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H.R.2454 - American Clean Energy And Security Act of 2009
To create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy. view all titles (12)
All Bill Titles
- Official: To create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy. as introduced.
- Short: American Clean Energy And Security Act of 2009 as introduced.
- Short: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 as introduced.
- Short: Safe Climate Act as introduced.
- Short: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 as reported to house.
- Short: Safe Climate Act as passed house.
- Short: Safe Climate Act as reported to house.
- Short: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 as passed house.
- Short: Global Change Research and Data Management Act of 2009 as passed house.
- Short: GREEN Act of 2009 as passed house.
- Short: Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods Act of 2009 as passed house.
- Short: National Climate Service Act of 2009 as passed house.
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Displaying 121-150 of 724 total comments.
- BillsRights 06/19/2009 8:42am
Excellent news for the tax consumer, but not the tax payer!
Could someone provide clarification on coal mine methane? In H.R. 2454, coal mine methane is listed as an "other qualifying energy" if it is used to generate electricity on or near the mine mouth. Does the generation need to be utilized at the mine or could it be sold into the marketplace? Is there any further definition of "near"?
- hardhatgal 06/06/2009 2:20pm
please do let us know what you find about coal methane as energy alternative.
If you love higher utility rates and want to see American jobs going overseas then this bill is for you! If not, this bill must be fought with everything you have!!
According to http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/102937 – "While the impact of cap and trade on our environment will most likely be inconclusive and debatable, the devastation to our economy will not be. The burden on U.S. manufacturers will force many of them to shut down their American operations and relocate to countries with far less stringent environmental regulations. In effect, cap and trade will cause America to export jobs……If this misguided policy is adopted, it will cause the average family to pay more than $3,100 in additional energy costs each year." $3,100 EACH YEAR. That's an additional $260/month. I don't know about some of you but I can't afford that.
You are right.. we must fight for this bill with everything we have.
Don't you realize the opposition is just creating doomsday estimates and throwing numbers out there created by big coal and big oil industries. I'm done with being at the mercy of the middle east.
Also according to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/18/AR2009051802647.html- "The real hidden catch of the cap-and-trade system, though, is that it will require consumers to pay twice: first for emission allowances and then for the construction of new low- and zero-carbon power plants."
This bill would cost millions of jobs. I own a small business and I know what I'm talking about. How is paying twice as much for energy at my shop, paying twice as much for raw materials, paying twice as much for shipping,paying twice for groceries, travel, hotels,god, the list is endless! I will reduce the number of emploees immediately if this bill passes.
Don't worry; when we stop paying out over a trillion each year in oil and coal subsidies and put them into clean energy, you will pay very little for energy. Eventually you may make money off of energy you generate yourself with your own solar panels, when those become cheap and available, which you can then charge back to the smart electric grid. Trust me, you're on the up, and the future is bright.
It's definitely implied by "general welfare", duh! /sarcasm
Many people only think the constitution "gives" us rights unless they've looked into it. They don't know it is in fact a document defining very limited powers of government and placing many restrictions on what it can do. Unfortunately before I was born and most people were today, there was much done to thwart those limits.
- AlphaOmega 06/27/2009 9:39am
So by the same token you imply that the government has the responsibility to end jobs for its citizens now?
And finally if you're from Indiana you need to fight this thing with everything you have because it will destroy our state. Read this report in the Wall Street Journal from Indiana's Governor Mitch Daniels – http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124234844782222081.html
- JonathanDS 06/03/2009 12:48pm
They do believe that we are stupid. It's called Elitism. They believe themselves superior in every way. I hate this CRAP!!! I'm so tired of power hungry Elitists high-jacking our system!
- BillsRights 06/19/2009 8:56am
It makes not a jot of difference what flavor you like, Republican or Democrat. They are, all, lifetime members of the best club in town and are not going to let the rabble (a.k.a. tax payers) into the sanctuary. And we are cows for voting them in time after time because they are a "democrat" or a "republican." And the sad news is that the voting public is about a 1:5 ratio. So, those who don't vote, can't complain.
We do not have a two-party system. "No matter who we vote in, the government wins." Even these politicians are mere errand boys and girls for real elitists. Real elitists fund both parties and we bicker over the false choices we are handed to make.
Flash back to '06: Democratic congress elected to end the war. Nothing happened.
2008 election: Democratic president elected. We'll surely end the war, right? Still nothing except shifting our wars around.
Think about how we are being played, election after election.
What this is really about is increasing government power to regulate more and more. This regulation and taxation will inevitably make the economy worse. Then we'll need more bailouts, more takeovers, more power for the government and international power structures. We must stop allowing ourselves to be duped.
European countries have tried this system for years. Their carbon emissions have gone up 5% over the last five years, while the emissions from the US have gone down 1% over the same period (without this system). So, even if you buy into the climate change crap, this system will do nothing to benefit the environment (and in fact will do just the opposite). It will do nothing but create a new market for carbon credits (that is, it will create a bunch of Enron's … who, interestingly enough, was one of the biggest proponents of cap-and-trade before they fell apart).
Well, gee.. let's be better than the Europeans then.
If we put our energy into making this work, rather than being afraid of the future, we will prosper.
It's harder work than just letting things continue as usual. But, if you become a watchdog to make sure the carbon trading happens fairly and beneficially to society, then I think we have a lot to look forward to. I invite you put your shoulder to that wheel.
Apparently you trust your politicians. Have you ever visited a DMV? Looked at a budget from a DOT? Or, I don't know, maybe seen the results of an government agency that was founded to make us energy self-sufficient (the DoE).
The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Other countries have already tried this system and are abandoning it because its a failure in every respect. Trying the exact same thing but insisting we will be better is nothing short of delusional.
Have you ever been to a military installation? Every system has their bumps and annoyances, but the U.S. military is quite organized and efficient. I'm not saying we should base our government entirely on the military, don't get me wrong, but it is worth looking into.
As for the comment about other countries trying this system and seeing no change, those countries werent consuming as much fossil fuels as the U.S. Of course this isn't an ideal bill by anymeans, and climate change should not be our only environmental concern, but its progress.


