LA story: The final cut?
If the school system becomes polarised between confident high-achieving institutions and ones struggling to overcome major challenges, collaboration will become not just important but essential, says Brian Lightman. Otherwise, the dream of a world-class education system has no hope of becoming a reality.
Schools tend to be in areas of average or relatively low deprivation.
The intake is relatively safe; even if not over-subscribed, rolls are at least steady and there are no obvious threats to stability, such as a new school opening where there is no basic need.
Examination results are above national averages and clear of floor targets.
Staffing is stable, industrial relations calm and the school is able to recruit and retain without major difficulty.
Ofsted reports on the school have been good and there is little risk of the school being placed in a category.
Numbers of pupils taking free school meals (FSM) are relatively low.
These would be classed as confident schools.
Schools may be located in an area which is perceived as challenging. This affects recruitment.
Schools are under-subscribed, perhaps because of local demographics or, in some cases, because of a new school opening and adding to competitive pressure for existing places.
Recruitment is more difficult and industrial relations can be tense.
Examinations are close to the existing or planned floor targets.
Even if recent Ofsted reports have recognised the strengths of the school, the larger numbers of pupils who are challenging or low attaining on entry puts the school at risk of entering a category.
A significant proportion of parents are unsupportive or even actively hostile.
FSM levels are relatively high.
Confident schools operate in conditions which mean they can choose to a very considerable extent to ignore government policy. They can design their curriculum according to a long-term vision of leadership and adopt a relatively relaxed attitude to accountability measures. Teaching can be innovative and creative with a culture which encourages risk-taking and experimentation as part of the school's quest to improve further.
Examination results are an important part of their recipe for success but the progress of all pupils is more important than a focus on the C/D borderline group. While inspection remains a pressure for all schools, confident schools can approach them in a relatively relaxed way. Constrained schools have much less capacity to enjoy these freedoms. They tend, for wholly understandable reasons, to be much more reactive to the vagaries of government policy than their confident counterparts. Consequently their curriculum is more likely to be dominated by external demands such as the English Baccalaureate which is more likely to lead to reactive curriculum changes. They can never relax about accountability measures and focus closely on the Ofsted framework.
Because their capacity to reach the floor targets could have such massive implications for the school and possibly the jobs of senior staff there is a strong emphasis on teaching to the test and specifically the C/D borderline.
As I have tested this model at ASCL's current round of information conferences, I have expected a significant number to question the validity of what I feared might be a rather simplistic analysis. To my surprise this has not been the reaction. In a poll, 90 per cent felt that the model was valid; 48 per cent described their schools as confident, 33 per cent as constrained and 13 per cent were unsure.
I have not yet enough evidence to know whether this model applies equally to members in the college sector and would welcome feedback.
The mere perception that this kind of model exists highlights all kinds of issues and questions about our education service and current policies.
Let us take at face value ministers' frequent claims that a healthy school within a self-improving system, driven by autonomous and highly respected professionals, is one which has control over professional decisions. The concept of a constrained school contradicts and undermines the principles of freedom and autonomy and de-professionalises those who work in it.
The constrained model raises questions about the curriculum. A curriculum model which focuses unhealthily on teaching to the test and external examinations is unlikely to be balanced. Many of the schools which feel most constrained are located in areas where addressing social mobility presents all kinds of challenges demanding innovative and creative approaches to the curriculum.
The model also raises many questions about recruitment and retention. Luckily, our profession is well endowed with incredibly committed people who have been willing to work in some of the most challenging circumstances. But how long this will last? And will leadership and teaching posts in constrained schools attract applicants of the top calibre they desperately need?
The Teach First model has done a great deal to help with this but it is not designed to retain people for more than two years, a fact which raises questions about the long-term development of these schools.
In terms of social mobility, one must question whether the conditions in a constrained school will be conducive to providing young people with the confidence and creativity they need in order to access top universities and careers.
The biggest challenge for us is to assist the constrained schools to develop the capacity to become confident ones. Some of this lies within the very evident commitment across the system to support each other.
Collaborative models of school-to-school support can bring pairs or groups together. This may be anywhere along the continuum of soft and hard federations or even within the context of an academy chain or teaching school consortium.
The most important aspect of this kind of collaboration will be mutual trust and a genuine partnership of equals. It may well be far more difficult to teach in a constrained school and I remain convinced that there is much excellent practice which is not celebrated or shared enough in a climate in which it is far easier for the confident ones to be designated outstanding.
The inspection system makes it easier for confident schools to be rated outstanding and the drivers which enable a school to become more confident relate to the intake and numbers of FSM and pupils with special educational needs.
The challenge of creating a world class education service demands approaches which are effective across the whole of our system – not just some parts.
I would welcome your feedback on this model and your suggested solutions to the challenges it presents.


One of the reason that many traders fail to trade the breakoutsprofitably is simply because they don't take the time to measure thestrength of the price movements. Luckily, this isn't really a difficult thingto do. In fact you only need an understanding of two indicators toproperly gauge the strength of a breakout.To gauge the right times to trade a breakout we'll use the MACD(Moving Average Convergence Divergence) indication, and we'll also use the RSI (Relative Strength Index) indicator.
3. A histogram which represents the difference between the MACD line and the signal line.
If you look closely at the signals you can get from the MACD you'll begin to notice a few things. First when the MACD line rises above the signal line the histogram also rises above the zero line. As the price movement accelerates the histogram grows and the space between the MACD line and the signal line also grows.
As the momentum of the price slows the histogram falls closer to thezero line, the two lines also grow closer together and eventually cross over (assuming the price has changed direction). You'll also notice thatthe sharper that crossover is, the faster the price was moving when the MACD and signal lines crossed. The same scenario is true for downward price movement but the signals are opposite (the histogram is below zero and the MACD line is below the signal line).
In other words the MACD is very good at detecting price moment, and we can use it's signals to help us gauge when a reversal breakout is about to occur..
The divergence of the MACD can be a good indicator that a reversal is about to occur. If you see the price making higher highs and at the same time the MACD is making lower lows this tells us that a reversal is likely to occur. When you see a potential reversal breakout scenario on the charts you should always check what the MACD is doing. If the histogram is doing the opposite of what the price is, it's a good confirmation that a real reversal breakout is about to occur. RSI Another indicator that can be useful to gauge momentum and confirm when a breakout is about to occur is the RSI (Relative Strength Index). This indicator is often used to indicate overbought and oversold condition, but for our purposes we don't want to use it that way. Much like the MACD, before a breakout occurs you'll often see a divergence between the price on the charts and the line on the RSI.
Looking at the chart above the price is on it's way up, and the peaks of the RSI create line down. Shortly after that occurred a breakout did occur, which reversed a long standing up trend. Checking the RSI, in this fashion, can be useful to confirm your signalswhen a breakout opportunity is showing on the charts. It will help you to avoid the false breakout signals.
In the last example Fractal breakout filtered with MACD. Indicators MT4 Fractals adjustable price breakout, MACD 2 line. Time Frame 5 min or higher.


One of the enhancements in SolidWorks V6 is the fact that it is crash resistant. OK, not exactly crash resistant. Every man made program will crash. But the real enhancement is that you will never lose your work. Ever.
We were shown a demo of this in the general session. They deliberately crashed SolidWorks and when it started back on everything up to the last modeling operation was intact. Here, take a look at these pictures. Click the links for larger views.
So what's the trick here? Is SolidWorks constantly saving your file to disk after every modeling operation or key stroke. Clearly that would be an insane thing to so for large models. Actually, the trick is very simple. The model is not on your computer at all. It's it the cloud. SolidWorks V6 is in the cloud, remember? So every time you complete a modeling operation, I guess your the changes are incrementally tracked on the server (or something like that) which automatically takes care of things in case of an eventuality on your side.
Moreover, if SolidWorks V6 on the cloud allows more than one person to edit a model at the same time (which should not be that big a problem), you could make a change and it would instantly show up on the computer of someone else, who could make another change and you could go on back and forth. This would give PTC's concept of Social Product Development a whole new meaning.
I fully understand the huge problems in putting something like SolidWorks on the cloud. But when I started my career in software development (which was not very long ago) I used MS-DOS which had a memory limit of 64K and used a dial-up connection. Before I even turned on the modem I had to say a quiet prayer that I would be able to actually connect. Can you imagine the world that our kids will grow up in? As engineers, we need to try out crazy things for them. The engineers who came before us did exactly that. That's why we are living the life that we are. We simply need to continue the tradition. Maybe this whole concept or implementation of cloud computing will not work. Maybe something else will. Frankly, I don't care.
A balloon cannot inflate on its own. You need to blow air into it and push its limits. At times the balloon may burst or it leak out air if it has a hole. but unless you start blowing the air in, you will not know. All you will have is an empty deflated balloon which is hardly as exciting.
Remember one thing. We are not doing this for ourselves. This is for our children. And they will do the same for theirs. That's just that way we are and will continue to be.


This high quality New E.F. Durand Model FL-650-N Nickel Closed Hole Flute is brand new and has never been played. It is extremely popular among music instructors, schools, and our online customers. The E.F. Durand Flute that has the famous split rib construction, with drawn and rolled tone holes, Quality Double bladder Italian skin pads, Nickel/Silver Plated forged keys and a Precision milled embouchure.


