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I have a relative he's a good person. But when it comes to women he's a positive sap. He spent the best part of this youth building a career. This meant that when it came to relationships he did not know who to choose. Like most successful men he went for the 'trophy,' Image.
Which suited him to a point. The first young lady was nice enough. But when it came to home and family all she wanted was his business connections. When he finally got wind was when his money virtually ran out and so did she.
The second, he's treated nonchalantly, (think it was a defence mechanism on his part). He literally texted all his friends and relatives the following. "Been with the lady for a while now, lately we have got on really well – no arguments, so I've popped the question and she said yes!'
Of course, relatives immediately rallied "Don't do it.," "Don't trust her," etc. I heard it all even from his relatives that the consensus is he's making a huge mistake. But apart from the initial reactions. No one tackled him directly. I decided to instead. I spoke to him. His reply was; -
"She's promised to take care of me in my old age. She'll be a good mother to our kids when we have them. She likes my mum and dad. We have lived together for other a year now. And of course, I love her!"
My reply was "well you'd better convince the family of that because, they were the ones who asked me to have a word. His parents, in particular, as they did not like the lady very much!
That's when the tables were turned on me and everyone tried to say it was I who disapproved and was stirring up trouble. I wished them well and they got married.
That's when the basis of my misgivings started. The bride's parents approached the groom's parents to finance the wedding. This did not go down well as the groom's parents had not even paid for their own daughters weddings. All they did was to attend. So, when they paid for the son's wedding the other members of the family kicked off.
The relative - once married moved from his home (which he could comfortably afford), to a new home in which he borrowed a substantial amount from his Parents savings to purchase. Again, the rest of the family kicked off, as his own parents never assisted any of the other children in purchasing their own homes.
Immediately they moved into the new premises with the mother-in- law moved in with them. The father-in-law visits occasionally as he works away from home. This the grooms relations thought was a bit much. I personally did mention to him at the time that he should spend the first two years on his own with his new wife before the relatives get involved. And only then if they are contributing to the household.
Apparently, he is now financing the wife, his new son (another one is one the way), and his mother in law all on his executive salary. The wife cannot work right now as she is pregnant again.
Where is the father-in-law? He works abroad. But from what I can see he does not finance his wife. As when the mother in law wishes to go home to her native country to visit her relatives she asks the Son-in-law for the money. She lives with them and has everything paid for her.
He came by the other day. The poor man looked exhausted. He has been forced to take on two jobs to keep the house going. My husband said he did not look well and was concerned. I mentioned this to his family and suggested that they get him to take a weekend away with the lads so that he can at least re-charge his batteries. We all say the same thing. He's taken on the father-in-laws role in the house and no one is sticking up for him as he is outnumbered by all the females.
His best memories in his life was family holidays - Christmases in which they all got together. It was suggested that they all go to his, this year. Immediately the wife said no because it was too stressful and she is pregnant. Even though the family said they would take the strain of the day off her shoulders by bring food etc. It was cancelled. Apparently, they do not celebrate Christmas like his side of the family.
But they insisted that his parents went to theirs for Christmas. The mother and father-in-law in were there with his parents. They suggested that maybe if the groom's elderly parents would agree they could move into their large home and helped them. The grooms Parents have a home as large as the one the youngest son has purchased. They also have five grown up successful children with families of their own.
Its obvious what the In-laws are attempting. The problem is none of the other relatives will speak directly to the son – do an intervention if you will. Once again, they are all execting me to approach the lad.
I don't want to get involved purely because I do not want to be 'got at,' again. I like the lady, I don't trust the In-laws and I am worried for their son. As he's genuinely a nice guy. Hell, he's even helped me in the past and I him. But this I feel not for me to resolve.
Quite simply I feel he's taken on the role of the father-in-law rather than the son-in-law. Parents if they are not of pensionable age, or terminally ill, should in my book look after their own spouses and children and grandchildren. If the Son-in-law was short of funds and needed a boost and the Parents -In-Law wanted to live with them. Then they should have sold their own home abroad and helped the Son-In-Law purchase the 'New,' property. Not get the Son-In-Law Parents to do it.
The father-in-law, seems to be quite happy to have him the Son-In-Law bankroll his family and he enjoy whatever perks comes with the occasional visit to his wife and child/grandchildren. I have said that I thought the son-in-laws wife's family should sell their home to help the Son-in-law pay his bills and repay his parents the monies borrowed as his parents in laws are living with him, not his parents. What they did was to make a move on getting more monies out of the Son-In-Law's parents and the rest of the son in laws children are letting them. Because like me no one wants to interfere and get the blame for it.
Should I sit on the by-lines and watch this con job go on. Or should I intervene? I don't want to lose the mans friendship.


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A beautiful lady with the raptured soul of a bluebird in glorious flight, capable of the deepest love, the sharpest wit, and lighthearted manner. A true soulmate, should one be among the extremely lucky one in existence to have the love of this delicate and gorgeous specimen. Blessed with sparkling ebon eyes, shining dark hair, a smile that actually possesses the ability to break through dark clouds, she is a hearth to the heart, a boon to the spirit, and a true friend and lover on every level.
Girl: "I hung out with Rochell today; I was in a bad mood but her spirit just picked me back up! I love her!"
Boy: "So do I! Whoever she loves is a lucky person indeed!"
Boy: "So do I! Whoever she loves is a lucky person indeed!"
by firefly84 February 06, 2010
N. (row-shell) Ususally a middle name for the name TIKA (see TIKA) It means a lovinig and caring mother of 2 (or more) children. Also, when used in combination with TIKA, it reffers to the most loving wife a man could ever ask for. They are partial to the soft whispers of "JEFFERY's."
by reeljeenyus February 02, 2010
buy the domain for your foodie blog

subset: commoncrawl


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Car News
Midsize Pickup Matchup: Frontier vs. Tacoma
If in the market for something smaller than a full-size pickup, the available choices aren't exactly expansive. News that GM will continue to offer Chevy's Colorado is good for the midsize buyer, but the General is currently a bit player on that midsize stage. Most consumer attention is commanded by the 2012 Toyota Tacoma, while Nissan's scrappy Frontier fights for the leftovers. With the cost of fuel once again going up, however, and an aging population considering an occasional-use truck for perhaps the first time, 'midsize' might just become the 'right size'.
Similar but Different
While examining a spec sheet you could think the Nissan and Toyota are two nearly identical peas in an extended-or-crew cab pod. Both offer standard inline fours or available V6 powertrains, 2WD or 4WD and curb weights between 3,500 and 4,500 pounds. And while the footprints of both are considerably smaller than the full-size alternatives, like most things automotive, these one-time compacts suffer from waistward expansion. Park today's Tacoma beside its immediate predecessor and you'll think it's a before-and-after comparison from the Biggest Loser.
Outside, Toyota's Tacoma is the more bulked-up than Nissan's Frontier, its flared fenders extending some two inches beyond the more tucked-in visage of the Nissan. Subjectively, we find the Tacoma's sheetmetal a tad overdone, while Tacoma fans will regard the Frontier's curves (or lack of same) as undercooked. Both vehicles, when separated from their 2WD work truck roots, have an on-road/off-road presence, one more athletic than most trucks wearing a full-size profile.
Interior Spaces
Inside, the Toyota is again the 'fashionista', with a contrast drawn between its upper and lower dash panels, car-like cloth upholstery and more surfaces crafted from soft-touch plastic. In contrast, the Frontier is fully functional, but there's a cheapness to the surfaces more appropriate to the company's Versa than a $30K PRO 4-X pickup. We did, however, like the Frontier's steering wheel, covered in perforated leather and with an ergonomic shape. The upper/lower glove box works well, with areas for the clean stuff (upper) and dirty stuff (lower). When the road ends, you never know what you might need...
Available Power
Under their hoods you'll find the option of a four cylinder engine or torque-laden V6. The Frontier's 2.5 liter four is good for 152 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque, while the comparable Tacoma mill offers 159 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque from its 2.7 liters of displacement. Opt for the V6 variants and both deliver 4.0 liters. However, the Nissan trumps the Toyota by 25 horsepower (261 vs. 236) and 15 lb-ft of torque (281 vs. 266). But then, with a fully boxed frame and approximately 150 more pounds to propel, the Frontier can put the extra power and torque to good use.
Road Manners
On the road, both Frontier and Tacoma are adequately comfortable and reasonably composed. If going off road you'll find both are accomplished as well. Still, the aftermarket is friendlier to the Toyota; the Tacoma is better established in North America's outback, and has the aggressive support of Toyota's TRD behind it. And while Nissan's PRO 4-X package moves the off-road needle on the showroom, Toyota is prepping a desert package reminiscent of Ford's racing Raptor which will, once again, up the ante.
Like their full-size counterparts, pricing for the Tacoma and Frontier are remarkably close. Although not directly comparable, a 'Special Value' Frontier Crew Cab (4X2) with a $1,700 Premium package, iPod interface and mats was just under $28,000. Walk over to the Toyota showroom and its PreRunner 4X2 was just over $27K. Historically, the Tacoma will enjoy significantly better resale, but both trucks can be driven 'til they drop.
While Ford considers a replacement for its discontinued Ranger, and Jeep enthusiasts continue to bang the drum for a Wrangler-based pickup, Nissan's Frontier and Toyota's Tacoma represent the cream of this particular crop. Their specs remain stone-axe basic, but their capabilities will typically exceed those of their core constituents. And in a consumer society seemingly overwhelmed by the disposable, these are trucks you can pass along to your (not yet born) children.


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Hi there, Classic-Castle!
It's that time of year, where after the holidays, you start getting a little...antsy. You're dying to ask the question. You pace the floor in antici.....pation. You want to ask when we're posting the results to the CCC.
Please do not ask. Every time someone asks about the results, a child is given a Megabloks product. Every time someone asks, TRU marks up their LEGO another 2% above MSRP and delays their sales.
