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After a good deal of time and experiences, the atmosphere in room 106 had calmed considerably. They were much more cooperative and less likely to argue.
"…Aah, it's no good…"
So Koutarou's worries weren't just due to the invading girls, but also himself. Essentially, he was returning to being an everyday student.
"What's wrong Koutarou, what are you sighing about?" Sanae answered Koutarou's sigh gently. She was clinging to his back and followed his gaze to the open window, showing the summer sun illuminating the town. "Go ahead and ask me, Sanae-chan, I'll solve all of your worries."
"It's not really something I need to go out of my way and talk about."
"It's fine, it's fine, just go ahead and tell me."
The other day, Sanae had been captured by ghost hunters and then saved by the residents of room 106. That brought them one step closer together and let them compromise. The biggest example would be Sanae and Koutarou, who were at the centre of that incident, Sanae now treated Koutarou as a close friend. On top of having a truce with her, being treated like a good friend meant he had no reason to be cruel to her.
"Well… Summer's already nearly half over, right?"
"Yeah, every day's hot and nasty, are you worried about the heat?"
"No, the days being hot like this means the treasures on the mountain will grow up nice and big."
"What treasures?"
Theia perked up hearing the word treasures, and stared at Koutarou whilst blinking perplexedly. With the athletics festival and saving Sanae, Theia's aggressive personality had softened greatly. Even now her personality still clashed with Koutarou's and they argued, but she didn't treat him like a primitive anymore but acknowledged him as a worthy rival.
"Well…" Koutarou didn't answer immediately, after starting to speak, he looked around the room, and after confirming that a certain person wasn't around, finally opened his mouth. "Beetles, if the summer's hot like this, I'll definitely be able to catch a big one… I want to go catch one…"
Koutarou sighed again and his gaze returned to the window with a hint of longing. Far in front of where he was looking, a mountain rose up, decorated with beautiful green trees. There would surely be big beetles waiting there for him.
"Well you reap what you sow, don't you."
"I said it wasn't something I needed to talk about."
Sanae puffed her cheeks out in dissatisfaction at Koutarou's answer.
The reason Koutarou couldn't go out and catch a beetle was because of Ruth's hatred of them. When they went to the sea, Koutarou mistook Ruth for a tree with beetles on it whilst half-asleep and held on to her, as a result, Ruth now hated beetles.
Sanae was upset because she felt it was because of Koutarou that she couldn't do something interesting, she wanted to play with Koutarou.
"You truly are an idiot…"
Theia sighed after listening only to be let down. She didn't understand how Koutarou could be so excited just about insects. Theia was a girl, and an alien at that so it was hard for her to understand an Earthling boy's feelings.
"Now, don't say that. Satomi Koutarou wasn't being malicious."
Kiriha was different from Sanae and Theia and was on Koutarou's side. From when she was young she'd been a tomboy who enjoyed insect catching, and her treasured thing was a rare hero card with a beetle as its motif. So she had an understanding of a boy's hobbies.
"My only ally is Kiriha-san then…"
"Ane-san is kind, ho-!."
"Koutarou, if you're getting married, take Anego, ho-."
"Pay attention! It's obvious she's just doing it to trick you!"
"I didn't intend that at all."
"I don't believe you! Bleh!"
"Well, it looks like I'm hated. Fufufu."
Even though Sanae was snapping at her, Kiriha had an easy smile.
"Neanderthal, you already have one freeloader, you don't need any more."
"I'm not a freeloader! I'm the loving guardian spirit, Sanae-chan!"
"That's not it, I was talking about Yurika."
Hearing her name, Yurika looked up for a moment but soon returned to slurping her cup noodle.
"Oh yeah, Koutarou is already looking after Yurika."
"I'm not a freeloader, I make my own food."
She didn't like being treated like a freeloader, so after finishing what was in her mouth, she showed Sanae her cup noodle. That was Yurika's tiny pride.
"But you know, Yurikaa. if you're just going to keep eating that kind of thing, you may as well become a freeloader, right? Your body itself might start smelling of artificial flavourings."
"Uuum… Satomi-san, I'm becoming a freeloader from now on!"
She only needed two seconds to decide and then she threw away her pride and decided to become a freeloader."
"I refuse!"
Of course, Koutarou had no intention of allowing this, he was already unhappy with her living in the upper half of the wardrobe.
"Whhhyyy!? You don't have to be so mean! Would you be alright with me being lost at the roadside!?"
"Get lost where you like."
"Even though you say that, you're still happy you live with me~~."
"Why you… what the hell goes on in your head?"
Like this, the relationships between Koutarou and the invading girls had softened considerably since they first met. They'd gained sympathy and understanding towards each other, but still had to remember they were enemies. So they had positive and negative feelings fighting against each other. It was too soon to call each other friends, but they also didn't want to call each other enemies. If one was troubled the others would help but they'd at some time need to defeat the others. Their emotions were complicated.
Around the mid-point of the summer holidays, Koutarou was mostly free. It being mid way through the holidays, you might think he would have homework left, but he'd actually already finished it, both to avoid worrying his father and because Harumi, his senior in the knitting society had said they'd start activities again once he'd finished. Koutarou wouldn't lie to those two and had finished his homework in July.
He'd finished his homework and the society's activities had resumed, but of course, it wasn't every day. And even if there were, it wouldn't be from morning until evening, so Koutarou had more free time than he knew what to do with. This was why he had been thinking about wanting to go insect hunting.
"Satomi-sama, the sun is strong today, so wear this hat."
"Thank you, Ruth-san."
Koutarou lowered his head and Ruth put a straw hat there. To avoid wasting time, Koutarou had decided to work. He was working at the same place as he had been since spring, excavating the ruins. The ruins also needed more workers in the summer so it was a good windfall.
"And there's barely tea in this canteen. Make sure to take breaks and re-hydrate."
"Leave it to me, Ruth. I'll supervise and make sure he drinks."
Sanae took the canteen that Ruth prepared and put it over her shoulder, she was also going with Koutarou to his work.
Since the kidnapping at the beach, Sanae had been with Koutarou more than before. Among the invaders, she was the only one who had given up fighting with Koutarou. She didn't think of getting points anymore, she just kept herself from being driven out. Even now, on paper, Sanae and Koutarou were enemies, but she already admitted to herself that they weren't. On top of their promise of a truce, now that their relationship as enemies was gone, all that was left was their relationship other than that. Sanae felt that as long as she didn't lose the chance to meet her mother again, she wanted the days like this to continue.
"Please do, Sanae-sama."
"How often should he drink?"
"If possible, every thirty minutes."
"Roger that… Koutarou, you need to do what I, your work leader, say, got it?"
"I got it, I got it."
"You've not got enough love."
"I understand. Leave it to me, my lovely work leader Sanae-sama."
"Hmph, good."
Sanae was happy with his response and went around to his back and held on. Sanae carried the canteen, towel, tissues and other things and Koutarou did the actual work. Somehow this is how the roles had come to be distributed.
"Ooh, it's nice and cool."
Sanae being on Koutarou's back was cooling and convenient for working under the blazing sun. Sanae was a ghost so direct contact with living beings let her take some of their heat. The shuddering feeling from ghosts was being used in place of a cooler. And Sanae was useful for making Koutarou take breaks when he got immersed in excavating.
"Koutarou, where's your gratefulness for Sanae-chan's chic maiden power?"
"If you make it a little cooler I'll be really grateful."
"Like this?"
"Oh, that's it, I'm truly grateful for all of your work, leader."
"Right, if there's anything troubling you, you can ask your leader, me, at any time."
Seeing their interaction, Ruth closed her eyes slightly in enjoyment.
"Satomi-sama, Sanae-sama, you get on very well now, don't you?"
"That's not true."
"Nihihihihi, you can't lie, Koutarou, the proof's right here, isn't it?"
Sanae poked Koutarou's cheek with her left hand and showed Koutarou the charm hanging around her neck with her right hand. Neatly embroidered on it was "Family Safety" and as long as it protected Sanae, Koutarou's words were meaningless to her.
"He really isn't someone who wants to fight, we just haven't built up trust with him… so her highness will eventually…"
As Ruth watched their conversation, she hoped that someday he and Theia might become like that too. They hadn't grown closer because Koutarou rescued Sanae, but because just before that, they'd shared their true feelings.
"Well, see you later, Ruth-san."
"See you lateeer!"
"Take care."
So Ruth watched them go with a smile. Seeing their understanding in front of her eyes, even if their route was different, gave her the courage to keep going. Ruth started to think that their future wasn't bleak.
Ruth returned to the main room and a voice called out to her, Ruth's master, Theia.
"Ruth, you're unusually happy, did something good happen?"
As far as Theia knew, Ruth was someone who always smiled, but she seemed happier than usual now. She found it very strange from just seeing off Koutarou and Sanae.
"No, nothing in particular. I just thought I could see Satomi-sama and Sanae-sama being real siblings and it made me happy."
"… Sanae might not be a problem for taking over the room anymore." Murmured Theia, looking towards the entrance. From where she was, she couldn't see the entrance, or of course the two that had left, but she could faintly imagine them, Sanae clinging to Koutarou's back. Like Ruth said, they were like siblings, noisily heading to work.
"Sanae was lonely and isolated waiting for her parents, but living with Koutarou pulled her out from that isolation. Possibly even waiting for her parents isn't painful anymore."
Kiriha added to Theia's comment.
Sanae found living with Koutarou fun, so even if she gained the rights to the room she might not drive Koutarou out. And as long as Koutarou was there, waiting for her parents wasn't painful, and Koutarou too might not kick her out if he gained the rights to the room. If that was the case then it didn't matter whether Sanae succeeded at invading or not.
"I'm sure Sanae found meaning in invading itself…" Said Yurika, before carrying on slurping her noodles.
Theia's eyes went wide at Yurika's innocent words. They were most likely correct and hearing those words from Yurika, Theia, Ruth and Kiriha couldn't hide their surprise.
"She's not just a simple idiot… if so… no, that can't be…"
For an instant, Theia considered believing what Yurika always said about her being a magical girl. But with a wry smile, she chased those thoughts from her head.
Noticing their gazes but not knowing the reason, Yurika looked around in puzzlement and after a few seconds tilting her head, went back to slurping her cup noodles.
With Sanae still riding on his back, Koutarou reached Kisshouharukaze High School. The ruins Koutarou was working at were at the top of a small mountain by the school. Whilst on his way, the sun had beat down mercilessly on his head and the hat Ruth had given him quickly proved its usefulness.
"It's surprisingly stuffy in the hat though."
"Is this better then?"
Sanae reached out her right hand and touched Koutarou's hat, and because she was a ghost, her hand easily passed through the hat and rested on his head.
Sanae's hand released a cold aura. Lowering the surrounding temperature was a plain technique of ghosts, but it was convenient for the summer heat.
"It's not useful at all in the winter though, is it?"
"It's really helpful now.
"Then praise me more."
"Well done, well done."
Koutarou stroked Sanae's head over his shoulder and she closed her eyes in happiness. Still smiling, Sanae started playing with Koutarou's head, tickling it gently or slightly pulling on his hair. Sanae kept playing with him, like a small child does with their father in the middle of a nap.
"Hey, Sanae."
"…No, it's nothing."
Koutarou thought he would say something to Sanae, but wasn't entirely sure what so he swallowed his words. Koutarou knew that Sanae doing this wasn't unpleasant, but he didn't know how to put it into words and make sure she didn't misunderstand, so he gave up explaining it.
"The weather's good today, isn't it."
Koutarou kept walking under the summer skies with Sanae on his back, and their smiles were as clear as the sky.
Koutarou was nearly at the school when a bus overtook them. The bus stopped at a bus stop in front of the school and several people got off and ran off. They were all wearing school uniforms so he guessed they were students. They were all headed towards the school, but there was one girl heading the opposite direction, down the hill road.
"Koutarou, isn't that Harumi?"
"It is. Sakuraba-senpai!"
She was the leader of the knitting society that Koutarou belonged to, Sakuraba Harumi. She noticed Koutarou from the bus and came to greet him. When he noticed her, he ran towards her, and Sanae followed slightly behind.
"Hello, Sakuraba-senpai."
"Hello, Satomi-kun."
"Why are you here? I thought there wasn't a meeting today?"
"I came for the meeting for the cultural festival, I'm still the one in charge of the club after all."
The knitting society weren't meeting today but Harumi was here for the meeting for the cultural festival held in November.
"Try and get us a space then?"
"I will."
If the knitting society could get a space then it would make recruiting members for next year easier, providing a chance to make sure their tiny society of two people wasn't overlooked.
"Satomi-kun… you're wearing those clothes so you're going to work?"
"That's right, while you're in the cool room having a meeting, I'll be working away under the sun."
"Fufufu, be careful not to collapse, okay?"
Harumi smiled slightly and waved her hands at him, blowing a wind towards him. It wasn't a great deal of wind but Harumi cute action refreshed him more than actual wind.
"I'm getting on much better with senpai too…"