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- Keeping development and test in sync within consecutive sprints was a loosing battle that consumed a lot of energy and coordination. Testers and developers had little incentive to help each other as they reported through management chains disjoint for the purposes of daily decision making.
- The split between developers and testers on the team introduced a need for unnecessary bureaucracy. Testers needed functional and design specs, a coded feature, and a written test plan to start implementing tests for the feature. Butts on both sides of the fence needed to be covered, and they were.
- Test team had no real incentive to optimize its processes. Test teams do not ship software, they write software that ensures the software that ships is of adequate quality. As such, a test team can be considered a cost center rather than a direct contributor to revenues. Therefore, a team created around a testing discipline has a conflict of interest built into it's charter: if it strives to reduce the costs of shipping software by optimizing its processes, it will reduce it's resourcing needs. Go figure what wins.
At this point there was a choice to be made. We could revert from using SCRUM painstakingly introduced several months earlier to follow the politically correct waterfall model practiced by the larger organization. That would relieve us from the necessity to look at the depressing performance data ever again, as such data was hard to come by in the waterfall process. Or we could bite the bullet and plunge further into the realm of organizational experimentation. Fighting hard the natural organizational survival instincts we chose the latter.
The proposal that was eventually put into practice was to have a team of engineers who do both development and testing as opposed to dedicated developers and testers. Furthermore, the engineers were reporting to a single lead as opposed to discipline specific leads. In order to test the hypothesis that such a change would increase efficiency, the team size was reduced by 50%, from 10 people to 5 people. The team continued to follow the SCRUM process. Did I mention I like SCRUM because it helps measure the quality of the process? After the dust settled following the reorganization, we took another look at a burndown chart of the new team:
This burndown chart shows the status of the team a day before the end of a 2 week sprint, a few sprints after the reorganization. It is clear the team is on track to complete over 100 hours of work. Given that the planned work estimates remained largely constant, it can be assumed the project debt was reduced by 100 hours. The team was declaring 100% availability for the sprint, which gives us 25% load factor (100/400). It is still pathetic, but less so compared to the 18% before the reorganization. In fact, after another couple of months the team reached a consistently steady pace of execution in the 45-50% load factor range, comparable to a BMW V6 engine sailing smoothly at 5000RPM.
There is one more key piece of data the burndown chart provides in this case. The amount of work in progress at any given time depicted by the yellow band after the reorganization is smaller than the 2x factor by which the size of the team was reduced would suggest as reasonable. It indicates that the new team is getting blocked less than the old team - people don't have to abandon one work item in progress to pick up a new one because they are blocked. In fact, the very lean execution of the team after the reorganization would make any ScrumMaster really happy. Analysis of the team dynamics over the subsequent few months led to the following conclusions that explain this phenomenon:
- The team naturally abandoned creation of formal test plans. Instead, test plans were formulated during the sprint planning meeting and reflected in the work items planned for the sprint. As a result, testing was not blocked on the creation of test plans during the sprint.
- The team naturally abandoned creation of formal specifications and design documents for the purpose of feature hand off from development to testing. Whatever context needed to be conveyed was fleshed out during the sprint planning meeting, and complemented with ad hoc conversations throughout the sprint. Again, this enabled testing not to be blocked by lack of written specifications.
- Development and testing of a feature within the same sprint finally felt like a natural state of the world rather than artificially enforced constraint. This enabled the testing effort not to be blocked by the necessity to dust off historical technical context.
- Every team member developed skills and intuition related to both development and testing. This improved the efficiency of any cross-discipline discussion.
The reorganization also had a positive ripple effect on the shape of team's processes that cannot be directly deduced from any of the SCRUM metrics. Since one group of people was responsible for both development and testing, testing became a tax on shipping software rather than an activity justified on its own. For a team of engineers keen on shipping more software, increasing efficiency of testing without compromising quality became a natural goal. Sizable up front investments were made in continuous integration and driving up the quality of the test bed. These resulted in huge reductions of ongoing cost of testing; the time it took to conduct a full test pass and analyze the results was reduced from close to a week to under one day. Driving up the quality of the test bed itself resulted in test pass rates increasing from rarely above 95% to rarely below 100% (and going the last 5% is always the most painful part of the road). As a result test failure analysis time was greatly reduced, as well as bug lifetime minimized. The same test framework was employed as a basis for functional, stress, and performance testing, which reduced the maintenance cost of the engineering systems. As a result, the 5 person team was able to continue servicing the legacy product created by the 10 person team, as well as continue adding new features. Interestingly enough, however, a team with 60% of testers and 40% of developers was found to be spending 60% of time on testing and 40% on development after the reorganization, despite being reduced by half in size.
The only disadvantage of the reorganization I can put my finger on has to do not with software engineering but with employee performance assessment. In software organizations that have performance appraisal systems aligned with engineering disciplines of testing and development, a job description that combines both is a struggle. Extra effort is required to recognize and meaningfully compare the effort of a software engineer against that of a developer or tester.
The transition from an organization with positions split along the testing and development discipline lines to an organization with a single position that combines both disciplines was a positive change. There was little to no incentive for any of the described improvements when the development and test teams were executing within their own, disparate charters, organization structures, and processes. What was particularly noteworthy in the reorganization is that many of the positive process changes happened naturally given the right set of initial conditions set by organization structure changes. For once software development and testing felt like smooth sailing rather than tacking against the wind.

subset: commoncrawl


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brandon droppin gems on that blog!
As for brandon saying he, brian and vincent have finished spring 09 last summer. Did i see some of the spring 09 collection hung up on the rack behind julia when they were doing the video for the templar hood?
i want to see triumvir come out with certain things but those minds are always cooking up something hot.
but just for shitsNgiggles, more fitteds?
sidenote: i love my shadaloo fitted but my 7 3/8 is tighter than any other hat i have.
anyone agree?
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Buffalo Bills till I die.
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I can't wait for my Shadaloo denim to come in the mail .
Buffalo Bills till I die.
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Can't wait for the mid SB. Hopefully its a QS and not an Asia Exclusive
I can't wait for my Shadaloo denim to come in the mail .
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First of all Happy New Year to all!! Triumvir delivers goods with style, class and fashion like no one else I see.... I can only see 2009 as only getting better!
Since you seem to have many answers.. tell me.. do you think there is a chance? These are hot!
You wont be dissapointed...
Do you all have any special recommendation on how to get the smell out of them though? I hate how they smell and dont want to wash them yet (or should I
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I hope they are a QS; only Nike, Triumvir, and Fly knows. . .
As for the smell, just wear them until the smell goes away
Going to wash my pair real soon; I'll be sure to post how it comes out
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Man I'm itching to wash my denims, but I have not worn them for that long. Probably going to wear it all of January and wash em'
Buffalo Bills till I die.
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Can't wait for the mid SB. Hopefully its a QS and not an Asia Exclusive


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The Bali II helmet is intended for scooter riders looking for a stylish product with strong Urban connotations.
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The hypoallergenic, breathable internal components can all be removed and washed.
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Cup and Stim - 4.5cm - White (CS02)
Cupping and stimulation with no flame or hand pump. Simply pressing the
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I really wanted to keep this ring, but the center stone just would not shine the way I wanted a diamond to shine. The little diamonds had all the sparkle. Sorry, this ring went back. It also appeared to be off-centered.
My son-in-law could not afford to purchase this ring as a set so he bought the engagement ring. When he went back to purchase the band, which is designed to fit the shape of the ring, it was not available. The ring is beautiful and my daughter receives many compliments but she would have been so much happier with a matched set. So....if you like the ring and the band then buy it as a set so you won't be stuck with a wedding set that doesn't match.
I just received this ring today! I was not disapointed when I opened the box. The diamonds are very pretty and shiny. I was afraid the center diamond would be off center or murky like others had said but it is perfect. Every diamond is in place. I have been looking for quite a while and I knew that this is the style I wanted but every ring I found that pleased me was at least 3 thousand dollars. Nothing I have found in the jewelry stores matches up to this quality or even close for this price! You will not regret buying this ring!
First off, the ring is really pretty, and I have received a lot of compliments on it....BUT the diamonds are ugly. Pay close attention to the quality rating of the diamonds. I was only vaguely familiar with what the ratings meant but I did know it meant there were some visible defects. That's an understatement. My center stone has a big ugly black speck in it that's EASILY visible to the naked eye. I gave it 3 stars because the metal shines, and the setting is really pretty and I have gotten quite a few compliments, but the diamonds are pretty ugly which is a terrible thing to say about something diamond. Eventually I will probably replace the diamonds with higher quality ones if I can. The smaller diamonds are not good quality, but because they're so small you can't really see the defects except the slightly off color. The center diamond was so disappointing. For the **** this thing cost I was better off with a quality solitaire. Overall: Average-ish. Lots of sparkle at the sacrifice of quality.
I've had this ring for 26 months. I was a little disappointed at first because the center stone is set crooked but it's not noticeable unless you really stare at it. My jeweler noticed the inclusions (imperfections) in the center stone right away; it is a little cloudy but he said that the smaller stones were very good. 3 weeks ago one of the smaller stones fell out when I placed the ring on my bathroom sink but was less than $50 to repair. Overall, I think that the value for what you pay is very good; however, if you're looking for quality, this isn't the ring for you.
The ring is awesome, and my Bride to be is really happy. It arrived on time, and I proposed that evening. Thank you.
I was very satisfied with this ring. I also purchased the wedding band to go with it. It is not real glitzy unless the light hits it just right. It has more antique flare to it. I am very happy with the purchase! I just wish it had a little more bling to it. Brighter!
I love this ring. It is different, classy, beautiful ring. I posted a picture of it on facebook & got 35likes on it. It's a unique ring. The main diamond sparkles more then the smaller ones. My only compliant is that I would want the smaller diamonds to sparkle more. Overall I'm very happy with the ring. Get price.
My husband proposed to me with this ring over 4 years ago. I have loved it and still love it daily. At 3 1/2 years I had to get the prongs around the center diamond tightened because the diamond had enough room to move. Now around 4 years later, one of the little diamonds on top has fallen out. So far it has been a great ring, and in time I will get the little diamond replaced. This is definitely my ring, and I can't imagine having a different ring on my finger!
My Fiance Could not believe I proposed to her, She couldnt believe it when I got on one knee and saw the ring! She loves the ring more and more each day! I am purchasing the matching band after this review as our Marrige day is March 24. It has been almost a year since I proposed to her and (knock on wood) the ring is OK! =) it looks like new and the diamonds shine everytime its cleaned! Her family and friends think spent way more the what its Worth on O!! If i have to say anything negative about this ring is that the Diamonds can be a little bigger, but the again, the style of the band of the ring is thin, and its going to look crazy with the matching band! Im getting 7 diamonds onmy wedding band across the top! (exited) Cheers Guys!
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From the February 10 edition of Fox News' Hannity:
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In addition to reviewing print and online media, Media Matters monitors at least 150 hours of television and radio each week. This section features highlights (or low-lights) from our monitoring efforts, other noteworthy clips as well as original videos.
Mainstream press are relying on a flawed timeline to suggest former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of an iPad to send State Department emails is a contradiction to her explanation that she established a private email account in order to use only one mobile device to conduct email correspondence. But such speculation ignores the fact that the iPad did not exist until the year after Clinton's private email account was established
Fox hosts falsely attacked the Obama administration for pledging to reduce its carbon emissions, claiming that the U.S. is the only country doing so and that the move will prove unpopular. But 32 other countries -- which account for 58 percent of global emissions -- have already committed to reducing carbon pollution in advance of international climate change negotiations that will occur in December, and both the Obama administration's plan for reducing emissions and its intention to sign a global climate agreement are supported by more than two-thirds of Americans.


