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Title: Just Kiss The Girl
Rating: M for violence and mature situations.
Summary: An adventure in the world where Bruce and Selina figure life out…
Infringements: Batman and all recognizable characters are property of DC comics not DC Luder.
Author's Note: References to "A Killing Joke".
I watched silently from the corner of his office as Jim Gordon settled into his desk chair. His face was layered with fatigue and his eyes drooped with the craving of slumber. It was three-thirty in the morning. He should have been home, safely sleeping in his bed.
But he wasn't.
He pushed his glasses up, which was pointless because they didn't fit correctly and slipped down the bridge of his nose almost instantly. While he shoved papers into cardboard folders with his right hand, his left reached over to pick up the phone.
It was then that I cleared my throat.
Jim nearly fell out of his chair while he cursed me under his breath, "Jesus, you'll be the end of me some day…"
"I hope not, Jim."
He looked at me and for once he could actually see my form, which was usually hidden in darkness with only my voice announcing my presence.
"You need to shave," he said.
"You need to go home," I retorted.
He laughed a bit, "I suppose I do. But not yet… What do you have for me tonight?"
Regrettably, I had nothing that could be considered good news. The Joker had escaped Arkham the previous night, killing six guards and orderlies as he skipped his way to freedom. Although there had yet to be any civilian lives taken by his hands in the last twenty-four hours, I had a hard time believing it would stay that way.
Jim cleared his throat, "Well, he's only been out for a day, so don't beat yourself up."
"He needs to be caught before he gets too reacquainted with society."
After he stood, he turned and looked out the window. With a heavy sigh, he allowed his broad shoulders to slump, "We'll find him. We always do."
"But never soon enough," I replied.
A sudden yell sounded from outside the cramped office's door and we both jumped and looked in its direction. The door opened and I dove back into the darkness as I saw Harvey Bullock's large mass plow through, "Commish, you might wanna come out here… Lorraine's here… claims she knows where the Clown is hiding out."
Jim stood a bit straighter and looked in my direction for a fraction of a second. After glancing at his desk, he nodded, "Hard to believe a word she says but… with him, we have to take what we can…" After he grabbed a rumple blazer off of the back of his desk chair, he followed Harvey out into the lobby without giving me a second glance.
My exit cue.
After skimming through the paperwork on his desk, I climbed through the window and shot a line to the opposing building's rooftop. I set it for retraction and in a moment, I was airborne. Once my feet landed, I returned the grapple gun to my belt and proceeded to where I had left Robin not fifteen minutes earlier.
Instead of monitoring my conversation with Jim as I had instructed, he was sound asleep with a chemistry packet in one hand and a calculator in the other. I smirked for a moment upon seeing the ballpoint pen loosely held between his lips.
I cleared my throat before growling, "Thought the school work was all done?"
As Robin jumped, he instinctually threw the calculator at me before scrambling to his feet, "I was uh… just, getting…"
"…Ready to go home?"
He looked at me with an expression of disbelief highlighted with confusion. I turned away and walked to the rear of the building, nearly making it to the ledge before he caught up with me. In near tandem, we jumped the six stories to the 'Mobile and got in.
Neither of us spoke until we made it out of the city limits.
Robin asked, "So no leads?"
I shook my head, "Just before I left a woman was in the lobby who said she knew where he was, but Gordon can handle her."
"Why didn't you---?"
"Her name is Lorraine Hotchkiss. Every time someone breaks out of Arkham, she comes to GCPD and claims she is their secretary and tells us where they are hiding. At which is usually the bar she works at."
We roared into the Cave fifteen silent minutes later. As always, Alfred was there waiting for us when we got out of the Mobile, "Good morning, Master Bruce, Master Tim."
"…Morning?" Tim looked at the watch hidden beneath his gloved wrist, "Oh, man… Quarter to four? Good thing tomorrow… Today is Saturday, huh?"
After pulling back the cowl, I made my way to the computer bay. Tim proceeded to the costume vault to change and restock his utility belt. As I began to log our activities from the evening, he shuffled by, mumbling, "Good night" before he proceeded to navigate to the granite steps.
While Alfred watched him go, he spoke, "Well, Master Bruce, I must say that you do know how to take a young lad out for a good time."
I glared at him for a moment and returned my eyes to the screen.
"Ms. Kyle called earlier this evening."
Hearing her name had caused me to enter a typo. After correcting it, I asked, "What did she want?"
"She would like a moment of your attention if you would be willing to spare it."
I was due to appear at a corporate brunch at ten at Wayne Enterprises. I hadn't slept more than ten hour in the last three days. I couldn't even remember what I had breakfast, or if I even had any that morning. I wanted nothing more than to find the Joker, lock him back up after pummeling him unrecognizable and then bury myself in bed.
Looking up at the monitor, I scowled at the dossier of the Joker, complete with livid color picture of his sick smile. I then thought to myself, One more day… that's all I'll give you.
Although Robin and I had just made the commute from Gotham to Bristol in twenty minutes, it only took fifteen on the return trip after opting for the Cycle in place of the Mobile. Opting for concealment, I parked in an alley six blocks from her penthouse. Using the grapple, I made may from building to building until landing on the small terrace I had come to know all to well.
Looking through the glass door, it appeared no one was home. It was then I spotted the faintest flicker of candle light originating from the large open area that dominated her penthouse. After unlocking the door, I silently made my across dark hardwood floors, finding her on the overstuffed couch. The candle had been burning for some time and the wax had dripped into small, hardened pools on the glass coffee table. After blowing them out, I turned to face her.
She appeared to be deep in slumber and I suddenly regretted coming at all. No doubt she had intended for me to arrive to find her awake as she wore very little. As I adjusted the white cotton blanket that had partially slipped off of her, I noticed that only her undergarments kept her from complete nudity.
Once she was covered, I carefully slipped my arms underneath her and lifted her. I made my way towards the bedroom and even though she was still asleep, she pressed herself closer to my chest and sighed softly.
A moment of my time…
I had never understood the attraction we had for each other and had come to realize that I never would. Although it would seem to be almost magnetic, with opposite sides of the law unable to keep apart from one another, it was far more complicated. Alfred had mused that we would be forever locked in a struggle for happiness, with our differences forever acting as a impassable hurdle.
Fortunately, I had a habit of overcoming the impossible.
I nudged her door open with my knee just as she lifted her head and mumbled, "Bruce?"
"Shh, go back to sleep…" As I stopped at her bed, I let her legs slowly fall to the floor as she continued to lean against me. Once I had pulled back the comforter on the bed she began to recline and I helped her lay down.
Before I could stand upright again, her lips grabbed mine. I first tried to pull away, but soon succumbed to her. Her arms slowly wrapped around my neck, encouraging my body down upon hers. As I tried to break away, her teeth snagged at my lower lip, demanding that I stay put.
When Selina released her hold, she asked as her nimble fingers unlatched my utility belt, "Dare I ask if you brought Bat-cuffs?"
I should have played along with her joke but instead I pushed myself up with my hands and tried to stand.
"Oh, don't leave…" she moaned .
"Selina, I can't, I have to…"
Her lips found mine again, kissing me with an emotion stronger than passion.
It was full of need, hunger. Love.
When I began to lie back down, Selina rolled me over onto my back, proceeding to remove the pieces of my suit in haste. My cape flew across the room, followed swiftly by my belt. I kicked off my boots as she removed my tunic, leggings, body armor and gloves, saving my mask for last. Soon, I lay bare, needing her as much as she did me.
When her teeth embedded themselves into the flesh of my neck, I growled indecipherably.
We made love slowly, doing our best to outlast one another. Even though it had only been a few months since we had actualized our relationship, I now knew her as if we had been together for a lifetime. The fierce independence that had kept us alive and apart for all of these years ebbed when we were together. Whether it was the darkness of her bedroom or lunch on the terrace at Wayne Manor, we had come to trust one another implicitly.
Something I had convinced myself to be incapable of.
Trusting someone.
Loving someone.
Selina fell asleep in my arms, her breath warm on my neck. I buried our bodies deep beneath the blankets and willed myself to sleep after convincing myself that I could still make the brunch. That I could rise in two hours, return home for a suit and tie and get to Wayne Enterprise by…
With unbearable light beating down on my eyelids, I forced them open. As I tried to gain my bearings, I realized I was alone in the bed and that the shower was running in the adjacent bathroom. Propping myself on my elbows, I scanned the brightly lit bedroom that was riddled with my disassembled costume. Finally, my eyes fell on the bedside alarm clock display just as the time changed to 12:20 PM
As the water shut off in the bathroom, I collapsed back onto her bed, cursing myself for such weakness.
Selina entered the room a few minutes later, enveloped in a white bath towel with her long dark hair wound up in a damp bun. She smiled at me, "Good afternoon, Count Dracula."
With a growl in my voice, I stated, "I was supposed to be…"
"...Be sleeping late like normal people do on Saturdays."
"No… a brunch at Wayne Enterprises…" After a sigh, I rose from the bed and approached her, "And I am not normal."
She smirked, "Don't I know it… Besides, I couldn't wake you… Who knows when you're going to sleep again." When I tried to reply, she spoke first, "Not that I mind your current attire, but there's some… Uh… Extra, non-crime fighting garments in the bottom drawer of my dresser… "
It was then that I realized I was standing before as naked as the day I had been born.
When I went to walk by her, she reached behind me, slapping my rear. Forcing myself not to react, I went about rummaging through the drawer until I found a black tee, gray wool sweater, a pair of jeans and boxer briefs. After a quick shower, I emerged dressed for the afternoon although still uncertain as to what it entailed.
While I watched her apply a touch of eye shadow, she suggested, "You missed brunch, how about lunch?" The mere mention of food caused my empty stomach to growl loud enough for her to hear. Her reflection in the bathroom mirror grinned, "I take that as a yes?"
We walked two blocks to a small French bakery. After taking a seat at one of the small wrought iron tables on the sidewalk, we were quickly greeted by a young girl who listed off the day's specials. We both chose to start with café au lait, a Nicoise salad and then shared halves of a prosciutto brie Panini .
As I stirred my drink slowly, I tried to rationalize the best way to salvage what was left of the day without infuriating the woman who sat across from me.
"… Can you, Bruce?"
"What…" I asked, surprised.
"I said you can't even just sit and eat lunch without thinking about something, can you?"
"Waste not, want not."
Selina smiled at me, "I bet I can guess what you were thinking about… and I understand… But, let's think of something more pleasant," she slipped her foot out of her shoe and began to caress my calf with her toes.
I did my best to give her my undivided attention as we shared lunch and light conversation. But when the wheels began turning once more, Selina was quick to see it, "I'll make you a deal… come back tonight, preferably before dawn, and I will let you spend the rest of the day drowning in evil clown-hood."
After a curt nod, I stood and kissed the top of her head, "I'll see you tonight, then."
Luckily, we had walked in the direction of where I had parked the Cycle earlier that morning and it only took five minutes to locate it. After donning a helmet, I sped through traffic, earning a bounty of middle fingers and shouts. Once on the highway, I let her go and cruised most of the way home at ninety miles per hour.
After making my way back to the Cave, I proceeded to drown myself in the realm of evil clown-hood. With Barbara's help, we sifted through endless news reports, police calls and false leads. For nearly four continuous hours, we had managed to sift the mess down to a number of possible credible leads. My eyes had grown tired from staring at the screen and just as I was about to tell her I was taking a break, she had said, "Oop, have to go, my calculus tutoree is here."
With energy and frustration to burn, I chose to hit the training bay rather than to head upstairs. After warming up with push-ups, chin-ups and vertical crunches, I turned my focus to the punching bag. Picturing the black sand filled bag was in fact the joker's pale grinning face led to twenty minutes of furious jabs and uppercuts that left me sweaty and with sore fingers.
So I hit the bag harder.
Tim walked down the steps moments later, dressed in navy sweat pants and a matching hoody with white and teal running shoes echoing on the stone floor. He waved and called out my name, but I ignored him. As he approached the training mats, he said, "Alfred said you didn't come home last night."
After one last blow, which caused the three hundred pound leather bag to fly backwards. I then turned to face him, "I had business to take care of." With a final look, the topic of discussion was terminated.
I grabbed a towel off of a stainless steel rack and wiped myself down as I walked back towards the computer, Tim not far behind. Once I sat in the chair, I glanced to the workstation's digital readout to see it was nearly six. I was about to tell Tim to get his exercises in now so we could head into the city early when Barbara's face appeared on the main monitor.
"You might want to check out channel six, Boss."
Tim turned on the small TV monitor and changed to the channel, which revealed a the station's "we are experiencing technical difficulties" screen. Just as the six o clock news should have been starting, the screen filled with a close up of a massive smile encased in bright red lips, "HELLLLLOOOOO GOTHAM!"
My fists involuntary clenched as I felt my heart rate double.
The Joker stepped back, showing his location to be on a rooftop of a building in Tri-Corner. He was dressed for the occasion in his trademark purple suit and frighteningly enough, he appeared to have had his hair recently cut and slicked back. As he tuned down the smile, he began, "I am reporting live from the rooftop of good old Gotham PeeDee, bringing you a BREAKING news report!! First, let's get a word from Commissioner Jimmy Gordon!! Hopefully he can shine some light on the situation!!"
The screen followed Joker as he skipped towards the unlit Batsignal. After putting his microphone under his armpit, he pulled the lever down and the screen went very bright.
My eyes instantly focused on what was tied to the signal. Or rather who.
Jim Gordon was bound and gagged, tied spread eagle to the metal framework that supported the massive searchlight. His eyes were filled with fear as they darted back and forth between the Joker and the camera. Mortal fear.