In the beginning, when they were alone together Harumi was slightly nervous, but recently that nervousness had faded and gradually she started to show him bright smiles like this.
"Even if the student council room has air conditioning, you be careful too, Sakuraba-senpai."
"Thank you, Satomi-kun, whoops, I need to go now!"
"I should go too then."
"Work hard, Satomi-kun.:
"I will! See you next time!"
"See you next time, Satomi-kun!"
Koutarou and Harumi were both happy to see each other unexpectedly but the two of them both had work to do, so the two separated and headed towards their destinations.
"So, let's go to work now!"
When Harumi had finally left their sight and they were alone again, Sanae returned to Koutarou's back. Sanae had actually waited slightly away from them until Koutarou and Harumi had finished talking.
"My bad, sorry for making you fuss."
"With what?"
"While Sakuraba-senpai was here you stayed back, didn't you?"
Recently Sanae had been less reserved with Koutarou and held onto him most of the time. But there were occasions when she waited a little distance away like this. Sanae didn't truly want to cause Koutarou trouble.
"Harumi helped us at the beach so I thought I'd stay out of the way for a while."
"You're thoughtful sometimes."
Koutarou and Sanae's argument was solved because of Harumi's advice, Koutarou had told her this so she knew. In other words, being able to hold on to Koutarou was thanks to Harumi, so to show her thanks, when Koutarou and Harumi spoke, she'd be quiet and wait.
"You can tell I'm not an ungrateful evil spirit."
"Then what are you?"
"You can call me Guardian Angel Sanae-chan."
"I don't quite get it, but it sounds strong."
Continuing their light hearted conversation, the two of them walked along the path that went around the school. As Ruth said, the two of them did look like an older brother and his little sister.
The ruins atop the mountain by Kisshouharukaze High School were generally known as the Kisshouharukaze Ruins. The ground was being prepared for an institution related to Kisshouharukaze High School when the ruins appeared. Because of this, they were given the name of the school and came to be known as the Kisshouharukaze Ruins.
Their discovery was a great shock to the archaeological world because of all the apparently impossible artefacts that were excavated.
The objects themselves were plates and pots, nothing but commonplace items. Judging by how well they were made, the ruins should be from the Yayoi era. However, when they were scientifically dated, it was found they were made ten thousand years before. This was unbelievable, the Yayoi era was approximately two thousand years ago, but items with the same level of manufacturing skill had been found from ten thousand year old ruins. That meant a civilisation with skills eight thousand years ahead of their time had existed here. It was a huge discovery that overturned many theories that had existed until now.
It may have been a shocking discovery, but they needed hard proof. They couldn't just re-write history without a proper excavation and investigation. So a large scale excavation of the site began to make sure of the discovery. Thanks to that, more workers were needed and when searching for part time work, Koutarou became one of them.
The work was tough but paid well because of it. One day's work would easily earn a month's rent for room 106. It was close to the school too, so it was an easy place to work. Thanks to this, Koutarou could live off of his earnings. Being able to live without being a burden to his father was something that Koutarou was proud of.
"Koutarou, it's about time for a break."
"Hmm, it's already time?"
"Drink some tea, you'll collapse."
"Thanks, Sanae."
Koutarou took the canteen from Sanae and began drinking the barley tea inside it. Ruth's skill at Japanese style cooking was increasing and her barely tea had improved too. It was just like Koutarou liked it, fairly strong.
"The tea's good today too."
"I prefer it a bit weaker."
"If you don't like it, get off."
"No way, I want to drink too."
"What a selfish girl."
"Well I'm a girl… More importantly, Koutarou, the glasses-guy is coming."
As Koutarou closed the lid on the barley tea he'd been drinking, his childhood friend, Matsudaira Kenji, appeared in the area he was working. He'd said he was going out somewhere today, so Koutarou knit his eyebrows in puzzlement.
"Yo, McKenzie, I thought you weren't coming today?"
"I wasn't, but well, a lot of stuff happened."
"Don't tell me, you broke up again?"
Koutarou knew Kenji had plans with his girlfriend, and Kenji's personality meant that he wouldn't stand her up and go to work. So naturally, the possibility he'd broken up rose to the surface. It was a pattern even Koutarou understood.
"That's not the case… But nearly."
"You never learn your lesson…"
"You've never even gone out, so you wouldn't know!"
They were words that Kenji had just thought of as an excuse, but they resounded strangely to Koutarou.
"You wouldn't understand unless you've gone out, huh… That might be true…"
Koutarou glanced behind him to see Sanae floating nearby, waiting for them to finish talking and following a butterfly with her eyes. It was a charming scene, Koutarou felt this because of spending time and coming here with her. Koutarou's valuation of Sanae was very different from when they first met, and that was true to a certain extent for the other invaders too. That was definitely – albeit slightly different from what Kenji meant – something he wouldn't have understood without going out with them.
"Talk before it gets weird."
"Okay, okay."
However, Koutarou and Kenji were exact opposites, with time, Koutarou made relationships, but with time, Kenji destroyed them, so Koutarou couldn't properly understand his feelings.
"So how many does that make it now?"
"You're not even past zero yet, so you can't talk, Kou!"
Koutarou and Kenji started excavating whilst arguing. Sanae watched them for a while, but gradually became bored and decided to go and walk around the area.
"Koutarou, Koutarou, I'm going to go look around over there."
"…Don't go too far so you don't get lost."
"Okay, I'm off!"
"…Sure, be careful."
Sanae made sure to tell Koutarou, and then went off to walk. But she didn't notice how naturally she did it, Koutarou was the same, but that was the change that had occurred between them in the past few months.
"Kou, did you say something?"
"No, nothing. Oh, an arrowhead."
Koutarou was working with Kenji, and Sanae was walking on her own, they were doing things separately, but the distance between their hearts wasn't as great as the actual distance between them.
Kenji had so easily told his sob story to use it as motivation to ask Koutarou something, even if it was Kenji asking he wouldn't easily get to the core of things with no reward.
"If we're talking about troubling stuff, Kou."
"…You're strangely not troubled."
For a moment, Kenji's kind disposition showed.
"How do you mean?"
"To tell the truth, when you started living on your own, I thought you'd go bad again."
Koutarou had lived with just his father. His mother had died in an accident when he was young. That had destroyed his home life, and it had taken a long time to build it back up. His childhood friend Kenji had seen that up close, so whilst he'd said various things when Koutarou started to live alone, he was actually worried about it. That was also why he'd taken every chance to tell Koutarou to get a girlfriend.
"Aah, that's what you mean."
Koutarou stopped working and smiled slightly.
To Koutarou, Kenji worrying about that wasn't strange, and because it was Kenji, he didn't find it unpleasant, he'd played a large role in fixing his life after it was destroyed.
"But… you've been the same as always. It made me slightly curious if everything was okay."
Kenji said that with a wry smile, he was glad that his worries were unfounded but was still curious. He wanted to know if there was a reason. It was proof of his friendship.
"Now that you mention it…"
Now that Kenji had pointed it out to him, Koutarou noticed he hadn't felt lonely living alone.
"Why's it like that…?"
Koutarou found it strange. The day he'd moved in, he had indeed felt lonely, no one was waiting for him there, and his voice echoed in the empty room.
"I see, I might…"
If Koutarou went home, Kiriha would be in the kitchen preparing dinner, Ruth would be preparing tea. Theia would be engrossed in a game on the TV, Yurika would be sleeping in the wardrobe or reading manga. And Sanae would be riding on Koutarou's back as always.
In other words, from the day after moving in, Koutarou hadn't been alone since.
"So there is a reason?"
"It's not quite a reason. I'm just busy everyday and if I go to school there are loads of people I get on well with at school, right? So I don't feel lonely."
Koutarou couldn't directly say that though so he changed it so Kenji would understand. This was about the limit of how he could change it without it becoming a lie.
"Now that you mention it, you have been more sociable recently."
But thankfully, Kenji accepted this answer and nodded deeply.
From Kenji's point of view, Koutarou hadn't just been being sociable with the boys, but with female students too. Theia and Ruth stood out, and there was the honour student Kiriha and Yurika who was nearly failing that he was sociable with, a large variety. He was also enthusiastic in the knitting society, so it looked like he did plenty at school to compensate for any loneliness at home.
"So you don't need to worry, you should worry about your own girlfriend."
"Is that anyway to talk to someone who worried for you!?"
"You've got bad habits."
The atmosphere between them was serious for a while, but that was wiped out in an instant and the mood returned to normal.
"Then what about you Kou, there's that many girls around you, isn't there one you're interested in?"
"There's not."
He denied it on the surface, but in Koutarou's mind, several girls' faces appeared.
Theia, always aggressive but also kind.
Ruth, always worrying about everyone.
Yurika, a cosplayer who didn't think much and was irresponsible, but he couldn't hate.
Kiriha, who he didn't know what she was thinking, but he'd caught a glimpse of her deeper emotions.
Harumi, who was shy and kind and taught him knitting.
Shizuka, who looked after Corona House alone after inheriting it from her parents.
"Koutarou, look, look! I caught a beetle! It's huge!"
-Sanae, always energetic and smiling innocently.
Koutarou was interested in these seven girls. They were wrapped in complicated circumstances towards each other, so it might be too early to call them friends. But even so, it was true that they had stopped Koutarou from feeling lonely. They were people who Koutarou didn't want to look away from for lots of reasons.
Sanae was chasing backwards and forwards after a butterfly when she saw a rhinoceros beetle and went to catch it. She could see spiritual waves and fly through the air, so no beetle could escape her. After catching it, she flew back to Koutarou at full speed and full of pride.
"Rhi-chan, ehehehe~."
Full of satisfaction, Sanae returned to Koutarou's back and put her captured beetle on his hat, watching it with a bright smile.
"Well done catching one so big."
"It's amazing, right?"
"Yeah, The earth's bad around here, so I didn't think there would be any so big."
Rhinoceros beetles lived under the ground when they were larvae and preferred a certain level of humidity and humus in the ground. When they matured they left the ground and climbed trees, living off of their sap. So in open areas like the top of this mountain, there weren't many around, there should be more living further down so Koutarou was honestly impressed that Sanae caught a large beetle like that in this kind of unsuitable area.
"That's me, making the impossible possible."
"Well done, well done."
Koutarou would have normally rubbed Sanae's head to praise her, but his hands were covered in mud from excavating so he lightly rubbed his head against hers instead.
"Nyahahaha, that tickles."
"Tickle tickle."
"You've done it now!"
Sanae started doing the same thing, it was only rubbing heads together, so it didn't hurt, and if one of them wanted to stop, both would immediately. The two of them played like that for a while.
"…Kou, what are you doing?"
But to people who couldn't see ghosts, Koutarou looked like he'd gone insane, so Kenji was worried the heat had gotten to him or something.
"N-nothing, I thought I had some mud on my head."
"Oh, okay then, it's hot, so watch it."
Fortunately Kenji didn't question it any further and returned to his own work.
Koutarou brushed off his chest in relief.
"Tehehe, sorry."
"It's fine."
Sanae apologised, but Koutarou wasn't bothered, the two of them were just playing.
Then, because of the two of them moving so much and making noise, the beetle on Koutarou's hat flew off.
"Oh no…"
Sanae watched the beetle fly off in disappointment, it flapped its wings and flew once around their heads before heading straight towards the trees. Its instincts telling it where to go to get home.
"Are you sure you want to let it go?"
Koutarou found Sanae letting it go strange, she could catch up to it and stop it getting away with her spiritual powers.
"Yeah, we can't take Rhi-chan home with us, it wouldn't be fair to get him tangled in our circumstances."
"You've grown up, Sanae."
"I think even kids can be grown up sometimes."
"I think you're right."
Koutarou and Sanae had both become more grown up recently so they knew better than to just bring others into their circumstances, it wouldn't be fair to keep it as a pet, or keep it there for no reason.
"If you're proud then praise me properly."
"Good girl, good girl."
"…Kou, seriously, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, there was an insect on my head so I was just chasing it off!"
The midsummer sun shone down on the beetle flying back to the trees, its wings flapped strongly and were full of life. It was a sight that had held beetles' position as children's idols for a long time thanks to both its strength and beauty.
"…He's gone."
"Yeah… Hey, Koutarou, do you think Rhi-chan has a family?"
"I think he does, I'm sure he's got lots of brothers and sisters waiting for him in the trees.
"Right. I'm sure… he does."
After Koutarou and Sanae watched the beetle until they couldn't see it anymore, he returned to work, and for the rest of the day, Sanae didn't leave his back.
When Koutarou and Sanae got to the road home, it was about six in the evening. It was the middle of summer so the sun hadn't set and the surroundings were still bright. They headed towards Corona House as if they were pursuing the slowly setting sun.
"Koutarou, you really worked hard, right?"
"You can tell?"
"Yeah, recently I've been able to tell things like that about you, only when I'm holding on to you like this though."
"That's strange. Maybe it's because you've practised or we're not scared of each other or something…"
