Disclaimer: Shondaland/ABC owns these characters. But I've taken the Gladiator oath as a writer: #OLITZ4LIFE #JAM

That was a Public Service Announcement for any accidental non-Olitz readers

"You can't talk about gun control in the State of the Union address."

Fitz levelled a glance at Cyrus and the other advisors in the room. "Mellie was shot by a 14-year-old boy."

"Whose dad owned a gun shop."

"The kid had keys to his dad's gun shop. And let's not talk about the assassin's website because that's a whole other conversation."

"Neither of which can be even hinted at in the State of the Union address. What the American Public needs is a plan of action. We need hope, we need enthusiasm; we don't people hoarding guns in their basement, like their stocking up on canned beans just before a hurricane, fearing you'll repeal their second amendment rights."

After the advisors had left, and in the few minutes he had before meeting with the Treasury Secretary, Fitz made a call.

"It sounds like you're in a blizzard." He smiled when she answered immediately; his weary frown disappearing.

"It's windy and my nose is frozen. Can you hear me okay?"

"I love when you yell sweet nothings in my ear, Livvie."

"Icy cold sweet nothings, Mr President… What's happened?"

"They don't want gun control in the State of the Union address."

"Didn't they read the media reports about the estimated 28,600 Americans killed by guns since the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown?"

"Those stories were based on 2010 data collected from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. I handed out copies of the report, and pointed to the fact that the extrapolated figures include the 12 people killed in the Navy Yard right here in DC."

"Did you mention that other issue?"

"What other issue?"

"Race. More whites kill themselves with a gun, but for every African American who commits suicide with a gun, five more are likely to get shot by someone else."

"Livvie, I need a non-controversial platform to get those controversial points across."

"You'll have to talk about Mellie."

"I don't want to talk about Mellie."

"You have to. You and the kids have lost a wife and a mother. She's your platform. People won't attack a grieving husband."

"I'm not grieving. I'm sorry she died the way she did, but…"

"But you are sorry."

His sigh rumbled down the phone. Then he pushed the point that had him frowning again. "…Have you changed your mind about being there?"

"I haven't changed my mind, Fitz, it's not a good idea."

Family dinners at the White House had become chaotic since the inclusion of several furry, tail-wagging 'Grants', adopted from the animal shelter after Christmas.

"You can only get one dog," Fitz had told the children.

So they got four. Because no one could walk away with just one dog, and Jerry sealed the deal by pointing out that the British Queen had 2 corgis and 2 dorgis all to herself, whereas the Grant children were only getting one each, including Peter who'd made his choice before flying home to his parents.

There was Rex, the golden retriever who had become Jerry's shadow; Poppy, a shorkie who loved to cuddle with Karen; a black Labrador called Daisy who let Teddy use her for a pillow and Peter's choice had been a pug called Darth who liked to watch television.

The noise of kids and dogs was no different at the table than it was most nights, and Karen had to yell across the table to give Olivia the news: "Daddy said we could go see him speak at the State of the Union, Mom."

"It's on pretty late," Olivia demurred, glancing from Karen's excited face to Fitz.

He shrugged. "It's just one night, on a Saturday; Karen and Jerry can sleep in the next day."

"Can I have my phone on in there or do I have to switch it off like at the cinema? I don't want to doze off during the boring parts of your speech," Jerry teased.

"There'll be no boring parts."

"I'll take my phone anyway," Jerry muttered, sneaking another piece of roast beef to the dogs waiting patiently under the table.

Fitz caught Olivia's grin, which froze when Karen asked, "Do you know what you're going to wear, Mom?"

She was mad. He could tell she was mad from the way she marched into their bedroom after they'd said goodnight to the kids.

"Livvie…"

"You told them I was going?" She swung round to glare at him, hands on hips.

"They assumed and I didn't disagree."

"So you are using the kids to change my mind?!"

Fitz eased her stiff, resisting figure into his arms. "You're not my secret anymore, Livvie. You're my fiancée and soon-to-be-wife. It's time to come out of the shadows."

He pressed his lips gently to hers. When she didn't push him away, he slipped his tongue in for a sweet taste of her.

"We're not done," she mumbled, a little huskily.

"No, we're just starting," He growled, pulling her tight against him.

"I'm so angry..." she moaned, her lashes fluttering closed as he bent low and pressed his lips into her skin, just below her ear.

