text:
Cakes & Ale
"Oh, wow, there's jam in the middle." Rodney's lashes fluttered in near ecstasy. "So fucking good," he moaned. You know what never gets old for me? Rodney making sex noises over food. It works for me every time. And I love that this is how the story starts. Okay, yes, hello. So this is the last of four (four? Am I crazy? SO IT SEEMS.) reader commentaries I'm doing on stories by Mirabile Dictu. This is my favorite story. I saved it 'til last because that's what I do, and now I am all upset because I'm worried that I'm not going to have time to do it justice. Hence this pseudo-disclaimy thing, because I wanted to make sure that I pointed out very clearly that it is my favorite.
"Jesus, McKay," John said. "Not in front of the children."
"Oh, oh, you try one and see if you don't go all big O." It's like they switch off being the straight man (no pun intended, we're not working with that kind of setup, here) and the comedian constantly. Also, John's line? He's totally taking the mom role.
"Big O?" Teyla asked, looking doubtfully at the small cakes Rodney was eating.
John looked at Rodney, who shrugged. "Mouf's fuww," he said, pointing at his jammy face. John rolled his eyes. But this is McKay's only option - he can't be the one to explain, there's no way he won't put his foot in it, and he hasn't got the gravitas to defer the question. Not to mention that if he'd tried to, Sheppard would have harried him into doing the explaining himself.
"Another time, Teyla, if you don't mind. I'd prefer you ask Elizabeth anyway." John slapped Rodney's hand, hard, when he reached for another little cake.
"That's enough." John tried to look forbidding, or at least mean, but not too mean since he was also trying to charm their hosts. Omni-directionally mean. "They are delicious," he told the baker, called Baker, because they were really good. The naming thing is funny, but also sensible. If they're someplace agrarian, the guy doing the baking might well be the hereditary baker.
"Thank you," Baker said, bowing slightly. "I would be happy to pack some up for you to take with you."
"Yes, please, that would be wonderful," Rodney said, rubbing his hands together. "Really wonderful."
"Yes, it would," John agreed, smiling at Baker. "Thank you."
"And in return?" Baker's wife asked, crossing her arms and looking at Teyla.
"We offer you assistance with sowing and reaping the crops," Teyla said, "in exchange for a percentage of the grain." Mrs. Baker looked at Rodney skeptically. It isn't that Rodney doesn't look like he can help out with stuff like that - it's that he makes it pretty obvious that he isn't willing to. Even to the casual observer. "We have many who can help," Teyla added.
"We will discuss this further. Please return in three suns."
John stood up; that was a clear as dismissal as he'd ever received. "Yes, ma'am," he started to say, but Teyla gave him a look. Hahahaha. Okay, I don't think Sheppard got the message that he wasn't part of the main event at all until she did that.
"Thank you," she said, bowing slightly. "I look forward to learning your decision."
John waited until they were out of the village and on the path back to the jumper before he said, "I swear to God, McKay, if you fucked up this deal . . ."
"What? What? I was expressing appreciation for the quality of the food," he said, but Teyla swung around and stared at them. "What?" Rodney said again, but in a much smaller voice. Okay. The respect they all have for Teyla in this? Bordering on intimidated? It's perfect.
"I believe you well know what," she said. "Colonel Sheppard, when we return for negotiations, I wish Major Lorne to fly." It's like traveling with a sideshow. Small dogs playing musical instruments, or something.
"I'll fly," John said, embarrassed. "But I'll stay with the jumper."
They returned to Atlantis without further discussion. Their briefing with Weir took only a little time, and they scheduled the return in three of the Phogen's days. Then John went for a long run, thinking over what had happened.
* * *
Nine hundred rounds per minute made a hideous noise, one that John never really got used to, but it peeled through the Enota armored vests like a hot knife through butter, so he loved his P 90 despite the racket. High-powered projectiles trumped energy weapons any day, he believed, watching the Enota fall before him. Rodney lay on the ground next to him, firing as well; his time on the target range had been well spent. "Why does this keep happening?" Rodney shouted at him.
John didn't bother answer because he saw Ronon to their left; the Enota quickly realized they were in their crossfire and fell back. "Thank God," he said, and grabbed Rodney by his pack, pulling him backwards. "Go, go, go!" he shouted, and the four of them were quickly back at the jumper. They were back at the gate within twenty minutes, and five minutes later they were in Atlantis.
"Off the list," John told Elizabeth.
"Bummer," Ronon said. Everyone looked at him. But the idiom goes otherwise unremarked.
"Uh, yeah," John concurred. "They didn't care to trade with us. No explanation."
"Fear, I believe," Teyla said, still looking at Ronon. Because she suspects he was a cause of that fear, or because she still can't figure out why he's saying words like 'bummer'?
"Of?" Elizabeth asked.
"The unknown. I have heard that they only reluctantly accept strangers. They are afraid others will draw the Wraith."
"It's a wise fear," Rodney said. "You have to admit, we've all been fooled. I'm thinking the Genii are a good example. Or rather, a bad example."
"You're being understanding about them shooting at you?" John asked.
"Not in the least. I need a good stiff drink to recover, and Carson should check my blood pressure and probably do an EKG. But not appreciating being shot at doesn't mean I don't understand why they were shooting." He studied John. "I'd shoot you myself."
John opened his mouth to respond, but Elizabeth raised a hand, asking for quiet. I think Rodney knows exactly what he's doing. I'm not exactly sure what he's doing, though.
"Rodney's right," she said. "A visit to the infirmary is next, then we'll have a more formal debriefing, and begin work on our next attempt to find trading partners and allies." Elizabeth sighed, and John thought she looked tired. "I'm glad you survived. Let's keep up the good work."
"All right, people," John said, and started herding them toward the infirmary.
* * *
The almost disconnected scenes in this work really well for me. They're slices of life, quick, like memories. "No, no, no, no, no!" Rodney shouted. John stopped and turned. The noise was coming from a room not far from him; he could see light spilling out into the corridor. He debated whether he should intervene, but quickly realized that he was just curious why Rodney was shouting this time. Rodney tended to raise his voice more than any department head should, and certainly more than John believed Rodney's staff deserved, but he also took their precarious situation here in the Pegasus Galaxy very seriously. John sighed, and tapped his fingers against his thigh. When nothing more happened, he decided to let it go.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when Rodney's voice burst into his headset: "Colonel Sheppard! We're in the, oh, shit, where are we?"
Radek said, "We're in the big room found last week, on the lower levels --"
"I know where you are," John interrupted as he sprinted back and around the corner. He slammed to a stop, bumping into Rodney and Radek. "Jesus." It isn't explained, what John's doing there. Lurking? Out for a walk? Out for a run? Taking the scenic route? I like the way he pauses, though, waiting to see that everything is alright, even though he figures it's probably just McKay making noise for the sake of noise. Because it might not just be bluster, and John does know that Rodney takes it seriously, has a solid perspective on what's dangerous and what isn't, at least where the thing endangered might be the city.
Water was rising quickly; the three of them backed up. "Shut the door, shut the door," Radek said nervously, tugging at John's arm.
"Where's it coming from? What were you doing?"
"Think it off," Rodney snapped; he spread his arms and pushed the two men back toward the corridor. "Off, off, off; it's draining power, Colonel."
"I'm thinking," John said. "Stop pushing me." They stood still for a moment and he thought off as loudly and clearly as he could. The water continued to rise. "Shit," he said and started backing up again, pulling Rodney and Radek with him. The idea of thinking 'on' and 'off' at stuff, how do you ever tell if you're doing it right? I mean, if it reacts, sure. But how do you tell the difference between not doing it right and the thing being broken?
"We were not doing anything," Radek said. "We were discussing whether this room should be converted into a storage room for botany. Some of their plants are taking over in the space we've allocated them."
"You didn't touch anything?" John asked Radek.
"I remind you that I do not have the gene, but no, I did not." Radek is remarkably patient with stupid questions.
"No, well, I don't think so. Radek?"
"Maybe that wall? We were talking about building a, what do you call it, the glass room?"
"For the brachysema, yes, it requires a greenhouse."
"Greenhouse, yes, that is the word. John --"
"Rodney, you were thinking greenhouse when you touched the wall?"
"Ah, yes, greenhouse. Radek --"
"Not greenhouse, no, remember? You said 'bell jar,' and I said what is that and you said a book by a dead poet and I said --"
"You said Atlantis would never forgive my pun, and I thought about drowning. Oh, shit." The idea that Rodney's fear of drowning (his damned well-founded fear of drowning) could actual drown him? Well. That would suck.
"Okay, Rodney, think about not drowning. Think off."
"I've been thinking off! Off! Off!" Rodney shouted at the wall. The sound of rushing water stopped. "Oh. I thought I'd been thinking off." See what I mean?
"And why would Atlantis listen to you but not the colonel?"
They turned to look at John. "What? I'm thinking off!"
"Not hard enough, obviously." They turned back to study the water. "Is it draining?"
John approached it, walking into it up to his ankles. "You know what? I think this is some kind of greenroom. Look at the things here."
Rodney and Radek peered over his shoulder. "Like planters, only built into the floor," Rodney said.
John waded in deeper. "Look at this," he said, and turned a valve. The water instantly began draining. "So the drainage is just mechanical? One of you must have touched something, to get the water started." Maybe to initialize the mechanism so it could be started, but I can't see how you could turn it off with your brain if it weren't initially turned on with your brain. Or was it an auto-shutoff? And the water stopping at the same time that Rodney was shouting was coincidence?
"Maybe," Rodney said, and Radek shrugged.
"We need to tell Dr. Summers. She will like this room," Radek said.
