text:
It's hard not to relax a little in this kind of casual opulence. Until the PA system chimes in again over the clinically dead background tune that seems to permeate office lobbies. By now, it's difficult not to hum along.
"Sac-Nicte wishes you and your family the best for your chosen holiday celebrations, regardless of what form they take, but reminds you of the statistical likelihood that only twelve shopping days remain! A pre-order card for the new Communications Player PRO is the gift that will bring joy to any demographic. Contact staff today."
If you weren't here to get a free beta version of the thing, you'd have run screaming by now.
Theme: Summer Goddess
Corporate Hive, I Can See Your House From Here
It's a nice evening to be on the 18th floor. A light snowfall has drifted in from the east, dusting the city below. It makes the city look tiny and toy-like. You can only imagine what it looks like on the floors above.
After the wait in the downstairs lobby, where you're handed a small clipboard with some forms to fill out, as well as a standard NDA and some feedback cards, you're ushered up to the 18th floor to... well, a smaller, more compact version of the opulence downstairs. Your nameless suited chaperones gesture for you to be seated again, and you're left to stare down the receptionist and resume your busy schedule of waiting around for something to happen. Man, this new COMP better be amazing.
Her name is Maki, according to the nameplate on her desk. She hasn't said anything at your arrival. She looks thrilled.
You've been waiting for at least twenty minutes, and likely to wait at least a few minutes more judging by Maki's face. How have you been passing the time?
Character sheets sans fluff in the first post, please! OOC Thread over here.
Destrado fucked around with this message at May 27, 2014 around 15:50
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 03:39
|# ? Sep 22, 2019 16:15
Jodie Vessot
This may sound strange, but Jodie doesn't have that much experience killing time. There was always wood that needed chopping or dishes that needed cleaning, something that could at least keep her hands busy. Here, there's nothing. Maybe a pamphlet if you're lucky. Her bag has plenty of things she could fiddle with, but not much that she could just pull out in an office. She's losing enough time as it is without having to explain to security why she's sitting in the corner twirling a knife.
That is why Jodie has disassembled and reassembled this ballpoint pen ten times in the last twenty minutes. She's almost made it into an art at this point. Unscrew the tip, remove the ink, remove the spring, take out the clicker, reverse, click in, click out, repeat. Unscrew the tip, remove the ink, remove the spring, take out the clicker, reverse, click in, click out, repeat. It's not the best way she could be killing time, but it's a hell of a lot better than making small talk.
Jodie Vessot
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 05:28
Uri Ott
Waiting was so much easier when he had forms to amuse himself with and, maybe moreso, an idea of why he was waiting. But to be made to wait again in an entirely new location was just so...pointless? More accurately, the point remained unseen and that annoyed him--not even a clue as to why they'd been moved, but Ms. Maki's gaze made him think twice about asking for a direct answer.
He'd tried to distract himself with his phone, opening up a custom-built terminal and sshing into his network so he could continue work on his new automated messaging program, but quickly found the present environment too distracting. How many times is she going to do that? he thought, eye twitching slightly as he yet again heard the pen click, signaling another successful re-assembly. At first he'd thought it cute and not at all dissimilar to something he might do upon first seeing a pen, but to repeat the act...was it eight times so far? Nine. Yes, we get it, you're bored, he nearly sighed, putting his phone away for good. It was such a useless activity, even if he couldn't blame her for the boredom. That, and it was at least better than Ms. Lotteminde's obvious cry for attention.
Perhaps he would break the silence? He considered it, asking Ms. Maki directly that is, but wouldn't that just look foolish? Why wait until now to ask, would be what the others might wonder. The answer was simple--he was reaching his breaking point, the point at which he could no longer stand to be left in the dark--but that didn't make it any less foolish. But...perhaps he need not ask her at all.
"Wonder what's taking so long," he posed to the room, rather than to Ms. Maki in particular. He predicted shrugs, maybe some 'I dunno'-s, but if he was lucky somebody would know.
Decus fucked around with this message at Feb 8, 2014 around 02:14
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 06:09
She tapped her foot impatiently. This was supposed to be only a quick stop on her itinerary for the day! Ugh, she was supposed to be at the recording studio in less than an hour! She was working on a brand new album to send her blazing to the top of the charts.
Finally, the incessant *click, click, click* of Jodie's tinkering got to her, "What is taking so long!? You should know I have a schedule to keep! Hurry it UP already!" While not quite a shriek, Keiko's yelling was certainly unpleasant.
OmegaGoo posted:
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 06:53
Souji Tunoku
Souji was mostly allowing himself to be absorbed in thought, switching back and forth between doing nothing and playing with his phone, right up until the others begin to snap, leading him to walk over to Jodie.
"Hey, could you stop doing the pen thing?"
Then, he turns towards Maki.
"Excuse me. Do you know how much longer we're going to be here?"
High Concept: Manga Hero in the Making
ProfessorCirno fucked around with this message at May 10, 2014 around 14:24
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 17:07
Jodie Vessot
"I could."
"Don't have anything else to do, but I could."
Jodie begins unscrewing the tip... But no. She can't be that much of an rear end in a top hat. Not to a stranger she doesn't have any particular gripes with, at least. She'll just have to figure something else out. Like counting ceiling tiles.
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 18:18
Eleanor Lotteminde
Well, somebody just stormed up to Maki's desk in a flash of skirts and sparkly bits and scowling, clutching...(what's that, a pair of letters or mail printouts or something? Really?) in an angry death grip. "You work for the one in charge of this...this outfit, don't you? Well, let me tell you something, missy! Eleanor. Lotteminde. E-l-e-a-n-o-r-l-o-t-t-e-m-i-n-d-e. I can't believe you people misspelled my name! Twice! I mean, how can you not know who I am?! I-is this some pitiful attempt at making fun of me? Hnf, peasants...." And then she turns away.
How does Eleanor spend the time after that? Oh, golly, I'm glad you asked. So glad you asked!
Eleanor sinks, falls back into a chair with all the melodramatic flair of a secondary-school Juliet after a pull of green Koolaid from a fancy glass, and lets out this terrrrrrribly weary sigh.
...and another, exactly five minutes later, followed by a furtive glance around to see if anyone noticed her ~distress~. Why, if she keeps this up, you can probably set your watch to her!
(Sorry for posting so late, sort of frazzled 'cos RL trouble.)
|# ? Feb 7, 2014 23:22
Kenji Omura
Oh, please. Is there nobody here that
Kenji looks up from the message he's typing on his now painfully last-generation smartphone. A look of plain contempt is written across his face. (Or is it simply boredom? Or perhaps both.) Is there no one else here that can handle a simple waiting room? This kind of thing should not be so surprising, if Testing is so under-staffed that they would resort to getting outside help for beta-testing. After all, as everybody clearly knows, a customer service department that actually runs well is just asking to be downsized until their response times are merely tolerable. But apparently a simple fact simply flies past people like this.
"You..." the manager puts his phone back in his pocket, "do realize this kind of wait is normal, right? Have all of you never dealt with a real place of business before?"
These kids are probably screwed if they ever try to apply for a loan...
Takanago posted:
|# ? Feb 8, 2014 05:28
Uri Ott
"What makes it so normal? I'm afraid I rarely deal with business like this in person," he asked, ignoring the slight within Mr. Omura's statement, purely curious. Outside of ordering food or dropping in on his friend's shop, he did most things online after all. It was his, perhaps false, assumption that since they'd been scheduled to test the product they'd promptly have the product ready for testing.
"Though I guess you would know that it is, in fact, normal," he added, nodding in approval after noticing that the businessman didn't seem quite as visibly impatient as any of the rest of them. Likely a good sign, and truly a sign of 'normality', as he'd otherwise expect a man as busy as Mr. Omura to be quite flustered by the wait.
And, at the very least, Mr. Tunoku had gotten the clicking to stop.
|# ? Feb 8, 2014 06:19
Maki lets out a sigh that lasts three full seconds before Souji has even finished his question. "I dunno. No-one tells me anything. Soon, I guess? Maybe not. I'd offer you coffee or something, but we're fresh out." She sips at her mug curtly.
She weathers Eleanor's outburst like someone who probably deals with office tantrums on a daily basis. "Oh. Our apologies" she intones, deadpan. She glances upwards. "I wouldn't worry about that. It's non-diegetic, anyway."
Another sip.
Destrado fucked around with this message at Feb 8, 2014 around 12:09
|# ? Feb 8, 2014 12:02
"Wha... you... DON'T IGNORE ME!" She practically screamed at the top of her lungs. She was already losing it. Not a good sign.
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 08:35
Souji Tunoku
Souji winces and starts to realize he liked her far more when he just heard her music.
"H-hey, it's easy, don't worry, Iwatori-san. I'm sure we won't be here any longer. Hey, I heard you've been on tour in the US, what was that like?"
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 09:07
She spun to face the person who had addressed her, ready to begin another tirade. Instead, she saw the startled flinch of a man who just wanted her to calm down. Oops.
Dammit, appearances you dolt!
Keiko's anger melted instantaneously, and a practiced smile eased gently onto her face as her volume returned to something approaching normal. "Oh, it was fantastic! Though I must say it was a bit confusing. Everything's so different over there. Although I'll admit the crowds are a bit more lively. I'm not sure that's a good thing, though."
She smiled her sweetest smile and turned to the lady behind the desk, "I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone and wait patiently over here."
Keiko nearly dragged the guy over to a corner of the room, "So, I don't think I've met you before. Are you a fan? You seem to know me!" She held out her hand, "But let's get introduced! I'm Keiko Iwatori. A lot of people call me Red, which is funny, because I dye my hair this bluish purple to offset my stage attire. And you are?"
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 09:20
And then, just as you might all get to know each other...
The double doors you came through come crashing open, as a booming voice behind a cardboard box comes waddling though.
Dr. Wolfram Canek
Sac-Nicte Chief Engineer, ???
"See? They're still here. It's fine." The voice's owner dumps the box on Maki's desk unceremoniously. Maki rolls back in her chair slightly. Just before the doors slam back, another figure quickly slides between them.
Irene Zinaida
Sac-Nicte Chief of Security, ???
"There's still clearances to get, we don't have guards in place in case anyone tries to run with Sac-Nicte property... what, you think Maki frisked everyone? That one girl's duffel probably has ten bombs in it."
Canek waves his hands imperiously. "It's fine, it's fine. Look, half of them work for us anyway, it's not a security issue. Or are you afraid of being taken out by a pop idol? We need to get this testing done so we can launch early in the New Year."
"We needed it before the Christmas shopping season. Maybe you should get them to test those pre-order cards, in order to adequately gauge consumer disappointment."
"The COMP Pro will be done when it's done. The rest is a problem for Marketing, those useless shitb..."
Canek stops at a sudden choking sound behind him. Maki is frantically gesturing an elbow at Kenji while trying not to further inhale her coffee. He sighs and starts rummaging around in the box, throwing balls of tape and already-popped bubblewrap to the floor.
"Anyway, hello, I'm Dr. Canek. But you can call me Dr. Canek. Here are the test kits you'll be using today. They've been expertly tailored to your individual preferences through extensive research and close attention to your preliminary feedback."
He throws a series of boxes out to everyone present, not entirely lightly. They can't have taken up more than an eighth of the space inside that box. They're otherwise fairly standard cardboard boxes, with "COMP Pro! Test Kit" hastily scrawled in sharpie on each one. Each has a small printed label.
Keiki Iwatoni
Soijin Tunaku
Ori Utt
Kinji Yomura
Eleanor Lotteminde (this one seems to have restuck labels a couple of layers deep)
Julie Vessit
Maki Makiyama
Which would be bad enough, if
"Go ahead and try them on!" Canek beams. "Your preferences have been painstakingly catered for, and you'll find each is custom made to fit you like a glove. For, uh, your eyes, I suppose."
Dr. Wolfram Canek
Sac-Nicte Chief Engineer, Kind of a Dick
Destrado fucked around with this message at Feb 9, 2014 around 13:52
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 12:31
Kenji Omura
"Well you see, it's normal because-"
Kenji stops his explanation as soon as the two chiefs burst into the room. "Ah, Wolfram, Irene, nice to see you're taking the time to deliver these things yourselves. I almost thought with all these delays, you'd be too busy to do something like this."
He looks down at the new box in his hands, before tossing it to Uri. "I think this one's yours."
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 15:15
Jodie Vessot
Of course she's the one who's going to suicide bomb a goddamn office building. Didn't this lady's parents teach her any tact? It's not like she's some paranoid psycho, she just lived with one... who sent them too many letters to count under his actual name... and probably mentioned her once or twice... and now that she thinks about it, she did kind of explicitly tell them that she has no ties to this town in the first place...
Okay, so she is kind of the most suspicious person here. Doesn't mean you should just say so in front of everyone.
Then again, they're expecting Julie Vessit, so Jodie Vessot's in the clear! Christ, and to think that Dad thought that these people controlled the government.
Still, no matter how much she wants to complain about these people, Jodie does have things to do. With one last roll of her eyes, she pops open the box and takes a good long look at the COMP Pro.
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 17:04
Ori Utt
Oh well, whatever Mr. Omura was going to say pretty much said itself--the two who'd entered were the cause of the delay.
"I would imagine," he replied, tossing Kinji his own box, "'Through extensive research and close attention to your preliminary feedback', huh." And yet they got their names wrong. This did not bode well for the test products themselves, but still, he'd be lying to say his excitement had entirely diminished. In fact, it may have increased, albeit in an odd direction.
So, still interested enough to see, at the very least, what else their 'expert research' had screwed up he got the thing out of the box and examined it closely, not yet wanting to put it on until after he'd figured out the exact external differences between the old COMP model and the PRO model.
Decus fucked around with this message at Feb 10, 2014 around 02:25
|# ? Feb 9, 2014 22:12
Souji Tunoku
The highschooler blinks!
"Er, yeah. I mean, sort of a fan, I'm not one of those scary guys or anything. It's kinda hard not to know of you. I'm Souji Tunoku. Well, uh-"
...And is (thankfully) cut off by the new arrival! Souji stares at the box dubiously.
"...Hand crafted just for us, right? Is that why you got our names wrong?"
Frowning, Souji tries putting his on anyways.
|# ? Feb 11, 2014 04:59
"What? Why would you be a scary guy? You seem pretty cool! And--" The rest of the sentence was cut off by the arrival of Zinaida and some other guy. (Of course she knew head of security. Not that she ever really liked the woman.)
"You can't be serious. You're mixing me up with her? I'm not saying that she's not pretty fantastic, but she's most certainly not me." Keiko marched up to the only other lady in the room and angrily snatched the box out of her hand, "This one seems to be mine. Here, have yours."
Now holding 'her' box, Keiko just glared at it. Under her breath, she muttered, "If you can't spell my name, you could've used my nickname. Even a first grader could spell that."
She then turned her glare on the man who seemed to be responsible for this grave transgression.
OmegaGoo fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2014 around 05:25
|# ? Feb 11, 2014 05:20
There Eleanor was, having a nice time sighing and eyerolling and trying to tune out the other girl's *screams* (what is *with* her?) and looking terribly forlorn and grudgingly, eventually bothering to accept the box, when--
Suddenly, that girl was upon Eleanor, yanking her COMP right out of her hands! Ooooh, that got the princess' blood boiling~
Eleanor stormed over, seething and scowling, and came to a stop right in front of Keiko! (So mad.)
"Hey, aah..." She makes a big show of checking the label on the box, and then peers back up! "...Keiki, or whoever you are, didn't your parents teach you not to take things that don't belong to you?" (a whole lot of scowl and a dash of sneer.) "It's rude. I mean....jeez, what are commoners teaching children these days, anyways?" (less scowl, more sneer, she's enjooooooying this~)
"Now, you'll give me back *my* COMP, won't you? There's a good girl." She offers 'Keiki's' COMP in one hand, holds out the other, expectant.
Ningyou fucked around with this message at Feb 11, 2014 around 06:30
|# ? Feb 11, 2014 05:54
Dr. Canek
Canek's nostrils flare slightly before he responds to Kenji. "We appreciate that your own department could spare you from what I can only assume was vitally important work in order to assist with our flagship product. Of course, it's the personal touch that drives each further Sac-Nicte corporate success. I wouldn't dream of offloading something so important to a subordinate."
Then he raises his hands in apology to Souji and Keiko "I apologise for these cosmetic mistakes, I will have... the intern... responsible fired immediately. It will not affect the integrity of the final product, but your feedback is valuable. And of course I would not forget you, Miss Iwatori. Especially after I spent so long... well, you'll see."
"What the hell is this?" comes a voice behind the desk.
Canek turns. "Oh, I thought an extra tester couldn't hurt. Plus, a small thanks for all your hard work this season!" He turns to Irene slightly "what does she do here again?"
"You thought my name was Maki Makiyama?"
"...I thought it meant Mountain of Maki."
"Maki Makiyama is the stupidest name I've ever heard."
Maki Akiyama
Don't Ask Me, I Just Pretend To Work Here
She flips her new COMPro on in a huff. Everyone seems to have gotten their own variant on the design.
Better Living Through Optometry
Uri and Jodie's close inspection doesn't reveal a whole lot. Outside of the custom designs, there doesn't seem to be a lot externally different to the COMPs many of those present are already wearing: twin LED projectors mostly hidden on the outside of the frame, earbuds tucked away inside the glasses arms... oh wait, they've changed the charging adaptor again. Time to throw away and rebuy all your old cables, I guess.
Canek notices their inspection: "The hardware upgrades allow us to incorporate COMP technology into a wider range of designs, as well as fixing some ongoing issues with resolution and latency. The real revolution is in the software, however!"
Those already wearing the new glasses are still waiting to see exactly how:
S-N COMPro Interface 0.89b Tumbling Terradon loading...
WELCOME TO THE NEW COMPro, <valued client>!
|# ? Feb 12, 2014 06:15
Uri Ott
"Makes sense," he shrugged, ignoring the princess and the pop star's childish squabble as he put his own COMP PRO on to see the revolution for himself.
What awaited him was a boot screen full of stock animations, one of which rather obnoxiously contained pointlessly repeated code, as if to mock him. Or were the others seeing it too?
Decus fucked around with this message at Feb 13, 2014 around 02:37
|# ? Feb 12, 2014 06:35
Keiko let her glare drop. It wasn't worth it. Also, the man brown nosed just well enough that she supposed she could forgive him this time. She opened the box she was holding.
"Oh. OOOOOOOOOH!" She squealed with delight, "It goes so perfectly with my hair!"
She immediately put them on her face.
"Haha! The loading icon is pretty funny!"
|# ? Feb 12, 2014 06:36
Jodie Vessot
So this is it. The COMP Pro. The next generation in AR technology. Time to enter the 21st century.
Okay, maybe if she just waves her hand a bit in front of the camera...
"Uh, how long do these things usually take to start up?"
Lurks With Wolves fucked around with this message at Feb 12, 2014 around 16:48
|# ? Feb 12, 2014 16:44
Kenji Omura
"Oh yes," Kenji replies. "I'm sure the few people who will rush out to the stores after they've emptied their wallets for Christmas will appreciate that personal touch. It's a good thing you didn't just hire some more staff and made them do it. They might have released it too early."
Pulling out an elaborately decorated pocket knife, the manager makes short work of the tape on the packaging unboxes his COMP Pro.
"Well, this actually does look nice. I'm actually impressed." He wastes little time putting the glasses on and booting software. "So, what are the new features on this thing? And what, exactly, needs to be tested?
|# ? Feb 13, 2014 02:07
Personality Rights Are The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
Canek shrugs. "Oh, roughly about..."
The beta COMPs suddenly chime in unison.
"Oh. About that long, then. Interesting." Canek makes a note. A tiny voice speaks into everyone's ears simultaneously.
COMPro 0.89b posted:
"Yooooosh~! Welcome to the new COMPro!"
A strikingly familiar computer-generated mascot comes swimming into everyone's field of vision. She strikes a pose.
COMPro 0.89 posted:
Dr. Canek makes a point of staring forwards into the middle distance and certainly not anywhere near Keiko. Irene stifles a smirk behind the back of her hand. Canek merely coughs.
"If you could just follow the tutorial, restore your COMPnet profile or create a new one as appropriate, we can move on to the feature test. Your profile should include any customisations or apps you're already familiar with. Please note any glitches or difficulties you encounter, though there shouldn't be any at this early stage."
He glances at his watch. "And if you could be prompt, please. We need to quickly move on to the next phase."
Irene quirks an eyebrow. "What, you need to be somewhere all of a sudden?"
Red-chan smoothly navigates you through the setup process with only slightly more exclamations than necessary. There's a lot of debug code floating around just out of the edge of your vision, though.
COMPro 0.89b posted:
Wow, all this proprietary closed-source stuff is patronising. It'd be probably trivial to start poking around to try and find the real dev environment behind all the saccharine. Would it be worth a fate point to someone who, say, believed Open Knowledge Is Open Power?
|# ? Feb 13, 2014 03:11
Uri Ott
Was that debug code, just outside of his field of vision? He could make out its existence, but not its meaning...it was possible it was the same as the obviously 'art' over 'function' start-up animation, but on the other hand maybe they actually gave them dev units? They did sign an NDA, so perhaps S-N saw no harm in it.
After blowing through the setup, linking it to his already established COMPnet profile rather than creating a new one, he decided to see just what he could access. Sure, it was almost a certainty that they'd be monitoring all of his input, but if they'd given them dev units they must've accepted the consequences from the beginning, right? It wasn't like he planned to leak anything, per se, at least not until his NDA was over and he had the commercial unit on-hand to tinker with--call it pure curiosity.
Ah, but Red-Chan would surely pester him until he answered her question, so he decided to see to that first, typing:
A joke, really--he'd always thought those who believed S-N monitored everything and everybody to be less than sane, but wouldn't it be funny if they were right regardless?
in my room, by my workstation
|# ? Feb 13, 2014 03:39
Jodie Vessot
When suddenly confronted by a tiny animated version of a person they are sharing a room with, some people would recoil in shock. Some people would laugh. Jodie? Jodie just stares. She doesn't smile. She doesn't frown. She doesn't even glance at the real life version of this AI construct. Doing any of those would require her to actually think about what she's getting into. That she's going to have an animated idol strapped to her face for at least the rest of the day. That she...
Actually, Canek's got a point. She really does have other things she needs to do. Things other than being baffled by a tutorial.
COMPro 0.89 posted:
Well that's one hell of a question. Jodie isn't really sure she wants to be anywhere at the moment. She doesn't want to go back to the cabin. Too much death and paranoia there for her to really want to be there. Sunrise has been nothing but a pain in the rear end the whole time she's been here. And her sister... Well, she doesn't want to confront her sister, she just needs to. Still, Jodie wouldn't tell all that to her actual sister, let alone some CGI doll who calls herself her sister. There's only one real answer she'd give this thing.
"Not here. Next question."
|# ? Feb 13, 2014 04:40
Souji Tunoku
Souji watches the loadup somewhat bored...then tries desperately to stop himself from laughing when the mini-Red appears. It doesn't take too long for him to make the profile, though it does take a bit longer to get used to the typing. Finally...
Where would you most like to be right now?
Souji just stares for a moment and tries to think of a good response, before shrugging, thinking about the latest issue of Shonen Leap, and typing "In the middle of a heroic battle."
|# ? Feb 13, 2014 06:06
"Holy crap! That is the cutest thing ever! Hahaha!"
If Canek couldn't tell, pretty much everything had been forgiven at that point.
"Is this everyone's avatar? Or just mine? Oh man, this is awesome! Hahaha!"
COMPro 0.89 posted:
Keiko's face suddenly fell, "OH poo poo! I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT IN 20 MINUTES! I gotta go!"
Keiko began dashing toward the door.
|# ? Feb 16, 2014 21:00
Kenji Omura
Ah, yes. There she is. The centerpiece of Sac-Nicte's latest marketing strategy, in it's purest form. Engineered carefully to both be popular with the all-important tech-savvy youthful demographic... and yet somehow it also seems to grab a bit of an older one as well. Older than should rightfully care about cute, virtual assistant idol girls.
Oh well, it all works out. If they want to give us money, that's fine with us.
But still, Kenji can't help but stare wearily at the display in front of him. It all seems really childish when you look at it.
COMPro 0.89 posted:
'Tell little sis'? Really? Maybe we should consider changing this dialogue. Or giving people the option to. Or maybe detecting the age of the user and changing things depending on that. Or...
A multitude of possible changes run through Kenji's head, before he looks again at the virtual assistant that just asked him a question.
"Where would I like to be... huh?" Tough question. Kenji mentally goes through the list of possible answers to that. He could be back in his own department, trying to actually market a product that exists. Or he could go bigger than that, and be where he would really like to be working -- at the very top of this company. Does that count for an answer, though? Or does it just want a location? Would it just place me in the President's office, being asked why I'm even there?
Might as well get an answer. "Behind the President's desk."
|# ? Feb 17, 2014 01:30
Eleanor seethed, she seethed and scowled and sulked for exactly as long as it took her to unbox her prize, and then all was forgotten! The little spat with whatsername might as well have been a decade ago, because she had...
...that. (And her face just lit up at the sight.~)
Mind you, just as soon as it lit up, her face went sour again. Her? Really? Uuuuugh, why does it have to be a tinier, clo...cloying...er...whatever it is, why does it have to be *her*? Why can't it be a tiny, cute butler or something?
Eleanor waited through the startup process, desperately trying to ignore the skincrawly feeling she got when that tiny, insufferable whateveritwas called her its elder sister an--
COMPro 0.89 posted:
Well, jeeeez, that's easy enough to answer. Eleanor doesn't miss a beat, typing out:
"In a palace."
...oh dear, oh wait, what if 'little sis' gets the wrong idea and it all turns into a big mess? She should probably be more specific--
"That I own."
....is that specific enough?
"Because I'm a princess."
Wait, wait, what if--
"And not one of those dingy abandoned palaces teeming with archaeologists or mummies or once-an-hour tours or anything like that, either!"
"...do mummies actually exist?"
Ningyou fucked around with this message at Feb 20, 2014 around 07:41
|# ? Feb 19, 2014 22:50
Wherever You Go, There You Aren't
Yatta! Message received, away we go~!
"In the middle of a heroic battle."
Souji can hear the village burning before he turns to see it, the orange glow lighting the grim faces of what's left of the town militia dragging themselves to their feet. The VR can't render the crushing heat, or the cloying smell of woodsmoke, but the mind can fill it in just as well. The sound of hoofbeats comes across the night air as the raiders turn for another charge.
Ragged, weary, one of the militamen turns to Souji. "What do we do, captain?"
in my room, by my workstation
Home sweet home. Almost.
It's not exact. Of course AR can't capture the right textures, giving everything that slightly cartoony feel. But it's more than that. Most of his stuff is here, but it's not in the right place. His desk is on the opposite wall. His workstation is missing a couple of things. The carpet's the wrong colour. In general, it's missing the scraps of paper and tiny knick-knacks that make a workroom look active, lived in.
But, strangely, everything's mostly here. It's like someone got handed a list of his possessions and the blueprints to his house and tried to puzzle it together in a way that made sense. It's familiar enough for Uri to get to work, if he wanted to.
"In a palace."
Now this is more like it. I mean the tray of dazzling iced cupcakes aren't going to taste like anything, and the cushions only really have the appearance of comfort rather than honest butt-bolstering softness, but it's finally the kind of ostentatious display of wealth that Eleanor feels she deserves. I mean, check that sweet harp. And that view of the garden! ...The garden full of a bedraggled mob full of angry peasants, actually. One of them steps on a flamingo that's too slow to move as they cross the water feature. They look rather aggrieved. Oh, bother.
"Not here. Next question."
Well that's definitely Not Here, I guess. It's Not Anywhere. Blank VR construct. Jodie has a few long moments to contemplate the existence of nothingness. It's very edifying.
Then part of the wall hinges open, and a part of Red-chan's face pops out shyly.
"Umm... sorry to bother you, but you have a friend request. Your first friend on your new profile, yay! She claps her hands excitedly for a moment, then stops herself when she realises she's ruining the solemnity of the moment.
"OH poo poo! I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT IN 20 MINUTES! I gotta go!"
Easy peasy! Let's just take a tour of the integrated day planner and appointment reminder overlay...
Suddenly, most of Keiko's vision is taken up by a giant, monolithic diary. Red-chan floats over today's date, pixie-like. She's holding a fountain pen that is roughly her entire height.
So that was <in twenty minutes> is that correct? Who shall I record the meeting with?
Keiko could swear she saw that door before. I mean it was right there.
"Behind the President's desk."
Kenji had always heard about this, but had never actually seen it. I mean there was the public office that the President used downstairs for meetings, but this must be the private office. Where she actually did the work. When Kenji tries to look around to spot any sensitive information, though, his line of vision doesn't move. Irritating. The resolution of the AR is good, though. Almost perfectly realistic.
It's about then he sees a feminine hand from below his eyesight rummage around in the desk and pull out a small handmirror. When the mirror turns back to Kenji, though it's... it's...
President Kalinda
Sac-Nicte CEO, All The Time In The World, No Time For This poo poo
Kenji is seeing a direct feed from Kalinda's COMP itself. God, he hopes she doesn't realise tha-
"Oh, you must be one of the testers. What a fool Canek can be." She adjusts her hair. "Still, a curious burst of initiative. I wonder which one you are? I grant you the boon of the next five seconds of my attention. Believe me when I say that is a scarce resource."
Four seconds and counting, Kenji.
Destrado fucked around with this message at Feb 20, 2014 around 06:09
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 04:25
"Daisuke Kito! Ugh, he's gonna kill me if I'm late! Now bring back the door!"
Keiko holds her arms out in front of her and gropes for the door.
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 04:42
Souji Tunoku
Souji's eyes light up and he lifts a clenched fist!
"Right then! Follow my lead, and we-"
Someone had begun awkwardly patting his arm and - are they holding his fist? Are they trying to turn his fist? What?
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 05:19
"Found it!"
Keiko turns the doorknob and pushes against it with most of her weight in an attempt to open the door. When it gives way, she runs past the door.
... and immediately runs into the door.
"Oof! What the hell? Why are there two doors here?"
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 05:23
Souji Tunoku
Souji feels someone suddenly throw his arm forward, sending him spiraling to the floor.
"Hey, what sort of messed up - "
"Uh, what was - "
Almost directly after being knocked over and hearing the sound of someone slamming into the door, something steps on one leg and stumbles over the other.
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 05:30
"Whagh!" Something under her feet wasn't actually ground. It was... round. And bony.
Keiko found herself sprawled on the floor with her COMP askew. Now that she could see a bit of what was going on, she looked down at what she was laying on.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 05:35
Jodie Vessot
"Huh. AR's better than I expected... Ugh." Jodie grimaces as the virtual idol sticks her head into the digital landscape her COMP has constructed. Still, a random friend request is probably worth getting alerted to. Let's just open that and
Oh. Oh.
This is... not good. Not necessarily bad, but definitely not good. Too personal to be automated, but too fast to be anyone who hasn't been keeping an eye on her. Let's just... accept that friend request. Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer, keep your threateningly cryptic stalkers somewhere you can watch them without actually interacting with them. Yeah, that's how you do it.
Now, the question. Jodie is honestly a bit insulted by that question. Why are these the only two options, of all things? Becoming her father or treating her sister like her father? There's got to be another way. She can't go down the same path Dad did, and she can't prop up another person's psyche. She just can't. Although, now that she's thinking about it... Okay, definitely need to respond now.
Will you be your father's daughter, or your sister's keeper? ---------- Can't say. Times change, people change, not enough facts to see if those are the only paths. Question for a question. Why would I need to keep my sister?
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 06:30
|# ? Sep 22, 2019 16:15
Uri Ott
Yes, they were definitely still of questionable sanity. Sure, the room appeared close to his own and, upon testing it, the workstation appeared to be his own, minus a few missing things, but who was he to say the 'replica' room he was in was created via spying? Surely their spies or, perhaps more accurately, their cameras could do better, if they existed, though he also recalled the mix-up with the boxes and their names just moments earlier, so who really knew?
"Oh well," he shrugged, turning on bluetooth to connect the 'workstation' to his own before he started digging into it. Transferring what he could would be his top priority, though if any of it actually appeared on his true workstation at home after the testing was over, he'd be more than amazed. What manner of technology allowed them to reproduce his room with such...questionable, but still frightening accuracy? Or was his room just so plain and normal that anything could be close to it? Did they foresee such an answer and study his personality to craft a room around it? Would anything he did in the 'replica' room carry over to the real on--actually, if he was just in VR, even if a more advanced VR than any he'd ever experienced, his geo-location data should still indicate that he was in S-N headquarters, right?
Before he 'dug in', as it were, he used the COMP to look up his current geo-location. His mind was racing with potential answers to how what he was seeing and experiencing was made possible, but, beyond checking into what he could of the source code and studying it for hours and hours, figuring out whether or not he was, in fact, still in that office within S-N would eliminate the largest swath of wrong answers. Step two would be using every door he could until he was out of his house and on the streets of Sunrise, but he could do that with one eye and one hand digging around in the COMP--how much of the city could they have replicated?
Decus fucked around with this message at Feb 20, 2014 around 07:58
|# ? Feb 20, 2014 07:55