"I think it's because be get on better now."
"It's embarrassing to admit that up front like that."
"Because you're a guy?"
"I'm glad you understand."
They carried on chatting as they walked down the road and eventually could see Corona House in the distance, it was far away so they could only see the roof, but that old fashioned design was unmistakably Corona House.
"Satomi-sama, Sanae-sama!"
The two of them heard a voice from nearby and turned around at the same time and saw Ruth running towards them with her arms full of shopping. Not far behind her were Theia and Kiriha, it looked like the three of them had gone shopping.
"You're coming home too then?"
"Yeah, it's already six after all."
"Ruth, I made sure Koutarou drank the tea."
"Thank you for you work, Sanae-sama."
"Koutarou, you've got mud on your face."
"It's fine, you'll get your handkerchief dirty."
"I don't mind, I'm doing the washing when we get home anyway."
Now with five people, the group continued back to Corona House. The liveliness of the conversation increased with the number of people, it was especially noticeable because when it was just the two of them, Koutarou had had to keep his voice down to avoid looking suspicious.
"Koutarou, you can't get tricked by Kiriha, I'm the only one you can believe!"
"I know, I'm fine."
"How heartless, and after I was so loving too."
Kiriha heaved a heartbroken sigh and looked away, before grabbing Koutarou and pressing his arm into her large chest. It was a lascivious act that would startle any man.
"W-why you, are you seriously doing this!?"
Koutarou too, lost himself to shock here, but he knew this was one of her techniques for the invasion, so he shook his head violently to shake out those thoughts.
"Satomi-sama, there's also the chance you'll become Her Highness' retainer, so please restrain yourself."
"It's useless to just say it, he's an idiot."
"What was that!? I'll remember that tonight!"
"That goes for me too!"
With Ruth's intervention, Koutarou's attention was drawn completely from Kiriha to Theia, making Kiriha's psychological attack useless.
"Your Highness, Satomi-sama, calm down please, it will go as Kiriha-sama wishes if you stay like this."
"That's right Koutarou, if you lose it'd be bad for me because of our truce, so hang in there!"
"I'm sorry, Ruth."
Then, thanks to Ruth and Sanae the flames between Koutarou and Theia died down. In these months, the group had started to regain their balance.
"You don't need to be that careful, I think of you all as friends."
"If it was necessary, you'd be fine with defeating friends."
"Well that's true."
"Why you…"
"Koutarou… You can't really talk like that to a lovely maiden who's holding you like this, can you?"
Her slightly adult smile had a charm that made him lose focus and drew him in, but Koutarou had a thought that put a stop to that.
"That card… and her story about her first love… I don't think it was a lie… so what's this for?"
On the night they all went to the beach, Kiriha had told him about her first love. He didn't want to think of that as a lie so thought her seductive techniques were bad.
"Is she just teasing me? Or maybe… Argh, I don't know!"
He couldn't reach a conclusion and was utterly confused. If he asked her, she'd just smile at him and not answer. That he knew this showed that they were getting on well.
"…She's got guts."
"She's a difficult opponent."
Not knowing Koutarou's worries, Sanae and Ruth looked harshly at her as a rival, other than Koutarou, all of the others still thought of Kiriha as just a rival.
"Even so… what's with them…"
He'd reconciled with Sanae, talked with Kiriha about her first love, Ruth was always worrying about everyone and Yurika would no doubt be watching anime in room 106. In the beginning they were just enemies but now Koutarou couldn't just call them enemies and a strange feeling began to blossom in his chest.
They returned to room 106 and saw Yurika's shoes scattered in the entrance way. Koutarou let out a small sigh and picked them up, entering the room.
"That's right! The culprit is one of these people, find out after the break!"
"Hmm, I don't know at all…"
Yurika was glued to the TV watching a detective anime she'd recorded yesterday. She hadn't noticed Koutarou enter the room at all and he hit her lightly on the back of the head.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to leave your shoes out like that?"
"Sa-Satomi-san, perfect timing! Who do you think the culprit is!?"
While rubbing her sore head, Yurika pointed several times at the TV, more concerned with her anime than the pain.
"You're not even listening."
"I am, don't tease me and tell me! Ow!? Why won't you tell me!?"
"…Whatever, I was stupid to expect anything different."
Koutarou dropped his shoulders and sat next to the table. He was tired from work so he didn't have the energy left to stay angry at Yurika.
"You can too Sanae, tell me who's the culprit please!"
"I haven't watched it yet, don't be unfair, think about it yourself."
"I don't know, I don't know."
Sanae moved away from Yurika to Koutarou with a stunned face.
"She really is a troubling girl…"
"It's because you were too soft on her, Satomi Koutarou."
"It's my fault!?"
"She's a freeloader you're providing for, isn't she, you should at least teach her manners."
"She's not someone who would change just because other people said so!"
"Don't tease me and tell me, Satomi-san!"
When she came to the room she might have been a cosplayer, but you was serious. But day by day she became less serious, less responsible and lazier. As she became used to the environment, she showed more of her true self, this destroyed any credibility she had as a magical girl, but she herself hadn't noticed yet.
After dinner, they started playing a game as always, tonight's game was a card game that Koutarou had brought. It was a game about adventuring inside a cave, you lined up cards with paths and explored the cave, whoever came back with the most treasure won.
"It's my turn next. Uhm, I'll go this way."
Yurika flipped a path card face up, on it was a lizard baring its fangs.
"Let's see, let's see… 'Whilst you are adventuring, you are attacked by a huge, fire-breathing lizard. Roll a die and add the result to your attack power, if it's greater than seven, you win. If you win, take a treasure card, if you lose, either discard a treasure card or skip a turn.'"
There were monsters lying in wait in the cave, if you encountered one, you would roll a dice to decide if you won/
"Oooh, ooh, the sword I'm using has an attack power of four, so I only need three, it's an easy win."
"Wait, Yurika, I'm using this card."
"Let's see, let's see… 'You have neglected to maintain your weapon and it has rusted, minus one attack power.' That's just like Yurika."
"Why are you being mean to me!?"
"Well it's that kind of game."
In this game, if you had disturbance cards in your hand, you could use them at various points in the game. The one Theia used was to make the roll more difficult for other players when they fought.
"Ah, I've got one too, here."
"Let's see… 'You haven't eaten enough and feel weak, minus one attack power.' Nyahahahaha, that's even more like Yurika."
"Even you, Satomi-san!? Why is it just me!?"
"Well you've got the most treasure now."
Obstructing the other players like this whilst you searched for treasure yourself was the main point of this game. If you were ahead you'd get hindered more, but if you weren't, you wouldn't win, choosing when to go out ahead was an extremely important tactic.
"So minus two overall, you need at least five."
Kiriha summed up, from only needing three, she'd had two minus one cards used against her so she needed five on the die, it had suddenly got much harder.
"Uuuu, why does it…"
The others understood the rules and stopped favouring treasure acquisition around the mid-game and focussed on plotting out their hands, but Yurika didn't think and still favoured treasure collection, entering first and drawing the others' fire.
"Just roll the die, Yurika!"
"Uuuu…" On the verge of tears, Yurika picked up the die and appeared to pray, before rolling it across the table. "Pleeee~~aaase!"
Yurika was frantic, this die would decide her rank.
The dice rolled to the edge of the table and stopped.
"How unfortunate, Nijino Yurika."
"Yurika's been eaten by a huge, fire-breathing lizard."
"Waah, I would have won if you didn't get in the way~~."
Unfortunately, it stopped on four, not the desperately needed five, so Yurika had to decide whether to discard a treasure card or skip a turn.
"So which will you do, Yurika?"
"…I'll skip a turn."
Yurika decided to skip a turn, after her long life of poverty, she hesitated to throw away treasure. But at this point, it was the wrong decision, if she discarded a treasure, then she wouldn't be aimed at and could finish without losing a turn with careful planning in the end game. Skipping a turn would only invite more hindrances and drive her into a worse situation.
"Then, it's my turn! Oops, before that, here you go, Yurika."
"What is it?"
"A disturbance card, 'Your wounds were deeper than first thought, you need an extra turn to recover, skip one more turn.'"
"H-how could youu~~~!?"
With yet another hindrance, Yurika definitely had no chance of winning.
When strategy was important, Yurika's results weren't good. They played the game four times, and in all of them, Yurika kept her low position. As a result, since spring when she had 180 points, Yurika's had fallen to near 100. It seemed clear that by Autumn she'd have lost 100 points.
"Don't be so sad, Yurika, I'm sure we'll find a game you're good at some day."
"Really, Satomi-san!? What game would I be good at!? Do you think I can be saved!?"
"I-I wouldn't say you can't be."
Koutarou pushed back Yurika as she came towards him crying, and wiped cold seat off of his forehead. Koutarou felt that there was little chance of her turning it around, she was already nearly a hundred points down on everyone else after all. But he felt awkward saying that to Yurika, he really couldn't hate her.
"The Neanderthal is right, Yurika. It's not the end yet, don't give up. Those that fight to the very end, ready to fight until they collapse, those are the ones who win in the end."
"Hmm, you say good things sometimes, Theia."
"You didn't need to add the 'sometimes'!"
"But Theia's right, you give up too early, Yurika."
"…Do I?"
"You do, do you want to make Sakuraba-senpai worry again?"
"Sakuraba-senpai… R-right, I'll try my best!"
When Yurika was unhappy, Harumi's name would make her energetic again. Harumi was someone who held a great deal of meaning to Yurika, you could say it was a sign of being human. And it was also a reason that Koutarou couldn't hate Yurika, Yurika respected Harumi a great deal, and was also important to Harumi, so when it came down to it, Koutarou couldn't be too harsh to her.
Whilst Koutarou was looking at Yurika with complicated feelings, Sanae who was floating next to him raised her hand in excitement.
"Right, right, everyone!"
"Hmm, what's up?"
"The game was interesting, so who don't we play again, but not for points? Ruth, Karama-chan and Koroma-chan can join in too."
"I can too?"
Ruth's eyes went wide at Sanae's unexpected suggestion, she'd not thought that she would play too. Sanae faced her and nodded energetically.
"Yeah, you know the rules from watching, right?"
"Well, essentially…"
Ruth nodded hesitantly, but didn't know if she should join in too.
"Let's go, ho-! We wanted to play too, ho-!"
"We know the rules too, ho-! It's a game where you get in Yurika-chan's way, ho-!"
"No it's not!"
Compared to Ruth, the Haniwa were raring to go and used their short hands to start cutting the cards. The two of them looked like they were doing acrobatics.
"Your Highness."
"Yes… It's good to sometimes."
"Are you sure?"
"It's the same as when we went to the beach. Instead of just fighting, sometimes you need a rest too."
When she had won a hotel voucher in the tombola, everyone had gone to the sea in the name of a break. Theia had learnt the tolerance to allow things like that, to occasionally forget the conflict and relax.
"Then I'll play too."
"Right, right, that's good!"
"Whoo, ho-!"
"Everyone's playing, ho-!"
"Shouldn't we invite Shizuka too?"
When everyone had decided to play, Kiriha smiled and pointed at the ceiling. Shizuka had come with them to the sea, so Kiriha thought it would be nice to play with her too.
"I'll go invite her then!"
Without waiting for anyone else's agreement, Sanae flew up through the ceiling, because she could go through, it was convenient for inviting her.
"Kyaaaahh!? Sa-Sanae-chan!?"
"Ah, sorry."
After confirming it did seem like Sanae was actually telling her about the game, Koutarou dropped his gaze from the ceiling where it fell on Yurika who was making a face as she was deep in thought.
"What's wrong, Yurika?"
"Thinking about what should I do if even after there are more people, I still come in last…"
"You can't do that, try your best."
"But but, I think that if I lose now I won't be able to pull it back! So maybe I shouldn't play!"
Yurika threw herself towards him, sniffling, he used both hands and pushed her back down and soothed her.
"That again… It's not for points, so if it's only a little, you can ask me for help, so try your best, okay?"
"R-really!? I knew you were really a good person when we fist met!"
"That's it, hang in there, right?"
"It's okay, I already feel like I won."
Koutarou was still worried about her future, especially with money, but he was happy to see her get her motivation back. She really was someone he couldn't hate.
"I'm back!"
"Excuse me!"
Sanae's and Shizuka's voices sounded from the door. It was only down one flight of stairs to get here from Shizuka's apartment but it had only been a short amount of time since Sanae had gone to invite her.
"Welcome, Shizuka-sama."
"Good evening, everyone."
"Good job, Sanae."
"It was no problem."
"That's it, let's challenge Ane-san, ho-!"
"Interesting, the student becomes the teacher, ho-!"
"Fufufu, that's just what I want."
"Let's go then!"
"Wait a minute, teach me the rules!"
"I'll aim for Shizuka-san."
"Yurika, if you don't think and just all out attack, then you'll lose when the landlady isn't here."
"That's not good!"
Finally the cards were dealt and the game began again. Those playing were Koutarou, the four invaders, Theia's attendant Ruth, the landlady Shizuka and Karama and Koroma, nine in all. Originally it would have been unthinkable that they would all play together. But thanks to the days they'd spent together, they'd more or less learnt to cooperate.
"For better or worse, thanks to them, I haven't been lonely living like this…"
Koutarou looked at the girls and remembered his conversation with Kenji at lunch. However, Koutarou wasn't adult enough to admit his gratitude outright, so for now, he'd enjoy the card game as much as possible.