Rodney nodded. "That stuff she's trying to grow in the little lab, in pots of water."
"Yes, the pretty blue spiky flowers. She says they contains aporphine." They grinned at each other.
John said, "Should I be concerned about what aporphine is?"
"Not in the least," Rodney said firmly, so John made a mental note to look it up as soon as he could. "Thank you, Colonel, for your assistance, but I believe we have this under control."
"Aporphine, aporphine, aporphine," John chanted under his breath as he headed out to the pier to meet Ronon for a run, not something he wanted to forget. Was he really headed to the pier via the lower levels? Oh, John, you're so weird. Also, I love that he's trying to memorize the word, just because Rodney wouldn't pony up an explanation.
* * *
John threw himself backwards onto his bed. It was good to be home, with his surfboard, his pictures, his poster, his big window looking out onto the ocean surrounding Atlantis. The SGC scared him; Earth scared him. He'd been ordered back to the SGC and had spent his entire time there terrified that they were going to relieve him of his duties in Atlantis. One of the other many reasons I love this story so much is because I love this, too. John thinking about how hugely important Atlantis is to him, how he'd do anything for the city, and how torn up he gets imagining that someone would be able to take him away from it and he'd be powerless, unable to stay.
He knew that no one on Earth had ever intended he assume responsibility for the security of Atlantis. No one who looked at his record would put him in charge of cleaning toilets, let alone an entire flying city. With the Daedalus making a return to Earth possible, he'd begun to live in fear of being recalled. He would give up his position and happily peel potatoes, if only they let him remain on Atlantis.
He sighed. This time he'd escaped. General O'Neill was pretty cool, even though his sense of humor freaked John out. I don't really get O'Neill. I think I haven't been exposed to him enough. And yeah, he does seem to have a really unpredictable, surreal sense of humor. But I think it's exactly that sense of humor that's keeping John in place and in charge. That and what seems to be O'Neill's pretty highly developed sense of fair play. And the way he continually forbid Dr. Jackson to spend time in Atlantis increased John's fears; he didn't seem to understand how important it was for some people to be here. Or to be away from Earth; John didn't know Dr. Jackson at all, but in his own case, he knew it was both. He loved Atlantis. I think John's missing something here, as an outsider. I think most of the forbidding O'Neill does is an extended joke between friends. I think Jackson, if he really wanted to push it, could join the expedition. But instead the idea is something to feud over, in a comfortable way.
"And you love me, don't you, girl," he murmured, reaching over his head to stroke the wall. A soft chime let him know someone had tracked him down. "Yeah?"
The door slid open to reveal Rodney. "Welcome back."
"Hey. Good to see you. Atlantis still in one piece?"
"One very big piece, yes. How was the trip home?"
"They let me come back; that's all I care about."
"Well, I suppose it would be maudlin of me to admit that I'm glad they let you come back, too."
"Not sure about maudlin, but sappy, yeah." Well, maybe. But what neither of them points out is that it would also be pretty inconvenient for Rodney if Sheppard were replaced. Not that anything necessarily bad would happen (other than losing a friend-by-proximity, and someone you trust), but the need to figure out how to work with someone new, reevaluate procedures, all of that crap. But I kind of like that neither of them say that.
"Then I never said it." They grinned at each other, and Rodney shifted his feet. "Ah, I have something for you. I know you like Johnny Cash," and he gestured at the poster, "and that there's a movie coming out about him."
"Yeah, that's the only reason I didn't want to come back. It's opened by now."
"Well, check your email." Oh Rodney. You sly dog. You and your power over time and space and bittorrent.
"Just. You know." Rodney looked a little flustered, so John got up and opened his laptop, booting it up. "I should go." Yeah. So he doesn't have to get flustered by John saying thank you.
"No, Rodney, stay. Sit down. Hey, I brought beer back."
"Is that legal?" John raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. It isn't Molson's, is it?" Yeah yeah, legal smegal. John is the law. Just not the man.
"Check it out. Open, uh, that box, the, yeah, that one." He watched Rodney pry up the tape and open the box. "See, I packed it in dry ice." To keep it cold the whole time? I bet there are issues with shipping beer to another galaxy. I mean, they used to have a hell of a time just getting it as far as India from Britain without having it go off. And sure, the Daedalus probably has cargo holds where the cargo can't tell it isn't in the back of a truck, but hyperspace. I bet that does stuff to stuff. (Stuff to stuff = I am not an astrophysicist.)
Smoke from the dry ice coiled into the air, and Rodney grinned at him. "Coors, MGD, Molson, Labatt Blue, and Pivovarsky Dvur. What else did you bring back?" Criminy. Is John buttering up everyone? Does no one ever get a hankering for a local microbrew in the Pegasus galaxy, by the way? Or something dark? When I'm posted to Atlantis, please mail me some damn porter. Or maybe a nice oatmeal-coffee stout.
"Can't spoil my fun, Rodney. One surprise at a time. Okay, so I'm looking at my email and shit, but there's a lot of it."
"Something from me, with a huge attachment." That Rodney can do that is actually a pretty good argument that he's the sysadmin. Or maybe just that the sysadmin knows better than to put limits on Rodney's stuff. No reason to borrow trouble.
John sorted the email by sender. "Rodney, you really did miss me. What did you do, send me an email a day?"
"I'd like to point out that most of them are summaries of the progress we've made in exploring Atlantis while you're away, successful trading agreements we've come to, and an invitation to the opening of Dr. Summers' new greenhouse."
"And one with a really big attachment. Hey, how --" He turned to look at Rodney, who gulped at his Molson's. "It wasn't even released in theatres when I left Earth." CAN MANIPULATE THE SPACETIME CONTINUUM.
"Yes, well, these things are always available somewhere. I knew you'd miss it and you certainly don't have the ability to torrent it yourself, so." He shrugged. "It's a welcome home gift."
"Rodney, I don't know what to say."
"No, no, not Windows Media Player, for God's sake. I made sure that everybody's profile includes VLC; launch it and then watch the movie." Heh.
John really didn't know what to say, so he just launched VLC and navigated to Walk the Line. "Thanks," he said, staring into the monitor. "You, ah, you want to stay and watch?"
"No, I'll let you and Johnny alone for this. Maybe after you've seen it, if you think it's any good."
"Really, thanks. This means a lot."
"Well, Molson's means a lot to me, so let's call it even."
John watched as Rodney left. Then he carried the laptop to the bed and flopped down again. It was good to be home.
* * *
John was cold. Really, really cold. "Cold," he murmured to Rodney, whose face for some reason was right next to his.
"I know, Colonel; that's why we're leaving. Too damned cold here."
"Yup." The sky above them appeared to be bouncing.
"How's he doing?" Carson asked.
"He's cold," Rodney panted, and John realized that he was being carried; Rodney had his head and shoulders and that was Ronon at his feet. "Hurry, dammit." This reminds me a lot of ltlj's Typical Day, with John injured and confused, but with the reader still dependent on him for the story.
"Give him to me," Ronon said. They slowed so Rodney could awkwardly shift John to Ronon. John heard himself creak, the air pushed from his lungs.
"Go, go," Rodney said, his hand sliding down John's neck and back. "Carson, I -- be waiting in the gateroom," John heard Rodney say, and realized that Carson wasn't here at all, but back in Atlantis on the radio. He watched Ronon's hair move, and beyond it, the heavy clouds.
"Gonna rain," he tried to say, but Ronon ignored him. He closed his eyes, feeling a little motion sick. When Ronon slowed, he opened them again; Teyla's face appeared hovering above him, an angel stroking his hair. Outside, rain began to fall; he could hear it on the skin of the puddlejumper, and Rodney jumped inside, drenched. So Ronon and John beat the rain, but Rodney was far enough behind to get caught.
"I'll get us home, Colonel," he heard Rodney say as Ronon settled him in the back, on the padded bench, and Teyla wrapped a thermal blanket around him. "Strap him in; you know I'm not that good a pilot," Rodney called back to them. "Thank God for inertial dampeners."
"Gate's open, McKay; just go," Ronon said, his arms still around John. He was warm and dry and with his team.
"Just go, yes, of course, why didn't I think of that." John tried to tilt his head back so he could see Rodney in the cockpit, but Ronon held him firmly. Rodney continued to mutter to himself, and the inertial dampeners really did dampen, but John was pretty sure they were underway. I would imagine John might have a tenuous connection to the jumper even away from the interface.
"What happened?" he asked Ronon.
"You didn't duck."
Well, that didn't sound good. "Am I shot? Where?" he tried to ask, but he was so tired. Why couldn't he remember? What kind of weapons had they been using? He opened his eyes again when Ronon lifted him up; John hated feeling so helpless, but his arms and legs felt so heavy. He saw they were back in Atlantis, and Carson's worried face was suspended above him. "Hey, doc," he murmured. John loses a lot of time in this piece of the story, but all the stuff that he's mentally present for lags and slows because he's not quite connected to it.
"Shh, John," Carson said kindly. "Let's get you to the infirmary. Rodney, tell me what happened."
"What happened? Have you been struck blind? He's been shot with that thing they carried. Teyla, what was that thing?" I love this line. It carries zero information, and I love it so much.
The ceiling began to move, lights flashing, and beneath him, John could hear the ocean surge. Subterraneous rivers pulsed, and he smiled at the thought that he was in a floating, flying city. City of dreams.
"Stay with us, Colonel," Carson said. "Rodney --"
"Yes, yes, I've got him. Ronon, can you, yes, okay, Carson."
"Then on three: one, two, three."
John felt as though he were flying, the corridor lights zooming above him, and then he was settled in warm blankets, with Carson's face right next to his. "Hi," he tried to say. He realized they'd moved him to the infirmary.