text:
Responsibility to Regulate: How the 'Responsibility to Protect' Expands State Power
by Philip Cunliffe
Like most UN reports, particularly those concerned with the doctrine of the "responsibility to protect" (RtoP), the latest report of the UN Secretary-General is filled with plenty of pious guff mixed in with the platitudes that engulf UN diplomacy. But buried within the blathering are also some disturbing prescriptions for how the UN envisages rolling out RtoP around the world. I want to draw attention to three specific points in order to consider what these tell us about RtoP as a political model. First, I will look at the treatment of media and speech in the report; second, how the use of military force (the so-called "third pillar" of the doctrine) sits alongside the other pillars of RtoP; and third, the role of regional organizations sketched out within the report.
With the aim of preventing mass atrocities, there is a distinct emphasis on monitoring and, worse, restricting certain types of speech in the report. Paragraph 11 of the Secretary-General's report calls on states to suppress "incendiary rhetoric targeting a minority group," while paragraph 26 reminds states of their "'responsibility to prevent incitement of the four crimes" targeted by RtoP as well as prescribing the "advocacy" of hatred. Such injunctions should alarm anyone concerned with freedom of speech around the world. Not only is the meaning of "incendiary rhetoric" obscure – is incendiary rhetoric a cause or a measure of the imminence of mass atrocities? – but the UN is here effectively encouraging states to more vigorously regulate the public pronouncements of their citizens. This is chilling indeed.
With the report's vague and wide-ranging exhortation to states to suppress certain types of speech, the Secretary-General has effectively granted his blessing to state authorities to act more coercively against their citizens' civil and political rights. For what constitutes incendiary and inflammatory rhetoric against minority groups? Who is to decide such questions? Who should take action? Does a rebel group rallying a populace for a democratic uprising to destroy a minority dictatorship constitute "advocacy of hatred"? How is it more pacifistic to suppress hateful rhetoric with police and prisons, rather than having it exposed and delegitimized in free and open debate? The notion that rhetoric should be monitored by political authorities at the global level for "indications of intent to commit atrocities" (emphasis added) propels the promotion of RtoP into the realm of policing thought-crime. That is to say, not only will RtoP now justify the repression of rhetoric deemed to be extreme, but the doctrine will also justify the monitoring of speech in order to divine 'indications' of possible violent intent. The potential for authoritarianism in such prescriptions does not need to be spelled out. All this from a doctrine supposedly founded on liberal principles of defending rights.
Second, for all that the UN insists that the doctrine of RtoP is not primarily about the use of force, the velvet glove of conflict "prevention" often slips off to reveal the mailed fist beneath. This too is evident in the Secretary-General's report. Paragraph 17 of the report observes that the "will of national authorities to avoid crimes and violations relating to RtoP may be reinforced by the demonstrated readiness of the international community to take collective action ... when peaceful means are inadequate." In plain language: wars justified by invocation of RtoP should be seen as exemplary warnings to other states that might be at odds with the "international community."
Given that the UN Charter promises to end "the scourge of war," it is remarkable enough that the Secretary-General is here waxing lyrical about the salutary benefits of muscular displays of force. More troubling still is what this language reveals about the reasoning underpinning the doctrine of RtoP, the logic of which is effectively that of blackmail. If states do not submit to the regulatory mechanisms and oversight claimed against them by agencies of the international community, they may be subject to military attack. If we pursue the Secretary-General's logic here to its conclusion, the idea that states can be legally attacked if they do not follow certain responsibilities set for them at the international level can only mean that the legitimacy of the state is seen to derive from the international community rather than from the people that the state is supposed to represent. As the political theorist Amitai Eztioni observed some time ago, this idea blasts "a gaping hole" in the "foundation of democratic theory."[1]
Finally, there is the role allocated to regional organizations. Regional bodies are one way in which the UN has sought to shore up the doctrine – presumably hoping to avoid the impression that RtoP is simply a justification for an expanding, globalized NATO to strike anywhere at will. In practice however, UN prescriptions for regional organizations embodied in RtoP amount to a meddler's charter for regional hegemons. Under the terms of RtoP, regional powers are effectively granted the right to police their weaker neighbors and pursue their local rivalries as representatives of the UN – with actions being justified by the need to prevent outbreaks of conflict that might lead to mass atrocities.
The example given in the Secretary-General's report is telling: at two points the report lavishes praise on the role played by the League of Arab Dictators, led by such renowned defenders of human rights as the Saudi royal family. Acting with the backing of the "international community," this regional organization helped to suppress democracy in Bahrain. Thus far it has succeeded in channelling the popular energies of the Arab Spring, directing it against the Gaddafi and Ba'athist regimes in Libya and Syria respectively (both long-time enemies of the US in the region), diverting it away from the absolute monarchies of the Gulf who remain the West's key allies in the Arab world.
The doctrine of RtoP is often defended on the basis that it extends protection to individuals against predatory and rapacious states. In fact, the doctrine extends state power: it can legitimate authoritarian measures as seen in the Secretary-General's exhortations to chisel away at free speech, and it legitimates the power of strong states to act against weaker states – empowering regional hegemons such as Saudi Arabia to act as regional protectors of human rights. Paragraph 47 in the report notes that individuals "are also important actors" who "play an important role in holding States and their leaders to account when they fail to protect." No less important, individuals should hold their states to account when they restrict their citizens' freedom of speech and seek to dominate and repress their neighbors.
[1] Etzioni, Amitai. 2006. 'Sovereignty as Responsibility', Orbis 50(1): 72
Philip Cunliffe is a lecturer in international conflict at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent, UK. He is currently working on a book examining the revival of humanitarian imperialism in response to the Arab Spring. He can be contacted at [email protected].

