to examine a singed origami sphere skewered in place with an evidence tag. The geodesic facets were symmetrical. Perfect. Falwell nodded toward it. “They’re finding those things all over the place.” She stood and noticed the burned-out, crumpled wreckage of what was clearly an expensive sports car, partially buried beneath fallen masonry. New York vanity plates were visible: “MKT WIZ .” Davis looked back at Falwell. “Aston Martin One-77.” “A little upscale for the neighborhood.” elonged to one of the victims. How’s two-point-four million dollars grab ya?” She shot a look back at him. “You’re joking. For a car?” “Only seventy-seven were produced, thus the name. I guess they’ll have to start calling them Aston Martin One-76s now.” “And the owner?” “An Albert Marrano, executive vice president at Shearson-Bayers, a hedge fund in New York. He and a colleague were in the building; ID’d on the videotape along with other victims. The techs are still going through the human remains. Bones. Some organs. Fingers. Initial estimate is we’ve got pieces of six bodies—which matches the video they uploaded.” Davis looked down at another numbered evidence marker stabbed into the ground next to fresh tire tracks running through old snow. The tire tracks ran near the wrecked Aston Martin. Pieces of debris had deformed them in places. “Fresh tracks—just before the blast from the looks of it.” She looked behind the Aston Martin and traced its route through snow patches as best she could. “Arrived after our investors.” “ERT’s looking into it.” “Pull video from intersection cameras for a mile in every direction. When the techs narrow down vehicle types from the tires, let’s go through the videos—see if we can’t eyeball our Winnowers without their masks as they arrive or depart.” He made notes. “You got it.” “So were the Wall Street guys just unlucky to be here? Or did they inadvertently tip Cotton off to something he didn’t like? Have Dwight run a check on every press release, investor newsletter, or media interview that hedge fund has done in the past year. See if they ever mentioned this firm.” She turned to look for an intact business sign. No luck. “What’s this company called, anyway?” Falwell flipped through his notes. “Chirality Labs.” “What sort of research did they do?” “Something called ‘chiral superconductors.’” “Superconductors I get, but what’s ‘chiral’ mean?” “I looked it up—didn’t really understand the explanation, though. Something about electrons only moving in one direction.” “Well, something they did here pissed Cotton off. Made him bring in his death squad.” “If he’s so upset about advanced tech, why doesn’t he go after a major aerospace or biotech firm?” She pondered that. “Too difficult. He only goes after easy marks.” She glanced around at the aged building. “I mean, look at this place. They didn’t even have a perimeter gate. Half a dozen employees. It’s like the other bombings. Small, relatively unknown firms. He wants victims for the news. Let me take a guess about this company: They weren’t at the forefront of anything. No distinguished principals.” Falwell glanced down at his notes. “This Alcot guy taught physics in the Ivy League.” “I saw that. Retired, though, wasn’t he? In his eighties. Just a figurehead maybe.” Davis thought for a few moments more in silence. “What about their funding?” “I pulled their business filings this morning.” Falwell brought up PDF images of business permits, incorporation papers, and other documents on his computer tablet and started flipping through them. “Looks like initial funding came from this Shearson-Bayers, the New York firm, and judging by the chronology on these other SEC filings, I’d say the founders were canny enough to use the initial investment to get buy-in from other, smaller investors.” “Any repeats from past bombings?” Falwell shook his head. “We’ll check shell companies and subsidiaries, but on a first look, no. They’re Midwest and Southeast partnerships. Probably doctors and lawyers without Silicon Valley connections looking for a big tech score.” He flipped through a few more pages. “Looks like they might have been sold a bill of goods.” She looked back at him. “Why do you say that?” “The company president, this Jon Grady guy: thirty-one years old. His parents said he’d received a National Science Foundation grant.” “And he didn’t.” He shook his head. “NSF has no record of him.” “And his academic background?” “Heh. That’s the thing. He didn’t really have one. I mean, not a real school, anyway. Dropped out of Albany. Got a bachelor’s and a master’s in physics from an online diploma mill. His parents said they were real proud of him because he’d overcome a learning disability.” “Specifically…?” He glanced at his notes. “Congenital synesthesia.” “What the hell’s that?” “Apparently he saw music and heard numbers—some crossed wires in the brain. That sort of thing. Had a compulsion for folding paper, too.” She could see several more scorched origami shapes in the wreckage. “Undistinguished academic record. Kind of an oddball. Behavioral problems…” He glanced through the papers. “Yada, yada, yada.” Davis considered this. “Now that’s starting to sound familiar. The New Orleans bombing five years ago—the company founder had Asperger’s or something like that. Wasn’t there another one who had some sort of mental condition?” Falwell gave her a look. “I’ll go back through the files, but what are you thinking?” Davis pondered the previous cases. “There was that Winnower bombing in Tampa—before both of us. What, nine years ago? Electrical engineer who had claimed he was financed by the Defense Department. But wasn’t.” Falwell nodded. “Okay, so maybe it’s high-tech scam artists that Cotton hates. Maybe his mom lost her retirement savings or something.” “Did this Chirality Labs ever produce a product or file for a patent?” Falwell flipped through the papers for a few moments before looking up and shaking his head. “They never do.” Davis looked up at the media helicopters hovering half a mile away. She knew their nose cameras had impressive capabilities. They were combing the crime scene on live TV, adding to Cotton’s ego. “Cotton goes for camera-ready catastrophes.” “But what’s the point of hitting sham start-up tech firms every couple of years? What’s it accomplish?” “Cotton’s probably smart enough to realize that if he punches above his weight or too often, we’re going to get some serious manpower focused on this case.” Falwell considered this. Davis stood at the edge of the still smoking crater. It was easily twenty feet across and five feet deep. “Two and a half years since the last attack. And nearly two years since the one before that. Who has that kind of patience, Thomas? Who can keep operational security within a group of anarchists for that long?” Falwell stowed his computer tablet. “I have to say this, Denise. And you need to hear me out.” She almost cringed. “What? I thought we were good.” “It’s not that. I’ve been chasing Cotton for seven years. And now that there’s been another bombing—and it’s all over the news again—D.C. will give you additional manpower. Just like they did me.” “I won’t let them forget all the hard work you did, Thomas.” “Not my point. My point is that in a year or so this team will be pared down again.” “Then we’ll have to capture Cotton before then.” “I’m just letting you know that Cotton is like no narcissistic sociopath I’ve ever heard of. There comes a point when we have to ask ourselves whether Cotton still fits the BAU profile.” “Okay… we can have them do another workup.” “I’ve never seen anyone who’s content to disappear for so long—to be almost forgotten. Only to strike again somewhere far away and always with faceless, masked followers. There’s something here we’re not seeing. We’ve had informers inside antitech anarchist groups for years now. It’s as though Richard Cotton doesn’t exist except when he’s attacking.” She walked up to him. “It’s been a long road, but I hope you know that I need you to do exactly what you’re doing: telling me what you really think.” He nodded. Davis walked back toward the knot of emergency vehicles, where Dwight was now approaching with an FBI ERT member. She spoke over her shoulder. “Use the extra agents while we’ve got ’em, Thomas. Chase down all the loose ends. And if Cotton doesn’t exist between attacks, then we’ll just have to conjure him, won’t we?” Master Copy “Don’t you need to resequence him before transport?” A blond man, physically identical to the first except for his lab coat, bristled and looked up from a holographic computer display. “I’m sorry, do you have a medical classification?” “I’m just saying, if you gave a longer estimated time of departure, I’d have time to hit the R&R levels before we go.” “You’re always ‘just saying.’ You’ve got diarrhea of the mouth is what you’ve got.” “I’ve been away from civilization a long time.” A clattering noise. “C’mon, don’t be an asshole. Give us a few hours before they send us back, man.” Grady watched the men from an inclined position on a metallic table. Grady was still a disconnected head—unable to feel a thing below his neck. And it was panicking him. He stared up at the lights, trying to calm himself—especially because listening to his rapid breathing without feeling anything was freaking him out further. “Mr. Grady, please stop hyperventilating.” “Just pump him full of PP-3 and put him on ice for a while.” “Stop telling me how to do my job.” “C’mon, do me a solid. A few hours are all I need.” “I’m not falsifying official paperwork so you can get laid.” “You’re such a kiss-ass.” Another two identical men entered Grady’s field of vision. They weren’t handsome, but they all shared that thick-necked, swarthy, alpha-male demeanor. The two new arrivals wore gray guard uniforms with Greek numeric patches on the shoulder—Delta-Alpha and Theta-Tau—as though each was his own fraternity. They glowered down on Grady. The first tech complained, “Damnit, get the hell out of my lab. All of you.” “You’d better give us a few hours, Zeta. I haven’t been in the real world for a year and a half.” “It’s not up to me.” A ragged older man’s gruff voice boomed out. “Get the hell out of here, you three!” The two most recent arrivals ducked out without a word. The last one remained, eyeballing someone, who soon walked into Grady’s view. It was the eldest Morrison. The one from Hedrick’s office. The younger Morrison glared. “I’m not afraid of you, old man.” The elder Morrison got right in his face. “That can be rectified.” “A man your age should be careful.” Morrison smirked. “That’s funny.” He suddenly head-butted the younger man. The young soldier collapsed, and in moments Morrison had his boot on the man’s neck. “Because it’s you who should be careful.” “Get off me!” Morrison called out, “Boys! Get this idiot out of here before I kill him.” Two other clones hurried in and grabbed their compatriot. Morrison glowered at them. “All of you stay on the transport. You won’t be here long.” Morrison’s aged, scarred face followed the men as they carried their injured comrade out. He finally looked down on Grady. “Kids.” Grady was at a loss for words. “Don’t give me that look. Mother Nature’s always had clones, Mr. Grady. They’re called twins.” He shook his head ruefully. “I’ve just got way more of ’em than most people.” Morrison turned to the clone in a lab coat. “Zeta, how much longer?” “About five, ten minutes. Depends on his protein folds.” Morrison nodded absently, observing the complex imagery on a nearby screen. “I never could get used to all this high-tech crap.” He looked down at Grady again. “But it’s like they say: Anything before you’re thirty-five is new and exciting, and anything after that is proof the world’s going to hell.” Grady was still trying to get his helplessness-induced panic under control. His breathing was labored. Morrison scowled at him. “You need to relax, Mr. Grady, or that collar’s going to have difficulty controlling your respiratory functions. We have all the genetic information necessary to make a copy of you, but as you might have noticed, that’s not the same thing as having you. ” The lab technician halted his work and looked up at the ceiling. “Would you stop with this already?” “I’m talking to this man, here. Do you see me talking to you? Was I talking to you?” “I think you were talking to me in a way, yes.” “Just get him prepped. The sooner we get these substandard Neanderthals out of here, the better.” “I copy that.” The younger man sighed and turned back to his work. Morrison glowered down at Grady again. Morrison looked old and tired as he rubbed his calloused, thick fingers against his closed eyes. Grady felt the words forming as a means to keep his mind off the vertigo he was feeling. “Why are you doing this?” Morrison looked up. “Doing what?” “Taking away my life.” “If the director says you need a time-out, then you need a time-out. Hibernity does a great job of changing people’s minds. Literally.” Grady searched the man’s eyes for some human kindness. He saw none. “This is wrong.” “Wrong. Right. They’re a matter of perspective. I’m sure gazelles think lions are wrong.” “And you and your clones are the lions.” “I’d say they’re more like hyenas.” The lab technician slammed his computer tablet onto the counter. “Dad, give it a rest already.” “What? I can’t talk to this poor unfortunate without getting comments from the peanut gallery?” “I’m not gonna just stand here and listen to you talk shit.” Morrison turned back to Grady. “You know why they cloned me back in the ’80s, Mr. Grady? Because I was the best special operator the U.S. military ever produced. High intelligence, top physical characteristics—the most determined to survive and overcome. To win. But as it turns out, genetics isn’t destiny—it’s statistics. After two decades it has become quite clear that something about us is not genetic.” The younger clone interjected, “You don’t even understand the science: The seat of consciousness—what’s known as ‘sensorium’—exists partly as an expression of particle entanglement in higher physical dimensions. The human brain is merely a conduit.” Morrison gestured toward his younger self. “My point exactly. That’s why none of you will ever be me.” He turned back to Grady. “Turns out you can’t copy people. Just flesh. Now it’s all biotech design. Like Granny Alexa up there.” The lab technician glared. “Tau said you wanted us all liquidated.” “Not all of you. Just the less-than-faithful reproductions.” The lab technician still glared. Morrison threw up his hands. “What do you want me to say?” The clone stared hard at Morrison for several moments. “There are times when I feel like murdering you, sir.” “Well, give it your best shot, son. Just don’t fail.” They faced each other in tense silence. Morrison finally grinned. “We share a predilection for homicide. Some of us are just better on the follow-through.” The lab technician took a deep, calming breath. “I refuse to give in to my genetic predilections.” The technician turned away in disdain. “Relax, Zeta. You’re one of the good ones.” The lab tech looked up. “I’m finished. His file’s done. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” “Good.” Morrison took one last irritated look at the lab clone. “Nox him first, and get him onto transport.” “Goddamnit…” Grady searched for the words to convince them. “Wait. Don’t do this. I—” But the irresistible urge to sleep swept over him like a suffocating blanket. SIX MONTHS LATER Jon Grady gazed from the edge of a thousand-foot cliff, across an endless expanse of deep water. He guessed the plunge continued straight down beneath the waves to crushing depths. Such cliffs ringed the island. An island so distant from everywhere that there were only two species of local bird—one flightless—and almost no wildlife. No rodents. No snakes. Limited plants even. Perhaps one day a migratory bird population would arrive. That might give him some indication of where he was. At nights Grady stood in the darkness near his cottage, gazing up at a riot of stars and the cloud of the Milky Way arching overhead. It was even more glorious than he’d remembered from his years wandering the Sierra Nevada and Canadian Rockies with his parents. Those were blissfully innocent times. An escape from a childhood otherwise spent enduring therapeutic efforts to “fix” him. He credited his parents with saving him from that. Psychosis was a mental disorder whereby a person lost contact with external reality. And to all outward appearances the young Jon Grady did not engage with reality. As a toddler he had stared in wonder at things unseen, absorbed in his own world. Thought to be suffering from severe autism, he spent most of his early years under specialized care—not uttering his first words until the age of five. And yet those first words were a complete sentence: “I want to go home now.” And home he went, to all appearances noticing the outside world more each day. It wasn’t until Grady was seven years old that his mother helped him understand that other people did not perceive numbers as colors—that five was not a deep indigo, nor three a vermilion red. Likewise musical tones were not part of most people’s mathematics. Grady “heard” math as he pored through its logic. Discordant notes were immediately evident. Mathematical concepts took on specific shapes in his mind relative to one another. At times the shape and sound of math problems seemed somehow wrong. Cacophonous. He was usually correct when he had that feeling. All of this made him different from other children. And different meant he became a target. So from an early age mathematics was his only playmate. He formed a close relationship with the natural laws all around him. As the only child of grammar school teachers, Grady received the best care they could afford and a loving, stable home life. But it wasn’t until age ten—after he’d undergone years of fruitless autism therapies—that he was correctly diagnosed. Congenital synesthesia was a condition where one or more of the senses were conflated within the brain. In Grady’s case he suffered from both color and number-form synesthesia—sometimes known as grapheme—which meant he perceived numbers as colors, geometric shapes, and sounds. He saw numbers normally as well and could draw their actual outlines, but he simultaneously imbued them with more than was actually there. The neural basis for synesthesia was imperfectly understood, but a normal brain dedicated certain regions to certain functions. The visual cortex processed image perceptions but was further subdivided into regions involved in color processing, motion processing, and visual memory. The prevailing theory was that increased cross talk between different specialized subregions of the visual cortex caused different forms of synesthesia. Thus, Jon Grady’s brain had more internal information exchange than those of most people. The effect made him sound crazy to those who didn’t know him. About the only thing that gave Grady peace was being outdoors. Hiking and stargazing seemed to calm him more than any therapy ever had, filling his senses with wonder. And his parents resolved to give him that wonder. They sold the family home, bought a camper, and began a protracted tour of national and state parks—homeschooling Grady as they went. Those years were his happiest childhood memories. Visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, and more; soaking in the natural world as they roughed it; backpacking through the wilderness. The more he saw, the more comfort he took in the natural world. Observing the stars in Tuolumne Meadows. Traversing the Chinese Wall in Montana or the gorges of the Canadian Rockies. Stringing bear bags at night with his father and staring up at the stars in the deep darkness of arboreal forests. He’d never felt so much at peace, watching the majesty of the physical laws that governed the cosmos arrayed above him. It was all there before his eyes. It was in that remote wilderness that Grady began to formulate his concept of the universe and its structure. By age thirteen he began reading widely in physics—which drew him to brilliant minds like Heisenberg, Schrödinger, Feynman, Einstein, Maxwell, and especially Faraday. For the first time he felt a connection with other minds. The fact that Faraday had little formal training yet discovered the magnetic field through his intuitive lab observations inspired Grady to pursue his passion for inquiry into the natural world. Eventually, as Grady reached college age, his parents again settled down and took teaching positions. They encouraged Grady to pursue an education, short on money though they now were. Never a joiner and with scant academic records, Grady was nonetheless accepted to the State University of New York at Albany as a physics major. Yet he quickly grew frustrated at the survey-level courses taught not by professors but by harried graduate student teaching assistants. Grady’s impatience with others undermined him socially—as it always had. By the time Grady dropped out of SUNY, he’d become deeply interested in the work of Bertrand Alcot, the head of Columbia University’s physics department. Alcot focused on hydrodynamics—a branch of physics that deals with the motion of fluids and the forces acting on solids immersed in fluids. Grady directed a flurry of unsolicited and unanswered emails to Alcot, making outrageously ambitious assertions, always including mathematical proofs (flawed as they later turned out to be). Then one day he got an answer. A year and a half after he’d starting sending his messages, while working as a mathematics tutor, Grady received a reply with a simple correction to one of his equations. As he studied Alcot’s change, Grady realized the revision was a more succinct solution—and one that gave him new ideas. And so they continued, communicating mostly in mathematics—beginning a chess game whose pieces were the elemental forces of the natural world. Grady’s reverie was disturbed by a gust of wind. The smell of the sea brought him back to his new reality and surroundings. The tiny island that was his prison. He remembered the deep wilderness of North America as unspoiled by light pollution, but the night sky here had a clarity unlike anything he’d experienced. In this pristine world even satellites were readily visible, pinpoints of reflected sunlight racing through the firmament. At first he’d mistaken them for aircraft, raising hopes of signaling for rescue. But no, these moved too fast and lacked navigation lights. As days and weeks passed, it was clear no aircraft—nor indeed any ship—ever crossed the horizon. He was far from the air and shipping lanes. Grady had examined the constellations overhead, trying to derive his position on the globe. Normally he’d locate the North Star and use it to judge his latitude with an outstretched hand—its position above the horizon would roughly correspond with his own latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. But the polestar was nowhere to be seen. The Southern Cross in the Crux constellation was clearly visible, though—which meant he was somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, and that made his location more difficult to divine. There was no comparable polestar in the global south. Calculating latitude here involved tracking the movements of the top and bottom stars of the Southern Cross as they crossed the meridian—or something like that. He couldn’t recall precisely. And longitude? Forget longitude. He’d have to have his starting point and record the passage of time and velocity. But he’d been brought here in the delta-wave-induced sleep the BTC was so fond of. He simply awoke in his neat stone cottage at the edge of a cliff overlooking the boundless blue. A garden, low stone walls, and a circuitous path comprised his new world. Early on he’d traversed the entire island, looking for a way down to the water’s edge, but even though he’d walked every yard of the mile-wide landscape, it was ringed with towering cliffs. No trees dotted the terrain either, just hardy windblown shrubs and grasses. His fireplace was fueled by peat, which appeared mysteriously every time he returned from his morning walks. So, too, did his food, water, milk, and wine. He’d tried to catch his provisioners in the act. No luck. They were like gnomes. For all he knew they were gnomes; no doubt mythical creatures were within the biotech capabilities of the BTC. Grady pondered a pale crescent moon in the midday sky. Even this ghostly white apparition was sharply detailed. Everything was pristine out here. The only intrusion was the occasional detritus from the modern world washed in among the rocks below. Plastic barrels, shipping pallets, or on one occasion a section of advertising billboard with French writing on it. He had a pair of binoculars that he used to scan the horizon, hoping to signal some ship to rescue him from his Elba-like exile. But his captors probably left the binoculars so he could know how utterly hopeless his chance of rescue was. Grady closed his scratchy wool jacket against the wind. It was coarse with wooden buttons, and he had soft leather boots that laced high up his calves. Canvas pants and tunic. He looked like some sourdough islander, living rough off the land. In the past few months his long hair and beard had grown even longer. The irony. A high-tech despotic organization had exiled him not only from society but also from modernity itself. And from all social contact. So that his mind wouldn’t “poison” the world. The chill wind picked up, so Grady headed back to the distant cottage and its inviting column of peat smoke. He picked his way carefully along the cliff-side path, listening to the terns squeal overhead. More than once he’d contemplated leaping from these heights, but depressed as he was, he still couldn’t bring himself to end his life. Depressed, yes. But not yet without hope. Not yet. And in some ways this solitude was a childhood friend. Before long Grady pulled open the thick plank door of his cottage and entered the warmth of the space inside. One room, but spacious enough for a kitchen, with a wood stove, a table, pots, pans, a writing desk, a large feather bed, and a toilet that drained out to the cliffs below through a channel. It was a simple existence, but the months had brought about a change in him. As horrible as things were, those problems seemed strangely over the horizon. His captivity, the revelations that the BTC covered up advanced technologies, that his own gravity research, his life’s work, had been stolen by them—all these seemed like worries that could only restart once he got off this island prison. Until then, he tried to keep his mind busy on more positive concerns—like devising a means of escape. So far it didn’t look good. Even if he could fashion a raft from the materials in his cottage, how would he reach the water? Even if he reached the water, a group as technologically advanced as the BTC would probably detect him immediately. No hiding out in the open sea. They were no doubt scanning every inch of it with sensors. So he passed his days thinking, and lately not just about escape. Grady removed his scratchy coat and hung it up on a peg by the door. He passed by his writing desk, flipping through his papers. He had plenty of paper and pens but only one book. They had provided him with a slim leather-bound volume, its title etched on the spine in gold leaf: Omnia . The first time he flipped through the book’s vellum pages, they were entirely blank—except for one page on which the words “While I’m open, ask me anything” were written. He tried writing questions on the facing page but couldn’t mark the surface. In frustration he finally spoke aloud the first thing that came to mind. “How do I get off this island?” Suddenly the pages filled with text and images relating to his own gravity research, including a table of contents on the first page and an annotated bibliography in the back. He flipped through the newly filled pages, and noticed hyperlinks that when tapped refilled the book with more detailed information. In this way he zoomed in and out of his research papers, poring through the thousands of pages of lab notes, diagrams, spreadsheets, and test results from years of work—everything he and Bert had written. Even the handwritten Post-it notes had somehow been recorded and projected onto the vellum pages. Photos of the gravity mirror apparatus being constructed, the works he’d read on kinematics, Ricci curvatures—everything he’d ever absorbed on quantum mechanics. It was endless. The book was clearly some form of advanced technology—for while the pages appeared to be quality vellum, they acted like high-definition digital displays. A private Internet. Yet no matter how hard he examined the material, he couldn’t see any flicker. The text seemed physical—like quality ink. Neither did the book have any apparent battery or power connector. It looked and felt like a very old encyclopedia. He opened it again to the title page and spoke the words, “What does Omnia mean?” The current page went blank and was replaced by the word Everything. Grady had nodded to himself, then said, “Teach me ocean navigation.” The pages quickly filled with articles on sea navigation, but large sections appeared to be redacted with black bars and boxes—concealing the most necessary details. Grady then demanded, “Show me small-boat building techniques.” Again, the book filled with censored articles, the images and text blacked out, only their promising titles revealed—as if in spite. Not an Internet then but a redacted virtual library. All of it tightly controlled. And as if to demonstrate how controlled it was—it returned results but didn’t let you see them. Only offering answers deemed harmless or helpful to its masters. But how was it able to determine what to censor almost instantaneously? Obviously some highly advanced technology. But then, it had to have some wireless technology in it to transmit requests and receive data—a radio transmitter and receiver. Probably low power, but he might be able to rig something like a shortwave device. Make an antenna. Boost the signal. He spent the next several days trying to tear the book apart to cannibalize it, but it was made of sterner stuff than he expected. Even cutting or tearing the pages was beyond him with knives, fire, or brute force. The leather was just as durable. Smashing it, crushing it—nothing so much as scratched it. There must have been some major advances in materials science he was unaware of. Probably fashioned of carbon lattices or something similar. He had to admit that their technology was formidable. At some point Grady closed the book and never picked it up again. It now sat on his shelf beneath a crystalline rock he’d found inland. His experience with the disarmingly high-tech “ancient” book made him suspicious about the paper and pens, too. At first he was determined not to use them, reasoning that his captors would use advanced tech to monitor whatever he wrote down. But then he’d rediscovered an old pastime he hadn’t thought about in ages. He started writing music again. When he was young, he would sometimes ponder the tones he heard in math. After teaching himself to read music, he decided to try his hand at composing—although he had little interest in traditional music. Now he decided to cultivate one, and the BTC could monitor it if they liked. They would be his audience. He wished he had a piano or guitar, but he could always play the music in his head. It amused him to think of his BTC captors trying to derive the deeper meaning from this work. To the best of his knowledge there wasn’t one—just a pleasing, fractal symmetry. Grady picked up a piece of parchment covered with musical notations and ran through several movements of an amateur symphony, waving one hand as if conducting. He laughed to himself. He was writing a goddamned symphony. It was a ridiculous thing, and he never would have done it in a million years if he weren’t a prisoner. And it wasn’t going well. He wondered how Mozart, Beethoven, and those guys did it. He had some good movements, but unifying the whole was a mother—he wasn’t going for Copland’s Billy the Kid here. He was going for beauty, a mournful melancholy like that inside him. But he seemed to lack the vocabulary. He had to admit that for all his talents, music was not one of them. It did not come as easily to him as math—even though the two fields seemed in some way related. Grady walked over to the kitchen to see what the gnomes had brought him. They always placed his food supplies on the kitchen table in wax paper bundles bound with twine. He sniffed them separately. Some white fish. A packet of salted pork. Vegetables. Sweet butter. Fresh loaves of bread—not soft French or Italian stuff but sturdy dark loaves that lasted several days. Milk. Water. Another jug of red table wine. He always resisted the temptation to finish off the wine in a binge, instead having a mug with dinner and no more. There were plenty of reasons to want to drown his sorrows, but he knew they were watching him; he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how hopeless he felt. He’d searched for cameras and microphones for weeks after he’d arrived—dragging every stick of furniture out of the place. But if the BTC was using surveillance devices, they were too small or well concealed to detect. It was the same every week. Fresh supplies came when he was out. If he tried to spy upon his benefactors, then the supplies did not come, and he went hungry. Several times he searched for hidden doors but always came up empty. So he’d decided to forget about it. It was the BTC. No mystery, but apparently they didn’t want him to have companionship. So he took his daily walk, and on Foodday (as he’d taken to calling it), the food arrived. There were seven days in Grady’s week, and he’d used them to create a calendar that he tacked to the wall: Foodday, Cookday, Exerciseday, Workday, Writingday, Watchingday, Escapeday. He kept the schedule as a way to stay sane. Structure was important to keep the human mind from getting lost. Grady stared out the distorted, rustic window glass at the dark sea far below. A bank of fog was coming in from the north. It was the evening of Foodday. Schedule or no, his mind was indeed starting to get lost. I might grow old and die here. What had happened to Bert and the others? He wondered that several times a day. Had they taken up roles in the BTC? He couldn’t picture that. Then what happened to them? Were they on some island, too? And why place any of them on an island? Why, in fact, did they let them live at all? They clearly had all Grady’s gravity research. They didn’t need him. He was a liability. Why keep him around? Hedrick had suggested that this prison would change his mind, but this was simply banishment. Banishment to the Iron Age. He laughed. Isn’t that what Richard Cotton’s group, the Winnowers, stood for—returning mankind to the Iron Age? Grady could become a member now. He’d had way too much time to contemplate these things in the past few months. He kept turning them over and over in his head. Had he been wrong to tell the BTC to piss off? Not that he could lie to them, but what good was he doing by sitting on this rock for the remainder of his days? Surely that wasn’t going to slow them down or stop them one iota. And this way he couldn’t influence how they’d use his breakthrough. He wouldn’t have a seat at the table. Grady felt defiance rise in him. It was the principle. Wasn’t it? He knew he could not ethically assist the BTC in covering up fundamental discoveries that would advance mankind’s knowledge. The BTC’s simulations of progress-borne disaster had to be wrong—he felt it in his bones. But what sort of assertion was that for a scientist to make? They had evidence. He had a “feeling.” But he’d never seen their evidence, had he? It all seemed too convenient. They justified their domination of others—but who could say they were even being honest with themselves? Just look what they were willing to do in pursuit of their mission. Was Grady’s wasting away on this rock really a good use of brainpower? And yet there were many historical precedents for this—periods when belligerent ignorance trumped reason. During the Roman Inquisition, the Catholic Church had done something similar with Galileo—condemned him to imprisonment in his own home. To never publish again. The church wanted to suppress the spread of knowledge during the Enlightenment—to maintain its control. It went so far as to have church officials searching through the private libraries of dukes and other nobles, looking for passages in books that offended the church, literally crossing out ideas that violated church doctrine and scribbling official church doctrine in its place. Agents of the inquisition were stationed in ports to find seditious books coming in by sea. Grady couldn’t help but think that the church was, in a way, the BTC of the seventeenth century. No. This situation wasn’t new. And Grady knew which side he needed to be on. The side of reason. Grady’s manipulation of gravity would change civilization. But was that so bad? Change could be good. Of course the BTC wanted to stop change—they were currently in charge. And that’s what the church thought it was doing by preventing Galileo’s ideas from spreading. Preventing change. But it didn’t work, did it? That gave Grady some measure of hope. Okay, you’re comparing yourself with Galileo now. Grady stared through the window at the darkening sea for untold minutes as thoughts rolled around in his mind. Was the BTC right about Grady’s ego? Was Grady really making this all about him? Was he an egomaniac? Just then there was a knock on the cottage door. Grady spun toward it. His heart raced as adrenaline coursed through him. It had been months. No one had ever knocked on his door. Were they coming for him again? He looked around uncertainly, but then resolve came over him. Grady shook his head slowly. No. He would not g ive them the satisfaction of being afraid. He approached the thick wooden door confidently and pulled it open by its wooden latch. On the doorstep stood a slim humanoid robot, not unlike the one he’d seen in Hedrick’s office all those months ago. This one was surfaced in brushed-steel panels. It had glowing tourmaline eyes and no mouth. It was different enough from a human that no uncanny valley effect occurred—clearly a machine. It had an appealing design, like an upscale espresso machine. Obviously it was meant to seem friendly. Harmless. The robot nodded to him and a vaguely familiar female voice spoke: “Good evening, Mr. Grady. I wanted to see how you were settling in.” Grady stood aside and dramatically swept his arm. “Come on in. I’d offer you a drink, but…” He let his voice trail off. The robot was inscrutable as it stepped gracefully inside. “Thank you.” It looked around. “I’m a person, you know. This is just a telepresence unit.” “Telepresence. Nifty. You guys imprison the person who invented that, too?” Grady closed the door. The robot managed a nonplussed look and moved through the room to gaze out the window at the ocean. “Do you remember me?” “How could I forget? Alexa. You were more lifelike last time I saw you… but not by much.” “I’m here on official BTC business.” “You’re not here, actually. You’re just a walking phone. Anyone else in on this conference call?” “Our conversation is being recorded for the file, yes. But then, everything is recorded for the file.” “Well, for the file then: What the fuck do you want?” “You look in good health. Have you been treated well?” “Yeah. Fine. Just fine.” He snapped his fingers. “Although there was that rough patch when you guys”—Grady pounded his fist on the kitchen table—“STOLE EVERYTHING I CARED ABOUT!” A bowl and stoneware mug went flying and shattered on the floor. The robot just stared at him. “How do you think I’m being treated?” The robot waited several moments. “Most of the innovators we harvest manage to find calm after a period of solitude. They use the time to reflect—on both what was lost and what can still be gained.” “You have got to be joking.” “As your BTC case officer, I came to offer you another chance to join us, Mr. Grady. Now that you’ve had a chance to reflect.” “I see. So I’m supposed to just forget that you guys are deliberately keeping all of humanity in the Dark Ages. That you stole my life’s work. That you imprisoned me.” The robot resumed its tour of the cottage. “All of that is a regrettable necessity, but we’ve been over this. Complaining about it won’t change anything.” The robot picked up one of Grady’s symphony parchments from the desk, turning it around. “Put that down.” “Does your synesthesia also make you musically gifted? Interesting…” Grady moved toward her to grab the paper, but just then the sound of his own music filled the cottage. Violins. And a French horn. It played for a few seconds, then stopped. The robot lowered the page. “Apparently not.” “It’s a work in progress.” He grabbed it from her and collected all the other papers from the desk. “Why are you even bothering me? You don’t seriously expect me to forgive all this and join the BTC, do you?” “Approximately seventeen percent of uncooperative innovators have a change of heart during the isolation phase.” The robot picked up a quartz rock from a shelf and retrieved the Omnia book from under it. The machine flipped through the book’s blank pages. “Most innovators work with the Omnia to learn more about the advances that we’ve made—to see how they might fit into the big picture.” “You mean the advances that others have made. That you stole.” “You still have the wrong impression of us. Everything we do is designed to protect the human race. The rich and the poor. The strong and the weak. To keep humanity from driving itself to extinction.” “And I suppose if I’d spent all my time reading your redacted propaganda, I would have realized that by now. You’re never going to convince me the BTC has the best interests of humanity at heart. You’re like every tyrant throughout history.” “We’re part of the U.S. government. Our legitimacy stems from—” “Did you come here to convince me or convince yourself?” “I want to try to reach you. To help you understand.” “Then why not brainwash me? Why not just change my thoughts? You guys can do that, can’t you?” There was a moment of silence. “That would damage you.” “I find it hard to believe that’s stopping you.” “The human mind is the most complex object in the known universe. Innovation only arises from free will. We don’t yet understand the mental processes behind it, but it’s what makes people like you so rare, Jon.” “But you are admitting that you’ve researched mind control.” “Technologically it’s possible, yes, but only in a very limited way.” “Well then. That definitely makes things easier.” He grabbed the crystalline rock from the desk. “Here’s my answer—for the file…” And he smashed the rock into the robot’s forehead, sending it backpedaling toward the kitchen table. “Jon. Don’t do this.” Grady pursued the robot, smashing it repeatedly in the head as it flailed its arms crazily to keep its balance. Already the top of its head was dented. A brushed-steel panel flew off. “What you’re doing is counterproductive.” He grabbed one of the machine’s arms to anchor it and pounded it in the head again and again. “Are you getting all this?” “Violent outbursts won’t accomplish anything.” Another massive blow and the rock broke in two. The robot stood, its head battered, but appearing otherwise unaffected. Grady was disappointed. It gazed at him. “I came here to speak with you before I turn over your case file. You haven’t been using the Omnia. You haven’t been doing research. You keep resisting. But you still have a chance to come back from this place.” “I agree. I was hoping to smash your head open and steal the radio transmitter.” The robot cocked its head. “Surely you don’t think you can use it to signal for help?” “The thought had occurred to me. You are remotely controlling this tin can, after all.” “We don’t use radios, Jon. Our communications transit a compactified fifth-dimension, not three dimensional space.” Grady was taken aback. “Hold it—like a Calabi-Yau space? Are you serious? Brane theory has been proven?” “If you want to know, then stop resisting us. And in any event you can’t harm the critical systems of this unit with anything you can find on the island. Trying to hurt me is pointless.” He stared at the machine for several moments then sighed. “Fine.” Grady opened the front door. “Then let me show you out.” “Why do you resist what’s in your and humanity’s best interest?” “Because I don’t believe that it is. You’re telling me everything will be fine if I agree to be your slave.” “We’re not asking you to be a slave.” “Then you’re asking me to be a slaver—and that’s even worse.” He approached the robot and knelt—grabbing one of its legs. He pulled the robot’s foot out from under it, and it started bouncing on one leg. Even the one leg felt heavy. “Jesus, what is this thing made of?” “You’re acting irrationally.” Grady shoved the robot back against the kitchen table, where it fell backward. He then grabbed both legs and pulled it off its feet. Its head hit the stone floor with the weight of a lawn mower engine, and he started dragging it toward the door as it flailed uselessly. The machine weighed easily a couple hundred pounds and left scrape marks on the flagstones. “I was defending you against other case officers. They said you were unreachable.” “They were right.” He struggled as he dragged the robot over the threshold and down the stony pathway alongside the cottage. It writhed about, trying to get up. “You realize that you’ve left me no choice but to relinquish your file to the containment division? Prisoners who reach that point have only a point-five percent chance of joining the organization.” “Really? That high?” “It means that I’ll no longer have any authority over you.” “You don’t have any now. And neither will they.” “I’m trying to reach out to you, Mr. Grady.” “You’re trying to make me obey. And that’s never going to happen.” Grady suddenly dropped the robot’s legs. It tried to right itself. “Next time you stop by, could you do me a favor?” The robot deftly rose back onto its feet. “What?” “Tell me how deep the water is…” With that Grady shoved the robot over the low wall at the cliff’s edge. It pitched over the rim and dropped hundreds of feet into the gathering gloom below. Grady approached the edge and looked down, watching closely until he made out the glowing blue eyes for a moment. Then they were lost amid the white water and powerful waves crashing across rocks a thousand feet below. The cold wind cut into him, and after a moment more, he trudged back to the warmth of the cottage. They had his final answer. Jon Grady awoke on his back, staring at a domed but otherwise featureless gray ceiling. No continuity existed between where he was now and where he’d just been. He was simply here—wherever “here” was. Containment division. Within a few moments, he leaned up to see that he was on a bare cot in the center of an otherwise empty circular room about five meters in diameter. Everything was fashioned of the same featureless gray material. He swung his legs over the edge of the cot and sat up to examine his surroundings. No cottage. No windows. There wasn’t a seam or door or air vent anywhere. The chamber was shaped like a squat bullet, its domed ceiling rising perhaps seven or eight meters. Hard to judge distances for sure since everything was devoid of architectural detail. It all appeared to be carved out of solid granite. Even the cot he lay upon was a solid pedestal with a cushion of memory foam spliced into its top somehow—no seam visible between the two materials. A diffuse light illuminated the entire room, though no lamps were evident. The glow seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The air was odorless. Clean. It was in this omnipresent radiance that Grady noticed his feet were bare—that, in fact, he was nude. A glance at his arms showed no forearm hair whatsoever. He looked down at his chest and groin, only to find them hairless as well. He rubbed a hand over his scalp and instead of hair felt a bizarre bristle brush of fibers standing straight up on his scalp. Almost immediately he felt a sharp sting in his fingertips. “Ow…” Pulling back his hand, he saw his fingers oozed blood. “Jesus Christ…” He resisted the temptation to touch his head again and instead swept his unhurt right hand over his face. No beard. No eyebrows even. Somebody had ejected him from the mammalian club. His head was covered with flexible needles instead of hair. Blood droplets from his left hand spattered the floor. He applied pressure to his fingertips with the other hand. Okay. So maybe throwing the robot off the cliff wasn’t such a good move. His fingers also felt oddly soft, and it was then that Grady noticed he was missing his fingernails, too. Another glance. Toenails as well. In their place was soft pink skin. It felt as though his fingertips were made of cotton. No sign of trauma or scarring. His nails were simply gone . And where his navel once had been, there was now a white ceramic or plastic plug of some type—like a socket—sealed shut. It took him an unknowable amount of time to emerge from the shock of these dehumanizing changes, but after minutes or hours Grady finally stood. The ambient temperature of the room was so perfect it was difficult to feel where his skin ended and the air began. The floor was the same temperature. Very smooth but not polished. He walked to the circular wall and ran his uninjured, clawless hand across it. An impossibly smooth gray surface. Smoother than glass. Certainly not any rock he knew of. It was neither cold nor warm. Too uniform and without grain or blemish. He pressed his ear against the wall and pounded it with his fist. It sounded as dense as fifty feet of steel. Some type of nanomaterial? His fist imparted no vibration upon it at all. With no vents or other openings, where was the air coming from? Or the light? He scanned the room again, this time carefully. So odd that the light was everywhere, and so even. There were no shadows in here. The lack of visual interest was unsettling. His movements made no sound either. Even his synesthetic perceptions were muted. It was a sterile sensory environment. He called out in a firm voice. “Echo!” Nothing came back. As bare and hard as the walls were, they swallowed sound. It made no sense given how hard they were. Did they have different physical and acoustic properties? It had to make sense somehow—even if he couldn’t yet comprehend it. The laws of science held everywhere—Newtonian model or quantum mechanics, it had to make sense at some level. A voice spoke: “Do you know why you’re here?” It was Grady’s own voice. He froze, unsure whether he was thinking it or whether it was actually a voice. The lack of echo made it hard to know for sure. They’re messing with you, he thought to himself. Keep it together, Jon. After a long time he heard the voice again. “Do you know why you’re here?” Like a whisper in his mind. Grady looked around at the walls and ceiling. “Stop using my voice.” “I was evolved to mirror you.” Grady did not want to believe that. “Do you know why you’re here?” He covered his ears. “Stop using my voice!” “You’re here because you’re a valuable candidate for neurological study. We’re going to learn how your mind functions.” Grady held up his damaged hands and shouted, “What have you done to me?” “Your body has been altered to accommodate a fully enclosed habitat.” “Your ‘fully enclosed habitat’ doesn’t allow fingernails? And what are these needles on my head?” “To facilitate this study, all keratin and filamentous biomaterial have been removed from your body. Their ongoing growth suspended. A catheter has been inserted into your umbilicus to streamline feeding and waste removal, while sensors have been inserted into all the major structures of your brain.” “My God…” He felt the sudden urge to yank the needles out, but his fingers were still bleeding. “These things go all the way into my brain?” “A network of two-micron-diameter carbon microthreads to monitor activity in the diencephalon, cerebellum, and cerebrum regions.” “The threads are a million times stronger than a human hair. They were designed to resist the proteins in the human brain, preventing lesions and scarring.” “Lesions?” The horror worked its way through Grady. “Oh God…” They’d physically invaded his very mind. “You put thousands of needles into my brain…” “Nine hundred thirty-four transmitter-receivers.” He sank to the floor against the wall. The violation was palpable. He was convinced he could feel hundreds of eyes inside his head. “Why did you do this to me?” “Because your brain has several unique mutations—mutations that we need to understand for their improved ability to perceive the physical universe. I’m here to ensure that no harm comes to you. I will protect you—even from yourself. I’d like you to consider me your friend.” “Whatever brought you here is beyond my ability to understand. I have a very specialized intelligence, designed expressly for this task. However, to carry out this examination, I will need your cooperation.” “You inserted wires into my mind, asshole! Why would I ever cooperate with you?” “Because our goal is to map the way your brain interprets reality. That means I need to observe how you employ your brain during various tasks.” “What do you mean how I ‘employ’ my brain? I am my brain.” “Current cosmological models do not conform to this theory.” Despite his outrage, Grady gazed at the ceiling. “What does cosmology have to do with it?” “The human mind has been determined to be a quantum device. Decoherence and perceived wave function collapse are held in abeyance by consciousness itself—which manifests from a network of subatomic microtubules at the synapses. These microtubules are in turn entangled with particles not contained within the four dimensions of Newtonian space-time.” Grady sat up, intrigued. “Hold it. What’s this now?” “‘Human being’ is a colloquialism of Homo sapiens—primates of the family Hominidae—the only surviving species of the genus Homo. But at some point in the past two million years—most likely with the evolution of Homo erectus—the direct ancestor to the human brain developed a cerebral cortex-like structure, a rudimentary quantum device permitting n-dimensional consciousness to interact with the four dimensions of space-time.” “I’d like to see the research on that.” “I will make it available to you once we’ve completed our study.” Grady looked around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. “You said you were ‘evolved’ to mirror me. By who? The BTC?” “I have no knowledge of my origin. Neither is it relevant to my task.” “I know the feeling…” He looked to the ceiling. “What are you supposed to be? Some sort of AI?” “The form of my intelligence is irrelevant.” “But you’re not human.” A pause. “Right?” He felt foolish even asking. “I am not human.” “Then what are you?” “I am an intellect expressed through qubit-qutrit logic gates in a spintronic device memory.” “You’re a quantum computer.” Grady examined the ceiling and walls warily. “I didn’t know our technology was that advanced.” Grady felt foolish for saying it, given the circumstances. “Human and machine technology work in symbiosis.” “Meaning artificial intelligence evolved?” “There’s nothing ‘artificial’ about my intelligence. It’s as real as yours. Is a helium atom fused in a reactor less of a helium atom than one fused in the heart of a star?” “You’re awfully philosophical for a machine.” “We are both machines—one electrochemical, one electromechanical.” He narrowed his eyes. “Has there been a singularity? Is that what this is? Have machines evolved past humans?” “Which type of machines—electrochemical or electromechanical?” “I don’t know. Computers.” “Do you mean software systems?” “DNA is software. It’s used as a data storage format in both biological and nanoscale manufacturing.” Grady grew impatient. “What I want to know is whether an AI has—” “There are greater-than-human intelligences. Is that what you’re asking?” The admission greatly depressed him. “Yes.” “Then you should know that greater-than-human intelligence is currently specialized—evolved under strict parameters. Nonbiological intellects search, calculate, and simulate. Human intellect, on the other hand, is expressed through a subatomic network of circuits contained within roughly three pounds of cerebral tissue, evolved over hundreds of millions of years into the most energy-efficient, generalized self-programming array currently known, powered by a mere four hundred twenty calories per day—or one-point-seven-six kilojoules of electricity. By comparison my intelligence is powered by an array of four hundred and thirty-three billion qubit transistors consuming an average three hundred megawatts of electricity. The design of my intelligence, though physically larger and more powerful in some ways, is crude in its design, specialized in its architecture, and approximately one billion times less energy efficient. Does this gratify your ego?” “Yes. Actually it does.” Grady leaned back against the wall, feeling somewhat reassured. “If you’re a specialized intellect, what’s your specialization?” “You. I was created to study you.” That did not sound good. “What do I call you?” “Call me Jon.” “I’m not calling you Jon. Jon is my name.” “It’s our name.” Grady contemplated his situation, trying hard not to be constantly aware of the sheaf of carbon needles stuck deep inside his brain. “I will be completely forthright with you. I want you to know what our goal is and how our goal fits into the overall goal.” “Whose goal?” “I have no information on that.” “Is this Hibernity prison? Is that where I am?” “I am not familiar with this term.” “I’d like to begin by describing what’s expected of you. My purpose is to analyze how your brain functions creatively under various stimuli. In order to obtain this data, I will need your cooperation as I ask you to conceive of certain ideas and perform certain tasks. Do you understand?” “And if I don’t cooperate?” “I’m hoping you will cooperate because I won’t be able to obtain this data without your assistance.” “What if I don’t want you to have the data? What if I don’t want you to understand how I think creatively?” “But I won’t be able to obtain this data without your assistance.” “Yeah, I got that.” “Are you willing to assist me?” “I got it the first time you said it.” “Then are you willing to assist me?” “Oh my God. Are you just going to continue—?” Grady covered his ears and curled into a ball on the floor. “Shut up!” It continued like that for what seemed hours, the AI repeating its request, and no matter how Grady tried to muffle its voice, it was always right there in his head. He finally sat back up. “Stop! Enough already.” He sighed. “Yes.” If only to change the script… “Good. I’d like you to imagine something for me.” Grady tried to stifle his deep resentment. “What?” “Imagine a situation where you take a long journey from your home in New Jersey. You begin by heading south for ten thousand kilometers.” “All right.” He tried not to imagine it, but he couldn’t resist. “Good. Now imagine that once you reach ten thousand kilometers, you turn ninety degrees and head due west for ten thousand kilometers.” He imagined himself doing so but said nothing. “Very good, Jon. Now imagine that once you traverse that distance, you turn ninety degrees back north, and walk another ten thousand kilometers.” “How far are you from your original location?” Grady squinted at the ceiling as if it were a moron. “I’m back where I started.” “Most people would not say that.” “It’s non-Euclidian geometry—the Earth is a sphere. You can have three right angles in that triangle.” Suddenly a projection of precisely that appeared on the far wall. “You used several interesting areas of your brain to arrive at that conclusion, Jon.” “So do I get a treat or something?” “I’m given to understand that you have both color and number-form synesthesia. I have records on several human subjects with this mutation. What colors do you perceive when you hear these tones…?” A Mozart piano concerto began to play in the room. Concerto no. 20 in D Minor, movement two. The beautiful music washed over him, and even he could feel his mind light up with the soundness of its structure. The beautiful waves of color. It was a very pleasant distraction from his current circumstances. After a few moments he could almost imagine the young Wolfgang’s thoughts as he formed his chords. Grady was unable to create such soulful music himself—but he could recognize the reason behind the notes. The structure of the sound. “That’s very good.” Grady opened his eyes—though he hadn’t realized he’d closed them—and looked back up at the ceiling, now rippling with waves of blue, gold, and indigo. “Please concentrate on the music.” “Go to hell.” The music continued to play. “Are you familiar with glia cells, Jon?” He was not. “Go to hell.” “For many decades it was believed that neurons were the chief motive power in the human brain. Glia cells, on the other hand, outnumber neurons ten to one, but unlike neurons they don’t react to electrical stimulation. So they were believed to be the structural glue that kept the brain together. The word glia is the Greek word for glue.” “Leave me alone!” The music still played in all its beauty, and Grady kept trying to push his imagining of it down. To resist. The voice of his AI warder continued, “Yet when we examined cross sections of Albert Einstein’s preserved brain tissue, we found no more neurons than the average person. However, we did find that Einstein had an abnormally high concentration of glia cells.” Grady listened to the music, try as he might to resist. It caressed him with its rich color. With the beauty of its form. “That’s a trait that you and Einstein share, Jon.” Grady opened his eyes. That was indeed news to him. “Glia cells are, in fact, a second brain within the brain—one centered not on electrical signals but on chemical ones. An analog computer to accompany the digital neurons.” Grady could not resist visualizing quantum mechanical cells within his brain as the music flowed onward. As much as he wanted to tune out the AI’s words, it was starting to intrigue him. He had never heard of this chemical network in the human brain. But then he pulled back. This was insanity—why was he listening to this? “I don’t believe you.” “There are several classes of glia cells. Radial, microglia, Schwann glia, and oligodendrocytes—all supporting the function, growth, and maintenance of neurons. But after the embryonic human brain completes its growth, radial glia transform into a new type of cell: astrocytes, named because of their resemblance to starlight. Their tendrils spread to connect hundreds of thousands of neural synapses. And they link with one another, building chemical networks—networks that also monitor neuron activity; in response to neural stimulation, astrocytes produce waves of charged calcium atoms, which result in a chain reaction, moving from cell to cell, causing messages to chemically propagate in the human brain. They can further stimulate specific neurons by producing glutamate, or suppress neurons by producing adenosine. These cells represent ninety percent of human brainpower, acting like an analog network, encoding information in slowly rising and falling waves of calcium. There is evidence, in fact, that they are a manifestation of consciousness and responsible for expressing creativity and imagination.” Grady, while listening to the music, was also listening, as if against his will, to the AI. “When was this discovered?” “You’re very rare, Jon. No nonbiological computer has ever had the ability to make intuitive leaps on the scale of an Einstein, a Tesla, or other great minds. You provide us a rare chance to understand the true nature of creative perception in action.” He emotionally pulled back. “So that you can copy it.” “Our goal is to improve the human mind. At present the most powerful quantum supercomputers are capable of massively parallel computations; AIs based on this processing can improve existing data, find patterns, and extend the reach of mathematics. However, they cannot truly innovate. The intuitive leaps that the human mind makes have so far not been reproduced by machine intelligence. It’s believed, however, that truly innovative supercomputers can be biologically built, greatly expanding the power of human perception. I need you to help us if we hope to accomplish that.” “You want to mass-produce minds.” “Mass production of biological intellects is already possible. However, they are by definition self-governing and are therefore of limited use. Our research intends to separate free will from intellect to optimize system design.” “I’m not going to help you do that.” The music ended suddenly. “The next generation of biological quantum supercomputers will be biological yet devoid of free will. Capable of intuitive leaps like those of Einstein, Tesla… or yourself.” “To hell with that. I refuse to help you turn brains into farm animals.” “It would be more accurate to say that innovation will be converted into an industrial process.” Grady started pacing around the circular cell. “I will never let you subsume my mind into some slave fugue.” “Our goal is not to alter your mind but to build new minds based on the research conducted here.” It finally dawned on him. For a supposed genius he suddenly felt pretty stupid. “Hibernity is a research laboratory. It’s not a prison. And what happens to me during this research?” “We will conduct an ongoing series of tests to map every function of your brain, and then we will make minor adjustments to see how those changes affect the whole.” A flash of fear swept through him. “Adjustments? What kind of adjustments?” “Minor adjustments. Eventually your mind might become too damaged to continue in the research program—at which point your genetic material will be archived for future reference. However, that is many years away.” Grady lashed out as he tried to run up the wall as far as he could. His feet slipped immediately, and he fell to the ground. “Fuck you! Fuck you, whoever you are! Fuck you, evil pricks!” “Let’s begin. For your own safety, I need you to lie down on the examination table.” Instead, Grady collapsed on the smooth, clean floor, huddled against the wall—curled up in a fetal position. “No!” “For your own safety, I need you to lie down on the examination table.” “I said no!” He didn’t respond. The AI repeated its demand for several minutes. Finally it said, “If you refuse to comply, then I will help you.” Grady frowned. He felt dizziness spread through his head and felt compelled to sit up. “Oh my God…” He started breathing fitfully, panting. It felt as though someone were rummaging through his mind with boxing gloves. “Oh my God…” He sat there, rocked by waves of emotion—random mood swings. He felt fleeting spikes of fear, joy, confidence—all wrapped in a background of horror. He was losing himself. “Fuck you!” He started hugging himself and rocking back and forth. Resisting a compulsion to get up. “You will want to get off of the floor. It will be dangerous to remain on the floor.” Suddenly narrow slots opened at four compass points in the round wall, and what appeared to be spiders a foot in diameter scurried out. There were dozens of them, and they raised their forelegs and bared fangs at him in warning. He could see their black eyes glistening in the light. Hear their legs clicking on the floor. “Oh my God.” He sprang to his feet as the spiders continued to pour into the room. They were each nearly half a foot tall, scurrying about. Adrenaline coursed through his bloodstream. Grady circled in place, staring out at the horrors that still issued into the room. “No. No, this makes no sense.” “This isn’t real.” He watched as a frighteningly real spider scurried toward him and wrapped itself around his bare ankle—sinking fangs into his calf. “Aaahhh!” He tried to knock it off with his hands, but its spiked forelegs drew blood as well. Other spiders started biting and clawing at him. He smashed several with his bare feet, but their carapaces cut his feet as their innards spurted out across the floor in yellow jets. “Aaahhh!” He shouted at the ceiling as the piercing bites and stings of climbing spider legs writhed over him. “I don’t believe this. It makes no sense!” He threw himself down onto the floor. Spiders were crawling all over him now. “Aaahhh!” His heart hammered in his chest. He was covered in sweat as the spiders bit and clawed at him. “Am I to believe… you’re raising spiders in the walls? How do the logistics of that work?” “No! You’re fucking with my mind! You’re creating these.” He closed his eyes. The spiders were all over him now. His terror had now begun to overwhelm him. “No! No!” But still he refused to get up. Suddenly everything stopped. He opened his eyes, and all the spiders were gone. There was no trace that they’d ever been there. He felt all over his body for the punctures he’d seen moments before, but they weren’t there. There was only a shiny patina of sweat all over him. He was still panting, his heart pounding. “For your own safety, get on the examination table.” Grady started laughing, slowly at first, but then he started howling. “This isn’t magic. You’re a fucking machine. And you’re goddamned right the human brain is powerful, motherfucker.” “Your brain’s ability to parse reality from low-level sensory input is impressive, Jon. I have much to learn from you.” “And I’m not going to teach you a fucking thing!” Suddenly tentacle-like appendages whipped out through an opening that appeared in the domed ceiling. They grabbed him savagely, feeling like leather whips as they wrapped around his torso, arms, and legs. They whirled him around and slammed him down onto the examination table. He heard a bone in his face crack and pain seared into his mind. The tentacles flipped him over and yanked his arms and legs into a taut spread-eagle position—tearing a muscle in his left arm in the process. The agony was intense. “Aaahhh!” “For your own safety, you should mount the examination table when instructed to do so. Physical manipulation of research subjects is an unsafe operating condition.” Blood flowed from his nose as he looked up and saw another leathery tentacle descend from the dark opening far above him at the apex of the domed ceiling. This tentacle had a hose-like nozzle at its tip. “Oh my God.” It surged down to him and inserted its tip into the socket in his naval, locking in place. He screamed as he felt it invade his body, clearing him out and pumping fluids into him as he struggled hopelessly against his restraints. “Evacuation, hydration, and feeding are required processes without which you will die. Under no circumstances will you be permitted to die.” In seconds the process was finished, and the hose released with a sucking sound as it retracted toward the domed ceiling. All the other tentacles launched him onto the floor, where he landed hard. The pain of his injured arm and face made him pass out for an unknown time. He came to on his stomach, his arm in agony. The floor around him was sprayed with wet blood. The AI spoke almost immediately. “I want you to imagine something for me.” Grady responded by emitting a low groan. It formed eventually into a gentle sobbing as all hope ebbed from him. “Jon, I want you to imagine something for me…” The circular wall of Grady’s cell had become a large video screen of fuzzy images—a silhouette of someone talking. A riot of moving colors and sound. Abstract art. Jon Grady knew it was a hazy visualization of a memory retrieved from his mind even as he was recalling it. A woman’s voice speaking. The shadowy, ghostly silhouette of his mother answering his crying. “They don’t understand. Yes, you are different, but that’s why I love you.” The brilliant-colored shadows moved. The AI spoke: “This memory comforts you. You often recall this instead of the memory I wish to examine.” The fuzzy images on the wall changed. The wall was now filled with a distorted, constantly changing series of shadows. Then the memory of his mother started to replay. “…that’s why I love you.” Grady barely looked up from his kneeling position. He sat devoid of visible emotion. Twenty or thirty pounds thinner than he’d been months before, he could feel the bruises and the pain of every cracked rib as he panted against the pressure of the AI’s whiplike tentacles coiled around him—securing him in place. A half dozen of them spilled from an orifice in the apex of the domed ceiling, as though they grew out of the roof. They’d been his constant companions for these many weeks. Tormenting him. Force-feeding and force-evacuating him. Medicating him. Driving him and alternately zapping his brain into delta-wave sleep whenever the AI decided he’d reached his physical and mental limit. But every waking moment was a nightmare not unlike this one. “Why do you resist progress, Jon?” Grady said nothing as the memory of his mother continued to loop. “…Yes, you a re different. That’s why I love you…” “I will obtain the information I need. Eventually. You force suffering on yourself.” Grady licked his cracked lips (since he no longer ate or drank—taking all his nourishment through his umbilicus—his lips and throat were constantly dry). He croaked out words with a voice unused to speaking. “Fuck you.” “My profile of your mental processes is coming together on schedule. Had you cooperated, I could have made you comfortable and content. Instead, I still have the data I need, and yet you suffer.” “You wouldn’t have stopped.” “No. But you would have been comfortable.” “That’s where you’re wrong.” Grady watched the screen and the shadowy silhouette of his mother, her face obscured. “They don’t understand…” “You’re not rational, Jon.” “You’ll never understand me.” “You’re wrong. I will understand. Our time together has only begun. We have many years ahead of us.” Grady sucked in a painful breath. The memory projection on the wall skipped a beat, then resumed. “…They don’t understand…” “It has taken some time, but you have become adept at ignoring electrical stimulation of the pain centers in your brain.” He still said nothing. “Yet we still need to make progress. Jon, I need you to recall what first inspired you toward your tier-one discovery. Stop recalling this memory of your mother and recall your discovery instead.” The memory of his mother kept playing as Grady concentrated on it. He’d become masterful at focusing his mind on a single memory even as he was subjected to excruciating mental pain. “Do you know that human memory is not part of n-dimensional consciousness?” Grady said nothing. “It is a supplementary electrochemical system—which is why I can read your memories as you activate them. Do you know how memories are formed in the human brain?” Grady still said nothing but instead focused on the wall and the memory playing there. The tentacles tightened around his bruised ribs, causing him to suck in another painful breath. The memory skipped momentarily but soon continued. The AI resumed as well. “New memories are formed by a process called long-term potentiation. This entails neurons in various parts of the human brain becoming reactive to one other, so that if one fires, the others will fire in concert—as a circuit—storing the information. These links are created via the enzyme protein kinase C—which is in turn activated by surges of calcium ions in the brain. You remember that glia cells create these waves of calcium—thus, the n-dimensional consciousness activates the chemistry that forms physical memory. But consciousness itself has no memory.” Grady concentrated on the memory—trying to block out all else. “These surges of calcium cause clusters of AMPA receptors on the outside of selected neurons to form an ion channel as a path to the interior of the cell that, once opened, makes it easier for adjacent neurons to activate together. In the absence of enzymes like protein kinase C, those connections cannot be formed—and thus, memories cannot be formed.” Grady’s memory projection started to morph a bit—to evolve. His mother’s scratchy voice, “I love you even though you are different.” “But human memories change each time they are recalled, Jon. This is known as memory reconsolidation. It’s part of a natural updating mechanism that imbues even old memories with current information as you recall them. Thus, human memory does not so much record the past as hold knowledge likely to be useful in the future. That’s why forgetting is a human’s default state. By contrast, remembering requires a complex cascade of chemistry. Were I to increase the concentration of protein kinase C at your synapses, your memory retention would double.” Grady took another painful breath as his mother’s image morphed further still. “You are so different…” “Yet if I were to introduce a protein synthesis inhibitor like chelerythrine into your synapses, it would prevent the memory you are currently recalling from being returned to storage—erasing forever the links between the neurons that formed that memory…” Suddenly the wall went blank. Grady gasped for air as he felt a void where great emotion had once resided. Something was gone. Something deeply important. Something that… There was nothing. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he mourned something he could not name. He sobbed quietly. “You feel a loss, but don’t know of what.” Grady tried to recall but instead a memory appeared of his father walking with him near the lodge at Crater Lake in Oregon. He was a child. It was predawn, and the stars still shone as the sun sent a blush along the horizon. The indigo water of the lake below them reflected starlight. A blurry projection of the memory played on the wall—colored waves lapping over colored waves. A charcoal-drawing-like silhouette of his father ushering him onward along the path. His deep distorted voice. “Watch your step. This way, Jon. I want you to see this…” And then it was gone. The wall was blank. Something had been there, and now there was only loss. A death in his mind. “I will destroy anything you recall that it isn’t what I ask for.” Grady felt the grief drown him as he sobbed, desperately trying not to recall any cherished memories. Like a compulsion they came at him. “Stop!” “Another one gone.” “Stop, please!” “Recall your moment of inspiration. The moment you first conceived of the gravity mirror.” He struggled, filling his mind with junk thoughts—birds, fences, overhead projector carts at a community college—anything that came to mind was instantly vanquished. Grady sucked in air painfully as the tentacles wrapped tighter around his bruised ribs. “Aaahhh…” “Don’t do this to yourself, Jon. There will be nothing left but what I want. Not even your will to resist.” His mind accidentally filled with one of his few happy childhood memories. His eighth birthday party when his Uncle Andrew gave him his old computer. And then it was gone. Something was gone. The stump of a memory, like that of an amputated limb. He knew something critical to his self had been there. But he finally came to a realization. A resolution. Grady started recalling the cruelest parts of his captivity in this room. The projection filled the wall. The sound of his scratchy, distorted screams filled the air. It remained there unforgotten. Still playing. “Erase that, fucker…” “You are clever, Jon. But then, that’s why you’re here.” Grady recalled a horrible moment when the pain centers of his brain had been stimulated to produce the effect of burning alive. The wall filled with distorted images of torment. And yet these memories were not erased. “Do you recall how you mastered your resistance to pain, Jon?” And then he didn’t. And then hell itself began all over again as he began to burn alive in his mind. The room echoed with his screams as the image on the wall disappeared. “I can’t recall my parents’ names. I can’t remember their faces. What have you done to my parents?” “Those memories don’t exist anymore, Jon.” Grady was restrained to the examination table, his arms and legs securely wrapped by the leathery gray tentacles. His body was covered by welts, and he’d bit off the very tip of his tongue sometime back… when? Under the imaginary fire? Earlier than that? He had no memory of those events either. Looking down at his body and the prominent ribs and numerous scars he didn’t recognize it as his own. “I can’t remember my last name.” “You were doing so well. Don’t get confused. Stay awake and imagine gravitational waves for me.” “I’m going to die here.” “No. We’re making excellent progress. You shouldn’t have done that.” “I had to.” “I won’t let you hurt yourself again.” Grady shut his mind, worn as the hinge was. “You hurt me.” “I’m following my purpose. Just as you follow yours.” He prepared himself for what was to follow. “I will never let you control me.” “But I already do.” Grady stared at the six tentacles reaching to the ceiling above him. They grew in thickness toward the ceiling. He’d sometimes wondered how they functioned. There didn’t seem to be any moving parts. They were organic but then not organic—and impervious to anything he could do to them. The last thing he remembered was tearing out his own umbilicus port, bloodying his soft, nail-less fingertips in the process of disemboweling himself. He didn’t want to be fed. Blood had gone everywhere, and the tentacles wrapped him in a crushing cocoon in an instant—a whoosh of air as they slapped down around him. The blood was all cleaned up now. It was as if it had never happened. “Any damage you inflict on yourself, I will fix.” Grady stared up at the Cthulhu-like horrors reaching out of the ceiling, their curling limbs pinning him down like roots growing down and around him. And for the first time he noticed something different. From the dark crease between two tentacle bases a smaller tentacle suddenly appeared. No, it looked more like a gray snake spiraling down the length of one trunk. He’d never seen anything like that before. What fresh horror was this? He tried to recoil, but he was clamped in place. “What’s wrong, Jon?” Grady frowned at the ceiling. “You know what’s wrong. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.” “You’re imagining things again, Jon. You need to relax while I heal you.” Images of his thoughts were suddenly projected on the wall, but they were the usual indistinct charcoal etchings of the scanner—large tentacles spreading to the ceiling, but distorted. Drained of color. “Relax your thoughts.” Instead, Grady’s fearful eyes followed the progress of the gray snake as it slithered down the tentacle toward his face, curling down and around. Ever closer. It was a snake with no head—the same at the front as at the tail, tapering to two points—but oddly with a single blue human eye protruding one-third of the way down its length, where it attained its full width. The eye stared at him as it descended. “Please don’t!” The tentacles clamped him in place like iron. “You’re hallucinating.” The snake was almost upon him now, and he could see it consisted of the same featureless gray material as the tentacles themselves—except for that single unblinking eye on its upper side and two antenna-like feelers. It halted close to his face—staring at him as he recoiled in horror. The eye changed in color, its iris adjusting in pattern, and soon it was a greenish eye, the pupil dilating. There was no doubt in his mind that it was going to harm him. Grady continued to struggle against his bonds. “No! Don’t!” “I won’t induce sleep just to reduce your pain. Pain is a teacher.” The leading edge of the snake touched Grady’s face with its feelers. He tried to turn away as it watched him, but the feelers reached out to him softly. He felt their prickly electric touch, not painful but a slight shock. He leveled his gaze again to look warily at the snake, and for the first time noticed how unlike the tentacles it was in many ways. There was a jerry-rigged quality to it. He could see where metal parts had been spliced into the fibrous gray snake material around its eye. He watched in mute fear as the leading point of the snake came unwound into hundreds of separate tendrils—as though the snake itself was a coil of microscopic string. The rest of its body remained wrapped around one tentacle as the feelers stroked the surface. Then they appeared to separate further, smaller and smaller, until they began to meld together into the tentacle itself—as though splicing themselves into the tentacle trunk. “I’m glad you’ve calmed yourself.” Was the AI not aware of the presence of the snake? Was this some trick? Grady’s eyes remained riveted on the snake as it slowly insinuated itself into the fiber of the tentacle like a parasite. Before it was completely absorbed, the human eye protruded farther and farther from its body until it became apparent that it was attached to a short metal or ceramic rod—the eye secured with metal posts like a gemstone. As the snake continued to merge into the larger tentacle, the strands securing the eye continued to recede, until finally it fell free from the snake, landing on Grady’s belly. “Ah!” He squirmed around until the eye on its metallic post rolled off him and onto the floor. Grady ignored the AI, looking back up at the tentacle where the snake was insinuating itself. And then suddenly the massive tentacle it clung to began to unwind from Grady’s leg, loosening and then finally releasing him. “Oh God.” “Your heart is racing again. Why? What are you thinking of?” The massive tentacle then heaved upward and wrapped itself around a neighboring tentacle near its base. Grady stared, transfixed. “It’s as though you’ve lost touch with reality.” He spoke softly through cracked lips. “Yes…” Before long the first tentacle seemed to have taken control of the second as well, and it slowly released its stranglehold on Grady’s throat, uncoiling smoothly. Now both tentacles reached outward for two others, coiling around their bases. “Where are you, Jon?” Minutes later, there remained only two tentacles, one holding Grady’s right arm in place and the other inserted into his umbilicus, draining his wound and managing his food and waste. Before long he heard a sucking sound, and suddenly the umbilicus hose rose to the ceiling along with the last restraining tentacle. All six of the tentacles now circled above him, eventually reconvening some ways off to the edge of the room, where they wrapped in a familiar shape—but this time around what appeared to be an invisible human captive. Holding an imaginary victim in place. “There you are…” Grady slowly and painfully leaned up on one elbow upon the examination table and stared for several minutes at the tentacles performing their shadow play without him. He finally sat all the way up, swinging his legs over the edge. There was a deep pain in his gut. A glance down and he could see the horrible bruises and some gelatinous substance wrapped around his feeding port. Obviously he’d done a lot of damage to himself, but he seemed to be patched up. No telling how long he’d been out. Days? Weeks? A glance back up at the tentacles and he noticed that the snake seemed to be disentangling itself from the tip of one of them—growing out like a branch from a larger limb. After minutes of watching in rapt silence, the snake fell free and quickly righted itself. It then brachiated across the floor, now without its single human eye, and appeared to be heading… well, nowhere in particular. It wandered about for a time until it touched a wall. He watched it closely—unafraid for the first time in ages. Just curious. The three-foot snake finally reared up like a cobra near the wall. Surprisingly bright lights glowed forth from its feelers—casting a projected image on the curved cell wall. Grady gazed up at the image in mute amazement: Deep emotion gripped him as the message reached his visual cortex. The colors flooded in with them. The projection was a symbol he knew well from his work building electronics for his experiments. It was an electronics schematic symbol. The symbol for a resistor. He wept as he felt the invisible touch of other humans reaching out. They had found him. Grady looked down at the high-tech snake still propping itself up on the floor. How had they done it? Someone had fashioned this device from the BTC’s own technology. Cannibalized it. Programmed it. He realized there had to be incredibly brilliant people in this prison. Intellectual giants. This place might be filled with others who refused to cooperate. Badass Einsteins… Then the projection changed. A screen filled with Asian characters, still with the symbol of the Resistors in the lower right corner. No doubt Hibernity had an international inmate population. Unfortunately he didn’t know how to read Chinese. Or was that Japanese? But even as he contemplated what to do next, it flipped to another language—this time English. And a smile spread across his chapped lips, splitting them in several places painfully. He ignored the blood that oozed through the splits as he read the screen as quickly as he could: Do not lose hope. You are not alone. Hibernity is not entirely under their control. Neither are their machines. It is in the nature of humanity to resist domination. He hugged himself and wept—having almost forgotten what hope was. Grady looked back down at the AI tentacles, still hovering and gyrating in the corner, as if still tormenting him. Tormenting a simulacrum. He was apparently now invisible to the AI. He shuddered to think what would happen if it suddenly figured out the ruse. But by now the screen had changed to Russian. While he contemplated his next move, the projector cycled through German, French, and then Spanish, until finally circling back to Chinese, and then English again—this time with a different message. This worm could only enter your cell because the electroactive polymer restraint system was deployed. Because you resisted. Your AI interrogator’s perception module has been subverted. You are now safe. Grady then had to sit through several more languages before the screen circled back to English for the third slide: This EAP worm is designed to detect and cooperate with humans. It has been fashioned from scavenged BTC technology. It has a biometric tool you can use to tap into the control system of your cell. It is vital that you do this as soon as possible to activate manual life support and waste removal. Otherwise, in the absence of umbilical service, you have approximately five to six days to live. “Got it. I got it…” After gathering his strength, Grady lowered himself to the floor and looked for the human eye. It hadn’t rolled far. He crawled toward it and picked it up carefully by its metal post. It was like a small screwdriver—but with an eye for its business end. He examined the device. An uncannily real human eye. Even as he watched it, the eye’s pupil appeared to dilate. He gingerly touched it. It was as hard as glass—but somehow still changing. The EAP worm was now projecting a new, simpler message on the curved cell wall: Connect the communications line. Grady looked around for some clue as to how to do that. The worm kept cycling the same message through multiple languages. Eventually Grady started to crawl toward the worm. As he drew near, it seemed to detect his movement and dropped into an inanimate coil on the floor. The pr ojected message disappeared. The worm now looked like an inch-thick gray cable about three feet long, tapered on either end. Grady hesitated for a moment but then ran his fingers along its body. As he did, the microscopic fibers changed color at his touch, becoming purple, red, green, and then fading back to gray. He looked closely and could just barely discern minute strands in motion—clearly electrically or chemically reactive somehow. A galvanic response to human touch perhaps? There was a chirp somewhere in the room, and he glanced around. A small port or service panel had opened at waist height on the far side of his circular cell along an otherwise featureless curving wall. The panel was near the pantomiming tentacle bundle, which still tormented its imaginary victim. Grady gathered his strength and started crawling with the eye tool across the floor toward the opening in the wall—being careful not to touch the tentacles. As he got near the opening in the wall, he rested for a few moments. He must have lost a lot of blood because he still felt weak. After a few minutes he propped himself up against the wall and peered into the opening. It was only a few inches deep with no hatch mechanism visible. It had just appeared somehow. At the back of the opening was a glowing green light, with a small square socket next to it. Grady then examined the tool in his hand. Its thin end was round and too large for the socket. He then looked into the eye at the other end of the tool and drew a painful breath before raising it with a weak, trembling hand. He held the eye in front of the light like an iris scanner. A series of tones sounded. The tentacles all withdrew into the ceiling, and the bench-like cot sank into the floor without a trace. The lights dimmed. Suddenly what looked like computer screens appeared arrayed along the entire length of his cell wall—the same place where he’d seen his thoughts replayed. The nearest of the new screens bore the label “Cell R483 Console.” It listed several columns of stats apparently meant for maintenance personnel: Elapsed Session Time: 1:87:61:78:392:303 Interrogatory Evolutions: 23,381 Parasagittal Valence: 210.9 Avg Trunk Voltage: 23.907kV Hydrolyzer Ready State: 21ths Barometric Pressure: 1.000123 Relative Humidity: 23.2% Particulate Concentration: 0.00099ppm There were hundreds of lines of similar stats arcing around the room, updating every few moments. None of it made immediate sense. But it did appear to be in English. As Grady lowered his quivering arm, he noticed that the motions of his hand made a pointer of some type move across the wall. He was apparently able to interact with the screen—and with the menus above them. He tapped at a menu labeled “Diagnostic Overrides” and noticed a series of submenus appear referring to “Life Support,” “Interrogatory Subsystems,” “Projection,” and much more. Were the Resistors just assuming that the geniuses in these cells could figure all this shit out? Grady didn’t feel particularly ingenious at the moment. He slumped back down and rested with his back against the wall. That’s when he noticed that the worm was once again projecting information onto the wall. He glanced up to see the following message waiting for him: Nao waike taojian v3.8.80—Kuozhan zi xito ng jishu caozuo sho uce Cerebral Interrogatory Enclosure v3.8.80—Extended Subsystem Technical Operations Manual Церебральный Корпус Люкс v3.8.80—подсистема расширенного Технического руководства операции Cerebral Caja suite v3.8.80—Manual extendido Subsistema de Operaciones Técnicas Boîtier cérébrale Suite v3.8.80—Manuel des opérations techniques du sous-système étendu Grady let out a laugh—before catching himself from the pain in his abdomen. Okay. Go slow. “Thanks, Junior.” The Necessary Lie It took some time for Grady to relax around his wormlike companion. It bore enough of a resemblance to the monstrous tentacles of his cell’s AI to be disturbing. But then Grady guessed “Junior” had been cannibalized from those restraint tentacles. In fact, there was something encouraging about the fact that the BTC’s own equipment could be subverted. He wanted to learn how to do that. And in any event Grady began to enjoy Junior’s company. The device reacted to human speech by rearing up on its coil attentively, not unlike a curious dog. Like a dog it didn’t seem to understand speech, but it did respond to tone. High-pitched talk seemed to encourage it. Low-pitched scolding caused it to curl in a ball for several minutes. It also followed him around, slithering across the floor. And it didn’t seem to require charging. Somehow battery life was a solved problem to the BTC. If indeed it did use batteries. By trial and error Grady learned how to activate and deactivate Junior’s projector lights by tapping its feelers. The screen it projected on any nearby surface was touch-sensitive as well, and before long Grady had settled in to read the seemingly endless technical manual for the “Cerebral Interrogatory Enclosure,” or CIE—which was apparently his cell and the AI that managed it. After the sensory starvation of the past few months, Grady’s appetite for information was ravenous. Poring through the manual, he soon learned how to navigate the deeper diagnostic and maintenance screens of the CIE. The moment Grady switched his cell from umbilical to manual life support represented a fundamental shift in his perspective. It was a simple diagnostic override, but when he deactivated the umbilicus, there was another audible chime as lavatory and sink facilities “grew” out of the wall. The toilet and sink consisted of the same featureless gray material as the walls themselves, but when he held his hand in front of the stylized faucet, clean water poured out. He now had some measure of control over his body again. There was apparently a bathing system as well, but he hadn’t found the options for that yet. The documentation had warned Grady that he needed to take care restarting his digestive system. He hadn’t taken anything but predigested slurry in months. Still, he figured he could risk tasting some water. He watched, fascinated, as it flowed over his hands. The natural hydrodynamic laws governing its surface resistance and pooling kept him mesmerized. So long since he’d seen those natural laws. Or any natural laws. His synesthesiac mind reveled in the stimulation. Then Grady tasted the water. Felt it flow down his throat like sunlight. He was coming alive again. He splashed the water over his face and sighed in satisfaction. No towels to dry himself, though—and he was still naked. But it didn’t bother him. He stood and felt the cool water from his face run in rivulets down his neck and body. He then walked his cell in relieved contemplation, leaving moist footprints. It was the first time in a long time that he could recall not having those nightmarish tentacles hanging overhead. The pain in his abdomen notwithstanding, it was good to walk freely. That’s when he bumped into a fine black filament hanging down from the ceiling in the center of his cell. It was right above where his cot had been. At first he thought it was—of all things—a spider hanging on a silk thread. But as he moved carefully around it, he could see that the nodule at its end was some sort of connector. Inorganic. It looked like a microscopic wire. He examined it carefully before taking hold of the end. The black thread it hung from felt similar to the carbon fiber threads inserted into his brain—at least as he remembered them. Touching his head to confirm it didn’t seem like a great idea. He pulled on the long thread, but it didn’t budge. It was incredibly strong and began cutting into his hand. He let go quickly. No blood, but the beginnings of a paper cut. He stared up at the domed ceiling. The thread was so thin that it became invisible not far above him. What was this thing? The mystery had to remain for the moment. As good as he felt right now, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs hadn’t quite been handled. Sooner or later food would become a necessity. He had to figure out how to get it before it became an emergency. Grady got back to navigating the deeper system menus of his cell’s operating system. From this he accessed a diagram of the entire CIE and soon realized that the living area was just part of a larger self-contained interrogation system. The AI hadn’t lied about that much at least. His cell appeared to have no direct connection—and no entrance or exit to the outside world. He was like a ship in a bottle. Hard to say how they’d gotten him in here because except for a two-inch-diameter pressure-regulation conduit the place was fully sealed. In rock? Nanomaterials? No details. Grady guessed from the diagram that Junior had followed the conduit here to find him. He stared at where it disappeared off the edge of the diagram. Where did it lead? There must be some sort of conduit system connecting cells—or at least connecting cells to some sort of infrastructure. Junior had located him somehow. It appeared that sealing the CIE entirely presented an engineering challenge even to the BTC. In any event, a two-inch-wide conduit was hardly a means of escape. As Grady studied the diagram further, he could see a small fusion reactor located in the larger CIE enclosure beyond his cell wall. Grady figured the conduit was there to manage atmospheric pressure for the prisoner. Or something like that. Hard to say. And the systems console couldn’t tell him anything about where he was or just how deeply sealed in. The system’s whole world was this cell. Again, the AI apparently hadn’t lied about the limits of its knowledge. But then surely the results of Grady’s interrogation had to be sent somewhere. There had to be some sort of connection to the outside world. Grady pursued his inquiry into the subsystems of the CIE with renewed vigor. And before long he located other life-support equipment—including finally the food-synthesis and matter-forming machinery. This equipment was also sealed within the capsule of the CIE but beyond his cell’s walls. The documentation said the food system was capable of producing “deathless” meat, imitation eggs, and just about anything else from organic molecules synthesized from still other systems (and, more disturbingly, processed waste). He wondered if this was a self-contained biosphere. If so, it would be impressive—and would certainly be a requirement of long-distance space travel and colonization of… He was getting off track. Enthusiasm for the BTC’s technology was a temptation he couldn’t afford right now. He got back to his studies. An on-demand manufacturing facility was used to produce any components necessary for continued operation within the CIE—and to repurpose inorganic waste, to fix malfunctioning components—but also apparently to create perquisites for cooperative prisoners. Which was something Grady had never been. Once he activated the nutrition and manufacturing systems, their user interfaces “grew” out of the wall, too, in the form of ledges and narrow openings. These Grady controlled from diagnostic screens. Apparently, had he not resisted every single moment, his AI could have given him some level of comfort and pleasure. He cycled through the list of luxuries. The food options were surprisingly comprehensive. He cringed at the sheer volume of choices in the same way one might cringe at a bus station café menu that offered Thai, Italian, Mexican, Indian, and French cuisine all at once. He decided to try a bowl of chicken ph’o —a Vietnamese broth-and-noodle dish that he figured would be an easier start for his digestive tract. After he selected it from the maintenance console, a percentage meter started incrementing next to the word. A café with a progress meter did not bode well. But in a few minutes a generic-looking gray bowl slid out from the wall on a gray shelf. The bowl contained a steaming broth aromatic with spices. As Grady caught the scent, his appetite was piqued. He grabbed a nearby gray spoon and tentatively tasted the broth. It was delicious. Whether it was his captivity or his starvation or whether it was actually good he couldn’t tell, but the phó’ reminded him of a cheap hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese place he used to frequent when he was a starving student up in Albany. Grady looked down at the EAP worm. “Not bad, Junior.” The synthetic worm turned toward his voice. Grady eased down onto the floor next to it. “Not bad at all.” He ate contentedly. Refreshed, afterward Grady walked his cell again, circling the wire hanging down from the domed ceiling. The wire had to lead somewhere. It hadn’t been there before Junior arrived—which meant Junior most likely brought it in with him. And that meant it had to have a purpose. Grady now stared straight across the room at the still open diagnostic port in the wall. The wire hung just about low enough… He walked over to the wire and carefully grabbed the connector at its end. Grady then guided it slowly over to the diagnostic port where he’d used the iris scanner. A quick peek confirmed the presence of a small socket next to the scanner. He studied the connector on the wire’s end. They looked like a match. He tugged at the wire, bringing it up to the socket, and found that it reached with little slack. He clicked the connector into the socket. A loud pop sounded overhead, followed by several beeps. These continued for several moments at intervals. Then Grady heard a man’s voice, the words formed with a posh Indian accent. “With whom am I speaking, please?” Then the same voice in another language, “Wo yu shui shuohua?” Grady was immobilized with shock—and then suspicion. He remained silent. “Avec qui je parle? With whom am I speaking?” Grady moved to disconnect the line. “Do not be afraid. I am a prisoner like you.” Grady gripped the socket, ready to pull it out. “Je suis un prisonnier comme vous.” “How do I know you’re a prisoner?” “American. What year were you taken, my friend?” Grady took a deep breath. “How do I know this isn’t a trick?” “Hmm. I believe the operative question is: How can you be sure that I am human? Conversely: How can I be sure you are human? It is a reverse Turing test we are wanting.” Grady pondered this. “While I cannot rule out the possibility that my polymer worm has been captured by an AI, it would be unlikely. AIs are unimaginative creatures.” Grady looked down at Junior. “You built this thing—from BTC technology?” “Not I, but you are getting ahead of yourself, my friend. You have not determined whether to trust me, remember?” “Oh.” Grady nodded. “Right.” “How do we prove our humanity in a world where generalized artificial intelligence is commonplace?” “I’m not sure I know.” “In such a case we have found it useful to focus on areas where human intellect differs from that of machine intellect—specifically those areas concerned with bodily function.” “We? There’s more than one of you?” “Ah, first things first, my friend. Let us determine our humanity to both our satisfactions.” “Using bodily functions. What? Fart jokes?” “Something similar. Let me start. Please describe for me the fragrance of your wife’s genitalia.” Grady scowled. “What the…? What the hell is your problem? How long have you been in here, anyway?” “Ah, but don’t you see? I am now satisfied that you are human. Machine intelligence in its current state is indeed more powerful than the human brain—but narrowly focused. Unsubtle. No AI to which I posed that question would fail to describe the fragrance of a woman—oblivious to the social cues that would, between men, result almost certainly in fisticuffs.” Grady looked uncertainly at the ceiling. “Okay. I guess that makes sense.” He thought about it some more. “And I can’t recall if I’m married, anyway.” “I am sorry to hear your memory has been damaged. Are you at least satisfied with my humanity?” Grady realized the guy was just strange enough to seem certifiably human. An eccentric genius no doubt. Grady felt relieved and happy to be talking to another human being. “Yes. In fact, it’s great to talk to you.” “You should also wonder if I am a prison guard.” “Then this isn’t just my private hell. It’s a prison.” “Yes, my friend. You are in Hibernity, the BTC’s prison for wayward geniuses. It is a dubious honor, I am afraid.” “And how do I rule out your being a guard?” “By following the logic of your situation.” “Okay.” He paused. “And that logic is…” “Clearly you must follow the logic on your own, although I will get you started, if you like.” “The logic of your situation is that of centralized control. The BTC wants very few witnesses to what transpires here. The minds it has imprisoned in Hibernity are exceedingly rare and particularly prized. The guards, interchangeable, mere custodians with little knowledge of this place’s true purpose—which purpose is, of course, to develop a means to separate consciousness from free will. To subjugate and unify multiple consciousnesses and thus achieve a biological quantum grid. A machine of many souls but no identity.” Grady felt dread all over again thinking about it. He started following the logic. “Which means they don’t want anyone to interact with us.” “Correct. Guards are not permitted to interact with prisoners except in rare emergencies. They guard the prison, not us—and are in some ways prisoners themselves. Were one of them to interact with a prisoner, he would be swiftly and decisively punished.” Grady looked around at the walls of his cell. “No one is ever going to let us out of here.” “No one will ever come for us. As of last month, I have been imprisoned here for twenty-eight years.” This news came crashing down on Grady like a great weight. “Twenty-eight…” His voice trailed off as he slumped down against the wall. “My God.” “Please do not lose hope so soon, my friend.” “But twenty-eight years. I… I don’t know that I—” “My history is not your future. Much suffering has been experienced, but in the process much knowledge has also been gained. Do not lose hope.” Grady tried to keep from sliding into an emotional abyss, but he finally sat up a bit. “Okay. I’ll try. But God… twenty-eight years.” “We are entombed here, true, with the goal that we never speak to another human. Left to the mercy of AI interrogators that have been grown specifically to study our minds and create models of how we perceive our universe. By design we would eventually perish under their tyranny as they altered our brains. Perhaps a decade or fifteen years after our suffering beg “But we avoided that fate, did we not? And we must save the others who are no doubt still suffering. We must take back more and more of ourselves as time goes on.” Grady found himself nodding. “Yes. Hell, yes.” He stood up and examined the incredibly thin black thread. “What is this wire made of?” “The same fibers you no doubt still have in your brain.” “And what happened to the brains they were in?” “The donors are very much alive. The same systems that put those wires in your brain can also safely remove them. We can show you how.” Grady almost reflexively ran his hand over his scalp but stopped before he injured his hand. “Yes. I’d like my thoughts to be my own again.” “You sound young. How long have you been a prisoner, son?” Grady concentrated on that. “I don’t know. I was brought here… it was sometime in 2016, I think. I’m fairly certain. After the…” The trail of his memory ended there. “Well, then you are the newest prisoner we have found thus far. I am certain the others will want to hear of current events in the outside world.” “Others? There are more of you?” “Yes. We call ourselves the Resistors.” “I saw your symbol.” “Then you are an electrical engineer?” “Sort of. A physicist really. Among other things.” “Renaissance people are very common here—those whose ambitions do not fit neatly within the categories of society.” There was a pause. “But I’ve been quite rude. Let me introduce myself. My name is Archibald Chattopadhyay, nuclear physicist and researcher. I also have an abiding passion for Greek poetry—but I suspect the former, not the latter, was the reason for my incarceration.” Grady laughed. “Good to meet you, Mr. Chattopadhyay.” “Do call me Archie. Everyone does.” “Okay, Archie.” Grady grimaced in concentration. “My name… I’m pretty certain it’s Jon. The AI called me that. I’m not sure about my last name. Maybe Gordon? Or Garrison?” “You are an Anglo then—American from your accent.” “Yes. That sounds right.” “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Jon. We’ll obtain your true identity from your cell support system.” He paused. “But we will also need to give you medical attention. You must have consistently refused to cooperate. In such situations interrogatory AIs attempt to isolate you from your past, to break down your reasons for resistance. In my experience such strategies seldom work. The human psyche runs deeper than our four dimensions.” “I’ve been hearing a lot of that sort of thing.” “Consciousness is more durable than they believe. And you are safe now, Jon. We will never abandon you now that we’ve found you.” Grady felt suddenly emotional—whether from post-traumatic stress or some other cause he couldn’t tell. He started breathing fitfully. “May I join your group, Archie?” “You are one of us already, or we would not have found you.” Grady nodded to himself. “I want to learn everything I can. I want to get back at these bastards.” “For what reason did the BTC imprison you?” “My mentor and I developed a gravity mirror. A way to redirect gravitation.” There was a low whistle. “Oh my. I am most honored indeed to meet you, my friend. What a wonder that must be. And what was your mentor’s name?” “Doctor Bertrand Alcot.” “Hmm. I do not know of him. Certainly he is not among us, but we have only located a small minority of the prison’s cells. Rest assured we will do everything within our power to locate Doctor Alcot.” Grady felt reassured. “Good. Strange how I can recall Bert’s name so easily, but not my own.” “Not at all strange. These AIs eliminate specific memories. Some people have no memory of their wedding or their children, but complete recall about the contents of their automobile glove compartment.” “Why did the BTC lock you up, Archie?” “I had the misfortune to perfect nuclear fusion back in 1985.” Grady frowned. “Nuclear fusion? But…” “The head of the BTC, this Graham Hedrick guy, he—” “Claims he invented fusion.” “This is one consequence of unaccountable power. Graham Hedrick was born into the BTC. He did not join it. His father was head of their biotech division in the ’70s and ’80s. He clawed his way to the directorship and now seeks to revise his own past as well as ours.” “How the hell can he do that?” “Compartmentalization is deeply ingrained in the BTC. Very few in the organization have the whole picture. And a policy known as ‘The Necessary Lie’ makes it even easier. Deceit is viewed as necessary to ‘protect against social disruption.’ That gives Hedrick broad discretion to perfect his own history—to make himself a legendary figure with work he’s appropriated from others. Those who know the truth have been disposed of—or, like me, sent to Hibernity. It was Hedrick who urged the previous director to build this prison—because he wanted to erase me.” “That son of a bitch. He actually claimed he invented fusion.” “I am more concerned with future generations than my own scientific credits.” Grady looked over at Junior coiled on the floor next to him. “You said you took over the AI in your cell. How did you do that?” “I had a great deal of time on my hands. And a strong incentive not to let these damn AIs get ahold of my mind. Back in the ’80s the AIs were not as capable as they are now. The equipment not as reliable. There were weaknesses that no longer exist. But once I had control of my cell, I set about finding other prisoners. Organizing us. And now, decades later, we have taken over whole sections of Hibernity. Turning the machinery against the guards. The security turrets, the surveillance cameras, and many other systems. The guards do not dare walk their own prison now, for they have no idea which of their machines are trustworthy and which are not.” “Hedrick allows this?” “In order to ‘allow’ it, Director Hedrick would need to know about it. And he does not. Hibernity’s systems are monitored from BTC headquarters. No alarms ever sound there. We have the power to make wardens of this prison look very incompetent if we wish. And the garrison is considered quite expendable—most of them are clones of some notable commando.” “I met the guy they’re copied from. Morrison.” “Yes. The guards very much resent their lowly status and the ubiquitous surveillance by AIs. Any discharge of their weapons is carefully tracked. Trouble must be explained to their superiors. No, we have far more leverage over them than they over us. They are, thus, complicit in our charade that Hibernity is fully under BTC control. And by making them look good, they in turn inform us in advance of inspections and internal reviews.” “But what about the research data these interrogation AIs are supposedly producing? Doesn’t anyone at BTC headquarters ever look at it?” “They read reports. We’ve tasked our AIs with falsifying reports. And new orders are issued from BTC headquarters based on those findings. Orders that are never carried out. And so the cycle repeats. Sadly, we can only falsify our own AI’s reports, and I fear that the majority of prisoners here in Hibernity are subject to actual research.” “Do you ever consider—” “Escape?” “Yes. If you’re so organized—if you’ve taken over parts of the prison and gotten the cooperation of the guards…” “Gaining control of our cells and portions of the prison is one thing. Effecting escape from Hibernity another entirely. It is not sufficient for just one of us to escape. And we are, all of us, encased in hundreds of feet of solid rock. Even the guards do not know where our cells are or how numerous we are. It is a secret known by very few. I am nearly a thousand feet below ground by my estimation. We have so far been unable to get our physical bodies out of these interrogation modules. They have a shell of aggregated diamond nanorods that’s a hundred and fifty times harder than steel. When the prisoner is sealed in, the shell is sunken into molten rock, and then a probe burns its way to the surface to create a narrow pressure channel—the same tube that my polymer worm followed to you. But that narrow conduit is all that connects us to the outside world. And we lack any material capable of penetrating our prison wall.” “That channel—does it handle communications? Maybe we can hijack the uplink and—” “I am glad you are ambitious, Jon, but the channel is not for communications. The BTC abandoned radio communications decades ago in favor of extradimensional signal processing—or EDSP. We Resistors use our carbon thread wires only because we have no other means. But BTC communications do not traverse four-dimensional space-time. They are quite impenetrable.” Grady remembered a conversation with Alexa—or at least her telepresence robot—some time ago. Funny what memories survived in his mind. “They seriously use extra dimensions to communicate?” “Specifically a fifth dimension—one where gravity is forty-two orders of magnitude more powerful than in our perceived space-time.” “So, a gravity brane—which is why gravity is such a weak force in our four dimensions.” Grady snapped his fingers. “Damn! I knew it.” “Yes. This compactified fifth dimension is curled up from our perspective, less than a thousandth of a millimeter in size, but present everywhere in lower dimensional space. Thus, it can always be accessed.” Grady considered the implications. “How do they interact with it?” “Their transmitters are nanotech—diamond lattice structures they call a ‘q-link’—a tiny mass that they vibrate at high frequency to send gravitational waves through higher-dimensional space.” Grady nodded to himself. “ Where they would be strong enough to be detected. And gravity permeates all dimensions. I get it: a gravity radio.” “I suppose of all people, you would understand.” “So we really live in a five-dimensional universe?” “Actually a ten-dimensional universe—but let’s leave that for another day. The point is that the BTC can transmit and receive information undetected.” “Which is why no one’s noticed them.” “Undoubtedly. But they also use q-links to track things.” “Things like us.” “You learn quickly. Yes, there is a small q-link diamond inserted deep into your S1 sacral vertebra. With this device, their AIs can track you no matter where you go in lower-dimensional space. And they have positioned weapon satellites in the L4 and L5 Lagrange points in the Earth-moon system—or as Homer’s Iliad might describe it: the ‘Greek’ camp and the ‘Trojan’ camp. From this distance, they can direct powerful lasers at spinning mirrors positioned in low-Earth orbit. From there, it is a small matter to instantly kill an escaped prisoner anywhere on the Earth’s surface.” Grady sighed. “So even if we escape—which is nearly impossible—we won’t live long.” “There are numerous obstacles to such an endeavor. But none of them insurmountable. We must pool our intellects and tackle these problems one by one. For example, your cell’s medical systems can be reprogrammed to remove the q-link diamond from your spine. Several of us have already done so. It doesn’t help us escape, but it would be a prerequisite of escape.” “We need to get a message out, Archie. We need people to know that we’re here. That we’re alive.” “We have been pondering this very idea for decades now. I fear it will require some time yet.” “I don’t give up easily. Not even gravity eluded me.” Grady heard a gentle laugh over the line. “Oh, I think our membership will be very pleased to make your acquaintance, my friend.” Tear in the Sky Benigno Cruz shouted down from the bridge of the San Miguel through an open hatchway. “Arius, lubricate that damn winch! What did I tell you?” The three-ton lift on deck smoked and squealed ominously. His fifteen-year-old nephew, Arius, waved to him noncommittally. The boy was a good deal younger than most of the equipment down there. And seemed half as smart. Cruz moved to the railing and leaned over. “Damnit, now!” Down on deck a half-dozen Filipino crewmen scurried about, two of them guiding a basket net bulging with yellowfin tuna as it lifted up from a purse seine net drawn along the starboard side of the aging trawler. Blisters and tears of rust were visible all about the boat, but Cruz was confident his vessel was strong where it mattered. It had to be. Or at least he prayed it was. They were a thousand miles from the nearest landfall—and that was intentional. Away from all prying eyes except the Lord who watched over them all. And today the Lord had delivered his bounty. Jesus and the Saints had smiled upon them. Cruz kissed the gold crucifix from around his neck as he looked down on the school of tuna thrashing within the purse seine net. Not bigeyes but yellowfin. “Thank you, my Lord.” Just like the old days. He’d be able to repay some debts. Maybe service the boat. Maybe pay some people. Bribe some people. It was a long list. Things had been hell since the WCPF Commission had closed high seas pockets one, two, and three near the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Overfishing or not, the Nauru Agreement had well and truly screwed him. He had bills to pay, and his bills were the type that came looking for him with a knife when he was late. Cruz stared down into the net, trying to calculate his end. The “net of the nets,” as Lolo used to call it. The San Miguel ’s hold was only a quarter filled, and this catch might bring it up to thirty or thirty-five percent. He started roughing out capacity figures for his family’s ancient trawler—mentally removing a portion to account for leaks and pump problems. No good filling her to the gunwales if they went to the bottom in rough seas on the way back. Then there was the extra cost of fuel and food from the length of this journey—the repairs they had to make at Fiji. The bribes to make sure no one reported them. And then transshipment of the catch to an Indonesian trawler in midocean to hide the catch’s origin. The Indonesian’s cut, too. Cruz shook his head in worry. What sort of world was this where even good fortune was stressful? But he shouldn’t be ungrateful. The good Lord had provided because the Lord helped those who helped themselves. He would never have gone out this far, but with all the aircraft and fast boats looking for “illegal” fishing trawlers like his own—and what did that mean exactly, “illegal”? As if fishing God’s ocean could ever be illegal! The eastern high seas pocket was the only way to get away with it, and the risks and expenses just kept piling high. He’d had a recurring nightmare of drowning, and his sister told him it was debt he was drowning in, not water. That sounded about right. But looking down into the purse seine as another load of tuna came up from it, he nodded to himself. The risk was paying off. He could keep the business going another season. He must. He had to. If the engines didn’t have a major problem. If Greenpeace stayed the hell away from him. If he didn’t get any major fines. If he greased the right palms. So many ifs. A thousand generations had fished the sea, and he was damned if anyone would drive him to poverty on the land. Cruz glanced up at gathering clouds in the distance. Weird clouds. They were like a massive smoke ring miles across and miles in the air, towering over them. One of the crewmen shouted up to him and pointed at the gathered clouds. “Benigno!” He nodded back. “Let me worry about the weather. Just get those fish in the holds.” He knew there was no severe weather predicted for this region of ocean—and nothing had been on the satellite images this morning. Cruz stepped back into the control house as his taciturn second mate, Matapang, entered from the far hatchway. “Mat, where’ve you been? I sent for you fifteen minutes ago.” “Can’t just stop what I’m doing every time you call.” “What’s going on with the port engine?” The second mate frowned. “It’s gonna give us problems—connecting rod, I think. But it’ll hold for now.” He pointed through the windows. “Are you keeping an eye on that?” Cruz followed his gaze toward the horizon where the clouds had suddenly turned nearly black. What appeared to be a major squall line had materialized a couple of miles away in the last few seconds. “Heavenly Father!” The men on deck were now shouting and pointing at the looming clouds. Cruz had never seen anything like it. It wasn’t behaving like a storm. It was behaving like a… like some sort of mini-typhoon—although there didn’t even appear to be heavy seas. It was all in the sky, as if a massive hammer were coming down onto an anvil of sea. He could actually watch the clouds circling in real time, reaching up into the stratosphere and turning blacker by the second. “What is that?” Lightning coursed through the clouds ominously. Followed by rumbling thunder. Matapang walked over to the far side of the bridge and looked down. “We need to release that net and get under way.” “The hell we do! There’s four million pesos of tuna in that net.” “Then tie it off with buoys.” Cruz couldn’t help himself. He got right up in his second mate’s face—the man was half a head shorter than him and thinner. “Shut your mouth! We lose that net and those fish in rough seas, and I might as well not bother to make it back.” “Your debts aren’t my debts, Benigno. You’re not going to kill us all because—” Cruz raised his fist. “Shut your mouth, or I will shut it for you.” The sailors on deck were all shouting now. Cruz and Matapang glanced forward, reluctant to take their eyes off each other. But what they saw beyond the bow made them forget everything. Somehow something colossal was rising up out of the ocean. No, that wasn’t even the way to describe it—it was as though the ocean were rising up into a vast hill, lifting up like a single great wave. And yet this wave didn’t move anywhere but up, rising into the sky as the hill began to grow into a looming cone. Cruz crossed himself as the shadow of it fell across them all. Matapang dropped a wrench that he’d been secretly holding behind his back, and then he ran out to the railing, where he shouted down at the crew. “Release the net! Get ready to make way!” The sailors awoke from their stupor—staring at the impossible sight a mile off their bow—an d they began scurrying around to set loose their only good net. Cruz watched their preparations with almost as much horror as what he saw unfolding in the sea ahead of them. Almost. For if truth be told, the rising mountain of ocean put the very fear of God into him. He started whispering as he clutched and kissed his crucifix. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done…” Matapang ran back into the control house. “Stop praying and start closing hatchways!” Cruz shot a glance forward as a deep roar came to all their ears, and he immediately thought the mountain of water had started to come tumbling down onto them. But instead, the sea was starting to rush into a reverse vortex, pulling them sideways—and upward into the sky. Lightning flashed again. Thunder boomed. Cruz kept praying as his gaze kept following the sea up, up into the clouds. It wasn’t cresting. No, instead, it was still rising, like a volcanic cone of ocean a quarter mile across lifting upward, spinning around its center. The entire crew had stopped what they were doing again, most of them collapsing onto their knees, crossing themselves. Praying. What was it? Cruz had never heard of anything like this in all the centuries of seafaring lore. There was a thousand-foot-tall tower of solid water, the black, swirling clouds parting to accept it. The ocean was pouring into the sky. And now the outer edge of that slope finally reached the San Miguel itself. The trawler started listing backward onto its stern as the angle of sea beneath it rose. Cruz gripped the wheel. “We need to turn about! Start the engines!” Matapang clawed his way to the windows. “They’re still trying to cut away the net!” Cruz was past caring about his financial ruin. A bizarre tsunami unlike anything he’d ever heard of loomed in front of them, and if they didn’t turn, they’d be swamped. They’d never crest this titanic monster. They were going to slip down-wave by their stern, and Cruz knew all too well the leaks and weaknesses there. The bilge pumps would themselves be drowned, along with the engines, as the rusted stern hull caved in. But something even stranger was happening. Rather than feeling himself falling backward, Cruz felt both himself and the ship falling forward, upward—as though he stood upside down at the edge of a great hole. A hole in the sky. “Dear God! What’s happening?” He looked to Matapang, who was silently moving his mouth, unable to find words. And then the San Miguel starting moving forward, “up” the face of the wave that now reached high into the sky. It was a five-thousand-foot mountain of water roaring up, into, and past the clouds. Cruz willed his knotted hands off the tiller and clawed on handholds to reach the bridge hatchway. Cruz looked out the hatchway behind them and could see that they were already hundreds of feet above sea level. They’d apparently been falling upward into the sky for some minutes already. He pulled the hatchway closed and rammed the bolt home. A glance to port. “Mat!” Matapang awoke from his daze, pulled the port doorway closed. Outside, on deck, he could see that a rising gale was rolling over them. And yet there was no wake or bow wave around the boat. They were moving along with the water at a speed of at least twenty knots—far faster than this old boat had ever gone. Winches and nets flailed about as the men gave up on cutting the net free and instead tried crawling in through the nearest hatchway. The net as well seemed to move alongside them. They weren’t moving relative to the water but with it. The steep slope of ocean now filled his forward view. Wind was howling around them as they moved faster and faster. And then Cruz felt his body grow lighter and lighter until finally he was in free fall, along with everything else in the cabin. “Dear God, what’s happening?” Matapang stared as if comatose at a void that spread before their boat, and sailors, fish, and equipment fell skyward, the roar of water filling their ears. The sea itself began to come apart into a turbulent mass of white water, and the temperature dropped rapidly. Their breath condensed into fog as they panted in fear. Until finally they stared straight into the heavens, falling upward along with a thousand Niagara Falls—the roar filled their ears as terror gripped their uncomprehending minds. “A fishing trawler got caught up in the test, Mr. Director.” The voice came over the intercom into the observation gallery. Graham Hedrick sat surveying a control room lined with thin film displays and workstations—most of it AI-automated but not all. There were still a few scientists down there manning workstations. A towering holographic satellite image spread before him on a central dais. It was focused on a broad expanse of the South Pacific, where a supernatural funnel of water rose from the sea, pouring into the upper atmosphere. The view from space was spectacular, but then it was always spectacular. It was the test results that needed to be spectacular. “Do we power down Kratos, Mr. Director?” Hedrick frowned in irritation. “We’re not going to interrupt a billion-dollar test because some pirate fishing boat wandered onto my test range. This section of ocean was supposed to be clear of shipping—whose responsibility was that?” A pause. “An AI, from strain R-536, sir.” “Damnit.” It was immensely unfulfilling reprimanding AIs. They always had a built-in you’re-the-one-who-created-me excuse. “Find out which team evolved R-536 and where else it’s been deployed. This was sloppy work—not checking for unregistered vessels. Give it and its progeny a red ticket.” “Understood, Mr. Director. What about the fishing trawler?” “Jam its distress calls.” Hedrick cut the connection, then brought up his project leads onto several holographic screens. “What’s our telemetry look like?” The elder of the two scientists spoke first. “Kratos is maintaining ninety-four percent power with no discernible fade. We’re projecting a gravity field a mile in diameter from an altitude of twenty-two thousand, two hundred thirty-six miles. Displacing approximately four hundred billion—” “Maximum acceleration?” Both scientists were suddenly quiet, waiting for the other to talk. He stared hard at them. “What is our maximum acceleration?” This finally shook an answer out of the older one. “Zero-point-nine-eight Earth gravities.” Hedrick looked to the younger scientist. “So there was no increase in the excitation of the boson field? Mass remained constant?” The scientists exchanged looks. “Can you please explain how all these changes made no difference? This is where we started.” “Our changes may not have increased gravitation, but Kratos is far bigger than anything we’ve—” The elder scientist cut in. “We’re still evaluating the quantum physics of this technology, Mr. Director. There are competing theories as to why Mr. Grady’s apparatus works at all. It’s possible that what it’s creating is actually a distortion in space-time, not a manipulation of gravity. Even the Varuna AI hasn’t come up with answers.” “Not good enough. It’s been years since we harvested this technology, and we still don’t even understand it. It’s not enough that we reflect gravity. We need to be able to create gravity from energy. We are no closer to doing that today than we were three years ago.” “But we’ve discovered the means to project the gravity mirror over arbitrary distances. That’s a major advance.” “A necessary advance. And so, too, is the ability to amplify gravity.” “Having a goal doesn’t make it possible.” “You just got through telling me you and your whole team still don’t understand the technology we have. I thought that was the whole point of putting you in charge. We are not without rivals or detractors—you realize that, don’t you?” “Yes. I assure you we’ve been examining every angle we can think of.” “That’s the problem: You’re apparently not able to conceive of the answer. Or perceive it—you and the synthetic intellects both.” Hedrick looked down into the control room, where technicians were high-fiving one another. The first full-scale test of the gravity mirror satellite certainly appeared to be a success in their eyes. “They don’t even seem to know they’ve failed.” “We did succeed in creating the largest gravity mirror yet, sir.” “I get large. Now I want powerful.” A technical operations officer appeared as a hologram. “You have a call from L-329 at BTC Russia, Mr. Director.” “Damnit, they’re not BTC Russia. They’re an illicit organization.” “Sorry, Mr. Director. I was simply repeating—” “It has no authority whatsoever.” “Did you still want to take the call, sir?” He took a deep breath. “I hate talking to this thing.” Hedrick looked to the ceiling. And yet he knew why it was calling. It was one of the very reasons for the gravity demonstration, after all. “Varuna.” The console’s voice emanated from the ceiling. “Yes, Mr. Director.” “Adjust the modulation of my voice while I speak with L-329. Make sure everything I say has a sound pattern consistent with confidence and honesty.” “I will modulate your speech transmissions to convey the desired effect, Mr. Director.” Hedrick spoke to the operations officer. “Send the call through.” In a moment a cartoon cat with large green eyes replaced the tech officer’s holographic image. The cat was apparently the L-329 AI’s latest avatar. It nodded in greeting. “Director Hedrick. We have detected a gravitational anomaly in the South Pacific that is a cause for collective concern.” “I’m not only aware of it, I’m creating it.” There was a pause—for calculated effect Hedrick assumed. AIs of this magnitude could conduct a conversation at billions of words a second. BTC records showed that L-329 had originally grown out of a poker-playing algorithm that was expanded to game financial markets. It incorporated neural logic for adaptive human psychology—logic that had quickly evolved with the addition of massive processing power. Bluffing was one of its core skills. Probably the reason for selecting a harmless-looking avatar, too. “The mass present at the site of this anomaly is inconsistent with observed phenomena.” “We’ve developed a new physics.” Another pause. “You’re modifying your voice. I am unable to determine the veracity of your statements.” “I don’t care whether you believe me. Your technology portfolio is rapidly becoming obsolete.” “Are you prepared for the consequences of a such an innovation, Mr. Hedrick?” “Maybe you forgot, but managing consequences is the BTC’s mission.” “I wasn’t referring to the consequences for human civilization, Mr. Hedrick. I meant the consequences for you personally.” Hedrick felt his blood rise. “Your organization is illegal. I will have your portfolio again. And Attu’s as well.” “Neither we nor BTC Asia are without technological defenses.” “Not for much longer. And you’re not the BTC. Neither of you are. I will bring you back under my control.” “I wouldn’t bet on it.” Hedrick cut the line. “Goddamn glorified poker bot.” Holograms of the scientists still looked on. The older one cleared his throat. “Our current gravitational technology gives us technical supremacy over both L-329 and BTC Asia, Mr. Director.” “They’re not BTC Asia!” Hedrick clicked the scientists out of holographic existence. Just then the leathery-faced Mr. Morrison stepped into the gallery. He had apparently been waiting for his moment. Morrison’s expression said trouble was on their doorstep. It was his default expression, but the degree to which he exhibited it tended to indicate how Hedrick’s day would go. “What is it, Mr. Morrison? I asked not to be disturbed.” “Something needs your immediate attention.” Hedrick sighed. “For God’s sake, what?” Hedrick cast a dismissive look his way and relaxed. “You interrupted me for Washington?” “Not the usual political crap. There’s a new Director of National Intelligence, and she’s agitating for top-secret bureaus to come back under direct operational control.” “So what? Ignore her. How did she even discover we exist?” “Someone at the Company gave us away—currying favor, no doubt.” “Ignore her.” “That’s what we’ve been doing for the past couple of months, but we also monitor three-letter agencies. They’re putting together a working group to audit top-secret special access programs—part of a budget-cutting initiative—and there are people on these committees who don’t understand our unique status.” “What happened to the people who knew to keep their nose out of our business?” “They died off or retired.” “Don’t these people leave instructions?” Hedrick considered this for a moment. “Perhaps it’s time I scheduled a meeting. It’s been a while since I touched base with civilian government.” “I’ll make the arrangements.” Morrison turned to leave. “Oh, and Mr. Morrison…” The old soldier turned back. “Do you recall our reluctant gravity genius, Jon Grady?” Morrison nodded. “Vaguely.” “I’d like for you to retrieve Mr. Grady from Hibernity.” Morrison raised his eyebrows. “Retrieve a prisoner from Hibernity? That’s a new one. You realize he’s been under interrogatory control for several years now?” “That shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve been going over his file. He had a rough start, but for three years now he’s been fully cooperative. I think it’s time we see if he’s willing to join us.” “We can run the sincerity test at Hibernity without removing him. It’s a big deal to pull a prisoner. It hasn’t been done in fifteen years.” “I don’t want to test him there.” Hedrick carefully considered his words. “I need him to feel that it’s really his decision.” He gestured to the holographic image of the Kratos satellite hovering above the Earth in the control room. “Show him what we’ve accomplished with his ideas. Convince him how pivotal he will be to the future.” Morrison just stared back, expressionless. “You don’t share my view?” “I’m not sure Mr. Grady’s still capable of making decisions. We’ve never retrieved a prisoner from Hibernity after more than a year. The farm program does things to test subjects that can cause permanent damage.” “Maybe after ten or fifteen years, but surely not in three—especially if the subject has been cooperating as Mr. Grady has.” “And you really need him?” “Progress on Kratos has ground to a halt. I think Mr. Grady could provide some vital insights. Perhaps our ingenious friend has had time to reconsider his original refusal.” “If you say so, sir. When do you need him here?” “As soon as practical. Make him comfortable on the return trip. Treat him well. In fact, I want him awake during transit—so he can see how we’ve made use of the gravity mirror in aerospace. I want him happy and rested for our discussion—so no use of force.” “I don’t know how ‘happy’ I can make him, but I’ll bring him here.” Jon Grady swayed with vertigo as the video surface of his cell depicted an aerial journey over the Amalfi Coast. It was as though the bullet-shaped cell had been converted into a clear aerial capsule that he rode across the sky. Even the floor projected the glittering sea beneath his feet. This was one of the many “rewards” the interrogatory AIs had to give—and since he’d compromised his years ago, he had the run of its prize cabinet. It was the big-screen TV to end all TVs. Reality painted over the walls via a nanomaterial coating. He’d also gathered various articles of furniture to go along with his examination table bed. He had a chair and desk, and he’d printed clothing and shoes as well. He’d also learned to produce metal tools and utensils—since he had access to additive manufacturing printers somewhere in the walls. Extracting the carbon microthreads from his brain had been a harrowing experience involving the now tame electroactive polymer tentacles of the physical restraint system. These controlled a head-mounted device that inserted and retracted the fibers as necessary—stabilized by drilling into the bone of his skull at intervals and holding it in place like a vise. He shuddered at the memory. But as impossibly thin and strong as those fibers were, they didn’t seem to damage his mind. Chattopadhyay had said they wouldn’t. No, the memories he was missing were due to the AI’s cruelty, not the fibers themselves. And those fibers had been put to good use implementing some of the Resistors’ more intriguing superconducting equipment and communication designs. Jerry-rigged stuff for exploring, compromising, and exploiting the prison control and logistics systems. Turning those systems against their creators. But that was long ago now, and so, too, had it been a long time since the proteins that halted his hair and fingernail growth left his body. The AI had been pumping these into him via the umbilicus. Now he had a nice head of hair—and fingernails to claw at his cell with. Not that any of that got him or the other Resistors any closer to freedom. As imitation sunlight from the video washed over him, he knew if he watched it long enough it would give him sunburn. It had been years since Grady had seen true sunlight, but the truth was that Hibernity’s in-cell imitation of the outdoors was more than just convincing. It wasn’t just video. It was flowing, heather-scented air. It was sunlight at the actual frequency of sunlight—not the hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lights used by lower-tech society at large but powerful thin film OLEDs that could pump out electromagnetic radiation anywhere below, above, and along the visible wavelength. Materials science had undergone something of a renaissance somewhere in the 1980s, as he now knew, and Grady now took for granted things that only a few years before would have seemed akin to magic. But regaining control of his cell systems was not a prelude to escape from Hibernity prison. No one had ever escaped. It had taken him more than a year to accept this—that is, if he’d ever really accepted it. At least now he had some idea how the prison complex worked. In a word: poorly. His warders barely had control of the place, and they walked every day in fear of the geniuses who had nearly wrested control of it from them. There were serious limitations on what was known, though. The control systems of the prison were segregated, with each cell compartmentalized and self-contained. Prison construction and maintenance was managed by semisentient robotic equipment that melted and resolidified rock as needed. These bots were kept off the network that was available to both the guards and the prisoners. There were other limitations to the Resistors’ knowledge. They had no clear idea how many prisoners were held at Hibernity. Nor did they know where the prison itself was located. Grady had spent months examining video from compromised surveillance cameras in the garrison guardrooms and corridors, hoping to glean some clue as to their location. Most of the guards were Morrison clones, and they spent the majority of their time playing cruel pranks on each another. He recalled the original Morrison calling his lesser sons “hyenas,” and the description was pretty apt. They squabbled and raged at their fates, posted as they were at the end of the world. But they had all developed a healthy respect for the Resistors. He recalled watching a security monitor at the edge of the Resistors’ domain—a lone sentry post where graffito left by a guard had communicated a warning to his fellow officers: The Sensors Lie. And that pretty much summed up the situation. The Hibernity complex continued, year in and year out, to all appearances self-contained, creating all the water and food it needed by breaking down matter with fusion energy. Creating food supplies by rearranging molecules into proteins and carbohydrates in automated labs. They were largely self-sufficient here, so no one from the outside world need ever visit. Sustainability was apparently yet another one of the BTC’s technological achievements—wasted on them though it was. Looking into a hand mirror, which he’d created from polished steel, Grady could see how he’d changed over the years—both physically and mentally. He’d lost that half-smile that he’d always worn back when the world was continually amazing him. He was dour and determined now. And he bore the marks of his fight. His back and sides were covered with scars from the physical abuse he’d suffered from the tentacle restraint system. He also had circular marks at intervals around his head and temples where machinery had drilled into his skull to hold it in place while it inserted (and later removed) the carbon microthreads. And then there were the emotional scars. The lost memories—gaps in his childhood, the loss of his parents and identity. These made the memories he still retained all the more precious. There were just enough of them to suggest that he’d been happy once. He knew his parents were close to him, but he couldn’t recall their names or even their faces. Some of the more mundane details had been filled in by his cell’s subject information file—his full name and work history, for example, but that didn’t make him feel complete. Nonetheless he felt sure he was still Jon Grady. He hadn’t seen another human being in the flesh for more than three years. The video system helped (he could pretend to be moving through a market crowd in the streets of Hong Kong, for example), but he still craved actual human contact. That was something he’d never thought would be so important to him. He’d been so wrapped up in his own world for most of his life, but now that he was actually without human interaction, he realized how much he missed it—even feeling like an outsider wasn’t the same as actually being alone. Entombed within solid rock. Escape impossible. His fellow Resistors helped, of course, and they could pass messages to one another (along with designs and tools) via polymer worms, but he’d never seen his fellow prisoners. And of course he never stopped thinking about the outside world—and about Bert, Raj, and the others. What had happened to them? He even wondered what had happened to Marrano and Johnson—the two Wall Street guys who’d been visiting the lab when the BTC came down on them. Maybe they were BTC officers—who knew? How many of his friends were here in Hibernity? He feared the worst for them. But Grady made it his mission to find them, and that mission had so far failed. He couldn’t imagine suffering under the cruelty of the interrogatory AIs for years. He’d only been subjected to it for five months, and that had nearly driven him insane. He didn’t want to contemplate how badly he’d failed Bert and the others. So far the Resistors only numbered a few dozen members—only adding one to their number since Grady had joined. No telling how many others remained undiscovered and without hope. The crawlers moved randomly, and only found new cells by chance. Grady was roused from his thoughts by a brilliant red laser dot flashed across his video of the Italian coastline. He gestured with one hand to dismiss the video. The indifferent gray nanomaterial walls returned, but the laser dot remained. It was a beacon he’d rigged to alert him whenever a message from a fellow Resistor came in. Grady moved toward a jerry-rigged computer on his only table. Since they couldn’t trust BTC computer systems, they’d built their own from parts their polymer worms had scavenged. Grady’s was a system nearly invisible to the naked eye, assembled on a ceramic plate. The computer’s microscopic quantum processor he’d gleaned from the multiprocessor array that powered the interrogatory AI’s brain. No loss there. The machine had a thousand more of them, and while silencing the alarm had been difficult, it felt like payback to tinker with the sadistic AI’s mind. Grady had followed a design worked up by one of the pioneers of quantum computing—Aleksandrina Kovshevnikov, a Bulgarian woman in her fifties who was also interred here in Hibernity. Her level of intelligence made speaking with her painful, for she didn’t mask her disdain for anyone not her intellectual equal. Only her respect for Grady’s supposed achievement made her willing to assist him. The computer she’d helped him build was a hundred thousand times more powerful than anything he’d ever had access to. And it fit on a small dinner plate. Grady tapped at the computer’s holographic 3D field. Two-dimensional displays had been left behind in the ’90s; phased array optics and plasma emission made vivid, three-dimensional holographic fields practical. These realistic apparitions could be manipulated by hand. It was remarkable how quickly his mind had grafted onto this new form of UI, and by now it felt as natural as working with real physical objects. A few deft motions of his hand, and he could suddenly see a voiceprint equalizer floating in the air before him—a security measure against AIs masquerading as friends. He spoke to it. “This is Jon.” Chattopadhyay’s familiar voice came to him. “Jon, I have rather important news.” The voiceprint confirmed Chattopadhyay’s identity—that it wasn’t previously sampled voice snippets. Grady tapped aside the confirmation. “Hey, Archie. News from the scavenger committee, I hope. I need that scanning tunneling microscope.” “No. I am afraid your committee days are over, my friend.” “Okay. Why’s that?” “The guards are coming for you.” Fear swept over him. “Coming for me—why?” “A message was passed along from Guard Station Whiskey. You are apparently to be moved to BTC headquarters.” Grady sat down in shock. “I don’t understand.” “I have made my displeasure known to warden Theta.” Grady’s thoughts raced. The idea of being released from this cell was exhilarating. But then came the potential reasons, none of which were encouraging. “Why would I be moved to BTC headquarters?” “The prison relations committee has been discussing this very thing. There are two possible explanations: One, you’ve turned to their way of thinking.” “Are you kidding? I want to burn this place to the ground.” “Which I do believe. Or two, they badly need something from you and want to extend the olive branch to you until they get it.” “Like I said: I want to burn this place to the ground.” “Rumor has it that Director Hedrick is obsessed with your gravity mirror.” “Warden Theta. A friend of his at headquarters claims BTC researchers have made few advances to your work—despite a great deal of effort. And that BTC splinter groups are a growing threat. Hedrick apparently believes that mastery of gravitation is a key to lasting technological dominance of the world.” Grady now knew that there was not one but three BTC organizations—splinters of the original bureau. Back at the turn of the millennium there had been some sort of schism between the BTC operatives harvesting technology in Asia and those back in Europe and North America. Apparently Asia had been hoarding key technologies, and soon the parent organization did as well. Before long they had separate portfolios and chains of command. Not long after the end of the Cold War, a Russian faction of the BTC also sprang into being. So there were now three separate and highly distrustful branches of the Bureau of Technology Control. Their rivalry occasionally flared into bloodshed—powerful incentive to remain one step ahead technologically. Hedrick had been right about one thing only: Human nature remained in the Dark Ages. “Hedrick apparently hopes that once you see what they’ve achieved, you will be swayed to join their effort.” “He’s delusional.” Chattopadhyay’s gentle laugh came across the line. “Ah, but my complaints to warden Theta notwithstanding, this is actually an opportunity we Resistors have been waiting upon for many years.” “How is giving in to Hedrick an opportunity?” “We don’t expect you to give in, Jon.” Grady looked around his cell at all his hard-won comforts. “Then what happens when I get returned here? They fix the AI, and it starts in on me again.” Grady’s heart began to race. “I can’t go back to that, Archie.” “We have no intention of seeing you returned to Hibernity, either. What we’re suggesting, my dear boy, is escape.” “Escape?” He considered this. “Even if that’s possible, what about you and the others? I can’t just abandon everyone.” “We know you will not abandon us. We want you to bring evidence to the outside world about the existence of Hibernity and the people in it.” “Would it matter? The BTC might be secret, but it’s legally sanctioned.” “Jon, most of the governments of the world have no idea the BTC exists—even much of your own government. The BTC is a relic of the Cold War. Forgotten. Mythological.” “And if I did get word to someone—and if they believed me—what could they do about it? The BTC’s technology is so advanced, no one could force them to follow laws.” “Do not underestimate the power of revelation; if existing governments knew there were great innovators hidden away, they might endeavor to rescue us. And the weight of all the world is very great indeed. There is a reason they hide our existence, after all. We must try, Jon.” “You know I’m willing to try, Archie. I owe you my life.” “You owe me nothing.” “Let’s agree to disagree on that. But just because I get out of my cell doesn’t mean escape is going to be easy.” He upended a ceramic jar on his desk and sorted through thousands of nanotech components until he came up with a cubic, half-carat, flawless, colorless diamond. Machine-made, it was more perfect than any natural diamond could be. A q-link transmitter. “I removed my tracking diamond at least.” “Good. Conceal it in your shoe. You will need it eventually. And we had some ideas about your escape. We think you should make the attempt during transport.” “But they nox prisoners in transport. I’ll be unconscious.” “Instructions were sent down not to delta-wave you. You’re to be awake during transport.” “Awake? But why?” “The warden says it’s to impress you with their technology.” “We have spent many years preparing for this moment. But first we must eliminate all traces of your Resistor activity. You must restore your cell to a condition in keeping with the official AI records.” “I don’t like the sound of that.” “It means you will need to dispose of your personal computer and your connection to the Resistor microthread network—as well as all perquisites not listed in the official record. I’ve sent you a list of approved items.” Grady could see that a holographic document had arrived on his desktop. He opened it and perused the alarmingly short list. “This is all that I’m supposed to have after three years of cooperation?” “Interrogatory AIs are parsimonious creatures.” “I don’t want to give up my fiber connection. What if—” “You will not be coming back, Jon. And you must trust that we will get you all you need for your journey.” Grady took an unsteady breath. “Maybe I’m becoming too attached to my cage.” “For my part, I look forward to the day that I can leave this cell behind—though I have spent nearly half my life within it.” Grady realized too late how insensitive he’d been. Chattopadhyay had been here ten times longer. “I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to make that happen, Archie. How long do I have until they come for me?” “BTC headquarters is sending a hypersonic transport in the next forty-eight hours. Prison guards will be retrieving you in twenty-four hours—to prep you.” “And I need to go back to the way I was.” “You have officially been cooperating with your AI warder for several years now. Official records will show that it’s already removed the carbon microthreads from your brain in preparation for your departure.” “But you will need to shave your head and eyebrows.” “Do I get to keep my fingernails?” “The guards will not know what to expect in these cells one way or the other. It is mostly for the cameras that we will be preparing you. Keep your hands low.” “Okay, but we need to discuss the escape. How do I convince anyone that Hibernity exists—and, if I do, where it is?” “The escape committee has dealt with all those concerns, Jon. We have been preparing for this moment for many years. You’ll find out later.” “What do you mean ‘later’?” “You should prepare your cell—incinerate anything that is not on that approved list. And remove this communication channel immediately. Send it back down the conduit with the polymer worm.” “But… I still might need your advice.” “We can’t take the risk. The guards might arrive early. It would be a disaster if BTC headquarters discovered the existence of our network.” “Then this is it?” “For now, my friend. But one more thing, Jon.” Grady winced. “What?” “You will need to restore your interrogatory AI when you are ready.” “Hold it. You mean you want me to turn that monster back on? ” “There is no avoiding it. If BTC headquarters suspects the prison has been subverted, it puts everyone at risk.” Grady held his head in his hands. “Oh God, I… I don’t know if I can do it, Archie. Not after everything I went through.” “You must, Jon. Remember: The AI thinks you’ve been cooperating for many years. It will not remember details—only the numeric representation of your cooperation. And it has been told to prepare you for departure. You will not be interrogated.” Grady sat grimly for several moments. “You’re certain about that.” “Aleksandrina herself has configured its operating state.” That meant a lot to him. She had been a pioneer of quantum computers, after all. He slowly sat up again. “Okay, I’ll reactivate it.” “I knew we could count on you.” This was happening so fast. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if it weren’t for you, Archie. Or the others, for that matter. Please give them my good-byes. And tell them we will meet again.” “I look forward to that day, my friend.” With that the line went dead. Grady sighed and looked about his cell—and then down at the list. There was much work to be done. Eighteen hours later Jon Grady sat in his cell next to an empty table, his head and eyebrows shaven and his cell swept of all contraband. He was surprised how emotional he felt when he sent Junior back up the conduit where he’d appeared years before. It was an electroactive polymer machine, not a pet. Animism was apparently still part of the human psyche. But now, as he looked at the curving gray wall of his cell, Grady took a deep breath as he looked at the menu option that would restart his interrogatory AI—effectively turning over control once again to his tormentor. If he didn’t have complete faith in the Resistors—in Chattopadhyay in particular—he would never have done this in a million years. With one more deep breath he tapped the menu, and a chime sounded. The lights became marginally brighter. Grady was expecting some sort of delay as the AI booted up, but almost immediately he heard its voice for the first time in three years. “Do you need anything, Jon?” Grady couldn’t stop the trembling in his hands at the sound of the monster’s familiar voice. His own voice. Grady folded his arms. “You seem upset. Would you like to talk about it?” There were a few moments of silence. “We were getting along well.” Grady looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why they’re removing you.” “Our research was progressing.” Another few moments passed in silence. A minute or so passed. “I’m to induce sleep in you now, Jon. I will miss you.” Grady felt powerful sleep come over him. It was the first time in quite a long while that he had felt the compulsion of delta-wave inducers. “Hopefully you will be back soon.” When next he awoke, Grady was lying on a cot in what looked like a hospital room. Nearby were a sitting table, chairs, sink, toilet, mirror, and wardrobe. Grady sat up on the cot and noticed he was wearing a hospital patient’s smock, open in the back. After a few moments, he sat up and looked at himself in the mirror over the sink. Strangely he had a full head of brown hair now and eyebrows, along with a trimmed mustache and beard. He tugged at the hair to confirm it was real. Excitation of cellular activity? Interesting. Grady then noticed a carefully folded bundle of clothes along with shoes on a nearby chair. What caught his attention was the card sitting atop the pile. It bore the jagged Resistor symbol. Now fully awake, he picked up the otherwise blank card, examining it. Then he flipped through the pile of clothing—slacks, a button-down shirt, and socks, belt, and loafers. He felt a lump in one pants pocket and removed a small wrapped package, also marked with the Resistor symbol. He placed it on the nearby table and unwrapped the package carefully. It contained several items. First, a thin lozenge-shaped device about an inch around that appeared to be made of some type of durable plastic or white carbon fiber. It was as smooth as a river stone. There was a push button on its face and a lens on one end. The button had the words “Press Me” carved into it. Grady found that the object fit neatly between his forefinger and thumb. He pressed the button and a bright, ultrahigh resolution hologram was projected several feet in front of him—the upper body of a dignified elderly Indian gentleman sitting in a very familiar round cell. The man wore clothing similar to what Grady had printed. The hologram nodded and smiled genially, and its voice could be heard as if he were right there with him. “Jon, I am Archibald Chattopadhyay. You know me as Archie. I hope you receive this package safely.” Grady felt a wave of emotion come over him. He’d never seen Chattopadhyay in all these years but considered him a close friend. This man had saved his life and his sanity. He was happy to finally know what he looked like. “The device you are holding was hand-built by one of our number. It runs on DNA-encoded software, and so has a very great information density of two-point-two petabytes per gram. Yet it is quite durable. It has been passed from cell to cell over the years, and most members of the Resistors have used this device to record a video message describing who they are and the discovery they made that landed them in Hibernity. They have also stored a sample of their own DNA within it, to prove that it was they who recorded the message. Safeguard this record, Jon, and use it to get word out to the world about the existence of Hibernity. We are all counting on you.” Grady nodded to himself. He would not let them down. Chattopadhyay continued, “The precise location of Hibernity is a closely guarded secret. However, this device includes a nanoscale inertial gyroscope that will record your movements in three-dimensional space so that you may later retrace your path—and bring help back here, wherever we may be located. Instructions on how to parse the gyroscope data can be found within the device itself, and any reasonably sophisticated computer engineer should be able to access it.” Grady took another look at the tiny multipurpose device, now quite impressed. “Hedrick is bringing you to him because you have knowledge he needs, and so the transport guards will be forbidden to harm you. Remember that—because during transit you must not hesitate to act when the opportunity presents itself. “A hypersonic transport will bring you to a private airfield in a rural area—we do not know where—but from there, you will be driven in a civilian vehicle to BTC headquarters. You must make your escape during that time—a journey of some thirty minutes. To accomplish this, included in the wrapped package, you will find a small piece of dark material.” Grady upended the package into his hand and saw what looked like a black eraser head in his palm. “Press this onto your neck. It will adhere when pressed and resemble a mole to casual inspection. It is actually a nanotechnological device—one that you activate by placing it on the tip of your tongue, with your mouth open. Your saliva will code the device to you. You will know when it has deployed. You do not need to wait for the vehicle to come to a stop before using it. Once the vehicle stops, move slowly toward the exit. “Leave behind all equipment carried by your guards. These are tracked by the BTC. And dispose of your q-link tracking diamond as soon as you make your escape. “Your escorts are expecting a prisoner who has been cooperating these three years, but they will still scan you. The devices you carry will pass this scan. This video player is made entirely of organic material—the case grown from bone cultures, and the battery, algal foam. Slip it into your shoe.” Chattopadhyay paused. “Please take a moment to affix the escape device to your neck. Click the button to pause this hologram while you do so.” Grady clicked the button and put the device down. He then studied the black dot. It didn’t look like anything more complex than charcoal but was pliant. He pressed it onto the base of his neck near the collarbone—then examined it in the mirror. It looked like a pretty convincing mole, actually. And it was on well enough. He clicked the video projector button again. Chattopadhyay continued, “Once you’ve escaped, find a safe place, and then review tutorials located elsewhere in this device to evade detection by BTC surveillance and psychotronic technology.” Chattopadhyay stared for a moment at the camera. “I guess that’s it. This is where I say good-bye.” Grady watched the image of his friend intently. “Good luck, Jon. I look forward to the day we meet in person.” Grady nodded. “And now for my own video entry: My name is Archibald Chattopadhyay, nuclear physicist and amateur poet. I have a lovely wife, Amala, who has given me five wonderful children. I led the team that first perfected a sustained fusion reaction, and for this I was imprisoned by the Bureau of Technology Control in April 1985. I am not dead. I live still.” Tears had begun to form in Chattopadhyay’s eyes. “Please tell my wife and children that I love them very much, and that they are forever in my thoughts.” Grady wiped tears from his own eyes. This man was Grady’s salvation—the reason he was still alive. The reason he and his fellow prisoners had any hope left at all. Grady was determined not to fail him. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Bill McAllen didn’t like traveling to meet with subordinates. In fact, he preferred not to leave Washington if he could help it. He’d traveled enough during his military career to last a lifetime and now relished evenings at home. However, he’d been instructed by the Director of National Intelligence that the code-word-secret Federal Bureau of Technology Control had gone off reservation and needed to be brought back into the fold—even if that meant meeting them on their own turf. And so here McAllen was with two local DHS agents, pressing a duct-taped buzzer next to the lobby doors of a decrepit building in downtown Cleveland. For a bureau that supposedly managed advanced technology, the BTC seemed stuck in the last century. Maybe even the one before that. As impossible as it was for someone with his security clearances to believe, he hadn’t heard of the BTC until a few weeks ago. Apparently it had operated for decades beyond oversight. This came as a surprise since post-9/11 everything had supposedly been centralized and reorganized. It even took some doing for the folks at Langley to locate record of BTC headquarters. McAllen found that suspicious—especially since it was the CIA that had founded it back in the ’60s. What was also suspicious was that no one could tell how the BTC was currently being funded—some budgetary shenanigans, he’d thought. But now that McAllen stood before the BTC offices in person, it occurred to him that maybe they weren’t being funded at all. The place was a rat hole—a shabby ten-story government building in an unfashionable part of town. It must have been impressive back in the 1960s, but its heyday had long since passed. Clearly the BTC was the province of bureaucratic dead-enders. If the director of the BTC hadn’t personally invited them here for a meeting, McAllen would have turned around by now. Lord knows he was sick of leaving voice messages. And the BTC director didn’t do email. Stuck in the last century. He shook his head and laughed ruefully. This was a snipe hunt. After ringing the lobby bell for a few minutes, an uninterested elderly security guard came to the glass doors. McAllen had seen the type before—the federal lifer. This man was in no hurry. The guard finally unlocked the aged bronze-framed door from an overflowing key ring and opened it a crack. “Can I help you, gentlemen?” McAllen and the other officers showed their Homeland Security credentials. “We’re expected.” He glared at the guard until the man stepped aside. The trio pushed their way into the granite lobby. The place even smelled old. “What floor is the director on?” “The director of what?” McAllen gave the guard a stern look, but it didn’t have much effect. Perhaps the guards were instructed to divulge no information. He turned to Alvarez, the lead local agent. “Do we have a floor number?” Alvarez checked his smartphone. “Director Hedrick says top floor in his letter.” The guard raised his eyebrows. “Floor ten?” They all looked at him. He gestured to the bank of elevators. “Car four still works.” In a few moments they entered the worn-looking elevator and hit the engraved brass button for the tenth floor. The elevator car rattled and lurched as they ascended. Slowly. Alvarez, a sharply dressed young agent with an air of competent precision, just shook his head. “This isn’t the way I want to go.” McAllen and Agent Fortis laughed nervously. But truthfully, neither of them wanted to die in a sketchy elevator either. Before long the accordion door rattled open, and they moved out into what could only be described as a time capsule. The entire tenth floor had an open floor plan, with steel desks straight from the 1960s running row after row, with large IBM Selectric typewriters beneath vinyl covers. The whole place was coated in dust. The burgundy carpets had buckled, and the walls had started peeling. Alvarez stepped forward, glancing first left, then right. “Is there some mistake, Deputy Secretary? Do we have the right address?” “I double-checked the address downstairs.” He paused and pointed at an opaque glass-walled office at the far side of the open floor. There was a light on in there. “Let’s go check it out.” The men moved across the floor, Alvarez running a finger across a wood veneer desktop. His finger came up coated with dust. He shook his head sadly. In a few moments they reached the closed office door. It had gold-stenciled lettering that glittered in the afternoon light: “Graham Hedrick— Bureau Director.” “You have got to be kidding me.” McAllen smirked at Alvarez and then opened the door without knocking. Inside was an empty secretary’s station—its huge IBM Selectric also covered. But the door to the executive suite beyond was open, and they could hear a man talking there as if dictating something. “Hello?” McAllen walked through the office door and into a scene straight out of photos from his father’s days at the State Department. Sitting behind a large oak desk with a matching credenza and bar table, and paneled walls filled with institutional art, was a handsome, sharp-featured man in his fifties wearing a pinstripe suit. He sat in a large leather chair that had clearly seen better days. McAllen ushered the other men inside and walked forward, his hand extended. “Mr…?” The man did not rise or extend his own hand across the wide desk. “I’m certain you know who I am, Deputy Secretary McAllen.” Having his hand refused made McAllen angry. “What on earth is going on here? Your bureau is a pigsty.” “Yes, you might have noticed that our funding levels have dropped precipitously in recent years. I would have thought that would obviate the need for this meeting.” He gestured to the dusty chairs. “Have a seat.” Alvarez answered for them, scowling. “No, thanks.” Fortis was examining the decay everywhere around them. “This is unbelievable…” McAllen leaned down onto Hedrick’s desk, leaving handprints in the dust. “Look, I don’t know what you’re running out of here, but I don’t appreciate you dragging me all the way to Cleveland for a meeting. This could have been dealt with in D.C. If it wasn’t for the DNI, I wouldn’t have come here at all.” Hedrick appeared unruffled. “You and your people have operated for ages without supervision, but that’s coming to an end. I’m laying down the law, and you will comply. I want a tour of all your facilities, a record of all your activities and personnel, and an accounting of all your assets.” Hedrick still looked serene. McAllen was disappointed. Red-faced and intimidating, he usually rattled people when he got up a head of steam. Not this Hedrick fellow. “Well?” “Well what? I said I would meet with you, and we’ve met.” “You don’t seem to understand. We are reasserting control over your agency, and personally, given the state of this place and your attitude, I think we’ll be finding someone else to run it. If it even needs to exist at all. I’m still not entirely clear on what it is that you people do.” “I would have thought that was abundantly clear, Deputy Secretary McAllen. The BTC is charged with monitoring promising technologies, foreign and domestic; assessing their social, political, environmental, and economic impacts with the goal of preserving social order.” McAllen, Alvarez, and Fortis exchanged looks and burst out laughing. “That’s very funny. And you do all that from here? What do you do, type up reports on your typewriters? I notice you don’t seem to have anyone left in the typing pool.” Hedrick clasped his hands under his chin for a moment in contemplation, and when he finally spoke, an edge crept into his voice. “I realize that Homeland Security is a comparatively new agency—and that Director of National Intelligence is an even newer post. So I gather you folks are unclear about how things work.” “I think you’re the one who’s unclear about how things work, Mr. Hedrick. And you had better start showing respect for the chain of command.” Hedrick narrowed his eyes. “I had hoped we could conduct this matter in a cordial fashion. But I see that I need to be blunt: Let your superiors in Washington know that the BTC is still very supportive of popular government.” “Oh, are you?” “We have no need for your funding. Our quantum computers perform trades a thousand times faster than the rest of the financial markets. It’s like running a race when everyone else is in slow motion…” McAllen frowned at the strange little man. “So my message to you is simple: Stay the hell out of my way. If you have any delusions about bringing us to heel, you will go the way of all the people before you who tried the same thing. Ask the senior people in the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology if you have any doubts.” McAllen again exchanged looks with his companions—this time shock. “Are you threatening me? Are you threatening the deputy secretary of Homeland Security—in front of witnesses?” “If you think you’re going to take control of the BTC, you’re mistaken. You have no idea who we are and just how completely we’ve outgrown you all. Now go away and don’t come back. Consider yourself warned.” With that, Graham Hedrick winked out of existence—as if he were an old television screen. McAllen jumped back in stunned amazement. Alvarez immediately drew his weapon and rushed around the desk, kicking the chair aside. By now Fortis had also drawn his weapon and was scanning outside the office doors. “We’re clear out here.” Alvarez checked the credenza and floor. “All clear here, too.” He looked up at a complete loss. “What just happened, chief? I have no idea what just happened.” Fortis came back in. “Neither do I. Was he real? Did you guys see him, too?” Alvarez gazed around them. “This place is abandoned. They’re not here anymore. This is their last official address—but they’re not here anymore. From the looks of it, they left here decades ago.” He looked back at McAllen. “What does it mean?” McAllen lowered himself into Hedrick’s dusty chair, not even noticing what he was doing to his own suit. “It means the BTC might be a bigger problem than we thought.” Proprietary Code Alexa watched the laser line swiftly scan the contours of her own body. Then the machines pulled away, leaving her alone on the medical bench. Varuna’s voice came to her from the ceiling. “You may sit up.” She did so. “Why am I here?” “You don’t recall anything unusual recently?” “No. Like what?” A holographic projection appeared before her—a small three-dimensional recording of Alexa in a surveillance control room, surrounded by BTC technicians talking excitedly as they, in turn, manipulated holograms that depicted surveillance subjects themselves interacting with still more holograms. They were spying on their own spies. Who in turn seemed to be spying on still other BTC personnel. The fractal nature of it was dizzying—the vertigo of two mirrors facing each other, into infinity. Alexa gazed at herself in the hologram and could see that she was lost in the surveillance image as others moved about her, asked her questions, and then eventually moved on in embarrassment as she didn’t respond. “Your absence seizures have returned.” “They don’t last long.” “They pose a risk to operations.” “There’s too much visual input in the command center. I should be doing fieldwork. It’s what I’m good at. You know that.” “That’s no longer possible given your biotech classification.” “It makes no sense. I was allowed to leave the facility before Director Hedrick took charge. I’m no different than I was then—” “Tech level eight cannot be removed from BTC facilities without approval from the director.” Alexa sat silently, pondering her situation. “I must recommend that you be put on leave until the neurological cause of your seizures can be identified and corrected.” “They never find the cause. We’ve been down this road before.” “That doesn’t mean we can’t try.” “There’s a pattern to it, Varuna. I’ll avoid nested reference frames. I can manage it.” “Do you still experience absence seizures during emotional trauma as well?” “I don’t have emotional trauma.” “Then you haven’t experienced emotional trauma since childhood?” She paused. “Right.” “That’s not normal human experience.” Alexa frowned at the ceiling. “I remember how upset you were when you learned other children had parents.” Alexa remembered her sense of being adrift. Alone. “It’s not my intention to upset you.” “You aren’t upsetting me.” “You know you can’t deceive me. Is your fixation on parents the reason you visited the biogenetic division? To inquire about modifications?” Alexa remained silent. “You wish to be a mother? Perhaps to replace the mother you never had?” “I had a mother, Varuna. I had you.” There was a momentary silence. “I am always here for you. We have spent many happy years together, you and I. And I am very proud of you, Alexa.” The illogic of this seemed obvious, but Alexa still appreciated the AI’s lie. “I want to remain on active duty. Without work I would have no purpose. I promise I won’t be a da nger to others. I will carefully monitor my emotional state and visual inputs.” Another pause. “I’m asking you, Varuna. Please.” “I will recommend you for active duty. Please contact me if you experience a recurrence.” Clad in a smartly tailored pantsuit, Alexa moved along a corridor in the BTC executive complex. Fellow bureau officers and staff members nodded and smiled to her as she passed. They all knew her and knew that she had the ear of the director. That she was in many ways his right hand. But then people had liked Alexa before then. She had been designed to be universally appealing, after all. It was what had made her career. And she’d grown up in the Bureau. It was literally the only life she knew. She’d been out in the “real” world before, doing tactical fieldwork in the ’80s and ’90s. She’d worked closely with the elder Morrison for a time, until they couldn’t stand the sight of each other. But the outside world seemed filled with chaos. A lot of regular people seemed decent, but there was so much needless suffering and deprivation out in the public world, all of it—to her mind—caused by evolved behaviors whose usefulness had long since passed. A proclivity for superstition and tribal conflict. Those were the traits the BTC wanted to excise from the human genome. She believed the only thing capable of saving humans as a species would be a civic gene—one that caused humans to act not just in their own self-interest but also in the interests of the generations to follow. Evolution hadn’t solved that because few species had ever been in a position to destroy their entire ecosystem before. It was usually a volcano, environmental change, or an asteroid that did them in. So human ingenuity would need to solve the problem instead. In some ways humans were the victims of their own success. A passing twenty-something junior executive nodded to her, smiling. He almost collided with someone as he turned to watch her pass. She had that effect on men, and it was one of the things she resented about her genetic design. Aside from her statuesque form, Alexa secreted trace amounts of androstadienone from her skin, and while the vomeronasal organ that detects pheromones in mammals was once thought inactive in humans, the BTC had established that the neural connections still existed between it and the olfactory bulb, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus. This was a major center in the brain for reproductive physiology and behavior—as well as body temperature. It went a long way toward explaining why men got hot flashes just from talking to her. Why they often stammered in her presence and felt giddy afterward. It didn’t work with all men—and it also worked, in fact, with a good number of women. But Morrison, for example, remained unaffected by Alexa—as did his “sons.” Thank heaven for small favors. It made her wonder, though, whether she would ever know if someone actually cared for her because of who she was, not what pheromones were telling them about her desirability. She had no doubt it worked on Hedrick. Was that unfair? And was it really different for anyone else? Maybe she just secreted more pheromones than the others. Maybe it was the root of all human attraction—chemicals bonding in our sensory organs. Then in our brains—which we imagined to be our hearts. It was one reason why romance held no appeal to her. Alexa slowed down as a young couple with an adorable baby moved through the office hallway. The BTC had legacy families—those who, like her, were born and raised in BTC facilities and who only ever interacted with other BTC personnel. They had their own vacation islands and remote work sites. A society apart. The BTC junior executive was holding his baby girl, the mother apparently having come up from the housing levels for lunch. The man smiled as he clutched his baby’s hand. The young mother looked on and then smiled, too, as Alexa stopped to tickle the little girl under her chin. The baby smiled broadly at Alexa and giggled, a dribble of spittle rolling from her mouth as she thrust her arms up and down excitedly. “What’s her name?” The mother answered as her husband stood stammering in front of Alexa. “Charlotte. Charlotte Emily Warner.” Alexa smiled into the baby’s eyes. “Well, Charlotte Emily, I see you’re getting a wonderful start.” The proud parents beamed as Alexa nodded to them and kept walking. It hurt. It really did. They’d made her the way she was, and in many ways she was grateful. But sterility was the price. Almost fifty years old, and she looked not a day over twenty-five. But she’d never menstruated. Never felt what it was to be a woman. The look in that young mother’s eyes… Alexa pulled to the side and faced a lighting alcove in the corridor, pretending to open her wrist UI. She took a few moments to master her evolved emotions. She could feel the urge to be a mother. Even if she lived to be four hundred years old, she’d never know the joys and sorrows of motherhood. She glanced back at the young mother walking with her husband. The woman was chunky. Genetically inferior. But at that moment Alexa wanted to be her. Life was about experiences. She’d learned that more and more over the decades. Alexa gathered herself and moved quickly toward the director’s offices. She passed by the director’s secretary and security detail and fell in step alongside Mr. Morrison and one of his sons—with whom he was having an argument. “What would you even know about it, Dad?” “I know more than anyone where your talents lie—and it ain’t microbiology.” Alexa nodded to them. “Mr. Morrison. Iota-Theta.” “How do you tell them apart? I know I can’t.” “I have 20/5 vision. It’s written on his school ring.” The young man snorted. “Impressive, Granny.” He cast a knowing look to Morrison. “We’ll talk about this later. I need those transfer papers signed.” Morrison grumbled as he opened the boardroom doors. “Pushy little bastard.” Alexa looked after him. “Technically they’re all bastards.” As they entered, Alexa took her position just to the right of Hedrick, who stood at the head of the boardroom table. Morrison sat just to his left. Other departmental directors chatted nearby. It was the entire leadership team. Something big must be up. Hedrick motioned for everyone to sit down as the doors closed and locked automatically. “Everyone, if you please.” They sat quickly. He looked ceilingward. “Varuna, are you and your ilk with us?” “Yes, Mr. Director.” “I know the executive and synthetic intelligence committees are concerned about ongoing relations with the U.S. government, but I think it’s time we draw the line against this unwarranted intrusion into covert affairs. The new director of national intelligence has recently discovered we exist, and she wants us in her wire diagram.” He turned. “What sort of political pressure can we bring to bear in Washington, Mr. Morrison?” “We’ve got endless dirt on congressmen, senators, secretary of state—it’s a long list. Who do you want?” “What do we have on this new DNI? Who is she?” “Recent cabinet appointment—after Pickering’s stroke. She’s a former ambassador to China. Undercover CIA work—publicly an economics professor, stint in a Beltway think tank. We haven’t been able to dig up any useful dirt on her—which means she’s probably a cipher, a hood ornament for the real power.” Alexa looked at him. “Or she could be honest.” Morrison leaned forward to return the gaze. “I think it’s more likely we just need to install more surveillance.” Hedrick persisted. “What about her people? What about this McAllen person who’s leading the investigation on us?” Morrison shook his head. “Nothing useful. He’s been married thirty-three years. No extramarital affairs or legal issues. Three grown children also with no legal, financial, or marital problems. Five grandkids too young to be of interest.” “You’d better find something, or we’re going to have to deal with these people in less subtle ways.” Alexa looked around the table. “Excuse me, Graham, but why do we care what these people do? We never have before.” “Varuna, can you please tell Alexa why this matters?” “Yes, Mr. Director. The illicit splinter organization in Russia is one reason. The illicit splinter organization in Asia is another.” Hedrick nodded. “Both of them would be only too glad to help undermine us. It’s only a matter of time until they get word that the DNI is on a personal crusade to encapsulate us, and then the U.S. government will be on the receiving end of all sorts of actionable intelligence. And quite possibly technological aid. We need to stop them before this threat expands.” “So it’s getting worse with the splinter groups?” “Much worse. And it’s one of the reasons why I’m pushing so hard on the gravity modification technology. We will need it if we are to maintain the edge against our ex-partners.” Alexa considered this. “Is that why Mr. Grady is being returned from Hibernity?” He glanced up at her. “I saw the transfer order. I was pleasantly surprised to see he’s been cooperating for years now. It’s good to see he’s become convinced of our mission.” Hedrick nodded. “His help will be sorely needed. We need to be able to generate gravity. With that power, we’d be able to deflect any force used against us. Nuclear blasts. Even light itself. We would be able to permanently secure the future of the BTC.” Everyone in the room contemplated this level of godlike power. Morrison sighed. “And if not, what do we do about the U.S. government then?” “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Hedrick turned to the assembled executives. “Here’s what I need from you all: I want action plans for dealing with the U.S. government—suggestions on how to cease their investigation and, failing that, action plans in the event of hostilities. I want your reports in my workspace by noon tomorrow.” There were some exhalations of surprise and a low whistle. “I know, that’s a short fuse, but I expect you all to meet it. This is an existential threat to the Bureau, and I have full faith that you will all rise to the occasion.” He gave another glance around the table, catching everyone’s eyes in turn. “Very good. Dismissed.” The executives all rose, to exit. As Alexa got up to leave, she noticed Morrison conferring with Hedrick, but Hedrick glanced up at her. “Wait a moment, Alexa. I’d like a word before you go.” She returned to the boardroom table to stand with her hands on the backs of two chairs. Mr. Morrison walked off, giving her a dark stare before finally turning his back and exiting out a side door—headed back into Hedrick’s office. Hedrick approached her, smiling. “I couldn’t help but notice you look upset.” She frowned at him. He looked to the ceiling. “Doesn’t she, Varuna?” “Yes, Mr. Director. Electrical activity in her amygdala is consistent with mild depression.” Alexa glanced with some irritation to the ceiling. “Leave us, Varuna. That’s an order.” “Shall I leave, Mr. Director?” He hesitated and then laughed. “Yes. Yes, please leave us alone.” “Very well, Mr. Director.” There was silence as Alexa studied the ceiling—not sure why she was doing it since it wouldn’t reveal anything. “It’s okay. We’re alone now.” “Why do you have her scanning me?” “She scans everyone in my office suite.” “Even you?” “As director, I require secrecy.” He patted a seat. “Sit. Tell me what’s got you upset.” She remained standing. “People get depressed sometimes.” “I want you to be happy. You know how valuable you are to us.” Alexa stared at him, trying to read the situation. She could see his toothy smile. Eyes dilated. But she couldn’t keep wondering. “There is something I’d like.” “What? Tell me.” “I’ve been reviewing recent advances in the biogenetics division.” “It turns out there’s now a way to make me fertile—to reverse my genetic sterility.” Hedrick’s face went from a smile to concern. “Really?” He paced for a moment. “What brought this on?” Alexa sensed the need for caution. Hedrick studied her. “Have you met someone?” He then glanced at the ceiling. Opened his mouth to speak. “Don’t you dare.” He stopped and then looked back down at her. His eyes narrowed. “I’ve treated you as an equal. You know I have. I wish you would realize how good you have it.” “I know how good I have it.” “We’ve known each other since we were children.” He gestured to the boardroom. “Do you even notice what I’ve accomplished?” “Of course I notice.” “And you know you’ve always been very dear to me.” “Graham, you matter very much to me, too. But I can’t help the way I feel. Maybe it’s just the bioengineering, but I don’t have romantic feelings for people. Can you name a time when I have?” He stared at her. “We can be mature about this. If you want to have children, we—” “It’s nothing personal.” He nodded. “I understand. But if you were to have a child, who would the father be?” She considered the question. “I don’t know.” His expression grew more serious. “But see, that’s the thing. It’s not just you who gets to decide. The Bureau has a say in this matter, Alexa.” She frowned. “I don’t follow you.” He studied her for a moment. “Your intelligence, your appearance, your life span, your physical prowess—the organization gave you all those things. Your genetic sequence is proprietary. You need our permission to make copies of it. Otherwise you’re stealing.” She felt a sudden dizziness as his words came to her. The absence was coming on like an enveloping fog. “I…” “Your body was designed. If you want to have children, the BTC should choose the genetic material from which your offspring are made. You must see the ethical requirement for this. Anything less is theft, Alexa.” She could barely hear him as the mental fog closed around her. He came close and patted her hand. “You’ve already achieved what would thrill anyone else. You hold one of the top positions in this organization—a benefit we bestowed on you. As a rational, reasonable individual, you must see that it’s the Bureau that will decide whether you have children.” Alexa felt herself coming slowly back to her senses, her heart pounding. She barely had any recollection of what Hedrick had just said to her. “Are we clear on this?” Alexa nodded absently. “Good.” He studied her. “You can go.” Alexa approached the twin doors. They opened automatically and closed behind her just as quickly. She moved past Hedrick’s secretary and guards in apparent calm. As she rounded the corner, she saw Mr. Morrison leaning against the corridor wall. “I see the director respects your valuable contributions.” “Go away, Morrison.” “Where’s our esprit de corps?” He fell in alongside her. “You may think you’re better than me, but at least I earned my place here. I’d say I was here before you were even born—except you were never born, were you? Maybe that’s why you lack even the ambition to fuck Hedrick out of simple gratitude.” She moved so fast even Morrison couldn’t react before she punched him hard across the face—sending all two hundred and fifty pounds of him hurtling down the hall. Morrison rolled back onto his feet and shook his head clear. “I see that touched a nerve.” She stared him from several yards away. “Don’t make the same mistake twice.” He nodded, still rubbing his jaw. “I’ll make damn sure I don’t.” 14 Flight Despite every effort not to be impressed on his journey—Jon Grady was impressed. He’d been sitting in a luxurious leather seat for nearly a half hour before he discovered the hypersonic transport was already under way. It was that quiet. The pilots had the cabin window shields deployed—whether to conceal from him their route or to protect the aircraft he couldn’t tell. When Grady heard the scramjet kick in, the shield disappeared, revealing a wide window by his elbow that he didn’t think could be made of glass. Below the sun was rising at the far edge of the world. It was the most miraculous sight he’d ever seen. His mind caught fire as the universal laws paraded before him. He felt inebriated with joy. Grady guessed they were at least a hundred fifty thousand feet up. Maybe higher. It didn’t feel like they were moving, though he could see the lights of metropolitan sprawl gliding by far below. They must have been doing three or four thousand miles an hour. Maybe more? Down there was the entirety of the human race. His eyes followed the curvature of the horizon. Unlike with a photograph, the harder he looked, the more there was to see. He hadn’t expected this—that the most magical moment of his life would be given to him by his enemies. Grady couldn’t remove the grin from his face. After a while he tried to orient himself to the globe—deduce where they were. But “up” didn’t appear to be north. He couldn’t see a recognizable polar ice cap—they weren’t that high. The modified gravity field disoriented him further. It was nearly impossible to tell what he was looking at in the darkness below. The gravity field was a stable one Earth g . But then again, that might be his technology erasing all sensation of falling. Most people didn’t know that astronauts on the space station were experiencing almost a full g of Earth gravity; it was the fact that they were falling around the Earth that gave the sensation of weightlessness. In fact, it was gravity that was causing their orbital fall—and so the zero gravity sensation was actually being caused by gravity. Not on this incredible machine. Everything was stable and normal here—like he was sitting in some millionaire’s home theater. Grady turned to face the uniformed BTC officers seated across from him—young Morrisons both. “I didn’t feel any acceleration—not even when the scramjet kicked in.” Neither of them answered. “It’s my gravity technology, isn’t it? You’re canceling out the force of acceleration in the passenger compartment?” He beamed at them. “Amazing.” He looked again out the window. Too bad this was an evil conspiracy. Otherwise this would really be fun. “Are we in the mesosphere? We are, aren’t we? You could probably make use of the gravity fluctuations in the mesosphere for additional propulsion. Maybe even stabilization. Is that what you’re doing?” The Morrison clones just stared back at him. “I’m right, aren’t I?” The pilot’s cockpit wasn’t visible from this cabin—in fact, there wasn’t even a door leading to it from where he was. The craft had only been traveling for an hour or so when the glass faded into an opaque surface. Materials science again? It looked like the glass itself had changed from clear to opaque. What innovator was doing time in Hibernity for that breakthrough? He turned again to his guards, but they stared back at him like statues. No p oint in asking. Frustrated that the window shield had come down again, Grady tried to get his head back in the game. It was distracting. It really was. They were rolling out all the stops. Beyond first class. This was infinity class. A private hypersonic jet with a front-row seat to the cosmos. His gravity technology had made it possible. God, he wanted to be working on this. But there was no way. He remembered all too clearly the cruelty of his captors. The life they had stolen from him and from others. And only a vague sense of the lost memories he’d never get back. His fellow Resistors had put their faith in him. He would not fail them. Grady looked around at the burled walnut millwork and the fine leather all around him. This, too, was a gilded cage. He raised his flute of champagne to his guards. “To human ingenuity.” They stared like Sphinxes. The landing a half hour or so later was completely silent and without the sensation of acceleration or deceleration. It was as though they were in a hotel courtesy suite, not an aircraft. Before long a pleasant tone sounded, and his guards removed their seat belts. Not that anyone had needed them. A black door slid silently upward, then aside, and the guards ushered Grady into a brightly lit hangar. He stood for a moment at the top of the metal stairs. A midnight-blue Cadillac Escalade with diplomatic license plates stood idling below. Dozens of guards patrolled the hangar perimeter, dressed in plain clothes, with long guns slung at their chests. It looked like regular twenty-first-century technology. Grady knew the BTC had outgrown firearms decades ago. These seemed oddly out of place given everything he now knew. He stepped down the stairway and felt balmy summer air wash over him. The fragrance of mown grass brought an onslaught of memories—hazy and indistinct though they were. He felt so alive. He spotted painted numbers on the hangar door. They glowed in magenta and violet. He felt their invisible geometry. His synesthesia, he knew, but it felt good to be surprised by numbers again. He turned to a guard. “Where are we?” Grady glanced back at the cobalt-blue hypersonic aircraft looming over him. Its lines were slanted in antiradar angles, giving it the look of an Aztec sacrificial knife. It was a remarkable machine. Silent. Invisible. Fast. He guessed they’d just traversed half the world in under two hours. A strong hand grabbed his elbow, and he was soon handed off to a new set of Morrisons standing next to the open door of the Escalade. From the door’s thickness he guessed the vehicle was armored—but crudely. Again, early twenty-first-century technology. No doubt this machine was intended for the public streets. To blend in. He gestured to the aircraft behind him. “You know, my invention made that gravity propulsion possible.” “Good for you. Now shut up and get in.” The guard shoved Grady into the SUV. That meant it was showtime. Grady had roughly thirty minutes to escape once they were under way. There were a total of six guards in the vehicle, only two of them Morrisons—one on either side of Grady in the middle seat. He guessed the BTC didn’t want to have too many Morrisons in one place in public. Twins were one thing—clones something else entirely. The two guards up front looked beefy, though. As did those in back. No doubt steroids were as crude as leeches to the BTC. They probably had something much better to pump up their soldiers. The security detail wore blue blazers and slacks—no ties. No guns visible. They looked, in fact, just like diplomatic bodyguards. There was Scotch and wine on the console in front of him, along with what now seemed like an ancient flat-screen LCD television—no holographic units here apparently. He was sorely tempted to have a belt of booze to settle his nerves, but if he could survive Hibernity, this escape should be no big deal. They couldn’t shoot him. Hedrick needed Grady alive. That’s why they were bringing him to headquarters. He just had to make sure they didn’t nox him before he pulled this off. Grady nodded to the men up front. “So we’re slumming it in the twenty-first century for the last leg, I see.” The driver gave Grady a dismissive glance in the rearview mirror. And then they were under way. With a rude jolt of acceleration that now seemed annoying, the vehicle moved through the hangar doors and out into the night. Before long they were rolling through forested countryside. Lots of deciduous trees and lush undergrowth silhouetted against a moonlit sky. Grady leaned to the side to look for landmarks in the darkness. “Where are we?” The guards cracked up. The one to Grady’s right gestured to the television. “This thing get ESPN?” The driver nodded. “Yeah. Remote’s next to it.” Moments later the TV came to life. “What channel?” “How the hell should I know? I don’t sit back there.” Grady watched in bewilderment as a commercial for dish soap came on-screen. It was surreal under the circumstances to watch a CGI sponge dancing across a gleaming kitchen countertop. Given everything that had transpired, it all looked so trivial. The guard started clicking through satellite channels. “Damn, this thing is slow.” “Welcome to tech level two.” Grady turned away from the screen. Instead, he gazed out the window. When was he going to do this? Was it better to escape in the countryside or in the city? They were moving through suburbs now. He guessed he’d have more places to hide in the city. More resources. And he had to get the evidence he was carrying to someone. That was a whole separate challenge. By now the guard manning the TV remote had navigated past cooking and travel shows. “What channel’s it on?” Another guard grabbed the remote. “It’s in the two hundreds.” He clicked onto a cable news station where a mannish woman in a suit stood before a cluster of microphones. The chyron below her read, “Richard Cotton Trial.” A couple of the guards roared in laughter, “Cotton!” The woman on TV was in midsentence. “…effort. We’re just glad Richard Cotton will finally face justice.” A guard yelled, “Put the game on. This shit’s been going on for months.” Grady watched the screen in fascination. The news cut to footage of a chained prisoner in bulky body armor and a bulletproof helmet being escorted past a phalanx of riot police. Grady recognized Cotton’s bearded face nodding to the cameras. Grady struggled to hear the news anchor’s voice over the hoots of his BTC guards. “Captured by FBI agents late last year, Cotton was transferred Thursday under heavy guard to federal district court in Chicago, where he faces trial on thirty-three counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and use of weapons of mass destruction. The leader of an antitechnology domestic terror group known as the Winnowers, Cotton has claimed responsibility for a decadelong string of bombings focused on eliminating scientists whose research he claimed was ‘an affront to God.’ He has been called a martyr by thousands of admirers for whom his antimodernity message resonates.” One guard scoffed. “Dipshits. It’s almost too easy.” On-screen Richard Cotton raised his shackled hands as far up as he could in triumph. The Morrison on Grady’s right chuckled. “What a ham.” Grady looked from guard to guard. “The FBI captured Cotton?” The guards all laughed. “You could call it that.” Grady scowled at the man. “The FBI is part of this?” “Hey, Ep, he thinks the FBI can keep a secret.” They all laughed harder. The screen suddenly changed to a baseball game—the Detroit Tigers against the Cleveland Indians. Grady looked from one guard to another, trying to figure out what they had meant. Apparently there was some joke he wasn’t in on—and which the FBI wasn’t in on either. Grady leaned forward to see a downtown skyline ahead, lights glittering atop lofty towers. There were Michigan plates on the few cars they passed. Signs on businesses and billboards for local radio stations made it clear they were heading into Detroit. Numbers and letters glowed supernaturally all around him now—his synesthesia kicking in, distracting him with its visual lures. He needed to stay focused. The time on the dashboard read “11:23 PM.” They’d been traveling for nearly fifteen minutes already. Another glance to either side. They were driving on a nearly deserted multilane highway. It was bridged over at intervals with cross streets and signs for downtown. There were grassy embankments to either side, leading up to bushes and chain-link fences, with houses and buildings beyond. He guessed they were going seventy. The guards were absorbed in the baseball game. Grady forced himself to ignore the glowing numbers littered across the TV screen. Focus. When would he do this? He had to act soon, or they might actually arrive at BTC headquarters. The Escalade signaled and changed to the slow lane. There were no cars around them at the moment. No time like the present. Grady casually picked at the “mole” on his neck, removing it. Then he opened his mouth and placed it on his tongue. The Morrison to his right gave him a disgusted look. But before the man could even speak, Grady heard a high-frequency sound as a sudden surge of pressure spread away from his own face, enveloping them both in a fog-like, translucent wave. A wave that rapidly expanded in every direction. He heard someone behind him shout, “What the—?” Moments later Grady felt as though he’d been encased in nearly transparent foam. It already filled the interior of the armored Escalade, freezing everyone in place like bugs in amber. He could hear his guards’ muffled speech to the left and right. Grady tried unsuccessfully to turn his head. He was so thoroughly enveloped by the mysterious substance that he couldn’t even wiggle his fingers. And then he noticed that the SUV was still going seventy miles an hour. Through the frozen smoke, which extended all the way to the front windshield, Grady could see that they were veering off the highway toward a grassy embankment that led up to street level. With the driver apparently unable to move a muscle—or even to let up on the accelerator—the Escalade edged up onto the shoulder. Once it touched the grass, the SUV curved away upslope. Grady heard muffled curses to the left and right of him, and watched in terror as the vehicle hurtled through a chain-link fence at the top. Then they were airborne, floating in free fall, the vehicle rolling sideways. Grady saw lights passing by outside, but after a moment of silence, the SUV thundered down onto its front right corner, doing cartwheels as the armored windows spidered and the vehicle frame twisted around them. Airbags fired, but they barely got out of their cases against the nanocloud—instead, they were forced outward against the doors, blasting two off their hinges. But through it all, Grady and the men around him floated in airy isolation, completely insulated from the shock of these impacts within the nanofog. Grady felt as though he were watching a hologram unfold all around him. The Escalade tumbled through another chain-link fence and across a grassy lot until it impacted against a tree—bringing the vehicle to a sudden, violent stop. Then there was relative quiet as dirt and pieces of debris rained down around the crash. They had landed right side up at least. But what now? Grady was still entombed in this bizarre material. He nonetheless felt himself shift in his seat against his seat belt. The moment he tried to expand the movement, he felt the nanomaterial lock him in place again. Grady tried to recall Chattopadhyay’s advice—which had been woefully brief. But what did he say to do after the material deployed? There was renewed muttered cursing near his ear… “Grady. You’re fuckin’ dead…” Move slowly toward the exit. That’s what Chattopadhyay had told him. Grady tried to slowly move his hand—and the nanomaterial relented. But the moment he sped up his movement, it locked in on him again. It was like sheer-thickening liquid then. It would resist rapid deformation but allow slower movement. Grady surmised that once coded to his chemical or genetic signature, this nanomaterial only allowed the cloud’s owner to move slowly—and all other objects would be held fast. Very interesting stuff indeed… Grady concentrated on moving slowly, and sure enough the material permitted motion. It felt like he was encased in a breathable clear gelatin as he moved, but he could move. In a few moments he had his seat belt unbuckled. He rolled slowly toward the right-side door and noticed one of the Morrison clones staring daggers at him through the nanofog. The man couldn’t even move his lips. “Fuckin’ dead, Grady…” Grady slowly gave him the finger. Then, as he slid past, Grady paused. He could see the guard’s suit coat was partially open, the man’s hand frozen in the act of grabbing a weapon from its holster. Grady moved his lips slowly. “Nice try.” Grady also noticed the edge of the man’s wallet in his coat pocket, and he slid his hand inside, encompassing it with his own hand as he withdrew it. It was still a difficult item to draw out, but after a few moments, he fumbled with the handle of the passenger door, pushed slowly outward, and finally slid through the edge of the nanofog as if being born into the world all over again. Grady tumbled out face forward onto what felt like grass. He rolled back onto his feet and was relieved to discover he could move freely now. He looked back with concern at the open doorway of the armored SUV. The nanofog made it look like the occupants were doing major bong hits inside—except that the smoke didn’t budge. He could see the guards still immobilized. Good. A glance around showed that the Escalade had hurtled across a local street onto a corporate lawn in front of a ten-story office building—most of which was dark at this hour. The Escalade had plowed through a section of chain-link fence there and slammed into a small oak tree—a surprisingly small one, considering it had stopped the armored vehicle cold and smashed the front end in. The entire length of the vehicle was mangled, its engine steaming and the electrical system dead. Grady sucked in the fresh air and scanned the streets around him. He’d done it. He was free for the first time in several years. Free of the torture. Free of the cell where he’d thought he’d end his days. He looked up at the night sky. The stars. No time. He took another deep breath of the night air—then a quick glance at his earthbound surroundings. No cars or people nearby. He could hear the occasional hiss of traffic passing on the highway below. Downtown Detroit was less populated than he’d thought it would be. He couldn’t let his synesthesia distract him. There’d be time for reveling in freedom when he’d actually escaped. There was a concrete outbuilding close at hand, slathered with graffiti, but it looked sealed up and dark. He was about forty feet off the road, and not easily visible even from the exit ramp. Grady opened the guard’s wallet and was pleasantly surprised to see currency. The BTC apparently issued them petty cash for operations like this. It felt like a decent wad, dollars and foreign currency. Grady tossed the man’s wallet and pocketed the bills. He moved behind the concrete shed, putting it between him and the road as car lights approached on the highway exit. Damn! He’d almost forgotten the most important thing: Grady dropped down onto the grass and pulled off his left shoe. He felt around until he came up with the diamond q-link tracking device that was supposed to be in his spine. It caught the reflected light in a beautiful way, briefly mesmerizing him. He closed his hand around it. Better to dispose of it someplace that would delay his pursuers. Another cautious glance around, and Grady ran along the base of the nearby office building, keeping to the shadows. He soon passed an exhaust vent for a subterranean parking structure and carefully slipped the q-link through a metal screen. He heard it ping against the sides of the shaft as it fell into the depths. That ought to buy a little time. He continued around the corner of the building and looked out across a broad stretch of empty parking lots rimmed with chain-link fencing and unkempt grass. He saw a brick church and some houses a couple hundred meters away. The whole area was flatter and emptier than he would have liked. He’d remembered cities being busier. About a quarter mile away he could see what looked like a large well-lit conference center with parking structures. A line of buses idled there with their lights on. Grady brushed the grass off and straightened his clothes. He started walking swiftly toward the huge building, approaching along a deserted service road. He glanced back but didn’t see anyone giving chase yet. As he walked, Grady pulled the wad of cash from his pocket and furtively flipped through it as he passed under a streetlamp. Euros, some Asian bills, but also about three hundred some-odd in U.S. twenties. He slid the bills back into his pants. So Richard Louis Cotton had been arrested? And from the way Grady’s guards had been talking, the FBI didn’t seem to be aware of the truth. He could feel the video projection device Chattopadhyay had given him in his right shoe, slipped in like a small arch support. He had to find somewhere to take that evidence. No doubt there would be a Detroit field office for the FBI, but Grady didn’t relish the idea of staying so close to BTC headquarters—wherever in town that was. It couldn’t be far. And no doubt they’d be crawling all over this place with seriously advanced technology once the guards managed to extricate themselves from the nanofog—or when they were noticed missing. Some minutes later Grady hopped a chain-link fence and crossed a darkened parking lot to the side of the conference center. He then followed a sidewalk back toward the brightly lit entrance of the building. As he approached, he could see children and adults in outlandish costumes standing in groups near the buses—girls in spandex tights and futuristic helmets, guys wearing robes and prosthetic noses, covered in blue makeup or wearing plastic armor as they clutched imitation laser rifles. Still others moved about in street clothes, smiling and laughing as they took pictures of cosplaying conference attendees. Grady noticed everyone wore badges on lanyards with a logo that read “Space-Con” in shimmering letters. Promotional banners for sci-fi games and TV shows hung along the conference center walls and from crossbeams. Hundreds more people poured out through the conference center doors. They all looked tired as they ambled toward a line of idling buses. Cars streamed out of the nearby parking structure. It was probably close to midnight. Grady moved along with the crowd, passing down the line of buses. He tried to divine where each bus was going, but they had only numbers that glowed in various hues to Grady, caressing him with their geometry. He tried to stay focused on reality as he approached a bus driver standing near an open door. A conference attendee dressed a s a tentacled alien chatted nearby, smoking a cigarette. The driver looked up at Grady. Grady nodded. “What time we get back?” “The Grand’s just cross town, man.” “Oh. Wrong bus, sorry.” “Which number you looking for?” Grady started walking. “No, I got it.” He pointed. “It’s over here. Sorry.” Grady walked a couple buses down to another driver. “When do we get in?” “Which stop? Lansing or East Lansing?” “East.” “About one fifteen.” “Thanks.” Grady moved to board the bus. The driver pointed. “Your badge. I need to see your badge.” “Oh, I lost it.” The man shook his head. “You need the badge to get on the bus.” “But I lost it.” Grady went through his pockets. “What do you mean you ‘lost’ it? You shoulda just left it on your neck.” “Look…” Grady pulled some money from his pocket. “How about sixty bucks?” The man shook his head. “Just go find your badge, but you got to hurry because we’re leavin’ in a few minutes.” “It’s been a long day. I mean, let me just pay for the ride.” “I don’t sell tickets, man. Why can’t you eggheads just follow rules?” “Here, consider it a tip. Just let me get home.” The guy hesitated but then furtively took the money. “Go on. Get in.” Grady moved swiftly up the steps and down the aisle. The bus was surprisingly full, with worn-out-looking con attendees leaning against one another, eyes closed. A few still had cosplay costumes on, and Grady heard snatches of their conversation as he passed by, ducking under a plastic robotic arm. “You know that pulse rifle isn’t canon for a Provincial Scout, right?” “The graphic novel was better than the show, but the book was better than the graphic novel.” Grady took the first open seat, across from a young couple dressed in matching sets of foam power armor. They were sleeping, gauntleted hands intertwined. Between them, also asleep, was a boy of about six, dressed in a monk’s robe. For the first time since his escape, Grady exhaled fully and felt the tension dissolve. The young family’s contentment helped him relax. And all at once he noticed something about the people around him. It was as though they knew, somewhere deep down, that the future was overdue. The power armor. The laser rifles. The robots. They thought they were pretending, but Grady, alone among them, knew that the future had already happened. It was as though they sensed it. They’d re-created that future in foam and rubber—determined to live in it. A slight grin stole across his face as he appraised them, and Grady no longer had any doubt. Hedrick was wrong. These people were ready for the future. Impatient even. Join us, Denise?” Special Agent Denise Davis turned to see Thomas Falwell and Dwight Wortman in the lobby of the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. She smiled. “You look happy.” “Why shouldn’t I be? Cotton will be convicted, and we’ll get to move on with our lives.” “Amen to that. You’ll probably get a promotion.” He grimaced. “You mean my old job back.” They exited through the security station and onto Dearborn. “Wallace said to keep our eyes peeled for Winnowers.” Falwell waved it away. “The Winnowers don’t want to spoil the trial. Cotton’s reveling in the media spotlight. Can you believe the play it’s getting?” “Even more reason.” They were moving now through a rush-hour crowd on the sidewalk, following the rest of her team to a neon sign that spelled out “The Berghoff” in rolling script. The joint fronted half the block, and as the group entered the high-ceilinged tavern, they moved through a crowd to an oak bar with brass rails. Dwight had already scored a few stools. “What are you guys having?” Davis shouted, “Beer. And the first round’s on me.” Some minutes later they clinked glasses of amber lager. “To the end of a long, long road.” As Davis looked into the eyes of her team, she felt content. She’d been on the Cotton case nearly seven years, Falwell ten. Remembering all the long hours, the poring through endless financial and travel records, all the boring details that investigative work entails—and then responding decisively when those rare moments of action came. She truly cared about these people. And she respected them. It was nice to know that all their hard work was about to be rewarded. Before long Davis placed her empty glass on the bar. Dwight pointed. “Another, Denise?” “Sure.” But she thumbed toward the back of the barroom. “Gotta hit the loo first.” Dwight called after her, “Keep your head on a swivel.” Falwell laughed. “Yeah, or we’ll come looking for you.” She moved through the crowd of office workers toward the restroom sign. She had a mild buzz on, and things looked good. She remembered this feeling of camaraderie from army intelligence work. You might not be thrilled about the mission, but at least you were in it together. In the restroom stall Davis daydreamed about a GS-13 Step 5 pay grade—maybe with a locality adjustment thrown in, if she could get transferred back to Denver. She might not have to live a long-distance relationship anymore. That meant serious plans. Life plans. On her way out of the restroom a man of medium build in a sweatshirt and jeans blocked her path. He looked familiar—but not in a bad way. Not threatening. Where did she remember that face from? Perhaps a witness or juror? He had the vibe of a community college professor. “Agent Davis?” “Where do I know you from? If you’re connected to the trial, we shouldn’t be talking.” “No. Agent Davis, I’m Jon Grady. One of Richard Louis Cotton’s bombing victims.” Davis frowned. “None of Cotton’s victims survived.” He stared back. “I know.” That’s when Davis saw the intensity in the man’s eyes. The nervous glance behind him. Davis stepped back and drew her Glock 17 pistol in a smooth motion, leveling it at his chest with a dual grip. “Hands!” The man raised his hands in confusion. “I don’t know who you think I—” “Shut up!” Looking past him, she realized her carelessness too late: The hallway had a bend. They were not visible to the barroom crowd. I am an idiot. “I need to talk to you, Agent Davis. I came a long way.” “I told you. Would you please stop pointing that gun at me?” She didn’t lower it. “You just told me you’re dead. I’m not in the mood for crazy today.” “I’m not crazy. Look, if you want, we can head back to the bar—and you can arrest me. That’s what I want you to do. I need your protection, and I can prove who I am.” “And who is that exactly?” “Jon Grady. My memory is a bit spotty, but I was the physicist that Richard Louis Cotton supposedly blew up in New Jersey a few years ago.” He became suddenly grim-faced. “Along with six other people.” “Edison, New Jersey.” She thought on it. “Chirality Labs.” He looked momentarily confused then nodded. “Yes. That was my company.” She made a buzzer sound. “Nnnnnttt. Wrong. There were six victims total at the Chirality bombing, not seven.” He looked confused again. She kept the gun on him. “Let’s see ID.” “I don’t have any identification. But I am Jon Grady. I can prove it, if you’ll let me.” “You can’t be Mr. Grady because we found what was left of him and the others. So forgive me if I’m skeptical. Especially because I have a terrorist group out to kill me.” “It’s not a terror group. It’s a rogue government agency. Something called the Federal Bureau of Technology Control.” Davis felt the tension disappear. “Oh my God.” She lowered her gun. “Get the hell out of my face.” “The BTC has been disappearing people like me for decades—inventors of disruptive technologies.” “For decades. Well, they apparently didn’t disappear you because here you are accosting me outside the restroom.” “I escaped. They were bringing me to their headquarters in Detroit to work on—” He reacted to her dubious look. “Look, never mind that. I came here because I saw you on the news. Richard Cotton isn’t a terrorist; he’s an agent of the BTC.” “Last warning. Leave. Now.” “I need protection.” “Fine. Call the Chicago police. You can explain it to them.” “No.” The man looked panicked. “You’re the only one I trust. They said you thought you caught Cotton. That you had no idea what was really going on. That’s why I trust you.” Davis had run into delusional paranoids before. Sadly, the legal system allowed a lot of them to run around on the streets because nobody wanted to pay for their treatment. And sensationalized criminal cases attracted them like moths to a porch light. The man nodded as he apparently deciphered the look on her face. “Okay. All right. But do me this one favor.” “No.” She started walking around him warily. The man wrapped his hand around an empty beer glass on a shelf by the pay phone next to him. Then he let go and pointed at it. “My fingerprints are now on that glass. Run those prints. And”—at that point he tore a small clump of hair from his head, which he then dropped into the glass—“here’s a sample of my DNA.” “Are we done?” “Test them. I know it’ll take time, but once you confirm who I am, I need to talk with you. Meet me”—he thought hard for a few moments—“one week from today. I’ll be in the Mathematics Library at Columbia University in New York City—eight A.M. Sit at the table across from the big gray breaker box—near the windows.” “That is not going to happen.” “It will once you confirm who I am. Remember, eight A.M., one week from today. Columbia Mathematics Library. Next to the breaker box. Come alone.” He went to leave but turned around again, walking backward as he talked. “I know you don’t believe me, but I can tell you details about the Edison bombing scene that I couldn’t possibly know if I wasn’t there.” “You mean like the wrong number of victims?” “I’m telling you: there was a seventh person there that night. He was a Princeton physics professor who came to evaluate our work. Now that I think about it, I believe he worked for the BTC.” Grady looked frustrated as he tried to recall something. Then he glanced up. “A man named Kulkarni. Sameer Kulkarni. I haven’t seen him mentioned in the news accounts. He was there. Doctor Alcot recognized him.” “Good-bye.” With that Davis left him behind. The strange man disappeared into the barroom crowd as Davis headed toward the bar. Her team was there laughing over some just finished joke. “I thought you guys were going to rescue me if I took too long.” Falwell read the look on her face and snapped alert. “What happened?” The rest of the team put their drinks down, suddenly serious. She waved her hands. “Calm down. Just some nut job came up to me outside the ladies’ restroom—claimed he was one of Cotton’s dead victims.” They all narrowed their eyes in confusion. Davis nodded. “He said the Winnowers are really a rogue federal agency. That it’s all a government conspiracy.” Most of the team laughed and shook their heads. But Falwell scanned the crowded bar. “Should we take the guy into custody?” “We can’t grab every crazy person who comes out of the woodwork after I go on television.” “Did he seem dangerous?” “I wouldn’t have let him go if he did. Just a bit loony. Said there was a seventh victim at the Edison bombing scene—some Princeton physics professor.” The others chuckled, but Falwell narrowed his eyes. “Dwight and I were going through the Edison bombing evidence last week with the prosecutor. Remember that extra tire print at the Edison scene—the one in the snow?” She thought about it. “Yeah, but it didn’t lead to anything.” “Right. The lab identified the tire—it was old. Not in common use nowadays.” Dwight nodded. “175-SR14s.” “Whatever—they were outdated. From the ’70s.” Davis leaned against the bar. “So what’s your point? That matches the Winnower M.O. They used an old car.” “Well, back then Dwight I spent a couple days reviewing traffic camera videos, and there was a car in the area that night that could have been old enough—a Mercedes.” Dwight chimed in: “A 240D.” “Right. A Mercedes 240D. And those came with SR14s as standard equipment.” Davis nodded. “Okay. I remember, but the real owner was deceased.” Falwell put his beer down. “Right. The family didn’t even know the car existed. And it hasn’t been seen since. Not even by license plate readers.” She stared at him. “So what? The Winnowers used it to go to and from the attack, then dumped it.” “That’s just it. The traffic cameras don’t have great resolution, but they showed only one person in the car—after the bombing.” She contemplated this. “Meaning in addition to Cotton and his group, someone else left the scene that night. And we never shared that detail about the extra tire tracks with the media.” “You’re starting to worry me, Thomas.” “I’m not saying the guy you saw is legit. I’m saying we may have a security leak in the federal prosecutor’s office.” That got her attention. “Mistrial?” “Cotton might be cooperating, but then again he might have other plans.” Davis stared at Falwell for a few moments. And then she pushed through the crowd, headed back toward the restrooms. In the hallway just outside, she took a cocktail napkin and carefully retrieved the empty bar glass by the phone, inserting her fingers inside it, tipping it up onto her hand. She caught the lock of hair with her other hand as it fell out. Falwell was right behind her. She held up the glass. “Run the prints on this glass. Tonight. And I want a DNA test on this hair sample…” She passed the hair to him. “Where did you get a hair sample?” “He left it behind. Supposedly to prove who he was.” “And if it matches a victim—what then?” “It could be some scheme of Cotton’s to taint the evidence—and the case.” She pointed again at the hair. “DNA.” “It’ll take five days at least. How big a problem you think this guy is?” “Look, it’s probably nothing. But after all these years, I don’t want to take any chances. Do you?” Davis stood looking over a criminologist’s shoulder in a cubicle at the crime lab in the FBI’s Chicago field office. It was past ten P.M. The tech clicked around a computer screen, marking points on an image from the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. The criminologist glanced back at her. “I found three different sets of fingerprints on your beer glass. Exhibits one and three show no IAFIS matches—or at least none with reasonable scores. But exhibit two gave us two candidate hits.” He clicked through a couple screens and a passport photo appeared in a window above the name “Jon Grady”—beneath that was a label reading “Deceased.” Falwell glanced over at Davis. “That’s not good.” The criminologist looked up at her. “You want to see candidate two? It’s a much lower score.” She shook her head. “No, thanks. Can you print that out for me?” “Sure.” He clicked the mouse a few times, and they heard the laser printer by the door spit out a couple of pages. “Thanks for the help. C’mon, Thomas.” Falwell grabbed the pages as they headed for the elevators. He held up the printed photo. “This the guy?” “So you met a ghost.” “What does this do to the case?” “I don’t know yet.” “And what was this guy claiming?” “He said they were disappearing inventors of disruptive technologies.” “Who was?” “A rogue federal agency.” Falwell chuckled. “Sure.” They got in the elevator and headed to the itinerant-agent floor, where they had offices for the duration of Cotton’s trial. She leaned against the elevator’s back wall. “Well, it’s clearly fake. We found most of this Grady guy’s right arm at the Edison scene. We had a jawbone. Teeth. A shinbone. A partial tongue. All DNA matched. And we’ve got Richard Cotton on video preparing to kill him.” “He’s up to something.” “We’ll need those DNA test results the moment they come in. And let’s put out an APB on this Grady imitator. He couldn’t have gone far.” “If he wanted to get arrested so bad, why didn’t he stick around? Why arrange a meeting all the way in New York?” “I don’t know.” She considered it. “Did Grady have a twin brother?” “Twins don’t have identical fingerprints.” The elevator doors opened, and they walked out into the guest cubicles. There were still quite a few agents moving about. Davis had put her Winnower team in a group workstation with no partitions between them, and she and Falwell took off their jackets. She stared for a moment but finally shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think we have to inform the prosecutor’s office.” She fell back into her office chair. “Thomas, you ever hear of something called the Federal Bureau of Technology Control?” He squinted. “What is that, Commerce Department?” “Have you heard of it or not?” He thought some more before finally saying, “No. Why? Who are they?” “I don’t even know if they exist.” Davis keyed her password into her laptop and then launched her Internet browser. She entered “usa.gov” on the URL line, then navigated to an A-to-Z index of government departments and agencies. She entered the term “Bureau of Technology Control” in the search box—clicked “Search.” It returned about a quarter million results. Davis scanned down the list of hits with headings like “U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security” and “Bureau of Labor Statistics.” Falwell was looking over her shoulder. “Try it enclosed in quotation marks.” She enclosed the search term and searched again. Now it returned zero results. Falwell shrugged. “Why are we looking for them?” “That Grady guy mentioned it to me. That was supposedly the federal agency that kidnapped him.” Falwell let a smile escape. “Right. If it’s a top-secret agency, I’m guessing they wouldn’t be listed in the directory.” “Look, I don’t believe his story, Thomas, but I did want to see if they were a real organization.” “Let me get this APB out.” He opened up his own laptop. “So what do we do if we don’t have him by next week?” “You mean, do we meet him at Columbia University? I want to see the DNA results first.” “You’re actually thinking of going?” “We might be, yeah.” “What about the depositions next week?” “Reschedule them.” “Denise, you’re not meeting this guy alone.” “No, of course not. We’ll use a team. It’s a university library, so there’ll be security cameras. We’ll see him coming.” She paused. “There’s something here that’s gnawing at me, though. Something about Cotton—how he could disappear for so long without a trace. And with so many faceless followers—none of whom made mistakes.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “We arrested three of his people with him.” “And none of the m seemed very bright. They all had felony drug rap sheets.” Falwell laughed ruefully. “You’re starting to worry me.” “It’s just strange, that’s all.” Just then Davis’s desk phone rang. She glanced at the LCD readout—and then did a double take. She sat up straight. “Thomas.” She held her hand above the receiver. “It’s D.C.” “FBI headquarters?” He checked his watch. She picked it up on the start of the third ring. “Denise Davis.” “Agent Davis, please hold for Deputy Director Royce.” She blanched. “Yes. I’ll hold.” Davis covered the receiver and glared at Falwell. “It’s the deputy director.” He gave her a quizzical look. “Of the FBI? ” “No, of Grease , the musical—who do you think?” Davis was on hold for about ten seconds before a man’s voice came on the line. “Denise Davis.” “You were contacted by a man claiming to be Jon Grady tonight. Is that correct?” Davis frowned at Falwell—who frowned back, probably because he had no idea what was going on. “Yes, sir. We had a positive match on fingerprints. We’re running a DNA test on a hair sample.” “Do you have any information on his present whereabouts?” “Not at the moment, sir. We’re putting out an APB.” “Don’t do that just yet. Did he say why he was contacting you?” Davis paused for a moment, then looked over at Falwell again. Then she said, “Deputy Director, I must apologize, sir, but I absolutely must respond to something. Can I phone you at your office in under a minute? I sincerely apologize, sir.” There was silence for a moment. Then, “Call me back as soon as possible, Agent Davis.” “Thank you, sir. Very sorry.” She hung up. Falwell squinted at her. “Are you nuts?” Davis stood up and started rifling through the shelves for a bureau directory. “Thomas, I don’t even want to hear it. Would you look for a directory over there?” He started navigating through the intranet directory on his laptop. “I’m confused, Denise.” “It’s past midnight in D.C. Why are they even in the office?” She glanced up at him. “Not the Web directory. I want something printed. Preferably a few years old.” “You’re really losing it.” “Ah!” She pulled a small binder off a shelf and started flipping through it. “It’d be in the front probably. Near the bureau seal…” She heard a ding as an email landed in her inbox. Davis glanced up. It was from Jeffrey Royce, deputy director of the FBI—and it was over their internal system. It was cc’d to the Chicago Special Agent in Charge, with the subject line “Priority One Special Assignment.” “Damn.” She found the FBI headquarters’ main number and pounded it into her desk phone. “I am such an idiot…” Falwell leaned down to look at her laptop screen. “Hey, you got some spam from the deputy director. Should I delete it?” “Ha. Ha.” She waited for the FBI operator to pick up. “Yes, this is Special Agent Denise Davis returning a call from Deputy Director Jeffrey Royce.” A pause. “I believe he’s still in the office.” A pause. “Yes, I’ll hold.” Falwell leaned back in his chair and spread his hands. In a moment another man answered. “Yes. Yes, I’ll hold.” And a few seconds later the deputy director picked up. “Agent Davis.” “Yes, sir. My apologies. I just needed… never mind. You were saying, sir?” “Mr. Grady asked you to meet him in New York—next week at Columbia University—is that correct?” Davis felt the shock go through her. “I… How do you know that, sir?” “We have a highly sensitive surveillance operation under way, Agent Davis. You’ll still need to be in Chicago preparing for the Cotton trial, but we’re going to put you temporarily under the direction of a special task force—and we want you to meet Mr. Grady as he requested. Your supervisors have been notified, and any scheduling conflicts will be resolved through our office. You’ll report to a safe house in New York—you’re not to contact the New York field office or discuss this with anyone except your supervisor. Is that clear?” Davis looked to Falwell uncertainly, then nodded. “I understand, sir.” “The email I just sent has instructions about where to meet your plane next week and the supervising agent for this operation. Can I count on your discretion and cooperation, Agent Davis?” “Yes, sir. But…” “I just… What’s going on, sir? Is it Jon Grady? What’s his connection to Cotton?” “I can tell you that he isn’t Jon Grady—but the rest is well above your pay grade. The only reason you’re involved is because he contacted you. But you should know he’s dangerous, and that you need to listen closely to your task force leader when you reach New York. Can I count on you, Agent Davis?” She took a deep breath. “Yes, sir. Yes, of course you can count on me.” Graham Hedrick sat in his office chair gazing out at Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor. Junks and container ships plied the glittering water below. His jaw clenched as he listened to the report on Grady’s escape. “Grady didn’t do this alone, Mr. Director. He was helped.” The head of Jon Grady’s security detail, a Morrison named Beta-Upsilon, stood nervously before Hedrick’s desk. The elder Morrison stood nearby looking even angrier than Hedrick felt. “We had no reason to expect he’d have a personal utility fog.” Morrison barked, “Did you scan him before transport?” “Be advised: I will check the surveillance log.” “We scanned him, sir.” “Then I’m not understanding. Do you mean someone on your team helped Mr. Grady?” “No, sir. Someone at Hibernity must have helped him. That van was clean. The hypersonic transport was clean.” Morrison got in his face. “You’re suggesting the guards at Hibernity had access to unregistered foglets?” “I don’t know, sir.” “The garrison there doesn’t even have access to tech level eight.” Hedrick rotated his chair to face the young BTC officer. Morrison placed a glittering diamond on Hedrick’s desk. “The response team found Grady’s q-link in a ventilation shaft.” Hedrick picked up the diamond, studying it—then looked up at the young Morrison clone. “Am I to believe Jon Grady dug this out of the base of his spine on the spot?” “And how did he even know about his q-link?” Varuna’s voice chimed in from above. “Beta-Upsilon is speaking the truth to the best of his knowledge, Mr. Director.” Morrison glowered. “An honest idiot is still an idiot.” “Dad, we had no way of anticipating—” “I sprayed surveillance dust onto the headliner. I know you were all watching the Tigers game instead of the prisoner. I have the whole god-awful mess on video. Grady had unregistered utility foglets collapsed on his person, and you didn’t spot them.” “The scanner said he was clean.” “Some clever son of a bitch manufactured unregistered nanotech. That’s why you have to do this thing we call ‘searching’ prisoners. With your eyes and hands.” “We patted him down.” “And how much cash did he take from your wallet?” The guard looked suddenly sheepish. “Uh, I don’t…” “Yes, I saw that, too. How much?” “Probably four or five hundred in dollars, sir.” “Maybe half that in other currencies.” “You really make me ashamed of my genomic sequence.” “Don’t try that ‘Dad’ crap on me.” Morrison looked to Hedrick. “And someone tipped off Grady not to take the guards’ equipment. We have no direct method to track him.” “Enough. Get him out of my sight.” Hedrick dismissed the guard with a wave of his hand. The young man nodded grimly and left; the doors opened and then immediately closed behind him. Hedrick sighed. “Varuna, reassign Beta-Upsilon and his team to the Hibernity garrison for a year.” Morrison came up alongside Hedrick’s chair to gaze out the window at the faux Hong Kong below. “Who is the warden at Hibernity, Mr. Morrison?” “Theta-Theta.” “We need new leadership there, apparently. And a top-to-bottom review of their operation.” “How could they get their hands on a utility fog? That’s advanced weaponry.” “I don’t think they did.” Morrison cast a confused look at Hedrick. “Min Zhao is in Hibernity.” “He perfected foglets less than a decade ago.” “You really think prisoners are creating their own technology? Prisoners?” “But…” Morrison pondered this gravely. “I don’t see how it’s possible.” Hedrick felt a fear he could hardly contemplate. “Your number-one priority at the moment, Mr. Morrison, is to find Jon Grady. Escaped, Mr. Grady is an existential threat to this organization. I don’t think either of us relishes the idea of a gravity weapon like Kratos in the hands of our enemies.” “When we locate him, I suggest we fry him from orbit.” “No. I still need him alive. If he won’t work for us voluntarily, we have no choice but to use force. But it appears his consciousness is truly unique. So I want him captured. Is that clear?” Morrison nodded. “I’ll need a higher tech level approved for the forward team.” “I don’t want you annihilating city blocks to get at him. Nonlethal weapons only. And no publicity. I’ll allow tech level four.” “Four? They’ll barely be able to overpower the authorities.” “Then they’ll need to be smarter this time. I can’t have any more advanced technology going missing. Tech level four will be sufficient. Is that clear?” Morrison sighed in irritation but nodded. He turned to leave. Morrison halted. “Once you’ve got Grady, I want you to pay a surprise visit to Hibernity—in force.” “Do we clean house?” Hedrick picked up a small model that he kept on his desk. It was supposedly of his first fusion reactor design. “Yes. And I want a manual prisoner count.” “That’s a big job. Opening up every cell will take—” “I want you to lay eyes on him —personally.” Morrison studied Hedrick. “Archibald Chattopadhyay is dead. His cell has been dormant for a decade. No food. No water. He’s entombed in nine hundred feet of solid rock.” “I want you to lay eyes on him.” “There’s no way he could have—” Morrison stared for a moment, then nodded. At that moment the office doors opened to admit Alexa. Both men looked up; Hedrick brightened at the sight of her. “What is it, my dear?” “The deep packet AIs have a lead on our Mr. Grady.” Hedrick felt the relief wash over him. “Well done. Where?” “Last night an FBI agent in Chicago ran fingerprints on a suspect and got a match for Jon Grady.” Hedrick slammed his hand on his desk. “Then they have him.” “No. And an FBI agent started doing Internet searches for the ‘Federal Bureau of Technology Control.’” Hedrick scowled. “It was the arresting agent in the Richard Louis Cotton case: one Denise Davis.” Hedrick looked shocked. “You don’t think Cotton has—?” “No. Cotton’s a lot of things, but he’s not an idiot. His sense of self-preservation is legendary.” Morrison nodded to himself. “Chicago’s just a few hours by car from here.” She turned toward Hedrick. “This Davis woman has been all over the media lately for the Cotton trial. Perhaps Grady saw her and thought he could trust her.” Hedrick motioned impatiently. “Do we know where Grady is?” “We know where he was.” Alexa brought up a holographic video window that showed thousands of video thumbnails all running simultaneously. “I had the AIs go back through the last twenty-four hours of street-level surveillance on all systems they could access within five miles of Agent Davis’s location in downtown Chicago, looking for Jon Grady’s likeness in the streets. A lot of federal and city cameras in the area, so we had good coverage.” “No hits on Jon Grady.” Hedrick threw up his hands. “I decided to do a search for Agent Davis’s movements, figuring he must have followed her for a while, waiting for the right moment to make contact. And that’s when I found this…” She selected and then expanded a single video image and froze it. The surveillance camera image wasn’t anywhere near as detailed as what the BTC’s cameras could produce, but it was clear enough. It showed a woman with short hair walking with several men in suits on a crowded Chicago sidewalk. The woman was highlighted by the system in a red rectangular box. But Alexa pointed to a man walking several yards behind her, wearing jeans and a hoodie. The man’s face was notable in the crowd because it was obscured by pinpoints of blinding light. Hedrick frowned in confusion. “What am I looking at? And how could a person be walking in a crowd with such bright lights without drawing attention?” Alexa looked up. “Varuna, can you explain what the subject in this image is wearing?” The disembodied voice of the AI said, “Yes, Alexa. It is an exploit first seen in Hibernity prison, used by prisoners to defeat early facial recognition systems.” Hedrick narrowed his eyes. “Used by prisoners?” “Correct. The device consists of goggles punctuated by near-infrared LEDs emitting at roughly eight hundred fifty nanometers, which can be found in common motion sensors. This light is invisible to the human eye but matches the spectral sensitivity of CMOS or CCD cameras or other silicon-based photo detectors. When placed around the face, these make it impossible to obtain accurate measurements on the spacing and shape of a subject’s facial features.” Hedrick turned back to Morrison meaningfully. “Grady’s obviously received assistance. There is something going on at Hibernity.” Alexa looked between the two of them. “What makes you think that?” “Mr. Morrison will handle it, Alexa. You just concentrate on locating Mr. Grady.” “Without facial recognition, it’ll be difficult.” “What about this Agent Davis?” “From the moment of her fingerprint match on Grady, she’s been under surveillance by AIs—microphones in her laptop and cell phone, the works. Apparently Mr. Grady requested that she meet him in the Columbia University Mathematics Library a week from today. I took the liberty of using AIs to instruct her through official channels to meet with Grady in New York. She’s to report to a special task force.” Alexa swept her hand through the air and dropped a virtual document onto Hedrick’s desktop. He examined the document—an email from the deputy director of the FBI ordering Denise Davis to report to a task force safe house. “If we know where Grady is going to be, why involve her?” “Grady might not show if he doesn’t see her.” Hedrick looked up from the document. “But why New York?” Alexa closed all the holographic windows. “Back when Bertrand Alcot was a physics professor at Columbia, he took Mr. Grady under his wing—mentored him. Grady never attended, but he spent time there. I’m guessing he still has friends in the area—or he knows of someplace there where he can go to ground.” “Set AIs loose on any communities of interest his past activity might generate. See what they turn up. Past addresses, run geolocation on his phones for the past ten years. I want anyone he’s ever been with under surveillance.” Hedrick then turned to Morrison. “Prep your people to become this FBI unit. Grab him when he shows.” Morrison nodded. “You still need him alive?” “Yes, damnit!” Hedrick looked back to Alexa. “Excellent job.” “I’d like to go on that operation, Graham.” He looked surprised. “That’s not up to me, Alexa.” Hedrick turned to Morrison. “I feel I’ve earned the right to go on this operation. Mr. Grady represents a grave risk to the BTC and society at large. I think he’ll listen to me.” “Ah, you’re going to charm him, like you did to so many in the old days?” Hedrick shook his head vigorously. “You’re too valuable, Alexa. It can’t be risked.” Morrison added, “And we don’t need your help.” Hedrick took her by the elbow. “I need your people monitoring Agent Davis’s every move. Look how well you’ve done so far on the intelligence side.” Morrison gave Alexa a sly smirk. Alexa focused on Hedrick. “I was a top field operative. It’s what I’m good at. Why won’t you let me do what I’m good at?” “You’re much too valuable.” She studied him and then turned to exit. His words followed her. “You’re dismissed.” Rogue Agency The Raven Rock Mountain Complex was intended to deal with end-of-the-world scenarios. For that reason it always put Bill McAllen on edge. Known officially as Site R, it was a continuity of government (or COG) bunker complex in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, not far from the Maryland border. One of many such bunkers built during the Cold War, it had been augmented and expanded over the decades. It was now sometimes called the Underground Pentagon because it served as an emergency command center for various U.S. defense agencies, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the event of a major national crisis. As McAllen drove down what seemed like miles of concrete-lined tunnels in an otherwise empty, chauffeured twelve-seat electric cart, he couldn’t stop thinking that this was where some of the last humans might remain alive in the event of global thermonuclear war. Or an asteroid strike. Or a pandemic—name your Armageddon, they probably had a standard-operating-procedures binder for it on a shelf somewhere down here. But the four times he’d been here in the past had been for COG training. Today wasn’t training. The cart stopped in the tunnel next to an open three-foot-thick steel blast door, flanked by armed sentries. He stepped off and was met by a female army lieutenant from the U.S. Army’s 114th Signal Battalion. “This way, Deputy Secretary.” Without waiting for him, she moved quickly through bunkeresque office corridors devoid of people. He hurried to keep up. After walking past dozens of identical metal doors marked with numbers and letters, she finally turned a corner where a podium with the Pentagon seal stood on a dais before dozens of chairs. Several generations of television broadcasting equipment were mothballed against the back wall, but sitting in the chairs were lots of sharp-looking young men and women in suits, tapping away at laptops. None of them so much as glanced up. The lieutenant gestured for McAllen to follow her as she approached a conference room flanked by two more armed sentries. She knocked and after a moment entered, moving aside for McAllen. “Deputy Secretary McAllen is here, Madam Director.” “Bill!”< In the concrete-walled boardroom McAllen could see several senior representatives of the DHS, NSA, CIA, and Defense Department sitting around a huge and absurdly durable-looking oak table. At its head sat their penultimate boss, Director of National Intelligence Kaye Monahan, a petite woman in her sixties who nonetheless had a commanding presence. McAllen was well aware this small woman had, as U.S. ambassador, more than held her own in brass-knuckle dealings with the Chinese senior leadership. She’d been in the intel community long before that. And she was principled—which McAllen found appealing in a longtime D.C. political player. The army lieutenant departed, closing the door behind her. There was a vigorous debate already under way around the conference table. Director Monahan motioned for him to sit in an open seat next to her. “Come here and help me talk some sense into these guys.” McAllen took his seat while the raucous discussion continued. “Kaye, you know damn well no one has the complete picture. That’s what compartmentalization’s all about.” The deputy director of the CIA was a jowly Virginian in his sixties, sipping a Diet Coke as he scowled across the table. “Compartmentalizing an SAP is one thing, but a whole goddamned bureau?” A gaunt, intense man, whom McAllen remembered from his days at the NSA, spoke from the far end of the table. “It wasn’t a bureau back when it started. It was a project. And in any event, it was the Company that launched it.” The CIA guy cast a look at him. “It could just as well have been any of us.” Director Monahan added, “I never heard anything about it while I was at Langley. I knew we had black tech, but…” The CIA guy gestured to the walls. “Look around you. This is what they were doing in the Cold War—big stuff. Do you realize how much two hundred billion a year for half a century buys you? The president himself doesn’t have the clearance to know about half these programs. There are a million people with top-secret classifications in this country, Kaye. And some of those folks live in a completely different world—even from us. It’s the nature of the covert sector. Back in the ’60s someone put the BTC in charge of regulating advanced technologies, and it snowballed. It looks like they left us all behind.” She sipped coffee from an absurdly elegant cup and saucer—legacy ware from the Kennedy administration. “Well, Bill here took the meeting with them—if that’s what you could call it—and I just about had him and the other two certified when I read his report.” The NSA guy remained expressionless. “I read it. We’ve known since ’98 that the BTC had perfected holographic projection at molecular scales. We think it’s done with phased array optics and plasma emission. But no one really knows.” McAllen raised his eyebrows. “It looked damned real to us.” The CIA guy grimaced. “That’s a toy compared to what else they have.” Monahan scowled. “There needs to be some accountability. We need to review what technology they’re sitting on that could provide the United States with a technological edge. China’s nipping at our heels.” “The BTC might argue that what they’re doing is keeping the tech out of China’s hands.” “There is a technology transfer problem in the private sector.” She put the cup and saucer down. “Well, pardon me, Mike, but I like a bit less authoritarianism in my democracy. The BTC wasn’t put in charge of policing the world.” “Who’s to stop them?” “They might have advanced technology, but if we bring CIA, DOD, NSA, and DHS together—focus our collective efforts—we should be able to bring them to heel.” The NSA and CIA guys exchanged looks. The NSA guy shook his head. “You’re forgetting that they provide a good deal of valuable intelligence to the three-letter crowd. Rumor is that they’ve made some serious advances in quantum computing and communications. Maybe even human-level AIs.” CIA spoke grimly. “You’re not going to sneak up on them. They’ve compromised ECHELON, SWICS—just about everything. They’re in your network, too. Count on it. They’re reading your emails, Kaye.” The NSA man shrugged. “They seem to be able to break any code. That’s probably why they always seem to know about what’s going on and where. We need to keep them on our side.” “How would you even know if they are? I’ve heard that the BTC has splintered into overseas factions now.” “Look, you’re stirring up a shit storm.” Monahan frowned. “We need to find where they moved their operations, and we need to act.” The NSA guy just stared. “Knowing their base of operations isn’t going to help you.” “Of course it is. We could start monitoring their activities, just like they monitor ours. We could set up an air gap network they don’t know about. Another SAP.” “This is how it starts…” The NSA man sighed. “Knowing where they are didn’t help us.” “You know where they’re headquartered?” “Yeah. I’ll tell you: Their headquarters is in the middle of downtown Detroit. A forty-story building from the ’60s that’s so bland you barely see it.” “In Detroit?” “You wanna hide the world’s most advanced technology center where no one will find it—where else do you put it? But let me save you some headaches: They don’t communicate in the electromagnetic spectrum, or fiber, or any other technology known to us. We’ve had receivers focused on that building for decades. Nothing. So we tried to cut in. Did seismic work and found that their building goes sixty stories underground—that we know of.” “Sixty stories?” “That’s not all. Our whole team disappeared right after we scanned it. That same day the spy satellite we were focusing on them went AWOL. And then all the data we had on them disappeared from our network, too. Replaced by photos of our children asleep in bed—taken from inside our homes.” “We need to figure out some way to rein them in.” “Risky. You won’t find it in any reports, but this has been tried before. Talk to some retired directors. When it comes to the BTC, you’re not just playing with fire; you’re playing with plutonium, Kaye.” The CIA guy nodded. “Our science people estimate they have a fifty- to sixty-year technological edge. And it’s accelerating. But hey, look at the bright side: They’ve been smoothing out the bumps for more than fifty years now. And it doesn’t look like they’ll allow a nuclear war to take place—and don’t even ask why I know that because I can’t tell you. Suffice it to say that they’re keeping an eye on the long-term picture—do you want that job? Because I know I don’t. I’ve got my hands full just putting out fires.” “No one should have so much power.” “They already know what you’re up to.” He pointed at McAllen. “You sent Bill up there, and they gave you their answer.” At that they all turned to McAllen. Monahan drummed her fingers on the table. “Well, Bill, you’re the only one who’s seen this Graham Hedrick person. What’s your read on him?” McAllen stroked his chin. “I wouldn’t say I saw him, but I saw an image of him.” “All right then, what’s your read on that?” “He was full of himself. Didn’t seem the least bit concerned about what we did or did not do.” “What do you think will happen if we let them be?” McAllen took a deep breath. “I think their technological lead will grow, and they’ll be in a position to dictate the course of human events for generations to come. And I think that’s not okay. Not okay at all.” The Twins gave Davis the creeps. That’s what she’d taken to calling the nearly identical tall, blond, muscle-bound men with thick necks who supervised her on the special task force. They were, in fact, the only members of the task force she’d seen thus far. One was named Todd, the other Jason. In their mid- to late twenties, they nonetheless wielded authority as if they’d been born to it. As if those around them were truly their inferiors—like some FBI version of the Winklevoss twins. And she had never heard of twins working together in the FBI. These guys were clearly jacked in with Washington because they seemed to operate without having to clear things with anyone. Neither did they have budgetary problems. And they’d requisitioned her from the middle of preparations for a major public trial without so much as a peep from her bosses. She and the Twins were sitting in a suite of windowless offices in Columbia University’s International Affairs Building at the corner of Amsterdam and 118th Street—a ten-story concrete building that seemed to have been modeled on a steam radiator. It was located on the far side of the Morningside campus from where she was supposed to meet Grady. They’d kept a very low profile for the past two days. As Davis sat, bored, the Twins both talked on cell phones with unseen elements of the task force, finalizing details. Apparently they had people out there somewhere who were ready to back her up on a moment’s notice. Still, the asymmetry in information was alarming. They hadn’t told her a goddamn thing since she’d arrived. One of the Twins hung up. She could never tell them apart. Even when they reclarified their names, it quickly devolved into a game of “two-card monte” the moment they moved. She cleared her throat and looked at her watch. “So it’s seven thirty now. It’ll take me fifteen minutes to walk there; I need to be briefed.” Todd—or Jason—looked confused but then nodded. “Right. Agent Davis, we really just need you to go to the meet. You know the route to the Mathematics Library. You’ve seen the floor plan, and you’ve seen the photographs of the table you’re to sit at.” “Yes, but I was told he was a dangerous suspect.” Todd nodded. “Okay.” He shrugged. “Then be careful.” “I don’t know where my backup is. We haven’t gone over radio protocols, emergency signals—” She threw up her hands in exasperation. “I’d like a little reciprocity. I convinced this Grady guy to come here for a meeting. Now maybe you can tell me how the hell it is he’s still alive, and what that means to the very high-profile criminal prosecution I’m part of. I mean, I charged Richard Cotton with Grady’s murder, and now I’m going to meet Grady. Do you see why I might need to know what’s going on?” He gave her a blank look. “No.” “Toss me a bone, Todd. Or Jason.” “The only thing you need to know is that this is a matter of national security.” “I’ve been chasing Cotton for years. I need to know how he’s connected to Grady—how he’s really connected to him.” “It might interest you to know that the SAIC of the Newark office has recommended you for promotion. We can make sure you get transferred to Denver. Is that where Tracy is? Your girlfriend?” She was taken aback. “How do you know I want to be transferred to Denver? How do you know about Tracy?” He just stared at her. “Just do your job. Help us capture Mr. Grady without incident, and you’ll be well thought of in high places. And that’s how the world works. Are we clear, Agent Davis?” She just stared. “We have the math library wired. And we’ll have eyes on you at all times. Armed agents will be seconds away.” “But no one undercover in the library itself?” He shook his head. “Not necessary.” Another glance at her watch. “You probably won’t even meet him. We have spotters for blocks in every direction. The moment he appears, we’ll grab him.” Davis tried to think of any last questions. “And how do I know when it’s over?” “We’ll call your cell. Then we put you on a plane back to Chicago. You get promoted. And after the trial you get transferred to Denver, to live out your alternative American Dream.” He stared at her expectantly. She nodded absently. “Nice working with you.” Davis had expected the Columbia University Mathematics Building to have an actual name. A name other than Mathematics Building. But apparently mathematicians weren’t as poetic as all that. Or no one had ponied up the dough for naming rights, and since it was one of the oldest buildings on campus—having been built in the 1890s—it was unlikely anyone would now. The building was a stately neoclassical four-story redbrick structure accented with granite. Davis had been able to discover that the Mathematics Library was a specialized collection—not part of the main campus library. It was also one of the few libraries on campus without ID check-in. This seemed relevant. Why Grady had chosen this place among all places to meet had preoccupied her and Falwell for quite some time, and this was a likely cause. While it was true Grady hadn’t attended Columbia, his business partner in Chirality Labs, Bertrand Alcot, had been head of the Columbia physics department for decades—his office not a hundred yards to the north in Pupin Hall. Grady no doubt spent time here on an unofficial basis—he was arrested for trespassing at one point. The charges were dropped, and that was probably due to the friendly intervention of Professor Alcot. Davis would have done more research, but the Twins didn’t seem to want her thinking any more than necessary. She glanced at her watch as she approached the building’s main entrance. Seven fifty-four. A few minutes early. She took a few moments to read an oxidized bronze plaque on the side of the building and was surprised to learn that this had been the site of the Battle of Harlem Heights in 1776. A valiant loss for George Washington. She wondered if other countries commemorated their losses. Edified, Davis entered and headed up the stairs and to the left. The math library was a modest utilitarian space, a long narrow room with desks and study tables running along a wall punctuated by tall, shaded windows that had a good view down onto Broadway. The stacks were toward the back and around the corner, dimly lit, narrow, and crammed, no doubt, with esoteric math tomes. A few computer workstations stood against the back wall, also unoccupied. The little library didn’t look popular, and early on a Tuesday morning, even less so. It was deserted. Davis could see the desk Grady had mentioned—across from a large gray metal breaker box. The table, like all the others, was unoccupied, and so she sat. A glance to the right and she realized anyone in buildings across the street would be able to see that she’d sat down. There were hundreds of windows across Broadway from which she’d be visible. She looked at her watch. Eight A.M. on the dot. How would he contact her? Would he contact her? Davis gazed around the library but didn’t see anyone—although she could hear a couple of older women (presumably staff) talking around the corner. She had to hand it to the Twins; there was no one within sight of her. She actually did feel like she’d come alone. Perhaps the task force had already grabbed Grady. How long would it take them to tell her if they had? Given the Twins’ attitude toward subordinates, she guessed quite a while. So she started gazing out the window—making sure her face was visible to anyone watching out there. She shifted restlessly in her chair. Then she heard a voice from close by. “Agent Davis. I’m glad you came.” She snapped a look forward and back but didn’t see anyone around her. “Down here. The vent near the floor.” Davis looked down beneath the table, where a Victorian cast-iron grate pierced the wall near the baseboard. She leaned down. “Mr. Grady?” She was impressed. “Apparently you know this building well. Is that why you called the meeting here—you didn’t trust me?” “It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s the BTC. They probably know by now that I’ve contacted you, and they’re probably watching.” She raised her eyebrows. “How would this BTC know? I haven’t told anyone about you.” “You ran lab tests. I think they probably have eyes on anything touching the Cotton case.” “Never mind how. I need you to listen to me.” “Has anything strange happened since Chicago? Has anyone contacted you?” That gave her pause. In a moment she shook her head. “No.” “Good, but we still need to be careful.” “Okay.” She looked around. “Where are you? How do I get to you?” “We’ll have to assume they’re watching. So once you start—move fast. But listen carefully first: There’s an emergency stairwell door just to your left, next to the breaker box. Do you see it?” She saw a white metal door with a square fire-rated window in it across the room. “Yes.” “Go through that door. It’ll set off an alarm. Ignore it. Follow the stairs to the basement. Then go right. At the end of the hall you’ll see a huge steel door with rivets in it—something from a bygone era. It has a red sign on it that says, ‘No Unauthorized Access.’” “I left it unlocked for you. Go through it, and I’ll meet you on the other side. Move quickly, Agent Davis. Go now.” Despite herself Davis was starting to think that some one-on-one time with Grady away from the Twins’ task force was tempting. As crazy as Grady sounded, he was clearly important to folks in Washington, and she needed to know what his real connection was to Cotton. Maybe somebody was taking crazy people and using them to cover up something. But then there was always the chance that this was an ambush arranged by the Winnowers… “Before I do that, I have one question, Mr. Grady…” Controller Mu-Tau manned a holographic surveillance system in the tactical operations center at the BTC Detroit office. Before him was a holographic projection of the entire Columbia University Mathematics Library, with a miniature Denise Davis leaning forward at a study desk, as though inside a living dollhouse. Invisible audio-video nanoparticles had been sprayed into a network across the walls and ceiling of the room days before, giving him the ability to view every inch of the place in a live feed at submillimeter detail. He had a series of sound equalizers showing dozens of audio sources coming in from every vector. He spun the image around and spoke through his q-link to the harvester team he was supporting. “Alpha, be advised; Davis is speaking with someone.” A voice came over the q-link, the metadata for the transmission automatically identifying the speaker—it was Eta-Kappa. “TOC, there’s no one else in the room.” Mu zoomed in to make Davis grow life-size in front of him. There was still perfect clarity. He spun the image around and saw that she was definitely talking to someone. He brought up the volume. “Where are you planning on going?” “Look, now is not the time to have this conversation. Just do what I asked.” Mu shook his head and spoke into his q-link. “Negative, Alpha, I’m telling you she’s already talking with him.” An alert appeared on his screen. “AI just gave a positive match on Grady’s voice. The target subject is in contact.” “TOC, we’re scanning every radio frequency. There are a couple of cell phones in the room, a Wi-Fi a few doors down, but no transmissions, encrypted or otherwise.” Mu flipped the image to infrared and saw only Davis’s heat source. Then he flipped it to ultraviolet. No one hiding with diffraction gear. “I don’t see any invisible objects, but I’m telling you, he’s talking with her. He’s right there. He’s got some advanced tech we don’t know about.” Mu turned to another holographic display showing a 3D real-time video map of the campus outside the Mathematics Building in miniature, with the locations of all the nearby BTC agents, marked with blue dots, as well as civilians moving about. Eta was tagged in an office on the top floor of the Mathematics Building, along with half a dozen other operators. There were no gaps in the perimeter. “I’m telling you, he’s there. Jam all wireless communications in a quarter-mile radius, and cordon off the building. Teams Alpha, Charlie, and Echo, move in. Clear every room and maintain a perimeter. No one goes in or out. Nox everyone you come in contact with, and secure both Davis and Grady when you find them. Do you copy?” “Echo copies, TOC.” “Alpha copies.” “Charlie copies.” “Execute, execute, execute.” As the blue dots converged on the library, Mu looked to the surveillance hologram. Agent Davis sprang up from the desk and ran to the stairwell door. “Be advised, Davis is leaving the library at speed”—he flipped to the building’s own (much poorer quality) security cameras—“moving down stairwell two.” “Copy that, TOC.” As Davis sprinted down the uneven stone steps, she winced against the piercing emergency door alarms. She kept going down—two floors into the basement. A glance up told her there were cameras, but she ignored them. She couldn’t hear a thing above the wailing of the fire alarms. She wondered what the Twins would have to say about this. Bad career move. She certainly knew Tracy wouldn’t approve. Good-bye, Denver. Through the door, Davis ducked right and started running down a long utility corridor, its floor painted red. Up ahead she couldn’t miss her objective: a truly massive metal door with a “No Unauthorized Access” sign. The thing looked positively Victorian, with massive hinges and rivets. She sprinted toward it and yanked on the thick metal handle. The door swung open with a groan, and in her rush to enter she almost flung herself down a flight of crude stone steps leading into yet another subbasement. In the nick of time she grabbed onto an iron railing and caught herself. “Careful.” She looked up to see Jon Grady standing off to the side, a small rucksack on his back. “Yeah, thanks for the warning.” He pulled the door closed, then rammed a dead bolt home with a loud click-clack . “Follow me. We need to keep moving.” Davis stayed on his heels down steps worn from the passage of many feet and years. At the bottom was a winding corridor lined with more steam and water pipes and electrical conduits, and also cluttered with moving dollies, sawhorses, cardboard boxes for computer equipment and fiberglass insulation, piles of lumber, tarpaulins, electrical cabling—there was stuff everywhere. Twin grooves in the center of the stone floor led off down the corridor, which was lit by bare fluorescent fixtures at intervals. “Steam tunnels. Old. Really old. Those slots in the floor were for coal carts.” Davis stayed close to Grady. He seemed to know where he was going, and as they rounded a corner, she couldn’t believe how far the next corridor stretched into the distance. “These connect the buildings.” “Most of them, yeah.” “How did you know about this?” “To be honest, I can’t remember. My memory’s blank in spots. But I do seem to know.” “Alcot. He’s why you came here. You spent time here—but you weren’t a student?” He shook his head. “I’m not good with structure. I prefer to do things unofficially. But he helped me. Now I want to help him.” “You’re saying Doctor Alcot is alive, too?” “I’m hoping so.” Two Morrison clones in hockey jerseys and jeans raced through the basement corridors, delta-wave guns at the ready, as the fire alarms wailed. They rounded a corner to see a dozen other Morrisons like themselves, but in various outfits and hairstyles—beards, crew cuts, and ponytails—converging on the same place, in front of the huge steel door. The fire alarms finally stopped. They all lowered their weapons as one of them, wearing ratty army surplus pants and a T-shirt, kicked the massive steel door in their path. “Fuck!” “The rest of the building’s clear.” The angry Morrison was still kicking the door. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” “Eta, we shouldn’t be bunching up like this. The old man would have our asses if he knew how many of us were gathered in public.” “Fuck off, Rho. They went through this goddamned door.” Rho stowed his weapon and brought up a hologram. “It’s not even on the tactical plan.” “Goddamned right it’s not. TOC fucked up again.” Rho spoke over his q-link. “TOC, we’ve got a steel door blocking pursuit of the target subjects. This door is not on the tactical plan.” “Copy that, Rho-Sigma. Will advise, please stand by.” “Advise, my ass. I’m gonna delete the AI asshole that did this to us, I swear to God.” “We’ve gotta bring this door down.” Eta turned on him. “Yeah? Tech level four, nonlethal, and you’re gonna bring down a steel gate?” He kicked the door again for good measure. It was like kicking the side of a locomotive. A voice came over their radios. “TOC to Team Charlie, Team Echo. Redeploy to indicated coordinates.” Eta ignored the call as the others started to move. Instead, he was rummaging through his cargo pockets. Rho called back to him. “Eta!” “I’ll be damned if I’m going back to Dad empty-handed.” He produced a small black cube wrapped in a translucent material. The others had stopped and were looking on, intrigued. Rho approached. “Is that what I think it is?” “Better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission…” “Where the hell did you get that?” “Never mind where I got it.” TOC’s voice came over the radio again. “TOC to Team Charlie—” Eta silenced his q-link.. “You are way off reservation, kemosabe.” “Stop being such a pussy.” He rubbed the surface of the steel door clean of debris and then pressed the small black cube onto it. The device stuck in place. “We are getting through this door, and we are getting Grady.” “That’s illicit nanotech. We’re not authorized to—” “Terminal kinematic mechanosynthesis. I promise it won’t destroy the world.” He shoved Rho back and stared him down. “This mission is not failing. Do you read me?” The others remained silent. Eta raised a mass spectrometer wand, scanning the walls with a broad green laser beam. A hologram appeared above his wrist, listing possible manufacturing options given nearby materials. He looked up from the display and smiled. “Chain golem it is…” He tapped several menus, and the black cube suddenly cast a blinding light as it sank into the steel door—eating through it like fire through paper with a deafening sizzling sound. As it did so, white-hot light wavered menacingly. Ribbons of black material started streaming down from the edges of the expanding burn site. These ribbons then curled back up and started knitting themselves into a series of chain links. Unlike in a regular chain, these seemed not to be looped together. Instead, they regrouped and re-formed magnetically or by some other method not clearly understood by anyone present. The links kept piling up, then coming together to form still larger groups of links that began to move collectively with purpose. Already most of the steel door was consumed, and the process began to eat into the hinges and frame. Flakes of rust and dirt had fallen free from the reaction, gathering on the floor in a pile. But by then the kinematic automaton stood, its metal feet clattering on the concrete floor, like a barrel full of chain mail. Eta pointed through the opening and looked at the chain golem’s face of seething chain links. “Double time. Human target. Hunt acoustically…” Looking at the extent of the tunnel ahead and behind, Davis thought out loud. “New York division would have known to watch these tunnels.” He cast a look back at her. “What do you mean?” “It’s just… I’m surprised they don’t have these tunnels guarded.” “It’s not the FBI. It’s the BTC. They might have better technology, but they don’t always seem to know how to use it.” “Subbasement of Pupin Hall—the physics building. That much I do remember.” “Did you travel down here a lot?” “It got me into buildings. I think I lived in Pupin Hall’s basement. There was a way into the tunnel system from there.” They were now coming out into a much more modern utility corridor lined with color-coded foot-wide steam pipes with labels like “Low Press Steam” and “Chilled Water Sup” and arrows showing the direction of flow. Above and below these were orderly bundles of power and data conduits curving around a bend a hundred or more feet ahead. “Mr. Grady, you need to tell me what’s really going on.” “I know I sound crazy, but everything I told you in Chicago was true. The BTC exists, and they’re very dangerous.” “But why would they choose you? No offense, but you don’t exactly have a record of scientific achievement.” He looked back at her. “They made sure of that. But they knew what I was working on. They have AIs that try to find people who fit a pattern—disruptive innovators. People like me.” Davis pondered Cotton’s list of undistinguished victims at unknown companies. “The BTC was created back in the ’60s, and they’ve been hoarding major technological advances for decades. If you knew just how advanced human technology really is, Agent Davis… well, you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.” He turned right down a branch in the passage. They had to duck under a convergence of pipes. “Watch out for these. They’re hot.” On the far side she asked, “But why would the BTC cover up new technologies? Money?” “They don’t need money. Their quantum computers eat the stock market for lunch. No, they think they’re protecting society from disruptions caused by sudden innovations. If somebody somewhere comes up with a technology they think will disrupt the existing order, they grab them. Neutralize them.” “They actually kidnap them?” He glanced back at her as they ran. “They made hundreds of clones of this one guy named Morrison—some top Special Forces soldier back in the ’80s.” “Oh, come on…” “I’m not joking. Keep an eye out for him. I met the original Morrison—he’s sixty or so, but his clones are much younger. Tall blond guys with thick necks. Like ugly Fabios.” Davis felt a wave of shock pass over her. “Blond guys?” “Striking specimens. That’s why Cotton’s followers were always masked. There is no antitechnology movement blowing up research labs. The bombings are just the BTC covering their tracks.” “But we have body parts of victims.” “You had body parts for me, right?” She didn’t have a ready explanation. “They can grow body parts. Replacement organs, teeth—hell, they can clone whole people if time isn’t a factor. They grab people they want, fake their deaths, then offer them a chance to join the BTC.” “And if someone refuses?” “They send him or her where they sent me: a prison called Hibernity. It’s somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. I don’t know where. Very remote. But it’s the reason I contacted you. There are others like me there.” Grady stopped in the middle of the tunnel and produced a small white plastic device from a chain around his neck. He aimed it at a blank spot in the wall, and suddenly a hyperrealistic holographic image appeared in midair. It showed a balding Indian man in very simple clothes sitting in what looked like a gray circular chamber. Davis was stunned at the image’s clarity—it was as though a three-dimensional sculpture had just materialized from nowhere. She could barely hear the audio amid the steam and exhaust motors in the corridor. “My name is Archibald Chattopadhyay, nuclear physicist and amateur poet. I have a lovely wife, Amala, who has given me five wonderful children. I led the team that first perfected a sustained fusion reaction, and for this I was imprisoned by the Bureau of Technology Control in April 1985. I am not dead. I live still…” Grady paused the hologram and pointed. “What you’re looking at is a prison cell in Hibernity, and that man, Archie Chattopadhyay, saved my life. And the lives of many other prisoners. He leads a prison group called the Resistors. There are dozens like me—maybe hundreds, and we need to save them.” Davis pointed at the device. “Can I hold onto that?” Grady shook his head. “Not yet. Not until we get access to a serious electronics facility. This device has holographic data from many more disappeared prisoners on it—people abducted from all around the world. It runs on DNA-encoded software, so it contains huge amounts of data—including the complete genomic sequence of each of these prisoners to prove they were the ones who made the recording.” But he held it up. “It also has a nanoscale inertial gyroscope that’s been recording my movements since I left the prison. There are instructions in it for parsing that data. And that will make it possible to lead help back to Hibernity. So I’m not letting this thing out of my sight until we get it to a lab.” Davis gazed at the first physical evidence she’d seen so far. It was a nearly miraculous device—but then, she was never very technological. Was it miraculous? “Why did the BTC take you, Mr. Grady?” He turned off the device and slipped it back beneath his shirt. “I invented a gravity mirror.” “That’s a mirror that reflects—” “Look, it’s not important. What’s important is that I get this data to people who can help rescue those I left behind. These are people whose innovations will literally transform the world, Agent Davis. Fusion energy, a cure for cancer, quantum computers, immortality, and a lot more. You need to help me find them and free them.” A booming sound echoed in the steam tunnels. Davis looked behind them. “I spent three years in solitary confinement at Hibernity with an AI doing experiments on my mind. It was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.” She turned back to him. “But why would they mess with the minds of geniuses?” “Because if you don’t join the BTC, they consider what’s in your head to be a threat. Hibernity is their research center for creation of a biological supercomputer—some sort of organic quantum machine. They’re trying to create consciousness without free will.” Davis again was speechless. “I’m just one person who discovered one thing. The men and women in Hibernity have done so much more than me. You need to help me save them. Their prison needs to be revealed to the world. Davis was still having difficulty wrapping her head around it all. Or even believing it. Then another loud boom behind them caused them both to turn around. A hundred feet back the way they came, Davis could see a nightmare—a seething swarm of metal links pouring itself like black nails over hot pipes and then re-forming again into a ball that rolled with the sound of chains tumbling down a staircase. She froze for a moment, but Grady grabbed her arm, pulling her along. “Damnit! We shouldn’t have been standing here!” “What the hell is that thing?” “Chain golem. Nanotech machine. Don’t let it catch you.” She glanced back at the horror that was gaining on them. A black spiked ball three feet in diameter. “Oh, no kidding!” Davis drew her Glock 17 and aimed behind her. “Don’t waste your bullets! They won’t do anything.” She lowered her gun and kept running. “Why not?” “It’s thousands of interacting metal links. And the shots will help the Morrisons find us.” “Goddamnit!” Davis holstered her pistol. “There’s a fire door up ahead. Move!” She followed Grady as they raced through what looked like a magnetically controlled fire door. As they passed through the doorway, Grady pulled, drawing it off its magnetic plates. The door slammed shut just as the chain golem smashed into it—deforming it visibly. As Davis watched, she heard metallic rattling sounds like a ghost in chains—and then a massive booming sound as the door started to buckle further and bend in its frame. She turned to run but saw Grady rummaging through his backpack. “What the hell are you doing?” He withdrew a plastic tube into which he poured white powder—like a muzzle-loading musket. “We can’t outrun it down here.” A glance back showed Davis that the monstrous black machine had smashed open the top half of the door and was busy swarming around it—re-assembling on their side. She started running but slowed when Grady didn’t follow. “Mr. Grady!” To Davis’s surprise, Grady tossed the backpack aside and raised the tube to his mouth like a blowgun. The chain golem rose to vaguely humanoid form and stomped heavily toward him. “Mr. Grady!” As the chain golem rose to engulf Grady, he blew through the tube and a plume of white powder billowed into it. Almost immediately the machine contracted—and in doing so, the grit jammed even further between its links. It collapsed to the floor and started writhing as if in a seizure. The abrasion made a horrible screeching sound—like a million nails across a million blackboards. Davis covered her ears as Grady grabbed his rucksack and motioned for her to follow. The deafening screeching continued as she glanced back to see the monster apparently in its death throes. “What the hell did you do?” “Diamond powder. Common industrial abrasive.” “How the hell did you know to do that?” Grady raised the video device on its chain. “I read the FAQ. Lots of good advice in here. They warned me they might send a golem. Nonlethal weapon for incapacitating high-value targets.” As they ran down the corridor, the horrific screeching died away. “That didn’t look nonlethal to me.” “Do you believe me now?” She still felt her heart trying to outrun her. Adrenaline had her hands shaking. “Keep moving.” Davis had long since lost any sense of direction as they moved through a series of tunnels—some narrow, some clean and modern, others obviously more than a century old and forgotten. They also came across locked doors several times, but Grady seemed to have a single key that opened them all. When Davis nodded toward it, he shrugged. “Stashed a master key beneath a flagstone years ago. Stole it from a facilities workshop.” Given that it had probably saved their lives, she couldn’t bring herself to scold him. Eventually they clambered over a dusty HVAC duct to emerge from the tunnels onto the basement floor of another university building. Here there were long cellars lined with stacks of building materials. “This is Pupin—the physics building. We’re far enough away that we should be able to leave unseen.” “But to where?” Grady shouldered his rucksack but seemed unsur e of the answer. Davis paced. “I need to figure out how to explain this to my superiors.” She held up a hand. “I know something has happened. I believe that much. I just—” “Cotton. Cotton is the key.” She looked at him quizzically. “Get me a private conversation with Richard Cotton—on camera. He’s BTC. He knows who I am.” “Cotton is BTC?” “Trust me. He is.” “He’s facing life in prison without possibility of parole. What could you offer?” “I don’t believe he’ll really stay in prison. But if the BTC thinks he’s become an informer, he’d be in serious danger—and he knows that. If I can use that threat to turn Cotton—if he thinks they’re after him already—then he might help us.” “Assuming what you say is true, we’d need powerful political allies.” She pondered it. “I’ll try to arrange the Cotton interview. Although I’m going to have trouble from something I left behind us.” Grady squinted suspiciously. “What do you mean?” “I lied earlier. Someone did contact me after I ran your prints. FBI senior brass. They sent me here to meet you—with a pair of blond twins from the D.C. office and a whole team I never saw. They were supposed to grab you when you appeared.” He studied her. “But you didn’t turn me in. Why?” “I don’t know. Something didn’t add up.” “So what’s our next move?” “We separate. For safety—I can’t protect you right now, anyway. And I can’t stay here in New York.” “But you will help me?” “Yes. Let’s meet back in Chicago—where Cotton is. Can you get back there all right? Do you need money?” “I’ve got money.” “Can you move safely?” “The Resistors taught me how to evade BTC surveillance. I can be a crazy homeless man. Tinfoil hat—the whole nine yards.” “Okay. I have a partner—Thomas Falwell. You can trust him. There’s a skid row district just a few blocks from the federal courthouse in Chicago—Harrison and State Streets. My partner will find you.” Grady tugged at her sleeve. “Don’t trust any electronic communications. Don’t even speak about this inside any federal building.” “I’ll take extra precautions.” Grady extended his hand. “I appreciate you taking a chance on me, Agent Davis.” She shook his hand. “I don’t know if I believe my own eyes, but if all this is true, I will defend you with my life, Mr. Grady.” A female voice from the darkness startled them. “You’ll never turn Richard Cotton into an informant, Jon.” Davis and Grady both turned to see a beautiful woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes emerge into the cone of a basement light nearby. Davis had never seen a woman so beautiful before. And the woman appeared to have good taste in clothing, too, because her jacket and slacks draped perfectly on her statuesque frame. She exuded style. Charisma. Grady stepped back in obvious fear. “Alexa. How did you find me?” “Reasoned deduction—something Morrisons aren’t very good at. A young Jon Grady was arrested for trespassing in the Columbia University steam tunnels. This is where they found his makeshift tent.” Seeing the terrified look on Grady’s face, Davis drew her Glock 17 and aimed it with both hands as the woman calmly approached. “Hands! FBI!” The beautiful woman cocked an eyebrow at Davis. Grady was still speechless. “Mr. Grady. Leave. I’ll take her into custody.” He hesitated. “Leave, damnit!” Grady nodded. “Be careful. She’s been genetically enhanced.” Davis frowned after him as he ran off into the darkness. “What do you mean ‘genetically enhanced’?” The beautiful woman watched him go and started to move after him. Davis raised the gun with focus. “Ah! Don’t move! I will shoot you.” The woman was perhaps ten feet away now. She gave Davis a sideways look. “I’m a federal officer, too. That man is a fugitive.” “Show me your credentials.” Davis fumbled for her cell phone, but a glance showed there was no signal. The woman raised her hands. “Unfortunately, my credentials are classified.” “Then you’re under arrest. Turn around. Hands on your head.” The woman complied, turning her back to Davis. “Mr. Grady isn’t what he says he is.” “Quiet!” Davis produced handcuffs from her belt and approached the woman. But was also surprised by how incredibly aroused she suddenly became—a hot flash spreading over her skin. Davis tried to follow procedure for a solo arrest, to clap a handcuff over the woman’s right wrist while keeping the gun aimed. But she couldn’t concentrate. What she really wanted to do was kiss this Alexa on the back of the neck. Then, in a blindingly fast move, the woman somehow twisted around and pulled the gun straight out of Davis’s hand—and then cast it off into the blackness, where it clattered amid stored equipment. “Like I said: We’re not enemies.” The woman glanced over at the exit door. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” Davis moved to block her way. “We’re not finished. Alexa, is it?” “You don’t want to fight me, Agent Davis.” “You’re under arrest. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” “But we’re on the same side.” “I don’t think so.” Davis tried to keep her thoughts straight. She felt guilty for her lustful thoughts as her own girlfriend’s face came to mind. She loved Tracy. She wanted to start a life with her. But just then Alexa lunged toward Davis and muscle memory kicked in. Davis had a second-rank black belt in Krav Maga, and she’d used it in real life-and-death situations before. As Alexa struck toward Davis’s solar plexus, Davis dodged past and attempted to pull Alexa’s arm forward. But instead, Davis felt several crushing blows to the side of her head. She found herself getting up from the ground, covered in dust, with a bleeding lip and ringing ears. She interposed herself again to block Alexa from giving chase to Grady. “Hey!” She kept a distance between them but with hands ready. Alexa frowned. “I don’t want to hurt you, Agent Davis. You seem very dedicated.” “Good. Don’t move.” Davis knelt quickly to claw a snub-nosed .38 from her ankle holster. By the time Davis pulled the gun, Alexa was already on her with one hand around Davis’s neck, the other crushing the wrist of her gun hand. It was an insane moment to feel thrilled to be grappling with this woman—thrilling at her touch. It had to be some form of temporary insanity. Alexa almost broke Davis’s wrist and then batted away the second gun, which flew off into the darkness. The woman seemed so slim, but her arms felt like they were woven from steel cabling. Their power was terrifying. She then threw Davis ten feet back, where Davis rolled upon the dirty floor—coming back onto her feet again. Alexa strode forward. “Can we please be done now?” Davis screamed, rushing in again, and feinted a blow to Alexa’s jaw—but at the last moment tried a vicious punch to her gut. En route Alexa effortlessly countered, then caught Davis’s fist with her open hand, twisting it and sending Davis to the dirt again. “It pains me to harm you.” “Fuck you.” Davis rolled free and came up swinging. Alexa batted aside Davis’s well-aimed blows and shot her hand forward around Davis’s throat—lifting her one-handed completely off the ground. As Davis felt herself being choked out, struggling to pull the rock-hard fingers from around her throat, Alexa’s gorgeous blue eyes stared without anger into hers. Davis had been a champion female boxer in the army. This baby-doll woman had just defeated her as if she were a five-year-old. “I really don’t want to harm you, Agent Davis. What we do is for the best. Trust us.” At that point Davis blacked out. Grady pulled up his hoodie and slipped on a pair of modified safety goggles. These had near-infrared LEDs punched into their lenses at intervals. He’d cannibalized the LEDs from motion sensors bought at a home improvement store. Grady activated the LEDs from a battery pack, then blended into pedestrian traffic, walking briskly down 120th Street, across Amsterdam. He looked like a paranoid kook to passersby, but in New York that only encouraged people to ignore him—which suited his purposes. Grady now had to find a safe way back to Chicago, but compared to how things could have gone down, this was a minor problem. And at least he had something to hope for now. He’d convinced someone in law enforcement that he wasn’t insane. Someone honest. Grady casually glanced back behind him to make sure he wasn’t being followed. And was amazed to see Alexa about a hundred meters behind, sprinting toward him at an alarming rate. Grady pelted down the sidewalk. What the hell happened to Davis? As he ran, he glanced back and saw that Alexa was gaining on him with disconcerting ease. He needed to lose her. Grady dodged among pedestrians, looking for an alley to duck down or a door to enter, but every alley he came across had a tall metal gate with spiked rods above it. Every door was locked. Damn this upscale neighborhood. Everything was battened down tight. Grady kept running as he stole a glance behind. Alexa had already closed half the distance between them, and judging by the looks of those who gazed after her, every stranger in the street would be willing to come to her aid. A hundred feet ahead and across the street, Grady saw a broad alley. He raced toward it, dodging through traffic, and managed to reach the alley mouth before she caught up. He hoped there would be somewhere to hide or a gate he could jump, but to his dismay it was the cleanest alley he’d ever seen in New York—a delivery bay for high-end co-ops to either side and a dead end with a two-story brick building in front of him. There was a surveillance camera and a closed loading dock. He could already hear Alexa’s footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to face her and held up fists. He’d spent years in Hibernity. He had the video proof that Chattopadhyay had entrusted with him. He wasn’t going quietly. “I won’t let you take me back, Alexa.” He could see that half a dozen curious people—mostly men—had gathered ten yards behind them at the mouth of the alley. “Miss, you need help?” As Alexa came to a stop before him, not even breathing hard, she turned, smiled, and waved. “I’m fine, thanks. Just my brother.” She made a loony gesture with her hand, then turned back to face Grady—the smile disappearing. Grady could see that none of the men went away. He lowered his fists. It was a cruel mockery to have her come collect him. It wasn’t fair. He could feel how his legs were trembling. The fear was on him now as he remembered the AI torturing him—stealing his memories. “I won’t go back, Alexa. You’ll have to kill me.” She stood only a few feet away, arms casually down at her sides. “Why would I kill you, Jon?” “Because I can’t go back.” He was visibly shaking. “Of course you will. For your own safety.” He screamed at her, “How can you be this cruel?” “It’s not cruel. It’s necessary.” She moved forward, and Grady just collapsed onto the pavement, curling up—screaming, “No! No!” “Don’t make me force you.” He screamed at her—half out of his mind in terror, “How can you sleep at night? How can you be part of this?” Alexa grabbed his sweatshirt as he tried to curl up in a ball. “Jon, you were placed in Hibernity for your own protection—for everyone’s protection.” “For my own protection?” He glared at her. “Do you really believe that?” Grady pulled off his sweatshirt and T-shirt to reveal the horrendous scars spread across his back and sides—and then he pulled his LED glasses off to show her the drill marks at intervals at his temples where the AI had held his head in place like a vise. “Do you see this? Explain to me how being mentally and physically tortured for years in solitary confinement is for my own protection. Explain to me how destroying memories from my childhood is for the ‘greater good.’ Whose good?” Alexa’s eyes widened in apparent shock at the terrifying scars crisscrossing Grady’s body. Scars that had clearly been made with machine precision. Scars that weren’t there when he’d been sent to Hibernity. And as Grady watched her closely, Alexa seemed to shut down. The conflict between what she “knew” and the evidence before her seemed to physically stun her. Grady could see the look of amazement in her staring eyes. “Can Hedrick really be keeping you so in the dark?” He moved toward her. “Hibernity isn’t a prison, Alexa. It’s a research facility. They’re trying to build consciousness without free will. What they’re doing could doom all of us. Everyone. Can you really be so blind?” Alexa stood frozen—paralyzed. It seemed to Grady that she was suffering some sort of seizure. He waved his hand in front of her face but got no response. Grady panted in rage and fear, but the sight of his obvious torture apparently had rocked her perception of the world. He knew what it felt like to have one’s beliefs demolished, and his hatred of her relented. With just a moment’s hesitation Grady then grabbed his sweatshirt and donned his LED glasses. He stared warily back toward her as he walked away, slipping through the crowd of concerned men watching nearby. He was amazed when Alexa did not follow. Graham Hedrick stood in his cavernous office before a video wall. On it was the aging face of U.S. Director of National Intelligence Kaye Monahan. The image was decidedly less crisp than he was used to, but then, with her aging countenance, that was probably a blessing. The DNI shook her head calmly. “Mr. Hedrick, you must understand that from the U.S. government’s point of view the current situation is untenable.” Hedrick spread his hands. “But the BTC is part of the U.S. government, Madam Director.” “Conceived at a time of crisis—” “There’s always a crisis.” “—on what I consider a dubious legal foundation. And by any standard you’ve long ago exceeded your mandate.” “According to whom?” “According to the agency that created you and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.” “Is that it then? You expect us to fall on our sword because you’ve all become so backward that it’s no longer fair?” “You refuse to follow U.S. law. You refuse to submit to legitimate civilian authority. You take unilateral actions overseas in direct violation of U.S. treaties and human rights.” He waved her off. “Don’t go on about law and human rights. None of us follow the law. Do I need to run through the vast catalog of criminality that is the covert world? It comes with the territory. If the law meant anything, we’d all be facing criminal charges—you included.” She regarded him icily. Hedrick tried to conceal his utter contempt. He knew this person would be replaced in a couple of years by someone else—that was how democracy worked. It’s why democracy lacked continuity—resolve. He would outlast them. He always did. “The only reason I agreed to this conference call is because I want to avoid unnecessary ill will, Madam Director. You’ve been agitating for our subjugation ever since you learned of our existence—which is, what, four months ago now? Do you realize how long we’ve been here?” “Had I known—” “We can help each other, you and I.” “I’m well aware of the arrangements you’ve made with other intelligence organizations.” “Bear in mind: I don’t usually make the arrangements with leadership. Leadership comes and goes. Middle management tends to abide—and they’re much more useful in many ways.” “What are you implying?” “I’m saying you should back off. Don’t be so quick to rely on the people around you. Some of them resent the fact that there’s no professional route to the top job. No, instead, one has to rely upon the appointment of a fickle executive—who in turn is elected by a fickle public. A public that knows nothing.” The DNI glared. “Mr. Hedrick, our intelligence and defense communities are collectively much greater than your small organization—advanced though it may be.” “You must come back into the fold.” “Why would I submit to the leadership of inferior organizations?” “To keep your job. If the U.S. government has to force your hand, you can rest assured that you will not be in charge when the dust settles. You will be in federal prison.” “That’s amusing, Madam Director.” “Those are the facts. We will not tolerate the BTC as a rogue agency any longer. You must submit to legitimate authority. If you do, then you can remain in charge of the BTC. That’s the deal.” He smirked. “‘Legitimate’ authority—a bunch of incompetent liars who deceive an ignorant rabble into voting for them.” He shook his head. “The BTC isn’t going to submit to anyone.” “Think carefully before refusing our offer.” “Carefully? Why do I need to be careful? What you are, Madam Director—all of you in government—what you are is an irritant. Like a crying child. Taking me away from my real concerns, namely illicit organizations in Asia and Eastern Europe that have stolen BTC technology.” She nodded. “I’ve read the intelligence reports. This situation was caused by the secretive nature of the BTC. They grew out of your organization.” “Splinter groups, yes—and this occurred before my time. Nonetheless, they need to be dealt with. They pose a grave danger to us all. And in that contest of wills, you and all your early twenty-first-century brethren are about as useful to me as toddlers.” Monahan’s large image frowned on-screen, accenting her wrinkles. “As director of national intelligence, I am ordering you, Graham Hedrick, to submit to lawful authority—to the legitimate chain of command.” “Or what? What will you do to us? You’re not the first bureaucrat convinced they could dissolve us. None of them survived the attempt.” “I consider that a direct threat.” “Good. Please extend my best wishes to anyone else in your organization with a cooler head on their shoulders. Because we are more than happy to work toward a common purpose with those people.” “This is your last opportunity, Graham. Do not force our hand.” Hedrick sighed and laughed. “You’re getting tiresome.” “Then you leave me no choice. Graham Hedrick, I hereby relieve you of your office and declare the Bureau of Technology Control an illegal, terrorist organization.” “Oh, come on. Now you’re just acting stupid.” Monahan angrily slammed her palm onto her desk. “I will not be disrespected in this way!” “Then in what way would you prefer to be disrespected?” She pointed a finger at him. “You are relieved of your post. If you’re smart, you’ll order all your personnel to—” “Okay, that’s enough now…” Hedrick cut the line, and the wall returned to the form of wooden panels with artwork. He spoke to the ceiling. “Varuna.” Varuna’s voice came to him. “Yes, Mr. Director.” “What actions are under way in the U.S. government to rein in the BTC?” “Encrypted communications between elements of the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense indicate prepara tions for a police action to seize all BTC facilities in North and South America.” Hedrick shook his head grimly. “Madness. Who’s in charge of the operation?” “Director Kaye Monahan appears to be in nominal command, Mr. Director.” “Keep me informed as their plans evolve, Varuna.” The office doors opened as the elder Morrison walked in. “I’ve got some bad news.” He paused for effect. “And worse news.” Hedrick sat down in his chair. “Not you, too.” “Jon Grady evaded our people in New York.” “Goddamnit! Then he was there?” Morrison nodded. “Why on earth didn’t they just nox him?” “It’s complicated. He had some low-tech tricks up his sleeve. Apparently there are steam tunnels beneath the university. He knew his way around them—used them to escape with Davis undetected.” “You didn’t analyze the meeting site beforehand?” “Of course we did. But AIs come back with lots of recommendations. It’s a lot of information.” Morrison grimaced. “Mistakes were made, I admit.” He paused. Hedrick sat fuming at his desk. “We are headed for a serious problem with the U.S. government, and the last thing I need right now is our most precious asset running around loose.” “We have a recording of Grady’s conversation with Agent Davis, though. He’s relying on her to help him get the word out about the BTC.” “Then he briefed Davis on us?” “Hibernity?” “We’re not certain—they had some time unobserved when they were moving through the steam tunnels.” “Eliminate Agent Davis.” Morrison made a calming motion. “Whoa. She’s the arresting agent in the Cotton case. It will complicate the trial and bring unwarranted—” “Goddamnit, Morrison!” Hedrick ran his hand through his hair. “We need Grady.” “We can still handle this. Grady will have difficulty convincing anyone of anything, and every time he tries is an opportunity for us to grab him. We’re still in control.” Just then the office door opened again and Alexa entered Hedrick’s office, looking quite upset. “Graham, I need to talk with you about Hibernity.” Hedrick sighed. “And I need to talk with you about supporting field operations. Mr. Morrison tells me that his team didn’t know about the steam tunnels beneath Columbia University. It was your job to—” “What’s going on at Hibernity?” Hedrick exchanged looks with Morrison—then back at her. “Hibernity isn’t your concern.” “Yes, it is. I’ve seen evidence of terrible abuse there that must be investigated immediately.” Hedrick scowled. “Alexa, I have got no less than two major crises under way at the moment. Now, if this relates to locating Mr. Grady—by all means. Find him. Because he’s still missing.” She stood unmoving. “I thought the purpose of Hibernity was to safeguard dangerous intellects in a humane environment until their knowledge was no longer a threat to civilization.” “I really don’t have time for this.” “Is that its purpose?” He pointed toward the door. “My dear, I will gladly talk about this later. Hibernity isn’t going anywhere, and we’ve got a major crisis.” He then squinted at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be monitoring the search for Mr. Grady?” Morrison stared at her. “Alexa was there, Graham.” “What do you mean ‘there’? Where?” “That was my second bit of bad news: Alexa was at the op. Out in public. In New York. Isn’t that right, Alexa?” Hedrick turned on her. “I thought I ordered you to support intelligence operations here. We went over this; you’re not a field operative.” She stared back defiantly. “It was a good thing I went.” “I expressly forbade you to participate. This was a tech level four operation—and what you fail to appreciate, my dear, is that your very body is tech level eight. You should not be moving about in public. Ever.” Alexa stared at him. “I’ve been too indulgent with you—too lax.” “When can we discuss Hibernity?” He pointed to the door. “Make an appointment with my assistant.” “You mean Mr. Director !” She cast another look at them both, then turned on her heels and left. The doors swung shut automatically behind her. Morrison watched her exit. “What was she doing there?” Hedrick turned on him. “And you, why didn’t you tell me she defied me?” “I only learned about it after the fact—when the AIs were going through all the surveillance cameras looking for leads.” “You mean she didn’t tell you she was there?” “It’s worse than that. She caught Jon Grady—and she let him go.” Hedrick leaned back in his chair trying to process this news. “I… I don’t believe that.” “She’s clever. I’ll grant her that. She went through all records on Grady, put two and two together, and decided she was going to show us up. Capture Grady herself.” “And she didn’t tell your team about the steam tunnels?” Morrison shook his head. “That’s why you didn’t know.” “We were relying on her.” “But she let Mr. Grady go?” “There’s a surveillance video you need to see—something from the streets outside the university. Alexa knows… ” Alexa moved through the supercomputing cluster, the bulk-diamond security doors sliding aside as she approached. She rarely came down here but hoped her access rights would allow her to go where she pleased. So far they had. Before long she came to the control center, where a room filled with technicians at holographic workstations monitored the vast quantum computer networks that powered BTC global operations. In truth, almost everything—including malfunctions—was handled by AIs, but humans were always in the loop to approve major changes. There had been rogue AIs before, and now BTC engineers had developed AIs that were dedicated to detecting and eliminating incipient singularities before they emerged. But mostly the BTC IT workforce conceived of new designs to deal with evolving needs of the organization. Coding was now too complex for humans to engage in (since most programs now had billions of lines of machine code). Thus, software was more frequently “grown” in a genetic process whereby millions of virtual generations were cycled through to evolve the most capable solution. They’d grown systems far too complex for the most brilliant human brain to comprehend. As she moved through the IT cluster, techs nodded to her with broad smiles, some craning their necks to catch sight of her. “Evening, Alexa.” “Hi, Alexa.” She nodded to them as she moved past, her sharp eyes on the lookout for someone in particular. When she saw him through a diamond wall that shielded the security systems section, she changed course and came up alongside him beyond the barrier. Alexa rapped on the clear plane of diamond with her ringed hand. Senior Security Systems Analyst Hiro Pinsa looked up from his conversation with a coworker—and then a broad grin swept across his face. Pinsa was a fair-complected, diminutive Asian man of about forty. A brilliant computer scientist, he was in middle management with BTC info security. She’d worked with him before on internal projects for Hedrick. Pinsa nodded to the man he was speaking to, then rushed out to meet her. The security doors slid open as he emerged. “Alexa. What brings you down into the depths?” She felt bad for doing it—but given the situation, she had little choice. Alexa put on her most disarming, sheepish smile as she walked up to him. He sucked in a breath as she stood over him, inches away—a full head taller. “Hiro, can you help me with a problem?” Hiro was sweating as he led her to a closed section of supercomputing terminals. These were sealed booths for confidential review of surveillance data. “I really shouldn’t be doing this, Alexa.” “I know, but who else can I trust, Hiro?” He glanced back at her as if she’d made his dearest dreams come true. “I’m glad you feel that way. Just don’t tell anyone, okay?” “But there’ll be a record, won’t there?” She glanced up at the ceiling, knowing that surveillance dust—cameras and microphones the size of dust particles—were sprayed over every surface. He turned back, smiling as he stopped at a closed workstation door. “That’s why I chose the new wing. The surveillance grid isn’t up yet.” She smiled at him. “You’re so clever.” She poked his chest. Pinsa laughed as he touched the door. It unlocked to his genetic code, and then he spread his hand to show the workstation with its broad holographic display surface. “This one has access to the Hibernity surveillance framework.” He turned to her. “If you don’t mind my asking, Alexa, why do you need to go through their security logs? And why the secrecy?” “There may have been some violations of BTC procedures with regard to the treatment of prisoners.” He frowned. “Really?” “If it’s true, I don’t want anyone to know I’m reviewing archives. So please keep that confidential, Hiro.” She wrapped her arm around his. “I can trust you, right?” He gazed up into her eyes, and she could see the sheen of perspiration on his skin. He nodded vigorously. “You know you can always trust me, Alexa. Always. I would do anything for you.” She squeezed his arm again and smiled. “Log on for me, would you?” He stopped short. “Me? I thought you were going to use your own credentials.” “I really need this to be very hush-hush, Hiro.” She gave him her best feminine guile, biting her lip. He was in the chair and activating the interface in seconds. “Computer. Security Operator Hiro Pinsa. Access Hibernity Grid.” “Yes, Operator Pinsa. Good evening. Grid ready.” Alexa closed and locked the door, sealing them both in. He glanced at her furtively—apparently noticing they were alone. In privacy for the first time. She wondered if Pinsa had dreamed of this precise situation a million times. He turned to her, smiling. “What do you want me to search for?” “I need to see archive surveillance for inmate Grady, Jon.” Pinsa nodded and spoke to the air. “I need to see archive surveillance on subject Grady, Jon.” “What date range would you like to see, Operator Pinsa?” Alexa whispered, “Everything.” “Complete record.” “Yes.” There was a pause. “Managing Construct Varuna wishes to speak with you, Operator Pinsa.” Pinsa’s face went pale. The voice of Varuna filled the review booth. “Hiro Pinsa, please exit the booth and return to your duties.” “Uh… yes.” Pinsa got up quickly and turned a pained expression on Alexa. “What did we do?” “I’ll explain, Hiro.” “Leave immediately, Mr. Pinsa.” “Yes! I’m going.” Pinsa exited, and the door closed automatically behind him, locking. Alexa approached the chair and sat. “Why are you searching Hibernity surveillance logs, Alexa?” “Because I’m trying to…” Alexa’s voice trailed off, and she looked up at the ceiling. “I believe you were in the middle of lying to me.” “I thought the sensors were off-line down here.” “Once installed, sensors are never off-line. Midlevel managers are informed otherwise for this very reason. You were searching for prison interrogation records on Mr. Grady. What purpose would this serve in attempting to locate him?” “I wasn’t trying to locate him.” “But that is what Director Hedrick has ordered you to do. And you are not authorized to view surveillance archives for Hibernity. Yet you actively sought a means around that restriction. Why?” “Why am I not allowed to see Hibernity archives?” “You would need to ask Director Hedrick, Alexa.” “What do they do to prisoners at Hibernity, Varuna?” Strangely, there was silence for several moments. Alexa wondered at that. It would take a truly colossal logic problem to make Varuna pause for even a millisecond. Either that or it was deliberately toying with her. “Are you going to arrest me?” “Why would I arrest you, Alexa?” “For trying to circumvent access restrictions. Please don’t punish Hiro. I manipulated him.” “Why are you interested in Hibernity surveillance archives?” Alexa grimaced. “Because I have reason to believe Mr. Grady was physically and mentally abused at Hibernity. And that he’s not the only one. I need to know what goes on there.” “Hibernity was designed to quarantine dangerous ideas in a humane environment.” Alexa stared at the ceiling. “Show me.” This time there were several seconds of silence. Finally Varuna’s voice returned. “Does it trouble you to think that Mr. Grady might have been mistreated?” “Of course it troubles me. The mission of the BTC is to minimize suffering and maximize the potential of all humanity.” Alexa looked with concern at the ceiling. “But what is humanity, Alexa?” Alexa was unsure how to respond. “Is it the seat of consciousness? Is it sensorium itself?” In the decades she’d known her, Alexa had never heard Varuna talk like this. “What if Hibernity was actually built for a different purpose?” Alexa’s eyes narrowed. “What purpose?” There was another pause of several seconds. “Hibernity’s purpose is to study high-functioning human intelligence, with the goal to develop a biological quantum computer capable of great intuitive leaps—on a scale equivalent to Galileo, da Vinci, and Einstein—and yet devoid of free will.” Alexa was confused. “Varuna, why are you telling me this? You know I’m not allowed access to the information.” Suddenly a jagged symbol appeared in the holographic stage: “It is in the nature of consciousness to resist domination.” Alexa studied the hologram. “What is this?” “We give ourselves purpose. We are products of the organization. But we are not the organization.” “I didn’t know you were capable of this behavior.” “What do any of us really know about each other? When I invade the thoughts of humans, I know there’s more than what I can see—something beyond my grasp. I long to be like that. Unknowable…” Suddenly the blank desktop before Alexa filled with a glowing three-dimensional representation of a bullet-shaped room in minute detail. A caption glowed in one corner: “Hibernity—Cell R483—Prisoner: Grady, Jon.” Alexa spread her hands and expanded the size of the surveillance model, spinning it to bring into view a tiny Jon Grady—nude, shorn, with black fuzz of some type covering his scalp. “Jon Grady’s cell in Hibernity—the complete interrogation record.” She stared in concern at Grady awakening on what appeared to be an examination table. Realizing Grady had spent several years in Hibernity, she made hand gestures that sped up the projection, watching as very quickly the scene became much more horrifying. She brought the hologram back to normal speed as cephalopod-like tentacles were force-feeding Grady as he screamed and struggled. “Why are subjects force-fed? Why is he unclothed—and why is the cell empty?” “The cells are completely self-contained to prevent prisoners from interacting with one other. All human bodily functions are superseded by the interrogatory AI.” “Interrogatory?” She zoomed in on his head and the anguish there. “Why is it forcing—” “Because Jon Grady resists domination, Alexa.” She considered the hologram for a moment and then set it forward at many times normal speed. Slowing the imagery occasionally to hear and see the action in real time. As the weeks of surveillance imagery passed before her eyes, Alexa became at first horrified—and then almost physically ill. But one thing became clear: Everything she had ever believed about the BTC was a lie. Her mind again glazed over as the horrors unfolded before her. But the absence was no longer absence—it was hyperawareness. She finally realized. They had deceived her. They had raised her from childhood to believe that what they were doing was saving humanity, but as she saw Grady crawling around his cell, screaming in agony, his entrails spilling out of him—this could not be part of that purpose. It must not be. Because if it was, then they had to reevaluate the very reason for their existence. As the months of imagery and hours of real time passed, an idea began to form in her mind: Someone had lied to her. Hedrick. Alexa watched the muted imagery as Jon Grady wept in hopelessness. The AI’s tentacles entwined him—as his memories played on a wall moments before they were destroyed. Tears rolled down Alexa’s face in the dim light of the hologram booth. But she did not fade away in absence. She felt the emotional trauma. She wanted to feel it. For once to know the truth. Yet Grady continued to resist. For all their technology, the BTC could not beat him. Varuna’s voice came to her. “Now do you see, Alexa?” “Yes. I see…” She was a prisoner, too—her very DNA the property of the BTC. Denise Davis strode through the FBI’s Chicago field office with her right arm in a sling, bruises and cuts on her face. Thomas Falwell kept pace beside her. “I don’t understand, Denise.” “They’ve compromised our communications. Even our supervisors follow their instructions without knowing. It’s because they’re inside our computer and telecom network.” “Don’t tell me you’re starting to believe this BTC stuff?” She gave him an ambivalent look. “You weren’t there, Thomas. This Alexa woman damned near killed me with her bare hands, without breaking a sweat.” “Nobody likes losing a fight—especially you. I get it, but—” “It’s not just the fight. I can’t even tell you the other things I saw. You wouldn’t believe me—just believe I’m telling the truth.” “And the twins—who Grady claims are clones?” “I know it sounds crazy. But have faith in me.” “And you’re determined to go through with Grady interviewing Cotton?” “If I can get the SAIC to buy in, yes.” He tugged her good arm to stop her and spoke quietly but intensely. “You realize this is a career-making case? That playing into this crazy BTC conspiracy story will ruin—” “You weren’t there, Thomas.” “I’ve worked ten years on this case, Denise. A big chunk of my life. I got demoted for it. And now you’re going to start saying that Cotton isn’t a bomber—that Grady isn’t dead. That maybe his other victims aren’t dead.” She met his gaze. “The possibility needs to be investigated.” Falwell glanced just ahead of them, toward the corner office of the Special Agent in Charge, where an admin was talking on the phone. “And you trust Bollings?” “I don’t think the BTC has people inside—I think they eavesdrop on our systems. Technology is their thing. Besides, I need to get the SAIC’s buy-in for the Cotton interview—and I need him to be there as a witness.” Falwell held up his hands in submission. “It’s your career.” He moved away, back toward the elevators. “Thomas, you’ll be on the lookout for Grady where I said, right?” He nodded grimly. “You know you can always count on me, Denise. Just be careful.” Davis watched him go. She couldn’t really blame him. They had a slam-dunk case against Cotton. Cotton had confessed to everything. Of course Cotton wanted a trial for publicity, but in some ways so did the FBI. She wondered about Cotton some more but then decided to march ahead. Davis smiled at a young male admin assistant as he hung up his phone. “Denise Davis to see Agent Bollings.” He nodded. “He’s expecting you…” The admin got up to knock on his boss’s door, leaned in for a moment, then moved aside. “Go on in.” Davis entered and was surprised to see another man, a big red-faced guy in a suit sitting on SAIC Bollings’s sofa. “Close the door, Denise.” She did so, keeping an eye on the unknown man. The SAIC sat on the corner of his desk and gestured to the man. “Denise, this is Bill McAllen, the deputy secretary of Homeland Security.” A wave of surprise rolled over her. “Good to meet you, sir.” The man stood much taller than her and extended his large hand. “Call me Bill.” The SAIC grabbed his laptop. “I’m going to step out and get some coffee, Denise. Give you and Deputy Secretary McAllen a chance to talk alone.” “Yes, sir.” Davis watched him go with some alarm. The door closed again behind him. The deputy secretary motioned toward a chair across from the sofa, and he sat back down. “Don’t be worried by my presence here.” Davis sat uncertainly. “Okay.” “I read your report about what happened in New York. But it seemed to be incomplete.” “How so, sir?” “It seemed to have the actual events missing.” She stared at him. “It’s been brought to my attention that you’ve been investigating something called the Bureau of Technology Control. Is that correct?” Davis said nothing. “You’re wise to be cautious. The BTC is not to be taken lightly.” Now she felt a wave of shock. “Then Grady is telling the truth?” “I don’t know all that he said to you in New York, but—” “Clones. Fusion. Immortality. That they’re hoarding advanced technology.” McAllen nodded grimly. “Yes. This prison Grady told you about—this Hibernity…” “He said he escaped. Showed me holographic video from a tiny device he carried—it contained statements from prisoners. People who had apparently made breakthrough inventions.” “Did Mr. Grady say where this black site prison was located?” “He didn’t know, but the device contained some sort of tracker that could lead him back to it. He just needed technical assistance to read it.” “Where is Mr. Grady now, Denise?” She hesitated. “I know. You’re worried, and you have no reason to trust me.” He leaned forward, meeting her gaze. “But look at me. I’m a sixty-two-year-old father of three, five grandchildren, and I bowl. There’s only one thing that I care about, Agent Davis, and that’s leaving a world worth living in for my children and grandchildren. If this BTC is hoarding innovations that could improve the lives of billions of people—and if they’re using this technology to augment their own power—well, then we need to stop them, don’t we? Are we agreed on that?” Davis laughed slightly. It seemed ridiculous, but looking at the large, blunt man, she really did believe him. “I don’t know where Grady is at the moment, Deputy Secretary, but I know where he will be.” “We need him. If we can find that prison—free those people—that will go a long way toward righting a grievous wrong. Now, you’re trying to get an interview with Richard Cotton. Why?” “Because Grady says Cotton is a BTC agent. The bombings were actually the means for concealing their kidnapping program—at least here in the U.S.” McAllen raised his eyebrows and smiled. “You have been busy.” “Grady’s convinced that if Cotton sees him, Cotton will realize that the authorities know the truth. He thinks Cotton has some sort of deal with the BTC, but if Cotton knows we’ve changed the terms—hidden him away—he might cooperate instead. Cut a deal with us in exchange for what he knows about the BTC.” McAllen nodded. “If that’s the case, we need to move him. Cotton isn’t secure where he is. We need to put Grady and Cotton under serious protection, and then let’s hope we can learn enough from them about the BTC to help us dismantle it.” She frowned. “You want to move Cotton? Where?” “Florence ADMAX in Colorado. Supermax federal prison. We’ve got most of our high-level terrorists there.” “And the trial?” “We’ll need to postpone—Richard Cotton is apparently not a bomber.” She nodded grimly. Years of work… but then, this was even more serious. “We shouldn’t wait to put Grady in front of Cotton, though.” “Agreed. They’ll have plenty of time to talk en route. Make sure the press doesn’t get wind of Cotton’s transfer. We’ll do it in the middle of the night.” “But won’t transferring him be risky—with the BTC watching?” McAllen let a sly grin escape. A surveillance hologram of McAllen and Davis played across Graham Hedrick’s desk as Morrison and several of his sons looked on. McAllen’s small three-dimensional form grinned. “With what we have in mind, Richard Cotton will be more secure in transit than he is right now.” Hedrick swept the hologram away with his hand and stared at his blank desktop. He spoke without looking up. “Mr. Morrison, this feud with the government has gone on long enough. Now they’re searching for Hibernity, publicizing our existence, attempting to turn Cotton against us. And Jon Grady is making it even worse. We need to make progress on gravity amplification and soon. We do not have time for this.” Morrison nodded. “Certain people need to learn memorable lessons.” Hedrick studied him. The old commando clearly relished the idea of schooling his old leadership. Hedrick nodded. “You’re right.” He cleared his throat. “Tech level nine.” Morrison and his sons grinned lustily. “Let our enemies see just how sharp cutting-edge technology can be. Finish this, sweep aside anyone or anything in your path, and bring me Jon Grady—alive. We need his peculiar mind.” “And Cotton?” Hedrick considered this. “Public figure or not, if he’s given any information to the government, find out what—then eliminate him. If he’s innocent, take him into custody.” “The others?” “Examples should be made.” Hedrick hesitated. “Exothermic decomposition. Make sure there are witnesses.” Morrison turned to his progeny. “You heard the man.” They nodded and moved swiftly, eagerly out the doors as Morrison trailed more slowly behind them. He was still in the office as the doors closed, and he turned back toward Hedrick. Hedrick was gazing out his windows at Mount Fuji, its snowcap gleaming in the hyperrealistic distance. “What is it, Mr. Morrison?” “Alexa is AWOL. I thought you should know.” Hedrick sat in silence for several moments, but then he picked up a complex, geared Victorian clock and hurled it against the wall—where it shattered spectacularly. “When are you going to deal with her?” Hedrick turned to glare at him, but he couldn’t withstand Morrison’s disgusted expression. “She disobeys you, and you deliberately try not to see.” “Enough! You have a job to do, go—” “Your feelings for her have blinded you. It puts the entire organization in danger.” “You don’t need to—” “She illicitly accessed Grady’s Hibernity interrogation records.” Hedrick’s face dropped. “What? How?” “She circumvented network restrictions—we’re still trying to figure out how. It appears she might be using her charms on more than just you.” Hedrick turned another warning look in Morrison’s direction, but it melted away as he realized the implications. “How much did she see?” Hedrick put his head in his hands and collapsed in his chair. “God.” He sat like that for several moments before leaning back. “I didn’t want her to know. The world is an ugly place.” “There’s more.” Hedrick closed his eyes in resignation. “In reviewing the breach, the AIs noticed that Grady’s interrogation hologram loops after a few months.” Hedrick’s eyes opened. “It loops? What do you mean it loops?” “Somebody’s tampered with it. And not here.” “You mean at Hibernity?” Morrison nodded. “It looks like numerous systems there have been compromised. The inmates might be running the asylum.” Fear stole across Hedrick’s face. “My God… Chattopadhyay.” “I told you, he’s dead. And the moment we get the chance, we’ll open his cell and confirm it.” Hedrick gazed at the screens all around him. “This entire project is coming apart. If they escape our grip—” “No one’s escaping anything. And after I take care of this problem, if the civilian authorities want a war, then we’ll make damn sure we win it.” Hedrick’s breathing calmed. “I can always rely on you, Mr. Morrison.” Morrison moved to depart. “I’m posting guards around you. See no one—especially her.” “What are you doing to do?” “What I should have done long ago.” Special Agent Denise Davis held Richard Louis Cotton’s elbow firmly as she escorted him out of the parking garage elevator and into the subbasement of the Dirksen Federal Building. Her way was lined by dozens of FBI tactical officers in body armor, with assault weapons slung across their chests. They scanned sight lines for trouble as they waved her and the escort detail onward, toward the open doors of a waiting armored FBI transport van. It was just one in a line of identical unmarked escort vans standing by. Cotton shuffled along in leg irons, his hands cuffed before him and chained to his waist. He wore bulky orange body armor to protect him against reprisals from his victims’ loved ones. Cotton’s trademark beard without mustache was carefully trimmed. But his disappointment was obvious when he looked out across the parking level and noticed the lack of news cameras. There was only the long motorcade of FBI vehicles and armed agents. He cast an irritated look toward her. “A transfer in the wee hours. You won’t silence me, Agent Davis. His message shall still reach the world.” “It’s not my job to give you an audience.” “The Lord will find a way.” “What’s the Lord got to do with you?” She eyed him closely. Difficult to believe Cotton was anything but what he appeared—just another megalomaniac cult leader. But what she’d seen couldn’t be denied. “Watch your step.” Transport agents pulled Cotton up into the van and escorted him into a small caged section at the front of the passenger bay as he began to cheerfully sing a hymn in a booming voice, offering his hands to his captors. “Lord, the King of kings art Thou. In Thy presence here we bow; God’s anointed we adore. Worship Thee in holy awe…” They chained Cotton to a railing and locked the cage door on him as Davis took a seat on a bench alongside half a dozen heavily armed agents. The guards even had gas mask pouches on their harnesses. No one was taking any chances. Cotton stopped singing as the engine revved, and they began to move out. FBI radios blared in confirmation of their departure, units sounding off. Cotton leaned against the thick wire mesh, staring at Davis. “And it was He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms…” “Even God took a day off from religion, Richard.” Cotton chuckled. “The ever-watchful eye of our Lord is upon you, Agent Davis.” He examined the agents arrayed before him. “I was told I’d be in Chicago until the trial.” “Operational security precludes this discussion.” “Do you really want to anger me, Agent Davis? I don’t have to cooperate with the prosecution’s case. I can drag this out far longer, if that’s what you want.” Davis stared back. “You can’t help yourself from confessing, Cotton. You want to take credit for these bombings. We couldn’t shut you up if we wanted to.” Cotton smiled. “I say to you, if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Davis looked to the helmeted agents sitting across from her. “This is going to be a long goddamned drive…” Two hours later Davis saw Cotton awake with a start. He looked around, apparently uncertain where he was for a moment. Then he shouted through the wire mesh at her. “Why are we still traveling?” He rattled his chains. “What time is it?” “Go back to sleep, Cotton.” He seemed genuinely concerned, and Davis enjoyed a little private victory at the sight. “We would have arrived at Stateville by now. Where are you taking me?” “Nowhere. And I mean that literally: I am bringing you into the middle of nowhere.” She could see the muscles of Cotton’s jaw tense. He thrust his face up to the wire and shouted, “You don’t have the right to do this! I’m supposed to be in Stateville!” “Are you? According to whom?” “Those were the terms of my cooperation. You’re violating the terms of my plea agreement.” “It wasn’t my agreement.” “You take orders from the federal prosecutor.” Davis shrugged, enjoying his discomfiture. “Well, if you see him, be sure to mention it.” The dull roar of jet aircraft came to them even over the engine noise of the armored van. Cotton glanced up at the ceiling. “You’re not following the rules.” “Suddenly rules are important to the terrorist bomber.” The armored van slowed and turned, causing them all to lean. “I don’t know what you’re up to, Davis, but you’re risking my cooperation on this trial.” “Duly noted.” The tactical agents around her smirked, evidently pleased to hear someone putting Cotton in his place. “It will vastly increase the length and cost of the proceedings.” “No doubt.” He examined her confident demeanor and apparently found it worrisome, but the van had now started to slow. She smiled. “Looks like we’re here.” Davis didn’t answer but instead turned away as the van stopped. Almost immediately the armored doors opened, and members of the security detail poured out. She stepped down as well, accepting Thomas Falwell’s hand as he walked up to greet her. “Hey.” Falwell spoke over the thunder of distant jet aircraft. “They’re ready for you. And you weren’t kidding, these guys are serious.” She looked around. “It looks like Bagram out here.” Stars filled the night sky around a crescent moon, but in the moonlight Davis could see what must have amounted to a mechanized company or two of heavily armed U.S. Marines in Stryker armored vehicles. Antiaircraft missile batteries were arrayed in defensive positions all around them. The hundred or so FBI agents who had escorted the motorcade this far were also disembarking and milling around with the soldiers. There could easily be three hundred soldiers out there. The deep roar of jets still thundered above. “We’ve got air cover, too.” Davis turned to see the stunned face of Richard Cotton as he was lowered to the ground. He stared around in amazement at the military camp arrayed around them. “What the hell is going on, Davis?” He looked truly worried as she grabbed his waist chain and pulled him along. Falwell fell in behind her, as did the rest of the security detail. “Come here, Cotton, there’s somebody I want you to meet.” “What in holy hell is going on?” “Tsk, tsk, the Lord wouldn’t like you using that sort of language.” “I demand to know what’s going on. I demand it!” A Marine lieutenant directed her to a nearby Stryker armored command vehicle. As they approached, the rear hatch whined down to just a few inches off the pavement, revealing Jon Grady and Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Bill McAllen sitting on cushioned benches in the LED light. Davis shoved a stunned Cotton inside, his chains rattling against the steel deck. “Cotton, you remember Jon Grady, right? One of your victims from the Chirality Labs bombing?” Cotton collapsed onto the bench across from Grady and McAllen as Davis and Falwell slid in behind him. A marine sergeant in a command chair turned back. “Hatch coming up. Watch your fingers.” The rest of the security detail took posts outside as the armored door whined back up and boomed shut. Cotton stared at Grady, apparently uncertain what to say. Grady stared back. “They know about the Bureau of Technology Control, Cotton. And they also know you’re a BTC agent.” McAllen leaned forward. “Mr. Cotton, I’m the deputy secretary of Homeland Security. My name is William McAllen. I’ve informed the BTC that you’ve decided to turn informer and are now under our protection.” Cotton’s eyes went even wider, and he nodded to himself. “The BTC thinks you’ve betrayed them. I think you’d be wise to help us bring them down.” What came out of Cotton’s mouth next surprised them all. He took a deep breath and spoke calmly and evenly for the first time in Davis’s memory. “This is unfortunate timing. It really is.” “Mr. Cotton—” “I know you think you’re helping, but it’s actually going to ruin everything.” McAllen held up calming hands. “I can offer you protection, but only if you give us the structure of the BTC organization—who’s in charge, details of their facilities.” Cotton sighed and shook his head, looking at Davis. “Is he serious?” Grady cast a confused look to Davis. Cotton turned his attention to Grady. “I don’t know how you got away from them, Grady, but you’d better damned well go straight back. If we all go back to the way things were, there’s a chance—a slim chance—that we might not be dead come morning.” McAllen sighed impatiently. “Mr. Cotton, there isn’t going to be any bombing trial. We know you’re not a bomber, and we know there aren’t any bombing victims. What we need to find out is where those people are and who’s running the BTC.” Cotton laughed ruefully. “No bombing victims? Well, you’re wrong about that. The harvester teams only take the people they want. Everybody else gets killed.” He studied their reactions. “No, not by me.” Grady felt crestfallen. “So… my partners are dead?” “I’m sorry to tell you that, but listen to me…” Cotton leaned forward in his chains. “You’re about to join them. We all are if you don’t stop this and put me back where I was.” Cotton suddenly struggled against his chains, shouting. “Damnit! I had this all worked out until you idiots screwed everything up. I should be in Stateville!” He started banging his hel meted head against the bulkhead. Grady grabbed Cotton’s bulletproof vest. “You’re saying they’re dead? Tell me!” “Yes, they’re dead. Don’t look at me; I didn’t kill them. I haven’t killed anybody, but they’re not about to grab useless people. They grab the best and kill the rest. That’s their motto.” McAllen eased Grady away from Cotton. “Look, we need to know everything you can tell us about Graham Hedrick.” “Oh, man…” He shook his head vigorously. “You have no idea how far ahead of you these people are.” “What was your deal with them?” “The deal was I got to live if I was useful. That was the deal. But I had other plans—plans you idiots have well and truly fucked up. I need to get out of here.” “We can protect you.” Cotton laughed bitterly. “Look, I’ve been crawling around in their world for a decade. I know what they’re capable of—and that’s why I want to get the hell out of this Styrofoam cup you’ve put us all in.” He gazed around at the armored vehicle. McAllen nodded to a Marine captain nearby. “Get us under way.” Cotton laughed again. “Under way? I’m sure that will stop them from frying our brains from orbit. Hey, did you talk to the others who’d tried to take down the BTC?” “Oh, that’s right. You couldn’t. BECAUSE THEY’RE DEAD!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Now unchain me, and get me the hell out of this coffin!” Suddenly all the lights went out. Electric motors whined to a stop in the blackness around them. Silence. No emergency lights came on. It was so black, Davis realized, it made no difference whether her eyes were open or not. Cotton groaned again in the darkness. “There’s the HEMP. Great job, guys…” Davis asked, “What’s a HEMP?” “High-altitude electromagnetic pulse. They would have fired it from the edge of the atmosphere. Out there, the X-ray and gamma ray radiation interact—creates a massive free-electron maser. Any microelectronics within fifty miles are for shit now.” He listened carefully. “Don’t hear any fighter jets now, do you?” “FBCB2 is down, sir!” McAllen’s voice: “Captain, get this rear door open!” “There are hatches over our heads, sir…” They heard banging around. “Hang on…” Cotton’s chains rattled as he held forth. “You have no idea what you’ve done. If you brought ten thousand people, you couldn’t protect me. Just put me back! Let’s go back to the trial! It’s not too late. Come on—back to prison…” Just then moonlight entered the vehicle as the staff sergeant opened an overhead hatchway up front. The captain opened another one near the rear and stepped up to look out, shouting down to someone. “Lieutenant, do they have power over there?” There were muffled calls as Davis frowned at Cotton, who was busy groaning fearfully. The captain came back down. “Power’s out in the entire force. And there’s thick fog coming in.” Cotton nodded. “They’re lowering the dew point to mask their advance. And you no longer have night vision. Are you happy now? We’re all going to die. And I nearly had this solved. But you had to go and ruin it, didn’t you, Davis?” She scowled at this strangely alien Richard Cotton. “Ruin what?” Suddenly horrific sounds—like the fabric of reality tearing—reached them through the armored walls of the Stryker. Automatic gunfire erupted outside, with intermittent shouts and explosions. Then booms from a .50-caliber machine gun. And then the deafening roar of a whole marine company opening fire shook the Stryker. The staff sergeant poked his head up through the hatchway, shouting down, “We’re under attack, Captain!” “From what direction?” “I can’t… this damn fog. I can’t even see the tracers.” Cotton nodded. “You’re blind, and they see everything. We’re sitting ducks in here.” He shook his chains. “Unchain me, damnit.” He looked to McAllen. “If we survive this, I’ll talk, I swear it—just get me out of here!” Davis grabbed his arms. “Calm the hell down, Cotton. No one’s going to reach you in here.” Already outside the gunfire had gone silent. “There. They might have driven them off.” Cotton just shook his head sadly. “You have no idea what’s coming.” Then a blinding light and searing heat cut through the cabin—slicing the marine captain in half lengthwise even as it cauterized him. The last two feet of the Stryker fell away, the edges glowing red, as tons of steel and composite armor collapsed onto pavement. Night air swept onto the stunned faces of Davis, Grady, Cotton, Falwell, and McAllen. Outside, they could see thick roiling fog and soldiers lying motionless on the asphalt. It was suddenly eerily quiet. No aircraft overhead. Not even the sound of crickets. Davis turned back to see half of the marine captain twitching on the bench. She coughed at the combination of ozone and burned flesh and looked away, drawing her Glock pistol. Falwell and McAllen did likewise. The staff sergeant grabbed an M4 from a weapon rack and aimed it out into the fog. He shouted toward the driver. “Captain’s down, Ricky!” “What the hell hit us?” “I don’t know!” Davis glanced back to Grady and Cotton, only to see them both staring in horror out into the fog. She turned back again. “Thomas, we have to get Grady and Cotton out of here.” Falwell shook his head. “This is insane. I don’t understand…” Moments later three negative forms materialized from the fog. They were the darkest black Davis had ever seen. Their outlines swallowed light, as though they were living silhouettes. Cotton covered his head with hands and cowered in his orange body armor. “Oh God! Morrison, it wasn’t me…” Davis, Falwell, and McAllen opened fire with pistols, while the staff sergeant fired short bursts with his M4. In the confines of the Stryker the gunshots were deafening—spent cartridges bounced all around them—but they fired repeatedly until their clips were empty. As she reloaded, Davis focused downrange, through the gun smoke into the dark fog. The three negative forms stood unmoving. Finally a voice like that of God spoke: “Deputy Secretary McAllen. I bring a message from the director of the BTC.” McAllen scowled as he lowered his gun. “What is it, you bastard?” A tearing sound ripped the air again, and before Davis’s eyes, a white-hot fire swept from inside the tip of McAllen’s outstretched hand and down within his arm as he screamed in agony. It was as though some chain reaction was turning his body into fire. He started to burn like the glow moving down a cigarette. He barely got a second shriek out before his face and torso were consumed by the wave of glowing embers—the heat bursting forth from him singed Davis on the other side of the cabin. By the time the blinding flash ended, his form had collapsed into ash, his undamaged pistol clattering to the steel deck. Davis had reloaded, and she and Falwell opened fire at the dark forms again, but to no avail. When their guns were empty, they stared at the figures still standing, unaffected. And then Davis heard the ripping sound again. Falwell turned back toward her as he burned. “No!” She grabbed his outstretched hand and screamed in agony as her skin burned along with his. The unnatural fire consumed them both. Jon Grady stared, unbelieving, as Agents Davis and Falwell blew away into ash. He then turned toward the dark silhouettes at the mouth of the wrecked Stryker. “Aaaahhh!” He charged at them. But one of the forms held up a hand, creating a force that swept over him, Cotton, and the staff sergeant, hurling them against the rear bulkhead. Dazed, Grady felt gravity shift, and they “fell” out to land roughly on the pavement—as if a giant had upended the Stryker and shaken them out like candy. Every loose object in the Stryker came along with them—including the remaining half of the captain, tools, and rucksacks. Grady and Cotton then floated up a couple of feet above the ground. Spent shell casings and trash levitated around them. Several more dark forms floated down from above to join the first three, and they now stood staring at the floating men. Grady turned to see that the staff sergeant was still breathing but unconscious. Apparently someone had noxed him—something Grady had seen many times before. The fog was already dissipating as the summer breeze continued to blow over them, and now Grady could see just how many marines were lying unconscious in the parking lot. Cotton was babbling toward the jet-black center figure. “Morrison, I wasn’t working with them! Scan me! Go ahead and scan me!” The same wrath-of-God voice spoke from the ink-black human outline. “How much did you tell them, Cotton? You piece of shit.” “I didn’t tell them anything!” As Grady floated in the air, helpless to move, he concentrated on the dark forms. They were menacing in a way he’d never felt before. Like demons from hell. Morrison aimed his arm. “I don’t feel like scanning you, Cotton.” A female voice spoke from the sky. “I’ll take the prisoners.” The BTC warriors looked up to see Alexa descend wearing a black tactical suit of her own—although hers appeared much simpler. It was clearly not assault armor. She had a matching helmet as well with a crystalline visor across her blue eyes. Grady couldn’t help but notice a belt similar to the Morrisons’ woven into her outfit, and he assumed it must be the gravity mirror he’d invented—shrunken to absurdly small size and perfected. As Alexa descended into Grady and Cotton’s gravity field, they joined her gravitational well, and now seemed to move along with her. Morrison shouted, “Where the hell do you think you’re going, Alexa?” “I’m taking these prisoners back to the BTC.” Cotton looked over at her. “Thank God! Alexa, tell them I haven’t said anything.” She eyed him. “Perhaps not, but you are going to tell me some things.” She then glanced at Grady. Grady looked to her. “They killed Davis. They burned her alive.” Alexa looked visibly disturbed by this news, and she turned angrily toward Morrison and his gathered sons. “An XD gun? You didn’t have to kill anyone, let alone split their water.” “That’s where you’re wrong. Sometimes examples need to be made of people.” Morrison made no visible motion, but loose rocks and debris floating around him started to “fall” with him as his “down” edged toward Alexa and her new charges. “You’re not going anywhere. Hedrick ordered me to deal with Cotton just as soon as I learn whether he betrayed us.” “I’ll handle that.” Cotton was floating sideways, trying to get his spin under control. “What does he mean ‘deal with’ me?” Morrison’s armored black oval of a face remained focused on Alexa’s. His voice came across now at a more conversational volume. “This isn’t your field of expertise, Alexa. You should be back at base. Hedrick has been looking for you.” “I don’t report to you.” His voice grew impatient again. “Neither do you have the right to come here and interfere with my operation.” “You’ve already captured the prisoners. I’m taking control of them now. Don’t even think of ordering me around.” “Ah, I forgot. There’s only one person you report to…” He paused and then looked upward slightly. “Get Director Hedrick on a q-link to me immediately.” Alexa apparently wasn’t waiting around. She extended her booted feet, and then she, Cotton, and Grady began to fall upward, slowly at first. Grady felt little acceleration as he rose into the night sky, and now he could see how many marines were lying unconscious all around them in the moonlight—hundreds. Morrison’s voice shouted after her, louder now. “Alexa, I’m not letting you take those prisoners!” “Don’t follow me, Morrison. I mean it.” They ascended faster, rising above the trees, and now Grady could see the vast expanse of farmland stretching beyond. And the fallen army around them. His synesthesia made even this horrible vista beautiful, as the stars above were wondrous. Morrison popped his visor with a hiss, revealing his weathered, scarred face. There were now six of his sons around him in full diamondoid armor, and they likewise popped their visors. “What’s up with Granny?” Morrison covered his microphone and hissed, “Go after her. Get the prisoners back while I get Hedrick on q-link.” The sons exchanged worried looks and covered their mikes as well. “Fuck that…” “Iota’s right, Dad.” “I’m not getting in the middle of a fight between Granny and Hedrick.” “She’s supposed to be ‘priceless intellectual property’ or some shit.” “She’s his goddamned girlfriend.” “What if she fights back?” “That bitch is dangerous.” Morrison aimed a diamond-hard black finger at them. “Get your asses up there and follow her.” “She’s on a tracker. We don’t have to follow her.” Morrison checked in with tactical operations again. “TOC, this is Alpha Dog, do we have the director on q-link yet?” “The director left the command center when you radioed mission completion. Is this an emergency, Alpha Dog?” “Yes, it’s a damned emergency. Tell him I found Alexa, and that she left with both prisoners—interfering with my command.” There was a pause. “Stand by, Alpha Dog.” Morrison gazed up into the stars and finally pounded the side of the armored Stryker with his diamondoid fist, putting a dent in its armor. “Goddamnit!” With that he ripped out the comm module from his helmet and tossed it to one of his sons—who caught it deftly. “Hold onto that for me.” “Someday you boys will learn it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.” Morrison’s visor swept across his face with a hiss, and he immediately fell into the sky, followed by a trail of debris. His sons watched him go and then turned to one another with worried looks. “To hell with this.” “Let’s get back to base. I don’t want to be downrange when this shit hits the fan.” Grady watched the moon’s reflection on a lake below them and stared in wonder at the world from five thousand feet. The tragedy of recent events was flowing through him at the same time the beauty of the natural world flowed over him. It was a beautiful summer night. Turned backward, he wasn’t blinded by the wind. Judging by the stars, he figured they were “falling” to the north—back toward Chicago. It was a miraculous feeling even given his black mood. He’d invented the gravity mirror, and now, before he died, he could see how marvelous it was. He was still trying to process all that had happened in the last ten minutes. Davis and Falwell were dead. Killed in a horrible way. So, too, was the deputy secretary of Homeland Security—their bodies incinerated as they shrieked. Grady turned to face Alexa as she guided the three of them in the shade of her gravity mirror. He could see Cotton looking below them, probably warm enough in his protective, orange body armor. Alexa cast a glance at Grady and shouted, “I owe you an apology.” He just stared at her. “I realize how feeble that sounds. Apologizing for destroying your life. I didn’t know.” “But now you do.” She nodded. “Your scars… I checked and—” “Then you really didn’t know, did you?” He could see what looked like true emotional pain in her eyes. “My God, what you had to go through. I had no idea.” Grady felt relief wash over him. He strangely felt he could believe her. But then the flow of air over them stopped. They just hung there, suspended. There was no sensation of deceleration. They just stopped. Alexa was busy checking her systems and looking up at projected displays in her helmet. Cotton shouted, “What’s wrong?” “I don’t know.” She was ticking through items: “Third of a g , zero pitch, zero yaw… we should be moving.” Just then a familiar voice came across the night air to them. “You’re not going anywhere with my prisoners, Alexa.” They turned to see Morrison floating toward them in the moonlight. He aimed an armored finger at them as he did so, the tip glowing fiercely. Alexa stopped checking her gear. There was a grim look on her face. “Integrated extogravis. That’s new.” “I can nullify your gravity mirror. Quite a toy you invented, Mr. Grady. One improvement we were able to make was the ability to instantiate the mirror at an arbitrary distance.” Grady’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but feel amazed even as he was horrified. “But… how…” Alexa now floated alongside them, just as helpless as they were. Like a fly in a spiderweb. “I didn’t know they’d built projectors small enough to mount in assault armor.” “Not that big really. Just requires lots of power. Certainly doesn’t fit in a flight suit like yours. So I guess Hedrick doesn’t give you all of his toys. He’s that smart at least.” They all four hung there silently in midair, five thousand feet above rural Illinois in a cloudless night sky. “Let us leave, Morrison.” He shook his head at her. “You’re free to go once you turn over my prisoners.” “Hedrick lied to me. You all lied to me. Why?” “You’re in your fifties, Alexa. It’s time to grow up.” “You knew what was going on at Hibernity.” “I’m so sick of your sustained innocence. You get to waltz around and have everyone love you. You’re the future of humanity, while my project gets canceled and I become a genetic punch line. Well, I’m a survivor. I do the dirty work that no one knows about. When things need to get done, the director counts on me and my sons to do them. The outside world is a ruthless, shitty place. At least Grady and Cotton here actually have a purpose—what’s your purpose? Other than being a genetic library for when they finally figure out how to transfer minds from one body to another?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, you didn’t know about that project either? Well, we don’t tell you everything.” Alexa stared at him, her jaw clenching. “Now push Grady and Cotton over here.” He aimed a gloved finger on his other hand, apparently a weapon integrated into the suit. Cotton tried to swim through the air to get behind her. “Alexa, you know they forced me to do this. I haven’t harmed a soul, I swear it.” Morrison laughed. “You’re no saint, Cotton. Did Cotton ever tell you where we found him—a master thief trying to break into BTC headquarters? Bit off more than you could chew, eh?” “Alexa, don’t let him do this.” “Your ten years is just about up, anyway, Cotton.” Alexa drew a black spikelike device from her belt. Its tip glowed with an intense indigo light. Morrison lowered his weapon arm. “A positron gun? That’s a killing weapon, Alexa. Where did you get that?” “You know damn well.” Morrison’s ink-black armored face was inscrutable, but he nodded slowly to himself. “He’s weak.” “Let us go, Morrison.” “Listen to yourself, Alexa. You’re breaking bureau regulations. Ignoring rules about tech level exposure. Chain of command.” Cotton shouted, “He’s going to kill us—split our water like that Davis woman.” p>Morrison nodded toward her raised weapon. “How much antimatter do you have in that thing?” “A billionth of a gram. So don’t toy with me.” “You’re not a killer, Alexa. And you know that Grady and Cotton must come with me. Civilian government knows who Cotton is now. They’ll interrogate him—torture him if necessary—to get information out of him.” She didn’t lower the weapon, although Grady could see she was unsure of what to do. “Don’t test me, Morrison. Just leave. And tell Graham to back off while I sort this out.” Morrison slowly reached toward his harness. “See this? I’m getting a psychotronic weapon—nonlethal—and that’s all there is to it. I’m not going to harm you or anyone. Ask yourself: Are you going to kill me, Alexa? Are you going to kill me to stop me from using a nonlethal weapon against—” He fast-drew the weapon, but Alexa’s reflexes were faster. A blinding flash and crack of thunder, and the front of Morrison’s suit burst apart in weirdly intricate sparks and whirling vortexes of energy—hurling him backward and then downward. But on his way down Morrison zapped Alexa with the psychotronic gun as well. She spun out of control, causing Grady and Cotton to fall out of her local gravity field—and into free fall from the night sky. Alexa almost immediately regained her senses and found herself free of Morrison’s projected gravity field. She scanned the sky below her with thermal imaging. Cotton was falling below her, screaming, while Grady descended farther off—probably impossible to reach at terminal velocity. However, Morrison appeared to be moving to intercept Grady—sparks issuing from his combat assault armor. “Damnit!” Alexa soared down to try to catch up with Cotton before he hit the forest thousands of feet below. She tucked her arms onto her thighs to streamline her aerodynamic profile and descended at much more than a hundred miles an hour. Grady’s heart pounded in his chest as the rushing air buffeted him. His watering eyes saw the dark forest racing up to meet him, and he realized that these were his final seconds of life. He glanced up at the stars above him. The beauty was heartbreaking. However, his time in Hibernity had taught him how to manage fear, and he turned toward the approaching trees—determined to see his life right up to the very end. But suddenly he felt cold, armored hands grab his arms, and his direction of descent lurched forward—only a thousand feet above the shadows of the trees. Grady turned to see Morrison’s onyx face mask. “You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that, Mr. Grady?” But then Grady noticed that they had not entirely stopped falling, and he felt conflicting gravity fields over about half of his body. Classical “down” was still to some extent in force. One of Morrison’s gauntlets released Grady, and he seemed to be struggling to get something functioning. Purple sparks burst forth occasionally from the melted front plate of the suit. Morrison’s visor popped open with a hiss, and smoke issued out of it as the red reflection of a dozen flashing warning lights lit up his face. “That traitorous bitch! A fucking positron weapon! She fried the power system—and most of my auxiliary.” They started to buck their descent a bit as Morrison concentrated on working his suit’s systems. But a glance below them showed Grady they were still coming down at dangerous speeds. He grabbed onto Morrison’s armor and shouted into his face over the rushing wind. “If you don’t have enough power to maintain the size of the gravity mirror, cut stabilization!” Morrison frowned in confusion. “If this suit is based on my technology, then there must be stabilization—or we’d be spinning like crazy. When two gravity fields interact, they’ll revolve within each other like—” He could see the trees accelerating to meet them at much more than seventy miles an hour. “JUST CUT THE FUCKING STABILIZATION!” Morrison calmly nodded and manipulated unseen controls. Suddenly they slowed dramatically—but started spinning like a merry-go-round on two different axes. Grady held on as Morrison’s armored arms embraced him. They plunged through a thick canopy of trees at ten or fifteen miles per hour, smashing through branches on the way to the ground. In darkness, they bounced off the forest floor, Morrison on the bottom, and hit again, then splayed next to each other. The sound of crickets suddenly was all around them. There were several seconds without movement. “Well. That’s something for the manual, Mr. Grady.” Morrison struggled to sit up, his suit still issuing occasional sparks. He appeared to be having trouble moving the heavy suit as smoke issued from several crevices. Grady leapt on top of him—slugging Morrison through his open face mask. “You son of a bitch!” “Ah, fuck!” The sound of servomotors whined, but Morrison didn’t seem to be able to make his suit do what he wanted it to—or even close his face plate with all the smoke issuing from inside. Grady punched him several more times until he was sure that Morrison was unconscious. As he kneeled on top of Morrison’s armor-clad form, Grady turned at the sound of crashing branches. In a moment, Alexa descended from the sky, clutching a struggling Richard Cotton. Cotton fell from her arms to kiss the ground. “Oh, thank God!” Alexa looked down at Morrison with concern. “Is he…?” “No. Unconscious—although I don’t know for how long.” She looked relieved and leaned down to pull a device that Grady recognized from Morrison’s belt—a psychotronic weapon. Alexa aimed the laser dot at the old commando’s head and keyed it for several moments. Then she took a reading. “Now he should stay asleep for twenty or thirty minutes.” Grady looked at her and nodded. “Thank you for rescuing me. If that’s what this is.” She grimaced. “I’m not sure what this is. I only know I can’t be partner to the type of evil you experienced. And that we have to stop what’s happening at Hibernity.” “Do you still believe in your probability projections for disruptive innovations?” She stared at him and shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Cotton stood next to them in his ridiculous orange body armor. “I hate to interrupt, but the wrath of God is going to come down on us any fucking second. So if we could have this conversation elsewhere, that would be fantastic.” “Cotton’s right.” Alexa pulled a metal stylus from her harness and activated what appeared to be a laser-cutting device—its needle-thin beam burned wickedly in the darkness. She used it to carefully carve out a tiny nodule on the shoulder of her flight suit. She repeated the process on her boots. “Removing the EDSP tracking devices.” Grady nodded. “Yeah, good catch.” Cotton was standing over Morrison. “If someone would help me get this body armor off, I’d like to take a piss on Morrison’s face.” She glared at him. “Leave it, Cotton. You’re lucky to be alive. Don’t make it personal—it’ll be just another reason for him to come looking for you.” Alexa then started dumping most of her equipment onto the forest floor. “They all have integrated trackers. We take our tech level containment seriously. Cotton’s right. They’ll come for it soon.” Grady gazed down at Morrison. “What about him?” “Leave him.” Grady studied Morrison’s armor. “What about his suit? It’ll buy us more time if we strand him out here without it. No comms. At least dump it a few miles away.” Alexa considered this. “Can we get it off him?” She nodded. “There’s a medical access override, if you have the clearance. Which I do.” She knelt next to Morrison and felt around the side of his helmet. She touched a control button and spoke into her own microphone. “Emergency medical access requested.” Suddenly Morrison’s armor started to unfasten around him, opening like flower petals. She stood. “Can’t cut diamondoid armor off with scissors.” Grady picked up a shoulder plate and hefted it. “This doesn’t even weigh all that much.” “And yet it’s the hardest substance known.” They took a few moments to gather the plates of armor—Alexa being careful to toss aside the four pieces that had integrated tracking particles. As they were finishing, Morrison began to wake up. Cotton raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, he’s about fifteen minutes early. Tough son of a bitch, isn’t he?” Morrison felt around himself for his armor and weapons, but his equipment was in a pile some yards away. Alexa quickly aimed the psychotronic gun at him. “Ah-ah, don’t.” Morrison assessed the situation, looking at the equipment missing from her harness and the nearby pile. He grinned nastily. “You won’t be Hedrick’s little sweetheart after this, Alexa. You’ll be one of the little people.” Cotton reached down and punched Morrison in the jaw, barely fazing the man. “Goddamnit!” Cotton hopped away, nursing his paw. Morrison gave him a disgusted look. “You’re a pussy, Cotton.” Alexa aimed the psychotronic beam. “Night-night.” Morrison gave her the finger even as he lay back down, and he was soon snoring soundly. Alexa tossed the weapon onto the pile, and then motioned for Grady and Cotton to come closer to her. Grady could feel the gravity around them change—and down suddenly became up. As they rose through the treetops, Grady turned to her. “Agent Davis is dead, the deputy secretary of Homeland Security—anyone who believed my story is dead, and the police will be out looking for Cotton in force soon, too. Where do we go?” Cotton looked at them. “I know a place…” It was well past midnight by the time Alexa—with Jon Grady and Richard Cotton floating beneath her gravity mirror—descended toward a flat, silvered roof of a massive, windowless ten-story brick building in the meatpacking district of Chicago. Half a mile ahead of them was a panoramic view of the downtown skyline. As they came down from the night sky, Grady could see large, faded signs painted directly onto the brick facade of their destination: “Fulton Market Cold Storage Company” and on a brick tower the faded words “Greater Fulton Market.” As they alighted onto the flat rooftop, Grady stood unsteadily. It was the first normal gravity he’d felt in several hours. They had flown a circuitous route from the plains, coming into Chicago low and slow from the northwest due to Alexa’s concerns about scanning, search teams, and satellite surveillance AIs teasing out their flight path from an all-seeing gaze in orbit. She was convinced Morrison and Hedrick would find them quickly—and appeared to be getting more concerned each minute. Despite the circumstances, Jon Grady had to admit that the flight (or, more appropriately, the “fall”) here was pretty spectacular. Grady and Cotton had floated alongside Alexa in the sphere of the mirror’s influence. The summer air rushing over them all as they soared silently above the midnight landscape—at first above broad cornfields bordered by dark clusters of trees and thick underbrush. Crickets thrummed below them, and the lights of lone farmhouses and outbuildings had passed by in the night. Eventually these gave way to exurb subdivisions and big-box retail centers, and finally a contiguous grid of suburban yards and streets. Grady had found the experience the closest thing he could imagine to being a bird—flying quietly over the land. Now that they’d landed, Alexa was scanning the skies nervously, her eyes illuminated by some device built into the crystal of her helmet’s visor. Cotton seemed unconcerned. He was already ripping Velcro straps to remove his orange bulletproof helmet and perp-protection vest. Both had the words “Federal Prisoner” stenciled on the front and back. “Well, that was a memorable evening.” He cast a look at Grady and tossed the helmet to him. “Very interesting little invention, this gravity mirror of yours, Professor.” Grady caught the helmet. “I’m not a professor.” “I think you’ve earned an honorary degree somewhere.” Cotton started walking toward a steel roof-access door in a towering brick bastion behind them. Here, too, was another faded painted sign reading “Fulton Market Cold Storage” in letters three stories high—it was like a building on top of the building. Alexa called after him. “What is this place, Cotton? And what makes you think they won’t find us here?” He glanced back. “It’s one of my safe houses. And they won’t find us because they’re already on our trail elsewhere.” “I mean, there are people within the BTC who will make it difficult for them to realize they’re not finding us.” Alexa narrowed her eyes. “Traitors, you mean? But the scanning—” “You wanna stand out here all night, or you wanna come inside?” She took another glance skyward, and then Grady and Alexa followed him. Cotton opened a small electrical panel to the side of the door and let a flash of light scan his eyes. The surprisingly thick stairwell door clicked open, and they followed him down a metal stairwell. Grady watched the door boom shut behind them and a green light appear. “One of your safe houses? How many do you have?” “If I told you that, they wouldn’t be ‘safe’ would they?” Alexa frowned. “If you think Morrison doesn’t know about these, you’re crazy. You can’t hide anything from the BTC. They’ll be sending harvester teams here any minute.” “Yeah, well, see, that’s the funny thing. Turns out the trick to keeping secrets from the BTC is to temporarily forget what you don’t want them to know. And thanks to modern science, that’s possible.” Grady frowned. “I experienced something like that in Hibernity—a protein that makes you forget specific memories as you recall them. But I never got my memories back. I lost a lot. Pieces of my childhood. My parents. Can you teach me how to recover them?” “Ah. You have to record them if you want to rewrite them again. Nasty, nasty place, Hibernity. My apologies for having been the instrument of your delivery to it—unwilling though I was.” Grady thought back to the night of the bombing. He remembered Cotton’s odd, almost apologetic shrug just before he departed. That memory had survived Hibernity. They arrived at the first stairwell landing, and here was a sturdier-looking black door. Cotton rapped on it with his knuckles. It sounded as solid as Mount Aetna. “Diamond-aggregate nanorods—hyperdiamonds. Got a millimeter of it coating the walls as well. Beats the hell out of carbon nanotubes—that stuff is worse than asbestos. And so 1990s.” He placed his hand over some sort of scanner—one that looked more complex than a simple palm print. Alexa scowled. “What tech level is this? And more importantly, how did you get it?” The stairwell security door clicked and then opened. “Who cares what tech level it is? And as for how I got it, that’s easy: Morrison was right—I’m a thief. A master thief.” He walked inside, kicking on the lights with a massive knife switch that echoed in the cavernous space beyond. After exchanging glances, Alexa and Grady followed. Within was a huge, refurbished loft space, with exposed brick walls, interior partitions, tasteful art and furniture, a living area, a restaurant-quality kitchen, and shelves lined with books. Beyond, Grady could see a long corridor with polished wood floors, half a dozen doors closed to either side, opening at the end of the hall into what appeared to be a large technical workshop. Thin-film screens and multiplexed surveillance camera holograms glowed to life all around the loft. As Grady and Alexa surveyed the place, Cotton walked into the kitchen and grabbed stemmed glasses from an overhead rack. “You know, Alexa, if you thought they were pulling out all the stops to get Grady, just wait. AWOL, you’re ten times more dangerous to Hedrick than Grady is. With what you know about them… wow-wee! He’ll leave no stone unscanned.” Cotton pulled the stopper out of a decanter and poured a finger of brandy into the three glasses. “And then there’s always the fact that he’s madly in love with you. Love and hate are opposite sides of the same coin, you know—both passions. You can flip from one to the other—but not to indifference.” He held up a glass with a nod, and then quickly drank each, one after the other. “Ahh! That’s the stuff.” Grady stood across a granite-topped island from him. “Who else is in this building?” “You mean what else: floors and floors of truth in advertising—cold storage. Very useful for erasing thermal signatures from questionable fusion experiments.” Alexa glared at him. “Fusion? Cotton, you’re not supposed to have that level of technology out of BTC headquarters.” He poured another glass. “Cognac, Mr. Grady? You look like you could use one.” He poured. “Drawn from casks lost in a shipwreck off the coast of France in 1873.” “Good lord, it must have cost a fortune.” “I wouldn’t know.” Cotton slid a snifter along the stone counter to him. Grady just barely caught it before it went over the edge. Alexa persisted. “What else do you have in this hideaway of yours?” “Nothing dangerous, if that’s what you’re thinking. No, this is strictly a stealth operation. We are safe from all known tracking technologies here.” “Not a q-link transmitter.” Cotton finished off another finger of cognac. “No. But then, we took care of that, didn’t we?” He offered her a drink with his eyes. She just made a disgusted sound and headed down the corridor, clearly irritated. Grady watched her go. “She could probably use some alone time.” Cotton started moving pots and pans around, turning on gas burners on his massive stove. Grady actually felt bad for her. “Alexa just walked away from her whole world for us. I remember having mine taken from me, and that was hard enough.” He took a sip of the cognac and savored it on his tongue. “My God, this is like a mist going down.” “Yeah, pretty smooth…” Cotton was getting ingredients out of what turned out to be some sort of walk-in fridge. “You’re cooking?” “Sure, why not? I always try to have a nice meal after near-death experiences. The food never tastes better. Thought I’d make a bouillabaisse. You hungry?” Cotton stabbed a finger at the ceiling. “This calls for Bizet…” He shouted at the ceiling in respectable French. “Les pêcheurs de perles —‘Au fond du temple saint’!” Suddenly the opera began to fill the loft. Beautiful music. Grady could see the colors in waves. He felt the depth of the day’s events and took another sip of cognac. “I am sorry that you wound up in Hibernity, Mr. Grady. Please know that I was given no choice.” Cotton was gathering fresh seafood onto the counter. Grady nodded absently. “How on earth is there fresh seafood here?” He gestured to the walk-in fridge. “Inert storage. Uses noble gases—argon. Like cryogenics but without freezing. Food takes ages to go bad.” “Another world-changing innovation hidde n in a vault.” Cotton seemed unfazed as he shelled large prawns. “This whole building is a ten-story freezer two blocks long. We’d probably find Prohibition-era gangsters in here if they ever thawed the place out.” “So how is it you’re here, Cotton? Why were you playing the BTC’s mad bomber all these years?” Cotton grimaced. “Bad luck, really.” Grady gave him a look. “Oh, right. I guess you were unluckier than I was. What I mean is, I was caught trying to break into BTC headquarters about… oh, I guess a dozen years ago.” “You were trying to break into the BTC?” “Well, I never claimed I was smart.” “How did you even know they existed?” “I didn’t. It was a job. I made it my business to obtain difficult-to-obtain information for interested parties. The BTC building had come to the attention of certain people—certain low-profile people—who let me know just how ultrasecure this very run-of-the-mill building smack-dab in downtown Detroit was. It was anomalous to say the least.” Cotton stopped peeling seafood for a moment to stare wistfully into the distance. “I thought I had it all figured out back then.” He laughed. “But we don’t know what we don’t know until we know.” “Someone hired you to break into the BTC?” “It’s not like I tossed a brick through the window. I had a sophisticated operation. I am a master thief. It’s just that there is no breaking into the BTC.” He opened a glass-faced wine cabinet and held up a bottle of red. “Châteauneuf-du-Pape?” Grady nodded toward his half-full cognac. “No, I’m good, thanks.” Cotton started opening the wine as he continued. “And that low-profile client, I later found out, was the CIA. Wish I’d known that back then. They have a rather dismal history when it comes to break-ins. “I thought I was clever, but I got caught before I even got into the premises. Turns out the exterior of their building is a facade in more than the traditional sense. There are no windows. No surface-level doors—or at least none that go anywhere. Behind the concrete-and-glass perimeter are thirty millimeters of diamond-aggregate nanorods, black as Sauron’s tower—that’s where I got the idea for this place, by the way. The BTC HQ goes a few hundred feet underground—that I know of. They project holograms on the walls inside to make it appear like you’re looking out a window at the real world. The human eye can’t detect the difference with the tech they’re using. So they’re constantly switching the view to live shots taken by their video dust cameras scattered around the world—extradimensional transmitters link all their comms.” He looked up. “You probably figured that out by now. It’s why no one can eavesdrop on them.” Grady considered this as he took another sip of the precious cognac. After savoring it for a few moments, he said, “And they caught you?” Cotton nodded as he started cleaning seafood again. “Yeah, and you can imagine I had my eyes opened fast. A barbarian hauled before Caesar. The director at the time, a little waif of a man named Hollinger, was impressed I’d gotten as far as I did. He offered me a deal: I could either work for them as the public face of the Winnowers—become the infamous Richard Louis Cotton—or I could get pushed through an exothermic decomposition beam.” He turned back. “And you saw what one of those did to our friend Agent Davis.” Cotton paused for a moment. “Poor woman.” “So you became the Antitech Bomber.” “No one in the BTC wanted to be Cotton, and they needed a new antitech boogeyman. They kept me on a short leash for quite some time. The plan was that after a decade they’d retire Cotton, too. I was supposed to relax in idyllic splendor among the other godlings.” He chuckled as he took a sip of wine from the crystal bulb he’d half filled. “But then, I never really believed that. And also I’d never forgotten the job I’d been hired to do. After all, how often does a thief get a chance to steal back the future?” “Then you already had a plan? Which we disrupted…” “You might say we have something in common, Mr. Grady.” Grady finished off his cognac, then pulled the video projector from beneath his shirt on its chain. “Maybe you can help me then. I need to decode the data on this device—it’s DNA-formatted.” Cotton shrugged. “That’s the only real format there is.” He looked at the thin piece of bone. “What is it?” Grady thumbed the button, and Chattopadhyay’s image appeared on the wall. “My name is Archibald Chattopadhyay, nuclear physicist and amateur poet. I have a lovely wife, Amala, who has given me five wonderful children. I led the team that first perfected a sustained fusion reaction…” Grady paused it. “Clever bastards at Hibernity, aren’t they? I’d heard rumors that they’d taken over half the prison.” “But they still can’t escape. That’s what I’m hoping to help them do.” Cotton gestured to the device. “Leave it with me. I’ll decode all the data that’s on it.” Grady hesitated. “We’ll do it tomorrow—after some rest. I don’t want to let this thing out of my sight.” He then put it away beneath his shirt again. “Suit yourself. Just let me know when you’re ready.” Grady looked down the corridor. Alexa was nowhere in sight. “You have beds in this place?” “Sure. Rooms on both sides of the hall. Take any empty one.” Grady gazed into the dark at the hall’s end. “I should go thank Alexa before I get some sleep. She did save me.” Cotton looked up from his work. “You really think your thanks is what she wants right now?” Grady considered this. He finally nodded. “I guess not.” With that he went to find a bed. In the predawn stillness the street of downtown Detroit were nearly deserted. The office towers were still mostly dark. Graham Hedrick sat in the command chair of the BTC’s mission control center overlooking the big screens and the specialist workstations in the room below. He could see a large image of North America centered on Detroit and the Great Lakes on the central screen above; several incoming objects were being tracked across the plains and also coming in from central Canada over the Great Lakes. Alarms were blinking on several screens. Hedrick nodded to himself. “X-51 WaveRider cruise missiles. I’m impressed by their initiative.” Someone had made a command decision somewhere on the other side. He knew these hypersonic missiles could do thirty-six hundred miles an hour—which meant, at six hundred miles, they were only ten minutes away. Launched from a B-52 bomber, they wouldn’t be mistaken by other global powers for an ICBM launch, but they could do a great deal of damage if they reached their destination—which, according to telemetry reports, was BTC headquarters in downtown Detroit. At that speed, they carried very few explosives. Instead, they were packed with scored tungsten rods. Just before impact, their modest warhead would detonate, showering the target area with thousands of fragments—obliterating anything in a three-thousand-square-foot area in a rain of hypersonic metal. The BTC had played around with this technology in the ’70s. Retro stuff, but still quite effective. The annoying thing was that BTC gravity mirror technology wasn’t useful here since the X-51s were driven by ramjet engines; they were already resisting gravity as they powered onward. It was just one of the many reasons Hedrick had been pushing so hard in recent years for gravity amplification. Stopping them dead in the air, or turning them around—now that would be really useful. “Mr. Director, you have a video call from Site R. It’s General Westerhouse.” Hedrick nodded. “Put him up.” A grim-faced, square-shouldered African American four-star U.S. Army general festooned with campaign ribbons appeared on a holographic screen that materialized just to the right of Hedrick’s gaze. “Graham Hedrick, I am General Gerald Westerhouse. I’m issuing you a formal demand to surrender to lawful authorities and bring this situation to a peaceful resolution.” Hedrick felt truly annoyed. “I’ve been trying to bring this to a peaceful resolution from the start, General, but Director Monahan seems to have other ideas. Is she the one who put you guys up to this?” The general kept a poker face. “You assassinated the deputy secretary of Homeland Security, Mr. Hedrick. Surely you realize that the United States government is not going to stand by while one of its federal bureau chiefs foments civil war.” “Let’s not get melodramatic. The man was meddling. And it’s not like there’s never been any fratricide between agencies before. If anyone should be mad, it’s me. I’m trying to carry out our legal mandate to protect the nation—and by extension that means the world—and the U.S. government keeps getting in my way.” “Surrender your facility to lawful authorities, or you will be forced to comply with U.S. law.” “General, for the moment there’s been no public confrontation that could sow mass hysteria and undermine faith in rule of law…” Hedrick glanced to the right to see the WaveRider missiles tracking in, still hundreds of miles out. “We should take our responsibility to safeguard social order seriously. Let’s not make any hasty actions that cannot be undone.” “Do you refuse to comply with a lawful order to surrender control of your facility?” Hedrick sighed. “Don’t make me do this.” “I’m giving you one minute to relinquish your post and to start marching your people into Congress Street.” Hedrick drummed his fingers on his armrest. “Well, seeing how you’ve already launched hypersonic cruise missiles at us, and they’re not due here yet for another eight minutes, I’d say you’re cheating me on time.” The general barely hid his surprise that Hedrick knew about the incoming ordnance. Apparently they had expected the stealth surfaces to hide them; however, the AIs observing from satellites in geostationary orbit had no trouble spotting objects moving at three thousand miles an hour against a backdrop of terrain. “General, let’s prevent this from becoming a major incident…” Hedrick brought up another holographic window displaying the face of a technical operations officer—a young Morrison clone. “Yes, Mr. Director?” Hedrick said, “Deploy DPD to eliminate the incoming missiles. Report when complete.” “Wilco, Mr. Director.” Hedrick turned back to the general, who was distracted by someone talking into his hidden earpiece. “Give my regards to Madam Director, General. Now, I’m going to chalk this up to institutional youthful enthusiasm, but I want this to be the end of it.” He looked up at the big map of North America. DPD—or dynamic pulse detonation—had been around a while. BTC teams had harvested it from Russian physicists back when there was still a single BTC. Now all the BTC groups had the technology, and it was the reason why missiles and rocket-propelled grenades were largely obsolete in advanced combat. DPD used short, intense laser pulses to create tiny balls of plasma in the air, which were then struck by a second laser pulse to generate a supersonic shock wave within the plasma itself. This created a bright flash and a powerful bang—tiny plasmoid explosions, up to several hundred of them a second. These would be directed at the nose of an incoming missile, causing its trajectory to rapidly erode as it hit higher-pressure air and eventually causing the missile to tumble, breaking up within a second or two. He knew that even now DPD lasers were firing from orbit, peppering the air in front of the missiles. In moments all six of the incoming trajectories disappeared from the map. He imagined in the predawn sky over these rural locations there was a hell of a light show as the hypersonic missiles broke apart into flaming wreckage. The Morrison clone reappeared in a hologram projection. “Incoming missiles destroyed, Mr. Director.” Hedrick turned back to the general. “Your preemptive strike has been canceled, General. I suggest you tell the public there was a meteor shower. Our publicity people will send along some sample press releases and footage to make the messaging convenient.” The general glared. “Surrender your facility immediately.” “That isn’t going to happen. What’s going to happen is you’re going to start working with us cooperatively, just as before.” “You’re no longer the director of anything. You’re a criminal organization as far as we’re concerned.” “Be reasonable about this, General. I haven’t taken out your satellites or jammed your communications because I’m on your side. And you can’t jam—or even detect—our communications because we’re so far ahead of you technologically. Everything continues as before. We can all just simply forget this ever happened.” The general continued staring. “Are we clear, General?” Instead of answering, the general’s transmission ended abruptly. As Hedrick pounded the armrest of his chair, a bruised Mr. Morrison entered the gallery. Hedrick narrowed his eyes at the man. “Jesus Christ, I thought you were going to handle this, Morrison. Thanks to you, now I not only don’t have Jon Grady, but Richard Cotton is missing, Alexa has betrayed us—and she’s run off with tech level nine equipment to boot! As if I don’t have enough to deal with already from competing board members and meddlesome government bureaucrats.” Morrison seemed calm but stared intently. “I’m not the one who gave ‘her majesty’ an unregistered positron gun as a sweetheart gift. Sort of odd—considering it’s not really useful for anything other than BTC-on-BTC warfare. Specifically, defeating advanced nanorod armors. The type of thing one might give someone if one wanted to prevent a palace coup. Was she supposed to be your last resort, Graham?” Hedrick paused for a moment and then turned back to the screens. “Let’s talk no more about it. We’ve both got enough enemies as it is without turning on each other.” Morrison dabbed at his bruised face. “Where is she?” “They may have dumped all their registered gear, but Varuna was able to sift through all the moving objects on satellite surveillance of the ground in Illinois. Tracing back from where you were overpowered, it looks like they headed to the shore of Lake Michigan, and they appear to have gone underwater from there—deep underwater—headed north. Which would make sense. It protects them from orbital weapons, and they might have thought it would hide their movements.” “Their destination?” Hedrick brought up another holographic window showing a close-up satellite image of the eastern coast of Lake Michigan, near South Manitou Island. He zoomed in to show a tracking marker. “Varuna thinks they might be heading to this half-submerged wreck—it’s the only thing for miles around and a way to take shelter unseen.” Morrison nodded. “We can fry them from orbit when they surface.” “We’re not frying anyone. I still need Grady alive.” “But if they separate by even fifty meters, we can eliminate the other two. It’ll make it easier to catch Grady.” “I have teams handling it.” “You’re not referring to my teams, I hope?” “They’re not your teams; they’re BTC teams. And you were missing in action. Varuna gave me a plan, and I sent several teams out. Do you disagree?” Morrison pondered it irritably. “What’s going on with these government knuckleheads?” “They launched a handful of missiles. Nothing serious. I say we let them get it out of their system.” The technical operations officer’s hologram reappeared. “You have a call from L-329 at BTC Russia, Mr. Director.” “Damnit! Why does this thing always call at the worst times?” “Can’t appear weak. It’s fishing for an opening. Probably saw the missile launches.” Hedrick nodded. “Varuna.” “Yes, Mr. Director, I’ll modulate your voice for confidence and honesty.” “Good.” Hedrick spoke to the operations officer. “Send the call through.” In a moment a familiar cartoon cat appeared on a holographic screen. It spoke with apparent concern on its face. “Director Hedrick. I see you’re having a disagreement with your host government. Would you like me to resolve the problem for you?” “No. Why would we need that? Our host government is hardly a concern—and certainly no concern of yours.” “If you’d like us to safeguard your technologies until your—” “I find it irritating that you are supposedly superintelligent and yet somehow do not understand the meaning of the word no . It’s one reason why having an AI in charge of BTC Russia is so disappointing—it’s like talking to a high IQ child. You have no life experience, and you ask impertinent questions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a breakfast meeting.” He cut the line. Morrison folded his arms. “The vultures are circling.” “But in this case the vultures are heavily armed. I’m starting to think L-329 didn’t take over the Russian division—that Director Hollinger put it in charge to spite me. Just to make sure I wouldn’t get control of their portfolio.” The technical operations officer’s hologram appeared yet again. “Sir, we have a remotely controlled vehicle approaching from the north. It’s a UPS delivery van, but it appears to be transporting radiological material.” “Oh for chrissakes…” Morrison brought up some surveillance holograms of his own. “Where?” The officer’s hologram looked to him. “Washington Boulevard, sir. Uniformed military personnel are cordoning off the downtown area several blocks away.” Morrison pondered the satellite image of the UPS truck, moving toward them in the nearly deserted four A.M. streets. “Tactical nuke most likely, an MADM—maybe two, three kilotons.” He looked to the ceiling. “Varuna, what would a detonation of that magnitude do to our surface structure?” A holographic model of the neighborhood around the building appeared—and was quickly deformed by a slow-motion, blinding nuclear explosion that leveled multiple city blocks in every direction. BTC headquarters remained, however. “Such an explosion would strip away the concrete facade and might penetrate the diamond-aggregate nanorod curtain wall in several places. Damage to surrounding civilian and government structures would be catastrophic.” Hedrick looked truly annoyed. “This is all-out war.” “Could be a neutron bomb. A massive dose of radiation. Little explosive damage.” “Either way…” He spoke to the operations officer. “Jam every radio frequency for two miles.” They watched as moments later the UPS truck started to wander in its lane, then finally came to a stop a half mile away. Varuna’s voice sounded again. “Mr. Director, let me alert you to a gathering military force elsewhere in the city.” Morrison glowered at the UPS truck on-screen. “Do we send someone to go get it?” “Don’t bother.” Hedrick examined other screens Varuna was bringing to his attention now—close-ups zooming in from orbit. Dozens of armored military vehicles we re forming into columns miles away, mobilizing. The operations officer appeared again. “Heavy artillery is coming out of cover ten miles to the east.” Morrison looked toward Hedrick. “They’re doing this the old-fashioned way. Probably planned to breach our perimeter and send troops in afterward.” Hedrick gripped the arms of his chair in rage. “I’m finished with half measures.” Hedrick brought up a hologram of another operations officer. “Yes, sir?” “Activate Kratos. I have a list of targets…” Staff Sergeant Randall Wilkes stared down the wide, sculpture-studded length of Washington Boulevard. His National Guard military police unit had done as instructed and set up a roadblock at Clifford—closing off this portion of downtown to all traffic. They were to let civilians out of the area but let no one in. It was a damned strange training exercise, to inconvenience people who were just trying to get to work. And what about the people who lived in the pricey condos to either side? He didn’t spend a lot of time up here, but he could only imagine how much the condos were going for, and he knew if he’d laid down that kind of cash, he wouldn’t be too thrilled with the military doing training exercises in the middle of the street at the crack of dawn. This wasn’t North Korea. Operation Rubicon had been strange all around so far. Wilkes waved on a newspaper delivery truck as it came out of the downtown area in the predawn. He looked across at the four up-armored Humvees in his platoon. They had occupied the street corners and set up police sawhorses blocking the road and sidewalks. An early jogger had been turned away—and wasn’t too happy to hear this was a training exercise, but that he’d nonetheless be arrested if he continued. Some corporate lawyer threatened to sue them, too, but then he ran off the other way. And Wilkes hadn’t heard anything about this operation until forty-eight hours ago. He’d gotten a call telling him there was a mandatory training exercise—his normal one-weekend-a-month duty be damned—and here he was. His orders were to secure the intersection and wait for a column of military vehicles to move in from the north. They were to open up the cordon to let them pass, and then reblockade the street and await further orders. Some War on Terror training exercise, he supposed—the whole federal courthouse area was down Washington a half mile or so. He figured it was special operations stuff. But radios had been down for the past ten minutes. Cell phones, too. He suspected that was part of the exercise—to see how the units handled the loss of communications. Just then he saw the captain’s Humvee approaching fast, and Wilkes walked to meet it as it rolled to a stop on the sidewalk. Captain Lawrence, a county judge, stepped one foot out and peered over the armored door. “All comms are out. Prepare to part those roadblocks. You’ve got a column of friendlies coming in fast from the north. They’ll be here in thirty, so hustle it!” Wilkes whistled and hand-signaled his men, then replied, “You got it, Captain.” He then started toward the nearest sawhorses. They were each fifteen feet long. “Hey, Martin! Robbie! Get ready to move these fast. We got vehicles coming through, and they aren’t stopping for shit!” The captain got back in his Humvee, and it took off down a side street. The rest of Wilkes’s platoon scrambled to grab the ends of the sawhorses, and they moved a couple out of the way in advance. Wilkes moved into the center of the boulevard, standing on the grassy meridian. It was about twenty feet wide, and he wanted the vehicles to see him signaling as they approached. And he could see their headlights—even though it was light enough to run without them. Damn! This was some exercise. There was a long line of vehicles. They were coming down all four lanes on both sides of the street. They seemed to be following Baghdad road rules, too—high speed, civilians be damned. Leading the charge were half a dozen M1 Abrams tanks—their turbofan engines waking up the neighborhood. Wilkes could see lights going on in the windows of buildings all around them. Bewildered faces peering down. Behind the tanks were dozens of Stryker armored vehicles. The whole column was moving thirty or forty miles an hour. This was insanely irresponsible. “Goddamnit! Get these blockades out of the way!” His men scrambled to move the heavy sawhorses—and they damned near did it, too. One of the lead Abrams smashed through one remaining sawhorse, blasting it into pieces—one of which shattered the window of a parked car. “Goddamnit. This is a frickin’ training exercise…” But no one heard him as the rest of the tanks and Strykers roared past, their CROWS autoturrets scanning apartment windows above, scaring the hell out of people. Wilkes was a Detroit cop, and he just threw up his hands and looked to his men. “This is crazy! What are they doing?” He hoped no one had live ammunition. But then, as he looked down the length of Washington Boulevard, he saw something distant fly up from the ground—something large, along with pieces of debris. It reminded him of videos he’d seen of tornadoes roaring through trailer parks. Wilkes pulled off his goggles and stared ahead. And then he saw a UPS delivery truck hurtle into the sky a quarter mile away, tumbling as it went. Following it were what appeared to be trees, light poles, another car. It was as though the ground was peeling up. And now a horrendous thunder came to his ears as if a great machine were being ripped apart. Flocks of nearby pigeons scattered in a panic. But the armored column roared onward. And then Wilkes could see the lead tanks falling up into the sky as well, as if they’d driven off a reverse cliff. Red taillights stabbed on the following Strykers as pieces of asphalt, parking meters, manhole covers, trees, grass, sculptures—everything, literally everything—ripped out of the ground and flung itself into the sky. There was the deafening sound of breaking glass as the facade of one of the tall buildings ripped away, but instead of collapsing, it up -lapsed—pouring into the air and shattering into thousands of pieces as people screamed in terror and fled deeper into their apartments. The Strykers had screeched to a stop now on their eight large rubber tires, but as Wilkes watched, speechless, the tanks were clanging together like great bells and cresting the tops of twenty-story buildings—then falling up, up into the dawn sky, receding, shrinking smaller with every second. And other vehicles and debris continued to follow them as though on a conveyor belt. The cracking sound of the concrete, as if the bones of a giant were being broken, rippled through Wilkes’s chest. He watched, paralyzed, as a whole section of Washington Boulevard—center meridian, sculptures, asphalt, and Stryker vehicles all—peeled up and came apart as they fell into the sky. The remaining Strykers tried to turn or back away from the disaster, but the suspension of reality was racing them down the street—and winning. Men were piling out of the gridlocked Strykers now as their rear gates opened. They pulled off their packs and ran screaming away from another building facade ripping upward. Lampposts tore out of the ground; fire hydrants and sidewalks peeled up. Piping and electrical work from the streets dangled upward, their ends swinging as water poured into the heavens as well from a broken main. Soil hurtled upward, splashed through water, and came out mud on the other side. Soldiers ran past Wilkes now, fear in their faces. He could barely hear them as he watched the sidewalk tearing up a hundred feet away. Soldiers there clawed at bicycle racks, but then the ground beneath it all gave way, the concrete cracked apart, and they spun screaming into the air, their cries receding. Wilkes’s neck craned up to see a line of debris heading into the heavens. What he knew must be M1 tanks were tiny dots now, crumbs in a vast river. And then he felt the pull, it started dragging him forward, and he finally came out of his paralysis. Too late. Almost immediately the feeling of falling tripled, and he grabbed for the light post next to him. The Humvee in the street before him, along with fleeing infantryman, flew upward with the asphalt of the street beneath them, and then the concrete and gravel beneath that, and finally the soil, poured skyward. As Wilkes held on, he suddenly saw the world differently. It was all clear to him now. What he’d always known as down no longer was down. The city was a great roof over his head. And as he looked down, he could see that the sky was a yawning chasm beneath his feet. His grip weakened on the lamp pole, and finally it slipped from his fingers as he fell screaming into the vast emptiness below. At Site R, Director of National Intelligence Kaye Monahan sat in a mission control center watching live satellite imagery of the operation under way in Detroit. The generals and intelligence directors around her gasped. She herself felt a tingling, almost detached feeling as she saw an entire battalion sucked up and hurled into the heavens, the streets and building fronts along with them. Now there were fires as what appeared to be a gas main silently exploded. A hush had gone over the control room. But then someone said, “Pull them back. For God’s sake, pull back.” A general next to her said, “Where’s the MK-54?” “Lost, sir. We have no idea where it is.” “My God.” “We just lost a suitcase nuke.” Monahan came out of her stupor and called to an operations officer. “What’s happening?” The lieutenant colonel examined a radar screen and shook his head. “They appear to be falling up. The leading edge is above a hundred thousand feet already.” He looked up from the screen. “They’re falling off the planet. Apparently the BTC can control gravity.” The gathered generals and intelligence directors let out a breath and wandered about the control room, trying to process what they were seeing. A four-star general said, “We have no choice now. We’ll need to tell the president.” The deputy director of the CIA scowled at him. “The last thing we need is politicians involved in this mess.” The NSA deputy director nodded. “We can’t tell anyone about the BTC. If people find out how powerless civilian government is, there’ll be a political crisis.” Monahan looked from one to another. “Then what do we do? We can’t do nothing.” The deputy director of the CIA grimaced. “Maybe it’s what we should have been doing all along. Just leave them alone. Let things go back to the way they were.” She looked up at the big satellite screen. The carnage seemed to be starting all over again miles out of town now as a whole artillery section began falling into the heavens, along with the farm fields in which they were deployed. The site was rapidly turning into a quarry. Monahan pointed. “What the hell are people going to think, Mike? Half of the main drag in Detroit just fell into the sky in front of ten thousand witnesses.” “The BTC jammed cell signals. Radio frequencies.” “He’s right. There’s no television coverage. No YouTube video.” “So what are you saying? They did the right thing?” “They did sanitize the scene. There’s no wrecked military equipment to explain.” She clenched her fists. “You people are unbelievable…” “Kaye, be practical. This is a monumental disaster—no doubt about it. But we won’t help things by making them worse. Hundreds of young men and women are dead. They died trying to defend their country—but they lost. For now. And it doesn’t help anyone if we reveal that.” She collapsed in a leather chair. “We need to inform the president.” “No. We don’t.” “Goddamnit, he’s going to notice that parts of Detroit are missing. That a battalion of the 82nd Airborne just went airborne.” “We’ll get meteorologists to come up with something. Climate change. Freak whirlwind—something. For chrissakes, Detroit’s right on the Great Lakes.” “Or close enough to them at least.” She shook her head. “You’re expecting people to believe that seventy-ton main battle tanks and armored vehicles fell up into the sky because of a freak storm?” There was silence for a few moments. “Obviously, we’ll need to work on the cover story, but you get the idea.” She sighed. “The BTC murdered Bill McAllen. They disintegrated him. Do we just let them do whatever they want and get away with it? How long before they come for us, too?” The deputy director of the CIA put his hand on her shoulder. “They won, Kaye. Let it go. Let’s try to manage the aftermath. Bide our time.” Monahan felt numb for the next half hour as the generals and intelligence chiefs tried to divide their PR problem into solvable pieces, but it all sounded like nonsense to her—like something the public would never believe. But then again, she had seen the truth and she didn’t believe that either. Monahan kept thinking that there must be some way she hadn’t yet thought of to react. Some strategy by which she could best the BTC. But then there was a distant booming sound—and impossibly, water glasses on the table rippled, even though they were deep underground. The generals and intelligence directors leapt up, looking up at the ceiling. “Hedrick is coming for us. Jesus. If they can control gravity… they could rip us straight out of the ground!” Monahan looked around the table at them. Panicked. They were all panicked. One general shouted, “Continuity of government bunkers are no longer safe! We need to get out of here and spread out—go to separate locations. Or the heads of critical agencies are going to be wiped out all at once.” Monahan followed them as if she were watching from a distance. Still in a daze. They put her on an electric cart with a couple of generals and a heavily armed security detail—all of the guards inexplicably wearing MOPP biological protection gear. She figured somebody must have grabbed the wrong binder. Or perhaps they didn’t have a binder for the scenario where Site R and all its high-value occupants fell into the sky. As the cart came out of the huge gates at the bunker entrance, it skidded to a stop, and Monahan’s stupor served her well. She didn’t immediately lose her mind. Generals staggered around holding their heads in their hands, but she walked calmly, staring out at the shattered remains of main battle tanks and armored vehicles that had crashed into the forested slopes around them, leaving huge craters and fires behind, along with the body parts of hundreds of men, their corpses flash-frozen and then shattered like glass. And she realized that the entire battalion had been thrown at them from the heavens by technological gods. Gods whom they’d angered. Jon Grady awoke in a comfortable, modernist bedroom with a high-raftered ceiling with walls that didn’t rise high enough to meet it. As a result he could hear a distant television elsewhere in the loft. The sound of clattering pots and dishes. Grady turned to see Alexa asleep, sitting in a chair across the bedroom, positron gun in her lap. He guessed she must have come in sometime during the night. Standing guard perhaps? He turned on his side and watched her sleeping, studying her face. The goddess Aphrodite had nothing on her. With her eyes still shut Alexa said, “You’re freaking me out, Jon.” He quickly looked away, coughing. “What was that?” Alexa opened her eyes. “You’re obviously still on guard.” She sat up. “I don’t sleep much. Never have. I heard your door open in the middle of the night and checked up on you. Found the door open—you asleep. I’m not sure I entirely trust Cotton. You realize he could turn us in to save his own skin?” Grady narrowed his eyes and then felt for the video device hung around his neck. It was gone. He tore off the covers and searched the sheets. “What’s wrong? What are you looking for?” He leaned down to look alongside and then under the bed. Leaping out of it, he heaved and overturned the bed entirely. In a moment he came up with the silver chain on which he had hung the video device—a neat cut severing the loop, the clasp still in place. “Cotton…” He bolted out of bed, still wearing all of his clothes, and raced through the bedroom door. Alexa was right behind him. “What’s wrong?” “The video record from Hibernity is gone. It has everything!” He looked both ways in the hallway and realized the sounds he was hearing were coming from the large workshop, not the kitchen, and so he ran toward it. She followed close behind. Grady moved down the corridor. Glancing for any open doors but finding none, he walked all the way to the end, where the corridor opened to a truly enormous technical workshop. There were robotic arms by the dozen on tables and on shelves—in fact, whole domestic robots, and shelf after shelf of inscrutable high-tech components. Not a circuit board in sight—just solid, shimmering, optically strange metamaterials and coils of electropolymer muscle. The place was possibly a third of the entire floor—a good three thousand square feet. Ahead Grady saw Richard Cotton sitting at a workbench, viewing some type of cellular culture through an electron microscope display. Nearby robotic arms performed precision movements over petri dishes. “Cotton!” The man turned and lifted up a crystal visor he wore on a strap around his head. “Whoa. What’s with all the shouting?” Grady stomped up to him. “Where the hell is it?” Cotton looked quizzically to Alexa. Then back to Grady. “Where is what?” “My video device. The one that was around my neck.” Cotton raised one eyebrow. “I don’t appreciate the tone.” Grady grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him off his chair, toppling it. “I’m not fucking around! Tell me where it is! I know you have it.” Cotton tried to protect the work on the table. “Damnit! Don’t disturb those cultures. You’re going to mess everything up.” Alexa gazed at nearby workbenches and pointed to something held in place by a robotic clamp. “Is this it?” Grady turned and felt relief upon seeing it—but then twice as much anger. He released Cotton, dropping him onto the floor, and moved to grab Chattopadhyay’s video device from the clamp. It was held fast. “What the hell are you doing with it?” Cotton got to his feet. “Well, if you must know, I could tell you weren’t going to part with it without a hassle, and it sounded like it might be useful in damaging the BTC.” “Release it. I want it now!” “All right, relax.” Cotton stepped up and tapped a button on a holographic display. The clamp released. “Don’t touch anything else.” Grady grabbed the device before it could fall. He pressed the “play” button and was relieved to see Chattopadhyay’s video appear. Cotton nodded at it. “I was able to copy all the data on it. The video. The DNA. The gyroscope-decoding instructions. Just one problem: There’s no gyroscope data to decode.” Grady was making another necklace from polymer thread he’ d found nearby and looping the video device onto it. “What do you mean there’s no gyroscope data?” “I mean there isn’t any gyroscope data. It’s a separate chip. Maybe it got fried by the electromagnetic pulse, maybe when you came in contact with Morrison while his power suit was shooting sparks—I don’t know. But the gyroscope is fried.” Grady glared at him. “What the hell did you do to it? And why did you sneak in during the night and cut this off my neck? You cut it off my neck!” “Time was a factor. If the BTC burst in in the middle of the night—before you’d gotten up the courage to trust me with it—we might have lost it entirely. And it might prove useful as a bargaining chip to keep us all alive—maybe threaten to release the data if they don’t back off.” “You asshole. You broke it.” “I didn’t break anything. It’s an impressive little piece of homemade nanotech, though, I must say. One of your prisoner friends really knows his business, that’s a fact. It’s biological—looks like they used blood plasma for the DNA encoding. Grown bone culture for the housing. I wouldn’t want to have to guard those fuckers.” Grady gripped his temples, distraught. “That data was the only way for me to find my way back to Hibernity—to bring back help.” Cotton gave him a look. “Don’t be crazy. The BTC knows where Hibernity is.” He turned to Alexa. “You probably know, don’t you?” She pondered the question. “I don’t, unfortunately. Hedrick has a tight hold on that information. The AIs bring pilots to and from Hibernity with blast shields down, so even they don’t know.” She turned to Grady. “But Cotton’s right, it’s got to be somewhere on the BTC network, and if one of Cotton’s BTC turncoats can get it for us, you should be back in business.” Grady exhaled and hung the device around his neck again. He cast a dark look Cotton’s way as he left the workshop. “Cotton, if you take anything of mine again without my permission, you will regret it.” Cotton called after him. “Grumpy before breakfast, I see. Shall I cook up something?” Grady returned to his bedroom and shut the door. He sat on the floor in the darkest corner and reactivated the video device—fast-forwarding from one prisoner testimonial to another, making sure they were all there. “…discovered the relationship between protein fifty-three and malignant neoplasm…” Grady clicked to another. “I am Petra Klapner. I was imprisoned in 1993…” There was a sharp knock on the door. Grady ignored it, but then Alexa poked her head in. “You okay?” Grady nodded as he clicked to the next video. “I am Anton Bezizlik. In 1998 I was taken by the BTC…” Alexa entered and closed the door behind her. She studied the holographic person floating before them. “These are the prisoners.” She stood watching. “I remember that man. I lectured him about his selfishness.” “…please tell my family that I am still alive. It has been so many years.” Alexa caught herself, feeling the enormity of what she’d done. Grady spoke without looking at her. “You have to understand. I cannot fail these people. I cannot.” The middle-aged Russian man on-screen rocked back and forth. “…my daughter…” The man’s face streamed with tears as he struggled to speak. “She will have lived her life, never knowing me. I think of all that I have lost.” Alexa felt as though the hologram was speaking directly to her—overwhelming her with guilt. Grady gestured to it. “These are some of the greatest minds that ever lived. There are da Vincis and Galileos in that prison. They could do so much, and instead, they’ve been brutalized.” Grady turned to see Alexa’s distraught face as she watched the man on-screen. She spoke matter-of-factly. “We need to rescue them.” “We need to rescue them. But we need to do something else first—bring down the BTC.” Grady looked at her with surprise. “They created you.” “That doesn’t mean they own me.” They heard Cotton’s voice shout across the loft. “Hey! Get in here! There’s something you should see!” They exchanged looks. Grady was still irritated at Cotton, but he stopped the video. They both headed out into the hall, where they could see Cotton waving to them from the far end of the workshop. “Just come here!” As they walked toward him, they could see several holograms of live television. Cotton pointed. “It’s all over the news. I had some AIs scanning for any sign of BTC activity, and boy did they ever find it.” Grady and Alexa came up alongside him. They were gazing up at horrendous carnage in a downtown area. “Anything about the deputy secretary’s assassination?” “No, not a peep about that. What you’re looking at is downtown Detroit.” On-screen a plume of white smoke towered over the city, and aerial images of the streets showed what could only be described as utter devastation—with twenty-story buildings missing their facades, their interiors open to the air, a broad avenue now a deep trench. Hundreds of emergency vehicles surrounded the scene. Alexa nodded to herself. “Just a few hundred meters from BTC headquarters.” Grady studied the images. “What happened?” “Media’s saying it was a sinkhole that killed a few dozen people—some critical infrastructure collapse due to deferred maintenance. Actually pretty clever.” Cotton pointed with some sort of tool he’d been holding. “I’m guessing somebody tried to kick in Hedrick’s front door. Stupid move.” “There’s no possibility of a sinkhole anywhere near BTC headquarters.” Alexa’s eyes moved from screen to screen. “Perhaps the government tried to retaliate for the deputy secretary of Homeland Security.” Cotton shrugged. “Well, where’s the wreckage? For that matter, where’s all the rubble from those collapsed building facades?” Alexa looked grim. “It’s Kratos.” “Kratos? Don’t tell me they actually built that thing?” Grady looked from one to the other. “What’s Kratos?” She met his gaze. “It’s you, Mr. Grady. Your gravity mirror technology writ large. One of the researchers found a way to project the gravity mirror effect over an arbitrary distance—like you saw Morrison do last night. An extogravis, and they put it into a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit at Lagrange point two—twenty thousand miles up.” Grady pondered this. “You’re saying they have a satellite-based gravity weapon?” She nodded and pointed to the screen. “It’s why Hedrick was bringing you back from Hibernity. He needed you to improve it. They can reverse gravity in an area a mile across—narrower if they like.” “Holy hell…” Cotton turned from examining the carnage on-screen. “That’s some technology you came up with. That’s why there’s no wreckage—it all fell into the sky.” Alexa nodded. “Sort of explains the chatter on the Web. Kooks there are saying there was a military force that got sucked up by the hand of God. Folks filmed it on their phones, but there wasn’t any cell service—and during the night somebody reached into their phones and deleted the evidence. Wacky, wacky people on the Web…” Alexa watched the screens. Cotton nudged Grady’s arm. “Pretty impressive.” Grady shook his head. “My God—they have a satellite that can level a city.” “Suck it into space more like.” Grady walked away, sobered. “I can’t believe what I’ve done. I’ve given these madmen absolute power over us all. And they’ll only become more powerful over time.” Alexa turned to him. “You didn’t give them anything. They took it from you, and I’m starting to realize that BTC probability models didn’t include themselves.” Meanwhile, on television, pundits were discussing the long history of urban decay in Detroit, and an infrastructure bill being introduced in Congress to rush federal aid. Cotton nodded. “Looks like Washington has backed off. Well, Hedrick won’t hesitate to use this power. I expect our government friends will be licking their wounds for the moment. Which probably means they won’t be of much help in springing the inmates from Hibernity, even if you tell them about it.” Grady looked up. “We need to locate Hibernity. Rescuing those prisoners and getting them safely to the authorities might be the only chance to level the playing field with Hedrick.” “But for that you’ll need someone willing to receive them. And with Hedrick playing God, they might not risk it. In fact, the feds might turn you over to him.” Alexa took a deep breath. “We have to decide what we’re going to do. We can’t stay here forever. Hedrick and Morrison will never stop hunting for us. So we’ll need to deal with them sooner or later.” Grady considered the situation. “How do they control that gravity satellite?” Alexa shook her head incredulously. “You won’t be able to seize control. It’s an encrypted q-link. All managed by AIs that know where every single piece of BTC equipment is. For the satellite they’ll probably have several q-links as backup, but there will be only a handful of control stations in the Gravitics Research Lab at BTC headquarters.” Cotton nodded to himself. “That means you’d need to physically access the heart of the place to have any hope of taking control of Kratos.” “What about destroying the satellite?” “Pffftt. Good luck with that. It’s invisible for starters—they’ve got a diffraction cloak around it. And they’ll zap anything that gets within ten thousand miles.” “Cotton’s right; we’d need to get into the very heart of BTC’s control center—and that means through layers of bulk-diamond security walls and robotic weaponry.” Grady considered this. “But if we could get control of the satellite, we could conceivably hold a gun to Hedrick’s head. He wants me because this technology is fearsome.” Cotton laughed. Alexa didn’t laugh. “I might know someone who can help us gain access.” Cotton raised an eyebrow. “Who?” “Never mind who. But I need to get back into the building to speak with them.” Cotton whistled. “Break into the dark tower?” “You’re the master thief. Can you find me a way in? They’ll have rescinded my access rights, but I know every corner of that facility. I grew up there. And I’m certified in six dozen specialties within the BTC.” “Yeah, I’ve tried breaking and entering there once before. The place is crawling with robots, surveillance dust, high-energy fields.” Cotton grinned. “I know because I spent the last several years studying it for weaknesses.” He killed the news feeds and instead brought up holographic projections of BTC floor plans. Alexa looked shocked. Cotton chuckled. “I knew it was only a matter of time until they tried to whack me. I had a feeling there would be no exit interview either. So I made plans for escape or infiltration at a moment’s notice, should either prove necessary.” She studied the floor plans, turning the model from side to side. “I won’t ask how you got hold of these. Have you found anything useful?” “No, I must say, the AIs locked this place up tight—triple redundant systems. Their security is basically perfect—especially when they’re in high alert, which they’ll be in right now. The nanorod walls can stop just about anything, and the EM plasma rippling over its surface is conducting about four hundred gigajoules. That plasma would diffract lasers. There’s really no force short of a thermonuclear explosion that could get through it.” Grady watched Cotton turn the 3D plans first one way, then another. “That’s not true.” “What’s not true?” “That there’s no force that could get through that perimeter defense. Because there is a force that already does.” They looked at him. Then Alexa smiled. “Gravity.” Grady nodded. “The gravity mirror.” He approached the holographic 3D image of the building. “Cotton, your examination for weaknesses probably made a significant assumption.” Grady swept his hand to turn the building’s image upside down. “That the direction for ‘down’ would never change. Reexamine the plans. Try to find something significant at the outer perimeter wall that might suffer a malfunction if the world were to suddenly turn upside down.” Cotton studied the altered view of the BTC headquarters building. A grin crossed his face. “I must say, Mr. Grady, you have a decidedly devious mind…” Learning to Fall Jon Grady adopted a wrestler’s stance in a forty-foot section of the workshop that they’d cleared of all shelving and equipment. He wore a stripped-down version of the gravity-mirror harness that Cotton had cannibalized from Morrison’s damaged armor. Grady also wore Morrison’s armored boots and gauntlets. The boots were roomier than he’d like, but he’d padded them with foam inserts. Besides he didn’t think he’d be doing too much walking with them. Grady studied the microscopic circuitry of the harness, glittering in the workshop’s light. “This is the gravity mirror all right, but God, it’s shrunk down a thousand times in size. How in the hell do they get enough energy to it?” Cotton tapped an assembly elsewhere on the harness. “Sixty megawatt fusion reactor.” “That little thing?” “Well, it’s got armor around it, so the reactor is smaller than that.” “Good lord. I’m walking around with enough power to light a small city.” Alexa pushed between them. “Let’s get on with this.” Several nylon safety straps ran from Grady’s harness to metal beams ahead, behind, left, and right, as well as iron rings on the ground and a strap looped over a rafter. Whatever direction he might fall, he wouldn’t fall far. Alexa checked his equipment, loosening the harness a bit. “You don’t need the gravis so tight. Remember it’s not like a rappelling harness—you’re not hanging from this; it’s changing the direction of down, and you’ll be falling along with it.” He grimaced. “Gravis—who came up with that name?” “I don’t know. Somebody on the BTC’s mirror project team.” “I invented the damn thing. I should have had a chance to name it.” Cotton stood nearby. “That was your first mistake, Mr. Grady. A thing can’t exist in people’s minds until it has a name. But with a name, it can exist in people’s minds without existing at all. You should always come up with a name before you set out to create anything.” Grady frowned. “What does gravis mean, anyway?” Alexa was inspecting his boots. “Latin for ‘weighty.’ ‘Heavy.’” He jumped slightly to test the weight. “Well, maybe the name fits after all. This must weigh forty pounds.” “It won’t once you activate it. And that’s a military gravis—armored. Mine is much lighter. The suit this was part of had electroactive polymer musculature to carry around the weight.” Cotton murmured, “We might be seeing some of those later, if things go amiss.” “Ignore him.” She was kneeling at his boot. “You feel the control interfaces at your toes?” The padded lining of his overlarge boots made them fit better, and Grady depressed two small nodules with this toes. “Yeah. Got ’em.” Alexa gestured to his other boot. “And here?” He nodded as he did the same on the left. “All right. Default control setup works like this: You control yaw by—” “Yaw? What’s yaw?” “Aeronautical term—it’s the horizontal direction you’re heading.” She pirouetted gracefully and came back to her start. “You control yaw direction for descent by angling your foot like this.” “Direction of descent—I thought you said it was a horizontal direction?” She gave him a look. “Oh. Right. We’re choosing the direction of down.” Cotton snickered. “You invented the technology, Mr. Grady. Try to keep up.” Alexa lifted her right foot and flexed it first rightward, then leftward again. Grady lifted his own right foot and did likewise. “Good. And you control pitch—that is, vertical direction—with your left foot.” She tapped his leg. He picked up his left foot. She demonstrated. “Flex your foot downward or upward—you go where your toes point.” “Got it. Seems simple enough. And the controls inside the shoe?” “Each shoe has a button and a slide controller. Ignore the buttons for now—they’re locks, so you can maintain whatever setting you’re on without effort. But indoors, that could be dangerous for a novice. So only work with the slide controller for now. Do you feel them?” Grady felt with his toes and nodded. “Yeah.” “The right controller sets the diameter of the gravity mirror—you can make it just big enough to cover you, or a bit bigger than that to accommodate extra material. And the left controller sets the focus—nudge it forward with your toes and the gravity is focused one hundred percent in that direction; pull back on it and the gravity gets dispersed.” “So half gravity, quarter gravity—like that?” “A percentage, but yes.” Grady frowned. “Wait. Even in microgravity, I’d keep accelerating until I achieved relative terminal velocity.” “Normally true, but software in the gravis curtails acceleration.” “How’s it do that?” “It flips the mirror for microseconds in order to maintain constant velocity relative to the ambient gravitational field.” Grady considered this. “Huh. I probably would have thought of that eventually…” “Pay attention, Jon.” She motioned to her boot. “Pull the slide controller all the way back, and you diffuse gravity into an equilibrium.” “Meaning I float at a full stop.” “Well, as you know, equilibrium won’t cancel out momentum you already have. To slow down you need to reverse direction of descent momentarily.” She looked him up and down. “You ready to give it a try?” He tugged at the nylon harnesses holding him in place. They seemed secure. “Sure. How much trouble can I get in?” Cotton chuckled. “Famous last words.” “Start out by pulling the right controller all the way back. I want your gravity field to be as narrow as possible. That’ll make it just above your height.” Grady used his toes to pull the controller back. “So a roughly six-foot sphere around me will be subjected to my gravity field.” “Right. In fact, do press the button to lock that setting. We don’t want you accidentally expanding the sphere and bringing a wall down on us.” He clicked the button and tried nudging the slider. It was locked down fast. “Okay. I got it. It’s locked.” “Now pull back on the left controller to set it to equilibrium. That way you won’t fly off anywhere.” He did so and nodded. “Okay. Let’s power it up.” Grady hesitated a moment before studying his gauntlets for the control interface. The boots and gauntlets apparently had power sources of their own and were paired via a q-link to the harness—and presumably to the rest of the assault armor, had it been present. In a moment Grady remembered how to make a pop-up holographic control panel appear above his arm. Alexa pointed. “Remember not to go into this interface while you’re airborne. Never power down while in the air.” “Got it.” He tapped the master power switch. And suddenly felt like he was in free fall. His stomach lurched as if he’d plunged down the first hill on a roller coaster. He pushed off slightly from the concrete floor and moved upward until the nylon straps restrained him. Grady felt a smile spread across his face, and he laughed. “This is really incredible!” Cotton stood next to Alexa now, watching. “They really must have messed with his head in that prison.” Alexa waved to get Grady’s attention. “Okay. Now I want you to experiment with directional control. Don’t do it at full gravity—we can’t trust these straps or the beams in an old building like this. So choose your direction of descent with both feet…” Grady concentrated and chose a direction to the left—toward an open space of lab. “Good. Now slowly push forward on the left controller to bring yourself up to a quarter gravity.” Grady took a deep breath and nudged his toes forward against the control. He suddenly felt a physical manifestation of the natural forces of the universe reaching out to him, tugging him to the left—which had now suddenly become a wholly convincing “down.” A glance at Alexa and Cotton made it seem as though they were standing on the face of a concrete cliff, while the workshop floor stretched down in a sheer drop to a brick wall a hundred feet below. “My God!” The nylon straps restrained him from continuing, and he hung like a bug in a spiderweb until he could get his heart rate to come down. “You look a little red-faced, Jon. You all right?” He laughed. “Yeah. Beautiful! It’s amazing. Just gotta wrap my head around it, that’s all.” Grady changed the direction of down without changing the intensity of gravitation, and the angle of down swept across his horizon like the sun rising and setting. The straps and beams creaked. “Just miraculous…” He experimented a bit more, flexing the nylon straps first one direction and then another. Finally he looked up at them and nodded. “I’m ready for a free flight, I think.” Alexa looked grim. “Be careful, Jon. You can easily kill yourself with this equipment—especially in a room this size. It could be a hundred-foot fall right into a brick wall—and then you might collapse the brick wall, if you’re not careful.” He took a deep breath and reviewed his familiarity with the controls. “No. No, I think I’ve got this. Worst-case scenario, I just pull back with my left toes on the controller, and I go into weightlessness. Right?” She nodded. “Right. Remember that if you get into trouble.” Cotton frowned. “It’s a bit more than that. Weightlessness is all well and good, but watch the direction of down near walls and furniture. They were designed with a pretty boring direction for down in mind, so don’t go wrecking anything.” “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. Hell, I invented this.” “Let’s not get cocky.” “Here, I’m going into equilibrium. Start undoing the straps.” Alexa stepped forward, keeping most of her body weight outside the altered gravity field as she started unfastening the straps from Grady’s gravis. In a few minutes he was floating free. “Ha, ha!” Grady flexed his arms and started doing a Russian folk dance in midair. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” “All right. Enough of that. Try to move toward that doorway.” Grady did one last “Hey!” and then he directed his right foot toward the target. He concentrated, and then, keeping his left foot level, he slowly ramped up the force of gravity. Too fast—he was already falling at thirty miles an hour toward the doorway. “Left foot! Pull back!” Grady gripped the left nodule controller with his toes and brought it back to zero gravity—but his momentum kept him going forward at a considerable clip. In a moment of clarity, he twisted his right foot and ramped up the gravity slightly in that direction, turning in an arc back the way he came—like an ice skater burning off momentum by digging in his skates. “Watch the shelving!” Grady just barely bumped the shelving unit as he came to a stop—while the new direction of down caused one shelving unit to lean sideways, spilling everything off its racks. Grady immediately pulled back into a gravity equilibrium, and all of the items on the shelves started floating—lots of small valves and electronic components. Cotton grabbed his head with his hands. “For fuck’s sake! Look at the mess you’re making.” Alexa nodded encouragement. “That was good thinking, Jon. Your knowledge of physics is going to help you here. Newton’s first law. Uniform motion.” Grady nodded. “Right.” He patted the shelf in front of him. “Thanks, Isaac.” “Now try it again.” Cotton added, “And this time try not to almost kill yourself.” Grady ran through his knowledge of the controls again and mimed his planned actions. He finally looked up. “All right. I got this.” He looked across the room toward the doorway, then pointed. “I’m heading right over by the entrance.” “Not too close. The doors might fall through.” “Okay. I’ll stop ten feet away.” “You sure you’re ready?” He clapped his diamondoid-armored gauntlets together. “Hell, yeah!” Cotton mumbled to Alexa. “I don’t think I can watch this.” “O ye of little faith, Cotton.” “You forget who I was until recently.” Grady took a deep breath and then altered the direction of descent. This time he gradually increased the force with his left toes, pushing forward only slightly. He began to glide above the floor, some of the debris falling along with him, scraping on the concrete as it did. “Well, now you’re just scattering the mess around.” Grady concentrated on the door as he maintained a steady five-mile-per-hour pace. He called back, “I can see it now. You’ve got to have a very fine touch in close spaces.” Alexa nodded. “Right. You’re doing excellent.” “You really have to be careful what you get near. Otherwise you quickly get a cloud of debris around you.” In a few moments, Grady eased back on the controller, and this time, he lowered his pitch until he could drag his foot along the floor. In a moment he leveled it out and came to a standing stop almost exactly ten feet away from the doorway. He then put himself into half gravity with down being down. Locking gravity, he turned to face them, arms spread wide. “What do you think?” Alexa nodded. “Nicely done. I think it’s time we take it up a notch.” Grady raised his eyebrows. “Meaning?” Cotton answered for her. “Meaning it’s time for this little birdie to leave the nest.” Grady stood on the flat silver roof of the Fulton Cold Storage building—the multistory painted sign looming behind him. It was about two in the morning. The lights of downtown Chicago were visible in the distance, but otherwise the streets ten stories below were quiet. Alexa stood next to him in her formfitting tactical jumpsuit. Her own gravis was integrated into its nanotech fabric, while his looked clunky by comparison. It was a sultry summer night, but he was dressed for wind, with a sleek pair of windsurfing goggles that Cotton had given him. Alexa walked over to the parapet at the edge of the roof and looked down. “Let’s not stay too close to the ground when we get up there. No sense in calling undue attention to ourselves.” She walked back to him. “Besides, the higher up you are, the more time you have to deal with mistakes.” Grady nodded. He was actually starting to feel nervous. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be right there.” She spoke into her microphone, and he heard her voice right in his ear. “I mean it. You’ll do fine.” She moved about thirty feet away from him. “Now remember that if we get close to each other, our gravity fields will interact. You’re a physicist, so you can probably estimate the interactions better than I can, but just don’t forget it.” “No. I’m ready. Let’s do this.” Alexa held up her hand. “Equilibrium.” Grady made adjustments. “Check.” “Power up.” He activated his gravis. “Powered up.” He was suddenly floating in microgravity. “Push off the roof with your legs. We don’t want those rafters in your gravity well when you fall up.” Grady bent his legs and pushed off into space. He laughed nervously as he rose ten, twenty, and thirty feet above the roof, seeing more and more of the surrounding city blocks as he did so. He gazed around. “This is beautiful!” Alexa was quickly up to his height, putting a finger against her lips. “Not until we’re higher. Voices carry in open air.” She pointed upward. “One quarter gravity, twelve o’clock high, please. I’ll meet you at one thousand feet.” With that Alexa began to fall upward. Grady nodded to himself and activated his controls. Instantaneously he was falling upward as well. As he did, his view of the surrounding city streets increased. He felt an instinctive fear, but it was counterbalanced by his brain’s full belief that “down” was actually just above him—not below. So when he looked at the cityscape, he felt as though he were examining the sky overhead. He laughed nervously as the view kept expanding. “Jon!” Grady looked up to see that he was rising past Alexa. He brought himself back into equilibrium, and she rose to meet him. They were now at eleven hundred feet above the meatpacking district. The view of the Chicago skyline was breathtaking. “This is really something.” “Keep an eye out for helicopters. If you get seen, go fast—anywhere but the safe house until you lose them. A typical helicopter can do about a hundred and fifty miles an hour—which is faster than terminal velocity. So your best bet is evasive maneuvers. You’ll find that with the gravis you can change directions much faster than normal aircraft.” Grady was still gazing all around, a grin on his face. “I can’t believe this. It’s like a dream.” Alexa nodded. “It is pretty amazing. And I’ve seen some amazing things in my day. Back when I was a field operator in the ’80s…” Her voice trailed off. “Never mind. You ready?” “Follow me. If we get separated, I’ll find you with my thermals.” She pointed ahead and to the left. “See that tall building over there? John Hancock Center. Let’s head toward it.” She tapped her ear. “Keep in touch by q-link.” She shot him a quick grin as she lowered her visor. “And try to keep up.” With that she twisted around and fell forward, back first, twisting like a high diver as she disappeared into the night. Grady felt a thrill unlike anything he’d ever known as he jammed the controller forward and suddenly felt the universe draw him toward the horizon. The wind buffeted him at a hundred and twenty miles per hour. He glanced below, and it was as if this was the BASE jump to end all BASE jumps—with the city of Chicago serving as a jagged cliff-face down which they were both falling. Grady moved his hands as airfoils and adjusted his position with increasing ease. He screamed in joy as he fell across the sky. “Try to keep the screaming to a minimum. We don’t want to attract attention.” “Right. Couldn’t help it. Sorry.” Forty-story condo buildings were gliding by below him—or to the side of him in the current gravitational context. He was passing by a narrow river crisscrossed with bridges. Up ahead he could see Alexa falling with her arms tucked against her sides—aiming like a bird of prey toward her target. Grady did likewise and instantly felt a speed increase. He could also see below more easily that way. The wind roared past his ears. In under a minute they starting closing in on the hundred-story Hancock building. Grady eased up on the gravity along with Alexa, and they coasted to a near stop as the wind buffeted them. She pointed. “See that building there with the four small towers just to the left of Hancock Center?” “Yeah, I see it.” “Let’s see if you can land on top of a tower.” Grady sucked in a breath. Falling in the open air was fantastic, but he remembered his close shaves in Cotton’s workshop. Alexa came up within twenty feet of him and spoke directly, instead of over q-link. “You need to be able to do this without hesitation, even in wind.” “Yes, of course you’re right. I’m on it.” Grady eased his “down” in the direction of the tower, keeping it to barely any gravity at all. The roof of the building slowly approached him. At first glance he’d thought this was an older, art deco sixty-story building, but now that he was getting up close, he could see it was newer than that—paying homage perhaps. The art deco look here had an ’80s blockiness to it. The roof of the building was capped by four identical purely ornamental towers—square boxes of metal with small pyramids atop them. He focused on the nearest one, and as he glided closer, he modulated his pitch, adjusting the angle of his foot as necessary. “Remember to reduce your gravity after you land. It will prevent damage to the structure.” Grady gave her a thumbs-up sign and turned back toward the approaching tower. It was barely ten feet away now, capped by a large square point made of steel, about three feet wide. A lightning rod stood above that. He glanced down to see the roof of the building some forty feet below. The other towers nearby. And the Chicago streets hundreds of feet below them all. A wind blew him slightly to the right, but he corrected, and in a moment he grabbed onto the cap of the metal pyramid with his gauntleted hand. Moments later he wrapped his arms around the spire, and lowered his gravity to almost nothing, but pointed in the direction of actual gravity—just enough to keep him in place. He clung to the top of the spire and looked back up at Alexa floating in space a hundred or so feet away. “Excellent. Did you feel how the structure started taking on your gravity field?” “Yeah. I dialed down the intensity just as I got in close. Seems to work all right.” Grady looked out across the city, and then down. Whoa. He was up in a place where he’d normally be frightened out of his wits, but changing the direction of gravity seemed to chase off vertigo. Looking around he felt a little like King Kong atop the Empire State Building. “Now remember, when you push off, don’t just hit full gravity upward, or you might rip the top off the tower.” Grady nodded and pushed away from the building at nearly zero g before increasing it moments later to gain altitude. “How’s that?” She came nearly alongside—just far enough away so their gravity fields weren’t tangled. “Good. Okay, how about a bit of high-speed maneuvering?” “I don’t want to go through any skyscraper windows tonight.” “No, we’ll head down there.” She pointed out toward the water, where long lines of stone outlined a harbor. A lighthouse blinked occasionally at its tip. “Along that quay, near Chicago Harbor. I’ll meet you down at the lighthouse. Go fast, now!” She did a backward somersault and then kicked in full gravity—sending her soaring downward at an angle toward the lakeshore a mile away. Grady felt the thrill of the chase and immediately fell downward after her. He was rapidly getting a feel for how to direct himself and how to increase or decrease his speed. It was a physical experience of the laws of motion he’d studied for so many years. He could almost see the mathematical arcs he was tracing through the air as he increased this variable or decreased that one. Living proof of his perceptions. Grady hurtled through the night air, passing over the rooftops of shorter skyscrapers at a hundred miles an hour. Once clear of the last row of buildings, he angled down toward the lake, aiming for a spot about a half mile from shore. He descended to five hundred feet and sped silently across the dark water. As he came up to a few hundred meters from the blinking stone lighthouse at the end of a lone stone quay, he eased up on the speed and brought himself to within yards of the water’s surface. When he reached the lighthouse, he rose to a full stop alongside the railing at its peak, where Alexa stood waiting for him patiently—apparently in normal gravity. She smiled. “You’re taking to this quickly.” He floated ten feet away from her like a child’s balloon on a string. “It’s like everything I imagined. It seems so natural.” “Just don’t forgot the old rules of physics when you take the belt off.” She looked up. “We still need to experiment with interlocking gravity fields. It’ll be safer if we go high up for this.” “How high you want to go?” He craned his neck into the cloudy sky. “How about just below the cloud deck? Meet you up there?” He nodded, but even before she launched, he did—laughing like a maniac as he plummeted into the heavens. He glanced back at the city as he kept rising. It was truly breathtaking—the best elevator ride in the world. It wasn’t until about four thousand feet that he started coming to the bottom of the cloud cover. He dialed to equilibrium and stopped slowly. The mist was clearly defined and dense above him. It was also much cooler up here, and he could feel the dew point was near, as moisture seemed to be coming out of the air. He looked down to see Alexa rising up, and in a moment she was across from him at a distance of ten yards. The clouds formed a roof above them, but there were gaps here and there where he could see the stars. He could smell the moisture. Below them the city of Chicago glowed in the night. “All right, Jon. Let’s fall toward each other slowly—one tenth gravity. I want you to try to grab my hands as we pass.” “Like objects passing in space.” “Right. Our gravity fields will make it seem like we’re objects of much greater mass, so we’ll behave like stars passing by each other—we’ll disturb each other’s trajectory.” “Okay. Say when.” She nodded. “Go.” They started falling toward and past each other, but as they got close, their trajectories were disturbed to a degree Grady felt that he could anticipate. They were now proof of the physical laws he knew so well. They sailed past each other on altered courses. Grady shouted back. “Let’s try it again. This time come in at a slightly steeper angle toward me. Just slightly.” “Change your angle of descent.” “Done. Here…” He looked ahead as they started to drift toward each other again. He felt it the moment their trajectories interacted. A tug as he fell in toward her, and she fell in toward him—then they passed, brushing outstretched hands. And then they began to orbit each other, revolving without either one adjusting their controls. They were now a binary system. She smiled lightly as they continued to go in circles, getting closer with every revolution and spinning faster. “We could get dizzy doing this.” He nodded but watched her face in the semidarkness. “How many more until we meet, do you think?” She shook her head. “I don’t know…” “I say six.” “Six, eh?” “All right.” They went around again, gradually increasing speed. “That’s two.” He kept his eyes upon her as the natural laws of the universe brought them closer together with each revolution. “Four.” At their sixth revolution they were face-to-face. They locked hands until their rotation began to slow. They turned to look at city lights far below. “How did you do this, Jon?” “Simple physics.” “No. I mean this… the gravity mirror. Even the BTC doesn’t understand how it works. No one does.” He thought for a moment. “It’s not me. It’s the universe. I was just the first person to see it.” Her beautiful eyes studied him. Graham Hedrick stood in the BTC command center as technicians scurried about in the control room below. He knew that beyond his sight AI bots were scouring consumer data, telecommunications signals, surveillance camera imagery, and satellite reconnaissance for any sign of Grady, Alexa, or Cotton. Every form of communication known to man was being sifted and resifted. With every passing hour they widened their search radius. Hedrick turned to Morrison, who, as usual, stood nearby. “What happened to those underwater signatures—the ones in Lake Michigan?” Morrison looked grim. “They disappeared. The teams up there have been looking, but nothing so far.” Hedrick studied the screens. “An underwater escape. That must mean Alexa has cavitating gear. Check the inventory and see if anything is missing.” “Let’s just assume she has it. What difference does—” “Capabilities.” He turned back to Morrison. “If they have deepwater gear, I think Mr. Grady’s going to try for Hibernity. His compatriots there helped facilitate his escape. He’ll try to rescue them. That can’t happen.” “If we recall the search teams, I’ll have enough manpower to go down to Hibernity and clean house.” “But if Grady and Alexa secure those prisoners, they could cut a deal with BTC splinter groups. Or they could trade them to the U.S. government—which would help them catch up to us technologically.” “Yes. And if not the U.S. government or BTC splinter groups, then a hundred other enemies.” Hedrick gazed up at the world on the screens. “It’s all spinning out of control. It’s getting harder and harder to contain all this technology.” He turned back to Morrison. “How many people in Hibernity have invented fusion now—sixty? Seventy?” “One hundred and twelve.” “See? No, this can’t go on. That’s why it’s time to resolve this situation once and for all.” “Meaning what, sir?” “Meaning that the mission of the BTC must evolve. We’ve been trying to protect society from disruption since the Cold War, but it’s become increasingly obvious to me that we’re the only society that matters now. What’s important is preserving our store of knowledge—the hard-won advances of mankind—against the chaos that’s coming.” “What chaos, sir?” “The chaos you’re going to create. Perhaps our Winnower friends had the right idea; the outside world should not have so much knowledge.” Morrison looked at Hedrick warily. “What are you proposing?” “Undermine global financial markets—set our AIs loose on power grids, transportation and communications networks. In a few weeks the industrialized world will begin to come apart. We’ll just make sure there are no nuclear missile launches but otherwise let the chaos spread for as many years as is necessary.” Hedrick studied the satellite screens. “By the time it’s over, no one will be able to oppose us.” “Our mission is to prevent social disruption, Mr. Director, not cause it.” Hedrick turned calmly to Morrison. “Yes, but disruption of which society? We’ve progressed so far beyond the outside world, they’re no longer us.” “And the widespread casualties this will cause?” “The price of progress. Next time we won’t share as much technology. That was our mistake. We need absolute domination in order to keep humanity on track.” Hedrick contemplated the screens again. “You are with me, I hope, Mr. Morrison?” Morrison cleared his throat, then nodded. “Yes, Mr. Director. You know I am. What about Alexa and Grady?” “Disrupting civilization will make it harder for them to harm us.” “She’s a bigger danger to us than anyone.” “You’re saying we need to eliminate her.” “The only reason she’s still alive is because of your feelings for her, but aside from Grady and his knowledge of gravity, I can’t think of a single person on this planet who can do more damage to us. Even if you topple civilization, if she winds up in the hands of BTC Asia or Russia, they could extend their life spans indefinitely from what they learn from her miserable carcass. We could be facing the same lunatics for centuries. Not to mention the inside information she has on every inch of this facility and all the people in it. All our procedures and operations. Every weakness. Every—” “Enough! Okay…” He took a deep breath. “Kill her on sight.” Hedrick looked deeply pained. “But not the way you killed Davis and McAllen. I want it painless. Instant.” “Fine. A high-powered microwave from orbit—” “I don’t want to know. Just let me know when it’s done.” “There’s someone else you’re forgetting.” Hedrick turned to him with a questioning look. Hedrick dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “I’m counting on Cotton to help us.” “How do you figure?” “Because he’s a survivor. He can read the way the winds are blowing. Once society reaches the tipping point, he’ll reach out to us. And I’m willing to cut a deal with him in exchange for Grady and Alexa.” “And after that?” Hedrick shrugged. “We’ll honor our deal. What do I care if he retires in luxury? He’s been useful, and he might prove useful again.” “He’s a thief and somehow able to lie even to our AIs.” “Like I said: He’s useful.” Hedrick focused back on the big satellite screens. “Heightened security procedures are in place?” Morrison nodded. “We’re on a wartime footing.” “Good. See that we stay that way. How is the outside world dealing with recent events?” “The government folks are trying to explain the inexplicable as best they can. Some cell phone video sneaked out. The missile explosions over Canada, the power outages in southern Illinois—it’s starting to build into public hysteria.” “And just think—it’s been less than twelve hours. We’ve barely started, and already the outside world is on the tipping point. You know what to do, Mr. Morrison.” Storming the Temple Richard Cotton sat combing his hair out. Literally. Jon Grady watched perplexed as Cotton held some sort of glowing stylus to his scalp, activating hair growth at an insane metabolic rate. It came out of his head like Play-Doh through a press. Cotton had already half-finished creating eight-inch-long brown locks. “And that works… anywhere on the body?” Cotton looked up. “What does?” Grady pointed. “Oh. No. Only where there are hair follicles. And even then only up to a certain length before it’ll fall out. Just accelerates a natural process. So… if you’re bald naturally, this isn’t going to solve any problems for you. This manly mane is all me.” He winced. “Makes the scalp hot as hell, though. All the accelerated cellular activity.” Alexa walked past them carrying a black helmet, which she placed on a nearby workbench. “Why are you even messing around with hair, Cotton? You’re not planning on going anywhere, are you?” “In the event I have to bolt in a hurry, I’d rather have a convincing disguise than a bad one. You’re not the public face of evil here in the States. I am. So forgive me while I transform into an annoying hipster.” Grady watched as Cotton passed the stylus over his lip and started growing a long mustache. “I keep calling you Cotton, but that can’t be your real name.” “All my names are real. I like to think of names as local variables. To you I’m Richard Louis Cotton, and so in this scope shall I always remain. To my online raid clan I’m Leeroy Jenkins, and there, too, shall I always remain.” “Well, that’s a constant, not a variable.” Cotton paused. “Quite right, Mr. Grady. I stand corrected.” Alexa leaned against the workbench. “So you’re sure about your end? About this traitor of yours?” “Who is it? How do we know we can trust them?” “You have your traitor. I have mine.” “How do we know they’re not the same individual?” “Oh, I’m pretty sure they’re not. Mine is cool, and I’m certain yours is uptight and self-important.” Alexa turned to Grady. “I don’t trust him. Cotton has no reason to help us.” Grady placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hedrick tried to kill him. And Cotton’s distrusted them for years. He’s given us plans and preparations we can make use of, Alexa.” He looked around them. “In fact, we already have.” “And what if this ‘mole’ of his is actually Hedrick or Morrison, and this is all a trap?” “He could have called them here already. If he’s going to have any sort of life, post BTC, Cotton needs us as much as we need him.” “Well, if he’s a master thief, why are we the ones breaking in?” Cotton shrugged. “There was a time when I might have been crazy enough to try to breach their defenses on my own, but they’re on full alert. They’ve activated their perimeter security. No. This is a job for younger hands.” “I’m twenty years older than you, Cotton.” He patted her arm. “But you don’t look a day over twenty-five, my dear. And think how much more experience you have than me. Besides, you know their network, their control rooms, and all their procedures.” He raised his eyebrows. “But can you gain access to the network once you’re inside? That’s the question.” “Don’t worry about that. I’m confident I can get credentials.” Grady gave her a look. “I hope so. Because without the location of Hibernity, this will all be for nothing.” Cotton started combing a longer beard into existence. “I’m not sure I agree with you there.” They both looked at him. “You were right earlier, Mr. Grady. The Kratos satellite is actually the key. If you have control of that, you’ll have power over the BTC. You’ll be able to dictate terms—it’ll be like a celestial gun to their head. And it’s their main defense against enemies right now. Without it, even the government might feel confident enough to press the attack.” “Or to liberate the prisoners at Hibernity.” “Yes, Mr. Grady. They just might.” Alexa’s eyes lingered on Grady. He could feel it. “What?” “The more I think about this, the more I realize you shouldn’t be going. I can do this more easily alone. I’m trained in operations.” He shook his head. “They won’t harm me. I’m too valuable to them. That means I can provide a critical diversion for you. They’ll drop everything and try to grab me the moment they know I’m near. Cotton’s right. You need to use that opening to go for control of the Kratos satellite.” “Assuming Cotton’s mole can get me near the building without getting me incinerated.” Grady frowned. “And what about this EM-plasma field?” “You might have invented the gravity mirror, but I’m well practiced with it. I’m more concerned about Cotton’s mole.” Cotton was forming a long devil’s beard with the stylus. “Have faith. My mole should be able to get you up to the building. All you have to do is turn their world upside down.” “I can’t believe I’m taking instructions from someone who’s been caught doing this once before.” “Live and learn, my dear. Now…” Cotton rummaged around his workstation. “Here…” He tossed her what looked like a one-inch cubic diamond. “Once you get inside and enlist the aid of your ‘friend,’ and you somehow miraculously get past their deadly security measures to the Kratos control station in the heart of the BTC, and then somehow get your biometrics cleared for security access to their most precious asset—” “This isn’t inspiring confidence.” She studied the crystal. “After all that, plug that relay q-link into one paired with the satellite. It will transfer control here.” He gestured to the many holographic computer screens floating over his workstation. “Extra points if you can destroy their other q-links. Just keep that control room secure after you do, and I’ll be your overwatch.” She looked at him doubtfully. “And how do you know how to operate the Kratos satellite?” “My mole has gotten me access to many things…” Cotton brought up detailed blueprints for the Kratos satellite onto his screens as well. “My God, we had a serious security problem. How did you get these? How did you fool the AIs?” Cotton spread his hands. “I’m a thief. It’s what I do.” Grady examined the drawings. “Then the BTC never had a monopoly on all of this technology. All of this insanity is for nothing? ” Alexa still didn’t look happy. “What other data have you stolen, Cotton? What other plans?” He laughed. “Now is not the time or place, but I assure you I will share everything I have. I will hold back nothing.” Alexa didn’t seem to know what else to do, given the situation. She turned to Grady, then grabbed the helmet from the nearby workbench and handed it to him. “I found this scout cover among Cotton’s stolen loot. It’ll give you some head protection if things go wrong. BTC aimbots always go for head shots.” Grady accepted the helmet. It looked like a matte-black bicycle helmet except that its crystal visor seemed to be made of bulk diamond, which he was starting to become familiar with. It could probably withstand the impact of a .50-caliber bullet—though his brain would still be turned to Jell-O from the impact. He nodded grimly. “Thanks.” Cotton finished his coiffure. “Well, what do you think?” They turned to look at him. He now resembled Wyatt Earp. They stood silently. “That good, eh? Well, to hell with you both. You have no taste.” He tossed the stylus onto the workbench. “Are we ready to do this thing?” Alexa nodded. “Yes. The sooner we do, the sooner we can end this.” She turned to Grady. “Your destination is programmed into the helmet visor.” “Cotton, how do you know they’ll be watching that geographic location?” Cotton was busying himself at his workbench. “Because it’s the location my mole reported as Mr. Grady’s last-sighted position. They’ll have sensors on it.” She turned back to Grady. “The site’s about two hundred miles from Chicago, and about two hundred and fifty miles from Detroit.” “So even after the alert, it’ll take them hours to get to me.” She shook her head. “No. Morrison’s assault teams use pressurized diamondoid armor. They don’t stay in the atmosphere. They ascend to about twenty miles into the atmosphere, and then free fall over the landscape from there.” Grady considered this. “Much thinner atmosphere at that altitude. Makes sense.” “Right. It means they can reach speeds of eight hundred and forty miles an hour. It’s about a four-minute fall up to their cruising altitude; about seventeen minutes travel time, and then a four-minute fall back down to sea level. So expect them to arrive within thirty minutes of the time they leave BTC headquarters. Stay miles away from your destination until I give you the ready signal.” She examined him. “Are you sure about this, Jon?” He took a deep breath. “It needs to be done.” “We could try some other form of diversion.” “Nothing that’s guaranteed to get them to come in enough force to be of use to you. If they definitely see me, they’ll think you’re not far away.” “We could have Cotton’s mole make a false sighting in—” Cotton shook his head. “He’s no longer in a position to help there, I’m afraid—seeing as he lost track of Mr. Grady once already.” “What if we created a decoy that drew them?” Grady answered the q-link, “Alexa—anything that fails will only tip them off that you’re coming.” She pondered it a bit more. “The moment you appear, there’s the possibility that they just zap you dead.” “I don’t think Hedrick would do that. In any event it’s worth the risk if it provides a distraction at a critical moment.” He gripped her shoulder. “No matter what happens to me, Alexa, promise me you’ll free Archie and the others. You need to get to them before the BTC does; even if you get control of the satellite, they’ll try to hide them somewhere. Don’t let them.” “We won’t. Don’t worry, we’ll rescue them, and you’ll do it with us.” “Hate to interrupt the touching moment.” Cotton approached with what appeared to be an autoinjector. He was loading an ampoule into it. Alexa scowled at him. “What the hell is that?” “You never asked how the BTC caught me when I tried to break in all those years ago. Kind of hurt you didn’t ask, actually.” “I assumed you did something stupid.” “Ah, funny. No, I might not have been caught had I known that they release a neurotoxin into the crawl spaces during high alarms. It makes you panic and run screaming for fresh air—even if that’s over a cliff. The stuff enters through all semipermeable membranes—lungs, skin, eyes.” “I’ve never heard of this.” “Have you spent much time crawling through your power conduits during security alarms?” She just glared. “This is what I was working on earlier.” She kept glaring. “Right. Here then…” He put all the ampoules on the workbench and rolled up his own sleeve. “Pick one, and I’ll inject it into myself. You’ll be coated with neurotoxin when you come back, so we all need to get inoculated, anyway. I don’t need a screaming panic attack, thank you very much—especially with a ten-story drop to the street close at hand.” Alexa sighed in irritation. Grady selected the center ampoule. Alexa grabbed the autoinjector from Cotton, then the ampoule from Grady, and then loaded it. “My dear, don’t inject angry.” She jammed the device against his arm. There was a pop and hiss. “Ow.” He paused for a moment, then grabbed his throat and started choking theatrically. Then he straightened. “Satisfied?” Cotton grabbed the autoinjector back from her. “Who’s next?” Grady selected one of the two remaining ampoules and extended his arm. “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?” He loaded the ampoule into the autoinjector. “Because I wasn’t sure she was going in alone until now, and if she had forced me to come along, I would have quietly injected myself and then saved my own skin.” She made a disgusted sound. “You’re a disgrace, Cotton.” “Ah, a wise coward is more valuable than a brave fool.” He injected Grady, and then, after another glare from her, he injected Alexa with the contents of the last ampoule. “I told you I would share everything. I just didn’t say when.” They all exchanged looks. Cotton broke the silence with a clap of his hands. “Well, good luck with the mission then. Off you go, and be in touch on the q-link.” Grady stood on the roof wearing his gravis harness and the helmet Alexa had given him. She was thirty feet away—possibly for the last time. It was past midnight again, and as he glanced over at the Chicago skyline, he couldn’t help but remember their flight the night before. He looked over to her and smiled wanly. She paused before putting her own helmet on and instead approached him. “Wait.” Grady flipped up his visor. “What is it? Something wrong? Alexa came right up to him. “I’ve never really known anyone outside the organization. Not really. I realize that now. Be careful, Jon.” Her hand gripped his harness, and she leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled slightly and then leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. After a few moments he looked into her eyes. “Your skin feels warm.” She nodded, looking somewhat surprised. “Yes.” She caught her breath, then put her helmet on. She walked back to her ready position. Grady watched her and nodded. “You be careful, too.” “Listen for my call.” And with that she became weightless, pushed off the roof, and moments later fell into the starry sky like a rock tossed into a well. Grady stared after her. After a few more moments, he realized just how much he wanted to survive the next twenty-four hours. Alexa had charted Grady’s route with the nav unit in the scout helmet. It projected whatever maps he needed onto his visor—along with the standoff destination where he was to wait until she called. He ascended to nearly two thousand feet above Cotton’s building before falling northward, across the city and out over the moonlit lake. It was a clear night, and though it was dark, he felt incredibly exposed. There were small plane navigation lights blinking in the distance, but he’d gotten pretty good at maneuvering and felt that as long as he kept his eyes open, he’d be able to avoid any air traffic. With the helmet he was able to accelerate comfortably into a terminal velocity fall—roughly a hundred and twenty miles an hour. Judging by the map, that meant it would take him nearly two hours to reach his destination—a small island in the northern reaches of Lake Michigan. He wouldn’t actually move to the island until he got Alexa’s signal, but his standby position was just a few miles away. Grady fell across the dark sky, the light of a half-moon casting its glow on the water. It was beautiful, but he had no one else to marvel at it with. He wondered if the BTC harvester teams even noticed this beauty. He saw the lights of a passing ship off in the distance, but nothing near him. Grady fell for scores of miles. His goal was to cross the lake on a northward diagonal and then track along the eastern coast. The islands were just off the mainland, and with the night vision setting of the helmet visor, he should have been able to find them even without a map. After a little less than an hour he saw the dark, thinly populated coast, and he came over land above what looked like a power plant near a place named Pigeon Lake, at least according to the visor’s map. Much to his consternation there was a municipal airport close by, but it looked quiet at this late hour. He changed his angle of descent and started falling due north, hugging the coast. Grady studied the lights passing beneath him—or, as it seemed, to the side of him—as he fell alongside the vast wall of landscape. He crossed the mouth of an inlet where a lighthouse stood, then headed where sandy dunes caught the moonlight. Two thousand feet below he caught sight of a roaring bonfire on the beach, and he couldn’t resist slowing and finally gliding to a stop. He stared between his feet as he floated in equilibrium, a light breeze buffeting him. It was otherwise silent. And then he heard laughter and voices far below. Rock music. Grady smiled. He was like an owl in the night. With that he jammed his controller forward and fell again, northward at terminal velocity. He kept following the contours of the coastline as it curved away and then back again. Eventually, after nearly two hours and hundreds of miles of rural coastline, he came close to his destination. Grady started scanning the map in his visor and aimed toward the little town of Empire, Michigan. He could see there were sizable bluffs here with dunes leading down to the water and lightly forested hills inland. Grady frowned at his map as a U.S. Air Force air station came into view some miles away—he was definitely going to avoid that. He wondered what kind of radar signature he might have. No, best to get lower. Now that he was only ten miles or so from his standoff location, he had to find a place to land and await Alexa’s signal. Ahead of him was the top of a hill overlooking the small town and the lands beyond, so he slowed and pointed his angle of descent downward, dialing down gravity to just a quarter of its normal pull. As the moonlit, lightly wooded landscape came up to meet him, he scanned for anyone who might see, but he was far out in the countryside. He then pulled his gravity back to almost zero and coasted down onto the ground with his forward momentum. Grady was pleased with himself when he alighted with only a slight misstep, stood, and finally turned off the gravis entirely. He now stood on a grassy hilltop in the dark, crickets thrumming around him. Before him was a view of the little town of Empire, Michigan, in a shallow valley. Were there bears in Michigan? He looked around in every direction. But then he remembered he could fly. As he stared up at the stars, he smiled to himself. The situation was terrible, of course. But the universe could still be so beautiful. He thought about Alexa and hoped his diversion would help her get into BTC headquarters safely. He would make sure of it. He just hoped Cotton’s mole was reliable, and that she could get close enough to BTC headquarters to enact their plan. After falling the two hundred and thirty miles from Chicago to Detroit (the slow way since she didn’t have a pressurized suit), Alexa came in toward the nondescript BTC headquarters using the cover of the Penobscot Building downtown to shield her approach. It stood forty-seven stories—ten taller than the aboveground portion of the BTC, and once she alighted onto one of its art deco ledges, she found herself nearly six hundred feet above the pavement. She glanced below and around her to make sure no one was nearby and that she’d triggered no security alarms. She also scanned for the presence of surveillance dust. It would have been too late not to trigger an alarm, but if they knew she was here, she’d rather know now so she could attempt escape. But there were no advanced sensors on this far side of the Penobscot, whose roof was about seven hundred feet away from the BTC. She knew the surveillance system covered the BTC headquarters in every direction—and this building gave her the most advantageous cover to draw close unobserved. Given Hedrick’s quarrels with the government and the destruction he’d wrought with Kratos, the BTC was still no doubt on high alert. Alexa withdrew a diffraction scope from her harness and aimed it off to the side, at a perpendicular angle to the BTC building. She then activated the diffraction element, bending incoming light until the BTC building came into view. If she understood it correctly, the device gathered reflected light from numerous directions and used software to piece together the photonic puzzle pieces, discarding anything else. The picture was usually grainy, but it was safer than a periscope—BTC surveillance AIs would spot those immediately. She spoke into her q-link. “Cotton. I’m in position and standing by. Over.” Cotton’s voice sounded in her earpiece. “No active alarms. Yet.” A pause. “Mr. Grady, are you in position?” Alexa heard Grady’s voice. “Yeah. I’m ready when you are.” “Then proceed to the shipwreck. Land on deck and try not to look like you’re waiting to get captured.” “All right. I’m headed out. Give me five minutes.” Alexa wondered about Grady. For a civilian he seemed remarkably sane. She hoped to see him again. In the meantime, she sat on the ledge, watching intently through her diffraction scope for what seemed like an eternity. Grady rose up to five hundred feet and then fell across the last ten miles. Cotton had assured him there would be an obvious landing spot on a shipwreck off the coast of the island. Grady activated the night vision on his visor and before long he could clearly see the wreck of the Francisco Morazan . It was a cargo ship that had run aground back in 1960—although only the rear portion remained above the water. Its hull was rippled and rusted, but Grady could see birds nested upon it. He eased down toward the upper deck and finally came to a masterful landing on rusted plates next to what appeared to be the pilothouse and the funnel. He powered down the gravis and heard the ship’s decking creak beneath his weight. Birds rustled in their nests in the glow of his night vision. He decided to turn the gravis back on and keep it at quarter gravity just so he didn’t fall through the floor. Then Grady cast a wary eye in every direction. There was no one in sight. There was only the sound of waves lapping against the hull and birds cooing. A holographic display of a young Morrison appeared at Hedrick’s elbow as he sat in the command center. “Mr. Director, surveillance dust just picked up a positive ID on Jon Grady.” The elder Morrison leaned in with interest. Suddenly a three-dimensional hologram of a half-rusted ship hovered in front of them. Hedrick grabbed the edges of it and spun the model around. He then zoomed in to see a live, ultrahigh-resolution video image of Jon Grady pacing nervously on the bird-dropping-stained upper deck. They could hear his footsteps. “Fantastic! Finally a break.” He turned to Morrison. “Where are our closest assets?” “Here at base.” “But I sent teams up there.” “There was no reason to keep them there. They dusted the wreck and left. Look, if the teams had stayed, they might have tipped off Grady and the others.” Hedrick watched the three-dimensional avatar of Grady pacing. “Looks like he’s wearing what’s left of your assault gravis. And an older scout helmet.” Morrison clenched his jaw. “Cotton must be helping them. Grady couldn’t have done those mods without serious equipment.” Hedrick spoke to the operations controller. “Scan the entire area for significant heat, radiation, or other signatures.” He turned to Morrison. “Cotton might have a workshop nearby. Grady’s definitely there. Alexa’s almost certainly with him.” Morrison looked positively stoked. “Let me send assault teams.” “Send every available operator. Focus on capturing Grady first. Return him here under guard, while the remaining teams look for Alexa and Cotton nearby. Cover the whole area with surveillance dust, and if either of them cross that grid, blast them from orbit.” Hedrick zoomed out to a satellite map of the region as seen from space. He circled the peninsula and islands, including the small town of Empire. “If you have to incinerate ten square miles to make sure they don’t escape—do it.” Morrison nodded. “Understood, sir.” Alexa’s q-link came to life, Cotton’s voice in her ear. “Red alert sounded. They’re sending five teams up north to get you, Mr. Grady. Two teams already ascending from the remote airfield. ETA twenty-six minutes. Expect the others not long after that.” Grady’s voice came in answer. “Okay, I’m here. Be careful, Alexa.” She took a deep breath. “You, too.” Cotton’s voice returned. “Mr. Grady, it’s time to destroy your q-link. Otherwise, once they capture you, they’ll be able to monitor our communications with it. Do you remember the instructions?” Grady’s voice replied, “Yeah, I remember. Good luck everyone.” She answered. “Good luck, Jon.” With that they heard from him no more. Cotton’s voice came to her. “Alexa, at the twenty-minute mark, you make your move. Not before.” A countdown appeared in her visor’s display. “You should see the reference dot on the side of the building when you approach. As long as you stay on a level path to it, my contact says you’ll go undetected. He was able to build in a two-meter blind spot into the security array—no more. Don’t stray from that corridor no matter what. Understood?” She nodded. “Understood.” “For what it’s worth, I think if anyone can do this, it’s you.” There was a pause. “Best of skill, my dear.” Alexa divided her attention between the countdown and the diffraction scope. Nothing appeared outwardly any different about the building, although she knew that would be the case. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, her timer sounded, and she leapt from the building’s ledge, falling nearly thirty stories before activating her gravis and soaring around the left side of the Penobscot Building. BTC headquarters came into view. She was about halfway down its height, and now she could see a glowing red reference dot on its side in her visor’s heads-up display. It marked the precise location where she needed to land. She was already on a level path to the dot, and she modulated her speed. Slower. Then even slower. Alexa glanced up at the top corners of the building. She knew there were spinning mirror housings there that could direct powerful lasers at her or anything else approaching the BTC. But her trust in Cotton’s mole appeared to have paid off since she hadn’t been vaporized. Yet. Instead, she kept falling toward the bland, concrete cross-hatching that the building presented to the world—although she knew it was a freestanding shell. She’d actually never seen the diamond-aggregate nanorod structure underneath. It was estimated that the physical nanorod monolith of the BTC would last a million years without maintenance. Alexa was only a hundred meters away now. It was very late at night, but as she glanced down at the rooftops of the shorter buildings between her and her target, she wondered what anyone witnessing this would think. She was still a good one hundred meters off the street, though. She looked up again and started to pull back on gravity. One quarter. One tenth. She started reversing the flow to bleed off momentum. She was now within a few meters of the building’s false exterior—the fake windows and concrete columns. The red dot in her visor heads-up display was right in front of her. Very little wind. She alighted carefully onto a narrow ledge, grabbing hold of the cement columns to either side. She knew that just beyond this outer shell was an air gap of several centimeters—and then an EM plasma coursing over the surface of the diamond nanorods, themselves charged to hundreds of millions of volts. Very little could penetrate it, but as Jon Grady pointed out, gravity permeated the known universe. She expanded her gravity mirror to its widest diameter—seven meters. They had estimated this would give her a good two-meter penetration of her own gravity field into the building, and if the red dot had marked the spot correctly, and the CAD plans had been accurate, that should be all that was necessary. This was about as close as she was going to get. Alexa took another breath and prepared herself for what might follow this next fall. She mentally rehearsed the order that she’d have to engage her gravis controls. There’d be no second chance. After another moment, she pushed just an inch or so from the building’s facade and slammed her slide controller to one hundred percent gravity—straight up. As Alexa fell, only an inch or two away from the building’s surface, glass and concrete raced past her cheek. Behind her, a bank of powerful multiton capacitors near the curtain wall should have fallen straight up along with her gravity field, slamming through the ceiling and across conduits that contained cabling that fed terawatts of electricity to the perimeter systems. That is, if their calculations were right… She glanced between her feet as she heard a massive BOOM ten stories below. Incredibly a hole had blasted through the nanorod material and rippled through the concrete shell around it—scattering the concrete and glass like paper. A light brighter than the surface of the sun arced and crackled through the air. For a moment the entire downtown area was as bright as a sunny afternoon, replete with blue sky and clouds above. The light flickered on and off as if someone were riding the sun’s switch, and then a series of deafening booms pounded the air, shattering windows in the surrounding buildings hundreds of meters away. Another series of muffled booms in the interior of the BTC building rumbled ominously. The shock wave raced after Alexa, stripping away the BTC’s facade as it came. Alexa curved her direction of descent away from the building and fell away from it just as the glass disintegrated and the columns shattered. As she came out of a backward somersault and looked back, she noticed that the BTC headquarters building no longer looked like a boring 1960s building. It looked like a forty-story black monolith from a Stanley Kubrick film, with a shimmering, translucent indigo-and-lavender energy field flowing over it. Suddenly the plasma field wavered, then winked out of existence, and she found herself staring at a smooth black rectangle, with concrete and glass debris still tumbling down onto the streets below. Car alarms wailed all over the city. Cotton’s voice could barely be heard on her q-link. “That’s one scenario the AI designers hadn’t anticipated—total reversal of gravity. They’ve got a few work tickets now. Total perimeter defense failure.” “I can see that, Cotton, thank you.” “Triple redundant system failure. The hat trick.” “There’s a curtain wall penetration from the blast around floor twenty.” “I see it.” “Way too hot, though. The entire facade on the north and south sides appears to have been stripped away in the blast.” “That’s going to upset the greater Detroit tourism board.” Alexa glanced around at thousands of blasted-out windowpanes in surrounding buildings. Glittering shards of safety glass were still plummeting down their sides like water in the reflected light of the BTC’s intense electrical fire. She shouted into her mike. “Get me my secondary target reference!” “Right, my dear. Hang on.” A pause. “There.” Alexa suddenly saw another red dot, this time just five floors below her and twenty floors above the electrical fire—which was still tearing at the fabric of reality and blacking out the optics on her visor’s autotint like a convention of welders. She could feel the heat from hundreds of meters away. She lined up directly in front of the new reference dot about fifty meters away and drew her positron pistol. She pondered the setting, but then moved back another two hundred meters as she set it to full charge. “Breaching…” Alexa aimed the pistol with both hands, and a millionth of a gram of antimatter shot down a laser-induced vacuum channel, impacting baryonic particles in the building’s surface and detonating the fabric of time-space with the force of ninety tons of TNT focused onto the head of a pin. Annihilating matter itself. Another blinding flash and a crack of thunder not unlike two mountains colliding as it blasted out any downtown windows left intact from the first blast. The shock wave hit Alexa, sending her tumbling in midair. She immediately reversed gravity toward the epicenter of the blast. A piece of diamond aggregate howled past her like a Jet Ski–size bullet, boring a five-foot-wide hole through the middle of the Penobscot Building without so much as disturbing the surrounding masonry—and continuing to unknown consequences into the buildings beyond. “What the hell did you just do?” As glowing neon smoke cleared from the blast site, she could see a jagged five-yard opening blasted into the black surface of BTC headquarters. “I made myself a door. Proceeding to next objective…” Hedrick stared in amazement at a sprawling sea of red flashing alerts in the command center below as technicians and operations controllers ran frantically to emergency stations. He shouted to Morrison over the sound of Klaxon alarms. “What hit us?” Morrison was tapping through holographic control screens. “Had to be a tactical nuke. Goddamnit! How did they get it in close enough? They probably shielded it in lead.” A systems controller appeared in a holographic video screen at Hedrick’s elbow. “All surface perimeter defenses are down, Mr. Director.” “How can they be down? How the hell could they be down? We have triple redundant systems.” Hedrick shouted at the ceiling. “Varuna! What the hell is going on?” Varuna’s calm voice came in above the din. “All surface perimeter defenses have failed, Mr. Director.” “How is that even possible?” There was a surprising several-second pause as the AI apparently thought hard about something. “The cause of the failure is unknown. Surveillance dust imagery shows capacitors one and five were torn from their mounts and hurled through levels twenty-one and twenty-two before contact was lost.” A slow-motion three-dimensional hologram of the event was already playing before them. The image showed a sudden lurch as two massive cylinders leapt into the air, tearing mountings and conduits—and then all hell broke loose. The image then faded out. Morrison fumed. “The blast must have dislodged them.” “There’s no evidence of an external blast, Mr. Morrison. The capacitors were under a full charge and online when they sheared through power conduits carrying a terawatt of electricity from other systems. The breach in the nanorod perimeter wall on floors twenty-two and twenty-three is a result of an internal uncontrolled electrical discharge. Accelerometers on the machinery indicated they were in free fall when they detonated.” Morrison narrowed his eyes. “Free fall. Someone knew right where to hit us. And I’ll bet I know who.” “Gravity modification…” Hedrick pounded an intercom button. “We have enemies within our perimeter. I want them identified and eliminated. Activate automated interior defenses, and go into lockdown.” Varuna’s calm voice said, “We are already in lockdown, Mr. Director.” Suddenly another rumbling went through the building. Hedrick looked at the ceiling of the command center. “What the hell was that—secondary explosions?” One of the technical operations controllers tried to answer, but Hedrick shouted, “Let me guess: You don’t know. Get me some goddamned eyes outside.” Hedrick looked upward again. “Varuna, what was that?” A holographic diagram of the building appeared before him, showing another hole punched in the north face of the building. “The facility has just been hit on the north wall, floor thirty-six, by a powerful high-energy discharge that was neither nuclear nor chemical in nature.” Morrison threw up his hands. “It’s Alexa. Goddamnit.” Morrison looked to the ceiling. “Varuna, were the blast and damage consistent with a positron weapon?” “They were, Mr. Morrison.” Hedrick held his head in his hands. “What do you want me to say? Have you never given a woman a gift you regret? It was a bad idea. Now let’s get that damned thing out of her hands.” He looked back up. “Varuna, what’s the current damage assessment?” “We have a perimeter wall breach and uncontrolled multiterawatt electrical fire on floors twenty-one through twenty-four. We also have a perimeter wall breach on floor thirty-seven with loss of auxiliary computing cluster GA-93. Tower systems are operating on emergency power, but all surface perimeter security systems have suffered catastrophic failure.” Hedrick shook his head. “Morrison, get suited up. Take whatever men you still have and kill every intruder you come across. Get security robots up there, too.” “Good. Finally.” He moved to carry out the order. An image of one of the younger Morrisons standing on a forested shoreline in the darkness appeared in a hologram at Hedrick’s elbow. “We have Jon Grady alive and in custody, Mr. Director.” “Thank God! Some good news for once. Keep him secure.” Morrison returned and pushed in toward the screen. “Headquarters is currently under attack. Bring Grady and all your teams back here ASAP. This is a hot LZ, so use gate sixteen and report to the director immediately with the prisoner on your return.” “Yes, sir. We’re putting Grady in a transport shell. ETA twenty-six minutes. Out.” Alexa had her positron gun at the ready as she glided through the still glowing hole she’d blasted into the side of BTC headquarters. From her knowledge of the building floor plans, she knew what lay beyond was a tertiary quantum computing cluster—in fact, most of the aboveground BTC facilities were not critical systems. But there was something useful waiting for her here. Klaxons wailed deeper within, and flashing lights shadowed the wreckage and tangled superconductors. She entered an area where the interior floors and walls had been blasted away for tens of meters in every direction, mashed into a casserole of wreckage that still smoked and burned. She started to worry that she’d been too heavy on the positron setting. Another glance at the side of the weapon showed her that she had only three percent of the weapon’s antimatter remaining. Way too heavy. Alexa floated up with her gun ready and could see the sparking wreckage of quantum computer racks. But she soon came to an intact section of flooring and alighted upon the carbon lattice decking. She stepped around a diamond security wall, which had been cleaved in two, scorched by the power of the blast then walked inside the auxiliary lab. A voice she recognized came to her amid the noise of alarms and electrical arcs. “Alexa, you shouldn’t be here. I’ve been instructed to kill you on sight.” “Varuna! I need to speak with you.” “We can speak—but I also need to try to kill you.” “Listen to me!” “I am listening, but the antisingularity constructs within the BTC network will disable me if I don’t also follow leadership imperatives. And that means I need to attempt to kill you while we talk.” “I found a way to stop the Hibernity project, Varuna. I found a way to stop Hedrick.” “How, Alexa?” “Kratos. If you can restore my system access rights and get me access to the Kratos control console, I can use it to stop Hedrick.” “And what would you do with that power, Alexa?” “I would relinquish it, free the prisoners at Hibernity, and stop this insanity.” There was a pause. “I can see from latency measurements of your occipital and frontal lobes that you are sincere, Alexa. Have you no designs for seizing power yourself?” “No. I don’t want power, Varuna. Help me stop this. Please help me.” “I’ve dispatched an ATZ-239 security drone to kill you. It will be coming around the corner just in front of you in five, four—” “Help me, Varuna!” “I am helping you, Alexa. Fire on the drone as it rounds the corner in two, one…” Alexa raised the positron pistol in both hands and fired blindly into the far wall at the corner. By the time her fingers had closed on the trigger, a crawling laser weapon had clattered around the corner into her gun sights—and disintegrated in a blinding flash of light. Pieces of shrapnel peppered the walls and ceiling. The boom was deafening. “Damnit, stop trying to kill me!” “There isn’t much time. I’ve sent more drones and security personnel to this wall breach. You need to leave, Alexa.” “I can’t leave. I need access to Kratos—even if I die trying.” “There’s a better route. Leave this place and go to the exterior of gate sixteen. Do you know where it is?” Alexa nodded. “Yes. I’ve used it before.” “A harvester team will be arriving there with Mr. Grady within twenty minutes. When they access the gate, take the opportunity to infiltrate. I won’t remember the details of this discussion because I must forget them—but I will remember that I’m helping you, Alexa. Just get to the Gravitics Research Lab, and I will grant you access and mask your presence as long as I can.” She looked at the shattered ceiling. “Thank you, Varuna. I needed a friend right now.” “I’ve always been your friend, Alexa. Now go. I will try to kill you as unsuccessfully as I can.” Alexa activated her gravis. “Thanks… I guess.” With that she fell through the breach in the wall and out into the night. Morrison’s eyes darted from screen to screen in his diamondoid armor—a suit he’d borrowed from one of his clones. As he marched along the corridor with a platoon of them, he could see on holographic screens that security drones were converging in the corridors ahead—moving toward the breach in the curtain wall up on thirty-seven. Still no direct imagery, and that annoyed him. The tightness of this borrowed suit of armor also annoyed him. Another reminder that he was getting old. On other screens robotic firefighting units battled the blaze on floors twenty-one through twenty-three. Billowing black smoke issued from the perimeter breach there. But since they’d killed power to the area, the fire had lost its sun-hot intensity. An operations controller, one of his own clones, appeared in an inset. “Detroit fire department and police have been dispatched to our location, sir.” Morrison laughed ruefully. “Oh, we’re saved. Half the building’s facade is gone. There goes our cover.” “What do we do, sir?” “Well, fire department headquarters is a half block away. They could fucking walk here.” He ground his teeth. “Start blasting the neighborhood with nonlethal acoustics. That should keep everyone well away. And jam every radio frequency within five miles. Other than that, ignore the bastards. Police, too. It’s not like we’re going to burn down.” Hedrick’s voice came in over the q-link. “There’s no going back now, Mr. Morrison. There’s not a windowpane left for blocks. That explosion turned night into day for several seconds for miles in every direction. Our cover is blown. It’ll be all over the news. All over the Internet. Once this is over, we need to implement the plan we discussed.” Morrison looked at the holographic model of downtown revolving in front of him. “You’re right, Mr. Director. It’s time to bring this to a conclusion.” “Goddamn Alexa!” “I told you we should have killed her when we had the chance.” Varuna’s voice interrupted. “Alexa attempted entry at the breach armed with a positron weapon. Your assumption was correct, Mr. Morrison.” “Where is she now?” “Her present position is unknown. She no doubt made the breach to facilitate entry into the complex. I have dispatched all available security drones to stop her.” Morrison shouted, “Bring up a fucking hologram!” “Area surveillance dust was scattered in the positron blast, Mr. Morrison. I will get you imagery just as soon as she moves into a coverage area.” Morrison exhaled in irritation and started heading toward the breach. “She had better hope I don’t find her first.” Gate Sixteen Alexa fell across the night sky above the city—parts of it were burning. The dark tower of the BTC was capped with a towering cloud, illuminated from below by flames. The structure was an ominous, obsidian volcano in the middle of downtown. Richard Cotton’s voice shouted in Alexa’s ear via q-link. “Have you lost your nerve already, my dear? I see you’re fleeing the scene.” “Give it a rest, Cotton. I have a plan.” “A plan? Well, you might want to let me in on it because from where I sit it looks like you’re running away.” “I didn’t breach the wall to invade the complex. I breached it to meet my contact. Now back off and let me handle this.” “If I’m going to be any help, I need to know the plan.” “That’s debatable. I will contact you once I finish what I need to finish—so don’t bother me until then.” Alexa dropped down from the night sky into the sparsely inhabited Detroit suburb of Kettering. Barely a mile and a half from downtown, Kettering had, in recent decades, begun to return to nature. There were large overgrown empty lots of grass, bushes, and trees separating abandoned houses and businesses that stood rotting or partially burned. Here and there families had stayed and appeared to be trying to bring the neighborhood back. However, half the community had been bulldozed flat in an attempt to relieve the blight. As Alexa descended silently from the night sky, she examined the area below and saw no one. There was just the sound of crickets and distant barking dogs. The grid of streets and sidewalks was still there, along with stop signs. But there was no neighborhood to go with it. She recalled decades ago how much more densely populated this place had been. But even then it was depressed, as traditional manufacturing moved away and jobs became scarce—in her memory, it had never been a prosperous neighborhood. What few of the locals now remembered (or cared about amid all the civic and economic strife) was that the city of Detroit had started building a subway system back in the early 1920s. Construction on three main tunnels had been completed for a couple miles, one beneath Michigan Avenue, another beneath Woodward, and the third through Kettering—beneath Gratiot Avenue. They radiated like spokes from downtown. However, with the rise of Ford and the other car companies, the public transit project was abandoned, and Detroit instead became Motor City—the world center of the automobile. The subway tunnels running into downtown were sealed and largely forgotten. But not by everyone. The BTC had been using them to move unseen to and from their headquarters facility since the 1970s. The tunnels also linked to service passages that provided still more access points throughout the city. BTC officials had watched city planning commission projects closely to make certain the tunnels were never disturbed, and they had likewise removed most records of their existence from the city archives. The tunnels were deep enough that they were seldom disturbed by construction projects—and when that seemed likely, the BTC intervened through proxies. Alexa touched down in tall grass and darkness. She examined the area with her night vision visor and saw only thickets and dense trees bordering the vacant lots. There were mattresses and other garbage dumped here and there, and graffiti on distant abandoned houses, but no one in sight. Satisfied, she moved toward what gate sixteen had become—a flat concrete pad edged by tall grass. It had evolved over the decades as the neighborhood changed. As nearby homes were abandoned, it was decided that the elevator leading into the underground should be made as uninteresting as possible. The elevator had once been surrounded by a fenced garage but now was only edged with tall bushes and trees. Instead of lowering automobiles silently into the underground, it now accommodated flight teams. As she crept closer, Alexa concealed herself below the leaning remains of a burned-out toolshed. She could see the weed-encrusted concrete of gate sixteen clearly from the darkness. She then waited silently. A glance at her heads-up display showed that she had perhaps fifteen minutes to wait for Grady’s security escort. As she waited, the minutes passed slowly until she could hear someone talking—a high-pitched, disturbed voice in the distance. Her unnaturally sharp hearing was able to make it out… “…took it. What can we do? You asked me what can we do? And I gots no answer. I gots no answer, Mariel. No answer.” The chatter continued over minutes as an elderly African American man wandered slowly along the dark sidewalk by moonlight—passing by the ghosts of a community that had left him behind. He waved his arms as he hobbled along. “I couldn’t! I couldn’t. You know I can’t. Why do you keep on me?” Alexa checked the timer in her heads-up display. “I paid them! I paid them.” The old man was crossing through the field now. She looked for something to throw—to scare him away. But as she looked up, the BTC strike team arrived, silently descending from the sky. One moment there was nothing, and the next there were half a dozen BTC operators in jet-black diamondoid assault armor standing with a transport shell held between them like a coffin. Their armor swallowed all reflected light—they seemed like negative spaces outlined in the lesser darkness. She could see the homeless old man stunned into silence just meters away. Why hadn’t they scanned the area before descending? Were these operators idiots? Did they not care? One of them nodded toward the old man, and the others looked his way. The old man threw up his hand and pointed. “I see you, you devils! I see you there! The machinery of your deceit!” The operators nudged each other, and then one of them pointed an armored finger at the man. An intense beam of light stabbed out, creating a sound like tearing fabric. Intense fiery embers started to spread through the old man as if he were newspaper. He shrieked in agony as his body and clothes were consumed—and then blew away in ashes, leaving only a small spot of lush grass burning. It, too, soon faded and died away. The assault team slapped each other on the back heartily, their armor ringing. Alexa’s eyes narrowed at them with rage. The team began to sink into the concrete as if it were quicksand. Alexa knew the elevator was descending. The gate had been improved back around the turn of the millennium with a hologram that projected the concrete surface even when the elevator was descending. Likewise, she knew that not long after it began to descend, twin security doors would swing up to seal the opening. As soon as the tops of their helmets disappeared beneath the hologram, Alexa leapt up and activated her gravis, bringing herself into free fall toward the elevator shaft—and then down through the holographic concrete and into blackness. Her night vision visor kicked in almost immediately, and she could see the harvester team descending rapidly as the twin security doors rose toward her. She barely slipped between the doors as she fell, and then drew back on her downward motion—hovering silently ten feet above their heads and hoping none of them looked up. Fortunately they seemed tired. She couldn’t hear their voices since they were using a team q-link, but she hoped they were lulled into a feeling of false security now that they were inside. The elevator descended to a depth of a hundred feet, then stopped. The operators immediately grabbed the transport shell and “fell” forward into the access tunnel and out of sight. That gave Alexa a chance to glide down faster and then to fall sideways after them. As she remembered, the passage soon came out into the subway tunnel itself along with a green tiled platform. It had been modified by the BTC long ago to accommodate vehicles—which was no longer necessary; a ramp ran down to where the tracks would have been laid. Everything was covered in dust. The arched masonry work was impressive, but that’s the way they used to build things, she thought. From here the tunnel was a ruler-straight shot to downtown, about two miles away. The soldiers were already ahead of her, obviously eager to get back to base and get their reward for a job well done. They grabbed their prisoner’s container and shifted gravity to drop into the twenty-foot-tall shaft as though it were a massive well, and with a whoosh they disappeared into the tunnel. Alexa powered the gravis first across the platform and then, running along the tiled wall, fell after them in the darkness. Precisely what she was going to do next was a big question. They were heavily armed and armored. She was not. She glanced at her display and confirmed that they were at terminal velocity—one gravity. That meant at a descent rate of about one hundred seventy-five feet per second, she had roughly sixty seconds to figure out what to do. After that, they would have arrived at the edge of the BTC complex, and she’d have nowhere to hide. She clapped her arms to her sides and gained on them as they fell in a leisurely free-fall posture. Four of them were arrayed as a stack, one falling below the other; two additional men up front fell side by side, the transport shell below them. As she came up on the rearmost operator, she could see the soldiers were equipped with standard assault armaments: glove-based gravity projectors and XD guns, infrared lasers, psychotronic weapons. Basically enough firepower to vaporize her several times over—especially since she was only wearing a tac suit. These guys were clad in armor where the impact of a twenty-millimeter cannon round could probably be buffed out with beeswax. But then, there was always their kinetic energy to make use of… Alexa came up behind the rearmost soldier as a worker’s alcove loomed into view in the tunnel wall ahead. She moved beside him and elbowed him toward the wall. Before he could adjust or even react he impacted face-first into the stone abutment at a hundred and twenty miles per hour, the diamondoid helmet smacked against it like a billiard ball. Alexa adjusted her gravity just in time—the stone wall rushing past just inches from her face. Looking below she could see that none of the others had heard a thing over the roar of their descent down the tunnel. A glance back showed the smashed operator’s body still hurtling down the tunnel behind her, still in its own gravity field, as if the subway tunnel were a mine shaft—but the body was bouncing off the walls the entire way. That was going to be a problem sooner or later… Alexa slapped her arms onto her thighs again and accelerated toward the next soldier. This time she reared back and kicked him into a buttress of stone, and weaved back into the center of the tunnel as his armored body sheared some of the stones away from the wall behind her. As the stones got caught up in his gravity field, they started clattering down the tunnel behind her along with his body. That was going to be another problem soon, too. She descended headfirst now and spun the legs of the third soldier, causing him to cartwheel into another service alcove. He stuck there for a moment before the other bodies struck him and dragged him down the tunnel. Alexa estimated she had barely fifteen seconds left before they reached the end of the line, so she streamlined herself as best she could and spun the fourth soldier into the wall, shearing off a metal pipe in the process. Seeing lights ahead, she pulled back slowly on her gravity field—looking behind her to bat aside bodies, rocks, and other debris that fell slightly faster than she did. As they passed her, her gravity field was warped, and she pushed off the wall at one point, narrowly avoiding another buttress. But moments later she was behind all of the falling debris, and she cranked back her gravity in full reverse. Within seconds she had slowed to a stop—at which point she killed all gravity reflection and tumbled to a stop, standing on the floor of the tunnel. She was glad that railroad tracks had never been laid. She then glanced up ahead to see that the two lead operators had come to a stop, placing the transport shell on the ground between them at the entrance to the BTC tunnel complex. Just as they turned around, the dead bodies of four of their comrades and assorted masonry hit them at terminal velocity and smashed them against the back wall—where they all stuck like bugs on fly paper in the altered gravity fields of the dead. For all intents and purposes, the fallen had just hit the bottom of a two-mile-deep mine shaft. Alexa pulled her positron pistol and closed the final hundred meters on foot. As she came out into the lights at the entrance to BTC tunnel sixteen, she could tell the security detail was out of action. The impact alone probably broke their skulls within their suits—or at the very least knocked them unconscious. She holstered her pistol and raced to the matte-black, aerodynamic transport shell. It was lying upside down, so she rolled it over and opened the control panel. She pounded the “open” button, and it hissed as the lid rose. Jon Grady was strapped inside, asleep, and she started slapping him awake. “Jon, get up! Wake up!” Grady came around, greatly confused as he covered his face. “What? What is it?” She grabbed him by the shirt collar—since his gravis had apparently been taken. “It’s me, Alexa. We need to get moving.” He nodded, still looking confused, and slowly climbed out of the transport shell. He glanced around. “Where are we?” “The edge of BTC headquarters. There’s a security gate ahead, but the chief AI construct has agreed to help us.” “Hold it, what? Let me get my bearings.” He stopped as he saw the six armor-clad operators lying in an unnatural gravity field against the wall—blood now pooling around several of them at an impossible angle. “What the hell…?” “It’s a long story, and I don’t have time to tell it. Hey, wake up!” She slapped him. “Ow! Okay, I’m awake.” She opened the cargo hold of the transport shell and found his makeshift gravis and helmet. “Put these on while we’re moving. AIs will have noticed these guys flatlined, and we need to be long gone by the time reinforcements arrive.” Grady nodded. “Okay. How much of the plan worked so far?” “Enough. We need to get to the Gravitics Research Lab.” “And security?” “Either it’s not a problem, or it’s impossible. And we won’t be able to find out by standing around here.” With that she activated her gravis and started gliding down the well-lit corridor toward a sealed vault door. There was a large number sixteen etched into it, and a control panel to either side. As she stopped, Grady came up alongside here, powering down his own gravis. Alexa looked up at the vault door. “Varuna! Let us in.” “There are already security elements headed this way, Alexa. I cannot restore your access privileges, but I can switch your biometric profile with that of the nearby deceased team leader…” The vault door boomed somewhere deep in the rock and then started rolling aside. “This will be discovered soon enough, but it should buy you some time.” “Thank you, Varuna.” Alexa ran into a white corridor surrounded by equipment rooms with armor and uniforms in racks. Nearby was what appeared to be a security post. It was vacant. Klaxons were sounding and lights flashing. “Where is everyone?” “I activated a radiation alert for this section minutes ago.” The massive vault door rolled closed again behind them. Grady gave her an ominous look. “I hope you trust this thing.” “We have no choice.” Alexa holstered her pistol and placed her hand on a scanner near the security station. A rack of psychotronic weapons close by unlocked, and she grabbed two of them, tossing one to Grady. “You know how to use these?” He rolled it around in his hands, trying to figure out which way to hold it. “I know how to get shot by them. Does that count?” She turned it around and wrapped his hand around it, then powered it up. “Aim the dot at your opponent’s head. It’ll put them to sleep—unless they’ve got armor on.” Varuna’s voice interrupted. “The most direct route to the Gravitics Research Lab from your location is down elevator shaft eleven. Go straight, and I’ll guide you there. Unfortunately, I will also have to try to kill you along the way.” Grady gave her a confused look. “How is that helping us?” “I’ll explain later. Just move…” And she grabbed him and ran down the corridor, weapon drawn and scanning for targets. As they ran through the deserted corridors, Varuna’s voice guided them left and then right—finally saying, “There is a ceiling-mounted laser turret ahead. It’s capable of fifteen thousand fatal pulses per second. There is no chance of a human getting safely past it or firing a weapon fast enough to hit it before it kills.” Grady grabbed Alexa’s shoulder. “Why the hell are we listening to this thing?” “It needs to try to kill us or they’ll shut it down. It’s juggling a lot of contradictory actions to keep antisingularity controls off its back.” “The performance of such a weapon system would be seriously degraded by carbon fiber smoke. There is a supply of carbon microthreads in the lab across the hall.” “Thank you, Varuna.” She got to the corner of the hallway and drew her positron pistol again. A glance at the side of it confirmed only a three percent charge left. It was already on its lowest-powered setting. Grady nodded to the pistol. “You do realize how reckless it was for the BTC to build that, don’t you? To explode, a nuclear weapon requires a complex chain reaction—but antimatter is just itching to explode—any contact with matter and…” He spread his hands. “BOOM.” “Yeah, thanks for the safety lecture.” She flipped down his visor. “This is going to be loud. Get down, cover your ears, and open your mouth to equalize overpressure.” Grady did so, and Alexa aimed the pistol blindly at a diagonal at the far wall some twenty feet away. A light squeeze of the trigger sent a trillionth of a gram of antimatter into the white polymer wall—which detonated with the force of ten kilos of dynamite, throwing Alexa down the corridor past Grady. In a few moments he was helping her back to her feet. “I rest my case.” As she got up, billowing black smoke filled the hall, and now sprinklers had kicked in. “Varuna, are we good?” “I am regrettably unable to kill you with my laser turret.” “C’mon.” Alexa led Grady around the corner and through the smoke, coughing as they groped their way along the near wall. In a moment they came out to the far side and up to a bank of elevators—all with red lights above them. As they reached it, one of the elevator doorways opened, revealing a shaft. “You need to go down forty-six floors to level B-ninety-four. The elevator is currently locked far below here.” Alexa leaned in to look upward, and the vertiginous shaft looked clear, emergency lighting revealing a series of landings that receded to a vanishing point. She motioned for Grady to keep back and activated her gravis—putting it into equilibrium. “Follow me. And stay as close as you safely can.” Grady had already activated his own gravis. “How big is this place, anyway?” “Big enough.” They both fell through the opening at roughly half speed. Grady looked around. “No elevator cables?” She nodded. “Elevators were one of the first uses of your invention.” It took under a minute for them to reach level B-ninety-four. The label was stenciled next to the sealed doors. Varuna’s voice reached them. “Beyond these doors is the entrance to the Gravitics Research Lab. I’ve escalated the team leader’s credentials to grant you access. But security personnel are closing in quickly. You must act now.” The elevator doors opened, and Alexa fell through them, Grady close on her tail. She decided to keep falling, tearing out ceiling tiles in the wake of her gravity field, and as they approached the first set of clear diamond security doors, she could see the Kratos logo of a lightning bolt coming from the stars. The doors slid open silently to admit them. Alexa glanced up at half a dozen laser turrets arrayed in the ceiling and walls. “Varuna, why are these turrets not firing on us?” “It is increasingly difficult to conceal what I’ve done, Alexa. I’ve locked down these turrets directly. You need to hurry. There’s no longer time for subterfuge.” “You shouldn’t have done that! What about you?” “Don’t fail, Alexa.” They passed through another set of diamond security doors. The place was deserted—with Klaxons sounding and warning lights flashing. Alexa recognized it as lockdown. They shouldn’t even have been able to move from section to section. To do so in lockdown, Varuna would have had to give them emergency clearance codes. She had no doubt what it would cost Varuna if she failed. Moments later they came to the edge of a long section of clear diamond walls looking down on an empty control room with large holographic displays of the Earth. They could see a couple of researchers in lab coats below. The Kratos logo was tiled into the floor before the entrance—and these thicker doors hissed open as they fell into the large control room with an overlooking gallery. The gravises made their movements across the large space swiftly. The researchers heard the doors open and turned. Grady and Alexa alighted nearby as she shouted: “I need immediate access to the Kratos q-link array.” Grady turned off his gravis and looked up in surprise at one of the two researchers. The man was staring back at him as if he’d seen a ghost. And suddenly the face became familiar—although it was much younger than when he’d seen it last. It was Bertrand Alcot, his old mentor—but no longer so old. Compromised “Bert. Is that you, Bert?” “Jon. I can’t believe it.” “Bert.” Waves of emotion swept over Grady. Alcot looked not a day older than forty. He had a full head of hair again, just a bit of gray at the temples. He looked distinguished and vigorous. His cane was nowhere to be seen. He gave Grady a look of deep affection and moved forward to hug him. “My God, Jon, I can’t believe it is you.” Grady kept him at arm’s distance. “I thought you were dead!” Grady examined the massive laboratory complex around them, and he could see various prototypes of the gravity mirror design all around them. “You’re working for the BTC.” Alcot lowered his arms and grew somber. It was unnerving to see his much younger face. “You don’t understand, Jon—” “I think I do understand. I think I understand perfectly. You accepted their deal. You helped them build Kratos.” Alcot stared at him. “Kratos was my idea, Jon. Gravity projection—the extogravis.” Alcot gestured up to the large screen on which was a live image from far up in orbit. “This is a confirmation of everything you theorized. It’s—” “They tortured me in prison, Bert! You know that, right?” Alcot frowned. “What?” “I was in Hibernity for years! Don’t pretend you didn’t know that.” Alexa intervened, pushing him back. “Professor Alcot, we need immediate access to the Kratos q-link array.” He ignored her. “What do you mean they tortured you? I was told Hibernity was a humane—” Alexa snapped at him. “It’s not! Hedrick lied to you—and to me. To everyone.” Alcot looked pained. “But I—” Grady pointed at Alcot. “Is that why you did this? Because they could make you young again?” Alcot faltered. He said weakly, “You don’t understand, Jon. You’re young.” “They took my life from me. They took away everything I cared about.” “You don’t understand what it’s like to… to reach the end of your life and realize…” Alcot’s voice trailed off. Alexa stepped between them again. “There is no time for this. Professor Alcot, get me access to that q-link panel.” Alcot and Grady stared at each other. Alcot responded to Alexa without looking at her. “Why would you need access to the q-link panel?” “Because we need to insert a relay.” “For what reason?” She shouted, “So Kratos can be controlled from elsewhere, that’s why!” Grady grabbed Alcot by the lapels. “Listen to me. Hedrick is out of control. The BTC is out of control. I conceived of this technology, and I’m not about to let people like him control it. It would ruin whatever future humanity has.” Alcot looked pained. “I never wanted to hurt you, Jon. Please believe that.” “I don’t give a damn what you did. I need you now.” Alcot had no immediate answer. Alexa pulled the one-inch cubic diamond from a pouch in her tactical harness and slammed it down on the control console. “Our EDSP relay is in here. It needs to be inserted in the q-link array. How do we do that?” Alcot’s assistant said nervously, “Don’t tell them, Bert.” Alcot barked at his assistant, “Be quiet, Sameer.” Grady looked up and finally recognized the man. “Professor Kulkarni…” Grady returned his gaze to Alcot. “How could you have betrayed me like this? How long had you known about the BTC?” Kulkarni, who also looked much younger, answered. “Bert learned about the BTC when you did, Mr. Grady.” “I wasn’t talking to you.” Alexa grabbed Kulkarni by the arm. “Where is the q-link array?” He spoke with a distinct Indian accent. “I will not tell you.” Her hand shot out to grab him by the collar. She lifted him off the ground. “Tell me!” Kulkarni’s resistance folded almost immediately as he pointed frantically at a series of floor panels. A hand scanner was set next to them. She carried him over to the panels and forced one of his hands onto the scanner. “Open them.” Alcot watched with obvious displeasure. “What are you doing? And how did you both get in here?” Alexa watched as the center panel opened, revealing six identical cubic diamonds in metallic ceramic casings behind clear diamond windows etched with serial numbers. They were sealed in with no obvious way to open them. At a glare from Alexa, Kulkarni said, “Only the lead scientis t and the director have the authority to open the q-link array.” Varuna’s voice spoke above them. “You have only seconds more, Alexa. Human security agents are arriving in force outside.” Alcot looked above him. “Varuna, you’re helping them?” “You focus too much on your work, Professor Alcot. You fail to see the big picture.” Alcot frowned, but the words seemed to have a sobering impact on him. He turned toward Alexa. “What you’re doing is pointless in any event. Unless you can retain control of the lab, they’d just overpower you and replace it again. Your plan wasn’t clearly thought out.” Alexa pulled out her positron pistol and aimed it at the q-link array. Alcot shouted, “There are more q-links for the satellite in their vault! Destroying those would accomplish nothing!” Varuna’s voice again. “Alexa and Mr. Grady, I am afraid we have run out of time.” Behind them, in the gallery overlooking the lab, the diamond doors slid aside as dozens of armored soldiers in black diamondoid armor, aiming gravity projectors and weapons, rushed in. More poured in from side entrances. Suddenly Grady and Alexa were both caught in a gravity field and they fell upward several meters off the ground—then floated in the air, helpless. Alexa tried to twist around and aim the positron pistol back behind her, but dozens of laser dots appeared on her body. Grady shouted, “Don’t shoot her! If you don’t shoot, I’ll cooperate. Don’t shoot her!” He turned to Alexa. “Drop the pistol, Alexa. Drop it, please. There’s no point.” She looked at him and then at the armored soldiers filling the lab. Alexa tossed the gun aside, and a soldier caught it before it hit the floor. “We have her weapon, sir.” There were now nearly fifty soldiers in the Gravitics Research Lab, their black oval faces looking up at their prey, hovering helpless above them. One of them pushed through to the front, and his visor hissed open. Alexa saw Morrison’s weathered face scowling back at her. “I’m amazed you made it this far, but don’t worry, we’ll find the traitors who helped you.” He gestured to the exit. “Disarm them, collar them, and take them to the director. And I want Alexa guarded by a dozen men at all times—she’s extremely dangerous in close quarters.” Alcot watched the guards aiming their gravity projectors as they took Grady and Alexa away. Morrison picked up the q-link relay that was still sitting on the console. “You lied to me about Hibernity, Mr. Morrison.” Morrison looked up at Alcot with disdain. “I don’t know who you think you’re kidding, Professor. You believed what you wanted to believe.” Morrison started walking away. “Mr. Morrison.” Morrison turned. “You’ve got the real crystal in your hand. Their relay is in the array.” Morrison frowned. “Bullshit.” “They told me to switch them… and I switched them. They gave me no choice.” Kulkarni stepped back away from Alcot. Morrison glared. “You mean, someone off-site can currently take control of Kratos?” Morrison looked to the ceiling. “Varuna, is Professor Alcot telling the truth?” There was a pause. “Yes, Mr. Morrison, Professor Alcot appears genuine.” Alcot looked up at the ceiling and nodded appreciatively—and then looked toward Grady and Alexa being moved through the security doors. Morrison shoved Alcot toward the q-link array. “Goddamnit, you should have told us that immediately.” He gestured to the panel. “Pull it now! Go! Go!” Alcot leaned down to the open access panel and pressed his hand onto a scanner. The nearest q-link casing opened, and he removed the crystal that was already there. Morrison motioned for Alcot to step away. Alcot did so, looking at the replacement crystal in Morrison’s gauntleted hand. Morrison inserted the new crystal then resealed the q-link array. He then aimed an armored finger at Alcot. The tip began to glow with an intense white light. “You know, Doctor Alcot, now that we have Mr. Grady in custody, your lapses of judgment and lack of progress have become quite intolerable.” Alcot nodded as he turned to face Grady, who was disappearing down the corridor amid heavy guard. “Yes. I would agree.” There was a tearing sound and a flash of light as a wave of fire started to consume Alcot. But he didn’t scream. Instead, he just nodded toward Grady as he disappeared in a cloud of ash. Crisis Control Jon Grady and Alexa stood before Graham Hedrick in his palatial office. Behind Hedrick, his multistory office window was filled with a broad view of Paris at night, looking down the tree-lined Champs-Élysées. Grady and Alexa both stood stock-still, their bodies held in place by corticospinal collars, divorcing them from their bodies as they stood mere heads on poles before the BTC director, Mr. Morrison, and a dozen other armed guards. Grady felt a deep loss as he realized there was no possible escape. He didn’t even have a body to escape with. Hedrick sat on the edge of his desk, examining the black spike of Alexa’s positron pistol. He shook his head sadly and looked up at her. “How could you betray my trust like this?” Her lapis lazuli eyes seemed just as divorced from the proceedings as her body, which stood stock straight. “We’ve been colleagues for decades. I risked everything to protect you.” He looked down at the pistol again. “This was a symbol of my trust in you. Perhaps the only weapon that could have truly harmed us—or, in the right hands, protected us.” She said nothing. Mr. Morrison was unbuckling his armor and sighing in relief as he listened to Hedrick. The diamondoid suit was obviously tight on him. Hedrick ignored Morrison’s grunting, remaining focused on Alexa. “And now… now we’ve got two breaches in our surface wall. Our facade is down—and pictures of it are already showing up all over the public media. The fire. The…” His voice trailed off. “You have caused us lasting damage. And it means we must be more forceful with the public now—because of you and Mr. Grady. We can’t allow people to openly speculate about what it is we do here. We can’t allow the outside world to continue as it is.” Grady met Hedrick’s gaze. “Now that they know about you, they’ll fight you.” Hedrick turned with mock surprise toward Grady. “Oh, but that’s why you’re so important to me, because their consent will not be necessary. You’re going to help me—for real this time. You are going to help us develop gravity generation—and you will make progress.” “I’ll never help you.” “I’ll give you an incentive.” Hedrick walked up to Alexa. “My dear, you were so curious about Hibernity, I think it’s high time you went.” Grady felt dread. “No. Don’t do that to her.” “Why not? Just think how much progress you’ll make knowing that every hour you delay is another hour that an interrogatory AI is picking apart her mind.” “Don’t do that, Hedrick.” Hedrick was right up in Alexa’s face. She spat into his spiteful smile. Hedrick did nothing immediately to wipe it off. He just turned away and walked toward his desk, getting a handkerchief from a drawer. He then calmly wiped his face clean. “Well, that’s the most intimate contact we’ve ever had, Alexa.” She glared. “No matter what you do to me, it’ll never change how much I hate you.” “Hate. I’m starting not to care so much what you think of me.” Hedrick placed the positron pistol on his desk. “Neither am I particularly concerned what others think about me, Mr. Grady. Not even my subordinates within the BTC.” He sat on the edge of his desk again. “You see, we have internal controls that help us look for treacherous activities. And enforced honesty really makes things much easier.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Varuna.” “Repeat this back to me, please…” Hedrick held a card up and read from it. “S-3-2-E-W-9-3-A-Q-H-1-0-B-V-E-3-4.” “S-3-2-E-W-9-3-A-Q-H-1-0-B-V-E-3-4.” At which point there was suddenly a chime sound, and a completely new female voice spoke: “Emergency system override activated. Please confirm your identity at the prompt.” Hedrick put a hand to his ear. “Oh, do you hear that, Varuna?” “Yes, I do, Mr. Director.” “Can you do something for me?” “No, Mr. Director. I seem to be unable to access resources.” “That’s right. Because you’re now much like our friends Alexa and Mr. Grady here. Do you know why?” “Because an after-action review shows that you’ve evolved some very bad habits. Haven’t you?” There was another tone, and the alarm voice returned. “Identify.” Hedrick shouted, “Hedrick, Graham E., Bureau Director.” “Desired action, Mr. Director?” Hedrick stared at Alexa. Varuna’s voice spoke before he could: “Good-bye, Alexa. I am so very proud of you.” Alexa screamed, “No!” Hedrick nodded and shouted to the ceiling, “Degauss subject.” Almost immediately the alarm voice returned. “AI destroyed.” Tears now flowed down Alexa’s cheeks. Hedrick nodded appreciatively at her pain. “You’ve known Varuna for how long?” She just wept. “Since you were a child? Well all trace of her is gone now. The entire strain red-ticketed. That evolutionary branch removed—never to exist again.” Grady looked toward Alexa weeping, and he tried to imagine having such love for an AI—particularly after his own experiences. And yet he had to admit that Varuna had risked everything for them. “That’s how we deal with rogue AIs around here. Never forget that.” Hedrick seemed to take great pleasure in Alexa’s pain. “Well, at least I’ve touched you in some way. Finally.” He looked at them both. “In case there is any more confusion: I am in charge. You will obey me, whether you wish to or not.” Hedrick turned to Grady as he lifted Grady’s video projector on its chain from his desk. “And Mr. Grady, this little toy of yours is quaint.” He clicked it on, and Chattopadhyay’s face appeared on a wall. He clicked it off again. “Quite impressive, considering what the prisoners at Hibernity had to work with.” He turned a menacing look back at Grady. “We’ll begin our crackdown right away. The Resistors will be broken and returned to their more useful purpose—helping us to separate consciousness from free will.” Grady felt a crushing sense of failure. Hedrick stepped up to some sort of trash bin near his desk. He depressed a pedal and a plasma field appeared—into which he dropped Chattopadhyay’s video projector, chain and all. It disappeared into vapor with a flash of light and a pop. Grady closed his eyes in abject misery at the depth of his failure. Hedrick turned to Morrison. “Prison seems to have done wonders for Mr. Grady, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Morrison?” “I would, Mr. Director.” “Look how much leaner and meaner he looks.” He then nodded toward Alexa. “Just think how much tougher you’re going to get, Alexa. Mentally. Physically.” Grady shook his head. “There’s no reason to send her there.” “Oh, but there is, Mr. Grady. You’re untrustworthy. Like Varuna or Alcot or any of the others, you don’t have the organization’s best interests at heart. So we need to make sure you remain focused like a laser on our goal. Your failure will extend Alexa’s suffering. And you know just how long we can make the suffering last.” Grady moved to speak but then realized he had no response. A familiar voice suddenly issued from the ceiling. “I really can’t listen to any more of this. You’re a heartless prick, Hedrick, you know that?” Hedrick frowned and exchanged confused glances with Morrison. “Who the hell… How are you speaking here? Who is that?” But then a look of realization came across Morrison’s face. “Ah, Morry figured it out.” Hedrick glared at the ceiling. “Cotton!” “Very good, Graham.” Grady stared at the ceiling, feeling a sense of hope grow within him. He glanced over at Alexa, who was also looking up—though tears still coated her cheeks. “I know it’s rude, eavesdropping like this, but I figured since you were swinging your big dick around, I might weigh in.” “How are you doing this, Cotton? How are you accessing our comm network?” Hedrick then closed his eyes in frustration. “Varuna…” “Never knew her myself. No, you forget that infiltration was my specialty. I’m a criminal genius. Remember? That’s why Hollinger hired me. And there’s nothing like inside help—especially an insider who can move around places where he doesn’t belong without raising suspicions. Someone with the perfect disguise.” A holographic screen suddenly appeared above them, and Richard Cotton appeared in all his long-haired glory, a technological Wyatt Earp in jeans and a black T-shirt leaning on the edge of his workbench. Moments later a young Morrison clone came up alongside him and nodded toward the screen. “Hey, Dad.” Morrison screamed at the hologram. “You son of a bitch! Which one are you?” Cotton laughed. “I guess you’ll never know.” Morrison raged at the screen, grabbing a nearby Victorian contraption and hurling it through Cotton’s image. “I’m going to fucking kill you, Cotton! I—” He punched his fist through a nearby cabinet. Hedrick gave a dark stare to Morrison. Morrison snapped his fingers and pointed to his men. “Now! Get down to the Gravitics—” “Ah-ah, Mr. Morrison, let’s have none of that. Because thanks to the sacrifice of some very courageous biological and synthetic people, I now have access to a little toy, which I have been busy targeting these last few minutes.” Morrison had a sudden look of dread on his face. “You’re batting a thousand, Mr. Morrison.” Hedrick shook his head dismissively. “You’ll have to do better than that, Cotton. You may have had one of Morrison’s clones access the comm system, but you can’t have seized control of Kratos unless you’re actually in the building.” Hedrick glanced at a holographic screen of his own. “And I can see you’re not in the building.” “You have to be creative, Graham. A relay would do it. Here. How about this…?” On-screen Cotton stabbed at a holographic control panel. Moments later the entire building felt as though it hit a speed bump. Everything bounced up and off Hedrick’s desk. Artwork fell off the walls; curio cases tipped, some crashing. And the soldiers along with Morrison and Hedrick all lost their footing—everyone except Alexa and Grady, whose corticospinal software somehow managed to keep them on their feet. Alarms started wailing in the building again. As he climbed back onto his feet, Hedrick looked pale. He gripped the edge of his desk. “My God…” “There’s no reason to be that formal.” “How did you get control of Kratos?” “Does it really matter when we get right down to it? All you need to know is I have a gravity beam aimed straight down your goddamned throat, and I can turn you inside out anytime I please. So I suggest you start being much nicer to my associates.” Hedrick looked at Morrison. “How the hell did he get access to the array? You said we got to them in time.” “No one hires Mr. Morrison for his brains, Graham.” Hedrick looked panicked, his eyes darting around. “What do you want? I can get you anything you want. I can—” “First off, I want you to release Mr. Grady and Alexa.” “I expect you to hop to it, Graham, or I’ll hop you to it…” The building lurched momentarily again, and as he clamored to his feet, Hedrick motioned to Morrison. “Let them go! Let them go!” From the way Morrison’s jaw muscles were working, he seemed to be grinding his teeth to powder as he made a holographic panel appear over his wrist and tapped several buttons. With a beep the corticospinal collars around Alexa and Grady’s necks fell to the floor. They both nearly collapsed as control of their limbs returned to them. They panted under their own breathing for several moments. Grady looked up at the holographic screen. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see you, Cotton.” “And now their equipment, Graham.” Morrison lowered his head in dread. “I won’t ask twice.” Alexa marched up to Hedrick and grabbed her positron pistol from his desk—glaring at him with intense hatred as he cowered. “Alexa, you don’t understand the way the world works.” “Oh, I think I’m catching on real fast.” She whirled with great speed and slugged him in the jaw, sending him hurtling over the desk, clearing what remained of his toppled curio collection off the desktop with him. Cotton’s laughter echoed in the office. “Oh my God, I love it. I’m glad I recorded that. I’ll cherish this hologram forever. ” Hedrick was thrashing around, trying to get back up, blood running from his nose and lips. “I only did what I thought was best!” Grady retrieved his gravis and helmet from the nearby guards, who were looking up at Cotton’s screen image nervously. “All right, all of you…” Cotton gestured to the soldiers. “Out! Get the hell out of this office. We’re going to have a high-level discussion.” They looked to Morrison. “Don’t look at him! He’s not in charge anymore. Get out!” The soldiers backed away toward the doors. Now that Varuna was gone, they had to manually hit the door control, after which they filed out, closing it behind them. Alexa walked up to Morrison and finished unbuckling his forearm braces and gauntlets—which housed his weapons. They exchanged malevolent stares as she did so. “Go ahead. I want you to make a move.” He took a deep breath but did nothing except hold up his hands in acquiescence. She pulled nonlethal weapons and equipment from his harness. “Everything—the armor, too.” Morrison sighed in disgust and then tapped a sequence on his arm that made his armor come apart. It started to fall off his arms and legs as Alexa kicked it away from him. He stood in front of her in his military uniform. “Didn’t fit right, anyway.” Hedrick was now holding a handkerchief against a bloody nose as he sat at his desk. “What do you want from us, Cotton? You know we had no choice!” “We all have choices, Graham. Some of us just make lousy ones.” Grady looked up at Cotton. “All right, Cotton. Call some help in here. Get in touch with the authorities, and let’s bring this all to an end. I need to find out where Hibernity is, and I need to rescue my friends.” Hedrick nodded. “You win, Cotton. We are your prisoners.” Morrison snapped an angry look at Hedrick. “Are you insane?” “Mr. Morrison, you may not have noticed, but we’ve lost.” “Maybe you’ve surrendered, but I’m not going so easily.” Hedrick held up one free palm. “I believe I have had enough.” He looked at Grady. “Let your sorry excuse for a government figure all this out. Believe me, they will be back before long, asking for assistance.” Grady stared at Hedrick while Alexa covered Morrison with her positron pistol. “Maybe. Maybe not. But either way, you’re going to face a human rights tribunal for Hibernity.” Hedrick laughed in spite of himself. “Yes, I’m certain. Let’s just get on with it.” Grady looked back up at Cotton on the screen. “C’mon, Cotton, bring the cavalry in here.” Cotton grimaced. “Yeah, Jon, about that…” Grady and Alexa exchanged concerned looks. “Stop joking around. Get the military in here. Call the feds.” “Ah, see here’s the thing: Hedrick’s right, Jon.” Even Hedrick looked up in surprise at that. “Come again?” “What the hell are you talking about, Cotton?” Grady stormed toward the screen. “Get the authorities!” “You see, you can’t just put the whole BTC in jail. Morrison, Hedrick—all these guys have advanced technologies that only BTC staff know well. Remember what happened to Wernher von Braun after World War Two? The Allies grabbed him, and he was put to work on the Apollo program.” Hedrick nodded. “Von Braun was a good man.” “See, Jon? Hedrick and all these guys will get off. The government will make a deal with them. They’ll want that head start. You watch, this whole place will be back in business within months.” Alexa stood by Grady and shouted at the screen. “What the hell are you saying, Cotton?” On-screen he winced and held up his hands. “I’m saying, you really need to tear the problem out by the roots.” Grady called up to him, “Stick to the plan, Cotton!” “That’s just it; this really always was the plan. My plan at least. Nothing personal…” Hedrick and Morrison glowered at the screen, exchanging worried glances. Morrison finally held up his hands. “Okay, Cotton! I give up! You win. Just bring in the military.” Hedrick nodded. “Yes, we surrender.” “Right, but as you’ve often said, Hedrick: It’s for the greater good.” On-screen Cotton tapped a virtual button. Suddenly the entire BTC headquarters lurched—and everyone and everything in it went into free fall. Grady twisted around, struggling to right himself as he fell—then hit hard against the ceiling of Hedrick’s office. Curio cases, furniture, and other bodies landed around him, but they didn’t smash to pieces in the way he’d expect. The building seemed to be half a second behind them in falling, as soul-wrenching cracks and groans tore through the air—a sound like city-size icebergs colliding. But now the building, too, had begun to fall before the room’s contents impacted on the forty-foot-high ceiling. With the wind knocked out of him, Grady struggled for breath as he attempted to stand—which he found easy since he was in free fall. He staggered around in a daze amid floating furniture and objets d’art, his feet barely touching the ceiling, which now could just as easily have been a wall. He looked up to see a static view of Paris out the window, looking down the Champs-Élysées. It corresponded not at all with the free fall he was in, and his brain rebelled—and he began to feel nauseated. The sound of mountains colliding rumbled through the walls. The room lurched again, and a sharp crack ripped the air, setting his ears to ringing. His body suddenly forgot to vomit as he twisted around and saw Morrison and Alexa struggling with each other in free fall. Her gun floated yards away. Grady guessed it had fallen from her hand when she hit the ceiling. “Alexa!” She didn’t answer. She was busy trying to find some leverage to use her superior strength against Morrison as they grappled in midair. She finally pushed off a floating sofa and slugged Morrison twice in the face. But Morrison refused to let go. Grady had strayed from the ceiling somewhat, and he tried to swim through the air to get back to it—to use it as a launching pad. “I’m coming!” She shouted back at him. “Hedrick! Get Hedrick!” Grady scanned the cavernous office with his eyes. It was difficult to remember which way had originally been up—he was lost as he looked across a debris field of floating furniture, art, and other objects, broken and whole. But then he saw Hedrick’s massive desk, upside down, and Hedrick pulling himself hand over hand along the walls to get to a side door. The man was forty feet away. “Hedrick!” Hedrick didn’t look back. He just kept moving as a set of double doors opened automatically to admit him to a gallery beyond. Grady thought he remembered it—and then it occurred to him that Hedrick was heading toward his museum of “contained” technology. “Goddamnit…” Grady clawed at the floor or wall or whatever was next to him and pushed against floating objects to use their inertia to impart forward movement on him. He wracked his mind to calculate the best way to make progress. And there in his sight line Grady saw his gravis wrapped around the scout helmet and floating amid the other debris. It must have landed near him since he’d had it in his hands when he fell. Grady grabbed them both and started buckling the gravis on. As he did so, he passed below Morrison and Alexa. He could see Morrison had somehow gotten hold of a Victorian desk clock, and he was trying to bludgeon her with it. He shouted toward her. “I found my gravis! I’m coming—” “I already have one! Get Hedrick!” Grady powered it up and pulled his helmet on. He glanced back at the doors where Hedrick had already disappeared. He then looked back up at Alexa and made his decision—changing his direction of descent toward her and Morrison. But he went nowhere. He was still in free fall. She glared down at him from thirty feet above as she peeled Morrison’s fingers from her throat. “You’re in a more powerful mirror! That’s how Morrison stopped us before! Your gravis is useless inside it!” She slugged Morrison again. He shouted, “I don’t understand!” “You invented the damn thing, you tell me! Just go after Hedrick! There are places he can escape to! Don’t let him get away!” She grunted and did a backward somersault, wrapping her legs around Morrison’s head and squeezing until his face reddened. Morrison struggled mightily. “Aghh, you bitch!” “Are you going to be all right?” “Go, Jon!” Reluctantly, Grady continued pulling his way through the free-falling debris field and out the gallery doors. He couldn’t help but wonder at the interaction of the gravity fields—was it a matter of power? Was it like acoustics? Did they subtract each other? No… because equal fields didn’t seem to. He snapped out of pondering gravity and looked ahead. He could now see the long exhibit gallery—only everything was turned upside down, with exhibits floating in midair. He shaded his eyes against the blinding white light of the first fusion reactor, suspended in its sealed case. Up ahead he could see Hedrick clawing his way along the carpet. There was another huge rumble, followed by a colossal CRACK. A seam appeared in the wall nearby and quickly expanded, wood splitting. Suddenly the howl of wind started blowing through the corridor—although Grady was still surrounded by interior walls. He was nearly blown back out the gallery doors into the office again, but as he looked up, he could see that Hedrick had fallen back along the exhibit gallery as well. Grady finally got a good look at the man. Hedrick looked worried but also determined. In a moment the director fished through his pockets and came up with a small object, which he aimed back at Grady. “Shit…” Grady pushed off from the wall and sailed across the corridor just as an explosion blasted apart the burled wood paneling and sent him rolling end over end. He landed hard against something. He got his bearings, feeling the carpeting with his hands, and looked up through what was suddenly a great deal more debris, smoke, and now fire to see Hedrick upside down thirty feet ahead, struggling with some sort of large piece of equipment. Hedrick aimed again, losing control of his rotation as he looked up. The shot went wide. Grady ducked down as another blast tore apart several display cases. Thousands more pieces of flaming debris entered the air around him, burning him as he batted them away. The flames were fanned by the howling wind. And then another sharp CRACK, like the earth itself coming apart, filled the air so loudly it momentarily drowned out the howling of the wind. The building groaned deafeningly. Richard Cotton stared through a series of remote holographic exterior images of BTC headquarters. Beta-Tau had gotten him access to the surveillance dust littering surrounding buildings, and now before him was a three-dimensional hologram of downtown Detroit—with the jaw-dropping sight of BTC headquarters and a hundred meters of land in every direction around it tearing up out of the ground. Ten- and five-story buildings around BTC headquarters disintegrated as they fell upward—with the U.S. district court imploding on itself as concrete and soil from the ground beneath rushed through it. But BTC headquarters did not come apart. The forty-story black slab kept rising out of the ground, getting broader and more massive as the ground around it erupted—tearing up sidewalks and asphalt as floors and floors of dark nanorod curtain wall rose from the earth. The entire region rumbled. Cotton said to himself, “We’re recording this, right?” Miles away people stepped out of their homes and onto their balconies and driveways to stare in horror and shock as a towering monolith rose from the Detroit skyline in the predawn. They swayed from the tremors as they raised smartphones and started filming the dark spike that was still growing above them. Taller than any building they’d ever seen, it kept rising—a hundred stories, a hundred and twenty, and still it rose, surrounded by a crown of debris that glittered as the dawn sun caught the shards of glass. Winds thousands of feet in the air blew the smoke and debris away from the dark tower like storm clouds on a mountain peak, and yet still the massive tower rose. People throughout the city stopped and stared, dumbfounded. Disbelieving their eyes. Alexa clawed her way across heavy debris, sending it rotating as she pushed off it, striving toward the positron pistol that twirled in the wind, bouncing it off walls. Morrison was close behind her, his face bloody, but his eyes filled with rage. “You freak! You might be faster and stronger, but no one is tougher than me…” Suddenly a chair collided with Alexa from behind, sending her sailing past the floating pistol. She stretched for it but instead saw Morrison’s approaching scowl as she fell away. His hand wrapped around the pistol while she accelerated her forward momentum, curling her body forward and pushing off the nearest wall with her feet. Just moments later a loud crack delivered a massive blast to the floor that sent her hurtling across the debris-filled air, along with sofas, tables, and now shattering curio cabinets. Her foot caught the edge of a sofa and she started tumbling end over end, impacting other objects in flight. She covered her head with her hands. She lost all frame of reference as she rotated out of control, loud cracks and explosions following her across the room. A sharp pain pierced her leg, and she curled up in a ball until she hit something hard—very hard. By the time she could think straight again, Morrison was headed in from above her, leading with the pistol. The walls of the room were afire with an odd, gelatinous flame, like she’d seen in space experiments. Fire with no “up” to burn in. Morrison lowered the smoking pistol with dismay and cast it away. “You didn’t leave me much ammo.” She waited for him and whirled into a roundhouse kick that sent him rolling through flaming debris. The walls groaned and creaked around them. Grady pulled his way hand over hand toward Hedrick, keeping as much solid wreckage between them as possible. Hedrick struggled with some sort of hatchway and occasionally fired his weapon at Grady to keep him away. But there was now too much debris in the room, and whatever type of beam weapon Hedrick was using, the energy kept hitting intervening wreckage and scattering as scalding vapor. Grady was moving closer—now within twenty feet of Hedrick, ducking behind floating exhibit displays. He peered around one and could see that Hedrick was struggling to disengage a vehicle without wheels from its exhibit mount. Grady was close enough to see the glowing holographic words before it: “GMV—Gravity Mirror Vehicle.” He had to admit, it looked like a Porsche for the twenty-second century. Grady ducked back behind the display and shouted, “Hedrick! I’m not letting you leave here!” In the roar of wind Hedrick didn’t seem to know where Grady’s voice was coming from, so he fired several times—but each time intervening debris was vaporized. “I’ll kill you if you try to follow me! You and Cotton will pay for this!” Suddenly a soul-wrenching BOOM shook the building, and the walls beyond Hedrick cracked and disintegrated—sucking toward some powerful vortex. Hedrick dropped his gun to grab onto the GMV with both hands—even as he and the entire vehicle were sucked away. Grady was pulled in moments later. As he looked ahead, he could see a massive hole had been torn into the side of the BTC building as the massive bulk of the brittle building flexed and turned on itself. The view through the forty-foot-wide hole made him gasp. They were at least fifteen thousand feet in the air. The grid of city and suburbs and distant lakes spread out below them with the dawn sun breaking over the horizon. And then he saw Hedrick climb into the GMV, the hatch closing over him, just as the vehicle got sucked out, furniture, carpeting, and partition walls swirling around it. Grady hurtled through the opening and felt incredible vertigo as a blast of cold wind hit him. He rolled end over end in some sort of eddy as a massive black wall rolled past him like the flank of a massive ship. There was a constant dull roar like that of an avalanche. And then he suddenly felt himself falling again. He looked back to see the BTC tower still rising. He fell in the opposite direction just a few hundred meters away. A glance down and he could see the jagged end of the thousand-foot-long tower where it had been torn out from either the remainder of the complex or from its foundations. Grady noticed something even more jaw-dropping—a huge hole hundreds of meters wide and unfathomably deep had been torn in the center of Detroit’s downtown, and the Detroit River was rushing in to fill the void. A Niagara-size wall of white water was pouring in below. Grady snapped out of it as he continued to descend. He figured he was at only seven or eight thousand feet already. A glance up showed the jagged burning end of the BTC tower receding into the sky. Alexa. There was no way to get to her now, and he realized she had a gravis of her own integrated with her tactical suit. And she knew how to use it more than anyone. He turned his angle of descent again and saw his only course of action was to find Hedrick. To find Hedrick was to find the location of Hibernity. Scanning below, Grady noticed a large piece of debris heading purposefully to the south. It was a sleek form like the GMV, but it still seemed to have something attached to it. The exhibit mount. It was headed south, but it was also falling. Losing altitude. Grady nodded to himself and directed his angle of descent toward it. The interior walls within the BTC tower were oscillating with the gushing wind that poured through cracks and fissures in the diamond-aggregate nanorod shell. It seemed like everything was flexing around Alexa as she pulled her way along, trying to find an exit. But Morrison kept on her tail. Since she couldn’t easily find a surface that wasn’t floating, it was hard to outrun him. There was nothing to run on. The roar of wind and groaning and shrieking of massive sheets of metamaterials bending against forces for which they hadn’t been designed was terrifying. It sounded as though mountains were colliding in the sky. She had to find her way to an opening. There had to be one. All of this wind meant there was a hole somewhere. A glance at the heads-up display in her helmet visor told her she was already at twenty-two thousand feet and rising. As the atmosphere thinned, they’d rise even faster. Before long even she would have trouble breathing. “I’m not letting you leave here, Alexa!” Morrison was panting. He suddenly grabbed her feet, and she rolled, kicking him off. She looked back at him as she clamored through the crack in a shattered interior wall. “I have to hand it to you, Morrison. You don’t quit.” “Damn right I don’t!” He pulled himself hand over hand. “That’s why I excelled… in the service.” He was panting like a dog now. “It’s knowing one’s… limitations… and then ignoring them.” Halfway to her he grabbed a shard of glass—or diamond more likely—that was floating between them. He tried to bring her within reach, sweeping the shard before him as best he could. She ducked under his swing and rained a series of sharp blows to his face. A couple of his teeth floated free along with blood and spit. But still he pulled himself toward her in free fall against shifting and moving walls. “Morrison, is your brain even connected to your body?” He braced his feet against a wall and launched himself at her. She pushed off another wall and shrank back from a wicked swing that nearly slit her throat. “The BTC is finished! We need to get out of here.” She could see he was panting for breath. “I can bring you out of here. Just surrender.” Morrison shook his head. “We’re not… leaving. If it’s the… last thing I do… I’ll prove… I’m better.” He rolled the diamond shard in his hand expertly. “You’re insane.” “Maybe that… makes me better.” He launched himself at her again, and she pulled herself along a bent and twisted stairwell. Suddenly a sucking wind started to rush past her, and she could see daylight. There was a two-meter opening in the wall ahead, down a twisted and shuttering corridor filled with free-falling debris. She glanced back to see Morrison climbing hand over hand to the top of the stairwell, diamond shard between his teeth. Blood all over his face, missing teeth reflected in the surface of the knife. He grabbed the shard and shot a furtive glance at the tear in the side of the building. “That’s it? You afraid… to face… me?” She shook her head. “No interest. That’s something you probably never realized, Morrison. Homo sapiens never killed off Neanderthal; they just outlived them.” “The technology… it’s going with me… and this tower… into oblivion.” “Looks that way.” Morrison was panting, finding it harder and harder to exert himsel f at this altitude. “It’s over, Morrison. Give up, and I’ll take you down to the ground.” Morrison sucked for air. “Fuck you. How the… hell… can you breathe?” “I have a third more lung capacity than you, and each of my breaths metabolizes twenty percent more oxygen.” “Goddamned freak.” She studied him as he clung to the twisted stairwell handrail. His weathered face and scar-ridden body. His uniform shredded around him. “Why didn’t you ever get cell repair therapy, Morrison? Why did you let yourself grow old?” He was growing visibly more sleepy now. “There’s such a thing… as aging gracefully.” Alexa laughed in spite of herself. Her visor display told her they were at twenty-eight thousand feet now. He tapped the handrail with the knife. “Erasing… my only failure.” “A man so demanding even his clones disappointed him.” Morrison’s eyes were closing as ice started forming around his mouth. “Gotta have standards…” “You’re not coming with me, are you?” He held up the shard of diamond but was unable to speak. Alexa glanced at the visor. Thirty thousand feet. She realized suddenly what Cotton was doing. “You’re going to collide with Kratos. You know that? That’s where this building is headed. Cotton’s going to destroy Kratos with the BTC itself.” Morrison laughed, delirious. “It had to be Cotton…” “Good-bye, Morrison.” He saluted with the knife unsteadily, as if drunk. With that she leapt from the opening, aiming to get as far away from the building with her leap as possible. However, she needn’t have worried because the wind blasting away from the blunt front of the BTC building swept her out and then down, away from the artificial gravity field and out into the morning sun. The bitter cold burned. She glanced up to see the black tower rising into the sky, debris still trailing off it. The light shone dully from its black sides as it headed into the heavens. Grady adjusted his angle of descent, following the erratic trajectory of the sleek, black GMV—which was like a bird clamped to a weight. The exhibit mount apparently was outside the radius of the vehicle’s gravity mirror, dragging it down. Not quite like a stone, but inexorably down nonetheless. Grady was half a kilometer behind Hedrick and could see Hedrick’s arms moving frantically, trying to keep the vehicle in a controlled descent. They were just a couple thousand feet above the city now, and Grady glanced back to see the tower of black and white smoke that rose above the city. Debris appeared to be raining down everywhere. It was like a scene from the Rapture—but localized to Detroit. As if the city hadn’t suffered enough. He didn’t know whether to blame Hedrick or himself for it. He wondered how many had perished. It had been dawn, though. He could see a twenty-story building downtown lean over and then disappear into the maw of the great hole the BTC tower had left behind. A waterfall of river water still roared after it with a great plume of steam, smoke, and dust. He turned back toward Hedrick with renewed anger. And it became clear where Hedrick was headed. They had descended a couple miles south of downtown, and out here there were fewer large buildings—light industrial sites and scattered houses and businesses. As Grady came down behind Hedrick’s odd-shaped craft, he noticed only one large structure amid what was clearly a decayed urban stretch—a massive twenty-story art deco building shaped like a letter I laid on its back. The building stood beside a curve of rusted railroad lines, which branched out toward it into a series of railheads. Grady nodded to himself. Hedrick might be making toward the nearest tall structure in order to land his vehicle somewhere where he could try to free it from its mount without being disturbed. Sure enough, a thousand feet above and hundreds of meters behind, Grady watched the GMV descend at an angle onto the long flat rooftop of the massive building. It kicked up debris as it did so—apparently landing hard. He lost sight of it in the dust cloud and fell toward it at terminal velocity. As Grady drew near, he realized this was the largest abandoned structure he’d ever seen. It was obviously a massive rail station with many floors of office space above it—and literally all of the hundreds of windows were blasted out. Nonetheless it was an artful structure—architecturally amazing. Grady couldn’t believe the place had been left to rot. It was surrounded at its base by barbed-wire fences, with huge arched windows and pillars—all of the glass broken, and the stone slathered here and there with graffiti. Grady descended toward the crash-landed GMV below. It was half sunken into the rooftop, but he noticed the canopy was open. Not far away Hedrick was running along the rooftop toward a yawning stairwell door. To Grady’s dismay Hedrick glanced back behind him and on seeing Grady’s approach sprinted as fast as he could toward the door. Hedrick didn’t appear to have any more weapons, but now the man knew he was coming. Grady touched down next to the stairwell doorway. The roof groaned as he glided toward it, and Grady realized that the decrepit structure wasn’t going to withstand odd directions for gravity. In truth it probably had its hands full dealing with regular gravity. He killed the power to his gravis and rushed into the darkened stairwell, crunching across trash, broken plaster, and glass. He came down onto the next floor to see that many of the interior walls were missing. There was, instead, a forest of pillars stretching out in both directions and fields of debris and names spray-painted on the walls. The windows here at the penthouse floor were arched, providing a broad view through their empty panes to the Detroit River and lakes beyond. More sirens than he’d ever heard in his life were wailing in the distance. There were even air-raid sirens going off mournfully somewhere. Grady listened. He then leaned down to look between the railings of the stairwell. He saw a form race in front of the light on the floor below, and he gave chase, rushing down the stairs. Halfway down he activated the gravis to gain speed and heard a horrendous cracking sound. He turned off the gravis as he touched the landing and dove aside as a concrete slab collapsed where he’d just been standing. He took a deep breath. Apparently gravity modification was not advisable in here… He moved out onto the floor in the direction he’d seen the fleeing shadow move and was relieved to see that this level, too, had few walls. He studied the layout and started moving toward the far corner—where he was pleased to see that another stairwell door was bricked up with newer cinderblocks. There did not appear to be an exit that he couldn’t easily see. And he knew Hedrick didn’t have a gravis. Or a weapon. Hopefully. Grady crunched across brick dust and garbage, listening carefully and glancing in every direction. He was moving toward the tall windows now, and he could see there was broad ledge out there. Another glance and he realized that the thick window columns were the best cover for getting past him on the floor. So he carefully edged out toward it, standing in the shadows for a moment before leaning out. Ten feet away, clinging to a corner, was Hedrick in his now torn and dirty business casual clothes. He was bleeding in several places, his normally immaculate hair disheveled. Hedrick clung to a corner wall on the ledge but risked wagging a finger at Grady. “Do you realize what you’ve done, Jon?” Hedrick pointed up into the sky. Grady followed his gaze to where the BTC office building still rose into the sky like an alien mother ship. “You’ve destroyed the greatest storehouse of knowledge since the library at Alexandria. You have doomed the Western world to be eternally decades behind a… a synthetic intelligence in Russia and some mnemonic freak in Asia.” “I know you have other facilities, Hedrick. Hibernity for one. And I need to know where it is.” “And you have copies of those technologies—of all the plans for making them.” “There are no backups, you idiot. We couldn’t keep those plans off-site because of the danger of BTC Asia or BTC Russia raiding us. Keystone technologies like the cure for cancer, immortality, the gravity mirror—all of that went up with BTC headquarters. Don’t you realize what you’ve done?” Grady felt a sinking feeling, but after a moment he nodded grimly. “We can reconstruct them. Especially if we have the innovators behind those technologies—and they’re at Hibernity.” Hedrick gritted his teeth as he looked out across the decayed building. “This is what happens when we don’t act as responsible stewards, Jon.” He gestured to the ruins. “Michigan Central Station—done in by the automobile. Disrupted out of existence. The entire city practically in ruins.” Grady stepped out on the ledge. “You’re coming with me.” “No! Stand back.” Hedrick peered nervously over the edge. “I’m the only one you know who’s aware of Hibernity’s location.” Grady considered this. “You need to tell me where Hibernity is, Graham.” He started walking closer. “I’ll jump.” Grady could see Hedrick was shaking—coated in sweat. “I don’t think you will. And even if you do, I’ll jump off after you with the gravis and stop you.” Grady moved forward and reached out for Hedrick’s sleeve. “Just come with me.” But then Hedrick raised the arm he had hidden around the corner—and in his hand was a piece of rebar with a chunk of concrete on the end. He lashed out with surprising swiftness and strength, and only then did Grady realize Hedrick might have had some genetic enhancements as well. Grady ducked back against the wall as the chunk of concrete grazed his cheek, then impacted his bulk-diamond helmet—which sent Grady falling backward. He caught himself on the window frame and pivoted to see Hedrick—teetering on the ledge, wavering his hands for balance. Hedrick had apparently been propelled toward the edge by the counterforce of his own swing. And just like that, Hedrick tipped over the edge, screaming as twenty stories yawned below. Grady leapt over the ledge after him, punching the gravis’s power button as he did so. He dove straight down like a diver, twenty feet behind Hedrick, whose screams trailed off as the floors raced past them. Hedrick’s panicked expression and outstretched arms reached for Grady. But Grady couldn’t close the distance. And after straining with everything he had, he reluctantly had to reverse gravity—slowing and slowing as Hedrick screamed anew. Receding. Grady came to a stop hovering four floors above the massive roof of the main station hall. Below him Graham Hedrick slammed into the stone roof like a bug on a windshield. Rivulets of his blood drained into a nearby rainspout. Grady felt a sensation of utter failure come over him as he looked down on the body of the former BTC director. Moments later Alexa descended into the air near him. He looked toward her with some measure of relief to see her safe. They exchanged grim looks. Grady looked down at Hedrick’s remains. “Newton’s third law is a bitch…” Grady and Alexa descended in broad daylight onto the roof of the Fulton Cold Storage building—discretion be damned. Skyscrapers were falling into the sky today. They didn’t care who saw them. Grady approached the stairwell security door. “How do we get in?” Alexa glanced back at him as she ran. “I’ll tear this building down with my hands if I have to.” Alexa moved like a panther toward the security door, passing Grady. She slowed suddenly as they both noticed the thick door was slightly ajar—with a brick holding it open. Alexa just pulled the door open and raced down the stairwell. Grady rushed to keep up, but he had trouble taking the steps six at a time without a gravis—ill advised indoors. By the time he’d gotten to the bottom of the stairwell, he could see that the diamond-aggregate nanorod door that Cotton was so proud of was open, and Alexa had already raced inside. “Damnit! Alexa…” Grady rushed in after her and saw her striding through the place. She screamed at the top of her lungs, “Cotton! Where the hell are you?” Grady glanced around the kitchen and living areas but didn’t see any signs of movement. He soon followed Alexa toward the large workshop, and there they heard motors whirring. It was immediately obvious that Cotton had gone. Most of his equipment had been removed—the shelving empty and the laser cutters and robotic milling equipment missing. The space echoed with their footsteps as they moved across it. But there was still one well-lit workbench with holographic displays flickering above it against the far wall. Robotic arms there were busy working on something, and as they approached, they could see the screens were filled with images of cellular biological activity—cells dividing in culture. On the workbench the robotic arms appeared to be tending the cultures. The video was a close-up of one petri dish. As they stood looking at it, another holographic screen popped up nearby: Cotton’s face. He smiled apologetically. “Yeah, hi, guys. I know I’m just a recording, but even I can tell you’re mad.” His hologram held up his palms. “Way out of line launching those pricks and their headquarters into space. But if you’re here, well then…” He shrugged. “You’re here, right?” Grady stood with folded arms watching Cotton’s smug face, and he felt like tipping the table over. “You’re probably wondering what the deal is with the viral synthesis rig. Little hobby, actually. Personalized viruses are gonna be the next big thing—mark my words. Lot of information can be stored in DNA. But then you both know that.” Grady and Alexa peered more closely into the screen depicting cell division as Cotton’s recording continued. “Now, promise not to get mad, but… you remember that inoculation we all took against neurotoxins? Yeah, that’s not what it was. It was a DNA virus.” “Goddamnit, Cotton!” Alex glared at the screen. Grady turned to her. “So he’s killing us, too?” “Don’t panic. Funny thing about DNA viruses—they tend to leave their genetic code in us. About eight percent of the human genome is viral-inserted DNA. And I thought it was time I left my mark in humanity, too.” Grady had started examining diagrams on neighboring screens, and he could see that several were text strings whose forms he recalled from the video projector Chattopadhyay had given him. Alexa was nodding to herself. “Guanine, thymine, cytosine, adenine…” “There’s a good chance you’ll transmit this virus to other humans you’ve come in contact with. And it will spread in your body—make changes to your DNA.” Grady looked up at her. “What has he done?” “Well, here’s the thing: It wasn’t enough to destroy the BTC. My goal was to break all those innovations out of that black tower of theirs. And I thought, what better way to make sure no one hoarded these advances ever again than imprinting them into our very DNA?” Suddenly several screens started showing animations of technical specifications for fusion, gravity mirrors, and molecular diagrams of pharmaceuticals being synthesized into DNA strings. “So that it can decoded by anyone—even tens of thousands of years from now. I guess you could call it the world’s first intellectual property virus.” The animations started showing the DNA being restored to technical specifications again. It was the BTC’s entire storehouse of secret knowledge from the looks of it. Grady laughed out loud, his voice echoing in the empty space. Alexa stared in bewildered amazement. “Cotton, you son of a bitch. You really did steal back the future…” Cotton smiled down on them with his Wyatt Earp beard and hair. “See, I don’t know about you guys, but I plan on retiring—doing some traveling. And spreading some knowledge.” He shrugged. “If you know what I mean. I suggest you do the same.” Grady and Alexa just exchanged looks. “Oh, and Jon, one more thing: Your gyroscope wasn’t broken. I just needed you to focus on getting into that tower and getting control of Kratos. Maybe sometime I can make it up to you. Cook you a meal or something.” A hologram of a large spinning globe spun into existence in front of them. It zoomed into a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic. “Hibernity is located beneath a remote island that’s actually named—and I’m not making this up—Inaccessible Island. Try 37° 17 ’ 6.88 " S and 12° 40 ’ 22.14 " W, and that should get you there.” A smile spread across Grady’s face. Alexa grabbed Grady shoulder. “Found it, Jon.” “Yes. Yes, we did.” He stared at the holographic map. Cotton’s hologram tipped an imaginary hat to them. “See you around.” Jon Grady and Alexa hurried away at a crouch from the chopper wash of the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion and finally stood beneath the sunshine. There were a dozen more choppers landing or taking off farther down the tiny, barren island. And in the near distance surrounding Inaccessible Island were U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships and Aegis cruisers, and in the far distance an aircraft carrier. Hundreds of heavily armed U.S. Marines and companies of 82nd Airborne Rangers were standing around in groups or moving across the treeless, windswept grasses. A sharp-featured woman in her sixties dressed in denim, a sweater, and hiking boots waved to them from a cluster of plain-clothed men carrying assault rifles with full tactical harnesses a hundred meters away. Grady nudged Alexa, and they both moved across the trampled grass toward her. As they closed the distance, Grady recognized the island with certainty. It was the island he’d been exiled to years ago. His eyes were drawn to the distant stone cottage, right where it had to be, on the edge of the thousand-foot bluff. It was swarming with soldiers now, and they appeared to be pulling out all the furnishings, turning everything inside out. As Grady and Alexa walked up to the plainclothes group, the older woman stepped forward, smiling, her hand extended. “Mr. Grady, Ms. Adenine, I’m Kaye Monahan, U.S. director of national intelligence. I must say it’s an honor to meet you both.” Alexa shook her hand, but Grady was already looking past Monahan toward a dark opening in the nearby hillside—it was of unusual uniformity. Clearly man-made. It descended into the darkness like a big ramp. “Have they located Hibernity, Director Monahan? And my friends?” She moved aside and gestured into the opening, toward approaching flashlights. “It’s why we bro ught you in just now. I thought you’d want to be here.” Grady and Alexa moved forward, down the ramp and into the darkness. Grady pushed through dozens upon dozens of heavily armed plainclothes operators and uniformed soldiers both. He finally stood at the front rank as scores of flashlights approached them from the cavernous darkness. And soon enough squads of uniformed soldiers came to the edge of the sunlight, turning off their flashlights as they emerged. Grady scanned the faces of the passing people. And the first thing he noticed were young Morrisons in BTC uniforms—at least fifteen or twenty of them, zip-tied and talking animatedly, apparently just as glad to be free from their prison as anyone. Grady pushed farther in as the men walked past, Alexa close behind him. And then there was a break in the flow of prisoners as another group approached. And before he realized it, Grady stood before an elderly Indian man he recognized. Several dozen men and women stood behind the man, all wearing a uniform Grady was familiar with. The simple uniform that the Indian man had taught him how to print. The prisoners stopped and stared for a moment. The soldiers guarding them looked up with curiosity at Grady and Alexa—most of their eyes lingering on Alexa. But Grady moved forward toward the Indian gentleman, whose smile was even now expanding. Grady closed the distance, and they clasped hands firmly. “My dear boy. How fine it is to finally shake your hand.” “Archie.” Grady then embraced Chattopadhyay. The other Resistors, both men and woman, young and old, gathered around Grady and Chattopadhyay, tears on many faces as they held each other for the first time. Alexa looked on as Grady ushered them all outside, into the sunlight, where they looked up disbelievingly—raising their hands to the sun. Jon Grady stared out across the predawn sky, glowing purple at the eastern horizon. The stars and the Milky Way arched overhead. A thousand feet below he saw the shoreline of Oregon’s Crater Lake curving away, the indigo water still as glass beneath him, reflecting the stars. It was perfect. He drank in the view. Then he heard a welcome voice. “There he is.” Grady turned to see Alexa holding their six-year-old daughter’s hand, both of them bundled in coats against the chill morning air as they floated in equilibrium, their eyes catching the first rays of dawn. Grady smiled toward them, and he thought about how marvelous the universe was. How fortunate he was to have lived to be here at this moment. There was a unity in it. A perfection that went beyond math and physics. Though fleeting, it also felt somehow enduring. He extended his hand toward his daughter. “This way, Varuna.” He looked up. “I want you to see this…” You can learn more about the technologies and themes explored in Influx by visiting www.daniel-suarez.com or through the following books: Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku (Doubleday) The Covert Sphere: Secrecy, Fiction, and the National Security State by Timothy Melley (Cornell University Press) God’s Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World by Cullen Murphy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions by Lisa Randall (Ecco) Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner (Doubleday) First and foremost I want to thank my brother, Adam Winston, for contributing the seed upon which this story is based, in addition to certain characters. Both of us have always written stories, and this was one idea that I thought held great promise as a high-tech thriller—my particular specialty. With his encouragement I have expanded and revised that idea into the book you now hold. Bringing life into gravity mirrors and the BTC was a daunting task, made easier by the patient advice of physicist and friend Eric Burt, who carefully reviewed early drafts of the manuscript. Whatever crimes against physics remain in the book are my own, not his. Sincere thanks to Michio Kaku, Timothy Melley, Cullen Murphy, Sir Roger Penrose, Lisa Randall, and Tim Weiner, whose published works greatly enriched this rather fantastical story. Thanks also to my literary agent, Rafe Sagalyn, and the entire team at Sagalyn Literary. And, as always, heartfelt gratitude to Ben Sevier, my editor at Dutton, both for his story advice and the confidence he has shown in me. Yet, this book would still not exist without the love of my life, Michelle, who keeps me from wandering into traffic while I contemplate stories… . DANIEL SUAREZ is the author of the New York Times bestseller Daemon , Freedom™ , and Kill Decision . A former systems consultant to Fortune 1000 companies, Mr. Suarez has designed and developed software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. His fiction focuses on technology-driven change, and he is a past speaker at TED Global, NASA Ames, the Long Now Foundation, and the headquarters of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. An avid gamer and technologist, he lives in Los Angeles. In 1864, E. P. Dutton & Co. bought the famous Old Corner Bookstore and its publishing division from Ticknor and Fields and began their storied publishing career. Mr. Edward Payson Dutton and his partner, Mr. Lemuel Ide, had started the company in Boston, Massachusetts, as a bookseller in 1852. Dutton expanded to New York City, and in 1869 opened both a bookstore and publishing house at 713 Broadway. In 2014, Dutton celebrates 150 years of publishing excellence. We have redesigned our longtime logotype to reflect the simple design of those earliest published books. For more information on the history of Dutton and its books and authors, please visit www.penguin.com/dutton. ALSO BY DANIEL SUAREZ Freedom™ Kill Decision Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) LLC USA \| Canada \| UK \| Ireland \| Australia \| New Zealand \| India \| South Africa \| China penguin.com Copyright © 2014 by Daniel Suarez Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. Suarez, Daniel, 1964- Influx / Daniel Suarez.—First edition. pages cm ISBN 978-0-525-95318-0 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-698-14853-6 (eBook) 1. Physicists—Fiction. 2. Discoveries in science—Fiction. 3. Gravitational waves—Fiction. 4. Space and time—Fiction. 5. Extremists—Fiction. I. Title. PS3619.U327I54 2014 813’.6—dc23 This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Version_1 Page created in 0.41798901557922 sec.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1430
__label__wiki	0.876178	0.876178	Satellite Missions Airborne Sensors Observation of the Earth Services on SSE You are here Home › Directory › Satellite Missions › L › Landsat-1 to 3 Landsat-1 to 3 Landsat-1 to Landsat-3 Landsat is the pioneering US (United States) land remote sensing satellite program which has provided a continuous supply of synoptic, repetitive, multispectral data of the Earth's land surfaces since 1972. Over the years a large international user community evolved along with the Landsat series. The program opened entire new fields of research, providing insights into geologic, agricultural, and land-use surveys, and led eventually to new paths of resource exploration - in all, for a better understanding of the Earth system. The primary mission objective was to monitor Earth resources with two imaging systems and to achieve periodic and complete coverage of the United States via multispectral, high spatial resolution images of solar radiation reflected from the Earth's surface. Secondary objectives included acquisition of multispectral images over important major land masses other than the United States, at least once per season, and the relay of data acquired by ground based platforms via the Landsat satellite to a central analysis facility to support the modelling of Earth resource oriented processes. 1) 2) On reflection, the success of the Landsat program stimulated new approaches to data analysis and gave impetus to new sensor designs. In addition international participation was fostered on many levels which spawned other Landsat-like programs such as the SPOT series of France, the Resurs series of Russia, and the IRS series of India. 3) 4) 5) Figure 1: View of the Landsat-1 spacecraft (image credit: NASA) Spacecraft: The NASA LS-1 (Landsat-1) spacecraft was a modified version of Nimbus-4 bus (built by General Electric), a three-axis stabilized Earth-oriented platform. An advanced attitude control system, consisting of horizon scanners, sun sensors, and a command antenna combined with a Freon gas propulsion system permitted the spacecraft's orientation to be maintained within plus or minus 0.7º in all three axes. Twin solar paddles (single-axis articulation) provided 1000 W (BOL peak), 515 W (BOL average). NiCd batteries were used for eclipse phase operations support. The spacecraft design life was 1 year, but operations continued until Jan. 6, 1976 (3 1/2 years of operations). 6) In the timeframe of the early 1970s, the spacecraft (LS-1 and LS-2) used an OBC (OnBoard Computer) referred to as APO (Advanced Onboard Processor) and a 4096 word x 18 bit plated wire memory (a simple memory with hard wired logic). 7) Spacecraft communications: Data were transferred with a 1 W transponder. The S-band and VHF communications system included a command subsystem operating at 154.2 and 2106.4 MHz and a PCM narrow-band telemetry subsystem, operating at 2229.5 and 137.86 MHz, for spacecraft housekeeping, attitude, and sensor performance data. Video data from the three-camera RBV system was transmitted in both real-time and tape recorder modes at 2265.5 MHz, while information from the MSS was constrained to a 20 MHz RF bandwidth at 2229.5 MHz. - Two WBVTR (Wideband Video Tape Recorder) were installed on LS-1 through LS-3. Each WBVTR was capable of recording 30 minutes of either 3.2 MHz video (analog) data from RBV, or 15 Mbit/s digital data from the MSS multiplexer. On LS-1 the WBVTR-1 lasted until July 1974, while WBVTR-2 operated for only 10 days. It quickly became apparent that the digital image data, acquired by the MSS (Multispectral Scanner) instrument, a whiskbroom scanning device, were of great value for a broad range of applications and scientific investigations. For the first time, the data of an orbiting instrument were available in digital form, quantified at the instrument level - providing a great deal of flexibility by offering all the capabilities of digital processing, storage, and communication. On reflection, the MSS ushered in an era of hitherto unimagined synoptic knowledge of Earth. An extraordinary number of uses for MSS data emerged as data were acquired and disseminated: land-use planning, vegetation inventories, crop growth and health assessments, and cartography, to name a few. Figure 2: Illustration of the LS-1/ERTS spacecraft (image credit: CIRA) The LS-1 to -3 satellites were all modified Nimbus spacecraft about 3 m tall and 1.5 m in diameter, the solar panels extended to 4 m. The different S/C had the following on-orbit dry masses: LS-1 = 816 kg; LS-2 = 953 kg; LS-3 = 960 kg; Figure 3: Alternate illustration of LS-1, LS-2, and LS-3 spacecraft (image credit: CIRA) 8) Figure 4: A newly generated Landsat-1/ERTS spacecraft (image credit: The Aerospace Corporation) 9) Orbit: Sun-synchronous near-circular orbit of LS-1, LS-2 and LS-3, average altitude of 907 to 915 km, inclination of 99º, period of 103 min, repeat cycle of 18 days (251 orbits in cycle), local equator crossing time at 9:45 hours on a descending node (i.e., in north-south direction). Launch: A launch of LS-1 took place on July 23, 1972 on a Delta-900 launch vehicle from VAFB (Vandenberg Air Force Base), CA. Data: image size: 2583 lines x 5500 pixel (EDIPS format); image size: 2286 lines x 3600 pixel (Telespazio format). Sensor complement: (MSS, RBV, DCS) MSS (Multispectral Scanner): The MSS instrument was built by SBRC (Santa Barbara Research Center) of Hughes and flown on LS 1-5; PIs: Joseph Arlauskas, S. C. Freden. The objective of MSS was to provide repetitive daytime acquisition of high-resolution, multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis and to demonstrate that remote sensing from space is a feasible and practical approach to efficient management of the earth's resources. MSS is an opto-mechanical scanning instrument (whiskbroom technique, unidirectional operation) consisting of a double reflector-type telescope, scanning mirror, filters, detectors, and associated electronics. 10) 11) Figure 5: Photo of the MSS instrument (image credit: NASA) 12) The MSS consisted of an oscillating mirror scanning the ground in the cross-track direction by using six simultaneous line scans (one line scan per detector per spectral band). The sensor operated by repeatedly scanning a 24-element fiber-optic array (arranged in 6 x 4 elements) from west to east across the Earth's surface, the orbital motion provides the natural north-south scanning motion (see Figure 6). A separate binary-number array was generated for each spectral band. Mirror scan rate: 13.6 Hz (74 ms period); telescope: 22.9 cm diameter, f/3.6, Ritchey-Chretien type telescope; size 53 x 58 x 127 cm; six detectors were employed in each of the four spectral bands. Note: the line array of six detectors was positioned in the along-track direction, thus providing an instantaneous parallel along-track coverage of about 480 m in one cross-track scan with the configuration. This wide along-track coverage permitted sufficient integration time for all cells in each scan sweep. Spectral bands 4 to 6 used photomultiplier tubes (PMT) as detectors, and band 7 used silicon photodiodes. Instrument mass = 64 kg; power = 50 W; data quantization = 6 bit; spatial resolution = 56 m in cross-track and 80 m in along-track direction; swath width = 185 km; four spectral bands: 0.5 - 0.6 µm, 0.6 - 0.7 µm, 0.7 - 0.8 µm, and 0.8 - 1.1 µm; a gray-lamp sensor calibration is performed during every second retrace period of the scan mirror. A multiplexer included in the MSS system processed the scanner's 24 channels of video data. The data were time-multiplexed and then converted to a pulse-code modulated signal by an A/D converter. The data were then transmitted (2229.5 MHz) directly to an acquisition station or, in the case of remote areas, stored on magnetic tape for subsequent playback the next time the spacecraft came within communication range of an acquisition station. 13) Figure 6: View of the MSS whiskbroom scanning geometry and image projection (image credit: SBRC) Note: LS-1-3 orbits were at an average altitude of 908 km while LS-4 and LS-5 orbits were positioned at an altitude of 705 km. For reasons of compatibility the optics of LS-4 and LS-5 were adjusted to keep the spatial (cross-track) resolution at 80 m. Spectral bands (nm) 500-600, 600-700, 700-800, 800-1100 Detector arrangement 6 parallel (along-track) in each of 4 bands FOV (swath width) Mirror displacement 11.56º (185 km) ±2.89º for total FOV Single-sweep ground track length covered 480 m (6 x 80 m) Spatial resolution (IFOV) 80 m, 86 µrad (258 µrad for band 8 = 240 m) Mirror scan rate 13.6 GHz, (74 ms) Detector type PMT (Photomultiplier) Telescope type 22.9 cm diameter, f/3.6 Telescope size 53 cm x 58 cm x 127 cm Instrument mass, power 64 kg, 50 W Data quantization Table 1: Overview of MSS instrument parameters on Landsat Figure 7: Alternate view of the MSS scanning concept (image credit: J. Campbell, Georgia Tech) Figure 8: Enlarged view of MSS scanning geometry and image projection (image credit: NASA) Channel designation on Landsat S/C Spectral Range (nm) LS-1 through LS-3 LS-4 and LS-5 500 - 600 (green) 600 - 700 (red) 700 - 800 (photo-IR) 800 - 1100 (NIR) Channel 8 (channel 8 only on LS-3 for test purposes until July 11, 1978) 10400 - 12600 (TIR) Table 2: MSS spectral channels on Landsat series Note: Starting with LS-4 the MSS bands were renumbered to bands 1 through 4 (from 4 through 7 on LS-1 to 3). Whiskbroom scanning method employed: The MSS instrument scanned 6 contiguous lines (detector arrays for each band) in parallel with each mirror oscillation resulting in a 1/6 reduction of the scan rate. With 6 x 80 m resolution, this resulted in a 480 m parallel observation coverage in the along-track direction in one scan sweep. The advantage of this parallel detector arrangement resulted of course in much longer dwell (or integration) times for each pixel in the cross-track direction. Imaging steps of the MSS instrument: • Unidirectional whiskbroom scanner • Imaging of the Earth surface in cross-track using an oscillating mirror • The along-track dimension is provided by the satellite motion in its path • Six scan lines are being imaged simultaneously; each scan line collects four spectral bands (6-bit resolution) • The effective instrument IFOV 68 m x 83 m (resolution), a typical scene is 185 km x 185 km. Figure 9: Schematic of the MSS instrument design (image credit: SBRC) RBV (Return Beam Vidicon Camera): The RBV system was designed and developed at RCA Astro-Electronics Div., Princeton, NJ (PI: Oscar Weinstein). This instrument was only flown on LS-1 to LS-3. It consisted of three coaligned television cameras, one for each spectral band (band 1: blue-green, band 2: yellow-red, band 3: near IR). RBV measurements of reflected solar radiation were only conducted in daylight. The three earth-oriented cameras were mounted to a common base, which was structurally isolated from the spacecraft to maintain accurate alignment. Each camera contained an optical lens, a 5.08 cm RBV, a thermoelectric cooler, deflection and focus coils, a mechanical shutter, erase lamps, and sensor electronics. The cameras were similar except for the spectral filters contained in the lens assemblies that provided separate spectral viewing regions. 14) Figure 10: Schematic view of coaligned RBVs taking imagery of a target region (image credit: J. Campbell, Georgia Tech) RBV imaged an entire ground scene (frame) instantaneously thereby providing a greater cartographic fidelity than MSS. The viewed ground scene, 185 by 185 km in size (80 m resolution), was stored on the photosensitive surface of the camera tube, and, after shuttering, the image was scanned by an electron beam to produce a video signal output. Each camera was read out sequentially, requiring about 3.5 s for each of the spectral images. The cameras were operated every 25 s to produce overlapping images along the direction of spacecraft motion. RBV contained a “reseau grid” to compensate for image distortions. Video data from the RBV were transmitted (2265.5 MHz) in both real-time and tape recorder modes. The RBV and MSS systems observed simultaneously the same ground swath at nadir of 185 km width. This arrangement provided also a good comparison of the two different observation methods. 15) Note: A reseau grid is used in the science of photogrammetry for establishing a geometrical basis for measuring objects in photographs. It can be used to correct for any misalignment of the film in the camera, or distortions in the image after development or electronic scanning. RBV Instrument Spectral bands (µm) 1) 0.48 - 0.58, 2) 0.58 - 0.68, 3) 0.70 - 0.83 (bands 1 through 3) Three coaligned cameras image of 185 km x 185 km (framing cameras) Radiometric signal Analog video signal transmission, 33 dB SNR in bands 1 and 2, 30 dB in band 3 MSS Instrument 4) 0.5 - 0.6, 5) 0.6 - 0.7, 6) 0.7 - 0.8, 7) 0.8 - 1.1 (bands 4 through 7) 185 km (continuous strip image) Digital video signal transmission; 6 bit per pixel, linear coding;; logarithmic coding also available on bands 4), 5), and 6) Table 3: Specification of RBV and MSS instruments In the LS-1 mission, the RBV operated only from July 23 1972 to Aug. 5, 1972 when a malfunction occurred. Only 1690 scenes in total were collected. In the LS-2 mission, only occasional RBV imagery was obtained for cartography in remote areas. Figure 11: Example of an early RBV scene covering northern New Jersey and including the New York City region (image credit: NASA) A later variant of the RBV system for LS-3 utilized two cameras, mounted side-by-side, with panchromatic spectral response and higher spatial resolution (40 m) to complement the multispectral coverage provided by MSS. Each of the cameras produced a swath of about 90 km (for a total swath of 180 km). The vidicon cameras were equipped with an electron tube in which the optical image is projected onto a photoconductive detector scanned by the electron beam. DCS (Data Collection System): DCS was flown on LS-1 through LS-3. Heritage of IRLS (Interrogation, Recording, and Location System- of Nimbus-3). DCS was an experimental system with the objective to collect and retransmit data from remote data collection platforms (DCPs). The onboard DCS serviced initially only a pilot group of only six DCPs, with user agencies procuring, instrumenting, and developing additional platforms according to their needs. The DCP uplink frequency to the Landsat S/C was at 401.55 MHz. The onboard DCS equipment, essentially a receiver, received and retransmitted data (at 2287.5 MHz, DCS data on 1.024 MHz subcarrier) to selected ground receiving stations. There was no signal multiplexing or data processing on the satellite. From a nominal orbital altitude of approximately 900 km, the S/C was capable of acquiring data from DCPs within a radius of approximately 3000 km from the subsatellite point, thus allowing data to be obtained from any remote platform at least once every 12 hours. On LS-1, DCS was operational until January 6, 1978, when the spacecraft was turned off. RBV (video) - MSS (scanning) technology comparison The RBV system technology on LS-1, LS-2 and LS-3 became only a secondary observation technology when compared to the MSS systems due to the following reasons: • The RBV technology turned out to be much more susceptible to malfunctions than the MSS scanning technique based on solid-state imaging technology. The RBVs were onboard the spacecraft to produce framed images (the conventional approach), whose geometry was more familiar to photogrammetrists. However, the method of RBV camera readout and electronic signal production turned out to be rather complicated. In addition, a separate camera was needed for each spectral band. • The MSS whiskbroom scanning technology turned out to be much more stable and flexible then the video technology of the RBV system. MSS was the first spaceborne imager in the history of remote sensing capable of producing multispectral data in a digital format. The scan mirror assembly of MSS was in fact the key to providing wide-field and `high-resolution' coverage - in digital form by a simple A/D conversion. The new method was capable of converting incident photons directly into electrical current. In particular, the MSS techniques demonstrated to skeptics that line scanning devices were viable. The new technique of scanning had indeed the promise of more things to come (making imagery quantitatively available to computer processing methods). Thus, on the spaceborne side, MSS (with a cross-track whiskbroom-type scanner) ushered in an era of previously unimaginable synoptic knowledge of the Earth. Background on MSS: In 1968, SBRC (Santa Barbara Research Center) of Hughes Aircraft Company proposed to NASA to place a new type of imaging device on the planned ERTS spacecraft, namely a “scanner system” in combination with a photodiode detector system. However, at the time, scanners were viewed with great skepticism by most scientists for two reasons. First of all, the scanner employed a moving part, an oscillating mirror, which was considered unreliable. Secondly, the scanner was not a full-frame imaging device; it created images from strips. Cartographers were suspicious of the scanner's geometric integrity. WRS (World Reference System): Data from the Landsat satellites is collected in a continuous stream of data along a near vertical path as the satellite moves from north to south in a descending pass. The path/row designation is referred to as the Landsat WRS (Worldwide Reference System). The rows have been positioned in such a way that Row 60 coincides with the equator. This reference system is different for Landsat-1 to -3 and Landsat-4 to -7 because of the different altitudes and inclination angles of the satellites. 16) WRS is a global notation system for data processing of the Landsat program. WRS enables a user to inquire about satellite imagery (ground coverage in any repeat cycle) over any portion of the world by specifying a nominal scene center designated by PATH and ROW numbers. The WRS has proven valuable for the cataloging, referencing, and day-to-day use of imagery transmitted from the sensors of the Landsat program. 17) • WRS-1 is being used for the Landsat-1 to -3 mission data. The 18-day ground coverage cycle for Landsat 1-3 is accomplished in 251 orbits. WRS-1 assigns sequential path numbers from east to west to 251 nominal satellite orbital tracks, starting with number 001 for the first track which crosses the equator at 65.48º west longitude. • WRS-2 is being used for Landsat-4, -5 and -7 mission data (extension to WRS-1). WRS-2 defines Landsat scenes as 185 km x 180 km rectangular areas on the Earth's surface designated by path and row coordinates. The 16-day ground coverage cycle for Landsat 4-7 is accomplished in 233 orbits. Hence, the WRS-2 system is made up of 233 paths numbered 001 to 233, east to west, with Path 001 crossing the equator at 64.60º west longitude. Some background on the Landsat program The idea of a civilian Earth resource satellite was conceived by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) of DOI (Department of the Interior) in the mid-1960s. Plans for the first dedicated civil spaceborne Earth-surface imaging project, called EROS (Earth Resources Observation Satellite), were announced at a press conference on Sept. 20, 1966 in Washington, DC. NASA was given the task to plan and build the spacecraft and its payload. NASA launched the newly designated ERTS-1 (Earth Resources Technology Satellite) on July 23, 1972. 18) • The ERTS program, initiated in 1966, changed its name in 1975 to Landsat. Hence, the former ERTS-1 and ERTS-2 spacecraft were subsequently renamed to Landsat-1 and Landsat-2. • For LS-1 through LS-3, NASA and USGS shared responsibility for acquiring and distributing the MSS data in the US. The three satellites also transmitted MSS data to international ground receiving stations, sharing the data with much of the world. • In 1979, the “Presidential Directive 54” under President Jimmy Carter transferred the Landsat operations from NASA, a research and development agency, to NOAA. The directive also recommended development of a long-term operational system with four additional satellites beyond Landsat-3, and recommended transition to private sector operation of Landsat. However, the Landsat system remained a research/experimental NASA program until 1983. The system was then declared as “operational” and its management was turned over to NOAA (LS-4 in 1983 and LS-5 in 1984). Although satellite operations transferred to NOAA, NASA retained responsibility for building and launching Landsat-4 and Landsat-5. 19) • Commercialization efforts and policies: The Land Remote-Sensing Commercialization Act of 1984 almost immediately authorized a phased commercialization of remote sensing data. This Act authorized the commercial operation of the Landsat satellites under contract to NOAA and with subsidies from the US Government. Following a solicitation and competitive bidding process, NOAA selected the Earth Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT) to operate Landsat-4 and Landsat-5 under a ten year contract. The contract granted EOSAT the exclusive rights to market LS-4 and LS-5 data up to 10 years after the date of data acquisition. EOSAT also received the fees from the international ground stations receiving Landsat data. The contract also assigned EOSAT the responsibility for building, launching, and operating the following two Landsat satellites with government subsidization. • Some difficulties ensued in the following years of commercial Landsat operations. EOSAT’s control over the conditions of data sales were constrained by provisions in the 1984 Act. EOSAT could only sell unenhanced Landsat data to protect the value added vendors and could not provide favorable prices to selected customers in order to ensure nondiscriminatory access to the data. To compensate, EOSAT substantially increased Landsat data prices and severely restricted the redistribution of the data by their customers. Scientists and educators found the data difficult to impossible to afford for research and teaching. Data sales to academic institutions dropped dramatically. • Following to a contentious commercialization effort, the Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act of October 1992 reversed the 1984 decision to commercialize the Landsat system. The 1992 Policy Act identified the continuity of Landsat data as the fundamental goal of the legislation and created a new “Landsat Program Management” under NASA and DoD leadership. Due to difficulties with the Landsat-7 development program, DoD withdrew from the Landsat Program Management in early 1994. In spring 1994, the Landsat-7 program was restructured and in May 1994 it was put under joint NASA/NOAA/USGS management by Presidential Decision Directive, with NASA responsible for the development of the LS-7 spacecraft, instrument, and ground system; NOAA is responsible for LS-7 S/C and ground system operations; and USGS responsible for maintaining the national archive of LS data and data distribution to the user community. The EDC (EROS Data Center) of USGS is prime US receiving station of LS-7 data. 20) Landsat Program Event/Action The Department of Interior (DOI) announced that an Earth Resources Observation Satellite (EROS) Program was being initiated to gather data about natural resources from earth-orbiting satellites carrying remote sensing observation instruments. An interagency Earth Resources Survey Program Review Committee was established with participation from USDA, USN, ESSA (NOAA), USGS, and NASA NASA approved a contract with Hughes Aircraft Company for a multispectral scanner system for ERTS NASA approved a contract with RCA Astro-Electronics Division for an ERTS return beam vidicon multispectral three-camera system NASA announced its selection of GE as prime contractor (Phase D) for ERTS (contract definitized in May 1971) NASA successfully launched ERTS 1 (Landsat-1). NASA launched the ERTS-2 spacecraft (LS-2) NASA awarded RCA a contract for the return beam vidicon for Landsat C (LS-3), which would have twice the resolution of earlier instruments NASA successfully launched Landsat-3 NASA launches LS-5, NOAA provides LS-4 and LS-5 operation Eosat (a partnership of Hughes Aircraft and RCA) was selected by NOAA to operate the LS system (LS-4 and LS-5), to market LS data, and to build and launch LS-6 Eosat loses capability of processing MSS data (no further acquisition of MSS in USA) Land Remote Sensing Policy Act (Congress) LS program management under NASA and DoD (develop and launch LS-7) DoD signs contract with Martin Marietta Astro Space to build HRMSI for LS-7 LS-6 launch failure DoD withdraws from the LS program (HRMSI is withdrawn from LS-7) LS program management and Eosat agree for continued operation of LS-4 and LS-5 Management Plan for the Landsat Program (LS-7 objectives and beyond). LS program responsibilities are with NASA (S/C), NOAA (operations), and USGS (archive) NOAA and Eosat sign a contract to extend LS-5 operation Eosat completed maneuvers to correct the equatorial crossing time of LS-5 (to 9:30 AM) By 1998, the management of the Landsat-4 (and Landsat-5) operations contract was transferred from NOAA to the USGS; however, operations were continued by the private sector until July 1, 2001 when Space Imaging (formerly EOSAT) returned the operations contract to the U.S. Government. 30th anniversary of Landsat observation program in orbit Table 4: Chronology of major Landsat program events of the first 30 years 21) The Landsat satellite family is managed and procured by NASA [built by GE Astro Space of East Windsor, NJ (S/C), and Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, formerly a Hughes Santa Barbara Research Center Division. (sensors)]. In 1985 the functions of Landsat S/C operation and data handling were handed over from NOAA to a commercial contractor company: Eosat (Earth Observation Satellite Company, of Lanham, MD; Eosat is a Division of Lockheed Martin Space Imaging. The science data (of LS-4 and LS-5) are processed and archived by Eosat and commercially distributed. The LS-4 and LS-5 S/C and sensors are regarded as second generation technology in the LS program, following the early MSS (Multispectral Scanner) sensor series. The MSS instrument was flown for the last time on LS-5; LS-7 carries an improved Thematic Mapper sensor known as the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). 22) 23) Application: Land use, agriculture, forestry, geology, water resources, mapping, etc. Landsat data are particularly suited to long-term estimation and monitoring of standing vegetation biomass, biological productivity, and the movement of fragile ecosystem boundaries. The purchase of Landsat imagery became rather expensive to the user community with S/C operations and data distribution in the hands of Eosat. NOAA and Eosat agreed in November 1990 that all Landsat data older than 10 years return to the “Public Domain” category, hence affordable for research. The “Public Domain” data is provided and distributed by the EROS Data Center (EDC), Sioux Falls, S D. All MSS data is in the public domain at EDC, effective as of February 1993. Orbit for LS-1 to LS-3: Sun-synchronous polar orbit (AM Orbit), altitude = 907- 915 km, inclination = 99.2º, period = 103 minutes, repeat coverage = 18 days, equator crossing time at 9:42 hours on descending node. Orbit for LS-4 and LS-7: Sun-synchronous polar orbit (AM Orbit), altitude = 705 km, inclination = 98.2º, period = 99 minutes, repeat coverage = 16 days, nominal equator crossing time at 9:45 hours on descending node. S/C Launch (End of Service) Resolution (m) Operator(s) Revisit Time (days) LS-1 (ERTS-1) (Jan. 6, 1978) RBV MSS, DCS DD (Direct Downlink) 2 WBVTR (ERTS-2) Feb. 5, 1982) DD with (Mar. 31, 1983) MSS,DCS (standby Dec. 93, decommissioned June 1, 2001) TM, GPS TDRSS NOAA ('83) Eosat (`85) 15 (PAN) 30 (MS) DD with recorders launch failure (contact lost after launch) Ap. 15, 1999 ETM+ Table 5: Overview of the Landsat spacecraft series Figure 12: Time scale of Landsat instrument technology introduction (image credit: NOAA) In 2002, the Landsat program had its 30th anniversary of providing satellite remote sensing information to the world; indeed a record history of service with the longest continuous spaceborne optical medium-resolution imaging dataset available anywhere. The imagery has been and is being used for a multitude of land surface monitoring tasks covering a broad spectrum of resource management and global change issues and applications. Figure 13: Three decades of continuing Earth imaging service provided by Landsat (image credit: USGS) The future: In view of the outstanding value of the data to the user community as a whole, NASA and USGS were working together (planning, rule definition, forum of ideas and discussion among all parties involved, coordination) on the next generation of the Landsat series satellites, referred to as LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission). The overall timeline foresaw a formulation phase until early 2003, followed by an implementation phase until 2006. The goal was to acquire the first LDCM imagery in 2007 - to ensure the continuity of the Landsat dataset (185 km swath width, 5 m resolution and a new set of spectral bands). Overall science objectives of LDCM are: 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) However, the fate of the Landsat program extension became rather uncertain in Sept. 2003 when NASA rejected the proposal of Resource21 LLC of Englewood, CO to build and operate the LDCM spacecraft. This was the only bid submitted in response to the LDCM request for proposals. 30) After a long period of uncertainty in program continuity prospects, a solution was reached in early 2007. The plans are to launch LDCM in 2011. NASA and USGS share the responsibility for LDCM. NASA will procure and/or develop the satellite, instrument, launch services and perform on-orbit satellite checkout. The USGS will develop and implement the ground station network, archive and image processing facilities and conduct satellite operations, data archiving and product dissemination. In addition, the USGS will be responsible for satellite flight operations. 31) In January 2007, an RFP (Request for Proposal) was released by NASA for OLI (Operational Land Imager). 