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When Calgary career coach Yvonne Silver and image consultant Leslie Davies hosted an event this past Thursday for International Women's Day, they focused on one thing more than anything: confidence.
Both Silver's and Davies' female clients come to them with the same concerns about lacking the confidence to build their careers. While they each tackle it from different angles, the goal is the same: to help women accelerate their careers, reach the top and find that elusive work-life balance through it all.
Recent statistics show many barriers remain to increasing the number of women in top positions in corporate Canada, with numbers remaining flat and still relatively low in recent years, despite considerable past gains.
"Confidence is a key component of women asking for what they want and being able to express in a career conversation that they're looking for a more senior role," says Silver, who owns Shattered Ceiling Corp.
Since women are still most often the primary caregivers for their children, it's no surprise that struggling to deal with work-life balance remains one of their other biggest concerns, she adds.
They also tend to work using a more collaborative, consensus-based approach to solving problems, which can sometimes be mistaken as a longer route to getting results than a more traditional, "commandand-control" approach perceived to be taken by men.
"(Collaboration is) more of a natural style for women to operate under," says Silver, who stresses the importance of a support network. "I encourage women to have a strategic career circle, including a champion or sponsor."
Having at least two mentors - they could be colleagues within the company or in the industry - as well as someone on board who's directly in the firm and one or two levels up the food chain - along with support from a coach, all work together to produce a team of supporters who each play different roles.
"If you are hand-picked by one of the more senior leaders of the organization, their opinion will supersede a lower-level manager," Silver says.
Davies aims to educate women about style, appearance and demeanour to address the confidence barrier. As the owner of Impact Image Essentials, she counsels women about how to present an image of credibility and confidence, but also the freedom to be creative and fun while remaining true to themselves.
"My passion is really helping women feel more confident and attractive to help them achieve their goals," says Davies, who spent 17 years in human resources and recruitment before launching her business.
"We have an opportunity from an image perspective to communicate who we are authentically and purposefully," she adds.
After 12 years or so of going out of her way to be taken seriously by dressing extremely conservatively - "pearls, pumps and navy suits," as she says - she finally felt lost and unattractive. "I think that can be common for a lot of women," Davies says.
It's not always about climbing the corporate ladder to achieve success, either. Both Silver and Davies launched their own companies out of a passion for entrepreneurship - an increasingly common choice for women.
A recent BMO Bank of Montreal survey found that while the vast majority of women would like to start a business (71 per cent), one quarter of women believe striking a balance between work and personal life commitments is a major barrier.
"Balancing work and life commitments such as caring for children or elder family members is a big consideration, one that is almost as important as translating ideas into practice and finding customers," says Cathy Pin, vicepresident of commercial banking for BMO.
No matter what choice women make, Silver says, they all need to remember to focus on confidence, clarity, credibility and career goals - despite all the obstacles - and use a support team to get there. "It's harder to walk that fine line between being feminine and being perceived as being confident and credible," she says. "It's just a series of steps."
Women in the workplace
- Canadian women hold 17.7 per cent of senior officer positions among FP500 companies and 36.5 per cent of management positions, yet they comprise 47.3 per cent of the labour force.
- Women held just 7.5 per cent of top executive positions in 2011.
- Less than 20 per cent of FP500 companies had more than one quarter female board members.
- Eighty-three per cent of women say having a mentor when starting a business would be important.
- Seventy-one per cent of women want to start their own business.
- Of all small-and medium-sized businesses, 46 per cent have some degree of female ownership; 16 per cent are majority-owned by females.
Source: Catalyst Inc. / BMO Bank of Montreal


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Interdisciplinary. Community. Advocacy. Humor.
The Witness is a brooch that acts like a medal. This format symbolizes courage when standing up and speaking out about the suspect. On the surface of the metal, I have pierced out the symbol for the US Marshal, a star inside of a circle, which in some cultures represents protection, exactly what Marshals do for the Witness Protection Program. There is a white enameled piece with a Groucho Marx in classic glasses with large frames and nose laser etched onto it. The eyebrows and mustache are painting enamels to enhance the details. This is to disguise the witness creating an alternative identity. I give only these details so that the audience can place themselves into the story and become the witness to the crime.
Views: 68

subset: commoncrawl


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Katy Perry Performance to Kick Off American Music Awards
Get ready for another epic Katy Perry awards show performance, Katycats!
Perry has been given the honor of opening the American Music Awards, airing live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Nov. 24. She will deliver 'Unconditionally,' the second single from her new album, 'Prism.' Tune in to see how it will compare to her sparkling performance of the same tune at last weekend's (Nov. 10) MTV Europe Music Awards.
Newly joining Katy on the bill are Jennifer Lopez, who will be paying tribute to legendary salsa singer Celia Cruz, and TLC, who are making their return to the AMAs stage with a special surprise guest.
Previously announced performers include Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, One Direction and Justin Timberlake. This year's AMA host, Pitbull, is also scheduled to perform.
With six nods, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead the nominations for this year's fan-voted awards. Taylor Swift and Timberlake follow with five nominations each.
The 2013 American Music Awards air Nov. 24 at 8PM ET on ABC. The preshow -- which features Lance Bass, Jordin Sparks, Colbie Caillat and more -- will stream online starting at 5PM at several outlets, including here.


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So I was asked to do a review on Wright Socks. Usually, I run in very, very thin socks. I have run in socks like that since high school, when I first started running. They are almost like a 'no-show sock', and they work really well for me. I do know a lot of people who really like Wright Socks and especially when I was having issues with my toes being all messed up I thought, what the heck, lets give it a try, in hopes that it would help the toe issue if it truly was from my toes rubbing together because of sweat or something like that. Now, remember during reading this review, I am the biggest advocate for 'different things work for different people'. I mean, look at me, I CANNOT take Gus, and most of you can no big deal. I have found that running is all about finding specific things that work for you.
I can definitely see how some of you LOVE Wright Socks, they are no- doubt very comfortable and cushiony, which I liked, but I just personally don't like that for running. I love to wear them around the house and they are very supportive, which sounds weird for a sock, but it's true. I really like the cushion part a lot. The part that doesn't work for me unfortunately is the fact that these socks are very thick. For me, my feet like to be free, and these socks are a little too thick for my liking. I understand that they are cushiony becuase they are thick, but these two features are just not friends with my feet. They make my feet REALLY hot, which is weird. I also don't like how high up the socks go. They don't really go up that high, but for me that is very high. Most of my socks barely show out of my shoes.
Here is the side view of the sock. Seriously, they don't go up that high, I know it's a whiney thing, but I really like my socks to be low. I do really like the part in the middle of the sock, that is almost like a compression sock.
I know, I have really weird small feet. They do fit the foot well and I do like the design of them.
Here they are laying on my bed. I really like how the middle part compresses and did like that part on my foot when I was running, but the toe area and heel area got really warm for me, becuase of the extra cushion.
Here is another really bad picture of the socks. These are a different kind and I did like these ones a little bit better but they are still all thick socks. These ones have the same compression affect on the arch as well and I like how they go a little bit lower on the ankle.
I also really liked the design on these ones much better as well. They seemed to fit my foot a little better than the other ones too. They were very cushiony and really had a lot of support in the sock as well.
So, overall, if they were thinner, I think I would personally like them much more, but I do hope that you guys try them out for yourselves. I did actually happen to find that after the day one of the walk, I opted for the Wright Sock, the thinnest one they offer, and I did really like them for the walking aspect of things, which as I stated before is much different than running. I also wore a pair to bed around the house that night and they were super, super comfortable and I really like them, just oddly enough not for running. The cushion and support are very cool features and you won't know if you like them or not unless you try them out yourself. I do like even wearing mine almost as recovery socks for my feet as well after a run because they give so much compression and support, unlike, perhaps flip flops that I usually wear. :) I wish I could say that they are awesome and totally worked for me, but as I said before, different things work for different people.


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There are going to be far better obits for the actor Ernest Borgnine — who just passed away at 95 and whose career was as long as his smile wide. Most of those will probably downplay the extremely '80s helicopter action show Airwolf.
That's a shame. Airwolf was awesome. More than you'll ever want to know about the show can be found here.
We'll miss you, Ernest.
(Hat tip to @ClintonYates!)


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If the nascent Gentlewoman seemed too demure for you, you're in luck, because there's another new ladymag on the block: Whore!
Before I start, I want to tell an unrelated anecdote, which dates from the early 60s. Apparently my grandmother Sadie 1.0 went, with her sister, to visit a third sister in Yonkers. But as they approached the house, in heels and sun-dresses, their nephew Johnny, then 13, appeared on the porch. "Whores! Whores! Get out of here, whores!" he screamed. So, they ran away. There has never been any explanation of this bit of family lore, save that Johnny was "an angry boy" who later went on to a successful career in sales, so.
In case you hadn't guessed, Whore! the magazine is all about reclamation.
Whore! magazine is dedicated to celebrating the current and historical qualities of women who have defined a role for themselves outside the status quo. Through written word, art, design, fashion, and music, Whore! magazine will create a dialogue about what women are as opposed to what traditional society has dictated they should be. Whore! will also explore issues largely untouched by mass media, while reclaiming a derogatory word that has long been used to censure those who would desire, express, resist, or simply take a different path. We intend to recognize those women, both modern and historical, who strive for experience rather than conventional "goodness," and continue to fight an age-old battle against expectation.
And from the Editor's letter:
Desire has driven civilization. Historically, many women have earned the title of whore for daring to engage in such masculine pursuits as getting an education, providing medical care to the underprivileged, leading an army, or just going out in public in a very dashing tuxedo. "Fags," "dykes," and "queers" have also been a part of this history, dancing with the whores and just as often condemned. While their battles still rage, in many places they've succeeded in claiming their identity and owning the words that were once used to demean them.
Issue 1 includes "Gay porn and the women who dig it," "A history of vibrators," "A step-by-step guide to automotive empowerment," "the trials of hipster stripping" and a smattering of historical whores (!) There's also fashion and beauty ("Trashy Clothes for Classy Ho's.") The aesthetic is sharp and sophisticated. From the magazine's blog, it looks like there are some good, smart writers and thinkers on board. The emphasis on outreach and women's issues is terrific. But it seems Whore! is still figuring out just what it'll be - more Bitch (which, by this standard, sounds practically quaint!) earnest Ms., irreverent Bust or flippant Jane. (And it must be said, in my reader's opinion there are one or two ill-judged Anais Nin moments which I trust will come out in the wash.) Then there's the Whore! gear - in which you can aid in the term's reclamation by sporting the epithet over your vadge, pregnant belly, or French Roast as the case may be.
Is there room out there for a smart, politically engaged women's mag? You betcha, as someone who's one of those two things might say. Historically, it's been hard for woman-centric publications to balance the cerebral and the aesthetic, and we say good luck to anyone who tries - especially in this economy. My primary concern is that, reclamation or no, I'll never be able to see the cover without thinking Regina George - which is the one sort of empowerment not in short supply. Nevertheless, we await Issue 1 with interest.


