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Disclaimer: Not mine, will never be mine.
Do I know it's been ages since I've updated? Yes. Do I know you are all mad at me for taking so long? Yes. Do I care? Obviously, since I'm finishing the story. I won't apologize for the delay, though, as it was caused by much more important, real-life things (such as applying to college).
For those of you who actually read these author's notes, thank you. For those of you who review, thank you. Even when I don't have time to reply to each and every review, I do go through and read them all; I love reading what you have to say. And so, our story comes to an end in this final chapter. I could extend it, certainly, but it was always my intention to make it ten chapters, and to write it within 2010; I actually made completing this story within the year my New Year's Resolution, and I am proud to say that I accomplished it.
So, anyway, I would like to present the final chapter of Children at Heart. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! As always, reviews are love.
In her dream—and she would later discover she was dreaming—Alice was warm and dry, out of the torrential downpour and away from the worst of the storm. In fact, there was no storm at all; instead, Alice was standing in the center of a rather large room inhabited by various pieces of furniture. Besides that, though, she had no idea where she was. She felt off somehow, as though her world had been upended and she had been dispelled into a foreign void.
Of course, that could just as easily have been caused by the presence of so many straight-backed chairs.
Alice stood in the center of the room, spinning slowly in place and trying to get the measure of her location. It was small, as rooms go, windowless but for a tiny square nestled in the wall opposite of her, and, worst at all, was painted a horrible pastel peach. After the vibrancy she had come to expect from Wonderland, Alice was horrified by the muted color. "Eugh," she muttered under her breath, flicking her eyes from the walls to the furniture to seek a respite from the agonizing décor. She found none, however, for the sofa and chairs were all stiff and formal, and exuded such an aura of inhospitality that she actually took a step back.
"Where am I?" she wondered aloud, passing a hand over her eyes. As grateful as she was to be liberated from the shivering, soggy mess of humanity she had been seemingly moments before, and as commonplace as disappearing from one place and reappearing in another had become for her, Alice nevertheless preferred to know at least the general details of her location.
She had all but ruled out Wonderland as a possibility; this new place simply did not feel the same to her.
"Alice? Is that you?" Footsteps clicked with crisp precision on the wooden floor, and a stern-looking woman stepped into view. Her hair, once blonde, was now steely grey with age, and done up in a severe bun. Her face was drawn up into a ferocious frown, and her eyes met Alice's in a ferocious scowl.
Alice blinked. Her mouth opened of its own accord, and then closed. She blinked again. "M—Mother?" The word slipped from her lips with incredulity. It couldn't be her mother. Her mother was in England. Alice was in Wonderland. This was impossible.
The woman clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Who else?" Her voice was irritated. "Alice, you were supposed to be ready to leave an hour ago." She waved an irritable hand at her daughter. "Quickly, now, put on your hat and come with me."
Poor Alice was confused beyond belief. Hadn't she just been in Wonderland? Wasn't she living with and in love with the Hatter? Hadn't she just had the fight of her life and left everything that she knew and loved behind?
What on earth was happening?
She took a hesitant step forward—no way better to find out than to ask. "Where are we going?" she inquired.
Her mother favored her with an irritated scowl. "Why, to your engagement party, of course," she said snippily. "An event we have been planning for weeks now and for which," she looked pointedly at a clock fixed on the wall behind Alice, "you are now fifteen minutes late."
"Engagement party?" Alice was horrified. "To whom am I engaged?" How could she be engaged? How was such a thing possible? She had been living in Wonderland for the past six years of her life; an engagement was impossible!
Impossible or not, though, she soon found herself being dragged to the elaborately decorated lawn of an enormous estate and presented to the most boring young man she had ever had the misfortune of meeting. He sat with evident lethargy at the head of a long table, and barely even blinked as Alice's mother hustled her daughter over to his side.
Lip curling with disdain, Alice stared down at the figure seated before her. "This is my fiancé?" She did not bother attempting to hide her disgust. The man at the head of the table was pallid and red-haired, two characteristics that combined to give him a feeble, washed-out appearance. It was quite obvious that he never spent a moment longer than was necessary outside, and equally apparent that he could care less about it.
Her snort of disapproval roused him from his stupor, and he slowly straightened from his slumped position. "Alice, darling," he said, retrieving her hand from her side and placing a sloppy kiss upon it. "You're late." For all his facial expression changed, her timing did not bother him in the least.
Wincing at the pitiful display from the seated scrap of humanity, Alice rescued her hand from his grasp and retreated a few feet, safely beyond his reach. Something about this pitiful man unnerved Alice, something more than his obvious ineptitude and spinelessness. She frowned and stared down at him, shaking her head disapprovingly as he met her glare with a wince and a slight twitch. Lips pursed, Alice tried to determine what it was about this man that bothered her so badly.
As she was forced to stand by and watch him drink his tea (pinky extended, of course), Alice realized what it was. Like a lightning bolt, the revelation struck her suddenly and without warning, rippling through her with an electric certainty.
He wasn't the Hatter.
The Hatter, who had been her friend and constant companion for going on seven years. The Hatter, who had forced her to live and love, to be and express herself. The Hatter was life itself, and this man had all the looks and personality of a soggy fish.
He was not the smiling, jovial, friendly face she had come to anticipate seeing. He was not lively, he was not sarcastic and witty and full of hidden surprise. In fact, he was everything that the Hatter wasn't, and that bothered her more than she would ever willingly admit to anyone.
The Hatter was rude and all but oozed impropriety. He was hyperactive and excitable and emotional to the extreme. He was creative and caring, eccentric and untamable.
She missed him terribly, and their argument had only been hours before.
"Oh, I'm such an inept, indecorous idiot!" she wailed, looking miserably up at the sky. "Why'd I have to go and ruin everything?"
"I'm sorry?" The feeble man before her looked at her with an expression of utmost confusion. Behind him, all of the party guests had frozen, and stood staring, mouths agape, at the distraught blonde at the head of the table.
Alice blushed and mumbled an embarrassed apology, sinking quietly back into her thoughts and obscurity. She inevitably returned to her comparison of this man and the Hatter, unable to turn her mind from all that she believed she had lost.
The Hatter was life. He was the sun that woke her up every morning and propelled her through the day. He was the moon that lit her nights and granted her peace of mind. He was everything to her, and she had simply thrown it all to the winds and left.
Biting her lip to keep from exclaiming again, Alice stared around the large lawn and took in all the details of her surroundings—best to familiarize oneself with one's punishment.
This man, the poor, pathetic individual whom she was seemingly doomed to marry, was muted and dull. He was two-dimensional and shallow, a shadow of Wonderland and its inhabitants—highly ironic, since Alice currently stood in the "real world."
That was her problem, though. This world didn't feel real. Her home—her native England—was no longer her home; Wonderland was her home, whether she was there or not. The shift had occurred many years before, she realized now, looking at the pitiful excuse of an engagement party, but it had taken her until now to acknowledge that fact.
"I want to go home," she murmured, closing her eyes and desperately pretending she was back in that storm, that she was still huddled in the rain and overflowing with irritation and fury. At least if she were there she would be where she belonged. She would have the Hatter, if she could resolve their argument. She would have security, and life, and excitement. She would have love and understanding. She would have him, and thus she would have herself.
"Alice!" Her mother's voice was loud in her ear, and Alice jerked back to her current reality, blinking in the muted sunlight. "It's time for the meal!"
Without saying a word, Alice turned and trudged to her place at the table, scuffing her feet and taking as much time as possible. She did not want to be here, could not imagine that she had once despaired at leaving. As these thoughts passed through her head, she stumbled and fell forward to meet the ground, arms extended. She fell rather slowly, she thought as she arced towards the ground, watching the grass fly forward to meet her. Screwing her eyes closed, she braced for the impact that never came.
With a gasp, Alice awoke to the uncomfortable sensation of being jostled up and down. Blinking, she stared blearily around, attempting to reorient herself. The sight of the bright blue sky above left her befuddled, her eyes clouded with confusion. Where was she now? Clearly not in England—the brightness of her surroundings guaranteed that. However, it had been nighttime and storming when consciousness had finally escaped her, while the sky now above her showed every promise of developing into a shining summer day.
Slowly, her senses filtered back to her, and she realized that she was snugly secured in a strong grasp of unknown origin. She also realized that she was sopping wet, and bone-chillingly cold despite the season. Her clothes were saturated with water, her hair sodden and lank. Goosebumps dotted her exposed skin even as she could feel the sun-kissed warmth from the arms of whoever held her. In a panic, she flung her head about in a weak but desperate attempt to glean the identity of her captor.
As he sensed her discomfort, the owner of the white-gloved hands that held her tightened his grasp to keep her from slipping. "Peace, love." The Hatter kept his voice low in an effort not to startle her. "I've got you."
At the sound of a friendly voice—his voice—Alice relaxed, all of the adrenaline draining from her body in a sudden rush, leaving her limp in the Hatter's arms. After the previous day, such a statement should have alarmed Alice, should have been the stimulus for a fit of indignant rage. His words should have brought back memories of her earlier wrath, not infused her with the skin-tingling warmth that it did. She was just so tired.
And, her nightmare hadn't helped her mental exhaustion by presenting her with such a conflicting scene.
The Hatter picked up his pace, looking worriedly down at his groggy burden. "I've got you," he repeated. Alice allowed her head to relax against his chest, a distant part of her realizing that he was just as sodden as she. The logical part of her reminded her that he must have been out in the worst of the storm to have found her, and she smiled, snuggling into his damp vest. Wet as he was, irritating as he could be, he was hers.
"I'm glad," she whispered, sinking back into the oblivion of sleep.
When she next woke up, she was cocooned in blankets before a fiercely roaring fire. Warmth flowed through her, coursing through her veins from her head to her feet. Dimly, she recalled that it was supposed to be summer, and that there was no real reason for the fire to be lit. It felt so good, though, that Alice ignored her sense of logic and simply basked in its glow, silently regaining her bearings.
Beside her sat the Hatter. He had forgone his sodden overcoat and hat, and was reclining in the chair beside Alice's sofa, feet propped up on the coffee table, his posture giving the misleading sign that all was well. "Good morning, starshine," he chirped, giving her a cheeky grin and maintaining his cheerful charade.
Alice managed a weak smile in return, sitting up and casting aside some of her blankets. The warmth of the room, so welcome only moments before, was beginning to become overwhelming. She combed her mussed-up hair out of her eyes, blinking at her savior. "How long have I been out of it?" she mumbled, blearily looking about for a clock of some sort.
He tapped his fingers together. "Total?" he asked. "Close to twelve hours. It's been five hours since I got you home." He leaned in towards her and frowned, examining her from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze. "How do you feel?"
Wiggling her toes experimentally, Alice took a mental inventory of her physical state. Nothing hurt, she was warm, all digits and limbs in working order… "I feel great," she declared, casting aside her blanket nest as a form of tangible evidence for her declaration.
The Hatter stood and began to pace. "Good," he said, the relief in his voice evident even though his face was turned from her.
He stopped and turned, his face a mangled web of emotion. "Look, Alice…" Never one to beat around the bush, he sighed and strode back and forth before her, wearing a divot in the rug before the fireplace. He knew what he wanted to say, but the cost it would have on his pride was immeasurable.
The Hatter had been a solitary figure for so long before Alice's arrival that his personality—dominant to begin with—had fermented and established itself as a prevailing component of his routine. He had lived for himself, before and even after Alice's return. To say what he now wanted to say was a severe blow to his independence, a betrayal of his inherent masculine pride.
His face mirrored his internal struggle, his mouth drawn into a thin line and his freckles standing out vividly on his cheeks. "I'm tired of fighting," he finally said. The words cost him, but once they were uttered they burst from his lips, escaping into the air with such a tangible aura of relief and confession that he sagged back against the wall after they were uttered. "I'm tired of fighting," he repeated softly, his eyes turned to the ground.
Conceding defeat—or compromise in general—was not his strong suit, and to back down before Alice was nearly intolerable. Their whole relationship revolved around their ever-entertaining struggle for independence and dominance, and to back down was a severe blow to his pride. He sank to the floor with his back against the wall, knees drawn up to his chin and arms wrapped tightly around his shins. "I want us to be normal again." The words, now released, burst forth like a torrent, flowing from his lips without any conscious effort on his part. "I want to hold you in my arms, wake up in the morning and see you beside me."
They were both proud people—they knew that. Fights were inevitable, and always had been. Hardly a day went by without some minor argument or another. Nothing in the past could ever rival the previous day's blow-up, though. Never, never, would the Hatter have imagined that Alice would actually leave, that she would pack up and just go.