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|Good Better Best
|Rust Proof
|Cast Aluminum
|Wrought Iron
|Resin Wicker
|Western Red Cedar
It's no fun lugging heavy furniture around the yard when you have guests, which is why a lot of people choose aluminum as their outdoor furniture material of choice. The light weight of this metal makes rearranging effortless and it also lends durability against rain, so you won't have to worry about rust.
- Lightweight construction makes it easy to rearrange and store
- Resists rust and moisture damage better than other metals
- Powder coating offers added protection against the elements
- Tubular aluminum, made with cylindrical aluminum tubes, is the most lightweight option
- Cast and wrought aluminum offer the traditional look of heavy metals, but with higher weather resistance and more manageable weight
- Spray with clear water or a mild soapy mixture to remove dust and dirt
- Maintain the finish by touching up chips in the paint to avoid oxidation
While plant material such as cane and rattan are the traditional materials used to make wicker furniture, the term wicker actually refers to the woven style in which it's made, not the material used. Resin wicker provides the traditional look that you're looking for, but offers the benefit of longer-lasting durability.
- Lends a traditional, homey feel to your outdoor area
- Much more durable than traditional wicker material
- Made with thin strands of weather-resistant polyethylene
- Most high-end resin wicker is UV-resistant, so it won't fade or crack
- Remove pollen and dirt by spraying with water
- Let air dry
- If unsure about your furniture's resistance to sunlight, keep in shaded area when not in use
A perfect fit for any outdoor space, wood provides a casual, natural look that never goes out of style. With many types of wood available, you can choose the perfect look and quality for you.
- Lends a warm, casual feel to any outdoor space
- Acacia and cedar offer some natural weather resistance at a great value
- Teak provides incomparable durability that will last a lifetime if cared for properly
- Always use coasters, pads or felt to avoid the appearance of moisture rings and heat marks
- Excessive humidity may cause warping
- If sealed with varnish or stain, clean with a mild soapy water mixture to remove dirt, dust and pollen
- If painted wood, avoid exposure to moisture, clean with a damp cloth
- For untreated wood, keep out of rain and direct sunlight to preserve quality – clean with lightly damp cloth
Plastic and recycled plastic can be made to look like a variety of other materials to provide your outdoor space with a highly attractive setup that perfectly suits your style, but needs little to no maintenance.
- Stands up to outdoor elements with no need for sealants and varnish
- Resistant to moisture – won't produce mildew or rot
- Spray with clear water or a mild soapy mixture to remove dust, dirt and pollen
A material prized for its hefty weight and sturdiness, wrought iron has been used for thousands of years to create high-quality furniture options that can stand the test of time. While somewhat vulnerable to the elements, wrought iron is now being treated with finishes such as powder-coating to seal out moisture and lend a long-lasting quality to your furniture.
- Heavy weight keeps it firmly in place with no threat of being blown over
- Provides long-lasting stability
- Lends a traditional, high-end look to your outdoor space
- Now being powder coated to further protect from moisture
- Clean with a damp cloth to remove dirt and dust
- If you spot rust, clean with mild soapy water, sand the area, then seal with similarly colored paint
Steel provides a heavy-duty strength and stability that you won't find in other lighter-weight metals. As long as the powder-coated finish is immediately treated for chips and scratches, steel furniture can be a great, long-lasting investment with little maintenance needed.
- Its hefty weight gives it a sturdy, long-lasting construction
- Will not dent as quickly as a lightweight aluminum
- Powder coating helps protect from moisture to prevent rust
- Classic look lends a clean, sophisticated look to your space
- Spray down frame with clear or soapy water to wash away dust and pollen
- Immediately treat chips in the finish to limit exposure to the elements
- Apply a clear coat of liquid car wax at least once a year to protect finish
Featuring richly colored tabletop patterns using hand-laid tiles of slate, terra cotta or marble, mosaic patio dining sets offer a truly unique and eye-catching look that your space is sure to benefit from.
- Beautiful colors and intricate designs lend an eye-catching accent to your space
- Provides not only function, but also a lovely piece of art to your space
- Choose from slate, marble, or terra cotta tiles
- Frames can be constructed of aluminum, steel or iron
- High-quality sets will be coated in a sealant to protect from the elements
- Clean with a damp cloth to remove dust and pollen
- If mosaic is not sealed, keep out of extreme temperatures and rain to prevent cracks in the grout
- Use a table cover when not in use to lengthen lifespan
- Treat chips in frame finish to avoid rusting
The addition of fabric and fabric-covered cushions to your patio furniture set helps to create a comfortable and stylistically attractive environment that you and your guests can enjoy. High-quality outdoor furniture usually includes fabrics that are at least somewhat weather and mildew resistant. There are three different types of fabric that you may come across – solution-dyed acrylic, solution-dyed olefin, and polyester.
- Extend the life of any fabric by keeping it free of dirt and dust
- Shake or rinse cushions periodically
- Spot clean with mild soapy solution
- Ensure fabric is completely dry before storing to prevent mildew
- Flip cushions often for even wear and sun exposure
- The softest of all outdoor fabrics
- UV resistant to keep colors looking bright
- Wicks away moisture and is resistant to mildew
- Available in a wide array of beautiful colors
- The most durable and long lasting of all outdoor fabrics
- Available in unique and interesting textures
- UV-resistant to keep from fading
- Perfect for outdoor use, as it is mildew and rot resistant
- Generally less expensive than acrylic
- The least expensive of outdoor fabrics
- Very durable and long lasting
- Stain resistant and easy to clean
- Available in an unlimited variety of color and patterns


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|Home > Lincoln County HS Eureka, Montana Home
Lincoln County High School Eureka, MT Alumni
The Lincoln County High alumni site is made so that students and teachers from the Eureka high school can reconnect with those that they met while attending high school. We also encourage you to keep up to date on news and reconnect with lost friends. You can also find out what other graduates are doing now, share memories with other alumn, upload pictures from Lincoln County High and find other alumni.


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This month, our host Dr. Sal Maya tackled the myths associated with epidurals and informs moms on the truth about epidurals. Our host, Dr. Sal Maya receives questions daily from moms on subjects ranging from fertility to pediatric questions. Each month, the doctor chooses a question that he feels has mass interest and posts the feature in the Ask the Doctors section.
We asked moms to share their thoughts on epidurals and whether they thought the post was informative and helpful. Thank you to all who entered our Ask the Doctor's contest.
Each winner will receive a Natalie travel tote bag. It's great for traveling and perfect for moms with multiple children. It features hidden compartments, a larger changing pad and dual insulated bottle pockets. We are donating 20% of the profits from the sale of this bag to Horizons for Homeless Children.
And the winners of a Natalie Travel Tote in a print of their choice is:
(Drumroll please):
I was impressed with the straightforward tone of the article. I reserved my right to ask for an epidural if I needed one with both my pregnancies but managed to deliver both kids without one. But it's nice to know more about the procedure.
As a sidenote: the Natalie looks really useful for toddler and infant. Plus it's gorgeous! I love the buttercup bliss and lemon lime dot prints.
Erin M.-
Thank you so much for posting this great information!! I am currently 21 weeks pregnant with twins and had several questions regarding the procedure, this answered most of those questions.
Sara E.-
I enjoyed this article–it really gave me a lot of information about epidurals. There is so much to consider when making a birthing plan. You really have to think about what is right for your body. This article helped clear up some misconceptions, rumors that are frequently circulated during pregnancy, and answered questions I had.
I think we could use more non-partial information so the pregnant world will be able to understand–correctly–what is happening with their bodies, and are therefore able to know what birthing plans to make. Thank you!
Thank you again to all who entered and we invite you to ask your questions for our host Dr. Sal Maya here.
Have a great weekend and be on the lookout for future contests.


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The Sisters Studio
Support CAGW and get exposed to hundreds of thousands of monthly readers. Buy a 300 x 150 ad to be placed here for just $150 per month! This is a special price break for local, small, and indie awesomeness companies.
The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.
© 2014 Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc.


