It was evidently the last touch on what must have been a cheerful evening, for Paulette Brown gave one appalled spring and was gone, fleeing for the kitchen door. I am not slow on my feet. I was in the front way before she struck the back one. From the front door I observed the living room, and what I saw inside it before I strolled in there made me catch my breath with relief and comforting security for the first time that night. Macartney could not have been out listening in the dark, if I had. He sat lazily in the living room, talking to Marcia, with his feet in old patent leather shoes he could never have run in, even if it had not been plainher tracks for the third time.

I decided to fire Collins before breakfast the next morning and get off to Caraquet straight after. But I didn't; and I did not fire Collins, either. When I went to the bunk house and then to the mine, where he was a rock man, he had apparently fired himself, as Paulette had told him to. He was nowhere to be found, anyhow, or Dunn either. I wasted an hour hunting for him, and after that Macartney wanted me, so that it was late afternoon before I could load up my gold and get off. And as I opened the safe in Dudley's office I swore.

There were four boxes of the stuff; small, for easy handling; and if I had had time I


was the only other person who knew my light wagon and pair of horses was taking our clean-up into Caraquet,—except Paulette Brown!

And there was no sign of her anywhere. I had not expected there would be, but I was sore all the same. I had helped her out of difficulties three times, and all I'd got for it was—nothing! I saw Macartney coming up from the mill, and yelled to him to come and hold my horses, while I went back to my room for a revolver. This was from sheer habit. The snow still held off, and before me was nothing more exciting than a cold drive over a bad road that was frozen hard as a board, a halt at the Halfway stables to change horses,and perhaps the society of Billy Jones as far as Caraquet,—if he wanted to go there. The only other human being I could possibly meet might be some one from Skunk's Misery, though that was unlikely; the denizens of Skunk's Misery had few errands that took them out on roads. So I pocketed my gun mechanically. But as I went out again I stopped short in the shack door.

My dream girl, whom I'd never been alone with for ten minutes, sat in my wagon, with my reins in her hands. "My soul," I thought, galvanized, "she can't be—she must be—coming with me to Caraquet!"

CHAPTER V

THE CARAQUET ROAD: AND THE WOLVES HOWL ONCE MORE

Why comest thou to ride with me? "The road, this night, is dark." Dost thou and


was going to Billy Jones's for the sake of a drive with me. The only real thought I had was that behind me, in the back of the wagon, were the boxes of gold she had marked inexplicably with her blue seal, and that I had heard her say the night before that she "would have to get that gold!"

How she meant to do it was beyond me; and it was folly to think she ever could do it, with six feet of a man's strength beside her. But nevertheless, when you loved a girl for no other earthly reason than that she was your dream of a girl come true, and even though she belonged to another man, it was no thought with which to start onshe said it was perfectly educated and trained. For a moment I could think of nothing but the marvellous grace of her movement as she slid her hand under the tarpaulin that covered the gold; then I thought I heard her catch her breath with surprise. But she turned back with an exquisite lithe grace that made me catch mine, and slid down in her seat as if she had never slid out of it.

"It's a bottle," she said lightly. But it was with a kind of startled puzzle too, as if she had sooner expected dynamite. "I can't think why; I mean, I wonder what's in it!"

"A bottle!" I jerked around to stare at a whisky bottle in her hands. It was tightly sealed and full of


she knew I had been wondering about it since first we started; but she went on without a break—"here's my revolver. Put it in your pocket. I'd sooner you kept it."

I was thankful I had had the decency to trust her before she gave the weapon to me. But I was blazingly angry with myself when I got out of the wagon and saw just what had happened. Fair in the middle of my new road was a boulder that the frost must have loosened from the steep hillside that towered over us; and the front of the wagon had hit it square,—which it would not have done if I had been looking at the road instead of talking to a girl who was no business of mine,Billy Jones's at a walk, but I saw no sense in saying so. I got the horses back on the pole, and Paulette in the wagon holding the reins, still talking to the horses quietly and by name. But as I jumped up beside her the quiet flew out of her voice.

"The bottle," she all but shrieked at me. "Mind the bottle!"

But I had not noticed she had put it on my seat when she got out to hold the horses. I knocked it flying across her, and it smashed to flinders on the near fore wheel, drenching it and splashing over Danny's hind legs. I grabbed the reins from Paulette, and I thought of skunks, and a sulphide factory,—and dead skunks and rotten sulphide at that. Even


20 November 2005

The Welfare State At Its Best

One of the perennial American political debates is whether the United States should copy European models, something liberals tend to argue, or shun then, which conservatives tend to argue. The success of the Nordic states in Europe argues that one should copy them.

There's no doubt that parts of Europe indeed have sunk into stagnancy. But the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland are thriving, despite having even more generous government benefits and higher taxes than their European peers. . . . The Nordic states, with a combined population of 24 million, top almost every global measure of quality of life - and also, surprisingly, of economic competitiveness.

In last year's United Nations Human Development Index of "most livable countries,"Norway ranked first and Sweden second, and the United States eighth. And the World Economic Forum this year ranked the top three most competitive economies as Finland, the United States and Sweden, in that order.

Even the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, published by the conservative Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, ranked Denmark and Iceland ahead of, and Sweden and Finland just behind, the United States. . . . despite the widely held notion that the United States is the world's greatest opportunity society, studies show that parental wealth is a greater precursor to financial success in the United States than in Scandinavia. . . . A recent Harris poll asked people whether their lives had improved in the last five years. Only 26 percent of Germans


either Europe as a whole or the United States as a whole doesn't necessarily lead to a fair comparison. The five states with the highest per capita GDP in the United States (as of 2001) are Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland, and you could add the District of Columbia, which would be number two if it was a state. These 43 million people or so in six jurisdictions, are more comparable to the Nordic subset of the European Union. The policies of these Atlantic Coast states and their social statistics look a lot different than the United States as a whole, and so do their politics, which are well to the left of the United States as a whole.

Notably, all but one of the tenRevenge of the Nerds follows a group of college punching bags as they attempt to stop their ongoing torture at the hands of fraternity the Alpha Betas. The titular nerds decide to fight fire with fire, starting their own fraternity and playing their tormentors at their own game. The stage was all set for an up-to-date retelling of Revenge of the Nerds, until the school they were scheduled to shoot at pulled out.

Officials at the Atlanta-based Emory University decided that they didn’t want their school associated with the kind of shenanigans that director Kyle Newman (Barely Lethal) planned to stage on campus. Fox Atomic shifted the production to nearby Agnes Scott College, though the smaller campus proved unsuitable for the scale of the film and it was subsequently


canned by studio head Peter Rice, who was highly disappointed with the dailies he was receiving.

Fox Atomic was a short lived arm of 20th Century Fox, founded in 2006 to deal with teen genre movies such as this one. Just two years later, Atomic began scaling back their marketing and in 2009 all of its films still in development were moved to various Fox branches. Revenge of the Nerds wasn’t one of them, and the Fox Entertainment Group have stated that there is little chance of the remake being resurrected.

9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Joss Whedon’s long running series Buffy The Vampire Slayeris so ingrained in popular culture that it’s easy to forget that it was predated by a theatrical version. The 1992 film was also penned by Whedon,to have offered an opinion on what a new Warriors movie should look like. Crank director Mike Neveldine revealed that he was teaming up with fellow helmer Brian Taylor to remake the classic in the style of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, but a year has passed with no further news on their joint venture.

6. Yellow Submarine

Robert Zemeckis is currently in recovery from his career-threatening addiction to performance capture 3D, though when he was in the height of his obsession with the technology he had plans to remake 1968 animated Beatles feature Yellow Submarine. The director already had Christmas heart-warmer The Polar Express, Norse saga Beowulf and Disney’s A Christmas Carol under his digital belt at this stage, and he saw Yellow Submarine as the perfect successor: “I


questions about the casting of Gerard Butler in 2007 with a wince: “I will say that when I was told who was going to play Snake Plissken, my initial reaction was ‘oh man!’ I do think that character was quintessentially one thing, and that is American.”

Scotsman Butler stepped down not long after, citing “creative differences” as the problem. Since then a number of actors have been linked with the role, namely Jason Statham, Charlie Hunnam, and Tom Hardy, all of whom, rather ironically, are British. While no stars are currently attached, Fox (who won the bid for the rights in 2015) set Lutherwriter Neil Cross to work on a new script.

4. The Dam Busters

Based on the true story of Operation Chastise, a mission carried out by the BritishRAF during WWII in which three pivotal German dams were targeted, The Dam Busters has been described as “one of the truly great true stories of the Second World War” by none other than Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Ringsdirector is known to be an aviation fanatic and has harbored ambitions of remaking Michael Anderson’s 1955 classic for many years, though just when it was getting close to becoming a reality The Hobbitfilms happened.

Jackson initially tried to purchase the rights to the remake in the 1990s, but was told that he had been beaten to the punch by Mel Gibson. The Lethal Weapon star held onto them for a number of years, though finally dropped them in 2004, leaving the door open for Stephen Fry to pen


had acquired the rights to use Charles Addams’ classic drawings, once a staple of The New Yorker and the inspiration behind Barry Sonnenfeld’s films from the early ‘90s.

Universal’s intention was to produce a Burton-led remake, with the director reportedly keen to focus more closely on the sharp wit of the early illustrations that both the TV show and the movies failed to capture. The best way to achieve this fresh take on the macabre family was with a whole new approach all together.

The film was set to be done in the style of The Nightmare Before Christmas, not only using the same style of stop-animation, but with Burton serving as a puppet master to the whole project, though not necessarily directing the film. We’ll never know what hisHomeland Security. As part of the proposed bill, Democrats would require that the Secret Service release how much it costs to protect Trump family travel within 120 days of its passage. Mnuchin is reportedly onboard for the reporting of travel expenses, but only if the practice begins in 2021.

