text:
Tree-Incarnation: Christmas Trees Return To Nature (A Poem)
There are lots of creative Christmas tree recycling programs around the country, and in keeping with the holiday spirit, here are a few of them — set to verse.
It's the week after Christmas, and in every town
You'll see Christmas trees dying — their needles turned brown.
30 million dead trees — that's what you'll find!
"Just some more numbers to boggle your mind."
That's good old Rick Dungey — head of public relations
For the National Christmas Tree Association.
He fields lots of calls — and often they're dumb,
Or perhaps fueled by eggnog with way too much rum.
"My tree's doing great! It's still taking up water!"
The calls start okay, but then they get odder:
"Will it regrow roots and continue to live?"
"Well, no," is the answer that Rick has to give.
But there is still hope — for all cross the nation
There's a sort of arborial tree-incarnation!
When everyone's done with their O Tannebaum-in'
Rick Dungey explains, "Mulching programs are common."
"But there have been some creative ones out there," he adds.
Some trees get a new life that isn't half bad.
Down in Louisiana, where the land meets the ocean.
"We place them out in the marsh to combat coastal erosion."
At the Department of Environmental Affairs
Jason Smith uses trees to make coastal repairs.
The trees trap the soil, and make the waves slow,
"And aquatic vegetation can begin to grow."
At Oakland's fine zoo, the word "trunk" is a term
That applies to both Christmas trees and pachyderms.
The beasts lumber past, pining for treats
Rooting around for a new thing to eat.
Gina Kinzley, their keeper, says they prefer
The sweet evergreens. "The noble firs."
The trees are both playthings and part of their diet
And they're not alone, other animals try it.
Giraffe and zebra also give it a try
"Lions, tigers, the bears!" Oh my!
"The elephants really enjoy the bark."
It looks just like Christmas aboard Noah's Ark.
The fishermen up north in Portland were stumped
The fish population has recently slumped.
And part of the reason, says Mr. Mike Gentry
Is that some of the streams are deplorably empty.
Of woody debris for the coho and trout
There's no habitat! So it's time to branch out.
"They need cover from predators." (to hide out below)
"They need a calm place to rest and grow.
They also need a food source." So Gentry and his team
Sink dead Christmas trees in their swift local streams.
In the East, Mitchell Mann and Dominic Esposito
Are two Jersey boys who live by one credo:
"To save the environment, pretty much, being green."
So they drummed up a posse of like-minded teens.
They'll grab all the trees — every one within reach
And they'll bring them all down to nearby Bradley Beach.
"Once the trees are on the beach they're laid down against a fence."
Where they form the foundation of the town's defense.
"And as the wind blows the trees capture the sand."
And soon dunes will form — at least that's the plan.
And in future years, "When a storm comes through
It protects all the houses," and habitat too.
Though their life has been sapped and their trunks have been hewn
These trees might form forests in marshes and dunes.
And dead groves will grow in the rivers and zoos.
I'm Adam Cole, NPR News.


text:
1-587-404-2385 | email@example.com
Special Olympics Calgary is grateful to have the support of amazing sponsors who enable us to provide affordable, high-quality, positive sport experiences to Calgary children, youth and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Help support Special Olympics Calgary by becoming a sponsor! With your support we are able to provide sport opportunities and expand our programs to assist more individuals with intellectual disabilities.
For more information on becoming a sponsor please contact Kathy Urquhart

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Livigent takes part in the Romanian edition of "Safer Internet Day", organized in Bucharest, on February 10. The event is hosted by the Sigur.info consortium and aims to increase awareness on the real dangers that may occur in surfing the Internet, especially for children and young people. Livigent will play an active part in the event, implementing its content filtering solution for the three winning schools.
Find out the most relevant information on how Livigent can significantly contribute to your company's Internet usage security: important motivations to choose a modern content filtering solution, and key benefits of using Livigent - all in a coherent and easy-to-read manner. Also, a presentation of how Livigent actually works is available here.
In order to get more of that relevant information about our product and how it will help you protect and improve your business, the case studies listed below will prove very useful to you. In this section you will find out how Livigent managed to solve problems similar to yours, thus giving you an idea about the benefits you can extract from using our product.
Find out now about the easiest possible way to buy Livigent. Either you decide to call our phone numbers listed in this section, or you fill out a simple contact form, a RnD Software representaive will contact you shortly, to make the acquisition process as smooth as possible for you.


text:
Municipal Ordinances Relating To Firearms
Public Act 92-0238, Illinois Compiled Statutes (430 ILCS 65/13.3), approved on August 3, 2001, amends the Firearm Owner's Identification Card Act. This amendment requires that within 6 months after the effective date, every municipality must submit to the Illinois State Police a copy of every ordinance adopted by the municipality that regulates the acquisition, possession, or transfer of firearms within the municipality and must submit, as soon as possible after adoption, every such ordinance adopted after the initial submission. Public Act 92-0238, Illinois Compiled Statutes (430 ILCS 65/13.3), also provides that the Illinois State Police shall compile the ordinances and publish them in a form available to the public free of charge and shall periodically update the compilation.
In compliance with Public Act 92-0238, Illinois Compiled Statutes (430 ILCS 65/13.3), electronic copies of the ordinances submitted to the Illinois State Police have been compiled and published here. This site will be periodically updated as needed. If additional information regarding a specific ordinance is needed, please feel free to contact the specific municipality.
To View a Ordinance please select it from the dropdown below and click the submit button:
Municipalities wishing to submit ordinances to this site may do so by contacting:
State Police
Firearm Owner's Identification Program
801 South 7th Street
Suite 400-M
Springfield, Illinois 62703


text:
Despite the change in the administration, the Title IX amendments finalized in June 2020 are still in effect. The purpose of this workshop is to review Title IX, its former and current regulations, and relevant caselaw. There will be a section of the workshop dealing with a "how-to" investigate a claim while complying with federal and state law.
Title IX Coordinator Training
Registration Options
- +
A maximum class size is set for each course and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If the number of registrations for a course exceeds the maximum seats available or is too low to be able to conduct a quality learning experience, CES will inform you of available options.
Course Cancellation
If you wish to cancel your registration, please submit a request in writing (via mail, email or fax) no later than 7 business days before the workshop's start date. After that, there are no refunds or billing adjustments.
In the event that a course is cancelled by the Collaborative for Educational Services, we will notify you as soon as possible. Please be sure to provide your best email address and phone number so we can contact you. Although every effort is made to avoid last minute cancellations, if an emergency arises, we will do our best to reach you at the phone number and email address you provide.
Inclement Weather
Any delays or cancellations are posted online at collaborative.org. You may also call 413-200-8395 after 6:30am for information about classes that day.
Event Contact
Payment Methods
We accept the following payment methods:
- Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard)
- Check
- Purchase Order
- CES Internal Transfer


text:
The Information Technology sector ranks second out of the ten sectors as detailed in my sector roadmap. It gets my Neutral rating, which is based on aggregation of ratings of 27 ETFs and 137 mutual funds in the Information Technology sector as of July 11, 2012. Reports on the best & worst ETFs and mutual funds in every sector and style are on here.
Figures 1 and 2 show the five best and worst-rated ETFs and mutual funds in the sector. Not all Information Technology sector ETFs and mutual funds are created the same. The number of holdings varies widely (from 25 to 416), which creates drastically different investment implications and ratings. The best ETFs and mutual funds allocate more value to Attractive-or-better-rated stocks than the worst ETFs and mutual funds, which allocate too much value to Neutral-or-worse-rated stocks.
To identify the best and avoid the worst ETFs and mutual funds within the Information Technology sector, investors need a predictive rating based on (1) stocks ratings of the holdings and (2) the all-in expenses of each ETF and mutual fund. Investors need not rely on backward-looking ratings. My fund rating methodology is detailed here.
Investors seeking exposure to the Information Technology sector should buy one of the Attractive-or-better rated ETFs or mutual funds from Figures 1 and 2.
See ratings and reports on all ETFs and mutual funds in this sector on my free mutual fund and ETF screener.
Figure 1: ETFs with the Best & Worst Ratings – Top 5
* Best ETFs exclude ETFs with TNA's less than 100 million for inadequate liquidity.
Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings
Focus Morningstar Technology Index ETF (FTQ) and ProShares Ultra Technology (ROM) are excluded from Figure 1 because their total net assets (TNA) are below $100 million and do not meet our liquidity standards.
Figure 2: Mutual Funds with the Best & Worst Ratings – Top 5
* Best mutual funds exclude funds with TNA's less than 100 million for inadequate liquidity.
Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings
Six mutual funds are excluded from Figure 2 because their total net assets (TNA) are below $100 million and do not meet our liquidity standards.
Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) is my top-rated Information Technology ETF and Vanguard World Funds: Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund (VITAX) is my top-rated Information Technology mutual fund. Both earn my Attractive rating.
PowerShares Lux Nanotech Portfolio (PXN) is my worst-rated Information Technology ETF and Columbia Funds Series Trust I: Columbia Technology Fund (CTCAX) is my worst-rated Information Technology mutual fund. Both earn my Dangerous rating.
Figure 3 shows that 182 out of the 619 stocks (60% of the total net assets) held by Information Technology ETFs and mutual funds get an Attractive-or-better rating. However, only 10 out of 27 Information Technology ETFs and 7 out of 137 Information Technology mutual funds (5% of total net assets) get an Attractive-or-better rating. Note that 86% of the value allocated to ETFs in the sector is allocated to Attractive-rated ETFs. Only 1% of the value in mutual funds goes to Attractive-rated funds. It appears ETF investors are much better at allocating to the best funds than mutual fund investors.
The takeaways are: ETF investors are allocating value to the most attractive investments and mutual fund managers allocate too much capital to low-quality stocks.
Figure 3: Information Technology Sector Landscape For ETFs, Mutual Funds & Stocks
Sources: New Constructs, LLC and company filings
As detailed in "Cheap Funds Dupe Investors", the fund industry offers many cheap funds but very few funds with high-quality stocks, or with what I call good portfolio management.