"Shh, lad. Let's take a look at you." Carson's hands were gentle on John's head. "Scanner," he said to someone. "Now close your eyes, John. Let us do our job."
John obediently closed his eyes. "Water," he whispered, meaning Listen to the water running under and through Atlantis. Like a high-mountain brook, clean and shining in the sun. Except it was under the city, but John still envisioned white rapids glinting in the sun. He could hear it racing, splashing through the city. Sometimes it was warm, sometimes hot enough to steam, other times it was as cold as the mountain brook. Whatever was needed, Atlantis provided. He's so out of it, but just full of love for everyone. But especially full of love for the city.
He must have slept, because when he next opened his eyes, it was dark and there was a needle stuck into the back of his left hand leading to a drip. Monitors glowed green and beeped softly around him. He remembered that Rodney had told Carson he'd been shot. He felt bruised and battered everywhere, but especially his head, which felt swollen and tender, as if someone had kicked it; he wondered if this was what a migraine felt like. It's almost shocking, the contrast between John muddled and then this hard, aching coherence.
"Hey," Rodney said.
"Hey. Where'd you come from?"
"Uh, actually I've been here all night; just stepped into the men's room. Let me get Carson."
"No, Rodney, don't --"
"Yes, Rodney, do," Carson said. He leaned over John, smiling affectionately at him. "Your color is better, your temperature normal, this is all good. How's your head?"
"Well, yes, I expect it will. Let me put something in the drip to help with that. Just a minute." Carson left, revealing Rodney standing awkwardly, with his hands behind his back. When Carson returned, he said, "Rodney, either sit down or go to bed."
"I'll just, I'll sit." He sat; John rolled his head carefully to one side to watch him. In the dark, he could barely see Rodney's face, just his eyes and a cheekbone.
"What happened?"
"The usual. Not only were they not interested in becoming allies, they took exception to our presence on the planet. That happens with alarming frequency. I don't think SG1 had such bad luck. They had more freaky luck. This is the Bad Luck Galaxy, I think we should name it. And you're the Bad Luck Colonel."
"That makes you the Bad Luck Astrophysicist," John tried to say, but gave up. They're like the dead-end kids.
Rodney stood up and walked to him, hands nervously clasping and unclasping the railings to his bed. "You're going to be okay, right?"
"Course," John said, putting his hand over his face.
"John," Rodney whispered, and rested his own hand on top of John's. Together their hands blocked the light, and the weight and heat felt good. "Carson, please. He's miserable. I know you're a geneticist, not a family practitioner, but surely you can do something for him." Rodney is so freaked out by Sheppard's pain. Which I can totally see. Actually I can totally see him being freaked out by anyone's pain, because there isn't really anything he can do to fix it.
"This will help," Carson said. "Lie still, John. Let this take effect."
"What was it?" he asked again.
"A weapon your military would love to get its hands on," Rodney said. "It fired pulsed energy projectiles. Knocked you on your ass, paralyzed you long enough to give your team heart failure, and put you in here for a day."
"Wow. We do need that." It's a sort of appalled envy.
"Go to sleep," Carson said. "Rodney, don't keep him up. Sit or go to your quarters and sleep. I'll be kipping in my office."
"Thanks, Carson," Rodney said. He sat back down and sighed. Carson patted John's hand, the one without a needle, and disappeared. Rodney hooked his foot in another chair and dragged it toward him, then rested both feet on it and crossed his arms. "Sleep," he told John. "I am."
"Go to your room, Rodney," John tried to say, but between the pulse weapon and Carson's drugs, he was again defeated. He watched Rodney for a while, as his eyes closed and he finally fell asleep.
* * *
John finished his run, panting and sweating more than usual. The pulse weapon that had been used on him had left him sore and a bit fragile, not that he'd ever admit that to anyone, especially not to Carson. He leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze cool him while he caught his breath. He wiped himself down with his tee shirt and re-entered the corridors of Atlantis, walking slowly on wobbly legs. Maybe he'd overdone it. She doesn't quite say how long it's been here, just that the recovery isn't as easy as John would like.
Ahead of him, he saw light and heard voices. In fact, he heard Rodney's unmistakable voice, and Radek's, and Simpson's, and Summers', and finally Parrish's in the room they'd decided to call a greenhouse, though how an interior room could be a greenhouse, John wasn't sure.
"Nymphaea blue capensis," Rodney was saying over Summers' voice; she insisted, "No, it's nymphaea caerulea." Oh, Rodney. Knowing just about everything about just about everything.
"Are you sure? How can you be sure? I mean, look at them." There was a silence as they presumably looked at them. John peeked around the corner into the room.
"They're neither," Radek said firmly. "We're in Pegasus Galaxy, yes? So neither."
"Nymphaea caerulea pegasus, then," Dr. Summers said.
"And you think this stuff contains aporphine?" Kavanagh said. "Is that even legal?" All the other scientists stared at him. "Point taken," he said. "We're in the Pegasus Galaxy." Where John is the law. Also, come on, Kavanagh. If the FDA has no sway, I'm thinking the narcotics squads aren't about to show up, either.
"I've tested it, and it's fine," Summers said. "It's best hot with honey, like this." She handed out little cups and then poured something from one of the oversized thermoses usually kept in the mess hall. "Not too much. Rodney, there's not a hint of citrus in this, but only take one sip for now, okay?" I just fell in love with Summers a little bit, there. Protective of Rodney and his crazy allergies. Though in my head, she sadly looks a bit like Jamie Sommers. And not at all like Dawn Summers.
"Shouldn't one of us stay, ah, sober?" Parrish asked.
"My one sip will guarantee that," Rodney said, and gulped his portion down. John leaned against the door and watched as the others sipped. I like that John doesn't exactly know what's going on, but knows enough to be curious, and chooses to hang back and watch over them. It doesn't seem quite like spying, maybe because there's no malice in it.
"Bitter," Radek said, making a face. "More honey, please."
"Me, too," Kavanagh said, holding out his cup.
"I thought you were supposed to smoke it," Simpson said. "It's supposed to make you feel joyful."
"More," Rodney said, holding out his cup. "I don't feel anything, no swelling or odd taste."
Summers poured him a bit more. "Add honey," she reminded him. To Simpson, she said, "I tried smoking it, too, but this has a mellower effect, I think. It takes longer to come onto it, but it's a gentler high." Also, drinking it is a hell of a lot less detectable on your clothes.
"I smoked blue lotus on Earth once," Parrish said. "Back in college. A very mellow high." He sipped at his cup. "Seems metaphorical, that it's so bitter and sweet at the same time."
John really wanted to ask for a cup of whatever they were trying, but he was sure they'd be upset at his presence. He stepped back so they couldn't see him, and then slid down to rest his legs while he eavesdropped. If anything went wrong, he'd be there to help. Poor invalid John and his achy legs. And his unwillingness to let his presence bother them.
"Oh, my," Radek said. "I think -- Rodney, I never noticed before how very pointed your nose is." He started to laugh. It is very pointed. Very charmingly pointed.
"Shut up," Rodney said, predictably, but he started to laugh, too, and then the others, even Kavanagh. John heard a thump; he peered around the corner to see Summers roll backwards, and then the other scientists sat suddenly; they yawned and laughed and smiled at each other. "I hate your pony-tail," Rodney said to Kavanagh. "Why do you wear it?"
"I like it," he said, fondling it.
"You totally should cut it off," Summers said, looking earnestly at it. "Just, whack, it's gone. Really, you'd be much better looking." Yeah, he'd look really good without it. Though it would also help if he could tone down being a prick. Thinking about Kavanagh makes me sad, though, because there's no effort to make him anything but a cardboard villain. It makes me disappointed.
"No, I like it," Miko said, and everyone turned to look at where she was lying on the ground. "Very unusual in Atlantis. Don't lose it."
"No, I wouldn't," Kavanagh said, clutching it and scooting away from Summers and Rodney. Then again, I honestly don't think Rodney is a big enough asshole to cut someone's hair off without their permission. Or to let anyone else do it.
"Name, name, I've forgotten your name," Rodney said to Summers.
"Not your surname; your given name."
"Oh, God, Rodney, please don't make me tell you. It's a form of child abuse."
"I know what it is," Radek said, setting down his cup and rubbing his eyes. "She's right. Child abuse. Bad name for a girl."
"What? Kevin? Johannes?" Kevin is an adorable name for a girl! Also it makes me think of Skinny Puppy.
Summers shook her head, then put a hand to her forehead. "Dizzy." She lay down.
"Your name is not Dizzy. I'll just look in your file," Rodney said, lying down with his head in Radek's lap. Rodney co-opts the laps of his minions by divine right.
"Aphrodite," Radek said, stroking Rodney's hair. "Her parents named her Aphrodite." Except that he totally doesn't, I'm being facetious. They're just all quietly cuddly.
"Shit, I'm sorry," Rodney said. "I promise never to call you anything but Summers."
"Thank you, Dr. McKay," she said, sighing. "I'll never call you an asshole again." Heh.
John smiled to himself; he bet she did, too, despite her promise. Because she will undoubtedly have good reason. He sat for a while longer, until they started to wake up again. "Very nice," Radek said. "I think we remember this for next time."
"Good work, Summers," Rodney said, yawning. "Radek, gain some weight. Your knees are bony."
"Get up, Rodney. We have work, remember?"
"God, yes. Real work, not super-secret testing of an empathogen."
"Empathogen," Kavanagh said. "Em-paaaaath-ogen."
"I think you drank too much tea," Summers said. "Okay, everybody up. Let's clean up before someone finds us and assumes we had an orgy."