When I glanced at the communication screen, tears were fighting to break from Barbara's green eyes.
I already knew what she was thinking. What she was remembering.
Without wasting another second, I raced towards the dressing room and hastily donned the Batsuit, all the while listening to Joker's one-way interview with Gordon. I was quickly checking my belt when Tim came in and began changing into his suit.
I shook my head and growled as I secured the belt around my waist, "No, not tonight, Tim."
"But, Batman…"
"No, I'll need you as my eyes… here. I won't be able to watch your back."
"I promise, I won't leave the car…"
When I turned and faced him, his face was not fearful or defiant but certain and ready. A sudden sense of déjà vu washed over me, and it took a moment for it to register.
God, he looked like Dick when he was…
As I pulled the cowl over my head, I snapped, "Strictly back up."
"It's what I do best," Tim smirked.
While he finished changing, I returned to the computer bay to see that the Joker had left Jim's side and was standing more towards the middle of the rooftop. "This just in, folks… Batman's dead! Oh wait… not yet! But please stay tuned as this story develops!!"
"A trap," Robin approached me from behind.
I nodded and then looked to Barbara's image once more. She didn't say anything.
She didn't need to.
If the State Trooper in charge of speed radar on Highway 106 could have caught me, I would have paid a fine for going one hundred and twenty miles per hour in a sixty-five zone. I screeched to a halt in the back alley behind the police headquarters, not wanting to lose another moment. As I jumped out of the car, Robin was already unbuckling himself.
He looked up quickly when I said, "Under no circumstances do you leave this car. Clear."
"Crystal. But what if he…"
"No. Don't."
Before he could argue any further, I fired my grapple up and was ascending into the Joker's hands. Once I had landed silently on the roof, I set my grapple gun down in case a hasty exit was called for knowing just the usual precautions were never enough with the Joker.
A lesson I had paid too dearly for, too many times.
The Signal suddenly went out, leading to a temporary shock of darkness. My eyes quickly adjusted even as I activated the night lenses in the cowl. Scanning the rooftop, I spotted a TV camera near the door, its red indicator light blinking. I threw a Batarang at the lens and listened as it shattered in the dark. Quietly, I made my way over to Jim and put a hand on his shoulder, hopefully giving some encouragement.
He had already lost so much to the Joker. More than anyone could ever know.
Just as I reached for a knife to cut the ropes off, a soft giggling arose from behind me. I turned abruptly to see the Joker several yards away, a flashlight under his chin, turning his already ghoulish face even more disturbing. "My, my… I guess there's more than just bats in my belfry…"
"What do you want?" I poised myself, mentally planning six assaults that would bring him down. Painfully.
"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary… actually, I wish you had brought along little Bird Boy seeing how I brought a friend..."
A friend? What was he up to now?
"Did The Ventriloquist hook you up with a nice sock?" I growled, secretly pulling out three Batarangs that I was about to embed in the Joker's chest.
"No… Oh, that was a good one, Batsy," he laughed and looked behind me, his smile growing, "But if I do recall, you may remember my new chum. Yes, I believe he had a crush on you!"
I whipped around to see Jim's face filled with terror but his eyes were locked in the direction I had just been facing. When I turned I turned again, I found myself eye level with a massive chest tightly clothed in black leather. I didn't need to look up at the masked face of the Joker's friend.
The face of Bane.
"We meet again, Dark Knight…" his thick Latino voice caused my blood to stop cold. He had been acting as a mercenary for hire, traveling the world and doing the dark deeds of dark men for top dollar. Last I had known he had a bad run-in with Ra's Al Guhl.
Instinct took hold of me and I backed away from him before plunging my hand forward, intending to impale the Batarangs into his abdomen. Just as I was about to make contact, Bane suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, twisting it abruptly in order to pull me into him.
I crouched down before driving my shoulder into his abdomen, using all of my strength to send him flying over my head. Surprised, he let go of my other arm and landed loudly on the rooftop. Before he was able to rise, I handed Jim a Batarang, hoping he would be able to free himself while I fought Bane.
A half of a second at most.
A half of a second too long.
Bane's iron hands latched onto my calves as he rose, flipping me upside down fast enough to prevent me from tucking my head. After it cracked against the roof, Bane lifted me in the air before slamming me down again.
When he lifted me a third time, I swung backwards and away from him before diving into his midsection, planting of the Batarangs still in my hand deep into his side. He staggered a step back before hurling me across the rooftop in anger. I landed, bounced and found myself coming to a stop at the Joker's feet. His laughter was nearly hysterics as he proclaimed, "Oh, this is worth every penny, all five hundred million of them!!"
As I pushed myself up, I felt the roof shake with each of Bane's steps as he stalked towards me. I dove at him once more, this time using enough force to send him bouncing. As I reached for a tranquilizer dart, one I often used to bring down Killer Croc and Amygdala, I felt a sudden stinging in my back and as the Joker's laughter doubled, I reached back to feel a pair of poison tipped razor cards embedded in my shoulder.
In the fraction of a second I had, I opted to retrieve the antidote gun, which I had Robin stock with anti-Joker venom on the ride into the city. As I inserted the needle into my arm, Bane reached for me and I barely managed to get out his way. I dropped to the ground and then kicked upwards, colliding my heel into his jaw. His head snapped back violently and when he looked back down at me, I knew his eyes were glowing red and not just because of his lenses.
When I moved towards the edge of the rooftop to evade him once more, his finger just snagged on my cape and a before I could detach it, he had reeled me in, wrapping a hand around my throat and the back of my knee. Even as I was being lifted, I tried to strike back at him but I was too late.
A moment later, I went face first into the roof, a sharp snap in my side bringing me to full attention.
His hands found me once more, this time trying to punch the side of my head with enough force to take down a bull. I managed to block and dodge each hit but when I went to resume the offense, he found an opening and chopped me in the left side of my face.
I was in top condition this time.
I shouldn't lose to him.
I couldn't.
As I fought to regain my bearings, he took the opportunity to level me with a single kick. Before I could rise or even roll out of his way, Bane knelt upon my torso and I felt each and every one of his three-hundred pounds. He hunched over top of me as he pinned my arms down to the roof and proceeded put his mouth next to my right ear.
In a low whisper he said, "You will not be spared this time, Bruce Wayne. I have no wish to allow you to live, no more than the Clown does…"
A bitter copper taste rose in the back of my throat as another rib snapped. With my last bit of air, I sucked in my lungs and drew my legs up, kneeing him hard in his lower back. He jumped to his feet, brining his steel-toed boots down on my stomach. Again. And again.
"Disgusting," he muttered.
I had to get up…
"I should have never spared your life."
I had to…
I rose slowly to my feet, blood streaming out of my mouth as my guts and lungs burned in agony. Although my left ear was still ringing, in the right I heard Robin softly screaming my name, for the volume was barely up.
I shut it all of the way off.
Time seemed to slow as I looked over the rooftop once more. Bane stood in front of me, his arms crossed in front of his massive chest, a victorious smile on his lips. The Joker was over by Jim, taking bets on who would win. I counted a number of cracks in the roofing that was now splattered with fresh blood.
Selina's face flashed before my eyes.
Alfred said our differences would be the end of any meaningful relationship.
As I threw myself at Bane one last time, I thought to myself that I would die before I would give up spending my life with her.
After my flattened hand stabbed him just below the Adam's Apple, he hunched over searching for his breath. I proceeded to throw a roundhouse to the back of his head, sending him to his knees.
"Disgusting," I growled before bringing my elbows down hard on the points of his neck.
He ducked suddenly and when my blows missed their target, he was able to spin around fast enough to backhand me to the ground. The iron grip found me again and before I could free myself he began walking towards the Batsignal. I managed to turn my head enough to see that Jim had managed to free himself.
Which was fortunate for him because not a moment later Bane slammed me into it, head first.
As glass shattered around me, the pain in my chest and abdomen was momentarily forgotten as my skin opened on my arms and legs. Before I could force myself to my feet, Bane's hands were already ripping me out of the shell of the searchlight. His right hand gripped the back of my neck while his other closed around my left knee and he held me high above his head.
Just like before…
I struggled against him but the more I resisted, the stronger his hold on me became. A flood of memories flashed before my eyes of the year I had spent paralyzed after losing to Bane the first time. I had to stop him, I had to save myself. Jim. Gotham.
But there was nothing I could do.
Just as he began to bring me down towards his lifted knee, a deafening crack filled the air. Just inside my peripheral vision, I saw something had latched itself to the tubes originating from the back of Bane's skull and a fraction of a second later, the tubes were gone and Bane was screaming. In immeasurable pain and anger, Bane launched my body once more but rather than colliding with the signal or the rooftop, I found myself moving through the air and off of the roof.
With my right shoulder in agony, I was forced to reach across my abdomen with my left hand for my back-up grapple gun. As the avenue below rushed towards me, I focused as best I could and fired, holding my breath until the line went taught.
By the time I managed to retract my way back to the roof, Bane was just making it to his feet, foaming at the mouth. I hit him quickly with enough tranquilizer to talk down a rhinoceros and then delivered a solid blow to the back of his head just to be safe. As he fell and stayed down, I found myself growing light headed as my breaths came shorter. I was in no condition to face the Joker but I had no choice.
As tried to regain my bearings once more, I saw Jim approaching, "God, I'll call the ambulance."
"Not for me.. But he'll need one." I coughed suddenly and spat saliva and blood before asking, "The Joker?"
Jim smiled suddenly, "You're not going to believe this…"
I took a few unsteady steps before I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder. Had it been anyone else, I would have instantly shrugged it away, but Jim…
On the opposing ledge, I heard the Joker long before I spotted him, hanging upside down and bound in rope from his ankles to his shoulders. As he screamed for someone to save him, I spotted a small piece of paper that was tacked to the heel of his right wingtip shoe.
After crouching down, I carefully reached down and tore the scrap free. The Joker managed to look up at me, snarling, "Not fair! My friend was supposed to beat you to a pulp, not other way around!"
I found the energy to grab the rope that anchored him and started him swinging around until he replaced his angry shouting with fearful cries for help.
After making it back to me feet, Jim asked, "What does it say?"
I scanned the feminine cursive penmanship and somehow found it in myself to smile.
Figured you'd rather spend more time with me than him.
xoxo S
After Jim offered to call in a medic once more, and after I declined, I bound Bane far too tightly than necessary before finding the grapple I had anchored when I had first arrived. The clock display in the lenses said only fifteen minutes had lapsed but it felt as if it had been at least a decade. I did my best to land softly on the pavement below but a shock of pain still ran from my heels to my head.
Before I could put the grapple gun away, Robin was at my side, "What happened, why did you turn the radio off?"
"I couldn't afford the distraction…" I began before succumbing to a wave of dizziness. He instinctively put a hand on my arm and although I tried to say I was fine, he knew better than to trust my judgment at the moment. As we walked back to the Mobile, I recounted the events that had transpired, sparring the details of how I had been practically a rag doll in Bane's hands.
After I managed to get to the car, Robin, stepped between me and the driver's side, "Let me drive."
I normally would have yelled at him to get out of my way but he a bold determination in his eyes, just as he had at the Cave earlier that evening. Something that should not be punished but honored.
"One condition. We have to make a quick stop."
"It's not the emergency room, by any chance, is it?" he smirked as he jumped into the Mobile.
I moved less enthusiastically and once I was seated, I answered, "Better."
Upon our arrival, I ignored his questions about my well-being and his offers to deliver a message rather than me making the jump up to the penthouse in my current state of infirm. I finally said, "You're still strictly back-up."
I left him sitting in the car, probably wondering if I had a concussion.
Selina was sleeping on the couch again, although in a pair of black lycra leggings and a matching tank top that I knew she always wore under the soft leather of her Catwoman suit. I felt the need to put her in bed as I had the night before but I doubted that I would be able to get halfway down the corridor before collapsing.
Instead, I knelt next to her and covered her with the white cotton blanket that was draped over the back of the couch. Before standing upright, I kissed her cheek softly and painfully rose to my feet. I had just turned to leave when she said, "Well, it's before dawn… I'm impressed. But it's a shame you're going back for the late shift."
I looked back at her and replied, "No… just going to go home put myself back together."
Selina rose from the couch, her eyes touring my body. Although nothing was visible, there were a score of contusions rapidly developing all over and it would be a few days before I would be able to function without wincing.
She carefully traced her fingers over my torso, finding each pain, "I saw it on TV. Him holding the commissioner hostage. I went over when I saw you on it… after you broke the camera. I didn't want to get in your way with Bane, but when he lifted you up like that…"
"What do they say? You scratch my back…"
She smiled before leaning on closer to me, whispering into my good ear, "Stay… I'll lick your wounds for you."
I hesitated before replying, "As appealing as that is, I'm afraid Alfred would not approve."
"True, I doubt you'd get meaningful rest here," she paused for a moment before tenderly embracing me, resting her chin on my shoulder, "Take it easy… the clown's back in the box… for the time being at any rate."
A sudden beep registered in my ear followed by Tim's voice, "Just kiss the girl and let's go home, I haven't eaten yet." I knew that boy was too good with electronics, it took Dick years to figure out how to override a deactivated comm. link. Selina pulled back and began laughing and it took me a moment to realize she had overheard him. Tim then whispered, "I guess that was a little too loud, huh?"
Selina grinned, "Well, let's not get in the way of a growing boy's stomach…"
We didn't.