text:
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text: In her most serious role since "The Color Purple," Oprah Winfrey (right) plays the real-life, down-but-not-out single mother LaJoe Rivers in this burnished, gritty 1993 TV movie. She's a determined person who wages war on behalf of her kids from a squalid apartment in the Chicago housing project. Director Anita W. Addison doesn't flinch from the requisite violence but she doesn't exploit it either. Maya Angelou (left) plays LaJoe's equally gritty mother (ABC Thursday at 9 p.m.).


text:
Type fiends Hoefler & Frere-Jones just sent out a great email newsletter detailing how several of their faces can be used to set numbers with style in annual report design.
When you're faced with designing text-heavy, number-heavy material, few
things make the job easier than choosing the right fonts. This month,
H&FJ presents four things to look for when selecting a typographic
palette, and five families of fonts that are designed to meet the
Posted by Megan


text:
Poems of Emily Brontë
by Emily Brontë
The Elder's Rebuke
Additional Information
- Year Published: 1846
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: England
- Source: Bronte, A., Bronte, C., and Bronte, E. (1846). Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. London, England: Aylott and Jones.
- Flesch–Kincaid Level: 8.0
- Word Count: 218
- Genre: Poetry
- Keywords: age, knowledge, legacy
- ✎ Cite This
Share |
Brontë, E. (1846). The Elder's Rebuke. Poems of Emily Brontë (Lit2Go Edition). Retrieved October 22, 2018, from http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/75/poems-of-emily-bronte/5140/the-elders-rebuke/
Brontë, Emily. "The Elder's Rebuke." Poems of Emily Brontë. Lit2Go Edition. 1846. Web. <http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/75/poems-of-emily-bronte/5140/the-elders-rebuke/>. October 22, 2018.
Emily Brontë, "The Elder's Rebuke," Poems of Emily Brontë, Lit2Go Edition, (1846), accessed October 22, 2018, http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/75/poems-of-emily-bronte/5140/the-elders-rebuke/.
"Listen! When your hair, like mine,
Takes a tint of silver gray;
When your eyes, with dimmer shine,
Watch life's bubbles float away:
When you, young man, have borne like me
The weary weight of sixty-three,
Then shall penance sore be paid
For those hours so wildly squandered;
And the words that now fall dead
On your ear, be deeply pondered—
Pondered and approved at last:
But their virtue will be past!
"Glorious is the prize of Duty,
Though she be 'a serious power';
Treacherous all the lures of Beauty,
Thorny bud and poisonous flower!
"Mirth is but a mad beguiling
Of the golden-gifted time;
Love—a demon-meteor, wiling
Heedless feet to gulfs of crime.
"Those who follow earthly pleasure,
Heavenly knowledge will not lead;
Wisdom hides from them her treasure,
Virtue bids them evil-speed!
"Vainly may their hearts repenting.
Seek for aid in future years;
Wisdom, scorned, knows no relenting;
Virtue is not won by fears."
Thus spake the ice-blooded elder gray;
The young man scoffed as he turned away,
Turned to the call of a sweet lute's measure,
Waked by the lightsome touch of pleasure:
Had he ne'er met a gentler teacher,
Woe had been wrought by that pitiless preacher.


