We collect data and learn about audience to discover the needs of clients.
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Less than 60 hours to liftoff!
Chang'e-3 liftoff is set for around 18:00 GMT on 1 December, and the 15 m-diameter dish in Kourou will pick up the first signals around 18:44 GMT.
its descent to the surface, expected around mid-day on 14 December.
The landing and rover operations on the Moon will be commanded via two Chinese tracking stations at Kashi, in the far west of China, and at Jiamusi, in the northeast.
Chinese New Report on this subject, way back from from 2006 This should clear the Pu-238 Issue.
November 18 , National Defense Science and Technology and Quality Division in the hospital held a " one hundred milliwatts isotope plutonium-238 batteries developed " acceptance will , China's first plutonium-238 isotope batteries formally approved. The successful development of isotope batteries have long filled the gaps in the study of the field , marking China's research on the nuclear power system has taken an important step forward.
Isotope batteries use radioisotopes decay process releases heat into electrical energy by a thermocouple , small size with light weight , reliable performance , long working life , environmental tolerance and good features , can a variety of special high-altitude environment , oceans , etc. in next job.
With the further development of China's space exploration technologies and future deep space exploration needs, providing stability for our spacecraft , lasting energy has been on the agenda . So far , spacecraft instruments, equipment ideal isotope power source is a battery , the battery master a series of key technologies isotopes prepared and have independent research and production capacity is particularly important.
In 2004, the isotope commitment to the " one hundred milliwatts isotope plutonium-238 battery research " task , in two years time , isotope and collaborative units to complete the overall design and a series of related technology research, developed the sample . Final testing showed that the detection of radiation protection battery indicators are in line with national security requirements, performance reached the technical requirements . Acceptance of the meeting, the project leader Luo Zhifu development process for the project , the key technologies, innovation and project management carried out a report , the group listened carefully to the report , after the scene to watch the battery prototype , review the information , it was agreed by project acceptance.
The project marks the successful acceptance of China's first plutonium-238 isotope batteries developed a complete success , to fill the gaps in the field, laid the foundation for the development of certain technologies hair isotope power supply .
Not much new, just reiteration that China is seriously thinking about exploiting the moon for its unique environment and resources, which the BBC correspondent labels as "startling vision"
"China will for the first time, use the X-band observation system in tracking and controlling Chang'e-3. This is unlike the previous mission, which used the S-band system."
The X-band system was test flown on Chang'e-2 as a secondary unit. Apparently now its the primary.
4) The Chang'e-2 project developed and applied high sensitive digital transponder X-band technology based on a uniform carrier system; it also demonstrated the use of X-band deep space TT&C system and technology. This represents an advancement of China's TT&C system from S-band to X-band system for higher transmission rates; it established the foundation for future deep space exploration missions.
XICHANG, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- China will launch the Chang'e-3 lunar probe at 1:30 a.m. Monday in Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the mission's launching headquarters said here Saturday.
1:30am China Standard Time translates to 9:30 UCT 17:30UCT Sunday.
The first picture was recently taken by some of YW-6's crew who were expressing their blessings to CE-3.
The second was taken 2 years ago during field test of the rover in Kumtag Desert. Signs were placed on a dead but long-standing trunk of a diversifolious poplar (胡杨, Hu Yang). The tree is also considered as a symbol of the spirits of those who devoted themselves to the founding of Dongfeng Space City (JSLC).
Best wishes to CE-3 and all the teams.
Any confirmed webcasts? Will CCTV cover liftoff?
But it's on Monday (or Sunday for most of the regions).
Yep! A picture is sometimes worth more than ten thousand words.
It is really nice to know someone on Earth currently has the interest, political support, and funding to build a large Lunar Lander!
Best of luck to Chang'e-3 and Yutu (Jade Rabbit), the Moon rover.
@esaoperarions twitter feed will be one to watch for tracking updates, along with #ChangE3 hash tag. No live thread here yet less than 24h to launch ?
The spacecraft is to be powered on in a hour from now. Upper stage cryogenic fuel loading will start at 10:10 UTC.
CCTV plans to go live on the launch at 16:00 UTC (i.e. 1.5 hours before launch) - I guess this will be the same for its English channels.
Temperature 4-6°C (dew point 2-4°C), low scattered clouds up to 30% coverage, humidity 60-80%, ground winds NW @ 1-3 m/s, maximum upper level winds 64 m/s from 280° direction at 11000m altitude.
This morning all still go for launch - the fuelling of the rocket is completed, the weather is OK. Yes, the interface between ESOC and China's BACC – the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre – is working. BACC is the headquarters of the tracking and control system for Chang'e 3.
The Xinhua News Agency posted an update yesterday, giving a somewhat updated lift-off time of 18:30 CET.


text:
RCC photojournalism students' documentary to be featured at film festival May 10
ASHEBORO — For the second straight year, Randolph Community College photojournalism students boast a documentary film featured in the annual Longleaf Film Festival in Raleigh.
"Blue & Gold Marching Machine" is an official selection for the festival, which takes place Friday-Saturday, May 10-11.
The RCC film's world premiere is scheduled for Friday, May 10, at 8:30 p.m. In all, 59 juried films will be screened on three screens at the N.C. Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh.
RCC's documentary invites viewers to follow along, from band camp to the "Greatest Homecoming on Earth," as 200 musicians and dancers celebrate the 100th year of the N.C. A&T State University's marching band. The auditioned group was voted the HBCU Sports Band of the Year for the second straight year in January, and its 60-member drumline was recently part of the 2019 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif.
Last season's RCC student film, "Carolina Cross," which documented the 2017-18 North Carolina Cyclo-Cross season, was selected for last year's Longleaf Film Festival and featured at the Praxis Film Festival in Goldsboro and was an official selection for the Real to Reel Film Festival in Kings Mountain.
The festival is free to attend, but a general festival ticket is required. To pick up tickets, visit www.longleaffilmfestival.com and click on the link.
RCC's nationally-known Photographic Technology program offers three concentrations: Commercial Photography, Photojournalism and Portrait Studio Management.
For more information, visit www.randolph.edu/photo.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Sqlite Update Select query -- Referencing table being updated in Order By clause of inner Select I am trying to update values in a table by the result of a select query. The problem is that I am not allowed to reference the outermost table (the table being updated) in the Order By clause of the innermost table (the table to select the new value).
Suppose I have the following table:
MustMatch   PreferredMatch  Old         New
----------  --------------  ----------  ----------
0           Blue            Old blue
1           Blue            Wrong matc
0           Red             Unpreferre
0           Blue            Preferred

I would like to fill in the "New" column for "Old blue". The new value needs to be different from the old value, but match on the MustMatch column. The following query will do this:
UPDATE t
SET New = (
    SELECT innerTable.Old
    FROM t innerTable
    WHERE innerTable.Old != t.Old
        AND innerTable.MustMatch = t.MustMatch
    LIMIT 1
) WHERE Old = "Old blue";

MustMatch   PreferredMatch  Old         New
----------  --------------  ----------  -----------------
0           Blue            Old blue    Unpreferred match
1           Blue            Wrong matc
0           Red             Unpreferre
0           Blue            Preferred

Now, I want to add a preference: I want to add ORDER BY innerTable.PreferredMatch = t.PreferredMatch to the inner query:
UPDATE t
SET New = (
    SELECT innerTable.Old
    FROM t innerTable
    WHERE innerTable.Old != t.Old
        AND innerTable.MustMatch = t.MustMatch
    ORDER BY innerTable.PreferredMatch = t.PreferredMatch DESC
    LIMIT 1
) WHERE Old = "Old blue";

This throws an error Error: no such column: t.PreferredMatch.
The problem is the reference to t. The Order By clause works as intended when I do
UPDATE t
SET New = (
    SELECT innerTable.Old
    FROM t innerTable
    WHERE innerTable.Old != t.Old
        AND innerTable.MustMatch = t.MustMatch
    ORDER BY innerTable.PreferredMatch = 'Blue' DESC
    LIMIT 1
) WHERE Old = "Old blue";

MustMatch   PreferredMatch  Old         New
----------  --------------  ----------  ---------------
0           Blue            Old blue    Preferred match
1           Blue            Wrong matc
0           Red             Unpreferre
0           Blue            Preferred

Why am I not allowed to use table t in the Order By clause, even though I can use it in the Where clause? Is there another way to achieve this?

A: I am surprised that your version doesn't work.  Here is a brute force solution:
UPDATE t
    SET New = COALESCE((SELECT it.Old
                        FROM t it
                        WHERE it.Old <> t.Old AND
                              it.MustMatch = t.MustMatch AND
                              it.PreferredMatch = t.PreferredMatch
                        LIMIT 1
                       ),
                       (SELECT it.Old
                        FROM t it
                        WHERE it.Old <> t.Old AND
                              it.MustMatch = t.MustMatch AND
                              it.PreferredMatch <> t.PreferredMatch
                        LIMIT 1
                       ))
WHERE Old = 'Old blue';

Or this might work:
UPDATE t
    SET New = (SELECT COALESCE(MAX(CASE WHEN it.PreferredMatch = t.PreferredMatchit.Old
                                        THEN t.Old
                                   END),
                               MAX(t.Old))
               FROM t it
               WHERE it.Old <> t.Old AND
                     it.MustMatch = t.MustMatch AND
              );

A: If instead of
UPDATE test
SET New = (
    SELECT innerTable.Old
    FROM test innerTable
    WHERE innerTable.Old != test.Old
        AND innerTable.MustMatch = test.MustMatch
    ORDER BY innerTable.PreferredMatch = test.PreferredMatch DESC
    LIMIT 1
) WHERE Old = "Old blue";

you use one more level
UPDATE test
SET New = (SELECT newValue FROM
    (SELECT innerTable.Old as newValue,
            innerTable.PreferredMatch = test.PreferredMatch as pick
    FROM test innerTable
    WHERE innerTable.Old != test.Old
        AND innerTable.MustMatch = test.MustMatch
    ORDER BY pick DESC
    LIMIT 1) foo
) WHERE Old = "Old blue";

then it works (you use in order-by a name of the field in select, and in select you can use a field from the external table which is being updated).
IMHO it's a bug in sqlite - there is no reason why a field from an external table could be used in where and select clauses but not in order-by.

