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Technical Problem With This Chapter?
Author: Caleb Nova
Story: Vis Insita
Part: 6: The Enemy Without
Rating: Teens
Setting: AU
Status: WIP
Reviews: 14
Words: 8,672
Updated: November 25, 2012, 3:47pm
6: The Enemy Without
"Fear is a primal response — it's not considered, but
Ron shifted uncomfortably in his dress robes, pulling at the collar. About the only thing they had to recommend them was that they weren't old; they were new, clean and well-fitted, for a change. At least he didn't have to attend Bill's wedding wearing something that should have been binned a decade ago.
He tugged at the collar again. Nice robes were a scant comfort when he was expected to greet a thousand effing people whose names he couldn't remember and then find them on the seating chart.
"When is everyone supposed to arrive?" he asked Fred, who was standing closest to him.
Fred flipped out his pocket watch. "Well, let's have a look… As I thought, everything goes tits up in five, four, three…"
He was a bit off, but no more than a handful of seconds after he finished his count, guests began Apparating in just beyond the edge of the grounds.
Harry was studying the seating chart again, appearing very uncomfortable. Or at least Ron assumed he was uncomfortable. It was hard to tell since Harry had taken Polyjuice that morning and assumed the form of some red-haired Muggle from the village. Now he was 'Cousin Barny'. It was supposed to be a protective measure, though Ron didn't really see the point. Even the Death Eaters couldn't be stupid enough to think Harry would be somewhere else on a Weasley's wedding day, off by himself.
Nobody had asked his opinion, though, as usual.
As the guests approached, Ron turned slightly to give Scott's distant form an envious eye. The lucky git had been recruited by Lila to help her with the catering, and while he hadn't obviously stolen anything, his mouth always seemed to be full. The bastard was stuffing himself while Ron and Harry did the real work.
"We need a system for all the younger witches," George was saying. "I get first choice, I think that's fair."
"Hang on there, old man, nobody's picking through your leftovers," Fred protested. "We'll do this proper like: anyone have a coin on them?"
Ron didn't know why they were even bothering to discuss it. "Me and Harry are already taken, you sods. Do what you like."
George nodded. "Yes, that's right — you are, aren't you. That reminds me, Harry… Charlie was saying we should sit down and have a talk with you, at your earliest convenience…"
Straightening his collar one last time, Ron gave the seating chart another once over. "Shut it, they're here."
Seating all the newcomers was a bloody nightmare; he didn't know two-thirds of them and all the cousins from Fleur's side either had incomprehensible accents or didn't speak English at all. Ron and Harry did the best they could, and Fred and George spoke a few phrases in French, but it quickly became apparent they were going to need help.
"Oi, Ha—er, Barny. I just had an idea," Ron said, walking up to his friend. "Scott speaks French, let's foist these frogs off on him."
"They'll all keep bothering him if they know he understands," Harry pointed out.
Harry grinned. "I'll go get him."
A couple of minutes later and Harry reappeared with an obviously reluctant Scott. "—just ask them for a name, Barny, this isn't particle science! Quel est votre nom? There, you're set."
Harry just handed him the seating chart. "Look, the faster you do this, the faster we can be done."
With that, Ron and Harry each seized one of Scott's arms and practically threw him at the unseated Delacours who had gathered to converse.
"Uh… Bonjour et bienvenue. Puis-je vous aider ŕ trouver vos chaises?" Scott said grudgingly.
With that problem taken care of, Ron found himself with a bit of time to mingle. He went looking for Hermione, with the vague thought that maybe if he spent time with her before the wedding proper she wouldn't ask him to dance afterwards. The more he thought about that, the less likely it seemed.
The weather was perfect for a wedding and while the decorations were a bit much for Ron's taste, he supposed it all fit together well enough. He might have paid a bit more attention to everything for use in the eventuality of his own wedding, but seeing as he might not survive the rest of the year, there wasn't much point in worrying about it. That was about as far as he was willing to go with the whole 'inevitable death' thing, though. Ron, along with Hermione, still tended to find Harry's fatalism annoying. At least Scott and Ginny were positive about the future (which probably should have been scant comfort: Scott was paid to keep their spirits up and Ginny usually just wanted Harry to stop brooding). And who knew what Lila was thinking.
Ron grinned as he thought of the uproar Lila had caused earlier. As she had requested the night before, Ginny went to see her before everyone filed out into the garden. Ron hadn't been present, showering at the time, but as Hermione told it, Lila had broken the Trace. Problem was, she had also broken a few other things.
Half the Weasleys in the household had rushed upstairs in a panic as Ginny's hand on the family clock spun around aimlessly, moving from 'Mortal Peril' to 'Lost' and eventually coming loose and falling off. They had found a very startled Ginny in her room, still alive and well.
Mum had fixed Ginny's connection to the clock while Dad had taken the thing halfway apart in an attempt to find the problem before having to abandon it for his wedding duties. It was still mostly in pieces. Fred and George had harried Ginny for the secret of her 'prank' until she threatened to hex them both, Ministry rules or no.
Ron just hoped that Lila had done the job right. If Ginny could be tracked by the spells she cast, it would be a short Horcrux hunt.
"Weasley," a voice grunted from somewhere near Ron's left elbow. He turned to find the craggy visage of Mad-Eye Moody looking back at him. Ron braced himself.
"Hello," Ron said politely, trying hard not to stare at Moody's whirling false eye. It was moving so fast the pupil was just a blur.
"Lot of power here today," Moody said without preamble, not that Ron expected any small talk from him. "Nice to see you're all on guard, anyway… Those heavy wards are solid, but no replacement for constant vigilance."
It hadn't been so long ago that Ron would have found such comments amusing. Now… well, he understood that kind of paranoia a bit better. "Expecting trouble?"
"Always," Moody growled. His magical eye came to an abrupt stop. "There she is. Over by the bubbly."
Ron glanced towards the champagne table, but there was more than one woman there. "Who?"
"The Kharan girl. Lila, I think it was." Both of Moody's eyes now fixed on Ron, boring into him. "You watch that one, lad. She's got a look about her…"
Ron glanced that way again, this time spotting Lila. She was conversing amiably with several of Fleur's cousins while Charlie hovered nearby. "What kind of a look? Blonde, tall…?"
"Oh, she seems normal enough just now. Had a chat with her just a minute ago. Well-spoken, very polite. Pretty, if you like the type. Your brother obviously does." Moody's expression darkened. "But it's in the eyes. You can't hide what you've seen, who you are. Not to someone else who knows."
"Knows what?" Ron asked tensely.
"How to snatch the breath out of a man. How to scrape the fear from your insides and leave nothing but the scars. I'm not daft, Weasley, I know what I look like. You think any of the other pretty young things here can see me and not want to look away?" Moody's eyes narrowed. "Not her. She was taking me apart. You understand, lad? She had me sized."
Ron wished that Hermione, Harry or even Scott were present to smooth things over. Diverting Moody probably required a team effort. "At least you didn't duel, Mum would have been a bit shirty about that," he said, trying humour.
Moody snorted derisively. "She's got a knife strapped to her left thigh. At that range I'd have had it in my throat before I could get my wand out. Not as young as I used to be."
"Oh. Yeah, she's… good with pointy things. Mostly in the kitchen, though." Ron really needed to stop talking.
"You watch that one," Moody said again. "She's a different sort than the rest."
That was the absolute truth, even though Ron couldn't confirm it. He just nodded, not trusting himself to reply further. As soon as Moody walked off he let out a breath he hadn't know he'd been holding. "Blimey," he muttered to himself.
"Ron!" Hermione walked up and looped her arm through his. "Did Moody want something?"
She was so lovely in her dress that for a moment Ron forgot he should respond. He wanted to bury his face in the crook of her neck, or between her… "Um…"
He tried to get hold of his hormones even as he moved his arm around her waist. "He was talking to Lila. I think he's on to her."
Hermione's playful expression switched to a frown. "Drat. How did that happen?"
"I dunno. She has some sort of 'I-can-kill-you-with-my-little-finger' aura that equally mad bastards like him can detect. He said she was dangerous and I should watch her."
"Well, she is dangerous… but not to us, at least."
Ron made a face of disbelief. "Were you there when she cornered Fred and George after they jinxed her toothbrush? She's scary, she is. I thought the twins were going to cry."
"Oh, she wouldn't have hurt them." Hermione stilled, then added, "Not permanently."
Ron wasn't willing to give her even that much credit. "Yeah, sure. Also, Harry never broods and Scott always tells the truth."
Hermione swatted his arm gently. "You! She's not that bad."
"She and Scott are both nutters, and heavily armed, at that."
Ron staggered awkwardly into Hermione when Scott came up behind him and unexpectedly threw a comradely arm over his shoulder. "Hey! This is the guy, this is my boy, right here! Hey, man—" Scott leaned in close to Ron's face and completely dropped the jovial act. "If you ever leave me alone with the full cast of Les Misérables again I will fucking end you."
Ron looked at Hermione. "See?"
Hermione only sighed. "Scott, if you can't watch your language at a wedding just because Ron left you with—"
"—a bunch of goddamn cheese-eating surrender monkeys—" Scott said over her.
"—our French guests, then there's really no hope for you. If you didn't want to be a translator, you shouldn't have let it slip that you speak the language in the first place."
"I regret that deeply, now," Scott said bitterly. "Whatever. Bye."
"I think you mean, 'whatever, au revoir'," Hermione said pointedly.
Scott's eyes filled with suppressed rage but he said nothing as he stomped off towards his assigned seat.
"That was brilliant," Ron said, trying not to laugh too loudly.
"That was mean," Hermione corrected. "But he had it coming for so many things." She put her arm around Ron's again. "Come on, looks like it's time for the ceremony."
"Bugger. And here I was beginning to think we got to just stand around, talk and eat."
"We get to do that afterwards."
The ceremony was fine enough, not that Ron had a whole lot to compare it to. He didn't understand why all the women felt the need to get all teary. He spent most of the time alternating between resisting the urge to tap his foot and staring at the back of Xenophilius Lovegood's head, which was shaped a bit like one of the rocks in the front garden. Luna, at least, was dry-eyed. She moved up a notch in Ron's estimation for that.
Scott and Lila were side by side. Lila was ramrod straight in her seat, her full attention focused forward. Scott was slumped awkwardly in his chair and perpetually looked like he was a few seconds from falling asleep. Ron could sympathise. At least they, like Ron, were seated. Poor Charlie, Ginny, and Gabrielle had to stand for the entire thing, being the best man and bridesmaids, respectively. Hermione was tightly clutching Ron's sleeve, her eyes shiny with tears, and he just hoped she didn't decide that his sleeve made a good handkerchief.
Being able to observe most everyone did provide Ron with some vital information. He spotted Viktor Krum, the grouchy git, and resolved to keep Hermione away from him. And Great-Aunt Muriel was the last person on Earth he wanted to get stuck at a table with during the reception. Maybe he could talk Scott into staking out a private area, free from undesirables. The Kharadjai never seemed to have an issue being disagreeable, and nobody expected courtesy from an American anyway.
Then Bill and Fleur were man and wife and so on, and so forth… Ron had lost his patience about halfway through and wanted nothing more than to stand up. He was given the chance when everyone rose to applaud. Then the sides of the tent were opened, the chairs were removed, and the far more pleasant aspect of the wedding began.
Ron searched for a suitable table as the band struck up a tune. He'd lost track of Harry in the crowd (which was easy to do, with Harry no longer sporting his distinctive messy black hair), but Hermione and Ginny were with him. Scott had also been following; he'd made it a few steps before being accosted by Gabrielle, eager to dance.
"Danse avec moi, Scott!" she'd insisted, tugging at his hands.
"D'accord," Scott had said without much enthusiasm. "Vous pourriez avoir ŕ m'aider, je ne sais pas cette chanson."
They left him to his dancing, picking up Neville and Luna along the way. The five friends took their places around the table.
"It's funny how he humours her; it seems so incongruous with the rest of his personality," Hermione mused, watching Scott twirl Gabrielle around. "I suppose he was the same way with Kylie."
"That's a lovely dress, Luna," Ginny said to her friend.
"Thank you." Luna seemed a bit more focused than usual, perhaps because all that focus was on Neville. "I wanted to match Daddy's outfit, but I also wanted Neville to see me and like it."
Neville bashfully slouched down in his seat. "I always like seeing you."
"Taking notes?" Hermione said to Ron after Neville's heartfelt declaration.
"Come off it," Ron grumbled. "It's easy to be lovey-dovey when you get an opening like that."
Ginny was searching the crowd. "Where's Harry?" she wondered, lowering her voice. "How am I supposed to spot him when all our cousins look the bloody same…"
Lila wandered over to their table. "Ah, this must be the party table. Is this seat taken?" Without bothering to find out if it was or not, she sat down. "I love weddings. Planning them, not so much."
"It has been a lovely wedding, but you may have a point," Hermione agreed.
Lila leaned forward on her elbows, addressing Ron and Ginny. "I know you guys will be taking off soon. I wanted you to be aware, if you weren't already, that I'll be staying here to keep an eye on things."
"Thank you, Lil. I'll feel a lot better with you here to watch the family," Ginny said softly.
Ron nodded shortly. "Yeah, me, too."
"Neville, Luna," Lila said, "you'll be at Hogwarts, which makes things more difficult. Scott will try to stay in contact with you. That said, if something comes up and he can't be reached, send me a letter or use the Floo or do whatever you can to reach me immediately."
"We'll try," Luna said, uncharacteristically grave.
"You might have the worst of it, all things considered. Be strong. And if things get too bad, leave." Lila pointed a finger at them. "I don't care about the laws or your parents or the stupid Trace or whatever — if things really go downhill at Hogwarts, you get hold of me or Scott and we will get you out of there. Full stop."
"But… how?" Neville asked.
"You let us worry about that."
Ron gripped Hermione's hand beneath the table, the relaxed mood of the wedding dispelled by Lila's words. Reality was fast approaching.
Having said her piece, Lila left them. Shortly after Neville and Luna also went to dance; or rather, Luna went to wriggle about abstractly and Neville went to stand awkwardly nearby. Ron felt a twinge of guilt as he watched them. They had been absent for some rather important events.
"Do you think they'd be better prepared if we'd told them everything?" he said to Hermione.
"There's no time, now," she said regretfully. "And that's just the way it worked out, they couldn't be around as often…"
"I'm just worried about them, going back to Hogwarts without us…" Ron said roughly. He blinked in surprise when Hermione pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"I'm so proud of you, Ron," she told him, her eyes suspiciously shiny again. "I really am."
Ron coloured a bit, shifting gracelessly in his seat. "What's brought this on?"
"Oh, nothing," she sighed, placing her head on his shoulder. "Just you being yourself."
Ron rested his cheek on top of her soft hair. "Well… that's all right, then."
"Potter — a word…"