Investors need to tread carefully when considering Information Technology ETFs and mutual funds. Only 10 ETFs and 7 mutual funds in the Information Technology sector allocate enough value to Attractive-or-better-rated stocks to earn an Attractive rating.
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) is one of my favorite stocks held by Information Technology ETFs and mutual funds and earns my Very Attractive rating. ATVI's current stock price (~$12.10) implies that after-tax profits (NOPAT) will permanently decrease by 40%. These expectations are overly pessimistic given that ATVI has been able to grow its profits and improve its operating margins each year since 2008. Low expectations and strong historical performance make ATVI an excellent long candidate.
InterNAP Network Services (INAP) is one of my least favorite stocks held by Information Technology ETFs and mutual funds and earns my Very Dangerous rating. INAP's management has a long track record of poor capital allocation. The company's dismal 0.6% return on invested capital (ROIC) places the company in the bottom 20th percentile of all Russell 3000 companies. Not once in the 14 years I've covered the company has it generated an ROIC over its weighted average cost of capital (WACC). During that time, the company has written off 43 cents for every dollar that has been invested in the business. And yet the stock's valuation forecasts the company will have a phenomenal turnaround. To justify its current stock price (~$7.01), INAP must grow profits by 8% compounded annually for 30 years. The downside risk of this stock outweighs its upside potential.
539 stocks of the 3000+ I cover are classified as Information Technology stocks, but due to style drift, Information Technology ETFs and mutual funds hold 619 stocks.
Figures 4 and 5 show the rating landscape of all Information Technology ETFs and mutual funds.
Our sector roadmap report ranks all sectors and highlights those that offer the best investments.
Figure 4: Separating the Best ETFs From the Worst ETFs
Figure 5: Separating the Best Mutual Funds From the Worst Mutual Funds
Review my full list of ratings and rankings along with free reports on all 27 ETFs and 137 mutual funds in the Information Technology sector.
Disclosure: I receive no compensation to write about any specific stock, sector or theme.


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Judge to movie studios: Why shouldn't I dismiss piracy lawsuits?
Improper joining of 4,577 downloaders alleged
A federal judge has ordered attorneys representing movie studios to explain why they lumped thousands of alleged copyright violators into just two lawsuits, an indication she is seriously considering claims by ISP Time Warner and civil liberties advocates that the actions violate well-established court procedures.
Rosemary M. Collyer of the US District Court for the District of Columbia gave the attorneys until June 21 to explain why more than 4,500 defendants shouldn't be dismissed "for misjoinder," a legal term used to describe the improper joining of defendants in a single lawsuit. The alleged pirates of independent movies are named as John Does in two separate lawsuits, which seek subpoenas ordering Time Warner and other internet service providers to identify customers behind a massive list of IP numbers.
Collyer's instructions came after Time Warner and civil liberties advocates argued the complaints suing 4,577 defendants were improperly filed. Under US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, lawsuits generally must be filed in court districts in which the defendants live and each defendant named in a single complaint must be accused of carrying out the "same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences."
According to a friend-of-the-court brief (PDF) filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, many defendants live outside of the District of Columbia and there is no evidence the alleged downloaders are connected, except for the movies they sought and their use of BitTorrent.
"Of particular importance here, before the defendant's identity can be disclosed, a plaintiff must come forward with some evidence that each individual defendant infringed the plaintiff's rights, and each defendant must be given notice and an opportunity to quash," lawyers for the groups wrote in the brief.
The brief follows opposition mounted by Time Warner, which in separate court documents has sought the quashing of subpoenas seeking the identities of thousands of its customers. Among other things, the ISP has argued the demands are overly burdensome.
The complaints were filed by the attorneys from US Copyright Group on behalf of studios that produced the independent films Far Cry and The Steam Experiment. The attorneys have accused called Time Warner's opposition "procedurally defective" and argued the information they are seeking is not confidential or privileged. ®


text:
BREAKING THE ICE by Mary Morgan
Email Mary Morgan
The sun will rise to the right of the finger stone this morning. It has done so for the past thirty mornings: by this calendar, it has been spring for just so many days. The sun will light a bitter landscape. A wind from the pole sweeps it, blasting snow into drifts, scouring bare earth. No new growth, anywhere. The wind rattles in bleached grasses, sets icicles jangling, howls round corners and along stone walls, thrums in nets hung waiting for the shoals to start running. Waves seethe on the shore. The people of the settlement will wake soon, to the cold, to the barren fields, to the forbidding sea. They will wake to the knowledge that still the spring has not come.
But the watcher has. It has come down from the Moss, which lies beyond the edge of the settlement. Now it approaches a field of grass-covered mounds. The watcher is not deceived. It knows it is looking at turf roofs over shallow circular walls around much deeper dwelling pits. It knows that under the ground lie more than a hundred souls, men, women and children, huddling together for heat. Most are in the main dwelling now, the roundhouse, the settlement's hall, but a few have kept, defiant, to their own steadings. The watcher grins. It tastes the fear which they feel in their dreams and grows stronger. It tastes their guilt and grows stronger still. It can see them all clearly: mere matter cannot confuse its vision. The bodies within are like fish in the sea to this watcher. It can net them whenever it chooses. It chose last night.
The watcher hefts the smooth, round object it holds in its grasp, places it carefully on an enclosure wall. This wall points directly to the roundhouse entranceway. They will see this first, it knows. It grins wider. This is the fifth time it has come to the settlement since the start of the false spring, and each time it has come closer. Soon it will come right up to the door. It detects movement within the dwelling. It feels the weight of the dawn on its hide. It is time to go, for now. It will be back. Meanwhile it has left tokens behind. Five skulls to watch for it by daylight.
Part I
They called me Bren. At first I thought it meant slave, then that it meant woman. When I had been in the settlement for almost a year I learned that it meant "other". I am tall, fair-haired, larger boned than these small, black-haired people. Other. I told them my name often enough over that first year, but they never used it, were not interested in what I had to say. I was there to work for the people, like their knives, like their ploughs, like their small, stubborn sheep. If I meant more to them than those, it was because they dragged me from the sea and saved my life and kept me for their own. As they keep everything the sea washes up for them.
The next year was the worst. I still kept telling myself that my father would find me, and that anyway things would be better. They would understand me better once I learnt to speak to them, would recognise me for what I was. I learned to speak to them, but it made no difference. They understood all they needed to about me: I was Bren, who was other, a gift of the sea, entirely theirs and nothing more.
By the end of the third year, I stopped thinking of home. I knew my father would not come for me. No one would come. Even my dreams stayed clear of the south. I did not long for honeyed winds, nor for warm nights, nor for valleys lush with vines and olive. I did my best to forget my own name, and the sound of my language. I suppressed all feelings except my pride, which turned small and cold. Finally, I even denied myself hope, knowing its pain. In this way I found life in the settlement possible. After that, time at least passed.
For seven years, time passed. But then a year came which was different. The winter was harder than any I remembered. It was harder than any the settlers remembered. Twelve of them died. Their bodies were stored in outhouses since no pick could break the iron grip of cold on the ground. Those who survived could not speak of the deaths. Guilt weighted their tongues. They moved little, spoke less, ate sparingly. The stores, stretched, lasted till spring, though they were down to the scrapings of their bins. But the spring did not come. The ground did not soften, the shoals of rainbow-scaled fish did not arrive. The settlers conferred among themselves, consulted those who dreamed, could find no answer beyond the obvious one, which they would not speak, and the obvious solution, which they shunned. There was guilt enough already.
Instead they wrapped themselves in hides and furs, staggered to the stone circle which stands on high ground, above the village and the Moss. There they sacrificed breeding stock, seed corn. For a day they prayed to the Frost Fathers, begged them not to break the land with the iron might of their cold. Nothing happened. A few of the settlers began openly to urge those older ways of placating the lords of winter and bringing back the spring. For the most part no one listened. Until the deaths began.
I knew there had been another before I even opened my eyes that morning. The fear stank in those confined quarters. It was my fear too. It clawed at me, made me close my eyes tighter, curl myself small as I could. But that did not help. In the end, I hauled myself upright and went to look out of the roundhouse door, climbing twelve steps slick with frost to reach it. Five skulls, I noted with detachment, aware I was too calm. The nearest, the most recent, was as white and smooth as the others. Whose was it, I wondered. I pulled my cloak about my shoulders and leaned against the door frame, prepared to wait. Tork, the chief, was a dark shape against the pale sky, moving from steading to steading, asking his questions. He disappeared into one, then re-emerged, his face set and white.
"Ter," he said, to the settlers who clustered at the foot of the stairs. Ter. An old man, whose particular skill was leather-working and who had lived alone since the death of his wife. He had had a son, drowned three years ago. A whole family gone, then, I thought. As though the land was consuming these people, was erasing them from itself. "Who next?" was the question I saw on each of their faces. Weakened by hunger already, this weakened them further. I felt a chilly satisfaction of sorts. I had been cold and alone for ten years. This was the best I could manage by way of vengeance. It did not, I discovered, make me feel any better.
With a gesture, Tork gathered all his people around him. His glance flicked beyond them, rested on my face. I moved forwards too, stood at the back of the group and listened. "We will all sleep together now." A command. He had not issued one on this subject before. The few who had chosen to stick to their steadings shuffled their feet, glanced aside. They would obey. "Three will stand watch over the women and children," he went on, jabbing with stubby, black-nailed fingers at the three he had chosen. He detailed five others to take to the boats, to hunt for such food as the cold sea might offer. "The rest of us will search the ground."
"Keep them busy," I said to myself. "Keep them moving and busy while they wait for the night. Time enough to sit still and worry then." It would do no good. They all knew that. There was never any trace, not in the place where the person had been seized, nor anywhere else, though they combed the paths and enclosures, climbed the slight slope to the circle of stone, ranged to the verge of the Moss. But it was better than nothing. One had to do something. They knew that as well.
At midday, one of the searchers shouted. "Brenner!" I thought I heard him call. Others? I thought to myself. At this time of year? An unnamed feeling stirred inside me. It drew me out of the roundhouse and so I saw them arrive. They were escorted by all the searchers, who crowded around, obscuring my view. Then Tork strode forward and the men parted before him, allowing me a glimpse of who stood there.
