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Combat in Batman: Arkham Origins is an engaging, exciting pastime. The sheer volume of options available and the ability to interlink these abilities is useful ways is truly staggering.
It's helpful to think of each group of opponents not as single enemies, but rather part of a single larger organism. Since your life meter is tied to the amount of damage you take in an encounter, and since encounters do not end until every enemy in a group is defeated, this approach can be helpful. It's not any single thug you're working to overcomes, but rather the gang, a series of moving parts, each with a different weak point.
The two most fundamental skills in Batman combat are comboing and Countering.
Comboing is easy to understand in principle.Players build combos as they deliver unblocked blows and avoid taking damage. Every successful attack builds one point on the combo meter. Being struck, striking a shielded or armored foe with an ineffective attack, or waiting too long to strike again all break a combo. Countering adds to combos, and Evasion and Cape Stuns do not interrupt combos.
Building your combo meter enables special maneuvers, including useful group takedowns, group stuns, and other tricks gained through experience. Comboing also charges your Shock Gloves more quickly.
Countering is the single most essential skill in Batman. When an enemy attacks, you'll see a brief blue flash of color above their heads. Tapping the counter button initiates a counter-move, typically a block and counterattack. Counters preserve combos and prevent damage. They are an essential element of most boss fights, and absolutely imperative for surviving combat encounters.
Countering is also sometimes a QTE-prompt element of cinematic battles. A message will sometimes appear mid-scene ordering you to initiate a Counter. Failure to do so usually results in damage.
Evasion is the primary method of escaping enemies making red-flash attacks. These unblockable assaults must be dodged. Evasion causes Batman to spin out of the way of attacks. Evading toward an enemy often allows Batman to flip behind and attack them from the rear.
Armored enemies are not vulnerable to standard attacks, though they may be countered. To open their defenses, perform a Cape Stun or Ultra Cape Stun, dizzying them and allowing Batman to unleash a flurry of blows. Be careful during these Beatdowns to Counter attacks from behind.
Shielded enemies are vulnerable to a frontal Aerial Attack maneuver, which strips the enemy of his shield.
Takedowns are finishing moves. While Takedowns are not necessary to defeat some enemies, they are the quickest and most effective way to disable a foe. Standard takedowns come in several forms.
Enemies can and will recover dropped weapons. This is especially important to keep in mind when fighting foes equipped with Firearms.
EditCriminal Minds
Ordinary criminals are open to all attacks, and attack with their fists, Blunt Weapons, Knives, Firearms, Stun Batons, Shields, or Sniper Rifles.
Armored Criminals may use any weapon, and are immune to normal melee attacks.
Martial Artists are enemies with advanced hand to hand combat training. They can be Cape Stunned and comboed off of, but attack aggressively and must be countered quickly. Defeating them may require a Double Counter.
Enforcers are cartoonishly immense criminals. They require a huge number f blows to bring down. They can grab Batman, inflicting damage until he shakes free. Thugs are vulnerable to Cape Stuns.
Venom-powered criminals use their fists to attack. They are immune to normal attacks and can grab and pummel Batman. Countering a Venom-powered criminal allows you to break their feed of Venom, weakening them significantly.
Blunt weapons wielded by criminals include bats and thrown boxes. Blunt weapons deal more damage than fists, have greater range, and can stun Batman, rendering him vulnerable to more attacks.
Knives increase the range and deadliness of an enemy's attack. Batman can avoid Knives by executing a Blade Dodge.
Swords function like knives, but with greater reach and damage.


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note Flame The only reason I have for not encrypting the rest of the data is that I don't feel it's necessary as nothing after the password is confidential. My biggest concern is the extra CPU time required to encrypt the trivial information.

My code doesn't have bugs, it just develops random features.

Flame

 307543 307592

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Imagine your brand up on the big screen as guests settle in to enjoy their movie night.
A combination of well-placed ads and exclusive content that ranges from behind-the-scenes interviews with movie stars to one-on-one chats with Canadian musicians to trivia and home entertainment news, the Pre-Show provides an efficient and effective way to be on the big screen.
POD 1 delivers your ad mingled amongst entertaining content within 12 minutes to the start of Cineplex TimePlay.
POD 2, an even more efficient method of getting on the big screen, delivers your message between 25 - 12 minutes to the start of Cineplex TimePlay.
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Our Cineplex VIP Cinemas off guests an intimate an sophisticated night out with luxurious reserved seats, great food and exceptional service.
With only the Pre-Show and limited Show-Time ads available in these exclusive theatres your message truly stands out and reaches a highly targetedm affluent adult audience.
From experiential campaigns like wine tastings and special nights to more traditional advertising, the VIP experience not only caters to our guests, but our valued advertising partners as well.
Move beyond a simple ad with custom content! Cineplex Media is happy to work with you to create content that integrates your product into the entertainment experience. Whether it's a specially scripted segment in the Pre-Show, a skinned Cineplex.com microsite, Cineplex Magazine advertorial or a trivia quiz in Cineplex TimePlay - all of which can be supported via our social channels - Cineplex's in-house production studio will see your project through from concept to final edit.


text:
BigOven Pro required (try it free)
Notice a categorization error? Let us know by clicking [alert editor] on the recipe page, in the ingredients box.
Wild Rice & Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
kosher salt, divided
Pumpkin Beer Pretzels with Chipotle Queso
Vegan Black Bean and Squash Chili
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salmon Filet with Brown Sugar and Kosher Salt
Charred Broccoli Salad
Hot and Spicy Chili
Cheesy Zucchini Roasted Corn Tacos With Mango S...
Flag Cake
Spicy Maple Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Smoky...
Lemon-garlic Shrimp Skewers
Peppers with Two Cheeses and Vegetable Confetti
Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Lemon and ...
Blueberry Brown Betty
White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Spicy Baked Chicken Wings
Autumn Chicken Escabeche with Roasted Apples an...
Chocolate Strawberry Galette (Gluten Free + Pal...
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Strawberry Shortcake Bars (Gluten Free, Paleo +...
Harvest Tomato and Butternut Squash Dal
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Egg & Edamame Brown Rice Bowl


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Indians sign reliever Dan Wheeler
The Cleveland Indians announced yesterday afternoon that they signed reliever Dan Wheeler to a minor league deal. The 34-year old Wheeler is a 12-year veteran right-hander who has spent most of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent last season with the Boston Red Sox, going 2-2, with a 4.38 ERA, while striking out 39 batters and walking only eight in 49 1/3 innings pitched.
The move adds potential solid depth to an already stout bullpen, as Wheeler has proven to be a highly effective in his 12 seasons in many different roles. While he has closed some (43 saves in his career), his strength has always been against right-handed hitters. Righties have only hit .218 against him lifetime, while striking out nearly 386 batters against only 92 walks.
The issue for Wheeler may be the lack of slots available. At best, he'll be fighting for two spots, and it may only be one. He'll be going up against some of the brightest prospects in the Tribe's minor league organization, as Nick Hagadone, Chen Lee and Frank Hermann are all making major league noise. That said, Manny Acta may give players like Wheeler and Chris Ray a close look to add a veteran presence on the major league roster.
Overall, Wheeler is sporting a 3.88 ERA, with 553 strike outs in 623 innings pitched. He had a nice season for Boston last year, but his season was cut short with a sore forearm in early September. Wheeler declined arbitration from the Red Sox, which now seems to be an odd move, since it cost him $3 million in guaranteed money, leaving him with a minor league contract, and a non-roster invite to spring training with the Tribe.
While it's certainly not a move that's going to blow the doors off any Tribe fans, it's another subtle move to continue to add solid support to a team that should continue to contend in 2012. Prince Fielder this is not folks, but a nice little move nonetheless.
Thanks for all the well-wishers over the past few months. I'm feeling healthy again, and should be back in the swing over the next few weeks. Check out the IPI Winter Ball Recap, going up later today!
Jim is currently the senior editor and Columnist, as well as the host of IBI's weekly online radio shows, Smoke Signals and Cleveland Sports Insiders. You can follow Jim on Twitter @Jim_IBI, or contact him via e-mail at email@example.com.