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LockedLTD could be perfect for a little business, so you can advertise a product such as an software.
The zip file is made up of 4 .PSDs (home, about, services and contact) which are the main pages of a corporate website. These are easily modifiable, enabling you to change every single aspect and elements. The three main fonts used overall are Tahoma and Arial which are default Windows fonts, as well as Calibri (mainly used for titles) which is the new Microsoft Office's default font, and can also be found in Windows 7.


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The Covid-19 crisis has reset global markets.
Invest now to maximize returns.
Invest now to maximize returns.
Right Stock
Color-codes for the 10 Year X-Ray and Future Prospects tell you the fundamental strength of the stock.
Best Practice Tip: Avoid Red stocks.
To know more, click here
Right Price
This tells you whether a stock is undervalued, using:
MRP - Fair value of the stock .
DP (Discount Price) - Sensible Buy price of the stock.
CMP - Current Market Price of the stock.
Margin of Safety - Difference from MRP to reduce risk.
Best Practice Tip: Invest in stocks when they are at a reasonable discount to the MRP.
To know more, click here
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We assure our users that information and data for the company will be available soon.
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Management Assessment: An assessment of the trustworthiness of the management based
on 5 important parameters. These parameters are colour coded as Green (Very Good),
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on 5 important parameters. These parameters are colour coded as Green (Very Good),
Orange (Somewhat Good) and Red (Not Good)
Corporate Governance: To analyse corporate governance practices, we look at composition of the board of directors, quality of independence, remuneration paid to the board of directors, etc.
Board credentials: To assess board credentials, relevance of qualification and experience is looked at.
Promoters' holding: Here, we look at the trend of promoter holding as also the trend of shares pledged by promoters.
Transparency: To assess transparency, we look at the company communication and try to assess truth, fairness and candidness.
Integrity: To assess integrity, we look for involvement of the management in scams, frauds, etc. which would be a warning sign.
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The world depends on mariners. Mariners depend on SCI. And we depend on you.
Photos of SCI chaplains, mariners and vessels in the port of New Orleans, LA, taken August 2012.
Photos by the Rev. David M. Rider, President & Executive Director.
SCI maintains a staff of professional chaplains with interfaith and cross-cultural backgrounds. Chaplains and volunteers assist thousands each year, extending a hand of friendship and hospitality.


