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Shadow Man
Posted 06 May 2008 - 09:57 PM
Great pics! They come off very spooky!
Posted 06 May 2008 - 11:28 PM
This just proves what I'm saying.You intentionally created these pictures so they are fake and non-paranormal.On the other hand,RJuarez didn't manipulate his photos so they are true and they are a picture of a shadow man.My point all along.It's not the photo it's the photographer that's in question.
If you believe the photographer saying that he didn't manipulate the photo and that there was no-one standing there then you believe his photo.Plain and simple.
I believe RJuarez and so I believe his photo and all his comments that come along.If he is deliberately trying to fool us then,ok.It's his and everyones loss and should really get a life.As I said though,I believe him.
Thanks again RJuarez and thanks Snowlord for all your effort and replies!
Posted 07 May 2008 - 05:19 AM
Posted 07 May 2008 - 06:27 AM
This just proves what I'm saying.You intentionally created these pictures so they are fake and non-paranormal.On the other hand,RJuarez didn't manipulate his photos so they are true and they are a picture of a shadow man.My point all along.It's not the photo it's the photographer that's in question.
If you believe the photographer saying that he didn't manipulate the photo and that there was no-one standing there then you believe his photo.Plain and simple.
Not necessarily plain and simple. Although Snowlord demonstrated that he could create a shadow person, I believe his point is that many natural things, be it related to the camera or the environment can cause seemingly paranormal pictures.
That's why corroborating evidence helps to make the picture more believable. Example: Many times we have gotten what looked like orb movement on video. But dust in the air and insects can cause the same effect, so that is usually thrown out as evidence, or maybe looked at as interesting, but IMO not proof. But in several cases we have gotten the orbs to interact with us and do things we asked AND gotten EVP's responding to what we were saying at the same time.....so that lends credence to the possibility that these particular "orbs' may not have been dust or insects (unless insects can understand us and talk!) but perhaps related to paranormal activity.
Blind faith and acceptance of anything without questioning is not a good thing. That is akin to, for example, accepting everything the governent tells us as gospel without considering they could have ulterior motives or their own self-interest at heart, as opposed to telling the truth
Posted 07 May 2008 - 08:11 AM
Snowlord for discussion purposes I like the 5th, last one, of your images. It is dark and has the most likeness to my image. You have replicated the original pretty good, but since you are trying to replicate the image,I think the image should be duplicated as close as possible. What I am saying is this; my image is dark, lighten it, mess around with it, the dark shadow takes a human form. Yours is also dark, lighten it and it stays solid. Nothing materializes. Just a dark figure. I would say the reason is due to the fact yours is an obvious fake to prove a point. Mine on the other hand is a shadow which is why the "shadow" can be removed to reveal the solid human figure. Does it mean anything? I don't know, I'm not an expert just an interesting observation.
"I agree that an image can be convincing if all normal things have been ruled out, but they haven't been in this case. " You have to be willing to accept I was alone. If you accept this, then what else could have caused this image to materialize.
"Of course I am not an authority on what spirits look like ... are there actually any authorities, anywhere?" Of course you are not an authority but you make a statement about real human proportions, or facial details as if you know for a fact what a spirit would look like. That's what I meant, there are no authorities on this matter.
And no offense taken snowlord, I am enjoying this discussion.
Posted 07 May 2008 - 08:28 AM
Posted 07 May 2008 - 10:26 AM
Posted 07 May 2008 - 01:27 PM
Posted 07 May 2008 - 02:00 PM
Thanks to SilentWalker for the great sig
Posted 07 May 2008 - 04:58 PM
Dem0000 ... Sorry you are only getting the fakes, but I am saving my "real" shadow person photo's for future use.
RJuarez ... How one of these pictures looks when lightened all depends on the type, and amount, of lighting and movement in them. Some of the pictures I discarded were obviously a person, "me", when I lightened them as a test, so I thought they would be unsuitable for this experiment. I think the picture you chose to brighten up gives us a good example as to how unreliable the information contained in these "low light" pictures can be. The picture of mine that you lightened up and chose for your example is just me, nothing else. Nothing else was used in that picture, no photoshop, no dummies, no other objects. Its just me moving slightly in a slow exposure that was set up to be similar to the exposure in the picture you posted. Except for the head and shoulder shape at the top there is absolutely no information in that picture that points to it being a real human being, dressed in normal clothes. To my mind this points to the unreliability of these types of pictures.
I think that as far as a lack of shadow being cast goes, the lamp is actually more in line with this figure than it appears in the picture, and so the shadow could be out of frame to the left of picture. At least it looks like that could be possible to me.
Posted 12 May 2008 - 02:59 AM
You should be able to see some of the shadow on the small table tho. And you can! If the shadow we see on the table is from the shadow person, it should also cast a shadow on the curtains. If the shadow was cast right behind it(wich is very unlikely in any case) it would show in the mirror.
Great cap! thanks a lot for putting it up!!
Personally i have only ever seen one ghost picture I believe to be real. The only reason I believe so is that I would trust the person who took it with my life.
Posted 12 May 2008 - 06:28 PM
If you are to believe it was a human in the picture with motion blur then you have to believe there should have been a shadow cast on the drapes and should have been in the mirror's reflection. The other point I would make is the position of the figure. It's not in a "walk way" and would be impossible for someone to be standing where the figure is positoned. Also take into consideration the figures legs don't extend to the floor. I know you are very skeptical but I was alone at the time. If that is a fact (which it is) what else could make such a shadow?
Posted 15 May 2008 - 10:07 AM
Sorry for the wait to reply, but I was out at the cottage for a couple days. While I was out there I took a few more pictures that might help explain my point of view. I tried to make a set up that was as close as possible to the original picture, and tried to use the same lighting and such. I actually had to put a tea towel over the lamp to get it nearly as dark as the original picture. My light bulb was too bright.
As for the shadow and reflection question, I found out that no, a real person would not cast a shadow or reflect in the mirror. In this picture I am standing at the best possible approximation of the spot this shadow being was in, and as you can see I am not reflecting in the mirror beside the lamp, even though the wall directly behind me is. And my shadow is out of frame to the left, not on the wall behind me or even near me. A person could easily be in this position if they were up on their knees like I was, or even just moving their lower legs enough not to register in the low light exposure. So it is possible for a real, physical person to have made this shadow.
Ok ... the point of this is not to say it "was" a real person there, but just to show that it "could" have been. This eliminates the claims made that a person couldn't be there because of those reasons.