text: Ok, nice, I do have MacBook Air 1.6 Rev A.... I'm pretty happy with it, untill I need to do Photoshop, large, "manymultilayered" file... whatever, but now, do I need to live with that ? No, I want to upgrade, maybe rev B, more likely strong MacBook 2.4 (new one) or even better, MacBook Pro 2.4. But now to the point...: My Air is worth half the price now (let's say £700), MacBook Air revB: £1,271. So: Add £571 to the upgrade. MacBook 2.4: £1,125 (+£425) MacBook Pro 2.4: £1,369 (+£669) But now here's the thing. To wait or not to wait ? Apple releases are ONLY based on speculations and rumors !!! No pre-announces, no time-line, nothing... and I don't like that . Anyway what would you recommend ? Did a research here and there, I'll probably go for the MacBook 2.4.. or wait, maybe Apple got a surprise in Jan. Pff . They should have something like a "swap your old for a new one" thing. At least for the same product line.


text:
Date: Friday, February 24, 2017
Time: Boarding: 6:45pm, Depart: 7pm, Return: 9pm
Phone: (415) 331-0444
Get a head start on your weekend with these Friday night sails and check out the incredible Bay Lights!
Created by Leo Villareal, this beautiful light sculpture shines every night from sunset to sunrise on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The original run of the sculpture lasted from March 2013 through March 2015, but due to the incredible success, the lights are back and will remain forever shining across the Bay!
Along the way, you will also see the infamous Alcatraz Island in the heart of the Bay. Alcatraz is one of the world's most notorious and best-known prisons, and has housed some of America's most ruthless criminals including Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. "Doc" Barker, James "Whitey" Bulger, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis!
On-deck Cash Bar- Cash ONLY we do not accept credit cards on this traditional girl.
*Sailing is weather dependent. We sail in most weather, including cold, wind, fog and drizzle. On occasion, we will need to reschedule a sail due to extreme weather. If this is necessary, you will be notified within at least 24 hours of scheduled sail and be offered a reschedule. Our Captains monitor the most sophisticated weather channels and make every effort to bring you information in the timeliest manner.
*Due to the popularity of this sail we do not offer guests an option to cancel or reschedule within 7 days of the sail.
*A ticket is required for all passengers, including babes in arms. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Special Notes
Tickets cost $65 per person. LOCATION: Schooner Freda B - Slip 907, 100 Bay Street, Sausalito, CA 94965,


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Prismasonic is a dynamic company based in Finland. Since 2001 we have pioneered motorised anamorphic lenses based on both correct prisms and cylindrical lenses.
Now our goal is to offer fresh and innovative solutions to build a complete audio visual environment with an exceptional performance and appearance, so that the people can find the right way to enjoy their favourite music and movies without missing any nuance of them.
Learn more at the official Prismasonic website


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JERUSALEM — For the first time, the leadership of Israel`s Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank is threatening a violent uprising against the Israeli government if Prime Minister Shimon Peres attempts an exchange of territory for peace with Jordan.
In interviews, public statements and published articles in recent weeks, the settlement leadership has vowed it will regard any Israeli government that gives up an inch of the occupied territories as illegal and will not obey its orders, even to the point of bloodshed.
Indeed, a recent article in one of the settlers` magazines, Alef Yud, flatly warned that the outcome of any territorial compromise with Jordan would be civil war.
``Nothing like it has ever happened before: Jews, citizens of the state, openly urging armed insurrection if their government dared surrender any portion of occupied territory in exchange for peace,`` wrote the Jerusalem Post.
Concerned Israelis are taking such threats seriously. Last year, they noted, police uncovered a Jewish underground responsible for a string of anti- Arab terrorist acts, including murder, the maiming of two West Bank mayors and a plot to blow up Jerusalem`s Al Aqsa Mosque.
Their trial and sentencing this year evoked a wave of sympathy from settlers, all of whom have access to large amounts of weapons because of security considerations in the territories.
Now, with their talk of civil war, ``the settlers are armed and dangerous,`` said left-wing political analyst David Twersky.
``I maintain that Israel has in fact lost control of the many arms given the settlers for their protection,`` says Zeev Schiff, military editor of the independent daily Ha`aretz.
Israel`s ultra-nationalists have in effect served notice to the country`s moderates that they are prepared to fight Jews as well as Arabs to keep the territories, analysts agree.