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Moonlight washed palely over the border as two she-cats padded softly along. Two pairs of eyes, one ice-blue and another pale amber, blinked in the shadowed undergrowth. The small brown tabby she-cat looked warmly at the other.
"Greetings, Brambleberry. Do you have any particular news you would like to share with me?" The other cat meowed as warmly in reply.
"RiverClan is going to have much trouble with Twoleg kits," Brambleberry cautioned. The blue-gray she-cat narrowed her eyes.
"They captured Willowshine when she was out gathering herbs last sunrise."
Brambleberry nodded. "I saw. Come. Let us sit down here where we will not be
disturbed." She flicked her tail towards a large rock almost hidden behind a waterfall. The sleek blue-gray she-cat meowed wistfully,"This reminds me of the Tribe of Rushing Water. I had many friends there. But how are we going to get to the rock?"
Purring, Brambleberry replied, "You are RiverClan aren't you? You swim, of course."
"Under that wall of water, Brambleberry? What are you thinking?"
Brambleberry laid her tail tip gently onto the blue-gray she-cat's back. "This way. There isn't as much water pouring down over here."
The two cats swam over to the rock. Shivering, the blue cat meowed, "It's chilly over here!"
"I apologize, I have forgotten you are not quite yet StarClan, my friend," meowed Brambleberry, "Let's continue walking."
Two cats emerged from the Dark Forest, both dark-brown tabby toms. Together, they silently stalked the two she-cats. The she-cats had no idea that they were being followed. The two toms looked at one another, reviewing their plan mentally, and nodded.Together, they leaped into the air, one landing on Brambleberry's shoulders, the other knocking the surprised blue-gray she-cat unconscious.
"Quick, Hawkfrost! Drag her across the border where Brokenstar is waiting to help!" yowled the first brown tabby.
Brambleberry shook the cat from the Dark Forest off her shoulders, spraying drops of blood onto the leafy green plants.
"Tigerstar!" she spat, "I should have known!"
Growling, Tigerstar attacked Brambleberry once again. Brambleberry leaped into the air and twisted, sinking her teeth into Tigerstar's long, matted fur. Tigerstar kicked his hind legs onto Brambleberry's stomach. Yowling, she tried to get up but Tigerstar held her down and raked her belly until she drifted into unconscious.
"Spottedleaf!" meowed Feathertail urgently, "Brambleberry has been attacked!" Spottedleaf rushed to Brambleberry, her carefully collected herbs forgotten in her panic.
"This looks like Tigerstar's work. I don't even know treat this kind of wound. Yellowfang probably does though," she hissed, narrowing her eyes.
Feathertail gasped. "Look at those paw prints!" Two pairs of paw prints, both fairly large, led deep into the Dark Forest.
"It looks like they dragged a cat with them!" meowed Spottedleaf, who looked as if she'd been struck by lightning, with her fur standing on end.
"Why would they do that?" wondered Feathertail, "Who did they take?"
Spottedleaf growled "Look!" A pair of ice-blue eyes blinked once and disappeared. Feathertail turned to Spottedleaf.
"Hawkfrost." Feathertail meowed, furious. "Hawkfrost must have dragged the cat away."
"But why?" Spottedleaf was shocked.
"I don't know, but I need you to go get Yellowfang. Quick!" meowed Feathertail urgently, "I don't know ThunderClan camp as well as you do." She hoped Spottedleaf would hurry. Brambleberry could die if Yellowfang didn't come quickly and treated her.
Barely conscious, Brambleberry muttered "Feathertail," before drifting back into unconsciousness.
"Brambleberry! You're alive! Who was with you? What happened? Brambleberry, I need to know!" Feathertail meowed, her voice rising. What had happened? Would Brambleberry be all right? What would happen if she never woke up? Would she just…fade? Feathertail didn't even want to think about it.
She shook Brambleberry. "Brambleberry! Wake up! Please!" Feathertail glanced despairingly over her shoulder to see if Spottedleaf was back yet. They needed a medicine cat who could treat this, desperately. She began to lick Brambleberry's pelt to wash all the blood away. Maybe that way she'll wake up, thought Feathertail.
"Feathertail. Where is she?" murmured Brambleberry.
"Where is who?" meowed Feathertail, hope rising in her chest like a caged bird. Quick paw steps filled the air.
"What happened?" demanded Leapordstar.
"Brambleberry has been attacked and Spottedleaf is going for help." meowed Feathertail.
"Brambleberry has been attacked?" repeated Leapordstar, dazed.
"Yes and Brambleberry keeps on talking about a she-cat. I was about to get an answer, you know," Feathertail replied, annoyed. Why did Leapordstar interrupt when she was least wanted or needed? Why couldn't she go and do something useful for once, instead of just lying around ordering other cats to get her fish? She was new in StarClan, for- well for StarClan's sake. She should stop ordering cats around and do some work for once.
"Mistystar……gone……." Brambleberry drifted back into unconsciousness.
Feathertail was confused. Why was Mistystar gone? Where was she? Who took her? She was so aggravated that she yowled to the open sky "What?! Where is the RiverClan leader? Where is she? Where is Mistystar?"
Chapter One
Icewing was back in the forest. The yucky one with the muddy rivers that were as slow as a slug climbing to the old Highstones and the icky, leafless trees that blocked out the sky; not the forest that the ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats lived in – not the one by the lake.
"Hi, Icewing!" came a call from a few paces behind.
"Hello, Ivypool!" she called back. Ivypool was a cat from ThunderClan, and she was really nice, but she always seemed to have something other than training on her mind, meaning she was normally slightly distracted.
"More training, less talking!" growled a voice behind her. Icewing jumped. She turned around and saw Tigerstar stalking out from behind the leafless trees. Ivypool had disappeared.
"Sorry Tigerstar," Icewing mumbled guiltily; she knew Tigerstar did not take kindly to distractions from experience.
"We are doing tree training today. Come on. The other cats are already assembled." Tigerstar leaped over a fallen tree towards a clearing. Icewing scrambled over after him.
Tigerstar jumped onto a large rock, easily. "Those ThunderClan fools have been cheating in battle. They climb trees! Are they cats or are they weak little squirrels? We will do tree training too! We will play their own trick against them!" He growled. Tigerstar paused as yowls of approval rang out from the assembled cats beneath him. "We will work in partners! Snowtuft, you are going to be with Hollowflight, Shredtail, you are with Sunstrike, Thistleclaw, work with Breezepelt, Ivypool with Blossomfall, Hawkfrost with Icewing, and Mapleshade with Tigerheart. Brokenstar and I will be supervising. We are not kits play fighting so unsheathe your claws!"
It must be an important training session to have two leaders supervising!
"Who am I assigned to?" meowed a voice from the crowd of cats.
Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "You were beaten by an apprentice," he spat, "You do not deserve to train any cats until you have proven yourself worthy again, Darkstripe!"
" Hurry up Icewing, you slow slug! What are you waiting for, kit? " Hawkfrost beckoned at Icewing from next to a twisted, gnarled tree with his tail. "You're going to climb first and try to attack me as you jump. Hurry!"
Icewing nodded. RiverClan has never climbed trees, she thought rebelliously. But another part of her mind said this is going to make me the best warrior I can be. She told herself firmly that again as she strained her hind leg muscles to push herself up the tree. Hawkfrost circled around impatiently. Quietly, Icewing tiptoed down the tree trunk half way and bunched her muscles in preparation for the spring. She landed squarely on Hawkfrost's shoulders, yowling in triumph. But her triumph turned to confusion when Hawkfrost rolled over and smashed her to the ground. Thinking quickly, Icewing pushed Hawkfrost off herself and when he was still recovering, slashed his belly with unsheathed claws. Growling, he pushed himself off the leaf littered ground. Icewing backed up cautiously, unsure if he was about to pounce. She relaxed, though, as Hawkfrost hissed "You were so loud!"
"Like this?" Icewing scrambled up a tree and climbed down as softly as she could.
"No, but that will have to do," meowed Hawkfrost. "Now hurry! We're wasting training time!"
Thinking harder this time, Icewing climbed up the tree and waited.
"Faster! You can't be a dead slug during battle!" Hawkfrost growled.
Icewing didn't move. Hawkfrost had started circling the tree once again. This time, she silently jumped straight from the branch so as not to give Hawkfrost any kind of warning. Howling, she bit down on Hawkfrost's back as he jumped into the air to make
her crash. She quickly retaliated and slithered under him, clawing his belly as he landed.
"Acceptable," Hawkfrost meowed grudgingly, "Again!"
Icewing once again went up the tree. This time though, instead of jumping, she successfully got down on the other side of the tree without being heard – where Hawkfrost wasn't waiting to attack her. Icewing crept up onto Hawkfrost and attacked from behind."
"You didn't use the tree to your advantage! You must tree train, not pouncing like a newborn kit!" Hawkfrost glared at Icewing, "You must do everything I tell you!"
"But I did use the tree!" retorted Icewing, "I went up it and so when the enemy was preparing for me to jump down onto them, I leaped up onto their back so they got taken by surprise."
"Clever," Eyes narrowing, Hawkfrost growled, "However, your enemies may find that attacking you without you being on them is much easier than fighting you when you land actually on their back."
"But I can always scramble up the tree and land on their backs while they are wondering where I went."
"ThunderClan knows that trick. We must prepare for that," Hawkfrost hissed, "You have a sharp and clever mind. Use that to your advantage, too. Let's see how many more interesting strategies you can think of. More training and less talking!"
And so Icewing crawled up the tree, her muscles aching.
"You know, I think I'm the first RiverClan cat to do tree training – ever." grumbled Icewing. Her muscles ached and her back was on fire. It would be a miserable day when the sun rose. Hawkfrost's voice brought her back to reality.
"Wrong, Icewing. I was the first RiverClan cat to climb a tree. But you were the second. Now, go tell Tigerstar I think it's time."
That's just like Hawkfrost – always bragging. It's time for what, though? thought Icewing as she ran over to Tigerstar to tell him Hawkfrost's news.
"What's it time for?" the green-eyed she-cat asked after she delivered her message.
"I can't tell you!" snapped Tigerstar.
Icewing wanted to ask why, but she knew not to cross Tigerstar when he was grumpy. Still…
All of a sudden, Tigerstar yowled "Next time she visits, one of our apprentices will take her final assessment!"
A high, reedy voice from the back of the crowd of cats yowled back "Who, might I ask, is this mysterious she-cat? It should be me!"
"And why would I tell you, Breezepelt? Anyways, you're still not ready," replied Tigerstar coolly. "I hope you'll tend to the 'cat-in-the-brambles,' as our apprentices kindly call her, next moonrise instead of training with us. Have fun with the mouse bile and changing her moss. She'll like that. The rest of you, go – oh, and whatever you do, do not go near the clearing where we used to train or I promise I will personally rip out your pelt and use it to line my nest; even my warriors. I am making an exception for Breezepelt because he must go there tomorrow. Now leave me to think for once, instead of helping train you mouse-brained young 'paws' to become 'better warriors'." And with that impressive speech, Tigerstar bounded off the "Announcement Rock" and away into the forest.
What is the matter with him? Icewing was bewildered. Tigerstar's never been grumpy enough to threaten to rip out our pelts before. Humph. Who is this mysterious she-cat? Why can't we go to the old training clearing anymore? So many questions, yet no answers.
Suddenly, Icewing felt a pelt brush hers, then smelled the slightly musty scent that belonged to Ivypool. Ivypool's scent was a mixture of Dark Forest and ThunderClan, just like hers was a mixture of Dark Forest and RiverClan.
"Icewing, go home. I am warning you, do not fail your warrior assessment or else you may never go back to your clanmates by the lake." warned the other white she-cat, then she turned and disappeared.
Icewing felt an ominous chill go down her spine at those words. Was Ivypool hinting that she would die if she failed?
After Feathertail and Spottedleaf found Brambleberry hurt and Mistystar missing and Leopardstar discovered them, there was utter chaos until…
"Silence! Do you want all of StarClan to come rushing here right now?" yowled Leopardstar.
"Leopardstar, Mistystar is missing! Do you know the significance of that!" growled Feathertail. She's interfering again, that arrogant furball, she thought, aggravated by Mistystar's capture.
"I know, Feathertail. Calm down. Besides, if we're too hasty, it could lead to our downfall as well as Mistystar's," soothed Leopardstar.
Feathertail thought for a moment. What Leopardstar says makes sense, she concluded. "Who else will help us?"
"No one but us. They will all try to take over, and this is only RiverClan's business." Leopardstar meowed.
Feathertail nodded in agreement. "You're right, Leopardstar. What should we do now?"
Leopardstar narrowed her eyes. "Keep quiet and look for unexpected allies. Make sure they're at least half RiverClan."
Why at least half RiverClan? Has Leopardstar gone crazy? thought the silver she-cat. "I'll do that. I think we should visit Willowshine to tell her what has happened," meowed Feathertail.
"Yes, I agree. Could you do that? I must go. Crookedstar asked me to come to a meeting of Clan leaders and medicine cats to discuss Brambleberry's situation." Leopardstar took off running, her tail streaming out behind her.
Feathertail sighed. Why did Leopardstar always have to take charge? That night she visited Willowshine's dreams. "Willowshine!"
"Feathertail! Mistystar went to the Moonpool and I went with her and Mothwing but she never woke up! We had to drag her back to camp. Everyone thought she was dead but she was still breathing," meowed Willowshine in a hurry, "What are we going to do?"
"Her spirit was captured by the Dark Forest. The Dark Forest, or The Place Of No Stars, is where cats that are not accepted by StarClan go after they leave their bodies," explained Feathertail. "Ask Reedwhisker to temporarily take the leader's role, but tell him not to change his name to Reedstar as we can not give him nine lives since Mistystar still has all of hers. Don't forget, Mistystar is still alive."
"Okay, Feathertail. But how is Mistystar going to escape the Dark Forest?" questioned Willowshine.
Feathertail's voice faded away as she hurried back to StarClan's hunting grounds. When she returned, Leopardstar was waiting for her. Humph.
"Our meeting went very badly," announced Leopardstar.
"What happened?" asked Feathertail. Nothing could be worse than a hopeless quest into the Dark Forest to rescue Mistystar.
"Crookedstar brought Brambleberry in and he questioned her thoroughly. All we got out of her was that she was walking along the border and got attacked by two cats from the Dark Forest," mused Leopardstar, "She doesn't even remember anything about Mistystar's capture."
Feathertail nodded, "We need a plan to rescue her. Mistystar, I mean, not Brambleberry." Though Brambleberry does need help, thought Feathertail privately. She knew not to cross Leopardstar when she was grumpy or happy, all the same.
Leopardstar thought for a moment, "Let's go visit the Dark Forest. Come on, lets go now."
The pair padded along silently until they suddenly saw a spotted pelt flash by.
"Greetings, Feathertail, Leopardstar. Did you see Milkfur earlier?" meowed Featherwhisker .
"She was at Four Trees not long ago," answered Feathertail. Why is he looking for Milkfur now?
"Thanks, I don't think she knows about what happened to Brambleberry. And after all, she has a right to know since Brambleberry was Milkfur's apprentice." Featherwhisker trotted away, tail drooping.
Feathertail remembered that Featherwhisker always had liked Brambleberry. No wonder he was sad.
"Well, we will be looking like that for some time," commented Feathertail. Leopardstar didn't answer. They quietly strolled along for a while until they reached the border.
"I guess we'll go in," meowed Leopardstar. Not long after, they scented Brokenstar on the slightly musty breeze. Leopardstar tensed. Feathertail crouched. What does he want? she thought.
"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" purred Brokenstar in a silky voice. "I thought we made it clear StarClan was not allowed here."
"You said was not allowed. We are allowed because this is not the past, but the present. Yes?" retorted Feathertail.
"A clever tongue, as usual. Now, if you'll give me a tour of StarClan's hunting grounds, I will gladly let you visit my territory, as that is only fair…Now, get out!" Brokenstar barred his teeth.
Thinking fast, Feathertail meowed "Go ahead. Visit anytime."
"Feathertail! What you are you thinking?! Since when were you so fish-brained?" interrupted Leopardstar, again. Feathertail silenced her with a glare. Leopardstar returned the glare but did not question her any further.
"Then go ahead and explore all you want." Brokenstar took off into the dark woods.
"What was that all about?!" hissed Leopardstar, narrowing her eyes.
"Wait. I'll tell you later," murmured Feathertail distractedly.
"As you say, Featherstar," grumbled Leopardstar. Humph. AnnoyingStars all over the place were invading, thought Feathertail grumpily.
"Really! Please stop insulting me! Now can we just get on visiting this place and get out of here? I don't like it any more than you do!" Exasperated, Feathertail stalked off. With a heavy, exaggerated sigh and a rolling of her eyes, Leopardstar grudgingly followed. Why was Grumpystar always so hostile? thought Feathertail.
"Wait," Leopardstar halted suddenly, "I smell a familiar scent. Tigerstar!" They spun around in unison to see a large dark brown tabby striding towards them. "The visitors Brokenstar mentioned." He nodded, "Don't let me interrupt you. Continue as you please." Tigerstar disappeared into the shadows.
"He becomes more and more evil every passing moment," Leopardstar growled.
"No one can deny that," agreed Feathertail. How did they communicate so fast, and what makes me think that something is amiss? Those two can never be trusted.
"Humph," meowed Leopardstar suspiciously. "He sounded like he was up to something."
"Whenever was he not?" asked Feathertail, " I wonder if his scheme has something to do with Mistystar's capture?"
Leopardstar didn't reply.
The two walked off into the forest, following the twisting and turning path. Feathertail's mind was filled with questions, one after another. Whys and hows and lots of coulds floated around in the air. She was sure that even Leopardstar, who as lost in her own thoughts too, could hear her mind buzzing with questions.
"Feathertail," Leopardstar voice was tense, "I think we've been going around in circles."
"How come? We've been following this path," replied Feathertail.
"Look at that same gnarled tree trunk. I'm sure we've been past it before."
"Hmm," meowed Feathertail thoughtfully, "You're right."
"I'm going to scratch a cross onto this tree so that way we'll know if we've been here before." Leopardstar did so.
After a few hundred heartbeats, they came back to the same tree. Feathertail gasped, surprised at how easily they'd been fooled. "We really are going around in circles!" Her voice rose to a wail, " We're hopelessly lost in the Dark Forest! Here, were no one would even think about us being in this horrible……place!"
Chapter Three
"What do think we are going to do? Obviously we just don't follow the path. Now let me lead," Leopardstar shouldered past Feathertail and growled "Come on!" With a humph, Feathertail followed her leader. Why was Feathertail always so slow? She obviously thought I am a grumpystar, but that doesn't mean she has to be so grumpy and sharp tongued with me. thought Leopardstar
"Hey! I didn't see this fork in the path before!" meowed Feathertail excitedly.
"That's because I'm leading," grumbled Leopardstar. Really, Feathertail was so cheery she could beat a sparrow singing – that is, if she could sing. She couldn't sing, only birds and possibly Twolegs could. Lost in her thoughts, she then crashed into a bush.
"Hurry up, Leopardstar! We're losing our time for exploring!" hissed Feathertail.
Leopardstar didn't like that and retorted "Well, stop singing like a bird!" With a growl of fury, she turned around and stalked off. She could sense that Feathertail confused and wanted to say something back to her but even she knew better than to start an argument with a leader. Leopardstar felt a stab of self-satisfaction with that small victory of words.
Soon, they reached a clearing filled with cats surrounded by trees. They quickly hid themselves behind two of these disgusting under-growths and peered out from behind them. It seemed like the cats in the clearing were having a meeting of some kind. Some of the faces in the crowd looked familiar, and they scanned them with sharp eyes, gold and blue, to see what cats they knew. Feathertail was the first to spot a Lake cat they knew.
"Look! There's Icewing with Hawkfrost! They're training together. I never knew this was happening!" wailed Feathertail, clearly distressed.
"It's all right. She might be a spy for RiverClan like Ivypool is for ThunderClan"
"Let's continue along. Mistystar is obviously not here," meowed Leopardstar. She turned and headed off into the shallow undergrowth. With a sigh of exasperation, Feathertail followed. She sniffed, then stiffened. Leopardstar followed suit, and smelled a scent that she had never wanted to smell for the rest of her death years.
"Brokenstar!" she warned. Sure enough, Brokenstar appeared moments later. "Visits are over. I will show you the way out."
"That was useless!" growled Leopardstar, "and now he can visit our territory! He probably set us up to get lost. That way we can't learn anything." Brokenstar was the most obnoxious cat from the forest to the sun-drown place; from the mountains to the lake.
"Just wait. He'll get his payback." purred Feathertail.
"You still haven't told me why you are going to let Brokenstar into our hunting grounds," reminded Leopardstar. Feathertail was so forgetful she would forget she was on a patrol the minute she left camp.
"He said 'If you'll give me a tour of StarClan's hunting grounds.' Well, that is exactly what I plan on doing. I'll give him a tour on the most boring and useless places," Feathertail paused. "I'll also give long uninteresting lectures. Then I'll send him out of here like he did to us."
"Brilliant, Feathertail!" meowed Leopardstar, "Great thinking!" How had Feathertail thought of that? Well, she'd add to that. "Try to somehow get him lost in the most uninteresting place – the island in the middle of the small lake would do. Just make a bridge out of wood and lead him across, then destroy the bridge and swim away." He's such a drypaw, she thought in disgust.
Leopardstar was pleased with the praise, but she decided not to say anything. Maybe if Feathertail gave her more compliments, she would make her her personal deputy – for helping the Clans only, of course.
"Cats of StarClan!" yowled Willowstar, "Brambleberry has been attacked by one of the Dark Forest. We are suspecting that Tigerstar did the fighting while a different cat dragged someone over the border and is currently holding them hostage. Leopardstar and Feathertail, would you like to speak?"
"We were there, not when the attack happened, but at the aftermath. Feathertail and I do not know who was taken except that they are not from RiverClan."
Leopardstar felt guilty that she was lying at a Gathering, but she had no choice. She jumped down from Highrock in a graceful leap and meowed "Feathertail, would you like to speak?" Leopardstar meowed. She would probably mess up the whole lie and tell everything that had happened since the attack on Brambleberry and Mistystar.
" Well, we went into the Dark Forest to investigate the matter……." A chorus of cats started yowling "What! Why didn't you tell us? You should have discussed with the rest of StarClan first!"
"I'm sorry but there was not enough time. As I was saying…….."
Feathertail got interrupted again this time by Mossleaf, an old StarClan cat. "Are you not telling us something?" she meowed suspiciously, "Something is missing and without it, your story smells quite fishy."
"No Mossleaf," assured Feathertail, "I have told you everything – well, almost everything, and I'm going to tell you the rest of it right now."
Mossleaf sat down back on her haunches again but kept a glare on her.
"Right," meowed Feathertail, ignoring Mossleaf, "Brokenstar is going to visit StarClan in return for our visit to their home."
There was a few collective gasps but no one spoke.
"I plan on giving him a tour of some of the most boring places there are here; like the many different varieties of herbs in StarClan that grow next to the border drop-off. I will need a medicine cat sitting around just to make it convincing" The border drop-off was when the territories just fell into space: the ground just turned right into sky. Of course, StarClan could walk on it, but that wasn't the point. The point was that most cats were just afraid of the sheer drop-off, even though they couldn't die a second time. Yellowfang's voice suddenly brought her back to the present.
"I'll be the medicine cat," meowed Yellowfang. Feathertail nodded with appreciation. Leopardstar was surprised. Yellowfang was usually much grumpier than even the cat Feathertail called Grumpystar – namely, herself. And, Yellowfang was Brokenstar's mother. Hmm.
" Also I will show him WarmRocks and the pond. It would be best to have some cats fishing there. The waterfall will be shown to him also, and best of all, I will make him swim! I'll tell him he can either swim or be pushed into the water – his choice. Yellowfang will be my backup, since she'll already be with me, making sure he doesn't run away."
Yowls of approval came from the assembled cats.
"We'll fish," came the voice of some cats. Feathertail had nodded again. Leopardstar craned her neck to see who had said that.
The cats were all craning their necks and Leopardstar couldn't see over the heads of the other cats. She felt like a kit. All the other cats were so much taller than her when the ones in front of her were so much taller than her when they were all standing on their hind legs and craning their necks, so she did what they were doing.
"And Leopardstar has one last thing to tell us!" yowled Feathertail over all the cats meowing in a hurry.
Leopardstar gulped "I do?" Did Feathertail want her to tell the cats about THAT? Feathertail gave a little nod as if she knew what Leopardstar was thinking. Leopardstar burned with fury. She was a leader and Feathertail was a mere warrior! She was superior and Feathertail was a servant! Leopardstar humphed again. All eyes were on her now. "Well, Feathertail and I found Tigerstar training cats from the living clans. We suspect the Dark Forest is tricking them into training since we found Blossomfall, Birchfall, Icewing, Ivypool, Redwillow, Breezepelt, Sunstrike, Furzepaw…"
After the Gathering was over, cats clamored around Leopardstar and Feathertail. Is that really true? was the most common question.
"Enough!" yowled Willowstar, "This Gathering is over and will all of you please return to your dens!" Leopardstar headed off to her den but stopped. There was going to be a lot a whispering. Instead, Leopardstar had Feathertail follow her to a secret place where Leopardstar had found when she had just joined StarClan.
"It's beautiful!" gasped Feathertail.
"Duh," humphed Leopardstar. They had just walked into a little clearing through a flowering arch. In the middle, was a little pond filled with every kind of fish, and to the back, was a small waterfall. They were surrounded by trees and flowers.
"No one knows about this except for you and me," meowed Leopardstar proudly, "Now hurry and make your nest."
"What about you?" asked Feathertail. Leopardstar pointed her tail tip to a small cave whose only entrance was under a willow tree. When Feathertail had finally gathered enough swan feathers, they both headed into the cave. Feathertail gasped. The cave shimmered and sparkled from all the shiny things Leopardstar had put in. The cave was so small, during the day, it was flooded with green light. Leopardstar pointed to a small hole right above her comfy swan feather covered nest.
"You can see the stars," Leopardstar meowed quietly, "There's enough room for you to sleep next to me." Feathertail quickly constructed her nest and laid down and sighed softly. Of course, thought Leopardstar, rolling her eyes. Feathertail is awestruck by the beauty, once again. Then, they both lay down to sleep.
Chapter Four
Icewing woke up, stretched her matted fur and tired muscles, and yawned. It had been a long night.
"What in the name of StarClan happened?" her daughter, Petalfur, shrieked when she got a look at Icewing's pelt.
"I went night hunting and fell into a hollow full of brambles," Icewing lied. She felt bad about lying to Petalfur, but she would only tell Mistystar and Mistystar's spirit was gone somewhere. Or so says Willowshine. And then how would Icewing become a better warrior? Who knew.
"The only bramble hollow is next to the Twoleg place, and there is absolutely no prey there," meowed Petalfur suspiciously. I don't blame her. I would be suspicious if my mother claimed she fell into a hollow full of brambles, Icewing thought sadly.
"I got spooked by an owl," she invented, while she secretly slipped a long thorn into her nest. She wriggled around a bit. This felt just as bad as lying. But what could she do? Tell her daughter she'd been training all night with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost? Petalfur would tell Reedwhisker and then that would be the end of that. Well, she'd just have to hope.
"And there is this!" meowed Petalfur triumphantly, spotting the long thorn and pawing it out of the moss. "You have been sleeping on a thorn!"
"Oh! Thanks for finding that, Petalfur," Icewing meowed, feigning surprise.
"Petalfur, Icewing! It's sunhigh already and you're needed on patrol!" Graymist yowled. She was the temporary deputy for RiverClan.
"Coming," grumbled Icewing. She stood up and shook her fur. As she trotted out of her den, Willowshine walked into camp with a mouthful of catmint and saw Icewing's scratches. She shrieked, "For StarClan's sake, what happened?" She dropped her catmint and raced over to Icewing to examine her scratches. "She…..won't……go……..on…….ANY…….patrols……..today," she meowed between licks. Now that the blood was gone, the scratches didn't look so bad. Icewing followed Willowshine to the den for treatment to her scratches. While Willowshine added patches of marigold and cobweb to them, Icewing told Mothwing what had happened. Even though she was a very convincing liar and had had to lie many times before, Icewing always felt guilty. "I couldn't sleep and went night hunting," explained Icewing. "An owl spooked me and I accidently ran into a bramble pit. A thorn stuck on me while I was sleeping and after rolling around, I got these scratches."
"Hmm. No more night hunting for you. In fact, no more hunting for at least another two sunrises," meowed Mothwing.
Well, the Dark Forest is still going to keep me training. And besides, I will just be a better, tougher warrior, thought Icewing.
All day, Icewing watched patrols come and go. Even the kits were doing something more exciting than her. When dusk came, Icewing felt that she was ready to face training. Then she remembered. Her warrior assessment. Ivypool had warned her about death. She had always been a reliable friend. Would she be right again?
"There you are, Icewing!" yowled Hawkfrost, "Come over here!" Icewing nervously walked over to where the leaders were standing.
"You must fight one of us and win to become a warrior, but if you fail………" Brokenstar let his threat hang in the air. He bared his teeth and hissed impatiently. "Come on! We haven't got all night!" Icewing looked around. Hawkfrost looked smug as if he knew his own apprentice wouldn't attack him. Sadly, I agree with him, Icewing thought. He's much too good a fighter. Tigerstar was staring around at the rest of the apprentices, but Icewing could feel he had trained at least one eye on her. Darkstripe looked bored but Brokenstar looked menacing. Mapleshade growled at Icewing. Then, in the shadows, Icewing saw a old warrior she had only met once. She couldn't remember his name. Looking at the red pelt, the name came to her. Bloodfur. Icewing knew who she wanted to fight. But she would wait a little longer, just so she could have the advantage of surprise. Maggottail leered at her and inched forward a step. Time was running out. Snowtuft bunched his muscles for a leap, but before he got the chance, silently, Icewing jumped onto the distracted Bloodfur's back. I bet he didn't expect me to attack him! Icewing thought triumphantly. With a yowl, he rolled onto his back, but not before Icewing bit him on the ear.
Now at least he can't hear on one side, Icewing thought with satisfaction. But then, as Bloodfur squashed her until she felt that she would suffocate, she realized it was a fight to death. To see if you're a good enough fighter to take another's space. And the only way to do that was to kill. Icewing mustered her strength and pushed Bloodfur off her belly. She hooked her hind claws into his belly fur as he flew across the clearing and landed with a thud. Icewing was pulled along, but was in the perfect position to rake his belly. Again and again, Bloodfur yowled in agony. But he wasn't a warrior for nothing. He tried to bite Icewing on the neck, but she jerked her head out of the way and received a long scratch on her chest. In her moment of weakness, Bloodfur flipped onto his feet and pounced! He stretched out his forelegs and his paws collided with her head. Without hesitation, he jumped onto Icewing's back and tried to kill her with a bite to the neck. But Icewing sensed this coming and pushed him off her for the second time. Icewing bashed her paws against Bloodfur's head but stopped as soon as Bloodfur started stirring slightly. She didn't want to kill him if she didn't have to and besides, he could easily kill her right then if necessary. Then, spotting a tree three paces away, she raced towards it, then leaped up into its branches. Bloodfur was lying on the ground, moaning, and Icewing realized that this was her chance! She leaped from tree to tree, ignoring the pain in her muscles. Her blood continued to pour out of her chest wound and bits dripped on Bloodfur. Now he really is Bloodfur! chuckled Icewing. Her blood loss was giving her a strange sense of humor. When Bloodfur finally realized she had climbed the tree, he began to climb himself, because he knew the Dark Forest had not covered tree fighting for apprentices. Icewing was smart though, and by the time Bloodfur had climbed the tree and searched it, Icewing had made a loop to approach from behind. Looking around, Bloodfur understood Icewing's plan a second too late. Icewing flew onto him with a mighty THUMP! His claws slipped and he tumbled, ears over tail, out of the tree. Icewing jumped down and landed gracefully on top of Bloodfur. She looked at him. Fear flooded his eyes. He was too weak to fight back. Icewing knew she only had one choice. She could not fight any longer. Soon, she would faint from all the lost blood if Icewing continued fighting. She could barely stand. She looked straight into Bloodfur's amber eyes, trying to convey three words – I'm sorry, Bloodfur, then bit his throat with the killing bite. Blood poured out of the fatal wound, and his eyes spoke to her. The cats of the dark forest are evil. Do not trust them. They are trying… but before he could tell her what they were trying to do, the light faded from his eyes. Tigerstar looked at her in awe. Hawkfrost proudly meowed, "See, Brokenstar, two apprentices made warriors already and both are alive. More than you can claim."
Brokenstar glared at Hawkfrost and returned to watching Icewing. In his raspy voice, he growled, "Well, now you are a warrior, Icewing. No doubt about that."
The apprentices looked at Icewing in fear. She hated terrorizing them. Her eyes sought out Ivypool and found her with the rest of the warriors. Ivypool looked urgently at her.
"Well, go and sit with the warriors," hissed Mapleshade.
Numb with pain, Icewing went and sat with Ivypool.
"Good job," she meowed but her voice was tense. What was wrong? Ivypool began to lick Icewing's fur. Suddenly, Icewing wished Ivypool was from RiverClan. She jerked back.
"Stop," she meowed, "We are from different clans and we shouldn't be making this friendship." With a start, Icewing saw all the other cats looking at her. She had spoken too loudly. "But I had forgotten we are clanmates. Dark Forest clanmates. Since I have proved myself true to this place, we are now true clanmates," she continued. "Whoever says otherwise will get ripped to shreds." She glared at everyone, but inside, she just wanted to forget about the Dark Forest. But no. She also wanted to rip Tigerstar and Mapleshade to shreds. She wanted to wipe out the entire forest, and never see any of these evil cats again.
After the meeting, Hawkfrost caught up with the pair of them. "It is not for you to make such speeches and decisions, but you acted like what I expect all my apprentices to become – menacing, powerful leaders."
Icewing again felt like tearing him apart, but instead she meowed "I just wanted to begin a reputation."
Hawkfrost nodded and walked away. Ivypool made no comment. They kept on walking until suddenly she veered off the path.
"Ivypool, where are you going?" asked Icewing.
"Somewhere we won't be overheard," meowed Ivypool without looking back at Icewing.
Icewing was confused. What was happening? Did Ivypool want to hurt her? Ivypool led Icewing to a bramble thicket.
"In here," whispered Ivypool.
"What?" asked Icewing loudly.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" hissed Ivypool. "This way."
She led Icewing to a little opening in the midst of the thicket where they could see the old training clearing. In the middle was a cage built of thorns so tightly woven that Icewing couldn't see what was inside. Was this the "cat-in-the-brambles" Tigerstar had mentioned? If there was a cat in there, how could she breathe? Then Icewing noticed little holes for air, big enough for oxygen to get in, but small enough so that even the tiniest kit claws couldn't fit through. Thistleclaw and Sparrowfeather were guarding the thorn cage while Breezepelt threw in two dead, rotten mice and a shrew that looked like crowfood into the cage through a large hole which was immediately covered by thorns again. Whoever was in there must be very weak; that way whoever it was didn't stand a chance of clawing their way out, much less fighting, even if an apprentice purposefully walked in and let them attack first. Breezepelt went in through the hole and started clearing out moss so dirty it looked like it hadn't been changed for many moons. Then he grabbed another ball of moss, less dirty but still looking like something else had already used it, and tossed it to the cat and snarled, "Spread that yourself." Icewing watched, transfixed, as Breezepelt stalked away and the guards resumed their positions. Soon after, Shredtail and Clawface appeared to take Thistleclaw and Sparrowfeather's places. What was happening? Who was under such heavy guard? Icewing looked to Ivypool for answers, but Ivypool only shook her head and whispered, "I don't know any more than you do, except that this place is always under guard by a dead Dark Forest warrior and that every sunrise, a apprentice will come and feed them that meager meal and every three sunrises, she gets her moss changed. The cat doesn't even get to use the dirtplace!" Mystified, Icewing watched some more.
"We have to go now, Icewing," Ivypool meowed, "Meet me at the island at moonhigh tomorrow night. Now that you're a warrior, you don't have to come every time." And with that, Ivypool disappeared and Icewing was left alone. Ivypool was definitely a friend, but what was her secret? Did she know about the true intentions of the Dark Forest that Bloodfur had hinted at?
Chapter Five
Feathertail waited near the border, her tail twitching with annoyance. She was waiting for Brokenstar to show up so she could take him on the most boring tour of his life. The tour would start at the Herb Meadow, where she would briefly hand him over to the grumpy Yellowfang, who would show him the herbs (and be quite hostile to him, which she was VERY good at.) Then she would take him to the best place to hunt rabbits, then to Warmrocks. And last of all, she would walk him onto an island using a fallen tree, then leave him there, jump into the water, and swim away while a crew of cats dragged away the tree, leaving Brokenstar trapped on the island until he found the courage to jump into the water and swim to shore.
"Finally!" she grumbled as the dirty tomcat slinked into StarClan's territory.
"Brokenstar is not here, so I will take his place," meowed Tigerstar.
Why? There's something suspicious. Could he know my plan?
"This way, then," Feathertail led Tigerstar to the Herb Meadow, feeling uneasy. When they had finally trekked through the Marshland, Yellowfang looked up in surprise, "What's he doing here?" she growled.
"He took Brokenstar's place," explained Feathertail, then whispering in Yellowfang's ear, "He's up to something. Be careful."
Yellowfang nodded and led Tigerstar to the far east side of the meadow. "At this side, catmint, marigold, borage, and alder bark grow here." Yellowfang carefully pointed out important features of each plant and gave a detailed description of their uses and how to use them. "Any questions?" Looking bored to death, Tigerstar shook his head and hissed impatiently. "Next, we are going over to the southeast side of the Herb Meadow." Yellowfang continued to give slow, exaggerated lectures on plants, herbs, and anything that heals. It was sunhigh when Feathertail picked up Tigerstar who looked ready to faint from annoyance. He probably wanted to attack Yellowfang but didn't dare to with so many others around. Feathertail snickered.
" This way, Tigerstar," Feathertail meowed, mockingly, "We are now going to the Prairie of Rabbits." Feathertail slowly walked to the prairie, stopping to talk to StarClan cats, showing Tigerstar different plants, and sometimes veering off paths only to give Tigerstar a lesson on how to hunt various things. When they finally arrived, Feathertail handed him over to Tallstar, who was smiling with glee.
He probably wants to get revenge on Tigerstar for becoming the leader of ShadowClan after they drove out WindClan, and because Tigerstar helped Mudclaw, through Hawkfrost, to try and kill Onestar, thought Feathertail, This is going to get interesting.
Feathertail just couldn't wait to make Tigerstar swim in a freezing cold lake. She saw Leopardstar's dark amber eyes watching through a bramble thicket, twinkling with amusement and gave a small smile.
"Tigerstar," Feathertail meowed, "Over on the island is Warm Water Spring, which is for StarClan cats to relax and enjoy it."
Feathertail nimbly jumped onto the prepared tree ran to the other side. Grumbling how this was a complete mistake, Tigerstar followed reluctantly. Feathertail led Tigerstar over to the spring talking about the history of it.
"Now, lay down here and close your eyes, it is very comfortable," instructed Feathertail. As soon as Tigerstar closed his eyes, Feathertail slid into the water and swam away without a single splash. A group of cats appeared and with great difficulty, dragged the tree onto the mainland. Everyone dissapeared into the bushes, abandoning Tigerstar who in meantime had fallen asleep.
A half-moon had passed since the visit from Tigerstar who had plucked up the courage to jump into the water. Shivering, he clumsily paddled across the lake. Feathertail snickered at the memory. Tigerstar strictly trained members of the Dark Forest in water battle, but he himself couldn't even swim! Why would he all of a sudden decide to train in something he obviously didn't think was worth learning himself? She lay in her nest, listening to the quiet breathing of Leopardstar, thinking.
Feathertail bolted straight up from her nest. "That's it!" she hissed. Grumbling, Leopardstar stretched lazily. "Can't a cat get any sleep around here?"
"Leopardstar! It is the Dark Forest who captured Mistystar!" exclaimed Feathertail.
Wide awake now, Leopardstar listened intently. Pacing back and forth, Feathertail meowed, "You saw how badly Tigerstar swam. The day that we visited them, they were training, in water! Tigerstar didn't learn swimming probably because he didn't think he would ever need to use it. But now, he is training cats to fight with other cats in water. There is only one clan Tigerstar can attack who can also swim. RiverClan. They will attack soon, when their leader is gone. When is it a coincidence that the Dark Forest decides to train their apprentices water battle only a few sunrises before Mistystar is captured?"
"You're right, Feathertail! I can't believe I didn't think of that. But we didn't see Mistystar in the Dark Forest when we visited."
"They must have hid her. We need to have a contact in the Dark Forest, but who is reliable? The only spy we know for sure is Ivypool, but she's ThunderClan. So we need Spottedleaf, she's the only ThunderClan cat who's actually not hostile to us."
"Can't we get some sleep first?" grumbles Leopardstar crankily, now that her burst of excitement was over.
"Yes," sighed Feathertail. And they both slept.
Written by Moonshade (Mulan) and Rainyshadow (Maya Chan)