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Is your website littering the landscape with self-serving content, confusing navigation, a call to action that's missing in action?
Well, what better time to clean up your 'Net presence than spring? After all, like all growing things your website just needs a little TLC to produce amazing results.
Here are five easy ways to nurture your most valuable green marketing tool.
1. Clear navigation – visitors expect to find your nav bar across the top of every page. Don't disappoint. Create a clear path through your site by labeling the navigation tabs with standard terms such as About, Services, Contact. This is not the place to be cute.
2. Juicy text -let's face it, web searchers are looking for information, so make sure your site provides it. Rather than going on about what you do, give them conversational, jargon-free copy that addresses their concerns. Then, format your text for the way people read online using short paragraphs, subheads and bulleted or numbered lists. Make your message compelling and visitors will spend more time (and money) on your site.
3. Call to action – Sign up for our newsletter. Call for an appointment. Order now. Whether it's a link to a download or asking for the sale, a direct call to action gets results. While this may seem obvious, it's amazing how many businesses overlook this important step. Help your visitors (and your company) by being clear about how to take the next step.
4. Update often – make it a living, changing, growing site by posting new content frequently. Add new products, articles or blog posts and Google will reward you with higher rankings. And, you'll be giving customers a reason to visit more often.
5. Add video – build trust and show your brand personality with a short, punchy video clip on your website. Not only are videos engaging, they also enhance your SEO. According to SearchEngineWatch.com, Google and the like are programmed to display a mix of content types in search results. For this reason, they give more weight to video than to other forms of Web content.
What have you done lately to take your website from blah to blossoming? We'd love to hear your tips.


