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While you're here why not have a look at our amazing selection of upcoming Musicals, Dance, Concerts or even Stand-Up Comedy.
If there's something we should be listing get in touch to find out about listing shows on Toronto Theater.
University of Toronto, 80 Queens Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C5


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To tag a single webpage with the location 42°38.216'N 82°58.847'W include the following HTML in the head portion of the page.
Once you have tagged your site, you can ping a number of location trackers at once by entering your URL into this form:<meta name="ICBM" content="42.63693, -82.98079" /> <meta name="geo.position" content="42.63693;-82.98079" /> <meta name="geo.placename" content="Utica, City of - MI" /> <meta name="geo.region" content="US-MI" /> <meta name="DC.Coverage.spatial" scheme="DCMIPOINT" content="name=Utica, City of, MI, USA.; east=277.019209804343; north=42.6369333017027" />
If you have control over your DNS entries, and there is a location that applies to your entire domain,
you might want to add a RFC-1876 location entry to your DNS.
If you are running Bind, you can accomplish this by adding the following to your DNS zone file (replacing example.com with the domain name the location applies to.
example.com. LOC 42 38 12.960 N 82 58 50.845 W 31m

subset: commoncrawl


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To make truly great products, we feel it's crucial to build them in ways that are ethical and environmentally responsible.
All over the world, people are building Apple products. And we want to make sure that each person is treated with dignity and respect. This is why we create programs that educate and empower workers, and help preserve our environment's precious resources for future generations. It's a massive challenge — one where our work is never done. But each year we implement meaningful, lasting changes across our supply chain.


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A Warm Welcome From Meltham Golf Club
One of Huddersfield and West Yorkshire's Best Golf Courses
Meltham Golf Club is over 100 years old and is an attractive parkland course situated against the stunning backdrop of the Pennine Hills.
A warm welcome is always extended to visitors from our members and the golf club. Our Head Professional, Simon Race and his staff look forward to making your golfing experience at Meltham a special event.
Information for visitors »
No Joining Fee!
We currently have membership vacancies in all categories and have currently suspended our joining fee, SAVING OVER £650. If you are interested in joining please fill in the application form ASAP.Membership Information »


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Embroidered Hot Air Balloons at Chez Sucre Chez
We can't imagine many images more soothing than these dreamy, simply embroidered hot air balloons. Available in several sizes, all mounted on wooden embroidery hoops, these would be sweet on their own or in a fleet.
Prices range from $10 for a 3-inch piece to $30 for an 8.5 piece mounted on a German hoop. As a feel-good bonus, the proceeds of each sale will be donated to support multiple sclerosis research.
See the full collection at Chez Sucre Chez.


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Welcome to the Main 1 Arts Center:
The Main 1 Arts Center is multi-use community performing arts venue established under the organizational umbrella of Kids Unlimited. The facility represents more than music and entertainment it actually serves as a visionary tool for changing the community. The Main 1 Arts Center was established at our new location in April of 2005. It was designed to house community programs while simultaneously creating social integration opportunities. All of the funding generated by our operations is dedicated to preserving free and sustainable opportunities for youth of the Rogue Valley.


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Book Review: The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate0 comments - published on Sunday, July 17, 2016
History of women in the rabbinate is fascinating, not unlike the history of any other field where women pioneers have paved the way for the future generation. I enjoyed learning about the very first women who were ordained, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
One of my favorite quotes from the book states:
"Women's stories are particularly vulnerable since, until recently, we were not the keepers of these stories. What will happen to our stories, the stories of women breaking through the barriers at the admissions office of HUC-JIR, coping with an institution built for only male students, professors who were not used to women students, and the barriers of congregations who didn't want women rabbis as their leaders, once we, who experienced these things, pass from the world?" (Who Controls the Narrative? P. 7)
What makes this book really special is not the fact that it tells the story of these women, but that the story is told by some of the very same women who lived through the challenges of becoming rabbi's in a male oriented religious structure. We hear firsthand from these women the challenges they faced and how they persevered.
I particularly enjoyed the essay "Women Rabbis in Israel" which dealt with professional experiences unique to female clergy, and the way these women confronted such experiences including overt sexism with humor, confidence and zeal.
This book is a must read not only for those in the Jewish faith, but for anyone interested in learning about how historically marginalized groups, challenges they faced and how they managed to overcome the barriers and succeed.
Islamic Regime bringing "Sighe" Temporary Marriage or Islamic Legal Prostitution to Canada!0 comments - published on Thursday, July 14, 2016
What I loved about this novel was the seamless parallel story lines between the personal and political. While Shades of Africa sets out an accurate and heartbreaking account of the Apartheid, that is not the only focus of the book. The novel discusses in a very frank manner domestic violence and abuse of women and children during that time.
The story focuses on a young girl Shirley who grows up in a family with an alcoholic and abusive father who takes no issue with violently beating his wife and children on a regular basis. Unfortunately Shirley's mother is no protection against the abuse, in fact she is a passive woman who often gives up on her own needs and wants and goes along to get along. It's quite tragic that Shirley grows up to end up in a similar situation as her mother, in a violent abusive relationship and children that she must protect.
One of the most intriguing things about this novel is the fact that a lot of the issues in the books are still very much current and relatable. While the Apartheid in South Africa has ended there is still so much violence and discrimination going on in many countries around the world, where dictatorships continue to persecute religious and ethnic minorities. As well the domestic violence of women and children are still prevalent in many countries in the world.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the South African Apartheid or general issues of oppression of ethnic or religious minorities.
Today I attended the Turkish "Anatolia" Festival at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto, expecting a wonderful experience filled with Turkish culture, art, food and music. I had been looking forward to this festival for weeks as I have a very special place in my heart for Turkey and its wonderful people, and couldn't wait to get a taste of everything Turkey.
Unfortunately what I came across was anything BUT Turkish, but everything Islamic. One of the most noticeable things when I arrived was the fact that 90% of the women who were either selling tickets or were in the booths were covered from head to toe with the Islamic Hijab. Turkish women are some of the best dressed, beautiful and modern women in the world; however anyone attending this festival would have been left with the impression that Turkey has an Islamic dress code for women, as there were very few women who were not covered head to toe. What was more disturbing was the clothing booth selling Islamic Hijab outfits at very discounted prices, while there was not a single booth selling or advertising either Turkish modern clothes or the gorgeous and colorful traditional outfits worn by women while performing traditional dances.
In terms of music the major featured band was a NON-Turkish group called Dean-Squad who are known for their Islamic music. I have nothing against this band and had not heard of them prior to the Turkish festival; however I was left very confused about why a Turkish Festival organized by the cultural branch of the Turkish Embassy would not feature a Turkish band for their festival… While I did not have an opportunity to watch Dean Squad's performance, I did have a chance to watch another live performance of a Turkish groups who seemed to be chanting the Arabic word "Allah,Allah" which means God, instead of singing anything in Turkish.
Other areas of concern were the displaying of the Ottoman Empire Flag beside the Turkish red moon crescent and star flag. One of the major differences between the Ottoman Flag and the Turkish Flag is the representation of the "Caliphate" the Supreme religious leaders of an Islamic State within the Ottoman Flag. The Ottoman Flag represents the Caliphate in green colors and the Sultanate in red colors. While the Ottoman Flag represents Islam as much as the Ottoman Sultans, the current Turkish Flag is secular and does not represent Islam. For the first time in my life I attended a Turkish event where the Ottoman Flag was displayed along with the Turkish Flag no doubt to represent Recep Erdogan's strong Islamic affiliation.
I was sad to see there was not even a single picture of Mustafa Kemal ATATURK, the founder of Republic of Turkey who modernized Turkey and created a secular government. Ataturk is a well loved and respected figure in Turkey; in fact his surname Ataturk means "the Father of Turks". The Islamic Government of Erdogan has done everything in its power to reverse everything Ataturk did to secularize and modernize Turkey, however I can't see the people of Turkey allowing Erdogan to get away with that.
The festival was not all bad as I had a chance to meet a wonderful Turkish woman who hand makes beautiful soaps, and had a chance to speak to two beautiful and talented ladies who had come from Turkey to display their art first in the Montreal Jazz festival and then in the Turkish Festival in Toronto.
Unfortunately apart from those three wonderful ladies there was nothing Turkish about this so called Turkish festival. Turkish art, music, cinema, clothes and literature was all missing, however Islamic clothes, books and culture were plentiful.
After waiting for weeks to attend this Turkish festival I left disappointed, confused and mostly sad for Turkey and its wonderful people who are being represented by an Islamic Extremist Government who is doing everything it can to change a secular and modern country into an Islamic Dictatorship. While disappointed I also have great faith and hope in the people of Turkey, the descendants of Ataturk who will not allow Erdogan's dictatorship to destroy their country.
Long Live a free and secular Turkey


