text:
[Shipping] [Sad]
Semolika (Candlewyx)
The Price of Loyalty - Part 2
Part 1 - [Click Here]
Part 2 - Current Page
Rainbow Dash stood before the entrance to the Everfree Forest, gazing up at the dark clouds above her. Raindrops masked her still tear-speckled cheeks. She narrowed her eyes and spread her wings, cursing her own exhaustion.
Rainbow kicked off from the ground, pushing upward toward the clouds. Thick raindrops pelted her face, forcing her eyes closed. Her wings begged her to let them rest, but she pushed on, regardless. Just before she reached the clouds, a sudden gust shoved her back toward the earth. She flailed wildly, desperately trying to gain control of herself. A solid wall of rain blinded her as she fought to regain control of her descent. Extending her wings at the last moment, she managed to level out just as she collided with the ground. She slid through mud and grass, splattering debris all over her face.
Rainbow's pounding headache shot a bolt of paralyzing pain through her skull, forcing her to convulse slightly. She bit her lip and let out a muffled scream, waiting for the sensation to subside. The gash in her forehead burned as droplets of blood fell to earth, staining it a dark sanguine. Somehow, the beaten pegasus summoned the willpower to pull herself up off the damp ground, swaying dangerously.
Scootaloo, Rainbow thought desperately. I have to help Scootaloo. If I can just clear out this storm...
Spreading her wings once more, Rainbow rose a few feet into the air. She flapped as quickly as she could, but the fierce gale locked her in place. She fought against the wind with all her strength, but only managed to hover in the air for a moment before her wings crumpled and she fell back to the ground. She landed at an awkward angle, popping her knee with a sickening snap.
Rainbow collapsed again, grunting in agony. The rain bombarded her as she lay writhing in the mud. Tears welled in her eyes, but were quickly masked by the downpour.
"Rainbow Dash! What in Equestria are you doing?"
Rainbow weakly raised her head and looked around, looking for the owner of the voice. Despite her blurry vision, a vague shape materialized out of the rain. She stared at the figure for a moment before her vision cleared, revealing a rather panic-stricken unicorn.
"Twilight?" Rainbow muttered as she pulled herself out of the mud, her newly injured knee screaming in protest. "What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same question," Twilight snapped. "Rainbow, I know you're worried about Scootaloo. I am too. But getting yourself hurt even worse isn't going to help her!"
"Twilight," Rainbow growled. "I already explained this. You're not taking me back. Not yet."
"I know," Twilight blurted out.
"I said no- Wait, what?"
"I know," Twilight repeated. "Rainbow, I can see that you're really upset about this. You're placing all the blame on yourself. This isn't your fault, but you feel compelled to help Scootaloo, even if that means putting yourself in danger." Twilight trotted over and gently wiped Rainbow's muddy face with her hoof. "You're very brave. I can respect that. It doesn't make any sense, but I can respect it."
A weak smile blossomed on Rainbow's face. "Thanks, Twilight," Rainbow said as she gazed into the unicorn's deep violet eyes. "That means a lot coming from you."
Twilight returned the smile for a moment, but soon took a more serious tone. "However," she said, "I just can't let you wander around out here by yourself, Rainbow. You know as well as I do how dangerous this storm could be. You're in no condition to fly around like a lunatic with nopony watching you. With that in mind, I'm sure you understand why I insist on going with you."
Rainbow's smile disappeared. "No," she said firmly. "I've already done enough harm today. I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you, too." In her mind, Rainbow Dash realized that she was being unfair, but the thought of Twilight being hurt out in the forest... It was too much for her to handle.
"Come on, Rainbow Dash. You're going to need all the help you can get."
Twilight's matter-of-fact tone caught Rainbow off guard. "Fine," she muttered finally. "Wait, what about that search party? As much as I hate to admit it, we can't count on finding Scootaloo ourselves. We need the others."
"I told Spike to go speak with the mayor. She should be able to rally the troops."
"Alright," Rainbow responded, content with Twilight's answer. She turned toward the thick line of trees, wincing slightly from the pain in her knee. "Let's get going."
Though limping slightly, Rainbow still managed to keep a reasonable pace. The splash of hooves in the puddles behind her told her Twilight was following closely. The imposing trees of the Everfree Forest enveloped the pair, surrounding them in darkness, but also offering some protection from the unrelenting rain. Rainbow pushed through leafy shrubs and plodded over the damp earth, her head still buzzing slightly.
"Scootaloo!" Rainbow called out. "Where are you, kid?" Rainbow shook her head in frustration. "I can't see anything in here!"
"Hold on," Twilight said. She closed her eyes in concentration for a moment before her horn began to glow with a bright indigo light. She shone the light on the ground before them, illuminating their path.
The two ponies surged deeper into the forest, both calling Scootaloo's name desperately. Even with Twilight's magically produced light, Rainbow could barely see ten feet in front of her. Despite the cover of the forest's canopy, thick rain pelted the troubled duo. Lightning streaked through the sky, producing low, booming rumbles of thunder. Both ponies were soon covered in mud and filth.
Rainbow and Twilight continued their search for what felt like hours, though there was no way to tell how long they had really been out there. Eventually Rainbow spread her wings, intending to fly above the treetops and get a better view, but Twilight stopped her, insisting that the fierce wind would throw her off course just as it had so many times that day. Disgruntled, Rainbow had no choice but to give in to Twilight's logic.
"I can almost see her beaming face right now," Rainbow muttered somberly. "She looked up to me. She depended on me. But now..." Rainbow could almost feel her heart breaking. This entire situation could have been avoided entirely if she hadn't been so reckless. It tore her apart.
"Shh, Rainbow," Twilight comforted. "I know. It's okay. Everything will be okay."
Rainbow accepted the unicorn's response quietly. "I hope you're right, Twilight."
Rainbow's body ached and burned. Her exploits that day had taken their toll on her. The gash on her forehead had long since stopped bleeding, but the stinging sensation remained. Her sprained knee threatened to give in. She didn't know how much more of this punishment she could take. Twilight watched her closely, a deep frown painted on her face.
"Scootaloo!" Rainbow called again as she shoved a leafy branch out of her way. She stepped forward into a small clearing. Here, the rain pelted her with unrestrained force. Twilight strode into the clearing right alongside her, scanning the area. In a flash, the unicorn's eyes widened. Twilight galloped frantically to the middle of the clearing, focused on a small patch of grass. She stood over the spot, shining her light down onto the ground. Rainbow's hindered vision blurred the image.
"Twilight," Rainbow called curiously. "What is it?"
Twilight did not respond. The unicorn began to shake slightly. Tentatively, Rainbow trotted over next to her and and gazed down at the object lying in the grass. She gasped quietly. There, lying in the damp grass, was a pair of small purple goggles.
Twilight collapsed onto the ground, weeping openly. Rainbow's mind kicked into overdrive. Why were Scootaloo's goggles abandoned here in the middle of the forest? Could she have lost them while she was falling? Or did it mean... Another crashing wave of guilt swept over her, swallowing her whole. Tears welled in her eyes.
Rainbow tore her eyes away from the goggles and focused on the unicorn weeping beside her. Something broke inside her heart as she watched Twilight release her sorrow. She knelt down beside the unicorn and sat up straight on her haunches. She gingerly snuck her front hooves around Twilight's neck and pulled her in close to her chest, wrapping both her wings around her in an effort to comfort the distraught unicorn. The meek sound of Twilight's sobbing somehow managed tear through the uproar of rain and thunder.
"Shh," Rainbow muttered into Twilight's ear. "It's okay, Twilight. It's okay. I'm here."
Rainbow didn't know what she was doing. She felt just as devastated as Twilight looked. Scootaloo was missing, and now they had evidence that the filly was probably injured, perhaps badly. Despite her own guilt, Rainbow couldn't stand to see her friends in such a depressed state, especially the mare pressed up against her chest right now...
A single tear slid down Rainbow's cheek as she desperately tried to quiet her companion. Twilight's head convulsed against her, a solid stream of tears clearly visible despite the rain. They sat like that for a long while, Twilight squirming in Rainbow's arms. Rainbow patted the back of the mare's head and nuzzled her cheek. Anything to comfort the unicorn.
"I'll always be here for you, Twilight."
Twilight's convulsions weakened. She lifted her head and gazed directly into Rainbow's eyes, an odd expression creeping onto her face. It seemed almost like the expression Twilight used when she had solved a particularly challenging riddle. Tears still dripped from her eyes, but she stopped sobbing.
Twilight slowly reached up and placed her hooves around Rainbow's neck, returning the warm embrace. The sudden shift surprised Rainbow Dash, but she unabashedly accepted the intimacy.
Rainbow glanced down at the goggles once more. The harmless object now had a cruel emotional bond attached to it. Scootaloo was missing, leaving behind nothing but a single pair of goggles. Part of Rainbow wanted to grab the goggles and treasure them forever, but another part of her wanted to crush them into the mud and leave them there. She only had a moment to fight with her emotions, however, before an odd patch of mud caught her eye. Rainbow squinted a bit.
"Twilight," Rainbow said quietly. "What are those in the mud over there?"
"W-what?" Twilight asked, cutting off her sobbing. She glanced over at the spot Rainbow pointed out. "I... I think those are... hoof prints!"
And so they were. Upon closer inspection, Rainbow could make out a long, winding trail of hoof prints spanning the mud patch and leading back into the dense growth of the forest. They seemed a bit big for a filly as small as Scootaloo, but perhaps her eyesight was simply too impaired for her to make an accurate observation.
"Well," Twilight said as she wiped her cheeks in a futile attempt to dry her face. "Th-This doesn't really mean anything, does it? I mean, Scootaloo could be fine. She could have just lost her goggles. Yes, that must be it."
Twilight slowly pulled herself out of Rainbow's embrace and stood up. As she moved, her muzzle softly played across Rainbow's soggy coat. The brief contact accentuated Twilight's withdrawal. Rainbow yearned to throw her arms around the unicorn once more, but she restrained herself.