Though Trump promised during the campaign that he would “rarely leave the White House,” he has spent 114 days at his home in Mar-a-Lago and 75 days at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. Full records of Secret Service spending are unavailable, but individual costs detailed over the years offer a glimpse of how much the agency is spending to protect our leisurely president — and why the administration might not want the details publicized in an election


NEW ORLEANS -- The football -- and possibly the Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff hopes -- bounced off of the Mercedes‐Benz Superdome turf.

JuJu Smith-Schuster's fumble in the open field with 32 seconds left sealed the New Orleans Saints' 31-28 win that knocked Pittsburgh a half-game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings.

It was a devastating play for a receiver who has been tremendous all season.

But devastating losses and plays have one of the league's most talented teams sitting at 8-6-1, thanks to three December losses by three points. The Steelers were driving into scoring range when linebacker Demario Davis recovered the ball at the New Orleans 35-yard line.

"For it to come down like this every week, it sucks," said Smith-Schuster, who finished with 115 yards on 11 catchesbut was clearly dejected in the locker room, sitting in his uniform well after many teammates had showered.

The Steelers knew their playoff hopes hinged largely on what happened in New Orleans, and on Sunday, they played like it. They were desperate, inspired, bold, exciting.

They weren't perfect, though. That's about what it took to beat the Saints in the Mercedes‐Benz Superdome.

In arguably their gutsiest performance of the season, a wild game from start to finish, the Steelers couldn't overcome a handful of mistakes against a team this good.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had 380 yards on 33-of-50 passing and three touchdowns in a 31-28 loss at New Orleans on Sunday. Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers would be dangerous in these playoffs. But a Week 1 tie in Cleveland and a


game.

"It is what it is, man. It's an offensive game," Haden said. "You can't touch these guys."

NFL scores, standings and more Everything you need this week:

• 2018 playoffs coverage »

• Full schedule » | Full standings »

• 2019 draft order: Every first-round pick »

More NFL coverage »

On offense, Pittsburgh turned to the two players who have won clutch games for the team many times before -- Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger, who dazzled in the second half as Pittsburgh went to an near-all-passing attack.

Roethlisberger was near-flawless with 380 yards on 33-of-50 passing and three touchdowns, and Brown continued to spin around Marshon Lattimore for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches.

Between the second and third quarters, the Steelers' offense broke off scoring drives of 97, 75 and66 yards with only five rushing attempts, none in the third quarter.

In what might be his throw of the season, Roethlisberger split two defenders with a back-of-the-end-zone dart to a streaking Brown late in the third quarter.

And the game had tilted Pittsburgh's way when linebacker L.J. Fort blocked New Orleans' field goal attempt with 6:13 left to protect a 28-24 lead. The Saints were moving the ball swiftly, but Pittsburgh locked up inside the 40. The Steelers got three impressive second-half stops on one of the game's best offenses.

It wasn't enough.

And without much-needed hope and some luck in Week 17, the Steelers will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

"The story's not written yet. I told the guys in there -- I said, 'Listen, it's not


After the 2008 season, Payton and McCarthy made decisions that catapulted their teams to the playoffs, including a Super Bowl victory for New Orleans.

Payton and McCarthy hired new defensive coordinators. They wanted experienced coordinators with proven track records and went for coordinators who also had been head coaches.

Proof positive

Payton offered the job to Gregg Williams, a former head coach with Buffalo who spent one season in Jacksonville. Payton handed Williams the keys to the defense, saying, "It's yours. I'll take care of the offense."

After the 2008 season, McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson evaluated their personnel. McCarthy told Thompson he thought their defensive players might be better suited for a 3-4 scheme rather than the 4-3 they were playing.

McCarthy and Thompson offered the job to Dom Capers, aformer head coach with Carolina and the Texans who was coaching defensive backs with New England.

McCarthy handed the keys to the defense to Capers, one of the best 3-4 coaches in NFL history, saying, "It's yours. I'll take care of the offense."

With their first pick in the first round, the Packers drafted the best nose tackle available, B.J. Raji of Boston College. Later, they traded for another first-round pick and used it on a rush outside linebacker, Clay Matthews.

In 2009, Williams' first season as defensive coordinator, the Saints finished 13-3. They scored 510 points and allowed 341 — 52 fewer than the previous season. They also won the Super Bowl.

That same season, Capers' first as defensive coordinator, the Packers finished 11-5. They scored 461 points and allowed 297


- 83 fewer than the previous season. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round.

This season, the Saints and Packers are back in the playoffs. Their defenses have been even better. New Orleans finished 11-5 and allowed 307 points. Green Bay finished 10-6 and allowed 240.

Bear of a burden

There's another model for the Texans to follow:

In 2009, Chicago finished 7-9. Coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo were put on notice by ownership. Another losing season wouldn't be tolerated.

Smith hired an offensive coordinator whom most fans didn't want. Mike Martz had bounced around the NFL since his glory days in St. Louis. It was his responsibility to help Jay Cutler develop into a mature quarterback who would be worth two first-round picks.

This weekend, the BearsPolice detained over 40 protesters from in front of DC office in Hailakandi district of Assam while staging protest.

A two-year-old reportedly died due to random road blockade in Patna and reports have said that thousand across India have been taken under preventive detention.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad termed the Bharat Bandh, which derailed normal life in over 8 states and ended up in the death of a two-year-old in Patna, a failure. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Prasad, in a very matter-of-fact manner said, "Bharat Bandh was a failure and we regret the violence that followed (due to the shutdown)."

Complete shutdown of trade, business education sectors while government offices functioning with thin attendance. Traffic has been majorly off the road except rickshaws and two -wheelers.

Around 300 Congress


leaders and supporters have been detained in Tripura while picketing outside government offices. According to SP (Operation) Subrata Chakraborty, the detainees include PCC President Birajit Sinha and senior leader Gopal Chandra Roy. Bandh in Tripura has so far been peaceful.

Almost all the shops and markets are closed. Banks are open but hardly any customers. Till the last reports, no incidents of violence have been reported.

Showing their support for the Bharat bandh called by Congress over petrol price hike, members and supporters from various political parties — AAP, RJD, Congress have blocked, not allowing even two wheelers to pass by. The supporters are protesting at different locations— staging dharna on the roads, marching around the Siwan town and adjoining areas with their parties’ flags in there hands.

Hundreds of protestersare out on the roads of Siwan district in Bihar.

Nine mail/express and passenger trains were delayed in Assam due to picketers obstructing tracks at various stations in Lumding and Tinsukia division of NF Railway. Picketers had resorted to blockade of railway tracks at Silchar between Kalkalighat and Baraigram, between Moranhat and Sibsagar Town, at Diphu, and between Nakachari and Mariani. - said P.J Sharma, Chief Public Relation Officer of NF Railway in an official bulletin.

MLAs, IAS and IPS officers were seen walking to the state secretariat and Assembly today. They were stopped on their way. PCC President Niranjan Patnaik along with party members held a dharna in front of the Assembly main gate. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reached Assembly 4 minutes late today.

Bharat Bandh and Congress MLAs protesting


outside the House disrupted the state Assembly. The protesters were shouting in the House and made it impossible for the session to function. speaker Pradip Kumar Amat adjourned the House till tomorrow.

They realised their mistake soon enough. After a short, awkward silence, the cadre marched on.

In Madhya Pradesh' Neemuch, Congress workers were raising slogans to support the Bharat Bandh. While the cadre shouted, "Congress zindabad, Rahul Gandhi zindabad', someone by mistake yelled out, "Rahul Gandhi murdabad".

The Odisha Congress party plans to form an investigating team likely to be headed by senior party leader Chiranjibi Biswal to probe the alleged cases of use of force in some areas of Kakatpur and Remuna areas of the state. More details will be given at the party's press conference in the stateat 3pm. Party says if the members are found guilty strict actions will be taken against the guilty.

ODISHA: Congress to form investigating team to probe into use of force during Bharat Bandh

Officials have been categorically told to be alert and vigilant and ensure that miscreants don't break the law. "The state has ensure proper vigil which is why there has been no untoward incident in the state," DGP OP Singh said while briefing the media about police preparedness on Bharat Bandh.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists burn effigies of leaders of the Union government while protesting against the price hike near Jayadeva circle in Davangere.

The two-year-old, who died in Patna amid the nationwide shutdown, did not get an ambulance first and later his vehicle was stopped at two places which


and in shopping complexes.

College students in Tripura drove an auto themselves to sit for an exam. Students from Netaji Subhash Mahavidyalaya of Udaipur city in the state were seen driving the auto to reach for an exam in their college as there were no vehicles plying due to the Bharat bandh.

Congress protesters attacked the tahsil office staff in Kakatpur block of Puri dsitrict in the presence of police. Some of the staff were injured and some fled. The tahsildar and some other staff members were working in the office, when the Congress members forcibly broke the gate and attacked staff working in the office. PCC President Niranjan Patnaik said a team has been formed to inquire the incident.

Former Congress minister Bismita Gogoi has been detained by police inKhumtai of Golaghat district in Assam during a protest, along with dozens of supporters.

Private schools and many shops remained closed. Government offices and banks, however, functioned normally. At some places, bandh supporters were seen making way for ambulances and hearses.

Arson, vandalism and disruption of rail and road traffic were reported from various parts of Bihar on Monday during the 'Bharat Bandh' called by Congress-led Opposition in protest against the soaring prices of petroleum products, reported News18. In Patna, bandh supporters indulged in vandalism in the old city area where they also burnt tyres on railway tracks, stopping movement of trains.

Fifty eight bandh supporters along with former Congress minister Basanta Das have been detained by police in Sonitpur district. The protesters tried to halt vehicles in Mission Chariali of


Tezpur town in the district. The protesters have accused harassment by police during the protest.

BJP chief Amit Shah will be meeting Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid the nationwide shutdown called by Congress on Monday, reported India Today. Earlier in the day, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Narendra Modi government for failing to control the skyrocketing fuel prices. However, the BJP in a press conference said that the government is not responsible for it as "global forces are at play".