Before the interruption, Harry had been looking for his friends in the press of people. He desperately needed to sort out a few things, he needed their insight. He'd been speaking to Elphias Doge about Dumbledore, wanting to get the truth from the man who had known the Headmaster well enough to write his obituary. Doge had refuted the Skeeter article that had so infuriated Harry, but then Ron's Great-Aunt Muriel had broken into the conversation and contradicted Doge on every point.
Harry's mind was spinning with this new information — Dumbledore had once had a sister, who'd died under mysterious circumstances. That, along with his friendship with the infamous Grindelwald, the imprisonment of his father, the falling out with his brother… Harry had known none of it! That wasn't even including Dumbledore's roots in Godric's Hollow, the very place Harry's parents had lived.
He didn't know what to think. He'd stopped for a moment and leaned against a tent pole; lessons flashed through his memory, trying to provide calm and context. Words spoken out in the darkened woods and snow — the intangibility of truth, the power of lies… Information was ammunition. Harry needed to speak with his friends, because he didn't know if what he'd been handed was explosive.
Mad-Eye Moody had just asked for a moment of his time that Harry wasn't especially willing to give. Still, he turned towards Moody, not bothering to ask how the Auror had known it was him. "Yes?"
Moody stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I just had an interesting conversation with the groom…"
Harry thought he knew where this was going; he'd seen Mad-Eye talking to Lila earlier. "I'm guessing it wasn't about married life."
Moody made a hacking sound that might have been a laugh. "What would I know about that? No, the subject was much more familiar, to me and you both — a battle at Hogwarts."
Harry wasn't sure how to approach this situation. Luckily, he had a minute to think about it as Moody continued talking.
"Peculiar thing, that battle… Lot of Death Eaters dead — and good riddance — but from Muggle weapons, not wands. Used by her," Moody jerked his head in Lila's direction, "as Bill tells it. Not a bad tactic, altogether. Most wizards won't see that coming. Still, it's… unusual. But maybe not as much as where she and her kid brother came from in the first place, eh, Potter?"
"America?" Harry hazarded. He found himself unexpectedly grateful that his Polyjuiced form made his emotions far less obvious.
"The accent's right, I'll grant you that," Moody grunted. "Look, Potter… In the end, I don't really care if you know something about this. Dumbledore trusted you. He let that Kharan lad into his school. Arthur's got good sense, and he let the tall blonde lass into The Burrow. So if you trust these Kharans, you have your reasons. But if you don't, I'm telling you now — they're dangerous. That girl might look like the latest model for Witch Weekly, but she killed more than a few men that night at the school. And from what I hear, her brother might have, too."
Harry nodded grimly. "I know."
"Then I'll quit wasting your time," Moody growled. "Just one thing, Potter — if I survive this round with the Dark bastards, I'd like an explanation. Unanswered questions are a bloody bad itch."
"I'll tell you, I swear. I… have a few questions like that right now, myself. About Dumbledore," Harry finished. He was almost afraid to bring it up, but if Moody knew something…
Moody's mouth thinned into a pale, lopsided slash. "Been reading that rubbish in the Prophet, have you?"
"Sort of. I just… he never said anything about having a sister, or Godric's Hollow, or… any of it." Harry tried to hide the hurt in his voice.
"Some things a man doesn't want to talk about. I should think you'd understand that, Potter," Moody said gruffly.
Harry felt a flash of anger. Dumbledore had known all those things about Harry, every last one. "I suppose."
Moody huffed out a short breath in apparent irritation. "I can't help you, not the way you want. It was before my time and I don't make it my business to pry or gossip. He was a strong man who always did right by me and wrong by the Dark, and that should be good enough for anybody."
It had been enough for Harry, once. "Yeah… Well, thanks anyway."
Moody nodded. "Constant vigilance, Potter. You watch your arse out there or you're liable to lose it."
"I will."
And with that, Moody was gone. As he went back to searching for his friends, Harry was glad that it had been Mad-Eye who finally cornered him. The old Auror's practicality and discretion had saved Harry a real headache in trying to explain things. Moody was the type to worry about the 'why' after the fact and simply accept the hand that was offered in the face of unavoidable war. Harry could strongly relate.
He eventually found his friends; most of them were out on the dance floor. It was comforting to see that, even when dancing with Ron, Hermione still had her handbag with her. Back behind the crowd, Harry found Scott sitting by himself at one of the more out of the way tables.
"I expected you'd be at the centre of the party," Harry said, sitting next to Scott.
"I already did my time on the floor. I'm a free man for the moment — Gabby was distracted by pudding." Scott leaned back in his chair, stretching.
Harry lowered his voice. "I just had a talk with Doge and need some other opinions, I don't know what to make of this…"
"Can it wait?"
"Wait?" Harry looked more closely at Scott and noticed that his face was a bit strained. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure. I didn't expect things to accelerate so soon, but the shape is behaving—"
He was interrupted by cries and shouts of alarm from guests. A silvery blur darted through the crowd, stopping when it reached the middle of the tent. Harry's eyes widened as he recognised the Patronus spell, in the form of a lynx. The apparition froze for a long moment. When it moved again, it opened its mouth and spoke in the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
Panic erupted. The guests of the wedding scattered, Disapparating or searching for friends and family. This alone proved there were already Death Eaters nearby — there had been wards that prevented Apparition. It was total chaos.
Harry jumped up from his seat, wand at the ready. He turned to tell Scott that they needed to find the others, only to find the other boy still sitting calmly in his chair. He looked like the Patronus had just informed them that the wedding might be gently rained on.
"Postrēmo," he muttered. "Well, now we know what the deal with the shape was."
And just like that, Harry felt his heart rate decrease. Scott's tranquillity in the face of an imminent attack was comforting (and Harry knew that was probably the point). He began to consider the situation more dispassionately.
"The Death Eaters are here," he said to Scott, shouting over the panicking guests. He pointed towards the indistinct shapes at the edges of the Weasley property. "They'll need a minute to drop the rest of the wards; where's Lila?"
"She'll be gathering everyone to get them into the house, it has protections the yard doesn't," Scott said, standing. "We can get out in the meantime."
"No. Not while they can still get surrounded," Harry said stubbornly. "We need to draw these bastards off."
Scott smiled approvingly. "I like it. Come on, let's find Ron and Hermione. They should be over this way."
They found Ron and Hermione a handful of seconds later; the pair had been searching for them in turn. Neville and Luna were close behind.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled, gripping him a fierce hug. "We didn't know where you went!"
"Afraid I might leave without you?" Harry said with a wry smile.
"Don't act like you wouldn't! Come on, we've got to Disapparate before they get through the wards!"
Harry ignored her insistence. "Where's Ginny?"
Neville pointed towards the other side of the tent. "I saw her over that way, just a second ago."
"Not a bad way to go, the enemy is thinnest on that side," Scott said, already moving in that direction.
"What? Harry, what's going on?" Hermione demanded, her eyes wide and frightened.
"I'm drawing them off so the family can get into the house — are you coming or not?" Harry wasn't offering again. He'd prefer to have his friends stay with Lila, anyway.
"Coming," Ron said firmly. His wand hand was steady despite his shaken demeanour.
Harry led the way through the rapidly thinning crowd, picking out the distant line of Death Eaters at the rim of the woods. Scott was correct; there were fewer this way than towards the path and The Burrow.
The air was beginning to fill with spells. A bright light ripped through the tent canopy over Harry's head and he heard Shield Charms being shouted. He glanced to his right as he ran; a dark blob of shapes were moving together towards the house. Spells were emanating from the gathering more thickly than anywhere else, and he knew that had to be the Weasleys. But if the Death Eaters weren't given good reason to leave, Ron's family would be trapped inside the house… Despite the heavy protections on the structure, a protracted siege was a dangerous possibility.
A Stunner rang loudly off a nearby tent pole, casting brief illumination in a flash of red. Harry stumbled and nearly fell when a slim form ran into him headlong.
"Harry!" Ginny gasped. She disentangled herself from his arms and grabbed his hand as they ran together. "Where are we going? Lila said I needed to find you!"
Harry gritted his teeth in response to the knowledge that Lila had willingly left Ginny behind. He'd have a few words for her when they next met. "We're going to break through the Death Eaters up ahead and draw them away from The Burrow," he panted.
The dark figures ringing the property were drawing closer. The last of the wards must have fallen. Harry increased his speed, hoping the cover of twilight would disguise his intent long enough to smash aside the few Death Eaters ahead and reach the cover of the trees.
Scott shot ahead of the group with unnatural velocity. Harry could hear the closest Death Eater shouting in alarm.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! DROP YOUR WA—" the Death Eater roared, only to be silenced with an audible expulsion of air as Scott kicked him full force in the stones.
"Blimey!" Ron choked somewhere behind Harry.
The Death Eater's agony didn't last long. When he slumped forward, Scott grabbed the back of his hood and pushed him down further, proceeding to slam his knee into the man's face. There was a nasty crunching noise (probably the nose, Harry guessed) and the Death Eater went limp.
The other Death Eaters nearby were close enough to witness this; spells began hurtling in their direction.
"PROTEGO!" Harry shouted, deflecting two Stunners and what he thought was a Diffindo. He flinched but kept moving, extending his arm to block another spell from hitting Ginny. When this one rebounded, it left a small crater in the grass, apparently a weak Blasting Curse.
The group's training in Dumbledore's Army was proving its worth as everyone was furiously casting without pause: Stunning Spells and Disarming Charms flew out in all directions, striking unprotected Death Eaters and forcing the others to shield themselves or find cover. The bulk of the enemy force was still on the other side of the front garden but Harry knew they needed to reach the woods before they were overwhelmed.
Scott knew this too. He hadn't even bothered to draw his wand. Instead the Kharadjai teen had doubled back and was moving like a wraith, low to the ground. He curved out and then swept back in towards the Death Eaters to the left, flanking them.
Harry dropped his Shield Charm and raised his wand simultaneously with a Death Eater who had managed to deflect several spells from Luna and close the distance. "STUPEFY!" he shouted, ducking to the side just in time to avoid the masked man's answering Stunner.
He rolled across the ground as a spell cut through the grass where he had been a moment before. He deflected the next curse and the bright spark of the rebounding spell lit the night enough for Harry to see a second Death Eater — who had been sprinting up to reinforce the one duelling Harry — fall flailing to the earth as Scott slammed an elbow into his throat.
The nearer Death Eater heard his comrade's thick choking — he turned to look and Harry's Stunner slammed into the back of his head, throwing him violently forward. He didn't get back up.
Harry rose and resumed running, taking stock of the rest of his friends. Ron and Hermione had disabled their opponent while Neville and Luna had the last Death Eater pinned behind a tree, which shook and shed bark and leaves as spells pummelled it.
Realising his predicament, the hapless Death Eater decided to run. Stupidly, he did so in wrong direction. Blindly casting a Blasting Curse at the soil to cover his retreat, he sprinted out from behind the flora as Harry tried to lead properly through the dirt thrown in the air.
Then the Death Eater jerked with an odd motion. He stumbled forward a few more steps seemingly by momentum alone, then collapsed to his knees.
With the dust now clearing, Harry saw the hilt of a knife extending from his chest.
Scott ran up to the stricken man and, in one smooth motion, pulled the knife from his chest and kicked him onto his back. Reaching down, Scott grabbed the Death Eater by his hood and bent his head backwards, exposing his throat.
"Scott, no!" Hermione shrieked out in horror.
Scott froze. Harry couldn't make out the expression on his face, but after a half-second of pause he released the Death Eater and gifted the helpless man with a solid kick to the face.
"Everybody go, keep moving," Harry said, finding his voice. "Come on, it's not far now!"
A quick glance over his shoulder proved that the last of the wedding guests had either escaped or been captured. There were no lights on in The Burrow, but Harry didn't have time to worry about that. A row of Death Eaters were making their way towards him, though not quickly. There must have been some confusion in their ranks as to what was happening.
The group hurried into the trees, stopping once they were concealed to catch their breaths and ease the adrenaline shock. Harry could scarcely believe they'd actually made it this far; he'd been harbouring the fairly serious thought that he was just martyring himself so everyone else could get away.
Of course, they hadn't made it quite yet. Harry tried to plan as everyone huddled around him. "All right," he breathed, sweat running down the back of his robes. "They're going to see those bastards we just handled when they get close enough. With a little luck they'll follow us, but we need somewhere to go."
"Do you think everyone else got to the house?" Ron asked, subdued. "It's all dark…"
"Lila wouldn't let them turn on any lights. With a hostile force outside the windows the last thing you want to do is provide a silhouette," Scott explained.
Ron and Ginny both looked relieved at that, evidently having been extremely worried by the lack of life signs at The Burrow.
"What about your sister's flat? We could hide there; I doubt any of the Death Eaters know about it," Hermione said to Scott.
"Sure, if we can get there," Scott said.
Harry nodded. "It's a bit of a walk, but I think we can make it."
"Neville, Luna…" Hermione said hesitantly. "I hate to suggest it, but… the two of you absolutely cannot be seen, not if you're going back to Hogwarts. You should probably just Disapparate back home."
"No way!" Neville protested, looking outraged by the suggestion.
"It would be quite unseemly to leave you now," Luna said, her voice uncommonly serious.
"No, she's right. Those blokes we just fought never got close enough to see you well, but we don't know if it's going to stay that way," Harry said. "Just go, it's fine."
"But you need our help!" Neville said.
"I need you at Hogwarts!" Harry countered. "Luna's still got the Trace and without you there—"
"The Trace means fuck all with the Ministry gone!" Neville said stridently. Harry wasn't sure he'd ever heard the other boy swear before.
"Which is fine for tonight but that won't last," Scott cut in. "If you absolutely refuse to leave, then we can discuss this at the apartment, because these guys are starting to get their shit together and we need to go now."
"Right," Harry said decisively, standing from his crouch. "Wands out, eyes open."
They started moving along the tree line towards the back of The Burrow rather than going deeper into the woods. The town in the valley below was far enough away without taking a more roundabout route. Several minutes later they could hear the shouts as the Death Eaters found their defeated compatriots.
