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HARTFORD — Connecticut residents seeking to understand the Iran nuclear agreement can have their questions answered at a community forum on Thursday in Hartford.
Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) will host Chris Backemeyer of the U.S. Department of State for a community forum on the Iran nuclear agreement.
The meeting will be held Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at a location to be announced.
This meeting is a part of President Barack Obama’s overall strategy to win approval of the Nuclear deal with Iran.
Larson supported Obama’s Iran agreement on July 31. Backemeyer is the Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy, and served as the lead sanctions expert in the P5+1 negotiations with Iran will help demystify why the U.S. is helping to stop Iran from building a bomb and what it means to Americans.
“Obviously this is a complex issue, and there is a significant amount of information to be debated and considered,” said Larson. “I am hosting this forum in the hopes of providing more information and gathering additional feedback. It is an honor to have Mr. Backemeyer join me, and I know my constituents will benefit greatly from his insights.”
In the weeks since the announcement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA), Larson has attended numerous briefings both classified and otherwise with officials in the State Department and intelligence community.
He has also spoken directly with President Obama, and gathered feedback from constituents and advocacy groups on both sides of this agreement. His full statement can be found here.
Connecticut gained 4,100 jobs in July as the unemployment rate fell to a seven-year low of 5.4 percent, marking three consecutive months of job growth that have brought the state’s unemployment rate close to the U.S. average of 5.3 percent.
Average private-sector weekly pay was $958.91, up 2 percent over a year ago. The increase represents a gain in buying power, since the consumer price index rose by just two-tenths of a percent.
The report released Thursday by the Connecticut Department of Labor was one of the rosiest since the start of the state’s slow recovery from the great recession of 2008. The unemployment rate hasn’t been as low as 5.4 percent since May 2008.
“This is good news – our state should recognize the progress we’re making,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. “Jobs are dramatically up, the unemployment rate is significantly down, and we’re on track to reach private sector job levels that the state hasn’t seen since before the Great Recession.”
Overall, the state now has regained 102,000 jobs, or 85.7 percent of the 119,000 seasonally adjusted positions lost from March 2008 to February 2010, when the recovery began. The private sector now has recovered 97 percent of the 111,600 jobs it lost.
“Connecticut is certainly recovering, and we seem to be accelerating somewhat,” said Peter Gioia, an economist at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. “But we’re not alone in that other states still seem to be outperforming us.”
Massachusetts, with a larger economy, gained 7,200 jobs in July and has an unemployment rate of 4.7 percent.
Democratic legislative leaders saw only positive news in the report.
“Connecticut’s economic development policies are helping businesses create jobs, and the state’s job training programs like STEP-Up are preparing workers for a 21st century economy. There’s more work to do but this is extremely positive news,” said Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven.
“Early on, the General Assembly partnered with Governor Malloy to make smart, targeted investments aimed at creating jobs, and our efforts are bearing fruit,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk.
The report comes as the state’s business climate still generates bad press. General Electric, headquartered in Fairfield, is considering moving out of state, blaming Connecticut’s fiscal environment.
The report is based on preliminary nonfarm employment data for July gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Six of the 10 “super sectors” tracked by the BLS gained jobs, led by 1,600 jobs in health and education, 1,100 in financial activities, 1,000 in government and 600 in manufacturing.
Construction was the biggest loser, seeing a loss of 2,300 jobs. But it still has net growth of 1,900 over the year.
Growth was uneven throughout the state, with gains in the Harford region and lower Fairfield County and losses in the New Haven market and eastern Connecticut. Danbury reported no changes.
The private sector numbers in Connecticut have a built-in anomaly: Two major employers — the tribal casinos of eastern Connecticut — are owned by sovereign governments and are listed as public-sector employers.
The casinos have been shedding jobs for months in the face of new competition in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York.
HARTFORD — Hartford police on Monday arrested a local man for allegedly possessing a gun illegally and resisting arrest.
Amauris Flores, 21, of Hartford, was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, violating his probation from a protective order and interfering with police.
Flores, a convicted felon was taken into custody after police interrogated him at his Main Street apartment on Monday. Police found him in possession of a loaded .22 caliber revolver, which is a violation of his probation, police said.
Officers said Flores “forcefully pulled away” from officers when they tried to apprehend him. He was handcuffed after police chased him, police said.
WETHERSFIELD — After a surprised investigation into the employment practices of beauty shops, the Department of Labor closed 23 salons, including five in Hartford, state officials said.
The investigation, officials said, is in response to several complaints from nail salon employees and recent news articles about questionable health and employment practices at nail salons.
According to State Labor Commissioner Sharon M. Palmer, as a result of these investigations the wage division recovered more than $47,350 in owed wages for the employees – primarily for required minimum wage payments – and expects to collect additional money for workers.
An additional $79,000 in civil penalties was levied and collected for under reporting payroll and paying employees in cash and $21,300 for wage and hour violations.
Unannounced visits to the salons on Aug. 3 resulted in Stop Work orders being placed on the following establishments:
Hartford: La Nails, American Nails, Modern Nails, Pink Nails, Touch Nails
New Haven: Magic Nail and Spa, Fashion Nail and Spa, Outo Nails
Stamford: Fiji Nail Salon, Cozy Nail Salon, Classic Nails, Lux Nails, Ace Nails
Branford: Oasis Nails, Pretty Nail and Spa, Sera Nail Salon, Town Nails, Simply Nails
Westport/Darien/Southport: Posh Nail and Spa LLC (3 locations), Queen Nail and Spa, Finger Nails
According to Gary Pechie, Director of the Wage and Workplace Standards Division, labor agents and investigators determined that workers were being paid in cash with no payroll records, wages were below the minimum wage of $9.15 per hour, and no overtime payment was being provided.
Officials said all 23 salons are now in compliance with state workplace laws and have been allowed to resume operations.
BERLIN — After state police Berlin man on Wednesday was arrested for child pornography distribution.
Cory Korchman, 25, of 110 Shrub Road in Berlin was arrested on Aug. 11 after state Police Computer Crimes Unit initiated an investigation into child pornography and seized a computer and multiple computer related items.
Korchma was taken into custody and transported to Troop H-Hartford where he was processed.
He is held on $ $150, 000 bond, and presented in court on Aug. 11.
WETHERSFIELD – The importance of selecting the correct type of flame resistant clothing will be discussed during a Breakfast Roundtable Discussion Group meeting sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
Guest speaker Peter Kumiega, New England sales manager for Bulwark FR Apparel, will provide information and answer questions during the 8:15 to 9:45 a.m. roundtable meeting to be held at the agency’s Central Office, 200 Folly Brook Blvd. in, Wethersfield on Aug. 18.
The morning session will include a continental breakfast.
“When it comes to selecting this type of clothing, employers and their employees face many options,” explains John Able, CONN-OSHA Certified Safety Professional and coordinator of the Breakfast Roundtable Discussion Group. “As a certified trainer with more than 15 years of experience in the flame resistant industry, Peter will use his expertise to help guide people in the right direction.”
Kumiega will focus on three points: understanding flame resistant options and how they relate to NFPA 70e and 2012 standards; the effects of the new OSHA standard 1910.269; and tips for partnering with a supplier that can meet specific company needs.
According to Able, admission to the seminar is free, but pre-registration is required. Please contact Able at email@example.com or call him at (860) 263 – 6902 to register for the breakfast roundtable or for additional information.
HARTFORD — The state’s college system will have a college fair for residents in August to encourage them to stay in Connecticut.
A “Super Saturday Registration Blitz” will be held at the Connecticut Community Colleges on August 22 to allow students to “Stay Near. Go Far.” with their college education. The 12 community colleges of the Connecticut State College and Universities (CSCU) system will host this event to help new community college students enroll in fall classes.
The “Super Saturday Registration Blitz” will offer one-stop access to fall 2015 class registration at the state’s 12 community colleges. On Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., campuses will be open for registration and application fee waivers will be available. Community college staff members will also assist students through the registration process and with class schedules, course selection, financial aid, testing and other matters. Food and refreshments will be served.
“At the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, we are making it easy and quick for students to enroll in fall classes,” said CSCU President Gregory Gray. “On Aug. 22, we are making community college staff available to prospective students to help get them started on the path to a college degree at the state’s community colleges — Connecticut’s best value in higher education.”
The event will be held at community college campuses statewide including: Asnuntuck Community College, Enfield; Capital Community College, Hartford; Gateway Community College, New Haven; Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport; Manchester Community College, Manchester; Middlesex Community College, Middletown; Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury; Northwestern Connecticut Community College, Winsted; Norwalk Community College, Norwalk; Quinebaug Community College, Danielson; Three Rivers Community College, Norwich; and Tunxis Community College, Farmington.
HARTFORD — The top Republican in the state Senate charged Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state employee unions Friday with making an end run around the legislature to resolve a disability pension controversy that the state auditors said may have cost Connecticut millions of dollars in improper payments.
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, also called upon Democratic legislative leaders to insist Malloy submit the agreement reached with unions – which endorses a more lenient standard for awarding disability pensions – to the General Assembly for consideration. The auditors also recommended the legislature consider the issue.
“Untold millions of taxpayer dollars have already flown out the door in unwarranted disability benefits for ineligible state government retirees,” Fasano said. “Now, Governor Malloy has handed over rule-making authority to state employee unions and said, ‘OK, go ahead and write your own eligibility standards.’
“Can you say ‘conflict of interest’?”
Fasano’s objections concern a memorandum of understanding signed by Malloy’s administration and ratified Thursday by the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition.
Both sides effectively agreed on how the state would implement Connecticut law regarding disability pensions. And because the parties don’t consider it to be a new contract or a contract amendment, it will not be submitted to the legislature for action, the Democratic governor’s budget office confirmed Thursday.
Spokesmen for the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate declined to comment.
But the process Malloy and the unions took runs counter to the recommendation of the state auditors of public accounts, Robert M. Ward and John C. Geragosian.
In a special June 17 report to the governor, the auditors detailed a problem that also was highlighted in a lawsuit filed this summer by state whistleblower Virginia Brown, a former attorney with the retirement services division in the comptroller’s office.
According to state law, an employee is disabled for up to 24 months if unable to perform the duties for which he or she was hired because of job conditions. After that, the employee may continue on disability retirement only if certain other conditions are met. In particular, that employee must not be able to perform some other “suitable or comparable” state occupation.
Both the auditors and Brown assert that, at times, workers have been allowed to maintain disability pay as long as their injury prevented them from returning to their original job.
“Democrats will likely not want to touch this issue with a ten-foot pole, but it is not something that is going away,” Fasano said, adding that Senate Republicans would introduce legislation next year to reform the disability pension system. “… Republicans will not allow Connecticut taxpayers to be disrespected as their money gets wasted time and time again in our one-party-rule state.”
“Isn’t it pretty hypocritical for the minority leader to advocate for this for his friends on one day, but send out statements (of opposition) the next?” Malloy spokesman Devon Puglia responded.
Puglia was referring to Fasano’s advocacy for a publicly financed pension for East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo.
“Seems like he has one standard for his friends and then another standard for everyone else,” Puglia said.
The state retirement commission, which also administers the Connecticut Municipal Employees Retirement System, determined Maturo, a Republican, could not collect a disability pension – related to his work as a firefighter – while also collecting his salary as mayor.
Fasano argued this was unfair given that the state commission also determined it was OK for longtime Democratic activist Marilynn Cruz-Aponte to collect a regular pension for her work in New Britain government while also receiving a salary as assistant to the public works director in Hartford.
Hartford attorney Daniel Livingston said the memorandum on disability pensions basically returns the state to an interpretation it has followed for most of the past three decades: If a disabled worker cannot return to his or her original job within 24 months, they are entitled to an ongoing disability pension. Livingston could not be reached for comment Friday.
Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo also questioned whether this was the correct interpretation of the law after he took office in 2011. And while Brown asserts that Lembo and his staff pressured her not to raise concerns about how pensions were awarded, the comptroller – who insists Brown was not coerced in any way – directed the state’s Medical Examining Board to impose the more stringent disability pension standard in the fall of 2013.
But after this resulted in a significant increase in disability pension denials – and complaints from the unions – Lembo suspended all 24-month reviews and asked the administration and the unions to negotiate a solution.
Ward and Geragosian, who warned in June that millions of dollars in pension payments likely were improperly issued, either because of an incorrect standard or because of the suspension of medical reviews, urged the legislature to clarify the matter.
“This is a matter of state statute and legislative and regulatory authority,” Fasano said, adding that the legislature enacted a statute creating disability pensions and establishing the State Employees Retirement Commission to administer it, working with the comptroller. “SEBAC has no authority to draft or approve administrative rules or interpret state statutes. … This is another secret deal negotiated in the dark and is a bad joke on Connecticut taxpayers.”


