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3:49pm PT by Borys Kit
Antoine Fuqua Circling 'Olympus' as White House Thriller Race Heats Up
It's the race to destroy the White House.
Antoine Fuqua has an offer and is in early talks to direct Olympus Has Fallen, an Nu Image/Millennium action thriller that has been described as "Die Hard in the White House."
The project achieved new urgency last week after Columbia acquired White House Down, its own Die Hard-esque script set at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The studio plunked down $3 million for the script by Jamie Vanderbilt and is in talks with Roland Emmerich, who memorably blew up the White House in 1996's Independence Day, to direct.
PHOTOS: 10 Hollywood Players That Will Make a Difference in 2012 Elections
Olympus has a leg up on Down because it already has an actor attached. THR previously reported that Gerard Butler is on board to star as an unlikely Secret Service agent trying to stop terrorists who have taken over the White House.
The script, by first-time scribes Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, was picked up by Millennium in early March. The race to the screen is so intense, according to insiders, that Millennium is fast-tracking Olympus for a June production start.
Butler is producing with Millennium president Mark Gill; the two worked together on Law-Abiding Citizen). Butler's manager Alan Siegel also is producing.
Fuqua may be best known for directing Training Day, the crime thriller that won Denzel Washington an Oscar for best actor, and he most recently directed the 2009 crime drama Brooklyn's Finest. He is repped by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham.
Borys firstname.lastname@example.com borys_kit


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By John Schuhmann, NBA.com
VIDEO: DeMar DeRozan scores 17 in the fourth quarter to help the Raptors win Game 2
TORONTO — Game 2 of the first-round series between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets was a lot like Game 1, except that the role of Paul Pierce was played by DeMar DeRozan and the role of DeMar DeRozan was played by Paul Pierce. Since they play for different teams, the series is tied at one game apiece following the Raptors' 95-90 victory.
Down two with less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Nets ran a really nice play to get Pierce wide open in the left corner. But his shot went in and out, and they never got another chance to tie or take the lead. Pierce shot 2-for-11 for the game, missing all six of his 3-point attempts.
"Sometimes they fall," Pierce said afterward, "sometimes they don't."
But that end of the floor wasn't the problem for the Nets. They were up two to start the fourth quarter and scored 29 points in the final 12 minutes. The problem was that the Raptors scored 36, shooting 12-for-16 from the field and scoring on 18 of their 23 possessions. After playing seven quarters of good defense, the Nets couldn't get the stops they needed to take a 2-0 stranglehold on the series.
"We can't have 4th quarters like that," Kevin Garnett said. "Thirty-six points. That's too many points for anybody. Preschool, Little League, YMCA, Raptors."
But this is who the Raptors are. They were the league's best fourth-quarter team in the regular season.
"Early in the year, we said we wanted to be the Freddy Krueger of the NBA," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Not give up. Not give in. I think our guys have done that. We won against a very veteran team like Brooklyn, and that is a very difficult thing to do."
On Tuesday, they found a way to finally break through the Brooklyn defense, scoring eight of those 12 fourth-quarter buckets (and drawing a couple of fouls) in the paint.
But those wouldn't have meant anything if DeRozan didn't do his best Pierce imitation in the fourth, shooting 3-for-4 on mid-range jumpers and drawing fouls on three more. Apparently, he only needed one game to look like a postseason vet.
He also needed some time to himself after picking up his fifth foul with 7:13 left in the game. In the next timeout, DeRozan sat alone at the end of the bench, away from his team's huddle.
He gathered himself, reentered the game with 3:48 left, and couldn't be stopped. He was more patient than he was in Game 1, waiting for the one-on-one matchups that he liked. And when the Nets did throw a second defender at him, it just opened the lane for Kyle Lowry to get a key basket down the stretch.
It lacked the herky-jerkiness, but it was as good of a Pierce imitation as you'll see. DeRozan shot just 5-for-16 through the first three quarters, but came up big with the game on the line.
Once you got beyond all the noise about officiating, the two days between Games 1 and 2 were about DeRozan, how the Raptors would get him better shots, and how he would recover after an ugly playoff debut. And with his team in a desperate situation, their All-Star stepped up.
"For him to come through," Casey said, "after a tough first game, everyone doubting him and that type of thing, I was really happy with that."
The Nets got the one victory they needed out of the first two games, but they have issues to address. There were some defensive breakdowns mixed in with DeRozan's tough baskets and they got absolutely killed on the glass, allowing Toronto to grab 19 offensive rebounds. It's been an issue for them since they went to a small lineup and the Raptors know they can take advantage.
More important, DeRozan knows he can have big games in the playoffs. Maybe he's the next Paul Pierce.

subset: commoncrawl


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When they think about Christians, many people think about a lot of stifling rules. They can't party. They can't sleep around. They can't swear or get drunk. They can't go to strip clubs or tell little white lies. To some outside observers, Christians seem tied up in a whole lot of rules that just cut the fun out of life.
Of course, we all know that basic rules are necessary to protect us. As parents, our children don't know why we have half the rules we do, but we know. We know what they have to learn before they turn eighteen and they're out there on their own. We know better than they do, and our rules have reasons. We want to save our kids from experiencing the natural consequences of their mistakes.
God's rules for us are for the same reason. Rules are important, but they aren't the point, nor are they at the top of the list in our relationship with God. Obeying God's rules will save us from learning things the hard way, but by themselves they won't give us a personal experience with the God of the universe. In fact, a list of rules without having an actual experience of God are a pretty stifling experience.
There is a misunderstanding out there that God is waiting with a thunderbolt, ready to "smite" us when we mess up. If that were true, we'd all be smoking cinders right now. I've done wrong things and I've had to face the consequences of them. As I understand it, God isn't up there waiting to smite. He's up there pleading with us to choose a different path, to avoid the awful consequences He knows are out there. That's the reason for His rules. But while obeying those rules will protect us, obedience to His rules isn't the only thing God wants from us. He wants a connection, real contact.
It's easy to think about God's laws and say, "See? That's God. The law shows us God." It's true that His laws show us something about Him. But laws are no more a full definition of Him than my house rules are a definition of me. We have only a few house rules for the children at my house: " You have to obey what I say." "You have to be respectful." "You can't pound on the floors" (we live on the second floor of an apartment building). "You have to go to bed at bedtime." That's pretty much it. So if you know my house rules, does that mean that you know me personally? Not at all. The rules I set for my house tell you more about my child than they do about me. If he automatically obeyed when I told him to put something down or not touch it, I wouldn't have to have a "You must obey mommy" rule. If he didn't think it was fun to stomp around the house, I wouldn't have to have a rule forbidding it. If "please" and "thank you" came out of him naturally, our house rule of being respectful and polite wouldn't be necessary.
But following the rules isn't what bonds me to my little boy. We have a relationship completely apart from those rules. Our cuddles and snuggles, our talks and our play, are all a part of that very special relationship. When he follows the rules, we have a calm environment so that we can spend more quality time together. But my love for him is separate from the rules. Here's another question: How much would my son want to follow the rules I set if he didn't have this special relationship with me?
God isn't just a set of laws. Having a relationship with Him isn't the same thing as following a list of rules. Following the rules won't give you a personal relationship with God anymore than following traffic rules will make you a personal friend of the minister of transportation. When you get to know God personally, though, you'll see that He gave His rules out of love, out of a desire to protect you and me from the natural consequences of not following them.
I'm not writing to tell you to follow the rules. If that were the case, I would just say that the rules are there for our protection (which they are), and that you should follow them for that reason (which you should). But that's not good enough. When you meet God—and I mean really meet Him—it all just comes together. The rules that seemed so stifling before you knew Him will suddenly make sense in your life, and it will no longer be about trying really hard to do the right thing. It will be about this newfound friendship with God.
God is real. So if He's only an intellectual idea or a character in a story for you, you're limiting the pleasure you can have in a relationship with Him. If you don't experience God in a very real way in your life, you're just playing a mental exercise in your head, and frankly, you'll find His rules pretty stifling.
It's true that you need to know God's rules, and it's true that you need to try to obey them, just as I expect my son to try to obey my rules. But simply reading God's rules and trying hard to obey them can be a distraction from what matters most—Him. If He doesn't feel real, you haven't met Him. Do something about that first, and the rules will be a pleasure to obey.
So don't just go in search of rules to follow. You won't be able to follow them anyway. Just open yourself up to God and ask Him to do something with your life, something beautiful. Ask Him to make Himself real to you. That's a prayer He always answers, and you'll find that the rules will weave their way into your life in a way you never imagined.
It's not just about the law. It's about love. Find the love, and the law part will come naturally.
This article originally appeared in Signs of the Times magazine, March 2011.