Ginny was next to Harry every step of the way, picking through the brush and trying to minimise the noise she made. It was easier for her with her light, slim body than the most of the rest of them (though somehow Scott made hardly a sound). Harry thought about the men chasing them and fought down the fierce surge of protectiveness that ensued. Now was not the time to think about how stupid he'd been to include Ginny in this madness. She should have been safe in The Burrow with the rest of her family.
"Any regrets, yet?" he asked her quietly as he pushed aside a branch so they could both pass.
"No. And if you ask me that again I'll hex you instead of those Dark wankers," she responded fiercely.
So much for that line of inquiry. Harry kept his mouth shut as they advanced further. The shouts from behind kept getting closer, an ominous sign. Unfettered by stealth, the Death Eaters were moving slightly faster.
"Hermione…" Scott began as they walked, using a conversational tone that was incredibly incongruous with the situation. "Do you know the incantation for the Entrail-Expelling Curse?"
"No, but I could find it easily enough," Hermione whispered. "Is this really important?"
"If it does what I think it does — and it really should, considering the name — it could be useful. A spell like that has utility in combat."
"It's not fatal. It was designed for medical purposes, the organs come out intact," Hermione told him.
"Don't underestimate the shock value. You could inspire terror with a curse like that. Besides, nothing says they have to stay intact." Scott stopped talking abruptly and swivelled his head to look backwards. "Tom's friends have just about caught up. No point in being quiet — they sure aren't."
The Death Eaters could be heard crashing through the woods, all rustling leaves and snapping twigs.
"Run!" Harry bit out.
They started moving as quickly as they could, which wasn't very fast considering all the obstacles and their hindering dress clothes. They could travel more easily back on the open grass but Harry didn't dare leave the concealment of the forest. The fact that there was no open space was the only thing keeping the Death Eaters from bombarding them with spells.
"Laqueusi Crus!" Hermione chanted, jabbing her wand at the forest floor behind them. Harry had never heard of the spell before but trusted that she knew what she was doing; she repeated it several times as they went along.
Harry had been half expecting to be reinforced by the Order at some point, but the further they went along the forest's edge the more apparent it became that they had been scattered and were either long gone or in The Burrow itself. He just hoped his improvised distraction had allowed them to get away cleanly. The party had devolved into such a mess at the first sign of attack that he didn't know where anyone ended up who wasn't actually with him.
A few dozen yards of more progress and Harry heard a pained yelp from behind. Hermione nodded in grim satisfaction. "That will be the first of the traps. They'll be moving slower now if they know what's good for them."
"Brilliant," Ron panted, grinning at her. "I hope he lost a foot!"
"Nothing that dramatic, but it wasn't pleasant."
Scott, who was ahead of the group, hopped over a fallen log and reached underneath it, flipping it out of the way. "I was wondering what you were doing." He slammed his hands into another fallen tree that sat at an angle across the deer path they were on and grunted in frustration when it wasn't immediately removed. "Fucking teen form."
They were now past The Burrow and moving parallel with the back garden. The sounds of pursuit were growing fainter, Harry noted with relief. Hermione's traps had done their job.
A few seconds later he nearly jumped out of his skin when an acute, reverberant noise sounded out across the area.
It came from the direction of the house. Harry spun to face it and saw that Ron's window was open — from inside the room came the faintest flicker of light and a rapid SNAP-SNAP-SNAP that was sharp and clear, blended with a fuzzier echoing report. The staccato percussion beat against Harry's eardrum. The Death Eaters began yelling again, this time in fright.
It didn't take too long for the Death Eaters to start returning fire; the night was illuminated in multicolour once again as spells flew from the trees towards The Burrow. Some of them were dissipated by the wards but Harry could see others being countered, proving that Lila was not alone.
Ron winced when a luckily aimed spell flew through his open window and briefly lit his room with an orange glow, followed by a muffled thud that Harry felt in his chest. "Fuck," he grumbled. "There goes the furniture."
Property damage was the least of their concerns. The Death Eaters appeared to be falling further behind but Harry wasn't counting on that to last. The gunfire from The Burrow had stopped and he knew that Lila must have lost sight of her targets. This could be because they had gone further into the woods, where the dip in elevation and thicker foliage would conceal them, or they were much closer behind Harry than they seemed.
Either way, the clock was ticking. Harry knew they had to reach the river before the Death Eaters also emerged from the woods. There was no concealment between the end of the forest and the start of the town. He considered simply Apparating to Lila's flat. He'd been there before, and Ginny had as well.
"I think we're losing them!" Ginny remarked breathlessly. There were scratches on her face and hands, and her bridesmaid's dress was smudged and torn.
"Should we slow down a bit to save our energy?" Neville wondered.
"No! Keep moving," Harry said before anyone could start to relax. The entire point of their flight was to draw the bulk of the Death Eater force away from The Burrow, and that meant leading them to the town one way or the other. If they weren't distracted by the chase they might get clever.
"If they think they aren't right behind us anymore one of them is going to start using his brain and try to cut us off," Scott said, echoing Harry's thoughts. The clatter of gunfire started up again from the direction of the house, the sound bouncing off the trees. "Argh, not now, Lil! Let them run!"
"What is she doing? We're trying to get them away from house!" Harry said, frustrated.
"She doesn't know how incompetent they've been." Scott nimbly ran up along the trunk of another fallen tree, digging his phone out from somewhere in his dress robes. "Here, the slope is clearer to the right up ahead, go down that way."
Harry leaned backwards and slid down the hill where Scott had indicated, stopping at the bottom to catch Ginny. Hermione busied herself setting more magical traps along the incline while Scott dialled Lila. They didn't pause longer than half a minute before they resumed walking.
"It's me. Hold your fire, the OpFor is trailing. …Yeah, they're with us. We just hit the bottom of the hill back behind the house, how many Death Eaters are still up there? …Where? Yeah, just get back to me. …It's all in Hermione's bag, I'm set for now. We can link up if we have to. Okay. We're going to draw them to the end of the forest and then decide from there, just drop the wards when you can and get gone. Okay. You too, bye." Scott hung up.
"Is everyone all right?" Ron asked anxiously.
"Yeah, she's got the whole crop of redheads, minus two, inside the house. Once we pull the assholes following us down to the edge they're going to drop the emergency wards and Disapparate out," Scott explained.
Harry allowed his tension to ease a slight bit at that. "So they're still following us?"
Scott nodded. "Sounds like it. Lil is done shooting so I imagine they'll rediscover their balls any second now."
"Let's go, then," Harry said, increasing his pace to the one they had set before.
As they went, Hermione drew closer to Harry. "Harry, I had a thought," she said quietly. "We don't know if they've already put up a jinx on the area to stop us from Disapparating. They can't on The Burrow, not with the wards up, but we aren't protected…"
"They might be too busy to have bothered," Harry said, but he wasn't really that optimistic. "Look, if that's the case we'll ask Scott to get rid of it."
Hermione appeared moderately reassured by that. "Try not to stand out in the open if there's another fight, Harry," she said with an odd mixture of resignation and fondness. "You're too recognisable of a target."
Startled, Harry reached up and touched his face. The Polyjuice had worn off and he hadn't even noticed in the confusion. "I can't believe I didn't feel that."
"Adrenaline," Scott said, apparently having been listening in despite Hermione's hushed tone and all the rustling the group was making. "You can get shot and not know it."
The woods had been thinning steadily since they had arrived at the lower ground. It wasn't much longer before they reached the scrub brush that marked the end of forest and the beginning of field. The lights of Ottery St. Catchpole glittered up ahead in the night, glinting off the rippling water of the river that lay between them and their destination. There was only one bridge nearby, part of the road that wound past The Burrow.
The night was still, save for the occasional Muggle car passing through the otherwise empty streets. Harry strained his ears but could hear nothing above the sussurating grass and the hushed rushing of water. He knew his group of friends needed to make some decisions. With the Death Eaters having fallen behind, they had a bit of time in which to think things over.
"We don't have a lot of time, so let's make this quick," he said hurriedly. "Nev, Luna — we've made it out, so you need to go. Scott, is there an Anti-Disapparation Jinx over us?"
Scott stilled for a moment, his eyes unfocused. "There's some kind of area-effect spell behind us. I couldn't tell you what it is, but we're out from under it right now. I think… I think they're moving it as they go."
"They'll have to recast it periodically, that's probably what's keeping them," Hermione said.
"If they find us they don't want us slipping away," Harry said darkly.
Neville looked indecisive, while Luna's expression was unreadable. "Are you sure?" Neville said uncertainly.
"Yes! You've done all you can and I appreciate it more than I can say, but you have to get out of here. We'll be leaving as well, it's not like you're just abandoning us," Harry insisted.
"It's fine, mate. Good on you for staying this long," Ron said to Neville.
Luna reached out and gripped Neville's hand. "Don't be long, Harry. We'll miss you."
Neville set his jaw. "We'll take care of things for you at Hogwarts, Harry."
"I know you will," Harry said, fighting back a horrible combination of pride, gratitude and desperate fear for his friends.
Neville and Luna vanished with the loud crack typical of Disapparition. Harry knew he would breathe a little easier with them out of harm's way. If only the rest of his friends were, too. Unfortunately, they were even harder to get rid of.
"Now what?" Ron asked. He was scanning the trees warily, his wand held tight.
Harry wasn't entirely certain. "I think going to Lila's flat is as good a plan as any, for now. Ginny and I know where it is, so that shouldn't be a problem."
Ginny nodded. "All right. I'll take Hermione and you take Ron and Scott. We'll Apparate into the living room, okay?"
"I don't suppose you've ever done Side-Along before?" Hermione asked a bit nervously.
"No… Would you rather Harry try to take all of us at once?" Ginny said tartly.
Harry was very much opposed to that. "Uh, no. I'm not doing that."
"Guys, you need to do this, like, now. Whatever that area spell is, it's getting closer," Scott interrupted them.
"Right. Come on, let's try it." Harry held out his hands to Ron and Scott, trying to look more confident than he felt.
"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you, same as the cave," Scott said, ignoring the offered appendage.
Harry was fine with that. Taking only Ron with him would be substantially easier. "Okay. Ginny, on the count of three. One… two… three!"
Harry squeezed his eyes shut and imagined the flat where he and Ginny had spent quality time on a couch covered with small pillows. The world condensed, pressed inwards until Harry felt as if he were riding the pressure front of a storm, a bullet spiralling out of a gun. The world roared, then twisted.
And he was gone.
::Author's Note::
Ah, another author's note. So much to say, and so little that I remember. Well, let's start this off one way or another. Time to ask for feedback of a more specific nature.
First off: Luna and Neville. Do you like seeing their relationship getting page time, or do you think they should be relegated to more secondary characters? They already are, arguably, but even more secondary. If I recall correctly the section earlier in this story in which they officially become attached at Neville's house was received with a deafening silence. I was thrown off guard, since I thought such a romantic interlude would garner more response than anything else in that chapter. Apparently no one cared. Hence my wondering.
Secondly: I remember doing a reader poll in the last story about the possible return of Sophie. She received a unanimous 'yes' vote but ultimately I was unable to find a place for her. Do you think she should make a reappearance in some capacity, or is she old news?
And finally (I think): Does anybody like the quotes I'm using now? Or do you just scroll past them? Nobody commented on the poem prefacing the last chapter, which I have to admit was a little disappointing. I thought at least one person might like it. I've been so consistently wrong in predicting what will be the focus of the reviews I receive that I'm starting to think I don't understand why people like this story, not even a little bit.
I would like take a minute to thank Sherry at PhoenixSong for continuing to beta this hunk of wordings. She voluntarily took on the responsibility for mysterious reasons and continues to do so each chapter despite the many other more important things she could be doing with that time (like looking out the window, or watching daytime television).
So get back to me on that junk. Or, you know, just give me a 'LOL GOOD JOB', whatever floats your boat. I'll take pretty much anything when it comes to reviews. Just think of how many I'd have if all the people who hated it took a second to let me know how much! I'd be rolling in them, like, baller style.
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text:
Honeywell FocusPRO 6000 Programmable MultiStage Thermostat, Small Screen
About This Thermostat
|Yes (5+1+1 or 5+2)
|System Compatibility:
|Multi-Stage, Heat Pump, Millivolt
|Power Options:
|Battery, 24 VAC Hardwire
|Heat/Cool Changeover:
|Automatic or Manual
|Programmable Fan:
|Temperature Limits:
|Keypad Lockout:
|Vacation Hold:
The FocusPROT programmable thermostat provides electronic control of 24 Vac conventional and heat pump systems or 750 mV heating systems. If used as directed, programmable thermostats can save up to 33% on annual heating and cooling costs. Savings may vary depending on geographic region and usage
. Weekday/Weekend programming - use as a 5-1-1 (Weekdays, Saturday, Sunday) or 5-2 (Weekdays, Weekend) programmable thermostat, whichever best fits your lifestyle.
. Large, clear, backlit display - easy to read in various lighting conditions.
. Display size options - available in large screen or standard.
. Precise comfort control (+/- 1º F) - maintains consistent comfort to the highest level of accuracy.
. Simplified programming and operation.
. Easy change battery door - flip out door allows for easy battery replacement without removing or disassembling the thermostat.
. Built in instructions - simple, pull out instruction manual.
. Energy savings - program to save up to 33%* on annual heating and cooling costs.
. Adaptive Intelligent RecoveryT - ensures programmed temperature is reached by programmed time.
. Temperature range stops - prevents user from setting the temperature too high or too low.
. 5-year limited warranty.
Application - Conventional and Heat Pump systems
Programmability - 5-1-1 Day Program
Changeover - Auto/Manual Selectable
Color Premier White®
Switch Positions (System) HEAT-OFF-COOL-AUTO-EM.HEAT
Switch Positions (Fan) AUTO-ON
Power Method Battery or Hardwired
Terminal Designations Rc, R, W (O/B), W2 (AUX), Y, Y2 (E), G, L, C
Dimensions (in.) 3 9/16 in. High X 5 13/16 in. Wide X 1 1/2 in. Deep
Dimensions (mm) 91 mm High X 147 mm Wide X 38 mm Deep
Mounting Horizontal
Frequency 50 Hz
Frequency 60 Hz
Operating Temperature Range (F) 32 F to 120 F
Operating Temperature Range (C) 0 C to 48.9 C
Setting Temperature Range (F) Heat: 40 F to 90 F; Cool: 50 F to 99 F
Setting Temperature Range (C) Heat: 4.5 C to 32 C; Cool: 10 C to 37 C
Stages Up to 2 Heat/2 Cool
Heat Current W = 0.02 A to 1.0 A running
Heat Current W2 (AUX) = 0.02 A to 0.5 A running