text:
Modern homes are pressed for space, especially those that are parts of big cities. So, contemporary homeowners need furniture that is at once modish, lightweight and capable of giving the space an airy feel. Furniture placement plays a key role in designing a comfortable home. Today, we are focusing on the living room furniture placement. The ideas that we will share with you in a short time will help you relieve some of the clutters of your living room.
You need your living room to look spectacular. Don't you? This is the space that is frequented by your guests. The décor of your lounge area reveals a lot about your tastes as well as your housekeeping habits. A dingy living room never gives good impressions about your home. A well decorated space also gives security and comfort to those who come to meet you for the first time.
A dingy living room traps suspended dust particles easily. An uncluttered room is easier to maintain and is also more hygienic for those occupying it. Proper layout helps in easier flow of light. Consequently, it makes the room appear larger and more cheerful.
Before you choose any particular living room furniture layout, you must make a thorough assessment of the available space. Use a measuring tape to avoid any mistakes. Note down the measurements on a piece of paper. Don't forget about leaving sufficient white space in the room. This helps to make the space look and feel more comfortable and breezy. Besides, you or your guests don't bump into the furniture every time you move around.
Use carpenter's tape to mark the areas where you plan to have various pieces of furniture. This will tell you if you are leaving enough elbow room in your living room. Make layouts on paper before trying out in reality. You may use colored pencils to give your sketches the exact appearance you intend to have in reality. Make several experiments with the layout before settling for one.
Order furniture having precise dimensions of the space they are going to fill in. You may need to have custom built furniture if your requirements are too stringent. While ordering online, find out the details of the dimensions in the product description. If you are visiting a brick and mortar establishment, then carry your measuring tape with you with the piece of paper that has all the details of the layout of your living room. Mistakes in this regard could turn out to be costly. You may consider hiring an experienced interior designer to do all of these for you.
While setting up a living room, try not to interrupt the flow of natural light. Don't block the windows with furniture. Apart from the layout, keep in mind the color scheme of the room while going for furniture shopping. Keep in mind your lifestyle and habits while choosing an ideal layout for your living room. If you frequently host parties in this space, then your requirements will be slightly different from someone who uses it for family gatherings occasionally.
Modern living rooms also double up as home offices at times. If you have any such requirements, make sure you have peaceful corner free for setting up a home office. If, on the other hand, you are planning to design a media room in the same area, then concentrate on making the space acoustically sound.
Rules for arranging living room furnitures do not exist per se. Keeping in mind your requirements helps. Try to be flexible and open for experimentations to strike the right balance between style and comfort.
It is common to opt for traditional sofas with matching armchairs in living rooms. But that's not the only option for you. You may consider having day beds, chaise lounges, divan beds or upholstered benches in this space as well. Owners of small apartments using this space as guest rooms can have trundle beds placed in the living room as well. Use stylish cushions to deck the sofas or the sofa alternatives you have in this room. This will make the décor more refreshing and comfortable for everyone.
Similarly, bulky armchairs can be replaced with trendy lightweight modern chairs. Ottomans and pouffes are some of the other alternatives you may consider exploring. Place a reclining chair in one of the empty corners of the room. You may loll on it with a book in hand when you have a bit of time you invest in yourself. Consider investing in iconic mid-century modern furniture like Charles and Ray Eames chairs, Eero Saarinen armchairs, Arne Jacobsen Egg chair or any of their modern versions. You living room will literally light up in their presence.
Open plan architecture combines living room, kitchen and dining area in the same space. It makes a home feel more spacious. It helps you to have an uninhibited social interaction with your guests even when you are busy in the kitchen. However, open plan architecture does not suit everybody. With this layout, it is impossible to maintain the privacy of the kitchen and dining room. For busy homeowners, it might be difficult to keep the dining area and kitchen scrupulously clean every day of the week. But open plan architecture exposes these parts of your home to the outsiders. So there remains no hiding place to tuck the previous day's soiled plates in.
Feng shui suggests decorating a brightly lit living room. Well lit rooms look cheery and feel comfortable for those inhabiting the rooms. Try not to make seating arrangements under heavy beams. Feng shui believes that this makes homeowners burdened with worries and anxieties. Ideally, your lounge area should have a regular square or rectangular shape. Don't place the sofa in front of the doors. It makes you feel insecure and spoils your relationship with your guests.
There are plenty of ways of arranging sofas in your room. You may place it in the middle of the room to give it an expansive feel. Generally, people invest in one three seater sofa and complement it with two armchairs. The chairs could be placed on either side of the sofa or on one side of it. However, a large living room layout could be slightly different. You have the opportunity of investing in two sofas which you may place parallel to each other or in right angle to each other.
While planning a small living room set up, avoid investing in large sofas that may cause clutter in the room. The same applies for the coffee table. Coffee table with sufficient storage space would be ideal for a small home.
Your living room needs something more than sofas, coffee tables and armchairs. In a reasonably sized room, you have the opportunity of investing in stylish side tables. You can decorate the table tops with small works of art, flower vases with fresh flowers, table lamps etc. Side tables also increase the storage space of your home. Choose glass top table for a small room. This would prevent it from looking cramped. Don't forget to buy a chic rug for this space. Choose rugs according to the décor of the room. Modern living rooms are best decorated with rugs having geometric motifs or the monochromatic ones. Classical rugs are suitable for a spacious room with a retro style or classical décor.
Check out these living rooms full of personality.