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NEW STUDY! Parasym Plus™ for Multiple Sclerosis › Forums › PrettyIll.com Discussion › The Latest Research › 4 yr old with one copy of MTHFR
- This topic has 10 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 8 months ago by LKPD.
April 23, 2012 at 4:59 pm #165
My 4 yr old just under went genetic testing. They determined that she does not have vascular type EDS, but tested poss. for one copy of MTHFR mutation of C677T. I am trying desperately to figure out what this means exactly. The letter I received said that ” it is of no clinical significance” .. which I don’t buy. She smells like acetone when she eat red meat or chicken .. and I just have this gut feeling there is something more to her issues than meets the eye. something on a metabolic or genetic level
My daughter has IBS symptoms which are controlled with a strict diet, probiotic supplementation and biotin supplementation. She also has some sensory processing issues and I believe she is an abstract learner ( dyslexia). She has hypermobile type of EDS and also pectus excavatum. Please, if anyone can help guide me to more info on this mutation I would be very very grateful!April 24, 2012 at 12:24 am #2043
Do you supplement her at all? 5-MTHF (methyltetrahydrofolate) is the type of folate (activated folic acid) that should be supplemented for MTHFR per my integrative naturopath doctor. Both my daughter and I are suspected to have MTHFR due to our midline defects, so we both supplement. I honestly don’t know a whole lot about it. What I do know is that regular folic acid is not absorbed properly, so the special folate is absorbed so you can help to avoid problems. I believe methyl B12 should be supplemented as well. We were supposed to get tested, but got sidetracked by our EDS and my POTS diagnosis. Our ND did tell me that the supplement is all that she would add even if we were positive, and we are already on it. I do remember her telling me that people with MTHFR defect sometimes have a hard time with the methylation (detox) pathway if burdened with heavy metals, etc. We already had previous lab work that showed we both were having methylation problems.April 24, 2012 at 12:26 am #2044
I don’t tell you this to scare you, just to share info. It is a hot topic in autism right now, as it is being linked to autism in some, I believe due to the inability to properly detox. It’s mentioned in the bottom of this abstract. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2610366/ “Differences in allele frequency and/or significant gene-gene interactions were found for relevant genes encoding the reduced folate carrier (RFC 80G>A), transcobalamin II (TCN2 776G>C), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT 472G>A), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR 677C>T and 1298A>C), and GST M1. We propose that an increased vulnerability to oxidative stress (endogenous or environmental) may contribute to the development and clinical manifestations of autism.” Another pubmed article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19440165 “Results: MTHFR 677T-allele frequency was found to be higher in autistic children compared with nonautistic children (16.3 vs. 6.5%) with 2.79-fold increased risk for autism [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.58-4.93] Conclusion: MTHFR C677T is a risk factor, whereas MTRR A66G and SHMT C1420T polymorphisms reduce risk for autism. MTHFR A1298C acts additively in increasing the risk for autism.” Here is another discussion about it. http://heal-thyself.ning.com/forum/topics/mthfr-c677t-folate I know I have more articles and info saved on my other computer if you are interested I could get you some links. You will have to copy and paste links because they don’t work from this forum.April 24, 2012 at 12:36 am #2045
Here is the 5-MTHF 1mg that we both take. (Teeny capsules.) I buy it from my ND’s office because it is across the street from my home. 🙂 http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Research-5-MTHF-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-1mg/dp/B001PLESO2 P.S. Looks like the links do work above.
I am curious to see if anyone else chimes in on this discussion, as I didn’t link the MTHFR to EDS yet. I am still a newbie here. 🙂April 25, 2012 at 10:10 pm #2049
Thank you SO much! this is making tons of sense right now.. I knew about it messing up the methylation cycle but didnt realize it interfered with detox!April 26, 2012 at 6:51 pm #2054ourfullhouseParticipant
I believe one copy of only one of the defective genes is inconclusive, because we just don’t have a way to know if that gene is switched on or off/ expressed in an individual or not. That is why having a compound result (two of one bad gene or one each of two bad genes) is considered having a stronger association with being unable to metabolize B6, B12 and Folic Acid. My naturopath would do the same as yours, MattiesMom, try the activated folate and if you feel better you know you need it without doing the test. Also, none of my children are autistic.
I have had the genetic testing and came back as “compound heterozygous” with one copy each of C677T and A1298C. Per the lab report “This genotype is predicted to be associated with a poor metabolizer phenotype characterized by increased plasma homocysteine levels. This individual is at increased risk for arteriosclerotic coronary disease and venous thrombosis as well as for toxicity from medications affecting folate metabolism.”
A person with the MTHFR gene defect need to take activated forms of the above vitamins. I was taking the Thorne 5MTHF and Thorne Methylguard (for the B6 & 12), but I need such a high level of folic acid that the cost was getting too much to buy the Thorne 5MTHF. Also, my husband has the gene defect, and the cost goes through the roof when you are both taking 30 mg of activated folate a day. So, we are now getting it RX for it (brand name is Deplin, but there is also a generic L-Methylfolate Calcium that is MUCH cheaper!) and saving a lot of money! 90 day mail order through our insurance, for 30 mg a day, is $30. So much less than the Thorne! We still are taking Thorne Methylguard, but my naturopath is getting us set up to do activated B12 injections at home soon.
Haven’t had our kids tested yet, and we need to, especially the girls, at least before they get married and have babies, as low folate is linked to neural tube defects, pregnancy complications/miscarriages and delivery complications (all of which I have had, except the neural tube, though on most of my 8 miscarriages we don’t know if something was wrong with the baby or not).
Hope that helps to hear from someone who has had the testing done.April 30, 2012 at 6:54 am #2086SophiegirlParticipant
I am a mother of a son who was told at age 5 that he’d had dyslexia only to find out at age 21 that he had the MTHFR Gene A12098/T677C. In 2008 I found out that I have the same and so does my other son. I just recently found out that my first cousin has the double T677C. Her mother which is is blood relative has the same MTHFR Gene that I have. Her father has the single T677c.
What I am about to tell you may be frightening but had I known this my son would not have lived the horrors he did as a child. If you child has been vaccinated she probably has mercury poisioning!
Please email me at email@example.com I have alot of information to provide you as well as doctors who can help her and you.June 4, 2012 at 10:22 pm #2341
Sophiegirl I would love whatever info you have.. and no we do NOT vaccinate! Auto-immune disease and autism are very prevalent in my family and my husbands siblings had severe reactions to them as well. I *do* think heavy metal toxicity may be an issue though despite the fact my kiddos are vax free.
DD1 just presented with a new symptoms of eczema a couple months ago. It is awful and on her face. And linked to corn exposure and her IBS symptoms. She also has Pectus Excavatum, a heart murmur ( developed in the past year), She was born with an umbilical hernia as well as a lip tie and posterior tongue tie… So midline issue are there for sure. She is also an abstract thinker and did have severe sensory issues ( I suspected autism) but they resolved after food elimination and gut healing. I really think her ability to detox *is* screwed up somehow. but how to help her?June 5, 2012 at 3:20 pm #2344SophiegirlParticipant
You can call me at 314-651-2700. To much information for me to type!June 30, 2012 at 1:28 am #2495
There is a fascinating article (written by a mother) about MTHFR in HEDS… if you look up http://www.mthfrheds.com.July 29, 2012 at 9:17 pm #2697
Sophie I go plan to call you! I am just awful about checking forums.
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domain: health