A: Note that exactly the same run in postgresql simply works:
create table test (MustMatch integer,
            PreferredMatch varchar,
            Old varchar,
            New varchar);
-- CREATE TABLE

insert into test (MustMatch, PreferredMatch, Old, New)
values
    (0           ,'Blue'            ,'Old blue'         ,null),
    (1           ,'Blue'            ,'Wrong matc'       ,null),
    (0           ,'Red'             ,'Unpreferre'       ,null),
    (0           ,'Blue'            ,'Preferred'        ,null);
-- INSERT 0 4

UPDATE test
SET New = (
    SELECT innerTable.Old
    FROM test innerTable
    WHERE innerTable.Old != test.Old
        AND innerTable.MustMatch = test.MustMatch
    ORDER BY innerTable.PreferredMatch = test.PreferredMatch DESC
    LIMIT 1
) WHERE Old = 'Old blue';
-- UPDATE 1

It really feels like sqlite bug - there should be no difference where you would use an external field in a subselect.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) debate whether recreational marijuana should be legalized.
Sarah Gersten, attorney and founder of Gersten Saltman, and Lauren Estevez, attorney with Margolin & Lawrence, discuss the legal risks facing marijuana companies and investors.
Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. More than a quarter century later, a section of that law helped states to legalize marijuana.
The Democratic takeover of Congress could mean marijuana could be legalized by the end of the year. James Higdon, who wrote about the likelihood of federal legislation of marijuana for Politico, joins CBSN to discuss.
According to a survey of 8 million people.
What is the future for drug-sniffing dogs with the legalization of recreational marijuana in Michigan?
Is now the right time to legalize pot?
Gov. Tony Evers said he is taking first steps toward marijuana legalization.
Senator Harris Asks Attorney General Nominee Barr About Marijuana Legalization And Private Prisons!
Governor Jesse Ventura (actor and author) joins Dave Rubin to discuss his new book "Marijuana Manifesto." ***Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RubinReport ***The Rubin Report is fan-funded: http://www.rubinreport.com/donate Watch the full interview with Jesse Ventura: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Kt9SrHYWk This week's Direct Message: This Election is Officially Insane – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qKirN4yYz4 SUPPORT MONTHLY (Patreon): https://www.patreon.com/rubinreport SUPPORT ONE-TIME (PayPal): http://www.rubinreport.com/donate What are your thoughts?
Subscribe to The Doctors: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTheDrs LIKE us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/FacebookTheDoctors Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TheDrsTwitter Follow us on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/PinterestTheDrs Emmy award-winning actress and author Roseanne Barr and The Doctors debate the pros and cons of marijuana legalization.


It's not just about the Turkey, it's about the whole occasion and we want to make sure your party is magical from the moment you step in. Mulled wine will be gently simmering on the bar, buttery mince pies stacked up in the kitchen and Santa hats are on the table for every guest who dines (wearing them is obligatory).
See our menu below, or download it here, or complete an enquiry here.
Throughout the two months of June and July, there is no minimum spends on any event booked Sunday-Friday. Whether it's a party, business lunch or celebratory dinner, call us on 0121 270 7090.


Umarex Legends C96 BB pistol.
Today is a special test of the C96, requested by blog reader RidgeRunner and seconded by several others. You want to see if the pistol will be more accurate with Daisy's Avanti Precision Ground Shot, which is made expressly for the Avanti Champion 499 BB gun. More accurate than what? More accurate than the best BB tested in Part 3, which turned out to be the Daisy Premium Grade zinc-plated BBs that shot the tightest groups with this pistol?
Today, we'll look at the accuracy of the Legends C96 CO2 BB pistol, and I can sum it up in a single word: Spectacular! Those who like accurate BB pistols will want to put this one on their list.
Let's look at the velocity of the Legends C96 CO2 BB pistol. It's advertised at 380 f.p.s., and we know that it has blowback. So, it'll be interesting to see just how powerful this pistol really is, as well as how many shots it gets.
The first BB I tested was the Crosman Copperhead. They were tested when the CO2 cartridge was fresh, which boosted their average velocity a few f.p.s. They averaged 402 f.p.s, with a spread from 392 to a high of 409 f.p.s. At the average velocity, Copperheads generated 1.83 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
Let's cut to the chase. The title of this report says Legends C96 CO2 BB pistol, but Americans are going to call this a Broomhandle Mauser because of the shape of the pistol grip. The Legends part comes from the Umarex line of replica air pistols.


text:
Home » Tech » Notorious Studios breaks free from World of Warcraft to build its own worlds
Notorious Studios breaks free from World of Warcraft to build its own worlds
Chris Kaleiki worked at Blizzard on World of Warcraft, where he spent years designing and balancing character classes, even developing the monk for the Mists of Pandaria expansion. Now he has started his own company, Notorious Studios.
"Ultimately we're all really world-builders on our team. We like building worlds. That's what our focus is going to be in our first title," Kaleiki told GamesBeat. His studio has eight people right now, all also former World of Warcraft team members. Many of them were also in his WoW guild, which was also called Notorious.
While he won't get too specific about the studio's new game, he did say that it will be a multiplayer RPG with third-person action. So if it isn't an MMO, it'll at least be MMO adjacent. Kaleiki wants to grow the studio to 12 people by early next year.
Of course, Blizzard and even specifically the World of Warcraft team have been in the news because of investigations into its workplace practices and accusations of sexual harassment.
Three top investment pros open up about what it takes to get your video game funded.
"The challenges that Blizzard's had that have been unearthed in the last several months or so have been really troubling, hard to hear about," Kaleiki said. "It affects us as well, even though we've been out of Blizzard for a while."
So, how can Notorious avoid the same pitfalls that have afflicted Blizzard?
"What's important is starting a culture and having no tolerance for harassment and things like that, and also being transparent and open. We're aspiring to do a flatter structure. None of us are leads or directors. Previously in our careers we were all individual contributors. We were the ones who'd just build or code or make art or design things. We aspire to have that flatter structure where we don't have a rigid hierarchy. Harassment usually comes from a subordinate-superior sort of relationship. We're hoping that flatter structure can address some of those problems."
Riot help
Notorious has developed a relationship with Riot Games. The League of Legends developer has invested in the new studio.
"I think they're a developer who cares a lot about the player's experience as well," Kaleiki said. "They have a franchise that's beloved by players. We have so many friends and colleagues who work at Riot, who used to work at Blizzard. I've always had a good view of them."
That support could be key to helping Notorious launch its first project.
"We're very excited about the idea of this studio and the culture we're going to build, and the types of games that we can make," concluded Kaleiki.
Xiaomi confirms Redmi Note 11 Pro models ahead of October 28 launch: Check likely features and prices
Halo Infinite campaign trailer swings for redemption


text:
Browns interview Ben McAdoo, hire Drew Petzing as tight ends coach
Nate Ulrich Beacon Journal
Jan 24, 2020 at 2:14 PM Jan 24, 2020 at 5:46 PM
New Browns coach Kevin Stefanski continued to chip away Friday at building his staff, interviewing former New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo and hiring Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach Drew Petzing to guide the tight ends, a person familiar with the situation confirmed.
McAdoo could be under consideration to become Stefanski's offensive coordinator, though another role is possible.
The offensive coordinator of the Vikings last year, Stefanski said Wednesday during the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards it "remains to be seen" whether he'll hire an OC.
McAdoo served as the OC of the Giants from 2014-15 before going 13-16, including 0-1 in the playoffs, as their head coach from 2016-17. The Giants fired him with four games left in the 2017 season, and he hasn't coached since then.
McAdoo was the quarterbacks coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2012-13, and the Browns have yet to hire a QBs coach. McAdoo interviewed for the Browns' head coaching vacancy in 2014, when they hired Mike Pettine.
If the Browns were to add McAdoo, he would be reunited with receiver Odell Beckham Jr., whom the Giants traded in March.
In 2018, McAdoo moonlighted as a writer for Peter King's Football Morning in America column and addressed his relationship with Beckham.
"I learned I need to handle players, and work with players, better," wrote McAdoo, who also interviewed with the Browns in 2018 for their OC job before they hired Todd Haley instead. "Take Odell Beckham Jr. I needed to be better for him personally, as a coordinator and head coach. I was too busy trying to scheme ways to get him the ball, especially early in my time in New York, that I didn't step back and see the big picture the way I should have.
"Odell's so passionate, and cares so much, and that emotion hurts him at times on game day. I should have seen my job with Odell was more than simply X's and O's; it was also helping Odell the person. He is not only a generational talent, but also bright and well-read, and I let him down early in his career. I will not make that mistake again."
As for Petzing, he worked with Stefanski for the past six seasons in Minnesota.
Petzing coached quarterbacks, receivers and running backs for the Vikings. This will be his first time serving as a tight ends coach, but not his first time with the Browns. He spent the 2013 season with them, working as a football operations intern focusing primarily on offense.
Petzing will succeed John Lilly, who spent one season as the Browns' tight ends coach.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his Browns coverage at www.beaconjournal.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ByNateUlrich and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.


text:
Q: as3 Call function in document class from child swf I have a loader swf acting as the main swf that is responsible for loading and rendering external swf's.
In the document class of the loader swf, I have a function named test.
public function test() {
    ExternalInterface.call("console.log", "Test");
}

I want to call this function from the child swf that is being loaded in using an external class known as StateManager. A new instance of the StateManager class is being created in the document class of the loader swf as can be seen below.
import com.xxxx.state.StateManager;

public class Loader extends MovieClip {

    private static var _instance:Loader;
    public static function get instance() { return _instance; }

    public var stateManager = new StateManager();

    // Other code has been ommited obviously.