text:
Tonight's episode of Teen mom 2 opened with another mess for Jenelle – she and Josh found myself in a fight, so she packed up all of her stuff and moved out. She called her friend Amber to ask to stay there, had been fine. Jenelle started indicating the two of them obtaining a bigger place together and having their sons share a room, and Amber agreed that ended up being a good idea.
High heels are essential when achieving a professional look. Choose heels usually are slender not chunky. A pair of both black heels and brown heels should be a staple in your wardrobe. Wind up you possess a pair of heels to fit any ensemble.
Homemade tag idea 4 – Paint rocks. In which a cutesy but also practical opinion. Kids love that may with our. Find a sizeable rock everyone plant or row you want to celebrate. Bricks can work for row indicators. Use tests indicate undercover colors nail polish works well or acrylic craft paint to color on the stones. If you can add a precise sealer but even only the paint can last for long period. Stone or brick row markers saying carrots, beans other folks. can be moved around from year to year an individual rotate harvests.
After applying gel nail kits you have to expose your fingers towards LED gel lamp. The duration of exposure is dependent the gel that are generally using. Technique integrates the gel round the nail paint and helps gives a smoother consider your or even. These devices to a certain extent use environment. These LED nail lamps uses most recent technology to be sure that the nail paint is cohesive till the base for this nail. These lamps can give you much better results accompanied by its substitutes like infrared and ultraviolet light table lamps. Make sure that you are thorough with the instruction for that usage of machine. Various practice sessions will enhance your confidence on this this computer.
Tip3- You shouldn't be afraid to hurt him. For anyone carrying a gun or pepper spray- use the house! Use your beautifully manicured nails to grab his big eyes. You don't know if he offers to kill you after the rape, so use lethal force if that would help.
Mall Gift certificates – Girls equally enjoy these pores and skin gift cards as well, because these people could go on the mall and stroll all the various stores to discover what's sold.
Some people always shop electricity bills. This is OK, but you need to something for your self every from time to time. I know the kids come first, but I've friends that not gotten anything new for themselves in growth cycles. Some married people have stopped buying for each other for any holiday even anniversaries.
Human health: ultraviolet emission hold unsafe effects on human health and are along with a future cause of skin cell destruction. On the other hand LED light is very nearly visible light. These lamp is better proficient merchandise in your articles repeatedly apply it to your nails or toes because it prevents skin cancer.