All dairies and small kiosks on the Holi gate square in Mathura were closed on Monday, reported News18. Protests were also witnessed in Jaunpur, Gorakhpur, Amroha, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Etawah, Mainpuri and Kanpur.

Hundred Congress supporters, including senior leader Bhakta Charan Das, have been detained byhas been completely shut down. Only a small number of private businesses, autos and taxis are plying on the roads and educational institutions are shut. There is heavy police deployment in the city.

At least 100 Congress activists, including Mahila Congress workers,Youth Congress president Geli Ete and Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) secretary John Taksing, were arrested on Monday in Arunachal Pradesh. The protesters burnt tyres in many places in the state capital and in various other places to block roads, Superintendent of Police, Itanagar, M Harsh Vardhan said.

Former Assam minister and Congress leader Ajit Singh said the Narendra Modi government failed to fulfill all its promises made during the 2014 campiang. "Modi along with Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani and other BJP leaders protested against price rise in the


a party to the bandh by withdrawing buses and closing educational institutions. "What was the necessity of withdrawing the buses when the ruling coalition had called the bandh? It shows there are anti-social elements in those parties and their own party leaders have no faith in their workers," district spokesperson Rajesh Nayak criticised.

In Sirsi the bandh was partially followed and auto-rickshaws plied on the roads as usual. In Ankola, miscreants were seen imposing the bandh. They ransacked a sweet mart and a spectacle shop in the town. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district barring some stray incidents.

" When we were peacefully protesting in Royalwood road around 10 am, Santanu Pujari came alongwith a group of protesters and started physically assualting the protesters andofficer in Dhenkanal collector office on Monday. As per the information, district sports officer Pradeep Kumar Mohanty was working in his office along with one other staff. The peon named as Sumant thought there is no one in office, as it is Bharat Bandh. He locked the office and left for home. The officer informed a local journalist about this. An hour later, the peon came back and opened the door.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah told ANI: "If you listen to the 2012 speeches of those in power today, they were shouting about petrol and diesel prices. Today, the prices are surpassing prices of that time; rupee has weakened against dollar. We are in trouble."

"Until Modi government brings fuel price under GST or reduce VAT, Congress will continue


Congress and BJP supporters in Assam's Karimganj district during Bharat bandh. In Katamoni area of the district, which falls under Bajarichora Police Station, both the groups came out on street with sticks and started assaulting each other. Several supporters from both the party have reportedly sustained injuries. Police has detained the supporters engaged in the clash.

About 75,000 fishermen across Kanyakumari have not gone to sea today to show their support for the bandh and their concerns about rising diesel prices. Across its major fishing villages like Muttam and Colachel, 2,500 mechanised boats and 8,000 smaller fishing boats stayed tethered. In Thengapattanam, fishermen protested aboard their boat, raising slogans against the Centre.

One of the policemen in the video is seen arguing with a Congress worker for creating ruckus, presumablybecause the trader's association had already made the announcement. The Congress worker is seen replying, "We own the trader's association."

The Tamil Nadu Traders' Federation had announced this morning that since Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner, they will not support the bandh. They will instead protest the high fuel prices in Delhi on 28 September.

In Thoothukudi, most commercial establishments are shut. Congress workers have been going around the city asking shops to down their shutters. While conducting such an exercise with the shops around Anna Bus Stand, party workers got into a heated argument with a shop owner who refused to shut shop. One of the Congress workers is seen telling the policemen that someone had come at them with an 'aruwaal' (traditional Tamil machete).

A team comprising four


Surjewala said that the culprits involved in violent incidents must be brought to book. "No congress worker will ever obstruct an ambulance," he said.

Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot said that the Bharat Bandh's success highlights how the BJP-led government has not fulfilled its promises to the people of India. "The country was misled by lies that fuel prices will go down — but nothing happened. Only politics was discussed at the national executive meet," he said.

The AIADMK condemns this price rise and wants price regulation to be brought back under government purview, he said. But they will not be supporting this bandh alongside the likes of DMK who is two-faced. "They want to keep the Congress on their side but also want to work with the BJP," hesaid.

Speaking to reporters outside the Chennai airport on Monday morning, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and AIADMK MP Thambidurai M said that bandhs by the Opposition are common, but Congress leading this particular bandh is disingenuous. It was under Congress rule in the Centre that the authority to regulate oil prices in the country was handed over to private companies, he said. "This has hurt the public while profiting private players. The current government at the Centre is only following previously set down plans."

In Salem district, members of the Opposition parties took out a funeral procession for their motorbike in a symbolic protest against the fuel price rise. DMK district in-charge Veerapandi Raja led the procession, in which leaders from Congress — Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi


— and other parties participated.

Raut asserted it was the Shiv Sena's own decision to not take part in the "Bharat Bandh" and its stand had nothing to do with the BJP. "No BJP leader has asked the Shiv Sena to stay away from the bandh. Its our own decision," he said.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut dismissed talks of senior BJP leaders asking his party to stay away from the nationwide bandh called by the Congress to protest the rising prices of fuel.

No BJP role in our decision to stay away from bandh: Shiv Sena

"The sole purpose of the bandh was to use the opportunity for photo-op and make news. The bandh affected nearly five lakh daily wage labourers because of disruption caused by troublemakers, 6000 of them inRanchi alone. While opposition party workers engaged in acts of vandalism in state, JVM(P) head shri Babulal Marandi and JMM president shri Hemant Soren were in Delhi to share dais with India's Gandhi family instead of reining in their party cadre. This shows their priorities and how serious they are about public welfare," Shahdeo said.

In a press conference called at state BJP headquarters in Ranchi, party spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo slammed Opposition parties for playing disruptive politics and claimed that Bharat Bandh had no popular support in Jharkhand.

Bharat Bandh LATEST updates: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut dismissed talks of senior BJP leaders asking his party to stay away from the nationwide bandh called by the Congress to protest the rising prices of fuel.

About 75,000 fishermen across Kanyakumari have not


gone to sea today to show their support for the bandh and their concerns about rising diesel prices. Across its major fishing villages like Muttam and Colachel, 2,500 mechanised boats and 8,000 smaller fishing boats stayed tethered. In Thengapattanam, fishermen protested aboard their boat, raising slogans against the Centre.

Targetting the NDA government over the high petrol and diesel prices, Congress said that VAT on petrol in Madhya Pradesh is 35.80 percent. "Is this high taxation due to global reasons," party spokesperson Randeep S Surjewala asked

A complaint has been filed in Jorhat Police Station of Assam against BJP district president of Jorhat, Santanu Pujari, for allegedly molesting a female bandh supporter.

At least 100 Congress activists, including Mahila Congress workers,Youth Congress president Geli Ete and Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC)secretary John Taksing, were arrested on Monday in Arunachal Pradesh.

In textile capital Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, almost 2,000 factories have been shut in support of the Bharat bandh. The damage of the textile business in the city for Monday is estimated to be Rs 50 crores. Nearly the entire city has been completely shut down. Only a small number of private businesses, autos and taxis are plying on the roads and educational institutions are shut. There is heavy police deployment in the city.

BJP chief Amit Shah will be meeting Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid the nationwide shutdown called by Congress on Monday, according to a report. Earlier in the day, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Narendra Modi government for failing to control the skyrocketing


fuel prices. However, the BJP in a press conference said that the government is not responsible for it as "global forces are at play".

Congress protesters attacked the tahsil office staff in Kakatpur block of Puri district in the presence of police. Some of the staff were injured and some fled. The tahsildar and some other staff members were working in the office, when the Congress members forcibly broke the gate and attacked staff working in the office.

The two-year-old, who died in Patna amid the nationwide shutdown, did not get an ambulance first and later his vehicle was stopped at two places which led to the delay. The kid had high fever since Sunday night. Senior district officers, however, have rejected the parents' claim and said the child didnot die due to Bharat Bandh. The father Pramod Jha hails from Balabeegha village which falls under Makhdumpur police station in Jehanabad district.

In Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch, Congress workers were raising slogans to support the Bharat Bandh. While the cadre shouted, "Congress zindabad, Rahul Gandhi zindabad', someone by mistake yelled out, "Rahul Gandhi murdabad". They realised their mistake soon enough. After a short, awkward silence, the cadre marched on.

Addressing a press conference after a child's death was reported in Bihar, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Congress for lacking sensitivity and responsibility. The party alleged that the death of the child was Congress' onus. "Bharat Bandh was a failure and we regret for the violence."

Speaking about hike in prices of fuel, Prasad that the reasons of this price


hike was due to non-availability and limited supply of petroleum. "We welcome purposeful argument but the reasons for hike in price not under the control of the government. It is upto the oil producing countries and several geo-political factors." "Congress is creating atmosphere of fear."

A two-year-old child has reportedly died due to delay in receiving treatment in Bihar's Patna. Reports have said that due to road blockades the parents were not able to reach the hospital in time. The father of the child believes that if the roads were clear, his child would still be alive today.

Leading the Congress march in New Delhi and spearheading the nationwide Bharat Bandh, Rahul Gandhi addressed the workers and slammed the Narendra Modi government for lacking empathy for the poor. Slamming theThe duo have reportedly been taken to DN Nagar police station. Chavan, earlier, was part of the rail roko at the Andheri station.

The shutdown strike affected relief activities in the flood devastated areas in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts in Kerala. Though the district administration in Ernakulam had directed all employees to attend office, the attendance was very thin in Aluva and Paravur areas, which were devastated by the flood.

Over 5,000 police personnel have been deployed around Chennai to maintain peace during the bandh, with special focus on the central government buildings.

While the Nationalist Congress Party and Maharashtra Navanirman Sena in the state have extended their support to the Bharat bandh called by Congress, the BJP ally Shiv Sena will not be participating in the shutdown but will look


at it "neutrally".

After his arrival at the Rajghat, the Congress president, along with other Opposition leaders, is now marching towards the Ramlila Maidan. The Bharat bandh has been called by the party to protest against the skyrocketing fuel prices.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has reportedly joined the protests at Rajghat, where other top Congress leaders including Ashok Gehlot, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Abhishek Manu Singhvi arrived earlier. Reports also suggested that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh will also join the stir later.