All joking aside, the Admins have a LOT of entries to judge. It takes time. They're people, too, with families and lives that do, in fact, take precedent over judging.
So thanks for your patience. The results will be posted when they are ready, and not before--not matter how often you ask.


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Sponsored article: Planning and consultation key when setting up a hedge fund
How to set up a hedge fund supplement, December 2010 – Sponsored article
The legal process of setting up a hedge fund usually starts with a planning consultation with a lawyer. This meeting can take place over the phone or face to face. During the meeting the lawyer will ask a number of questions with the aim of identifying the appropriate fund structure. A good lawyer will also identify any commercial issues that may hinder the success of the fund launch and provide an opinion on how this can be resolved or point you in the right direction for resolution of the issue.
Where possible a lawyer should be jurisdiction-agnostic and have a broad knowledge of the fund industry as a whole so that a cost effective and suitable fund and management structure can be identified. The typical issues dealt with at the initial consultation are: Has an investor already agreed to invest and what is the size of the fund at launch? The hardest part of launching a fund successfully is finding outside investors prepared to invest. If the manager is lucky enough to have investors lined up then it is a good idea at the planning stage to take into account the initial investor's tax status, jurisdictional location and fund jurisdiction preferences.
If the investor has strong preferences (for example, a Ucits structure), then it may be appropriate from a timing, cost and regulatory perspective to consider housing such an investor on a platform provided by a third party. The initial size of the fund and the expected assets under management (AUM) after one year will open possible discussions on incubator fund structures and platforms established to assist emerging fund managers. It is possible to set up a structure offshore and, once AUM has grown sufficiently, to move the fund onshore with the track record still in place.
Typically, the legal form that a fund may assume are entities that are transparent such as limited partnerships, unit trusts and the Luxembourg fonds commun de placement (FCPs) that require a general partner/trustee/manager, or corporate entities that have legal personality in their own right. It is possible to have umbrella funds with different sub-funds and to cater for different currencies, with different currency classes. Often the choice of legal form will be determined by the tax status of the potential investors (for instance, US taxable investors who tend to prefer a partnership form and non-taxable US investors who may prefer a corporate vehicle).
An additional issue that should be raised is control of the vehicle. It is common in offshore hedge fund structures for the promoter of the fund to control the vehicle with investors having the right to remove the general partner in limited circumstances or holding shares that do not elect the board of the fund. It will be necessary to consider the control issue in light of what investors may prefer, the liquidity policy of the proposed fund, independence of the board and whether particular jurisdiction regulations allow structures where control is vested in the hands of the promoter.
Most jurisdictions allow corporate entities to be established as segregated portfolios, protected cells or compartment funds. The segregated portfolios are essentially a ring-fenced group of assets and liabilities which are given statutory segregation. Creditors of one segregated portfolio only have access to the assets of that segregated portfolio and not the fund's other segregated portfolios. This allows the manager to set up a number of different sub-funds under one corporate structure.
It is important that agreements entered into in relation to one sub-fund are executed in a certain manner, which include the provision that creditors' right of recourse is limited to only the assets allocated to that one particular sub-fund, excluding the fund's other assets, particularly where the governing law of the agreement does not recognise the concept of segregation.
High net worth individuals (HNWIs), family offices and institutional investors have in the past been comfortable investing in lightly regulated fund structures found both onshore (such as in Luxembourg, Malta and Ireland) and offshore.
The jurisdiction of the targeted investors will highlight regulator considerations such as the US Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act and if there are any possible safe harbour provisions.
It is important that the individuals launching the fund have a structure to collect the fees and fulfil the investment portfolio management obligations. The structure is primarily determined by where the key persons will be situated and the regulatory framework in that jurisdiction. Considerations such insurance, capital requirements, transfer pricing, VAT, outsourcing to third parties and time to obtain regulatory approval need to be considered.
It is important to state clearly to the lawyer what the strategy is and how it will be achieved so it can be made clear in the private placement memorandum (PPM) and checking if it can be accommodated within the regulatory framework of certain jurisdictions. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Cayman Islands non-retail fund structures have no diversification, investment, leverage and borrowing restrictions but many other jurisdictions do have such rules. These are generally quite flexible for non-retail fund structures. The envisaged liquidity policy should also be covered at the initial consultations to make sure it matches with the underlying investments, is in line with market practice and can be accommodated by the laws and practices of the shortlist of jurisdictions identified as possible fund set-up jurisdictions.
The discussions should also focus on redemption notice periods, gates, investor-agreed gates, side pockets, valuation of investments and suspension of net asset value (NAV)/redemptions and other related matters. To attract investors, managers often agree more favourable terms for one large investor over others.
The use of side letters should be disclosed in the PPM and the jurisdiction of the fund should permit their use.
It is possible to list funds (including offshore funds) on various European Union (EU) exchanges. Whether or not a listing is required is often driven by the potential investors' own investment restrictions (for example if they can only hold listed securities). The requirements for listing will also be discussed in more detail in the consultation.
Board composition and service providers are another area to consider. It is fairly standard practice that as part of the fund approval process the relevant regulator will review the directors to determine if they are 'fit and proper' and the service providers to ascertain whether they are regulated.
Often the laws of a particular jurisdiction will require that certain activities be carried out in the jurisdiction of the fund. Independence on the board is something that will be emphasised and discussed at the planning meeting.
Once these issues have been discussed, the lawyer should have a shortlist of suitable jurisdictions. Advice from local counsel in the relevant jurisdiction will be necessary but at this stage the pros and cons of the jurisdictions can broadly be discussed, emphasising promoter, manager requirements, tax, reputation, costs and timing issues.
An outline will be given of the fund documents and their content (PPM, subscription agreement, constitutional documents and material agreements). The laws of some jurisdictions dictate what needs to be included in the PPM, which forms the contract between the investor and the fund, while other jurisdictions just require that sufficient information be disclosed so that investors can make an informed decision.
It is important that a letter of engagement be signed setting out the legal fees, third party costs (such as regulatory fees) and deposit required, who will be invoiced, what fees will be charged if the fund set-up does not proceed and a timeline to completion.
Some managers will pay the set-up costs themselves instead of the fund in order to avoid the initial NAV being affected. It is also important to discuss the accounting standards that the fund will use to determine if amortisation of the set-up costs is possible.
Once the letter of engagement is signed, the lawyer can start to draft the fund documentation and initiate the regulatory approval process as appropriate.
It is well worth the time to do a survey of potential lawyers and develop a shortlist before deciding who to use. Often the best way to ensure the lawyer is the right one and knows the fund industry is to go with a lawyer recommended by someone who has used them in the past.
Sponsor content


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Everybody's doing it. And I'm doing it too. Won't you fry bread, too? (Hint: It's soo worthwhile!)
So everybody IS doing it, frying bread, that is, and loving it too.
Julia Child does it. In the new hit movie Julie & Julia, she sizzles bread in a heavy cast-iron skillet.
Mattie Ross in True Grit does it. "The 'corn dodgers' were balls of what I would call hot-water cornbread. … [Rooster Cogburn] sliced up some of the dodgers and fried them in grease. Fried bread! That was a new dish to me."
Uncle Ronnie does it. "I never use a toaster anymore!"
My own dad does it. "I didn't know anybody in the last 150 years fried bread," he said just before wolfing down three slices.
In the last year, I do it. Several times a week, just a small slice, maybe two. The toaster gave out before Christmas, there's no reason to replace it. Like a child prioritizing her plate, I save the bread to eat last, it's as good as dessert, often it IS dessert.
We do it. Won't you do it too?
Time to table: 10 minutes
- Olive oil or for extra decadence, butter
- Firm, hearty bread, sliced 1/4" – 1/3" thick
Heat the oil til shimmery on medium high in a skillet. Rub both sides of each slice in the oil. Fry each side for a couple of minutes until crispy and golden brown. Serve hot.
Nibble on a slice, closing your eyes to give thanks that you're one of the lucky people enlightened to the primal pleasure of fried bread.
ALANNA's TIPS This is a great way to spread one roll a long way. Just a slice or two is plenty to round out breakfast or to serve with a cup of soup or a salad for supper. Here, we're partial to the whole-grain rolls with raisins and nuts from Whole Foods. Just one roll serves four. Slices of hearty bread from a loaf work too, just cut into halves or quarters before frying.
More Recipes Based on Bread
Shop Your Pantry First
© Copyright 2009 Kitchen Parade
Try some other lipids too - I'm fond of duck fat, but lard is good (home-rendered of course) and there's always butter. These aren't as healthy as olive oil, but mighty good as a special occasion. Spread a little artichoke tapenade on the bread fried in duck fat.
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna


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After pleading, begging and trying to reason with Olympic officials, Aaron Ross of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars finally broke through the line.
The line keeping him out of his wife's gold-medal press conference.
American Sanya Richards-Ross, who won the 400 meters in 49.55 seconds Sunday night, was clearly delighted to have him there.
"My hubby is my best friend, my greatest supporter," she told reporters. "The fact that he's here tonight away from Jacksonville, where he should be ... meant so much to me."


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WWF-Zimbabwe falls within the Miombo Eco-region one of the 35 eco-regions/ priority places for WWF. It is home to two of WWF's flagship species; elephant and rhino with the second largest elephant population in the world. The country is also apart of the Kavongo-Zambezi (KAZA) Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA), which is the largest TFCA in the world incorporating five countries; Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Botswanna, and Angola.
The office provides science-based evidence through our projects and partners that can influence global policy discourse and action on our two flagship species and on land use in globally important landscapes. The office is also working on local policy issues sourrounding the management of protected areas, wetlands and livelihoods.
Current programmes/projects running are:
Miombo Eco-region programme
Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme
Hwange Sanyati Biological Corridor (HSBC) project
Bio-fuels policies and practices for sustainable socio-economic development in Zimbabwe.