text:
Ever wanted to play a war based game online with your friends? There are lots of such games available on the Facebook app store but still their graphics are not so impressive. But you can easily find such games on the Google play store and can play them either on your PC or on your Android device. I'm going to share here a guide using which you'll be able to download World at Arms for PC.
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I'm first sharing the installation guide so that you can start installing this game and until the game gets ready you can check on its features.
Also check - Escape Action for Windows PC
Steps to Download World at Arms for PC
Follow the simple steps as mentioned down here in order to download World at Arms for PC.
- Download BlueStacks app player first on your PC and install it. You can get it for free from here.
- Use the search tool of BlueStacks to find out World at Arms game.
- Download and install the game once you found it.
That's all you need to do to download World at Arms for PC. The game will get ready within few minutes (depending on the internet connection speed you're having).
Features of World at Arms Android game
Now you can go through the features of this game until the game gets ready to play on your PC.
The most impressive features of this game is that it allows access to your Facebook account and once you got integrated that then you can borrow units or ask for helps during the battle situations. This is how you can play this game with your friends.
The second impressive feature of this game is its superb graphics. The graphics are very rich in quality and will look better if your device is having a HD resolution display.
You'll be able to play battle in this game on land and sea both and this particular feature clearly shows how complex the game is and how big the battle ground in the game.
There are lots of weapons in the game which you can start using immediately as the game begins and once you earn more awards and high position then you can unlock more high power weapons which can have better impact on the enemy.
Also check - Helicopter Attack for Windows PC
In short, you're going to experience full war like situation in the game and you'll be provided with full control of the game to help you win each battle.

