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AN: This chapter is all about waiting, and to fit with that theme we decided to wait before updating. Or were buried by tapirs. Or something.
Hey, this time it only took us five months to update, which is, ah. Improvement? Thanks for your patience!
(This chapter is also about how if you tend to spend time around General Raskoph he's probably going to turn you into a monster the next time he gets bored. Sorry.)
This fic is not all that far away from finally being finished.
Chapter Seventeen
Tension Waiting
"The world is all gates, all...strings of tension waiting to be struck."
For the hundredth time, Alphonse knocked on Winry's door and asked, "Are you ready? It's almost time to go."
The previous ninety nine times, his polite-but-eager inquires had been met with silence or muffled a-few-more-minutes-Al! This time the door flung open, so hard it creaked on its hinges and Al had to take a step back to avoid being whacked in the face. His human body felt light as air. He wondered for a moment what would happen if he jumped too high: would he miss the ground and float away?
Winry stood framed in the doorway, the room dark behind her. Though already dressed in one of the simple dresses she always wore for traveling, belted at the waist, her feet were bare and her hair was a tangled mess. She wielded a hairbrush at him with a deadly scowl.
"Listen," she growled. "It is five thirty in the morning. I am not awake. Please stop knocking!"
"I'm sorry," Al squeaked, and rocked a bit on the balls of his feet. "But we've got the appointment set up, remember? I went outside to get some breakfast but nothing's open yet. Maybe we should eat when we're done. I don't want to be late…"
"We're meeting with General Marcus at eight, Al. And it's a ten minute walk to headquarters from here."
"But there's so much security. We could be held up."
"That's why Lieutenant Havoc is meeting us at the front gates. It's ok, we won't be late." Winry's face softened. "Have trouble sleeping last night?"
"A little." Alphonse tried very hard not to sound like a little kid. This sort of excitement, this nervous twisting in his stomach, he hadn't felt it in a very long time. Not since he and Ed were kids, waiting with baited breath for their mother to admire their latest alchemic marvel. "I've never spoken to General Marcus before," he said, and the nervous twisting got that much worse. "I hope he's friendly." Winry leaned against the doorframe and folded her arms. "Tell me again what we're telling him?" she asked.
"That the only way we can get to another world is if we have a large output of energy here." Al sighed. "It takes a lot of energy, like a very complex array, to build a bridge to another world. That's what I've been learning lately."
"You mean, we could just make a big explosion?"
Al laughed ruefully. "Not really. The last one causing a rip in space looked like an accident. The alchemic symbols need to be just right...and the other problem is that the two worlds need to be in balance. Even if someone on the other side has the corresponding symbols, their action needs to be subtle if ours is large, or the other way around. And they have to happen at the same time. That's why I think maybe these maps could be, like, warning beacons. It's like puzzle pieces fitting together. Er. Sorta."
"I'm sure it makes sense to you," she sighed. "I just hope it makes sense to General Marcus."
Al nodded. "It will." It has to, he thought. It's our only lead.
They left an hour later, Winry still rubbing at her eyes, Al leading the way. He walked fast out of sheer nerves and had to wait at every street corner for Winry to catch
up. He didn't mind. Central City offered much to keep him preoccupied, even at this hour. The sidewalks were crowded with delivery boys and merchants opening shop. Old prewar jalopies rattled down the cobblestone streets.
The homeless were out, too; many were Ishbalan. It seemed strange that they should be here when their own country was rising from the ashes, but maybe life was no easier there. The Ishbalan refugee camps might have been removed from the city's outskirts, but many of their residents had lived in them for five years or more. Children had been born never knowing anything else. The camps were gone and Ishbal far away: where were they to go?
Al bit his lip. The world was a strange, confusing place. And that he had forgotten so much of it didn't help.
But today would be simple. Would be fair. Alphonse had the speech already prepared inside his head: knew exactly what he would say, what phrases he would use. Lieutenant Havoc had said that General Marcus wasn't an alchemist and didn't really understand how alchemy worked…a problem, maybe. What if he didn't understand what was still only a faint glimmer in Al's own head? Non-alchemists sometimes mistook what was science for magic. There was logic in the art, and there was logic in Al's theory. He knew there was. But maybe General Marcus would only see some glowing maps.
"What's wrong?" Winry had caught up to him by now, and stood watching him with an uncertain frown. She must have been just as nervous. Al knew she didn't understand the real details of what he'd told her, but she'd accepted it anyway. She'd trusted him. General Marcus would have to trust him too.
And somewhere, maybe Ed was standing by his own glowing map and trusting in his brother…
Lieutenant Havoc was waiting for them by the massive iron gates that framed Central City's military complex. A fresh cigarette dangled from his lips, but his fingers were already teasing open the cover to a new pack. So, Al thought, so he was nervous too.
"Got you an appointment," Havoc said as they cut across a wide courtyard to the main building. Second Lieutenant Fuery had tried to explain what Al must have once already known, about the military and its little intricacies. Even basic facts like what building held which offices had been lost to him. For now he followed Lieutenant Havoc and tried not to look too lost.
Havoc took them down a narrow road between two buildings and stopped at a guarded side door. His salute got them inside a long, narrow hallway with a door at the far end; between furious puffs on his cigarette he explained, "Stick with me 'till we get there. This is usually a military-only wing. Pulled some strings though, perks of being a war hero…"
Winry huffed, "Still a lot of secrecy for a civilian government. We should be able to march right in and talk to this General Marcus whenever we want." Havoc only grinned.
"He's a busy guy. One of the highest generals they've got left without the chief." The grin flickered. "Look," he said, cigarette twitching as if to warn away bad omens, "I don't know how helpful he's going to be. He never liked Mustang, and he'd only be demoting himself by bringing him back. Don't think he knew much about Ed or Hawkeye. Not enough to care."
"But," Al said, and heard the whine in his voice, "but he's gotta help. What about Ed? He's gotta…"
Then Winry cut him off. "It doesn't matter how much he wants to help," she said with cheerful firmness, "because he's going to help as much as he can. Honestly, all we need him to do is give us access to that, that place underneath the palace. And access to notes about it, whatever." She waved a dismissive hand. "After that Alphonse will figure out what we need to do. General Marcus just needs to sign the paperwork because he's the one leading the investigation. He should be happy, we're doing his job for him! Right?"
"Right," said Al, thinking, I hope I figure out what to do.
"Right," said Winry again.
"Sure," said Havoc, with a rather helpless sort of grin. "I should probably mention that Marcus is about to call off the investigation, but sure. That sounds right."
"Oh," said Winry. Al recognized the tone of voice and quite casually let Havoc step past him. "Oh," she said again. Calmly.
Poor Havoc hadn't caught on and kept talking: "He says it's been months with no leads or anything and probably the explosion just…of course there weren't any bodies and Mustang was standing on the world's biggest alchemy circle-thing and also that'd be a really dumb way for a state alchemist to die and also Marcus is an idiot—"
He grimaced. Winry said, a third time, "Oh." Al looked furtively for a good place to hide.
"But that's Marcus for you, a real throwback. Falman found some regulation floating around in that head of his that says our department, Mustang's department I mean, can't be split up without the commanding officer signing off on it first, at least not without a lot of important people saying otherwise. So he's writing some petition. Might delay us getting shuffled off, at least…"
"Wait," Al said, momentarily forgetting his Winry-related dread. "General Marcus wants to transfer you?"
Havoc let his finished cigarette butt drop to the stone floor. He mashed it with the heel of his boot, and some clear, vindictive joy. Then he went for a second one. "Marcus is a throwback. Still trying to rise through the ranks of a dictatorship that doesn't even exist. Officially we're supposed to be assisting with the investigation into his disappearance."
"But really you're…"
"But really, according to some people, we're just loafing around. 'Clogging post-war reconstructive efforts', or something. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention when he said it. Breda thinks he just wants our office." Havoc shook his head. "The minute the investigation is officially closed, Mustang's presumed-dead ass loses control of his underlings. Marcus thinks we're too powerful as a group." Another helpless grin. "I heard they want to send Falman to the Xingese embassy."
Al said, feeling pretty helpless himself, "But Falman's not a diplomat."
"And Marcus isn't Bradley and Mustang isn't dead, but all that matters is—"
And that was when Winry banged her wrench into the wall. Al jumped. Havoc almost choked on his cigarette.
"This is stupid," she fumed, "we're trying to help! They can't just forget Ed disappearing! Alphonse, let's go. I want to talk to this general."
"But our appointment's not for another…"
"Let's go, Al!"
She marched ahead as if she knew where she was going. Al thought it best to follow her. In the background he heard Havoc protest, "Where did the wrench even come from? There aren't any pockets on that dress, and—hey! Civilians are supposed to stay with their military escort. You guys…!"
General Marcus was not in a good mood. His office had been swamped all week with lower-ranked officers waving pieces of paper in his face. Complaints poured in from surrounding villages of corrupt officials and bribery run rampant. The Ishbalans who hadn't already abandoned Central City for their homeland were accusing Amestrian soldiers of ignoring their districts in reconstructive efforts. Probably they were right. Probably every damn complainer in every crevice of the damned country was right about every single thing, but…but!
What did they expect him to do? General Marcus wasn't the president. Nor the dictator. He hadn't run for the new Parliament and he had no taste for the civilian mechanisms it operated under. He was a man born and bred to follow orders even when he was the one giving most of them. The people had their elected government now. Why, then, did they not turn to it for help? Why did the military still bare all of the burden when most of its power had been removed?
(Because, some angry little voice said in the back of his mind, because the people hadn't wanted democracy. They hadn't cared. They'd been content under Bradley. Mustang had been the one to dig up shit until the world had no choice but to take notice. True, Bradley turned out to be a literal monster, but probably that was Mustang's doing, somehow. It was all Roy Mustang's doing!
Marcus ignored this voice because he wasn't an evil man, a tyrant; he was a harried general used to a bureaucracy that obeyed, that wasn't clogged by independent oversight. He could adapt to democracy, given time.
But still there was that voice, telling him life was better without Mustang in the background, inventing problems for his ego's sake…)
So, no, General Marcus was not in a good mood. He was stressed, he was adrift, he was no longer sure what benefits his high rank afforded him, he had not been able to sit down for dinner with his wife in a month and she'd started leaving his meal portion out on the back porch with the cat. He was in no mood to discuss the oh-so-mysterious vanishing of two state alchemists who were probably happily being defectors in Xing at the very moment. He certainly didn't want to discuss it so early.
But here he was, and there they were: two civilians, both young, and their soldier escort hovering by the door. Of course the escort was one of Mustang's men. Of course.