Two figures, wearing furs and hides like anyone else, but one was extraordinarily tall. There was some tension; spears were lowered, axes raised. The smaller figure crouched slowly and laid a staff on the ground, then stood, arms outstretched, hands open. Tork walked till he stood just out of reach of the strangers and stared at them, his shoulders hunched, his head down. I knew he would be staring at them from under his brows, taking his time, thinking. He could think with more menace than anyone I ever met.
Finally he jerked his head and turned abruptly, leading the whole procession down into the roundhouse. The strangers stripped off their outer clothing then, and I saw what they were. Two women. One small, with reddish gold hair, the other tall as me, blue-eyed and dark. Their expressions were difficult to make out. Smoke from the peat fire wreathed through the roundhouse before making its way to the vent in the roof, the firelight flickered and shifted. I wondered why I was not surprised by their arrival: surely I should be. Yet I seemed to have been expecting them. Or at least the tall one.
I could not take my eyes off her. Her black hair, the strength of her. A warrior for sure, even though she wore no weapons. Not someone who could be caged, or made to do anyone else's bidding. She spelt freedom to me, and revenge. I felt my chest tighten and my face flush, and shrank back into the shadows. From these I looked at her companion. Pale and sullen looking, I thought to myself in disapproval. This strengthened, the longer I looked. No taller than the settlers, where the warrior was of my height. The sort of person who would hesitate, think of others, let their concerns come first. Caged by conscience, even before circumstances took away her freedom. I hated her. She must be the warrior's servant, though she looked unfit even for that. She could hardly be her friend.
"What are you doing here?" Tork was asking them.
It was the smaller woman who answered, surprising me. She looked too much a stupid peasant girl to have learned the settlers' language. But then, a warrior would not stoop to such a chore. "To trade." She spoke the words haltingly, but graced them with a sudden, lop-sided smile. I sneered to myself. The warrior had brought her to play court to the settlers, obviously. It was all she was good for. Her tone was low, I noticed, and she made no sudden movements. Servile, ignoble. They would listen to her, if she could continue to avoid giving offence.
"What do you want?" Tork folded his arms across his chest and considered her carefully.
"Amber," she said, "and walrus ivory."
I was not surprised. The settlers took small quantities of such stuff south with them to trade in mid summer, and ships had, twice that I knew of, called then too, taking all that the settlement could supply.
"What do you have?"
The woman looked back at her taller companion then, who moved forwards quietly and gently laid a large pack down on the ground. Unrolled, it revealed a quantity of goods forged from iron. Fishhooks and needles, I saw, work knives of good quality, pins, axe-heads. Usually the settlers would have found these most acceptable, though they would not have shown it. They could not work metal. What they made, they made from stone. Now they viewed the contents of the pack almost with disinterest. Few deceived themselves. It was unlikely any would survive to use these things.
Tork shrugged, not dismissively but to indicate an end to these preliminaries. "We will talk more of this later."
There was no question of food. They ate only once a day now, in the evening. The two women stood uncertainly in the centre of the room. When it became clear that no one was paying them any heed, they went to one side and sat down. After a minute the smaller woman opened her pack and took out what looked like dried meat and trail bread, handing some to her companion. From my own vantage point, I watched them, or at least the taller one. There was a careless grace to her. It spoke both of supreme physical confidence and of a total indifference to what anyone might think of her. I remembered this posture from my childhood. I had grown up among people who held themselves in this way. Once I had hoped to join them, even lead them myself one day.
They sat close together against the wall. The smaller woman was younger too, I decided, but she looked oddly older as well. There was a tiredness in her face which had nothing to do with their journey. Now that it was still and not smiling it fell into an impassiveness which suggested the exercise of constant control. Though she stayed near to her companion she did not touch her at all, and rarely looked at her. The taller woman, on the other hand, was constantly stealing glances in her direction. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps she was more than a servant. But she was not much of a friend. And she was soft, just as I had suspected. Two of the bolder boys had crept close while they ate. She was sharing her food with them, looking beyond them and encouraging more children to join in. I supposed the warrior was doing the same because the sight sickened her, as much as it did me.
The more I watched, the more I found myself resenting this small woman, the more I wanted to be in her place. After ten years of grovelling to my inferiors, I longed for companionship with an equal. But she was in the way. Such a waste, I thought to myself, staring at them openly by now. And so I was caught in an intensely blue gaze. The warrior had shifted the focus of her attention and looked across the room straight at me.
She touched the smaller woman's shoulder and nodded, almost imperceptibly. Neither looked at me again, but I was not deceived. They were here for me, I realised, and for a second a great gale of some feeling rose within me. I vaguely remembered it, tentatively named it hope. I forced it back, at once and viciously. Hope hurt. I knew this well.
Time passed slowly in the roundhouse in winter. In one part, a group of women were preparing the evening meal, what there was of it. Three of the fishers had returned home with nothing. The fish the others had brought were few in number and very small. In another part, there was spinning and weaving, the mending of clothing and stitching going on. Tools were being made and refurbished as well. Children helped here and there, or played in a group as far from anyone else as was possible. They did these things quietly. The settlers were rarely noisy, not in grief, nor joy, nor fear.
Searching for something to do which would allow the warrior to approach me, I picked up a jug of water and carried it over to the palettes where the sick were lying. Shortly after, I became aware of two forms by my side, looking at the old woman whose face I was wiping. The smaller woman had come as well, I realised with irritation. Ignoring the companion, I looked at the warrior, who quirked an eyebrow. I found myself saying, in the language of my childhood, which seemed to shape my mouth in strange ways now, "There's nothing you can do. It's hunger." Why should she care? I didn't. This was wasting time.
The tall woman looked back sombrely, but a shadow of some deeper feeling passed over her companion's face. It lent a brief moment of vivid emotion. Then it stilled, but not before I at last put a name to the expression which governed her features. Grief, perhaps even despair. She was working hard, but hers was not a face suited to secrecy. I was learning to read it well enough. I found it disgusted me. She will get wet eyes and want to help them, I said to myself. That was all she was good for.
The warrior had moved on. Now she was leaning over little Vessli. When she looked at me this time, I answered, "She has the eye sickness. A lot of them do, in the summer, but hers hasn't gone."
The warrior lent over the child again, smiling at her briefly, then saying, "Gabrielle?" The younger woman moved off at once and was back swiftly, carrying another of their packs. She opened this to reveal a store of herbs and several small pots of ointment. The warrior let her long fingers stir gently through these before selecting a sprig of something which had dried to a purple colour. "Infuse this in some boiling water," she said, her tone making the words a request. Gabrielle was gone longer this time, but not much. When she returned her companion used the water to clean Vessli's eyes before smearing some ointment carefully around them.
"Any more?" she asked, looking at me. I kept my face still, refusing to show my disapproval. These creatures had treated me as a slave for years. I had not expected my rescuer to spend time healing my captors. Nevertheless, I told her who else was afflicted. She treated four settlers in the same way, several more for different ailments. At first the settlers gathered round, watching doubtfully. Wonderful, I thought to myself, this will get them killed all right. Teach them to treat barbarians like people with souls. But after a time the others ceased looking at them, simply let them get on with their work. The warrior glanced round, saw they were no longer observed. She looked at her companion again, raised an eyebrow. Gabrielle now reached out a hand to touch me on the sleeve.
"Don't be alarmed," she said gently, meeting my eyes with a steady green gaze. "Your father sent us."
Part II
My father. I dug into my memories and retrieved the image of a large man, red-bearded. I had once believed that he could do anything, even stop the sun its passage across the sky. Even find me and take me home. I was cooler in my estimate of him now, but could give him his due. It took courage and strength of will to transplant a village from Macedonia and plant it as a new colony near Syracuse. He had done that. And managed to being me up single-handed, despite my mother's death in childbirth. I had been ready, almost, to forgive him for failing to rescue me. And now there was this. Stirring up feelings I wanted to forget. I felt my face flinch and Gabrielle's hand tightened on my arm.
"Take a deep breath," she advised softly. "And another."
When my breathing had settled, when I had control again, I only just managed to stop myself throwing off small woman's hand, stop myself showing my contempt for her. Did she actually believe I hadn't guessed? I looked back at her, and she let her hand fall.
"How?" I asked, judging it the most natural thing I could say in the circumstances. I already knew what I wanted, and it was not to go back to my father.
"He never stopped looking. In time he came across one of the pirates who took you, who told him they had sold you to a slaver plying routes North of the Pillars of Hercules."
I nodded. The slaver had been carried much too far North by a series of gales, and eventually been wrecked on this shore.
"Will they trade for you?" This was the warrior.
I looked at her for a moment. "No," I said at last. They would not. They did not trade in people. I looked enquiringly at the tall woman.
"Her name is Xena," Gabrielle said. Apparently she had read my face. "She'll find a way to help you."
I studied the warrior carefully, wondering how I could get what I wanted from her. She looked stubborn. I would have to be careful.
"We'll go tonight," the warrior said. "When they're asleep. We'll take a boat and be a league away by morning." She glanced at her companion, almost apologetically, but the younger woman gave no sign that she had noticed. I would, I told myself fiercely. She wouldn't have to beg me for a response.
"See?" Gabrielle said to me. I could hardly bring myself to look at her, had to fight to keep my face expressionless. "She always knows what to do," the small woman went on. "Is there anything you want to take with you?"
I hesitated at that, almost changed my mind. There was one thing. But then I considered a little more. There would be so many difficulties, and who knew what would be for the best. I shook my head. Why tempt fate? In any case, their plan would not work. I said as much.
"Why?" Xena was looking at me, a little amused. I bridled. I had survived all this time without anyone's help. I knew the place better than she did.
"Did you see the skulls when you came in?"
"We were hoping it wasn't their standard treatment for hawkers and tradesmen," Gabrielle said. But they had kept on anyway, I thought.
"Something is stalking them," I said. "At night. It leaves just the skulls. They won't let their guard down." Said in Greek, the first part of this sounded childish, fantastic. Though the tales of the gods were not bloodless.