subset: commoncrawl


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I am the type of person who is always working towards something. Whether it's meeting the right person, getting my favorite Thai food dish (it's pad thai..I'm original), meeting a career goal, writing a blog post, making friends…whatever it might be, once I set my mind to it, I get it done.
Setting goals has changed my life. There are three reasons why this is the case:
- I've grown and matured into a hardworking, productive individual about things I really care about.
- I've learned more about myself than I ever had before.
- I've met so many amazing individuals along the way who have influenced and changed my life.
Some of you may not know this, but moving to New York City was my dream. I'm not talking the cliche "Oh, big city, big dreams girl" – I genuinely love this city more than any other city in the world. And I made it happen in less than a year because I put the thought into motion – and thanks to my kickass job.
I started a blog, a blog where I write my every thought. I put myself out there. I'm vulnerable and it's empowering. I learned how to pose in front of a camera and explore my style. Fashion is my creative outlet and has become a huge part of my life.
I have met a lot of people in just the past couple months. I put myself out there almost every day, whether it's through my job or through mutual friends. I have amazing roommates and a network of great people in just two months.
Every time I set a goal, I give myself the time and patience, but I always make it happen. Overall I am a happier, more productive person and I can't wait to see where I go next. I believe in myself and the potential I have to affect this world in a positive way.
Speaking of amazing people I met in NYC, I met this sweet photographer Megan as she was passing through the city from LA. We had a really fun shoot together and shared parts of lives along with a delicious meal – now I have another friend in LA whenever I visit!
Photography: Megan Abbott
Sweater: First Stop
Jeans: Zara
Shoes: Bershka
Bag: First Stop


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About The NCDA Annual Award The prestigious NCDA Annual Award honors individuals who have made significant life time contributions to the growth and development of dance in NC. Previous award recipients are Robin Harris, Avis Hatcher-Puzzo, Alyson Colwell-Waber, Betsy Ward-Hutchinson, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux & Patricia McBride, Sue Stinson, M'Liss Gary Dorrance, John Gamble, Mary LeGere, Clay Taliaferro, Glenda Mackie, Gene Medler, Chuck Davis, Jan Van Dyke, Robert Lindgren, Lynda McCulloch, Mavis Ray, Julia Wray, Virginia Moomaw, Dot Silver, Pamela Sofras, Gay Cheney, Sal Siello, Peter McBeth, and Lemmas Mackie. The award, which includes a monetary honorarium, is presented annually at an NCDA Event.
NCDA ANNUAL AWARD Nominations are solicited each year from the community. If you have someone in mind that you feel has made a substantial impact on the field of dance in our state and would like to see them recognized, we would like to hear from you. Your nomination must include the name, address and telephone number of the nominee, and a brief paragraph describing the nominee's contributions to dance in North Carolina. Please email us (Attn: Annual Award) with your nomination letter.
Past Annual Award winners:


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The holiday season is a time for ritual and tradition, and a time for gifts. In my family we always counted down the days to Christmas with an Advent calendar. I anticipated that tiny gift behind the door with pleasure and couldn't wait to see what each day would bring. This year, beginning on December 1st, I'm starting a new tradition. I am offering a daily gift to you, a discount of 25% for a different pattern each day leading up to Christmas. Each day you can anticipate a new discounted pattern which I will announce on Instagram, read more
Note the pattern number in the footer on all the pages. The first number refers to the pattern and the number after the decimal is the numbered revision (e.g. #33.2 is Onomatopoeia, revision number 2). Corrections are listed by most recent revision number. #33.2 revised on December 19, 2016 SLEEVES (page 4) Join ribbing and rolled hem Maintaining Wide Stripe Pattern, work an Inc row in next and every following 4 (6, 6, 6, 4) rows 2 (3, 5, 8, 3) time(s) more—44 (48, 56, 62, 56) sts. If you previously bought this pattern via my website, Ravelry, Craftsy, LoveKnitting read more