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Originally posted by Utopia2012
Within recent history people have suggested that the "Gods" were actually extraterrestrials. This theory has been highlighted in a number of academic papers.
Grünschloß, Andreas (June 2006), ""Ancient Astronaut" Narrations: A Popular Discourse on Our Religious Past" The marburg journal of religion (Philipps University of Marburg, Germany)


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Story last updated at 5/9/2012 - 1:17 pm
I am from tall trees where bears roam in the woods.
I am from dreams long ago
with bees and butterflies humming in my heart.
I am from cooking with my mom
sweet smells are coming out of the oven.
I am from a salty ocean
where the whales and dolphins swim.
I am from planting seeds in the garden with my mom
where the flowers will grow as tall as they can.
I am from food of all kinds
like moose meat and tacos.
I am from books of dogs and cats.
I am from Gustavus where the wild animals live.
I am from the merry-go-round that is now gone
but not forgotten.
I am from the words that I've learned through my life
that I will never forget
and my mama saying "You're learning to read!"
I am from snacks of all colors
Like crackers and cheese, apples, oranges and broccoli.
I am from playing in the ditches
in the summer and spring with Linnea and Iris.
I am from libraries with books of all kinds
Like "fiction" and "nonfiction" which means
"Not true" and "true".
I am from drinks of all colors
Yellow lemonade, clear water, red highbush cranberry,
orange juice, and white milk.
I am from the best school ever!
I am from trying to keep up with my dad skiing in the Crane Flats.
I am from the Mountains of Ignorance with Penelope
Trapped up in the Castle in the Sky.
I am from beautiful princesses named Rhyme and Reason.
I am from the whole world where I live.
Yarrow Platt is a
second-grader in Gustavus.


text:
Having problems with your Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D IS Digital Camera ?
When i take a picture a err99 comes up and says turn camera on and off or take battery out and reinsert
Answers :
Error 99 comes in canon when the lens contacts are dirty, remove the lens from body and clean the golden contacts ,with a pencil rubber eraser, both on the camera and the lens as well.there is a firmware update for 1000d recently released, available free on canon site, with detailled instruction ho to upgrade camera firmware.\012\012
if you find problem to upgrade just comment i will try to help.
even if this dosent solve try a different lens and see whether it is ok.
if at a rare case this dosent solve your problem the internal flexible strip inside camera is broken and needs professional service from canon or good repaire center
if you find problem to upgrade just comment i will try to help.
even if this dosent solve try a different lens and see whether it is ok.
if at a rare case this dosent solve your problem the internal flexible strip inside camera is broken and needs professional service from canon or good repaire center
Repair Help & Product Troubleshooting for Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D IS Digital Camera
Tips for a great answer:- Provide details, support with references or personal experience .
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box .
- It's 100% free, no registration required.
Suggested Questions/Answers :
When i take a picture a err99 comes up and says turn camera on and off or take battery out and reinsert
Error 99 comes in canon when the lens contacts are dirty, remove the lens from body and clean the golden contacts ,with a pencil rubber eraser, both on the camera and the lens as well.there is a firmware update for 1000d recently released, available ... Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D IS Digital Camera
Panasonic DMC-LS2 camera. Whenever I turn the camera on to take a picture it says turn it off and then on again. I have changed batteries, etc. I can look at the pictures stored in the camera, change settings, etc. but when it comes to taking a picture no go.
Is the lens extending at all? There may be some grit stopping the lens extending. Remove all cards, save any photos stored on the camera then enter the menu and perform a reset on the camera. Report back on the above please. ... Panasonic Digital Cameras
I have a Polaroid Impulse QPS and it won't turn on anymore. Usually to take photos I open the flash and a little red light comes on next to the button that you press to take a picture. In a couple seconds it turns to green and I can take the picture, but all of a sudden the light stopped going on at all. so when I press the button, nothing happens. I was thinking maybe it's a battery problem, but I can't figure out where to put batteris in the camera! I got it used, so I've never done it be
... Digital Cameras
Negative effect. I've had my Canon Powershot S3 1S for over a year now. The other day I was taking pictures and it was working fine. I turn it off and set it down. I come back later, turn it on again and the screen shows has white lines that keep flicking over it. I turn it off and take the batteries out. Later I put the batteries back in, turn it on, and find that it is in negative effect. I'm pretty sure that my camera can't do this naturally and I've tried everything to see if I could get it
Have you tried resetting it to factory settings. if no please do it.(refer manual)but if yes please contact us again ... Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera
I have a HP camera CW450t camera and cannot turn it on with the power button on top. I know the batteries are good because I can turn on the camera with the review button and review the pictures that I have taken. When the power button is pressed the green light on the back of the camera flashes but the lens does not come out and the led screen does not come on. when you take your finger off of the on/off button the green light goes off as well.
Had the EXACT same problem with the CW450 model. I called support because I was mad and wanted it replaced. The support tech helped me through the issue. The answer is- NiMH. Alkaline batteries are unstable and not powerful enough for use with this c ... HP Digital Cameras
After taking some pictures I wanted to delete them. Instead of hitting the MENU button I hit the SET button and a red light came on and was flashing. I pushed on the OFF button to shut the camera off. It would not shut off.So to shut the camera off I opened the battery door and the camera shut off. I went to turn the camera on and will not come on. I changed batteries still will not turn on. WHAT DO I DO??...JERRY
Hello Jerry, First make 100% certain that the battery is charged, also that you dont have a bad connection.The S2 has a small cell battery for storing the date/time ect under the battery flap, try removing and re-inserting it, but ... Canon PowerShot S2 IS Digital Camera
I removed battery pack from the camera. About two months later, I put it back, and when I turned on the camera, the LCD was completely blurred, with purple vertical streaks throughout the picture. I never had a problem when I've removed the battery. Old pictures appear fine, but now when I take a picture, it comes out almost completely distorted.
There is a pretty good link about this if it is in the pitures related to Soney and Canon cameras that Member t00nz provided in a related post.\015\012\015\012Basically it states that it is a known issue and the manufacturer is aware of t ... Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T33 Digital Camera
Kodak easyshare z712IS. sounds like a typical problem but...I try to turn it on, lens only comes out a little bit, then it turns off. I replace the batteries and the set time and date comes on...I set time and date camera turns off. I CAN in fact view pictures in the gallery but as far as taking pictures....nothing.
Fixing a Lens Error on a Digital Camera\012\012This has to be THE most common failure mode for a digi ... Kodak EasyShare Z712 Digital Camera
My DMC_FX500 When in a record mode after about 10 seconds the LCD comes up withe the message ... "Please Turn Camera Off and then On Again". The lens retracts and then extends again but this message reappears whenever the camera is turned off and then on again. Can still view previous pictures I Can take pictures within that 10 seconds Only. Any ideas what might be causing this message to appear? I Have "dampened" a cotton earbud with Isoproply alcohol and cleaned inside the battery comp
HelloThe problem is that the lens has become stuck in the barrel. There are some DIY solutions you could try, but the \012probability is that ... Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Digital Camera
My camera is charged but for a while when i turn it on the screen is just black and my pictures do not come out. It has been doing this for a while but on and off and would usually start to work again after a while. Now it hasnt gone back to normal for a long time and i cant take any pictures. i tried taking out the battery and memory card and putting them back to refresh it but it still wont work. Its the last week of school and i need my camera to work asap !
Some times it works and sometimes not, it is due to loose contact.\015\012Try cleaning the battery terminals to remove oxidation and other coating formed due to atmoshphere, ensure memory card terminals are also well cleaned and battery is char ... Digital Cameras
Battery empty When I turn on my camera I can look at pictures--but when I try to take a picture the battery empty warning comes on and then the camera goes off.
... Olympus Camedia D-435 Digital Camera
Hi, I have the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W130 digital camera - whilst away on holiday a message appears when I turn on the camera "turn power off and on again". I have done so many times but it still comes up with the same message - hence not allowing me to take any pictures. I can view existing images through the window and I can download them fine - I just can't take any new ones. There is plenty of space on the card and a full battery. Any suggestions?
Hi. Yes. turn it on and go to the menu. find reset and reset the camera. this will return it to factory settings.\012\012if you can't get into the menu or if the steps above do not solve the problem do what is called a hard reset. Re ... Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 Digital Camera
I just used my camera to take pictures less than a week ago , then when i turn it on to use it the next time the lens opens and comes out but i have a blank screen and its making a hesitant noise , the battery is fully charged , and to turn it off i have to take the battery out , its stuck with the lens out otherwise... I've never had a problem before this so I'm confused as to why it's doing this.. help me please !
Hi,Checkout this tip about digital camera error messagesLens Errorfix for Digital Cameraheatman101 ... Olympus FE3010 Digital Camera
Zoom my camera isnt an olympus FE - 230 digital camera, its a kodak M836, i can look at my pictures okay, but i cant take any, as when i turn it on to take a picture the lens goes out, and then back it and it switches off. it is nothing to do with the battery as i have charged it several times. - my dad thinks that it goes back in because there is some sand inside (as we recently went on a beach holiday) and that the sand is stopping the zoom from coming out all the way, so it goes back in, alth
TIPS:1.)NEVER PUSH THE LENS IN AFTER CAMERA DIES, BUY A NEW BATTERY IMMEDIATLY AND TURN IT BACK ON, CLOSING THE LENS!2.)NEVER USE AN AC ADAPTER, USE A RECHARGEABLE BATTERY OR A REGULAR BATTERY!..to fix this... ... Olympus FE-230 Digital Camera
Message keeps coming up 'Please turn camera off then on again'. Checked battery & memory card ok. Discovered if I point at window (daylight) it will take picture...but not indoors (even though it's bright enough. Is this Shutter or Flash problem? and how can this just happen when I was taking pictures no problem few minutes ago. Camera hasn't had any damage
First off all thank you for posting your question on FIxya and wish you a Happy New Year.Now about the problem. Regarding the shutter its not a problem. You can eliminate this issue by using the "Intelligent ISO" setting on your camera, which a ... Panasonic DMC-FX33 Silver Digital Camera
Canon 1000D Hello there, I'm in China at the Beijing games. my 1000D is giving me a error message 99. can't take picture. I have turn it off and on, take the battery out but the problem still come back after 4 or 5 snaps. please help. I have change lenses and clear the head but not winning. Thanx well i have the similar problem, that i could identify that the camera goes off state after 30 mins, then i found that the display power cannot come, but the camera is working with view finder, if i
Yep set the auto turn off higher and instead of removing the battery, just open and close the battery compartment.This appears to be a problem I have raised with Canon, hopefully they will release a firmware update soon to fix this ... Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D IS Digital Camera
I have a Panasonic DMC-FX12 digital camera. Before I left on vacation, I took all the pictures OFF of the camera and recharged the battery. I took only 4 pictures before the error message "Built in Memory Card Full" came on the screen and refused to allow me to take any more pictures. HELP! A secondary problem I am having with the same camera is that I have to turn the ON/OFF switch on and off several times before the lens finally comes out.
You copied all your pictures, but they still exist on the memory card. You need to go into the menu and erase the pictures. As far as the lens not coming out, there may be some dirt in the mechanism. ... Digital Cameras
I have had my camera for over a year now without a problem. It is a Sony Cybershot 7.2 Megapixels. Everytime I turn it on a black screen and the message - "For Use with Compatible Battery Only" comes on and then it shuts down before I can take a picture. My battery is a Sony, G Type, Lithium Ion, NP-BG1. I have two of these batteries and I've charged them both fully and nothing seems to help. Is it the battery or the camera? Help! Thanks!
Just now i bought sony camera dsc-s750 i m wondering after i show all this comment,,,,that will be happent with my camera????????????????tks kdek ... Digital Cameras
I just set the date stamp in the on position. Then, turned the camera off as I didn't need to take a picture. Now, when I turn it on, the lense comes out and then immediately goes back in flush and the camera is in the off position. The battery is fully charged and the camera even does this when I have it on the charger.
Hi,How long have you owned the camera? If under a year then I would recommend having it serviced by kodak under warranty. If it's over a year old you may want to try a new battery otherwise consider replacement.Thank you,Lee ... Kodak EasyShare V1003 Digital Camera
This camera Cannon Powershot SD360 fell off a low chair. The camera will not turn on. There is no noise, nothing will come on - the lense is in. I've tried taking out the battery & and photo card and reinserting them -- it still doesn't work. The battery is charged. Is there anything I can do to fix it?
... Canon PowerShot SD630 Digital ELPH / IXUS 65 Digital Camera
I have an Olympus FE-46/X-42/X-41 camera. The old batteries went dead I replaced them with new batteries and the memory card is properly in place but it will not turn on and stay on to take a picture. When trying to start it, ared light comes on on the back of the camera just under the ''W'' button for about 30 seconds, then blinks for another 15 seconds then goes out.
... Olympus Digital Cameras
Dropped approx. 3 feet onto carpet. Camera was on and lense extended. It would power up, get into capture mode and flash "sensitivity" and a green light LLC. After about 50 on & Off's the camera turns on but doesn't come out of playback. I have to open the battery compartment and close it then when I turn it on it will go into capture mode. When I take a picture it is washed out with lots of little vertical lines. Did the lense get knocked out of whack? Can I reset this? Any help will be ap
Fixing a Lens Error on a Digital Camera\015\012\015\012This has to be THE most common failure mode for a digit ... Pentax Optio M20 Digital Camera
All of a sudden my canon eos rebel xs stopped taking pictures. The camera turns on, focuses, and snaps like it is taking the picture but it is nothing but black. I have removed the battery and completely charged it and reinserted it and still nothing. Please help.
Hi.This may happen because of a firmware defect. Canon advice is to update the firmware to latest version. Click on page below, then choose EOS Rebel XS Firmware Update Version 1.0.6 . ... Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D IS Digital Camera
When I turn my Sony DSC-W55 on it will say Access on the lens. The lens will come out and retract a couple times. It will beep and then say Turn the power off and on again. I have tried replacing the memory card and charging the battery. I have taken compressed air and blew the camera out. I can view the pictures on the momory card. It will not take pictures.
I had the same problem with the lens, just pull the lens gently until u hear a small click sound, it will be like new again. just tried it and it really works ... Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55 Digital Camera
My camera wont turn on. The battery is freshly charged, it is installed properly and the battery compartment door is shut correctly. At one point the flash would come up, but no display on the lcd and the camera wouldn't take a picture. When you look through the lense, it said "busy" in the lower left corner. Now nothing...help!
I can help you fix the BUSY Error ... Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D IS Digital Camera