Heat Current E = 0.02 A to 1.0 A running
Cool Current Y = 0.02 A to 1.0 A running, Y2 = 0.02 A to 1.0 A running
Fan Current 0.02 A to 0.5 A running
Operating Humidity Range (% RH) 5 to 90% RH, non-condensing
Comments Standard Display
Display Size 3.75 sq. in.
Voltage 20 to 30 Vac or 750 mV
Reviewed by 2 customers
Sort by
- Easy To Install
- Intuitive Controls
Best Uses
Comments about Honeywell FocusPRO 6000 Programmable MultiStage Thermostat, Small Screen:
Wanted to upgrade existing Honeywell thermo to one I could program but ordered one that did not support aux heat. ProThermostats promptly refunded and helped me pick the right one. Plugged right into my existing back plate, wiring was exactly the same and within a minute of receiving it, I was programming. Great value.
- Easy To Install
Best Uses
Comments about Honeywell FocusPRO 6000 Programmable MultiStage Thermostat, Small Screen:
It was very easy to install. I need to follow up with more weatherization improvements to see how effective it really will be in a rental property.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ESPNW.com - The troops are suited up in lime-green aprons, their names embroidered in blue script over the Fighting Irish logo, making it all the easier to complete a mission that on this day includes selling programs, handing out pompoms and posters and, as usual, greeting 9,000-plus patrons as if they are close friends and relatives streaming through their own front doors. Their leader is a 70-year-old, no-nonsense former nun named Patricia McAdams, who is stationed at Gate 10 of the Purcell Pavilion inside Notre Dame's Joyce Center and manages this group of about 50 mostly female, mostly senior volunteers that serve as the heart of one of the top-ranked and most highly supported women's basketball programs in the country. It is this core unit, with hugs and smiles for seemingly every fan who streams by, that transforms Notre Dame's home court on this Saturday before a clash with No. 2 Connecticut, and before every home contest, into a green-filled mass of organized hysteria, making it one of the toughest places for opposing teams to play. They are a family, they say, drawn together by their shared love of Notre Dame basketball and a desire to see the women's program, the NCAA runner-up last season, and women's sports prosper. One volunteer, Mary Jane Goodwin, is 94 and pauses in her duties passing out posters to say she played basketball, softball and volleyball as a girl. "Of course, it was hardly anything back then," she said. "I wish I was young, playing today. I'd love to get out there." Goodwin, who has her fingernails painted green, says she was drawn to today's game because her granddaughter played basketball at Sienna College and because, while nursing her husband who was weakened by a heart condition for 16 years, the two religiously listened to Notre Dame women's games on radio. After her husband passed away, Goodwin attended games in person and was invited to volunteer with her sister, Marguerite Krueger, who died recently. "I just love [Muffet] McGraw," Goodwin said of Notre Dame's head coach. "And what a pleasure it is for me to do this for the girls. I feel like I'm part of the program." David Woods remembers the days when attendance was sparse. He was new to South Bend. A retired colonel, he accepted the post of Notre Dame's ROTC Air Force commander in 1985. Woods and his wife, Eileen, met McGraw and her husband, Matt, when Muffet accepted the Notre Dame women's job and the couple moved two doors down in '87. "As we got to know Muffet, she let us know that they needed some help in getting fans to come out, and so Eileen and I started to talk it up amongst all our friends," Woods said. When Woods tried to get out promotional information, he found he was up against a South Bend business community already committed to Notre Dame's men's programs. But he also discovered there was an available niche for the women.
"The affluent people scarfed up all the tickets [for the men's games] and saved them for business associates and friends," Woods said. "So there was this golden market for retirees and young families in the community, and we promoted the women's games as a family affair." As Woods and soon fellow supporters like McAdams began to mobilize -- forming a fan club, starting a newsletter, designing a basketball logo for the women, which was eventually adopted by the men's team, and marketing apparel -- because there was nothing for the women's teams at university bookstores -- the fan base gradually grew. Very gradually. "We really weren't even into ticketing," Woods said. "In the early days we had pot-luck days where people would bring in snacks to sell at games to help us underwrite expenses, and we had a small token fee to be a season-ticket member." Meanwhile, McGraw did her part by building a winning program with star players like Katryna Gaither and Beth Morgan leading the Irish to their first Final Four in 1997 and Ruth Riley to the national championship in 2001. After the first Final Four appearance, the university began to assign seats to the women's games for the first time. But a funny thing happened. "People had always come early and rushed in to get the very best seats," McAdams said. "But even when we got assigned seats, they would do the same thing. [Before the UConn game], I got here at 12:30 [for a 4 p.m. tipoff] and there were already some people there and the gates don't open until 3. By 2, there were a ton of people waiting. The ushers felt sorry for them in the cold and let them inside. "A lot of the older people will come to get a good parking spot for a 7 p.m. game by 4:30. On the way, they get a sandwich and they're sitting in their cars, eating their dinner." McAdams' ties to the team began before she even arrived at Notre Dame in May of '92. Throughout most of the '70s, she worked at Immaculata College, where she taught calculus to several players on Cathy Rush's women's championship teams. The star of those teams, Theresa Grentz, went on to coach McGraw at Saint Joseph's (Pa.) University. Several members of McAdams' and McGraw's families also knew each other from their hometowns in the Philadelphia area. And though the two had never met before McAdams arrived in South Bend, McAdams came to know McGraw as one of the handful of fans who attended the women's games as well as through her position as a computer engineer. "She's a computer genius," McGraw said of McAdams, who holds a Ph.D. in computer science and manages the campus workstations of 450 university faculty members. "So we'd get new software or computers and we always needed her help. One day I said, 'You know we have a new dean, he has to get season tickets,' so Patricia turned into quite the promoter. She introduced the team to anyone new on campus, and they'd be badgered into it. "Then I'd try to organize something and she'd say, 'I can do a spreadsheet,' or 'Let me take care of this bus trip,' and it grew to the point that I didn't know what I'd do without her." Sadly, they almost had to find out. Four years ago this month, driving home alone from a Fighting Irish game at West Virginia, McAdams stopped and got out of her car to help a stranded motorist on Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne, when another car lost control and hit hers, slamming her from behind and knocking her over the guardrail. McAdams sustained a broken pelvis, broken clavicle, six broken ribs, a fractured back and neck and a crushed left arm. One of her legs was severed on the spot. The other was amputated in surgery. She says she doesn't remember anything after crossing the state line into Indiana, but her phone bill later told her she placed a call to 911 before she was hit. "We lost our game, and driving home I remember it was torrential rain all the way across Ohio, and by the time I got to Indiana and came across [Highway] 30, it was turning to sleet," McAdams recalls. "But I don't remember the accident and I don't remember the first two weeks in the hospital." For days McAdams was not allowed visitors, and then they didn't stop -- friends, siblings, nieces, nephews, co-workers and a steady stream of Notre Dame priests during her 15-week stay. The nurses called it "the Invasion of the Catholics." "The first time I saw her, I cried," longtime friend Judy Miller said. "But she's a very strong-willed person and she made up her mind that this wasn't going to get her." In six months, McAdams was living by herself in a new handicapped-accessible house and back on the job. Back to her troops in the green aprons. "Her determination is incredible," said Jo-Ann Aldrich, a first lieutenant on McAdams' volunteer brigade. "I've literally never seen her down. We would do anything for her." McAdams says she is profoundly grateful it wasn't worse. "If I hadn't gotten out of the car, I would have been killed instantly," she said matter-of-factly. "My car was crushed by the car that hit mine. The whole back end was pushed into the wheel. All my bones were broken, but I had no injuries to internal organs. If I was shorter [she was 5-foot-10], I would have been killed [instead her legs took the brunt of the collision]. And I came very close to losing my arm." As far as her job is concerned, there isn't much she can't do that she did before, she said, other than "heavy lifting and crawling on the floor to connect a computer." "My left arm is not perfect, but it works," McAdams said. "Last year at Christmastime, I had to have surgery to remove some of the wires and a screw because over the years the wires were starting to cut into some ligaments, and I was having a lot of pain from that. But other than that, I am in very good health. I can still do what I have to do." That includes driving on her own to road games where there is wheelchair-accessible seating. And riding herd over her crew at home games, where duties extend well beyond game day to stuffing envelopes (before the newsletter went online) and folding and packaging the approximately 7,500 lime-green (McGraw's favorite color) T-shirts that go out to season-ticket holders each year. Woods, who became general manager of the Joyce Center before retiring in '01, credits McAdams for taking the volunteer effort to the next level. "She's taken over and left me in the dust," he joked. "We started to step down in the early to mid-2000s because I retired and we started to travel, but I don't think I'd be willing to relinquish the reins of leadership and control without someone like Patricia to manage the volunteer force. It's an amazing thing." Among the Irish volunteers handing out pompom shakers at the UConn game on Jan. 7: Notre Dame provost Thomas Burish's wife, Pamela; Notre Dame president emeritus Father Theodore Hesburgh's secretary; the wives of the graduate school dean, the vice president for research and the associate provost and VP for internationalization. "People are a little afraid of her," McGraw said with a laugh. "It's 'You will volunteer,' and they're there." McAdams laughs in both agreement and astonishment. "They're from all walks of life," she said. "I take care of half the campus, so I know a whole lot of people and have worked with them. ... Everybody helps until they play 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Then, even if they still have stuff to do, I make them go in because it's not fair if they can't watch the game." Of course, McAdams does not factor herself into that equation. "I have to have my priorities," she said in all seriousness. Stephanie Menio, Notre Dame's 29-year-old coordinator of women's basketball operations and marketing, arrived on the job seven years ago and said she was immediately steered toward McAdams. "She's the heartbeat of the entire fan base," Menio said. "At this point of my job, I couldn't do it without her. She'll call and say, 'Make sure when you send out the season-ticket holder email, there are eight spots left on the bus for the Cincinnati road trip.' She's incredible and that's what makes the fan base what it is. Our fans are running the program. It's not only us coming out to play the game." On this afternoon in early January, the Irish honor members of their first Final Four squad during a much-anticipated game against conference foe and rival UConn played in front of a sellout crowd of 9,149. It ends in a 74-67 overtime victory for Notre Dame, which snaps the Huskies' 57-game regular-season Big East winning streak and marks the first time Notre Dame has beaten UConn twice in a row. Mollie Peirick-Busam, a junior on that 1996-97 Final Four team, is amazed by the fan turnout. "We had fan support, don't get me wrong," Busam said. "But to have sellouts now is so fun to see. There were no sellouts then. We were happy if the place was half-full." After the game, McGraw credits fans with being instrumental in the victory. "We wouldn't have won that game today if it wasn't for the crowd," she tells reporters. "It was electric in there." Kevin and Lisa Morrison have been volunteering for the team since the mid-'90s. On the afternoon of the UConn game, they show up in full Irish regalia: he in a bright green bodysuit, green face paint and fedora; she with her face painted half-blue, half-gold and her hair colored blue. "Patricia drug me in 11 years ago and she created a monster," Kevin said of McAdams. "But we do it because we love it. I love to watch the girls play. Women play the game the way it's supposed to be played. Men are more hotdogs." Aldrich, 69, has been a volunteer since '96 and is accompanied each game by her husband, Phil, who despite being confined to a wheelchair with Parkinson's has also worked the games. "The parents come in and we all get hugs," Aldrich said. "We have parents from former players who still come back." As if to confirm, Suzie Cable, mother of freshman guard Madison Cable, pauses to chat. "It really is one big family," she said. "When we come in, we know the gentleman at the door, Max, and I give him a piece of chocolate. When I get to the seat, the usher asks about Madison, and I ask about her family. When you sneeze, they give you a Kleenex." Jaine Novosel, mother of senior guard Natalie Novosel, agrees. "They buy into it and really invest emotionally," she said of Notre Dame's volunteers and fans. "It's not that way everywhere. They made an effort to get to know us. They take pride in taking parents under their wing." So much so that when Notre Dame played Evansville -- and Natalie's sister Shannon -- at home last season, Irish fans cheered for Shannon as if she were from Notre Dame. And that support extended to the entire Evansville team when it played its first-round NCAA regional game in South Bend. "It was an amazing experience being embraced like that," Jaine Novosel said. "It really left an impression on us." Morrison, whose son and his family drove in from out of town to see the UConn game, nods at the characterization. "People see me cheering," he said, "and they ask 'Which one is your daughter?' and I say, 'They all are.' I consider them all my kids." Helping forge the bond with the fans is a team that puts in an extraordinary amount of community service, including five charity events this season. McGraw also asks her players to pledge additional hours, and one player responded by signing up for 40 more. "Our fans definitely want to get to know you, which makes you want to get out in the community and help them," senior guard Brittany Mallory said. With a nod to a largely retired fan base, Notre Dame also keeps women's ticket prices among the lowest in the nation at less than $4 for single-game tickets and $70 for individual season tickets. The program had its first sellout crowd in 2001. Last season, the NCAA finalists outdrew the Notre Dame men's basketball team in attendance. They are on the same pace this season. "Both families and retired citizens, whose category I fall into, have taken ownership of this team," Woods said. "It's not the university's team, it's their team." Mallory laughs, thinking if their UConn victory had been a men's game, fans would have rushed the floor for sure. "But that's not our makeup; we'd take a little longer to get out there," she said. "But they were loud and crazy." After the victory, players linger outside the basketball office. McAdams' work is not yet done, as she consults with Menio about an upcoming fan bus trip. Meanwhile, a breathless Natalie Novosel, whose six free throws in overtime helped No. 2 Notre Dame defeat UConn, is still talking about what helped them the most. "It was such an electric feeling out there," Novosel said. "We rode [the crowd] like a wave. When we were down, they were so uplifting. "They're crucial to our success." McAdams might have heard, but probably not, as she steers her motorized wheelchair down the hall and zips away.