text:
Community Dietician
Career Overview
Community dietitians engage in nutritional outreach. They advise individuals and groups on nutritional practices, both for preventive medical purposes and to promote a healthy lifestyle. They work in public health clinics, HMOs and home health agencies. Often they will counsel families on nutritional practices if chronic illness is a problem in the home.
Community dieticians can develop dietary plans for individuals or families in an effort to get them on the right track. In home health agencies, a community dietician may provide instruction on such basics as grocery shopping and food preparation, particularly in homes with elderly residents or people with special dietary needs.
Most dieticians' jobs require a bachelor's degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, or a related area such as food service management. There is a lot of science involved in this course of study, including classes in biology, chemistry, physiology, biochemistry and microbiology. Every state requires some form of licensure or certification.
There were 57,000 dieticians working in this country in 2006. More than half were in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient facilities or other health care offices. There were also a substantial number of dieticians employed by government agencies. Many of these government employees and some of the workers in outpatient facilities worked as community dieticians.
Job Outlook
Jobs are projected to grow at about the same rate as the average rate of job growth overall over the next several years. Changes in health care coverage may limit some of the career specialties for dieticians however, as may cutbacks in government spending on public health.
10th Percentile $31,460
Median Salary $50,590
90th Percentile $73,410
Source: U.S. Department of Labor


text:
Thursday, July 10, 2015
NEW YORK, NY - The Arab American Association of New York welcomes the news of an executive order to appoint a special prosecutor in cases of civilian killings by police. We recognize this as an outcome of the efforts of families of victims of police violence, who have worked tirelessly to call for comprehensive and long-term solutions. We congratulate the families of their leadership, we will work to ensure the implementation of this executive order, and stand by the families in the pursuit of actual legislation.