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MFPL Friends seek Fun Fan Fiction entries
Thursday, January 31, 2013
MILTON MILLS — The Friends of the Milton Free Public Library invite all Milton high school students to participate in the 6th annual "Fun Fan Fiction" contest. Students can change an established work of fiction, add a character, change the ending, clarify a point or otherwise enhance the story. Submissions should include a copy of the book jacket (the synopsis of the book)and a copy of one or two pages from the book (to ensure the entrant keeps in the writing style of the original author. The student should also include a brief summary of the changes made with the (at least) two-page work.


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Hi: 10° Lo:7°
By Liam Moakes Wednesday 21 November 2012 Updated: 26/11 15:40
THE BRT Terry Cup took centre stage on Sunday in the latest Redditch & South Warwickshire Combination action and goal machine James Pugh stole the limelight with a fabulous hat-trick as Beoley Village registered the upset of the day by beating visitors Thomas Brothers 3-0.
The first goal came after two minutes as he found the top corner from the edge of the area. Just as the Division One visitors battled back into the game, a well-timed run and clever finish on the half hour mark put the hosts in control and they did not look back.
The Villagers play Premier Division outfit Hizza United in the next round after they made no mistake at home to Royal Oak Studley with a 7-1 win.
A thunderous header from Matt Rowland opened the scoring for Washford Lions against table-topping rivals and visitors Woodland and, with the game evenly poised at 3-2, a shot from Sean Trainor slipped through the keeper's hands to put the hosts through to the next round.
Redditch Cricket Club took full advantage of a depleted JMC United to send the hosts crashing to an 8-2 loss and set up a mouth-watering tie against Austin Ex-Apprentices.
Goals from James Blake and Stuart Hall in a devastating 90 seconds midway through the second half prevented Wychbold RBL from shaking up the Premier Division title race as leaders Black Horse came from behind to win 3-2 after goals from Tom Harris and Aaron Stephens had put the hosts ahead.
In Division Two Merchants moved off the bottom of the table with an emphatic 9-0 victory over visitors Mayfly and in Division Three Woodrow went second after a 3-2 win at Sporting Club Redditch.
At the other end of the table, a second half Laan David penalty put Washford Lions Reserves in front against visitors Shakespeare, but fortune favoured the brave as a late Peace shot found the back of the net to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw.
In the BCFA Sunday Vase Wythall Wanderers suffered cup heartbreak as they succumbed to a dramatic last minute free kick in losing 4-3 at home to Staffs Knot.
Results: Premier Division - Wychbold RBL 2 (Stephens, Harris) Black Horse 3 (Hall 2, Blake).
Division One - Fleece 2 (Xavior, Bennett) South Redditch 4 (Leggett, Harvey, Mathews).
Division Two - Merchants 9 (Pendley 4, Rees 3, Reeves, Baller) Mayfly 0.
Division Three - Sporting Club Redditch 2 (Sill, Field) Woodrow 3 (Price, Walsh, Brough); Washford Lions Reserves 1 (David) Shakespeare 1 (Peace).
BRT Terry Cup - Hizza United 7 (Sullivan 2, Lloyd 2, Skidmore, Tarrantino, Young) Royal Oak Studley 1 (Smiles); Beoley Village 3 (J Pugh 3) Thomas Brothers 0; JMC United 2 (Nolan 2) Redditch Cricket Club 8 (Phelan, McAllister, Green, Greenaway 2, Smith, Hands, Bevan); Washford Lions 4 (Rowland, Laight, Harrison, Trainor) Woodlands 2 (Aldridge, Simpson).
BCFA Sunday Vase - Wythall Wanderers 3 (Collins 2, Ketebu) Staffs Knot 4.
1 Will you be joining Alex Hospital Rally?
2 Eddie Izzard coming to Redditch
4 Life for man who murdered pregnant Kirsty Wright
5 Prisoner jailed for killing inmate
STUDLEY have given their Midland Alliance campaign a
REDDITCH UNITED face a crucial match at home
ALCESTER saw off fellow Midlands Four West (South)
ANDY SMITH'S Ladbrokes World Darts Championship campaign was
BROMSGROVE School's director of rugby Tony Windo said it was ...
Visit the Worcester Observer website for the latest.
SCHOOLCHILDREN from Stratford district showed off their sporting talent at ...
EVESHAM secured promotion from Midlands Four West (South) as Saturday's ...


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Don't let the low temps leave you out in the cold at your winter time Falcons gathering! Warm up your hands with these North Slope fingerless gloves from'47 Brand. These adorable gloves boast a team-colored stripe pattern and openings at the finger tips so you can freely use your digits. There is also an Atlanta logo applique at the wrist for even more team pride!
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Creative has released these ZEN Aurvana earphones, which are said to block out 90% of ambient noise. The $100 phones are apparently first being released in Singapore. But they should be available in the U.S. soon because they are already featured prominently on Creative's site. The earphones weigh just 13g, making them the lightest in […][Read More]
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Wurm Online
Wurm Online Overview
Wurm Online is a java-based MMO sandbox survival fantasy game developed by independent game developer Code Club AB, formerly OneTooFree AB and founded by Mojang Specifications (Rolf Jansson and Markus 'Notch' Persson of Minecraft). Players set their own goals in a complicated and extensively modifiable world inhabited by other players. From building large cities to living as a nomad fighting for survival or completing tasks for other players, each player decides their own fate in this completely open-ended world.
Core Features:
- Explore huge, diverse and wild landmasses extending over 512sq km in total.
- Modify the terrain; dig, mine, raise, flatten, also using gardening and planting choosing from a rich flora to further sculpt the land to your specifications.
- Persistent world where everything you create, change and affect will leave a long lasting mark for everyone to behold.
- Found your own settlement wherever you desire; own land, build a farm, a castle, or perhaps an entire village.
- Craft and use over a thousand of unique items.
- Free form multistory house building with several type of materials an color options.
- Build a wide variety of structures like guard towers, fences, statues and much more.
- Construct, crew or captain any of the six different ship types. From small rowing boats to impressive caravels.
- Capture and breed creatures from the wild and tame monsters to use as your devoted minions or pets.
- Many types of mounts, ranging from horses and carts to unicorns, bears and even monsters.
- Improve infrastructure by paving roads, planting signs to connect settlements, dig wells, set up traders among many other options.
- Live off the land by creating fields to farm a wide variety of crops.
- Cook food and use alchemy with plenty of recipes, combining ingredients and recourses found in the environment.
- Full loot PvP or traditional PvE server alternatives.
- Discover and fight over religious artifacts which can trigger things like giant terraforming events to help your kingdom on the PvP servers.
- Follow and become a priest or champion of any of the four unique religions with epic deities to learn powerful spells and enchantments.
- Choose one of five meditation paths and take advantage of special meditation abilities.
- Train 133 Skills, 10 Player Characteristics and 3 Religion Characteristics.
- 200+ skill and achievement titles to earn.
- Hunt a rich fauna of creatures and monsters for experience, food and important ingredients.
Wurm Online Screenshots
Wurm Online Featured Video
Wurm Online Review
Coming soon…
Wurm Online Videos
Wurm Online 2014 Trailer
Wurm Online Gameplay Trailer
Wurm Online Links
Wurm Online System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: 1 GhZ Processor
Graphics Card: 32mb
Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or better
RAM: 1 GB or more
HDD: 1 GB or more
Graphics Card: 128mb or better
Wurm Online Articles
- 2015 MMO Predictions – The Rise of Buy to Play Sandboxes - Posted on January 15, 2015
2014 was, for me, the year of failed games and lost hope. Maybe 2015 will prove to be the year of great buy-to-play sandbox MMOs. My predictions are: ESO will continue to lose its player-base until it's forced to reconsider its payment model and will hopefully switch to the Buy-to-Play model.
- 'Wurm Online' Expands With New Gameplay Mode & New Features - Posted on December 11, 2014
Independent games developer and publisher Code Club AB is proud to announce a new 'Challenge' gameplay mode available today, in addition to a host of other cool features and additions to their popular Wurm Online virtual world.
Similar games we recommend
- Origins of Malu - Venture into the dynamic sandbox world of Origins of Malu, from Burning Dog Media.