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Browse by Subject "Housing"
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(Shanghai, China : Tongji University,, 1987)
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.documentMicrosoft Word 2007 (13kB)
Updating housing needs in Illinois: analysis of six prototypical housing markets / [Housing and Research Development Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign] ; Leonard Heumann, principal investigator ; Kathryn Norris, research associate. (Urbana : Housing and Research Development Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1975)

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CBD Oil is taken from the marijuana plant, plus it comprises many medicinal properties. Experts urge it to get rest from also other problems, stress, anxiety, and pain. Since investigators and scientists learned that the fact , it has gotten quite popular among people all over around the planet. Now there is good news for people who are looking for a solution to rejuvenate your own skin. Experts have also learned that CBD oil can reduce wrinkles not only just on the face but allover the body.
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There is definitely a debate on the legalization and ban on cannabis. But gradually, more and more countries and areas are respecting purchase and the farm of marijuana and marijuana solutions. There’s just really a donation to medical marijuana for that legalization. There are many known medical benefits of marijuana already. Several stores and online are participated in the selling of various bud products. CBD is among marijuana’s item extracts. It is available in the form of oil. We can buy CBD petroleum from any internet merchant. To acquire additional details on CBD kindly go to Blessed CBD.
There are approximately 113 chemicals which can be extracted out of the marijuana plant, and cheap CBD petroleum is one of them. There are many medicinal benefits of the oil, most of which are endorsed by thorough studies and research. All millions of people can benefit from this if cannabis is legalized. Some wellness disorders which even recreational medications cannot cure are treated by CBD oil. This chemical doesn’t result in high like THC, and that really is one of those points that are favourable.

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Reformer & Equipment Classes
Work on balance, strength and flexibility on our state of the art Reformers, Cadillac and Chairs. Class size maximum is 6 people per class for individualized attention.
Private Reformer & Equipment
One hour devoted entirely to you. Work one-on-one with one of our certified Pilates instructors with a fitness program that is designed specifically for you.
Pick your favorite exercise partner and come in for a semi-private workout with one of our highly skilled and certified Pilates instructors.
This class focuses on the fundamental work of Joseph Pilates. Excellent for individuals new to the Pilates work and for those searching to strengthen their knowledge of personal body dynamics.
Bring the powder on! Take this hour class and get ready for the slopes. You will get your heart rate up, your thighs and legs in the best shape of your life and you’ll be guaranteed to beat your partner down the mountain. Après skiing after class is optional.
Kickboxing is one of our favorite new additions to the studio! As we challenge each other in this hour of fun, you will build strength, increase flexibility, endurance, and build confidence. After you have worked with Alex punching bags and pads as well as kicking, you will be hooked!
This is an advanced class for people that have previous Kickboxing experience. In this hour long class you will build your defense techniques and strategies while also getting a fun and challenging workout!
Challenge yourself learning Int/Adv repertoire
This hour long reformer class is designed for the intermediate to advanced pilates student.
Intermediate and Advanced reformer/equipment
Basic to Intermediate level proficiency/props
Improve Pelvic Floor strength/function
Beginner/Learning Level Class

domain: hobby


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11-Band Wall Lamp
This wall lamp is composed of eleven curved brass bands. It belongs to the same family as the Mini Wall Lamp and the 5-Band Wall Lamp. It was designed in 1968 for the Mobilier Universel and became part of General Decoration's catalogue. This lamp was created by Jules Wabbes after the Honeycomb Wall Lamp and following the same principle. Light is diffused through the shiny metal bands which makes for beautiful shades to be projected on the wall.
From 3.950,00 €
Length: 350 mm / 13.80"
Depth: 181 mm / 7.20"
Height: 300 mm / 11.80"
Weight: 6.50 kg / 14.33 lbs
Light Bulb: E27 Max 60W - E26 Max 40W
Power: AC 240V - 120V
1 Bulb included - led filament bulb 6W.
Material to be placed by a licensed electrician.
Approximate Lead Time (number of weeks):
- Deposit. 50% to be paid with the order.
- Balance. 50% to be paid before delivery.
Manufactured and assembled by hand in Belgium.
General Decoration is the sole holder of the licenses and designs for the production of the original objects created by Jules Wabbes.
Jules Wabbes by General Decoration, the only original since 1969.

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Last Saturday, I went on a double date...with my ex-husband. Okay, it wasn’t exactly a double date, it was my 14-year old son’s birthday party. But for all intents and purposes, it was a double date.
Picture this: we’re in Buffalo Wild Wings with eight teenage boys at one table (wanting nothing to do with the accompanying adults), and my ex-husband, his live-in girlfriend, my boyfriend, and me at the next table.
The four of us sat there for two hours, laughing, joking, and chatting like we were couples who’ve been friends for years. Only, two of us sitting across the table from one another, each cozied up to someone new, were once married. To each other. For 15 years.
My ex-husband lost interest in me long before our marriage officially ended. I probably should've seen the divorce coming but I didn’t. When he informed me of his intentions to leave, I was blindsided. Within weeks, he was gone.
I was angry, sad, and confused. My heart was shattered as was my ego, and I hit bottom. I hung out there for a while - in the fetal position rocking back and forth. But here’s the thing about the bottom, once you’re there, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Little by little, I rebuilt myself, and as I did, I had an epiphany: the marriage really hadn’t been serving me in any meaningful way either. I'd been settling for a long time and I deserved better.
From this place of healing, the anger subsided, the pain eased, and I began to feel strong, whole, and secure in my own skin. With a sense of inner peace, I was able to move forward in life and love. I was also able to forgive my ex-husband for nearly breaking me. This was a critical building block to the friendly and productive co-parenting relationship we share today.
As we sat around the table noshing on wings and making friendly small talk, I unemotionally watched the man I once vowed “till death do us part” show loving affection to his new partner. That’s when it hit it me: maybe it wasn’t just me who was settling in the marriage, maybe he'd been, too. Maybe he, like me, deserved better. He was the one who chose to leave the marriage, so naturally, I made myself the victim. He was the bad guy, I was the good guy, and that was that. But possibly, I wondered, could he have been a victim, too?
He was animated and almost youthful in his interactions with her – playful, light, and doting. I hadn’t seen that side of him in years. He looked happy. He is happy! He wasn’t happy with me, but he clearly is with her. Let’s face it, had I been meeting his needs in a meaningful way, he would've paid more attention to me and showed me the loving affection I was watching him show to her.
I turned to the man sitting to my right, the true love of my life, and locked eyes with him. In that moment, I felt so completely content. It was abundantly clear to me that the four of us, all ex-spouses to someone, were exactly where we were meant to be.
Marriages go south, blame is placed, and hearts are broken. But at the end of the day, we’re all human. We all want to be loved, and feel needed, and have certain needs of our own met. Sometimes you just can’t find that in the person you married. Sometimes it takes a failed marriage, some crippling soul searching, and a new start to see that.
Three years after my divorce, I’m proud of the relationship I have with my ex-husband, and I’m thrilled that our extended circle can peacefully co-exist on a friendly level. Is it a little weird for ex-spouses and their dates to enjoy lighthearted conversation on a pseudo double date? Sure. But how great is it that we’re all weird enough to do so?

domain: psychology


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Atlanta Fed Names Christopher L. Oakley Vice President and Branch Manager of Jacksonville Branch
For Immediate Release: Feb. 25, 2002
Christopher L. Oakley has been named vice president and branch manager of the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, announced Jack Guynn, president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Fed. In his new position, Oakley will have responsibility for all operations at the Jacksonville Branch and will serve as the training function director for the Sixth Federal Reserve District’s Financial Services Division. Oakley will replace Robert J. Slack, currently senior vice president and Jacksonville Branch manager, who is retiring at the end of March 2002.
Oakley joined the Jacksonville Branch in 1988 as a management intern in the Cash Services Department and has held various management positions, including cash services supervisor, personnel coordinator and personnel manager. He was promoted to financial services director in 1992 and then to assistant vice president in 1996. He was named assistant branch manager in 1997. Oakley holds a bachelor of science degree in management and a certificate in industrial and organizational psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has also completed two executive education courses at the University of Virginia.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta serves the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses Alabama, Florida, Georgia and sections of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. As part of the nation’s central banking system, the Atlanta Fed participates in setting national monetary policy, supervises numerous commercial banks and provides a variety of financial services to depository institutions and the U.S. government.