Learning to drive is one of the most important experiences you will undertake-this is why you need to be careful when choosing a driving school. Hardman Driving School is a family run business based in Crosby and provides high quality manual and automatic driving lessons in Liverpool, Crosby, Waterloo, Thornton and the surrounding areas. As a family run driving school, we take pride in teaching our students to a very high standard, which is why we have one of the highest pass rates in the Liverpool area.
Are you thinking about starting your driving lessons in Liverpool? If so you've come to the right place. Dave and Helen will help you pass your test quickly and easily with a fully structured training course. We like to think that our approach to driving lessons in Liverpool is different to other Driving Schools: We know what is required to help you pass your test first time, which is why we provide the best driving lessons in Liverpool. We don't achieve this by cutting corners- we do this by getting straight to the point with our specialised training programme and not making you repeat stuff you're already good at!
We pride ourselves upon our high pass rates and believe we can fulfil your driver training requirements and help you pass your driving test with confidence. Taking driving lessons is not just to gain a driving licence, but it's to help you maintain safe driving throughout your life. Dave and Helen have local knowledge of test centres and routes around Liverpool; and therefore they will show you the route that you may have on your driving test. When test day comes around you'll be ready for anything, and confident that you have all the necessary skills and experience to pass first time.


The village of Cullercoats between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay was founded on the fishing industry. It overlooks the picturesque natural harbour of Cullercoats Bay. At the top of the bay stands Cullercoats Watch House, dating back to 1879.


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Q: Sharing environments for Jupyter notebook via github My company has a rat's nest of a github repo in which multiple Jupyter notebook tutorials are shared with associated requirements.txt files.
I would like to streamline this so that ideally one would need to only open one of these notebooks, easily create the correct environment from the associated requirements.txt file within the notebook itself, and then just execute the notebook as normal.
An additional wrinkle is that not all of these dependencies can be installed via conda.  I will need to use pip as the package installer.
Is there a way to do this entirely within a notebook without creating any additional files (ex. environment.yml)?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This home is perfect for a beach property, or any other lot with a fantastic view. The spacious great room boasts a fireplace and a dramatic vaulted ceiling. Upstairs, the master bedroom enjoys a private balcony, a sitting room, and a full bath, plus optional openings to the great room below. The showpiece of this home is the wraparound deck, which surrounds an optional solar room, providing natural light and heat to the main floor. There is alarge laundry, utility and storage space adjacent the kitchen.


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Hot Travel Tips
Bucket List Worthy
Travel and Eats
Gear and Gizmos
3 Ways to Kick Off the New Year in Melbourne, Australia
Hot Travel Tips Uncategorized
By Courtney Mccaffrey | January 22, 2018
Photo credit: Chris Phutully
There's no better way for an avid traveler to kick off the new year than with a new travel destination. And the best way to ensure your first trip of 2018, is an unforgettable one is to head to Melbourne, Australia. As the second most populous city in the country, Melbourne is bustling with things to do — no matter the season. But best of all, your decision to travel to Australia in January means your trip will coincide with the heart of the Australian summer. These are three Melbourne activities to guarantee you start 2018, off with a bang.
South Melbourne Night Market
Around the world, night markets are some of the best places to fall in love with local culture and cuisine, and that's definitely the case in Melbourne. The South Melbourne Night Market will take place from Thursday, Jan. 4, through Thursday, Feb. 22. A shining piece of Melbourne history for roughly 150 years, this night market features local crafters, makers and growers as well as live entertainment, food trucks and world-famous eateries.
Can't get enough of the night market scene? Head to the Night Market at Queen Vic Market on Wednesdays from Jan. 3, through April 11, 2018. Start the new year with a major crush on the city of Melbourne.
The 2018 Australian Open
Photo credit: Brianna Laugher
Sit back and enjoy as the world's greatest tennis players battle for the title of the 2018 Australian Open. Grand Slam Tennis Tours offers the best to seating to ensure you have an unforgettable experience at this world-renowned event. They also offer the best accommodations within walking distance of must-visit shops, restaurants and nonstop action of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. You don't have to be a tennis fan to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of viewing the Australian Open up close and personally, and now is the time to plan, because this year's event will take place Jan. 13 to 22.
The Freedom Time Festival
Forget about attending a New Year's Eve party, because you'll want to save your energy for the Freedom Time festival on Jan. 1. The Coburg Velodrome is transformed into the ultimate music festival grounds for one day of nonstop music, dancing, eating, drinking and partying. Headliners include Sampa the Great, Larry Heard, Nai Palm and a long list of other hip hop, jazz-fusion and house musicians. Freedom Time is an event that will make you plan a return trip to Melbourne for New Year's Day 2019, too.
Whether you're in search of sports, shopping, world-class dining, partying or a little bit of it all, Melbourne is the ultimate destination to start your 2018 bucket list off with a bang.
Shop for Something Unique and Different in Calgary
Visit The Best Breweries in Calgary
Malta in pictures – The 8 best places to visit on the island
Eat and Drink Your Way Through Exciting Berlin
The World's Ultimate Bucket List for 2018©
To assemble the World's Ultimate Bucket List for 2018, Flight Network has consulted 800+ of the world's leading travel journalists, agencies, bloggers, and editors.
Travel to Melbourne from other cities in Australia
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Using plant species that require less water is one important principle of XeriscapingTM. However, little research has examined the water requirements of complete landscapes differing only in plant material. Nine landscapes were installed in drainage Iysimeters with three classes of plant material: mesic, mixed and xeric. Each plot was divided into woody plant, turf, and perennial hydrozones and water balances for each hydrozone were developed. Overall landscape coefficients (KL) ranged from 0.6 to 0.8 for the three landscape treatments. For woody plants and perennials, the relationship between crop coefficient (Kc) and percent canopy cover was the key determinant of water use under well-watered conditions.


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Bookies to back Gold Cup meeting
Newbury Racecourse confirms Ladbrokes as new sponsors with increased prize money
Malcolm Howe
sport@newburynews.co.uk
NEWBURY Racecourse has confirmed that bookies Ladbrokes will sponsor its annual winter meeting to include the former Hennessy Gold Cup.
The value of that race will rise by 25 per cent to £250,000 and will feature on the second day of the 14-race festival that will be staged on Friday and Saturday,December 1-2.
Total prize money will be increased by almost £100,000 to £700,000.
Ladbrokes will back 13 of the 14 races over the festival, with the exception the Saturday running of the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Handicap Steeplechase.
Racecourse chairman Dominic Burke said: "The Newbury Board's decision to partner with Ladbrokes as the new sponsor for this prestigious meeting was made in light of the Government's commitment to replace the existing Levy Scheme from April, 2017.
"Given the Government's position, our Board felt that it could agree future sponsorship arrangements with any betting operator for race meetings taking place after that April date."
Negotiations have been held with Ladbrokes since well before Hennessy's final sponsorship, a deal that came to an end after 60 years.
Sport down the years
Lorraine comes home with gold
Hungerford start pre-season off with a win
NWN to sponsor race at Newbury
Stable Talk: Daniel is confident of a positive Flat season
Taking the strain in pre-season training


The DPS Charity Donations Fund – Donations announced!
Earlier this year we launched the DPS Charity Donations Fund. We wanted to give something back to the communities we work in, so every three months up to £20,000 is available to charities working in the housing sector.
I'm delighted to announce that the first donations from our charity donations fund have been chosen. The successful applicants are the 700 Club , based in Darlington; The Sanctuary Trust, located in Rochdale; and The Homesavers Charity, which operates from West Kirby, in the Wirral.
£5,000 has gone to The Sanctuary Trust, a charity working with homelessness and complex homeless related issues. "Following recent austerity-related cuts in funding, the donation from The DPS will allow us to continue our personal development programmes which would otherwise have ceased operation" said David Lackner-Smith, CEO.
Thank you to Isobel Thomson, Chief Executive of NALS, who helped us with the difficult task of choosing the beneficiaries from the applications we received.
We're currently accepting applications for the second fund donations. If you know of any charity that could benefit from a donation, particularly those who directly improve the provision of housing, the application form is available on our website.