Hundreds of passengers are stranded at Bhubaneswar's Baramunda bus stand. Several running trucks and buses were stopped by Congress party workers on their way on the roads to mark the Bharat bandh on Monday in Odisha.

Top Congress leaders such as Randeep Singh Surjewala,Ashok Gehlot, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi led the Bharat bandh at Rajghat in New Delhi and said the Narendra Modi government was "all about jumlas". Meanwhile, five people were detained after Congress and Left supporters tried to stop Agniveena Express at Durgapur (West Bengal). They were chased away by the local police and Government Railway Police.

In view of the Bharat bandh, nearly 15,000 policemen have been deployed across West Bengal, according to News18. The state government issued a circular saying that government employees' one day's salary will be deducted if they failed to turn up at their respective office.

Bus services of North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) will remain non-operational on Monday due to the Bharat bandh called by Congress and other Opposition parties against fuel price


distress to farmers, he said.

"We demand that petrol and diesel be brought under the ambit of the GST. High prices of petrol and diesel found no mention in the BJP's national executive meeting because they are not bothered about the pain of public," Surjewala said. He also urged people to bring about a change in the country by ousting the BJP from power.

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken said 21 Opposition parties are supporting the Bharat Bandh, besides a number of chambers of commerce and traders' associations.

"DMK will extend complete support to the Bharat Bandh call by the Indian National Congress protesting against the BJP government for steep rise in prices of petrol and diesel. I urge the people and party cadre to make the bandh on 10 Septembersquandered by the present dispensation.

"During our rule, Narendra Modi criticised the rising oil prices saying it has gone into ICU. What would they say now?" he asked. Hitting out at the BJP for attacking the Congress with the 'breaking India' barb, Maken alleged the government has stalled the Make in India initiative as 109 Rafale jets could have been manufactured at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a PSU. He also said the government has not yielded to the Opposition's demand for a Join Parliamentary Committee probe into the alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal.

With inputs from PTI

Updated Date: September 10, 2018 18:49:46 IST

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that the knowledge and enthusiasm of local studies specialists is vital to proper access to the collections.

The Arts Council Library of the future report of May 2013 emphasises community engagement, development of digital services and learning, all areas where local studies is very strong. Most places have very active local and family history societies who have close links with their local studies libraries and are very involved with developing the service. And many older users of the internet and other new technologies have come to it through an interest in family history. The research documents for Envisioning the library of the future include several references to a local history project in Peterborough as evidence of innovation in the library world. In The library of the future, the Artsfor local studies to be an important part of the library service. There are no library standards now so it is difficult to know if the government considers local studies libraries to be part of a comprehensive and efficient service (insofar as it still exists).

Although the evidence seems to suggest that local studies is still considered as part of the core service library campaigners need to be aware of the pitfalls, as well as the advantages, of divorcing the service, sometimes physically as well as through management structures, from the rest of the library service.

One of the great strengths of the library service is the treasure house of printed material recording the history of each area. Many items were donated by people who wished them to be permanently


Alabama is set to begin spring practice Friday.

Here’s some of what I’ve been hearing heading into the start of spring ball:

— Former Akron offensive coordinator A.J. Milwee is expected to join the Crimson Tide staff as an offensive analyst, sources told AL.com. A Boaz, Alabama native, Milwee was a reserve quarterback at Alabama in 2004 and later a three-year starter at North Alabama, where he broke several school records and was a two-time finalist for the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The 33-year old Milwee started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at North Alabama in 2009, joined the Akron staff in 2012 and was then the team’s offensive coordinator from 2013 through last season.

— If they didn’t know already, NFL teams are now wellworld stage. If you have an interest in China’s auto industry, this post is not to be missed.

A few weeks ago, I read a blog post from a Canada-US designer, Caroline Di Deigo, who traveled to China to, among other things, see the houses at The Commune at the Great Wall. She had been very excited to see these houses after having admired them in books, but upon seeing them up close, she was disappointed by their construction:

For several years I had been excited by images in architectural books of the houses at The Commune at the Great Wall, so this trip I made a detour from our group to see it for myself. The Commune at the Great Wall was developed by Zhang Xin between 1998 and


I had been excited by images in architectural books of the houses at The Commune at the Great Wall, so this trip I made a detour from our group to see it for myself. The Commune at the Great Wall was developed by Zhang Xin between 1998 and 2002, when she commissioned 11 Asian designers each to design a house, situated in a rugged hilly location within view of the Great Wall. These houses, while privately owned, now function as a resort. In my opinion however, it is really a monument, or series of monuments, to design. At first glance it’s very impressive, with unique expressions of ‘house’, ‘home’, ‘dwelling’. On closer inspection though, I found them somewhat disappointing. Possibly due to their ultimate function, they lack muchTesting Ground

For Fans Of

William Gibson, Iain Banks, Joe Hill, Stephen King, Charles Stross

Book Summary

A scifi thriller channelling the spirit of Charlie Brooker and Black MirrorSkelmersdale has always been a testing ground for pilot schemes.Nathaniel Myra visits to investigate how the latest trial is going, but discovers that strange things are afoot in the quiet, dull town. The residents aren't adjusting at all well to this latest scheme. Not well at all...

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About the Author

Lee Isserow is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, with over fifteen years spent trawling the back streets and dark alleys of the 'entertainment' industry.

He's pretty sure he has some traits of autism, because he's been constantly working and obscenely prolific for the entire duration, writing over a hundred screenplays, many of


happened next? Did they become ensnared in Italy's notoriously byzantine bureaucracy?

Did they run smack into the language barrier? Did the houses turn out to be money pits? Did la dolce vita quickly sour, leaving buyers feeling ripped off and despondent?

CNN Travel caught up with some of the pioneering buyers -- or "€1 citizens," as the locals call them -- who did what most of us have only been willing to daydream about to discover whether it's been worth it.

Holiday escape

Morgane Guihot and her husband have almost completed the renovations on their €1 home in Mussomeli. Courtesy Morgane Guihot

Morgane Guihot, who hails from near the city of Nantes, France, was among the first buyers to snap up the €1 deals being offered in Mussomeli, a beautiful town deep inyear.

"But now, giving it a second thought and after discovering the beauty of the place, it might become my future retirement spot."

Janssen has made the purchase with long-term plans in mind and weighing many factors, primarily the short distance between his main home in Brussels and Mussomeli.

"Sicily is around the corner. With just a two hours flight we escape from Belgium and reach Catania's airport. That's certainly a big plus point if you come from a European country to spend the weekend".

Mussomeli, when compared with frenetic Brussels, is another world, he says.

"People in Belgium don't relax. Life here is simpler, the town is cozy and the surrounding nature spellbinding. It's perfect to recharge one's batteries and detox".

Janssen's house has a panoramic terrace overlooking the old district's tile rooftops,


quaint churches and narrow alleys.

"This corner of Sicily is wild, intact, green, not crowded. It's a perfect starting point to explore the rest of the island."

The purchase also went pretty smoothly for Janssen. Paperwork turned out easier than expected, despite Italy's bad reputation for red tape and excessive regulation.

"Actually, I was quite surprised in finding that buying and renovating a house is so much easier in Sicily than in Belgium".

Related content Italian town of Sambuca in Sicily sells homes for a dollar

Blood ties

Meredith Tabbone, who lives in Chicago, put in a bid for two dwellings before she'd even visited Sambuca. Courtesy Meredith Tabbone

For some there was something more powerful than the prospect of a cheap house to entice them -- like DNA and ancestry.

Chicago-based financial adviser Meredith Tabbonetown where my family is from," she says.

"My great-grandfather emigrated to the States a long time ago. I had always wanted to visit Sicily but had never been to my hometown. I'd been meaning to go since the past 10 years, never had the chance."

Tabbone was amazed at finding that her bloodline lives on in its original place.

"I still have relatives living close to my new house, a few blocks away, but I haven't yet met them. I will next time I go though".

Tabbone bid €5,555 for each of the two houses and got the one located on a street at No .5.

"Five is my favorite number," she adds. "That's why I bid that precise sum and selected that particular house in that spot".

She did most of her


more trustworthy, they were really helpful given I needed a translator and the notary deed had to be drawn up also in English."

His three-story dwelling in the historical center features a balcony with a great view of Mussomeli's hilly landscape and the spectacular cliff-hanging fortress, known locally as the Castle in the Sky.

"My wife loves art and the beauty of this place is so inspiring," he said. "Lovely weather. It's silent and peaceful."

He took several trips to Mussomeli before making a final decision.

"I had to see for myself so I met people, the neighbors, we went out for drinks together and became friends. I visited the local school for the kids and took long strolls late at night to see if the place was really safe..