The simple memory of the event sent a sharp spike of pain through his heart, and he grimaced. The expression looked odd on his generally jovial face, the scowl displacing years of laugh lines with almost effortless ease. He and Alice annoyed each other. They got on each other's last nerve, argued and squabbled over minor discrepancies. He was immature, she mature; he made the mess, she was there to clean it up. That was how they were.
He loved it.
The Hatter looked imploringly up at Alice, who had managed to stand and stretch and was pacing back and forth on the rug, just as he had been mere moments before. His hands flexed compulsively, and he stared down at them for a long while. "I love you, Alice," he finally said. His blue eyes were filled with hurt as he turned them on her. "I know I can be a bit…unusual and irritating at times, but I love you. I wish you would let me."
It was the closest thing to an apology he had ever uttered, and Alice's steady pacing stopped as she absorbed his words. Yes, he could be "unusual and irritating." He went on expeditions to hunt for Swedish fish, he refused to bend in any way on any matter, he made her so mad sometimes—and she loved him, was completely and hopelessly in love with him.
Without warning, Alice turned towards the Hatter, her flaxen locks falling forward and hiding her face from his tormented gaze. "I…" Her fists clenched and then relaxed, fingers trembling. "I do love you." The words themselves were the easiest she had ever said. She knew he needed to hear them, and she had no problem uttering them, as they were completely and wholly the truth.
"Then what is the matter?" He stood in one fluid motion and walked over to her, peering intently into her face. "I know I'm irritating sometimes" (this was delivered with a slight grin) "but you have been wound so tightly lately. You made your feelings clear last night, but I desperately want to believe that your words were the result of some underlying issue." Gently, he coaxed her into his embrace, gingerly wrapping his arms around her and holding her against him as if she were a fragile package. "What is the matter, Alice?" he repeated, his embrace firm and unyielding and the most comforting thing she had known in weeks.
Blushing at the sudden attention, Alice hid her red face in his chest. "I don't know!" The muffled reply floated up to his ears, and he smiled, trailing one hand idly along her back.
"Do you ever?" he quipped.
Alice giggled despite herself, drawing back enough so that she could meet his eyes.
"There." A white-gloved hand reached up and traced the shaky smile. "That's what I want to see. That's what I should always see. I never want you to be unhappy, Alice. I never want you to be sad."
Alice said nothing in return, simply looking in his face with an expression that said everything her voice could not. They both knew such a reality was impossible, of course. They were at odds far too much for such a bold statement ever to be upheld, but the intentions were there, and they were true.
It was quiet in the house but for the distant ticking of a clock, and Alice and the Hatter stood for a long while in silence, frozen in their confused half-embrace.
"I do love you," Alice finally blurted, tilting her head so that she could meet his eyes, "so very much." She combed his erstwhile hair from his eyes with hands that shook. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else in my life, and it terrifies me. You have become my everything. You were my mother and father, my sister and brother. You are my companion and my friend, my best friend in the entire world—Wonderland and my home both. You are the only person I have ever loved in this manner, and…" Her voice grew softer, "You're the only person I ever will."
When he said nothing in return, she drew back, afraid that her words had insulted him.
That was the instant the Hatter sprang to life. He swept Alice back into his arms with a grand flourish, whirling about the room with her in his grasp. "Alice, dear, I live in absolute terror of your frightening personage," he confided with a broad wink and an extra twirl. "I've been scared of you ever since you waltzed back into my life all those years ago. I couldn't help but love you—first as that precocious, lost little child, and now as the stunning woman you are today." He paused and tipped an imaginary hat, realizing only after he began the gesture that his own was propped up against the opposite wall. "Ma chere, vous tue moi chaque jour."
By the end of this spiel, Alice's face was as red as a tomato. "You'd think I'd be used to such language by this point," she muttered, hiding her blush in his shirt.
"If you are ever used to me, there is something wrong," he teased. "As it stands, though, you've become quite a bit like me yourself-all this yelling and spontaneity and whatnot." Pursing his lips, he gave her an appraising look. "You'll not be so much like me that you know me, though, right?"
Alice giggled. "You'll never be predictable," she promised.
His face broke into such a comic and overdramatic expression of relief that Alice burst out laughing, all traces of her anger dissolving into nothingness.
The Hatter hugged her tightly. "Nor will you be, I'm sure." He thought back to numerous instances where her behavior had been downright illogical and most un-Alice-like, and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he added, "You seem to be developing more and more quirks, Alice, that remind me of someone..." He grinned outright as she twitched and looked down. "You'll be more me than me in no time! Why," he stepped back from her, dancing a little jig, "I may need to go ahead and make you a hat, just so we can match!"
Shuddering delicately, Alice shook her head. "I think not," she proclaimed. "My head is happy as it is now, unadorned by that towering monstrosity that you call a hat."
Pouting, the Hatter stooped to retrieve said article from the floor, perching it atop his wild, white mane of hair. "You don't like my hat?"
"On you? I love it." She nodded decisively, contemplating man and hat with a thoughtful gaze. "On me? It would be most unbecoming."
Of course, this did nothing but encourage the Hatter, and one hop, skip, and a jump later and his hat found itself resting on Alice's blonde locks. The brim came down well over her eyes, and she pushed it up to level an irritable glare at him. "You see what I mean?"
The Hatter took no notice of her grumpy mien. He was enamored, gazing at Alice with such obvious adoration that she blushed and allowed the hat to flop back over her eyes so that she might avoid the intensity of his gaze. "It is perfect," he announced. "You're perfect."
Suddenly the hat was gone from Alice's head, whisked away by well-meaning hands and returned to its rightful perch. Tilting her chin up so that her eyes met his, the Hatter looked down at Alice seriously. "I love you, Alice." It was a declaration, a promise. "I will always love you, regardless of any fights that we might—and will—have. Promise me that no matter what, no matter how we both might feel and act in our anger, promise me that you'll never leave me. I need you; I can't live without you."
It was the softest Alice had ever heard him speak, his voice little more than a whisper and laced with such dependence and longing that she was embarrassed. He had never shown such weakness around her, always playing the part of rambunctious jester. His words lit a fire within her, infused her with a myriad of emotions. They comforted her—she would always be needed. They promised her—she would always be loved.
They reassured her—she wasn't the only one.
"I'll stay," she promised. Memories of her earlier dream were not far off, and she fervently and repeatedly rejoiced that such a reality could never be. "I'll stay forever." The words were more than a simple assurance, more than a promise. They were a bond, a pact between two people who needed each other more than any other thing in the world.
The Hatter exhaled, all of the tension he had been hiding escaping his body in a great gust of air. "I had hoped you would." His lips sought hers, and they embraced for a long time, standing in the colorful, open room beneath rays of the bright Wonderland sun.
Some days later, they were out in the yard enjoying the lingering vestiges of a warm summer afternoon. Alice sat at a small table, a teacup in her hand and a book in her lap, and the Hatter perched in a low-hanging tree, his bare feet dangling from the extended branch.
"I've been thinking..." His drawling voice carried across the yard to Alice's ears, and she put aside her book with a sigh; such an introduction rarely yielded reading time.
"A dangerous pastime for you," she teased.
He nodded in agreement. "And don't you forget it! Anyway, as I said, I've been thinking. About you, in fact."
An eyebrow rose. "Me? Whatever could you be thinking about me?"
He hooked his legs tightly around the branch and swung down so that he was looking at Alice upside-down, dangling from the branch like a gymnast from a trapeze. "About your birthday, specifically," he said.
Alice was puzzled. "What about it, exactly?"
Pumping his legs, he swung back and forth, the ends of the branches shaking with the movement. "Well," he said, in between swings, "you'll be eighteen this year, won't you? In Wonderland—and in England, I believe—eighteen is the age that you cease to be even remotely considered a child. At eighteen, you are legally independent and such."
Alice drummed her fingers on the table. That much was certainly true. Were she in England, she would be a legal adult, for all the freedom it would have given her. She hadn't even considered that the same rules still applied in Wonderland. "And?" she asked.
"And," he gave her a pointed look and flipped gracefully from the branch, landing with both feet firmly on the ground, "that means that you'll never be a child. You'll stop having fun. You'll change, lose part of your Alice-ness." He frowned. "You'll grow up."
Alice could see a gaping hole in this logic. "You're clearly older than eighteen," she pointed out. "I don't see you forgetting what it is like to be a child."
"It's different for me." He dismissed her argument with a wave of his hand. "I'm designed to be a perpetual child. It's in my nature; I stopped growing up well before I started having my unbirthdays. Plus, I was born in Wonderland."
Born in Wonderland? Alice frowned. "Where you were born has something to do with growing up?" she asked.
The Hatter came to stand beside her. "Certainly. You come from a world where, forgive me, adults do not believe in the impossible. Everything is explained by reason or not explained at all—and therefore inexistent. So, you turn eighteen in a place that does not exist, you cease to believe in it, and then at best you simply become a typical adult."
His mouth thinned into a worried line. "At worst, you cease to exist."
Alice's mouth parted in surprise. "You know this for certain?" she asked, hoping he was simply speaking from speculation.
"Unfortunately, yes. I've been wondering about the effects of your aging for a long time, so I went to see the Caterpillar recently, and he had quite a bit of light to shed on the situation." He looked at her with sad eyes. "If you allow yourself to fully grow up, I'll lose you."
Alice reeled. She had all but forgotten the age-related quirks of Wonderland, had allowed birthday after birthday to pass with a simple, solitary celebration and the recognition of the fact that she was another year older. She had not stopped to think about what she would do when she caught up with the Hatter, had not considered that she might grow up forever.
"Growing up" had always been a frightening concept, from that first trip to Wonderland and even before. Yes, she loved order and reason, but she also loved the irrational and fantastic. She always had. Her youth in England had attempted to quell this love, had attempted to eradicate all traces of what Alice was meant to be—but Wonderland had intervened.
For Alice, the idea of growing up was of becoming independent, of being her own person free to make her own decisions. Because society had so dictated, she had always associated such freedom with coming of age, deluding herself as a child that all of her obedience to society could be cast aside as soon as she was old enough to be an "adult."
The Hatter watched her think. He knew growing up meant a lot to her, knew her headstrong mentality and independent nature drove her to strive for the age of independence. He had watched her mature year after year, witnessed her transformation into the intelligent, beautiful young woman who now stood before him. He knew she had made reaching adulthood her goal—which is why he knew he had to let her go.
Despite the pain it would cause him, despite the fact that he would lose everything that mattered, the Hatter was willing to allow Alice to grow up if she wanted to.
Alice thought of all of the fun she had had in Wonderland, remembered all of the food fights and tea parties and games and adventure that she had experienced-all of the childish good times. She thought of the Hatter, and how much she loved him. She cast a long look back at the Hatter's house, thought of the room upstairs that was all hers, shuffled through memory after memory of trips she—and only she—had made throughout Wonderland.
Decided in her course of action, Alice nodded resolutely. Her mind was made up.
The Hatter watched as Alice's eyes shone with some unidentifiable emotion, watched as she smiled and finally turned to face him. Heart heavy, he awaited the news that she would grow up, that she valued her so-called independence more than she did her childhood—more than she did him.
"I have decided," she said slowly, "that you should throw me a party."
"A party?" The Hatter was briefly confused. Then he nodded dejectedly. "Oh, of course. You mean a birthday party." He had sworn off of them a long time ago, had not attended one in over a century, in fact. For Alice, though, as much as it pained him, he would make an exception. "You want me to throw you a birthday party?"
Slowly, Alice shook her head, a smile budding at her lips. "Not a birthday party," she said. "And, to be quite honest, I've never had a party of this particular sort before, so without your expertise I'm doomed."
"Not a-?" His head tilted to the side as he thought. "Then what kind of party..." His eyes lit up suddenly, gleaming a brighter blue than Alice had ever seen. "An unbirthday party?" he asked, voice cracking with excitement. "You want me to throw you an unbirthdayparty?"
Alice beamed at him. "I do."
"Oh, Alice!" He threw his arms around her waist and buried his head in her shoulder. "I'm so happy! I thought you were going to grow up completely, that you were going to leave me!"
She poked him on the forehead. "I promised, didn't I?"
He regained his composure, stepping back and straightening his hat with a flourish. "That you did." He all but shook with excitement. "An unbirthday party—your very first! We'll have to make quite the occasion of it, invite everyone in the neighborhood..." His mind whirled with plans.
Holding her hands out in surrender, Alice stepped towards him. "I leave it all in your hands," she told him solemnly, "as long as there's cake."
He cackled, eyes alight with glee. "Cake? My dear, you'll have seven kinds of cake! We'll have trifles, puddings, scones, pies—anything your heart desires!" He swept down upon her and planted a big kiss on her lips. "I love you, Alice, so very much."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you too," she said. "I don't need to be an 'adult' to be an adult. I'm completely independent now as it is, and I never want to forget what it means to be a child. That would mean forgetting you."
Leaning up for another kiss, she closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of his lips against hers, in the love he expressed. He was her home, her independence, just as she was his.
She kept him an adult, he kept her a child.
Together, in love, they were and forever would be children at heart.
And, in the words of many an old French film, fin.