"It'd better steer clear of us, then," Xena said.
I looked at her levelly and felt my lips purse themselves. Gabrielle was staring at us intently. Now she said. "Do you want us to deal with that before we leave?" The question startled me. It struck me as uncannily perceptive, because I realised that I did want exactly that. I could not imagine why.
All the same, I said, "The winter has gone on for so long. They're nearly starving. And then this. It's not fair." It was part of the explanation, and I seemed to believe it.
"This is a barren place," Gabrielle remarked, non-committally.
"In the summer it's beautiful. Full of light. The sea burns like molten silver and teems with fish. At night, a cold fire hangs in green folds from the sky." I had to say it.
"How can you stand to live without trees?" Gabrielle sounded merely curious.
"There's nothing to block out the sky, though." I was feeling defensive.
"There have been trees, surely." The warrior rapped a beam at her back. "It's not all drift wood?"
I shrugged. What did I care? Gabrielle said, out of a thoughtful silence, "I bet they did it. Cut down too many trees so there wasn't enough shelter for the saplings. And introduced sheep. They'd eat the new shoots." She stopped, grimaced apologetically.
Of course, that was what had happened. But long ago. Foolish behaviour. Just the sort I'd expect of these people. Just the sort she would understand. But Xena said, smiling slightly, "I'm impressed," and reached out to move a strand of hair from the smaller woman's cheek. Gabrielle's face stilled, but she did not move away.
I felt something burn like acid in my gut and half turned from them. Across the smoke-hazed hall, the settlers moved with the sluggishness of hunger and exhaustion, their faces drawn and hopeless. In spite of myself, I said, "This year is different, somehow. The wind should have changed by now and the air grown warmer. And with the killings on top of it…" I paused, expectantly.
"These things happen," Xena said, her tone flat. "Life is full of unpleasant surprises. You endure, or you don't." She turned her head to look at her younger companion. "I suppose we could stick around till we've dealt with it, though." She raised an eyebrow, and lowered it when Gabrielle nodded. "Right then. Tell me what happens."
I was left floundering. Nothing happened. They went to bed at night, rose in the morning. Sometimes someone had just, well, gone, and a skull been added to the line on the wall. No signs. No traces. I said as much.
"But so far it's always been people in outlying steadings?"
"Xena," Gabrielle said, quickly, her voice low.
"Best way to catch it," was the terse response.
"Then I'll be with you," her companion shot back. Not soft now, not hesitant. Determined.
Xena looked at her carefully. Her eyes were hooded and her face still. "Right," she said.
Tork accepted their offer with little fuss, once Gabrielle managed to make it clearly. Since it included the warrior's demand that he have the skulls removed and decently interred, it took a little time to persuade him. He was afraid of giving further offence. However, he eventually gave in. It was their choice and might help, he was obviously thinking. And if they failed, then at least he would not have lost two of his own people. I knew he would not let me go as well, for that reason if no other. But I wanted to stay with them, or at least with the warrior. I saw myself proving myself to her, saving her, being carried away by her. The small woman was never with us in these dreams, which never lasted long. I cursed Tork for stopping me, and Gabrielle for stealing my place, and I watched Xena for what remained of the day.
Part III
As the light began to fail, Xena unwrapped the blanket roll she had carried in on her back. Within it was a sword, so large that I doubted any man in the settlement could lift it. It drew them like honey draws ants. While they looked on, Xena took out a whet stone, settled it comfortably in her palm and sharpened the blade, her strokes long and careful. Soon a small circle had surrounded her, men on the inside, children beyond. Just looking.
Gabrielle had apparently been dozing, but at length, perhaps when she judged them sufficiently enthralled, she opened her eyes and asked, "So, what do you think is doing all this?"
Most of the men shrugged and shuffled, but did not move off. Ker finally said, "It comes from the Moss."
"No." The speaker was his nephew. "Don't be foolish." I knew why he was so angry. These were thoughts the settlers did not dare say even to each other.
Gabrielle quirked her eyebrow in passable imitation of her companion.
"I smell it, the Moss. After it has come." Ker looked stubborn. No one argued. They remembered the smell, dark and stagnant. He went on, "And after Terkel - who can tell?"
"Hold your tongue. This is not something to talk about in front of them." The nephew glanced at the women sidelong. He did not look too sure of himself.
"We have nothing to hide." The old man had picked up the doubt. He settled himself more comfortably, began to speak again in the tones he used when telling the children one of his stories. Gabrielle, for a moment, had just their expression on her face. Then she turned to the warrior and told her what had been said. Throughout Ker's narrative, he paused so that she could translate his words for her companion. Actually, I suspected this was unnecessary. I thought she could understand what was being said as well as Gabrielle could, and that they had simply decided the younger woman, the less threatening one, should speak for them both.
"It was just after mid-winter. Many winters ago, this will be. Tork's father's father was chief then. It was a bitter winter, and what made it worse was a sickness which weakened our children and old people. Many died. We began to fear there would be no one left by spring. Just like now.
"Then the dreams started. We all had them. The Frost Fathers whispered to us in our sleep. They told is that we must make a sacrifice to them if they were to release their grip on the land, if they were to help us and give way to the sun. The Frost Fathers told us that was what they did, the folk who built the stone circle. They sent us dreams of blood and at length we answered them. We chose Terkel because he was strange. You know. He had never grown up. Most of us did not count him fully human.
"His mother pleaded for him, reminded us of his skills, cast doubt on the origin of the dreams, accused us of cruelty and cowardice. We were afraid. We stopped our ears and hardened our hearts. Eventually we took him to the Moss and killed him and left his body there. That was where the elder folk left their sacrifices to the Frost Fathers, and where they did execution too."
I was listening as raptly as anyone else now. I had not heard this story before. It was not one they would want to share with brennen.
"His mother would not accept that we had done right. She railed at us and screamed out promises of vengeance. We fed her and kept clear, judging it best. One night she wandered away and was never seen again. I'd guess she's in the Moss as well. With her son."
Ker stopped talking and looked at his audience. Only the warrior was unshaken. The rasp of her whetstone had not paused during his tale and kept going now. "You think it's a matter of vengeance then?" Her eyes drifted across to Gabrielle as he pondered his answer, their expression unreadable. The younger woman's gaze was abstracted, her face even paler. Two lines furrowed between her brows.
"Yes," he said finally. "Or a curse."
"Hm." Xena smoothly, whipped her sword up. It hissed through the air. She studied the play of firelight on its blade. Even in the smoky atmosphere of the roundhouse, it shone out brightly. Satisfied she picked up the scabbard, sheathed it. "We'll see."
They set out for the steading just before the light failed, walking past the wall where the skulls had stood without a second glance. Gabrielle carried a pot of fish soup and some bread the settlers had spared from their lean supper. I watched them cross to the outlying mound which marked the place they had chosen to wait in. Frost glittered on the stones of the walls. There was a keen wind. It raised little spirals of loose-lying snow and fluttered their furs. They had to lean into it to walk at all.
I spread my sleeping fur by the stairs that night and lay with my eyes closed, listening intently. I could hear the settlers sleeping around me. That rustle was one of the guards, stretching, that cry a child in the grip of a nightmare. I got up and made my way to the nursery, where boys and girls lay tangled together like a litter of puppies. The settlers pooled their children, who treated all adults as parents. I knelt to stroke a sleeping brow. All safe, I thought to myself, not inquiring why I should care about this. I squatted, leaned my back against the wall, found my eyes drawn irresistibly to the doorway. What was happening on the other side of the settlement? In my mind's eye I saw the two women sitting much as I was, watching the opening, firelight gilding the warrior's drawn sword. Would they speak to each other? I imagined breath frosting the air between them.
When the battle cry came, I was on my feet before its echoes had finished and hard on the heels of the guards as they burst through the door. What I saw, froze me, and them as well. The warrior, sword upright before her, holding it two handed. Her companion, grasping her staff, circling round to her left. Between them, immense, a form made of fog and of blizzard. It flickered, now looming here and now there, almost managing to be everywhere at once. Its head was turning this way and that way, its arms sweeping the air. The air cracked and froze all around it. Each one of its gestures made tornadoes of hail twist through the air. It raised its head and let out a roar. Ice blasted the warrior, tearing her cheeks with its fine needles. She took a pace backwards, and it followed. Behind it, the other woman rushed forwards, flailing her staff, shouting, "Xena!" The wood merely passed through its body. Off-balance, Gabrielle fell to her knees, recovered herself, had the staff upright again and firmly grounded as the shape swirled itself round and bore down upon her.
Screaming, the warrior leapt forward, aiming, I guessed, for the creature's shoulders, meaning to ride it and hack it from behind. But she too passed through it, catching herself at the last moment, tucking herself into a roll which brought her alongside her companion. The shape towered above them, remorseless as winter. Gabrielle turned her head then, and caught my eye. "Bring torches!" she yelled, her voice barely distinct above the howl which was part of the monster. I was aware of movement behind, knew the men were obeying her shout. I could not move at all. Xena moved again, flipping sideways, letting her sword cut through the air in a long, lazy curve. Clouds whorled from its surface, hung for a moment, then shot for her throat. They hardened to hands. She fell to the ground, gasping. Now the shape knelt above her, its fingers locked round her neck.
Gabrielle seized the first torch to reach her, thrusting forwards, ramming it home in what should be the bowels of the monster. Screeching now, the thing reared itself up, taking Xena part of the way and then dropping her to bat with its hands at itself. Gabrielle ran to her side, holding the remains of the torch, which had guttered and died. As it looked down, she hurled the smoking stump with all of her might, screaming defiance, striking the thing on its head. Nothing happened. It bunched itself again, swinging back arms, meaning to shred her and take back the warrior. She would not budge. Calmly, she spread her arms, raised her chin, meeting its gaze.
I took a torch and with the guards attacked the thing from behind. I found I wasn't thinking of Xena, not even of myself. It was the children's faces which were at the back of my mind. Most of the settlement was outside now, carrying firebrands and axes, despairingly joining the fight. The monster flicked them aside again and again, but could not deter them completely. In any case, I thought, it seemed distracted. It turned and turned, trying always to set its eyes upon Xena and Gabrielle, who were upright again and fighting in step with each other.