"There's no mafia,communities, contains respiratory and eye irritants including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.6,7,8 A growing body of research suggests these emissions may contribute not only to mucosal irritation9 and respiratory ailments10 in nearby residents but also decreased quality of life,11 mental stress,12,13 and elevated blood pressure.14

The home of a minority family in Kenansville, North Carolina, situated next to a concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO. Dust, odors, and manure from CAFOs can reach nearby residents’ homes, including their laundry. ©2013 Donn Young Photography

Although the Midwest is the traditional home for hogs, with Iowa still the top-producing state, North Carolina went from fifteenth to second in hog production between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.15 This explosive growth resulted in thousands of CAFOs located in the eastern half of the state—squarely in the


so-called Black Belt, a crescent-shaped band throughout the South where slaves worked on plantations.16,17 After emancipation many freed slaves continued to work as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. A century later, black residents of this region still experience high rates of poverty, poor health care, low educational attainment, unemployment, and substandard housing.18,19

The clustering of North Carolina’s hog CAFOs in low-income, minority communities—and the health impacts that accompany them—has raised concerns of environmental injustice and environmental racism.20 As one pair of investigators explained, “[P]eople of color and the poor living in rural communities lacking the political capacity to resist are said to shoulder the adverse socio-economic, environmental, or health related effects of swine waste externalities without sharing in the economic benefits brought by industrialized pork production.”21 Although North Carolina isstudy later reported nine times more hog CAFOs in areas where there was more poverty and higher percentages of nonwhite people even after adjusting for population density as a measure of rural location and cheaper land.20

Another Kenansville resident stands in his front yard, feet from the CAFO across the street. Donn Young, the North Carolina–based photographer who took these images, says of his time in Kenansville, “I encountered problems with my eyes—itchy, watering, something akin to allergies.” To the people who live there, CAFOs are simply a fact of everyday life. ©2013 Donn Young Photography

Edwards has also reported that large hog operations forced small farmers out of business.31 As the industry consolidated, the primary slaughterhouse in North Carolina refused to accept hogs in lots of fewer than 1,000.32


With the exception of the slaughterhouse, the industry does not create many working-class jobs and sometimes creates major rifts in the social fabric of communities between proponents and opponents of local CAFOs.31,33,34,35

What Is Environmental Justice? Environmental justice refers to both a social movement and a field of scientific research. As a movement, it is a marriage of civil rights and environmentalism, emerging in 1982 when black citizens lay down on the road to stop the government from dumping 120 million pounds of soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls in Warren County, North Carolina.74 Although the Warren County waste site ultimately was established,75,76 the protests captured the nation’s attention. The study of environmental justice began in earnest in 1983, when the Government Accountability Office (then known as the General AccountingOffice) investigated the racial composition of communities near four hazardous waste sites in the Southeast, three of which were located in predominantly black communities where at least 26% of the population lived below the poverty level.77 In 1987 the first national study to analyze the issue with multivariate statistics found that even after controlling for household income, housing values, amount of hazardous waste generated in an area, and other factors, the percentage of minority residents in a zip code proved the greatest predictor of hazardous waste facility siting. Zip codes with hazardous waste sites had double the percentage of minority residents compared with those with none, and zip codes with more than one facility had triple the percentage of minority residents.74 By the early 1990s, the federal government


appreciably since then. Source: Wing et al. (2000)20

Maps from an older study show distributions of poverty, minority residents, and hog CAFOs in North Carolina as of 1998–2000. Little has changed appreciably since then. Source: Wing et al. (2000)20

Maps from an older study show distributions of poverty, minority residents, and hog CAFOs in North Carolina as of 1998–2000. Little has changed appreciably since then. Source: Wing et al. (2000)20

The industry’s rapid growth in the state followed the passage of these bills, causing a major shift in the state’s hog farming. In 1982 every county in North Carolina but one had a commercial hog farm; by 1997, 95% of hog farms were located in the eastern counties of the coastal plain.32

Today the North Carolina hog herd, all told, numbers aroundLondon Theatre News: Billy Elliot, Thriller, A Pulitzer Prize for Drama and London Cast News

Billy Elliot welcomed its four millionth audience member to the Victoria Palace Theatre this week. Sharon Hick, who watched the show with her friend Jane Horsewood and daughters Amy and Meagan Horsewood, celebrated on the stage with cast members Killian Donnelly and Deka Walmsley. The lucky theatregoers were presented with a weekend stay in London and goody bags for the children before being taken backstage to meet the cast.

Hick said, “Jane and I had been discussing taking Amy and Meagan to see their first West End show, and we thought Billy Elliot would be perfect. It is a real testimony to how magical this show is that so many people have been through the


The IsdA gene is necessary for sexual development inhibition by a salt in Aspergillus nidulans.
Using one of 17 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) previously identified as specific to the late sexual developmental (LSD) stage of Aspergillus nidulans, a gene for the subject EST was isolated. The determined DNA sequences revealed an open reading frame encoding a 356 amino acid polypeptide which does not share a sequence similarity to previously identified genes or proteins. The isolated gene was named lsdA (late sexual development), since it was expressed abundantly at the LSD stage. The lsdA gene expression began earlier than at the LSD stage. Disruption of the lsdA gene in the veA+ background strongly induced sexual development under conditions where sexual development in wild-type strains is almost completely inhibited. In contrast,simple. He loved his wife, Sue, and his heroism, so he decided to have them both and became one of the very few heroes to make his identity public. Together, they were a true celebrity couple, touring the world, solving mysteries and showing everyone what a truly happy marriage looked like. And they were so very happy. Sue became an honorary member of the Justice League (an honor that not even Lois Lane has been granted) and their love inspired everyone who knew them. The heroes’ love for Sue Dibney led them to one of their greatest mistakes – albeit one that would not come back to haunt them until the worst had already happened. Not until Sue Dibney was murdered.

The heroes of the DC Universe went into


Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

It has been reported that Turkish giants have submitted their contract offer to Egypt and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny as they continue their pursuit to land the player before the end of the summer transfer market.

Elneny’s three years at Arsenal is coming to an end as earlier this week he was publicly told to leave the club by head coach Unai Emery.

He is yet to feature for Arsenal this season as the Gunners currently sit third on the Premier League table.

The Egyptian midfielder has been recently linked with a move away from North London with several Turkish clubs reportedly showing interest in him.

According to Turkish outlet Milliyet, Galatasaray have made their contract offer to Elneny thought it is believed that it isTUNIS: Tunisian soldiers on Sunday fought loyalists of ousted strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali near the presidential palace, a police source said, as the interim leadership prepared to unveil a new government. "The army has launched an assault on the palace in Carthage, where elements of the presidential guard have taken refuge," the senior source told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a witness reported heavy gunfire in the area. Security forces also shot dead two gunmen who were hiding in a building near the interior ministry in the centre of Tunis and exchanged fire with some other gunmen near the headquarters of the main opposition party, the PDP. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi on Sunday vowed there would be "zero tolerance" for anyone threatening the security of


Eric Whitaker, one of Barack Obama’s closest friends and Michelle Obama’s former colleague at the University of Chicago Medical Center, allegedly offered to bribe Jeremiah Wright $150,000 into shutting up during the 2008 presidential campaign, according to Edward Klein, author of a new book about the Obamas. Obama allegedly met with Wright ten days after giving his famous race speech and pleaded with him to be quiet and cancel his speaking engagements, but Wright refused.

The news of Whitaker’s alleged bribery comes just days after theDepartment of Health and Human Services awarded a $5.9 million grant to Whitaker’s Urban Health Initiative (UHI) at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and months after Whitaker served on a host committee for a January Chicago fundraiser for Obama. In 2011, the fedssent four subpoenas to Whitaker-funded organizations.

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UHI is one such program he now heads as a vice president at the University of Chicago. It was one of only 26 grantees awarded out of an applicant pool of more than 3,000. Interestingly, none other than Michelle Obama worked at UHI and received a six-figure salary increase just after her husband was elected to the U.S. Senate. (Her position was eliminated after the Obamas left for the White House.)

Whitaker, who is a parishioner at Trinity United Church of Christ, would have had ample opportunity to bribe Wright. In fact, he may have felt like he owed Obama. In April 2003, Whitaker landed the job as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, where he oversaw a $400 million budget, until


Iftikhar Arif Biography | Poet

Iftikhar Arif Biography. Read biographical information including facts, poetic works, awards, and the life story and history of Iftikhar Arif. This short biogrpahy feature on Iftikhar Arif will help you learn about one of the best famous poet poets of all-time.

Biography

Iftikhar Hussain Arif (Urdu : ) commonly known as Iftikhar Arif ( ) (b. March 21, 1943 Lucknow ) is an Urdu poet, scholar and littérateur from Pakistan. His style is romantic Urdu poetry. He has headed Academy Adbiyat (the Pakistan Academy of Letters ) and Muqtadra Quami Zaban (the National Language Authority ). He has been decorated with Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Presidential Pride of Performance, which are the highest literary awards given by the Government of Pakistan.Scott Mayfield Named Junior 'A' Challenge MVP, USA Claims Gold Medal

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Scott Mayfield was named the World Junior 'A' Challenge Tournament MVP as the Team USA Select squad captured their third straight gold medal by defeating Team Canada East 6-4. Team USA outscored their opponents 22-7 on the way to their third straight championship.

For Team USA it took wins against Team Canada East and Sweden to move onto the semi-finals for a match-up against last year's silver medalist, Team Canada West. Team USA and Mayfield dismantled the Canadian squad 5-1, as they advanced to the gold medal game for the third time in as many years.

"This just shows that USA hockey can compete with any team," said Mayfield. "This shows that the junior level of hockey


in the US is just as good as the junior league's you would find in Canada."

In the gold medal game, Team USA would face Group A opponent, Team Canada East for the second time in the tournament. With five minutes left in the second period Team USA trailed the Canadian East team 4-1, but according to Mayfield the team never lost their fight.

"They scored a couple of fluky backhand goals," said Mayfield. "We made a goalie change and we all fed off of each other to get back into the game. After we popped a few in we knew it was nowhere near over."

The Youngstown Phantom and University of Denver commit, recorded one assist and four penalty minutes during the four game tournament. It was his defensive playthat earned him a spot on the tournament all-star team and his Jr. 'A' Challenge MVP award.

"This is the most amazing experience in hockey," said Mayfield. "It is an honor to receive these awards but I can't take all the credit. It was a team effort; there is no way I could have done this without the guys on the team."

Scott Mayfield and the Phantoms return to the Covelli Centre for three straight games before the Thanksgiving holiday. On Friday, November 19, the Omaha Lancers will square off with the Phantoms at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Friday night will be Harry Potter Dress up night at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms host the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Saturday is also scout night in


President Trump indicated to aides this week that he wanted to reform America's immigration system through an executive order before deciding on Wednesday to sign an order ending his administration's policy of separating migrant families.

The Washington Post reported that Trump, feeling pressure from the public on his "zero tolerance" policy, wanted to assuage criticism by signing a full immigration bill. One aide described the idea to the Post as a "pretty insane idea."