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Each young lady has a boyfriend in present day time. She looks his perfect partner in him. However, when your boyfriend begins disregard or evade you, you feel so dismal and alone. That is so agonizing for any young lady. In any case, don’t stress astrology has its answers. By effective vashikaran mantra you can change over the mind contemplations of your boyfriend. Use of these mantra to easily get your Ex boyfriend back. At that point he will act the way you need.
Astrology powerful mantra get Girlfriend back
At the point when a kid boy a young lady he simply needs to wed with her. Like above illustration when a young lady companion begins cheat you that is agonizing to same as I above said. This is for the most part happen when there is passage of third individual in your relationship. So don’t be baffled because of this take help of astrology. By vashikaran powerful attraction mantra you can make hang on the psyche of your young lady companion and effortlessly get back your girlfreind in your love life. After vashikaran she simply impact by you. No other one has wherever in heart or psyche.
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Molvi ramjaan ali

domain: literature


text:
Over 130 people were on hand at the Burswood on Swan Function Centre in Western Australia last night as WSS teams and drivers were presented with a host of awards and honors.
Representatives from ENZED, Hog’s Breath Cafe, Carline, fans, friends and families in attendance were treated to a superb three-course meal and complimentary wines thanks to series partner, Amadio Wines.
2013/14 ENZED World Series Sprintcars Champion Steven Lines and the Halls Motorsport Team headlined the event, collecting the WSS perpetual trophy and the coveted WSS Team Championship.
“This is for our guys,” beamed the new champion, “Brian Hall and Craig Bennett and everyone associated with this team have given me such a great car to drive night in and night out. This is such a great result for the team, I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity.”
Lines also won the Amadio Wines Shootout Award with 3 Shootout wins for the year and 5 Gold Shootout appearances. Craig Bennett (Halls Motorsport) was honoured with the WSS Crew Chief of the Year Award, collecting 14 votes in total. The award is decided by a 3-2-1 voting system, with rival contracted teams all submitting their votes.
Monte Motorsport collected two awards on the night, receiving the team award for the Best Presented Team, while Shane Stewart was the overall Hard Charger, gaining 31 positions throughout A Main races in the championship.
Luke Dillon collected the Revolution Racegear Quicktime Award with 6 Quicktime Award for the series while Jamie Veal collected the Rookie of the Year trophy for his sterling effort to finish 5th overall in the WSS championship.
Finally, Veal was also presented with the coveted Driver’s Driver Award, voted on by all contracted drivers in the series via a 3-2-1 voting system. Veal won the award with a total of 21 votes.
Just because the 2013/14 season is in the books, it doesn’t mean the WSS action is over. WSS returns to free-to-air TV on ONE this weekend after a hiatus from the 2014 Winter Olympics, and continues on SPEED from the first Wednesday in March. Stay tuned for more news and updates from the series throughout the year.