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through-block demolition also visible at 62 West 37th Street
both properties were purchased by Hidrock:
The parking garage is being demolished, to be replaced with a hotel.
source: http://www.parkme.com/lot/112767/59-...k-ny-10001-usa
Demolition status as of 5 Jan 2014:
Property was purchased by Hidrock Realty about one year ago: http://commercialobserver.com/2013/0...age-for-28-5m/
through-block demolition also visible at 62 West 37th Street
both properties were purchased by Hidrock:
This area has so many beautiful buildings. It would be nice if they built something decent.
Hotels going up midblock in this area you pretty much have to expect them to be Poons and Kaufmans nowadays.
I never thought I'd see a poon that I didn't like. I love poon.
"Proposed garage"?! Are they seriously planning on demolishing those pre-war buildings, at least one of them a highrise, for a three story garage? Even if demolishing historical buildings makes them happy, how is this an economically viable way to use this land? What about community boards? Yes, I understand that their main fight is to turn Manhattan into a low density suburb and they could care less about meaningful aesthetics issues like streetwall or historical preservation, but you'd hope that even they would have something to say about this plan.
If only. Low-density suburbs from before WWII are charming, wonderful places. The putrid version of NYC coming to fruition in the Garment District and elsewhere thanks to Poon, Kaufman, O'Hara and developers like Chang, Macklowe, Moinian and the many small-timers is a land of cheap-o roach motels that belong, architecturally, at an interstate pit stop (only turned on their sides to be vertically rather than horizontally oriented). Even the average low-density suburb wouldn't do that to itself.
In fact they're completely opposite types of hotels; one being cheap roadside motels with no amenities, standard design and geared towards drivers and the other being expensive urban towers with amenities, non-standard design, and no provisions for drivers.
Also, pretty sure they're demolishing a 2 story garage and replacing with a 3 story garage. It's quite possible there's some sort of crappy zoning they're trying to work around. These places are not setup to turn a profit if the lot turns into a ULURP shitshow.
view from 37th Street
view from 36th Street