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SpaceX's Dragon ship returns to Earth after space station trip
- Image 1 of 2
- Image 2 of 2
Another small step has been taken in the private space transport business.
An unmanned Dragon spacecraft carrying a stash of precious medical samples from the International Space Station parachuted into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, completing the first official shipment under a billion-dollar contract with NASA.
The California-based SpaceX company successfully guided the Dragon down from orbit to a splashdown a few hundred miles off the Baja California coast.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden praised the "American ingenuity" that made the endeavor possible.
The supply ship brought back nearly 2,000 pounds of science experiments and old station equipment. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited cargo is nearly 500 frozen samples of blood and urine collected by station astronauts over the past year.
The Dragon is the only delivery ship capable of returning items, now that NASA's shuttles are retired to museums.


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Doing Things Differently in 4th Grade with VoiceThread
This is a guest post by educator and VoiceThreader, Preeti Singh. Technology has revolutionized the world. The current generation of students learn better when they are taught with the aid of technology. There are numerous benefits in using technology, and teachers have to learn to apply it to their advantage in "doing things differently" and … Continued


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|Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Education
|Teaching Diverse Student Populations
|Three semester hours.
|This course focuses on developing knowledge of how student diversity affects and influences instruction. Strategies for promoting equity and inclusion are emphasized. Preservice teachers will be engaged in field activities required of the Block II field experience. Students must earn a grade of "C" or better to successfully complete the course. Prerequisite: Admission to the College of Education, completion of Block I, 2.7 overall grade point average, and a 2.7 grade point average in the area of specialization. Corequisite: Must be taken with EDCI 3304.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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Technical Problem With This Chapter?
Author: Majick
Story: Hallelujah
Part: Hallelujah
Rating: Teens
Status: Completed
Reviews: 51
Words: 6,267
Updated: July 24, 2005, 5:03pm
(Author's Note: Originally written for the Live Journal Harry/Ginny ficafest, and now retconned for your post-HBP reading enjoyment. The challenge was to base a story on Damien Rice's 'Hallelujah' and it was the hardest story I've ever had to write, with something like eight false starts before Remus offered his services. The pre-HBP version can be found at http://www.livejournal.com/community/hpgw_ficafest/55954.html if you want to read it. Finally, thanks to the always awesome Aggiebell - ah, alliteration - for the beta-read and canon-catching.)
So here I am, the last of the four marauders. James, dead these last seventeen years. Sirius, gone for more than two years now. Hard to believe. Peter, of course, dead at his own hand. The same hand that has forever left its imprint on my lycanthropic skin.
It's a maudlin thought, but then, it's the time for maudlin thoughts. The war has been finished these last two weeks, and the heady glee that accompanied Harry's survival, and Voldemort's defeat, has sustained us all until now.
Ah. Harry.
I suppose that I shouldn't say that I am the last of those marauders. Merely the last of that generation. Could I lay claim to training our successors? Perhaps. Certainly I did little to discourage Harry and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron and Ginny Weasley. Why would I, after all? I know what it is to be lost and alone, and then to find that you have friends, friends who would never waver in their devotion.
Worthy successors, then, not least because Sirius, James, Peter and myself largely confined our trespasses to the Hogwarts grounds. Harry and his friends discovered the Chamber of Secrets, broke into the Ministry of Magic and travelled in time to save Sirius' life.
Successors? We were barely amateurs compared to them.
Gifted amateurs, though, and we had skills, when we put our mind to it. Skills that our modern-day counterparts lacked.
Matchmaking skills, for one.
So, when Sirius approached me in the summer before Harry's fifth year, his eyes twinkling, I had a feeling that Padfoot and Moody had another mission ahead of us.
"I think that Harry needs a girlfriend," Sirius said.
I eyed him carefully. Sirius tended to view his time in Azkaban as being a waste of twelve years of his life - I can hardly argue with that - and as a consequence he wanted to recapture that twelve years by cramming as much in as possible. He'd come up with one hair-brained scheme after the other since moving back into his old home, many of them involving Harry in some way.
"Is that so?" I asked.
"Definitely. You saw the look on his face. He's woebegone. He's depressed. He needs a good snog, Moony. We can't give him everything he needs - a girlfriend would help."
"Did you have anyone in mind?"
"I did, as a matter of fact," he beamed widely, the manic energy that seemed to alternate unpredictably with sombre melancholy as one of his few post-Azkaban moods evident in every movement. "He needs someone who understands what he's been through, someone who's brimming with passion, someone who won't put up with him being a miserable sack of bones, which, let's be honest, is what he is, Remus."
The energy left him so quickly that he seemed like a puppet with its strings cut. He dropped into a chair, slumped forwards with his elbows on his knees, staring at nothing.
"I'm not living up to my duties, Remus. I can't watch over him like a parent. I have to hand him over to Dumbledore, to the Weasleys, even to those worthless Muggles."
"I know, Sirius. I don't like it any more than you do. But he's happy with the Weasleys, and he's safe with Dumbledore-"
Sirius snorted.
"Safe? He was nearly killed a few weeks ago, Moony."
"Could you have protected him?" I asked, mildly.
"No," Sirius said. "It's almost impossible."
"But you think having a girlfriend would cheer him up?" I asked. I felt sure that he wanted to be humoured, rather than pitied.
"Exactly!" Sirius bounced back up again. "Someone with passion, someone prepared to stand up for herself."
"I hope that you're not talking about Tonks," I said.
"No, don't worry, Moony," Sirius said, flashing his teeth in a wide grin. "I reckon she's a bit old for him, anyway," he added, almost as an afterthought. We both knew at the time that... But I digress.
"Who, then?"
"Ginny Weasley. Did you hear her tearing strips off Molly a few days ago? Very fiery personality there, and she's smart, too. Put them together and hallelujah, we have a normal boy with normal worries."
We stayed up late into the night discussing Harry, and whether or not Ginny would make a good girlfriend for him. Sirius dismissed her boyfriend of the time as a passing interest, and claimed that he saw interest in her.
The summer passed, and Christmas came and went. It became clear that Harry had other things on his mind. Certainly he seemed to pay no special interest to Ginny, as much as she seemed primed and ready to tear into him when he dropped into a Sirius-like 'fit of the sullens'. Ron and Hermione gave an interesting recount of Harry's forced remembrance of Ginny's experience with Tom Riddle, which had Sirius shooting me significant looks.
But by the following summer, I was in no mood to push Harry and Ginny together. Sirius was dead, and any hopes that I had of spending time with Harry were dashed when Dumbledore asked me to establish myself among the werewolves. What little time we had together that year was shared with the Weasleys and, to be honest, I had rather forgotten about Sirius' plans. And then, before his school year ended, Harry became committed to going to war, to ending the conflict as soon as possible. The deaths of Sirius, Dumbledore and his parents ate at him, and he seemed resolved to bringing an end to Voldemort's reign of terror as soon as possible.
This last year at times seemingly made a mockery of Harry's goal. There were a number of deaths, some of which were random, some otherwise. Harry hardened into a leader of men and a warrior, his Hogwarts education forgotten as he sought out the horcruxes and trained almost without pause for the moment at which he would draw his wand on Lord Voldemort.
During his sixth year, of course, and remarkably with no help from his elders and betters, Harry found the time to indulge in some snogging with Ginny. Talking to him after Dumbledore's death, when he had broken up with her in order to prevent her becoming a target, it was plain to see how much she had come to mean to him in a comparatively short time.
But Harry, being noble, self-sacrificing and all those other fine Gryffindor traits, withdrew from Ginny as though he were the tide and she the beach. He cut off all contact to her for a time - a period in which his devotion to training became almost obsessive - until Ron yelled at him and he at least began to talk to her. Ginny was known to be seeing other boys, although Tonks tells me that there was never any question of it becoming serious - she was Harry's girl, and who would dare try and interfere with that?
Well, apart from Harry, of course.
Which brings us to here and now.
I suppose he thinks that it'll all go away if he just ignores it. It's an understandable attitude, but one unlikely to come true. The press lay siege to the Burrow and Grimmauld Place almost constantly, and while Harry passes from one to the other at wholly irregular and unpredictable intervals, it takes no time for the media swarm to disperse from where he's left and reform where he's arrived.
Ron has been invaluable in all this. More than anyone, I think, he's matured in the last year. He's become a leader in his own right, wise beyond his years, and while not as silent as Harry, he's taciturn in his own fashion. Still, he has a ready eye for a humorous moment, and has learned to lie convincingly. As a bonus, he's grown into his body and towers over everyone and anyone. The reporters can't help but respect him, and yet some of the nonsense he comes out with must surely stretch even their threshold.
"Harry's coming to terms with the loss of his leg."
"His leg?"
"His middle leg."
"His middle leg?"
"Yes. Harry had his privates removed by a below-the-belt hex from Voldemort. He's learning to go to the toilet without it right now."
Ron certainly knows how to make Harry smile. Arthur pulls him into conversations about Muggle appliances. Molly fusses, and cooks and cajoles. Hermione treats him as though he weren't stuck in a slump, finding jobs for him to apply for. So far, she's suggested Blast-Ended Skrewt farming and Hog's Head bartender, among others. I'm sure she's scouring the job ads now. Harry seems to appreciate it, and she makes him smile. Occasionally I think that I see some interest hinted at in his expression, but I know that he's not looking at the future yet, at least, not in terms of jobs.
Meanwhile, the twins have taken to setting traps for Harry throughout the house. He hasn't cast a spell since the day of Voldemort's defeat, and walks into the traps without a hint of suspicion, but I think that the twins' fun is spoilt somewhat by his near-total lack of reaction.