"Ick," Miko said very clearly, and then giggled. And I love this! Well, I love Miko with very little encouragement, but I love that this totally could have turned orgy in some stories but then it's made really clear that it isn't in any way like that. And I love that it points out the fact that you can loll around on the floor with a bunch of people, petting each other, and still have absolutely no desire to have sex with them.
When John saw they were all on their feet again, tidying the greenhouse, discussing the alkaloids in the caerulea, whether they should try smoking it next time, or adding it to brownies, which Rodney voted for, he silently left, smiling to himself. Mmmmmmm, brownies. He wondered if Rodney would give him a brownie if he threatened to tell Elizabeth about the caerulea.
* * *
"Oh, dear," Rodney said, gritting his teeth. Teyla bit her lip, and nodded, leaning forward over the table. They were alone for the moment, seated in a little cubicle at one end of the tavern where they'd just had dinner, the leftovers still on the table.
Ronon farted, long and loud. "Ah," he said, and farted again.
"Jesus, Ronon," John said, but he was both miserable and envious. "Is that permissible where you're from?"
Ronon farted again. Hahahaha. Oh, man. Ronon's a practical guy.
"Okay, I give up," Rodney said, shifting to one side so he too could bleat out a fart. Oh god.
"Rodney!" John said, but he started to laugh, and then lost control and, "Oops," he said. Rodney laughed at him, farting, which made John fart harder, and Ronon trumpeted again.
"Oh!" Teyla said. "Excuse me, please," she called over her shoulder as she scrambled out of the room, making squeaking noises with each step. Teyla's poor dignity.
"Okay, we need to find out what food gave us wind and bring as much back as possible," Rodney said. "We can power the stargate with it." He farted, a juicy bubbling sound. "Seriously," Rodney continued. "Imagine everyone in Atlantis breaking wind. If we could funnel it into wind turbines, think of the kilowatts we could generate. It's the ultimate renewal resource, a mega-watt utility-scale system."
"How serious are you?" John asked.
"Not in the least," he said. "What did we eat?" See, John is almost really asking, because there is almost a possibility that Rodney really is serious. It's a pretty tiny almost possibility, but still.
"The freta," Ronan said, pointing at bowl containing the soggy remnants of what John had thought was over-cooked cabbage. "Well-known for this." So if he thought it was overcooked cabbage, he must not have eaten much. Unless he likes overcooked cabbage. I sort of do, so.
"But it was good," Rodney protested, poking at it with a spoon.
"Please don't eat any more of it," John said. "Seriously. Leave it alone."
"Is there anything in our packs for this?" Rodney asked. "A remedy for flatulence?"
"Celery seeds," Ronon said. "Cider vinegar. Ginger root."
"Oh, all of which I'm sure you carry with you."
Ronon opened his pack and pulled out a small bag, then poured a small pile of brownish seeds into Rodney's hand. "Chew," he said, and popped a handful into his mouth. I have so much love for the fact that Ronon is prepared. And then even more love for the fact that he knew what they were eating, and could have warned them. Or at the very least given them the seeds earlier, rather than waiting to be asked. Oh Ronon. You prankster.
John put his own hand out for some of the seeds. His stomach was cramping a little, and he felt bloated. "No good will come out of this," he told them, folding himself in half before he could start chewing on the seeds.
"I think it'll come out all right in the end," Rodney said, chewing the seeds maniacally. "Oh." He stood up and almost ran out the door. You just don't tempt fate like that. And by fate, I mean your intestines.
"I think," John said, and tried to rise. "Oh." Ronon helped John up and out the door. "Bush, bush, I need a very private bush," John said.
"You should have asked for the seeds sooner," Ronon said, but obediently half-carried him away from the building into the dark countryside. Ronon, you evil, evil man.
"Yeah, here, I'll be fine, go, go someplace you can't hear me, okay?" Ronon looked at him. John paused with his hands at his belt. "Go!" he ordered.
"Not over here!" Rodney shouted in the dark. "Go somewhere else!"
Ronon looked confused, scratched his head, and walked away, trailing farts around the building. In the distance, John heard Teyla shout, but he was too relieved to pay any attention to his team.
"No more freta!" Rodney shouted. "Never! I don't care what they offer!" But it was delicious!
"Shut up, Rodney," John shouted, glad it was dark. He hoped the inhabitants of this village and the owners of the tavern were a forgiving people. Yeah, they're going to need to be. They've got some stinky shrubbery now, I suspect.
* * *
John kept his P 90 trained on the assholes. Next to him, Ronon loomed, holding his energy weapon on them, and beyond her, Teyla stood, feet apart, arms extended, her pistol aimed at their leader's head, just behind his left ear. "This is a stalemate," he said. This is the second time a section starts with a P 90. It's an immediate signal of a fraught situation.
"No, it's not," John said, not looking at him. "It's a fucking massacre. Now, how many more of your people do you want to see die before you end this and give back Dr. McKay?"
"It's not that simple --" he started, but Ronon fired, and the man next to him dropped. Blood pooled behind his head; the leader scooted back his foot so it wouldn't touch his shoe. So I didn't quite believe the stakes were that high, either. So it isn't a fraught situation - it's a desperate situation.
"I believe it is just that simple," John said.
"Colonel," Lorne said.
"Welcome, Major. We're about to kill a lot of people; did you bring plenty of ammunition?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Lorne said enthusiastically; John wondered how much was an act and how much Lorne really wanted to kill these fuckers. 50/50?
"All right, then. One last time," John said. The others' faces turned toward him, their eyes enormous. Some were weeping, others looked furious. One or two looked resigned. The mixture of reactions is good, and it makes the mystery of the lead-in to the whole situation even more dense.
But one was pointing at something. Trying to be discreet, but clearly pointing, even tipping his head to John's left. They were in an enormous warehouse, filled with shelving loaded with unlabeled boxes. They guy pointed again; was Rodney in a box? Had they stuffed him in a box? What, were they going to ship him someplace?
"Stand up," he said to the leader, whose name he'd never caught. "Stand up, Goddammit!" Ronon jerked the guy to his feet, and John saw from the corner of his eye that he stepped into the blood. "Ronon, shoot his leg."
"No!" the guy screamed, but Ronon calmly shot him through the right calf. He fell into the blood, his own mixing with it. "I had to, I had to, just as much as you, don't you see?"
John shot rounds over the others' heads, so bits of the ceiling came flaking down, a macabre snow mixing with the blood on the stained cement floor. "Everybody out," he shouted. Some turned and ran, others backed away, but the one who'd been pointing moved very slowly until he was standing in front of a rack of shelving. He pointed again, then turned and ran. Terrified, but doing the right thing anyway.
When the warehouse was empty except for his team, the wounded leader, and the dead, John worked his way around the blood and bodies to the shelving. He tapped on the boxes, but they sounded full, and they were all too small. Slinging his P 90 behind him, he pulled out a box from the lower shelf; behind it was an opening. "Lorne, you're with me. Ronon, don't let that guy go anywhere."
Lorne helped John shift the boxes to the floor so they could slide the shelving unit away. "McKay!" John shouted into the opening. "Rodney! It's me!" He listened intently, looking at Lorne, who shook his head. "We're going in."
"Colonel, Major, wait," someone said, and Parrish rushed up with two enormous flashlights. Okay, what's Parrish doing there? I mean, I love Parrish, I'm glad he's there. Is he the regular scientist on Lorne's team? Because if he's team, that makes sense. But if not, well, what use is a botanist? Though he certainly came through with the flashlights.
"Bring him back," he told them. "He's such a pain in the ass, but Atlantis wouldn't be Atlantis without him."
John thought those were the truest words he'd heard in months. He nodded, grasped his weapon more firmly, and turned on the flashlight.
The tunnel was damp, with mold growing up the sides and spider webs clinging from the ceiling. Yick. Rodney would hate this, John thought, moving slowly. Despite the size of the lights Parrish had given them, he couldn't see very far ahead; it was as though the darkness and moisture sucked up all the light. They came to a T-junction; around the corner and to the right was a cheap wooden door. He and Lorne stared at it for a minute, then John kicked it in. So it's a warren of hidden passages.
On the floor, bound, gagged, and blindfolded, lay a sodden Rodney McKay. His legs and arms were tied together behind him, so that his legs were bent at the knee. "Jesus, Rodney," John said. He handed Lorne his weapon and knelt on the sticky floor. "Hey, buddy," he said quietly, resting his hand on Rodney's carotid artery. A solid thumping reassured him, but Rodney's skin was cold and papery. Dehydrated, John knew. He gently pushed the blindfold off Rodney; those blue eyes, damp and red, caught the light Lorne held and stared accusingly up at John. "It's me," John said, as he removed the gag. It was wet and gluey in his hands. Rodney's face was blue with stubble, his hair matted, his uniform stained, and the smell of him assaulted John's nose as he cut through the knots holding Rodney. Oh, man. That's the trouble with secret passages - you can't properly take care of the things you hide there without giving them away. What a horror.
At last, he was able to say, "Can you stand? Can you get up? Lean on me, okay?" as he got Rodney to his feet. Rodney swayed and his eyes rolled up, but John had him firmly and wasn't going to let him hit that disgusting floor again. "I've got you," he whispered into Rodney's ear, and then, to his surprise, kissed the top of his head. I think I might do that, too. Even if I didn't love Rodney. It's protective, comforting. Rodney opened his eyes and looked steadily at John. "Say something," John said. "Yell at me. Kick my ass for taking so long."
Rodney looked as cranky as John remembered. "Water," he said, so John pulled out his canteen and helped him sip at it; Rodney leaned heavily against him. "Go," he said.