"I deserve every punishment," he encouraged, sliding his hands under her thick sweater.

She drew back, frowning.

He grinned.

"You can't write about racketeering by Corporate America."

Cyrus shook his head at the notations Fitz had made to the speech. They were meeting yet again to go over his speech in an advisor's office in the West Wing.

"I'm talking about America's working poor and the socio-economic harm it is doing to us as a nation."

"The working poor don't make campaign donations with the same largesse as the Wall Street thugs and free market thieves. The working poor will have to keep buying into the American dream that anyone can make it if they work hard enough. "

"They're working, Cy, but there's a chasm between the rich and the poor in this country that government is inadequate to fill."

"We don't fill it, we just pretend it doesn't exist."

"I like this," Olivia chuckled as she read through the final draft, lying on her stomach on the bed beside Fitz.

Having watched her face throughout from his vantage point on the pillows, he smiled.

"I like this," he said huskily, reaching out to trace the crease on her brow, the smooth slope of her nose and the soft plumpness of her lips.

She kissed the roving fingertip, then looked down at his hips and gave a naughty smile.

He grinned, unrepentant, watching her place the papers on the night table before shifting to lie on top of him. "This is how I always imagined we'd be as a couple," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

"This is how we were at Camp David, writing your first ever SOTU speech." She kissed the corners of his smiling mouth.

"This is better than Camp David. Everyone knows about us, we don't have to hide."

She paused. "Just because they know, doesn't mean they accept."

"Livvie, they do, they will, they have to," He kissed her at each point, then said huskily, "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"What do you want to talk about?" She snuffled a laugh.

"Talk dirty to me," he ordered, smoothing his hands over the soft silk of her skin.

"The polar ice caps have melted faster in the past 20 years than in the last 10,000," she breathed in his ear, and he groaned feeling his blood heat with lust.

On the morning of his State of the Union address to the Joint Session of Congress, Fitz looked out the bedroom window and sighed heavily at the sight of the North Lawn under a thick blanket of snow. Even as he watched, the flakes fell thick and fast.

"You'll need to wear something warm tonight, like you're heading for a Polar expedition."

He turned from the window to walk over to Olivia, standing in front of the mirror.

She didn't respond.

"What's wrong?" His arms slid around her waist as she fixed the pearl ear stud in her left ear.

"Nothing's wrong," she murmured, her gaze meeting his for a split second in the mirror before gliding away.

He turned her round to face him. "Something's wrong."

"Everything is fine." She cupped his face in her hands. "Ready for tonight?"

"I'm ready." He studied her intently. "Are you?"

She dropped her hands and stepped into her shoes. Then she reached for one of the ties that he'd draped on the back of a chair. "Wear the burgundy and black stripe." She stroked a hand over the smooth silk, then picked up her jacket.

"Let me," he murmured, helping her into it. "Have you decided what you're wearing tonight?"

She stared down at his hands, on the buttons of her jacket. "Not yet."

He lifted her chin. "Liv, it's tonight."

"I know it's tonight." She pushed his hand away and did up the rest of the buttons before moving away to take her coat.

"Did you remember to get the hair and make-up people cleared with security?"

She paused, "I do my own hair and make-up."

"Mellie always had professional hair and make-up done for the State of the Union address."

"I'm not Mellie."

"I know you're not Mellie. But I've got a budget for that sort of thing."

She glared at him. "I don't need a budget. I can afford my own hair and make-up people, thank you."

With that she'd left the room, closing the door with a decisive click, which had Fitz wondering what just happened.

He was no nearer to an understanding when he called her later that evening.

"Where are you?"

"I'm…uh…meeting with a client... I'll be home soon."

"Define soon... I'll be giving the State of the Union address in a couple of hours."

"I might not be able to make it in time for that, Fitz, I—"

He didn't wait for her to finish. He disconnected the call.

She called him right back. "You hung up on me! You don't hang up on me, Fitz!" And she hung up on him before he'd said a single word in response.

About to let out a curse, his faze fell on Karen and Jerry seated on the bed, already dressed for the night. Only Teddy, on Jerry's lap, was in his PJs ready to be tucked in his cot in the nursery. Fitz quickly changed the curse to a gusty sigh.

"What's going on, Dad? Isn't Mom coming?"

"She's held up."

"So she's not going?" Karen looked crestfallen.

Fitz gave a wry smile. "She's going, pumpkin. I just need to do a little convincing."