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Some time in our earlier years my brother and I used to call her Grandma Rene, which was our endearing phrase for Grandma Irene, our paternal grandmother. We didn't grow up in the same town where grandma and grandpa lived, so visiting was a treat.
Grandma kept a box of toys in one of the bedroom closets. It wasn't the normal toys, more like junk, such a old necklaces, odds and end and a few of the usual toys. Nobody seemed concerned that they might not be safe and we never choked on anything and didn't end up with lead poisoning, just lots of fun.
Our cousins would come to Grandma's house to play. We had several cousins of various ages and when there would be family get togethers, the house was full to the brim. Out would come the toy box and everybody would step over toys and kids. My two children never grew up with cousins...they don't know what they missed.
Grandma Rene was the best cook. She didn't stop with one of two things to eat. When the stove had several pots bubbling away, she would go to the phone and invite more relatives to come to eat. Later in life she began loosing her eye sight. Some of her meals ere interesting and we were not sure what we were eating.
One thing that Grandma excelled in was making home made noodles. She would add them to chicken in a huge pot and then call the relatives. There were always leftovers to go around. One day Mom asked for her recipe. The she watched her roll out the noodles. When Mom got home she decided to make home made noodles. They were like eating cardboard. Mom asked a neighbor what she thought went wrong as she had followed the recipe. The neighbor said she had left out a tad bit of baking powder. The next time Mom made noodles they tasted like Grandma's noodles! One day she commented to Grandma Rene that she had left out the baking powder in the recipe. This was followed by giggles from Grandma.
She told us that she learned to make home made noodles from her mother, Grandma Pearl. I wonder where she learned to make them. Pearl was only fourteen years old when her mother died. Maybe she learned young.
Grandma always told Mom that she was proud of her genealogical research on the family. She said if it wasn't for Mom she wouldn't know much about her family history. Thanks Mom! And thanks Grandma Rene for making my childhood interesting.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A Grandma Named Irene
Posted by Growing up Genealogy at 11:00 AM
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The Regional Meeting on Agroecology in Latin America and the Caribbean was successfully held in Brasilia, Brazil from 24 to 26 June 2015. It was organized jointly by FAO, the Ministry of Agrarian Development of Brazil, CELAC, REAF Mercosur and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty...[Leer más]
As a contribution to the International Pollinator Initiative, and through the GEF/ UNEP/FAO Global Pollination Project, FAO collaborated with the San Francisco State University to develop a protocol for monitoring bee pollinator populations in crop production landscapes....[Leer más]
The first version of this manual on the submission and evaluation of pesticide residues data for estimation of maximum residue levels in food and feed was printed by FAO in 1997 as a working document with the aim of consolidating the procedures used by the FAO Panel of experts...[Leer más]
On August 26, 2014, the Government of Mozambique cancelled the registrations of 61 pesticide products containing 31 different active ingredients. The Government also announced risk reduction measures for another 52 pesticide products. This concluded a 2-year FAO project to...[Leer más]
This publication provides an approach for the socio-economic valuation of pollinator-friendly practices at a landscape/farm level. The text was prepared as part of the Global Environment Fund (GEF) supported project 'Conservation and management of pollinators for sustainable...[Leer más]
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We live in a high-tech world. There's no question about that. From microwave ovens to cellular phones every aspect of our lives seemingly revolves around electronics. When it comes to our love of performance cars, here, too, we are inundated with microchips that control everything from fuel and spark delivery to traction control. But, despite the high-tech attributes of computer-controlled machines there still lies in most hot rodders the desire for the simplicity of raw muscle.
The Italian-manufactured Weber 48IDA downdraft carburetor installed atop a Chevrolet V-8 (be it a Rat or Mouse) is a natural performance combination. When bolted in 2 x 4 configuration on an individual runner (IR) intake manifold, the Weber downdraft provides peak torque and instant horsepower (as opposed to a conventional four-barrel carburetor and plenum-style intake manifold, which progressively builds torque and horsepower). Simply put, a 48IDA Weber downdraft induction system performs much like a mechanical fuel-injection system, yet gives you the driveability of a conventional four-barrel fuel meter.
There is, however, a mechanical downside to Weber carbs, and that is they are somewhat hard to tune. The carburetor's fidgety nature has been known to produce a potentially fiery phenomenon known as "fuel standoff," which can transform a race car into a smoldering pile of ash in short order. However, those racers who knew how to deal with the Weber 48IDA's eccentricities were quite successful. In the mid '60s, 48IDA Weber carburetor systems powered up the infamous Corvette Grand Sport endurance racers, and early McLaren Can Am cars (just to name a few) producing championship-winning results.
When it comes to the street machine set, the 48IDA's looks are the primary reason why these carburetors enjoy such overwhelming popularity. Look at it this way, anybody can bolt on a Holley, but when you slap a set of these sexy little Italian downdrafts onto that small-block-powered Camaro or a restified Tri-Five, you make a high-performance statement which cannot be ignored.
Here's the dilemma. These carburetors went out of production sometime in the '80s, and are in extremely short supply.
While it is true that NOS Webers can still be purchased through a very limited dealer network, their relative scarcity dictates a lofty selling price. On the other hand, used sets or rebuildable Weber cores also fetch a veritable king's ransom at swap meets.
In November of 1999, Bob Ream and partner Wes Henderson founded Imagine Fuel Injection. The Weber 48IDA carburetor was quickly disappearing from the performance aftermarket, and there were enough people out there who still wanted performance, economy, and the looks offered by the Weber 48IDA without having to scour the country and pay the lofty prices being commanded for these carburetors.
Ream and Henderson reasoned that if they could offer an IR-based, electronically-managed Weber-type throttle body fuel injection setup at an competitive price, they could effectively recapture, as well as revive, a waning market segment of the performance induction system's industry.
Today, most enthusiasts drive an electronically managed, fuel-injected car or truck. They drive them to work. They drive them to the racetrack. One thing which the EFI cars of the '90s have taught motorists is that a vehicle can perform at its best at all operational levels with this type of system. So why not install a setup similar to this on the car you drive for pleasure?
Using readily available, cast-aluminum Weber IR intake manifolds as the foundation (ie: Inglese Induction Systems, Moon, Blue Thunder, Ultra for Chevrolet small-block, or Inglese or Moon intakes for big-block Chevrolet applications), the guys from Imagine Fuel Injection designed a billet-aluminum down-draft throttle body, which essentially utilizes all the outer dimensions of the Weber 48IDA. "By doing it this way, we can use the Weber intake manifolds, their induction stacks, and even their air cleaners," said Bob Ream.
And these throttle bodies can be had in two stack sizes. Imagine's low-profile, 4-inch throttle body is absolutely perfect for Bow-Ties with low hood clearance problems. On the other hand, the 5-inch unit is perfect for everything else in between.
Both throttle bodies are manufactured from CNC-machined T-6, 6061 heat-treated billet-aluminum, and feature a 2-inch (50.8mm) standard throttle bore size. On "turnkey" Imagine Fuel Injection systems, these intake manifolds are blended to the IR intake runners to achieve maximum air/fuel flow and performance. Imagine Fuel Injection's billet-bodies can also be had in either a clear bright anodized finish, or an optional polished-aluminum show finish.
Due to the location of the electronic fuel injectors the system's bell crank-type throttle linkage had to be relocated 1-inch higher (than an original 48IDA Weber setup) on the throttle body for clearance. This modification was also necessary to maintain fuel injector-to-intake valve alignment, which is so critical with throttle body-type, multi-point fuel injection systems.
What type of fuel injectors does Imagine use with these systems? "A lot of it has to do with the compression ratio of the engine, the rpm powerband intended for the engine, the cam profile, and horsepower rating. Traditionally, either a constant-pulse Lucas or Bosch-type electronic fuel injector is employed with these applications. For example, we would use a 43-pound-per- hour fuel injector for a 427/454 big-block Chevy, while we would choose perhaps a 30-pound-per-hour electronic fuel injector for a small-block."
Imagine Fuel Injection also manufactures their own CNC-machined, billet-aluminum fuel rails from raw bar stock. At this juncture, it should be noted that on turnkey Imagine IR throttle body systems the base of these injectors is threaded in order for the injector to fit more securely into the injector port opening in the Imagine throttle bodies.
Two types of fuel pumps are recommended with these systems: A standard 200-gph Bosch-type electronic fuel pump is recommended for engines producing 500 hp or less. However, when it comes to engines producing in excess of 500 ponies, Imagine recommends the Aeromotive billet-aluminum high-pressure fuel pump (rated @ 500 gph ) along with the Aeromotive fuel regulator and fuel filter.
So much for the mechanical aspects. Now for the "Star Wars" technology. Imagine suggests using either the DOS-based HalTech F9A or Electro-Motive distributor-less engine management systems, available in either DOS or Windows-based versions. The F9A is a well known unit with a 15-year track record for precision and reliability. This system is primarily used on applications featuring a conventional electronic-type distributor. It's very trouble-free, and in any type of motorsports that is the name of the game.
When it comes to high-tech, or distributorless applications, Imagine recommends the Electro Motive engine management system with the crank trigger feature. This setup utilizes either a DOS or Windows-based program.
How do you setup these
programs? "Electro Motive has a program called Wintech Wizard. You fill one page of information outlining the base perimeters of your engine. What is the Brake Specific Horsepower (BSFC)? What the rating is on the fuel injectors being used? What is the cam profile? What compression ratio, etc.?
Imagine Fuel Injection also builds a number of use "specific" wiring harnesses that interface with their electronic throttle body fuel injection systems. Wire looms are available for most popular small- and big- block applications."
Of course, you can talk all day about how great a product is, but how well does it hold up in real world situations? Experienced dyno man, Terry Kell, of Las Vegas, Nevada, says this system is one of the best thing he's ever laid hands on.
Testing at Kell's Las Vegas dyno shop was done using a Brand-X engine built by famed engine builder, and Bonneville land speed record holder Mike "260-mph" LeFevers. "We pitted our system against a Holley 850-equipped Edelbrock Victor dual- plane intake. We recorded torque, horsepower, and exhaust gas temperatures. At 4,500 rpm the Holley/Edelbrock setup produced its most significant amount of torque, 406.24 lb-ft while the Imagine Fuel Injection throttle body setup produced 427.19 lb-ft Optimum horsepower figures for the Holley came in at 5,500 rpm, registering 399.98 hp. On the other hand, the Imagine IR system recorded its top horsepower figures at 5,000 rpm, registering a solid 418.96 hp.
Naturally, with any IR type intake setup, the exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) were also more closely matched between cylinders. The Imagine Injection IR system showed as much as a 400-degree temperature drop between engine cylinder temperatures. And, due to the very nature of the electronic engine management system itself, the engine ran extremely clean."
What about airflow numbers? "Due to the very nature of the IR design, airflow is measured quite differently than with a conventional carburetor. However, these systems will ideally-flow approximately 1,000 cfm.
"This is really one of the best intake systems to have for a Chevy street machine, street rod, or sportsman class race car," says Imagine's Wes Henderson. "It runs as smooth as a Mercedes, yet exhibits absolutely crisp throttle response while exhibiting a slight lope, which gives you an indication of the performance potential which lies beneath the hood."
How do you lay your hands on one of these killer IR setups? Should you already own a Weber setup or already have the intake manifold, any, or all of these components, can be purchased separately, or you can purchase "the whole ball of wax" for about the same money you'd hand over for a fully decked-out Weber 48IDA setup. The choice is yours-great looks, old technology, or same great looks with all the high-tech modern advancements.