domain: news


text:
The United Nations will continue official talks on killer robots next year. This was decided today in Geneva. In two sessions of five days each, member states will look into whether or not to regulate lethal autonomous weapons, otherwise known as killer robots. PAX is pleased with the decision, although the organization had hoped for more urgency in order to bring a halt to the development of these dangerous weapons systems. PAX’s programme leader for killer robots, Miriam Struyk, says, “The technology is proceeding full steam ahead. Every month that passes without taking concrete steps towards a ban can mean that it’s too late.”
Last week, for the first time, the UN held a Group of Government Experts meeting on killer robots. During the week, 22 countries called for an outright ban. In addition, the importance of human control of the use of lethal violence was widely agreed. However, since the Convention for Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the UN body responsible for killer robots, works on a consensus basis, a small group of countries can delay or block move toward regulation. Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Russia do not want any regulation, let alone a ban.
PAX, co-founder of the international campaign Stop Killer Robots, calls on countries to take concrete steps in 2018. Miriam Struyk says, “First of all, working definitions must be agreed upon: what counts as a killer robot? It is also essential to determine what is meant by meaningful human control, and how this can be guaranteed. PAX fervently hopes that next year’s discussions will clear the way for negotiations on a legally binding instrument to go into effect in 2019 which forbids weapons systems without meaningful human control over targeting and killing.”

domain: law


text:
March 01, 2017
ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court Tuesday suspended a PEMRA ban on BOL News program Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga.
Dawn reported Wednesday that Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, observed that “prima facie, impugned order is motivated and has been passed unilaterally; therefore it is suspended.”
The program hosted by Aamir Liaquat Hussain was banned in January for hate speech and inciting violence.
The court directed the program host to refrain from showing blasphemous content. The controversial host had leveled allegations of blasphemy against some bloggers.
Published: November 01, 2019 See more
Published: May 27, 2019
Published: May 24, 2019
Published: May 22, 2019
Published: May 19, 2019
Dawn, September 27, 2018
So there is nothing difficult about parallel parking. It is easy peasy. You glide your car into the allotted space with verve and pizzazz, and it positions itself as straight as a soldier on parade; nothing to it. All over the world people will parallel park and think nothing of it.Read more... | Archives
A study conducted by JournalismPakistan.com and Communications Research Strategies on the economic situation of slain journalists' families and journalists displaced due to security threats.


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text:
July 1995 “Memphis” magazine cover
I take anniversaries seriously, maybe more so than I should. As Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige famously warned, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” (Paige also advised us to “avoid running at all times.” So his wisdom should be incorporated with discretion.) My wife and I celebrated our 21st anniversary last month (the most important anniversary on my calendar, by several lengths). And we’re a month closer to Memphis magazine blowing out 40 candles on our publishing cake (next April). But this very month, I turn 20 as a managing editor. And it’s a milestone worthy of a column.
When I tell new friends and readers (they’re often the same people) that I’ve been at the same company — and carried the same title — since 1995, their eyebrows tend to go north. The same business (Contemporary Media, Inc.) for 20 years?! The same job for 20 years?! It’s either a career match made in heaven, they say, or I’m a one-trick pony.
First of all, Memphis magazine is not the same enterprise today that it was when I was promoted near the top of the masthead in July 1995. At that time, we produced a page of film for every color printed, so four pages of film for a full-color page. (And we still produced black-and-white pages in ’95 . . . a penny saved here and there.) Our production process today is entirely digital, meaning my job — ensuring the magazine comes together efficiently, completely, and on time — is a different challenge, tracking and checking countless composition boards and pages of film replaced by tracking and checking countless emails, downloads, uploads, and virtual page proofs.
As for the job title, it’s changed too, though beneath the surface. A managing editor serves as a link between the editor, art director, and sales director. When there’s a transition at one of those desks, my job changes. And since 1995, I’ve worked with five editors, four art directors, and two sales directors. A magazine takes on the personality of its staff, so a new editor — or new art director — alters a production cycle with his or her strengths, tastes, and priorities. I consider myself blessed to have served a role alongside so many talented people while wearing the same hat (different colors now and then) as managing editor.
What keeps me coming back every Monday morning? How do I plan a production cycle for a 241st monthly magazine? There are three components that inspire me after all these years.
• Variety. No two magazines are the same. Never have been, never will be. And each magazine requires the proper placement of thousands of moving parts. (Count the words you read in a magazine some time. Make sure it’s a small one.) If you like creativity — and you’re the curious sort — a magazine life is not just rewarding, but redeeming. I learn something new, and help create something new, every month, one year after the next. Makes me a better man.
• Teamwork. I grew up on team sports. Played baseball, basketball, and soccer through high school. I’ve come to thrive on the teamwork necessary to produce a magazine. Say what you will about desktop publishing in the digital age, but no magazine of our quality can be produced without the input of several talented people. (Let me emphasize: Advertisers are a part of my team. Never taken for granted.) I played ball with certain friends for four, maybe five years. I’ve had teammates at Memphis magazine for more than two decades now.
• Writing. I’m a writer. When I meet someone for the first time, I’ll tell them I’m a journalist (and share my job title). But I’m a writer at heart. It’s my craft. And it’s a hard one. Please remember this when you enjoy your favorite authors: writing is hard to do well. I continue to work at my craft, aiming to improve, maybe inspire now and then. I love the challenge of filling a blank page with a tale worth reading. (In addition to my work for the magazine, I’ve written a weekly sports column for the Memphis Flyer — “From My Seat” — for 13 years.) I’m a better writer today than I was in 1995. And I’m inspired by the certainty that I’ll be a better writer 20 years from now than I am today.
Thanks for reading. Needless to say, our loyal subscribers are teammates, too.

domain: artistic


text:
Unearthing the Potential of Your Living SpaceHome decoration
Our homes are more than just four walls that provide us shelter. They are safe havens, filled with memories and echoes of laughter. The space within our homes plays a significant role in how we create and preserve these memories. Remember those Family Traditions of Sunday brunches in the dining room or the late-night movie marathons in the living room? These memories are not just associated with the people and activities, but also the spaces where they occurred.
Every inch of your home has the potential to contribute to your family story. It’s about incorporating elements that resonate with your personal experiences and values. It’s about making your space, not just functional, but emotionally fulfilling. Your home should be a canvas that reflects your life’s journey and celebrates your Family Traditions.
Stirring up emotions with home decor
Home decor plays a pivotal role in shaping the aesthetics and ambience of our living spaces. More importantly, it helps us recreate the warmth and comfort associated with cherished memories. A picture frame showcasing a family reunion or a souvenir from your first family vacation; these items breathe life into a home and keep the essence of those moments alive.
Decorating your home with items that have sentimental value can make every glance around your home feel like flipping through a photo album. Each decor piece narrating a unique tale, each corner stirring up emotions and invoking nostalgia. This is why it’s essential to incorporate elements that are reminiscent of your Family Traditions.
The special charm of family heirlooms
Family heirlooms are not just antique pieces of furniture or vintage jewelry; they are tangible connections to our past. They are time capsules carrying stories from generation to generation, adding a unique charm to our homes. These heirlooms are a part of your family’s history, a part of your Family Traditions, and give your home a unique character that can’t be replicated by the latest trends in home decor.
Whether it’s an old rocking chair where your grandmother used to tell you bedtime stories or an antique clock passed down from your great grandfather, these items are more than just decorative pieces. They are symbols of love, legacy, and continuity, making your home more than just a house.
Turning corners into memory lanes
Every corner of your home has a story to tell. It could be the kitchen where you learned to cook your first meal, the balcony where you spent countless evenings watching the sunset, or the living room where you had your first holiday gathering. By personalizing these spaces with elements that remind you of those moments, you’re essentially turning corners into memory lanes.
These spaces hold the power to transport you back to those joyful times, making you relive those moments every time you pass by. It’s not just about the physical layout of the space, but about the emotions and Family Traditions associated with it.
Crafting a home full of sentimental value
Creating a home full of sentimental value is about weaving together tangible elements with intangible memories. It’s about merging the past with the present, maintaining a balance between nostalgia and functionality. It’s about designing a living space that isn’t just visually appealing, but emotionally resonating.
By infusing your Family Traditions into your home decor, you’re creating an environment that’s not only comforting and familiar but also deeply personal. Every item, every space becomes a reflection of who you are as a family, crafting a home that’s truly yours.
Ensuring your space evolves with you
As you embark on different journeys in life, your home should evolve with you. It should reflect the milestones, achievements, and pivotal moments of your life. This doesn’t mean doing away with the old, but about incorporating the new in a way that complements and enriches your existing decor. It’s about continuously updating your space to keep up with your evolving lifestyle, preferences, and Family Traditions.
In conclusion, creating a home that echoes your family’s history, values, and traditions is an ongoing process. It’s about cherishing the old while embracing the new. It’s about transforming your living space into a sanctuary that narrates your family’s unique story. After all, a home isn’t just a physical structure; it’s a feeling, a memory, a tradition.