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Cities in Hawaii
Pearl City
Planting a wildflower meadow is an attractive and easier alternative to maintaining a lawn. A combination of mixed flowers and native grasses make for an appealing unconventional flower garden. With some gardening basics, you can find the right glowers and start your meadow. Please read on for access to more information about planting a flower garden in Birmingham, AL.
Whether you are thinking of planting a new lawn or of reinvigorating your old one, you should know some gardening basics. When seeding a lawn, these gardening tips will tell you if you need to plant warm-season grasses or cool-season grasses. You will also learn when the best gardening season is. Please read on for more information and resources for your lawn in Birmingham, AL.
While it may seem strange, spring-flowering bulbs need to be planted in fall in order to bloom come show time in Birmingham, AL.
Mowing and trimming -- especially when done properly -- improve the health and appearance of your lawn in Randallstown, MD, reduce its need for water, and lessen your maintenance time. Tools and Materials String trimmer Rotary lawn mower with sharp blade Lawn mower Tape measure or ruler Rake Broom Trim first . If you use a string trimmer, use it before mowing.
When deciding what crops to choose when planting a vegetable garden, you must take into account the climate and the specific needs of the crops, such as their growing season. For instance, some are cool-season crops. Root vegetables are among the easiest crops to plant. Please read on for more information and access to resources about vegetable gardens in Auburn Hills, MI.
Nurture your green thumb while improving the look of your home and garden. Here you will find access to the finest gardening centers and garden nurseries around Waterford, MI with a vast array of exotic plants, plants, flowers, trees, bonsais, seeds, seedlings, soil, soil nutrients, fertilizers, gardening pots, garden accessories, and planting & gardening tools.
Nurseries in Birmingham, AL can help with eliminating weeds and getting the soil ready for your flowers and vegetables are important first steps in growing a successful nursery. Time spent in preparation reduces the time you'll have to spend maintaining and weeding your garden over the course of the growing season. Read on to learn more about finding a Nursery in Birmingham, AL to help you with your planting needs.
When you are landscaping your yard, it helps to choose a low-maintenance landscape that does not require too much upkeep. Landscape planning with an eye toward ground-coverings and plants that do not require much watering and trimming will reduce your landscape maintenance needs. Please read on for more information and resources that give you access to landscaping in Hudsonville, MI.
Identifying insect pests is crucial when doing pest control. Pest control involves knowing which insects are harmful and then dealing with the insect pests. Insecticide should only be used when necessary. Please scroll down for more information and resources that give you access to pest control in Allen Park, MI listed below.


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AARP members save 15% when using Geek Squad to set up your electronics in your home. This service is especially useful when moving or purchasing a room full of new electronics.
- To make an appointment by phone call 1-800-921-0907 and use coupon code AARP1 to receive your AARP member discount.
Discounts not valid on Home Theater and Appliance repair or Geek Squad Protection plans. Markdowns taken from regular service prices. Limit 1 coupon per customer, per household. Not available at BestBuy.com. Security systems not purchased at Best Buy are not included. Not good in combination with any other coupons or offers. Not valid on prior purchases. Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. No copies. No cash back. No cash value.