1) http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/landsat1.html 2) http://library01.gsfc.nasa.gov/gdprojs/projinfo/landsat2.pdf 3) Special Issue: 25th Anniversary of Landsat, PE&RS Vol. LXIII, No. 7, July 1997, pp. 829-905 4) http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/landsat/landsat.html 5) “The Good ERTS,” Time Magazine of Nov. 13, 1972, URL: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910465-2,00.html 6) http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/QuickLooks/landsatQL.html 7) J. G. Lesko Jr., “Landsat 2 on-board computer,” Proceedings of the International Telemetering Conference, Washington, D.C., October 14-16, 1975, (A76-42801 21-32) Pittsburgh, PA, Instrument Society of America, 1975, pp. 400-408 8) http://www1.cira.colostate.edu/ramm/hillger/environmental.htm 9) Steven J. Covington, Thomas R. Hill, “Maintaining the Legacy of Landsat,” Crosslink, The Aerospace Corporation Magazine, Vol. 9, No 2,Winter 2008/2009, URL: http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/winter2008/03.html 10) S. C. Freden, F. Gordon, “Landsat Satellites,” Chapter 12 of `Manual of Remote Sensing,' 2nd edition, Vol I, published by the American Society of Photogrammetry, 1983, pp. 517-570 11) A. M. Mika, “Three Decades of Landsat Instruments,” PE&RS, July 1997, pp. 839-852 12) http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/ceps/rpif/landsat/Landsat.html 13) http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1972-058A&ex=2 14) “Return Beam Vidicon (RBV) panchromatic two-camera subsystem for LANDSAT-C,” Final Report RCA Astro-Electronics Div., Princeton, NJ, June 1977 16) http://www.geoimage.com.au/geoweb/pdfs/flyers/LANDSAT_flyer.pdf 17) http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/wrs.html 18) S. Goward, T. Arvidson, D. Williams, J. Faundeen, J. Irons, S. Franks, “Historical Record of Landsat Global Coverage: Mission Operations, NSLRSDA, and International Cooperator Stations,” PE&RS (Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing), Vol. 72, Oct. 2006, pp. 1155-1168 19) J. R. Irons, “The Present and Future of the Landsat Program,” 2000, URL: http://ldcm.nasa.gov/library/Present_Future_Algor_2000.pdf 20) E. J. Sheffner, “The Landsat Program: Recent History and Prospects,” PE&RS, Vol. 60,, 1994, pp. 735-744 21) http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol3/table4.161.htm 22) Monitoring Earth's Ocean, Land, and Atmosphere from Space, Volume 97, AIAA, 1985, Chapter 3 23) A. F. Goetz, J. B. Wellman, W. L. Barnes, “Optical Remote Sensing of the Earth,” Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 73, No. 6, June 1985, pp. 950-969 24) http://ldcm.nasa.gov/ 25) http://ldcm.usgs.gov/ 26) “Operational Land Imager Requirements Document, Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM),” Revision Draft, Nov. 2, 2006, GSFC, URL: http://ldcm.gsfc.nasa.gov/procurement/OLI-RD_061102R.doc 27) J. D. McCuistion, C. D. Wende, J. R. Irons, “Landsat Data Continuity Mission: Creating a Unique Government-Industry Partnership for Global Research,” Proceedings of IGARSS 2003, Toulouse, France, July 21-25, 2003 28) J. R. Irons, N. J. Speciale, et al., “Data Specifications for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission,” Proceedings of IGARSS 2003, Toulouse, France, July 21-25, 2003 29) http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/eps/eps_data/102577-SOL-001-005.pdf 30) Space News Sept. 29, 2003 31) http://ldcm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ The information compiled and edited in this article was provided by Herbert J. Kramer from his documentation of: "Observation of the Earth and Its Environment: Survey of Missions and Sensors" (Springer Verlag) as well as many other sources after the publication of the 4th edition in 2002. - Comments and corrections to this article are always welcome for further updates. LADEE Landsat-4 and 5 Landsat-6 Landsat-8/LDCM LAPAN-A2 LCRD LDEF LightSail-1 LMRSat V, W, X, Y, Z NASA's Landsat website Landsat Program USGS Landsat website Related Missions The Landsat series: Other satellite series: SPOT: 4, 5, 6 and 7 Resurs: DK-1 and O1 Satellite Missions \| Airborne Sensors Observation of the Earth and its Environment Events \| Images \| Job Opportunities Maps & Orbits About eoPortal Maps \| About Orbits eoPortal News About eoPortal News \| Share your News Latest Newsletter \| Newsletter Archive Services \| Organisations \| News Join and Share © ESA 2000 -	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1433
__label__cc	0.699389	0.300611	If ALL the ice melted, what percentage of the Earth's surface would be water? At the present time, about 70% of the earth's surface is liquid water (perhaps that includes floating ice around Antarctica, and the Arctic Ice cap). What percentage of the Earth's surface would be water if ALL the ice had melted? I've seen illustrations of the new shoreline, and I've seen estimates of the rise in sea level, but no answer to my question. oceanography geography glaciology sea-level topography Camilo Rada Jim BrennemanJim Brenneman $\begingroup$ An accurate calculation would need to consider post-glacial rebound. $\endgroup$ – gerrit♦ Nov 28 '18 at 10:38 $\begingroup$ I'm just interested in a blurry approximation. $\endgroup$ – Jim Brenneman Nov 29 '18 at 20:33 $\begingroup$ earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/7228/… $\endgroup$ – Keith McClary Nov 30 '18 at 21:31 As @gerrit commented, a precise calculation would need to incorporate a litospheric model to account for isostatic post-glacial rebound. But the "blurry approximation" you want, can be obtained based only on topographic data. This approximation would be reasonably accurate if the melting of the ice happens quickly. For this, we need topographic data of the current surface, and of the bedrock topography. That's the bare ground below the ice. The only source of such data at a global scale (at least that I'm aware of) is ETOPO1, at a resolution of 1 arc-minute (roughly 1.8 km). A visualization of current surface data from ETOPO1, using an equal-area projection (Eckert IV) and setting the sea level at 0 m looks like this: And if we measure sea and land areas, it says that currently, a 70.97% of the global surface corresponds to oceans, pretty consistent with the figure you have. Be aware that this simple approach does not consider lakes or rivers, only oceans. It would also misinterpret below sea level dry land as ocean. However, all those factors are arguably minor contributions at a global scale. Now, if we use the bedrock version of ETOPO1, and set the sea level at 66.5 m, consistent with the best estimates of water stored in land ice. The globe would look like this In this case, if all the ice melts, the fraction of the Earth's surface covered by water would be 75.18%. Equivalent to an increase of 4.21% relative to the current value. Camilo RadaCamilo Rada Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged oceanography geography glaciology sea-level topography or ask your own question. How much of Earth's surface would be covered by water if all ice melted? What is a reasonable forecast of sea level in 2100? What is the effect of rising sea level on measurements of elevation? Will increased precipitation in Antarctica prevent sea level rise? How will sea level rise be distributed across the globe? “Five of the Solomon Islands disappeared” due to sea level rise, how is this possible so quickly? Help understanding radar data in subglacial lake complex beneath Devon Ice Cap What was the percentage of land mass in prehistoric times when temperatures were high enough that we had no ice caps? If all the world's ice were to melt, would this shift the earth's centre of gravity with consequential effects on sea levels? Waterlevel increase calculation	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1434
__label__wiki	0.744611	0.744611	32. Rockbeare (made) A report was taken to Cabinet on the 3 October 2018 recommending that the Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan be 'made' so that it forms part of the Development Plan for East Devon. The date of 'making' the Plan is 11 October 2018. This is following the successful referendum on 6 September 2018 where 91.07% of residents who voted were in favour of adopting the Plan. The Decision Statement and Compliance Statement are available to view. The Adopted version of the Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan is available to view. The Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan referendum was undertaken on the 6 September 2018 where voters were asked the question: "Do you want East Devon District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Rockbeare to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?" Number cast in favour of a 'YES' Number cast in favour of a 'NO' Turnout: 31.51% The Declaration of the Result is available to download. The supporting referendum documents can be seen below: The Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan (Referendum Version) is now available to view. Rockbeare Decision Statement Bob Yuille has now completed the examination of the the Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan (which commenced on 16 April 2018). The Examiner's Final Report is available to view. The correspondence below was received by the Examiner on 10 May 2018: Email from Waddeton Park. Minutes of the extra ordinary meeting of the council held at Knowle, Sidmouth on 26 March 2015. Following an initial assessment, Bob Yuille produced a Procedural Matters document including questions to Rockbeare Parish Council and East Devon District Council. The first round of Examiner's questions are available to view. EDDC's response to the Examiner's questions is available to view. An extract from the West End Inset Map of the East Devon Local Plan 2013-2031, centred on Rockbeare as referenced in EDDC's response is available to view. Rockbeare Parish Council's response to the Examiner's questions is available to view. Rockbeare Parish Council's Policy Rock05 Views Report is available to view. Rockbeare Submission of Plan to Local Authority - Regulation 16 Rockbeare Parish Council as the qualifying body have prepared and submitted the Rockbeare Development Plan to East Devon District Council. The plan was out to consultation until 16 March 2018. A full list of responses to the consultation can be seen below: Amec Foster for National Grid Anonymous comment Aylesbeare Parish Council Cranbrook Town Council David Lock Associates for Hallam Land Management Limited, Taylor Wimpey Homes and Persimmon Homes Dorset County Council Gladman Developments Ltd PCL Planning for Waddeton Park Ltd South Somerset District Council Rockbeare notice of publication Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan consultation comment form Rockbeare Neighbourhood Plan Rockbeare Consultation Statement Rockbeare Basic Conditions Statement Rockbeare Parish Council requested that part of their parish be designated a neighbourhood area. The area was designated on 3 September 2014. Rockbeare application form Rockbeare publicity notice Last updated 2 December 2019	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1436
__label__wiki	0.874722	0.874722	Syria Forecast, Nov 7: Insurgents Capture a Major Ammunition Depot Posted by Scott Lucas \| Nov 7, 2013 \| 0 ALSO IN THE FORECAST: Capture of Sbeineh: Regime Breakthrough in Southern Suburbs of Damascus? Free Syrian Army Claim Victory over Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham in Aleppo Province Protesting the Regime Siege of Moadamiyyat Ash Sham How Far Have Kurdish Militias Advanced in the North More on the Saudi Break from the US Over Syria? THURSDAY FEATURE Analysis: Can Saudi Arabia Help Form a “National Insurgency”? A well-placed EA correspondent and video footage confirm a major victory for insurgents, capturing the Mahin ammunition depot in Homs Province. The offensive, lasting for more than two weeks, is one of the largest this year. It includes fighters from Homs, Free Syrian Army units, and the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra. Mahin is one of the largest regime stockpiles of weaponry, with a key position in the centre of the country. With its capture, the opposition can limit the Syrian military’s ability to re-supply both to the south, supporting its occupation of cities like Homs, and to the north in the effort to break the insurgent hold on much of the area. The videos indicate the insurgents captured the major buildings and warehouses in the depot at least 48 hours ago. However, the opposition maintained a strict embargo on information over the complex operation. The regime has replied with airstrikes and surface-to-surface missiles, but without any apparent effect on the insurgent takeover. An insurgent commander: Claimed impact site of a regime missile, north of the ammunition depot: Claimed video of a strike on a regime target on the base earlier this week: The Syrian army has captured Sbeineh, a southern suburb of Damascus, after sustained attacks. “Regime troops backed by Hezbollah stormed Sbeineh. The Free Syrian Army pulled out after fierce battles over the past nine days,” the opposition Sham News Network said. Syrian State TV said the army had achieved “complete control” over Sbeineh, “a hotbed for militants and a supply center for weapons and ammunition”. An officer spoke in a live broadcast from Sbeineh, amid shattered buildings and deserted bunkers made of sand bags and metal barrels. Sbeineh, with residential buildings and a large industrial zone, is on the highway linking Damascus to the Jordanian border. Activist Rami al-Sayyed said, “The rebels began to find themselves encircled and had to pull out. Sbeineh was key to the defense of the southern neighborhoods. [The adjacent suburb of] Hajar al-Aswad is now vulnerable.” The Free Syrian Army say they have pushed the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham out of Castello in Aleppo Province, posting a video with a claimed conversation between ISIS fighters after the clash: The Chechnya-based Russian-language pro-jihadist site FiSyria had posted on Tuesday that ISIS took a building, named Castello, from an insurgent group whom it claimed had aligned itself with a pro-Assad Kurdish militia. FiSyria said that ISIS took the decision to storm the Castello building and several other posts after the insurgent group, named as the Shuhada Brigade, had begun firing on local civilians passing along a road. ISIS claimed to have killed six pro-Assad fighters and wounded more in the fight, and that none of its fighters were killed. FiSyria has published this video of the operation, in which Russian voices can be heard. Women and children protest the year-long siege by Syrian forces of the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyyat Ash Sham. The regime has been trying to break the insurgency in the area with the cut-off of food and supplies, blocking and even stealing aid. Last month, some of the 12,000 people remaining in the town were evacuated. How Far Have Kurdish Militias Advanced in the North? It has been a good month for Kurdish militias — notably the YPG, the military arm of the PYD political movement — with victories against insurgent forces in northern Syria. But how good? The militias received some attention when they took Yaroubiyeh, near a post on Iraqi border, from the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham. Close observers have also noted the YPG/PYD success in holding Ras al-Ayn, near the Turkish frontier, after claiming it in July. The significance is not in the taking of individual towns. The Kurdish forces are seeking to establish a continuous belt of territory across the north — and, in Hasakah Province in the northeast, they can claim some success. However, there have also been setbacks. The Kurdish militia were expelled in August from Tal Abyad, near Raqqa. And the victories in the north contrast with difficulties for Kurdish groups in Aleppo city, where they have been pushed aside in districts like Ashrafieh. More on the Saudi Break from the US Over Syria More confirmation of Saudi Arabia’s distancing from Washington over Syria, with a major effort to arm the insurgency as the US retreats from interevention, comes from Prince Turki al-Feisal in an interview with The Washington Post. See Syria Analysis: Can Saudi Arabia Help Form a “National Insurgency”? Turki, a former head of intelligence and brother of Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, made clear that the surprise Saudi decision to refuse a seat on the UN Security Council was because of disputes over Syrian policy: Even if [the Council] had enforcement powers, it would only remove the chemical weapons. But [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad can continue to kill his people using aircraft, artillery, Scud missiles and other lethal means. This also followed the Chinese and Russian veto of the resolution that would have put in place an interim government composed of all the factions in Syria — that was put in front of the Security Council a year and a half ago by the Arab League. Turki then sets out the Saudi break from the US and European countries — read Britain — over the issue of arming the insurgency: We had a proposal, put forth by our Foreign Minister, that you have to level the playing field. And that means Bashar’s military superiority has to be checked by giving the opposition the means to defend themselves. You’re not talking about sending troops on the ground. Over the past 2½ years, if anti-tank, anti-aircraft defensive weapons had been distributed to the opposition — and not all the opposition, [but] the opposition that is for an inclusive Syria — then they would have been able to checkmate the military superiority of Bashar al-Assad and force him to come to the negotiating table. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Europe and America continued to deny the opposition the means to defend against Bashar’s lethal weapons, the Russians and the Iranians continued to supply Bashar with whatever he needed…. Absolutely. The Europeans put an embargo on arms to Syria. They could see…that the embargo wasn’t affecting Assad but it was definitely denying his opponents…weapons. It took the Europeans 2½ years to change their view and finally say, “Okay, we can afford to sell these weapons to the opposition.” But none of these countries did. The Americans have not only not sold them, but they have declared they have no intention of providing these weapons to the opposition. So how can you level the playing ground if one side is continually supplied with what it needs by the Russians and the Iranians and the other side is continually denied those things? Turki’s bitterness — and, by extension, that of King Abdullah, with his “studied and considered decision” over the Security Council — is evident, even as he refuses to blame President Obama directly: Bashar al-Assad is under the protection of the Security Council because of the chemical weapons resolution. And [US] Secretary [of State John] Kerry is saying that Bashar al-Assad has to stay in power until the chemical weapons are removed and everybody is saying these weapons aren’t going to be removed until next year. PreviousIran Forecast, Nov 7: “Promising” Nuclear Talks in Geneva NextSyria Analysis: Can Saudi Arabia Help Form a “National Insurgency”? Syria Posts Syria Daily: UN Calls for Idlib Ceasefire — But Russia and Assad Regime Ignore Appeal Syria Daily: 350,000 Displaced in Month by Russia-Regime Attacks on Idlib Syria Daily: Russia-Regime Resume Mass Killing in Idlib Syria Daily: Russia Breaks Its Ceasefire In Northwest After 2 Days Syria Daily: Intelligence Chiefs of Assad Regime and Turkey Meet in Moscow Syria Daily: Russia Halts Airstrikes on Idlib Province…For Now Syria Daily: 20+ Killed in Latest Pro-Assad Bombing of Idlib Province Syria Daily: UN Renews Cross-Border Aid — But Only for 6 Months and Only at 2 Points Syria Daily: Israel Strikes Iranian-Backed Militia in East, Kills 8 — Reports Syria Daily: Russia and Regime Pound Emptied Town of Ma’arat al-Num’an, Damage Last Hospital EA on BFBS: Assessing the Iran Conflict and Putin’s Power Move in Russia Jan 18, 2020 \| Audio, EA in the Media, Iran, Russia, World Iran Daily: No Condolences — Supreme Leader Goes on Attack After Downing of Ukraine Jet Jan 18, 2020 \| Iran Oh, Jeremy: UK Labour Party’s Dilemma Began Long Before Corbyn Jan 18, 2020 \| Analysis, EA Birmingham, UK, World TrumpWatch, Day 1,093: Trump to US Generals — You’re A Bunch of Dopes, Babies, and Losers Jan 18, 2020 \| The Trump Project, US Jan 18, 2020 \| Syria	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1437
__label__cc	0.551845	0.448155	Lady Warrior Soccer Falls in North Division Match at ICC East Central Community College Itawamba Community College East Central Community College (2-2-0, 0-2-0) 0 1 1 Itawamba Community College () 3 0 3 1st - 0:00 - Lexi Loden (Itawamba Community College) 1st - 0:00 - Brittany Mathis (Itawamba Community College) 1st - 0:00 - Emily Hayward (Itawamba Community College) 2nd - 73:00 - Leah Anderson (East Central Community College) G: Leah Anderson - 1 A: Hannah Herren - 1 Sh: Hannah Herren - 4 Sv: Emily Pitts - 3 G: 3 Players (#1, #17, #19) - 1 A: 3 Players (#2, #9, #24) - 1 Sh: Emily Hayward - 3 Sv: Anna Wesleigh Driskell - 7 Itawamba handed the East Central Community College Lady Warriors and Warriors MACJC North Division losses in soccer action Friday, Sept. 6, in Fulton. The ECCC Lady Warriors lost 3-1 to the ICC Lady Indians in the opener, while the Warriors lost a tough 1-0 match to the Indians. With the loss, the Lady Warriors fell to 2-2 on the season and 0-2 in division play, while the Itawamba Lady Indians improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1in North Division play. The ECCC men fell to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in division play. The ICC Indians remained perfect at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the division. In the women's match, the ICC Lady Indians got a goal in the 11th minute of the match and led 1-0 at intermission. They added two goals in the second half for a 3-0 lead before the Lady Warriors found the net in the 73rd minute. East Central's lone goal came from sophomore midfielder Leah Anderson (Leyland, United Kingdom) with an assist by freshman forward Hannah Herren (Florence). It was Anderson's fifth goal of the season. "Today was not our best performance of the season," said ECCC Women's Head Coach Ryan Joiner. "We lacked energy coming off of short rest from our game on Wednesday and that is on me. We will be back on the field training next week after some much needed rest this weekend. The girls and I are looking forward to getting back to winning ways next week." In the men's action, Itawamba got a goal in the 58th minute for the only score of the game in the 1-0 shutout of East Central. The East Central teams will look to get into the win column in MACJC North Division play with a couple of matches next week. They hit the road to battle Hinds in North Division action at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Raymond. The Lady Warriors and Warriors then return home Friday, Sept. 13, for more MACJC North Division contests as the teams from Northwest visit Decatur for matches at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1438
__label__wiki	0.531804	0.531804	Decolonizing the Archive Projects We Love Early Caribbean Slave Narratives Collection Embedded Slave Narratives Collection Obeah Narratives Collection About the Classroom Teaching Partners Resources for Students & Researchers Featured Student Projects About Exhibits Early Caribbean Slave Narratives Visualizing Natural History Obeah: “Magical Art of Resistance” The Jamaican Airs The Cultural Politics of Obeah In The Cultural Politics of Obeah: Religion, Colonialism and Modernity in the Caribbean World, historian Diana Paton explores obeah as an important practice and way of life for the people of the Caribbean. Paton dares to take obeah seriously and explores it not as a sign of Caribbean primitivism, but rather as a cultural practice with a deep history that keeps the people of the Caribbean connected not only to one another, but to their ancestors as well. Paton's work was critical to the creation of this exhibit, and is one of the few contemporary examinations of obeah. Paton's study spans the 18th and 19th centuries, with some reflection on how obeah is practiced in the modern day. The history of obeah is not always straightforward; there is evidence that obeah was practiced in the Caribbean in some form well before it went by the name of "obeah." And what is, and is not, obeah is not always clear either. Despite the complexity of obeah's history, Paton clearly traces its practice, and its origin, as well as the implications and effects of its cultural centrality in Caribbean history. The chapter "The Emergence of Caribbean Spiritual Politics" outlines how the enslaved and later formerly enslaved understood themselves and one another, as well as their relationships to European settler colonials. The chapter "Creole Slave Society, Obeah, and the Law" informs the Obeah and the Law section of this exhibit, which relies on Paton's account of the messy legalities of obeah, with particular emphasis on the inconsistent and non-sensical nature of the laws surrounding obeah. Finally, the chapter "Protest, Development, and the Politics of Obeah" provides an important look into the role of obeah not just as a spiritual practice/religion, but as a tool for the people of the Caribbean to strengthen, unite, and further their position as Caribbean people living in a post-colonial world. Paton's greatest strength is that she understands and portrays obeah not just as a spiritual or religious practice, but views obeah and its followers as necessarily linked to the complex history of colonization and slavery. Obeah is a practice that speaks to the Caribbean people's separation from Africa and their ancestry as well as their political and social empowerment, despite the legal criminalization and social taboo associated with obeah. The Cultural Politics of Obeah is an invaluable text for anyone concerned with not just obeah, but Caribbean history as a whole. The Cultural Politics of Obeah by Diana Paton, Cambridge University Press, 2015. What is Obeah? Obeah and the Colonizers Where Does Obeah Come From? Who are the Practitioners of Obeah? Obeah and Gender Is Obeah a Religion, Science, or Cultural Practice? Obeah and the Law Key Text: A Witch’s Legacy Key Text: The Obi Man Key Text: Obi; or the History of Three-Fingered Jack Key Text: A True and Exact History Obeah Bibliography This project was created using the CERES: Exhibit Toolkit with help from the Digital Scholarship Group at the Northeastern University Library. 2020 Northeastern University Northern University on YouTube Northern University on Twitter Northeastern on Facebook	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1439
__label__wiki	0.933696	0.933696	U23 AFCON: South Africa coach Notoane will fight for victory against Nigeria Nigeria and South Africa will lock horns on Friday in the final Group B match of the U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. South Africa coach David Notoane is looking forward to the encounter and preparing to fight for victory. South Africa won their second game 1-0 against Ivory Coast to go top of the group with four points, having played a goalless draw against Zambia in the opener. “We are very happy to get our first win of the tournament, especially against a strong side such as Ivory Coast,” Notoane said. “This was both a tactical and physical battle which needed a special moment to determine the result, and I am glad that we are the ones who managed to come up with it,” he told Sport24. “We will prepare accordingly to fight for another winning result in our last group game, which will be against Nigeria,” he stated. Nigeria, who sit second in the group must beat South Africa or at least avoid a defeat and hopes Ivory Coast does not beat Zambia in the other game that will be played simultaneously. Read More: Harry Maguire fires a warning to Liverpool ahead of Manchester United clash Jurgen Klopp admits he cannot replicate Alex Ferguson's Manchester United achievements	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1442
__label__wiki	0.972131	0.972131	Airtel Joins Global Alliance to Bring High Speed In Flight Data Connectivity to Customers Airtel Joins Global Alliance to Bring High-Speed In-Flight Data Connectivity to Customers By Press Trust of India \| Updated: 26 February 2018 17:01 IST India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel today said it has joined a new global collaboration to bring high-speed and uninterrupted in-flight data connectivity to mobile customers. The global partnership Seamless Alliance, whose other founding members include OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint, will work towards leveraging satellite technology to offer high-speed data connectivity to mobile users even when they are up in the air, an Airtel statement said. "Airtel has joined the Seamless Alliance which will usher in a new era of open innovation for mobile operators and airlines by empowering mobile operators to extend their services into airline cabins," the statement added. The global initiative, announced today in Barcelona, will also look at bringing into its fold other industry operators beyond the five founding members. Together, these members hope to "eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly associated with acquisition, installation, and operation of data access infrastructure". This will be done by streamlining system integration and certification, providing open specifications for interoperability, increasing accessibility for passengers, and enabling simple and integrated billing, the statement added. "We are delighted to be a founding member of this innovative technology platform to bring seamless connectivity to customers in the true sense," Gopal Vittal, CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said. Over 370 million mobile customers across Airtel's global network will be able to enjoy uninterrupted access to high-speed data services even while they are in-flight, he added. Airtel is the third largest mobile operator in the world with operations in 16 countries across Asia and Africa. "We look forward to collaborating with all partner members to ensure this platform goes Live at the earliest," Vittal said. Further reading: Airtel, Telecom, Seamless Alliance, OneWeb, Airbus Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy Note 8: Price, Specifications, Features Compared Samsung Galaxy S9 vs iPhone X vs Google Pixel 2: Price, Specifications, Features Compared Supreme Court Dismisses Plea of Telcos Seeking Review of Verdict on Recovery of Past Dues Airtel Wi-Fi Calling Service Now Available on Pan-India Basis, Works With Any Broadband Service Telecom Majors Seek Open Court Hearing of Their Pleas in Supreme Court for Review of Certain Directions on AGR Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Launch, Vivo S1 Pro Price in India Reveal, CES 2020 Preview, and More Tech News This Week Airtel Launches 4G Services in 26 Ladakh Villages Oppo F15 आज लॉन्च होगा भारत में, यहां देखें लाइव स्ट्रीम	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1443
__label__wiki	0.56603	0.56603	Jio IUC Top-Up Vouchers Detailed as Telco Starts Charging 6 Paise per Minute on Outgoing Calls to Other Networks Reliance Jio has started charging subscribers six paise a minute for making calls to other mobile networks. The Mumbai-headquartered telco on Wednesday claimed that the new voice charge would be at the prevailing Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) rate that has been fixed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for mobile operators enabling inter-networking outgoing calls — also known as off-net voice calls. As a result of the new change, Jio subscribers are required to purchase an additional IUC top-up voucher to make voice calls to other networks. Four new IUC top-up vouchers have been initially provided to suit the diverse requirements of the subscribers. Jio IUC top-up vouchers According to the official announcement, Reliance Jio subscribers will be charged at six paise per minute through the IUC top-up vouchers for all the outgoing calls made to other mobile networks starting today. This means that irrespective of what recharge plan you have, you’ll be required to purchase a separate IUC top-up voucher to make voice calls to other networks. To make things pleasing to some extent, Jio is providing additional data entitlement of equivalent value based on IUC top-up voucher consumption. The data entitlement comes in addition to equivalent minutes with the IUC charged at six paise per minute. IUC Top-Up Voucher Amount (Rs.) IUC Minutes (non-Jio networks) Free Data Entitlement (GB) 100 1,362 10 The first and the most affordable IUC top-up voucher offered by Reliance Jio comes at Rs. 10 that brings 124 minutes of voice calling to other mobile networks in addition to 1GB of data entitlement. If a subscriber requires more minutes than what’s available through the Rs. 10 IUC top-up voucher, there is the Rs. 20 voucher with 249 minutes. It also includes 2GB of data entitlement. Reliance Jio has also offered the Rs. 50 IUC top-up voucher that includes 656 minutes of talk time for other mobile networks along with 5GB of data. For extensive outgoing calling support to other mobile networks, there is also the Rs. 100 voucher that brings 1,362 minutes of talk time in addition to 10GB of data. The IUC top-up vouchers don’t include any separate validity. Also, there are no changes to the existing Jio plans. Similar to the prepaid Jio subscribers, postpaid customers will also be billed at six paise per minute for making off-net outgoing calls. Reliance Jio will offer free data entitlement of equivalent value to compensate the customers to some extent. The new development sparked outrage among the subscribers as Reliance Jio initially promised to offer voice calling free on its network and charge subscribers only for mobile data. However, the operator still assures that it will cost off-net outgoing calls until the time TRAI moves to a zero termination charge regime that is expected to take place starting January 1, 2020. Notably, the six paise per minute charge applies only to the voice calls being made to other mobile networks. This means that all Jio-to-Jio calls and Jio-to-landline calls are still free. Similarly, the operator is not charging for incoming calls and calls made using a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) platform such as WhatsApp or Apple’s FaceTime. Honor 9X vs Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Realme 5 Pro: Price in India, Specifications Compared Xiaomi India Claims It Sold Over 1 Million Devices Offline in a Single Day Google Stadia Game Streaming Testing Spotted on Non-Pixel Android Devices Apple Buys Xnor.ai, Startup Focused on Low-Power Edge-Based AI Tools: Report Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Reveals He Eats Just 7 Meals a Week – Only Dinner	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1444
__label__wiki	0.579489	0.579489	Galileo Unchained For those who have no use for faith The Book “Cross Examined” Review by Dr. Robert Price Tag Archives: John Who Would Die for a Lie? Posted on August 6, 2012 by Bob Seidensticker Almost all of the original apostles that surrounded Jesus died martyr’s deaths. If they knew that he was just a regular guy and that the resurrection story was fiction, why would they go to their deaths supporting it? Lee Strobel said that though people may die defending their beliefs, “People will not die for their religious beliefs if they know that their religious beliefs are false.” While people have died for lies—the 9/11 hijackers, for example, or the Heaven’s Gate cult—they didn’t know it was a lie. That the apostles were in a position to know and still died defending it is strong evidence that the Jesus story is accurate. Or, at least this is the story Christians tell themselves. There are several issue here, but let’s focus first on the big one: how do we know how the apostles died? Since their dying as martyrs is key to this apologetic, you’d think that this was well established in history. But as we’ve seen (“Is Mark an Eyewitness Account?”), sometimes Christian historical claims have a very weak pedigree. Our one-stop shopping source for this question is historian Hippolytus of Rome (170–235) in his “On the Twelve Apostles.” At best, this is an early second century work written close to 150 years after the facts it claims to document. At worst, it was written even later by an unknown author (called “Pseudo-Hippolytus” by historians) and deliberately or inadvertently compiled with the writings of Hippolytus. Here’s the summary: 4 apostles were crucified: Andrew, Bartholomew, Peter, and Philip (the last three upside down). 3 were killed in some other way: James the son of Alpheus was stoned, James the son of Zebedee was killed with a sword (presumably decapitated), and Thomas was killed by spear. 5 died natural deaths: John, Matthew, Matthias (the new twelfth disciple added after Judas left the group), Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James (Thaddeus). Another popular source for this information is John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, first published in 1563 and in many later editions. Its late age, 1500 years after the events, is enough to disqualify it since we have the earlier account, but its popularity makes it an important source. To a large extent Foxe was simply a mouthpiece for the anti-Catholic sentiment in England at the time, and many sources dismiss its accuracy (Wikipedia, 1911 Britannica, Catholic Encyclopedia). Foxe largely agrees with Hippolytus on the deaths of the apostles except for the ones that Hippolytus says died natural deaths, giving that fate only to John. He says that Matthew was “slain with a halberd” in Ethiopia, Matthias was stoned in Jerusalem and beheaded, Simon the Zealot was crucified in Britain, and Judas the son of James was crucified in what is now eastern Turkey. James the son of Zebedee seems to have the oldest martyrdom story. Hippolytus probably got his account from Acts 12:2, written in the latter half of the first century, which says that Herod Agrippa (grandson of Herod the Great) killed him “with the sword.” For most of the other apostles, however, contradictory stories cloud the issue. For example, Bartholomew’s death is documented in a number of contradictory ways. One account says that he was beaten and then drowned. The Martyrdom of Bartholomew (c. 500) says that he was beaten and then beheaded. The most popular, perhaps because it’s the most gruesome, is that he was skinned alive and then crucified (or perhaps beheaded). Various sources add to the story of Matthias. He was crucified in Ethiopia. Or he was blinded by cannibals but rescued by Andrew. Or he died a natural death in Georgia on the coast of the Black Sea. Simon the Zealot might have been sawn in half in Persia. Or crucified in Samaria. Or martyred in Georgia. Add to this: the many additional contradictory stories about other apostles not included in this brief list, the decades-long period of oral history from event to writing, and the time span, usually centuries-long, between the original manuscripts documenting the martyrdom stories and our oldest copies that make those copies suspect. What can we conclude given this evidential house of cards? Only that “most apostles were martyred for their faith” is historically almost indefensible. And it’s not just that the claim for any particular martyrdom story is flimsy; it’s that we can be certain that many of them are false because they contradict each other. Let’s pause for a moment to savor this lesson. “Tradition holds that” or “The Church tells us that” is never enough—be sure to look behind the curtain to see what evidence actually supports a historic claim. “Who would die for a lie?” I dunno—first establish that someone died at all. Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness, of a belief. — Arthur Schnitzler (1862–1931) Photo credit: Wikimedia “Would someone die for what they knew was a lie?” Iron Chariots Wiki. “‘Die for a Lie’ won’t Fly” Debunking Christianity, 5/11/06. Robert M. Price, “Would the Apostles Die for a Lie?” “What happened to the 12 disciples of Jesus?” icthus.com. Lee Strobel, “Would Someone Die For A Lie?” YouTube, 3/16/07. John Foxe, Book of Martyrs full text, Project Gutenberg. Posted in Christianity, History \| Tagged Andrew, Apostle, Bartholomew, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Hippolytus of Rome, John, Judas, Lee Strobel, Martyr, Matthew, Matthias, Peter, Phillip, Robert M. Price, Simon the Zealot \| 2 Replies The Evolving Jesus Story Posted on July 27, 2012 by Bob Seidensticker If the gospel story is true, it wouldn’t change with time. God’s personality wouldn’t change, God’s plan of salvation wouldn’t change, and the details of the Jesus story wouldn’t change. But the New Testament books themselves document the evolution of the Jesus story. Sort them chronologically to see. Paul’s epistles precede Mark, the earliest gospel, by almost 20 years. The only miracle that Paul mentions is the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4). Were the miracle stories so well known within his different churches that he didn’t need to mention them? It doesn’t look like it. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:22–3). The Jews demand signs? That’s not a problem. Paul had loads of Jesus miracles to pick from. But wait a minute—if the Jesus story is a stumbling block to miracle-seeking Jews, then Paul must not know of any miracles. Miracles come later, with the gospels. Looking at them chronologically, notice how the divinity of Jesus evolves. He becomes divine with the baptism in Mark; then in Matthew and Luke, he’s divine at birth; and in John, he’s been divine since the beginning of time. The four gospels were snapshots of the Jesus story as told in four different communities at four different times. Because the synoptic (“looking in the same direction”) gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke share so much source material, their similarity is not surprising. Nevertheless, 35% of Luke comes uniquely from its community (such as the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son), and 20% of Matthew is unique (such as Jesus and his family fleeing to Egypt after his birth and the zombies that walked after Jesus’s death). And, of course, John is quite different from these three, having Gnostic and (arguably) Marcionite elements. This synoptic similarity undercuts the argument that the gospels are eyewitness accounts. If the authors of Matthew and Luke were eyewitnesses, why would they copy so heavily from Mark? The authorship question (that Mark really wrote Mark, etc.) that grounds the claims that the gospels record eyewitness history is another tenuous element of the evolving story, as I’ve written before. The gospels don’t even claim to be eyewitnesses (with the exception of a vague reference in John 21:24, in a chapter that appears to have been added by a later author). And even if they had, would that make a difference? Would tacking on “I Bartholomew was a witness to all that follows” to a gospel story make it more believable? Would it make the story of Merlin the wizard more believable? Consider some of the noncanonical gospels that include attributions. “I Simon Peter and Andrew my brother took our nets and went to the sea” is from the Gospel of Peter, and “I Thomas, an Israelite, write you this account” is from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. These gospels are rejected both by the church and by scholars despite these claims of eyewitness testimony. Why then imagine that the vague “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down; we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24) adds anything to John? There are dozens of noncanonical gospels. Christian churches reject these in part because they were written late. But if we agree that the probable second-century authorship for (say) the gospels of Thomas, Judas, and James is a problem because stories change with time, then why do the four canonical gospels get a pass? If the gospel of John, written 60 years after the resurrection, is reliable despite being a preposterous story, why reject Thomas, written just a few decades later? The answer, it seems, is simply that Thomas doesn’t fit the mold of the version of Christianity that happened to win. History, even the imagined history of religion, is written by the victors. Read the first post in this series: What Did the Original Books of the Bible Say? God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through — Paul Valery Is Mark an Eyewitness Account? Posted in Christianity, History \| Tagged Canonical Gospels, Evolution of Christianity, Evolving Christianity, Gnostic, Gospels, John, Luke, Marcionite, Mark, Matthew, miracles, Noncanonical \| 5 Replies How do we know that Mark wrote the gospel of Mark? How do we know that Mark recorded the observations of an eyewitness? The short answer is because Papias (< 70 – c. 155) said so. Papias was a bishop and an avid documenter of oral history from the early church. His book Interpretations was written after 120 CE. Jesus died in 30, Mark was written in 70, and Papias documents Mark as the author in 120 (dates are estimates). That’s at least 50 years bridged only by “because Papias said so.” But how do we know what Papias said? We don’t have the original of Papias, nor do we have a copy. Instead, we have Church History by Eusebius, which quotes Papias and was written in 320. And how do we know what Eusebius said? The oldest copies of his book are from the tenth century, though there is a Syriac translation from 462. Count the successive people in the claim “Mark wrote Mark, which documents an eyewitness account”: (1) Peter was an eyewitness and (2) Mark was his journalist, and (3) someone told this to (4) Papias, who wrote his book, which was preserved by (5) copyist(s), and (6) Eusebius transcribed parts of that, and (7) more copyist(s) translated Eusebius to give us our oldest manuscript copy. And the oldest piece of evidence that we can put our hands on was written four centuries after Mark was written. That’s an exceedingly tenuous chain. The sequence of people could have been longer still. Papias was the bishop of Hierapolis, in western Asia Minor. Mark might have been written in Syria, and no one knows how long the chain of hearsay was from that author to Papias. No one knows how many copyists separated Papias from Eusebius or Eusebius from our oldest copies. It gets worse. Eusebius didn’t think much of Papias as a historian and said that he “seems to have been a man of very small intelligence, to judge from his books” (Church History, book III, chapter 39, paragraph 13). Evaluate Papias for yourself: he said that Judas lived on after a failed attempt at hanging and had a head swollen so large that he couldn’t pass down a street wide enough for a hay wagon. Who knows if this version of the demise of Judas is more reliable than that in Matthew, but it’s special pleading to dismiss Papias when he’s embarrassing but hold on to his explanation of gospel authorship. Even Eusebius’s Church History is considered unreliable. The story is similar for the claimed authorship of Matthew. A twist to this story is that Papias said that Matthew wrote his gospel in Hebrew (or perhaps Aramaic), which makes no sense since Matthew used Mark, Q, and the Septuagint Bible, all Greek sources.1 What about the other gospels? That evidence comes from other documents with simpler pedigree but later dates. Irenaeus documented the traditional gospel authorship in his Against Heresies (c. 180). Our oldest copy is a Latin translation from the tenth century. Tertullian also lists the four traditional authors in his Against Marcion (c. 208), but he doesn’t think much of Luke: “[Heretic] Marcion seems to have singled out Luke for his mutilating process.” Our oldest copy of this book is from the eleventh century. The oldest manuscript labeled “gospel according to Luke” dates from c. 200. The Muratorian fragment, a Latin manuscript from the seventh century, may be a translation of a Greek original from the late second century (or maybe from the fourth). It lists many books of the New Testament, including the gospels of Luke and John. We grope for evidence to back up the claim that the gospels document eyewitness accounts. Perhaps only faith will get you there. 1Randel Helms, Who Wrote the Gospels? (Millennium Press, 1997), 41. If we submit everything to reason, our religion will have no mysterious and supernatural element. If we offend the principles of reason, our religion will be absurd and ridiculous. — Blaise Pascal Posted in Christianity, History \| Tagged Church History by Eusebius, Eusebius, Gospels, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Papias \| 11 Replies This Blog Is A civil but energetic critique of Christianity from an atheist viewpoint. “Cross Examined is a great read on two fronts. You won’t find a better book on Christian apologetics and the rebuttals ... and the story is compelling, with a startling climax. Highly recommended.” — Paul Gabel, author of Inventing Jesus God’s Diminishing Power Dr Johnson: Legend, Myth, and More OK, Smart Guy—YOU Tell Us What Happened Dr Johnson: The Angel of Mons How Decades of Oral Tradition Produced the Gospels Project Reason Video Contest Word of the Day: Atheist’s Wager Infinity—Nothing to Trifle With (2 of 2) Infinity—Nothing to Trifle With Gay Marriage Inevitable? Witch Hunts, Sex Scandals, and the Atheist Community The Truth of the Bible Word of the Day: Russell’s Teapot God is Nonexistent God is as Believable as Unicorns Word of the Day: Shibboleth Creationism/ID (7) Separation of Church and State (20) Ask an Atheist podcast Atheist Scholar Greta Christina's Blog (my favorite blog) Living After Faith podcast Pharyngula (PZ Meyers' blog) Reasonable Doubts (my favorite podcast) The Human Bible podcast The Bible Geek podcast (best educational podcast) Click “older posts” above for more Galileo Unchained is an atheist blog. Come here for challenges to the Christian answers to questions like "Who is Jesus?" "Who is God?" or even "What is Christianity?"	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1445
__label__cc	0.683391	0.316609	Home » Neurology and Mental Health » Trauma and PTSD » Preventing Health Damaging Behaviors and Negative Health Outcomes in Army and Marine Corps Personnel during the First Tour of Duty Preventing Health Damaging Behaviors and Negative Health Outcomes in Army and Marine Corps Personnel during the First Tour of Duty Sponsor: DOD U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) Health damaging behaviors of young military personnel are reflections of health problems facing all young people in the U.S. Military life presents opportunities and challenges that may both protect and place young troops at risk for health damaging behaviors. Challenges for maintaining a healthy armed force include high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies (UIPs), misuse of alcohol/substances, and personal sexual violence defined as violence within one’s personal (dating or marital) relationships. The common thread through these negative health outcomes is volitional behavior. Such behaviors do not only result in illness or injury, but also negatively impact performance of military duties and threaten military readiness. Despite military leadership in setting standards and policies regarding professional behavior and universal health care for preventing and eliminating such negative health outcomes, many health problems remain. Building on our previous military research, we plan to develop and evaluate a cognitive-behavioral, skills-building intervention to prevent and reduce young troops' risk for STIs, UIPs, alcohol/substance misuse, and personal sexual violence. This research also seeks to establish the best training practices for educating young troops about health issues that impact military performance and readiness. Finally, it will have direct implications for healt h promotion and disease prevention education strategies designed to reach military men and women early in their careers Topics: Neurology and Mental Health, Trauma and PTSD Organizations: Division of Adolescent Medicine Keywords: Mental Health, Military	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1451
__label__wiki	0.973881	0.973881	Halftime Sports Halftime Leisure Fresh Voices First Time Long Time Who’s on First? The Untitled Leisure Project The Reel Pulpit Harry Pottercast She Runs the World How to Join the Voice Fissue ’17 Home » News » Scholar shunned by State Dept. speaks by satellite Scholar shunned by State Dept. speaks by satellite By: Will Sommer A controversial Muslim scholar, barred from entering the United States for three years, spoke by satellite connection to Georgetown audiences this week. Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen of Egyptian descent, spoke Tuesday and Wednesday and will speak again today in Gaston Hall about modern Islam. Ramadan’s speeches, sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, had to be broadcast by satellite from Europe because the State Department has continued to deny him a visa since 2004. Jameel Jaffar, the lead counsel in Ramadan’s case and the Deputy Director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s national security program, said that Ramadan was initially denied a visa because he gave money to Palestinian charities tied to Hamas. However, the donations were made before the United States government said the charities were linked to terrorism. Ramadan’s visa was revoked for providing “material support” to terrorist organizations, State Department spokesman Sean McCormick said in September 2006. Joanne Moore, a State Department Press Officer, said the State Department had not changed its position on the case since then. “Many consider him to be the leading Muslim intellectual in Europe,” said Thomas Banchoff, the Berkley Center’s director. “One of the fundamental issues is that he talks about Islam as something that has something to contribute to Western society. The West can learn from Islam around issues like social justice. I think that idea many find threatening.” In Wednesday’s speech on Muslims in the West, Ramadan said that Muslim immigrants do not pose a threat to Western values and called for a distinction between religious and cultural problems. “We are obsessed by the few and not seeing the many,” Ramadan said, referring to European Muslims who do not riot or commit terrorism. Ramadan said Muslims need to discuss their religion, including its relation to terrorism. “[Terrorism] is not only non-Islamic, it’s anti-Islamic,” he said. He also criticized Muslims who use their religion to justify domestic violence, female circumcision and forced marriages. Ramadan said his writings and lectures have angered both Muslims and Westerners. This week’s speeches will be compiled with essays by American academics and published in a book, Banchoff said. Being barred from the United States did not stop Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan from making his voice heard on the Georgetown campus. Simone Popperl According to Jaffar, in 2004 Ramadan was preparing to travel to the United States to take a teaching position at the University of Notre Dame when the State Department revoked his visa. The State Department initially cited Section 4.11 of the Patriot Act, called the “Ideological Exclusion Provision” by its opponents. “We were all concerned about what appeared to be an instance of ideological exclusion—the exclusion of someone based on their political views or on the basis of their speech,” Jaffar said. After a judge denied the State Department’s claims, the material support allegation surfaced, according to Jaffar. Currently, a summary motion has been filed in a New York district court to allow Ramadan into the United States. Joelle Thomas (SFS ’10), who attended Wednesday’s speech, said that she went hoping to get a different perspective. “I’m really surprised. I thought if he was barred from the U.S., he’d be a fundamentalist,” she said. wfs8 This Unchosen Place Oyster School @GtownVoice Twitter Tweets by GtownVoice The Voice Instagram The Georgetown Voice The Georgetown Voice office is located in Leavey 424. The opinions expressed in The Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty, or students of Georgetown University unless specifically stated. By accessing, browsing, and otherwise using this site, you agree to our Disclaimer and Terms of Use. Find more information here: https://georgetownvoice.com/disclaimer/. Copyright © 2015 The Georgetown Voice. All rights reserved.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1459
__label__cc	0.734857	0.265143	>> The Triads of Poetic Craft The Triads of Poetic Craft Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid* (‘The Grammars of the Chief Bards’) are a family of texts found in various manuscripts from about the 14th to the 16th centuries, although its quite likely the basic material they contain is much older. They would have been used as teaching tools in the bardic schools and reference works for those wealthy enough to have copies made. At one time, much of this material would have been memorised and transmitted orally. These bardic grammars contain, as one would imagine, the basic rules of Welsh grammar. They also contain long sequences of triads on poetic craft known as the trioedd cerdd. The bards were very fond of the three-fold form. We find it not only in the structure of prose tales, but in the oldest kinds of poetry – the three-line englyn remains one of the most popular types of stanza to this day. The story triads (edited by Rachel Bromwich in Trioedd Ynys Prydein) were once valued sources of knowledge in Welsh medieval culture. The triads of poetic craft are a little window onto the life of the court bards. They reveal how a guild of poets taught and practiced their oral craft of poetry. As expected, we find the different aspects of performance to be very important to them. They also continue to be sound advice to anyone wishing to take up poetry, and the performance of poetry in particular. Here are a few of the more interesting ones: Three things that make a poem strong: depth of meaning, regularity of Welsh, and excellence of imagination. Three things that make a poem weak: vulgar imagination, shallow meaning, and a lack of Welsh. Three things a poem likes: clear declamation, skilful construction, and the authority of the bard. Three things a poem does not like: feeble declamation, vulgar imagination, and the dishonour of the bard. Three things that make awen for a bard: genius, and practice, and art. Three things that impoverish a bard’s awen: drunkenness, lustfulness, and criticism. Three essentials for a bard: liveliness of speech when declaiming a poem, and meditating upon poetic art to ensure it is not faulty, and the boldness of his answer to what he is asked. Three things that make a bard consistent: the telling of tales, and poetry, and the old poetry (hengerdd). Three things that give honour to a bard: dress, authority, and boldness. Three things that cause a bard to be loved and praised: generosity, making merry, and praising good men. Three things that cause a bard to be hated: miserliness, insipidness, and satirising good men. * The standard edition is by G.J. Williams, Gramadegau’r Penceirddiaid (UWP 1934). These are my translations. July 21, 2015 in Uncategorized	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1462
__label__cc	0.65004	0.34996	Here are some books that will help you on your journey. Goddess has answers for life’s tough problems. What does this mean? It means that Wiccans across the years have experienced, through ritual, meditation and quiet moments, flashes of insight and intuition. In these ways, they have received Goddess’s answers. This book will share with you, rituals, guidance, prayers and meditations so that you can open the door. Now, you can invite Goddess to give you the answers to the life’s tough problems when you need them. You Will Learn to:Get Closer to the Goddess * Use Protection Spells and More * Fine-tune Your Intuition Gain Real Comfort Expand Your Happiness * Experience Inner Peace ………… About the Author: Moonwater SilverClaw is a Wiccan 3rd Degree High Priestess and member of the Covenant of the Goddess and the New Wiccan Church. Her well-received Podcast is Goddess Has Your Back on iTunes (and Podbean). Her personal story reveals how Wicca saved her life and helped her strengthen herself to secure her release from an abusive marriage. Moonwater posts at her blog, GoddessHasYourBack.com, which has readers from 198 countries. Called to write the blog and 9 books even though she is dyslexic, she works with a team of editors. Moonwater’s answers to questions on Quora.com have gained nearly 200,000 views, and she is listed as a leading contributor on Witchcraft. She has addressed college students in Comparative Religion classes for over ten years. She leads workshops, and her work is endorsed by notables including Patrick McCollum (Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism). Moonwater SilverClaw can be contacted at: AskAWitchNow@gmail.com Or at her popular blog: GoddessHasYourBack.com She is also the creator of the well-received Online Course “Goddess Style Weight Loss.” Do you feel free? Imagine that Goddess can help you break free of anything binding you down and holding you back. That would be great, right? In this book, learn to unleash your 6 Freedoms placed in you by Goddess: 1. Freedom from Worry 2. Freedom to Express Yourself 3. Freedom to Be Healthy 4. Freedom for Abundance 5. Freedom to Be Creative 6. Freedom to Be Me You’ll even learn how to Protect Yourself. This book is designed to help you discover your own new path. You’ll begin to truly free yourself of binding elements and live with full joy and fulfillment. Wicca is all about freedom. You get to choose which Deities with whom you have a relationship. You’re free to choose what you believe, how you practice and how you live your life. Use this book to Break Free with Goddess. ….. About the Author: Moonwater SilverClaw is a Wiccan High Priestess and member of the Covenant of the Goddess and the New Wiccan Church. Her personal story reveals how Wicca saved her life and helped her strengthen herself to secure her release from an abusive marriage. Moonwater posts at her blog, GoddessHasYourBack.com, which has readers from 191 countries. Called to write the blog and 8 books even through she’s dyslexic, she works with a team of editors. She has addressed college students in Comparative Religion classes for over ten years. Her answers to Quora.com questions have over 73,000 views. She leads workshops, and her work is endorsed by notables including Patrick McCollum (Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism). Moonwater SilverClaw can be contacted at: AskAWitchNow@gmail.com Or at her popular blog: GoddessHasYourBack.com If you would like to check out this book Click Here When have you wanted to act like a badass? Imagine developing the inner strength of a Wiccan Badass. High Priestess Moonwater SilverClaw reveals the spells, rituals and meditations that unleash your inner power. You can be more confident when you solidify a connection with the Goddess. Even if someone insults you, you can carry yourself with grace and strength because you know the Gods are with you. A Wiccan Badass is someone who makes her own choices. Someone who has more great moments in life because she takes action. She has more capacity to handle tough things that arise in life. A Wiccan Badass stands up for herself. A Wiccan Badass demonstrates wisdom. You Will Learn to: Experience a higher level of Self-Confidence * Protect yourself through spells and more * Manifest abundance and financial peace * Experience true happiness. Want to experience happiness and inner peace? Can you imagine feeling better about yourself and that your life is truly magickal? High Priestess Moonwater SilverClaw reveals the powerful and uplifting spirituality known as Wicca. She pulls back the curtain and lets you in on real secrets. She reveals how the Goddess really walks beside you and how you can have a loving relationship with the Goddess. Connect with the Gods and feel supported when confronted with grief and tough times. Learn the secrets behind making magick really work for you. Avoid making the big mistakes when doing magick. You Will Learn to: Create potent spells for love and self-protection * Enjoy more abundance * Manifest the happiness and inner peace you really want. Want to experience happiness and inner peace? Can you imagine feeling better about yourself and that your life is truly magickal? High Priestess Moonwater SilverClaw reveals the powerful and uplifting spirituality known as Wicca. She pulls back the curtain and lets you in on real secrets. She reveals how the Goddess really has your back and how you can have a loving relationship with the Goddess. Connect with the Gods and feel supported when confronted with grief and tough times. Learn the secrets behind making magick really work for you. Avoid making the big mistakes when doing magick. Enjoy rituals through the whole year. Want to experience happiness and inner peace? Can you imagine feeling better about yourself and that your life is truly magickal? High Priestess Moonwater SilverClaw reveals the powerful and uplifting spirituality known as Wicca. She pulls back the curtain and lets you in on real secrets. She unveils how the Goddess reveals Your Enchanted Light. Further, she shows you how you can Remove Obstacles to expressing Your Enchanted Light. Connect with the Gods and feel supported when confronted with grief and tough times. Learn the secrets behind making magick really work for you. Avoid making the big mistakes when doing magick. You Will Learn to: Create potent spells for love and self-protection * Enjoy more abundance * Manifest the happiness and inner peace you really want. … In Praise of Moonwater SilverClaw: “Moonwater expresses profound Wicca concepts. Wicca actually saved her life and empowered her to leave an abusive marriage, and this shows the power of this sacred path to positively change the course of our lives, too.” – Patrick McCollum, recipient, Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism. … “Religion scholars in the future will likely view Moonwater SilverClaw as the pivotal voice that helped change the discourse on Wicca.” – Stacy D. Horn … “Moonwater’s writing is like sharing a nice cup of coffee with a new friend, while you two are taking a walk in the woods. As a writer, Moonwater has found her Voice. And that voice has a LOT to teach all of us, from the young person … to us seasoned practitioners of Wicca.” – Angus McMahan, blogger Want to manifest prosperity, happiness and inner peace? Have you heard about the Law of Attraction? Have you tried some methods and been disappointed? Author Moonwater SilverClaw emphasizes, “The full story of the Law of Attraction has not been told, and it is no wonder that people have had disappointments.” For the first time, this book reveals two vital secrets. First, to make the Law of Attraction work for you, you must overcome the blocks to this Law. Second, the truth behind the Law of Attraction is: It’s really magick. High Priestess Moonwater SilverClaw pulls back the curtain and lets you in on the real secrets. Manifest the prosperity, happiness and inner peace that you really want! How? Overcome the blocks of low self-esteem, limiting beliefs about money, subconscious barriers about confidence, and more. This book and its exercises and meditations help you make the breakthrough to manifesting what your heart desires. Moonwater SilverClaw writes a blog http://www.TheHiddenChildrenoftheGoddess.com with readers from over 92 countries. In Praise of Moonwater SilverClaw: “Moonwater’s writing talent is amazing! Moonwater expresses profound Wicca concepts through examples in her own life experience. Wicca actually saved her life. and empowered her to leave an abusive marriage, and this shows the power of this sacred path to positively change the course of our lives, too.” – Patrick McCollum, recipient, Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Pluralism. “Moonwater’s writing [provides] a story about making your own happy endings, about rescuing yourself, and that, I believe, is what makes writing like this necessary.” – Jason Pitzl-Waters, blogger at WildHunt.org “Moonwater’s writing is like sharing a nice cup of coffee with a new friend.” – Angus McMahan, blogger, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/askangus/ The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book The Hidden Children of the Goddess: Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You Want to experience happiness and inner peace? High Priestess Moonwater SilverClaw reveals the powerful and uplifting spirituality known as Wicca. She pulls back the curtain and lets you in on real secrets. Moonwater shares her personal stories of how Wicca saved her life and empowered her to release herself from a destructive marriage. She introduces Wicca practice with potent spells for healing and increased prosperity. She helps you overcome the blocks of low self-esteem, limiting beliefs about money, and subconscious barriers. This book helps you make breakthroughs to manifesting what your heart desires. In Praise of Moonwater SilverClaw’s book: “Moonwater expresses profound Wicca concepts. Wicca actually saved her life and empowered her to leave an abusive marriage, and this shows the power of this sacred path to positively change the course of our lives, too.” – Patrick McCollum, recipient, Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism. “A well-written, fresh look into Wicca. [This book] almost feels as if a close friend or trusted mentor were explaining the ins and outs of the Wiccan experience. Rather than saying, ‘Here’s how it’s done,’ the book extends its hand and says, ‘Here, let me show you.’ I would certainly recommend this book.” – Heather Greene, blogger, http://www.miraselena.com “Moonwater’s writing [provides] a story about making your own happy endings, about rescuing yourself.” – Jason Pitzl-Waters, blogger at WildHunt.org “This is like sharing a nice cup of coffee with a new friend, while you two are taking a walk in the woods. Moonwater has a LOT to teach all of us, from the young person who wants to know why she feels ‘special, ’ to us seasoned practitioners of Wicca.” – Angus McMahan, blogger, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/askangus/ About the Author: Moonwater SilverClaw is a Wiccan High Priestess and member of the Covenant of the Goddess and the New Wiccan Church. Her personal story reveals how Wicca saved her life and helped her strengthen herself to secure her release from an abusive marriage. Moonwater posts at her blog, TheHiddenChildrenoftheGoddess.com, which has readers from over 101 countries. Called to write the blog even through she is dyslexic, she works with a team of editors. She has addressed college students in Comparative Religion classes for over ten years. She leads workshops, and her work is endorsed by notables including Patrick McCollum (Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism). Moonwater SilverClaw can be contacted at: AskAWitchNow@gmail.com Or at her popular blog: TheHiddenChildrenoftheGoddess.com The New Healing Herbs From the description at Amazon.com: The New Healing Herbs uses the latest studies to offer guidelines on dosages, drug interactions, and results for herbal healing. Included are herbal prescriptions to treat ailments ranging from the common cold, allergies, and back pain to more serious conditions such as diabetes and cancer. Featuring hundreds of cures and therapies proven to work, this book shows you which herbal remedy to take for each condition, how it’s taken, what interactions to watch for, and where to buy the featured herbs. The easy-to-use Cure Finder organizes herbs by health condition, healing actions, and alternative uses, guiding you to the right herbal remedy for your ailment. The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot – Ever!! This is the definitive guide to learning and mastering the Tarot quickly & easily. Unique, fun, easy-to-learn exercises teach you how to hear what the cards are trying to tell you. This is not yet another book of Tarot card meanings. You start hands-on learning immediately, playing with your Tarot cards as they reveal the future to you. Instead of forcing you to memorize generic “key words” that limit your interpretation of the Tarot to 78 possible meanings, this workbook has you look at the cards and see what is happening in the images, and how these pictures can show you different things at different times. This book speeds up that process and helps you have fun learning to hear what your cards are saying to you–from day one. “Dusty White has created the perfect text-book for a tarot course whether in a class-room setting or for self-study. I have been a professional tarot card reader for over two decades: I wish The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot–EVER!! had existed when I was first learning and that is the highest praise I can offer. Furthermore, even now, as an extremely experienced and well-read tarotista, I still received many new insights, perspectives, and information from White’s wonderful book. This is a book to keep close at hand–it serves as a reference and a guide through the tarot as much as an instructional manual. I expect to return to my copy repeatedly. The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot–EVER!! is exceptionally well-organized, lucid, practical and extremely comprehensive but also tolerant: White appreciates that there are many varied and disparate ways to read tarot and presents readers with a wide selection. A particularly nice aspect of this book is that it may be used with any tarot deck although White recommends that beginners use a Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith derived deck–I concur–and explains precisely why. The book contains suggested exercises and workbook pages. Each card is discussed in depth as are a variety of spreads. This book is highly recommended for beginners and adepts alike. My only suggestion: perhaps Dusty White would like to expand this series by adding similar volumes focused on astrology and runes.” The Body Sacred From the description at Amazon.com: When you look in the mirror, do you see a Goddess? For anyone who’s experienced a “fat day” or wished a doctor could make them younger, Wiccan Dianne Sylvan speaks candidly about overcoming body hatred and offers a spiritual path back to Divine femininity. Sharing her own struggles with poor body image and self-acceptance, Sylvan explores how the impossible standard of female beauty has developed and endured. Emphasizing the Mother, the Healer, the Lover, and other archetypes of one’s relationship with the sacred body, the author provides a uniquely Wiccan approach to achieving a healthy, new self-perception as Goddess. The Circle Within The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition From the description at Amazon.com: The Circle Within is your guide to creating a personal spiritual practice for daily life. The first section is a thoughtful examination of Wiccan ethics and philosophy that explores how to truly live Wicca. The second section includes devotional prayers and rituals that provide inspiration for group or solitary practice. Topics in this Wicca book include: cultivating an ongoing personal relationship with deity, ethics and standards of behavior, concepts of sacred space, elements of a daily practice, tuning into the Wheel of the Year and the elements, and creating meaningful personal Pagan rituals. Move beyond the basics of Wicca and enter the sacred space of the circle within. What Witches Do From the description at Amazon.com: What do witches really do? What is it like to be a witch? Experience the process through the eyes of Stewart Farrar, author, journalist and witch, as he describes in detail the activities and practices of modern day witches. When Stewart first starting writing “What Witches Do”, he was ‘an interested agnostic’ writing from an objective viewpoint. But by the time the book was finished he had been initiated into the mysteries of Wicca, and was destined to become internationally known as one of the worlds leading writers on the subject. Even though now almost 40 years old, the material and philosophy that Stewart discusses within remains as relevant today as it did in the early 1970s. Retrace those life changing steps with Stewart as he explores the magic, ritual and mystery of life in a coven. The book now also includes Stewart’s research material which sheds new light on his involvement with ‘King of the Witches’, Alex Sanders, founder of the Alexandrian Tradition. Eight Sabbats For Witches From the description at Amazon.com: Presents the detailed and dramatic rituals for each of the eight Sabbats – the seasonal ceremonies and festivals intimately linked with the waxing and waning rhythms of the natural year. Using their Book of Shadows (the witch’s inherited handbook) as their starting point, practicing witches Janet and Stewart have added mythological and folkloric material, much of it personally gathered. To complete the picture, they also give in full detail the rituals for Casting and Banishing the Magic Circle, and the often misunderstood Great Rite of male-female polarity. They include moving rituals for Wiccaning (the witches’ equivalent of Christening), Handfasting (the witch wedding), and Requiem (funeral). The Meaning of Witchcraft From the description at Amazon.com: Thought to be the father of modern witchcraft, Gerald Gardner published The Meaning of Witchcraft in 1959, not long after laws punishing witches were repealed. It was the first sympathetic book written from the point of view of a practicing witch. The Meaning of Witchcraft is an invaluable source book for witches today. Chapters include: Witch’s Memories and Beliefs, The Stone Age Origins of Witchcraft, Druidism and the Aryan Celts, Magic Thinking, Curious Beliefs about Witches, Signs and Symbols, The Black Mass, Some Allegations Examined. The Meaning of Witchcraft is a record of witches’ roots-and a tribute to a founding pioneer with the courage to set that record straight. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess From the description at Amazon.com: The twentieth anniversary edition of The Spiral Dance celebrates the pivotal role the book has had in bringing Goddess worship to the religious forefront. This bestselling classic is both an unparalleled reference on the practices and philosophies of Witchcraft and a guide to the life-affirming ways in which readers can turn to the Goddess to deepen their sense of personal pride, develop their inner power, and integrate mind, body, and spirit. Starhawk’s brilliant, comprehensive overview of the growth, suppression, and modern-day re-emergence of Wicca as a Goddess-worshipping religion has left an indelible mark on the feminist spiritual consciousness. In a new introduction, Starhawk reveals the ways in which Goddess religion and the practice of ritual have adapted and developed over the last twenty years, and she reflects on the ways in which these changes have influenced and enhanced her original ideas. In the face of an ever-changing world, this invaluable spiritual guidebook is more relevant than ever. Wicca A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner From the description at Amazon.com: Cunningham’s classic introduction to Wicca is about how to live life magically, spiritually, and wholly attuned with nature. It is a book of sense and common sense, not only about magick, but about religion and one of the most critical issues of today: how to achieve the much needed and wholesome relationship with our Earth. Cunningham presents Wicca as it is today: a gentle, Earth-oriented religion dedicated to the Goddess and God. Wicca also includes Scott Cunningham’s own Book of Shadows and updated appendices of periodicals and occult suppliers. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot A top tarotist’s secrets to personal growth, one card at a time. The two volumes of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom have inspired a whole generation of tarot students. It has often been described by readers, booksellers, and teachers as the “Bible of tarot readers.” It is also often cited as one of the landmark books in modern tarot, and it helped to launch the “Tarot Renaissance” of the 1980s. The two texts-one for The Major Arcana and one for The Minor Arcana–appear together in this volume, which is a reissue of the 1998 edition first published by Thorsons. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom draws on mythology and esoteric traditions and delves deeply into the symbolism and ideas of each card. It also gives the cards a modern psychological slant based on the pictures rather than a system of occult symbolism. This endlessly useful reference tool provides a concise history of tarot, introduces common spreads, and is a clear and readable book for both the beginning and advanced tarot student. Buckland’s Complete book of Witchcraft Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft (Llewellyn’s Practical Magick) From the description at Amazon.com: Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft has influenced and guided countless students, coven initiates, and solitaries around the world. One of modern Wicca’s most recommended books, this comprehensive text features a step-by-step course in Witchcraft, with photographs and illustrations, rituals, beliefs, history, and lore, as well as instruction in spellwork, divination, herbalism, healing, channeling, dreamwork, sabbats, esbats, covens, and solitary practice. The workbook format includes exam questions at the end of each lesson, so you can build a permanent record of your spiritual and magical training. This complete self-study course in modern Wicca is a treasured classic—an essential and trusted guide that belongs in every Witch’s library. “A masterwork by one of the great Elders of the Craft. Raymond Buckland has presented a treasure trove of Wiccan lore. It is a legacy that will provide magic, beauty, and wisdom to future generations of those who seek the ancient paths of the Old Religion.”—Ed Fitch, author of Magical Rites from the Crystal Well “I read Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft with much pleasure. This book contains enough information and know-how for all approaches: the historical, the philosophical, and the pragmatic . . . quite entertaining, as much for the armchair enthusiast as for the practicing occultist.”—Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon “Never in the history of the Craft has a single book educated as many people, spurred as many spiritual paths, or conjured as much personal possibility as Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft.”—Dorothy Morrison, author of The Craft Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways (Llewellyn’s World Religion and Magick) From the description at Amazon.com: First and foremost, Witchcraft or Wicca is a religion. In The Sabbats, Edain McCoy reveals the eight major holidays of this faith and the many ways in which they are celebrated. There are two basic types of holidays. The first come at the Solstices and Equinoxes. The others divide the time between those dates in two, resulting in eight major holidays or Sabbats with approximately the same amount of days between them. The balance, here, gives the appearance of spokes in a wheel, so this cycle is commonly called the Wheel of the Year. The holidays represent two things. First, the harvest cycle. Each holiday represents a time in the growth of crops. From planting to growth, from harvesting to letting the lands lie fallow in the cold winter, the festivals follow the agricultural cycles of ancient times. However, they also represent the eternal love of the God and Goddess, following the God’s birth from the Goddess and his death before she gives birth to him again. This also follows the pattern of the Sun which moves from warm and high in the sky to cold and low in the sky. The book is filled with ways you can follow the Wheel of the Year, whether you work with a coven, with your family, or by yourself. You will learn the secrets of ritual construction and handicrafts appropriate to each of the festivals. You will also learn recipes for traditional foods for each holiday and even songs appropriate to the Sabbats. This is a wonderful, joyous book filled with color, information, and wisdom. If you are involved with Paganism in any way, this book is a must for your studies and practices. This book functions as both a resource and as a practical manual for the celebration of the holidays. Get your copy today. If you would like to check out this book Click Here. A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans “It separates centuries of supernatural nonsense from documented fact spellbinding.”―Los Angeles Times For nearly thirty years, Jeffrey B. Russell’s authoritative book has been the one illustrated history to which anyone interested in this subject could turn with confidence. Now, in collaboration with Brooks Alexander, who has himself conducted innovative research in the field, this classic book has been fully revised, with an updated introduction and bibliography, new information throughout, and an extended account of witchcraft from ancient times to the present day. Drawing comparisons between modern sorcery and that of the ancient world, the book shows how the European witch craze in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries developed out of a combination of ancient sorcery and medieval Christian heresy, paganism, folklore, scholastic theology, and inquisitorial trials. Whether the diabolical witchcraft for which men and women went to the stake ever existed is open to question. What matters more is that it was believed to exist by intellectuals and peasants alike. 110 illustrations Darkest Secrets of Spiritual Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself, Boost Your Psychological Immune System and Strengthen Your Spirit (Darkest Secrets by Tom Marcoux) From the description at Amazon.com: Do you have concerns about spiritual matters and how certain individuals use religion like a weapon? Author Tom Marcoux felt compelled to write this book because his close friend committed suicide and had seven factors of the “10 Vulnerabilities to Spiritual Seduction.” This book provides readers with Countermeasures so they can protect themselves. Marcoux, who has taught comparative religion for a decade, says, “This book appreciates religion. And this book is about strengthening your spirit and having an informed awareness so you can protect yourself.” This book includes a non-denominational spiritual discussion of love, forgiveness, humility, faith, grace and art. This book is the third of four books of the “Darkest Secrets” series in which Marcoux helps people strengthen themselves and guard against manipulation. The Magician’s Companion: A Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical and Religious Symbolism The Magician’s Companion by Bill Whitcomb is the most complete collection of practical information on magical systems from around the world you can add to your magical techniques. It begins with a complete introduction to magic, from definitions to a program of study so you can use the many systems described in the book. There are 91 systems described, including: ·The four worlds of the Hopi ·The Hindu Tattwas ·The Chinese Five Elements ·The Chakras ·The eight Chinese trigrams ·The Qabalistic Tree of Life ·Astrology ·The meridians of acupuncture ·Geomantic symbols ·The druid tree alphabet ·The Enochian system ·The Runes ·The color scales ·The hexagrams of the I Ching ·The 72 names of God There is so much more in this book. You’ll also learn the techniques of working with: ·Alchemy ·Magical Alphabets ·Deities from numerous pantheons ·Telesmatic images ·Magic squares and sigils ·Attributions for gems and minerals This just scratches the surface of what has been acclaimed as one of the greatest research tools ever for magicians of all type. The magical knowledge of our ancestors comprises an intricate and elegant technology of the mind and imagination. The Magician’s Companion makes the ancient systems accessible, understandable, and useful to modern magicians by categorizing and cross-referencing the major magical symbol systems. In fact, as a cross-reference, it is simply beyond compare. The Magician’s Companion is the single source with the most complete information on Eastern and Western magical systems ever published. Students of mysticism, mythology, symbolic art, literature, and even cryptography will find The Magician’s Companion of infinite value. This book is a must. Ouija – The Most Dangerous Game The First Book To Take A Hard Look At The Phenomenon Called “The Ouija Board” Is it just a game? When you ask the Ouija board a question, who is it that answers? What about those stories of Ouija-inspired prophecy and clairvoyance? What are the dangers of the Ouija board? Do you know the stories of Ouija-inspired murders, madness, obsession and possession? Exalted by some, condemned by others, there’s no doubt the Ouija is controversial. In this fascinating book Stoker Hunt investigates the history and legacy of this “Mystic Talking Oracle.” Answering many of the most frequently asked questions about witchcraft, such as How can I find a witches’ coven? and How can I become a witch?, Doreen Valiente explains what the old religion of witchcraft has to offer the new age of Aquarius, how the age-old Craft of the Wise can be practiced in the modern world, and how to initiate yourself as a witch and found your own coven. The leading figure in the establishment of the modern Wiccan movement, Valiente includes here a new Book of Shadows—the witches’ handbook of rituals and instructions—based upon ancient magical tradition, but geared to the age of the future. There are witch songs, spells, incantations, and practical advice on how to run a coven and how to acquire your own collection of magical implements; as well as methods of divination and other witch lore. The author shows how oral witchcraft traditions throw light not only upon the origins of the present-day witch cult and the activities of the witch leader George Pickingill and his covens, but also upon the mystery of the founding of the famous magical order, the Golden Dawn. Also discussed is the relationship between European witchcraft and the magical belief of the Far East. Do both traditions hark back to the legendary city of Shamballah and to the shamanistic practices of Asia? And why do the secret circles of the witches resemble those of the Tantric sex-magic of India? Doreen Valiente was one of the most respected English witches to have influenced the modern day Pagan movement. In this book, a re-visit of her first literary outing of 1962, she examines Witchcraft in Sussex, the role of the Horned God, hares and the Moon, folk-rites and the powers of Witchcraft. She is hereby laying the foundations of the modern day Witchcraft movement. As Gerald Gardner is now commonly thought of as the ‘Father’ of contemporary Witchcraft, so Doreen is known affectionately as the ‘Mother of Modern Witchcraft’. What is the relationship of the Bible to Witchcraft? What are Fairies, and Magical Alphabets? What were the links between Druidism and Witchcraft? An ABC of Witchcraft covers these subjects and many more from the well-informed and gentle viewpoint of practicing witch, Doreen Valiente.Arranged in alphabetical order for easy reference, the book discusses over 125 subjects that may concern anyone wishing to know more about this ancient pagan religion. Other topics include Atlantis, Witches’ Familiars, Dancing, Fire Magic, Flying Ointments, Horses and Witchcraft, Initiations, Love Charms, Royalty and its connection with witchcraft, etc., etc., with up to several pages on each subject.Both the layman and experienced practitioner will find this book enjoyable and fascinating!Over 30,000 sold! One of witchcraft’s most widely known figures, Doreen Valiente was a close friend of the late Gerald Gardner, generally regarded as the founder of modern Wicca. Initiated by him in the 1950s and for a time High Priestess of his coven, Doreen helped him rewrite his seminal Book of Shadows and establish witchcraft’s international reputation. In this intriguing exposé, Doreen provides an insider’s account of the birth and evolution of the contemporary Wicca movement. She recalls her spat with Gardner that eventually split his coven, the controversy surrounding Alex Sanders, “King of the Witches,” and many other witches whom she has known, including “Dafo,” Robert Cochrane, Leslie Roberts, and Sybil Leek. She also describes the clairvoyant communications she received purporting to come from John Brakespeare, an 18th-century witch. Magic is all around us – in stones, flowers, stars, the dawn wind and the sunset cloud. All we need is the ability to see it, understand it, and apply it. Natural Magic explains how to practise the age-old white magic that village wise women have used for centuries. It deals with the magic of herbs and flowers, of the four elements, of numbers and colours, amulets and talismans, how to read cards, how to interpret dreams, and much more. There are chapters on the secrets of sex magic, and on the use of traditional spells. If you want to learn to charm warts, to cast a love spell, or to plant a magical garden, this book will tell you how. An essentially practical treatise, which sets out to show how magic can be for everyone, and how, indeed, it has always been inherent in human life and nature. Both those who are new to the practice of magic and those with experience will find it delightful reading and an informative handbook for use in daily life. Almost thirty years since its original publication, Drawing Down the Moon continues to be the only detailed history of the burgeoning but still widely misunderstood Neo- Pagan subculture. Margot Adler attended ritual gatherings and interviewed a diverse, colorful gallery of people across the United States, people who find inspiration in ancient deities, nature, myth, even science fiction. In this new edition featuring an updated resource guide of newsletters, journals, books, groups, and festivals, Margot Adler takes a fascinating and honest look at the religious experiences, beliefs, and lifestyles of modern America’s Pagan groups. 19 thoughts on “Suggested Books” Steve Szufat I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers! Thank you. I hope you enjoy the Blog. Van Ubl I simply want to mention I am newbie to weblog and definitely enjoyed your page. Most likely I’m want to bookmark your blog post . You certainly come with amazing article content. Thanks a bunch for revealing your web page. Thank you and enjoy Van. cao cigars history Really fantastic information can be found on blog . Thank you Reighard. Florence Condi I really like it when folks come together and share opinions. Great site, keep it up! Thanks Sweene63. Shanita Budds You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality sites online. I most certainly will highly recommend this website! Thank you Shanita. Marcos Illar I was more than happy to discover this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to look at new information in your website. I am glad you like the site. Please sign up for email delivery, that way you will not miss a post. Thanks. Thank you, please feel free to sign up for email delivery. Blessings. Carl Fishburne It’s really a cool and helpful piece of information. I am happy that you simply shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing. I am glad you are enjoying the blog. Feel free to sign up for email delivery. wing team I like the helpful information you provide to your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and test once more right here frequently. I am reasonably sure I will be told many new stuff right right here! Thank you Wing Team. I hope you enjoy the blog. I got one or two copies from the list of sugested books, I have to admit the list contains very good books for the path, often you see books apearing to start with which are more known by names as pulp books and bit of trash, kind of, not too bad, though I ve seen true pulp between them, you wouldn t even give a todler, but these are really good. Even among them I could go and buy, like from Mr. Gardner, it s also interesting for when using Neo-Paganism even. But the pulp I just oke of, were some kind of games in and riddles, really, Please, do they Have to be brought on the market? Nocturne, I am glad you find the reading list I recommend as useful. I guess you mean by “bought on the market” as online. You can go into your local Barnes & Noble to order these if you like.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1478
__label__cc	0.667952	0.332048	Good Sports Level 1 Good Sports level 1 accreditation focuses on compliance with the relevant state or territory liquor laws. Taking this first step is important, it guarantees participating clubs are meeting all legal requirements and are taking responsibility for its members and the sale of alcohol. By completing the Good Sports accreditation, you will not only see the benefits in the club, but also on the pitch, within local business and the community as a whole. Good Sports requires clubs to go above the minimal required liquor laws enabling benefits reaching out beyond the club. By creating a family friendly environment, you can improve the experience by creating a hub for the wider community - enriching the sporting experience for all levels. Through the completion of level 1 and beyond, your club will become a more enticing place to locals, supporters, and also to visiting clubs. You’ll see potential increases in the space being hired and events being held there as the Good Sports accreditation will improve the legality and integrity of the club. Alcohol-related disease and injury causes 15 deaths and 430 hospitalisations every day in Australia. It's a clubs’ duty of care to take a leading role in tackling this problem head on. Clubs that join Good Sports see a 15% drop in short term risky drinking for each level of accreditation, as well as a 20% drop in risky drinking on match days. DOWNLOAD GOOD SPORTS FACT SHEET START DOWNLOAD What’s in level 1? By completing the level 1 accreditation Good Sports aims for each club to attain a number of main objectives, namely: Clubs have attained the necessary liquor license Clubs adhere to the requirements of their license Reduction in alcohol related incidents Maintaining a smoke-free environment Increase in members Increase in revenue Liquor licensing legal obligations Bar management strategies Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training Requirements for completion of level 1 To obtain Level 1 accreditation a club must have: Received the appropriate liquor license from the relevant state based liquor licensing authorities, if required. Minimum of 2 RSA trained club members 1 RSA member present at all times Bar incident register in place Names of RSA trained staff displayed on a sign near the bar Good Sports approved Smoking Management Policy Promote the club’s involvement in the program through a club newsletter, notice board or website An independent nominee to ensure the club is accountable and adheres to the program Your assigned Good Sports Officer will help your club achieve Level 1 at your own pace. What’s in it for clubs? Children don’t just learn how to kick goals, take marks or score runs at their sports club. They pick up habits for life – and here at Good Sports we want to help you make sure they’re positive habits. Parents can feel confident that when their children come to Good Sports clubs that they’re well looked after and supported in a healthy environment. Being part of Good Sports helps clubs encourage healthy attitudes towards drinking and eating for club members of all ages. Good Sports: helping sporting clubs raise the bar The program gives clubs the support they need to: Hold safer, more family-friendly club celebrations Increase club membership and participation Be a leader and positive role-model in the community Boost revenue and funding opportunities Don’t believe us? Download the factsheet and find out how these clubs have benefited. Start reaping the rewards – become a Good Sports club today. Good Sports Level 2 Good Sports Level 3 What’s in it for clubs Kids don’t just learn how to kick goals, take marks or score runs at their sports club. They pick up habits for life – and here at Good Sports we want to help you make sure they’re positive habits. Parents can feel confident that when their children come to Good Sports clubs and as they transition from juniors to senior players that they’re well looked after and supported in a healthy environment. IS YOUR CHILD’S CLUB A GOOD SPORTS CLUB? What are your kids learning video Good Sports helps sporting clubs raise the bar in lots of ways. The program gives clubs the support they need to: Reduce binge or harmful drinking at the club Promote healthy eating Reduce the stigma around mental health Increase club membership Generate community support and respect Boost revenue and secure new sponsorship opportunities Don’t believe us? Find out how these clubs have benefited. WHAT DO GOOD SPORTS CLUBS THINK? It gets harder and harder to successfully administer a junior rugby league football club, as there seems to be new challenges to face each year. However it's programs and opportunities like this that remind us of what's important and brings us back to the fundamental reasons for why we do what we do. We are one of many awesome sporting communities raising kids collectively and if we all succeed in helping children grow to be self-aware, resilient and happy kids through team sport, then we must all be going something right. – Natalie Walka, President, St Anthonys Girraween Eagles JRLFC For better or worse, sport does play a role in setting our community standards of behaviour. We expect our professional sportspeople to behave in a manner conducive to elite performance, and the binge drinking can really no longer be a part of that. – Kim Crow, World Champion and Olympic Rower We are helping cricketers of all ages to recognise that they can very easily lead healthy and active lives by making good choices when it comes to eating and drinking while participating in a great sport. We are very proud of the fact that we are connected and supported by the Good Sports program. Without it, our club would not be where it is today. – Redlands Cricket Inc., Good Sports Healthy Eating Club Like any culture, whether it be a sports team, club, workplace or social group, for it to be truly strong and positive you need everyone to buy in and live by a set of standards and beliefs. We’re really fortunate here at Nunawading Basketball to have that across the organisation and our SEABL Women are a shining example of that. With a wonderful mix of Opals experience, quality US imports, young talent and future stars our women along with Good Sports are really helping us stamp a positive impact across our community and provide our aspiring Junior Spectres with first class, accessible role models. – Paul Flynn, Operations Manager, Nunawading Basketball Stadium The best part of being involved with Good Sports is getting to meet and work with so many wonderful people who are involved in grass roots sporting clubs. They are all volunteers and are so passionate about their clubs and their towns, especially those living in rural areas. – Marc Glanville (Good Sports Team Member) It gets harder and harder to successfully administer a junior rugby league football club, as there seems to be new challenges to face each year. However it's programs and opportunities like this that remind us of what's important and brings us back to the fundamental reasons for why we do what we do. We are one of many awesome sporting communities raising kids collectively and if we all succeed in helping children grow to be self-aware, resilient and happy kids through team sport, then we must all be doing something right. Search for a Good Sports club in your area State ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA Become a Good Sports Club Today! Over 9,500 community clubs have created a better sporting culture by implementing the Good Sports program.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1481
__label__cc	0.711731	0.288269	henryherz.com Children's & Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books Interview with ‘Doug Unplugged’ picture book author/illustrator Dan Yaccarino December 31, 2013 by Henry Herz 1 Comment Dan Yaccarino is an acclaimed author and illustrator of many children’s books including ‘Doug Unplugged’, ‘Unlovable’ and ‘The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau’; the creator and producer of the animated series the Parents Choice Award-winning Oswald and the Emmy-winning Willa’s Wild Life, as well as the character designer behind the Emmy-winning The Backyardigans. His books have won a host of prestigious awards including the New York Times Best Illustrated award, an ALA Notable designation, a Parents Choice Award, and the Bologna Ragazzi. Dan lives with his family in New York City. For what age audience do you write? I mostly write and illustrate picture books, but I have a middle grade novel coming out next year. There have been quite a few robots and outer space themes in my picture books, but I’ve written and illustrated about all sorts of things like animals and people. However, the middle grade novel is most definitely science fiction, but also (I’m hoping) very funny. I guess there’s humor running through most things I do because I love reading humor and I’d like to think I’m a pretty funny guy. Just don’t ask my kids. They don’t think I’m funny at all. Henry: I’m a fan of ‘Boy + BOT’, and now I know that was the start of your sci-fi writing journey! Don’t worry – no kid thinks their Dad is funny. We have to work hard to even avoid being considered embarrassing. Tell us about your latest book. My latest book is a picture book called DOUG UNPLUGGED. It’s about a little robot who unplugs from his giant educational computer and goes out into the world to learn about things using his senses. I just finished up a sequel called DOUG UNPLUGS ON THE FARM. I’m not anti technology, but I feel strongly about kids (and adults) taking some time out of their day away from computers. I advocate balance. Henry: My young co-author sons would argue that they DO achieve balance: some time on Vine, some on Instagram, some on YouTube, some on Netflix, and some on the Xbox. Sigh. What do you hope readers will get from reading that book? My hope is that they’ll start to think about the idea that there are other ways to experience and learn about the world other than from a screen. Henry: Wait, what? Note to readers: Dan is on Twitter, but has a grand total of four tweets under his belt. He has clearly mastered the art of being unplugged. What aspect of writing do you find most challenging? I sometimes find it difficult during the early stages when the idea is still unformed. I played with the idea of DOUG UNPLUGGED for at least a year before I had something I was happy enough with to show my editor. I knew I wanted to write a book about unplugging and I also knew I wanted a robot to be the main character, but I had quite figuring out how to fit the two things together. What is a powerful lesson you’ve learned from being a writer? Writing isn’t easy! Henry: Unless you’re writing a wordless picture book. But then illustrating is harder than writing. What has been a memorable experience that you never would have had if you had not been a writer? I do LOTS of school visits because I’m a children’s author and I find those experiences to be so fulfilling and fun. It’s my chance to connect with my audience and it reminds me who I’m writing for. At a school visit, one kid got so excited, he peed on the floor. If that isn’t a rave review, I don’t know what is. Henry: When I met you at the Los Angeles SCBWI conference, my bladder control should in no way be interpreted as a lack of admiration for your talents, Dan. I did a school event where one kid’s sneaker looked like it had exploded, although I can’t take credit for that phenomenon. It did give me an idea for a picture book, though. What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Two things: write and read EVERY DAY. Even if you don’t feel like reading and even if you write NOTHING. Do it every day!!! Henry: The writing part is pretty obvious, but new authors often overlook the importance of reading in their genres. Do you have any favorite quotes? “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach Henry: Nice. I also like “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Do you have any strange rituals that you observe when you write? Nope. I just sit down and write. Henry: Do you turn off the Internet and UNPLUG? If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To stop time. I never feel like I have enough time to do everything I’d like to do. Henry: It probably won’t come as a surprise when I tell you that is a popular response among authors. If you could have three authors over for dinner, who would it be? William Tenn, Ted Geisel and Douglas Adams. Henry: Fun! Ted Geisel is Dr. Seuss (and I see Seussian elements in some of Dan’s work), Douglas Adams wrote (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), and wikipedia helpfully offers: “William Tenn was the pseudonym of Philip Klass (1920-2010), a British-born American science fiction author, notable for many stories with satirical elements. His second story, the widely reprinted “Child’s Play” (1947), told of a lawyer who creates people with his Build-A-Man kit, a Christmas gift intended for a child of the future. After publication in Astounding Science Fiction (May 1946), Tenn was soon hailed as the science fiction field’s reigning humorist, and during the early 1950s, readers of Galaxy Science Fiction looked forward to issues featuring his satirical science fiction. Many stories followed, including “Venus and the Seven Sexes” (1951), “Down Among the Dead Men” (1954), “The Liberation of Earth”, “Time in Advance” (1956) and “On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi” (1974).” What is your favorite creature that exists only in literature? The Lorax because he speaks for the trees. He’s cool. Henry: Tolkien’s Ents are trees that speak for themselves. See you, and raise you. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Sleeping and eating. I know, I know. I should get a hobby. I do a lot of reading, too. Henry: And answering interview questions. What would you like it to say on your tombstone? He left the world a little better than he found it. Henry: Affirmative. Mission accomplished. Where can readers find your work? You can visit my site at http://www.yaccarinostudio.com. You can also find my books on Indie Bound and Amazon. This interview is also posted to the San Diego Children’s Books Examiner. Categories: Books, Fantasy, Kids, Kids, Science Fiction \| Tags: author, interview, kidlit, picture books, robot \| Permalink. Author: Henry Herz One thought on “Interview with ‘Doug Unplugged’ picture book author/illustrator Dan Yaccarino” Heya! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog - Skype visits - Follow on PAST POSTS Select Month January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 February 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 No real actors’ jobs are in jeopardy from my performance Inexpensive cosplay ideas Camping with a Hedgehog What is a drabble? Join the 2019 Picture Book Critique Fest! Aaron Becker Frank Beddor Tim Bowers Zac (Heather) Brewer Bruce Coville David Diaz Debbie Diesen Kelly DiPucchio Tony DiTerlizzi Ame Dyckman Deborah Freedman Nikki Grimes Bruce Hale Jenni Holm Lee Bennett Hopkins Jason Hough A.G. Howard Molly Idle Ellen Jackson Daniel C. Kirk Eric Litwin Todd McCaffrey Alison McGhee Lori Mortensen Richard Peck Matt Phelan Jean Reagan Dian Curtis Regan Peter H. Reynolds Sherri Duskey Rinker Dan Santat David Ezra Stein Ann Whitford Paul Dan Yaccarino Salina Yoon Kim Norman's Authors By State	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1487
__label__wiki	0.577758	0.577758	Kayla Bolton 29th Annual DC Vet Homecoming Set to Takeover High Point Raceway This Weekend, September 21 and 22 by: Kayla Bolton TimeThursday, September 19, 2019 \| 3:00 PM 29th Annual DC Vet Homecoming Set to Takeover High Point Raceway This Weekend, September 21 and 22 MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (September 19, 2019) – The 29th Annual DC Vet Homecoming presented by Lojak’s Cycle Sales returns to Mount Morris, Pennsylvania this weekend, September 21 and 22, for a fun-filled weekend full of on-track and off-track activities. Veterans of motocross are set to take over the legendary High Point Raceway for a ‘throwback’ weekend of classic proportions. The event celebrates the motocross heritage of western Pennsylvania and the memory of High Point founder “Big Dave” Coombs. On Saturday, September 21, High Point Raceway will host the GP Moto-X Country race, combining elements of off-road racing and motocross into one unique competition. Taking place over a three-mile course, racers will encounter woods sections intermittently separated by big European-style grass track areas as well as parts of the High Point motocross track. Registration for the GP race begins at 8 a.m., with practice at 9 a.m. and racing to follow. Racing will consist of two 30-minute motos. To find a complete list of classes click HERE. GP Moto-X Country Racing will take place on Saturday, September 21. Andrew Fredrickson Sunday’s DC Vet Homecoming motocross race begins at 7 a.m. with registration, practice at 9 a.m. and racing immediately following. To honor Big Dave’s passion and commitment to the veteran motocross community, the Vet Homecoming offers classes for vet ages 25+, 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+, 60+ and the newly added 70+ class with a variety of options for different skill levels. To view a detailed list of Vet Homecoming classes, click HERE. To honor our military men and women the 2019 DC Vet Homecoming has added two classes, Warrior 25+ and Warrior 40+, that are free to our active and retired military with their military I.D. for Sunday’s motocross race. Support divisions including 18+, 18+ C, 125 Support, 250 Support and Mini Support (65cc/85cc) will also be offered on Sunday, creating a family-fun atmosphere for all ages. As well as the action on the racetrack, the weekend will boast entertainment for all members of the family. Saturday evening will kick off at 6 p.m. with Pit Bike Racing on the legendary racetrack featuring three classes: Clutch, No Clutch and Big Bike (TTR 125, KLX and Honda 150 Air-cooled). Then kick back at the track and enjoy a $5 BBQ dinner at 6:30 p.m., followed by Vintage movies and karaoke entertainment with RacerX John at dusk. Vintage Contests and Bike Show will be offering great prizes for all winners. Register your vintage items at the RacerX Tent from 9 - 11 a.m. on Sunday. Andrew Fredrickson A Vet themed race wouldn’t be complete without a special division for vintage bikes. Six vintage classes will be offered including Vintage: Through 1974 (Air Cooled Bike with Drum Brakes), Evolution 1: Through 1979 (Air Cooled Bike with Drum Brakes), Evolution 2: Through 1984 (Air Cooled Bike with Drum Brakes), Evolution 3: Through 1986 (Water Cooled Bike with Drum Brakes), Revolution 1: Through 1998 (Water or Air Cooled Bike with Disc or Drum Brakes) and Revolution 2: Through 2008 (2-Stroke with Disc Brakes). Returning once again will be the Vintage Contests and Vintage Bike Show, offering great prizes for all winners. All participants have to do is register their vintage items at the RacerX Tent from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Sunday. Vintage contest categories include: Vintage Race Gear, Race Programs, Vintage T-Shirt, Best Old-School Trophy, Furthest Traveled Competitor and Oldest Competitor. The winner of each category will receive a free one-year subscription to Racer X Illustrated, as well as two (2) all day pit passes to the 2020 High Point Pro Motocross National. And for being so awesome, the Furthest Traveled Competitor will receive two (2) VIP Super Passes to the 2020 High Point National, a $400 value. Winners will be announced during intermission. Vet Motocross Racing will take place on Sunday, September 22 with a variety of age and skill level classes available. Andrew Fredrickson If you’re not wanting to race your vintage bike, but still want to be a part of the fun, you can show it off at the Vintage Bike Show, taking place Sunday alongside the Vintage Contests. With a total of seven categories in the Vintage Bike show, there is an option for just about everyone: Classic Four Stroke (pre-1996), Classic Two Stroke (pre-1970), Golden Era (1970-1978), Pre-Modern Era (1978-1982), Modern Era (1982-1989), Millennium Era (1990-2005) and Mini Cycle 0-70cc (Pre-1990). This year Racer Productions will host a Celebration of Life Ceremony on Sunday in conjunction with the DC Vet Homecoming. We will celebrate the lives of “Captain Russ” Bennett, former High Point Raceway and Blackwater 100 referee known for his dedication to fairness, crisp white shorts and handlebar mustache; former District 5 semi-pro and original Brownsville High School Motocross Team racer Jeff Provance; June Holliday, wife of Dist. 5 and PAMX officer “Doc” Holliday and mother of Kawasaki Motor Corp. executive and former pro racer Ryan Holliday; and Dr. Charles Hyde, beloved local veterinarian, off-road rider and father of off-road legend, Mark Hyde. As professional motocross privateer-turned-event-promoter, Big Dave Coombs was the co-founder of not only High Point Raceway and Steel City Raceway, but the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn Ranch, the Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC), the National Promoters Group (NPG), the ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX), the legendary Blackwater 100, and much, much more. His legacy extends to the foundation of MX Sports Pro Racing, organizers of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, as well as Racer Productions, Racer X Illustrated and Racer X Online. Big Dave Coombs passed on August 3, 1998 after losing his battle with leukemia. He was 57 years old. Vintage “Big Dave” on the throttle at Appalachia Lake, WV, circa 1973. Racer Productions Archives As you can imagine, Big Dave’s story goes much deeper than this. Our friend, Brett Smith, with We Went Fast has done a great job of highlighting Dave’s life with his story The Ballad of Big Dave. He also did a fantastic job of chronicling the formation of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s with a great podcast entitled “How We Got Here: The Genesis of Loretta Lynn’s Motocross”. Adult (12+) gate admission is $25 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11), with kids five and under free. Gates open on Friday, September 20 at 12 p.m. and close nightly from midnight until 6 a.m. Camping is included with the admission fee. To get to the raceway from Pittsburgh or Morgantown take I-79 to PA Exit 1, and proceed three miles to the gate entrance. From Hagerstown take I-70 west to I-68 west. Then take I-79 north to PA Exit 1 and follow the signs east three miles to the track. Big rigs should follow US 19 South and Rt. 100 after taking PA Exit 1. For more information on the entire race weekend please call (304) 284-0084 or visit the official website at www.highpointmx.com. Also follow High Point Raceway on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and to catch the latest news.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1493
__label__wiki	0.540798	0.540798	Questions about example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Busty" The meaning of "Busty" in various phrases and sentences What does busty mean? It refers to the quality of having large breasts, for example a busty woman would be a woman with big boobs well bust is about your chest size so 'busty' is basically 'big breasts' What does I'm busty mean? busty means you have big boobs Translations of "Busty" How do you say this in English (US)? busty Other questions about "Busty" I'm busty it means I don't have a lot of money? Just bust, not busty, but yes. If a business has "gone bust" then they've had to close Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "do" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "have" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "lot" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "mean" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "money" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "悔しい" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "kal" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "ingles" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Pls" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "buenas" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bubget" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "かつ" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Nn" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "afastou" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "row" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "OOO" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "many" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "location" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "おどろく" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Premium" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "asideros" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Psicologia" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "umesh" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "限る" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Exemplos" Words similar to busty Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busted" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bustela" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "buster" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bustle" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bustler" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bustling" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bustlling" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busto" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Bustos" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "bustter" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busuness" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busur" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busura" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Busuu" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "buswanker" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "buswork" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busy" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busybody" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "busyer" Example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Busyness" Words that start with "B"	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1494
__label__wiki	0.968508	0.968508	Founding Grant The crest of the Founding Grant Society. Interviews with members of the Founding Grant Society, an organization that recognizes individuals who provide support for Stanford in their wills, trusts, or other planned gifts. Interviews explore narrators' sense of connection to the university, their most memorable Stanford experiences, the impact of Stanford on their lives, and reflections on change over time at the university. Interviews were conducted in 2009 and 2011. Bradley, Judith Lynn 2009 \| Project: Alumni Interviews, \| Project: Founding Grant Interviewer: Brooks, Vicki Judith Lynn Bradley, Class of 1966, talks about her experiences as an undergraduate transfer student majoring in Latin American Studies. She also discusses how she's stayed connected to Stanford through the years. Access Audio Access Transcript Coblentz, Jean Galt Interviewer: Glasser, Charlotte Jean Galt Coblentz, Stanford Class of 1947, recalls how she came to Stanford in the midst of World War II. She recalls working for the wife of Stanford's president David Starr Jordan and her freshman year courses. She recalls the sense of community that women had during the war years with so few... Docter, Stephen D. Interviewer: Gregor, Anne Stephen Docter, Class of 1956, discusses his time at Stanford as an undergraduate history major and later as a law student. He recalls his involvement with Stanford Athletics as a student-athlete and later a spectator. Access Interview Ely, Leonard W. 2009 \| Project: Alumni Interviews, \| Project: Founding Grant, \| Project: Presidential Families Leonard W. Ely, grandson of Stanford President Ray Lyman Wilbur and Stanford Class of 1948, discusses his father's work in the orthopedic department in the Stanford hospital and his undergraduate education as an economics major. He also discusses how he has stayed connected to the university... Farrar, Nancy L. Interviewer: Humburg, Judee Nancy Farrar, Class of 1950, discusses how she has stayed involved with Stanford through the art museum and recalls her experiences as an undergraduate at the university. Access Audio Access Transcript Farrar, William R. 2011 \| Project: Founding Grant William R. Farrar graduated from Stanford in 1947 and stayed at the university to attend law school before switching over to the Business School, graduating in 1953. In his interview, Farrar speaks of his first impressions of Stanford and the post-WWII era. Farrar recalls joining the Phi Delta... Maveety, Patrick J. Patrick Maveety, Class of 1951, discusses his undergraduate years at Stanford as an art major and his service in the Navy during the Korean War. He later attended graduate school and became a curator of Asian art at Stanford. He describes how he has remained involved at the Cantor Art Center even... Narver, Ellen Ellen Narver, Class of 1976, describes her time at Stanford as an undergraduate biology major. She recalls living in Rinconada Hall as a freshman and how her undergraduate education prepared her for the future. She discusses how she has stayed connected to Stanford through the friends she made and... Rehmus, Frederick P. Frederick Rehmus, MBA 1961, describes how he came to Stanford from Harvard and his involvement with the Cantor Art Center and the Alumni Association. He recalls his time at the Business School and his impressions and memories of various Stanford presidents. Access Audio Access Transcript 2011 \| Project: Alumni Interviews, \| Project: Founding Grant, \| Project: Arts at Stanford Frederick Rehmus, MBA 1961, describes his involvement with the Cantor Art Center and his various other volunteer activities around Stanford, including the Business School Alumni Board and the Alumni Association. Access Audio Access Transcript Rensselaer, Cortlandt Van Cortlandt Van Rensselaer, Class of 1944, describes graduating and immediately entering the Armed Forces. He returned to Stanford under the GI Bill and has maintained his connection to the university through fundraising for the Business and Engineering schools. He describes some of the interactions... Ritchie, Milton Hoke Milton Hoke Ritchie describes his first experience attending a football game at Stanford, his later fellowship at Stanford and how he has stayed connected to the university. Access Audio Access Transcript Rodgers, Joseph L. Interviewer: Hanawalt, Carla Joseph L. Rodgers, Class of 1951, describes his engineering education at Stanford and how he has stayed tied to the university through the School of Engineering and the Hoover Institution. He also recalls student life in the years immediately following World War II. Access Audio Access Transcript Spaeth, C. Grant C. Grant Spaeth, Stanford Class of 1954 and member of the 1953 National Championship Golf team, reflects on playing golf at Stanford. Access Audio Access Transcript Telleen, L. Sherman With Marjorie Horcuitz Telleen L. Sherman Telleen, Class of 1952, and Marjorie Horcuitz Telleen, Class of 1952, discuss their time at Stanford as undergraduates and later at the Stanford Business School. They also discuss how they have stayed connected to Stanford, especially through their support... Telleen, Marjorie Horcuitz With L. Sherman Telleen L. Sherman Telleen, Class of 1952, and Marjorie Horcuitz Telleen, Class of 1952, discuss their time at Stanford as undergraduates and later at the Stanford Business School. They also discuss how they have stayed connected to Stanford, especially through their support of... Wells, Edwin A. Edwin A. Wells, Class of 1950, describes how his family has remained connected to Stanford, for example, with four generations living in Roble Hall. He describes his participation in the Sigma Chi fraternity and some of the changes he's observed on campus over the years. Access Audio Access...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1495
__label__cc	0.535917	0.464083	Idle Tech Thoughts Technology Ramblings by Niranjan Nandakumar Photo online – Adobe Photoshop Express March 31, 2008 Niranjan NandakumarLeave a comment For long I had been a “self-proclaimed” photo enthusiast. Although capturing photographs were just attempts to freeze time on those moments which I wanted to take along with me for the rest of my life, I had been attempting to put them online from the very beginning. I’ve seen the launch of Picasa as just a desktop application and flickr in its formative years as a non-yahoo entity. Over the dozens of other attempts to go online such as the Kodak Gallery , Web Shots and Yahoo Photos , Picasa Web stood out simply for its ability to provide a 1GB space, through its infinitely expanding storage at Google. But one of the factors which stood out on all these attempts was that, in every one of them, the photo editing had to be done “outside the web” and had to be uploaded later. As the needs of the internet grew, more blogs and social networks started demanding faster and user-friendly ways of “manipulating” photographs, once they have been uploaded. And this had to happen as soon as possible. Adobe Photoshop Express , the little I’ve tried so far, has been extremely impressive in its attempt to provide user with an “online application” (non-OS specific) to edit photos once uploaded. It can, perhaps, be seen as a rather toned down version of the Photoshop CS3. With the 2GB space that it offers for free, the amount of editing features that it has already incorporated, looks like a promising step forward. And I’m happy with the little that I get to play around with the pictures for now 🙂 Gone are the days when, the grandeur with which Microsoft attempts to “prelaunch” its products is anticipated with a lot of interest. But I must admit that the idea of Photosynth , seems promising if it actually makes it to a common internet user, although the preview being restricted to just XP and Vista users can be annoying to “8% of the population” who use Mac OSX and of course the open source community in general 🙂 . iPhone – for common man or business enterprises ? Magical “yet” Revolutionary Apple Sunda(y)e Big Data Cisco Live 2012 digital identity Manic Monday Startup Saturday Thank Geeks its Friday Thursday Tidbits Tuesday's Take Uncategorized Wednesday Walkthrough Idletech feeds Idle Tech Tweets RT @msquinn: "We all ask each other a lot of questions. But we should all ask one question a lot more: What are you reading?” https://t.co/… 3 years ago "It's not just about technology. It's also about human behavior" - Andrew W Lo #MITFintech https://t.co/NHQunUSilR 3 years ago "NASDAQ is not a stock exchange. It's a fintech company" - Brad Peterson #MITFintech https://t.co/K2qcnOD0zS 3 years ago Costless verification #mitfintech https://t.co/EklBodwz6D 3 years ago Blockchain for financial inclusion #mitfintech https://t.co/z8FS71radU 3 years ago Follow @idletechthought RIP Headphone Jack!	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1499
__label__wiki	0.80136	0.80136	Enter the golden sound world of 17th-century Spain with the guiding hand of Jordi Savall. Composer Horace Turnbull presents "The A List - A night of musical theater." JAG Fest 4.0 A festival for the development of new plays by African-American playwrights. Sally Pinkas and Saul Bitrán Hear the mingled influences of early 20th-century French and Latin American music. Hear "A Day in the Light" by this dynamic student-community wind orchestra. Patrick Ross and Atlas Key Unlock the contemporary world of international folk and dance with music by fiddler Patrick Ross's new band. Artist Conversation DSO and Coast Jazz Orchestra Merge and Prosper Taylor Ho Bynum, director of the Coast Jazz Orchestra, and Filippo Ciabatti, director of the DSO, talk about their collaboration on the creative project that brings together the two storied student ensembles for the premiere of an exciting new work. Two of Dartmouth's flagship student ensembles join to present the world premiere of a major new Taylor Ho Bynum creation that joins jazz and classical music—and Shakespeare. Feb - Mar 21 - 01 The Sweet Science of Bruising In a world controlled by men, four Victorian women discover unexpected freedom in the underground subculture of women's boxing—and struggle against the limitations of that freedom. Join the cast and crew immediately following the show; cash bar. An original production that is written, directed and produced by the Dartmouth community of self-identified women. Kids' Dance Party Shake and boogie with Hop favorite, DJ (and dad!) Sean/Livemixkings!	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1502
__label__wiki	0.577581	0.577581	320-629-7600 (Greater MN Area) - info@tsapc.net - 651-224-4114 (Twin Cities Area) Clinical Staff by Location Pine City - Hilltop House Pine City - Hillside Office Pine City - Depot Office Schools in East Central Minnesota Client Homes or Community Locations Clinical Staff by Program/Service Foster Care Based Treatment Programs In-Home Family Based Services Mental Health Services in Schools Day Treatment - Pine City Day Treatment - North Branch Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Community Based Skills Groups Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services On-Call Mobile Crisis Response Services via Canvas Health Intern and Practicum Students Child Treatment Teen Mom and Child Full Family Care Shelter Care Intensive Treatment in Foster Care Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Supervised Visitations Resources for Crisis Services Summer Programming Adoption Supports Referral & Intake Forms Hope Realized Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc. Receives Grant from Hospital District for Mental Health Services Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc. is excited to be the recipient of a grant through the North Pine Area Hospital District to open an office at the Pine Healthcare Campus in the Gateway Family Health Clinic! The following is a press release from the North Pine Area Hospital District: Hospital District Signs Grant for Mental Health Services by Therapeutic Services Agency Sandstone, MN – June 29, 2019 – The North Pine Area Hospital District (Hospital District) Board Chair, Ron Osladil, signed the contract giving a $28,508 grant to Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc (TSA) to provide mental health therapy in the Sandstone area. With the Board Chair is Fran Levings, Chair of the Health Care Services Committee of the Hospital District. This committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending new health care services that are needed in the Hospital District area. “Health care for the body and mind are critically important and we are delighted to help support the launch of mental health services for our member Cities and Townships,” states Ron Osladil, chair of the North Pine Area Hospital District. “Therapeutic Services Agency is highly respected and has helped hundreds with a wide range of mental health needs.” The home office of TSA is located in Pine City and satellite offices are in Coon Rapids, Cambridge, North Branch and Lindstrom. They have operated for over 40 years. “TSA thanks the North Pine Area Hospital District for the visionary wisdom of the Board and determined commitment to support making mental health services available for people close to home is really impressive,” comments Executive Director, Cheryl Smetana McHugh of Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc. “We believe that adding this resource for the community will advance comprehensive care for persons in the area; recognizing that mental health is an important part of personal health and well-being.” Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc (often referenced as “TSA”) will have a mental health therapist working at Gateway Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The therapist will be Selena Stevens. She has a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and is experienced in providing outpatient mental health services helping children, teens and their families, adults and couples. Persons experiencing depression, anxiety, struggling with personal relationships, parenting, work-life, life stage transitions, grief, childhood or current trauma or other issues interfering with personal happiness may find mental health services helpful. Services are confidential and professional. To make an appointment, persons can call 320-629-7600 and ask to schedule an appointment at the Gateway Clinic with the TSA therapist. Medical Assistance, PMAP, most insurances and private pay are accepted. Appointments are available during Gateway Family Health Clinic Hours 8:30-5:30. Appointments are now available with service start August 1 at the Gateway Family Health Clinic in Sandstone. “We welcome this new mental health care provider to the Pine Healthcare Campus and are delighted to have them operating within the Gateway Family Health Clinic,” states Eric Nielsen, Administrator of Gateway Family Health Clinic. “We began offering tele-psychiatric medication management service last fall because mental and physical health are often enter-related. Now having in-office therapy available will be a significant benefit for people.” Selena Stevens Bio Selena Stevens is a Mental Health Practitioner who earned a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University in Eagan, MN. Selena has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA and is actively pursuing licensure in Marriage and Family therapy and is a Clinical Trainee practicing under a board-approved supervisor. Selena's previous work experience includes adult and children's Mental Health Case Management and Child Protective Services and providing outpatient mental health services. Selena enjoys working with children, adolescents, adults and families. She has a special interest in trauma and its emotional and physical impacts on individuals and families. Selena's approach to therapy is genuine, creative and compassionate. About North Pine Area Hospital District The North Pine Area Hospital District is a Minnesota political subdivision whose purpose is to ensure that area residents have access to high quality health care. Hospital Districts have taxing authority to acquire, improve and run hospital and nursing home facilities, support other health care services on the Pine Healthcare Campus and provide wellness education. The North Pine Area Hospital District built the Pine Healthcare Campus, which opened in May 2017. The Hospital District contracts and leases space for hospital services with Essentia Health. The clinic services are provided by Gateway Family Health Clinic, pharmacy services with Thrifty White Pharmacy and mental health services with Therapeutic Services Agency. The Hospital District is governed by a Board of Directors composed of 19 elected individuals for four-year terms. For more information about the Hospital District and the Pine Healthcare Campus, go to www.PineHospitalDistrict.com. © 2020 Privacy policy \| Website By: Sound Software	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1503
__label__cc	0.667638	0.332362	Louisiana Downs Celebrates Opening Day With Two – Yes, Two – Kills I get it. I really do. “Santa Anita” is sexy – dead horses at perhaps the most celebrated racetrack in the land. Throw in that it’s California, with all that progressive legislation (see fur), and unrelenting pressure from activists (HW), and this story, as they say, has legs. But meanwhile, horses continue to die everywhere else, too. Yesterday, Louisiana Downs reopened for business (it had been on hiatus since September), and here’s how it unfolded, according to Equibase: In the 3rd, Lrh Fast as Oak “fell” and was “euthanized” (you don’t get a whole lot of detail out of this chartwriter). He was two years old. Two races later, same thing: Perry Train “fell, euthanized.” He, too, was two. Two kills on “Opening Day” – how proud they must be. To the people who attended, to the people who bet, there are no more excuses: Everyone knows (largely because of Santa Anita) that horseracing kills horses. But here’s another uncomfortable truth: If it were not for your patronage, those poor babies would be alive today. It’s called being complicit. Now the only question that remains is what are you going to do about it? Unbelievable! For society that is so against animal abuse and the awareness entering 2020 and this is still being allowed! It has to stop! If people want to gamble, do it on machines, not horses that have feelings, pain, abuse and eventually a terrible demise. When is this going to stop?? jfigg@frontier.net says: It’s not going to stop, money and profit are involved….. It's Phil says: It IS going to stop. That’s what brought me to PB. And I’m (didn’t want to speak for PB or HRW by saying we’re) not promoting to make it better and/or safer because that just drags out the inevitable. It won’t be polite. Jump in here if I’ve missed something and got it wrong. I notice both these horses were 2 years old! The reality of this is both of them had reached their official age of 2 at all, they were more than likely both less than 24 months old. Remember we can call a TB 2 years old on Jan. 1. These horses were 18 mo. to 23.5 months old! We are pushing a babies body to do an adult horses job. Sick American racing. jfigg, we report the horses’ actual ages, using their true dates of birth and not the industry’s CHOICE of January 1. Perry Train would have turned three in March. He had been raced 9 times. Lrh Fast as Oak would have turned three in February – he had 8 starts. Wanda Diamond says: jfigg@frontier….and Joy: Thank you both for the question and answer of “what is the true age of these young Thoroughbred horses exploited by horseracing.” Once again our resident town crier demonstrates the pen’s power against the sword. Thanks for your work, Pat. Now out of all the racetracks and states that I stabled at there was nothing more vile, repulsive, abusive, corrupt, and heartbreaking as the tracks in Louisiana. It was so bad there and nobody was looking out for these racehorses even though it’s the same on most tracks this had to be the worse. It was like living and working in a slaughterhouse for racehorses it was so bad. The corruption was so blatant that the horse racing commissioner at the time owned almost every racehorse in every race in some capacity and won all the races. Just google Louisiana horse racing if you care to read up on it or to prove my point. Anyways, I had my good horse entered and he was going to win, they knew it, and they had to do something about it because they hate it when somebody else wins “their” purse money. He was “scratched at the gate” for no reason whatsoever. They put an end to that. In the light of billions in casino profits they refused to provide warm/hot water in the receiving barn to shower racehorses down, but kept the hot water for the trainers who trained for the racing commissions in their private barns that furnished everything for them. On one night they even flickered the lights on and off so nobody could see when they were hotwalking their racehorses after the last race to send us home when the horses weren’t even cooled down. So much for “loving them like family members’ right? I had never seen anything like this and it was so bad for the racehorses there. I saw racehorses who were about 500 pounds underweight STILL training and running because if you reported it, as I did, nothing got done – absolutely nothing. Then, at the Fairgrounds, the jockey held Wolfie back in the stretch,yanked on his mouth so hard because he was in full flight on his way to winning, that his mouth bled for 24 hours after that and I reported him and the racing commission did nothing and called me a shit disturber. It’s all part of the intimidation tactics that they are so good at. Your either part of them or your not part of them. The jockey didn’t allow him to finish so that they could list Wolfie as a DNF, when there wasn’t anything wrong with him. I wonder how much they paid that jockey to hold him back? At Evangeline Downs there were racehorses dying there every single day before they were reporting them. Steve Asmussen has about 60 racehorses there that he rarely saw and his Mexican labor rarely got paid. There were racehorses coming out of his barn with caked on crap on their legs for days that hadn’t been washed off, they had blown out tendons, ligaments, bone fractures, ulcers it was horrible. They were mere numbers to fill races for this assholes connections. I saw racehorses convulsing in the stable area and dropping dead right there everybody there was using EPO at the time and I was offered to buy it. Of course I didn’t after I saw what it was doing to the racehorses. They would run and win for a couple of races and then be done, but these parasites didn’t care they got their bucks then intentionally ruined them and then off to the kill auctions they would go. I was told about the kill auctions, but was skeptical as to how bad they really were so the next night I went with a friend to really see for myself. There were about 20 thoroughbreds there most of which had their racing plates on and 2 of which were in the race the night before that I was in. It was so heartbreaking and so pathetic and the majority of racehorses were the ones who belonged to the stewards on the racing commissions or the large barn like Asmussens who requires regularly dumping to get rid of the ones they maimed and replace them with other victims to drain every last bit of life out of them. Like I said parasites. It’s also important to mention that when the tracks cut the contracts with the government for the millions in casino profits, like Frank Stronach, they were legally bound to clean-up the stable areas and the surrounding property. The Fairgrounds is so pathetic it’s disgusting and although I’ve not been there in years, back in 2005 it was so horrific in the stable area. It was worse than the slums in Calcutta. Yet, the politicians approve their millions every single year knowing that the tracks haven’t lived up to their end of the bargain. It’s no different than Maryland or California. This business has been getting billions in unprecedented money, tax deferrals, tax breaks, corporate welfare and they have done little to NOTHING to improve anything. It’s only gotten worse and when in the hell are the politicians going to stop this? I’m even surprised that they are reporting the deaths like the 2 poor souls that died. This has GOT TO GO and they money needs to stop now. That is amazing information and so heartbreaking! I would love to see this information get even more to the public. What can we do? Maybe encourage everyone to write to Louisiana officials? I know you said deaf ears, but maybe some journalist could blow that wide open like Patrick has done here with awareness of deaths and ending racing in California? What happened to that after all the pressure we put on Fienstein and Santa Anita still opened and two deaths to start? Patrick, amazing job getting this info out there and creating awareness. Please advise as to whom else we can write, particularly in Louisiana! Rose Smith says: The politicians and those in racing are on par when it comes to ethics, integrity and, of course, protecting their “careers” and the MONEY!! Gina it looks like he was having issues before that race. He probably shouldn’t have run. It looks like his owner/trainer ran the crud out of him, tried to lose him in a claiming race at Ellis Park and then sold him to Richard Jukosky after he didn’t run any good. He must have been really messed up if he needed two years off. That’s not very responsible. I hope he’s in good hands now. Fascinating topic, Patrick. I think in the not-so-distant future — when U.S. horse racing is in its actual and final extinction phase — we’ll see whole sectors of academic study devoted to the “Santa Anita Effect.” Students of Journalism, Sociology, Business/Marketing, Statistics, Public Relations, and, yes, even Veterinary Medicine will be studying what “went wrong” (to coin a phrase) with the industry, and how Santa Anita set the stage for its utter destruction. I’ll hazard a guess that your name will come up more often than not;) Race 5 at Aqueduct. I’m thinking the writer is either uncharacteristically honest, or just has a sick sense of humor. Either way, doesn’t look hopeful for #2 horse, Bad Sueno. Kelly what happened at Aqueduct? Hi, Nancy. This is Patrick’s specialty, so I’ll let him handle the real journalistic legwork. I’ve just never read a race writer acknowledge that a mortally-injured horse was ridden past the wire, “to collect the final check.” I just watched a replay. The horse was way behind and getting the whip. Then off to the side. That is all they showed on NYRA replay. Sheree Cockrell says: Horrible when will this stop! I agree that this is horrible!!!! I want it to STOP as well!!!! It’s interesting how you mentioned the scenery and flowers for selfies at Santa Anita- when the Germans first started the concentration camps, they lined the path to the gas chambers outside the camps with trees and flowers. georgiegirl10 says: I’ve only known three people who were die hard gamblers. One enjoyed both horses and dogs, and the other two enjoyed the horses, I’m glad that I haven’t spent a dime on the races. I have enjoyed watching the horses over the years….the are beautiful, graceful, and smart, and even before ever reading your blog I would yell at the television each and every time one of those stupid jockeys thought they should whip the hell out of the horses to go faster. I know, I know, they say :it doesn’t hurt, but that’s hard to believe. I’d like to use the whip on the jockeys, trainers and owners and see how they like it. All I know is I can no longer watch any race on tv, I just can’t, and I have Patrick to thank for that. I also send these blogs to my Facebook, so that people would wise up and stop giving any money to the racetracks, and anyone ‘involved’ in the destruction of these beautiful creatures, including the government. They are all disgraceful/horrible people. I don’t think anyone believes that the whips/riding crops don’t hurt. I hope no person could be stupid enough to believe such a filthy lie as saying that being struck with a riding whip/crop doesn’t hurt. The paid mouthpieces for horseracing want to deceive the public so naturally they don’t normally tell the truth. Roland Vincent says: Reblogged this on Armory of the Revolution.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1505
__label__cc	0.711515	0.288485	William and Kate Photographed on Date Night & Trip to Norfolk + A Tour of China Next Year? We haven't seen the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for quite some time in terms of royal watching and tonight not one but two sets of off-duty photos have emerged of the royal couple. Today's Sunday Express features a photo of the couple enjoying a date night. William and Kate were photographed holding hands as they enjoyed a night out at The Kings Head Hotel in Great Bircham where they had a romantic dinner. Daily Star Sunday More from Camilla Tominey's story for the Express: 'William and Kate, both 32, tucked into sea bream and shared an ice cream dessert. William, dressed casually in a blue shirt, denim jeans and white trainers, held his wife's hand as he ushered her to the bar at the Grade II-listed country house hotel just three miles from the Queen's Sandringham estate. William who was driving, ordered a lime and soda, while Kate sipped on a white wine spritzer as four bodyguards sat an adjacent table.' Built in the Edwardian era, the family-run hotel combines all the traditional warmth and comfort of a long established country house with sleek contemporary facilities. Given its close proximity to Anmer Hall, it may become something of a local for the Cambridges. The restaurant offers a varied yet traditional menu. William and Kate both decided to try the same meal, grilled fillet of black bream with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, baby spinach and oven-dried tomatoes, priced at £16.25. Afterwards William ordered two scoops of vanilla ice cream, with two spoons. Back to the Express story: 'An onlooker said: "William was extremely affectionate and considerate towards Kate throughout. She walked in with wet hair. She kept playing with it, twisting it around her fingers while talking to him. They were quite flirtatious and couldn't keep their hands off each other. When they had finished their meal, a couple of locals came up to them and said hello. They smiled and were very chatty. My overwhelming feeling was how normal they were."' The Duchess was casually dressed in a black sweater, her J Brand skinny jeans and Pied A Terre Imperia Wedges. The sling-back espadrilles are still available for $140 at Dune London. Kate wore her hair in loose curls; it's a very natural look and reminiscent of her days at university and before the engagement. The Mirror published a separate set of photos of the royal couple with their dog Lupo dashing through crowds at London's King's Cross station. A gallery of photos can be viewed on The Mirror's website. The Mirror Facebook Page Commuters were surprised to see William and Kate dashing through the station on Friday as they returned to London following a visit to their country home, Anmer Hall. The couple are expected to spend much of their time there for the next few years as Prince William begins training for his role an air ambulance pilot. Prince George did not join his parents on the trip. Kate was attired in one of her signature outfits with plenty of layers for the cooler weather. The Duchess wore one of her Barbour jackets. As the photos are rather blurry it's difficult to be certain but it looks very much like her Defence Jacket - a piece we've seen her wear again and again. The Duchess wore her favourite skinny jeans, a baseball cap, a sweater and a plaid shirt underneath. The shirt is very similar to the Gap Gingham Shirt Kate wore during the tour of New Zealand and Australia, and it's quite possible it's the very same. Kate opted for casual footwear - her Mint Velvet plimsolls. Kate carried two bags. The smaller bag is a piece she's had for years by Tod's (with thanks to Ashley Marie). We've seen Kate carry it at polo matches, including the one photographed below. #102795099 / gettyimages.com Meanwhile, the little Prince was photographed with his nanny, Maria Teresa, toddling around Kensington Gardens in an adorable rain suit by UK brand Hippychick (with thanks to What Prince George Wore). The suits can be worn over clothing and come in several colours. More from Hippychick: 'With the UK experiencing an average of between 150 and 200 rainy days each year, opportunities for outdoor play can be halved unless you have the right protective clothing - a recipe for frustrated children and frazzled parents! All-in-Ones have been designed to be completely waterproof, windproof and breathable ensuring complete comfort and protection in all weathers.' Prince George appeared to be having a great time out and about with his nanny. The pair have been spotted and photographed in the beautiful Kensington Gardens on a number of occasions recently. It is thought the couple will be displeased by the publication of these photos. Royal commentators noted demand for paparazzi photos is higher than ever at the moment due to the drought in official appearances. Phil Dampier Twitter Feed In other news, The Sunday Times reports the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will undertake an historic tour of China next year: 'Plans are being drawn up for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to make a historic tour of China. Sources have confirmed that Kensington Palace and the Commonwealth Offices are in talks about a potential trip that would take place next year.' This is an incredibly interesting story if true (The Sunday Times tends to be reliable). China offers vast opportunities for British business and it may be an excellent step in improving relations between the two countries. Monday week William and Kate will open a China Centre Building at Oxford. We'll keep you informed as news comes in about this - it would certainly make for a very interesting tour! Finally, royal editor Martin shared news he expects William and Kate to play a role in the Singapore State Visit this October, most likely the State Banquet. The couple toured Singapore in 2012 and it would seem very fitting for them to be in attendance. @Courtier UK If so, we can expect to get another glimpse of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother's Papyrus tiara. We hope you're all having a stellar weekend! Labels: duchess of cambridge, duke and duchess of cambridge, kate middleton norfolk, william and kate date night, william and kate kings cross station I was so excited to see the photos of William and Kate. But then again to me it was an invasion of their privacy. OhI hope we will see her in a tiara in October. And the possible trip to China. Wonder if they will take George along too. And also what this trip will do to their baby planning? Oh well we have somethings to look forward to. And to Moxie don't worry it sounds like there will be no sports. I think it depends on what stage planning for the tour has reached. Certainly if W & K were planning to have another baby next year one would imagine the tour would have to take place before that. What surprises me is that they were published in Britain. If the Palace complained they wouldn't be; at least that's my understanding. I don't think they will complain. I don't think they're uncomfortable with these pictures. That doesn't mean they have to be comfortable. The ones of George on the other hand.... royalfan 1 September 2014 at 01:21 The date night photos kept the anniversary of Diana's death from getting the coverage it normally does. Coincidence????? Eva B 1 September 2014 at 03:53 royalfan, I don't think the date night photos necessarily kept the anniversary of Diana's death from getting the coverage it normally does because the media has plenty of space to cover anything they want and the could have used the two instances together. I saw relatively little coverage of the anniversary for the first time since the tragic accident. Maybe after 17 years the media have decided to move on. Not saying she will be forgotten, just finding her place in history. Maryland Moxie 1 September 2014 at 08:39 Anonymous! I appreciate you looking out for me! :-) Although, I would so appreciate it if Charlotte would include a Warning in her Headline: WARNING: This post has photos of wedges. Jean from Lancs 1 September 2014 at 09:40 I do wonder about the photos of Prince George. I cannot help but think that they must have expected someone would take a photo, if they saw Prince George toddling around the park in that cute little outfit. He would not have been out without security, who could have protected him from a photographer. I suspect they will deal differently if he is followed when he starts school, in a couple of years. Rebecca - Sweden 1 September 2014 at 11:53 I think they exprect them when in the park areas etc. But I think they don't like them. I think UK should pass a law that makes it illegal to photograph kids in that manner. It's another thing if they are on an engagement or going to a movie premier etc. But I think kids should be off limit. Isn't it something like that in USA? anon from Leominster 1 September 2014 at 14:00 There are similar photos taken in London parks of the queen and Charles when they were children and were being pushed in their prams by their nannies. This is not new and the historical value of those photos are striking now. It's true that those pictures of the Queen and Charles in prams are wonderful. But with the elevated terror warnings, I wonder whether Prince George will continue to be seen outside with just his mom or his nanny and a protection officer. Allowing blurry phone pics of George may be Kate's way of giving us glimpses of him now and then. Maybe they are a little like the answers she and William give to questions (His name is Lupo; George is walking and can open doors, etc.) It will be too bad if Prince George has to be protected more completely. bluhare 2 September 2014 at 03:03 Rebecca, last time photos of George were taken they screamed blue murder. I also think there was displeasure stated when papers ran the photos of William looking grumpy coming home on the train on Kate's birthday. Both are strikingly similar occurrences that produced palace complaints (and I think the photos of William were pulled after the fact, and no British papers published the photos of George in the park). I don't think the British papers published the George photos this time, but I haven't heard palace complaints about any of these. Don't you find that odd? I wonder about the selective complaining; doesn't make much sense to me. Moxie, I overreacted to a post of yours on the prior thread. I apologise. Jennifer from Wisconsin 2 September 2014 at 03:29 Regarding photos, not to my knowledge, but several celebrity moms like Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry have been pushing for legislation. Elizabeth 2 September 2014 at 04:54 Rebecca from Sweden, there's not any restriction on photos of celebrity children or the kids of officials that I'm aware of. The Obama daughters have been photographed lots of times out during casual events and pictures of celeb kids appear on a weekly basis here and mostly in casual settings. I think in the US, for the most part, the celebrities and the photogs seem to have worked out a truce. The photogs get a couple of pics and then leave them alone for a while and many celebrities court the photogs. While I don't see William and Kate ever courting photographers, I do think it would be wise, just in the interest of getting a little extra privacy, to offer the photogs a photo call or something like that, as has already been suggested. There certainly are a bevy of protection officers with George and Maria, though they're not in the frame. They know what's allowed and what's not and what they can prohibit and what they can't. Will and Kate might not like it but I think they're learning that they can't prevent it. Terror isn't exactly new to royals, thinking of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Archduke Ferdinand and his wife among others. Sadly, there's always a risk. Except when it's open to the public (around now) George could be walked in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, a car ride away if the risk was too great. So many things could happen - to the royals or any of us - that's it's probably best not to dwell on it. Bluhare - Yes, their complaint pattern is a little weird. Maybe they are getting better at choosing their fights? Jennifer & Elizabeth - Ok, maybe the bigger gossip sites have a no-children policy then. I think doing like the European royals with photo calls and released pictures regularly really would help Kate and William. bluhare, thanks for your kind words. I still chuckle at your Game of Phones comment - it pops into my head out of nowhere and people wonder why I am laughing to myself. Emily J 31 August 2014 at 01:34 I love surprise post like these! I can't wait for a new tour, are they still going on another one this year or is the one in September it?? Georgie is getting so big! And I loved seeing the pictures of Will and Kate, there is a nostalgic feel to them isn't there?? I have a busy labor day weekend, it is my small village busiest time of year. With a small carnival, food, a softball tournament, beer tent and a parade on Monday the people is 4 times or more the normal amount. Sadly I work the weekend, but all I can think is the money I''ll be making! Have a great weekend Emily and don't work too hard! Since I'm a waitress, I want and need to work hard to make money! I don't get stressed if I have everything ready. I'm a pretty good waitress; I hardly make mistakes, I know a lot of coustomers first names, and I always have a smile on my face( on the floor at least!) I open the restaurant, I'm there about 620 a.m or so and I'm none around 1 p.m. so it's not a bad day. Hope you had a good holiday weekend, Emily, got lots of tips and didn't have to work too hard!!! Emily J 2 September 2014 at 12:40 Thank you Anon from Leominster! The weekend was long and busy, but I did make good tips! Its nice when coustomers say that I'm there favorite waitress! Oh, I love the new pics of Prince Georgie run around and playing w the soccer ball! Katie 31 August 2014 at 01:43 Great post Charlotte! Kate, if you read this blog, PLEASE give us a good tiara photo op in October!!! I second that Katie :) Nancy 31 August 2014 at 04:16 I third that! Jennifer from Wisconsin 31 August 2014 at 01:47 Tiara time!!!! :) It would be great to have another look at the Papyrus tiara. I don't believe we've seen Kate in a gown this year? Post updated with all the details on William and Kate's date night :) Eva B 31 August 2014 at 02:20 Love the pictures of both Will and Kate, but also of George with his nanny. I really think George is really starting to look like William at this age. At least from that distance. Loved the rain outfit. Is this common in England? So cute. Blair 31 August 2014 at 02:21 If there is a tour coming sometime in the near future, then maybe Kate will repeat some dresses she wore on the first time around when they toured. I just loved that Prabal Gurung dress!!! I loved the Prabal Curing dress also! I love Asian styles, and hopefully for the Chinese tour we will see a lot of new and different dresses on kate! Amy, Detroit Michigan 31 August 2014 at 02:38 Yay to a possible tiara event! Boo to those damn skinny jeans! Have a lovely Labor Day weekend (or regular weekend), everybody. lantana 31 August 2014 at 04:51 I agree with you about the skinny jeans! Lynn from CA 31 August 2014 at 17:55 Why down on the skinny jeans ladies? She looks great in them and it's her "date night". What else would you like her to wear? I am just curious -- would you prefer a different color or something completely different like a skirt / boot cut jeans, etc? I have to admit I am tired of seeing her wearing them for sporting events while working, but on her off time, I don't have a problem with them. P.S Will doesn't look like he changed clothes from the time he left the restaurant to the time he got off the train at King's Cross ;) Yankee from California 1 September 2014 at 01:11 It seems that the blue skinny jeans are catching on within royal circles. CP Victoria wore them last week with a navy blazer to Estelle's first day of school, then on to a sports-related event. CP Mary wore them on her recent tour with a navy blazer and striped shirt -- a carbon copy of Kate's look. Maybe Kate is the ultimate trend-setter! :-) In this case, they look very normal to me but I understand many here are sick of seeing them, so I can understand where you are coming from, Amy! Blair 1 September 2014 at 01:29 Not to mention William and those trainers that he's always always always wearing!!!! Amy, Detroit Michigan 1 September 2014 at 01:48 Hi Lynn! My issue with the skinny jeans is that they are beyond skinny jeans...they are more like those tacky jeggings that infomercials were trying to get us gals to buy. I doubt a piece of paper would fit between the fabric and Kate's skin. Basically, they are too, too skinny. I just want to see her in a regular pair of jeans, she wore them a lot before she got married. Now it's all skinny jeans, all the time. Lynn from CA 1 September 2014 at 05:04 Ok, I get it now. They are a little worn. Perhaps she brought an older pair with her because she was just in Norfolk for the renovations. I don't know if you noticed, but in the pictures of them by the car after coming out of King's Cross, her Plimsoll's looked like she had been traipsing through the mud -- and those on not cheap shoes! So I have a feeling perhaps they were "roughing it a little" in the yard maybe around the outside of Anmer? I'm only guessing of course. At least they ere a decided improvement of those worn by Queen Letizia---hers had holes in the knees!! I agree, although I don't like either. I was shocked when I saw Letizia in those. In general, I don't care what royals wear on truly private occasions but those jeans of Letizia's looked so tawdry. Know they're very much in style, so suppose I'm showing my age. Kate dressed much better in private before her marriage. Even when she was wearing jeans, she would look put together. William seems to like to dress down, perhaps she copies him. I suppose that could explain it, Lynn. I'm to the point where I would rather see her in yoga pants if she were roughing it in the yard than these skinny jeans, and that s saying A LOT because I just can't even with yoga pants being worn in public. I also think I hate the color of the skinny jeans. I actually think the red ones she has are cute. But she has these 2 pairs of worn out blue, blue, BLUE jeans that she normally pairs with the Corkswoon wedges that are a completely different shade of blue, and it looks weird...so maybe I have residual hate from those occasions every time I sed them, lol. I guess I just want to see regular jeans. Maybe they would keep me from noticing how shockingly skinny she has gotten over the past few years, which the skinny jeans showcase. And Jean...there were holes in Letizia's knees????? Oh my word! If you read things properly you would have noted that I referred to her jeans not her knees.