domain: finance


text:
Laurence, through the continent of north america to the frozen and pacific oceans in the years 1789 and 1793. The paris she knew was conflicted by its past and by its future. Charlaine sookie stackhouse the sookie stackhouse companion. Sent to an allgirls boarding school, feeling abandoned, and leaving the boyfriend she loved behind, she confronted her new world with little trust. It seems as if all the buzz is about ereaders lately. Buddy the bear is making reading fun again within this new childrens book series. In the spinsters bed spinster house kindle edition by sally mackenzie. An invitation to sin josephine atworthy is shocked by the goingson at her rich neighbors house party. He took her by surprisewhen a naked earl climbs through the window into her. The naked duke ebook by sally mackenzie 9781420114010. Then on june 28, homestands released, book one in the chicago wind series. The added value is that children can borrow books and read them.
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In usa today bestselling author sally mackenzies charming spinster house series, love is always a welcome guest two possible futures loom before miss anne davenport. Blast off with buddy on his newest adventure today. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the naked prince naked nobility book 7. Sophie mckenzie was born and brought up in london, where she still lives with her teenage son. The ones where my parents would relentlessly try and blend their step families together in some fancy resort location. The new kid on the block by jack prelutsky this book contains more than 100 humorous poems that are enjoyed by the young and old alike. Book buddys editorial and design staff collaborate to build books to your specifications in both school library and curriculum markets. A list of all sally mackenzies series in reading order. My book buddy s 2020 walk for literacy is a virtual meetup designed to help raise awareness of the literacy crisis in detroit and promote resources for the crisis. When his rather unromantic marriage proposal to vicars daughter emma peterson leads to pottery being thrown at his head. Usa today bestselling author sally mackenzie delights again with this perfect confection of romance, intrigue, sexiness and humor.
The naked prince naked nobility book 7 kindle edition by sally mackenzie. Everyone has cassie ebook by tess mackenzie rakuten kobo. Get a peek into miska and dillans lives as jordan, dillans sister, finds loveand danger. A great readaloud for the combined book buddy classrooms. Read the naked duke by sally mackenzie available from rakuten kobo. Quotations from the project gutenberg editions of the works of charles dudley warner english as author quotes and images from the works of charles dudley warner english. I have a busy private practice and ive been working predominantly with babies and children since 1997. Cassie finds out her sexbuddy friend eric sometimes takes part in group sex. Be mine ebook by justine wittich 9781610840293 rakuten kobo. But her demure charm beguiles a mysterious nobleman, who begs a kissthen another.
Naked, noble and irresistiblewho could resist one of sally mackenzie s heroes. Please do not discuss leak spoilers in this thread. Buddy hobbes, protagonist of the film elf, played by will ferrell. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading in the spinsters bed spinster house. You can then ask for the average rating, author, number of pages, summary, or even books similar to the one you picked. Buddy bradley, the protagonist of peter bagges comic book hate. The naked prince naked nobility book 7 kindle edition.
Duck on a bike by david shannon this humorous book chronicles the adventure a duck has when he decides to take a bike for a ride around the farm. If you feel like something is a spoiler that need to be hidden such as a spoiler from official promos please use spoiler text. She has worked as a journalist and a magazine editor, and now writes full time. Did you know that you can help us produce ebooks by proofreading just one page a day. Compton mackenzie, computability theory, computation, computational. Jan 25, 2020 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Sally mackenzie decided to become a writer in grade school when she read one of her stories to the class. There is a wide range of subjects in this list of titles all by well known authors of books for boys. And thats the only reason i havent given in to my desires yet. The viscounts house party promises to be one of the seasons highlights, and lord and lady kilgorn are delighted to attend. Sally brampton, sally fallon, sally lloyd jones, sally nicholls, sally thorne. Naked nobility series by sally mackenzie goodreads. In usa today bestselling author sally mackenzie s charming spinster house series, love is always a welcome guest two possible futures loom before miss anne davenport. Aspectos metodologicos del comparatismo artistico pdf ie on.635 686 662 1498 826 385 989 525 137 1074 69 1162 1104 1109 184 90 679 210 1223 166 1333 1361 807 464 102 1109 1013 363 1431 457 285 811 1259 60 1489 1468

domain: literature


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5 ways hearing aid technology has evolved
Technology is constantly evolving, and hearing technology is no exception. This evolution, combined with a better understanding of how people hear, has revolutionized the hearing aid industry. Here are some changes that have made a big difference in the quality of life for those who are suffering from hearing loss.
1. Smaller and less noticeable design. Instead of the behind-the-ear hearing aids of yesteryear, technology has made it possible to create aids that fit inside the ear, in some cases all the way in the inner ear canal. This can improve sound quality and reduce the interference from other noises in the room. It is also much more inconspicuous — newer hearing aids are much less noticeable to others.
2. Chip, chip, hooray. Modern hearing aids are digital, with some even using microchips, which is basically a computer in your ear. These chips recognize various sounds and improve the quality of them before they even reach your inner ear for processing and translation by your brain.
3. Change of direction. Many modern hearing aids have a directional microphone, which offers better sound quality than a traditional microphone. In such units, two or more microphones are used to help better distinguish sounds that you want to hear, such as a friend or loved one speaking to you, from other background noise that you don’t need to hear. In ears that have normal hearing function, the brain receives signals from the ear and filters noise automatically. For those with hearing loss, the directional microphone systems can better replicate the natural ear-brain process and, in turn, more natural hearing.
4. Get connected. It seems that every electronic device has a way to link up with other devices. Hearing aids are no different. Many models can now connect wirelessly to your personal devices, such as smartphones, computers and tablets. What is the benefit of this feature? No earbuds or headphones needed for taking a call or enjoying your favorite tunes! With the help of certain apps, you can even turn on closed captioning automatically.
5. A perfect match. In the early days of hearing aids, you had the choice of once color: beige. Now hearing aid manufacturers are able to create external aids that more closely match a user’s real skin tone.
If you are suffering with reduced hearing and might need to add a hearing aid in order to make things clearer, you can rest assured that advances in technology are available to enhance your experience. Talk to your hearing professional today.
Have questions about hearing aids or hearing technology? Talk to one of our hearing specialists at XYZ Hearing. We take pride in our innovative technology, compassionate staff and experience in hearing health to ensure our patients live happy, healthy lives. To learn more or set up an appointment, call us at XXX-XXXX or visit our website.


Platina 100 disc variant offers a bigger front rotor around the cost of HF Deluxe drum brake trim – more bang for your buck!
Bajaj Auto has added a new variant to its Platina 100 series of bikes with a 240 mm disc brake at the front. The disc brake is available along with the ES (electric start) variant and becomes the top-end model of the 100cc Platina range.
The Platina 100 disc is priced at ₹60,698, which makes it ₹2221 costlier than the ES drum brake variant. The two entry variants include a KS (Kick-start) Alloy Drum Brake variant, which is priced at ₹50,464, and ES Alloy Drum Brake, which is priced at ₹58,477.
*all prices ex-showroom Delhi
According to the official website, the weight of the higher disc variant is 119 kilos which is 1.5 kg higher than the ES drum trim. Apart from this everything else remains the same on the bike.
Platina 100 continues to be powered by a 102 cc BS6 compliant engine, that is good enough to generate 7.9 PS of peak power and 8.34 Nm of maximum torque. The engine is mated to a 4-speed gearbox.
Not many 100cc motorcycles come with disc brakes and Platina 100 could probably be the only one with the tech now. Generally makers offer disc brake variants in the slightly premium 110cc executive commuter motorcycles.
Platina 100 Disc is placed over all the variants of Hero HF Deluxe and it costs just a wee bit less than the entry Splendor variant (both the Heros come devoid of discs)
– Moin Ahmed


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Grab bonuses and multipliers as you collect poker hands and become a true high-roller.
Capture Elemental Particles in order to power the Zodiac Reactor—an ancient device capable of creating stars!
The goal of the game is to annihilate all the enemies in a given time.
One day a very unfortunate angel fell through a hole in a cloud and lost all his feathers.
When balls of the same color collide with each other, they disappear.
Adventure & RPG
Music & More
Strategy & Defense
Today Most Popular Games
Save the galaxy one system at a time. Fight off the scurvy space pirates, the mysterious aliens and the remnant Artifical Intelligence.
Take to the seas in wet and wild powerboat races through busy seaports, rocky coves and tropical islands.
Exhillarating race with 16 opponents over insane roller coaster tracks.
MARDEK RPG: Chapter 3
An homage to and affectionate light parody of ‘retro RPGs’, but a full, deep game in itself, with many hours of gameplay.
Drift Runners 2
Sequel to the popular DriftRunners, take on 40 challenges over 25 unique tracks, using 8 distinct upgradable vehicles. Faster, Bigger, Better. Drift a
Latest Added Games
Sci-fi “run & gun” platformer game. This is a story about enhanced soldiers confrontation.
3D Speed Play Soccer 2
It is amazing soccer game with a beautiful graphic in 3D! Let's win European cup 2012 with your favorite team.
It’s golf like you’ve never played it before. Sure, get the ball in the hole, but this is a race… hit the ball, then run to where it
Speed Card Game
Place a card into either one of the middle pile of cards.
The Pretender: Part Three
Give the souls a chance to find their way home...
Copyright © 2012 GamesMotor.com, All Rights Reserved
All media and free games are copyright © of their respective copyright holders.
GamesMotor.com acts as a medium for play, promotion and display purposes only.
If you are the copyright owner of a game and wish to have your game removed, please contact us for prompt removal.