text:
From 6 January 2014 the Bar should refer to a new Handbook for rules and guidance on their conduct as barristers.
This section contains the definition of terms used in the Code.
1001. In this Code except where otherwise indicated:
"the Act" means the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 and where the context permits includes any orders or regulations made pursuant to powers conferred thereby;
"the Act of 1985" means the Administration of Justice Act 1985;
"the Act of 2007" means the Legal Services Act 2007;
"Adjudication Panel" means an adjudication panel constituted under the Adjudication and Appeals Rules (reproduced in Annex P);
"advocacy services" means advocacy services as defined in Section 119 of the Act;
"allocation of unassigned work" for the purposes of rule 408.2(e) includes but is not limited to work allocated to:
"Appointments Board" means the Board established by the Bar Council to make appointments to the Bar Standards Board and its regulatory committees;
"Approved Regulator" has the same meaning as in section 20(2) of the Act of 2007; 1
"authorised body" means a body that has been authorised by an approved regulator to practise as a licensed body or recognised body;
"authorised litigator" means an authorised litigator as defined in Section 119 of the Act;
"bankruptcy order" includes a bankruptcy order made pursuant to the Insolvency Act 1986 and any similar order made in any jurisdiction in the world;
"Bar" means the Bar of England and Wales;
"Bar Council" means The General Council of the Bar as constituted from time to time or a Committee thereof;
"barrister" means an individual who has been called to the Bar by one of the Inns of Court and who has not ceased to be a member of the Bar; and in Parts III (other than paragraph 301), VI, VII and VIII of this Code means a practising barrister;
"Bar Standards Board" means the Board established to exercise and oversee the regulatory functions of the Bar Council;
"Bar Training Regulations" means the Consolidated Regulations in respect of anything arising before 1st September 2009 and the Bar Training Regulations in respect of anything arising on or after 1st September 2009;
"BMIF" means Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Limited;
"brief" means instructions to a barrister to appear as an advocate before a Court;
"Call" means Call to the Bar in accordance with the Bar Training Regulations;4
"chambers" means a place at or from which one or more self-employed barristers carry on their practices and also refers where the context so requires to all the barristers (excluding pupils) who for the time being carry on their practices at or from that place;
"client" means lay client or intermediary;
"Company" means a company regulated by an Approved Regulator;
"complaint" means an allegation by any person or by the Bar Standards Board of its own motion of professional misconduct or of inadequate professional service and includes a legal aid complaint;
"Complaints Commissioner" means the person appointed as such under Regulation 17A of the Bar Council Constitution;
"the Complaints Committee" means the Complaints Committee of the Bar Standards Board or its successor; 5
"conditional fee agreement" means a conditional fee agreement as defined in Section 58 of the Act;
"Consolidated Regulations" means the Consolidated Regulations of the Inns of Court;
"Court" includes any court or tribunal or any other person or body whether sitting in public or in private before whom a barrister appears or may appear as an advocate;
"Director" means a director of a company, and includes the director of an Authorised Body which is a company, and in relation to a societas Europaea includes:
(a) in a two-tier system, a member of the management organ and a member of the supervisory organ; and
(b) in a one-tier system, a member of the administrative organ;
"Disciplinary Tribunal" means a disciplinary tribunal constituted under the Disciplinary Tribunals Regulations (reproduced in Annex K);
"diversity data" means information relating to the following characteristics in respect of an individual;
Ethnic Group;
Religion or belief;
Sexual orientation;
Socio-economic background; and
Caring responsibilities
"employed barrister" means a practising barrister who is employed other than by an Authorised Body 6 either under a contract of employment or by virtue of an office under the Crown or in the institutions of the European Communities and who supplies legal services as a barrister in the course of his employment;
"employer" means a person by whom an employed barrister is employed as such and any holding subsidiary or associated company corporate body or firm of that person;
"English law" includes international law and the law of the European Communities;
"Establishment Directive" means Directive 98/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of February 1998 to facilitate practice of the profession of lawyer on a permanent basis in a Member State other than that in which the qualification was obtained;
"European lawyer" means a person who is a national of a Member State and who is authorised in any Member State to pursue professional activities under any of the professional titles appearing in article 2(2) of the European Communities (Lawyer's Practice) Order 1999, but who is not any of the following:
(a) a solicitor or barrister of England and Wales or Northern Ireland; or
(b) a solicitor or advocate under the law of Scotland.
"family responsibilities", for the purposes of rule 408(2)(i) includes caring responsibiltiies for older, young, or disabled dependants or relatives.
"foreign lawyer" means a person (other than a registered European lawyer or a practising barrister of the bar of England and Wales) who is authorised by a competent professional body to practise in a system of law other than English law;
"harassment"means any form of unwanted conduct in relation to a relevant protected characteristic which has the effect or purpose of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading humiliating or offensive environment. A single incident may constitute harassment if it is sufficiently serious. The motive or intention of the perpetrator may be (but is not invariably) relevant.
"Hearings before the Visitors" means an appeal hearing constituted under the Hearings before the Visitors Rules 2005 (reproduced in Annex M);
"home professional body" means the body in a Member State which authorises a European lawyer to pursue professional activities under any of the professional titles appearing in article 2(2) of the European Communities (Lawyer's Practice) Order 1999 and, if he is authorised in more than one Member States, it shall mean any such body;
"home professional title" means, in relation to a European lawyer, the professional title or any of the professional titles specified in relation to his home State in article 2(2) of the European Communities (Lawyer's Practice) Order 1999 under which he is authorised in his home State to pursue professional activities;
"home State" means the Member State in which a European lawyer acquired the authorisation to pursue professional activities under his home professional title and, if he is authorised in more than one Member State, it shall mean any such Member State;
"inadequate professional service" means such conduct towards a lay client or performance of professional services for that client which falls significantly short of that which is to be reasonably expected of a barrister in all the circumstances;
"incorporated solicitors' practice" means a body recognised under section 9 of the Act of 1985;
"indictable offence" carries the definition set out in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 as defined in Schedule 1 of the Interpretation Act 1978 as "an offence which, if committed by an adult is triable on indictment whether it is exclusively so triable or triable either way";
"Informal Hearing Panel" means an informal hearing panel constituted under paragraph 43 of the Complaints Rules (reproduced in Annex J);
"instructions" means instructions or directions in whatever form (including a brief) given to a practising barrister to supply legal services whether in a contentious or in a non-contentious matter and "instructed" shall have a corresponding meaning;
"Interim Suspension Panel" means a panel constituted under the Interim Suspension Rules (reproduced in Annex N);
"intermediary" means any person by whom a self-employed barrister is instructed on behalf of a lay client and includes a professional client who is not also the lay client;
"International work" shall have the meaning set out in the International Practice Rules (reproduced in Annex A);
"investigating" for the purpose of rule 408(2)(e) means considering the reasons for disparities in data such as:
"JRC" means the Joint Regulations Committee of the Bar Council or any successor body exercising the same responsibilities by whatever name called;
"lay client" means the person on whose behalf a practising barrister (or where appropriate in the case of an employed barrister his employer) is instructed;
"lay member" means a lay person appointed by the Appointments Board to be a member of the Bar Standards Board or one of its regulatory committees;8
"lay representative" means either
(a) a lay person appointed by the President of the Council of the Inns of Court to serve on Disciplinary Tribunals, Summary Procedure Panels, Informal Hearings Panels, Interim Suspension Panels and Appeal Panels therefrom, Adjudication Panels, Adjudication Appeal Panels and Medical Panels and Review Panels therefrom; or
(b) a lay person appointed by the Lord Chief Justice to serve on Hearings before the Visitors
save that no person may be appointed as a lay representative:
(i) if they are a member of the Complaints Committee or of the Bar Standards Board or any of its other Committees; or
(ii) if they were a member of the Complaints Committee at any time when the matter which the Tribunal or panel is dealing with was considered by the Complaints Committee.9
"legal aid complaint" shall mean a complaint so described in section 40 of the Act of 1985 as amended by the Access to Justice Act 1999;
"Legal Advice Centre" means a centre operated by a charitable or similar non-commercial organisation at which legal services are habitually provided to members of the public without charge (or for a nominal charge) to the client and:
(a) which employs or has the services of one or more solicitors pursuant to rules 13.04 and 13.09 of the Solicitors Code of Conduct 2007 or for whom the Solicitors Regulation Authority has granted a waiver, or
(b) which has been and remains designated by the Bar Standards Board as suitable for the employment or attendance of barristers subject to such conditions as may be imposed by the Bar Council or Bar Standards Board in relation to insurance or any other matter whatsoever;
"legal services" includes legal advice representation and drafting or settling any statement of case witness statement affidavit or other legal document but does not include:
(a) sitting as a judge or arbitrator or acting as a mediator;
(b) lecturing in or teaching law or writing or editing law books articles or reports;
(c) examining newspapers, periodicals, books, scripts and other publications for libel, breach of copyright, contempt of court and the like;
(d) communicating to or in the press or other media;
(e) exercising the powers of a commissioner for oaths;
(f) giving advice on legal matters free to a friend or relative or acting as unpaid or honorary legal adviser to any charitable benevolent or philanthropic institution;
(g) in relation to a barrister who is a non-executive director of a company or a trustee or governor of a charitable benevolent or philanthropic institution or a trustee of any private trust, giving to the other directors trustees or governors the benefit of his learning and experience on matters of general legal principle applicable to the affairs of the company institution or trust;
"Legal Services Commission" means a body established by or under Section 1 or Section 2 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 and includes any body established and maintained by such a body;
"Licensed Access client" means a person or organisation approved as such by the Bar Standards Board in accordance with the Licensed Access Recognition Regulations (reproduced in Annex F);
'licensed body' means a body licensed by a licensing authority, other than the Bar Standards Board, under Part 5 of the LSA;
'List of Defaulting Solicitors' means the list of firms and persons referred to in the Bar Council's Rules relating to the List of Defaulting Solicitors as amended from time to time
"litigation services" means litigation services as defined in Section 119 of the Act;
"LLP" means a limited liability partnership formed by being incorporated under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000;
"Manager" means a barrister who is: 10
(a) a partner in a partnership;
(b) a member of an LLP; or
(c) a director of a company
which is an Authorised Body;
"Mediation" mediation is a process whereby the parties to a dispute appoint a neutral person (mediator) to assist them in the resolution of their dispute;
"Medical Panel" means a panel constituted under the Fitness to Practise Rules (reproduced in Annex O);
"Member State" means a state which is a member of the European Communities;
"members of the workforce" in respect of a chambers will include barristers, pupils, clerks and staff;
"non-practising barrister" means a barrister who is not a practising barrister;
"the Professional Conduct and Complaints Committee" or "PCC" means the Professional Conduct and Complaints Committee of the Bar Council or any successor body exercising the same responsibilities by whatever name called;
"owner" in relation to a body means a person with any ownership interest in that body;
"partner" means a person who is or is held out as a partner in an unincorporated firm;13
"parental leave' means leave taken by the main carer of a child preceding or folowing birth or adoption. This could be the mother, father or adoptive parent of either sex;
"partnership" means an unincorporated partnership, and includes any unincorporated firm in which persons are or are held out as partners, but does not include an LLP;13
"practising barrister" means a barrister who is practising as such within the meaning of paragraph 201;
"the President" means the President of the Council of the Inns of Court;
"professional client" means a solicitor with a current practising certificate or other professional person by whom a self-employed barrister is instructed that is to say:
(a) solicitors' firm, LLP or company, Authorised Body regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority13 or othr approved regulator, authorised litigator, Parliamentary agent, patent agent, European Patent Attorney, trade mark attorney, Notary or a European lawyer registered with the Law Society of England and Wales;
(b) a licensed conveyancer in a matter in which the licensed conveyancer is providing conveyancing services;
(c) an employed barrister or registered European lawyer;
(d) any practising barrister or registered European lawyer acting on his own behalf;
(e) a foreign lawyer in a matter which does not involve the barrister supplying advocacy services;
(f) a Scottish or Northern Irish Solicitor
(g) the representative of any body (such as a Legal Advice Centre or Pro Bono or Free Representation Unit) which arranges for the supply of legal services to the public without a fee, and which has been and remains designated by the Bar Standards Board (subject to such conditions as may be imposed by the Bar Council or Bar Standards Board in relation to insurance or any other matter whatsoever) as suitable for the instruction of barristers, and which instructs a barrister to supply legal services without a fee;
"professional misconduct" shall bear the meaning given in paragraphs 901 and 902;
"the public" includes any lay client of a practising barrister (or in the case of an employed barrister of the barrister's employer) other than any of the persons referred to in Paragraph 501;
"public access instructions" means instructions given to a barrister by or on behalf of a lay client pursuant to paragraph 401(a)(iii);
"the Qualifications Committee" means the Qualifications Committee of the Bar Standards Board or its successor;
"the Quality Assurance Committee" means the Quality Assurance Committee of the Bar Standards Board or its successor;
"Recognised Body" means a partnership, LLP, company or sole principal authorised to provide reserved legal services by an Approved Regulator other than the Bar Standards Board other than a licensable body as defined in s.72 of the Act of 2007 but does not include a body which is deemed to be authorised by reason of s.18(3) of the Act of 2007;
"registered European lawyer" means a European lawyer registered as such by the Bar Council and by an Inn in accordance with Annexe B;
"regular review" for the purposes of rule 408(2)(e) means as often as is necessary in order to ensure effective monitoring and review takes place. In respect of data on pupils it is likely to be considered reasonable that "regularly" should mean annually. In respect of tenants, due to the static nature of the numbers, it is likely to be considered reasonable that "regularly" should mean every three years;
"relevant criminal offence" means any criminal offence committed in any part of the world except:
(a) an offence committed in the United Kingdom which is a fixed penalty offence for the purposes of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 or any statutory modification or replacement thereof for the time being in force;
(b) an offence committed in the United Kingdom or abroad which is dealt with by a procedure substantially similar to that applicable to such a fixed penalty offence; and
(c) an offence whose main ingredient is the unlawful parking of a motor vehicle;
"remedial action" for the purposes of rule 408(2)(e) means any action aimed at removing or reducing the disadvantage experienced by particular groups;
"right of audience" means a right of audience as defined in Section 119 of the Act;
"right to conduct litigation" means a right to conduct litigation as defined in Section 119 of the Act;
"selection panel" for the purposes of rule 408(2)(b) and (c) means any panel formally tasked with the final decision on recruitment or selection of pupils, clerks, mini-pupils or tenants;
"self-employed barrister" means a practising barrister other than :-
(a) a barrister who is a manager or employee of a Authorised Body; and
(b) an employed barrister acting in the course of his employment;
"solicitor" means a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales;
"the Standards Committee" means the Standards Committee of the Bar Standards Board or its successor; 8
"Summary Procedure Panel" means a panel constituted under the Summary Procedure Rules (reproduced in Annex L);
"trade association" means a body of persons (whether incorporated or not) which is formed for the purpose of furthering the trade interests of its members or of persons represented by its members, and does not include any association formed primarily for the purpose of securing legal assistance for its members;
"training for the purposes of rule 408(2)(b) and (c) means any course of study covering all the following areas:
Training may be undertaken in any of the following ways:
Any reference to the masculine shall be deemed to include the feminine and any reference to the singular shall include the plural.


text: Browse therapists by specialty. For example, you can find substance abuse counseling in Connecticut for a troubled adolescent, or find a counselor in Washington who specializes in anxiety and panic disorders, using a therapeutic technique called EMDR. Other areas of specialty are depression, couples or marital counseling.If you don't find the area of specialization listed below, try using our Basic Search, where you can chose therapists from more than 60 different specializations, including Asperser's, eating disorders, grief or loss issues, personality disorders, stress, or sexual abuse.