Bill has taken to bringing Fleur around for dinner on a fairly regular basis. Fleur fairly monopolises Harry's time when she is here - Minerva and I had them go on a mission for the Order separate from Harry's search for Voldemort's horcruxes. Unfortunately, it left behind some lasting effects that they only ever discuss between themselves. Nothing serious, I think, but not something that they feel they can discuss with those who weren't there.
Of course, it was a war. We were all there, at some point. But we all feel it differently.
Charlie appears often, too. He flirts incessantly with Tonks, claiming to hope that she will decide she prefers a younger man. I'm fairly certain that he's joking, but still... One day, the two of us may have to have a short discussion about this. When he's here, he does a lot to try and convince Harry that dragon-riding should be his future career. Harry listens politely enough, but I don't think that a dark forest in Romania is quite where he needs to be right now.
And then there's the constant flow of well-wishers. The Lovegoods, the much-reduced Bones family, the Longbottoms, the Finnigans, the Diggorys... Anyone and everyone seems to have been here of late. It helps to dispel the sour old aura of this place, and bit by bit I honestly feel that we're winning our fight. This house will become a home. One day.
You know, the Blacks were all talented in their way, but those of Sirius' generation were quite exceptional. Andromeda was a genius, as smart a witch as any that I have ever met. Bellatrix was perhaps the most capable student of the Dark Arts since Tom Riddle himself - although thank Merlin she lacked his drive for power. Still, she was smart enough to escape capture at the end of the war when all around her fell. Narcissa was canny enough to serve as a Death Eater and never be suspected - almost the only one on whom suspicion never fell. How many deaths were because of her and the teams she sent out, I fear we shall never know.
Regulus Black was highly intelligent as well, but naive with it. He joined the Death Eaters without bothering to learn what they were truly about, but was smart enough to realise early on that he'd made the wrong choice, and brave enough to walk away and hurt Voldemort while he did so. Although Sirius only knew part of the story, you didn't have to look too hard to detect the bittersweet edge to his words on the rare occasions when he spoke of him. They were close as children, and Sirius would have liked to know that his brother gave his life, ultimately, to save Harry.
And then there was Sirius himself. He and Andromeda were great friends, and he strove to match or better his cousin Andi's accomplishments, quite apart from enjoying how much it wound Lily Evans up that he could beat her on any subject seemingly without effort. I'm not proud of how much delight the four of us took in that small fact - Lily worked very hard, after all. But Sirius was a genius as well, in his own manic way, and was always quick to pick up any subject he studied.
Who knew that he studied how to develop his Inner Eye, though?
Because, for all the hair-brained schemes that Sirius devised over that hot, long summer, one that has undoubtedly survived his passing was the plan to get Harry and Ginny together. Or, at least, back together.
Maybe Sirius left his godson something other than a broken mirror and a rotting old house.
I rather passed over Ginny earlier, but she's another person to whom Harry reacts, and it's a lot less hit-and-miss than with Ron or Hermione. You have to watch him closely, but the signs are unmistakable. Harry, wherever he is in this house, is aware of Ginny's presence, wherever she is in the house. Having a conversation with him, it's not uncommon to see him tune out and turn towards the door, a second before Ginny enters the room.
Of course, it's no secret how close the two of them became. And when everyone came together for the final battle, it was she who was the last one to leave him that night, his last line of defence as he worked his way through to Voldemort.
But that's nothing, really. Any one of us would have done the same. It just happened to be Ginny.
Providing him with the strength to go on, ordering him to leave her alone... I honestly think that only Ginny Weasley could have convinced Harry to walk away from the girl he loves.
And that, remarkable as it may sound, is the key. It's not just a crush, it's not a passing fancy. Harry Potter is in love with Ginny Weasley. And I rather think that Ginny is every bit as in love with Harry. There time apart has done nothing to dim the flames that burn within them.
So it's time to break out the old matchmaking skills, those old tricks that paired Peter off with Pandora Parkinson for a time, that saw Sirius entering a rumba contest with Jessica D'reve, and James...
Well, that was our great success story, although perhaps a story for another time. It took months, after all, and a full retelling would not be much shorter.
Harry and Ginny, on the other hand, only have one obstacle to overcome. Everyone.
It's totally understandable, I suppose. Harry's been through a terrifying experience, and Ginny almost as much so. Molly has co-opted the bedroom between Ron and Harry's room and that of Hermione and Ginny for herself and Arthur. It makes sense - she's a light sleeper, and if one of them should wander in the night, she can be up and about, heating up a glass of milk, ready to listen to any worries they may have.
Of course, it rather puts a crimp in any night-time trysts that a young man and woman may have planned. The Invisibility Cloak has yet to be woven that can get past Molly Weasley.
The daytime, as I have mentioned, is scarcely better. Although Molly is not always around - she seems to have made it her mission to disinfect the attic, although I'm fairly sure it would take an army of house-elves, or maybe a few sticks of dynamite - there are enough Order members, and Weasley family members, and assorted well-wishers in the house at any one time that, well, Harry never has a moment's privacy. From dawn 'til dusk he's surrounded by people worried that his near-silence denotes an approaching breakdown. Myself, I stay out of the way. If Harry is going to lose it, I don't want to be in the same room. Call me a coward, but there's something about the chance of the most powerful wizard of his age - let's call him what he is - losing control that makes me want to be somewhere safe.
Asia, maybe.
Anyway, I think that Harry is going to lose it. Soon. But only if he doesn't get to spend a little time alone with Ginny.
I suppose the marauder in me rose to the challenge. How to get everyone else away and, more to the point, how to get the two of them alone and in the mood to confess their love for each other? Or at least have a damned good snog?
Hmmm... 'Harry, the world will end if you don't start snogging Ginny Weasley again?' Maybe not...
If they were alone, with nobody watching...
Ron and Hermione were actually fairly easy.
"Ron, I've got tickets for the Cannons game tonight. Do you want to go?"
"Good. Take Hermione."
"She was saying the other day that she wanted to go to a real match again."
"Was she?"
"Yes." No.
"It doesn't sound like something she'd say..."
"No, she did," I lied, smiling that small teacher-smile that I used to inform my pupils that they were wrong but I was willing to help them.
"Skinny girl, bushy brown hair, reads a lot?"
"Yes, Ron. We both know Hermione. We're both thinking of the same girl. Now, are you going to ask her out tonight?"
"Ask her out?"
Ah. A definite note of panic in Ron's voice. Well, I can't pretend that I hadn't wondered, although I would have hoped that they'd have taken the plunge before now. Where was that famed Gryffindor courage?
"To the match, Ron. Quidditch. The Cannons, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah... The Cannons. Hang on a second, what about Harry?"
"There's only two tickets," I said. I had several, but Ron didn't need to know that. The others were in the section reserved for the fans of the visiting team, and I knew who they were going to.
"Okay, thanks," Ron said.
I handed him the tickets, and he looked reverentially at them as though I had just handed him lifetime tickets to Paradise. I'm a Tornadoes fan, myself.
"Remus, just the person. Be a dear and hold this, would you?"
Molly handed me a skein of wool, which I dutifully held up wrapped around my hands. She began to knit at a furious pace, and before my eyes a Weasley jumper began to take shape. I watched in fascination as her needles clicked and clattered at a furious pace, augmented by magic, perhaps, but with a skill and surety that could only have come from long practise.
"Did you want to speak to me?" Molly asked, the needles slowing fractionally as she looked up. Without looking, she fed a new colour into the maelstrom of whirring metal and wool, and a lion's head began to take shape in the middle of the jumper.
"Er," I said, still entranced. "Um... Yes, I did. Er." I gathered my thoughts and turned back to her. "Dinner. Yourself and Arthur. I'd like to treat you. Tonight."
Molly appeared taken aback. "Remus, are you sure?"
"Absolutely," I said, warming to my theme. "Molly, you have done a great deal for this house and this family, extended as it is far beyond those of your own clan. I would like to say 'thank you' and I thought that perhaps you and Arthur might enjoy some time alone."
"Well, it's very thoughtful of you, Remus," Molly said. "But I couldn't leave everyone to fend for themselves. Ron's a dear boy, but the last time he cooked I had to replace my entire set of saucepans. Hermione's a lovely girl, but she barely seems to know one end of a stove from the other. Ginny's never shown any interest in cookery, bless her. Harry... Oh, Remus, I couldn't leave Harry alone. But it's very sweet of you to offer. Perhaps another time?"
Molly heaved a small sigh at having to give up the chance to dress up and spend a little time alone with her husband.
"I won't hear of it," I said. "Molly, I spent twenty years living alone. I can certainly cook a meal or two, and you and Arthur deserve a little time alone." And Arthur certainly won't disagree with his wife when you tell him, which is why I came to you first. "Molly, Harry will one day soon have to fend for himself, without you. Perhaps we can see how he copes tonight."
"Good. There is a table booked for you at eight o'clock at La Belle Diablo. Don't be late."
"La Belle Diablo? Remus, that's--"
"Molly," I said, employing my Teacher's Voice of Authority. "My treat. Now, go and get Ginny. She can help you choose what to wear."
Molly seemed so taken aback that she just nodded, and without further ado, bustled out of the drawing room. I was left alone, feeling rather good about myself, until I realised that I had no way to escape from the wool without leaving it all knotted and twisted.
Some time later - how's the saying go? I can face down a pack of Death Eaters, but a ball of wool... - I found Hermione in the library.
"Hermione, I'd like you to go to the Quidditch match with Ron tonight."
"Tonight?" She looked up from the job section of that morning's Prophet. "Oh, I can't, Remus. I have so much to do."
"Nothing that won't wait until tomorrow," I said. "And Ron really wants you to go."
"He does?" she asked, the faintest hint of pink to her cheeks. Ah.
"Very much so. He said he was really looking forward to an evening with you.
"So, you'll go?"
"The Quaffle will be chucked at eight o'clock," I announced. "I imagine Ron will come and find you soon."
"Yes?" I replied, guilelessly. Hermione was the one person who I thought might see through my plan.