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Boehner: RNC should be shorter
TAMPA, Fla. — Republicans should shorten their convention and cut their party platform to one page, Speaker John Boehner said Monday.
Boehner, who is also the chairman of the Republican National Convention, said that the massive party conventions have become too costly, and the party platform is so long that no one reads it.
"I think these are very expensive propositions to put on," Boehner said at a lunch sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. "I think given as much news as people get today, and the way they get their news, I'm not sure that having a four day convention for the future makes a lot of sense."
The comments came as Republicans are wrestling with how to handle the hurricane that's heading toward Louisiana and Mississippi. The party has already had to condense the convention to three days, ditching a host of speakers and complicating related events.
Boehner, though, declined to get specific regarding his party should adjust its schedule to deal with the optics of a storm slamming into the Gulf Coast while Republicans are partying in Tampa.
"I think the RNC and the Romney campaign are clearly concerned about people's safety, clearly concerned about those who may be more affected than we are here in Tampa by the storm," Boehner said. "So I'm confident the RNC and the Romney campaign will continue to monitor this and make the appropriate decisions."
But he didn't want to talk specifics.
"I think it'll be up to the RNC and the Romney campaign to make appropriate decisions," he said.
Boehner, who has been racing across the country collecting millions of dollars for House Republicans, said he has not yet read his party's platform but thinks its too long.
"If it were up to me, I'd have the platform on one sheet of paper," Boehner said. "Have you ever met anybody who has read the party platform? I've not ever met anybody. It ought to be on one sheet of paper. And guess what? I was on this kick about at least eight or 12 years ago that we ought to have a one-page party platform, and that way Americans could actually read it. Might be willing to — might."