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Hi I am a complete newbie so please go easy on me
I want to create an HTML form for a calculation and I want use javascript to perform the actual calcualtion on a button click. There are two things I want it to do but do not know if it is possible:
I want to have a gross annual salary field and a gross weekly field, I also want a net annual and net weekly field. because some people only know what their annual salary is and not there weekly I want it to automatically complete they one they do not fill in. So if someone puts in their gross annual salary I want the gross weekly salary to automatically complete with (gross annual divided by 52). But if they put in their gross weekly I want it to automatically fill in their gross annual (weekly times 52). Is this possible?
The second thing I want is that some of the text fields are optional so I want it to say 'do you want to enter x' with a tick box next to it, if it is ticked then I want the relevant text box/number box to appear.
Any help would be greatly appreciated Thank you
Here's a basic example with jQuery:


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Treatment Procedures in Communicative Disorders
Pro-Ed, 1998 - Medical - 327 pages
The most recent edition of this popular text has been thoroughly revised, reflecting changes in the discipline as well as feedback from instructors, professionals in the field, and students. This book covers a range of critical topics related to providing effective treatment to individuals who have communicative disorders. It includes an important chapter on working with families and other professionals. The chapters have been expanded to include additional examples and clarifications that make the concepts and procedures clear. This book has been written for practicing speech-language pathologists and student clinicians, and it presents an integrated model of treatment in a single source. For this edition an accompanying resource book titled treatment Protocols in Communicative Disorders: Targets and Strategies is available.
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aphasia appropriate articulation disorders assessment autism aversive methods aversive stimulus baseline baserated booster treatment Chapter child cian client clinical clinician communicative behaviors communicative disorders consequences contingencies conversational speech correct production decrease defined described desirable differential reinforcement discrimination established evoked trials example experimental extinction family members fluency frequency grammatic Hegde high-probability behaviors imitate incorrect increase independent variables initial iors maintained measured ment modeling morpheme multiple natural environment negative reinforcement nonverbal norms number of responses parents persons phoneme plural positive reinforcement primary reinforcers probe criterion problems produce prompts recording sheet reduced rein response classes response cost response-reduction procedures samples schedule sequence situations skills specified speech and language speech-language pathologists stimulus control stimulus items stuttering target responses taught teaching tion tokens treat treatment effectiveness treatment procedures treatment program treatment sessions treatment targets treatment techniques typically undesirable behaviors untrained verbal verbal behaviors vocal voice disorders words