text:
+ Daily deep
cleansing helps keep pores clear and looking smaller
+ Removes makeup plus
everyday dirt, oil, sweat and other impurities
+ Exfoliated skin appears softer, smoother and more
+ Thorough cleansing that's designed to be easier and more effective than cleansing by hand
+ Gentle enough for once-a-day use, even on acne-prone skin
+ Water resistant for convenient use in the shower
+ Helps improve the appearance of décolleté, elbows, knees, hands and feet
Quick Start Guide
Instructions for Use: Use the Deep Cleansing Brush just once per day, either morning or night. Apply a thin layer of cleanser over your entire moistened face (avoiding the eye area). Wet the bristles and press ON/OFF switch once for Low Speed, twice for High Speed rotation. Move the rotating bristles in upward circular strokes with very light pressure over the entire area to be cleaned (avoiding eyes) for 1 to 2 minutes. Press the ON/OFF switch to turn off. Rinse skin with warm water and pat dry.
Important Tips: Do not hold the cleansing tool in one place on the skin. Keep it moving to avoid over-cleansing or over-exfoliating. Use once per day. Replace brush head every 60 days.


text:
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May 10 2012 at 2:18 PM
Dee (
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Response to
Should mention my friend also moved on from her partner's sperm to donor sperm (kids)
about your friend, at what point, and why did she decide to move on to donor sperm? Did she not have any success in previous DE cycles? Just curious. I want to know a lot before we move on to DS. I honestly don't see this next cycle working for me, using his own frozen sperm.
Respond to this message
not so much as a chemical with partner's sperm then as soon as they switched to donor....
- BlessedThistle on May 10, 2012
- Dee on May 10, 2012
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text:
Inside the top cake after I levelled it off. Looks a bit like a CT scan! I'm amused that she wanted a brightly coloured rainbow cake for a party filled with 2-3 year olds - they are going to be bouncing off the walls!
I cut three layers into both cakes, filled them with rasplum jam and raspberry and wizz fizz (sherbert) buttercream, then coated both with more buttercream.
Sampling the buttercream and jam combo from some offcuts!
The finished cake! I used Bakels RTR fondant and I found it SO MUCH EASIER to use than ones I've made myself. The Pinkie figurine is one of the blind bag ones with florist's wire stuck into two of her legs to keep her upright.
A closer look at the top!
Just some of the many, many dishes I now have to wash up.
Cross-posted around the various baking/cake comms and the pony comm!


text:
Presentation: <http://www.sharemation.com/~milele/public/dav/presentations/webdav-wg-ietf59.ppt> Agenda bashing: No changes; Ted volunteered to scribe in chat room (also to be used for minutes) WebDAV's been extant 7 years and rechartered once. Lisa proposed that we should try to declare "partial success". We completed these goals: RFC2518, ACL, ordered collections (RFC3648). Here's the milestones we haven't finished, and where they're at: Property registry: no draft, no volunteers --> this obviously wasn't needed after all and should be scratched. Binding: Major issues -- possible incompatible changes with WebDAV, causing existing clients to see completely unexpected behavior. At least issues with spec ambiguity. Redirect: No major issues -- but no recent activity. OTOH, there may not be many implementors. Perhaps we can last call and require a minimum # of reviews. ACL goals document: we can submit the last draft (many years expired) as Informational if desired. DRAFT standard status(2518bis) -- We've collectively put a lot of work into that draft, feeding the results of those interop events into the draft. However, now it's stalled, as new ideas have been raised recently about the whole approach. Not sure working group has the energy to finish (and to keep changes to a minimum to meet DRAFT standard requirements). Responses to this summation showed disagreement on whether there are major issues with 'bindings'. Julian Reschke says there are no issues. Can clients create a lock on a binding, and have the expectation met that he underlying document cannot be changed by other clients? Ted and Lisa believe the draft says that the underlying document may change (and that that would be a serious incompatible change). Julian says that the underlying document cannot change. Other work is going on around WebDAV but as individual submissions: DASL, property data types, quota, http patch DASL could go to proposed standard if it's in the form that's already been implemented by several separate groups. Otherwise, it could go to experimental, etc. In general progress in this WG is hampered by limited participation, review, and consensus-building. Chairs need to update the charter to reflect the things that actually will be done, and get the working group to agree whether it can resolve something that is a milestone. Note that changing the charter requires new review by the IETF community. Other suggestions (from Larry, Ted, Patrik in particular): suggest bugging people may be necessary--not waiting for people to respond, but going out and getting them involved. Can do last call on some of our remaining docs, but require N independent reviews to be posted in order to successfully move on. Without those N reviews -- e.g. 3 independent reviews -- Ted says it would no longer be considered a WG item (and it's up to the chairs to determine if the participation of the WG is sufficient to call consensus and come to completion). The reviews would also indicate whether another cycle is needed on the document. Complete Jabber room minutes are also available -- this is just a summation, as suggested in minute-writing guidelines. LisaReceived on Tuesday, 9 March 2004 05:19:48 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 7 January 2015 15:01:29 UTC