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The number of new unemployment claims jumped last week during the typically volatile holiday period, but the measure of layoffs is below year ago levels, pointing to a labor market that slowly improved in 2012.
Continue Reading Below
Initial jobless claims advanced by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 in the week ended Dec. 29 the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected 363,000 new benefit applications.
Claims for the week ending Dec. 22 were revised up to 362,000 from an initially reported 350,000.
A Labor Department analyst said a number of government offices were closed during the reporting period due to the Christmas holiday, which can cause fluctuations in the data, and estimates were used for nine states.
Economists warn against reading too much into late December figures given the volatility of claims around this time of year. Certain industries have planned layoffs, which can affect the unadjusted numbers.
The four-week moving average of claims, which smoothes out volatile weekly data, increased by 250 to 360,000 last week. A year earlier, the four-week average stood at 377,000.
The mild improvement is in line with other measures of the labor market. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7% in November from 8.7% a year earlier. The government will release December unemployment data on Friday. Economists expect the rate to remain unchanged.
Thursday's data showed the number of continuing unemployment benefit claims--those drawn by workers for more than a week--increased by 44,000 to 3,245,000 in the week ended Dec. 22. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag.
The number of continuing claims, which had trended down during most of last year, likely would have fallen off more steeply had Congress not authorized an extension to long-term unemployment benefits this week as part of a deal to avoid tax increases on most Americans and put off planned spending cuts. Without the extension more than 2 million people would have been at risk to lose their benefits.
The number of workers requesting unemployment insurance was equivalent to 2.5% of employed workers paying into the system in the week ended Dec. 22, the same as the prior week.


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Former sheriff after Summit County coroner job
summit daily news
Former Summit County Sheriff Joe Morales was among four candidates who put their names in the hat for the job of coroner, following Joanne Richardson's recent departure.
Deputy coroner Regan Wood, retired Summit Medical Center physician Tim Keeling and local business owner James Callahan were also interviewed for the position in recent weeks.
The Summit County commissioners are interviewing candidates for a two-year appointment as coroner, after Richardson stepped down mid-term to move to Basalt with her husband.
In two years, the appointed coroner's term will end and there will be a popular election for the office.
During interviews with potential appointees this week, the commissioners focused on fiscal responsibility, budgeting and the importance of building positive working relationships between the coroner's office and other agencies, including law enforcement.
"The budget for the coroner's department is set up with the expectation that the person that is the coroner is putting themselves on the schedule and is in that rotation," Commissioner Thomas Davidson said during a recent interview. "When dealing with elected officials, we've had some cases where we get to the end of the year and the elected goes, 'sorry, I went over budget.'"
Though they are charged with appointing the next coroner, the commissioners do not have the ability to fire that individual before the end of the two-year term.
Morales served as the Summit County sheriff from 1994 until January 2004, when he was tapped by then-Gov. Bill Owens to become the executive director of the state Department of Public Safety. Today, after living overseas, he has returned to Summit County with his wife and daughter.
"I understand how critical it is to always uphold and maintain the public trust by being responsible, transparent and accountable in all aspects of holding and administering public office …" Morales stated in his letter of interest to commissioners.
Callahan owns a local graphic design business and has previously done contract work for local governments, including Summit County. He's the only candidate who does not have a medical or law-enforcement background, but said his media background would help him in the position.
"My experience in the communications field would be a great asset to community relations and the proper dissemination of sensitive information," Callahan stated in his letter to commissioners. "I am a quick study …"
Keeling was a doctor with Summit Medical Center from 1990 until he retired last year.
"After retiring, I was looking for something to fill the void," Keeling told commissioners during his interview this week. "The coroner's office provides an interesting and unique opportunity to do something important and meaningful for this community."
Wood has worked as a deputy under Coroner Richardson since 2006, and is now the chief deputy coroner. She has training in medico-legal death investigation, is EMT certified and has a background working with the Advocates for Victims of Assault.
"The office of coroner requires extensive knowledge of the medico-legal death investigation field as well as the ability to provide compassionate and useful information to the surviving family," Wood stated in her letter to the commissioners. "I believe that my personal and professional background since moving to Summit County in August of 1992 have prepared me for this endeavor."
Richardson announced plans to resign her post as coroner at the end of August, timing the announcement to avoid an election for her replacement.
She had been the coroner for 10 years.
The coroner is responsible for investigating fatalities and determining the cause and manner of each death, but is not required by law to have any medical or law-enforcement training to run for office.
Richardson trained her staff to deal with the administrative aspects of the job and said she does have an individual in mind to take over in her absence.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


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Find Gogebic County Michigan economic development agencies, departments, and corporations. Economic development agencies provide information on resources for economic growth, expansion of local businesses, attracting new business and tourism.
Gogebic County Economic Development E4946 Jackson Rd Ironwood MI 49938 906-932-2129
A tax abatement is an agreement between a business and a taxing entity, such as a state, county, or local government, which provides a temporary tax reduction for a business that expands or makes physical improvements. Typically, the additional property taxes that would have been levied as a result of the business expansion or improvement are forgiven for a specified period of time. Businesses are sometimes offered tax abatements as a way to encourage expansion and investment.What is the difference between an Economic Development Agency and an Economic Development Commission?
An Economic Development Agency is an agency of the government staffed by professional employees who implement the programs and services of the agency. An Economic Development Commission usually refers to an appointed board that serves as an advisor on economic policy. Economic Development Commissions are common at the county and local levels of government.What do I need to do to start a new business?
Most Economic Development Agencies have a staff person or office to help prospective business owners to understand how to register their business and obtain any necessary licensing.


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Saint Abundantia of Spoleto
Born to parents who had nearly given up on having children. Educated by the abbot of Saint Mark's Abbey in Spoleto, Italy. Pilgrim to the Holy Lands. Lived five years as a hermitess in the cave of Saint Onuphrius. She then returned to Spoleto to be with her family, especially her father who had repeatedly asked her to come home. When her father died, Abundantia spent her inheritance in caring for the poor. Known for her ability to heal by prayer.
Quite a few stories grew up around her, including
- all the bells in Spoleto began spontaneously ringing at her birth
- when she was taken to be baptized, all the lamps and candles in the church lit themselves
- one winter day when she was about eight years old she saw a painting of Mary and the Infant Jesus; Christ was holding a golden apple; Abundantia really wanted that apple; Jesus reached out the painting to give it to her
- she was so excited with the apple that she ran out into the snow to pick Jesus a bouquet in return; she found flowers everywhere and brought them into the church
- at the moment of her death, the bells of Spoleto again began to spontaneously ring
- as her funeral procession passed along the streets, plants would suddenly sprout leaves and flowers
- her funeral procession was accompanied by the sound of angels singing Veni sponsa Christi
- being given a golden apple by the Infant Jesus who is reaching out of an image of the Madonna and Child
- flowers in winter
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Dictionary of Saintly Women
- Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints
- "Saint Abundantia of Spoleto". CatholicSaints.Info. 21 September 2012. Web. 21 April 2019. <http://catholicsaints.info/saint-abundantia-of-spoleto/>


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Tallahassee, FL - Florida State's Toni Pressley was honored for her game-winning heroics this past weekend against No. 7 Florida as she was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week. She also earned national recognition claiming Team of the Week accolades from Soccer America and was noted as a Primetime Performer from College Soccer 360.com.
Pressley found a great time to record her first goal of the season as the sophomore defender scored the golden goal in leading FSU to a 1-0 overtime victory against intra-state rival Florida in Gainesville, this past Friday. Pressley put away a loose ball from about eight yards out following a Seminole throw-in during the first overtime period.
The Melbourne, Fla., native led the Seminoles with three shots against the Gators as all three shots were fired on goal. She also played a key role in FSU's defensive effort that limited UF to just two shots on goal in over 92 minutes of action.
This is the first time that Pressley has been recognized by the conference office for her on-field performance. She joins fellow teammate Jessica Price (September 8) as recipients of ACC Player of the Week honors in 2009.
Pressley and the Seminoles return to action this Thursday, September 22 as they open league play against No. 9 Maryland at the Seminole Soccer Complex at 7:00 p.m.


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This chambray book bag reads "Welcome to Crazy Town" in a cheery screen printed logo, because we've all had those days right? Grab this tote and you can at least keep your literal shit together, even if you feel like you're losing your metaphorical marbles!
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Spot-clean only
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Gray chambray + black ink (image 1 and 3)
Navy chambray + black ink (image 2)
Blue chambray + white ink (image 4)
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**If you are ordering more than one item, your shipping calculation will likely be too high. If this is the case, I will be sure to quickly refund any shipping overages exceeding $1**
Your purchase will be printed and packed to order, and will be shipped within 3-5 business days of your purchase via USPS from California. I'll be sure to send you a notice when I ship your order, so you can know when to expect it's arrival! I will happily refund shipping overages of more than $1.
Prints 8" x 10" or under will come packaged in a glassine bag, and ship in a rigid flat envelope. Larger prints will ship in a mailing tube, and be wrapped with paper to protect from smudges and dirt.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
At this time, I am unable to accept returns. However, I am happy to replace items damaged in shipping--just send me a photo or two of the damaged item, and I will get a new one to you as soon as possible!
Q: When will I receive my order?
A: It depends where you live--I mail everything via USPS, so it should take 3-5 business days for you to receive your order if you live in the continental US. Depending on the post office's workload, it may take longer. If you still haven't received anything after two weeks, please let me know so I can contact USPS.
Q: How do you print your products?
A: My products are printed in-house with pigment inks on acid-free paper, or when applicable, screen printed by hand with screens produced in-house.
If you'd like to see more of my work or find out how to further contact me, my portfolio is the best place for that! Visit katewongonline.com to find my contact information and additional artwork.
Art directors: Let's chat! You can email me at firstname.lastname@example.com
Everyone else: Unfortunately I'm not currently accepting private clients.