According to the Post, Trump was discouraged by government lawyers who said he was not able to issue such a broad rewrite of the immigration system. Trump then reportedly demanded aides produce an expedited executive order to curb public discontent with the family separation policy, which he then signed later Wednesday.

"We're going to have strong, verystrong borders, but we're going to keep the families together," Trump said at a signing ceremony Wednesday at the White House. "I didn't like the sight or the feeling of families being separated."

As he signed the order, the president added: "You're going to have a lot of happy people."

Trump had faced intense bipartisan pressure this week to reverse his administration's policy of separating migrant families who cross into the U.S. illegally along the southern border.

The policy resulted in the separations of more than 2,000 families from April to May - separations that Trump administration officials had acknowledged could happen.

Trump's reversal on the executive order came just two days after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen forcefully defended the policy at a press briefing, arguing that only Congress could pass


Lewiston couple loves disabled puppy ‘just the same’

Daryn Slover | Sun Journal | BDN

Daryn Slover | Sun Journal | BDN

"Lady" uses her back legs to scoot around.

Daryn Slover | Sun Journal | BDN

Daryn Slover | Sun Journal | BDN

Lady, an 8-month-old chihuahua mix, was born with deformed front legs. "We wanted her paws to be fixed so she could be like any other dog," said Kitty Roy. A vet told Roy and her husband, Richard, that nothing could be done.

She was the last puppy in a litter of their granddaughter’s dog. Just weeks old, the Chihuahua mix was a tiny bundle of yellow fur. By the time she tilted her tiny head to look at them, the Roys were smitten.

“When she came down over the steps I said,The Kansas City Chiefs announced their roster moves today. The two big ones are that Tyler Bray has been sent to injured reserve, which means the Chiefs can keep all of their quarterbacks, including rookie Aaron Murray, and the Chiefs keeping Cairo Santos over Ryan Succop at kicker.

"As a collective football operation, coaches and scouts have held numerous discussions on each player during the evaluation process," said Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey in a statement. "We had excellent competition at every position and that's a great thing, but today we had to make some difficult decisions to narrow our roster to 53. We appreciate all the time and effort these young men put in for us and wish them all the best."

Here are the cuts:

Released

S Jonathon Amaya

S Malcolm


became the preferred choice for the digital savvy consumers looking for a premium smartphone experience. OnePlus is committed to prioritize user experience and offer best of the technology available by continuously innovating on the software as well as hardware.”

After the successful launch of the OnePlus 5, the brand is now all set to unveil the latest and much-awaited OnePlus 5T on November 16, 2017. The buzz around the OnePlus 5T has further increased following the announcement of the launch as the tickets for the world’s first simulcast live launch in theatres in 5 cities were sold out soon after going live. Registrations for the early access sale on Amazon.in and oneplusstore.in on November 21, 2017 are now open.

About OnePlus

OnePlus is a global mobile technology company challenging conventional conceptsown family arc is key with a yet-to-be-cast teen character named Dom as the second lead. “Star Trek: Discovery” star Sonequa Martin-Green has already been cast as James’ wife.

In addition, Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young (“Arrival,” “Solo,” “Selma”) will serve as director of photography. The film is reportedly still on track for a July start under the helm of Terence Nance.

James’ recent CBS competition TV series “Million Dollar Mile” was yanked from the schedule last week after just two episodes aired to poor ratings.


accepted to participate in EHIS, received an English, French, German or Portuguese questionnaire by mail or completed the web version of the questionnaire \[[@CR9]\]. Those who agreed to participate in EHES-LUX were contacted to arrange an appointment in one of the three survey sites situated in the north, center or south of the country. After signing an informed consent, a research nurse conducted the interview in one of the four languages. The German, French and Portuguese language questionnaires used for EHIS and EHES-LUX were validated against the original English version through a translation and back translation process. Both EHES-LUX and EHIS methodology followed international guidelines and protocols \[[@CR10], [@CR11]\].

Out of the selected 6475 individuals 5672 were eligible and received the invitation to participate. 1902 accepted to participate andBuilding boom sparks hope for housing affordability

Despite home prices still being generally out of reach for average households, capital cities have witnessed an improvement in housing affordability thanks to Australia's home building boom.

According to the Housing Industry Association’s (HIA) Affordability Index, capital cities recorded a reading of 75.4 in the December quarter, up by 1.5% from the previous quarter and 3.3% from last year.

HIA senior economist Geordan Murray said this can be attributed to the robust building sector last year, which was the fifth consecutive year in which more than 200,000 homes commenced construction. 2018 was also a record year in terms of new home completions.

"This strong flow of new housing supply is one of the key factors behind the moderation in price pressures in housing markets across


of the Northeast, and has killed tens of millions of ash trees. The emerald ash borer is viewed as one of the most destructive forest pests ever seen in North America, making it a top priority for state and federal agencies.

Control efforts in Georgia are focused on containing the infestation, including through raising public awareness about how the insect is spread, typically through transporting contaminated firewood.

As is evident with the efforts to control feral hogs on Ossabaw, managing invasive species requires persistent effort. And because many exotic invasives spread rapidly and are difficult to eliminate once established, the focus is usually on management and control, rather than eradication.

There are a number of ways the public can help in the war on invasives. Learn to identify the invasive speciesSwine Damage Management Program, a national initiative to reduce wild pig populations and their impacts. The program is the first federally authorized feral hog management effort and involves coordination between federal, state and local agencies.

Key offenders, plus some lesser knowns

Hemlock wooly adelgid (photo by Chris Evans, University of Georgia)

Hemlock wooly adelgid: Native to Asia, this small, aphid-like insect feeds on the sap and inner bark of hemlock trees. First reported in Virginia in the early 1950s, it is now established in several eastern states and has affected more than 50 percent of the geographic range of the eastern hemlock.

Chinese wisteria: Brought to the U.S. from China as a garden ornamental in the early 1800s, the woody vine is capable of reaching a height of 40 feet. This invasive


displaces native vegetation and kills trees and shrubs by girdling them.

Kudzu bug: This stink bug family member was discovered in the U.S. in October 2009 and has since spread through the Southeast. A native of India and China, it has become a nuisance pest in Georgia, damaging soybean crops and overwintering in houses.

Cuban treefrog: With a wide diet and the ability to deter predators with noxious mucus, this large treefrog is highly adaptable and believed to have a detrimental impact on native species. First recorded near Savannah in 2009, Cuban treefrogs have established large colonies in Florida and are widely available for purchase as pets.

The Statewide Invasive Strategy

The focus of Georgia’s invasive species strategy is preventing the introduction of new invasive species and minimizing the spread of existingto catch up. The wolf guard grabbed the thief and jerked him to a stop. The thief struggled, although Aito didn't see the point. He couldn't really get out the window, and he was just too small to overpower the burly guard.

The wolf guard growled. "Just give—Oof!" He grunted as he was knocked away by a pair of—whoa. Aito's jaw dropped in amazement as a pair of wings as white as his hair erupted from the thief's back and caught the guard full in the face. No wonder he went for the window.

"Oh my, a gaillos. Didn't see that coming." The voice came from above Aito, and with a dawning sense of apprehension she looked up. The black-haired guard leaned against a nearby glass case, his dark eyes


to assume that you're from another world." He spoke slowly and as Aito caught every word he watched her closely.

Aito didn't react at first, as a wave of surprise crashed over her. Then a thought crept into her mind: the only logical assumption? If Cain was telling the truth (And how could she doubt him, after she had seen the thief and Rokir?) then she felt sure that he knew something more.

Cain watched the slide show of emotions pass over the girl's face in quick succession, his own face unreadable until he smiled at some inner thought.

Aito squirmed and wondered what he could be grinning about.

Cain seemed to snap to his senses somewhat and looked around. "I suppose we should be heading on..." He turned and began toWith the lights on the room looked very different from the first time Aito had seen it, but that may also have been because she was close to terrified the first time. She did recognize the statue standing at the end of the row, however.

"Oh!" Aito walked up to the statue, leaving Cain studying the glass case behind her. It had a different look to it now, but after seeing Rokir and Sakina downstairs, it was no wonder why. The statue was very lifelike, and Aito thought he looked friendly, like Rokir except less scary. She knelt and read the plaque at the statue's feet: _Stoin_. With nothing else written there, she couldn't be sure if that was the name of the statue or the sculptor. Reading the


something that won't simply stop until we get that pendant back."

"But if that's true, then the thief —"

"Stole something you need badly, huh? There's no other explanation for it than that, I'm afraid."

"Oh..." Aito looked at the floor. Great. If Cain was telling the truth, then she really did have to go with them. It almost seemed better to think she was just being dragged along. "But what if we don't get the pendant back?"

Cain smiled and mussed up the top of Aito's hair before she jerked away. "Don't worry, little mouse. There's no way I'm going to let myself be stuck as your babysitter."

"Babysitter!"

"Well, I guess I should fix this so that Dean Patooie doesn't notice. That could cause some trouble, don't you think?" Cain asked aswas probably nothing. Aito looked around, her eyes wide as she took in everything about the restaurant they were in. It wasn't anything special, just a small place like something she could have seen back home. It was all the different kinds of people that caught her eye. There were people like Rokir and Sakina, who resembled all sorts of dogs; there were short elfish-looking people with pointy ears and fair hair like Aegle; cat-like people of all colors; people who resembled monkeys with all their fur and long tails; and, oddly enough, people who all seemed to be wearing various kinds of masks.

From what she had picked up from Rokir on the way here, Duna was some kind of school, but she had a hard time believing


stooges in question said, "You can't tell us what to—"

His smart remark was interrupted by another growl from Rokir, now standing right behind them. The stooge took one look at the angry tyrok and took off running, the other two with him all the way.

Porcupine stayed long enough for a passing jibe at Aegle. "Saved by a guard dog and a seran? You really have sunk low. Well, serans were always more your kind, weren't they?"

He ran off in the same direction as his friends, leaving Aito confused. What kind of insult was that? It sounded more like he was insulting Rokir and Cain.