Then something seemed to happen inside the creature. The milky swirls set, its pale outline hardened. Seeing her chance, Xena leapt forward and this time found something to grasp. She set her hands on its head and bent it backward with all of her might. Slowly, incredibly, it bowed itself into an arch of fluid ice. When Xena had the thing bent almost double, when it was plainly in danger of cracking, it changed again. She fell to the ground, holding nothing but mist. Streamers and strands of it unravelled from the bowed shape and curled into the air. For a second they held different shapes, an old woman and a young man among them. Then they faded. Everyone looked round. The sun was rising behind the circle of stone.
Part IV
"Is it over?" Tork was squatting in front of Xena, who was resting her back against the stone of the roundhouse. Gabrielle ignored him, dabbing a cloth at the shallow cuts on the warrior's cheeks. When she was done, she looked round.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"It doesn't feel over," he answered. "We still feel afraid."
Gabrielle looked at him closely, then nodded. "Yes. It feeds on your fear. And on guilt." She paused, waiting for him.
Tork hesitated. Then he swallowed, and said, "At midwinter, we decided to feed only those strong enough to survive. The oldest and weakest we left to die." He swallowed, finding the words painful to say. "It was my decision."
Xena said, through Gabrielle, "It was the right thing to do. It saved your lives."
The chief looked up. "That did not make it feel right," he said. After a minute, he walked away.
I watched the two women again. Something was easier between them, I saw. Still, when Xena reached out her hand to take Gabrielle's, the smaller woman flinched.
"How can you touch me?" she said, very low.
"What do you mean?" The warrior's voice was bewildered.
"There must be something wrong about me, something dark," her companion said. Her face reddened, then paled. "Why else would all that happen? Why else would they use me?" Her voice ground into silence. She stared at her hands and swallowed painfully.
"No!" the warrior said. She sounded astonished now, and her companion looked up at her for a moment. Xena looked as though she was going to say more, then looked as though she couldn't find the right words. Instead she reached out her hand again and seized Gabrielle's. "No," she said again, softly, shaking her head. Xena was about to add something to that when I stepped forward. I could not bear to hear any more. Of course, I had realised by now that I was jealous, but that didn't stop me. Why should it? I had a right to be jealous, I said to myself. I was my father's daughter, and worthier of the warrior by far. I was her kind.
"What Tork hasn't told you," I said, more for the sake of saying something, "is that a few of the settlers are talking about going back to the old ways. Doing what they did to the boy in Ker's story." As I said it I realised that I was afraid they would, and that I didn't want them to.
"Throw someone into the Moss?" Xena asked.
I nodded. "Do you want to see it? The Moss?" I ventured at random. Anything to keep them apart.
"Might as well," she replied. Gabrielle had been frowning to herself all this while, but then she looked up at me and nodded too. I felt a moment's fury, then a possibility presented itself to me, and I kept quiet.
It did not take us long to reach the Moss. I wondered what they made of it, the huge, flat expanse dimpled with tussocks of flag wort and bog grass, humped here and there with banks of dirty-white snow. Xena looked unimpressed, but Gabrielle shuddered. "What a terrible place to end up in," she said, softly. "All alone, sinking deep under that." She fell silent.
Xena put an arm around her shoulders briefly, then turned to look around. She spotted the stone circle and started out for it, then paused and looked at her companion doubtfully.
"I'll wait here, I think," Gabrielle said. Her face was shadowed again. Xena sighed, but went on.
Gabrielle sat down close to the edge of the Moss, on a boulder piebald with lichen. I stood behind her. She was watching the warrior's progress and so was I. When I judged her well out of earshot I said, "Of course, they might be right.
"Who might?" she said listlessly.
I moved in closer. "The settlers. It worked the last time, after all." It might work this time too, I said to myself. It could be my parting gift to them all. And I'd take my guilt with me. It wouldn't hang around to plague them.
"They're better than that," she said.
I was a little startled. There was animation in her voice. I hadn't expected it. "They're just barbarians," I said, more to convince myself.
"How can you say that?" Gabrielle turned around, looked up. I could see she was startled to see me so close behind her. She stood up herself. We were so close I could see flecks of gold in her eyes as they met mine. She was still looking up. I had only to lean forward a little and she would over-balance. She held her ground. "They stopped the sacrifices."
"Running out of people," I said callously.
"They were terrified, but they still fought to help us last night," she went on.
"Even animals fight bravely when their backs are against a wall." I was nerving myself for my next move.
"They fed you through the winter." That stopped me for a moment. They had. I had not expected it. I thought they would leave me to tend to the dying, with no food for myself.
"You wanted us to help them. You cared," she went on.
That should have done it. That should have reminded me that the worst cage is the one we build for ourselves. It should have made me act, but it didn't. I recognised the truth when I heard it.
"That's how it is," Gabrielle said gently, through my silence. "You harden your heart so that nothing worse can happen to you. But something always gets by you. Something will always find its way in."
I wanted to say that only the weak felt that way. I tried, but I could not. Gabrielle was watching me calmly, though she was a little pale, and her breathing was slightly hurried. The woman who stood in my way. I looked beyond her. Wreaths of mist were lifting idly from the Moss.
She knows, I thought. Why doesn't she do something? Why does she just stand there and talk? I wanted to answer, because she is a coward, because she believes in conscience, because she is not worthy of the warrior. But I had seen her fight last night and I knew she was no coward. I was the one who had frozen. And she was fighting now, in her own way.
Time stood still. I heard a gull wail, the moan of a seal, the sea's salty lament. A number of things occurred to me then. That not all heroes wore swords. That to endure was a victory in its own right. That staying alive was no cause for shame. That coming to terms did not mean defeat. I could feel barriers set in my mind ten years ago waver like water freed from the frost. I was certain of only one thing: whoever I hated, it was not Gabrielle.
I took one step back. As I did so, I became aware of a presence not far behind me. Xena, of course. I wondered what she had seen; what she had heard. I turned, expecting to see anger directed against me. But she was looking at Gabrielle, her expression strained.
Gabrielle took a deep sigh. She moved round me, and stood between the older woman and me. "It's all right," she said. She smiled at the warrior. "Don't look like that. I'm all right. And I've got an idea." She went towards Xena and patted her middle lightly. "You want to hear it?"
Xena looked down at her. "What's changed?" she asked, ignoring everything else. I hung back, but listened anyway.
"Suddenly I've remembered that I've got something to live for." Gabrielle's face was serious again for a minute, her voice a little deeper than usual. Then she smiled again. I blinked. It was a smile of great charm.
Involuntarily, Xena smiled back. "Me too," she said then. She glanced at me, her eyes ice-cold, but I knew the danger was past.
Gabrielle went on, looking round to include me in what she had to say. "You saw it, didn't you? Last night. How the light made it solid enough to fight. And it was more than the light, I think. It was everyone out there, fighting together."
Xena nodded. She had reached out her hand and rested it on the younger woman's shoulder, apparently unconscious of the gesture.
"I think it's strongest when people hide from it, or fear it, or feel guilty for making it," Gabrielle went on.
"I think you're right," Xena said. "Things are best out in the open," she added, more to herself, I felt. Then she went on, "Can we use that?"
"I think so." Gabrielle's smile widened to a grin. "We'll use my secret weapon. We'll talk it to death." She tilted her head to one side and raised her eyebrows. "Trust me." Her face stilled and she seemed to shrink into herself.
"I trust you," Xena said. When Gabrielle's face twisted, she went on, "I'm the one who shouldn't be trusted."
Gabrielle shook her head in vehement denial of this. "We trusted one another last night, didn't we?" she said. "That's how we lived through till the morning."
"That's it, then. Let's try this miracle cure of yours," Xena said then, and headed down for the settlement.
It took them the rest of the day to persuade Tork. In the end, he had looked at me. "What do you think?" he said. I suppressed my gasp, making myself respond calmly. "I think they are right," I said. I could feel the whole settlement watching, aware of a change. Then I repeated Xena's words, "Things are best faced out in the open." As I said this, as I felt Tork's dark brown eyes on my face, I felt something thaw in myself, felt emotions I believed I had killed long ago.
The next morning, just after dawn, we all walked up to the Moss. We were weak from the winter, but filled with fresh hope. Seeing the enemy and winning a battle had fired us. When we got to the edge, Tork stepped forwards. He looked down at the Moss, frowning, reaching inside himself for the right words. At last he said, his voice clear and strong, "We have come to forgive, and to ask for forgiveness. He called out a list of names after he had done so, the twelve who had died during the winter, and one more. All the rest of the settlement followed suit. Each one named Terkel. When my turn came, I added, "My father." There was someone else, but the name would not come to me.
Finally Gabrielle stepped forwards. When she got to the edge of the Moss she turned round and glanced back at the warrior who came to stand behind her, resting her hands on her shoulders. I didn't recognise any of the names they spoke, but at the end I heard Gabrielle and Xena both say, very softly, each other's names and, after that, "Myself." Xena bowed her head, rested her cheek on her friend's reddish gold hair.
We turned to go. As we did so we realised the wind had changed, that it came from the south. We could feel the sun's warmth at last. Here and there in the Moss, pinched buds finally opened, clenched petals unfurled. Drifts of blossom as yellow as butter danced in the wind. I fancied it was stroking my face as soft as a fern, and that it smelled faintly of honey. A settler shouted and pointed far out to sea. I shielded my eyes against the dazzle, shook my head. Finally I could see a leaf-shaped disturbance of water quite close to the shore. Light danced in a myriad sparkling points. The shoals had returned. Men rushed down the slope to their boats, pausing only to snatch down the nets.
"Now will you come with us?" the warrior said very quietly.
I looked at the children, searching for one in particular. "No," I replied. I felt something inside myself healing, settling in place. In my head, I added the name I had looked for. Letis. Myself. "What for? My life is here. But tell my father I love him."
Xena followed the direction of my gaze. A group of toddlers had lined themselves on the edge of the Moss, were solemnly throwing stones into it. Gabrielle had been watching the child for some time already. A red-haired boy, larger than the others although he was younger. "Alright," the warrior said. "It's your choice." Gabrielle looked at me, and smiled.