}

A function is then called in StateManager which renders the new swf.
public function setActiveState(url) {
    var request = new URLRequest(url);
    var loader = new Loader();
    loader.load(request);
    addChild(loader);
}

In the child swf's document class, I have attempted to call the loader swf's test function using many different methods, all of which have resulted in nothing happening and no error being produced (I have confirmed that the child swf is rendering properly). I have tried using the following code.
public class ChildSWF extends MovieClip {

    public function ChildSWF() {
        MovieClip(parent.parent).Loader.instance.test();
    }

}

As well as
public class ChildSWF extends MovieClip {

    public function ChildSWF() {
        MovieClip(parent.parent.parent).Loader.instance.test();
    }

}

and many other pieces of code that I have seen when researching this problem. If anyone could help, that would be greatly appreciated.

A: First. Never, absolutely never name your classes as the already existing classes. You're, like, welcoming future troubles with the huge neon WELCOME display with the occasional firework blasts in the background.
Then. Your class Loader is not a member (nor a variable) of any display object and just cannot be accessed the way you try it. Classes do not work like that. They are definitions of the ApplicationDomain. You might want to find and read about it: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/FlashPlatform/reference/actionscript/3/flash/system/ApplicationDomain.html#getDefinition()
The rest is pretty simple.
public var callBack:Function;

public function setActiveState(url, handler)
{
    callBack = handler;

    var request = new URLRequest(url);
    var loader = new Loader;
    loader.load(request);
    addChild(loader);
}

Then in the loaded content:
public class ChildSWF extends MovieClip
{
    public function ChildSWF()
    {
        (parent.parent as Object).callBack();
    }
}

The loaded content will call whatever method reference you will have in the callBack variable;


text:
News Media Paid Melania Trump for Use of Photos in 'Positive Stories Only'
Several news organizations removed the images from their websites after inquiries by NBC News
Published July 2, 2018 • Updated on July 2, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Since her husband took office Melania Trump has earned six figures from an unusual deal with a photo agency in which major media organizations have indirectly paid the Trump family despite a requirement that the photos be used only in positive coverage, NBC News reported.
President Donald Trump's most recent financial disclosure reveals that in 2017 the first lady earned at least $100,000 from Getty Images for the use of any of a series of 187 photos of the first family shot between 2010 and 2016 by Belgian photographer Regine Mahaux.
It's not unheard of for celebrities to earn royalties from photos of themselves, but it's very unusual for the wife of a currently serving elected official. More problematic for the many news organizations that have published or broadcast the images, however, is that Getty's licensing agreement stipulates the pictures can be used in "positive stories only."
georgia 4 hours ago
Getty Images told NBC News that the details and amounts of payments to the Trumps are covered by confidential agreements.
Several news organizations removed the images from their websites after inquiries by NBC News; NBC's Nightly News included the images in a Nightly News segment on Melania Trump that aired July 18, 2016, during the Republican National Convention. An NBC News spokesperson said NBC News did not agree or sign a statement that the image would be used for positive coverage, and was never informed that a portion of the royalties would go to the Trump family.


text:
Columns -
BY DAN KNUTSON
Being the sceptics that some of us are, the Conspiracy Theory Sensor went onto Full Alert - or perhaps I should say Red Alert - on Sunday when Sauber issued an instruction to Sergio Perez as he chased after Fernando Alonso and victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The message from race engineer Marco Schupbach - "Checo, be careful, we need this position. We need this position" - triggered a number of thoughts, not least that the car ahead was a Ferrari, desperately in need of victory and powered by the same engine as the V8 in the back of Perez's Sauber.

It also prompted a reminder of the wide-spread belief that Perez is a shoe-in for a seat at Ferrari, perhaps sooner rather than later given Felipe Massa's disappointing performances. Or later, much later, if Perez stole the win from Maranello. Or not at all if he put Alonso off the road in the process.

The trouble with all of the foregoing is that it assumes Perez is an idiot - which he clearly is not judging by mature performances in his 19 Grands Prix so far. But, before we discuss the Swiss team's curious need to mother their boy, let's look at the Ferrari conspiracy that has occupied many a message board on F1 websites.

The problem here is that Ferrari does not have a good track record when it comes to manipulation, more recent examples being Eddie Irvine's unspoken role as Michael Schumacher's assistant; the more public humiliation of Rubens Barrichello in Austria 2002 and the infamous 'Fernando is faster than you' phone call to Massa at Hockenheim that probably did as much damage to the poor guy's head as the wayward spring in Hungary.

Add to that the thought that Alonso himself is not averse to asking for favours, the request (rejected by Renault) to have Giancarlo Fisichella stand aside during the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix coming easily to mind.

Throw that lot into a pot, stir in - 'stir' being an appropriate word - the probing media and heat the mix with the blow-torch criticism and expectation from Italy and you have the recipe for 'Must win at all costs; that includes you, Mr. Sauber' conjecture.

I don't know the truth any more than you do but, watching from a distance, I have to say such supposition seems fanciful. Critics have latched onto the use of 'position' in Schupbach's message. Peter Sauber subsequently explained that it was a bad choice of word when, in effect, they meant: "We need the points".

No one can argue with that when the team was on the verge of scoring, at a stroke, the same number of points it took them six races to earn at the start of last season. From the evidence of the first two races this year, the Sauber has a better handle than most on the 2012 Pirelli tyres; who can blame them for wanting to make hay before some of the better heeled teams catch up.

Then there is the business of Perez leaving the road and losing five seconds, as if reacting to this imaginary command to back off and leave Alonso alone. If Perez was going to stay safe in second, then launching himself over a kerb on the outside of one of the most difficult corners at Sepang was hardly the place to do it. Like I said, the boy isn't stupid.

The most pertinent question was why he had gone off. Which brings us back to the radio message; a pretty dumb call, if ever I heard one. Apart from presupposing Perez hadn't worked out the implications of a DNF for this little team, history shows that asking a F1 driver to slow down is like suddenly discussing the weekend's shopping while having sex. Or, so I would imagine.

The classic example - driving, not sex - is Ayrton Senna at Monaco in 1988. Holding a 50-second lead over Alain Prost, Senna receives a suggestion from the pit wall that it might be a good idea not to keep banging in fastest laps. Exactly one lap later, he tags the barrier at Portier, a corner he had gone through at least 100 times that weekend without incident. And yet here he was making a basic misjudgement he simply could not believe possible as he stepped from the damaged McLaren and glared at the offending metalwork minding its own business on the far side of the road.

Would Perez have got by Alonso? Quite possibly, given his speed, a wide track and the advantage provided by DRS at Sepang. But we'll never know - any more than we'll know the absolute truth over the Red Alert theory.

Personally, I'd prefer to go with the nice thought of just missing out on the first victory for a Mexican since Pedro Rodriguez at Spa in 1970. Would Pedro have backed off in such circumstances? You must be joking.

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text:
Culture , Entertainment , News & Politics , Photos
HBO Hosts 'Random Acts of Flyness' Pop-Up Exhibit (PHOTOS)
(Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong/Team Epiphany)
HBO celebrated its new late-night series, Random Acts of Flyness, with an interactive "museum" experience in New York City on Aug. 17-18. Terence Nance, RAOF's creator, director and star, was on hand with the room full of influencers and tastemakers on opening night to record a live podcast and browse the exhibit.
Guest stars of the first season of comedy sketch show include Whoopi Goldberg, Ntare Guma Mwine, Adepero Oduye, Natalie Paul, Dominique Fishback and Paul Sparks.
Random Acts of Flyness explores patriarchy, white supremacy and sensuality from a thought-provoking perspective. The two-day pop-up homed in on those themes with vignettes and installations including "Black Women Will Save Us All," "Braids" and "White be Gone."
The series airs on HBO on Saturdays at midnight and was just renewed for a second season.
Deray McKesson
Random Acts of Flyness
terence nance