text:
Allysa Elios sat before an almost empty screen.
She had just opened a word document, where she should be writing a story good enough to be published online. It was her turn, since her cousin had taken the first quota for the day - an essay about psychological imbalance. She had to pass something before the end of the day. She sighed heavily. In the screen, cursor was blinking as though to mock her and there was nothing running in her head except for how tired she was from everything that was happening: physically, mentally and emotionally tired.
Then, her mobile phone rang, and a familiar voice made her just made her jump off her bed:
"Hey, 'Lysa… How's it going?"
Allysa smiled.
Aia decided to call again.
"… Here we go again, Aia…"
"Yes, I know. When I talk to you, I feel like I'm talking to myself in a different person…"
Allysa laughed, "Sounds about right," she said, taking her phone off her ear and placing it on the other, "I mean, the situations are similar… It's just the people are-"
"Different, yes," she heard Aia laugh through the earpiece, "It would be scary if it were the same person, 'Lysa…"
This time, the both laughed.
When the laughter died down, Aia started, her voice a little low, "… 'Lysa? There's something I want to tell you."
"Huh? What is it?"
Aia sighed, "I've only told two people this so far… And I think you can keep a secret, right?"
Allysa wasn't sure of what she was hearing. It sounded pretty serious.
"Aia, what're you-?"
"'Lysa… I'm moving."
"It's been a long time, yeah?"
Allysa grinned, "Definitely… Highschool's almost over around here…"
She thought she heard Aia grin as well, "Yeah, I know. Has it been that long? I've talked to Sykes the other day… Everything seems to be a blur…"
"Well, things are in for a turn of events here," started Allysa, tucking a bit of her wavy black hair behind her ear, "Especially because of… You know… That."
Aia laughed again, "Yeah, I'm aware." she began, "You told me that… Start of January, right?"
"Yeah," Allysa replied. She was now standing, walking around in her room, fiddling with photographs and post-its on her wall, "Remember that time when we were having coffee back here... And we had fries with it... With my cousin?"
"Yeah, of course I do," Aia was laughing again, "And to think that were were talking about completely different people and situations back then. It's almost like it happened a long, long time ago."
"It's quite a long time ago," Allysa took a post-it from her wall, "But it's only been about a year, hasn't it? But I guess you're right, especially with the fact about the people..."
Allysa heard Aia chuckle a bit here, "...Besides the fact that we were talking about different people," she began, "We're also with different people... But I can't help but miss everyone there..."
This time, Allysa laughed, "You have a big impact on us, you know..."
It was as though she heard Aia smile, "Really?"
"Yeah," Allysa began explaining, "Icchan uses double straws now - which she got from you. Char has, well, been listening to your music - the kind of music you both listen to... Sykes, well... You talk to Sykes, do I have to further explain?" And she grinned broadly.
"No, I don't think so," Aia laughed, "But... You know, listening to you say that, makes me glad... At least, you know-"
"You're still with us?" Allysa finished for her.
Aia chuckled again, "Yeah," she stated, "'Specially since, I'm the only one in Canada..."
Allysa looked at the post-it in her hand. It purple, and it had her handwriting in it, in large, red letters:
Never Alone.
It was the day before Aia was leaving for Calgary.
Anxious, Allysa sat on her bed, with her phone just inches away from her reach.
And she waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
'Dammit,' she thought, 'Aia should have called by now...'
It was nine in the evening, and Aia was leaving her house at nine in the morning the next day - wherein Allysa would, in turn, be in school.
She held onto her phone, gripping it tight as she curled up into a ball under her covers.
'It might ring...' she said to herself.
'Aia still might-'
But sleep engulfed her thoughts completely.
Allysa grinned, "You know we're here for you, even though it's not taken literally,"
"Oh, I know that fully well," Aia laughed again, "Remember how I said that during our last coffee session? That I had this strong feeling I'd still keep in contact with you, 'cause you're all, well, there?" She giggled a bit here.
"Oh, yeah," there was a bit of nostalgia in Allysa's voice now, "I remember that coffee session... I think I had two cups then, right?"
"Yup," replied a still-giggly Aia, "With your cousin... And we were eating fries..."
"And talking about different things," added Allysa, with something being implied in her voice.
The two of them burst out laughing, "Okay, that too," said Aia in between laughing fits, "Different things, different people..." Suddenly, there was a voice on her background and they both quieted down.
"Your mom?"
"Hmm? Yeah..." Aia began, "I have to start getting ready for school. And I have to catch my bus..."
Allysa grinned, "It's okay, don't worry," she said reassuringly, "You wouldn't want to miss that..."
She heard Aia laugh one more time, "Yeah, I wouldn't. Thanks, 'Lysa," Aia began saying, "I'll call again. So... Take care."
She couldn't help but smile, "You too, Aia," Allysa said.
"Oh, and 'Lysa?"
"Hmm?" Allysa knew this end of her call.
"Oh, and 'Lysa... This is Aia..."
And one of her friends pushed a girl, about a head smaller than her, forward. She had kind brown eyes, and long, curly brown hair to match. She smiled warmly at Allysa before saying a small, "Hi."
Allysa gave a grin, "Allysa," she said. She then offered cheese-sticks from a small paper container in her right hand, "Want some?"
She and Aia took one each, both of which had some sauce on. After finishing their respective cheese-sticks, they both turned to the container in Allysa's hand and found on cheese-stick with sauce and the other without. Allysa immediately looked at her, "Okay, you go get first,"
"No, it's yours," reclaimed Aia, "You get first,"
"No, I insist," Allysa pressed, hoping Aia would get the one with sauce for she wanted to be kind to a new found friend.
"No, really. It's okay," Aia said, in turn hoping that Allysa would get the one with the sauce for she also wanted to be kind to a new found friend.
The insisting went on for another minute or so until finally, Aia said, "Okay," and she got the cheese-stick without sauce.
"Hey! I was planning to get that!" Allysa reclaimed with a grin, but Aia just laughed at her.
Scowling slightly, Allysa took the other cheese-stick and grinned broadly, "I think we had the same idea back there, didn't we?"
Aia laughed, "Yeah, we did... It's so hard if two people are both nice."
Allysa laughed along with her, "I think now I know what you mean..."
"... I'm so glad I took that cheese-stick a couple of years ago."


text:
Driven by a youthful energy and audacious passion for detail and unique fabrics, the crew at Zanerobe have been throwing their weight around in the global fashion scene for over a decade. Based out of Sydney, the company has been making waves with their flair for mixing up progressive trends in uniquely confident styles. Oh, and don't eve get me started on the bad-boy, rebel attitude the brand seems to naturally channel. I just can't get enough of it.
Here are a few highlights from their current collection. I love the way it mixes old-school surfer cool with a bit of runway high-fashion. It feels effortless and super natural.


text:
When a fight results in criminal charges, the defendant might be inclined to approach the other side, apologize, and ask if they can work something out between themselves, without going to court.
It's an understandable impulse. It can also be a new crime — attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying.
That's where Abdullah Wahidi found himself after getting into a fight in February 2011 in the Los Angeles suburb of Canoga Park. Wahidi said he was jumped by two men, but police said he grabbed a baseball bat and started swinging it, breaking a car window while someone was sitting inside. He was charged with vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon.
Seven months later, the day before his scheduled preliminary hearing, Wahidi approached the car's owner at a mosque and apologized. According to a state appeals court, he then suggested to the owner that they could "settle this outside the court in a more Muslim manner, family to family."
The owner agreed, but the prosecutor didn't, and added a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness, a misdemeanor because no force was used. Wahidi was convicted of all three charges in a non-jury trial and sentenced to two years in prison on the assault charge.
Wahidi's appeal challenged only the witness-dissuasion charge, which requires proof that a defendant "knowingly and maliciously" tried to prevent or discourage someone from testifying. In a ruling this week, the state's Second District Court of Appeal agreed that Wahidi's conduct didn't meet the usual definition of "maliciously" — acting with intent to harm. But the court said this law, passed in 1980, used a broader definition: Any attempt to "thwart or interfere with the orderly administration of justice" by keeping a potential witness off the stand is considered a crime.
"The Legislature envisioned a relatively broad application of the law," Justice Fred Woods said in Monday's 3-0 ruling upholding Wahidi's conviction(available here: http://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B245872.PDF). For example, he said, a legislative committee noted that the law might be used to prosecute an accused shoplifter who tried to talk the store owner out of calling the police.
Wahidi's lawyer, James Koester, said he may ask the state Supreme Court to review the case. He said the appellate court interpreted the law so broadly that it might be hard to tell when a conversation with a potential witness turned into a crime.