They set off the following morning, heading south. Each day would take them deeper into the spring. They left their trade goods and some herbs and unguents, took with them amber and ivory, just as two peddlers should. We are a proud people. We would not have let them go with less. All the same, I knew, the women took with them something which they valued much more highly. Gabrielle had spent the night writing down some of Ker's stories, her face young as the children's, Xena watching her with delight. Now and then the younger woman had looked up to return her gaze, her own face lit with an enchanted smile. I wished them both well, and was glad they had found their own spring.
As for me? I look at my son, and let myself hope.
Return to Xena Archive
Return to Main Summary Page
You Are On The Pink Rabbit Consortium (click the above link to break out of frames) Send Comments or Questions to Pink Rabbit Productions email@example.com
| Home | Subtext Zone | Art Gallery | Subtext Links | What's New | HTDTZ? | | Xena Fanfic Archive (no frames) | Buffy Fanfic Archive | In Process |


text:
Tonight, David takes the live stage for the third time this weekend to reveal stunning new intel. We may soon learn Atlantis was real and the "sunken continent" then froze into Antarctica after a pole shift.
Intel from Pete Peterson, Corey Goode, "Bruce", Benjamin Fulford's people and many others all suggest we are about to see major announcements of ancient megalithic ruins in Antarctica.
This will be the beginning of a disclosure that just gets better and better as time goes on.
We have been given an "assignment" from certain Alliance factions to reveal as many details of this planned disclosure event in advance as possible.
These talks have featured a variety of brand-new intel that could quickly rise to worldwide significance in the coming weeks or months — and tonight is the crown jewel!
Ever since the beginning of November, we have seen a stunning and ever-increasing amount of mainstream "hints" that some big announcement about Antarctica is coming.
This includes Sen. John Kerry traveling there on Election Day, as well as NASA Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin — who then had to be rushed out with a suspected heart attack.
Other high-level people are making trips down there, some on public record and others very quietly. However, not much of an effort is being made to hide any of this.
We were given intel about ancient stone ruins being announced down there imminently. We were told we needed to publish ASAP, or else it would appear we were copying from mainstream media stories.
ENDGAME II came out on December 11th, 2016, at 3:12 pm Pacific. The first tabloid article about the Lost Cities of Antarctica appeared about two hours later.
Then the next day, an article in the Sun said that videos of the ruins have been in existence since 2002, when a missing team of scientists first went down there, never to return.
The article stated that the video had already leaked online, but the US government was trying to block it. No such video actually exists, as if it did, you would definitely have found it and told us about it — breathlessly.
Multiple articles have emerged since then, all with similar themes about ruins in Antarctica. I have them in my files and haven't had time to put them all together yet.
Nonetheless, the timing between our urgent 'leak' and the resulting tabloid articles just hours later is one of the most stunning 'coincidences' in the entire history of this work.
In the live Antarctic Atlantis presentation I gave this past Saturday night, I showed compelling proof that Science journal had a 'spoof' article back in 1998 that actually told us exactly the same story.
This was four years before the alleged 2002 date where the excavation and filming of the ruins began — yet it predicts the exact same sort of discoveries, disguised as an apparent joke.
The article goes on for some time before you realize they are not apparently being serious. As Shakespeare (or really Francis Bacon) once said, "Many a truth is hidden in jest."
It does seem the Cabal / New World Order / Illuminati originally intended to use this as a "Weapon of Mass Distraction."
If 9/11 didn't go their way — and it most definitely was a botched job — then the Antarctic Atlantis was on deck to throw everyone off the track.
Once the Cabal was on the ropes, they could ask not to be prosecuted because… hey, look at all the great stuff we've been holding onto and are now ready to share with you as an apology.
This would be akin to domestic abusers giving their wives a dozen roses after a beating — which is sadly a very common phenomenon I learned about in crisis hotline training.
We have been predicting Mass Arrests since at least 2011, with multiple insider testimonies. We now appear to be seeing the fulfillment of these prophecies. There is much more to say about this, and I went into it on Saturday night.
Regardless of who won the 2016 election, the Alliance was on the verge of making mass arrests.
Hillary shoved aside Bernie Sanders and was guided right through to Election Day, as scandals easily 20 times greater than Watergate piled up all around her.
I have seen many comments from the younger millennial generation in YouTube videos saying all legitimacy of the Establishment was destroyed in this highly bizarre move.
I was expecting Hillary to win even if no one voted for her, and the Alliance would have then had to do a coup to get results. That did not happen.
There are hundreds of indications that the Alliance military faction is directly working with Trump. We were leaking this intel througout all of 2016.
The Wikileaks revelations that led to Pizzagate are absolutely real, and will soon get far more intense. This is an Alliance-led operation.
These are real people, not angels. Their final moves to prepare for the mass arrests have greatly alarmed millions of people. I get that.
Given all the signals we are getting, I feel it is far too early to pass judgment on what is going on. I am keeping an open mind, though it saddens me to see how contentious everything has become.
One of the giveaways that the Cabal is in serious trouble is that the mainstream media has shed all pretenses of journalistic objectivity, and descended into stunningly blatant bias against the new administration.
Never before have we seen such universally one-sided coverage. It is very obvious that the media is trying to anger the public directly into a Civil War level of unrest. I doubt it will actually work, but the plan is obvious.
In short, the Cabal is being defeated right now. Underground bases are either surrendering to the Alliance or being wiped out.
The first 47 arrests are believed to be coming very soon — perhaps even this week. The FBI has already filed the paperwork with the Department of Justice.
The new insider, who predicted Pizzagate months in advance, recently granted an interview with more details to Victurus Libertas, as you can see here.
If true — and every insider I know says it is — this is stunning, if not revolutionary, civilization-defining news.
Corey Goode's latest intel is that these 47 arrests will begin as quiet, secret tribunals. We may not know much else in the beginning, except that certain folks are suddenly off spending "time with their families."
The 'chatter' is at an all-time high, including a stunning series of Wikileaks clues about the enigmatic "Vault 7".
This has already been linked to potential charges against George Soros and a revelation of 9/11 truth.
I have said for years now that since we know microwaves can steer weather, the California drought is in fact an artificially-produced event.
Meteorologists even called it the "Ridiculously Resilient Ridge" off the coast of California, since nature never creates a six-year high pressure zone that just sits in one place.
Everyone I know has heard me say that "We will know the Cabal is defeated when the rains fall in California for days at a time." That is exactly what we are now seeing.
It is stunning, and the news announcements about this have been surprisingly weak. It is of huge significance to everyone in America, if not the world, since this country could have easily starved if it had gone on much longer.
Now we are seeing literal "Atmospheric Rivers" dumping tremendous amounts of water into California — more than enough to completely end the drought for at least the next few years.
It has rained for days and days and days. Topanga Canyon Road, right in my neighborhood, was closed for over a week due to a massive landslide that covered the road in huge boulders.
Now the Cabal has fought back with whatever technology and 'dirty tricks' are still at their disposal by attempting to blow the largest California reservoir dam in Oroville.
The media referred to it as Unexpected Erosion. That's a good Orwellian term for someone blowing up a dam — either with surface explosives or some sort of particle beam technology from a sattellite.
Unexpected erosion chewed through the main spillway earlier this week, sending chunks of concrete flying and creating a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-deep hole that continues growing.
Engineers don't know what caused the cave-in, but Chris Orrock, a spokesman for the state Department of Water Resources, said it appears the dam's main spillway has stopped crumbling even though it's being used for water releases.
"There's been no additional erosion that they can see," Orrock said.
If this dam goes, it will utterly destroy the homes and property of 188,000 people. No one is sticking around to try to loot anything. This is very serious.
At the exact moment we are posting this, the dam has not broken — and there are frantic efforts underway to repair it in time.
For this same reason, I am asking you to use the power of mass consciousness. Visualize a positive, happy result to this situation. Send love to the people fighting to keep the water supply intact.
If the dam breaks, California's largest reservoir will lose a good percentage, perhaps 20 percent, of its overall water supply. This probably still wouldn't end the drought, but the Cabal is really on the ropes now and are being sore losers.
It is stunning to see all these events lining up in real time. I am asking you to really do these meditations and not just read this and think others will.
I am out of time now and have to jump in the car to get on stage for my final event, where I will reveal the latest and greatest intel on Ascension, the geometric universe and what we can do to prepare for this epic shift.
This is a paid event, and your support through ordering a David Wilcock Trilogy Pass is urgently needed to help us prepare for what is about to happen. We need to be ready for it.
Go to consciouslifestream.com to get started!
I have already delivered nearly six hours of wonderful lecture material with rich motion-graphics slides and video in the first two events, as well as the upcoming third.
Friday night featured what is definitely the single best summary of Corey Goode's data on the Secret Space Program and the five Alliance groups, along with a great summary of corroborating scientific info.
Corey was on the stage with me for this event on Friday night, and then I did my keynote on the latest Antarctica intel on Saturday night.
You can access these shows with the Trilogy Pass right now and begin watching.
Please be advised that piracy will be strictly prosecuted on this, with financial damages assessed per video view as well as the takedown of channels hosting the content.
We will probably make these into YouTube videos in a few months, but right for now this is a much-needed fundraiser — and tonight you can dive right in and see us live.
The video quality has significantly improved over last year. Just be advised that the site is optimized for the Firefox browser and definitely does not show the videos on Safari.
Tonight's talk may not be immediately available after the livestream is over due to rendering, but it should be out very soon after, probably by tomorrow morning/ afternoon at the latest.
So, since I am literally being ordered to get in the car NOW, I will close this out with descriptions of the talks you are about to enjoy.
Thanks again for your support!
Friday with Corey: Revealing the Five Alliance Groups
Join David and Corey in this groundbreaking "full disclosure" of the five different groups that are all fighting for humanity's positive future and Ascension.
You will meet the Earth Alliance groups, the Military-Industrial Complex Secret Space Program (MIC SSP) divisions, the Secret Space Program Alliance, the Inner-Earth Alliance and the Sphere-Being Alliance.