"I appreciate how stressful it must be for you," he said, hands tented in front of his stomach. Half his mind was on the distressful state of his uniform; it was awfully wrinkled now that his wife refused to iron it. No wonder the rank-and-file were so slovenly these days, if their own officers couldn't offer better examples.
"I do appreciate it," Marcus repeated, because he liked the sound of the words. "Not knowing. Believe me, we take the loss of state alchemists very hard. Even in this new system. We are looking very hard…"
"Then why haven't you found anything?" the girl demanded. Typical civilian attitude: wanting results without understanding a thing about the process at hand. "You know where they went missing. You know it had something to do with alchemy. You couldn't find any bodies."
"With all respect," he murmured, "the explosion caused a lot of damage. So much rubble can hide a lot."
The boy said, "I know my brother's not dead. I know he isn't."
Marcus forced through a smile and some sappy platitude about loved ones always being nearby. The boy just stared at him, as if confused. The soldier actually rolled his eyes.
The girl said, her voice gone stiff with anger, "Two alchemists are missing. Why aren't you calling in other alchemists from all over the place to investigate?"
"We've looked into that, but the budget…"
"This should be top of the list!"
Marcus snapped, "Rebuilding is top of the list right now, young lady. The new government is still being pulled together. The Ishbalan region is still years behind in matters of development, stability, infant mortality. Every day we receive an angry manifesto from any one of half a dozen insurgent groups. Sometimes they come with soldiers' body parts tied to the paper."
He stopped himself then, took a breath. The civilians were both staring now.
"We would like to know what happened to Edward Elric and Roy Mustang," Marcus said, calmer but still secretly seething. To be lectured by some girl, some civilian girl. And all because of Roy Mustang! "We would indeed like to know what ruse they pulled, especially if they're giving away state secrets to Xing. But right now, the needs of the state must come first. That's the state alchemist's model, isn't it? 'Be thou for the people'? So, we are putting the people before the missing bodies of possible traitors."
"Sir," said the soldier, sounding strained, "General Marcus, I was there. I saw the explosion. It wasn't a prank, it wasn't expected. And Lieutenant Hawkeye would never be a spy."
"I've read your reports," Marcus interrupted. "All of them. Every time you sent them. I'll answer them now, officially, and tell you that this is no longer your business, Lieutenant. Amestris has larger concerns than the whereabouts of two rabble-rousing state alchemists and a misplaced major. The new government has no interest in the state alchemist title. The people want honesty, not magic."
"Not magic," said the boy, quietly.
"It doesn't matter what it is! If the three soldiers in question haven't been found it's because they've either defected or they're dead. I am sorry for your losses, truly. But in the military, sometimes people die."
The boy exclaimed, "But they're not dead. We can prove it." He launched into a explanation of a crazy theory, something about maps and points of connection and portals beyond gates. Marcus made a mental note to keep all alchemists out of his office from now on. They were all so infuriatingly obtuse.
Somewhere in the middle of the alchemic babble, the girl said, "Al. Alphonse. It's enough."
"...So if the connections are solid then maybe these maps can be used as maps for..."
"Al, stop."
The boy trailed off and looked at her. "Winry…?"
"He's not even listening. He doesn't care. Just another military dog."
Indignant, Marcus said, "Now see here!" but the girl pinned him with a flash of her eyes.
"We'll investigate even if you don't," she said. "Give us access to the underground city."
"Absolutely not. That area's off-limits to civilians."
"Lieutenant Havoc isn't a civilian."
"Lieutenant Havoc is under orders to keep the area secure," Marcus growled.
"But," said the boy—Alphonse? he was supposed to be important himself, somehow, although Marcus couldn't see much of the hero in him— "If you don't want to…if we could just…I just need to compare the map with the array," he said eagerly. "That might be one of the connection points. Then we could communicate with Ed again. General Mustang and Major Hawkeye are probably with him."
"You're not seeing that array. Out of the question! We've allowed you access to military facilities because of the unique situation, but you are still civilians. That access can be revoked."
"We're done here. I'll be in touch should there be further developments."
"Al," said the girl; as he subsided, she gave an odd grin. "It's ok. It's not the general's fault. There are rules." She offered Marcus her hand, polite as could be. "Thank you for all you've been doing."
"Say thank you to the general, Al," she beamed. "Don't be rude."
"Um. Oh. Um. Thank you very much?"
"Hrmph," said Marcus, suspiciously, waving off Lieutenant Havoc's salute. "…As I said. I'll be in touch."
The moment the three of them were out of his office, he sagged against his desk and decided that the investigation—and the special coddling those two were getting from it—would be best ended. Soon. Very soon.
"Wherever you are, General Mustang," Marcus muttered, "I hope you're enjoying it. I hope you stay there for a good long while!"
He fumed a bit, because that was his nature. But it was also in his nature to keep busy, and so after a while he turned back to his desk and its overflowing inbox. There were other appointments to keep, other crises. The investigation was put far from his mind, before long.
"Listen," Winry growled to Havoc the moment they were off military grounds. "Get us into the underground city tomorrow. Al can study it then."
"It'd be breaking the law," Havoc said. "The whole reason we waited to get permission is because we'd be screwed if they found us going down there without it. I'd be screwed, anyway. Disobeying orders for the chief's sake." He paused. The three of them looked at each other. Winry tapped her foot.
"What the hell," Havoc announced. "I love starting revolutions for Mustang's sake. Be ready to go by six, ok? They change the guards around then."
Winry nodded. "You see, Al?" she chirped. "I told you that would turn out well."
The old woman's house hadn't changed since Ed had last seen it. Maybe the weeds had grown a bit thicker, the bird nests tucked more deeply in the brambles, but the general attitude of sullen decay was the same. Hohenheim went straight toward a window near the back. Ed could only see when he got within a foot of it that it was unlatched.
Ed caught up to him as the wind picked up and drew in grey clouds. His arms ached. As he ran he had caught up his automail arm in his opposite hand and held it tucked next to his chest, flesh fingers digging at the broken metal pieces to try to find the extent of the damage. The wound didn't seem deep. Maybe one cable had been cut completely, and others weakened. Don't be deep.
His other shoulder felt raw and caking against his jacket. He could tell that the bullet hadn't remained in the wound, but the jacket and his cold sweat had irritated the surface graze into a fiery pain that kept him distracted.
"I found the guy who's been following us," he panted. Hohenheim gave no response. "I think I broke his leg."
Hohenheim swung the window pane open and climbed inside.
"Hey, Pops!" Ed shouted. No response. He traded an angry glance with Riza, who stood aside and nodded for him to go through the window and into the house first. Ed dropped through onto a kitchen counter. It was very dark inside with all the curtains shut, but looked like the average house that hadn't been occupied for a while: a layer of dust turned the linoleum floors and the shelf of cookbooks gray. Some of the books were written in Hebrew, a language that Hohenheim had tried to teach Ed to distinguish from English.
The furniture was a shambles. Things had been tossed all over the place, and the door into the living room was smashed in two. Riza stalked across the room as soon as she slid inside.
"Do you know where the spy went?" she asked Ed.
"I didn't see." He turned and leaned against a table, careful not to leave the imprint of his hands.
Riza bristled. Ed rounded on Hohenheim, who was draping his greatcoat over a chair. "Care to explain?" he demanded.
Then Hohenheim turned around and finally focused on him, eyes bright. "Are you all right? If he hurt you, there are supplies here."
Few things could have surprised Ed more than his father seeming to worry about him. The memories of the years Hohenheim had not done so were opened up like a wound, leaving Ed feeling vulnerable and off balance, as well as intensely aware of his actual pain. A few years ago Ed would have flipped out, but he had seen a lot since then. Instead, he took a breath.
"My arm," he said, almost sullenly. Riza waited in the background; he could feel the impatience radiating off her stiff position.
"Where are we?" she wanted to know.
Hohenheim provided bandages and a foul-smelling paste that had been hidden in the cabinets. As he patched Ed up, he started to explain. "The woman who lived here was one of the first people I met when I was tentatively reaching out to find a way home. She's part of a group that stretches all the way across Europe. They don't have much real power, either political or with black magic, but forge tight bonds. They stumbled on what I think might be the equivalent of alchemy in this world. They don't know how to use it. Not really. Their control is weak. But in doing most of the early research they are useful…"
"Research into the dark magic you talked about." Ed thought, I know about this already. "You said that it was a way to make little gates into other realities."
"Yes. Although some people like to spread the rumor that it originated in Africa, it's been mostly developed by migrant people in Europe, people who have access to lots of magical power."
"Wait, where's Africa?"
"Oh. Far to the south. That's not really important." Hohenheim blinked owlishly. "The principle of it is that in order to open up a gate strong enough to actually lead to the other world, you would need a mass amount of energy. Equivalent exchange made more extreme."
"So how do we make that? You left most of your books back in the other house."
"Wait. The next problem is that someone in the world you're trying to get to has to open a gate too. Dark magic runs on different currents. Its tenants are less clear. But we do know that it is drawn to itself, that a little might spark a lot. To use a portal we would need to create one. To create one we must have one already made."
"At the exact same time?"
A younger Ed would have yowled in frustration. Hohenheim of Light and his riddles! "But there's no way to talk to the other world. That's our problem."
"Yes. As it has been mine."
"Why didn't you explain this to me earlier? Before the Nazis invaded?"
"Is it helping?" Hohenheim tipped his head.
Ed sighed, leaning back in his chair. "…No."
Hohenheim said, off-handedly, "I had been trying to work out these issues from home. I thought I would have more time to do so."
Riza bristled. "This isn't General Mustang's fault," she said, as cold as only a worried Riza Hawkeye could be. "The spy's presence made that clear. They knew about you. They were watching you. It was only when we arrived, General Mustang and I, that they decided to act. But they would have done so either way. And soon."
"Your arriving here surprised them," Hohenheim agreed.
"Surprised who?" Ed wondered. "They knew about the old lady who lived here, too."
"They know more than we would like."
"Who," repeated Riza, "are they?"
Hohenheim considered the question. "The woman who lived here kept careful notes," he said after a moment's reflection. "As any alchemist might. If she believed she was being watched she would have used her own connections to find out who it was. Her notes might still be here."
"The house is a mess," Ed pointed out. "Whoever took her was looking for something. Maybe they already have the notes."
"Maybe. But the German government is large and dangerous. We cannot fight the whole of it. Having a name, knowing who we are dealing with, is our best chance. And those notes are our best lead."
The chair tipped gently onto its two back legs with Ed balancing it. For no real reason, that was enough jog his memory. "But-…wait. There was that array that I activated in your study. You said you didn't know what it did."
"I don't. It is simply the most advanced array I have made so far."