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text:
having fun with my son(2 Posts)
mumrar1 Mon 04-Feb-13 13:15:10
FruOla Mon 04-Feb-13 19:00:57
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Skip to comments.Vanity: does the Google Doodle show more blue ballots than red ones?
Posted on 11/05/2012 10:55:30 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck
Look at the Google doodle of ballots. They've got more blue ballots there than red ones.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Who cares?
Let's hope depressed Obamatrons stay home. Then we can call it a good night!
Looks like a tie to me— 23 v 23.
Why don't you count them?
Just one of the many reasons I don't doodle Google.
I counted 23 v23, too.
It's even. 23-23
Mu God.. Who flipping cares?
I counted em (I know I need to get a life) and I counted 23 each
There's a search engine called duckduckgo.com that doesn't track your searches. It uses https too
Check it ou.
What is a google? I know what a googol is. But a google? Sounds like it has something to do with geese.
I never heard of them! Thanks!
Actually, there's more 'red' ones! I'm factoring in the ones comprising the second 'g' that are already in the box.
Was this a trick to see how many FReepers are so anal retentive that they would actually count them? If so, count me in..... 23 to 23
23 and 23 dude.
On the first day with my new laptop, I changed how my screen was to be "made easier to read". However, I lost most of my colors! The Google-doodle ballots appear entirely white. :(
Remember it is not how many dots there are; its who counts the dots,
I demand a recount
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
I left the house and wanted to remember some files off my 120 GB hard drive and onto my 1 TB external drive, so I left myself a note in Notepad on my computer screen:
Then, for fun, I followed with:
And then I kept going, but became serious.
By the time I finished, I had a whole list of inspirational phrases.
And by golly, it felt good. (I just wrote "by golly" — I feel like Jack Handy.)
I read through that list a couple of times, and it made me smile a little, in the way one smiles when a friend or colleague or relative says encouraging, helpful, kind words that brighten your day.
It occurred to me that we don't often look to ourselves for inspiration. Sure, we may do the Loreal thing of saying "I'm worth it," but to me that always sounds a bit hollow, like you're announcing it outside yourself.
If you're saying it to yourself, I guess it should say "You are" rather than "I am."
Sure, it gets a little weird, but you know what I'm saying, don't you?
If you're talking to yourself, you're already distancing from yourself a bit to make the comments, so "you" is, well, you, but, like, you2. No, not the band. That's U2.
Look, it's basically just being as nice to yourself as you are to the people in life to whom you are closest, the people to whom you would say glowing, encouraging things. Except with yourself you can be more bold and direct, even over the top, because you won't look at yourself like you're weird. Hopefully.
We all need reassurance from time to time — reminders that we are worthy, memorable, even special human beings who bring something good to this world. We get these from people who respect and care for us, those who make us feel warm and fuzzy and stuff. Then there are books with inspirational phrases, but I never really feel those mean much of anything. They're not really directed toward anyone — I mean, Robert Mugave could be reading!
But if you're saying them to yourself — heck, even if you read them to yourself out of the book, or write them down for yourself — there's more to it. You're actually jumping on your own bandwagon, but instead of shouting out self-praise from the parade, you're speaking internally. I like it. It feels good. Even if it's a little over the top.
My list included some glowing phrases, a friendly push to do more personal writing and to organize my apartment so I can try to become an eBay seller, and a reminder that I should write more blog posts …
Or so I said.
I ended with "GO FORTH AND … DO STUFF."
So try that out, won't you? Tell yourself, as though you were another person, what a great person you are and how much you deserve. Then gently encourage yourself to take the steps to accomplish some of what you dream of. Little dreams, big dreams, whatever.
If nothing else, maybe it will make you feel warm and fuzzy and stuff.


text:
NEW YORK --Two people were shot on Wednesday night on a running track in a Brooklyn park.
It happened at around 6:30 p.m. at Betsy Head Park in Brownsville. The two victims ran from the shooting scene and were met by ambulances near the intersection of Riverdale Avenue and Herzl Street.
One of the victims was shot in the leg. The other was hit in his torso. None of the injuries are life-threatening.
Detectives canvassed the park looking for shell casings and other evidence.
No arrests have been made.
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For over sixty years, Hickory Farms has been making holiday celebrations special with great American food gifts that families and friends love to give, receive and share. As part of their on-going dedication to being a great corporate citizen, they have contributed over $5 million dollars to the No Kid Hungry campaign since the beginning of our partnership in 2008, and engaged their customers and employees in the fight against childhood hunger.
Learn more about the partnership here. Thank you!


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Discover the beauty of Natural Bridge State Resort Park on one or more naturalist-led guided hikes in the 2014 Natural Bridge Trail Trek Series that starts Saturday, March 22.
Complete all five guided hikes (over 25 miles) in this series and you will have hiked all of the trails at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Those who complete all five treks will receive a Natural Bridge T-shirt and will have truly experienced the rugged cliff line, rock shelters, arches, plants, and animals at the park.
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The Dynamics of Regional Growth in Europe: Social and Political Factors (Oxford Geographical and Environmental Studies Series)
This book looks at the evolution of regional disparities in Europe in a period of profound social and economic change. It represents a thorough analysis of how local social, political, and institutional settings relate to regional economic performance and highlights the persistence of territorial disparities in Europe.
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5 Years : From Mar 2013 to Mar 2018
BRUSSELS--European Union regulators said late Friday they had made a formal complaint against Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) over its past use of injunctions against Apple Inc. (AAPL)
The complaint, known as a statement of objections, was widely expected, with EU officials saying Thursday it would come in the next few weeks.
In a statement, European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said while the use of injunctions is a fair remedy for patent infringements "such rights should not be misused when they are essential to implement industry standards, which bring huge benefits to businesses and consumers alike."
"When companies have contributed their patents to an industry standard and have made a commitment to license the patents in return for fair remuneration, then the use of injunctions against willing licensees can be anti-competitive," Mr. Almunia said in a statement.
The European Commission in January began investigating Samsung, saying it suspected the company of breaking EU competition rules by suing competitors for their use of key technologies for which Samsung holds the patents. The commission said at the time it believed Samsung had previously committed to allowing competitors to use those technologies under "fair and reasonable terms," since they are essential to applying industry standards such as Third Generation, or 3G, wireless networks.
Earlier this week, Samsung decided to withdraw its legal injunctions in Europe against Apple. At a press conference Thursday, Mr. Almunia welcomed that but said past possible abuses would still come under scrutiny.
The Korean electronics firm Tuesday abandoned attempts to seek sales bans on Apple's iPhone and iPad in Europe using patents related to wireless standards, in a move seen as an attempt to placate regulators. The withdrawal came on the heels of a California judge's refusal to block sales of dozens of Samsung mobile devices that a jury this summer found violated numerous Apple patents.
Under EU procedures, Samsung now has the right to reply to the EU's concerns or seek a hearing. A final decision will be made only after that. The commission stressed that the sending of a statement of objections "does not prejudge the final outcome" of the probe.
Apple and Samsung have been locked in a global, legal war over mobile-device patents as they try to get rival products pulled from the shelves. Such injunctions are used by legal combatants to pressure their opponents, or gain leverage in settlement negotiations.
On Friday, the commission said it is in close contact with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on issues relating to standard essential patents.
In August, a U.S. court awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages after a jury found Samsung guilty of copying critical features of the iPad and iPhone. Samsung uses Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android operating system for its devices.
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During delicate negotiations with an aggressive race called the Sindareen Deanna Troi mysteriously falls ill and dies. But her death is only the beginning of the adventure for Commander Riker, an adventure that will take him across time, pit him against one of his closest friends, and force him to choose between Starfleet's strictest rule and the one he calls Imzadi.
About Peter DavidSee more books from this Author
He also manages to make sense of young Riker and Deanna, and an older embittered Riker who lost Deanna.Jun 26 2012 | Read Full Review of Imzadi
An aggregated and normalized score based on 25 user ratings from iDreamBooks & iTunes


text:
I'm so excited I'm ready to piss myself.Soon.
Soon I will be home in my beloved MI.
Soon I will be amongst family and friends that are family.
My friend Jo offered up her home for the BBQ/Pot luck. I told her this year we wouldn't set anything on fire. But if we do, my awesome BIL that is a fireman will be there. He promised to pack for it and be prepared this year.
I asked him to pack some of his buddies too so I can get me some eye candy. I don't want to be making lusty eyes at my BIL even though he IS Irish.