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As marketers, we tend not to get too involved in web development competitions. The reason is simple. We judge websites on few criteria, one of which is deliverability.
Can it or does it deliver the eyeballs necessary to move business forward. Results, not looks. If you are looking for another perspective however, this article should do it. By Todaysart.
by todaysart
Award Competition has set the standard of excellence for Web site development.
Here are the seven criteria on which Web sites are judged in the annual competition.
* Design. Many people judge a book by its cover and the same goes for Web sites. If a site looks old and unsophisticated, it will lose much of its credibility.
* Content. "Content is king" has been the mantra of most award-winning Web sites. People visit a Web site for its content. If the content they are looking for is missing, they will leave the site disappointed.
* Innovation. Sometimes called the "wow" factor, innovation is something new and attention-getting that adds value to the site and enhances the user's experience. It could be a new technology, new search method, new navigation system, new content or a new design.
* Technology. Use of technology could either enhance or hinder a Web site's usefulness. If a site uses too much technology, users may have to work harder to get what they are looking for. No matter how impressive a new technology is, if it slows the site or hinders the user's search for information, it's not an enhancement.
* Interactivity. Some Web sites are designed only to supply information. Other sites use calculators or tools to make the site more interactive. Some sites also offer games to improve the online experience.
* Copywriting. Oftentimes, thousands of dollars are spent designing and programming a site with little attention paid to the words used. The best sites are well-written and use simple language, short sentences and bullet points to convey their messages. And, most importantly, they are carefully proofread to eliminate any typos.
* Ease of use. In the early days, some of the "coolest" sites were impossible to navigate. Today, Web sites are much better at showing users how to find the information they are looking for. The best Web sites make sure that users can get to any other area on the site in three clicks or less.
For More Article Visit :: http://www.thearticleinsiders.com/
Article from articlesbase.com
Megastarmedia.com winner of 2 honorary Webby Awards. www.megastarmedia.com Custom Web Design Social Media Mobile Applications
Video Rating: 5 / 5
Find More Award Winning Web Design Articles


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Fluorescent mild bulbs supply shoppers a major benefit when in comparison with regular light bulbs or incandescent light bulbs. Normal fluorescent lighting is available in multiple kind components, including the T5, T8 and T12. A great stability of sunshine is achieved with one 15-watt incandescent bulb for every 40-watt fluorescent Fluorescent Lights For Growing bulb. For fluorophores in solution which means that the intensity and polarization of the emitted gentle is dependent on rotational diffusion. I am glad that you simply're considering SAD remedy and the advantages of a light-weight box like those I've listed right here. Table lamps are available in an unlimited vary of types and shapes that can add a decorative touch as well as serving to to light a room. The market affords many various kinds of mild bulbs that work in different methods. These 15-watt and 20-watt bulbs can change 60-watt and 75-watt bulbs for equal brightness. It turns out that bluish mild is now commonly on the market at the ironmongery shop.
The disadvantages associated with incandescent/halogen lights have prompted many electrical lighting technicians to make use of fluorescent sort of lighting. If consistency is actually essential to your lighting project, it's possible you'll want to look into group re-lamping these bulbs which can get rid of the problem of inconsistent colours and brightness in your area. The open to be lower within the ceiling is provided by the template included with the fixture by most 4 Bulb Fluorescent Light Fixtures producers or by tracing across the rough-in housing opening. CFLs have largely changed incandescent gentle bulbs in households because they last more and are much more electrically environment friendly. So with out the ballast to regulate the current, present would rise so excessive that the lamp would melt and destroy itself. Yet another benefit for fluorescent tubes is that they have a loads longer life span than quite a lot of different bulbs, this life span can last up to 20 instances longer than the common equal which is able to undoubtedly assist with working bills and likewise prices for replacing the bulbs as you'll not must have to interchange them as regularly as other bulbs.
If you use CFL bulbs to mild up your house, you get environment friendly lighting at a much lower price. Fluorescent lamps emit mild via a chemical response involving mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin that's persistent within the setting and accumulates in residing organisms. Semi-resonant start fixtures are generally incompatible with power saving T8 retrofit tubes, as a result of such tubes have a better starting voltage than T12 lamps and will not start reliably, especially in low temperatures. Probably the most frequent factor that we use everyday and don't think twice about are mild bulbs. The harmonic objective of the ballast is to keep the worldwide commonplace IEC 61000-3-2 C grade lower than harmonic present of the lighting system limiting. Environmentally friendly options for replacing Fluorescent Tube Light incandescent lighting are often both Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) or Mild Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs. Through which case you might probably use a physically larger resistor, and also place it extra easily anywhere within the light fixture that's handy. And over two years, throughout which period she would have had to substitute the unique 75 watt bulbs, she expects to avoid wasting $155, or 30%, utilizing inexperienced light bulbs to light her alcove with the eight fixture track. HPT8 bulbs are as much as 50% more environment friendly than T12s and 20% extra environment friendly than customary T8s.
When the new mild is fully linked and put in, make sure that the wall change is off. CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) are nice for the house as a result of they do not break easily and last for a long time, however they regularly have a slightly inexperienced forged that you must look out for. Leslie applauded the ban on power-inefficient gentle bulbs, and welcomed efforts by some businesses to recycle CFLs, however said recycling ought to be necessary, not voluntary. A high-output fluorescent fixture has a really skinny profile, making it helpful in vertically restricted areas. Whereas some people desire the mushy, acquainted glow of incandescent Fluorescent Light Parts bulbs, other individuals benefit from the energy saving advantages of alternative bulbs. Think about not utilizing CFLs in lamps that can be easily knocked over, in unprotected lighting fixtures, or in lamps that are incompatible with the spiral or folded form of many CFLs. Take away the ballast compartment cover to expose the interior wiring and ballast. Notably vibrant lights can contribute to migraine signs, so one easy approach to lower this risk is to cut back the amount of fluorescent lighting in the room. The distinction in energy between the absorbed extremely-violet photon and the emitted seen gentle photon goes toward heating up the phosphor coating. He concluded that the degree of biological disturbance and the ensuing behavioral mal diversifications have been immediately related to the difference between the spectral composition of the factitious supply and that of pure gentle.
Copyright 2017 Economic News Articles


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Tuesday's Treasured & Tipsy Timeslip: This Weeks Traveller is Susan Mathews
Travel and make-believe go hand in hand. Whether we're in the present or the past, in a haunted castle, an enchanted forest or a broken down building, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and traveling the world can bring the imagination to life.
Throw on your favourite plaid jacket and join this weeks's time travelling guest Susan Matthews as we take a virtual voyage into the wilds of Canada, Alaska, England & even LasVegas, possibly the wildest place of all:)
Susanne Matthews is an avid reader with a penchant for happily ever after. In her imagination, she has travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Now we're thrilled she's going to take us with her. Buckle up!
Stop #1 The Lake of The Mountain in Prince Edward Country, Ontario.
Susan:Only two and a half hours west of where I live. This mysterious and sacred place according to Mohawk legend was where I set my book, Echoes of the Past. The Lake of the Mountain is an anomaly. To make it easier to understand what drew me to the lake and what will take me there again, http://prince-edward-county.com/lake-on-the-mountain-provincial-park/ Take a few minutes to read about the mysterious lake and see if you don't feel the pull to visit there.
Let's travel backward and eventually cross the ocean, making a quick stop in Quebec City, the first French city in North American in what was then New France. I've visited Quebec City many times both in the summer and in the winter. I've walked the Plains of Abraham where the British led by General Wolfe defeated the French under Montcalm in 1759 and laid claim to my native land. My ancestors were among the early French soldiers sent to defend the colony in 1660, almost a hundred years earlier. A fictional account of his struggle can be found in my novel, The Price of Honor. Someday, I hope to visit France and Caen and its surroundings.
Rae chimes in: Once again, nice pick Susan. I love all of Quebec. It's a little piece of the old world. I spent a girls weekend here in Tremblant a couple of years ago celebrating my mother's birthday Beautiful in every season! I also based the skiing scene from my novel, Curse of the Purple Delhi Sapphire here.
Las Vegas Grand Canyon
Rae chimes in: Once again, nice pick Susan. I love all of Quebec. It's a little piece of the old world. I spent a girls weekend here in Tremblant a couple of years ago celebrating my mother's birthday Beautiful in every season! I also based the skiing scene from my novel, Curse of the Purple Delhi Sapphire here.
Las Vegas Grand Canyon
|Photo Credit
American Travel Center
Stop #4 Step Aboard this Alaskan Cruise
That brings us to Stop # 4 Alaska. Come mid-June, one of the top three items on my bucket list will be filled. My husband and I will be taking the Alaskan Cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium. During our vacation, we'll go on a catamaran ride, walk on the glaciers, and take a train ride into the Alaskan wilderness. Some people think we should be going south, especially after the cold winter we've had, but I want to see the land of the midnight sun for myself. Plus, since I've decided to base The White Iris, the last book in my Harvester Series there, I want to see this rugged land first hand.
Rae:Like Susanne, I am Canadian and I love wilderness. Alaska feels like a place I could fit in. Of course it is an extreme place. In the winter, darkness reigns but in the summer the days get long and from what I've read the sun barely sets at all, just dips low in the sky and comes right back up again.
The Famous Standing Stones - Stonehenge
Last stop on my fantasy vacation: Stop # 5, Stonehenge. The very first book I ever wrote sits in my computer awaiting editing—and man does it need it. The head hopping would amaze you, but that book was written long ago as part of a creative writing course, and the strange thing is, head hopping was never even mentioned. Makes you wonder about the qualifications of college professors since I got an A+ in the course. Someday, I'll open the file and rework Time and Again, a fantasy aimed at the YA market and allow the mystery of druids, crop circles, earthbound angels and other magical creatures trapped within its pages to escape.
Rae: This prehistoric monument is located in England and is the famous time slip location of one of my favourite novels, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.