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You are here: Home / Tablet PC News / Bookeen Launches 7 Inch Cybook Odyssey Tablet
Bookeen Launches 7 Inch Cybook Odyssey Tablet
July 2, 2013 By Sovan Mandal Leave a Comment
With readers gradually shifting their preference to tablets for reading, ebook reader manufacturers have been jumping onto the tablet bandwagon to ensure their survival. Bookeen is the latest to conform to this trend with the Cybook Odyssey tablet being the newest to join the company's hardware line-up.
Offering a 7 inch high resolution display (the company didn't mention just how high the resolution is), the Cybook Odyssey tablet is powered by a Tegra quad core chip. Among the other convenient features, the tablet includes support for the new Micro SDHC storage solution, Wi-Fi, and GPS. This tablet running Android (version unknown) also comes with several convenient pre-loaded applications such as Google Maps, Gmail, Google Chrome, Google+, YouTube, and Google Play.
Speaking of the tablet's launch, Michael Dahan, President of Bookeen, said, "We are delighted to be able to offer our customers a new digital reading solution, the Cybook Tablet, which caters for people who enjoy reading magazines on a handheld device. By expanding our product range and launching the Cybook Tablet in partnership with Relay marks the first in a number of partnerships to come as we aim to make digital reading available and accessible to everyone."
The Cybook Odyssey tablet has been priced at 159,90€, which translates to around $208 USD. A direct price comparison for the respective regions is not possible, as electronics are generallycheaper on the other side of the ocean. Bookeen has also tied up with Relay to market the device, hoping to tap the latter's over 550 stores present in France. This apart, Bookeen has also signed partnership agreements with a number of content providers based in Europe. These include the likes of Thalia, Cultura, La Feltrinelli, Adlibris, Decitre, Le Furet du Nord, Orell Füssli, Lüthy, Librairies Gallimard, La Procure, and Cheminant, as well as Pixmania and Bol.com.


Today's post is a super exciting one as I'll be reviewing a new product from Yes To. This one is from their Unicorn range which launched last week.
We all know I love face masks so I was very glad a mask was part of this collection! I was sent this product for free by the brand, however I will still be completely honest in my review as always!
I was sent the single use packet for this mask which retails for £4.00 on Beauty Bay and £3.99 on Look Fantastic. However, you can also buy a larger tube of the product which has an attached applicator for £11.99 from Look Fantastic.
So, let's jump straight into this review!
As with many single-use face masks, the mask comes in a plastic packet where you tear off the top to use the product.
The packet is a iridescent pink shade with the branding printed over a white band near the top, and the remaining product information printed below. There is also information about the weight of the product and a digital illustration of a woman applying the mask.
Overall I think this packaging is really cute. I've used a fair amount of single use masks before and, whilst they all come in this kind of way, the design varies a lot. The design on this is really nice and definitely on brand for the unicorn theme. I also like that the package is tear-drop shaped, as it's something a little different.
Firstly, I just want to say that this was super easy to open. Sometimes masks like this can be really difficult to rip open (I've had ones where I had to find some scissors because they were so tough), so I'm always a little nervous to try out a new one but this was absolutely fine.
When I first opened I was blown away by how it smells, it has a really refreshing citrus smell and you can definitely tell that it's grapefruit.
It was also a really cool colour – a whiteish shade with a pink iridescent shift. I forgot to use my own applicator so I applied it with my fingers but I'd really recommend using the applicator (I like that the large tube comes with it's own) as it is quite messy and sticky. However, despite the slight mess I always get myself into when applying masks with my hands, it applied easily.
Unlike other single use masks I've tried, you don't have a load of leftover product in the packet once you've finished applying it. You definitely need all of the product from the packet. I like this as it means there isn't a bunch of wasted product.
I always find with peel off masks that they just don't seem to fully dry on me and this was the same. I'm not sure whether it's because I'm always cold and my lizard flesh doesn't allow it to dry, but on one cheek especially, it didn't dry at all. I waited well over the 10 minutes (as I always tend to). It did peel off well apart from in those spots.
It said to remove any leftover bits with water but honestly this was quite challenging. I'd definitely recommend using a wet face cloth to remove any leftover product, because I tried just with water and my hands and it was a bit of a struggle – I think with a cloth it would be much easier.
Whilst the mask is on, it feels really cooling and that fresh, cool, feel remains after it's been removed. After I'd got it off, my skin felt really soft and hydrated. The grapefruit smell also remained for quite a while after I'd removed the mask. Typically when I use masks the scent of them goes once they've been removed so I'm actually really happy that the smell of this one stays.
Overall, I think this mask is great and I'd definitely use it again. I think £4.00 is a fair price for what it is. Personally, I would purchase the larger tube since you'll get more uses out of it, and it has its own applicator, therefore it's better value overall. When I get more money I'll definitely buy the large tube of this mask as I absolutely love the smell of it and the way it made my skin feel. It's one of the best masks I've used for a long time and I'd recommend giving it a go. If you'd like to purchase this mask then you can get the single use one from Beauty Bay here, or Look Fantastic here, or you can grab the larger tube from Look Fantastic here.
Okay so this is the end of this review, I really hope that you enjoyed reading and if you did then I'd really appreciate it if you'd give this review a like! Also please follow my blog if you aren't already, I post cruelty free beauty reviews as well as the occasional lifestyle post.
Great review! I need to use masks more to keep my skin looking young! A nice scent would be good too. I'll have to see if this is sold in the U.S.


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Morgan le Fay is half-faerie, an ancient magical race originating from Otherworld who access Earth via Britain and Ireland. They are closely related to the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, one of the Nine Worlds of Asgardian Cosmology. Morgan is said to be the daughter of Gorlois, Duke of Tintagil, and Igraine, but at least one of her parents must have been part faerie. Igraine was later seduced by Uther Pendragon, who impersonated Gorlois via Merlin's magic, and Igraine married Uther after Gorlois' death. Raised in a nunnery, Morgan was trained in sorcery by the legendary Merlin, promising to become his lover in exchange, though she reneged. Morgan in turn tutored Nimue (a.k.a. Vivienne).
Villain Group
Queen's Vengeance


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Facebook To Move Beyond Social Networking
Author: Scott GilbertsonScott Gilbertson
The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook will make a major announcement later this week at the Facebook F8 event in San Francisco. The WSJ claims that the announcement will feature the launch of "Facebook Platform," a new tool designed to turn Facebook into an open platform which any service provider can leverage.
According to the WSJ Facebook hopes the new service will allow users to "gain access to that content inside Facebook." As to what the details will look like or what they announcement means for users, the WSJ doesn't say and Facebook has not yet publicly commented.
The WSJ does speculate a little on what the Facebook Platform might entail:
For instance, an online retailer could build a service in Facebook to let people recommend music or books to their friends, based on the relationships they've already established on the site. Or a media company could let groups of users share news articles with each other on a page inside Facebook.
If the Journal's sources are correct, it sounds like Facebook is making a move into a couple of already crowded markets — personalized homepages and recommendation services.
The homepage market especially will put Facebook up against some big players like the recently revamped iGoogle.
The WSJ quotes Mark Zuckerberg as saying, "We realize that we're not going to be able to build everything ourselves here, and it's not the most efficient thing for us to do that."
Zuckerberg also added that allowing others to build services which interact with Facebook is "definitely going to be a bigger part of our strategy."
Regular readers will know that we at Compiler love us some APIs, and it certainly sounds like an expansion of the Facebook API could be in the works.
Be sure to check back later in the week when Facebook officially unveils its new offerings.
#communities


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namespace utility {

bool toBool( std::string str ) {
	std::transform( str.begin(), str.end(), str.begin(), ::tolower );

	if ( str != "true" && str != "false" ) {
		throw utility::InvalidArgument( "toBool", "invalid argument: " + str );
	}

	return str == "true" ? true : false;
}

std::string toString( bool b ) {
	return b ? "true" : "false";
}

int tryParseInt( std::string value, int minLegalValue, int maxLegalValue ) {
	try {
		auto val = std::stoi( value );

		if ( val < minLegalValue || val > maxLegalValue ) {
			throw utility::InvalidArgument( "tryParseInt", "Value out of legal range: " + value );
		}

		return val;
	}
	catch ( std::out_of_range ) {
		throw utility::InvalidArgument( "tryParseInt", "Value out of legal range: " + value );
	}
	catch ( std::invalid_argument ) {
		throw utility::InvalidArgument( "tryParseInt", "Invalid value: " + value );
	}
}

std::vector<std::string> tokenizeString( std::string input, char separator ) {
	boost::char_separator<char> sep( &separator );
	boost::tokenizer<boost::char_separator<char> > tokenizer( input, sep );

	std::vector<std::string> tokens;
	for( auto token : tokenizer ) {
		tokens.push_back( token );
	}

	return tokens;
}

} // namespace utility

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Q: Scale image when change resolution I have been coding using position: absolute and then using media query's to find different resolutions and adjust items on the screen to that resolution. After looking around people have said that its better to have a design that is fluid and adjust automatically.
I had an attempt yesterday on my login screen and I managed to get it working. On my next screen I think it is a bit more difficult as I have images that need to be scaled.
Here is my layout of my page:
.wrapper {
  width: 100%;
  margin-left: auto;
  margin-right: auto;
}

.bsimplex-header-bar {
  margin-right: 10px;
  margin-left: 10px;
  width: 98.7%; /* 940 divided by 960 */
}

.content {
  width: 98.7%;
  margin-top: 38px;
  margin-right: 10px;
  float: right;
  height: 79.5%;
  margin-right: 10px;
}

.bsimplex-footer-bar {
  width: 100%;
  bottom: 0;
  position: fixed;
  margin-right: 10px;
  background-color: #6a3d98;
  margin-left: -10px;
}

Now I have 4 images that need to be in the middle of the screen side by side, would I wrap these 4 images in there own div or how can I achieve this scaling effect?