Now, on to the other possibilities.
If there was no other person in the room ( which, by the way, there wasn't in any of the pictures I took either ) then you must accept the "possibility", just the possibility, that something simply got in the way of the camera lens. This could be something small, and so close to the camera that it just wasn't noticed. And don't bother asking me what it was, or what it could have been, because that is a pointless question since I would not have any way of knowing that.
Here is a picture of a small, less than an inch, piece of dark cloth "accidentally" getting in the way of my lens, at a distance of about one inch or so. It appears very similar to the dark thing in the original picture. Things like this can appear to be behind background objects and have these background objects seeming to extend in front of them due to the way the camera records light around the blurry edges during a longer exposure. More movement in the object would have resulted in more of the background showing through and would have made pareidolia possible from background details.
Feel free to adjust it as much as you want. I have included a brighter version of it also.
While I was taking these pictures another type of anomaly showed up ... the wonderful "motion blur". I thought it looked spooky enough to include it here. Again this was less than two inches in front of the lens.
(Please remember that all these pictures are as they came from the camera ... no photoshop or other additions have been made. Of course one of them was brightened up for clearer examination. )
As always, I am not trying to prove the original picture is a fake. I am trying to prove that it does not have to be paranormal, as has been claimed. If anyone wants to believe that this picture was of paranormal origin then that is their right, and no one can prove them wrong. I do believe that I have convincingly shown that normal, mundane possibilities exist, and therefore a claim of "definitely paranormal" is not supportable.
Posted 15 May 2008 - 10:19 AM
I think there is a saying "If you're going to talk the talk... you better be able to walk the walk" - or something to that effect
These pictures that you've posted are definitely examples of "walking the walk"
Thanks for sharing these with the forum.
As you stated these definitely give credence to the fact that something does not "definitely" have to be paranormal.
I always go back to our pictures although fun to share with the forum are only "evidence" in our own eyes and can never be used to "prove" anything to anyone but ourselves.
Posted 15 May 2008 - 10:35 AM
It's awesome. I am LOVING it.
You know the best part is seeing people who I haven't seen chime in in a long while putting in their 2 cents.
Everyone seems to agree that the shadow(spirit?) stops in front of the chair.
Does no one else see legs in front of the chair?
I wonder if my eyes are playing tricks, so please take a look and let me know what you think, in the lightened images. If I knew how to circle I would...
For example, reverse the image below and make it a lady with a skirt on. That is what I am seeing...(just trying to explain somehow)
Guy Standing Sideways
Posted 15 May 2008 - 11:04 AM
Posted 15 May 2008 - 11:15 AM
btw, I also noticed the legs stop, yet the chair keeps going to the floor, so it looks as though the bottom half of its legs are transparent or it's just hovering. Just my two bits.
Edited by Joe Joe, 15 May 2008 - 11:18 AM.
Posted 15 May 2008 - 01:38 PM
To the OP and everyone else that posts pics here----thanks to ya'll as well for sharing them with us.
Posted 15 May 2008 - 02:00 PM
Posted 15 May 2008 - 02:29 PM
Snowlord, in your picture, if the mirror would have captured up to the blue line, you may have cast a reflection. I did another picture for reference as to what I am saying. In mine it seems like there should have been something captured in the mirror going to the blue line. Maybe I'm wrong. Just seems that something even just a hint of the figure should be there.
This image shows what I am saying about it being next to impossible for a human being to be in the figures position.
Another pic for reference. The red line again shows where you would sit. Also consider it's wicker, no cushions and will not give.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Taare Zameen Par on Time Warner Cable
So I wanted to make going through the Taare Zameen Par DVD set an 'event', and that's what I did this past weekend. It's everything it promised to be, and a whole lot more! Hope to have notes on it this weekend.
In the mean time, here's something interesting: Did you know Lalitha Lajmi, Guru Dutt's sister, made her acting debut in it? In the director's commentary, Aamir has notes on his interactions with her. Combine this with notes in the second paragraph of my review of Pyaasa (1957), and the significance of the value of those interactions is evident. Here she is (middle):
Lalitha-ji's daughter Kalpana Lajmi is a film director. Here are some she has worked with: Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Tabu, Kirron Kher, Raveen Tandon, and Sushmita Sen. I just happen to like these actors and some of their works a lot (are you kidding, Tabu and Raveena!), so I'll aim to check them out. If you have any recommendations (a listing of her works is available at this IMDB page), please let me know!
2 comments:
- Pitu said...
Among Kalpana Lajmi's films I have seen Rudaali, Darmiyaan and Daman. Rudaali is phenomenal- Dimple is very good and the songs are also great.The story talked about professional mourners whom I hadn't even heard of before I saw the movie. 'Dil hoon hoon kare' and 'Samay o dheere chalo' are beautiful songs. And it has one of my most favorite songs of all time- Jhoothi Moothi Mitwa. Since you appreciate poetry, you'll love this song- it depicts Radha calling Krishna a liar because he said it will rain-
Jhoothi moothi mitwa awan bole
Bhado bole, sakhi, sawan bole :-)
Rog ye kaisa laga mohe
Aarse (mirror) uthaoo dekhu tohe
Man darpan ??? na pade
Bawali bole mohe pagli kahe
Kaari tori ankhiyan yaad karu
Aarse mein bar bar kajal haru (:-)
Man darpan tohe pihu bole
Jhoothi moothi mitwa awan bole
Bhado bole, sakhi, sawan bole
Darmiyaan was incredible but also very depressing. Ashutosh Rana did a magnificent job as a hermaphrodite child whose mother is torn between love and loathing for him. 'Duniya parayee log yaha begane' is a song that will break your heart- kya lyrics hain yaar!
Daman is the least effective movie but Raveena has done a decent job. The movie wasn't very cohesive. But it takes a look at a difficult subject- marital rape and torture. The very gently depicted Raveena-Sanjay Suri (who plays her devar) track is sweet. Music is below avg. Watch out for Raima Sen playing Rav's daughter!
- Tuesday, September 09, 2008
- theBollywoodFan said...
Salaam Pitu, and thank you! Jhoothi Moothi Mitwa sounds fantastic yaar! Thanks also for the alert on Darmiyaan. So Rudaali for sure, and maybe Daman in my bias for Raveena (and Raima!) :)
Look forward to checking them out! Shall keep you posted.
- Wednesday, September 10, 2008


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Great debate
For what it's worth, I'm thrilled we've got such fervent fans out there. Whether you think this was a good trade or not, I'm happy to see so many people voicing their opinions on this blog.