"Does Ron really want me to go with him?"
"Oh yes," I replied, with a definite nod of my head. "He seemed very enthusiastic." Well, it is a Cannons game...
I smiled, and left her to her thoughts. She was absently shredding the Prophet as I shut the library door.
Ginny and Harry were easy. I simply told them that dinner was at eight. Easy.
Fred and George, frankly, are a law unto themselves, and anyone setting out to take them on could do worse than to give up immediately and settle for a quiet, easy life fighting mer-people underwater without breathing apparatus.
"You want us to go to the match tonight?"
"The same match for which you've procured tickets for our brother Charles-"
"-and our friend Tonks-"
"-and, or so I hear, young Ronny and our dear Miss Granger-"
"-at great expense-"
"-and effort, don't forget effort-
"-perish the thought-"
"-which rather leads us to wonder-"
"-what's the plan?"
"What plan?" I asked, as flatly as I could. Of course, it didn't work. Fred and George have such long experience of lying that they can spot a fellow plotter and conspirator at ten paces. Possibly more.
"Why are you getting everyone out of the house tonight, Mr. Moony?"
"I'm treating everyone so that I can have a quiet night in my own house without any disturbances," I said, giving them a pointed stare that may as well have been water off a grindylow's back. The twins were about as likely to be embarrassed about their often-explosive experiments as I was about being a member of the Order.
"Not that we don't appreciate the offer-"
"-but we have plans of our own-"
"-two girls-"
"-twins, in fact-"
"-just finished at Hogwarts-"
"-very pretty-"
"-nice hair-"
"-shiny teeth-"
"-long legs-"
"-big b-"
"Enough! Look, I'll shout you a meal at La Belle Diablo if you go to the match tonight, alright?"
"Two meals."
"For two people each."
"We don't do everything together, after all."
"Not always, anyway."
"Fine, fine," I said, wondering exactly how they were going to tell the female twins apart. I couldn't tell Fred and George apart, after all, and I'd had training from the Order about being observant. Possibly it's because of their manner as well. Very... distracting.
"Just go," I ordered. "You've got seats just behind Charlie and Tonks, alright?"
"Is that so?"
"Very convenient."
"Indeed. If-"
"-and only if-"
"-one wanted to ensure that dear Charles-"
"-and the much admired Miss Nymphadora-"
"-didn't become too comfortable around one another."
I stared at the counter of the shop, fighting a short internal battle.
"I'll pay for your taxis as well," I said.
"Deal!" they said, together.
Well, I'm much too old to be fighting duels for a young woman's affections, after all.
And that left... no-one.
Amazingly, I'd managed to arrange the entire evening without a hitch. No Weasleys, no veelas - Bill and Fleur were in France - no Tonks, no Order members - Minerva had helped arrange that, no questions asked - and, once I got the cooking done, no me. I had a date with the local cinema and a showing of an old Muggle film, Some Like It Hot. I like a good farce, from time to time.
So, by half-seven everyone else was gone, the spaghetti was bubbling, the meat was simmering, the sauce was on a low heat and the bread smelt good enough that I was tempted to stay and enjoy it myself, but I forced myself to cover it over and leave the kitchen, only groaning slightly as I shut the door. Part of being a werewolf is an enhanced sense of smell around the full-moon, and walking away from that bread was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
But, resolute, I walked to the cloakroom and grabbed my coat. I paused as the massed ranks of the house's residents - well, Harry and Ginny - clattered past me at top speed, undoubtedly summoned by the smell of the food. If I say so myself, I did a good job. I wanted to yell at Harry that he should do me proud, but of course he had no idea that I had been plotting against him. Or should that be for him?
Anyway, with nary a wave to see me off, the kitchen door banged behind them. I reached inside my coat and pulled out the finishing touch - a sign that I was planning to hang on the front door reading 'Headquarters of the Dolores Umbridge Appreciation Society' which should have driven off any casual callers. Smiling to myself, I opened the front door-
-and stared along the wand and into the eyes of Bellatrix Black Lestrange
"Oh, it's the werewolf," she spat as I stood frozen in surprise. Still, my mind was whirring even as my limbs refused to move. Bellatrix had disappeared after the final battle, but she'd been reported hurt - broken bones, cuts, a concussion - and she'd not been seen at any wizarding hospital since then. By her appearance, I rather suspected that she hadn't been to a Muggle hospital, either. Not that she was likely to have done, of course.
"Just as well," she said, awakening me from my reverie. "I have to kill you tonight."
She rolled her eyes, as though I was suffering from terminal stupidity.
"This is my home, you fool. I am the last Black, and I will take it - over your dead body, and that of the Potter boy."
I stared at her in bemusement. Certainly she was capable of defeating me in a duel, but Harry?
"You think you can beat Harry?"
"I won't have to. I saw how he protected the Weasley child! The fool is too much in love to think of anything but her. I'll make him sign over the deeds to my house, and then kill them both anyway.
Well. I was glad to know that I hadn't imagined things. Even Bellatrix thought that Harry was in love with Ginny.
I waved the sign vaguely.
"You see, we're getting rid of it," I said. "Otherwise, we could probably let you have it."
She snatched at the sign, scowling as her eyes flickered across it. I'd done quite a thorough job - there were opening hours, rules of entry and even a sub-headquarters to which all mail was directed: Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.
Well, I thought that it was appropriate.
Anyway, with Bellatrix momentarily distracted, I took the opportunity to draw my own wand and point it at her.
"Drop your wand," I ordered, but the Teacher's Voice of Authority is more effective with fourteen year olds who don't yet know the Unforgivable curses.
"Reducto!" she yelled, without a pause. I barely ducked as the spell blasted over my head and cracked into the ceiling, causing the plaster to crack and fall down in great lumps. Sighing - I was already going grey anyway, and plaster is the very devil itself to wash out of your hair - I grabbed her wand and yanked her inside, slamming the door behind her. Fortunately, Mrs. Black's portrait had long since been removed in a concentrated effort involving a powerful witch, curse-breaker, a dragon-rider, a pair of Ministry officials, two joke-shop owners, a Hogwarts Head Boy and a seventh child - or the Weasleys, to you and I, so we were at least spared her wailing.
Anyway, Bellatrix used her momentum to drive her left fist into my jaw. I saw stars, and remembered that she'd never been afraid of a fist-fight at school. As I slumped backwards, I wondered exactly who she was to ruin my carefully laid plans.
Rising up, I swung my arm around and unleashed a powerful Stunner at her back. She staggered forwards, but barely seemed fazed. Smirking, she turned around and pulled aside her cloak to reveal a dragon-skin vest, a highly illegal but very powerful form of light-weight armour.
Sighing, I dived at her, my own fist pulled back until I was in range, when I lashed out and caught her on the point of the jaw. She stumbled back, crashing into the coatstand and smashing it in two while I cursed and clutched at my hand, remembering - not for the first time in my life, but certainly for the first time since I left Hogwarts - that the jaw bone is rather stronger than the bones in your fingers.
Bellatrix spat a tooth at me - hah! - and waved her wand. I ducked, just avoiding the ropes that would have encircled me. From the floor, I waved my wand, but not at her.
"Colloportus! Muffliato!" I enunciated, smiling slightly as the spells struck the distant kitchen door.
Bellatrix, with no concerns about who might overhear us and decide to interrupt their romantic evening to help, took the opportunity to fire a Stunner of her own at me. I dived to one side, feeling my knees protest as the spell blew a hole in the stairs. It was only three nights since the full moon, and my body was still feeling rather the worse for wear.
"This house is mine, Lupin," Bellatrix snarled.
"You're doing a good job of destroying it," I said mildly, pushing myself to my feet. "That's one hallway wrecked already, and you've only been here two minutes. Can we go up to the third-floor landing, next? It's this horrible violet colour, and could do with-"
I ducked. She'd tried to set me on fire.
"A valiant effort," I allowed, waving my wand at the sparks that had fallen on the wallpaper and fanning them with a puff of wind. "What next?"
Bellatrix's wand spat acid at me - something I'd not seen before. But I was able to throw myself backwards and only banged my head on the floor, while the acid ate through the wall behind me, and slowly burned an ever-increasing hole that revealed the drawing-room beyond.
"You're rusty, Bella," I said, side-stepping around a mound of plaster as the wall began to smoulder. "Weren't you the best, once upon a time?"
"Still good enough for you!" she hissed. "Avada Kedavra!"
I'd been waiting for this. A Death Eater prefers to kill painfully, where possible, but if necessary will do so quickly. I waved my wand and a chunk of plaster leapt up into the air, intercepting the Killing Curse and bursting into flames. The burning wreckage dropped to the floor, where it ignited the carpet. Bellatrix and I stood either side of the flames, eying one another speculatively as the old house began to burn with some enthusiasm. A small part of me rather thought that Sirius would have enjoyed seeing it happen.
A rather larger part of me thought that it might be an idea to finish the fight and put the flames out before-
There was a creaking sound above us, and our gazes were drawn upwards. The wall to our side was ablaze now, and weakening by the second. As it was a load-bearing wall, and as the ceiling had been weakened, the floor above was beginning to sag.
I looked back at Bellatrix, who was wavering on the spot. Clearly our little fight had taken it out of her. I was grateful that she'd decided to try and take this place when she was injured. If she'd been fully fit, about the most that I could have hoped for was a decent showing and a quick death.
"Well, as the new mistress of the house, allow me to give you the grand tour," I said, brightly, feeling rather overcome by the adrenaline in my veins. "This," I waved my wand, and ropes sprung out to encircle her, "is the entrance hall. And this is the master bedroom. Diffindo!"
I waved my wand at the ceiling and dived out of the way. The spell struck the weakened material with a crack, and I watched as what happened next seemed to play out in slow-motion.
The ceiling came apart, collapsing downwards.
Bellatrix burst free from her ropes, having employed a Severing Charm.