A: To make the images flexible, simply add max-width:100% and  height:auto. Image max-width:100% and height:auto works in IE7, but not in IE8 (yes, another weird IE bug). To fix this, you need to add width:auto\9 for IE8.
img {
    max-width: 100%;
    height: auto;
    width: auto\9; /* ie8 */
}

or use Bootstrap framework


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Southern Cameroons human rights situation worsens as AU, EU unconcerned
14, November 2019
The Ambazonia Interim Government has warned about the significant deterioration of human rights in Southern Cameroons, stating that the absent of international pressure on the Biya Francophone administration has emboldened the French Cameroun ruling CPDM crime syndicate not to shy away from its heavy-handed genocidal campaign and crackdown on Southern Cameroonians.
Vice President Dabney Yerima who is expected to begin a world tour aimed at mobilising Southern Cameroonians from all the nooks and crannies of the planet said yesterday that the Federal Republic of Ambazonia is now clearly sliding in a new and very dangerous direction.
Comrade Dabney Yerima observed during this week's briefing on the state of the Southern Cameroons revolution that the French Cameroun military was demonstrating a fairly weak level of restraint with the sole intention of deceiving the international community.
The Ambazonia second-in-command appealed to the United States and Britain to wield their influence on the French government of Emmanuel Macron and stop the killing of hundreds of Southern Cameroons civilians.
Pro Yaoundé human rights groups have also acknowledged that the situation in Southern Cameroons has deteriorated and there are renewed reports of torture in detention and military courts in Douala and Yaounde are now trying Southern Cameroons civilians.
Dabney Yerima also said that the Ambazonia Interim Government was seriously worried about the health of Southern Cameroons imprisoned leaders. Recently, alarming signals have multiplied regarding calls for unity within the Southern Cameroons diaspora.
By Asu Isong in London
Cameroon /
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Honorable Former Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Sahara Khatun, MP has recently visited International Turkish Hope School with her secretary on 16th of April 2016. The Principal of ITHS, Mr. Bedrettin Suata, took her on a campus tour where she met and interacted with the teachers, students and administration. She was very enthusiastic and the children had a wonderful time with her.
She visited the facilities, classrooms, library, playgrounds, labs and hostels with an interactive experience. She had a quality time with the scholarship category students and has been given a brief regarding the daily routine of the hostel life. She has shown a special care to the scholarship category students and commented on the quality of the education they receive at the ITHS. Preceding the tour, she has conversed the principles of the ITHS model with the faculty, and also discussed the school's commitment to excellence and its success under the leadership of the administration. She elaborated upon the qualities of leadership and how we can make a difference on a local, national and global level.
Following the discussion she signed the visitors' book, expressing her admiration for the enriching experience during her visit. She praised the school, and the staff for their commitment to providing a supportive and enriching environment for the children. She also expressed how she was greatly impressed by the students themselves, their excellent academic achievements and their satisfaction and endearment for their school.
ITHS was extremely delighted to have Hon'l Former Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Sahara Khatun, MP as a guest in our beloved institution, hope to achieve the set targets with her valuable guidance.


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The Houston Rockets host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday at the Toyota center with the opening tip set for 8:05 PM ET. NBA odds list the Rockets as double digit favorites, but can the Celtics keep things close?
According to NBA betting odd the Rockets are an 11.0 point home favorite and the posted total is 203.5. These two teams have seen 7 of the last 8 meetings in Houston go under the total. The home team has covered the last 4-games in this series.
The Boston Celtics have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride early in the season. They opened by losing their first 4 then proceeded to win the next 4, and now enter tonight on a 3-game losing streak. This isn't really a big surprise considering the huge transition the team has had to endure entering this season. Gone are head coach Doc Rivers along with key veteran players Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Celtics chose to go with first time NBA head coach Brad Stevens who had a very successful tenure at Butler University. The Bulldogs were an excellent defensive team under the guidance of Stevens. That defensive play has carried over somewhat to the NBA level. Boston is 9th in scoring defense allowing 97.7 points per game, and is 2nd in defensive three-point field goal percentage holding opponents to 30.2%. This will be the 2nd game of a 3-game road trip which will conclude tomorrow night in San Antonio.
One thing the Houston Rockets can't be accused of in their first 11-games of the season is playing boring basketball. Houston is #2 in the NBA averaging 108.8 points per game. Conversely, they're allowing 106.3 point per contest which ranks next to last in the league. The Rockets are winners of their last 2 and 3 of the last 4. The only loss in that sequence came in a 123-117 overtime defeat at Philadelphia.
Before locking in your NBA picks, bettors should note that any road underdog of 10.0 or more, and comes off a loss by 15-points or more, versus an opponent that's seen a combined 215-points or more scored in each of their last 2-games is 25-5 ATS (83.3%) since the beginning of the 1996-1997 season.


The investment objective of Liontrust Special Situations Fund is to provide long-term capital growth.
Liontrust Special Situations is a UK equity fund with a distinct process looking for UK companies with a strong defendable business franchise. Managed by Anthony Cross and Julian Fosh the fund typically has a bias to medium and small sized UK companies in a relatively concentrated portfolio with low turnover. The managers look for good quality businesses, and are less sensitive than many of their peers over the price they pay for that quality. Whilst we think it unlikely the fund will be able to consistently generate the extremely strong degree of out performance seen in recent years we think consistent, benchmark beating returns are very possible for this fund unless medium and small sized companies sharply under-perform the UK's largest companies.
Julian Fosh has managed this fund for 10 years and 10 months.
Julian Fosh joined Liontrust in 2008 from Saracen Fund Managers Ltd to co-manage the Liontrust UK Growth, Special Situations and UK Smaller Companies Funds with Anthony Cross and to develop the Liontrust Economic Advantage process. From 2004 to 2008, Julian was the co-manager of Saracen Growth Fund. Before this, Julian headed the investment department at Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited where he managed a range of funds including UK equity OEICs, life and pension funds. In a career that started in 1984, Julian has also worked at Britannia Investment Managers and Scottish Amicable. Julian graduated in 1984 from Merton College Oxford with an MA in Jurisprudence.
Anthony Cross has managed this fund for 13 years and 5 months.
Anthony Cross joined Liontrust in 1997, forming the Liontrust Economic Advantage process. This process was applied to the Liontrust UK Smaller Companies Fund from the start of 1998, Liontrust Special Situations Fund in 2005, Liontrust UK Growth Fund in 2009 and Liontrust UK Micro Cap Fund in 2016. Before moving to Liontrust, Anthony joined Schroder Investment Management as a graduate trainee, later becoming an equity analyst before joining the Smaller Companies team in 1994. Anthony Cross graduated in 1990 from Exeter University with a degree in Politics.


text:
Q: Signing and Verifying of Signature using Pycryptodome always fails Hi I'm using the Pycryptodome package to try and verify signatures of transactions in a Blockchain. My issue is that when trying to add a new transaction, I first create a signature to be passed into a verify transaction method but for some reason it always fails even though the logic seems to be right when I compare it to the documentation. If anyone could point me where I'm going wrong it would be much appreciated. I have 3 methods that handle all of this and i'm not sure where the issue is
The generate keys method
def generate_keys(self):
        # generate private key pair
        private_key = RSA.generate(1024, Crypto.Random.new().read)

        # public key comes as part of private key generation
        public_key = private_key.publickey()

        # return keys as hexidecimal representation of binary data
        return (binascii.hexlify(public_key.exportKey(format='DER')).decode('ascii'), binascii.hexlify(private_key.exportKey(format='DER')).decode('ascii'))

The sign transaction method
def sign_transaction(self, sender, recipient, amount, key):

        # convert transaction data to SHA256 string
        hash_signer = SHA256.new(
            (str(sender) + str(recipient) + str(amount)).encode('utf-8'))

        # sign transaction
        signature = pkcs1_15.new(RSA.importKey(
            binascii.unhexlify(key))).sign(hash_signer)

        # return hexidecimal representation of signature
        return binascii.hexlify(signature).decode('ascii')

and the verify transaction method
@staticmethod
def verify_transaction(transaction):
        # convert public key back to binary representation
        public_key = RSA.importKey(binascii.unhexlify(
            transaction.sender))

        try:
            # create signature from transaction data
            hash_signer = SHA256.new(
                (str(transaction.sender) + str(transaction.recipient) + str(transaction.amount)).encode('utf-8'))

            pkcs1_15.new(public_key).verify(
                hash_signer, binascii.unhexlify(transaction.signature))

            return True
        except ValueError:
            return False

Once i've generated my key pair and attempt to use them to sign and verify transactions it always fails. I know this because it always returns false from the verify method leading me to believe a value error is always raised. Thanks in advance hopefully someone can help me out.


ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers, in partnership with the State Innovation Exchange, the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative and AARP Maryland, will host three telephone town halls at the end of July to connect directly with Maryland residents and discuss efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
July 23 Tele-Town Hall: Sen. Mathias and Del. Sample-Hughes: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Register here.
July 25 Tele-Town Hall: Sen. Klausmeier and Del. Bromwell, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.Register here.
July 31 Tele-Town Hall: Sen. Young and Del. Lewis Young: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.Register here.
The events are sponsored by the State Innovation Exchange, AARP Maryland, and the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative. Each town hall is open to the public and any members of the press.


text:
Title: A Brand New Box of Matches
Pairing: Faith/Cordelia
Rating: NC-17. In fact, some of the things I've done might be why that rating was invented in the first place. Call it a PWP if it makes you feel better. Seriously though, this one's fairly graphic, so don't read if you're offended by depictions of that sort or by rough language.
Archiving: I've got a nifty little place over at http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/harper.htm where this'll be, and I know that a few of the lists automatically archive. Beyond that, God forbid you should want this, please drop me a note and ask.
Disclaimers: Nancy Sinatra and her songwriters own the title, Joss owns the characters, and I own what they do here. No copyright infringement is intended, as might be inferred from the fact that these girls act in ways that you can't see outside of pay-per-view or blue videos. If you're looking to sue, I hate to inform you that I'm what defense lawyers call judgment proof. In everyday language, that means I'm poor.
A/N: This wasn't beta read, nor was it intended to be a stunning piece of literature. It's a stand-alone. Should you like to comment about this here little offering, you'll find me at Xfjnky2@yahoo.com. You'll know it's me because I'll be the one waiting there anxiously.
There was something so very appealing about a bad girl. Not a faux bad girl in a scuffed leather jacket, sporting a carefully posed sneer designed to create the illusion of an air of malice, but a real bad girl who didn't hide behind artful poses. The kind of girl who took one look at you and knew that all you wanted to do was fuck her.
The kind of girl who didn't care, because all she wanted to do was fuck you too.
Society and the shrinks that served it might try to look deeper, to find a seemingly innocuous incident in an otherwise normal childhood that might have led to this predilection, but Cordelia didn't give a shit about the reasons why. All she knew was that it was so, and it was useless to try and pretend otherwise.
Then again, she'd never really been a fan of looking deeper. She'd tried it once or twice, and hadn't liked what she'd seen. Not that the portals to her soul had revealed a great yawning mass of blackness or anything, but they did tell her in no uncertain terms that some of the things she liked were wrong.
Wrong, wrong, bad, wrong.
Who the hell decided what was wrong anyway? How exactly did the morality police come up with the standards of what was decent and what was perverted? Was sex in the missionary position acceptable because it didn't inflame the mind, didn't deviate from the ordained path of the righteousness of fucking? Propagation and procreation, and the lights turned out and the covers pulled over on top of heads to still lustful thoughts so that humanity would be able to pull itself away from the indecency of bodies hunching over one another, of man and woman at their carnal, beastly best.
Wasn't that what they'd decided a long time ago? Somewhere along the line it had been determined that sex was a necessary evil, a thing to be tolerated. Until, that is, it only became a thing for a woman to tolerate, to do her marital duty, to spread her legs for the good of the country. She was to provide an heir, to be a vessel so that one man could bring forth into life another, so that bloodlines and good names could be carried into the next generation ad infinitum.
But Cordelia didn't give a fuck about any of that.
She was no innocent, no virgin. Not by any stretch of the imagination was she chaste, was she pure. A tad inexperienced, perhaps, but what the body hasn't accomplished the mind can complete a thousand times. Usually with a lot more skill she'd soon learned, though after time she'd taught herself to guide Xander, to use his body so that it brought her pleasure.
To hell with Xander.
The things she wanted didn't come in packages wrapped quite like his, though she was content to use him as a stepping stone, as a temporary stand in. He'd slave away over her body, his dark eyes worried, afraid that she wouldn't find him adequate. Cordelia didn't have the heart to tell him he was adequate, but nothing more. A boring and uninspired lover, if a diligent one, and she gained as much knowledge from the experience as possible before taking the opportunity of his infidelity to turn him aside.
And then she came.
Dark hair, flashing near black eyes, a body built of temptations divined from Lucifer himself, and Cordelia knew that she'd found what she had been searching for. It didn't matter that this girl was coarse, that she was crude. In fact, it made her even more appealing. Faith was most definitely a bad girl, one who wouldn't give a damn about propriety, who wouldn't hold back for fear of upsetting delicate sensibilities. She was fucking personified, from the lush mounds of her breasts to the long delicate length of her legs.
Swollen red lips beckoned promises that Cordelia knew they could keep, and it became imperative that she have this girl. There were no doubts in her mind that it would happen. Cordelia Chase always got what she wanted.
But, there was as much fun in the chase as in the capture. While it would be so very easy to make her intentions clear, to enjoy the pleasure that came with instant gratification, she wasn't swayed, and she didn't reveal her plan.
There were rules to this game.
She watched her, keen eyes tracking every delicious morsel of her prey. There was the confident swagger, the hooded eyes that never bothered hiding their desire, the athletic grace of a body made for killing… and all of it provided ample kindling for the fire Cordelia was carefully tending.
Sometimes it became too much. On occasion, she'd slipped off into the dark shadows ringing a local cemetery and had watched Faith in motion. Such unrestrained passion, such intensity, and the added bonus of the flex and play of lithe muscles beneath slut-tight clothes… those nights Cordelia would return home to her wide bed and bury her fingers in the wetness that had gathered between her thighs. Each trip would only increase the ache deep inside her, but she wasn't ready yet to bring it all to an end.
The torment of not having what she wanted was too satisfying.
She enjoyed keeping herself, her wants and needs and desires, hidden from the prying eyes of all those who watched her so carefully. Half were afraid of her and half worshipped her, but none knew her beyond the beautifully constructed façade that she wore. Even her quarry didn't have a clue of her true intentions, and there was little that pleased her more to watch the other girl's lazy sprawl out of the corner of her eye as she sat, oblivious to the nature of Cordelia's thoughts.
After all, its impossible to truly know someone.
In public she showed mere disdain. It was only to be expected. They simply didn't move in the same circles, didn't inhabit the same worlds. So, Cordelia felt secure in the knowledge that her secret was safe
But, it seemed that the hunter had underestimated the hunted.
She'd been skulking in the shadows once more, watching with bright eyes as her chosen soon-to-be lover defeated a gang of vamps, her body moving with the effortless beauty of a ballerina as she fought. Feeling herself grow increasingly excited as Faith worked through the group, Cordelia had let her eyes flutter shut for one short second, reveling in the arousal coursing through her. When she'd opened them, it was only to see the dust of what had once comprised undead bodies settling to the ground.
The sound of a low voice purring in her ear had almost sent Cordelia to an early grave of her own. She didn't know how the dark Slayer had managed to evade detection by the invisible sensors that jealously guarded her personal space, but the truth of it was that she was standing so close that the warmth of her burned into the cheerleader's back.
"Whatcha doin', C?" Throaty, seductive, and it took all Cordelia had in her to stifle a moan.
"Faith." She didn't answer the other girl's question, not caring enough to make up a clever evasion but not yet wanting to betray her true reasons.
"You've been watching me." This time the voice was so close to her ear that she could feel the warm moisture of breath against her sensitive skin, and had to draw her shoulders up straight to keep herself from swaying backward into the flesh she knew was tantalizingly close.
"What makes you say that?" She had no intention of giving anything away until she was ready, but the banter, the trade of closeted invitations, only served to heighten her arousal. They both had the same objective in mind, but there was no use in rushing to it.
"Because I've seen you, hiding here in the shadows." Now the voice was cocky, and belatedly Cordelia realized that heightened slayer senses apparently detected far more than she'd anticipated. Oh well, nothing really to worry about now.
"And how do you know I've been watching you? I could just happen to enjoy taking late night strolls," she returned, hands flexing into fists at her sides. She wanted so desperately to reach back, to see if the power of the muscles she'd seen playing underneath those tight pants were as intense as she'd imagined.
"You're lying to me, C," the dark slayer replied, one slim hand suddenly winding its way through the soft hair at Cordelia's nape, jerking back hard so that the other girl's neck was bared, the soft hiss of air through teeth echoing across the silence of the cemetery at the move. "Why don't you try telling me the real reason why you've been following after me?"
The cheerleader felt her mind racing, battling between an intense desire to turn her head to the side and capture those crimson-stained lips and the need to not betray herself. After all, the object of this game wasn't for her to fall to her knees and beg. So, not completely sure of her next move, she stayed silent, waiting to see what that particular reaction invoked from the slayer.
"Can't think of any lies to spill from your pretty lips?" Faith was close enough to the other girl to smell her, the scent a heady mixture of arousal, fear, and sandalwood. It was the arousal part that stuck out in her mind, and for a moment she wished she could see the cheerleader's eyes more clearly than the dark night allowed for. The possibility that Cordelia was attracted to her had been one that she'd been entertaining for a few weeks, having caught on occasion a flare of desire in the brunette's covert glances. But, she'd dismissed it, well aware of Queen C's reputation and of her less than savory opinion of the dark slayer. Now though, with the harsh rasp of the other girl's breath filling the darkness, she wasn't sure.
"Or, are you just ashamed?" she finally queried, having inched even closer so that her body was pressed along the length of the other girl's back, gratified by the near whimper that had erupted from Cordelia's throat at the move.
"Ashamed of what?" Cordelia finally ground out, trying not to rub her body up against the one behind her.
"Ashamed of just how badly you want me." The cockiness was there again, the tone sending a flood of wetness between her thighs, and Cordelia weighed her options. Should she admit to it now, or should she try to play the game out a little longer?
"And just why would you think I'd want you?" she finally threw back, her tone harsh. She was trying to hide the arousal in her voice now, trying to keep her body from betraying her, but as those fingers tightened even further in her silky locks, it became much harder.
"Because I can smell it on you," was the rough reply, and the hand that wasn't wound through her hair was suddenly at her belly, sliding up underneath her shirt to cup her left breast through the silky fabric of her bra. A rebellious nipple hardened instantly at the touch, and Cordelia couldn't hold back the soft moan that accompanied its tightening. "And I can feel it. I'll bet your little pussy is soaked, isn't it?"
In for a penny, in for a pound, Faith thought. She'd never claimed that gentle seductions were her forte, and here, with the chilly night air pricking her aroused flesh, she wasn't about to start learning how to conduct them. Besides, judging by the nearly imperceptible arching of the other girl's lean hips, she didn't need to spout poetry or shower Cordelia with flowers.
"Wouldn't you like to find out," came her reply, the words pushing past a nearly unresponsive throat after long minutes.
Cordelia wasn't worried about subtlety any longer.
"I want you to show me." Holding her breath in anticipation, Faith waited to see what the girl's next move would be. To say that she was surprised when she noticed Cordelia's fingers fumbling with the buttons on her jeans would be an understatement. Shock would be more appropriate, and when she felt the thin body in front of her jerk from the touch of a slim hand against aroused flesh, when she saw Cordelia's lean fingers shining with evidence of the her wetness float before her, it was all the slayer could do to remain on her feet. Never in a million years would she have anticipated this, but now that it was here, she certainly wasn't going to let the opportunity pass by.