We'll know more in a few months whether this trade worked out or not and rest assured, Ned Colletti knows that this isn't the only move that has to be made to improve the club. Right now, it's a move that he believes really helps us and I personally agree. I've put my faith in him and our talented scouting staff that really sees something in Hendrickson and Hall.
Now let's hope we can knock off a pair of Cy Young Award winners in the next couple games…
15 Comments
Josh – Thanks for the great blog! I too think its great that we can passionately debate here and share different opinions and viewpoints.
One things for sure, something had (and still has..i believe) to be done with this team. The Dodgers are solid this year, the organization has done well to mix talented youngsters with experienced and proven veterans and all-stars…but there were/are a few missing pieces. Gotta give Ned credit for being aggressive – at the very least.
Hopefully the missing pieces can be filled within the organization…maybe one of these guys can step up his game. It would be great for Odalis, Hendrickson or Billingsly to get hot and get some life back in the staff!
HERE HERE Charlie and I finally agree !! I'm enjoying the debate and the team as well.
GO Dodgers !!
I don't have a side to agrue as of yet. I still say don't trade the future, navarro was blocked by martin, so he is one that could be traded, and not hurting the future. Hendrickson is a left hander, setting up a replacement for perez? seo was a bust for L.A.
hopefully it will be a good trade. trades are hard to judge on day one,ned has not been lucky or good on trades so far, so I am hoping this one starts a winning streak.
for ned, and the dodgers, maybe it will light a fire under perez. the n.l. west is winnable, but we don't stack up to the very good teams yet, with our farm club, we could be their next year, winning the divison is
something we can do, then build on this.
Charlie – what aggressiveness? Navarro was going to be traded sometime; he's supposedly a starting quality catcher, and Martin's the starter here. Seo just wasn't working out here, which is unfortunate (he was amazing in the WBC). We get an innings-eating lefty and a more dependable starting catcher. What was aggressive was Shawn Green (and like $10 million) for Dioner Navarro or the LoDuca & Mota for Penny & Choi trade.
I'd say aggressive involves trading core players for core players.
Here's a reckless idea. This guy's a former gold glover at shortstop, he's an AL batting champion, 2 time MVP, and 9-time (soon to be 10-time) all-star. They boo him at home, though in Yankee Stadium. A-Rod. Do they want prospects, cause we've got prospects. The Texas Rangers are already paying $10 million a year of his salary. Besides, why not? We've got Nomar for the clutch already anyway. They say when it doesn't count, count on A-Rod. But even that counts, because those are runs that our bullpen can then afford to lose. Aybar, Guzman, and someone else. Or is that just the stupidest thing you've ever heard?
Definitely the stupidest thing I've ever heard. No offense of course patriotact!
It was a thought. I like Izzy at the hot corner actually. That's also the second time he's made an error this year, and Furcal made an error on the same night that time too. Is that leadership?
I like how Hendrickson before was teammates with Shawn Kemp, and will now be teammates with Matt Kemp.
Let's see…the Baez trade-bad, Seo trade (from Mets)-bad, Ethier trade-good. I can understand trading Seo and even Navarro, but for Hendrickson and Hall. Surely we could have done a little better then that for Navarro, & then we threw in the player to be named later. We gave up to much. I guess I should be thankful he hasen't traded away any top prospects, Yet!
Don't you guys see whats happening???
Ned is turning this team into the Los Angeles Giants.
A couple young guys and a bunch of over the hill veterans.
Slowly, but surely it is happening.
I say stop trading the young guys NED. THEY are cheap, they play well, and are only going to get better.
At this point we have enough veterans and 30 somethings on the team. Please stop.
A couple more trades like this and we WILL be the Los Angeles Giants….yuck
This trade isnt bad. It isn't necessarily the greatest trade I've ever seen, but its not bad. The one thing that I hope to see is that the Dodgers don't send Billingsley back down. Let him get the experience. Bonderman suffered his first year in Detroit, but he's amazing now. Billingsley could probably go .500 and it wont hurt the Dodgers chances at all. He just needs time to get adjusted. Please don't send him down. Please don't send him down.
Hey "thesaint9998", I'd like to see what would happen if you guys were in Ned's shoes for a season. Ned's a Dodger now, not a Giant so give it a rest !!
Go Ned !!
Patriot – Agressiveness in the sense that he's going out there and making moves trying to make the team better. And by core players you dont consider 2 starting pitchers core players? What are they then? And who cares about core players or not, trades to pick up quality prospects (like Minny did with Lirano in their AJ trade with the Giants) are good aggressive trades as well. And your AROD idea is comical. HEY LETS GO GET A 4th SHORTSTOP!!!! Exactly what we need, just about as much as we need A. Soriano. We are among the NL leaders in the offensive categories but average to horrible in the pitching stats. Not only do we not need guys like ARod and Soriano because we are a pretty good offenisve team, we DO NOT need to mortgage the farm to get players with huge contracts who will be free agents (Soriano, I believe) after the season. I can understand giving up a couple top prospects for a guy like Willis (young, elite pitcher) if he's availible – and better yet willing to agree to a long term deal.
You also call Hendrickson an "innings eating" pitcher. I think this is about as pointless a stat out there that baseball experts throw out. Its like a backhanded compliment…"oh the guy's ok, but he's an innings eater so lets get him!" Jeff Weaver was considered an innings eater as well, and im pretty happy he's not eating up innigns for us! If the guy has a 2 ERA and is an innings eater thats great..but if he's in the 5's do you really want him eating up your innnings?
thesaint – I dont necessaraly agree with you…Coletti went out in the offseason and signed a couple old guys (Meuller, Lofton) to 1 year deals to fill some holes for the young guys. We didn't expect guys like Kemp and Aybar to be ready this year. I think his strategy was good, as long as he doesn't ship off many more prospects. Navarro im fine with, and if we can get a great young pitcher i'd be fine to part with a couple prospects as well. I dont like the Jackson/Tiffany for Baez/Carter deal one bit, hope something like that doesn't happen again
One last comment on Navarro. I agree with most of you in the fact that we SHOULD have traded him. I just think we could have done alot better than this deal…
And sis-boom-ba gary back with another cheer!
great discussion about the trade everyone. As to lets get a 4th shortstop by charliegrimes, we have 4 Izturis, Furcal, Garciaparra and Martinez. they all played together the other day and I thought maybe each inning they should have rotated.
do whatever it takes to get d-train. maybe
guzman, aybar and greg miller and houlton. (they might want more though)
willis is 24, a cy-young candidate every year, a leftie, is signed through 2008 and has a world series ring – and the d-backs are making a major play for him as well!
he would suddenly change the whole face of the rotation moving lowe and penny down a slot, and energize the team and the fans. who knows what having a real ace on the staff would do…lets try it!