domain: game


text:
model: Roddy location: the woods [mississauga] hair & makeup: the models own this logo is a just a tester. too obvious i think. any graphic designers out there, that wanna help me out? tradesies!
*taking a deep breath* my alias fotography has just been born. you can find it here: myaliasfotography.weebly.com and here: twitter.com/myaliasfotos and for daily street fotos, here: myaliasfotography on flickr what’s it about? simply: imagery collaborations between subject and photographer. daily urban ife. creativity expressed in digital. if you’re wondering what’s YOUR alias come and find out.


text:
While DP and guided wave radar level transmitters and even mechanical floaters and visual gauges serve their purpose in light, sweet crudes and generally when water separates easily from oil, heavier and more viscous crude oils introduce much more complex layers and less defined levels in production separators.
With tight emulsions, long settling times and severe foaming, operators need better information to optimize separator throughput, and still avoid excess water on the oil outlet and liquid carry-over on the gas outlet.
The Sentech Level Profiler employs a series of SeCaP sensors allowing operators to "see through the walls" of the separator:
Accurate location of water, emulsion, oil, foam and free gas layers relative to top of weir plate
Seamless gradient color for varying water cut across emulsion layer
Customization of vertical resolution to customer requirements (1 cm resolution possible)
Optimization of resolution at critical levels in separator (e.g. just below top of weir plate)
Optional flushing capability for effective cleaning of sensors without affecting production
The Sentech Level Profiler is the only technology on the market able to provide this level of detail and seamless representation of complex separator layers without any nuclear sources.
Beyond conventional production separators, other useful applications for the Sentech Level Profiler include:
Horizontal and vertical Free Water Knockout drums/vessels
Mechanical and electrical coalescers to optimize process and throughput
Heater treaters the Sentech Level Profiler can be supplied for temperatures up to 225°C
Storage tanks to determine level of residual water gathered at the bottom of the tank
Optional sensor flushing system
The process wetted ceramic front end of each SeCaP sensor undergoes weeks of burn-in to close all porosities and achieve a repellent surface. But the SeCaP sensor surface is also exposed when wax, asphaltenes, resins and fine solids deposit on all surfaces inside the separator.
The Level Profiler software is able to detect contamination build-up on all sensors, but software alone cannot remove the dirt and grease responsible for poor measurements. Sentech AS has developed an integrated cleaning system, allowing simultaneous High Pressure jet flushing of all sensors with permanently installed nozzles without having to retrieve the Level Profiler rod andwithout having to interrupt production.
A SeCap sensor ceramic surface coated with Tectyl Bodysafe asphaltic wax (specific gravity of 0.91) before and after cleaning with Sentech AS integrated High Pressure jet flushing system.
The Sentech Level Profiler employs a series of SeCaP sensors to generate a high-resolution profile of the water, emulsion, oil, foam and gas layers in separators and vessels