Mr. and Mrs. Black's heavy, emperor-size bed came crashing through the ceiling, directly on top of their niece.
The wardrobe followed.
And then the vanity table.
And the chest of drawers.
And the three-piece suite, although one of the chairs landed nearer me than her.
And finally the full-length mirror, which shattered on top of the heap.
I breathed the smoky air for a few moments, and then stood up, and began putting out the fires. Then I sat down on one of the chairs and waited for everyone to come back. It wouldn't be long, would it?
Then I remembered that I'd just sent everyone off to have a very enjoyable night - maybe not Charlie - on me. They wouldn't be back for hours.
Duelling really takes it out of me. Especially so near to a full moon...
"Remus? Remus!"
"Remus Lupin!"
I snapped awake and upright, nearly cracking my head on a dangerously sagging timber.
"What on earth happened here?"
I stared at the group in front of me. Molly was furious, Arthur was concerned, Hermione looked to be in shock, while Ron was poking in disgust at the area where Bellatrix had been standing. Tonks was beside him, looking alternately at whatever was left of Sirius' cousin and whatever was left of me. Charlie looked furious - he appeared to have had a large tankard of Butterbeer Mauve tipped over him, by the colour of his skin and clothes - while Fred and George were apparently delighted by the carnage.
I smiled, even as I swayed dazedly on the spot.
"How you can smile at a moment like this," Molly began. "I should have known! You're as bad as any child, Remus. We leave you alone for one evening-"
"Mum-" Ron tried to cut in, as he poked around some more, but Molly was off and running now.
"-and come home to find the house blown up! What were you thinking? Or were you thinking at all?"
I let her go on. Apparently completely un-noticed by anyone but me, the kitchen door had swung open, and Harry and Ginny were standing in the doorway, but only for a moment. Seeing that whatever was going on didn't seem to concern him, Harry took Ginny's hand and pulled her back inside. I rather thought that I heard a muffled locking charm as the door clicked shut.
My smiled widened, which seemed to disconcert Molly slightly. But I didn't really notice. My attention was on a closed door, and what I had to assume was going on behind it. Unbidden, Sirius came to my mind.
This one's for you, Padfoot, I thought. Hallelujah.
The End
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text:
The Ediacaran Doushantuo biota has yielded fossils interpreted as eukaryotic organisms, either animal embryos or eukaryotes basal or distantly related to Metazoa. However, the fossils have been interpreted alternatively as giant sulphur bacteria similar to the extant Thiomargarita. To test this hypothesis, living and decayed Thiomargarita were compared with Doushantuo fossils and experimental taphonomic pathways were compared with modern embryos. In the fossils, as in eukaryotic cells, subcellular structures are distributed throughout cell volume; in Thiomargarita, a central vacuole encompasses approximately 98 per cent cell volume. Key features of the fossils, including putative lipid vesicles and nuclei, complex envelope ornament, and ornate outer vesicles are incompatible with living and decay morphologies observed in Thiomargarita. Microbial taphonomy of Thiomargarita also differed from that of embryos. Embryo tissues can be consumed and replaced by bacteria, forming a replica composed of a three-dimensional biofilm, a stable fabric for potential fossilization. Vacuolated Thiomargarita cells collapse easily and do not provide an internal substrate for bacteria. The findings do not support the hypothesis that giant sulphur bacteria are an appropriate interpretative model for the embryo-like Doushantuo fossils. However, sulphur bacteria may have mediated fossil mineralization and may provide a potential bacterial analogue for other macroscopic Precambrian remains.
1. Introduction
The ca 570 Ma Ediacaran Doushantuo fossil assemblage appears to contain one of the oldest records of the animal evolutionary lineage. The Doushantuo Tianzhushania fossils have been widely interpreted as metazoan embryos, based on the complex nature of their cell structure and the similarity of their morphology to features of modern animal embryos, including reductive cell division, a bounding membrane comparable with a metazoan fertilization envelope, large size and the absence of rigid cell walls [1–3]. Other interpretations identify these fossils as representing non-metazoan holozoans [4]. These fossils may thus provide a snapshot of very early events in the evolution of animals.
However, an alternative hypothesis suggests that the fossils may not be eukaryotic cells but, rather, the remains of giant prokaryotic cells. Bailey et al. [5] argued that many of the Doushantuo globular microfossils might also be interpreted as bacteria, based on comparisons between the fossils and Thiomargarita, extant giant sulphur-oxidizing bacteria that are capable of reductive cell division [6,7]. Living Thiomargarita in reductive division stages show a remarkable resemblance to eukaryotic embryos and to the Doushantuo fossils in size and cell division boundaries (figure 2a). This interpretative model offers a solution to a number of problems with the animal embryo interpretation, including the absence of later developmental stages, the superabundance of specimens, and the bias towards one-, two- and four-cell specimens [5]. Furthermore, Thiomargarita cells are able to control phosphate mineral precipitation under both oxic and anoxic conditions [8,9], thus providing a potential mechanism for the preservation of the fossils and of other organisms in the assemblage [5].
Nonetheless, there are inherent problems with the giant-sulphur-bacteria interpretation. There is no structure in Thiomargarita comparable with the multi-layered ornate envelope observed in the fossils [10], though Bailey et al. [11] compared the ornamentation of the fossil envelope walls with the surface features seen in Achromatium (a close relative of Thiomargarita) that reflect the shape of calcite and sulphur inclusions in the cell [12]. Nor is there in the bacteria anything resembling the highly ornamented organic vesicles that surround the dividing cells in silicified Doushantuo specimens [13]. Thiomargarita also differs from the fossils in having a very large central vacuole in each cell, rather than having subcellular structures distributed throughout the cell volume, as seen in many of the Doushantuo globular microfossils [14]. Furthermore, reports of nucleus-like bodies in the fossils [15–17] are seemingly at odds with a prokaryote hypothesis. In spite of these problems, giant sulphur bacteria offer a potential explanation of the Doushantuo fossils, whose kingdom-level identification remains uncertain. Moreover, giant sulphur bacteria might also account for other fossils interpreted as eukaryotes mostly on the basis of their large size.
Debate over the interpretation of the embryo-like Doushantuo fossils has hitherto relied on comparisons between living organisms and fossilized remains. However, as fossils have invariably undergone death, post-mortem decay and diagenetic alteration, it is not meaningful to compare them directly with living organisms [18]. Although patterns of decay in animal embryos are now being studied [17,19–22], nothing is known about decay processes or preservation potential in giant sulphur-oxidizing bacteria. Previous studies on decay of bacteria (see earlier studies [23,24] for reviews) are of limited relevance because of the comparatively small size, lack of central vacuole and lack of successive reductive division in the species studied. In order to address this issue, we experimentally infer a decay sequence for Thiomargarita, and compare the results with the patterns observed in the Doushantuo fossils and other putative fossil eukaryotes. We use the data to assess whether the inferred decay pathways of giant sulphur bacteria are compatible with the patterns observed in the fossil remains.
We also assess the potential of giant sulphur bacteria for stabilization and preservation by biofilm-forming bacteria. We have shown that animal embryo tissues can be replaced and replicated by bacterial biofilms and hypothesized that this process is key to their fossilization [17]. Here, we report the results of applying to Thiomargarita the same experimental microbial taphonomic conditions that we have previously applied to animal embryos.
2. Material and methods
(a) Sequence of decay in giant sulphur bacteria
Populations of Thiomargarita namibiensis collected off the Namibian coast between 24° S and 26° S at less than 100 m depth were obtained from Heide N. Schulz-Vogt and stored in a container with the original sea water and host sediment. This container was sealed and maintained at a temperature of 15°C continuously before the experiments. Attempts to kill the bacteria in a consistent manner using strongly reducing conditions induced with beta-mercaptoethanol (BME) [17,19–21] were ineffective. Preliminary trials placing Thiomargarita in oxic, anoxic and reducing conditions to assess preservation potential under different environmental conditions using standard protocols [19] produced no discernible difference between samples. Consequently, we relied on a decay pathway from the natural taphonomic spectrum in the population.
Batches of the bacteria–sediment mixture were fixed in 4 per cent paraformaldehyde, then viewed with differential interference contrast on a Zeiss Photomicroscope III and photographed using Q-Imaging QCapture Pro v. 6.0 software. In other cases, colonies were isolated from the mixture using a Pasteur pipette and transferred to sea water. These were then fixed in 4 per cent paraformaldehyde, stained with streptavidin-Alexa 488, washed in sea water and mounted in Mowiol on a slide with a coverslip. These specimens were analysed using a Leica SPS confocal microscope.
(b) Experimental microbial taphonomy
Sea urchins, Heliocidaris erythrogramma (egg diameters approx. 400 µm), were collected in Sydney, Australia. Embryos were raised to early cleavage stages, then killed and stabilized with 100 mM BME in sea water as previously described [17,19]. BME-stabilized embryos do not undergo autolysis and can be stored for more than a year at 4°C. Embryos were fixed with 2.5 per cent glutaraldehyde in sea water at 4°C for study using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), or washed in sterile sea water for use in microbial taphonomy experiments (figure 2). For SEM, embryos were fractured and processed as described previously [17,19], or embedded and processed as described below for Thiomargarita.
Multicellular reductive division stages of Thiomargarita bacteria that are morphologically similar to Thiomargarita nelsonii (Candidatus Thiomargarita nelsonii [25]) used for microbial taphonomy were collected from Hydrate Ridge, Oregon, USA, by Gregory W. Rouse, and were provided courtesy of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California, USA. At the time of collection, Thiomargarita samples were either fixed in 2.5 per cent glutaraldehyde or stabilized with 100 mM BME, and stored at 4°C. BME-stabilized specimens were used for taphonomy experiments. For SEM, Thiomargarita fixed at the time of collection or following microbial incubation were collected on a Millipore filter, embedded in agarose, and then fractured and processed as previously described for embryos.