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BMW Repair in Durham
We found 36 BMW service shops and mechanics in Durham.
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10. Histories
When my mother was young and unmarried, and the women at the market heard that she worked in the Houses, they would raise their eyebrows beneath their cloth caps and grin at her, asking if she had yet met her sweetheart there. As if the wards were the choice place for courtship, the place where suitor after ailing suitor lined up to meet you and gaze up at you with grateful, lovelorn eyes. My mother would just smile shyly at the market-women as they wrapped up her purchases and counted her coins, for she was always too polite and in too much of a hurry to disabuse them of their notions.
(Had it been me, I might have told them that it was work, just like any other sort of work. I would have told them that, yes, there were men, but most of them were there for a reason. My hand holding a dying man's hand was as good as any other woman's. By the end of the War, I had been called by the names of so many wives and sweethearts and daughters that my own seemed to matter very little.)
All the same, there was some truth to it: many of the girls who worked in the Houses met the men they would marry there (as many still do). My mother, however, was not like many of the other girls, and even if the Houses had had in their air some surefire elixir for inevitable, wounded love floating amongst the scents of blood and lye soap, she would have found some way to hold her breath and sneak around the back.
Which is essentially what she did.
I can imagine her, twenty-six and pretty, before the long years of her marriage and the long years leading up to the war had stiffened the lines of her back and shoulders and put crease marks about her eyes and mouth. When she was a girl, she and her best friend had made a practice of wandering the fifth and sixth circles in their spare moments, finding the narrowest alleyways and the most secluded courtyards (those unexpected pockets of stone), marking in their memories the swiftest routes and also the strangest and most unnecessary ones, the dead-ends and the spiraling paths. I can almost see her, twenty-six and pretty—when her best friend is already wed to that slender, watery-eyed young butcher from the fourth circle, already at home with one baby and another on the way. So that my mother finds herself, more often than not, walking alone.
It is midday and her morning-shift is finished and she is indulging in one of their old shortcuts. She is wearing her blue healer's dress, but she has taken the knotted cloth from her head and her hair is the color of rich garden earth, dark and arresting next to the stones of the corridor (her sole vanity; she always uncovers her head the moment she leaves the Houses). She weaves her way between the side-streets—too many of the windows that line the walkways boarded like heavy-lidded eyes—footsteps echoing as she ducks beneath a line of colorless laundry. My mother loves the emptiness, though, even if she does not love what it means. She loves how quickly she can weave through it, as if she can outpace the crumbling walls and the shadowed faces she sees every day in the Houses and the market. Her shortcut is almost ended, and she takes one last step through the broad archway that leads out to the main street.
One last step, and she has not looked ahead well enough, and she collides with another body—a barrier at the end of the shortcut, a wall where there should be no wall. She catches her breath and steps back and then she sees the other object in the collision. A tall man who has said something like Oh! Driven sideways and backwards by the force of my mother's confidence, the assuredness of her steps. Leaning slightly back, large hands hanging his sides, two or three cloth bags lying heavily, dropped on the flagstones beside his feet. He is staring at her now, and he is maybe eight or ten years her elder, or else he is simply that much more tired today. She catches her breath, opens her mouth for an apology, begins to stoop to retrieve the bags.
But then she stops, because he is laughing. His eyes are wide and bright, and he is laughing loudly, and there is a strange edge of relief to it too, of expectations gratified, as if this is some joke that he has suddenly, finally understood.
She is twenty-six and pretty, and she arrests herself in her stooping and looks at him, and then she begins to laugh as well. The man is my father, and my mother is happy not only because she is laughing in the broad archway, but also because she has no idea what will happen later.
My mother told me the story about the shortcut and the laundry and the laughing. Later I imagined some of it, as well, patching the cracks in the masonry, indulging in my own side-routes and embellishments. But I know that there will always be something I am missing, something that I have not taken into account. Things I could never have dreamt of. So I try not to imagine too much. Really, I can only tell you the things that actually happened.
* * *
It was raining and I stood up with one hand braced against the wall. It hurt to stand and it hurt to move. I was filthy. My fingers were chafing on the stones of the wall because they were shaking. I could not leave and I could not stay there, so all I could do was stand, trembling. It was raining and it was dark. I should not have been out alone.
I was breathing the damp air, over and over, gasps that only went halfway through my chest, and that hurt, too, to breathe like that, but I could not make myself stop. My heart was beating quickly, and the rest of me could not keep pace with it. I did not belong to myself any longer. I only wanted to be where he would not be.
I kept my fingers on the wall and moved down the alleyway. It hurt to walk. I felt ill and I wanted to stop and double myself over, and perhaps I did, once or twice. I would go a few steps, stop and look around me, listening hard through the rain, imagining I heard noises that were not there. I thought for a moment of going down to the fifth circle where our house stood vacant and dark, finding some way to crawl inside and stay there. But then I thought of crouching behind the boarded windows, all of our things in the same places they had been since the final day of the evacuations, stowed and locked away, and it only made me shake harder. I could still smell him on me—he had smelled of metal.
It was a long way to go and I was not sure of it. He had wrenched my bones out of joint, I thought, and I thought that I could still hear him breathing at the back of my neck. One turn moved into another and then I was at the of the east wing of the Houses, at the edge of one of the very small gardens. Few patients ever came here. I had seldom come here, either, but the entryway was open and I stepped inside and I thought I could make my way from there, slip through and find an empty place to sit until I could think again.
* * *
No one who comes to the Houses seeking aid is ever turned away. Still, we rarely see those from the lower circles, unless they are near to death. Carpenters or stonemasons badly injured at work, the very occasional drunkard whom someone has had the care and the time to pull from the gutter.
"They have their own healers on the lower circles," Fíriel once told me. "Women who work in their own houses, or go to visit the ill in their own beds at home."
"And who teaches them?" I had asked her. I was eleven or twelve years old, and Fíriel then was a few years younger than my mother had been when she had walked too quickly through a crumbling archway and into her future.
"Their mothers, most of the time," Fíriel said.
"Only their mothers?"
"Yes, I suppose. Perhaps their friends, sometimes. Why not? Your mother teaches you."
"Yes, but not only her. So do you, and Ioreth, and the other ladies, and the Warden. And have they got a Canon that they have to recite, as well? How do they know what they are supposed to do?"
Fíriel smiled a little. She was pretty and very grown-up, and I loved being with her because she seemed to know everything, even the things you might not suppose she would. "Well, not all places are like here. Which is probably just as well."
She was the one to whom they gave the rare girls who came to us from the lower circles. There seemed to be some unspoken rule about it. Thin, ill-treated tavern girls with bruises on their faces and furtive looks in their eyes; they came in quietly, with their heads down.
"Don't stare," one of the matrons told me when I was very young. "Besides, those are not good women."
Later I asked Fíriel if this was true. She looked at me for a moment before she answered.
"No, not bad women," she sighed, a measure of distance in her eyes. "Working girls."
* * *
There was a low bench under the eave and I sat down. I was shaking harder. In the Houses during the long days of the Siege we had always had to keep moving through everything. The murk pressed in from the outside, the rumbling of the battles came from below, and we did our best to work the dread into the ground. This was a different sort of fear. There was nothing for me to hold to.
I heard a noise that was not the water dripping down, and I felt myself stiffen. Someone was walking past; I found myself on my feet again. It was a man, and he stopped and came near, and—
"Valar, there you are. What are you doing here?"
* * *
"Are you all right?" he was asking me. It was too dark to see his face very well.
"I—" All I could do was shake my head. I sat down again. At least I could breathe a bit more deeply, now.
"You're bleeding." He reached over to touch my shoulder, and I flinched away. "What happened to you?" When I said nothing, he went on. "How long have you been here?" He was taking off his coat. He leaned towards me and I started. "Here—it's all right." He put it over my shoulders, and it was heavy. "You should come inside."
"Where were you?" I finally managed to whisper.
"Here, take this." He was holding out a handkerchief and I took it and wiped my face. My hands were still shaking. "You're staying here in the Houses, aren't you? North wing, is it?" I nodded. I thought of the wards. I thought of the talk in the wards and how crowded they were. "I'll take you back there, then. See that you're looked after, all right?" I thought of the wards, and of all the men, and I could feel myself shaking harder still. It was the sort of sensation I sometimes got when I ran up the stairs too quickly and missed a step—where you had needed there to be a landing, there was only the shock of empty space and lost balance. I put my face in my hands and began to cry.
"Here now, what is it? It's all right. Don't you want—" I shook my head. I was not sobbing loudly, only choking on it all at the back of my throat. I thought I could hear him sigh. "All right. It's all right. Come inside, at least."
* * *
His handkerchief was still crumpled in my right hand as he stood outside the door in the dim corridor, out of the rain. ("You can come in for a while, at least," he had said. We were still in the east wing.) He patted at his side, and then looked at me and said, "Coat pocket." As I took his jacket from my shoulders and gave it back to him, he smiled at me for a moment, the way a person might smile when he is hoping for unlikely good news. I only dropped my gaze downward, and when I looked back up at him he was taking out a key and working it into the lock.
Inside, I stood by the wall while he started a fire in the grate. He was in his shirtsleeves, kneeling with the yellow light reflecting on his face, and he looked like someone I scarcely knew. The corners of the room began to emerge from the darkness as the fire began to blaze.
This was wrong, I thought. I should not be here. I would have given anything for a proper bath at that moment, or, even better, to find some way to crawl entirely out of myself.
"Come and sit," he said, and he watched me as I hesitated, and then as I walked over and sank down gingerly before the fire, the heat prickling against my skin. I began to tuck my dress in around me but my fingers dropped away when they found tears in the cloth. I half wished that he would not look at me at all. I knew that in all likelihood I was bleeding underneath my skirts, though I was trying not to think about it. He stood up, walked a few paces off, and sat back down with a towel and a water basin. "Here, look," he began. "Loosen your collar." I had a straight cut just below my left collarbone which I could not remember receiving.
He was hesitant and solicitous and he kept his distance. Was I warmer, now? Did I want something to drink? To eat? I could only shake my head. He brought me a blanket.
"Who did that?" he finally asked, gesturing towards the damp towel I was pressing against my skin. I stared at the floor. I did not want to give him an answer that would only lead to other questions. He cleared his throat.
"I spoke to Laeron," he said.
"You did?" I looked up at him again. He nodded.
"After the evening-shift."
"Evening-shift's over?"
He nodded again, slowly. "It's been over for a long time," he said softly. "He was worried for you."
"And for you," I said. I was trying to keep my voice low and even, but it seemed to have taken on a will of its own. I swallowed. "Did he…"
Valacar smiled again, that brief, uncertain expression. "He wasn't pleased with me, I think."
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be. You did nothing wrong." He stared into the fire, then looked back towards me. "Laeron said…you had gone to ask after me?"
When I nodded, he rubbed a hand over his face, and he looked very tired. "I'm sorry," he said. "You shouldn't have—" he began, but then he stopped and was quiet.
"How is that? Better?" he asked after a few moments.
I took the towel away from my collarbone. "Fine."
He leaned closer to me, and I shrank back. "It needs a few stitches," he said.
"It's not that deep," I said. He got up again and went to where his jacket was hanging by the door. He seemed to be going into the pockets once more.
"You'll have a scar."
"I don't care."
"You might care, later." He lit a candle on a small side-table. "You know it won't take long."
"Why won't you tell me what's happening?" I asked.
He had a needle between his fingers but he stopped and looked at me for a long moment. Then he sighed.
"I've been dismissed," he said, pushing the needle through the center of the candle's flame. "I think you should probably lie down for this, don't you?"
"I've been dismissed from the Houses until I receive further notice." He was threading the needle.
"They can't dismiss you. We're still at war." I pulled the blanket more tightly about myself. Everything was less than real. All I wanted was a bath. I wanted to feel clean and safe and I wanted the pain to go away. I was trying not to think much further ahead than that.
"It would seem that they can. They can, and they have. I don't want you to worry about any of this. Now, please just come here and—"
"You keep saying that, Valacar. You've kept saying that, but you know I'll worry, anyway, don't you? If you didn't want me to ever worry, maybe you shouldn't have done anything in the first place!"
"You're shouting," he said quietly, the way he had said it to me on the day that Laeron had been laid low with a fever, and Valacar had called me in to help. The needle and thread were still in his hands, and he crossed the room and crouched down beside me. I moved away, felt a fresh pang of soreness at my side. "You're shouting. I'm sorry," he said. "And I'm sorry that I don't know what to say to you." I looked away. "Now, I am going to try to help you. But I can't unless you let me."
I had gotten closer to the fire. My face was too warm by now, and I stared at him. He had been dismissed in the end, after all, I thought. Then I nodded.
"All right. Now come and lie down."
* * *
"Always remind them not to touch their stitches," my mother had told me. I was still learning then, and it had been odd, trying to make myself put a needle and thread through someone's skin as if it were a piece of cloth. "They will always want to touch them, but they'll only make them dirty."
And now I was passing my fingers over the small seam of thread just below my collarbone, making it sting a little bit more. And why not? I wondered. Valacar probably made the smallest stitches of anyone in Minas Tirith, tailors and seamstresses included, but he was not here to tell me not to touch them. ("Get washed up, if you like," he had said, pointing me towards the washroom after he had tied off the thread. Embarrassed, as if my reticence had become contagious. The same tone of voice he had used a few days ago when he had asked me if I thought he'd been right.)
I stared at the back of the screen for a few minutes before taking off my dress, thinking of what I would do if a girl came to me in such a state, came to the Houses like this. My back ached where he had pushed me into the wall, my ribs ached where he had shoved against me. He might have raked his hand through my hair, once. It was only after my fingers were wrinkled from the water in the basin that I realized that I could try to get him off of me for the next three hours and still not feel I had succeeded.
* * *
"He never lifted a hand to me," my mother sometimes murmured after my father had died, speaking to me or to one of her friends at the Houses. "He never lifted a hand to anyone." As if this were almost enough to make him a good man. The other women would cover my mother's hand with theirs and nod, silent and large-eyed, but I would simply look away. I did not like to see my mother regress to this timid, apologetic creature that she was not, save for the times when she spoke about my father.
Of course he never lifted a hand to us. That would have taken some enterprise, at least. It would have taken a bit of effort, especially in those last days. How could such a heavy, sodden mass of a man, propped stupidly in the corners of rooms, ever lift a hand to do anything?