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Whoever you are, when disaster strikes, you need help. Recently, a young mother with two toddlers lost nearly everything in a house fire. She and her children escaped the fire unharmed but with nothing except the pajamas they were wearing. As she watched their home burn, she feared for her small family. Had they just become homeless and alone?
First to the scene was American Red Cross of Greater Grand Rapids with shoes, warm clothes, toothbrushes, and other essentials. Through their support, she found Catholic Charities' Baby Pantry, where she received diapers, wipes, toys and clothes. Catholic Charities then referred her family to United Way's 2-1-1 health and human service hotline, which connected her to several more organizations -- including the Salvation Army, Arbor Circle, and Family Promise -- and made sure she found the help she needed to get back on her feet.
United Way funds ALL of these organizations and supports this strong referral network.
It takes more than one resource to overcome a fire, loss of a job, or any other situation that could cause us to lose our footing. Who will be there when you need help? Who will you help today? Through getting involved with United Way, you can do your part to support our network of more than 50 local organizations who help 1 in 4 people in Kent County everyday.


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Complete ITAD and Recycling Management
Why Choose OmniSource Electronics Recycling?
It's simple: we are your one-stop shop for a secure, certified total recycling program. Put OmniSource's decades of recycling industry leadership to work for you today.
Electronic Waste
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Indiana E-Cycle Laws
Schedule A Pickup
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Click Here to review all our certifications.
Ready to sign up for e-waste recycling services, or have some questions?
Please give us a call, or click below to send us a question or request a quote specific to your needs.
Tel: 260.456.0512
Stay up to date with all the latest industry news here.
OmniSource Electronics Recycling
219 Murray Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46803
Directions / Map to Our Office
Tel: 260-456-0512


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The Garden City University was established under Karnataka State Act no.47 of year 2013. For over two and half decades, Garden City group of Institutions have been in the forefront of the education sector. Garden City University had a legacy of 25 years of great contribution in higher education leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. programs are aimed and designed to bring in qualitative research in the current day areas of relevance and specialization in the schools of Life Sciences, Computational Sciences, Information Technology, Commerce and Management, Media Studies and Professional Studies.
GCU has state-of-the-art facilities like complete Wi-Fi, Scientific innovation & Leadership Labs which forms an indispensable part of teaching methodology, along with other new-age learning tools. Further GCU had pioneered in introducing with cutting-edge pedagogy, multi-disciplinary, innovative programmes, global exposure, and robust industry interface and alumni networks coupled with mentoring from outstanding faculty and industry experts.
Our mission is to attain excellence in research so as to contribute to bring innovations in science, technology and management disciplines and to groom the next generation of innovators so that they occupy positions at leading research universities
What you are looking for ?
Need assistance? Call our admission cell now


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Sharon Beals is an incredible photographer and artist. A self-proclaimed 'urban naturalist' that was raised in Seattle and now calls Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco, home. Sharon uses photography as an art form, and as a way to chronicle what moves her heart and concerns her conscience from habitat restoration and plastic in the ocean, to the ecology of rivers, and of course, birds' nests. In her latest hardcover book 'Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them', Sharon showcases her gorgeous photographs of nests accompanied by fascinating and informative portraits of the builders themselves.
MacGillivray's Warbler Nest
American Robin's Nest
House Finch's Nest
Song Sparrow's Nest
Allen's Hummingbird Nest
African Palm Swift's Nest
American Goldfinch's Nest
Bank Swallow's Nest
Black-Naped Oriole's Nest
Caspian Tern's Nest
Green Broadbill's Nest
Arctic Redpoll's Nest
Common Yellow Throat's Nest
Grey Jay's Nest
Magnolia Warbler's Nest
Western Gull's Nest
Marsh Wren's Nest
Tennessee Warbler's Nest
Pine Siskin's Nest
Galapagos Finch's Nest
Rock Sparrow's Nest
Western Kingbird's Nest
Golden Masked Tanager's Nest Inside Wild Honey Comb
Meadow Bunting's Nest
Spotted Nightingale's Nest
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Birds Nests Photography by Sharon Beals
Posted by ngecor at 9:11 PM
Labels: Animals, Cool Pics, Photography
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The San Antonio Fire Department hiring procedure starts with an entrance exam. Your ranking on the Eligibility List is dependent upon your firefighter test result. There is a cognitive section as well as a personality assessment.
A large portion of the cognitive exam contains reading comprehension elements. However, applicants have reported that the memorization part of the test is the most challenging. By practicing with sample tests, analyzing practice exam questions and answers, you gain a familiarity with the types of questions and overall test format that you will encounter on the actual exam.
This is a multiple-choice, Paper & Pencil test containing 100 items. The time limit is 2.5 hours.
Keep in mind that there is no penalty for wrong answers. Therefore, answer every question. For difficult questions, first eliminate the obviously wrong alternatives, then guess if necessary. Move along quickly, keeping track of time.
Many testing experts recommend answering all of the easier questions first, and then back-tracking to complete the more difficult items. Make sure to coordinate your Answer Sheet number with the question number that you are answering.
The Cognitive Section spans many competency areas:
Wondering how to become firefighter in San Antonio? Your first hurdle in applying for a San Antonio firefighter position is the SAFD entrance exam. You can prepare for the San Antonio firefighter test using JobTestPrep's Prep Packs which will allow you to: Practice on sample tests, review an analysis of questions and answers, read a study guide and absorb testing strategies. A complete San Antonio firefighter exam prep program is affordable and available to you through JobTestPrep.
|Firefighter Basic Practice Pack
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|Firefighter Written Exam
|Firefighter Test Preparation
|Firefighter Exam by Company
|Firefighter Test by State


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Jack Lewer
Iowa Falls
"It is exciting for me to see a new home go from just a dream, that we get to dream together, to a reality. It is also gratifying for me to know that the truly custom modular homes I provide will perform well for many years, cost many thousands less than they will appraise for, and appreciate nicely over time. It's a win-win business that I love being a part of!"
Coy Jelmeland
Iowa Falls
"Over the last 20 years, the Modular Home industry has provided me with many enjoyable relationships and experiences. I most enjoy working with people to design their perfect floor plan on the computer. The excitement of building a new home begins at one of our model home centers, so I look forward to seeing you soon."
Brett Rhodes
Des Moines Manager
Des Moines
"I work for Sunrise Housing because of the outstanding ownership of Jack and Penny Lewer. Our expansion to Des Moines is a result of their years of effort and growth in the custom modular and manufactured home business. As a husband and father, I am interested in working for and with leaders in an industry to provide the best for my family. Sunrise Housing strives to be the best. Stop in and check us out for yourself!"
ZACH Rhodes
cad designer / sales
Des Moines
"First hired by Sunrise to build a new website and to interview Sunrise homeowners, I was moved by the incredibly positive opinion that customers had of Sunrise's ownership, employees and process. When my wife and I moved to Des Moines, going full-time was a natural fit for me, as my passion for helping people makes the "job" of drawing floor plans & educating potential builders on our modular and manufactured offerings a real joy."
PENNY Lewer
Iowa Falls
"Having been at Sunrise Housing since 1991, I am proud to say that I work for a business that champions integrity, and provides only the highest quality modular homes and manufactured homes. Jack, Coy, and Chelle here in Iowa Falls and now Brett in Des Moines all make it their mission to serve you and help you find your perfect home. Come and see us."
Tanner Ewoldt
Graphic Designer / sales
Des Moines
"I have been working at Sunrise for a year now and I love it. I really like working with customers and helping them design the home of their dreams. I have always enjoyed making things look good. After all I'm an artist at heart, so getting to design the website as well as floor plans, really is a dream come true."
Des Moines
"I've been in construction my entire life and know the ins and outs of quality home building. That is why I work for Sunrise Housing. We build high-grade modular and manufactured homes, and I can personally attest to their superior build-quality and structure. You will not be disappointed in their craftsmanship or design."
Iowa Falls


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Beaumont/Port Arthur
Toby Keith's breakout song "Should've Been a Cowboy" was released Feb. 12, 1993. The first single from Keith's self-titled debut album, it went on to reach No. 1 on the Country chart and became one of the most played songs on country radio in the '90s.
Burlesque has seen its highs and lows. After it declined in the 1970s, many thought it would never return to fashion but that has since changed thanks to the International Queen of Burlesque — Dita Von Teese.
Most know Creed Bratton for starring as a fictional version of himself on nine seasons of NBC's award-winning television series The Office, which won five Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Peabody Award. Fans worldwide grew to love Creed as Dunder Mifflin's quality assurance director who unapologetically forgets the names of his own co-workers, and says bizarre confusing statements on a regular basis.
Ford Park announced that country music sensation Toby Keith along with special guest Granger Smith will perform outdoors at Ford Pavilion on Saturday, June 30, to celebrate Ford Park's 15th anniversary and the rejuvenation of the Pavilion. This year, Keith honors the 25th anniversary of the release of his debut single with his aptly named tour "Should've Been A Cowboy XXV Tour," presented by Ford F Series and Beaumont Emergency Center.
With more than 20 million albums sold, R&B group En Vogue comes to the Golden Nugget to perform inside the Grand Event Center on Saturday, May 5, at 8 p.m. The trio features original members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron along with Rhona Bennett, who has been with the group since 2003. Five of En Vogue's first six releases went No.
While we harbor no disrespect for the Wall Street Journal who called us "that scrappy little paper from Southeast Texas," we prefer to think of ourselves as simple seekers of the truth. We're of the opinion that headlines and sound bites never tell the whole story. Our readers demand all the facts, facets and flavors of every story or event. And, they expect to be informed, educated and stirred to action.
For this week's New York Times crossword puzzle, pick up a copy of this week's The Examiner on newsstands now.