Twilight bent down and clenched her teeth around the goggles. After a brief adjustment, she managed to work them around her neck where they hung loosely. She turned back and looked directly at Rainbow Dash, her mouth forming the faintest trace of a smile.
"What's that look for?" Rainbow asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, Rainbow," Twilight muttered as she turned and trotted back into the dense shrubbery. A long line of trees formed an arched tunnel before her. "It's nothing. We should get going. Scootaloo's still out here somewhere."
"So do we just keep looking? It seems like we've searched this forest top to bottom, and we still haven't found her..." Rainbow fought to hold back the tears. "I can't believe this... Scootaloo must be hurt, and it's all because of me."
Twilight shot her a compassionate look. "We'll find her, Rainbow. Trust me."
"What makes you so confident all of a sudden?"
"Just a feeling."
"What do you mean?"
Twilight slowed to a stop. She stood perfectly still for a long moment before speaking. "You've made me realize something, Rainbow Dash."
"Me? What did I do?"
Twilight whipped around and took a large step toward Rainbow. Her voice came in a breathy whisper. "You showed me that even when things look their bleakest, and there doesn't appear to be any chance of a happy ending, your first concern is to help the ponies around you. No matter how bad things may seem, you never give up... I've never known a pony like that before."
Rainbow felt her cheeks redden. "What are you getting at, Twilight?"
Twilight bit her lip and gazed up at the dark sky. "I'm saying that I admire your loyalty. It's nice to know that I'll always have somepony to talk to... Somepony to laugh with."
Twilight returned her warm gaze to Rainbow's eyes. The simple connection filled Rainbow's heart with longing. She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to tell her. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight blurted out a sentence at the same time.
"Twilight, I need to tell you something."
"Rainbow, we need to talk."
Rainbow blinked. "You go first, Twilight."
"No," Twilight responded, blushing slightly. "You go ahead."
Rainbow took a deep breath before beginning. "Alright. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I haven't really been myself lately." Rainbow lowered her gaze. "I guess I've been a little more... reserved than usual. I didn't realize it at first. For the most part, I acted normally. But whenever I got around you, I-" Rainbow's voice trailed off. She turned her back on Twilight and limped a few steps away from her. "There's no easy way to say this, Twilight."
"That's okay, Rainbow," Twilight responded. "If you feel like you need to say it, then you should."
Rainbow turned to face the unicorn once more. She took another deep breath to steady herself. "Alright, Twilight. I just wanted to say that... You're pretty cool."
Twilight barked out a short laugh. "Me?"
"Yes, you. You're smart. You're funny. I've never seen anypony more talented at magic. You're pretty. You-"
Rainbow caught her breath. Did she just say that out loud?
Rainbow sighed heavily and raised one hoof to her forehead, her cheeks now a bright crimson. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I think I... I kinda li-"
The nearest tree splintered and cracked under the lightning bolt's power. The hefty tree trunk gave away and tipped over slowly, bearing down upon Twilight. The unicorn stood rooted the spot, staring up at the tree as it toppled, her face a portrait of surprise.
Time seemed to slow down for Rainbow Dash. She reacted instinctively; kicking against the ground, she shot forward and spread her wings. Staying low to the ground, she whipped her exhausted wings into action and aimed herself directly at Twilight's quivering body. Her muscles strained. Rain beat down into her eyes, blurring her vision. At last, Rainbow collided with her target. She shoved Twilight with all her momentum, pushing her out of the way. Twilight collapsed onto the ground a few feet away before-
Pain. Rainbow cried out into the storm, her body searing with white-hot intensity. Her heart raced and her vision faded in and out. She glanced down at the tree trunk lying across her body. Her right wing and front hoof were pinned underneath the enormous mass. She wriggled and squirmed, but the tree held her tightly in place. Rainbow panted heavily. The searing pain numbed her senses. She could barely make out Twilight standing in front of her, screaming, but her words were intangible. With the last of her strength, Rainbow breathed out one short message. "I'm sorry." Rainbow exhaled before she let herself slip from consciousness once more, fading away into the familiar nothingness...
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!"
Terror set into Twilight's heart as she gazed down at the suffering pegasus. A fresh stream of tears flew from her eyes. She let out a spark from her horn, pointing at the enormous tree. She strained and pulled, but the tree refused to budge. She could not focus. All she could think about was getting Rainbow Dash out of there, but her overwhelming emotion made it impossibly difficult to channel her magic.
Panicking, Twilight realized that if she could not free Rainbow Dash using focused magic, she had no choice but to use sheer power. Her horn began to grow a brilliant white, basking her and the forest around her in a shining light. Her head began to shake erratically, recoiling from the power in her horn. Sweat trickled down her neck as she fought with the force, trying to keep her aim focused on the tree. Slowly, the colossal tree began to shimmer with a faint purple light. Twilight doubled her efforts, straining profusely. The light solidified into a shining purple aura, and the tree rose a couple inches off the ground. Twilight tilted her head to one side, and the tree lurched in the direction she pointed. As soon as the tree had cleared Rainbow Dash's body, she released her grip, and it fell to the ground, sending low rumbles throughout the forest.
Twilight threw herself onto the ground beside Rainbow, her renewed sobs cutting through the monotonous downpour. Rainbow looked terrible. Her right wing looked crumpled, and it showed the discoloration of a large bruise. Numerous cuts littered her entire body. Twilight gently placed two hooves on Rainbow's shoulders and shook the unconscious pegasus in a futile attempt to rouse her.
Rainbow was as still as the grave. A horrible thought thrust its way into Twilight's mind. She placed one ear over Rainbow's chest and listened closely.
Please, she thought desperately. Please, no... Not now! Not now!
At last Twilight heard what she was listening for. It was very faint, but the recognizable sound of a heartbeat worked its way to her ear. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. She shakily pulled herself off the damp ground, exhausted after her magical display.
Small rain droplets fell onto her muzzle as she looked down the tunnel of trees before her. Nothing could but blackness could be seen on the other end. It was not like Twilight had much of a choice, though. She knelt down and elevated the unconscious Rainbow Dash, adjusting the pegasus over her shoulder. After a long moment shuffling, Twilight managed to pull Rainbow Dash up onto her back. The added weight was torture for the already worn-out unicorn, but she took the burden. One step at a time, she trudged through the trees, the goggles around her neck swaying gently.
"It's okay, Rainbow Dash," Twilight gasped between sobs. "I'll get you out of here. You'll be okay. Please be okay."
Every weak step drained Twilight of precious energy. Rainbow's limp body hung off her shoulders, shaking slightly. Twilight did not know where she was going, only that she had to get Rainbow to safety. The storm hammered away at her weak frame. Thorny shrubs tore her coat. She ignored the dangers around her. Rainbow Dash had saved her life, and now she had to return the favor.
Stepping onto a particularly marshy patch of ground, Twilight slipped and collapsed onto one knee. Rainbow shifted and slid, threatening to fall off of her back. Grimacing, Twilight pushed herself out of the mud at the last moment. Rainbow settled back into her place on Twilight's back.
This trial lasted for an eternity in the unicorn's mind. She stumbled through the forest, her legs buckling every few minutes. Every time, she struggled back onto her hooves and pushed onward. Her muscles screamed at her, begging for a rest, but she did not falter. She would have been just as adamant to help anypony, but Rainbow Dash... Rainbow Dash deserved it most of all.
"I'm not going to stop, Rainbow," Twilight told her unconscious companion. "You taught me that. You taught me never to give up."
The journey through the forest passed by in a blur. Twilight could not focus on anything in particular, she just kept moving, never looking back. Step by step, she pushed further into the unknown, hoping for a light in the darkness. As she worked her way through a grove of towering trees, ready to collapse, she found one.
A faint shimmer of light flickered about upon one of the trees. Twilight approached the mysterious sight, hoping that she had at last found salvation. As she neared the tree, she noticed a brighter light flashing on a different tree nearby. She trotted to tree after tree, each accompanied by a light brighter than the last. Finally, the grove opened up into another small clearing. In the middle of clearing was an enormous, gnarled tree. Light emanated from two small holes cut in the side of its side. Small jars hung down from leafy vines tied to the splayed branches. A large wooden mask leaned up against the familiar structure.
"Zecora's hut," Twilight whispered, amazed. "We've been going in circles this whole time."
Twilight stumbled over to the hut and rapped one hoof against the door. A few seconds passed before the door creaked and swung inward. Twilight caught her breath. Instead of Zecora, a pony stood before her, looking up at her astonished face. The little filly had a light orange coat and a dull purple-pink mane. Twilight blinked rapidly to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
"Scootaloo!" Twilight exclaimed. "You're okay!"
"Twilight! You found my goggles!" Scootaloo exclaimed, her eyes falling upon the purple goggles hanging around Twilight's neck. Her eyes flicked upward, however, and her smile disappeared. She stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead.
It took Twilight a moment to realize what the little filly was looking at. She cast a worried glance at the pegasus lying across her back.
"T-Twilight? Why is Rainbow Dash sleeping?" Scootaloo asked.
"It's okay," Twilight said in a comforting tone. "She's just tired. Everything will be alright."
Scootaloo accepted the response quietly. Twilight convinced herself that she wasn't really lying to the filly; she just wasn't telling the whole truth. There was no need to make her worry any more than necessary.
"Scootaloo, they are in pain. Bring our guests in from the rain."
Twilight lifted her gaze to the owner of the thick accent. Zecora stood further back in the hut, gazing at her. More specifically, she seemed to have her eyes focused on Rainbow Dash's limp figure. Scootaloo stepped aside, allowing Twilight to lurch into the hut, dripping a trail of moisture onto the floor. Zecora motioned to a large bed that ran along one wall. Twilight shuffled past a large pot in the middle of the room and knelt down beside the bed, sliding the unconscious pegasus onto the furry blanket. At last, Twilight gently lowered Rainbow's head onto a puffy pillow. She breathed a sigh of relief and stretched her back.