My mother had gone back to the Houses to work when I was still very small. She had had little other choice. She had worked, and I had sat and played in the kitchens ("Look how small she is," Cook had clucked at me. "Have another sweet roll.") or in the gardens. Beren had been right, in the end; I had loved the gardens. At times I had loved them better than my own house.
So of course I would be a healer. I stayed there in the gardens and in the Houses as I got older, after I was old enough to be of real help. And I stayed there after we learned that Mordor would come, and after most of the others had left. After my mother had left. Of course I had stayed.
* * *
"Have a drink?" Valacar asked me. He was at the side table again, pouring something dark into a glass. He looked at me and I shook my head and found myself disliking him.
I was sitting on his bed, on top of the coverlet, tucking the extra cloth of a robe about me ("That's clean, if you like," he had said, handing it to me). Now that my cut was neatly stitched he seemed to no longer know what to do; any surgeon in the Houses would have long ago handed his patient off into the care of someone else, getting ready to receive his next case. I would not let him check me for broken bones and cracked ribs. "It's fine," I had murmured, and he had quickly dropped the issue. Only by knotting my fingers into the folds of the coverlet had I been able to keep myself still as his hands had hovered over my shoulder. Under the robe there were still wet spots on my shift, where I had scrubbed hard at the blood and anything else there that I did not care to contemplate in the least. I was hugging my knees to my chest like a small child, trying to see if curling myself around the pain might help lessen it.
Valacar poured a second glass, anyway, and set it on top of the night-table beside the bed.
"In case you change your mind," he said. "It might help you to sleep, if naught else."
"Do you want your bed back?" I asked him. He looked very tired.
"No." Still holding his own glass, he settled down into a chair near the bed. "I'll just sit here, if you don't mind." He took a sip of whatever sort of drink it was.
"I don't." Before, I had not studied the room in detail, but now I looked around. Even in the flickering firelight, I could tell that it was small and neat, although things were not as straight and square as he kept them at his surgery (which was not his surgery anymore, I reminded myself). A larger table against one wall, and some chairs. There was a book and an inkwell and writing implements, plain quills and knives, on the table. On the opposite wall was a small shelf with more than a few books, and I wondered at this, for I knew that surgeons' salaries were comfortable, but far from princely. There were windows above the bed, and the curtains were drawn.
He must have seen me looking, for he simply said, "Bachelor quarters," and took another sip. I wondered if he was always such a slow drinker. Not everyone liked to space it out like that.
"Have you lived here long?"
"Aye…ten years, perhaps. And I've not had company in a while," he added. I shifted on the bed, which made me grimace. In spite of everything I found myself reaching for the glass on the night-table. The drink had a strong flavor, not unpleasant, and I could feel it immediately, warm and heavy at the bottom of my stomach. I did not drink very often at all, but I had always thought that perhaps the warmth was part of the reason some people seemed so taken with the activity.
"Lossarnach brandy," he said. "It's not bad."
I nodded. He was watching me.
"Are you going to tell me what happened to you?" he asked softly, after a minute or two.
I could hear the soldier's voice, feel the blade at my neck, his weight against me. Eat you alive, if they could. I was ruined, I thought. That was what they called it. I was wrecked.
"Because if someone has hurt you, there should be consequences for him." He shook his head. "I don't want to see you hurt like this."
I clutched my glass more tightly. "Then don't look at me."
"I think you might feel better if I fetched one of the other women to look after you." His voice was kind, but all the same I hated the way he said it. All these men. They all thought they knew something. I did not want to be very near to him, but I did not want to be alone, either.
"I can look after myself."
"I know you can," he said, setting his glass down on the table and clasping his hands in his lap. "But you shouldn't have to."
I took a deep breath and I put my head against my knees.
"I don't want people to talk."
"And what will they talk about, sweetheart?" he asked very softly, and something in the softness made my stomach turn.
"Why won't you stop? It's no business of yours! You can't—" I could feel panic rise in my throat once more, the meager benefit of the fire and sitting and the resting all suddenly lost. I knew I was shouting but this time he did not tell me so. My back to the wall, and the cries of the Black Captain clawing at the inside of my mind, the glower of shadow in the East, and the rain—
"I just want to die," I said, and I lifted my head and stared at him. My voice was breaking. "I'm sure you could be of aid with that, Valacar," I added.
He did not say anything to that, just stared at me, then leaned forward so that his forearms were resting on top of the bed. I shrank back quickly.
"Valar," he murmured. I had made myself small in the opposite corner of the bed. The shaking was beginning to return. "You know I wouldn't hurt you."
"You could if you wanted to. That's the point, isn't it?"
"But I don't. I would never."
"You could." I was blinking back tears and loathing myself for it.
I could hear him sigh. His elbows were still resting on the bed and he had his face in his hands. "Valar," he repeated. "I'm sorry. I just don't think I can—" He broke off and shook his head and did not say anything else.
I was wiping stupidly at my eyes with the cloth of my sleeve.
"I must be in a terrible state," I said.
"I've seen you looking better," he conceded.
"No," I said, wiping at my eyes again. "I must be awful. Because you called me 'sweetheart.'"
I could feel him taking his weight off of the mattress, and then his hand was only over his mouth. He made a noise as if clearing his throat.
"Well. I promise I'll not do it again, then."
* * *
Somehow I managed to fall asleep, and then I woke up breathing hard. Cool sweat dotted my forehead. There it was again, that missed-step feeling. For a moment I forgot where I was, and the panic stretched for a moment into my waking, but then I remembered, which was not much of a relief, either.
"Nightmare?" Valacar was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the room, near the bookshelf. A single candle was burning on the table.
I nodded. I was sitting up and I had both arms folded in towards myself.
For a while, neither of us spoke, and I stared down into the dark folds of the blanket that was lying across my lap. I looked up at him again. He was still watching me, his head inclined slightly to one side. He had a book in his lap.
"You're reading?" I asked. He nodded. "What are you reading?" My voice sounded rough. I had been dreaming about eyes and teeth. I did not want to go back to sleep.
He shrugged. "Just looking at an old book."
"Can I see?"
He nodded and got up and went over to where I was, taking the book in one hand and the candle in the other. I was relieved that he did not seem puzzled or hesitant; perhaps it never even occurred to him to question the fact that anyone else might want to see what he was reading.
"Do you like to read?" he asked as he sat down beside me, setting the candle on top of the night table. He moved slowly and cautiously, either because of weariness or because of me.
"No. I mean, I can't, very well," I admitted.
"You could always learn." He was sitting beside me with a book and everything was wrong, and I could not make it feel right. "This is a very old book," he was saying, slowly turning the pages. The candlelight was flickering and the words passed in and out of the shadow. "My uncle gave it to me when I was a boy, and his grandmother gave it to him. I don't know who gave it to her."
"What's it about, then?" It was a small book, but thick, and the covers looked as if they were dark blue, though I could not be certain. The paper smelled of dust and age.
"Just a book of histories," he said, slowly turning the pages. "The writer was very much part of the older tradition—a bit scattershot, and perhaps he relied a bit too much on anecdotes, but lively. Good reading for young boys, I suppose." I nodded, and he smiled a little. "Of course, my favorite part was always the one about King Valacar. They say that it was he who started the Kin-Strife, depending upon how far back one's reckoning goes."
I pulled the covers a bit closer around myself. "What did he do?"
"Well, he…I suppose he married the wrong woman." He put the book into my hands, as if giving me permission to judge for myself. It was heavy, and I studied the pages open before me, as if the spindly black letters could resolve themselves into a pattern for me. I wondered what Beren must be doing right now. And I almost wondered what he was doing.
Besides the original lettering and illuminations, there were also passages here and there with lines running beneath them, notes scattered in the margins beside the old black letters like ill-fed stragglers trying to keep pace with an army on the march. "Did you make these marks?" I asked.
He looked to where my fingertip hovered above the page, and shook his head. "Those were already there when I received the book. I like them, though."
"Why?" I carefully turned the volume in my hands. "It seems wrong to mark in books."
"I used to like to think about it, sometimes. The writer is dead, and most likely whoever made these markings is dead, as well. But the words are still here. That's what I've always liked about books, I suppose. Knowing that they outlive us."
I was quiet for a long moment, and I ran my fingers over the page. I did not know how long it would be until the sunrise, but I knew that the sharp spine of the mountainside would be casting its shadow over the western half of the City, and that the greater Shadow would glower, distinct, in the East once more. I knew that I would have to make myself go back to the wards to help the men and talk to them, even though I wanted to stay quiet and folded in on myself.
"A lot of things outlive us," I said.
"True enough," he replied.
"Perhaps it's good," I said, "to think about such things. Because it means that nothing we do can ever matter. Not really. Or it matters very little. I mean, not being kings or stewards or anything."
"Is that what you think?"
"I don't know." I closed the book with the slow care which I believed was warranted by any such object. "Have you heard anything more about this King of ours?"
He shook his head. "Most likely no more than you have. I have heard that his lineage seems to be true."
"My brother always used to ask if he could climb up the wall of our house and into the next circle. And my mother would always say, 'Of course, dear. When the King returns.'"
"She'll have to think of something different to say, won't she?"
I nodded, and then I looked away. "I miss them. I miss my mother. I wish I had been with her more before she had to leave. Everyone was so busy—there was no time. I suppose that was good, in a way. There was no time to think about it. I wanted to believe that I would see her again."
"You will," he said.
I shook my head. "I don't know anymore. I don't know about anything."
"You will," he repeated.
"I wish she were here."
"I know."
I was still aching all over; it was almost worse than before, as if lying there had driven the pain further into my bones. I opened the book again, almost expecting it to creak in my hands like the hinges of an old door, and slowly turned the pages. I wondered idly if there was any namesake of mine tucked somewhere among the black words. Then I thought of something else.
"Who dismissed you, Valacar?"
He was quiet. He did not pretend that he had not heard me, or make a remark about the book, or fuss with the candle wax that was dripping upon the night-table, as I might have done had I wished to evade the question. At any other time, I would probably not have pressed him any further, but I was wounded and miserable, and at the moment I also felt oddly reckless and entitled.
"Lord Aradîr's not fond of you, then, is he?"
He smiled; a brief concession. "No, not terribly fond."
"And all because of that man? And because you might be the next Warden?"
"Might have been," he corrected me. He got up from his chair, and then he retrieved his empty glass and was filling it again.
"Why do you do that?" I asked.
"Do what?"
"That." I gestured towards the drink in his hand as he sat down again.
He shrugged, looking puzzled. "I like it, I suppose. Why?"
"I was just wondering."
"Did you want anything else?"
"No." Nothing that you could give me, at least, I thought.
"But you'll tell me if you do?"
"Yes. So is that why Aradîr doesn't like you? Only because of what you did?"
He sighed heavily and he took a drink. "I first met him many years ago," he said, as if that explained everything.
"So, were you friends with him, once?"
"Not really." I remembered what Laeron had said to me outside the laundry; it had seemed a hundred years ago, and I had been a different girl.
"Someone said that…I heard that…one of the lords said that Aradîr disliked surgeons."
"Oh?" Valacar's voice was mild.
"And that he had a pretty wife."
He raised his eyebrows. "So that's what they say, now, is it?" he asked softly. I nodded. He took another drink. "Well, she is very pretty. And probably he does not love her as well as he should."
"What does that mean?" A perfect gentleman, I suppose? Aradîr had asked me with only a trace of a smirk on his face.
"It doesn't have to mean anything."
"But it does, doesn't it?" I watched him, sitting there with his drink in his hand, and resentment seeped into me once more. He had no right to be evasive with me, not now. The wall of the alley was still hard against my back, the rain still in my ears—I had not escaped. I would never escape. And then I remembered—
"It's your fault, anyway," I murmured before I could think better of it.
"What is?"
I closed the book and turned my attention to the top of the coverlet, twisting it in my hands again and again.
"What's my fault?"
"All the men in his unit were killed. He was the last one. He said it was not for others to decide which of them lived and which of them died."
"Who said that?" Valacar was staring at me now, intent.
"I thought—" I swallowed and wiped my face on my sleeve, just as clumsily as before. "I thought he would kill me. I really did. It's not fair." I was finding it difficult to breathe again, as if my ribs were still being crushed. "I never decided anything." I thought that Valacar would ask another question, but he was silent. "I thought he would kill me," I repeated. "Maybe it was my fault. But he didn't… Hadn't any right…" I trailed off. My throat had closed up again. Even that, I thought, was more than I should say to him; more than I needed to say.
"Did you know his name?"
I shook my head. I had seen him about, now, and then, I said; that first time when I stood in the garden, clutching a knotted cloth full of slightly burnt sweet rolls.
"It was you," I said. "I thought he was angry with you, more than anyone else. Perhaps he is."
Valacar slowly rubbed one hand over his eyes, the way he only did when he was very, very tired. How many more to go? he had asked on one particularly bloody day in the surgery; a question of diagnostics, not of impatience, but he had touched his own face in that same way.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think that…until…and then no one had seen you. Eastern River Company; one of the captains told me. He had a wounded leg. I have to go and do my shift tomorrow, but I don't know where he…"
He put his drink down and he had both hands clasped in his lap and he was staring at the floor. He said, "I suppose it would not make any difference to you whether or not I apologized?" It doesn't have to mean anything.
"I'm tired of keeping your secrets for you."
"And that was very poor of me."
When I said nothing, he went on: "I'll speak to the Warden for you; he can—"
"No," I said, louder than I needed to. "You'll not say anything. To anyone."
"He'll only make sure that—"
"I said no." My voice caught in my throat. "It doesn't matter, if anything else should happen to me."
"Why not?" He reached for my left hand, which was still twisting at the folds in the coverlet. I drew it away from him.
"Valar, why do think? Suppose you—if you… If it were your daughter, who… You wouldn't want anyone to... It doesn't matter, anyway." My face was wet.
He had withdrawn his hand. "Does it matter to you?"
"Here's your book," I said, handing it back to him. He took it wordlessly and set it down on the night-table. "Just don't. Please. I can look after myself." Which was probably half a lie; I only wanted my mother.
In some ways it was clear that Valacar had always worked in the surgeries and never in the wards. There were times when he forgot to take all of the edge out of his voice, and perhaps he asked the wrong questions at the wrong times, and besides that he did not know the proper way to tuck in bed covers. But there are also those things that cannot truly be taught or practiced, but that everyone who works in the Houses seems to learn if you simply let them go about their duties for one or five or ten years. And one of these things is being able to recognize the moment at which you should turn around and simply allow your patient to roll over and cry until she is finally able to fall asleep.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.