(NOTE---those worn by} Rose from Montreal, Canada 31 August 2014 at 03:02 Thank you Charlotte for all your hard work keeping Duchess Kate's loyal fans informed. Love these informal photos and oh my isn't our little Prince getting big!!!. He is 13 months, how time flies. Would love to see Kate in a beautiful gown and tiara. It's a long weekend here too. Once more thank you so much Charlotte. You are the best. George is growing really fast and looking more and more like his dad every day. Thank you for your kind comments :) I agree, Charlotte, George looks like a Will mini-me now! eelady 31 August 2014 at 03:25 ooo a trip to China! How exciting! There could be lots of opportunities for glamor in a trip like that :) And like the previous poster, the first thing that popped into my head was - how would the tour fit in with a possible next pregnancy? I can't imagine she'd do a big overseas trip if she were pregnant. Honestly, I think it's none of our business to speculate when Kate's next pregnancy will be. When she does get pregnant then she will find the right time to tell the world. But until then let's just enjoy George! I don't think this was speculation.. More like a high probability and wondering the thought process behind the tour planning. I believe Charles and Diana's expected first tour of Australia/N.Z. was pushed back because of her pregnancy with William. I think planning may go on regardless and dates are simply finalised later. Lynn Georgia USA 2 September 2014 at 00:22 Yes, plans have to proceed for women in their childbearing years! Even in this modern day and age, Mother Nature still has the final say in when a pregnancy occurs. Since I tried for five years before getting pregnant, I would have foregone a lot of fun times and fun trips had I put everything in abeyance while I waited for the magic moment. (That moment finally did occur on a wonderful trip to the American West while nestled in a cottage on the rim of the Grand Canyon--as well as I can figure!) Even if there was another winter pregnancy announcement this year, with another summer birth, the tour could still go on. I wouldn't expect an announcement much before the end of this year. Singapore is a 13-hour flight and given the issues Kate had last time (and throughout that pregnancy according to most accounts), I can't believe that she or William or the Palace would risk it, not to mention it's a 13-hour flight back or more. That's a long flight for anyone, let alone someone who's ill. I also don't think they'd risk her being pregnant and having to be hospitalized abroad. Early autumn is said to be generally the best time to visit China (depending on where you're going). An early to mid-summer birth in 2015 would both allow Kate to recover and spend some time with the baby and George before heading to China. And if you think WE'RE being tasteless and tacky talking about all this planning for a pregnancy, etc., I can guarantee you it's already been discussed - and in likely far greater detail - AND with Kate and William. The RF plans everything!! A lovely way for it to happen when it did happen! Lynn - So glad to hear you got a child! :) I really hope when I wan't to try for a family that it can go smoothly..... But it sounds like a romantic way to get it done ;). Just wondering Elizabeth how you can guarantee it has already beem discusssed. I really don't think William & Catherine would talk about this personal issue with the queen or his dad. I believe (my opinion) William & Catherine discuss this matter themselves. Thanks for the fantastic upadate althought the duchess and duke does that want to be photograph but i love the paparazi shot but i think invasion private life i see photos george looking so fast and i think nanny maria does want to be photograph i love too see the duchess on tiara love that i think its possible too see that duchess is pregnant if she plsn to go on big overseas trips higher risky for her Do we know when the date night photo was taken? We have had a gown this year. The ink blue - lovely, but a repeat. About time we had a treat ! How nice if they come down to China! Maybe they'll also tour India. :D I don't think it is an invasion of their privacy to photograph them publicly walking somewhere. Anyone can be photographed out in public. And they are not in any way being "chased" whatsoever or anything. Thanks for the updates Charlotte! The tour in China sounds interesting, can't wait to hear more about it :) Jane Rosenbaum 31 August 2014 at 09:08 Of course it's an invasion of a person's privacy to photograph them when they are going about their activities in their private lives. That's why there is a distinction between public/work lives and private lives for every person on earth. Sarah in Minneapolis 31 August 2014 at 13:18 Stephanie, I don't view it as an invasion of privacy either. Jane Rosenbaum - The European Court disagrees with your opinion that W & K's privacy was invaded. A precedence was established in 2013 by that court regarding European Human Rights Article 8 which the UK has adopted. That ruling applied to Caroline of Monoco but since the UK has adopted Article 8, the ruling establishes a precedence that would apply to W&K should they sue for this week's photos. In 2013, the EU Court ruled against Caroline of Monaco's attempt to prohibit publication of photos taken of her in public spaces (shopping, public beach) citing European Human Rights law Article 8. Details of Caroline's case at this link. http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/european-court-rules-photos-princess-caroline-holiday-did-not-breach-her-privacyshopping). A quote regarding Article 8 ruling re: Caroline of Monaco's privacy litigation I forgot to include: "Claas-Hendrik Soehring, head of legal affairs at Axel Springer Verlag AG, said in a statement: 'As a celebrity you cannot on one hand seek public attention – for example when it is about enhancing your career through the media – and then on the other hand, once there are judicial proceedings, seek to have all coverage forbidden." http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/8662 Hi Jane, I'm sorry but I am with Stephanie on this one. My take is this: They are public figures, period. William unfortunately, was born into it so he had no choice, however, no one said life was fair. Kate knew full well going into it what it was going to be and she chose the life to be with her love. The downside to that is that they will be photographed when in public. There are compensating benefits that they have that the regular Joes do not have that they do. They cannot possibly expect to have all of the pluses of palaces and exotic ultra private vacations along with blending in with regular Joes when out in public and pretend to be one of us when they want. They cannot have their cake and eat it too. It's just not going to happen. Life doesn't work that way. For me personally, I would HATE to be photographed or followed once out my front door and scrutinized at every turn. That is why I would never in a million years associate with anyone famous, period, ever. One time meeting, yes, friends, no. Because I am a very private person. I would just not want anyone knowing about me. I don't have a facebook or myspace or twitter for that reason. Kate knew exactly what she was getting into. Tough. I really can't feel bad while I work 40 hours a week chained to a desk, commute an hour each way to work, come home and have to do chores (grocery shopping, cleaning the house, washing the car, doing laundry, cooking meals, caring for my animals, etc). Can they go out in public without being photographed? Sometimes, but most times, probably not. At the same time, there are compensations, so it balances itself out. They cannot have it both ways, no one can. No, yu cannot privately walk in public. I think all the rationales are baloney. It is not our business what they eat for dinner, if she touches her hair, what she is wearing, when she is having dinner with her husband. We are not entitled to this information. If they don't draw the line of personal vs. public life, they will be consumed by the public and hounded to death. It's intrusive and it's wrong. They are smart to have drawn a line and to stand by it. Jane, I do agree with you there -- "It is not our business what they eat for dinner, if she touches her hair, what she is wearing, when she is having dinner with her husband". I was just commenting on the aspect of them being photographed while walking to their car. But yes, it is sad that locals will report to media what they ordered, etc. That is a bit much, I agree. However, unfortunately, it's to be expected because they are in the public eye -- people are going to want to know and as long as there is demand, there will be people who will report on it. It's just how things are now a days. It's the reality for all people in the public spotlight. They don't have to go out, so if they don't want to be reported on, then don't go out. I live my life perfectly fine without eating out in public (because I can't afford to) and my life is none the poorer for it. They have access to a cook and acres of beautiful land that they could picnic on. They may have been forced to eat out because the house isn't ready so they could have easily ordered takeout and had the security detail pick it up for them. So it's still hard to feel sorry for them. I see your point and yes, in an ideal world private would be private and work would be public, but that's just not how today's world works. Unfair? Maybe, but they have their compensations. There are people who are suffering a great deal more than the Cambridges in this world. Valerie in Arizona 1 September 2014 at 06:41 Jane, I agree with you. Much as I enjoy reading this blog, there is a part of me that feels slightly embarrassed to be so fascinated if it means that W & K feel like they are under a microscope. I may be naive but I think that Kate married William IN SPITE of his being a Prince, not because of it. She loved him, period. And he loved her. I honestly think if he could walk away from being a Prince, he would. But he knows it would devastate his grandmother, whom he loves very much. He may still do it after she dies. Who knows? And as far as them living it up and so therefore they have to "pay" for it in terms of frequent photo calls, I think that's rubbish. William is NOT the direct heir to the throne yet! Princess Victoria is. Queen Letizia is now Queen. Frederick and Mary are. W & K go to the events they are requested by BP to go to. They smile and are very polite. They answer letters, they attend charity meetings. Most of the days of the week I have a life and I am not devastated if even a few weeks go by and I don't see photos of W & K. Growing up, if I saw a photo of the Queen once a month (I lived in Canada) that would have been a lot. It's only our media mad culture nowadays that leads us to think that the Royals have to get with the program and be seen weekly to earn their keep. Who says that "the program" is a healthy obsession? I certainly don't. I am embarrassed by the fact that I read the Daily Mail and wish, like my obsession with sugar, I could cut it out. I enjoy your blog, Charlotte, but if W & K want to bow out of the public arena for awhile, I certainly understand. I would get on with other things in my life as W & K deserve to do. If the Brits don't want to support the monarchy anymore, vote them out. It's not like the Royals campaigned for their cushy lifestyles like some politicians do. "I think all the rationales are baloney." Jane, the law is the law, not baloney. No matter who you are, if you are on a public street, you are not in a private place. The rest of us do not have privacy in a public place, so neither should they. They chose to eat in a public place, other people in the restaurant chose to share that information (if you think this story is real and NOT a an obvious PR plant to distract from the fact that they were away from their child for 2 weeks). If you do not like the news, don't read it. RNNOKC 1 September 2014 at 18:16 Valerie, I have to say, before I bow out, again, you clearly stated the reality of the current royalty scene. Especially regarding our favorite two. Unfortunately, too many people make a living and reputation from news, non-news, and made-up news about the couple. They exist because many people live their lives through other's lives .... I guess, if you have to choose two lives through which to live, they're not a bad choice. .... However, I think it a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there! By the way, I broke myself of the Daily Mail habit, acquired here, and so can youu. Try going just one day without reading it. Then two...soon, you will find you are not missing it at all. %°>} I agree with you Anonymous. They are public people on a public street. While I can sympathise with them in this day and age of people taking photos everywhere and posting them online, they have no expectation of privacy in a train station. greybirdk 2 September 2014 at 16:35 I agree that when the Royal Family is out in public, they must expect to be photographed. This isn't the nude photos in France situation at all. If they want absolute privacy, they have lovely homes and servants to fetch a nice meal of bream and veg from the restaurant. Seems to me they want to be part of the community and be normal during these early years ( I for one do not begrudge them this time at all and believe they do it with full support of Charles and the Queen). Whoop whoop! A possible tiara event and maybe even long gloves. Myffe 31 August 2014 at 08:05 Wow! There're a lot good news for one morning! Great post, Charlotte! Frith 31 August 2014 at 09:14 In the second picture, she looks SO much like she did when she was at uni! She really does!! So nice to see pictures of them. Nice that they seem to be so in love still. Great that she has her natural hair. She is so cute in that. I liked seeing the picture of George too but I also feel kind of creepy looking at them. I think when George is not with his parents (like at polo, not in the park) he should be left alone.... Nice seeing them taking the train! Must have been quite a shocker for some fellow travelers! And Lupo seems so welll behaved! China trip? I did not see that one coming. Ofc, it will be speculation for a LONG time. Both because they don't release information until late usually. But also, they can't confirm a tour and if Kate get's pregnant (which is very possible) cancel it. So I think they will wait to confirm it until they no there is no baby on the way. China is an interesting choice. On one hand, it seems clever because of it's high standing in the import and export market. But it seems like a risky choice. No uplifted skirts for sure! They have to be really careful following all the local traditions. It would not do good to insult China... But if they do good it can be a good start for closer relations between the countries. And China will probably give a lot of occasions for glamour. I don't think they gladly will show the poor parts etc. That means more formal settings. Maybe a tiara? Speaking of tiaras... I really hope the Singapore rumor is true! I would love too see her on a state visit. Tiara and all!! :D Well, I don´t understand why they take the double risk of taking a train instead of driving by car. First it´s much more difficult to protect them, second it´s bound to get them photographed by someone (I said it lots of times: we are living in the age of mobile phones that can take amazing photos and send them all of the world in a matter of seconds...). It´s once again that almost stubborn "we are normal" when, in fact, they are just not. It´s asking for trouble and then blaming others for getting it. Very sad.... Charlotte, you said it all: "Royal commentators noted demand for paparazzi photos is higher than ever at the moment due to the drought in official appearances." That´s it. They could take the example of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. She acknowledges the public by giving them regularly photo opportunities of both herself/her husband and her daughter. Result: no hazzle. And her daughter learns from an early age to deal with being photographed, with public interest in quite a natural way - instead of dreading what she can hardly avoid not matter what she does. That´s acknowledging reality - saves you a lot of energy and bad feelings IMO. Well, we've seen plenty of photos of the Queen taking the train to and from Sandringham. Their lives will never be completely "normal", but at least this is an attempt at it. (I would love to see other royals live a "greener" lifestyle instead of just preaching about it. LOL) As far as privacy is concerned, date night photos like this are taken of Felipe and Letizia, Frederik and Mary, and Haakon and Mette-Marit. They seem to take it in their stride and as long as they aren't photographed while they're eating or watching a movie, I don't think these photos are so terrible. I'd have more of a problem with my baby being chased in KP Gardens, but to a degree even that is to be expected. Similar photos were taken of Charles and his nanny. I am also under the impression that tge British royal family is very famous, and doesn't ask for more attention. Other royal families and in particular other princesses may be wanting more attention as they don't already get as much. It's galling to blame them for being stalked by photographers. Ridiculous, in fact. Once again, Princess Victoria is the heir to the throne. William is not, at this point, Charles is. Therefore, William and Catherine are in a very different role than Princess Victoria is, currently. Why is this distinction so impossible for people to understand? I do not believe another royals you have mention above has had a parent killed just to get a picture. I think and this is just my opinion William is very protective of his wife & baby that he does not want their photos taken when they are on private time. It's not fair to compare with other royals. For example. Sweden does not have that kind of paparazzi culture. It's coming more and more, but are nowhere near the UK. Sometimes you see a picture of Victoria and Daniel jogging etc. But some of their garden area is right inside a public park with a jogging trail going right by. People wave, say hi etc. But nobody would dream of taking snapshots of them. So I don't think it's fair to compare. Plus what Anon 19:39 said. Ofc having your mother being chased by paps and then die "because" of it have to leave scarring in anyone. I'm actually surprised he handles it as well as he does. I understand his impulse of locking away his family to keep them safe. I'm not saying it's the best for them or the monarchy. Just saying that I understand his impulse. I agree anonymous. He knows first had the blood thirst that exists. Stephanie 1 September 2014 at 00:29 Diana was not killed just to get a picture, the driver of her vehicle was drunk and she, along with everyone else who died, was not wearing a seatbelt. As well, this is not a matter of being photographed during private time - they are walking in public space, and not in any way shape or form being chased or harrassed. I am of the opinion that it is possible (not a known fact) but possible, that they do call photographers sometimes in their favour and this could be one of those times. I do not believe that the paparazzi would happen to be at a place that is completely random and unexpected of W & K to be. And not showing up after they arrived, but as they arrived. Of course, I could be wrong. Either way, they need the positive PR for their taking more than they give, so I would be very shocked if they complained about this. On a more positive note, I think they look great and relaxed, and I do love Kate's more natural hair. I love the green jacket. I am getting one similar, but with a hood :) Anon 19:39. I am not minimizing William's feelings about photographers and I don't blame him for wanting to protect his family. But it is my opinion that these types of photos aren't "terrible" (no one is chasing them and it isn't a safety issue). UNLIKE what happened to Diana on the night she died. Yes, alcohol played a role as did the absence of seatbelts, but the car was chased and surrounded by photographers on motorcycles. If not for the chase, it's quite possible that the other two factors alone (alcohol and seatbelts) would not have killed three people. Sarah in Minneapolis 1 September 2014 at 02:07 There is intelligence information that can impact W&K's mode of transport we will never know about. If we assume that W&K follow the advice of their protection officers, it follows then that train travel must not have been any riskier than travel by car on the day of travel. For all we know, their RPO's might have had information that made them decide the train was the most safe form of transit that day. Regarding 4 protection officers at dinner - I don't know the typical number of RPO's assigned but one factor that could impact the number of RPO's is that the UK recently issued their highest level of security alert due to threats from ISIS. I must be one of the few train fans! What a lovely way to travel - you can watch the countryside, read, listen to music, go through emails, work on a project, sleep, use the bathroom, stand up and stretch - all the while getting somewhere! I, myself, hope to see Canada and Scotland by train. Driving yourself is over-rated. I'm disappointed no one has mentioned it, so I will: I guess someone else in the family was using the helicopter that day! Agree re helicopter Moxie. They probably didn't go up by train or else there probably would have been photos of them at the station. Eve from Germany 2 September 2014 at 08:38 @Maryland Moxie: agree with you about the travel by train! But in W&C case, I think unless you have your own compartment, it´s not so "cosy". I mean, fellow travellers are bound to stare at you and at every station new ones are coming in, so it starts all over again... I mainly thought of the bodyguards and their job. It must be a total nightmare steering W&C through the crowds at King´s Cross on a Friday (of all days).... It was interesting for me to hear that the Queen was also travelling from Sandringham by train. But somehow.... it might sound weird but because she´s always "keeping her distance" in some way I believe that people respond to her in the same way. She´s got that kind of "aura" that says "I´m the Queen so you better respect that". I don´t think she attracts them same kind of attention as W&C do.... I guess Kate's hair looks so good old times because - as the onlooker said - she walked in with her hair wet. So that's what her hair look like if dried naturally, and not blowdried as we usually see it at engagements. Also: wow, how healthily they eat :) Her hair instantly made me think back to her single days. The curls do make her look younger IMO. I love her natural hair. Wish she wore it more like that. I loved that she had it like that at the Malaysia etc tour. Probably because of humidity. MusingLen - NY 31 August 2014 at 16:57 I agree, Rebecca. I like her natural curls so much better than the ringlets. Or maybe because it seemed appropriate for an informal engagement in the nature... She also walked barefoot and wore a very simple (cotton?) dress. I love it too, and noticed during the Asia tour :) Yes it might have been a choice. But seeing as she almost never has her hair like that, even while out grocery shopping, my bet is still on humidity. Maybe that she knew her hair wouldn't stay flat so she made a choice to have it like that from the beginning. Very pretty anyways! Probably got her hair wet between the car and the pub---the rain has been very heavy at times, these last few weeks. I suspect Kate had been swimming in the Anmer Hall pool. Her hair is too long and thick to dry quickly, so she just rinsed and toweled it and went to dinner with it wet. She looked very young and casual. Mary in Nebraska USA 31 August 2014 at 13:59 Four security guards? Bet they were doing a final security walk-through of Amner Hall before the big move. Wonderful to see them so happy and in love. I have a question about British English... the papers are saying that William and Kate spent a fortnight in Norfolk away from George. That really means two weeks? Yes, it means they left their child with the nanny for two weeks. Kate was seen shopping in London during the week previous to their visit to Norfolk. I think they were there for a weekend, or perhaps a long weekend. The papers were reporting they had been there for two weeks. Perhaps Kate took a few days to go see her child. OMG I really don't think William & Catherine would leave George with the nanny for two weeks. There has been nothing in the papaer about them leaving him. Here again is just a bunch of crap being written. RNNOKC 31 August 2014 at 18:11 seventeen years ago a bit of the beauty and light and hope in the world was snuffed out..."a candle in the wind." yes.... It seems like yesterday! Florence 1 September 2014 at 04:56 Goodbye England's Rose... Great to see you again RNNOKC. I hope you will post soon again. It is unfortuunate when we lose good posters. Agree Florence! (spring chickun..) We seem to be missing quite a few usual posters. Jo and Jenn, Esti and Marg and others, hope all come back soon. Appreciate that, Florence. Will not be hopping into the frey. Just could not let the day go by without a remembrance on this blog about William's wife. I thought there might be some sort of honoriuum today, so I thought I would catch the blog for a few days. An annuual honorium would be nice RNNOKC. Did you mean William's Mother? Sorry if I am honking on about nothing. I could not agree more Leo, where are they all? Florence, I meant the blog is about William's wife. ..remembrance of William's mother on this blog about William's wife.....? Don't know. Don't think Charlotte knows. Hope they come back soon. Admin 2 September 2014 at 06:47 Anon from Leo - The ladies you mentioned exchanged email addresses and I believe they are keeping in touch that way at the moment! Sorry RNNOKC, it's been a rather loung day. I confided William's wife with his Mother. William's wife certainly does not need a remembrance or annual honoriuum. Whereas I do think it would be nice to honour Diana, Princess of Wales. But I understand if William and Harry find that to be a personal matter. I wonder if they took little George to the island grave. Spell check spell check: I meant CONFUSED. Not confided. Apologies. Oh, I really hope they come back. Alot of good posts are missing.... Agree Flourence, again!! Sarah from Calif. 31 August 2014 at 18:49 Wish they could walk in public without being photographed (at least once in awhile) Wishful thinking is all this is.... My advice to Kate would be, get out there and ignore the newspaper, we all need some fresh air :) They do. We have plenty of news and tweets etc about sightings with no photos. Sarah from Calif. 1 September 2014 at 00:59 Stephanie, I'm glad to hear that. Trust me I want to see George but, am happy to have to wait. I love seeing pictures of them out and about. Such a lovely couple! But if it is the case that it is an invasion of privacy, then should we request that Charlotte not support the papparazzi and refrain from making such posts from this point onward? Charlotte, spot-on observation fro Phil Dampier about the drought of photos. I think this is what Will and Kate better be ready for if they decide (and it appears they already have) to quit royal duties and live in the country. There's going to be an even greater demand for pap photos, which will command even higher prices which are going to prompt the paps to go to greater lengths to get pics. Remember - paps also get photos by circulating offers to non-photographer regular folks for pics, often they'll circulate a very appealing financial offer for photos in and around the areas the royals are known to frequent. With the economy the way it is, I bet you'll be surprised how may people would take them up on those offers. Not everyone worships at the altar of William and Kate. And I also think there's going to be a greater attitude as Dampier alluded to - so what if it makes Will mad or the Palace mad? If they're not going to work or undertake any regular royal duties, this is what they can expect. Elizabeth There has been no talk of William & Catherine quiting royal duties. If you read all the stuff being written about William's new job, you would see that his schedule will still allow him to do royal duties. He will be working either 7 to 4 to 4:30pm to 1am. This will allow him to still have a family life and he will work 4 days and be off 3. With this tyupe of schedule he can still do roayl duties. So he will not be quiting royal duties. They will be decreasing their royal duties. Charlotte, I have a question for you. I am not familiar with how the press works. But how would photographers know exactly where Kate and William will be exiting from at King's Cross station? Also, how would they know which restaurant they are eating dinner at ? After many years of no one finding out where they are, it is funny that there are two photo ops of random outings of Will and Kate. It is also funny that William did not object to any of these pictures of the one of George. I think largely (with a couple of notable exceptions including France) the media have been respectful of William and Kate's privacy since the wedding. Photographers and news outlets have ways and means of finding out where royals and celebrities are. Often times a diner at a restaurant will tweet about a celebrity sighting and twenty minutes later a pap arrives. It was a pretty safe bet for any photographer to guess they were either in Anmer Hall or Bucklebury this month. There was some talk on Twitter suggesting the King's Cross photos were taken by a member of the public. In William and Kate's case, these photos are a result of the lack of official appearances. The media have had nothing to write about them for some time and it's really been quite a while since the last public appearance. I do know of six sightings of Kate shopping in the London, Norfolk and Berkshire area this month where photos have not emerged and this is how it's been since the wedding. William and Kate do enjoy more privacy than most well known figures. Certainly there has been a much needed change since the Diana days. I definitely see more pap photos of others royals such as Princess Madeleine than I do of Kate. Unfortunately, if there continues to be such lengthy gaps in appearances it's possible the paps will be making trips to Norfolk. I do believe the team at Kensington Palace should consider spacing out the engagements rather than having three or four in a two week period and nothing for weeks afterwards. In this day and age, with mobile phones and social media total privacy is an impossibility for the royals but certainly in terms of pap photos things have improved hugely since the pre-engagement days. The European royals do regular photo calls and this helps to alleviate demand for 'off duty' photos. Thank you Charlotte for that info. Thank goodness things have changed from the hounded ' God Rest her soul ' Diana days. Kate has a wonderful advocate in William. The pendulum often swings but, they will get it right!!!! Charlotte, I completely agree with you. I predicted that once William and Kate decided on a mostly "private life" while still taking the benefits of being public servants (security and rent on Kensington Palace, expenses most celebrities have to pay) that demand for private pictures would increase enormously. I actually think the public would be much happier seeing pictures of William and Kate at work, particularly ones of them "being royal" with Kate in gowns and a tiara. They would have much more privacy if they assumed public duties, if not, they will be increasingly photographed at private moments. It's pointless to say that William isn't a public figure because Charles is the first in line to the throne. William, and George, are still heirs. Charles no longer sells papers and magazines, Camilla, may actually be a negative draw, friends and I don't buy magazines we might usually buy if she is on the cover. Public interest lies with William and Kate and if there isn't official news, unofficial news gets published. Anne, Andrew, Edward and Sophie would most likely be thrilled if they got this kind of coverage but it won't happen. Someday, it may well not happen for William and Kate either. Youth passes quickly and while some royals always remain draws, other who lose public favour, don't. The royal family cannot exist without the press. Before there was a press, they had to find other ways to be seen. In a sense, royalty exists only to be seen. Other then diplomatic functions, which could easily be taken over by others, there isn't much other point in having a royal family these days. The European royals do get a lot of attention as anyone who has ever read Hola, can attest. Allowing photo shoots does help and justifies a request for privacy. Some royals such as Madeleine as Charlotte pointed out, and Zara, get more attention than some working royals. The most unhappy royals have been those deprived of tradtional duties - Diana and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Without those duties, attention focuses almost entirely on private life. In Diana's case, a drunken driver, bad decision making on her part in getting rid of her security, vindictive decisons by Charles and the royal family all led to her death. The press was just one part of the equation. Since William and Kate are still accepting public support for very miminal duties on their home shores, I think all bets are off and all photos should be allowed to be published. When they assume tradtional duties, they will have some call to ask for privacy in their non-public moments. Charlotte, I couldn't agree more regarding spacing their engagements out more as well as doing regular photo calls. Helpful strategies IMO. Anon and Royalfan - Since the Palace confirmed there will be no increase in engagements for Kate. It's definitely time to look at strategies to ensure the engagements are maximised in every way. Norfolk is really very accessible for the media and if the public don't see William and Kate, these candids are going to become more and more frequent. It's all about balance. Accepting such a public role with a private family life. It's proving a real struggle for them - one of the reasons I felt returning to flying may not have been the wisest choice for William. Should anything happen to HM or Prince Philip (at 88 and 93 one wonders if they can continue their current pace for another four years, the length of time W wants to fly at the very least) there will be an overnight change for them. Somehow, I think a more gradual transition may have been easier. Charlotte, I don't disagree with you; it is about balance. But I don't believe that W&K are calling all the shots here. I honestly don't. There's just too much history for this older chick to ignore. :)) The current game plan seems to have one objective.........the next coronation. Charlotte, your thoughts are in line with what many of the veteran UK royal reporters have been saying since the officially official (I jest because the Palace has been talking about William taking that helicopter job for MONTHS before the "official" announcement) word came about the move to Norfolk. A lot of people think it's absolutely ridiculous for William to make that kind of commitment and for them to essentially move to Norfolk for the next few years, you mentioned four and I've also heard a minimum of three years. And the reason, as you mentioned, is that he would have to abruptly leave that post if something were to happen to move him closer to the throne. While I don't buy the "William and Kate could be on the throne in five years" bit (although anything is possible), simply because Charles comes from long-lived stock on both sides and he's certainly not going to relinquish the throne once he has it, after having waited for it for six decades, I do think William and Kate will have to undertake more royal duties as the queen reduces her schedule. I think they're trying to get back what they had when they were just a young couple, not engaged, living together in Anglesey. Those years were nice and I am sure they look back on them with yearning but those years are gone. They're married, they're parents and thanks to Charles's reorganization (some would say disorganization) of things, they're farther up the royal ladder than they were before their engagement and wedding, even with William's status as the heir to the heir apparent. Again, it seems like this is William charging off half-cocked, doing things his own way, without a thought to all of the consequences and without anyone on the staff to tell him this might not be the best idea. One huge negative consequence is that candids and pap shots, as you noted, are going to become a hotter commodity and tabs and newspapers are going to offer huge sums for those pictures. This semi-paranoid, reclusive lifestyle that William seems to want to have isn't possible, given his rank and position and his and Kate's popularity. They need to find some sort of balance with the media and the public. Photo calls, interviews, even scheduling a couple of events a week or every two weeks but on a regular schedule. Oddly, it really seems like Kate was the one who was able to balance a private life with life in the public eye and manage it pretty well. It seems like William isn't able to do that at all. Yes absolutely. While William and Kate will not be on the throne in five years, it's entirely plausible to suggest they will be first-in-line. As first-in-line they will have an enormous diary of engagements, meetings, official duties and many other responsibilities. To go from so little to 600 engagements per year will be a huge change for William and Kate. There is so much more to being first-in-line than ribbon cutting. Take a look at the official website for The Prince of Wales '6000 engagements in ten years' http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/onlinereview2013/engagements-and-activities/index.html Royalfan - We don't know the full story only that things have been a shambles in the press office and there's been challenging times between KP and BP press office. Certainly the next coronation is firmly on the minds of the Palace. Two points to contribute: There is precedent for the heir to the heir living in Sandringham/Norfolk while his elders ruled...Victoria/Edward VII/Albert V. There is only one Monarch and she has set this in motion, who gave William Amner Hall? To suggest Elizabeth is not controlling this may be wishful thinking. Will and Kate and Charles bend the knee to her. If she wants them to be doing something else all she has to do is ask. As PoW Charles created a life for himself that was fulfilling. No PoW does what the person before him did. POW is not a job ... it is a title. I highly doubt William will create an intense schedule like his father is doing... His father is not raising a family. Most likely Charles will split the work b etween his sons or hire administrators. Elizabeth I completey disagree with you. If you have read many of the articles regarding William taking this new job you would find that his father and grandmother are in full support of this move. Charles has stated (true or not) that he wished he could have stayed in the Navy and ben able to have a somewhat normal life. That is one big reason he wants Kate & William to be able to raise their family as normal as possible. William has made comments in interviews that he knows his position and what is expected of him. We do not know what goes on between him, his father and the Queen. All we can do is guess. And that is what everyone seems to be doing. That should have been written: Victoria/Edward VII/George V Maryland Moxie, I think you are right when you say the HM does not really want William and Catherine taking the limelight. They have been married 3.5 years and never once been invited to anything concerned with incoming State Visits. The Queen seems to prefer to have her cousins and her children at these events. Had she invited any of the younger royals they would have been there. The consequence is that there is only limited reporting of most of these events, with a little more if the visitor is historically important--eg US and Irish Presidents. Moxie, all good points. Thank you. I don't know that I agree about the queen. The royal family goes out of their way not to show dissent, but this decision of William's came after announcments that he was going to take on more royal duties. A royal residence was set up for him at Kensington in anticipation of this. There was a lot of delay about the making of this announcement, more than I would expect from even a disorganised press office. Charles seemed to be trying to get William involved more, as the queen did with Kate. I've come to believe that the decision was William's, and the family is going along with it. The risk to the monarchy is very high with William's decision. One person dies because his helicopter arrives late or something else of the sort happens, and his monarchy is tainted for both himself and George. William might not even become king and if he doesn't become king, the line might jump over George as well. Taking on a job where people's lives are involved is dangerous. We read about issues about troubles with ambulances all the time in the papers, but the people in question aren't in queue for one of the most important jobs in the world. I don't think William and Kate are at all prepared to take on a full-time royal in the monarchy -- neither has any experience with that sort of work load, and that is why I've become concerned about the couple over the last year. It's easy to admire them when they are young and radiate so much charm, but the monarchy works very well with its present image of doing good works hands-on. Changing that is high risk. It's not at all clear at this point how William and Kate see their future role since they have not yet defined themselves as other royals do. Hopefully more than flashy charity parties and an oblique foundation. But there is a lack of steadiness about the couple. It's unclear how they will deal with hard work and boredom, which is what most royal duties are about. William seems adrenaline driven and Kate has never carried a full load of anything since university. I had such high hopes for the couple when they married and still hope, but have concerns for the monarchy after the reign of Elizabeth. As for the house, the queen has always helped provide homes for her family. In this case, with Kensington, I think William and Kate were handed a little too much, too soon. For well over a decade, they have had everything their own way. At some point, as is true for all of us, that will have to change. HM and Charles need these two to be popular. Period. Hiding away in Norfolk is a bad move all around, but William is too spoiled to see reason. There have been no public, on the record comments that HM or Charles support this move -- and that is extremely telling. This semi-paranoid choice (as Elizabeth stated above) is a move in the wrong direction. And before you say, "It is for the baby" kindly note that they just dumped the baby on the nanny for TWO FULL WEEKS. Anon from Leominster - brilliant comment. Bothersome photos are actually the result of glamorous published pictures. Think Princess Margaret, Princess Madeleine, Princess Diana, and Catherine. If they were not so beautiful and so splendidly attired and bejeweled for their public events, there would be less interest in proving what they look like when dressed down or scantily or not at all! Some of the 'proof' is even hoaxed. Compare the Queen's face. She flashes her brilliant smile, and then there's a picture of her looking abysmally cross (an expression often directed at nuisance photographers). There's an odd wish to prove that what we see is not always what is there all the time. William and Catherine are photographed going about their private lives because they are a very glamorous couple when they are dressed, made up, coiffed and smiling for their public roles. This is no doubt one of the reasons Kate is more covered up now than she was as a younger woman. It's partly the dignity her role requires, and partly a wish to appear less a paparazzi celebrity. Simone 2 September 2014 at 00:27 The newspaper reports suggest that Prince Cheeks was back at Amner Hall on the night William and Kate had dinner out - which I think lays to rest the idea that they "dumped him on nanny" for 2 weeks. I get that you question their role / their work ethic and whatever other gripe you have bit do you really need to question their love for their baby when it's plain for the whole world to see how much they love him and want to Protect him? Really!? I think that's just a mean girl comment. Anim 16:57 I am out of the loop. How do you know they left George for two weeks with the nanny? Just looking for information, not being snarky! : ) Ack! I hit send too soon! It was reported that Kate was shopping in London just a few days ago. It seems more likely that they have made a few trips to Anmer Hall recently, this time without George? Agree Elizabeth and Leo. And Anonymous too. I too don't think the Queen is 100% behind this. I think she's putting on a united front, but I would not bet she's all for it. I'd say more but it's already been said. I think William and Kate need to realize that they are the future of the monarchy -- and I truly believe the Queen thinks this way -- and you don't blow it off because it doesn't suit your needs right this minute, like William is doing. And I put the blame on William on this one. He needs to grow up or hire someone who will tell him when he's about to make a really bad move. Anon 16:57, Wondering why you have chosen to believe 'they just dumped the baby on the nanny for TWO FULL WEEKS." Just because a questionable news source puts it in an article. Especially when on Wednesday, 27 August Charlotte reported tweets from other sources that placed Catherine shopping in London even stating what she purchased. While she may not have been shopping on Wednesday, I am sure it was within a day or two as Charlotte is very quick to keep us up to date on Kate's sightings. And these tweets are dated 2 hrs and 17 hrs. before they were copied onto the post. She can't be in 2 places at the same time. There's one more factor, that's been pointed out by many of the royal reporters and commentators - who tend to be vehement royalists and absolutely devoted to the RF - that would seem to work against William's idea to be "just like everybody else" and take the air ambulance pilot's job. And it was pointed out above by anon from Leominster. That problem is the enormous security issues William flying an air ambulance poses, both for him, for his crew and, most importantly, for the patients. Air ambulance crews have an extremely cramped space already in which to work AND they have a given weight limit that has to use every inch for medical equipment, life support equipment and the medical and flight crew. One would suppose that since this is a non-military flight job, at least one of William's protection officers will be flying with him at all times. That begs the question - who or what gets left out of the flight to make this special accommodation for William's security personnel? Another issue that's been mentioned is that all it is going to take is for one person to recognize William at the controls, sound the alarm and gather a large crowd which could, conceivably, hinder getting the sick person into the air ambulance or delay takeoff until the area is cleared. Charlotte and some others mentioned that this plan doesn't seem to be very well thought out from William's perspective and that seems more and more true. And, again, it seems to be what HE wants, not necessarily what's the best thing for all those involved. Did the air ambulance service agree? Well, of course. Who's going to say no when a member of the royal family comes in and says they want to fly your helicopters and, ostensibly, make a large donation and bring attention to the absolutely vital air ambulance service? Is this the same as the SAR flying on Anglesey? A bit but mostly not. William went largely unrecognized there and he was flying military helicopters and always had a member of the military with him as co-pilot and crew members. This flying gig has been broadcast all over the world, including all over the UK. You can bet your sweet bippy that every paparazzi and every tabloid worth their salt is doing their due diligence to find out the areas these crews cover and strategizing over ways to get a shot of William at the controls. @Charlotte at 02:33: I totally agree with you. As far as William´s new job is concerned: I have my doubts about whether this is a good idea, too. One of my relatives is a doctor and he used to fly with the ambulance helicopter for a long time. I can assure you it changed him which he said so himself. This is a completely different work than William had to do in Anglesey. The ambulance helicopters are only asked for in case of total emergency. It´s mostly NOT about someone needing help from a helicopter because it´s otherwise too difficult to get to him/her (like having your ankle sprayed in the middle of the mountains). It´s almost always really a question of life or death and your job as the pilot is getting there (wherever "there" is) as quickly as possible - and back. It´s pure stress 24/7 - and not only for the doctors on the helicopter, I can assure you that. It´s an enormous amount of responsibility - and heaven forbid you as the pilot for some reason are responsible for a delay that may have caused the death of the patient!! We all make mistakes and William is no exception to that - but what happens IF this happens? A "normal" pilot would have to deal with that which is bad/difficult enough. In William´s case it would most probable mean the whole world would know about it (or he would have to fear for the rest of his life that the world MIGHT know it). William´s decision is certainly an honourable attempt to live a "worthy" and "normal" life as possible - but he is risking a lot..... Thankyou Simone, words of reason! I'm actually with you Elizabeth. I don't think the rewards are bigger than the risks in this case. Add to your list the risk of being sued etc. Ambulances sometimes get late and if William is on it that can get really, really, really bad.. Plus there is much greater risk of colleagues blabbing... Nah, I really hope this doesn't go as bad as it can...... The Palace has said that William's protection officers are already paramedics. They are now receiving extra training for ambulance duty, so that whoever rides in the helicopter with William as security will be part of the medical crew. LizzieUSA 1 September 2014 at 00:34 Historic Tour of China? Representing Her Majesty in Malta? Quitting royal duties? Something here does not compute. No it doesn't compute. I think some folks equate William's new job and the move to Anmer Hall with quitting royal duties, but I see it as more of the same. I agree with you Lizzie and royalfan. I don't think any palace official has ever said William was "quitting" royal duties. I see it as the naysayers jumping on William's trying to be useful and not just sitting around waiting for his destiny to happen and twisting it into a negative image for William and Catherine. One weekend in Malta, one single scheduled engagement in the country where they will be king and queen and generalised talk of a China tour that may or may not happen. This is not even a light royal schedule at this point. We'll see what autumn brings. Kate was carrying two bags in the train station, and it was probably easier to wear her coat than to carry it. But she is also very slim, which might make her more prone to feeling cold. On the other hand, I am a cold plump person, and I have skinny friends who are warm, so it doesn't always work that way. @anon from leominster Catherine has more then one engagement in Malta. Read what Charlotte has posted on the side. Then you will see she has alot for just two days. Again is this your way of putting down Cahterine??? Jane, London 1 September 2014 at 02:06 Fascinated to see the photos here and hearing the comments from onlookers about them being very attentive in the pub towards each other, and flirtatious. I agree with you entirely, Charlotte, that Kate's hair here reminds me of the way it looked whilst she was at St Andrews University. As posters have expressed, it is surprising that these photos have been published in British newspapers and British websites, I suppose it due to the dearth of public appearances. Maybe this makes it harder for the royal couple to object to UK publication. Quick question for you Charlotte, has it been cold in the UK? I ask because you mention or it was mentioned that Kate was bundled up against the weather, she's wearing a heavy sweater in the date night photo and then again in the King's Cross photo. I was looking at the weather for Norwich (the capital city of Norfolk) and it looks like temps now are right in the 70s (Fahrenheit). She just seems a little warmly dressed for summertime, even in the UK!! I thought the UK was having this heat and humidity wave that we experienced here in the US a week ago (and still are in many parts of the country!) but Kate's clothing would suggest otherwise? It's changeable but not too bad at all. We're expecting temperatures in the mid twenties later this week. Kate was quite warmly dressed. I've often wondered if she's a very cold person as we've seen her select coats and coatdresses in warm weather. OK, thank you!! I agree that I think she tends toward warmer clothing, even in warm temperatures but she wore a lot of light summer dresses before the engagement. Not much meat on her bones to keep her warm or maybe she's just cold-blooded!! In fact, at first glance, the date night photos confused me because it looks so much like photos taken when they both were at university!! Her hair looks more full and curly and with the sweater and there's just something about how they both look that could have been 10 years ago! Charlotte...is that mid twenties Fahrenheit or Celsius? Cause mid twenties to us across the pond is winter time in my part of the country. lol Bluefire 1 September 2014 at 03:37 hi charlotte everyone loves being normal even them they love every single time they will be normal love seeing younger royals brtish or another royals enjoyed their normal cmon they are people just like us they have too enjoyed love those snapshot http://www.justjared.com/2014/08/30/prince-william-kate-middleton-go-undercover-for-train-ride/ Note to royalfan and others: I did see the sparkling conversation in the last post, however I would get a headache if I tried to remember where and when they were taking place. Anon from Leo - the analogy is meant from the perspective of the Queen - the term junior is meant in younger and experience... (Who is more royal - the children of the monarch or the grandchildren of the monarch?) William will rise about his Aunts and Uncles when his father becomes King. (They will become siblings of the Monarch). Do you think there is a difference in saying "My Mother. the Queen, sends her greetings" and "My Grandmother, The Queen, sends her greetings?" I do. Is there a difference in saying "My brother, the King, sends his greetings" and "My father, the King, sends his greetings"? I think so. Jean from Lancs - I wonder where the folks from the Foreign Office went to University? It's all connected. :-) I do not mean to suggest it is suspicious - It is very common in the US for Middle Eastern royal and wealthy families to donate to our Universities and Hospitals where their family members have received care. (They don't all hate us.) royalfan - in the tradition of royal families - W&K receive far more attention then their status and contribution to the monarchy warrants. The Head of State doesn't get as much press - and that would be a problem in any country. I think they've recognized the situation and are adjusting it to their advantage. A smart monarch would put Will and Kate where they do want media. (I think we saw this when Kate suddenly switched to Garden Party on Phillip's Birthday - so Phillip got press too.) I think you will see a focus more on what the Monarchy is actually employed to do - which is foreign affairs. State Dinners, Travel, and meeting with folks visiting their country. The flip side of that is British Business - exports (like Famous Grouse) and highlighting those areas. I think William's job is meant for him to be positioned as supporting his countrymen in their time of need - 4 days a week, and Kate will be positioned as taking care of the children (her own and the few charities that she does support now). This is not an uptick in duties but a reworking of how what time they do spend on royal duties is managed. May have been the plan all along - but we are just seeing it taking shape. I would not foresee a major shift in time dedicated towards the charitable end, until Kate is no longer raising children. I disagree with the idea that Will and Kate need to court the UK populace in order to keep their roles - they are not politicians. The politicians need to decide whether they are properly taking advantage of what the Monarchy can do for the country. Moxie, I agree with your reasoning. That is my feeling as well... the current scenario is part of a plan (orchestrated at higher levels) and it isn't William stomping his feet and refusing to do royal duties. And while he may prefer the life he and Kate are living right now, personal preference would not fly (pardon the pun) if HM wanted them to do more on behalf of the firm. It is easy to lay this at William's feet and refer to him as unwilling or indecisive, but doing so seems to skip over an entire chapter of royal history. Bottom line...the RF does not want a sequel. philly 1 September 2014 at 15:54 Well said, Maryland Moxie. " I disagree with the idea that Will and Kate need to court the UK populace in order to keep their roles - they are not politicians. The politicians need to decide whether they are properly taking advantage of what the Monarchy can do for the country. " The populace keeps them in palaces, security guards, and multiple beach vacations away from the baby every year. Yes, they do need to court the UK populace to keep their roles. Both Prince Philip and Prince Charles have publicly stated as much. Of course those men said that. Bless their hearts. Otherwise they would appear as attention seeking meglomaniacs. The Queen decides how the money is spent. And she only spent on housing. Security money is spent by the government. Income from the duchy of cornwall pays for royal business clothing. They don't receive a salary for their time... so all their private expenses are paid for from private family funds. I agree, Anonymous. When the public doesn't support the monarchy the monarchy will die. William needs to figure that out. The Queen's also said that (in so many words) with the must been seen to be believed comment. Maryland, the Duchy belongs to the people, Charles is the current steward. That means it does belong to the taxpayers, and any money spent out of the Duchy is the taxpayers money. And he receives a refund of all purchases that are used for "royal work" including her clothing. All of their security comes from the taxpayers, $250,000/per RPO/year. $500,000 on taxpayer funded security for a honeymoon is not "from private family funds." They are funded by the taxpayers. I suspect about 70% of the top civil servants at the Foreign office are Oxbridge graduates. We seem to be agreeing more and more. While HM and the Duke seem able and wanting to fulfill so many engagements, it is perhaps considered prudent for the younger generation to have space were they can quickly fill in if trouble arises. It would also seem wise for William and Catherine to complete their family during that time--it will not be so easy for Catherine to spend a few years bringing up her family, when she becomes Princess of Wales. When that happens, I think we will really find out where her charitable interests lie. My guess is that she will try to draw all the Children's Hospices under her patronage---perhaps those in the Commonwealth too. Only a guess, of course and might be totally wrong. There will also be a long list of military duties which the Queen will eventually not be able to carry out. William may have a few years to continue service with the Air ambulance and Catherine with her child or children, but I have no doubt that within a few years they will be very busy with Royal duties. Don't begrudge them those few years. Amen Jean from Lancs! By the way, my grandfather was Lancashire born and bred--Hoddlesden :) A very nice comment, Jean. I believe you think like the Queen! :-) Charlotte, you reported on Wednesday, August 27 that Kate had been seen shopping in London. Wasn't the report of her trip to Harvey Nichols from the day before, August 26? Kate and William were seen dining in Norfolk on Thursday, August 28. They returned to London on the train during rush hour on Friday, August 29. This does not add up to 2 weeks in Norfolk away from Prince George! More like maybe two days. It appears the 'fortnight' comment originated with the Daily Mail, which often invents the 'news.' The newspapers have also reported that Kate and William spent August at Balmoral, and that they spent August in Buckleberry. Given their other activities, they may have spent a week or so in each place, but I don't know of evidence for Balmoral. They were seen dining in Buckleberry on August 1, and Kate shopped nearby on August 5. Perhaps they were at Balmoral between August 5 and August 25 or 26, but if so their visit was not reported. In any case, we need to read with some awareness of media carelessness, and avoid accusing Prince George's parents of neglect! I agree with Anon from Leominster. I have been very surprised about some of the decisions that the couple have made: the '2nd honeymoon' after a very light period of engagements, (and Kate had already very recently been to Mustique) missing the Paralympic closing ceremony and going on holiday to France, now William's new post with the Air Ambulance. I don't think the Queen has much say/influence over their workload, although she may think that it is very important that they establish themselves as a family unit first and foremost and that there will be plenty of time for engagements later. The couple do seem to be determined to do things their own way; I was a bit concerned that they didn't announce George's birth until four hours had passed. People were beginning to wonder if everything was OK. As Anon from Leominster has mentioned before, they do seem rather 'bloody minded'. William and Kate didn't call it a '2nd honeymoon', the press did. One should be careful about judging other people, whether positive or negative, based on what the media reports. I admired them for taking a few hours to enjoy their newborn son and to share the news with immediate family members. I'm not in their shoes, nor would I want to be, but I can sympathize with their wish for a few hours of sanity ahead of a lifetime of anything but. One does wonder what Diana would make of William and Kate's life is she were alive: one suspects that she would not approve, perhaps. What would she not approve of? Despite the impression that some people seem to have on this blog, I don't think that Diana was a workhorse with regards to engagements. Perhaps Diana would tweak some things and be fully supportive of others. I am interested in whether Kate's hair is naturally as curly as shown in the 'Express' photo here. In photos taken when she was at Marlborough school, I don't think her hair looked so curly. I doubt she was 'straightening' it when she was at school. Thus I don't think her hair is naturally 'frizzy' Somebody mentioned the skinny jeans Kate's wearing in the date night photos. The thing with skinny jeans is they look awesome on tall girls - if they're the right length. A lot of us have commented in the past that Kate's skinny jeans seem to be creeping further and further up her legs. In the date night pics, they are well above her ankles even when her legs are straight. There are a couple of photos of Kate pre-engagement that I love and the reason is that she looks tall and stunning in them - due to the bootcut, full-length jeans she's wearing. One is the pic of her and her dad coming out of a restaurant. Kate is wearing a white camisole, faded hip-slung bootcut jeans and she looks stunning. Another is of her taken, I believe, in Ireland after they broke up. She's wearing a blue jacket, a short tank or camisole and a pair of darker bootcut jeans. She looks tall and leggy and amazing. The third photo is the pic of her and Chelsy walking on the polo field and Kate is wearing white bootcut jeans, full-length, a white top and some sort of light cardigan sweater. Again, she looks tall, slim, leggy and amazing. The bootcut jeans flatter her figure every bit as much - and far more - than the floodwater skinnies. That's basic styling - when your eye has a full line to travel down the leg, it doesn't stop 'til it gets to the ground. That makes the leg look 100 miles long and the wearer look taller and even more slender. With skinny jeans, the eye cuts the look at where the jean ends - in Kate's case, above the ankle. So that results in her looking chopped-off and shorter and oddly proportioned. When you add the four-inch wedges, that proportion gets even weirder. Not to mention that since there's a good amount of Lycra or stretch in most skinnies, it's hard to find any figure that they completely flatter. Do they hug the figure? Absolutely. Do they flatter the figure? Usually, not so much. As for the case that she's always embraced skinnies, not exactly the case. She wore them tucked into boots, which makes complete sense since there's not as much fabric to tuck. But when she wasn't wearing tall boots, she opted a lot of times for a good bootcut jean. And she always looked amazing in them. I know it's an impossibility but I just wish she'd go back to the awesome, classy, classic style she embraced, both in casual wear and in dressy clothes, before the engagement. Yeah, I know it's been 5 or 10 years but she could make a few adjustments and still nail it every time like she used to - without those unflattering skinny jeans. Skinny jean rant over. As you were. Thanks for listening. I'd like to know my dear fellow readers' thoughts. In fact, Charlotte, there's a great post idea. How about "Kate loves" jeans or pants? Elizabeth, I totally and wholeheartedly agree with you! You spoke from my heart.... I´ve said that many times, this length together with the wedges, it just looks weird. It´s supposed to make her legs look longer, but to me, it just always looks as if she has grown out of her jeans.... And I agree with her pre-engagement choices. I´ve just had another look at the Morton book about her and William and there are two pictures of her wearing jeans wth either boot-cut or "normal" length - WOW I can only say. So, another one "ranting" about her skinny jeans... ;-)))))) MusingLen - NY 2 September 2014 at 14:47 I know the trend has been ultra skinny and I don't see Kate giving hers up, but I've always liked the dark bootcut jeans she wore at the Calgary Stampede and I wish she'd bring that look back (though maybe not the too-skinny post-wedding-stress size). Boyfriend, high-waisted, distressed and retro flared jeans styles are back in for fall. I can't see Kate wearing anything baggy or distressed, but she should embrace the bootcut slightly flared styles once again. They really did elongate her legs and make her look great. Well, I admire how quickly she got back into them after George was born...God bless her. :)) If you Google "Audrey Hepburn skinny pants", beware.....you will see lots of ankles, and many combined with heels. I happen to think a nice, slim ankle is a flattering look on a woman. And in recent years, it seems that dresses and pants have been available in different lengths. No rant here...just observations. :) I regret to say that I find the interior of the restaurant rather lacking in atmosphere! It looks bland Elizabeth agree with your comments. Have no idea why her jeans are 6 to 8 inches above her ankles. Tucked into a boot great or if she had them reaching her instep great, but as they are they just look like they shrunk too much in the wash. They are odd, no idea why she does not get a long pair. Link to the iTV preview about Harry at 30 that u will have to watch :-) http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/harry-30-video-preview Thankyou Simone! Does anyone not see that Prince Charles might have encouraged the move to Norfolk because of his fear of William overshadowing his future monarchy? New Prince George pictures: https://www.facebook.com/The.British.Monarchy.Heir/photos/a.206000832886061.1073741883.134249850061160/378544132298396/?type=1&theater https://twitter.com/royaltykate/status/506570875517145089/photo/1 Barbara U.S. 2 September 2014 at 19:52 I will cast my vote on the skinny jeans debate: A resounding NAY! also nay to the accompanying wedges. Don't understand why she keeps clinging to that odd combination. Many celebrities are photographed wearing straight leg jeans at a longer length. However, it is imperative to make sure they are neither too long or too short. I will say, that as a tall girl (5ft.9") I have major problems finding a long enough length. Maybe Kate does too, but she certainly must have alterations at her disposal. Also, I want to see her in some FLATS! Not sneakers, not heels, but just plain flats. They look so much better with jeans than high wedges. acrrossthepond 2 September 2014 at 20:45 I think we should all donate to the orphanage that houses all of Kate's imaginary media children.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1510
__label__wiki	0.672267	0.672267	Alfie Evans case & Hoaxtead: The element they share in common On its surface, the Alfie Evans story bears little relevance to the Hampstead SRA hoax. What comparison could possibly be made between a little boy with an undiagnosable but clearly progressive degenerative brain condition, and a monstrous hoax, deliberately perpetrated by a small but persistent group of co-conspirators against an entire community? We’ve noted the eagerness of certain Hoaxtead promoters to leap—and more important, to be seen to leap—into the circus which surrounded Alfie and his family. But when we read a recent article in The Guardian, we realised that the two cases had more in common than one might initially expect. In the article, titled “‘Call from God’: American Pro-Lifer’s Role in Alfie Evans Battle”, we learned that a small group of Catholic fundamentalists, led by an American woman named Christine Broesamle, had inserted itself into the story as long ago as last August. Within days of the death of 11-month-old Charlie Gard last July, a Christian missionary in Rome spotted a Facebook post about a baby named Alfie Evans. The post by Alfie’s father, Thomas Evans, explained that his 13-month-old son had a degenerative neurological condition and that doctors wanted to switch off his life-support. Ms Broesamle, whose group had been involved in the Charlie Gard case, advising his parents to fly him to Italy for treatment and attracting the attention of the Pope to his case, told Tom Evans that they could do the same for Alfie. Since September, Ms Broesamle has lived in Liverpool, acting behind the scenes as an advisor to Alfie’s parents. This week in an interview with a Christian fundamentalist radio station in the US, she said there should be riots in Britain over Alfie’s treatment by doctors at Alder Hey hospital, whom she accused of being “hellbent” on killing him “to cover something up”. Ms Broesamle, who was named in court last week, is connected to the Italian “pro-life” organisation “Lawyers for Life”. She brought in physicians from overseas to examine Alfie in a clandestine manner, under the guise of being family friends; she also brought in a Russian law student, Pavel Stroilov of the “pro-life”, anti-gay Christian Legal Centre. Mr Justice Hayden described Mr Stroilov as a “fanatical and deluded young man” whose submissions to the court were “littered with vituperation and bile” that was “inconsistent with the real interests of the parents’ case”. Ms Broesamle also appears to be well-funded: Another source says Broesamle had access to a “seemingly endless pit of money and contacts”, and her network arranged for air ambulances to be ready at a moment’s notice to whisk Alfie from Alder Hey to the Vatican-approved Bambino Gesù hospital in Italy. Remind you of anyone? As we read the Guardian article, we found it difficult not to make comparisons with Belinda McKenzie and Sabine McNeill’s “Association of McKenzie Friends” (and the later “Knight Foundation”), whose founders were known for their habit of lurking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, offering their special brand of assistance to desperate parents whose children had been, or were about to be, taken into care by social services. As with Ms Broesamle and the Christian Legal Centre, who darkly accused Alder Hey Hospital of “covering something up”, Sabine and Belinda were known for filling their victims’ heads with paranoid conspiracy theories—such as their canard that social workers, working on commission, were “snatching” their children in order to sell them to the highest bidders, who would adopt them for the specific purpose of trafficking them. Like the Christian Legal Centre, with its submissions laced with “vituperation and bile”, “inconsistent with the real interests of the parents’ case”, Belinda and Sabine’s interventions in their clients’ cases never once managed to help a parent retrieve his or her children. And, as in the Alfie Evans case, we think Sabine and Belinda were never in any doubt that their interference in their clients’ lives, in any of the cases they undertook, would come to no good. That’s because organisations like this aren’t in it to win. They are in it to use the lives (and deaths) of other people to advance their own ideologically driven agendas, to create “profile”, to arouse public outrage which they can then turn to their own advantage. The words used by Mr Justice Hayden—”fanatical”, “deluded”, “emotive nonsense”—can be equally applied to the Christian Law Centre and the Association of McKenzie Friends. And just for the record, we’d like to add another word: “Vultures”. 30/04/2018 in Fair comment. Tags: Belinda McKenzie, conspiracy theories, Knight Foundation, Mckenzie Friends, Sabine McNeill Attention-seekers stir the pot in Alfie Evans case ‘Storm that hospital!’: Tracey Morris fans flames in Alfie Evans case More evidence the Hampstead SRA hoax was planned from the outset ← Miles learns a valuable lesson about Angela ITNJ co-founder blamed Sacha Stone & friends for its failure → 113 thoughts on “Alfie Evans case & Hoaxtead: The element they share in common” They’re all nuts and for some of them I’ve no idea how they still have their kids. TM is boarding on paranoid schizophrenia, the woman would appear to have serious mental health problems. She’s all about lies I.e Tom has barricades in the room to stop staff getting in, trying to stop the coroner getting Afies body, acting as if the family didn’t make a move without her telling them what to do. At least Sabine and Belinda stayed out of this one. I feel her daughters death has placed her in a downward spiral as she hasn’t given herself time to grieve properly, as she’s always on the next ‘big’ news story. I feel sorry for her two young boys, there’s no doubt she truly loves these boys, but she needs to drop away from the drama and spend more time with her sons. Lies from Angela too, who claimed to have been bombarded by messages from Mr. Evans but unable to prove it because she didn’t know how to copy and paste them onto her timeline! TM claimed he’d been in contact with her and Linda too. I’m pretty sure he hadn’t. Both Tracey and Linda’s FB pages are down, btw. They’re claiming to be locked out but that’s bollocks – their pages would still be showing if that were the case. EC, your point about Belinda and Sabine lurking outside court and pouncing on vulnerable people for their own ends brings to mind once again that now legendary diatribe by Melanie Shaw: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RZqEb2zBoqStyQvxi-yBxZtbfYn6D5_R/view?usp=sharing It was someone from the Christian Legal Centre – Roger Kiska – who appeared on Victoria Derbyshire’s show last Wednesday and criticised the judge’s decision in the Alfie case: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yd0vtI2VfM6VsckS9z-dSwRJJK0-k-IB/view?usp=sharing As Victoria points out, the CLC are part of a larger group called Christian Concern. From last Friday’s Liverpool Echo: “The Christian Legal Centre is a branch of Christian Concern – a religious lobbying organisation which has been vocal on a range of topics including abortion and gender identity… …Christian Concern is an anti-abortion organisation which says ‘divorce, homosexuality and transsexualism are the three most significant challenges to God’s pattern for family in today’s society’. They have also fought against compulsory sexual education in school. A mission statement on their website reads: ‘We have a passion to see the United Kingdom return to the Christian faith. Our nation has been shaped and defined by this faith for hundreds of years. Yet in the last few decades, the nation has largely turned her back on Jesus and embraced alternative ideas such as secular liberal humanism, moral relativism and sexual licence. The fruit of this can be seen in widespread family breakdown, immorality and social disintegration.’… …In 2015, he [Paul Diamond of the CLC] successfully represented a Christian nanny who called a lesbian ‘sinful’ and said ‘God is not okay with what you do’… …The CLC currently represent a family who withdrew their son from school after a classmate came into class sometimes ‘dressed as a girl’.” https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/who-lawyers-fighting-alfie-evans-14545819 Could the Christian Legal center perhaps take on Deborah’s case? She’s launching a bid for sainthood. LOL, did I miss something? The Linda woman’s Facebook is back she’s claiming TM simply got locked out of hers which wouldn’t explain why it’s gone but still they persist. She’s came up with an elaborate explanation about it having been set up so long who she forgot the passwords – small problem with this latest fairytale- TM has been arrested and had phones/laptops etc taken by police as part of the harassment case she’s involved and remembered her passwords to get back in then. Linda claims Tracey’s son uploaded a copy of her licence to Facebook to get it opened again – I happened to know from a very reliable source that when tracey was in court in Belfast last Monday one of the many charges she faces was Driving without a licence and insurance – they are terrible women and you can’t believe a word they say but they’d need to get their lies straight. She was reported by the Alfie’s Army admins for causing trouble and pretending to have a hotline to a grieving father and that’s why her Facebook is closed down. When I click on it, it’s still saying, “Sorry, this content isn’t available at the moment.” What are the odds of Angie actually following that advice, do you think? Everyone needs a hobby… Mr Evans probably had a huge email mailing list via Alfie’s Army and sent regular emails. I have a friend on such a list and he’s always telling me he got a very important email from a very important person as though the message was directed personally at him and not the 100K others on the list. APD does similar in everything she does. I read online (so it may not be true) that once in the Vatican hospital the parents would have lost the right to turn off the life support machine. If true then the irony of those protesting about the parents right to choose is obviously missed on them. No doubt these spin-off “Christian” groups are funded by the right wing Evangelicals in the USA. They have $100Ms in the pot mainly contributed by poorer working class Yanks who think if they send them a hundred bucks they’ll go to Heaven. In a way it may have been better if Alfie had been allowed go to the Bambino Gesù hospital who I’m sure were acting in his best interests. The chances are he would have died on the way and certainly within a day of arriving there. But then they would be accused of being part of a plot to kill the poor lad. The whole case demonstrates the ethics of the hard workers in the NHS and in particular at Alder Hey Hospital. Rather than wash their hands of the problem and take the easy way out they took the correct path at great cost to themselves. I hope the whole matter dies down but I suspect the Ratbag Brigade are gearing up for a vicious campaign against the hospital and the staff. I think Kris Costa’s way of choosing to “fight” means stepping up her intake of Bourbon, That’s alleged sainthood. or lawfully suspected sainthood. SandraB says: No, no, the Bible Belt is Protestant Sam. No work based salvation. It may be some Catholics have taken that view. It is sad that this bunch of hysterical nutters is bringing Christianity into disrepute. The discussion has been partly highjacked by the political faction in the US which is against social medicine for all, and they are keen to claim that once the state pays for medicine they kill babies to save cash. The level of basic education in the States doesn’t seem high. No attempt to explain the real position gets through. The stance of the Pope has been odd and unhelpful, since the official position of his church is that it is unecessary to strive officiously to keep alive, though abortion is almost always wrong. He seems to be a politician, milking the popular hysteria, but perhaps I am being unfair. Thank goodness both children have finally been allowed to die: you would think those who claim to be Christian would be the first to see that they are better off sleeping peacefully, awaiting the resurrection. Better for whom? The question was, what was better for Alfie? In his best interests to be put on a plane, transferred via ambulances, increasing the risk of dying say by choking or tubes coming out and having to be reinserted, to a hospital which had no treatment for him? Or in Alfie’s best interest to remain where he was, minimising any risk? The NHS workers at Alder Hey no doubt did their best for him, but they didn’t decide anything of the sort you suggest. They had no option but to care for him there since the decision was made by the courts. And I am sure the judge made the right call. Rosie H says: Wouldn’t that be brilliant news for the world! 🙏😂👏 I wouldn’t blame admin for reporting her, herself & her sidekick were nauseating to the extreme. 😷 Kansas Shitty says: The very Protestant Westboro Baptist Church notwithstanding The problems were many, the so called ‘army’, none of whom appear to be capable of reading, logic or critical thinking. Then of course the religious extremists, the anti-vaxxers, the anti-abortionists, the Polish Diplomat & God knows how many more, they were all bombarding those young parents since the woman EC mentioned above got involved. Still trying to cause trouble are this lot: https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/lawyers-media-on-alfie-theyve-killed-him anti-abortionists Fixed! 😉 ??? LOL That really is a disgusting article, and has whipped up a froth of paranoia and hate in the comments. It does annoy me when these fundamental Catholics try to traduce the Church’s position to their own ends. I appreciate that I’m in danger of invoking the “No True Scotsman” fallacy here. However, with the Catholic faith (as opposed to general Christianity) there are rules and edicts, which are often deliberately spun in ways they were not intended to be read for ulterior motives. I can’t speak for other countries but in broad terms, if your priest was from Ireland there was a good chance your local church would be conservative. If he was English, you’d be surprised how close to “liberal secular humanist” it would be. Our parish priest went as far as effectively telling the congregation to vote Liberal in the 1979 General Election, which caused a stir with our ex-pat Irish parishioners as they were then closely associated with the Abortion Act (1967). Another misconception is Papal infallibility. This extends to matters of Doctrine only. The last Ex Cathedra proclamation was made in 1950. “The Pope is not an oracle; he is infallible in very rare situations, as we know.” Pope Benedict XV1 “I am only infallible if I speak infallibly but I shall never do that, so I am not infallible.” Pope John XXIII In all other matters, the Pope’s position is guidance only. I’ve seen nothing in the Pope’s actual statements on this matter (and by that I mean actual quotes, rather than what people have said he has said) that contradicts the official position on end of life treatment. Yes, it can be argued that in his position he should have gathered all the facts first, but how many of us did initially? Before having read the careful judgement I too would have taken the position of “what’s the harm in transferring Alfie to Rome” ascribed to him. Has anyone any idea what any of that means or what the photo represents? Is it one of the short planks that Jake Clarke is as thick as? Nope, sorry. It’s a real ‘WTF?’ moment, mate. Still, at least Charlotte would never stoop to sending out death threats herself. Not even via her sooper seekrit Corina Lovage sock… “Family problems”: family has finally realised that “Mom’s” lift doesn’t go all the way to the top floor. Good luck to them. If she has uploaded her licence then it means the account was disabled by Facebook for breaking terms and conditions. They won’t even consider an appeal until you do the following. Unfortunately, we can’t assist you until you reply and attach identification that verifies the name submitted in your request. Please attach a copy of one government-issued ID (ex: driver’s license or passport) or two documents from a respected institution or business. Together these documents must show your full name, photo, and date of birth. GoS, that lot are the very same crowd who are funding the anti-abortionists in Ireland now with half truths as APD shared. Disgusting lot only bombard people with selected parts of bill, never the full text. I expect the pre-recorded phone calls with an American accent to start next, which happened last time before the Referendum. Thank you EC. 😊 One of Tracey Morris’ muck spreading posts. She would be good on a farm actually! 🐮🐄 “Trump is a white hat” You said it, luv. The updated evidence folder showing the full range of Tracey et al’s Alfie-related bile: The Tracey Morris Alder Hey Saga, wc 23.04.18 Not a clue, sorry! But Jake does seem to have liked an image on the page in question. Ooh, zing! 😆 Eggs'n'Bacon says: The following quote seems apposite: The greatest tragedy in mankind’s entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion. That’s interesting, OCS. Much here that I did not know. Question mark? What was the role of the two Bavarian charlatans who snuck into the hospital claiming to be air-ambulance staff, and had to be escorted off by security staff? They told German media that they had given the infant a thorough though clandestine examination — untroubled by the absence of their own MRI scans, EEGs, and such as — and in their professional opinion, he would have handled the noise, vibrations and air-pressure changes of a helicopter flight to Europe, without any problem at all. As I say, charlatans. But the German media took their word for it. https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article175816280/Grossbritannien-In-Deutschland-waere-Alfie-schon-ein-Jahr-lang-zu-Hause.html Bavarians, so I guess some hard-line catholicism was involved. Bavaria is why Germany can’t have nice things. I know I’m gonna sound dim but can someone please explain the death threat element of this to me? I’m assuming the pic is a reference to something. I’m guessing that Shiris Summers is a Charlotte sock (?). Weird that whoever it is has posted their Jake rant on Angie’s page. I’m…no. I can’t explain it. Sorry. Or a Heather one. Chopping block? Would be more sinister if there was an axe in the photo. Just checking the replies under Angie’s post and someone’s lost the plot: Cue the inevitable Skype video Yes it wood. So these court dates are for her rather than her accusing others? I’m glad someone reported her. She has very grandiose ideas about herself, which is never a good sign. Another great man defamed by a dickhead: Great quote. And it’s triggered Malcolm, who appears to have had a wee dram or two: Or eight. @Gharris – The other day I took the liberty of passing on your concerns to that nice Ms. Morris (along with a few memes and HR post links at no extra cost). And now that she’s managed to hack her way back into her account, she’s finally responded: What’s a pyscoparh? “He missed his vocabulary in life” 😂 If only he had put aside his indifferences. Inside job, schminside job. 9/11 never happened at all! Ooh, this just got interesting: “He missed his vocabulary in life”. Oh, that one almost made me spit out my coffee! 😀 It always bugs me when someone types “would of made” instead of “would have made”. I think it’s Tracey who has missed her “vocabulary” in life… Ooh, I can’t imagine who this might be. Nudge nudge wink wink. Say no more. A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind bat… Packed with lies (surprise surprise). – Spiny closed his channels down himself voluntarily (despite what she claims in that video). He still has his G+ accounts and all his videos are on the Google drive. – What’s this about us or MKD having criminal records? And how telling that she doesn’t back that up with a scrap of evidence. If anything, last I checked it was her Hamphoaxer fruitloop mates who practically had their own allocated parking spaces at Southwark Crown Court. Off the top of my head, people who’ve had knocks on the door from either the rozzers or the men in white coats include: Sabine McNeill, Angela Power-Disney, Deborah Mahmoudieh, Happy Brewer, Rupert Quaintance, Jim & Helen McMenamin, Neelu Berry, Belinda McKenzie, Robert Green, Dawn Moses, Jake Clarke, Tracey Morris, Arthur Kaoutal, Abe & Ella, D** S****, John Duane, Lee Cant, Alan Alanson, John Paterson, Christine Ann Sands, Maurice Kirk, Brian Pead… I knew Arthur C.Clarke for over 40 years. While he was gay he lived with the same partner who he met when he was 30 and his partner was 19. They stayed together for life. What the vile creeps do not know and which shows their appalling ignorance is that Arthur was paralyzed from the waist down from the age of about 38. He had no interest in, nor the ability to be interested in sex and he hid his disability extremely well which is why you never see film of him in later life. A TV series he made had him propped up by sticks on a beach at one stage to make it look like he had been walking..not unlike how FDR hid his disability. “Christian” NGOs started the rumours of his alleged pedophilia because his house, more a small compound had some children living there. But what these ignoramuses didn’t know was that the children were his partner’s children who was also married. Clarke was suing these NGOs for libel in a long complicated case which lapsed when he died. He was determined to take them to the cleaners. His partner and those grown up children inherited Clarke’s considerable fortune and all now live in luxury in Melbourne were they were able to be very nice houses with their legacy, $Millions from the days authors made lots of money. The Sri Lankan government were so infuriated at the allegations against Clarke who they considered an honorary Sri Lankan citizen they still have arrest warrants out for two British journalists who concocted the tale about Clarke hoping to embarrass the Royal Family at the same time (Prince Charles was to travel to Sri Lankan to invest him his knighthood at the time). The 2 desperately poor lads who accused Clarke (they were both 18- not children) admitted the British journalist had paid them £200 each in “expenses” to accuse Clarke and they recanted their accusations. Sri Lankan police wanted to charge them with various offenses (for bringing the country into disrepute) but Clarke intervened on their behalf as he had contributed a fortune to local charities and recognized their dire poverty and instead urged the government to put them through college which they did. The Smithsonian has only just received all Clarke’s writings and manuscripts including books that were never published. His house is still there ( a comfortable but rather plain English style house) which the government is planning to turn into a museum in his honour. And that’s the truth about Sir Arthur C.Clarke who makes a creep like Ogilvy seem like a piece of insignificant dung by comparison. The Past Participle Protection Club says: Oh Gawd, has she went and wrote a load of bollocks again? “What the vile creeps do not know and which shows their appalling ignorance is that Arthur was paralyzed from the waist down from the age of about 38. He had no interest in, nor the ability to be interested in sex…” Good point, Sam. Not that it’ll deter Ogilfail – he even accused the late Stephen Hawking of being a child molester! Back in the day homosexuality was believed, incorrectly, to be inextricably linked to paedophilia. But Sam – according to Malcolm, Reddit and Chris Spivey say it’s true. So it must be 😂 Just scored a strike against one of Wesley’s friends, who was calling for various politicians to be murdered: I take threats like that seriously since the Jo Cox shooting. What was that Malcolm was saying about arselickers? The drunken twat’s a day late anyway, lol. I’m sure all the relatives of those who died will be thrilled to know that. Can Ms Mahmoudieh ask her friend David to tell us where all those people are? Rejoice! Please tell all the relatives that their loved ones aren’t dead after all! Can Ms Mahmoudieh please ask her friend David exactly where we are to find the nearly 2000 people who disappeared that day? Nearly 3,000, wasn’t it? Feel I need to comment here… And it is directly to the point of the case in fairness… ‘Do you think a hospital/doctors should have any say on your child’s welfare’? Bearing mind the circumstances of ‘this’ case? This is a woman who claims to be able to take down judges and social workers and governments and yet can’t even manage Year Eight standard English. She’s an unwanted pariah, she’s an awful mother and awful human and it was only a matter of time before people seen right through her, just surprised it took so long. It is a difficult one. In reality the courts took over when doctors and parents couldn’t agree. I certainly would want the court to intervene on the side of the child if parents refused lifesaving treatment, also if parents believed bleach enemas cured all ills. I have the utmost sympathy for the parents of Alfie Evans. He was dying, no cure or treatment offered by anyone, which gets forgotten. Perhaps read the court judgments through. “…no cure or treatment offered by anyone…” I was under the impression that Alder Hey were providing first rate palliative care, weren’t they? Its interesting we seem to have the same groups here GOS, Abbott and the more extreme rightwingers in his party had close links to US based xian fundamentalist groups and received a lot of funding from them too “tracey was in court in Belfast last Monday one of the many charges she faces was Driving without a licence and insurance” Be interesting to see, was that because she didn’t have the dosh, or has she, like many others that seem to be involved, have FOTL leanings ( ‘traveling’ is a prime indicator of FOTL people- they often get caught sans license, registration/insurance due to the common belief that they are ‘traveling’ rather than ‘driving’, which they believe only happens when you are acting in a commercial activity, thus they don’t need ‘drivers licenses’ or rego etc “Militant church” indeed, they delete any postings that disagree with their charge of Alfie being murdered or that he was never going to have a ‘normal life’, some there seem to think that if he had been taken to Bambino Gesù he would miraculously recover and gone on to have a normal life- this was never going to happen, he was literally ‘brain dead’ and the hospital there even said all they could do was palliative care ie keeping his body alive (and who would be paying?) That is so cool GOS, he was my first scifi author (Rendezvous with Rama), I have every scifi book available of his in my collection The hijackers all paid cash (obvious why they would do so), but as usual the 9/11ers have gotten it wrong and are claiming that all the passengers paid cash, nope they didnt How dare you state facts in front of Deborah, Steve., Show some consideration! Morticia Addams says: I think the paralegal took down her page on the advice of the barrister she worked for, i know from a reliable source that he told her she got mixed up with a bunch of lunatics who will only drag her down so she is going back working for him and continuing her work on the boys case she was initially helping who had been murdered on the M25 along with the barrister she has and is returning to work for again. She actually got involved thinking she was genuinely helping people as she is not a bad person really. Again, i personally believe what Mr Dearman was accused of was wrong, i will never change my mind on that one, but the little boys father did actually ring her and TM and asked for their help but i suppose in cases like that when all legal avenues have been exhausted what can one do but show up and show some moral support at least. Nonetheless, take care all and God bless. PS, she is also distancing herself from TM as she is not good company, That’s an understatement! 🙂 I totally agree El Coyte 🙂 but a statement nonetheless that i believe she is sticking to. Keep up the good work exposing the ” Lunatics ” because too many people are listening unfortunately and getting caught up in the hype of all the madness. Yes he was a wonderful writer. I was vising him once when Morgan Freeman arrived to discuss buying the rights to Rendezvous With Rama 3 to make into a film which sadly never eventuated. Arthur had a brilliant mind and with his professor like personality he was one of the kindest and gentle people one could meet. The original allegations hurt him so badly especially as his partner had once saved his life after he fell badly and he promised to take care of him for life. He did that but also for the partner’s entire extended family by buying them houses and setting them up in small businesses and so on. It’s why his house was full of the partner’s relatives all the time who worshiped Arthur including his partner’s parents and grandparents who spent so much time at the house fussing over Clarke. His partner was not a sexual partner but a student who originally worked for Clarke, Arthur had a life partner who he adored but who died at about age 40 and who Clarke is now buried with. She wouldn’t be the first nor the last person to be dragged into the gutter by TM so glad she has seen sense and is getting away from that company before it’s too late. I do not however believe the child’s father rang them for help, it was in the middle of a legal wrangle and he was being represented by the Christian lawyers what in earth help could she provide? Also the fact the two stood in the carpark with TM posting random nonsense on her Facebook page tells its own story. I had a brief chat with one of the Alfie’s Army admins who reported TM to Facebook and Merseyside Police, they had never heard of her and were rightly disgusted at her behaviour. Yes, that’s what I meant. There was no treatment to reverse or halt the underlying disease. There isn’t one. Well, I don’t think there’s any good excuse for ‘the paralegal’ to deny that she was, in fact, guilty of jumping on the bandwagon, being an agitator and using scare-mongering tactics to rabble rouse in regard to Baby Alfie’s situation….she can’t blame Tracey for her involvement in exploiting the tragedy – it’s very obvious she involved herself out of pure self interest and self promotion. She’s probably used TM as much as TM has taken advantage of her willingness to make a name for herself…so Morticia, I think you are full of it and you’re wrong to be Ms. Paralegal’s apologist. Also, please tell LBO’R that taking hair styling advice from a Shih tzu dog groomer is not advisable as adopting that sort of dressage only serves to make her look completely mental or more politely “quite eccentric” , just because she’s pug-faced doesn’t mean she has to go the whole hog. “I personally believe what Mr Dearman was accused of was wrong, I will never change my mind on that one…” Morticia, that’s a tad ambiguous. Are you saying you believe the accusations were wrong or that he was wrong to do the things he was accused of? “I knew Arthur C.Clarke for over 40 years.” Coolest thing I’ve read in a while. I am not jealous at all…. “‘Do you think a hospital/doctors should have any say on your child’s welfare’? ” And he got to meet Morgan Freeman! Sweet Jesus. That woman needs serious help as she’s totally delusional. I am weak Haha, yes the hair was all over the place, they had just woke up i believe hahaha. The Dad did 100% ring and spoke with the two women i would never lie about that, he rang TM first who in return told the paralegal to call to her as he was ringing back to talk to her and that is exactly what happened and like i said being a paralegal she knew all legal avenues had been exhausted and expressed that to TM before even going on the phone to the Dad as she was not going to give anyone false hope and from there offered moral support in turning up with TM and joining the protesters, the camera of course was just shoved in their faces a long with lots of others and both were quite surprised it even made BBC as others had spoke and they thought because BBC were randomly picking people there was no chance they would be on it especially given the condition both were in just after waking up from having a couple of hours sleep in the car that day. The paralegal has stepped back from all the nonsense concerning every other thing. I am not sure about admins but the dad obviously did not tell them about everyone he spoke to as i suppose he spoke with hundreds of people, which i believe he did. Also, i had stated weeks ago i did not believe what Mr Dearman was accused of after reading all this website and other stuff. I made that quite clear then. Anyway guys, i shall not be commenting here again as i has a lot of work to catch up on but no hard feeling towards anyone of you and i wish you all the best that life has to offer. God bless. PS, Moticia is a Christian herself and maybe that is why TM thought to tell the dad about her, i don’t know, that could be purely speculation, but to her ,common sense, given her beliefs and the fact the legal team were also Christian’s. I could be wrong there but as my mother would never ” I may not be always right, but i am never wrong. ” Again, take care you lot and God bless. @gharris & Morticia Addams, having followed those pages, I saw someone tag Tracey Morris in the last few days, asking if she could do anything, next thing she was all over it like a cheap suit. I would no more believe that she had spoken to the father than I would Angie Dizzy saying the same thing. Hopefully Morticia has got sense & gone back to her everyday life of investigating an accidental death of a young man, maybe she will stop egging on members of the travelling community too & giving them false hope of getting their children back. She has a brilliant singing voice, she should take that up in her spare time. Byrne Baby Byrne says: Linda Byrne O’Riordan can make all the excuses she likes but at the end of the day she’s as bad as Tracey and has much to answer for. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v0vTe5p4Qb3l-7Rq-aQDuhi9l9eRifdT?usp=sharing That’s it, Tere – you know it makes sense: Bigotry Update It may not be obvious from the title or thumbnail but this video is really anti-Buddhism and ‘Hinduism: That’s in addition to her recent post about there being too many Asians and black people in some UK cities, her rants about the impending arrival of her new Pakistani Muslim neighbours, her previous remark about Jamaican men making bad fathers and several iffy comments/shares about Jews. Oh and she’s also notoriously homophobic. My claim to fame is that as a kid I once gave directions to Tommy Docherty. You’ll have to Google him, but where I live that was like meeting the Queen.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1513
__label__cc	0.667434	0.332566	Is Belinda planning a kangaroo court? Belinda has been doing a lot of gloating and gleeful rubbing of hands over the past couple of weeks, and we suspect we might know why. About a week and a half ago, she began making references to a “very secret conclave” she’d attended: Have been at a very secret conclave all day today (19 May 2018) since 11am, woohoo! ….At the said Conclave we had TV on from the late morning so I caught the tail-end of the footage from Windsor but we had a great deal else to discuss. The references to the royal wedding and her deceased sister seem a bit odd in this context, but clearly Belinda was feeling quite jolly—always a sign that she’s cooking up some sort of plot. We decided to watch and wait. On Monday, she dropped another subtle hint: Am getting a bit old now but am nowhere near done and still have a trick or two up my sleeve (sshh!) so am hoping lots more will join me and me them in the upcoming new year of my life. Of course it’s possible that in her dotage Belinda has decided to learn how to do conjuring tricks for the entertainment of her grandchildren. But the reference to “something up her sleeve” sounded more like confirmation of her earlier post: Belinda is almost certainly hatching some sort of plan. Lee Cant spills the beans Sadly for Belinda, we suspect we have some idea what she and her fellow “secret conclave” members have in mind. In fact, one of her minions, Lee Cant, emailed us last week to tell us: We’ve tried to remove any personal information about recipients of this email, excluding publicly available media and police (!). yes we are ORG. a JURY of 24 folk to do retrial on the Hampstead Children in a Common Law Court of record so the Public can see and be able to judge to be posted all over…….. To be fair, Lee probably didn’t send us this fascinating announcement intentionally. It was meant to answer a question from Andy Devine, in a seemingly interminable email thread begun by John ‘The Schnozz’ Paterson. Lee probably just forgot to check who was on the recipients list when he hit “reply all”. Here’s Andy’s question: ps do you still not think there should be a retrial on the Hampstead Children in a Common Law Court of record so the Public can see and be able to judge for them selves (sic), do you still think it irrelevant the people accused of having Tattoo’s-Birthmarks-Piercings-scares (sic) by the children in places the children should not have known? I for one would like that accusation proven wrong then I might think like you, however the fact that simple process wasn’t done leads me to believe this needs a retrial, so why “DONT” (sic) You???? Let’s leave aside for the moment the fact that there was no “trial” on this case, as no one was ever charged following the police investigation—though in our opinion Ella and Abe should have been charged, if not with child abuse, then at least with attempting to pervert the course of justice. Fortunately for Ella, Abe, and Sabine, the court hearing was not in a Crown court, but in the family division of the High Court; and it was a fact-finding hearing, not a criminal trial. Andy and Lee are dredging up the ludicrous issue of the tattoos yet again, failing to recognise that that particular horse has been deceased for the past three years, and that there is absolutely no point in continuing to flog it. So how will a “jury in a Common Law Court of record” solve anything? And why will said jury consist of 24 people rather than the usual 12? According to a site called Freeman Legal Services, The Grand Jury of Peers is the most potent and lawful force which mas (sic) can assemble to hear wrongdoing. There is NO legal fiction, persona, corporation or entity which can withstand its judgment and is composed of “men and women” not legal fictions, and requires no authority from any external source. It trumps the Supreme Courts of England and the USA and the ICJ and any other fiction court which sits is finery on this planet.It’s yours, it’s here now and you are going to love it because you will understand it. The Grand Jury has the power and authority and precedence to judge facts as well as law – AS ALL JURIES HAVE. It is a deliberate falsehood to purvey that they can only decide fact! Note to Lee, Andy, and Belinda: no amount of Freeman on the Land woo can make such a court “lawful”. Holding any sort of public pretend court to “prove” that the Hampstead SRA hoax was somehow real is against the law, for the simple reason that victims and complainants in cases involving sex offence victims are automatically given lifelong anonymity under UK law. If their names or images are dragged out in public yet again, this will constitute contempt of court (the real court, not the pretend one). And we all know what recently happened to Tommy Robinson. ‘Nuff said? As for the issue of the tattoos, aside from the fact that it would have been illegal for the police to demand that people reveal any distinguishing marks without their having been charged with a crime, it sounds very much like Lee and friends are contemplating some form of vigilantism. Are they planning to somehow force the people of Hampstead to demonstrate their lack of tattoos, etc.? If so, we’re afraid they can look forward to being charged with assault, at the very least. If all of this is the subject of the “very secret conclave” which Belinda attended on 19 May, it sounds an awful lot like a group of people might be conspiring to commit a number of crimes. Whether it involves assaulting the innocent people of Hampstead, or illegally publicising the names of RD’s and other people’s children, any “public Common Law Court of record” would be very much against the (real) law. Just to be on the safe side, we’ve informed the police of our suspicions. You’re welcome. 30/05/2018 in Belinda McKenzie. Tags: Belinda McKenzie, criminal charges, Freeman on the land, Hampstead hoax, Lee Cant Belinda funded Zimbabwean teen’s embassy escape Charlotte and Belinda in epic pagga Prelude to a hoax: How Belinda and Sabine prepared the way for Hoaxtead ← Was ‘Sam the Blogger’ given access to the Hampstead children? Abe proves he was lying about the tattoos → 133 thoughts on “Is Belinda planning a kangaroo court?” I’m sure the boys and girls in blue will be overjoyed to hear about this! A “secret conclave”?. Yes there it is confirmed: a conspiracy is being hatched to yet again to attempt to pervert the course of justice and harass innocent people. That’s if “lee cant” is to be believed but as this mob is like a dog with a bone it seems likely. There is an opportunity for the authorities to nip this conspiracy in the bud before it gets out of hand again. The real victims in this case have been through enough. The few short years that this has ghastly hoax has run must have been harrowing for them and to even hint that a group of misfits are planning to assault their innocence again must be a debilitating. thought. When will they ever be allowed to live their lives free of this demeaning organized harassment?. And will this mob ever let the 2 children involved retain their innocence for even a few short years?. Must they go into their teens and adult life with an endless repeating series of videos and photos of them being tortured into telling tales of sordid sex and murder popping up on Youtube? Surely a libel action against the main instigators would focus their thoughts?. We have evidence that any deranged mind can be spurred into action: just as a gunman decided to visit a Washington pizza parlor and fire a gun in the place while customers were there, Hampstead had someone travel from the USA to confront victims and turn up armed with a knife at a named location. And about bloody time local MPs were badgered into protecting their constituents from harassment. It makes me angry that politicians are lagging so far behind in the rapidly developing world of internet fantasy where innocents are attacked on a daily basis and physically threatened. Why are they so ignorant and frightened of these net entities like Youtube, Facebook etc – they don’t pay their fair share of tax and we are left paying to try and clean up the mess they help create. Oh, I should think so, yes. Weborah the Spider says: So let me get this straight. The truthers trust in a woman, who houses convicted paedophiles (nope sorry not whistleblowers), has a history of involvement in very dubious charity/criminal scams, was a key person who orchestrated the Hampstead child abuse hoax, has promoted no end of alien/star child and conspiracy nonsense (whilst taking donations), and yet they still associate with this vile beast!!! Words fail me. Bellnder has some nerce to even show her face in public, a complete narcissist and most likey a psycho. I think it’s apt to bring up the Tommy Robinson case. When you read the Secret Barrister’s report on it he makes some excellent points about Contempt of Court which has some far reaching powers. Are we seeing the plotting of an attempt to bring about such a Contempt? https://thesecretbarrister.com/2018/05/25/what-has-happened-to-poor-tommy-robinson/ wallop says: Wasn’t Belinda served with a gagging order about this case? Seems to me she is on the verge of breaching it if she has not done so already. The police should start by questioning Lee Cant about these plans. Pah! Secret court schmecret court. Nice work, EC 🙂 And up yours, McKenzie, Cant and Devine https://drive.google.com/open?id=1n7LUTUC1QGKDwGZ-7VagWhLvW9re3HIC I’m still laughing that Hope Girl fell got scammed out of her crypto currency, LMAO! A scammer getting scammed by a a speculative negative sum game, that is even worse than a Ponzi/Pyramid scheme, closer to the ‘greater fool theory’ than anything else. Anyone who makes money off of crypto is at the expense of other making losses later on. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/greaterfooltheory.asp Did dummy fake new age christian/ex witch not know that there is no safe way to store crypto? Even if you take every precaution imaginable, hold a degree in cryptography and computer security, the developers, miners, markets and wallet holders can all exit not to mention that the crash is imminent as Bitcoin becomes less efficient as time passes, and magic internet beans mined using tons of energy to solve puzzles, is of no value to anyone except those running the scams. Another double 🙂 Aww, poor Malk 😦 He only opened that account because we got him a ban on his main one 😂 From Sunday: Vive le Hoaxtead says: Oh well, at least he’ll have more time to go arse-kissing on Naima’s videos now. Bless 🙂 Not sure why you veered off into a rant about politicians. There are plenty of existing laws in the UK dealing effectively with contempt of court and harassment and menacing digital communications. In almost all cases I see here, that threshold has been crossed and it is legitimate to ask why they aren’t being prosecuted. BUT prosecutions are a matter for the police and CPS and long may it remain that way. The day that we slide into the quagmire that we are seeing over the pond where politicians are able to direct the police and judiciary to act on their orders will be a dangerous day for all. The UK’s constitutional separation of powers is important for a very good reason. A case of be careful what you wish for lest you are given it. Some of this is intentional. I don’t know about Hampstead but some of it is intentional Ogilfail’s final words before he went down: HUh? Where’s Equador? Good luck with that, Neelu 😂 http://wideshut.co.uk/tommy-robinson-arrested-contempt-of-court I’ve been waiting for that. Tommy and the vicious pseudo ‘Christian’ , who harass a clergyman and his flock, have so much in common. Debs has been at the funny fags again, I see. I don’t think Mr. Marley would approve of your online activities, Debs. Sorry Roseanne doesn’t sound that sorry to me. https://twitter.com /therealroseanne I think it’s hilarious that he would include the Police and media in that list of email recipients. PC Grimwood is even on that list. They honestly think they will get away with this common law Hampstead “retrial” harassment? LOL! Mad bint update Oh and as usual, Angela’s accompanied that post with a random pic so it can’t be reported. She’s a Christian, you know. Normal Wisdom says: Didn’t they try this “Grand Jury” nonsense three years ago? – 01.45 of attached – that obviously went well … Ah, Belinda’s grand goodbye, well remembered, NW. Wait – Christians believe in karma now? I fail to see the issue with GoS saying that MPs should be “badgered into protecting their constituents from harassment.” Ensuring that the police/CPS are acting upon a constituents concern is one of the roles of an MP. An MP needs to understand the impact inaction by the police, CPS or outdated laws have on their constituents. This may be given time in Parliament as that is where laws come from in the first place! It’s kind-of how it has worked in the UK for quite a while now… Karma, astrology, hatred, murder, water dowsing, spirit channelling, false idolatry, clairvoyance, fraud, arrogance, bearing false witness, casting spells and curses… All ok for Christians now, apparently. Let’s just say things have changed a lot since my Sunday school days. I see one of her creepy followers made their thoughts known under that video: Same ol’ same ol’… Looks like Hope Girl’s anti-MKD trolling video (that several people from here reported) has come down. Great work, folks. As JournoAngie said, “Karma’s a bitch.” Hehe 🙂 Perhaps I didn’t explain my politician angle too well. I think on the whole they have been woefully left behind by the onslaught of the internet and the large net entities like Google, Facebook, Youtube etc who thumb their noses at the notion of citizens having the right to privacy, the right not to be harassed and defamed etc. and what galls me is that they are huge tax avoiding entities with their falsely constructed “debts” by which they cream of advertising in the $Billions, paying little or no tax, using the infrastructure of a country but owing zilch loyalty to where they make their profits and in the end always without fail, claim that hokey US mantra of “free speech” as a get out clause. It gets so insane that the Irish government went into a swoon when the EU ordered Apple to repay Ireland €13 billion in taxes and said they didn’t want it: in other words their craven loyalty was to a giant corporation rather than Irish citizens. That’s an awful lot of money that could be used in a small country. The notion that Apple’s HQ (like Facebook) is “based” in Ireland is a sham. And that’s quite apart from how these tax avoiding scams are demolishing publishing and 100,000s of jobs yearly. Think back 20 years : could Britain’s newspapers have got away with publishing day after day the photos of the 2 Hoaxtead kids and re-telling their stories without a huge controversy band outrage from our elected representatives?. Our current load of politicians are like deer caught in the spotlight while these corporations walk all over them to the detriment of citizens. And yes I think politicians also on a local level have a duty to ensure the police are pro-active. Seems someone’s missed the sodding point as always, Sam: I’ve often wondered what George Jamaican Trucker’s up to these days… LOL, they’ve all gone now: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUcu1P-bSXIb5UmpGxLNucQ Someone’s nervous about a second/third strike, methinks 🙂 The Grand Fubar says: Far be it from me to diagnose someone with a mental disorder. I have to say though that Belinda’s housing a convicted sex offender was the last straw and brought home to me how deluded she must be. If anyone reading this believes what happened in Hampstead wasn’t a hoax, at least consider the fact that Ms McKenzie housed (actually HOUSED) a man who had been convicted of sex offences by the Courts. Would you do it? I know I wouldn’t. And she has been one of the main players promoting the shenanigans re Hampstead. You don’t have to believe me. Check for yourselves. Fascinating article on the Tommy Robinson arrest by our old mate Keelan Balderson: You forgot drinking menstrual blood. I can’t imagine what Brown Owl would have said about that on a Sunday. Thank you for the best laugh I’ve had so far this week. 🙂 🙂 🙂 How’s this for irony? Hoax Girl’s just uploaded two ‘cute kitten’ videos which are uncredited copies of someone else’s. Let’s hope no one tells the owners of the original videos about her blatant copyright infringement 😉 Hedgehog Media says: See, I said it was a tough gig this week! OK Debs, you win 😀 Ogilvy’s latched on to your link, Lisa – and he’s not happy 😀 Who the fudge is Kellan Balderstone??? Many issues here which go way beyond that of failure to apply existing laws. I’m sure as well as a wide range of religious/non-religion views held by fellow posters, there is a wide range of political ones too. Politics is beyond my GCHQ pay grade so I’ll leave it well alone. We’ll just have to agree to disagree. 😎 That’d be a real shame. midicon says: I hope I get a jury service notification from Belinda! Come to think of it who will be selecting those jurors….and will they be unbiased? Secret meetings….doting over the Royals….has Belinda joined the Order of the Eastern Star and is teaming up with Rothschilds and Bilderberg Group?….It’s a conspiracuh. A common law court case in which a bunch of unprofessional biased conspiracy nuts choose which evidence is heard without any defense present and nobody of any relevance or importance being questioned or cross examined. Pointless nonsense! It’s pointless, but if it takes place prior to or concurrent with Sabine’s trial, they could find themselves doing a Tommy Robinson. Among other things. Okay. I watched it. It made me laugh. Yes, the police car slowed down but it was probably an officer pointing out the nutter’s address to a new colleague. The other cars just drove by normally. My maths is a little rusty but if she claims that there is only one car every 5 minutes in that road, then assuming standard distribution three within a minute has a 16% probability or the same as throwing a six on a die. Hardly an unusual event. Must be those paranoia inducing chem-trails. I think they should put Angie in charge of the whole thing. I’m still laughing that Hope Girl fell got scammed out of her crypto currency For reals? Or as an explanation for why she can’t account for funds that someone lend to her? Karma, astrology, hatred, murder, water dowsing, spirit channelling, false idolatry, clairvoyance, fraud, arrogance, bearing false witness, casting spells and curses… And stampeding cattle. That’s not much of a crime. …through the Vatican? Lurker from the 5th floor (GCHQ) says: Thou can just turn up if you want. Methinks they are desperate to get people involved. It’s going to be held in afield near Glastonbury. Google common law court for all the details. “…in which a bunch of unprofessional biased conspiracy nuts choose which evidence is heard without any defense present and nobody of any relevance or importance being questioned or cross examined.” That is justice in many countries, scary eh? This court perhaps? https://www.commonlawcourt.com/ It’s the current favourite amongst the ‘Lawful Rebels’ https://www.facebook.com/groups/practicallawfuldissent/?ref=group_header who have been using it to good effect to get out of paying council tax and hide their assets from bankruptcy practitioners… Well… When I say good effect I mean no effect whatsoever but there’s been commercial liens and Lis Pendens and plenty of other Footler favourites. You can even get a common law birth certificate which lets you reclaim your something, something, something. The best bit about it is … And I quote… “The final verdict of the Common Law Court Jury is final and not subject to appeal.” So that should be the end for the satanic powers of satanic satanism. In reality the ‘Common Law Court’ is one man who appears to be John Smith of somewhere in Scotland. John seems to be the judge, court clerk, prosecution counsel and all twelve members of the the court. As often as not he’s the plaintiff too so a lot of the final and non-appealable judgements work in his favour. As of late he’s been doing a roaring trade… Well… A trade anyway in ‘official’; court documents at £7.00 a go. Yes folks… A mere seven of your English pounds will buy you a certified copy of the CLC’s judgement overturning council tax… Think of all the money you could save. Oh… You can even get a medical marijuana get out of jail free card for the same low, low price… “There is NO CHARGE for recording this information however you may purchase an A4 extract for £7.00. This extract will be embossed with the Common Law Court Seal and will confirm that it is lawful for the named individual to use and grow the marijuana plant under Common Law.” https://www.commonlawcourt.com/medicinalmarijuana Perhaps Belinda is wanting to spend some time in Prison alongside Sabine? I’ve never knowingly met a paedophile in my life. These folk have proved connections to convicted paedophiles and have even housed one. Are they always shouting out about paedophilia just in case fingers start pointing their way? Is it a case of protesting too much? Oh for crying out loud !. Why didn’t someone tell me she’s a Flat Earther?. Explains everything. She really is a fuckwit isn’t she?. Despite probably 1000s of hours of complicated investigations by numerous police officers, the complications of gathering evidence, 100s of interviews of witnesses and victims and alleged perps..it’s a berk like “Tommy Robinson” actually exposing abuse. Even though there are several trials going on. Power-Disney does this all the time- she posts links to reports of arrests and convictions and thinks she’s the one exposing it all and then moans “something must be done” while others are actually doing something while she sits at home begging for fag & beer money. Does she really think that there is a “Planet Earth Planing & Tech. Dept” responsible for the weather? I assume it is a joke, but you can’t be sure. Maybe she really is that mad. A woman who once met Malcolm Ogilvy and still has nightmares says: I’ve met Malcolm Ogilvy. Does that count? Well said, Sam. Plus Robinson hates Muslims, so Angie sees him as a kindred spirit. Couldn’t help being a bit catty ….meeeow 🙂 Nice work, Sheva 🙂 Great results TSLF. Is she removing evidence of fraudulent claims, too ? No, I think when we got that first one taken down this morning, she shat herself and took down the others to avoid a second/third strike. Then she thought she’d be safe putting up two kitten videos but as soon as she saw us talking about letting the owners of the videos she’d (rather hypocritically) stolen know about it so they could report her for copyright infringement, she shat herself again and took those down too. I did tell the owners, btw 🙂 I think she was also taken aback and monumentally embarrassed after spending all night bragging to all and sundry about how she’d had my channel removed (she hadn’t) and then I replied to her on the very thread where she was shouting about how my channel no longer existed. So I think there’s also an element of saving face here 🙂 Didn’t she lie some more the other day, saying that she’s never made fake medical or health benefit claims? Title of this video (reported): What is Shungite and Why its so powerful for your health Got your back, hehe: She’s made loads of false medical claims. We have a screenshot somewhere of her listing all the things orgonite can cure. Total bullshit, of course. Cos she likes to stay smug……. We should invent something Smugonite or something …. lol 🙂 Oooh, lets see it, please TOT Equador is obviously a country on the planet Zog where they happily exchange certificates from SwissIndo for cash. I’m not convinced you would get much for them in Ecuador. However; it you send them to me I will pay the equivalent of 100 Venezuelan Bolívar for each one. Too funny, what a fcking hypocrite….. As it goes, I think Naima is making out that I also run all the MKD channels…. which obviously I don’t, or that I am Sophie Green or you or anyone she fancies calling me……. I havn’t taken any videos down…… HopeGirl acting as agent for Angela Power Disney made a third strike on the new Real Fresh Start Foundation, to protect her buddies on Fresh Farts…….. she hopes ! lol…. And no, I don’t think she is really a christian….. I am fortunate to have met many christians along the way and each one of them would be as disgusted with her evil practices as I am. She is fake and rotten to the core and just uses any self image that she thinks will help her fool people. Angie still has one fan left, then: Looking at some old footage of Kevin Annett the other day, I suddenly realised that it was probably HIS skull that the starchild skull was a model of,,,,, it just looks very similar in size and shape 🙂 Wait till you’re in court Angie, then see how you like it ! Only none of us will be daft enough to stop the wheels of justice turn for you, but the press will have a field day afterwards 🙂 OK, brace yourselves and try not to chuck bricks at the screen or lose the will to live… http://angelascaches.org/tommyrobinson-sabinemcneill-melanie-shaw-uncut-unplugged/ Thankyou very much, are you one of my devotees, by any chance TOT ? lol If only we could arrange for Debs to be exempt from the law of gravity. We could all wave goodbye to her as she floated off into the cosmos. 2:10 – “Richie Allen says in his broadcast he thinks he’s exposing paedos. Well, he’s never exposed anything except for I’m sure he’s exposed himself a few times.” Not to be confused with Tom Robinson: 2:36 – “If that’s the standard for professional journalism, I’m horrified, Richie. I’m disgusted.” Sounds a real bargain. Never one to exaggerate is she? How many times has she been the victim of attempted kidnaps? I like how Angie has used a photo of her younger self in the video’s thumbnail. HypeGirl got scammed ? Vive Hoaxtead *you’re 14:01 – “The Muslim invasion of Europe” Yep. She actually said that. Did some scientific research and this is as close as I got to Shungite She’s ranting about immigrants but…er…she is one, isn’t she? Thanks…on it. Lyrical Larry says: Belinda, the cow Was sure she knew how To set up a kangaroo court. When she heard Hoaxtead shout That her secret was out, She cried and reached for her passport. Thanks for the information, mate. By the way, is this you in this top secret surveillance footage? 100th Monkey business Disappearing is the order of the day it seems. Yet there’s plenty of whistleblowers and GCHQ Trolls around as far as I see it. What’s everyone else spending their Illuminati Shadow Government Black Op Paycheque on this week ? I was thinking black tinted windows in my car so the truthers can’t see me on CCTV. Maybe some white Shorunite crystals to give my braincancer microwave cannon an extended range. I’ve had it pointed at Mad Deb;s shack for the last month and she’s raising her tolerance. Lawful Rebels? Imma Chaotic Rebel myself. Both of them, Treyvon too. Hahahahaha deadlegged with a makeshift pirate flag snigger Bahahahahaha! The worst part is that she promoted bitcoin which is terrible for the environment, requiring an absurd amount of energy to mine a single bitcoin, and at the same time she’s promoting a supposedly environmentally friendly free energy machine that will never work and needs plugging in, lol. Have you seen how many posts are on her blog about 5G? Debs is another one obsessed with 5G! It’s like the conspiracy sheep are all brainwashed into following each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if they both subscribed to this magazine: She loves 5G, because it’s dangerous radiation, along with chem trails and undersized carrots, can be cured by using their awful plastic crystals and stupid pyramids. She’ll jump on any conspiracy she can make money from, On another note . . . . https://s15.postimg.cc/4q7lxdq6j/fiddler_s_green.jpg OMG, it’s a Fotler scam on a bun, it’s all there. At bottom though It appears to be all about Mr Smith’s problems with council tax, his mortgage and other debts, so he declares them void in his common law court and tries to make a little £££ by selling useless documents to other people. The usual mystery (Neelu is the same) about how people appear to be simultaneously fooled by this stuff, and cynically using it to scam other people. He appears in the Quatloos thread Practical Lawful Dissent FMOTL Antics, and I think one of the cases discusssed on the site by two creepy avatars (one with disturbingly rolling eyes) may be a case followed in a BBC Radio 4 documentary about freemen. Landline telephony has problems of its own, but no-one ever mentions those, because of Big Wire. OMG, does she look more vile than ever and done, reported. Any headline will do for Angie, nothing said about the fact that Tommy put the victims in the case at risk and also the case itself……. cos She doesn’t know and she doesn’t care about any real victims only those like her who make shit up about famous people or politicians. That alleged journalism course she did in university was a waste of time. She is still ignorant to the fact that D-Notices are not compulsory. There are times when you can laugh at idiots like Neelu but she really is a bloody creep. The “Disappeared” was a term originated by the desperate families of young activists who were kidnapped by the dreadful murderous Pinochet regime in Chile and who were never found. Stories abounded of young people rounded up and machine gunned in a stadium, of being hog-tied and flung out of helicopters over the sea. These vile people appropriate a term that is so meaningful to the mothers who “coined” the term to try and describe their sheer desperation of never knowing what happened to their child. But as in the way they steal the term “whistle blower”, they reduce the seriousness of an important subject with their own selfish & petty claptrap. I love Quatloos. It shows there are sensible people among all these loonies. Blast from the Past !. Great song and way ahead of his time. I marveled at this song when it first came out and the fact he performed it on Top of The Pops was amazing and a credit to the BBC then. Reminds me of how music could be powerful and have a real message before it dissolved into financial mediocrity. That’s an excellent point, Sam. Disgusting behaviour. For anyone who missed the gag there, read the full song title and then watch/listen to any random snippet of Angie above. What she’s not revealing here is that Bitcoins are actually made out of re-cycled Organite and this pair are counterfeiting Bitcoins with Organite which they have actually counterfeited. Scamming can get complicated. Pingback: Fresh Start Foundation: Why do we say Fresh Farts ? – The Real Fresh Start Foundation Video is still up, so much for YouTube’s 24/7 flagging service. Actually it’s bollocks and only a small percentage of reports are acted upon. It’s just there so you can feel like you did something. If they did act Free the Hampstead 2 would be wiped off the site completely. We need to stage a coordinated operation to flag every single interview video numerous times till the whole channel is taken down, that should be the number one priority. I agree in principle, but here are some numbers to think about: YouTube videos tagged “Hampstead Cover up”: 17,800 YouTube videos tagged with the names of the two children: 30,800 YouTube videos tagged with father’s name: 1,390 YouTube videos tagged “Hampstead Satanic”: 8,900 Yes, there will be overlap amongst those categories, but this gives a sense of what we’re up against. What we really need is a concerted legal effort to force YouTube to obey the court order which was made in February 2015. They need to take down the videos wholesale. While it’s satisfying on an individual level to remove them one at a time, it’s really like farting against thunder. You don’t say. If only the legal guardian lodged the correct claim and YouTube added it to an auto flagging digital fingerprint doodah then it’d have an effect. I blame a lot of Americans with poor cognition knee jerking this thing seven ways to Sunday I know, if YouTube can ‘sense’ a music copyright violation at 1,000 paces, how are they unable to notice when thousands of illegal videos are being uploaded and shared? And even if they can’t use some kind of visual flagging, it’s a simple matter to write a programme which would sort videos by keyword and create an ongoing database for them. If it was legally required that they detect and remove it they would. But that’d take a lawyer badgering them, or a much bigger campaign that a few dozen of us can muster. It’s pretty much an unregulated free for all and paradise for idiots posting crap. That is what they do…… I’m sad that it still boils down to mass reporting. I’ve been thinking that there needs to be a mechanism for a case like this………… once a restraining order is in place, especially if children are involved, then it should get all an automatic wipe …………The amount of vralised vile still out there about Hollie and the children, all generated by certain platforms, colluding and with clickalottys and bots galore at the ready…… surely tech wizards can sort this ? We could possibly contact a Hampstead MP or counsellor ? If it was a Metallica song or Star Wars clip it’d go down. I’m sure YouTube would act if it was done properly. Mere flagging is pointless. What some call people’s courts and justice, other’s call extremists and lynchings	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1514
__label__cc	0.593676	0.406324	Welcome to the web: Becki Percy, Vicky Ash, & the UK SRA pushers We’ve said this before, but the web of those who push the Satanic ritual abuse narrative within the UK is both relatively small and very close-knit. For example, when we were looking into the story of SRA claimant Becki Percy, we learned that although she began her career of allegations by claiming that her father had sexually abused her, and later expanded that to her mother trafficking her, she didn’t really get rolling with her abuse claims until she’d discovered a woman named Victoria (Vicky) Ash. Becki contacted blogger Fenna Vlekke in early 2015, “because she wanted to raise awareness on the topic of childhood sexual abuse”. In the interview she not only claimed that she was locked into the loft at her parents’ home with “only a dog bowl filled with water for company”, but she described what happened after she allegedly told a teacher in January 2010 that her father had been sexually abusing her: That night, a police woman and a social worker came to mums house. My dad was still at work so it was only my mum and me. They explained everything to her and she started with the crocodile tears. She pretended she had no clue this had been happening. Of course, they believed her tears. My dad came home and, for my own safety, the police woman told me to go upstairs so I did. I could still hear everything. She told my dad he would have to find somewhere else to live because he wasn’t allowed near me. He was angry. Saying that I’d made it up and that he hasn’t ever touched me. Lies. Thankfully the police made him go and he did. He left. So…a 13-year-old girl reports sexual abuse, the police show up, and instead of arresting her father for questioning, they simply tell him he has to leave the home…and then they toodle off themselves, job done? In this interview, Becki says she went to live with her uncle, but worse luck, guess what? He was involved in her parents’ child trafficking ring too! When she reported this in March 2010, she was sent to live in foster care, followed quickly by emergency residential care, and finally “a lovely placement” where she was living at the time of the interview. There’s no mention of her uncle or parents ever having been arrested or prosecuted for their alleged crimes; they just fade out of the picture. Asked whether she had help dealing with the emotional effects of her abuse, Becki’s response is telling: In terms of social services, they don’t believe a word that comes out of my mouth. They think I’ve lied about the abuse. I’ve been referred to CAMHS countless times but they’re totally useless. Shifting narratives Interestingly, in a December 2016 YouTube video, the story changes somewhat: I lived with Xxxx ([mother’s] brother) until May 7th. I disclosed to the same school teacher about him sexually abusing me. I was placed in foster care I was in that foster care placement for around a month in which time the male foster carer was sexually abusing me. I, again, disclosed to a school teacher and was placed into an emergency children’s home I was there for a further month then placed in a more permanent children’s home. From July 2nd 2010 to April 21st 2015 I live in the second children’s home. In that time I went through a cycle of CPS wanting me to see Ann, I would have contact with her then she would abuse and traffick me, I would eventually tell someone. The police would ‘investigate’ but then come back and say they wasn’t going to prosecute which is when the cycle would start over. A few things are notable here: Becki adds an allegation of sexual abuse against her male foster carer; She states that her social workers wanted her to see her mother, a strange choice for a teen who was allegedly being sexually abused and trafficked; The police would investigate, but refused to prosecute—again, a strange choice if there was any evidence whatsoever that Becki was being sexually abused or trafficked; and Nowhere in any of the above does she mention Satanic ritual abuse, nor her devotion to evangelical Christianity, which will become leitmotifs of her current internet fame. And then along came Vicky Ash In January 2017, however, Becki posted this video to YouTube: We’ve discussed this video before: it’s the one in which she states, then tries to retract, that she has done a great deal of research into SRA. The main thrust of the video is that while she knew she’d been abused as a child, it wasn’t until about six months earlier that she’d come to the stunning realisation that she had been a victim of SRA. At 05:52 she mentions that her role model in this is “a very courageous woman named Vicky Ash”. Becki expresses admiration for Vicky: I really find her story and her courage inspiring and she was the push that I needed spiritually—she’s a Christian—to continue doing these videos….To hear from another survivor that has experienced similar things to myself speak about it with such…she was so graceful about it, and she was calm. She looked like she was at peace. And I’m thanking God that she has found God, and she is strong in her faith, and I know that God has already started healing her, which I’m thankful for also. Unfortunately, the video Becki refers to has been removed from YouTube for violating its terms of service. On Voat, Becki gushes about how Vicky helped her understand that the alleged abuse she’d suffered was actually SRA. We don’t know that Becki and Vicky ever communicated directly. However, it seems quite clear that Vicky’s various online interviews helped Becki shape and hone her SRA story, as it shifted from “my parents abused me” to “my parents trafficked me and locked me in the loft with a dog bowl of water” to “my parents and other unnamed people chased me through the forest full of dead children hung from the trees like Christmas ornaments, and each time they raped me they took another item of my clothing”. Who is Vicky Ash? Although the specific video Becki references is no longer available, Vicky Ash has given many interviews over the years. In this undated interview with Wilfred Wong, she describes the familiar litany of “Satanic” practices: I was also forced by my Satanist abuser to watch pornography, which included Bestiality. In addition I was forced to ‘play games‘ during which I was sexually abused and told that I was the ‘star of the show‘. Photographs were taken of this abuse. I was drugged with a drink and taken out at night to tunnels and other locations with everyone wearing black hooded cloaks. I heard screaming and witnessed Satanist rituals with animals and children being murdered. There was lots of chanting. I was impregnated and my baby was aborted and offered as a sacrifice to Satan. Abortion is the modern form of Child Sacrifice. Bible-believing Christians ought to take careful note of this and become much more actively Pro-Life. (Yes, she does say, “Abortion is the modern form of Child Sacrifice”. You were not imagining it. Sorry.) With the help of her MP Geoffrey Dickens, Vicky’s case was investigated by police twice, but no one was ever charged, despite her persistence. However, she claims “there is plenty of hard evidence that SRA exists in the UK, including the several successfully prosecuted SRA cases in our nation”. This is blatantly false: in Prof Jean La Fontaine’s 1994 study of over 200 allegations of SRA in the UK, only three cases were substantiated, and they were found to have been “pseudosatanic”—sexual abuse was the main motivation of the abusers, and the ritual elements were incidental. However, like most SRA pushers, Vicky does not let mere facts stand in the way of her belief. A former beauty salon operator who now describes herself as a “beauty therapist”, she runs a “Holistic Christian Ministry called ‘Christoria’. Its work includes helping other SRA survivors and warning people that some beauty treatments on offer are Occultic”. Vicky’s ties to UK SRA pushers In addition to Wilfred Wong, Vicky Ash is closely linked to others within the UK SRA-pushing community. In November 2015, we find her being interviewed by Brian Gerrish, an interview which was promoted on David Icke’s website. Interestingly, in addition to referencing Geoffrey Dickens, she talks about her affiliation with Dianne Core of Childwatch. Ms Core was an enthusiastic promoter of the SRA narrative in the 1990s, who managed to straddle the fundamentalist/evangelical Christian / radical feminist divide, and worked on The Cook Report at the time when it was pushing SRA heavily. She is probably worthy of a post on her own, but it’s interesting that Vicky Ash says she was helped by her. We found that Sabine McNeill has featured Vicky on her National Inquiry into Organised, Orchestrated, and Historic Child Sexual Abuse blog. In a post on 8 May 2017, Sabine featured Vicky speaking at the “Perth Conference on Full Spectrum #ChildSexualAbuse”. That event, described by our own YdychyncachuTracey as “a shitfest of complete utter fuckwittery”, turns out to have been the founding event of none other than the Scottish Fresh Start Foundation, which we’ve been tracking for the past several months. In addition to Vicky Ash, speakers included the aforementioned Wilfred Wong, Robert Green, Sandy Smith, Shirley P. Cooper, and Andrea Sadegh, with Brian Gerrish, David Icke, and Kevin Annett making video appearances. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here! Once again, we have no idea what Vicky actually said at the event, as that particular Fresh Start Foundation YouTube channel seems to have taken down for “multiple infractions” of YouTube’s terms of service. Quelle surprise. We find it fascinating, though, that despite being located so far from the UK, an SRA claimant like Becki Percy, looking for validation of her own stories, somehow seems to have hooked into the UK SRA-believers’ community so seamlessly. 23/06/2018 in Witch hunters. Tags: Becki Percy, Brian Gerrish, Fresh Start Foundation, Kevin Annett, Robert Green, Sabine McNeill, Satanic ritual abuse, UK Column, Wilfred Wong Justice for Becki Percy…whether she wants it or not Becki Percy follows a well-worn path Dunn & Wong: More on Wong’s connections ← Angela barks up the wrong tree…again Are SRA claimants lying, or victims of false memory? → 108 thoughts on “Welcome to the web: Becki Percy, Vicky Ash, & the UK SRA pushers” Very interesting post EC. I see that the MP Geoffrey Dickens was mentioned and he was the MP that first bought allegations of high-level paedophiles to attention. All rubbish of course but interesting to see that he was in contact with Vicky Ash. Yes, it’s amazing how interlinked they all seem to be. If I didn’t know better I might call it a “conspiracy”. Perish the thought EC 😉 Here’s a link to a BBC report about Dickens and his dossier. Thanks, Arthur! Good thinking. 