Each of these groups is at a progressively higher level, and the story of their efforts has captivated the "Seeking Truth" community with Corey and David's weekly show Cosmic Disclosure.
The battle is really heating up, so don't miss the latest and greatest intel, hot off the presses!
We may very well see the full public exposure and downfall of the New World Order cabal – and a release of fantastic technology and scientific advancements if the five Alliance groups get their way.
Saturday Keynote: The Antarctic Atlantis: Cosmic History of the Illuminati
Classified government programs have identified stupendous new ruins in Antarctica, built by a group of giants with elongated skulls now called the Pre-Adamites.
In this stunning talk we will trace the half-million-year history of the Pre-Adamites, see pictures of their ruins in our solar system, and learn how they crashed to Earth as the "Fallen Angels".
This group took control of the world and is still pulling the strings of our financial system, "hiding out in the open" in places like the Vatican. They use our co-creative powers against us and are hiding the truth about Ascension – an imminent, spontaneous evolution of humanity.
Don't miss this talk, jammed with highly-classified intel from our most trusted sources!
Monday Post-Conference: Ascension Geometry: What It Takes to Make It
Join David in a remarkable scientific tour-de-force proving that the Universe originated as a single geometric merkaba, both impossibly tiny and extremely large. Each photon is a fractal of this original creation.
Superclusters, galaxies, solar systems, planets, biological organisms, proteins and DNA are all structured by these remarkable new geometric laws. Never before has such a robust scientific model of a biological universe been presented.
We will delve into ancient and modern teachings that predicted the discovery of these geometric patterns and learn their deep, inner secrets of what it takes to make it for the Ascension.
David will present very compelling new science to argue that the Sun will give off an epic release of energy and light, and that this will propel us into the next level of human evolution. If there is any truth to this, it is very important that you understand the graduation requirements!
Biography of David Wilcock:
David Wilcock is the triple best-selling author of Source Field, Synchronicity Key and The Ascension Mysteries, a regular on History Channel's Ancient Aliens, and the star of three highly popular shows on the Gaia network: Cosmic Disclosure, Wisdom Teachings and Disclosure.
His groundbreaking investigations into ancient civilizations, consciousness science, new physics and conspiracy analysis have earned him the trust of multiple high-level insiders who have passed along a wealth of information about the Alliance—a group working to free us from financial and spiritual tyranny.
David has documented and analyzed his dreams every morning for 23 years, and has used them to make a variety of accurate prophecies.
He is also widely regarded as the reincarnation of the legendary American psychic Edgar Cayce, possessing a stunning facial and astrological resemblance as well as having similar talents.
I understand not everyone can afford to participate, and I will be doing far more on these subjects as the time becomes available. We have been very busy with Gaia tapings, Ancient Aliens tapings and preparations for this event.
For right now, this is a great way to support a good cause (we get a majority cut of the ticket price) and have your mind blown in the process.
Both the Friday and Saturday night talks set off an electric mood at the Expo, and were sold to the point of standing-room-only crowds in the largest room at the hotel. You will see it in the video.
The Trilogy Pass is three full-length conferences in one. With that pass you can watch them on demand whenever you like.
Tonight's talk was an instant classic — some of the best stand-up Cosmic Comedy I've ever done, and profound info as well.
It actually ran until nearly 11:30, meaning three and a half hours. Long-term supporters said this was the best I've ever presented this material.
Much more is on the way, so stay tuned!


text:
Orthostatic (postural) hypotension is an excessive fall in blood pressure (BP) when an upright position is assumed. The consensus definition is a drop of > 20 mm Hg systolic, > 10 mm Hg diastolic, or both. Symptoms of faintness, light-headedness, dizziness, confusion, or blurred vision occur within seconds to a few minutes of standing and resolve rapidly on lying down. Some patients experience falls, syncope Syncope Syncope is a sudden, brief loss of consciousness with loss of postural tone followed by spontaneous revival. The patient is motionless and limp and usually has cool extremities, a weak pulse... read more , or even rarely generalized seizures Seizure Disorders A seizure is an abnormal, unregulated electrical discharge that occurs within the brain's cortical gray matter and transiently interrupts normal brain function. A seizure typically causes altered... read more . Exercise or a heavy meal may exacerbate symptoms. Most other associated symptoms and signs relate to the cause.
Orthostatic hypotension is a manifestation of abnormal BP regulation due to various conditions, not a specific disorder. Evidence increasingly suggests that disorders of postural hemodynamic control increase risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
POTS (also called postural autonomic tachycardia, or chronic or idiopathic orthostatic intolerance) is a syndrome of orthostatic intolerance in younger patients. POTS is defined by a heart rate of ≥ 120 beats/minute or an increase of ≥ 30 beats/minute when a patient moves from supine to a standing position. Various symptoms (eg, fatigue, light-headedness, exercise intolerance, cognitive impairment) and tachycardia occur upon standing; however, there is little or no fall in BP. The reason for symptoms is unclear.
Pathophysiology of Orthostatic Hypotension
Normally, the gravitational stress of suddenly standing causes blood (½ to 1 L) to pool in the veins of the legs and trunk. The subsequent transient decrease in venous return reduces cardiac output and thus BP. In response, baroreceptors in the aortic arch and carotid sinus activate autonomic reflexes to rapidly return BP to normal. The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate and contractility and increases vasomotor tone of the capacitance vessels. Simultaneous parasympathetic (vagal) inhibition also increases heart rate. In most people, changes in BP and heart rate upon standing are minimal and transient, and symptoms do not occur.
With continued standing, activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone [ADH]) secretion cause sodium and water retention and increase circulating blood volume.
Etiology of Orthostatic Hypotension
Homeostatic mechanisms may be inadequate to restore low BP if afferent, central, or efferent portions of the autonomic reflex arc are impaired by disorders or drugs, if myocardial contractility or vascular responsiveness is depressed, if hypovolemia is present, or if hormonal responses are faulty (see table Causes of Orthostatic Hypotension Causes of Orthostatic Hypotension ).
Causes differ depending on whether symptoms are acute or chronic.
The most common causes of acute orthostatic hypotension include
Prolonged bed rest
The most common causes of chronic orthostatic hypotension include
Age-related changes in BP regulation
Autonomic dysfunction
Postprandial orthostatic hypotension is also common. It may be caused by the insulin response to high-carbohydrate meals and blood pooling in the gastrointestinal tract; this condition is worsened by alcohol intake.
Evaluation of Orthostatic Hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension is diagnosed when systolic BP drops by ≥ 20 mm Hg or diastolic BP drops by ≥ 10 mm Hg within 3 minutes of standing. Once orthostatic hypotension is diagnosed, a cause must be sought.
History of present illness should identify the duration and severity (eg, whether associated with syncope or falls) of symptoms. The patient is asked about known triggers (eg, drugs, bed rest, fluid loss) and the relationship of symptoms to meals.
Review of symptoms seeks symptoms of causative disorders, particularly symptoms of autonomic insufficiency such as visual impairment (due to mydriasis and loss of accommodation), incontinence or urinary retention, constipation, heat intolerance (due to impaired sweating), and erectile dysfunction. Other important symptoms include tremor, rigidity, and difficulty walking (Parkinson disease Parkinson Disease Parkinson disease is a slowly progressive, degenerative disorder characterized by resting tremor, stiffness (rigidity), slow and decreased movement (bradykinesia), and eventually gait and/or... read more , multiple system atrophy Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Multiple system atrophy is a relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative disorder causing pyramidal, cerebellar, and autonomic dysfunction. It includes 3 disorders previously thought to be distinct... read more ); weakness and fatigue (adrenal insufficiency Addison Disease Addison disease is an insidious, usually progressive hypofunctioning of the adrenal cortex. It causes various symptoms, including hypotension and hyperpigmentation, and can lead to adrenal crisis... read more , anemia); and black, tarry stool (gastrointestinal hemorrhage). Other symptoms of neurologic and cardiovascular disorders and cancer are noted.
Past medical history should identify known potential causes, including diabetes, Parkinson disease, and cancer (ie, causing a paraneoplastic syndrome). The drug profile should be reviewed for offending prescription drugs (see table Causes of Orthostatic Hypotension Causes of Orthostatic Hypotension ), particularly antihypertensives and nitrates. A family history of orthostatic symptoms suggests possible familial dysautonomia.
Physical examination
BP and heart rate are measured after 5 minutes supine and at 1 and 3 minutes after standing; patients unable to stand may be assessed while sitting upright. Hypotension without a compensatory increase in heart rate (< 10 beats/minute) suggests autonomic impairment. Marked increase (to > 100 beats/minute or by > 30 beats/minute) suggests hypovolemia or, if symptoms develop without hypotension, POTS.
The skin and mucosae are inspected for signs of dehydration and for pigment changes suggestive of Addison disease Addison Disease Addison disease is an insidious, usually progressive hypofunctioning of the adrenal cortex. It causes various symptoms, including hypotension and hyperpigmentation, and can lead to adrenal crisis... read more (eg, hyperpigmented areas, vitiligo).
The extent of physical examination is guided by clinical suspicion. A rectal examination is done to evaluate for gastrointestinal bleeding.
A detailed neurologic examination should include evaluation for peripheral neuropathy (eg, abnormalities of strength, sensation, and deep tendon reflexes).
Red flags
Certain findings suggest a more serious etiology:
Bloody or heme-positive stool
Abnormal neurologic examination
Interpretation of findings
In patients with acute symptoms, the most common causes—drugs, bed rest, and volume depletion—are often apparent clinically.