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Clayton Kershaw came within one vote of perfection in winning the National League Cy Young Award as best pitcher of the season, and Max Scherzer was one step behind him in claiming American League honors on Wednesday.
Kershaw, who led Major League Baseball with a 1.83 earned run average in going 16-9 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, received 29 of the 30 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
"This is such a cool thing," Kershaw told MLB TV after the announcement. "It's awesome. It really is a huge honor."
Before the cameras went to Scherzer, who posted a 21-3 record and 2.90 ERA for the Detroit Tigers, the hard-throwing righthander tweeted: "Ahhhhh!!! What a feeling!! Can't wait to get my hands on this trophy!!"
It was the second Cy Young for 25-year-old Kershaw, following his selection in 2011. The left-hander, who pairs a knee-buckling curveball with his sizzling fastball, was also runner-up in last year's balloting.
Kershaw said he was proudest of the consistency he has achieved in his young major league career.
"I feel like anybody can have one great season or one great half of a season," said Kershaw, who has won three consecutive NL ERA titles.
"For me, I think the mark of a truly good player or good pitcher is to be able to do it year in, year out. For me, that's my goal, to be that model of consistency."
Kershaw helped the Dodgers go on a midseason tear in which they won 42 of 50 games on their way to the NL West title.
"Congratulations to Clayton on a great year and a most deserving Cy Young honor," said Dodger Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who won Cy Young Awards in 1963, 1965 and 1966. "This is the second of many more to come. He's got quite a future ahead of him."
Adam Wainwright of the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals received the other first-place vote and was runner-up, ahead of NL Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins.
Scherzer enjoyed a breakout season for the AL Central champion Tigers after years of promise.
The 29-year-old Scherzer mastered control of his breaking pitch and locked in the mechanics of his delivery to register consistent success in 2013.
"I can't say enough about my teammates for busting their butts every single day and fighting on defense, and getting those extra runs for me because I think that really helped my candidacy," said Scherzer, who was the only 20-game winner in the majors.
"I've been working every year to get better and better, every single year trying to do something better than the next. I believe I took a big step forward in 2013."
Scherzer received 28 first-place votes of the 30 cast.
Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish was runner-up in the voting for the highest finish ever for a Japanese player.
Third place in the balloting went to his compatriot, Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners.