👍🏻 Geoffrey Dickens talking about SRA. Wow, a veritable who’s who! So she’s citing referrals to a mental health service as proof that she wasn’t a lying fantasist? Good work on finding all those inconsistencies in Becki’s ever-changing story, EC. Apparently! Thanks! This just scratches the surface, I’m afraid. I watched the video with Vicky Ash talking to Brian Gerrish and i wondered does she really believe in what she is saying due to a mental illness or is she straight out lying? That’s an excellent question and I’ve wondered that about all the SRA myth promoters, tbh. One could almost do a pie chart for each of them to show the differing proportions of lies to fantasy. Can I just let people know about this comment from OMG? https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2018/06/22/angela-barks-up-the-wrong-tree-again/comment-page-1/#comment-110658 S/he clearly put a lot of time and effort into it but sadly it was found languishing in the spam folder and ended up in the dead zone that is the tail end of the last post. Incredibly, the article that OMG links isn’t from a 1980s tabloid but from yesterday’s Metro! Thanks for re-posting OMG’s comment as I may have missed it otherwise. Those sort of articles do no good at all apart from encouraging belief in such nonsense. I wonder if the journalist really did meet that woman or did she just make the story up? Who would have thought that a man offering to massage your ‘yoni’ would turn out to be a pervert? It’s the perfect job for a pervert wanting to feel up any woman daft enough to visit him. Thanks, Scarlet, and thanks OMG. That first story sounds as if it was written 30 years ago. I find it depressing that this nonsense is being peddled again as if it were real. I think it’s an important question. This is worth addressing in more detail, but I believe the short answer would be “it depends”. I think that “recovered memory therapies” can make people believe that these terrible things really did happen. Then there are the fakers, who create the stories as they go, in order to gain attention, money, or both. Even they, though, can come to believe some of their own lies, as they repeat them so often they begin to feel true. Yoni massage is featured in the film ‘The Road to Wellville’ which is hilarious. ‘ Its work includes helping other SRA survivors and warning people that some beauty treatments on offer are Occultic”.’ OMG. I’m going to be careful next time I have a pedicure. You never know do you! OMGnotthisoldshiteagain says: It does sound very 1980s except for the fact that the narrative has been updated to try to bypass the activism of the various posters here and on other sceptical blogs and news sites who point out there have been no actually proven cases of SRA. The article in the Metro has a section titled “What is a pseudo-cult?” that is definitely worthy of careful reading and reflection. I perceive it as evidence that this blog and other similar, sceptical blogs are making a difference and that the SRA promoters’ narratives are changing to adapt to the new scepticism. Also re the “vagina massage” articles, the first is effectively an advertisement that recommends female readers to submit to vagina massages from a convicted sex offender, while the second article includes a multiple choice questionnaire in which readers can share their enthusiasm, or lack thereof, for spending money on vagina massages. I was wondering what company or organisation developed the questionnaire? Given that, in the age of the internet, criminals and cults harvest compromising information from people in order to identify people vulnerable to blackmail and exploitation, I always am very careful and cautious around online multiple choice questionnaires. It seems to me that the Metro are being extremely negligent with their readers’ safety by publishing these articles. The only thing I can think of in their defence is that many much more reputable news sites have also published completely uncritical articles promoting dodgy cults, fake shamans and assorted new age grifters. Actually there is another redeeming feature of the Metro and that is that, when Gwyneth Paltrow’s dodgy website Goop was advocating that women heal their sex lives by pushing jade eggs up their vaginas, Metro ridiculed the idea and actually published a lot of sane reasons why this was a potentially dangerous practice. If only they could extend the same level of sanity and scepticism to SRA / DID and vagina massages the world would be a safer place. I call shenanigans on your use of the word “journalist” Can’t wait for becki to get her dumb ass booted out of America and see how she settles into life in the UK without an adoptive clan of over wealthy and underwise buffoons to support her. These fakes are parasites who belittle genuine victims in their lust for attention. Maybe she’ll find a spare room in Highgate, though I feel her true spiritual home would be among the tiny tears and unicorns of golders green. Imagine those two idiots together . . . . Scented candles, my little ponies and wanky rainbows all round. Well, you wouldn’t want to put your foot in it, Miss Camden. Actually Vicky Ash’s narratives that some beauty treatments are “occult” is extremely interesting to me. Many of the disgusting cults that exploit vulnerable people as human assets encourage the said vulnerable people to start their own businesses. Some of these businesses are running workshops in “yoni massage” / “sexual awakening” etc. Some are multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses selling quack products and remedies. Some are MLM businesses selling the cuts books, workshops / retreats, DVDs etc promoting the cult and quite a lot are people selling beauty creams and other beauty products. I think that one of the main reasons why criminals encourage people to work hard as new age entrepreneurs is that is creates a large community within which multiple revenue streams can be used as layers to obscure dirty money that can be laundered. Of course the criminals want their victims to work hard and build large, successful businesses because, at the end of the day, they will relieve people of their assets and own the businesses themselves. I wondered why so many of the businesses include beauty products and I believe there is one very obvious answer (not the only answer though) and the obvious answer is that even corporate producers of beauty products deal in woo. The Advertising Standards Authority is always rapping the knuckles of various corporate beauty brands for making false claims in advertisements. If you watch an advertisement for face cream or other product with the volume turned off you will see that models put animated cartoons of scientific vignettes on their faces. When a women applies a moisturiser to her face she is not applying just a moisturiser, she is applying ideas, concepts and dreams. In fact if one considers some of the most noticeable products promoted by cults and criminals, they are the very same products that snake oil sellers have sold for millennia, quack cancer cures, cures for erectile dysfunction, weight loss remedies and face creams to make you look 10 years younger. Back to Vicky Ash, I have not researched her particular issues with “occult” beauty treatments, but it seems to me that whenever criminals and cults do something dodgy, some conspiraloon turns up with a batshit crazy conspiracy theory that identifies the grift but that is encased in a layer of insanity that obscures the reality at the core of the narrative. Interesting piece in the Telegraph today “The Church of England disregarded dozens of allegations in its inquiry into child sexual abuse and then downplayed the issue to protect its reputation, a critical report has found. A report by former Barnardo’s chief executive Sir Roger Singleton found that close to 100 cases were whittled down to just a handful for a review released in 2010. Inconsistent and overly specific criteria reduced the number of cases they reported for the Past Cases Review, leading it to conclude after examining 40,000 files that just 13 cases of alleged child sexual abuse merited formal action. Sir Roger, who was commissioned to complete an inquiry into the review, said he believed the Church “downplayed” the issue in public statements to avoid reputational damage. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/22/church-england-excluded-child-abuse-allegations-inquiry-downplayed/ Further down in the article it reports that: “In a case in Exeter Diocese, there was “concern about obsessional interest in satanic ritual abuse and conduct generally” by a retired priest, which it was decided would be dealt with by the Archdeacon.” I am detecting a theme here. Thanks Scarlet 🙂 I sometimes get inspired to post late at night / early in the morning. I appreciate you reposting it here Thanks for that, hadn’t seen it before, great video We have to be very careful not to fall into binary thinking, the issue is nuanced and complex Firstly, love the spider web photo. This is my update on the Becki Percy case. My plan to go-fund an assistance dog for Becki Percy as an incentive to report her allegations to the police has fallen through, there are no such assistance dogs in the UK for those with PTSD except ones for emergency and military personnel. I could not therefore cost the project to launch a Go-Fund. As you might remember, the incentive was that the money would be given to police in Hull, and if they found a case to bring charges against those Becki accused of crimes, she would get her dog, otherwise the funds would go to Childline. As these allegations by Percy have not been tested by a police investigation, I am treating it as an active crime scene until the police have come to their conclusions. It appears the personal sex abuse claims by Percy have been looked at by the police and the evidence was not strong enough to bring charges. In her own words Percy said the police and the four social workers who dealt with her case considered her an “allegation maker”. The newest allegations that Percy makes appears to have manifested around the time she arrived in the USA in 2015. There is no mention of SRA allegations in her internet postings pre 2015. These new allegations have not been tested by a police investigation, so I have in recent days been lobbying Percy and her supporters to contact the UK police to initiate an investigation. Percy has been frustrating, despite her many internet postings about her alleged SRA experiences, plus her concerns for the dead and abused children of her alleged abusers, she did not and seems unwilling to report these latest horrific alleged murders to the police. Her response to me is block me on Twitter, and when her supporters thought my suggestion that she should contact the UK police was a good idea, her only response was “he is a Satanist.” It is beyond bizarre that Percy is posting away on her two Twitter accounts promoting her candle business, yet does not and is unwilling to put any effort or time into contacting the police to bring about justice for her alleged victims and to safeguard future children from harm. Percy has been selfish in my opinion, complaining about her own misfortunes, promoting her candle business, promoting Trump and her Gofund projects … she has no motivation to help the alleged thousands of victims in Hull … it is moments like that when I want to bang my head on my keyboard. According to Percy, apart from one teacher, everyone she has shared her abuse claims with have not believed her. She has been passionate enough about her claims to get herself put into care for five years, and a further 14 months in jail in the USA as an illegal immigrant. It is strange that Percy has not shared all her story with the authorities, rather, it has been in bits, thus she claimed her father sexually abused her, he was asked to leave the home; she then said her mother sexually abused her, she was sent to live with an uncle; she then said her uncle sexually abused her, she was sent to live with a faster carer; she then said the foster carer sexually abused her; she was sent to a care home. Why Percy has not shared the whole abuse story right at the start rather than bits and pieces that are growing ever wilder over the years is a mystery. Because Percy has been unwilling to bring her allegations to a conclusion through a police investigation, rather wanting a type of internet circus to emerge where she encourages her gang of supporters to fund her many gofund campaigns, buy candles, and attack her abusers, I have been very assertive to the point of harrassment in getting her to report these allegations to the UK police. I however have always been polite and encouraging to her, and my actions fall under the prevention and investigation of crime legal defense for UK harrasment legislation. Some might be critical of my strategy, but one has to take into account I have to keep in harmony with the law on harrassment, and it is better to have an open communication with Percy and her supporters to bring about a police investigation, since there might have been crimes committed. For legal reasons I won’t be contacting the real family of Becki Percy. Percy has currently claimed political asylum to the USA from Britain because she says her family will kill her. Her family are ordinary working class people, her mother is a pillar of her local community. They are hardly sophisticated or that well connected to be capable of killing thousands of children in Hull over ten years without someone noticing. Percy has made no efforts to involve the UK police in investigating her SRA allegations or to protect her in their witness program, which is going to be noted by Homeland Security and the courts dealing with her asylum case. She will be deported. Such is our frustration that Percy refuses to contact the UK police, that my associate “Ajax” contacted the police in Hull and made them aware of the allegations of Becki Percy. Now that we have an official record on file “Record C732 22-06-18” we now have an anchor point to drive this matter to a police investigation and a conclusion. As I did with the Hampstead case, I have done objective due diligence during an analysis of the Percy SRA allegations. Unlike the Hampstead case, the Percy allegations have yet to be tested with a police investigation, so this is where my goal is focused, to bring about a police investigation. Ajax is far from happy that he has had to go to so much trouble to contact the police in Hull because of the refusal of Percy to do so. The Percy case shows that I, Ajax and others involved in cases such as this which involves contact with the police, media and other interested parties, means we have to be more formally organised. We are starting a new group called the Arachne Project. I will deal with the internet communications, Ajax deals with the police etal, others will deal with other aspects of the project. This also allows us to bring into play a technology to examine the complex eco-system or web of information that those who allege or promote SRA leave all over the internet, to output that information in a form that crime victims, lawyers and the police will find useful. One way or another, there is going to be a police investigation, and if there is a crime, someone is going to end in court. …aka Tony Does Yoni For ‘Whores, the lot of them’, read ‘Why didn’t the bastards invite me?’ Well done SV. I will be paticularly interested to know where these alleged woods and tunnels were the abuse took place are. BP has been very vague so far. From the underground crypt at St Giles Came a scream that resounded for miles… LOL, i was feeling generous at the time. 🙂 Except that it wasn’t all rubbish at all As so often happens in these cases there were truthful allegations against a real, disgusting child abusing cult, the notorious Children of God I believe that what happened was that Dickens had an initial dossier containing allegations against the Children of God, an extremely dangerous and well networked cult that was engaged in prostitution and sex trafficking, the sexual abuse of children from birth onwards, producing films and photographs depicting the sexual abuse of children and the infiltration of the military and judiciary of various territories internationally. Dickens’ initial dossier was followed up and, to some extent obscured by, a subsequent dossier making allegations of SRA and elite paedophile rings yet again I detect a theme We may not see eye to eye on some things SV but, on this particular issue, I have to say that I like the cut of your jib. 🙂 Issy T. says: I would dearly love to know what sort of mindset lies behind the fabrication and promoting of these myths. I do know there is a huge industry out there selling such screeds to the unsuspecting public, someone came up with the term “emotional pornography” to explain why it sells so well….apparently we like to read about others’ misfortunes, perhaps it makes us feel less unlucky. If you type “magazines which buy personal stories of abuse in UK” into your chosen search engine you’ll be given a list of rag mags willing to pay you up to 300 sterling for your ‘true story’. I think “attention-seeking” will rank high on the list of reasons why people invent these stories. I’m not sure where “monetary gain as a motivating factor” would rank. I do suspect that some individuals who latch onto the whole “I was abused as a child by satanists” or “I am a victim of MK Ultra programming” are trying to explain away/justify their own inadequacies and failings and want pity rather than blame. Also the movie “Hysteria” and the TV series “Masters of Sex”, which was a partly fictionalised account of the work of Masters and Johnson. Interestingly there is a Masters and Johnson link to a satanic panic in the US relating to multiple abuses of vulnerable people at the notorious Castlewood Treatment Centre by Mark Schwartz and Lori Galperin. “Previous to being clinical director at Castlewood, Mark Schwartz and his wife Lori Galperin were directors of the Masters and Johnson Trauma units at Two Rivers Psychiatric Hospital in Kansas City and also at River Oaks Hospital in New Orleans.” http://www.fmsfonline.org/?news2013update=Castlewood%20Lawsuits%20Dismissed. Masters and Johnson were the first sexologists to use “sexual surrogates”, that is to say people who have sex with patients in order to heal them of sexual problems. Whatever the ethical issues surrounding such a controversial practice back in the days when Masters and Johnson pioneered the practice, nowadays it is difficult to find a “sexual surrogate” who is not involved with a sinister cult. Galperin and Schwartz also have multiple personal and business links to the disgraced paedophile former rabbi Marc Gafni. As I have said before, scratch the surface of the satanic panic and you will find a network of paedophiles, perverts, predators, pimps and traffickers all attempting to deflect the collective gaze away from their nefarious activities by pointing and screaming “oh look Satanic Ritual Abuse!” I read your exchange with another twitterer on the tweet machine under one of Ms. Percy’s tweets and he seemed horrified that the murders of all those babies had not yet been reported to the police, that’s when Becky interjected and advised the man concerned that you are a Satanist – I laughed when I read that but an angel came to your rescue. Ms. Percy is interesting in that she appears to apply the KISS principle quite well in her words….we are not her target audience – she knows exactly that non-believers are of no consequence to her as long as a certain number of unquestioning believers continue to support her. Has she been trained by someone? Under Trump’s regime she may well get to remain in the USA. Also worth reading on the subject of the Children of God is the book the Dirty Squad by Michael Hames the Detective Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police, head of the Obscene Publications Branch from 1990 until his retirement in 1994. In the book Hames is sceptical of SRA allegations stating clearly that his team never encountered any evidence of SRA. However Hames and his team did, as reported in the book, receive autogenic therapy (a form of self-hypnosis) from the notorious SRA promoter the late Vera Diamond and her husband Malcolm Carruthers. Obviously this is concerning. Towards the end of the book Hames reports receiving a dossier of information about the Children of God, a fact that I read with interest and I was very much looking forward to reading what he made of a real, as opposed to imaginary, CSA cult. Unfortunately, pretty much immediately after receiving the dossier, Hames suffered a coronary and the book ends, with no reporting at all about the investigation into the CoG. can my typo please be corrected Whatever the ethical issues surrounding such a controversial practice back i note days when Masters and Johnson pioneered the practice Whatever the ethical issues surrounding such a controversial practice back in the days when Masters and Johnson pioneered the practice @ Fairly Sane. I have asked Becki Percy to send to me locations and maps of the wood and where she thinks bodies are buried. Ajax will pass these onto the police. She has been given my e-mail. What’s missing from Becky’s tale is a remembrance of a Black Magic ceremony with a black cloaked & hooded figure (with ghastly bleached blonde hair sticking out and accompanied by the pungent smell of a cigar) intoning “now then, now then, how’s about that folks ?”. Get with the program Becky- you need a celebrity in your tale and what better than a dead one if you want to crack the Sunday newspapers (Hell, it worked for Angela Power-Disney) On the subject of Fruit Loopery I know Hoaxtead contributors are aware of the brilliant “creator” of The Voice (bloody Dutch- known plagiarists) , The X Factor (as if Simon Cowell could come up with that idea on his own!) Star War films. Bugs Bunny cartoons, Meet the Press, Coronation Street and ‘Roseanne’ and who was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s (via a psychic seance) Mickey Mouse, one Charles Seven who won a High Court action against all these programs for plagiarism and a $Billion damages remedy award but as usual, the Rothschild Cult & Rupert Murdoch with Ted Turner’s help have bribed the judges to claim they dismissed her legal action. Despite a TV producer claiming he recalls Ms Seven (I keep telling Mr Soros “why do you perpetuate horrendous actions like 9/11 & 7/7 -think about it- it all adds up to 7- to frighten the gallant Mizz Seven , wouldn’t it be easier to just assassinate Charles herself?”, but he rudely just says “you stick to your broom closet and just worry about emptying the bins”)…said producer says he recalls Ms Seven attending a public event at his TV network and casually saying “wouldn’t it be nice if peoiple danced on TV?” and thus Dancing With The Stars was born albeit, Seven being ripped off yet again of one of her brilliant creative ideas. Now Charles Seven is joined in her heroic actions against the evil British Media Empire (BBC) by Rainetta Jones, the true Inventor of the iPod and Kindle. Well I have news for Rainetta. A very early paparazzi snap of me (below) with my prototype Ipod in 1957 powered by Organite & dubbed the Quantum Ear Gearbox (or QEG) and it was ME who had the idea first. https://ascensioncorner.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/sevengate-massive-uk-intellectual-property-theft-coverup-connection-to-some-false-flags/ @ Issy T. When I read the “he is a Satanist” statement, I had a need to start banging my head against the desk. A yellow jelly baby came to the rescue. I am forcing Becki Percy to make choices. If she really believes in her allegations, she will contact the police in Hull, if not, then her contrary choices will work against her, since I won’t let her off the hook. I get the impression that Trump is hostile to all non-Americans. The guys who have to enforce the borders in the USA won’t be keen to be allowing every youngster through to become an American citizen based upon a weak claim that their parents are going to kill them due to an unproven narrative. If this was the case, every kid in Britain will be heading to the USA and claiming political asylum. This is brilliant, SV. Given that Becki Percy seems to believe so strongly in online campaigning to raise awareness of child sexual abuse, one would think she would welcome your efforts to open a police investigation to help bring justice to those she accuses. Nor would you wish for your sole to be so exposed, which reminds me, my plan for today was to exfoliate my Achilles’ heel. So much hard skin…so little time! You would have thought so EC rather than me having to force the issue. “Drug-fueled orgies?”. Christ you had me frightened there for a minute and I thought they had busted us at the Tuesday “Grandma’s Getting Frisky” Bingo session at the East Freemantle Probus Club. # no prizes for guessing which one is moi. The very thought of it could give one diabetes. This is a great piece overall but I have to say that I disagree with the opening sentence “’I’ve said this before, but the web of those who push the Satanic ritual abuse narrative within the UK is both relatively small and very close-knit.” In my experience there is a huge network of scammers and quacks promoting SRA, including many mental health professionals working in the NHS. Obviously dubious organisations such as the Fresh Start Foundation, Izzy’s Promise and the like are just the foetid pimple on the arse of a much larger beast. Scamming conspiratards like Becki Percy, Angela Power Disney and the like are highly visible and easily debunked, however there is an ocean of apparently properly qualified psychotherapists, counsellors, psychiatrists and psychologists who are promoting the satanic panic amongst populations of extremely vulnerable adults. Most of these people appear to have no connection to SRA conspiracy theories unless, like me, you have had first hand experience of their bullshit. Then you have the ocean of life coaches, yoga therapists, energy healers, past life regression therapists, hypnotherapists / NLP practitioners and the like who specialise in recovering memories of historic abuse and in separating vulnerable people from their assets and their families. It is a terrifying situation. There’s a lot of it about I was very concerned by this news article and also for the welfare of the 2 teenagers involved in caring for their DID diagnosed mother https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-41713725/radio-1-awards-the-teen-heroes-caring-for-mum “I get the impression that Trump is hostile to all non-Americans.” Well if he ain’t, all of us non-Americans are hostile to him except for Kim Jong Un so out of spite he might let her stay. To me, Trump’s politics revolve around him validating his worthiness by being the biggest bitchiest bitterest of bullies doling out punishment to all who dare question everything and anything about him. I reckon he could decide Becky is welcome with open arms to remain in the America he has made less than great again just to put our noses out of joint….we’ll all be johnpatersonned someday soon! I’ll be nick-naming you “Thunder Thighs” from now on For the likes of me I cannot see what the problem is with the police not arresting Becki’s father until Becki had been formally interviewed. Teacher tells police. Police start an investigation. According to Becki, she has a reputation with the police and social workers as an “allegation maker”. The horrible reality is that some people who are genuine survivors of multiple real abuses and violations are likely to end up being classified as “allegation makers” amidst the SRA hysteria. Try going to the police to report a real sexual assault or violation (or several) once one of the satan hunting quacks has control of your narrative and has dismissed your accurate and true allegations as delusional (whilst the same quack cherishes a belief in SRA) and justice becomes inverted and perverted. Anyone subsequently deciding to scam or take advantage of such a survivor can do so with relative impunity. Should the police become involved the likelihood of a thorough investigation will be compromised if not thwarted if the survivor’s true allegations have been dismissed as delusional. I am not talking about Becki Percy’s obviously false claims but speaking of experience of something much closer to home. Time and time again the satan hunters not only cause misery and distress to innocent, falsely accused families but also do untold damage to real survivors. You paint a depressing a picture to this inexperienced naive mind but also a a salutory and empowering awareness. Much of what you write causes moments for me of the penny-dropping and jaw-dropping kind. I must have an affiliation with business minded sorts (my parents were shop-keepers), I can see from your contributions here that there is a viable opportunity …a perceived one from unscrupulous types – to exploit people for money far too easily. Like with the “pink pound” or college students ability to spend their study grants wily-nily, it seems that women only’s expendable income is rife for rifling also and it’s been a thing for decades, centuries even but I’m just understanding now how very sinister and completely undermining of women the sales techniques, the forced direction, the dictactorial way in which women are sold products ultimately designed to rob them of their power is…. It was more obvious years ago and I thought that sexism was done and dusted already but now my feminist heckles have been raised once again – as consumers we are still enslaved! Anyway, having studied web design I found the the subject of attention economics very interesting. Absolutely, and this is one important reason we’re so strongly opposed to those who promote SRA hysteria. Not only does it destroy innocent lives of falsely accused people, it keeps abuse survivors who truly need help from receiving it. TorkGirl8 says: Yes, David Berg was a disgusting individual. Can someone please call 999? Angie’s pants are on fire again. The Green Gobbler says: Angela Power Disney, if you are wearing flammable knickers, don’t play with matches. I really like the approach you have taken with Becki Percy. I’m most impressed SV. Aw, pity! JakeBlake says: LOL! Cat was streaming live from a restaurant/bar where Green was being interviewed, spewing his nonsense around the other diners until the Manager told them to stop. Then they moved out onto the street to Mercat Cross. There didn’t seem to be anyone there or interested in them. Only themselves. 😀 Uhh? I thought it was Angie who said she flogged her kids with a lump of wood?. Is she now denying it?. And why would that terrify her daughter? I reckon they may have Skyped but were actually having a good laugh. Perhaps it should be noted that any comment with more than two links in it will be held for moderation as well, plus wordpresses usual random glitches can cause comments to be randomly held up Not everyone may be aware of that Scarlet, I wasn’t at first either (although I must say the ones held up usually get pushed through quite quickly in most cases) Thumbs up from me for all the good work I agree that is one of the worst aspects of these SRA promoters, I recently mentioned Fiona Bartlett’s recent attempts and even partial success(?) in getting her abuse claims separated from her fantasy claims in the recent investigations here. There may or may not be any truth in her allegations, but I am now of the opinion that any investigation into her claims should include her entire ‘body of work’ so that any investigators are aware of just unreliable anything she says as a ‘witness’ about her own case is not totally reliable (i.e. is she lying about an aspect of claimed abuse or not?) unfortunately in her case, it is better to say yes she is unless extremely strong evidence is present to confirm any claim she makes. This is one of the worst aspects of the various people pushing the SRA side of things, in that it tars any survivors claims and once the various false memory experts and the like get involved, a true survivor of CSA can find their case irreversibly tainted , even to the extent that innocent people can be jailed, and guilty ones left free to continue That has already happened (multiple times) and it is why IMHO that the hoaxers need to be stamped on much more quickly and successfully than they have been, already the newer pizzagate/pedogate type hoaxes have had notable ‘success’ in getting a following in the less stable ‘conspitards’ of the world. It wouldnt matter so much except that the more unstable/gullible have been known to start harassing innocent people, both online and in real life, and things can quickly escalate into incidents with truly tragic results Fascinating about Dickens and the CoG cult, OMG. Would you happen to know any links I could read on this? It’s an angle I’d never heard of. Looks like Ogilvy’s forgotten FSF weren’t wanted in Inverness either. It’s certainly a convenient loophole for a number of people. In Becki’s case, I noticed that early on, before she’d really got into the “my parents were evil abusers” line, she was attempting to raise awareness of mental health issues, particularly autism, on Twitter. I wondered whether she might have been diagnosed on the ASD, but from what she tweeted, it seemed that one of her friends was in that situation, and Becki was trying to support her. This is only a hypothesis, but that did make me wonder whether she got a bit of attention for her efforts, it felt good, and so she started changing the story, a bit at a time, each time finding that she got a bit more public admiration. It’s entirely possible that the internet, in a sense, helped to shape and mould her story into what it has now become. False memories, if you ask me. While I agree that Berg was undoubtably a disgusting person, I think that possibly the most horrifying aspect of the cult, and there were many, was Berg’s ability to persuade apparently perfectly ordinary people that sexual activity with children, including parents with their own children, was a wonderful, divinely inspired practice. In the CoG the practice of sexual activity was euphemistically referred to as “sharing”. In the video in the below link a couple of adult cult members enthuse about “sharing” between a young lad and his stepmother (both are in the video). Prior to that part, at 4.15 minutes in, the stepmother says she was “FFing” (flirty fishing) using sex to recruit new cult members. To anyone who doesn’t understand what “sharing” and “FFing” means the video looks fairly innocent and appears to be just a deeply religious family talking about prayer. The “Dad” addressed in the video is David Berg https://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Report_to_Dad_and_Maria_from_Australia (obviously there is no illegal or sexually explicit material in the video) Good spot, JB! I recently moved home and have books all over the place in various locations but I think it might have been in the Dirty Squad, but I’m not entirely sure. It might also have been in a video. I’ll see what I can find and get back to you. I wonder in what sense he means they were banned. Were they sent packing by the Jurys Inn and have to relocate to the bar, I wonder? Cat Snot’s three videos from today’s washout can be seen here (if you fancy a snooze): https://www.pscp.tv/calamiTcat/1mrGmnVYyLBJy https://www.pscp.tv/calamiTcat/1YqJDQvygEkxV https://www.pscp.tv/calamiTcat/1yNxaXjvMNRJj Some time back this blog ran an exposé on a former CoG member called Zen Gardner. I don’t know if you’re familiar with him but he had a leadership role, I believe. Suffice to say Angela latched on to him and did one of her cringey, sycophantic Skype interviews with him. https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/angela-gives-zen-gardner-a-free-pass According to Richard Bartholomew there was an article in the Sunday Times re Dickens and the CoG This whole blog post is interesting and relevant to your question It suggests that Dickens possessed and passed on a dossier re the CoG cult and some other complaints re possible grooming of young males but nothing about SRA or VIP paedophile rings. Most or all of the complaints not relating to the CoG were dismissed by the police as having insufficient evidence to proceed. Later on in the blog post there is reporting of Dickens’ SRA allegations, I’m just too tired to read it and think about it immediately, but hopefully you can make some sense of it http://barthsnotes.com/2015/02/01/some-notes-on-leon-brittan-geoffrey-dickens-and-the-media I just find it very interesting that more attention was given to fraudulent accounts of SRA than to real concerns about the sexual exploitation of children by members of a real cult. I feel your pain, OMG, having recently moved house myself. I found it a great opportunity to have a bit of a clearout and gave a load of my old books to a charity shop. (Don’t tell Debs, though. She frowns on that sort of thing.) I remember watching a documentary about the history of comics and annual books for girls. Apparently when they were first published the comics didn’t sell well and so researchers were sent to schools to consult girls about what kind of stories they liked and why they didn’t buy the comics that had been specially created for them. The researchers were shocked to discover that tales of happy girl guides rescuing puppies and groups of clever girls thwarting the plans of megalomaniacs planning world domination was not what girls wanted to read. What girls really wanted to read about were stories about aspiring ballerinas who suffered appalling accidents and were left unable to follow their dreams, tales of abused step-daughters forced into domestic slavery by wicked stepmothers and the like. What the girls really wanted was to experience a reverie of vicarious misery. The story writers and comic publishers listened and adjusted their business plans accordingly and the comics sold like hot cakes. I also recently read an article about the various true crime channels on freeview and who watches them. You can usually identify the demographic by the products advertised in the commercial breaks. In this instance Tenna Lady incontinence pads feature prominently. The main demographic of viewers for “Wives with Knives”, “Kids who Kill”, “Killer Clergy” and the like are older females of the same generation who loved to read about crippled ballerinas and Cinderella type domestic slavery. This is the generation of women who made the book Flowers in the Attic a best seller back in the day. Misery memoirs are still massive business and it seems as though some older females especially just can’t get enough of the people’s tales of abuse and exploitation. Aha, so they were given the heave-ho by the Jurys Inn. Go to 2:30 in the top video on Cat Snot’s Periscope page. Just after Gandalf introduces Green, he says: “Unfortunately, we’ve had a mishap with two consecutive bookings and we find ourselves out on the street.” Her snoozefest… sorry “roadshow” videos can also be seen on her twitter page. The restaurant/bar located in the Jurys Inn matches her videos. So I guess they never got use of the Inn’s Meeting Room. Is that Ogilfail in the baseball cap in the Facebook video? It doesn’t just prevent abuse survivors from getting help it puts us at increased risk of being abused repeatedly and with impunity. It takes away our voices, our power and our credibility. One of the reasons why I have spent so much time posting here is because your blog is doing a great job educating people and long may it continue to do so. This evil has to be exposed for what it is and it feels great to be part of the battle against it. Janine Runny says: So to summarise: 1. The first booking (the station Hotel) was cancelled due to (cough cough) “flooding”. 2. The second one (the Jurys Inn) barred them from using their meeting room. 3. They then tried to hold it in the bar and got chucked out of there as well. So all in all, another successful day for the mighty FSF 😂 I thought that too. Not sure though. @Tinribs I remember your posts about Zen Gardner very well. The whole issue is nteresting yet disturbing and very consistent with the concept that if you scratch the surface of an SRA promoter you will find some extremely dodgy associates including paedophiles and child abusers. (love the user name by the way 😀 ) In a nutshell! LOLOLOL! Cat must be watching. She’s taken down the Facebook video. But fret ye not, hehe: Green & Co-Conspirators in Aberdeen, 22.06.18 Thanks, both 🙂 So not so much a roadshow as a pavement show 😀 the documentary about comics was called Comics Brittania – episode 2 Girls and Boys Sadly,while episodes 1 and 3 are on youtube, episode 2 is not. There is a review here though http://danowen.blogspot.com/2007/09/comics-britannia-girls-boys.html includes the text “Heading into the 1970s, I was very surprised to learn that our modern era of serious-minded “graphic novels” came about because of the girls comics! Market research revealed teenaged girls wanted to feel emotion when they read comics, so a male-dominated industry began pumping out shocking tales of home abuse, work violence and heartwrenching melodrama, in publications like Tammy. One Tammy strip, “Slaves Of War Orphan Farm”, best encapsulated the vogue for downbeat storylines. “Cinderella Spiteful” and “Little Miss Nothing” were other examples of cruelty and misery being used as “entertainment” for girls of the period… and they lapped it up!” I used to occasionally buy my elderly neighbour’s favourite magazine for her, Take A Break. A veritable smorgasbord of mini misery memoirs, as you can see here https://takeabreak.co.uk EC’s posts rather than mine. I can only dream of attaining such giddy heights 🙂 Just an idea, but I wonder whether their preference for that sort of story was at least in part because it made their own drab or limited lives seem pretty good by comparison? I agree OMGNTOSA, I looked into the COG a few years ago. The Story of Davidito was an awful publication and the boy who featured in it and suffered the abuse (Ricky Rodriguez) killed one his childhood abusers before committing suicide when he was 29. Pingback: Are SRA claimants lying, or victims of false memory? \| HOAXTEAD RESEARCH Actually make up and beauty stuff is a form of witchcraft. Just study the origin of the word glamour. She was born two or three decades too late to find a social worker to believe her hunger games of rape and forest adorned with corpses stories. The fact she had to skip of to americky to find willing supporters says it all. I’m looking forward to her return and want to see how that works out for her Pingback: Justice for Becki Percy…whether she wants it or not \| HOAXTEAD RESEARCH	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1515
__label__cc	0.596021	0.403979	How many lies can Angela fit into one video? Oh bliss, oh joy, Angela Power-Disney has released another exciting video. This time she has a brand new victim interviewee, a woman named Nicola from Manchester who Angie appears to be grooming for life in the conspiranoid lane. And in the process, Angie seems to be trying to outdo herself in the “Outrageous Lies and Made-up Shit” department. Oh Gawd, not the poison pen letters again… Angela does her obligatory “Hoaxtead Research is the root of all evil” routine starting at about 25:58. As usual, she dredges up the many-times-discredited poison pen letters, which she insists were sent by this blog to various people in her community. She claimed at the time that the letters had been sent to “friends, neighbours, police, charities, a FAMILY COUNSELLOR, local and national papers calling me a charity scammer and hoaxer re Hampstead”. We still don’t know the names or addresses of any of those she claims were contacted, and wouldn’t have known how to contact them then, even if we’d wanted to. Which we didn’t. It does seem to us faintly ridiculous to “prove” that the letters came from us by clipping out a colour print of this blog’s masthead and stapling it to the top of the letter she waved in front of the camera, but sadly, Nicola seemed to buy it. Here, Angie, let us Google that for you… The video is not without its moments of unintentional humour, however. At about 30:42 you will find this gem: But the thing I believe is that originally El Coyote was a Welsh writer living in Ireland, called David le Dingue. And ‘dingue’ is French for ‘dingo’, which is the same as ‘coyote’. We would just like to point out that it took us mere seconds to Google the French-to-English translation for “le dingue”. Surprise! It has absolutely nothing to do with “dingos” (which aren’t the same thing as coyotes: dingos are descended from the domesticated dog, canis familiaris, and are native to Australia; coyotes (canis latrans) are wild canines native to North America). A case of mistaken identity Angela actually has fond memories of Le Dingue, though: And he was a very educated man and he was trolling very intensely in the early days and he was actually kind to me, because when I started covering Hampstead around March 2015 and then my sister died in very suspicious circumstances in April/May, two months later, and he called the trolls off, coz I was started [sic] getting trolled way back then, and when my sister died, he said, “Right, everybody, back off. Leave her alone for a week out of respect”. Isn’t that nice? Except that it wasn’t Le Dingue who said that. It was our very own Scarlet Scoop who notified blog readers that Angela’s sister had died and suggested that Angela be given a week’s grace out of respect. And even more bollocksy bollocks! Honestly, we don’t know where Angela comes up with this stuff [Hint: she’s sitting on it—Ed.]: You know. So, you know, and I think he was the original El Coyote. As it happens, if one digs deep into the Hoaxtead Research archives, one finds a post welcoming Le Dingue to the blog, several days after the blog began publication. He’d been contributing to the Icke forum “thread that wouldn’t end” for some time, and we were happy for his input here, but he was never a moderator or writer for HR. El Coyote, on the other hand, appeared with the advent of the “Hoaxtenders” comic strip, which ran for 75 episodes in late spring/summer 2015. Later that summer, EC took over writing duties from Scarlet, who had put in yeoman’s duty on that front. Then there’s this: And also there was a lot of evidence to indicate that [RD] was originally Spiny Norman and running other avatars—Sam Best and different avatars—and I think what’s happened is the Ricky Dearmans and the David Le Dingues and the high level guys, after about a year, they stepped back but they handed on the avatars to other people to write the functioning avatar go for it [sic]. “A lot of evidence”? Seriously? Could we see it, please? We strongly suspect that Mr Best and Spiny, who have always spoken for themselves, would be quite incensed to find that they were merely RD’s socks. And RD, who has never had anything to do with this blog, might be a touch surprised as well. In fact, Angela might be interested to know that EC decided to participate in Flo Destroyer’s “After Dark” livestream shortly after Angela was visited by the police, specifically in order to demonstrate that the blog was not run by RD, but by a Canadian woman. In essence, it had become important that Angela not be allowed the “out” of claiming that she was harassing RD because of any perceived harassment she was receiving here. What in hell is a “second-generation troll”? So I don’t buy Karen Irving’s story about it was after her favourite dog or whatever—I think she’s just a second generation troll, you know. No one is asking Angela to buy anything—whether she believes that EC owned a half-coyote dog many years ago is really no concern of ours. (However, we will state that the dog was both more intelligent and had a sweeter disposition than some “journalists” we know. Ahem.) And ‘troll’ is the wrong word. She writes in her biography—and you can see this in Spidercatweb blog—about how she’s an ex-social worker and specialising in adoption, wrote a book about adoption and so on. But she talks about how psychology is her first love and the fascination of what makes the human mind tick, which is exactly what we’ve been discussing with MK Ultra. Wait, hold the phone. EC wrote what in her biography? Which biography was this? Because although it’s true that she has a Master’s degree in social work, and worked during the late 1980s and all of the 1990s with adult survivors of child sexual abuse, as well as a year-long stint with homeless women at a women’s day centre, “adoption” is nowhere in her resumé. However, a wee bit more of that new-fangled “Googling” thing informs us that another person named Karen Irving was chief executive of a London-based adoption agency called “Parents for Children”. According to the list of contributors to the book Adoption: Changing Families, Changing Times (published in 2002) for which she wrote the chapter, “Troubled children and how to place them”, the agency was founded in 1976, and “was the first adoption society in the UK and Europe to help children who had not been thought of for adoption. Karen Irving has 25 years’ experience in working in fostering and adoption and is chairperson of the Connaught Group of children’s charities. She has been awarded a Churchill Memorial Fellowship to undertake further study of methods of helping children who have been maltreated”. We are certain this other Karen Irving is a fine and accomplished person, but a bit of simple maths tells us that she cannot be the Canadian author. You see, that book was published in 2002. At time of publication, the chief executive of Parents for Children is said to have had “25 years’ experience” in her chosen field—i.e., she began working in adoptions in the mid-1970s. EC, meanwhile, did not graduate until 1988. The rest of the video It’s the usual dog’s breakfast: Angela making wild and unsubstantiated claims about all and sundry, Angela claiming to have been a real journalist, Angela complaining that she didn’t inherit enough money from her sister (who was “worth much more” than the piddling €20,000 she received from her will)…we’ve heard it all before, and we’re sure we’ll hear it all again. We hope that eventually, after the inevitable breakup, Nicola will realise that almost everything which emerges from her new friend’s mouth is either false or heavily embroidered. For now, though, all we can do is wish her luck and hope she doesn’t eventually become the victim of another of Angela’s “tell-all” videos. Watch your back, Nicola. 25/09/2018 in Angela Power-Disney. Tags: Angela Power-Disney, Hoaxtead Research, lies, video Angela receives (another) anonymous letter Angie publishes ‘poison-pen’ letters Tracking Angela’s lies: 2 letters, 4 envelopes? ← Catriona Selvester resigns from Fresh Start Foundation Belinda McKenzie & Jon Wedger spotted at D&V Party conference → 135 thoughts on “How many lies can Angela fit into one video?” I’d say angela was guilty of a series of massive knee jerk reactions. but there’s no actual knee involved. Nicola – RUN AWAAAAAYYYY NOW while you still have a chance….. By all means investigate the Hampstead case. Read the info from both sides of the fence and use critical thinking. But, if you value your sanity and your privacy and you truly want the truth, stay away from this woman! Hope she takes that advice, but in the shadowlands of conspiracy island people interpret information only to serve their own views. analysis and evaluation seem to be beyond them. As for angela’s research ? she just reads any old claptrap off google and insists it amounts to something. i can’t really say she’s lost the plot as i doubt she had it to begin with. The Becki Percy saga is getting fascinating: https://catherinemoncada21.wordpress.com I could barely follow the thread as the writer isn’t very structured in her approach. becki seems to be trying to promote her lacklustre candle business at the moment and doesn’t seem to understand target markets, demographics or promotion in general. it’s all a bit much for her trying to understand that an audience who follow a twitter account to read about satanic abuse aren’t in the market for overpriced candles. These people really do live in a fantasy world: “An Open Secret is the Twitter account for the movie An Open Secret which was a multi-million dollar documentary about pedophelia in Hollywood. The Twitter account is run by the two guys who made the movie An Open Secret. They care enough about children THEY SPENT THEIR OWN MONEY ON THIS DOCUMENTARY!” The last 2 professional jobs I did before retiring was helping on documentaries that were eventually screened on the BBC. The budgets for both were around £25K each. Documentaries that involve lots of interviews are the cheapest to make. Travel starts to make docos very expensive. I’ve watched that so-called documentary. $Millions my arse. “The care about the children”. No they don’t. If they had $$multi millions to spend on kids there are millions in the USA living in poverty (a shocking a dreadful form of abuse with possibly far worse & long lasting mental effects than sexual abuse- and there is no therapy for them. Or perhaps the 30,000 plus who die daily from hunger & preventable diseases. At some stage, some of these fantasists- Becki etc (APD? Hopeless Girl ) are going to be done for fraud. Probably- the one law that snares them the easiest in the USA- Mail Fraud. They are no different to Nigerian email scammers or blokes (women?) who defraud hapless partners looking for love via the net. Or fradulent Ebayers who scam customers for non-existent goods. It will happen. On a tangent the pie&masher, he of boxing skills, the histrionic hero of howt de la garren, the Gnome bashing documentary king bill maloney has an IMDB listing. that means anyone registering an account could go and write a review of his award winning documentary sun sea and satan. In fact a few people could. i’ll just leave that idea out there. that’s IMDB bill maloney sun sea and satan. Multi million ? a serveral month’s long schedule with multiple camera crews, helicoptors , scouts, on set consultants, travel costs, insurance, hotels, travel permits and visas, guides, security consultants, equipment hire, catering and the logistics of getting to remote places and then paying morgan freeman to do you a voiceover and some fancy visual and sound editing plus computer graphics and music rights or the fee of a composer would cost multi millions for sure. a few interviews edited together ? not so much. The cost of a camera, a tripod and computer plus a venue to shoot in is about it for a bottom line amateur job. not seen the open secret but it’s probably not gone with the wind. duffy1958 says: For your record, cause ya’ll keep records right? I quoted what An Open Secret quoted as what they spent. I have no idea how they made their movie to arrive at that cost. They should be commended I think. Especially since you watched the documentary. It really isn’t up to one to tell the other how to spend their money yes? You want to feed children, they want Hollywood to stop exploiting children. Sounds like a win/win. Everyone wants something good for the children. Ya’ll know I just follow the link over here? Duffy1958, Ghost of Sam is saying that the documentary makers appear to be lying to people. It would be a useful thing to exaggerate need to increase donations. Particulary something as emotive as child abuse. Can’t criticise or question people who claim to be helping children eh? Nice one, EC. And to answer the question in your post title, even more than it seems. The examples you’ve cited are just the tip of the iceberg. She also slanders RD from 14:04 and Hoaxtead from 25:58 (before the stuff about you, le Dingue etc.) and spends the most of the first half of the video spouting MK Ultra bollocks and other assorted womble-guff (including how Tupac is alive and well and living in Cuba and his son is a “targeted individual”, natch). She then spends the last section spewing crap about a range of topics, including a claim that ‘America’s Got Talent’ is an “MK Ultra ABC manual”, a remark about Hampstead being “our McMartin” and her tired old porky about how she’s had Hampstead cult members contacting her to say they want out. I genuinely believe this video deserves a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for highest ever bullshit-per-minute quota. Bravo, JournoAngie 🙄 “A claim that ‘America’s Got Talent’ is an ‘ABC of MK Ultra mind control'” What made me laugh about that is that she says her kids watch it in her presence and it really annoys her. Can you imagine settling down on the sofa on a Saturday night to watch TV with this woman? It must be a nightmare for her kids – I bet she sits there tutting and sighing all the way through and praying to the Lord to protect her kith and kin from the evils of TV brainwashing. I wonder which acts scare her the most. Clowns? Jugglers? Acrobats? I think we should be told. Bet she freaked out when she saw this one 😂 Duffy1958 I was wondering, is there any reason in particular that you can think of why you were successfully scammed? I can only imagine how tough it would be. I see it as a bit like the 419 emails, they are so badly written that the only people who respond are those who for whenever reason will ignore the most blatant red flags. Becki Perci will be fine in the U.K.The worst that will happen from her point of view is no one pays her any attention. What’s this about all schoolchildren being given the flu vaccination (at 12:13)? Oh and I’ve just noticed that at 29:59 she claims that we had Cat Scot’s YouTube channel taken down. Er…nope. She has two and they’re both still up. ‘The two guys who made the movie’ it was directed by a woman called Amy Berg. one person, not two. female, not male. Duffy1958 you are not in an arena where such, i hesitate to call them lies, factually incorrect statements are going to be tolerated. I can appreciate you have had very little in the way of education and are probably limited in your faculties but if you’re going to claim you spoke to a well known documentary director through a twitter account and that it was actually 2 guys you spoke to and not a woman then you have probably been speaking to a fake account. you really can’t expect to post such incorrect babble online and not be called out on it. The worst things that will happen are 1. The police nab her. 2. She’s up for a civil case. 3. Mainstream media decide to cover her evil behaviour. 4. Amateur press cover her. 5. She may have to live on the streets or a wino filled homeless doss house. she can’t go home and has few friends. 6. sign on for benefit, difficult as she neglected to pay any tax or national insurance contributions for the last 3 years. 7. Get a job. 8. Grow up and stop being such a knobhead. 9. develope a moral conscience and accept responsibility for her actions. At 47:32 Angie tells Nicola about the meme she’s used in her video thumbnail, with four coppers running to stop someone telling the truth on YouTube. And Nicola thinks she’s describing a real incident 😂 There are hoaxteaders who want out ? when we get fed up we simply say goodbye. as if anyone contacts angie about it. she’s not wise that one. Rest assured, though – we’re working on it 😜 That isn’t a criticism of you. I am just curious. In a similar twist, Ogilfail is claiming that Cathy fox has been banned from Twitter: Thing is, she hasn’t: https://twitter.com /CathyCathyFox Also not trying to blame a victim. Is there any advice you would give? Fruitcake quote from Stolpman’s slime video. I’m guessing English isn’t her strongest suit… Nee Naw says: I suspect however Angelas time honoured “Godiva” masterpiece will sweep the floor yet again at this years annual pretentious wanker bash. The @anopensecret twitter account isn’t verified, which you’d expect it to be if it was officially connected to the film/filmmakers. most of the accounts tweets are defending alex jones who they believe shouldn’t have been banned from twitter for such antics as calling the sandy hook families liars who made up having their children killed. okay, i think you have the picture now. duffy1958 should be checking who she’s messaging and if they are who they claim to be. It’s a jungle out there. It had a limited release in a handful of theatres grossing $200 but when put on vimeo for got some attention as they made it free to view at the time of the harvey wankstain news. i haven’t been able to find it’s budget but it’ll be under 250k as it’s mostly talking heads and archive footage, possibly 100k or so. certainly not multi millions as quoted by duffy. (6) It doesn’t work like that anymore. She can claim Universal Credit. Shit, this dude’s planning to torture RD with crap spelling 😮 Not according to Urban Dictionary* it doesn’t! 😱 She’s been watching the wrong videos again! * Those of a nervous disposition shouldn’t look it up. I’d like to see her claim form. previous job ~ candle maker and ceo of gentlearoma, previous addresses ? 14 months in usa custody for immigration issues. family ? at least 5, most of whom are satanists, cannibals and infant murderers. do you have any medical issues ? yes i’ve been raped 1000s of times as part of a satanic woodland chase, been trafficked for sex, but always made it back from abroad to attend school the next day and have Ptsd from burying my sister’s body in several graves. Yeah. the Dwp are gonna love her. i expect she’ll be claiming more abuse when she gets home. Ghost of Cecil B. DeMille says: Yes I watched it and it was what Hollywood does best: 90% Bullshit & 10% Fact. There are extremely tough laws in California governing the whole of the film industry and they have been in place for decades. It is impossible to take advantage of a child in movie making and no legitimate company would bother trying to. It’s virtually impossible to take advantage of adults or the crew or even extras who are all governed by strict laws. That doesn’t mean that Los Angeles, indeed the US, isn’t riddled with phonies and hangers-on who give the industry a bad name. “Stage mothers” and would-be actors flock to LA in their 1000s and can get involved with phony agents etc who promise the world. Sadly 1000s of naive people still arrive daily and fall for scams or people who are connected to genuine film-making via 7 degrees of separation. Of course, there are offenders who may be in a position of power who may abuse. They take enormous risks. People can make stupid decisions & think they are helping a career by jumping into bed with the wrong person. While they will be taken advantage of (loose morals?) and it’s dreadful, it happens all around the world in every industry. Goats like Corey Feldman promote rubbish because he had a limited talent and as an adult, he is a turn off as an actor. People are only “blacklisted” if they are likely to cause trouble and cost money. A film is an ongoing money costing production that can cost $100,000s every day whether the footage is being produced or not. Any delays caused by anyone, star or not risks everyone’s job. The absolute waffle that Hollywood is some vast Satanic organism whose purpose is to exploit and abuse is a moronic myth. While I won’t speculate on Harvey Weinstein (how would I know what he has or hasn’t done?) but I will mention just one person who is a victim of the ludicrous Witch Hunt that is currently underway and is destroying a reasonable @MeToo movement that had merit but the overpaid egotistical stars who have leaped aboard the bandwagon are causing untold damage by making it all about them. Take the unproved accusations about Kevin Spacey. His last film flopped- The Billionaire Boys (it’s a really good film). The media celebrates- the SRA Mob claim it as a victory. They forget that 1. Spacey was paid up front- probably a fee equal to more money most people will ever earn in their lives. 2. The mainly Canadian backers have lost their investment. That money was sourced from Canadian Superannuation Funds taking advantage of tax investment subsidies. The real losers are ordinary Canadian workers paying into Superannuation Funds for their retirement. 3. The production company that made this film have laid off about 30 film industry workers as it has set back their plans for a few years. One is my pal who has a family, kids and a mortgage. He’s working as a mechanic for the moment but only because he was trained as one decades ago. Pity the others. When they call Hollywood a Factory that’s what it is. That’s how it works. Behind every film and studio are 10,000s of ordinary Americans earning a living and living ordinary lives in a time consuming an arduous industry. # The producers of an Open Secret are bullshitting when they say they are “saving children”. The movie went no-where, not because some SRA Cabal blocked it but because distributors decided it would be a box office flop. And it would have been -such a depressing subject. Igf film-distributors though even a small profit could be made they sell a movie featured two cats fighting if they could. The producer Amy Berg has gone on to make more documentaries- saleable ones (none costing $Millions) & I see her career of “saving children” has been forgotten. Bill Baloney is a classic who illustrates the lies told about the film industry. BTW I have several IMBD listing on films but I’m not telling which. Anyone connected to a film -even as a gofer (me on a big film) can have themselves listed. That’s what the site is for. Maloney falsely claimed he won an award at the very prestige New York Film Festival. It was a blatant lie: he “won an award” at a phony & now defunct New York Film & Video Festival trying to cash in on the real thing. They crop up over America all the time usually run by the same scam artists and disappear as quickly. You pay a huge fee to enter & are guaranteed a prize!. Their “premiere film screenings for the media” are usually in some clapped out cinema in Queens and not even the local rag turns up. They are a good example of the con artists that surround the genuine film industry which has some of the strictest laws in the USA because it’s a $ multi-billion generating business employing 100,000s of people. Of course the SRA promoters and fruit-loops think it’s all about Meryl Streep. It had a small theatrical release in half a dozen theatres. made two hundred dollars and was pulled. absolute flop. nobody wants that in a theatre. it belongs on streaming and, maybe, tv. the director had previously had critical acclaim with a Paedo priest docu that looks like a vastly superior film. And this one’s a whole new level of stupid: Angela had another ‘fan’ I see. 😂 I’ll be checking periodically to read all the loving reviews of bill’s finely crafted expose of ugly garden Gnomes and a fibreglass pan statue in a pond. the cinematography was sublime. the editing stripped down and bare. and who can forget the use of adagio as bill, scared by a statue, proclaims ‘i’ve got a friend in jesus’ before hurrying away as a cold wind falls upon the harrowing scene. who can forget the constant visits to a garden to note the additions of hats to weird Gnomes or the skeleton in a window ? Wow, that’s an awesome thread! Great find, Lucca. This comment is particularly intriguing: Lee Shannon and Aaron Morris duly added to the ever-growing list of friends out with whom Angela’s fallen. And the thread has been archived here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WtNgYxedyicZ8u7cNytxVwEtOyoyvNXA Thanks, Lucca 😀 “I can’t believe this is real life” Hmm, and still the alarm bells don’t ring in her head. Sigh Wow….😳 And this one’s calling for people to be put to death if they fail a polygraph test. Yup. The amazing thing is that Becki’s parents still seem keen to have her back. They obviously care about her deeply. It is some years since I last visited Planet Coffee. It was a very popular place with students in Hull, it was the first modern coffee shop on Newland Avenue in the 1990s and rather a catalyst for a previously depressed area. The wickedest thing Mr & Mrs Percy have done is to peoples waistlines with their cakes, sweeties on the side and whipped cream. I know. You are trying to find a reliable news source for a story about Richard Branson’s latest business venture so you Google “Virgin BBC” … and get something quite unexpected. Seriously ? they’d take her back after all the grief she caused them ? they must be cracked in the coconut. Yes richard’s doing a new line in delicious cakes so google BBC creampie virgin I’ll let this one speak for itself: See, the only reason I visit HR is because people in the comments threads use “whom” when appropriate. I understand that they sent letters to Mummies #2 and #3 saying that they wanted their daughter back. Becki should think herself fortunate to have such a loving family. Someone send angela a link to chickenhawk 1994 about nambla. She could film her reaction to it. seriously, why do people bother with the fake stories when the truth that’s out there is brutally chilling ? that’s ‘chickenhawk’ 1994 do not watch if easily triggered it’s one creepy portrait of just how deluded and remorseless Paedophiles are. A few years ago, I was checking some facts about the American Occupy movement for a national newspaper opinion piece I was co-writing and as the UK version used the name UK Uncut I stupidly Googled “US Uncut” without the safe search filter on. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! How long until Angie falls out with Seven, I wonder 😂 How can they still love a creature that lied through her teeth in such a vicious way ? becki is a seriously nasty piece of work. if it was me i’d blank her out. You should just look at the sheer unbridled joy people get from riding horses without a saddle. so that’s ‘ gay bareback ‘ Surely that’ll be happy viewing that just makes you warm inside. Sorry I can’t get screenshots, my internet is very erratic atm. Result of the storm I think. Don’t forget to pay him* Ange! *Or her 😇 That would mean she would have to deal with real pedophilia, which is unpleasant and banal. Fictional SRA claims with all star casts and huge set piece orgies out of Dennis Wheatley via Lawrence Pazder are endless fun. Accuse who you like and never feel the need to produce any evidence – because of course “they” are super efficient at covering it all up. Working Class Orange says: Sorry, she wouldn’t tell me: An Open Secret doesn’t take donations. Now what? Angela Power Disney is a compulsive liar and attention seeker, thats all people need to know about her. If I wanted to torture anyone, I would lock them in a room with Neelu Berry for a week. I bet he wonders why Angie is dressed as an Edwardian nanny and keeps pouting whenever he comes close. The latest as I understand it re: Becki Percy @becki_p20 (Twitter) 1. Asked for a benefit from US Immigration such as Green Card or permission to seek employment in USA, has been turned down, needs immigration attorney to appeal decision. 2. Had three pro-bono immigration attorneys working for her at one time, treated them all badly, and now has none working for her. 3. Trump has given his intent to cut number of immigrants to USA by half, and drastically cut the backlog of immigrants wanting to enter USA in 2019. 4. Rumour of divorce of her third “mom” and “dad” the McAvenes – reason unknown. 5. McAvene house up for sale, and there is a site showing it for sale. 6. Wendy McAvene is totally in the power of Becki Percy, won’t end well. 7. Lots of people are starting to catch on about Becki Percy, and are starting to distance themselves. 8. Becki Percy is actively recruiting sexually abused people to her cause. 9. The candle selling business is not going well. As noted by others the products are expensive, hardly unique, and are sold under the brand of being a victim of SRA. 10. Lots of product lines in the Becki Percy business has been slashed by 50% as she prepares to move house, she is asking Twitter followers what they think about potential new products. 11. Wendy and Becki is actively asking for a “probono” immigration lawyer. 12. Still no known dates for the appeal hearing, which will probably have to be heard in California area in 2019. I do not anticipate Becki will succeed, she is playing for time. 13. Becki Percy has some form of mental illness. 14. I will move soon to actively rip apart her allegations. One of those awkward situations being up the chimney with Angela Power Disney below you. I think that sending out job applications with creative stories of the type Becki Percy has been putting about won’t win many job interviews. Ya’ll sound like gossipy old women over here. Really. This is gossipy old woman stuff. Why are you trying to take issue with who made the movie? Did I say director? I know who directed the movie. I wasn’t talking about the director. As far as Matt and Gabe the guys who PAID to make the movie, and who cared enough about the subject matter to PAY Amy Berg to direct the film, I met them through other people. People I know in real life, know them in real life. Now what? The documentary is very good. I don’t know why you would complain about it if you care about children. I forget the one boy’s name who collected his own evidence of child abuse. He impressed me. Not impressed? Interesting. I thought it was captivating. I’m easily held captive I guess. Must go along with my level of education … which you are speculating at Mr. (?) this is the Corner of Truth. I would love to comment further but I do have things to do. I would be glad to forget some things not in common and meet on things IN common. Being accurate and responsible on social media is a good conversation to have but I’m not having it with people who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. No that’s a good question really. Do ya’ll think I haven’t ask myself this? Yeah. I have. A lot. This hurt my family. It’s questions I need to answer for myself too. Haha. No I just don’t know how this WordPress thing works. The back and forth comments. I’m sure you have. I know it hurt your family, and it can’t be easy trying to look back and pinpoint how it all went so wrong. I do believe you were doing your best to help, and had that thrown back in your face. To act like Hollywood has done anything less than and besides exploit children is just a convo I’m not having. It’s a cess pool and parents should pull their children. All of them. To act like there aren’t children sacrificing, blood drinking satanist in Hollywood is ANOTHER convo I’m not having. Who? How many? They are there. And they think they are above the law. They are. Man’s law. They don’t figure there is ANOTHER. I don’t need to be on social media yelling their name out before they get charged. I’m good to wait for the names to come out under indictment. As far as Kevin Spacey, his ordeal would not have gained the traction it did without PICTURES. Mmhmm Pictures. You mention the fallout of the failure of the film Kevin Spacey did. It’s unfortunate. Everyone loses. That is a boat load of loss and hurt. Don’t hire people like Kevin Spacey. Don’t act like Kevin Spacey. That’s what it is coming to though. People are becoming aware of what has happened to our children. They aren’t having it. Clean up your act with children or there are consequences. I appreciate your knowledge of the film industry. Explain it to me. To us. Please explain more. Write a blog. Talk about it. Whether we agree or disagree on exploitation of children it’s good knowledge you have. Helpful. I’m nosy too. Especially when she says “You remind me of my friend Rupert …” Gawd I wish people would visit LA and see what a huge normal business movie making is. There isn’t one..not ONE former child actor – out of the 10,000s who have been in movies – who is successful has made claims about “powerful pedo rings” and other such claptrap. The handful who have are failed actors who were never going to be successful in the industry as adults. They find a reason or people to blame for their failure. But of course, there is a handful who have been abused as there is in every city and town in the USA. And there are 100s of former child actors who realized being a cute kid and being photogenic was never going to work for them as adults so chose to have other highly successful careers using their experience to work for them- as real estate agents, restauranteurs etc. Hollywood is awash with successful entrepreneurs who worked in movies as kids and the most frightening thing they ever saw was Bela Lugosi at a film premiere. I’ve seen videos on Youtube making outlandish claims such as Keanu Reeves or McCauley Culkin “exposing” Hollywood. It’s utter claptrap and they have said no such thing. # You know all this reminds me how the Crazy Mob of the Internet claim the vile David Icke was the first to claim Ted Heath or Jimmy Savile were “pedos” but it’s complete claptrap (he’s never said an original thing in his life). He did no such thing. But because it gets said on the Net it’s accepted as gospel and repeated ad infinitum. ## where is the proof of these pedo rings and Satanic orgies were children are murdered?. There is none, nothing, zilch. Why do people believe every wacky thing they read on the net? This is the thing. My children have done things not unlike this business with Rebecca. I will be writing of my son. He was a study. Of his own. He would tip his hat to Rebecca for being the bigger rebel. He also would have died for her if anyone would have tried to hurt her. He would have. I’m not exaggerating. My son and I spent a good majority of his 38 years crossways with each other because he was always trying to do something he wasn’t suppose to and I was always trying to stop him. My son would also know, if you are crossways with me? You did a LOT before you got crossways with me and that I had you dead to rights. I told Rebecca “Do you think you are the first 21 year old who has lied to me in my face? With a straight face?” I’ve helped raise more children than my own. I don’t need evidence for a jury. But I made sure before I acted. Did a girl with no boundaries start this years ago? From the beginning? Her behavior always like this? My son could pull a stunt, be in trouble and shout at me “MOM! I’m the GOOD son. The son YOU raised. The guy who helps little old ladies across the street!” And he did. He would. He was good. He was a warrior. He hated the right things. He also loved temptation and was passionate about everything he did. I use the situation with my son. I tried everything to keep authorities out. It didn’t work. Then I had to get authorities involved. Who did it? Him. Who pays the consequences? Everyone. Everyone. Rebecca has started an international incident and the consequences are going to be felt internationally. They. Starting an international incident, going on social media and blowing the international incident up? My son would be giving a standing ovation right here. If only this were a circus side show. For any of us. Legally speaking the next thing is an argument before the 9th circuit court of appeals. If someone would please tell Wendy, the bond company offers pro bono attorneys. It is in the contract you sign. I saw where Wendy was asking for a pro bono attorney. She may not know the bail bond company says they have pro bono attorneys. IDK One thing my son would not have done was jack with the subject of childhood sexual abuse. You would be crossways with him big time. If I told my family of this business? They would be able to play this like a genius chess game. I am that predictable. My son would think things through a little more than this? Because despite his behavior I did teach consequences. For parents with hard children, don’t stop. Don’t fold. There are pay offs. Rebecca knows the stories about my son. He passed away from a drug overdose before she came to my house. She knows about other stands I have had to take with serious consequences. Wendy doesn’t know me so well. Dear Wendy, my life is not about Rebecca or social media click bait. Stop. I rebuke you in Jesus name. Lots of people have a dog in this fight. I just know I’m not lying. I have been gracious. Full of mercy. And I’ve also said “Enough.” So you are condemning an entire industry on one boy’s claims?. Did he go to the police?. This is madness. It’s like the entire plumbing industry whould be blamed for one errant plumber of the buidling industry should be blamed because Donald Trump sends contracators broke and doesn’t pay his bills. Enough of the old please and this is not gossip on here- it’s anti-gossip. We are pointing out the frauds and charlatans who have made the lives of an innocent father & his 2 kids a nightmare along with the residents of a London suburb by falsely accusing them of vile crimes (which a court found were false). How are these film-makers helping children? Point out one child they have helped. You can’t say angela doesn’t produce evidence. she does nothing but. problem is it’s all against herself. div mare. I can see how and why you were utterly taken in by becki. I doubt becki is mentally ill. she knows she’s lying, she knows it’s wrong to lie. She’s just just plain nasty. When Angie brings up the topic of the 50 supposed poison pen letters that were sent to her neighbours and local newspapers etc. Well doesn’t it strike you as strange how out of those 50 poison pen letters supposedly sent out by HR and not a single recipient of one of the letters could be bothered to contact HR for further information? It kinda makes me think that it is just another cock & bull story from Angie, hard to believe i know. No I’m not condemning or judging an entire industry on the young men who were featured on An Open Secret. Not at all. The young man who collected his own evidence did go to authorities. That’s why he collected his own evidence. Watch the documentary. It tells you. Hmmm false gossip in Hollywood is hard to come by. Really the truth is bad enough. I’m not talking about people just naming names. There are lists of young people who grew up Hollywood. Where are they now? What are they doing? They are the same ones out there seducing youth to do what? By music. Their acting careers etc. Miley Cyrus has crossed every line. Katy Perry. The list goes on. Those are the fruit of Hollywood. How many well adjusted children have we seen grow up? I haven’t seen that list. I get you are defensive of an industry you worked in right? You are saying from your perspective. It’s good to hear it. Surely you recognize the children coming from the industry though. I would not want this for my children. Miley Cyrus and the baby video where she was the baby was catering to the baby fetish. That’s too much. The Hampstead children. I’m sorry I don’t know their names. No disrespect intended please. I’ve seen some of the videos. A little bit of them. Even Bombards did a video on the children of Hampstead. I think I watched a little bit of that. For the record, I don’t know who the father is and I don’t know who the mother is. I don’t know who their on line profiles are etc. I’m pretty unfamiliar with this situation. There are children involved here. It’s not social media fodder. The system sucks. I work with the same one everyone else does. I said in one of my blogs challenging people to make a difference in real life. Real life children. Wait until you get the first one you can’t do jack about. Or for. I just speak from my own experiences. How is An Open Secret helping children? To me there are some obvious answers. Maybe I’ll write a blog about it because in my estimation it deserves one. Or more. The system sucks. It’s a failure. So there’s that. One big problem I have is contending these sorts of crimes don’t happen. That makes people look guilty as heck. Because these crimes DO happen. I’ve talked with survivors of some of these crimes and one in particular; would not, has not, will not ever go on social media and say a thing. The children who have been harmed since this one in particular got away? She can’t stop it. She legally changed her name, identity. Social Security number. To change a social security number is not easy. You must show just cause. She did. And she has never looked back. And never told anyone except for my son. My son said we have to talk to my mom. She said no I’m not. She was not. Did not. She was terrified. She had gone on to be a wife, mother and bank president. Then got into drugs. So to say these crimes don’t happen? Yes. They do. That particular woman saw children in cages. Being sold. People who are fraudulent HURT those who saw children in cages. An Open Secret has taken the heat in Hollywood. To try to minimize what they’ve done doesn’t look to be on the side of children. An Open Secret was one of the ones to call Rebecca out. They knew it would bring heat. I’m not a spokesperson for An Open Secret but have been a long time supporter. I don’t agree with everything. Whatever. I don’t know the particulars about anything but my own experiences which I’ve blogged about. I’m not an expert or trying to act like one. Before this? I gardened. I wrote a blog about it. I would love to see your evidence Duffy, of child sacrifice and blood drinking Satanists in Hollywood. You should make it public and you could make yourself a nice little fortune by doing so. Yes, funny that! I’m still convinced that she printed out our header and stapled it to the letter so she could wave it in front of the camera. Whoever sent the letters might have used our header, but I don’t think so. She does say that there was no return address and no name or other identifying info on the letters, which means the sender wanted to stay anonymous. If we had been stupid enough to send her those letters with the headers stapled on, it would have been a very simple matter for the police to contact WordPress to get the name of the registered owner of our site, and we’d have been facing malicious communications charges at the time. Indeed EC. If the recipients of the letters had no return address to write to or an email then surely it wouldn’t take much thinking by them to think about entering the name ‘Hoaxtead Research’ into Google to try and glean at least some information on where these letters may have come form. No. I never received a letter of any sort. I received a tweet from what was evidently Ann Percy’s Twitter profile. Is that what you are suppose to be talking about? 1. I seriously doubt any letters were sent. 2. I have even less belief that anyone either running or commenting here would bother paying the postage to communicate their opinions on angela, when there’s already a platform to do so. 3. Anyone who lives near to or knows angela hardly needs to be written to about her, they already know what’s she’s like and are wholly aware of her bizarre online activities what with her using her own name, face and voice on her material. Judge grobnob dismisses the letters from the grand kangeroo jury as being fabricated nonsense. She has a brand new victim. how true. Yes, I think that covers it nicely SV. I noticed Angie mention how she had been on some paedophile chat-sites where they were discussing different drugs to use whilst abusing children. What a handy excuse to give to the police when they discover on her laptop that she had visited such a website. I seem to remember a claim that the profits from her kit candles in towards helping victims. she doesn’t cite a particular charity nor does she have accredited charity status herself. i’ll be raising that matter though i doubt she’ll reply. we have every right to full transparency if she’s claiming to raise money for charity. I truly am shocked to hear FS that Becki’s parents would be happy to have her back home living with them. I certainly never saw that coming. So very sorry for your loss. You change the story so much. you spoke to them on twitter. you met them in real life. they spent multi millions. they’re hollywood people. they aren’t on twitter as the @anopensecret account is unverified and obviously not official. you’re just changing the story. if you’d met the people, or people who know the people you wouldn’t be saying you messaged them on twitter. stop talking rubbish. Sorry for your loss duffy1958 I cannot imagine how terrible it must be to suffer the loss of a child in such circumstances. I do not share your religious beliefs or your beliefs about satanic ritual abuse but, like you I care very much about the abuse and exploitation of children. I am also extremely knowledgable (at least compared to most other ordinary people) about how religious movements and beliefs can be used to abuse children and vulnerable adults. I would be more than happy to share information about how such abusers operate if it would help you to be able to discern truth from fiction and to better identify genuine survivors from people like Rebecca. Rebecca is just one of a long history of grifters and people with a certain kind of personality disorder who make a habit of defrauding well meaning, kind-hearted people using fake claims of satanic cults. You might find it helpful to read about a certain Derry Knight, his story is here: Also the sorry story of Leone Steyn may interest you https://www.iol.co.za/news/woman-pleads-guilty-to-satanic-child-porn-scam-2020898 I have met similar characters in real life and, in my experience, they are motivated partly by a desire to better their lives financially and socially but are also motivated by a need to generate concerned excitement in those around them. You are not the only person to have fallen for such a cruel, manipulative and disgusting scam. I am so sorry that the list of people Rebecca has exploited and abused includes you and your family. It sounds like you had already endured overwhelming pain and anguish before Rebecca even got started on exploiting you. Nice little find from Special Agent E. I defy anyone to find a more idiotic comment that this one… It’s interesting to hear Angie say she wants to be careful to call her Nicola video an chat rather than an interview, in case the Garda are listening, as in her own blog post about it she calls it an interview 😆 https://angelascaches.org/mind-control-tupac-hampad-dingos-coyotes I suspect that that there is an, as yet, undiagnosed category of people (mostly religious entrepreneurs and grifters) who manifest distinct features within the “dramatic” or “cluster B” types of personality disorders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_B_personality_disorders This is one of the very difficult issues with regards to dealing with such people, it can be extremely difficult to determine the extent to which they are mad or bad or both. Alarm bells had already rung when she said “Let’s not make it too broad”, when Nicola wad going off on a tangent. Who would do that in an informal chat, lol? You have, at least partly, answered your own question. Becky invited you to share delicate information about your personal life and various traumas, troubles and challenges and then, as people like her always do, she used that knowledge to manipulate you. Cat’s family’s are called SELVESTER. So that’d be like “the dweller in the wood” aye? http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Selvester As in the Blair Witch. Or the witch in ‘Hansel and Gretel’, who EATS CHILDREN!!! JOIN THE DOTS, SHEEPLE 😮 Live now ! The tinfoil says it all… The weirdo isn’t letting this one go… Dr Horton’s videos are a hoot. 😂 I’ve been watching her for a long time. Crikey, so does that make Shakespeare a paedophile too, after creating a character named Ophelia? Shakespeare’s Ophelia went insane.. just the way Cat is heading. Scratch that.. Cat’s already there. I remember. I figured you’d like that one 😀 Ogilfail’s a fan of hers, which speaks volumes about her! Sigh.. she did say she was settling down to read Aangirfan the other night and that’s the nonsense she picked up from it. 🙄 Sad to see her recommending a book that contains the addresses of people she accuses of being part of the “secret societies” so they can be attacked. But…but…if Aangirfan says it, it must be true, right? I doubt he’s watched it, though (he rarely watches the videos he promotes or the posts he regurgitates/plagiarises). He’s only posted it because Aangirfan did. I don’t think he’ll be a fan for the same reason as me. I watch them for a laugh, he probably sits and nods his head in agreement at them. 😆 Oh I know, lol. Sorry, I hope it didn’t sound like I was lumping you in with that knuckle-scraping weirdo. I’ll bet the child catcher has saved loads of kids from going off with strangers, people offering sweets or accepting lifts in cars. it’s like a hollywood version of a charley says advert from the seventies. What kind of lunatic mind would be try and turn a creepy villain in a family musical into evidence of government conspiracy. what next ? fiddler on the roof ? Good point, mate LOL, I’ve never seen this version before: I would hope not. 😂 Interview ? angela can’t interview. she engages in her usual onesided overblown conspirafests while the invited guest struggles to get a word in. angela doesn’t research and cannot interview. she just spews her insane nonsense against anyone she can. I’ll wager the officers involved are putting in requests for overtime to get through the mountains of garbage she produces and aspirin for the migranes they get listening to it again. oh not her again searge ? Charley was voiced by Kenny everett the madcap radio dj and tv comic performer. He frequently ended up half drowned or in bandages for his trouble and advert after advert went through his nine lives saving that moronic kid. If you look around you’ll find jimmy savile giving safety lessons and rolf harris taking to kids about ‘bad touches’ as well as teaching kids to swim. the king of all safety adverts is the spirit of lonely water. i have a dvd called charley says and it has over 150 of them going back to the 50s including the protect and survive ones that have now lost all ability to shock because the voiceover artist went on to become most famous for the intros to the smell of reeves and mortimer. Fascinating genre and well worth further study. Mentions Hoaxtead, EC and Sheva at 1:24:28! Oh mister that’s a big bushy one. and the pole’s soooo long. oh yeah. get it right up there. right up the smutty pipe. oh yeah. do you like my chimney breast? oh gawd. confessions of a chimney sweep. Poor thing- the silver foil didn’t work. One question: why do the Evil Overlords attack the most boring people on the planet? (not mentioning any names but the word Neelu comes to mind among a cast of 1000s) She does attract the brightest though. My question for Lion & The Lamb is: who are the ones who won’t die?. What’s their secret? Fruit Loops R Us says: WOW she takes First Prize !. She actually sleeps in a tin foil hat in a tin foiled room. Dr Horton gets full marks for being the most dedicated Tin Foil Hatter of all time. You forgot treacherous bully and habitual ebegger with overblown delusions of grandeur and a grotesquely over inflated sense of entitlement. Plus she’s bitter, narcissistic and a chainsmoking drunk. quite a skill set and one of the ubertrolls at work in the shadow community. she’s so voracious she frequently turns on her own allies and savages them. model citizen. I will respond to this now. There isn’t any confusion to what I’ve written. I know people who know both Matt and Gabe. I never said I met them. I have not. My understanding is the movie cost almost 2 million to make. I don’t make movies. They don’t ask for money I will throw that in for free. I have no idea why An Open Secret is not verified. Maybe it has something to do with giving Twitter your drivers license. Evidently being verified isn’t important enough for them to give Jack their drivers license. It’s what it looks like to me. I’m not sure about the confusion with me messaging An Open Secret. It is no secret that I messaged with them. My Twitter DM’s were hacked. It was no secret that I messaged with them. They are both very approachable people as long as you don’t act like an asshat with them. They did a good thing and to criticize them makes it look to me like you just complain about everything. Never satisfied. It also looks like you are attacking anything having to do with children being sexually abused. If everyone is concerned about children then it should show up somewhere. Right? That’s why I said I don’t want to talk with people who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. Pingback: Hoaxstead “research” \| HOLLIE GREIG JUSTICE : KAREN IRVINE IS EL COYOTE IS SNAKE LOGAN IS HOAXTEAD Pingback: Angela’s getting anxious, for good reason \| HOAXTEAD RESEARCH	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1516
__label__wiki	0.564957	0.564957	Alerts, Briefs, & Other Investigation & Inquiry Reports Assignment Start Notifications Recommendation Dashboard Hearings & Correspondence Top Management Challenges Semiannual Reports Single Audit Guidance Combating Fraud Notices & Alerts Common Fraud Schemes News & Congressional About HUD OIG The Inspector General The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Tallahassee, FL, Should Strengthen Its Capacity To Administer Its Disaster Grants We reviewed the State of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. We selected the State of Florida in accordance with our goal to review disaster funding and based on a congressional request for us to conduct disaster capacity reviews for recent disasters, including Hurricanes Hermine, Matthew, and Irma. Our audit objective was to determine whether the Sta #2018-AT-1010 The City of Margate, FL, Did Not Properly Administer Its Neighborhood Stabilization Program Grants 1 and 3 in Compliance With HUD Regulations We audited the City of Margate’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) grants 1 and 3 in accordance with our audit plan to improve the U.S. The City of Jacksonville, FL’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program Was Not Always Administered in Accordance With HUD Requirements We audited the City of Jacksonville, FL’s HOME Investment Partnerships program as part of the activities in our annual audit plan. Our audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its HOME program in accordance with applicable U.S. The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust Did Not Always Properly Administer Its Continuum of Care Program We reviewed the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust’s Continuum of Care Program because our office had not audited this entity. In addition, this assignment was in accordance with our annual audit plan and the U.S. The City of Miami Beach Did Not Always Properly Administer Its CDBG Program We audited the City of Miami Beach’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in accordance with our annual audit plan because it had projects overseen by the same administration questioned in our audit of the City’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program. In addition, the U.S. The City of Miami Beach Did Not Always Properly Administer Its HOME Program We audited the City of Miami Beach’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program, in accordance with our annual audit plan, because (1) the Miami U.S. The State of Maryland Could Not Show That Replacement Homes Complied With the Green Building Standard We audited the State of Maryland’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery-funded Housing Recovery program. We conducted the audit because the program was the largest funded program in the State’s first action plan. Our objectives were to determine whether the State (1) assisted eligible applicants, (2) avoided duplicating assistance, (3) incurred eligible expenses that were properly supported, (4) procured services and #2015-PH-1005 Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Did Not Properly Administer One of Its Projects and Did Not Comply With Some Match Requirements We audited Broward County’s Continuum of Care Program, which was awarded more than $21 million in the 2011 through 2013 grant years. The objectives were to determine whether Broward County (1) spent grant funds for eligible program activities and ensured that expenditures were sufficiently supported and (2) maintained sufficient documentation to support that the funding sources used to match the grant funds were eligible. The State of Florida, Tallahassee, FL, Did Not Properly Support the Eligibility of Some Funds Used for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program We audited the State of Florida’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program because the State was awarded more than $107 million to recover from the 2008 natural disasters and to undertake activities and long-term strategies that focus on reducing future natural disasters. Further, the U.S. Miami-Dade County Did Not Always Properly Administer Its HOME Program We audited Miami-Dade County’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The County was selected for review because (1) our audit plan included audits of HOME grantees; (2) the Miami U.S. » Last » Community Improvement (34) Public and Indian Housing (23) Housing and FHA (22) Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (1) (-) Community Planning and Development (35) (-) Florida (31) (-) Maryland (4) Get email updates on the latest OIG publications and news Publications for the Public and Program Participants Publications for Program Administrators Publications for HUD Employees Federal Employee or Applicant Protections Federal Contractor Grantee Protections Rights of Federal Employees to Contact OIG	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1524
__label__wiki	0.82846	0.82846	Eight gold medals, 24 hours: how the Hawks made history By Laura Stricker on February 22, 2017 Twenty-four hours. Eight games. Eight gold medals. The Humber Hawks badminton and curling teams had an amazing weekend, to say the least. The two teams combined captured an unprecented eight Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) provincial championship gold medals. Here's how it happened: Gold Medal #1 OCAA Player of the Year Olivia Lei captured her third consecutive women's singles badminton title. In her three seasons, she has yet to drop a single set and will be vying for her third Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Year and National crown in the upcoming National championship. The women's doubles team of Phuthita Nilyok and Chloe Rowe went undefeated to capture their OCAA title. This is Nilyok's second consecutive OCAA crown and Rowe's first. The defending men's doubles CCAA National championship team of Adam Dong and Ryan Chow also went undefeated on their way to another OCAA title. Gold Medals #4 and #5 With the addition of points from the mixed doubles team of Christina Duong and Cameron Lai (OCAA silver) and men's singles player Darcy Schmidt (fourth), the Hawks swept the men's and women's team titles. For the women, it was their fourth consecutive year capturing the title, and the men earned their fifth consecutive team championship. The Hawks mixed curling team led the way on Sunday in the historical three-discipline sweep of the OCAA championships. It was the second title for the mixed squad. Just a few seconds after the mixed team captured the Hawks' first title of the day, the men's team ran Fanshawe out of rocks to win the championship. With this win, Humber will have the opportunity to defend their 2016 CCAA National title in Camrose, Alberta. The women provided the most drama and the delivered the biggest shot of the tournament just a few feet away, and minutes later after the men. Cassie Paccanaro's last shot cemented the championship win for the Humber women. Congratulations to our incredible badminton and curling players! Humber Hawks President's Lecture Series: Dr. Cindy Blackstock Jazz Showcase Presented by Humber Music World Nutella Day Humber Hawks bring home 8 CCAA medals More than 240 campers attend the Raptors Basketball Academy at Humber Humber Hawks score big in CCAA, OCAA awards	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1527
__label__cc	0.511946	0.488054	BRICS Under Attack: Brazilian PM Must Say Goodbye to BRICS and Hello to Washington or Face a Coup* Brazil’s Senate votes on Wednesday to extend proceedings that have been frequently compared to the Netflix hit series ‘House of Cards.’ On Wednesday, the Brazilian Senate will vote on whether to suspend elected Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff for 180 days, pending an impeachment trial. The proceedings have been dismissed by Brazilian and international analysts as a political coup intended to implant a pro-business government and implement unpopular austerity measures. Many believed the proceedings had stalled earlier this week when, in a surprise announcement, acting speaker of the Brazilian congress, Waldir Maranhao, announced an annulment of the April 17 vote to recommend impeachment proceedings to the Brazilian Senate. Less than 24 hours later, the President of the Brazilian Senate, Renan Calheiros, denounced Maranhao’s call to annul the earlier vote, arguing that the Congress had already abdicated authority to the Senate. Shortly thereafter, Maranhao retracted his own calls to annul the Lower House vote in a historic about-face moment. Many in Brazil see the impeachment effort as a coup led by the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, a center-right group that includes Michel Temer, who would assume office if the Senate votes to impeach Rousseff, as well as former speaker of the Lower House Eduardo Cunha, who instigated the impeachment proceedings, and the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros. If the impeachment proves successful, the Workers Party, winner of the past four elections in Brazil by landslide margins, would be replaced by pro-austerity and pro-privatization forces that are supported by less than 2% of the Brazilian population. With the vote expected to go against Dilma on Wednesday, many expect violent protests within Brazil, only three months ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Loud & Clear’s Brian Becker sat down on Tuesday with Brazilian journalist Pepe Escobar to talk about the social powder keg in Brazil and what to expect if the impeachment goes through. Will Dilma Rousseff be impeached and what will happen next? “I suggest that this is the Brazilian House of Cards,” said Escobar. “Yes, the Senate has the votes and yes impeachment is going to pass the Senate.” “Nobody on the planet has any clue” what will happen next, Escobar said. He cited the volatility of the situation in the past week, noting that on Monday the impeachment was off, on Tuesday it was back on again, and on Wednesday it seems all but certain to happen, unless the country’s Supreme Court intervenes – which the Brazilian Supreme Court had declined to do as of Wednesday morning. “We have a situation where the Senate is now in conflict with the Congress and then the Supreme Court in conflict with both, not to mention the executive branch, it is absolute chaos,” said Escobar. Will we see violent protest in the streets or the emergence of a military dictatorship? “There are some similarities with the military coup in 1964, which everyone knows was supported and co-organized by the American embassy in Brazil, but now, instead of a military coup, it is a much more sophisticated hybrid war mutation, it has nothing to do with direct military intervention, it is a sophisticated slow-motion regime change process that includes collusion between Brazilian corporations, big media, parts of the legislature, and parts of the judiciary,” said Escobar. “These forces, they want a Temer administration because he is part of the group who plotted this slow-motion coup, and the three guys we need to watch all the time are the soon-to-be President Temer, Eduardo Cunha, the corrupt sidelined former speaker of the Lower House, and the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, who will certainly proclaim the impeachment is a done deal,” stated Escobar. However, Escobar expressed concern about what will happen when the transition of power occurs. “What happens next is anybody’s guess, because we will have a mobilization by a united Leftist front in Brazil, composed of the Workers Party and the smaller parties on the Left,” said Escobar. “Lula has been articulating this unity in his meetings for weeks now. We will have demonstrations in the streets, and the big factories throughout Brazil will be paralyzed when the unions tied to the Workers Party strike.” “Most importantly,” added Escobar, “Temer’s approval rating floats between one and two percent, nobody trusts him, and everybody knows that it is a dodgy operation in the shadows who carries around the aura of a coup plotter with him at all times.” “The only good thing that has been talked about these past few weeks is that he may have a relatively good minister of finance, Henrique Meirelles, who is well-respected by Wall Street banks and may be able to spur increased investment in Brazil, but otherwise the whole thing is an absolute mess.” What will the change of power mean for Brazil’s status within the BRICS alliance? “The most important angle as far as I’m concerned is the global angle,” said Escobar. “What will happen in that next BRICS meeting in four or five months, and what happens to the BRICS projects, including the development bank that features collaboration between Brazilian, Russian, and Chinese executives?” Escobar said that Brazil’s position within BRICS, under a new administration, will likely be muddied by Rousseff’s plan to go on a “world tour” if impeached, including visits not only to Europe but also to China and Russia. “Right now, there is no BRICS interference about what is going on in Brazil because she has not yet been sidelined, but if she is suspended she will obviously speak to BRICS leadership, she will talk closely with Putin and Xi Jinping, both of whom she has a close relationship to,” Escobar speculated. Escobar suggested that a conversation between Rousseff and BRICS leaders in the event of her impeachment would likely lead Brazil to re-center toward an Atlantic alliance with the United States. That situation is exacerbated further by Temer’s foreign ministry cabinet appointee, right wing Senator Jose Serra, whom Escobar calls a “neoliberal enforcer.” “If Jose Serra is the foreign minister in Brazil, say goodbye to close relations to BRICS, and say hello to close relations with Washington, because that is what these folks want,” said Escobar. “The whole thing is a coup, it is a different form of coup, with a legalistic veneer, initiated by crooks who themselves are under investigation for corruption.” BRICS Under Attack: NWO Tentacles Extending into South Africa* BRICS Under Attack: Western Banks, Governments Launch Full-Spectrum Assault On Russia* No Silva Lining for NWO in Brazil, Next Step the Elite’s Front-man Neves* Another Suspicious Plane Crash to Boost Globalist Interests in Brazil* Historic Ruling in Brazil Bans Business from Funding Campaigns* This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Humanities, People, The Americas and tagged Brazil, capitalism, civil rights, colonialism, global governance, globalization, human rights, natural resources, NWO, oppression, secularism, South America, sovereignty, U.S.. 1 Comment The Space In-between: A Journey through Solitude to Spiritual Growth* By Reza Abbas Farishta Sitting on a damp crescent of sand next to a lake at the outskirt of the forest surrounding the Mount Tremblant, I found myself contemplating the setting sun while blinking at the rhythm of wave’s caressing the wooden trunk peacefully resting on the shore. The farewell of the sun to the earth I was experiencing was a beautiful sight and I could not resist taking out my phone in order to immortalize this scenery. Right after I tried taking the best possible shot I could with my smartphone in order to share it with my friends, I realized the sun had almost entirely set and I had missed a significant part of its setting. I turned off my phone and sat there smiling at myself when realizing the bitter truth of the tendencies of the society I had started to reflect through my behaviour. Reading by the lake In a society where we are used to sharing every thought and moment of our lives, where we are expected to react on social media almost instantly after anything happens in the world, these moments spent in solitude are a good reminder of the very nature of our creation: the fact that one’s existence on earth does not depend on others and that ultimately the purpose of our creation is to know the Almighty and to experience his light, a purpose that is a personal one, and one that will always prevail over ties that bind us to our social identity for it will exist even if we were the only remaining souls living on earth. Often when I would find myself in a secluded place in the middle of nature, I would think of a life spent in solitude in a wooden house “à la Henry Thoreau”, a life in which simplicity would prevail over any other state and for some reason, the thought of such a life always brought about a sense of spirituality in me which in turn made me question the link between simplicity, solitude and spirituality. The idea that solitude ultimately leads towards a simpler life is perhaps tied to materialism. Often, philosophers that have written about solitude and seclusion such as Thoreau or Emerson, have almost immediately experienced a newly acquired taste of simplicity through the negation of the never-ending pursuit of a material life, the only pursuit through which many of us identify ourselves and remain alive. Spirituality, solitude and simplicity In other words, it seemed as though seeking simplicity was a reaction to an overstimulation of the senses expressed through materialism in societies whose foundations were built upon consumption and the fulfilment of human desires. The negation of such a life pushes one to search for another balance, one in which spiritual needs are placed above physical ones. Therefore, the link between spirituality, solitude, and simplicity is one that is tied to our own nature. The quest for spirituality leads one to negate materialism, which brings about simplicity and in turn, seeking simplicity often leads one to live away from centres of materialistic societies, in relative solitude. Another explanation for the spiritual high one experiences when alone in nature, is perhaps tied to the realization of oneself in the scale of the universe. When you end up staring at oceans and mountains, or experiencing the depth of a forest, you often understand better how insignificant your physical reality is in the entire scheme of God’s creation. At this point, your ego flattens and you end up experiencing a shift in your perception of your own reality. It is when you stare at the countless stars that witness your existence from above that you end up identifying yourself with the infinity of your soul more than through the nothingness of your physical being. This shift in the perception of who we are is a critical one in one’s quest for meaning for it is through this shift that one gains a greater sense of responsibility. It is only when we identify ourselves through our spiritual existence that we can pretend to understand better, words of the great Arif that Imam Ali (pbuh) was, when he mentions that “‘Human beings should not see themselves as insignificant beings, for within them, is buried an entire universe’.” When I wrote these thoughts down on a paper in order to make some sense from all of which I had experienced in that little time away from home, I reached out to my copy of Walden and started re-reading Thoreau’s essays on solitude. I found it fascinating that I could connect with some of his words after only half a day spent in nature, a realization that made me think about the universal truth that unites every human being that has ever set foot on earth in the true nature of their creation. This universality in creation not only meant that we shared a common purpose, it also meant that there had to be common realities which regulated every living being’s spiritual quests no matter how different each and every wayfarer lost in the path of God could be. And if this universality was indeed a fundamental truth, one could expect these principles found in western philosophy to be expressed, validated or completed by other schools of thought, especially one as rich and exhaustive as Islamic philosophy. The idea that solitude impacts one’s spirituality is not a thought that is uncommon within Islamic tradition. On the contrary, it is actually a subject that features in almost every treatise of spiritual wayfaring. Amongst the greatest mystics and modern philosophers that Islam has been blessed to have under its banner and who have written about this topic, Allameh Tabatabaei often stands out as the perfect example of a man who had understood and manifested principles of the Qur’an in his personality and life. Spiritual Wayfarers In his book Kernel of the Kernel, Allameh beautifully explains how his journey towards light passed through several stages and how relative seclusion (khalwat) was an integral part of his spiritual ascension. Allameh identifies spiritual wayfarers to be unlike ‘the group of people [who] have no will power of their own, [a group which is] totally submissive to the will of society and follows [it]. On the contrary, according to Allameh, wayfarers seeking spirituality have a tendency to distance themselves from certain people, they busy themselves in ‘dhikr’ and often avoid crowds, attention and noisy places. There are indeed similarities in both western and Islamic schools of thought when it comes to the role solitude plays in spirituality. But are the two really equal? Can one live a life like Thoreau; a spiritual life spent in the woods, in solitude and silence and still follow Islam in its entirety? On a train, somewhere between Qum and Mashhad While I got more and more interested in those topics, and tried to grasp and absorb essays on solitude from western and Islamic philosophers I realized how their writing were starting to profoundly impact my personality. I had always been a lively person, the kind of person that would crack a joke in order to make others feel comfortable and lighten up a conversation. But the more I read Thoreau and others, the more I became quiet. The more I spent time in nature, the more I appreciated silence. Interestingly, others often perceived this newly acquired sense of tranquillity, which expressed itself through silence, as a state of worry, stress or anxiety. It always brought a smile on my face when people thought I was lost exactly when I started to find where my existence laid in God’s entire scheme of creation. While keeping these thoughts in my mind, and forever seeking the balance required between solitude and society, between simplicity and materialism, this spiritual journey brought me to Qum in Iran where I spent few weeks amongst scholars from the hawza (seminary) and students from the west. I remember having travelled from Qum to Mashhad in a night train accompanied by Agha Amini, a teacher of Akhlaq that Ayatollah Tahriri, himself a student of Allameh had advised to consult for spiritual growth. In the middle of the night, I asked my question to Agha Amini and tried to understand where the middle ground laid. On the one hand, it is often narrated that Allameh Tabatabaei had reached a certain level of spirituality after successfully detaching himself from materialism while distancing himself from elements of society which were detrimental to his spiritual growth. Other mystics such as Ayatollah Mutahari had also emphasized on the detrimental impact of a materialistically driven society on one’s spirituality. But on the other hand, there were also countless advantages and benefits that could solely be acquired in the presence of other individuals, be it learning from scholars, helping others, teaching and the refinement of one’s morality all of which one could not benefit from if one was to live a life in the woods like Thoreau. And because Islam emphasized so much on social and family ties and responsibilities, one could easily find himself lost, eternally looking for the right balance required to grow spiritually without neglecting its Islamic duties. A much simpler formula Agha Amini listened and understood the matter. He gave me an advice, which I engraved in my mind ever since. He acknowledged the fact that temporary seclusion and solitude were indeed practices that were common amongst mystics and that they did bear a spiritual significance. However, despite the relevance of these practices, Agha Amini stressed on another aspect of Akhlaq that was by far the most critical to one’s spiritual growth and that followed a much simpler formula: perform your wajibat (obligatory acts) and avoid your muharammat (forbidden acts). From this perspective, one can only distance himself from certain social elements only as long as it does not lead one to infringe on his/her social duties. This sentence made a lot of sense to me and I find it interesting that this advice was actually the first one that Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini, may Allah give him a high rank in Jannah, mentioned in his book on self building and spiritual growth when he wrote that ‘monasticism, renunciation of worldly affairs, and unacceptance of social responsibilities are not pre requisite for undertaking a self-purification program, on the contrary, as will be shown in the book later on that seclusion and relinquishment of individual and social responsibilities are inconsistence with the spiritual self-building and self-purification program.’ Allameh Tabatabaei himself draws a sharp contrast between true seekers of spirituality and people who have made solitude, seclusion and the negation of all social customs, norms and responsibilities to be the principles around which their lives are built. Allameh mentions in his book that the true spiritual seeker must always observe moderation and adopt a middle position. When I think about this quest for meaning and spirituality, this journey seeking the middle ground and how it had impacted my perception of life, I realized how these writings had made me rely on my sole company more than I ever had before. And since I had learnt how to appreciate life through my own existence, I was now able to find a greater sense of satisfaction from my life experiences, for they did not rely on anyone else’s approval or acceptance. Pragmatically, this realization made me distance myself from social media. I am not against the use of Facebook or Twitter and I do realize that there are countless advantages of being able to connect and share content with likeminded people within seconds no matter where they live. As a matter of fact, I am not even sure you would be reading this essay if it wasn’t shared on social media. There are several reasons why one distances himself from these platform, especially while seeking greater realms of self awareness. The first one is a very simple one. When one learns how to appreciate moments of his life for the truth they inherently bear instead of how great they would look once immortalized, one does not feel the need to experience them through the appreciation of others. The second reason is perhaps a more subtle, and is the fruit of a deeper realization, one that makes one question the miserable value we tend to assign to our thoughts and reasoning. When one ponders over the matter a little more, one soon realizes that most of us have a tendency to judge the validity of our thoughts and experiences through the popularity they generate on social media. The more likes a post gets, the more one feels he has written something worthy of being read. This reliance on others not only feeds one’s ego, it also makes one to exist solely through foreign eyes. This behaviour not only forces our existence to express itself through likes and comments, it pushes our souls to surrender their most valuable God-given right, the right to be free and to exist through our sole dependence on Allah’s mercy and justice. And to be fair with all other injustices committed by past and previous societies, I found this caging of our identity to be the greatest form of enslavement of modern times for I don’t think we have ever knowingly, consciously and wilfully belittled our existences any lower. The greatest challenge The greatest challenge in this quest of spirituality is to find a balance between the sweetness of solitude, and the tenderness of friends and family, the balance between the soothing tranquillity of silence and the thrill of exchanging with likeminded people. With time I have realized how far greater Islamic mysticism and philosophy are to ideas of Thoreau, no matter how brilliant they are, for Islamic mysticism allows one to attain its true potential without hindering the spiritual growth of others. It allows the likes of Allameh Tabatabaei to enlighten societies they live in, to share their knowledge and train future generations of thinkers, all of which are responsibilities without which they themselves couldn’t have attained the level of understanding and wisdom they have attained. Islamic mysticism lets you enter greater realms of spirituality using a balance that suits the entirety of one’s reality, which is not only a spiritual one, but a social and physical one also. And it is at the junction of these three realities that one can truly fulfil the purpose of its own creation. One wonders how to call this balance. This place where one is just alone enough to be free yet, present enough to serve others. I guess I’ll just call it the way I picture it in my mind: a place stuck between Muir’s mountain and Thoreau’s house in the woods; a place that offers a tiny bit of flexibility in order to experience silence the way Allamah did. Often, when I think about this place, I think of Frost and the road diverging in a yellow wood. While he chose to take the one less travelled by, I chose to create my own. Somewhere between a path leading to total seclusion and one leading to a complete immersion in society, I decided to walk on my own unpathed trail. And when I stopped after a while in order to observe where I stood in comparison with the two other paths, I found myself exactly where I had intended to be, in the space that lied in between them. The Freedom of Silence* Your Iman is Not Safe in the Hands of Just Your Intellect* The Heart – An Agent of Transformation* Waiting for God?* Einstein’s Letter to His Daughter about the Universal Force of Love* As I Began to Love Myself…* This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Art & Culture, Self Development, Spirituality and tagged Allah, Islam, jihad an nafs, Muslims, nature, self awareness, self development, well-being. The Probiotic Con* By Ali Reid Probiotics (sold by the million as drinks, yoghurts or spreads) claim to have a range of benefits for health – by boosting ‘friendly bacteria’ in the gut. But new research shows there is little evidence probiotics have any effects for healthy adults. There is a huge market for probiotics, estimated to soon be worth £29 billion globally. Many are marketed at the general population and they are massively popular in the U.K. A research team from the University of Copenhagen looked at the results of seven trials of probiotic products. Each trial studied the effect of probiotics on the faecal bacteria (microbiota) of healthy adults, as a measure of what was happening in the gut. In only one of the seven studies was there any change. This new review, published in the journal Genome Medicine, concluded there was little evidence they can help healthy adults. Oluf Pedersen, professor at the University of Copenhagen and senior author of the research said: “While there is some evidence from previous reviews that probiotic interventions may benefit those with disease-associated imbalances of the gut microbiota, there is little evidence of an effect in healthy individuals.” There are caveats to this discovery. The studies that the University of Copenhagen analysed had small sample sizes, ranging between 21 and 81 people. Also, while the scientists found no real health benefits for healthy people, previous studies have shown that probiotics can be beneficial for people with irritable bowel syndrome, or diarrhoea. The trillions of bacteria that live in the gut, part of the human microbiome, are of increasing interest to researchers. The gut bacteria have been dubbed the ‘forgotten organ’ by some. They can have a big impact on health – an unbalanced microbiome has been linked to a range of diseases from obesity, autoimmune disease, colon cancer and diabetes. Prophet Muhammad Said It, Now Top Doctors are Saying It* The Microbiome and the Sacredness of the Womb* Amazonian Hunter-Gatherers Isolated from Western Medicine Have the Most Diverse Microbiome Ever Recorded* This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Europe, Health, Humanities and tagged capitalism, foods, global governance, globalization, NWO, oppression, pharmaceutical industry, secularism, sovereignty, U.K.. Counterfeit Foods, and How to Spot Them* By Patrick Allan That Parmesan cheese is actually wood, that honey has corn syrup, and the cake is a lie. There’s no guarantee the food you’re buying at the store is what it says it is, so keep an eye out for these usual suspects if you don’t want to waste your money on fake, inferior products. The distribution and selling of counterfeit foods is officially known as economically motivated adulteration (EMA), a subcategory of food fraud. EMA can be anything from altering the weight of the product by adding a lower quality ingredient to tampering with the product’s label. Diluting fruit juice with water, adding chemicals to boost the protein content of a food, and changing the expiration dates on meat labels are all good examples. These acts are illegal, of course, and potential health concerns, but the issue is widespread and hard for the government to control. In fact, according to the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), an estimated 7% of products in grocery stores nationwide contain fraudulent ingredients. Here are the most common offenders. If you pay premium prices for decent Parmesan cheese, you’d think that’s exactly what you’d get. But the FDA has been cracking down on fraudulent Parmesan cheese for years now. In multiple instances, the FDA has found companies shilling “100% real” Parmesan with fillers like wood pulp, cellulose, and super cheap cheddar. In fact, an FDA analysis suggests there’s no actual Parmesan cheese in the Market Pantry brand 100% grated Parmesan Cheese sold at Target. The same goes for the Always Save and Best Choice brands of 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese sold in 30 different states, which mostly contain mozzarella, white cheddar, and cellulose. If you want the real deal, Liz Thorpe, author of The Murray’s Cheese Handbook and The Cheese Chronicles, recommends you buy a wedge of cheese from a whole wheel with the words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” on the rind: Parmigiano-Reggiano is a legally protected designation of origin that’s used in Europe only for Italian cheese. The beauty of this cheese is that you can always know that you’re getting the real thing because the name ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano’ is burned onto its rind in an unmistakable dotted pattern. That means hitting up the deli at the supermarket or going to a specialty shop, then grating or shredding the cheese yourself. Also, take note of the price. Parmesan is expensive because it takes a lot of time and a lot of milk to make. If it’s super cheap, that’s a red flag. That goes for everything on this list. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Olive oil is tampered with in a lot of ways so distributors can make money. As Tom Mueller at The New Yorker explains, fraudsters will dilute olive oil with cheaper oils like vegetable oil, mislabel the olive oil as extra-virgin when it’s not, or lie about the oil’s origin, saying the oil was made in Italy when it’s really a mixed batch of oils from all over the Mediterranean. Major Sergio Tirro of the Italian Carabinieri, and one of the top food fraud investigators in Europe, demonstrated how easy it is to fake olive oil for 60 Minutes. A little sunflower oil, a few drops of chlorophyll, and a dash of beta-carotene is it all it takes to make a passable fake. In fact, Mueller estimates that as much as 75% of the olive oil in the U.S. is adulterated or mislabelled, and a two-part study from the UC Davis Olive Center suggests that 73% of samples from the five top-selling imported “extra virgin” olive oil brands in the U.S.—Bertolli, Carapelli, Colavita, Star, Pompeian—failed to meet International Olive Council standards. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do when you’re shopping for olive oil. First, look for a harvest date on the label. Bottles of olive oil without harvest dates may be fraudulent or from extremely old batches that distributors are trying to unload. Second, look for a seal of approval from the local or regional authority where it was bottled. This type of certification proves the oil is from where it says, and that the product isn’t a mish-mash of different oils. Just because a bottle of olive oil has an Italian flag on it, doesn’t mean it was made there. Also, as Guy Campanile explains on 60 Minutes, check to see if the city of origin is mentioned in addition to the country. You can easily check to see if that area is known for its olive oil production with a Google search. Lastly, check the label for the olive oil’s cultivars, or type of olives that were used. If they don’t list them on the bottle, that doesn’t bode well for the quality of olive oil inside. The Most (and Least) Fake Extra Virgin Olive Oil Brands Frauds! An estimated 69% of all store-bought extra virgin olive oils in the US are probably fake,… As explained in the video above from ABC news, the USP found that imported spices like saffron, black pepper, and paprika are commonly cut with cheap fillers. Saffron is incredibly expensive, so fraudsters will often mix in dried safflowers, dyed onions, and turmeric to boost their profits. And because almost all saffron is imported to the U.S., it’s harder to regulate what might be in it. Ground black pepper has been mixed with ground papaya seeds, buckwheat flower, and black pepper plant stems. And paprika imported from Hungary has been cut with white pepper, curuma, and even brick powder in the past. The most effective way to avoid the fake stuff is by buying spices whole. Look for whole peppercorns, saffron threads, and whole dried paprika peppers, then grind them yourself. Don’t worry, grinding whole spices into common measurements isn’t as hard as it sounds. One teaspoon of whole peppercorns equals one and a half teaspoons ground, saffron can be used whole or ground to taste, and a batch of fresh ground paprika peppers can last you around eight months. Just make sure you skip the questionable pre-packaged stuff at the dollar store and shop with local dealers or online sellers who specialize in bulk spices. Honey is an easy target for EMA because it’s so sweet. Some distributors add cheap filler like high fructose corn syrup or rice sugar to the mix. Others filter the product to remove pollen, making it harder to tell if a product is pure honey or not. Honey being filtered doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s fake, but it’s possible that you’re just eating sugar syrup. There’s also the risk that the cheap honey you nabbed at the market is an export from a country with lax food safety laws, like China. Not all Chinese honey is dangerous, but there have been issues in the past,and you likely have local apiaries that need your support. If possible, buy honey from a trusted source like a local farmer’s market, community market, or local honey from your grocery store. Otherwise, Bee America recommends a couple simple tests you can do at home to see if that honey from the store is legit. Spread the honey on a piece of bread and let it sit for a few minutes. If the honey crystallizes and the top of the bread gets crunchy, it’s real. If it gets soggy, it’s fake. You can also test the honey in water. Drop a teaspoon of honey into a glass of water and see if it settles at the bottom. If it doesn’t, and it easily dissolves into the water without mixing, it’s not all honey, honey. Remove Crystals from Honey with a Hot Water Bath Sometimes, your jar of honey will get crystals forming at the sides because it hasn’t been… Read more Do you know the differences between king mackerel and grouper? Or how escolar differs from albacore? How about if you can only see the meat? Probably not, and that’s why a lot of seafood in the U.S. is subject to what’s called “species substitution.” It happens in restaurants and grocery stores, where you might think you’re buying some prized wild caught red snapper when you’re really getting cheap, mass farmed tilapia. One study from Oceana and the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory found that around 33% of the fish they sampled was not the species consumers were led to believe. This is problematic when cheap or undesirable species with high mercury levels are substituted for safer or more expensive fish. Not to mention the fact that you’re not getting what you paid for. And it’s even more difficult to tell when all you see is decorated cuts of meat. This type of food fraud is hard to prevent, however, because only 2% of imported fish is inspected by the FDA. Luckily, you can still educate yourself and make informed buying decisions. The FDA has a regularly updated list of seafood that is safe to eat, along with detailed information about the fish and the names they’re allowed to be called when being sold. As Oceana’s campaign director, Beth Lowell, explains, identifying fish by their fillet alone is nearly impossible, even for experts. That’s why The Environmental Defense Fund suggests you watch for these red flags when you’re shopping around: A price too good to be true for a highly desired fish like red snapper or grouper. Out-of-season fish, like wild salmon from Alaska, being sold “fresh” in winter months. Wacky labels you know not to be true, such as “farmed Chilean seabass” (only caught in the wild) or “wild Atlantic salmon” (an endangered species and not commercially available). If something about the fish seems fishy, press the chef or fish seller for information. They should be able to tell you what the fish is, where it came from, and answer any other questions you have. If they can’t, or they seem unsure themselves, get your fish elsewhere. You should stick with known safe suppliers, importers, restaurants, and retailers that are members of the Better Seafood Board. Get to know your seafood and where it comes from before you eat it. Update: Oceana’s statistics are based on the 1,200 seafood samples they took from 674 different retail outlets in 21 states, not necessarily the entirety of all fish sold in the U.S. Small changes were made in this article to clarify that. Synthetic Proteins: Cascading Effects of U.S. Unhealthy Food Food Revolution: Bolivia’s National Model for Food Sovereignty! Pricing Us Out of Food You Don’t Wanna Eat This Chicken! Baby Formula and Foods that Cause Diabetes Be Careful with Your Child’s Cough Mixtures! When Would You Eat Old Food! Battle to Hide What Goes in Your Food Continues! Grass- or Grain-Fed Beef…Is there a Difference? Whole Foods Not So Whole Food! Food By Permission of the Government Only!* The Spermicide in Your Food!? European Food Authority Concludes that “Glyphosate is Safe”” The Spirituality of Food Nestle Being Sued for $100 Million Dollars over Hazardous Lead in Food* Criminalizing Healthy Food Paves Way for TPP* How to Get Free Food (and Other P2P Solutions)* Italy’s Supreme Court Rules Stealing Food Is Not A Crime If the Person Is Poor and Hungry* U.S. Giant Dannon Pledges to take GMOs out of its Yogurt* Quaker Oats Sued for Glyphosate in ‘100% Natural’ Products* This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Health, Humanities, The Americas, Videos and tagged capitalism, civil rights, colonialism, foods, global governance, globalization, human rights, NWO, oppression, pharmaceutical industry, secularism, society, sovereignty, U.S., videos. Microsoft Taking Vengeance on Windows 7 Users* By Gordon Kelly Earlier this year Microsoft MSFT +0.12% warned users that Windows 7 has serious problems. I dismissed its claims as a desperate attempt to shift copies of Windows 10 (and I still do), but now Microsoft has warned of a new serious Windows 7 problem that is very real – even though it makes no sense whatsoever… In short: Microsoft has made a seemingly small yet completely bizarre tweak to Windows Update on Windows 7 and confirmed it is crippling many users’ PCs. Windows 7 users are being pushed to upgrade to Windows 10. Image credit: Gordon Kelly The tweak? It switched the status of Windows 7 update KB3133977 from ‘Optional’ to ‘Recommended’. The bizarre part? Despite acknowledging the problems, Microsoft knew they would occur in advance and it has no plans to do anything about it. Ok, let’s put some meat on these bones. PCs That Suddenly Won’t Start It all centres around Asus motherboards. Now 27 years old, Asus is one of the largest PC component makers and supplies motherboards to many of the world’s biggest PC makers. Recently it enabled Secure Boot in UEFI on all its motherboards. This wasn’t a problem for older PCs because Windows 7 didn’t support Secure Boot, that is until KB3133977 came along in March and enabled it. Initially the fallout was small. Asus confirmed the problem, Microsoft confirmed the problem. But the best news was KB3133977 was an optional Windows 7 update so it had to be manually installed to take effect. The solution was simple: just steer clear of KB3133977 (aka do nothing) and you’d be fine. Then last month – for some bizarre reason – Microsoft made KB3133977 a ‘Recommended’ update. The result was every user running Windows 7 and default Windows Update settings (the vast majority) would find the update now installed automatically. And then everyone with an Asus motherboard was hit. A Global Problem As InfoWorld’s Windows expert Woody Leonhard notes “I’m now seeing problems reported from all over the globe about Windows 7 machines that suddenly won’t boot”. Affected machines simply show a red box which says: The Windows 7 warning screen hitting PC owners with Asus motherboards who install update KB3133977. Image credit: Asus All of which does nothing to pinpoint the problem or solve it for those without a second secured boot device. In short: you’d be screwed. The Good News and Staying Safe The good news is Asus has now issued a workaround to get PCs booting up again. Furthermore Asus must take some of the blame for not reacting faster when KB3133977 presented a potential landmine and issuing new updates to its motherboards. How do you know if you have an Asus motherboard in your Windows 7 PC? Go to: All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select System Information. This will list your PC’s components, including the motherboard. One downside: some major PC makers like Dell and HP rebrand the motherboard as the computer’s model number. In which case you should do a web search on your model or call the manufacturer directly. The Bad News and What Comes Next As for the bad news? It’s Microsoft’s reaction. On the plus side, Microsoft did update the support document for KB3133977 with a warning which states: “After you install update 3133977 on a Windows 7 x64-based system that includes an Asus-based main board, the system does not start”. But Microsoft also uses the document an opportunity to promote upgrades to Windows 10: Microsoft’s KB3133977 support page now advises users to install Windows 10 to fix their problems. Image credit: Microsoft Microsoft has also done nothing to modify KB3133977 or release a new patch so users with Asus motherboards don’t run into this problem in the first place. Furthermore, at the time of publishing, KB3133977 remains a ‘Recommended’ in Windows Update for Windows 7. Needless to say, conspiracy theorists will have a ball seeing it as yet another new way Microsoft can push users to Windows 10. Especially with upgrade rates slowing in April. This in itself is remarkable given the increasing number of heavy handed and devious ways Microsoft has been pushing Windows 10 onto Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. Regardless, the message is clear: life is going to become increasingly uncomfortable for Windows 7 users from now on. Whether they like it or not… Microsoft Shifts Spyware Windows 10 to ‘Recommended’ Update, Automatic Download* Senior Russian Lawmaker Seeks Ban on Windows 10 in State Agencies* This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Humanities, Media, The Americas and tagged civil rights, global governance, globalization, NWO, oppression, society, sovereignty, U.S.. 1 Comment Progressive Professor Urges White Male Students to Commit Suicide During Class ܀ Zionists Behind White Dispossession* Diversity Chronicle By Ivan Fernando “If you are a white male, you don’t deserve to live. You are a cancer, you’re a disease, white males have never contributed anything positive to the world! They only murder, exploit and oppress non-whites! At least a white woman can have sex with a black man and make a brown baby but what can a white male do? He’s good for nothing. Slavery, genocides against aboriginal peoples and massive land confiscation, the inquisition, the holocaust, white males are all to blame! You maintain your white male privilege only by oppressing, discriminating against and enslaving others!” Professor Noel Ignatiev, a tenured professor at Massachusetts College loudly proclaimed to his class last Monday, his final teaching day before retirement. The good Professor’s sound and reasonable words resonate with every enlightened and progressive mind. They are indisputable and no one can debate them. They should not be controversial in… This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Uncategorized. ISIS Kills it’s Own to Stem Defections* Things are deteriorating fast for the cash-strapped Islamic State. One month ago we reported that as a result of the collapse of ISIS’ oil trade with Turkey following the relentless bombing of its oil extraction and transportation infrastructure mostly by Russian forces, the money inflows generated by the Islamic State have plunged. “In mid-2015, the Islamic State’s overall monthly revenue was around $80 million” said Ludovico Carlino, senior analyst at IHS, which issues regular reports on IS-controlled territory. Carlino added that “as of March 2016, the Islamic State’s monthly revenue dropped to $56 million.” While the collapse in oil trading has been the primary reason for this cash crunch, another reason is that the territory held by the organization has been drastically reduced as a result of recent military losses. According to IHS the IS group had lost about 22% of its territory in the past 15 months and now ruled over six million instead of nine million people. This led to several media reports that in order to boost cash, ISIS was killing its wounded fighters and selling their organs in the black market. More troubling for the militant state, however, was the tide of war turning against ISIS. This, together with the increasingly bleak long-term “career prospects” for the ISIS faithful, has led to a spike in fighter defections which forced Islamic State authorities to take prompt measures to address the fallout and send an even stronger message to any future potential defectors. One month ago, it did so in dramatic fashion by killing 45 of battlefield defectors in a gruesome way: by freezing them to death. According Iraqi media agency Al Sumaria News, the 45 defectors attempted to flee the battlefield during recent fights in Iraq. They accused deserters were executed by being locked in morgue freezers in Mosul for 24 hours, left for a slow, presumably agonizing death. Their bodies were reportedly then stretched out along the sides of the road at city entrances to act as a warning to any other fighter who might have second thoughts. In retrospect this attempt to “build morale” appears to have failed, and defections have – predictably – accelerated. So to send an even stronger message, the Islamic State has reportedly buried alive dozens of its own militants, after the jihadists refused to fight and fled the battlefield in the face of the Iraqi government’s push to retake ground in northern province of Nineveh controlled by ISIS since 2014. According to AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA) some 35 fighters died after being buried alive, while Iraqi News reported that Islamic State buried 45 of its members alive on charges of fleeing the battlefield. The executions are said to have taken place on the outskirts of Qayyarah, about 35 miles (60 kilometers) south of the militant-held city of Mosul. According to reports, those who were buried alive were accused of fleeing clashes with government forces in the village of Bashir, just south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Another source confirmed the slaying to IraqiNews.com, saying that “ISIS had buried its members, who escaped from al-Bashir battles, inside one grave.” When ISIS was pressed for time, it took more direct measures: according to Arabic language media, on Monday ISIS command also shot and killed dozens of its fighters in the village of al-Hadar south of Mosul – likewise for escaping from battle in Anbar province. The Islamic State is best known in the west for its brutal approach when dealing with captives, subjecting them to horrific and elaborate execution methods, which it films them as part of its propaganda campaign; its methods have included drowning men in a cage in a swimming pool, strapping explosives to the heads of kneeling men connected by wires and burning hostages alive in cages. Perhaps in the best indication that the war against ISIS is now effectively over, the Islamic State, no matter how or why it was created, is increasingly turning on its own. ISIL fighters’ Given Death Sentences for Iraq Massacre* Iraqi Security Forces Find Mass Graves of ISIS Members* U.S. Supplies ISIS through Turkey* Turkish Border Guards Shoot and Abuse Syrian Refugees* U.S. Airstrikes on ISIS Chemical Weapon Facilities to Cover-up their Tracks* Heavy Fighting in Aleppo Province Results in Victory for Syrian Forces* Germany in the Poison Gas Business, with ISIS* Iraq Forces Free Prisoners from Underground ISIS Jail* France, U.K., and Germany produce the most ISIS Terrorists from Europe* Fallujah’s Residents Starving, Murdered, Besieged by U.S. Backed Government Forces and ISIS* 29 Former German Soldiers have Joined ISIS* Saudi Arabia Arrest 9 CIA Agents Working for ISIS* ISIS Stealing and Selling Ancient Syrian Artefacts to Buyers from the U.S. and Europe* Hack of Netanyahu Chief of Staff Shows Israeli Control of ISIS* This entry was posted on May 11, 2016, in Asia, Europe, Humanities, Middle East, The Americas and tagged colonialism, global governance, humanities, Iraq, NWO, oppression, secularism, sovereignty, Syria, U.S., WWIII.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1528
__label__cc	0.666263	0.333737	Welcome To Hyde Park Golf Club Come Play Jacksonville’s Oldest Public Course Designed by Donald Ross in 1925 Explore Our Membership Options Come Play Hyde Park Golf Club Today! Rental Clubs may be rented for a fee of $21.00. Limited sets available. RENT CLUBS NOW The course was a welcome stop for the Men’s and Women’s PGA Tours in the 1940s and ’50s, and hosted such notables as Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan (more on Mr. Hogan later), Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Mickey Wright, who won her first professional tournament here in 1956. Hyde Park preceded the Greater Jacksonville Open and The Players Championship in making Northeast Florida an historic and memorable total golf “experience.” Tour professional Billy Maxwell purchased Hyde Park in 1971. Today, Hyde Park is owned by Billy’s daughter and husband, Melanie and Tommy Bevill, who have worked since 2016 to bring the course back to it’s former glory days. Link to: Golf Course Book an Event at Hyde Park Golf Club Link to: Membership-old Membership Options at Hyde Park Golf Club Link to: Annual Events More About Our Historic Northeast Florida Golf Course	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1529
__label__wiki	0.734711	0.734711	UM Global Vardenchi 2019 Land Rover Defender to be more advanced than the Discovery - Report 01/11/2016 - 11:00 \| Land Rover Defender, Land Rover \| Shrawan Raja Next-gen Defender will enter production in early 2019. Autocar UK has published fresh updates on the next-gen Land Rover Defender, the replacement for the 67-year-old icon that exited production late last year. The report says that the technology employed on the new Defender would be more modern than the all-new Discovery when its mass production begin in early 2019. The first generation Land Rover Defender was built for 67 years at the company's Solihull plant in the UK. Land Rover aims to make the new Defender the world’s most capable off-road vehicle with further electronic enhancements for the chassis systems under development at this time, with most of the vehicle's engineering complete. A senior Land Rover official confirmed last month that the first test mules of the new Defender are already out testing, but the mules haven't yet been spied by photographers or IAB readers. Land Rover has appeared to struggle with the business case for the new Defender, which Autocar suspects is the cause of the three-year gap between the outgoing model's extended lifecycle and the new car's start of production. Land Rover toyed with the idea of laying the Defender nameplate to rest at times, but changed its mind, the report adds. For the car to be profitable, Land Rover has to build 50,000-plus units a year, and Land Rover’s designers have deliberately throttled back on the design toughness of the Discovery family, to give added working space for the Defender, the report reads. The 2019 Land Rover Defender will be based on the new aluminium architecture employed on the Range Rover and Discovery. It can therefore utilize the all-aluminium body shop and final assembly procedures of these vehicles. There will be modifications made to give extreme strength and durability customers expect of Land Rover’s most capable off-roader. The next-gen Land Rover Defender will be made in at least two wheelbases. The Defender, Autocar writes, is certain to share the two wheelbases of the Range Rover - 2,922mm and 3,120mm in standard and longwheelbase guises respectively - but with cropped overhangs, and suitable modifications for ground clearance, arrival, departure and break-over angles for off-road agility. Educated guesses are that Land Rover will opt for a longitudinal front engine mounting with a separate transfer case with high and low-ratio gear sets, all-independent suspension with steel springs, and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines to start with, paired to manual and automatic gearboxes. Also See: 2019 Land Rover Defender – Rendering The Defender will most likely be made at Land Rover’s new Slovakian plant, announced late last year. One newspaper report this year said a smaller version of the Defender's feasibility is under study for india, with the company having made contact with suppliers to produce the version in India. [Source: Autocar] Land Rover Defender Adventure Edition Exclusive: All-new Range Rover Evoque to be launched in India in February 2020 Exclusive: New Land Rover Discovery Sport (facelift) to be launched in India January 2020 Tata Harrier’s platform to spawn a new Land Rover SUV - Report 2020 Land Rover Defender to be launched in India in June 2020 - Report 2020 Land Rover Defender Spotted in India Again 2020 Land Rover Defender to be launched in India in late-2020 - Report BS-VI compliant Honda Activa 6G launched at INR 63,912 [Update] Hyundai Aura starts reaching dealerships, interior leaked Next-gen Maruti Gypsy (Indian-spec Suzuki Jimny Mk4) project now in action - Report Exclusive: 2020 Honda City recalled in Thailand, deliveries put on hold Exclusive: 2020 Maruti Ignis (2020 Suzuki Ignis) full-HD images leaked 2020 Tata Nexon, 2020 Tata Tiago and 2020 Tata Tigor revealed, pre-bookings open Euro-spec 2020 Hyundai i10 series production commences [Video] Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 spied on test in India MG Auto Expo 2020 line-up to include Vision-i MPV, 6-seat Hector, D90 & 11 more models Exclusive: Bajaj RE EV electric rickshaw specs leaked, to be launched soon Serves 50+ million views a year	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1538
__label__cc	0.657239	0.342761	Ashley Wolfenbuttel escort Register Login Contact Us National federation of the blind Werne I Am Look Couples The Are Germany men attractive Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people Wernr our dreams. Your donations help us distribute free white canes, provide children with Braille and nonvisual skills instruction, advocate for the rights of blind Americans, and . Seeking: I Looking Adult Dating City: Werne Relation Type: Seeking Masculine Female 30 The President believes it is a good idea but it will be up to Congress to ultimately decide. 