In patients with chronic symptoms, an important goal is to detect any neurologic disorder causing autonomic dysfunction. Patients with movement abnormalities may have Parkinson disease Parkinson Disease Parkinson disease is a slowly progressive, degenerative disorder characterized by resting tremor, stiffness (rigidity), slow and decreased movement (bradykinesia), and eventually gait and/or... read more or multiple system atrophy Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Multiple system atrophy is a relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative disorder causing pyramidal, cerebellar, and autonomic dysfunction. It includes 3 disorders previously thought to be distinct... read more . Patients with findings of peripheral neuropathy may have an apparent cause (eg, diabetes Diabetic Neuropathy In patients with diabetes mellitus, years of poorly controlled hyperglycemia lead to multiple, primarily vascular, complications that affect small vessels (microvascular), large vessels (macrovascular)... read more , alcohol use disorder), but a paraneoplastic syndrome Paraneoplastic Syndromes Paraneoplastic syndromes are symptoms that occur at sites distant from a tumor or its metastasis. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, these symptoms may be secondary to substances secreted... read more due to an occult cancer and amyloidosis Amyloidosis Amyloidosis is any of a group of disparate conditions characterized by extracellular deposition of insoluble fibrils composed of misaggregated proteins. These proteins may accumulate locally... read more must be considered. Patients who have only peripheral autonomic symptoms may have pure autonomic failure Pure Autonomic Failure Pure autonomic failure results from neuronal loss in autonomic ganglia, causing orthostatic hypotension and other autonomic symptoms. (See also Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System.) Pure... read more .
ECG, serum electrolytes, creatinine, and glucose are routinely checked. However, these and other tests are usually of little benefit unless suggested by specific symptoms.
The dose of a suspected drug may be reduced or the drug stopped to confirm the drug as the cause.
Tilt table testing Tilt Table Testing Tilt table testing is used to evaluate syncope in Younger, apparently healthy patients Elderly patients when cardiac and other tests have not provided a diagnosis Tilt table testing produces... read more may be done when autonomic dysfunction is suspected; it gives more consistent results than supine and upright BP assessment and eliminates augmentation of venous return by leg muscle contraction. The patient may remain upright for 30 to 45 minutes of BP assessment.
Patients with autonomic symptoms or signs require further evaluation for diabetes Diagnosis Diabetes mellitus is impaired insulin secretion and variable degrees of peripheral insulin resistance leading to hyperglycemia. Early symptoms are related to hyperglycemia and include polydipsia... read more , Parkinson disease Diagnosis Parkinson disease is a slowly progressive, degenerative disorder characterized by resting tremor, stiffness (rigidity), slow and decreased movement (bradykinesia), and eventually gait and/or... read more , and possibly multiple system atrophy Diagnosis Multiple system atrophy is a relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative disorder causing pyramidal, cerebellar, and autonomic dysfunction. It includes 3 disorders previously thought to be distinct... read more and pure autonomic failure Diagnosis Pure autonomic failure results from neuronal loss in autonomic ganglia, causing orthostatic hypotension and other autonomic symptoms. (See also Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System.) Pure... read more . Testing for pure autonomic failure may require plasma norepinephrine or vasopressin (ADH) measurements with the patient supine and upright.
Autonomic function can also be evaluated with bedside cardiac monitoring, although this test is not often done. When the autonomic system is intact, heart rate increases in response to inspiration. The heart is monitored as the patient breathes slowly and deeply (about a 5-second inspiration and a 7-second expiration) for 1 minute. The longest inter-beat (R-R) interval during expiration is normally at least 1.15 times the minimum R-R interval during inspiration; a shorter interval suggests autonomic dysfunction, but this response to inspiration may decrease with aging. A similar variation in R-R interval should exist between rest and a 10- to 15-second Valsalva maneuver.
Treatment of Orthostatic Hypotension
Nondrug treatment
Patients requiring prolonged bed rest should sit up each day and exercise in bed when possible. Patients should rise slowly from a recumbent or sitting position, consume adequate fluids, limit or avoid alcohol, and exercise regularly when feasible. Regular modest-intensity exercise promotes overall vascular tone and reduces venous pooling. Older patients should avoid prolonged standing. Sleeping with the head of the bed raised may relieve symptoms by promoting sodium retention and reducing nocturnal diuresis.
Postprandial hypotension can often be prevented by reducing the size and carbohydrate content of meals, minimizing alcohol intake, and avoiding sudden standing after meals.
Waist-high fitted elastic hose may increase venous return, cardiac output, and BP after standing. In severe cases, inflatable aviator-type antigravity suits, although often poorly tolerated, may be needed to produce adequate leg and abdominal counterpressure.
Increasing sodium and water intake may expand intravascular volume and lessen symptoms. In the absence of heart failure or hypertension, sodium intake can be increased to 6 to 10 g daily by liberally salting food or taking sodium chloride tablets. This approach risks heart failure, particularly in older patients and in patients with impaired myocardial function; development of dependent edema without heart failure does not contraindicate continuing this approach.
Drug treatment
Fludrocortisone, a mineralocorticoid, causes sodium retention, which expands plasma volume, and often lessens symptoms but is effective only when sodium intake is adequate. Dosage is 0.1 mg orally at bedtime, increased weekly to 1 mg or until peripheral edema occurs. This drug may also improve the peripheral vasoconstrictor response to sympathetic stimulation. Supine hypertension, heart failure, and hypokalemia may occur; potassium supplements may be needed.
Midodrine, a peripheral alpha-agonist that is both an arterial and a venous constrictor, is often effective. Dosage is 2.5 mg to 10 mg orally 3 times a day. Adverse effects include paresthesias and itching (probably secondary to piloerection). This drug is not recommended for patients with coronary artery or peripheral arterial disease.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, eg, indomethacin 25 to 50 mg orally 3 times a day) may inhibit prostaglandin-induced vasodilation, increasing peripheral vascular resistance. However, NSAIDs may cause gastrointestinal symptoms and unwanted vasopressor reactions (reported with concurrent use of indomethacin and sympathomimetic drugs).
Droxidopa, a norepinephrine precursor, may be beneficial for autonomic dysfunction.
Propranolol or other beta-blockers may enhance the beneficial effects of sodium and mineralocorticoid therapy. Beta-blockade with propranolol leads to unopposed alpha-adrenergic peripheral vascular vasoconstriction, preventing the vasodilation that occurs when some patients stand.
Pyridostigmine and octreotide have been effective in small clinical studies.
Geriatrics Essentials: Orthostatic Hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension occurs in about 20% of older adults it is more common among people with coexisting disorders, especially hypertension, and among residents of long-term care facilities. Many falls may result from unrecognized orthostatic hypotension.
The increased incidence in older adults is due to decreased baroreceptor responsiveness plus decreased arterial compliance. Decreased baroreceptor responsiveness delays cardioacceleration and peripheral vasoconstriction in response to standing. Paradoxically, hypertension may contribute to poor baroreceptor sensitivity, increasing vulnerability to orthostatic hypotension. Older adults also have decreased resting parasympathetic tone, so that cardioacceleration due to reflex vagal withdrawal is lessened.
Key Points
Orthostatic hypotension typically involves volume depletion or autonomic dysfunction.
Some degree of autonomic dysfunction is common in older adults, but neurologic disorders must be ruled out.
Tilt table testing is sometimes done.
Treatment involves physical measures to reduce venous pooling, increased sodium intake, and sometimes fludrocortisone or midodrine.
More Information
Freeman R, Abuzinadah AR, Gibbons C, et al: Orthostatic hypotension: JACC state-of-the-art review. J Am Coll Cardiol 72(11):1294–1309, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.05.079
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
Drug Name | Select Trade |
sodium chloride |
4-Way Saline, Adsorbonac, Altamist, Ayr Allergy & Sinus, Ayr Baby Saline, Ayr Saline Nasal, BD Posiflush Normal Saline, BD Posiflush Sterile Field Normal Saline, BD Posiflush SureScrub Normal Saline, Blairex Broncho Saline, Breathe Free Saline, Deep Sea , Entsol, HyperSal, Hyper-Sal, Hypertears, Little Remedies for Noses, Little Remedies Stuffy Nose, Monoject Sodium Chloride, Muro 128, NebuSal , Ocean, Ocean Complete, Ocean For Kids, Pediamist, PULMOSAL, Rhinaris, Rhinaris Lubricating, Saljet , Saljet Rinse, SaltAire, Sea Soft, Trichotine, Wound Wash, XYNASE, ZARBEE'S Soothing Saline Nasal Mist |
fludrocortisone |
Florinef |
midodrine |
Orvaten, ProAmatine |
indomethacin |
Indocin, Indocin SR, TIVORBEX |
droxidopa |
propranolol |
HEMANGEOL, Inderal, Inderal LA, Inderal XL, InnoPran XL |
pyridostigmine |
Mestinon, Mestinon Timespan, Regonol |
octreotide |
Bynfezia, Mycapssa, Sandostatin, Sandostatin LAR |


text:
If you're always looking for the latest window treatment furnishings and wall decor, there are plenty of trends to take advantage of as you create a fresh look in your living spaces. Each year, many new styles emerge and take the American interior design world by storm. Whether you give your rooms a different look every season or you do so infrequently, there are several trends worth noting this year as you begin your adventures in decorating. Here are some of the most popular thus far being seen in homes across the country.
Bold colors
Gone are the days where window shades, wallpaper and furniture were meant to be subtle in neutral hues. House Beautiful magazine states that bold colors are trending in American design, and this style is right up your alley if you want to add flair to your living spaces. Think fire engine red, cobalt blue and forest green to make an impact in your rooms. While it may take some getting used to, color can do wonders from a drab area of your home.
Stylized features
While clean, minimalist modern decor is still trendy, For Your Home claims that more designers are leaning toward stylized furnishings to create an intriguing interior. Furniture that has curves and fine detailing is becoming all the rage as homeowners try to avoid being too bland in their living spaces. If you've been keeping the antique cabinet from your great aunt in the basement, now is the time to bring it up and show off its beauty!
Specifically, the Pantone color institute has named emerald green is the hue of the year, according to the Huffington Post. Now, it's showing up in everything from wallpaper to arm chairs, and this color isn't going away any time soon. If you want to encompass all that is American design in your home in 2013, opt for emerald green when you select new furnishings for your living spaces. Even if you aren't a "green" person, you may come to love the soothing, eye-pleasing qualities of it over time.
Many people wish that they could have the picture perfect American home, but it can be a lot of work to get rooms to look flawless as they do in magazines. By taking upcoming trends into account, you can increase your chances of creating a beautiful look that pleases the eye.