For experimental bacterial taphonomy [17], cultures of the aerobic marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata were introduced to embryos or Thiomargarita in sterile sea water (sea water filtered through a 0.22 µm Millipore filter). Pseudoalteromonas tunicata was used for microbial taphonomy based on the prevalence of Pseudoalteromonas spp. in natural sea water bacteria populations that resulted in pseudomorphing [17]. Incubations were done for 6 days at 23°C in Nitex mesh-bottomed baskets (mesh pore size 150 µm for embryos; 70 µm for Thiomargarita) in Corning six-well cell culture plates. Following bacterial taphonomy, specimens were fixed in 2.5 per cent glutaraldehyde and processed as described.
(c) Processing and imaging of fossil material
Figured fossil specimens originate from the upper Doushantuo Formation in Guizhou and Hubei Provinces, China. Fossils were extracted from carbonate host rocks using 10 per cent acetic acid. Figured specimens are deposited in the Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM). The synchrotron radiation X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (srXTM) investigations were conducted at the X04SA and X02DA (TOMCAT) beamlines of the Swiss Light Source (SLS) using methods outlined previously [26]. The data were visualized and analysed using Avizo software.
3. Results
(a) Sequence of decay in giant sulphur bacteria
In life, Thiomargarita specimens have a large central membrane-bound vacuole that occupies 98 per cent of the cell volume [6]. Surrounding the vacuole is a thin layer of cytoplasm in which vesicles of elemental sulphur are stored alongside granules of glycogen and polyphosphate (figure 1a,e). When examined under confocal microscopy with fluorescein isothiocyanate, the vacuole does not take up the stain as the vacuole contains aqueous nitrate, not biomass [6]. The sulphur globules are distributed throughout the cytoplasm layer but are never found within the central vacuole in intact cells [6]. The vacuole and outer cytoplasm are surrounded by a multi-layered envelope [5], and the entire organism is frequently enveloped in a mucous sheath, which commonly plays host to epibiont bacteria of various morphologies. In T. namibiensis, the sheath is typically thick and contains chains of cells in comparison with other Thiomargarita-like sulphur bacteria in which the sheath can be thin or absent. Cells within a single chain can exhibit a broad taphonomic spectrum.
Shortly before death, sulphur globules begin to amass on the surface of the vacuole as a response to stress (H. N. Schulz-Vogt 2007, personal communication; figure 1b). This progresses until globules become polarized on the vacuole and tightly aggregated (figure 1b), although in the specimens we observed they did not tend to coalesce to form a single body (figure 1b). In figure 1f–g, the aggregate is situated on the upper surface of the vacuole; these figures show confocal slices through the clustered vesicles (figure 1f) as well as through the vacuole below (figure 1g). The region immediately surrounding the sulphur globules is stained strongly, suggesting that the cytoplasm is concentrated in this region. The remainder of the region outside the vacuole is filled with diffuse amorphous organic material, possibly representing more strongly degraded cytoplasm.
As decay progresses, sulphur globules begin to disappear from the cytoplasm. The remaining cytoplasmic material contains no other subcellular structures visible under light microscopy. At the same time, the cytoplasm continues to collapse, the vacuole shrinks and the internal membrane loses integrity, allowing material that has taken up fluorescent stain to penetrate into the vacuole, which is ultimately lost. The outer laminar sheets and mucous sheath, along with attached microbial filaments, show no signs of physical degradation at this stage (figure 1c).
Subsequently, the laminar envelope is lost and the mucous sheath is all that remains. At this stage, the sheath begins to show evidence of physical distortion (figure 1d). The interior contains diffuse and entirely amorphous material in which no structures are discernible (figure 1h). At this stage, individual T. namibiensis cells frequently remain joined to form chains bound by the outer mucous sheath, in which microbial filaments are still present. Eventually, the sheath disintegrates and diffuses into the surrounding sea water, though sheaths can remain intact for months or years before degradation.
(b) Experimental exposure of giant sulphur bacteria to biofilm-forming heterotrophic bacteria
Embryos of the sea urchin H. erythrogramma, which approximate the size and morphology of the Doushantuo fossils, have been used previously as experimental models for taphonomy of soft tissues [17,19]. The key initial step in the preservation of organic substrates for potential mineral replication is stabilization of the embryos under conditions that block the rapid autolysis (e.g. reducing conditions [17]) that would otherwise rapidly ensue after death. The second step in long-term preservation is a microbial process, in which the soft tissues are consumed and replaced by bacteria, producing a stable three-dimensional replica of the tissue. In the resulting 'pseudomorph', the external morphology and internal cellular structure of the entire embryo are replaced by bacterial biofilm components [17].
We found that although fixed H. erythrogramma embryos can be directly fractured for SEM observation [17,19], Thiomargarita are too fragile to section this way. We sectioned samples successfully by collection on Millipore filters and embedding in agarose. Sections of embedded embryos and Thiomargarita were compared by SEM. Heliocidaris erythrogramma embryos show the typical cellular morphology, including external and internal cell boundaries, the sub-surface cortical cytoplasm and the internal cytoplasm containing many lipid vesicles (figure 2b). The internal structures of Thiomargarita are distinct from those of embryos, with Thiomargarita cell volume being nearly filled by a huge vacuole rather than containing a dense cytoplasm (figure 2c,d). In these sectioned Thiomargarita samples, the external sheaths (arrowheads) are visible at the bottom edges; an external lamina (composed of the outer cell wall and thin layer of cytoplasm) was present under the sheath (white arrows); internal cell boundaries and sites of intracellular sulphur inclusions (black arrows) are visible.
For experimental bacterial taphonomy, BME-stabilized H. erythrogramma embryos and Thiomargarita were incubated for 6 days with P. tunicata, a marine gamma proteobacterium, then fixed in glutaraldehyde and observed by SEM. Embryo tissues were replaced by a dense, three-dimensional biofilm composed of bacterial bodies and secreted material, yielding a robust and stable microbial pseudomorph that replicates both overall morphology and cell structure [17]. Figure 2e,f shows internal views of pseudomorphed embryos revealing the dense surface biofilm (arrowheads) and the microbially replaced intracellular fabric (arrows). In figure 2e, the pseudomorphed cell boundary and other cellular features of a two-cell embryo can be seen, preserved as bacterial cells surrounded by a tight three-dimensional biofilm (white arrow). Figure 2f shows the bacterially replaced internal structure of a pseudomorphed embryo that was embedded in agarose and processed like the Thiomargarita samples.
Figure 2g,h shows Thiomargarita cells after the same bacterial taphonomy process. Under the conditions used, Thiomargarita cells gave distinctly different taphonomic outcomes than H. erythrogramma embryos. Embedded pseudomorphed embryos deformed slightly (figure 2f), indicated by the oval shape of the lipid vesicles, as opposed to rounder vesicle shapes in unembedded pseudomorphs (figure 2e). However, both embryos and their microbial pseudomorphs retained their overall morphology (figure 2b,f). In contrast, the bacterially treated Thiomargarita ruptured easily and collapsed into the central vacuole as a set of laminar sheets (figure 2g). Bacteria do not fill the vacuole, consistent with the absence of a cytoplasmic mass that can be consumed and replaced by biofilm-forming bacteria. However, partial bacterial biofilms formed on some of the surfaces of the laminar sheets (figure 2h, arrows).
4. Discussion
(a) Comparison with fossil data
The decay sequence presented for Thiomargarita and the evaluation of its interaction with biofilm-forming bacteria allow certain comparisons to be drawn between the decayed giant sulphur bacteria specimens and the embryo-like fossils that have undoubtedly undergone post-mortem decay, phosphatization and diagenetic alteration [17,20,27]. This allows a taphonomically based test of the hypothesis that the Doushantuo fossils represent the remains of giant sulphur bacteria [5,11]. Any phylogenetic interpretation of the Doushantuo embryo-like fossils must account for the various stages of decay recorded in the assemblage. These range from specimens that preserve putative nuclei (figure 1i) or putative lipid vesicles (figure 1j), through those in which the cell surface but no internal features are preserved (figure 1k), to those in which only the surface morphology of the specimen is preserved (figure 1l) [17]. Bailey et al. [5,11] draw comparison between Thiomargarita and a subset of the Doushantuo embryo-like fossils. The available evidence suggests that there are no more than two, very similar embryo-like genera in the Doushantuo assemblage [4,10]. It has been argued that the vast majority of these globular microfossils are taphonomic variants and developmental stages of Tianzhushania, a senior synonym of Megasphaera (single-celled specimens with a smooth—M. inornata—or ornamented—M. ornata—envelope), Parapandorina (specimens with multiple polygonal cells) and Megaclonophycus (specimens with hundreds of spheroidal cells) [10,13,28]. 'Megasphaera inornata' specimens were interpreted by Xiao et al. [10] as taphomorphs of Tianzhushania ornata in which the ornate envelope has been lost.
In life, the sulphur globules of Thiomargarita occupy a thin band of cytoplasm surrounding the large central vacuole. This is in marked contrast to the pattern observed in mineralized Tianzhushania, where structures interpreted as vesicles are sub-evenly distributed throughout the cell [14]. Prior to death, Thiomargarita individuals undergo a significant change in morphology, where the sulphur vesicles aggregate in one area on the surface of the vacuole. Bailey et al. [5,11] argued that these aggregations might be a better interpretation of the structures reported in a relatively small number of 'Parapandorina'-stage fossils and interpreted as possible nuclei [15–17]. However, when the bacteria are considered in three dimensions, the structures are not compatible. The vesicles form sheet-like aggregations in the thin layer of cytoplasm that surrounds the large central vacuole. Conversely, the structures observed in the fossils are consistently close to spherical and often lie in the centre of each cell of a specimen. The structures documented in Tianzhushania are not composed of many smaller, rounded entities, and aggregates such as those seen in the decay of Thiomargarita have not been documented in the Doushantuo assemblage. The vacuole itself and the surrounding cytoplasm are also distinct from the putative nuclei: the vacuole shrinks from occupying almost the entire cell as decay progresses, and it becomes irregular in morphology, whereas the structures observed in the fossils are consistent in both shape and size.