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Hi all!!
I just love putting up these Love 'em posts as they help me flaunt what I have and also help out in telling you people few good things :D
Coming to the post, I'm so loving these travel friendly and small water bottles these days. They are so convenient in carrying water or juice of your choice when you're on a short trip (maybe even in cab to office :P)
Ponds BB cream - My HG BB cream these days... Will review (rave about) it soon :)
Glass nail file - The best! the best! the bestest of all nail files *happydance*
Baby Lips Mango Pie - Wonderful companion for my baby soft pinky lips... And I love mango smell\flavour so much!!
Falero Mango Chews (pulpy mango and raw mango) - They taste exactly like Mango bite\Kaccha mago bite but juicy and jelly textured. Love them to bits :D
Last but not least, my wonderful, chunky, gothic and statement-y snake cuff :D :D :D :D


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This review first appeared in The National Book Review. By Jim Kaplan
Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants
By Bethany McLean
Columbia Global Reports 154 pp. $12.99
Consumer spending is the bulwark of the U.S. economy, and housing is easily the largest part of what most American consumers spend. But housing is more than that: it is also the linchpin of most Americans' retirement and long-term economic security, because home equity is by far the biggest part of most households' net worth - much more than stocks, bonds, and other investments.
The emotional connection of most Americans to their home is also unmatched. Since the early 1900's, immigrants to the United States have known they really made it, and become real Americans, when they scraped together a down payment and qualified for a mortgage on their first house.
Given how important home loans are, why is it that in the world's most aggressively capitalist country, their origins are oddly . . . socialistic? So much so that Merwyn King, the former governor of the Bank of England, told Bethany McLean, "Most countries have socialized health care and a free market for mortgages. You in the United States do exactly the opposite."
Why on earth is that the case? That is the critical -- and frustrating -- question at the heart of Shaky Ground, the latest very smart finance book by McLean, who first made a name for herself with her way-ahead-of-the pack reporting for Fortune magazine on the troubles at Enron. Her latest book is part of Columbia Global Reports, a welcome new publishing imprint from Columbia University that signs up top journalists to delve into important but under-reported stories.
McClean found a very good one in our deeply flawed home mortgage system. Its problems start with a simple but incontrovertible fact: home mortgages are normally a great deal for the homeowner, but a terrible deal for the party who actually makes the loan. Homeowners, who in America typically lock in a fixed interest rate and level payments for 30 years, merely run a risk that at some point they will experience a major income decline during the mortgage period, putting their home and investment at risk.
Until about 2008, this looked like almost no risk at all, since even if middle-class Americans lost jobs, the pre-'08 economy normally meant they could find new ones at similar pay and replace the lost income and pay their mortgage. That is often no longer the case, and this is one of many factors that leads to the central quandary in McLean's book: Is widespread home ownership dead in post-Great Recession America?
In any case, McLean notes, the investor side of the 30-year mortgage became untenable decades ago. The interest rate risk is the killer for (mainly) banks who make and then hold the loans. As rates move upward, the income stream represented by the fixed rate mortgage becomes less and less valuable. And the odds of a period of sustained "high interest rates" in any 30-year period is enormous.
This was the biggest reason for the thrift collapse of the 1980's and early '90's: when banks held long-term debt paying say 6%, and they needed to pay deposit rates well over 10% to get money, they went bankrupt in droves. They never had a chance to play the "long game" and wait for their 30-year loans to pay off and to re-invest at market rates. Mortgage lending banks failed before that could ever happen, and they took depositors' money (in excess of the FDIC insurance amount) down with them.
The 1980's thrift crisis led in part to the securitization phenomenon, pioneered by the legendary Lewis Ranieri of Salomon Brothers, described brilliantly by Michael Lewis in his first book, Liar's Poker. Indeed, a huge secondary market developed for those 30-year mortgages. Banks no longer had to hold them and risk failure; they could sell them to investors who could better deal with the rate risk and longevity risk through proper diversification and other standard risk management techniques.
But there was one problem with this scenario, which is that although securitization effectively took care of the mortgage originator's (mostly banks') rate risks, it did not take care of the credit risk, i.e., the risk that the mortgage borrower - usually American households - would default on the loan at some point in 30 years, a very long time in credit terms, even if the credit risk was perceived as low.
In stepped the U.S. Government, as McLean relates. Or rather, in stepped the Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSE), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which enjoyed an "implicit" government guarantee, or backing, and thus could finance their own operations with very low cost money.
More important, the fact that Fannie and Freddie put their guarantee on so much U.S. mortgage debt in the two decades before the 2007-'09 recession (usually by bundling the debt into mortgage-backed securities, guaranteeing repayment of the mortgages, and then selling those securities to the investing public), made it easy and desirable for banks and other lenders to make loans to riskier and riskier credits. They could easily get these loans off their books immediately (for "conforming" mortgages, which were the vast majority for the middle and working classes), transferring (some might say unloading) both rate and credit risk to investors and the government, respectively.
Fannie and Freddie took greater and greater market share until a few years before the financial crisis, guaranteeing increasing number of loans throughout the '90's and early 2000's. They relied on the historically very low default rates on home mortgages that had existed since the 1930s, which was really as far back as reliable statistics could be found.
For most of two decades, Fannie and Freddie got rich taking fees up front to guarantee and securitize mortgages, and took relatively few defaults until the Great Recession, when the roof caved in and defaults skyrocketed in the perfect storm of weak borrower credit, poorly structured loans, and terrible permanent job losses for borrowers that caused them to lose their incomes and default.
What went wrong? McLean hits the nail on the head, both in this book and her 2010 book about the crisis, All the Devils Are Here (co-authored with Joseph Nocera). When the originators of loans were separated from ongoing credit risk, these originators (mainly banks and thrifts, but increasingly "shadow banks," largely unregulated mortgage providers) were unwittingly incentivized to increase profits by making riskier and riskier loans.
And in the America of the 1990s and especially the 2000s, there were lots of riskier loans to be made. First, the increasing casualness of a lot of American employment had made typical homeowners much bigger credit risks than in earlier eras, something the financial industry as a whole failed to appreciate. Compared to homeowners in other countries, American workers in the Great Recession lost their jobs in greater numbers and with greater swiftness and often could not find new jobs at similar pay.
Making matters worse, the "loss given default" during the Great Recession on loans was much greater than anticipated, because of the recession-induced collapse of housing values, which caused the loss on any given defaulted mortgage to be far larger than forecast.
On top of all this, in the 2000's the mortgage industry increasingly structured loans with variable rates instead of fixed rates, and with low "teaser rates." These teaser rates adjusted upwards after one, two, or three years to a much higher fixed rate, causing many borrowers in 2008 and 2009 to have significantly increased mortgage payments at the same time as they lost their jobs or experienced a decline in income.
As McLean explains, Fannie and Freddie, which had effectively guaranteed those loans, were all but wiped out by these developments. They were placed into government receivership in 2008 and have never come out of it.
At this point, years later, the GSEs still exist, still guarantee, package, and securitize home loans, and once again (after a period of horrendous losses), are making big money. Instead of going to their shareholders, however, all profits still go directly to the U.S. Treasury, presumably to pay back the extensive costs of receivership and "bail out." Indeed, McLean says, the GSEs have actually paid back about $40 billion more than they ever received from taxpayers.
But what happens to the housing market now? McLean accurately reports that the Obama Administration would like to formally do away with Fannie and Freddie, and the leading bipartisan solution (the Corker-Warner bill) would as well, although with a government guarantee that backstops private insurers after 10% of losses have been absorbed. The private insurers would pay a fee for the government guarantee.
In short, the proposal brings back Fannie and Freddie with the names changed, because acting as a government guarantor for other people's mortgage originations (for a fee) is what Fannie and Freddie have more or less been doing for decades.
The reason Fannie and Freddie can't really die is clear. As McLean succinctly explains, in discussing Republican Senator Bob Corker's proposal:
It might seem shocking that any Republicans would sign on to a system that kept any kind of government guarantee. But there is widespread agreement among policy makers on at least this element of investors' argument, which is that you cannot keep a cheap, long-term, fixed-rate mortgage available to the wide swath of Americans through big economic ups and downs without some sort of government backstop. There is a reason no other country has such a product. For all the supposed ideological purity in today's Washington, no politician wants to be responsible for the loss of something Americans have come to see as a right.
And they do see it as a right. As McLean notes, although Alan Greenspan said years ago that many Americans would be better off with adjustable rate mortgages, in November 2014 a stunning 87% of Americans who took out mortgages to buy a house chose a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.
So here we are, back where we started pre-crisis: the government remaining the guarantor of the American housing market because Americans really can't fulfill their goals of home ownership and long-term secure mortgage financing any other way.
McLean makes the point that it is possible that a younger generation, hardened by their negative experience with home ownership during the Great Recession, and burdened by much more casual employment in the Age of Uber, will turn away from the owned home as the centerpiece of household finance and life in the U.S. The idea is that we as a people would become more mature, cynical, and less enamored of the bonds (positive and negative) of homeownership.
That would lessen, or even eliminate, the need for government to stand behind the housing market. But McLean expresses real doubt about whether that sweeping societal transformation will take place anytime soon.
She seems right about this, which means the inherently risky contradiction she describes, that of a massive, government-backed, socialistic housing sector inside an increasingly competitive, largely deregulated capitalistic, individualist economy, will continue to beset us for a good while longer.
Jim Kaplan is a Chicago lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, specializing in banking and financial regulatory issues.