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Being great with people, friendly, empathetic, funny and caring, isn't just a great way to make friends. Within your career if you can show fantastic people skills it could be a sign that you are capable of having a long and successful career in your vocation.
To progress through the ranks in any company and career it is imperative that you stand out from the crowd. Not only in job interviews to gain a new job role, but also internally for promotions, in your day-to-day attitude and approach to work and with how you interact with others. Successful companies are always looking internally for future leaders and if you have good people skills you might be singled out as a potential business leader of the future.
There are three key symptoms of a good communicator, those with the people skills to make a difference. Firstly it will help you stand out as we have just mentioned. If you have the ability to look someone straight in the eye and make a good first impression you will be in a good place to progress in your career (if you can back those people skills up with results in the workplace of course).
Secondly, someone with good people skills in the office will have the ability to communicate with their team effectively and see real progress as a result. A good communicator will understand exactly what their job role is and see an improvement in his or her own results. When they can also explain to colleagues when required, or be a shoulder to lean on for support the whole team can begin to improve collectively as each individual's progress continues.
The third point is that those with good people skills are often inspiring, and become natural leaders in a working environment before they are bestowed with the honour of being names as a leader of the workplace. If you can gain the respect of your peers through performance and likeability, you will make a steady career progression.
There are ways in which you can help yourself to become better with your people skills. Look for training courses that offer personal communication development and communication tips. Always look for ways to improve in the workplace itself, looking to talk with your superiors one on one for tips on your own skillsets. Being willing and able to learn from your mistakes and to be proactive rather than reactive in how you learn to add another string to your working bow, will go a long way to helping you stand out from the crowd and be ripe for the picking when the next vacancy opens at managerial level.
Having good people skills is partly instinctive but it can be taught, and with practice could be the vital missing piece of the jigsaw of your career. Put in the hard work, look to inspire others and to gain respect and you could see a steady progress through the managerial ranks at your chosen career.


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State-run company remains largest insurer in state despite efforts to slim it down
Despite aggressive efforts to kick people out of state-run Citizens Property Insurance in 2012, the company is closing the year down just 9 percent from a record-high number of customers.
Citizens' persistently large scale — it remains by far Florida's largest property insurer with 1.34 million policies, including 90,000 in Sarasota and Manatee Counties — is often attributed to a cap on price increases. But some believe it exposes a more fundamental problem with Florida's private property insurance market: Lack of confidence.
Efforts to shrink Citizens are bound to fail until insurance agents and homeowners have more faith in the many small start-up insurers that have popped up across Florida in recent years, critics say.
State regulators need to crack down on these companies to restore confidence in the market and "call a spade a spade, call a weak insurance company a weak insurance company," said state Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami.
But Citizens board members and executives were more inclined to blame insurance agents Friday for shuttling too many customers into the company without properly shopping the policies around to private insurers.
Citizens CEO Barry Gilway — who had been pursuing a controversial plan to loan $350 million of the company's surplus to private insurers who take policies out of Citizens — abruptly reversed course this week, putting the loan program on hold until next year. Instead, Gilway said he plans to develop a computer system that forces agents to ensure every effort is made to place policies in the private market before going with Citizens.
"The current depopulation program simply is not working as effectively as originally envisioned," Gilway told Citizens board members Friday.
More than 277,000 Citizens policies have been assumed by private insurers this year, but the "take outs" have been offset by the large number of new customers that continue to pour into Citizens.
Efforts to drive customers away by increasing rates, reducing coverage and stripping away hurricane mitigation discounts also appear to have had little impact.
Floridians will get another reminder of how fragile the state's private insurers are next year when insurance policies statewide are hit with a 1 percent increase to pay the claims of failed Tampa-based Homewise Insurance.
The average homeowner will pay an extra $20 next year to cover $142 million in unpaid claims resulting from the failure of Homewise in 2011.
Homewise also serves as a reminder that state-run Citizens is not the only insurer that triggers special taxes on insurance policies if it runs out of money to pay claims.
Private insurers also end up costing state residents when they fail, a fact that helped drive criticism of the controversial $350 million loan program.
Gilway said he is delaying moving forward with the loan program because of a lack of interest.
But critics said the plan was fundamentally flawed for another reason: Many of Florida's weak private insurers are in worse financial shape than Citizens, according to some analysts, so transferring policies could still leave state residents on the hook for big assessments if the private companies fail.
"All of Florida pays into" the guarantee fund for private insurers, said Artiles, the Miami legislator. "It's the safety net for all of these companies that have a high propensity and do go under due to a storm or mismanagement or whatever the case may be."
The question of whether state officials are actually improving the overall health of Florida's property insurance market by transferring policies out of Citizens continues to dog not just the loan program but the entire effort to shrink the state-run company.
Gov. Rick Scott and many state leaders argue Citizens is underfunded and represents a huge financial risk to the state because it may not have enough money to pay claims after a hurricane, triggering assessments on insurance policies statewide.
Floridians are still paying a 1 percent assessment to cover losses Citizens suffered during the 2004-05 storm seasons.
But Citizens has been building reserves at a much faster pace than private insurers and keeps getting stronger, even as insurers like Homewise fail and trigger assessments.
The state's insurance guarantee fund has levied five assessments over the last seven years to pay claims when private insurers fail.
Independent analysts say many of the state's private insurers remain dangerously weak and are likely to fail in a major storm.
Gavin Magor, a senior financial analyst with Wiess Ratings of Jupiter, said in an email that his company "estimates that there would be a very strong likelihood of failures in the event a severe hurricane strikes Florida."
Magor said transferring policies out of Citizens is not a magic bullet for improving Florida's insurance market. The biggest problem is that Florida's insurers are woefully undercapitalized with minimal reserves, he said. The companies buy large amounts of pricey reinsurance and have very small financial cushions, leaving them vulnerable to insolvency even when hurricanes stay away.
Florida has not been hit by a hurricane in seven years, an unprecedented stretch without a storm. Homewise got in to trouble not from wind and rain, but because the company was too exposed in sinkhole-prone areas.
Homewise is at least the eighth Florida property insurer to become insolvent since 2004, and at least the 11th when counting multiple insurers that were under one holding company separately. Other weak companies were purchased or merged before going broke, thereby avoiding liquidation.
Florida home insurers have failed in six of the last nine years.
That track record has made many homeowners and insurance agents leery of doing business with the small start up insurers. It also is one reason why 30 percent of Citizens customers who were approached this year to have their policy taken over by a private company refused.
Some insurance agents and homeowners continue to feel more comfortable with Citizens.
Customers "rely upon us to look out for their financial interests," Sarasota insurance agent Rick Greene wrote in an email. "Along comes a company, sometimes with questionable reserves . . . Questions arise about who is the new company, and who is to pay for claims."
Critics say efforts to shrink Citizens have not been accompanied by a similar push to restore confidence in the private insurance market.
Gilway argued Friday that the opposite is true: That Citizens actually went too far in trying to gain the public's confidence in the loan program and set the bar too high for companies to participate.
"We remained fairly rigid in our financial requirements," Gilway said, adding that safeguards "while they benefited Citizens significantly, were considered to be very onerous from the perspective of" the private insurers.