"I know what it did." Ed forgot about his reservations and patted his fist down on the table, which was missing a leg and leaned drunkenly to the side. "It was set up to communicate with something, but the markings for who it was communicating to weren't there. If someone has them in the other world, then...we can make this work."
"You're assuming someone in the other world has them."
"What else would be the point? An array that does nothing but glow? You said dark magic is drawn to itself. Maybe it can get through the gate."
"Yes, maybe. However, that's useless to us. Someone in Amestris would need to know you're trying to activate it and make the same array over there."
"So we get someone to do that," Ed snapped.
"We can't."
"Maybe we could." Ed glared. Hohenheim stared levelly back.
Then Riza folded her arms. "I'm going to go check the entrances of this house," she announced, "to see if anyone's cared to leave mail."
Hohenheim was now making a point to ignore her instead of Ed. "They haven't. Our group of people was very secretive."
"They're 'our group' now?" Ed had to interject. "I don't even know them."
"Secretive?" Riza snorted. "So were we, and the general was still captured."
"He was captured because he went outside after being advised not to do so. Even if he hadn't been wanted by shadowy segments of the regime, which he clearly was, he still would have been picked up for looking like a Jew."
Riza's eyes narrowed. "I'm checking the entrances," she repeated. Ed could see the icy sir dangling on the tip of her tongue. "Let me know if anything important to finding General Mustang comes up in conversation."
She left, knocking Hohenheim's jacket off the chair in the process, and didn't stop to pick it up.
"Important…?" Hohenheim huffed, then looked almost sad. "It's all important. She doesn't work so well when she's in love. It's distracting her."
"I think she means important to people who can't do alchemy," Ed said quietly. He sat down on a chair. Bringing the dust closer to his nose was a bad idea: as he brushed against the table he raised a gray cloud of dust and sneezed.
"I know," Hohenheim said dismissively. "But our best chances are with dark magic now. If we can learn to create these portals, we can find Mustang without having to invade a country to do so."
"Or if we can figure out who took him on our own and—"
"Bullets won't solve this. This isn't a war for foot-soldiers. Even alchemists are useless here."
"Clearly." Ed stared hard at his father. "If they hadn't come…before I found you, all you were doing was trying to stay ahead of the Nazis while you researched fairy tales. You would have stayed in this world 'till you died, happy for the work. And even after you knew I was here, you didn't tell me anything. Didn't work any faster. That trick you did with the door to my room—"
"Fusing the elements of the lock—"
"Do you even know how you did it? How did you figure it out? It wasn't with alchemy and you barely understand dark magic. This whole thing is one big experiment with you. The three of us are trying to get home and you're experimenting."
"These experiments," answered his father, "will save us."
"Maybe. But you're happy either way." Edward shouted, "Al has spent his whole life missing you and you're too busy here! If we get the portals working in the middle of a test-run, will you leave? I bet you'll stay until you've figured it all out."
Hohenheim asked softly: "Only Al?"
Ed snarled and jerked himself out of the chair, not caring how infantile his anger might make him look. Whatever fragile truce with his father had kept them cooperating all these months was broken with a word. As he turned to leave the kitchen he heard his father calling his name. Perhaps he meant what he said next as an apology. An explanation.
"What will happen to this world if the dictators learn of dark magic? If no one but they know how it works? Who will stop them then?"
"Guess no one will," Ed said. "Not my world. Not my problem." Not enough. This is not enough, old man.
It was cold, what he said. Riza would have frowned in disapproval had she heard it. Roy would have grimaced in out-and-out disgust. Hohenheim had the audacity to look annoyed.
But Al, and Winry: they were back home, holding Ed's loyalties with them. Even if his father had forgotten. Even if Hohenheim of Light had never cared.
"I'm going to find Hawkeye," Edward said, and turned his back on his father to leave.
Rudiger Keifer was distracted by pain. The boy knocking over the trellis had resulted in a knock on the head, a bruised leg that might even be hiding a cracked bone, and tens of little cuts on his face and hands. Out of all of his squad he had been the worst hurt, and that added shame to the pain. Two of the soldiers helped support him as he limped through the narrow streets back to headquarters. The occasional car slid past or a passerby stomped along on the other side of the walkway, making sure to keep his gaze down. No one wanted to get accused by a bored soldier of prying into the army's business.
The soldiers paid almost the same amount of attention to Rudiger. To him they might as well have been unconscious as they complained about having to help him along. Imperfection was a crime here.
And that the soldiers were complaining aloud meant a shifting in rank had occurred, somehow. They were Rudiger's squad, they were his to command and yet they treated him now with no sense of respect or fear.
How could he have lost rank from one moment to the next? It didn't work that way in any military. All his doing, then. It had to be! The spy had always been so loyal to Germany, it wasn't fair, and yet he was ever in the background, pulling strings just to show that he could.
The pain in Rudiger's leg had taken half of his attention, distracting him from the pure fear at hand. It seemed more and more likely that it was broken, as every bump in the road seemed to leave him with less strength. His attention wavered until he couldn't be sure what roads they were taking. He tried to figure out a mental map of the route to pull his tattered thoughts together, fighting to replace the pain in his leg with the names. But his hip was beginning to ache and pull too, discovering that his leg was dead weight.
His consciousness drifted between nearly visible red and yellow spots of pain until the soldiers put him down at the bottom of a flight of stairs. He sank onto his right hip gracelessly. A soldier said quietly, "The general came to meet you," and retreated.
The spy looked up at Raskoph.
Distracted as he was, Rudiger knew immediately that something important had happened. The general had thrown on a shapeless coat and smelled like blood. He picked at something beneath his nails as if still in the process of cleaning himself. Rudiger had never seen him so imperfectly dressed and also never so satisfied. He smiled like a cat that had just caught a bird.
"Well, look," said Raskoph. "It is the devil, back from walking to and fro on the earth."
Rudiger struggled to sit up. He saw Raskoph's boots go by as the general walked up and down the four steps Rudiger had sprawled across. "The boy and his companions...they...escaped into the streets in the north."
"Good," Raskoph said shortly. "That is a decent attempt at a report. What have they done to you?"
He prodded at Rudiger's leg. The pain made the spy curl further in on himself, forearms scraping against the stone stairs. That was a lesser pain. He struggled to hear what Raskoph was saying. The general mumbled, maybe thinking out loud. This was unusual for him. Usually so precise, there was...something wrong with him now.
His work had been interrupted.
"Help him up," General Raskoph said, and a moment later Rudiger understood that the order had been directed at the two soldiers still standing guard a meter from their fallen spy. Rough hands caught under his arms and lifted him. Every time his toe brushed against the ground Rudiger felt agony spike all the way up to his hip, but there was some hope now. They would take him inside.
To his surprise, Raskoph followed the three as they went into the headquarters. "Thank you, sir," Rudiger gasped, the pain lurching along his spine. Raskoph remained imperious and silent. When the soldiers began to hurry him further into the building Raskoph corrected them, pointing them down a hallway that Rudiger did not remember seeing before. A thick door was propped open with a metal helmet.
"Where…are you taking me?" Rudiger began. His voice shook. A spy needed to keep control of his emotions but there was no hope of that here. Another failure.
"To help you," said Raskoph with a smile.
Rudiger had never seen this part of the headquarters before. The guards descended a short flight of stone steps, roughly shifting the spy's weight. He blinked to clear his vision and hobbled along, wanting to support himself as best as he could. The general was taking him to be treated. Treatment was only for the useful. Rudiger was grateful for the support and wanted to make sure he looked deserving of it, so he mimicked as best he could the strong soldier's gate of the Nazis at his side. It hurt to stamp his good leg so, but he forced a grimace and carried on.
Raskoph glanced at him and smiled. Amused.
The air smelled cold and musty. The walls were raw, brown stone down here, dripping wet with condensation, as if the builders had hacked into a cave system far older than the Reich.
Rudiger said dumbly, "This…isn't…the hospital."
General Raskoph said, "And the hospital would not help you. Welcome to the war effort." He beamed. "I was annoyed to have to stop my work to attend to you, but now I see that it is for the best. Practice makes perfect, as they say. I will find those other Amestrians later. For now at least I have the one."
None of it made any sense. Rudiger found himself gasping for air, gulping it as fast as he could and still his lungs burned for want of more.
The guards set him down on the cold floor and muttered. They would not confront Raskoph directly, but they asked questions at each other and the air. "Why did we have to bring him here? It's cold down here. It stinks."
Raskoph heard them anyway. He had been looking out into the hallway, but turned on his heel as fast as if he'd been struck. Rudiger pressed his back against the wall, trying to straighten his leg. "You are dismissed," said Raskoph. "Please watch your replacements when you go out..."
His foresight proved useful as the soldiers nearly knocked into three men entering the room. One by one the soldiers slipped out, and Rudiger looked up at men whose faces were so covered with black hoods he could not tell what race they were. They inclined the peaks of the hoods toward the general. "This is the new one?"
"Yes," said Raskoph.
The new one? Rudiger tried to struggle to his feet but his hand slipped on the cave wall as if the stone was melting into mud.
A hooded man approached. Just as Rudiger levered himself up a hand shot out of the folds of the cloak and grasped his chin, hard. There was the glint of eyes.
"What happened to his leg?"
"Something was dropped on it. The result of some incompetence, I'm told."
"We can fix that." The hood nodded.
"So I hope. The incompetence most of all."
Raskoph turned his back. Rudiger tried to get up once more. "Who are you? What's your rank?"
"Doesn't matter," said the hooded man. A faint accent could finally be discerned now, something familiar for the educated spy to grasp in his bewilderment. This man was from the county. A poor man, an uneducated man.
He pulled a stick of chalk from under his robe and scrawled an oblong circle on Rudiger's leg. He almost felt the bones shift. "What-"
It came to him then: stone rooms like this one, the screams of pigs and men, Schmidt writhing on the floor as hooded men scurried past and General Raskoph spoke of making useful monsters—
Rudiger moaned. "No," he babbled, barely conscious of the words as they staggered from trembling lips. "Oh, oh please. I can still, General, I can still...ohh. No."
The hooded man pressed hard against his broken leg and he screamed. Turning his head away the man said to the general, "Direct transformation hasn't worked for us thus far. We don't know how…"
"We have the Amestrian magician now," said Raskoph coolly. "I will learn how."
The hooded man flinched. "It will work this time," he said hurriedly. "Please, I'm sure of it. We don't need the Amestrian." He said it with the helpless air of one who knew he'd soon be replaced. Rudiger wondered dazedly if hadn't there been a rather larger group of hooded men back when it was Schmidt's turn to scream?
He pressed harder against Rudiger's leg. Rudiger whimpered but couldn't pull away: his leg was useless and his other limbs dead weight. He could not move…
The white chalk slowly turned blue. The hooded man shoved his fingers against the circle. Rudiger opened his mouth to cry.
The blue glow exploded.
1) "The world is all gates..." and title inspiration - Ralph Waldo Emerson