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So sorry for the lack of updates! This last week went by so fast T_T
But anyway! Here's an awesome Mitsui Jun translation from Marushio and Zan-kun that I hope will make up for it ^^
"Here is a translation of a Mitsui Jun work that myself and Marushio worked on. It's called Start! Fun Sex, and features the insane and slapstick antics of Kawaiko-chan, Naughty-kun and Dr. Balls. Dr. Balls and Kawaiko-chan are attempting to teach Naughty-kun they ways of a Seme-Uke relationship, with hilarious results from Naugty-kun's aggressive eagerness and impatience. Well worth the read" – Zan-kun


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Quantity based discounts are also one of the popular dynamic pricing strategies. This type of discount is generally applied during clearance sales, that is, when you want to move the stock faster. You can easily provide quantity based discounts on your WooCommerce online store with the best discount plugin, WooCommerce Discount Rules.
While the ultimate goal of providing quantity based discount is to move the stock, its dynamic pricing nature provides different ways to implement it. Because not all products can be sold in bulk quantities, right? In this tutorial, you will learn how to provide different types of quantity based pricing deals on your WooCommerce online store with the help of Woo Discount Rules.
WooCommerce Discount Rules deals with quantity based discounts in two ways - product level and cart level. This is the general classification. In the product level, the quantity of the individual products purchased is taken into account. Whereas in the cart level, the quantity of the total cart items is taken into account. Let's discuss both the cases in detail with examples.
1. Quantity Based Discount - Store wide / Category (ies) / Product Specific
Here is the first method. As I mentioned earlier, product level discounts are dependent on product(s) or category(s). For example, "Buy 10 mugs or more and get 5% off" or "Buy 5 items from Electronics and get 10% discount". See what such rules imply? It means that the products sold in these rules are eligible for bulk selling.
So, if you are looking to give discounts on bulk selling products, this is the way to go.
To set up discounts that depend on products or categories, you first need to install WooCommerce Discount Rules if you haven't installed already. Let's go with the example "Buy 10 mugs or more and get 5% off". Here is the step-by-step guide you can follow from here:
Step 1:
Launch Woo Discount Rules from the WooCommerce dashboard. Create a new rule in the Price Discount Rules tab.
Step 2:
Add the general details of your rule. Make sure you select the method as Quantity Based.
The quantity based discounts on a product level can apply on individual products or categories of products. Let us have a look at both the cases.
How to set up quantity based discounts on individual products:
In the Apply To option, select "All Products" or "Specific Products" according to your requirement. Then select the customers - either "All Customers" or "Only Given" . Check the Purchase History box if your discount applies based on the customer's purchase history.
How to set up quantity based discounts on product categories:
This method differs just a tiny bit from the previous setting. Choose "Specific Categories" in the Apply To option and then choose one or more categories from the dropdown.
- To apply the rule to subcategories also, select "Apply Child Categories" checkbox.
- Check the box "Is Cumulative" if you want to include the quantities on the cart as individual products. Otherwise each line item in the cart will be considered as a single product regardless of the quantity.
Step 3:
Define the core discount properties. Add the minimum and maximum quantity (Min - 10, Max - some value, say 999), adjustment type (Percentage or Price discount) and the value of discount (5% or $50).
That's it. Once you save and enable the rule, you can see that buying more than 10 mugs gives a 5% discount to the customers.
While this example uses the percentage discount, you can choose to give a fixed price discount like $20 off or a product discount like "Buy 10 mugs and get 1 mug free". Or "Buy 10 mugs and get a book free". It's all up to you to decide, but you do not have to worry about the technical part. Woo Discount Rules has it covered.
Let's move on to learn how to give quantity based discount on a cart level.
2. Cart Specific Quantity Based Discount
The quantity based discounts specific to cart level depend on the total number of cart items like "Buy any 5 items and get $20 off". Or "Buy more than 3 items to get 10% off on your subtotal". Woo Discount Rules applies this rule in a way that it will not apply to individual products or categories listed in the cart. So, you can apply the rule to the cart without worrying about conflicts in the product price.
In the following guide, let's learn to create the example rule, "Buy any 5 items and get $20 off". This is a fixed price discount. The customer gets a flat $20 off on their cart total if they purchase any 5 items from your store.
And here comes the strategy behind the rule. You can give discounts on products that can or cannot be sold in bulk, and still calculate the discount based on quantity. You can expect either bulk quantity orders or orders with low quantity of multiple items. Either case is possible.
Here is what you need to do to get the rule up and running:
Step 1:
Launch Woo Discount Rules from the WooCommerce dashboard. Create a rule in the Cart Discounts Rule tab.
Step 2:
Add cart condition as "Sum of quantities at least".
Now you are all set to provide your customers with discounts based on the quantity they purchase. The type of discount is yours to choose based on your inventory. You can also create both the rules and define the priority of which rule is more relevant. There is virtually no limitation in WooCommerce Discount Rules.
Use our demo site to work yourself and check how it goes.
Loved Woo Discount Rules? We also hope you loved this article and found it helpful. So, go ahead and apply quantity based discounts on your WooCommerce online store. Also check out how to set up bulk discounts with WooCommerce Discount Rules with WooCommerce Discount Rules.