Zecora popped up beside her and looked down at Rainbow Dash. The zebra wore a grim frown as she inspected Rainbow Dash's injuries. "Her body is bruised. Her breath is weak. Let's hope her future is not bleak." Zecora spun around and grabbed a few herbs from a nearby shelf. Twilight recognized most of them from her discussions with Zecora earlier that day. "I will make a medicinal brew, but truly she owes her life to you." Zecora examined the herbs for a moment before tossing them into the large pot, content with her selection. The leafy greens sank into the bubbling broth.
"I'm no hero, Zecora," Twilight responded. "Rainbow Dash is the real hero here." She delicately brushed a hoof through Rainbow's mane as she said her name. A thin smile crept onto her face as she looked down at the sleeping pegasus. She did not want to leave Rainbow's side, but her aching muscles demanded it. Twilight slowly plodded over to other side of the hut and collapsed onto the wooden floor, resting her head up against the wall. She glanced over at Scootaloo, who was still staring at Rainbow Dash quietly. The filly had a few minor nicks and cuts, but otherwise seemed free of injury. Twilight's body begged for rest, but her curiosity overruled her instincts.
"So, Scootaloo," Twilight began. "How did you end up here?"
The filly looked over at Twilight, clearly surprised by the sound of her own name. "Well," she replied slowly. "I can't really remember very much. Rainbow Dash was going really fast, and I thought, Whoa, she's going to do a sonic rainboom! She's really going to do it! But then there was this big flash of lightning, and then we started spinning really fast... I fell off of Rainbow's back, and then... I woke up in that bed over there." Scootaloo tilted her head toward the bed in which Rainbow Dash now slumbered.
"I found her outside in the storm," Zecora said simply. "So I brought her in here where it's warm." The zebra grabbed a wooden spoon hanging from one wall and proceeded to stir the contents of the pot. A warm, cinnamon-like scent wafted from the mixture and filled the hut. Twilight watched Zecora wearily, having spent all of her energy in her desperate trek though the forest.
"Well, I'm sure I speak for everypony in Ponyville when I say I appreciate you taking care of Scootaloo," Twilight said as she gave Zecora a wide smile. She shifted her head slightly and locked eyes with the filly. "I know Rainbow Dash will be overjoyed to see that you're alright. She was really worried about you."
Scootaloo gazed intently at Rainbow Dash, frowning slightly. "It's cool that she was worried about me," Scootaloo muttered, "but right now I just hope she's okay. I mean, she has to be okay, right?" The filly trotted over and lay down beside Twilight. "She's Rainbow Dash! She's too tough to let a stupid old storm get the best of her!"
Twilight forced a weak smile and patted the filly's head with one hoof. "You're exactly right, Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash will be just fine." Twilight drew her eyes back to the pegasus lying on the bed. "She has to be," she added in a voice so low Scootaloo could not hear her.
Zecora sniffed her concoction. Pleased with her brewing abilities, the zebra scooped a small wooden bowl through the liquid. Careful not to spill any, Zecora trotted over beside Rainbow Dash and held the bowl in one hoof. She used her other hoof to elevate Rainbow's head as she gently poured the liquid into Rainbow's open mouth. "This will help the pain when she wakes," Zecora said, "but she will still have cramps and aches."
"Thank you for all your help, Zecora," Twilight yawned. "We'll need to get Rainbow to the clinic in Ponyville as soon as we can, but for now we all need to get some rest and wait for this storm to let up."
Twilight was uncertain just how today's hardships would manifest themselves in the future. In her condition, it was a very real possibility that Rainbow may not be able to fly very well, if at all. Her right wing seemed crumpled in an unnatural position. As Twilight watched the sleeping pegasus, however, she felt a growing surge of hope. Rainbow's breathing was still weak, but stabilizing. She's alive, Twilight thought. That's what matters.
A nagging doubt remained in Twilight's mind, however, concerning the conversation she would have with Rainbow once she awoke. She knew what Rainbow Dash would ask her, and she would need an appropriate response.
Twilight lay her head down on her hooves and shut her eyes. Scootaloo snuggled in closer to Twilight and did the same. Poor filly, Twilight thought as she cracked one eye open to look at her. She's had such a rough day...
Breathing deeply, Twilight shut her eye once more and settled in for a nap. She could hear Zecora shuffling around on the other side of the hut, throwing more herbs into the large pot. The otherwise deafening sound of the downpour outside was dulled by the hut's thick walls, producing a low, rhythmic hum. The faint noise calmed Twilight, allowing her to gradually slip into a-
Twilight's head shot up. She watched as Zecora stepped away from the pot and trotted over to the door. The zebra pulled the door open, and the hut was filled with the clamor of the storm. Squinting her tired eyes, Twilight tried to peak her head around Zecora to get a clear view of their new visitor, but the zebra's spiked-up mane made her efforts futile.
"Howdy, Zecora. Ah' hate to bother you, but we've got a bit of a crisis on our hooves."
Twilight recognized the accent immediately. "Applejack?" she called.
"Twilight?" the voice replied.
Zecora stepped aside. There, just outside the door, stood applejack. The pony's drenched mane hung limply down to one side. Behind her stood her brother, Big Macintosh, and another Earth Pony named Caramel.
A look of pure joy manifested itself on Applejack's face. "We've found 'em, boys! We've found 'em!"
Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open in a flash, her mind racing. The first thing she felt was the pain. Her head had begun to throb again, her right fore-hoof was bruised badly, and her right wing felt as if it was on fire.
She blinked a few times as she attempted to gather her bearings. She lay flat on her stomach, her muzzle buried deep into a large, fluffy pillow. She rose her head and glanced down at herself. A dozen small bandages covered her body. One particularly large patch stretched across the left side of her forehead. Rainbow wiggled for a moment before realizing her right wing was held in place by a thin cast.
Rainbow shifted her head slightly to look at the sheets on the bed. They were dark blue, and were adorned with crescent moons and stars.
"Wha- But this looks like-"
Rainbow glanced around the room. Both the ceiling and floor were wooden. A large, overstuffed bookshelf ran along one wall. A wide window was set into the side of the wall nearest the bed, giving Rainbow a clear view outside. A bright full moon dominated the sky. Though still drizzling, the storm outside had died down. Thin, wispy clouds hung low in the sky, but nothing to compete with the immense gray pillars she had seen earlier. She shifted her gaze downward and spotted a large sign outside the front door. Light from the building illuminated the sign, displaying a picture of an open book.
I knew it, Rainbow thought. I'm in the library! And this is-
Rainbow blushed as she realized she was lying in Twilight's bed.
Rainbow adjusted herself onto her side, careful not to disturb her injured wing. Only after this did she notice the white mare standing in the corner, jotting down something on a clipboard. The mare had a short pink mane which she wore tied back in a bun.
"Nurse Redheart?" Rainbow groaned.
The mare glanced up from her clipboard and shot Rainbow a smile. "Hello, Miss Rainbow Dash. I'm glad you're awake. You have visitors."
"Yes. I'll let them know they can see you now."
Nurse Redheart turned and trotted down a nearby set of steps. Rainbow Dash watched her go, wincing from the pain in her wing. A few moments later a curly tangle of pink hair popped up over the landing, immediately followed by a pair of excited blue eyes.
Pinkie Pie leapt up the remaining stairs and began bouncing in place. "Dashie! You're okay!" Pinkie shouted, grinning widely. "I knew everything would work out okay! Now we have a reason to celebrate! We can have a big party over at Sugarcube Corner with balloons and cake and oh-my-gosh-I-need-to-get-baking-soon-but-it's-going-to-be-so-much-FUN!"
"Calm down there, sugarcube," Applejack stated as she stepped onto the landing as well.
A stream of new arrivals trotted up the stairs and gathered around Twilight's bed. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike joined Pinkie Pie and Applejack, forming an incomplete semi-circle around Rainbow Dash and offering her their well-wishes. As the last visitor stepped onto the landing and filled the gap, Rainbow's heart soared.
Twilight stood over her wearing a warm smile and looking as beautiful as ever. A young orange filly straddled Twilight's back, poking her head over the unicorn's mane.
"Twilight! Scootaloo!" Rainbow exclaimed, suddenly overcome by joy. "You're both okay!"
"Thanks to you, Rainbow," Twilight responded, a single tear sliding down her still-grinning cheeks. Scootaloo simply beamed down at her, clearly excited to see her idol awake again.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said eagerly. "Are you okay? I mean, of course you're okay, you're Rainbow Dash! But still, how are you feeling?"
Rainbow chuckled lightly and stiffly shifted herself so that she could better address the filly. "I've been better, kid. I've been better."
Taking a more serious tone, Rainbow lowered her eyes to Twilight. "I do have to wonder, though... Just what is the damage, exactly, Twilight?"
Everypony in the room caught their breath. Twilight's smile weakened, but she delivered the news with a relatively light-hearted tone. "Nurse Redheart said your wing is pretty badly damaged, Rainbow... She said it will be at least a month before you will fly again."
Rainbow's mouth fell agape. A month? She couldn't fly for an entire month?
"But," Twilight said quickly, most likely sensing Rainbow's shock, "she also said you would make a full recovery. Just take things easy for a while, and you should be just fine."
"Oh, darling, I know how you must feel," Rarity interjected. "Why, I can only imagine how terrible I would feel if I couldn't design dresses for a month. It would be simply dreadful."
"Oh, please don't say that in front of her, Rarity," Fluttershy said. "We don't want to make her think about it."
Rarity recoiled a bit, surprised by her own carelessness. "Oh, terribly sorry, Rainbow. I'm sure everything will be just fine. Besides," Rarity said in a sly voice, "since you can't fly back to your home for a while, you'll have to stay somewhere else. I heard that Twilight is more than willing to take care of you while you wait." Rarity then winked at her, sporting a knowing grin.
Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. Did the white unicorn know her secret? If so, how had she figured it out? These thoughts stumped Rainbow for a moment, but she soon decided to push them out of her mind. She had more important things to worry about.