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Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. both decided last month that it was worth losing millions of dollars in fees to get credit on a big merger they didn't work on, four people with knowledge of the matter said.
The investment banks asked for credit in league tables—rankings of advisers on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) maintained by both Bloomberg LP and Dealogic—for working on the $25 billion sale of Forest Laboratories Inc. to Actavis Inc. last month. Neither actually had a role on the deal, said the people who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.
Instead, the two banks, using previous contracts with Forest, negotiated to get credit for the deal in exchange for millions of dollars in fees they were owed, the people said. The contracts had a clause, commonly known as a tail, that entitled them to fees even if the company was sold by another bank, they said. After the deal was announced they each agreed to cut the fees they were due in exchange for being able to claim the league-table credit.
The trade highlights the importance of league tables to investment banks—which use them to pitch for new business—and the lengths to which banks will go to climb the rankings. Firms also agree to provide financing or other services to get credit on deals they played almost no role in. The Forest deal helped Morgan Stanley solidify its position as the top M&A adviser this year, in both Bloomberg's and Dealogic's rankings.
Bloomberg LP is the parent of Bloomberg News.
"Getting league-table credit implies you had something to do with the deal," said Erik Gordon, professor at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, in a telephone interview. "Now, folks who weren't in the deal but had some minor role show up by cajoling and trading favors. Morgan Stanley isn't desperate, but the macho bragging rights are huge."
Andrew Williams, a spokesman at Goldman Sachs, and Mary Claire Delaney, a spokeswoman at Morgan Stanley, both declined to comment on the banks' effort to obtain credit for the Forest deal. Frank Murdolo, a spokesman for Forest, also declined to comment. Tasha Pelio, a New York-based spokeswoman for JPMorgan, also declined to comment.
No Mention
In the Feb. 18 statement announcing the deal, only JPMorgan Chase & Co. was listed as the adviser to Forest, a role for which it earned between $55 million and $65 million in fees, said Jeffrey Nassof, vice president of Freeman & Co., a New York-based firm that tracks banking fees. Greenhill & Co. was listed as the adviser to Actavis.
Morgan Stanley was absent from the list even though it had been Forest's bank of choice for years, even advising the company on its $2.9 billion acquisition of Aptalis Pharma Inc. in January. JPMorgan, which had a relationship with Forest's new Chief Executive Officer Brent Saunders, introduced him to executives at Actavis at a January health-care conference in San Francisco, two people said last month.
Only once the deal was negotiated did Forest executives call Morgan Stanley to tell them that they were selling, two of the people said. Under its previous relationship, the bank was entitled to a portion of the fees due if Morgan Stanley had sold the company itself. For a company the size of Forest, the bank would've gotten around $10 million, three people said.
In the end it accepted less than half of that, they said.
Goldman Sachs had a contract with Forest to help defend against activist investor Carl Icahn, whose boardroom pressure played a role in changing management, two of the people said. It was also owed a small fee in the event of a sale, and sacrificed most of that in exchange for the credit, one of the people said.
"It's a form of buying league-table credit," Gordon said. Contract tails are fairly common, and designed to protect investment banks in case a client does a deal shortly after a contract expires.
Dealogic gives banks credit for work on a deal when they claim it and doesn't automatically give financing banks advisory credit for a deal. If another bank disputes the claim, Dealogic will go to the banks and the client company and ask for the engagement letter that verifies services on the deal, said Ed Jones, a spokesman for the company.
"If the other banks shout out and dispute it, we would take it from there," Jones said in a phone interview last week. "So it's self-policed."
Bloomberg compiles league-table data from sources including press releases and communications with banks and law firms within the market, and also allows challenges to league-table rankings.
Mark Murphy, a New York-based spokesman for Bloomberg, declined to comment beyond the documentation of league-table methodology available on the Bloomberg terminal.
Financing Credit
The campaign to be included as an adviser is typical of the competition among investment banks in high-stakes takeovers. Firms sometimes try to get on a deal just before or after an announcement, and can also get advisory credit when they're providing financing to the buyer.
Bank of America Corp. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. provided bridge-loan commitments to Actavis for the purchase, according to the Feb. 18 statement announcing the deal. They are both also listed as financial advisers to Actavis by Bloomberg, while Dealogic lists only Bank of America.
Bank of America spokesman John Yiannacopoulos declined to comment on its role in the deal. Mizuho's New York-based spokesman Patrick Phalon didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
Sometimes the efforts don't work. In 2011, days after the $29.1 billion takeover of Medco Health Solutions Inc. by Express Scripts Inc., Goldman Sachs requested credit for helping to arrange the deal, people with knowledge of the matter said at the time. During the discussion, a Goldman Sachs banker reminded Medco of the firm's past work for the company and Medco's role as a manager of pharmacy benefits for some Goldman employees, the people said. It was unsuccessful, the people said.
Morgan Stanley has advised on $176 billion of pending and completed acquisitions globally so far this year, more than any bank, Bloomberg's league tables show. JPMorgan has worked on deals valued at $142 billion, and Citigroup Inc. ranks third with $112 billion of deals. Goldman Sachs ranks seventh, after having advised on $83 billion of deals, the tables show.
Dealogic's data also shows Morgan Stanley is the top M&A adviser this year with credit for work on $193 billion in global deal volume through March 6.
Investment banks have long tried to get credit for late-stage roles on deals, like giving fairness opinions or providing financing for a deal, said Antony Page, professor at Indiana University's McKinney School of Law. It's unusual for banks to take credit as a result of a tail contract, he said.
"This seems to be one step further than what I have seen before," Page said in a phone interview. "I would hope that they would be embarrassed about this."