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The March of Time
drwatsonn 1 story
drwatsonn
1: Of Books, Bus Stops, and Shortcuts
Disclaimer: All rights go to JRR Tolkien and Peter Jackson, respectively. Anything you don't recognize is mine.
Beginning A/N: Hello, all! For those of you who are new, welcome, and for those of you who are old, yes I did rewrite this first chapter (well, mainly the prologue), and there are more edits to come, so just a heads up on that.
For anyone new to this story, this is my first shot at a fan fiction, and I would appreciate your feedback on anything, whether positive or constructive. Other than that, I hope all goes well for this story! It's a bit of a slow start, but next chapter things begin to pick up.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy!
On an unusually cold day in mid-September, a lone figure on horseback made his way down the Great East Road, staff in hand and his grey head adorned with a tall, pointy hat as his horse clopped along wearily, exhausted from the strenuous ride it had sustained as the afternoon sun began to dwindle its way toward the horizon.
The man atop the horse hummed genially as he went, his keen blue eyes taking in his surroundings with a bright twinkle that had made many a man speculate on his wisdom - or his madness.
But Gandalf the Grey was never one for lunacy of any sort; indeed, his ways were often mysterious and eccentric, but mad? Never. Though some would disagree, most definitely, if they heard the Wizard's plan for a Quest, an idea that had formed when the map and the key within his cloak had first been acquired, and reinforced very recently as he remembered the dried piece of leather on his person with a grimace; this, of course, being the very reason he was on the Road in the first place, following a shadow of a rumor that led straight to the village of Bree.
The Wizard and his horse rode for a while more, until the sun had become a glowing red orb above the countryside, and Gandalf deemed it necessary to take a break. He heard the gurgling of a stream nearby, and steered his horse toward the sound, the mare picking up speed at the prospect of fresh water, and Gandalf chuckled.
"A well-deserved rest, I think," he said, patting the mare's neck fondly. "You have borne your Master admirably, Aléthel."
The mare snorted in response, and when the stream came into view, Gandalf disembarked from the saddle and stretched his legs, collecting some water for himself, as well, while the horse drank beside him.
When he was finished, he pulled out his pipe and settled down for a moment's smoke, deep in thought; he debated whether he should stop for the night or keep pressing on to Bree, which was still a three days' ride from where he currently was, puffing and blowing smoke rings absent-mindedly while he pondered. The items he carried were not to be dawdled with, but Gandalf was fairly certain he had pushed Aléthel far enough for one week, and did not wish to exert his horse too much.
Three days was not that long at all, he decided, and he moved to put out his pipe and remove some supplies from the saddle, when something before him caught his eye.
It was a tree that had sparked his interest; and though Gandalf was a lover of all things natural and beautiful (being a close second only to Radagast the Brown when it came to the creations of Yavanna), he wondered what had captured his attention so, until he looked harder at the tree.
This tree was unusual and out of place amongst its neighbors; not only was it an ash tree surrounded by oaks and maples, but while the other trees were green and in full bloom from the lingering summer weather, this tree was dead, black, and charred, as if it had been burned recently. Its branches twisted up into the sky, and against the golden-red of the sunset behind it, Gandalf could truly imagine it being burned. An ash tree that had been burned…
Understanding and a sense of dread suddenly flooded the Wizard, mingling with some surprise as he continued to stare at the tree, his mind whirling with the possibilities.
After scrutinizing the tree for several more minutes, Gandalf finally chuckled and shook his head, turning in the direction of the West with a broad smile upon his face.
"I should have known," he said amusedly. "You have quite the plan for us this time around, I feel, my friends."
There was no reply, of course, but Gandalf could imagine a slightly warmer breeze touch his face as he turned back to Aléthel, the mare eyeing him with a sort of resigned look in her intelligent dark eyes.
"I apologize, my dear," Gandalf said, smiling as he climbed back into the saddle. "But we must make haste now to Bree, if we are to be successful in this coming venture."
It was with heavy feet and an even heavier heart that Thorin Oakenshield entered into The Prancing Pony, water dripping from his clothes and streaming from his hood from the onslaught of rain plaguing the town outside of the inn's warm and babbling bar area.
Thorin made for the only available table in the place, a large bench that would satisfy a bigger party than just him, but he sank down gratefully nonetheless, giving his order to one of the matrons that whisked by, out of breath from twisting and dodging through the turbulent crowd.
While waiting for his food and drink, Thorin began twisting one of the silver rings on his fingers, a habit he often found himself doing nowadays when he was lost deep in thought, or just bored out of his mind in council meetings. But today his mind was not filled with the maddening dilemma of contracts and missives, but rather of thoughts of his father, and the bitterness that rushed through him upon realizing that he never should have listened to those rumors in the first place; all it had done was raise his hopes and drop his feet out from under him, yet again, as did all matters that concerned Thráin as of late.
The arrival of his food broke Thorin out of his brooding, and after a quick thanks, he began to tear into the chunk of bread he had been given along with his meat, cheese and ale, ravenous after his long trek through the countryside.
He was just swallowing away the last of the bread with a swig from his tankard, when suddenly a broad shadow moved out of nowhere and sat on the bench opposite him, saying, "Mind if I join you?"
Thorin clunked down his tankard and moved toward his sword hilt simultaneously, choking on a bit of ale he had sucked down in surprise at this stranger's sudden appearance, but when he took in the benign features, piercing blue eyes, and grey robes of the silver-haired and bearded man before him, Thorin relaxed his grip, instead raising an eyebrow coolly.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, unaware to Thorin's split second reactions as he smiled serenely. "I am Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."
"I know who you are," Thorin replied, and the Wizard now seated before him inclined his head, though he looked amused.
"Well, now, this is a fine chance," he said, as Thorin took another drink from his tankard, careful not to inhale any of it this time. "What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?"
Thorin stiffened, lowering his tankard as he met the Wizard's eyes solemnly. "There was a rumor," he said reluctantly, as Gandalf gazed at him with his scrutinizing eyes. "That my father, Thráin, had been found wandering the Wilds near Dunland. I came looking..."
"But there was no sign of him," Gandalf stated, reading the hard expression on Thorin's face, and the dwarf's hands tightened around his tankard.
"My father came to see you before he went missing," he said, meeting the Wizard's gaze again, and he suddenly noticed the expectation in the depths, as if he had been anticipating this turn in the conversation. "What did you say to him?"
"The same thing I will say to you," he replied, entwining his long fingers before him on the table and still staring at Thorin levelly. "I urged him to march upon Erebor, to run the second army of the Dwarves - to kill the dragon, and take back your homeland."
Thorin blinked, saying nothing, but when the Wizard showed no signs of relenting or playing it off as jest, his mouth turned up in a sardonic grin, and he said wryly, "This is no chance meeting, is it, Gandalf?"
"I should imagine not," the Wizard said dryly, and Thorin got the strong sense that the other man was refraining from rolling his eyes as he went on. "The Lonely Mountain troubles me, Thorin. The dragon has lingered there for far too long, and I fear that darker minds will soon turn to the East. In fact, I have reason to believe it has already begun."
"What do you mean?" Thorin asked, and Gandalf reached into the folds of his cloak to retrieve something.
"I ran into some unsavory characters whilst traveling along the Greenway," he said as he rummaged around in his clothes. "They mistook me for a vagabond."
"I imagine they regretted that," Thorin muttered under his breath, but either the Wizard hadn't heard him or just ignored him, and he figured it was the latter as the other man slid what looked to be a dried skin across the table toward him, etched with harsh, crude markings.
"It is the Black Speech," Gandalf said in reply to Thorin's inquisitive look, and the dwarf recoiled his hand instantly, his lip curling at the ugly language as Gandalf added, "A promise of payment."
"For what?" Thorin asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know, but Gandalf answered anyway.
"Your head."
Thorin looked up at this, feeling shock and sudden dread run through him, and, oddly, some sort of resign, as if he had somehow suspected something like this all along.
"Someone wants you dead, Thorin," Gandalf continued stoically. "This means that the thought of Erebor has already crossed another's mind, and that you are now perceived as a threat to them and whatever claim they plan to make. You are the heir to the throne of Durin; unite the armies of the Dwarves and together you have the might and power to take back the Mountain. Summon a meeting of the seven Dwarf families, demand they stand by their oath!"
"The seven armies swore that oath only to the one who wields the Arkenstone," Thorin said, shaking his head. "It is the only thing that will unite them; and, in case you have forgotten, that jewel was stolen by Smaug decades ago. It is folly."
Thorin bit back his frustration with these last words; it had been a tantalizing prospect, shining wickedly in Gandalf's hands but a few minutes ago, until reality had come back to him and filled him with sense once again, though he still watched Gandalf carefully.
The Wizard pursed his lips, and there seemed to be some debate going on inside of him, until finally he said, quite unexpectedly, "What if I were to help you reclaim it?"
"How?" Thorin said suspiciously, refusing to acknowledge how his heart had swooped at his words before he began to hope once more; he had had enough of that during his despondent traverse through the Wild. "The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire-breathing dragon."
"Yes, I am quite aware," Gandalf said, a bit snappishly, and Thorin raised his brows. "Which is why I'm suggesting you hire a burglar."
There was a moment of silence, until Thorin broke it, repeating dubiously, "A burglar? And how exactly would that work?"
"Are you unaware of what a burglar is?" he replied, and his tone was definitely edged now as Thorin leaned back from the table a bit, unaware of how close he had actually gotten to the Wizard until he had moved away. "Use your common sense, Thorin Oakenshield."
"All right, fine," Thorin conceded, scowling. "What I meant was, who would be doing the task?"
"I may already have someone in mind," the Wizard said, almost sheepishly, and Thorin looked on in some surprise; it seemed he had put a lot of thought into this already, if he had been toying with the idea of a burglar, and Thorin hadn't even agreed to anything yet. "He would be a Hobbit from the Shire, in fact."
Thorin started a bit, staring hard at the man across from him, who hadn't moved an inch for the entirety of the conversation, he noticed. "A Hobbit?" Thorin repeated, and when the Wizard nodded in confirmation, Thorin snorted, reaching for his ale again. "Hobbits are not burglars or survivors of the Wild. All they know and care about is how to eat their weight in food and farm. They have no desire to leave their homes, and even less if you were to tell them they would be stealing from a dragon."
"Then there may be some surprises in this world for you yet, Thorin," Gandalf said, grinning slightly, and Thorin gave the Wizard a dry look. "But does this mean that you have agreed to a quest, then?"
Thorin opened his mouth, then closed it, letting the thoughts mull in his head. He wanted to say yes, beyond anything; this was his chance, to slay that fiery snake once and for all and retake his kingdom; but he also thought of his halls now, of Ered Luin, and this was what started the internal battle in his head. He had another kingdom to look after, a sister and nephews who would need him...
But he needed this, too, he realized. Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, his birthright - he needed this. After everything he had been through, all that he had done... he needed this.
"Yes," he said quietly, but then he cleared his throat and looked back up to Gandalf, meeting the wise, piercing blue eyes steadily as he repeated, louder, "Yes, I agree."
Gandalf smiled, though he still looked tense as he said, "Excellent. In addition, then, to you, our burglar, and I, I was also thinking that we should keep this venture to a smaller party, no more than fifteen at the most."
"Fifteen?" Thorin echoed, his brows scrunching. "Why not more?"
"Because any larger would be sure to draw attention," he replied, and Thorin paused, stumped, knowing the Wizard made a good point.
When Thorin did not reply, a prolonged silence fell upon the pair, until Gandalf spoke up once more, though his question was so sudden and random that Thorin was momentarily thrown.
"Have you ever heard of the legends of the Ashburne Line?" the Wizard said, and it took a few seconds for Thorin to scrounge up an answer.
"Once or twice," he answered, confused. "Why?"
Gandalf shrugged. "What have you heard?"