"If she doesn't want to go, she shouldn't have to go, Dad," Jerry frowned.

"Jerry, take your brother to Marta, and go wait in your rooms. I'll come fetch you when Mom gets here."

He waited until the kids left, then went to the closet. He rifled through her selection of mostly pants, tops and jackets until he paused, seeing the white and black lace dress she'd worn on the day of his inauguration. Without hesitation, he plucked it off the rail, still in its protective wrapper.

He inspected her shoes, and picked up a pair of shiny black heels, then remembering the snow that was lying thick on the ground, he dropped the heels and picked up a pair of knee-high fleece-lined leather boots. Then he called Tom.

Olivia was alone in her office when he got there.

She looked up from the papers on her desk when the agents walked in, then her eyes widened as she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" She stood as he closed the door to her office behind him. "I locked the elevator gate. How did you—"

"Huck let me in. He's waiting downstairs, guarding the place until you go home."

Olivia averted her gaze. "You shouldn't be here. You should be getting ready for tonight."

"I am. I am getting ready to give this year's State of the Union address in the presence of my fiancée, in what will be our first public appearance as a couple."

She folded her arms across her chest as her gaze came flying back to meet his. "I can't. It doesn't feel right to be sitting in the First Lady's box when I'm not the First Lady."

"Livvie, you're my First Lady. I want you there."

"But the public won't be ready for me to take Mellie's place. Not yet."

"The kids will be there."

"They have that right. They're your kids and she was their mother. It's hasn't even been a month since she's been gone."

"Livvie, I don't have time to argue about this. Either you go with me or I'll be a no-show for the SOTU address tonight."

"Fitz!"

Ignoring her irate gaze, he held up the clothes in his arms. "I even brought you something to wear."

He saw her face change when she caught sight of the dress. Her expression softened and her voice was husky as she asked, "You chose that dress?"

"Yeah. And I brought your boots."

She gasped a laugh, "My black leather boots. They don't really go with that dress."

"It's snowing outside."

Her arms dropped to her sides and she looked at him helplessly. "I hate how you do this – change my mind when I've decided against something."

"I love you. Now get dressed."

Twenty minutes later she sat cuddled within his arm as they drove back to The White House.

"I love how you look in that dress," he whispered, their hands linked on the lace, through the opening of her coat.

"I remember that you loved how I looked without it too."

He nuzzled her nose as they exchanged a husky chuckle. "Maybe after the State of the Union Address, we can go back to my office and re-enact that scene."

"The kids will be with us."

"We can put them to bed and then go down memory lane."

She reached up to straighten his tie. "You need to focus on your speech, not what comes after."

"Pardon the pun."

She blushed. "Behave, Mister."

Just then his phone rang and Olivia reached into his jacket pocket and took it out, seeing the caller ID, Fitz sighed and put the phone on speaker.

"Yes, Cy?"

"You are not at the White House. Why are you not at the White House? Do you know what day this is?"

"Yes, I checked the calendar. It January 11th. And I'm on my way to the White House with my most distinguished guest for tonight's speech." Fitz smiled at Olivia, then grinned at Cy's exasperated response.

"Perfect. Just perfect. Here I am putting out the fires that Sally Langston is lighting all over the place, while you go play fetch."

"Thank you," Fitz said mildly, adding after a pause. "Good job."

There was a distinct curse as Cyrus ended the call.

Just after 9 that evening, Fitz nodded to the Sergeant at Arms who announced loudly for all to hear, "Mr Speaker, the President of the United States."

As applause and cheers broke out, Fitz walked into the chamber of the House of Representatives, with the Congressional Escort Committee following at his heels. He stopped often to shake hands, exchange hugs and receive condolences from members of Congress from both the Senate and House of Reps.

Briefly, he paused to search the gallery above, where the public and media were packed to get a bird's eye view of the proceedings. Then smiled at the sight of Olivia standing with Karen, who waved, and Jerry, who grinned and held up his phone. Only Olivia didn't smile or wave, but her gaze remained fixed on him, and his step felt lighter as he strode towards the Speaker's rostrum.

Once behind the House Clerk's desk and after he had handed the manila envelopes, containing copies of his speech, to Sally Langston and the speaker of the house, Fitz faced his audience and began speaking,

"Mr Speaker, Madam Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests and fellow Americans, each of us today has a reason to be grateful that we have survived another year. A tough year. A year of violence and of death but also of hope, of courage and great fortitude.