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Melissa Crain is a photographer and artist from Sebastopol, California. Melissa graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from Sonoma State University in 2007.
After being a professional web and graphic designer for several years, Melissa realized her dream and opened a photography studio with her parents. Arken Studios specializes in fine art wedding and portrait photography.
In September of 2008, Melissa spent two weeks in Cyprus, an island nation in the Mediterranean. The experience was life-changing and awe-inspiring. The photographs in her book Cyprus: In Photographs reflect her journey.
Her work has been featured in exhibitions including the Fall 2009 installment of the Phantom Art Gallery by the City of Milpitas.
Melissa is currently living in San Francisco.

subset: commoncrawl


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Frustrated with Federal Government Overreach?
Tired of both the Ds and the Rs?
Fed up with Corruption?
The Founder's Solution? A Convention of States
Join us to Learn more!
June 14th, 2016 (Tuesday)
7:30 pm.
Douglas County Library
1409 NE Diamond Lake Blvd.
Roseburg, OR 97470
June 17th, 2016 (Friday)
5:30 pm.
Cedar Mill Community Library
12505 NW Cornell Road
Portland, OR 97229
Questions? director.OR AT cosaction.com
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I can tell that my body is getting tired from the extra effort. My ankles are starting to give way and the calf muscles are working overtime (as I am forcing myself to run up the hills on the balls of my feet). At least it should in theory help with sprints and the like, a bit later on.
Anyway the lethargy is a fair one. I am not upset with myself for the fact that the drive took me an extra 2 minutes today. Not altogether sure why as I did not stop this time round, but did go a bit slower so that I wouldn't stop, if you know what I mean.
By the way, the monthly mentor will be coming out at the end of this month, due to my overseas trip. This month Is Charles and his Cotswold Way run.
Day 109
Miles today: 3.00
Miles completed: 269.27
Miles to go: 773


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GraphicRiver Corporate Business Brochure vol.2 8686986
Category: Print Template | Comment: ( 0 )
GraphicRiver Corporate Business Brochure vol.2 8686986
Print Template \ Brochures \ Informational
Template \ Profile \ Brochure \ Business \ Report \ Print \ Modern \ Proposal
Print Template - Corporate Business Brochure vol.2 8686986 by tontuz @ GraphicRiver
Print Template \ Brochures \ Informational
Graphics Files Included: InDesign INDD; Layered: Yes; Minimum Adobe CS Version: CS4; Print Dimensions: 8.27x11.69.
See Other Brochures
Corporate Business Brochure vol.2
This is a Corporate Business Brochure template that can be used in any type of industry. This item consist of 12 pages. Everything you see in this template is fully editable in Indesign.
- A4+Letter.
- Automatic numbered 12 pages.
- Character styles
- Paragraph styles
- Organized and Separated layers
- Fully editable.
- Free fonts.
- Easily color changeable.
- You can add, delete or swap pages
Files included
2 Indesign CS6 INDD file.
2 Indesign CS4/CS5/CS6 IDML file.
1 PDF Preview.
File information file.
Images are not included. Images are for preview purposes only. There are image placeholders with blank images,
So you can add your images easily.
Business Newletter vol. 2; Business Proposal Template; Brochure Template 16 pages Vol.1; Multipurpose Magazine Vol.3; Web Design Proposal; Company Profile Vol.2; Rover Magazine Vol.2.
Keywords: agency, annual report, brochure, brochure template, business, business profile, clean, company profile, corporate, indesign, layout, minimal, modern, print, proposal, report, simple, swiss, template.


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The Best Shows in NYC This Weekend: Win Bulter + DFA Records Rager + Royal Headache + The Good Life + Tei Shi + Tamaryn + Midnight Magic + eskimeaux + Solvey + lots more goodness!
Written by Patrick McNamara
Welp, it's the last week of August and I hope you all are REAL proud of yourselves. Look what you've almost done. You've almost made this fine summer burn into the sun. Congratulations. Hang on to the memories. I hope you made some of them, man. Because pretty soon that's all you'll have of Summer 2015: Happiness Strikes Back. RIP. See you at tha crossroads (so you won't be lonelllllly). #neverforget
*September in NYC is actually the most sublime month in the entire Mayan calendar but don't tell anyone else so we can have this clear blue city all to ourselves during those top tenner type days, OK?
Oh, yeah. Let's talk about the good shows going down this weekend now.
Thursday - August 27, 2015 A.D.
Tim Kasher's other band (besides Cursive) is The Good Life. Formed circa 2000, the Omaha band recently released their first new album in 8 years. It's a Saddle Creek thang. You can hear them play songs from it at Bowery Ballroom tonight.
Windows 98 DJ's at (le) poisson rouge tonight. Windows 98's given name is Win Butler. He's also frontman of a Canadian band whose name escapes me right now. Anyway, you might want to go see him push some buttons, flick some switches, and twiddle some knobs. It'll be a two-hour vinyl set with live percussion. Tuxedos and evening gown dress code appreciated.
The fine singer/songwriter/super smooth beat maker Tei Shi (Brooklyn by way of Buenos Aires) plays a "free" show at MoMA tonight. "Free" is in "quotes" because you have to purchase museum admission to attend this one for "free" and that price is now 25 bones. Let's move on to this week's installment of "When Patrick Worked At MoMA." When I worked at MoMA a lot of people gave celebs free tickets and once Alanis Morissette came to my ticket booth and I totally made her pay. THAT'S for getting "You Oughta Know-Oh!-Oh!-Oh!" stuck in my head all those years.
Other notable shows = Rick from Pile and Yazan at Palisades + Earth at Saint Vitus Bar + Dinowalrus and Granchildren at Union Pool
Friday - August 28, 2015 A.D.
Tamaryn has been smoothly slinging the smoky pop goodness for a few years now. If you haven't seen her play you totally should. She's good. One such opportunity exists tonight at (le) poisson rouge. I hope you take advantage of it, man. Because I believe in the best you.
Maybe you're feeling more like if you don't start dancing you'll BUST. If that's the case, consider seeing Brooklyn's Midnight Magic on the roof of Output tonight and if you dance real good they just might play this big time jam for you from wayyyyy back (what was 2011 even LIKE, mannn?).
Or, if you have a lot of pent up rage that you want to let out and turn it into something beautiful consider seeing So Hideous at Saint Vitus. You'll scream. You'll soar. Your ears will bleed and you'll say why thank you So Hideous and ask this band for more. Listen to this song right quick. It's real intense and dramatic and good although sometimes I worry.
Bird Courage play Rough Trade. Here's my Bird Courage story. One late night a couple (few?) years ago I was waiting for the G train to come and it was taking forever which was great because the empty endless moment afforded me plenty of time to reflect on the really shitty night I was having. And then the dudes in Bird Courage started playing their pleasant pop songs on the platform and for a few minutes before the train finally came it kind of turned my night around. Thus, they get a Best Shows This Week mention. Thanks for that.
Other notable shows = Deradoorian at Trans-Pecos + Cold Fronts at Fulton Stall Market (free) + Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers at Bowery Ballroom
Saturday - August 29, 2015 A.D.
It's that time again. DFA Records will be up to their old tricks by throwing a huge summer rager. This year it's at Good Room with a bunch of DJ sets by bands/artists on their label throughout the night. There will also be a "VERY" special live performance by somebody as of yet unannounced. That VERY in ALL CAPS was a direct quote from the source, man. I don't know who it is. But if you're thinking an LCD Soundsystem reunion can I just say I'd keep thinking, probably? The Rapture could be cool, though. Again, I know nothing. Regardless, this is going to be a fun one for sure because with a name like Summer Hot Dog it's gotta be good!
I already talked this week about Royal Headache (they played Tuesday at Rough Trade, remember?) but I'm going to make the highly unorthodox decision to mention this band again because A). they're playing Palisades tonight and B). they're so good they're worth even more than two mentions and C). this is my music blob and I can do whatever I want. Fun fact. I saw these guys in LA recently and their guitarist was wearing the exact same 1989 Cubs NL Central Division Champions shirt that I had when I was 11. More cool stories like this later!
Solvey is the grand post-goth pop* project of Jessica Zambri (of the fine band Zambri) and her creative collaborator, label partner, and main husband squeeze Noel Heroux (of the fine Hooray For Earth). See her create an epic, carefully constructed sonic world fueled by solid synths and dark beats tonight at Alphaville. Forever young. I want to be forever young. Oh, wait. Wrong Alphaville again.
*post-goth pop represents my best effort, however flawed it may be
Other notable shows = Jawbreaker Reunion at Aviv (relax, that's just the name of the band) + La Luz and EZTV at Bowery Ballroom + Pional at Output
Sunday - August 30, 2015 A.D.
Royal Headache play Saint Vitus tonight (for only 5 bones!). This is my third mention of this fantastic band this week. And I now have nothing else left to give. If I can't convince you to go see these fine Australian punks at least once this week, well, I have failed. I have failed you. FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
eskimeaux and Bellows lead a solid (indie)(lo-fi)(whatever you think) pop lineup at Riis Park Beach Bazaar today. Like always, these shows on the beach are free. And not like always, there are only two left this summer. Time passed. I hope you all are real proud of yourselves.
Also, I guess Chris Brown is playing Jones Beach tonight. But you know what? Fuck that guy.
Other notable shows = Mas Ysa at 50 Kent (free) + The Gradients at Palisades + BORNS at The Surf Lodge (free)
Thanks for reading. Now please go out and enjoy the last week of August. Summer is almost over. I hope you all are real proud of yourselves.
*but once again September in NYC is the best the month of the entire Mayan calendar but you didn't hear that twice in the same article from me