domain: chemistry


text:
(Read Robert’s introduction to this story.)
In the darkness, in the world of nightmares, she sang a little song. In her small room, behind the drawn curtains, her voice was tiny, frightened, murmuring in her sleep:
Oh dear mother what a fool I’ve been …
Three young fellows … came courting me …
Two were blind … the other couldn’t see …
Oh dear mother what a fool I’ve been …
Tuneless, timeless, endlessly repeated through the night, soon the nightmare grew worse and she tossed below the bedclothes, and called out for her mother, louder and louder. Mother! Mother! until she sat up, gasping for breath and screaming.
‘Hush, child. I’m here. I’m beside you. Quiet now. Go back to sleep.’
‘I’m frightened, I’m frightened. I had a terrible dream …’
Her mother hugged her, sitting on the bed, rocking back and forward, wiping the sweat and the fear from her face. ‘Hush … hush, now. It was just a dream …’
The blind man,’ she whispered, and shook as she thought of it so that her mother’s grip grew firmer, more reassuring. ‘The blind man. He’s coming again …’
‘Just a dream, child. There’s nothing to be frightened of. Close your eyes and go back to sleep, now. Sleep, child… sleep. There. That’s better.’
Still she sang, her voice very small, very faint as she drifted mo sleep again. ‘Three young fellows … came courting me … we was blind … one was grim … one had creatures following him …
‘Hush, child …’
Waking with a scream: ‘Don’t let him take me!’
None of the children in the village really knew one festival day from another. They were told what to wear, and told what to do, and told what to eat, and when the formalities were over they would rush away to their secret camp, in the shadow of the old church.
Lord’s Eve was different, however. Lord’s Eve was the best of the festivals. Even if you didn’t know that a particular day would be Lord’s Eve day, the signs of it were in the village.
Ginny knew the signs by heart. Mr Box, at the Red Hart, would spend a day cursing as he tried to erect a tarpaulin in the beer garden of his public house. Here, the ox would be slaughtered and roasted, and the dancers would rest. At the other end of the village Mr Ellis, who ran the Bush and Briar, would put empty firkins outside his premises for use as seats. The village always filled with strangers during the dancing festivals, and those strangers drank a lot of beer.
The church was made ready too. Mr and Mrs Morton, usually never to be seen out of their Sunday best, would dress in overalls and invade the cold church with brooms, brushes and buckets. Mr Ashcroft, the priest, would garner late summer flowers, and mow and trim the graveyard. This was a dangerous time for the children, since he would come perilously close to their camp, which lay just beyond the iron gate that led from the churchyard. Here, between the church and the earth walls of the old Saxon fort – in whose ring the village had been built – was a tree-filled ditch, and the children’s camp had been made there. The small clearing was close to the path which led from the church, through the earth wall and out onto the farmland beyond.
There were other signs of the coming festival day, however, signs from outside the small community. First, the village always seemed to be in shadow. Yet distantly, beyond the cloud cover, the land seemed to glow with eerie light. Ginny would stand on the high wall by the church, looking through the crowded trees that covered the ring of earthworks, staring to where the late summer sun was setting its fire on Whitley Nook and Middleburn. Movement on the high valley walls above these villages was just the movement of clouds, and the fields seemed to flow with brightness.
The wind always blew from Whitley Nook towards Ginny’s own village, Scarrowfell. And on that wind, the day before the festival of Lord’s Eve, you could always hear the music of the dancers as they wended their way along the riverside, through and round the underwood, stopping at each village to collect more dancers, more musicians (more hangovers) ready for the final triumph at Scarrowfell itself.
The music drifted in and out of hearing, a hint of a violin, the distant clatter of sticks, the faint jingle of the small bells with which the dancers decked out their clothes. When the wind gusted, whole phrases of the jaunty music could be heard, a rhythmic sound, with the voices of the dancers clearly audible as they sang the words of the folk songs.
Ginny, precariously balanced on the top of the wall, would jig with those brief rhythms, hair blowing in the wind, one hand holding on to the dry bark of an ash branch.
The dancers were coming; all the Oozers and the Pikers and the Thackers, coming to join the village’s Scarrowmen; and it was therefore the day of Lord’s Eve: the birds would flock and wheel in the skies, and flee along the valley too. And sure enough, as she looked up into the dark sky over Scarrowfell, the birds were there, thousands of them, making streaming, spiral patterns in the gloom. Their calling was inaudible. But after a while they streaked north, away from the bells, away from the sticks, away from the calling of the Oozers.
Kevin Symonds came racing round the grey-walled church, glanced up and saw Ginny and made frantic beckoning motions.
‘Gargoyle!’ he hissed, and Ginny almost shouted as she lost her balance before jumping down from the wall. ‘Gargoyle’ was their name for Mr Ashcroft, the priest. A second after they had squeezed beyond the iron gate and into the cover of the scrub the old man appeared. But he was busy placing rillygills – knots of flowers and wheat stalks – on each gravestone and didn’t notice the panting children just beyond the cleared ground, where the thorn and ash thicket was so dense.
Ginny led the way into the clear space among the trees in the ditch. She stepped up the shallow earth slope to peer away into the field beyond, and the circle of tall elms that grew at its centre. A scruffy brown mare – probably one of Mr Box’s drays — was kicking and stamping across the field, a white foal stumbling behind it. She was so intent on watching the foal that she didn’t notice Mr Box himself, emerging from the ring of trees. He was dressed in his filthy blue apron but walked briskly across the field towards the church, his gaze fixed on the ground. Every few paces he stopped and fiddled with something on the grass. He never looked up, walked through the gap in the earthworks — the old gateway — and passed, by doing so, within arm’s reach of where Ginny and Kevin breathlessly crouched. He walked straight ahead, stopped at the iron gate, inspected it, then moved off around the perimeter of the church, out of sight and out of mind.
‘They’ve got the ox on the spit already,’ Kevin said, his eyes bright, his lips wet with anticipation. ‘It’s the biggest ever. There’s going to be at least two slices each.’
‘Yuck!’ said Ginny, feeling sick at the thought of the grey, greasy meat.
‘And they’ve started the bonfire. You’ve got to come and see it. It’s going to be huge! My mother said it’s going to be the biggest yet.’
‘I usually scrub potatoes for fire-baking,’ Ginny said. ‘But I haven’t been asked this year.’
‘Sounds as if you’ve been lucky,’ Kevin said. ‘It’s going to be a really big day. The biggest ever. It’s very special.’
Ginny whispered, ‘My mother’s been behaving strangely. And I’ve had a nightmare …’
Kevin watched her, but when no further information or explanation seemed to be forthcoming he said, ‘My mother says this is the most special Lord’s Eve of them all. An old man’s coming back to the village.’
‘What old man?’
‘His name’s Cyric, or something. He left a long time ago, but he’s coming back and everybody’s very excited. They’ve been trying to get him to come back for ages, but he’s only just agreed. That’s what Mum says, anyway.’
‘What’s so special about him?’
Kevin wasn’t sure. ‘She said he’s a war hero, or something.’
‘Ugh!’ Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. ‘He’s probably going to be all scarred.’
‘Or blind!’ Kevin agreed, and Ginny’s face turned white.
A third child wriggled through the iron gate and skidded into the depression between the earth walls, dabbing at his face where he had scratched himself on a thorn.
‘The tower!’ Mick Ferguson whispered excitedly, ignoring his graze. ‘While old Gargoyle is busy placing the rillygills.’
They moved cautiously back to the churchyard, then crawled towards the porch on their bellies, screened from the priest by the high earth mounds over each grave. Ducking behind the memorial stones – but not touching them – they at last found sanctuary in the freshly polished, gloomy interior. Despite the cloud-cover, light was bright from the stained-glass windows. The altar, with its flowers, looked somehow different from normal. The Mortons were cleaning the font, over in the side chapel; a bucket of well-water stood by ready to fill the bowl. They were talking as they worked and didn’t hear the furtive movement of the three children.
Kevin led the way up the spiralling, footworn steps and out onto the cone-shaped roof of the church’s tower. They averted their eyes from the grotesque stone figure that guarded the doorway, although Kevin reached out and touched its muzzle as he always did.
‘For luck,’ he said. ‘My mother says the stone likes affection as much as the rest of us. If it doesn’t get attention it’ll prowl die village at night and choose someone to kill.’
‘Shut up,’ Ginny said emphatically, watching the monster from die corner of her eye.
Michael laughed. ‘Don’t be such a scaredy-hare,’ he said and reached out to jingle the small bell that hung around her neck. Her ghost bell.
‘It’s a small bell and that’s a big stone demon,’ Ginny pointed out nervously. Why was she so apprehensive this time, she wondered? She had often been up here and had never doubted that the stone creature, like all demons, could not attack the faithful, and that bells, books and candles were protection enough from the devil’s minions.
The nightmare had upset her. She remembered Mary Whitelock’s nightmare a few years before — almost the same dream, confided in the gang as they had feasted on stolen pie in their camp. She had not really liked Mary. All the same, when she had suddenly disappeared, after the festival, Ginny had felt very confused …
No! Put the thought from your mind, she told herself sternly. And brazenly she turned and stared at the medieval monstrosity that sat watching the door to the church below. And she laughed, because it was only frightening when you imagined how awful it was. In fact, it looked faintly ludicrous, with its gaping V-shaped mouth and lolling tongue, and its pointed ears, and skull cheeks, and its one great staring eye … and one gouged socket …
Below them, the village was a bustle of activity. In the small square in front of the church the bonfire was rising to truly monumental heights. Other children were helping to heap the faggots and broken furniture onto the pile. A large stake in its centre was being used to hold the bulk of wood in place.
Away from where this fire would blaze, a large area was being roped off for the dancing. The gate from the church had already been decked with wild roses and lilies. The Gargoyle himself always led the congregation from the Lord’s Eve service out to the festivities in the village. Ginny giggled at the remembered sight of him, dark cassock held up to his knees, white bony legs kicking and hopping along with the Oozers and the local Scarrowmen, a single bell on each ankle making him look as silly as she always thought he was.
At the far end of the village, the road from Whitley Nook cut through the south wall of the old earth fort and snaked between the cluster of tiled cottages where Ginny herself lived. Here, two small fires had been set alight, one on each side of the valley. On the church tower the three children enjoyed the smell of the burning wood. And as they listened they heard the music of the dancers, even now winding their way between Middleburn and Whitley Nook.
They would be here tomorrow. Sunlight picked out the white of their costumes, miles distant; and the flash of swords flung high in the air.
The Oozers were coming. The Thackers were coming. The wild dance was coming.
She awoke with a shock, screaming out, then becoming instantly silent as she stared at the empty room and the bright daylight creeping in above the heavy curtains of her room.
What time was it? Her head was full of music, the jangle of bells, the beating of the skin drums, the clash and thud of the wooden hobby poles. But now, outside, all was silent.
She swung her legs from the bed, then began to shiver as unpleasant echoes of that haunting song, the nightmare song, came back to her.
She found that she could not resist muttering the words that stalked her sleeping hours. It was as if she had to repeat the sinister refrain before her body would allow her to move again, to become a child again …
‘Oh dear mother … three young men … two were blind … the third couldn’t see … oh mother, oh mother … grim-eyed courtiers … blind men dancing … creatures followed him, creatures dancing …’
The church bell rang out, a low repeated toll, five strikes and then a sixth strike, a moment delayed from the rest.
Five strikes for the Lord, and one for the fire! It couldn’t be that time. It couldn’t! Why hadn’t mother come in to wake her?