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The GE Profile Gas Ranges Profile™ Series 30" Free-Standing Gas Convection Range with Warming Drawer by GE Appliances from Jordan's Home Furnishings. We proudly serve the New Minas and Canning, Nova Scotia area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Keep your clothes dry and fresh directly from your phone. Monitor cycles and settings, extend tumble time and receive alerts when clothes are done.
Its annoying trying to wipe up spills and crumbs when the get stuck on the lip of the cooking surface. With the Edge-to-Edge cooktop there is one large, smooth surface makes wiping up messes simple and easy. Not to mention its stylish, seamless look.
The middle burner can be used as a long oval burner for griddles and oversized pots or as a circle burner for pots and pans.
Make use of the dual purpose burner. Cook up to 6 grilled cheeses on the griddle,flip it over to grill some burgers or remove the griddle to use a pot or pan.
For someone serious about cooking, the tri-ring burner allows you to select between three different burner sizes on one element. Plus it can deliver an impressive 20,000 BTUs for rapid boiling and high heat. This allows you to maximize cooktop space and not use any more energy than you have to for one burner.
When a simple, light oven-cleaning is needed, forget the sweat as GE's Steam-Clean Option handles the cleansing process for you. Steam Clean allows for quick cleaning of minor food spills at temperatures lower than the standard Self-Clean feature. Simply pour 1-cup of water onto the bottom of a cool oven, close the door, and select Steam Clean. Once the cycle is complete, wipe out the moisture and food soils with a soft cloth. With an approximate 30-minute cleaning time, Steam Clean is a good maintenance cleaning option to do every few uses to keep off burdensome build-ups. Exchange heavy scrubbing and scraping for pleasant leisure time while your oven is cleansing its cavity.
Connect a GE Over the Range Microwave to this Range. This automatically syncs clocks and allows you adjust settings to automatically turn on the exhaust vent and or over head lights when you use your cooktop.
Spills are easily contained and don't drip off the side of the oven. Plus the deep-recessed design provides a professional appeal.
Durable Racks glide smoothly on ball bearings and ca hold up to 50 pounds. Plus the stand up to the heat of self clean.
Convection cooking uses a fan to circulate heat around the food in the oven. The result is food that is cooked evenly and thoroughly. Don't worry about having to rotate the pan or move dishes around.
Sabbath mode sets the oven for observance of the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays.
This feature conforms to the Star-K Jewish Sabbath requirements.
GE Profile™ gas ranges offer the newest in style and technology. Influenced by modern style; clean lines, minimal curves and a streamlined look make the range the center of attention in your kitchen. From convection to conventional, from double to single ovens and many different burner options including expandable elements and Power Boil elements, there is a GE Profile™ range for you.
The GE Profile Gas Ranges collection is a great option if you are looking for Appliances in the New Minas and Canning, Nova Scotia area.
Browse other items in the GE Profile Gas Ranges collection from Jordan's Home Furnishings in the New Minas and Canning, Nova Scotia area.
This item has been tagged as: Range, Ranges, Kitchen Appliances, Appliances, Stove, Kitchen Stove, Cook Top Stove, Cooker, Cookstove, Cook Stove, Rangetops, Range Top, Oven, Double Oven, Single Oven, Gas Oven, Electric Oven, Built in Oven, Combination Oven, Oven Range, Oven with Ranges, Oven with Stove Top, Convection Oven, Oven with Microwave, Stove Oven, Kitchen Range, Roaster, Stove, Electric Range, Gas Range, Slide In range, Free Standing Range
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


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We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Battles website.
Groom Away's Aloe Vera Gel is a soothing gel which helps maintain healthy skin & aids natural recovery. The Aloe Vera Gel is made from the best natural ingredients. When applied, Aloe Vera gel is proven to be effective in helping to maintain a healthy skin. It can aid natural recovery from minor grazes and sunburn. This multipurpose gel is useful for almost any skin condition that needs soothing and astringing.
|Groom Away Aloe Vera Gel


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Crosslinking is the intermolecular bond formation of polymer chains. Thedegree of crosslinking is proportional to the radiation dose. It does not require unsaturated or other morereactive groupings. With some exceptions (as in polymers containing aromatics), it does not vary greatlywith chemical structure. It does not vary greatly with temperature. Although the mechanism of cross-linking by radiation has been studied since its initial discovery, there is still no widespread agreement onits exact nature. The mechanism of crosslinking generally varies with the polymers concerned. Theuniversally accepted mechanism involves the cleavage of a C–H bond on one polymer chain to form ahydrogen atom, followed by abstraction of a second hydrogen atom from a neighbouring chain toproduce molecular hydrogen. Then the two adjacent polymeric radicals combine to form a crosslink.The overall effect of crosslinking is that the molecular mass of the polymer steadily increases withradiation dose, leading to branched chains until, ultimately a three-dimensional polymer network isformed when each polymer chain is linked to another chain.
In contrast, scission is the opposite process of crosslinking in which the rupturing of C–C bondsoccurs. Crosslinking increases the average molecular weight whereas the latter process reduces it. If theenergy of the radiation is high, chain breaking occurs through the cleavage of C–C bond. In aeratedsolution medium, however, the mechanistic way of scission proceeds through indirect manner. Thepolymeric free radicals are generated by solvent-free radicals, which are already formed by radiation.The addition of oxygen with the polymeric free radicals forms the peroxy species, which on decom-position forms smaller molecules. The oxidative degradation of the polymers depends upon the solventused in the system. Actually, the polymer degradation competes with the oxidation of the solvent.
Grafting is a method where monomers are introduced laterally on to the polymer chain where ascuring is the rapid polymerisation of an oligomer monomer mixture to form a coating, which is essen-tially bonded by physical forces to the substrate. In the simplest form, such methods involveheterogeneous systems, the substrate being a film, fibre or even a powder, with the monomer as aneat liquid, vapour or solution. There is a close relationship between grafting and curing althoughthere are certain differences. Actually, there is no time limit for the process of grafting. It can takeminutes, hours or even days, whereas curing is a usually very rapid process occurring in a fraction ofsecond. In grafting, covalent C–C bonds are formed whereas in curing, bonding usually involves weakervan der Waals or London dispersion forces. van der Waals bonding operate at distances where there islittle or no overlap or exchange and it is generally associated with smaller energies. However, covalentbonding, is effective at small internuclear distances and is associated with electron overlap, exchange,and consequently higher energies. Another important aspect of curing reactions is the possibility thatconcurrent grafting with curing occurs leading to improved properties of the finished product, particu-larly in adhesion and flexibility.
Grafting proceeds in three different ways: (a) pre-irradiation; (b) peroxidation and (c) mutual irradia-tion technique. In the pre-irradiation technique, the first polymer backbone is irradiated in vacuum or inthe presence of an inert gas to form free radicals. The irradiated polymer substrate is then treated with the monomer, which is either liquid or vapour or as a solution in a suitable solvent. However, in theperoxidation grafting method, the trunk polymer is subjected to high-energy radiation in the presenceof air or oxygen. The result is the formation of hydroperoxides or diperoxides depending on the nature ofthe polymeric backbone and the irradiation conditions. The peroxy products, which are stable, are thentreated with the monomer at higher temperature, whence the peroxides undergo decomposition toradicals, which then initiate grafting. The advantage of this technique is that the intermediate peroxyproducts can be stored for long periods before performing the grafting step. On the other hand, with themutual irradiation technique the polymer and the monomers are irradiated simultaneously to form thefree radicals and thus addition takes place. Since the monomers are not exposed to radiation in the pre-irradiation technique, the obvious advantage of that method is that it is relatively free from the problemof homopolymer formation which occurs with the simultaneous technique. However, the decideddisadvantage of the pre-irradiation technique is the scission of the base polymer due to its directirradiation, which brings forth predominantly the formation of block copolymers rather than graftcopolymers.


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Search Engine Optimization helps in better keyword search positions and page ranks for your website. It also helps generate traffic toward your website which is an important aspect in remaining visible to people. Sometimes, we forget the most basic tips, when implemented, help boost optimization to a great extent. Find below 5 content marketing tips to improve SEO.
From a Search Engine Optimization point of view, it is important to write content with keywords. So, it is essential to choose the right set of keywords when optimizing content for a website or even an article on a blog. You can use a keyword research tool to look for the most competitive keyword in the required category. It helps to look up keywords which are not very specific in order to get back popular keywords.
Internal Links
Creating links for pages within a particular website can greatly improve SEO. These internal links help a person to stay on the same website for a long time. For websites with many web pages, it is good to have a sitemap which will list out all the web pages within a website.
Meta Tags
There are two main types of meta-tags which are meta-descriptions and keywords. Meta descriptions are 156 characters long which require one to succinctly put down information about the article while making sure one or two keywords are included. This makes the website better optimized. Also, it helps people decide if they want to read the article or not.
For a website to be optimized, it is important to have sufficient, good quality content relevant to the industry in order to obtain a good page ranking. For this, you can look up the trending topics industry wise and develop content for the company blog accordingly. Also, when creating content for the other web pages within the website, it is important to use appropriate and effective keywords so that each web page is optimized.
RELATED 10 Ways to Find Content For Your Blog
Social Media
Having a share button is an important step towards getting your content optimized. If people are given the option to share content they find interesting and informative on their social media profiles, it is a great boost to your website's SEO. If you have got enough shareable content up on your website, then the share button is a great crowd puller; people will start visiting your site for more such shareable content.
The above mentioned tips are sure to keep your content optimized while making sure your page is featured on the top. Share some love if you find these tips useful!
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[…] and difficult to remember. For example, it is easier to type http://www.mapplinks.com rather than http://www.mapplinks.com/5-content-marketing-tips-improve-seo/ Also, a person sends a link through email or over chat when he/she does not want others in his […]