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Social Media: Update - May 2013
By Irene Williams
If you own a business or help with the marketing of a business with any kind of online presence, it's likely that you've been contacted by a search engine optimization (SEO) company. The company might have captured your attention with talk of "first page search rankings." And, let's face it, in today's "screen and be seen" society, it's important that potential customers can find your business quickly and easily online.
However, before you invest in a paid SEO program, consider how you and your team can effectively set the foundation for better search rankings by dedicating a portion of your time each day to social media strategies. Even if you eventually hire a pro to manage these tactics, you'll be well served to know the core components of increasing your online visibility. Following, you'll find a few easily implemented strategies to boost your online presence.
Digitize your elevator pitch. The good old elevator pitch: it's a handy statement that encapsulates who you are and what you do in a concise blurb that can be quickly shared and easily remembered. Businesses today need to revise that pitch for the digital world so that it can do the speaking for them online and help make them findable for customers. How can you do that?
To start, add keywords. Think like your prospective customer. What words or phrases would they use to search for the goods and services you offer? How would they narrow searches to find your business by geographic location? Include those terms in your biz description.
Secondly, use this pitch consistently. The same pitch should be repeated on all your web properties: in your website's title tag and description (website meta data); on the home page of your website; on the home page sidebar of your blog; and in all about sections of your social media profiles
This approach is helpful to the humans searching the web for information, as they get specific, reinforced messaging about your business at every point. And it's also helpful to the technology of search engines that scan web content looking for consistent content to properly index and categorize your business so that it appears in the proper search results.
Get the "Plus" of Google properties. As the dominant player in search and the owner of several highly searchable sites, Google merits unique attention if you want to be more findable online. Include the following elements in your web-based marketing to up your game: Google+ profiles for individuals and for your business (create specific profiles for each of your locations); a YouTube channel (yes, your various locations can benefit from their own channels as well); and Google local business pages for your various physical locations.
Across these various profiles and pages, be sure to use the aforementioned digital elevator pitch so that Google's technology can identify your business consistently and accurately. Also, include links back to your Google+ profiles in all About sections, as well, to get more "Google juice" for your site. Invite customer reviews for your Google local business pages; after ten reviews, you'll gain some added Google juice and provide valuable information to the humans searching for your business.
Go social. Social media is here to stay, and business owners who have tried to avoid it should change their tune pronto. If you've already gone social with your business, it may be time to review and refresh your business profiles and your strategy for managing/maintaining your content.
Social media is an essential way for your business to meaningfully connect with your customers and stay top-of-mind. It's the ultimate "fish where the fish are" scenario, as most of your customers are likely very active on social sites. Additionally, it's a great method for boosting SEO. Search engines love fresh content, and social posts allow you to be current and dominate searches related to your specific business name. Here are a few tactics to get the most from the top social sites.
Facebook: Update the about section with your keyword-rich description. Post regularly, so that you have more chances of appearing in your followers' newsfeeds; don't fret about posting too frequently if your content is interesting, relevant and conversational. Use lots of photos in your posts, as they're most noticeable within newsfeeds and inspire the most response. Consider paid promos for select posts to increase visibility with friends' friends; these promos can be very affordable and have easy-to-measure results.
Twitter: Update your About information to match your other online profiles. Commit at least ten to 15 minutes daily on the site: reading others' posts, following accounts that are relevant to your business, and sharing pertinent information that you feel contributes to the online conversation. Use hashtags in your posts to make your content more findable within Twitter and beyond, and share links back to your own online content.
Pinterest: Update your About information. For each Pinboard you create, include a keyword-rich description of the board. Pin items regularly—some activity daily is best—using keywords and search terms in captions on every pin and including web links. Focus on pinning original content as much as possible. Add watermarks to all images you pin to embed attribution and branding onto the images and ensure your biz is known as the content originator. Share pins directly from your own website as appropriate. Pinterest can generate lots of traffic back to websites, so use wisely and regularly for results.
Instagram: This vibrant photo-sharing site is a social media powerhouse. As with most social sites, you'll see better results through consistent use. This site inspires you and your team to prioritize the capturing of images that will not only provide fodder for Instagram but potentially create stock photos for use on your other web properties as well. Spend ten to 15 minutes daily connecting with relevant parties, sharing and posting.
LinkedIn: Treat LinkedIn as its own search engine, being sure to keep your business page and individual staff profiles current and filled with keywords. Become more findable within LinkedIn's direct search by making connections with people in your industry, posting regularly and participating in group discussions.
Blog strategically. Across the board, content—quality, relevant, fresh content—has proven to be the king of online marketing strategy. That's where blogging comes into play. Yes, blogging takes time and effort, but it can bear SEO results that are worthy of the investment. If you're ready to add impact to your online presence, make blogging a priority, using these basic tactics to maximize the endeavor.
First, keep topics tight and manageable. You're a businessperson, not a feature story writer. That's fine! To ensure your blog is effective and interesting, simply stick to the topics most tied to your keywords and search terms. Keep content to around 350 words per post (integrating keywords abundantly), use plenty of photos (always giving attribution and links back to sources), and stay on topic for your business.
Second, consider Wordpress. Wordpress is a blogging platform and nimble content management system that has lots of integrated SEO benefits. Though there's a learning curve, as with any such service, Wordpress offers more guidance regarding the use of categories and tags, two tools that allow you to associate keywords with your posts to make your content more findable. Likewise, this platform makes it simple to add alt text (alternative text) to photos, which makes images accessible by search engines.
Lastly, use keywords in titles. Blog titles are important for SEO. Forego cutesy, pun-ny headlines, and instead use titles that will most likely mimic your customers' search terms.
Think mobile. Your customers have gone mobile, and your marketing should follow suit. Almost half of Americans own smartphones, and they are increasingly accessing web and social content via their mobile devices. It's essential that your messages reach customers on the go. Thankfully, if you implement the ideas above, you'll be pretty far down the path to take your marketing mobile. All search engines, social sites and blogging platforms consistently update their technologies to make content accessible for mobile devices. If your website doesn't offer a mobile version, consider making that upgrade ASAP to ensure your customers have the best experience in finding and interacting with your business' content.
Yes, there's much to consider and much to do when it comes to building your business' online presence and search ranking. The good news is that you can earn your place by providing consistent, relevant content that connects with your customers. By offering quality, you'll reap the results: a business truth that applies online and offline.
Copyright 2013 Floor Focus


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"I C U sad place bur EXCELLENT STAFF AND DOCS"
About: Homerton University Hospital Homerton University Hospital London E9 6SR
Posted via NHS Choices
After my mother in-law was admitted to I C U we rushed to the hospital from south Kent. we was outside visiting hours but was allowed to see her . Her nurse and the doctors kept us informed all the time and gave my mother in-law the best treatment anyone could wish for . I would like to thank you all for the care and treatment given to her and keeping us up to date with the treatment even thou not all good news. I recommend the Homerton hospital 100% and cant thank you enough on I C U for saving her life thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts
Response from Homerton University Hospital 3 years ago
We appreciate that, at this worrying time, you found the time to let us know about the good care given both to your mother-in-law and your family by ICU. ICU are very appreciative of any feedback and we have let the ICU team know your comments. If you have any queries or further feedback please do not hesitate to contact PALS on tel. 020 8510 7315 or email firstname.lastname@example.com