The group chatted late into the night. Rainbow dozed lightly, managing to ignore the twinges of pain in her wing. Spike mirrored Rainbow's exhaustion and excused himself from the gathering, heading in the direction of his own small bed on the floor below. Scootaloo gave Rainbow a big hug and thanked her for everything she had done. Progressively, the rain quieted and cleared, revealing a beautiful black canvas in the night sky dotted with stars. Pinkie Pie told a long and ridiculous tale about oatmeal, eliciting pleasant laughter from her audience. Eventually, though, even Pinkie began yawning and stretching. Shuffling along the floor, the tired ponies said their farewells and headed down the stairs. Applejack promised to take Scootaloo home on the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight followed after them, wishing them a safe journey back to their homes.
A quiet clattering indicated to rainbow that the door had closed downstairs. A minute later Twilight reappeared, failing to stifle a huge yawn. Rainbow gazed intently at Twilight as the unicorn reorganized a small selection of books into the bookshelf.
"Some day, huh?" Rainbow asked casually.
"Definitely," Twilight said. "We should both get some rest. We'll feel much better in the morning." She trotted over to a small table beside the bed, intent on blowing out a lit candle, the room's only light source. Just as she inhaled, however, Rainbow cut her off.
"Twilight, I need to tell you something."
"Hm? Sure, Rainbow. Go ahead."
"Thanks," Rainbow said as she took a deep breath. Okay, she thought. Let's try this again. Come on, Rainbow. You can do this.
"Alright, well... I wanted to let you know that... I mean, you're really awesome and everything, and... Um..." Rainbow stared up at the ceiling, searching for the right words. "I've been sort of... quiet lately, you know, and uh..."
Rainbow raised one hoof and tapped herself on the forehead. Think, Rainbow! How do you tell her?
Twilight peered into her eyes, her thin smile slowly growing wider.
"I, uh- I guess what I'm trying to say is that I... Um... Well, I-"
Twilight giggled softly and placed one hoof on Rainbow's lips, cutting her off. Rainbow's eyes widened as the unicorn learned over her, placing her muzzle just a couple inches away from Rainbow's. The candlelight played across her face, basking her in a warm glow. "It's okay," Twilight whispered. "I know."
Twilight leaned down even further and closed her eyes, letting her lips hover over Rainbow's mouth. Her breath filled Rainbow's nose with its sweet scent. Blushing crimson, Rainbow sat up straighter and wrapped her fore-hooves around Twilight's neck, pulling her head down into contact with hers. Their lips touched, and a euphoric sensation spread through Rainbow's body, masking the aches caused by her injuries. The unicorn tasted like an interesting blend of sweet and bitter lilac. Rainbow stroked her hooves through Twilight's mane and began bobbing her head slightly, pulling in and out of the kiss. Twilight rested her hooves against Rainbow's sides and copied her movement.
Rainbow felt Twilight twist her body and raise one hind leg over the edge of the bed. Soon, the unicorn lay beside her, pulling Rainbow into a tight embrace. Rainbow accepted the adjustment, groaning slightly, and rubbed her chest up against Twilight's shaking body. A surge of emotion filled Rainbow's mind. For so long, Rainbow had watched Twilight from afar, hiding her feelings. Now, as she shared an intimate moment with this beautiful mare, tears of joy slid down her cheeks. Rainbow found herself wishing that the moment would never end.
Slowly, Twilight withdrew her lips. She placed a few small pecks on Rainbow's cheeks before pulling away and resting her head against Rainbow's, careful not to disturb the large patch on her forehead. Twilight ran her delicate hooves through Rainbow's coat.
Rainbow panted lightly as she cracked open her eyes. Twilight had her eyes open as well, and was gazing at her with a satisfied smile. Rainbow returned the warm expression, still fondling the unicorn's hair.
"How long have you k-known?" Rainbow gasped.
"I just figured it a f-few hours ago," Twilight responded with just as little breath. "It was when we w-were sitting out in the storm, looking at Scootaloo's goggles. You said you would always b-be there for me. It was then that I realized that... I liked the idea of that. I liked the idea of you." Twilight nuzzled Rainbow's cheeks affectionately. "Though I am still curious about one t-thing, Rainbow."
"Yes, Twilight?"
A curious look fell across Twilight's face. "Why me?"
Rainbow stifled a laugh. "Just look at yourself, Twilight. You're amazing. You do have a habit of over-thinking things, though."
Twilight giggled again. "Alright, alright. That works for me. So, I was originally planning on grabbing an extra blanket and sleeping downstairs, but... Would you mind if I stayed here? I promise to be careful around your wing."
Rainbow simpered for a moment before scooting over to allow Twilight more room. Twilight squirmed and found a comfortable position. Rainbow held her hooves around the unicorn's stomach. Twilight lay her head down on her pillow, settling in for the night.
"Goodnight, Dashie," Twilight whispered.
"Goodnight, Twilight."
Rainbow Dash glanced out the window at the clear night sky. It's sort of funny, she thought. No matter how powerful the storm may seem, it always disappears at the end of the day. Rainbow rested her head down beside Twilight's and nuzzled her hair. Despite her inability to fly, Rainbow had high hopes for the coming month. In fact, with Twilight to take care of her, she had a good feeling that it would turn out to be the best month of her life. With this thought in mind, the tired pegasus closed her eyes and settled in for a well-deserved rest.


text:
Somersworth Food Pantry thanks supporters
Saturday, December 7, 2013
SOMERSWORTH -- This year the Community Food Pantry of Somersworth provided Thanksgiving baskets to 434 households in Somersworth and Berwick. The baskets included a turkey, stuffing, various canned vegetables, apples, potatoes, onions, carrots, dessert, cranberry sauce and ice cream.
The Community food Pantry is a nonprofit organization. Somersworth churches including the First Parish United Church of Christ, Holy Trinity and Saint Martin's Catholic churches, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox church, and Berwick churches including Berwick United Methodist Church and Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church have been helping the pantry for years by providing food and monetary donations as well as volunteers to staff the pantry. |

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This little blog here
I'm Frisky Sour, and this is little anecdote. If you're interested in roller derby outside of the scores, you're in the right place. We discuss strategy, training, feelings, and whatever else you want to talk about. I used to play for the Break Neck Betties, a home team in the Rose City Rollers, then retired in August 2012 to get knocked up.
Last year, I wrote Roller Derby for Beginners, which is a pretty cool book if you're starting out in derby and feeling overwhelmed, or just thinking about playing. But you don't have to take my word for it. (No, seriously, there are nice reviews and everything.)
I'm a freelance writer, as well as a drummer's wife, Baby Sour's mom, Blazers fan, and an admirer of the gentle manatee.
If you want to hang out at my blog, you have to be nice.
Join Derby Girl Designs as a sponsor of little anecdote! This site is seen by thousands of eager derby girls each month, and thanks to awesome readers like you, it's only growing.
Email frisky.sour at gmail or tweet at a sister to learn more.


text:
Had good gsa today. c was there, she was cute. what could i do for valentine's day for gsa? wearing black is too deppressing, and we're a happy gsa. And btw, can you retrieve journal entries when you go to another page by accident and they're no there anymore? I'm going to come out to friend when she comes over to sleepover. Is that too weird? i know she'd be supportive, and wouldn't think i'd be hitting on her, and otherwise i have no alone time with her. Oasis is awesome, but I was wondering if there were any queer websites I could go to, to look like it's for GSa, but it'd really be for me. Saw ironic thing today. The theme of the sacramento prom is masquerade, on the one night you wouldn't have to hide. I haven't had a chance to write on Oasis for a while because I only write here when I'm at the library, and that's pretty infrequent. Also, are there any good queer pg-13/r for language only movies i could see at gsa? we voted today, and the favorites so far are rent, ma vie en rose, and the curiousity of chance. Bye, gotta go write a persuasive essay.
you could have a dance for valentines day.
"I feel like Nacy Drew in the mystery of the midlife crisis."
-Roger Bannister
The Stepford Wives
We watched "Imagine Me and You" at my own GSA last night. I liked it a lot.
IMDB says "Rated R for some language and sexual material." The f-word is in there and stuff, but everyone keeps their clothes on and stuff like that. :-)
Unfortunately that's the only film I can recommend cuz it's one of the only ones I've seen. Rent, however, is also fantastic. :-)
~~~ the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses ~ e e cummings ~~~
Awesome :) Thanks, yeah, I was looking at Imagine me and you. It looks good, but my mom won't let me see any movie rated r for anyything other than language. I hate it so much. oh well.


text:
Editor's Note: This guest post is co-authored by Jonna Davis, Senior Program Manager for Dispensers for Safe Water in Kenya, and Nabil Mansouri, Program Manager in Malawi, both of Evidence Action. Jonna and Nabil describe how the program maintains user adoption rates in Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi. To learn more about Dispensers for Safe Water, read Evidence Action's post for WASHfunders on the evidence-based origins of the program. Another post describes strategic efforts to diversify the initiative's financing models.
On the face of it, Dispensers for Safe Water is easy to understand. Dispensers for Safe Water is a fast-growing initiative of Evidence Action that provides access to clean and safe water for close to three million people in Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi. It is slated to grow to 25 million users in the next five years. We do this by installing and maintaining chlorine dispensers directly at the water source where people in rural areas fetch their water.
Customers simply add half a teaspoon of diluted chlorine to the jerry can in which water is typically collected, dosed correctly to safely disinfect the drinking and cooking water. Chlorine, of course, is a very effective additive to water used around the world in sanitation systems that kills 99.9% of harmful bacteria that, in turn, cause diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases such as cholera.
Conveniently, chlorine dispensers are installed directly at the water source -- such as a borehole or simply an unprotected spring -- and are very easy to use. We see sustained adoption rates between 42% and 80% (such in Malawi where we have just begun an aggressive expansion).
We keep tabs on these adoption rates by regularly sampling cooking and drinking water in people's homes to determine whether there is actually chlorine present in their water.
But getting people to use the dispensers to make water safe to drink is not achieved by the installation of dispensers alone. As we have seen time and again, a new gadget in and of itself is not enough for behaviour change to occur. We see high and sustained rates of adoption because Dispensers for Safe Water is more than just the dispenser. It's the underlying foundation of community engagement, delivery, and ongoing maintenance that makes the program effective.