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Blog Archives for tag kadala pappu chaaru recipe
South-Indian Mutton Keema Gravy (using Kadalai Paruppu)
This is my Mom's special recipe – Indian style gravy using Mutton Keema. Mom uses mutton chunks in this gravy. Since I prefer to eat mutton in Qeema form I used minced mutton. A notable difference in this Mutton gravy recipe is the addition of split chickpeas (kadalai paruppu). Apart from making pakodas, pakoda kulambu, beans-kadalai paruppu poriyal, beetroot kadalai paruppu poriyal, valakkai-kadalai paruppu kootu, cabbage-split chick pea kootu, kadalai paruppu pachadi, kadalai paruppu sundal and the 'N' other kadla paruppu recipes that we make in our home, this Kadalai Paruppu Kuzhambu is the darling of the home masses. I do not remember if my Grandmother made this Ground mutton gravy but I remember my mom making it on the week-ends when I was younger. The other day my friend Sup visited us and when we exchanged recipes she raised brows when I said that we add split chickpeas… Continue reading »


text: Johannesburg - Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has joined his Bafana Bafana teammates and coach Gordon Igesund, calling for support of the national team and maintaining that the hosts can go all the way in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). South Africa held Algeria to a goalless draw in a tame warm-up clash in Soweto on Saturday evening, as Bafana continued to flounder on attack, but the shot stopper was confident they would find their groove up front. "We stand a very good chance in the tournament," Khune said.Video highlights: SA v Algeria "We must just start converting the many chances that we create. "I believe we have great players that can deliver and there is no reason why we shouldn't do well. "This is a new generation of players who are hungry for success and we have a strong belief in us that we can go all the way." Bafana open the tournament against Cape Verde on January 19, and Khune said the backing of the host nation was crucial if they were expected to lift the continental trophy for the first time since 1996. "I would like thank (the fans) for their continued support and urge them to continue to be behind the national team. Unity is strength," he said. "With their support we can do very well and go far. They just need to exercise some patience as results are mixed at the moment, but we will get back to our winning ways." Khune and midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi earned their 50th caps for the national team against Algeria, and Bafana's last man in defence was delighted to reach the milestone. "It's a great feeling knowing I have served my country for close to six years. "It's an indescribable feeling as I never thought I would reach this far. "As a youngster, my dream was to play for my country. It was not an easy ride because this country is blessed with great goalkeepers, but I have somehow managed to achieve my goal."


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View towards Stroud.(Click on images to enlarge)
Also known as Hintons Bridge. Restored by the Cotswold Canals Trust in 1997.
View from Halfway Bridge towards Siddington.
Halfway Bridge in 1986 - nearly lost before restoration.
Restoration Phase: 3
Status: Complete
Access: No public access.
Updated: 01/01/2013
Site of Park Leaze Bridge, Ewen
Disused railway over canal, near Ewen Wharf
Thames & Severn Canal End-to-End Tour
Thames & Severn Canal
Stroudwater Navigation
Thames & Severn Location Index
Stroudwater Location Index
Canal Route
Downloadable Canal Map (PDF)
The Story So Far
Phase 1A Restoration
Phase 1A in Pictures
Plan for Phase 1B
Phase 1B in Pictures
Phase 1B from the Air
Phase 2 Scope
Phase 3 scope
Sapperton Tunnel
Thames Head Pumping Station
Thames & Severn Canal Timeline
Stroudwater Navigation History
Historical Photographs
About the Canals
Index of Locks
Index of Bridges
Canal Statistics
Infilled Canal Sections
Canal Visitor Centres
CCT Boat Trips


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Guillem Balague
Spanish Football Expert & Columnist @GuillemBalague
Guillem Balague on Barca's transition, Gareth Bale's fitness and Atletico Madrid
Guillem Balague says Barcelona's devotion to tiki taka is over as Tata Martino transforms their philosophy.
Last Updated: 23/09/13 4:28pm
Goalkeeper Victor Valdes kicked 20 long balls in Barca's 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, and 16 of them were without any destination. That's just giving away possession. It was blamed on the pitch at Rayo with Barca boss Tata Martino saying that was the reason he asked them to play long.
Martino is certainly trying to evolve their style so they can mix the long balls with the short passing. The more direct football fits Messi, Neymar and Cesc - who are now becoming the triangle of Barcelona. Sergio Busquets was left out for technical reasons and for resting, and Andreas Iniesta and Xavi are not playing together that much.
There is a trick going on here as well. It is also part of a policy of rotation to ensure that they reach the end of the season very fresh and as a more recognisable Barcelona. In the meantime Martino is letting everyone debate whether Barcelona should play with more or less possession.
Some stats showed that against Rayo, they had less possession than their opponents for the first time since May 2008. But other stats showed that they actually did have more possession than Rayo. The debate continues, though, because they didn't keep the ball for that long.
The explanation from Jemez, the Rayo manager, is that Barcelona are no longer pressing high up the pitch which makes it easier for other teams to play the ball. Rayo were the third team in Europe in terms of possession last season so they gladly kept the ball.
Carlo Ancelotti interestingly said after Real Madrid's 4-1 defeat of Getafe that Gareth Bale's injury is not too serious. But Bale said he felt a pain like a knife being put in his leg and we will know more in the next day or so. Ancelotti was trying to say that the pressure and the tension was getting to him and the fact that he did not have a pre-season has not helped him.
Bale will have to make sure that he doesn't get injured if he feels some pain. The doctors and Ancelotti have told him to be careful. It could be the kind of being careful and managing his fitness because he has not had a pre-season.
Arda Turan has renewed his contract with Atletico Madrid until 2017. His evolution shows what they are about. When Diego Simeone arrived a year ago Turan was just a No10, a creative player, and he did not understand all the requirements of playing in that position, especially without the ball. Now he works really hard, he recovers the ball, he puts pressure on and he does all the things that makes him a Simeone type of player.
Koke is the second most improved player at Atletico. He used to be a hard worker and now he is everything, a very complete midfielder. So those are two more reasons for the good results for Simeone's team.
Guillem answers your questions...
Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in using the feedback form below, and then look out for his answer next week...
Hi Guillem, I love your weekly column. I was wondering if you could give the Spanish opinion on this. Jamie Carragher sparked a massive debate when he said he thinks Steven Gerrard is better than Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes. In my opinion, Scholes is hands down the best out of the three but what is the Spanish - and your - view? Matty
GUILLEM SAYS: We are talking about very fine lines here. I have heard Spanish players say that Paul Scholes was one of the best players they played against and I heard Gary Neville say he was the best player he has seen. But sometimes he failed to make an impact in big games. Frank Lampard does make that impact. Steven Gerrard has done it in big games with Liverpool, although not so much with England. Coaches have said he strikes the ball in the most gifted way. He has evolved from being a No10, to playing wide right to being a central midfielder and now a No4 in front of the defence so there seems to be more to him than Frank Lampard in terms of variety to his game. There is a bit of personal taste and I just like Gerrard. For me it would be between Gerrard and Scholes and because of Istanbul especially - I was there and wrote a book about it - I will go for Gerrard.
Hi Guillem, do you think Barca, like Real, lack a second striking option? I feel they only have Messi so if there's any injuries or their gameplan isn't quite working there is not another option. David S and Harout
GUILLEM SAYS:They have scored four more goals at this stage of the season compared to last season. So we have to move on a bit from thinking a striking option is just a tall No9. They are scoring a lot of goals. One of the things Barcelona have done is change the question, so we have to change the answer a bit. The question is: are they scoring goals? The answer is, yes. So we have to get away from the idea that you have to have a tall No9. But I think Martino would like another option up front, not to play regularly but to offer something different. At the moment they would prefer to have another centre back.
Hi Guillem, given that Villarreal are in a healthy financial position, and the way their current squad are playing, do you think we will see them in the Champions League or Europa League football in the next two seasons? Sam
GUILLEM SAYS:They have been so clever with their finances that I think they will be Europa League or Champions League contenders in two or three years. It is a young team with some older players too and the manager, Toral, is working in the best environment he has ever been. I've spoken to him a few times this season and he is really happy with what he has. Of course if they continue their financial position they will be able to sign players at a time when everyone else struggles so that can only take them up the table. Europa League is a possibility for them this season.
Hi Guillem, three years ago I think if you asked people who the best team in the world was the majority of them would answer Barcelona - but with a new manager and a new style to their game, do you think this is still the case? Wagers21
GUILLEM SAYS: That Barcelona team changed the history of the game so they had to be the best in the world then. Now they are more like a normal team in the way they play. So to say which is the best in the world is a massive debate. I think Manchester City - and I said it at the beginning of the season - will be Premier League champions and I think the will win it by a big margin, more than 10 points. I think they will be challenging for the Champions League as well. So maybe this will be the year when they prove to be the best.


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ADA Restoration Act: The Americans with Disabilities Act has been diluted and warped since its inception by too many lawsuits and various Department of Justice mandates. Please visit this website to learn more about this vital piece of legislation that would give the ADA back its power to ensure civil rights equality for people with disabilities. http://adarestoration.blogspot.com/Thank your taking this moment out of your day to learn about the ADA Restoration Act.
2 Great sites that have HUGE lists of Click-To-Give websites:http://www.freewebs.com/clickforcharity/http://www.freewebs.com/kat74/freedonationsites.htmI just found these yesterday (3-20-08) and haven't had a chance to compare the lists for duplicates and some of the sites are in other languages but all in all they're great resources. I had no idea there were so many of these sites out there! For just a little time, we can all do so much.