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In tuning a guitar, violin, bass, flute, or any other instrument, an electronic tuner is usually practical. The equipment detects a pitch being sounded, and displays its frequency and the name that it has (A, B, D#, etc.). Some tools use bars or graphs to show the note's proximity to the desired pitch, while others give numbers to exhibit the hertz that the pitch has.
They are often incredibly precise, and will give tuning that both the instrument and audience members would agree with. Tuners can be found for sale in music shops and in app stores.
The following tuners ae some of the best in the market, and have given users great experiences with quick results.
Snark SN-5 Tuner
The Snark SN-5 is a simple, easy-to-use, attachable tuner. It is meant to be clipped onto the head of an instrument, where it can be read by a player while tuning, with no trouble. The full-color display allows for smooth readability, and its glow allows usage even on a dark stage.
As it attachable, outside frequencies that would otherwise interrupt the process are prevented from entering the tuner's detection; even at a loud venue or volume-heavy orchestra hall, tuning is possible, and users should have no problem adjusting their strings as is necessary.
The rubber clips, prevent the head from being damaged or tarnished by hard plastic. And the twistable head can be rotated 360 degrees. The screen shows by how many hertz a frequency is off, and displays a green bar when a pitch of a given note is reached. With these features, musicians can be assured that their notes are on-point.
- Attachable
- Does not pick up exterior sounds easily
- Has an easy-to-read display
- Works for most instruments
- Small
- Material makes it prone to breaking
The Snark SN-5 Tuner is incredibly affordable, and can last a long time, if users keep a good eye on it. The display is user-friendly, suitable for children as well as adults.
It is a standard chromatic tuner amongst instrumentalists, and can be used in a plethora of situations.
Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner Pedal
Boss's TU-3 pedal is a sweet combination of practicality and precision. Its pedal format allows for users to transition quickly from playing mode to tuning mode and back, stopping an amplified instrument from sounding when on, and enabling circuit restoration when off.
It is colored solid white, with black rubber and display lining the stomp pad and top, making it blend discretely in most stage settings.
It is not meant for an unplugged, acoustic instrument – it requires a wired input to work. That being said, it is the most ideal tuning utility for live electric guitars, basses, and violin with pickups.
With it, users need not tune off of other musicians; they can simply tap the pedal, make adjustments, and get back into action.
The precision that the TU-3 allows for is exceptional. If a user is even slightly off, the pedal will detect and show so, encouraging users to find and latch onto the desired note, maximizing good audience response and player happiness.
The pedal allows for chromatic tuning, detecting the pitch name that a note is closest to, and displaying the tone's proximity to that pitch.
With 21 segments for the indicating light to fall onto, the pedal is extremely accurate, and shows as close to an exact reading as standard tuning utilities do, making a spot for itself amongst the industry's most effective tools. The pedal can display information according to string number; when a certain string is plucked, that string's number is shown.
The TU-3 also has options for assisting with tuning below standard pitch. It can be altered to drop up to six half-steps below the normal setting. Combined with the tune-by-string-number option, this is uniquely useful.
The pedal has two outputs; one prevents the pedal, when it is on, from sending sound to a speaker, and the other allows for audio to be amplified while the pedal is either on or off.
There is also a DC output in the pedal, and it can let the pedal retain charge with one battery for many weeks.
This pedal is perfect for guitarists and bassists, and allows for the instruments to be tuned quietly and quickly on-stage.
It is also handy for electric violins and instruments with pickups. By people who play in arenas too loud to use microphone-tuners in, the TU-3 is highly sought after.
- Prevents exterior noise from interfering with tuning
- Super precise
- Fits onto any standard pedal board
- Regularly-used by industry professionals
- Cannot be used by fully-acoustic instruments
- Typically does not belong in-hand
The Boss TU-3 tuner pedal is great for quick, seamless results, and can prevent long interruptions from occurring between songs.
Commonly used by famed guitarists and local musicians, the equipment is perfect for anyone in need of speed and accuracy in-concert.
Korg Chromatic Tuner CA-30
Korg is best known for its keyboard and MIDI instrument products, championing a range of analog and digital synthesizers, as well as speakers and portable organs.
Though its instruments, being electronic, are always perfectly in tune, the company offers some instrument tuners, putting itself at the service of both synthesizerists and string-instrumentalists.
The CA-30 is a fantastically useful piece of equipment that allows for users to tune according to readings and to tune according to a sounded pitch.
The chromatic tuner can read audio, though its imbedded microphone, and current, through its cable input. Its gauge is super precise, allowing users to see exactly how far from precision they are, and displaying the names of pitches.
Through the device's speaker, a pitch can sound, serving as a good training tool for young learners in honing a sense of intonation.
The utility's calibration buttons can be used to manipulate the pitch as desired, offering a wonderful thing to compare, say, a violin's E to.
The device is pleasantly portable, being a handheld tuner that can be carried subtlely onto any stage. Because of its cable input option, it can be used to tune an instrument even in a noisy area, and for quieter, electric musical tools.
- Mic'd and cable-based tuning options
- Precise readings
- Can sound a pitch of choice
- Simple and easy to use
- Display is dimly lit
- Seems fragile
With its list of options and neat attributes, it is well worth its money, and, if treated kindly, will not disappoint users.
The CA-30 is almost a smaller version of Boss's TU-3, with microphone capabilities, but without a protective "tank" nature.
Cleartune Chromatic Tuner
In the past decade, application stores have been used to sell digital products, such as recording software, tutorial kits, and sheet music programs, to musicians for use on their most on-hand devices.
Along with these items, companies sell tuning apps. These are often cheap, and they eliminate the hassle of carrying an extra piece of equipment to gigs and the like.
With the lighting that is inherent in phones, they have the perfect platforms. The Cleartune Chromatic Tuner is an ultra-precise spin-off of standard tuners, and competes with many items in its field.
Reading to the cent, it is more accurate than most of its counterparts. It has a wheel display, showing how close a pitch is to a variety of notes, and indicating what direction of note needs to go to reach its destination.
The tuner has multiple temperament options, conforming to instruments that require special tuning attention; this is handy for certain pianos, and for violins.
The Cleartune can also sound any pitch, selectable by the user. It can display its words in a variety of languages, and can show the number of hertz that frequencies played are.
Finally, the tuner supports the tuning of transposed instrumentalists. Brass and wind players can be delighted by this, as tuning those has proven to be bothersome.
- Application that can be used on most smart phones
- Phone usability allow for display that can be seen in most venues
- Super affordable
- Totally user-friendly
- Not particularly professional-looking
- No direct quarter-inch-in options
Though using an iPhone to tune an instrument might not seem refined, the application boasts a number of well-known persons who use it. The Black Keys was reported to have utilized the tuner; so was Gorillaz, in the making of The Fall.
The is incomparably cheap, with a price so low and a quality so high, the Cleatuner Chromatic Tuner is a viable option for any smartphone-user, and gives anyone the opportunity to be well in-tune.
Pano Tuner
Because of the immense popularity of downloadable content, another smartphone application resides on this list. The Pano Tuner is a super user-friendly and straightforward application whose options are limited and whose interface is to-the-point.
When it is opened, a vintage-looking tuner is displayed in the screen's center, and a bar indicating what pitch is being played is shown in the middle.
The tuner can detect a "pitch change nearly 30 times per second", and, as such, can quickly display a guitar's changing pitch frequency, making way for the fastest, cleanest tune a person can aspire to.
It accomplishes any tuner's major task – displaying pitch precisely – well, while bearing several more options that make it cool in its own right.
It can sense all 88 notes of a piano (oriented nicely for bass and piccolo). Also, it can analyze a pitch played and be set to that pitch's place, so that other players can tune to the altered note, and be in-key with the instrument analyzed.
The application shows the amount of hertz that a pitch is, making pinpointed tuning a clear option. Often, when tuning to a tool that uses a bar-to-pitch display, musicians struggle to retain the perfect pitch, and recordings and performances end up weaker than normal. With a hertz-reader, players need not worry about inaccuracy, as they can tell exactly where their tone is.
The Pano app is simple, and does not come with the unnecessary visuals with which some tuning tools are equipped. Even beginner users can read it easily (my students were quick to learn how to put it to use). Its aesthetic is a retro one, and looks as though the '50s have come back to life.
Like the Cleartune tuner, its smartphone compatibility makes for ultimate lighting, letting users see the screen in even bright theatres.
- Usage permitted on most smartphones
- Reading is quick
- Displays frequencies precisely
- Sweetly simple
- Application nature lacks professional feel
- Can be choppy on phones with less RAM
The Pano application is wonderful for beginning and advanced musicians, in-studio and on-stage. It can support the tuning of an expansion of instruments, from guitars and basses to violins, violas, and cellos.
Its simplicity is perfect for anyone, and its feel will likely float all the boats.
TC Electronic Polytune 2
The most efficient and professional-looking tuners seem to be pedals. They can quickly be turned on and put to use, making between-song adjustments stress-free, and serving reliably in recording environments, even mid-song.
The Polytune 2's lighting display is super bright, enabling seeability in outdoor, sunlit settings, and bright, on-stage environments.
The pedal has the unique feature of adjusting to lighting automatically, limiting the amount of energy used, and reducing potential harm to a user's eyes.
Also, the Polytune's accuracy is more precise than most instruments'; a display that reads intervals of 0.1 cent, it is amazingly on-point, allowing for users to be more than certain about their own intonation.
The footswitch is sensitively reactive, and can easily respond to an intentional tap. The pedal has modes for many types of drop-tuning, and can be used for rock, metal, indie, and classical settings.
Also, the display consists of over 100 LEDs, making for a clear and highly readable screen. The look of the pedal in modern and pristine, bearing white, blue, and black colors. The pedal's size adds to the novelty of the item, forming a nifty gadget to procure in intimate environments.
- Techy and contemporary feel
- Highly accurate
- Automatically-adjustable lighting
- Sensitive and responsive
- Stands out in size amongst other pedals
The Polytune 2 is well worth its buck, as it competes with Boss's pedals, among others. It is unprecedentedly modern-feeling, and it offers a range of options for users of all types.
Performers from Dream Theater, Queens of the Stone Age, Aerosmith, Mastadon, and more use the well-known pedal, and customers from around the nation have expressed content with the utility's capabilities.
Tuning Forks
Another solid option for tuning (and for training a fresh ear) is the tuning fork. When struck against a hard surface, a certain pitch rings from its body, enabling listeners to hear an exact pitch and tune or sing accordingly. It is used commonly in choir settings, and by violinists who seek precise intonation.
The forks are lightweight and fun to use, and make wonderful tools for children for methods of perfect-pitch development. A pitch uttered from one rings resonantly, clearly, and longly, making tuning a viable challenge.
- Portable; can be used for training on-the-go
- Consistent and handy
- Perfect for singers who need a certain pitch on-hand
- Does not detect a pitch being played
- Not very useful in loud atmospheres
Tuning forks are not viable tuning utilities in voluminous settings. They are wonderful tools in personal practice, though, and can be used in small ensemble environments.
Often, forks are sold in sets. The notes C through B are often placed, allowing for options concerning relative tuning. These sets come with cases that vary in design, and that serve well as holding items.
Korg GA Custom Handheld Tuner
When users look for musical equipment, the first that catches the eye is, well, the visual aspect of the tools. In today's age, many utilities are designed to emulate the feeling that a Tesla car or a Galaxy phone give – namely that of speed, aerodynamics, vibrancy, and light.
The GA tuner does not stray far from these new regulations, and presents an image of smart and current specs.
The GA's body is almost completely black. Its lighting is neon-blue and green – when an off-pitch is sounded, blue is displayed; when precision is had, green is shown. The picturing seems three-dimensional, making the illusion of a set of sloped lights.
A microphone is installed into the tuner, allowing for chord-free, acoustic-instrument tuning. This is a quintessential feature for violinists, flutists, harpists, and other unplugged instrumentalists. It also bears a cable input, allowing electric instrumentalists to tune regardless of external sound volume. A cable output lets the tuner feed into an amplifier, making for quick tune-and-play possibilities.
The tool allows for about 40 hours of battery life, making charging a rare necessity, and enduring for tour-long periods.
The tuner allows for meter, strobe, and half-strobe measurement types, allowing for a trifecta of options for users of any preference. Some attach to instruments, receiving vibrations from only the object, while others use microphones, allowing for users to tune from afar- everyone uses the most suitable tuner for their own needs.
Hope this article helped you decide what kind of tuner is best for you!