Aegle, on the other hand, was outraged. He made to chase after Porcupine, but with his arm still locked in Cain's grip he didn't getdo that until she was ready to start yelling again.

"Fine..." He dodged Nash and walked up behind Cain and Aito, grumbling to himself.

"When's the next full moon?" Aito asked in a small voice, scared to know the answer.

Cain thought for a moment before giving her a wide-eyed look. "It's tonight!"

Aito heard the crunch of footsteps behind her before a heavy paw landed on her shoulder.

"Oi, kid—" Rokir stopped when, after one startled look up at him, the kid was gone. "What the heck?"

Cain looked equally surprised before he suddenly burst out laughing.

"Cain! What did you do?" Sakina asked, running up. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but anytime Cain laughed there was bound to be trouble for someone.

"I just told her a story," Cain answered, wiping his eyes.


This was the most fun he'd had since the illusion at Padrone's office this morning. "I didn't expect her to believe me."

Rokir was still looking around, confused by Aito's disappearance. "But where did she go?"

Behind them, Aegle and Nash stopped. Aegle stared straight ahead, a look of loathing on his face. Seeming to be talking to no one, he asked, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Aito peeked from around his back and looked up at his face. She wasn't sure how she had managed to get there so fast, but she had. Put it down to the power of fright.

"Uh...I was—" Aito looked and saw Cain, who was still laughing. Her face turned red, but she tried to cover it up by saying, "I was wondering ifthe gaillos on the wall was a tyrok, who must have been Old Ben. He looked like a black Labrador, with white hairs in his coat which certainly made him look like an Old Ben. The tyrok took his time getting over the wall and gripped Nash's halter.

"That's enough of that now. Come on you," he said, speaking with a strong, rough, drawling accent that made his "o"s stretch. Nash glanced at him and made as if to jerk away again, but found the lead held taught. The tyrok gently but firmly led the animal to the middle of the path, talking to her quietly all the way.

Nash looked more confused than angry when Old Ben tossed the lead to Aegle.

"'O'nestly, you need to learn a thing or


didn't know! "A pendant...er, necklace...you know, was stolen also. Rather simple, a black stone...You didn't happen to see it, did you?"

The tyrok nodded, but his eyes weren't on Cain. He watched Aegle, Sakina, and Rokir look at each other, all obviously confused. "Yes, I saw it. He was wearing it and kept touching it often, like he wairn't used to it."

"Thank you," Cain said once again, his voice strained. "You've been a great help."

"Good luck," Old Ben said, before turning back to Shad and Mesh. "As for you two..."

"Back to work, right?" the gaillos said.

"Right away, sir!" the verkoni chipped in before both were over the wall and back in the field.

Cain was not so much the undisputed leader. Once they were out of earshot, Rokir said, "Iresigned sort of statement.

Cain smiled, though Aito couldn't see it. "Sorry. If you think telling the truth at this moment would make things any better you can, but..."

Aito's head dropped and her shoulders sagged. "I know, I know. But what if I forget something important or say something wrong?"

"Trust me, little mouse. Do you think I would steer you wrong?"

Aito looked at Cain and he coughed. The flame turned back to a more orange and yellow color.

"On second thought, let's not answer that."

He picked up the book which had been sitting beside him and flipped through the pages. "Perhaps you should only stay about a day in your world. That's how long you spent last time, correct?"

"Yeah, but why?"

"I just want to be careful about this. The longer


Aito didn't feel that was very interesting. Wasn't there something in the hall closet that she could use? An old umbrella would be interesting, and she was sure her dad wouldn't mind. He was the one who tossed it in there last weekend after he found out there was a gaping hole in it.

As Aito walked inside of her house, her ears started to buzz, but she didn't think much about it. Stupid sinuses were acting up again. Dropping her backpack on the floor, Aito ran to the hall closet. Darn! It wasn't in there. There was another little closet upstairs that Dad always shoved junk into when he was in a hurry. Yeah, maybe it was there.

Aito raced upstairs past the bedrooms and threw open the door.in front of them.

"Who are the guards? Do you recognize them Cain?"

"Why does it matter?" Cain snapped, though not from anger or impatience with Rokir. He was trying to get something out of one of Nash's side bags, but she was constantly moving out of his reach, pulling Aegle along with a jerk of her lead. "Can't you hold this beast still?"

"I'm trying," said Aegle. He planted his feet against a rock and braced himself. Nash nimbly darted out of Cain's reach until she was halted by lack of lead: it was wrapped around Aegle, who had only managed to keep his arms from being pinned to his sides by holding them up over his head.

"Perfect." Cain darted in and started rummaging through the bag.

"Uh, Cain, do you


until the tyrok threw out an arm to stop him.

He seemed to have regained his composure enough to speak, it seemed. "This is some kind of joke, right? What are you two doing back in Farrhing?" He looked at Cain and tried to fake some sincerity as he asked, "You don't have some kind of death wish, do you Crusan?"

"No, I do not. Why, do you have one you wish to see fulfilled?"

That seemed to sober the guard up some. He said, "We were told that if we saw your face this side of Farrhing, we were supposed to send you to the caps. Hm, how do you think the higher-ups knew that Crusan would be coming back, Freel?"

The gaillos shrugged. "I don't know, maybe they heard thebefore him. "Let's sit and you can introduce me to your friends."

"Of course," Cain said, pulling up a chair. "Well, that's Sakina and Aegle. Of course, you know Rokir," he explained, pointing to each in turn. Leonidas looked at all of them, and nodded at each although he gave Rokir a stare that had the tyrok's ears drooping.

"They are guards from Duna as well, excluding Sakina who is still a student." Sakina made a face at that, but that wasn't going to stop Cain now. "And this is someone we picked up in Duna, who is currently in my custody," he said, putting a hand on Aito's shoulder. "Her name is—"

"My name is Aito," she cut in, knowing what Cain was about to say. On the other side


Rokir had said something about recruits sneaking in at night, right?

She turned and took off, following the castle's wall. Rounding the corner, she found the door Cain had taken them through yesterday. Rokir had said it himself, everyone forgot about this door. Cain hadn't even bothered to lock it yesterday.

So she pushed. Then she pushed with both hands. Soon Aito was trying to put all her weight up against the wet, slippery door. It didn't even budge an inch.

"Oh, come on! It worked for Cain!" A nagging thought reminded Aito that Cain was a lot stronger than she was, but that didn't make her stop trying.

"Perhaps I could help?"

Aito jumped and turned around and was relieved to see that it wasn't Dismas like she thought. A person camethat would just add to the pain. "Let me guess, you just want the best for everyone involved, and you'll make it all go away."

Cain thought about it. "So long as 'everyone involved' excludes the dreadful Duna Dean, then probably yes. Now if you'll just let me..."

Dismas felt the seran touch the clasp of the pendant and kicked backwards, catching Cain with his borrowed boot. It was a low trick, but Dismas, surprisingly, didn't feel that bad about it as he took to the stairs.

Cain said a long string of words that didn't sound like words at all but was soon lurching after the thief. Good thing he had kicked the wrong leg, but for a few steps Cain seemed to be limping on both legs and it


shield between him and Cain.

"Sorry about that, Aito," Dismas said in a mocking cheerful tone, his eyes locked on the seran.

"I would appreciate it if you would take your hands off of my little mouse," said Cain, stepping closer. "Honestly, do you intend to hide behind her?"

Aito didn't reply to either of them. When she had collided with Dismas something hard had hit her in the chest and now it was hard to concentrate.

"'Your?' What, do you own her or something?" Dismas asked, the contempt in his voice easy to make out.

There was something...

"Listen thief, you are hardly in a position to crack jokes."

Yes, there was definitely something she needed to tell Cain, Aito was pretty sure of that much. It was even more urgent now it seemed,confidence drain away when she heard that tone in his voice. To do him justice, he tried not to show it, but Aito realized that he didn't believe her. "Yeah, and it's true Dad."

Her dad smiled a little. She did have a wild imagination, he thought as he flipped through the pages. There were all kinds of stories about this Tanil place, as well as detailed drawings. He naturally believed that Aito had read some of these stories and then had made up her own. Granted, a thief who sprouted wings and flew away did seem to be pushing it a bit.

"Okay, okay," he said, throwing up his hands in defense. "So that's what's been bothering you?"

Aito sighed. She knew he wouldn't believe her, but it made her


the time, and sprinted outside.

***

"So did everyone bring something?" Ms. Goldstein asked from the front of the room.

"Yes," called out most of the class, but there were a few sheepish mumbles thrown in.

"Okay, for those of you who forgot, come and get one thing out of here," the teacher said, placing her hand on a box that was sitting on her desk. About three or four students came up and started rummaging through the oddities and Ms. Goldstein tried to hold her tongue. There was always someone, no matter how easy the assignment was. Kids today.

"For this project I want you all in groups of five, so—" Ms. Goldstein hadn't even finished speaking when groups began to spontaneously pop up all over the room and desks started toaround, but he knew what was left of the illusion he had started was beyond his control now. There was one good thing: it had almost been used up.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, seran, but it looks as though you've just hurt yourself," said Dismas, who was against all reason standing up and dusting himself off.

Cain couldn't bring himself to answer him. The pain was back again, with friends this time it seemed. He had used a lot of energy in forming the illusion and after the almost falling into the sky thing he just couldn't bring himself to get up off of the ground. Dimly he saw Dismas start going through the bushes. Right, the book.

"Why do you want it?"

Dismas stopped and looked over


so that he towered over Cain. "At least one benefit was that I got to steal the book from you. It almost makes it worth it."

Cain was only halfway listening. He could feel it, lying where he was. The last of the illusion was coming, and he felt the jerk and twist before Dismas did. Cain narrowed his eyes; lying here allowed him to sense where it came from.