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Anthrax Facts
Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the spore forming bacteria Bacillus anthracis. It occurs most frequently among cattle, goats and sheep. These animals acquire the spores from direct contact with contaminated soil. Humans usually become infected with the spores from infected animals. If these spores get into open skin lesions, they cause skin infections. Infection anthrax known as Woolsorters' disease is rare and usually fatal. Intestinal anthrax which is also very rare, results from eating insufficiently cooked meat from an infected animal. It is also fatal.
Anthrax and Bioterrorism
Anthrax spores are used for bioterrorism because they are relatively easy to produce, durable and can be maintained in a dry form. However, to be effective, they must be aerosolized into very small particles. This is difficult to do and requires a great deal of technical skill and special equipment. If these small particles are inhaled, life threatening lung infection can occur, but prompt recognition and treatment are effective.
Is Anthrax Contagious?
Anthrax is not transmitted from person to person. Patients infected with anthrax do not require isolation. Standard precautions and hand-washing with soap and water after contact with infected patients and contaminated material is recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). In the case of exposure to the spores, a person who has been exposed and is asymptomatic can be treated with anti-biotics.
Use Caution When Opening Your Mail
In light of the recent events implicating mail as the source for bioterrorism agent Anthrax, everyone should be on alert for any suspicious letters or packages. Prior to opening any letter or package, inspect the letter or package for the following:
• Senders return address
• No return address
• Sender unknown to you
• Postmark shows a different location than return address
• Sender's writing
• Unusual writing (handwritten) or printing
• Feel of envelope
• Feeling of springiness at the top, bottom or sides
If you are suspicious of a piece of mail, do not open the envelope or package. Place it into a plastic trash bag or some kind of container to prevent leakage of contents. Notify the police immediately by dialing 9-1-1.
If the envelope/package was opened and the suspicious material is found, do not clean up the spilled content. Cover it immediately (e.g. paper, trash container). Leave the room and close the door. Wash your hands with soap and water then notify the police.


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|Lowest Recommended Age:
|Mature High Schooler
|MPAA Rating:
|Rated R for violence, language, and brief sexuality
|Movie Release Date:
|October 13, 2013
|DVD Release Date:
|December 20, 2013
"Anybody who doesn't contradict me can expect nothing but good things," "Fred Blake" (Robert De Niro) explains in item 10 of his David Letterman-style countdown of what he considers his best qualities. Fred is his current nom de witness protection. […]


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Mad Medley Battle - Jogos De Batalhas Baixar
How To Install
Follow the simple steps below to install the game on your computer.
If you failed to install the game please let us know here.
Click "Yes" in this window. All MyPlayCity files are safe for your computer.
Wait until PlayFree Browser is being installed, then the game installation will start automatically.