"Not much," Thorin said, wondering where the Wizard was going with this. "It is more of a tale for Men and Elves than Dwarves. All I recall is that they were descendants of the House of Hador and great warriors, and that one of them disappeared in the First Age; and ever since then, it is said that strange Men claiming to be an Ashburne would walk back into this world from another. But those are nothing more than fanciful stories," he said, frowning. "Why would you ask about such myths?"
"No reason," the Wizard replied evenly, before shifting the topic of conversation to the matter of departure dates, saying that the group Thorin chose should meet in the Shire on the last day of April, but Thorin couldn't shake the feeling that there was something Gandalf was not telling him.
And he also felt that this seemingly harmless conversation would turn into something he would regret later on as the two talked well into the night, the rain continuing to pour outside as the Quest for Erebor began its proper foundations.
Chapter One: Of Books, Bus Stops, and Shortcuts
Alison Ashburne wondered, not for the first time, why of all the days in the year, her mother had chosen that particular week to ground her from her car as she watched the rain pour down outside the classroom window.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and there was a flurry of movement as students stood up, collecting their things, and practically running out the door, ready to enjoy their weekend.
Alison packed away her notebooks and pens more slowly, already imagining how uncomfortable she'd be waiting for the bus in the downpour.
"So, Ali, you ready for Wild West this weekend?" Alison turned around, meeting the brown-eyed gaze of her best friend, Lexi.
"Lexi, you know better than anyone that I'm grounded for the next three weeks." Alison said, slinging her bag over her shoulder as they exited the classroom. After five minutes, the school was already deserted, and their footsteps echoed down the polished hallway as they walked slowly towards the front double doors of the high school.
"That's like, three years," she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "What am I supposed to do without you?"
"I don't know, maybe go with your boyfriend?" Alison suggested sarcastically, shooting her friend a wicked grin.
Lexi shot her a look, half-smiling. "You know Jacob doesn't like dancing."
"I don't either, but somehow you always manage to get me to come," Alison pushed open the front doors, and the two girls stopped under the overhang of the school, listening to the rain patter on the roof for a few seconds. Alison sighed as she stared out at the soaked parking lot.
"Are you sure you don't need a ride?" Lexi asked in concern, noticing her friend's reluctance to walk out into the rain.
"My mom said I have to take the bus into town," Alison said, shaking her head. "It's part of my punishment."
"I feel so bad," Lexi said, chewing on her lower lip. "I shouldn't have convinced you to sneak out to go to that concert. I had no idea—"
"Lexi, it's fine," Alison said. "It was my fault I got caught."
"Yeah, but—"
"Stop," Alison said firmly. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I'll see you on Monday, all right?"
"Okay. Be safe." Lexi waved as she sprinted to her silver Ford Focus, her short blonde hair getting drenched within seconds.
Alison watched her friend drive out of the parking lot, then pulled her jacket hood up over her head, cursing herself for not bringing an umbrella before storming out of her house that morning. After her mom had told her that she wasn't allowed to drive her car for the next three weeks and she would have to take the charter bus to get back into town, she had been so angry that she had left without even glancing at her weather app.
Oh well, a resigned part of her thought as she made her way to the lonely bus stop two miles away. It's my fault for sneaking out to that concert two nights ago. I guess I deserve it.
A part of Alison felt guilty for what she had done, lying to her mom and climbing out of her bedroom window to go to that stupid concert at the dance hall in town, and then getting caught because she had forgotten to disable her alarm before leaving. But Alison was tired of being the perfect little goody two-shoes, living in the same boring, small Texas town, and doing the same boring things every night. She felt like her life was supposed to mean something more than this endless imprisonment of nothingness; she knew she was meant for greater things, for adventures or something of the sort. But she was stuck in the same repetitive life, like a broken record that kept playing the same part over and over again. But she also knew nothing was going to happen to an insignificant girl like her, but that didn't stop her from hoping.
And how wrong she was.
Alison approached the deserted bus stop, her teeth chattering from the uncomfortable chill of the October rainfall. Even in Texas, rain could be cold sometimes, especially when all she was wearing was a light jacket and jeans.
She sat down on the bus stop bench, the awning over her head offering some shelter from the downpour. She checked her phone, seeing that the time only read 4:15. She groaned, yanking her headphones from her bag. The bus wasn't going to be there for another ten or fifteen minutes at least, and she began to form a passionate argument against her mother in her head as she jammed the ear buds in her ears and began blasting her music.
Alison gazed out across the desolate road, where the farm land looked gray and bleak in the dim light, and the sky was obscured by heavy rain clouds. Not knowing what else to do, she just stared across the road and sang out loud, not having anyone around to hear her. "Where do we go, when we walk on light, who do we call, at the edge of night..."
When the song was coming to a close, Alison suddenly felt a prickle on the back of her neck, and she turned to see an old man seated on the bench beside her. She started, ripping her headphones out of her ears and closing her mouth immediately, beyond embarrassed that this man had to experience her horrific singing.
"Oh my gosh," she said, shutting off her music and stowing away her phone in her pocket. "I am so sorry, sir—I didn't know you were there, I'm sorry."
The old man smiled kindly at her, his eyes a piercing blue that contained wisdom beyond her own years. "Don't be sorry, my dear. I apologize for sneaking up on you; but you seemed so wrapped up in your music I didn't want to disturb you." The man's eyes twinkled good-naturedly, but Alison felt herself blushing.
"Again, I'm sorry for that," she said, trying for a somewhat awkward smile.
"Don't be," the old man suddenly held out his hand. "I am Ian McKellen."
Alison shook his hand, feeling his calluses and wrinkles under her own slim fingers as she said, "Alison Ashburne."
"What a lovely name," Mr. McKellen remarked, adjusting comfortably on the bench. "Thank you." Alison replied, getting over her initial shock and embarrassment.
Mr. McKellen was dressed in a light gray suit with a matching hat, which covered his close-cropped gray hair and cast his benign, lined face into shadow. He carried a brown leather briefcase, and Alison wondered what a sophisticated-looking man like himself was doing at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere.
"So…" she said awkwardly, and Mr. McKellen looked at her again with those piercing eyes. "Do you, um, live around town or anything?"
"No," he replied cheerily. "I'm merely visiting."
"Family, friends?" Alison prayed the bus would come soon, because she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and pressured under the scrutiny of his gaze.
"You could say a friend." Mr. McKellen smiled merrily, looking back out to the rain, and Alison just sat there, still wary and awkward.
After a few moments of silence, the old man opened his briefcase, and Alison caught a glimpse of a strange piece of paper, almost like a weird map, before the case snapped closed again. Mr. McKellen had taken out a small paperback book, worn and slightly beat up, and Alison felt a twinge of annoyance. She was an extreme book-lover, and it pained her to see books that had gone through wear and tear.
She looked closer at the faded green cover, and uttered a small gasp of pleasure as she recognized the novel. "The Hobbit!"
Mr. McKellen looked at her with a sparkle of amusement. "You've read it?"
"Well, yes. But it was a long time ago. I don't really remember it that much."
"Really? Excellent, excellent…" he trailed off, fingering the book cover thoughtfully. "Perhaps…" Alison had no idea what he was talking about, but at that moment she saw the charter bus trundling into view down the road, and she felt relief as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
She was standing up to leave when Mr. McKellen's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Have you ever been on an adventure, Miss Ashburne?"
Alison turned around, startled at the question. "Excuse me?"
"An adventure," Mr. McKellen repeated. "You know, of the sort where you hike across mountains and discover things you never knew about your world before?"
Alison figured the man must be yanking her chain, since she had no idea what he was talking about. "Um…no," she replied slowly, as the bus pulled to a screeching stop in front of her. "I've never been out of this town in my life, as lame as that sounds."
"Well, that's good!" Mr. McKellen exclaimed, making no move to get up and join her. "There's always a first time for everything."
"That's true," Alison said, stepping closer to the bus as the doors swung open. She was about to climb into the bus when his voice stopped her again.
"Oh, and Miss Ashburne?" Alison glanced over her shoulder, where Mr. McKellen was still seated leisurely on the bench. "Read 'The Hobbit' again. I'm sure you will find it useful."
Alison only nodded in reply, punching in her bus card and taking a seat near the middle of the bus. There was only one other person on board, seated in the back, snoring with a pair of headphones on.
The bus doors swung closed, and the vehicle began to move, when Alison noticed that Mr. McKellen had not gotten on the bus.
"Um, sir?" she called to the bus driver. "There's another person at this stop we need to wait for."
Though Mr. McKellen had been slightly uncomfortable and annoying, he was polite and elderly, and Alison didn't want to leave him in the rain. However, the bus driver just gave her a strange look through his rearview mirror and said, "There's no other person at that stop, ma'am. Sorry."
"What?" Alison said to herself, and swung around in her seat, craning her head to get a better look at the bus stop, about to point out the old man—except he wasn't there. The bench was empty of any gray-suited, briefcase-carrying old man, as was the surrounding area around the stop. It was as if Mr. McKellen had simply vanished.
The bus started forward again, heading towards town, and Alison watched the stop fade away into the rain in disbelief, refusing to accept that Mr. McKellen was gone. He was there. She had seen him with her own eyes, spoken to him, shaken his hand. He couldn't be gone.
But he was, and Alison didn't know what else to think except that he had left when she had gotten on the bus. Shaking her damp hair out of her eyes, she settled back into her seat and tried not to think of Mr. McKellen again. She managed to succeed for quite a few months, but of course, fate always had other plans. And Alison Ashburne was about to discover just what exactly her fate was.
"I can't do this anymore," Alison moaned, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "I feel like my brain is fried."
"I feel you," Lexi replied through a yawn, dropping her pencil on her paper and stretching out her fingers.
"How about we stop here and regroup tomorrow?" Kyle suggested, his eyes bloodshot behind his glasses as he took a last sip out of his coffee cup.
"Agreed," Victoria said, stacking up her papers and putting them into her backpack. "Same time, same place?"
The study group all mumbled in agreement, packing up their various belongings sluggishly, slow and stupid from their hard afternoon of studying for finals.
Alison was the first one to get up, and she was about to leave when Lexi stopped her."Oh, Ali, here." She pulled out a pair of dark skinny jeans from her bag and tossed them to Alison. "Thanks for letting me borrow them."
"No problem," Alison said. She was too lazy to put them in her backpack, so she just slung them over her arm as she headed out the door, waving over her shoulder to her friends.
The late April humidity clung to her skin as she crossed the empty street, leaving the coffee shop where they studied for tests behind as she hopped onto the sidewalk on the other side of the road. Night had just fallen, and the streetlamps flickered on, providing soft pools of orange light for her to walk through as she made her way home.
To her right was the small town square of her hometown, West, Texas, everything already closed for the night and locked up except for a few restaurants and the dance hall, where she could hear the whoops and laughter of people as they danced and the rhythmic, twangy pounding of country music. To her left was the tiny park, thick with pecan trees and dark from the absence of artificial lights.
Alison ducked into the trees, for she knew a path through the park that would lead her practically to her front door step. She breathed in the fresh, clean scent of dirt and trees as she wound her way through the shortcut. After a couple minutes, she began to see the glow of house lights in the distance, and she made her way towards them until she was suddenly stopped.
It was as if she had run face-first into a glass door; Alison smashed her head into it, hurting her nose, and she fell back into the grass, her bag falling from her shoulder and hitting the ground with a muffled thud. "Ow," she said in surprise, rubbing her nose. "What the hell?"
She felt in front of her, not seeing the thing she had run into, but after a few seconds of groping her fingers pushed up against something solid. She sat up on her knees, pushing forward still, but it was as if there was an invisible barricade in front of her, refusing to budge.
"What the hell?" she repeated. She felt to her sides, and encountered the same thing; pressing back, her shoulder blades connected with the same solid invisible wall.