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A birthday bash is in progress with the grand old Cashapillar celebrating a century. Fitting for this joyous occasion is the exceptionally big jackpot to the tune of 6 million that is waiting to be won on this 5 reel, 100 payline (yes 100) slot game. Inviting all to this fanfare is the well designed layout and the incredibly uplifting music playing in the background.
Cashapillar symbols
There is b'day boy the Cashapillar inviting his friends for the party amid the lush green night settings. Ladybugs, snails, wasps and bugs will present lots of gifts to the player along with the poker symbols from ten to Ace. The guest of honour pays the most with 1,000 coins for 5 of them on the reels.
Caratteristiche del gioco
Cashapillar is the biggest fixed jackpot non progressive slot game ever. With a 5 reel, 100 payline from Microgaming you can win up to 6 million coins during the free spins, wilds and multipliers that keep gifting you wins for every spin.
Wild: Cashapillar logo is the most important of all the symbols. Being stacked on all the 5 reels, means greater winning prospects when playing on all the 100 paylines. A cool 2 million coins for betting max is yours to grab when it substitutes for all other symbols. All the wins are doubled for wild wins.
Scatter: The best part of any party is the scatter Birthday Cake which triggers the 15 free spins and a 3x multiplier. A wild substitution during free spins will add a 6x multiplier to all the wins. Bet max to land the biggest jackpot of 6 million coins.
Gamble Feature: Add to your winnings by correctly guessing the card colour to double the total wins.
Puntata minima / massima per giro (£ / $ / €): 0.01 & 0.02
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Pensieri conclusivi
Immensely big jackpot in millions will excite any slot player. The endless chance given during base and free games makes the prospect of winning this jackpot a happening event. Keep spinning and let the Cashapillar slot game take you on a whirlwind tour of wins and rewards.


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"Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers play a key role for us in driving business growth by providing extremely high performance and quality."
Huinan, Ren, Manager, IT Department, AXA Tianping Property Insurance
Tianping Insurance was founded in 2004 as the first company to offer professional auto insurance in China. Today it is one of China's biggest insurance companies and a market leader in the field of auto insurance. In addition to auto insurance, the company covers enterprise property insurance, cargo insurance, health insurance and more. Currently it is also striving to become a pioneer in the field of internet insurance.
In 2014, Tianping Insurance merged with global insurance leader AXA and has expanded its operations to over 62 branches across China with more than 6,000 employees, servicing 4 million customers.
Read the full Axa Tianping Insurance case study (182 KB/A4, 2 pages)
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Orphaned camera returned to rightful traveler by 56,000 Facebook users
For the past two days, users of Facebook and Reddit have been on a manhunt for an unfortunate traveler whose misplaced camera wound up in the obliging hands of one Roland Van Gogh, a social-media-savvy Dutchman determined to find the camera's owner.
Van Gogh, whose father-in-law found the camera containing almost 3,000 photos at a train station in Amsterdam, uploaded a photo of the unnamed ginger-haired, bearded owner on his Facebook page on Monday.
The post on his Facebook wall read: "My father in law found a red Nikon Coolpix camera on 2012-06-20 in the train at the station Amsterdam Amstel in the Netherlands. His photos show a trip throughout Europe from about 2012-05-07. Since 2012-06-15 he stayed in Amsterdam. We would like to give him back the camera and the photos. Please Like, Share and spread this photo around so we can give him back his camera! Thanks!"
With the speed characteristic to Facebook wall updates, several other social media websites made common cause with Van Gogh and circulated the now quasi-famous viral photo.
"This could use more drama. Threaten to erase a picture every 10 minutes until the owner is found," commented Reddit user redhousebythebog.
But it didn't take such drastic measures -- two days and more than 56,000 shares later, Van Gogh posted the good news, saying "Looks like we found him!" and "It's a guy from Canada who is on a trip through Europe."
The owner -- at this juncture still as anonymous as it is possible to be in the age of social media -- is reported to be overjoyed at the prospect of being reunited with his long-lost Nikon.
Owners of lost cameras who now have a flicker of hope after reading this: websites like www.camerafound.com or www.ifoundyourcamera.net offer services to reunite lost cameras with their owners.
More on CNNGo: James Durston: Photography has ruined travel


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A driver opened fire on a crowd of people surrounding the tour bus of rapper French Montana after a concert in Philadelphia, killing one person and injuring another, according to police.
The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday as the entourage had arrived at a hotel near Penn's Landing after the rapper had headlined a sold-out show at the Theatre of Living Arts. Philadelphia police Chief Inspector Scott Small said a crowd formed around the bus, a car pulled up and someone began shooting.
"A large crowd of fans, as well as some of the entourage, were loitering and just hanging out," Small told reporters. He said one man may have fired back.
A 27-year-old man was hit in the abdomen and later pronounced dead at a hospital; another man was hit in the shoulder. Their names haven't been released.
Investigators were still questioning several people about the shooting Friday, but no arrests were announced, said Officer Tanya Little, a police spokeswoman. Investigators said they don't think the rapper or his entourage were targeted and neither victim appeared to be with the rapper's group.
The Moroccan-born rapper, who is scheduled to play Brighton Music Hall in Boston on Friday night, posted a photo on Twitter showing a police officer interviewing a person after the shooting. He also posted photos of himself with Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill at the show. The New York artist is touring to promote his upcoming debut album, "Excuse My French," which features Nicki Minaj.
Last month, three people were killed and five injured in a shootout and crash on the Las Vegas strip; police think that shootout may have started as an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino the same night French Montana was playing at Aria's signature nightclub, Haze.


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Malformed desmin proteins aggregate with intact proteins of the same kind, thereby triggering skeletal and cardiac muscle diseases, the desminopathies. This was discovered by researchers from the RUB Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen led by PD Dr. Hendrik Milting in an interdisciplinary research project with colleagues from the universities in Karlsruhe, Wrzburg and Bielefeld. They report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
One defective gene is enough
Desmin normally forms stabilizing filaments inside of the cells. Different mutations in the DES gene, which contains the blueprint for the protein, induce different muscle diseases. Since chromosomes are always present in pairs, each cell has two DES genes on two different chromosomes. The desminopathies break out even if only one of the DES genes is mutated. With Photo Activation Localization Microscopy (PALM), the interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Milting revealed the mechanism behind this.
Making mutated and intact proteins visible
If one DES gene is mutated and one intact, a cell produces both malformed and normal proteins. Since not only the mutant desmin proteins clump together, but also the intact exemplars are incorporated into the aggregates, one defective DES gene is enough to trigger the disease. Using the PALM microscope, the researchers attach two different fluorescent molecules to the mutant and the intact proteins. They can turn these markers on and off by laser, effectively flashing them. From the "snapshots" of the intact and the mutated proteins, the computer then calculates a joint picture on which both protein variants can be seen. PALM is a novel microscopy technique that can achieve ten times higher resolution than conventional light microscopy.
Further research projects
In the next step, the research group would like to find out how mutations in the DES gene trigger what is termed arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, ARVC for short. This rare heart muscle disease is characterized by a severe defect especially to the right ventricle and by heart rhythm problems that can lead to sudden cardiac death due to defects in the cell-cell contacts.
|Contact: PD Dr. Hendrik Milting
Ruhr-University Bochum