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2340 Skyline Boulevard | Reno, Nevada 89509
Where to begin?
LA finished off the snakes with a come-from-behind win in a come-from-behind division race. The Dodgers rallied from last place on July 1. The Dodgers were 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Diamondbacks. In tonight's game, LA trailed 6-3 in the sixth inning. (Read the box scores and draw your own conclusions about the respective offense versus pitching/defense.)
John McCain's tirade was idiotic enough, but deserves reflection from all quarters. Here's mine:
1. John McCain knows how second place feels. He ran the least effective presidential campaign in recent history. The principal reasons the GOP nominated him in the first place are: (a) he had patiently awaited his turn and was "due;" (b) he was hardly the consensus nominee, but the Tea Party fragmentation made him the only viable candidate at the convention; (c) in the post-9/11, let's invade something, law and order crowd, the GOP really wanted a war hero, and the long-term resident at the Hanoi Hilton fit the bill.
2. John McCain knows about corruption. It is difficult to believe that any man who sold his congressional power to help out a leech on the American taxpayers and only narrowly avoided prosecution for corruption would have the hubris to call out the Dodgers for taking a dip in his hometown tub. As one of the Keating Five, McCain used his influence to run interference for Lincoln Savings and Loan, which collapsed in 1989 at a cost of more than $3 billion to the federal government. Charles Keating "contributed" $1.3 million to various Senators, and then called on them to help resist regulators, who were closing in on the risky investment practices at Lincoln Savings & Loan. McCain also had personal ties to Keating. Thanks to McCain and the others, the regulators were stymied, and Lincoln Savings & Loan failed, triggering the huge losses for government "insurance." (Nice, John. Thanks so much.) Keating, of course, was convicted. McCain not only avoided prosecution (and, like the Tango, corruption is typically something that takes two), but also used back-room politics to avoid a public hearing on the Senate Ethics Committee investigation. John knows the process so well: perhaps he'll call for a senatorial inquest of the Dodgers' pool party. f


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As part of our redesign research efforts, yesterday we watched a an ALA TechSource webinar: 10 Steps to a User-Friendly Website.
I found it to be full of useful, practical information as well as great confirmation that we're talking about the right things and floating good ideas.
A few takeaways that stood out for me:
Reduce your site.
- Our site should be smaller, should not use the "just in case" model of information. Most of it is noise.
- The one-pager concept. Our site can probably not become one page but it can be dramatically reduced.


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Tashkent International is the largest airport in Uzbekistan. Its airport code comes from its home in the city of Tashkent.
Are you looking for a rest after a long flight or planning a return trip?
Browse hotels nearby.
When you get there save your time and money and choose: Toshkent Xalqaro Aeroporti airport transfers in Tashkent. Travel by shuttle bus service, taxi, private minibus or limousine in all the nearby destinations.
Flights to Toshkent Xalqaro Aeroporti (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) from airports possibly near your current location:
Other international airports near Tashkent are:


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Watch Brian Heidelberger, chair of Winston's advertising, marketing, and privacy law practice, explain why certain sweepstakes may be illegal even with a free method of entry.
Click here to view video.
Past Mini Law Lessons can be found here or by subscribing to Mr. Heidelberger's YouTube channel. A number of Mini Law Lessons are also available on his Advertising Age author page.


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Posts Tagged 'blogs'
How to map: top tips and tools for hyperlocal publishers
Getting to grips with mapping is a fundamental part of running a hyperlocal blog – this is the first part of a post I've written for Wannabe Hacks as part of their hyperlocal week – the rest of the post has some helpful tips for using different mapping tools – read it here.
Mapping is wrapped up with the very idea of local. It's no surprise that one of the first things many hyperlocal start-ups do is work out exactly which area the blog aims to cover.
But what's local to us is bound up with our day-to-day living – how the school is situated to the bank, how long it takes to walk to the nearest park, how close the post office is to the train station – these are all things which make up our private memory map of our local area.
In this way – using ordinance survey map data could pose a problem for hyperlocal publishers – since the reader's local map is woven into the fabric of daily lives, their emotions and experiences. But if stories and new bits of information can somehow tap into this private map (make it emo-local) – and help the reader better understand, better digest, or give more meaning to something about their community – then the map is a very powerful tool for storytelling indeed.
Part of the reason hyperlocal publishing has often been likened to the news industry is because there are aspects of being a community publisher akin to the traditional patch reporter.
But while local newspaper reporters may struggle to place the story in its emo-local context, hyperlocal publishers not only usually know their area through and through – but also have a number of easy to use online tools at their disposal to help.
There are different types of maps that make up an area – some online tools will work very well for local reporting and some stories, while others will be just too complicated for volunteers working in their spare time to bother with.
This post aims to give a brief overview of some online mapping tools hyperlocal publishers can use – with some practical tips for those getting to grips with maps for news gathering, storytelling and engagement purposes. I also aim to offer a few ideas for when these tools are best applied and what is the best practise for using maps for hyperlocal blogging.
This is by no means an extensive list – and I'm no expert – so I'd very much welcome comments in the section below linking to other good tools, ideas for best mapping practice and links to maps you've seen work well on hyperlocal blogs. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by hrwaldram
February 4, 2011 at 3:04 pm


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For today's prompt, we're faced with the final Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month, which means we're faced with these two options:
- Write a love poem.
- Write an anti-love poem.
Here's my attempt:
In the morning, when we're stumbling
like zombies through taking showers
or making lunches, I sometimes
vent about how tired I'm feeling,
even though we both know why our
young children slept more than us, but
our lack of sleep is always worth
understanding how we're feeling.
…with the Publish Your Poetry bundle that is discounted at less than $30!


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Booking Face Painting
Fees are based on an hourly rate & start at ...
$125 an hour (per artist) with a 2 hour minimum
(A $50 booking deposit is required to reserve your date.)
2hrs, 1 artist = $250
2hrs, 2 artist = $500...
Areas we cover:
We are based in Pomona, CA. and we travel within a 20 mile radius, free of charge. Any additional traveling may come with a traveling fee depending on the distance.
Some of the cities we cover are:
Pomona, Chino Hills, Covina, Monrovia, Rancho Cucamonga, Whittier, Upland, Sandimas, Pasadena, Pico Rivera,
Montebello, El Monte, Hollywood, Commerce, Huntington Park, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Alhambra,
and more...
You must fill out the request form to get an accurate quote.
How to know how many hours to book?
Our artist paint approximately 8-12 faces per hour depending on complexity of the design.
Please take into consideration the amount of guest you will be expecting at your event when booking artist and anticipate some of the grown ups also joining in on the face painting fun.
We want to make sure each little smiling face receives the same quality of work.
How Far In Advance Should I Book?
It is advised that you book your date at least two weeks in advance or sooner.
Due to a high volume of request we recommend booking 1-2 months in advance.
Remember, your request is not confirmed until we receive your deposit.
How do I go about booking?
To request to book your date you must thoroughly read, fill out and summit the form provided below. We will be contacting you
to confirm the time and date availability and set up the deposit transaction.
A $50 deposit is required to reserve your date.
The deposit is required so that we can minimize the loss wages for the artist in the case of a cancellation, problem with scheduling or change of plans.
A cancelled event can be very costly for the artist so we will not make any exceptions.
Method of Payment
Deposits can be made via PayPal or check by mail.
The remaining balance will be collected the day of the event: CASH ONLY
What do we require from the party host?
It is crucial that the person who will be in charge of the transaction , the party host and or the contact person are all familiar with the requirements.
Please provide our artist with a clean, spacious, comfortable working space. It is important that the artist be placed in an area that is shaded away from direct sunlight or harsh inclement weather. Our face painting makeup cracks & does not respond well to the direct heat of the sun and neither do the children waiting in line.
Rain or Shine...
Artist will not work out doors if the climate is below 60 degrees or if it's raining. We also strongly advice against face painting outdoors when the temperature is above 80 degrees.
Face paints are water based and water activated and will be difficult to maintain on the child's faces if they are profusely sweating.
If the climate is extreme please be prepared to move the party indoors into a space with controlled climate.
Working area must be fully lit at ALL times
If you are hosting an afternoon event and anticipate it will run into sundown please prepare a backup plan. We can only paint as well as we can see.
Artist will need to be provided with sufficient lighting.
Set up:
Artist will require a 4-6 foot rectangular table and 2 chairs.
Our set up takes up a whole table. We advise against assigning a table that is designated for more than just face painting.
We ask that the designated painting table please be placed away from any cooking grill or loud speaker system.
Can babies get painted?
We prefer to paint on children who are 2 years of age or older.
For some young children the idea of a stranger writing on their face can make them feel a little uneasy .
We will not assist parents to force
their child to get painted if the child is unhappy or uncomfortable with
the idea.
It is important to us that face painting be a remembered as a pleasant experience for each child.
As an alternative we can offer the child be painted on their hand.
Each child must have the opportunity to get painted once before we offer them a chance to get a second painting.
This ensures that if time runs out all children will still have had a pleasant experience.
The line of spectators must be at least 3 ft. away from the artist's working area.
This allows for the artist to move comfortably,
and prevents any pushing that can cause major problems for both the person being painted and the artist.
The contact person and chaperon must be available to meet and greet the face painting artist at the booked arrival time.
The contact person should also be available for the last 8 minutes before the artist's departure, to facilitate with the closing of the line and make decisions whether they want to extend their contract hours or close off the face painting booth. This will also ensure that the artist get paid in a timely manner.
At the closing of the event the artist must get paid the exact amount of the remaining balance in cash (only).
Children must not be left unattended.
The artist will focus solely on painting the little person in her chair and cannot be responsible for controlling or managing the line.
An assistant (Chaperon) who is familiar with the party guest must be provided by the party host in order to facilitate with the flow of the line and/or with any unruly children, line cutting or problem parents.
Chaperon Duties:
Assist with the flow of the line and crowd control.
Help manage kids.
Help keep little curious hands out of the face painting kit.
Keep line from hindering the face painting process, by
keeping it 3 ft. away from the face painters working area.
Keep children from climbing on artist.
Assist with dumping out soiled water.
Help with the closing of the line and secure that face painter gets paid in a timely manner.
(Having a chaperon that is part of, or knows the family is very beneficial and strongly recommended.)
If the party host cannot provide an assistant for the artist, they can request that the artist bring their own chaperon at the expense of an extra $10 an hour.
If the party host has agreed to provide chaperon and fails to do so the day of the event, they will be charged the additional $10 an hour.
In the event of a cancellation we ask that the party host notify us 24hrs prior to the booked event start time. Deposits are non refundable but if you notify us with sufficient time we will try our best to transfer the deposit to another available date that works for both
the client and "Lil" Bitter Pixie".
As a health precaution artist will not paint on anyone who has any signs of a cold, cold soars, rash or any sort of broken skin.
Face painter will not work in a violent environment. If at any point the environment becomes dangerous or hostile the face painter reserves the right to terminate the previously booked hours and will be expected to be paid in full.
Face painting should be fun for all, the participant, the artist and the spectators. We want to make sure that everyone has a blast!
These regulations are set in place to ensure that we keep a comfortable, safe and and quality experience for everybody. We promise to make it a wonderful and memorable day for you and your party guest.
To request to book your date you must thoroughly fill out and summit the form provided below. Once we confirm your date and time availability we will call you to arrange the deposit transaction. The deposit is none refundable and is used solely to secure your date. Once the artist receives the deposit It will be credited towards the remaining balance.
Contact us @:
Please feel free to reach us at
or via text at (323) 351-1096
If you are ready to proceed, please fill out the application below.
(Please do not fill out this form unless you are certain you are ready to book)
Thank You