Seized by a feeling of sudden terror and panic, Alison scrambled to her feet, banging on the invisible walls, trying to find a way out. "Hello? Hello!" she yelled frantically, but she knew it was hopeless. She was still in the middle of the dark and deserted park, and she doubted that anyone would be able to hear her. "Somebody please help!"
Alison suddenly felt a blow to her stomach, as if someone had grabbed her by her navel and was pulling on her. She collapsed to the ground, still trying to scream and push as her stomach heaved. It felt as if she were being sucked into a black hole or something, and she clawed maniacally at the invisible walls as bright light began to flood her vision.
"Help! Help!" she screamed, and then she felt the ground split open beneath her. As Alison began to fall, she grabbed on to the first thing her hand found, which was—wow, thank God—her pants that Lexi had given back to her.
Screaming and grappling at empty air, Alison and her pants fell and fell, until she crashed into something hard and solid and blacked out. When she awoke, a pair of familiar, piercing blue eyes greeted her, and an eerily familiar voice said, "So. You have finally arrived."
Alison looked up groggily and saw Ian McKellen standing over her, looking very strange and different from how Alison remembered him. "Welcome to Middle-earth." He said.
Blackness swirled in Alison's vision, and before she passed out again, she managed to croak out one word: "Shit," before unconsciousness swallowed her once more.
Ending Author's Note
Well, I hope y'all liked it, and I would appreciate it so much if you left a review! Feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome!
The song Alison sings is Don't Let Me Go by RAIGN. I highly recommend listening to it, it's a great song.
Also, Fun Fact of the Day: You can tell which chapters are old because they have bold A/N instead of this style; I plan on going back and editing those, as well, at least up until Chapter Ten. But anyway.
Thanks for reading! Until next chapter...
1. 1: Of Books, Bus Stops, and Shortcuts
1 1: Of Books, Bus Stops, and Shortcuts
2 2: Ashburne and Company
3 3: Choosing a Path
4 4: Into the Wild
5 5: Stories in the Dark
6 6: The Tale of the King
7 7: High Waters
8 8: A Bad Feeling
9 9: The Hunt
10 10: A Short Rest
11 11: Maethor
12 12: The Fallen
13 13: Endings and Beginnings
14 14: Over Hill
15 15: Under Hill
16 16: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
17 17: The World Ahead
18 18: The Second Hero
19 19: Across the Wilderness
20 20: Beorn
21 21: Stronger Than Hope
22 22: The Path Through Mirkwood
23 23: The Madness Within
24 24: The Halls of the Elven-king
25 25: Firemoon and Starlight
26 26: Barrels Out of Bond
27 27: A Barge and a Bowman
28 28: Esgaroth
29 29: Shadow's Pawn
30 30: To Be Fearful of the Night
31 31: The Lord of Silver Fountains
32 32: The Only Right
33 33: A Ring for the Bearing
34 34: Allegiance
35 35: And the Journey Begins (Again)
36 36: The Desolation of Smaug
37 37: Durin's Day
38 38: The Sleeping Serpent
39 39: Riddles and Games
40 40: Chaos Reigning
41 41: Seeds of Darkness
42 42: Dealings of a Different Kind
43 43: Bloody Noses & Those Bloody Feelings
44 44: And the Gold Fell Like Rain
45 45: Fire Before Ashes
46 46: The Silencing of the Beast
47 47: The Throne of Erebor
48 48: Of King's Jewels and Magic Rings
49 49: The Gathering of the Clouds
50 50: A Thief in the Night
Everything I'm Not (GirlxGirl) by Trish
Kacie Humbert: It's great. Captivating. When is the next chapter?
To Find Love Again by Presley's Angel
Paulz Danford: I really enjoyed this book! Thank you!!!
Say My Name (18+) by R.K. Knightly
Destiny: Great writing style. Just enough detail to color the imagination. Not too much to bore the reader. The character growth is a great pace.
Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince by Lauren Fisher
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Prospective employers include pharmaceutical companies, environment agencies, hospitals, forensic laboratories, clinical trials companies, medical writing companies, scientific sales and general management jobs.
In many cases this can be a salaried position with a major company or have financial support linked to a public health laboratory or hospital such as the Respiratory Physiology Unit at the Royal Aintree Hospital in Liverpool or Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester. The placement also counts towards the final degree classification as part of the year 2 mark. We have newly refurbished and well-equipped teaching and research laboratories for practical work in biology.
Toggle navigation Menu University of Salford. C Start Date s: Three years full-time Four years full-time with placement year Up to six years part-time Fees: Show X How to apply? Course Summary Biology is the science of living things and is also used to explain how humans interact with and influence the natural environment.
Molecules to Microbes 20 credits. This module focuses on the basic principles involved in the build-up of molecules from atoms: This module will help you develop an understanding of genes and genetics, and their influence on evolution and development. It looks at the basic principles of molecular genetics, and the function and evolution of genes in organisms.
Cell Biology 20 credits. This module will look at the multidisciplinary nature of cell biology and the basic structure of cells, focusing on animal cells.
It will help you develop a theoretical knowledge of the fundamental physiological and biochemical functions carried out by cells. This module focuses on the origins and diversity of living organisms including humans , the environmental processes and their role in the generation of biodiversity. Biological Skills 20 credits. This module will help you develop practical laboratory skills relevant to cell, organismal, micro- and molecular biology which will form a basis for competence in biological and biochemical experimental work.
Study Skills 20 credits. In this module you will learn by observation, investigation, comparison and engagement and will develop practical learning and presentation methods which can be applied generically during year 1 and beyond. Molecular Genetics 20 credits. The aim of this module is to provide you with a cohesive lecture and laboratory programme to enable you to become aware of mammalian molecular biology and genetics and to develop an understanding of theoretical and practical knowledge in the application of clinical laboratory techniques used for diagnosis.
Human Physiology 20 credits. The aim of this module is to encourage an awareness of the physiological nature of life in humans and develop an understanding of form, function and adaptation in organ systems central to the maintenance of life and interaction with the environment.
Introduction to Parasitology and Infectious Diseases 20 credits. This module aims to provide you with a cohesive lecture programme and directed reading, enabling you to gain knowledge and understanding of: Biological Research Skills 20 credits. This module is to help you develop an ability to understand the basics of scientific research under the following areas in order to prepare you for future research based activity: This module will provide you with a cohesive lecture and practical course to emphasise the importance of microbial metabolic and genetic diversity.
You will be able to describe the different ways in which microorganisms communicate and respond to their environments and will be introduced to concepts of pathogenicity and symbiosis and the virulence factors that contribute to disease.
Population and Community Ecology 20 credits. Study the consequence of human actions on the environment from prehistoric times to the present day, the appropriate ecological principles involved in population biology and in the autecology of selected dominant species. University Wide Language 20 credits.
Courses are available in: Animal Evolution 20 Credits. This module provides a structured approach to evolution and covers the evolution of animal body plans with a focus on vertebrates as well as covering the mechanisms that drive evolution. Marine Biology 20 credits. This module provides awareness of the biology and ecology of marine environments as well as providing you with the opportunity to undertake field work and encouraging you to adopt an investigative approach to ecological studies.
Conservation Biology 20 credits. This module introduces the concepts of biological conservation and covers the consideration of different habitats and the way they influence ecosystems. The module also includes practical information of benefit to those who may consider careers in this area. This dissertation module allows you to develop independent, investigative and analytical research skills while conducting research on topic in an area relevant to your programme of study.
It further allows you to learn about science communication and the variety of ways in which science can be disseminated and communicated. This module encourages an awareness of the importance of biotechnology in industry, and develops your knowledge of a variety of biochemical processes in a range of important industrial applications. Clinical Immunology 20 credits. It helps you develop an understanding of the genetics of antibody diversity, HIV pathogensis and the current immunodiagnostic assays for infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Biology of Parasites 20 credits. This module looks at the importance of human and animal parasites, in relation to medical, veterinary or wildlife aspects, life-cycle biology, host response and the principles of parasite epidemiology and transmission.
You will also study strategies for parasite detection, diagnosis and control. The module includes a unique field course to enable you to see parasites living in their natural environment. Advanced Pathophysiology 20 credits. The aim of this module is to develop an advanced understanding of selected human physiological systems and to gain an understanding of how failure of these systems can contribute to disease. Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option.
Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this. We welcome applications from students who may not meet the stated entry criteria but who can demonstrate their ability to pursue the course successfully.
Once we have received your application we will assess it and recommend it for SAES if you are an eligible candidate. There are two different routes through the Salford Alternative Entry Scheme and applicants will be directed to the one appropriate for their course. Assessment will either be through a review of prior learning or through a formal test.
Please contact the Environment and Life Sciences school office to speak with the Admissions Tutor for this course: International applicants will be required to show a proficiency in English.
If you need to improve your written and spoken English, you might be interested in our English language courses.
We are looking for applicants with a biology background who are motivated to specialise in the areas of public health, tropical disease and infection biology. You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. The lecturers are very friendly and easy to approach. They do not only teach valuable skills for your future but also prepare you, over the years, to execute a given task independently and with confidence.
Assessment throughout is by a combination of coursework and examination, with coursework accounting for around one third of the marks in years 1 and 2 and up to a half in year 3. Continuous assessment includes the research project, laboratory reports, essays, data analysis, and presentations. I really enjoyed my time at Salford, and I feel that the Human Biology and Infectious Diseases course provided me with very interesting and useful knowledge about public health, infectious diseases and microbiology from experts in these fields.
It gave me a great background from which to start my career as a research scientist. We encourage all students to undertake a placement year between years two and three of study. Placement years are arranged by the student with our support. In our experience, final degree results and employability are enhanced for students who undertake a placement year. The placement also counts towards the final degree classification as part of the year 2 mark.
Toggle navigation Menu University of Salford. BC15 Start Date s: Three years full-time Four years full-time with placement year Up to six years part-time Fees: About Requirements Fees Teaching Employability.
Show X How to apply? Course Summary This course focuses on human biology and the pathology, transmission and epidemiology of infectious diseases affecting humans and animals.
Cell Biology 20 credits. This module will look at the multidisciplinary nature of cell biology and the basic structure of cells, focusing on animal cells. It will help you develop a theoretical knowledge of the fundamental physiological and biochemical functions carried out by cells. Human Anatomy 20 credits. This module aims to provide you with a systems-led approach to understand basic human anatomy and embryology.
You will gain an in depth understanding of structure-function relationships of key systems in the human body through the study of gross anatomy and tissue histology.
Biological Skills 20 credits. This module will help you develop practical laboratory skills relevant to cell, organismal, micro- and molecular biology which will form a basis for competence in biological and biochemical experimental work.
Study Skills 20 credits. In this module you will learn by observation, investigation, comparison and engagement.
A blog for A Level English Language students and teachers. Started in south London, continued in Essex.
Our new AS and A-level English Language and Literature specifications have been designed with a focus on the integration of language and literature, drawing on the academic field of Stylistics in enabling students to explore how linguistic and literary methods are related, and to discover how the use of both will enrich their experience of English.
Turnitin provides instructors with the tools to prevent plagiarism, engage students in the writing process, and provide personalized feedback. Academic & Student Affairs Handbook Procedural guide for implementing BoR policies related to Academic Affairs.