Here is how it works:
Expanding into a new areas involves significant preparation weeks ahead of the actual installation. Dispenser for Safe Water team members meet with community leaders to get their approval for a dispenser as well as to familiarize these key stakeholders with how and why dispensers work. After approval is granted, we work with those leaders to engage users in the 'barn raising' of the actual installation of the dispenser.
There are additional community meetings to elect a community 'promoter' -- typically a respected person in the community -- who is charged with maintaining and refilling the dispenser, and who reports any problems. The promoter also educates community members on how chlorine and the dispenser work, and why it's important to disinfect the water.
The promoter is a very important part of the success of the dispenser in a given community. Adoption rates have been as much as 17 percentage points higher when the promoter's water tests positive for chlorine than when s/he does not.
Once the promoter is in place and installation and community education meetings have been completed, there is the ongoing maintenance of the dispensers. Dispensers that are empty or in disrepair are not going to be used by our customers over time. We know that the biggest driver of decreased adoption is empty or poorly maintained dispensers, which is why we have developed such a strong "last mile" delivery and maintenance network.
Evidence Action maintains the dispensers through a network of circuit riders on motorbikes who visit a target number of dispensers daily in their catchment area, deliver a three-month supply of chlorine to the promoter in charge of the dispenser in a given village, and repair anything that needs to be fixed.
Promoters and circuit riders use mobile phone technology for tracking this work--for issuing and resolving maintenance tickets, checking off steps in the supply chain and other tasks.
Economies of scale, combined with efforts to optimize the supply chain in the maintenance phase, ensure that the cost for Dispensers for Safe Water at scale is very low: just 50 cents per person per year. This makes Dispenser for Safe Water one of the most cost-effective WASH interventions with sustained high adoption rates on the market. With community engagement, promotion, and ongoing maintenance, users have a reliable product that is consistently used over time.
Editor's Note: This guest post is authored by Christina Riechers, Director of Business Development and Strategy at Evidence Action. In her post, Christina outlines the lessons learned from efforts to ensure sustainability as the organization rapidly scales up its Dispensers for Safe Water program. Drawing from Evidence Action's experience, she highlights the importance of diversified business models and describes the process of establishing strategic partnerships to expand the reach of the project. For more background on Dispensers for Safe Water program, read Evidence Action's previous post, published last month on the WASHfunders Blog.
Evidence Action's Dispensers for Safe Water program, an innovative and cost-effective system for water purification, is rapidly scaling up. Dispensers for Safe Water is currently providing safe drinking water to two million people in Eastern and Southern Africa, to grow to 25 million people by 2018.
Evidence Action was created a year ago to scale up proven development interventions to benefit tens of millions of people. As a result, we are well familiar with one of the main challenges of implementing large-scale development projects: ensuring that there is financial and operational sustainability over the long term. All too often, water access and water quality projects are implemented without a clear strategy for long-term sustainability, and infrastructure and technology end up in disrepair or disuse.
Evidence Action takes a different approach. For us, a key criteria for going to scale with an intervention is not only a strong evidence base for its effectiveness and impact, but also a sound business model and innovative financing. So what are we learning?
We Need Diversified Business Models for Scale
Dispensers for Safe Water's business model calls for covering the costs for operating dispensers with carbon financing. Chlorine dispensers generate carbon credits by reducing the demand for boiling water with firewood, and by replacing wood burning with a low-carbon alternative. These carbon credits are verified by an independent auditor, and then sold to buyers looking to offset their carbon footprint or to meet mandated emissions targets. Because the on-going cost of filling and maintaining dispensers is so low - $0.50 per person per year when we're rolled out at scale - even a low price of carbon could finance the program.
However, carbon credit prices have sunk to rock bottom levels. Even though we have been able to sell credits at high prices that --should these sales continue-- would enable us to meet our long-term financial sustainability plans, we wanted to have a Plan B. Moreover, the initial capital expenditure for growing the program requires other funding (carbon financing is a lagging source of funds, coming in only after people have been using the dispensers). As a result, we have been diversifying our funding sources. For up-front financing, for example, we have taken on loans from Kiva and grants from an innovation fund at USAID. For on-going servicing costs, we are branching out beyond carbon. We are exploring bundling charges for dispenser services with existing community payment mechanisms, and contracting with local governments to fund the chlorine for their constituents to make Dispensers for Safe Water like a low-cost utility service. In all of this we are committed to keeping chlorine free to end users to ensure maximum adoption.
Strategic Partners Are Essential For Going to Scale
We are also challenging ourselves to look at new ways of partnering with other organizations.
Our partnership with One Acre Fund is a case in point. One Acre Fund is a social enterprise that helps more than 180,000 farmers in East Africa double their maize yield. One Acre Fund staff work closely with rural farmers to extend loans, provides training on maximizing crop yield, and provides seeds and other products. The organization cares about the overall well-being of the farmer families, and as such, wanted to expand their efforts and offer low cost health interventions like chlorine for safe water.
When we first partnered in 2011, we thought we could simply piggyback on their last-mile distribution for local chlorine deliveries. But we quickly realized that there are key differences between their distribution and local engagement model and ours. For example,One Acre Fund field staff have a wide range of responsibilities that made the extra task of carrying chlorine with them to village visits burdensome. So we evolved our partnership so that it more closely aligns with our respective core competencies: One Acre Fund, committed to providing safe drinking water for its farmer families, now pays a certain price per farmer household per year to Dispensers for Safe Water for providing their families with access to clean drinking water. This is the same price they would pay to give farmers bottles for household use but without taxing their supply chain. We utilize our existing robust system of village health promoters who ensure the upkeep of dispensers at the water points, and circuit riders who deliver chlorine to the same districts where One Acre Fund operates.
The subsidy from One Acre Fund means further diversification of our funding portfolio, more rural households served, and a win-win partnership for all -- most of all for the community residents who have reliable access to safe drinking water.
Editor's Note: This post is authored by Sanjay Banka, Director at Banka BioLoo, an Indian company that manufactures and promotes biodigester toilets for use in parts of the country where the lack of infrastructure prevents the use of more conventional sanitation facilities. In the piece, Sanjay discusses the development of the biotechnology used in the toilets and describes the successes and challenges that the company has experienced while working to improve sanitation in India.
Sanitation facilities in India are alarmingly poor with over 600 million people (half of India's population) having no access to toilets. This lack of access, coupled with other inadequacies in waste disposal, such as the Indian Railways's open-chute toilet system wherein human waste drops on the rail tracks, poses health hazards, raises environmental concerns, and leads to water contamination.
To address India's sanitation problems, the government, NGOs, non-profit organizations, donor agencies, development bodies, and the private sector have been working in their own way, often with very little concerted effort. The partnership between India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Banka BioLoo, however, provides one example of how cross-sector collaboration can work to provide sanitation solutions. Using technology developed and licensed by the DRDO, the R&D arm of the Indian Ministry of Defence, Banka BioLoo is working to meet the need for basic, easy-to-install and hygienic human waste disposal mechanisms in areas without sewerage and other sanitation infrastructure.
The DRDO had been grappling with the challenge of managing and treating the fecal matter of its defence personnel. After several years of research, the Organization developed a set of bacteria that "eat away" at human waste. Having successfully used these bacteria to treat the night soil of soldiers guarding the Indian borders, in 2010, the DRDO decided to extend the benefits of the technology to the civilian population by licensing the bio-technology to commercial firms. A host of businesses, including Banka BioLoo, signed the transfer of technology. Since then, Banka BioLoo has developed the necessary infrastructure to inoculate the bacteria and has built a business model that positions bio-toilets as a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly sanitation solution.
Bio-digester technology treats human waste at the source. A collection of anaerobic bacteria that has been adapted to work at temperatures as low as -5°C and as high as 50°C act as inocula (seed material) to the bio-digesters and convert the organic human waste into water, methane, and carbon-dioxide. The anaerobic process inactivates the pathogens responsible for water-borne diseases and treats the fecal matter without the use of an external energy source.
The only by-products of the waste treatment process are pathogen-free water, which is good for gardening, and biogas, which can be used for cooking. Bio-toilets do not require sewage connectivity and because the process is self-contained, bio-toilets are also maintenance-free. While we explain the functioning of the system to users, no specific training is required.
Banka BioLoo employs a for-profit model in distributing its bio-toilets. This approach is consistent with the thinking that came up in discussion recently at the 2014 WASH Sustainability Forum in Amsterdam, where it was recognized that many households are able and willing to pay for good quality sanitation services. Unfortunately, many are being offered cheap and possibly sub-standard systems. As solution providers, we need to be wary of poor quality "solutions" and instead appeal to the aesthetic and aspirational needs of society. While affordability is certainly an issue, it should not come at the cost of developing a sub-par product.
While we strongly believe in the for-profit model to help ensure sustainability, we are also looking for alternate financing options for households that are unable to pay for the toilet outright. We are in discussion with government agencies and microfinance institutions to develop programs that would provide subsidies or microloans to consumers.
Banka BioLoo has also worked with charities and other development organizations to provide bio-toilets in underserved areas. In March 2013, some members of the student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), studying in Gitam University, decided to undertake a project to help provide sanitation facilities in Rudraram village, at the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern India. Using a combination of student efforts, input from family members, sponsored funds, and contributions from user families, Banka BioLoo, in partnership with EWB, installed five bio-toilets. In 2014, the project provided bio-toilets to 20 additional families. The student community is keen to develop a 10-kilometer radius around the university as an open defecation free area.
One remaining challenge in promoting the use of the toilets involves the perception among some Indians that sanitation is not worth paying for. Many are comfortable with defecating in the open. In promoting the bio-toilets, we explain the negative effects on the health and well-being of society -- particularly women and children -- that are associated with open defecation. As this understanding continues to develop in India, the demand for sanitation products, such as the bio-toilets, will grow. We are actively working in this direction, trying to provide economical and eco-friendly sanitation systems for all -- from the most marginalized populations to large institutions and corporations across various states in India -- while building up the good reputation of the latrine.