Re: a D-train acquisition: If you can get him without trading away the store, go for it but I can't imagine they'd let him go for anything less than our top 3 prospects (you can bet that either Martin,Kemp, or both would be in their asking price) And,if he's signed through 2008, the Marlins can afford to hold out for the best possible deal. In my opinion, not likely to happen. I have no real problem with the Hendrickson deal. As shaky as our no.4 and 5 starters have been lately along with the questionable health of Tomko, we can use all the help we can get. Granted, Hendrickson isn't Cy Young caliber but,considering what we gave up, it's probably market value. Hopefully, he'll make us forget Seo. My only problem with the deal is: what do we need with another catcher? As it is, Alomar gets no playing time. Maybe we can package Hall in another deal. Or maybe we're accumulating catchers like shortstops? Re: Billingsley; If Perez and (or) Seo had done the job, he'd still be at Las Vegas. I'm not convinced he's ready. He can't throw strikes and, when he does, he gets too much of the plate.(hence all the foul balls) Because of our starting pitcher situation, it may be necessary for him to get his experience here rather than in Vegas.


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Ford Only Track Day
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Wednesday 20 Nov 2019
This Ford only trackday follows the traditional General Track Day Open Pitlane Format. The only difference with an Early Bird Saver is the price starts lower than normal and increases gradually as more drivers book on.
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This is annual Ford trackday and very popular for spectators - which are welcome and free of charge.
This General Car Track day has an Open Pit Lane format enabling you to go out on the circuit as you choose. Your day will begin with registration, followed by your car being noise tested. Please pay special attention to the noise limit listed.
Brands Hatch Circuit is a real favourite amongst track day drivers. This Indy circuit is surprisingly difficult to perfect with double apexes at both Druids and Clearways. The swoops and dips add to excitement culminating in Paddock Hill Bend often described as being like dropping off the edge of the world! It should be on the list of must-dos for every track day driver in the country!
Click the + symbol next to the 'book' button for the event schedule
Please call 0843 453 3000* if you require further clarification.


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First, I must mention that I was so happy to learn that my Hepworth family did attend John and Frances A.'s 50th Wedding Anniversary. More information was sent to me by a descendant of the John Hepworth family that included a guest list
"Auntie Mary Ann Hepworth (grandmother's sister, her children and their wives)
Jim and Sadie Hepworth
Sara and Peter Olsen,
Sam and Mary Hepworth."
Just one month and twenty one days after the wonderful celebration with family and friends Frances Amelia Fletcher Hepworth died.I'm always interested in the difference of reporting in the local town newspapers on events that happens in their city. So, I am posting information I found in both the Salt Lake Tribune and the
Salt Lake Herold
On 22 March 1900 in the
Salt Lake Tribune
"Mrs. Frances A. Hepworth, wife of John Hepworth, died last evening of pneumonia at the family residence, 571 South Main street. She had been ill but a week and her death came quite suddenly, being a sad shock to her family. She was 72 yeas of age and leaves a large family of children and grandchildren.
Only a few weeks ago did she and her husband celebrated their golden wedding, being surrounded at the time by all their family, and the event was a memorable one, none being more cheery and attentive to the guests than Mrs. Hepworth, and as she was in such perfect health it was far from the thoughts of all the decorations of gold would so soon be changed to black in memory of one of those in whose honor the guest had assembled.
Mrs. Hepworth was a bright and charming women typical of the Western pioneer, whose life, although having its share of hard work yet contained many days of sunshine which were used to gladden the lives of others.
Salt Lake Herold
22 March 1900 Thursday
Mrs. Frances Hepworth Dead
Only Few Weeks Ago Celebrated
With Her Husband Their Golden
"Mrs. Frances A. Hepworth, wife of John Hepworth, died of pneumonia, at her home in this city. 571 South Main street, at 8:30 last evening, at the age of 73 years. This estimable old lady had been ailing slightly for a few days but noghing serious was anticipated until within and hour of her death.
At her bedside when the end came were her husband and four daughters--Mrs. James Moore, Mrs. I. M. Higley, Mrs. R. Morench and Miss Sarah Hepworth. The funeral arrangementw will not be made until another daughter, Mrs. Woliam Wright of San Francisco, and a son, John Hepworth, jr., of Mammoth, are communicated with.
Mrs. Hepworth was widely known in this community, She came here from England with her husband among the early settlers. It is only a few weeks since Mr. and Mrs. Hepworth celebrated the golden anniversary of their wedding; it seemed then that the good wife was yet to see many years of usefulness, and his makes the blow of her bereaved husband and family."
Rose, a beloved grand-daughter of John Hepworth wrote this in her journal. "Poor dear Grandfather was simply lost with out his companion of 50 years. He spent most of his time in his big chair with his handkerchief over his face so that on one could see the tears that he shed so silently. Each day he became more or less an invalid. Before[death] we bought a horse and buggy of our own, we hired one each day and I would take him for long rides. He wanted me with him as much as possible and I certainly loved being with him."
|Funeral of Frances A. Hepworth
Next: Back to the Thomas Hepworth Family


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Ebby App Ideal for Buyers on the Go
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Dallas-based Ebby HallidayRealtorsranks 12th in the nation in sales volume, according to REAL Trends, Inc. For more information, visit the website voted one of the industry's best by the Web Marketing Association, the mobile-friendly ebby.com.


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Local tap water bubbles up in restaurants
At a small but growing number of sustainably inclined Bay Area restaurants, bottled water has become as much of an outcast as farmed salmon and out-of-season tomatoes. Instead of bottled water, diners now are served free carafes of -- gasp! -- tap water. It's filtered and comes still or sparkling, fizzed up by a soda-fountain-style carbonating machine.
Incanto, in San Francisco's Noe Valley, and Poggio, in Sausalito, pioneered the trend four years ago. But for several years, no other restaurants wanted to give up popular -- and profitable -- bottled water.
Then Nopa, the San Francisco North of Panhandle hot spot, took the plunge when it opened last summer. And so did Ici, the Berkeley ice cream boutique.