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Technical Problem With This Chapter?
Author: Majick
Story: Ginderella
Part: 1: Balls
Rating: Teens
Setting: AU
Status: Completed
Reviews: 30
Words: 5,585
Updated: November 16, 2004, 11:32am
1: Balls
(Author's Note: Thanks to Andrew MacRobb and Pooca for their beta-reading skills. Thanks also to countless pantomimes, movies, books and even a ballet performance for the original story. Also, various minor tips of the hat to Terry Pratchett for sending up fairytales in his novel Witches Abroad, among others.)
Once upon a time, high in the hills of Scotland, where the cows are hairy and the humans are hairier, there is a magic castle. You and I, if we were to see this castle, would think that it were ruined and abandoned.
We'd be wrong.
For this castle is Hogwarts, home to the only school of witchcraft and wizardry in all of Britain.
And deep inside, far from prying eyes, there works a young girl, no more than sixteen years of age, possessed of clear skin, perfect white teeth and the most beautiful, glossy red hair.
That is, she has these when she's clean—-which she generally isn't.
For young Ginny is a maid at the castle, forced to slave day and night for her magical education, grudgingly allowed to study by the cruel Severus Snape who happens to be young Ginny's stepfather.
All day long Ginny works her fingers to the bone. All night long she studies until she falls asleep. She is an embarrassment to Severus Snape, whose own children have the best education money can buy, but are rather stupid and very ugly.
Oh, yes, Severus' daughters. Pansy is marginally the prettier, Millicent marginally more intelligent. But there's not much in it, nor indeed is there much to them. Their sole saving grace is their tendency to ignore young Ginny as much as is possible, if only because the last time they teased her, she broke a broomstick on Pansy's thick skull. For all her many fine qualities, young Ginny had an absolutely filthy temper at times. I wouldn't resort to stereotypes or anything, but did you ever hear that old limerick?
"There was a red-head from Nantucket,
Who was often heard saying 'Go f—'"
You know, I don't know if that's really suitable for this story... back to Ginny, then.
The two sisters have a nickname for Ginny, the closest they dare come to teasing her. Ginderella, they call her. They took it from a Muggle fairy tale and, being not overly blessed with brains, think it an insult. Cinderella, after all, was generally covered in soot and dirt and stuff.
Ginny, however, rather likes the name. Let's face it, as fairytale heroine's go, Cinderella had it easy. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were poisoned, Rapunzel was imprisoned, Red Riding Hood got eaten by the wolf and the Little Mermaid had her tongue cut out.
Cinderella? She had to walk home from the Prince's ball. Ginny thought she could live with that.
Especially as there was a ball coming up. Uncanny, that.
The end of the school year was approaching, and Hogwarts was preparing for its annual summer ball. It was to be the grandest of affairs, with all proceeds going to charity. The charity this year was to be the War Orphans fund, to help those children whose parents had been killed by Voldemort in the war.
In fact, the only orphans were the children of Death Eaters who'd been rather too stupid to get out of the way when the handsome prince, who went by the name of Harry Potter, and Voldemort began their duel.
Not that Harry had killed anyone other than Voldemort. It's just that the Dark Lord had a hissy fit when he realised that he was going to lose and tried expelling all his magical energy in one blast.
The Death Eaters died in the blast.
Harry's hair lay flat on his head.
Doomsayers declared that the world was about to end.
It didn't, obviously, or we wouldn't be here.
But seriously, Harry Potter's hair actually lay flat.
It was a close thing.
Fortunately, Harry did some incredibly complicated magic and everyone else survived, apart from Voldemort, who blew up like someone had dropped a stick of dynamite down his stomach.
It was messy.
Still, Voldemort died, the Death Eaters died and there was a bunch of orphaned kids which Harry tried to adopt in an attempt to make sure that they'd have the happy life which he'd missed out on.
Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and Harry's mentor, explained that being raised by the person whom they believed had killed their parents would probably lead to issues later in life.
Harry insisted on arranging the Ball, at least, to bring in some money for the orphanage.
"A Masquerade Ball," he declared. "And I shall dress as a Seeker!"
"Now there's a surprise," said Hagrid, Harry's butler and veterinarian.
"You think I should choose another costume, Hagrid?"
"Aye," Hagrid replied. "Summat a bit less obvious, if yeh catch my meanin'."
"A... Chaser?" Harry suggested, dubiously.
Hagrid sighed tolerantly. Clearly it would be a long night.
In the kitchens, it was also a long night, but then it always was. By order of Albus Dumbledore, every day in the kitchens lasted for at least thirty-three hours. As Hogwarts was his castle, the order was obeyed.
Ginny was sewing robes. It was quarter-past-twenty nine, well past her usual bedtime. But she'd been dreadfully busy that evening, and hadn't managed to get a scrap of schoolwork done.
"Ginderella," Pansy had trilled as she and her sister swept into the kitchen at half-past-nineteen. "You will make us robes."
"Robes?" Ginny asked, looking up from her Arithmancy work.
"For the Ball, girl," Millicent growled. "You have heard of the Ball?"
The Ball, the Ball, of course Ginny had heard of the Ball. Everyone had heard of the Ball. What a thing it would be to go to the Ball! The Ball would be the most wonderful thing on earth, and the heroic Harry Potter would be there...
Ginny sighed, lost in a reverie.
Then she sighed again, as she realised that she was naught but a servant and would only ever attend a Ball to hand around canapés and cocktails, and that there were house-elves enough for that already.
"Oh, stop huffing," Pansy snapped. "We must be at our finest when Harry Potter arrives. One of us is bound to snare him, whatever father says."
Severus Snape was certainly no fan of Harry Potter, a fact that would have endeared the handsome prince still more to young Ginny, were that possible.
For Ginny had loved Harry Potter since first she laid eyes on him. For a time she had had something of a shrine to him in her dusty corner of the kitchen, but had long since given that up as being almost unbearably creepy and bordering on stalker-like.
Nowadays she merely exercised her entirely healthy fascination by conjuring fantasies of Harry and her together. All it would take, she was sure, was one evening with him...
She sighed again, but was interrupted when Pansy dumped a roll of black cloth in her lap.
"Stop sighing!" Pansy screeched. "We will be attending the ball as courtesans. Now sew!"
Ginny sighed defiantly, but quietly, and set to work on Pansy's costume. She wasn't sure about the colour of the material, or the cut of the dress, but it was what her stepsister wanted. Her stepsister definitely didn't want fashion advice from the younger girl.
When Pansy's costume was finished, Ginny just had time to blink before it was whisked away from her and Pansy disappeared in the direction of the changing room
Yes, the kitchens at Hogwarts have changing rooms. How else could Pansy have changed down there?
Ginny knew what was coming next. A bolt of yellow cloth dropped from Millicent's hands and landed in her lap. Millicent held up a - very - rough sketch of the dress she wanted.
Ginny was of the opinion that it would make Millicent look very rough. Canary yellow? With Millicent's blotchy red face?
Oh well... It certainly wouldn't be either of Ginny's stepsisters who would win over Harry at the Ball. Millicent's dress would suit her about as well as the deep purple outfit Ginny had just finished would suit the green-eyed Pansy.
But now it was half-past-twenty-nine and Ginny was drowsy. Her fingers ached from the intricate, lightning-fast stitching that she had produced to keep her stepsisters happy. However, she thought that the look on her stepfather's face as he blanched at the sight of his daughters' attire would keep her happy for weeks.
The days between back then and right now passed, and Pansy and Millicent were frequently to be found in the kitchen.
Not that the two sisters were working, or helping Ginny with her studies of course. No, they were pestering the younger girl to alter the robes. To let out and take in. To raise and drop. To change and amend. To rinse and repeat.
Ginny's schoolwork suffered. Her stepfather noticed.
"Clearly the excitement of the Ball is distracting you," he said witheringly as he handed back a pile of homework that was literally dripping in red ink. "I am afraid that more work of this nature will see you banished from the school. You certainly shall not be allowed to serve at the Ball tomorrow, as I had originally intended. You shall need the time to catch up on your work, most especially your Potions."
Ginny slouched back to the kitchens, her head hung low and her heart riding even lower. She hadn't even thought that she would be at the Ball, even as a servant. But to learn that she would have been, and that her stepsisters were the cause of her absence...
Ginny broke another broomstick on the dummy that Pansy had been using to display her dress.
"Something wrong, Ginny?"
It was Neville, Ginny's only real friend. He was another one excited about the Ball. He was going with Eloise Midgen, a stunning girl whom Neville had befriended when she had been the laughing stock of the school for hexing her own nose off.
Not like it's something we haven't all done at some point, right?
Ginny wanted to break down, there and then, but she stopped herself. Neville was her friend, and she wouldn't do anything to spoil his day, not when his big date was only twenty-four hours away (or thirty-seven, by the kitchen clock). She felt her anger and frustration dissipate before Neville's hesitant, uncertain smile.
"Nothing's wrong," she said, beaming at her friend. "I've just been letting my marks slip. Father isn't very impressed."
"Oh," Neville said. He looked thoughtful. "I'll help you, if you like. I need something to do."
Ginny's smile widened. "Thank you, but father hates for me to have any help with my work. Besides, shouldn't you be getting ready for the Ball?"
Neville looked panicked. "It's not until tomorrow, is it?"
"Don't you want to look smart for Eloise?" Ginny laughed. "You'll have to fight the other boys for mirror space if you wait until tomorrow."
Neville smiled, but made no attempt to leave.
"I wish you were coming to the Ball as well," he said. "It's not fair, you being stuck down here while everyone else is having fun."
"Better for me to be down here and catching up on my work then to be mooning all over the beautiful people upstairs," Ginny sighed. To her faint surprise, she found that she actually meant it. She didn't want to be serving at the Ball. If she couldn't be there in a beautiful gown, then she wouldn't be there at all. She didn't think that she would be able to abide Harry Potter looking through her as he would any other servant.
"I'll be fine," she grinned, affecting a curtsey in her sooty robes. "I shall have my own Ball, and I will be the most beautiful girl there."