Lorne stepped back into the hallway for a moment. "All clear," he shouted. For a moment more, John stood with Rodney pressed against him, his body as chill as a corpse. He hugged Rodney tightly, their faces touching, Rodney's sour breath and body odor bitter reminders of how he'd been treated these last three days. "Colonel? Should I send a team?"
"No," Rodney called, his voice hoarse and breaking as he pulled away from John. "We're coming." John stared into his eyes and lightly touched Rodney's face. He kept one arm around Rodney's waist as he helped him walk out of his prison. They need a minute, and probably a team to help Rodney out of there isn't a bad idea, but also, walking out is important. Walking out with as little help as possible, and that only from one of the people closest to him.
When they reached the warehouse, John pulled his sidearm out and shot the leader in the head. Then they left, taking Rodney home. That's satisfying, and probably does need to happen. And I believe John would do it. But I'm not sure Weir would sanction it. That said, I kind of don't think anyone is going to mention it in their reports. At least not in that matter-of-fact execution way.
* * *
"You know what I miss?" John asked Rodney as he barged into John's quarters. "The sound of a car door slamming. You know that thump of a well-built door being shut?" How great is it that Rodney's the one barging in, but John is already mid-conversation with him?
"What? Here, I brought you some brownies." Mmmmmmm brownies.
"Yeah, the sound of a car door. Because it's the sound of escape. Of getting away from everything. Going really fast to someplace really cool."
"Faster than a stargate? Cooler than another galaxy?"
"Okay, you have a point." John would miss the sound the 'gate makes, too.
John studied them. He'd bet good money that they had aporphine in them. 'Cause, you know, he looked it up. On the internet. That time he went back to Earth. He looked up at Rodney's face. "Have a seat. Tell me why you're bringing me brownies. Seems unlike you."
"Unlike me? Colonel, I'm wounded." Rodney set the paper plate down on John's night table and sat in the only chair; John was lying on the bed watching Walk the Line again on his computer. I was actually really impressed by Reese Witherspoon in that.
"You never bring me sweets. You never bring anybody sweets. I bet you've never brought Colonel Carter sweets."
"Colonel Carter doesn't need sweets." Wait, what? She doesn't? Who doesn't need sweets?
"And I do?"
"Um. Can I have one of your brownies?" Translation: I need a brownie because I am freaking out over you questioning me.
"I'd prefer you wait." John put his hand over the brownies, protecting them from Rodney. "Have you had any yet?"
"Oddly, no. They're just out of the oven. Summers and Parrish made them." Okay, now I love Summers a little bit more. I can picture Parrish cooking brownies, too. I bet he knows his mom's recipe off by heart.
John studied Rodney's face. He was slightly red, maybe from rushing over, maybe from embarrassment. "Rodney, are you trying to seduce me?"
"What?" Rodney jumped up. "No, Colonel, I -- I'm just -- do you want me to try to seduce you?" Because the important thing is not to tell the truth, but to get the answer right.
"Are you?"
"Would you tell me if you were?"
"Ah. Well. Actually, no. Not if you asked." Oh, Rodney.
"Which I just did."
"Yes, you did. But no, of course not. Don't be ridiculous. Why would I try to seduce you?"
John stood up and stepped closer to Rodney. "You're sweating."
"I should go."
"No, don't. We haven't had any brownies yet."
"Are you going to?"
"If you want, yeah. Just not right now."
Rodney sat abruptly, looking up at John. He definitely was redder in the face, John thought. "Summers and Simpson say they're very good brownies," he said after a minute. John pulled the chair Rodney sat in toward the bed, then sat on the bed so their knees bumped. "Summers is a good cook," Rodney continued a little breathlessly. "Though I'm not sure if Parrish is." John leaned forward, looking into Rodney's eyes. "She also makes this tea . . ." Rodney is completely ready to spill. And it isn't just because he's flustered. He's also equivocating over doing this under false pretenses, slipping Sheppard roofies. Even though they aren't roofies at all, they just might encourage John to go with the flow a little. Rodney said, his voice trailing off. John leaned closer. He was teasing Rodney, but at the same time, it felt good to sit so close to him, to feel the warmth of Rodney's body, to study his face. "John," Rodney said softly, and leaned a centimeter closer.
I could kiss you, John thought, and it wasn't shocking or weird at all. It seemed easy. They'd done everything else by now -- bathed together in ritual ceremonies, performed the most intimate functions in front of each other out of necessity on uninhabited worlds, slept bundled together with inadequate shelter, fed each other by hand, comforted each other when injured, stood guard over each other when unconscious, saved each other's lives time and time again. What was a kiss between two people so bound? Yes. Exactly.
John kissed him. Rodney kissed him back, reaching for John, pulling at him, moaning into his mouth, eating him up. John had been prepared: this was Rodney, who never did anything by half measures. He tugged, and Rodney almost fell out of the chair and onto John, pushing him back onto his bed. "Okay, yes, I was going to try to seduce you, what gave it away?" Rodney whispered into his ear, making the hair on the back of John's neck rise and his skin prickle with excitement.
"The drugged brownies," he whispered back, licking Rodney's lips and into his mouth. "Which we are so going to eat after this." Let this be a lesson! You cannot keep secrets from John Sheppard, as he is the law.
"God, I love chocolate," Rodney said, grinding into John's hips, rubbing against him, groaning with pleasure. John thought his dick was on fire with friction; it felt so good. "Food of the gods."
"Yeah, theobromine," John moaned, "and aporphine."
"How the -- oh, oh, Christ," Rodney said. "Get your goddamn clothes off. If we're going to do this, let's do it right." Chemistry as dirty talk. Very nice.
That sounded good to John. They stripped, and John thought again how inevitable this seemed after all they'd been through. "Remember farting on that planet?"
"Remember the jam?"
"Remember swimming, but it was so salty it left us coated with brine?"
"Remember kneeling outside that temple for half a day while the priests decided whether or not we could come in to see if that was a ZPM?"
"Remember when those assholes kidnapped you?" He stared into Rodney's eyes, frozen in memory for a moment. Rodney stopped undressing and stared back. John remembered how blue his eyes had been in the flashlight, how pale and cold and quiet he'd been.
"I remember," Rodney said, quiet again for a moment. He dropped his eyes, but almost instantly raised his chin and looked defiantly at John, undressing again. His bravery made John smile, and his heart clutch in his chest. Because Rodney doesn't do things by half-measures, it's true. He commits, he throws himself into things, then screens it all with bluster. But he can't bluster here, it's too intimate a moment. And it isn't intimate because they're taking their clothes off (not that undressing makes it less intimate, either) but because they're sharing memories, little and big. Their lives, twisted up together already.
By now they were naked, and John pulled Rodney back onto the bed. He ran his hands down Rodney's body. "I can't believe we haven't done this yet, after everything that's happened."
"I'm sorry I tried to drug you first," Rodney said. "I really, really wanted to do this, but I didn't think you would sober."
"I can't believe someone so smart can be so dumb." Word.
"How did you know about the aporphine?"
"Atlantis loves me," John whispered, mouthing Rodney's throat, biting at his chin. "Everybody loves me." hee. Making Rodney think he's gone all Big Brother.
"You're such an arrogant shit," Rodney said, then kissed John again, harder, as if making a point. He slid his hand between them and grabbed John's dick. "Finally," he said. "Finally."
"Yeah," John said. Rodney pulled harder at John's dick, and John heard himself groan and gasp. "I want -- I want you to --" he panted.
"Yeah, me, too," Rodney said, and they maneuvered awkwardly until Rodney could suck John into his mouth, and John was staring at Rodney's dick, darkly red and swollen. "Suck!" Rodney demanded, then put his mouth back on John. John sucked; Rodney's wasn't the first dick he'd had in his mouth, but it was the first in years and years. Around him, Atlantis shuddered, or maybe that was him, but he felt settled into someplace new. Very fast and very cool, he thought, remembering the slam of car doors, the whoosh of the event horizon, the soundless thrill of a puddlejumper's rise to his silent command. So I'm like emotionally twelve, and can't really comment on sex scenes. Sorry. But that last line? It's perfect. Fantastic. Mira: thank you for writing this. Thank you for writing all of these. Thank you.
Mira: thank you for writing this. Thank you for writing all of these. Thank you.
(if you actually got through this, and wish to comment on my commentary, please feel free to do so here.)


text:
ICICI Bank UK – personal, business, corporate and investment banking
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subset: commoncrawl


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Volunteer Programs
Become a part of our dedicated team and make a genuine contribution to the conservation and care of our captive Australian wildlife and enhance the experience of visitors to our wildlife park.
We work with a number of International volunteer program agents from all over world, our volunteer program runs for 4, 6 and 8 weeks.
The program is extremely popular and is often booked months in advance, so we do recommend you plan ahead if you wish to participate.
You will have the opportunity to work closely with our keepers in all aspects of their roles and through proven ability and enthusiasm you may have the opportunity to assume responsibility for key tasks.
For more information check out our program here;
If you are interested in participating, you can contact the following agencies:
- Denmark – Travel ALOTT – Working Holiday
- Spain, Belgium, France, Italy and Switzerland – World Education Program (WEP)
- Britain and America's – Gap360
- Sweden and Norway – GoXplore
- Germany – AIFS Educational Travel
- France – Freepackers
Otherwise email us at email@example.com and we can put you in contact with the relevant agency to book your Aussie volunteer experience.
Interested in the volunteer program, but not sure what to expect? Jenny Pudney was a volunteer, check out the Vlogs they published on their experience.