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Technical Problem With This Chapter?
Author: St Margarets
Story: Mr and Mrs Potter
Part: Mr and Mrs Potter
Rating: Teens
Setting: Post-DH
Status: Completed
Reviews: 39
Words: 7,806
Updated: January 13, 2008, 8:54am
Mr and Mrs Potter
"Now that is an amazing Charm," Ron said, staring at Ginny with professional interest.
"Isn't it?" Ginny preened in front of the mirror in the foyer of Ron and Hermione's townhouse. It was a shock to see the bright blue eyes and blonde hair of the witch she was impersonating rather than her usual red hair and dark, mother-of-two circles under her eyes. "I've heard of Perception Charms, of course, but I've never seen one that could trick a mirror."
"The Americans aren't telling how they come up with it," Hermione said, waving her wand at Rose's Gurgling Gobstones littering the sitting room floor. "It's charm and potion based, since they needed a strand of Vicki Lynn's hair. They must have used an ingredient from Polyjuice potion…"
"But they also needed a strand of Harry's hair since he will be the only one who will be able to see Ginny through the Charm," Ron reminded her.
"Right." The colorful Gurgling Gobstones were hovering forgotten in mid-air as Hermione tried to work out how the Charm was developed. "So if they needed a hair from the person who would be able to see through the Charm, then they wouldn't just use a concealing potion ingredient." She chewed her lip. "Now what enhances vision?"
"Carrots?" Ron suggested with a shrug. He took out his wand and finished putting the Gurgling Gobstones in the toy basket.
Hermione came out of her reverie and laughed. "I suppose I'm not going to work it out tonight." She shook her head. "It probably took their Experimental Charms team years to refine this. I've been telling Kingsley that we really need to put more money into research and development —"
"We'll get to it," Ron interrupted impatiently. "But we only have a few minutes before Ginny's flight leaves for Nova Scotia and I want to make sure she's ready."
"I'm ready," Ginny muttered, trying not to show her nervousness. She had never helped Harry on an Auror mission before and she didn't want to think about the consequences if she messed up. Someone was threatening to disrupt the Commonwealth Magical Games being held in Nova Scotia this year, and Harry had been there most of the summer working on security plans and trying to find the source behind the threatening owls that were landing in every Minister for Magic's inboxes across the globe.
"What's the password when you see Harry?" Ron prompted.
"My, you talk funny," Ginny replied in her best attempt at Vicki Lynn's Texas accent. Then she closed her eyes at the thought of Harry's face when she said that to him.
"I don't know if it's a good idea to spring Ginny on Harry like this," Hermione said nervously, holding her wand over Ginny's blonde head. Ginny could feel the waves of magic as Hermione attempted to scan through her disguise.
"What? This was your idea!" Ron protested. "Don't back down now! The Mounties also think that Harry's presence is doing more to impede the investigation than help it at this point. They think the perpetrators are lying low with the famous Harry Potter sticking his nose in everywhere."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Perpetrators? You sound like one of those Aurors on that DMSI show on the wireless."
"I sound like one because I am an Auror." The color was rising in Ron's face. "Look — Harry's been away for almost two months, and it's been a bloody nuisance in the department without him. I know we're supposed to have international cooperation and all of that rubbish — but honestly, if Harry is distracted and they show their hand and a few Quidditch matches are interrupted then what's the big deal? It's not like this is life and death."
"Ron!" Hermione pocketed her wand and moved in front of him. "They've threatened kidnap of Quidditch players and heads of state. And the spectators — what about them? The world simply doesn't need mass Imperius Curses cast like one letter threatened."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Believe me, Harry's made sure that security measures are in place to prevent kidnap, and there will be enough Aurors within the stadium to detect and subdue anyone casting an Imperius Curse. What would be nice is if the per — if the villains in this piece — would make a move before the matches begin. Hence, we send out a little distraction in the form of Vicki Lynn Culpepper from Sweetwater, Texas. With Harry wrapped around her finger —"
"Why did I ever think that would work?" Hermione moaned. "The whole world knows Harry is in love with Ginny and would never look at another witch."
Ron snorted, but didn't say anything about wizards not being blind after marriage. Ginny thought that maybe he had learned something about tact after his years with Hermione. "Remember? Harry won't see gorgeous Vicki Lynn Culpepper with those amazing —" He cupped his hands in front of his chest. "He'll just see plain old Ginny."
So much for tact.
"And he'll be glad to see me!" Ginny stormed, even though in her heart of hearts she knew that Harry would not be happy that she was involved — especially since she was leaving James and Albus behind with her mother.
"Why did you choose Vicki Lynn Culpepper again?" Hermione asked rubbing her forehead wearily. "Americans aren't even in the Commonwealth."
"You are tired," Ron said indulgently, putting his arms around her.
"Rosie was up half the night teething." Hermione settled her head on his chest. "I think it's her two-year molars."
"And since she's not quite two years old, that proves she's ahead of everyone else," Ron crowed. "Just like her mother."
Ginny refrained from pointing out that Albus, who was three months younger than Rosie, had one molar already. Ron was ridiculously competitive when it came to their children. "Hermione, Vicki Lynn Culpepper was a famous Quidditch star in America — and then played with the Kestrels for one season ten years ago, so she does know some the of British Quidditch players."
"In the biblical sense," Ron added, smirking.
"I read Vicki Lynn's autobiography," Ginny said with dignity. "Yes, she was married six times, and yes, she had a lot of boyfriends — but she wasn't a scarlet woman like the press is always making her out to be. And she's an Auror now, too — she went through training when she was thirty. Not the easiest thing —"
"Don't give that piece of information away," Ron warned. "I wasn't going to tell you, but Vicki Lynn is going to be undercover at the games. She's also protected by a Perception Charm."
Hermione's eyes widened with realization. "You should be able to see her through her disguise, Ginny since you have her strand of hair!" Then she frowned and looked at Ron again. "Why is the real Vicki Lynn going to be undercover at the games? What's her mission?"
Ron's mouth twitched, but his voice was serious. "I can't tell you."
Hermione pulled away. "I might be working half-days, but I still work for the Ministry. You can tell me."
"No," Ron said calmly. "I can't tell you because I don't know." At her deepening scowl, he added hastily, "Harry doesn't know either. The Canadians are in charge and they invited the Americans to get involved. I think it's because there are going to be exhibition games of Quodpot." He rolled his eyes. "Hamilton Dow is coordinating the whole thing so I'm sure it's all above board and by the book."
Hamilton Dow, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Aurors, was Harry and Ron's first Auror instructor and one of Kingsley Shacklebolt's best friends. He was a very competent Auror, but had little patience with rule-breaking and even less patience with Ron's sense of humor. Auror training had not been easy for Ron.
"So there's something else going on besides these threats?" Hermione asked as she paced around the room.
"That's my guess." Ron shrugged and looked at the clock. "Ginny, we have to get going. Your flight leaves in ten minutes. It was hell trying to get you on that chartered flight with all of the fans headed to the games."
"Are you sure you feel okay about this, Ginny?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Say something else with a Texas accent.
Nonplussed at Hermione's worry, Ginny searched her mind for something to say. "Let's go to the airport." She paused. "Y'all."
Ron laughed. "That sounded authentic to me."
"How would you know what an authentic Texas accent sounds like?" Hermione snapped. "We're English!" She frowned at Ginny. "Shouldn't you use the word 'mosey' for going places?"
Ginny giggled. "I don't know, but most of people at the Commonwealth Games won't know what a Texas accent sounds like either," she soothed. Then she remembered another useful fact from Vicki Lynn's autobiography that she had been poring over for the past week. "And if I do slip up, I can just say I'm practicing the elocution that I learned from my second husband, Professor Henry Higgins."
"Was he before or after Randolph Mantooth, the Quodpot player?" Ron asked with interest.
"After," Ginny said promptly. "Randolph Mantooth was her first husband. Her third was the Kestrels' coach."
"Ginny, you'd better go," Hermione said, thrusting a bag into her hands. "Here. It's for the flight. I put in a copy of This Yellow Rose Has Thorns with pertinent passages highlighted, a guidebook of Nova Scotia, and chewing gum. Oh, yes. Make sure you don't eat any shellfish. Vicki Lynn is allergic."
"Right," Ron said. "I meant to tell you that if someone was trying to assassinate Vicki Lynn they would do it with lobster."
"Thanks for the reassurance," Ginny retorted, her heart pounding. It hadn't occurred to her that Vicki Lynn would have enemies, but after several years as an Auror and six ex-husbands… She shuddered.
"Give Harry our love," Hermione called as Ginny stepped into the fireplace.
"Give him your love first," Ron advised. "Then he won't be as likely to kill us for sending you."
Ginny giggled and shouted 'Heathrow' before the flames obscured Ron and Hermione from view.
Ginny used the short, magically enhanced flight to re-read the highlighted passages of Vicki Lynn's book and to lightly doze. There was something about being cocooned in so much magic that made every surface — even the hard edges of the stiff airline seat —comfortable. She wished she could really sleep since she had been up since dawn, preparing Albus and James for their stay at the Burrow. James seemed to understand that Mummy was going to help Daddy for a few days, but Albus was too little to understand why his mother was leaving him. She frowned and rested her head against the window, vaguely noting that Vicki Lynn must have huge hair because the magic was holding her face inches away from the glass. The higher the hair, the closer to God, Vicki Lynn had written.
Was she a bad mother for leaving her children? Albus had known something was up when she kissed him goodbye on his forehead. She could see the tears glinting in his green eyes when he had twisted in Mum's arms trying in vain to reach for her.
Mum, of all people, had been firm about Ginny getting a break from the children and seeing Harry again. "You have children for such a short time, but marriages are forever," she had said. "Go to Harry. He needs you."
She happened to glance at the wizard who was seated across the aisle from her. He was leering in a very creepy way. Ginny wrapped the glittery robes tighter across her magical body. She couldn't tell if Vicki Lynn's breasts were hanging out or not. She shot the wizard her most repressive glare and was glad to see him turn his head hastily.
Vicki Lynn probably would have preened, but Ginny was annoyed. The only person she wanted to leer at her was Harry, and Ginny was afraid that when he first saw her, he was going to feel anything but amorous. She sighed. They rarely fought, but whenever they did, it was usually about her safety or his.
She could see the wizard in the reflection from her window. He was looking at her again. She fingered her wand and wondered if it would be too much of a stretch of Vicki Lynn's character if she used the Bat-Boogey Hex on one of her admirers.
The first thing Ginny noticed about Nova Scotia was the tang of salt in the fresh, chilly air. The second thing she noticed was how friendly everyone was — and she didn't think it was her sexy Vicki Lynn disguise that prompted such behavior. Her middle-aged landlady, Mrs. Nickerson, spent twenty minutes showing her around her seaside cabin on Carter's Beach, explaining that, while it wasn't an official nudist beach, she might see a few adventurous souls sunning themselves, but not to be alarmed since they "weren't locals." Then she implored Ginny to treat the main house as if it was her own and reminded her that she was due at a "late supper" welcoming the Americans at Oak Island at nine o'clock sharp. Mrs. Nickerson was going to Side-along Apparate her there so she wouldn't get lost in the dark.
Ginny couldn't believe an innkeeper would be that interested in her guests, but Mrs. Nickerson explained that hosting the Commonwealth Games was the biggest thing to hit the province since they discovered underwater Floo Powder off of Sable Island. Every room from PEI to New Brunswick was booked, and Mrs. Nickerson was giddy with excitement. Hamilton Dow himself had arranged for Vicki Lynn's cabin and Mrs. Nickerson was only too happy to accommodate a VIP. Finally she could shut up her rival, Mrs. Mitten, who ran the Wayward Seafarer's Boardinghouse in Lunneburg. She had been bragging about hosting Harry Potter all summer long.
Ginny almost gasped at hearing Harry's name. He was so close — just a quick Apparition away — if she knew how to find Lunneburg, that is.
Mrs. Nickerson grasped her arm. "I'll take you to Oak Island now — you should get a nice view of the ghost ships heading out to look for treasure."
"Ghost ships?"
Mrs. Nickerson nodded. "Oak Island is full of ghostly pirates — and ghostly treasure. The problem is they can't find any new treasure, so they just raid each other's ships and then dig holes all over the island trying to find new hiding places." She shook her head. "It's a tourist attraction and the Provincial Ministry encourages it— but if you ask me, those ghosts are drawing too much Muggle attention."
Ginny smiled and nodded, not knowing the first thing about Canadian politics.
"I heard those Quodpot players are a rowdy bunch," Mrs. Nickerson continued. "If you get in over your head, come straight back here."
Her smile slipped. She knew even less about Quodpot.
The late supper at Oak Island took place in a weathered old inn with a huge porch that jutted out over the lapping waves. The waxing moon turned the water silver, while the fairy lights suspended in the air softly illuminated the partygoers milling about on the porch. At first Ginny was intimidated by all of the strange faces and accents, but then she quickly reminded herself that Vicki Lynn would never be shy. Luckily, the first person she saw once she had a fizzy drink in her hand was… Vicki Lynn.
"Hi, honey," Vicki Lynn sidled up to her. "You're look'n' good." Vicki Lynn sounded like a man.
"My, you talk funny." Ginny replied with the password — it wasn't part of her instructions but it seemed strangely apropos.
Vicki Lynn laughed. "That's 'cause I'm disguised as my fifth husband, Horace Harper. He's a Floo Powder baron from Alberta. Bless his heart, he gave me one of the few hairs he had left on his head so I could go undercover. He was the one who pushed me into being an Auror in the first place." She sighed. "He was too old for me, of course — more of a daddy figure than a lover — but he was just what I needed after escaping from that harem."