domain: design


text:
Perfectly distressed to look vintage and aged, this family & company established sign is the finishing touch to your farmhouse ...
Celebrate the spirit of the season with this "Believe in the magic of Christmas" sign. The traditional color scheme with ...
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- Valentines Day Decor | Love Wall Art Signs | Farmhouse French Country
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Widdlytinks, a producer of farmhouse style canvas wall art, has added a collection of Halloween wall signs to their collection ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has made us center on our lives more this year than ever. We now focus on keeping ...
Decorations in the form of a ghost, scary costumes by your kids, and a spooky pumpkin in your neighbor’s garden, ...


text:
The investor coalition representing $11.4tr in assets wants several of the world's biggest fast food companies to act to reduce their exposure to climate- and environment-related risk
An investor coalition calling on some of the world's largest fast food chains to take concrete action to tackle their climate impact has succeeded in securing a series of emissions reduction and water...
2019 Sustainability Report confirms oil giant is making progress with a raft of low carbon initiatives, but concerns remain over incremental pace of decarbonisation
New partnership to support recently launched One Point service for businesses
As government confirms loan for ailing airline, campaigners step up calls for governments to
New initiative from the Open Networks Project aims to help fast track the development of the burgeoning flexible grid sector

domain: economics


Last week, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and Rockford School District announced that the completion of Bandwagon 2, the campaign to build a $300,000 endowment for the district’s middle school music programs.
Bandwagon 2 launched in October 2013. Both the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and Rockford School District pledged $100,000 to the endowment and committed to work together to raise an additional $100,000 from the community over the next two years. Bandwagon 2 was a success because of the partnership between the Community Foundation and Rockford School District, and the community’s generosity.
We have many people to thank, but of the hundreds of people and organizations that donated to Bandwagon 2, a few bear special recognition.
When Bandwagon 2 was just $17,000 short of its overall goal, Dave Rydell and Bergstrom Charitable Foundation offered a $10,000 challenge, matching contributions to Bandwagon 2 dollar-for-dollar. Their challenge certainly was inspiring and resulted in the completion of Bandwagon 2. I will be forever grateful to the Bergstrom Charitable Foundation for helping us reach our goal.
I would also like to recognize Forest City Swing, a group that hosts weekly swing dancing events, for donating more than $7,000 to Bandwagon 2, and Culture Shock Clothing & Records for raising money through their “Records Collecting Dust” event last February. Music is a common language for Forest City Swing and Culture Shock and we were thrilled to have the support of two very community-minded organizations.
There are many others to thank — the Rockford Register Star, which kept the community informed of Bandwagon 2’s progress and frequently expressed the need for quality music education; the Boards of the CFNIL and RPS, each of which approved $100,000 commitments to Bandwagon 2; Superintendent Ehren Jarrett, the communications department and the music teachers at RPS for their time and talent; the University Club and Rockford Brewing Company for hosting fundraising events; the more than 30 local businesses that donated raffle items for those fundraisers; and the hundreds of donors who see the need to keep music education in our schools.
The Bandwagon 2 endowment will be a permanent reserve of funding. I can’t say it better than Lincoln Middle School’s music teacher Steve Mikulay: "With all the confusion around funding and budgets, I know that it means a lot for me and our young musicians to know that we will have the resources we need to continue to provide the best possible experience for every student and support them on their journey towards becoming lifelong lovers of music."
Bandwagon 2 proved that we can achieve great things by working together. CFNIL looks forward to working with RPS and other community organizations to improve the quality of our children’s education for generations to come.
— Gloria Lundin, vice president of development, Community Foundation of Northern Illinois


text:
The incidence of Covid-19 in Donegal has risen slightly, according to new figures.
Donegal now has Ireland’s third highest 14-day Covid incidence rate at 177.8 per 100,000, as of Wednesday 16th June.
The figure is up from 165.8 recorded the previous day.
There were 283 newly confirmed cases in Donegal in the past fortnight. The five-day moving average of cases is 18.
Limerick currently has Ireland’s worst rate of infection, followed by Carlow.
The number of acute Covid cases in the county has reduced dramatically in recent weeks, the HSE has said.
The Letterkenny COVID-19 Assessment Hub closed last Friday due to a reduction in demand.
The Long COVID Clinic will continue to operate one day per week, on a Tuesday, and new referrals will be accepted by phone until the electronic referral system is back up and running.

domain: geography


text:
Master Gardeners host garden walk
Local artists also featured in June 25 event
The Waupaca County Garden Walk and Art Stroll is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 25.
Sponsored by Waupaca County Master Gardeners, the event will feature tours of nine New London gardens where area artists will demonstrate their work.
Tickets cost $10 each and are available in advance at both Waupaca and New London Chamber of Commerce offices and in the gardens the day of the event.
More information may also be found on the Waupaca County Master Gardener Facebook page and the garden walk website at waupacagardenwalk.com.
• Kurth Garden, 1909 Mayflower Court, New London. Featured artists are Gail Clearwater-Shabby, rustic garden art, and Michael O’Connell, multi media.
• Morack Garden, 612 W. North Water St., New London. Artists are Silvia Gonzalez, jewelry, and Ruth Rex, multi media.
• Racine Garden, N3595 Bean City Road, New London. Artists are Dianne Vesser, multi media, and Mary Biesner, glasswork.
• Borden’s Hosta Haven, E9288 Crain Road, New London. Artists are Colleen Reed, tree charm, and Rob Zimmer, nature and garden books and photography.
• Herried’s Hobby Farm, N3355 County Trunk W, New London. Artists are Malcome Hathorne, willow and twig furniture, and Peggy Foote, Ukrainian egg decorating.
• Neuzil Garden, N3497 Bean City Road, New London. Artists Ashley Nigbor-Gordon, visual artist, andCheryl Mocadlo, acrylic.
• Wilderness Springs Trout Farm, N4923 Lang Drive, New London. Artists are Matt Philips, birdhouses and feeders, and Brigit Philips, weaving and placemats.
• Royalton Berry Farm, 4825 Stiebs Johnson Road, New London. Artists and Benita Jo Kulick, pottery, and Thomas Young, photography.
• New London Children’s Garden, Pfeifer Park, 509 Burton St., New London. Artists are Judi Neisen, watercolor, alcohol ink, acrylic, and Karen Martens, acrylic on decor.


text:
From driving accidents to distracted pedestrians and dangerous trespassing, the phenomenal success of Nintendo’s “Pokemon GO” game is fueling public safety fears.
“Death by Pokemon is coming,” warns Gerry Beyer, Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law. “Pokemon users will have all sorts of accidents as they use the program while walking, biking, driving, etc.”
Two men apparently playing the game had to be rescued after falling off a 90-foot ocean bluff in California Wednesday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The free augmented reality game lets players ‘capture’ digital creatures at real locations using their smartphones. Digital items that can be used within the game can be found at so-called ‘PokeStops’ which are often located at real landmarks.
A slew of trespassing incidents have been linked to the game. Fox8, for example, reports that three teenagers were stopped at Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio Tuesday when they trespassed on the site in pursuit of Pokemon characters.
“Pokemon GO” has already prompted a flood of warnings from police departments. “As you battle, train, and capture your Pokemon just remember you’re still in the real world!,” warned San Francisco Police Department, in a Facebook post Tuesday. Other law enforcement agencies have already reported accidents, injuries and robberies where suspects have used the game to lure victims, it added.
The game has also been cited in road accidents. Texas A&M University Police tweeted this week that a vehicle struck an illegally parked car Monday, noting that the “1st driver had exited to catch a Pokémon.”
The following day a driver reportedly wrapped his car around a tree while playing “Pokemon GO” in upstate New York.
Distracted pedestrians have also been suffering injuries.
On July 7, a Reddit user lamented that “Pokemon Go put me in the ER” in a thread devoted to the game. “Not even 30 minutes after the release last night, I slipped and fell down a ditch. Fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in my foot, 6-8 weeks for recovery. I told all the doctors I was walking my dog lol... Watch where you're going, folks!,” the poster wrote.
One woman told WPXI-TV in western Pennsylvania that her 15-year-old daughter was hit by a car while playing the game and crossing a busy highway. The girl was reportedly hospitalized with an injured collarbone and foot, as well as cuts and bruises.
In addition to the accident risks, Texas Tech University’s Beyer warns that trespassing “Pokemon Go” players could be putting their lives in danger. “I also fear that Pokemon trespassers may be considered home invaders by property owners and injured or even killed by owners who believe they are defending their property and life,” he told FoxNews.com, via email.
“The Pokemon user certainly will be liable for trespassing (and any other damages he or she causes) to the property owners,” he added.
A warning from “Pokemon GO” developer Niantic also pops up every time the app is opened, telling players to aware of their surroundings. Players must also agree to fine print saying they cannot enter private property without permission.
There's also a disclaimer that says Niantic is not liable for any property damage, injuries or deaths that result while playing.
However, Beyer thinks that many people do not pay close attention to fine print, citing the results of a recent service agreement study.
“Pokemon GO” sparked controversy this week when characters in the game appeared in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Arlington National Cemetery. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn, has called for Niantic to give “greater clarity” about how it handles users’ security and privacy.
The brouhaha, however, has done little to dent the popularity of “Pokemon GO”. The game has overtaken Pandora, Twitter, Netflix, Google Hangouts and Spotify for daily use in the U.S, according to digital market intelligence specialist SimilarWeb. “Pokemon GO” is also closing in on popular social media apps Snapchat and WhatsApp, SimilarWeb announced Thursday.
Niantic has not yet responded to a request for comment on this story from FoxNews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers


Needs to be recalled
By Disappointed on
Vehicle2004 Ford Freestar Limited 4dr Minivan (4.2L 6cyl 4A)
ReviewI've had the van for 4 years now. 3 weeks after purchase there were noises heard while driving under normal conditions. Took it to dealer twice; they said they found nothing. Trusted their opinion since they sell. Now a new problem...transmission gave in. Van is sitting in mechanics garage collecting dust until I can come up with at least $3000 for repairs. Also, driver side window motor needs to be replaced. Talked to some other mechanics and they're baffled why these problems occured on a 5-yr old vehicle under 100k miles. I'm not buying a Ford ever again.
Best FeaturesJust the DVD entertainment system. Great if you have kids.
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AuNPs–TTA and also aggregation phenomenon were investigated by. pouches and membranes that provide fluid reservoirs, fluid actuation pouches and membranes that provide fluid reservoirs, fluid actuation. The aim of this study was to detect the prevalence of oral H.pylori among adults and to investigate the correlation between H.pylori infection and common oral diseases.. Selective increase of mitochondrial membrane permeability appeared as an important event during priming phase of LR after PH, thus sustaining preferential release of mitochondrial proteins outside the organelle in comparison with limited redistribution of cytosolic and mitochondrial membrane proteins. High doses of EtOH delayed LR and re-enforced mobilization of proteins produced by PH probably by enhancing greater mitochondrial membrane permeability. Selective increase of mitochondrial membrane permeability appeared as an important event during priming phase of LR after PH, thus sustaining preferential release of mitochondrial proteins outside the organelle in comparison with limited redistribution of cytosolic and mitochondrial membrane proteins. High doses of EtOH delayed LR and re-enforced mobilization of proteins produced by PH probably by enhancing greater mitochondrial membrane permeability.. synergistic way or form feedback loops to regulate gene expression .. DU145 cells (4.8 × 106) were harvested and subsequently rinsed with Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) (PAN P04-49505) and after centrifugation for 5 min (800 U×min-1) resuspended in isotonic Tris (137 mM NaCl; 5 mM KCl; 0.3 mM Na2HPO4×2 H20; 0.5 mM MgCl2; 0.7 mM CaCl2; and 25 mM Tris/HCl cheap generic cytotec no prescription pH 7.5). After centrifugation (identical procedure as above) the pellet was washed with isotonic Hepes (220 mM sucrose; 0.5 mM Cacl2; and 5 mM MgCl2) and promptly centrifuged as described above.. Hydrodissection can be considered to be the most probable causative factor for AHM tear because the IOP becomes highest at this stage during phacoemulsification surgery. The AHM adheres firmly to the posterior lens capsule by means of the hyaloidocapsular Ligament of Weiger and a tear is frequently seen near the ligament [12,13]. In the presence of the injected viscoelastic materials, hydrodissection may place great stress on the Weiger ligament, causing a tear in the AHM. Viscoelastics normally play important roles in maintaining a surgical space in which CCC can be performed and also in protecting the corneal endothelium. Recently different properties of viscoelastics have been utilized for application in various situations, as the magnitude of increase in the IOP during hydrodissection varies widely depending on the type of viscoelastics used [14-16]. Dispersive OVDs have the ability to coat; they work well to keep the corneal endothelium protected during phacoemulsification. Meanwhile, cohesive OVDs are useful in creating and maintaining space in the anterior chamber and relatively easy to remove as a bolus. In the current study, because cohesive OVDs were spontaneously removed during the hydrodissection step, we did not have to deliberately remove them before hydrodissection. Because of these properties, cohesive OVDs are better than dispersive OVDs for avoiding IOP spikes, but less effective for coating and protecting the intraocular tissue. Ease of surgery, protection of the endothelium, and avoidance of an IOP spike are all factors that need to be considered while selecting an OVD; however, considering one factor might negatively affect the others. While using dispersive OVDs, it should always be kept in mind that careless maneuvers may lead to rupture of the PC-AHM barrier. Because unlike cohesive OVDs, it is difficult for dispersive OVDs to spontaneously pass through the corneal incision site during hydrodissection, it is necessary to avoid sealing the wound during hydrodissection.. There are four levels of treatment for.
swallowing, and sleeplessness.. The mean age at the time of diagnosis of POTS was 49±9 years and eight of the 9 patients were women. Five patients (55%) had hyperlipidemia, 3 (33%) migraine and 2 (22%) patients had coronary artery disease and diabetes each. Fatigue and palpitations (on assuming upright posture) were the most common finding in our patients (9/9). All patients also had orthostatic dizziness. Syncope was seen in 5/9(55%) of patients. Four patients (44%), who did not have clear syncope, were having episodes of near syncope. The presence of POTS in our study population resulted in substantial limitation of daily activities. Following recognition and treatment of POTS, 6/9(66%), patients were able to resume daily activities of living. Their symptoms (especially fatigue and orthostatic intolerance) improved. The frequency and severity of syncope also improved. Three (33%) patients failed to show a good response to treatment.. The need to prevent postoperative adhesions after surgery has been considered a significant challenge in thoracic surgery, especially with the advent of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). While preventive materials for postoperative adhesions have been studied for many years, they are all still in the development phases.. In conclusion cheap generic cytotec no prescription our results demonstrated an important regulatory role for CXCL12 and CXCR4 in BMP9-stimulated osteogenic differentiation of C3H10T1/2 MPCs for the first time. CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling appears to be a prerequisite for BMP9-dependent osteogenic signaling. This knowledge will expand our understanding about how BMP9 cross-talks with other signaling pathways to support bone repair and regeneration, and will contribute to the identification of effective bone regeneration therapeutics to treat skeletal diseases..
All patients referred to Loghman-Hakim Hospital between February 2009 and April 2010 with pure tramadol intoxication were identified retrospectively. Data collected included the patient's age, sex, ingested dose, route of exposure, reason for poisoning (acute overdose or supratherapeutic use), previous history of suicidal attempts, previous history of drug or substance abuse (including tramadol), and clinical features on admission including seizures and apnea.. Analyses were performed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Inc., Armonk, NY), version 23.0. Continuous data were reported as median and interquartile range [IQR] and categorical data as frequencies and percentages. The Mann Whitney U test was utilized for continuous data and Pearson chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used, as appropriate, for categorical data. An a priori significance level was set as p < 0.05.. Malnutrition is a common concern in hemodialysis patients. The malnutrition status leads to susceptibility to fatigue, anemia, infection, and poor rehabilitation, increases risk for hospitalization, and eventually causes increased mortality in hemodialysis patients [1-4].. health cheap generic cytotec no prescription life quality and life expectancy. conceptually state the principles of hierarchy among the functional conceptually state the principles of hierarchy among the functional.
scalability of vacuum infiltration makes it a prime candidate for. For RT-PCR analysis (Qiagen One Step RT-PCR kit), 1.0 µg of total RNA was reverse transcribed using standard reagents according to the manufacturer's instructions. Samples were incubated in the PTC-200 Thermal Cycler for reverse transcription at 50°C for 30 min, initial PCR activation step at 95°C for 5 min followed by 32 polymerase chain reaction cycles. Each cycle consisted of at 95˚C for 30 seconds, 56˚C for 30 seconds, and 68˚C for 1 minute. The final completion step was carried out at 68˚C for 10 minutes. The annealing temperatures for various genes were calculated according to their sequence and were optimized. Accordingly, the temperatures we used were: 55˚C for CD44 and CTTN, 51˚C for BIRC5 and 58˚C for GAPDH.. (keeping supplements to a (keeping supplements to a. they arise.. As the chest compression rate increases through all the 3 rates, the fractions of chest compressions with complete release and the fractions of chest compressions with sufficient depth were deteriorated at the rate of 140 compressions/min ( P < .05), although the average compression depth was above the recommended 2010 guideline depth of 5 cm( P > .05). Of note, the fatigue point at 140 compressions/min happened significantly ( P < .05) sooner. As the chest compression rate increases through all the 3 rates, the fractions of chest compressions with complete release and the fractions of chest compressions with sufficient depth were deteriorated at the rate of 140 compressions/min ( P < .05), although the average compression depth was above the recommended 2010 guideline depth of 5 cm( P > .05). Of note, the fatigue point at 140 compressions/min happened significantly ( P < .05) sooner.. The routine use of CT in asymptomatic pediatric patients with a suspicious mechanism of blunt trauma injury is not justified. The routine use of CT in asymptomatic pediatric patients with a suspicious mechanism of blunt trauma injury is not justified.. Mechanisms underlying BPA effect on uterine contraction. cell lines with abnormal expression of imprinted genes [12,13]. Such. maraviroc cheap generic cytotec no prescription as the first-in-class drug targeting a host factor required for. solving. The main strength of deep learning is the ability to easily.