"I was a volunteer in the park, and it is the best job i have ever had, (even though it was for free) I just want to say thank you, for having the volunteer program." Anna Marie – Denmark
"I so miss being at the habitat and especially miss all the wonderful zookeepers who made my time there so incredible… thank you for a most incredible 6 weeks at your habitat, It was one of the best experiences of my life!" Paula- America
"I have had an amazing time volunteering and have met some amazing people and animals along the way. Thank you." Clare, UK.
Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with volunteer opportunities!


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Outlaw Golf Driver Outlaw Golf Driver
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Improving your overall golf swing will lead to vast improvements in your golf driver swing. Ping is a popular maker of golf products and has been for many years. The Ping G10 Golf Driver is one of the best all titanium drivers on the market. Although the Ping G10 Golf Driver looks a lot like the G2 and the G5 drivers that came before it it has some major differences in its construction and design. While making the G10 the Ping used Finite Element Analysis and other computer software to find the little details that would make a better driver. Ping took these things and applied them to the G10 to make it better than the G2 and G5. The Ping G10 Golf Driver has a deeper face which returns a larger area to hit with and greater ball speed on miss hits.
Kinds of drivers There are three golf driver types according to the material that they are made of: the alloy drivers stainless steel and forged titanium. Alloy golf drivers have shafts made of stainless steel or graphite and Ti Alloy heads. They are great for driving the ball into the first course. Stainless steel drivers on the other hand come with hard and strong heads and are the most common choices among the golf driver types. They have compact heads and are heavier than the alloy and titanium varieties. Finally there are the forged titanium drivers. These golf drivers are composed of titanium heads and shafts that are made of lightweight graphite.
Most Popular This Week
Those that offer a mix of balance durability and ease of use in all-titanium or combination of titanium and other non-metal materials emerge as popular options. Indeed golf drivers and other equipment that combine several characteristics from good shape and length to accuracy speed quality and value for money. A golf driver is a type of golf club that is used to hit the ball over long distances. It is also used when making approach shots from the rough. This golf club can set up your scoring shot into the green so its important to choose from among the many golf driver types and combinations that will suit your ability and your swing type.


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Riot, stop saying "soon", we want real answers
You already didn't keep your word, like you have always done, and fixed your "mistake" giving a new release date for solo queue: "soon". Now, i'm not here to complain at all, since this is a free to play game and there is no LUA that binds you in any way, but think for a second on what are you doing.. I think you understood, at this point, that flex queue is by all considered a useless-for-boosts-only queue, and people STOPPED playing league because they don't see the reason of wasting their time in a queue that won't be played by anyone anyways. Im not speaking about "amatorial" players, obviously, but about competitive and wanna-be competitive player, who represent the biggest slice of your community. Give us a date, or a range of dates, stop saying "soon", this just upsets people making them feeling flouted. I still have some love for you in my hearth, dont waste it!
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Clean technology, or also
known as Cleantech, is used to define a set of technologies that can reduces or
improves the use of natural resources, while at the same time reducing the harmful
effect of technology has on the earth and its ecosystems (Pirolini, 2015). Pirolini
(2015) also stated that, cleantech also used to describe products, processes or
services that reduce waste and require as few non-renewable resources as
possible for example, clean coal technology. Examples above explains how clean
technology is a part of the solutions and have a positive advantage in relation
to climate change and sustainable development. The investment community takes
clean technology as solutions to be economically practical and have the
potential to be profitable. On the other hand, the environmental groups and
governments focuses on the beneficial impacts of clean technology has on the
environment solutions and feels that it is more important than current
profitability calculations.
Solid waste management
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problems related to the wide consumption and depletion of natural resources and
the increasing output of wide-ranging types of waste are becoming more serious
nowadays. This can be caused by the economic development, industrialization and
increasing population (Ministry
of the Environment Japan, 2012). Therefore, the management of solid
waste has to be efficient enough to solve this problem other than limiting the
consumption of natural resources. Ministry of the Environment Japan has
invented some of leading Japanese waste disposal and recycling technologies
which is a cleantech to overcome this problem. The cleantech is used for the
solid waste management from the collection and transportation of waste to the disposal in landfills.
the collection and transport of waste, the Ministry of the Environment Japan
set up waste transfer stations to transfer from small or medium sized garbage
trucks to larger trucks. The transfer station method commonly adopted in Japan
is the compactor container transfer station. The compactor container able to
compress three of 2 ton trucks into only one container. The improvement in the
efficiency of collection and transport can directly reduce the cost while
maintaining or improving services to residents. Therefore, according to Ministry
of the Environment Japan (2012), transfer of waste to larger trucks at
transport stations improves transport efficiency, reduces cost, reduces fuel
consumption, and reduce CO2 emissions which contribute to the prevention of
global warming.
cleantech used in Japan's solid waste management is by incinerating garbage. It
is well known that incinerate municipal waste can generate SOx, HC1, NOx, smoke
and dioxin. Therefore, Ministry
of the Environment Japan has taken measures to prevent and reduce
dioxin generation by increasing furnace temperature when starting operation,
and maintain high temperature at the end of operation to completely burn waste.
Moreover, exhaust cooling is also installed
to prevent the re-synthesis of dioxin, application of bag filters installed to
eliminate dioxin contained in smoke systematically, and the activated coal is
developed, to adsorbs and eliminates dioxin in exhaust fumes and a catalyst
that decomposes dioxin (Ministry
of the Environment Japan, 2012).
in Japan, they use sanitary disposal technology with high-environment
preservation capability to dispose medical wastes. The risk of contaminated waste being
mixed with general waste increase the possibility of the spread of
contamination and a simple incineration of medical waste may generate hydrogen
chloride and dioxin. Thus, the Ministry of the Environment Japan set up
incinerator specifically for medical waste are to reduce dioxin content in the
gas emissions. In the incinerator, waste is broken down and fully disinfected
so that contagious pathogens cannot spread through the air. Next, gas
temperature in the incinerator is maintained at 800°C or higher, and when the
treatment capacity of the incinerator is less than 2t/hour, dioxin should be
5ng-TEQ/m3 or lower (Ministry
of the Environment Japan, 2012). The
collected bottles are cleaned, and caps and labels taken off to improve their
quality. The bottles are then compressed, bound and passed on to reproduction
Under the 3R policy (Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle), Japan has been collecting PET bottles, food trays, and cans
separately for reuse as recycle resources in the manufacturing of new products.
Relatively high-grade PET bottles are collected and remade into PET bottles or
other products with the high technology possessed by Japan. The collected
bottles are cleaned, and caps and labels taken off to improve their quality.
The bottles are then compressed, bound and passed on to reproduction
contractors to make recycle products such as shirts, carpets, bottles for
detergents, cosmetic containers, paper packs, containers and etc. To make new
PET bottles, collected bottles are washed, dissolved under high temperature and
filtered to reproduce high quality plastic resin. New PET bottles are made
using 50% recycled resin produced through the material recycle method and 50%
recycled resin produced through the chemical recycle method, for 100% recycled PET
bottles for beverages. Ministry
of the Environment Japan (2012) reported that this reproduction led to
an approximately 90% reduction in the use of petroleum-derived resources and a
60% reduction in CO2 emission.
Lastly, the last resort for
solid waste management is by disposal in landfill. Japan has invented a landfill
disposal technology that enables the stabilization of waste in a short time
using a semi-aerobic landfill which is sanitary and has no environmental
problem. The semi-aerobic landfill technology able to stabilize landfill sites rapidly
after the land has completed its role as landfill, allowing it to be used for other
function such as parks and open space for sports. In the semi-aerobic landfill,
of the Environment Japan (2012) stated that leachate collecting pipe is
arranged at the bottom of the landfill to remove leachate from the landfill, so
that leachate will not remain where waste is deposited and natural air is
brought in from the open pit of the leachate collecting pipe to the landfill
layer, which promotes aerobic decomposition of waste. This technologies can
effectively prevent global warming by enables early stabilization of waste,
prevents the generation of methane and also greenhouse gases.
Soil & ground water remediation
to EPA (2017), one of the method to clean up or remediate contaminated soil and
water is by using nanotechnology. Nanotechnology can be defined as the
understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and
100 nanometers, where unique occurrences allow different applications (Otto et al., 2008). Nano-sized particles have large
surface areas relative to their volumes and may have enhanced chemical and biological
reactivity. Nanotechnology holds promise in remediating sites cost effectively
and addressing challenging site conditions, such as the presence of dense nona-aqueous
phase liquids (DNAPL). Therefore, nanomaterials have been used to remediate
contaminated groundwater and subsurface source areas of contamination at
hazardous waste sites.
substances is used due to its properties such as elemental iron to degrade
chlorinated solvent plumes in groundwater and one of the example of an in situ
treatment tools for chlorinated solvent plumes is, the installation of a trench
filled with macroscale zero-valent iron to form a permeable reactive barrier
(PRB) (ITRC, 2005). Studies have found that, nanoscale zero- valent iron (nZVI)
may prove more effective and less costly than macroscale ZVI because it can degrade
trichloroethene (TCE), a common contaminant at Superfund sites, more rapidly
and completely than larger ZVI particles. Also, nZVI can be injected directly
into a contaminated aquifer, eliminating the need to dig a trench and install a
PRB. Research indicates that injecting nZVI particles into areas within
aquifers that are sources of chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination may result
in faster, more effective groundwater cleanups than traditional pump-and-treat
methods or PRBs (Otto et al., 2008).
iron particles can be altered to include catalysts such as palladium (Pd),
coatings such as polyelectrolyte or triblock polymers or can be encased in
emulsified vegetable oil droplets (Otto et al., 2008). Otto et al. (2008) further stated that to remediate the contaminations
in soil and groundwater, bi-metallic nanoscale particles (BBNPs) have been used
and it contain particles of elemental iron or other metals in conjunction with
a metal catalyst, such as platinum (Pt), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), and palladium.