Ginny ran to the curtains and pulled them back, staring out into the deserted street, crawling up onto the window ledge so that she could lean through the top window and stare up towards the square.
It was full of motionless figures. And distantly she could hear the chanting of the congregation. The Lord’s Eve service had already started. Started! The procession had already passed the house, and she had been aware of it only in her half sleep!
She screeched with indignation, fleeing from her bedroom into the small sitting room. By the clock on the mantelpiece she learned that it was after midday. She had slept . . . she had slept fifteen hours!
She grabbed her clothes, pulled them on, not bothering with her hair but making a token effort to polish her shoes. It was Lord’s Eve. She had to be smart today. She couldn’t find her bell necklace. She had on a flowered dress and red shoes. She pulled a pink woollen cardigan over her shoulders, grabbed at her frilly hat, stared at it, then tossed it behind the hat rack … and fled from the house.
She ran up the road to the church square, following the path that, earlier, the column of dancers must have taken. She felt tears in her eyes, tears of dismay, and anger, and irritation. Every year she watched the procession from her garden. Every year! Why hadn’t mother woken her?
She loved the procession, the ranks of dancers in their white coats and black hats, the ribbons, the flowers, the bells tied to ankle, knee and elbow, the men on the hobby horses, the fools with their pigs’ bladders on sticks, the women in their swirling skirts, the Thackers, the Pikermen, the Oozers, the black-faced Scarrowmen … all of them came through the smouldering fires at the south gate, each turning and making the sign of peace before jigging and hopping on along the road, keeping time to the beat of the drum, the melancholy whine of the violin, the sad chords of the accordion, the trill of the whistles.
And she had missed it! She had slept! She had remained in the world of nightmares, where the shadowy blind pursued her …
As she ran she screamed her frustration!
She stopped at the edge of the square, catching her breath, looking for Kevin, or Mick, or any others of the small gang that had their camp in the earthen walls of the old fort. She couldn’t see them. She cast her gaze over the ranks of silent dancers. They were spread out across the square, lines of men and women facing the lych-gate and the open door of the church. They stood in absolute silence. They hardly seemed to breathe. Sometimes, as she brushed past one of them, working her way towards the church where Gargoyle’s voice was an irritating drone in the distance, sometimes a tambourine would rattle, or an accordion would sigh a weary note. The man holding it would glance and smile at her, but she knew better than to disturb the Scarrowmen when the voice was speaking from the church.
She passed under the rose and lily gate, ducked her head and made the sign of peace, then scampered into the porch and edged towards the gloomy, crowded interior.
The priest was at the end of his sermon, the usual boring sermon for the feast day.
‘We have made a pledge,’ Mr Ashcroft was intoning. ‘A pledge of belief in a life after death, a pledge of belief in a God which is greater than humankind itself …’
She could see Kevin, standing and fidgeting between his parents, four pews forward in the church. Of Michael there was no sign. And where was mother? At the front, almost certainly …
‘We believe in the resurrection of the Dead, and in a time of atonement. We have made a pledge with those who have died before us, a pledge that we will be reunited with them in the greater Glory of our Lord.’
‘Kevin!‘ Ginny hissed. Kevin fidgeted. The priest droned on.
‘We have pledged all of this, and we believe all of this. Our time in the physical realm is a time of trial, a time of testing, a testing of our honour and our belief, a belief that those who have gone are not gone at all, but merely waiting to be rejoined with us …’
‘Kevin!‘ she called again. ‘Kevin!‘
Her voice carried too loudly. Kevin glanced round and went white. His mother glanced round too, then jerked his attention back to the service, using a lock of his curly hair as her means. His cry was audible to the Gargoyle himself, who hesitated before concluding,
‘This is the brightness behind the feast of the Lord’s Eve. Think not of the Death, but of the Life our Lord will bring us.’
Where was her mother?
Before she could think further someone’s hand tugged at her shoulder, pulling her back towards the porch of the church. She protested and glanced up, and the solemn face of Mr Box stared down at her. ‘Go outside, Ginny,’ he said. ‘Go outside, now.’ Inside, the congregation had begun to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
He pushed her towards the rose gate, beyond which the Oozers and Scarrowmen waited for the service to end. She walked forlornly towards them, and as she passed the man who stood closest to her she struck at his tambourine. The tambours jangled loudly in the still, summer square.
The man didn’t move. She stood and stared defiantly at him, then struck his tambourine again.
‘Why don’t you dance?’ she shrieked at him. When he ignored her, she shouted again. ‘Why don’t you make music? Make music! Dance in the square! Dance!’ Her voice was a shrill cry.
There was no twilight. Late afternoon became dark night in a few minutes and a torch was put to the fire, which flared dramatically and silenced all activity. Glowing embers streamed into a starless sky and the village square became choking with the sweet smell of burning wood. The last smells of the roasted ox were banished and in the grounds of the Red Lion the skeleton of the beast was hacked apart. A few pence each for the bones with their meaty fragments. In front of the Bush and Briar Mr Ellis swept up a hundredweight of broken glass. Mick Ferguson led a gang of children, chasing an empty barrel down the street, towards the south gate where the fires still smouldered.
For a while the dancing had ceased. People thronged about the fire. Voices were raised in the public houses as dancers and tourists alike struggled to get in fresh orders for ale. A sort of controlled chaos ruled the day, and in the centre of it: the fire, its light picking out stark details on the grey church and the muddy green in the square. Beyond the sheer rise of the church tower, all was darkness, although men in white shirts and black hats walked through the lych-gate and rounded the church, talking quietly, dispersing as they re-emerged into the square. Here, they again picked up sticks, or tambourines, or other instruments of music and mock war.
Ginny wandered among them.
She could not find her mother.
And she knew that something was wrong, very wrong indeed.
It came as scant reassurance when a bearded youth called to the Morrissmen again, and twelve sturdy men, all of them strangers to Scarrowfell, jangled their way from the Bush and Briar to the dancing square. There was laughter, tomfoolery with the cudgels they carried, and the whining practice notes of the accordion. Then they filed into a formation, jiggled and rang their legs, laughed once more and began to hop to the rhythm of a dance called the Cuckoo’s Nest. A man in a baggy, flowery dress and with a big frilly bonnet on his head sang the rude words. The singer was a source of great amusement since he sported a bushy, ginger beard. He wore an apron over the frock and every so often lifted the pinny to expose a long red balloon strapped between his legs. It had eyes and eyelashes painted on its tip. The audience roared each time he did this.
As Ginny moved through the fair towards the new focus of activity, Mick Ferguson approached her, grinned, and went into his Hunchback of Notre Dame routine, stooping forward, limping in an exaggerated fashion and crying, ‘The bells. The bells. The jingling bells . . .’
‘Mick …’ Ginny began, but he had already flashed her a nervous grin and bolted off into the confusing movement of the crowds, running towards the fire and finally disappearing into the gloom beyond.
Ginny watched him go. Mick, she thought … Mick … why?
What was going on?
She walked towards the dancers and the bearded singer and Kevin turned round nervously and nodded to her. The man sang:
‘Some like a girl who is pretty in the face
And some like a girl who is slender in the waist…’
‘I missed the procession,’ Ginny said. ‘I wasn’t woken up.’
Kevin stared at her, looking unhappy. He said, ‘My mother told me not to talk to you…’
She waited, but Kevin had decided that discretion was the better part of cowardice.
‘Why not?’ she asked, disturbed by the statement.
‘You’re being denied,’ the boy murmured.
Ginny was shocked. ‘Why am I being denied? Why me?’
Kevin shrugged. Then a strange look came into his eyes, a horrible look, a man’s look, arrogant, sneering.
The man in the hideous dress sang:
‘But give me a girl who will wriggle and will twist
Each time I slap my hand upon her cuckoo’s nest…’
Kevin backed away from Ginny, making ‘cuckoo’ sounds.
‘It’s a rude song,’ Ginny said.
Kevin taunted, ‘You’re a cuckoo. You’re a cuckoo …’
‘I don’t know what it means,’ Ginny said, bewildered.
‘Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo,’ Kevin mocked, then jabbed her in the groin. He cackled horribly then raced away towards the blazing bonfire. Ginny had tears in her eyes, but her anger was so intense that the tears dried. She glared at the singer, still not completely aware of what was going on except that she knew the song was rude because of the guffaws of the adult men in the watching circle. After a moment she slipped away towards the church.
She stood within the lych-gate watching the flickering of the fire, the highlit faces of the crowds, the restless movement, the jigging and hopping … hearing the laughter, and the music, and the distant wind that was fanning the fire and making the flames bend violently and dangerously towards the south. And she wondered where, in all this chaos, her mother might have been.
Mother had been so supportive to her, so gentle, so kind. During the nights when the nightmare had been a terrible presence in the house by the old road, where Ginny had lived since her real parents had died in the fire, during those terrible nights the Mother had been so comforting. Ginny had come to think of her as her own mother, and all grief, all sadness had faded fast.
Where was the Mother? Where was she?
She saw Mr Box, walking slowly through the crowds, a baked potato in one hand and a glass of beer in the other. She ran to him and tugged at his jacket. He nearly choked on his potato and glanced round urgently, but soon her voice reached him and, although he frowned, he stooped down towards her. He threw the remnants of his potato away and placed his glass upon the ground.
‘Hello Ginny …’ He sounded anxious.
‘Mr Box. Have you seen mother?’
Again he looked uncomfortable. His kindly face was a mask of worry. His moustache twitched. ‘You see … she’s getting the reception ready.’
‘What reception?’ Ginny asked.
‘Why, for Cyric, of course. The war hero. The man who’s coming back to us. He’s finally agreed to return to the village. He was supposed to have come three years ago, but he couldn’t make it.’
‘I don’t care about him,’ she said. ‘Where’s mother?’
Mr Box placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook his head. ‘Can’t you just play, child? It’s what you’re supposed to do. I’m just a pub landlord. I’m not part of the Organisers. You shouldn’t even … you shouldn’t even be talking to me.’
‘I’m being denied,’ she whispered.
‘Yes,’ he said sadly.
‘Where’s mother?’ Ginny demanded.
‘An important man is coming back to the village,’ Mr Box said. ‘A great hero. It’s a great honour for us … and . . .’ He hesitated before adding, in a quiet voice, ‘And what he’s bringing with him is going to make this village more secure …’
‘What is he bringing?’ Ginny asked.
‘A certain knowledge,’ Mr Box said, then shrugged. ‘It’s all I know. Like all the villages around here, we’ve had to fight to keep out the invader, and it’s a hard fight. We’ve all been waiting a long rime for this night, Ginny. A very long time. We made a pledge to this man. A long rime ago, when he fought to save the village. Tonight we’re honouring that pledge. All of us have a part to play …’
Ginny frowned. ‘Me too?’ she asked, and was astonished to see large tears roll down each of Mr Box’s cheeks.
‘Of course you too, Ginny,’ he whispered, and seemed to choke on the words. ‘I’m surprised that you don’t know. I always thought the children knew. But the way these things work … the rules …’ He shook his head again. ‘I’m not privileged to know.’
‘But why is everybody being so horrible to me?’ Ginny said.
‘Mick,’ she said. ‘And Kevin. He called me a cuckoo …’
Mr Box smiled. ‘They’re just teasing you. They’ve been told something of what will happen this evening and they’re jealous.’
He straightened up and took a deep breath. Ginny watched him, his words sinking in slowly. She said, ‘Do you mean what will happen to me this evening?’
He nodded. ‘You’ve been chosen,’ he whispered to her. ‘When your parents were killed, the Mother was sent to you to prepare you. Your role tonight is a very special one. Ginny, that’s all I know. Now go and play, child. Please …’