New Delhi: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is all set to disclose a key replace on his most secretive brain-computer interface know-how startup Neuralink this week.
Musk may announce human trials for the know-how that has been profitable on mice and even apes, an IANS report has mentioned.
“If you cannot beat em, be part of em – Neuralink’s mission assertion,” Musk had tweeted on July 9 with out divulging a lot particulars. “Progress replace August 28, ” he added.
In the event you can’t beat em, be part of em
Neuralink mission assertion
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2020
Later, on July 30, he gave additional hints through some extra tweets:
Will present neurons firing in real-time on August 28th. The matrix within the matrix.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2020
To assist paralysed folks management gadgets and empower folks with mind issues, Neuralink final yr unveiled tiny mind “threads” in a chip which is lengthy lasting, usable at dwelling and has the potential to exchange cumbersome gadgets at the moment used as brain-machine interfaces.
“The profound influence of excessive bandwidth, excessive precision neural interfaces is underappreciated. Neuralink could have this in a human as quickly as this yr,” Musk had tweeted in February this yr.
The profound influence of excessive bandwidth, excessive precision neural interfaces is underappreciated. Neuralink could have this in a human as quickly as this yr. Simply must be unequivocally higher than Utah Array, which is already in some people & has extreme drawbacks.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2020
“This has the potential to unravel a number of brain-related illnesses. The concept is to grasp and deal with mind issues, protect and improve your individual mind and create a well-aligned future,” Musk instructed the viewers on the launch occasion final yr.
The know-how has a module that sits outdoors the pinnacle, behind the ear, and receives data from “threads” embedded within the mind.
Managed by an iPhone app, the chip known as “N1 sensor” with only a USB port popping out can have as many as 3,072 electrodes per array distributed throughout 96 “threads” — every “thread” smaller than the tiniest human hair.
The chip which will likely be wi-fi sooner or later can learn, transmit high-volume knowledge and amplify alerts from the mind.
Based as a medical analysis firm in 2016, Neuralink has employed a number of high-profile neuroscientists from varied universities.
The corporate is concentrated on creating gadgets resembling tiny stitching machines that may be implanted within the human mind — to enhance reminiscence or extra direct interfacing with computing gadgets.
With IANS Inputs


text:
Horse Quotes and Sayings - Page 9
Let a horse whisper in your ear and breathe on your face, and you will truly know what it is to be close to God’s animal.
I don’t think anyone knows me as well as my horse does.
Horses fear many things I do not think a rider could be one of them.
Before you get on their back you have to get inside their mind.
For anyone who doesn’t like horses, freedom and life means nothing to you.
You can tell a gelding, you can ask a mare, but you must discuss it with a stallion.
Speak kindly to your little horse, and soothe him when he wheezes, or he may turn his back on you, and kick you where he pleases.
Horses are something to dream about…and to wish for; fun to watch…and to make friends with; nice to pat… And great to hug: and, oh, what a joy to ride.
You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to roll over and float on his back, then you got something.
You can’t control a young horse unless you control yourself.
In what other sport do you put on leather boots, stretch- fabric breeches, a shirt and tie, a wool jacket, a velvet- covered cap, and leather gloves, and then go out and ride?
Horses have to be free, free as the wind blows.
A horse is more than a best friend, it’s family.
Once you’ve taken flight on a horse,
There’s no need for a plane.
Your horse is your best friend and no one can say he’s not cause he is and he will always be there on a bad or good day and there will always be that horse that will run away with your heart and you will never forget that horse and you will be heart broken when that horse is gone.
A horse is better than a friend, because together you might stumble but he is always ready to get up and try again.
– Proud owner of my morgan horse, latin dancer.
To ride a horse is to have an unbreakable bond with a majestic, beautiful animal and friend.
Live Laugh Lope
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t stop him from rolling in it!!!
You can have my boyfriend, but stay away from my horse!!!
Life is good, HORSES make it better!
If there are no horses in heaven, I’m not going!!!
If no answer check the barn.
My therapist has 4 legs.
My boyfriend asked me to pick between him and my horse, I better go get the saddle.
A horse can sense the riders emotions, so be fearless or don’t ride.
I’m never far away from home, ’cause home is where the horse is.
There’s such thing as heaven on earth; it’s called a horse.
When I ride my horse, all worries, sorrows, and fears eat the dust I leave behind.
When you feel like you can’t trust anyone or anything, you can always count on your horse!
No hour of life is wasted that is spent on a saddle.
A perfect day for me, without horses. ?? Neigh I don’t think so. :)
A horse is freedom, love, compassion and so much more!
What are we without them?
When people say “It’s just a horse” they just don’t understand.
Its every girls dream to own a horse
A horse is living proof that God exists. :)
Now I can live forever..i have a horse
It’s not just jumping a horse, it’s a given opportunity to fly without wings. For a split second, of course!
While you’re teaching your horse to win in the arena, he’s quietly teaching you to win in life!
Be the rider, not the passenger!


It will be another four or five years before the $40 billion LNG Canada project begins shipping liquefied natural gas to customers in Asia.
But smaller players are already exporting LNG from B.C., thanks to a recent $400 million expansion of FortisBC's Tilbury Island plant.
The plant has been used since the 1970s to liquefy natural gas for backup storage. But following a recently completed expansion, the plant now can produce up to 250,000 tonnes of LNG per year. While some of that LNG is used for the domestic market, primarily trucking, some is now being exported.
In 2017, Calvin Xu's company, True North, shipped its first test shipment of Tilbury Island LNG to China by intermodal (ISO) container. Last year, he shipped 50 containers – about 900 tonnes.
Another company, Beijing Tianhai Cryogenic (BTCE), shipped 1,000 tonnes by ISO container.
“This year, our plan is 2,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes,” said Cui Zhichen, vice general manager for BTCE.
Both companies buy the LNG from FortisBC and ship it by ISO containers on container ships to industrial buyers in China.
Doug Stout, vice president of market development for FortisBC, said four or five small shippers like True North and BTCE have sprung up in the last year.
Xu sees a potential to grow the export busine in China, although he said the container terminal operator his company uses in Vancouver, GCT Vantherm, has added costs that he thinks are unreasonable.
Last year, he said GCT Vantherm added a special LNG surcharge of $1,500 per container, each way. For a 15-container shipment, that adds up to $45,000 in additional surcharges.
“It’s killing the economics,” he said.
Xu said he and FortisBC recently got the terminal operator to reduce the surcharge to $800 for each full container and $475 for each empty one that comes in. But Xu still thinks it’s “unreasonable” to apply an LNG surcharge on incoming containers that are empty.
GCT Vantherm explained that the surcharge is needed because handling LNG containers requires "additional operational considerations" and handling procedures.
"As such, GCT has entered into a pilot program with FortisBC for handling these specialized containers. As this is a new commodity being handled, GCT has also engaged with our labour work force and our safety teams to ensure proper handling procedures are in place."
In addition to a growing export market, FortisBC is working to develop a new marine bunkering business that would serve vessels that are powered by LNG.
FortisBC is working with WesPac Midstream to build a new marine jetty to create a new LNG bunkering terminal.
“Our goal is to provide LNG services up and down the West coast and make Canada a key hub in marine bunkering,” Stout said. “As the IMO (International Maritime Organization) rules tighten up here in 2020, which is very far away, we see great opportunity going forward on this.”