text:
You have until Feb 1, 2018 to return or exchange items bought after Nov 1, 2017. All other standard return policy conditions apply.
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The Rodenstock 45mm f/4.5 Apo-Sironar digital Lens is a wide angle large format lens specifically designed for use with digital backs, which require a smaller image circle with extreme resolution, color correction, and maximum performance at a large aperture. This lens is recommended for use with backs having a maximum image area of 72 x 96mm, capturing a view similar to that of a 16mm lens on a 35mm format camera. This Apo-Sironar digital is delivered in a standard type Copal #0 shutter.
In many cases, digital photography is superior to conventional photography if the desired end product is a printed image. To achieve this ideal, however, a much higher demand is made upon the image reproduction quality of the lens. This is because of a digital image chip's smaller area, which means finer details in a scene are squeezed into a smaller image recording area, as well as their sensitivity to color fringes.
But Rodenstock's digitally-specific lenses such as this Apo-Sironar digital provide image quality which allows the maximum capacity of a digital back to be realized. The lens utilizes every technological possibility to get as close as possible to the absolute limits of diffraction-determined resolution, even accounting for the properties and thickness of a CCD's protective glass. With the Apo-Sironar digital, you can use digital backs with a pixel pitch as small as 5µ.
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text:
Author: grayglube
Title: Eleven, twelve, thirteen
Summary: There're twelve letters in her name and eleven in his and it only makes sense for them to meet at the thirteenth hour.
Rating: T
Warning(s)/Kinks: Language
Spoilers: None, references to Episode 4: Halloween Pt. 1
Disclaimer: I don't own American Horror Story. Or Dune.
A/N: My second Violate fic, less graphic than my last one. This sprung up from realizing there was NO WAY Tate could have been wearing anything more than underwear when in the gimp suit. No way. So Violet must have seen him half-naked at some point between him getting out of the gimp suit and having to put on clothes, right?
'I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.'
It's a scrawled line across the top of her chemistry homework; she blocks it off and scribbles it out. She's X'd out the five letter word on the black board, she's smeared it. It's like fear, acknowledged with a blatant cross out and dissipating, but it's still there, still readable.
It's a reminder, an attachment, she has fears, like everyone else but they mean nothing. It's knowing she can stick her hand in fire to get something she wants, ambition and drive and she knows she would if she wanted something badly enough, what's a little burn? Nothing a salve can't fix. The salve for sore paws being knowing she's been badass enough to do whatever it takes to get what she wants.
Everything is attainable and she knows that too. She can break down fear before it happens, so the shock of it isn't unexpected. The jolt, the burn, she can see in her mind what it is that scares her, situations, things, circumstances, and all she has to do is plan.
That's it, fear averted, obliterated, done, gone, evaporated, and all that's left is her after it's passed. Maybe she'll be a little burned by it but it's better to walk through the wall of fire and have that be that than have to watch it consume everything until it takes the choice to walk through it from her by surrounding her, consuming her, turning her into ash for a decorative urn.
Her window is being pelted by things being thrown at it. She knows it's him, who else? And only he would actually already be on the roof, flicking tiny stones, at her half open window. She'd wondered how he was keeping them from flying into the room. She'd considered that it was just really good aim, which would have been impressive, but he's on the roof and that's impressive too.
"Hey monkey boy," her lips quirk up and twist in a mean little sarcastic eye rolling grin, he has a smile that apples his cheeks. "Me Tarzan, you Jane." She shakes her head and pushes her head out to look around him at the backyard and the dogs in her neighbor's.
"Get in here before my crazy Dynasty neighbor sees you and decides to call the authorities," she tugs his sleeve and pulls him firmly forward, he clambers over the sill and catches the blinds on his fingertips, shaking off dust clods and making the whole rectangle of wooden slats go up on one side.
"You ever wonder why Tarzan tries to woo Jane?" His fingers curl around the metal post of her bed and he swings close and then back against the sill.
She hasn't and she's trying to fix her window arrangement before she gives it any serious consideration, "The thought never crossed my mind."
"Because if he was raised by apes in the jungle you'd think that after the initial wooing going unanswered he would have just said fuck it."
"And what, swung away on a vine?" The blinds shift and when she loosens her grip the lock releases and they slap down like a waterfall to the floor, she purses her lips and glares at them.
"No, had sex with her anyway."
She can feel her forehead furrow at the idea, she turns with the look still in place and levels it with an equal measure of confusion and the type of disbelief reserved for someone who's just informed someone else that the sky is green and the ocean is orange. "Disney doesn't do rape," she informs him. Though the little mermaid did look a little young, so maybe they do go for sexual deviancies after all.
The blinds are fixed and she glides to her bed and falls dramatically onto it, shifting paper as pencils and sharpie markers roll off the edge and textbook covers flop closed.
"Nature doesn't either."
She thinks about the statement as she takes in him sitting on her bedroom floor back against her furniture knees bent and legs stretched out almost to where her feet dangle, staring expectantly at the level of her torso. Propping herself up onto her elbows she picks apart the idea, reasoning. "Because animals don't have the distinction or emotional attachment to violence human beings have created."
"Human beings get off on violence."
"Controllable violence," she corrects. Control, dominion, fortitude, she likes the solidness of the nouns, concrete in her mind, iron fists in velvet gloves, spare the rod spoil the child, cliché, cliché, cliché, but even they are solid too. Comforting. And it's so true to form that he knows she's too lost in her own swimming skull soup brain-thought medly to stay on topic so he changes it to what's solid, comfortable, safe, not him, not her, not them, "What are you working on?"
"Chemistry," she supplies sliding onto the bed and reaching for her book while gesturing for him to throw her rolled away pen and highlighter on the bed.
"Can be."
"Not now?"
And she knows he's talking about her, him, them. She ignores the obvious because that's not a topic she wants to broach in the midst of homework and chores and parental drama.
"It's failing to hold my attention. I need something to work to. Hold on."
She throws on her playlist that's a mash-up of concert edition Portishead, Nine Inch Nails, and White Zombie.
"Am I distracting you?"
"Not if you be quiet, which you have to be because this is due tomorrow."
"Lock my door."
He gets up and locks it.
They're on her dresser, he flips open the top and thumbs one out. She opens her mouth and bites down on the filter when he places it between her teeth with a cheeky grin. She blows smoke in his direction after digging her lighter out of her jeans.
" Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Can we talk or will that distract you?"
"No, it's fine. I was kidding. You can talk."
She highlights a paragraph on the excited states of electrons and how it causes them to jump levels then degrade back down when they burn out. Highs and lows, fast and slow, and wasn't that them? Give and take, Sahara to arctic tundra in less than six seconds. They were in a lull of boring conversation and music that didn't fit her mood at all and homework she didn't need to be doing, the lull between life and death instances with murderers and false miscarriage fear alarms and making out with heavy petting. When were they going to get to that?
When did she even start to consider that?
Mostly because he was always around and he was a boy with the added layer that he was dangerous and seductive and she's been starving for that much in her life and she's suddenly so hungry for it, ready to lunge at every bite offered.
Mostly because she started considering her daily schedule and weekly and monthly by his visitations and sarcasm and smirks and shifty eyes.
Mostly because she reading too much of her graphic novels and they have the perfect mix of angst and sex in black and white and text bubbles to give her a rich fantasy life that stars her and him and has her hands down her pants every night, more than once or twice and then again in the morning sometimes before she's got to get up and get dressed and it's a race to get off and still be able to shower, eat, and finish last minute school assignments.
"When's your birthday?"
Her response comes out plain and without any telltale hitch or pause or quiver.
"Long way away."
She circles a box in the corner of her book with a red pen and stars it for review, just to look busy and concentrated in her efforts instead of hanging like sap on his every word.
"How old are you going to be?"
"Should I get you a present?"
There's a tease in his voice placed to get her to look at him, she does. He grins. She bites the inside of her cheek and looks at the wall to keep an obnoxious and unwanted smile from starting, "I like presents."
"Alright. I'll get you one."
"I hate chemistry."
"Maybe chemistry hates you."
"Maybe." She catches him starting to rise and watches him roam around the room. "What are you doing?"
"Don't touch my underwear drawer. Creep." He follows her eyes and she wants to kick herself because now he knows where she keeps her underwear because she's looked right at the drawer they're in and it shouldn't make her think of him going through it, sifting through red lacy briefs and white cotton bikini cuts and purple paisley thongs and it really shouldn't be so appealing all of a sudden.
And the ridiculousness of the unwanted fantasy of her giving him the equivalent of a Victoria's Secret fashion show in her bedroom makes her start humming to her music to drown out the imagery.
"What's your favorite color?"
He's pulled open her closet doors with curious hesitance that isn't really, little pushes on the door until momentum slides it all the way and he can look like he didn't know it would that.
"What do you think?"
"Not purple."
Despite how much is in her closet. He says nothing about the color blocking of her hanging garments and she's happy not to have to explain her obsessive need for it to be that way.
"No, it's not."
"Too obvious."
"I'm not obvious."
"It's pink."
He's serious. And he's right.
It is pink.
"Yeah, sure."
"Or white."
She is a virgin.
"Could be."
"You're really girly, secretly."
"I am a girl."
"Don't deflect."
"Pale pink, not hot pink."
Not pale pink, Nabokov Lolita nymphet pink. Cute and sweet and an absolute veneer to cover up rotted, decayed morals, depraved motivations, and deviant social interactions, cotton candy spun from sugar and cyanide.
"It's pink. But sometimes it's white, sometimes it's red."
"Red doesn't suit you."
He looks back at her and his eyes glide over and down and up and dart over her face like she's wearing a mask and he's trying to figure out what it's of, it's weird and she doesn't get what that sort of stare and study of her means when he's doing it.
She wonders if he's trying to picture her in something red, a dress or a sweater or maybe prom night pig's blood. The look makes sense, it seems like something he'd picture automatically, she had.
"Maybe I'd like to pull it off one day."
In a completely none pig's blood way. Maybe she'll wear red on Christmas, a dress, go all out, shoes, garnets, rubies, a sequined Jessica Rabbit doppelganger ensemble with a lot of leg. Or if she's feeling really terrible and in the mood for a mind fuck Dolly Parton with a lot of frills and beauty queen banana curls.
"You've got time."
"But don't expect to see me in pink anytime soon."
She's got time to get to that point, she needs to mellow out, calm down, find her niche and then she can wear all the cute outfits and come up with her own secular lingo slang to go with an image she decides on based on how she feels in the morning, a disguise to throw everyone off, masks and costumes and the fun of knowing she's smarter than everyone else. That they in fact do not know her by looking at her.
Like him with his ugly old man sweaters and dumb, unwitty saying shirts from a mall kiosk, and his tattered sharpie marked converse sneakers. He could slip in the anything: All American Apple Pie Abercrombie ad , James Bond , James Dean, Marlon Brando, Ted Bundy, all too easy, any day, any time, if he wanted.
At the moment she's an open book but she's sixteen and what girl isn't?
They've got other things to worry about besides image and personality red herrings at the moment and that's the only reason it gets thrown to the wayside first, she's got to grow up, and he's got to tame his rage.
They've got time to play dress up before they get too old for it to be fun anymore.
"Can you meet me later?"
"For what?"
It doesn't matter.
"It's Halloween eve. We should raise the dead."
"Are you serious?"
She doesn't care.
"Yeah, of course I am. Ouija board and everything."
She's not one to aggressively try and piss dead things off; Ouija boards have a bad history of just that. It's like all the other evil incarnate things that screwy people will tell you are perfectly fine to play around with, voodoo, animal sacrifice, séances, calling the devil to your door. Some shit wasn't supposed to be given those sorts of invitations and there was a difference between curious and suicidal. But all she says is: "Okay, fine. My basement, tonight, we'll 'raise the dead.'"
It sounds suspiciously like an innuendo she didn't mean to imply.
"What time?"
"Midnight of course."
"Witching hour." She thinks of Anne Rice and horny ghost demons looking for new life; she's no stranger to modern gothic literature.
"Do you know why the witching hour is the thirteenth hour?"
She's glad he's asked because she knows and she wants to show off and really she asked but he keeps it going so it's like he's asked anyway. Adopting a studious, haughty posture she gesticulates with her highlighter before switching to making points with her cigarette. "Because twelve is considered a complete number, it's omnipotent."
She inhales on her cigarette and blows out without really sucking in the smoke, "Twelve months, twelve disciples, twelve witches, twelve gods, twelve labors, twelve tribes, twelve hours. Anything exceeding completeness is evil, how can you build on perfection, right?"
She pauses to take another drag and blow a sloppy ring of smoke out in what she hopes is a theatrical way.
" Judas was the thirteenth guest to the last supper, Loki was the thirteenth guest in Valhalla, the devil is always the thirteenth guest at the black Sabbath. If you have thirteen letters in your name you have the devil's luck."
He's thoughtful for a moment and counting on his fingers, "You have twelve letters in your name, Violet."
"Good thing they didn't name me Sunshine, or I'd have thirteen."
Though the devil is the luckiest son of a bitch around so maybe she should regret not being named Sunshine, she relegates the idea with the assertion that Sunshine is a horrible name and not worth any sort of luck it'd bring her.
"So does that mean you're complete?"
"I guess it does."
"Complete people don't need anyone else."
His tone is what his look isn't, a little sad, false dejection, forlorn, lost puppy dog and things you don't get no matter how much you beg for them. She wants to soothe his worries, there's a paradigm shift if there ever was one; her comforting and sweet and welcoming and playing a nurse putting band aids on his emotional booboos.
He is so fucking with her with that tone. He still uses it despite the fact that by now he must know she knows, or maybe he knows that she knows he knows and does it anyway. And then that means that he knows she knows that he's been playing her but not anymore but needs to keep up the instinctual tone and glance that's reserved to play other people, not her though, not anymore, because she's onto it, she can catalog his looks and pin meanings to them easily, she thinks she can, so she is, she believes that much. Mental exercise and he's a goddamn brain teaser.
"That doesn't mean they don't want anyone else." That's okay she can throw the dice on that front too, she can play him like he plays her. No, she thinks fiercely, she'll be a goddamn orchestra constructer just for the flair and fun of making him work to figure her out.
"Guess I'm lucky you keep me around then."
"Guess you are." She tilts her head and raises her eyebrows in a way that conveys the emotive unsaid line 'You're one lucky boy.'
His stride over and the way he leans down is confident, cocky, something a girl might slap a boy for but she doesn't because she wants to know what he'll do next. Scared animals stop moving when approached by a predator; she leans forward and comes up on her knees to level her stare on his chest. Walking the walk.
Her fingers tug him closer wrapped tight in his shirt closing in tight little fists and his pull up her chin, his kiss is a hawk swooping up a field mouse, a plunge into the ocean from a oil rig, a hop down into the abyss that's really an eye or a mouth, his mouth on her mouth and beforehand she's wishing he'll slip in his tongue but then remembers she's never French kissed someone before and is glad when it's just a simple slide of chapped lips against her bee's wax and honey balm slathered ones.
"See you later, midnight girl," he sighs stepping back with his body hunched and rolling itself up and away like a cobra dancing out of a basket.
"Is that my new nickname?"
"Suits you."
"See you later, Lord of the Jungle."
"Ohohahah," he monkey chimes.
"Don't forget your loincloth."
"Don't forget your cauldron."
And he's out her window and scurrying down the brick columns, impressive and useful that is, she decides. She's always been one to appreciate athleticism, mostly reserved to watching televised rugby and shows about gladiators who slather on the olive oil before picking up something sharp or bare knuckle brawling in a bath house with other greased shiny well-muscled men, naked, because it's on channels you have to pay extra for and nudity comes with the package.
She rolls her eyes at herself and smokes her cigarette like it's a contest to take the hardest most furious inhales and hold them until she's dizzy headed to take the edge off her sudden, unexpected Tate induced fugue state between warming up and full blown fuck ready.
Fear is the mind killer she tells herself as sneaks downstairs with the basement in mind. It's a room, it's creepy, it's supposed to be, it's a basement, and it's practically a prerequisite. Dank and dark and maybe demonic, but it's just a room, it's just a basement that shit went down in once upon a time.
And so what if it's haunted or cursed or demonic or a gateway to hell? Fear is weakness, she isn't weak, she deals. It's just a slice of life, maybe it's not logical but some things aren't.
So what if she can't dissect and study it? Why should she? She can't change it, she doesn't want to, so she accepts it and opens the door after looking over her shoulder casually without a furtive cast that would tip off anyone looking to the fact that she's doing something she shouldn't.
It's her house and she'll do what she damn well pleases, because it's her house, she owns it, it's hers. Now. Maybe it hasn't always been, maybe there are things trying to own it that did before but they don't and they won't because it's hers and she's never been the sharing type.
Own it or bail.
She's not so into bailing either.
The house has a soul and she owns it.
Not one to book or run or cry because she's scared, she'll fake indifference and deal with the uneasiness with swagger, plaster on a smug grin and crack a joke because in the end she's alive and whatever is dead or gone can't own the house like she can.
Maybe something's jealous and spiteful and mean and cruel but she'll be a good hostess and let them do what they want like spoiled children because in the end she's alive and they know better, she can still do things, she lives here now and they're just guests, they're angry too but she can be a hard bitch if she has to be, and she can be twice as spiteful.
She tells the house not to fuck with her with a snarl almost coming out, she believes it too, believes she can be the biggest baddest fucker the house has ever seen, the angriest, the most homicidal, the most cruel, the most mean, the most evil thing to ever live under this roof.
She doesn't want to be, but she will if pushed too far past fuck-it.
Believing it herself is all she needs, it'll come off her in waves if she believes it, she'll exude it through her pores and aura and walk and words.
She'll fuck up the house worse than it'll fuck her up. If she snaps it's going to give something else whiplash. She thumps down the stairs smiling and giddy and high on her new found fierceness and chants out sing-song greetings, it's midnight and it's her hour, it's her house, her basement, her mediocre excuse for a date night locale, but it's all hers.
And then there's something lifting and grabbing and shoving at her and all she thinks is that she's done it, the house is angry and is coming to get her, but she's the unholy Martha Stewart and she'll bite and kick and scream and roar and thrash and kill whatever it is that thinks it can put its hands on her to scare her senseless and shitless. But she's not senseless or less full of shit, and it's just Tate.
She shoves, angry and full of humor and calls him an asshole. It's funny but she can't laugh because he'd ask why and she's not going to let him in on all her secrets.
He asks her if he's scared her and her answer sounds contrived even to her, but it's true, he's just surprised her, sent her flying off the handle, unbalanced ready to tear his throat out with her teeth if it hadn't in fact been him in her basement, she's not about to let the house send something to rip her face off and go without a damn good fight.
She's got teeth and nails and life and two lung-fulls of air. She'll be Amazonian, Babylonian, Bene Gesserit, Divine Retribution, Doomsday, Last Call, Atom Bomb, Holy Ghost and Hell Fire to anything that decides to mess with her.
She'll man up and fight instead of girl down and cry.
But still, she's happy it's him in the suit and that she hasn't accidentally killed him because she thought she was being attacked by some basement ogey bogey.
It's easy to forgive him, especially with the way his hand scruffs up his damp, sweaty hair and his grin grows with a wattage that outshines the dank dankness of the environment they're forced to meet in and the circumstances under which the environment is made a viable option; parents, protective impulse, the air of delinquency hanging around both of them.
He bets he can scare her.
He can't but she'll let him enjoy trying.
Maybe she'll forget about how she's made Frank Herbert's made-up mantra her personal creed. Maybe, but she doubts it. She'll enjoy the possibility. It's improbable but it's not impossible.
He has a way of surprising her and she has a way of letting him. It's close enough to scare to pay attention to but not enough to worry about being a hypocrite to her self-made promises to never let herself be afraid.
His fingers can't find the tab of the zipper hiding somewhere on the back of his neck; she slides her hips in the gap beneath banister supports and taps the side of his knees with her feet, "Turn around."
"Wanna get me undressed quick, huh?" He smirks and turns and stands between her legs with his head bowed and brushing hair off the latex.
"Oh, shut up," she quips banging him in the kneecaps with her extended feet, fingers working the zipper down which requires a sharper, harder tug than she originally thought.
He sighs long and hissing, peeling the collar away from his throat, even when it belongs to him it's delicate, just like hers, throats are sensitive, delicate, and easy to fit a hand around. "Harder to get out of then into."
It is, she yanks the edges of the part made by unzipping and it releases bare skin with a sucking rip, sharp like the hiss and rattle of tape off wrapping paper. Her hands sliding down his back to unstick the meld of skin to synthetics, release its grip before replacing it with hers.
"I can imagine. I hope you cleaned it before you put it on."
It's hot and humid under the suit like stirring something on the stove and having your hand in the steam so long water forms and rolls over your fingers and down your arm.
"It was clean."
His back is smooth, unblemished, downy hair baby fine and soft and she lets her fingers curve in at his chest and slide down to his waist unsticking the sides, his ribs expanding under plump fingertips that tingle with her heartbeat.
"What if you were allergic to latex, you'd have died and then when they came to pick up your body they'd find you in a gimp suit."
Her hand s are warm when she pulls them out and it's only because his back is to her that she presses them to her pouting mouth.
"And your father would send you to a nunnery."
"Where I'd knit lace until my eyes bled."
He's moving away by half a step and pulling down the shoulders of the suit and dragging the make of it down his arm and ripping his fingers out, a loose, empty arm flaps down like a crippled bird wing.
"Sorry to be so inconsiderate of your fate after my postmortem demise."
"Postmortem demise would be like killing a zombie."
"Or exorcising a ghost," he intones with a small sound that sounds like a laugh mixed with a sigh, he's amused by something.
The other black empty skin of an arm falls down to his waist and he's got dimples on his back, like hers and his spine is a velvet curve she wants to feel against her cheek.
And it's the shine of sweat and the sharp curve of his shoulder blade that makes one hand white knuckle the banister and the other his bare bicep plump with muscle, makes her lick a long wet line across the ridge of his scapula. Her lips meld around the curve of bone with a soft, gentle, suck that is just a pulse and wave of lips and the roll of her tongue flat against his skin for a moment longer. He turns slow, steady, mechanical ease taking over his joints.
"Why did you do that?" His nostrils flare and his eyes are sharp and mean and full of promises.
"Wondered if you'd taste salty," she smiles softly and tries on looking innocent and being anything else with the thoughts she's thinking. His grin is lunatic addictive and he knows exactly what she's doing but isn't going to buy into it, she likes that between the two of them she's not fooling anyone. He answers like anyone else who would believe her would, with a joke, but there's a cadence in his voice that edges every words in manufactured ease and she's willing to bet the wet stripe of drying spit on his shoulder is like a nicotine patch that gives you crazed dreams after keeping you up all night, like an electric shock treatment after the sedative has taken hold and there's only a single twitching foot belaying that it's working, though she doubts it'd be his foot twitching because she's licked sweat off him.
"Snip and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of."
"Sugar and spice and everything nice."
He snorts and looks pointedly at her lips and the discoloration that's almost faded in the fullest parts.
"Blue lollipops."
Halloween candy she's stolen off the dining room table and stashed next to her empty cigarette boxes that she has to wait to throw out at school because her mother would flip at the sight of them in the garbage can.
"It's the best flavor."
"Cherry is the best flavor."
"Sorry, I'll be more considerate of your preference next time. You're not naked inside that thing, are you?" he's half in it and half out, torso bare and a hue more colored than she'd thought it be, the cast of faded tan is much more appealing than the milk-white she's been expecting.
It's so strange now that he's got his fingers free of tight black inky suit but his hips are still sharply encased, a second skin he's shedding, like a snake, like a Gundam fighter suit she remembers in a show from her childhood after elementary school let out and the cartoon of choice either dealt with Super Saiyans, giant cartoon robot fighting competitions, or paranormal ghost boy detectives. She remembers always being late and eventually quitting Girl Scouts because of the conflict between the times of her favorite dubbed anime shows on cable television and the meetings about the holiday pigs-in-a-blanket "dinner parties" or bracelet making fundraisers.
He shakes his head in the negative so obvious bemused by her question that she can't help but shake her head at him and shove his shoulder.
He's down to his underwear and kicking the suit away without looking where it's going.
"Worried you might get a rash, actually."
She picks at her nails and avoids looking down at the black boxer briefs stretched across his thighs and groin and without a doubt perfect ass.
"I could take them off if you want."
"Little chilly down here for the Full Monty isn't it?"
"You could keep me warm so I don't get cold."
She scoffs.
"Put your pants on. And then you can try to scare mine off."
"I'll try my best."
A/N: Despite there being none in this fic I think panty thieving Tate needs to be made at the very least fanon if not actual canon. If he turns out to be Constance's son like some people hypothesize it would be full circle, inherited kleptomania. And also I went a little all out with the references to books and movies and television here, safe to say Violet has eclectic tastes and she obvious would reads Nabokov and watche Dragon ball Z or something in those veins.