The combination of metals in the BBNPs cause the increase of kinetics of the
oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction, thus catalyzing the reaction.
One of the example of
project that used nanotechnology and showed positive results at full scale is a
former fill area in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, which was treated with a
nanoiron water slurry. The groundwater at the site was contaminated with TCE
and associated daughter products, with an initial maximum volatile organic
compound (VOC) concentration of 1,600 micrograms per liter (?g/L). The nZVI was
then injected in two phases over a total of 30 days. The project reported that
post injection monitoring indicated a decrease in the concentration of
chlorinated contaminants of up to 90 percent. Currently the site is in the
monitoring phase (Varadhi, 2005).
Otto et al. (2008) also reported that previous research has
found that nanoparticles such as nZVI, emulsified zero-valent iron (EZVI) and bi-metallic
nanoscale particles (BNPs) may effectively reduce contaminants such as perchloroethylene
(PCE), TCE, cis- 1, 2-dichloroethylene (c-DCE), vinyl chloride (VC), and
1-1-1-tetrachloroethane (TCA), and also polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
halogenated aromatics, nitroaromatics, and metals such as arsenic or chromium. Nanoparticles
can be highly reactive due to their large surface area to volume ratio and the
presence of a greater number of reactive sites. This allows for increased contact
with contaminants, thus resulting in rapid reduction of contaminant
Cleantech is a new technology and related business models thus
offering competitive returns for investors and customers while also providing resolutions
to worldwide challenges. Cleantech is focussed by market economics therefore
offering greater financial upside and sustainability. The concept of cleantech
embraces a diverse range of products, services, and processes across industry
that are designed to deliver superior performance at lower costs, reduce or
eliminate negative environmental impact, improve the productive and responsible
use of natural resources.


text:
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Mod of the Week
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QuakeCon 2005
Dear Mynx
PQ Poll
Rants N'Raves
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Week in Review
Classic PQ
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PQ Poll: January 12, 2000
Got poll questions you think we should
use? Email them to email@example.com!
Spyke: One on one, baby. It's just so steek.Hellchick: I love the maps. I love everything about RA3!Pappy-R: It's all so chewy, and tasty it's hard to pick just one facet.Ash: RA3 is my daddy. I would have bought RA3 retail.
Who would win in a Q3A match between George W. Bush and Al Gore? [Submitted by frznwater]
Spyke: I invented the word "Americentricity".Hellchick: Put me down for that Joe Lieberman question, there.Pappy-R: We'll see very soon. I'll be helping those US voters in the only way possible...FRAG FEST!Ash: George Dubya's muh man. After it was censored to those under 18.
Do you have illegal copies of any Quake game? [Submitted by Thrillhouse]
Spyke: No sirree! They'd fire me if I did.Hellchick: I admit that a friend of mine gave me Quake 2 years ago, long before I was remotely connected with PQ and GameSpy. I have since atoned for my sins and have gone out and bought it.Pappy-R: Nope, proud owner of everything 'id' in retail package form. Doubles and triples in some cases.Ash: I got a copy of Quake from a friend originally, but after the love hit me, I've researved copies ever since.
Who would you like on your PQ boxers / briefs? [Submitted by Stephen Howe]
Spyke: I beat Lee and Pappy combined! I'm hardcore! I'm hardcore!Hellchick: Good Lord! Since when have I become associated with discipline? Excuse me while I go do something "wacky" or "zany" or "felonious".Pappy-R: I don't want either of the lovely ladies on my shorts. Spyke? Hardcore? Oh people, people...will you never learn?Ash: I want an Ash on my shorts, that has an Ash on it, with an Ash on it too. Huh huh, shut up Beavis.
I'd like to see more Q3A maps that.. [Submitted by Sigma8]
Spyke: ..are actually good.Hellchick: Real places would be cool. I'd like to make a map of my apartment. No, wait, that would just be creepy.Pappy-R: Not Real! Lots of realism out there. I want hell, abandoned sci-fi wharehouses and such. I want effects and bizaar realms to blow the brainpan.Ash: I just want awesome gameplay, I have all the graphic appeal turned down anyway.
What's the weirdest question sent in this week that didn't make it? [Submitted by Spyke]
Spyke: I'm going with the majority here.Hellchick: You thought I was kidding when I handed off the poll to you, didn't you, Spyke?Pappy-R: I will be developing a PQ Community "State of Mental Health" exam. You people are sicker than me! (/me thanks the powers that be)Ash: Going with the majority, and adding on, I think that Klesk would be a fiend. I mean, just look at all those well manicured spikes... you just know he polishes.
are these people anyway?


text:
ATP Halle: Alexander Zverev moves on. Bautista Agut to face Roger Federer
by JOVICA ILIC | VIEW 9609
World no. 5 and the 2nd seed Alexander Zverev has scored the 25th triumph in 2019, beating Steve Johnson 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 16 minutes. Two-time Halle finalist suffered a nasty fall in the first round against Robin Haase and injuring a knee that forced him to skip the doubles encounter with his brother Mischa.
Still, the young German was ready to play today, dropping only 12 points on serve and repelling both break points he fought against to mount the pressure on the American who couldn't endure it. Facing six break points, Steve got broken three times to propel Zverev into the quarters where he will face David Goffin.
The German saved those two break points in the fourth game, moving ahead three games later when Johnson sprayed a forehand error. Returning at 5-3, Alexander landed a forehand winner to claim the opener, having to work harder in set number two.
The American raised his level in set number two, staying in touch until game 12 when Zverev broke him at 15 to seal the deal and remain on the title course. The 7th seed Roberto Bautista Agut took down Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-4 after just 62 minutes, with the Frenchman competing on a much lower level required for this kind of encounter.
The Spaniard erased both break points he played against and stole rival's serve thrice to march into the quarters where he will face Roger Federer. Stuttgart champion Matteo Berrettini secured the seventh straight victory on grass when he toppled Andreas Seppi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, losing serve for the first time in that swing but playing better and better as the match progressed to book the place in the quarters.
The veteran grabbed the opener with a break in game seven for a perfect start but that couldn't last, with Matteo finding the range on serve in sets two and three, losing only ten points and mounting the pressure on Seppi who failed to follow that pace.
At 3-3 in set number two, the younger Italian saved a break point with a service winner, breaking for the first time and blasting an ace for a hold at love and 6-3. Seppi had nothing more left in the tank, giving serve away twice in the decider to push the young compatriot into the quarters after another rock-solid performance and the 25th triumph in 2019.


text:
Senior Business Travel Consultant
Are you an experienced Business Travel Consultant looking for an opportunity to work from home, covering day-time shifts? If so, we have some brand new roles which will see the successful candidates working on a rolling rota basis, 4 days on and then 4 off, 8am-6pm, meaning you'll have lots of time off to do the things you enjoy!
Joining our client's growing home-based Business Travel team, you'll be responsible for providing a polished and professional travel management service to corporate clients, giving advice when needed and always going the "extra mile" to ensure they're offered the best and most effective travel solutions to meet their requirements.
On offer is a highly competitive salary of up to £26,000 plus bonus & excellent benefits, so if this role is of interest to you, please contact us today for a confidential chat or apply online.
If you are:
- An experienced Business Travel Consultant
- Looking for an interesting and rewarding home-based role
- Fully proficient with any GDS
- Flexible with regard to working hours and can commit to working 4 on, 4 off on a rolling shift basis which may cover weekends and bank holidays
And you:
- Can thrive in a fast-paced business travel environment
- Enjoy dealing with a wide range of corporate clients
- Easily build rapport and communicate well at all levels
- Can work well autonomously and with limited supervision
Our client can offer:
- A generous salary of up to £26k
- An excellent benefits package & bonus structure
- A flexible shift pattern with lots of time off
- All home office equipment - you just need a spare room in which to work from
If you're interested in learning more about this brand new Senior Business Travel Consultant role, please contact Succeed Recruitment Solutions or press the apply online button now!
Not for you? Then please visit our website to view the other exciting roles we have available; www.succeed-recruitment.com.
Succeed Recruitment Solutions – for the best Travel jobs, Multilingual jobs, Airline jobs and Contact Centre jobs.
- Start: Asap
- Duration: Permanent
- Rate: Up to £26,000 plus bonus & benefits
- Location: Hull, England
- Type: Permanent
- Industry: Travel
- Recruiter: Succeed Recruitment
- Contact: Rachel Wigley
- Tel: 0161 408 0358
- Email: to view click here
- Reference: 4A-2971-4288
- Posted: 2020-01-20 17:22:30 -
- View all Jobs from Succeed Recruitment
More Jobs from Succeed Recruitment
- Financial Controller
- Business Travel Consultant
- French or Italian speaking Network Support Associate
- Technical Support Associate
- German-speaking Content Moderator
- Senior Business Travel Consultant
- Luxury Retail Travel Consultant
- Dutch, French or German speaking Business Travel Consultant
- Dutch or German speaking Content Acquisition Consultant
- German speaking Sport Support Consultant
- Dutch or German speaking Network Support Associate
- Arabic speaking Travel Reservations Agent
- Meetings & Groups Coordinator
- Travel Administration and Customer Care Assistant
- Business Travel Supervisor - Advertising Account
- Senior Business Travel Consultant
- Senior Business Travel Consultant
- Home-based Out of Hours Business Travel Team Leader
- Home-based Out of Hours Business Travel Team Leader
- Home-based Out of Hours Business Travel Team Leader


text:
Advanced Pre‑Orderby Shine Dezign Infonet
Change Cart button to Pre-Order button with Partial payment.