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'More protests to come, Won't let tibet be a lost cause'
The countdown to the BRICS summit is spelling trouble for the Capital. Tibetan activists have drawn up a thorough plan to protest Chinese president Hu Jintao's visit to New Delhi for the summit.delhi Updated: Mar 26, 2012 23:47 IST
The countdown to the BRICS summit is spelling trouble for the Capital. Tibetan activists have drawn up a thorough plan to protest Chinese president Hu Jintao's visit to New Delhi for the summit.
The activists, some of them from the Tibetan Youth Congress and other youth organisations, have warned that there could be more suicide bids on the streets of Delhi followed by a mass immolation.
"There will be more action from Tibetan youth. We'll do everything to highlight the Tibetan issue in the international media. We don't want Tibet to be a lost cause," said a Tibetan activist, requesting anonymity.
Worldwide, Tibetans have been taking to self immolation to protest against what they call "Chinese rule in Tibet".
"Tibetans living across India will be in Delhi to protest the visit of the Chinese President, under whose rule atrocities are being perpetrated on Tibetans," the activist added.
More than a lakh Tibetans have taken refuge in India. Earlier too, Tibetans have been protesting whenever the head of Chinese government has visited India.
Even though the self immolation by a Tibetan activist in high security Jantar Mantar area made it difficult to believe, the police claimed that sufficient arrangements had been made to stop any such incident.
"Our officers will carry fire extinguishers along with wet blankets at all times. There will be heavy deployment of police personnel in the New Delhi area," said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.
Tibetans said that their protest would highlight China's alleged human rights violations in Tibet. "We want the visiting heads of Brazil, Russia and South Africa to notice our plight. The youth is all set to give its life to see Tibet as a free country as it used to be before 1959," said a Tibetan student, who studies in Delhi University.
First Published: Mar 26, 2012 23:45 IST


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Yesterday, I logged onto an HCI webinar on "Wireless in Healthcare, and I'm glad I attended the webinar, because it was very informative, and told me a lot about using wireless in the healthcare setting. It featured three speakers: Jeff Schou, the Sr. Director of the Global Healthcare Solutions Group for Motorola Inc., Greg Knight, Wireless Network Architect for the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Health System, and finally, Dr. Amit Sinha, who is Fellow & Chief Technologist of Motorola's Enterprise Wireless LAN division.
Greg, whose Alabama hospital has 900 beds, talked about his firsthand experience at UAB in implementing wireless system, driven mainly by their core clinical system replacement (Cerner). Real life examples of wireless security risks like rogue access points reminded me of how critical security can be in a hospital, and the operational problems like "slow " or "disconnected" spoke to real user issues. He also talked about how he went through his selection criteria for the AirDefense system--it's always useful to hear how someone else decided on a product, especially if you're out there looking yourself. His operational war stories (like 14 rogues the Monday after Christmas!) were a real wake up call to anyone who is upgrading their wireless.
The webinar started a few minutes after I had just run back to the office from St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan and I was still sort of breathless. I was at St. Vincent's to get a look at their server room, because they're building a brand new, all digital hospital; though they haven't broken ground yet, they are doing a lot of behind-the-scenes preliminary work on their IT infrastructure. They've gone to virtualization, and their server room (actually offsite, an entire leased floor in a modern building hard on the Hudson River in midtown Manhattan) was an amazing testament to the benefit of virtualization. There were stacks and stacks of servers and equipment now out of commission, replaced by one skinny box that ran the whole show. The CIO and VP of Client Services were justifiably proud—their footprint has shrunk 75 percent, they can move lots more data, and the environmental benefits were smack in my face as I looked at all that out-of-service equipment. It's a lights out datacenter and it was cool to see all the old backup tapes that actually used to rely on people. Don't worry, I took lots of pictures, and you'll be able to see them when I post my virtual hospital tour of St. Vincent's—it includes a demo patient room for the new hospital they set up in the old hospital that they use it to engage staff in feedback and to generate a sense of excitement about what's coming. There's a lot to be excited about because believe me, this digital patient room DOES look like the future.
So that's what I REALLY wanted to blog about. But hey, guess I just did.
If you want to look at another virtual hospital tour (they're pretty neat), they're here. You can listen to the webinar here.


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Kenworth of South Louisiana has opened a new parts and service location that includes three trained service technicians for the Paccar MX-13 engine.
The location, which features two service bays and a parts delivery truck, is near U.S. Highway 90 in Lake Charles, La. The area has seen growth recently due to oil and gas development.
"Lake Charles is the largest community in southwest Louisiana and this new location sits in the heart of the industrial area," said Scott Oliphant, president of Kenworth of South Louisiana. "The 12 acres provides us the opportunity to grow the facility as demand requires. Already we're looking at expanding the location to a much larger facility with more service bays and more room for parts storage and display."
The new Kenworth of South Louisiana dealership is located on 12 acres at 441 S. Goodman Road, just off U.S. Highway 90 and about 1/2 mi. east of Exits 10B and 11 of U.S. Interstate 210. The Lake Charles location joins four other dealerships under the Kenworth of South Louisiana banner in Carencro (Lafayette), Harahan, Houma and Port Allen, La.


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Greene Design Co develops brand identities for businesses to effectively tell their stories.
GDC builds your brand awareness, strengthens perceptions, and grows brand equity by constructing cohesive creative solutions. An effective brand strategy is rooted in research & sustainable for years to come. I collaborate with a network of specialists to offer the services a full creative agency. This includes illustrators, photographers, developers, and copywriters.
Kevin has received 11 GDUSA awards and three silver Davey Awards over the last few years. He is the lead designer of Pix-l Graphx. He is very active in the local and national design communities. Kevin is a board member of the United Design Guild as the Young Blood Community Leader. He is a member of AIGA's New York chapter, ADC, and attends national design conferences.
Outside of work, Kevin enjoys working on side projects (it just never stops). Outside of all things design-related, he enjoys hiking, camping, cycling, and kayaking. When he has a minute to spare, you can catch him in a coffee shop...probably brainstorming the next project. He is currently reading Deep Work by Cal Newport.
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Within hours after Prime Minister Ehud Barak's sudden resignation from office, Israel's Labor Party declared him its candidate for reelection. Barak's move was seen as tactical - to block the potential candidacy of his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, who, because he currently isn't serving in parliament, would need a special exemption to seek the post again under a special election of the type called by the prime minister.
In a surprise move, the military government of Pakistan freed deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from prison, and he flew immediately to exile in Saudi Arabia. The junta said only that the move was "in the best interests of the country." Sharif was to remain as head of his Pakistan Muslim League, but a ban on holding public office for 21 years remained in effect, along with forfeiture of almost $10 million in personal property.
Four suspects were under arrest after a car-bomb blast that killed at least 21 people in Chechnya and hurt 22 others, many of them seriously. The attack succeeded despite a tip that led police to disarm a bomb in a parked vehicle in a town south of Grozny, the capital. A second bomb elsewhere in the car went off as a crowd gathered at the scene. One suspect was believed to be a member of a Russian paramilitary unit, an indication that Chechen rebels may be infiltrating police ranks.
Early turnout was poor as voters in Romania went to the polls in a runoff election to choose a new president. By midafternoon, fewer than one-quarter of those eligible had voted nationally. Ex-President Ion Iliescu appeared likely to coast to victory.
Little hope of a breakthrough in the stalemated peace process in Northern Ireland was held by key players there as they awaited President Clinton's arrival tomorrow. The trip is the last he has scheduled overseas before leaving office. Instead of optimism, Britain's secretary for the province, Peter Mandelson, warned that "the threat is very real" of pre-Christmas violence by renegade members of the Irish Republican Army.
A runoff election for president appeared necessary in Ghana after Friday's voting left ruling party candidate John Atta Mills and his leading rival both short of the necessary 50 percent for victory in the first round. With ballot-counting all but complete, opposition candidate John Kufuor had 48.4 percent of the vote, to 44.8 percent for Mills. But Kufuor's New Patriotic Party took over control of parliament, reports said.
Direct telephone service between Cuba and the US will be cut Friday, the Havana government said. The move, the second of its type in two years, was announced in retaliation for the failure of US companies to pay a new 10 percent tax on long-distance service. The US carriers argued that they haven't been authorized by Washington to pay the levy.
Thirty-six contested races for seats in parliament may not be invalidated by the courts - even in case of fraud, a new decree issued by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said. It effectively voids challenges to the contested elections by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which claims last June's voting was tainted by violence and intimidation.
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society