text:
Every now and then, people who work in universities go on strike for a day. It is a somewhat surreal business, particularly if you were not due to give a lecture. In general on a strike day, I go to the British Library and work, often getting much more done than if I was in my office. I am then asked by my College administration to declare that I have been on strike so that they can dock a day's pay because if I didn't tell them they wouldn't know I'd been on strike. Academics get more work done when they are on strike than when they aren't - and they don't have to be paid. These one day strikes, I can't think why, don't seem to be very effective in making the universities see things our way.
A C Grayling makes a clear case as to why the pay claim of Natfhe (National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education) and the Association of University Teachers (AUT) is reasonable and should be supported. Tony Blair made the case eloquently in 2004:
"The funding backlog for university infrastructure, estimated at £8bn, is damaging facilities for students and researchers. The shortfall of teaching funding has badly hit the salaries of academic staff, which have shown practically no increase in real terms over two decades. This at a time when professionals in virtually every other sector, including school teaching and the health professions, have improved their positions significantly; and when competition among graduate employers at home and abroad for the most talented potential university researchers and teachers is greater than ever. An estimated 1,000 UK academics have left jobs here for universities abroad, a quarter alone going to the US." - Prime Minister Tony Blair, speech on the HE Bill at IPPR, 14 January 2004.
Tony Blair said this when he was arguing for a new regime of higher education funding in which students would pay £3,000 per year in fees. He needed the new system so that he could pay staff properly. He won his new system and students will be paying these higher fees from October. But this money is not being used to pay people who work in universities any more than before.
See the AUT website for more interesting quotes and for the case for better pay for academics and others that work in universities.
A C Grayling supports the pay claim but not the methods persued by academics to win it. We are currently refusing to mark examinations as part of an "action short of a strike" until the universities make a reasonable pay offer.
Yesterday my department at Goldsmiths sat down for an hour and a half to discuss ways in which we could ameliorate the hardship for students, particularly for finalists who need, and have earned their degree. We are ready to work extremely hard in the days following the end of this dispute to mark the students' work, to collate the marks, to send it out to external examiners and to hold our exam boards.
But this will not happen unless the universities and the government make good on their committment to increase the pay of people who work in universities.
Strikes always hurt somebody. When the tube drivers go on strike people have a miserable time trying to get to and from work. When nurses go on strike, sick people may well suffer. When bin-men go on strike the rubbish doesn't get collected. When airline catering staff go on strike people have their well-deserved holiday messed up.
Who is responsible for the hardship? I guess this question boils down to your general attitude to trade unions. If you take a Thatcherite line then you will argue that employment is nothing more than a contract between an individual and an employer. If you don't like the pay or conditions, or the health and safety precautions, don't sign the contract. If you think that solidarity between workers, and collective trade union action is something that has helped to create a civilised society then you will take a different view.
I think that if the universities want to be able to award degrees then they need to pay their staff enough to avoid them taking the drastic action of refusing to take part in examinations. Its not as if we do this all the time or for no reason. We don't very often march out into the car park and hold a mass meeting in defence of our tea break. The cliche has it that organising academics is like trying to herd cats. If morale was not pretty low in universities, if university workers didn't really think they had a serious grievance, they would not be taking this action.
What is the alternative to taking this form of "action short of a strike" that really has an effect on our employers? Not much really. We could just carry on working for peanuts. One result of this would be that only people with an "independent income" will be able to afford to be academics. Academia will become a domain for amateur gentlemen and people that need to pay for a flat in London and who need money to bring up their children will have to go and get a proper job.
This is already the case with funding for PhD students in social science. It is extremely difficult to get funding to do a PhD. I wanted to supervise a student next year who had got a first class degree and was well on her way to a distinction at MA level. Her research proposal was important and excellent. She is not doing this PhD because she didn't get funding and does not have a family that can support her financially. She will be lost to academia and some other PhD student who has independent means will replace her.
I would say to A C Grayling that the injustice to students is not our fault but is a result of government and university policy. I would say to him that he should stand shoulder to shoulder with his colleagues who are bearing the risk and the responsibility of fighting for the future of British universities (and future students too). The worst possible outcome of this action is that the strike begins to crumble, some strikers end up being victimized, the exam boards go ahead late and lacking in rigor, and we don't win anyway. Our only option now is to stand together, strong and united. When the government and the university managements understand that this time we are serious, they will come up with a compromise offer and academics will probably accept it.