Easy to install Pre-Order
No hard code required, By enabling app its automatically replace Add to cart button to custom Pre-Order button.
Notify me & Coming soon
You can also enable Back In Stock, Coming soon and Sale counter on Products.
Partial Payment
You can use Partial Payment feature on Pre-orders in our Platinum plan.
About Advanced Pre‑Order
Advanced Preorder App(Best Preorder app) changes the Add to Cart button to the Pre-order button when an item is out of stock. Making available for users to buy.
- No stock left – tensed? Now no need to worry, you can now get the orders even after going "Out of Stock" with our Advanced Pre Order.
- No sacrifice in sales if the stock is not available, get the orders and shipped when it is again in stock.
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- No need to disappoint your customers.
- Admin can enable/disable the "Advanced Pre-Order".
- It simply improves your sales even when the item is out of stock.
- No need to hamper your sale. # How it works: Initially, all you need to do is install the "Advanced Pre-Order App". The installation process is very simple and user-friendly. Just click on the install button approve the agreement and submit. That's it!! your installation is done. Preorder: After installation, you can see products in the products tab. You can enable/disable Pre-order for each product and its variants. After enabling, open the same product page on frontend then you can see "Pre-Order" Button (if your product is out of stock) instead of Add to Cart button. In-app admin under general settings, you can change the button text, custom message, and color scheme according to your theme.
Moreover this, we provide a bunch of other features included within the App namely:
Related products:
A user can enable this app to show related products on the product page.
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The customers can pre-order the products for the specific date/time. One can get the pre-orders for the new products before even they get in stock.
Coming Soon:
You can make a product unavailable for purchase until the selected date. Further, you can add the availability time and enable "Coming soon".
Notify me:
Here, customers do signup for in-stock notification and with the "Notify Me" feature, they are automatically emailed when it is available in the stock again.
Sale counter:
You can enable the countdown timer on the product pages for a specific period of time. It helps you in the quick sale of your products.
Pre-order Partial Payment
Sell different variants of the same product with the partial payment on preorder.
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Give your customers, ability to relish the benefits of the fixed and percentage partial payment on the product variants. With this option, you can set fixed price or percentage upfront on the product variant price.
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Get instant response on emails (within hours) and guaranteed response on emails maximum time limit within 24 hours. Our geeks help you to set up the Advanced Preorder App.
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Explore how the app works in an example store.View example store
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Overall rating Based on 80 reviews
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Powerful features and reasonably priced. Not to mention, their customer support is responsive and top-notch. I'm using the pre-order and partial order functionality and both work great!
Chubzzy Wubzzy Toys & Comics
We installed this app to help us display our pre-order items to our customers. Pleasing to learn the app is very user friendly. We did have to request some customizations be done, and the Shine Dezign Team were more than eager to help (Thank you Ritika & Vikas!) Wish the app could download a bit faster, maybe something could be done to help out with that. All in all though, the customer service Shine Dezign provides & their app get an A+ from us!
Little KPOP Shop
5 stars for customer service. They were very quick with helping me with some setup issues. Both through email and the chat function within the app. There are still improvements that can be made, but they are very receptive to input. I'm hoping that they will be able to make it possible for customers to pay balances beforehand and also making it so inventory is automatically assigned to pre-orders. Even without these functions, the app is worth it.


text:
The sports world reacted on Monday to news that transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon, a biological male, had smashed even more women's cycling records.
However, one of the most powerful reactions came not from the sports world, but from none other than Donald Trump Jr. Who took to Twitter to point out how unfair it is to allow biological males to compete against biological women.
You can never be woke enough! Sorry to all female athletes who spent their lives mastering their games.
Transgender Cyclist Who Set Women's World Record Wouldn't Have Qualified For Men's Championship https://t.co/r6YMS5IYkG
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 21, 2019
As Breitbart Sports reported on Monday, "McKinnon, 37, not only set the record in the 35-39 category but also won the 200m gold medal at the Masters Track Cycling World Championships on Sunday. Canadian McKinnon beat out American Dawn Orwick, and Denmark's Kirsten Herup Sovang, who took silver and bronze behind McKinnon.
"Dr. Rachel McKinnon, who was born a man, also won the 2018 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles in 2018, among other events."
However, unlike in many previous incidents, the naturally born female competitors who were defeated by McKinnon did not remain silent.
"It was an unfair race, and I accepted that when I pinned on the number, and I tried to do my best to overcome the unfairness," racer Wagner-Assali said of McKinnon's dominance over natural-born female racers.
"I do feel that hard-fought freedoms for women's sport are being eroded. If we continue to let this happen, there will be men's sports and co-ed sports, but there won't be any women's sports," Wagner-Assali added.
McKinnon, however, denies that he is dominating the women's sport.
"I haven't won any Olympic medals. I haven't won any elite world championships."
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightgywinn


text:
Do you wish to prepare something sweet for your children? Try making kheer made of poha.It is a great recipe to make your kids happy and also to meet their calcium requirement. It is so yummy and delicious that your children can never say 'NO' to it.
Here's the recipe of divine poha kheer –
- Poha, ¼ cup
- Finely chopped 1 apple.
- Sugar, 5 tbsp
- 1 tbsp Raisins fried in ghee.
- 1 tbsp cashew nuts fried in ghee.
- Cardamom, 2 pods
- Milk, depending on the consistency you desire.
- Ghee , 1 tbsp
Method of Preparation:
- Take ghee in a saucepan to fry the poha. Fry poha until it begins to turn little brownish.
2.As poha gets fried, add about three cups of milk to it and stir continuously.
3.After the 4-to-5 minutes of cooking until the poha gets half-cooked, add the apple.
4.When apple turns soft, add sugar and cardamoms. Simmer the mixture for about 5 mins or until desirable consistency you achieve.
5.When the poha kheer gets ready, garnish it with cashew nuts and raisins.
Relish making and eating this awesome combination of apple, cashew nuts, raisins and poha!


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Principal Engineer - Product Safety (C&I)
There is an opportunity live for a C&I Engineer to join our client, one of the biggest Defence companies in the UK. The role is based in Barrow and is an initial 6 month contract paying up to £53p/h.
The Job
Experience In:
- Implementing safety processes and plans in large complex systems (hardware & software);
- Developing safety processes;
- Developing Safety Management Plans (SMPs);
- Developing ALARP arguments;
- Developing safety cases.
Experience In The Following Safety Techniques:
- Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA);
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA);
- Event Tree Analysis (ETA);
- Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA);
Experience in using safety standards and guidance:
- E.g. IEC61508, DO178, DEF-STAN-00-56, ARP-4761;
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Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, April 13, 2019 - Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of the regime ruling Iran, staged a propaganda meeting with members of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) senior command, including IRGC chief Mohammad Ali Jafari and Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani.
"The Foreign Minister and a number of his deputies met with the senior IRGC command. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has played a major role in maintaining the country's security, Zarif said," according to a report aired by the regime's state TV.
In this meeting, Jafari resorted to remarks aimed at saving face.
"U.S. forces in the region cannot carry out any military actions against [Iran]. However, if they do take measures, they will face an immediate, serious and firm response from our side," he said.
On the other hand, the IRGC blacklisting as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" has resulted in disagreements and feuds among the regime's various factions. Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of Kayhan daily, known as the mouthpiece of the regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, threw the blame of the IRGC FTO designation on the rival faction close to regime President Hassan Rouhani.
"When a number of officials launch verbal attacks against the IRGC and question this entity, they are requesting the IRGC and other military units to return to their bases! They consider the IRGC's presence across the Middle East as useless; the missile era over; the IRGC's missile tests as provoking the enemy; and despite the deceptions behind the [2015] nuclear deal, they are still not willing to exit this disgraceful arrangement; and are in fact seeking to impose new restrictions through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) bills… It's obvious why the U.S. designated the IRGC as an FTO," he wrote in the Kayhan editorial.
The state-run Siasat-e Rooz daily wrote on April 11: "The Americans have seen how some people in [the regime in Iran] are terrified of even the shadows of war. Therefore, they are going down the path of gaining even more concessions from us."
Jafar Montazeri, the mullahs' prosecutor general also shed light on the regime's concerns.
"There's nothing new in the U.S.' enmity and we have witnessed America's enmity in different areas, including its support of the [PMOI/MEK]," he said.
On April 10, the mullahs' regime had announced a march following this last Friday's weekly prayers and the regime's Propaganda Coordination Council in Qom Province, central Iran, had specifically said the PMOI/MEK was the reason for the IRGC's blacklisting.
Ahmad Jannati, head of the regime's so-called Assembly of Experts, wore an IRGC uniform and voiced his support of the regime's Majlis (parliament) members wearing IRGC uniforms and expressing their support for this terrorist entity.
Sadeq Larijani, head of the regime's Expediency Council, says the U.S. has designated the Iranian regime's pride as a terrorist organization.
Javad Mansouri, the first IRGC commander, was clearly concerned in his remarks saying, "The day that the Americans have gone down every path and reached no conclusion, there is a possibility they will seek military measures."
Foad Izadi, known for his close relations to Khamenei's circle, explained the impact of the IRGC FTO designation.
"Considering the fact that we are in new circumstances regarding the IRGC, we are now facing even more difficulties regarding the FATF because the U.S. has a significant presence in FATF-linked entities. What can we do now that they have designated the IRGC as an FTO? If it is approved, we either have to cut off the IRGC's budget, merge this entity into the army, or have the IRGC personnel fired. We can't go down any of these paths," he said.