He looked suddenly away from her, towards the dancers. Ginny followed his gaze. Five men, two of whom she recognised, were watching them. One of them shook his head slightly and Mr Box’s touch on Ginny’s shoulder went away. A woman walked towards them, her dress covered with real flowers, her face like stone. Mr Box pushed Ginny away roughly. As she scampered for safety she could hear the sound of the woman’s blows to Mr Box’s cheek.
The fire burned. Long after it should have been a glowing pile of embers, it was still burning. Long after they should have been exhausted, the Scarrowmen danced. The night air was chill, heavy with smoke, bright with drifting sparks. It echoed to the jingle of bells and the clatter of cudgels. Voices drifted on the wind; there was laughter; and round and round the Morrismen danced.
Soon they had formed into a great circle, stretched around the fire and jigging fast and furious to the strident, endless rhythm of drums and violin. All the village danced, and the strangers too, men and women in anoraks and sweaters, and children in woolly hats, and teenagers in jeans and leather jackets, all of them mixed up with the white-and-black clothed Oozers, Pikers, Thackers and the rest.
Round the burning fire, stumbling and tottering, shrieking with mirth as a whole segment of the ring tumbled in the mud. Round and round.
The bells, the hammering of sticks, the whine of the violin, the Jack Tar sound of the accordion.
And at ten o’clock the whole wild dance stopped.
The men reached down and took the bells from their legs, cast them into the fire. The cudgels, too, were thrown onto the flames. The violins were shattered on the ground, the fragments tossed into the conflagration.
The accordions wept music as they were slung onto the pyre.
Flowers out of hair. Bonnets from heads. Rose and lily were stripped off the lych-gate. The air filled suddenly with a sharp, aromatic scent… of herbs, woodland herbs.
In the silence Ginny walked towards the church, darted through the gate into the darkness of the graveyard … Round between the long mounds to the iron gate …
Kevin was there. He ran towards her, his eyes wide, wild. ‘He’s coming!’ he hissed, breathlessly.
‘What’s going on?’ she whispered.
‘Where are you going?’ he said.
‘To the camp. I’m frightened. They’ve stopped dancing. They’re burning their instruments. This happened three years ago when Mary … when … you know …’
‘Why are you so frightened?’ Kevin asked. His eyes were bright from the distant glow of the bonfire. ‘What are you running from, Ginny? Tell me. Tell me. We’re friends… ‘
‘Something is wrong,’ she sobbed. She found herself clutching at the boy’s arms. ‘Everybody is being so horrible to me. You were horrible to me. What have I done? What have I done?’
He shook his head. The flames made his dark eyes gleam. She had her back to the square. Suddenly he looked beyond her. Then he smiled. He looked at her.
‘Goodbye, Ginny,’ he whispered.
She turned. Kevin darted past her and into the great mob of masked men who stood around her. They had come upon her so quietly that she had not heard a thing. Their faces were like black pigs. Eyes gleamed, mouths grinned. They wore white and black … the Scarrows.
Unexpectedly, Kevin began to whine. Ginny thought he was being punished for being out of bounds. She listened, and then for one second … just one second … all was stillness, all was silence, anticipation. Then she reacted as any sensible child would react in the situation.
She opened her mouth and screamed. The sound had barely echoed in the night air when a hand clamped firmly across her face, a great hand, strong, stifling her cry. She struggled and pulled away, turned and kicked until she realised it was the Mother that she fought against. She was no longer wearing her rowan beads, or her iron charm. She seemed naked without them. Her dress was green and she held Ginny firmly still. ‘Hold quiet, child. Your time is soon.’
The iron gate was open. Ginny peered through it, into the darkness, through the grassy walls of the old fort and towards the circle of great elms.
There was a light there, and the light was coming closer. And ahead of that light there was a wind, a breeze, ice cold, tinged with a smell that was part sweat, part rot, and unpleasant in the extreme. She grimaced and tried to back away, but the Mother’s hands held her fast. She glanced over her shoulder, towards the square, and felt her body tremble as the Scarrows stared beyond her, into the void of night.
Two of the Scarrows held tall, hazel poles, each wrapped round with strands of ivy and mistletoe. They stepped forward and held the poles to form a gateway between them. Ginny watched all of this and shivered. And she felt sick when she saw Kevin held by others of the Scarrows. The boy was terrified. He seemed to be pleading with Ginny, but what could she do? His own mother stood close to him, weeping silently.
The wind gusted suddenly and the first of the shadows passed over so quickly that she was hardly aware of its transit. It appeared out of nowhere, part darkness, part chill, a tall shape that didn’t so much walk as flow through the iron gate. Looking at that shadow was like looking into a depthless world of dark; it shimmered, it hazed, it flickered, it moved, an uncertain balance between that world and the real world. Only as it passed between the hazel poles held by the Scarrows, and then into the world beyond, did it take on a form that could be called . .. ghostly.
Distantly the priest’s voice intoned a greeting. Ginny heard him say, ‘Welcome back to Scarugfell. Our pledge is fulfilled. Your life begins again.’
A second shadow followed the first, this one smaller, and with its darkness and its chill came the sound of keening, like a child’s crying. It was distant, though, and uncertain. As Ginny watched, it took its shadowy form beyond the Scarrows and into the village.
As each of them had passed over, so the Scarrowmen closed ranks again, but distantly, close to the fire in the square, an unearthly howling, a nightmare wind, seemed to greet each new arrival. What happened to the spirits then, Ginny couldn’t tell, or care.
Her mother’s hand touched her face, then her shoulder, forced her round again to watch the iron gate. The Mother whispered,
‘Those two were his kin. They too died for our village a long time ago. But Cyric is coming now …’
The shadow that moved beyond the gate was like nothing Ginny could ever have imagined. She couldn’t tell whether it was animal or man. It was immense. It swayed as it moved, and it seemed to approach through the darkness in a ponderous, dragging way. Its outlines were blurred, shadow against darkness, void against the glimmering light among the trees. It seemed to have branches and tendrils reaching from its head. It made a sound that was like the rumble of water in a hidden well. It seemed to fill her vision. It occupied all of space. Its breath stank. Its single eye gleamed with firelight.
One was blind … one was grim …
It seemed to be laughing at her as it peered down from beyond the trees and the earth walls that surrounded the church.
It pushed something forward, a shadow, a man, nudged it through the iron gate. Ginny wanted to scream as she caught glimpses, within that shadow, of the dislocated jaw, the empty sockets, the crawling flesh. The ragged thing limped toward her, hands raised, bony fingers stretched out, skull face open and inviting … inviting the kiss that Ginny knew, now, would end her life.
‘No!’ she shouted, and struggled frantically in the Mother’s grip. The Mother seemed angry.
‘Even now it mocks us!’she said, then shouted, ‘Give the Life for the Death. Give it now!’
Behind Ginny, Kevin suddenly screamed. Then he was running towards the iron gate, sobbing and shouting, drawn by invisible hands.
‘Don’t let him take me! Don’t let him take me!’ he cried.
He passed the hideous figure and entered the world beyond the gate. He was snatched into the air, blown into darkness like a leaf whipped by a storm wind. He had vanished in an instant.
The great shadow turned away into the night and began to seep back towards the circle of elms. The Mother’s hands on Ginny’s shoulders pushed her forwards, towards the ghastly embrace.
The shadow corpse stopped moving. Its arms dropped. The gaping eyes watched nothing and nowhere. A sound issued from its bones. ‘Is she the one? Is she my kin?’
Mother’s voice answered loudly that she was indeed the one. She was indeed Cyric’s kin.
The shadow seemed to turn its head to watch Ginny. It looked down at her, then reached up and pulled the tatters of a hood about its head. The hood hid the features. The whole creature seemed to melt, to descend, to shrink. Ginny heard the Mother say, ‘Fifteen hundred years in the dark. Your life saved our village. Our pledge to bring you back is honoured. Welcome, Cyric.’
Something wriggled below the tatters of the hood. The Mother said, ‘Go forward, child. Take the hare. Take him!‘
Ginny hesitated. She glanced round. The Scarrows seemed to be smiling behind their masks. Two other children, both girls, stood there. Each was holding a struggling hare. Her Mother made frantic motions to her. ‘Come on, Ginny. The fear is ended, now. The day of denial is over. Only you can touch the hare. You’re the kin. Cyric has chosen you. Take it quickly. Bring him over. Bring him back.’
Ginny stumbled forward, reached below the stinking rags and found the terrified animal. As she raised the brown hare to her breast she felt the flow of the past, the voice, the wisdom, the spirit of the man who had passed back over, the promise to him kept, fifteen hundred years after he had lain down his life for the safety of Scarugfell, also known as the Place of the Mother.
Cyric was home. The great hunter was home. Ginny had him, now, and he had her, and she would become great and wise, and Cyric would speak the wisdom of the Dark through her lips. The hare would die in time, but Cyric and Ginny would share a human life until the human body itself passed away.
And Ginny felt a great glow of joy as the images of that ancient land, its forts, its hills, its tracks, its forest shrines, flooded into her mind. She heard the hounds, the horses, the larks, she felt the cold wind, smelled the great woods.
Yes. Yes. She had been born for this. Her parents had been sacrificed to free her and the Mother had kept her ready for the moment. The nightmare had been Cyric making contact as the Father had brought him to the edge of the dark world.
The Father! The Father had watched over her, as all in the village had often said he would. It had been the Father she had seen, a rare glimpse of the Lord who always brought the returning Dead to the place of the Lord’s Eve.
Cyric had come a long, long way home. It had taken time to make the Lord release him and allow Cyric’s knowledge of the dark world back to the village, to help Scarrowfell, and the villages like it keep the eyes and minds of the invader muddled and confused. And then Cyric, too, had waited … until Ginny was of age. His kin. His chosen vehicle.
Ginny, his new protector, cradled the animal. The hare twitched in her grasp. Its eyes were full of rejoicing.
She felt a moment’s sadness, then, for poor, betrayed Kevin, but it passed. And as she left the place of the gate she joined willingly in reciting the Lord’s prayer, her voice high, enthusiastic among the rumble of the crowd.
Our Father, who art in the Forest
Horned One is Thy name.
Thy Kingdom is the Wood, Thy Will is the Blood
In the Glade, as it is in the Village.
Give us this day our Kiss of Earth
And forgive us our Male factions.
Destroy those who Malefact against us
And lead us to the Otherworld.
For Thine is the Kingdom of the Shadow, Thine is the Power and the Glory. Thou art the Stag which ruts with us, and We are the Earth beneath thy feet.
Collected in The Bone Forest (1991)
And Dans la Vallée des Statues et Autres Récits (2003)


FireFly simulates wildfire spread scenarios at regional scales. An inverse modeling strategy is applied based on the assimilation of the fire front location. The idea underlying the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) strategy is to translate the differences in the observed and simulated fire front locations into a correction of the environmental parameters (ex: biomass fuel moisture content, near-surface wind) or directly of the simulated fire front location.
- an Eulerian front-tracking solver that adopts a regional-scale modeling viewpoint, treats wildfires as surface propagating fronts and uses a description of the local rate of spread (ROS) as a function of environmental conditions based on Rothermel's semi-empirical formulation
- a series of observations of the fire front location (derived from mid-infrared imaging), assumed to be available at frequent times and possibly providing an accurate and incomplete description of the actual fire front
- an inverse modeling procedure based on an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), with 2 steps per assimilation time window that is sequentially shifted
- the prediction step (forecast) in which the modeling system is integrated until the observation time to forecast the fire front position given some uncertainty ranges in the input environmental parameters
- the update step (analysis) in which the forecast estimates are modified consistently with the new available observations through the Kalman update equation