As decay progresses in Thiomargarita, the sulphur vesicles degrade and disappear, and there is concomitant collapse of the vacuole; eventually only the laminar envelope and mucous sheath remain, with the space filled with diffuse amorphous organic matter. At this stage, the cells have an overall resemblance to those of Tianzhushania ornata fossils in which subcellular features are absent. Bailey et al. [11] considered the multi-layered envelope and surrounding mucous sheath of Thiomargarita, if phosphatized, would make an 'excellent textural match' to the Doushantuo envelopes. They showed that Achromatium, a genus in the same family as Thiomargarita, bears a simple polygonal surface texture that reflects the shape of mineral inclusions [12]. However, there are important differences between the unmineralized envelopes of Thiomargarita and Tianzhushania. The sheath in Thiomargarita bears small microbial filaments [5] and appears to carry small inclusions and attachments of particulate matter and other debris, but in its unmineralized state, it bears no resemblance to the polygonal, cerebral or fractal-like structures with associated dimples corresponding to the position of processes in the outer organic vesicle, which are present in the envelopes of Tianzhushania ornata [10,28]. Critically, there is also no analogue in bacteria or other prokaryotes for the highly ornate organic outer wall in which rare silicified fossil specimens can be found when examined in thin section [13]. In summary, while there is an overall similarity between the structure of the walls of Thiomargarita and Tianzhushania, the latter has a level of complexity that is incompatible with that of known giant sulphur bacteria and is found only in eukaryotes (e.g. invertebrate resting stages [1]).
The final structure to decay in Thiomargarita is the mucous sheath, which breaks down slowly until little but amorphous organic matter remains. This process can take a number of years, indicating that there is a much longer temporal window for potential mineralization than there is, for example, in metazoan embryos that have not been pseudomorphed by bacterial biofilms; these typically decay to amorphous material in a matter of weeks [19,20]. The exopolymeric substances present in bacterial sheaths have, in some circumstances, been shown to have a relatively high potential to become mineralized [29] and to enhance the preservation of organic matter [30]. Given the high preservation potential relative to other structures, the likelihood of finding such specimens in the fossil record should be high. These specimens, if infilled with void filling phosphate, would resemble 'M. inornata' specimens that preserve no internal features. However, this comparison cannot account for the evidence discussed above that 'M. inornata' is a taphonomic variant of Tianzhushania, which has a number of features that are incompatible with Thiomargarita. Nor can it account for the fact that fossils comparable with Thiomargarita at earlier decay stages (e.g. with sulphur vesicles or the collapsing vacuole preserved) or later decay stages (e.g. with flaccid sheaths) are not known from the Doushantuo assemblage.
Overall, the decay sequence of Thiomargarita has much in common with those of other bacteria [24]. As in other bacteria, the Thiomargarita sheath is the most resistant structure to decay. Within the sheath, adjacent Thiomargarita and other bacterial cells can exhibit the entire taphonomic spectrum, whereas adjacent cells in Doushantuo fossil specimens invariably show an approximately equal grade of decay.
The fact that there was only limited interaction between Thiomargarita and biofilm-forming bacteria, and that these bacteria did not pseudomorph the cell interior, has potentially important implications for understanding the preservation potential of Thiomargarita. Our taphonomy experiments show that Thiomargarita and animal embryos have distinctly different properties that might affect taphonomic outcomes. If the conditions of our bacterial taphonomy experiments are relevant to producing a Doushantuo-like mode of preservation, we would expect large eukaryotic cells to be preserved in the round, similar to our embryo taphonomic models that are completely pseudomorphed by biofilm-forming bacteria. On the other hand, giant sulphur bacteria—which collapse easily and have only patchy biofilms that are limited to the multi-layered envelope—would more probably be represented as layers of laminar structures. Bacterial biofilm pseudomorphosis is therefore not a potential vector for fossilization of three-dimensionally preserved giant sulphur bacteria. If other modes of preservation in which apatite is secreted into the giant cell vacuole are feasible (perhaps associated with their ability to mediate phosphate precipitation [8,9]), then Thiomargarita-like forms could yield uncrushed fossils; there is, however, no available evidence to support this scenario. The combination of the lack of a known preservation mechanism and the morphological incompatibilities between decayed Thiomargarita and the fossils provides evidence against the interpretation of Tianzhushania as the remains of Thiomargarita-like giant sulphur bacteria or of other bacteria that achieve large size by means of a vacuole that takes up the majority of the cell volume.
5. Conclusions
Interpretations of the Doushantuo Tianzhushania fossils as giant sulphur bacteria, which seem plausible based on gross morphological comparisons with living organisms and their demonstrated mediation of phosphorite formation, are not supported by our observations of taphonomic processes in Thiomargarita. In life, Thiomargarita differs from Tianzhushania in having a large central vacuole occupying up to 98 per cent of the cell volume, rather than having subcellular structures throughout the cell. A number of key structures observed in Tianzhushania cannot be explained by any of the features exhibited by Thiomargarita as it undergoes death and decay. These include the putative nuclei, the putative lipid vesicles, the complex fractal ornament of the Tianzhushania ornata envelope and the ornate outer vesicles of silicified Tianzhushania fossils. Moreover, bacteria that readily replicate animal embryos do not pseudomorph Thiomargarita; it seems unlikely that the vacuole could be preserved in this way.
However, Thiomargarita does have important implications for understanding the Precambrian fossil record as it provides an alternative interpretative model for other Precambrian fossils that have been identified as eukaryotes primarily or partially on the basis of their large size [31,32]. Furthermore, in light of the fact that some prokaryotes like Thiomargarita can reach large size, identifications of eukaryotes should now rely on other features, such as complex wall ultrastructure or surface ornament, in addition to size alone [33–35]. Bacterial interpretations should be considered for fossil cells that are of large size but lack any definitively diagnostic eukaryote features [31,36,37].
We thank H. N. Schulz-Vogt (Max Planck Institute, Bremen) and G. W. Rouse (University of California, San Diego) for generously supplying Thiomargarita material; H. N. Schulz-Vogt for valuable discussion; V. Salman (Max Planck Institute, Bremen) for providing figure 1e; M. E. Andrews (Indiana University) for able technical assistance with experimental taphonomy; and P. Verkade (University of Bristol) for assistance with confocal microscopy. J.A.C. and P.C.J.D. were supported by NERC grant NE/F00348X/1 to P.C.J.D.; C.-W.T. was supported by a NERC studentship; J.V.B. was supported by NSF grant EAR-1057119.
- Received October 2, 2011.
- Accepted November 14, 2011.
- This journal is © 2011 The Royal Society


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ListViews...within a ListView
I've been trying to figure out how to put ListViews within a ListView for certain use-cases that warrant the UI to be able to swipe through multple screens, either horizontally or vertically. While a ListView on it's own is usefuly for showing various different items in a nice layout, there are many instances where it may be benificial to incorporate another ListView within a ListView. I personally incorporated into my BetaZone app, Kloudmix, which has a different UI for Keyboard devices and portrait devices for userpages and profiles. The main use-case that most will probably be familiar with is the featured carousel, where a screen has a vertical listview with one item being a horizontal listview that let's the user swipe through various featured items. Another use-case may be user profiles, allowing users to swipe through different panes or containers of information. Long story short, I spent some time tweaking around with it and reading a support forum post to create this nice and simple tutorial and sample app for you!


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Going For Gold: Gold Flatware
Gold and brass accents seem to be making a comeback these days, and it's about time. Maligned over the last couple of decades as some sort of Trump-meets-Dynasty misstep in interior design, gold can be tasteful and warm, if deployed properly and in moderation. Here is a roundup of gold flatware to spice up your table. So what do you think — would you go for gold?
Of course, if you plate something in real gold, it turns out that gets reflected in the price. These table settings are typically more expensive than their stainless steel counterparts, sometimes considerably more. Just keep in mind that some of these prices are for single settings, some are for 4 settings, and some are for a full set. And the last two examples are vintage sets from Etsy, a great source for vintage gold flatware that is less expensive than the new stuff.
- Wallace Hammered flatware in 24-karat gold plate, $209.90 for a 65-piece service at Neiman Marcus.
- Ricci Bamboo flatware in 24-karat gold plate, four 5-piece settings for $369.90 at Neiman Marcus.
- Yamazaki Byzantine flatware in 24-karat gold plate, four 5-piece settings for $269.90 from Horchow.
- Mono-A gold-plated flatware designed by Peter Raacke in 1958, 5-piece setting for $418.50 from All Modern.
- Linea Ice Oro brushed gold flatware, 5-piece setting for $109 via Gretel Home.
- Sun-Tipped silverware in matte brass and wood, $98 for a 5-piece setting from Anthropologie.
- Vintage gold-plated Oneida flatware, four 5-piece settings for $39 from BlueSkyLane on Etsy.
- Solid wooden box holding vintage gold-plated flatware, candelholders, napkin rings, and salt-and-pepper shakers, for $125 from guessagain on Etsy.


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In a game dictated by old-school rules, the Ravens hammered in a daunting history lesson.
Once again, Ray Lewis and the Ravens' defense smothered the Denver Broncos. Once again, running back Jamal Lewis ground them into submission.
And, once again, for the fourth straight year, the Ravens owned them.
By the end of the Ravens' 26-6 victory yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium, it was difficult for the record crowd of 69,721 to tell whether the Broncos were holding white towels or white flags.
The Ravens' defense grabbed the game and third-string quarterback Danny Kanell by the throat from the beginning and squeezed the fight out of...