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Submission + - Senate Proposes Dramatic Increase in H-1B Visa (seattletimes.com) 1
SeattleGameboy writes: I guess we can kiss any real wage increase in IT sector goodbye. The Senate is proposing almost unlimited H1-B visas that is BEYOND even what Microsoft was asking for. With bi-partisan support, it is likely to pass easily.


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Rodney A. Whetstone, 48
Rodney A. Whetstone, 48, of Wapakoneta, died on Monday, Feb. 27, 2012, at his brother's home in Okeana.
He was born on Jan. 7, 1964, in Lima, to Robert and Connie (Link) Whetstone, and they preceded him in death.
He is survived by a daughter and fiancé, Ginny Rohrer and Thomas Anderson of Wapakoneta; a stepson, Jaye Helton of Lima; a granddaughter; two brothers.
A U.S. Navy veteran, he served during the Libyan War.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Long & Folk Chapel, 13 S. Blackhoof St., Wapakoneta, with the Rev. Jon Spyker officiating.
The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the American Diabetes Association.
Condolences may be expressed at BayliffAndEleyfh.com.


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Let's be clear, I'm not saying I made this happen.
Here's a leaked teaser for "Resident Evil: Retribution", the latest chance for Paul W.S. Anderson to play sexy dress up with his wife Milla Jovovich and get paid to do it. Think of it as the world's most expensive foreplay (spoiler alert: I bet it works)
Will Jon's head explode? Will the 3D rain live up to the hype? Find out now.


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And when in season, fresh local sweet cherries need especially little help from sugar. Which is why cherries and orange juice need just a little natural maple syrup to make a rich, gooey and decadent sauce to dress these baked French Toast slices stuffed — of course — with even more cherries. It's like having dessert for breakfast without the guilt!
Baked Cherry-Stuffed French Toast with Cherry-Orange SauceOther French Toast recipes you may enjoy:
French Toast:
butter for greasing
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole fat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons fresh grated orange zest
16 fresh sweet cherries, pitted
4 slices fresh bakery sandwich bread, cut 1-1/2 inches thick
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Cherry-Orange Sauce:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400º and grease a large 13×9-inch baking pan with a generous layer of butter.
Whisk together the eggs in a medium bowl with the milk, vanilla and orange zest until well blended. Pour into the baking pan and set aside.
Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a wide pocket in the side of each bread slice and stuff 4 cherries in each of the pockets.
Place the filled slices in the egg mixture. Let stand on each side for 5 minutes to absorb the egg mixture, and sprinkle the almonds over one side. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, and then turn over the slices to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the cherry-orange sauce by bringing the orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the cherries and bring to a boil again. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup, cornstarch and cinnamon, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another couple of minutes or until the sauce thickens. Reduce to a simmer until the French Toast is baked.
Serve the French Toast warm covered with hot cherry-orange sauce.
Baked Strawberry Ricotta French Toast
Eggnog & Rum French Toast
Gourmet A Go-Go's Eye-Opening Blueberry French Toast


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Does my baby need to go to the dentist?
Real Mom Problem
"I have a two year old and a nine month old. Neither one has been to the dentist. When is the best age to do this, and what should we expect?"
Quick Tips
- 1. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends taking your baby to the dentist whenever the first tooth appears, and no later than baby's first birthday
- 2. Taking your baby to the dentist can help instill good oral hygiene habits
- 3. At early visits, the dentist will assess your child's overall dental health and risk of tooth decay and cavities
Real Mom Solutions
Moms are divided on when the best time to take a baby to the dentist is. Some follow the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and take their babies when their first teeth appear. Others prefer to wait till their children are more mature, around the age of three or so. Check out these moms' tips to help you decide when to make your baby's first dental appointment.
It's Time to Go
My daughter is nine months and we are taking her for her first appointment next week. She has four top teeth, two bottom, and a molar. I just want to make sure everything is coming along as it should.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends kids be seen at 12 months and every six months from there on out. It is to get kids used to the dentist and to watch for any malformations of the mouth or any other problems, since they don't do deep cleanings or x-rays or anything until three unless very necessary. My son will go to his fifth visit in June (he will be 3). He does very well. No fears at all.
We follow the recommendation to go by one year of age or sooner if the teeth have erupted. It's not uncommon for non-pediatric dentists to ignore these recommendations. I know a lot of family dentists who say three or four years of age...this goes AGAINST the recommendation of the AAPD. There are some things that can be found early on and taken care of before it's more of an issue. It also can help the child get ready for dental care if something more is needed as they get older.
It's Ok to Wait
My dentist said to go at three; anything before then can be traumatic. Although at my age, it's still traumatic for me!
I know it's "recommended" to start at 12 months but we don't have dental insurance for the kids because the premiums are more than the cleanings out-of-pocket and, personally, I just don't think it's necessary unless you think there may be an issue with the angle their teeth are coming in. As long as you have been brushing and not letting him go to bed with a bottle of milk swirling around his mouth all night, you are fine. Just make sure to start flossing!
I know all the recommendations say to go at a year old, but my dentist doesn't see children under the age of three because he wants it to be a good experience and most kids under three just scream when they go to the doctor of any kind. My son just turned three and we went and he did great! I had my appointment first so he could see what would happen and that I was fine and then he had his turn.
Get Dental Advice from the Expert
Dr. Ruby Gelman
The Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children be seen by a dentist by the time the first tooth erupts or the age of one, whichever comes first! The purpose of that initial visit is to check the overall health of your child's teeth, discuss your child's diet and oral care routine, as well as to talk about family dental history and to answer any questions you may have.
Dentists like to use this appointment to assess your child's overall dental health and to determine any risks there may be for decay and cavities. If there is anything happening in the way of decay, it is much easier to address it when it is early and the decay is likely very small. Look at this appointment as a great opportunity to ask questions and get great information. This visit is often much more for the parents than it is for the kids!


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Signal flow is your friend. Make the shortest connection from TV to box. Check audio. See if recorded content has audio. Change input on tv to terrestrial signal and see if you get white noise. Check to make sure volume is actually up by using the hardware controls on the tv itself.
If your box is giving you a picture it's rather unlikely the sound is somehow broken on it. Test another HDMI cable as well if you have it. Also, of you have a camcorder or such, see if you get audio out of the TV via the RCA inputs.


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Home > Home, Garden & Office > Bath > Soap Petal Rose Flower Bath Body Soap - Blue
Product Details
Beautiful rose soap petals in clear heart shape box with organza ribbon. Open the box and scatter the soap petal roses atop tables or place them into favor boxes. This lovely fragrant gift can be used to fill your bathtub, simply separate the soap petals and place into the water.
- 3pcs soap roses packed in clear heart shape box
- Perfect for a quick hand wash or a luxurious bath
- Simply-to-use yet elegant-to-present decor for the table top
- Look decorative in your bathroom on a soap dish
- Perfect for your special Valentine
- Material: Cocinin, silicone oil, germicide, etc
- Color: Blue
- Size of The Box (L x W x H): Approx. 3 x 2.5 x 1.3 inch
Package Includes:
- 3 x Soap Rose
Related Tags


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Submission + - 'Innocent infringement' to go to Supreme Court? (blogspot.com) 1
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: Several years ago a federal court in Texas ordered the RIAA, in an 'innocent infringement' case against a teenager, to either accept $200 per infringed work, or to go to trial over the 'innocent infringement' issue, in Maverick Recording Co v. Harper. Recently, an appeals court reversed, saying that the defendant could not avail herself of the 'innocent infringement' defense since there were CD's, bearing copyright notices, available in stores, even though the copies she had made were from mp3 files which bore no such notice. Now, a petition for certiorari has been filed on the defendant's behalf, arguing that the 5th Circuit's ruling would make it impossible for anyone to interpose an innocent infringement case, even where they had never seen a copyright notice. The lawyers filing the petition on defendant's behalf are the same firm that represented Jammie Thomas in her second trial, and the motion which resulted in her verdict being reduced from $1.92 million to $54,000.


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Thanks to a day off from work and a fairly cooperative toddler who let me work on her sweater, I finished Rainbow's cardigan!
Pattern: Snowy Owl Cardigan by Elizabeth Suarez, size 2T
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers (100% Peruvian highland wool), color 9461, approximately two skeins, with scraps of Cascade 220 Wool in a dark brown shade and Patons Classic Merino in a cream/off-white
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) Knit Picks Options
Started/Completed: February 4/February 20
Mods: none
This pattern went so much faster the second time around, despite the fact that I was making a larger size. The intarsia portion was much smoother, for one thing, and I can tell that my tension was a lot more even than it was on my first attempt. I was very happy to use up the rest of this color of Cascade 220, of which I originally had 10 skeins from a WEBS purchase five or six years ago.
Although I used the same needle size as last time, I think I was a little closer to gauge on this sweater, though it still has a bit of room in it -- just enough that Rainbow should be able to wear it for a couple of seasons before it gets too small. I used a slightly heavier yarn for the owl, and I like the fluffy effect I got as a result.
Although she told me that she really likes it and was happy to help me pick out buttons once the knitting was complete, Rainbow did not want to model it for me. I put it on her and tried to get her to pose, and this is what I got:
This is what we call a toddler meltdown -- we have at least one a day here!
Now that her sweater is done, I am free to cast on for one of my own, so I did some swatching.
It's not a great photo because I didn't have good lighting, but this, my friends, is nearly perfect gauge in my handspun for I Heart Aran. My stitch gauge is spot on, and I'm only one row off over four inches on row gauge. We are a go!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Whoooooo's Cute?
3 comments:
- Jenn said...
Was that left over from your Central Park Hoodie?
At least her meltdowns don't involve charging around in circles and trying to slip her collar...
- Stripeyspots said...
It's adorable and I love that shade of green. As far as toddler meltdowns, I was once at a lecture by a child psychiatrist and they said that for every parent trying to raise a child, there is a child trying very hard to raise a parent. Rainbow is just exasperated by your stubborn refusal to do what she says! ;)
- SJ said...
@ Stripeyspots, I think you may be on to something there! After I snapped this one, she kept saying to me, "Take my picture back, Mommy!" Clearly she just didn't want her photograph taken!
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Posted 7 years ago
(72 items)
Corn Pops Cereal Yo-Yo Premium Toy. This actually came from a box of Corn Pops cereal. I can't remember what year exactly but, I have a feeling that I was a lot younger than I am now. Not worth a king's ransom or anything but, I like it.