The hand that had been rhythmically squeezing Cordelia's breast was pulled from its warm hiding place as it shot out, wrapping around a slender wrist. When the cheerleader felt a warm mouth descending on her coated digits, she did collapse slightly against the other girl, her knees no longer completely sure that they wanted to support her weight.
"God, you taste good," Faith hissed, letting the hand that had been holding Cordelia's head back sneak down to the other girl's waist, pulling her back and keeping her upright. "I want to feel for myself."
And with the words, her hand slid beneath the waistband of exposed panties, slipping easily into the wetness between Cordelia's thighs. The other girl was so wet that her fingers slid slickly against the swollen flesh, and with amazement tinging her voice, Faith said aloud the thing that she'd just realized.
"You'd let me fuck you right here, wouldn't you?"
Cordelia didn't answer, but that was fine because she didn't really need an answer. The warmth against her palm satisfied any questions that she might have had, and Faith shook her head in an attempt to pull her scattered thoughts together. Long ago she'd learned never to expect much from life because it was always going to do what it damned well pleased and not what you expected, and if anything was evidence of that rationale, then this was. If anyone had asked her whether or not she'd be standing here, one hand down the Ice Queen of Sunnydale High's pants, her fingers covered in the girl's arousal, she'd have laughed at them. It appeared that first impressions and stereotypes were just as the clichés said, not to be trusted, because she'd taken one look at the cheerleader and pegged her as a frigid bitch, and most definitely not worth her time.
If Cordelia was frigid, then Faith was a nun.
"I'm not going to fuck you here." Keen slayer hearing told her that the other girl had let out a soft sound of disappointment at the words, and she smiled slightly at that. "You got your car around here?"
"Yeah, why?" Those fingers were still tracing a path between the inflamed lips of her sex, making it hard for Cordelia to think.
"Because I've got plans for you, and they don't involve me freezing my ass off in a cemetery. We're going back to my room." A frissom of excitement shot of Cordelia's spine at the words, and as much as she missed the warmth of the other girl's fingers probing her flesh, she was much too excited about the prospect of what Faith was talking about to care.
When those still slightly damp fingers entwined with her own, pulling her away from the shadow of the trees, she followed willingly. It didn't take long for them to reach her vehicle, the exorbitant amount of money that had been spent on it detailing itself in every sleek line.
Faith didn't even pause to look at the car. Instead she slid behind the steering wheel, leaving Cordelia the passenger's side. Once the keys had been handed over, she inserted them into the ignition and put the car in gear, admiring the way the machine handled smoothly but not giving voice to her thoughts.
She could feel the other girl's hazel eyes tracing over her profile in the scant light, and deliberately kept her face schooled to a bland indifference. From the way Cordelia squirmed in the passenger's seat, it seemed to be working, seemed to be driving her arousal and her irritation that much higher, and Faith had to wonder just how badly she'd underestimated the other girl. She would find out soon enough, because once they were in her room, all bets were off.
Once Cordelia was there, she'd own her.
All too soon yet not soon enough they pulled up in front of the skanky motel, and Faith killed the ignition. She felt the urge to offer the girl an out, to make sure that they went into this each knowing that once they stepped through the doorway, all bets were off.
"Are you sure about this, C?" she rasped, watching as the other girl's head swung her way, as hazel eyes melted into hers.
"Not looking to back down now, are you?" It was almost a taunt, and Faith growled. No fucking way she was going to back away from this.
"Just thought you might have played your little girl fantasy out as far as you'd imagined it." Which, in a way, was true. Part of her still couldn't believe that she was sitting here with Cordelia Chase of all people.
"Not afraid, are you?" That was definitely a taunt, one carelessly designed to draw forth Faith's competitive nature. If there was one thing Cordelia didn't want to deal with at the moment, it was indecision. Now that the time to act had come, she didn't want to bother herself with philosophical discussions on the rightness of the situation.
With a grunt, Faith pushed open the car door, slamming it behind her as she moved toward her room. She didn't wait for Cordelia, knowing that the girl would trail after her, and was rewarded soon after by the sound of a door opening and closing. The crunch of gravel under the other girl's shoes let her know that Cordelia was hurrying to catch up, and she slowed her usually brisk pace until the lanky figure was beside her.
When she swung open the door to her room, Faith had to resist the urge to apologize for its plainness, for its obvious cheapness. It consisted of only a few battered pieces of furniture and a worn bed. A duct of some kind was nestled in the corner, wrapped with discarded pieces of foam, and the carpet had long ago seen better days. Despite all that, it was immaculately clean, because if nothing else, Faith could live in poverty but not squalor.
She didn't apologize though, because she refused to be ashamed.
Instinctively Faith realized that she was in complete control of this situation. Often that was something that she had to take from her partner, but she was somehow aware that beneath the other girl's bristling exterior, she had already passed over the reins of control. It was up to the slayer to take them now, and she did so without abandon.
"Take off your clothes." The words were stark, not seductive, but they still brought with them a bolt of desire. Cordelia was trapped by heavily hooded chocolate eyes, by the look of longing that she could see written plainly across the other girl's features, and she moved her fingers to the hem of her shirt.
Pulling it up slowly, letting the fabric inch up to display the tanned, toned plane of her belly, the sheer black silk of her bra, she milked the attention she was getting. A slow unveiling was always best in her book, forcing patience on both parties, and she took advantage of that now.
When the cloth was discarded behind her, Cordelia let long fingers trace down over her skin, skimming the tight peaks of her breasts, until they found the buttons on her jeans, which had been hastily redone in the cemetery. Popping them one by one, letting the fly slowly droop open to display the skin below her navel, the low slung top of silky panties that matched the barely there bra, she watched dark eyes trace her movements.
The buttons finally undone, she pushed the fabric off her hips, letting it fall in a heap in the floor where she stepped out of it easily, slipping off her shoes at the same time. Now clad only in her underwear, she moved closer to Faith until she was only inches away from the other girl, both of them standing scant feet away from the beckoning bed.
"You're not finished," Faith observed, her mouth watering at the vision in front of her. Cordelia was taller than the slayer, and her body was a study in long, lean muscles and taut tanned skin. High, firm breasts overlooked a flat tummy, and the line that bisected the slimly muscled expanse showed clearly as the flesh around it pulled tight under Faith's inspection. The slim curve of hips led to long thighs and shapely calves, and the slayer was more than impressed. For some reason, she'd expected a layer of baby fat over willowy slimness, and was happy to find herself proven wrong.
The delicate spider web of Cordelia's collarbone and the gentle play of tendons in her neck only added to the femininity of the body before her, and Faith could only smirk. All of this was hers for the taking, and the part of her that took pride in her temporary possession of this woman sent a heady jolt of power through her. Cordelia desired her, had sought her out, and she wasn't about to overlook the bounty laid bare before her.
"I am for now," was Cordelia's reply, her voice having gone low with passion. She was well aware of the parlance that some might attribute to her games, but words like butch and femme, top and bottom, and dominant and submissive had no place in her world. They were labels, and she abhorred labels. All she cared about was satisfying her desires, and to hell with what others might read into her actions.
"Uh-uh, Princess. We play by my rules, or we don't play at all." Faith's previously liquid eyes hardened with this pronouncement, and with a pout, Cordelia gave in. It wasn't that she was hard-pressed to do so, because there was no real reason to ignore a command that she wanted to perform. She'd been testing the boundaries, so to speak, and felt a jagged line of excitement run down her body at the way her probe had been answered. Like she'd noted, the world's labels didn't appeal to her, but that didn't mean that she didn't revel in some of the actions that went along with them.
The bra snapped in the front, and with a casual flick of her wrist she undid the clasp. Cups that had previously been barely containing her breasts fell slack, and with a shrug of her elegant shoulders, the fabric disappeared completely. Already taut nipples seemed to harden further when finally exposed, unhindered, to Faith's gaze, and the sensation shot straight down her belly to the cradle of her thighs.
Long fingers slid under the thin side straps of her panties, sliding the scrap slowly down her hips until it hung loosely around her upper thighs. Once there, she bent lazily at the waist, letting the bit of fabric trace down her legs until she was free of it. Thusly unclothed, she stood once more, proud beneath the other girl's gaze. Her body was nothing to be ashamed of, and Cordelia was well aware of this fact. Faith wouldn't find her lacking.
"Very nice." Cordelia wanted to preen under the compliment, the sparse words more than enhanced by the look of absolute hunger in the other girl's eyes, but she remained still, determined to reveal as little of herself, emotionally speaking, as possible. Other than the fact that she knew that Faith would hurt her if feelings were brought into the equation, throwing them back in the cheerleader's face, there was no other reason to hold back. No other reason, that is, except for the fact that she gained a secret pleasure from it, a rush at the knowledge that she was depriving the other girl of something.
Not that she was depriving her of much. Feelings really didn't have a place in these proceedings, and the scant few that she had certainly didn't merit much attention.
"I want to see you." In fact, she was burning with the desire to do so. The feminine curves hidden under a shirt too tight to conceal much had been tempting her since the first day she laid eyes on the rogue slayer, and now that the object of her lustful affections was within reach, she didn't want to be denied any longer.
The slight arch of one brow and the barely perceptible tilt of Faith's head let Cordelia know that she if she wanted to bare the other girl's flesh, then she was going to have to do it herself. No hardship, really, and eager hands fell to the task, ripping apart the button on worn leather pants with practiced ease. It wasn't long before she had her hands down the back of the now loosened waistband, fingers digging roughly into firm flesh. Patience was a virtue she possessed only when it suited her own needs, and right now wasn't one of those times. She wanted to touch the flesh that had taunted her for so long, and with the apparent permission that she currently had to do so, Cordelia wasn't going to wait.
She was torn, though. Touch, or unveil? As much as her fingers enjoyed flexing into the hard muscles of Faith's buttocks, she was highly aware of the fact that she'd enjoy the experience all the more if her eyes had something more to feast on than the abstract pattern of red and black on the other girl's thin tee-shirt. So, a quick moved shucked the pants impeding her access, exposing, much to her delight, a lacy piece of navy blue fabric that did more to accentuate than it did to hide.
Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as easy to divest the slayer of her clothing as Cordelia might have hoped. Unlike herself, the other girl's shoes didn't slip off easily, and with a groan of frustration, the cheerleader became aware of the fact that she was going to have to remove them if they were going to be removed. So, kneeling in the nubby carpet, she let her hands sneak under folds of leather, finding and tugging apart the shoelaces on the thick black boots adorning her prey's feet. It took a few moments to rid the other girl of the clunky footwear, but when she did, Cordelia took the restricting pants with them. And, deciding that there was no time like the present, she stripped the panties off as well, leaving Faith clad only in a short, thin shirt.
Her position on the floor put her in a perfect position to take in the heady aroma of the dark slayer's arousal, and Cordelia fought against the urge to reach forward, to bury her nose in the thatch of thick curls that looked so very tempting. It wasn't time yet, though, and so she forced herself to stand, letting soft fingers trace up the other girl's legs as she did so. When they reached Faith's hips, the cheerleader's hands continued even further north, sliding under the fabric of her tee, pushing it up until it bunched together under the other girl's arms. Tugging, growling as uncooperative limbs remained where they were, she flashed hazel eyes up at obsidian questioningly.
"The magic word?" Faith teased, enjoying the look of frustration on the other girl's lips.
"Please?" Cordelia replied sweetly, letting her tongue trace slowly across her upper lip. The move elicited the proper response, and soon she'd taken off not only the shirt but the bra beneath it, leaving the slayer naked.