Dismas threw himself down on the ground as the trees started to shake; vines and branches started to shoot out from the foliage around them until Cain and Dismas were encased in a living cage. The light came through, filtered to a pale, weak, green thing, but enough that Cain could see Dismas reaching to push against the living wallas it was, but she was radiating.

"Oh dear," said Cain, staring in horror at this apparition.

The seran laughed and without a word of introduction sat between Cain and Aito. "Don't be like that CiCi, I haven't seen you in ages!"

Cain winced.

Aegle couldn't hold back a grin even if he wanted to as he repeated, "CiCi?"

"Oh yes, Cain just sounds too serious doesn't it?"

Cain muttered something under his breath and then said, "For those of you that haven't had the unfortunate chance to meet her before, this is Toril Bane, Sergeant."

For a second there Aito could not believe her ears. This was the Sergeant Bane that she had heard all those awful things about? After every kind of person Aito had imagined, she realized that she had never once


and the occasional person walking down the hall.

After a while she managed to get up and make her way across the room. She opened the door and looked to the left and the right, but she couldn't tell if the others were up yet or not. Just as she was about to shut the door again she noticed a package lying on the ground in front of her door with her name scrawled on the top.

Aito picked up the package and turned it over, but there was no other note. Taking it back into her room, she opened it and said, "Oh!"

A couple of minutes later she came out of her room wearing one of the new outfits from the package. It was blue and tan, and itnow walking in step with Aito.

"The museum isn't that big, even the new students have a hard time getting lost in there," Rokir said. "Although there was that one time we found this one kid in one of the storage rooms after they had to start a search party. He—"

"Focus!" Aegle called from behind them.

"Right, right. So why did you need directions? You couldn't have gotten in the way the thief got out, so you two must have come in through the doors together. Not to mention the emergency lights were on by the time you two were running for it, which is more light than you got in by."

To her great relief Aito spotted the door to Sergeant Bane's room up ahead and knocked before Rokir could


all the way around the caps with only low walls between them and the edge. Beyond that she could see out into the city, over the buildings and the streets where people scurried this way and that. It was an impressive sight but Aito felt a little vulnerable up there; anyone could see them from out in the city or by looking out of one of the windows of the castle behind them.

Together they walked around the wall, and Kyrios started pointing out buildings to Aito. Some of them had strange shapes or something else unusual about them like their color, and others Kyrios had a story for, like the row of buildings that the king claimed were homes to some of the most notorious singers in theher. After all, the thief does seem interested in her and I told Dean Padanona that I would watch over her."

"Since when did you care about some promise to Dean Padrone?" Aegle asked. "From what Bane said yesterday, it sounds like this illusion's been on her since we got here, if not longer. It doesn't seem like it's worked well, does it?"

Cain sat back and said, "Ah, I see. You've pulled the good sergeant into your endless questioning, have you? Why are you always so suspicious?"

"I wouldn't have to be suspicious if you would just tell the truth now and then," Aegle replied. "And I didn't pull your girlfriend into anything, she figured it out herself."

Sergeant Bane had a hard time hiding her smile at the word "girlfriend,"


banners and flags, but most just seemed to be standing around watching.

"What's going on over there?" Aito asked, craning her neck around to look as they turned down a side street.

"Oh, they've been clearing out the square the last couple of days for the annual festival," Sakina explained. "There's a mailin group that recently arrived, and the king has asked them to play their music inside of the city tomorrow."

"Really? His Majesty never mentioned that," Cain said. "Of course my little mouse and I haven't seen anything, we've been stuck inside of the caps for some time now."

"A mailin group?" Aito had to think back to remember the mailin. She hadn't seen any of the strange masked people since she left Duna.

"Yes, mailin always travel together and areavoid attracting his attention."

Rokir sighed but agreed. The group left the alley and Rokir pointed out the shop he and Sakina had found yesterday. They had not walked very far when a large korin across the street spotted them and did a double take.

"Dismas? Is that you?"

Cain stepped back and Dismas's face looked almost as startled as the time Aito had mentioned Cain to the real thief.

The korin did not seem to notice as he charged across the street and threw out an arm around Dismas-Cain's shoulders. "And here I thought you were trying to keep your head down! Who are your friends?"

"Ah, just out-of-towners," Cain said, mumbling. "Everyone, this is Kato."

Kato was large for a korin, almost as tall as Cain's normal height. He was also burly,


tyrok said and flipped up the newspaper he had been reading so that they could no longer see him.

Cain stared at the newspaper for a moment before he sighed, pulled some money out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"That's more like it," the greyhound said as he reached out for the money.

Cain put his hand down on the bills first and said, "No, not until you tell me."

"Fine, fine. When did you get so suspicious?" The tyrok sat back and propped his long, long legs up on the counter. "Some seran came waltzing in, took one look around and then asked to see the real stuff. I could tell he had money, and with business so slow why should I say no? I took himAito joined Cain on the neat little wooden bench. Now that she looked she could see that he still seemed shaken from his illusion. His hands trembled and he rested his head against his knees for the first couple of minutes when they sat down.

Eventually he looked up at Aito and said, "I think that I may have you wait here with Rokir while we go inside."

"Why?"

Cain didn't seem to hear her. "Kalmar...I knew a Hezekiah Kalmar. I wonder if it could be the same person."

"Maybe. Why don't you want me to come along?"

Cain started to say something, though whether that would be an answer or not it was impossible to tell because he stopped and looked down the street with such surprise on his face that Aito


accusing stares.

"But you said you could feel a trace of it," Aegle pointed out.

"Yes, in the fabric that it's painted on, and that's just the slightest traces," Cain said. "I took the illusion out as soon as I was finished; I wouldn't have left something like that in there. Well, not intentionally. There was that little incident with a certain Miyo statue, but I remembered to change it back eventually."

"Yeah, and now half of the art students that graduated from Duna last year still aren't sure what it looks like," said Rokir.

"Crusan is right," Hezekiah said. "I had to deal with his illusions a lot during his last year at Duna, and that's not the problem with this painting. It seems that the Royal Academy has been harboringthe stables and failed to hear the creak of the gate or see the face that saw her.

"Here you go, Nash," Aito said, placing the quasi fruit in its usual spot. "Sorry I'm so late."

"Actually, you came a little earlier than we expected."

Aito jumped and turned around. On the threshold of the stable there stood Kato, smiling his ever constant and ever fake smile.

"W-what are you doing here?"

The large korin slowly walked toward her, trailing his hand along the gates to each of the stalls. Behind him Aito could see other people in the courtyard keeping watch, although her attention was for the most part riveted on the korin.

"Just business. You know, when I was told Cain had a human I didn't expect it to be so...small. Though


decided they could hardly be needed at the moment.

Beyond was a large bedroom, every bit as elegant as the rest of the hotel. Crimson draperies covered the windows, and a thick, plush, intricately designed rug was spread over the floor. The furniture was all of the same style, made from dark wood that almost looked black in the low light. The massive four-poster bed dominated the room, and all attention gathered on the figure almost lost among the crimson and gold covers.

"CiCi!" Bane was at the bed side in an instant but the seran did not stir at the sound of her voice or when Hezekiah spoke.

"I was just about to send the boy for a doctor. Crusan has not awoken, even though his injuries don't seem towas little he could do to stop him. Gear, however, had recovered from his daze after Hezekiah knocked him away and knew there was only one thing to do in a situation like this. The aponé threw himself onto the seran with a bound and a shrill yell and renewed his attack on the seran's face, drawing harsh screams from the elder seran.

Cain's hand closed around Aito's the moment Hezekiah tried to save himself from the berserk monkey, and the pendant never stopped its siphoning effect during the transfer.

Cain gasped as the aching hole that had been in his chest since Hezekiah took his ability moved in unison with the power that surged from the stone. The rush was freeing, brilliant and sickening all at the same time.


even though there's nothing that I can do to help them."

He did not ask what she meant. Instead, the king stayed where he was at, his face illuminated by the setting sun as he said, "May I tell you a story?"

"Um, sure," Aito said with a bit of uncertainty, wondering why Kyrios would change the subject.

***

The bell rang over the shop's door and the elderly verkoni looked in from the back at the two who had just entered as she said, "Sorry dears, we're closed."

"We're here to see Dismas," said the tall seran. Beside him the korin with a black bag over one shoulder stiffened and looked up at him with obvious surprise.

The verkoni's fur bristled and she said, "Don't make me say it twice. We are closed,going to make so much noise."

"What? Someone else? I'm the best healer you know!"

"Sadly, that's true," Cain said to Dismas. "The fools at the caps are more likely to make things worse if you go to them."

"What does it matter to you when she goes back, thief?" Aegle asked. "Last I remember, you were working with that crazy seran who tried to kill us."

"I only stole the pendant on his orders," Dismas said. "I didn't know anything about what he planned to do with it. Then, when I saw Aito come out of that book—"

Aegle's hand slipped and the thief had to bury his head in a pillow to stifle his noise. "The book? That thing Hezekiah pulled...whatever it was out of?"

"Yes, keep up, and pay attention to


the book with him everywhere, though it brought the ridicule of those around him. One day, as he walked the same streets, and the same route as every other day, it happened. He heard a voice, calling out to him.

And so he ran after it, chased it though no one else heard it, and it led him to a building that he knew well. But when he entered, it was not anywhere he had ever been before.

The boy had been led to a bedroom of all places, and in the bed laid a girl. Though the room was dark, when the girl turned her face toward the boy he could tell that she was very sick.

" _Are you an angel?"_

Seeing the empty chair by her bed and theand more experienced. His Majesty disagreed, and pleaded with me to give it up, but I would not. Finally he gave me a choice, and I chose to leave Farrhing."

"That was stupid," Aegle said.

"Yes, thank you for that obvious remark," Cain said, shooting the korin a look. "Anyway, I returned to Duna and tried to use it on the book, but it backfired and the book went out of control. Objects were disappearing all around me, while other, strange things from that world came here. I was terrified that it would pull another person from the other world here, and it was only with the seran stone that I was able to stop the book. That is why the pendant was bound around the book when _you_ stole