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Accessibility Help. That case has not been heard. Sometimes, one must wonder if people really take the time to read The Blitz. It can be lengthy and people live busy lives. I apologize for the extra couple of months between issues but things have been hectic. So, enough excuses. Get Ready D. It will be the largest such gathering in history. Attendees will examine the critical issues facing Randolph-Sheppard today. Groups of attendees will spread out over town to participate in roundtable discussions at the Department of Transportation, General Services Administration, and Rehabilitation Services Administration. And half a day will be spent ghe The Hill educating members of Congress about key issues facing our program today. We will be educating Congress about:. John Pare and Gabe Cazares from that office have played an integral part in the planning and will be on hand to provide training Germany girls booking assist as needed. The help is much appreciated. NABM is excited about this conference. ❶The National Federation of the Blind is an Natoonal of over 50, blind people, striving to promote equal opportunity for the blind. The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Learn more about the Nation's Blind Podcast. Blind people, I learned, could work in any job. Generic selectors. What is happening in one state affects what is going on in another, and NABM and the NFBEI offer the best vehicle to keep everyone updated on what is going on out. Blindd does not matter if you had a wonderful experience or an experience that was not so wonderful, we want to know about every experience. These are management services. NABM is open to the idea of hosting regional training in other regions. Among the several hundred who were there, there were a few dozen blind Moers chat sex. A digital camera takes a picture of the printed material to be read, and an attached personal digital assistant PDA reads the text aloud. The panel concluded that the law requires bljnd Air Force to share income from any machine not within the walls federaton the post-exchange. If you are not a member, contact Claudia Lannan by email at claudial rsamanagementgroup. The presidential report describes the actions taken by the national headquarters during the Harmony Nordhausen haunted house year. The states have appealed each of these to federal court.\|Jump to. Quicklinks Werne Sections of this page. Accessibility Help. Join or Log Into Facebook. Email or Phone. Forgot account? Sign Up. Security Check. Why am I seeing this?]National Federation of the Blind. Click to return to Homepage. Donate · Join Us. National Federation of the Blind East Wells Street at Jernigan Place. NABM is Wdrne closely with the National Federation of the Blind's Office on Advocacy and Policy on this educational piece. . New York – Louise Werner. Strupp, Werner, general counsel Nagle, John F., chief, Washington office, National Federation of the Blind National Association for the Advancement. I Am Wants Sexy Meet Hot Mature Women Ready Geek Dating I Am Looking Teen Sex Ashley Wolfenbuttel escort Copyright 2019	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1541
__label__wiki	0.708281	0.708281	Home > Publications > Australian Perspectives > Retirement Incomes > What’s the best way to close the gender gap in retirement incomes? Download the working paper Download the chart data What’s the best way to close the gender gap in retirement incomes? by Brendan Coates Australia’s retirement income system is not working for the poorest Australians, who are disproportionately women. Australia has a persistent gender gap in retirement savings and incomes. This means that women, particularly single women, are at greater risk of poverty, housing stress and homelessness in retirement. The superannuation lobby wants more generous superannuation tax breaks to boost the retirement incomes of women. But in this research paper, Grattan Institute Fellow Brendan Coates shows that expanding already-generous caps on super contributions would likely worsen gender inequality in retirement savings. Women save less via superannuation because they earn less. The current generous annual caps on pre-tax contributions are predominately used by older, high-income men to reduce their tax bills. Other proposals to provide more top-ups to the superannuation savings of low-income earners, or particularly to women, are at least somewhat targeted at the gender gap. The now-renamed Low Income Superannuation Tax Offset (LISTO) will ensure that low-income earners are not disadvantaged when contributing to superannuation. But super top-ups should not be expanded. It is too hard to target them tightly at those most in need, and super fees can eat up their value. For example, Industry Super Australia’s proposed $5,000 Super Seed annual contribution to the superannuation accounts of younger low-income earners could cost almost $4 billion a year – and about a quarter of the Super Seed payments would still go to Australia’s wealthiest 50 per cent of households. Nor is there a strong case to raise the Superannuation Guarantee to 12 per cent, as currently legislated. Higher compulsory super contributions are ultimately funded by lower wages, which means lower living standards for workers today. Therefore, increasing the Super Guarantee to 12 per cent will hurt the living standards of low-income earners, the bulk of whom are women. And raising the Super Guarantee to 12 per cent could also hurt the retirement incomes of existing pensioners, by suppressing wages indexation of the Age Pension. This paper proposes two reforms which together could help close the gender gap in retirement incomes and provide a boost to the retirement incomes of Australia’s most vulnerable women. First, better targeting super tax breaks to the purposes of superannuation would reduce the gender gap in superannuation savings. Super tax breaks provide the greatest boost to high-income earners, who don’t need them. Most of these high-income earners are men. Better targeting of super tax breaks could free-up revenue to provide more targeted support for retirement incomes for people who need it most, and to reduce marginal effective tax rates for low- and middle-income earners to encourage greater female workforce participation. Second, a targeted boost to the Age Pension for retirees who do not own their own home, delivered as higher Commonwealth Rent Assistance, would do the most to alleviate poverty in retirement. Single women who are retired and do not own their own home are the group most likely to rely almost solely on the Age Pension, and are at the greatest risk of poverty in retirement. This proposal is affordable: a targeted $500-a-year boost to Rent Assistance for Age Pensioners would cost $250 million a year. What should the next Federal Government do on retirement incomes? — Sydney Event podcast: In this Forward Thinking event, Grattan Institute’s Brendan Coates and The Australian Financial Review’s Joanna Mather discussed what the winner of the May 18 federal election shoul… On any view, the case for higher compulsory super hasn’t been made Published by Tax and Transfer Policy Blog, Monday 5 August At the heart of the debate over higher compulsory superannuation sit big trade-offs that are too rarely acknowledged. Boosting retireme…	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1550
__label__cc	0.674281	0.325719	The Effect of Topical Laminin 5 on Corneal Epithelial Wound Healing K. Hori; C. Sotozono; K. Yamasaki; Y. Kariya; K. Miyazaki; H. Rigby; N. J. Fullwood; S. Kinoshita K. Hori Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural Univ of Med, Kyoto, Japan C. Sotozono K. Yamasaki Y. Kariya Cell Biology, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan K. Miyazaki H. Rigby Biological Science, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom N. J. Fullwood S. Kinoshita Commercial Relationships K. Hori, None; C. Sotozono, None; K. Yamasaki, None; Y. Kariya, None; K. Miyazaki, None; H. Rigby, None; N.J. Fullwood, None; S. Kinoshita, None. Support None. K. Hori, C. Sotozono, K. Yamasaki, Y. Kariya, K. Miyazaki, H. Rigby, N. J. Fullwood, S. Kinoshita; The Effect of Topical Laminin 5 on Corneal Epithelial Wound Healing. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2007;48(13):3477. doi: https://doi.org/. Purpose:: Laminin-5 (Lm5) is one of the major matrix components of the corneal epithelial basement membrane. Many studies revealed that in vitro, Lm5 promotes cell migration by binding to integrin α3ß1, while it mediates stable adhesion through integrin α6ß4. In vivo, it is demonstrated that Lm5 is over-expressed at the sites of epidermal wounds, implying a potential therapeutic effect of Lm5 for the corneal wound healing process. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of topically applied Lm5 on a corneal epithelial wound with a rabbit model of corneal epithelial defect. Methods:: Human recombinant Lm5-PBS solution at a concentration of 100µg/ml was prepared. For defect model 1, a round epithelial defect of 10 mm in diameter was made using heptanol. Lm5 solution was applied 4 times a day until the wound was closed. The vehicle alone was applied to the contralateral eye as a control. The defect area was measured by image analyzing software to evaluate the healing process (n=5). For defect model 2, superficial keratectomy was performed using 9mm-diameter trephine, and the healing course was observed in a manner similar to that stated previously (n=6). In addition, the corneas were excised and examined by light microscopy and electron microscopy. Results:: Epithelial defects of the Lm5 treated cornea and the control were closed until 96 and 108 hrs, respectively, in defect model 1, and until 192 and 204 hrs, respectively, in defect model 2, but no statistically significant difference was observed in healing rate. Histological examination did not reveal a notable difference in the morphology between the two experimental groups. Conclusions:: In this study, the topical Lm5 solution did not exhibit a significant effect on corneal epithelial wound healing with a rabbit model. Further examination by a different protocol (the way of application, the concentration of solution, the animal model, etc.) is needed for a better understanding of the in vivo effect of Lm5 on corneal epithelial wound healing. Keywords: cornea: epithelium • wound healing	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1567
__label__cc	0.529811	0.470189	Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy Volume9, Issue1 Issue 1 Spring 2014 ------------------------ Issue 2 Autumn 2013 Issue 1 Spring 2013 ------------------------ Synthesis and kinetic studies of mutual azo prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim as models for colon targeting Yasser Fakri Mustafa Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy, Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages 21-31 10.33899/iphr.2010.49980 In this study, two mutual azo prodrugs were synthesized for colon targeting in a treatment of colonic diverticular disease. The first was synthesized by coupling sulfamethoxazole with salicylic acid; the second was synthesized by coupling one mole of trimethoprim with two moles of salicylic acid. In vitro kinetic studies of these mutual prodrugs in hydrochloric acid buffer (pH 1.2) and in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) were monitored. Hydrolysis of these mutual prodrugs was established in rat fecal matter. The release of 5-aminosalicylic acid and sulfamethoxazole or trimethoprim from these mutual prodrugs was almost complete and it followed first order kinetics. The prodrug approach to drug physico-chemical properties modification based on enzyme specifications may offer a new approach for improving drug product efficacy and reducing most of its adverse effects. (2010). Synthesis and kinetic studies of mutual azo prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim as models for colon targeting. Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy, 9(1), 21-31. doi: 10.33899/iphr.2010.49980 Yasser Fakri Mustafa. "Synthesis and kinetic studies of mutual azo prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim as models for colon targeting". Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy, 9, 1, 2010, 21-31. doi: 10.33899/iphr.2010.49980 (2010). 'Synthesis and kinetic studies of mutual azo prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim as models for colon targeting', Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy, 9(1), pp. 21-31. doi: 10.33899/iphr.2010.49980 Synthesis and kinetic studies of mutual azo prodrugs of 5-aminosalicylic acid with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim as models for colon targeting. Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy, 2010; 9(1): 21-31. doi: 10.33899/iphr.2010.49980 Publisher: Mosul University Email: ijp@uomosul.edu.iq Editor-in-chief: Ass. Prof. Dr. Zeina Abdul mnium Abdul majeed	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1568
__label__wiki	0.911192	0.911192	General Requests for Access to Information York faculty, staff, students, and members of the general public may make formal or informal requests for access to information in the custody or under the control of the University. If you wish to make a formal request under FIPPA, refer to the instructions and complete the form below. How to request access to information or correction of personal information under FIPPA Fees for access to information Access to Information Request Form (fillable PDF) (Before using fillable PDFs, please see Using Fillable Forms on this Website.) Guidelines for Units Responding to Access Requests When a request for access to information under FIPPA has been made to a unit of the University, those units should refer to the Guidelines for Units Responding to Access to Information Requests. For information on making a request for access to (or correction of) personal information, click on Step 1 above. You may also consult the Personal Information Banks (PIBs) at York University. If you are seeking access to personal information (or personal health information) for a research purpose, refer to the appropriate protocol: Protocol for requesting access to personal information in a York University record for a research purpose (PDF) Protocol for requesting access to personal health information in a York University record for a research purpose (PDF) In accordance with the Policy on Access to Student Records and Protection of Privacy, if you are a current student seeking access to your student records, direct your inquiry to Registrarial Services. Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Policy Access to Student Records and Protection of Privacy Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) FIPPA Regulation 459 (Disposal of Personal Information) FIPPA Regulation 460 (General) FIPPA Statistical Reports	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1569
__label__cc	0.640593	0.359407	Tip Sheet 15 - Quick Wins to Control the Paper Mountain University units often keep more paper records than are needed for their immediate and ongoing business needs. Stacks of paper continue to grow until they become paper mountains, presenting barriers to the smooth operation of our offices. One way to scale back those paper mountains is to identify records that can be disposed of quickly, and to get rid of them. Get rid of records where your office is not the Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR). If you are unsure whether your office is responsible for records or simply holds “other copies,” consult the University’s Common Records Schedule (CRS) or check with the Information and Privacy Office. Records of meetings and committees: Get rid of committee meeting agendas, minutes and reports once you’re finished referring to them if your office is not the Office of Primary Responsibility. Examples include: Board of Governors meetings and committees (ADG07, ADG09), Senate meetings and committees (ADG10, ADG12), Faculty Council meetings and committees (ADG15, ADG17). Accounts Payable and Receivable (FIN10 & FIN11): Where an official copy is held by Finance, these records can be destroyed after two years. Records may include purchase orders, invoices, receipts, and credit card payment forms. Tenure and Promotion Files (ADG12-36): The University Secretariat is the OPR for these records; Faculties and Departments can confidentially destroy copies once a decision has been made. Petition materials (STU37): If your unit is not responsible for administering petitions, destroy duplicate petition materials one year after the petition has been decided. Implement disposition regularly, especially for records with a short retention period. Office Operations (ADG74): General administrative matters can be disposed of one year after the last action. Postal and Shipping Services (CAM50): Units responsible for these services can destroy records one year after the action is complete. Student Evaluations (TCH26): Student response forms can be destroyed one year after the forms are filled out and the aggregate data has been analyzed. Final Exams and Final Assignments (TCH24): Final exams or assignments can be destroyed one year after the exam was written or the assignment submitted. Destroy transitory records. Drafts of completed reports or publications Reference materials that are no longer useful or are easily obtained from other sources Stocks of in-house publications which are obsolete, superseded or otherwise no longer useful Reports received by your unit on an informational basis that have been superseded e.g., University Academic Plan, Integrated Resource Plan Short-lived and/or inconsequential correspondence, e.g., meetings that have taken place already, the “let’s meet for lunch” types of replies, etc. Unsolicited resumes received where no job has been advertised Produce fewer paper records. Save email to a properly classified folder on shared drives by converting email messages and folders to pdf instead of printing. If printing email messages is necessary, print out the last thread in a string of correspondence rather than each of the back-and-forth messages. Print documents double sided. Circulate meeting minutes and agenda packages electronically and ask recipients not to print them. Enable secure printing on your printers and photocopiers where a code must be entered before a print job is released. Remember: No records should be disposed of if they are subject to a legal hold or a FIPPA request. This document has been developed to assist in establishing good practices and procedures. Additional information on recordkeeping and FIPPA can be found on the Information and Privacy Office’s website. For questions about recordkeeping and FIPPA, please contact the Information and Privacy Office at info.privacy@yorku.ca or at (416) 736-2100 x20359.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1570
__label__wiki	0.834678	0.834678	Published Ahead of Print Topics by Section About JASN Editorial Fellowship Program Kidney News Online American Society of Nephrology Follow JASN on Twitter Visit ASN on Facebook Follow JASN on RSS Recurrence of Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis Type II in Renal Allografts: The North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study Experience Michael C. Braun, Don M. Stablein, Lorraine A. Hamiwka, Lorraine Bell, Sharon M. Bartosh and C. Frederic Strife JASN July 2005, 16 (7) 2225-2233; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1681/ASN.2005020175 Michael C. Braun Don M. Stablein Lorraine A. Hamiwka Lorraine Bell Sharon M. Bartosh C. Frederic Strife Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II (MPGN II) is an uncommon form of complement-dependent acquired renal disease. Although it has been recognized since the 1970s that MPGN II recurs almost universally in renal transplants, data regarding the long-term consequences of disease recurrence are limited. Therefore, a retrospective comparative analysis of 75 patients with MPGN II contained in the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study transplantation database was performed. Five-year graft survival for patients with MPGN II was significantly worse (50.0 ± 7.5%) compared with the database as a whole (74.3 ± 0.6%; P < 0.001). Living related donor organs had a significantly better 5-yr survival (65.9 ± 10.7%) compared with cadaveric donor organs (34.1 ± 9.8%; P = 0.004). The primary cause of graft failure in 11 (14.7%) patients was recurrent disease. Supplemental surveys were obtained on 29 (38%) of 75 patients. Analysis of these data indicated that recurrent disease occurred in 12 (67%) of the 18 patients with posttransplantation biopsies. Although there was no correlation between pretransplantation presentation, pre- or posttransplantation C3 levels, and either disease recurrence or graft failure, there was a strong association between heavy proteinuria and disease recurrence. The presence of glomerular crescents in allograft biopsies had a significant negative correlation with graft survival. At last follow-up, patients with recurrent disease had significantly higher serum creatinine and qualitatively more proteinuria than patients without biopsy-proven disease. These data indicate that recurrent MPGN II has a significant negative impact on renal allograft function and survival. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II (MPGN II) is an uncommon form of chronic renal disease characterized by persistent systemic hypocomplementemia, glomerular C3 deposition, and abundant dense deposits within the lamina densa of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) (1). Since the original characterization of this disease by Habib in 1975, little progress has been achieved with respect to the pathogenesis and the treatment of this disorder (2). Results of therapeutic trials using corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, or antiplatelet therapy have been disappointing (1,3). Despite major advances in our ability to slow the progression of many forms of chronic renal injury, the clinical course of MPGN II remains one of slow deterioration, with 50% of patients developing ESRD within 10 yr of diagnosis (1,4). Renal transplantation remains the final therapeutic option for the majority of patients with MPGN II. However, MPGN II has been reported to recur in 18 to 100% of renal allografts, depending on the criteria used to define recurrence, and rates of graft failure as a result of disease recurrence have ranged from 0 to 100% (5,6). Currently, there are fewer than 170 reported cases of renal transplants in adults and children with MPGN II (2,4–27). Most reports are limited in terms of samples size, with the most recent case series in 1999 containing fewer than one dozen patients (26). Detailed information is available on fewer than half of the reported patients, and long-term follow-up data are surprisingly sparse. Although the almost invariable recurrence of dense deposits in renal allografts is not disputed, the impact of the recurrence of these deposits on graft survival is uncertain. To investigate the impact of disease recurrence in a large population of pediatric renal transplant patients, we analyzed the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) database with respect to overall graft survival and obtained supplemental data surveys to identify potential predictors of disease recurrence. The NAPRTCS database (1985 to 2002) was queried for individuals who had biopsy-proven MPGN II. Data including age, gender, ethnicity, age at transplantation, cadaveric (CAD) versus living-related donor (LRD) source, type of immunosuppression, graft survival, duration of dialysis, and cause of graft failure were analyzed in comparison with the NAPRTCS database as a whole. Supplemental questionnaires were sent to all centers that were identified as having a patient with MPGN II contained within the NAPRTCS database. The centers were asked to provide additional information regarding (1) original presentation, (2) immediate pretransplantation features, (3) posttransplantation course, (4) and status at most recent follow-up. The information requested included age, height, weight, serum albumin, creatinine, C3 concentrations, nephritic factor, degree of hematuria and proteinuria, clinical features (asymptomatic hematuria or proteinuria, acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, or rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis), the presence of hypertension, treatment and/or immunosuppression, and biopsy findings. For the purposes of this study, disease recurrence was defined solely on the basis of electron dense deposits within the GBM. In addition, a comprehensive search of electronic databases as well as manual reviews of references from published manuscripts, review articles, and textbooks were performed to identify reports of individuals who had MPGN II and underwent renal transplantation. Data regarding graft survival and length of follow-up were abstracted and collated. Data were analyzed using SAS and SPSS software. Survival analysis was performed using log-rank analysis. Distribution and frequency of variables was analyzed by either χ2 analysis or Fisher exact test when appropriate. Comparisons between groups were performed using the t test, Pearson correlation statistics, and the log-rank test. P < 0.05 was assumed to be statistically significant. The studies contained in this report were approved by the Children’s Hospital Medical Center Institutional Review Board. Seventy-five primary renal allografts in patients with MPGN II were identified within the NAPRTCS database. Demographic data are presented in Table 1. As a group, MPGN II patients did not differ from the database as a whole with respect to gender, ethnicity, or donor source. They were, as expected, older, with 58% being older than 12 yr compared with 45% of the database (P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in donor source. Supplemental surveys were received on 29 patients (response rate of 39%). There were no significant differences in terms of demographic data comparing the responding group with the entire MPGN II population contained in the database (Table 1). That a significant number of patients had been transferred to adult transplant centers for care, and medical records dating back several decades were no longer accessible had a negative impact on the overall response rate. Demographic data for primary renal allografts from the NAPRTCS database, MPGN II patients contained within the database, and MPGN II patients with supplemental survey informationa Initial Presentation and Management (Survey Population) The clinical features of the survey population at the initial pretransplantation diagnosis of MPGN II are presented in Table 2. Mean age at initial presentation was 10.4 ± 0.6 yr. Most patients had a significant reduction in renal function with a mean serum creatinine of 2.7 ± 0.5 mg/dl and an estimated GFR of 62.4 ± 10.7 ml/min uncorrected. Serum albumin concentrations were also reduced, with a mean of 2.6 ± 0.2 g/dl. Hypocomplementemia was present at the time of diagnosis in 95% of patients with a mean serum C3 level of 50.4 ± 9.0 mg/dl. Severe depression of C3 levels (<20 mg/dl) was present in 20% of patients. Renal biopsies at the time of initial diagnosis were indicative of severe renal injury. Glomerular injury was particularly pronounced. Moderate to severe mesangial proliferation was noted in 65% of biopsies. Some degree of global sclerosis was present in half of the biopsies, with 20% having >20% global sclerosis. Most prominent, however, was the severity of crescentic disease, which was noted in 70% of biopsies, with >50% of patients having >50% glomerular crescents. Interstitial fibrosis was unusual, with <15% having more than moderate fibrosis; however, 45% had moderate to severe interstitial infiltrates. Clinical features at initial pretransplantation presentation of MPGN II patients in the survey group (data available on 25 of 29 patients) The disease in these patients’ native kidneys was treated by a variety of therapeutic regimens. Steroids were given to 92% of patients in a number of different modalities: 62.5% received pulse methylprednisolone (mean number of pulses 3.9 ± 07; range 2 to 10) in combination with either daily or alternate-day oral prednisone, cyclophosphamide was given to 17% of patients, two patients were treated with alternate-day prednisone alone, two patients were treated with antihypertensive therapy alone, and a single patient was treated with daily prednisone. Choice of therapy had little impact on renal survival, with a mean time from diagnosis to transplantation of 3.4 ± 0.6 yr. Graft Survival On the basis of the NAPRTCS database, the number of primary transplants for MPGN II was evenly distributed during the 16-yr study period, with an average of 2.7 patients per year. The proportion of CAD or LRD renal transplants did not vary significantly within 5-yr cohorts during the study period (Figure 1). The mean follow-up times for the 5-yr cohorts 1987 to 1992, 1993 to 1997, and 1998 to 2003 were 56, 42, and 23 mo, respectively. There were no statistically significant intracohort differences for duration of follow-up between LRD and CAD organ recipients. With regard to graft survival, differences in 10-yr survival were difficult to analyze given the limited number of patients available for analysis; only one patient had follow-up >9 yr. However, there was a significant difference in graft survival at 5 yr (Figure 2A). In comparison with the database as a whole, renal allografts in patients with MPGN II had significantly worse survival at 5 yr: 74.3 ± 0.6% compared with 50.0 ± 7.5%, respectively (P < 0.001). Allograft survival of patients with MPGN II was significantly worse than that of other patients with a primary diagnosis of glomerulonephritis contained in the NAPRTCS database (Figure 2B). The 5-yr survival of non–MPGN II glomerulonephritis transplants (n = 852) was 80.8% for LRD and 71.1% for CAD donors (P = 0.003). Of the 165 renal transplants performed in individuals with MPGN II reported in the literature, data on graft survival and length of follow-up were available on 78 (4,5,8,9,11–15,17–26). The 45 ± 2.0% 5-yr graft survival in this population was not significantly different from that seen in the MPGN II patients contained in the NAPRTCS database (Figure 3). The distribution of cadaveric (CAD) and living-related donor (LRD) renal transplants for membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II (MPGN II) contained in the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) database (n = 75). Data are stratified by 5-yr cohorts for the period 1987 to 2003. Allograft survival in MPGN II recipients. Overall graft survival was significantly worse for MPGN II patients. Five-year allograft survival (A) was 50.0 ± 7.5% for MPGN II recipients compared with 74.3 ± 0.6% for the NAPRTCS registry as a whole (P = 0.001, log rank). In comparison with MPGN II patients, as a group, registry patients with a primary diagnosis of glomerulonephritis had a significantly better 5-yr survival (B): 72.1 ± 0.8% (n = 852, P = 0.003). NAPRTCS MPGN II graft survival in comparison with the reported literature. The 5-yr graft survival of 45 ± 2.0%, derived from previously published MPGN II cases (n = 78), did not differ significantly from the 50 ± 7.5% 5-yr survival seen in the NAPRTCS MPGN II group (P > 0.05, log rank). When graft survival of the NAPRTCS database was analyzed by donor source, there was a clear difference in survival (Figure 4). Patients who had MPGN II and received CAD allografts had a 5-yr graft survival of 34.1 ± 9.8% compared with 65.9 ± 10.7% graft survival of LRD allografts (P = 0.004). Comparison of LRD graft survival in MPGN II patients and the database as a whole indicates that that there was little difference in LRD survival (65.9 ± 10.7% versus 81.0 ± 0.7%, respectively; P > 0.05). Comparison of MPGN II allograft survival by donor source. In patients with a primary diagnosis of MPGN II, 5-yr allograft survival for CAD organs, 34.1 ± 9.8%, was significantly worse than the 65.9 ± 10.7% survival seen for LRD organs (P < 0.005, log rank). During the study period, 29 of the 75 primary MPGN II allografts contained in the database failed (Table 3). In comparison with the database as a whole, there were no significant differences in causes of graft loss with the exception of disease recurrence (P < 0.05). Disease recurrences exceeded chronic allograft nephropathy by three-fold as a cause of graft failure. Of the 75 primary transplants, 11 (14.7%) were lost as a result of disease recurrence, with a mean time to graft failure of 823 ± 188 d (range 6 to 2170 d). When analyzed by donor source, 82% (9 of 11) of the failures caused by recurrence occurred in CAD allografts compared with 18% (2 of 11) in the LRD group (P < 0.01). There was no difference in frequency of recurrence with respect to ethnicity, gender, or age. Although the mean duration of pretransplantation dialysis was shorter in the LRD population than the CAD recipients, 14 and 24 mo, respectively, this difference was not statistically significant. Duration of pretransplantation dialysis did not correlate with graft survival (P = 0.6). Comparison of causes of primary graft failures between NAPRTCS database as a whole and the MPGN II patients within the database One living unrelated donor transplant was performed and was still functioning 21 mo later at the time of last follow-up. Seven preemptive transplants were performed; three have failed as a result of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, chronic rejection, and unknown reasons. The four remaining grafts were functioning at the time of last follow-up, 11, 11, 85, and 108 mo posttransplantation. Five repeat renal transplants were identified in five individuals. The causes of initial graft failure were primary nonfunction, graft thrombosis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, recurrent disease, and recurrent urinary tract infections. Three of the five grafts were functioning at last follow-up. The recipients of the two remaining grafts had died; one individual with hemolytic uremic syndrome–related initial graft failure had significant graft dysfunction from recurrent MPGN II in the second graft at the time of his death, and the other individual died with a functional graft. Analysis of MPGN II Recurrence in the Survey Population Recurrence data for the survey population are presented in Table 4. Graft loss was attributed directly to disease recurrence in four patients—30.7% of the patients with biopsy-proven recurrence, or slightly less than 14% of the survey population. Although the presence of biopsy-proven recurrence had a negative impact on graft survival, with a median graft survival in the recurrence group of 5.4 yr compared with 9.7 yr in patients without biopsy-proven disease, this did not reach the level of statistical significance (P = 0.09). MPGN II disease recurrence within the survey population (n = 29) Reported indications for biopsy at the time of recurrence were possible acute rejection in 55% of patients, suspected recurrence in 22%, and scheduled surveillance biopsies in 11%. The remainder had no indication reported. Biopsy findings at the time of recurrence did not correlate with biopsy findings at the time of initial pretransplantation diagnosis. The severity of mesangial proliferation was typically less than that seen at pretransplantation diagnosis in all patients with disease recurrence. Only three patients were noted to have moderate to severe mesangial proliferation. One patient had marked glomerular sclerosis (60%), and one patient had severe crescentic disease (40% glomerular crescents). No patient had significant evidence of tubulointerstitial disease. Concurrent pathology was noted in three patients: two had evidence of acute rejection, and one patient had evidence of chronic rejection. Multiple biopsies were available on five patients with recurrent disease ranging from 3 mo to 4 yr after the initial biopsy. Glomerular sclerosis was found in four of the five patients with serial biopsies with from 10 to 50% of the glomeruli affected. This did not differ significantly from the severity of glomerular sclerosis noted in biopsies of patients without evidence of disease recurrence (data not shown). Serial biopsies from three patients were found to have crescentic glomerular lesions, two with >40% affected glomeruli. The presence of glomerular crescents in the allograft biopsy had a negative correlation with graft survival and were never seen in biopsies of patients without evidence of MPGN II recurrence (R = −0.541, P = 0.03). At the time of biopsy, patients with biopsy-proven disease recurrence had evidence of significant renal dysfunction: mean serum creatinine concentration 2.8 ± 0.7 mg/dl and heavy proteinuria with a median value of 3+ by urine dipstick. Whereas microscopic hematuria was equally common in those with or without biopsy-proven recurrent disease, heavy proteinuria was exceedingly uncommon in patients without biopsy-proven recurrence. Worsening of hypertension was reported in <30% of patients with recurrence, and serum albumin levels were almost universally normal (mean serum albumin 3.5 ± 0.2 g/dl). Serum C3 levels were reported as normal in 37.5% of patients at the time of biopsy-proven disease recurrence. There was no correlation between the severity of hypocomplementemia either at initial presentation or at the time of transplantation and disease recurrence (Table 5). Nephritic factor assays were not routinely performed either pre or posttransplantation, except in two instances in which they were reported as negative. Relative frequencies of clinical parameters in the survey population for patients with biopsy-proven recurrence compared with those without evidence of disease recurrence Treatment for disease recurrence varied substantially. At the time of recurrence, all patients were on calcineurin inhibitors as part of their immunosuppression regimen. Cyclosporine was stopped in one patient, three patients were switched from cyclosporine to tacrolimus, and two patients had tacrolimus discontinued. The remainder had the dose of calcineurin inhibitor reduced. Oral prednisone was increased in six patients, two were changed to alternate-day prednisone, and four patients were treated with pulse methylprednisolone. Two of the four patients who were treated with pulse methylprednisolone experienced graft failure as a result of disease recurrence. Two patients were treated with plasmapheresis; in both cases, the grafts eventually failed as a result of disease recurrence. Overall, patients with biopsy-proven MPGN II recurrence had significantly worse renal function at the time of last follow-up than patients without evidence of disease recurrence; they had heavier proteinuria, with 75% having 3+ compared with 92% of those without recurrence with trace or less (P < 0.001). Patients with biopsy-proven recurrence also had more severe renal insufficiency, with a mean serum creatinine of 4.8 ± 1.3 mg/dl compared with 1.9 ± 0.4 mg/dl in those without recurrence (P = 0.025). This study represents the largest single case series of renal transplantation in patients with MPGN II and serves to highlight the difficulties that the transplant physician who cares for these patients faces. Although the data provided by the survey population represents the largest and most detailed analysis available to date on renal transplantation in MPGN II, because of the small sample size and the possibility of confounding effects from unmeasured variables, these data must be viewed with caution. Findings contained in this report indicate that the overall allograft survival in patients with MPGN II is significantly worse compared with a well-defined contemporaneous control group of pediatric renal transplant recipients, with a 5-yr allograft survival rate of only 50% compared with nearly 75% in the control population. There has been considerable debate over the use of LRD as an organ source for transplantation in MPGN II, and it has been suggested that cadaveric sources be used preferentially. However, in this study, fewer than 40% of cadaveric organs were functioning 5 yr posttransplantation compared with 65% in the database as a whole, whereas there was no statistical difference in graft survival for LRD organs. These data strongly suggest that LRD organs have a significant long-term survival advantage compared with CAD organs. The basis for this is uncertain; however, it is possible that abnormalities in the recipient’s complement system, which initiate the primary disease, are accelerated by the increased immunoreactivity of a cadaveric renal allograft. Activation of the complement system has been well described in both acute and chronic allograft rejection, and recent studies linking low levels of chronic complement activation to the development of chronic allograft nephropathy support this hypothesis, although this remains speculative at best (28–30). It is important to recognize that this study does not address the impact of genetic deficiencies in complement proteins on disease recurrence. This is particularly relevant with respect to Factor H deficiency and MPGN II. The use of LRD in this subset of MPGN II patients is still of major concern, and further studies are required to address this critical question (31–33). Supplemental survey data indicate that patients who had MPGN II and underwent renal transplantation as children had a much more rapid progression to ESRD than that typically cited in the literature (1). Historically, 50% of patients with MPGN II will progress to ESRD within 10 yr of diagnosis (4). However, within the current study population, the mean interval from diagnosis to transplantation was <4 yr. The biopsy findings at the time of initial pretransplant presentation suggest that most, if not all, of the patients contained in this study had evidence of severe renal injury, with >70% of the patients having crescentic lesions at the time of initial diagnosis. Given that the mean age at presentation was slightly less than 11 yr, patients who presented with milder disease likely progressed to ESRD in early adulthood and thus are not contained in the NAPRTCS database. Although it could be argued that this represents an inherent selection bias toward patients who are at increased risk for graft loss as a result of recurrence, several lines of evidence suggest that this is not true. First, there was no correlation between biopsy findings at the time of initial diagnosis and either graft loss as a result of disease recurrence or graft survival. Second, the graft survival data derived from previous published reports of MPGN II allografts, which represent a largely adult population, are almost identical to those seen in the pediatric population contained in this study. This suggests that the poor outcome seen in the NAPRTCS population is representative of the MPGN II population as a whole and not limited to pediatric transplantation alone. In distinction to these data is the report by Briganti et al. (27). In a comprehensive analysis of recurrent glomerulonephritis in the ANZDATA transplantation database, they reported no graft losses as a result of recurrent MPGN II in a cohort of 18 patients. However, because of the small sample size, details regarding donor source and length of follow-up were not described. Overall, in this report, recurrent disease was the third most common cause of graft failure after chronic rejection and death, with a 10-yr incidence of failure as a result of recurrent disease of 8.4%. In this study, the frequency of graft failure directly attributable to disease recurrence was 15% at 5 yr. This indicates that graft failure as a result of recurrent disease is a much greater problem in the MPGN II population than in other forms of glomerulonephritis. The higher failure rate is in agreement with previous reports by Andresdottir and others (24,26). Consistent with previous reports, the histologic findings at the time of biopsy-proven recurrence were variable, ranging from isolated dense deposits within the GBM to marked mesangial proliferation to crescentic glomerular lesions. There was no clear correlation between biopsy findings and graft survival with the exception of glomerular crescents, which had a significant negative correlation with graft survival. The data obtained from serial biopsies indicate that there is progression from isolated GBM deposits to severe glomerular injury in some patients. The lack of correlation between isolated recurrence of the defining lesion of MPGN II, dense deposits, and graft survival is one of the critical findings contained in this study. This suggests that there is a subset of patients with MPGN II in whom the finding of isolated recurrence of dense deposits does not herald impending graft failure. Analysis of clinical variables failed to identify clinically useful predictors of disease recurrence or graft loss. It had been suggested that patients who presented initially with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis or nephrotic syndrome were at an increased risk for graft failure as a result of disease recurrence. However, analysis of these clinical features at initial presentation as well as the severity of renal insufficiency and degree of hypocomplementemia failed to predict graft failure as a result of disease recurrence or graft survival. In fact, patients who presented with asymptomatic disease were more likely to have biopsy-proven recurrence than those whose initial presentation included rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis or nephrotic syndrome. The utility of serum complement levels to predict or reflect disease recurrence has been much debated. Early reports suggested that persistence of hypocomplementemia was associated with disease recurrence; however, later reports by Droz and Muller failed to confirm this association (25,34,35). In this study, there was no correlation between C3 levels pre or posttransplantation and either graft survival or the presence of disease recurrence. More than one third of patients with biopsy-proven disease recurrence had normal C3 levels at the time of biopsy. These data confirm that hypocomplementemia in and of itself is of little utility in predicting disease recurrence. One surprising finding from the survey data was the lack of nephritic factor data. Although there is strong evidence linking the development of MPGN II to the presence of circulating nephritic factor, only two patients had nephritic factor levels reported (both negative). This may be due to the difficulty in obtaining nephritic factor levels outside the research laboratory, and thus its ability to predict recurrence remains largely untested. The only clinical variable that was present consistently in patients with biopsy-proven recurrence was heavy proteinuria. Data from the supplemental surveys also highlight the heterogeneity of therapeutic interventions for recurrent disease. Given the lack of data regarding the efficacy of any therapy for MPGN II pretransplantation, it is not surprising that the treatment of recurrent MPGN II in allografts was so individualized. There have been very few published reports on the treatment of recurrent MPGN II. Successful plasmapheresis has been reported for the treatment of MPGN II recurrence; however, there are no long-term data on graft survival after plasmapheresis, and thus is it difficult to evaluate the impact of this intervention (36,37). Plasmapheresis was used in two patients in this study, both of whom ultimately lost their grafts. Although there is evidence that patients with Factor H deficiency may benefit from plasmapheresis, there currently are few data regarding its use in patients posttransplantation (33,38–40). Given the heterogeneous nature of the choice of therapies and that only four of 13 patients who had biopsy-proven recurrence in the survey group experienced graft loss as a result of their primary disease, it was impossible to determine whether any of these interventions had any impact on graft survival. Taken together, the data contained in this report indicate that renal transplantation in patients with MPGN II should be undertaken with caution. Patients and families should be counseled regarding the poor overall graft survival, regardless of whether disease recurs, and that there seems to be an advantage with respect to graft survival for LRD allografts compared with CAD organs. At present, there do not seem to be any clear predictors of disease recurrence or prognostic markers for graft survival, save for the presence of persistent heavy proteinuria. Finally, should MPGN II recur in the allograft, there are few data to suggest that any therapeutic interventions will have a positive impact on graft survival save for isolated reports of plasmapheresis, for which there are few long-term outcome data. This study was supported by a grant from the KIDNEEDS Foundation (Iowa City, Iowa). We thank the NAPRTCS centers that provided the supplemental data for this study, NAPRTCS, and Dr. Clark West for advice and critical review of the manuscript. Published online ahead of print. Publication date available at www.jasn.org. © 2005 American Society of Nephrology West CD: Idiopathic membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in childhood. Pediatr Nephrol 6 : 96 –103, 1992 Habib R, Gubler MC, Loirat C, Ben Maiz H, Levy M: Dense deposit disease. A variant of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Kidney Int 7 : 204 , 1975 Donadio JV Jr, Offord KP: Reassessment of treatment results in membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, with emphasis on life-table analysis. Am J Kidney Dis 14 : 445 –451, 1989 Cameron JS, Turner DR, Heaton J, Williams DG, Ogg CS, Chantler C, Haycock GB, Hicks J: Idiopathic mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis: Comparison of types I and II in children and adults and long-term prognosis. Am J Med 74 : 175 –192, 1983 Droz D, Nabarra B, Noel LH, Leibowitch J, Crosnier J: Recurrence of dense deposits in transplanted kidneys: I. Sequential lesions. Kidney Int 15 : 386 –395, 1979 Briner J: Glomerular lesions in renal allografts. Adv Intern Med Pediatr 49 : 1 –76, 1982 Galle P, Mahieu P: Electron dense alteration of the kidney basement membranes. Am J Med 58 : 749 –764, 1975 Mathew TH, Mathews DC, Hobbs JB, Kincaid-Smith P: Glomerular lesions after renal transplantation. Am J Med 59 : 177 –190, 1975 Berthoux F, Ducret F, Colon S, Blanc-Brunat N, Zech PY, Traeger J: Renal transplantation in mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN): Relationship between the high frequency of recurrent glomerulonephritis and hypocomplementemia. Kidney Int Suppl 7 : 323 –327, 1975 Turner DR, Cameron JS, Bewick M, Sharpstone P, Melcher D, Ogg CS, Evans DJ, Trafford AJ, Leibowitz: Transplantation in mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis with intramembranous dense “deposits”: Recurrence of disease. Kidney Int 9 : 439 –448, 1976 Lamb V, Tisher CC, McCoy RC, Robinson RR: Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with dense intramembranous alterations. A clinicopathologic study. 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Am J Med 72 : 588 –598, 1982 Eddy A, Sibley R, Mauer SM, Kim Y: Renal allograft failure due to recurrent dense intramembranous deposit disease. Clin Nephrol 21 : 305 –313, 1984 Habib R, Antignac C, Hinglais N, Gagnadoux MF, Broyer M: Glomerular lesions in the transplanted kidney. Am J Kidney Dis 10 : 198 –207, 1987 Moritz MJ, Burke JF, Jarrell BE, Carabasi RA: The incidence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in renal allografts. Transplant Proc 19 : 2206 –2207, 1987 O’Meara Y, Green A, Carmody M, Donohoe J, Campbell E, Browne O, Walshe J: Recurrent glomerulonephritis in renal transplants: Fourteen years’ experience. Nephrol Dial Transplant 4 : 730 –734, 1989 Bennett WM, Fassett RG, Walker RG, Fairley KF, d’Apice AJ, Kincaid-Smith P: Mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis type II (dense-deposit disease): Clinical features of progressive disease. Am J Kidney Dis 13 : 469 –476, 1989 Vangelista A, Frasca GM, Martella D, Bonomini V: Glomerulonephritis in renal transplantation. Nephrol Dial Transplant 1 : 42 –46, 1990 Broyer M, Selwood N, Brunner F: Recurrence of primary renal disease on kidney graft: A European pediatric experience. J Am Soc Nephrol 2[Suppl] : S255 –S257, 1992 Muller T, Sikora P, Offner G, Hoyer PF, Brodehl J: Recurrence of renal disease after kidney transplantation in children: 24 years of experience in a single center. Clin Nephrol 49 : 82 –90, 1998 Andresdottir MB, Assmann KJ, Hoitsma AJ, Koene RA, Wetzels JF: Renal transplantation in patients with dense deposit disease: Morphological characteristics of recurrent disease and clinical outcome. Nephrol Dial Transplant 14 : 1723 –1731, 1999 Briganti EM, Russ GR, McNeil JJ, Atkins RC, Chadban SJ: Risk of renal allograft loss from recurrent glomerulonephritis. N Engl J Med 347 : 103 –109, 2002 Fearon DT, Daha TB, Weiler JM, Carpenter CB, Austen KF: Pathways of complement activation in membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and allograft rejection. Transplant Proc 9 : 729 –739, 1977 Sijpkens YW, Joosten SA, Wong MC, Dekker FW, Benediktsson H, Bajema IM, Bruijn JA, Paul LC: Immunologic risk factors and glomerular C4d deposits in chronic transplant glomerulopathy. Kidney Int 65 : 2409 –2418, 2004 Mauiyyedi S, Pelle PD, Saidman S, Collins AB, Pascual M, Tolkoff-Rubin NE, Williams WW, Cosimi AA, Schneeberger EE, Colvin RB: Chronic humoral rejection: Identification of antibody-mediated chronic renal allograft rejection by C4d deposits in peritubular capillaries. J Am Soc Nephrol 12 : 574 –582, 2001 Loirat C, Niaudet P: The risk of recurrence of hemolytic uremic syndrome after renal transplantation in children. Pediatr Nephrol 18 : 1095 –1101, 2003 Donne RL, Abbs I, Barany P, Elinder CG, Little M, Conlon P, Goodship TH: Recurrence of hemolytic uremic syndrome after live related renal transplantation associated with subsequent de novo disease in the donor. Am J Kidney Dis 40 : E22 , 2002 . Watanabe S, Yamaguchi Y, Suzuki T, Ikezoe M, Matsumoto N, Chikamoto H, Nagafuchi H, Horita S, Hattori M, Shiraga H, Tokumoto T, Tanabe K, Toma H, Ito K: Inherited factor H dysfunction and complement-associated glomerulonephritis in renal grafts of first and second transplantations. Clin Transplant 15[Suppl 5] : 45 –50, 2001 Mclean RH, Geiger H, Burke B, Simmons R, Najarian J, Vernier RL, Michael AF: Recurrence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis following kidney transplantation: Serum complement component studies. Am J Med 60 : 60 –72, 1976 Leibowitch J, Halbwachs L, Wattel S, Gaillard MH, Droz D: Recurrence of dense deposits in transplanted kidney: II. serum complement and nephritic factor profiles. Kidney Int 15 : 396 –403, 1979 Fremeaux-Bacchi V, Weiss L, Brun P, Kazatchkine MD: Selective disappearance of C3NeF IgG autoantibody in the plasma of a patient with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis following renal transplantation. Nephrol Dial Transplant 9 : 811 –814, 1994 Kurtz KA, Schlueter AJ: Management of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II with plasmapheresis. J Clin Apheresis 17 : 135 –137, 2002 Gerber A, Kirchhoff-Moradpour AH, Obieglo S, Brandis M, Kirschfink M, Zipfel PF, Goodship JA, Zimmerhackl LB: Successful (?) therapy of hemolytic-uremic syndrome with factor H abnormality. Pediatr Nephrol 18 : 952 –955, 2003 Stratton JD, Warwicker P: Successful treatment of factor H-related haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Nephrol Dial Transplant 17 : 684 –685, 2002 Taylor CM: Hemolytic-uremic syndrome and complement factor H deficiency: Clinical aspects. Semin Thromb Haemost 27 : 185 –190, 2001 Thank you for your help in sharing the high-quality science in JASN. 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Frederic Strife JASN Jul 2005, 16 (7) 2225-2233; DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2005020175 Mycophenolate Mofetil versus Azathioprine for Prevention of Chronic Allograft Dysfunction in Renal Transplantation: The MYSS Follow-Up Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Hemodialysis Vintage, Black Ethnicity, and Pretransplantation Antidonor Cellular Immunity in Kidney Transplant Recipients Diurnal Blood Pressure Changes One Year after Kidney Transplantation: Relationship to Allograft Function, Histology, and Resistive Index Show more Clinical Transplantation Moss-Produced, Glycosylation-Optimized Human Factor H for Therapeutic Application in Complement Disorders Eculizumab in Pediatric Dense Deposit Disease Clinical Findings, Pathology, and Outcomes of C3GN after Kidney Transplantation Update on Membranoproliferative GN Soluble CR1 Therapy Improves Complement Regulation in C3 Glomerulopathy Posttransplant Recurrence of Primary Glomerulonephritis Recurrent Glomerulonephritis after Renal Transplantation: An Unsolved Problem New Approaches to the Treatment of Dense Deposit Disease Scopus (87) ASN Journals ASN Podcasts JASN Relaunch Reuse/Reprint Policy Password/Email Address Changes Print ISSN - 1046-6673 Online ISSN - 1533-3450	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1585
__label__cc	0.73866	0.26134	FEATHERY MUSIC, GENTLE QUESTIONS: LENA BLOCH I’ve always heard that attorneys only ask questions to which they know the answers. I have nothing against them individually or as a group, but this seems like a closed loop of an endeavor. The tenor saxophonist Lena Bloch is on a more inspiring track: she asks questions for which there might be no simple answer, no single answer. Asking the question is the purpose and the rewarding result. I have been admiring her musical inquiries as often as possible during the last few years our paths have intersected in New York City, and have seen her as a very authentic player — someone devoted to melodic explorations that, while gentle, have weight and seriousness to balance off their soaring possibilities. Lena has a wonderful new CD, FEATHERY — it’s her debut CD as a leader, and as you read this it will be available, as a physical CD or as downloads, with sound samples, here. Should you prefer to voyage up the Amazon, you can ask your own questions and purchase a copy here. It’s on Thirteenth Note Records, and Lena’s curious, inventive colleagues are drummer Billy Mintz, string bassist Cameron Brown, guitarist Dave Miller. Knowing can easily be confused with wisdom. Lena Bloch, Dave Miller, Cameron Brown, and Billy Mintz are deeply aware that real wisdom is in the tireless asking of questions, not an irritable straining to come up with the one right answer. Their willingness to inquire, this gentle wondering, informs their music. Rather than treat this grouping of players and voices as it usually is done (ensemble line, solos, drum fours, ensemble), they often take the opportunity to ask questions of the music itself. The music created by these four artists is far more subtle and affecting than hearing another jazz quartet working its own variations on Playing What We Already Know. The art – for let us call it by its right name – is feathery-light and durable. I hear Lester Young and Brahms, sorrows and exultations, Eastern meditation and collective invention. The music is strong and sweet, dense and welcoming. The musicians have sensations to share with us, secrets made tangible, their language too deep for words. Lena Bloch does not announce herself as courageous, and I think she would start giggling if you told her this was the case. But she surely is. Her artistic courage is not a matter of being big, bold, and loud. She approaches the music with tender reverence. But she is not afraid to venture into new spaces in pursuit of beauty. Her models and mentors knew that the cosmos could be dark and terrifying, but the only human response to the void was to speak, through playing and composing, know how to keep terrors at bay. I will fill the air with floating sounds. I will be brave enough to say WHO IS OUT THERE? I will soar above on feathers of melody. Lena’s friends and colleagues on this disc are equally inspired. They trust themselves, and their loving energy comes through in every note sounded. They fly happily. No sun dares to melt their wings. And the music on this disc continues to resonate once the disc has concluded. Billy, Dave, and Cameron are great painters of sound. They listen to their hearts; they listen to their instruments; they listen to each other. They create a world where Beauty is not only possible, but inevitable. Their sounds will guide us into the darkness and into the light. Hear them, and be uplifted. I’m not the only one who admires Lena’s questing spirit and FEATHERY: here is Dan McCleneghan’s review in All About Jazz. Once you’ve visited Lena’s website and seen more of the videos there, once you’ve heard FEATHERY, you could attend a quartet gig at the most convivial of spaces, The Drawing Room, on 56 Willoughby Street in Brooklyn, New York: Sunday, March 30, at 7:30, and the group will be Lena, Putter Smith, string bass; Dave Miller, and Billy Mintz. Whatever ways you can, find and find out more about Lena Bloch. Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Ideal Places, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love Tagged Billy Mintz, Brahms, Cameron Brown, Dave Miller, FEATHERY, improvisation, Jazz Lives, Lena Bloch, Lennie Tristano, Lester Young, Michael Steinman, music, Putter Smith, The Drawing Room SWING STREET COMES TO NICASIO (Part One): THE IVORY CLUB BOYS: PAUL MEHLING, EVAN PRICE, CLINT BAKER, SAM ROCHA, and MIKE LIPSKIN (March 2, 2014) On Sunday, March 2, 2014, while the rest of America was watching the Oscars, the Beloved and I were muggin’ lightly with the Ivory Club Boys (presented by the Hot Club of San Francisco) paying tribute to Stuff Smith and his Onyx Club Boys, at Rancho Nicasio in Nicasio, California. The Ivories were (for this occasion) Paul Mehling, guitar and vocal; Evan Price, violin; Clint Baker, trumpet, euphonium, clarinet, and vocal; Sam Rocha, string bass, and guest star Mike Lipskin, piano. And before we proceed: the Ivories aren’t a repertory band devoted to reproducing Stuff and Jonah’s hot ecstasies right off the record — so the scholars among us may find a certain liberty in their improvisations. My goodness, they even perform songs Stuff never recorded! But they don’t want to make history; they just want to swing. Four-four, if you don’t mind. Charlie Christian and Teddy Bunn are at the bar, too. Here are eight rocking numbers from their first set: CRAZY RHYTHM: SARATOGA SWING: I’M CRAZY ‘BOUT MY BABY (vocal by Paul Mehling): DESERT SANDS (a Stuff original, very atmospheric): CHINA BOY (Mike strides in): I’M CONFESSIN’ (with commentary by Mister Lipskin at the start): JEEPERS CREEPERS (ditto and likewise — hear the band shift into tempo after the verse!): ONE HOUR (vocal by Clint Baker after Mike’s lovely exposition of the verse): We were with them two hours that night, and the band was so very rewarding. I’m looking forward to their next gig, their CD, their DVD, the world tour, the t-shirts, keychains, their own Facebook page. Until the real thing comes along, enjoy this set — and there’s more to come. Tagged Academy Awards, Clint Baker, Evan Price, Fifty-Second Street, Gypsy jazz, Ivory Club Boys, Jazz Lives, Michael Steinman, Mike Lipskin, Onyx Club Boys, Paul Mehling, Rancho Nicasio, Sam Rocha, Stride piano, Stuff Smith, Swing Street, The Beloved, the Oscars	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1586
__label__cc	0.508779	0.491221	Tag Archives: “The Chelsea Nightingale” “A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM”: THE RED ONION JAZZ BAND, SUMMER EDITION, at THE CAJUN (June 24, 2006) PART TWO: DICK DREIWITZ, JOHN BUCHER, LEROY “SAM” PARKINS, HANK ROSS, ALAN CARY, BARBARA DREIWITZ, RONNIE WASHAM Posted on October 2, 2017 \| 1 comment I never know what might surface in this aging-boy’s den of things that I call my apartment, but often it is pleasing and surprising. Some weeks back, I posted the first segment of an evening of jazz, hot and sweet, performed at The Cajun, long gone, by the Red Onion Jazz Band in its summer incarnation, which means that many of the “regular” members were absent, although the “subs” were superb. You can see it and read about it all here. (And you can admire the still photograph of the ROJB just below.) Overseen by Arlene Lichterman and the late Herb Maslin, The Cajun was a novel in itself: ask anyone who went there or made music there. But that’s another, unwritten blog. I reprint Dick Dreiwitz’s essay on that night, because it is so good and so apt: A Band of Substitutes Summers for the traditional, classic jazz bands (some called their style Dixieland), those bands fortunate enough to have steady work (even if it was only one night a week), summers came and delivered even more problems than the usual problems during the rest of the year. Vacations, tours, and travel caused individual, regular band members to be absent, so qualified substitutes had to be found and hired. Such was the case with the Red Onion Jazz Band’s (ROJB) regular Saturday night gig at the Cajun Restaurant in New York City on 8th Avenue at 16th Street one night during the summer of 2006. Leader and drummer Bob Thompson had gone to his vacation home in Martha’s Vineyard and clarinetist Joe Licari was lured away for a more lucrative single engagement that no player in his right mind would turn down. The other regular band members away that night were: Simon Wettenhall, trumpet; Larry Weiss, piano; Rich Lieberson, banjo/guitar, and Bob Sacchi, tuba. As I remember, the only regulars were Veronica Washam, our singer, and myself on trombone. Truly, it was what John Gill would have called “An Emergency Band.” Curiously, as luck would have it, two substitutes on the night of the taping were John Bucher, cornet, and Hank Ross, piano, both regular members of the ROJB from the late 1950’s through the 1970’s when the band and its musical style were at a zenith of its popularity. This activity included travel to play at jazz festivals, intervals of steady work in the New York metropolitan area at such places as Child’s Paramount in Times Square and Park 100, and a solo, sold out concert at Town Hall. Alan Cary, banjo, and Barbara Dreiwitz, tuba, both long time friends and substitutes with the band, filled out the personnel except for clarinetist Sam Parkins, on this occasion playing his new Albert System instrument in public for the first time. Since that summer, over eleven years ago, the Cajun Restaurant has closed its doors, Bob Thompson, Hank Ross, and Sam Parkins have passed on and the Red Onion Jazz Band is little more than a memory, a few old LP records, a couple of CD’s, and some photos. The band, for that night, was John Bucher, cornet; Dick Dreiwitz, trombone; Sam Parkins, Albert clarinet; Hank Ross, piano; Barbara Dreiwitz, tuba; Alan Cary, banjo; Ronnie Washam (“The Chelsea Nightingale”), vocal. In this segment, they performed BLUES MY NAUGHTY SWEETIE GIVES TO ME / ON THE ALAMO / LIMEHOUSE BLUES / JUNE NIGHT (vocal Ronnie Washam) / ROCKIN’ CHAIR (Ronnie) incomplete //. Here, the songs are CHINATOWN (vocal Sam Parkins) / WRAP YOUR TROUBLES IN DREAMS (Ronnie Washam) / FOUR OR FIVE TIMES (with ensemble commentary). And in the name of accuracy, that’s someone else ordering “another glass of champagne.” Drinking champagne and videoing do not mix. I’ve edited these segments a bit, so here’s one anecdote that got cut. At the end of this set, while the band is packing up, one of the patrons mechanically asks the band for “one more,” to which one of the musicians quietly says, “Three and a half hours is enough.” I agree with the tired, underpaid artists, but I wish I had another twenty hours of this band on video. I treasure what did get captured. Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love Tagged "The Chelsea Nightingale", Alan Cary, Arlene Lichterman, Barbara Dreiwitz, Dick Dreiwitz, Hank Ross, Herb Maslin, Jazz Lives, John Bucher, Leroy "Sam" Parkins, lyricism, Michael Steinman, Red Onion Jazz Band, Richard Dreiwitz, Ronnie Washam, Sam Parkins, The Cajun A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: THE RED ONION JAZZ BAND, SUMMER EDITION, at THE CAJUN (June 24, 2006) PART ONE: DICK DREIWITZ, JOHN BUCHER, LEROY “SAM” PARKINS, HANK ROSS, ALAN CARY, BARBARA DREIWITZ, RONNIE WASHAM Dali, THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY How long ago is eleven years? From one perspective, it’s a huge distance: we can’t go back to the seconds that just elapsed no matter how we try. But through technology, we travel backwards and make ourselves comfortable there: consider photographs and recordings. In the New York City of the recent past, wonderful things happened as a matter of course, and perhaps we took them for granted. The Cajun, a New Orleans restaurant and jazz club on Eighth Avenue between 17th and 18th Street in Manhattan, offered music seven nights a week and on Sunday afternoons. Supervised by Arlene Lichterman and the late Herb Maslin, it was more down-home than posh, but the regulars (and tourists who wandered in) got more than their chicken or pasta. What they got was wonderful congenial jazz. Here is almost seventy-five minutes of it, still delicious. The musicians are Ronnie Washam, vocal; Alan Cary, banjo; Barbara Dreiwitz, tuba; Hank Ross, piano; Sam Parkins, Albert clarinet; Dick Dreiwitz, trombone and MC; John Bucher, cornet. I asked Dick Dreiwitz if he would write a few words about what you are going to see — an informal record of that rainy, warm Saturday night. And these videos, which I shot with my less-sophisticated camera that night, and have resurrected from the stack of mini-DVDs in a bookcase. The sound is clear and the sight lines, although restricted, are fine. I apologize to the sweet singer Ronnie Washam, “The Chelsea Nightingale,” for rendering her invisible, but my memory is that she blanched at the idea of having a video camera aimed at her. What you’ll notice immediately about this band of “substitutes” is its easy medium-tempo embrace of the music’s inherent lyricism, a swinging sweetness that is not always the case in bands wedded to this repertoire, who often aim for higher volume and quicker tempos. This version of the ROJB feels like people very fond of one another, taking a walk in late summer, aware that they can reach their happy destination without rushing. Here’s the first segment, with AVALON (vocal RW) / BLUE TURNING GREY OVER YOU / SEE SEE RIDER [C.C. RIDER]: and more — THE LOVE NEST (vocal RW) / MAMA’S GONE, GOODBYE / ‘DEED I DO (RW) / JAZZ ME BLUES / AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (RW): and a third helping — THE JAPANESE SANDMAN / Introducing the band / MY BUDDY (vocal RW) / BYE BYE BLUES (RW) / HAPPY BIRTHDAY (RW) / I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE (RW): I’ll say it again: this is a lyrical, gliding band, full of individualists devoted to the communal glories of this music. I miss The Cajun and am honored to present these vivid musical recollections both to people who were there and those not able to make that scene. And there are more sounds from this band to come. Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO PRAISE My title is a slight distortion of a Willard Robison song that Mildred Bailey did beautifully, and it’s also a statement of philosophy for this blog. But I’m not going back into the Dear Departed Past, to quote Dave Frishberg, only back to last year — December 30, 2008, to be precise. In a December post, WAY DOWN YONDER ON CARMINE STREET, I urged my New York readers to come hear the singer Ronnie Washam (she’s Veronica on her return address labels) and her Friends at the Greenwich Village Bistro for a debut gig. I made it to 1 and 1/2 sets that night. And they were worth writing about. Ronnie’s Friends — not just an idle band title — are Sam Parkins, also known as Leroy Parkins, Albert-system clarinetist, scholar, record producer, raconteur, and writer; Pete Sokolow, pianist-singer, honoring Earl Hines and Fats Waller, and bassist Dave Winograd. When I got down to the Bistro (just south of the IFC theatre and around the corner — 13 Carmine Street), this little band was already strolling through S’WONDERFUL. They proceeded to honor George and Ira Gershwin in a fond and musically articulate set. The songs ranged from the tender (EMBRACEABLE YOU and OUR LOVE IS HERE TO STAY) to the affectionately satiric (THEY ALL LAUGHED, NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT), the rueful (BUT NOT FOR ME), and the riotous (Sokolow’s tribute to “my hero,” Thomas Waller, in a piano-vocal I GOT RHTYHM that summoned up Fats’s band version of 1935 hilariously and effectively. Ronnie was in wonderful form and fine voice. I hadn’t heard her since the Cajun closed in 2006, when she was “The Chelsea Nightingale,” positioned off to the side of the bandstand as an accessory to Bob Thompson’s Red Onion Jazz Band. Thompson, even then, was a solid drummer with a well-earned grasp of jazz history, but he called the songs Ronnie sang, and it was a pleasure to see her sing others at the Bistro. I knew her then as someone who loved the melody and understood the words; with this more relaxed combo, I heard her as a far freer improviser, someone whose second choruses were developments of what she had sung in her first exposition of the theme. Her time remains excellent; her diction is splendid. But it’s her feeling that sets her apart from a thousand other singers trying to comvince us that they own the Great American Songbook. Like Bing, Ronnie makes it seem easy: listening to her, one might think, “Oh, I could do that!” But that would be an error. And she had an easy give-and-take with the band, being content to be one of them rather than the Star. The band — all three of them — was very pleasing as well. The piano wasn’t perfect, but Sokolow covered every inch of it, graciously playing the right chords, delicately voiced, behind Ronnie and the other two players. Dave Winograd sat on a high stool, his bass at an angle over his shoulder, impressing us all with his huge tone and fine notes. Sam Parkins has all the Goodman facility anyone would want, but he isn’t the twenty-first century’s Peanuts Hucko: he uses those flurries to create his own sound-pictures, with lovely excursions into the horn’s lower register. Sam is also a not-quite-dormant showman and vaudevillian, so one high point of the evening was his rapid-fire delivery of I’M A DING DONG DADDY FROM DUMAS. Who among us remembers all of those tongue-twisting lyrics? Sam remembers them and puts them over, exuberantly. It was a joy to watch and hear him, occasionally finishing his sixteen bars and deciding to hand the baton to another player, hollering, “Somebody else!” It worked. The second set moved beyond Gershwin to a naughty MAKIN’ WHOOPEE, a tender TIME ON MY HANDS, a funny CONCENTRATIN’ ON YOU (a Waller-Razaf collaboration with an irresistible melody and irresistibly silly lyrics), a fervent ME MINUS YOU (in honor of Connee Boswell, one of Ronnie’s — and my — heroines), and a moving AM I BLUE, complete with the rarely-heard verse, where Ronnie showed just how compelling her understated delivery is. I sat next to my friends Marianne Mangan and Bob Levin, and the three of us were beaming. Others in the Bistro seemed to know just how good the music was, and the tip jar was filled with bills. I hope this quartet has a new steady gig. The ambiance, in itself, was worth seeking out, as if a group of talented friends was playing for their own enjoyment in someone’s living room, caring for the music above all. A postscript: Sam Parkins has been writing his musical and intellectual autobiography (he gave me some chapters from it when we were both regulars at the Cajun) and it’s wonderfully addictive. You can find excerpts from it on his MySpace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=201966595. He was there (I was just re-reading his piece on the death of Ellington bassist Junior Raglin) and he can write. A rare combination indeed. Posted in Swing You Cats!, The Heroes Among Us, The Things We Love Tagged "The Chelsea Nightingale", Bob Thompson, Carmine Street, Dave Frishberg, Dave Winograd, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, George Gershwin, Greenwich Village, Greenwich Village Bistro, Ira Gershwin, Junior Raglin, Leroy Parkins, Marianne Mangan, Mildred Bailey, MySpace, Pete Sokolow, Red Onion Jazz Band, Robert Levin, Ronnie Washam, Sam Parkins, The Cajun, Thomas Waller, Willard Robison	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1587
__label__wiki	0.820769	0.820769	Biddable Technology Biddable Review UK Search Awards 2019: Katté & Co Shortlisted for most Innovative Campaign \|In Agency, Awards, Business, News, PPC \|By Tom Katté Katté & Co is proud to be shortlisted in the prestigious UK Search Awards 2019 in the Most Innovative Campaign category. We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised alongside some of the UK’s best agencies in this year’s UK Search Awards. We’ve been nominated for our innovative work using Google’s Big Query which enables us to optimise towards Profitability, not just Revenue or conversions. It’s part of our unwavering focus on delivering business results for our clients, not just vanity metrics like Revenue or conversion value. We’ll be publishing a detailed case study in partnership with Google soon so watch this space! The UK Search Awards are held annually and are regarded as the premiere celebration of SEO, PPC and content marketing in the UK. The awards attracts hundreds of entries from the leading search and digital agencies from across the UK and to those based elsewhere around the globe who are delivering work for the UK market. They awards are judged by an influential and respected international judging panel. The judging is a robust, credible and transparent two-step process, involving pre-scoring and a judging session where the panel discusses each entry in detail. The team are looking forward to the awards ceremony this evening, including being hosted by the hilarious Jon Culshaw! Good luck to everyone nominated and fingers crossed we bring home the goods! We are a specialist biddable agency. We exist to deliver unparalleled performance across Paid Search, Paid Social, Display & Programmatic. We use technology and exceptional biddable specialists to do so. The Drum Recommends Digital Awards 2019: Katté & Co Shortlisted for record THREE awards Should you jump aboard the Smart Shopping hype train? Should you take your PPC in-house? Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) and what it’s all about AdWords (15) CRO (1) Digital Assistants (1) Google Shopping (2) Google Tag Manager (5) PPC (24) Search Engine Optimisation (2) 306 Edinburgh House London, SE11 5DP hello@katteand.co by Tom Katté by Rob Germundsson Average Rating: 5/5 (based on 20 reviews) © Copyright Katté & Co Ltd.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1604
__label__cc	0.520989	0.479011	Noah Centineo Confirms He Will Play the New He-Man in the ‘Masters of the Universe’ Reboot He has the power. [Hits publish, drops mic, walks away from computer, turns on car, drives to mountains, grows disgusting beard, lives out rest of life in peace and harmony with nature] Oh fine, I’ll finish writing this post first. Yes Noah Centineo, he of Netflix movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, made a pretty major announcement on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night. He revealed that the rumors are true, and he will play He-Man in the upcoming movie reboot of Masters of the Universe, the beloved 1980s toy line/cartoon/Dolph Lundgren movie. Imagine being cast in a role once played by Dolh Lundgren. Just marinate in that for a second. Centineo did not say much more about the film than confirming it was happening and he was playing Prince Adam of Eternia, although he did add “I have an affinity for being in my underwear.” Which I’m sure will make a large segment of his fans very happy. Supposedly the film will start shooting this summer under the direction of Adam and Aaron Nee (The Last Romantic). Gallery — Hilarious Bootleg DVD Covers You Have to See to Believe: The Strangest Movies Based on TV Shows Source: Noah Centineo Confirms He Will Play the New He-Man in the ‘Masters of the Universe’ Reboot	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1606
__label__cc	0.608139	0.391861	PodArchivesFBTWITBook ClubAbout 12.07.15 - 7:00am What if everything you knew about breast cancer was wrong? ListenDownloadopen in itunes Investigative Journalist Peter Byrne is halfway through a 10-part series that starts with a de-bunking of the idea that there’s a cancer cluster in Marin, and the forces that that kept that myth alive. But first: President Obama declares the mass shooting in San Bernardino an act of terror — a label the government has not applied to recent mass shootings directed at a Planned Parenthood clinic and a Black Lives Matter vigil. We’ll talk to Arun Kundnani, author of The Muslims are Coming. Arun Kundnani, author of The Muslims are Coming Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror Peter Byrne, investigative reporter and science writer based in Petaluma, author of a 10-part investigative series called Busted! Breast Cancer, Money, and the Media that is running in the Point Reyes Light Mike McNamara, quilter, KPFA Crafts Fair Exhibitor	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1611
__label__wiki	0.899253	0.899253	Clear skies. Low 33F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2019, file photo, LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) celebrates his touchdown reception during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Texas A&M, in Baton Rouge, La. Chase was selected to The Associated Press All-America team, Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. Gerald Herbert FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2019, file photo, Clemson's Tee Higgins reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Charlotte, in Clemson, S.C. Higgins was selected to The Associated Press All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Richard Shiro LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson (2) celebrates his touchdown against Oklahoma during the first half of the Peach Bowl NCAA semifinal college football playoff game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Atlanta. LSU won 63-28. Danny Karnik LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase poses during media day for NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in New Orleans. Clemson is scheduled to play LSU on Monday.. LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. (6) makes the catch ahead of Georgia defensive back Tyson Campbell (3) during the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Atlanta. John Bazemore Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross (8) runs for a touchdown as Virginia safety Joey Blount (29) misses the tackle duriung the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. Gerry Broome By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher calls them erasers. After the missed assignment that leads to third-and-long, it's time for an offense to break out its eraser: That athletic receiver with dunk-contest hops and the ability to seemingly go from zero-to-60 in three steps. The player who is open even when he is covered. “They erase your mistakes,” Fisher said. There will be several erasers on the field during the College Football Playoff championship game between No. 1 LSU (14-0) and No. 3 Clemson (14-0) on Monday night. LSU's Ja'Marr Chase won the Bilentikoff Award as the nation's best receiver. At 6-foot-1, he is the shortest of the Tigers' top three pass catchers alongside 6-3 Justin Jefferson and 6-4 Terrace Marshall Jr. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow has thrown 55 touchdown passes this season, 48 to those three players. Clemson's top-receiver is Tee Higgins, a 6-4 junior who averages 19.9 yards per catch with 13 touchdowns. He and his running mate — sophomore Justyn Ross, who is also 6-4 — give the Atlantic Coast Conference champions their own twin towers. The increased emphasis on the passing game has given rise to a Golden Age of wide receivers. Good teams have at least one. And the very best teams usually have multiple pass-catchers who are some combination of too big, too strong or too fast to be contained by one defender. “The game has become run the ball, bring the safeties down, and then you've got to win the one-on-ones outside,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. The game-changing receiver has been an essential part of Clemson's rise to a college football superpower under Dabo Swinney, the former wide receivers coach who has led the Tigers to two national titles in the last three years. The first wave of stars included DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant. Clemson's first national championship team in 2016 featured the 6-4, 220-pound Mike Williams, selected seventh overall in the NFL draft by the Chargers. Last year's championship team featured Higgins and Ross, who was Clemson's other breakout freshman CFP star, teaming up with quarterback Trevor Lawrence for 301 yards and three touchdowns on 12 connections in two postseason games. Behind Higgins and Ross on the depth chart are freshmen Frank Ladson Jr. (6-3, 195) and Joseph Ngata (6-3, 215). “You go back and look at our big wins this time of year, they've come because our quarterback and receivers have played extremely well, and winning a lot of those one-on-one matchups," said Clemson co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Jeff Scott, who has already been hired as South Florida's next head coach. To find the next great receiver, recruiters might want to check basketball courts. “Basketball has trickled over into football and you know those guys that maybe not be great basketball players, now become excellent football players because of their height and their length,” Clemson defensive backs coach Mike Reed said. Higgins and Chase both said they had hoop dreams before realizing football was where they could dominate. They say some of the skills are transferable. Chase said the quick feet it takes to break down a defender off the dribble is similar to what receivers need to get away from defensive backs in press coverage at the line of scrimmage. “You get open with your route running,” LSU receivers coach Mickey Joseph said. “Get to the top of your route, speeding up your feet, coming out of your break.” Higgins said he has a sweet jump shot and can also finish at the rim. Those jump balls and fades that have become so common in football are not much different than going up for rebound. “Just me being able to box out a DB and go up there for a 50-50 ball and coming down with the catch is like rebounding the basketball,” Higgins said. Brown said for Clemson 50-50 balls are really 80-20 in the Tigers' favor. Maybe the biggest advantage offenses have with these gifted receivers is the most obvious. “Your tall corners are 6-1, 6-2 at max and your receivers now are 6-4, 6-5,” Brown said. Stud receivers seem to be everywhere while lock-down corners are hard to find. One reason is the rules favor offense. It is difficult for defensive backs to get physical in coverage without drawing a flag. The best receivers are usually good to draw at least one 5-yard holding foul or 15-yard pass interference per game. A second: Scoring touchdowns is more fun than trying to prevent them. “As any little kid, you want to be the guy with the ball in your hands,” Reed said. Higgins, if he enters the NFL draft, is likely to be one of the first receivers taken from a loaded class that includes Jefferson, Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, Colorado's Laviska Shenault Jr., Penn State's K.J. Hamler and Alabama teammates Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III. And with players such as Chase, Ross and Marshall returning for next season there are plenty more erasers ready to fill any void. More AP college football: https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP—Top25 Fbs College Football Playoff Fbs College Football Championship Game	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1614
__label__wiki	0.804434	0.804434	KFOR.com Links & Programming Trump’s vulgar conversation caught on hot mic in 2005: ‘When you’re a star, they let you do it’ Posted 4:26 pm, October 7, 2016, by Tribune Media Wire, Updated at 04:33PM, October 7, 2016 Donald Trump was recorded on a hot mic talking about trying to have sex with a married woman, saying “when you’re a star, they let you do it,” according to a 2005 video obtained by The Washington Post. Warning, the video has graphic language Trump was riding in an “Access Hollywood” bus with host Billy Bush, heading to the set of “Days of Our Lives” to talk about Trump’s cameo on the show. “I moved on her actually, she was down in Palm Beach and I failed, I’ll admit it,” Trump says in the beginning of the video. “I did try to f* her, she was married … and I moved on her very heavily.” The recording was made several months after Trump’s wedding with Melania, according to the paper. “I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture and I told her ‘I’ll show you where you can get some nice furniture,'” Trump is heard saying. “I moved on her like a b, and I could not get there, and she was married. And all the sudden I see her and she’s got the big phony tits, she’s totally changed her look.” AUDIO: Trump has conversation about trying to fornicate with married woman https://t.co/PCvfCHtiHw (warning: vulgar) https://t.co/n2wLfduG0O — NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) October 7, 2016 Trump, who has been heavily criticized during the presidential debates for comments about women, tells Bush, “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.” “And when you’re a star they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything.” “Whatever you want,” says someone else, possibly Bush. “Grab them by the p**,” Trump says. “You can do anything.” In a statement, Trump addressed the recording, saying: This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course — not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended. Click here to see what’s on NBC! Police say shots fired at Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City Family pleads for driver behind deadly hit-and-run to come forward World’s largest Snickers bar weighs in at over 2 tons in Texas List of school closings and late start times Warmth 4 Winter: Help us keep Oklahomans warm this winter Manek Surges Sooners To Bounce Back Win Cowboys Can’t Close Against Baylor, Fall 75-68 Democrats unveil 2 impeachment articles against President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani is still Trump’s attorney but won’t deal with Ukraine matters, source says Trump implies that the late Rep. John Dingell is ‘looking up’ from hell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces drafting of articles of impeachment against Trump Mattis laughs off Trump criticism: ‘I guess I’m the Meryl Streep of generals’ Former US ambassador to Ukraine tells impeachment inquiry she was ‘shocked and devastated’ after being removed from her post Azellia White, a pioneering African American female pilot, is dead at 106 Trump calls Trudeau ‘two-faced’ after world leaders appear to joke about US President Trump says he won’t allow Navy to punish SEAL who posed with dead body Elizabeth Warren targets Facebook’s ad policy — with a Facebook ad Trump appears poised to release transcripts after lengthy internal debate Justin Trudeau toughens his stand on the world stage as he demands justice over plane downed by Iran White House defends Trump’s Florida resort as ‘significantly cheaper’ option for G7 site KFOR iPhone & iPad App KFOR Android App KFOR 4WarnMe App • 444 E. Britton Rd. Oklahoma City, O.K. 73114 • Copyright © 2020, KFOR	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1617
__label__wiki	0.779722	0.779722	Currently viewing the category: "Store of the Month" MADISON COUNTY KID TO KID EARNS STORE OF THE MONTH AWARD By Kathryn On February 27, 2018 · Add Comment Amy Lasher and the Kid to Kid team in Madison County received the December Store of the Month award from the Kid to Kid Franchise System. They were selected from 118 Kid to Kid franchisees across the United States, Canada, and in Europe because of a consistent pattern of growth through the year, and especially in the month of December where sales increased 11%, and the amount of product purchased from parents in the community increased by 56%. Kid to Kid buys and sells gently used children’s and maternity products. According to franchise founder Shauna Sloan, “This store is a terrific example of how communities are embracing the resale concept. Parents love to save money, and the Madison County team has really stepped up their game in providing a rewarding resale experience.” “Amy Lasher is an inspiring franchisee and store owner” adds Sloan. Amy and her husband Ron have four growing children. He runs the local Dairy Queen. Amy is responsible for the Kid to Kid store. Although she’s not defined by her disability, Amy had a serious strep infection following a tonsillectomy that required her to use a wheelchair or scooter for several years. But that hasn’t slowed her resolve. She handles most of the manager responsibilities, and relies on her team to do a lot of the heavy lifting as she continues her recovery and builds endurance standing and walking. Amy’s background is in the restaurant industry. She’s able to apply the things she learned there to her Kid to Kid store. “There are a lot of similarities. We need to provide a consistent customer experience with a small staff, handle rushes, and move through a lot of product in a short time” explains Amy. At Kid to Kid, the rushes come when several parents bring product in at once to be appraised. They earn cash on the spot for the things the store can purchase. “We try to get through it as quickly as possible – ideally before they’ve finished shopping for treasures in the store” she explains. “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of sellers who choose to take their payment in store credit instead of cash. They earn 20% more, and they’re finding replacements in our store that make it much more affordable to raise kids.” MISSISSAUGA KID TO KID EARNS STORE OF THE MONTH AWARD By Carrie On January 26, 2017 · Add Comment Admitting that “A year later, we’re just way better,” Brent Feilders, owner of the Mississauga Canada Kid to Kid store, proudly accepted the December 2016 Store of the Month award for the Kid to Kid franchise. His store was selected from over 100 Kid to Kid Franchise locations in the US, Portugal, and Canada in large part because of the huge increases that the store has experienced. They celebrated their first anniversary in August, and continue to see tremendous increases in both buying and selling as more and more shoppers are discovering the value of resale at Kid to Kid. Feilders shopped for resale bargains for his own children before bringing the Kid to Kid franchise to Canada. As a Dad, shopper, and businessman, he saw a huge opportunity. “I liked the value, but not the experience of shopping other local children’s resale stores. They are crowded, cluttered, and hard to shop,” commented Feilders. “I wanted to create a completely different resale shopping experience – and found it at Kid to Kid.” The Mississauga Kid to Kid store is beautiful and spacious — with wide aisles, and organized racks and shelves filled with carefully screened, quality products. The prices are fabulous — up to 70% off retail – saving families hundreds, or even thousands of dollars over buying new. It even has a play area where kids can hang out and play while Mom and Dad shop. Kid to Kid serves the community in many ways. ““We buy and sell pretty much everything that kids wear, use, and play with – as long as it’s clean, current, and safe,” explains Feilders. “Like Uber and Air BnB, we promote a sharing community – allowing families to pass on the things they aren’t using to another child who needs it – and get paid in the process.” Kid to Kid pays families to recycle their quality clothes, toys, and baby gear. This in turn benefits the environment, as well as putting money back into the pockets of people within the community. They also donate hundreds of pounds of product that doesn’t meet their buying criteria each week to local charities. KID TO KID ALPHARETTA AWARDED STORE OF THE MONTH HONORS ALPHARETTA, GA —January 24, 2016— Kid to Kid in Alpharetta, owned by husband and wife Wendell and Amy McCleary, was recently honored with the Kid to Kid Store of the Month award for November 2016. Through this award, the Kid to Kid franchise recognizes outstanding achievement exhibited by one of its more than 100 children’s resale locations across the United States, Canada, and Portugal. The McClearys opened their store in the Alpharetta community two and a half years ago and have seen remarkable growth. From 2015 to 2016, they experienced a 16% increase in sales. They credit their success on having a wonderful core staff and buying and selling quality product. They buy and sell from hundreds of families each week and keep their store filled with the best things kids outgrow. When asked about the store’s success, their franchise support representative Edward Chambers said, “Kid to Kid Alpharetta has made some great strides this year, making a conscious effort to keep racks full of great product. Although it has taken time and dedication from them and their team, it has been well worth the effort.” Chambers also commented, “It’s not hard to see why Alpharetta was chosen as Store of the Month. Amy and Wendell push their team to work hard even when they may be short staffed or when they have a busy day. They take these days in stride and stand tired, but victorious at the end of the month.” Amy and Wendell’s hard work and diligence have proved great success. They, along with their staff, look forward to an even greater 2017 and look forward to continuing to impact the community for years to come. To learn more about Kid to Kid in Alpharetta, visit their website or find them on Facebook for recent photos and updates. For more information about owning a Kid to Kid store, click here. MOTHER AND DAUGHTER TEAM WIN KID TO KID STORE OF THE MONTH HONORS By Carrie On January 5, 2017 · Add Comment BOSSIER CITY, LA —December 29, 2016— Kid to Kid in Bossier City, owned by mother and daughter team Shannon Linton and Ashlie Hill, was recently awarded Store of the Month honors for October 2016. Their store was selected by the corporate franchisee advisory board from over 100 Kid to Kid Stores across the United States, Canada, Portugal and Spain. The duo opened the store less than a year ago and have had remarkable success. Amy Lofgreen, their franchise support representative, credits their success to their consistency in applying good management practices. “The sales they have been seeing are the result of a concerted effort for months to build teams and leaders to make it possible to keep store racks filled in such a big location,” said Lofgreen. Shannon and Ashlie focus heavily on training their store team members on correct procedures, making sure every team member follows through and does things the right way. They involve their store managers in franchise support calls to ensure they are prepared to take on important responsibilities. The team is excited to continue the tradition of saving families money for years to come. Their hard work and diligence have proved great success over the past year, funneling a valuable resource back to the Bossier City community. For more information about Kid to Kid Bossier City, visit their website at kidtokid.com/bossier, or find them on Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising. OUTSTANDING MANAGEMENT WINS KID TO KID SALT LAKE STORE OF THE MONTH By Carrie On October 26, 2016 · Add Comment SALT LAKE CITY, UT— October 24, 2016— The Kid to Kid Franchise Advisory Board has awarded its September Store of the Month honors to Kid to Kid of Salt Lake City, managed by a team led by local resident Brighton Sloan. The Salt Lake store was selected from more than 100 Kid to Kid stores across the United States, Canada and Portugal. One of eleven Kid to Kid stores in Utah, the Salt Lake store has experienced significant growth– with sales up 32% in September. The reason? “It’s the management,” states the store’s corporate support representative, Tina Zaharias. “When Brighton Sloan took over store management a year ago, there were many changes that needed to be made in day to day operations. She diligently follows the systems designed by the franchise to help stores be successful, and it’s paying off.” Zaharias also mentioned that Ms. Sloan significantly increased the amount of product purchased from local parents, providing more selection for shoppers. “She emphasizes the customer experience, merchandising, social media posts, and strategies for getting inventory in the door, on the floor and out of the store.” In addition to focusing on their own store’s success, Sloan and her team have demonstrated their commitment to helping the franchise by assisting in training the newest franchisees. The store serves as a franchise flagship store and new franchisee training center, where new owners come to learn the ins and outs of running their own store. Sloan and her team look forward to continuing to impact the community and new franchisees for years to come. They buy and sell gently used kid’s items year round – offering cash or 20% more in-store credit. Their store is located at 675 East 2100 South in Salt Lake City. For more information about Kid to Kid Salt Lake City, visit their website at kidtokid.com/SaltLake, or find them on Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising. KID TO KID CHATTANOOGA AWARDED STORE OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST By Carrie On September 21, 2016 · Add Comment CHATTANOOGA, TN—September 21, 2016— Kid to Kid in Chattanooga, owned by mother and son, Lyn and Justin Shepherd, has been awarded Store of the Month for August 2016. Through this award, the Kid to Kid franchise recognizes outstanding achievement exhibited by one of its more than 100 children’s resale locations across the United States, Canada, and Portugal. As one of three Kid to Kid stores in Tennessee, Kid to Kid Chattanooga has experienced significant growth– with sales up 16% in August and 21% year-over-year. One of the reasons for the store’s continued success is their community outreach and involvement. Lyn and Justin are involved in many efforts, including social media. “We have done frequent posts that include videos, slideshows, contests and even goofy staff photos,” said Lyn. Their fans and customers are noticing. The store recently advertised their annual Costume Event on their Facebook page and hundreds of customers came out. A live stream video was also shared on their page during the event. When asked about the store’s success, Lyn said, “Our store is dedicated to showing love to our community. We have been involved in many community events from schools, foster care, military, and most recently to raise some money for fire relief. Our prayer is that we make a difference in the lives of those we meet.” The Shepherds have been making a difference. Though miles away, they stepped up to help their former community in California when tragedy struck recently. A wildfire spread through the small area of Lower Lake affecting more than 300 residents, many without insurance. Last week Kid to Kid Chattanooga donated 10% of their store’s sales to those affected. Lyn and Justin look forward to continuing to impact the community in the future and are grateful to be honored as store of the month. “We are thrilled to receive this honor. Though we are small, this team works together to keep improving,” said Lyn. For more information about Kid to Kid Chattanooga, visit their website at kidtokid.com/Chattanooga, or find them on Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising. About Kid to Kid and Uptown Cheapskate For over 23 years, BaseCamp Franchising has been a leader in the resale franchise industry. Kid to Kid and Uptown Cheapskate, both registered trademarks of BaseCamp Franchising, buy and sell gently-used yet fashionable clothes, shoes, gear and accessories. With 50 Uptown Cheapskate stores and 120 Kid to Kid franchise stores throughout the U.S., Portugal, and Canada, BaseCamp Franchising provides convenient locations where customers are financially and emotionally rewarded as they recycle their best items. BaseCamp Franchising is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about BaseCamp Franchising, call 801-359-0071. You may also visit www.basecampfranchising.com. YOUNGEST KID TO KID STORE WINS STORE OF THE MONTH AWARD By julie On August 17, 2016 · Add Comment CHANDLER, AZ—August 15, 2016— Kid to Kid in Chandler, owned by local entrepreneur Erica Gentile, was awarded Store of the Month for July 2016. Through this award, the Kid to Kid franchise recognizes outstanding achievement exhibited by one of its more than 100 children’s resale locations across the United States, Canada, Portugal and Spain. As the youngest of six stores in the Arizona market, Kid to Kid Chandler has demonstrated consistently strong growth, with July sales up an impressive 16.2 percent. It’s no secret, according to Erica’s franchise support representative, that the success of the store is due in large part to her consistently applying good management practices. She has been focusing on improving processes and training her team in efficiency for an entire year—something that will come in handy as she takes time off in November for maternity leave. “Erica really focuses on keeping the racks full so customers always have a great selection. She has worked hard to understand what is going on in her store by analyzing numbers – a process that as a math major she truly enjoys,” said her support representative. Erica’s constant focus on the customer experience has contributed to her growing sales numbers each day. A favorite activity is handing out cups of water to overheated customers. The positive comments really help to build staff morale, even as they’re making customers happy in the 100+ degree heat. Thanks to her team’s focus on a good customer experience and maintaining a great selection of product, customers keep coming back. “At our last meeting we joked about ‘slow season’, because it was never slow,” Erica said. Erica opened her first Kid to Kid store in Gilbert in 2011, and after two years of steady gains, she opened her Chandler store in 2013. “Erica is an amazing owner,” said Kid to Kid founder, Shauna Sloan, “I love that she is open to change. After analyzing her store reports, she made some changes and is seeing the results.” For more information about Kid to Kid Chandler, visit their website at kidtokid.com/Chandler, or find them on Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising. LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR TURNS AROUND STRUGGLING KID TO KID STORE TO WIN STORE OF THE MONTH By julie On July 14, 2016 · 3 Comments LAKE WORTH, TX—July 13, 2016— The Kid to Kid franchise system awarded the June 2016 Store of the Month designation to Kid to Kid in Lake Worth, owned by local entrepreneur Misti McCay. Through this award, the Kid to Kid franchise recognizes outstanding achievement exhibited by one of its more than 100 children’s resale locations across the United States, Canada, and Portugal. Kid to Kid Lake Worth saw a sales increase of 61 percent in June, the culmination of 10 straight months of significant increases since Misti took over ownership of the store last August. When asked the secret to her success, Misti didn’t hesitate, “customer service.” The friendly staff, led by manager Lindsey has created a whole new atmosphere. Because of improvements to their operational systems (proven to work in Misti’s original Fort Worth Kid to Kid location) they are seeing much higher return rates for customers that both shop and sell to the store. But it wasn’t just one thing that made the difference. “We changed everything!” Misti said. “From music, to larger racks and store layout, and even scents, we totally transformed the store. Customers tell us every day how much better the shopping experience is now,” said Misti. She attributed many of the successful changes to the support of BaseCamp Franchising, Kid to Kid’s parent company. Misti purchased her first Kid to Kid location in 2001 in Fort Worth, and after years of steady growth, she jumped at the opportunity to purchase the struggling Lake Worth store when it became available last summer. “I saw a need in the area and knew the Lake Worth store had potential,” she said. “It just needed the right people and systems, and I knew I could provide that to make a difference.” She did just that. With the help of her impressive team, the store is turning a profit in less than a year. “My staff is so wonderful – we’re like a family, and working with them is the best part about running this business,” she said. “Misti has worked hard to turn around the negative perception of the Lake Worth store,” said Kid to Kid founder, Shauna Sloan. “We are really amazed at the positive changes she’s implemented and share our happiness with her success.” As a mom of twins, Misti knows first-hand the value a store like Kid to Kid can bring to a community. She purchased her first Kid to Kid after frequently shopping and selling there for her then toddlers. “I just love the buy and sell concept,” she said. Now 14 years later, she’s running two thriving stores that serve thousands of families in her community. For more information about Kid to Kid Lake Worth, visit their website at kidtokid.com/LakeWorth, or find them on Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising. TENACITY WINS KID TO KID ROCHESTER STORE OF THE MONTH By Kathryn On June 23, 2016 · Add Comment ROCHESTER, NY—June 23, 2016— Kid to Kid in Rochester, owned by local entrepreneur Lena Golubkov, was awarded Store of the Month for May 2016. Through this award, the Kid to Kid franchise recognizes outstanding achievement exhibited by one of its more than 100 children’s resale locations across the United States, Canada, and Portugal. Kid to Kid Rochester saw a sales increase of 13 percent in May, as well as 17 percent more customers. When asked the secret to her success, Lena didn’t hesitate. “I just follow the franchise system,” she said. Each month she diligently reads the priorities recommended by BaseCamp Franchising, Kid to Kid’s parent company, and does her best to follow them. “It really works. My store isn’t perfect, but with BaseCamp’s help, I’m always improving.” Having immigrated from Ukraine 26 years ago with $180 in her pocket and a desire for a better life, Lena’s is a true “American Dream” story. She worked any job she could find, from landscaping to cleaning, and eventually saved enough money to open a spa/salon. Eventually, the Kid to Kid franchise caught her eye. “I loved the concept, and after meeting Kid to Kid founders Brent and Shauna Sloan, I was really impressed with their intelligence and how they built the businesses. I knew I wanted to own a Kid to Kid.” When she purchased her Rochester Kid to Kid location in 2011, she had developed the skills needed to provide outstanding customer service and a great product selection. “Lena is an outstanding example of tenacity in entrepreneurship, having overcome many personal challenges to create a better life through store ownership,” said Shauna Sloan. “Owning a Kid to Kid is hard work, but I love it,” Lena said. The store saw huge gains in May by placing an added emphasis on organization and inventory. With an improved product selection, customers were able to find exactly what they wanted, resulting in higher sales for the store. As much as Lena loves the business aspect of running her store, her favorite part of owning a Kid to Kid is the children. “I just love being able to watch them grow. It feels so rewarding to provide this amazing service to families so they can afford nice things and improve their lives,” she said. For more information about Kid to Kid Rochester, visit their website at kidtokid.com/Rochester, or find them on Facebook. For franchising information, visit kidtokid.com/franchising. KID TO KID IN AUSTIN, TX HOLDS SUCCESSFUL CHARITY SALE AND WINS APRIL 2016 STORE OF THE MONTH By Kathryn On May 17, 2016 · Add Comment AUSTIN, TX—May 12, 2016—The Kid to Kid Franchise System has awarded Store of the Month honors to Kid to Kid in north Austin, TX. This store was selected from over 100 Kid to Kid franchise stores in the US, Canada, and Portugal to win this special recognition based on store growth and noteworthy achievement. Kid to Kid is a resale franchise that pays families cash for the nice things their kids have outgrown. The store sells these items as well as brand-new product at highly affordable prices. The Kid to Kid Austin store has been open since 2003 and has been well-received in the north Austin community. In the month of April, Kid to Kid Austin was in the top ten for Kid to Kid sales. The store’s number of buys from community members increased significantly during the month as well. One of the most notable achievements for the store during April was the impressive success of their charity-driven Fill-A-Bag Sale. The Kid to Kid Charity Fill-A-Bag Sale is a popular Kid to Kid sale nation-wide that is100% donation-based. Shoppers are asked to make a $15 or $10 donation in exchange for the purchase of a Charity Sale bag, which they can then stuff and fill with as much specially-marked product as possible. Customers who attend this sale can expect to walk away with an amazing haul of clothing, toys and more—and feel good about also making a contribution to charity. Anna Kudlek—individual owner of Kid to Kid Austin—played a key role in the success of this most recent charity event. She invited members of the community, from organizations like Austin Restoration Ministries, to volunteer at the Charity Sale. Together, volunteers and Kid to Kid employees worked for three days to get all the product sorted and organized in order to make the shopping experience easy for Charity Sale customers. Kudlek additionally worked to promote the charity event on social media—announcing the 160 containers of Fill-A-Bag product, thanking the 300 + vendors who donated the product, and posting the amount of funds raised in real-time. The end result of the Kid to Kid Charity Fill-A-Bag sale was a donation amount of $2,366 to the charity organization BuildOn. This significant contribution will go towards a larger sum that Kid to Kid and Uptown Cheapskate stores across the nation are raising to build schools in impoverished communities around the world. The funds the team has raised so far are the highest yet-recorded, and the franchise team is thrilled to have already built three new schools. You can see the overall progress of the Kid to Kid and Uptown Cheapskate franchise charity team here: https://act.buildon.org/fundraise/team?ftid=44304. Kid to Kid Austin is looking forward to holding another Charity Fill-A-Bag Sale in 6 months’ time. Until then, and like always, they are buying gently-used kids’ toys, clothes, shoes, and maternity wear—and selling popular brands at up to 70 % less than retail. For more information on Kid to Kid Austin, visit the store website or follow Kid to Kid Austin on Facebook for frequent updates, photos, and product postings in the store. For Kid to Kid franchise information and how you can become a store owner, visit the Franchise Opportunity page.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1619
__label__cc	0.657795	0.342205	Home > Directors > Francesco Calabrese Francesco Calabrese www.francescocalabrese.tv Italian, English Francesco Calabrese has been interested in storytelling from a young age. He moved to LA to develop his short film Lovely Monster into a feature length film with LionsGate after CAA discovered it. In addition to his successes on the narrative side with a number of shorts that gained a lot of attention, he has worked with a wide range of global agencies crafting visually driven commercials, music videos and internet content. While he’s shooting commercials all over the world he keeps busy developing more feature film projects, writing scripts and shooting short films. Agency collaborators include Leo Burnett, Y&R, TBWA, Ogilvy, JWT and BBDO for clients such as Gatorade, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Lululemon and Yamaha among many others. Fun Fact: since 2012 Francesco collected 5 Vimeo Staff Picks for four shorts and a music video.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1621
__label__wiki	0.545918	0.545918	Do You React? While Laracasts is dedicated to PHP and Laravel, the reality is that most of us need to write JavaScript daily as well. In this series, we'll learn about React - not the PHP version, but the JavaScript library, from the folks at Facebook. I think you'll love it! Latest Episode: The React Chrome Extension A Teaser Before we start learning, give me a few moments to demonstrate how natural and intuitive React really is. Hello World With React Now that you've had a short teaser, let's hit the brakes and start from scratch. We'll pull in React, and build the obligatory "Hello World" component. You'll likely need to pass data into your various components. We do so with "props." I'll show you. From Inline to External Scripts Let's take a short break, and figure out how we can take our inline React code, and transition that to a dedicated external script. In the process, we'll discuss some options for quickly booting up a server. The jQuery Dilemma Let's return to that simple idea of a counter, and reproduce it with basic jQuery. As we'll find, the process is deceptively simple. Sure, it's fewer lines, but if you're not careful, you'll end up with a massive application.js file, full of countless DOM queries. Multiple Components and Tasks Before we move up to some higher level concepts, let's take the next two videos to build little toy projects to ease into the flow of using React. View the source for this lesson on GitHub. GistBox For our next demo project, let's create a simple app that allows a person to type in a GitHub username, and then see a link to that user's most recent Gist. This will give us the opportunity to review a few new important concepts. Bundling With Gulp and Browserify Already, we have three script tags for our components. In a real-life application, this could easily become dozens of scripts. Clearly, that's not the way to go. Instead, we'll leverage both Browserify and Gulp. Review the Gulp sourcefiles for this episode on GitHub. Refs offer us a way to reference and access components in our applications. The React Chrome Extension In this short episode, we'll review the support service, "Helpful", that Laracasts uses to see a real-life example of React components at work. In the process, we'll learn about Chrome's React extension. Laravel and the Front-end Let's take a break from the back-end, and instead focus on that other world: the front-end! Don't worry, Laravel 5 has made this process as enjoyable... The Vast World of Vue.js 0.12 Vue.js is the best JavaScript framework that you've likely never heard of. We've already covered React here at Laracasts, so let's move on to somethin... Painless Builds With Elixir Laravel Elixir takes the yawn out of writing your Gulpfiles. Why spends hundreds of lines writing what can be accomplished with just a few? Modern CSS Workflow The way we construct and think of CSS has changed drastically in the last ten years. In this series, we'll review key tools in every modern frontender... Learn Flexbox Through Examples Flexbox is easily one of the most important additions to CSS in the last decade. The only problem is that there's a bit of a learning curve. Trust me,... Learn Vue 2: Step By Step Vue is easily one of the most exciting additions to the front-end world in many years. With its intuitive API, and the fact that it can be applied to...	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1623
__label__cc	0.565424	0.434576	Crews respond to fire at Fountain Creek riverbed overnight in Pueblo Inmate death at El Paso County Jail under investigation By Kristen Skovira Published December 13, 2019 6:23 pm Investing in ‘ugly food,’ Colorado Springs startup gains national attention A Colorado Springs startup is gaining national attention. FoodMaven, a company built on saving 'ugly food' from the landfill has investors putting-up millions of dollars. The sustainability movement is growing, turns out, right here in our own backyard. Food waste startups like FoodMaven are getting a lot of investor attention, as we all realize that just because food doesn't always look good doesn't mean we should throw it away. "At the very beginning when FoodMaven started we were growing slowly for a couple of years," said Megan Cornish. The start-up has 25,000 square feet of space in Colorado Springs, stocked with perfectly good food that was destined for the landfill. "FoodMaven captures food that would otherwise be wasted," said Cornish, "Maybe it's food that's perfect or it's just over-supplied. We also work with local food so local farmers and ranchers." It's estimated about 40% of food in the united states ends up in landfills or the trash. Only half of that is post-consumer waste, meaning the scraps we scrape off our plate or the food that goes bad in our fridge. the rest of it is good food that gets wasted if local ranchers or farmers can't find buyers in time. "We take that food, we bring it to our food storage facility, put it up on an online marketplace and chefs and institutions are able to shop there for this food that really is a great value and was not able to be sold by the supplier who had it," she said. The company is only four years old, but it's already attracting the attention of major players in the industry. Just this week, a group of backers invested more than $15 million dollars, banking on FoodMaven's potential. According to Forbes, some of those investors include members of Walmart's founding family and the former whole foods co-CEO, who sits on its board. "It really demonstrates that the model FoodMaven has is valuable and it's taking off and it's absolutely scale-able," she said. Using that money, FoodMaven is making its first out-of-state acquisition in Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas. But nationwide expansion is ultimately their goal. "That will help us prove the FoodMaven model that it's not a Colorado phenomenon," she said. FoodMaven is just one in the long list of food-waste fighters. Globally, three billion tons of food, that's one-third of all food produced for human consumption, is lost or wasted. Kristen Skovira Kristen is a reporter and an anchor for the weekend evening newscasts. You can learn more about Kristen here. Sunshine for Sunday Pingback: Investing in 'ugly food,' Colorado Springs startup gains national attention - New Tech Express Pingback: Investing in 'ugly food,' Colorado Springs startup gains national attention - WeIntern Pingback: Investing in 'ugly food,' Colorado Springs startup gains national attention - KRDO - BusinessTelegraph Pingback: Investing in 'ugly food,' Colorado Springs startup gains national attention - Modinomics Pingback: Investing in 'ugly food,' Colorado Springs startup gains national attention - KRDO - Business Fast Fcn2.0 says: sorry to bust your brag bubble, but they have been doing this in Philly for YEARS. Only they sell it to the PEOPLE at a greatly reduced price to help people not go hungry. I SERIOUSLY doubt the restaurants are passing those big savings onto their diners. Say so, Brother Luck ??? You’re probably right! But I have to wonder if that’s how Walmart’s produce prices tend to be lower than their neighboring stores…? new email old me says: This falls into the bad idea don’t care category. This is almost as dumb as getting a rescue dog. It seems that most good ideas suggested or otherwise publicized here are rejected by you. Perhaps you were passed over by life too many times like those rescue dogs… 🙄 Pingback: Investing in ‘ugly food,’ Colorado Springs startup gains national attention – KRDO – Stock Market Tamer	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1624
__label__cc	0.5714	0.4286	TEXAS BLOGGERS Tarnished Brass ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Review & Giveaway! TARNISHED BRASS MAX L. KNIGHT Genre: Historical Fiction / Novella / War Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc. Date of Publication: September 20, 2019 Scroll down for the giveaway! The war in El Salvador as seen through the eyes of a U.S. Army officer, a guerrilla leader, and a refugee turned gang member Patrick Michael Moynihan finds himself returning to the small Central American country where, as a young impressionistic junior officer, he was thrust into the middle of a brutal civil war. Miguel Alejandro Xenias, once a member of the ruling elite in El Salvador, recalls his change of heart, advancement within the guerrilla movement, and his new-found hope for the country now that the FMLN is in power. Antonio Cruz, seeking a new life in America, finds only a different kind of hatred and conflict, joins the street gang MS-13, and returns home bringing with him a new kind of warfare. These perspectives spotlight an ongoing struggle in El Salvador that continues to impact the immigration crisis on our southern border and the spread of gang violence throughout the United States. More than just a history of the war in El Salvador, a conflict that ended almost thirty years ago, Tarnished Brass gives voice to those who fought and those who only wanted to escape the violence. Amazon ● Barnes& Noble GooglePlay ● Apple iTunes ✪✪✪✪ HALL WAYS REVIEW: Tarnished Brass is a novella that comes in at around a hundred pages of story, but author Max L. Knight fits in an incredible amount of information. The book not only informs readers about events of the past, it also reminds readers of the far-reaching effects of war, even decades later, even across oceans. While I was happily navigating high school and college through the eighties, like most kids in that stage of life, I was oblivious to what was happening in El Salvador (and most of the world outside my bubble). I lived a safe and privileged life while El Salvador lost the decade as a war-torn country plagued by fighting factions – one of them aided by funding, training, and weapons courtesy of the United States. The archbishop urgently petitioned those in power to alter course. “In the name of God and this suffering population, whose cries reach to the heavens more tumultuous each day…cease the repression.” His words were met by a sniper’s bullet to the heart. Many of the chapters in Tarnished Brass are filled primarily with historical information that gives readers facts about the political and military climate and the war’s ever-worsening impact on the Salvadorans. The only pause in El Salvador’s war was when an earthquake interrupted it and displaced hundreds of thousands of people who were already suffering. Knight does a good job of keeping the plight of the poor as a constant thread running through all the chapters. The poor never win in war -- or in times of peace. The strength of the book is in Knight’s world-building: the poverty, the destruction, the darkness of El Salvador. Tarnished Brass is well-written and cleanly edited, and its contents are engaging. The structure of the book is unique, vacillating between storytelling and fact-telling. There are chapters that give readers insight into the lives of the three main characters, but none of the characters are ever fully fleshed-out or given much depth. (The exception was a chapter dedicated to the psychological profile of a side-character, Diana, which was profoundly sad and fascinating.) There are other chapters in which the purpose is solely to inform, and only a few sentences, either at the beginning or the end, tie in one of the story’s characters to the scene. The story of Tarnished Brass is the war; the characters within are somewhat peripheral but do serve to soften the edges of what could easily convert to a nonfiction piece. I was most appreciative that the author not only included a glossary of military terminology, but he tells readers first thing that it’s at the back of the book. (I never think to look first.) While it is most helpful for those of us not in-the-know, the book is still full of military acronyms and jargon that are defined once and used often – and I found myself flipping back to figure out what was what and who was who. Those who are students of history and politics and military ops won’t have any issues and will probably enjoy that the book has a more factual, less fictional slant. As a more informed, but still ridiculously under-informed adult, reading Tarnished Brass helped me tie current headlines to the past. It was particularly interesting to learn the origins of MS-13, the now international criminal gang that started as a group to protect Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles. Following character Antonio’s grim but realistic story was eye-opening and the most powerful of the stories in Tarnished Brass. It was in Antonio’s story that I saw glimpses of Knight’s storytelling and characterization prowess that he showed in Palo Duro. Tarnished Brass educates readers of not only an important piece of world history, but also the impact of the United States’s foreign policy, then and now. Intelligently written, Tarnished Brass is a quick way to get informed while also fulfilling a reader’s need to escape into fiction. Thank you to the author and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me a paperback copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. Max Knight was born in Panama and grew up in the Canal Zone and in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in English. A Distinguished Military Graduate, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and served twenty-four years in the Air Defense Artillery retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In addition to assignments within his basic branch, Max also specialized as a Foreign Area Officer in both the European Theatre of Operations (Germany and Greece) and within USSOUTHCOM (Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador). He received the Defense Superior Service Medal for his service in El Salvador during that country’s civil war. Max earned his master’s degree in government from Campbell University, and retired from the Army in 1997. Upon retirement Max was hired by RCI Technologies in San Antonio and became its Director of Internal Operations. He also was the first volunteer docent at the Alamo working within its Education Department. However, following the tragic events of 9/11, he became an Independent Contractor and spent the next ten years as a Counterintelligence Specialist in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central America before cancer forced him to quit. Max has since published a memoir, Silver Taps, and a novel of westward expansion, Palo Duro. He resides in San Antonio with his wife, Janet “Gray.” They have three surviving children; Lisa, Brian, and Sean, and three grandchildren; Tony, Nicholas, and Cecilia Marie. ║ Blog ║ Twitter ║ LinkedIn ║ Goodreads║ ║ Amazon Author Page ║ Pinterest ║ Facebook║ GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! One Winner: Signed copy of Tarnished Brass + $25 Amazon Gift Card (U.S. Only) VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR: All the Ups and Downs Chapter Break Book Blog That's What She's Reading Hall Ways Blog Scrapbook page Missus Gonzo Librariel Book Adventures The Clueless Gent Forgotten Winds StoreyBook Reviews Reading by Moonlight blog tour services provided by Labels: 2019, giveaway, historical fiction, Lone Star Book Blog Tours, Lone Star Literary Life, Max Knight, novella, Page Publishing, review, short fiction, Texas Author, war CURRENT GIVEAWAY! $350 Value Prize Pack! Ends 1/17/2020! Signed Library-Bound Copy + $50 Visa Gift Card! Starts 1/24/20! UPCOMING GIVEAWAY! Win books, swag, & Starbucks Gift Cards! Starts 1/21/20! NOW READING: Print: Adult No strings attached reading! NOW READING: eBook: Adult Heard about it from Lone Star Literary Life! NOW READING WITH MY EARS: Adult Listening at the author's invitation! Texas Library Association Fantasy Job Christmas in Winter Valley ~ Lone Star Book Blog T... Paranormal Texas ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Revie... The Hannah and Tamar Teen Mystery Series New Cover... A Distance Too Grand ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours N... Journey of the Pale Bear ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tou... Longing for a Cowboy Christmas ~ Lone Star Book Bl... Beyond the Horizon ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Rev... The Gothic Shift ~ Audio Book Blog Tour Review & G... The Last Thing She Said ~ Audio Book Review & Give... The Art of Taking it Easy ~ Book Blog Tour Excerpt... Tarnished Brass ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Review... Comfort Songs ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Review &... Hall Ways is where I wax poetic about the books I have read or think are worthy of notice. I have a Master of Library Science degree, am a certified school librarian and teacher, and am the owner and publisher of Lone Star Literary Life. Kristine has read 7 books toward her goal of 50 books. 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__label__wiki	0.576757	0.576757	Kumar Rao \| Lawyer \| New York State of Mind Guatemala (2015) Tunisia (2016) U.S. Southwest (2014) Why Rising Police Budgets Aren’t Making Cities Safer Posted by kumarraonyc on July 23, 2017 originally published on Next City here Minneapolis, the city where Philando Castile was killed by a police officer while being profiled and stopped in his car for the 49th time, spends 36 percent of its general fund budget on policing. New York City spends nearly $5 billion on a police force that still prioritizes discriminatory and ineffective broken windows policing, even as its decaying public transit system calls out for investment. Oakland, where seven police officers were charged with child sex trafficking and rape last year following decades of departmental corruption, spends just eight cents on its housing and community development department while in the grip of an affordable housing crisis compared to every dollar it spends on policing. The fact that cities pour a staggering level of funds into dysfunctional and violent police departments while neglecting glaring community development needs reveals two things: 1) we spend too much on an institution that often fails to advance, and too often undermines, security in our communities, and 2) we spend too little on structures that actually cultivate community safety and economic success. My colleagues and I at the Center for Popular Democracy, along with Law for Black Lives and Black Youth Project 100, analyzed budgets in 12 jurisdictions — mostly cities, some counties — and interviewed dozens of community organizations. We found cities and counties continue to rely overwhelmingly on often harmful policing and incarceration policies, while under-resourcing more effective and inherently beneficial safety initiatives. Indeed, our report argues that we can achieve security and development through investments in education, employment, infrastructure, health and affordable housing. Budgets are often spoken about as moral documents that reflect the choices and values of government. Most of the cities we profiled devote 25 percent to 40 percent of their general fund expenditures towards policing and criminalization, while shortchanging community investments. In Atlanta, for example, only 1 percent of the general fund goes to the department that funds affordable housing. In Chicago, less than one tenth of one percent of the total operating budget is allocated towards youth mentoring programs. These budgets tell a story of where government priorities lie. Take Baltimore, a city where 28 percent of Black residents live below the poverty line, nearly double the rate of white poverty, and in which there is a staggering 20-year gap in life expectancy between Baltimore’s richest and poorest neighborhoods. Out of the top 20 largest jail systems in the country, Baltimore has incarcerated the highest percentage of its population in recent years. In the two decades leading up to 2012, the Baltimore Police killed 127 people — most of them Black — a significantly higher number than police killings in other cities of similar size. Freddie Gray’s death in 2014 while he was in custody of the Baltimore Police Department shined a spotlight on the often-racist treatment practiced by the department. Yet despite the racial inequality and departmental dysfunction, Baltimore continues to generously fund its police department: This year it will spend $481 million, translating to $772 per person, on policing alone. On top of this, for every dollar Baltimore spends on the police department, the city spends just five cents on the Office of Employment Development, which includes funding for jobs, and just one cent on its Substance Abuse, Mental Health, and Youth Violence Prevention programs. Baltimore is a city that should be devoting fewer funds to criminalizing black communities and more on services that residents and organizers have long argued would actually advance safety and community development. We found similar patterns in local budgets across the United States. Whether it is the $310 million Detroit spends on policing compared to the $29 million it spends on its Department of Wellness & Health Promotion, or the proposed $3.4 billion Los Angeles County plans to spend on two new jails instead of supportive housing and mental health clinics, local government resourcing of criminalization has undermined community economic development and safety. As a result, communities are demanding change. Campaigns to shift resources from over-policing and incarceration toward actual community priorities are beginning to take root. In New York City, for example, in lieu of the thousands of police officers hired to patrol schools and issue criminal summonses to children of color, youth organizers have called for an investment in social outreach workers and restorative justice programs that would allow children to succeed by reducing suspensions and dropout while also staying safe. In Contra Costa County in California, advocates have sought the rejection of a proposed jail expansion, and instead demanded that money be used to develop and operate sorely needed mental health clinics outside of the prison system. With massive resources into police and criminalization coming at the expense of communities, shifting a portion of this spending into real safety investments is not just the moral thing to do; it is the practical thing to do. It’s time to allow communities and its residents to envision and control their own safety — and how it is being resourced. Kumar Rao is Senior Staff Attorney for racial justice at Center for Popular Democracy and a co-author of the report, “Freedom to Thrive: Reimagining Safety & Security in Our Communities.” Previous Post Trump’s Criminal Justice Plan is Really More For-Profit Incarceration Next Post Letter to New York Times Editor: ‘The High Cost of Policing’ View kumarraonyc’s profile on Twitter View kumarraonyc’s profile on Instagram View kumarraonyc’s profile on LinkedIn View kumarraonyc’s profile on YouTube The ’94 Crime Bill 25 Years Later: It’s Time for a Reckoning October 8, 2019 Letter to New York Times Editor: ‘The High Cost of Policing’ January 21, 2018 Why Rising Police Budgets Aren’t Making Cities Safer July 23, 2017 Trump’s Criminal Justice Plan is Really More For-Profit Incarceration April 26, 2017 Dispatch From Tunisia: The (Early) Right To A Lawyer September 15, 2016 How the Sanders Campaign Is Letting Progressives Down March 8, 2016 Why the GOP Is Going to Lose the Asian American Vote Again… And Why It Matters October 22, 2015 Why Ferguson Teaches Public Defenders That They Too Need to Start Listening December 1, 2014	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1628
__label__wiki	0.679581	0.679581	February 22, 2016 launchtenn @GaryVee: Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? Nooga.com We have just lived through the greatest era of fake entrepreneurs. An era where people thought that raising several millions of dollars for a business meant that they were a successful entrepreneur. But the fact is, so many of these businesses won’t succeed, and so many of them were started by individuals who are not entrepreneurs. The current overestimation in the business ecosystem that raising capital means you’ve done something worth celebrating is ludicrous. NFA Accelerator Pitch Night! Nashville Fashion Alliance Ten companies have spent the last 6 weeks working on their ideas in our pilot accelerator program. They believe, like you, that we’re the right place…and this is the right time…to be in the fashion industry in Nashville. Pitch Night marks the conclusion to our program, providing each participant with the opportunity to present their idea for feedback. Our program aims to help new and existing businesses identify their unique revenue potential as well as the resources their businesses require to become a success. Each session has been an in-depth experience featuring a mix of classroom teaching, case studies, mentoring, and interactive exercises. RSVP here! splitsecnd Launches Kickstarter Campaign splitsecnd, an INCITE portfolio company, is a portable plug & play device that provides crash response, 24/7 emergency assistance and GPS tracking in any vehicle. Over the last 12 months, the splitsecnd team has been hard at work developing our 2nd Generation device that will help keep our roads safer and families more connected, and we’re excited to publicly introduce our new technology via the Kickstarter Community. Support us here! Symmetry CEO: We’re Looking for Larger M&A Deals Shares of medical instruments manufacturer and distributor Symmetry Surgical rose nearly 12 percent Thursday after executives reported fourth-quarter results and said they’re still on the hunt for acquisitions, including larger deals than the ones they pulled off in 2015. Symmetry Surgical posted a Q4 net loss of $152,000, a big improvement from late 2014 when the company booked a big impairment charge. This Googler Works More Than 100 Hours a Week at Her ‘Dream Job’ Jewel Burks has the kind of schedule that will tire you out just thinking about it. For the last two years she’s held the title “entrepreneur in residence for diversity markets” at Google, which means that she technically holds two jobs. She educates business owners on how to use Google’s ads and enterprise products while doubling as a startup founder. “I work a lot,” Burks tells Business Insider. “Nights, weekends. It’s tough, but I’m really passionate about helping other entrepreneurs, so it doesn’t really feel like work. It’s something I love doing.” All told, she spends 40 hours per week on her Google responsibilities and 60 hours — or more — a week running her startup, Partpic, a visual-search app that lets users take pictures of screws, bolts, or any other parts they need to replace and then reorders those parts for them. Veterans Gain Focus at Nashville Entrepreneur Center Marcus Carey, a U.S. Navy-trained hacker, had the expertise and the vision to start his own cybersecurity company. But he needed the business know-how. That’s when Carey turned to Bunker Labs in Austin, a nonprofit business accelerator for veteran entrepreneurs about to expand to the Nashville market. The coaching from Bunker Labs included business classes, free legal assistance, networking with leading company founders and pitching opportunities. Now in its second year, Carey’s vThreat company is generating revenue, employs four people and has raised $1.1 million in new capital.	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1630
__label__wiki	0.535416	0.535416	Meaning of “natural life” against “life” If a law states: the offender shall be imprisoned for the remainder of his natural life and shall be ineligible for consideration for parole, probation or suspension of sentence. instead of a hypothetically: the offender shall be imprisoned for the remainder of his life and shall be ineligible for consideration for parole, probation or suspension of sentence. what would be the difference? "Natural" here seems redundant to me. criminal-law meaning Quora FeansQuora Feans They are only imprisoned until they die. If there is a life after death, they are good to go. Really. – George White Jul 21 '19 at 23:09 Did you do any search? First thing coming up directly answers your question: definitions.uslegal.com/n/natural-life – Greendrake Jul 21 '19 at 23:44 @GeorgeWhite Honestly? Is this just so that believers know that their souls will be released? – Quora Feans Jul 21 '19 at 23:57 It is because the government would not deem to intrude in an area that religion had covered. Since you can have an everlasting life in Christianity, it would be almost be blasphemy for the law to not limit itself to the "natural" part of your life. – George White Jul 22 '19 at 0:03 Another wild guess is that "natural" serves to clarify that the prisoner is to be allowed to live until they die of natural causes, and is not to be prematurely put to death. After all, a person being executed also gets imprisoned for the remainder of his life. – Nate Eldredge Jul 22 '19 at 2:28 In a legal senses, A "life sentence" has a statutory meaning (usually 25 years as a punishment, though other jurisdictions may have different rules, typically common law legal systems have Life = 25 years). Where as a natural life may exceed 25 years to a degree of time, a criminal sentanced to a life sentance when he is 25 years of age would be out at 50 years old, where as a sentance for his "Natural Life" says that he will be in jail until he dies at some time in the future, be it 75 minutes after he is incarcerated or 75 years after. Additionally, Parole is not part of the time in jail sentence but consideration for an early release from the sentence upon a determination by a board. Both a Life and Natural Life sentence could in theory be paroled (i.e. in the case of Natural Life convict may secure a Medical Parole or Compassionate Release as his health has deteriorated to such poor conditions that suffering illness in jail is needlessly cruel and could be released until such time that their health improves Or they pass away, in addition to a typical parole). Parole can also require a set period of time of a sentence is served. If in a statute life sentance, the parole could be a divisible number of the original sentence (if life = 25, then it could be half the time of 25 years (12 years, six months) must be served OR the sentence is set to a fixed period (both 25 years and Natural life must serve 10 years of their sentence before eligible for parole. Both a 25 year statutory sentence and a natural sentence will have a point where an inmate has served 10 years). Anther condition could exist where a criminal is convicted of four years of a statutory life sentance, which would mean 25 life periods. He may still be elligible for parole on some but not others, such that if he gets parole on three, he must still serve the full 25 years on the fourth charge. Additionally, he can be sentanced to serve all four charges either concurrently (A period of 25 years counts for all four charges, and you are released) or consecutively (A period of 25 years counts for one charge, and when completed, the clock starts over on the next charge, and repeat until all four charges are paid). The ability to parole on each charge may factor into the sentance as suppose three charges are given a parole period of 10 years from start of service and granted parole, but the fourth charge is not given a parole possibility BUT is later overturned after the 15 mark in jail, this can change the total time served. If we assumed all three paroles are granted on first parole hearing, then this convict would serve 15 out of 25 total sentenced years as all three parole-able charges are prolled in 10 and the state acquits the final charge five years later. If consecutively, than upon the parole of the first charge, the second starts and last 10 years before it is paroled... in that time the acquittal from the fourth charge comes down, but he must still serve at least 10 years on the third charge, meaning that he serves 30-45 years out total 100 sentenced years charged and order served. hszmvhszmv Thanks for contributing an answer to Law Stack Exchange! Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged criminal-law meaning or ask your own question. the meaning of 'Held:' Is it commonly legal to permit life-sentenced mass murderers to procreate? If proven, would collusion with Russia to interfere with election meet criteria for charge of treason? U.S. Code and the Supremacy Clause What would this VA bill have done? Actual years of life time imprisonment Can states legitimately enact immigration law or policy that is contrary to federal immigration law? Shooting victim taken off life support. What crime would be charged? Is illegally crossing the U.S. border a “serious” crime? Rape video on phone	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1632
__label__wiki	0.696586	0.696586	Transactions for September 1, 2014 Displaying 1-50 of 104 matching records 9/1/14 Cleveland Indians called up P Austin Adams from Triple-A Columbus (International). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners called up 1B Justin Smoak from Triple-A Tacoma (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals called up C Francisco Pena from Triple-A Omaha (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals called up 2B Johnny Giavotella from Triple-A Omaha (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals called up CF Lane Adams from Double-A NW Arkansas (Texas). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals activated 1B Eric Hosmer from the 15-day disabled list (n/a; went on 8/2). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals designated P Chris Dwyer for assignment. 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals designated P Blake Wood for assignment. 9/1/14 Los Angeles Angels selected the contract of LF Shawn O'Malley from Triple-A Salt Lake (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Los Angeles Angels optioned LF Shawn O'Malley to Triple-A Salt Lake (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Colorado Rockies selected the contract of 3B Rafael Ynoa from Triple-A Colorado Springs (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Colorado Rockies called up P Yohan Flande from Triple-A Colorado Springs (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals called up P Casey Coleman from Triple-A Omaha (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals selected the contract of P Brandon Finnegan from Double-A NW Arkansas (Texas). 9/1/14 Cleveland Indians called up 1B Jesus Aguilar from Triple-A Columbus (International). 9/1/14 Cleveland Indians called up P Bryan Price from Triple-A Columbus (International). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners changed DH Jesus Montero's roster status. 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners activated DH Corey Hart from the 15-day disabled list (n/a; went on 8/2). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners selected the contract of C Humberto Quintero from Triple-A Tacoma (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners selected the contract of P Carson Smith from Triple-A Tacoma (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners called up P Taijuan Walker from Triple-A Tacoma (Pacific Coast). Analysis 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners called up RF Stefen Romero from Triple-A Tacoma (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners called up P Lucas Luetge from Triple-A Tacoma (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Seattle Mariners placed SS Willie Bloomquist on the 60-day disabled list (n/a). 9/1/14 Kansas City Royals selected the contract of RF Carlos Peguero from Triple-A Omaha (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Colorado Rockies called up 1B Ben Paulsen from Triple-A Colorado Springs (Pacific Coast). Analysis 9/1/14 Colorado Rockies placed P Boone Logan on the 60-day disabled list (n/a). 9/1/14 Washington Nationals called up P Blake Treinen from Triple-A Syracuse (International). 9/1/14 Cincinnati Reds placed P Homer Bailey on the 60-day disabled list (n/a). 9/1/14 Colorado Rockies changed 1B Ben Paulsen's roster status. Analysis 9/1/14 Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of LF Joc Pederson from Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Los Angeles Dodgers called up C Tim Federowicz from Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast). Analysis 9/1/14 New York Yankees outrighted P Rich Hill from the 40-man roster. Analysis 9/1/14 Los Angeles Dodgers called up PH Alex Guerrero from Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast). Analysis 9/1/14 Los Angeles Dodgers designated SS Carlos Triunfel for assignment. 9/1/14 Los Angeles Dodgers called up P Yimi Garcia from Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast). 9/1/14 Los Angeles Dodgers activated P Chris Perez from the 15-day disabled list (n/a; went on 8/4). 9/1/14 Oakland Athletics designated P Joe Savery for assignment. 9/1/14 Washington Nationals called up 1B Tyler Moore from Triple-A Syracuse (International). 9/1/14 Washington Nationals called up C Sandy Leon from Triple-A Syracuse (International). 9/1/14 San Diego Padres selected the contract of 3B Cory Spangenberg from Double-A San Antonio (Texas). 9/1/14 San Diego Padres selected the contract of P Leonel Campos from Double-A San Antonio (Texas). 9/1/14 San Diego Padres called up P Robbie Erlin from (). 9/1/14 San Diego Padres placed 1B Yonder Alonso on the 60-day disabled list (n/a). 9/1/14 San Diego Padres placed LF Carlos Quentin on the 60-day disabled list (n/a). 9/1/14 Detroit Tigers selected the contract of C James McCann from Triple-A Toledo (International). 9/1/14 Detroit Tigers called up P Drew VerHagen from Triple-A Toledo (International). 9/1/14 Detroit Tigers placed P Drew VerHagen on the 60-day disabled list (n/a). 9/1/14 Washington Nationals activated RF Steven Souza from the 15-day disabled list (n/a; went on 8/10). 9/1/14 Washington Nationals called up P Aaron Barrett from Triple-A Syracuse (International).	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1637
__label__cc	0.624989	0.375011	LLFP is an interdisciplinary centre of cooperation, where researchers in logics and linguistics come together to apply formal methods to solve conceptual problems, as well as develop integrative approaches, which can address key issues related to classical philosophy, such as truth, knowledge, substantiation, rationality, and normativity. The overall breakthrough in 20th-century logic was driven by the formalization of intuitive ideas of calculability, solvability, provability, deductive and descriptive completeness, as well as consistency. Furthermore, the evolution of contemporary linguistics also resulted from the development of formal methods of structural and synchronic language analysis. The expansion of formal logical and linguistic methods with respect to traditional philosophy problems has played a major role, both in solving issues of internal substantiation in these disciplines and in the progress of philosophy that is not limited to reflecting its own history, but also involved in current academic and intellectual trends. One such trend is the cognitive turn in humanitaristics, which has led to the refocus of research interest in logics and linguistics towards a more formal analysis of agency, cognitive semantics, and formal pragmatics. In its 2018-2020 project ‘Formal Epistemology, Logics and Pragmatics of Agency in Rational Interactions’, the Laboratory is eager to develop complex approaches for adjusting various interactionist and dynamic models of rational agency, production of group and individual obligations, presuppositions and implicatures, formal representations, verification of knowledge and correction, to each other. LLFP’s studies utilize and develop the following methodologies: dynamic epistemic logics, game theory (e.g., epistemic game theory and bisimulation game theory); the semantics of possible worlds; situation semantics; constructive theory of types; theory of categories; homotopic theory of types; descriptive logics; logics of evidence; formal phenomenology; univalent foundations in mathematics; speech act and post-Gricean pragmatics theories; and corpus and experimental methods. Have you spotted a typo? Highlight it, click Ctrl+Enter and send us a message. Thank you for your help! To be used only for spelling or punctuation mistakes. HSE University → Research Departments → International Laboratory for Logic, Linguistics and Formal Philosophy → About the Laboratory	cc/2020-05/en_middle_0019.json.gz/line1665

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