"Er —"
"Now, how do you like bein' Vicki Lynn Culpepper?"
"Um." She could feel the heat rise in her face. "That's a difficult question to answer diplomatically."
Vicki Lynn chuckled. "My second husband would love your accent." She looked over her shoulder. "I don't know if you know this, but my first husband is here."
"He is?" Ginny's heart sank. How was she ever going to brazen this out?
"Randy is with the Quodpot players. He's the dark, handsome, dumb-looking one."
"Honey, he's — as we say in Sweetwater — all hat and no cattle."
Ginny giggled.
"But he's as sweet as they come," Vicki Lynn assured her. "And great in bed."
Ginny stopped giggling.
"We usually have a reunion when I'm in between husbands," Vicki Lynn continued, thoughtfully.
"What? No, no way am I —"
"Oh, honey." Vicki Lynn put a hand on her arm. "Don't worry about scorchin' the sheets with mah ex. I'll catch up with Randy later. Just Confund him if he bothers you. No one would be able to tell the difference."
Some of the tension in Ginny's shoulders eased.
"I don't know why Randy would bother chasin' you anyway. With your robes all buttoned up you look like a preacher's kid."
"I was tired of wizards not meeting my eyes when they talk to me," Ginny snapped.
"They get to the eyes eventually," Vicki Lynn answered, unperturbed by Ginny's bad mood. "I paid good money for those boobs, which is why I don't keep them all bundled up."
Ginny gaped at her. "Good money?"
"Sure. Every five years or so I go to my Healer in Dallas and ask him to upgrade me. It's part of my personal beauty regime."
A headache was beginning to form behind her eyes. How could she ever act like this woman?
"Oh, don't look now, but I believe the very famous, very married Harry Potter has joined the party."
"Vicki," Ginny said urgently.
"Horace, darlin'."
"Horace, then. Are you and Harry working together? Is there something else I should know about this mission?"
Vicki Lynn smiled mysteriously. "You dance with them what brung you." At Ginny's frown, she explained, "You're workin' with that nice husband of yours — and I'm… not." Then without another word, she turned and headed toward the bar.
Left alone, Ginny clutched her fizzy drink and looked around for Harry, but it was hard to see around the brawny Quodpot players who were loudly talking about the different types of exploding Quaffles and how the new ones didn't fly apart the same way as the old ones.
Randy caught her eye and winked. Ginny gulped and turned to flee from the porch. Maybe she could hide behind one of the wooden sailor figurines in the lobby until dinner was served.
As she stepped through the French doors, she bumped into a chest of red serge.
"Whoa, there."
It was Hamilton Dow in all of his square-jawed, broad-shouldered glory. Ginny looked up at him, not quite sure if she should reveal her true identity.
"Ms. Culpepper. Did you just arrive from England? I'm glad you were in time to be part of our welcoming dinner." He smiled and indicated the person standing behind him. "I take it you know Harry Potter?"
Harry was staring at her, shock in his green eyes.
Ginny held out her hand. "I believe we first saw each other at King's Cross a long time ago. But maybe you don't remember?"
He took her hand and then his eyes narrowed. She could barely feel him through the magic of the Perception Charm, and he probably noticed the same thing. It seemed so unfair that their first meeting after two months would be like this.
"I probably remember it differently than you," Harry said in a careful voice.
"My, you talk funny." She finally remembered to say the password.
Harry's eyes widened as he realized that not only was she in Nova Scotia with him, but she was the new contact he had been waiting for.
Hamilton Dow smiled down on the two of them. "How nice to have a reunion after all of this time."
Harry dropped her hand and turned on him furiously. "Why wasn't I told about this?"
"You were told about this," Hamilton Dow replied, straightening to his full height. "This is Vicki Lynn Culpepper, your new partner."
"No, it's not," Harry said in a low, dangerous voice. "This is my wife who should be safely at home and not mixed up in this mission."
"This was decided at higher levels," Hamilton Dow answered calmly. "If you had accepted the position as head of the Auror Department like Kingsley wanted, then you could have argued for a different partner."
Ginny's stomach did a little flip. Kingsley still wanted Harry to take the position. Maybe now Harry would see the up side to administration. He hated to be in the dark about anything — and in this mission they had kept him firmly out of the loop.
Harry seemed to understand that as well. His hands clenched spasmodically and then he looked at Ginny. "We're leaving."
"Harry! We have to stay for the dinner! It would be rude."
"Hang dinner," he growled, grabbing her arm and Disapparating.
They landed in a small, sparsely furnished bedroom. On the wall over the bed there was a picture of a sailing ship struggling in a storm. Ginny's eyes latched on to the sickening motion of the green waves, since that situation didn't seem as dire as Harry pacing in agitation behind her.
"I can't believe they pulled something like this!" he raged. "That's the thanks I get for coordinating all these security measures — they send you. What a slap in the face."
Ginny felt like she had been slapped in the face. "Wait a minute." She whirled around. "Aren't you the least bit happy to see me?"
"No." A muscle worked in his jaw. "Not like this. You're not part of my work."
"I'm part of your life!" she screeched. "When Ron asked me if I was interested in helping you, of course I said yes."
He stopped pacing. "Ron sent you? Hermione knows about this?"
"Of course." She folded her arms in front of herself and noticed with irritation that Vicki Lynn's 'upgrades' made that gesture uncomfortable. "They cast the charm — which you or I or Vicki Lynn can break." She gave him a hard stare. "Do you want to do that now? Mess up whatever plans are in motion?"
He looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath. "I hate this. I really hate this. It brings everything back. I think I know what's going on and then someone else — someone with more authority or power or knowledge — changes the rules."
She knew what he was talking about — and she remembered that year, too. "Well, I hate being left out! I hate not being a part of your life, Harry."
"You are part of my life," he said quietly. "The best part — not this part."
Her heart turned over at the weariness in his voice. "Harry, if you never want to be in this position again — then you have to be the authority," Ginny said. "You should take that administrative position."
He sighed and then looked at her, doubt in his eyes. "Dumbledore warned me about power — how it can be misused."
She ached to hug him. "You would never misuse your power as head of the Aurors. Professor Dumbledore was talking about the Elder Wand. You would do a lot of good for the Ministry, Harry. Since you've coordinated all the security forces here at the games, then you obviously have a flair for organization and administration."
"I would be home more," he conceded. "Nights and weekends."
He was really thinking about it! Ginny's hopes soared. "We've missed you," she whispered. "I've missed you."
His face softened and he opened his arms. She fell into his embrace, only to be frustrated all over again. She couldn't feel a thing.
"It's like you're wrapped in cotton wool," he marveled, looking down at her.
It was more than a little ironic that he said that, considering how he had always tried to protect her. "Well, you got your wish."
Before he could answer there was a sharp rap on the door. "Mr. Potter! Open up. Briney says you have a woman in your room."
Harry groaned. "The landlady, Mrs. Mitten, is a stickler for morals and proper behavior. No witches, alcohol or playing the wireless in her boardinghouse."
Ginny's eyes widened. "What are you allowed to do?"
"Cards — but no gambling — droughts and chess."
She giggled. Poor Harry — even if she hadn't done anything exciting all summer, at least she could have a glass of wine with dinner. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No. You've already been seen." He went to open the door. "Briney is the house-elf and he knows all."
Mrs. Mitten was a short, stout witch whose pleasant face contorted in shock when she saw Ginny/Vicki. "Mr. Potter, I can't believe it."
"It's not what you think —" Harry began.
"You're a married man." Poor Mrs. Mitten sounded close to tears. "I saw a picture of your wife and children in Hello There magazine not too long ago. She's a lovely girl — think about her."
Harry spared Ginny a quick, amused glance. "I know. She is."
"I'm a woman of the world," Mrs. Mitten continued, after taking a deep breath. "I've seen this happen with other sailors. You've been away — she might have put on a few pounds since she's had the babies."
Ginny opened her mouth to protest that she had lost all of her baby weight this summer, but Mrs. Mitten wasn't done with her lecture.
"But your children, Mr. Potter. Think about them, even if you don't feel the same way about your wife."
"I feel —" Harry stopped in mid-sentence, now looking angry rather than amused. "It's none of your business how I feel about Ginny — and may I remind you that I'm not a wayward sailor. I'm in charge of security. Ms. Culpepper is here to help me — to help Canada — host these games. I'm sorry about breaking the rules but time was of the essence and we needed a private place for discussion."
It was a convincing performance and Mrs. Mitten had the grace to look abashed.
"Now I'll take Ms. Culpepper to her hotel," Harry said.
Mrs. Mitten shook her head. "I'll take her. I know where she's staying. Alda Nickerson doesn't understand that this is a delicate government matter and she might not approve of a strange wizard showing up so late at night."
Harry hesitated and then grudgingly nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, Gi — Vicki."
Mrs. Mitten heaved a relieved sigh. "At least you're thinking about your wife now, Mr. Potter."
"Oh, I am," he replied without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Ginny thought she would lie awake worrying about how she was going to pull off her Vicki Lynn impersonation and mollify Harry, but the soothing sound of the waves lulled her to sleep.
She woke to a gray, misty morning. There was a pot of coffee on the bedside table and a note from Mrs. Nickerson. Come to the main house for pancakes.
Pancakes for breakfast. She had read about them and had always wondered what they were like. She scrambled out of bed and hurried to dress, hoping Vicki Lynn's wardrobe ran to something warmer and more casual than what she was wearing yesterday.
Vicki Lynn's glitzy wardrobe disappointed, but the thick, not-very-sweet, breakfast pancakes — studded with blueberries and covered in maple syrup — did not.
Mrs. Nickerson beamed as she ate with relish. "I was afraid you would be on some sort of a diet."
"Oh, no," Ginny said airily. "I'm on hol — I mean — I'm on vacation. Calories don't count then, now do they?"
Mrs. Nickerson laughed and hurried to answer the knock on the door. It must be Harry, Ginny thought. Maybe she could ply him with pancakes and he would be in a better mood.
"Um." Mrs. Nickerson's eyes shone with excitement. "Harry Potter is here to see you!"
"Hello, Vicki," Harry said, looking slightly embarrassed at the landlady's enthusiasm.
"Hey there."
He smirked at her accent, but he didn't comment on it. "The first exhibition Quodpot game is being played in an hour. I'd like you to fill me in on the details, if you don't mind."
Ginny didn't know the first thing about Quodpot. "It's what I'm here for," she answered cheerfully.
The fog had burned away by the time Harry and Ginny joined the crowd at Rossignol Stadium. The newly built venue was located in the middle of a fragrant pine forest with a blue lake shimmering in the distance. It was a lovely setting. Ginny felt her spirits rise as they always did when she saw a Pitch. One benefit of this mission that hadn't occurred to her was that she was going to be able to watch a lot of Quidditch.
She turned to Harry, but he wasn't sitting in anticipation of watching top athletes at their game. He was scanning the crowd and the skies.
"You look as nervous as a Kneazle in a room full of rockers."
He pulled his gaze away from the crowd and stared at her. Then his mouth twitched. "You did not just say that."
She giggled. "Honey, I did."
He laughed. "You're going to keep this Texas accent once we're home, aren't you?"
"Just when I think you need to lighten up." She grinned.
"Lighten up? I'm working!"
"Oh?" She sat up straight. "What exactly are you supposed to be doing at this moment?" She tossed her hair and then remembered that Vicki Lynn's hair didn't move. "And don't tell me you can't say, because I'm officially your partner. Hamilton Dow said so."
Harry ground his teeth and then looked around. They were in one of the VIP boxes, so it was unlikely anyone would overhear them. "I talked to Hamilton this morning. He wants me to follow up on the security measures I've put in place and he wants me to be seen — with you — for the next three days until the games are over."
"Oh?" She couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She was part of the plan and Harry couldn't do a thing about it.
"You are the diversion so that Vicki Lynn can do her job and I'm the public face of security." He looked glum. "My job is to answer questions from the press and to tell all the Aurors what to do."
"Just like you were the real head of an Auror Department."
He sighed. "Yes."
"So Kingsley and Hamilton Dow are giving you a taste of what a promotion would be like."
Harry stared out over the Pitch. "Yes, I suppose so." He sounded thoughtful now, rather than trapped and defensive like he had last night.
She wanted to take his arm and put her head on his shoulder, but she couldn't do that as Vicki Lynn Culpepper. "I'm glad I have a chance to see you in action as head Auror."
He turned to her and laughed self-consciously at her proud tone. "There hasn't been much action so far."
"Isn't that what you want, though? Absolutely nothing to happen?"
"Right." He smiled warmly at her. "Competent Auror work is not like wireless shows or crime novels."
She smiled back and then got distracted by the look in his eyes. He wanted to kiss her. Behind the stifling cocoon of magic her heart beat rapidly. It was killing her not to touch him. They had always had a very physical relationship. Harry rarely said anything about his feelings, which is why Ginny wasn't surprised at his reaction to Mrs. Mitten's accusations, but he always showed his affection. He was constantly holding her hand or touching her hair or unexpectedly dropping kisses on her head when she was busy doing something else.
But now — now, when they had to pretend to be friends and business associates for three whole days — she realized how much she missed it.
She heard his breath catch — he must have correctly read her face. "Three days," he said, his eyes darkening. "I can hardly wait."
She blushed so deeply she could feel the warmth from her face spread all through her body until her toes were tingling. It was ridiculous to have that sort of reaction. They had two children together, for Merlin's sake. Sex wasn't this unknown, forbidden thing anymore.