And now, Chez Panisse, the godmother of the sustainability movement, is jumping on board, serving East Bay MUD's finest, filtered and bubbly in carafes approved by Alice Waters herself.
"Our whole goal of sustainability means using as little energy as we have to. Shipping bottles of water from Italy doesn't make sense," says Mike Kossa-Rienzi, general manager of Chez Panisse. Management hopes to complete the switch from Santa Lucia acqua con gaz to house-made sparkling water this week at both the restaurant and upstairs cafe. Chez Panisse stopped offering bottled still water last summer.
At Nopa, "Our goal is to be local," says co-owner Jeff Hanak. "We can't do it with a lot of things, like Scotch, but we try to do it with the things we can."
Water is fundamental, and it used to be that the questions about it, at least in restaurants, were as simple as "still or sparkling?"
Among the new questions about bottled water: Is it spring water or filtered tap water? Does it come in plastic or glass? How much energy is spent to bottle and ship it, often thousands of miles from Italy or France? And are municipal water supplies at risk from corporations thirsty for bigger shares of the lucrative bottled water business?
Bottled water habits
When it comes to water, Americans chose bottled stuff to the tune of 26 gallons per person last year, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation. That's $11 billion worth.
Restaurants are a small, but influential, part of that.
Their move away from bottled water reflects concerns not about the bottom line, but about the environmental costs of bottling and transporting water, the energy spent recycling the glass, and keeping plastic out of landfills.
At Chez Panisse, which typically goes through 24,000 bottles of Santa Lucia a year, the only hard part of the switch has been logistical -- carving out space for a carbonator in what's essentially an old house crammed to the gills with two busy restaurants, Kossa-Rienzi says.
First, local sparkling waters like Calistoga were considered an option. But they proved too heavily carbonated for the Panisse palate.
The solution turned out to be simple: a $400 carbonator the size of a big toaster, which Kossa-Rienzi found online. It's basically a tank of carbon dioxide and a water line connection. The carbon dioxide is injected into the water, creating fizzy bubbles.
Chez Panisse's was delivered last week, and installation involved little more than hooking into the reverse-osmosis charcoal filtering system already in use, and running a plastic line from the carbonator to a tap at the bar.
Selecting just the right decanter was almost more complicated. But Chez Panisse hoped to be in the sparkling water business in time for World Water Day -- tomorrow.
It will be interesting to see if the trend takes off nationally. Bottled water is a big money-maker for restaurants, which can buy it for $1 or $2 a pop, and sell it for $7 or $9.
The profitability of bottled water overall -- not just in restaurants -- has created another issue that plays into decisions about what kind of water to drink.
Municipal supplies at risk?
That's the potential risk to municipal water supplies, according to the authors of a new book "Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water," (286 pages, John Wiley & Sons, $27.95). Much of it is public water, and it's being filtered, bottled and sent to other regions and countries.
The book, by Alan Snitow, Deborah Kaufman and Michael Fox (reviewed in last Sunday's Chronicle Book Review), follows a 2004 public television documentary also called "Thirst." It reveals the extent to which public water supplies are being privatized by corporations that sell bottled water, and recounts fights by communities, including Stockton, to keep their water in public hands.
Both Chez Panisse's Waters and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager Susan Leal will speak at a private Ferry Building event launching the book tomorrow.
Leal is campaigning to wean San Francisco's city offices off bottled water, and has mostly succeeded in her own offices, which manages public water for 2.4 million people in the Bay Area.
Chemical concerns
Not all decisions about bottled versus tap come down to food miles and bottle-clogged landfills. Other issues include how it tastes, chlorination and, for the immune-impaired, some microbes. There are concerns about industrial chemicals that can infiltrate water supplies and worries about chemicals that leach from plastic water bottles. But those questions cut both ways, since most bottled water starts as tap water.
For those who, like the restaurants, choose to stick with tap water, home filters have become a popular choice. And people eager to make their own sparkling water can find what they need with a simple Google search.
The restaurants that have banished bottles find that most of their customers are happy about it, once they find out the reason.
At Chez Panisse, it's possible that a few customers may be miffed -- free bottles of sparkling Santa Lucia water were a common perk handed out to regulars.
But Kossa-Rienzi doubts it will be much of an issue.
"I think most people in the area where we live are going to be very open to it," Kossa-Rienzi says.


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Mission And Values
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- To achieve success in all our works, we strictly follow integrity to direct all our core values together.


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Step. Pose. Repeat. It's awards season, and we're ready to kick off the glamour parade with a little help from Us Weekly. This month's box is packed with products handpicked by the magazine's savvy editors, drawing inspiration from the year's best red-carpet beauty looks. Instagram or tweet a pic of your Us Weekly Birchbox tagging #Birchbox and #PartyInABox for a chance to win a party in a box—including everything you need to host a blowout awards-show viewing party for you and 10 friends! For complete rules, go to Birchbox.com/rules.
There are no products matching the selection.


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When it comes to preparing exterior wood surfaces for painting or other finishing, the proper regimen can mean the difference between a job that's smooth, long-lasting, and professional-looking versus one that quickly shows wear and tear. The pros know that prep determines the topcoat performance, but some homeowners skip or skimp on prep because it can be tedious and time-consuming. BEHR is changing all that.
Premium Wood Prep Products from BEHR are specially reformulated so that homeowners can properly prepare woodwork quickly and efficiently. They're easy to use, biodegradable and clean off easily with just water. By improving product speed and effectiveness and reducing the number of steps and products needed for prep, BEHR helps you get the perfect foundation for better adhesion and complete compatibility with all BEHR Exterior Stains and Waterproofers. Try the following BEHR products for beautiful results:
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This was published on undertow's facebook
UIview is the most popular and widely-used program, world-wide, for amateur radio APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) operation. Despite the sudden death of it's author (Roger Barker, G4IDE) nearly a decade ago, a dedicated group of volunteers has kept Uiview alive and thriving.
For users in North America, the release of Precision Mapping 9.0 has given UIview yet another lease on life. Precision Mapping 9.0 continues to provide the programming interface necessary for UIview to access Precision Mapping data via the newly-updated Precision Mapping Server 9.0 plug-in for Uiview.