"The courage and fortitude of our service men and women who keep this country safe on our shores and on foreign soil; the courage and fortitude of our aid workers who care for the sick, the injured and the hungry at great risk to their own lives; the courage and fortitude of every man and woman who strives hard every day to make this country great in achieving the American Dream.

"Yet we need to do more. We can do more. Just as each American strives to achieve his or her dreams, so too must we, the representatives of our people, strive to make those dreams achievable. We, in government, must work together for our electorates. I make that commitment to everyone in my electorate, in all states and territories of this great nation of ours. I make that commitment irrespective of whether you have voted for me or not, I make that commitment because every American must have the opportunity to make their dream come true. I make this commitment to the American people and on their behalf, I ask this commitment of each one of you in this chamber today.

"I ask this of you because our economy grew by 4.1 per cent in the last quarter, above expectations, but we still have over 50 million people living in poverty. I ask this of you because unemployment dropped in 45 states and the District of Columbia, but we still have 4 million people who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. I ask this of you because college applications are increasing for fewer admissions and more college students are dropping out before graduation, but of greater concern is that two thirds of college graduates now share a national student debt burden over a trillion dollars, that's 6 per cent of our overall Federal debt.

"Now in the spirit of true bi-partisanship I would like to remind you that 70 years ago today, another President addressed this nation and spoke of a Second Bill of Rights – an Economic Bill of Rights to ensure equality and the pursuit of happiness. That President was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was a Democrat with a vision for social progress that I as a Republican President believe in, and I believe it is well past time we made those rights a reality…"

In the gallery, Karen climbed onto Olivia's lap and whispered, "Daddy, looks tired, Mom."

"I know, Baby K, he's been staying up late a lot of nights working on this speech." Olivia rubbed her cheek against Karen's hair, then hearing Jerry's chuckle, she turned and nudged him. "Put your phone away."

"Mom, he's talking about the economy, that stuff is boring."

"Jer, your dad worked hard on this speech, you need to respect that. Listen to what he's saying."

"Mom."

"Jer, don't make me tickle you in front of Congress."

He grinned, taking out his ear buds and placing his phone in her outstretched hand.

"…Such circumstances give us cause to be grateful. I, for one, am grateful that I survived an assassination attempt," He paused as the smattering of applause built up in waves until it thundered around the chamber as everyone stood and gave him a standing ovation.

"Thank you," Fitz said diffidently when the applause died down. "I survived and recovered in no small part due to the dedication and brilliance of the doctors, nurses, technicians, assistants, everyone who worked to get me well.

"Tragically not everyone is that lucky: not merely to survive their injuries without permanent damage, but to survive at all. At this time, I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the sympathy and kindness and most of all sensitivity you have shown me and my family since the passing of Melody Grant who died under tragic circumstances."

Fitz paused, absorbing the pin drop silence, then continued gravely, "Melody was shot by a child, a child who got his hands on a gun. A loaded weapon that he used to kill another human being. That children have ready access to deadly weapons concerns me, it should concern all of you.

"Of even greater concern to me is the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics which tells us that 7,500 children are admitted to US hospitals with gunshot wounds every year, and of those admitted, 500 die from their injuries. That's 500 future leaders, scientists, economists and humanitarians this nation loses every year. Guns are estimated to kill twice as many children as cancer, five times as many as heart disease, and 15 times as many infections. Those figures are from the New England Journal of Medicine. Our doctors have joined our parents in these cries for help.

"Guns are killing our children. Children are killing with guns. You may ask yourself - how are they getting their hands on these weapons? But the real question is - why are so many unsecured loaded weapons kept in the safe haven of home?

"Now I know when you hear this, your first reaction will be to tell government to mind its own business. We have laws in this country to ensure that a 'man's home is his castle'. Yet that castle doctrine needs to be examined further, in light of the fact that the guns we buy for self-defence, are contributing in far greater numbers to the accidental murder and suicide of our children. That's right the unintentional death of our children.

"We can't just stand by and read the death toll figures year after year. So consider this: we already have limits on what you can do in your home. We enforce deed restrictions that limit the number of rooms in your house, the kind of fence you can build around your home, or dictate the animals you can keep as pets. With that in mind, why do we balk at ensuring safety in the home for our nation's children.