Her eyes strayed to his mouth and her mind conjured all sorts of erotic images. No children to interrupt and so much time. Lots and lots of — She swallowed and looked to the Pitch, startled to see that the Quodpot match had already begun.
With the help of her program, Ginny was able to follow what was going on. The object of the game, throwing the Quaffle into the pot before it exploded, seemed straightforward enough, but it didn't prepare them for the first "miss" of the day. They watched in disbelief as a Quaffle suddenly exploded in a player's hands. "What kind of mad game is this?" Ginny muttered as the player's teammates put out the flames.
"I thought you were ambassador of Quodpot," Harry said sarcastically. "Isn't eyebrow singing part of the appeal?"
"Sure enough. It's a man's game — none of this sissified Quidditch multi-tasking," she drawled. "That's why they play it in Texas."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Next you'll be talking about God's country."
"Texas is God's country," Vicki Lynn said the next day as she and Ginny watched a broom race over the Bay of Fundy. While Harry was still in Halifax reviewing day one of the games, Ginny was letting herself be seen with her "fifth husband." It gave her a chance to ask Vicki some questions about Texas and it deflected some of the gossip that was beginning to surround Harry. It was fine for Harry to seem distracted, but he didn't want anyone to think he was anything but happily married. "I tell you, Texas has everything," Vicki Lynn boasted. "The best food, the finest fashions, the purest Floo Powder. This stuff they're squeezing out of the sands of Alberta might as well be baby powder for all the umph it's got."
"Shh." Ginny giggled. "You're supposed to be a Floo Powder baron, remember?"
"Horace knows my feelings on the subject." Vicki Lynn shrugged.
"So, do you have pancakes for breakfast in Texas?" Ginny asked. "I think I made a mistake this morning when I asked Mrs. Nickerson for the recipe. She was surprised since she thought they ate pancakes for breakfast in Texas."
"Lord yes, we have pancakes for breakfast in Texas. And sometimes biscuits and gravy."
"Oh!" Nothing sounded more revolting than gravy paired with something sweet like biscuits. Did they dip the biscuits in the gravy? "Sorry," Ginny said, not wanting to get into it. "Food is really turning out to be a stumbling block. Last night, at the lobster supper, I was the only one having a steak and I almost asked if they had any brown sauce. Luckily, I caught myself and asked for barbeque sauce."
"What kind of barbeque sauce did they give you?" Vicki Lynn asked with keen interest.
"Er — I don't know." Ginny frowned in thought. "It was kind of a sweet tasting and tomato-like."
"Honey, that's ketchup — or Memphis barbeque sauce, which is just as bad. Texas barbeque sauce is peppery, not sweet." She peered at Ginny. "I hope you didn't defile your steak with that stuff?"
Ginny squirmed. "Um —"
"Hi, Vicki." Harry smiled at her and nodded at Vicki Lynn. "Horace."
"Call her Vicki Lynn, not plain ol' Vicki," the real Vicki Lynn insisted. "Texans are generous with everything — including names."
Harry laughed. "Okay. By the way, we caught the bloke behind the Imperius threat."
"Oh?" Ginny bounced in her seat, glad Harry had had success. "Who was it?"
"The Hermit of Lake Rossignol. Seems he took umbrage at having a magical stadium built on 'his' land."
"What made him think he could cast a mass Imperius Curse?" Ginny asked.
He laughed. "He's completely barmy. He claimed he had already cast it on the trees surrounding his hut, since he claimed they never moved once he told them to stay put."
Vicki Lynn cackled. "Crazy as a peach orchard boar."
Before Ginny could ask her to explain that phrase, the crowd roared. It seemed the race was over and New Zealand had won another gold medal. Their rivals, the Aussies, were booing, but the Kiwis were too increduosly happy to care.
Vicki Lynn smiled. "I can't wait until the championship Quidditch match between New Zealand and Australia, they're really going to mix it up."
"Just as long as they don't burn down the stadium afterward," Harry said.
"We always burn down the stadium at the end of Quodpot season," Vicki Lynn informed them.
On the third day of the games, Ginny Confunded Randy twice before lunch. Harry had been watching her cast that spell on all sorts of admirers, but he was finally moved to comment on it. "You really miss your Bat-Boogey Hex, don't you?"
"I do!" Ginny giggled as they walked to the final Quodpot match of the games. "The Confundus Charm is very efficient, but there's something about seeing all of those wings flapping…"
He grinned down at her. "After tonight you'll be able to hex away all you want."
"After tonight I won't be harassed by any wizards."
"Just me."
She practically skipped in anticipation. "I won't be hexing you."
"Harry." Hamilton Dow Apparated in front of them. "We got the big one."
Ginny had no idea what they were talking about, but judging by the way Harry's eyes flashed, it seemed that whatever all the Aurors had been worried about was finally coming to pass.
"Vicki Lynn cracked it," Hamilton Dow said, taking Harry's arm. "Over here."
Harry looked over his shoulder at Ginny. "I'll meet you in the stadium later."
It was the first time Ginny had been left out since she had come to Nova Scotia, but she found that she didn't mind. She obviously wasn't cut out to be an Auror. Trying to keep track of all of these people and probe into their motives and possible movements didn't interest her at all. She was tired of "constant vigilance" and she was tired of being Vicki Lynn Culpepper from the Greatest Place on Earth. Then, without breaking stride, she cast another backwards Confundus Charm. She had felt the bloke's breath on her neck.
Ginny watched the Quodpot match with interest. Ole Miss lost to the Razorbacks, which seemed to be just as big of an upset as the final victory of the Kiwis over the Aussies in Quidditch later on that afternoon. Ginny watched both matches by herself, since Harry never returned.
After the medal ceremony, she Apparated back to Carter's Beach. Mrs. Nickerson served "hodge podge" (New vegetables from the garden — small white potatoes, tender green beans and sweet carrots covered in cream) with slices of fried ham. When Mrs. Nickerson asked if they had hodge podge in Texas, Ginny answered sourly that the vegetables were too small for Texas.
The blueberry crumble dented her bad mood, though, and it finally faded away as she took a peaceful walk on the solitary beach. Somehow, after feeling the white, powdery sand under her feet and looking at the silvery blue ocean and the pink streaks in the darkening sky, it was hard to stay disappointed and anxious. The games had gone well — Harry's efforts had been successful. It didn't matter that she hadn't been part of the excitement. The ocean continued its whispering. The sun found its rest. There really were larger forces at work and it was silly to think any one person could control it all.
As she followed her own footsteps back to her cabin, Harry Apparated in front of her.
He was smiling as he raised his wand at her. "Finite Incantatem."
She felt the magic fall away, and then Harry was kissing her — conjuring a sweeter, more profound magic than anything an Experimental Charms team could come up with.
He didn't need to tell her that everything had gone well, nor did he need to tell her that he was going to take the promotion after they had a little holiday in Nova Scotia. He told her everything with the way he kissed her and the way his hands roamed under her clothes and how eagerly he tumbled with her into bed. He did, however, manage to tell a startled Mrs. Nickerson that Vicki Lynn Culpepper had checked out and Mr. and Mrs. Potter were checking in.
It had all worked out so nicely, Ginny thought as they took a last walk on the beach two days later. Mrs. Nickerson was delighted to have hosted the reunion of Mr. and Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Mitten proudly thought she was responsible for their reconciliation.
Vicki Lynn had averted the Quodpot Quaffle sabotage that would have killed everyone in the stadium during the last match if it had exploded as planned. The perpetrators tried to make it look like it was part of an American sporting rivalry when it was really masterminded by one of the jealous Commonwealth Ministers who had wanted the games to take place in his country. Luckily, Canada's reputation as a peaceful nation was upheld. Even though she hadn't lured Harry Potter away from his wife, Vicki Lynn's reputation as a femme fatale was still intact after she announced the she had snagged her seventh husband, Hamilton Dow.
Just like the Mounties, Vicki Lynn always got her man.
"I'm fixin' to buy a weddin' dress as soon as I can fly to Dallas," Vicki Lynn told Ginny. "I hope you can scoot on over with Harry and be our witnesses when we tie the knot."
Ginny thought that Vicki Lynn's wedding would be a lot of fun, since she had had so much practice arranging them.
Harry was open to the idea, but only if they could bring James and Albus. After his reunion with Ginny, he was now eager to see his children again.
"I wonder if Vicki Lynn will have children," Ginny mused as she nudged a sand dollar with her toe.
"I doubt it," Harry answered, squeezing her hand. "I don't think she would be able to provide a very stable life for them."
"That's true," she said, shying away from a new wave of cold water lapping at her feet. "After all of those husbands, it seems like the only constant love in her life has been Texas."
"What about Randy?"
"He's too dumb."
He laughed and they continued to walk.
"Have you ever felt like that about a place?" she asked, looking at the beauty spread around her. "You know, to think it's the best place in the whole world, the only place that you could ever love? I love England, but I don't know if I'm that single-minded about it."
"I used to feel that way about Hogwarts," Harry said, stopping to take her other hand so he could face her. "But I realize now that it's not a place, but a person that I feel that single-minded about."
"Oh." Their stint of just talking and not touching had really affected Harry. Tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm your Texas, then?"
He laughed and kissed her. That was answer enough.
Forty Weeks Later:
"I don't know if it's the pain potion talking," Ginny said, feeling a giddy rush of love as she touched her newborn daughter's cheek, "but I don't think we've been generous enough with one name. Maybe we should call her Lily Lynn."
Harry laughed and took the baby from her so she could sleep. "I think you've lightened up enough with that pain potion."
A/N: I hope that lightened up your birthday, Sherry! Thank you for showing your Texas-size generosity over the years. You're a wonderful beta and friend. Feel free to Texas-pick me. I haven't been there in twenty years.
Another wonderful beta and friend is tdu000 who worked me into her schedule since I sprung this on her at the last minute.
DMSI: Atlantis (Dark Magic Scene Investigation) is the hottest show on the wireless. You should give it a listen.
All the places mentioned in Nova Scotia are real. Carter's Beach is the "secret" beach around here. There are no road signs for it and once you're there, you have to practically fall down a cliff to reach it. It's truly a magical place. Lake Rossignol is a huge lake in middle of a huge forest. You wouldn't need many anti-Muggle charms to build a Quidditch Pitch there.
This summer Halifax withdrew their bid to host the Commonwealth Games since it was going to cost too much to build the venues. It was fun to bring the magical version to the province.
Hodge Podge is a South Shore dish. It's so hick, no one in Cape Breton has heard of it. (And that's saying something!)
There's no need to debate barbeque — everyone knows the best barbeque is from Kansas City.
After JKR wrote Harry's Wizard of the Month entry, Sherry and I giggled over the fact that several fans had worked out Lily's conception to follow Harry's promotion as head of the Auror Department. This was my ingenious explanation for that chapter in his life. Hermione is also tired because she's in her first stage of pregnancy with Hugo.
And finally — I used "fixin'" and "scoot" in a fan fic, Sherry. It felt good. :)
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13-year-old Tyler Nichols took his life just before the start of classes Thursday at Davidson Middle School in Southgate. The school system responded quickly to the tragedy.
"We had an eighth grade student, who committed suicide in our building this morning," said Southgate Community Schools Superintendent Bill Grusecki.
"A student came into the bathroom, found him down on the ground," said Southgate Director of Public Safety Tom Coombs. "The student notified a staff member."
Grusecki said staff sprang into action, following protocol to a tee.
"We went into immediate lock down, kept the kids in the classrooms safe while the authorities were dealing with the situation," he explained.
Nichols was pronounced dead at the hospital. School was canceled, and students waited for their parents to pick them up.
"We thought maybe someone was having a heart attack, but it was very scary to know that someone brought a gun into school and shot themselves," said student Austin Robinson.
"We were just really shocked. A lot of people were crying," said student Ben Patton.
Of course, everybody is wondering what drove this eighth grader to do something so drastic and permanent. Some have said he was bullied. The superintendent isn't so sure.
"From what I understand, he's a very good student, somewhat popular," said Grusecki. "Talking with the staff at the building, he had never gone to anybody with any issues or problems or anything like that."
In the wake of the tragedy, this school is taking a tough look at its security measures.
"We had no idea… that student was coming into the building armed," Grusecki said.
The superintendent is determined to do all he can to change that.
"We'll check kids out when they come in with things on Monday until we can make arrangements with regards to metal detectors or whatever else," Grusecki said.
The school is bringing in grief counselors for as long as they are needed because a tragedy like this is something they will never forget.
"We could see it in their faces. It was difficult for all of us," said Grusecki.
The gun Nichols used to shoot himself belonged to a family member, but police would not say exactly which family member. They said it was legally registered and not secured, which is how this young man was able obtain the gun and bring it to school.
Police also said Nichols did leave a note.
Students will be back in class on Monday. They are being asked not to bring backpacks or wear any bulky coats or jackets because everyone will be checked.
Thursday's tragedy leaves many students and parents shaken. Beaumont Psychiatrist Dr. Joel Young says teens will have varied reactions. "It's important for parents to extend a listening ear, but don't be surprised if your child doesn't want to follow through," says Beaumont Psychiatrist Dr. Joel Young. "He just might want to move on and think such terrible thoughts."
The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Even children can suffer from depression, which can be fatal if left untreated. Learn about the warning signs at www.afsp.org.
Deaths: 1, Injuries: 0