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The joint Cambridge effort towards the Convoy to Calais on Saturday 18 June, a moving demonstration of solidarity with refugees, is taking shape. We want an impressive convoy with as many vehicles as we can find – and as many passengers as we have seats to help unload the food, clothes, and other needed materials the convoy will transport to the warehouses that support the Calais camp.
If you want to join the convoy, as a passenger or a driver, please register on the Eventbrite page. (Remember you must have a passport to go to Calais, though anyone's welcome to accompany the convoy as far as Dover.) You can keep up with news by joining the Facebook event.
The Cambridge convoy is being jointly organized by the Cambridge and District Trades Council, Cambridge Area Momentum, Cambridge Green Party, Cambridge Love Music Hate Racism, Cambridge People's Assembly, Cambridge Stand Up to Racism, and Cambridge Stop the War Coalition.
We're seeking donations of goods, and of money to spend on goods to deliver to the warehouses maintained by the charities Care4Calais and L'Auberge des migrants. (This isn't a trip to see the camp.) It's very important that we only take things from the list of desired donations supplied by their volunteers. Please bring goods from that list
- to the Trades Council stall at Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common (near the Fort St George pub) between 12 midday and 5 p.m. tomorrow, on Saturday 4 June, or
- to the Convoy to Calais stall in Market Square between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday 11 June, or
- to the Daily Bread whole food shop at Unit 3, Kilmaine Close, during its opening hours.
The Trades Council is also collecting money donations by bank transfer for the convoy: its bank account number is 20114277, with the sort code 08-60-01. Cash donations at the Market Square stall are equally welcome.
Next meeting
The next organizing meeting is on Tuesday 7 June at 7.30 p.m. The final venue is to be confirmed but we'll meet in the first place at the CB2 Bistro, 5–7 Norfolk Street.
[Updated on 9 June to add Daily Bread as a collection point.]


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Someone other than you has always handled the finances for your marriage or your parents' estate, now that life is changing, you don't know where to start in claiming what's yours. Let us comb through the overwhelming financial data to find answers to your nagging questions and provide a starting point for you to secure your financial future.
Divorce Financial Analysis
Workman Forensics' experts provide financial analysis of financial information in complex divorces to assist in locating assets, quantifying parties' income and expenses, and evaluating settlement matters. We specialize in divorce matters involving parties with high value, assets, and/or family-owned businesses. Learn More
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We deal in facts and following patterns to evaluate the evidence and provide expert witness testimony. Learn More


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Commission Air has provided aerial photography for Nottingham and the surrounding areas for over 25 years. Nottingham is the second largest city in the Midlands and is most associated with the legend of Robin Hood, with his statue standing proudly outside Nottingham Castle. Also, the iconic Sherwood Forest just outside the city is believed to be the home of Robin Hood. Trent Bridge is home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and hosted its first test match in 1899 for England vs Australia.
View Our Nottingham Aerial Photography Gallery
As we visit the Nottingham area every month our highly experience aerial photographers and pilots have taken hundred of sites. The map on the left shows just a small selection of the sites we have taken in the Nottingham area, including:
Commission Air has been the UK leader in the field of aerial photography for 25 years with thousands of satisfied customers in the public and private sectors. We offer a great price of only £389 per site and this allied to the fact that we use the best equipment available means that we can offer a great value and high quality service on your Nottingham site.


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Madoma ice cream
I was walking at the lower ground of Mid Valley last week when someone caught my eye.
Isn't he cute? hehehe I walked past the ice cream stall a second time and decided I just have got to take this guy clad in the Turkish traditional vest.
I have seen Turkish ice cream stalls in Sungai Wang many times, and I remember Boo mention there is one in Low Yat Plaza too, but never came about to try them. They way the ice cream is mixed is also quite unique. A rope will be tied to the ice cream pail; a bell is attached to the pail. The ice cream maker will then mix the ice cream by throwing and flinging the ice cream pail around in the air.. while the bell makes noise.. to attract customers.
Only RM3 for 2 scoops of very smooth gelato like ice cream. Really very good!
RSS me at : http://feeds.feedburner.com/eatfirstthinklater
Email me at firstname.lastname@example.com or
Drop me a message here =)


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The Times
November 13, 2008
With the death of Mitch Mitchell, the Jimi Hendrix Experience is over
With the death of Mitch Mitchell, one of the finest bands of all is no more. Our correspondent says goodbye to the Jimi Hendrix Experience
Bob Stanley
It's no coincidence that Jimi Hendrix was a jobbing session man, hired and fired regularly, before he moved to London and broke through with the Experience in 1967. In the British drummer Mitch Mitchell, he found a soulmate, a kindred free spirit who could make Hendrix's style intensify, catch fire and burn you.
Before the band's debut single, Hey Joe, in late 1966, Mitchell's career had been as spotty as Hendrix's. As a session drummer for the producer Joe Meek, he had such an abstract style that Meek was rumoured to have put a gun to his head and told him to "play properly". His approach was closer to jazz than the more straight-ahead rock drummers. It was after a spell with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, the house band of the Flamingo club, that he did an audition for a wild-haired guitarist brought from America by the former Animal Chas Chandler.
Noel Redding, the bassist, got the Experience job largely because Hendrix thought that he looked the part (he had never played bass before), but Mitchell was hired because he was a perfect foil for Hendrix's showier tendencies.
On many of the best Jimi Hendrix Experience recordings, such as Fire and Manic Depression, Mitchell is as much a lead musician as the guitarist, fizzing, roaring, shifting the songs like a racing driver going through chicanes. Just as it is hard to believe that there is only one guitarist on some of their cuts, Mitch Mitchell did the work of two drummers.
A classic "power trio", along with Cream and Blue Cheer, the Experience were the only ones to produce a run of super-tough three-minute pop singles: Hey Joe, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary, Burning of the Midnight Lamp and All Along the Watchtower all made the UK Top 20 and stand as a faultless run of vicious, caution-free, amped-up and genuinely psychedelic 45s. When Hendrix tired of the trio and 7in formats, his music — no longer grounded by Redding and Mitchell — lost its flash, straying into flabby selfindulgence and bluesy boredom.
Those who doubt Mitchell's standing among contemporaries, seeing him merely as Hendrix's foot soldier, should note that he was chosen as the drummer of the Dirty Mac, the supergroup assembled for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus TV special in 1968, for which they recorded a scything take of the White Album track Yer Blues. His temporary bandmates that night were John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.
Yet Hendrix was always the man Mitchell returned to, rejecting a job with the group that became Emerson, Lake & Palmer (and thus millionaire status) to play with Jimi once more on the 1970 Cry of Love tour. To the end he was celebrating the group's legacy on the 2008 Experience Hendrix tour, travelling America coast to coast and playing to almost 50,000 fans.
The influence of the Experience is incalculable. It's hard to imagine that the Beatles' Helter Skelter would have been recorded without Hendrix's band as a blueprint. Their reach can be felt most clearly in the pounding blues rock of Led Zeppelin, and more recently in My Bloody Valentine's experimental, eardrum-testing noise and the sheer power of Kings of Leon.
The hardest and loudest group of the era, they now become the first to have all gone too soon. Mitch Mitchell was, along with Keith Moon, the most exciting and innovative of British drummers.
It is quite likely that without his empathy Jimi Hendrix would have remained a little-known session man.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Mitch Mitchell: The Jimi Hendrix Experience is over
1 comment:
- Billy said...
Most ballplayers today are taking homeopathic hgh oral spray because it's safe, undetectable, and legal for over the counter sales. As time goes on it seems it might be considered as benign a performance enhancer as coffee, aspirin, red bull, chewing tobacco, and bubble gum.
- Friday, March 13, 2009
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Free Push M4L Sequencer, GrainFlux 1.1 and Black Friday Sales/
Today we've got three great news to share: the release of PS-8, our new Max for Live sequencer for the Ableton Push, a new update for our GrainFlux synthesizer and a special Black Friday sales.
PS-8 - Free Max for Live Sequencer for the Ableton Push
PS-8 is a 8-step analog-style Max for Live sequencer for the Ableton Push inspired by analog sequencers such as the Korg SQ-10 and Moog 960 Sequential Controller.
It's great for live performance and improvisation.
The main difference between PS-8 and other Push sequencers is that it uses the Push encoders to change the pitch / velocity of the eight steps and rows of pads to control other parameters such as gate length, shuffle amount and direction.
More details about PS-8, as well as the free download link, are available at http://www.maxforlive.com/library/device/2675/spektro-ps-8
GrainFlux 1.1 Update
The new 1.1 update for GrainFlux is now available. It fixes bugs related to UI controls and it adds better integration with the Ableton Push.All the parameters are now displayed and organized in banks on the Push.
Here's a video demo of how you can use Push to control GrainFlux:
This a free update and existing GrainFlux customers will receive the download link via email.
If you'd like to know more about GrainFlux, check out http://spektroaudio.com/grainflux
Black Friday Sales
For the first time, we're offering a Black Friday sales. Get 20% off of any of our products by using the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY_14 at checkout.
This offer is valid until 12/05/2014.
If you'd like to keep with our latest news and projects, follow us on Twitter (@SpektroAudio) and on Instagram (@SpektroAudio).
Until next time!


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The Sleeping Beauty And Other Fairy Tales. Illustrated by Edmund Dulac.
1909. London: Hodder & Stoughton [1909].
Large 4to, 128, [129]pp. With 30 color plates by Dulac tipped in on card printed with captions and decorative borders, all with tissue guards, and an extra plate of the frontispiece in larger format loosely inserted. Original brown morocco, titles to spine and decorative panelling to spine and boards gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Backstrip slightly faded and spotted, otherwise very good.
§ Limited to 1000 copies, this is 570 numbered and signed by Edmund Dulac. Loosely inserted is an invitation to a Dulac exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in 1910. This title is one of the masterpieces from Dulac's "blue period" regarded as perhaps his best work. Loker, Grolier Children's 100, 62. Hughey 23a.Ray 332. Item #107934
Price: $1,250.00


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Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ms Wheelchair Massachusetts 2010 Competion
The Ms Wheelchair Massachusetts 2010 competition will take place on Sunday, November 7, 2010, at Carson Place / Bayside Epo Center in Boston. If you are a female wheelchair user between the ages of 21-65, consider competing this year! If you are interested, visit our website at http://www.mswheelchairmass.org/. Or you can send an email for more information to firstname.lastname@example.com. Hope to see you there!


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Reference: M341
3 Bedroom Townhouse For Sale in La Caleta
Opportunity to purchase a nice 3 bedroom town house in a highly regarded complex Adeje Park in the prestigious area of la Caleta/Playa del Duque in the south of Tenerife. The complex has a lovely pool and a childrens play area and is perfectly located just a few minutes walk to the popular Playa del Duque beach. The property is bright and spacious measuring 160 m2 inside with a 100 m2 terrace and garden area. The townhouse consists of 3 bedrooms, the master being en-suite, 2 additional bathrooms, a fully fitted kitchen and an airy lounge with patio doors that lead to a spacious terrace and garden area. There is also a small garden area at the main entrance to the property.