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Star Wars video games often like to explore side stories that haven't been covered in the films, and one of the better ones to come out of the blasted Prequel era was Star Wars: Republic Commando.
Skipping out on being another game full of Jedi murdering a million bad guys with space magic, it instead focused on a quartet of special ops clone troopers. Not only do they kick ass, but the game did a great job of integrating systems for ordering your squad around while letting you blast droids with lasers. The game ended on a cliffhanger and never got a sequel, but one was in development for a while—and it might have gone on to tell a story about the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance.
In an interview with Cinelinx, Republic Commando Lead Developer Brett Douville discussed potential sequel plans. One could have had players hunting and murdering Jedi as the Empire wiped them out across the galaxy—which was basically what Darth Vader was up to in the 19 years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope—while another might have had one of the clones, Sev, having a crisis of conscience and defecting.
Douville said ultimately that a lot of the staff at LucasArts that worked on Republic Commando was let go as the company figured out how to move forward, so the sequel was ultimately scrapped and its stories might not ever have been pitched. But it would have been an interesting complement to another Star Wars game about the formation of the Rebellion, called The Force Awakens. That one has Darth Vader's secret Jedi apprentice hunting down Jedi, until he's convinced that maybe being all evil kinda sucks and brings together the first few officials who would form the Rebel Alliance.
The bummer is that The Force Unleashed did get a sequel, and it sucked. But at least we can look forward to a million more Star Wars games to go with a million more Star Wars movies, thanks to Disney.