Hazel eyes traced over the other girl's curves, lingering on the swell of full breasts, on the rapidly hardening ruby tips adorning them. They overlooked a firm belly and the womanly curve of hips, and Cordelia decided that the wait was well worth it if she was now going to be able to enjoy this specimen.
"You've been thinking about this for a long time, haven't you?" Faith asked, caught between amusement and confusion. The feral look on the other girl's face as she hungrily licked her lips was nothing short of animalistic, and once again the dark slayer asked herself how she had managed to miss uncovering this little phenomena before.
Cordelia didn't answer, and Faith felt a little jolt of anger run through her. She was used to sex, and was more than accustomed to being thought of as nothing more than an object, a body, another nameless conquest in a long line of people that mattered as little to her as she did to them. For some reason that she couldn't quite place, the fact that the spoiled little rich girl standing here naked in front of her, eyes roaming possessively over her flesh, was more than willing to use her as she'd always been used was infuriating. Though not angry enough to turn the woman away, she did let the emotion push away any shred of tenderness, any shred of compassion. Cordelia had come here for a reason, and she was going to make sure that she fulfilled her part of the bargain. The fantasies of an undersexed, overimaginative and in-over-her-head brat would find themselves paling in the shade of what she would get.
When all the layers of civilization are pared away, underneath the veneer of domestication every human is nothing but a beast of the wild, with the same raw, ugly possessive drives and urges. Unwilling to tamp them down at the moment, Faith decided that what would be, would be. If the other girl couldn't handle what she was asking for, then she could leave.
"Show me what you've been thinking about," Faith commanded huskily, throwing herself back on the bed, her body curling automatically into a seductive pose. "Just what did you plan on doing when you finally got the guts to let me know that you wanted to fuck me? That is what you want, isn't it? To fuck me?"
"Of course I've wanted to fuck you," Cordelia said finally, too distracted before that moment by the sight of that glorious body spread out on the bed before her to piece together a coherent sentence. "That's what you're made for, after all, isn't it? For fucking?"
If the answer bothered Faith, she didn't show it. Then again, it wouldn't have really mattered what her reply to that might have been because Cordelia had lowered herself to the bed, crawling slowly up over the slayer's lithe form until their bodies were pressed together fully. The cheerleader had insinuated one slim thigh between the other girl's hips, delighting in the slick trail of moisture that coated her flesh at the contact. Soft breasts pressed into one another, the taut tip of nipples teasing increasingly sensitive flesh, and the warm rasp of Cordelia's breath ghosted over Faith's parted lips.
When the cheerleader lowered her head, Faith braced herself, expecting the rough press of lips, the harsh slashing of a tongue, but was surprised when she felt little more than the whisper of flesh against flesh. She'd anticipated having to take control of the kiss, having to twist it into something that she preferred, but baffled by the apparently unhurried nature of Cordelia's caress, she allowed it.
For long moments, that's all the other girl did, until finally the velvet softness of her tongue joined in the play, teasing the sensitive skin of Faith's upper lip, delving gently into the slayer's mouth to touch on her own. Confused by the sudden change, unsure how this hesitant lovemaking fit in with the defiant picture that she held in her mind's eye of an aggressive Cordelia, Faith battled between the desire to take over as she normally did and to wait and see where this went.
Curiosity won out, and so as the taller brunette lazily made her way down the front of Faith's body, spending long, lavish minutes on her breasts, lathing the ample mounds with her tongue, the slayer allowed it. As the long body moved further down, she spread her legs further, and when that talented tongue began to work on her aroused flesh, she gave up any thought of stopping the other girl.
Cordelia was delighting in Faith's spicy taste, burying her face between swollen lips as she searched out ever smooth inch of flesh. Determined to bring the other girl to orgasm by use of her tongue alone, she worked diligently over the tender skin, alternating between hard and soft, between the rough scrape of teeth and the gentle suction of full lips. The strong press of Faith's hand against the back of her head, holding her in place as the slayer's body strove toward climax, the movement of her hips becoming more and more spasmodic, was intoxicating. Cordelia adored the feeling of being held, of being trapped, and her excitement only fueled her performance until soon the other girl was crying out, her body convulsing rhythmically.
Pleased with herself, Cordelia decided to let the play begin in earnest. Fingers moved deeply into Faith's snug channel even as the last waves of orgasm rolled through her, and soon there was nothing but the wet slap of her hand as it thrust into the slayer, the garbled curses and encouragements being sent her way by the dark girl, and the hungry smack of her own lips against aroused flesh. It wasn't long before the body under her started writhing once more, but this time when climax hit, Faith had the presence of mind to use strong fingers to pull the cheerleader roughly away from her task.
Panting, her body energized by the attention it had just received, Faith tugged on Cordelia's hair until the other girl slid up her body. Capturing the cheerleader's lips in a rough kiss, she reveled in the taste of herself coating the other girl's skin for a moment.
But then her focus returned. She was sweaty, she was aroused, and she was ready to turn the tables.
"Kneel," Faith commanded harshly, pushing back against Cordelia's shoulders until the other girl grasped what she was saying. There was no confusion in the hazel eyes at the seeming rebuke, only anticipation and excitement, and as Faith rolled off the bed to stand beside it, she couldn't hold back a smug smirk.
There, on her knees on the slayer's bed, was a high school goddess. A high school goddess who had just spent the last half hour between her thighs, and Faith felt a rush of power and pride rush through her.
"You came to me for a reason, didn't you C?" Faith asked rhetorically, moving with lazy grace across the room, seemingly unconscious of her nudity. After a few minutes of rustling through one of the battered wooden drawers of her less than pristine bureau, she turned, and what Cordelia saw then made her eyes widen in pleasure.
"You came to me because you knew I'd know what to do with you, didn't you?" Faith moved slowly across the room until she was once again standing by the bed. With a languid grace, she raised one leg, letting it rest on the mussed bedcovers.
"You couldn't get what you wanted anywhere else could you?" she questioned, catching the other girl's eyes.
"No," Cordelia whispered, transfixed.
"That's what I thought. I want you to watch me," the slayer instructed, knowing the directions were unnecessary. There wasn't any way short of blindness that would keep Cordelia from fastening her eyes on the other girl's movements.
Hazel eyes burned as Faith brought the tapered end of a bright pink dildo up between her legs, sliding it easily between her folds. Letting her head fall back and her eyes flutter shut as the thick silicon piece pushed into her, the slayer was rewarded by a whimper of need from the girl kneeling on the bed.
"Fasten it for me," she instructed, and scant seconds later felt eager hands reaching for the dangling leather straps currently teasing her thighs. When they were tightened, she opened her eyes once more to see Cordelia staring raptly at the matching pink protrusion now pointing out at her. The harness was one of Faith's favorite toys, allowing for a feeling of penetration for both partners, though it was really she who got to feel the power of controlling the pace. In this arena, she'd always be in control.
"Touch it." The hands that had been lingering by the buckles at her sides eagerly flew around to wrap around the width of the faux cock, and Faith held back a moan as the other girl began to stroke, feeling the piece inside her move as Cordelia did so.
"No," she grunted finally, regaining control of her voice, "not with your hands. With your mouth."
For a moment hazel eyes narrowed, and Faith wondered if Cordelia would refuse. Part of her wanted the other girl to back away, to say no, if only to feel as if she'd conquered her. It was a selfish, if self-damaging desire, but Faith didn't care about contradictions. All she cared about was winning.
Because sex was a game, a struggle for power, no matter what people might say to the contrary.
Cordelia apparently got over her hesitance, because before Faith could even blink those lush red lips were wrapped around the shaft of her strapped-on cock, and those hazel eyes were looking up at her as the other girl moved back and forth. The sight of Cordelia kneeling there, her mouth on the extension of Faith's sex, was almost enough to elicit another orgasm, and the slayer jerked away roughly. A hand on Cordelia's chin stilled all motion, and chocolate eyes searched hazel, slowly becoming aware that the other girl wasn't going to back out tonight.
Excited, yet somehow angered at that thought, Faith used her superior strength to turn Cordelia toward the wall, to move her forward until her hands were wrapped around the wooden bar of the headboard and her thighs were spread wide. Resting the fake cock in the cleft of the other girl's buttocks, the slayer let her hand glide over the other girl's taut belly until it came to rest between her legs, cupping her sex.
"This belongs to me now," she whispered harshly, the words wringing forth a moan from Cordelia's lips. She didn't protest because she didn't want to; the words had excited her, and at the moment she wasn't hypocritical enough to deny them.
"Then take it," the other girl rasped back, and Faith growled low in her throat. It wasn't the response that she'd been expecting, and she never would have anticipated the jolt of arousal the acknowledgement brought with it.
With one hard thrust, she buried herself to the hilt in Cordelia's wetness, gratified by the slap of flesh on flesh as her belly met the other girl's buttocks. Wanting to give C the time to adjust to the invasion, she let her hands trace up to cup heavy breasts. Pinching the cheerleader's nipples between her thumb and forefinger until she heard a gasp of pain/pleasure, Faith contemplated her next move. The large part of her wanted to lay definitive claim to the girl kneeling before her, and with her current hedonistic frame of mind, that part won.
It wasn't long before the sound of the headboard banging into the wall was accompanied by the sound of skin slapping against skin and the inelegant groans that were passing without hesitation through Cordelia's lips. Faith's fingers on her nipples were rough, causing the flesh to burn and ache, but she leaned into the pain, enjoying it far more than she felt she should.
Fuck how she should feel.
Caught up in a haze of rapture, her body jerking rhythmically with the hard thrusts from the girl behind her, Cordelia let her head fall back. Her eyes had shut long ago, the effort necessary to keep them open far too much for her brain at the moment, and it was nothing more than the press of Faith's body behind her and her white-knuckled grip on the headboard that kept her body from toppling over as well.
When Faith let a hand drift down to the juncture of her thighs, one finger sliding into her wetness to scrape against the hard bundle of nerves at her apex with each thrust, she felt as if her heart was going to explode. There was nothing but the pressure of the cock inside her, the harsh rasp of their mingled breathing, and then suddenly nothing but a pure, white hot wave of pleasure.
She might have screamed, but Cordelia didn't remember it. All she knew was that one second she was kneeling on the bed, and the next she was laying on her back, her legs pulled up to drape over Faith's shoulders as her body was once more penetrated. Each hard thrust brought with it the delightful jiggle of her flesh, and Faith couldn't help lowering her head and capturing the sweet skin of the cheerleader's neck with her teeth.
If she left marks, Cordelia could find the lies to explain them away. It wasn't her problem.
When her second climax tore through her, Cordelia pushed roughly at Faith's shoulders, sure that she couldn't take any more. The slayer seemed to realize that she needed a break and pulled away, their bodies parting wetly.
When Cordelia finally left that night, it was with the delicious knowledge that no matter what happened, she'd had what she wanted at least once. The next day when she slid gingerly into a seat in the library beside Faith, her body a delicious mass of aching soreness, she didn't even spare her another glance.
That didn't keep her from following the girl again that night though.
And once again, Faith possessed her senses completely. But this time, when first her tongue, and then her fingers, and then her bright pink strapped-on cock pressed past the thick ring of muscle of Cordelia's anus, Faith possessed her body completely too.
Like all good things, though, it had to come to an end. Comas aren't conducive to continued lovemaking, and Cordelia had better things to do than to wait around for the impossible to happen. Faith wasn't going to wake up, which meant that she was once again left searching, her mind burning with the knowledge of her secret desire…
Always looking for that one perfect fuck, but never finding it.
Until, of course, the impossible happened.
Harper Buffy Main Index