There’s a grand tradition of filmmakers implicating the viewer, clucking their tongues at your voyeuristic compulsion to watch women taking showers (Psycho), to spy on your neighbors (Rear Window), or to use the suffering of others as entertainment (Funny Games). Aside from being hypocritical (or self-flagellating), this tendency to make the audience feel guilty seems hell-bent on undermining the pleasurable experience of movies, like a talking candy bar that tells you the horrible things you’re doing to your body by consuming it.
On the other hand, these films rightfully acknowledge that it might not be such a good idea to wallow in the casual, consequence-free violence that many movies sell. Perhaps that talking candy bar isn’t such a bad idea, after all.
What’s curious is that there are relatively few movies that acknowledge the power of the moving image without then indulging its worst behaviors. Funny Games might be the worst offender, with its blunt excoriations blended with pointless cruelty. If you want to feel awful about the state of the culture, this is the movie for you. (And lucky us: Writer/director Michael Haneke is re-making his movie in English.)
At least Haneke kept his sadistic boner in his pants. Sometimes the prurient interests win out over a noble goal, as when intended satire was indistinguishable from the visceral thrill of violence and its presentation in Natural Born Killers. If violence is a monster, Oliver Stone’s movie is its face.
So Spike Lee’s Inside Man is a refreshing and unfortunately rare example of responsible entertainment.
This is not “responsible” in the sense of “good for you.” Erudition and enlightenment have no place in this pulpy bank-robbery movie. Rather, Lee and screenwriter Russell Gerwitz announce early in Inside Man that nothing too traumatic will befall any of the characters, and then they keep that promise; they implicitly give the audience permission to enjoy the film. Especially considering the potential for violence in the premise, this is an exceedingly gentle movie — and I mean that as a compliment.
“My name is Dalton Russell,” says the lead bank robber (Clive Owen) at the outset. “Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and never repeat myself.” Here the movie establishes itself as a puzzle, a game. That playfulness is confirmed later in the movie when the monologue is repeated.
Russell doesn’t give the speech again, mind you; the filmmaker shows it again. But that authorial intrusion is reassuring, because it reminds us that someone is flying the plane, that he has a sense of humor, and that he remembers his pledge to you.
The promise is delivered structurally; before the movie has shown how the robbery/hostage situation ends, we see people who were in the bank now being interviewed by the police. The obvious information being conveyed is that the people survived, but the tone of the interrogations tells us something more valuable: that there was no great tragedy. Watch with impunity! Get attached to the characters! Root for the good guys and the bad guys.
It might seem like a minor thing, this safety that the filmmakers have provided in Inside Man. But it really isn’t. Consider, for example, what has become of the horror genre in recent years, with its insistence on portraying agony and with mutilation and torture so explicit that the experience is nearly sympathetic — you can almost feel the characters’ physical pain.
There is a valid place for making the audience feel awful, but there also needs to be a sanctuary for the essential triviality of cinema — a place for relatively innocent thrills and chills in which nothing is really at stake and nobody gets hurt too badly. Many of us use movies to escape from real life, and Inside Man provides that without insulting anybody’s intelligence.
Beyond that, I’ll say little. I could claim that I’m trying to preserve the surprise, but the reality is that we watched the movie in September, and October has turned into November, and my brain is a sieve. I will note that Jodie Foster is never credible as a corporate problem-solver, and that using a Nazi artifact to signify villainy is an unwelcome intrusion of the real world into this genre fantasy. Plot holes and shit holes are all the rage over here if you’re interested.
All of that is quibbling, really, and none of it detracts from what is a wholly pleasurable movie experience — nothing more, but certainly nothing less.


text:
Swirling about us incessantly. They won’t stop.
And neither will I.
Pretty Little Scribbles is the embodiment of my mission as a thirteen-year-old. Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet.
I dream to spread hope and gratefulness in this world, where we take everything for granted one time too many, through words.
It’s a teen review and lifestyle blog full of my memories, routines and book reviews. I post every Sunday usually, but you can expect a book review to pop up every once in a while.
I like to think that I’m on a journey—a continual one—which shall help me discover who I am. We all are.
I started Pretty Little Scribbles one autumn morning, yearning to share my words with the world—it has evolved into so, so much more. I believe that words have the power to change us and that the most successful people live lives that have been changed by the beauty of literature.
I believe that everyone has something to say. We’ve all lived our own lives, full of unique, intriguing experiences. We each have our own emotions about a variety of beautiful things. We each have our own voice.
So you have something to say. Something that no one or nothing else can say for you. We all do.
This is my space for just that. For the words that keep popping into my head. Not poems, or rhymes of sorts, no. Just words in sentences about anything, and everything.
Welcome to Pretty Little Scribbles. Hopefully, you’ll stick around for my journey. Feel free to have a look around, and we could always chat in the comments of my latest post! I love finding new blogs, so if you have one, you’re more than welcome to send me a link in the comments; I’ll definitely check it out!
If you’re having some trouble as to where to start, here are a few of my favourite posts from my blog:
The Journey Begins: the start of my journey as a blogger
The Beauty of A Thousand Stars: a message to spread hope in the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic
Summer Diaries: a four-part blog series I wrote during my summer break (filled with literary analyses, life updates and my worldview)
Blog followers: 315
Pinterest followers: 480
Twitter followers: 561
Goodreads followers: 318
Total: 1.67 k


text:
Series & GroupsView all 20
TrainingView all 24
Culture Q&A with Jerry Hurley
Have you seen Pastor Jerry Hurley's talk " Building Church Culture ," but have questions you want answered? Hear some Q&A about common culture questions, like: What's a high-performing church team? How can I tell if my team is disengaged? How can I tell if I have accidental values?...
Church Culture Conference: Why Culture Matters Most
We all know that culture is important, but are you taking intentional steps to increase cultural health? Jeff Lockyer, lead pastor at Southridge Community Church, shares six convictions that resulted from a cultural health journey at Southridge....
Hillsong Training: Culture Carriers
Join Chrishan & Danielle Jeyaratnam, Campus Pastors of the newly planted Hillsong Perth on this Online Open Week webinar as they discuss the importance of establishing a healthy culture in your church and the practical ways to ensure it filters from the leadership all the way through to v...
Creating a Culture of Invitation
Kristi Northup, executive pastor at Saints Community Church in New Orleans, shares how to create a culture of invitation in your church. If you feel like you’ve tried everything to reach people, but haven’t seen much return, learn what Kristi and her husband identified: you have to emphasize person...

domain: sociology


text:
Are you attending New York City’s most exciting masquerade ball at the NoMad? Tickets are already sold out, but let Baroque Access get you on the waitlist!
Halloween is fast approaching, and if you’re keen to attend the most exciting party in town, the NoMad Masquerade Ball on 31 October in New York City, Baroque Access can assist. Although tickets are already sold out for this popular black tie event, we can get you on the waitlist. So sort out your outfits, get the cutest mask you can find, and here’s hoping you’ll be one of the privileged few to get through the door!
The NoMad’s annual black tie affair, which starts at 9pm and will be held on the first and second floors of the hotel restaurant, is acknowledged as one of the best and most prestigious events on the city’s celebrity calendar. Guests enjoy a delightful evening full of tricks and treats, not to mention revelry, all in the name of charity (the event benefits Citymeals-on-Wheels). Because of the ball’s popularity, tickets are limited to eight per person – but this is another reason to celebrate, as people purchase more than they need, so that those on the waitlist have an excellent chance of getting in, especially with our assistance!
Live entertainment will be provided by The Chris Norton Septet, Wasabassco, Annie Bea and DJ Matt Seigel. Tricks will be performed by Theory11 & Dan White and deliciously scary treats will be provided by Chefs Daniel Humm & James Kent. Cocktails and other concoctions will be prepared by Leo Robitschek and pleasantries by Will Guidara & Jeffrey Tascarella.

domain: entertainment


text:
Introducing Blue Buffalo Variety Pack Wet Cat Food
Give your feline friends the best possible meal with our Blue Buffalo Variety Pack Wet Cat Food. Made from real meat, vegetables, and other high-quality ingredients, this wet cat food is a great addition to your pet's diet. With a variety of flavors in each pack, your cat won't get bored with the same old meal every day. Our wet cat food is crafted with utmost care and is free from any artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors. So, you can be sure that you are feeding your cat only the finest and healthiest food.
The Benefits of Blue Buffalo Variety Pack Wet Cat Food
Blue Buffalo Variety Pack Wet Cat Food is made with the health of your feline friend in mind. Our wet cat food has a high protein count, which is crucial for keeping your cat healthy and active. We also include wholesome vegetables and fruits that provide vitamins and minerals essential for their daily needs. With a mix of different flavors, our variety pack ensures your cat maintains a healthy appetite, and you can be sure they are getting all the nutrients they need.
Why Choose Blue Buffalo Variety Pack Wet Cat Food?
At Blue Buffalo, we believe that your feline friends deserve the best possible meal. That's why we use only high-quality, all-natural ingredients that provide a balanced diet. Our wet cat food is made with real, deboned meat and also includes vegetables and fruits for added nutrition. We take the health of your pets seriously, and our long-standing commitment to quality has solidified us as one of the most trusted brands in the pet food industry. With Blue Buffalo Variety Pack Wet Cat Food, you can be sure that your furry friend is getting the best meal possible.

domain: food


text: The zebra TB-15 Alternative 8 from Seymour Duncan is a bridge humbucker pickup with a wide pole piece spacing for symmetrical positioning under the strings of guitars with a tremolo or wide-spaced hardtail bridge (2" or wider from the center of the Low E to High E directly over the bridge pickup). Like the SH-15 Alternative 8, the TB-15 utilizes high-output coils with a powerful alnico 8 bar magnet to produce the sweet treble response of an alnico 2 magnet with the midrange emphasis of an alnico 5 and the power or a ceramic magnet. The result is a huge, punchy high-output sound that doesn't become overly fizzy, and cuts through without sounding harsh. Other features include a nickel-silver bottom plate, a 4-conductor lead wire for multiple wiring options, and vacuum wax potting for squeal-free performance. The Alternative 8 is carefully hand-built in Santa Barbara, CA.

domain: hobby