"You'd be the most beautiful girl at any Ball," Neville declared, hugging her impulsively.
Ginny laughed when he released her. "Now you really need to go and wash up," she said, looking at his now-filthy robes.
Hogwarts was awoken at five-fifteen the next morning by the simultaneous squeals of Padma and Parvati Patil as they realised that the day of the Ball was here at last. Their excited squeaking was joined by that of a hundred other easily excited girls, rhapsodising over materials, colours, cuts and contours.
The boys, meanwhile, awoke less noisily, although there was a collective groan as they realised that the day of the Ball was there at last. Soon, they knew, they would be expected to don their costumes and dance at least as well as their date's best friend's date, for such things are important, after all.
Ginny, deep down in the kitchens, was awoken at five seventeen as her stepsisters burst into the kitchen, setting a new record for the dormitory-to-kitchen steeplechase in the process.
"Improvements! Now!" Severus Snape barked, swooping in after his daughters like a falcon snatching a rabbit from its hole. "You know as well as I do that your sisters will look ridiculous in these creations. You will slave day and night to prepare costumes that will flatter them."
"How can I slave day and night when the Ball starts in fourteen hours?" Ginny asked.
"More time can be arranged," Severus snarled snarkily. "Work hard and work fast, and perhaps I will allow you an extra day to finish your school work."
An extra day to replace the one he's taking from me, Ginny had the sense to think without saying aloud, although she had the feeling that her stepfather had heard the thought, such was the sneer that he shot her way.
The school buzzed for the rest of the day, not least because a certain pair of pranksters set loose a nest of hornets in the Great Hall.
Come the evening, Ginny had worked her fingers to the bone, mainly thanks to an enchanted pair of scissors that Pansy had 'forgotten' were in her sewing box. Millicent was kind enough to cast a flesh-regrowing charm, although Ginny suspected that this was only because her costume still needed work.
Fingers firmly intact, Ginny finished the final stitch on Millicent's fulsome costume. She sighed.
There was no denying it. In their beautiful costumes, and with masks firmly in place, Ginny's stepsisters were bound to catch Harry's attention.
Ginny hadn't been able to help herself. Subconsciously, she had selected Harry's favourite colours. Millicent would look glorious in red, while Pansy glittered in gold. They were both dressed as Quidditch players, and Ginny had nearly trashed the designs when she realised how good they were. Even with magic to help her, however, she didn't have time to redo everything form the beginning.
Ginny watched in barely concealed loathing as the sisters paraded their wares around the kitchen, miming catching the Golden Snitch, or tossing a Quaffle.
Ginny scowled. Her stepsisters knew nothing about Quidditch.
But, with the uniforms in place, they looked the part. And the masks that they would both be wearing would remove their faces from consideration.
Ginny turned away. Her stepsisters would have a better chance than anyone of catching Harry Potter's attention. Ginny was tempted to weep, sure that if she had had the chance to dress herself, then she would have been the one that Harry noticed.
Ginny was tempted to weep, but she didn't. Because her stepsisters would have laughed, because weeping would have taken up time she needed for schoolwork, and mostly because weeping is a rather pointless waste of time and no man could grow to like a woman who looked and felt like a used handkerchief.
Being rather sensible at heart, Ginny instead picked up a large knife and began chopping two potatoes. One of the potatoes was big and chunky, like Millicent. The other was shorter and skinny, like Pansy.
But any similarity to her stepsisters was purely coincidental, and any relief that Ginny gained from the chopping was related solely to the therapeutic qualities of hard work.
Anyway, the two older girls went away somewhere - it doesn't really matter where, they're not the stars of the story, after all - and Ginny was left alone to chop more potatoes.
Time passed, although it took rather longer to pass in the kitchens than elsewhere, thanks to Dumbledore's bizarre tastes in temporal sorcery.
The light outside dimmed. The candles guttered in their holders, for Dobby and the other house-elves had been too busy during the day to replace them. Ginny had been awake since five-seventeen, and in the kitchen that was twenty-two hours ago.
She was tired.
But not so tired that she didn't hear the cacophonous crash that heralded the unceremonious arrival of something big, heavy and above all annoyed in the middle of the Hogwarts washing up.
"Ron!" This single word, delivered in a female whisper, managed to express anxiety, annoyance, frustration and despair. All in all, it had really done a lot with itself, especially for a uni-syllabled word, and probably deserves a round of applause of its own.
"Ron!" the voice repeated. The word, having seized its opportunity, decided not to push its luck and restricted itself to simple annoyance this time. Clever word. No one likes a show-off.
"Look, I told you, it's bloody hard to Apparate in this sort of getup."
"I managed."
"You're used to wearing this sort of thing."
"That's not the point. If you just concentrated-"
"Anyway," the male voice, Ron, interjected. "What are we doing here?"
"Didn't you listen in the briefing?" the female voice replied, obviously scandalised. Ginny found herself edging closer to the voices.
"Hermione, I never listen in briefings. What's the point? You memorise everything, so all I have to do is ask you."
There was a loud "Tuh!" from the female, Hermione. Ginny took her wand in one hand and picked up the old, viciously sharp, foot-long meat cleaver that she'd never used but which she felt added a certain gravitas to her appearance.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked.
"You never try!" she said. "If you'd just put a little bit of effort into your work, then we wouldn't be in this situation. We'd get a bit more respect. We'd get better wands. You'd not have to wear those second hand robes."
Ginny edged around the fireplace and for the first time saw the owners of the two voices. Her jaw dropped.
Not, to be fair, because of the way the owners of the voices looked. Not exactly, anyway. The female was a bushy-haired brunette with blue eyes and a way of standing that screamed "Teacher, caring soul, brainy type."
The male was a tall, skinny red head with freckles that almost matched Ginny's own in number.
They were both holding cheap-looking wands, to the ends of which had been applied silvery stars that were definitely lacking in lustre, and a large number of their sequins as well.
But what had made Ginny's jaw drop was their robes.
They were identical down to the last faded star.
They were worn.
They were torn.
And they were definitely meant for witches rather than wizards.
Ginny stared at Ron in unabashed shock. There was several inches of pale leg showing below the hem of the hooped dress, and the neckline, which showed a small amount of Hermione's cleavage, appeared to descend halfway to Ron's stomach. The silvery robes, with their flared dress and puffed sleeves, actually suited Hermione rather well, complementing her brown hair and tanned skin. Ron, with his milk-white skin and carrot-orange hair, looked like a total idiot.
Quite apart from being a guy.
In a skirt.
Ginny didn't really have a problem with guys in skirts - almost everyone she knew wore long, flowing robes, after all - but Ron was not meant to be a transvestite, drag queen, female impersonator or any other breed of dress wearer.
Ron, it was eye-wateringly clear, was meant to wear jeans and a shirt.
He was bony, Ginny decided. His partner had a pleasingly curvy figure that filled out the robes in all the right places. Ron, however, had bones sticking out in any manner of places, the final effect one of the robes appearing to be hanging upon a skeleton.
Ginny, realising that her mouth was still hanging open, shut it.
She realised as well that the two new arrivals had not even noticed her presence yet.
"Hands up!" she said, waving her wand at them.
They ignored her.
"Hermione, even you can't believe that Malfoy would give us good stuff no matter how hard I work."
"You're just giving him excuses to put us down, Ron."
"I said, hands up!" Ginny repeated, feeling rather cross about being ignored.
"He doesn't need excuses!" Ron declared. "He's a git!"
Hermione gave him a Look.
The capital letter was fully justified.
"Ron," she began, and Ginny suspected that what she was seeing was merely a replay of a discussion that the two had almost continually.
"Why are we here?" Ron said quickly.
"Oh, interesting question," Hermione said, brightening up considerably. "Some people say that in the beginning there was nothing, which exploded and created everything. Others think that-"
"I mean why are we here, now, in this kitchen?" Ron said hurriedly, apparently eager to head off any possibility of him learning anything.
"Oh. Well, we have a mission, of course."
"That much I could have guessed," Ron said evenly. "Do you know the details of the mission?"
"Of course," Hermione replied promptly.
Ron sank his head into his hands.
"Can you tell me, please?"
Hermione grinned in a very mischievous way. "If you paid attention in the briefing, you wouldn't have to ask."
"Ginny Snape," she said promptly.
"Ginny Snape?" Ron repeated. "Merlin, someone was hated by her parents. Why not Penelope, or Cecilia, or any name that flows better than Ginny."
Ginny's cheeks burned, and she felt an overwhelming desire to kick Ron in his unmentionables. Assuming she could find them under his dress.
"What about Ginderella?" Hermione asked.
"Ginderella Snape? Yeah, not bad. Sounds familiar."
"It's what her stepsisters call her."
Ron's face fell.
"Evil stepsisters?"
Hermione nodded.
"Good and dutiful father or manipulative and spiteful stepfather?"
"Handsome prince?"
"Heroic and handsome."
"Oh, aren't they all. What'd this one do?"
"He killed You-Know-Who."
There was a thoughtful silence.
"You-Know-Who," Ron repeated, slowly.
"That's right," Hermione said.
"I want to be clear about this. When you say You-Know-Who, you don't mean Draco 'I bribed my way into the top job' Malfoy, who I have occasionally referred to as You-Know-Who when running short of inspiration for better, ruder ways in which to refer to him?"
"You mean He Who Must Not Be Named."
"That's right."
"We're here to fix up Harry Potter?"
"Exactly," Hermione said.
Ron grinned. "We're going to be bloody famous. This'll be bigger than anything."
"Ron," Hermione said with a note of exasperation in her voice. "That's not what we're here for."
"Yeah, but it'd be good, wouldn't it? No reason we shouldn't enjoy the fruits of our labour."
Hermione's eyes narrowed.
"I should never have given you that book of aphorisms for your birthday."
"But it was what I wished for," Ron said innocently.
"You also wished for a naked Celestina Warbeck to sing you Cannons Conquer, and I didn't get you that."
Ron grinned. "Shouldn't we do some work?"
"You're changing the subject."
"I know," Ron said.
"Fine," Hermione huffed. "As you're so keen, you can be in charge of the spells. You can explain to Malfoy if anything goes wrong."
Ron's eyes widened, and then he grinned.