This continues the tradition of UIview support by Precision Mapping established nearly two decades ago, beginning with Precision Mapping 5.0. Despite the age of UIview, Precision Mapping 9.0 now gives APRS users the most current mapping data for North America available without an Internet connection. UIview users also now have access to the range of near-professional-level GIS features new in Precision Mapping 9.0. These include the ability to overlay mapping data in the ESRI ArcView .SHP and MapInfo .MIF formats, nearly universally used by all levels of government, onto UIview maps.
Better yet, the latest update (service pack) for Precision Mapping 9.0 now makes exporting high-quality calibrated static (fixed) map images, in .GIF, .PNG or .BMP format, widely used by other APRS mapping programs, trivially simple. The full details on UIview, and setting up Precision Mapping 9.0 to work with it, are here:
by S.H. Smith


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Author: Northumbrian
Story: The Mind of Arthur Weasley
Part: The Mind of Arthur Weasley
Rating: Young Teens
Setting: Post-DH
Status: Completed
Reviews: 6
Words: 3,959
Updated: April 13, 2013, 7:42am
The Mind of Arthur Weasley
Molly is busy at the stove.
Those biscuits must be almost ready; the aroma fills the kitchen, making my mouth water. Molly's ginger biscuits, my favourite, hot from the oven. It is obvious that Ron can smell the biscuits, too. He, of course, will scoff the lot if he gets the chance.
The kettle is beginning to sing. Does Molly need my help to make tea? No, I'm better off here, watching my two youngest children and their (what did Hermione call them at Christmas?) "significant others". The expressions these Muggles come up with. Merlin's beard!
I look along the kitchen table. The kids are sitting together. They arrived together and when Molly queried it they told us that the girls collected the boys from Grimmauld Place; a likely story. These days I can't be certain whether their proximity to each other means anything. They almost always sit together. When the girls finally finish school in the summer they will be inseparable. I look at them carefully, watch them surreptitiously. I put on my vacant, staring into space face. It's a look which has served me well over the years.
Just ignore Arthur, this face says, his mind is on other things. The only person who never fell for it was Albus. He called it "a rare talent," said that I was gifted "to be able to be seen, but still go unnoticed." He told me that it was better than an Invisibility Spell. I think he was being overly complimentary. After all, he tried to see the best in everyone, even Tom Riddle. But it's a talent that has served me, and the Order, well. It's amazing what you see and hear when people don't think you're watching or listening.
They're sitting very close, even closer than usual. They're sitting in the "defensive" line, too. Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron; my two youngest children sit on the outside, ready to protect Harry and Hermione from the wrath of Molly. This, of course, means that there's something for Molly to be wrathful about. But those two don't need protection. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, they are heroes, legends, and so is our little Ronniekins. Ginny, and the rest of my family are famous, too. Not "Harry Potter" famous, of course, but certainly well known.
If, ten years ago, someone had told me that all but one of my children would be awarded the Order of Merlin (Second Class) and that the other one would be awarded the Order of Merlin (First Class), I would not have believed them. If I'd been asked which of them would get the First Class medal, Ron would not have been my first guess, or my second, or third. He'd have beaten the twins and … and he'd have beaten the twins.
I smile to myself at that thought and they notice; that's a mistake. Hermione had just whispered the word "holiday" when I smiled. They're worried in case I have been listening. I have.
I heard everything that they said. From Ginny telling Ron to remember what she'd told him, to Harry's worried whisper of "Ginny" and his nod in my direction when he noticed me smiling. If anyone catches me, it will be Harry. He's a sharp one. I keep my expression vacant. If they think that I'm listening and watching they will shut up. They lower their voices. Now I hear only the occasional word. Don't they realise that by talking so quietly they are making Molly suspicious?
Harry and Hermione are touching. They are literally shoulder to shoulder. That's unusual. It is a sign of them seeking strength in numbers; they are definitely up to something.
Now Hermione is lecturing again, whispering about "the plan." What are they planning? I can't hear more without moving. Instead, I watch.
That look of Ron's when he watches Hermione, how could I describe it? Exasperated admiration, that's what it is. Harry and Ginny are hand in hand. These days, whenever they are together they are touching. There's nothing inappropriate in front of the parents of course, but flesh constantly seeks flesh. Hand in hand, arm in arm, head on shoulder, they lean on each other. They can't bear to be separated. Like Molly and me. Molly's last year at school lasted such a long time. There were never enough Hogsmeade visits.
Ginny has the trick, too, though she doesn't realise it. She does it to Harry all of the time, but to no one else. She watches him, without letting him know that she's doing it. She reads his moods well. That's good, because he certainly is a moody one. But then, the poor lad has always had such a lot to be moody about.
Perhaps Albus was right and mine is a rare and useful talent, watching without looking. Use it well, Ginny.
Ron will never be able to do it. Silence does not come naturally to him, he has too much of his mother's passion. He doesn't know the tricks. He doesn't realise that it's possible to pick up a lot by looking and listening but not speaking, especially if you can fool everyone into thinking that your mind is elsewhere. You don't even need to look at faces.
Harry and Ginny have their forearms on the table. His right hand holds her left, fingers intertwined. They can signal each other with a squeeze or a stroke, I've watched them do it. The gentle pressure of a thumb on a hand, that is all that it takes for those two to communicate. They don't even need to exchange glances, they can shut each other up or pass on encouragement and they don't think anyone knows that they're doing it. Sorry to disappoint you, my little Ginny, but your Dad does. I know, because I watch. I know, too, that Ron and Hermione are much more violent than you two.
I need to move my chair.
They're looking at me, because of the noise. I pay them no attention and they return to their whispered conversation. Now I can see Ron's and Hermione's legs. Now I can see everything I need to.
Over the years I've seen some vicious kicks under this table. Sometimes it's been Hermione shutting Ron up, sometimes the opposite. Harry used to do it, too, but no longer. Because what at age thirteen was three friends is now a couple plus one, and he's the plus one. It's a good thing he has found Ginny (or did she find him—perhaps, like Molly and me, they found each other).
Recently, Ron and Hermione have reduced the violence. Now it is usually gentle pressure, a heel on top of a toe. They have started encouraging each other with legs and feet, too. I watch as the top of Hermione's foot slides encouragingly up the back of Ron's calf.
All of my kids still think that Dad doesn't know what's going on. Well, perhaps not all of them. Now that he's married Bill suspects, but he's not certain yet. He won't be sure until he has children of his own. Between us, Molly and I know pretty much everything. Whatever Molly finds out, I'll know soon enough. I wonder what we will be telling each other in bed tonight.