"Here at the White House, the tragedy that touched my family has increased security in our home, but what can we do as a nation to make it safe for our children in all homes …"

At the end of his speech, Fitz stepped down from the Rostrum to be instantly surrounded by a group of well-wishers. He shook hands and accepted hugs, noting that most of his admirers were democrats and independents. Then Karen pushed her way in to give him a hug and a kiss goodnight. Followed by Jerry, who limited himself to a hug, then spent several minutes schmoozing with the congressmen and women and seemed reluctant to leave when Karen dragged him away.

Olivia remained on the periphery, engrossed in conversation with a senator who kept flitting his gaze around as if he was speaking of some great secret; diverting Olivia's attention away from all covert attempts Fitz made to attract her into his circle. But just before she turned to leave, their gazes met for a second and she gave him a megawatt smile. Then she wrapped one arm around Karen, while linking the other through Jerry's and left the chamber together.

When Fitz eventually made it to their room, after making a disappointing detour of the Oval Office, he found her curled up in bed, asleep, wearing his Navy sweatshirt.

He sat down carefully, not wanting to wake her. He brushed the hair from her face and unable to resist, trailed his fingers down her cheek, then lowered his head and stroked his lips across her mouth, but stilled and drew back when her lips trembled beneath his.

She was looking at him in a mixture of hunger and wariness.

"Hi," he said softly, his fingertips caressing the satin curve of her cheek. "I didn't mean to wake you."

The wariness disappeared behind a smile as she pulled him down to her. "You were wonderful. Very commander-in-chief and very presidential. And you said what you wanted, you did it."

"We did it," he smiled, kissing her. "You and me. We make a great team." Then while she smiled against his mouth, returning his kisses, he added, "I thought you'd come back after you'd seen the kids off to bed."

"It just didn't feel right. Everyone was sympathising with you over Mellie's death and I just felt..."

"Felt...?" He paused.

"Like a third wheel again. The other woman."

"Livvie, you're no longer the other woman. You're the woman I'm going to marry."

"On the rebound."

"What?" he drew back, frowning.

"The honeymoon is over for us, Fitz. I think the American people aren't enamoured with me anymore. They were okay as long as I was in the background, without any chance of stepping forward. Mellie and I put on a good show, but they weren't expecting me to be the winner. I don't think they thought that her loss would be so tragic or permanent."

Fitz sat up. "Where is all this coming from? Are you getting cold feet about us?"

"It's not cold feet. It's… I don't know. Do you ever feel that Mellie was the glue that kept us together?"

"What?!" He gave a disbelieving laugh. "She was the wrench that tried to pull us apart!"

Olivia sat up too, reaching for his hand. "I don't mean Mellie herself, but all the turmoil she created pitched us together, we clung to each other to escape from her. Do you think we have what it takes to actually make it on our own, now that she's gone?"

When he failed to find words, she continued softly, "Lately it feels like Mellie was the foundation of our relationship; the standard of comparison for what you wanted in me, that you didn't like in her. But now the standard is gone. There's just you and me, coming out of the shadows, and I'm not sure we have what it takes to survive in the light."

Fitz stared at her, hearing the blood pounding in his ears, and for a moment he thought he wouldn't find the strength to get past the icy cold fear blocking his throat. Then he saw the same fear reflected in her eyes, the fear that this could break them, just when they'd finally reached their own piece of heaven.

He took a deep breath and released it. "Mellie wasn't the glue that held us together, Liv. She was the catalyst that helped me realise I need more in my life. I need you. The first time I saw you, I recognised you. It was my heart, or maybe my soul, recognised you and I felt whole, I could stop searching, I had found 'it'. You were 'it', Livvie. You are always going to be my 'it'."

"Your 'it' girl." She smiled.

"My 'it' girl."

She leaned forward and kissed him gently, then tugged off his tie and moved her hands under his jacket to slide it off in a single caress.

"Livvie," he breathed as she began to unbutton his shirt, placing soft kisses on his throat until she reached his T-shirt; then she was tugging that off along with the half unbuttoned shirt and tossing them away, stroking her hands over his bare chest, her fingertips brushing across his nipples.

He groaned falling back on the bed holding her in his arms, opening his mouth and swallowing her lips whole, as his hands slipped under the sweatshirt to find smooth, bare skin.

They broke away gasping for air.

"Take off that damned sweatshirt," he growled.