"Fine. These ones are dead simple, anyway."
Ginny blinked. Almost for the first time since their arrival, there was silence. She stepped forwards.
"Er, excuse me?"
They spun around, and Ginny found herself staring down their wands. She swallowed nervously.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Ron barked.
"I'm Ginny Snape. Er, I was wondering why you're wearing a dress."
Credit where credit is due, Ron tried. But looking fearsome is virtually impossible when your partner-in-fearsome has collapsed into gales of helpless laughter.
"You've done it now," he said wearily. "It's going to be sodding ages 'til she stops laughing. Bad enough that I have to through this every time we go out on a mission, now you've set her off when we're supposed to be working."
"Um, sorry," was all Ginny could manage. She was feeling rather lost at sea.
"Well, not your fault, I suppose," he sighed. "Hermione will you please shut up!!!" he added in a bellow, as Hermione caught sight of Ron's milk-white calves and started laughing again.
"I wouldn't mind so much if the dress actually fit," Ron went on. "But it's bloody draughty, you know? And every time there's a breeze, it goes right up around my privates."
This revelation triggered another burst of laughter from Hermione, who collapsed back onto the floor and actually seemed to be having trouble breathing.
"Shouldn't we help her?" Ginny asked.
Ron appeared to be considering not helping, but as Hermione started going red in the face, he sighed and waved his wand at her.
"Sobrus!" he said.
Hermione slumped back onto the floor, giggling slightly, but otherwise normal once more.
"Sorry, Ron," she said, as he took her hand and pulled her upright. Ginny could see her biting her lip in an effort to not laugh.
Ron said nothing, but placed himself slightly behind Hermione so as to be out of her line of vision.
"Who are you?" Ginny asked.
"Didn't we say?" Ron asked.
"I'm sure we did."
"You've been rather busy since you Apparated into the washing-up."
"Yeah, sorry about that. It's really hard, Apparating in this dress."
"Why are you wearing a dress?"
Ron Stunned Hermione before she could collapse again.
"Budget cuts," he said miserably, waving his wand over Hermione and re-awakening her.
"And who are you?"
"Didn't we say?"
"Oh, sorry." Ron and Hermione looked at one another.
"We're your fairy godm-"
"-parents," Ron said quickly, cutting Hermione off in mid-word.
"Godmparents?" Ginny said.
"Godparents," Ron said firmly. He looked at Hermione. "A word, please?"
They walked off a few steps.
"Godmothers, Ron. It's traditional!"
"It's sexist, is what it is! Seamus gets to be a Godfather!"
"Seamus is obsessed with Robert de Niro. Besides he's the best. He gets to rock the boat a little."
"You fancy him, don't you?"
"Seamus? Of course not!"
"Yeah? Well, alright then. It's still bloody sexist, though."
"Oh, come on, Hermione. Who's going to know?"
"They've started doing surveys, Ron, you know that. A month after the event, they send our customers a survey to ask us how satisfied they were with their Godp- Godmothering experience."
"Oh, fine... But it's your fault if it all goes wrong!"
Ron muttered something that sounded rather like "Isn't it always?" but Hermione had turned and was treating Ginny to a brilliant smile.
"Hermione," she said, extending her hand. Ginny shook it gingerly, remembering at the last moment to put down her meat cleaver. "And this is Ron."
"I gathered," Ginny said. "Why are you here?"
"Well, some people say that Blind Io, chief of the Gods, took his fathers entrails and genit-"
"Actually," Ginny said quickly, "I meant here in this kitchen. Now. Tonight. You said something about Harry Potter earlier. He's upstairs, you see. Are you guests for the Ball?"
"Not exactly," Hermione said, while Ron muttered quietly. She treated Ginny to another brilliant grin. "Tonight, Ginderella, you will go to the Ball!"
There was a brief pause.
"No, seriously, why are you here? Did my stepsisters put you up to this?"
"No, although you could say that they are the reason we're here, I suppose."
"Neville, then. It's the sort of thing he'd like."
"No. We're here because of you. To make sure you go to the Ball," Ron said, a bit tetchily. "You know, fancy robes, nice hair, that sort of thing."
"You. Now look a bit happy, will you?"
"Oh," Ginny said. "Sorry."
"That's okay," Ron said, magnanimously.
Thirty minutes later, Ginny was sat in a chair by the sink, Hermione putting the last touches to her freshly watched hair.
"I'm not complaining," Ginny said. "I just thought that there'd be magic involved."
Hermione threaded the last of the flowers into Ginny's hair.
"There should be," Ron said, sitting on the table and trying unsuccessfully to stop his hooped gown from lifting up and flashing his unmentionables. Ginny kept her eyes averted until Ron gave up and stood back up. "Hermione's just a girl, so she likes doing this stuff."
"Ron, shut up and work on the dress, will you?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ron grumbled, moving over to the dummy that had held the costume that Ginny had made for Pansy. He waved his wand a couple of times and called "Vestitor!"
A set of smart new dress robes appeared on the dummy.
Male dress robes. In Ron's size.
"What? Oh, sorry," he said, awaking from a reverie of trousers. "Ornatus!"
Ginny watched in awe as the robes took shape. They were a deceptively simple affair, shorn of ruffs or pleats, bows or adornment. "Bombyx!" he added, as the robes began to solidify.
Then they were finished.
And Ginny wanted to weep. This time she let a single tear run down her cheek, drawing a clean line through the soot that lingered there.
"Whoops" Thanks for reminding me," Hermione said quickly. "Scourgify!"
"Wha-" Ginny was interrupted by the unpleasantly pleasant sensation of being thoroughly scrubbed while still wearing all her clothes.
When the process was finished, she staggered backwards, breathing a little heavily, and leaned against the sink.
"Nice?" Ron asked, grinning wickedly as he peered over Hermione's shoulder.
"Um," Ginny replied, shakily.
"Good," he said, holding up a pair of shoes. "To complement your robes, a pair of killer heels, the perfect way to finish off any fantastic outfit."
Hermione looked at him curiously. "I worry about you, sometimes," she said.
She turned to Ginny, took Ron's wand from his hand and pointed her own at the dress on the dummy. "Abalienare!" she said, waving Ron's wand at Ginny.
The process took about a second. Ginny went from shabbily dressed maid to drop-dead gorgeous femme fatale in, as Ron had put it, a killer outfit. The dress, for it was little more than a Muggle evening dress, was cut up to here and down to there.
Ginny looked down at it with a dubious look on her face, but Hermione, who had long experience of Godmo-, er, Godparenting, knew that the red-haired girl just needed some encouragement.
"You look gorgeous," she said.
"D'you like the dress?" Ron asked. "I designed it."
"It's amazing," Ginny breathed, running her hands tentatively over the silk gown.
"Good. We're running late," Ron said briskly. "Stick on the shoes, grab your mask, and let's go."
"Mask?" Ginny asked.
"Masquerade Ball," Hermione replied simply, flicking out a hand. A gold-trimmed piece of card flashed there, and Ginny recognised one of the invitations to the Ball that Pansy and Millicent had crowed over for days.
"Well, okay," Ginny said.
"Right then," Ron said. "Stick your shoes on, grab your mask, and get going. We're late."
"And whose fault is that?" Hermione retorted as Ginny slipped her feet into the shoes. They were very comfortable, and lifted her petite frame a further three inches into the air. They were also not glass for, despite what Cinderella might have us believe, the human foot is not a thing of great beauty. These were simple, black, slingbacks. Ginny loved them.
"Well, it's not my fault," Ron protested, bringing Ginny back to earth with a bump. "I could have done her hair in two shakes of a wand."
"You know the charms for washing hair? You really are spending too much time in that dress."
"What are you implying, Hermione?"
"That you're very in touch with your feminine side," she retorted immediately.
They paused.
"You may be right," Ron admitted. "Fancy getting me out of this thing once we get back to base?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Idiot."
Ginny coughed.
"Do you have a mask?"
"Yes," Hermione said, rather more firmly then she had intended. "You're wearing it already."
"I am?"
"You are. Sometime between washing your hair and now, you put it on. I almost didn't notice."
"She's being metaphysical," Ron added hurriedly, as Ginny looked at Hermione as though wondering whether to commit the godmother to the lunatic ward at St Mungo's. "It's a confidence thing. You have the look, which is your mask. You already had the personality. Now do you know what we're here for?"
"So that I could go to the Ball?"
"Yep. And?"
"Um, it's something to do with Harry Potter, isn't it?"
Ron sighed, waved a hand in the air and then was holding a stack of what Ginny recognised as her homework papers. He leafed through them.
"Your stepdad reckons you're a bit less thick than a troll. He's a git, but he may be right."
"Ron!" Hermione said, scandalised.
"Look," Ron said. "You're not just here to look good. You're here to get the prince. Harry Potter is up there, waiting for you, okay. You. Not your stepsisters. Trust me on this."
"Trust me."
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text:
The other day I was looking at recent photos from from a younger relative's album, and I noticed something as I turned page after page of the smiling faces of their friends. Something jumped out at me immediately as being painfully and obviously wrong. In every picture, every one of these smiling teenagers had brown and yellow teeth. Not one good white set amongst them and yet these are all middle class families with good dental hygiene. All of those handsome young adults' smiles were destroyed by discoloured enamel. I was shocked and decided to investigate because this was not how I remember teeth when I was growing up, nor is it what I see from people I meet from other countries.
What I was seeing was the results of a lifetime of drinking fluoridated water, from the bottle to the pint. The staining, flaking and pitting of the teeth enamel caused by the interference in the laying down of the enamel layers during the formation of the teeth by the compound commonly known as Fluoride, that is added to our water supply.
Now it is an age old adage that the teeth are a window into the health of the body, Slave traders would always check the teeth of a potential purchase. So is this an indication of more serious problems in the body?
This substance is in fact a byproduct of the aluminium and fertilizer businesses and is classified as toxic waste so dangerous that it cannot be dumped. It is also used as an insecticide, in rat poison and as an ingredient in military nerve gas. A lethal dose of fluoride can in fact kill a human being in just two hours.
The toxicology report describes sodium fluoride as a "protoplasmic poison" which means that when it is dissolved in water it becomes readily absorbed through the mouth, throat and digestive tract. It can also be absorbed through the skin while you bathe and even inhaled.
The symptoms of fluoride poisoning are many and varied depending on exposure ranging from nausea, abdominal problems and sores to more serious problems like damage to the kidneys, thyroid gland, pineal gland, bone cancer, osteoporosis and neurological damage.