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North Korean working on Russian World Cup stadium dies
Associated PressNov 15, 2016, 2:07 PM EST
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) A Russian official says a North Korean man has died while working on a stadium for the 2018 World Cup.
The unnamed man died overnight in a communal area used by workers at the St. Petersburg stadium, regional investigative official Sergei Kapitonov was quoted as saying on Tuesday by state news agency RIA Novosti.
Kapitonov says, "According to preliminary information, the death was the result of heart disease."
Ekaterina Giginyak, spokeswoman for the Metrostroy company that oversees the stadium construction, also tells The Associated Press a worker died of heart failure, but says it happened in his lodgings and not at the construction site.
Three workers have died in accidents while working on the stadium within the last 12 months. The 69,000-seat arena has been plagued by cost rises and delays.


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per line. End with CNTL/Z.
switch and populate it into the running configuration.
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Change will take effect after config is saved and switch is reloaded.


Ryan Johnson of Twisthink delivers a Fundamentals presentation at the May 2018 Embedded Vision Summit.
Sheldon Fernandes of Lucid VR delivers a Technical Insights presentation at the May 2018 Embedded Vision Summit.
Dr. Takeo Kanade of Carnegie Mellon University delivers the Tuesday keynote presentation at the May 2018 Embedded Vision Summit.
Professor Lina Karam of Arizona State University delivers a Technical Insights presentation at the May 2018 Embedded Vision Summit.
Radhakrishna Giduthuri of AMD delivers a Technical Insights presentation at the May 2018 Embedded Vision Summit.


Every once in a while, someone online has an amazing idea that will change everything you knew about great ideas. On a social media site, users began recreating old, awkward childhood photos and comparing the two side-by-side… they struck comedic gold.
These are 10 of the most hilarious "then and now" pictures on the internet. Get ready to enjoy yourself so much more than you thought possible.


La Centrale now delivers your favorite wines & spirits from our wine shop straight to your door through the Drizly app. Available via the App Store & Google Play Store.
Available for delivery from 12PM-9PM daily.
Delivery available for 33129, 33130, 33131, 33132 & 33133 zip codes.


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Oklahoma jobless rate drops in July
Friday, August 22nd 2003, 12:00 am
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma's unemployment rate dropped slightly last month but remained higher than a year ago, according to preliminary figures by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
The state's seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate of 5.4 percent was down from 5.8 percent recorded in June, but was a full percentage point higher than the rate of a year ago, according to the figures released Thursday.
Nationally, the July unemployment rate was 6.3 percent, down from 6.5 percent in June but up from 5.9 percent a year earlier.
All four of the state's metropolitan areas showed improvement over June, although Tulsa's unemployment rate of 6.4 percent continued to exceed the overall state rate. Tulsa's rate was down from the 6.7 percent of the previous month, but is substantially higher than the 4.7 percent rate of a year ago.
The Tulsa area lost almost 12,000 jobs from June 2002 to June 2003, according to the commission. The city also is facing the loss of more high-paying jobs as Citgo Petroleum Corp., which employs more than 950 people in Tulsa, considers moving its U.S. headquarters from the city.
AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, has maintenance bases in Tulsa, Kansas City, Mo., and Fort Worth, Texas, and is considering closing one of them.
The Tulsa center employs 8,300 employees. Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune has said the center contributes another 14,579 jobs to the area.
In Oklahoma City, the July unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent from 5.5 percent in June as about 2,000 workers returned to their jobs at the General Motors plant, which had been idled as the result of damage from a tornado. In July 2002 the city's unemployment rate was 4 percent.
Lawton posted an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in July, down from 3.6 percent in June. Last July, Lawton's jobless rate was 3.2 percent. Enid's unemployment rate of 2.8 percent was down from June's rate of 3.1 percent. That matched the rate of last July.
The state's July figures don't include planned layoffs of more than 600 workers at the Wrangler plant in Seminole. That's about 7 percent of the work force in Seminole County, which already has one of the state's highest unemployment rates among counties at 10.8 percent.