Join SustainableWASH.org for a 3-Part webinar series that will explore monitoring, evaluation and resolution in the field of water access, sanitation and hygiene. The series will have a particular focus on resolution. Each event will feature presentations from experts in the field and will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
TODAY, August 6: Reporting is Not Enough
Wednesday, August 27: Addressing the Resolution Gap
Wednesday, September 17: A Framework for Action
All webinars will be held from 10:00-11:30 am EDT.
If you have not registered for the series, you can register here, and will receive a link to join the webinar. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Editor's Note: This guest blog post is authored by Alix Zwane, Executive Director of Evidence Action. In her post, Alix lauds the increased attention given to evidence-based innovations in development and describes the Dispensers for Safe Water initiative as an example of a WASH intervention grounded in this data-driven approach.
Evidence-based development innovations are finally all the rage. The UK's Department for International Development and USAID announced the Global Development Innovation Ventures (GDIV) Fund almost exactly a year ago to focus development investments on "innovative approaches with proven, radically successful results." Just a few weeks ago, USAID launched its Global Development Lab that aims to "test and scale breakthrough development innovations." And even more recently, a senior policy advisor to the president of the European Commission argued that evidence should trump politics and diplomacy for deciding on aid investments.
One example of how aspirations for data-driven development translate into actual, real projects that improve millions of peoples' lives is the Dispensers for Safe Water initiative. Chlorine dispensers currently serve over two million people in East Africa and are on track to grow to four million people by the end of this year, and 25 million by 2018.
Chlorine dispensers installed directly at the water source represent an important innovation in the rural water sector. They solve a number of challenges that have hindered sustainable, quality services for cleaner water to date -- despite the billions that have been spent on water and sanitation projects. And because the approach has been vigorously tested, we can say definitively that chlorine dispensers work at a fraction of the cost of typical water projects, and at high adoption rates by people most in need of clean water.
What Are Chlorine Dispensers?
Dispensers are installed directly at the water source and contain enough chlorine for a community using the water source for about a month. A person collecting water turns a knob that releases enough chlorine to clean 20 liters of water -- the typical amount that people collect from the source and carry home. The dispensers are rugged and durable, and maintained and marketed by local health promoters who educate the community about the utility of adding small amounts of chlorine to the drinking water, and check and refill the dispensers as needed.
Chlorine is very cheap and effective at killing most bacterial and viral pathogens. Safety concerns with dilute chlorine are minimal, and it is widely used as a disinfectant in water treatment plants around the world. Chlorine can also provide residual protection for up to three days (depending on storage conditions), which means that it not only disinfects water, but can also prevent re-contamination.
Are People Healthier Because of Chlorine in their Water?
So what do we know about improving water quality for people? There have been a number of review articles recently that have assessed the evidence for drinking water quality interventions in developing countries. One meta study that analyzed 65 separate evaluations concluded that point-of-use (or, in the case of dispensers, point-of-source) water quality interventions appear to be highly effective -- and indeed, more effective than water supply or source treatment in reducing diarrhea -- but that this is very sensitive to the ability of the program to sustain high rates of product adoption. Obviously, a product cannot provide health benefits if people don't use it. Another systematic review of the evidence showed that there are reductions of up to 40% of childhood diarrhea among people using the product.
Are People Actually Using Chlorine Dispensers?
The case for cost-effective impacts for dispensers rests not only on the potential for health impact. People actually have to use water treatment products if they are to be effective. The sustained use of dispensers has been documented via a rigorous randomized controlled trial (PDF) in which adoption held at about 50% for three years in the treatment group assigned to dispensers. We continue to see average adoption rates over 40% in areas where baseline water treatment with chlorine is less than 10%. For anyone in the WASH field, these are impressive rates. Adoption of chlorine at the point of service is high because it is cheap, convenient, salient, and public.
Dispensers are Sustainable and Cost-Effective
Chlorine dispensers are inexpensive, costing less than $0.50 per person per year at scale. This is considerably lower than the large infrastructure programs that may not be sufficiently invested in over time, and then fall into disuse. The low cost per person has also allowed us explore new financing models, such as using carbon credits. Chlorine reduces the need for boiling water, so dispensers can be financed that way. And because chlorine dispensers are inexpensive to maintain, carbon revenue covers the costs even as the initiative expands to serve 25 million people in 2018.
We believe that evidence and rigorous testing of new development approaches is critical in order to scale what works to reach millions, and are pleased that the global development field is moving in the direction of being more rigorously data-driven and evidence-based.
Editor's Note: This post was authored by Carmen da Silva Wells, programme officer at IRC. In the lead up to the Fifth WASH Sustainability Forum in the Netherlands at the end of this month, Carmen writes about the increasing recognition of the importance of sustainability among actors in the WASH sector. Referencing a mapping of sustainability tools that IRC's Triple-S project recently undertook, she highlights one of the key findings: that while there are many tools that have been developed to assess and promote sustainability in the WASH sector, work still remains around how these tools are applied. This post originally appeared on IRC's blog here.
Registration for next week's Forum in Amsterdam is full, but if you're in the area, you can add yourself to the waitlist. And if you'll be attending the conference and are involved in the WASH sector from a philanthropic angle, join the WASH Grantmakers Network at their orientation dinner before the conference on June 29th. Details on how to RSVP can be found here.
Sustainability is a hot topic in the development sector at large. In the water and sanitation sector, there have been a range of events, partnerships and websites dedicated to collectively recognising, understanding and addressing sustainability challenges. In March this year, for example, the Australian WASH sector organised the 'WASH for everyone, everywhere' conference in Brisbane exploring the topic in light of the post-2015 development agenda.
The Amsterdam Forum will be held on June 30 and July 1. It is the fifth in a series of international WASH sustainability events organised by a coalition of organisations. IRC, Aguaconsult, Global Water Challenge and WASH Advocates have been core driving members behind the WASH Sustainability Forum series. This year's event is also supported by UNICEF, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program.
Exploring sustainability tools
According to Harold Lockwood of Aguaconsult, one of the organisations behind the fifth edition, there is a definite shift in mind-sets since the first one in 2010: "There is a collective recognition, as well as growing momentum and support around moving towards a service delivery approach. We seem to be at a tipping point, where discussions initially focused on why we need to focus on sustainability, but are now moving to the 'how to' part of the equation for different actors."
The 5th WASH Sustainability Forum aims to move donors, civil society and governments towards application of sustainability principles and tools. One of the significant inputs to the event is a study of WASH sustainability tools conducted by Aguaconsult as part of Sustainable Services at Scale, or Triple-S, an IRC-led initiative. A Triple-S Working Paper, 'Mapping of WASH sustainability tools' contains the findings of the mapping, as well as the outcomes of an online survey looking into demand for sustainability tools and a 2-part webinar series.
The good news is that there are plenty of tools out there for understanding, measuring, or predicting sustainability. The assessment included a review of over 220 tools, and the 25 tools with clear content and methodology for understanding, measuring, or predicting sustainability have been presented as 1-page practical summaries in the Working Paper. Altogether these 25 sustainability tools have been applied 92 times in 52 countries, with most addressing the technical, institutional, and management areas that affect sustainability.
There are also notable gaps, such as tools that can be applied across all stages of the service life-cycle, tools that address sanitation and hygiene interventions and that can be applied to urban or peri-urban areas.
According to Ryan Schweitzer, Claire Grayson and Harold Lockwood, authors of the Working Paper, the emergence of clusters of similar sustainability assessment tools is a positive signal that a new paradigm is emerging in the sector. However, most tools are driven by external development partner organisations. Therefore, one of their key findings is that much more effort needs to be made to align tools with country monitoring systems and sector capacities and to use the data that these tools generate in order to improve services.
This challenge of linking tools with national systems – and indeed showcasing some national government tools – will be one of the core topics at the Forum. Representatives from government, private sector, donors and NGOs will engage in a panel debate to talk about how to improve the application and alignment of tools so that investments in the sector deliver services that last.
This year's 5th annual WASH Sustainability Forum will take place from June 30 to July 1 at the RAI in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. While previous WASH Sustainability Forums focused on concepts underpinning sustainability, this year's Forum is oriented around the application of sustainability principles to WASH projects.
To introduce this theme, the WASH Grantmakers Network (WGN), together with Xylem Watermark, will host an orientation dinner in advance of the Forum, on June 29th. The dinner will provide guests with an overview of the Forum and offer tips on making the most of your attendance.
WGN is coordinated by WASH Advocates and is an affinity group for philanthropic organizations focused on WASH issues. To RSVP for this free dinner, contact Ben Mann at email@example.com or +1-202-293-4002. Registration for the Forum is also available online here.
SustainableWASH.org, in collaboration with the Rural Water Supply Network, invites you to participate in a webinar series on tools for sustainability in the WASH sector.
Each of the two hour-long webinars will share the results of a landscaping study of sustainability-related tools for WASH that was carried out by Aguaconsult as part of the Sustainable Service at Scale (Triple-S) Initiative.
March 4th (9 am EST, 2 pm UTC) and March 18th (10 am EST, 2 pm UTC)
March 4th Presenters:
- Sam Godfrey, UNICEF
- Heather Skilling, USAID
- Agnes Montangero, HELVETAS
- Julia Boulenouar, Aguaconsult
March 18th Presenters:
- Andre Olschewski, SKAT
- Antonio Manuel Rodríguez Serrano, Water and Sanitation Program, World Bank
- Ryan Schweitzer, Aguaconsult
To register for the webinar series, click here.
Editor's Note: This guest blog post was authored by Ben Seidl, program director at World Water Relief, an NGO launched in 2008 with the goal of bringing sustainable water purification solutions to people in developing nations. In his post, Ben discusses the push for better monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the WASH sector and the challenges and opportunities that this trend presents for small NGOs. Ben emphasizes the importance of local engagement as the key to both effective M&E and, ultimately, project sustainability.
As the WASH sector continues to expand and strengthen its role in global health, the sector's trends and objectives have become more data-oriented and results-focused. Mobile, field-level technology has enabled NGOs to undertake data processing and monitoring of water resources in real-time…a practice that was previously only afforded to large municipal utilities and corporations. While this technological leap has ushered in a new era of transparency and reporting, there are some fundamental building blocks of sustainability that are beyond data.