This is all common knowledge, so you may ask what on earth is causing the inertia in Ireland on the issue of fluoride? All around the world the practice of fluoridating water has been exposed as unsafe and has been removed from the supply, yet here in Ireland the advocates for it's removal seem to be running into a stone wall of intransigence from the various government departments in the face of overwhelming evidence and best practice in other countries. No other country in Europe bar Britain (partially) fluoridates water.
Following this story over the years one couldn't help but conclude that there was a determination to keep fluoride in the water regardless of whatever evidence is presented. Even to the point of defending the indefensible. So who is blocking this and why are they doing it?
Pressure has been mounting on the politicians of late. From what I have heard first hand there have been a plethora of people contacting representatives about this issue, especially the Green Party members of government. John Gormley himself promised some of my associates that the fluoride issue was currently under review and he was awaiting a new report. Although when pressed on why this report has not been published he had no answer.
His last report criticising fluoridation in 2006 was blocked at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children by the government. Indeed John Gormley seemed to have grasped the nettle back in 2007 when he went on RTE Prime Time and demanded fluoride be removed, citing the the terrible scourge of dental fluorosis that is affecting 40% of our children now and the risk of bone cancer. However since he went into government he seems to have done a u-turn.
It appears to be government policy to continue to add this poison regardless of whatever evidence is placed in front of them. Yet on investigation I find there is very little independent science backing the use of fluoride and this is borne out by the York University report from 2000.
Only this week The Examiner printed a damning letter from Cathy Sinnott highlighting the terrible downside of fluoride ingestion, but up until this the mainstream media have been conspicuous by their absence on this very serious issue.
Not that there is a lack of information for them to report on and force the Department of Health to answer the difficult questions. For instance we have the 2002 North South report which highlighted the fact that children in the Republic had three times the incidence of dental fluorosis than those in the Northern Ireland, who did not fluoridate, and that the incidence had increased seven fold between 1984 and 2002.
In 2001 a group of dentists (IDOF) also broke ranks with the mainstream view this decade and brought a case against Mary Harney and her Health Department. This being the same pairing that have since continued to push the HPV vaccine against the backdrop of all the deaths and injuries from the vaccine in the US and Britain. This also being the same pairing who are still behind the continued push to vaccinate every child with the H1N1 vaccine even after the EU Commissioner for health declared it a fraud. So there is clearly a very poor and complicit track record to consider here.
Even now in the US the Centre for Disease Control and the American Dental Association have issued guidelines that fluoridated water should not be given to children under four nor mixed with baby milk formula. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland reported the same thing to the government. However pressure seems to have been applied by government and now they have changed their finding, omitting the desire to stop fluoridating water and replaced it with a statement that all mothers should breast feed, though how this helps most children over a year isn't explained.
There are even newer reports available now from the US highlighting the clear correlation between fluoridated water areas and the increased incidences of bone cancer, osteoporosis and broken bones, so why are these reports being ignored in Ireland?
A Sordid History
The history of this substance is a very sordid business and the dangerous effects of fluoride seem to have been known by it's advocates for a very long time. Extensive toxicology studies were done in the US and published in neurotoxicology journals back in the 1994 by Dr Phyllis Mullenix of the Harvard Medical School. It was also presented to the US National Institute of Dental Research who then buried the results.
What the study found was that fluoride could cause a permanent change in the behavior of animals with as little as 3 days exposure. It also documented changes in behavior that included many the symptoms of what psychiatrists are now calling ADHD. It also documented a condition they called "couch potato syndrome" which has all the same symptoms of what we call chronic fatigue syndrome.
Mullenix's team discovered that the fluoride finds it's way into the brain which was contrary to what officialdom's advocates of fluoride say in their literature. Yet they continue this charade despite the fact that these changes to the mental state were known as far back as 1944 when the original fluoride tests were done, as has been discovered in declassified US documents from the Manhatton Project.
The documents reveal a catalogue of deceit including orders from the highest levels for the cessation of all tests regarding mental confusion due to fluoride intake, even though funding had originally been given to carry them out.
However the most cynical document of all was a memo from 1946 from the project's chief pharmacologist sent to the Colonel in charge regarding chemical releases on the public, identifying fluoride with absolute certainty as the cause of neurological damage and illness. The memo then goes on to state "Would there be any use at making attempts to counteract the local fear of fluoride ……… through lectures in fluoride toxicology and perhaps the usefulness of fluoride in tooth health".
So it was 1946 that the lie was hatched about dental health and the coverup of the terrible effects on the central nervous system and literally the character of humanity. With all of this known the government of the US then went about promoting fluoride as "good for your teeth" in a marketing plan devised by the recognised king of manipulation of public opinion Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud and the man who convinced women that smoking was good for women's equality amongst other things.
It seems strikingly obvious that the governments of the old Empire like Canada, Australia, Britain, Ireland and the US have knowingly and deliberately maintained the illusion that fluoride is safe. They have kept this mind altering substance in the water for a reason. Perhaps because a nation of couch potatos would be much easier to control and will not threaten the authority of the elite group who run things?
Confirmation of this hypothesis might be strengthened when one realises that fluoride can be found in many pharmaceuticals including those used in the treatment of depression. What this amounts to is the forced medication of a population. This is illegal under international law since the Nuremberg Code was drafted after the end of World War II.
It is interesting that the issue of mass drugging of populations made it into the Nuremberg code because the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials were guilty of using fluoride in the water supply to their concentration camp prison population to keep them "docile". I'm sure the Gestapo weren't interested in the inmates' children's healthy teeth.
Don't think that the Nazis were the first to think of it though. Stalin's regime used fluoride in the prison water supply from the 1930s as a tranquilizer. This was when the idea was exported to Britain. In testimony to the government in the Un-American Activities Report in 1939 it was revealed that Communist sympathisers in the US has discussed using fluoride to make the population docile while they brought in Communism by degrees in the US upon a lethargic population. Even to the point of keeping a large store of fluoride at each reservior in the event they needed to poison the population to maintain power.
So you see there is a long and established history of mass medication and tranquilizing of the population with this chemical. Fluoride is a highly toxic and lethal substance in very small quantities. It can cause illness and mental disorder, and it can be used to subdue the spirit of anyone who drinks it. As chemist Charles Perkins famously said in 1954 "Any person who drinks artificially fluorinated water for a period of one year or more will never again be the same person mentally or physically."
Fluoride is a medication and it is a fact that any medication that is to be allowed used in Ireland MUST be approved by the Irish Medicines Board. Fluoride has never been approved for use in water by the IMB and hence those responsible of keeping it in our water are guilty of a crime.
Finally, one of the most shocking aspects I have discovered about fluoride is that it has been shown that there is a chemical process whereby the fluoride attracts aluminium and tricks the body into allowing it to pass through the blood/brain barrier. It should be noted that studies have shown an increased level of aluminium in the brains of people who suffer from altzhiemers disease, which we all see is on the increase and is affecting people younger and younger to different degrees.
All of these issues are being purposefully ignored by the authorities and when you look at the whole picture, with our isolation in Europe as the only country out of 500 million people who are given no choice but to drink fluoridated water, and the flat out intransigence of the government, you might conclude that we are somehow being used as a mass social experiment in population control. By the way people sit idly by while the politicians are robbing the banks in broad daylight, I think it is working.
As a measure of how cynical this defense of the forced medication of the public is and how far the government, for whatever reason, will go to maintain it, I refer to the constitutional challenge made in 1967. In this case the plaintiff challenged the practice based on a right to bodily integrity. However, the judge ruled that there was no case to answer as the government is not obliged to supply water to the population and the people are not obliged to drink it. Well now the government are trying to introduce water charges I think we will see a new challenge very soon because this man certainly will not be paying for his poison.
It may also have escaped your notice that fluoridated toothpaste used to carry a warning that if you swallow a pea sized amount of toothpaste you should call poison control, however in more recent times this warning has been quietly removed from the instructions on the tube by the manufacturers, as if fluoride magically became safe to swallow.
This persistent and deliberate sidelining of all scientific information that highlights fluoride as the danger to public health that it has always been known to be, is an act of criminality on the part of the people controlling the information. The good people of Ireland must stand up to these criminals and demand prosecutions for the mass poisoning of a population before another generation is destroyed.