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Home BREAKING NEWS Sikh convenience store worker shot dead in California
Sikh convenience store worker shot dead in California
NEW YORK: Jagjeet Singh, 32, a Sikh man working in a convenience store, was stabbed to death by an unidentified person allegedly after an altercation over cigarettes, in Modesto, California, Thursday evening.
Jagjeet Singh was a clerk at 800 W. Hatch Road, where the Hatch Food and Gas convenience store is located. He came to the US 18 months ago from Kapurthala in Punjab, and stayed with his sister and brother-in-law in Modesto, according to reports.
The Modesto Bee reported a co-worker called 911 to report a medical emergency. EMS workers who arrived at the scene determined the employee had been stabbed, said officer Eric Schuller, a Modesto Police Department spokesman.
Schuller said the employee was taken to a Modesto hospital, where he died. The 911 call came in just before midnight.
Schuller said the stabbing took place at 800 W. Hatch Road, which is the location of Hatch Food & Gas. Schuller said additional information about the homicide was not available.
Police ask anyone with information about this homicide to call Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.
Singh reportedly had an altercation with one of the customers who came to buy cigarettes on Friday, FOX40 reported.
Sukhwinder Singh, another clerk at the store, said the victim got into an altercation with a customer after the latter refused to show his ID after asking to buy cigarettes. Jagjeet Singh refused to sell cigarettes.
The man then reportedly left the store in a hurry, mouthing racist abuses and warning Jagjeet of dire consequences. The entire sequence was captured by a CCTV camera installed in the store premises, said the report.
The customer then returned angry, 30 minutes later, and took Jagjeet's life when he was about to close the store, Singh said.
Jagjeet was soon rushed to the hospital where he struggled for his life for 9 hours before finally succumbing to his injuries, the report said.
Modesto police are yet to determine the motive behind the attack and there is no official word about the killer.
"He's a hard worker, hard-working nice guy. No problems, very calm, everything, he never was threatening, never yelled at a customer," said Monica Rodriguez, another clerk at the store, was quoted as saying.
"It's just a very sad situation what happened to him because nobody deserves that over something so small," Rodriguez said. Friends at the store say he was a husband and father who had only been on the payroll in California for one month "in hopes of supporting his family back in India."
India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to Indian ambassador in the US Navtej Sarna over the incident, reported PTI.
Meanwhile, Rights group The Sikh Coalition said it has urged the Modesto Police Department to leave no stone unturned in their investigation into the killing, including examining the possibility of this being a hate crime.
Jagjeet Singh's death was the fourth case in a week involving unnatural deaths of Indian-origin individuals in the US.
On Wednesday night, Indian American Naren Prabhu, a Silicon Valley technology executive and his wife Raynah Sequeira Prabhu, were shot at their home in San Jose, California, by their daughter's ex-boyfriend, Mirza Tatlic, 24, who was eventually shot dead in a standoff with the police.
On Thursday, a 32-year-old doctor, Ramesh Kumar, was found shot dead under mysterious circumstances in a car near Detroit, Michigan.
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Kathmandu, Nepal – Nov 23, 2017, DFantasy has made global headlines today with the announcement of an ICO launch that is set to rock the world of the Cryptocurrency investment industry. DFantasy is a decentralized fantasy sports platform that offers a wide variety of sports popular across the globe. DFantasy democratizes the fantasy sports platform eradicating the existing problems in conventional platforms like centralization, monopoly, lengthy verification and slow withdrawal of funds. Platform commissions are as low as 2% which is expected to create a surge in new members that will thrust this company's Initial Coin Offering into the spotlight.


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Mafiaion Joyner helps U-M Dearborn to first NAIA national tournament appearance
Battle Creek Central, Kellogg CC product garners all-conference honors
Mafiaion Joyner helps U-M Dearborn to first NAIA national tournament appearance Battle Creek Central, Kellogg CC product garners all-conference honors Check out this story on battlecreekenquirer.com: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/sports/college/2018/03/06/mafiaion-joyner-helps-u-m-dearborn-first-naia-national-tournament-appearance/399656002/
Nick Buckley, Battle Creek Enquirer Published 1:47 p.m. ET March 6, 2018 | Updated 2:45 p.m. ET March 6, 2018
U-M Dearborn guard Mafiaion Joyner (4) makes a layup Aquinas College forward Arsenio Arrington (15) and forward Frank DeVos (22) during an NAIA men's basketball game at U-M Dearborn fieldhouse in Dearborn, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (Photo: Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press)
In his breakout junior season for the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Mafiaion Joyner established himself among the best basketball players in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.
And after receiving all-conference honors, the former Battle Creek Central High School and Kellogg Community College standout can now add champion to his resume for helping the Wolverines to the WHAC tournament title and the program's first appearance in the NAIA Division II national tournament.
Joyner and UM-Dearborn will face No. No. 8-ranked Saint Thomas University at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the opening round of the national tournament. The game will be streamed online by the NAIA Network.
In the WHAC tournament semifinals, the Wolverines pulled off a major upset over top-ranked Cornerstone University on Feb. 24, winning in overtime, 90-89. In that game, Joyner finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists off the bench.
Joyner overcomes struggles, shines on hardwood
In the WHAC championship on Feb. 26, the Wolverines earned an 86-78 overtime win over Rochester College, with Joyner chipping in four points, six rebounds and five assists.
Joyner was selected second-team All-WHAC, and for the season is averaging 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley
Donated racing chair gets Read back in the race
Enquirer Male and Female Athlete of the Year
BCC's Mann is Male Athlete of the Year
Lakeview's Kucharczyk is Female Athlete of the Year
The rough and tumble world of Battle Creek adult football
Prep golfer wins $50,000 car for hole-in-one


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Specklinia cactantha is a species of orchid native to Panama and Colombia. It was first formally named Pleurothallis cactantha in 1976 and transferred to the genus Specklinia in 2001.

References

cactantha
Flora of Panama
Flora of Colombia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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ONLINE PATIENT REFERRALS
Maryland: (443) 969-2017
Children's Heart Institute Children's Heart Institute Home
From the Medical Director
Cardiac Testing
Clinical Testing
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Heart Health Library
Our Health Library information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Please be advised that this information is made available to assist our patients to learn more about their health. Our providers may not see and/or treat all topics found herein.
Condition Basics
Gynecomastia is the overdevelopment of the male breast. A breast has both glandular tissue and fatty tissue. With gynecomastia, the glands in the breast become enlarged. The enlarged glands may feel like a rubbery disk beneath the nipple area. Both breasts are often affected.
What causes it?
Gynecomastia may be caused by an imbalance of hormones in your body. It can happen from normal hormone changes during infancy, puberty, or as men age. Or it may be caused by a medical condition or taking certain medicines.
Newborns may have enlarged breasts when they are first born because they received hormones from their mother.
Preteen and teen boys may develop gynecomastia from rapid changes in their hormone levels during puberty.
Men can develop gynecomastia from age-related hormone changes if their testosterone level drops too low. Or it can be caused by a medical condition, like chronic liver disease. There are also medicines that can cause this, such as hormone therapy for prostate cancer and medicines used to treat high blood pressure or heart problems.
Taking steroids for bodybuilding can also cause gynecomastia. But sometimes it occurs for no known reason.
What are the symptoms?
In addition to having enlarged breasts, men or boys with gynecomastia may notice their breasts feel rubbery or firm. Often men don't have any symptoms. Boys may notice a lump or mass behind the nipple. Boys (and some men) may have breast tenderness and pain. Some breast enlargement is common in adolescent boys during puberty. But it is usually temporary and goes away without treatment.
How is it diagnosed?
Gynecomastia can usually be diagnosed from a physical exam and medical history. Tests that may be done to rule out breast cancer include ultrasound, mammogram, and a breast biopsy. Other lab tests, such as a blood test, may be done to check hormone levels.
How is gynecomastia treated?
Gynecomastia in newborn babies often goes away in a few weeks without treatment. But it can last for up to a year.
If gynecomastia occurs during puberty, it often goes away within a year without treatment. But it may last for up to 2 years. It can be uncomfortable. But if it causes pain or worry, medicine or surgery can help.
When the condition is caused by medicines, treatment involves changing or stopping the medicine. If it's caused by another medical problem, treating the other condition will help balance hormones and may reduce the gynecomastia.
Men who have prostate cancer and get hormone therapy may take medicines or have radiation for gynecomastia.
For teens and men with severe gynecomastia, early treatment with medicines can make a difference. Breast tissue can change in less than a year from glandular tissue to fibrotic tissue. Once that happens, surgery may be the only way to reduce the extra breast tissue.
Growth and Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months
Growth and Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years
Growth and Development, Newborn
Current as of: September 20, 2021
Medical Review:William H. Blahd Jr. MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & H. Michael O'Connor MD - Emergency Medicine
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content.
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Maryland Locations
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VA: (703) 481-5801
MD: (443) 969-2017
Central Registration (patient appointments): Phone: Virginia: (703) 481-5801 | Maryland: (443) 969-2017
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