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Entry requirements
Successful applicants must have an undergraduate medical degree and have at least two to three years of general medical experience post-qualification.
Months of entry
Course contentThe MSc in Clinical Rheumatology is designed for doctors who are aiming at a career in rheumatology or a related subject. It aims to develop student's knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the practice of rheumatology, enabling them to contribute to rheumatology service development regionally and nationally. The programme also aims to provide experience in undertaking and analysing research, as well as emphasising the importance of research as a basis for evidence-based practice. The programme consists of six taught course units: Basic Science; Connective Tissue and Vasculitides; Epidemiology
Clinical Skills; Spine and Bone; Peripheral Joint Problems
Information for international students
Clinical observership status arranged for international students. For students whose first language is not English, an IELTS score of 6.5, or TOEFL score of 575 (paper based), or 230 (computer based), is required.
Fees and fundingSelf-arranged funding.
Qualification and course duration
part time
24 months
|What kind of work will I be doing? (proportionally)
|Written/ formal examinations
|Written coursework / continuous assessment
|42 (18000 words)
Course contact details
- Name
- Lisa McClair
- email@example.com
- Phone
- + 44 (0) 161 275 5993
- Fax
- + 44 (0) 161 275 5043


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Online Class
Patternmaking Basics: The Bodice Sloper
with Suzy Furrer
Sailor the boat would make any little one happy. This pattern contains step by step full color photos making easy to follow instructions. The pieces are full size and everything can be printed on standard 8 1/2" x 11" paper. BASIC SKILLS NECESSARY You should have some basic sewing knowledge. SIZING / FINISHED MEASUREMENTS Finished Size: 10" tall x 8" wide


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Tour Scotland photographs and videos from my tours of Scotland. Photography and videography, both old and new, from beautiful Scotland, Scottish castles, seascapes, rivers, islands, landscapes, standing stones, lochs and glens.
Old Photograph Benny Lee Scotland
Old photograph of Benny Lee born on 11 August 1916 in Glasgow, Scotland. Benny started his singing career as tenor in the school choir. Leaving school at 14, he became a tailor's apprentice, but soon left to join an all purpose act, which sang, danced and performed acrobatics all around one of the main variety circuits of Britain. In 1941, Lee was heard singing by Johnny Claes, a trumpeter who had recently formed a swinging dance band called the Claepigeons. He liked the sound of Lee's voice and signed him on as a vocalist. Soon Lee was singing and recording with many bands of the day. His voice became popular enough for him to be featured as a solo singer and not just a band singer. In 1948 he was supported by the close harmony group the Keynotes on Rambling Rose. Next year he duetted with Joy Nichols, the star of Take It From Here, singing On the 5.45. The Decca company came in with a contract and from 1950 he recorded such hits of the time as Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think, and Down at the Ferry Boat Inn with the Stargazers. Every type of pop song seemed to suit Lee. Lee also appeared in the films, Keep It Clean, My Wife's Family, The Girl Hunters and Mahler, portraying Tarbottom, Arnold, Nat Drutman and Uncle Arnold respectively. Lee died on 9 December 1995 at the age of 79. He left behind a wife and two daughters.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.
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Mario Uribe
Born in Southern California, Uribe was surrounded by Japanese Art collected by his parents. He had to reconcile art practices in formal western education with even more formal traditional Japanese art. He studied at The Oomoto School of Traditional Japanese Arts in Japan and in particular the work of Onisaburo Deguchi, whose life, body of work, and philosophy, were a great influence, and made a profound impression on him. Uribe has been highly influential in the public art scene in Sonoma County. He started the student apprenticeship program Art Start, whose benches, murals and sculptures populate the county. He designed the War Memorial for Santa Rosa. His currently maintains a studio in the SOFA (South A Street Arts District) in Santa Rosa.
Enter Through Here
I decided to call the sculpture Enter Through Here after a centuries-old artwork by a Buddhist master: he intended to say that through the practice of being mindful you would enter into enlightenment, or a new way of being and seeing. The circle is a symbol of that practice, or a gateway to it. My intention from the very beginning was to work on this sculpture from the same perspective I approach my other work; which means not controlling or planning ahead too much, staying open to the possibilities that appear each moment as the work develops and maintaining the spontaneity and energy of the moment. Not exactly the most common approach to this type of sculpture.
In that process however, the interaction between Doug Unkrey's fabrication and interpretation of my vision and direction kept that energy alive and the artwork remained in a wonderful flux, offering wonderful visual opportunities to appear each time we made decisions. As I walked around and through the sculpture, deciding what to do next, it was like imagining myself creating an immense Enso with a brush, but in my mind, I was inside the brush and the ink as it spread on the paper. All of the wonderful small and large accidents that happen during the act of creating from instinct are there to be discovered and accepted. I believe all of us enjoyed the process and discovered something new.
Al's Cube
Based on my personal interaction with Al and after reading about his life and accomplishments, I thought that creating a steel sculpture using the Buddhist symbols of Ten Shi Jin would be the perfect homage for a man who had mastered universal energy in a creative way during his lifetime on earth.
Ten Shi Jin is a Zen concept referring to Universal Energy, our planet Earth and Man as the component joining the two. Its literal meaning is Heaven Earth Man. In Zen Buddhist philosophy, the Circle, Square and Triangle represent these three elements and their relationship to each other: the square signifies Earth, the circle refers to Heaven, and the triangle is man, or the potential of humankind to stand on the Earth and reach toward Heaven – both physically and metaphorically. They comprise a form of sacred geometry.
Derived principally from the motion of the revolution of the planets, it symbolizes wholeness or totality and represents the principle that has no beginning and no end, for example time. A perfectly symmetrical entity, equidistant from the center at all points, it indicates the realm of radiation that proceeds from the One center; in other words a circumscribed field of action – energy.
The triangle is the archetype symbol of a sacred enclosure, our body. The triangle is thus conceived as the first closed figure to emerge when creation emerged from chaos. It is the beginning of all forms and symbolizes the human body in its triple aspect: physical, intellectual and spiritual. Out of it comes the square.
The square represents the objective world, composed of the four great elements, earth, water, fire and air. The phenomenal world extends into four directions. These four directions represent the totality of space, and they bind the earth in order. Its four perfect and equal lines bounding its form are the perfect symbol to denote our terrestrial world.
Creativity is intuitive spiritual understanding in alignment with the appropriate use of knowledge.
Mario Uribe, 2012


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Today a delegation of Facebook is meeting with the Belgian 'Secretary of State' responsible for Privacy , Bart Tommelein. The subject of conversation are Facebook's new terms of service and data policy, which are claimed to be in breach of the Belgian Data Protection Act. This afternoon, the Facebook delegation is also expected to meet with the President of the Belgian Privacy Commission, Willem Debeuckelaere, to discuss the new terms. The meetings have been requested by Facebook itself following statements made in the press by the Belgian authorities saying that the new terms were in breach of applicable laws.
Some key changes introduced by the new data policy and terms of service foresee that Facebook will:
- own information that relates to users but is not posted by users (e.g. pictures in which one is 'tagged' by another person),
- track user's browsing behavior to understand what users like on websites,
- know what devices users use to access the website (type of device, telephone number, telecom provider, etc.), and
- use user's GPS, Bluetooth and wifi to determine user's location at all times and without asking for consent, and use this location data for commercial purposes.
The outcome of the discussions remains to be seen, however, ahead of today's meeting, the Belgian DPA has already warned that if no solution can be reached which is more considerate of the users' privacy, it will not refrain from initiating legal proceedings against the tech giant. The Belgian Privacy Commission is supported by other European Data Protection Authorities, (for instance the CBP in the Netherlands) who have voiced their concerns regarding the new terms, and have in some cases launched further investigations into the terms.