She raised a brow. "Was there a please in there somewhere?"

He drew one of her fingers into his mouth and sucked, then grinned when the sweatshirt flew off the next instant.

"You don't play fair," she grumbled sinking down for another kiss.

"I don't play. Not when it comes to you," he said thickly, holding her close.

It was much later, as he trailed his fingers over her back, feeling the welcome weight of her half lying over him, that he remembered to ask, "What was Maxwell whispering to you about?"

"Jealous?" she mumbled, and he felt her smile.

"Yeah. Always. Tell me what you were talking about."

She placed a kiss on his chest before replying. "We did business together...a long time ago."

"What kind of business?"

"I promised Maxwell I wouldn't tell you."

"Did it involve sex, drugs or money?"

"Fitz…"

He kissed the top of her head and then said softly, "You know you have to give that up. After we get married."

"The sex, drugs or money?"

"The job."

"Yes, but that won't be for at least another year."

"I'm not waiting a year to marry you," he refuted instantly.

She raised herself up to look at him. "Long engagements are good for people to really get to know each other."

"I want us to get married on Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's – as in a month?"

"Yes."

"Fitz, you want me to give up everything and become your wife in one month?"

He nodded, lowering his head for a kiss; then looked in confusion as Olivia pushed away to scramble off the bed and thrust herself into his shirt that had been so carelessly tossed on the floor.

"This is why we need a long engagement! You decide things on your own, and then you tell me, like I'm one of your staff, not your fiancee!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember when you asked my dad to stay here in the White House?!"

"This place has 132 rooms, including 25 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms. It's not like we don't have the space."

"I'm not talking about space! I'm talking about the unilateral decision you made in inviting him, without asking me first! You told me after you had decided. Just like you've decided I should give up my business and marry you in a month. Fitz, we need to discuss these things."

"Isn't that what we're doing now?"

"No, no! This is not a discussion! This is a debriefing – you are debriefing me about the plans you've made for us!" She glared at him, then turned on her heel.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep in one of the other 24 bedrooms!"

A/N: Hello, and THANK YOU sooooooo much for all the lovely comments at the end of Part I of this story. :)))))

If you're reading this, you know that I've started the new story with a looooong chapter … a week off and I've swallowed the encyclopaedia-pill (all 32 volumes in one read!). Not sure what the cure for that is...

Anyway I'm trying to tie each chapter in with a political theme and that's bloated the plot. Also not sure how that intention will go in the long run – hopefully I won't have to kill anybody towards the end to make it all work. #StillNotSorryAboutMellie.

And indulging in my new obsession with quotable quotes – again from the 100 funny quotes of all time on the quotery website: If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many it's research – Wilson Mizner

So here's my 'research' (heh, heh):

There have been more mass shootings since Newtown than you've heard about (infographic) – written by Katy Hall, Jan Diehm and Ethan Fedida published in Huffington Post on Sept 17, 2013; At least 9900 have died from guns in the US since the Newtown Shooting: Slate by Domique Mosbergen in Huffington Post published Oct 28, 2013; Gun deaths shaped by race in America - by Dan Keating, published in the Washington Post on March 22, 2013; Study: U.S. Hospitals Admit 7,500 Kids A Year With Gunshot Wounds by Eric Lach – published on talkingpointsmemo website (TPM) October 28, 2013; Epidemic: Guns kill twice as many kids as cancer does - Dustin Racioppi, published in USA Today, April 11, 2013; Castle Doctrine from State to State by Brendan Purves on the southuniversity website issue 7, Jully 2011

The State of the Union information and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Bill of Rights were all faithfully filched from Wikipedia. Student debt rises in Mass. and the nation by Peter Schworm published in the Boston Globe, January 6, 2014; How The $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy - Chris Denhart published in Forbes 08/07/2013 and the National Center for Education Statistics - fast facts 2013; Just a reminder: The US still has ludicrously high long-term unemployment- Tim Fernholz, published January 6, 2014 on Quartz - qz website, more info from USA Today, Bloomberg and Reuters.

There's an article called It's not just the Queen's corgis…the royal family has an animal kingdom written by Harry Hodges and published on Sep 14, 2013 in the Express (UK) . The line 'polar ice caps have melted faster in …20 years than in the last 10,000' was stolen verbatim from the article Polar ice sheets melting faster than ever written by Irene Quaile and published in Deutsche Welle on Feb 4, 2013