The Great Spring Sickness was a plague epidemic which took place in 209 AC and 210 AC, killing tens of thousands in the Seven Kingdoms. Victims are said to have "died in the spring".
The plague killed tens of thousands in the Seven Kingdoms with the major cities affected the most; it was bad in Lannisport, worse in Oldtown, but worst of all in King's Landing, where four in ten succumbed to it. A strong man could wake up healthy in the morning and die by the evening, so swiftly did the plague strike.
Dorne and the Vale of Arryn did not suffer from the Great Spring Sickness, as they closed off their access roads and their ports to all travellers. Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Prince Aegon Targaryen, were in Dorne for the duration of the plague so were unaffected by it.
The plague killed people nobles and smallfolk, including King Daeron II Targaryen and his two most immediate heirs, Princes Valarr and Matarys, as well as the High Septon, a third of the Most Devout, nearly all of the silent sisters in King's Landing, and possibly Daeron's Hand of the King Ser Rolland Uffering, the fourth husband of Lady Rohanne Webber, died in the spring, as did the youngest son of Lord Ambrose Butterwell. Other notable victims include the heir and eldest son of Lord Bracken, and in 210 AC, Lord Damon Lannister.
Lord Brynden Rivers, the Hand of the King to Daeron's successor Aerys I Targaryen, ordered the many bodies be brought to the Dragonpit and burned by the pyromancers. The light of their wildfire pyres could be seen as a dark green glow throughout King's Landing during the night. A quarter of the city burned to the ground.
Many hostages of the Iron Throne, taken from Daemon I Blackfyre's supporters in the aftermath of the First Blackfyre Rebellion, died in the spring. With these kinsmen of their supporters already dead, Lord Gormon Peake and Daemon II Blackfyre felt more comfortable attempting the Second Blackfyre Rebellion.
... oh, it was a dreadful time. By the end, half the city was praying to the Stranger.
The drought wasn't Lord Bloodraven's fault, nor the Great Spring Sickness either.
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Mystery Knight.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 The Sworn Sword.
↑ It is unknown whether "...sweet Matarys and Valarr, the Hand." indicates that Valarr was Hand, or that Matarys, Valarr, and an unnamed Hand of the King died during the Spring Sickness.