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It's hard to believe it's back-to-school time in Atlanta, but it is! And with all the clothes, notebooks, and backpacks to buy, parents are no doubt looking to save money wherever they can. This weekend's sales tax holiday will definitely help save on school supplies, but you've still gotta eat! Take a look at these great intown Atlanta restaurants offering Kids Eat FREE deals! What a great way to feed those ever-growing appetites!
PS – Check out P'cheen's back-to-school deal at the end of the list for a more adult night out … Continue reading


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Meeting of June 22, 2011 - Disparate Treatment in Hiring
My name is Katharine Kores. I am the Director of the Memphis Office of the EEOC. I am privileged to testify before you today on the EEOC's efforts to eliminate hiring discrimination, and specifically discrimination in which disparate treatment is a principle factor.
In the nearly half century since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many gains have been made in the effort to eliminate hiring discrimination, especially disparate treatment. At the time of Title VII's passage, there was blatant exclusion of African-Americans, women, certain ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities from large sectors of the economy. Many of us recall the point in our nation's history when help-wanted ads read "Whites-only" or "Men-only" and prohibited workers over a certain age from applying. We have come a long way since that time but disparate treatment in hiring remains a problem in the 21st Century workplace. As such, it is still a major area of concern for the EEOC.
Hiring cases can be extraordinarily difficult to identify and investigate. Applicants for positions often do not have the type of inside information necessary to infer discrimination, much less to establish that discrimination occurred. Individual job-seekers know only their own qualifications, how they learned of the employment opportunity, and their own impression of the interview. They don't often know if or who the employer ultimately hired and what credentials that person possessed. Moreover, they don't know the racial, gender, age and other composition of the employer's workforce. As a result, it is difficult to gauge the prevalence of disparate treatment in hiring discrimination cases based on EEOC's charges alone.
It is more likely that the difficulty in identifying and investigating these cases suppresses the number of charges we receive and masks the full extent of the problem.
From Fiscal Year 2009 through the first half of Fiscal Year 2011, charge receipts alleging hiring discrimination comprised six percent of all charge receipts filed nationally. The percentage of charge receipts alleging hiring discrimination ranged from 5.9 percent in FY2009, to 5.8 percent in FY2010, to 6.5 percent in the first half of FY2011. In the Memphis District, which includes all of Tennessee, Arkansas and the northern 17 counties in Mississippi, the percentage is slightly lower at just over five percent.
Of charge receipts alleging hiring discrimination filed nationally, discrimination on the basis of age is most prevalent. From Fiscal Year 2009 through the first half of Fiscal Year 2011, the percent of charge receipts alleging hiring discrimination based on age was nearly 38 percent of all charge receipts alleging hiring discrimination. This percentage ranged from 39.2 in FY2009, to 35.1 in Fiscal Year 2010, to 39.5 in the first half of Fiscal Year 2011.
The next highest basis is hiring discrimination based on race, which averaged 36 percent over the last two and one/half years. Race is followed by disability at 24 percent, and the fourth highest is gender at 20.9 percent of all charge receipts alleging hiring discrimination. Retaliation charges at 17.6 percent are not far behind.
Given the difficulty in identifying and pursuing hiring discrimination cases, the disparate treatment charges EEOC does receive often involve fact patterns in which the discrimination is more obvious. Trends we have seen in recent years involve employers or recruiters who have:
Staff from the Office of General Counsel will feature two of EEOC's cases later in the meeting. I will mention a few here briefly as an illustration.
In an Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) case litigated by the Commission's Charlotte office against the City of Greensboro, the Charging Party, age 58, was the only candidate for an electronic repair position who possessed a required federal license. Despite the license, the City did not select him for the position. The Charging Party was the oldest of the five candidates under consideration, the others being 25, 30, 38 and 39. Though the employer asserted that the Charging Party received the third highest interview score, the employer failed to maintain interview notes and score sheets. This case was resolved with a consent decree providing over $90,000 to the Charging Party and requiring training on non-discrimination in hiring and preservation of documentation as well as reporting to the Commission on compliance with the decree.
In another case litigated by the Commission's Philadelphia office, the Community College of Baltimore County refused to hire a 60 year old for a part-time temporary academic advisor position. The Charging Party had held a part-time staff support position with the college for about five years, possessed all stated job requirements, including education and experience working in student services, and was highly recommended by her supervisor. Nevertheless, the hiring official was dismissive of the Charging Party's application and did not interview her for the position. Instead, the college hired a 29 and 23 year old with lesser qualifications. The case was resolved by a consent decree which provided $50,000 to the Charging Party and enjoined future age discrimination.
Race/National Origin
In a case out of my district in 2010, a consent decree was entered to resolve the Commission's case against Paramount Staffing, a temporary employment agency which refused to place African-American workers at a particular work site, preferring instead to hire Hispanic workers. The decree ordered the company to pay $585,000 to a group of African-American workers and an injunction against future race or national origin based discrimination.
In a similar case, EEOC reached a conciliated settlement with an employer who was accused of discrimination in hiring based on non-Hispanic national origin. The respondent was a turnkey operator of the production line. Respondent's own promotional materials stated that it catered to an exclusively Hispanic workforce. The investigation established that the employer hired only Hispanic workers for entry level production line jobs assuming that these workers would adhere better to production standards. The settlement ultimately benefited approximately 300 non-Hispanic victims.
The preference of Hispanic workers over non-Hispanic workers based on stereotypes – often negative – about both groups of workers is certainly something EEOC is seeing. EEOC v. Scrub, which will be discussed later, provides another such example.
Gender discrimination in hiring is also still a serious concern, especially with respect to tracking men and women into certain types of job.
In a Title VII case litigated by the Commission, a female applicant at Wally-Mo Trailers was denied a job as a welder-fabricator despite her qualifications because the employer's policy was not to consider women for these jobs. The case was resolved with a consent decree, which required payment of compensatory damages, prohibited gender-based discrimination, and required training on non-discrimination for all employees involved in hiring.
In a similar case, resolved in conciliation, the employer's Vice President for Human Resources stated that his company did not hire females for truck driver and grounds-men positions. A class of 23 females benefitted from the settlement and the company instituted a new HR recordkeeping system.
Men are also the victims of gender-based hiring discrimination. The Commission recently filed and resolved a case against Grand Casino for refusing to hire male applicants to work as beverage servers. The case was resolved with a consent decree, which required the payment of compensatory damages and the maintenance of applicant and hiring records.
With respect to disability, hiring discrimination remains a serious barrier to the employment of persons with disabilities. In a case litigated by the Memphis District office, Starbucks refused to hire an applicant because he had multiple sclerosis. The employer concluded, without inquiry, that the applicant would not be able to work behind the counter to serve customers. This case was resolved with a consent decree paying $80,000 to the Charging Party, enjoining disability-based hiring discrimination and requiring the employer to make good faith efforts to hire individuals with disabilities by notifying the local rehabilitation services agency of job vacancies.
EEOC is also currently investigating employers accused of maintaining a no-hire policy for individuals with certain types of prescriptions, like those for anti-anxiety medication, or with certain types of injuries, such as carpal tunnel.
As mentioned previously, hiring discrimination can be difficult to identify and investigate, even when it is easily identified.
The increased use of staffing agencies creates challenges for investigating hiring discrimination, where one company employs another to screen applicants. The laws EEOC enforces cover both employer and staffing and recruiting agencies. While most staffing agencies and recruiters comply with the law, there are those -whether on the request of the employer or on their own- who engage in disparate treatment against protected groups in their screening and placements. When this happens charges are filed against both the agency and the employer and the records of both companies must be reviewed, provided there are records to review.
All of the laws enforced by EEOC have recordkeeping requirements. Yet, as noted in many of the examples given previously, many employers do not comply with these requirements. And of those who do comply, they do not maintain records in a readily searchable format, which makes access to this information difficult. We have noticed, for example, that respondents with multiple locations may allow each location to determine how and where to maintain applications and personnel records. This makes it difficult to obtain complete and accurate information regarding who applied and who was hired for a position and to make the appropriate comparisons. Moreover, in the 21st century, many applications are solicited and submitted on the Internet. It is not uncommon for employers to fail to maintain all of the applications they receive. Likewise, applicants themselves often fail to keep a record of the applications that they submit.
Despite these hurdles, the EEOC uses a variety of tools and practices in order to effectively investigate charges of disparate treatment in hiring. In addition to doing in-depth interviews with charging parties, our investigators have access to EEO-1 data at their fingertips. Companies with over 100 employees are required to file EEO-1 forms, which numerically describe the composition of the workforce by race, gender, and position. Any investigator is able to review a snap shot of the employer's workforce compared to similar employers in the geographic area. If a covered employer has failed to submit an EEO-1 form, the EEOC can compel compliance. By itself, EEO-1 data is not sufficient to determine whether or not there is merit to an allegation of hiring discrimination, but it may provide background information which will be helpful in framing the investigation.
In cases involving alleged discriminatory hiring policies, the investigator will request information from the employer regarding the types of personnel, hiring, payroll and other records it maintains and whether it is available in an electronically accessible format. We are assisted in devising these technical requests by a team of social science research analysts and labor economists who are on the staff of our Office of Research and Information Planning, nine of whom are assigned to work in EEOC district offices. After making the initial request for information regarding the employer's records systems, a follow-up request for the information relevant to the charge will be made, asking that it be provided in electronic form. This enables our investigators, working with our in-house experts, to analyze the data to see whether the allegation of discrimination is supported or not.
Most investigations conducted by the EEOC stem from charges of discrimination filed by private charging parties. However, the Commission does not always need a charge filed by a member of the public to initiate an investigation into discriminatory hiring. Pursuant to Title VII, discriminatory hiring practices may be investigated upon issuance of a Commissioner's Charge. Such a charge is often based upon the recommendation of a District office when it acquires sound, but anecdotal information, perhaps as part of another investigation, regarding a company's hiring practices. Moreover, under the ADEA, EEOC District Directors are authorized to initiate directed investigations into a company's hiring practices. Commissioners' Charges and the ADEA Directed Investigations are tools which allow the EEOC to look into discriminatory hiring practices, involving disparate treatment or otherwise, which, given the difficulty in identifying and investigating these cases, may otherwise go unchallenged if relying solely upon individual charges or private litigation.
The Commission is also aided in its investigations by the authority to subpoena information necessary to investigate charges of discrimination. Our investigators make every effort to obtain information from employers voluntarily. If these efforts are not successful, investigators are encouraged to work closely with our Legal units to draft subpoenas to be issued to the employer over the Director's signature. If necessary, an action can be filed in court to enforce the subpoena.
Beyond investigation and litigation, the EEOC has other resources for addressing hiring discrimination. Any effective enforcement strategy for the 21st century must include an education component. It must be communicated that hiring based on an individual's qualifications to perform a particular job is the best practice. It is important to note that diversity in and of itself is not necessarily a cure for hiring discrimination and that good people can still engage in unlawful hiring discrimination. Stereotypes persist in the 21st Century workplace and employers have to act affirmatively to ensure that they do not illegally influence hiring decisions.
It is also important to educate employers regarding their responsibilities under the laws to maintain records. Technologies exist to facilitate compliance with these requirements and employers should be encouraged to utilize these tools. The well-intentioned employer will be able to utilize the accessible information to proactively verify his/her own progress with respect to equal employment, in addition to being able to readily respond to EEOC information requests.
Since the Systemic Task Force Report was issued and adopted unanimously by the Commission in 2006, the EEOC has made substantial progress in the investigation and litigation of systemic, pattern and practice cases. We are committed to continuing to utilize the systemic approach to cases involving discriminatory hiring practices. This includes the use of Commissioners' Charges and Directed Investigations, utilizing anecdotal information supported by EEO-1 data and knowledge we obtain from the investigation of other charges as well as living in the community. It also means coordinated investigations and litigation within the Commission and partnering with other Federal agencies such as the Departments of Labor and Justice. This systemic approach will allow the Commission to maximize its resources and to continue to make progress in investigating and remedying cases of disparate treatment in hiring.
Thank you for inviting me to testify, and I look forward to your questions.