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The Frenzy (Hardcover)
Love is a werewolf, influenced by the moon and terror, and always about to change.
Liv has a secret.
Something happened to her when she was thirteen. Something that changed everything. Liv knows she doesn t belong anymore not in her own skin, not in her family . . . not anywhere. The only time she truly feels like herself is when she's with her boyfriend, Corey, and in the woods that surround her town.
But in the woods, a mysterious woman watches Liv. In the woods, a pack of wild boys lurks. In the woods, Liv learns about the curse that will haunt her forever. The curse that caused the frenzy four years ago. And that may cause it again, all too soon.
While Corey and Liv's love binds them together, Liv's dark secret threatens to tear them apart as she struggles to understand who or what she really is. And by the light of the full moon, the most dangerous secrets bare their claws. . . .
Praise For…
"A passionate, dreamy, brief paranormal, with a breath-of-fresh-air monstrous heroine and enjoyably surreal set dressing."
"Block puts her own spin on werewolves in this romantic thriller."
-The Horn Book
"A true original…[Block] has created something psychologically complex, erotically charged, and unusually poignant."
-Booklist (starred review)
"I love the lush, melancholy world of this novel, and its heroine, with her century of secrets."
-Claudia Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Evernight
"Will be gobbled like candy by teen readers."
-The Horn Book
"With her characteristic flair and seductive prose, Block makes this tangled story of betrayal and love a standout. Sensuous and heartbreaking, sure to both satisfy and challenge fans of the supernatural romance."
-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books


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On Wednesday, 04 July, 2012, the IUCN Environmental Law Centre and the IUCN Global Policy Unit held a side event at the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol (ICNP-2) in New Delhi, in order to present the third draft of an IUCN Explanatory Guide to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This Guide will facilitate a clear understanding of the text of the ABS Protocol and the resulting obligations for the Parties to the Convention. Furthermore, it will provide guidance for the development of ABS legislation and implementation at the national level.
200 CDs with the third draft of the Guide were prepared beforehand and were distributed among the audience as well as participants of ICNP-2. The side event provided an opportunity to explain the process for the development of the Guide, in particular its structure and approach. Furthermore, it provided a platform for the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) as the main donor of the project, to explain the importance of the Guide from a country's perspective. The third draft can be downloaded at
https://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/environmental_law/elp_resources/documents_for_review/ .
The final publication will be launched at the upcoming CBD COP XI in Hyderabad, India.


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cowon s9 + mediamonkey playlist help
Hi there i have had cowon s9 for year now and have been using media monkey to create playlist and sync up my music to my cowon s9. My problem is when i delete a playlist in media monkey off my cowon s9 under devices. It deletes my playlist, but if i go into my cowon s9 folder under my computer and then click music. The folders that were created are still on the device its self. I didn't know this before, so everytime i delete my playlist and resync it with new music or add to it. The old music is still there, but in the folder directory.
Anyone know how to fix this problem or direct me to better program that will delete my music playlist along with the music folders? Its pain in the ass going back and deleting all the folders made from that playlist to get it off my device.
think i found out a way to make playlists just using the jetaudio program. Just open the program while your player is plugged into the computer. Then, press the playlist button on the program. When the playlist creater is open, right click in the program and choose new playlist. There is a popup confirming the title of your playlist, but that's optional (just click ok). Then just drag and drop the songs you want into the program. ****make sure that the songs you put into the program are songs from you player and NOT from your computer**** After that, right click again and press export (just choose the root directory of your player for you file destination). Now just give it a file name and save as an .m3u file. *For the save settings of the playlist it will be by default ANSI. Change that to Unicode. Now just wait for the successful save popup (it is quick so don't worry) and voila! You just made yourself a playlist.
Hope this solves any questions about playlists
Only problem is cowon still puts limitations on playlists. Specifically 1,000 songs per playlist.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:25 AM.


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Want to remind yourself or a friend about this program? Fill out this simple form and klru will email you a reminder on the day that it will air.
Cambridge Project, Part 1 Of 15
series: This Old House
air date: 4/08/13 9:00 AM
Homeowners John Stone and Sally Peterson want to turn an 1887 Victorian-era two family house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, into a one-family home. Landscape contractor Roger Cook finds a few surprises in the yard, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey uses an eye-opening energy audit to demonstrate the need for efficiency upgrades, and general contractor Tom Silva brings in a deconstruction expert to remove all of the old and unneeded house parts.
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
Back to TV Schedule


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College roomate is in town from Europe this weekend. This time of year is super busy for me personally, because family and friends all take their summer vacations. Keep that in mind the next time you think being a baseball writer is the most glamorous job in the world. Baseball's steadiness prevents any real vacation during the summer.
Anyway, that rant was just to point out that I didn't the see the A's play the Red Sox last night. But I "saw" all I needed to see when my cousin Amy, who lives in Connecticut, texted me with the message: 11 hits, 1 run? They do stink."
Says it all don't you think?
Incidentally, real quick. Don't mistake my empathy for the difficulties Lew Wolff faces with the ballpark for a compassion about his ownership. It's been one of the worst we've ever seen in the Bay Area. The Steve Schott Era didn't start out wonderfully, either, though, so keep that in mind.


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With thousands expected to show up on Sunday, October 7th for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, participants are encouraged to pre-register and pick up their t-shirts this week. This year's early pick-up is at a new store location, but in the same shopping center as prior years. The new location is Macy's Reno Furniture Store in Del Monte Plaza, 6011 S. Virginia Street.
Distribution is scheduled for:
12:00 pm - 7:00 pm October 4th and 5th
10:00 am- 4:00 pm October 6th
The race takes place October 7th at IGT headquarters, 9295 Prototype Drive, in Reno. Those who have not pre-registered can register 7:00 am - 8:30 am on race day. The 5K timed run begins at 8:30 am, followed by the 5K fitness walk at 8:40 am and 1 mile fitness walk at 8:45 am.
One of the event highlights is the survivor's ceremony starting at 10:00 am. It's an inspiring commemoration of all breast cancer survivors, whether newly diagnosed or celebrating decades of life after breast cancer. Awards will be presented immediately after the ceremony.


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Following last week's release of the Gene Expansion premium pack for the online multiplayer component of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Konami's servers were mired by a sudden spike in traffic load prompting a variety of issues.
A full report of the outages published by Konami reveals that the trouble affected the game's web-based online store and site in addition to the game itself. The game's newly-added Reward Shop, which allows players to purchase new gear with accumulated reward points, was subsequently closed.
The company added that as of July 19, "there are still no permanent solutions as yet," nor is it certain when the Reward Shop will be reopened for MGO players. More details will be added to the game's official site when they become available.


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Charlie Clark took one more walk around the neighborhood after work. He's the pastor of a church plant in a diverse Charlotte, N.C., community, and wanted to invite everyone he could to watch "The Cross" at his church.
But that wasn't his first attempt. Members at his church, called The Point, spent the past couple of weekends handing out at least 400 fliers, inviting neighbors to see the program. They gave out invitations door to door in a nearby apartment complex and held a yard "sale," but allowed anyone who came to take items for free.
They put fliers on cars and stuck them in doors. Charlie gave one to a man at the dollar store, and exchanged one candidate's flier for his on election day at the local polls.
One group of young men showed up early to the event and played basketball outside the church. A young woman brought her two younger sisters.
Ninth grader Jaylen paid close attention during "The Cross" and said afterwards that it was "inspirational."
Ty, a seventh-grader, liked the part where a guy paints a wooden cross with red paint to signify Jesus' sacrifice. Clark invited Ty and his friends to the church earlier that evening, and they all joined the other guests for dessert afterwards.
Kathy Konecny goes to another church that shares a building with The Point. She came to the event to honor Mr. Graham and said her mom, 92, and her daughter planned to watch "The Cross" on TV.
Unemployment, financial strain, crime and questions of morality are all issues that her community wrestles with, she said, adding that "it's a time of confusion for so many people."
But as Clark told guests Thursday night, there's hope; Christ can change everything.
"The cross is for you," he said, and if anyone decides to commit their lives to the One who took their place, he's right there with them. "I want to walk with you," he told guests.


text:
WILLIAMSBURG, May 15, 1776.
Deserted from my company of continental regulars, now in this city, Nathaniel Lane, 5 feet 10 inches high, about 21 years old, is likely, and well formed, has a round face, good features, dark eyes, short curled hair, florid complexion, downcast look, is a sober serious fellow, and talks very little. Whoever delivers the said deserter to me shall have a 5 L. reward. THOMAS MASSIE.
Virginia Gazette (Purdie) May 17, 1776
About this entry:
Thomas Massie of New Kent was a captain of the 6th Virginia Regiment raised on December 28, 1775 at Williamsburg. Lane deserted during training - before the regiment has even left town. Massie doesn't mention what Lane was wearing but likely he had on the hunting shirt proscribed for all the 6th Regiment, both officers and men. If Lane returned, he would have seen battle at Trenton, NJ on December 26, 1776 with the rest of the regiment.
Sources: "6th Va Regiment", Military Colector and Historian, v2 (1950) p 23-4.