Human capital is still the true driver behind sustainability and M&E in the WASH sector. Local, dedicated stakeholders are the true source of long-term sustainability and accurate, reliable monitoring and evaluation. Without the involvement of these local community stakeholders, the sustainability of any WASH project will undoubtedly wither over time.
As Program Director for World Water Relief in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, my team and I are tasked with building a responsive and flexible monitoring program to ensure that our projects are creating measurable impact and consistent WASH service delivery. World Water Relief is an NGO with limited manpower and resources. Thus, we are faced with the challenge of producing high-quality WASH projects with a high level of feedback and sustainability on a shoestring budget.
Without the funds for advanced technology and data collection, we are tasked with finding alternative ways to ensure that our WASH projects are meeting these three criteria:
I) Beneficiaries' needs
II) Industry and international standards
III) Donor expectations
To address each of these criteria in a cost-effective way, we need to craft local, low-technology relationship networks to implement and feed our data and sustainability measures. As an organization of less than ten employees, we depend on the passion, dedication, and involvement of the stakeholders in the communities we work in to be the drivers behind our sustainability and M&E initiatives.
One such program we employ in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic is the Youth Water and Hygiene Club. This type of school-based youth programming has been championed by the WASH sector as an intervention capable of providing youth with leadership training, experiential learning, and an in-depth opportunity to learn and practice water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions firsthand. Our Youth Water and Hygiene Club has been both catalyzing for the participating youth and beneficial to the schools and communities they serve. Students are empowered to be active participants in improving and maintaining the World Water Relief WASH infrastructure in their respective schools and communities. This means helping to clean drinking water stations and hand washing stations, chlorinating potable water holding tanks, initiating trash and recycling collection, teaching WASH principles to student peers, and providing direct monitoring and feedback on WASH service delivery.
The second benefit of a school-integrated program like this is that M&E is conducted on a daily basis at each WASH in Schools site. The Youth Water and Hygiene Clubs provide detailed and dedicated reporting on the status of their schools WASH projects. The World Water Relief program mangers in both the DR and Haiti are in daily communication with the club officers and have frequent regional meetings that feature 82 youth from 16 schools. These meetings provide an excellent opportunity for club leaders to learn from each other and for World Water Relief to continue empowering an inter-connected network of dedicated WASH youth.
The ultimate goal of WASH M&E initiatives is to provide insightful field-level information and analysis that drives accurate and timely project oversight. Ideally, WASH implementers are then able to relay these informative reports to donors and stakeholders in order to prove the efficacy of WASH projects around the world. The rapid progression of technology over the past decades has greatly enhanced the sector's ability to create and share these important results. However, when we think about sustainability and evaluation, we must remember that data and observation can only take us so far. True sustainability still lies in the hands of the local users and stakeholders.
As the WASH sector moves forward in its pursuit of real-time tracking and evaluation of project efficacy, we mustn't lose sight of the ability and potential of end-user involvement. Data can inform and guide, but the root of sustainability is still built through long-term relationships, strong personal communication, and direct face-to-face participation.
Editor's Note: This guest post was authored by André Olschewski, water, sanitation and environmental management specialist at the Skat Foundation, a non-profit based in Switzerland. The post builds from a piece that André wrote for WASHfunders.org in June that described the EU-funded WASHTech project and its Technology Applicability Framework (TAF), a decision-making tool that helps users determine if a particular WASH technology will be sustainable in a given context. Here, André introduces the counterpart to the TAF, the Technology Introduction Process (TIP), that guides practitioners in introducing a technology once a determination of sustainability has been made.
The Technology Applicability Framework (TAF) is a tool to assess the applicability of a WASH technology in a particular context and its potential to be adopted on a large scale. Under the WASHTech project, the TAF has been tested in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Uganda on 13 different WASH technologies including the ventilated improved pit latrine, urine diverting dry toilet, rope pump, India Mark 2 Handpump, and solar powered pumps for small piped schemes or sand dams. Since then, it has been successfully applied outside the WASHTech project in Tanzania and in Nicaragua, even without any direct training. Potential users have also expressed an interest to adapt and apply the TAF to other technologies such as water point mapping tools.
WASHTech has produced a short video explaining what the TAF is and how it works. Using the example of a solar powered pump in Ghana, the animated video summarizes how the TAF captures the issues around sustainable service provision. It also features interviews with users of the TAF (such as local government officials) who offer perspectives on the added value that the framework provides.
But what are the next steps if a technology has passed the TAF testing and if you want to introduce the WASH technology for services on a larger scale? To support actors in the WASH sector in planning and management of the introduction of a WASH technology, the WASHTech project has developed a generic guide for technology introduction, the Technology Introduction Process (TIP). The TIP -- as with the TAF -- follows the spirit of the African saying: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
For too long, efforts to introduce WASH technologies have been led by a few actors, mostly national governments and development partners, or a few isolated innovators. This often happened without proper involvement of other actors, such as the users, local political leaders, or the private sector. Increasingly, approaches such as Self Supply or Community-Led Total Sanitation are being promoted. These put more focus on user investments and the capacity of the local private sector to supply products and provide services. However, due to the limited financial capacities of households, some WASH technologies and services will still be subsidized.
The TIP guide supports the WASH sector in developing a specific process to introduce a WASH technology. At the core of the TIP, the tasks of key actors involved are defined for three phases of the introduction process:
- the invention phase, which includes the development and testing of the technology and the preparation for the launch;
- the tipping point phase; and
- the uptake and use phase.
For each of the phases, the TIP provides a generic set of tasks that should be carried out by specific actors. During the testing, the TAF can be used to develop the introduction process further and to monitor the technology and its performance.
In all three WASHTech pilot countries, government institutions have used the TIP to develop country specific guidelines for technology introduction. To aid this process, we've provided the generic TIP matrix, as well as examples of specific matrices that have been developed for two different cost models -- the market based approach (e.g. for Self Supply) and for a model where capital investments are subsidized. All relevant actors have been involved in developing the specific guidelines. The guidelines reflect the country specific policies on WASH service provision, subsidies, and decentralisation.
Our online resource base provides access to all documents on TAF, TIP and reports on results such as technology briefs. All documents are in the public domain. TAF and TIP users are invited to upload their case studies and to share their experiences on the user interface. For more information please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The TAF and TIP were developed under the WASHTech project. The WASHTech consortium comprises: Skat Foundation – Switzerland; IRC International Water & Sanitation Centre – Netherlands; WaterAid - UK, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Uganda; Cranfield University – UK; Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA) – Burkina Faso; Network for Water and Sanitation (NETWAS) – Uganda; Training, Research and Networking for Development (TREND) – Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) – Ghana.


text:
AFAIK this only uses CTR.
Indeed I've suggested to G/AWA a few times that some things (such as the Budget Optimizer) might often (not always) be better driven by conversion than click-through as a better measure of success.
Google Analytics is essentially a completely seperate system. It was a recent acquisition of theirs.
It's no different than any third-party tracking system. It just happens to be owned and run by Google.
Automatic serving uses CTR. Period.
It would be a great feature if google could take into account conversion tracking, since some ads might have higher ctr% but worse conversions because of the ad text, etc.
Not gonna happen on this planet.
Google wants to optimize their income, not yours.
1) Conversion tracking is nothing to do with Urchin AFAIK, and I get a "cost per conversion" column which G could optimise for. (*How* they do so is their problem!)
2) G will get more trade and more money if they can convince advertisers to spend more IMH. One way may be to optimise for the advertisers' conversions rather than CTR in order to increase flow/volume. Many, many businesses work by increasing flow, sometimes by dropping percentage take. I don't see why AW need be different.
Or maybe I completely misunderstood you on both points! %-P
It was developed by Google and has been around for some time and is already taken into consideration by the stats. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch for Google to consider conversion data when optimizing ads rather than just the simple CTR.
It's NOT a third party product or "recent acquisition".
Jtara has this confused with the new Analytics product which is not what the original poster was asking about.
I stand by my "not in this world" comment, though... :)
I'd say the idea has an excellent shot of coming into fruition at some point in the future (with an option to go by CTR or Conversion, of course).
Go for it, Flipper!
Does anybody have an answer for my other question, which is does google take into account ctr% for search only or CTR% for both content and search when choosing what ad to show in an adgroup?


text:
Ingredients & Description
CocoPalm is a potent combination of wild red palm oil, ethically harvested by village co-ops, along with raw coconut oil. This blend creates the most ideal nutritional profile of:Plus it is a raw source of the highly antioxidant tocotrienol.
Take CocoPalm everyday. Internally and topically for beautiful skin. There is no better oil blend for cooking at low to medium heat and it is a great addition to smoothies and shakes.
CocaPalm oil contains the highest concentration of vitamin E (70% tocotrienols). CocaPalm is natures most abundant source of beta carotene15 times more than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes. CocaPalm is also a great source of medium-chain triglycerides, including lauric acid, a natural antiseptic. The medium-chain triglycerides are a powerful food for a healthy heart, and so is vitamin E, the tocotrienols, and beta carotene. Thus, CocaPalm is the most heart-healthy cooking oil available.
Suggested Use
Take one or two tablespoons daily. It's also a great topical rub for skin health. Ideal for a variety of preparations such as stir-fry, organic eggs, vegetables, and meats. Shake well before using.
Other Ingredients
Virgin coconut oil, crude red African palm oil.
*Not intended to diagnose or treat diseases or ailments, and is not reviewed by the FDA.
Uses & Indications.


text:
Markeysia Donta Jones
Position: LB
Height: 6-2 Weight: 235 lbs.
Born: August 27, 1972 in Washington, DC
High School: McDonough
College: Nebraska (school history)
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 4th round (125th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 9 (7354th overall since 1950)
Promote your website or business by sponsoring this page for $5 on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Your message will replace this ad.


text:
Surgery Info
Rehman Chishti holds regular surgeries for constituents at various locations in the constituency. If you would like to speak to Rehman personally please write, or call, details are provided below.