Parenting is teamwork. Often the threat of telling Dad, or telling Mum, is enough. We tell each other anyway, but the kids don't know that. We decide who deals with things, and who is "ignorant" and can be used as a threat. But really, kids, both Mum and Dad know everything. Well, almost everything.
We know that Bill and Fleur are trying for a baby. Molly is certain that for a short while, two months ago, Fleur had been convinced that she was pregnant. She wasn't, but within a year or two I'll be a grandfather.
We know that Charlie is so wrapped up in his dragons that he'd forget both family and friends if we didn't drag him home occasionally.
We know that Percy has a girlfriend, Audrey Midgen, but that he's frightened of bringing her home after the debacle with Penelope. He's also worried, with good reason, about the teasing they will both get from his brothers. She's a quiet girl, sensible, but there is strength in her, too. I'm not certain that Percy realises how intractable she can be. We should invite Percy over one evening when Molly and I will be the only ones here.
We know that George relies on Ron to help him with the business. Ron is cleverer and more useful than he realises. The fact that his girlfriend is a genius and his best friend is, well, Harry Potter, makes him think that he's not much good at anything.
We know that George is wasting his time in shallow, short-term affairs, because his one long term relationship was with his twin. Poor George, he won't commit because he doesn't want to be hurt like that again. But by indulging in superficial dalliances he has hurt more than one girl. That is a problem, too, because despite his bluff and bluster, George is a gentle soul. He despises himself for hurting those girls. George still needs to be watched. Could we have been better parents? Should we have encouraged the twins to be more individual?
Here comes Molly with the tea. The kids have stopped whispering. Now we'll find out what these four are planning.
'Thank you, dear,' I say. My wife has a lovely smile, radiant. It always makes my heart beat faster; even after all these years. I take a biscuit, knowing that it's still hot. I quickly drop it onto a plate as if it had burnt my fingers. The kids laugh at me. Harmless Dad, he can't even pick up a biscuit. I drink my tea and watch them.
The look in Ron's eyes when he watches Hermione, when did it start? Has it always been there? Was it there when they were twelve, or thirteen? If it was, how did I miss it? How could I ever have thought that it was Harry and Hermione? Molly spotted that look long before I did.
I thought that because Ron and Hermione always argue, she was hanging around with the boys because she fancied Harry. I was wrong.
Ron and Hermione simply cannot leave each other alone. That's what I should have seen. They push, poke, shout, joke; they will do anything to make the other react. Each wants to attract the other's attention, and yet neither of them realises that the other is attempting to do the same thing. They obsess over each other, unhealthily sometimes, but it seems to work for them. There's that look on Ron's face again, it's the look of a man who can't believe his luck. It's the look I had, I still have. What did I do to deserve beautiful Molly?
Harry has that look, too. That's a good thing to be able to see in the man who's going to take my daughter away from me. Old Perkins had three daughters. I remember him telling me, only days after Ginny was born, that no man will ever be good enough for her, that all fathers felt the same way. Trust Ginny to try to prove him wrong. Her boyfriend isn't perfect, but he's polite, pleasant, attentive, extremely wealthy … and he's Harry Potter. If he isn't good enough for my little girl, who is? As I watch them I realise that Ginny and Harry are closer and more relaxed in each other's company than ever.
Have they … are they … intimate? I can't think about that!
I force myself to remember old Peter Prewett, Molly's dad. If he, or her brothers, had known what his daughter and I got up to on the roof of the Ravenclaw Tower, I'd be dead, or crippled, or castrated. Molly only had two brothers for me to be wary of. Poor Harry has six ... damn … five, to deal with. That was my seventh year, Molly's sixth. What a different sixth year and seventh those four had, poor kids.
But they aren't kids, not even my little Ginny. Ron and Hermione are both nineteen, Ron only just. Harry is eighteen and Ginny seventeen. Yes, the two girls are still at school but legally they're all adults, though Ginny will always be my baby.
The saviour of the Wizarding world and his friends are sitting nervously at my kitchen table. They probably plotted the downfall of Voldemort at this table. Now, based on what I've overheard, they are plotting something more personal. If my guess is correct, Molly will object. She will try to "protect" our children. From what? From doing what we did without regret when we were their age?
Bill was conceived on my twentieth birthday, probably. That was a wild day; it was two months after we were married. We had no money. "What do you want for your birthday?" Molly asked. "Nothing," I told her, "we can't afford anything. I don't want anything, anyway. I already have the only thing I ever wanted."
"And what's that?" she asked, although she already knew my answer.
"You, Molly, only you," I told her. I smiled, and she smiled, and that's what I got for my birthday; Molly, beautiful Molly.
She was three months past her nineteenth birthday on my twentieth. Hermione is already older than Molly was when Bill was conceived. Ginny is older than Molly was when we first … STOP, ARTHUR … don't think about your children having sex.
The tea has been poured, the biscuits served. Leave some biscuits for me, dammit, Ron. The small talk, the polite exchanges are at an end. 'What are you up to?' Molly aggressively asks the four.
Ron is looking nervous. He is the weak link. Molly can break him, make him lose his temper, become flustered, tell all; and the kids all know it. Ginny can tell her mother bare-faced lies and get away with it. Molly doesn't believe me when I tell her that. She still thinks that Ginny won't lie to her. "A mother would know," she's told me several times. "Just like your mother?" I always ask. "That was different," she explains. No, it wasn't, Molly. When you were Ginny's age, you lied to your own mother about where you were going and what you were doing on dozens of occasions. But you refuse to believe that the daughter who is so much like you could possibly do the same thing.
Hermione is looking at Molly. She is going to be the first to speak. The kids all look at my wife. None of them pay me any attention. They never do, they make it so easy for me. I watch all four of them carefully.
'My Mum and Dad have booked a holiday villa on Rhodes, in July,' Hermione begins, 'They've booked it for four weeks.'
'Last year,' Ginny interjects, looking at her mother, reminding her, 'we went to France for two weeks to meet Hermione at the gîte her parents had booked in Brittany. We want to do the same this year.'
Ron is looking down at the table, not at Molly. Look at your mother, Ron, or she'll start to ask you questions.
'Ron?' Molly asks.
Too late! You need to learn, son. My youngest boy looks up, worried.
'What?' He sounds evasive. Hermione is once again gently rubbing the back of his calf with her foot. It's working. He's not going to blush, not this time. He's looking his mother in the face. Good, just ignore your Dad, Ron, he's not important. Harry and Ginny's fingers are clenched tightly. They know that this is the moment of truth.