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Four men were arrested on Friday on suspicion of attempting to assassinate Suren Khachatrian, the governor of Armenia's southeastern Syunik province who has long been notorious for violent conduct.
The National Security Service (NSS) service said the arrests were made in connection with the reported May 20 shooting attack on a car carrying Khachatrian.
Khachatrian, his driver and assistant claimed to have come under fire on the road connecting the provincial capital Kapan to Goris, the governor's hometown also located in Syunik. None of them was hurt, even though photographs released by law-enforcement authorities showed their car riddled with bullets.
In a statement, the NSS said its officers have found a "large quantity" of weapons, including a Kalashnikov rifle, in the homes belonging to the arrested men. It said forensic experts are now trying to establish whether that rifle was used in "the murder attempt."
One of the suspects is Ara Budaghian, a younger brother of Avetik Budaghian, a Goris businessman who was shot dead outside Khachatrian's villa in June 2013. Avetik died when he and his second brother, Artak, bitterly argued there with the governor's son, Tigran Khachatrian, and bodyguards in still unclear circumstances. Artak, who is an army colonel, was seriously wounded in that incident.
Tigran and one of the bodyguards were arrested in the following days only to be cleared of murder charges and set free two months later. Law-enforcement authorities said the gunshots fired by them constituted legitimate self-defense.
Despite denying any involvement, Suren Khachatrian was sacked in the wake of the 2013 shootings. But he was reinstated as Syunik governor a year later.
It was not immediately clear whether Ara Budaghian and the three other detained men admitted to the alleged murder attempt. None of them was formally charged as of Friday evening.
The Armenian authorities' handling of the 2013 shootings probe reinforced a widely held belief in Armenia that Khachatrian and his family enjoy impunity because of their staunch loyalty President Serzh Sarkisian.
The governor's car came under fire more than two weeks after a brutal attack on two other brothers living in Goris. One of them suffered a broken nose while the other lost vision in one eye. The victims say that their attackers were led by Tigran Khachatrian.
The governor's son so far been questioned only as a "witness" in the high-profile case. Law-enforcement authorities have levelled criminal charges against five other men instead. Among them is Suren Khachatrian's brother Seyran and nephew Mayis.
Mayis went on the run after being formally charged last month. He was convicted of killing a Goris man and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2004. He served only half of the sentence as President Sarkisian pardoned him in 2010.


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NEW ORLEANS -- Like many rappers, Michigan defensive end Ryan Van Bergen draws inspiration from his roots.
"It comes from the mean streets of Whitehall," Van Bergen deadpanned Saturday. "Growing up there, it's not the easiest place in the world, so you get some inspiration and thoughts off of that. It's all the cornfields and nice beaches."
OK, so Van Bergen's hometown of Whitehall, Mich., isn't the grittiest place in the world, as you can see here and here. But the Wolverines senior showed off his rapping skills Friday night at a team event in a local bowling alley.
Van Bergen and fellow defensive lineman Will Campbell took the stage in what looked like a freestyle rapping battle, but was supposed to be a duet. When Campbell didn't fulfill his end of the bargain, Van Bergen stole the show, at his teammate's expense.
"It wasn't supposed to be just me and him messing around," Van Bergen said, "but because he didn't say anything, it looked like a battle."
A battle Van Bergen won definitively. He kept his performance profanity-free -- "That might have been a bit of a struggle," defensive tackle Mike Martin said -- and had the team in stitches when discussing the 322-pound Campbell and his preferences.
"When Ryan said that Will likes big girls, that wasn't an insult, that's just true," Martin said. "He would admit to it."
Added Van Bergen: "I was trying to give him a compliment."
No word yet on whether Van Bergen will be performing at halftime of the Allstate Sugar Bowl.


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Listing Provided Courtesy Of: RE/MAX Masters Millennium
Last Updated: 11/23/2017 12:43 PM
Description for 8707 E Florida Avenue UNIT 409, Denver CO, 80247
Ground Floor Unit-No Stairs*2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Unit with All Appliances. Fireplace*Patio*Gated Community*Private Location*Well Maintained*1 Car Garage Plus Reserved Parking Space in Front Of Unit*
Sold Price:
Sold Date:05/01/2015
River Rock
1 Full/1 Three-Qtr
977 (approx)
Ground Floor Unit-No Stairs*2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Unit with All Appliances. Fireplace*Patio*Gated Community*Private Location*Well Maintained*1 Car Garage Plus Reserved Parking Space in Front Of Unit*
Listing Information
River Rock
977 Sq. Ft. (approx)
Public Water Service
Public Sewer
School Information
Room Information
Master Suite
Interior Features
Dishwasher, Disposal, Dryer, Microwave Oven, Refrigerator, Range-Oven, Washer
Vinyl, Carpet
Central Air
Gas Heat, Forced Air
No Basement
Double Pane
1, Gas logs, Living Room
Alarm -Smoke/Fire,
Walk-in Closets, Window Coverings
Exterior / Lot Features
2 Parking Spaces
Wood, Frame
Landscaped, Green Belt, Gated Community, Public Transport
Community Features
Recreation Facilities, Community Pool
Clubhouse, Community Pool, Grounds Maintenance, Insurance, Sewer, Snow Removal, Trash Removal, Water
Financial Considerations
Listing Price History
Denver Real Estate
Denver is located in Colorado. Denver, Colorado 80247 has a population of 682,545.
The median household income in Denver, Colorado 80247 is $51,800. The median household income for the surrounding county is $51,800 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Denver 80247 is 34 years.
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ATLANTA - Atlanta Police are working to track down an alleged bank robber. The crime happened Monday around 3:13 p.m. at the Chase Bank located at 595 Piedmont Ave. NE.
Police said the man handed the teller a handwritten note demanding cash. Once he got it, he left the location without any witnesses seeing which direction he went.
The suspected robber was wearing dark colored pants and a gray long sleeved shirt with vertical black stripes. The shirt also has white horizontal stripes on the sleeves and two front pockets. He was also seen wearing a leopard pattern winter knit hat with green trim and a red colored decorative ball sewn on the top.
He's described as a Hispanic male, with a mustache, stubble beard approximately 26-to-40 years old, medium build and approximately 5'08" – 5'10" in height.
Man wanted for robbing Chase Bank in NE Atlanta
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call CrimeStoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477).


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A Pre-test - Post-test Control Group design was used. The dependent variable, reading proficiency, was assessed via two instruments: the Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) (Johnson, Kress, & Pikulski, 1987), which yields scores from 0-100 on reading comprehension, and the Gray Standardized Oral Reading Test (GSORT) (Gray, 1967), which measures reading speed and accuracy, and indicates the grade level at which the student is reading. These instruments had been used previously by local researchers in the same area of Philippines and were found to be useful. Both instruments were administered twice, once two months before the treatment began and again after the treatment had been carried out. The pre-test was administered by the first author with assistance from other teachers at the school, while the post-test was administered by other teachers, in an effort to lessen experimenter bias.
The treatment lasted six months. During that period, both the control and experimental groups received 40 minutes of regular English class daily, plus an additional 40-minute remedial reading class. The first author conducted both remedial classes, whereas two different teachers taught the regular English classes. The school had no ER program, and it is not common for teachers to have initiated their own. The regular English class followed the same syllabus for both groups, while the remedial reading class varied.
A typical reading class period - to the extent that there is a typical reading class period - at the school in which the present study was conducted begins, like all classes, with a prayer, followed by the class and teacher exchanging greetings. The teacher then asks students to open their textbooks to a given page. Next, the teacher might introduce the topic of the reading text and/or ask students to skim or scan the reading passage. The teacher then reads aloud the text, unlocking difficult vocabulary and grammar points. Next, students are asked to answer questions to check their comprehension. This involves silent reading of at least parts of the passage. An integrated skills approach is used, so that in any given lesson in the textbook (it takes several classes to cover one textbook lesson) students are listening, speaking, reading, writing, and studying grammar.
In their remedial reading class, the control group were taught the conventional way from a textbook which included lessons on vowel and consonant sounds, minimal pairs, reading and reciting poems, and reading short selections. The only silent reading the control group did - and this infrequently - was of these short selections from their textbook.
In contrast, the experimental remedial reading group took part in an ER program. The core of the ER program consisted of students reading texts of their choice and then doing a variety of post-reading activities. The female students tended to choose fiction, whereas the males often preferred non-fiction, such as news and feature articles from magazines. Care was taken that student chose books that were at their independent reading level. Obtaining materials took a good deal of effort and time, but a barely sufficient collection was assembled from students themselves, fellow teachers, the school library, and donations of money or materials from the community (Lituanas, 1997). [One method that was not employed was for teachers (Guadart, 1994) and students (Davidson, Ogle, Ross, Tuhaka, & Ng, 1997) to write ER materials.]
In the experimental group's remedial class, students spent about 45% of the time doing silent reading (about 20 minutes per lesson), with another 45% spent on pre- and post-reading activities (mostly post-reading) which included attention to students' problem areas in reading. The remaining 10% of class time was spent on classroom management, including disciplining unruly students.
The teacher used various techniques to encourage students to read more and to increase their reading skills, such as:
1. Reading aloud by the teacher.
2. Asking students to predict what a story was about using such clues as the title, cover, and illustrations.
3. Giving brief summaries/reviews of materials she had read and enjoyed.
4. Asking students to summarize for the entire class material they had read and enjoyed.
5. Chatting with individual students about what they were reading or had read.
6. Monitoring students' progress in ER and involving them in such monitoring.
While students were reading silently, the teacher would:
1. Read on her own (10%).
2. Assist students to select reading material (10%).
3. Help students, e.g., by answering questions and by sitting beside students who had difficulty recognizing words and guiding them (80%).
Ideally, the teacher would have spent a much larger percentage of the time reading on her own as a model for students. However, given the difficulty of obtaining ER materials suitable to students' interest and reading levels, it seemed more important to spend time on the two other activities.
Post-reading activities included:
1. Answering higher order thinking questions, as part of a game called "Book Wheels" (Jacobs, 1993).
2. Role play.
3. Retelling.
4. Mock interviews in which one student portrayed a character in the story that other students would then interview.
5. Adding new words encountered while reading to a personalized vocabulary notebook (Kweldju, 1997).
These post-reading activities provided one means of attracting the less-diligent students to ER, because they enjoyed the stories that were related by their classmates who had done the reading and follow-up tasks. Nevertheless, the participation of these few less-diligent students remained unsatisfactory.
Table 1 provides an overview of how ER was implemented with the experimental group.
Table 1 Guidelines for ER Programs and How They Were Implemented in the Current Study
1. Large selection of materials for various reading levels and interests
Materials were obtained by the students and teacher from a variety of sources
2. Time set aside for students to read during school
45% of class time was reserved for silent reading, and pre- and post-reading was designed to encourage students to also read at home
3. Teachers who encourage students to read
The teacher read silently while student read and talked about what she read, read aloud and had students predict what would happen next, asked students to share with classmates about what they read, and students and teachers monitored student progress
4. Engaging post-reading tasks
Games, role play, retelling, mock interviews, vocabulary notebooks were used