text: Hi Team, OK so the other day I did something really stupid and ran the BarracudaDrive installation on my ISPConfig3, Debian Squeeze, Apache server. Now I honestly thought that the install script would prompt me for several things but no. The first thing it did was to remove Apache and a load of other stuff without prompting. Too late to go back. The result was that my system was messed up completely. I managed to remove BarracudaDrive from the system and have been struggling to get the ISPConfig stuff working. All the domains hosted under ISPConfig3 are working. However, my main problems are:- 1) Unable to access ISPConfig control panel under ssl and port 8080 2) Unable to access webmail Now, to get around not being able to access the control panel as before, I have copied the "interface" folder to a subfolder of an existing domain so I CAN access the control panel from http://www.mydomain.com/ispconfig/ I have also reinstalled Squirrellmail and now webmail appears to work, however I can't access it via the http://www.mydomain.com/webmail as the alias appears to be broke. I had to add a new alias and edit the webmailer.php file to create a link to http://www.mydomain.com/email which works. So, as you can see, my system is up and running in some sort of experimental way. But I would like to know why I can't access the ISPConfig admin on port 8080. All I get is:- Code: SSL connection error Unable to make a secure connection to the server. This may be a problem with the server, or it may be requiring a client authentication certificate that you don't have. Error 107 (net::ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR): SSL protocol error. I would also like to get the links back for "webmail" and I believe "cp" so users can access their webmail and control panels. Any help is appreciated on this. I;ve spent 2 days cleaning up and am almost there but just need the couple of errors left above resolved before I'm back to a fully working system. Regards Jeff