Contact Details
Email: email@example.com
Write To: Rehman Chishti MP, 200A Canterbury Street, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5XG
Tel: 01634 570118
IMPORTANT: When contacting Rehman you must supply your full address and postcode so we can ensure you are a Gillingham and Rainham constituent. Parliamentary protocol prohibits Rehman from acting for constituents who are represented by another MP and your email or message may not be read or acted upon if you do not supply this information.
Data Protection Notice
Any personal information that you give to me will be handled confidentially by me, the staff and volunteers in my office, in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. If you would like information about the Data Protection Act 1998, this can be obtained from the Information Commissioner's Office through their website http://www.ico.gov.uk/ or advice line 08456 306 060.


text:
The life goal of Andrew McHugh, a Westminster College junior from Kirkwood, Missouri, is, in his own words: "to do something amazing." He may have already achieved that goal with his role as co-founder of the innovative "What If…?" Conference, which took place for the first time anywhere on the Westminster campus in Fulton, Missouri, Feb. 23, 2012.
This imaginative conference, the brainchild of McHugh and Westminster English Professor Matt Murrie, enrolled 200 people of all walks of life —everyone from professors and students to business leaders and seniors—and brought them together, all with a an equal voice to discuss and explore such "What If" questions as "What if one sentence could change your world? " or "What if time does not exist?" Each question was introduced by a presenter in an eight minute presentation. Then a breakout session was held where conference attendees could interact with presenters and each other, sharing ideas and asking additional questions. After the presentations were over, the presenters and attendees continued their sharing of ideas at a "family style" dinner.
"We wanted these conversations to break down the barriers of age, backgrounds, and differences to bring people together to explore a new way of interacting with our world," McHugh says. "We wanted their minds to extend into unknown realms and make them open up to possibilities they have never considered before."
While the conference is the most significant creation, McHugh has moved forward as an innovator, he long ago embraced the Westminster mission of learning to lead in a way that makes a difference in our world for the future. An examination of the range of his Westminster experiences quickly explains how McHugh became so passionately involved as a pioneer in this project. He is President of EcoHouse, a living-learning laboratory on campus where the six student residents try to live as efficiently as possible, exemplifying environmental stewardship and inspiring others to live environmentally responsible lives. He is President of the Long Term Thinking Club, a group of students, faculty, and staff who explore long range ideas that if implemented would improve our way of life over the next ten thousand years. Recently he founded and leads the Westminster Bike Club with two other students. Their goal is to promote cycling and make community bikes available for anyone who wants to use them on campus. Currently, he and his other club members are refurbishing 20 bicycles in a garage for the project.
The germ of an idea for the "What If…?" Conference actually began in the seminar class of MIS (Management Information Systems) Professor Selcen Phelps two years ago when she talked about the Long Now Foundation, which was the inspiration for the Long Term Thinking Club, and the need for such a club on campus. McHugh picked up the idea and started the Westminster club in the spring with Dr. Phelps as a faculty advisor.
Then last year his future became intertwined with Professor Murrie when he interviewed with him to be a mentor. Professor Murrie took the basic idea for the conference and drafted a proposal which became the basis for a series of regular meetings between the two as their enthusiasm for the project grew. Gradually, the final format for the conference evolved out of their discussions.
Westminster College already holds an Undergraduate Scholars Forum, an annual event where students do presentations on their most recent achievements and research in front of the student body. McHugh and Murrie envisioned their event with much more communal involvement and much less presenter involvement and the ideas discussed would be larger and more significant topics—ideas that could change the world. By spring the entire Long Term Thinking Club had shifted its focus to planning for the conference.
At the end of the last school year, the pair hosted a dinner of 30 people—two-thirds students and one-third faculty and staff—asking the attendees to bring potential "What If" ideas for the conference to the dinner gathering. Several of the ideas posed that evening ended up being topics for the first conference.
Finally, after a year and a half of planning and the support and input of countless people, the conference finally came to fruition. McHugh admits to make such a dream a reality would have probably not been possible in any other academic setting than Westminster. Westminster is well known for establishing an atmosphere where students can develop close personal relationships with their professors, knowing their cell phone numbers, calling them by their first names, and sharing meals with them.
"I have so many of the administrators, professors, and staff members to thank for their support in making this conference happen," says McHugh. "I don't know of any other place where I not only know my professors on a first name basis but can walk right into their offices at any time and share ideas as intellectual equals. I am particularly grateful for the huge role Professors Murrie and Phelps have played in this project. I am really fortunate to have so many people on our team in getting this conference up and running"
Although the conference is over, Andrew McHugh's big ideas about what he has envisioned are far from finished. This first conference was so successful in terms of attendance and feedback from the participants that Andrew and Professor Murrie are already planning to increase the size and scope of next year's conference. The two are also planning some min-events throughout the year to keep the "What If…?" concept alive and well in the minds and imaginations of the general public. Then in the future, Andrew wants to travel each year from one major city to another holding a conference and gradually making it a national event. Andrew McHugh's days of posing the question "What If…?" may be just beginning.
For more information on this fascinating project, call Andrew McHugh at 314-620-4243 and Professor Matt Murrie at 636-221-5883 or Rob Crouse, Westminster Director of Media and Public Relations at 573-291-9399.
For more information about the "What If…?" Conference, go to www.thewhatifconference.com.


text:
Wagler Funeral Home has created this privacy policy in an effort to communicate our commitment to the privacy of information provided to us by our visitors and families.
Information Collection and Use
Wagler Funeral Home collects certain forms of personal information to better communicate with, and provide personalized services to our users. The collection, uses and disclosure of information occurs in the following ways:
"send condolences" email – This email sent by a visitor is printed and only given to the intended family. This information may or may not be stored by the intended recipient.
"contact us" page – In order to communicate with various parties within Wagler Funeral Home, visitors must enter in their name and e-mail address. This information is used to alert staff of questions and comments. This information may or may not be stored by the intended recipient.


text:
A Visit to Texas Memorial Museum
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Texas Memorial Museum, located in the Texas Natural Science Center on the UT campus, is a favorite summertime haunt of ours because it is indoors. But last summer the Museum was closed for renovations, so it had been awhile since we'd toured the four floors of free exhibits. In fact, my 5-year-old claimed he had never been to the Museum. How quickly they forget! We headed there for a reminder visit yesterday, along with all of the school children of Austin. Or maybe it just felt that way. Tuesday is a very popular day for field trips.
Starting outside, we briefly visited the outdoor exhibits, which include dinosaur tracks found in Glen Rose, Texas. But the boys wanted to see the dinosaur bones, so it was straight to the Hall of Geology and Paleontology for us!
This hall on the first floor of the Museum features over 500 dinosaur and fossil specimens, many of which were found in Texas. We saw the bones of prehistoric mammals, prehistoric reptiles and amphibians, prehistoric marine life, and more. The boys liked this floor so much, we visited it first and last.
The second and third floors in the Museum showcase gems and minerals, and Texas wildlife (taxidermy) including fishes, nocturnal animals, lizards and snakes. The fourth floor, the Hall of Biodiversity, has a small exhibit on cave life and a large hall focused on exploring evolution. For detailed information on the exhibits, you can visit the Museum website. You may also be interested in the free curriculum guides, scavenger hunts, lessons, activities and coloring sheets offered by the Museum. My son filled out the book My Visit to the Museum—Pre–K/K (pdf) during our visit.
If you'd like to visit the Museum on a calm day, the word on the street is that there are rarely field trip visitors on Mondays. Weekends also tend to be less crowded. For more information, including hours of operation, visit the Texas Memorial Museum website.
Parking is a bit tricky because the Museum is on the UT campus and most street parking requires a permit. I recommend parking in the San Jacinto Garage, adjacent to the museum. There are automated machines located near the garage exit that will accept your payment (yesterday they were only accepting cash). The cost was $6 for 1 - 2 hours or $9 for 2 - 3 hours. For more information on parking, go here.
Texas Natural Science Center
The University of Texas at Austin
2400 Trinity Street
Austin, Texas 78705
Austin, Texas 78705


text:
Multigrain Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
From Food & Wine
Chef way: Seamus Mullen's gooey Spanish version of a grilled cheese contains Mahón, Manchego, and Idiazábal, as well as tomatoes that are roasted slowly overnight. For an easier way, opt for more accessible cheeses and quick-cook the tomatoes in high heat.
Be the first to rate this recipe
Save this recipe
Submit your version
You must be logged in to use this feature.
Username: | |
Password: | |
Forgot your username or password? |
Not a member? Register
Nutritional Information
(per serving)
Calories | -- |
Total Fat | -- |
Saturated Fat | -- |
Cholesterol | -- |
Sodium | -- |
Total Carbohydrate | -- |
Dietary Fiber | -- |
Sugars | -- |
Protein | -- |
Calcium | -- |
Kana Okada
Serves: 4
Total Time: 45 min
U.S. | Metric | Conversion chart |
- 4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 tablespoon(s) sherry vinegar
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 teaspoon(s) thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 8 slice(s) multigrain bread
- 3/4 cup(s) shredded Manchego cheese
- 3/4 cup(s) shredded smoked cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup(s) shredded Gouda cheese
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the 2 tablespoons of oil, the vinegar, and thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the upper third of the oven for 10 minutes, until the skins begin to shrivel. Remove the skins. Turn the tomatoes over and roast for 10 minutes longer, until softened and lightly browned. Sprinkle with the garlic and thyme leaves and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a panini press or grill pan. Arrange the bread slices in pairs and very lightly brush 1 side of each slice with oil. Turn the bread oiled side down and mound half of the cheeses on 4 of the slices. Top with the tomatoes, the remaining cheese, and the remaining bread, oiled side up. Grill until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.
Loading photos...
Here are some alternate versions of this recipe created by our wonderful community of chefs!
More from Food & Wine


text:
Rock Out Your Car Contest
We're on a roll with the contests. In case you didn't notice it on the contest page, we're giving away 4 more tickets to a secret AC/DC show to the fan who best decorates their car to the theme of AC/DC and Black Ice. Click the image below for more info.