'Is that right, Ron?'
'Yes, Mum. I've spoken to Mr and Mrs Granger. They've booked the place for four weeks and they've said that we can go over for the second fortnight.'
Well done, Ron, you've lied to your mother's face. But it wasn't a lie, was it, not really. Not if my guess is correct. Molly looks concerned, she isn't stupid. What is she going to say?
'It will be expensive.' Molly frowns. She's worried about money. Old habits die hard. I don't suppose she'll ever get used to us not being poor. We're not rich, but we have more money now than we've ever had, and just when we don't really need it. We have no children at home. With my promotion and no school books, equipment and uniforms to save up for, suddenly, I'm wondering what to spend my salary on. What can I buy Molly?
'Harry and I can pay for ourselves. We've been working in the Auror Office for almost a year now. I've got money saved,' Ron says.
'And I'm paying for Ginny,' Harry adds. 'But she's insisted that she'll pay me back when she gets a job, as soon as she gets her first pay.' Harry is running his thumb across the side of Ginny's hand as he speaks, and she is reciprocating. They have already agreed this, but Harry was obviously reluctant. He wants to spend his money on my girl (that's another point in his favour), but she won't let him. She is as stubborn as her mother, Harry. At least you've got the sense to stop fighting her once you've lost. That's a lesson it took me a while to learn.
'Arthur?' Molly asks.
My wife wants my opinion. For the kids' benefit I look bewildered, as though I haven't been paying attention. I wonder, if I wink at Molly, will they see? Best not risk it.
'Yes, dear,' I say, trying to sound confused.
'What do you think?' she asks. I look into her eyes.
'What do I think?' I reply as if stalling for time to catch up with the conversation.
I think that Ginny's eyes are deep and brown and just like yours, and I wonder how Harry copes with that. I think that if you fixed Harry with those eyes he'd be as bad a liar as Ron, possibly even worse. But you rarely ask him. You'll pressure your children, but not the surrogates. Yet despite that, our children are protecting them from "Mum's wrath."
I think that you have reached the same conclusion as I. I look carefully. I can see it in your eyes. Yes, you know what I know.
At no point have the kids told us that the Grangers will be in Rhodes with them. "Mum and Dad have booked a villa for four weeks." True. "They've said that we can go over for the last two weeks." True. "Last year we went to the gîte." Also true.
But last year Mr and Mrs Granger were there to act as chaperones, and last year you made a point of telling us that. This time, you haven't mentioned their presence. That is not an oversight, I'm sure. The kids are waiting for my answer. They don't think I've been paying attention. Should I force them into a lie? I decide not to ask a direct question.
'If they're going to be with the Grangers, Molly, I don't see a problem.' My simple statement gets the reaction I expect.
Hermione's foot has stopped rubbing Ron's leg. Harry and Ginny have clenched their hands tightly together. So, I'm right, the Grangers are not going to be there. I had best be certain. I need final confirmation.
'Do your parents want us to let them know, Hermione?' I ask. 'I'll be quite happy to talk to them on the fellytone if they do. I've been practicing.'
Ron has put his hand on Hermione's thigh and, in a reversal of what was happening moments ago, his foot is now rubbing the back of her leg. Harry and Ginny are holding their breath. Harry is leaning in towards Hermione. His arm rests against hers, and he's encouraging her by his presence. Molly will have spotted that.
'There's no need to go to the trouble, Mr Weasley,' Hermione tells me. Her voice is a slightly higher pitch than normal. It always is when she's worried, or lying. 'They wanted me to make sure that it was okay with you. If it is, I'll tell them.'
I smile and nod. That was a nice, neutral, reply. But you're not getting away with it that easily. It's time for me to have some fun.
'Perhaps we could come too, Ginny, your mother and I have never been to Rhodes,' I suggest.
Now it's Hermione's turn to stop Ron from panicking again. That's why I ask Ginny. Ron would have given the game away.
'I don't think there will be enough room, Dad.' My daughter looks at me with her mother's innocent eyes. 'There are three bedrooms, a double and two twins, that's right, isn't it, Hermione?'
Well done, Ginny, you looked me straight in the eye when you said that. But you licked your lips before you spoke. You've been doing that since you told your first little fib, when you blamed the twins for a broken mug. You don't realise that you do it, and I'm never going to tell you.
How many bedrooms are there really? Are they doubles?
'Yes, that's right, Ginny,' Hermione replies. Ginny asked the question so Hermione cleverly looks at her and gives her the answer. That way there is no eye contact with me. But you really need to learn to control that squeak in your voice, Miss Granger.
'Well,' I tell them, 'I can't see any reason why you shouldn't go. But you're all of age, so we couldn't stop you anyway.'
I look at my wife seriously. That last statement is for your benefit, Molly. You know that it's true. We could confront them. But what would that achieve? I know that you don't approve, but a confrontation would simply lead to an argument. The kids would forcefully tell us that they are all adults. It's a good defence against parental interference; you know it is, Molly, because it's the one we used on your parents. Anyway, it seems that Hermione's parents accept, even condone, this arrangement.
'Well, if you're sure, Arthur.' My wife is hesitant. I smile at her. The smile she gives me in return confirms that we both know what has just happened. We've been married for over thirty years after all.
'I am,' I tell her firmly. Without words, I try to get her to understand my reasons. Why start an argument that you will lose, Molly, quarrelling will simply upset everyone. Sometimes apparent ignorance is bliss.
'Thanks, Dad.'
'Thanks, Dad.'
'Thanks, Mr Weasley.'
'Thanks, Mr Weasley.'
So this time I take the credit, not Molly. She still looks uncertain about my decision. She decides to change the subject.
'It's George's twenty-first birthday on Thursday,' Molly reminds them. 'This will be his first birthday without Fred. You will all be here, won't you?'
'Yes, Mum.'
'Certainly, Mrs Weasley.'
'Of course, Mum.'
'Definitely, Mrs Weasley,' comes the chorus of relieved confirmations.
Ron smirks and winks at Hermione. That's a bad move, you should never gloat, Ron, especially not in front of your mother. Molly doesn't like to lose. She's going to say something despite my warning. We really don't need a family argument, especially not so close to George's birthday. It will sour the atmosphere of what will be a very difficult day anyway. She opens her mouth. It's time for me to interrupt.
'Do you remember my twentieth birthday celebrations, Molly?' I ask quietly. That immediately silences her. You are so pretty when you're flustered and embarrassed, Mollywobbles.