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EyewireFebruary 27, 2003
After my tirade this afternoon, I stand thoroughly confused.
This morning eyewire.com was directing me to Getty Images, no mention of Agfa Monotype/Fonts.com, the old Eyewire chrome and the rest of the site still being available.
This afternoon when I had to buy my photos, eyewire.com was completely shut down with a message directing me to Getty, again no mention of A/F, and all the chrome missing.
Now, the Eyewire chrome is back, and I'm being directed to Fonts.com, with a small note saying that if I want images, the main reason I've ever visited eyewire.com, I should check out Getty.
I'm dangerously close to using the word "crackheads".
Type was a small portion of what Eyewire had to offer, and never took much focus. Sure, let me know that you're changing things. I can even understand jumping me over to a new site, despite it costing me time to re–locate the products I'm ponying up cash for. I'm a reasonable guy, I understand that these things happen.
But let's put a little thinking into this before–hand, guys, mm–kay? Tell me what happened, and show me where to go to get what I need. I'm not coming to Eyewire for fonts, and that will be true for most everyone else. Don't pretend otherwise.


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The Sam Fox School is currently comprised of five buildings, located on the eastern portion of the Danforth Campus, as well as one facility located off campus. Construction is under way for a new building, Anabeth and John Weil Hall, and for the expansion of the Kemper Art Museum as part of a larger, University-wide project. Learn more about that project here>>
Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Hall brings together the undergraduate sculpture and painting areas, the Nancy Spirtas Kranzberg Studio for the Illustrated Book, and some studio spaces for architecture students. The sculpture area includes undergraduate studios, a wood shop, a metal shop, an installation room, and a faculty office—all on the ground level and first floor. The undergraduate painting studios and the Kranzberg Book Studio are on the second floor.
William K. Bixby Hall, completed in 1926, has grown and changed to meet the needs of the students, faculty, and administration of the College & Graduate School of Art. The building currently houses teaching and studio spaces for first-year art and design students, the undergraduate fashion design and printmaking majors, and some architecture undergraduate students and faculty. The Dubinsky Printmaking Studio, a state-of-the-art facility, is located on the first floor. On the ground floor, an administrative suite is home to student services and the finance office.
Joseph B. Givens Hall has been architecture's home since 1932. It features a variety of studio spaces, including large drafting rooms with 15-foot ceilings, large windows, and skylit ateliers. The building's compact and elegant Beaux-Arts design has at its heart a grand central stair often used for socializing and informal meetings. Givens Hall also houses a main lecture room, review spaces, classrooms, digital fabrication labs, and administrative offices for the deans and directors of the Sam Fox School.
Mark C. Steinberg Hall, completed in 1960, was the first commission by Fumihiko Maki, then an architecture professor at Washington University. Formerly home to the Gallery of Art, the Department of Art History & Archaeology in Arts & Sciences, and the Art & Architecture Library, Steinberg Hall now houses Career Services and the undergraduate communication design and photography majors on the lower level; public spaces such as Etta's Café, Steinberg Hall Gallery, and Etta Eiseman Steinberg Auditorium on the main level; and architecture and communication design studios on the upper level.
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, completed in 2006, is another commission by Maki. The elegant, 65,000-square-foot limestone-clad structure—a gathering point for scholars and the general public—includes more than 10,000 square feet of exhibition space, art storage facilities, and the Florence Steinberg Weil Sculpture Garden. The Museum also houses the Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library; and the Department of Art History & Archaeology.
The Lewis Center, which is located off campus at 721 Kingsland Avenue in University City, is home to studio facilities for the Graduate School of Art, as well as some other programs. The building is named for Edward Gardner Lewis, the founder of University City, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Built in 1909, the Lewis Center was purchased from the developer by Washington University in the fall of 1998, to ensure that art students would continue to have classroom and studio space. The 36,000-square-foot facility supports work across media—including sculpture, painting, printmaking, fashion design, photography, digital imaging, and time-based media—and offers individual and shared studio spaces, classrooms, and wood and metal shops.


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The Etowah County Commission Tuesday approved resolutions on preliminary engineering for six bridge replacement projects, but County Engineer Tim Graves said the approval doesn't bind the county to any project.
The Etowah County Commission Tuesday approved resolutions on preliminary engineering for six bridge replacement projects, but County Engineer Tim Graves said the approval doesn't bind the county to any project.
Projects included in the resolution are a bridge across Big Wills Creek on Campbell Gap Road, a bridge across an unnamed creek on Coats Bend Circle, a bridge across Black Creek on Means Road, a bridge across Dry Creek on County Road 71, a bridge across Greens Creek on Mountain Pass Road and a bridge across Short Creek on Cox Gap Road.
"For us to do a bridge project, we have to pass an agreement saying we want to use federal funds for a replacement project," Graves said. "We don't know what that project will entail until we get it initiated, and they come out and size it. We go through a long laundry list of things before we even know what goes in place."
He said the resolution doesn't bind the county to any project.
"It just gives us the approval to start the paperwork," Graves said.
He said the potential bridge projects would be similar to the three bridges on Wesson Gap Road, Mayo Road and Bud Umphrey Road county workers are replacing. The projects were initiated in 2000 or 2001 under a state bond program, Graves said.
"... We were able to initiate them and we got them sized, got alignment and did preliminary work, but because we didn't have funding, those sat over there and on the shelf until this ATRIP program and we were able to pull those off, do a little bit of additional engineering and work on those and submit them."
Gov. Robert Bentley in May and June announced the first and second rounds of funding from the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program, of which Etowah County received money to replace bridges.
Commissioners also approved an agreement with the state for traffic sign upgrades on roads throughout the county.
Graves said the county received $47,000 in grant money to replace signs on 187 miles of 30 different roads in rural areas of Etowah County.
"We'll replace existing signs with ones with higher reflectivity to improve the safety of the roadway," he said.
This is the third year the county has received money for sign upgrades.
The commission also approved an agreement with the Etowah County Board of Education to install and maintain school zone warning lights on Gallant Road near Ivalee Elementary School.
Graves said the lights are similar to those on U.S. Highway 411, near Gaston School, and on Tabor Road, near Highland Elementary.
Etowah County Schools Superintendent Alan Cosby said the project will cost about $9,000, with the board paying two-thirds of the cost with legislative funds and other sources.
"It's needed at Ivalee School to help with traffic and to ensure the safety of our students," Cosby said Tuesday afternoon.
The county will pay the other one-third of the cost and will oversee the installation of the light.


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Smartphones: Watch Out for Biggest Growth in India, Brazil, Says IDC
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Following last week's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain, where Samsung Electronics (005930KS) and other vendors sought to top one another in the smartphone field, analysts at research firm IDC remind us that this year will see smartphone sales rise to 50.1% of all mobile phone sales, surpassing the 41% that IDC had previously reported for all of 2012.
IDC argues falling prices, the roll-out of "4G" wireless networks, and what it calls the "widening" of "smartphone strata" are the main factors propelling smartphone sales. The firm predicts 918.6 million smartphones to be sold this year.
The "balance of smartphone demand is gradually shifting" to developing markets and away from developed markets, the analysts write.
And even China, the largest smartphone market, won't be the most fruitful market for growth, despite its still torrid pace.
China is expected to see 301 million units this year, besting the U.S.'s 137.5 million units. But Some other markets will see much higher growth, with Brazil, in fifth place and India, in sixth place. Moreover, projecting out to 2017, the firm sees 52% growth in China from this year through 2017, but 129% growth in Brazil and an amazing 460% rise by 2017 in India, which, at 155.6 million units by that year, would make India the third-largest smartphone market behind the U.S.
As for the U.S., as smartphones find fewer new buyers, IDC sees most of the action being in operating system switchers:
Underpinning its growth [in the U.S.] is the constantly shifting operating system landscape, in which resurgent [BlackBerry (BBRY)] BlackBerry and [Microsoft's (MSFT)] Windows Phone aim to gain salience against incumbents [Google's (GOOG)] Android and Apple (AAPL) iOS.


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The Tomahawk Leader, and the community in general, are taken to task in our online Message Board for not being more appreciative of firefighters and emergency personnel. The comments follow our coverage of the 17th annual Tomahawk Fire and Rescue School, which traditionally brings about 1,000 fire and EMS workers from across the Midwest to our city for classes and hands-on training. The author also chides citizens and/or businesses for a lack of visual support through the way of "Welcome" signs like those that followed for the Tomahawk Fall Ride.
We readily admit that we can always do a better job of coverage of virtually any event, and fully agree that this annual undertaking warrants our utmost attention. That, of course, is why we seek out information each year for a preview story and send a reporter or personally cover the fire school every year. A photo or two from the event traditionally are printed in the Tuesday edition right afterwards (as was the case again this year; it's also the way we treat the Tomahawk Fall Ride), with more photos to follow the next week because of the timeline of the activities. In past years we have often dedicated a full page to scenes from the fire and rescue training. This year we pulled a larger layout that had been earmarked for a page last week to give it four-color coverage in this week's edition. You'll see the photos there today. We also have placed a number of pictures in our on-line Internet Edition Photo Album and will continue to rotate in others this week.
Call us sensitive, but we know this newspaper is a strong supporter of local fire and rescue personnel, and we think we show our support publicly quite often. We recently scanned through a year of newspapers for a different project and found front page, fire-related pictures and stories on at least nine different occasions. The events ranged from winter coverage of an ice dive by the Little Rice Fire Department to reporting of the new Nokomis Fire Department to actual firefighting at emergencies themselves. Of course, the front page isn't the only place you'll find stories. We've done editorials and inside articles, features and photos as well; We even followed one family's recuperation after a house fire - from the devastation itself through their rebuilding. Their comments about the tremendous community support were published in this year's Tomahawk Leader "What's Great About Tomahawk" pride section.
The Tomahawk Leader also dedicated two awards to emergency personnel at our 2002 Community Awards Banquet, and spent hours creating a video production to help share that support. The video was requested for use by the fire department at last year's Fire and Rescue School.
Again, we don't deny that more coverage of the heroic acts of our local volunteers and others who dedicate their lives to service isn't warranted. But, similarly, we do believe our support of their efforts is not silent.
As always, thanks area firefighters and emergency personnel for your dedication. And, congratulations on another successful training event.
Emergency efforts don't go unnoticed
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