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Charm Rustic Basement Bar
Rustic basement bar – basements need not go to waste as a boring storage room or laundry room; transforming the basement to create an extra charming and welcoming space to your home. If you like the down-home, country kind of feeling is a rustic-themed basement way to go. Consider some basic ideas to serve as a starting point to develop your own, individually designed cellar.
Everything made of stone ads to the rustic basement bar character in your basement. Onyx a clock, for example is made of a cross-section of onyx, so that all the natural grooves of the stone are visible. Also consider the stone lamps, tables with stone tops and stone sculptures. Other attractive types of rustic stones used with Furnishings include slate, quartzite, sandstone, and travertine. Using painted stones as decorations. Lots of artists paint the stones, or you can paint your own. Suitable images include aromatic plant, cactus, horses, cattle or deer.
The right fireplace is the centerpiece of your rustic basement bar cellar. Not just a fireplace adds atmosphere, but it also provides heat. Probably your basement is not equipped for a wood-burning fireplace, but electric fireplaces are available that do not require chimney ventilation. You can find plenty of electric fireplace mantels and Amer, who has rustic charm, especially those made with boulders or oak.
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Vancouver based strategic planning company.
Full branding package:
logo design, business card, letterhead , brochure and website design
"We are extremely happy with the result of your efforts. I have had the opportunity to pass out my business card at three very large industry events this past month and without exception all comments have been positive. An unsolicited comment from a potential client was that the design of the card was "the best card she has ever seen"! We are proud to hand out our material and invite people to view our wesite. Thank you."
Rick Restell
Managing Director, Restell Strategic Partners, Vancouver.


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Rockbox mail archiveSubject: Power from USB?
Power from USB?
From: Antony Stone <Antony.Stone_at_rockbox.open.source.it>
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 10:24:41 +0100
I'm using Rockbox r17612-080523 on an iRiver H340, and trying to work out what
If I start with the device powered off:
If I press REC and then plug in USB, the device power up and enters the
If I plug in USB and then press REC, I get "Bootloader USB mode", it isn't
If I start with the device powered on:
If I press REC and then plug in USB, it starts recording.
If I plug in USB and then press REC, I get a picture of a USB plug on the
Is this a bug, or am I reading the instructions wrongly (if so, what should I
Thanks for any help.
-- I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by. - Douglas Noel Adams Please reply to the list; please don't CC me. ------------------------------------------------------------------- List admin: http://cool.haxx.se/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rockbox FAQ: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/GeneralFAQ Etiquette: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/etiquette.htmlReceived on 2008-05-24
Page was last modified "Jan 10 2012" The Rockbox Crew


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OKLAHOMA CITY - A woman found guilty of killing a Chihuahua will spend five years in jail, half of her 10-year sentence.
A court decided 25-year-old Kammie Lindsey killed the dog in August, during a fight.
It happened at a home on 62nd St.
"A man and woman were inside arguing and the woman, at some point, picked up a small Chihuahua and slammed it to the ground," OKC Police Master Sgt.Gary Knight said.
Police also arrested Lindsey on a slew of charges, including prostitution and drug changes.
"Animal cruelty is serious and stuff and I don't believe in hurting dogs, but I don't know, it's kind a steep, 10 years," neighbor Susan said.
For the prostitution charge, Lindsey will serve 30 days in jail, and five years on the drug charge.
All charges will run concurrently.


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Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole Recipe: I am a contributor to Amanda's Cookin' and this recipe first appeared on there as Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole.
This Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole Recipe is a savory and comforting one-dish recipe, perfect for dinner with your family or bringing to a gathering. It has chicken, pie crust, tater tots, mixed vegetables all combined into one lovely dish! (makes 2, 9-inch round casserole pies)
Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Hi Everyone, This Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole Recipe is a mash up of two favorite things: Tater tots and chicken pot pie! This recipe has comfort food and flavors everyone in the family is sure to love. It's amazing how a few simple ingredients can make something so delicious and perfect for cozy nights when it's cold outside.
The nice thing is you have your veggies, protein and carbs all in one dish which makes it a super simple dinner with easy clean up. Since this recipe makes 2, 9-inch round casserole pies, you can make one for dinner and give one away or freeze it for another night. If you are going to freeze one, you don't have to bother thawing the pie crust.
You can make a homemade pie crust if you want but if it makes it hard in any way to complete the recipe by making a homemade pie crust, just get the store bought ones at your grocery store. You will still get that same homemade taste in this recipe because most of the recipe is from scratch.
You can sub out the 2 cups of mixed vegetables for 2 cups or another type of frozen vegetable or even 2 cups fresh vegetables of your choice as long as they are bite size. The mix vegetables are a classic chicken pot pie ingredient and usually something one might have on hand in their freezer.
There is no condensed soup in this recipe and I feel that it really makes a difference. The filling has butter, flour, chicken broth and milk to name some of the ingredients which add to it's thick creamy texture. I added minced garlic to this recipe, and I feel like it adds to the flavor of the filling. Garlic is not a traditional ingredient in chicken pot pie but this is not a traditional chicken pot pie, now, is it?
Ingredients for Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole
- 2, 9-inch store bought pie crusts frozen, thawed (if you are freezing it, do not bother to thaw the crust)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, amount to taste
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (you can substitute the same amount turkey)
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- 1 bag tater tots, regular size or mini (I suggest the "mini" kind, if you can find them)
- 1/2-1 cups shredded 3-cheese blend (I like Cheddar), optional
- parsley flakes for serving or fresh parsley
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper for serving
Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links which means I earn a commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. I only recommend brands and products that I 100% like and enjoy using. Thank you in advance for your support!
Kitchen Tools for Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole
- measuring spoons and cups
- wet measure
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- 9 inch round casserole dish/pie plate (the store bought pie crusts may already be in an aluminum pie plate which you can set in a glass or ceramic one for serving)
- spatula
- large spoon
- trivet and oven mitts
- 2 rimmed aluminum baking sheets (in case of over flow during baking)
- tin foil to make a foil tent (optional)
You can really get creative with the tater tots designs if you want. I opted for a simple, circular row – that seemed to fit them the easiest. I do suggest using the mini tater tots, if you can find them, that way you can fit more in and no, they do not need to be thawed before baking. They crisp right up when they bake!
I know you will love this Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole recipe, if you try it, let me know in the comments below!
Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
This Chicken Pot Pie Tater Tot Casserole Recipe is a savory and comforting one-dish recipe, perfect for dinner with your family or bringing to a gathering. It has chicken, pie crust, tater tots, mixed vegetables all combined into one lovely dish! (makes 2, 9-inch round casserole pies)
- 2 pie crusts, 9-inch store bought frozen, thawed (if you plan to freeze it, do not bother thawing)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, optional
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, amount to taste
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded. you can substitute the same amount turkey
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 bag frozen tater tots, 1 bag (1 pound, 12 ounces/793 grams) regular size or mini, you will not use all the tots in the bag
- 1/2 cup cheddar, shredded 3-cheese blend (I like Cheddar) optional 1/2-1 cup
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes, amount to taste, or fresh parsley, for serving
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, for serving
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F
- In a large saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat, add the yellow onion and cook until the onions are tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper. Stir in broth and milk and cook until thick, smooth and bubbly.
- Add Chicken, mixed vegetables and stir. Turn off heat and remove from stove top. Spoon the chicken-vegetable mixture evenly into the pie crusts. Top with tater tots in neat rows (I like the circular design). Add the optional shredded cheese to the top.
- Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until tater tots and crust is golden brown. If needed, in the last 15 to 20 minutes cover the crust edge in aluminum foil to prevent over browning or burning. When the casserole is done baking, allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving, enjoy!
Nutrition Information:Yield: 2 whole pies Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 2168 Total Fat: 131g Saturated Fat: 56g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 64g Cholesterol: 381mg Sodium: 3295mg Carbohydrates: 150g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 16g Sugar: 19g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 95g
Sara Maniez
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- Air Fryer Sun-Dried Tomatoes - January 16, 2020


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Elegance & practicality combine in this perfect quiet location. Wow, over $150,000 recently spent on updates. This pie-shaped lot offers a sunny west backyard & patio that are perfect for entertaining by the gas fire pit. Open foyer with curved staircase, skylite, and granite custom flooring. Main floor offers a formal living and dining space, new island kitchen with family room and non-conforming solarium. Upstairs features 3 bedrooms, games room with pool table and lots of storage. Many, many extras here and most of the furniture is included.
Check out all of the details of this House for sale, 9111 MASKALL Drive, Richmond, British Columbia